CHAPTER 127: CHAPTER 124: WANTING TO UNDERSTAND HIS INTENTIONS

"Mm-hmm," Hua Xiaomo nodded, gazing at his handsome face, her heart beating fast. Yet, what she wanted to say seemed difficult to articulate.

Indeed, how could a girl be the first to confess her feelings?

Brother Long, you... But deep down, I have ten thousand questions; I want to understand your true feelings.

Long Shangxuan’s handsome face wore a gentle smile. He reached out to swipe away the stray hair covering her eyes, saying with a smile, "You’ve hidden such beautiful eyes; Brother Long can’t see them clearly!"

"Brother Long, how long have you been waiting here? Why didn’t you call me..." Hua Xiaomo, suddenly remembering something, rubbed her hair and spoke hastily, "Right, I lost my phone. How could I expect you to call me?"

"Your phone is with Director Mo. He’ll probably give it back to you tomorrow," Long Shangxuan said with a smile. He couldn’t help but chuckle as he gently tousled her short hair.

"Oh, so it’s with him!" Hua Xiaomo laughed, her cheeks slightly flushed, savoring the warmth of the moment.

His touch is really ticklish!

Unconsciously, Hua Xiaomo lowered her eyelids and smiled... a smile as radiant as a daffodil blooming in the night.

Long Shangxuan gazed at her, his hand stroking her hair, a soft, continuous smile on his face.

In his eyes reflected a deep tenderness. But just as that affection intensified, he had to instantly restrain it, and then it slowly faded away.

"It’s late; you should head back," Long Shangxuan withdrew his hand. He offered her a perfect smile, then turned and got into the beautiful silver Mercedes.

He didn’t drive off immediately. Instead, he flashed the headlights at her, signaling that she should go upstairs.

Hua Xiaomo watched him settle into the car, feeling an inexplicable touch of regret. He didn’t confess to me?

But Hua Xiaomo quickly figured something out. She ran swiftly over to him, arriving at his driver’s side window, and gave a sweet smile. "Brother Long, thank you for waiting for me. I had a really good time! Good night, sweet dreams!"

After she spoke, Hua Xiaomo hesitated no longer. She turned and ran swiftly up the stairs, her heart still pounding rapidly.

Once inside her room, she quickly hurried to the window and looked down at the silver Mercedes parked below; he still hadn’t left.

Hua Xiaomo leaned her shoulder against the window sill, watching him.

In that moment, as if by telepathy, he looked up towards her room as well.

They looked at each other across the distance, a silent, unspoken exchange. How much emotion was conveyed in that moment, no one could say.

After a while, the car started, and Long Shangxuan quickly drove away.

Tonight was truly worth it!

A shifting, enigmatic light glinted in those narrow, phoenix-shaped eyes—cunning yet affectionate, intelligent yet inscrutable.

「The next day.」

Not entirely to Hua Xiaomo’s surprise, Yu Bao’s car was no longer downstairs.

Hua Xiaomo shook her head with a smile, not really minding, and soon took the bus to her job at Qi Imperial Court.

Hua Xiaomo looked up at the majestic and splendid building, a place many probably dreamed of.

But for me, what is truly the stuff of dreams...?

Hua Xiaomo lowered her gaze, her long eyelashes fluttered, casting a delicate shadow on her exquisite face.

She smiled, a uniquely captivating smile.

Her mood was truly good today.

Soon, Hua Xiaomo straightened the light pink, elegant-sleeved blouse she was wearing and stepped inside.

Hua Xiaomo followed the crowd towards the staff elevator, which was now crammed with people.

When the elevator opened, many people desperately squeezed inside, afraid of being late and losing their perfect attendance bonus.

Just as Hua Xiaomo was squeezing towards the edge of the elevator, a pair of hands suddenly reached out from somewhere and pushed her, the person cursing, "Why are you squeezing in! Honestly! I’ve never seen someone so ill-mannered."

Pushed out of the elevator, Hua Xiaomo stumbled and reflexively fell onto a person standing to the side, who was smiling and holding a stack of files, knocking them to the ground.

Hua Xiaomo quickly turned and saw the two women standing inside the elevator: her eldest sister, Hua Shuyue, and her second sister, Hua Shishan.

Just as the elevator doors were about to close, Hua Xiaomo immediately flashed them a wry, radiant smile and said loudly, "Eldest Sister, Second Sister, your manners are really something!"

Instantly, Hua Shuyue and Hua Shishan, inside the elevator, attracted various glances from the Qi Imperial Court employees.

Many were murmuring and snickering about them, leaving the two women embarrassed and at a loss for words.

The elevator doors closed.

Hua Xiaomo wickedly curled the corner of her lips and said nothing more. She was about to help up the person she had knocked over.

To her surprise, the other person had already steadied themselves and, in turn, helped her up.

"Miss, are you alright?" came a pleasant male voice.

Looking up, Hua Xiaomo saw a scholarly and refined face. The man wore black-framed glasses, was tall and slim, and his hair, parted three-sevenths, was meticulously combed. He looked like a quintessential, good-natured homebody nerd.

"I’m fine," Hua Xiaomo smiled, looking at him and then at his documents scattered on the ground. "But you’re not. I’m so sorry; I knocked all your documents over. Let me help you pick them up."

"Miss, I can handle it myself," the young man said shyly, smiling as he squatted down to gather the scattered documents again.

"How could I let you? I’m the one who knocked them down," Hua Xiaomo insisted and quickly helped pick them up.

Seeing him struggling with a thick stack of documents that obscured his vision and made walking difficult, she couldn’t help but say, "By the way, why don’t you leave them at the service desk in the lobby?"

"Leaving them at the service desk would trouble others. It’s better if I deliver them to the clients myself," the young man explained. Then, seeing an elevator open, he added, "The door’s open. Shall we go up?"

"Sure!" Hua Xiaomo replied cheerfully. She helpfully used her hand and shoulder to shield him from the surrounding people, worried they might knock his documents over again.

Once the two were inside the elevator, Qi Longbing, who had already entered the Qi Imperial Court hall, coolly withdrew his gaze. He placed his hands in his pockets and stopped watching them. Accompanied by Yu Bao, he swiftly headed towards the president’s private elevator.

Yu Bao, standing beside him, observed Qi Longbing’s handsome yet mercurial face and cautiously asked, "President Qi, should we deal with Hua Shuyue and Hua Shishan?"

"No need!" Qi Longbing replied icily with just two words, saying no more.

That damn woman! Since she doesn’t know what’s good for her, let her suffer a bit! This woman is so disobedient. He felt he didn’t need to be so good to her anymore. Letting her suffer a little was well deserved.