Chapter 103 She Dares Not Gamble
“I’m not blind, I can see everything outside.”
He spoke in a nonchalant tone.
Song Zhiwei suddenly remembered the question Zhou Yuze had asked her that morning.
She looked up at the man in front of her.
Sharp features and deep-set face.
Sunlight streamed in through the cracks in the window, dappling the lapel of his bathrobe.
But then she remembered what he had said.
"Three months. The deadline is up. We'll go our separate ways."
He... probably just said it casually, right?
It was just a casual remark; I won't take it seriously or care.
Her throat moved, and her voice was as soft as a sigh.
“I wanted to return the gem to him this morning, but he refused.”
Sheng Tingzhou chuckled softly.
"What? You think it's not expensive enough?"
She shook her head, her eyes clear, her tone earnest.
“My uncle has always been very good to me. I don’t want him to spend money on this little thing.”
She didn't want to argue with him about these things, nor did she want to get entangled in any more complicated relationships.
The items have been returned, and the matter should be settled.
Being completely clear and honest is the safest approach.
But when Sheng Tingzhou heard these words, they took on a different meaning.
His gaze darkened slightly, and the smile on his lips faded.
"You're so generous to everyone."
Song Zhiwei quietly clenched her hands, her knuckles turning white.
A lump formed in my throat, my eyes instantly welled up with tears, but I stubbornly refused to let them fall.
It wasn't that she wanted to be generous; it was that she simply didn't have the right to compete.
It wasn't that she didn't mind; it was that she knew that in the end, the one who would suffer the most was always herself.
She knew it all too well.
Clearly and distinctly.
"My uncle said he'll make it up to you later."
Sheng Tingzhou gave a cold sneer.
"What right does he have to compensate me? He didn't hurt me."
The moment she finished speaking, Song Zhiwei's fingers curled up involuntarily.
Yes, he just helped her out of the ordinary, he didn't mean anything by it.
“Also,” he suddenly became serious, his tone turning somber, “that gemstone was a gift from me. It has absolutely nothing to do with Zhou Yuze.”
"If you're upset, give it back to me and I'll get you a new one."
That was something he specifically wanted to go there for.
It wasn't something I picked up randomly at a jewelry exhibition, nor was it something I asked a friend to buy for me.
Instead, he personally sought out people and went to great lengths to obtain it.
It wasn't because the gem was rare, nor because it was priceless.
He just wanted her to know that in Zhou Yuze's heart, Sheng Tingzhou was nothing.
And Song Zhiwei was never truly taken seriously by Zhou Yuze.
Song Zhiwei stood there silently for a few seconds, then slowly stood up, turned around and went into the bedroom.
She opened the drawer, took out the gem in the velvet box, paused for a moment, and then clenched it tightly in her palm.
"I think I'd better not take this."
She knew she wasn't hard-hearted enough.
Even if Zhou Yuze said in person that he bought the gemstone for her, she still wouldn't dare to accept it.
Seeing it felt like my heart was being stabbed over and over again.
A dull ache, with no way to vent it.
It turns out that the person he cared about all along was Qiao Yiqing.
She wasn't even a backup option.
Sheng Tingzhou took the box and gently stroked the soft velvet surface with his fingertips.
"Attorney Song, don't pretend to have amnesia. There's still something we haven't settled."
"What's up?"
Her voice sounded a little weak.
"The one-week deadline we agreed on last week is coming to an end tomorrow."
He spoke slowly and deliberately.
Have you made up your mind yet?
The air seemed to freeze for a moment.
She understood immediately, and the tips of her ears instantly turned red.
Not knowing where to put her hands, she unconsciously twisted the hem of her pajamas until her knuckles turned white.
His question came so suddenly; she wasn't prepared at all.
My mind has been in turmoil these past few days, and I haven't had time to think about that issue at all.
"Not going to speak? Trying to deny it?"
He narrowed his eyes, his gaze suddenly deepening.
The next second, he reached out and pulled.
Before she could react, he grabbed her and lifted her onto his lap.
Her center of gravity shifted, and she instinctively reached out to hold his shoulder, but he pulled her along and she landed steadily in his arms.
Through the thin layer of pajamas, the warmth of his thighs pressed against me through the fabric.
The heat made her freeze completely.
She didn't even dare to lift her head, her eyelashes drooping, her voice as soft as a mosquito's hum.
"I...I didn't mean to renege."
"So what do you mean?"
He pinched her chin.
"You want to keep me as a backup plan, stringing me along? Wait until you 'come to your senses' and come back to me?"
"no!"
She shook her head violently and instinctively braced herself against his chest.
He gave her no way out, holding her waist firmly with one hand, fixing her to his lap, and pressing down on the back of her head with the other hand, slowly pulling her into his arms.
It's getting closer.
Getting closer and closer.
His features were so clear that they made her uneasy.
"Don't……"
Even if they had been close a few times before.
But the thought of what he might do still frightened her.
She was afraid his kiss was too deep, afraid her heart would fall for him even faster.
"Don't what?"
He stopped two centimeters from her lips, his warm breath brushing against them.
Are you afraid I'll kiss you?
"I...I haven't thought it through yet."
Her eyelashes trembled slightly.
There are too many differences between them.
Identity, situation, past...
He is the high and mighty Sheng Tingzhou.
And she, Song Zhiwei, was nothing more than someone struggling to survive in the dust.
If he were to actually be with her, it would probably just be a fleeting infatuation, a momentary impulse.
Once the initial enthusiasm fades, everything will eventually return to indifference.
She feared that once she got involved, she would never be able to get out.
Sheng Tingzhou's Adam's apple bobbed, and his gaze fell heavily on her face.
"Can you figure it out by midnight tomorrow?"
She opened her mouth, her tongue touching the roof of her mouth, but she couldn't utter a single word.
Lately, she really couldn't help but be tempted.
Every time she saw him standing in the sunlight, looking at her with a slight smile, her heart would involuntarily race.
But whenever this feeling arises, those memories that she had desperately tried to hide will suddenly jump out.
The humiliation, betrayal, loneliness, and the silent weeping in the dead of night all rushed in.
She didn't dare to gamble.
I can't believe it.
For her, love was never something she could easily grasp.
Seeing that she remained silent for a long time, Sheng Tingzhou frowned slightly, then suddenly took a step forward and gently pressed his face against hers.
She shuddered violently, as if struck by an electric current.
Sheng Tingzhou's nose gently touched hers.
His dark eyes were filled with her image.
"Song Zhiwei, what are you afraid of?"
Song Zhiwei bit her lower lip so hard she almost broke the skin.
Her voice was as light as a feather, floating in the air, almost inaudible.
"I...haven't thought it through yet."
She was scared, really scared.
I'm afraid that if I get too close, I'll be burned to ashes.
He remained silent for a long time, so long that only her soft breathing could be heard in the room.
Looking at her evasive manner, he finally let out a slow sigh.
"So how long are you planning to drag this out? I'm not made of iron; my patience will run out too."
"Give me another week... okay?"
She cautiously raised her eyes, looking at him timidly.
But she simply couldn't bring herself to nod in agreement.
She needs time, even if it's just a week, to confirm whether she can truly bear the weight of this relationship.
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