Fog Returns to the Capital

Chapter 13 is simply because she was brought by Zhou Jinghuai.

Zhou Jinghuai got out of the car and looked up to see her.

He stopped and stood there watching her for a while.

Just as I was about to take a step over there.

Li Wu, who was standing under the locust tree waiting for someone, seemed to sense something and suddenly looked up.

Eyes facing each other.

"Mr. Zhou!"

Li Wu seemed delighted that she had finally found him; a light, clean and bright, welled up in her eyes in that instant.

Zhou Jinghuai's gaze paused slightly.

"These are your things, I've brought them all to you."

Li Wu jogged towards Zhou Jinghuai, her breath slightly unsteady, but every word was clear, "Thank you for helping me before."

Zhou Jinghuai watched as she carefully handed him the bag, which she had been holding in her arms the whole way. His eyes flickered slightly; he hadn't expected her to actually return it.

With a slight gesture, the assistant behind him took it.

Looking at the somewhat flustered girl, Zhou Jinghuai remained calm and composed, saying, "Why do you like saying thank you so much?"

Hearing his words, Li Wu felt a sudden, inexplicable tension rise within her. Her voice lowered, soft and gentle, "I should be grateful..."

Every time she met him, he helped her.

After saying that, Li Wu knew she should leave.

But her hand unconsciously tightened its grip on the strap of her small bag, and just as she was about to say something more, she heard Zhou Jinghuai suddenly ask her—

"Have you got a meal yet?"

"What?" Li Wu subconsciously looked up at him.

When she met the man's dark, deep eyes, her mind suddenly went blank, and all the words she had almost thought of saying to him vanished in an instant.

Zhou Jinghuai's deep-set eyebrows remained calm as he asked again, unhurriedly, "Have you had dinner yet?"

Li Wu subconsciously shook her head, "Not yet..."

Once she realized what had happened, she felt a surge of frustration.

In his presence, she seemed to react a beat slower, and she would easily become nervous from time to time.

Perhaps it was because although he appeared gentle and refined, he exuded an aura of nobility that made people feel that he was unapproachable and instilled fear in them for no reason.

It's perfectly normal to feel nervous in front of someone like that.

Li Wu tried to comfort herself.

After hearing what Li Wu said, Zhou Jinghuai glanced at her but didn't say anything. He simply told her to follow him.

"Mr. Zhou, where are we going?"

After obediently following behind him for a few steps, Li Wu belatedly asked a question.

……

Zhou Jinghuai took Li Wu to the courtyard where she had just been waiting outside.

After entering.

The view also became wider.

Winding streams and covered corridors, lush bamboo groves, and the faint scent of incense floating in the air. Tranquil and secluded, it's a private club with a very subtle business atmosphere.

The second-floor corridor was also quiet, with bright lights shining down, making it feel like daytime.

As we walked to the end of the corridor, the door to the private room was pushed open by a waiter who was waiting nearby.

I heard a sound coming from the doorway.

In that instant, everyone in the private room turned their gaze toward the door.

Li Wu suddenly stopped in her tracks.

There were about eight or nine people in the private room, both men and women.

The moment they saw Zhou Jinghuai, everyone in the private room stood up in unison and greeted him with utmost respect.

"Mr. Zhou."

"Mr. Zhou."

"Mr. Zhou has arrived..."

……

It must be a drinking party.

The private room was well-heated, and the men had all taken off their coats, wearing only elegant, simple shirts. The only two women were dressed less formally, but both wore exquisite long dresses.

Li Wu quietly lowered her head and looked at the thick sweater she was wearing because she was afraid of the cold. She subconsciously hid behind Zhou Jinghuai.

A sudden surge of embarrassment and helplessness seemed to expand instantly, rapidly spreading from the depths of my heart throughout my entire body. "What's wrong?"

Zhou Jinghuai noticed Li Wu's movement, turned slightly to the side, and looked down at her.

Li Wu shook her head, replying softly, somewhat insincerely, "No, it's nothing..."

Zhou Jinghuai glanced at her, said nothing, and naturally sat down in the specially vacated main seat.

A perceptive person nearby immediately made room for Zhou Jinghuai and said gently to Li Wu, "Please..."

The CEO, who ranks among the top three in the industry and is worth hundreds of billions, doesn't feel that it's inappropriate to use honorifics when addressing a young girl whose name he doesn't even know.

—Simply because she was brought by Zhou Jinghuai.

Li Wu did not sit down immediately; she subconsciously looked at Zhou Jinghuai, who was sitting in the main seat.

After Zhou Jinghuai told her to sit down, Li Wu thanked the boss and then sat down next to Zhou Jinghuai.

The others in the private room were already shocked into disbelief when they saw Zhou Jinghuai bring in a young girl.

Although the good education they received from childhood made them less likely to show their emotions.

But curious glances still lingered, seemingly unintentionally landing on Li Wu.

But no one asked about Li Wu, not even a tentative inquiry.

They dared not inquire about this person's affairs casually.

Li Wu sat next to Zhou Jinghuai, a faint, familiar, and refreshing scent lingering in his nostrils.

Her initial anxiety gradually subsided.

Li Wu didn't recognize any of the people in the private room.

Li Wu could hear every single word of their conversation clearly. But when they were put together, it was like a winding, circuitous route; she couldn't understand what they meant at all, only that it was incredibly profound.

The dishes on the table were small in portion, but looked very elegant.

It was even more exquisite and tempting than the state banquet dishes that Li Wu occasionally saw online.

Li Wu had only been sitting for a short while when she felt a continuous stream of heat emanating from her body.

She lowered her head and drank the water slowly, wishing the water in the cup would turn into ice cubes.

Zhou Jinghuai, who was talking to someone, glanced at her for some reason.

Upon noticing her slightly flushed face, Zhou Jinghuai naturally asked the waiter to lower the temperature in the private room.

Hear the sound.

Li Wu paused for a moment, then looked up at him blankly.

"If you feel unwell, you can tell me."

Zhou Jinghuai's noble and elegant face softened, and his unhurried voice lacked its usual indifference and aloofness, "I said I'd take you out to dinner, so naturally your feelings will be the priority."

Just now, Li Wu asked Zhou Jinghuai where he was taking her, and Zhou Jinghuai replied that he was taking her to eat.

The temperature inside the private room quickly and quietly dropped.

The heat in Li Wu's chest did not dissipate; instead, a warm current flowed through her, almost burning her entire heart.

The private room suddenly fell silent, and everyone's gaze fell on Li Wu to varying degrees.

“…I understand.” Li Wu’s face flushed again. She ignored the probing and scrutinizing looks in those people’s eyes and simply echoed Zhou Jinghuai’s words in a low voice.

She prioritizes her own feelings.

Zhou Jinghuai was the first person to say that to her.

Based on Li Wu's experience, others who were only wearing a thin layer of clothing inevitably felt that the surrounding temperature had dropped significantly, and some even shivered involuntarily.

So much so that several people wanted to wear their own coats, but ultimately didn't dare to.

As they chatted and laughed with ease, Zhou Jinghuai seemed to notice Li Wu's unease and would occasionally put food on her plate.

So, in the end, it's probably only Li Wu who actually ate that meal.

After a grueling meal.

Li Wu breathed a deep sigh of relief.

After exchanging pleasantries with the several CEOs surrounding him, Zhou Jinghuai walked over and saw Li Wu's expression. He couldn't help but chuckle, "What's with that expression?"

Li Wu laughed along, "The expression of someone who just ate an exorbitantly priced dinner."

Under the gentle moonlight.

The girl had a delicate, pretty, and fair face, and her eyes were bright and clear like black agate, with countless tiny starlight seemingly falling into them.

The moment she looks up at people with her eyes crinkled in a smile is a pure and beautiful sight.

Zhou Jinghuai's gaze fell on her face...

(End of this chapter)