Chapter 25: True Confession
The day of the bidding.
Su Lingwan had barely slept all night. When she woke up that morning, she saw a faint dark spot under her eyes, which she carefully concealed with delicate makeup. Her heart had been beating at an irregular pace since the moment she woke, a mixture of nervousness about the bidding results and a deeper anxiety and anticipation for tonight—the night the agreement officially expired.
Huo Linshen behaved as usual. He had gotten up earlier than her, had already finished his simple breakfast in the restaurant, and was reading the financial newspaper. When he saw her, he put down the newspaper, his eyes lingering on her face for a moment, and said calmly, "You don't look well. Didn't sleep well?"
Su Lingwan sat down opposite him, took the milk handed to her by the servant, and replied vaguely: "Yeah, a little nervous."
Huo Linshen didn't say anything else, but just pushed a blueberry muffin that she liked in front of her. "After you finish eating, I'll take you to the venue."
On the way to the venue, the car was unusually quiet. Su Lingwan watched the street scene pass by outside the window, her fingers unconsciously twisting the corner of her clothes. Huo Linshen, on the other hand, closed his eyes to rest, his profile hard and expressionless.
It wasn't until the car stopped in front of the Huo Group's headquarters building that Huo Linshen opened his eyes and looked at her: "We're here."
Su Lingwan took a deep breath and prepared to get off the car.
"Lingwan." He suddenly called her.
She looked back.
Huo Lin gazed at her with his deep eyes, which held a familiar, reassuring, calm strength. "Remember, the dedication and philosophy you've poured into Luminance are your most powerful weapons. Believe in yourself."
There was no flowery encouragement, just a statement of facts, but it strangely soothed the last trace of panic in her heart.
She looked at him and nodded vigorously: "I will."
The bidding process was tense and intense. Besides Su Lingwan, there were two other teams bidding, one of which was clearly backed by Huo Zhenbang and had a radical proposal, aiming to win by lowering costs and achieving quick profits. Su Lingwan was the last to present.
When she stood in front of the podium, opened her carefully prepared PPT, and looked at the executives and directors of the Huo Group sitting in the audience, as well as Huo Linshen, who was sitting in the main seat with a stern expression that showed no emotion, all her distracting thoughts were forcibly suppressed.
She began to expound on her philosophy of "New Chinese Elegant Luxury," discussing the blank spaces and artistic conception of Eastern aesthetics, the wearing scenarios and emotional connections of modern jewelry, and the respect for and innovation in traditional craftsmanship, as well as the brand's market positioning and long-term vision after its reshaping. She presented design sketches inspired by her trip to Kyoto, explained the unique charm of the "shadow painting" inlay technique, and even shared her reflections on "fragility and permanence" inspired by the earthquake, which she incorporated into her design philosophy.
Her presentation was free of aggressive sales pitches, revealing only calm confidence and a deep understanding of design and branding. Her language was clear, her logic was rigorous, her eyes were bright and resolute, and she seemed to be radiating light.
The directors, who had been somewhat nonchalant in the audience, gradually sat up straighter, their eyes showing admiration. Huo Zhenbang's expression grew increasingly gloomy.
Huo Linshen listened quietly the whole time, his eyes fixed on her intently. Deep in his cold eyes, something was slowly flowing, an undisguised pride and a deeper, burning emotion.
After the statement, there was a brief silence, followed by warm applause.
The final outcome was unsurprising. After a closed-door board meeting, Su Lingwan's "New Chinese Elegant Luxury" proposal overwhelmingly prevailed, securing the brand management rights for "Luminance."
When the results were announced, Su Lingwan felt as if all her strength had been drained away, yet at the same time, she felt as if she were filled with immense joy. She subconsciously glanced at Huo Linshen, who happened to be looking back at her. Across the crowd, he gave her a barely perceptible nod, his lips curled up in a faint arc, enough to send her heart racing.
Su Lingwan spent the post-bid celebrations and social events in a state of near trance. Congratulations, small talk, exchanging business cards... she mechanically responded, but her mind was already elsewhere.
The agreement expires today.
Where would he be and what would he do?
In the evening, Huo Linshen's assistant Chen Ming found Su Lingwan who was talking with several designers.
"Miss Su, Mr. Huo asked me to take you to a place."
Su Lingwan's heart skipped a beat: "Where to?"
"Mr. Huo said that you will know when you arrive." Chen Ming still spoke in that official tone, but there seemed to be a barely perceptible smile in his eyes.
The car did not drive to the Repulse Bay Villa, nor to the Su family, but drove to a familiar address on the other side of Hong Kong Island - the top hotel where the Hong Kong Night Banquet was held where they first "reunited".
Su Lingwan's heartbeat quickened. She seemed to have guessed something.
The panoramic banquet hall on the top floor of the hotel seemed to be booked tonight and was unusually quiet. Chen Ming led her to the entrance of the banquet hall and then bowed and withdrew.
Su Lingwan stood in front of the heavy carved wooden door, took a deep breath, and pushed the door open.
The banquet hall lacked dazzling crystal chandeliers, lit only by countless flickering candlelight, like scattered stars, filling the space with a hazy and romantic ambiance. The air was filled with the delicate fragrance of white flowers. And in the center of the hall, a figure stood.
It’s Huo Linshen.
He had traded in the formal business suit he'd worn during the day for a more fitted dark blue tuxedo with a dark pattern. He wore no tie, his shirt casually unbuttoned at the collar, less cold and more relaxed and elegant. The candlelight cast a soft shadow on his angular face, illuminating his deep eyes like a starry sky in the dark night.
He looked at her, his eyes focused and deep, as if he had been waiting for her for a century.
Su Lingwan walked towards him step by step, her high heels making a crisp sound on the polished marble floor, which was particularly clear in the silent space. Her heart was beating wildly in her chest, almost breaking free.
She walked up to him and stopped.
"Huo Linshen..." She spoke softly, her voice trembling slightly. "What are you...doing?"
Huo Linshen didn't answer immediately. He stared at her deeply, as if he wanted to carve her image into his soul. Then, he slowly pulled a document from his coat pocket.
Su Lingwan was very familiar with that document - it was the "Love Cooperation Agreement".
Her breath suddenly stopped.
Huo Linshen held the agreement and moved his gaze from the paper to her face, his eyes more serious and solemn than ever before.
"A year ago today, near here," his voice was deep and clear, echoing in the empty banquet hall, "we signed this agreement."
Su Lingwan held her breath and looked at him quietly.
"At the time, I said this was a deal, valid for one year, with no interference from each other, and we'd part ways amicably upon its expiration." He paused, his fingertips rubbing the edge of the agreement, as if recalling the past. "I thought everything would be under my control."
His gaze became deeper, like a whirlpool, locking her tightly: "But I was wrong."
"The agreement is fake, the deadline is fake," he said, taking a step forward, closing the distance between them. The candlelight danced in his eyes, burning with heat. "But everything that happened in this year was real."
"My heart is beating real."
"My possessiveness is real."
"My fear, my anxiety, my... inability to extricate myself, are all real."
Every word he said was like a heavy hammer, hitting Su Lingwan's heart, making her eyes hot and her nose sore.
Huo Linshen raised the agreement in his hand and tore it in half between the two of them without hesitation!
The sound of paper tearing was crisp and decisive.
He threw the torn agreement onto the table beside him, as if he was throwing away a shackle that he no longer needed.
Then, he looked at Su Lingwan again, his eyes burning and frank, with a desperate sincerity and an almost imperceptible tension that belonged to Huo Linshen.
"Su Lingwan," he called her full name, his voice low and powerful, with a solemn announcement, "That voided agreement is over."
He pulled something out of his pocket again. This time, it wasn't a document, but a small, dark blue velvet ring box.
Su Lingwan's heart almost stopped beating at this moment.
Huo Linshen opened the ring box, and inside was not a traditional engagement diamond ring, but a ring with an extremely unique design - the ring setting was a vine shape made of platinum, which was exquisite and powerful. And inlaid in the vine was the dazzling vivid yellow diamond called "Pearl of the South Sea"!
The light of the yellow diamond flowed in the candlelight, warm and bright, just like herself, with her own light.
He held the ring, but did not kneel on one knee. He just looked at her deeply. In his eyes that always contained the sea of stars, only her figure was clearly reflected at this moment.
"Now," he began, his voice barely audible, yet it reached her ears with incredible clarity, reaching her heart, "I want to sign a new contract with you."
"A contract that has no expiration date, cannot be terminated, protected by law and morality, but even more so by my heart."
"A contract in the name of love."
He stared at her instantly red eyes and slightly parted lips, and asked clearly, word by word:
"Su Lingwan, are you willing?"
“…”
Time seemed to have completely stopped at this moment.
The candlelight flickers and the fragrance of flowers fills the air.
Su Lingwan looked at the man in front of her, at the unique ring made of "South Sea Pearl" in his hand, and listened to his clumsy but more touching confession than any love words in the world. The tears that had been accumulating for a long time finally burst out like a dam breaking.
No hesitation, no delay.
She nodded vigorously, tears sliding down the corners of her mouth, but they were sweet.
"I do!" Her voice was choked with sobs, but she was extremely firm. "Huo Linshen, I do!"
Huo Linshen looked at her tearful yet radiant smile, and his tense heartstrings suddenly relaxed. A huge, unprecedented sense of ecstasy and satisfaction instantly overwhelmed him. The corners of his hard lips finally couldn't help but lift up in a clear and gentle arc.
He took out the ring and put it on the ring finger of her left hand gently and solemnly.
The size is just right.
The yellow diamond glittered on her slender finger, as if it belonged there.
The moment he put the ring on his finger, Huo Linshen pulled her into his arms and hugged her tightly, so tightly that it seemed as if he wanted to merge her into his own bones and blood.
Su Lingwan also hugged him back tightly, feeling the pounding heartbeat and scorching body temperature from his chest, and listening to his low and satisfied sigh in her ear.
"Lingwan..." He called her, his voice filled with unprecedented relief and joy.
He lowered his head, found her lips, and kissed her deeply.
This kiss was unlike any other before. It was no longer a test, no longer a plunder, no longer a mark, but filled with confirmation, cherishment, and a kind of ultimate, lingering love after the dust had settled. He sucked gently on her lips, his tongue entwining with hers with immense devotion, revealing all the deep affection he had never expressed.
Su Lingwan closed her eyes, stood on tiptoe, and responded to him wholeheartedly. In this place where they first met, under the witness of candlelight and the starry sky, they used this kiss to put an end to the agreement that started with interests, and also to leave the deepest mark on a new contract in the name of love.
The date on which the Agreement ends.
But it was also the real beginning between them.
After a long time, Huo Linshen reluctantly let go of her lips, but his forehead was still against hers, their breaths blending together, intimate and inseparable.
He looked at her lips, which were red and swollen from being kissed, and her misty and watery eyes, and whispered, "Are you hungry? I prepared dinner."
Only then did Su Lingwan realize that a dining table covered with a white tablecloth had been set up in a corner of the banquet hall, and on it were exquisite tableware and candlesticks.
She smiled and nodded.
That night, there were no outsiders, just them. Under the flickering candlelight, they enjoyed delicious food, whispered quietly, and occasionally smiled at each other. The "South Sea Pearl" on their ring finger shone warmly in the candlelight, as if the fog between them had finally been cleared and they had confirmed their bright and warm future together.
True confession may not require a grand ceremony.
All it takes is a sincere heart and a promise in the name of love that you are willing to fulfill for the rest of your life.
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