Su Yue almost choked on her tea.
Chen Ziming came to her side, patting her back while smiling, "He saw you on stage last time and even praised you to me."
Su Yue was shocked.
So that day, the imposing and oppressive gaze wasn't an illusion, nor a casual glance.
It was truly him, sizing her up?!
She suddenly felt an overwhelming sense of flattered surprise.
But she still didn't dare to go.
If he hadn't promised her yesterday in front of those medals, she probably would still be scared.
Just thinking about sitting down to eat with such a person made her heart tremble for a long time.
Seeing this, Chen Ziming didn't press further. Instead, he rubbed her hair and comforted her, "Sweetheart, take your time to consider. If you really can't, have some wine before you go; it might give you more courage."
Su Yue: ???
She wanted to scold him, but considering the aunts were still present, she merely shot him a glare and ignored him.
In the afternoon, he suggested taking her to a large indoor garden, and Su Yue was happy to oblige.
Just as Chen Ziming was taking photos of her with her phone, he suddenly received a call.
"It's your mother," he said, glancing at the incoming call. His brow furrowed inadvertently, and then he handed her the phone.
Su Yue's heart skipped a beat. She took the phone and instinctively moved away from him, going to a quiet corner.
"Yueyue, have you forgotten about your mother? You reply to messages slowly, and I can never reach you by phone. I have to chat with Niannian's mom to know you're about to have your debate finals," Jiang Ling's displeased voice came from the other end of the line.
"Mmm, I'm out right now, it's not convenient. We'll talk when I get back."
She hadn't forgotten her mother, but whenever she talked to her, her mother would always bring up Su Minghua.
This put pressure on her.
"Su Yue!" Jiang Ling grew angry.
She took a deep breath, but still couldn't hang up the phone.
"After your debate competition, it will be the Mid-Autumn Festival. You have to come home for a gathering, right?"
So that was the reason.
Su Yue suddenly realized something was amiss. She subtly glanced at the man standing in the distance.
He was busy texting, seemingly occupied.
"I'm not coming back. I'm going to my boyfriend's house."
She blurted it out.
Whether she would actually go was another matter; for now, she just wanted to placate her mother.
Jiang Ling finally lost her temper, her voice suddenly rising, "I'm ashamed of you! You're living with a boyfriend openly, and if your father hadn't spoken up for you and investigated this boy's background, I would have dragged you home already!"
"You haven't even established anything yet, and now you're going to his house for a holiday? Aren't you ashamed to be so eager and clingy?"
"Ask yourself, how much worry has your father put in for you? Why are you so stubborn? If something doesn't go your way, you won't even come home!"
Jiang Ling had never scolded Su Yue like this before.
She loved her daughter and once regretted bringing her into this world.
Until she met Su Minghua.
Without him, she and her daughter wouldn't have what they have today.
Su Yue was stunned, tears welling up in her eyes.
On the other end, Jiang Ling wanted to say more, but Su Yue couldn't listen any longer. Instinctively, she hung up the phone.
Then, she switched her phone to airplane mode.
Tears flowed more profusely, and she felt a deep sense of powerlessness.
Moving forward meant being like her mother said, not valuing herself, cohabiting so openly with a man.
Stepping back meant facing Su Minghua's inscrutable attitude. If her mother wasn't just speaking casually...
Why would he still speak well of her?
Su Yue had thought he was merely intimidated and had reluctantly persuaded Jiang Ling.
"Finished the call?" Just as her mind was in chaos, the man's voice came from behind her.
That fleeting sense of unease returned.
Chen Ziming never seemed to care who her parents were.
During the long summer vacation, she lived in his house. Didn't he care why she wasn't going home?
If this could still be explained away by him not having thought of it,
Then on the festive occasion of the Mid-Autumn Festival, he didn't ask at all if she was going home, but rather, so confidently, invited her to his own home.
So confident, it seemed he knew she had nowhere to go.