Chapter 14: In Action

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◎Caught Red-Handed by Him◎

Generally, tall men tend to have large feet, right? As for Cen Mo, she’s worn size 36 shoes since sixth grade, and her feet haven’t changed much since then.

Among girls, she always considered her shoe size average, never thinking her feet were small.

But at this moment, when Su Xingzhi pulled her arm and made her stand on his leather shoe, she suddenly realized their difference wasn’t just in height. His feet were much larger than hers, and standing on them felt surprisingly comfortable.

Inside those expensive leather shoes were the man’s feet, separated from hers only by a thin layer of leather. Their feet pressed together, evoking an inexplicable sense of intimacy.

Cen Mo unconsciously wiggled her toes, feeling her heartbeat quicken. She leaned back, trying to step down, but was immediately pulled back by the man’s strong hand.

He seemed determined not to let her down, gripping her arm firmly. “Don’t move. Follow my steps and walk together.”

“What kind of idea is this? Will it even work?” Cen Mo suddenly recalled a scene from a movie where the heroine danced gracefully with the hero while standing on his feet—it looked romantic and beautiful.

But that’s just in movies. In reality, this would be so foolish—especially here, where people came and went, and passersby couldn’t help but glance over.

Though she didn’t really care about other people’s eyes, it still felt awkward.

“This is your choice,” Su Xingzhi said without consulting her, stepping forward decisively.

Her body swayed slightly. They weren’t standing on flat ground, and even being pulled by the arm, Cen Mo felt unsteady.

“Hey…” she couldn’t help but call out.

Only then did the man stop. His hand, which had been holding her arm, shifted to circle her waist, lifting her up gently like a chick, then continued walking forward.

Now the swaying stopped; only a small part of her weight was on Su Xingzhi’s shoes, the rest supported by his hand. His strength was immense, yet he seemed to handle it effortlessly.

Her dress was backless, clinging tightly. She could clearly feel the smooth fabric of his suit and the steady beat of his heart.

The fresh scent of men’s cologne lingered faintly at her nose. Cen Mo pursed her lips helplessly. Had she known it would be like this, she might as well have let him carry her directly, regardless of tugging on his collar—it would have been better than this.

But more frustrating than that was the fact that all her previous assumptions were wrong.

That he disliked physical contact with women? Pure nonsense. His firm grip around her waist was the best proof.

Finally crossing the rain grate, Su Xingzhi stopped and released her. “Put your shoes down and wear them.”

As soon as he let go, Cen Mo wobbled and leaned back, barely steadying herself. She bent down to slip her heels back on.

Looking down, she saw his leather shoes were indeed marked with dirt. Her feet had dragged dust from the ground after standing on them for so long.

“Mr. Su, your shoes,” she reminded him.

“It’s fine,” Su Xingzhi replied, already striding toward the car, his usual indifferent expression returning.

Whether because the air conditioning was too cold or his commanding presence was overwhelming, Cen Mo felt chilled sitting in the car. She covered her exposed neck and shoulders with her hands.

The cabin was spacious. Su Xingzhi, legs crossed and head bent over a tablet, finally looked up and instructed the driver, “Old Li, turn the temperature up a bit.”

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The driver acknowledged, and the cabin gradually warmed.

Because Cen Mo was off today, Su Xingzhi hadn’t taken her to the company, instead instructing the driver to drop her off at her apartment gate before driving off.

...

Once home, Cen Mo immediately started removing her makeup. Having worn a gown earlier, she’d applied light makeup, but now sweat made it sticky and uncomfortable.

After washing off foundation and lipstick, her fair and delicate face reappeared.

Thanks to a regular routine and frequent exercise, her skin was in excellent condition—white, smooth, and naturally beautiful even without makeup.

After taking off her gown, she spread the clothes on her bed, checking carefully for any damage before placing them in dust bags and hanging them in the wardrobe.

The entire set of clothes, including jewelry, was paid for by Su Xingzhi. Each piece was a pricey brand item; even the belt had cost a fortune. Cen Mo considered returning the clothes but Su Xingzhi told her to handle it herself. So she decided to keep them for now, maybe wear them next time she attended an event.

By the time all this was done, it was already past five in the afternoon. She went out to buy groceries and cooked dinner. After eating, she planned to go for her usual jog downstairs but suddenly received a call from Huang Zhi.

“Cen Mo, Brother Cen, Sister Cen~” Huang Zhi called out in a playful, coquettish voice. “Are we good friends or not? Tell me!”

“Get to the point if you have something to say,” Cen Mo said, knowing this girl must have a favor to ask.

Huang Zhi huffed, somewhat sulky. “Alright, I just want you to help me pick up Xu Lang tomorrow, okay? Oppa is coming to Z City for a signing event, and I want to see him.”

“Oppa, what?” Cen Mo was confused, thinking it sounded like a person’s name. It felt strange, similar to a Korean word.

“It means ‘older brother’! He’s Korean, so fans usually shout ‘Oppa’ when cheering,” Huang Zhi explained, then batted her eyelashes. “Come on, just this once.”

“Okay. Did you tell Dr. Xu?” Cen Mo agreed since she’d tutored Xu Lang for years and quite liked the kid.

“Nope. You’re close to Dr. Xu, so no need to tell him, right?” Huang Zhi replied.

After a long chat, they finalized the plan.

The next day at work, the president’s office was empty. Su Xingzhi hadn’t come to the company, probably attending to some private matters.

Cen Mo stayed at the secretary’s desk, answering calls all day. Besides recording messages, she organized pending tasks for the president to review the next day.

She left promptly at five, went to school to pick up Xu Lang, brought him home, helped with homework, and prepared a nutritious meal.

“Teacher Cen, why are you back?” Xu Lang, though young, was sharp. Leaning on her lap, he smiled brightly. “Maybe you should be my teacher from now on? I like you.”

“Why, don’t you like Teacher Huang?” Cen Mo teased.

“Not really,” Xu Lang blinked. “Teacher Huang is nice but a bit naggy. You know what naggy means, right? She talks so much, always by my ear, I almost get annoyed. So I just obediently study like she wants...”

Hearing his words, Cen Mo knew the kid was mimicking his dad’s way of speaking—typical for children.

Mentioning Huang Zhi made her smile; she knew Huang was patient but hadn’t expected it to be in such a way.

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Overall, Xu Lang’s grades had improved, which was a good thing.

Dr. Xu wouldn’t finish work until after nine, so Cen Mo stayed until then, chatting and playing games with the boy to pass the time quickly.

Around 8:50, she received another call from Huang Zhi. The background was noisy with piercing screams from a group of girls, all shouting “Oppa.”

Repeated so many times, their tones sounded almost eerie over the phone.

Cen Mo held the phone away. “Did you get the autograph?”

“No, we’re waiting in line for Oppa. He’s coming soon!” Huang Zhi shouted anxiously.

“You’re at home with Xu Lang, right? Dr. Xu just called me earlier, I missed it, but he sent a text saying he’s taking Xu Lang out to eat. Take the kid downstairs to wait; he’s driving and should arrive soon!”

After saying this, Huang Zhi hung up hurriedly.

Rubbing her ear, Cen Mo realized Huang hadn’t told Xu Xudong she was covering for her. Otherwise, Xu Xudong wouldn’t have called Huang instead.

Resigned, she stood up and quickly helped Xu Lang put on his jacket.

Hearing he was going to eat with his dad, Xu Lang got extremely excited. Glancing at his round little belly, Cen Mo wondered where the nutritious meal had gone.

Soon the elevator arrived. The two went down to B1. Cen Mo knew Xu Xudong’s parking spot and headed there holding the boy’s hand.

From afar, a car was already parked. Xu Xudong leaned against it, talking to a tall, slender man dressed all in black. The man wore a low hat, and from the side, his jawline was perfectly sharp.

Holding Xu Lang’s hand, Cen Mo suddenly froze.

Why was Su Xingzhi here too?

But since Su Xingzhi and Xu Xudong were good friends, having dinner together was normal. Cen Mo frowned, feeling worried inside.

Yachuang’s rules forbade employees from moonlighting. A few days ago, a junior manager was ruthlessly fired for helping his wife run a store during leave.

If Cen Mo took the child and boldly appeared in front of the company president, would that be like stepping on a landmine?

But looking down at her outfit, she felt reassured.

When off work, she dressed casually, basically just changing her clothes and tucking her short hair behind her ears, changing her hairstyle slightly.

She hoped she could get away with it.

Squatting down, she pulled Xu Lang close and whispered, “When you see Dad and Uncle Xingzhi later, can you loudly call me ‘Teacher Huang’?”

“Why?” the boy asked curiously.

“It’s just a game. If you promise, next time I’ll bring you a Bumblebee model,” she said, patting his head.