Chapter 44 "I beg for a chance to love only you..."

At the stroke of midnight, Wen Jia stepped into the Swiss headquarters of Tianxu Group at the last second of ten o'clock, and pushed open the door to the top-floor office with a clear purpose.

The first thing Xu Shaoting did upon hearing her footsteps was to examine her clothing.

Lin Youzhe didn't come to Switzerland. Yang Ruiming was extremely busy, and with Christmas approaching, the Swiss employees were gradually going on holiday. The amount of work that needed his personal attention was double that in China, so he couldn't afford to be distracted by anything.

His gaze swept over her entire body from top to bottom.

Great, she wasn't wearing stockings, and her pointed high heels had been replaced with flat ankle boots, her slender and long legs were encased in washed denim jeans.

It couldn't be safer.

Wen Jia twirled around freely, the hem of her fluffy coat swaying gently.

"How is it, boss? Are you satisfied with this outfit?"

"very good."

Wen Jia was still too lazy to put on makeup. With her smiling eyes, she walked to the office chair and, just like yesterday, sat directly on his lap.

"..."

She's getting bolder and bolder, moving with such ease that she seems completely oblivious to everyone else.

Xu Shaoting didn't put down the documents in his hand, but patiently scrutinized her.

"Secretary Wen, do you think it's appropriate for me to sit on the boss's lap like this?"

"We're already sleeping in the same bed, why are you still so serious?" She wasn't embarrassed at all, instead snuggling closer to him. "Besides, what am I supposed to do if I don't sit on your lap? I don't have an office or a workstation. Does Chairman Xu expect me to stand all day?"

She looked completely innocent. "I've been standing all day, and you still want to hold me accountable when I get home. I'm so pitiful. How can you be so heartless?"

Xu Shaoting put down the documents in his hand, a feeling of itchiness and heat rising in his heart. He originally wanted to punish her, but he was afraid that he would lose control in the end, so he restrained himself and kissed her.

After the kiss, she turned on me and said, "Go downstairs first, I'll be with you when I'm done."

She denied it, saying, "I don't want it."

"Get down."

"It won't go down."

The third time, Xu Shaoting looked expressionlessly at the woman lying on his lap. Seeing that she had no intention of moving, he deftly pressed the intercom and gave the order:

"Come in for a moment."

The weight on my legs vanished instantly.

Wen Jia had already jumped out of his arms and hurriedly walked towards the sofa.

Xu Shaoting watched her retreating figure, chuckled, and then added into the landline:

"No."

Wen Jia was too idle as a secretary. For the entire afternoon, no one knew what a boss and a secretary did in the office. Even Yang Ruiming was completely unaware. He only saw Wen Jia running back and forth to the tea room, bringing cups of black tea and coffee to the office. This stubborn straight man probably couldn't imagine how Wen Jia fed Xu Shaoting all the drinks.

Moreover, he felt that the boss's response was unusually slow today. Every time he knocked on the door, he had to wait one or two minutes before he would get a reply from inside.

Xu Shaoting didn't work overtime that day. At 6:00 PM sharp, he closed the last document, took Secretary Wen out of the office, and got straight into the car.

"I have a business dinner tonight, you're coming with me."

"Want me to help you drink? I'm not a big drinker."

Xu Shaoting glanced at her indifferently, "You're overthinking it."

The driver was Swiss and couldn't understand what the two were saying, but if he had, he would have wondered to himself who would choose to entertain guests at such a romantic restaurant.

The journey took forty minutes. Wen Jia rested in his arms for a while, and when she opened her eyes again, the scenery outside the window looked surprisingly familiar.

"Isn't this the place we were here yesterday?"

She rolled down the car window, and a blast of cold wind rushed in, making her snuggle back into his arms.

The Christmas atmosphere in Zurich is very strong, especially at night, when huge glowing bells and star lights are hung in the sky above the streets, and people wrapped in thick woolen coats walk among them.

The aromas of gingerbread, sweet cinnamon, and hot cocoa mingled and wafted into the car.

Xu Shaoting nodded, only giving a slight "hmm," and said nothing else.

The car slowly stopped in front of a restaurant, a beige retro European-style building.

The first thing Wen Jia did after getting out of the car was to look up and examine the surroundings.

The moment she looked up, she knew she had been deceived.

Now she shares the same doubts as that driver.

No one would choose to entertain guests at such a romantic restaurant.

Clearly, all four floors had been booked out. This restaurant, which usually only accepts reservations, was deserted. A sign stood ostentatiously at the entrance, keeping everyone out and quietly welcoming the arrival of tonight's main character.

On this Christmas Eve, this luxurious restaurant is closed, which is a pity for passersby. If someone musters up the courage to ask the staff about the situation, the staff will only hand her a fresh rose and a sincere envelope.

Wen Jia was the only one who wasn't given the letter, so she wouldn't know that the letter was almost entirely written in German, except for two Chinese characters embedded in the middle, which were her name.

The envelope was made of genuine cowhide, so exquisite and thick that no one had the heart to throw it in the trash. Every recipient would open it with curiosity. The entire letter was written in German with a fountain pen, which was easy to understand, except for two Chinese characters that were difficult to decipher.

A Swiss person who speaks Chinese immediately recognized the name: "This is probably a girl's name."

At this point, his companions would exclaim, "Oh, she's so lucky."

After reading the letter, people would invariably turn their gaze to the other side of the Limmat River. They were also filled with anticipation, knowing that in half an hour there would be a grand and dazzling fireworks display, dedicated to the young lady on the envelope.

The waiter led the two inside, but that was all; he didn't even seat them before silently turning and leaving.

Wen Jia had never seen such an "unprofessional" waiter. She watched his back disappear through the door, and before she could come to her senses, the light suddenly changed.

The man had released her hand, and with a sudden emptiness, all the lights in the restaurant were turned off, plunging her into darkness.

But it wasn't complete darkness, because she could feel a dim, candlelight glowing around her.

Wen Jia turned around and looked to both sides, but there wasn't a single person in sight.

Xu Shaoting was no longer by her side, but she couldn't hear his footsteps, and she didn't know where he had gone.

Wen Jia was terrified of the dark, but at this moment, only doubt and surprise filled her mind, dispelling her countless fears.

She could finally see the scene before her clearly.

Candles were placed on the ground, arranged very neatly, a task that could not have been completed by one person alone.

It extends all the way to the stairwell.

Gazing at all this, a wave of shock swept over Wen Jia. She swallowed hard, as if trying to regain her composure and confirm that this was not a dream. Her lips and hands trembled slightly, whether from doubt or joy, she couldn't tell.

The entire restaurant was so quiet that you could hear the faint hissing of the flames.

Finally, she came to her senses, slowly lifted her leg, and followed the direction of the candle in her furry boots, stepping towards the end of the first floor, into the stairwell, and onto the second floor.

Countless identical little candles were still guiding her, and she obediently followed the flames' instructions, walking to the end of the candles.

The destination was the open-air balcony on the second floor, where you could turn your head and overlook the tranquil Limmat River, its surface shimmering in the sunlight.

There was a table and two chairs in front of her, facing each other.

But Xu Shaoting was still nowhere to be seen.

She pressed her finger to her lips, processing the scene before her.

Finally, after an unknown amount of time, she heard familiar footsteps behind her. She suddenly turned around and saw that Xu Shaoting had somehow acquired a bouquet of bright red, fresh roses in his arms and was slowly walking towards her.

She felt as if she couldn't hear anything at all; the noise of people on the other side of the river, her own breathing, all disappeared, leaving only the steady sound of his footsteps.

Nothing could be seen anymore; the candles and flames seemed to have been extinguished in an instant, leaving only the person in front of me clearly visible.

His gaze was so deep, fixed on her without blinking. For the first time, he felt that a road could be so long and so difficult to walk. Finally, he reached her. The lights obediently turned on, and he could see that her eyes were slightly moist.

Xu Shaoting smiled. "Did I scare you?"

"No," Wen Jia shook her head vehemently in denial, a look of relief on her face as she recovered from a great daze. "Where did you just go?"

Xu Shaoting looked down at the flowers in his arms. "Go prepare the flowers."

"The flowers were prepared long ago, weren't they?"

It was as if she was asking not only about the flowers, but also about everything else.

"Yes, it was prepared long ago."

An answer that cannot be questioned.

Wen Jia smiled happily, "I really thought you were coming to take me to a social event."

Xu Shaoting placed the flowers on the table. "Do you remember what day it is today?"

"Christmas."

He shook his head slightly and smiled. "Why won't you say it was the day we first met?"

"Because it was only you who met me that day, I regret it a little. I was only focused on looking at the snow that day and didn't see you."

He didn't dwell on it, his gentle gaze falling into her eyes, "Actually, Wenjia, after meeting you, Christmas has taken on a new meaning for me."

Was this some kind of show of force to confess his feelings to her? She didn't dare ask. She just listened quietly.

“I used to dislike celebrating holidays, and I wasn’t even interested in my own birthday. But after meeting you, I look forward to this day every year.”

This shouldn't be happening. He's rehearsed these words in his mind thousands of times, he's so familiar with them, so why is his heart still beating so fast? So fast that it's making his words jumbled and his breathing disordered.

"Why?" Wen Jia felt a slight soreness in the tip of his nose. Fortunately, the light was dim, otherwise he would have noticed how obviously red it was.

“Perhaps it’s because… I can recall it without any reservations,” he paused, “even though I’ve recalled it countless times.”

The candles flickered behind him, burning brightly and faintly illuminating his face, which looked very serious.

"Yesterday you asked me if our relationship also needs that lock. I want to say yes, I'm always afraid that I won't be able to hold on to you. After meeting you, I found that all the things I was afraid of were related to you."

There was a moment of silence between the two.

“Actually, me too…” Wen Jia lowered her eyes, smiling, “but I can’t figure out what you’re afraid of…”

"I'm afraid you won't look at me, I'm afraid you won't accept me, and I'm most afraid of losing you. I don't want to be afraid anymore, so after thinking it over, I feel I should say it, and I should give you a formal confession."

He was indeed rarely afraid of anything. What he said was everything he could think of, as if he had run out of words, and every single one of them was related to her.

The moment she hesitated in front of the love lock yesterday was enough to make his heart flutter.

Wen Jia pondered his words carefully and found them somewhat unbelievable. "You have everything, you don't need to be so afraid of me."

Xu Shaoting's heart skipped a beat, and he reached out to hold her waist, as if he wanted to trap her.

"Why would you think that? It has nothing to do with anything," he said, his voice unusually hesitant as he had little experience confessing his feelings to girls. "It's about the heart, isn't it?"

He looked down and saw her open her mouth, but couldn't say a word.

"What do you want to say? Tell me everything."

She nodded confessed, her voice trembling slightly, and lowered her face, not daring to look at him. "I know, it's probably because I'm scared..."

"What are you afraid of?"

Wen Jia hesitated before saying, "I'm afraid you... don't have a sincere heart."

Why does it seem like I'm going to reject him?

Xu Shaoting clenched his fingers, a dull pain spreading from his heart to his limbs, making him breathe rapidly.

"Why?" He pondered for a long time, then smiled with relief. "Just because I have everything? Is it because of money? Power? Or some other random thing?"

Wen Jia shook her head slightly, then nodded.

I don't know how to answer.

Family conflicts, her upbringing, and her mother's admonitions shaped her into an extreme pessimist when it came to relationships. She seemed incapable of fully trusting anyone other than herself. She felt that no one would love her unconditionally, and that everyone's love was ulterior motives, let alone a man like Hsu Shao-ting.

She didn't believe that a man who had everything would be devoted to love; in fact, she thought love was the last thing he would have.

Therefore, she lacked the courage to love him wholeheartedly. In the face of the long river of love, she was always afraid that she would drown first.

Xu Shaoting saw right through her hesitation, and he gradually became flustered. He grabbed her shoulders with terrifying force.

"You're afraid, and I'm afraid too, so I should confess my feelings even more, and we should love each other even more, shouldn't we?"

Two streams can merge into one, intermingling and possessing the courage to resist a long river and the resilience to meander endlessly.

Wen Jia slowly raised her head and looked at him, two lines of clear tears hanging from her chin. "Why aren't you bothered by why I'm afraid?"

"That doesn't matter at all. I'll make you fearless."

"I don't care if others are afraid of me, but you can't be afraid of me."

All I want is for you to love me.

The fear and apprehension of those around him easily categorized him into another social class, but with her, he only needed that boundary to suddenly collapse.

The more thorough, the better.

It's so strange. Even though the words were spoken right next to her ear, why did she always feel an echo reverberating in her ear?

"Whether I have money or power, no matter how much I have, it can't change the fact that I only have one heart. Wen Jia, I have little experience in loving people, and I'm also very inexperienced in loving you. In front of you, I'm just an ordinary man. Just because I have everything doesn't mean I can control my feelings for you. I'm not good at it, and I need to figure it out."

This was the first time she had ever seen him so flustered while explaining something, as if he was about to become incoherent.

After he finished speaking, the space remained silent for a long while.

"If you like me, why is there a contract?"

"I want to keep you by my side, but I feel it's too selfish." His tone was extremely sincere.

"So you tried to bribe me with money."

Xu Shaoting smiled and said, "That contract is the only way I can think of to keep you by my side legitimately, so that you can get used to me and see me."

Wen Jia slowly hugged him back, her tears soaking his shirt. She shook her head in his arms and deliberately said, "I should have known better than to agree to your proposal, otherwise I would have met other men who wouldn't sign contracts with me."

"Please don't say things like that, I don't like hearing it."

Xu Shaoting didn't even dare to imagine the scene she described.

Wen Jia nestled obediently in his arms, saying, "Then I won't say anything more."

After embracing her for a while, he let go of her and asked very seriously, "Can you tell me now why you hesitated so much in front of the love lock yesterday?"

"It's because I'm afraid we won't have a future together."

"So that day on the cruise ship, you said you didn't dare to ask too much of me."

Wen Jia hummed in agreement.

"So you didn't dare mention me during the interview that day."

Wen Jia paused, then asked, "How did you know...?"

The words were cut off.

"Answer me."

She hummed in response, a nasal sound.

The light was dim, and Xu Shaoting's eyes were unfathomable. His hand, which was gripping the edge of the table, tightened more and more as she answered.

“So that day you said,” he paused deliberately, as if processing the stabbing pain in his heart, “that you would repay me.”

Wen Jia's tears increased, but she forced a smile and nodded heavily, "Mm."

Xu Shaoting took a deep breath and turned his gaze elsewhere.

"Then answer me now."

Why were you sad when you found out I was engaged to Shen Zhiyun?

Why are you afraid I'll love someone else?

"Why did you bravely travel all the way to Switzerland to see me all by yourself?"

His series of questions, if asked individually, would have left her speechless, but now that he was asking them all at once, she could only think of one answer.

"It's because I like it."

"Is it just because you like it? I want to hear the truth, tell me."

Wen Jia lowered her head, tears streaming down her face, yet she smiled at the same time. "It's because of love, isn't it, Xu Shaoting? I'm not even sure myself. I only know that I want to be loved by you from beginning to end, and I want to be loved by you uniquely. I just want to be the most special one. That's why I was so sad when I found out you and Shen Zhiyun were getting married soon. I just want you to love me... to love me completely, but I don't dare to say it. It feels so unreasonable... Do you think I'm being unreasonable...?"

She spoke a sentence, then sobbed, and even crying couldn't stop her from expressing herself, as if she wanted to vomit out all the words in her mind.

The next second, a huge flame rose from the sky behind him, and countless stars bloomed behind him.

Amidst the sounds of fireworks and church bells, she heard him ask:

"So now, I'm begging for a chance to love only you. Will you give me that?"

Why were the fireworks set off on Christmas Eve in the shape of her favorite heart? She didn't know.

It wasn't the hour, so why were the church bells ringing at such a precise moment? She didn't know.

Why were passersby downstairs looking in their direction and cheering? She didn't know.

I didn't have time to think it through.

Because Xu Shaoting had already kissed her lips first, but it was just a light touch, without any lingering.

After a few seconds, he left, then asked again very seriously, "Are you willing to give it?"

He gazed at her, and seeing no response, he panicked a little. "Don't you like the location for our confession tonight? Or do you dislike the fireworks, finding them too noisy? Do you prefer to confess at home? I can go back later..."

Before he could finish speaking, he heard her response:

"willing."

"I'm willing to give."

Swans swam slowly along the riverbank, someone was singing Christmas carols by the roadside, the church bells rang three times, the fireworks hadn't ended, and the light shone on her, illuminating the tear tracks on her face clearly.

They were tears of joy.

Xu Shaoting held her very tightly, almost as if he wanted to melt her into his body.

It is the power of joy.

He started kissing her again, this time with gentle, lingering touches. But she had been crying and had lost some strength, so she surrendered quickly, going limp in his arms as he kissed her until she leaned back. She reached out and clung tightly to his broad shoulders and back.

The open-air balcony was filled with magenta flowers, which were still vibrant and beautiful even in the cold winter. They had witnessed this declaration of love, so they were proud and had no reason to be dejected.

Passersby stood in front of the restaurant on the first floor; some clapped, some cheered. They seemed to see the lady from the letter, and even from behind, they could glimpse her beauty. At that moment, no one was saddened by not being able to enter the restaurant that night; everyone was overjoyed to have witnessed this moment.

The shop assistants around the corner were also happy for them. Although they couldn't understand what the two were saying, the expressions on their faces didn't lie.

The man and woman on the balcony gradually moved toward the dining table. They were both so engrossed in their conversation that no one noticed them until the plates were pressed together by their movements, making a crisp sound. Only then did he release her.

Xu Shaoting reached out and wiped away her half-dried tears. "Aren't you tired after crying for so long?"

"Tired..." she mumbled, "And hungry..."

Xu Shaoting closed his eyes, feeling extremely guilty. He had been selfish, only thinking about confessing his feelings and not considering her pregnancy.

He gave the order, and the shop assistants finally got to work.

Tonight's head chef is a Michelin three-star chef, not a regular at the restaurant, but someone he specially invited. On this special day for Western countries, it's very difficult to get a reservation, so he had to use some of his connections.

The waiters focused solely on the two of them, providing exceptionally attentive service. The dishes were served delicately and in small portions. Wen Jia particularly favored the bouillabaisse, its unparalleled tangy freshness and texture, with the addition of lobster and scallops making it even more perfect for winter.

Tonight, nothing could be more fitting than champagne.

When we first clinked glasses, she asked:

When were you preparing for this?

“Yesterday,” he confessed, “I didn’t expect you to come, so it was very rushed. If you don’t like it, I’ll reschedule.”

"I love so much."

During the second toast, she asked:

When did you start thinking about confessing your feelings to me?

Xu Shaoting wiped his hands, looked down and smiled, "If I said I had feelings for you the first time I met you, would you think I'm being superficial?"

Wen Jia remained noncommittal.

"I really wanted to confess my feelings to you that day at my house."

She remembered that day when he said, "Be more discerning; no man would choose to confess his love at home."

On the third toast, she asked:

"You just said you have little experience in love, is that true? Are you lying to me?"

Xu Shaoting withdrew his gaze from the Limmat River. The candlelight cast a hazy shadow on his face, but his earnest expression was penetrating.

"It's true, it's the first time I've ever loved someone."

During their final toast, she didn't ask anything, but simply said something in German.

Xu Shaoting smiled and asked, "Where did you learn that?"

"I heard people saying it on the street yesterday, but I don't know what it means. Could you translate it for me? Don't you know a little German?"

Xu Shaoting put down his wine glass, his eyes revealing an undisguised tenderness:

"I love you."

After the meal, she was slightly tipsy and didn't know which of the champagne, the evening breeze, the lakeside, the Christmas carols, and his sweet words was the culprit.

She was easily carried into the car by Xu Shaoting.

He had already instructed his driver last night to use a car with a partition screen to pick him up.

The car's heating wasn't fully on yet, but the partition screen had already divided the car into two areas.

Wen Jia knelt on his lap, slightly tipsy, and sought his lips, asking for a kiss.

Xu Shaoting responded to her impatiently.

His large hand slid down her pants and suddenly touched a thin layer of stockings underneath.

"Didn't I tell you not to wear it?"

Wen Jia hugged him, her voice slurred, "It was too late when you sent the message. I was already dressed and too lazy to take it off. I thought you would definitely tear it in the office, but it's still intact."

"Deliberately too lazy to take them off?"

Wen Jia smiled and nodded.

The driver had no idea what the two people were doing in the back; he only received orders from Xu Shaoting to increase the speed again and again.

The car stopped in front of the villa, and the driver got out to open the door for him as usual, but he went ahead of him.

He was holding a woman in his arms.

She was carried into the room by Xu Shaoting.

He was too lazy to even turn on the lights.

...

Xu Shaoting called her 'baby' softly, 'Say you love me.'

Wen Jia obediently replied, "I love you, I love you..."

She repeated it.

“Honey,” he whispered in her ear, pinching her chin, “why didn’t you mention me during the interview?”

Am I so shameful that I can't be seen by others?

"No, no..." She bit her lower lip and shook her head desperately.

Why did you post a photo with another man on Weibo that day?

Wen Jia was not in a good mental state, but she still knew he was referring to the day after the party.

"No...that's...a group photo of many people, Chairman Xu..."

He clicked his tongue in dissatisfaction, then stroked her cheek with amusement. "Why are you still calling me Chairman Xu?"

A barrage of "whys" left her speechless, her voice breaking, "What's it called..."

"Think for yourself," he commanded from his superior position.

His words were accompanied by his strong dissatisfaction.

“Xu Shao…Ting…”

"Say it again."

She pitifully rephrased her words, "Brother... are you satisfied with this?"

What do you think?

Wen Jia surrendered, sobbing softly as she called him "husband".

The man was finally satisfied.

The room fell silent for a moment, with only two breaths mingling.

-----------------------

Author's Note: Secretary Wen, you understand the importance of having different duties during the day and night.

We're gathered here today to celebrate Chairman Xu finally breaking his fast (not really).

400 words were deleted; use your imagination to fill in the blanks (crying).