C17 Chapter 17

Su Mengxin bolted out of the suite and sprinted all the way home, clutching her chest. Oh my God—she’d kissed the infamous Director Loong. If word got out, would people tear her apart?

She shook her head, helpless. Still… it hadn’t been bad. The thought made her want to smack herself. “It was just a kiss. Why am I acting like this? And replaying it—replaying my ass. Wait… I think I forgot someone. Who did I forget? Whatever. Not thinking about it.”

Su Mengxin changed clothes, finished up what she needed to do, and headed out to shop in a great mood. Most women get their energy back the second they hit the stores—full recharge on the spot—and Su Mengxin was no exception.

She was having a blast. She spotted a belt she really liked, went back and forth on it for a while, then finally bought it. When she passed the restaurant where she’d treated Loong Yufan to dinner, it hit her—she finally remembered who she’d forgotten.

She fumbled for her phone and hurriedly dialed.

“Hello? Loong Yufan, are you still at the hotel?” she asked, trying to sound serious.

“Yeah. Are you okay? I’m about to break the door down,” Loong Yufan said, in a good mood, putting on a straight face as he lied. He’d noticed that whenever she got nervous or startled, he couldn’t help but enjoy it.

Su Mengxin nearly died of fright. “No, no, no—don’t! I’ve been out for a while. Don’t break the door down. Calm down, calm down. I know you’re worried about me, but I’m already out.” Guilt crept in—he’d helped her so much, and she’d left him behind at the hotel.

“Oh, so I can take that as you ditching me at the hotel and heading home first? Guess I’m not that important to you,” Loong Yufan said, pretending to be hurt. Naive Su Mengxin had no idea he was struggling not to laugh.

The mix of guilt and gratitude made her blurt it out immediately: “No, no, no. It’s just—I nailed the deal and got so happy I totally lost my head and forgot. But you’re important.”

“I’m at this place right now. Do you want to come eat with me? You should be off work by now, right?”

Loong Yufan froze for a beat too. Maybe she was just so happy she blurted it out without thinking. Still, hearing her say that made him genuinely happy.

He went home, changed into something casual, and headed to meet Su Mengxin. When he spotted her, she was sitting there bored, swinging her legs, looking innocent as a little bunny. All of a sudden, he thought she looked… really nice like this.

“Hey, Su Mengxin, I’m here. Have you been waiting long?” He lifted a hand in greeting, and he caught the spark in her eyes.

Su Mengxin stared at him, a little dazed. She hadn’t expected him to look this good in casual clothes—tall, and seriously good-looking.

“Not bad. I didn’t think you’d look this good dressed down.”

Loong Yufan fought a smile so hard it almost hurt. God knows how adorably spaced-out she looked staring at him like that.

“Ah—okay, okay. Let’s go. Where do you want to eat?”

Su Mengxin followed Loong Yufan to the same restaurant they’d gone to last time. Honestly, the food really was great. Their tastes were surprisingly similar—both of them preferred lighter, less heavy dishes.

Su Mengxin pulled out a belt. “I saw this while I was shopping earlier. I wanted to thank you, so I bought it for you. I think it’ll suit you. Here.”

He took it and said, “Wow, look at you—buying me a belt. You sure this isn’t actually for you?”

Su Mengxin gave an awkward little laugh. “Of course it’s for you. Why would I lie about that? Okay, okay—I’m hungry. Let’s order. Excuse me—server, over here.” She could only use being hungry as an excuse to cover how flustered she felt.

After dinner, the two of them wandered around for a bit to walk it off. Suddenly, Su Mengxin turned to Loong Yufan as if something had just occurred to her. “Oh, right—has Director Loong been free these past few days? Do you know what day our interview got scheduled for?”

Loong Yufan smiled. “I knew that meal wasn’t going to come without strings attached. But employees don’t ask about the CEO’s schedule, so I guess you’ll have to wait for the official notice.” He shrugged helplessly.

When they reached the downstairs entrance of Su Mengxin’s place, Loong Yufan lifted the shopping bag in his hand and said with a grin, “Thanks for the belt. I really like it. And dinner was great. You should head back in. See you.” With that, he turned to leave.

Su Mengxin called after him, “Loong Yufan—thank you. For helping me so much. And next time you want to walk me home, don’t use such a lame excuse. Get home safe. See you.” She didn’t move, just watched as he raised a hand, gave a small wave, and disappeared into the night.