As the closing music of the Su family banquet began, Yu Jiuyuan was leaning against the door of the lounge, stroking her pinky ring and adjusting the ring Yuan Xu had given her that she wore on her middle finger.
It was as if the heated entanglement in the lounge had never happened.
"Let's go." Rong Shenghan's voice sounded from behind, carrying a hint of hoarseness that had just subsided.
He had straightened his suit and tied his tie meticulously, but the lingering blush on his ear tips betrayed something unusual.
Yu Jiuyuan turned around, her gaze lingering on his face for two seconds.
His eyes regained their usual gentleness, even carrying his usual faint smile, but deep within that smile lay a kind of ember that had been ignited but had not yet been extinguished, which would quietly surge when she approached.
"Where is Yuanxu?" She avoided the overly intense gaze and asked someone else instead.
"I was pulled aside by the old man of the Su family to play chess, and he said he wanted to compete until a winner was decided."
Rong Shenghan opened the door for her, his tone natural, "I'll have the driver take him back to the lab first, and then send a car to pick him up and take him back to the villa tomorrow morning."
Yu Jiuyuan nodded.
Yuan Xu has always been oblivious to these intricacies, so keeping him away from this undercurrent is the best option.
As soon as she stepped out of the Su family's gate, she saw Xie Zhecheng standing by the car waiting for her.
A layer of fine snow had settled on his black suit, and his bow tie was still impeccable, but there was a hint of melancholy in his eyes.
Seeing Rong Shenghan and Yu Jiuyuan come out together, his gaze lingered between the two of them before finally settling on Yu Jiuyuan.
"Do you need me to take you back?" he asked, his voice as cold as ever.
"No need, Rong Shenghan and I are going the same way."
Yu Jiuyuan politely declined, her gaze sweeping over his slightly red, frozen fingertips; he had clearly been waiting there for quite some time.
Xie Zhecheng didn't insist any further, but simply nodded, turned around, and got into his car.
As the black sedan drove away, Yu Jiuyuan clearly saw the pair of eyes looking back in the rearview mirror, like a frozen lake surface, hiding ripples that even he himself had not noticed.
The system panel flickered slightly: Xie Zhecheng's neutral emotion increased by 2, positive emotion decreased by 1, and his favorability remained at 77.
The sensitivity of perfectionists should not be underestimated.
Rong Shenghan's car drove smoothly on the snow-covered streets.
The car was well-heated, and the silence was like a fine net, slowly spreading out.
Yu Jiuyuan leaned against the car window, watching the street scene flash by outside. The halo of the streetlights cast mottled shadows on the snow, like a flowing ink painting.
“The old lady of the Su family,” Rong Shenghan suddenly spoke, breaking the silence, “was one of the direct perpetrators of the Yu family’s ‘accident’ back then. The car accident three years ago was a murder to cover it up.”
Yu Jiuyuan turned her head to look at him.
He stared ahead, his fingertips tapping lightly on the steering wheel, his tone as calm as if stating a known fact, "She drugged me, probably to control the Rong family, or... to let you see me lose my composure."
"Unfortunately, she miscalculated." Yu Jiuyuan withdrew her gaze, her tone carrying a hint of nonchalant coldness. "Neither the Rong family nor I are people she can control."
Rong Shenghan chuckled softly, a laugh that carried a sense of relief, as well as a deeper certainty.
He turned his head to look at her, and the light from the streetlamp fell on her face, flickering and highlighting the coldness and composure in her eyes.
“Yes,” he said softly, “you have never been one to be manipulated.”
When the car arrived at the villa, it started snowing again.
Rong Shenghan insisted on seeing her to the door, where the butler was already waiting in the corridor, holding a hand warmer and ginger tea.
"Go inside, it's cold outside." Rong Shenghan unbuckled her seatbelt, his fingertips brushing against her wrist like a feather, sending a slight shiver through her.
Yu Jiuyuan took the hand warmer, her fingertips touching the warm copper walls, but she couldn't shake off the lingering burning sensation deep inside her.
She looked up at him; the streetlight cast dappled shadows on his eyelashes, and his usually smiling eyes were now filled with emotions she couldn't understand.
"Good night," she said.
"Good night." Rong Shenghan watched her turn and walk into the warm room, and only slowly withdrew his gaze after the carved wooden door closed.
He stood in the snow, letting the snowflakes fall on his shoulders. His palms seemed to still retain her warmth, making his heart clench.
On the system panel, his favorability towards Yu Jiuyuan was still 100, but the string of numbers representing emotional fluctuations was like a lake surface with pebbles thrown in, unable to calm down for a long time.
He knew that from tonight onward, something had completely changed. That desire for control hidden beneath a gentle exterior had finally found a shore to anchor in.
When Yu Jiuyuan returned to her room, the housekeeper handed her a glass of warm milk.
She sat on the sofa by the window, watching the snow falling outside. Her fingertips unconsciously caressed the microscope pendant around her neck, a gift from Rong Shenghan. Now, it felt warm against her skin.
The phone vibrated on the table. It was a message from Lin Yanran, in his usual style: "[Madam Su is acting strange tonight. My dad told me to keep an eye on her.]"
Yu Jiuyuan raised an eyebrow. This arrogant young master of the Lin family had finally learned to proactively relay messages. She replied with "Understood" and put down her phone.
Lin Yanran's favorability rating remained at 46, and her emotions showed little change, like a stone that could never be warmed. But Yu Jiuyuan was in no hurry; she had plenty of patience to slowly polish this rough stone with its sharp edges.
The night grew deeper.
After washing up, Yu Jiuyuan lay in bed, but she couldn't fall asleep at all.
The scene in the lounge kept replaying in his mind: Rong Shenghan's hot breath, his suppressed moans, and those eyes struggling between desire and reason... These images were like warm imprints, impossible to erase. This was... the third time.
This chapter is not finished yet. Please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
