C25 You're Scared of Me?
C25 You're Scared of Me?
"No," Jian Yun mumbled, rubbing her arm subconsciously. Her gaze fell on the shadowed outline of his hand. His hand gripped the leather surface with precision as his other hand wrapped around the gearshift. He had beautiful hands. If she didn't know who he was, she would've assumed that he was a pianist.
Although she had just stated that she wasn't afraid of him, Jian Yun wanted nothing more than to step out of the car and sprint to the other side of the city. She sank deeper into her seat, turning her attention to the window. It's as if he didn't have a girlfriend from the way he talked and touched her. The mere thought of his fingers brushing against her skin sent shivers down her spine. What the hell did he want from her?
He didn't say anything else, and silence intervened. The only thing that could be heard was the robotic commands given by his navigation system.
Her anxiety was slowly mitigated, but even then, she couldn't help but let her imagination run wild. She squeezed her phone close to her chest. Why didn't he ask her to delete the recording? Wasn't that offensive? Or was he testing her? Pressing against the screen, she suppressed a sigh.
Just then, Jian Yun glanced up to see that the car had stopped.
"We're here," Huo Liancheng stated with a voice as monotonous as the navigation system.
Not knowing what else to say, she lowered her head and murmured softly, "Thank you."
Jian Yun stepped out of the car and walked away. Just as she had arrived by the entrance of the coffee shop, she turned around to see that his car was nowhere to be seen.
With a sigh of relief, she glanced at her wristwatch. It was already 8:45–forty-five minutes late for her blind date. God, her mother was going to kill her! Readying herself for his absence, she stepped into the warm atmosphere and looked around, but to her surprise, Zhou Shaolong was still there.
She could recognize him a mile away with all the paperworks scattered across his desk. The man was bent over his computer, unaware of her presence.
"Excuse me. Are you Mr. Zhou Shaolong?" Jian Yun asked politely.
"Yes, I am." The man slowly raised his head. Immediately, his eyes lit up. "You are?"
"Jian Yun." She gracefully sat down and folded her hands over her lap. Although she didn't want a blind date and had no intention of going on one in the first place, she still had to show some face. It's the least she could do. Besides, the man didn't look half-bad. "I'm sorry for coming in late. The office asked me to work overtime, and I wasn't able to keep track of the time. I must've kept you waiting."
"It's really no big deal! Auntie already told me." All the annoyance Zhou Shaolong had for his date had vanished in an instant. His eyes widened. He didn't expect that he'd be asked to go on a blind date with such a pretty woman. How could he stay mad at her?
After Jian Yun sat down, the waiter immediately came over to ask if she wanted to order anything. "Just water," she responded.
"You don't like coffee?" He closed his laptop.
"Not really." It was only then when Jian Yun got a better look at his face. Although he wasn't as handsome as President Huo, there was a certain elegance in his features. There was something about his sweet smile and bright eyes that left a good impression on her. A slow smile slipped into her lips.
"Then I guess we have that in common." Zhou Shaolong chuckled. "I'm more of a tea guy myself."
At the same time, in a more secluded area not far from where Jian Yun was sitting, Huo Liancheng sat down. Although he could see the shadow of her figure, he couldn't really tell what they were doing or even talking about.
"Fourth Bro, when you said you wanted to treat me to a meal tonight, I wasn't expecting it to be here." Sitting opposite to Liancheng was a man in his mid-twenties, although, his genuine expression made him seem even younger. Xiao Yi Chen crossed his arms and looked around the room in displeasure, seemingly unimpressed by its colored exterior. Motioning to his coffee, he grumbled, "Even the coffee's low-grade! You know I only drink Kopi Luwak!"
"If you don't shut up, I'll make you eat the shit that it was fermented from!" He snapped.
After enduring the cold silence, he noticed that ever since Liancheng came in, he had been staring out their private room. Following his gaze, he saw a beautiful young woman seated across them. Xiao Yi Chen bit back a laugh. "It seems you've finally taken a fancy for someone." Waggling his eyebrows, he continued to tease, "And I have to say, you have great taste! She's pretty."
Just then, he frowned. "Wait, didn't cheng Muze said that you liked someone from Ming's Why would you–ah, I get it! As they say, you have to cast your net to get a feel of different women before you make your choice. That's a smart strategy if I ever saw one like it!"
However, Huo Liancheng didn't say another word. He merely shot Xiao Yi Chen a look, and that immediately shut the younger man up.
Although that had quieted him down for a while, Yi Chen wasn't the type to be intimidated so easily. Not long after, he started to speak, "Hm, but it seems that the woman is already dating someone, and it looks like they're getting along quite well. Looks like a success if you ask me."
A cold feeling stirred in his gut. Just as he was about to turn and dodge, he was slapped at the backside of his head. Xiao Yi Chen bent over from the impact, as his forehead bumped against the tea table in front of them.
Raising his hand, he felt a bump across his forehead and scowled at Huo Liancheng. "Why did you have to hit me?"
Liancheng didn't say anything to respond to his accusation, but that still didn't remove the dangerous glint in his eyes. He was like a predator hunting out for his next prey.
It seemed that a hit on the head had caused enough brain damage because Xiao Yi Chen didn't seem to get the point. Instead, he clasped his hands together and peered at the couple in front of them. He chuckled. "See? They even exchanged numbers," he whispered excitedly like a sports commentator. "As I've said, the date was a success!"
This time, Huo Liancheng didn't hit him on the head. Instead, he stood up and kicked over the tea table, knocking the younger man on the stomach. As Xiao Yi Chen groaned, he used this time to stand up and leave him there. His eyebrows were scrunched up in annoyance.
It was only when Liancheng had finally walked out of the door did he finally recover. Xiao Yi Chen waved his fist up in the air, crying out, "Did you really call me all the way over here just to beat me up?"
He stared at the table that had been kicked over and glanced up at the waiter hurrying towards him. Yi Chen touched his wallet with a sigh. Well, at least he had brought his wallet today, or else he was dead!
Although Jian Yun didn't have any intention of getting married anytime soon or perhaps even going on another date, she had to admit that Zhou Shaolong seemed to be a good person. At least he wasn't as superficial as the man she had seen a few days ago and was certainly far better-looking than him. Tonight, they had a good time. Even if it didn't work out between them, he was still like a friend to her.
So when Zhou Shaolong had asked to exchange numbers, she agreed immediately.
However, Jian Yun couldn't help but feel a little queasy tonight. From the moment she sat down, she felt as if there was a pair of eyes staring at her back, watching her every move. She tapped her fingers onto the table impatiently, as if she was expecting for something or someone to pop out of nowhere.
Furthermore, the cafe wasn't as quiet as it had been a few days ago. She could hear a few cries and loud hits from the back of the room. There must be a fight going on.
As Zhou Shaolong was speaking, he noticed that Jian Yun was staring in another direction. She seemed distracted. He knocked on the table a few times, following her gaze. "What are you looking at?"
Snapping out of her reverie, she glanced up at him. "Oh, nothing."
Yet even then, Jian Yun couldn't shake off the anxiety creeping up to her. She could've sworn she had seen Huo Liancheng from the crowd.
But that was impossible! Why would he be here, of all places? She fidgeted. It was probably just a side effect of being under so much pressure lately.
"Where do you live? I'll send you off." Zhou Shaolong smiled, satisfied with tonight's outcome.
"It's fine. Besides, my place isn't far from here. It's far more convenient for me to take the bus." After all, this was their first meeting. Even if she had a good impression of him, she still couldn't be too sure of him. At least, not yet.
"All right then. Be careful, okay?" Zhou Shaolong nodded, not forcing himself onto her. She smiled. Truly, this man was probably one of her better dates.
The two of them walked towards the entrance of the cafe. Coincidentally, as they passed by another private room, Jian Yun subconsciously glanced over and spotted a familiar face.