Zhu Suosuo thought to herself, "This person is really interesting. He clearly wants to get to know me, but he says he'll introduce me to the fox."
"My name is Zhu Suosuo, and yours is..."
"Zhao Tianhao."
After saying that, Zhao Tianhao extended his large hand.
Zhu Suosuo smiled at Zhao Tianhao and extended her hand in return.
Zhao Tianhao grasped Zhu Suosuo's slightly cool hand, but didn't let go. Instead, he took her small hand and placed it on Bai Xianchu's body.
He led her to stroke Bai Xianchu's soft fur.
Zhu Suosuo saw through Zhao Tianhao's subtle attempts to take advantage of her but didn't say anything.
Her face flushed red, and she didn't dare look at Zhao Tianhao. She didn't even notice how smooth the Arctic silver fox's fur was under her hand.
Her attention was entirely focused on the large hand on the back of her hand.
She felt as if that large hand had some kind of magic.
It made her feel itchy.
A long-forgotten feeling of shyness resurfaced. She was usually an extremely outgoing and carefree woman, capable of holding her own against men in a drinking contest.
She'd almost forgotten what shyness was.
Zhao Tianhao wasn't content with just touching the back of her hand; he took her small hand in his palm and said,
"If you don't tell me your address, I'm taking you with me."
Hearing Zhao Tianhao's reminder, Zhu Suosuo finally realized that she hadn't given him her address after getting in the car, and had been riding in someone else's car without even knowing where they were taking her.
Seeing Zhao Tianhao lower the partition, Zhu Suosuo quickly told the tall woman the address.
After saying it, she lowered her head in embarrassment. So shameful.
Zhu Suosuo, is this really you? So pathetic.
Then, as if suddenly remembering something, Zhu Suosuo said to Zhao Tianhao...
"Um, that spot doesn't seem very convenient for parking. Could you drop me off at that intersection? We can walk back."
Zhao Tianhao seemed not to hear her, simply playing with Zhu Suosuo's small hand.
Zhu Suosuo looked at Zhao Tianhao without speaking, unsure what to say.
She wanted to pull her hand away, but was reluctant.
But if she didn't, would he think she was a promiscuous woman?
Ignoring Zhu Suosuo's dilemma, the car quickly arrived at the address she had given, in an old neighborhood.
After the car stopped, although it was evening, the neighbors still looked at the luxurious car, so out of place, with curiosity, surprise, and envy.
"We're here."
Zhao Tianhao's words brought Zhu Suosuo back to her senses. Looking out the window, she realized they were already at the building where she had lived for over ten years.
"Um…"
Zhu Suosuo was about to say thank you…
"Phone."
"Huh?"
Zhu Suosuo was stunned, not understanding what Zhao Tianhao meant. She stupidly took out her phone, but before she could ask, it was in Zhao Tianhao's hand. He opened her phone and added her on WeChat.
He handed the phone back to her, then took out his own phone, accepted the request, and said to Zhu Suosuo:
"I'll pick you up tomorrow. Get out of the car."
"Huh? Oh."
Zhu Suosuo didn't understand the whole process. She stared blankly as the car door opened and she got out.
"Oh, it's Suosuo!"
"I knew Suosuo was a promising girl."
"Suosuo, aren't you going to introduce him?"
…
The chatter of the surrounding neighbors pulled Zhu Suosuo back to reality.
Seeing that she had gotten out of the car, the tall driver also helped Luo Jiaming out of the passenger seat.
Upstairs, Luo Jiaming's mother, worried about why her son hadn't returned, was still muttering about how Zhu Suosuo had corrupted her son, keeping him out all night.
She heard a car approaching from downstairs.
Luo's mother ran to the window, wondering whose son or daughter had become so successful.
Then she saw Zhu Suosuo getting out of the car.
"Oh, Suosuo!" Luo's mother exclaimed in surprise.
"Mom, Jiaming, my precious son!"
Seeing a tall, unfamiliar woman lift a man out of the passenger seat, Luo's mother immediately recognized her son. Heartbroken for her beloved son, she rushed downstairs.
After setting down the sleeping Luo Jiaming, Da Mao got into the car, drove to a spacious spot, turned around, and drove away.
Zhu Suosuo watched the car leave, feeling a deep emptiness inside.
The warmth and sense of security she had felt when Zhao Tianhao held her hand completely vanished.
"Jiaming, Jiaming."
The voice of Luo's mother pulled Zhu Suosuo back to reality. She realized that Luo Jiaming was still sitting on the steps, leaning against the doorframe.
"Jiaming, Jiaming, are you alright?"
Seeing Luo Jiaming sitting on the steps, seemingly unconscious, and her voice trembling with tears, Luo's mother thought something had happened to her precious son.
"Auntie, it's alright, Jiaming just drank too much."
Zhu Suosuo quickly explained, seeing Luo's mother's anxious expression.
"Ah? He drank? How much did he drink? He never drinks! Why did he drink when he went out with you?"
Luo's mother scolded Zhu Suosuo. As she spoke, she helped Luo Jiaming up, preparing to go upstairs.
"Is Jiaming alright?"
Just as Zhu Suosuo was about to lend a hand, she saw her uncle also come down and help Luo Jiaming.
With one arm each, Zhu Suosuo was struggling to support him.
She didn't explain herself to Luo's mother's questions.
Because even if she explained, Luo's mother wouldn't listen; she already believed it was her fault.
No matter how eloquently she spoke, it wouldn't change anything.
Thinking this, Zhu Suosuo followed them upstairs, feeling a pang of sadness. At that moment, she desperately wished someone could take her away from here, to have a big house of her own.
She wouldn't have to live under someone else's roof anymore.
Luo's mother helped Luo Jiaming back to the bedroom.
Zhu Suosuo also returned to her room.
Sitting in a chair, she silently wept.
Her thoughts seemed to drift back to her childhood, reliving her entire life from infancy to adulthood.
Then, a man appeared—a man she had known for less than two hours.
Thinking of Zhao Tianhao, Zhu Suosuo suddenly pulled out her phone and discovered that he had added her on WeChat.
Looking at Zhao Tianhao's WeChat,
Zhu Suosuo's eyes suddenly hardened.
This was the only man she had met who had the ability to take her away, and whom she didn't dislike. Zhu Suosuo made up her mind.
Meanwhile, after the dinner party at Jiang Nansun's house, back home, she playfully begged Dai Xi to let her aunt use Zhang Anren's design drawings, but Dai Xi refused.
Then she took out a document.
She instructed Jiang Nansun to give it to Ye Jinyan of the Jingyan Group.
Dai Xi's husband—no, ex-husband—wanted someone to do some construction work.
Dai Xi thought of the older man she secretly admired, Ye Jinyan.
She was flying to Italy the next day, so she asked Jiang Nansun to pass it on.
…
The next day, after seeing her aunt off, Jiang Nansun returned home.
Her father, who had been waiting for a long time, immediately introduced Jiang Nansun to his carefully selected violin teacher.
Jiang's father hoped that Jiang Nansun would attend some high-end salon gatherings with the teacher and get to know elites and celebrities.
She didn't want to spend all her time associating with people like Zhang Anren.
Jiang Nansun was naturally furious, both angry that her father made her learn the violin to get closer to men, and angry at how he viewed her boyfriend.
So Jiang Nansun smashed the violin, went upstairs, threw her clothes and bag at her father, and cut off a section of her long hair with scissors.
"The violin, my hair, my clothes—it's all yours. High society has nothing to do with me anymore."
After saying this, Jiang Nansun ran back to her room and locked herself in.
While her father was unreasonable, Jiang Nansun's own problem was her stubbornness and recklessness stemming from a lack of experience with hardship.
Too immature.
Back in her room, Jiang Nansun immediately called her best friend, Zhu Suosuo.
Meanwhile, early in the morning, Zhu Suosuo was woken up by the phone ringing.
"My boss asked me to pick you up. I'll be downstairs in twenty minutes."
Before Zhu Suosuo could even hear who was on the other end, the phone was hung up.
Completely bewildered, Zhu Suosuo stood there stunned for a moment before realizing this was the man's driver from yesterday.
Hearing that she was coming to pick her up, Zhu Suosuo understood that the man wanted to see her, and she suppressed her joy.
She quickly got up, washed, and put on makeup.
Exactly twenty minutes later.
When Zhu Suosuo rushed downstairs, she found the car had already arrived.