My heart suddenly tightened, and I instinctively looked back, only to see Master Zhao sitting in the car not far away, holding his phone, yet his gaze still lingered outside the window.
It really was a case of whatever you fear will come to pass.
Master Zhao must have checked the location.
And just at this moment, the car was trapped in the traffic, unable to move.
The phone in my hand kept vibrating; my eyes frantically scanned outside the car window.
Not until I saw a small alley on the right did I suddenly remember there was a cake shop there, where I had ordered a cake for Lin Guoguo's birthday before.
And the entrance of that alley just happened to be in a blind spot from where the Bentley was parked.
I immediately pushed open the car door and bolted over.
When I reached the store, there was only one second left on the phone; I took a breath, immediately answered, and put it to my ear.
"Took you long enough to answer the phone?"
Master Zhao's voice came from the other end of the phone, his tone bland but laced with an indissoluble pressure.
"My phone was on silent, I didn't hear it; I just happened to glance at it and saw the call."
I tried my best to keep my voice calm and then I heard him ask where I was.
I said I was at Tianheng, and just after I finished speaking, I heard Master Zhao go silent for two seconds on the other end.
"Why are you out shopping so early today?"
Master Zhao's voice sounded no different from usual, but only those who'd been around him for long knew that when suspicion and probing crossed his mind, he favored this kind of tone.
Master Zhao never showed his ruthlessness on the surface, which is why, even after all these years, despite those who dealt with him being terrified of him, to outsiders, Master Zhao's image was that of a very amiable and well-known businessman.
"It's a sister's birthday today, so I came over early to order the cake. Why, is something the matter?" I clenched my fingertips, pretending to be clueless as I asked him.
He chuckled and said no, that he just thought he saw me and wanted to check, and that he happened to have something in the car for me.
Master Zhao asked which store I was in, and told his driver to bring it over; I gave him the cake shop's address and then hung up the phone.
I hurriedly chose a Black Swan design and had the clerk write up the order; I had just received the receipt and was pushing the door to leave when I saw that black Bentley slowly come to a stop in front of me.
Master Zhao got out of the car, casting a casual glance behind me before resting his eyes on me.
He reached out and stroked my hair, "Coming all this way just to order a cake?"
My heart skipped a beat, it suddenly hit me, Master Zhao always said he liked my hair pinned up, so sometimes he liked to brush my hair behind my ear.
But once he did that, he would see that my right ear was empty!
The earring was not on me, but the location was nearby; all it would take was for him to think...
I held my breath, and my back immediately tightened into a straight line.
Fearing his next move, I let go of my hand, pretending to accidentally drop the receipt to the ground.
I let out a yelp, feeling Master Zhao's gaze follow mine to the ground; I deliberately hesitated before bending down slowly to pick it up, pretending to complain discontentedly.
"Right, the shop does have good tastes, but the fuss is just too much. I called several times without getting through, so I had to make the trip myself."
But what I never expected was, just as I stood up, I heard Master Zhao say something lighthearted.
"If you like it, buy it. Coincidentally, your birthday is coming up, I'll give it to you as a present."
I was stunned for a moment, full of surprise; the next second, I saw Master Zhao clear the doubt from his eyes and truly turned to Secretary Yan, instructing him to come over and negotiate later.
Although I'm quite experienced in this circle, I've only been with two sugar daddies altogether.
Master Zhao was the second, and it wasn't by my choice.
It was when I attended a lingerie show with the previous one that Master Zhao set his sights on me. He tripped up my ex in business, nearly bankrupting him, forcing my sugar daddy to let me go and acknowledge him as my godfather.
So I never imagined someone like Master Zhao would remember my birthday with such attention to detail.
I stood there stupefied for several seconds, and Master Zhao, seeing my expression, seemed to find it amusing.
"Lost your wits?"
"No, not at all, just really surprised! It's been so many years since anyone celebrated my birthday."
I shook my head in explanation, but Master Zhao didn't say anything more.
He patted my hand and handed me a shopping bag from the car, "Alright, I have some matters at the company. This is something Mengxi liked while trying on clothes; I thought it suited you. Have Aunt Wu wash it, and you can accompany me to Mengxi's engagement party in a few days."
Master Zhao's words exploded in my ears like thunder, and I widened my eyes in shock, "Miss Zhao, Miss Zhao's engagement party?"
It wasn't until Master Zhao looked at me that I realized my response was too intense, and I quickly added, "It wouldn't be appropriate for me to go, right? And besides, outside I still call you..."
"Who dares to say anything?"
With one sentence, Master Zhao blocked all my excuses; I moved my lips but couldn't find another reason to refuse.
After passing me the bag, Master Zhao got back into the car and gave me a card to go shopping and buy something I liked.
It wasn't until his taillights disappeared around the bend in the alley that I turned around, feeling as if I had been sapped of all my strength.
But just as I turned my head, a fierce roar of an engine reached my ears.
A gray sports car suddenly screeched to a halt in front of me, throwing its tail around; I jumped with fright, and with my nerves still rattled, looked up to see the man named Cheng Yu, leaning his head against the car window, gazing at me with a smirk.
"What a coincidence, Auntie, we meet again."