"I have something I want to ask you." Su Yue finally decided to have a talk.
"Go ahead," he said, becoming serious.
She thought for a moment longer and then asked,
"Su Minghua's job situation, was that your doing? Why would you do that?"
Silence fell in the air.
The person in the driver's seat paused, his index finger tapping absently on the steering wheel, as if contemplating something.
It seemed Su Minghua had told her.
What nerve.
Taking a deep breath, he forced a smile and replied softly, "Yes, it was me."
Su Yue's heart instantly sank. She turned to look at him and slowly asked, "Why?"
Chen Ziming knew she wasn't asking out of sympathy for Su Minghua, but because she was starting to doubt his motives.
He avoided her gaze and made an excuse, "Su Minghua secretly wanted to climb higher using my family's influence. I didn't like that, so I gave him a little push."
This reason was indeed convincing.
It was also something Su Yue hadn't dared to imagine before.
If Su Minghua hadn't mentioned the blackmail, she probably would have believed it.
"Is that really how it is?" Her voice was calm, but her heart was in turmoil.
She didn't want to accept the fact that he knew her secrets but had deliberately kept them hidden.
Silence stretched between them for a long time.
"Yes," he finally answered.
But that long pause and deliberation clearly meant it wasn't.
If she had only suspected initially, Su Yue was now certain he knew Su Minghua's intentions.
And it wasn't a guess.
He had found out through some means, truly knowing it, which was why he had retaliated against Su Minghua so decisively.
The fear of him knowing she had bought adult products after their first meal resurfaced.
From the very beginning, every move she made was within his plan.
He was an excellent hunter.
He appeared harmless, like prey, watching the girl's smugness and pretense after she thought she had succeeded.
His love for her was real.
His protection of her was real.
But the fear Su Yue felt was also real.
"Yue Yue," Chen Ziming's heart skipped a beat as he saw the fear appear in her eyes. He reached out and held her hand.
He then realized her palms were covered in sweat.
But at this point, he surprisingly lacked the ability to explain.
Where should he even begin?
If Su Yue knew he had guessed Su Minghua's intentions early on, even if she understood he wanted to protect her, she would still be afraid.
So, all he could do was hold her hand.
His grip gradually tightened.
Only when Su Yue let out a small hiss of pain did he quickly loosen his hold.
"Why grip so hard?" Su Yue lowered her gaze, reaching out with her other hand to rub the one he had held.
When she looked up again, a gentle smile graced her face.
As if nothing had happened.
Chen Ziming knew that wasn't normal.
"Yue Yue, I'll explain slowly later, okay?" He placed his hand at the nape of her neck, his eyes deep and dark.
"Mm, okay," Su Yue replied softly, still smiling.
But then she saw his gaze, full of interrogation and scrutiny, and realized her thoughts were being read just like this.
The two of them eventually restored a surface-level peace.
Chen Ziming took her out for dinner, and after returning home, he continued to wear her down until past midnight.
By the end, Su Yue was completely exhausted, even losing consciousness for a moment.
She knew he was feeling insecure again.
But she didn't want to placate him.
Chi Yiran was clinging to Chen Ziming, and Su Minghua was clinging to her.
She didn't want to play this pointless game, yet she had never considered separating from him.
At such a time, she discovered he already knew all her secrets.
So, she decided to use the opportunity of going abroad.
To avoid contact for now, to give herself time to calm down.
And to let those two have their way temporarily, to stop causing so much trouble.
With this thought in mind, the next day after Chen Ziming went to work, she quietly changed her flight ticket.
And the day before takeoff, she left him a letter, hidden away.
That night, she was exceptionally proactive, sexy, and alluring.
From beginning to end, she never intended to break up with him.
So she wanted him to remember.
His scent and his touch.
———
Finally finished this part!
A new life will unfold soon~
Love to all the readers who have supported me, muah!