Song Qiao looked down at the white porcelain bowl in front of her, not looking at him. After a few seconds of silence, she raised her head to gaze at the man opposite, revealing a bland smile as she spoke, "I don’t have much of an appetite today. You wouldn’t force to eat, would you?"
"Is it truly that you’re not hungry, or is it because I’m sitting in front of you, that you lack the appetite to eat?" The man set down his chopsticks, wiped his mouth with a napkin, and with a calm gaze observed the woman opposite, leaning against the back of his chair.
The expression on the man’s face and his tone did not fluctuate at all, as if he were discussing sothing as simple as anything could be.
That question wasn’t really a question, but rather spoken with an air of certainty.
Song Qiao was taken aback, her hand holding the chopsticks involuntarily curling up, and with gritted teeth she retorted, "I just don’t have an appetite, and it has nothing to do with you."
Lu Jingchen showed little reaction to her words, his remarkably handso face soon returning to its calm state, his eyes impassively emotionless, as he indifferently said, "Fine, whatever I select for you now, you will eat it all."
Having said that, he proceeded to pick up his chopsticks ready to serve the dish for Song Qiao.
Song Qiao pursed her lips, looking at the man across from her, feeling utterly unmoved, as if she had long anticipated that he would do such a thing. Gritting her teeth as she watched the man’s chopsticks move towards the tender and succulent piece of fish, he did not place it directly into her bowl but instead took a new bowl, selectively removed the fish bones, and then put the fish into her bowl.
The table was rectangular, perfectly allowing him to reach out to her without needing to stand up.
Song Qiao looked at the fish in her bowl, the bones already picked out, but her appetite was still absent, further diminished.
Lu Jingchen stared at her, a smile on his lips that did not reach his eyes, his voice flat and distant as he spoke, "Eat it, otherwise I will make you finish all the dishes on this table."
His tone now carried a faintly chilling threat, no longer as indifferent as before.
Song Qiao glanced up at him suddenly, but eting his cool, detached gaze, she swallowed the words she was about to say and started to eat the fish with her chopsticks.
It must be said that the restaurant’s chef had made the dishes quite delicious; the fish was exceptionally tender and rich. Normally, she did not eat fish often, even over the course of a year, she seldom did. It was not due to a dislike of fish, but rather because she had a traumatic experience in her childhood when a fish bone got stuck in her throat, leaving her psychologically scarred.
Therefore, at ho, when fish was prepared, she usually only glanced at it and hardly ever touched it, partly because picking out the bones was troubleso, which she also disliked.
This ti, Lu Jingchen proved considerate in this regard, efficiently picking out the bones for her.
Having just finished the fish, her bowl was filled again with another piece of deboned fish. Song Qiao faintly looked up at the man opposite, noticing that he was peeling shrimp for her with expert movents. Even though his fingers appeared greasy from the shrimp, he seed to be unconcerned, carefully finishing peeling a shrimp for her and placing it in the empty bowl before reaching for another.
Seeing Lu Jingchen peel shrimp for her, and picking out fish bones, Song Qiao found herself not feeling as bad anymore.
She knew that she was softening again.
Sotis she disliked this aspect of herself, the tendency to be too soft-hearted, which she considered a weakness.
After the al, Song Qiao had eaten quite a bit. When Lu Jingchen returned from the restroom, he imdiately took her hand and led her towards the restaurant’s entrance.
Song Qiao was not accustod to Lu Jingchen holding her hand this way; after all, such a gesture, in her mind, was reserved for couples.
Their relationship...was simply not fit for such romance.
"President Lu?" Just as they approached the entrance, ready to leave, an astonished voice ca from behind.
Lu Jingchen halted his steps and looked back, with Song Qiao also stopping and turning around, only to see a man in his forties approaching them. The man was dressed in an expensive suit that clearly indicated its lavish cost, and on his wrist, he sported a branded watch. Seeing Lu Jingchen, his face instantly brightened with a smile as he approached.
Lu Jingchen raised his brows recognizing the man, who had business ties with the CK Group, and cordially addressed him, "President Chen, what a coincidence."
Knowing that Lu Jingchen still rembered him, President Chen’s smile deepened as he spoke, "I never expected President Lu to rember soone like , truly an honor."
Lu Jingchen smiled, but did not reply, his face maintaining an air of detached coolness throughout.
President Chen’s gaze fell upon Song Qiao, his face showing a mix of curiosity and gossip as he turned to address Lu Jingchen, "President Lu, may I ask who this is...?"
If he rembers correctly, Lu Jingchen has never been involved in any scandals. In fact, the rumors among people in the circle suggest that Lu Jingchen isn’t interested in won at all.
When he saw Lu Jingchen earlier, he thought he had seen wrong because what he saw was Lu Jingchen holding a woman’s hand, and their relationship seed to be no ordinary one.
After all, there were no rumors of Lu Jingchen having a girlfriend or even a fiancée.
Lu Jingchen’s expression remained unchanged as he put his arm around Song Qiao’s waist and introduced her without a change in his face, "This is my wife, Song Qiao."
The man was stunned, his gaze shifting between Song Qiao and Lu Jingchen. His lips moved, but he said nothing.
Lu Jingchen squeezed Song Qiao’s waist. She had initially planned to stay silent, but with his squeeze, she knew what he wanted her to do. Clenching her teeth, she put on a shallow smile. With the grace of a lady from a reputable family, she turned to President Chen and said with a smile, "Hello, President Chen."
President Chen quickly regained his composure, nodded, and then spoke to Lu Jingchen, "President Lu, you really hid it well, not letting out a word about your marriage. If I hadn’t seen you here today, would you have continued to keep your wife hidden from us? Elder He even ntioned finding you a match recently; it turns out you’re already married, President Lu."
With no extra smile on his face, Lu Jingchen still said, "We haven’t had the chance to announce the news yet. President Chen, we were just about to send you the wedding invitation today; it should reach you this afternoon."
"You are planning to hold a wedding?" President Chen was also sowhat surprised.
Lu Jingchen nodded and confidently admitted, "On the fifteenth of next month, my wife and I will have our wedding ceremony. I hope President Chen can attend."
"Of course, of course, I certainly will!" President Chen did not decline, after all, given Lu Jingchen’s status, their relationship was already like reaching for sothing far beyond their grasp.
The CK Group had already monopolized a large part of An City’s developnt. Cooperating with the CK Group was all benefits and no drawbacks, especially since... Lu Jingchen was the youngest and most promising man with the greatest potential in An City.
Going against Lu Jingchen... only a fool would do such a thing.
...
After leaving the restaurant, Song Qiao and Lu Jingchen sat in the car, both of them silent, with the man’s hand still resting on her waist.
Song Qiao suppressed the urge to swing his hand away and instead turned to look out the car window.
Now that everything was out in the open, wishing to cancel the wedding was impossible. If their relationship doesn’t make the magazine headlines tomorrow, she’d be thankful to the heavens and earth.
Lu Jingchen looked up at her, his eyes dark and profound. He pinched her chin, turning her face toward him, his voice low and pleasant, "Not happy?"
Song Qiao glanced at him and replied indifferently, "No."
"You’re not happy," the man asserted, as though he hadn’t heard her response.
Song Qiao tugged at her mouth, revealing a self-deprecating smile, and spoke unhurriedly, "If I’m not happy, are you going to coax into happiness?"
"I don’t know how to coax people," the man still had a good temperant, his deep eyes fixed on her as if he could see deep into her soul, he parted his lips slightly, continuing to speak, "Or should I kiss you and make you happy?"
Song Qiao, "..." What kind of absurd solution is that, a kiss?
Just as Song Qiao was about to refuse, the man’s lips were already upon hers, kissing her naturally, but unlike the forceful or passionate French kisses of the past, he kissed the corners of her mouth gently, as if pecking like a chicken, seemingly enamored with her lips.
Song Qiao was stunned, instinctively raising her hand to push him away.
However, as if realizing sothing, Lu Jingchen swiftly caught her wrists in his hands.
For a mont, even the confined space of the car was filled with an air of unmistakable intimacy that made hearts race.
The man kissed deeply without any reservation, his long fingers pinching her chin, leaving no room for her to evade as their breathing intertwined intimately.
Song Qiao instantly lost all resistance, utterly overwheld by the man’s superior kissing skills; add to that, the unexpectedness of this kiss left her disoriented, her eyes beginning to mist over.
User Comments
0 comments from readers