CHAPTER 396: CHAPTER 239: DON’T YOU WANT ME TO STAY?_2

"But..."

Meng Wanning hesitated for a moment, but still voiced the doubt in her heart, "Did you really just come to talk business? Why come to Kaiyang, and why show up here?"

Chen Cheng looked at Meng Wanning, his eyes twinkling with amusement as he countered, "What do you hope I came here to do?"

His tone was teasing, yet it quickened Meng Wanning’s heartbeat.

She didn’t know how to respond, only lowering her head and whispering softly, "I don’t know..."

"Do you believe in fate?" Chen Cheng asked.

Meng Wanning looked up, nodded, then shook her head, and nodded again.

"I wasn’t a believer at first," Chen Cheng paused, "until I met you here."

Meng Wanning’s heart skipped a beat.

What did he mean by that? Was he implying something?

Meng Wanning dared not think deeper; she feared she might be reading too much into it.

"I..." She opened her mouth, but didn’t know what to say.

"Since I passed you those pumpkin seeds, I’ve felt there might be some connection between us," Chen Cheng said slowly, "Though we haven’t interacted much, and the words we’ve exchanged don’t add up to even one of your operas, I always feel that you’re different."

"Is it compared to your other women?" Meng Wanning asked directly.

Chen Cheng shook his head, "Each person is an independent individual; I haven’t compared you to anyone else."

"I just feel that you are special."

Meng Wanning’s cheeks reddened even more, her heartbeat quickening, feeling as if she was being roasted over a fire.

Chen Cheng’s gaze was too intense, leaving her no escape.

"I, I..." she stammered, unable to complete her sentence.

Chen Cheng, seeing her flustered appearance, couldn’t help but laugh.

"I just wanted to tell you my true thoughts."

Meng Wanning kept her head down, not daring to meet Chen Cheng’s eyes, and could only ask softly, "What thoughts?"

Chen Cheng looked at her, his eyes so tender they seemed they could drip water, "I find you very cute, very innocent, and very kind."

He offered an olive branch, "You don’t know much about me, right? Why not take this opportunity to get to understand me better?"

"Are you asking me to stay?" Meng Wanning bit her lower lip.

Chen Cheng met her gaze, "If you want to stay, I would certainly welcome it."

He didn’t answer directly, but gave the choice to Meng Wanning.

Meng Wanning fell into a fierce brainstorm.

Chen Cheng was right; there was something about the man before her that captivated her, but they had met too few times, and in Beijing, there weren’t just Xiao Meier by Chen Cheng’s side but other women she had seen or not seen at all.

To stay, or not to stay, that was the question.

"Take your time to think about it," Chen Cheng said calmly, without showing urgency, "We still have time."

Xu Qiu, who had just finished ordering the dishes, returned to the private room, smiling broadly, "Mr. Chen, the dishes will be ready soon."

Chen Cheng poured a drink, saying to Meng Wanning, "Eat more later, it should be to your taste."

"Meng Meng, we should head back to the county."

A voice came from the doorway, and the two golden dragon buses had started their engines.

"Brother Cheng, I’ll go first," Meng Wanning’s thoughts were in turmoil, "I, which hotel are you staying at?"

Chen Cheng: "I’m staying in the city, I’ll go back later."

"Oh."

Meng Wanning pursed her lips, "Then I should leave first."

"Mm. Be safe on the road."

Meng Wanning jogged out of the private room, while Chen Cheng watched her departing figure and took another drink.

"Mr. Chen, you are..."

"No rush," Chen Cheng drew his gaze back and poured another glass, "I’m not one to force things."

Chen Donghai, who had been silent until now, spoke up, "Manager Xu, no woman Mr. Chen takes a liking to can escape."

"Hey, you rascal!"

...

...

Sitting on the coach, Meng Wanning was absent-minded.

She kept looking back, at the increasingly distant farmhouse; she was certain the person she wanted to see was there.

"Meng Meng, what’s wrong? You look so pale," her colleague Zhang Zhang noticed something was off and asked with concern.

"It’s nothing, I’m just a little tired."

Meng Wanning forced out a thin smile, but her heart felt as though a bottle of mixed emotions had been knocked over—sour, sweet, bitter, spicy and salty; all were present.

"That man in the suit, do you know him?"

Meng Wanning nodded, "I know him."

Zhang Zhang smiled and asked, "Is he chasing after you? He followed you all the way from Beijing."

"Don’t talk nonsense," Meng Wanning responded seriously, "He’s not the type to chase after women."

"Not the type? I think he’s quite good at it!"

Zhang Zhang chuckled and spoke, "Look, Qianzhou is so big; if he didn’t come to chase after you, why would he come to Kaiyang? And to be at the same farmhouse?"

"Brother Cheng is here for business."

"Men always need some grandiose excuses for their actions."

Zhang Zhang tapped Meng Wanning’s shoulder, "Be honest, haven’t you fancied him for a while now?"

"I..."

"What’s your relationship with him then?"

"We..."

Meng Wanning hesitated, unsure of how to define her relationship with Chen Cheng.

Friends?

That didn’t quite seem right.

Lovers?

That seemed even less appropriate.

"We’re just ordinary friends."

In the end, she chose the most conservative description.

"Ordinary friends?"

Zhang Zhang shook her head, "Would an ordinary friend chase you this far? And even know what you like to eat? I saw his female assistant keeping an eye on the kitchen for you."

Meng Wanning’s thoughts drifted far away.

Chen Cheng’s care for her, his attentiveness, she had seen it all and remembered it deeply.

Never had a man treated her so gently, so carefully looked after her.

Seeing her silent, Zhang Zhang waved a hand in front of her, "Hey, what are you thinking about? Did your soul get snatched away?"

"Zhang Zhang!" Meng Wanning stood up, "I’ve made up my mind."

"What are you going to do?"

Meng Wanning hurried to the driver’s seat, "Sorry, I need to get off!"

...

...

Chen Cheng and his two companions walked out of the country restaurant, full and content.

Standing in front of the Audi, Chen Cheng checked the time, "Shall we hang out a bit more?"

Xu Qiu and Chen Donghai naturally had no objections, but it was already dark, too late to visit the Grand Canyon.

Chen Cheng opened the rear car door himself and got in, "Let’s head back to the city, go to Jiaxiu Building, take a stroll and then all go for a foot bath."

"Alright, Mr. Chen."

Chen Donghai got into the driver’s seat and started the car.

Just as they were setting off, suddenly, a slender figure rushed in front of the car, spreading her arms to block their path.

"Screech—"

Chen Donghai braked urgently, the tires screeching against the ground, and Chen Cheng was jolted forward, his eyebrows knitting slightly.

"What’s going on?"

In front of the Audi’s bright matrix headlights, Chen Cheng saw her.

"Miss Meng?"

Standing in front of the car, Meng Wanning was breathing heavily, clearly having run here in a hurry, with fine beads of sweat on her forehead, but she paid no attention to that, her gaze locked determinedly on Chen Cheng in the back seat.

Inside the car, Chen Cheng was surprised to see Meng Wanning return, but this was quickly replaced by a smile.

He knew she had made her choice.

He got out of the car and walked over to Meng Wanning.

"Brother Cheng," Meng Wanning took deep breaths, "I’ve decided to stay."

"Are you sure?"

Meng Wanning met his eyes and nodded vigorously, "Yes, I’ve thought it through."

"No regrets?" Chen Cheng confirmed once more.

"No regrets."

Meng Wanning spoke with conviction and seriousness, "You said I don’t understand you, right? I want to start understanding you," she paused, looking directly into Chen Cheng’s eyes and enunciated every word, "from this moment."

Chen Cheng saw her tender and brave self.

"Alright, let’s start understanding each other from this moment."

Meng Wanning smiled brilliantly, just like when Chen Cheng first saw her.

Sitting in the passenger seat, Xu Qiu was truly amazed and whispered, "Brother Xiao Hai, is your Mr. Chen always this confident? Even when someone left, they can still come back on their own?"

Chen Donghai looked at Xu Qiu’s surprised face; he was long accustomed to such occurrences, "I just said, the women Mr. Chen takes a liking to, none can escape."

The two stood quietly outside the car, the cool breeze of Nanjiang Canyon caressing their hearts.

"Get in the car." Chen Cheng gestured grandly, "I’ll take you for a drive."

Meng Wanning didn’t hesitate and followed Chen Cheng to the back seat.

After getting in the car, Chen Cheng took out a tissue and handed it to her, "Don’t run next time."

Meng Wanning wiped her sweat, "I was just in a hurry..."

"Call me next time, no matter where you are, I will come to pick you up."

Meng Wanning trembled as she wiped the sweat from her forehead, her cheeks becoming even hotter with Chen Cheng’s words.

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