Chapter 32 This hand is kind of sexy.

After the meal, Murong Yi generously invited everyone to have a drink at 'Crane'.

Tang Ran said the battery was depleted and she would treat Murong Yi to drinks another day.

She wasn't going, and Qiu Yuan had no intention of going either.

Everyone said goodbye at the door.

Qiu Yuan, holding her bag, said to Tang Ran, "Sister, let's go."

Before Tang Ran could answer, Song Zhixu walked over leisurely, looked at Tang Ran, and asked in a very familiar tone, "Do you want to go home?"

"Return."

Tang Ran nodded, then turned to Qiu Yuan and said, "You don't need to see me off. I'll just take Sister Song's car back."

She wasn't a sensitive person, but from Qiu Yuan's gesture of wiping her mouth, Tang Ran sensed something unusual.

Even though she was going to break up with Song Wuqi, Tang Ran had no plans to date. Moreover, Qiu Yuan was just a little sister to her, and there was no possibility of a relationship developing between them.

Tang Ran didn't want to give Qiu Yuan any further hope of testing her, so it was best to keep her distance.

"Okay." Qiu Yuan nodded at Tang Ran, then smiled and said to Song Zhixu, "Then I'll trouble Senior Song to take my sister home."

When they met at the orphanage, Qiu Yuan was happy to see her senior again, but after the meal, she couldn't be happy anymore.

"No need to be so polite," Song Zhixu said with a faint smile.

To Qiu Yuan, these words didn't sound like they were saying there was no need for formalities between them, but rather that she didn't need to be so polite about taking Tang Ran home.

The meaning is unknown.

Qiu Yuan was eager to ask about their relationship, but then she thought, what good would it do? She wasn't unaware of Tang Ran's subtle changes in her.

As long as Tang Ran doesn't accept her, it doesn't matter what kind of relationship Tang Ran has with others.

Qiu Yuan wasn't the type to pester Tang Ran, and since Tang Ran didn't seem interested in pursuing her further, she didn't want to force the issue.

She smiled with relief and said goodbye to Tang Ran: "Then I'll go first. Send me a message when you get home, sister."

Tang Ran waved to her and added, "You too, drive carefully."

Seeing Qiu Yuan's reaction, Tang Ran knew that she had understood what she meant.

The younger sister's good manners impressed Tang Ran, and if Qiu Yuan didn't mind, Tang Ran would still be willing to continue being friends with her.

Murong Yi paid the bill and came over, but didn't see Xia Mo. She guessed that this sister-obsessed guy must have stood her up again.

She took out her phone and sent Xia Mo a message with the words "throwing knife," then turned to Song Zhixu and accused him, "Old Xia, this sissy, abandoned us!"

To her surprise, Song Zhixu not only did not share her hatred, but also stood her up.

She glanced at her watch and said, "I have something to do later, so I'll head back now."

Murong Yi exclaimed, "No, Lao Song, didn't you say you were fine this afternoon?"

"I have some urgent work to take care of." Song Zhixu handed her her bag back and waved her hand. "I'm leaving now. Don't drink too late, you still have to go to the construction site tomorrow."

After she finished speaking, she turned and left. Tang Ran followed behind her, politely waving goodbye to Murong Yi, "Goodbye, Sister Mu."

"They're all female liars, damn con artists!"

Murong Yi angrily rubbed her big, wavy hair back.

She left grumbling, and only realized something was wrong when she saw them get into the same car.

Why is Tang Ran riding in Song Zhixu's car?

Wait, when did they become so close?

Driver Lao Zhang is off today, so Song Zhixu is driving himself.

On holiday nights, the roads back to the city are clear and unobstructed.

Song Zhixu drove very steadily, and with the superb comfort of the top-of-the-line sports car, Tang Ran, exhausted from a long day, unknowingly drifted off to sleep, until she was woken up by a phone call from her assistant, Xiao Chen.

"Mr. Tang, there's a system error at the BR Hotel in Pengcheng. There are no rooms available by Wednesday, and the room reservation has been cancelled. Can I book a room at the ST Hotel next door instead?"

Tang Ran is going to Shenzhen next week to attend the International Innovative Food Exhibition. Xiao Chen had booked the room a week in advance, but the hotel system had a problem and the room was booked twice.

Tang Ran yawned silently, sat up, and asked, "Didn't we manage to book any of the rooms?"

She went to the exhibition with Mr. Yu, along with their respective assistants, making a total of four people, and they booked three rooms.

"Both executive suites have been cancelled," Xiao Chen replied.

The executive suites reserved for Tang Ran and President Yu were cancelled; only the twin room she shared with President Yu's assistant was successfully booked.

“Then let’s all move to ST,” Tang Ran replied.

"OK."

Tang Ran hung up the phone and looked ahead.

The car entered the inner ring elevated highway, covering most of the journey, and had already entered the city.

After staring blankly at the road ahead for a while, Tang Ran realized that she hadn't told Song Zhixu about her business trip.

She turned her head to look at Song Zhixu.

The dim light from the streetlights shone in from outside the car, softly outlining Song Zhixu's delicate features.

Her long black hair cascaded down her shoulders, with the hair on the side of her head tucked behind her ear, and a black pearl earring with tassels adorned her rounded earlobe.

Tang Ran felt that the face looked familiar, but she couldn't remember where she had seen it before.

She thought she might have seen it in a magazine.

Song Zhixu held the steering wheel with one hand, while his other arm rested casually on the window sill, his fingers slightly curled, lightly touching the corner of the steering wheel, his gaze focused intently on the road ahead.

Leisure and composure blend together, just like the two sides of her that Tang Ran had seen: gentle and elegant yet bold and calm.

Tang Ran suddenly remembered Miao Tiantian's words: compared to Song Zhixu, Song Wuqi was just a buyer's show.

Actually, Miao Tiantian's description is not accurate enough. Compared to Song Zhixu, Song Wuqi is just a counterfeit product with a different brand.

Gentleness is a disguise, and composure and steadiness are merely superficial and inferior imitations.

Passing the elevated roundabout, Song Zhixu steered with one hand along the curved lane.

The hand that was turning the steering wheel had fair skin, was slender and long, and the tendons in the hand taut slightly when exerting force.

The muscles in his forearm were well-proportioned, running upwards and disappearing into the neatly folded cuffs of his shirt.

Well……

That hand is kind of sexy.

Tang Ran unconsciously pursed her lips.

After navigating the roundabout, I put my palm against the steering wheel and turned it back into center. My outstretched fingers had distinct knuckles and neatly rounded nails.

I didn't get a manicure or grow my nails long.

Tang Ran suddenly became curious.

Could Song Ji-seok also like women?

Tang Ran's gaze was too direct, and Song Zhixu glanced at her sideways. "What's wrong?"

Just as she was guessing the other person's sexual orientation, she suddenly heard the person's voice. Tang Ran felt embarrassed, like she had been caught in the act of prying into someone's privacy.

She blinked, pretending she hadn't thought of anything, and said in a casual tone, "Well, I have to go on a business trip next Wednesday and I'm expected to be back on Friday. So I won't be able to go to my sister's to look at the course materials on Wednesday and Thursday."

Song Zhixu looked away, nodded slightly, and said, "I might have to go on a business trip next Wednesday too."

She didn't specify a return date, which meant the time was uncertain. Tang Ran, being quite perceptive, smiled faintly and said, "Then let's meet again on Friday?"

"good."

The car exited the overpass at the fork in the road, and Song Zhixu slowed down and stopped at the red light at the intersection.

She tapped her index finger lightly on the steering wheel and asked casually, "How is Aunt Tang feeling?"

It was no secret that Tang Wanru was in poor health. When Song Zhixu suddenly asked about it, Tang Ran assumed that she was just chatting casually to ease the atmosphere in the car.

She replied, "It's fine."

"Mom said that Auntie and the others went to N City these past few days?" Song Zhixu asked again.

"Yes, I went to the N City Summer Carnival."

N City is not far from the city where Tang Wanru is recuperating. Taking advantage of the celebration, Tang Wanru and her companion went there for a trip and posted a lot of updates on their WeChat Moments.

"Mom originally wanted to go, but she heard that Auntie was coming back, so she decided not to go."

Tang Ran was puzzled. "Mom and the others won't be back for another two weeks. Aunt Jiang can come in a few days."

N City is a tourist city, and its summer carnival lasts for a month. Jiang Mei has a visa for country S, so she can fly there anytime.

Song Zhixu explained, "She has an exhibition in a few days and can't get away for the time being."

After being reminded, Tang Ran also remembered this matter, "It's too late then."

Jiang Mei's art exhibition is still more than half a month away. If I go there after it ends, I will avoid clashing with her mothers.

Song Zhixu calculated the time and then asked, "Will Aunt Tang and the others be back before the end of the month?"

"That's the plan."

This is what her mother told her when she called her last week.

Song Zhixu looked up and glanced at Tang Ran in the rearview mirror.

Her expression remained unchanged. Song Zhixu was unsure whether she knew that once her mothers returned, the two families planned to sit down and discuss her engagement to Song Wuqi.

Song Zhixu hesitated for a moment and did not speak about it.

Although Tang Ran asked her if she would help her, Song Zhixu felt that Tang Ran was just casually answering her question.

She could sense Tang Ran's distrust.

Song Zhixu was unsure whether Tang Ran truly needed her help.

Tang Ran received a video call on her phone from Miao Tiantian, but she switched to voice chat.

As soon as the call connected, Miao Tiantian launched into a tirade against her fussy client, angrily accusing him of deliberately targeting her.

Miao Tiantian went to Beijing to visit her grandmother, but early in the morning she received a message from a picky client who wanted to revise the design. She spent the whole day at her grandmother's house revising the design draft.

Tang Ran asked her if she had offended that client somehow, but she stammered and couldn't give a clear answer, so she laughed it off and asked about the event instead.

Tang Ran sensed something was amiss, but remembering she was still in Song Zhixu's car, she didn't press the matter and instead told her about the orphanage.

Mentioning that Qiu Yuan had hired a planning team, Miao Tiantian took the opportunity to praise Qiu Yuan, "What do you think of Qiu Yuan...?"

"Stop!" Tang Ran quickly called out to her.

She said that Miao Tiantian had been mentioning Qiu Yuan a lot lately, and it turned out that she had this idea in mind. If she hadn't found Qiu Yuan's actions to be too ambiguous today, she wouldn't have thought of it that way.

"What's wrong? Do you think Xiaoyuan is too young?" Miao Tiantian asked.

“It’s not a matter of age,” Tang Ran replied.

Aside from her youthful appearance, being around Qiu Yuan doesn't give the impression that she's just an adult.

"Then what's your problem? Apart from being a little young, Xiao Yuan is practically perfect. If I hadn't treated her like a little sister since we were little, I would have kept her for myself." Miao Tiantian said with a tone of great regret.

Tang Rancai didn't believe Miao Tiantian's nonsense.

Aside from her first love, Miao Tiantian doesn't like anyone else, but Tang Ran doesn't want to argue about that right now.

She glanced at Song Zhixu discreetly, and seeing her focused on driving, she lowered her voice and held the receiver: "No, you know my situation."

"You're going to break up sooner or later anyway, so what's there to worry about? Besides, that scumbag Song Wuqi cheated on you, sister, aren't you being a bit too moral?"

Knowing that she was referring to the fact that she hadn't broken up with Song Wuqi yet, Miao Tiantian didn't take it seriously.

"It's not entirely because of that; I only see her as a younger sister."

She genuinely didn't have those feelings for Qiu Yuan. Since she was still in the car, she couldn't explain much to Miao Tiantian, so she could only quote her words.

"There's nothing we can do about it. Poor Yuan is going to be sad. I think she likes you quite a bit."

Miao Tiantian said regretfully, then added, "I'll introduce you to someone else later. Do you like mature and intellectual women?"

She knows a lot of people and has a large number of outstanding single young women in her circle.

She figured that since Tang Ran was interested in Song Wuqi, she must prefer this type.

"I really don't have any thoughts about that right now." Tang Ran rubbed her temples.

Having experienced the upheavals of her previous life, love is not a necessity for her. Tang Ran now only wants to protect the Tang family business and ensure her two mothers are well; nothing else matters.

Tang Ran was already too busy thinking about how to resolve the Tang family's crisis, so she had no time or inclination to start a new relationship.

"Listen to me, sister, out with the old, in with the new. Don't think there's no true love in the world just because Song Wuqi is a scumbag. With your looks, you could have a whole line of guys chasing after you..."

Not wanting to continue the conversation with Miao Tiantian, he said, "Hey, Tiantian, I'm in the tunnel now, the signal isn't very good, I'll leave it at that for now."

Tang Ran caught a glimpse of two rows of lights out of the corner of her eye. She knew the other woman wanted to steer the conversation back on track, so she quickly made up an excuse and ended the call.

She put away her phone and turned around, only to coincidentally meet Song Zhixu's gaze.

Tang Ran felt a little embarrassed, wondering if Miao Tiantian's voice was too loud and Song Zhixu had overheard her trying to introduce her to a new girlfriend.

She smiled politely, wondering if she should say something to ease the awkwardness, when she caught a glimpse of the sign for the mansion's basement.

Forehead.

So Song Zhixu looked at her not because he heard Miao Tiantian's words, but because he discovered that she had lied to Miao Tiantian?

Lying is not a good impression.

Tang Ran blinked, deciding to play dumb to salvage her image.

She deliberately exclaimed in an exaggerated "Eh?", "Have we arrived? I thought we were in a tunnel."

"Um."

Song Zhixu responded, looked away, turned the steering wheel, and parked the car in the parking space.

She didn't say anything, but Tang Ran felt guilty and thought that Song Zhixu had seen through her lie but just hadn't called her out on it.

Tang Ran wanted to explain, but after thinking about it, she decided against it.

She couldn't very well tell Song Zhixu that she was in a hurry to hang up the phone because Miao Tiantian wanted to introduce her to a new girlfriend.

Distractedly unbuckled her seatbelt, Tang Ran's hand slipped, and her phone fell through the center console and under the seat.

He bent down and reached in to rummage around, but his hand was empty.

She adjusted the location, but still couldn't find it.

"Did you lose your phone?" Song Zhixu asked her after turning off the engine.

"Hmm, I don't know where it fell, I couldn't find it."

Tang Ran turned on the car lights and looked down, but it wasn't under her feet; it must still be under the seat.

"It probably slid to the back. Let me take a look," Song Zhixu said, unbuckling his seatbelt.

Tang Ran adjusted the car seat forward, and Song Zhixu turned to look back, spotting a corner of a phone on the edge of the seat.

"They fell behind."

As Song Zhixu spoke, he raised his hand to support himself on the back of the passenger seat and leaned back.

Tang Ran turned to look at her movements, her gaze inadvertently falling on the hand gripping the back of the chair.

Her slender, pale fingertips curled upwards, her nails neatly trimmed...

Stop! Stop! Stop!

Realizing that her focus had started to wander again, Tang Ran turned her head and looked out of the car.

The eyes were no longer looking, but the other senses seemed to be making up for the lack of vision, becoming unusually sensitive.

The two were so close that Tang Ran could not only clearly smell the faint scent of white tea on Song Zhixu's body, but also feel the warmth emanating from their skin, which was only a fist's width away.

A sudden heat crept up Tang Ran's ears, giving her an urge to run away immediately.

However, opening the door and getting out of the car directly would be too deliberate and impolite.

She secretly bit her cheek, leaned closer to the car door, gripped the handle, and turned to ask casually, "Is it hard to find? Should I get out first..."

"Found it."

Song Zhixu's gentle voice came from behind her neck.

Tang Ran stopped what she was doing.

"Give."

Song Zhixu leaned back in the driver's seat, handed his phone to Tang Ran, and casually pulled a wet wipe from the glove compartment and handed it to her.

"Thank you, sister."

Tang Ran smiled and took the phone.

Song Zhixu curved the corners of her lips into a slight smile, then took out a wet wipe and began to wipe her hands.

Seeing her actions, Tang Ran immediately lowered her head, casually wiped her phone, and quickly opened the car door and got out.

The elevator reached the nineteenth floor, and Tang Ran stepped out to say goodbye.

Song Zhixu glanced at his watch and asked, "It's still early, do you want to look at the presentation slides?"

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Author's Note: Murong Yi: Ha! What you mean by having something to do is going home to help your sister with her course materials, huh?