C11 Chapter 11

But after Su Mengxin took him around for a while, Loong Yufan started to feel something was off.

There were plenty of young women nearby, and most of them couldn’t stop staring at him.

Su Mengxin, though, acted like nothing was happening, walking along like it was no big deal and keeping about a foot and a half of space between them.

“Miss Su, why is everyone looking at me?” Loong Yufan grabbed Su Mengxin’s hand.

He didn’t care what anyone thought. Since she’d brought him here, she was responsible.

Su Mengxin smiled, innocent as could be. “They’re looking because you’re handsome—tall, too, and you dress well. Of course they’re going to take a few extra looks. They say looking at attractive people is good for your health.”

“I know there aren’t many who look as good as I do,” Loong Yufan said shamelessly, then frowned slightly. “Link arms with me. If those women keep staring, it makes me uncomfortable.”

He didn’t wait for her to respond. He pulled her hand over and tucked it into the crook of his arm.

It had happened once before—at the banquet.

Su Mengxin practically exploded on the spot. Her face turned bright red. She stole a quick glance at him, then immediately lowered her head.

“If you hold me like this… aren’t you worried I’ll get the wrong idea?” she asked carefully.

Her heart was pounding.

Loong Yufan turned to look at her. “What wrong idea could you possibly get?”

She’d walked right into that one.

Su Mengxin wanted to crawl into a hole and disappear.

The night market was packed with people coming and going. Head down, she clung to his arm obediently. With the crowd pressing in, her softness ended up brushing against him, and the embarrassment only made her want to sink into the ground.

Loong Yufan seemed to enjoy her shyness. With surprising patience, he used his other hand to shield her. “Let’s go check out somewhere else.”

“Okay.” Su Mengxin wanted to get out of there, too. It was way too crowded.

The second and third floors of the pedestrian street were all shops—clothes and jewelry—open late into the night.

Loong Yufan noticed the crowd had thinned out, so he let go of Su Mengxin’s hand and gave her some space.

But the moment it got busy again, he’d reach for her hand without hesitation.

The feeling reminded Su Mengxin of a little boy she’d once seen who’d gotten separated and kept grabbing onto people the same way.

Could it be that Loong Yufan was actually a big kid who didn’t feel secure? Just thinking that made her smile soften. “It’s fine. Just walk around with me.”

That “just walking around” quickly turned into trouble.

Su Mengxin stepped into a clothing store, picked out an outfit, and went to try it on. When she came back out, she found two sales associates gathered around Loong Yufan, chatting and laughing. Loong Yufan glanced at her, clearly unimpressed with what she’d chosen, and handed her a different outfit.

He was picking clothes for her now?

And this time he was even judging her taste.

Su Mengxin pouted, about to say something, when the two associates covered their mouths and giggled. “You two are so sweet. Miss, go try on what your husband picked out.”

“Husband?” Su Mengxin repeated automatically, her tone edged with doubt.

Loong Yufan gave a quiet acknowledgment and placed the clothes into her hands. When Su Mengxin changed and came back out, she looked at the woman in the mirror and felt almost transformed.

Su Mengxin usually dressed simply, but this dress was made of ink-wash-style panels. The soft lotus pattern and uneven trim gave it a graceful charm, and the spaghetti straps highlighted her pretty collarbones. The more she looked, the more she liked it.

“So, hubby—are we buying it?” Su Mengxin’s eyes flashed as she tested what kind of reaction she’d get out of Loong Yufan.

The two associates were delighted. “Sir, if you’re buying for your wife, we’ll give you the member price—30% off. Come back anytime.”

Su Mengxin was turning the tables on him, playing along and setting him up right back. One trick after another—who was taking advantage of whom wasn’t so clear.

At the jewelry store, Su Mengxin got him again.

Loong Yufan finally couldn’t hold it in. “Su Mengxin, are you messing with me?”

“No, not at all. I was just going along with what you wanted. Did I play along well?” Su Mengxin’s voice still had a sweet, teasing edge to it. Her cheeks were still flushed, the kind of rosy color that made your heart skip without even trying.

This time, Loong Yufan had been thoroughly played—right in the palm of Su Mengxin’s hand.

So this “little bunny” wasn’t as innocent as she looked.

A flicker of resentment rose in Loong Yufan. It felt like she’d shattered his picture-perfect fantasy of a harmless, wide-eyed bunny.

That night, after she got home, Su Mengxin couldn’t help humming a little tune to herself. Work moving forward smoothly was the best news she could ask for.

The next day at work, Su Mengxin received a text from Loong Yufan.

“8:00 p.m. Starlight Nightclub. Room 301.”

Su Mengxin wasn’t stupid. Why would the president of Loong’s Group pick a nightclub as the meeting place? The thought made her hesitate. She didn’t know whether she should go.

She’d already started her career, but she could count on one hand how many times she’d been to a nightclub. Unless it was a team get-together or a celebration dinner where everyone went out for some fun, she would never go to a place like that alone.

Could it be that the president of Loong’s Group wasn’t as respectable as people claimed? Or was Loong Yufan just trying to mess with her?