Five minutes later, inside the seaside private room of the Western restaurant, after the pleasantries were exchanged, Wen Yuan felt as if she were sitting on pins and needles.
Huo Shengye’s gaze was domineering and unsettling, sweeping wantonly over her chest!
There seemed to be a hint of confusion in his eyes, but Wen Yuan wasn’t sure if she had interpreted it correctly.
Unable to bear his stare any longer, she finally covered her chest, suppressing her temper as she whispered, “Mr. Huo, please stop looking at me like that…”
Huo Shengye was incredibly handsome! This was Wen Yuan’s third impression of him.
So much so that after quickly glancing at him a few times, she didn’t dare meet his eyes again—
His face, with its sharp eyebrows, starry eyes, straight nose, and thin lips, was strikingly handsome. His eyes were deep, and his skin was a cool, pale white!
Yet, he was also powerfully built, with visible but not exaggerated muscles on his arms—the kind she admired, looking lean in clothes but well-toned without them.
Even the color of his lips was attractive, a desiccated rose shade! He was so handsome he seemed like a character straight out of her manga.
Wen Yuan couldn’t help but think, no wonder Huo Shengye didn’t appear on social media as often as other members of the Huo family.
It was probably because his face was too handsome, so handsome that he looked like a “pretty face,” making it hard for people not to doubt his business acumen and capabilities.
For him, this face was likely more of a burden. According to the encyclopedia, Huo Shengye was already 29 this year, but he looked as if he were the same age as her.
“Did you apply something to your chest, Miss Wen?” Huo Shengye suddenly asked.
Wen Yuan was startled. She had indeed applied a bit of concealer. Although the marks from last time had faded significantly after her daily application of ointment, they could still be seen upon close inspection, especially by someone with sharp eyes and sensitivity to color.
However, she had carefully color-matched the concealer. As an art student, her professional skills were always strong, and she had an excellent grasp of color. The shade blended perfectly with her natural skin tone. Moreover, the concealer was highly waterproof, and she hadn’t been sweating.
How had Huo Shengye noticed?
Wen Yuan’s heart sank, filled with confusion, but she forced herself to remain calm on the surface. She replied with feigned innocence, “No, I didn’t. Why do you ask?”
But with Huo Shengye’s question, Wen Yuan also relaxed her hand. So he wasn’t a lecher after all—just curious about whether she had applied something.
“Nothing, Miss Wen. Your skin is very fair,” Huo Shengye said.
Alright, it seemed she had overthought it. Huo Shengye was genuinely curious.
But what was there to be curious about? His skin was fair too.
Just then, their ordered meals arrived, and Wen Yuan didn’t dwell on the matter any further.
The waiter efficiently served the dishes and promptly left, wishing them a pleasant meal.
This seaside Western restaurant was far from home. Before Wen Yuan left, Song Huiyue, worried she might not eat enough at noon, had slipped her a freshly baked bagel from the auntie. On the way, Wen Yuan had been nervous, and the familiar food from home had comforted her.
She had eaten more than half of it, so she wasn’t hungry at all now.
Huo Shengye cut his steak, and Wen Yuan watched his movements, unsure what to do for a moment.
Having studied abroad for many years, due to her class schedule, she usually ate alone, occasionally dining with Qiu Lening or her friend Daini.
Now, with a strange man—though a very handsome one—it felt even more “awkward.”
Suddenly, Huo Shengye gently placed the cut steak in front of Wen Yuan. “Eat.”
Wen Yuan blinked: “”
But she quickly realized she hadn’t misheard. Remembering something, she hurriedly smiled and thanked him, “Thank you, Mr. Huo.”
“You’re welcome. Eat up, have more, you’ve gotten thin.”
Not wanting to do anything defiant that might leave a bad impression on Huo Shengye, Wen Yuan obediently picked up her fork and began to eat.
But after taking one bite, she belatedly realized something seemed off. Huo Shengye had just said “you’ve gotten thin”?
What did that mean? This was their first meeting, wasn’t it?
Just as Wen Yuan was puzzled, she heard Huo Shengye say, “My mother showed me your photo. You looked a bit fuller then.”
Surprised, Wen Yuan looked up. The man’s dark eyelashes were slightly lowered as he held a knife in one hand and a fork in the other, leisurely cutting into his steak.
His expression was indifferent, his features cool and detached. The lines of his arms moved with a powerful grace, yet his face showed no extra emotion.
Wen Yuan responded with an “Oh.” It must have been her imagination—he was the head of a chaebol, after all, a very busy man.
How could they have met before? Especially since she had just returned from U Country.
Though not hungry, since Huo Shengye had told her to eat more, Wen Yuan guessed that a man of his status probably wanted an obedient wife.
So she truly ate most of her steak, stopping only when she was full and couldn’t eat another bite.
When she looked up, she saw Huo Shengye watching her. Wen Yuan was a bit flustered, and Huo Shengye handed her something.
It was juice. Wen Yuan felt slightly embarrassed—right, she had forgotten. She had been eating steak the whole time and hadn’t drunk any water.
“Thank you, Mr. Huo,” she said, taking a sip, her ears burning.
How clumsy.
She had been so focused on being obedient that she forgot something like this.
Would Huo Shengye think she was an idiot? Wen Yuan couldn’t help but wonder, and the thought made her anxious. Suddenly, she decided something. Putting down the juice and wiping her lips, she sat up straight and looked earnestly at the man across from her.
“Mr. Huo, I… I like you! Could you… marry me?”
“And not… see anyone else?”
After speaking, Wen Yuan carefully observed Huo Shengye’s expression, but she couldn’t tell whether he was pleased or displeased, or if he felt anything else.
In fact, even after her words had faded, Huo Shengye still hadn’t looked her way.
Wen Yuan nervously clutched her skirt. For twenty-three years, she had been sheltered by her parents, older brother, and family. But this time, it concerned the survival of the Wen family—she absolutely could not fail.
“Mr. Huo, I’m very well-behaved and obedient. After marriage, I won’t interfere with anything you do…”
Her words carried an uncontrollable note of urgent pleading. “So, could you… consider marrying me?”
As if hearing an extraordinary promise, Huo Shengye’s brow twitched slightly, and a faint, elusive smile appeared at the corner of his lips.
“Really?” He lifted his gaze to meet Wen Yuan’s eyes.
Those eyes were captivating, bright and beautiful, with a hint of redness at the corners, as if she might cry if he didn’t agree.
And at the mention of crying, a dark glint flashed in Huo Shengye’s eyes, and the smile on his lips deepened.
That smile made Wen Yuan’s heart flutter with unease. Clasping her hands together, she solemnly assured him, “Of course, I wouldn’t dare lie to you, Mr. Huo. Everything I just said was sincere.”
The young lady couldn’t lie—whenever she spoke from the heart, her ears would turn this red.
“Alright then,” Huo Shengye said, not dwelling on it.
He turned to Wen Yuan. “Then, Miss Wen, we’ll go register our marriage later. No objections, I presume?”