Chapter 17: A Little Princess in Private, Needing to be Coaxed

Zhou Yinhe opened his eyes, his gaze filled with nothing but bewilderment; what he had experienced three years ago was simply too painful.

But seeing her crying in front of him, he felt that this pain was even more unbearable than what he had endured three years ago.

"As long as you aren't afraid, try again." Seeing him in this state, Qi Zhan made a decision on his behalf.

"No."

After a long silence, Zhou Yinhe uttered those two words faintly. Sitting up straight, he took the glass of wine Qi Zhan handed him and drained it in one gulp. After swallowing, he paused for a moment before saying, "I don't want to repeat the same mistakes."

He was simply petty, and he simply couldn't forget. That was why, even when he occasionally acted uncontrollably—such as carrying that bouquet back to his office, or hugging Wen Ling just now to apologize—he still restrained the urge to reconcile.

After vomiting in the restroom, Wen Ling had sobered up considerably. Leaning against the sink, she tried to recall the scenes from her drunken stupor. Aside from that Young Master Wu who had been flirting with her, the only thing she could remember was the scene of herself sobbing uncontrollably while hugging Zhou Yinhe.

With so many people watching just now, Wen Ling stared at herself in the mirror. She cupped some water and splashed it on her face, only to feel the flush that had just subsided rushing back again. Although she desperately wanted them to know she was pursuing Zhou Yinhe, she didn't want to make a fool of herself either.

Right now, she only wanted to go home. Walking out of the restroom, she said to Manager Song with her head lowered, "I want to go home. Please go and let them know."

Manager Song froze for a moment, then could only say, "Alright, then please go back and get some good rest."

Wen Ling nodded and left in a dejected state. The two bodyguards hurried to follow her. Once they stepped out of the bar and the surroundings grew quiet, one of them asked while walking, "Miss, are you alright? Do you want to go back and have Doctor Qiao give you a check-up?"

"I'm fine," Wen Ling replied in a low tone, letting out a faint sigh.

"That Young Master Wu from tonight... I'm afraid he'll cause trouble tomorrow. Do we need to contact Old Mr. Wen?" the bodyguard asked softly.

He didn't believe that the owner of this bar, the "Young Master Jiang" they spoke of, would handle this matter. If necessary, they would still need to contact Old Mr. Wen.

Wen Ling glanced back at the neon-lit, bustling bar, pursed her lips, and said, "No need. Jiang Jibai should handle it."

She got into the car, biting her lip in frustration. If she had known, she wouldn't have come out.

Wen Ling did not go out again the next day. The flight from Country M to the Capital took over ten hours, and by the time she arrived, it was already the morning of the third day.

Having stayed indoors all day yesterday, Wen Ling had long since organized her thoughts. Now that her precious cat son was arriving, she excitedly instructed the driver to take her to the airport.

Lu Zhaoye was thoughtful; fearing that the cargo hold would cause her cat son any discomfort or hardship, he went through the back door directly, having his assistant take the cat on a first-class flight.

When Wen Ling arrived at the airport, the plane had not yet landed, so she went to sit in the VIP lounge for a while.

Unexpectedly, as she turned her head, her peripheral vision caught the silhouette she had been longing for.

He was leaning back in a single armchair, dressed cleanly in white clothes and black trousers. His temperament was cold and languid, radiating an aura of detachment that warned others not to approach. He sat with his arms crossed, eyes closed to rest against the back of the chair. Sitting upright beside him was a man in a suit, who appeared to be Zhou Yinhe's secretary.

Wen Ling pursed her lips and gave her bodyguard a look. She walked over herself and sat gently on the sofa on the other side of Zhou Yinhe.

The secretary, Cheng Yu, glanced at her, somewhat wary of whether this beautiful young girl was trying to strike up a conversation with his boss, as such things happened frequently.

Before he could speak, he heard the young girl softly call out his boss's name.

"Zhou Yinhe, what a coincidence."

Zhou Yinhe raised his eyes, his gaze still somewhat vacant and carrying a lingering drowsiness. When he saw Wen Ling, his heart actually gave a sudden leap, giving him the illusion that it might jump right out of his chest.

Wen Ling bit her lip gently and explained flusteredly, "I didn't follow you here; I have something to do."

"Mm," Zhou Yinhe responded faintly. He lowered his eyes and sat up straight, saying calmly, "Quite a coincidence."

Wen Ling was a bit nervous. She secretly exhaled and asked, "What are you doing here? Picking someone up?"

"Mm," Zhou Yinhe responded, still cold.

"Can you stop being so cold to me?" Wen Ling truly couldn't stand him being like this. From the time she left for China until her reunion with him, even if he had been sarcastic, it would have been better than this coldness that made her heart panic.

Only then did Zhou Yinhe look up at her. His dark eyes were filled with her reflection. After a brief silence, he said calmly, "Wen Ling, let's not meet anymore. I will not reconcile with you."

Wen Ling was completely stunned. Her expression went blank for a moment. When she regained her senses, she realized her entire body was trembling. She swallowed dryly, stood up, and asked with forced composure, "Why? Just because of what happened three years ago? I really had a reason back then. You should have sensed something was wrong, I..."

"Regardless of the reason, it is unacceptable to me," Zhou Yinhe interrupted her.

"That's impossible! Zhou Yinhe, the main reason I came to the Capital was because of you. You know my personality best; I won't give up like this. Anyway, you can't control me. If I want to pursue you, I will. And if I can't catch you, I'll do just like that day—have someone intercept you and lock you up until you reconcile with me!" Wen Ling's aggrieved expression faded slightly; the hurt and resentment in her eyes dissipated, gradually being replaced by stubbornness as she spoke out of spite.

Hearing this, Zhou Yinhe frowned deeply, his jaw tightening. Just as he opened his mouth to speak, he saw Wen Ling turn around and stomp away in a huff. Seeing this, the two bodyguards glanced at Zhou Yinhe before jogging after Wen Ling.

"What a temper!" Zhou Yinhe snapped angrily. Cheng Yu withdrew his gaze. Having been by Zhou Yinhe's side for over two years, he knew his boss—this young master of the Zhou family, a precious figure among the elite of the Capital—only appeared lazy and arrogant on the surface, as if he held nothing and no one in contempt. In reality, behind the scenes, he was like a little princess who needed someone to coax him.

*At this moment, the boss must be secretly happy in his heart,* Cheng Yu couldn't help but think. *So this is the 'White Moonlight' the boss has been longing for.*

Wen Ling walked out of the lounge in a rage, but she still couldn't resist turning back to glare one last time. Her teeth-gritting expression made even the two bodyguards feel a bit panicked.

"Miss, how about we wait in another lounge? I see the plane is about to land; we should be able to pick up Master Hehe very soon," the bodyguard advised cautiously.

Wen Ling huffed and curled her lip. She didn't even go to a lounge, instead finding a seat directly in the arrival hall.

The bodyguards exchanged a look and had no choice but to stand beside her and wait.

A moment later, a man pushing a pet stroller walked over. The bodyguard saw him first and whispered to the still-sulking Wen Ling, "Miss, Master Hehe has arrived."

Upon hearing this, Wen Ling snapped her head up. Seeing the cat's head peeking out from the pet stroller, she felt her heart melt.

She stood up and jogged over, her voice involuntarily changing into a soft, drawn-out tone: "Baby~"

Hehe meowed at her a few times, his voice soft and delicate, sounding both like a complaint and a plea for affection. It made Wen Ling's heart melt, and the Zhou Yinhe in her mind was tossed aside.

"Oh, my baby, come let Mommy touch you."

(End of Chapter)