_

"Okay." Both of them got into their cars.

…

…

Ruan Danchen and Song Yu exited Chengshi. After they said their goodbyes, Song Yu crossed the road to meet Qi Chengzhi while Ruan Danchen headed toward the subway station.

However, the moment she turned to walk away, she saw Mu Huaisheng got out of his BMW 7 Series.

While Song Yu waited to cross the road, she saw him too. Mu Huaisheng nodded at Song Yu. She did not go back to Ruan Danchen. Instead, she waited for the right time and hurriedly crossed the road with a crowd of pedestrians.

"Mr. Mu," Ruan Danchen greeted him coolly.

Mu Huaisheng felt that she had a different attitude toward him. She was more composed and serious than before. Mu Huaisheng gave her a wry smile. "I'm here to invite you to dinner. I want to make an official apology."

"I accepted your apology yesterday, so there's no need for dinner." Ruan Danchen noticed that a few people glanced at her and Mu Huaisheng as they passed by. They were people who worked in the same office building but in different companies. There were also a few colleagues from Chengshi.

"You don't sound like you've forgiven me." Mu Huaisheng smirked elegantly. "You can keep up this cold attitude toward me, but I will never stop trying."

"Mr. Mu, why do you care about my attitude toward you? I am responsible for your store's interior design. You are my client. I'm only obliged to be as polite as I can toward you and do my best to ensure the MU flagship store is designed to perfection. Once the job is done, we'll each continue our paths. We're not friends, so there's no reason to be amiable," Ruan Danchen stated calmly.

"At least you were sincere," Mu Huaisheng replied quickly.

h

"That's because I thought you were a sincere and trustworthy person." Ruan Danchen bit her lip and walked pass Mu Huaisheng.

Mu Huaisheng stood in place for a few moments before he turned and stared for a while. Then he returned to his car. However, he did not leave. He drove slowly at the side of the road and followed Ruan Danchen.

Ruan Danchen chanced a glimpse at him, then turned her gaze around and continued to walk. She could not understand why Mu Huaisheng was so persistent about apologizing to her with dinner.

Suddenly, a series of loud honks burst from the road beside her. She subconsciously turned her head to see what happened - a long row of cars had queued behind Mu Huaisheng's car, and they blared their horns at him.

In spite of that, he acted as if nothing was wrong and continued driving at walking speed.

An impatient driver found a way to switch lanes and drove up to Mu Huaisheng. He rolled his windows down and screamed, "What the f*ck is wrong with you!"

Mu Huaisheng lowered the window on the passenger side, which faced Ruan Danchen, and shouted, "If you don't agree to dinner, I'll just have to keep following you like this. Ah, but I think before you accept my invitation, I might get beaten up by those drivers behind me."

…

…

In the car, Song Yu saw Mu Huaisheng stopped the car again for Ruan Danchen to get in.

"Mu Huaisheng, he—" Song Yu watched as Mu Huaisheng drove away in his BMW 7 Series with Ruan Danchen in it.

Unfazed, Qi Chengzhi took a glimpse but did not say anything.

Song Yu did not know Mu Huaisheng's character well. She turned to look at Qi Chengzhi's handsome and defined side profile and asked, "What is Mu Huaisheng trying to achieve? Is he one of those guys who toy with girls just to kill time? What if he only likes her because he wants something 'new,' then once that 'new' feeling passes, he just dumps her?"

"Calm down. There's no guarantee that Mu Huaisheng is trying to pursue Ruan Danchen." Qi Chengzhi held Song Yu's hand.

"Don't you think it's strange?" Song Yu returned his grip. Mu Huaisheng's BMW 7 Series had long disappeared from their sight. "If a man holds on to a woman as relentlessly as he did, doesn't it mean that he's trying to pursue her?"

Qi Chengzhi glanced at her in amusement. Then he teased her in his beautiful and captivating voice, "When did you become an expert? Now I wonder about the girl who didn't even realize that she was pursued with a name card and a Camry. It took her forever to notice."

"..." When he exposed her weakness, Song Yu muttered, "It's all thanks to your wonderful teachings."

Qi Chengzhi smiled. Since they were at a red light, he took the chance to turn and look at Song Yu. She stared down with her red-flushed cheeks. The hint of red on her fair skin made her look exceptionally gorgeous.

Qi Chengzhi had the urge to pinch her red cheeks.

He pulled her hand to his lips and kissed the back of it. Slowly, he turned her hand over and kissed her palm, then proceeded to peck on each of her fingertips.

"Drive!" Song Yu quickly reminded him as the number on the traffic light turned green and started to countdown. Song Yu's heart skipped a beat when he kissed her. She felt a surge of electricity traveled across her skin, and that made her feel numb.

Qi Chengzhi lifted his foot off the brake and stepped on the gas pedal. He still held her hand in his as he said, "As he is from a rich family, I don't doubt that Mu Huaisheng possesses the same bad habits as the rest of the rich kids. His adoration for someone doesn't last long, but it has surely lasted longer than Gao Jingqiu's. He may fall for someone at the snap of a finger, but every relationship he had, he was sincere and honest about it. He earnestly wanted to develop his relationships, but something always comes up, and they would break up not long after that. Nonetheless, none of the breakup was solely his fault. In a relationship, both sides hold responsibility. Even though Mu Huaisheng never entered a relationship half-heartedly, they still never lasted long."

Song Yu did not know what to say. She wanted to believe that Mu Huaisheng was not trying to toy with Ruan Danchen. Nevertheless, Song Yu could never be at ease if Ruan Danchen were to date Mu Huaisheng.

"He doesn't have any ill intentions toward Ruan Danchen. Ruan Danchen is also not a reckless person. Since he's her client, she comes in contact with him more often than you. Naturally, she understands him more than you. I'm sure she would have noticed most of his characteristics." Qi Chengzhi squeezed Song Yu's hand. "Don't worry about it. Even if they start seeing each other, you have no right to interfere with their relationship, so why should you dwell on something you have no say in? Besides, there's no guarantee that Ruan Danchen will fall for Mu Huaisheng."

Song Yu took a deep breath and sighed. She turned to Qi Chengzhi and observed him. "Do you know anything about this?"

"Why would I know anything about that?" Qi Chengzhi snickered. He turned away and focused on the road.

Song Yu decided not to pursue the topic any further. She turned her hand so that his hand was on top of hers. She stared at the back of his slender hand. On his fair skin, his veins and tendons drew lines of green. She placed her right hand beside his and noticed that they were both just as thin. They both had clear lines of veins and tendons, but yet somehow, he appeared much more masculine and stronger.

Her fingers danced on the back of his hand, playfully. She especially adored his slightly protruding knuckles. She pinched each of those knuckles several times.

As she played with his hand, Song Yu remembered that it was her birthday the next day. However, he did not say a word about it. It was as if he completely forgot about that. Song Yu was too shy to bring it up herself. She also knew that he was busy with work and with the string of incidents that occurred lately. He must have overlooked it.

Song Yu thought about it for a moment, and then asked, "Do you have any plans for tomorrow?"

Qi Chengzhi glimpsed at her and said in a husky voice, "No plans. I'm going to work, then getting off work and picking you up."

Song Yu replied, disheartened, "Oh." She did not want to seem needy, yet she could not dismiss her feelings of disappointment.

Qi Chengzhi's lips curled a little, but she could not tell if he was smiling. "Why? Do you have any plans?"

"No, I'm just asking," Song Yu answered blandly.

The next morning, Qi Chengzhi still seemed to be in the dark about Song Yu'birthday. Song Yu wondered if she should drop her identity card on purpose and let him pick it up to have a look at it.

Qi Chengzhi waited for Song Yu in the dining room while he read the news on his laptop. He wore a light blue shirt. As he raised his arms, that simple little act made his shirt tighten around his muscles.

Even as he simply sat there, he gave off a certain aura. With his chalk-white skin and light blue shirt, he appeared clean and speckless.

When he saw her, he put down his laptop and smiled at her. At that time, the only thing that went through her mind was that he looked as gentle and as warm as the summer's breeze. When he smiled at her, the usual sternness on his face seemed to have completely dissolved.

Song Yu sat across Qi Chengzhi. Aunt Yang served each of them a bowl of tomato and egg noodles.

"Why do we have noodles for breakfast today?" Song Yu asked when she saw the steaming bowl of noodles.

"Today—" Aunt Yang opened her mouth to explain, but Qi Chengzhi interrupted, "We're changing things up a little."

Song Yu glared at him suspiciously. She looked down and chuckled, asking, "You knew, after all, don't you?"

"What do I know?" He appeared to be stunned, but he did not seem to be acting.

Song Yu pouted, "Nothing."

…

…

Qi Chengzhi drove Song Yu to the front entrance of Chengshi. Song Yu squinted at him as she got out of the car, and Qi Chengzhi grabbed hold of her.

"Why are you in such a hurry to get out? Aren't you forgetting something?" Qi Chengzhi leaned over to kiss her.

However, Song Yu managed to dodge him. She acted dumb and asked, "What?"

Qi Chengzhi: "..."

"Be careful on the road," Song Yu chirped. When she saw his melancholic expression, Song Yu's mood brightened. Nevertheless, she left without kissing him.

When Song Yu entered the office, she recalled the incident with Ruan Danchen yesterday. Just then, a young boy came in with a bouquet and asked, "Who here is Ruan Danchen?"

Ruan Danchen stood up hesitantly. She signed her name and received the flowers. There was no card or anything attached to it.

Song Yu leaned over and whispered, "It can't be from Mu Hauisheng, right?"

"..." Ruan Danchen was still in a daze. She looked down at the flowers, then answered hesitantly, "I don't think so?"

Ruan Danchen's phone rang the moment she said that. She answered the phone, and after she briefly listened to what the person on the other end of the line had to say, Song Yu heard Ruan Danchen's reply, "Mr. Mu, I told you yesterday that I have accepted your apology. You don't have to—"

"..."

"Mr. Mu, I appreciated that your apology was sincere, and I have accepted it. You should stop doing things that might lead others to misunderstand the situation. I—"

"..."

Song Yu saw that Ruan Danchen kept silent after that. Song Yu did not know what Mu Huaisheng said, but Ruan Danchen only replied with a "goodbye" and hung up.

"What happened?" Song Yu asked immediately.

"Nothing." Ruan Danchen glanced at the gigantic bouquet of roses on her table and sighed.

While they were on the phone, Mu Huaisheng had said to her, "What if this isn't a misunderstanding? Miss Ruan, I like you. We've been working together for a while now, and I didn't abruptly fall for you. Pursuing you isn't a decision I made on a wimp."

Ruan Danchen's mind was a mess. She sat down, but when she saw the flowers, she stood up again and brought them to the reception desk. When she returned, the bouquet was nowhere to be seen.

"Yesterday, I saw Mu Huaisheng followed you persistently you in his car," Song Yu said. She hesitated for a long while, but she could no longer hold herself back.

Ruan Danchen understood Song Yu's intentions. She smiled and said, "I don't wish to think about these matters right now."

In the past, Ruan Danchen might have given it a shot, but she was in no mood for such matters.

"Danchen, is something wrong?" Song Yu asked with concern as she held Ruan Danchen's arm.

"I'm not sure. I'll tell you when I'm sure," Ruan Danchen replied.

…

…

At night, Song Yu glanced at the clock, and when she realized that it was time to get off work, she started to pack her things into her bag. Ruan Danchen had also packed her bag. She stood beside Song Yu's table and produced a neatly wrapped box from her bag. Ruan Danchen handed the gift to Song Yu, and wished her merrily, "Happy birthday."

Song Yu was surprised that Ruan Danchen remembered her birthday. She was touched. Song Yu accepted the gift and said, "Thank you."

"How does Qi Chengzhi plan to celebrate with you tonight?" Ruan Danchen teased her as she winked at Song Yu.

With a glum expression, Song Yu kept the gift, picked up her bag, and walked out of the office with Ruan Danchen. "He didn't even mention it. I think he must have forgotten about it."

"Well, your family had been in quite several incidents lately," Ruan Danchen said

"That's true, so although I feel a little sad about it, I won't blame him. I understand his reasons."

As the two of them descended in the elevator, something suddenly caught Song Yu's eye.

Qi Chengzhi, who always waited for her in the car, was waiting for her at the entrance.

With his hands behind his back and dressed in an exquisitely tailored suit, he stood there handsomely. He looked as elegant as a bird.

He smiled at her. Even though Song Yu only stared at him from a distant, her face turned red, and her heart raced. She found it incredibly touching that he was there for her.

Ruan Danchen gently nudged Song Yu with her elbow and left with a grin. When she passed by Qi Chengzhi, she greeted him softly, "Young Master Cheng." Qi Chengzhi nodded at her, and she left.

Song Yu looked down. With a gentle smile, she walked toward him and stood in front of him.

Since she was pregnant, she switched to wearing flats, and that made her seem even shorter than Qi Chengzhi. She only reached his chest. Her neck was a little sore because she had to turn her head so high just to look at him.

"Why did you wait at the entrance today?" Song Yu beamed and asked. When she saw his handsome face, Song Yu was bewitched.

Qi Chengzhi's ears were tinted red. Slowly, he removed his hand from his back and produced a massive bouquet of rainbow roses.

"I didn't get to give you this on Valentine's Day. So this time, I made the order a long time ago," Qi Chengzhi said in a beautiful and captivating voice.

"I thought you have forgotten about it." Song Yu received the giant bouquet from him. It was very heavy. Half of her figure was hidden behind the bouquet. Delighted and touched, her eyes began to water.

"What did I forget?" Qi Chengzhi teased.

"I hate you," Song Yu mumbled. Flushed, Song Yu inched toward him until their feet were merely a few millimeters apart.

He was wearing a pair of men's laced leather shoes while she wore ballet flats. His feet were a lot larger than hers, but when put together, they suited each other perfectly.

Song Yu looked down and moved her feet closer and closer to his - until their toes touched. "If you didn't forget, why did you pretend as if you did? I was so caught up in it for the past few days."

Qi Chengzhi smiled as he reached to tuck her hair behind her ears. Then, he grabbed her hand. "Let's go."

Song Yu had the bouquet in one hand while the other held Qi Chengzhi's hand. Their arms interlocked as Song Yu leaned firmly against him.

Qi Chengzhi opened the car door for her lovingly. He wanted to take the flowers from her to put in the backseat, but Song Yu clutched onto it as if he would steal them from her. "I can hold this myself. It doesn't take up much space anyway."

Amused, Qi Chengzhi reached out and grabbed her waist. He caressed her gently as he crammed between the car door. "You like it that much, huh?"

Song Yu leaned against the door frame with a smile on his face. His thin, hot lips looked especially attractive when curled upward.

The skin around his lips was particularly delicate. Although she could see some stubbles if she looked closely, it did not change the fact that his skin was excellent and fair. He had better skin than any woman.

"Mmhmm," Song Yu admitted. She stood on her toes and gave Qi Chengzhi a peck on the lips. She then quickly got into the car, and left him alone outside, too stunned to move.

Song Yu had always been shy, so she would never kiss him in public - that was why Qi Chengzhi was so astonished.

Qi Chengzhi could not help but chuckle. He closed the door for Song Yu and went around to the driver seat.

Song Yu had the bouquet in one hand while the other struggled to buckle her seatbelt. Qi Chengzhi leaned over and did it for her, but he did not return to his seat. Instead, he leaned closer and closer to her.

"How were you so brave just now?" His main concern was that she left immediately after she kissed him without giving him a chance to reciprocate.

Song Yu looked down and saw that his hand was still placed on the seat belt buckle. Her soft hands slowly crept toward his. Her fingers traced the back of his hand back and forth. "I just couldn't resist your charm!"

Qi Chengzhi burst out laughing. He pinched her sharp nose and leaned in closer. He locked his lips with her, and they kissed fervently. He savored her sweetness.

After a long while, he finally let go of her. "This morning, you judged me wrongly, didn't you?"

Song Yu totally forgot about that. After he reminded her, she felt a little guilty about that. She kissed him again. "That was for this morning."

Qi Chengzhi could not help but beam with joy. He started the engine, grabbed Song Yu's hand, and then drove off.

They did not head home. Qi Chengzhi brought Song Yu to Dynasty, but they did not go to his VIP room. Instead, the manager led them straight to the top floor.

Dynasty's top floor was not initially meant for guests, but since Qi Chengzhi made a request, they set up a sky garden a long while ago.

Qi Chengzhi did not use the typical 'cover your eyes' trick on Song Yu. Instead, he held Song Yu's hand and enjoyed the scene with her.

The entire floor only had a single table, and it was prepared for them. The rest of the space was embellished with flowers, plants, fountains, and a variety of decorations.

An orchestra was seated at the corner where they waited to perform for them.

Qi Chengzhi turned to Song Yu. In his bewitching voice, he wished her, "Happy birthday."

Song Yu was dumbfounded. The scene that appeared before her took her breath away. That was not something that could be prepared in a day or two. She wondered how long he had planned for that.

"After this, I'll be super stressed out for your next birthday," Song Yu joked.

Song Yu was surprised when she felt his grip tighten around her hand. She sensed his gaze on her. As she looked up, Song Yu saw the stern expression on his face. Earnestly, he declared, "On my birthday, all I want is for you to be by my side the whole time."

There was nothing special about that sentence. It was not embellished with poetic lines, nor was it garnished with candied words. Nevertheless, when she saw that Qi Chengzhi said it so earnestly, so credibly, and so resolutely, Song Yu's throat started to sting. Her eyes welled up with tears, and she sobbed.