Chapter 174: Amusement

After dinner, the party of four parted ways outside the Seafood House.

An Tong settled into the passenger seat of the Cayenne and watched as Xiao Mingyu put an arm around Rong Xian, guiding her toward the rear parking lot. A knowing, gentle smile curved the corners of her lips.

Then, she watched the two of them climb into the car and embrace in a passionate kiss.

An Tong: "..."

She hadn't meant to peek, it was just that... once they got inside, the dome light of the car had turned on, casting a dim, warm glow within the dark night that clearly projected their every move.

An Tong averted her gaze, feeling her cheeks grow slightly warm.

The sight reminded her of her own passionate embrace with Ninth Brother in the airport parking garage.

An Tong tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear and, noticing that the engine still hadn't started, turned her head toward the driver's seat. She was caught completely off guard as her eyes met the man's deep, fathomless dark gaze.

"What are you looking at?"

The man rested one hand on the steering wheel, his gaze falling upon her face with a faint trace of amusement and tender pampering.

An Tong remained calm and composed as she said it was nothing, though her eyes drifted away slightly.

The next second, Rong Shen suddenly leaned over, a potent masculine aura enveloping her. Seeing that handsome face gradually drawing closer, she instinctively held her breath, closed her eyes, and lifted her chin slightly, waiting for the anticipated passionate kiss to arrive.

With a crisp "click," the sound of the seatbelt echoed in the quiet space.

An Tong opened her eyes and looked down just in time to see the man removing his fingers from the seatbelt buckle.

Oh, he was helping her fasten her seatbelt.

Thinking back to her closing her eyes in anticipation of a kiss, amidst the overwhelming embarrassment of making a fool of herself, blood rushed straight to her face, turning it as red as a beetroot.

She pursed her lips and shot a resentful look at Rong Shen.

The man met her gaze with effortless composure, his handsome, chiseled features exceptionally gentle, and even—there was a teasing glint in the depths of his eyes.

An Tong twitched the corner of her mouth without a word and was just about to look away when Rong Shen raised his arm, his palm cupping the back of her head. The moment their foreheads touched, a deep, resonant chuckle rumbled in his throat.

It wasn't the usual brief, light laugh, but rather filled with genuine, hearty pleasure.

With their breaths entangling, An Tong's face flushed even redder.

She reached out to push against the man's chest, her tone laced with grievance, "Are you making fun of me?"

The man's laughter only grew richer.

An Tong: "..."

Just as Rong Shen had thought earlier, An Tong was like a treasure; with deeper exploration, new delights could be discovered every single time.

He leaned down and gave her lips a lingering, affectionate suck, using the faint streetlamp filtering through the window to study her complexion. "Are you angry?"

An Tong shot him a reproachful glance and said leisurely, "Perhaps I'm just furious out of embarrassment."

At these words, the smile on the man's lips deepened even further. He ruffled her hair, started the engine, and drove out of the parking lot.

***

Meanwhile, in the sports car, after watching Rong Jiu's Cayenne drive away, Xiao Mingyu rolled down the window and lit a cigarette.

Immediately afterward, the sound of a lighter clicked from the passenger side.

Turning his head, he saw that Rong Xian had also lit a slim mint cigarette, holding it delicately between her fingertips as she squinted and exhaled a plume of smoke.

Xiao Mingyu narrowed his eyes, and through the faint, hazy smoke, he found himself unable to look away.

In truth, he didn't like women who smoked, or rather... very few men wanted their own women to turn into chimneys.

After all, steeped in millennia of cultural tradition, a woman holding a cigarette inevitably gave off a somewhat worldly, sophisticated air.

Yet Rong Xian was different. The way she smoked, much like her very being, was elegant and poised.

The slender mint cigarette glowed on and off between her fingertips, wisps of smoke swirling around her to add an extra layer of allure to her dignified and beautiful face.

The space inside the car was limited, and Rong Xian soon noticed his gaze. She cast a sideways glance at the man beside her, saying, "What are you looking at? Just drive."

Xiao Mingyu didn't move. He remained half-turned, gazing at the poised and distinguished woman. "Rong Xian, let's get married."

"Cough, cough, cough, cough—"

Before she could exhale the smoke, Rong Xian choked on it directly.

Rarely showing any vulnerability, she felt the burning smoke irritate her throat like fire, turning her face red from the coughing fit.

Xiao Mingyu, feeling a sudden urge to laugh, gently patted her back. "Is it really necessary to be this excited?"

Rong Xian leaned back against the passenger door, batted the man's hand away, and finally caught her breath. Her tone grew several degrees colder. "I'll just take those words as a joke, and don't ever say them again."

"Are you trying to pull your pants up and deny everything?"

Rong Xian: "..."

She had never been a match for Xiao Mingyu's thick-skinned shamelessness, nor was she capable of casually spouting flirtatious nonsense like him.

Silence hung in the cabin for a few seconds before Rong Xian irritably tossed her cigarette into an unfinished bottle of mineral water. "When we got together, we made it very clear. Both of us are adults; it's just about having fun. Don't drag marriage into this."

Xiao Mingyu wasn't angry. After all, a woman like Rong Xian wasn't someone who could be won over easily, nor would she have consumed so much of his time and energy otherwise. "Fine, we'll talk about it later then."

This time, it was Rong Xian's turn to be surprised.

Frowning, she scrutinized the man's handsome features before suddenly bursting into a laugh. "Xiao Mingyu, you aren't sincere about wanting to marry me either, right? Putting on such a deeply affectionate act—you might as well just say you want to squeeze more money out of me."

"Mmm, money and people are both good things, so I want both."

Rong Xian's face darkened. "Who are you calling a thing?"

Xiao Mingyu hooked his lips lazily. "My place or yours tonight?"

"I'm going home. I have an early meeting tomorrow morning, so tonight you can—"

The rest of her words were cut off as Xiao Mingyu pinned her back against the seat and kissed her thoroughly. Afterward, he devilishly licked his lips and smiled wickedly, "Since you have a meeting tomorrow, we'll go to your place. It's closer to your company anyway, and I'll drop you off tomorrow morning."

Rong Xian leaned against the backrest, resentfully wiping the corners of her mouth. The sheer physical disparity between men and women meant she was destined never to win any advantage against Xiao Mingyu.

"Do you men only have those dirty things on your minds all day long?"

"Then perhaps you should look for the reason within yourself." Xiao Mingyu laughed open-handedly, pinching her chin and raising an eyebrow. "However, if you really want to know what goes on in men's minds, you can always ask your brother. My answer might not be objective enough, after all."

Rong Xian rolled her eyes ungraciously, aggressively slapped his hand away, turned her head to look out the window, and fell silent.

Yet deep inside, a wave of profound helplessness washed over her.

You could never reason with a rogue.

Seeing her infuriated yet utterly speechless, Xiao Mingyu leaned in close to her ear and murmured meaningfully, "Darling, as for whether I'm sincere or not... you'll find out in time."

His intention to marry Rong Xian was far from a passing whim.

A man knew what he wanted in his heart much better than a woman did, and he knew even better what kind of woman he wanted.

Besides, Rong Xian hadn't shown nearly as much coldness and aversion toward him as she pretended.

Xiao Mingyu started the car and pulled out onto the road. Out of the corner of his eye, he occasionally checked on the woman beside him, his handsome face darkening slightly when he caught sight of the phone in her hand.

Her passcode was still her ex-boyfriend's birthday. Hm, this was something they definitely needed to have a serious talk about once they got back.