I deliberately lowered my head to avoid his gaze, but he also deliberately lowered his head to look at me, making it impossible for me to escape.
I had no choice but to feign composure and continue playing dumb. "I was just joking with you. Why did you answer so seriously?"
“I don’t take that as a joke, so, as a courtesy, it’s your turn to introduce yourself.” Su Shenglin looked at me with that patient and gentle gaze, then said something surprising.
I was stunned, completely unprepared for this. "I'll introduce you? Introduce what?"
"Hmm..." He thought for a moment, then said seriously, "Let's forget about income and assets, they're all yours anyway. I just want to know about your love life—for example, what do you like about Gu Yanqing, and do you still like him? Also, besides me, who else is pursuing you right now?"
What? !
I stared at him, my eyes wide with shock, my mind blank.
Is this a game of Truth or Dare? Why do we have to confess all this?
"I..." I stared in disbelief, my mouth agape and I managed to utter a sound, but I really didn't know what to say.
Su Shenglin watched me quietly, and when he saw me stammering, he even gave me an encouraging laugh.
"I refuse to answer." I really couldn't play this game anymore, so I backed out again.
But Su Shenglin was very assertive, "No, I've already answered all the questions you asked, and you must answer mine too."
His tone remained gentle as usual, and the smile in his eyes and brows did not diminish, but his words carried an undeniable authority.
I suddenly realized that he was Su Shenglin, the second master of the most prominent and prestigious Su family in the city, Yushan. He could control the overall situation under any circumstances and was beyond reproach.
I felt incredibly uncomfortable under his gaze, like I was sitting on pins and needles, and my brain started working uncontrollably, pondering those questions.
"Gu Yanqing and I... we've known each other since we were teenagers. Our families have been friends for generations. When I went through a family tragedy, he took good care of me, and over time..."
Looking back now, there wasn't even a formal starting point between us.
It was just a natural, inevitable thing; we came together, and everyone around us assumed we were a couple.
Later, when Gu Yanqing fell ill, I took it for granted that I should take care of him, thinking that was what a girlfriend should do.
Looking back now, the reason he didn't cherish me so much and dared to trample on my feelings so brazenly was probably because they came so easily.
That's just human nature.
You think that by giving more, you can get sincerity in return, making the other person think you are a good person, and thus cherish and repay you even more.
The reality is that the more you give, the more the other person thinks you are cheap, that you are giving away money, and that you can't live without them.
Then naturally, people will trample on things at will and harm them wantonly.
I'm so stupid. I only realized this now. I deserve to be treated that way by Gu Yanqing.
"As for what I like about him..." I frowned and pondered the question seriously, but I couldn't find a reason why I liked him.
In the end, I could only say to myself with a self-deprecating laugh, "Maybe it was because he was handsome and he really cared about me back then."
Su Shenglin continued cooking the vegetables, putting some into my bowl, and calmly concluded: "You've lacked love since childhood. Your mother died early, your father didn't care, and your stepmother abused you—and his appearance was just right. He won you over with just a little kindness. In reality, you don't love him that much; you just want that warmth. And you're too kind and sensible. If someone is even a little bit nice to you, you want to give them your whole heart and repay them with a hundred percent."
I stared at him, and suddenly felt a sense of enlightenment.
So this is what my feelings for Gu Yanqing are like?
That's why I was able to get over the pain so quickly after being deeply hurt by him, and even fall in love with someone else.
Seeing me standing there dumbfounded, Su Shenglin smiled, put away his chopsticks, and lowered his arm. "What, are you only realizing now that you don't love him?"
"I...I don't think so. I still have feelings for him..." I tried in vain to prove that I had indeed taken this first love seriously.
Su Shenglin shook his head and once again made a startling statement, "I don't believe that a man and woman who have been in love for more than six years, if they truly love each other, will adhere to Confucian and Mencian etiquette and not cross the line."
What? !
I'm shocked!
I stared at him first, then blushed and looked around, afraid that someone would hear what I said.
Once I calmed down a bit, I lowered my voice and asked urgently, "How...how do you know all this?!"
Su Shenglin smiled wickedly, "The night you got drunk on your birthday, I took you home, and you told me that yourself."
"Huh? I told you all this? How could that be..." We were alone together, and our relationship was quite awkward at the time. How could I just tell a man that I was a virgin?
I was frantic and on the verge of a breakdown. After gathering my thoughts, I asked again, "Tell me clearly, what exactly happened that night, and under what circumstances did I say those words?"
"Hmm, let me think..." Su Shenglin took a sip of water, frowned slightly, and thought about it very seriously.
I held my breath and stared at him, my mind racing as I tried to recall everything.
Unfortunately, I got so drunk that night that I completely blacked out.
Su Shenglin remained silent, and I, growing impatient, slammed my hand on the table and urged in a low voice, "Speak up! Don't try to get away with this!"
Su Shenglin's smile deepened, and his eyes seemed to be filled with countless stars, sparkling and captivating.
"We were in the car when you lunged at me, probably... trying to assault me, but I dodged you..."
My face contorted in a grimace, my expression a complex mix of emotions I couldn't describe in words—the shock, embarrassment, and disbelief I felt at that moment.
“After I dodged, you said… Don’t worry, I’m not a casual person. My ex-husband and I were together for six years and never crossed the line. We adhered to the Confucian and Mencian principles—that’s what you said. I remember it clearly.”
Su Shenglin stared at me, his smile growing wider.
I'm getting more and more broken down, and I feel like my whole body is about to crack.
"You also said that there are no good men in this world, that they are not worth my money, and that you just wanted to tease me."
I held my forehead with one hand, head down, inwardly wailing, utterly ashamed to face him.
I never knew I could be so outrageous when I was drunk, saying all sorts of things.
I didn't look up at him, and asked in a muffled voice, "What else did I...do to you that night?"
Su Shenglin replied, "Anyway, I did everything I should and shouldn't have done."
"What do you mean?" I looked up abruptly, my face as red as if I had a fever of 40 degrees Celsius.
I remembered the dream I had that night, in which I kissed Su Shenglin—and combined that with what he said now, I suddenly felt a chill.
"I...Is it..." The word "kiss" was on the tip of my tongue, but I couldn't say it.
Su Shenglin smiled and finished the sentence for me: "You said my lips are so soft, like jelly. I wish I could kiss them a few times every day."
"..." I was completely speechless. The buzzing in my ears made me feel as if I were in a vacuum, losing all consciousness.
I kissed him! I actually kissed him while I was drunk!
And they even uttered such audacious and lewd words!
"So Jiang Wan, this is the most genuine reaction to liking someone. This is also why I'm willing to wait for you and rush towards you—don't say you don't like me, how could I not see that you like me to death."
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