Chapter 23: Let Him Be for Now

"Heh, brother, they’ve gone far now. Come back to your senses!" Rong Xi waved a hand in front of his face. Once he snapped out of his trance, she remarked with envy, "Brother, it seems your efforts were in vain this time. I don’t have that kind of luck. I doubt any man would willingly give up Young Master Chen’s fiancée."

"Indeed, no one would give her up." Rong Zhenlin drained his glass of red wine in one gulp, his tongue flicking across the lingering droplets on his lips. He squinted at the direction they had left, his voice darkening. "Not only would they not give her up, but she makes one want to possess her with a maddening intensity. Don't you think so, sister?"

"I wouldn’t know what’s on my brother’s mind. You’ve always wandered through a thousand flowers without a single petal sticking to you; what makes you want to court death beneath a peony today?" She took a sip of wine, leaving a faint crimson print on the rim of her glass, her tone laced with mockery.

"What? My dear sister doesn't like Xie Chenjing?" He suddenly wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her close, his slender eyes fixed on her with a sinister glint.

Suppressing the urge to retch, she lightly batted his hand away, took two steps back, and stood up with a faint, enigmatic smile. "That will have to wait until you’ve actually conquered the beauty, brother. I’m off to go shopping with friends; I look forward to your good news." She picked up her bag and sauntered away with a graceful sway.

"Ha! Waiting for my good news, are you? Oh, sister, sister, my favors are not easily earned—it all depends on your performance." Rong Zhenlin let out a boisterous laugh. The old man hadn't done much good in his life, but providing him with a beautiful, shapely sister was certainly one of his better deeds—though compared to what he had just seen...

Downstairs, Chu Yitong pulled her hand from Xie Chenjing’s grasp and, after a moment’s thought, added, "The act is over."

"Hmm." He gave a soft, noncommittal response, but his large hand reached out and took hers again. She frowned slightly; she didn't dislike the sensation—it even felt strangely familiar—but she wasn't used to it. After a brief internal struggle, she decided to go along with him for now; perhaps it would help her remember something.

As she lowered her gaze in contemplation, the man who had achieved his goal wore a faint smile, his cold and aloof features softening like a spring breeze, reaching straight into one’s heart.

The lobby manager, who had been standing at the door seeing them off, was stunned once more, deeply feeling that both beauty and male handsomeness were sources of calamity. To have seen this pair in one lifetime was truly worth the experience.

"Where are we going?" As they stepped outside, Uncle Hai’s car was nearby. Chu Yitong looked down at their still-clasped hands, then looked up at him, her eyes clear and bright.

"Did Uncle Hai bring you here?" Xie Chenjing also spotted the familiar vehicle and, guessing the situation, pondered for a moment. "I'll tell my driver to head back. We’ll take Uncle Hai’s car."

"Very well." Since her grandfather had entrusted her to him, she would comply for the time being. After all, she needed time to digest so much and to clear her head.

Standing before the floor-to-ceiling window in the hotel lobby, Rong Xi watched the two of them walking away, still holding hands. She chuckled softly. "How interesting. Good luck, Rong Zhenlin."

Her fingers, painted with red polish, pressed against the glass. Sunlight danced on her fingertips, casting a faint glow that settled into her deep, calculating eyes.

"Miss!" After seeing off the guests, the lobby manager returned to find this notoriously difficult young lady standing by the window with no one to attend to her. Fearing she might fly into a rage, the manager hurried over to greet her.

Rong Xi swept a indifferent glance over her and walked past without a word or an outburst. It wasn't until the clicking of her high heels had faded into the distance that the manager finally looked up, bewildered. It was strange that she had been let off so easily today, but a narrow escape was a cause for celebration. As for the rest, it was none of her concern.