Sitting in a mini movie theater, the sounds of wind and rain outside couldn't be heard at all. The sweet aroma of popcorn lingered in the air as Zhong Ruanxing curled up on the soft sofa, feeling cozy and relaxed. The joyful atmosphere of the comedy filled the space. She snacked on popcorn by herself for a while before remembering to ask Song JinXing, "Do you want any?"
Song JinXing watched the screen intently without glancing away, "I haven't washed my hands."
What a mean thing to say! Don't think I don't know you're doing this on purpose!
Zhong Ruanxing responded with an "Oh," and sat back down, "Then don't eat any more."
Song JinXing: "..."
After a few seconds, Zhong Ruanxing turned her head. In the dim light, she saw that he had tilted his head slightly closer, looking at her reproachfully.
Zhong Ruanxing blinked innocently, "I can't blame you for not washing your hands, can I? Why don't you go wash your hands and come back in? I'll save some for you."
Song JinXing sighed softly, slowly turning back around to sit properly. With an injured tone, "Forget it."
Now he's acting too?
You shouldn't say anything. In fact, after being an actor for a while, Mr. Song's acting skills are quite good now. Even though she knew he was pretending, Zhong Ruanxing still felt a little guilty.
She lowered her head and shook the popcorn bucket, rummaging through it. Finally, she picked out a large, round buttery popcorn coated in caramel and cream. She held it up to his mouth.
Song JinXing smelled the sweet aroma and casually quirked his lips. Lowering his head, he took a bite of the popcorn. At that moment, his lips inevitably brushed against her smooth, fair fingers, along with a hint of warmth.
In the darkness, both of them froze for a second.
Zhong Ruanxing casually retracted her hand and sat up straight, "Sweet?"
He smiled, "Sweet."
Zhong Ruanxing felt she had miscalculated. She shouldn't have chosen a comedy. The atmosphere now would be perfect for a romantic movie!
She asked, "Want some more?"
Song JinXing nodded, "Yes."
Zhong Ruanxing raised her brows, "Greedy!" She shoved the popcorn bucket into his arms, "Eat it yourself!"
Laughter came from beside her as Song JinXing lowered his voice. After a while, she heard him say, "Then can I feed you?"
Zhong Ruanxing didn't expect Song JinXing to be so shameless at times. "No! You didn't wash your hands!"
Song JinXing was completely shameless about the lie he had just told. With a straight face he said, "I washed them. They're disinfected too, very clean."
Zhong Ruanxing couldn't stand it anymore. She shoved two popcorn into his mouth, "I'll feed you, I'll feed you! There, happy?"
Song JinXing pressed his lips together, unable to hold back his laughter.
For the second half of the movie, he was fed half a bucket of popcorn. Actually, Song JinXing didn't like sweets much, but today after eating so much, he didn't feel sick at all. On the contrary, he regretted not choosing an even bigger bucket earlier.
Near the end of the movie, his muted phone lit up silently. Song JinXing answered it and held it to his ear. With his other hand, he pulled some wet wipes out of a box on the side and wiped her hands clean. At the same time, he responded softly to the call.
After hanging up, he tidied up the used wipes and said softly, "I have to take a conference call. Watch by yourself for a bit, okay?"
Zhong Ruanxing nodded, "Go ahead."
He smiled and left the room.
There wasn't much plot left in the second half, and the movie ended in less than twenty minutes. The lights came on at the right time. Zhong Ruanxing stretched and took her unfinished soda as she walked out.
In the two hours, the sky outside had already darkened. It was earlier than the usual sunset time, but it was already pitch black, like 8 or 9 pm.
The butler stood outside the door with a polite smile. Seeing her, he greeted in English, "Mr. Song is in the study for a meeting. Would you like to go see?"
Zhong Ruanxing was surprised first, "You can speak English?" Then she asked, "Would I disturb him if I went?"
The butler smiled and answered her first question, "I can speak 4 languages. I'm currently learning Chinese. I believe I'll be able to communicate with you in Chinese soon." Then he added, "Mr. Song mentioned that if you finished the movie and he was still in the meeting, you could go find him in the study."
Zhong Ruanxing gave him a thumbs up, "Then take me there."
Walking through the exquisitely carved corridors, the butler led her to a set of closed double doors, "Mr. Song is inside."
Zhong Ruanxing smiled and thanked him softly. She gently pushed open the doors to the study.
The study was still in a European palace style, with a desk directly opposite the entrance. The walls on both sides were lined with shelves full of books. Above the doorframe was a handpainted 3D map of the world.
Song JinXing sat at the desk, with two computers on the expansive surface. Seeing her come in, he smiled and waved her over.
Zhong Ruanxing tiptoed over behind him and saw he was still on a video conference, scrolling through a proposal on screen.
Having been the Song corporation's CEO for a while, she could roughly grasp what project he was working on from glancing at the proposal. A subordinate was explaining the plans through the speakers. From the voice, she could tell it was the head of the planning department.
She sat and listened for a while, jotting down some key points in the notebook on the desk.
When she finished writing, Song JinXing took it and glanced through. He nodded approvingly and relayed the key points she raised to the others in the meeting.
Zhong Ruanxing was extremely proud.
After listening a while longer, she saw his cup was empty. She got up to pour him a glass of water and brought it back.
Song JinXing smiled. Since his microphone was on, he didn't speak. He just tugged over her notebook and wrote a few words before passing it back to her.
Zhong Ruanxing took it and saw the familiar handwriting tinged with amusement: Are you being my secretary?
She couldn't help smiling silently. She wrote back in the same way: Yes, does Mr. Song have any other instructions?
Pushing it over, Song JinXing glanced down and replied: No more, just stay here with me.
In the middle of a proper conference call, being made to pass notes like this instantly evoked in Zhong Ruanxing the thrill of passing notes in class back in school. As time slowly passed, she went to brew two more cups of coffee and cut up some fruit, fulfilling her secretarial duties to the highest standard.
By evening, the wind outside had died down a lot, but the skies were still pitch black, a brief calm before the next storm.
The meeting still wasn't over when the study doors were half pushed open. The butler stood at the entrance, an uncharacteristic troubled expression on his usual proper face. Song JinXing glanced over and mouthed to Zhong Ruanxing: "Go see."
She nodded and got up to walk over, closing the study door before asking, "What's wrong?"
The butler said, "One of the female guests invited has arrived. She insists on seeing Mr. Song in person. I asked her to come back another day, but she refuses to leave without speaking to him directly."
Zhong Ruanxing thought for a moment, "Take me to see her."
The butler agreed and led Zhong Ruanxing downstairs. At the top of the stairs to the living room, she saw Zhuang Xueyu standing in the grand foyer below.
Zhong Ruanxing was unsurprised as she raised a brow. She didn't hurry downstairs, leaning casually against the railing on the second floor as she smiled down at the other woman.
Zhuang Xueyu had taken off her coat, revealing bare shoulders. Hearing the sound, a charming smile spread on her face as she glanced up. Seeing Zhong Ruanxing's face, her entire body froze.
Elbows on the ornate railing, Zhong Ruanxing waved leisurely at her, "Why, Miss Zhuang, isn't that a bit too little for stormy weather? Aren't you cold?"
