As Shen Che approached on his little electric moped to pick her up, he realized that Song Qingcheng had already gotten onto the luxurious car. He wanted to ask her what she was doing, but when he saw the man in the driver's seat, he swallowed his words.
He knew Xu Dong and had seen him a few times in the private room. That man was indeed the assistant of the boss of Hengyuan.
"Wait for me—just for a short while." Worried about Song Qingcheng being taken away by an unfamiliar man in the middle of the night, he simply secured the little electric moped at the entrance of Imperial Court and shamelessly climbed into the back of the car.
It was already past midnight by the time the car stopped at the control center.
Xu Dong proceeded to register for Song Qingcheng. After the doctor on duty confirmed that she was fine, he brought Song Qingcheng to the third floor for the vaccination. In the process, he received a call from work. After sorting out everything, he went downstairs to wait for them in the car.
After Xu Dong disappeared around the corner, Shen Che sat down beside Song Qingcheng. He finally asked, "What happened?"
"What do you mean what happened?" Song Qingcheng threw away the iodine cotton swab and rolled up her sleeves.
Seeing her nonchalant attitude, Shen Che felt oddly impatient. "Why did you get into his car? How did he know your surname is Song?"
Song Qingcheng threw him a sidelong glance and said, "Didn't you already witness what happened? He sent me here for the rabies vaccine. As for knowing my surname…" She adjusted her posture and leaned against the back of the chair comfortably. "I had nothing to do when I was waiting for you so I casually chatted with him."
Shen Che felt that things were not that simple. He wanted to ask more, but he saw a small bag beside Qingcheng—it had been left unzipped.
Very quickly, he reached his hand out…
"…" It was too late for Song Qingcheng to stop him.
Shen Che realized that he was now holding half a piece of lamb chop in a plastic bag. It was too much of a coincidence when one linked it with what had happened earlier tonight. Moreover, he had worked in a place like the Imperial Court for a few years. He had seen all kinds of shows. How could he not know what Song Qingcheng was planning?
"I knew it! How could that dog go crazy? Have you lost your mind?!"
Song Qingcheng smiled and looked at his flustered and exasperated expression. "You're getting all excited, knowing that I'm fishing for a rich husband?"
Shen Che was furious. He didn't care that they were in the corridor. "I think you're crazy. What sort of person is Yu Tingchuan? You have the guts to be plotting against him? He's been around so don't you try to be funny with him, or you'd only end up being treated like a fool and then turning yourself into a laughingstock!"
"What if I succeed?"
"Bullsh*t!"
Song Qingcheng smiled.
Seeing her like this, Shen Che took a deep breath and said coldly, "Even if you were to snag him, you might not get anything."
"No matter how bad it gets, it can't be any worse than now."
"What do you mean?"
The smile on Song Qingcheng's face faded. "I just don't want to wake up one day and find a man with age spots lying beside me."
Shen Che asked quietly, "Is the Lu family trying to force you again?"
"Alright." Song Qingcheng didn't want to talk about it anymore. She stood up and said, "Let's not make them wait for too long. Let's go back downstairs."
With that said, she walked towards the stairs.
Looking at her skinny back view, Shen Che rubbed his face with his hands and followed her. When they reached the entrance on the first floor, he called out, "Song Song."
Song Qingcheng turned around. The light shone from behind her, casting a long shadow on the ground.
After a long time, Shen Che said, "No matter what you do, don't hide it from me."
"Okay." For the first time tonight, Song Qingcheng gave a sincere smile.
…
Yu Tingchuan had gone on a business trip to America last week and had been busy with socializing the past two days. He had not had the time to get over his jet lag so, when Xu Dong sent him home, he was still awake.
Hengyuan had invested in a lot of real estates over the years. One of them was Yunxi Road No. 8 Garden where Yu Tingchuan was currently living.
In the villa, the nanny was cooking supper.
The moment Xu Dong entered, he saw the black and white Border Collie lying on the carpet.
When the dog saw the familiar man, it did not come over enthusiastically like it usually did. Instead, it gently waved his large tail. It looked a little melancholic as if it had suffered a great grievance. After the dog had bitten someone, it was sent home by the chauffeur. As a result, when Yu Tingchuan came back at night, he also took Gu Zhengshen's car.
Rubbing the Border Collie's head, Xu Dong asked the nanny, "Is CEO Yu resting?"
"He's still in the study with Mr. Gu."
Upstairs…
Xu Dong knocked lightly on the door and soon received a response from inside. "Come in."
In the study room, the two men were sitting on the sofa. Yu Tingchuan had a laptop in front of him and looked like he was handling some work. Just as Xu Dong entered, he happened to see CEO Yu lighting the cigarette ash in the ashtray. As for Gu Zhengshen, he probably had too much to drink… so now, he sat on the sofa, rubbing his aching temples.
"Hey, the escort is back," Gu Zhengshen teased.
Xu Dong was already used to it. He greeted President Gu and turned to report to his boss.
After Xu Dong placed the receipt of the vaccine control center on the tea table, Gu Zhengshen leaned over and took it. He flipped through it, intending to make some harmless jokes. However, when he saw the name of the vaccinated person, he was a little surprised. "Song Qingcheng?"
He looked at Xu Dong inquiringly.
Xu Dong nodded. "Yes, her home address says Chanson Garden."
"That's right, it really is her," Gu Zhengshen murmured.
Yu Tingchuan looked up. "You know her?"
Gu Zhengshen smiled meaningfully. "I don't really know her. I've only heard a little about her. If I remember correctly, she's a child adopted by the Lu family that runs a clothing company. She doesn't have a good reputation in the circle."