CHAPTER 20: CHAPTER 20: KISS

Su Lingzhi glanced at the person walking over and reluctantly picked up the empty bottle lying on the grass.

"Are you hurt?" Fu Yinli asked with concern, his voice carrying a hint of intoxicating tenderness.

Su Lingzhi shook her head awkwardly.

She had just stumbled a little and hadn’t held onto the glass bottle securely, but she wasn’t injured at all.

Fu Yinli’s furrowed brow relaxed, and his gaze fell on the empty glass jar in her hand. "If you like it, I’ll have the servant catch another one for you."

"No need." Su Lingzhi pretended that nothing had happened, "I was just bored and playing with it."

The maid, however, chimed in at this moment, "Miss wanted to give you a surprise, sir."

As soon as she said this, the atmosphere instantly turned a bit awkward.

Su Lingzhi felt somewhat embarrassed, wishing she could cover the maid’s mouth.

Fu Yinli said, "Let’s go back inside."

Su Lingzhi nodded, and as she was about to step forward, Fu Yinli held her hand.

His long fingers were distinct and warm, the temperature passing through the touch and spreading to her whole body.

He held her hand so naturally, as if holding her hand was the most normal thing for him.

Su Lingzhi dazedly followed his steady pace, only realizing later that her shoes were muddy from stepping in mud, leaving muddy prints all over the floor inside.

Su Lingzhi was so embarrassed she wanted to find a hole to crawl into, "Sorry for making a mess."

Fu Yinli didn’t mind and found a new pair of shoes, helping her change into them, "Here, don’t consider yourself an outsider."

"Alright."

Indeed, when one’s feelings change, one doesn’t know how to interact with him anymore.

At this moment, Housekeeper Zhao came over with a cup of hangover tea, urging Fu Yinli to drink it.

Earlier, she’d already smelled the strong scent of alcohol on him. Judging by the situation, he’d drunk quite a bit tonight, yet perhaps due to his good tolerance, he stood steadily, making it hard to tell if he was drunk.

Su Lingzhi looked away, suddenly reminded of the purpose of her visit.

"I’ve brought the suit over. If you have time, try it on. If there’s any issue, feel free to contact me."

Her voice was gentle yet carried a businesslike tone.

In his current state, he probably wouldn’t want to try on clothes.

Fu Yinli put down the hangover tea and looked up at her, the emotions buried deep in his eyes unreadable, "Are you leaving?"

Su Lingzhi nodded, "It’s getting late; I should head back."

"I’ll take you." The three words slipped out effortlessly.

"No need, I can go back myself."

...

Housekeeper Zhao drove; she and Fu Yinli sat in the back seat. In the end, she couldn’t refuse him.

In his current state, it was hard to say whether he was drunk or not.

But clearly, his rationality was still intact.

When they arrived at the entrance of her apartment, they both got out.

The streetlights cast long shadows, and the evening breeze gently caressed.

Su Lingzhi stood in front of him, bidding him a final farewell, "I’ll head up now."

"Lingzhi." Fu Yinli suddenly called out to her.

As Su Lingzhi turned back, his figure enveloped her.

Then, a gentle kiss was planted at the corner of her eye, tender and restrained.

Without any warning...

It lingered for less than two seconds, the soft warmth felt like a current traveling through her blood vessels straight to her heart, causing it to lose all rhythm.

"A token of appreciation." His voice descended, deep and clear, as alluring as moonlight.

Su Lingzhi stared at him in a daze, her eyes seemed to be covered with a layer of mist, sparkling under the illumination of the streetlights.

She hastily pushed him away and fled upstairs.

A token of appreciation...

For what gift? Who needed this token of appreciation?

Upon returning to her apartment, Su Lingzhi went straight into the bedroom, rolling on the bed a few times and wrapping herself into a cocoon.

Her mind was filled with images of him kissing her, making her heart throb as if entangled by vines, suffocating her ability to breathe normally.

...

The next day at work, she wasn’t in a great mood.

Amidst a busy day, she gradually forgot about Fu Yinli’s drunken kiss the night before.

However, as soon as work ended, she unintentionally looked out to see if his car might appear at the company entrance.

Hoping to see him.

Now that the suit had been delivered, there were no more ties between them.

"Lindie."

Upon hearing her name, Su Lingzhi looked toward the Bentley, and then saw Rika getting out of the car, waving to her.

Su Lingzhi walked over to her, "Madam."

"Do you have any plans tonight?" Rika asked, still exuding her noble and elegant aura, with kindly features that made her appear approachable.

Su Lingzhi shook her head, "No, I don’t."

"I happen to have a friend who wants to meet you. Would you mind having dinner with us?"

"Sure."

Once in the car, Rika held her hand and asked with a smile, "Do you have a boyfriend now?"

Su Lingzhi shook her head, "No, I don’t."

"So what kind of guy do you like?"

Su Lingzhi glanced at her, not understanding why she suddenly cared about her love life.

But thinking closely, if this question was asked before meeting Fu Yinli, she wouldn’t have been able to answer.

Yet, after meeting Fu Yinli, has it not changed?

She still couldn’t answer this question, but the person she liked was already embodied. Specifically, what she liked about him, she couldn’t pinpoint. Perhaps it was the feeling he gave, which was different from others.

After thinking it through, Su Lingzhi finally replied, "It depends on fate."

The destination was an upscale Western restaurant in the city center. Unfortunately, every time Rika suddenly brought her to dine at such high-end places, the hostesses at the entrance would give her strange looks because her attire didn’t match the restaurant’s ambiance.

Su Lingzhi thought it would be the same as usual, a large occasion with many people in the private room.

But to her surprise, there was only one person waiting inside.

A young man, nonetheless.

Seeing them enter, the man left his seat to greet them personally.

He was exceptionally well-built, around twenty-five years old, with bright, dazzling blue eyes, sharply sculpted features, and fair, rosy skin, giving off an aura of refined elegance. In a crowd, he would undoubtedly be the most dazzling presence.

Rika introduced, "This is James, the current principal of Ving Jewelry and also a supermodel."

"Hi." Su Lingzhi greeted him and introduced herself, "I’m Lindie. My Chinese name is Lingzhi."

"I’ve seen you before." James added, "I saw you at the British Fashion Week in February, but unfortunately, I didn’t have the chance to meet you."

In February, it was when her school was invited to participate in a fashion show, and she also had her works featured. Yet, she had no impression of him.

After brief pleasantries, James invited them to sit and placed the menu in front of them.

Su Lingzhi ordered a medium-rare steak and upon looking up, met James’s gaze.

Undeniably, he was very handsome; when he smiled, his eyes seemed to shine with all the stars, sparkling and attractive.

The look in his eyes when he gazed at her was also very clean and pure.