Chapter 71 Go Home and Beg Me Again
In recent years, global capital has largely been directed towards the AI industry, with governments and sovereign wealth funds from various countries investing heavily in chip and large-scale model development.
Zhao Zonglan's trip to San Francisco was specifically to visit those computing power companies with potential.
Harvey's tech group is one of Silicon Valley's tech giants.
Although the negotiations for this collaboration didn't go smoothly and took several days, the deal was eventually finalized.
Mr. Harvey was a cheerful and enthusiastic person. After signing the contract, he invited Zhao Zonglan and Rong Heng to his home.
Zhao Zonglan did not refuse.
That evening, I took Shen Jingni with me.
This was Shen Jingni's first time in San Francisco. As a little princess traveling abroad, she wanted to dress up beautifully so that others would find her pleasing to the eye and she herself would be happy.
She wore light makeup, her long hair was slightly wavy, she wore a light blue coat and a white beret, and she also tied a white scarf around her neck to cover the hickeys.
Because it was cold at night, Zhao Zonglan insisted on putting a pair of woolen gloves on her.
Mr. Harvey has a lovely daughter named Anita, who is five years old this year. She has blonde hair and blue eyes, wears princess dresses, and is as delicate as a porcelain doll.
Shen Jingni brought her a gift.
It's a mini bag with a pink enamel handle from a luxury brand. It's very cute when paired with a dress and also has collectible value.
Anita is a cheerful and lively little girl.
She loved the gift and couldn't wait to show it off to Harvey.
"Daddy, look, I have another pretty little bag! Can you buy me some more beautiful jewelry to fill this bag?"
Harvey was sitting at the dining table drinking with Zhao Zonglan and the others. He smiled somewhat helplessly, patted Anita's head, and reminded her, "Honey, you already have a lot of jewelry, and you always throw it around, so I'm sorry, this probably won't work."
Shen Jingni's English is not very good; she can only barely understand some spoken English.
She saw Anita clinging to Harvey's arm, pleading in a childish voice, "Please, Daddy, please!"
Rong Heng thought the child was so cute that he couldn't help but sigh, "I wish I had a little sister."
Why are all his sisters older than him?
God is so unfair.
Shen Jingni tugged at Zhao Zonglan's suit and said in a soft, coquettish voice, "I want lots and lots of jewelry too."
Zhao Zonglan's eyes darkened slightly. He squeezed her hand, leaned down and whispered in her ear, "Go home and beg me again."
Shen Jingni suddenly felt that something was strange.
He has a lecherous look.
After returning from Mr. Harvey's house, Zhao Zonglan went to his study to handle official business.
After taking a shower, Shen Jingni felt her face was a little dry, but she had left in a hurry and forgot to bring a moisturizing face mask.
She was about to go downstairs to ask Chang An if she could buy it nearby when she happened to run into Rong Heng, who was drinking water.
"Sister-in-law, I have some face masks."
"I was just thinking of putting on a face mask too, let's do it together."
Rong Heng is the only son in his family. He grew up surrounded by women and pays great attention to skincare, which is why his skin is so good. With a little dressing up, he looks just like Jia Baoyu from TV dramas.
Shen Jingni did not refuse.
The two sat on lounge chairs on the terrace, looking at the night view of the bay in the distance, applying face masks, and chatting occasionally.
Rong Heng is a very talkative young master. Apart from being a bit too refined and particular about his lifestyle, he is basically unpretentious.
He and Shen Jingni talked about many things concerning the Rong family.
For example, when he was a child, older girls dressed him up as a little girl and took many unflattering photos of him.
Upon hearing Rong Heng mention the Rong family, Shen Jingni suddenly thought of someone.
"Young Master Rong, I have a question about your third sister. May I ask?"
Rong Heng turned his head to look at her, "Sister-in-law, you're being too formal. Just call me by my name. Calling me Young Master Rong doesn't sound very nice."
"Go ahead and ask. My third sister doesn't have any secrets anyway."
Shen Jingni didn't mince words and asked directly, "Does Miss Rong like Zhao Zonglan?"
She sensed it the first time she met Rong Zaiyi.
The way Rong Zaiyi looked at her was different from how she looked at others; it was as if she were looking at... a love rival.
Rong Heng pondered for a moment, then made no attempt to hide it, “Yes, my third sister likes my fifth brother. To be precise, it’s a secret crush. Almost everyone close to her has noticed, only my fifth brother himself is unaware.”
Zhao Zonglan doesn't talk about love; his heart is cold.
Despite being a moth drawn to a flame, Rong Zaiyi insisted on flying into it.
"However, sister-in-law, don't overthink it. My third sister isn't an immoral person and won't ruin your relationship with fifth brother."
Shen Jingni: "..."
She and Zhao Zonglan had no feelings for each other whatsoever.
There's no need to destroy it.
Seeing that she remained silent, Rong Heng continued, "My third sister has had a tough time too. She has a lot of family matters on her shoulders, and she used to clean up my messes all the time."
"She's had a crush on Fifth Brother for almost eight years, but she's never crossed the line. She must have been quite heartbroken."
Shen Jingni was somewhat incredulous: "Eight years? How old is Miss Rong this year?"
"Twenty-eight."
In other words, she had liked Zhao Zonglan since she was twenty years old.
Those were the best eight years of a girl's life.
Shen Jingni was liked by everyone since she was a child. With a super handsome guy in her family, she had very high standards and had never liked anyone.
So far, only Zhao Zonglan has met her aesthetic standards.
She didn't know what it felt like to have a crush on someone.
But it certainly won't be pleasant.
It might be like bitter coffee with a little sugar; although it has a faint sweetness, it is mostly bitter.
Shen Jingni asked Rong Heng, "Didn't you try to persuade her?"
Eight years have passed and it still hasn't worked out. If we keep wasting time like this, we're just making things difficult for ourselves.
It's not worth it for a man who doesn't love you.
Rong Heng removed the face mask from his face, then took Shen Jingni's and casually tossed it into the nearby trash can, sighing, "Sigh, I can't persuade her."
They're all stubborn.
Shen Jingni patted her face, stood up, and turned her head to see Zhao Zonglan standing on the second-floor veranda.
He stood tall and straight, one hand in his suit trouser pocket, the other holding a cigarette, looking casually in the direction where she and Rong Heng were.
Rong Heng, wearing his shark pajamas, ran very fast.
Shen Jingni didn't understand why he ran away. Were older men really that scary?
She looked up and met Zhao Zonglan's gaze, a bright smile playing on her lips, and asked him, "Are you done with your work?"
Zhao Zonglan didn't answer, his eyes deep and unwavering, and he beckoned to her with the hand holding the cigarette.
A sense of foreboding suddenly welled up in Shen Jingni's heart.
Soon, this ominous premonition came true.
I don't know what's gotten into Zhao Zonglan tonight, he actually...
Shen Jingni lay on the bed with a flushed face, her body stiffening. She reached down to push him away, but couldn't stop him at all.
It's really painful.
She's almost going crazy too.
Shen Jingni called out to him in a tearful voice, "Zhao Zonglan~"
"Brother~ please~"
In the dim light, Zhao Zonglan's handsome face was aloof and ascetic, with a dangerous smile in his eyes.
His thin lips were slightly damp, and his voice was husky and sexy as he patiently corrected her: "Baby, you called me the wrong name, think again."
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