CHAPTER 102: CHAPTER 99 STILL FRESH IN MY MEMORY

She vividly remembered the series of retaliations she faced after kicking him at Haosheng Rose last time.

She truly regretted kicking him then, but it was too late to apologize now. She hadn’t done it on purpose. If she had known it was him, she wouldn’t have kicked him. But at that time, she didn’t know who the man was. Who could have guessed that the man was Qi Longbing? If it had been him, she would never have kicked him! She would have avoided him from the start, stayed far, far away. She’d even had a defensive breakup with him. But now, thinking of that squid-kick, she realized a series of consequences were unavoidable. Whether she was willing or not, she just had to bear them! So this time... oh dear, who knows how it will turn out.

Hua Xiaomo quickly picked up a tissue and walked over to him, her hand with the tissue reaching for his face.

Qi Longbing didn’t move but stared at the woman in front of him. He genuinely wanted to be angry, but seeing her somewhat nervous and anxious eyes, the corner of his lips curled into a playful smirk.

"Hua Xiaomo, you’ve hurt me. Do you realize how serious the consequences are?" Qi Longbing said with deliberate coldness.

"..." Hua Xiaomo stopped wiping his face and stared at him. After a moment, she forced a coquettish smile. "President Qi... you aren’t that petty, are you?"

"Petty?" Qi Longbing glanced sideways at her and then slipped the item in his hand around her neck again, causing Hua Xiaomo to step back uncertainly.

"My gift, if you don’t accept it... I’ll really get angry," Qi Longbing said in a lowered voice, his exceptionally handsome face gleaming with a hint of profound meaning.

"Then... okay," Hua Xiaomo relented, a faint blush rising on her cheeks. But as he drew near, she quickly turned her face away.

Qi Longbing stretched his arms forward, looped them around her neck, and hung the Ice Blue Jade Cross Pendant on her fair skin.

A trace of coolness encircled Hua Xiaomo’s neck. Before she could register it for long, the necklace was already adorning it.

The necklace appeared incredibly exquisite. Made of platinum, it was very expensive and noble, a perfect fit for Hua Xiaomo.

Because Qi Longbing was holding her arm, the warmth directly caused Hua Xiaomo’s sensitive nerves to snap. Instinctively, she dropped her head sharply. Then, using the force of her head and the speed of her downward motion, she slipped out of his embrace like a fish.

She offered him her customary feigned smile, though this time it seemed a bit forced.

Hua Xiaomo took two steps back, widening the distance between them. She appeared to be smiling, but inwardly, a fire was burning. She couldn’t find any words at that moment.

After a while, it was Qi Longbing who broke the somewhat tainted, awkward silence with a wry laugh, "HEH HEH... you’re quite agile..."

Hua Xiaomo was looking at the sketchpad, about to say something, when suddenly a cellphone rang and vibrated unceasingly on the table.

Qi Longbing walked over with a nonchalant expression and picked up his Vertu phone. He glanced at the screen: a name, Pan Yutong, had popped up. His gaze indifferent, he didn’t answer the call but hung up directly.

Hua Xiaomo forced a smile and checked her own phone. "President Qi, it’s almost eleven-thirty. Shall we go down from the tower?"

It was indeed too late to be here. Sleepiness was setting in, and she longed to go home to bed! Drowsiness was overwhelming her. She didn’t know how she could hold on any longer; her eyelids felt heavy, about to close.