A small candy

Chapter 23 If You Like Me, Don't Keep Me Hanging

Jian Ling went over Cheng Zhixu's words several times in her mind, and even carefully considered the tone of his voice, trying to judge his emotions.

Finally, she was sure that his tone was definitely not a joke, and that such a confession did not seem to be the work of a drunken man - although she didn't know how much he could drink.

The cell phone rang, interrupting Jian Ling's thoughts.

She glanced at her phone, then at Cheng Zhixu's expression, and made sure that he was not angry. She picked up the phone and took a look. It was the delivery guy calling.

She then remembered that the takeaway was ordered using her phone, and Dai Wangchu couldn't receive the call. She said "OK" to the guy on the phone, and then sent a message to Dai Wangchu, asking her to go downstairs to pick up the takeaway.

Dai Wangchu asked her where she had been and why she hadn't come back yet. Jian Ling didn't reply.

She put down her phone, picked up the chopsticks that had fallen on the table, and squeezed them until her knuckles turned white. Then she said sullenly, "Don't you have someone you like?"

"Well, I do have someone I like."

Jian Ling's heart suddenly sank, and she forced herself to remain calm and said, "Then why are you still..."

"Isn't it you who I like?" Cheng Zhixu always felt that he might have overlooked something, as if he could never talk to her on the same wavelength. After thinking it over, he tentatively asked, "Do you think I have someone else I like?"

Apart from this, he couldn't think of any other reason.

This isn't a matter of "thinking" or "not thinking." Isn't it the truth? Jian Lingxin thought.

Seeing her silent and somewhat dazed, Cheng Zhixu could only use his utmost patience to peel the layers of her skin, like peeling an onion, to show her: "I don't know where this delusion came from, but I really don't have anyone else I like. In your eyes, am I some kind of beast in human form who confesses my feelings to you while already having someone else in my heart?"

Jian Ling put down the chopsticks she'd been clutching tightly in her hand. Her fingers were damp with sweat, a tinge of nervousness and embarrassment. She took a deep breath, trying to suppress her resentment and slight bitterness, and said calmly, "I'm not mistaken. I saw it with my own eyes."

Cheng Zhixu also put down his chopsticks and looked at her leisurely: "What did you see?" He didn't remember ever having an ambiguous relationship with other women.

"Don't try to deny it. The woman I saw in your office the day before yesterday at noon is the one you like." Jian Ling didn't give him any chance to quibble. She took a deep breath and continued, "I saw it all. You were...kissing in the car. If you like her and you confessed to me, then you're two-timing. If you don't like her and you still kissed her, then you're...a complete heartless person!"

This blame was put on Cheng Zhixu, who was completely stunned.

After a while, he seemed to have nothing to say and laughed angrily.

Jian Ling finally regained her composure, straightened her back, and glared at him, questioning him: "What are you laughing at? Are you speechless?"

"The woman you are talking about is Shen Qinghe?" Cheng Zhixu finally found the right direction, and suddenly felt as if the clouds had parted and the moon had been revealed.

Jian Ling had seen the name on the caller ID on his phone, nodded, and said angrily, "Yes, it's her!"

Cheng Zhixu tilted his head and rubbed his forehead with his fingers. He was so incredulous that he even felt it was a bit absurd: "What did she and I do in the car? Kissing? Are you sure?"

Whenever Jian Ling recalled that scene, her heart ached and she suddenly turned her head away and stopped looking at him.

"Jian Ling, look at me." Cheng Zhixu's unyielding voice sounded from the other side.

Jian Ling made up her mind that no matter what he said, she would not forgive him, let alone accept him.

Cheng Zhixu was so angry at her stubbornness that he gritted his teeth. In a moment, he stood up and walked around the table to the other side. He bent down and supported himself on the edge of the table so that his eyes were level with hers. "Jian Ling, listen, if you mention the day before yesterday at noon, then I can tell you with certainty that what you saw was the driver almost accidentally hitting a child, causing a car accident. He suddenly stepped on the brakes, and Shen Qinghe lost her balance and fell into my arms. Her hair happened to get caught on my button."

Jian Ling was stunned: "How is that possible?"

How could she have seen it wrong? How could she have misunderstood?

He'd explained it so clearly, but she still didn't believe him. Cheng Zhixu gritted his teeth again, annoyed. He leaned forward, pinched her chin with his fingers, lifted it up, tilted his head slightly, and said with a forced smile, "Just think about it, if someone pushed the door open at this moment, would they suspect we were kissing?"

Jian Ling froze, her nose lingering with the subtle scent of his men's perfume. The scorching heat of his fingers pressed against her skin, burning her so much that she wanted to retreat.

He tilted his head, very close to her lips, their breaths intertwined, and from another angle, it really looked like they were kissing.

The trick of borrowing shots is often used in movies and TV dramas.

After realizing this, Jian Ling's ears turned red as if someone had pinched her, and she began to avoid his gaze: "Okay, I wronged you."

Cheng Zhixu snorted softly: "What do you mean by 'you've wronged me'? You have wronged me in the first place."

Jian Ling was a little bewildered, lowering her head and apologizing: "I'm sorry."

Cheng Zhixu loosened his fingertips and stopped teasing her, fearing he'd offend her and make things even more difficult. He settled into the chair beside her, tilting his head to see her ashamed to face him, and he found it somewhat amusing: "If you have any other questions, why not ask them all at once? That way, you won't go back and make wild assumptions and try to accuse me of something."

If he didn't ask her for another day or two, she would pack up and leave.

It was also his fault. He knew her feelings from the beginning, thinking he had the initiative, and he was happy to watch her jump around and make a fool of herself right under his nose. Even though he knew what he felt for her, he didn't take action, and it almost got him into trouble.

It's ridiculous that he can do everything with ease and confidence, but he fails to see the reality when it comes to her - as long as he falls in love with her, from that moment on, the scales naturally tilt, and he is no longer the one in control of the initiative. All his emotions are mobilized by her and are out of control.

Jian Ling rubbed her burning ears: "There is one more question."

Cheng Zhixu didn't know what she was going to put the blame on him again, so he said with a smile, "Ask."

"Were you drunk before you confessed to me... to me last night?" Jian Ling asked.

He had just explained a lot, and this question seemed insignificant compared to the most important issue, but she still wanted to find out.

Cheng Zhixu crossed his arms: "Where did you hear that?" "Don't worry about it, just tell me if you were drunk!"

Cheng Zhixu picked up the chopsticks and stuffed them into her hand. He tapped the table with his fingers and resumed his bossy demeanor: "Eat quickly, the food is getting cold. Even if you're not hungry, I'm hungry too."

Jian Ling didn't wait for his accurate answer, nor was she too anxious. She held her chopsticks tightly and concentrated on eating. After letting go of the worries in her heart, her appetite improved, and she found every dish delicious.

Most of the box of braised chicken nuggets went into her stomach.

Cheng Zhixu sat back down across from her, looking at her while eating. Recalling something, he smiled with his eyebrows curved. "You have a big appetite. How come the last few times I ate with you, you ate as little as a cat?"

Jian Ling was too tired to complain and said that girls with big appetites were really asking for trouble.

She used to have to be a bit reserved in front of the person she liked, but now that she knows that the person she likes also likes her, she doesn't care about that anymore and just eats to her heart's content.

Cheng Zhixu was used to observing people's expressions and guessed what she was thinking. He just smiled and said nothing.

He finished eating before her and leaned back in his chair, staring at her. Her puffy mouth moved, and her lips were moist and soft, stained with vegetable juice or oil.

Cheng Zhixu felt in his pockets, but didn't find what he was looking for. He stood up and walked towards his desk. Jian Ling's eyes followed him uncontrollably. He opened a drawer on one side of his desk, pulled out a small green tin box, peeled off the lid, poured out a mint candy, popped it into his mouth, and chewed it.

Jian Ling finished her meal and stood up to clean up the slightly messy table. Cheng Zhixu said from behind her, "Don't move it. Just leave it there. The assistant will come and clean it up later."

Jian Ling didn't move anymore and turned to look at him: "Then I'll go down."

"Where are you going?" Cheng Zhixu had untied his tie at some point, leaving the two buttons near the collar undone. His collarbone was faintly visible, its fair skin dazzling and its curves beautiful.

Jian Ling hurriedly looked away. He asked her knowingly, where else could she go? Of course, back to the planning department.

Cheng Zhixu leaned against the edge of the desk, his long legs crossed and slightly stretched forward, one hand resting on the edge. He stared at her with his dark eyes and said straight, "After all, you still haven't responded to my confession."

Jian Ling's eyes flickered slightly, and her voice was as soft as a mosquito's buzz: "Can't I just think about it?"

"Yes." Cheng Zhixu raised his eyebrows and said as a matter of course, "So, didn't I give you time for a meal? Isn't that enough for you to consider?"

His aggressive tone was annoying, and even more annoying was that Jian Ling found she couldn't even feel annoyed with him. Her heartbeat betrayed her—she was looking for trouble, but inwardly she was delighted.

"Jian Ling, if you like me, don't keep me hanging." Cheng Zhixu lowered his eyes, his free hand playing with the small tin box of mint candies, and sighed slowly, "I'm getting old, and my heart can't stand the stimulation."

Jian Ling: “…”

Who was it that didn't want her to call him uncle, insisting that he was one year younger than Ye Guizhou? Jian Ling brought up the past in her mind.

On second thought, it was a good thing that I didn't listen to Ye Guizhou and call him "Uncle Cheng", otherwise it would be difficult to change my mind.

Jian Ling was lost in thought and had no idea that Cheng Zhixu had come closer, less than half a meter away from her, looking down at her.

Jian Ling looked up at him. He seemed a little helpless. He grabbed her arm and pulled her into his arms. He tilted his head and whispered in her ear, "I drank some wine last night, but I wasn't drunk. I was sober when I confessed to you and knew what I was doing."

It was in response to the question she asked during dinner.

Jian Ling's heart felt like it was hit by a small stone. It didn't hurt at all, but it felt itchy.

She greedily inhaled his scent, like a kitten craving catnip. Slowly, cautiously, she put her arms around his waist, her eyes misting as she buried herself in his embrace and said, "I've liked you for a long time."

Cheng Zhixu was moved, and he tightened his arms around her back.

"I know."

He saw everything about her past, no matter how clumsy she was. Even if she tried to hide her love, he would still see it.

It should have been properly put away long ago. It was his fault.

Time passed slowly. Cheng Zhixu felt the warmth of the thin shirt against his body, and his heart felt sore and swollen. He asked softly, "Jian Ling, are you crying?"

"I didn't." Jian Ling raised her head quickly, her eyes were moist but there were no tears.

Cheng Zhixu smiled, and took advantage of the opportunity to lower his head and kiss her lips, gently and tenderly.

Jian Ling's mind went blank for several seconds. When she regained her composure, she tasted the cool mint, which passed through her lips and tongue and went straight to her forehead.

Jian Ling was vaguely wondering if he had just eaten the mint candy just for this.

Cheng Zhixu rested his forehead against hers, breathing rapidly: "How is it?"

Jian Ling stammered, "What...how is it?"

"How does it feel when I kiss you first, compared to you kissing me secretly?" Cheng Zhixu stepped back a little, pulled her to sit on the sofa next to the coffee table, opened his legs, and smiled lazily.

Jian Ling's memories quickly went back to that night, and fireworks popped in her mind just like that night.

　Jian Ling: Ahhhhhhhh! You damned bastard! Do you think our company isn't dead enough? ! ! ! !

　　
　
(End of this chapter)