"But I don’t think it’s necessary," Zhixi declined without hesitation. "I’m not in that frame of mind right now."
Yichen laughed, "No, you do need this."
"At least until your father’s business deal is successfully concluded, you need this. If not me, then someone else. Compared to any random stranger, you’d prefer it to be me, right?" Yichen explained with a smile.
Zhixi bit her lip, realizing she had no comeback.
Her father also said that he was about to secure the exclusive rights to a new energy resource. At such a critical moment, it would be better not to make unnecessary complications.
Since President Zhuo insisted on setting her up with someone, it was indeed better it be Yichen rather than anyone else.
"If you really are averse to it, just think of it as acting," Yichen sighed with a helpless smile, seeing her hesitation. "Am I really that repulsive?"
"No... you’re right," Zhixi was persuaded. "What should I do?"
"Just agree to date me," Yichen said with a smile. "Twice a week should be tolerable for you. The dates will involve dining out, watching plays, attending concerts. I will plan according to your preferences."
So, it amounted to them putting on a show for the President. It didn’t seem too hard to accept when put that way.
Zhixi thought for a moment, then nodded, "Okay. But even if it’s just an act, I would like to confirm something... are you single right now?"
Yichen paused, and the face of Lu Qixi suddenly flashed through his mind.
His gaze flickered slightly, "Yes."
After dinner, Yichen personally drove her back to the hotel.
Zhixi got out of the car, holding her scarf and about to wrap it around herself when Yichen suddenly offered a faint smile, taking the scarf from her hands, "Let me."
Zhixi was taken aback, but seeing the President Mansion’s bodyguards on both sides, she did not refuse.
Yichen carefully tied the scarf for her, sizing her up, then suddenly laughed, "I always hoped that someday I could have a one-on-one date with you, to do everything a boyfriend should do. I never imagined it would turn out this way."
Zhixi hesitated, then suddenly said, "I used to hope for that too."
Back when he was still lying on a hospital bed...
He was momentarily stunned, and as he instinctively looked over, their eyes met.
For a long while, both of them started to laugh.
"Then, let’s make up for what we missed out on," Yichen said tenderly and openly. "I’m very glad you are still alive."
She suddenly realized that it wasn’t just He Jingyao who had thought she had died.
Everyone who had ever loved her would have been pained by the news, maybe even felt guilty... She seemed to have overlooked too much.
With this thought, her heart felt a pang of sourness.
"I’m sorry," she said involuntarily. "I am also glad that you are all well."
Yichen curved his lips slightly, "Go back now, I’ll come to pick you up tomorrow."
Zhixi smiled and nodded, then turned to walk into the hotel.
Yichen watched her retreating figure, a smile lingering in his eyes, until her silhouette completely disappeared. Only then did he turn and get into the car.
This scene should satisfy President Zhuo.
Lately, President Zhuo had been making a lot of moves behind the scenes, Yichen intended to talk to He Jingyao about it, but the man had inexplicably disappeared.
Seeing Su Zixi’s demeanor... could it be that He Jingyao had truly given up?