Chapter 7: Big Brother Promises Not to Beat You to Death

Wen Fucheng’s proximity caused Ying Jing’s face to flush instantly.

Fortunately, the night hid the shyness on her face.

She didn't think that in such an ambiguous situation, he would have any thoughts of kissing her.

Her wandering thoughts lasted only two or three seconds.

The colorful neon lights slipped quietly into the car, flashing across the girl’s face.

The warmth of his fingertips pressed down on the center of her brow.

"Wipe it yourself."

Before the tissue could fall from her face, Ying Jing reached out and held it in place.

With the tissue covering most of her face across the bridge of her nose, she looked up at the pair of eyes exposed above it.

Immersed in her nervousness, Ying Jing did not notice the fleeting look of unnaturalness in the man’s eyes.

She lowered her head to wipe away the sweat on her face.

Wen Fucheng instructed the driver in front to turn the temperature down a bit more.

Ying Jing hurriedly stopped him. "No need, we're almost there. This is fine, thank you." When they were eating, she had sat two seats away from him. While serving food, she heard him cough several times; the sound was very soft, but it still couldn't escape the ears of Ying Jing, who was constantly paying attention to his every move.

The dark circles under his eyes were quite noticeable.

He must be so exhausted!

Even being this tired, he still made a special trip from the Imperial Capital to Shanghai just to vet Wen Yue’s girlfriend.

She really envied Wen Yue.

In her past life, Wen Fucheng’s business empire was incredibly powerful. Because of her, the Wen family’s assets were eventually withdrawn from China entirely, focusing on overseas expansion. That was what gave the male lead, Lu Zishu, the opportunity to seize nearly seventy percent of the industry within that professional field, dominating the market.

She hoped that this time, everything would still be in time.

She hoped he wouldn't have to lose so much because of her.

Ying Jing watched him quietly. He was so vigilant; she had felt it the moment she got in the car. He didn't call her out, and even let her look to her heart's content.

This time, he appeared before her earlier.

Would he look at her a few more times?

The man who had always been a master of strategy was, for the first time, feeling insecure about his own appearance.

He had already challenged what Lu Zishu meant to Ying Jing in his past life, and he had lost miserably. In this life, he could only gradually open her heart and slowly shift her attention toward himself.

Using the method of boiling a frog in warm water.

The two people in the back seat were each harboring their own thoughts.

Upon reaching the destination, Ying Jing got out of the car and was about to leave when she suddenly thought of something.

She turned and walked back to the car. The lowered window hadn't been rolled up after she left. Standing by the roadside, aided by the night, she bent over and poked her head into the window. Her eyes were bright, her expression cunning.

She wore a faint smile.

"Thank you for the ride, Mr. Wen. Will you be in Shanghai for a while? I know a very famous Shanghai-style restaurant. If you have time, I’d like to treat you to a meal to express my gratitude."

In both her past and present lives, this was the first time Ying Jing had been this proactive. Once a precedent was set, there would surely be countless times in the future—who told him he was more important than her pride?

The small hands twisted in her dress were sweating no less than before.

Ying Jing was gambling, gambling on whether he would agree to her.

She couldn't wait for him to fall for her in this life; she would take the initiative.

Logically speaking, someone as busy as Wen Fucheng wouldn't waste time with a young girl like Ying Jing.

The driver was curious too; while looking straight ahead, his ears were actually pricked up high.

Then came a 'click'—the car door opened. While Ying Jing was waiting, Wen Fucheng took the initiative to get out. She hadn't realized it before, but standing in front of her, he was so tall, drawing all the air around her into his space.

He just looked at her quietly, saying nothing.

Cars passed by one after another, the wind they stirred up lifting her hair.

In the thin air, she held her breath.

He held his phone out to her with a fair hand.

He said, "Save your number?"

His private number.

Ying Jing took the phone and swiped it open; there was no preset password. She hurriedly saved her number and name.

A deep, mellow voice came from above her head.

"I will return to the Imperial Capital tomorrow."

He finished the last word just as Ying Jing finished saving the number, which meant she couldn't have dinner with him.

Well, that was okay. At least this time, they had met early, hadn't they?

Ying Jing feigned indifference.

"That's a pity, I'll just have to treat you next time..." Before she could finish, she was interrupted.

He took the phone back from her hand.

"So, see you in three days."

Ying Jing looked up in astonishment, but the man had already turned and gotten into the car. At his signal, the driver started the engine, and she watched it slowly pull away.

Ying Jing’s gaze followed the car; it was the person inside she was attached to.

[Because I will return to the Imperial Capital tomorrow.]

[So, see you in three days.]

He had agreed.

That was what he meant, right? It had to be what she thought it meant.

Ying Jing skipped all the way to find Uncle Li, who had been waiting for her.

"Miss, why are you so happy today?"

"Of course I'm happy, because today I..." Soon, she couldn't smile anymore. Wait, had she forgotten something important?

She had saved her number on Wen Fucheng’s phone, but she didn't have his contact information on her own phone!

What if he was just being polite? If he never contacted her, wouldn't that be a disaster?

Ying Jing slumped in her seat, feeling depressed.

"Uncle Li, am I cursed when it comes to love?" It never went smoothly in either of her lives.

Oh Heavens, considering how miserably I died in my past life, could you please make sure Cupid doesn't have shaky hands when he shoots his arrows!

"Miss is so cute and beautiful, and you're still young. It's normal to meet the wrong person; you will meet someone you truly like in the future."

Listening to the subtext in Uncle Li’s words, he might as well have said Lu Zishu’s name out loud.

"You're right, Uncle Li. I will meet someone I truly like in the future. But it has nothing to do with Lu Zishu. Don't mention his name in front of me again." Stay away from the original book's leads, and focus on chasing Wen Fucheng for a sweet romance.

Ying Jing imagined a beautiful future until she arrived home.

She saw another familiar car in the garage.

"Is Brother back?"

"The young master came back this evening. He was going to call you, but when he heard I went to pick you up, he said you should go find him in the study when you get back."

The study!

She was bound to be lectured again.

The two people who held the reins in the Ying family were Father Ying and her brother, Ying Zenan.

Compared to her father, Ying Jing was more afraid of Ying Zenan.

Her father was indulgent, while her brother was strict.

But having experienced everything in her past life, she knew that Ying Zenan was all bark and no bite. Even though he said he wouldn't help her, he eventually ended up becoming the final straw that broke the Ying family because he stood up against the all-powerful male lead, Lu Zishu.

What awaited him was a cold prison cell.

Her brother had gambled his life and fortune for her; this time, she would absolutely not repeat the same mistakes.

Absolutely not.

When Ying Jing attempted suicide, Ying Zenan was inspecting a branch office abroad. The Ying family kept the news tightly under wraps, but that didn't stop someone from reporting it to him the moment he landed.

Standing before the door, Ying Jing took a deep breath and pushed it open to walk in.

Seeing her, Ying Zenan looked up from a pile of documents.

He slowly closed his laptop and beckoned to the girl at the door.

He smiled, yet not quite.

"Come here. Brother promises not to beat you to death."

Ying Jing:...