Chapter 344: Chapter 343: "Good job today, upholding male virtue very well!

Xu Su was speechless. ’When will Zhou Mochen ever understand that I’m not a child anymore?’

’What on earth is he worried about? That I’ll get lost? Or run into danger?’

’Or is he worried I’ll run off and not come back?’

Xu Su really couldn’t understand his way of thinking.

When she returned to the private room from the restroom, the meal was mostly over. A group of people was discussing where to go for round two, and the two chief engineers were asking for instructions from Zhou Mochen, who sat at the head of the table.

He waved his hand dismissively, clearly uninterested.

Just as Xu Su reached her seat and sat down, Zhou Mochen leaned over and asked in a low voice, "Are you full?"

Of course she was full. Xu Su nodded slightly, picked up the refilled glass in front of her, and downed it in one go. She stopped him from pouring more wine. "Let’s go back."

It was past nine o’clock when they left the hotel. The night breeze felt pleasantly cool against their skin.

They didn’t have to wait long before Huang Chao pulled the car around. Zhou Mochen pulled Xu Su into the back seat.

The air conditioning had just been turned on, so Xu Su felt stuffy the moment she got in. She immediately rolled down the window to let the cool evening breeze in.

She was completely oblivious to the unusually quiet atmosphere inside the car.

Not until he squeezed her hand. Zhou Mochen leaned closer, asking, "Are you angry?"

"...?" Xu Su thought for a moment. She wasn’t sure what he was referring to, but none of it was enough to make her truly angry.

At most, she just felt exasperated.

Zhou Mochen slowly stroked the back of her hand, lost in thought. After a few seconds of silence, he continued, "You like their Peach Blossom Brew. How about I buy the recipe, hire a master brewer, and have it made exclusively for you when we get back to Beijing?"

Xu Su blinked. ’That’s incredibly thoughtful.’

She was quite tempted and nodded, saying, "Okay."

Zhou Mochen smiled and pinched her cheek. "You don’t like me controlling your drinking, so from now on, you can mind your own limits. I won’t interfere."

"You..." Xu Su turned her head in surprise. "You’re not going to treat me like a child anymore?"

"I never treated you like a child..." Zhou Mochen explained helplessly. "I admit, I have this feeling that I can’t stop worrying about you. I’m always afraid you’ll be uncomfortable or run into danger, so I want to look after you. That’s my fault. I’ll change."

"..." ’So I was right. Isn’t Zhou Mochen’s attitude toward me just like a parent raising a child? He acts like he’s afraid I’ll be kidnapped the moment I’m out of his sight.’

’You can’t do this, drinking too much of that is bad for you... always restricting the child based on their own ideas, all under the banner of ’it’s for your own good.’’

’Is he trying to make up for the fatherly love I missed out on from Xu Weiping?’

’But... if he thinks of me as a child, then I’ve never seen him... ’

Xu Su let out a soft "Ew" as her own wild imagination gave her goosebumps.

"What’s wrong?" The moment her shoulders flinched, Zhou Mochen thought she was cold. He reached out, wrapped an arm around her, and rolled up the window.

He seemed to have done some serious self-reflection. Seeing Xu Su let him hold her obediently, he couldn’t resist pinching her cheek again as he reminded her, "But, Susu, you have to be careful when you’re drinking. You can only drink freely when you’re sure it’s safe, understand?"

"I’m not an idiot. Why would I drink in an unsafe place?" Xu Su pouted and slapped his hand away. "Zhou Mochen, stop managing me like I’m your daughter from now on, you hear me?"

Zhou Mochen grunted in agreement. Hearing her words, he felt a laugh coming on. "When I didn’t let you keep drinking just now, were you angry with me?"

"No..." Xu Su denied it flatly. "I’m not a petty person. I was a little annoyed at most, but I wouldn’t call it angry."

"Oh..." Zhou Mochen nodded. Feeling that it was awkward to talk like this, he simply pulled her onto his lap and asked with a smile, "What about before? Were you angry earlier?"

Xu Su was sitting sideways on his lap. They met each other’s gaze in the dimly lit back seat. She thought for a moment, realized he was asking about Lili, and irritably pushed his face away. "What was there to be angry about?"

"Not angry?" Zhou Mochen raised an eyebrow and let out an ambiguous laugh. "Really not angry? You didn’t see what her intentions were?"

"I saw them," Xu Su said, then tried to get off his lap and sit down properly, but Zhou Mochen held her waist firmly, not letting her go.

Only now did she belatedly realize that he seemed to really mind her "not angry" response.

"What do you mean?" Xu Su’s eyes widened. "Isn’t it good that I’m not angry? Do you want me to be angry?"

’I thought he was most afraid of me getting angry. And now he’s unhappy that I’m not?’

’A man’s heart is truly a needle at the bottom of the sea.’

"Of course I want you to be angry!" Zhou Mochen turned her face toward him, using the flashing, colorful lights from outside the window to study her expression carefully.

Confirming that she was genuinely not the least bit upset about the incident, he ground his teeth and smiled. "Xu Su, you’re really something else. Someone tried to throw a woman at me right in front of you, and you’re not upset at all. Impressive. Very impressive."

Xu Su immediately caught the sarcasm in his tone. She was utterly speechless. Grasping his wrist, she said sincerely, "You didn’t even spare her a glance, so what’s there for me to be angry about? If I got angry over the actions of every irrelevant person, I’d have plenty to be angry about."

"Not only did you not look at her, you didn’t let her touch you, and you didn’t even drink the wine she poured for you. I really have no reason to be angry."

As Xu Su spoke, she figured he might be fishing for a compliment. She generously leaned up and gave him a kiss. "You were on your best behavior today. A true model of masculine virtue!"

The kiss was forceful, and the SMACK echoed loudly in the enclosed car. In the driver’s seat, Huang Chao even held his breath for a moment.

’I feel like I should be in the trunk, not in the car...’

As for Zhou Mochen, that one kiss was enough to dispel most of his frustration.

He touched the spot she had kissed, the corners of his lips curling up uncontrollably, but he still sounded a little peeved. "I think you just don’t care about me. Someone was trying to seduce me right in front of you, and you didn’t react at all."

"What kind of reaction did you want?" Xu Su asked, confused. "Should I have stood up and cursed her out? Slapped her? Or gotten into a catfight with another woman to win your favor?"

Never mind that Lili hadn’t done anything out of line and hadn’t even gotten close to Zhou Mochen; even if she had suddenly thrown herself into his arms, Xu Su would have settled the score with Zhou Mochen for letting her.

Competing with, fighting, and maliciously insulting other women over a man—Xu Su truly couldn’t bring herself to do it.

Just the thought of being that kind of person was unbearable, and her expression couldn’t help but sour.

Seeing her look of displeasure, Zhou Mochen quickly denied it. "That’s not what I meant. I just want to know how much you care about me."

After a pause, he asked again, "...Susu, if I had spared that woman a second glance just now, would you have been angry?"