Chapter 29
◎Don't scare my baby◎
In November, the weather in northern Beijing has already turned cold. When the wind blows, it feels like a small knife scraping your face, a cold and sharp pain.
Cheng Jiamo hissed as the wind blew, pulling her clothes tighter around herself: "It's so cold."
She wasn't actually dressed lightly; she wore an apricot-colored wool sweater underneath a white cashmere coat, and a brown wool skirt with thin leggings underneath.
However, the moment she stepped out of the house, the wind still made her feel very cold.
In contrast, He Qingzhao beside him wore a thin white silk shirt, without even a vest, and only a casual gray suit jacket over it.
"Would you like to wear a thicker coat?"
He Qingzhao pulled her into his arms and whispered in her ear, "I'm not cold. The fire can't dissipate; it's still very hot."
Cheng Jiamo knew what he meant, but she could only pretend not to understand, otherwise she would have to take off the clothes she had just put on and wouldn't be able to leave the house at all.
He Qingzhao stopped teasing her, put his arm around her and walked to a black Cullinan, opening the passenger door for her.
After Cheng Jiamo got in, she looked down and fumbled for how to fasten her seatbelt.
He Qingzhao leaned over to fasten her seatbelt, touched her face, and asked casually, "Do you have a driver's license?"
Cheng Jiamo's face flushed: "Not...not yet, I'm still learning."
She was too embarrassed to say that she had failed her driving test twice.
He Qingzhao said, "Take your time learning, don't rush."
Cheng Jiamo responded softly, "Mm."
He Qingzhao rested his hands on the steering wheel, driving with a relaxed posture.
After driving out of the villa, he was about to turn onto the main road when his phone rang.
The phone was in the center console, within easy reach of him, but he didn't take it. He stared straight ahead and said to Cheng Jiamo, "Answer it for me, put it on speakerphone."
Cheng Jiamo glanced at him and thought to herself, "With such a high-end car, don't you have a car seat?"
Although she had doubts, she didn't ask. Instead, she picked up his phone and put it on speakerphone as he wished.
As soon as the call connected, a man's voice with a southern accent came through.
"Old He, are you here yet?"
He Qingzhao: "We're almost there."
Cheng Jiamo: "..."
We've only just left home, are we almost there?
"I've been waiting for you."
He Qingzhao: "You guys eat first, no need to wait for us."
"You?" The man seemed somewhat surprised. "You brought a woman with you?"
He Qingzhao smiled and said, "I brought my girlfriend." Then he said to Cheng Jiamo, "Momo, hang this up for me."
Xun Chen on the other end of the phone: "..."
Cheng Jiamo: "..."
After hanging up the phone, she put it back in the armrest box and asked nervously, "Are there many people?"
He Qingzhao said, "Not many, only six or seven."
Cheng Jiamo wanted to ask if all six or seven of them were men, but it wouldn't be appropriate to ask that, so she changed her question.
Do you drink alcohol tonight?
He Qingzhao: "We'll call the driver after we drink." He added, "We probably won't drink. It's not the Bureau of Commerce, just a few close friends having a simple meal."
When Cheng Jiamo returned to the quiet and elegant courtyard, she was calm and simply looked at the beautiful scenery with appreciative eyes. Unlike the first time, she no longer showed a surprised expression as if she had never seen anything like it before.
There were parking spaces behind the roundhouse. After parking, He Qingzhao led Cheng Jiamo into a Qin-Han style house nestled among green pines and bamboos.
This house is clearly an antique-style building, immediately bringing to mind the beautiful and elegant Book of Songs.
Before entering, Cheng Jiamo pressed her face against He Qingzhao's shoulder and whispered, "Is this a scenic spot or a film and television base?"
He Qingzhao laughed: "It's not a scenic spot, nor is it a film and television base. This is my cousin He Lin's place. He is a director. He filmed a TV series set in the Qin and Han dynasties here before, and later he used it as a place to entertain friends."
Looking at the ancient-style buildings, Cheng Jiamo felt no different from walking in a scenic garden. She thought to herself, "How luxurious! Such a beautiful garden, even if it charged admission, many people would come to visit. However, they only use it as a place for gatherings."
After learning the true purpose of the garden, she changed her mind.
Charging admission fees is nothing; what matters is cultivating connections with high-ranking individuals, which brings even greater value.
He Qingzhao lifted the bamboo curtain and took Cheng Jiamo's hand as they entered the house.
As soon as he entered, everyone in the room turned around and looked at him, some even standing up.
There were seven men in the room, not a single woman. Four men were playing mahjong, and the other three were playing cards.
Cheng Jiamo had met two of them at the Aviation University, but she didn't know their names; they were Zhong Qi and He Zongxun.
Cheng Jiamo looked up at He Qingzhao, tiptoed and whispered in his ear in a voice only the two of them could hear: "Why didn't you tell me it was all men? If I had known it was all men, I wouldn't have come."
He Qingzhao didn't lower his voice, but said with a gentle smile, "With me here, there's no need to be afraid of them."
Zhong Qi and the others: "..."
Cheng Jiamo didn't expect him to be so open and direct in saying it.
Her face flushed, and both cheeks turned bright red.
Zhong Qi had met Cheng Jiamo during the day and witnessed He Qingzhao holding the little girl in his arms like a treasure, initially trying to shield her from view.
Later, he witnessed He Qingzhao embracing her with eyes full of doting affection as he helped her remove Yang Panpan's face.
He was still surprised to see Cheng Jiamo again. He was surprised because they were here to discuss serious business and had not brought any women with them. However, He Qingzhao, who was usually abstinent, had brought this young girl with him. How reluctant he was to part with her.
Surprised as he was, Zhong Qi didn't ask any questions. He smiled, stood up, and pulled out the chair next to him.
"Sister-in-law, come and sit down."
Cheng Jiamo blushed even more when he called her "sister-in-law," her face turning red all the way down to her neck.
She nervously grabbed He Qingzhao's arm, wishing she could hide behind him.
He Qingzhao sensed her tension and unease, patted her back, and gently comforted her, "Don't be afraid." Then he looked at Zhong Qi and said, "Keep your voice down, don't scare my darling."
Everyone in the room burst into laughter, even He Zongxun.
Cheng Jiamo was so embarrassed that she buried her head in He Qingzhao's arm and secretly pinched his lower back with her hand.
He Qingzhao tensed up and asked in a low voice, "How much longer until we can eat?"
Cheng Jiamo pinched his waist again.
He Linzhan smiled and said, "Everyone's waiting for you, big brother. You can eat as soon as you arrive."
He Jingyang walked to He Qingzhao's side and called out with a smile, "Big Brother."
After saying that, he glanced at Cheng Jiamo and smiled at her.
Cheng Jiamo smiled at him, but didn't say anything.
He Jingyang introduced himself: "My name is He Jingyang."
Just as Cheng Jiamo was about to speak, He Qingzhao glanced at him and said, "You talk too much."
Even so, he still introduced him to Cheng Jiamo: "My third uncle's son." Then he pointed to He Zongxun, "My eldest uncle's son, He Zongxun."
He Zongxun also stood up and walked over: "Big brother."
He was also surprised that He Qingzhao had brought Cheng Jiamo along even when discussing serious matters.
It wasn't that He Qingzhao lacked discretion; the main issue was that he hadn't actually been with Cheng Jiamo yet. The two hadn't been in contact for a week. He only returned yesterday, and seeing Cheng Jiamo at the university today was purely accidental. He had finally managed to appease her this afternoon, and he was afraid that if he didn't keep her by his side, she would run away again when he returned home tonight.
Left with no other choice, he could only take her with him and keep her by his side at all times.
After all, he truly loved her; she was the only girl he ever loved, and he didn't want to give up.
The meal was served in a private room inside. The room was very large, with large windows and half-rolled bamboo blinds hanging in the windows. Outside the windows was a beautiful bamboo forest.
The dining table is a round solid wood table with a glass turntable for easy rotation.
Cheng Jiamo sat next to He Qingzhao, with He Jingyang to her right, though He Jingyang kept a certain distance from her.
Seeing the wine on the table, Cheng Jiaming asked He Qingzhao in a low voice, "Do you want to drink?"
He Qingzhao countered, "Do you want me to drink it?"
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