Outside the car window was the bustling city street.
Although honking wasn’t allowed downtown, the sounds of traffic, voices, and various interwoven noises couldn’t compete with the storm raging in Meng Chu’s mind.
What had she just heard?
Was that even human speech?
“Fine,” Cheng Jinyu seemed to sigh slightly as he unexpectedly leaned toward her.
Using his long arms to his advantage, he directly took the loose end of her seatbelt from her hand.
Staring straight into her eyes with a lifted corner of his mouth, he said, “Keep looking then.”
At that moment, his hand guided the seatbelt buckle straight into its socket.
With a crisp click, Meng Chu felt like she’d been abruptly pulled back to reality.
But she realized their current proximity was terrifyingly close.
She could almost smell the faint, crisp fragrance that seemed to envelop Cheng Jinyu.
It was intoxicatingly pleasant.
Fortunately, after fastening her seatbelt, Cheng Jinyu straightened up again.
That refreshing scent grew fainter.
“Are you that good-looking?”
Finally, Meng Chu couldn’t help but blurt it out.
This was her counterattack to his earlier remark.
Though her words came out rather sharp.
Cheng Jinyu turned to look at her, his face showing no trace of irritation at her tone. Instead, he lazily replied, “Weren’t you looking at me when you got in the car?”
Meng Chu: “I was trying to greet you.”
Cheng Jinyu looked genuinely sincere: “That’s why I said you could look at me later.”
Meng Chu: “…”
Fine, she’d looked already!
She was beginning to realize they sometimes seemed to be on completely different wavelengths.
As she stared expressionlessly ahead, the person beside her softly said, “Besides, I looked at you first.”
Meng Chu froze.
That inexplicable emotion she’d been feeling seemed to be abruptly punctured.
Was she in elementary school?
Arguing about who looked at whom first.
Even Meng Chu found it strange how easily he could stir her emotions.
“As for whether I’m good-looking,” Cheng Jinyu turned to face Meng Chu again, appearing completely unbothered, “You can be honest. I won’t mind.”
Meng Chu: “…”
With a face like yours, how could I possibly lie?
She knew she couldn’t bring herself to spout nonsense.
But telling the truth…
Wouldn’t that just feed his ego?
After some thought, Meng Chu pointed outside and reminded him, “We can’t park here for long.”
Changing the subject!
A tactic that never failed.
The car, which had never been turned off, soon merged into traffic.
At first Meng Chu didn’t notice, but she eventually realized they were heading toward the Bund.
This time, however, they didn’t go near the historic buildings, but stopped at a hotel.
When the elevator reached the 56th floor, Meng Chu discovered it was actually a restaurant inside the hotel.
A server led them to a private room.
Walking behind Cheng Jinyu, his tall frame blocked her view until they entered completely.
This…
The lighting in the room wasn’t bright, instead casting a soft, dim glow.
By the window, a long table was set with a white tablecloth, slender candles, silverware, and vintage crystal glasses that shimmered romantically in the candlelight.
Meng Chu felt as if she’d accidentally wandered onto a movie set.
As she sat down, she noticed the flowers on the table weren’t showy roses, but wild daisies.
“Do you like these?”
Cheng Jinyu across the table noticed her gaze fixed on the daisies.
Meng Chu smiled lightly: “They’re quite elegant.”
Indeed, such a simple bouquet appealed to Meng Chu more.
It felt casual and relaxed.
It didn’t impose any sense of pressure on her.
After all, it would’ve been far stranger if she and Cheng Jinyu were having an overly formal candlelit dinner.
“As long as you like it,” Cheng Jinyu nodded slightly.
Meng Chu said earnestly, “Thank you for being so thoughtful.”
But as soon as she finished speaking, Cheng Jinyu slowly lifted his head.
Those cool, sharp black eyes, now softened by the warm candlelight, seemed to carry a faint trace of amusement, suggesting he was in a rather good mood.
“Just maintaining my own image,” he said leisurely.
His words made Meng Chu laugh instead, her heart feeling lighter.
She added, “Next time, if there’s anything I can do for you, I’ll give it my all.”
Noticing Cheng Jinyu’s eyelids lift lazily,
Meng Chu continued half-jokingly, “Through thick and thin, fire and water.”
This time, the amusement in Cheng Jinyu’s eyes reached the corners of his lips.
He seemed genuinely entertained by her words.
His already striking features became even more captivating.
“I’m looking for a wife, not a bodyguard,” he said, staring straight at her with a light chuckle.
The sudden term “wife” froze Meng Chu in her seat.
Though her smile remained, beneath those bright, dark eyes was a swirl of bewilderment.
But Cheng Jinyu’s tone was so matter-of-fact—so natural that even Meng Chu didn’t feel she should react too strongly.
In fact, his earlier remark in the car had irritated her far more.
Unable to help herself, she reached for the glass on the table.
The transparent vintage crystal cup held half a glass of water, which she accidentally downed in one go.
Noticing her empty glass, Cheng Jinyu straightened up and reached for the silver pitcher beside him.
He poured her another glass.
“That thirsty?” he asked with another faint smile after filling it.
Meng Chu hummed in agreement—she really had suddenly felt parched.
After finishing the second glass, that abrupt dryness in her throat finally eased a little.
Until Cheng Jinyu casually remarked, “Was it because I called you ‘wife’?”
This time, Meng Chu looked up at him.
Her shock was impossible to conceal.
Seriously?
Wasn’t the unspoken rule among adults to never voice the other person’s embarrassment out loud?
You knew it, fine! But why say it?!?!?!
Cheng Jinyu studied her deeply now.
“You’ll need to get used to it. When we meet each other’s families, we’ll have to address each other that way.”
His reasoning was so logical that, for a moment, Meng Chu found no grounds to object.
Seeing her hesitation, Cheng Jinyu gave a slight nod.
“I understand.”
Meng Chu: “?”
What exactly did you suddenly understand?
“If you feel it’s unfair,” Cheng Jinyu said calmly and sincerely, “you can call me that too.”
This time, Meng Chu was utterly stunned.
Damn. So this was how negotiation worked.Â
*
No wonder he was an investor.
Fortunately, the topic came to an abrupt end when the server arrived with their dishes.
This restaurant served fusion cuisine-hard to pin down to any specific culinary tradition, but the presentation looked promising.
Just as she picked up her fork, the person across from her suddenly spoke, “Not taking photos this time?”
Meng Chu finally remembered.
Oh right, this meal came with a mission.
So she took out her phone and aimed it at the table in front of her.
No matter how she framed the shot, Cheng Jinyu kept appearing in the picture.
Originally, she thought the long table setting was so beautiful that she could take multiple shots.
But in the end, she could only focus the lens on the dishes.
“Alright, let’s eat,” Meng Chu said after taking the photos.
Cheng Jinyu glanced at her and casually remarked, “Can I see the photos you’re planning to post?”
Surprised by his attention to detail, Meng Chu didn’t argue and simply sent over the few shots she had taken.
He studied them for a long while without saying a word.
Curious, Meng Chu looked at him. What? Not satisfied?
Before she could ask, Cheng Jinyu suddenly sighed, “With photos like these, has your mother never suspected anything?”
Meng Chu was puzzled, “Suspected what?”
“Every photo is just of the plates. You didn’t even capture the person across from you.”
So that was it.
Meng Chu explained, “I did that on purpose to avoid getting you in the shots.”
“Am I that embarrassing to show?”
Cheng Jinyu tilted his chin up, his usual arrogance surfacing.
This time, Meng Chu couldn’t hold back.
Deadpan, she said, “You’re too handsome. I was afraid my mom would think I hired a male model to trick her.”
Him? A male model?
For the first time, Cheng Jinyu’s mind went blank, unable to tell if she was complimenting or insulting him.
“But your vibe is nothing like a male model,” Meng Chu added, perhaps feeling she had gone too far, trying to smooth things over.
She continued, “The main course always comes last.”
As he looked up, Meng Chu realized her words might have carried unintended implications.
Afraid of what he might say next, she quickly preempted him.
“How about I take a couple more photos?”
With that, she pulled out her phone again, this time not deliberately avoiding Cheng Jinyu.
Still, she didn’t capture his face, only his hand resting on the table.
Under the warm, intimate lighting, his hand lay gently on the white tablecloth.
Compared to his slender fingers, the lean, slightly veined back of his hand was even more striking.
Even the silver watch on his wrist served as a perfect complement to his hand.
Those hands were truly a treat for hand enthusiasts.
After taking the new photos, Meng Chu sent them to Cheng Jinyu.
After all, he was the one treating her to the meal and even cooperating with her social media post.
She had no reason to complain.
Meng Chu knew where to draw the line.
“These are better,” Cheng Jinyu nodded slightly, giving his approval.
Without further ado, Meng Chu posted them to her social media.
No sooner had she posted than she received a like—before her mother even reacted.
Then she remembered: she had previously added Cheng Jinyu to this friend group.
Looking down at her post, the atmospheric photo was simply captioned “Dinner,” but she had deliberately added a heart emoji at the end.
A little later, Meng Chu received a message from her mother.
Mom: “Chuchu, are you having dinner?”
Mom: “That hand in your post-is that your boyfriend? Looks nice.”
Mom: “Quite romantic, actually.”
This was the first time Xu Qingying had messaged to ask about Meng Chu.
Clearly, despite her previous likes, she’d been worried about putting pressure on Meng Chu.
Perhaps the signals this time were too obvious, so she simply asked Meng Chu directly on WeChat.
Meng Chu hadn’t expected the effect to be so immediate.
Meng Chu: [This restaurant really is nice. If you like it, I’ll take you next time.]
Mom: [You young people enjoy your romance.]
Mom: [No need for me.]
Mom: [Go ahead and eat. I won’t disturb you anymore.]
After putting down her phone, Meng Chu looked at Cheng Jinyu and said, “That was my mom just now. She must be really happy.”
It was the kind of happiness Meng Chu could feel even through the screen.
Sensing her joy, Cheng Jinyu tilted his head toward her, a faint smile curling at his lips.
“That’s why I said before—those other meals barely counted as business dinners.”
He gestured slightly with his chin.
“This is what qualifies as showing off.”
For once, Meng Chu didn’t think he was being overly confident.
Instead, she was genuinely surprised.
Because some of the photos she’d posted before really had been taken during client dinners.
As expected, someone who truly knew their stuff could see right through it.
Pressing her lips together in a small smile, she said, “Thanks for this. I didn’t expect you to be so… skilled.”
Most men wouldn’t pay attention to these details.
Yet he’d even thought about which photos would pair well for her.
Just then, the waiter came in with their next course.
After the waiter left, she took a few bites and praised, “The food here is great too. You really know how to pick restaurants.”
“Meng Chu.” Cheng Jinyu suddenly called her name.
She looked up to find his expression unusually serious.
“To be honest, I mind when people misunderstand me,” he said, tilting his head slightly, his tone still grave.
Meng Chu was taken aback. Misunderstand?
Had she said something to give him that impression?
“Though I don’t have much experience either,” he continued, his voice light as he held her gaze.
The way he said it was casual, but the word “experience” seemed to carry just a fraction more weight than the rest.
“I just happen to be a quick learner.”