C26 The Ideal Man

“Zhu.” A deep male voice could be heard sounding out from outside the room.

The sound of his voice shook her up. She could only stand there in shock. Were her eyes fooling her? Jing Chengrui stood elegantly in front of the inner room with a bright smile on his face.

Tang Wanwan was equally shocked as she turned her head to look. Due to her rush to get inside, she had absentmindedly forgotten to close the private room door all the way. After chiding herself for her negligence, her eyes suddenly lit up as if there was a light behind them. The expression on her face was very bright and vivid. Her eyes were like two glowing lanterns as she stared at Jing Chengrui, clearly bewitched by his presence.

“You are Jing Chengrui?” she asked. She stood up quickly and dusted her hands on her pants.

Jing Chengrui smiled pleasantly and nodded. “Miss Tang, if you would allow me, can I have a seat and a cup of coffee?”

“Yes, of course.” There was no doubt that Tang Wanwan was excited to see Jing Chengrui there. Though her coffee shop had grown used to the company of big shots, the legend of Jing Chengrui proceeded himself and she was more than happy to serve him. Imagine the press! If word were to circulate, then her coffee shop would indeed become very famous!

“Please have a seat anywhere you like. I’ll brew some more coffee right away.” Tang Wanwan could not contain her excitement. As she finished saying that, she quickly made her way to the liquor cabinet. There were not many people in the world who could make Tang Wanwan this excited.

“Mr. Rui, what are you doing here? Is this another coincidence?” Mu Qingzhu could not suppress her surprise.

“Of course, it isn’t. I was waiting for you at the entrance of your workplace and I saw you drive here so I followed you.” Jing Chengrui did not bother to hide anything. His words were simple and honest as his bright eyes caught every little detail.

“Have you been waiting outside long?” Mu Qingzhu could not help but express her shock.

“No. Once I arrived, I noticed a paparazzi secretly taking pictures of the place, so to avoid exposure, I waited a while before entering the place.” Jing Chengrui’s unruffled expression belied his calmness as he said all this with a smile on his face.

“Zhu, I’m sorry for this afternoon.” His voice though deep carried a bit of tenderness that was on his face.

Startled, Mu Qingzhu looked into his eyes. She wanted to share that she did not care about any of it, but she did not have the words to say it.

In the world existed a rare kind of man who exuded tolerance and maturity. Even if hard times were to come their way, their pre-existing good qualities would not be tainted by secular things. Jing Chengrui in front of her was such a man. In his perspective, if he values something and sees it as a treasure, then it could not easily fade away or be wiped from existence. Such a kind of maturity was wisdom refined over many different encounters and experiences throughout the years.

Mu Qingzhu believed that since he was such an elegant and refined man, even if she could not put into words what she wanted to say, he would still be able to understand her, nonetheless.

Throughout all these years, they had never discussed personal matters together!

Even now, when she looked into his eyes, his eyes were clear and nonjudgmental. He had always treated her with great consideration and thoughtfulness. This remained the same to this day.

Yet, he seemed different today. His shift in attitude made it seem like he did not understand her. Though he cared about her, he would not let things be. He wanted to explain himself further to her!

“I want to explain myself to you,” he said this in a low and magnetic voice, his eyes brimming with expectation.

The occasion never arose when he had to explain his personal matters to a woman. Mu Qingzhu was clearly the exception. With her, he wanted to dive deeper and offer her an explanation of what was going on.

Since a young age, he had been waging a war with the world’s business sector. His battles had given him lots of great experiences and he had seen all kinds of things and people. But never before had he encountered a woman like her, who could move his heart like Mu Qingzhu did.

She was such a woman in his heart that he would drop everything and rush over from Europe to be with her. He would do anything to win over her heart.

Not many women could easily move him. So, of course, when he found that one person he would do anything for, it was inevitable that he would pursue this person.

This was unless she didn’t reciprocate his feelings and had someone better.

But currently, there was no one else in her life.

Yet her situation continued to worry him.

This was actually the first time he concerned himself with another woman’s affairs.

The inky black coffee inside her mug contrasted with her fingers, making them appear fairer and more beautiful. Lowering her head and not saying a word, she went on to shake the blanket with her other hand.

The action seemed to have loosened her nerves as she raised her head and smiled.

As if the words were being formed in her head just as she was saying them, she said in a halting manner, ”Mr. Rui, you don’t need to apologize or explain yourself. It is clear that everyone needs to live their own lives. So it’s nothing out of the ordinary that you have a woman who loves you already.”

"You don't want to hear my side of the story?” When Jing Chengrui looked into her eyes, there was no emotion in them at all. This placed him at a loss. If she could show any emotion at all, even a hint of anger, it would confirm to him that she at least cared, but her cold, emotionless front proved otherwise.

Could it be that in her heart she still loved Ruan Hanyu?

He could only sigh deeply in his heart.

"Here’s your coffee!” Tang Wanwan cheerfully said, bringing the coffee over with a spring in her step. It was obvious she could barely contain her happiness.

“Qingzhu, I can’t say enough how lucky you are. You just got a divorce, yet here is this handsome and powerful man waiting to win you over. I can tell this Jing Chengrui likes you. Whenever he looks at you, he has this gentle and special look in his eyes. I’ll say this, if you marry this man, he will cherish and love you till the end of his years. This man is completely different from that bastard Ruan Hanyu. Your taste in men has definitely improved,” Jing Chengrui said all this earnestly. She had drawn Mu Qingzhu to the side when she saw Jing Chengrui had picked up a phone call. She hoped Mu Qingzhu would take her words to heart.

Mu Qingzhu listened with a faint smile on her face, but she shook her head in response. Tang Wanwan was really a pure hearted person. She trusted her intuition above all things, but as in all matters of the heart, this type of situation cannot fully depend on mere instinct or judgment alone.

“Stop spouting nonsense. It is known that he already has a girlfriend and they will be getting married soon. Don’t make our situation even more awkward than it already is,” Mu Qingzhu hurriedly said.

“So what if he has another woman in his life? The thing about successful men is that they always have a few girlfriends on the side. As long as he carries you in his heart and is willing to marry you, you alone will be his woman. The others don’t matter. But no matter the circumstances, he can have only one wife.” She went on to remind her, “Remember that this is a one in a lifetime chance and you must seize such an opportunity. You’ll be sorry to miss such a good man.”

It was almost 10 o’clock when she finished her coffee. Mu Qingzhu just remembered that she still had to show up to work tomorrow and that her mother was probably worried and waiting for her at home. She said her goodbyes to Tang Wanwan, before walking out of the coffee shop.

Jing Chengrui was one step behind her. His appearance was very elegant. They were a good-looking couple, which was why they were so eye-catching.

Although Mu Qingzhu tried to shrug him off, he continued to insist on seeing her off.

Thinking of the previous night’s incident, she was still a little afraid to be out at night alone, so she did not resist Jing Chengrui when he said he will accompany her.

Mu Qingzhu could feel the gentle night wind on her as she returned home under Jing Chengrui’s escort.

That night, Mu Qingzhu dreamed that she remarried and that she was married to the richest man in the world who treated her like a treasure. But when she woke up and opened her eyes, she was disappointed to realize that it was all just a dream.

Her eyes peered around her in the dark. The night was endless and she lost herself into the vastness as her mind became muddled with all sorts of chaotic thoughts.

She was thinking about how it was really good how after the divorce she had such an excellent man like Jing Chengrui by her side. Besides, it seemed like he really cared for her. And like the rich man in her dreams, he was considerate enough to treat her like a cherished treasure.