Driver Xiao Liu hid behind a towering tree, staring in stunned disbelief.
The president had been standing there for nearly ten minutes, holding her like a little kitten in his arms, and still refused to let go.
Forget it.
If the president wanted to hold her, then let him hold her.
But at least get in the car first.
Holding her outside like this, with that utterly besotted expression on his face, was honestly too much for Xiao Liu to witness.
So were they getting in the car or not?
Were they leaving or not?
There was still a lunch appointment with clients at noon.
Huo Zhi Chuan let out another deep, muffled laugh from his chest.
If Assistant Lin were here, he could have delivered that classic line:
“Young Master hasn’t laughed in three years. Yet today he’s laughed this many times!”
A faint smile lingered in the man’s eyes, his chest vibrating as he chuckled.
Chu Ningwu could very clearly feel the uneven rise and fall of his chest.
This was too embarrassing.
She really wanted to get down.
Seeing that the man did not answer, Chu Ningwu felt a little awkward.
She could only pretend she had never asked.
She did not dare jump down on her own either.
Huo Zhi Chuan’s official character setting was 191 centimeters tall.
What malicious fun the original author must have had, creating such an enormous size difference.
When she had read it, it had been thrilling.
Now that she had transmigrated into it, it was decidedly less enjoyable.
She had landed in the hospital after the very first night.
But if she tried to hop down herself, Chu Ningwu was terrified she would twist her ankle.
After all, she was a fragile college student.
The kind who could get dizzy and see black spots just from standing up too quickly after squatting in the bathroom too long.
Asking the male lead to put her down…
She had no idea whether that might anger him.
Fortunately, Huo Zhi Chuan finally relented.
“You know my name, don’t you? Just call me by my name.”
Since she even knew details about his life when he was ten years old, Huo Zhi Chuan naturally was not foolish enough to believe they were complete strangers.
Chu Ningwu had probably used her professional position to learn about his identity before and had also looked up some publicly available details online.
The photograph of him winning the gold medal in Mathematical Olympiad still remained pinned to the front page of his elementary school’s public account.
So her knowing about it was not entirely surprising.
Assistant Lin had reviewed the hotel surveillance footage from yesterday and reported that Chu Ningwu had personally replaced a cleaner and deliberately entered the presidential suite.
But what bad intentions could a little cat possibly have?
At most, she simply wanted a better life for herself and had been a little opportunistic.
Chu Ningwu nodded lightly and softly called out,
“Huo Zhi Chuan.”
The corners of the man’s lips unconsciously lifted a little higher.
He had never realized his own name could sound so pleasant when spoken by someone.
“You don’t need to take that medicine anymore. I already fed you birth control pills yesterday. You were asleep, so you just don’t remember.”
Huo Zhi Chuan chose to tell a small lie.
For now, he did not trust her enough to reveal his infertility.
As the ruler of an enormous corporate empire, if word spread that he could not produce heirs, his position would become dangerously unstable.
At the very least, his outwardly cordial but secretly ambitious uncles would be the first to make trouble.
Chu Ningwu’s pupils contracted.
So that was how it was.
The original novel’s plot really was intricately connected.
Now she felt relieved.
Though honestly, why had the male lead not told her sooner?
He had caused her to waste thirty-six yuan.
There were still six or seven days before payday, and the original host’s wallet was already struggling.
She wanted to ask him for reimbursement, but that felt a little too shameless.
He was not her sugar daddy, after all.
…She should probably just find a part-time job.
This was Chu Ningwu’s second time riding in the male lead’s Maybach, and she was noticeably more relaxed than the first.
She even had the spare energy to secretly look around.
So this was a Maybach.
The dazzling starlit ceiling.
The understated yet luxurious dark red interior.
And this overwhelmingly dominant male lead.
Huo Zhi Chuan sat with his long legs crossed, a laptop balanced on his knees.
The sixteen-inch display looked almost toy-like against his tall frame.
Her gaze swept across the sharp, hawk-like contours of his face.
Chu Ningwu felt her heart start racing again.
She immediately blamed it on the suspension bridge effect.
Excitement was one reason.
Fear was another.
She was clearly being intimidated by the male lead’s overwhelming aura once again.
She had no idea what he planned to do by taking her to Yun Bang Shui Wan.
The original plot no longer seemed useful at all.
Her future was a complete unknown.
Lowering her gaze, Chu Ningwu’s eyes landed on the man’s polished black leather shoes.
Visible dust clung to the surface.
For the first time, Chu Ningwu truly felt the reality of his social class.
From head to toe, he wore expensive designer custom pieces.
He entered and exited luxury venues.
He traveled exclusively by high-end cars.
Coming to her neighborhood, even his car could not properly enter.
The moment he stepped out, it was like descending from the clouds into mud, dirtying his expensive shoes.
Before seeing her, he had to hear Chu Mother’s insults.
Upon appearing, he was met with fawning expressions and her two younger brothers’ obnoxious antics.
They were not from the same world.
And now that she had taken birth control, she would not become pregnant with his child like the original host had.
Even if they were sitting in the same car now,
it was only a temporary crossing of paths.
“H-Huo… Mister…” Chu Ningwu still did not quite dare call him directly by name. “May I ask… what are you taking me to do?”
The question actually stumped Huo Zhi Chuan.
What exactly was he taking this little cat to do?
Even he did not seem entirely sure.
He only instinctively wanted to claim her as his own.
“What do you want to do?”
Instead of answering, Huo Zhi Chuan turned the question back on her.
He tilted his head toward her and noticed her unconsciously clawing at the leather seat, her fingertips reddening with effort.
He was beginning to suspect she might scratch up all the leather sofas at Yun Bang Shui Wan too, just like those mischievous little cats that loved destroying furniture.
Why was it that every time she encountered him, she always seemed so nervous?
“I… I want to sleep…”
Chu Ningwu’s current strategy was to answer every question honestly.
Sincerity above all else.
She did not even bother dwelling on how the male lead had once again dodged her question and simply voiced her true thoughts.
She really was exhausted.
If the male lead had not been so intimidating, she probably could have fallen asleep standing up.
Why was Huo Zhi Chuan laughing again?
Was she really that amusing?
Suddenly, Huo Zhi Chuan reached out his hand.
Chu Ningwu reflexively shrank back as if afraid he was going to hit her.
With helpless amusement, the man simply wrapped his large hand around her little one and gently pried it off the seat.
If he did not rescue it now, his car seat really was going to be scratched to pieces by this little cat.
Steady warmth flowed from his skin into hers.
It only made Chu Ningwu sleepier.
She could not help but let out a tiny yawn.
Her eyes narrowed, a small crystal tear gathering at the corners, while her scarlet tongue briefly flickered into view.
Huo Zhi Chuan’s gaze deepened.
“If you want to sleep, then sleep. No one will disturb you.”
Chu Ningwu pouted.
As expected of a capitalist.
Always so good at making empty promises.
Still, she understood what he meant.
He was allowing her to sleep now.
Anyone who refused sleep when given the opportunity was a fool.
So, with her little hand still held in his, Chu Ningwu closed her eyes.
Perhaps it was because the Maybach’s ride was so smooth.
She could not feel even the slightest bump.
This nap was somehow even more comfortable than sleeping in her own little bed.
Huo Zhi Chuan continued handling documents one-handed the entire way.
Only when they arrived at his business engagement location did he finally release her hand.
“Xiao Liu, take her to Yun Bang Shui Wan first, then come back for me.”
Xiao Liu obediently nodded, already calculating that he would need to drive fast.
Yun Bang Shui Wan was on the complete opposite side of the city.
If he delayed the president’s afternoon schedule…
Well, whatever.
Wasn’t this the president’s own order?
As a driver, why should he worry so much?