Chapter 9

He repeated what he had just said again, and seeing her unresponsive, he directly stepped forward to grip her shoulders, pinching her chin to force her to lift her head.

Complete

Xu Huicheng stood at the door, not daring to raise her head, fearing that he might recognize her. She politely spoke, "Excuse me, sir, may I pass by?"

Zhong Dingduan scrutinized her, feeling that she looked somewhat familiar, and directly asked, "Have we met?"

Qiao Ling looked at her disheveled hair, scrutinizing it, "How did it end up like this?"

Chen Xinggui smiled faintly beside him. He had just seen Zhong Ding entangled with the woman who had mistakenly entered the wrong restroom, so he wisely stepped back.

Xu Huicheng gritted her teeth, her shoulders trembling, exerting great effort to suppress her emotions. She could tell that this man felt no remorse for her hair being burned.

She gazed at his silhouette, a sense of familiarity suddenly washed over her. However, that feeling lasted only a second, and then she found it amusing

Xu Huicheng stood outside the door for a moment in silence before stepping into the room. She felt uneasy, her head lowered and fists clenched as she awaited her fate

Her head hung lower and lower

Qiao Ling raised an eyebrow, silently inquiring

Her thought was that as long as he was satisfied and happy, he would let her go

He raised a smile, "We have met."

He noticed her movements and adjusted the angle of the cigarette with his lips

Zhong Ding walked in and sat down casually on the sofa

He had just wanted to avoid the topic of his fiancée, so when he caught sight of a figure passing by, he stepped out. After seeing her enter the men's restroom, he felt a playful urge. As for her, she had been evasive from the very beginning, which made it all the more amusing for him

However, Chen Xinggui did not know how Zhong Ding intended to play.

The first time she met him, she felt that he bore some resemblance to Qiao Yan. At that time, she did not have a deep impression of Qiao Yan's features, only distinguishing the stark difference in their temperaments. Later, when she encountered Qiao Yan again, she had already forgotten Zhong Ding's appearance

Zhong Ding stood at the door of the room, slightly tilting his head to glance in the direction of Xu Huicheng, then turned the handle and opened the door

If one were to rely solely on the sound, it would indeed seem like a genuine matter. Unfortunately, the brightness of mockery is evident in his eyes

Her hair was wet and dripping, her face was also covered in water droplets, looking quite disheveled, yet the anger in her eyes, unable to be concealed in time, burned brightly.

The curve of Zhong's lips lifted, "As long as there are gains."

However, his words faltered, and his tone grew somewhat colder, "When I agreed just now, I hadn't remembered that she is just a chicken"

Zhong Dingjian observed, with a hint of mockery. "Are you still concerned about hair that has turned to straw?"

His expression revealed an inexplicable eeriness. Facing her, he spoke softly, "Have you ever tried group criticism? Or—"

Such a mocking tone reminded her of the fear of drowning that night. She took a step back, turned to the side, and said, "Please, you go ahead."

Chen Xinggui's gaze shifted between Zhong Ding and Xu Huicheng

He put the cigarette back in his mouth, and seeing Xu Huicheng with her head down, he walked up to her and stopped, staring at the top of her head

Xu Huicheng smiled, but her heart was filled with despair. She should not have come today

Qiao Ling in the room heard the noise, looked over, and said with a pout, "You and Xing Gui specifically went to the smoking area, what a hassle"

Xu Huicheng forced a smile and said, "Sir, could you please let me go out first?"

Xu Huicheng, feeling anxious, caught sight of the scattered strands of tobacco and realized they had already come into contact with her hair. Startled, she hurriedly turned her head away

It was just beautiful, wasn't it? The clock gently urged her to sit down, very kindly, even with a hint of indulgence.

It is evident that she is afraid of him

He lightly tapped her chin with his fingertips, brushing against her makeup, then withdrew his hand and rubbed it, saying, "Come, let's go out for a stroll. Whatever you fancy, I will compensate you for it."

After the initial anger, Xu Huicheng realized her own overestimation of her capabilities. She clenched her fists and told herself to endure. Gradually, her expression became calm.

The interest in his eyes was even greater as he leaned down, cigarette in mouth, to look at her face

"One and a half minutes, Miss," Qiao Ling kindly reminded, "I almost drowned in your swimming pool"

Zhong Ding finally had an impression. However, he could no longer recall the woman's appearance from that night. "So it turns out we have such a deep connection," he said, his smile growing more pronounced as he leaned back in his chair, "Come here."

Upon first seeing Qiao Ling, he could only perceive this woman as disheveled. He cast a sidelong glance at Zhong Ding and asked, "Is this your gain?"

Now, upon closer inspection, she discovered that the appearances of the two men were strikingly similar. However, she doubted the accuracy of her perception, as her memory for faces was exceedingly poor

He pondered over his choice of words and chuckled, "Being rotated?"

Xu Huicheng followed Zhong Ding to the men's restroom, thinking he was heading to the exhibition hall they had just visited. However, to her surprise, he turned back at the corner of the corridor.

She has witnessed the malice behind his "kindness," and hurriedly shook her head, "Thank you, sir. I am in a hurry right now, may I ... ... "

"I wonder how it sounds; she seems to be an understanding woman." Qiao Ling then carefully examined Xu Huicheng, and before long, he recognized her. His expression showed a hint of surprise, "Zhong Ding, don't you recognize her?"

Zhong Ding gently stroked Xu Huicheng's hair, speaking in a warm and gentle manner, "I wasn't paying attention and accidentally burned her hair. I plan to make it up to her properly"

I said it," he whispered intimately, pausing for a moment, looking at her with a semblance of indulgence, and continued, "It cannot be.

Xu Huicheng couldn't help but shudder at his words. She did not understand how she had offended this gentleman again.

Zhong squinted his eyes, trying to search his memory, but he could not figure out who she was

She looked at his face, momentarily stunned

The only consolation is that her scalp was not burned

Zhong Ding slowly walked forward, stopping less than one meter away from her

She could no longer remain calm, desperately pushing him away, and hurriedly ran to the nearby sink, turning on the faucet to wet her hair. As she grabbed it, a burnt section was pulled off.

Her heart skipped a beat. She had never been this way before and was unsure of what lay ahead. She gazed at the nearest fork in the road, her steps slowing down, as thoughts of fleeing in panic flashed through her mind

Perhaps it was simply a mistake of my own

Xu Huicheng remained silent, no longer attempting to pile on false smiles

"Indeed not." Zhong Dingyin chuckled, "He keeps saying he doesn't know me, yet his body trembles as if I were the King of Hell."

Xu Huicheng is obedient and follows orders

Xu Huicheng was just a few steps away from him and could not hear his words clearly. She walked closer to him, her emotions becoming increasingly complicated. Of course, she was not foolish enough to believe that he genuinely intended to offer her any gifts as an apology. However, being in this situation, she had no choice but to comply. This man could easily manipulate her.

Upon hearing this, Zhong Ding raised his eyes, his gaze devoid of any emotion, "I have already stated that whatever she desires, I will compensate her for it."

He gazed into her eyes

This is a declarative sentence

Zhong Ding chuckled lightly, shaking the ash in his hand, "No."

The restroom signs for men and women at the fence ditch feature a design with a large red background and a small blue image on one side, while the other side is the opposite.

Zhong Dingzhang opened his palm, running it through her hair, with a smiling gaze, "No matter how you say it, it is still my fault. Let me make amends properly."

Zhong Ding gently exhaled the cigarette, tossed it aside, and watching her scrubbing motion, said, "Lift your head and take a look."

Xu Huicheng did not dare to speak, fearing that if she opened her mouth, she would provoke him again. When he affectionately held her hand, she was so frightened that she almost pulled it back.

At this moment, Xu Huicheng's hair was of uneven length, damp and scattered, a messy tangle. She speculated that Zhong Ding probably wanted to see her make a fool of herself, which is why she didn't bother to tidy it up

"I cannot." He reached out to touch the remaining half of her hair, his tone becoming humble, "It was my carelessness just now, and I am willing to compensate for your loss."

Zhong Ding is simply bored, and because of this boredom, he seeks ways to pass the time. This woman just happens to cross his path during his moment of boredom. That is all.

This strange man is nothing like Mr. Warmth

Zhong Ding turned his head to glance at the slow-moving Xu Huicheng, murmuring, "Here we go again, I feel the urge to do something bad."

Zhong Ding wore a smile, and his mood seemed quite good. He took a few steps, turned back to glance at her, and said lightly, "I am kindly offering you an apology; if I find you missing, then you will have to compensate me for my losses." With that, he did not look back again.

Chen Xinggui understands Zhong Ding

Xu Huicheng's first reaction was the red background, and coupled with her anxious state of mind, she did not carefully examine the differences in the images

Qiao Ling looked at her expression. There was a smile on her face, but it also revealed a strong sense of suppressed fear. He recalled her struggles in the swimming pool and her cries during the high fever, feeling somewhat reluctant. "Zhong Ding, she has at least let you win once, don't make it too difficult for her"

Just now in the smoking area, while the conversation was only halfway through, Zhong Ding left. Chen Xinggui followed him out and happened to see the two entangled at the entrance of the men's restroom

It seems he no longer remembers the incident of pushing her into the water that night. She felt somewhat relieved, "I haven't seen it. Sir, I just went into the wrong restroom, could you please let me out?"

The friendlier he became, the colder she grew. She suppressed the fear within her, afraid of provoking him, and chose to respond with silence.

After she slipped inside, upon seeing the furnishings within, she realized her mistake and immediately felt embarrassed, wanting to retreat. However, just as she turned around, she was blocked.

Suddenly, a scent of barbecue wafted through the air, and the smoke became completely entangled in her hair