Zhong Mian did not spare the escaping woman another glance. Instead, she focussed on her mission and walked to Zhong Feng"s office. She nodded at his secretaries before knocking lightly on the dark hardwood and opening the door.Her brother seemed to have been expecting her. He had probably known about her presence as soon as she had pa.s.sed through the gate. She stood at the entrance and looked at him for a moment in silence. He seemed to have changed since she had last seen him.
His beautiful face was still that of a banished sinful immortal. And he still looked apathetic, as if removed from the concerns of the world. However, his eyes were different. The swirling cruelty and the swelling blood thirst that had taken residence in his dark eyes in the last few years seemed to have become muted. There was still a strange kind of darkness, but deep within his eyes, there was a hint of starlight.
"Feng"er, you are looking well." She approached him with a smile.
"So are you." He responded without a change in emotion.
She sat down opposite him.
"I have been worried about you. But it seemed that I was overthinking things. Did you meet someone?" She asked in a casual tone, suppressing her raging curiosity.
Zhong Feng did not respond, but she could see his face had softened a bit.
"I knew it. See, I told you time heals all wounds. Even if that girl left you so suddenly, you have found someone better, and you are happy now." She continued happily, letting loose.
But when she looked at his face, she realised that she had said something wrong. Her brother"s face became colder, and his eyes seemed to become dark and icy. She flinched. It seemed that the girl was still a big taboo. She wanted to slap herself for bringing it up.
"I am sorry, Feng"er. It was my fault about that matter. I made her feel like a criminal, and she was forced to leave. After Jian Ru was arrested, I realised that it was possible that she had planned the whole thing. I fell for her trap. I tried explaining it to mum and dad, but things had already become too complicated. They won"t believe that Hu Lei was not at fault." She continued.
She had looked back at the incident and realised that she had been taken in by Jian Ru"s drama. After putting in the pieces of the puzzle together, she had realised that Hu Lei might not have known anything. When she had discussed with their parents, they had not been moved by her attempts at explaining.
After all, the drugged drink had been in Hu Lei"s hands before Feng"er consumed it. Furthermore, the girl had disappeared suddenly, leaving their son heartbroken. They felt that she had done him injustice by dumping him so casually. Though it had been their intention to chase her away, they could not accept that she had taken off on her own terms without warning.
"No one can force her to do anything." Zhong Feng responded in a cold voice.
The voice was chilling like millennium ice, but Mian was surprised by the emotions behind it. It almost sounded like indulgence. She felt like she was missing something. It was obvious that the man had not moved on from the girl as she had a.s.sumed.
"How can I help you?" the man asked, preventing her from continuing with the small talk.
Mian clutched her purse tightly in her hand. She felt like a tense teenager even though she was already thirty eight years old. She took a deep breath.
"I met someone." She paused before charging on quickly. "I want to have an open relationship, but I am afraid of the possible repercussions."
Zhong Feng did not look fl.u.s.tered. After all, he knew about almost everything that took place in Supreme City. Still, he did not interrupt.
"The man is a little younger than me. And he has a child." She became tense, as if waiting for rebuke, but nothing came.
"He is not married, divorced or something like that. The child is from an old fling." For some reason, she felt guilty and panicked when she said those words.
After all, her brother was a believer in one pair for a lifetime. He did not believe in casual physical relationships. It would not do if he thought she was being cheated through this relationship.
"It is obviously not a big deal. I have also had my fair share of flings in the past." She laughed awkwardly.
In her mind, she began rebuking herself. Why was she butchering her image in front of her most beloved little brother? He probably saw her as a model sister, and now he would be disappointed. What was she thinking? She needed to shut up immediately.
Zhong Mian"s delusions about her brother and tendency to overthinking everything had not been cured.
"Anyway, I love the child as my own." She finally became silent.
Zhong Feng did not show any change in relation to all the information provided.
"So what is the problem?" He asked.
"I want to get married. But there are too many issues which could come up if the relationship is revealed. First, mum and dad might not accept our relationship. Also, there is the issue that I will be like a second wife. If the media knows about this, they could go after them because I am older, and I will be a stepmother. I don"t want anything bad to happen." Her eyes watered in an uncharacteristic way.
"What would you like for me to do?"
Mian was not a weak or powerless woman. She was one of the toughest people in Supreme. Therefore, her request was not direct.
"I don"t want to marry without my family"s approval. As long as mom and dad accept him, I can be a.s.sured that nothing bad will happen. But I do not know if they will be open to my relationship. You know how they are. So, I need your support." She paused. "You can meet Kong Ou beforehand if you are not sure and judge for yourself."
Naturally, she also wanted practical help with protecting her little family. She knew that Zhong Feng"s connections were better than hers. However, she needed to be patient. As long as their first meeting proceeded well, it would not be too late for more requests.
"Very well, you can make arrangements." The man accepted.
Zhong Mian felt happy. It seems that getting along with her younger brother was not as hard as she thought.
"Is this Friday convenient?" She asked excitedly.
The sooner she could wrap up this matter, the better.
"No." Zhong Feng responded without an explanation.
Actually, he intended to take Hu Lei to the hospital on Friday for a check-up after work. Unfortunately, Zhong Mian thought that he was being difficult.
"What about Sat.u.r.day evening?" She asked with dampened spirits.
Zhong Feng thought for a moment. He had intended to accompany Hu Lei as much as possible during the weekend at home. He had envisioned a quiet weekend.
"I will make time." He finally said.
Zhong Mian was about to happily leave the office when she remembered the envelope.
"Oh, something was sent over from Sonata Publishing." She was not stupid enough to ruin the mood by mentioning a random woman"s name, even if Zhong Feng probably already knew everything.
He received the envelope and found a couple of tickets.
"Do you want me to take them with me?" She asked cautiously.
Zhong Feng gave back the envelope; he did not care about these tickets. But for some reason, his lips stretched into a small smile.