C2 Chapter 2

“Hello.” Su Mengxin answered coldly, but her hand stayed locked around Loong Yufan’s arm, not letting him leave.

On the other end, Cheng Xiang’s voice was sharp and biting as she launched right in: “Have you found my daughter or not? If you haven’t, then don’t bother coming back!”

As a TV host, Su Mengxin barely got any time off. This time, she’d finally managed to get a break—only to be kicked out of the Ye family home and sent off on her own to France.

But Su Mengxin wasn’t some helpless pushover. “You know your daughter’s been missing for years. Finding her won’t be easy. Just because I’ve put up with you doesn’t mean you get to boss me around. Don’t flatter yourself.”

France was huge—trying to track down one person was basically impossible. And after all these years, her daughter would be older now, her looks bound to have changed. Su Mengxin had been doing everything she could to find any trace of her, as a way of repaying the Ye family for raising her. But with so little to go on, she’d never gotten a real lead.

This time, Su Mengxin had no idea why Cheng Xiang was so convinced her daughter was still in France, but she’d forced Su Mengxin out the door to search anyway.

Su Mengxin wasn’t afraid of leaving the Ye family. Even without them, she could make it on her own. Still, they had raised her, and that debt wasn’t something she could just forget.

That call left Su Mengxin’s face completely drained of warmth. After she hung up, she looked at Loong Yufan. “Once I help you with this, I’ll probably be heading back home.”

Loong Yufan didn’t respond right away. After a long pause, he said lazily, “Tonight you’re staying at my hotel. And with whatever time we have left, we’re picking out a gown and some jewelry. If you’re showing up as my date, you need to look stunning. Otherwise, standing next to me, you’ll look like an ugly duckling.”

Sure enough, not long after, Loong Yufan dragged Su Mengxin to an upscale custom gown boutique in France. The place was packed with dresses in every style imaginable, and Su Mengxin couldn’t help but light up.

Su Mengxin had been a TV host for years, and she’d always had a soft spot for formal gowns. The right dress could make someone shine in a completely different way. So the moment she stepped into the boutique, her eyes were drawn to a pale lavender, one-shoulder gown.

“You like that one?” Loong Yufan noticed where she was looking and naturally reached for her hand. “If you like it, try it on.”

The store manager hurried over, polite to a fault, and motioned for two sales associates to take the pale lavender dress down. “Good evening, Mr. Loong. You have excellent taste—this is from our designer’s new Violet collection for this season.”

Loong Yufan didn’t waste a second. He took the dress and pressed it into Su Mengxin’s hands. “Go try it on.”

It was the first time a man had ever brought her out to buy a gown, and the novelty of it made her blink in surprise. “Just so you know, I’m really broke. Afterward, can I pay you back?”

Loong Yufan shot her a cold look. “Go try it on.”

The next evening, Su Mengxin stayed close to Loong Yufan. At first, they walked one behind the other. She was still trying to figure out what she was supposed to do, lost in her thoughts, and didn’t notice that he’d stopped with a hard, expressionless face.

She walked straight into his solid back and looked up, rubbing her nose with a put-upon expression. “Why’d you stop?”

“Take my arm. You don’t know basic etiquette.” His tone was all command, with a hint of reproach. He turned slightly, caught her hand, and tucked it firmly into the crook of his arm.

After that, he even gave a satisfied nod, like he’d just fixed something that should’ve been done right in the first place.

Su Mengxin felt a little awkward. Back home, she was a recognizable host with a reputation. Here, she was just another woman in the crowd—hardly anyone would know her. With that thought, she lifted her chin and let her proud, radiant face show.

“You’re the one asking me for help,” she said. “Couldn’t you be a little nicer about it?” She didn’t care who he was. She’d never even heard the name Loong Yufan before, and odds were they wouldn’t cross paths again. She wasn’t about to be intimidated.

Loong Yufan couldn’t be bothered to deal with Su Mengxin. With a dark look on his face, he headed into the banquet hall.

His steps were a little slow as he murmured a warning. “If anyone asks what you are to me, you don’t need to say a word.”

“Why?” Su Mengxin asked without thinking. Then she pinched her hand hard and quickly corrected herself. “Okay. I understand.”

Only then did the expression on Loong Yufan’s face ease—just a little, and only barely.

At the party, women dripping in diamonds looped their arms through their dates, chatting and laughing. It was lively. Su Mengxin looked around, still unable to figure out what the event was even for. She wanted Loong Yufan to explain, but when she looked up and saw that icy, stone-faced expression, she thought better of it. He really didn’t look pleasant.

Su Mengxin didn’t bother asking. When a few people came over to greet Loong Yufan, she put on a polished smile and slipped her arm through his, playing the sweet, obedient companion.

“Director Loong, now that you’re here in France, it has to be for that Loong’s project,” a middle-aged man in a suit suggested, glancing toward a seating area and gesturing politely. “Why don’t we sit down and talk?”

Loong Yufan turned to look at Su Mengxin, his brow tightening slightly. “Go walk around for a bit. I’ll come find you after I’m done.”