061 This Astonishing Leap in Emotional Intelligence
“Qingcheng, be good, will you come to me?”
...
“Qingcheng, I’ll be leaving in a couple of days, and I won’t be here when you take your exams.”
...
“Qingcheng, I worry about you. Come here and let me see you, won’t you?”
...
“Qingcheng,”
“Qingcheng,”
“Qingcheng,”
...
“Qingcheng, Qingcheng?”
Mu Qingcheng had no idea when she had fallen asleep.
Her mind was foggy when, all of a sudden, she heard someone calling her name over and over by her ear.
A large hand gently shook her shoulder...
“Who—?”
Her reaction was pure instinct.
Almost without thinking, Mu Qingcheng reached out and caught the other person’s wrist in a swift, precise grip.
“Qingcheng?!”
...
A second later, Mu Qingcheng’s eyes flew open in astonishment!
What she saw was Si Qingchen’s slightly surprised face, yet he still looked at her with nothing but tenderness.
“Awake?”
...
Mu Qingcheng did not apologize; she only withdrew her hand at once.
With her brows lowered, she slowly stretched out her limbs, her mind calm, though countless thoughts flashed by.
“Are you cold? Want to put on a jacket?”
Si Qingchen didn’t seem to notice anything amiss, behaving as usual.
As he spoke, he took off his suit jacket and draped it directly over her shoulders.
In an instant, his uniquely forceful scent enveloped Mu Qingcheng, seeping into her senses. Instinctively, she turned her head aside—only to bump right into the bridge of his nose, so close at hand.
“I... I’m not cold.”
“...All right, be good, but wear it anyway.”
His voice was deep, almost hypnotic, the rumbling bass making Mu Qingcheng’s head spin as it resonated in her ear.
At the same time, Si Qingchen could feel the heartbeat he was trying so hard to suppress threatening to spiral out of control.
His gaze kept drifting to the girl’s lips...
They looked so soft, so full, impossible to resist touching, and yet... he dared not.
Not yet—don’t frighten her.
After a moment, Si Qingchen took a deep breath and forced himself to look away.
He reached out and gently tousled Mu Qingcheng’s hair, his tone as gentle as ever.
“Come, let’s go eat.”
With that, he straightened and stepped aside, giving her space.
Fresh air rushed back to surround Mu Qingcheng. She drew a deep breath, gathered the jacket closer around her, bent down, and stepped out of the car.
“Qingcheng.”
Si Qingchen was standing right in front of her.
Seeing her cheeks flushed crimson, the arc of the man’s smile reached his eyes. After a pause, he couldn’t help but lift his hand to straighten her perfectly tidy clothes.
But just as he was about to lower his hand, it lingered on her shoulder...
“Si Qingchen, you...”
At that moment, his palms, pressed to her shoulders, felt almost scalding—heat seeping through the fabric as if to burn her skin.
Mu Qingcheng instinctively frowned, unable to guess what he meant to do.
But then she saw Si Qingchen sigh in defeat, a helpless chuckle escaping him.
“Sorry. I was out of line.”
With those words, the hand that had lingered so long slipped down—and firmly clasped the small hand hidden beneath the wide lapel of his coat.
The girl’s eyes widened at once, a tingling sensation blooming from their joined palms, creeping up her arm, and then—inevitably—spreading through her entire body.
Si Qingchen, noticing that she showed no sign of resistance or displeasure, felt a rare and profound satisfaction.
They exchanged a glance; the man smiled faintly, then turned and led his beloved girl by the hand into the house.
****
Elsewhere
At the main entrance of the mansion,
Si Nan could hardly contain his smugness as he bumped Si Bei’s shoulder, whispering,
“Told you there’d be progress today. The usual—one thousand bucks, transfer it to me later.”
...
Si Bei was utterly baffled, unable to fathom how his own boss’s emotional intelligence had improved so dramatically and so suddenly.
But it didn’t take long for him to realize: it was all thanks to his good-for-nothing little brother, who was useless at everything—except conning girls.