"The meeting is over!" Rong announces, following Zichen's orders. Although they clear the black mark which was labeled on the Mo corp and them as well still, this will take a while for everyone to know the truth. Shi Lian stays quiet after the meeting. Ruxi asked her earlier if she is okay or not and she replied with a faint smile that she is but is she telling her the truth? The meeting is a headache for her. Answering ridiculous questions asked by the reporters is sure hectic work.
The reporters walk out slowly in a line and she is glad that the meeting is finally over. She is getting worried about how she will handle the entire Mo corp and attend numerous meetings in the future when she is worn out by her first one? She sighs and closes her eyes for a second.
Tomorrow will be the day she will crown as the new Chairman of the Mo corp and this thought is freakin her out from inside. She will be the first-ever youngest female Chairman in the whole history of the business. She can't even delay it because the company needs her, her father needs her.
"I'll call the Chairman and notify him about the meeting," Ruxi says while getting up from her seat and walking to the corner so that she can speak with Mo Zheng Yuan about the meeting.
"Okay," Shi Lian nods and sees Ruxi walks past her. Her hands and her thighs are all sweaty from the aftermath. Her nose crinkles at the sight of her anxiousness. The room is ventilated with four Acs yet she was sweating in the meeting.
"It was your first meeting, wasn't it?" a voice, a very own familiar voice makes her turn her head to the source of the voice. Zichen smiles as she rolls her eyes.
"Was it that obvious?"
"Yes"
She doesn't make any response and busies herself with her phone. She picks her smartphone from the table and taps just to avoid his intense gaze.
"You didn't answer the last question. I am curious as well about the relation with the Mo corp except that you are the daughter of the Chairman" he tells her.
He already did two investigations on her but none of it says why she is working for the Mo corp for the past two and half months. Her information is sealed and blocked with the immense power of technology and hacking. He asked his two best hackers to dig out every information about her, let it be about her schedule as well, everything but unfortunately, they have only able to find the information which he already knew or guessed.
"You already investigated me so why not just have an astrologer to read my mind?" she snaps, bravely facing him. She wants to irritate him as much as he is irritating her but to her surprise he chuckles, forming a beautiful sound.
Zichen rarely smiles or laughs because his life has always been full of restrictions and rules which he has to follow. His father never spent much time with him and he has consumed in his studies as well as a business since he can recall. As he grew up, he made himself detach from people and enjoyed his own company but deep down he always felt lonely. He grew up to be cold, aloof, and in business, a ruthless ruler. He was told to never have a weak point when you are dealing with all dangers and he doesn't any, until now.
The first time he saw her, he instantly the spark and a pull that drew him to her. He is not a pervert who takes advantage of drunk girls, he never let any female touch him but with Shi Lian it was different. He didn't felt uncomfortable when she flirted with him, touching him like a hungry wolf. He controlled himself not to fall for her tricks because she was drunk or maybe she has ulterior motives but he lose it. Never in his life, he felt this urge to touch someone, to kiss her, to possess her.
He didn't know until she left without any word. He was furious, anxious, thinking about her. Numerous thoughts came into his mind, thoughts that drove him crazy.
The next time he saw her in China, he was on cloud nine. He wanted to kiss her right there when she stepped into his office, punish her for her ignorance and her refusal of not remembering him. He was scared too if she ran away again from him so he approached another way to get close to her. He wanted to take it slowly and let her remember him on her own but then again, he lost it. He didn't like when others gawked at her with perverted eyes. He wanted to keep her only to him, wanted her to be only his.
"We will get going then. It was a pleasure meeting you, Mr. Fu" Ruxi bows, bending a little to show respect. She notified Mo Zheng Yuan about the meeting and he was pleased to hear that everything went well.
"Pleasure," Zichen says curtly. "I have a word with Shi Lian. I'll send her later, safely. It's not a problem for you, is it?"
Ruxi is surprised. Is that a problem for her? Nope. She is not at all aware of what is going between them. she wants to save the company anyhow and Shi Lian is the only one who can do this. Since she got the proposal from a huge group, she respects her more.
She says yes without giving any second thoughts, "Not at all. Please, there's no hurry."
Shi Lian can't believe Ruxi would ditch her like this but then again it's not her fault. She is doing this because she doesn't know how big of a jerk he is! She wants to object but Ruxi smiles at herm hinting that she has to obey his orders. She sighs and didn't snap back.
Ruxi exits from the hotel, leaving Shi Lian in a lion's den. Zichen dismissed all his bodyguards and manager out of the room to have a private room for him and her.
"What do you want?" she spits when the room gets empty leaving her with the lion himself.
"I want to invite you to dinner tonight" he asserts taking a step closer to her where she is standing.
"Dinner? For what reason?" she snaps with irritation, crossing her arms in front of her breast.
"To celebrate for overcoming the crises and for our partnership."
The real reason is to spend time with her. Fu Zichen never asks anyone for dinner or never goes to any party, not even his family parties because he thinks it's useless for him to go and waste his time.
Over the years, his mother persuaded him many times to come but he rejected after going two to three times. He does visit her mother but not often as should.
"Not happening!" she refuses. She doesn't believe him, not a single percent, and having with him means welcoming the devil. He is way too cunning to make her fall into his trap; not that she will, she is used to thinking, more like overthink. The lunch was evident enough that she is right for refusing it.
Fu Zichen's jaw is set in a straight line, making him look gloomy and dark. Of course, he knew she will refuse it but it was his first time to ask someone, and getting a rejection on his first try is not something he likes.
She is stubborn, very stubborn! But he knows she will accept it, she has to accept it.
"In business, it's a ritual. If you don't believe me, you may ask anyone" he lies. It's not a ritual but yes after a partnership, both the parties do celebrate so he didn't lie about it.
"Then you should be having dinner with our Chairman, according to it" she scoffs, feeling she got the edge.
"But I signed the proposal for you. You are the one who came to me for the partnership. You have to come Shi Lian" she comes closer leaving only a little space between.
She already lost the battle, she can't argue with him now. He has a point, an important one but that doesn't mean she has to even her heart doesn't want to. Does her heart doesn't to?
"You…." Her breath hitches as he comes closer. She can smell his cologne, his fresh breath. Butterflies are doing summersaults inside her belly, her heartbeats rapidly than normal.
"Caipeng restaurant. 7:00 pm. Be ready" he whispers in her ears in his husky voice and man it affected her. Her ears are red, as well as her cheeks. They are flushed.
"I-I haven't ag-agreed to it yet…" she steps back to avoid the upcoming heat but Zichen grabs her wrist and pulls her close, closer than she lands on his hard muscle chest.
"Stop being so stubborn. Just come. It's only a dinner. I won't eat you" he teases her and hold her tightly when she struggles to move. He wants to hold her like this and stop the time forever. He would have never thought that embracing someone would make you feel so satisfied and…happy.
"Okay," says she meekly and stops her stubborn struggling. He assured her that it will just be dinner but she doubts his words. She agrees to it because she gets the feeling that he won't let her go until he gets a satisfactory answer.