Su Wanxia followed the secretary to the outside of Mu Yingchen's office door. To be honest, her heart was still very tense. Uh, after all, it was just the two of them. What on earth did he want with her?
The secretary knocked twice on the door and then a single, emotionless word came from inside: "Come in."
Su Wanxia took a moment to compose herself and then reluctantly walked in. His office was very large, really large, and also very tidy and quiet. At that moment, he was sitting in front of the computer, focusing intently on something, but those slightly furrowed brows gave her an urge to smooth them out.
It seemed that Mu Yingchen noticed Su Wanxia's gaze, he abruptly looked up at her, and she immediately averted her eyes in embarrassment, saying awkwardly, "Uh, did you need something from me?"
Mu Yingchen glanced at her, shut down the computer, stood up, said "Let's go," and walked towards the door on his own.
Su Wanxia felt confused: "Go where?"
Mu Yingchen looked back at her: "To eat."
"Huh?"
"What, are you not hungry? Did you have breakfast this morning?"
"Heh heh" Su Wanxia felt somewhat embarrassed by his question, her face flushing red. He had called her over just for a meal? It was truly beyond her expectations.
Without looking at her, Mu Yingchen opened the door and walked out. Su Wanxia couldn't help but curse herself inwardly for being so feeble. She was an adult for goodness' sake, why blush over something like this? It was just a meal, what was there to be scared of!
Then, with a straightened neck, she also headed out the door.
Upon reaching the corridor, she saw Mu Feng, Ji Hua, and a group of people craning their necks, looking at her with mischievous smiles.
Su Wanxia had a full head of black lines instantly. What was wrong with these people? She pulled a bored face at them, and they all burst out laughing.
"Su Wanxia, are you looking for ants on the ground?" Mu Yingchen stood at the entrance of the private elevator, looking helplessly at the slowly moving figure. Did she now even resent having a meal with him?
"Oh, coming!" Ignoring the teasing glances from Mu Feng and the others, she hurriedly ran up to Mu Yingchen.
"Let's go."
"Big brother, we haven't eaten either! Can't you show some sympathy for us...?"
"The employee cafeteria serves good food. You can go eat there," Mu Yingchen said, pressing the elevator's close button, completely disregarding the complaints that followed his statement.
Su Wanxia chuckled at the scene, causing Mu Yingchen to look at her with a puzzled expression on his handsome face.
"What are you looking at? Can't I laugh?" Su Wanxia blurted out with unexpected courage, then realized what she had said and felt embarrassed, staring down at the tips of her shoes.
Mu Yingchen, hearing her bold statement, raised his eyebrows in surprise. Then, looking at Su Wanxia, who was now gazing down as if she had made a mistake, his beautiful lips curved slightly as he uttered two words: "You can't," before walking out.
Watching his tall frame exit the elevator, Su Wanxia's lips involuntarily twitched, and she muttered softly, "Overbearing," then hurried out and followed him with quick steps.
Mu Yingchen didn't ask what Su Wanxia wanted to eat and drove her directly to a Chinese restaurant.
"Mr. Mu, may I ask what you'd like to order?" The waiter asked respectfully with a menu in hand.
Seeing this scene, Su Wanxia pursed her lips. It seemed he was a regular here.
Without even looking, Mu Yingchen paused for a moment and then said indifferently, "The usual."
"Certainly, please wait a moment."
The usual? Hearing this phrase, Su Wanxia's heart inexplicably squeezed. Had he often brought other people here in the past? And now, bringing her here, what did it mean?
At the thought of this, she felt no emotion at all; she genuinely didn't know how to handle their current situation, nor did she comprehend why things had turned out this way.
Mu Yingchen, seeing her downcast demeanor, thought that Su Wanxia did not want to be with him, and his mood suddenly became irritable. He closed his eyes wearily and leaned back in his chair.
His thoughts involuntarily drifted back to the time when he first met Su Wanxia...
He still remembers it clearly, it was on an evening when the setting sun dipped low—
"Mu Yingchen—I want you to be my boyfriend!" That day, just as he stepped out of the study room, a pretty girl blocked his path, looking at him with proud defiance.
He was momentarily surprised. Although he received many letters, gifts, and all sorts of things from unknown sources every day, there had never been a girl who dared to ask him to her face to be her boyfriend.
He turned his eyes to her; she was indeed quite pretty, but why should he be her boyfriend?
With that, as if he hadn't seen her at all, he walked past her and casually left.
"Hey, Mu Yingchen, what do you mean by this?"
"Are you willing or not? Just give me an answer!" the girl followed behind, chattering incessantly in his ears.
He thought at the time, what a shameless girl she was.
"I'll have you know, at Hill University, how many people are dying to be my boyfriend and I won't even let them!"
"Don't be ungrateful!"
"Then let them be your boyfriend..." He usually wasn't inclined to talk much with others, but somehow he retorted with that one sentence.
"Hey! I've taken a fancy to you, so what about it? Will you or won't you?!" He could see her face turning red with anger at the time.
"I won't," he didn't know why, but he wanted to see her angry; he thought it was very adorable.
"You!" She raised her finger, pointing at him in a fit of fury.
He walked past her again and continued forward.
"Then, I'll just be your girlfriend!" her resentful voice came from behind him.
He turned the corners of his mouth up in a slight smile; his mood suddenly became extremely good.
A black car stopped in front of him, and without looking back, he got in.
The moment the car door closed, he heard a voice from outside: "Mu Yingchen, you wait, I will definitely make you my boyfriend!"
From then on, every day after self-study, or midday when classes ended, he would always see Su Wanxia, proud, pretty, and domineering, yet persistently sticking by his side.
It was also from that time that he never received another letter or gift from unknown sources.
She claimed she wanted him to be her boyfriend, yet she often got along well with Mu Feng, Ji Hua, and several others around him, leaving him out in the cold.
This made him uncomfortable, but at that time, he didn't care much about it.
It was only one day when he inadvertently saw a handsome guy giving her a big bouquet of roses, and then when he kissed her forehead while she was caught off guard, that he understood. He might have unknowingly fallen for her.
Otherwise, what were those boundless flames of anger and jealousy about? And what about the intense desire to possess her?