Anthony pondered for a moment, finally agreeing with reluctance, "Fine. This time, I'll let her off the hook for your sake. But next time, Huai, you can't interfere."
"Naturally."
Qing Sihou checked the time on his wrist, "It's not even eight yet. Let's go, I'll treat you to hot pot. As a token of my gratitude."
"Alright."
Anthony readily agreed.
"Uncle Qi, since you've met an acquaintance, you two chat. Shuyao and I are leaving now." Meng Jingwei picked up her bag, pulled the unbound Shuyao, and before they could respond, ran towards the exit.
The two of them ran for quite a distance before stopping, as if afraid Anthony would go back on his word.
"Hoo~ hoo~"
Shuyao gasped for air, completely exhausted.
Meng Jingwei glared at her, showing no sympathy, and instead slapped her on the head, "Damn it, you prioritize looks over loyalty, don't you? You'd rather push me out as cannon fodder than let Qing Sihou and Anthony clash?"
This damned love.
She really didn't know what to say.
"Ouch, that hurt..." Shuyao pouted, covering her head with her hand. "Don't be angry. I know Anthony well. He wouldn't lay a hand on a woman, but he's ruthless towards men. I like Qing Sihou, so I instinctively wanted to protect him."
Meng Jingwei felt a pang in her chest; her explanation was worse than no explanation.
"Hmph, don't expect me to save you next time," Meng Jingwei snorted and walked away.
"Don't worry, even if there's a next time, I won't ask you. Everyone has their limits. Anthony doesn't lay hands on women, but I fear he might scheme against you in secret."
She walked alongside Meng Jingwei, pulling her windbreaker tighter and asked, "If I hadn't saved you last time, would you not have helped me today?"
"Isn't that stating the obvious?"
Meng Jingwei adjusted her shoulder bag, "I'm not a saint. I can barely save myself, why would I risk my life to save you? Is that possible?"
"Hahaha, I love your honest and straightforward demeanor. Come on, let's go grab some barbecue. My treat, as a token of my gratitude."
She threw an arm around Meng Jingwei's neck and they left the airport together, taking a taxi back to the city center.
Inside the car, Shuyao fidgeted with her clothes, her mind wandering.
"What are you thinking about?" Meng Jingwei asked casually.
Shuyao bit her lower lip, her cheeks blushing with girlish shyness, "Weiwei, do you think Qing Sihou likes me too? Otherwise, why would he risk his life to save me?"
"Screw you..."
"I know you called him, but he was willing to save me even knowing the other party was Anthony. That's different."
Shuyao clasped her hands together, a smile forming on her lips as she spoke, a mixture of joy and shyness.
"So, are you planning to pledge yourself to him?" Meng Jingwei raised an eyebrow, watching the scene unfold.
She smiled, "If he's willing, I have no problem with that."
"You want to marry him after knowing him for such a short time? Don't you think it's too hasty? Or is it that you're loyal to looks, starting with his appearance?"
It had to be admitted that Qing Sihou was indeed very handsome, mature, steady, and possessed a unique charm that made him unforgettable.
But Meng Jingwei was surprised that Shuyao had fallen for him so quickly, given they hadn't known each other for long.
Good heavens, if Anthony knew Shuyao liked Qing Sihou, it would be a feud between friends over a woman.
Shuyao leaned back against the car seat, tilting her head as if contemplating something.
Just as Meng Jingwei thought she wouldn't answer, Shuyao said, "Who cares if it's hasty, I just like him."
A direct admission of liking Qing Sihou, indicating she was truly captivated by the man.
"You..."
Meng Jingwei wanted to dissuade Shuyao.
Someone who had only been abroad for a few years and had such a good relationship with Prince Anthony was not to be underestimated.
Such a person was very dangerous.
But seeing Shuyao immersed in the sea of love, she ultimately held back her words.
The two found a place to eat barbecue, and then went their separate ways.
Shuyao, her mind preoccupied with Qing Sihou, waited until eleven o'clock after getting home before daring to send him a message: "Are you asleep?"
Since Qing Sihou had taken Anthony to hot pot, Shuyao worried that sending the message too early might alert Anthony.
After sending the message, Shuyao lay on her bed, staring at the ceiling, the scene at the airport replaying in her mind, a smile involuntarily appearing on her lips.
Ding dong—
Her WeChat chimed.
She immediately grabbed her phone and opened the message: "Not yet. Were you frightened today?"
Shuyao was surprised by how quickly Qing Sihou replied.
Looking at the message on her phone, filled with concern and care, Shuyao's heart fluttered, and she replied: "Thank you for today, and thank you Weiwei. If it weren't for you saving me, I would already be on a plane to Country C."
"No need to be polite."
"How can that be? A life-saving grace is worth more than anything. How about, when you have time, I invite you to dinner?"
"Your invitation is hard to refuse."
"Then it's settled."
Shuyao sent the last message, and the other party replied with a 'hmm' before there was no further response.
She tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep, her mind filled with Qing Sihou's handsome and unparalleled appearance, making her restless.
Clutching her phone tightly, Shuyao typed on the screen: "Do you have a girlfriend?"
After thinking for a moment, she deleted it.
After a while, she edited another message, "Have you ever thought about being in a relationship?"
"No, that's too direct."
Shuyao muttered and deleted it again.
Finally, she edited it to: "You don't have anyone you like?"
But after sending this message, it seemed to vanish into thin air.
Shuyao couldn't help but overthink, tossing and turning in bed until the early hours of the morning before finally falling asleep.
...
Meng Jingwei returned to her apartment, washed up, and then curled up in bed with her laptop to work.
As she was having a voice chat with people from Chaoyun E-sports about work matters, she received a voice message from Qing Muye.
She glanced at the voice message and it was converted to text: "The Qing family banquet is the night after tomorrow. Remember to come back."
Qing family banquet?
Meng Jingwei didn't think much of it and replied directly: "Okay."
Her reply was concise, as if saying more would be a waste of effort.
On the other end of the phone, the man sitting in the CEO's office of Songyu Group stood by the floor-to-ceiling window, overlooking Lancheng. He exuded an aura of supreme authority, yet when facing Meng Jingwei, all his efforts seemed powerless.
He had tried both persuasion and coercion, but she yielded to neither.
Qing Muye looked at the single character reply from the young woman on his phone, clenched his fist, hesitated for a long time, seemingly unsure of what to say, and didn't send any more messages.
After a long period of work at the company, he finally left.
However, as his car drove along, it instinctively turned towards Meng Jingwei's rental apartment building.
In the biting cold wind, the man got out of the car, leaned against the door, and silently smoked a cigarette, lost in thought.