Shen Jinci lowered his gaze, his eyes growing increasingly indifferent.
The scene was deathly silent, everyone peeking and probing.
What a grand drama involving top-tier magnates and tangled relationships between men and women!
Li Sihe never loses his composure in public, always maintaining a mild demeanor, such a cool-headed man.
But at this moment, as he watched Bian Yue clutching Shen Jinci's hand, the veins on his forehead bulging, tiny blood vessels spreading in his eyes.
He didn't know what he was thinking, just staring at Bian Yue's pleading eyes.
Bian Yue, at 16, saw herself as a savior. Once, she had looked at him with that same gaze.
Li Sihe had never thought that Bian Yue would look at someone else this way again.
His chest roiled with stifled emotions, feeling as if staying another second would leave him breathless.
Li Sihe thought he couldn't stay here any longer.
He let go unexpectedly, and Bian Yue, feeling the shackles around her wrist loosen, didn't even glance at him, just kept staring at Shen Jinci, stubbornly holding his hand tight.
Whereas Li Sihe's heart sank even further, knowing Bian Yue was set on staying. The man calmly withdrew his gaze and walked out amidst the inquisitive stares of the crowd.
But as he turned to leave, Li Sihe heard Bian Yue's desperate voice.
She said, "Mr. Shen, trust me, it really is a very big deal."
Xie Zhang was startled by Bian Yue, the crazy girl. As soon as Li Sihe left, he thought to force his way through another awkward situation.
But Shen Jinci looked at Bian Yue's hand clasping his own, the knuckles turned white from the pressure, and spoke, his tone as light as mist.
He said, "Come to my car, let's talk slowly."
The Maybach was parked in a no-parking zone beside the dock, close to the harbor bay with an excellent view.
But outside, it was a shame it was raining, the raindrops forming moist dashed lines, blurring the lines of the coastline.
Inside the car, it was very quiet, the top-class soundproofing turning the rain into a soothing white noise with a hypnotic quality.
Bian Yue sat beside the man, her head down, silent, feeling the man's aloof and cold fragrance enveloping her inch by inch.
It was an indifferent aura, like a desolate cold wind carrying scented ashes of burnt plants, mixing prosperity and decay, coldly profound.
Her palms were somehow sweating, sticky and moist.
Bian Yue placed her hands on her skirt, carefully trying to dry the sweat, her minute movements concealed to herself.
Shen Jinci had a cold expression, with superior and elegant features, and perfect profile lines, his Adam's apple prominent.
His eyelids were deeply creased, his brow bones slightly flamboyant, yet his eyes were indifferently detached, emotionless when viewing others.
His glance lightly fell upon Bian Yue, quickly withdrawn, as he passed a checkered embroidered handkerchief to Bian Yue.
Bian Yue was taken aback, received it, pressing it into her palm, clutching it and refusing to let go.
She was brewing her words, as this might be her only chance.
And Shen Jinci's gaze lightly swept over her tightly clenched fist, finally uttering his first words since getting in the car.
"Are you very nervous?"
The little princess had never begged anyone before; she had been driven to desperation at the banquet, and now, she felt even more at a loss.
Bian Yue composed herself and honestly replied, "A little."
There was a heavy rasp in her voice, and Shen Jinci instructed his assistant to bring over some water.
He spoke in Cantonese, low, mellifluous, and simply captivating.
"Mr. Shen, your water."
The assistant, Kang Yu, reached in a hand from outside the window and handed the water to Shen Jinci.
The man took it, his slender fingers partly twisted open the bottle cap, and handed it to Bian Yue.
If time could flow backward, Bian Yue would pray devoutly to God, hoping that God would remind her not to take that bottle of water.
But she took it, not only took it but also nervously clutched the bottle, water spilling out from the deformed plastic bottle in an instant, without deviation, drenching Shen Jinci's gray suit pants.
A large swath of the water stain spread out, dampening the smooth silk fabric, just shy of spilling all over....
Bian Yue's face burned, tentatively lifting her eyes to look at Shen Jinci.
Yet the man sat composed, merely looking down faintly, displaying no sign of discomposure.
Their gazes collided, causing Bian Yue's face to burn even more fiercely.
Thus, the handkerchief that Shen Jinci had just handed her to wipe her hands now had a more urgent use.
"I didn't mean to... The water was too full...." Bian Yue explained while wiping the water stains on the man's thigh with the handkerchief.
After a few wipes, her wrist was caught.
Shen Jinci's fingertips were burning hot, holding Bian Yue's delicate wrist like grasping a piece of cool, tactile jade.
Yet the unusual agitation in his heart was not revealed, and he managed a mild tone, "Miss Bian, is the proper business you're prepared to discuss with me?"
Bian Yue was at a loss for words, opened her mouth and finally managed a dry 'yes'.
Her wrist was released, and Bian Yue's cheeks burned even hotter than before.
She knew she couldn't delay any longer, so she whispered softly, "Mr. Shen, the matter I want to discuss with you is my inheritance. As you know, I'm the Bian Family's only daughter, and when my parents passed away, they left all the Bian Family's money to me. Now, this money is under the Li Family's control, and I can't retrieve it."
From Bian Yue's fragmented words, Shen Jinci discerned her request, "Do you want me to get this money back for you?"
"Yes!" Bian Yue's eyes lit up with eagerness as she said, "Upon success, I'm willing to give you twenty percent of the earnings."
A truly proper business.
Among the many businesses that Shen Jinci had handled, this was very upright.
Yet....
"I'm not interested in Miss Bian's money." His voice was calm, gentle yet distant and aloof.
Bian Yue's face turned pale, not expecting Shen Jinci's rejection to be so blunt, with no chance to use her prepared speech.
The rain continued, Shen Jinci turned his face to look outside the window, but Bian Yue watched his finely drawn, delicate profile.
The man's expression carried the indistinct indifference characteristic of those in high positions.
Suddenly, she heard him say, "The rain won't stop. I'll take you home."
The black Maybach moved slowly among the dense traffic.
After all, it was Gang City's rainy season, and the roads were often congested. Even with a seven-figure wealth, one could only follow the tram, step by step.
To return to the Li Family's old house, one had to pass through a section of the undersea tunnel, where the traffic jam was even worse.
Bian Yue didn't want to make a futile effort.
The car's partition had been pulled down early, separating the front and back, leaving Bian Yue only to look at the man resting beside her.
"Mr. Shen, could we please detour to the Half Mountain District, I'm not returning to the Central Western District." Bian Yue paused, explaining, "I've moved out from the Li Family's home, I'm now staying at Wen Jiao's place."
Shen Jinci's brow made an almost imperceptible twitch, he opened his eyes, those deep eyes looking at Bian Yue, and perhaps it was because of the dim light, Bian Yue caught a trace of a faint smile in them.
But before she could see clearly, she heard Shen Jinci say, "Alright."
He retracted the partition and instructed to take a detour to the Half Mountain District.
Quietness fell again, and the rain grew heavier.
But this time, the light from the street lamps seeped in.
Bian Yue saw the slight lift of Shen Jinci's lips. He was born with an air of noble indifference, an overbearing coldness, and with that hint of a smile, it seemed as if the ice and snow were beginning to thaw.