Chapter 123: Upright and Honorable

Su Ji stared fixedly at Rong Shen. She found his words profound, yet she could not deny that he was remarkably open and forthright.

"Mr. Rong..." Su Ji held her delicate tea cup with both hands and said, composing herself, "If you and An Tong are in love, I am naturally happy for you. To be honest, as an outsider, I am not in a position to question you. But please understand, when it comes to An Tong, I cannot just stand by."

"That is understandable." Rong Shen leaned back against his chair with his usual elegant poise. "If it were her, she would do the same for you."

The man was mature and certainly wouldn't be petty about such things. Besides, he knew that he had been the one to pursue her initially with ulterior motives; in anyone’s eyes, that would seem suspicious, let alone to Su Ji, who was devoted to protecting An Tong.

After a moment, Su Ji calmly sipped her tea, her expression complex. "I apologize for my previous prejudice against you; I hope you don't mind. Beyond that, I have one request: regardless of your original intentions, since you have married her, please treat her well in the future. You are her entire world now. Whatever happens, please don't let her lose everything again."

Even as calm and detached as Rong Shen was, those final words struck his heart, stirring an indescribable sense of agitation and tenderness.

Taking advantage of the man’s silence, Su Ji sent a message to An Tong telling her to return.

After a brief silence, the man’s voice turned slightly raspy. "Where is An Xianghuai now?"

He could be An Tong’s everything; he could offer her endless tolerance and love. But the bond of blood and family was something no one could replace.

Su Ji lowered her eyes in thought for a few seconds and replied candidly, "Uncle An has always been in Hong Kong. As for further details, I think... it would be best if An Tong told you herself."

Since An Tong had not revealed this to Rong Shen, she couldn't overstep her bounds and answer for her.

Shortly after, An Tong pushed the door open and entered. She looked at the two of them drinking tea; the atmosphere seemed quite harmonious. However, there was a flash of complex emotion in Rong Shen’s eyes that was rarely seen.

An Tong sat down beside Su Ji. Seeing that both were looking at her, she touched her face, confused. "What is it? Why are you both looking at me?"

Su Ji chuckled. "Looking at how pretty you are."

An Tong gave her a playful glare and leaned over to whisper, "You've met him now. Are you relieved?"

Su Ji pushed her head away with a laugh, took a few more sips of tea, and prepared to take her leave.

"Are you going back today? Why not stay a few more days to relax?" An Tong looked at Su Ji, her tone gloomy.

Su Ji put an arm around her shoulder and smiled. "Next time. When my mother recovers, I’ll bring her along to take a break."

She had originally intended to stay a few more days to test Rong Shen’s feelings for An Tong. But having seen him in person, many of Su Ji’s concerns had vanished. Sometimes, hearsay truly isn't a valid standard for judging a person. A man like Rong Shen, though deeply calculating, was at least a gentleman of integrity.

Most importantly, he could truly heal An Tong.

...

At four in the afternoon, Su Ji prepared to drive home by herself, but Cheng Feng appeared in the underground garage just in time.

Rong Shen, holding An Tong’s hand, spoke with steady composure, "It’s a long drive, and Cheng Feng happens to be heading back for business. Let him drive the car."

An Tong nodded in agreement. "Cheng Feng is a very steady driver, and you two can look out for each other on the way."

"No need, I can manage," Su Ji tried to decline the kind gesture. "I drive on the highway often; making a round trip in a day is common for me."

Before An Tong could continue to persuade her, Cheng Feng stepped forward to the passenger door and said hypocritically, "Then please trouble Miss Su to give me a ride. I really do have business back in Hong Kong."

Su Ji: "..."

How shameless could he be?

Just like that, Cheng Feng climbed into the passenger seat without any self-awareness. Su Ji glared at him through the rearview mirror, then pulled An Tong to the other side of the car to whisper a few things.

An Tong asked with lingering concern, "Do you really have to go back today?"

"I didn't come to Zhanzhou just to relax," Su Ji squeezed her arm. "We’ll get together again when you return to Hong Kong."

An Tong nodded, feeling down. "Mm, I’ll go back before the end of the year."

"I'll wait for you then." Su Ji turned to leave, but paused slightly, teasing, "Your husband... he’s a good man. Get along well, and soon..."

An Tong didn't catch the rest of the sentence; her mind was completely occupied by the words "your husband." It was the first time anyone had used that title to refer to Rong Shen.

An Tong pursed her lips, restraining a smile. "He is indeed very good; I told you that before."

Su Ji, who had been ruthlessly force-fed a mouthful of affection, thought: "..."

She glanced at An Tong and could clearly see the shyness and sweetness in her eyes. Su Ji looked back at Rong Shen, who was standing not far away; from her angle, she caught the focused gaze he had fixed on An Tong. It was as if, no matter how many people were around, his eyes only saw her.

Su Ji was moved. Before turning to leave, she smiled and urged, "Take good care of yourself in Zhanzhou."

She knew that An Tong’s future was now secure.

...

After Su Ji left, An Tong returned to the man’s side. Looking toward the garage exit, she murmured, "I wanted to take her out to relax..."

She should have realized sooner; with Auntie Ji’s illness, how could Su Ji have the heart to relax? Her hurried visit today was clearly for her own sake.

Rong Shen tilted his head to look at the girl’s reddened eyes and pulled her into his arms, comforting her. "You can see her again when we go back to Hong Kong. Your sister is indeed a good person."

No matter what Su Ji had said or done, her intentions were always for An Tong. Such a female friend was rare and precious.

An Tong suddenly thought of something. She looked up and relayed, "Su Su thinks very highly of you, too."

"Does she?" Rong Shen lowered his handsome face, his warm breath falling against her forehead. "What did she say?"

An Tong didn't expect him to follow up, and her gaze flickered in confusion. "She... she just said you are a very good man."

The man raised his thick eyebrows slightly, tightening his arm around her waist. "Anything else?"

"Nothing else." An Tong replied decisively. No matter what, she could not calmly repeat Su Ji’s comment about "your husband being a good man."

Rong Shen looked down at her flickering eyes, the smile on his lips deepening. "Shall we go home, or go for a walk outside?"

An Tong gripped his fingers. "Let's go home. I want to go home."

Back to their home.

...

A day later, the New Year’s holiday passed in the blink of an eye.

An Tong reported to her company at the Zhanzhou Building as scheduled, beginning her part-time job as a data clerk. The company was small, focusing primarily on market analysis. Her office was in the data room on the seventeenth floor. Aside from the data manager, she worked with two others her age—a man and a woman—who were also part-time employees hired in the same batch.

An Tong was usually quiet. She was fully focused when she worked and highly efficient. By the end of the half-day, she had already finished her entire day’s workload.