Chapter Twenty-Five: Undercurrents of Affection

"You think I'm afraid of you? I'm going to tell Sister Qingqing right now. Once she finds out you're seducing President Qin, you'll be finished!"

Sun Qian had indeed been momentarily cowed by Su Mian’s imposing aura, but she soon regained a sense of unearned confidence. She pulled out her phone and began typing away furiously.

Su Mian couldn't be bothered to engage, feeling that wasting time arguing with someone so brainless was a life-shortening endeavor.

"In that case, I wish you success. But before you succeed, you’ll certainly have to compensate me for the damage to my reputation caused by your malicious rumors."

"You... just you wait!"

Having thrown out this parting shot, Sun Qian hurried away in a panic. Su Mian watched her go, shook her head helplessly, and under the inquisitive gazes of her colleagues, returned to her desk to calmly resume her work.

"Don't worry, everything is fine here." Although Lin Mu had returned to his office, he had kept his ears pricked the entire time, ready to step in if Su Mian couldn't handle the situation. He was surprised to find that she had resolved the matter so decisively. Fearing that Su Mian might notice him keeping Huo Beihan in the loop, he hung up the phone hastily.

That evening, as Su Mian was leaving work with her phone in hand, a notification lit up the screen.

Huo Beihan: "Come to this location."

Below the message was an address: Jinxiu Hall at the Shangpin Restaurant. Such places were typically gathering spots for the elite. Su Mian recalled what Huo Beihan had said that morning about needing her help with a task. This must be it. He was a man of few words, and she dared not ask too many questions for fear of annoying him.

She quickly tapped out a reply: "Understood. It will take me about 40 minutes."

Su Mian rushed home, changed into a floor-length dress, and applied matching makeup. Since it was a banquet, she couldn't afford to embarrass Huo Beihan; after all, she had agreed to help, and there was no sense in making things worse.

Upon arriving at the destination and seeing Huo Beihan, Su Mian waved naturally. "Big Brother!"

Huo Beihan’s eyes brightened the moment he saw her. A flash of stunned admiration crossed his gaze, which he quickly masked, fearing that others might discover his hidden feelings. From the moment Su Mian entered his line of sight, he couldn't look away.

Feeling a bit self-conscious under his gaze, Su Mian asked how her outfit looked.

He replied with only three words: "You look beautiful."

As he spoke, he stepped forward and took Su Mian’s hand. She was slightly puzzled; even when attending banquets, people usually linked arms, not held hands with fingers interlaced. By the time she realized it, Huo Beihan had already led her into the third-floor private room. Before she could even get a clear look at the person inside, he began introducing her.

"I apologize, but this is my girlfriend, so let's call off today's dinner."

Only after Huo Beihan finished speaking did Su Mian notice there was someone else sitting in the room. As she caught a glimpse of the woman’s attire, the lady walked toward them, looking hesitant.

"What did you say?"

"Coming to this blind date was not my intention. As you can see, I have a girlfriend."

The woman sneered and shot a glance at Huo Beihan. "You don't really think you're that high and mighty, do you? You made me wait here for an hour, only to tell me you have a girlfriend? Is this how the Huo family treats people?"

Without waiting for Huo Beihan to respond, she grabbed her bag and walked straight out the door.

Once she was gone, Su Mian finally realized she had been dragged in as a human shield. She should have known that favors from Huo Beihan were never easy to repay. The room was left with just the two of them, and the atmosphere turned awkward.

Su Mian broke the silence first. "I thought I was just coming to accompany you to a business engagement, not to serve as a decoy."

Huo Beihan hadn't expected her to say that. He paused for a moment before his deep voice echoed from behind her. "It was my mother's arrangement; I didn't know beforehand that it was a blind date. However, there is someone I like, and it wouldn't be right to waste anyone's time." He paused, feeling it was inappropriate, and added, "I apologize for not being clear about what kind of help I needed."

Su Mian didn't know why he was explaining so much to her. She waved her hand awkwardly. "The arrow has already hit me, so an apology won't change much. Never mind, I was just saying it; I didn't mean anything by it."

Noticing she didn't seem angry, he probed, "Then, would you give me a chance to make it up to you? Let me treat you to dinner?"

"Anywhere I choose?" Su Mian asked, a hint of excitement in her voice.

Huo Beihan’s mood lifted, and he gave a soft "Mm."

"Great! Then let's go to that skewer place near the university town. I haven't been there in ages."

At the mention of "skewers," Huo Beihan subconsciously frowned. Due to his long-term high-intensity work, his diet and lifestyle were strictly controlled to monitor calories and protein intake. While eating was merely a way to fuel his body, he was not picky, yet he almost never ate anything outside of his planned regimen. Under normal circumstances, he would have found an excuse to decline. But his heart responded before his brain, and he found himself nodding in agreement.

Under Su Mian’s guidance, they arrived at the area near the university. He watched as she walked into the shop with practiced ease. His brow furrowed again, and it wasn't until they got their number and sat down at the entrance that he finally asked the question he had been holding back.

"Do you come here to eat often?"

Su Mian looked at Huo Beihan, her brow slightly knit, and laughed. "I went to the university right next door. It’s only natural to come here for skewers, right?"

Huo Beihan didn't ask anything else. He just sat quietly beside Su Mian with a solemn expression, lost in thought. When Su Mian looked up after folding a paper crane, she noticed Huo Beihan looking quite restless.

She teased him, "Sorry, I didn't think this through. It is a bit strange to see someone like you here." Su Mian’s eyes darted between Huo Beihan’s attire and the surrounding environment as she reached her conclusion.

Huo Beihan looked as if he had just heard a new term. "Someone like me? What do you think I’m like?"

Su Mian actually began to stroke her chin in thought. "You’d have to be a 'President CEO' at the very least, right? Someone of your status should be living in a high-rise, holding a glass of red wine, gazing down at the world outside with a profound look."

Su Mian described the scene as if it were out of a novel, laughing at her own words. Ever since the car gift and tonight’s shield incident, she didn't seem to fear Huo Beihan as much, and she no longer felt the need to keep her guard up around him.

Caught in the atmosphere, the corners of Huo Beihan’s mouth lifted slightly. "That happens, too, but I can't just hold a glass of wine and look out the window without ever eating, right?"

"True. It’s nice to experience a bit of the mundane world once in a while."

As they chatted, their number was called. Su Mian pulled Huo Beihan to her usual table, then introduced him to the various ways to eat the food. She even helped him mix a bowl of the dipping sauce she always used.

"This is my favorite flavor. I always ordered these three staples whenever I came here."

Whether influenced by the lively atmosphere Su Mian created or something else, Huo Beihan actually began to eat the skewers just like her. A complex blend of flavors danced in his mouth, while across from him, Su Mian’s eyes crinkled with joy with every bite.

Huo Beihan suddenly remembered something and stopped, watching her.

"Why aren't you eating?"

Su Mian finished her bite, noticed his bowl was untouched, and dropped some more skewers into it. She explained, "To be considerate of your stomach, I ordered the mild spicy version today."