Chapter 37 Chapter 37 Fortune and wealth are achieved through risk.
On the way back.
As expected, Su Tu was interrogated.
Zhao Xuan and Yue Jia became more and more excited as they dug deeper, and in the end they wanted to get straight from the back seat to the front and ask her what her current relationship with Shi Shu was, and what they should call him in the future.
It’s not that she didn’t want to answer.
But logically speaking, does she know the answers that they don't know?
If we have to define it, it is still just a relationship between Party A and Party B. But if she said that, who would believe it?
Not only will they not believe it, they will also think that she is deliberately concealing it and is just being perfunctory because she doesn't want to make it public.
For some unknown reason, she was made to look like a scumbag.
Isn’t it unfair for her?
Finally, I was forced to say, "Go ask him yourself!"
Fortunately, there is still a trace of rationality left.
She stepped on the accelerator and drove him back to the studio as fast as she could. When she finally sat alone in the car and breathed a sigh of relief, she was able to miraculously empathize with the man who didn't want to go home after get off work...
For the next few days, going to work felt like going to a grave. Before entering the studio every day, I had to prepare myself mentally, keeping a straight face as much as possible to appear serious so that I could refuse small talk.
The field work, which had become extremely painful due to the cold weather, became a rare opportunity for her to relax under such circumstances.
Thursday afternoon.
Su Tu had just left the materials market and was about to meet his next client.
Generally speaking, the first meeting with such new customers will be at the on-site measurement site.
But sometimes the customer cannot come, Su Tu will ask his colleagues to measure the room first, and then he will find a convenient place for the customer to discuss their needs.
She returned to the car and followed the navigation to the designated restaurant. She parked the car at nearly six o'clock, then hurried into the lobby, told the front desk the client's last name, and was taken to a secluded private room.
The waiter knocked twice on the wooden sliding door, and the sound of a chair twitching could be heard from inside the room.
The door to the private room opened from the inside, and a man with an elegant face appeared before him. He leaned sideways and made a gesture to invite him in: "Teacher Su, please come in."
Following the direction of his finger, she could see that another person in the private room had also stood up. As she looked over, he had just pulled out the chair next to him, resting his hand on the backrest, his dark gaze fixed on her: "Sit here."
“…”
Su Tu's eyelids twitched, and a hint of doubt flashed across his clear eyes.
After a moment of silence, thinking that this was indeed what he would do, he slowly stepped into the set trap.
She sat down in front of him with a calm expression.
Seeing this, the man at the door thought that there was nothing for him to do, so he took the initiative to say goodbye: "Then I won't bother you anymore."
Afterwards, he said to her, "I'll send you the design requirements later."
He then left the box as if he had accomplished his mission.
There were only two people left in the quiet private room.
For a moment, apart from the bubbling hot soup on the table, there was no other apparent movement.
The hand that was resting on the back of the chair withdrew, and Shi Shu walked around from behind and sat down in the seat opposite her. Then he reached out to take the porcelain bowl, filled it with bone soup, and slowly placed it in front of her: "Be careful, it's hot."
Su Tu's long eyelashes drooped slightly as he looked at the steam slowly rising from the bowl. He obediently picked up the spoon and stirred it methodically as if he was thinking about something.
Afterwards, he lowered his head to take a sip and praised it, "It tastes good."
Shi Shu didn't say anything, and his expression was as calm as ever. While continuing to add more food to her plate, he calmly waited for the storm to come.
Su Tu took another bite.
Then he looked up and asked him casually, "Is that gentleman your friend?"
Shi Shu nodded: "Yeah."
Su Tu asked again: "How many friends do you have?"
Hearing the hidden meaning, Shi Shu gently lifted his eyelids, his eyes not without sincerity: "How much do you need?"
Su Tu laughed, feeling flattered: "As many as I need, I can have."
Without hesitation, he said, "Yeah."
“…”
Su Tu's smile froze, and he suddenly felt uncomfortable with the way he was strategizing, as if he could manipulate everyone in the palm of his hand.
The fate of others depends solely on their motives.
She put down the spoon and dropped her hands to her knees, her expression becoming defensive. "When was the appointment?"
Her schedule has been very tight in recent months, and she doesn't seem to have any last-minute projects that she can join.
So even if he wanted to get the opportunity to meet me by introducing clients, he would have to start planning it at least a few months in advance.
Shi Shuben had no intention of deceiving her, but for him, most things had no need or meaning to be expressed.
But if she wanted to know, he could certainly tell her without reservation, but he had to consider whether the timing was right and how to polish the answer to make it as inappropriate as possible: "Before the game."
Su Tu still felt that he was just fooling him: "Just before the game?"
Shi Shu: “…”
"Okay." She nodded expressionlessly. "Even if it was only before the game, did you already know that I would avoid you from then on?"
So we can arrange it in advance.
Even if she cut off all contact, he could still see her in this way.
Shi Shu lowered his eyes, like a suspect who had surrendered himself. His attitude was upright, and there was also a hint of weakness, but his expression remained calm. "I don't know."
"But, it's always better to be prepared."
Su Tu was so surprised that he was no longer surprised. "Then should I praise you for planning everything perfectly and being a complete genius who can make every possible plan?"
When he introduced Yan Tiankai to her two days ago, she could barely treat it as a coincidence, but how long has it been since then that another client related to him has appeared?
Going back further, from the time we first met, he said that he was introduced by Han Yi.
But when she looked through the chat history a while ago, she could still clearly see the notification message that Han Yi's friend request was approved when he added her last year, but she didn't find his at all!
This means that he and she became friends before Han Yi, before she set up her studio, and before she changed her phone!
So who introduced whom, and what didn't she understand?
What's more, she is now beginning to doubt how her studio survived the early stages of its establishment!
As we all know, the current entrepreneurial environment is not good, and design companies have been closing down year after year. Without initial accumulation, it is basically impossible to continue operating.
But she suddenly decided to set up the studio, and even registered the social media accounts immediately. At that time, there was no attention at all, but Han Yi found her accurately and intermittently brought in a group of clients who seemed a little too easy to talk to in retrospect now.
Not only was the payment straightforward, but the finalization was also quick, which not only alleviated her financial pressure but also allowed her to use the saved time to work on other projects. This directly gave her a double affirmation of economic and emotional value. It is not an exaggeration to say that it was the original stock that supported her to this day!
But now, she thinks that she created everything through her ability and luck.
Surprisingly, all of them became his gifts.
Admittedly, everything he did was well-intentioned and for her own good.
But what if his intentions are not pure, what if I am not someone he favors, but someone he hates?
Without her knowledge, a stranger completely controlled her life and career.
Isn't this something truly terrifying to contemplate? Shouldn't we resist?
Shi Shu finally let go of the tension that came from his uncertainty about the outcome. His narrow eyes drooped, and his Adam's apple rolled with difficulty. After a long pause, he finally, as if at the end of his rope, awkwardly offered a weak response: "...Su Tu."
"I mean no harm."
Su Tu, however, felt that this big-tailed wolf pretending to be pitiful was just a new tactic of his: "Why be so sneaky if you don't have any ill intentions? Wouldn't it be better to be more open and aboveboard?"
Shi Shu, however, asked in return, "If it's fair and square, will you accept it?"
"Why not?"
Su Tu didn't understand his train of thought at all: "If someone wants to introduce a client to me, would I refuse?"
"What about me?"
Shi Shu looked directly at her with an unprecedented aggression: "You accepted the client, can you accept me?"
"Why—"
Su Tu kept talking and almost fell into his trap again!
Whether she accepts the client or not is the same as whether she accepts him or not.
What is the inevitable connection?
Even though she might feel a little psychologically disappointed because even her own business needs the clients he brings to survive.
But the gap in strength between them is already obvious enough. Could it be that they are still short of this group of customers?
Moreover, he was so cunning! He had already plotted against her like this, so what chance did she have of escaping?
They were arguing, but he was still trying to trick her!
Su Tu's face immediately turned red with anger. After a long pause, he managed to force out a sentence: "Then-then you have been sneaking around for so long, why do you want to expose yourself now?"
The tug of war still disappeared.
The atmosphere unconsciously became subtle again.
Shi Shu finally breathed a sigh of relief, and with a resolute tone, he stared at her and said, "I have no choice."
"Only in this way will you be willing to see me."
He could also have played it safe.
But the situation now is that she just refuses to agree to meet him, and he really doesn't want to continue beating around the bush and waiting blindly.
Su Tu twisted his hands together, holding on to his last bit of stubbornness, and glared at him fiercely: "You don't have to see me!"
Shi Shu, however, lowered his head and looked submissive, easily refuting this: "How do you know I'm not?"
“…”
Su Tu's face turned pale and he was so angry that he had difficulty breathing.
It was obvious that he was trying his best to manipulate me, but he acted as if he was forced into this desperate measure!
It looks like admitting defeat, but it gives people the feeling that "I lost to you on purpose", making people feel that winning is not glorious!
Even though she held the initiative and seemed to have the right to refuse him, he always held her hand down, forcefully overriding the initiative and refusing to let her send out this signal.
Her face turned red and she could hardly breathe, but he still leaned closer, reached out to take away the cold bone soup, and filled a bowl of hot soup again, placing it neatly in front of her.
Then, in a humble tone, he slowly negotiated with her: "I don't ask you to do anything. I can't force you to do something you don't want to do."
"But you can't stop me from striving in that direction."
Su Tu clenched his palms, angry but not daring to speak: "..."
What are you fighting for? You're clearly taking it by force!
He was completely oblivious, still adding weight to the tilted scales: "Stop hiding from me, okay?"
“…”
She pursed her lips tightly, as if she heard a loud bang as if the scales had completely lost their balance. Her mind was buzzing, which instantly eroded her remaining faith.
Only a body remained, which had not yet regained its composure after its fury. It lowered its head as if dead and tried to avoid answering by drinking soup.
She didn't say anything, so Shi Shu took it as a tacit agreement, but he also seemed extremely distrustful of it. He immediately asked for verification: "Are you free tonight?"
“…”
Su Tu looked up again, with an expression that said, "Hasn't he been forced here? What else do you want?" He stared at him with resentment.
Shi Shu looked at her angry expression, and his cheeks seemed to swell up a little. His fingertips trembled unconsciously, and his voice was hoarse: "After eating, let's go to the movies together?"
Su Tu was stunned, and then he thought of something: "The tickets have been bought?"
Shi Shu nodded: "Yeah."
“…”
She immediately became extremely upset and kicked him under the table in anger: "You've already arranged everything, why are you asking me?"
She said she couldn't go.
Could he allow her not to go?
Shi Shu's calf was hit, but his eyebrows couldn't help but raise.
He just agreed and didn't say anything else. He just looked in a good mood and continued to add more food to her dishes.
It was not until dinner was almost over that he began to stroke the velvet box in his pocket.
Then he slowly took it out and gently placed it in front of her.
Su Tu's expression froze as he looked at the luxury brand logo on the dark red box. He remembered that during the competition, he had mentioned purchasing on her behalf, but she didn't want it.
Shi Shu then explained: "You didn't tell me what you wanted, so I picked one myself to see if I liked it."
“…”
After arguing for a long time, Su Tu's first reaction when he heard this was actually to argue: If I say I don't like it, can you fly back and change it for me?
However, without even saying it out loud, she could already guess that he would say: Yeah.
In the end, she was the only one who couldn't stand it.
In order to avoid feeling humiliated, she finally reached out and obediently opened the box, and then she saw a thin rose gold metal bracelet.
In the middle is an exquisite sunflower, with a bright and shining diamond hanging in the center.
The extremely exquisite and simple style makes it difficult to guess the price, but Su Tu still recognized it at a glance. It is a limited edition of the brand.
Because designs always have something in common, when she occasionally looks for design inspiration, she will also look through posts about jewelry and clothing, and she saw this model on a certain public account.
I vaguely remember that the price should have been 6 or even 7 digits.
She knew that he would never accept her money, but she had thought in her heart that if the value was not outrageously high, she would at least say in a firm tone: I'll transfer it to you, no matter how much it is.
But now…
Can't turn.
I really can’t afford to turn!
However, almost as soon as he saw the fear in her eyes, Shi Shu directly eliminated the possibility of being rejected: "This one is custom-made, and it has words engraved inside."
"You can't return it, and you can't give it to someone else. It can only be yours."
This is forcing her to ask how much money it is!
But she really couldn't ask, and even if she was sold, she might not be worth that much money...
Her face was filled with sorrow, and she trembled for no reason. Finally, she blurted out the truth: "I can't afford it..."
Shi Shu originally didn't want her to buy it: "It's a gift."
"Then I can't afford it either."
Su Tu insisted, "Gifts should be reciprocated. If I accept it, what can I give you in return?"
Shi Shu: "You don't have to pay it back."
“Why not?”
Su Tu said anxiously: "At most, it's just for show, but in reality, it's forcing me to sacrifice myself——"
Shi Shu was stunned for a moment: "..."
But soon, as if there was nothing to argue about, he looked down at her frankly: "Well, I want you to pledge yourself to me."
"But I won't force you to do it. It has to be your own will."
Su Tu was almost dizzy from his own stupidity: "..."
Her face turned extremely pale and she just wanted to escape, but she was still holding a box that was more valuable than her life. She couldn't accept it or return it.
Shi Shu still refused to let go, and since the conversation had already come to this point, he even threatened with power: "Su Tu."
“…”
She raised her eyes alertly, looking into those unfathomable black eyes. As her breath stopped, she vaguely heard him say:
"Can I chase you now?"
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