C10 Chapter 10

Yang Jiao had originally lined up a few more debate-worthy topics—like when Director Loong got married, what his spouse was like, whether he valued feelings over business interests, and so on.

But Su Mengxin struck them all. She said it was for a good reason: Director Loong was a businessman, so the interview should stay focused on business. Digging into someone’s private life would only cause trouble for him, and if that became a precedent, other business leaders would stop accepting interviews altogether.

Before she knew it, the afternoon was gone.

After Su Mengxin finished the work on her desk, she called Loong Yufan.

He sounded a little tired. “I’m not done here yet. I’ll be late getting to dinner.”

It still wasn’t dark. A band of red clouds stretched across the horizon, washing the city in a soft golden glow.

Su Mengxin wasn’t in the mood to appreciate it. She sat in her office, waiting—from dusk until night.

One by one, the people working late filed out, saying goodbye as they left.

Was dinner not happening after all?

Su Mengxin didn’t want to call and rush Loong Yufan, so after thinking it over, she sent him a text.

“I’m hungry. I’ll wait for you at Lotus Pavilion. If you’re too busy, we can do it another time.”

A reply came quickly: “Go ahead. I’ll be there soon.”

With that reassurance, Su Mengxin checked the time. It was already 8:00 p.m. No wonder it was dark outside.

Loong Yufan stared at the spreadsheet in front of him, but his mind kept drifting. He couldn’t stop thinking about Su Mengxin’s clear, bright eyes—about the way she’d looked at him, hopeful and expectant.

People in her line of work were supposed to be worldly, smooth, good at reading a room. But after meeting Su Mengxin, he started to doubt that. Her naive sincerity didn’t feel like someone who’d been out in the world for long.

His secretary stepped in from the hallway. “Director Loong, everything for today has been organized. Can I head out?”

“Go ahead.” Loong Yufan waved her off, then quickly stood and stopped her. “Where’s Lotus Pavilion around here?”

The Lotus Pavilion was nothing special—just an ordinary spot. The assistant had assumed someone like Director Loong wouldn’t bother with a place like this.

She gave him quick directions, then watched Loong Yufan stride out of the office, still not quite sure what to make of it.

Making a woman wait this long wasn’t exactly gentlemanly.

Yufan felt a flicker of irritation. He couldn’t explain it, but he kept wanting to see Su Mengxin. The moment he did, his mood lifted. Even he found that strange.

Inside the Lotus Pavilion, Su Mengxin sat alone by the window, staring down at the steady stream of pedestrians below, loneliness settling heavy in her chest.

In this city, she had no one to lean on. The only person she could count on was herself. She couldn’t afford to gamble—if she lost and couldn’t even support herself, she’d have nowhere left to go.

If she’d had a choice, she never would’ve taken this assignment. Wanting a challenge was one thing, but the risk was too high. This wasn’t the kind of “challenge” she’d normally touch.

Loong’s Group was notoriously secretive. If she hadn’t met Loong Yufan on that trip to France, she probably wouldn’t have found a single lead.

Later, she needed to have a serious talk with Yang Jiao. If Yang Jiao dared to take on another job without thinking, she’d make her work overtime for a month straight.

“Miss Su, how long have you been waiting?” Loong Yufan finally arrived, a trace of warmth still clinging to him like he’d hurried over.

The server at Lotus Pavilion practically froze, eyes wide, and asked a beat too late, “Sir, what can I get you?”

Su Mengxin looked up at him, irritation flashing in her eyes.

So this was Loong Yufan—the man who could do anything—yet he’d left her sitting here for a full hour.

It was already 9:00 p.m. If he’d shown up any later, the staff would’ve started asking her to leave.

Catching the displeasure in her gaze, Loong Yufan smoothly changed the subject. “I got you an appointment with Director Loong. I’ll tell you the time in a bit.”

It felt like a miracle had dropped right into her lap.

Su Mengxin nodded again and again, like a bobblehead, her eyes shining. Her orange-red lips parted as she said, “Thank you so much.”

“No need to thank me. Just give me my wallet back first.” Yufan held out his hand.

Mengxin pulled his wallet from her bag and, with both hands, respectfully placed it in his.

Yufan raised an eyebrow. This girl was way too easy to fool.

After a quick meal, Mengxin suggested, “Mr. Loong, since you haven’t lived in W City before, why don’t I show you around? It’s not like we’ve got anything going on tonight.”

A long river ran through the center of W City. Once night fell, the lights from the surrounding high-rises flickered on and spilled across the water, the ripples reflecting a wash of neon colors—beautiful in an instant.

They walked along the river for a while before Yufan sat down on a bench. “Nice view.”

“Of course. But I’ll take you somewhere even better in a bit.”

By “somewhere better,” Mengxin meant W City’s famous night market—known as the nightlife promenade—where you could eat, drink, shop, and have fun, with everything from jewelry and accessories to clothes.

At first, seeing the place, Yufan thought Mengxin still wasn’t full and was looking for a second round.