Chapter 33 Honesty: "From the first moment I saw him, I already liked him..."

Qiao Yunzheng held the glass, her lips glistening with moisture, each lick and sip exuding a deadly allure.

Unaware of her own presence, she noticed Wen Hong's gaze and asked, somewhat puzzled, "What's wrong?"

Wen Hong's breath hitched. She looked away, her Adam's apple bobbing almost imperceptibly. "It's nothing..."

He subconsciously tugged at his collar, then suddenly stood up: "You guys chat for a bit, I'm going to the restroom."

Su Chen remained silent until Wen Hong opened the door and walked out, then casually remarked, "This young master of the Wen family does seem quite different."

Qiao Yunzheng lowered her eyes, the curve of her lips fading slightly, and placed the cup back on the table: "Does Brother Chen understand him?"

She can no longer bear to hear others' unkind speculations about Wen Hong, and instinctively wants to defend him.

“We’re all in the same circle, so I’ve heard about it before,” Su Chen continued, seemingly oblivious to her displeasure, “The outrageous things the young master of the Wen family did back in the day were far more than what’s been reported in the news…”

Su Chen paused, then said meaningfully to Qiao Yunzheng, "Xiaozheng, Wen Hong is too complicated. I still think you're not suited to be with someone like him."

Qiao Yunzheng's displeasure was obvious. She stood up, ignoring Su Chen, and said to Su Ran, "My purpose today is to formally introduce my boyfriend to you. After all, I don't have many friends besides you. Now that we've met, I'll be leaving if there's nothing else. We can talk on the phone later!"

Su Ran nodded subconsciously: "Okay."

She stole another glance at her brother, not daring to say anything more. She had never seen her usually calm and reserved brother so emotionally expressive before.

She had long known about her brother's hidden feelings for his best friend. She had encouraged him many times to express his feelings, but he always said, "Xiao Zheng is still young, wait until you're older."

Su Ran sighed softly. Now, it was probably too late.

Qiao Yunzheng picked up her phone from the table, turned and walked towards the door: "I have something to do, so I'll leave with him first. You guys play a little longer."

After saying that, he turned and walked towards the door.

Just as my hand touched the doorknob and was about to pull it open, the door was pressed down by another large hand in the opposite direction.

Su Chen strode up to her and blocked her way with his long arm.

Qiao Yunzheng frowned slightly and looked up at him: "Is there anything else?"

Su Chen's chest heaved slightly as he pulled off his gold-rimmed glasses with his other hand and tossed them aside casually.

Those eyes were filled with struggle and pleading as he whispered, "Xiao Zheng..."

Qiao Yunzheng was stunned. The person in front of her seemed quite different from the person she remembered. His eyes were usually calm or even indifferent, but instead, they were filled with intense emotions like they were today.

"Let me finish what I have to say, okay?" Su Chen's voice was a little hoarse, and he wouldn't loosen his grip on the door even a little.

Qiao Yunzheng had no choice but to lower her hand, which was taken as acquiescence.

Su Chen stared at the little girl he had protected since childhood, his eyes filled with unbearable heartache: "Xiao Zheng, tell me the truth, are you with him because of the Qiao family?"

Qiao Yunzheng lowered her eyes and nodded silently.

What he said didn't seem wrong. After all, his reunion with Wen Hong was indeed because of the Qiao family.

Upon receiving an affirmative answer, Su Chen gave a self-deprecating laugh: "But I can do it too. I can help the Qiao family, I can help you find a better lawyer..." There was a struggle in his eyes, but he quickly became resolute again, "Although the Su family is not as powerful as the Wen family, I have accumulated a lot of connections over the years..."

"Why...can't it be me?"

Qiao Yunzheng is not a carefree person. In her early years, she had a deep friendship with the Su siblings, but when she realized that Su Chen seemed to have different feelings for her, she deliberately distanced herself from him.

She only had friendly feelings for him and didn't want to give him unrealistic expectations.

"Brother!" Qiao Yunzheng suddenly called him that, which stunned Su Chen. "I've always considered you my own brother."

"But I've never considered you my sister!" Su Chen could barely maintain his composure, pretending not to understand the warning in her words. He was already too late, regretting that he hadn't expressed his feelings sooner. "I've always liked you, for many, many years. We grew up together. No one knows you better than me. How long have you known that Wen Hong? Do you even know him? Do you know what kind of person he is? I don't want you to make the wrong choice because of a moment of impulse."

"Then do you understand me?" Qiao Yunzheng suddenly interrupted him coldly.

Su Chen was stunned: "What?"

Qiao Yunzheng's eyes were devoid of warmth. She shed her docile and gentle facade, revealing a sharp and intimidating edge: "We've known each other for so long, Su Chen, do you really understand me? Do you know what I like and what I dislike?"

“Of course I know,” Su Chen said, listing her favorite things. “You like white, you love sweets, you love fluffy little animals, you are innocent and kind, you are the best girl in the world…you need someone who truly cares for you and cherishes you, not…”

He is not such a person with a long history of misdeeds.

He pictured little Qiao Yunzheng following behind him, calling him "brother" in a soft, sweet voice, and his eyes couldn't help but crinkle into a smile.

Qiao Yunzheng shook her head: "The first time I met Wen Hong was in a small tavern in a small town."

"What?" Su Chen looked at her in surprise.

“The first time we met was when I was twenty years old, in a bar. He was holding a guitar, wearing an earring and a studded outfit, singing on stage,” Qiao Yunzheng said with a smile. “That day, I also drank alcohol. It wasn’t an accident, it wasn’t a mistake, I just wanted to drink.”

It was as if all the emotions accumulated over the years had finally found an outlet, and then they were uncontrollable.

“He took me to climb trees, wade through streams, go up mountains, and go down to the sea. He took me to do everything I had never done before. That year, we got together… We didn’t just meet; we’ve known each other for a long time. My relationship with him wasn’t impulsive, nor was it for any exchange of benefits. From the first moment I saw him, I already liked him.”

“I don’t like sweets because my mom thinks I like them, so I can only like them. I don’t like being caged like a canary. I don’t like being restricted or stuck in a rut.”

Qiao Yunzheng looked directly at Su Chen, her gaze unwavering: "Also, I don't need anyone to protect me, because I can do it myself."

Su Chen could no longer speak; he just stared blankly at her, as if he were meeting this childhood friend for the first time.

“So,” Qiao Yunzheng said with a smile, “I’m not obedient, not gentle, and not compliant. Besides, I really like Wen Hong.”

After saying that, she stopped looking at Su Chen's complicated expression, walked straight past him, opened the door and went out.

-

Wen Hong scooped up two handfuls of water and splashed it on her face in front of the bathroom sink to slightly suppress a strange impulse within her body.

Looking up, I was surprised to see a familiar person coming out of the cubicle.

Wen Jinliang also saw him.

He walked straight to the sink next to Wen Hong, turned on the tap, and focused on washing his hands. His gaze didn't waver for a second, but he spoke up just as Wen Hong was about to leave: "What are you doing here today?"

Wen Hong stopped in his tracks without turning around: "That's none of your concern, Mr. Wen."

Wen Jinliang wasn't annoyed: "I just saw you with that girl from the Qiao family. What? You won't let us see her?"

Upon hearing Qiao Yunzheng's name, Wen Hong turned around abruptly and squeezed out a few words through gritted teeth: "No need."

Wen Jinliang smiled easily and glanced at his son, who was like a bristling little beast: "You're about to get married, but you haven't even brought her home to meet us. People who know this will think that we're not on good terms, but people who don't will think that you don't care about this girl and are hiding something from her!"

Sure enough, Wen Hong's expression changed the moment he finished speaking.

Wen Jinliang had already turned off the tap and slowly tore off a tissue to wipe the water carefully. "Today is the company dinner. This year, our Wen family has reached a new level compared to last year. If you have time, you should come and have a chat." Before leaving, he patted Wen Hong's shoulder meaningfully. "The Wen family's affairs will eventually fall on your shoulders."

When Wen Jinliang came out of the restroom, he ran into Qiao Yunzheng at the corner of the corridor. His gaze lingered on her face for a moment, then he pretended not to see anything and walked away as if nothing had happened.

When Wen Hong came out, he saw her sitting in the corridor waiting for him, and strode over to her.

Why are you sitting here?

Qiao Yunzheng smiled and stood up: "I'll wait for you."

Wen Hong glanced at the end of the corridor, somewhat hesitant, wanting to ask her if Wen Jinliang had said anything to her, but seeing that her expression was normal, she ultimately didn't ask.

"Not going back?"

Qiao Yunzheng shook her head: "No, I want to leave."

Wen Hong didn't ask any more questions and naturally took her hand: "Okay, let's go home then."

As she reached the door, Qiao Yunzheng suddenly stopped.

Wen Hong looked at her suspiciously: "What's wrong?"

Qiao Yunzheng was in a bad mood and only wanted to leave the private room. She only took her phone from the table but left her bag behind.

"Bag……"

Wen Hong understood and turned to go back: "Then wait here for a moment."

Qiao Yunzheng reached out and grabbed him.

Thinking of Su Chen's face, she felt inexplicably guilty and smiled at him, "I'll go get it! There's something I forgot to tell Ranran."

Wen Hong looked her up and down, raised an eyebrow, but didn't insist any further.

Qiao Yunzheng secretly breathed a sigh of relief and then went back again.

The corridor was a bit messy; it was unclear which company's people were having a meal together, but the atmosphere was clearly at its peak.

Qiao Yunzheng frowned and quickened her pace, passing by the door of the room.

Just as I turned the corner in the corridor, I could faintly hear two men talking coming from the direction of the passageway in front of the restroom.

They seemed to be people from the previous private room coming out for some fresh air; their voices were somewhat muffled, as if they had drunk quite a bit.

Qiao Yunzheng was focused on getting her things and finding Wen Hong, so she didn't pay attention to what they were saying.

But a name suddenly popped into her ears.

"Shen Xingduo, you're just bragging..."

Qiao Yunzheng suddenly stopped in her tracks, feeling that the name sounded somewhat familiar.

Then, the man named Shen Xingduo shouted, his voice filled with resentment, "If it weren't for me, would that Wen fellow be where he is today?!"

Another person scoffed, "Who do you think you are, to say it's all thanks to you? If you're so great, why didn't you brag about it when President Wen was here? President Wen rewarded so many people, but he didn't mention you at all. You're just bragging to me!"

Author's Note: Thank you to "Sunshine" and "Succulent Grape" for the nutrient solution! Sending love~