At his words, Jiang Zongyan turned to look at her.
In Tangcheng, the evening wind in April still carried a trace of chill.
The man’s sharp gaze was as cold and profound as a bottomless icy pool.
Zhou Suisui’s body stiffened, and she instinctively shrank her neck.
The girl froze where she stood, staring at him with clear, limpid eyes.
That expression again… Was he really that scary?
“Do you think I can explain myself to my mother if I go back now?”
Jiang Zongyan spoke at an unhurried pace, his voice low and deep.
Zhou Suisui couldn’t help recalling what had happened at the Jiang family home the day before.
Mrs. Jiang doted on her.
If she found out that Jiang Zongyan hadn’t taken Zhou Suisui home, who knew how she would scold him?
Unable to stop herself, Zhou Suisui curled her lips into a smile.
This man always wore such a cold expression. Seeing him look so helpless was actually rather cute!
“Get in.”
Jiang Zongyan lifted his chin toward the car.
Zhou Suisui instinctively walked around to the back seat. She had just reached for the door when a well-defined hand suddenly extended toward her.
“Zhou Suisui, I’m not your chauffeur.”
Zhou Suisui looked at him in confusion. “…”
She silently got into the passenger seat, unable to stop herself from rolling her eyes inwardly.
What was wrong with this man? If she sat in the back, that meant he was her chauffeur? But if she sat in the front, suddenly he wasn’t?
No wonder Tiantian was always complaining about her brother to her—he had so many rules and was such a perfectionist. It seemed everything she said was true.
She continued grumbling to herself, but after waiting for quite a while, Jiang Zongyan still hadn’t gotten into the car.
Puzzled, Zhou Suisui turned her head and searched for that tall figure through the car window.
The dusk was deepening, and the streetlights had just begun to glow.
He stood beneath a large tree a short distance away, reaching into the pocket of his suit trousers for a lighter.
A cigarette rested between his rose-colored lips.
His finely tailored gray shirt fluttered slightly at the hem in the evening breeze. His handmade black trousers accentuated his long, straight legs, and his proportions were so perfect that his one-ninety-meter frame seemed almost unreal.
The wind stirred the loose strands of hair over his forehead, brushing past the faint beauty mark at the corner of his eye.
His cool, pale skin took on an almost fragile, forbidden beauty in the fading light.
The pure-gold lighter clicked twice in his hand, but failed to ignite. His severe features immediately darkened with impatience.
Jiang Zongyan had a severe smoking habit.
He had spent most of the day at the hospital and hadn’t smoked for the entire afternoon.
He had started smoking in his teens. After all these years, whenever he was under pressure, he couldn’t resist lighting one up.
Only when the smoke entered his lungs could his taut nerves relax a little.
Click.
The lighter finally caught.
Jiang Zongyan tilted his head slightly to the side and was just about to bring the cigarette to the flame when—
“Tsk.”
The girl’s disdainful voice suddenly came from the front.
Jiang Zongyan’s movement paused.
He raised his eyes and saw the young woman sitting in the car with her chin propped in both hands, staring at the cigarette in his hand with undisguised disapproval.
“Cough…”
A flicker of awkwardness crossed Jiang Zongyan’s handsome face.
He put away the cigarette and lighter, then strode toward the car.
He sat in the driver’s seat.
The door closed.
The car started and slowly pulled away from the hospital.
As he turned the corner, he steered with one hand and glanced at her. “When are you taking me out for a meal?”
“Huh?”
Zhou Suisui blinked, her mind taking a moment to catch up.
“What?” Jiang Zongyan arched a brow, a hint of amusement hidden in his eyes. “You blocked me on WeChat, and now you’re planning to go back on your word?”
His reminder finally made Zhou Suisui remember that she had indeed said on WeChat that she would treat him to a meal as an apology.
“Sure. Chinese, Western, or French?”
Jiang Zongyan kept his eyes on the road and replied evenly, “All three. One after another.”
Zhou Suisui was speechless. “…”
So Jiang Ruitian’s talent for taking advantage of people was hereditary after all!
While she was inwardly complaining, the man beside her suddenly spoke.
“What kind of gift do you want? Go pick something out with Jiang Ruitian. I’ll pay.”
At his words, Zhou Suisui arched a brow, a teasing glint flashing through her eyes.
No wonder Jiang Ruitian was so afraid of him while always hovering around him.
He would offer gifts at the slightest provocation. As expected of a powerful CEO!
“What for?” she muttered. “Making a show of kindness for no reason means you must be plotting something.”
“Plotting something?” Jiang Zongyan turned his head and looked her up and down, his gaze lingering for one second too long on a certain prominently rounded area.
“You’re not talking about yourself, are you?”
Zhou Suisui hurriedly pulled her coat tighter around herself. Her face flushed bright red as she snapped angrily, “I’m telling Auntie that you harassed me!”
The corner of Jiang Zongyan’s mouth twitched, but he calmly looked away.
“I was only thanking you for bringing my mother to the hospital today and making sure she was examined in time. You’re reading too much into it.”
If the illness were allowed to progress, the worst possible outcome would be for it to become cancer. Patients often experienced little pain or other noticeable symptoms in their daily lives, and by the time it was discovered, it was usually already in the late stages.
Realizing that she had misunderstood him, Zhou Suisui wished she could find a hole to crawl into.
“To me, Auntie is just like my own mother. I only want her to be well—that’s all. It’s simply something I wanted to do. I don’t need your thanks.”
At her words, Jiang Zongyan raised a brow. A complicated emotion flashed through his eyes so quickly that it vanished before anyone could catch it.
So when she had called Mrs. Jiang “Mom” that day, she hadn’t meant anything else.
He looked away, his fingers tightening slightly around the steering wheel. His knuckles turned faintly pale.
The atmosphere inside the car abruptly fell silent.
Zhou Suisui stole several glances at him.
It was obvious that the man beside her was radiating a dark, oppressive mood.
He had seemed to be in a good mood just moments ago. How had he suddenly become so moody again?
His emotions were as unpredictable as the weather. It wasn’t as if she owed him money.
They traveled in silence.
He didn’t speak, and Zhou Suisui angrily stared out the window, unwilling to be the one to start a conversation.
The car was an enclosed space, and the faint scent of cold cedar from the man beside her kept drifting in her direction.
Zhou Suisui’s body stiffened. She suddenly felt as though the air had grown warm.
Just then, her phone rang.
Jiang Zongyan pressed the answer button, and the call automatically connected to the car’s Bluetooth.
“What is it?”
Lin Zhou’s respectful voice came through. “President, the AI Internet Industry Conference will be held in Haishi three days from now. The organizers would like to invite you to give a speech as a special guest—”
Before he could finish, Jiang Zongyan cut him off coldly. “Do you think I have nothing better to do?”
“President, this…” Lin Zhou faltered.
Who had upset the president this time?
“You can go in my place,” Jiang Zongyan said.
With that, he hung up.
Beside him, Zhou Suisui’s brows shifted slightly.
Sure enough, Jiang Zongyan had also been invited. No wonder his information had been included in that booklet.
From the sound of it, he probably wouldn’t be attending.
Zhou Suisui quietly breathed a sigh of relief.
That was for the best. At least she wouldn’t run into him there.
Just then, the car reached the area near the Zhou family home.
Zhou Suisui hurriedly spoke up. “Stop. Stop here.”
She didn’t want her brother to see her returning with Jiang Zongyan.
Otherwise, he would interrogate her for ages. They might even end up fighting.
“Are you sure you want me to stop here?”
Jiang Zongyan’s tone remained calm as he looked at the gates of the Zhou family villa across the street. It would take several minutes to walk there.
