Chapter 12
"Do I look like a lecher?"
A fifteen or sixteen-year-old girl, in the darkest moment of her life, is suddenly rescued by a mysterious and gentle man who helps her unconditionally.
So naturally, the image of that man in her heart suddenly became tall and majestic, becoming the light in her life.
As for the truth, was the man genuinely kind, or did he just have a sudden whim that day?
Cheng Jiamo didn't know, nor did she delve into it.
Anyway, it doesn't matter what it is. What matters is that her fate was completely changed because of his momentary kindness.
After returning to China, Cheng Jiamo often thought of He Qingzhao, recalling his gentle and affectionate eyes gazing at her in the cold rain, as if he had given her his immense strength as well.
So much so that whenever she felt hopeless about life, she would think of him, and the thought of him would fill her with renewed motivation.
During her senior year of high school, she was under a lot of academic pressure. One day after class, she went to the rooftop to relax and saw a boy who looked a bit like her. After that, whenever that boy played basketball on the playground, she would stop and watch him for a few moments as she passed by.
Her deskmate noticed and asked her with a smile if she liked that boy.
Do you like it?
have no idea.
Cheng Jiamo didn't know if that feeling was love, because she didn't dare to think about it at all.
All she knew was that she had often thought of him over the past three years and longed to see him again.
And now, the man she had been longing for was sitting across from her, having dinner with her.
He was elegant in demeanor and dashing in bearing; every move he made exuded the air of a composed and refined nobleman.
But for some reason, Cheng Jiamo felt a sense of disillusionment, as if her ideals had been destroyed.
The man before her was clearly the one from her memory, yet he also seemed not to be.
The person in her memory was gentle and refined, but deep down he was aloof and indifferent, like a god who would descend to earth to save the people when they were in trouble, but would never have any selfish desires for any one person.
But the person in front of her had just casually confessed his feelings to her.
Whether it was a confession or a joke, only he knows the truth.
Cheng Jiamo didn't want to think too deeply about it; thinking too much about things would only make things difficult for herself.
"I'm stuffed."
Cheng Jiamo couldn't eat anymore and gently put down her chopsticks.
He Qingzhao could tell that she was eating absentmindedly, so he didn't force her. He just smiled and said, "Then I won't eat anymore."
He put down his chopsticks, elegantly wiped his mouth, stood up, and asked her.
"Are you going back to school, or are you coming with me?"
Cheng Jiamo is not a smart person, but she is not so stupid as to be beyond redemption.
He Qingzhao's series of unusual behaviors couldn't possibly mean he's truly fallen in love with her.
She doesn't possess such great charm that she could make someone like He Qingzhao fall in love at first sight and change his personality drastically upon seeing her again.
Seeing that she didn't speak, He Qingzhao's smile faded a little, and his patience was almost exhausted.
Where to?
Cheng Jiamo said, "If you want me to go with you, I will go with you."
She neither directly refused nor explicitly agreed, but instead handed the initiative over to him.
In her view, a person in a position of power like He Qingzhao would prefer to keep the initiative in his own hands and decide the fate of others.
She thought she had answered a question perfectly, but it turned out she had answered it wrong.
He Qingzhao immediately stopped smiling, looked at her coldly, and even his eyes became sharp.
Cheng Jiamo watched his sudden change of expression, like the weather in June, which was sunny one moment and then turned into a raging storm with thunder and lightning the next.
She was terrified, staring blankly at him, at a loss for what to do. If she hadn't been so strong-willed, she would have been scared to tears.
He Qingzhao quickly smiled again, her phoenix eyes slightly narrowed, and she said with a gentle smile, "Let's go, I'll take you back to school."
Cheng Jiamo reached out and grabbed his sleeve, meeting his gaze firmly: "He Qingzhao, I'm not going back to school, I want to go with you."
"Why?" He Qingzhao curled his lips, his smile somewhat cold. "Afraid of me?"
“No.” Cheng Jiamo shook her head and said solemnly, “I’m not going with you because I’m afraid of you, I want to go with you.”
-
The Royal International Hotel is a top-tier luxury hotel located in a prime location.
The presidential suite on the 18th floor is He Qingzhao's exclusive room, which can also be called his private residence. Even when he doesn't come to stay, the suite is not open to the public and is reserved for him all year round.
When Cheng Jiamo entered the room, she gasped in surprise.
At that moment, all the knowledge she had acquired was completely insufficient.
She didn't know how to describe the suite; all she could say was that it was luxurious and beautiful!
The living room is extravagantly large, with panoramic floor-to-ceiling windows, an antique Chinese style, and a half-person-high asparagus fern planted in a blue and white lotus patterned flowerpot. Several green landscape paintings hang on the wall.
Looking out through the glass window, you can clearly see the ancient buildings with red walls and yellow tiles in the distance.
He Qingzhao pulled her to sit down and asked, "Are you sleepy?"
Cheng Jiamo shook her head and whispered, "I'm not sleepy."
He Qingzhao raised his hand and touched her face with the back of his hand. It was soft and smooth, like tender tofu.
He gently nuzzled her face and whispered, "Aren't you afraid?"
Cheng Jiamo wasn't sure what he wanted to hear—whether he wanted her to say "I'm not afraid" or "I'm afraid."
After thinking it over, she finally decided to tell the truth.
She wasn't good at lying and was afraid that she wouldn't be able to say what he wanted to hear, and that it would only make him uncomfortable, so she decided to tell the truth.
"Afraid."
“I couldn’t help but be scared if I went into a hotel with an adult man.”
"But since this man is you, I'm not so afraid anymore."
“He Qingzhao, it is because of you that I am willing.”
As she said these words, she kept looking at He Qingzhao without lowering her head or looking away.
He Qingzhao looked into her watery, affectionate eyes, which were clear and bright, and her gaze was so pure that there was not a single impure thought.
Such a pure and innocent young girl was tricked into going to a hotel by him, and then said to him, "Because it's you, I'm willing."
Too pure, too righteous, so righteous it's bordering on evil.
He didn't speak, he just looked at her, feeling annoyed and even a little angry for the first time at his own despicable behavior.
"Silly girl." He smiled and touched her face. "What are you willing to do, hmm?"
Cheng Jiamo pursed her lips, blushing as she said, "I'm willing to do it with you, to do those things between men and women."
He Qingzhao narrowed his eyes, his Adam's apple bobbing rapidly, his voice low and hoarse: "Do I look like a lecher?"
"No," Cheng Jiamo hurriedly explained, "That's not what I meant, I meant to say, I meant to say..."
Unable to think of a response, she became so anxious that she broke out in a sweat. In desperation, she uttered the words that she wanted to bite her tongue and commit suicide.
"It's because I'm lustful, and I want to do it with you myself."
He Qingzhao didn't speak, but curled one corner of his mouth into a sly smile with a hint of roguishness.
Cheng Jiamo felt like dying. Looking at his wicked grin, her nose stung and her eyes welled up with tears.
She turned away, no longer looking at him, showing him the aggrieved back of her head.
He Qingzhao turned her body around, hugged her in his arms, and rubbed his chin against her neck.
"Just kidding, that's what I want."
Cheng Jiamo said, her voice choked with emotion, "Mr. He, you shouldn't have done this."
"What shouldn't be done?" He Qingzhao tilted his head and pressed his thin lips against her face.
"Shouldn't have..."
He Qingzhao moved his lips down, bit her earlobe, and pulled on her shoulder strap.
Cheng Jiamo originally wanted to tell him that she had always remembered his kindness and regarded him as a great benefactor.
At this moment, a slight sour feeling welled up in my heart, and I swallowed the words that were about to come out, not wanting to say anything more.
Just as He Qingzhao held the phone in his hand, the phone on the coffee table rang.
Cheng Jiamo's body tensed up suddenly, but she didn't resist or remind him to answer the phone. She bit her lip and let him knead her.
He Qingzhao sensed her nervousness, and coupled with the incessant ringing of the phone, he finally pulled his hand away.
He stood up to answer the phone, his voice low and cold: "Speak!"
He Jingyang said urgently, "Brother, come back quickly. Grandpa and the others suspect that you are keeping a woman in your courtyard in the West Sea."
Eight years ago, He Qingzhao bought a courtyard house in Xihai from a spoiled young master. After buying the house, he never let anyone visit it.
None of his friends, the He brothers, or even the old man and woman, had ever been there.
But every month, he would go there alone for a few days.
From beginning to end, no one suspected that he was keeping a mistress there; they just assumed he wanted to hide away for a few days to relax.
But today, the He family has dispatched more than a dozen vehicles, preparing to rush over and tear down He Qingzhao's little house.
He Qingzhao simply responded with a faint "Mm".
He Jingyang added, "Actually, Grandpa is alright, he's not too angry. Second Uncle is quite angry, and he's having Second Brother lead people there to arrest you."
He Qingzhao gave a lukewarm "hmm" and refused to say another word.
He Jingyang sighed helplessly, "Alas, no matter what, come back first and explain things to Grandpa and the others."
After hanging up the phone, He Qingzhao calmly put on his suit jacket, returned to the sofa, leaned down on it, and said to Cheng Jiamo, "I have to go out for a bit. Don't wander off. Wait for me to come back."
Cheng Jiamo nodded obediently: "Okay."
He Qingzhao tilted his head, leaned close to her ear, and said in a deep voice, "If you're scared, you can go back to school."
Cheng Jiamo replied stiffly, "I'm not afraid."
-
Xiyuan, a suburb of Beijing.
The living room on the first floor was full of people.
Grandpa He took a sip of tea and said slowly, "Actually, it's not a big deal if he keeps a woman. He's a young man in his twenties, in his prime. He's not a monk, so it's normal for him to have needs."
He Rong'an said with a serious expression, "Dad, you can't spoil him like this. If he had been a good-for-nothing from the beginning, that would be fine; the He family can afford to support another idle person. But we have poured more than 20 years of effort into him, and with the leadership transition imminent and the election for the president of the Asia-Pacific Chamber of Commerce approaching, he not only cannot have the slightest blemish, but he also needs to find a suitable fiancée to help him."
Hearing these suffocating words, even He Zongxun turned his face away.
Old Master He's face darkened: "You, this is a mental illness for you!"
He Rong'an raised his voice: "Dad! We are talking about Qingzhao now, let's not talk about me anymore."
Grandpa He was, after all, an old man in his twilight years, and in front of his son, who was in the prime of his life, he had lost the imposing manner he had in his youth.
"He's your son. Whether you hit him or scold him is up to you."
After saying that, the old man turned and went to the backyard, leaning on his cane.
He Rong'an instructed He Zongxun: "Second brother, take your men there immediately."
He Zongxun said, "Second Uncle, I think you should come with me, otherwise I'm afraid I won't be able to control my eldest brother."
He Rong'an frowned, his tone leaving no room for argument: "I have a meeting at three o'clock this afternoon, you go with Jingyang."
Upon hearing He Rong'an's words, He Jingyang hurriedly replied, "Okay, Second Uncle."
After saying that, he quickly sent a message to He Qingzhao.
Brother, don't go back to Xiyuan yet, go to Xihai Courtyard quickly.
After sending the message, He Jingyang opened the passenger door and got in.
He Zongxun glanced at him: "Sending a message to your older brother?"
He Jingyang coughed guiltily and changed the subject: "Second brother, do you think eldest brother is really keeping a mistress in the Western Sea?"
[Author's Note]
Boss He: Do I look like a lecher?
Dear readers: Isn't it just [doge emoji]?
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