C11 No Ordinary Man

“Zhu.” Out of the chaos, a deep and pleasant male voice sounded out, piercing the air like a demonic wail.

It was like the calm surface of the lake rippling with many shocked effects. Or like a ray of light lighting up the dark night, bringing new hope to the future.

Mu Qingzhu was shocked and she raised her head to greet the person. It couldn’t be. Could it? There was only one person in the world who would call out her nickname.

It was impossible. But could it be that he came?

A tall and handsome man dressed in a suit and brand-name shoes made his way over to her. His features were brimming with warmth as a proper and charming smile shone on his face. His gentle eyes held a calm and composed expression. His entire body exuded a noble and elegant aura. He was no ordinary man with power. His distant yet quiet essence spoke of refinement and nobility. The grace seen on this man’s face effortless made him seem extraordinary in men’s eyes. It was obvious that this quiet power couldn’t easily be obtained overnight.

His magnetic persona instantly drew the attention of everyone present.

“Zhu, are my eyes deceiving me? Is it really you?! I can’t believe I finally found you!” Though the man’s voice was filled with excitement, his face had a calm smile on it. His eyes glowed with the light of many warm fires. His eyes softened when he looked at Mu Qingzhu and his face was filled with tenderness as he spoke to her.

“President Jing… Mr. Rui.” Momentarily stunned, Mu Qingzhu puzzled over how she should address him. But she soon recovered and once more, her eyes carried a bright and charismatic light like that of the stars in the night sky.

The presence of an old friend brought a warmness to her heart. All the pressures of the night’s previous events gradually became less burdensome. She felt a sense of peace and gentleness awoken in her heart.

“Mr. Rui, what are you doing here?” She could not hide the surprise in her voice yet her face held a gentle expression. It was like Mr. Rui’s entrance had transformed her into a different person. Her cold and indifferent persona disappeared at that moment.

Seeing her bright and warm smile made Ruan Hanyu feel at a loss. Never before had he seen Mu Qingzhu act so warmly towards another person. She had always treated him in her cold manner, her smile always stiff and cold. Her expression always spoke of vast frozen tundras that will take thousands of years to melt. It was only now that Ruan Hanyu perceived that her coldness was only directed at him.

Her pure and natural smile felt very removed from how she normally treated him. Feeling left out, anger bloomed in his heart and he stared daggers at Mu Qingzhu.

“Zhu, why did you come back without letting me know?” The man’s eyes on Mu Qingzhu stared at her with an enraptured expression. Her frail figure drew on his sympathies. His hand could not help but stroke lovingly her head as his words fell like a heavy balm on her soul.

“I…” For the first time that night, Mu Qingzhu was left speechless. Everything felt very surreal right then and she felt like she was moving in a dream or underwater.

“Zhu, is there anything wrong? You look rather unwell!” The man stared at Mu Qingzhu’s pitiful face. Her brows were knitted and her pinched look could not wipe the painful expression off her face. His concern for her overflowed from his features and his big hand touched her delicate eyebrows as a further show of his consternation.

“Mr. Rui, please don’t worry about me. I’m fine!” Mu Qingzhu gave him an indifferent smile. “This is such a pleasant surprise to actually meet you here!”

“It is a fine coincidence.” The man nodded in agreement, but then his gaze darkened noticeably. “If I never found you, would you have come back? I mean, you left so suddenly. Without even saying goodbye.”

“I can’t believe it! It’s Jing Chengrui!” After a short silence, someone in the crowd could be heard crying out.

“Jing Chengrui, he’s actually here!”

The crowd murmured to themselves the news, growing more and more restless. On their faces held the excitement that Jing Chengrui’s presence brought with it.

Jing Chengrui was known as the CEO of the world-renowned Jingrui Group. As a US citizen, his notoriety was vast. The company’s headquarters was located in the US in the Luo Bin Machine factory. Underneath this banner, he ran many popular industries, mainly producing luxury cars. Under his talented leadership, his company flourished and his wealth was told to be immeasurable.

However, the things of legends were none other than the CEO of Jingrui Branch, Jing Chengrui. He was not only a rare talent, but he was also young and handsome. Sightings of the legendary figure were rare and in-between. No one had ever seen him attend any sort of public events. It was said he avoided them.

Rumors even circulated of his ties to the underworld. Many public officials were using his support to earn money to turn the election in their favor. His influence in the sectors of politics and business was vast and cast a mysterious light over his company.

The presence of such a god-grade figure was very much coveted. His legendary persona preceded him. In this case, everyone at the party was awe-struck.

Such a god-grade figure had taken care to descend from the sky and grace their presence on such an ordinary night. Not only that, but he also harbored an ambiguous relationship with Ruan Hanyu’s ex-wife. Her status was also not ordinary. The expressions they shared showed their intimacy.

All this was enough to whet the curiosity of all the employees present. All eyes were on the participants, their eyes raptly taking in the scene. This had to be the most exciting banquet they had ever seen.

The atmosphere had a strange and intoxicating air to it.

Shots of pain fired through Mu Qingzhu’s palm, causing her brows to knit tighter and the color on her face to grow paler.

She tried to stand up straight, but her body swayed from the effort and she almost fell down as a result.

Jing Chengrui was the first to react and leaned in his body to support her. He gently pulled her into his arms and Mu Qingzhu felt the warmth of his hands on her body.

“Zhu, how are you feeling?” His eyes were as deep as wells as he looked down at her, his voice marked by his rising anxiety.

Although Mu Qingzhu’s head felt heavy, her consciousness was still clear. Her perception of that night was unmuddled.

They were too close and showing such intimacies in public was not good. Moreover, there were some at the party who recognized him. Feeling the immediacy of the moment, she broke free from his grasp and used her hand to support herself with the iron railing. Her palms grabbed a hold of the round iron rod.

The action caused her to scream outright in pain. The searing fire in her hand caused fine beads of sweat to cluster on her forehead.

“Zhu, what’s wrong with your hand? Let me have a look.” The look on Jing Chengrui’s face was urgent. He reached out and grabbed her hand so that he could get a better look at it.

He recalled the previous scene when he had witnessed Mu Qingzhu being pushed roughly to the ground by that hostile woman. He originally wanted to rush over to help her get up at that time. He never expected her to be hurt.

But it was at this moment that Ruan Hanyu just happened to walk in!

He wanted to see what sort of person the man Mu Qingzhu loved would be. But what surprised him the most was Ruan Hanyu’s attitude towards her. He was not only cold to her, his whole persona was untrusting towards her. He would rather take the other woman’s word for it than believe her.

This made him feel relieved. Ruan Hanyu’s coldness could only give him a better opportunity to pursue the woman he loved.

Ruan Hanyu did not have it in him to love such a beautiful woman. He would not follow in such a stupid man’s footsteps.

He could recall that when Mu Qingzhu designed that luxury car, she had dedicated the design to the man she loved. Jing Chengrui was secretly disappointed by this bit of information. Such a man could only be filled with happiness to have such a woman by his side. He must cherish her like no other. Jing Chengrui wished he could be in that man’s shoes.

But today’s discovery left Jing Chengrui with a trace of anticipation. Everything did not turn out how he expected. This made anything possible.

In America, his favorite pastime was to listen to Mu Qingzhu play the piano. He loved watching her white jade fingers delicately make their way across the black and white piano keys. Out of her fingertips came beautiful musical notes that flowed freely in the air, able to lift any type of mood.

How could he stand to let her be hurt in any way?

He gently lifted open her small hand. To his surprise, blood spurting from a wound lay open in her palm. He could see bits of broken glass burrowed in her flesh.

“How could you let this happen?” He gave Ruan Hanyu a meaningful glance as he roared fiercely. He grabbed Mu Qingzhu’s hand in his and dragged her out of the spotlight.

“No, Mr. Rui. It’s alright. I’m fine. Really. I’m fine.”

“You'll be fine now. You foolish girl, you still don’t know how to take care of yourself. Quickly follow me. I’ll take you to the hospital to get that treated.” Mu Qingzhu could hear a low growl in Jing Chengrui’s voice. He could not hide his feelings for her at that moment. The care and worry he must feel for her were evident in his voice and face. Without saying another word, he dragged her to the hospital, unable to hide his growing concern for her condition.

Mu Qingzhu did not fight him. In his arms, she felt safe and protected and she followed his lead as he guided them to the nearest hospital.