Su Zhaotang had been hurried along by her mother for quite some time before she finally rushed out of the taxi.
Unfortunately, she forgot that she was wearing the new stiletto white shoes from Daphne. As she entered through the main door, she didn’t notice the raised edge of the carpet underfoot.
Tripping over it, she couldn’t react in time and unexpectedly fell right into someone’s arms.
A pair of strong arms wrapped around her waist, holding her steadily. Su Zhaotang looked up and met Zhou Lingjing’s deep eyes.
Their gazes locked in the air as if time had stood still.
“It’s him again,” Su Zhaotang thought to herself.
A blush spread across her face, and she quickly regained her composure, awkwardly pulling herself away from Zhou Lingjing.
Softly, she said, “Thank you for your help.”
She raised her hand to adjust her freshly styled hair, the tea-brown wavy locks fluttering gently in the slight northern breeze.
Seeing Su Zhaotang’s clumsy attempt to hide her embarrassment,
Zhou Lingjing spoke first, “It’s fine, as long as you didn’t fall. I’ll head in first. See you later.”
With that, he strode inside, leaving behind his tall and upright figure.
“See you later?”
Watching him leave with such an inexplicable remark, Su Zhaotang’s face was filled with confusion. We don’t even know each other, do we?
But she didn’t dwell on it, assuming it was just a casual remark. She straightened herself and walked toward the private room. After all, she was about to meet Zhou Lingjing.
Zhou Lingjing arrived at the private room. As soon as he entered, the parents from both families paused their conversation upon seeing him.
His dark suit today, combined with his humble and polite demeanor, gave off an air of steadiness.
Seeing Su Zhaotang’s parents, he politely stepped forward to shake their hands and introduced himself with a nod, “Uncle, Auntie, hello. I’m Zhou Lingjing. Sorry to have kept you waiting.”
“It’s us who kept you waiting. Our girl hasn’t arrived yet,” Su Dad replied.
Su Zhaotang’s parents exchanged a glance, their faces breaking into satisfied smiles. Su Zhiyuan patted Zhou Lingjing’s shoulder.
“Haven’t seen you in a long time. You’ve grown so much in the blink of an eye, haha. Apart from the time you spent with our Zhaozhao when you were kids, the last time I saw you was at the economic forum exchange. Compared to Old Zhou, you truly surpass the master.”
After hearing this, Zhou Lingjing didn’t forget to save face for his own father, humbly saying, “I’m just riding on my father’s coattails.”
Just then, the door to the private room was knocked twice, and a figure appeared before everyone’s eyes.
She had a slender figure, dressed in a simple yet elegant dress that exuded grace and poise. Her skin was as fair as snow, seemingly untouched by worldly dust. Her bright eyes sparkled like gemstones, radiant and captivating.
Her long hair cascaded like a waterfall over her shoulders, her features delicate, and her lips slightly upturned, revealing a confident and charming aura.
However, when Su Zhaotang saw the man in the private room, she froze in shock. So that’s what he meant by “see you later.”
He knows who I am.
“What are you standing there dumbfounded for, Zhaozhao? Come over quickly. The Zhou family’s little brother you used to cling to as a child is right in front of you. Are you too excited to move?”
Su Mom teased her daughter.
Su Zhaotang thought about how the man before her was Zhou Lingjing, the one she used to play with as a child, combined with their two chance encounters outside, a faint blush spread across her cheeks, filled with both surprise and disbelief.
“Oh my, our Zhaozhao is blushing, isn’t she?” Su Dad remarked from the side.
“Dad!” Su Zhaotang exclaimed urgently, feeling extremely awkward.
It was Zhou Lingjing’s mother who stepped in to smooth things over. “Let’s sit down and eat first, we can chat while we eat.”
After they took their seats, they called the waiter to start serving the dishes.
Su Zhaotang secretly glanced at Zhou Lingjing across from her. His deep-set eyes, high and straight nose bridge gave his facial features a striking three-dimensional quality, and his eyebrows slanted like swords, as if carefully carved by nature itself.
She couldn’t help but indulge in a little daydream.
Just then, Zhou Lingjing suddenly looked up and caught Su Zhaotang’s gaze, as if she had been caught red-handed.
She froze, but surprisingly, Su Zhaotang blinked at him a few times.
After all, she thought, since she had shamelessly clung to him as a child, there was no need to pretend to be reserved now. Her dignity had already been lost in front of Zhou Lingjing when she was three years old.
Seeing her reaction, Zhou Lingjing couldn’t quite figure out what she was thinking. After all, this little girl’s train of thought had always been different since childhood.
Like that time when she was little, she ran off to the neighbor’s house to tease their big white goose and ended up getting pecked.
And she was the type whose skin easily showed marks at the slightest touch. With teary, blurred eyes and trembling little shoulders, she ran back.
Pearl-like tears rolled down her cheeks, as if she had suffered the greatest injustice.
“Waaah, brother, the goose bit me, waaah, I’m so sad,”
Su Zhaotang ran back in her childish voice to complain to Zhou Lingjing, throwing herself against him and crying pitifully.
She even said she was “so sad,” hahaha. Admittedly, Zhou Lingjing was amused at the time. His laughter even made little Zhaotang stop crying momentarily.
She didn’t understand why her brother was laughing when she had been bitten. Waaah, brother doesn’t care about me anymore. With that thought, Su Zhaotang cried even louder.
Zhou Lingjing quickly comforted her, lifting her head from his shoulder and gently wiping the tears from her face.
“Tell me, how do you want me to get revenge for you?” he asked softly.
Hearing this, Su Zhaotang perked up, hiccupping between sobs, “I want to bite it back.”
In the end, she ended up with a mouthful of goose feathers, found it dirty, and started crying loudly again.
Snapping back to the present, he adjusted his wristwatch, cleared his throat, and his low, magnetic voice suddenly broke the silence at the dinner table.
“Let’s talk about the engagement between Zhaozhao and me now. Since everyone is here, we can discuss it.” Upon hearing Zhou Lingjing’s words,
his mother, Mrs. Liang, was the first to react. She glanced at her son, surprised to see him taking an interest in his marriage for the first time. She smiled and said,
“I almost forgot the main matter. It seems our Lingjing really cares about your Zhaozhao.”
Mrs. Liang’s smile was so bright, it was as if the wedding banquet were happening tomorrow.
After all, she thought, if her son wasn’t opposed to this engagement and could develop feelings with Zhaozhao, her long-awaited dream of having a precious grandchild would finally be within reach!
Su Zhaotang listened to him speak, unsure of her own feelings at the moment. In truth, her heart told her she wasn’t opposed to marrying Zhou Lingjing.
After all, whether it was their childhood memories or her current observations of Zhou Lingjing’s appearance, demeanor, and capabilities, he was an excellent choice for marriage.
After some thought, Su Zhaotang leisurely picked up the tea on the table, adopting an obedient and cooperative attitude as she savored the tea with ease.
When her parents asked for her opinion, she waved her hand, a bright smile on her face, and said, “I trust Jing Gege completely. I believe he will treat me well if we marry, right?”
After speaking, her sparkling, star-like eyes fixed intently on Zhou Lingjing.
Zhou Lingjing met her gaze with his deep eyes, let out a soft chuckle, and replied, “Of course.”