Chapter 145: That Auntie... I Think I've Seen Her Before?

In broad daylight! With so many eyes upon them!

He actually had the audacity to discuss such a thing with her with a straight face!

Lu Qingyue’s earlobes burned with such intensity they felt as though they were on fire. She shot him a look of indignant shame and retorted in a hushed, resentful whisper, “...It does not count!”

Cheng Xingye let out a low laugh. Unable to resist, he brushed a kiss against her soft, rounded earlobe. He was just about to say that he would find another way to please her tonight when his gaze drifted inadvertently behind her, and he suddenly froze.

About three to five meters from the elevator entrance, Guo Mengyun, dressed in a long black velvet gown, stood behind the information desk accompanied by her assistant, Xiao He. She was waiting for Cheng Li to come downstairs so they could head to a banquet together.

Cheng Xingye had no idea how long she had been standing there, nor if she had seen Lu Qingyue.

It wasn't that he was afraid to bring Lu Qingyue before them and introduce her properly as his girlfriend; it was simply that with Cheng Li and Guo Mengyun’s current attitudes remaining unclear, he did not want Lu Qingyue to suffer even the slightest grievance in their presence.

He pressed his lips into a thin line, reached up to cover the back of Lu Qingyue’s head, and tucked her face into his chest, shielding her from any gaze that might be cast from Guo Mengyun’s direction.

As he turned, he took her hand and said in a calm, casual tone, as if nothing at all had happened, “Let’s go. I’ll take you to get something to eat first.”

Lu Qingyue let out a soft “oh” and, obediently allowing herself to be led, turned around. Suddenly, she caught a glimpse of Guo Mengyun’s figure.

In fact, as the Chairman’s wife, Guo Mengyun stood there surrounded by a crowd of people; it was difficult not to notice her.

Lu Qingyue blinked in confusion and asked, “That lady over there... I think I’ve seen her before?”

Although she couldn’t make out her face clearly, the woman’s carriage and aura were far from ordinary. Lu Qingyue remembered having an impression of such a person, yet she couldn't for the life of her recall who she was.

Her words made Cheng Xingye pause slightly. He turned his head and looked down at her. His tone remained seemingly calm, but his dark eyes were fixed intently upon her. “Where have you seen her?”

Lu Qingyue thought hard, but still couldn't remember. She was so hungry she felt hollow, and losing patience, she shook his arm and pouted coquettishly, “I don’t remember! Cheng Xingye, let’s go eat! I’m starving to death!”

Cheng Xingye’s eyes flashed with a hint of coldness, though he reached out and wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her firmly to his side. “Alright.”

...

The marble floor reflected the swirling light and shadows.

The elevator doors opened, and Chairman Cheng stepped out. Having changed into a suit, he was surrounded by a crowd as he walked toward the exit.

Seeing him emerge, Guo Mengyun stepped forward to loop her arm through his, accompanying him as they walked. An assistant followed two or three meters behind, carrying Cheng Li’s overcoat.

As they walked, Guo Mengyun whispered a few words into his ear.

Cheng Li looked up, following her gaze, and asked in a low voice, “Is that the young girl?”

In the direction he was looking, a petite girl was held in Cheng Xingye’s embrace, looking up at him with a beaming face while saying something animated.

The girl wore her hair in a simple bun and was dressed in a youthful, stylish way. She wore no luxury brands, yet she possessed a vitality and radiance unique to a young woman.

Guo Mengyun was also watching Lu Qingyue. To be honest, she had a very good impression of her.

Large eyes, a delicate nose, and a sweet voice that carried no affectation—she looked exactly like a child who had been raised with love and care.

She held her husband’s arm with poise and grace, her voice uncharacteristically soft, “Yes! Isn’t she quite pretty?”

Cheng Li scrutinized her for a moment. She was indeed a pretty little thing. Tucked against Cheng Xingye’s side, she looked soft and obedient, certainly different from the girls they usually encountered in their circle.

But what did being pretty matter?

Cheng Li gave a cold, dismissive snort. “...What’s the point of being pretty? In a family like ours, do you think we’d struggle to find someone pretty?”

That was, in fact, the truth. Guo Mengyun fell silent for a few seconds and gave a tacit nod.

Seeing her agreement, Cheng Li pressed his lips together and said bluntly, “Looks don't matter. What’s important is upright character and a respectable background. We don’t want people like the Ye or Xu families, who only think about how to use their daughters to take shortcuts.”

Hearing this, Guo Mengyun felt that making such unfounded assumptions about a young girl was unfair, so she offered a few words in Lu Qingyue’s defense. “Xiao He asked around with her counselor at Jiang University. Her father is a doctor and her mother is a teacher; she really does seem to be a girl raised in a decent, middle-class home.”

Outside the automatic doors, the driver opened the Bentley’s door, and Cheng Li leaned in to sit down. He smoothed his suit jacket, and without committing himself, murmured, “We’ll see after I’ve met her myself.”

...

A cold night breeze swept into the city from every direction.

In the high-rise apartment, Lu Qingyue sat in the warmth of the room, hugging her knees and letting out a long yawn.

Two hours had passed since they returned home. During those two hours, Cheng Xingye had claimed he had work to attend to, retreated into his study, and hadn't stepped out since.

In truth, during dinner, Lu Qingyue had sensed that his mood was a bit off. If she thought about it carefully, his expression had been rather dark ever since they encountered that woman outside the Dingli Building.

Lu Qingyue rested her arm on the sofa and propped her chin in her hand, thinking blankly for a while, but she still couldn't make sense of it.

That woman looked to be about his mother’s age. But if she truly were his mother, why would he have turned so cold and silent, so unlike his usual self?

Immersed in her own conjectures, Lu Qingyue stared blankly out the window, not even noticing how much time had passed.