Chapter 8
"Just keep me company, okay?"
As dusk settles and the city lights begin to twinkle.
The last rays of the setting sun disappeared into the sky amidst the sounds of bustling activity.
As the setting sun disappeared, the bustling night officially began.
Luxury cars, some quite expensive, drove up to the building, their headlights piercing the night and creating a flowing golden river.
The men and women who stepped out of the car were all elegant and beautiful.
The men were all dressed in suits and ties, and the women were all adorned with jewelry and wore floor-length evening gowns.
Cheng Jiamo felt like she had wandered onto the wrong film set. She was supposed to be in a period drama where she wore bright red cotton-padded jackets, but she had mistakenly entered a luxurious film crew.
"Mr. He." She tugged at He Qingzhao's sleeve, forced to look up at him because of the nearly thirty-centimeter height difference. "Can I wait for you outside?"
Instead of answering, He Qingzhao asked, "What do you think?"
Cheng Jiamo's long eyelashes trembled, and she said softly, "I don't really want to go in."
She didn't really want to go to places like charity galas; she felt awkward going in there.
He Qingzhao lowered his head, looking at her closely, a smile playing on his lips: "Just keep me company, okay?"
His eyes were gentle, and his voice was gentle too. In the languid night, he seemed to be slightly drunk, inexplicably alluring.
Cheng Jiamo couldn't refuse, so she obediently agreed: "Okay."
The banquet hall was brightly lit and filled with elegantly dressed people.
Cheng Jiamo was shocked as soon as she stepped inside; the dazzling prosperity was overwhelming.
She had never attended any banquets or parties before, only seen them on television. Now, walking into such a grand occasion in person, the visual impact was enormous.
The Swarovski crystal chandelier hanging from the dome casts a beautiful and dreamlike light, like the Milky Way.
Waiters carrying champagne glasses moved among the crowd, the clinking of glasses, the laughter of men and women, the elegant and melodious sounds of piano and cello intertwined, weaving a grand banquet under the beautiful and dreamlike light and shadow.
As soon as He Qingzhao entered, someone came over to greet him.
Those people addressed him as "Boss He," and others called him "Young Master He" or "Master He." Regardless of the form of address, their tone was full of respect.
He Qingzhao simply smiled and responded with a few words, neither very warm nor very cold, giving the impression that he was mild-tempered, easy to talk to, and dignified and refined.
But those in the know understand that his refined and modest demeanor is merely a facade. In reality, he is the most difficult of the powerful and wealthy young men to deal with, with a mind as deep as the sea. Trying to gain an advantage from him is harder than climbing to heaven.
Cheng Jiamo stood awkwardly beside He Qingzhao, her eyes filled with confusion.
She didn't quite understand their polite and distant pleasantries, and was completely out of place in this boisterous banquet.
Those who were exchanging pleasantries with He Qingzhao all noticed her and were surprised that He Qingzhao had brought in a young girl who wasn't wearing a formal dress, but no one asked her anything.
He Qingzhao couldn't leave for the time being. He caught a glimpse of Cheng Jiamo looking bewildered out of the corner of his eye, and the faint smile on his lips deepened.
He leaned down close to her face and whispered in her ear, "Wait for me for ten more minutes."
Cheng Jiamo obediently replied, "Okay."
He Qingzhao added, "Go and eat something first. There will be snacks and drinks at the dinner."
Cheng Jiamo nodded: "Okay."
He Qingzhao asked a waiter to take her to the dining area and then told her, "Don't wander around. Call me if you need anything."
Cheng Jiamo hummed in agreement and followed the waiter to the dining area, where she sat on the sofa and looked out at the hazy night view.
She's feeling very confused and panicked right now, and has no appetite at all.
She still couldn't understand what He Qingzhao had said in the car.
He said he wanted to support her education and that she would accept it without feeling guilty.
But how could she possibly accept it with a clear conscience?
Before she could come up with a solution, He Qingzhao had already arrived.
She glanced at the time; it had gone by quite quickly, less than ten minutes.
"Are you done with your work?" She stood up.
He Qingzhao naturally took her wrist: "Let's go eat."
Cheng Jiamo looked down at his hand. It was a large hand with long, slender fingers and prominent veins on the back, exuding the power of a mature man. It was a very beautiful and sexy hand that had once pulled her out of the abyss.
And now, this beautiful hand is gripping her wrist, pulling her into an unknown realm.
As soon as they left the banquet hall, Cheng Jiamo abruptly pulled her wrist away, put her arm behind her back, looked at He Qingzhao with clear eyes, and asked the question that had been on her mind.
"Mr. He, I'd like to know, how would you make me feel at ease accepting this?"
He Qingzhao didn't answer directly, but asked instead, "Do you really want to know?"
Cheng Jiamo nodded emphatically: "Yes, I really want to know."
He Qingzhao smiled and said in a gentle voice, "It's chilly outside, let's talk in the car."
Cheng Jiamo sat in the passenger seat, turned to look at He Qingzhao, and waited for him to reveal the real answer.
He Qingzhao took out a cigarette case from the center console, tilted it and shook out a cigarette, but didn't light it, just played with it between his fingers.
Cheng Jiamo said understandingly, "Go ahead and smoke, I don't mind."
He Qingzhao didn't smoke it, he just played with it between his fingers.
After a while, he twisted the cigarette between two fingers and broke it in half, then threw it into the trash bag next to him.
Cheng Jiamo simply looked at him quietly, waiting for him to speak.
He Qingzhao turned his face to the side, looking at her with deep eyes, gazing into her dark, clear eyes, as if trying to see into her heart through them.
Cheng Jiamo felt flustered and her heart pounded faster under his gaze.
The two stared at each other for a moment, but in the end, she was the first to give in.
"Mr. He, please tell me quickly."
He Qingzhao leaned slightly closer to her, lowered his voice, and looked at her tenderly: "Alright, let me ask you, which method is unacceptable to you?"
Which approach is unacceptable?
This question stumped Cheng Jiamo. She had been thinking about how He Qingzhao would make her accept it, and hadn't considered which method she couldn't accept.
"I...I don't know." She really didn't know, and couldn't figure it out at all.
He Qingzhao nodded, as if confirming something, and then asked, "Then let me ask you something else."
“Okay, go ahead and ask.” Cheng Jiamo was eager to know the answer.
He Qingzhao reached out, pinched her chin with two fingers, and gently stroked her lips with his thumb: "If my way is to make you my girlfriend, can you accept that?"
"..."
Cheng Jiamo froze, as if the blood in her body had solidified.
For a moment, she wondered if there was something wrong with her ears, otherwise how could she have heard such an absurd answer?
He Qingzhao looked into her eyes and clearly saw shock, panic, and even a trace of fear.
He saw neither smugness nor the slightest bit of excitement.
This was exactly the result he wanted, but when the result was actually presented to him, he did not feel happy, but rather felt a sense of frustration.
He was furious, though he didn't know why he was angry; he was just really angry.
When Cheng Jiamo came to her senses, she was so frightened that her lips paled, like withered peach petals.
"Mr. He, you must be joking."
He Qingzhao suppressed the slight discomfort in his heart and smiled as he changed his words: "Of course."
Cheng Jiamo breathed a sigh of relief, then patted her chest in lingering fear: "Could you please not make jokes like that again? You scared me to death."
He Qingzhao asked with a smile, "What, is being my girlfriend that scary?"
"No." Seeing that he was just joking, Cheng Jiamo was no longer nervous and spoke more relaxedly. "Mr. He, you saved me before and helped me again this time. I am very grateful to you. But I know that there is a big gap between us. I don't even dare to think about being your girlfriend. Besides, we are not suitable for each other at all."
He Qingzhao said, "What I said just now wasn't exactly a joke."
"Huh?" Cheng Jiamo's heart jumped again.
He Qingzhao sighed and made a troubled expression: "My family is pressuring me to get married. But I'm in the prime of my life right now and don't want to get married yet, so I'd like you to be my girlfriend and help me out."
Cheng Jiamo suddenly realized, "Oh, I understand." She smiled and said, "You mean, you want me to pretend to be your girlfriend to fool your family so they won't force you to go on blind dates anymore."
He Qingzhao neither said "pretend" nor responded to her statement about "pretending to be a girlfriend".
He just smiled and said, "If you agree, you'll be doing me a huge favor. Consider the money for your studies a loan; don't feel pressured. You can pay me back when you start working and earning money."
Seeing that he spoke frankly and openly, Cheng Jiamo's doubts were completely dispelled.
"Okay, then." She agreed without further hesitation.
He Qingzhao added, "It might take two or three years."
Cheng Jiamo smiled and said, "Whatever, I don't plan to have a boyfriend in college anyway."
"Good girl." He Qingzhao smiled and patted her head. "Let's go eat."
Originally, Cheng Jiamo was inviting He Qingzhao to dinner, and the restaurant location had already been chosen.
As a result, He Qingzhao was in charge of the whole process. He took Cheng Jiamo to the restaurant and paid the bill in the end.
After finishing her meal and leaving the restaurant, Cheng Jiamo felt very embarrassed.
“Mr. He, I should have been the one to treat you to dinner, but you ended up paying. You can’t do that again next time.”
He Qingzhao smiled and said, "I'm sorry for taking up your time today. Please treat me next time."
Cheng Jiamo replied, "Okay, I'll treat you next time you have time."
He Qingzhao said as if joking, "I'm always available when my girlfriend invites me."
Cheng Jiamo smiled and said, "You got into character so quickly?"
He Qingzhao reached out and put his arm around her shoulder, pulling her half-into his embrace. He leaned down and whispered in her ear, "Is this acceptable?"
The moment Cheng Jiamo was embraced by him, half of her shoulder stiffened, and she was carried forward like a puppet.
"It's alright."
After getting into the car, Cheng Jiamo took the peace knot out of her bag and handed it to He Qingzhao.
"I originally wanted to treat you to dinner and then give it to you, but the dinner invitation didn't work out. Luckily, I still have this." She touched her nose and said shyly, "I made this up myself. It's not very well made, so please don't mind."
He Qingzhao took it and looked at the simple, even somewhat ugly, peace knot, but smiled and said, "It's beautiful, I like it."
Cheng Jiamo said, "Last time I rode in your car, I noticed that you didn't have any amulets, gourds, or Pixiu (mythical creatures) or other protective ornaments in your car, so I decided to give you this. The main thing is, these are the only little things I can afford to give you right now."
"This is very good."
He Qingzhao hung the peace knot in his car. It was the only ornament in his car, and he kept it there for a long time. Even many years later, after Cheng Jiamo had left him, the peace knot was still hanging in his car.
After hanging the peace knot, He Qingzhao flicked it with her finger, a smile in her eyes.
He entered Cheng Jiamo's school on the car's screen and set that long address as "picking up his girlfriend".
Cheng Jiamo looked at the settings he had entered, her face flushed, and asked, "Why did you set it up like this?"
That's so embarrassing!
He Qingzhao said with a smile, "It's convenient for navigation."
After that, every time he went to M University to pick up Cheng Jiamo, he would simply say "pick up girlfriend" in voice, and the navigation would immediately locate him.
After returning to her dormitory, Cheng Jiamo washed up and lay on her bed, going over the events of the day in her mind.
The more she thought about it, the more outrageous it seemed, and she became so anxious that she couldn't fall asleep.
Just as she was feeling upset, her phone rang. She picked it up and saw that it was He Qingzhao calling.
It's already past 10 o'clock, why is he still calling?
She didn't answer immediately, but quickly took out her earphones, put them on, and then answered the call.
Are you home yet?
He Qingzhao said, "Just arrived." He then asked, "Is it convenient for you to take a call?"
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