Chapter 99: Chapter 99: Xu Su, I Can’t Hold Back

Zhou Mochen’s voice brought Xu Su back to her senses.

She looked at him and smiled. “What if the circumstances were different? What if I didn’t like you? What if I was determined not to like you, avoided you, ignored you… even if I was afraid of you and hated you… Zhou Mochen, would you still be willing to lend me the money?”

Zhou Mochen’s brow furrowed at her “what ifs.”

He looked at her. The girl’s eyes were completely serious, not at all like she was asking a casual, joking question.

For some reason, Zhou Mochen felt a pang of panic. It was happening again. As soon as they came to this underground garage, she became a completely different person.

Xu Su watched him, her face impassive. “Is that question so hard to answer?”

She waited patiently for his answer.

Realizing this, Zhou Mochen lowered his gaze and said slowly, “Xu Su, two hundred thousand is nothing to me. Even if you hated me, if you needed it, I would give it to you.”

That was the truth. Xu Su nodded. She believed him.

Then she asked, “But there would be conditions, right?”

“I don’t know what conditions I would have set at the time, but Xu Su, I would not allow you to hate me or hide from me.” Zhou Mochen was brutally honest.

He said, “I can’t stand the days when I don’t see you, Xu Su. I’d go insane.”

’I’d go insane…’

Xu Su’s heart trembled. ’So… even if Grandma hadn’t gotten sick, even if I hadn’t been desperate enough to beg him for help, he still wouldn’t have let me avoid him.’

With Zhou Mochen’s resources, dealing with a few ordinary people would be incredibly easy.

Xu Su could be indifferent to the Xu Family, but she couldn’t be indifferent to her grandma, her uncle, and her cousins.

Her hand was squeezed tightly. Zhou Mochen leaned in, his tone urgent. “Xu Su, you’re trembling. What’s wrong?”

Xu Su stared blankly at the man before her. The urgency in his eyes was genuine. He really did like her—liked her so much that he wouldn’t allow her any other choice. She could only be his, and his alone.

Xu Su suddenly threw her arms around Zhou Mochen’s neck and buried her face in the crook of his neck. Her voice choked with an uncontrollable sob as she said, “Zhou Mochen, don’t bully me. Even if I don’t like you, you can’t bully me. I can’t fight you, and I’m not rich or powerful like you are. What kind of man bullies someone like me?”

The girl had suddenly thrown herself into his arms. Zhou Mochen was stunned for a full two seconds before he reacted, wrapping his arms tightly around her. He didn’t know why her mood had shifted so abruptly, and he could only pat the back of her head soothingly.

He cooed, as if comforting a child, “Did my words scare you? Don’t be afraid, Susu. I won’t bully you. You’re the only one who gets to bully me. When have I ever had the heart to bully you?”

He felt a dampness on his neck.

’She’s crying?’

A sharp pain shot through Zhou Mochen’s chest, causing his brow to knit tightly.

He pulled back slightly, lifted Xu Su’s face, and stroked her red, tear-stained eyes, then began to comfort her.

After trying to comfort her for a long time to no avail, Zhou Mochen sighed. “Stop crying. If you keep crying, I’m going to kiss you, Xu Su. I won’t be able to stop myself.”

At his words, Xu Su blinked a few times. A tear slid from her lashes. She stared at Zhou Mochen’s face, which was inches from hers, and finally realized what she was doing. She shoved him away with both hands.

Xu Su scrambled out of the car as fast as she could, putting distance between them.

Zhou Mochen got out a few seconds later and looked at her with a helpless expression. “Susu, are you really that afraid of me kissing you?”

Xu Su glared at him but said nothing.

Zhou Mochen chuckled. “I’ll stop teasing you. Let’s go.”

The apartment Zhou Mochen had bought was a penthouse on the thirty-sixth floor. There was only one unit per floor, with a private elevator that opened directly into the apartment. They had entered through the main entrance, but there was also a smaller service elevator for the housekeeping staff.

This design ensured that residents and staff would never cross paths, even if they were coming and going at the same time.

Xu Su was very familiar with this place, but since this was supposed to be her first time here, she carefully controlled her expression, making sure not to give anything away.

But when she saw the pink slippers Zhou Mochen took out, she couldn’t maintain her composure. ’In my past life… this didn’t happen.’

Xu Su’s shocked expression made Zhou Mochen uncharacteristically embarrassed. He explained, “They’re brand new. I got them for you in advance. I figured you’d have to come over sooner or later.”

“…”

’That’s not the point… The point is…’

Xu Su said, “They’re awfully pink. I didn’t know you had such a girly side.”

Zhou Mochen caught the playful glint in her eyes and smiled back.

The apartment was huge, far too large for a single man.

Zhou Mochen led her around a couple of corners, past a gym and a game room, before they finally reached the living room. “Watch some TV for a bit. I’ll go check if the cook has dinner ready.”

Xu Su didn’t sit down. She said, “I’ll go with you to the kitchen.”

“All right.” Zhou Mochen agreed to everything she asked. He nodded. “Are you hungry?”

Xu Su patted her stomach. She was, a little.

When they got to the kitchen, Xu Su discovered that the “cook” Zhou Mochen had hired wasn’t just one person.

Just for one home-cooked meal, three women were bustling about: one at the stove, and two in charge of washing and chopping.

In her past life, Xu Su had only stayed here for a few days before following Zhou Mochen back to Beijing. At the time, she’d been in no mood to visit the kitchen, so she truly hadn’t known how many cooks there were.

’How extravagant. I wonder how many meals he even eats at home in a month. Does he really need to hire so many people?’

Dinner consisted of five meat dishes, one vegetable dish, and a soup—a typical home-cooked meal.

There was braised pork belly, spicy shrimp, pig’s trotters with soybeans, and beef brisket stew with potatoes, plus a dish of choy sum in oyster sauce and a portion of pigeon and red date soup.

Everything looked, smelled, and tasted perfect.

Beside the main dishes was an exquisitely arranged fruit platter.

Xu Su asked, “Is there any alcohol?”

Zhou Mochen froze for a moment, then frowned, his face full of disapproval. “Minors shouldn’t drink.”

“…” Xu Su remembered then, too. At her current age, she wasn’t supposed to be drinking.

With a pout, Xu Su reluctantly started to eat.

Zhou Mochen glanced at her and sighed. He was powerless against her and couldn’t bear to see her disappointed.

He asked one of the staff to bring over an opened bottle of fruit wine. “This has a low alcohol content. If you want a drink, have this.”

’Plum wine…’

Xu Su’s eyes lit up. “Okay, I’m not picky.”

Zhou Mochen chuckled. “Don’t drink too much of this, either.”

She agreed readily enough, but when she started drinking, she showed no restraint.

By the time Zhou Mochen noticed, the large bottle of plum wine was already empty.

His face darkened, and he blamed himself for not paying closer attention. “Xu Su, you drank so much. Aren’t you worried it will upset your stomach?”

’In my past life, I could hold my liquor. I even enjoyed a small drink from time to time. And wasn’t he the reason I started drinking in the first place? If he hadn’t backed me into a corner, I wouldn’t have needed liquid courage!’

The plum wine had a very low alcohol content, so even after finishing a large bottle, Xu Su didn’t feel drunk.

Xu Su shot him a disdainful look. “I can hold my liquor just fine. It’s genetic, you know. My dad, my grandpa, my uncles—they can all drink a lot. Don’t underestimate me, Zhou Mochen.”

Her eyes were clear and she spoke coherently, not at all like someone who was drunk.

Zhou Mochen had to admit that the girl did, in fact, have *some* tolerance for alcohol.

After dinner, it was past seven. Xu Su got up, ready to head home.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep