Chapter 71 Deep inside, "One-way glass, don't be nervous."...
"Wow, really?" Mu Tingyu asked, her eyes shining. "You and your wife spent your honeymoon in Tanzania?"
The man smiled and nodded. "Yes, have you been there too?"
"No, not yet." She sighed helplessly. "I haven't saved enough money yet, and a flight is so expensive. But I really want to go there. I heard that at Arusha Zoo you can have breakfast with giraffes and play with lion cubs. I absolutely must go there at least once in my life!"
"The view over there is quite nice. It would be very pleasant to sit and have a cup of coffee in the sunset." The man casually propped his head up with his hand, a smile on his lips. Then, as if remembering something, he took out his phone. "Would you like to see some photos? My wife took quite a few with my phone."
"Oh, is that okay? Thank you!" Mu Tingyu clasped her hands together, smiling happily. "Consider it a little spoiler for me!"
The man looked down and flipped through the photo album for a while before handing it to her. "There are a lot of wildebeest, zebras, and giraffes in the manor, as well as some antelopes. The most interesting one is that white lion, which is as gentle as a cat."
Mu Tingyu moved closer, and the man considerately held up the phone for her, indicating that she could swipe freely.
"Really? You can even touch it! How cute!" Mu Tingyu exclaimed, her eyes crinkling with longing. "I hereby declare Tanzania my second most desired African country to visit!"
The man asked curiously, "Who is number one?"
"South Africa," Mu Tingyu chuckled, saying with a touch of childish eccentricity, "I'm going to witness the Cape of Hope, a marvel of the ocean!"
"The Cape of Good Hope?" The man smiled knowingly. "My wife and I took our wedding photos there."
He can't stop talking about his wife. Mu Tingyu was fed several mouthfuls of dog food, and with a slurping sound, she picked up a piece of fish that she didn't like and stuffed it into her mouth: "I'm so envious."
"You're so young, you must not be married yet, right?"
"No," Mu Tingyu waved her hand, speaking in a mature tone, "Marriage is the grave of love, I won't get married so early."
The man chuckled: "You can't say that..."
As he spoke, he seemed to notice something, glanced at it, and then stopped.
Suddenly, someone appeared at the dining table.
He was a tall man, his white shirt buttoned tightly to the top, revealing the veins on his forearms. His shadow was cast onto the dining table by the pale yellow light of the Chinese-style chandelier.
The other person seemed to have ill intentions. He paused for a moment, then hesitantly asked, "Sir... is there anything I can help you with?"
The man didn't even glance at him, but stared at the girl across the table without saying a word.
Mu Tingyu leaned on the chair, looked up at the person, and asked in surprise, "Xing... Xing Ze? What are you doing here?"
What a coincidence!
"A dinner party." Xing Ze looked down at her, his face expressionless. "—And you?"
The two words were so oppressive that Mu Tingyu glanced quickly at the man opposite her and nervously gripped the edge of the seat.
This scene is so misleading!
She told Xing Ze that she was going out with Jiang Chu, but later she had to meet a client for dinner and decided to avoid trouble, since he was so busy, so she didn't tell him.
But Hangzhou is such a big city with so many places to eat, how could we possibly run into each other at such a small restaurant!
The crucial point is that Jiang Churen has disappeared, and it looks as if she's having dinner alone with another man—
Where's Jiang Chu?! Why did it take him so long to go to the toilet?!
She screamed inwardly, knowing that the most urgent thing was to explain the identity of the man in front of her to Xing Ze, so that this jealous man wouldn't hold a grudge and she would definitely suffer when she got home that night.
Little did they know how guilty she looked with her eyes darting around.
Xing Ze looked at her incredibly glamorous makeup and revealing dress, his eyes so cold they seemed to drip with ice, and reached out his hand to her: "Come here."
Mu Tingyu was shy and embarrassed to do anything intimate in front of the client, so she quickly moved over, put his hand down, and explained to the client, "This is my boyfriend."
"Oh," the man said, suddenly realizing, "Hello, would you like to sit down and have something to eat with me?"
Xing Ze bent down, forcibly put his arm around Mu Tingyu's waist, pulled her up, and said indifferently, "No."
Mu Tingyu exclaimed "Hey!" and quickly reached out to push him, moving him to the side: "If you don't want to eat, I still do. You should go back first."
"......."
Xing Ze narrowed his eyes, his expression turning extremely dangerous.
Mu Tingyu forced a smile and said in a low voice, "This is my client. He was talking to me about buying paintings, so we had dinner together. Jiang Chu is here too, so please don't do this."
It's unacceptable to abandon your customers and leave them behind!
The man's eyes swept between the two of them, and he said very understandingly, "It's okay, if you have something to do, we can talk again next time."
Mu Tingyu waved her hand: "That won't do..."
The restaurant looked expensive, and she felt embarrassed to ask them to treat her a second time.
"Hey, Tingbao, what's this...?"
Jiang Chu's voice suddenly rang out from behind.
Mu Tingyu turned around abruptly, as if she had found a savior, and quickly pulled her over, asking in a low voice, "Why did you take so long?"
"It hasn't been that long..." Jiang Chu replied innocently, then looked at the man behind her with an unfriendly expression and asked blankly, "Who is this?"
Mu Tingyu said with a headache, "...My boyfriend."
"Ah, so this is..." Before Jiang Chu could finish her surprise, Mu Tingyu suddenly grabbed her hand and shoved her into a seat.
"Eat, eat, keep eating." Mu Tingyu pressed her down to sit, then turned to Xing Ze and said, "Look, Jiang Chu is here. We're just discussing the painting. Why don't you go back first? I'll go back after I finish eating."
Seeing her acting like she wanted to kick him out, Xing Ze was furious. He suppressed his temper and asked her in a low voice, "Do you want to come with me by yourself, or should I carry you?"
"........"
Mu Tingyu glared at him.
This man is completely unreasonable. We've already explained to him he's a customer, why is he still being so unreasonable?
But his expression showed no sign of joking.
Mu Tingyu had no doubt that if she said "no," the man in front of her would forcibly pick her up and carry her out.
The scene then...
The man seemed oblivious to her anger, staring at her without backing down.
After a few seconds of stalemate, Mu Tingyu gritted her teeth, turned around, and said to the customer with a face full of apology, "I'm sorry, I really have some urgent business to attend to, so I may have to excuse myself."
The man smiled amiably at her, his light blue shirt making him appear even more refined: "It's nothing, you go ahead with your work."
Xing Ze put his arm around Mu Tingyu's waist, pulled her close, and nodded to the two people at the table: "Excuse me."
Mu Tingyu didn't even have time to pick up the bags of cosmetics and clothes she had bought before Xing Ze led her forward.
Jiang Chu stared blankly at their retreating figures, then subconsciously apologized to the client, "Excuse me, um..."
"It's really nothing." The man leaned back casually in his chair. "Young people have a good relationship, I can understand."
Jiang Chu didn't know how to respond, so she could only say, "Haha, yeah..."
The man raised his glass and took a sip of water, his tone suddenly becoming nostalgic: "But I was like that when I was young too. I couldn't stand seeing my wife talking to other men. I was always trying to control her, and she ended up throwing a huge tantrum at me."
"Huh?" Jiang Chu asked curiously, "So, what are you now...?"
The man smiled and put down his cup.
"Of course not now either."
-
Mu Tingyu was pulled forward all the way, but the man walked quickly and she couldn't keep up.
Moreover, her heels started to hurt after wearing high heels for a while, and she was feeling irritable. As she walked, she complained to him, "What do you want? Are you any more annoying than me?"
"I was just having dinner with a client, what are you getting so jealous about? Why are you getting angry about this?"
"I've already explained to you that we're discussing artwork. You're dragging me into this again. What about my business? What if the client gets angry and cancels the order?"
Amid her questioning, Xing Ze pulled her across the threshold, around the artificial hill, and outwards, his face taut and silent.
The high heels clicked on the ground, and Mu Tingyu couldn't walk any further. Her tone became impatient: "Say something! Don't you have anything to say to me?"
Xing Ze suddenly stopped and turned around.
Mu Tingyu was caught off guard and almost crashed into it, but the next second her body was lifted into the air.
Ignoring her struggles, Xing Ze carried her forward, took the car keys from the servant, unlocked the black car parked under the shade of a tree, and deftly opened the back door, shoving her inside.
Mu Tingyu struggled to get up, only to see the man knee her between her legs, lean down and press in, his hand also touching her thigh.
The back of her head was pressed against the hard armrest, making her position extremely uncomfortable. What made her even more uncomfortable was the location itself.
She angrily reached out and pushed him: "This is a restaurant! What's wrong with you?"
Xing Ze's car was parked under the shade of a tree against the wall. His car stood out conspicuously in what didn't look like a parking lot, attracting the attention of passersby.
The car door was open on the side against the wall, but Mu Tingyu still felt ashamed and bent her knee to nudge him.
Xing Ze held her down firmly, his tall figure looming over her like a dark cloud, almost completely obscuring the car roof.
Why are you wearing makeup?
As soon as his low, husky voice came out and his breath touched her face, Mu Tingyu realized that he had been drinking.
She frowned: "...You've been drinking? Where are the people you were at the dinner with?"
"I'm leaving." Xing Ze replied briefly, then asked, "Why are you wearing makeup?"
"Why is there a reason? Just do it if you want to."
"You're even wearing a new dress." Xing Ze's hand slowly slid down her skin. "To come for dinner?"
Mu Tingyu trembled, instinctively bringing her legs together and raising her hand to hit his chest: "What are you doing?!"
The interior of the car is cramped and can't fit two people at all. As soon as someone gets a little closer, they can see the entanglement outside the car door.
Mu Tingyu's short skirt had already been lifted up by her struggles. Xing Ze's fingers moved with effortless ease, hooking the edge of the taut fabric, yet his expression remained calm.
Why didn't you tell me you were eating with other people?
Without thinking, Mu Tingyu raised her hand and slapped him on the chin.
A crisp "snap" sounded.
Xing Ze stopped what he was doing and lowered his eyes.
The girl beneath him was pinned down, her head resting awkwardly against the door.
In the dim light, she glared at him through gritted teeth, her eyes red-rimmed and her breathing unsteady, as if she were extremely angry.
His Adam's apple bobbed, and he slowly withdrew his hand, then helped her straighten her skirt again.
"sorry."
He spoke softly, placed his hand on the back of her head, and leaned down to kiss her, but she turned her head away.
A kiss landed on her cheek; her long neck stretched into a taut, beautiful line.
The girl took a deep breath and reached out to push him: "Get up."
Xing Ze lowered his eyes and helped her sit up.
Mu Tingyu took a few breaths, collected her thoughts, and asked him, "...What's wrong with you? I was just having a meal, why are you suddenly like this?"
Xing Ze didn't answer, but simply held her hand and gently stroked her finger bones.
Mu Tingyu recalled the questions he had just asked and answered them one by one with a headache: "I put on makeup because the sales assistant did it for me when I went to buy cosmetics. I bought the new clothes while browsing upstairs. I had dinner with someone because that client made a last-minute appointment. I was afraid you would be busy, so I didn't tell you... I really don't understand what you're angry about. It's one thing to be jealous sometimes, but that's my client. You have to respect him. It's really impolite to just leave like that."
Xing Ze slowly began, "Didn't we always have Jiang Chu contact clients before?"
Mu Tingyu patiently explained to him, "This client quoted a price and said he wanted to order a large one and wanted to discuss the details of the painting in person."
How many were opened?
Two hundred thousand.
Xing Ze didn't even raise an eyebrow: "I'll add a zero to your order and not take his orders anymore."
"......."
At this point, Mu Tingyu was truly at a loss for words: "What are you doing? That client is already married... Can't you see the occasion before you get jealous? You're jealous of a married person?"
"......."
Xing Ze did not respond.
Mu Tingyu had always found his problem quite troublesome, but now it seems to be getting worse.
"Can't you be a little more mature? Don't I work?"
"Mm," Xing Ze said.
"What the hell! Where would I get money if I don't work?"
Here, take my card.
Mu Tingyu knew he was rich, but she definitely didn't want to live a life of dependence.
"don't want."
Xing Ze stared at her intently.
Perhaps because he had been drinking, his eyelashes drooped low and the corners of his mouth turned down slightly, making him look different from usual.
Mu Tingyu sighed helplessly: "Painting is my hobby, and it's good to be able to earn some money. I can't just stay at your place, eat your food, and then ask you for money, can I?"
Why not?
Mu Tingyu frowned, looking somewhat embarrassed, and said, "There's no reason why, but I can't just feel at ease like this."
Xing Ze's grip on her hand tightened slowly, his breathing becoming heavy: "Still thinking about what you owe me?"
Mu Tingyu turned to look at him: "This time it wasn't me who said it, it was you who said it yourself."
“I told you a long time ago that you are not allowed to have such thoughts.”
“I didn’t agree to that. Besides, things are different now than before. I gave you 20,000 yuan before, and that was all the money I had. If I gave you any more, I wouldn’t have enough to buy a plane ticket.” Mu Tingyu sniffed and said pitifully, “But things are different now. I don’t even know exactly how much you spent to settle this for me. I can’t just take it for granted that it’s what you should do, can I?”
Xing Ze was silent for a few seconds, then said, "Why do you always keep our relationship so separate?"
Mu Tingyu was taken aback.
She opened her mouth, but before she could speak, she saw him slowly raise his eyes, look at her, and quietly ask, "Are we dating now?"
The car was dark, stuffy, and hot; even with one door open, it didn't help. His words lingered in the air, and perhaps because of the smell of leaves and dirt wafting in from outside, a bitter, astringent odor filled the car.
Mu Tingyu didn't understand what he meant: "Yes, why would you ask that?"
Xing Ze held her hand tightly and said in a low voice, "Then why do you keep thinking about owing me?"
Are you afraid that one day you'll want to leave again and won't be able to pay it back?
"......"
Mu Tingyu opened her eyes wide.
After a long pause, she finally found the words: "Why...why would you think that? Why did I leave?"
“Yeah, why?” Xing Ze chuckled. “I don’t know.”
"I asked myself that question back then, and the answer was also no."
His gaze was dark as he looked at her, but his voice was clear: "Right now, I don't even know if you still like me."
"......"
Mu Tingyu asked in disbelief, "What did you say?"
Xing Ze did not answer again, but held her hand tightly.
"you......."
Mu Tingyu tried to pull her hand away, but couldn't.
Only now did she realize that there had always been an invisible barrier between them. It was like a pane of glass; although they could see each other, there was always a cold material separating them, preventing them from touching each other's inner world or knowing what the other was thinking.
Perhaps everything had happened too fast these past few days. Xing Ze suddenly appeared in front of her, suddenly helped her resolve the matter, suddenly moved her things away, and suddenly started living together. As a result, she didn't have time to react or think about the changes in their relationship, nor did she have time to have a proper talk with him.
In fact, there are many conflicts between them, and many things remain unresolved, but they have been intentionally or unintentionally avoided.
Her thinking was simple: she didn't want to drag him down, so she left decisively. But she never expected that this would become a reason for doubts about her relationship.
Mu Tingyu looked up at those dark, deep eyes and asked with a hint of anger, "—I don't like you?"
"So what am I doing right now? Playing house with you?"
Xing Ze said, "I don't know."
"........"
Mu Ting's tone was unbearable. She grabbed his collar and asked, "Why do you have such thoughts? Do you think I'm the kind of person who can be with you even if I don't like you? Am I that kind of person?"
Her words echoed in the small space before gradually fading away.
The car was stifling, and both of them inevitably broke out in a sweat. Their clothes and bodies clung to each other, and even their breathing felt hot.
This is really not a good place to argue.
Xing Ze reached out and gently wiped the sweat from her forehead: "Let's go home first."
Mu Tingyu, her anger subsided, bit her lip, and her eyes slowly reddened.
Xing Ze lowered his head and kissed her, his voice low and husky: "...Be good, let's go home first."
......
-
........
........
The night was dark, and the large bedroom was in a mess, with clothes scattered from the doorway into the bathroom.
The bathroom door was wide open, the glass was still fogged up, and the showerhead hanging above was not turned off properly, still dripping water.
The tiled floor outside was wet, with messy, transparent footprints and water stains, as if a silent battle had taken place.
At that moment, a suppressed sob came from the bed.
Mu Tingyu bit the back of her hand, leaning back and bending into a beautiful arc.
Xing Ze kissed her cheeks and ears, his hands wrapped around her back, his whole body burning hot.
"Baby," he called her affectionately. "Didn't you ask me why I thought that way?"
"—The night before you left, you sat on me like this too."
He looked up at the girl's stiff neck, his hot breath brushing against her collarbone.
"You said you like me, that you like me a lot."
He pressed down gently with his hand, and the corners of his lips curved up.
"But you left the next day."
"He said he liked me, and then he left me."
Mu Tingyu couldn't make a sound; her voice was hoarse, and she could only shake her head and cry.
"You said you liked me and wanted to be with me forever. But then you put on makeup, wore a dress, and told others that I was your ex, saying it wasn't good for others to see us together."
The curtains of the French windows were wide open, reflecting a tranquil night scene. There were few stars in the sky, the fountain downstairs tirelessly splashed water, and the carefully planted vegetation and flowers in the courtyard slept soundly in the darkness.
A slender figure was pressed against the glass, reflecting a damp mist.
“Baby is very beautiful, but she never dresses up for me. She flirts with several men and even eats with other men behind my back.”
Xing Ze pressed against her back, bit her ear, and whispered.
"I begged for your apology, didn't I?"
"I want to make up with you. I told you I would settle everything for you, but you told me not to like you anymore."
“I came to find you, but you pushed me away, saying that I was drunk and not thinking clearly that day.”
"How many of the things the baby says are true? Hmm?"
"If I hadn't come looking for you, would you have never wanted to see me again?"
Mu Tingyu trembled all over, shaking her head helplessly. The glass window was so clear that even the water splashing from the fountain was clearly visible.
Suddenly, a crisp sound rang out, and she flinched forward, letting out a sob.
"Baby, it's a one-way window, don't be nervous."
Xing Ze chuckled, kissed her sweaty nape, his eyes clear and bright.
"It's okay, it's all okay."
"I don't care what your reasons were for leaving me, it's definitely because I wasn't trustworthy enough for you, right?"
"Can you trust me a little more now? You don't have to do anything, don't look at others, just stay with me obediently."
The girl's hand was taut, and her slender, soft fingertips left fingerprints on the glass.
“Baby, trust me,” he said softly.
Just like I believe you, no matter how you lie to me or say you like me, I will believe you.
"OK?"
......
-----------------------
Author's Note: My promise to finish the story at 300,000 words has fallen flat...
One wants to lock the person at home, while the other is always thinking about running away.^^
Next up is the dog training session for Meibao...
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