Sheng Xiangsi turned and returned to her room.
Her room was not on the same floor as Zhong Pei's; she needed to go down two floors.
When she got off the elevator, her phone rang. It was an unfamiliar number, and it was a domestic number.
Hesitating for a second, Sheng Xiangsi answered. "Hello?"
"Sheng Xiangsi." A somewhat familiar voice came through, "This is Liao Qingru."
Sheng Xiangsi tensed; it was Zhong Pei's mother, Mrs. Zhong!
She had a bad feeling—Zhong Pei had just arrived, and his mother was calling her already.
"Mrs. Zhong," Sheng Xiangsi took a deep breath, "Is there something you need?"
"It's hard to explain over the phone. Let's talk in person."
In person? Sheng Xiangsi tensed again, her scalp tightening, "Mrs. Zhong, where are you now...?"
"Yes."
Liao Qingru cut her off straightforwardly, "I'm at your hotel. Come to the café; I'll be waiting."
With that, she hung up.
Sheng Xiangsi held her phone, frowning slightly. Since she had to face it, she might as well go.
...
At this hour, the café wasn't too crowded.
As soon as Sheng Xiangsi entered, she saw Liao Qingru sitting by the window, wearing sunglasses and sipping coffee.
She quickened her pace and walked over, "Mrs. Zhong."
Liao Qingru looked up at her, removed her sunglasses, and gestured for her to sit, "Please, sit."
"Thank you." Sheng Xiangsi sat down as instructed.
"Would you like something to drink?" Liao Qingru asked politely with a smile.
"No, thank you." Sheng Xiangsi shook her head.
"You should." Liao Qingru smiled, "Relax. I'm here to talk, not to fight. Don't be so tense—shall I decide for you?"
Without waiting for Sheng Xiangsi's response, she raised her hand to call the waiter.
"One hot oat milk latte, please."
"Certainly."
Sheng Xiangsi had no choice but to thank her, "Thank you, Mrs. Zhong."
"You're welcome."
Liao Qingru continued to smile, even with a hint of apology, "Our last meeting didn't go well. I was too impulsive and had a bad attitude, which scared you. Please don't mind."
"Not at all!"
Sheng Xiangsi was startled and waved her hand, "What you said was true, there's nothing to mind."
"Really?"
Liao Qingru's eyes flashed, "Since you think what I said was true, then you won't be with Zhong Pei, right?"
At that moment, the waiter arrived.
The coffee cup was placed in front of Sheng Xiangsi, "Your oat milk latte."
"Thank you."
Sheng Xiangsi held the cup but didn't drink.
Liao Qingru narrowed her eyes slightly, "Drink it, let's talk while we drink."
"Okay." Sheng Xiangsi had no choice but to take a couple of sips.
On the way here, she had already rehearsed some words in her mind.
She pursed her lips, looked up, and met Liao Qingru's gaze, "Auntie, I know I'm not a match for Zhong Pei in many ways, but... I can't promise you anything."
"What do you mean?"
Liao Qingru's face stiffened, and her smile froze.
"I think," Sheng Xiangsi said gently, "the reason you came is that you couldn't persuade Zhong Pei, right?"
"..." Liao Qingru was silent, her face turning grayish.
"Mrs. Zhong."
Sheng Xiangsi knew she was right. Until now, Zhong Pei hadn't shown any sign of compromising with his family.
His love for her was sincere.
"I'm very sorry, but I have to say this shamelessly—as long as Zhong Pei doesn't reject me, I'm willing to be with him..."
"Stop!"
Before she could finish, Liao Qingru, with a face ashen with anger, interrupted her sharply. Her eyes, like knives, bore into Sheng Xiangsi!
"Hmph!"
Liao Qingru sneered coldly, her tone light and disdainful.
"You really are unappreciative. How dare you say such absurd things to me? Who gave you the guts?"
"..." Sheng Xiangsi's back stiffened, her palms sweating, "I'm sorry, Mrs. Zhong, but may I ask, have you considered Zhong Pei's feelings?"
"Shut up!"
Liao Qingru could no longer maintain her composure, "You, a lowly creature, think you're fit to talk to me?"
"!" Sheng Xiangsi tensed and bit her lip.
She felt it was no longer appropriate for her to stay there.
So, she stood up, "Mrs. Zhong, I apologize... I'll take my leave now."
She bowed slightly to Liao Qingru, then pulled out her chair and turned to leave.
As she walked away, Liao Qingru squinted, picked up her phone, and dialed a number. "Alright, you can proceed."
The person on the other end responded, and Liao Qingru smiled, hanging up the phone.
Watching Sheng Xiangsi's retreating figure, she muttered, "You brought this on yourself! You refuse to take a toast and insist on a forfeit. I only have one son!"
...
On her way back from the café, Sheng Xiangsi felt something was wrong. She felt weak, as if she had no strength.
What's happening?
Is it because she got up early and didn't have breakfast, causing low blood sugar?
Before she could think more, her legs gave way, and she stumbled to the side!
"Ah..."
Sheng Xiangsi cried out in alarm.
"Careful!"
The next second, someone caught her.
"Thank you." Sheng Xiangsi instinctively thanked the person, looking up to see a stranger with mixed-race features.
That wasn't the point. The point was that this man... clearly had a malicious look!
"Miss, you don't have any strength. Let me help you back to your room?" The man smiled at her.
"No..." Sheng Xiangsi sensed danger and shook her head, "Who are you? What do you want?"
"Don't worry."
The man didn't seem to want to hide it from her, "Mrs. Zhong asked me to come. Since you won't leave her son, she had to ask me."
Ask him? Ask him for what?
"No..."
Sheng Xiangsi suddenly realized that her weakness was probably also Liao Qingru's doing!
That latte!
Sheng Xiangsi shivered, her face turning pale. She never thought that a noblewoman like Liao Qingru would resort to such lowly tactics!
"Relax."
The man held her, comforting her, "You're so beautiful, I'll be gentle."
"No..."
"Sweetie, it's not up to you now!"
"Let go of her!"
Just as the man was about to pick her up, a tall figure appeared swiftly, landing a heavy punch on the man!
With a thud, the man fell to the ground.
"Xiangsi!"
Fu Hanjiang, quick-eyed and quick-handed, knelt down and caught Sheng Xiangsi just as she was about to hit the ground.
"Hey! Who are you?" The man got up, glaring at Fu Hanjiang.
"Hmph." Fu Hanjiang held Sheng Xiangsi with one hand and raised his phone with the other, "I recorded everything and uploaded it to the cloud. Want to come with me to the police station?"
"!" The man's face changed immediately, swallowing hard, and without a word, he cursed and left in a hurry.
"Damn it! Go to hell!"
Once the man left, Fu Hanjiang looked at the person in his arms and scolded, "Can't even date properly! Never a moment of peace!"