C16 If He Sees Us Being Intimate

Soong Yiren lifted her gaze to Gong Lingye, who stood just a breath away, and said, "Mr. Gong, you could check the surveillance. I've only just arrived and didn't catch a thing."

Yet, Gong Lingye's response was noncommittal, his grip unyielding. Through his suit, Soong Yiren could discern the defined muscle beneath.

"I only caught the name 'Chu Mingyao.' I'm in AI research. Haisheng recently launched an autonomous vehicle, so I was slow to react to the president of Haisheng's name and didn't steer clear of your conversation."

A sneer played at Gong Lingye's lips. "I brought up Chu Mingyao because our companies are in collaboration. What's the matter, Miss Yu? Disappointed it's not the scoop you were after?"

Right then, Soong Yiren couldn't care less about any potential collaboration between Heavenly Palace and Haisheng; the sound of approaching footsteps was all she could focus on.

Gong Lingye's lips twisted into a more sinister smile. "Among those approaching are my mother and Gong Mochen."

Soong Yiren's pupils contracted sharply.

Gong Lingye's voice took on a pleased note, a raspy, low, and magnetic quality. "Imagine my mother witnessing a woman trying to seduce me at the Gong Family banquet, getting intimate with me, especially when that woman is my nephew's girlfriend. What do you think her reaction would be?"

He felt Soong Yiren shiver in his embrace and pressed on, "Even if that woman had once saved her, she wouldn't welcome her into the Gong Family again, would she?"

Soong Yiren's hands balled into fists as she locked eyes with Gong Lingye. "Are you trying to drive me away?"

"Exactly." His reply was decisive, his hand moving from her chin, gliding over her cheek to her hair, gripping the back of her head as if he might kiss her at any moment.

Across the garden, the footsteps drew nearer. Soong Yiren knew that in less than thirty seconds, they would round the corner and see everything.

A vice-like chill clamped down on her heart, spreading a cold dread from the soles of her feet throughout her entire being.

She had nothing, her every step fraught with hardship, facing a path that seemed utterly devoid of light.

In half a minute, Old Madame Gong would spot them, and she would lose her place in the Gong Family forever.

Then, at any given moment, Yu Chengzhi or her second brother-in-law, Wang Kai, could capture her and throw her onto Wang Kai's bed.

She might not die, and perhaps she could even exact her revenge eventually. But first, she would have to confront some harsh realities she was all too aware of.

In that moment, Soong Yiren was overwhelmed with emotion as she gazed intently into Gong Lingye's eyes.

Indeed, he was of noble birth, powerful enough to effortlessly shatter all her painstaking efforts. Despite her struggles and caution, she was no match for his whims.

Her eyes brimmed with resentment, defiance, and a flicker of shame. Those brief seconds seemed to drain all of Soong Yiren's energy.

She pleaded, "Mr. Gong, I implore you."

He paused, struck by the look in Soong Yiren's eyes, which inexplicably reminded him of a girl from years past.

Seeing Gong Lingye unmoved, Soong Yiren spoke again, "I implore you."

"Please."

Tears threatened to spill from her eyes, but she fiercely swallowed them back, continuing to meet Gong Lingye's icy gaze.

The sound of footsteps grew louder; they would be upon them in less than five seconds. Soong Yiren inhaled deeply and slowly closed her eyes.

Her look of despair seemed to pierce his heart with a sudden pain. Releasing her, he left her with a stern warning before turning to leave, "Don't let me catch you doing this ever again!"

She watched his retreating figure and called out, "Have you read Mandela's 'Long Walk to Freedom'?"

Gong Lingye looked back, his eyes darkening with an unreadable intensity.

Soong Yiren met his gaze and declared, "We may be as humble as dust, but we must not become twisted like maggots."

She cherished a particular passage from the book:

"If the sky never brightens, then we must navigate the darkness;

If speaking out is perilous, then we must hold our silence;

If you feel you cannot shine, then curl up in the corner.

But—

Don't grow accustomed to the darkness and then defend it;

Don't take pride in living a life of cowardice;

Don't ridicule those who possess more courage than you.

We may be as humble as dust, but we must not become twisted like maggots."

In a fleeting moment, Gong Lingye seemed to be struck by a memory. His fist clenched suddenly, and a mysterious aura enveloped him, as if a long-forgotten memory had been stirred.

That girl from his past had once posed the question to someone else, "Have you read Mandela's 'Long Walk to Freedom'?"

And now, Soong Yiren before him... His heart stirred, realizing that this was the third coincidence.

The first was the eerily similar scene in the laboratory.

The second was the look in her eyes just moments ago.

The third was this phrase from the book, which he had heard from that girl years before.

He understood that Soong Yiren's words were meant to convey that, despite her humble state, she would not harm him, aiming to lower his defenses.

But why had she also read that same book by chance?

Moreover, he would have normally eliminated anyone who dared to listen in on his phone conversations.

Yet, he hadn't laid a hand on her—was it because of that faint sense of familiarity?

A wave of sorrow for the girl who had passed away surged through Gong Lingye's heart.