Yu Qi quietly watched Long Hui as he turned around and walked away from her toward the back of the store. The moment he was out of sight, her racing heartbeat finally shifted from absolute chaos back to its normal, steady rhythm. Before she could fully compose herself, her two doting aunties approached her side, both wearing incredibly weird, knowing smiles on their faces.
"Aunties, please don't look at me and smile like that." Yu Qi said, letting out a soft, helpless sigh when she caught the mischievous expressions on Ming Yue and Su Xiao's faces.
"Smile like what, dear?" Su Xiao teased her immediately, her eyes twinkling with amusement.
"What exactly were the two of you talking about just now?" Ming Yue quickly threw a follow-up question at Yu Qi.
Both Ming Yue and Su Xiao stood there expectantly, eagerly waiting to hear some juicy, romantic details from their young niece.
"It was really nothing major. He just politely asked me what I was doing here at the mall today." Yu Qi answered honestly.
That was definitely not a satisfying answer as far as Ming Yue and Su Xiao were concerned. They had fully expected that a smooth man like Long Hui would have thrown out some subtle romantic hooks and clever bait to catch Yu Qi's attention.
Seeing their disappointed expressions, Yu Qi casually continued, "And then, he asked me if I could wait here for him until he finishes his business."
The very second those words left her mouth, Ming Yue and Su Xiao's eyes instantly lit up with excitement. Yu Qi secretly wanted to burst out laughing when she saw her aunties' dramatic reactions to her last sentence. The two older women looked exactly like eager viewers watching a gripping romantic drama unfold right before their eyes. The only difference was that the main actress and actor in this particular show were people they actually knew in real life.
"And then? What happened next?" Su Xiao pressed, dying to know the next development.
"I honestly don't know what he wants to do next." Yu Qi admitted.
She was also genuinely curious about why he had suddenly requested her to wait around for him in the boutique.
....
Long Hui walked closely behind the young sales assistant who had come to inform him about Gen Tao. Once they arrived at a private office door on the second floor, the girl knocked politely. A clear voice answered from within, telling them to enter. The assistant swung the door open and warmly invited Long Hui to step inside the room.
Upon entering the luxurious space, he spotted a young man dressed in a sharp, tailored blue suit. This young man appeared to be in his early twenties, possessing a highly sophisticated aura.
Long Hui strode directly over to the plush leather sofa and sat down comfortably, without waiting for the young man to formally invite him to take a seat.
"Where is the item I requested?" Long Hui asked, getting straight to the point without any preamble.
"Huh! What a wonderful friend you are. Can't we at least have a bit of casual small talk first?" The young man grumbled.
This person was the very man Long Hui had come to see, Gen Tao.
Gen Tao was a highly talented jewellery designer and the sole owner of this prestigious jewellery store.
"I have something extremely important to do right now. I don't have the luxury of time to waste sitting here talking to you." Long Hui replied, his tone visibly annoyed with Gen Tao's stalling tactics.
Naturally, his beloved woman was waiting for him downstairs, so he felt a burning need to hurry things up. Gen Tao, on the other hand, seemed to thoroughly enjoy watching Long Hui's typically unshakeable face fill with annoyance.
"And what exactly is this incredibly important thing that you need to do?" Gen Tao asked, a playful smile spreading across his face.
"Hurry up and give it to me. My beloved is waiting for me downstairs right now." Long Hui stated.
Even though he spoke the words with his usual blank, stoic expression, the exact moment the word 'beloved' slipped past his lips, his voice unconsciously softened into a remarkably gentle tone.
Hearing the word 'beloved' come out of Long Hui's mouth instantly aroused Gen Tao's intense interest. It made him wildly curious, especially since such a romantic concept was coming from a notoriously cold block of ice like Long Hui.
"Who is she?" Gen Tao asked eagerly, leaning forward.
"Just give me the item." Long Hui demanded, completely ignoring Gen Tao's prying question.
Gen Tao quickly reached over and handed over the specific item that Long Hui had requested. Long Hui had just explicitly stated that his mysterious beloved was waiting for him right downstairs. This meant she was currently inside the shop. Gen Tao desperately wanted to see exactly who the unlucky girl was who had managed to catch the terrifying Long Hui's strict attention. He silently formulated a plan to follow Long Hui outside.
Long Hui firmly grabbed the precious item and securely slipped it into the inner pocket of his jacket. He stood up and left the VVIP room without saying another single word to Gen Tao. Gen Tao simply let him walk away without getting offended; he was already entirely too familiar with Long Hui's blunt, no-nonsense character. Furthermore, he was much more focused on sneaking out to follow him.
Long Hui did not care in the slightest about what Gen Tao was thinking. As far as he was concerned, his beloved Yu Qi was a thousand times more important than anything else. He felt like he had already wasted too much precious time talking with Gen Tao. Stepping back onto the main showroom floor, he immediately spotted Yu Qi, who was still quietly browsing through the jade section.
"Yu Qi." Long Hui called out softly as he approached her.
"Yes?" Yu Qi turned around to face him.
"Can we go somewhere together? Just the two of us." Long Hui said, deliberately highlighting the last sentence to make his intentions clear.
"But... I am currently out with my aunties today." Yu Qi replied hesitantly, gesturing toward the other side of the room.
"Okay." Long Hui nodded simply and immediately turned on his heel to walk away.
Yu Qi stood there, completely dumbfounded. She could not believe Long Hui had given up his pursuit so incredibly fast. However, she became significantly more dumbfounded a few seconds later when she watched Long Hui calmly walk straight over to her two aunties to converse with them.
Her aunties listened to him, nodding their heads with massive, supportive smiles. Then, both aunties simultaneously turned their gaze back toward Yu Qi. They playfully lifted their hands and flashed her a clear 'OK' sign with their fingers.
Long Hui smoothly walked right back over to where she was standing. He was incredibly swift and efficient in his methods.
"I have already successfully obtained official permission from your aunties to bring you along with me." Long Hui said, a handsome, victorious smile gracing his face.
"Okay then." Yu Qi replied, realising she had no choice but to agree now, since she had completely run out of valid excuses to decline.
Ming Yue and Su Xiao giggled happily together as they watched the young couple finally exit the jewellery store side-by-side. The direct, confident way Long Hui had marched over to ask for their permission was incredibly cool in their eyes. Watching them walk away fondly made both aunties reminisce about the sweet romance of their own younger days.
Meanwhile, Gen Tao, who had carefully followed Long Hui out of the office, was utterly shocked to witness the notoriously icy man smiling so sweetly and tenderly at a girl. He studied the young woman from a distance. She was undoubtedly quite beautiful, but she still looked exceptionally young. She looked like she might still be in high school.
Where on earth did a guy like Long Hui manage to find a girl like that? What could have possibly possessed the great, terrifying Major Long Hui to take such a strong fancy to a young girl? What was this girl's hidden secret? Did she somehow discover his weakness and use it to blackmail him? A massive flood of wild questions continuously appeared in Gen Tao's thoroughly baffled mind.
***This novel is a contracted work with w e b n o v e l. c o m. If you do not read this novel on w e b n o v e l. c o m, that means it has been stolen. Thank you, from your shameless author, ZerahNeko***