Chen Cheng gave a faint smile and steered the topic in another direction, "What about you? What are your expectations for your other half in the future?"
Meng Wanning lowered her head, her gaze falling on the coffee cup, stirring the already cooled coffee.
After a moment of silence, she spoke softly, "I haven’t really thought about this question yet."
"Is it that you haven’t thought about it, or is it..."
Chen Cheng deliberately drew out his words, his gaze burning into her, "Or have you not met the right person yet?"
Meng Wanning’s cheeks turned slightly red, she lifted her head to meet Chen Cheng’s gaze, a trace of panic in her eyes, "Mr. Chen, why are you suddenly asking this?"
Chen Cheng feigned an easygoing smile, "For a girl as outstanding as you, there must be many suitors, right?"
"No," Meng Wanning shook her head, "I socialize very little, besides the troupe, I don’t really interact with other people."
"That really is a pity,"
Chen Cheng joked half-seriously, "A girl with both inner and outer beauty like you is hard to find even with a lantern."
Meng Wanning blushed slightly at his compliment.
"Mr. Chen is joking, I’m just an ordinary girl, not as good as you say."
"In my opinion, you are extraordinary."
Chen Cheng spoke earnestly: "The unique charm you exude gives off a very refined feeling."
Meng Wanning didn’t expect Chen Cheng to flirt with her so directly.
"Aren’t you afraid I’ll tell your senior sister about this?"
She couldn’t dare to meet Chen Cheng’s gaze directly and pretended to be calm as she picked up the coffee cup, pretending to drink.
Chen Cheng smiled faintly, "If you were going to tell her, you would have done so already."
He took a sip himself, "You’ve been learning to drive with her recently; the time you spend with her is even longer than the time I spend with her."
Meng Wanning bit her lower lip, "Mr. Chen, are you that confident?"
Chen Cheng put down his coffee cup, leaned forward slightly, his gaze intense yet with a hint of teasing,
"My confidence comes from the trust you’ve given me."
The powerful aura sped up Meng Wanning’s heart rate violently, she dared not meet his eyes any longer, denying in a fluster, "No, I haven’t..."
Chen Cheng watched her flustered state, the corners of his mouth lifting in a triumphant smile, "Then how would you explain the blushing and heart-fluttering you’re experiencing right now?"
Meng Wanning felt exposed by his remark and quickly changed the subject, "I mentioned the day before yesterday that today I would return the box of pumpkin seeds to you. I’ll get them when I go back to the troupe later..."
"No need, I have other matters today, just keep it with you for now."
Hearing Chen Cheng’s nonchalant tone, Meng Wanning reluctantly protested,
"How can that be okay? The box is so valuable, it doesn’t make sense for me to keep it."
Chen Cheng’s lips curled with a smile, "Consider it... as if you’re keeping it safe for me. You can give it back to me the next time we meet."
Meng Wanning caught the keyword in his sentence, subconsciously asking, "When is that?"
"It’s up to you, whenever you’re free," Chen Cheng shrugged nonchalantly, "I’ll probably be in Beijing for the coming days, so you can ask me out anytime."
His words stirred Meng Wanning, leaving her flustered; she dared not continue the conversation for fear of saying something untimely.
Chen Cheng hadn’t actually said much, but he had handed the initiative over to Meng Wanning regarding whether or not to continue.
Meng Wanning stealthily observed the Chen Cheng who sat across from her. His mature male charm made her feel both alien and captivated.
His gaze was deep and gentle, with a mix of dominance and tenderness, restraint and respect.
The sunlight outside the window fell on his side face, outlining his sharply defined contours.
His focused expression and graceful movements, everything about him radiated the allure of a mature man.
Meng Wanning’s heart rate involuntarily sped up a bit more.
She suddenly realized that she was indeed looking forward to their next meeting.
At this moment, Chen Cheng’s phone rang, shattering the tranquility of the café.
He glanced at the caller ID and gave Meng Wanning an apologetic smile, "Sorry, I need to take this call."
Meng Wanning nodded and watched as he walked off to the side to answer the phone.
Watching Chen Cheng’s figure, Meng Wanning fell into deep thought.
She knew that between her and Chen Cheng lay the barriers of age, experience, and many unknown obstacles.
Yet, some feelings, once sprouted, are hard to erase.
After finishing the call, Chen Cheng came back.
"Xiao Meng, I have some things to take care of, so I’ll be going now."
Meng Wanning snapped out of her reverie and nodded gently, "Alright, Mr. Chen."
Chen Cheng walked towards the exit, but then paused and turned back to look at Meng Wanning, his smile deep and meaningful,
"Don’t forget, you promised me a meal next time."
Meng Wanning’s heart skipped a beat and she retorted, "When did I ever promise that?"
"Then I must have remembered wrong."
Chen Cheng smiled, "As an apology, next time, let me treat you, okay?"
Meng Wanning instinctively nodded.
But a second later, she shook her head.
Before she could say anything else, she only saw Chen Cheng’s easy departure, her heart stirring with ripples.
"What am I doing..." She lifted the cup and drank the remaining half cup of coffee in one gulp.
But the coffee didn’t slow down her racing heart; if anything, it beat faster.
She was well aware that her life would be unsettled by this man’s emergence.
As to how it would end, she didn’t know, nor did she dare to think about it.
But at this moment, Meng Wanning just wanted to savor this trembling feeling, this sweet flush of a quickened heartbeat.
Meng Wanning murmured to herself, her delicate fingers unconsciously rubbing the edge of the coffee cup.