When Huang Qingtian finished those words, Mu Keren looked at him with an utterly astonished gaze, as if she had seen an extraterrestrial being.
Simply because, Mu Keren couldn't understand why Huang Qingtian was introducing himself to her. It seemed completely unrelated to what she had said.
"This way, you know me, don't you?" As she stared with her eyes wide in surprise, Huang Qingtian suddenly curved his lips in a smile. His mouth scarcely lifted, yet it made one involuntarily focus their attention on him.
"Any other questions?" Seeing her stunned again, Huang Qingtian asked.
At this moment, the excessively hot sunlight outside fell upon the glass table before them. The light, after reflecting off the glass surface, rested upon his face.
At that instant, his face was covered in a halo of light. The usually overly sharp and cold features seemed much softer in that moment.
But his peerless elegance was not what Mu Keren was most concerned about. Her entire focus was on his gray-green eyes, deep and inscrutable, leaving one unable to fathom their depths.
"I don't understand you!" Before coming to the cafe, Mu Keren had thought this man was here to resolve the issue of those two red marriage certificates. But now, it seemed not to be the case.
At this moment, the initial confidence that had supported her to come to him was also about to be eroded away.
"We can get to know each other slowly, can't we? Don't forget, we have a lifetime. After all, isn't that the process of falling in love and getting married?" Huang Qingtian's lips were still curved in a barely perceptible smile when facing her.
"Now, do you have any other complaints about me?" At this moment, he looked at her. His gaze was intense, elegant and suave, his whole being was so perfect that it made one's heart skip a beat.
Yet, frustratingly, the man's demeanor was indifferent, as if he were discussing someone else's affairs.
This was exactly what Mu Keren couldn't understand.
"..." His well-reasoned arguments unfolded one by one, plainly laid out before Mu Keren. It made her feel as though: what he said made sense, and she unexpectedly couldn't rebut...
But she also felt an inexplicable sense of frustration! Yet this man was eloquent, and she, Mu Keren, couldn't possibly win an argument against him...
If today's unachievable goals couldn't be met, better to shelve them for now! Rather than staying here and engaging in a staring contest with him, she might as well return to her rented room and quickly find a job to support herself.
So, under the man's watchful eye, Mu Keren stood up and briskly walked towards the cafe's exit. Of course, she didn't forget to pay for the cup of coffee she had drunk when she passed the cafe's front desk.
Watching Mu Keren hastily leave, Huang Qingtian also quickly stood up, ready to follow her out. However, at the cafe's doorway, he was stopped by a waitress.
"Sir, I'm sorry! The lady who just left only paid for her own coffee. Regarding the consumption at your booth..."
Listening to the waitress's embarrassed explanation, Huang Qingtian came to an immediate realization.
This little rascal had only paid for her own cup of coffee.
She hadn't paid for the booth's expenses!
They say beauty lies in the lover's eyes. How true that is.
In others' eyes, Mu Keren's action might seem a bit stingy.
But in Huang Qingtian's eyes, it was full of admiration. Good, the little rascal is frugal. She will definitely be able to manage the household budget well in the future!
After pulling out a hundred-dollar bill from his shirt pocket and handing it to the waitress, Huang Qingtian followed swiftly...
*
Upon leaving the cafe, Mu Keren walked briskly towards her rented apartment.
The distance wasn't far, and the street was crowded with pedestrians. Mu Keren was confident she could shake off that cheap husband.
"What shall I do next?" Just as Mu Keren was secretly rejoicing, that pleasant male voice came from behind her again.
At that instant, the smile on Mu Keren's lips froze.
When she turned around, she saw Huang Qingtian, dressed in a black suit, casually following her with his hands in his pockets.
He was tall, and the nondescript black suit displayed an extraordinary elegance and nobility on him.
Perhaps sensing that Mu Keren was staring at him, he timely halted his steps.
"I've heard that dates usually involve watching a movie or shopping. But I'm short on time today, so choose one!" He continued to maintain an ambiguous curve on his lips as he stared at Mu Keren's knitted brows, which resembled caterpillars.
This time, Mu Keren was thoroughly stunned.
She merely felt that their conversation was off-topic and was certain they wouldn't be able to annul the marriage today, which was why she chose to leave.
But her action seemed to have conveyed to this man that she, Mu Keren, had already accepted the marriage. Otherwise, why would he so brazenly want to ask her out on a date?
"Choose your own damn head!" Mu Keren, pushed to the brink of rationality, finally blurted out harsh words.
What was astonishing was that, despite such a clear rejection, the man in front of her still seemed unable to understand.
"My head? That's not one of the options! But if you really want it, I might make an exception..." His gaze still enveloped her.
Who was it that said, loneliness is actually when the person you're talking to is not on the same wavelength as you?
At this moment, that was exactly how Mu Keren felt.
Her dialogue with this so-called husband was like a chicken talking to a duck.
This was more than loneliness; it was nothing short of exasperation!
But the man before her seemed completely oblivious to how irritating his behavior was and instead focused intently on Mu Keren, as if expecting a clear answer from her.
It seemed as if, without a definite response from her today, he would continue to pester her.
"I don't want to go anywhere right now, I need to go back and rest!" Just two minutes of talking with him, and Mu Keren felt utterly exasperated. If the conversation lasted two hours, she might as well be six feet under.
Saying so, Mu Keren took the lead and walked towards a stair entrance.
The café she had chosen was indeed very close to her rented apartment. No sooner had they crossed the road than they arrived at the foot of her apartment building.
Seeing Mu Keren already striding towards the stairs, Huang Qingtian, who should have obediently turned around and left given her clearly unwelcoming attitude, darkened his gaze after scanning the floors.
Watching the tiny woman's figure about to disappear around the corner, Huang Qingtian suddenly lengthened his stride to follow her.
When Mu Keren, feeling the footsteps behind her, turned around and stared at him with an extremely surprised expression, Huang Qingtian merely swept his eyes over her face and said, "Great! Let me have a tour of your boudoir..."
With that, he took the lead and strode up the stairs ahead of Mu Keren.
Such dominance was unparalleled.
He even stepped into the room before Mu Keren did.
Just because, on the way up, Mu Keren had already taken out her keys.
And while she was still unresponsive, the man snatched the keys from her hand.
When the room, less than ten square meters in size, was occupied by this man who stood over one meter eighty-eight, even the air seemed to become scarce...