Rong Jing naturally couldn’t forget Eric, whom he had met a few times, after all, he is a member of the United Kingdom Windsor Royal Family.

He greeted him first.

Eric looked at Rong Jing indifferently, his scrutinizing gaze swept over the flowers in his hand, and he subconsciously sneered.

Rong Jing raised his eyebrows slightly, not quite understanding what Eric’s attitude towards him meant.

"Mr. Windsor, did I offend you somehow?"

Eric had his hands in his pockets, his 1.9-meter tall frame towering slightly over Rong Jing as he looked down in disdain,

"You’re aiming for Yin Shixiu’s widow, Mr. Rong, your character is truly eye-opening."

Rong Jing hurried to explain,

"Su Xiaomeng is now a single woman who’s lost her husband, why can’t I pursue her? But if I truly manage to win over President Su, it would certainly be thanks to my character."

Saying this, Rong Jing handed the flowers to Su Xiaomeng,

"Take them, even if you dislike me, these flowers are innocent."

Su Xiaomeng glanced at Rong Jing, casually accepting the flowers without any expression.

Rong Jing’s eyebrows rose a bit more, he hadn’t expected Su Xiaomeng to graciously accept the flowers today.

Rong Jing couldn’t possibly know what was going through Su Xiaomeng’s mind.

Eric watched the two in front of him, exchanging flowers in the CEO’s office, and he felt utterly disgusted.

"Let me make it clear, Su Xiaomeng, if you truly marry Rong Jing, you will regret it!"

"..."

This statement surprised not Su Xiaomeng, but Rong Jing.

"Moreover, even if you two do marry, no one will wish you well! Mr. Rong, the woman you want to marry is a widow! Can your family, including the entire Rong Group, accept that? Huh?!"

Eric was so furious that he was gibbering incoherently.

No matter how well he’d learned Chinese, he couldn’t express his doubt and objections more accurately at that moment.

Rong Jing was completely bewildered...

What did Eric’s words mean? Was Su Xiaomeng really considering a marriage alliance with the Rong Family?

Su Xiaomeng...

Meeting Rong Jing’s bewildered gaze, Su Xiaomeng said calmly,

"Since you’re here today, I’ll tell you what Eric and I discussed earlier, and also share my current thoughts."

When Rong Jing came in, he was actually quite leisurely and casual, without the mindset to achieve a specific goal by finding Su Xiaomeng.

It was only when he passed the Yin Family that he thought to "visit" on a whim.

Who knew...

"The marriage alliance between the Yin Family and Rong Family... I’ve been seriously considering it these past few days. I haven’t really responded to the rumors outside because I’ve been considering..."

"..."

Rong Jing stared at Su Xiaomeng in astonishment.

"Just as most people say, and just as you said, breaking the old combative relationship between the Rong Family and the Yin Family, and forming a powerful alliance to open up a new situation, is actually a very good choice."

"Oh?"

Rong Jing raised his eyebrows, responding with considerable interest.

"The constant fighting between the Yin Family and Rong Family benefits no one, the struggle between sandpipers and clams only gives the fisherman an advantage."

"Well said."

"Business alliances, interest combinations aren’t uncommon in the business world, I don’t want the Yin Family my husband founded single-handedly to fail due to my incompetence, nor do you want to use the Yin Family to make the Rong Family stronger, we each take what we need, I think it’s pretty good."

"Su Xiaomeng, are these words really from your heart?"

Even Rong Jing was a bit incredulous.

"Not from the heart, just bending to reality."

Su Xiaomeng looked at Rong Jing,

"Do you naively believe that the foundation for the Rong Family-Yin Family marriage is... that I will fall in love with you?"

"Why not?"

Rong Jing teased.

Of course, he knew the likelihood was slim, but... he wasn’t entirely without hope.

Su Xiaomeng chuckled, knowing his remark was merely a joke.

Turning back to Eric,

"I know you’re Arthur’s close friend, me having the idea of remarriage so soon feels like I’m betraying him."

"..."

"But Eric, everyone has their own life, my choices today, I will certainly bear all the consequences of those choices."

"You don’t give me your blessing, you don’t support me, it’s fine, I don’t need it."

"..."

Eric looked at the woman in front of him, and for an instant, he truly felt Su Xiaomeng was unfamiliar and distant.

She was calm and rational, her words were filled with the stench of self-interest.

The cute young girl he first saw beside Yin Shixiu, like a middle school student, had transformed completely.

He wanted to literally wake up Yin Shixiu who was lying in a hospital bed, point at the cold woman who would use her marriage as a chip to gain benefits in front of him and ask him...

Is this the woman you risked your life for?

Is this the woman you always talk about, want, and love?

Arthur, what’s worth it?

Ultimately, Eric didn’t say anything else, turning around and leaving the office.

Su Xiaomeng still leaned there, but it was as if much of her strength had been drained.

Rong Jing looked at Su Xiaomeng leisurely and lightly curled his lips,

"Can I curiously ask if the words you just said still count?"

Su Xiaomeng lifted her eyes to look at Rong Jing...

Beside them, Chen Lan, who hadn’t uttered a sound from start to finish, instinctively held his breath.

When Eric came in, Su Xiaomeng told Chen Lan not to say anything no matter what she said.

So even though Su Xiaomeng’s words just now left Chen Lan shocked, he didn’t speak up.

But now, Eric was already gone...

"Count."

"President Su."

Chen Lan finally spoke, but Su Xiaomeng turned to Chen Lan and said,

"You go out first, I have something to discuss privately with Young Master Rong."

"..."

Chen Lan frowned and paused for a few seconds before moving to leave.

The office door opened and closed, and now only Su Xiaomeng and Rong Jing were left in the office...

Rong Jing smiled, looking at her,

"What made you change your mind?"

"Interest."

"Haha, such a compelling response."

Rong Jing laughed heartily.

Su Xiaomeng’s cold expression softened slightly as she looked at Rong Jing, smiling,

"Actually, I’m very curious, with the intense conflict between the Rong Family and Yin Family, you’re planning to marry Yin Shixiu’s wife; Mr. Rong Si and Miss Rong Qiao can agree?"

Rong Jing’s eyes shaped like two crescents,

"Don’t you think marrying the eldest son’s wife of the Yin Family into my home is like slapping the Yin Family in the face?"

"..."

"The Yin Family is the Yin Family, you are you, after Yin Shixiu died, you no longer have the surname Yin."

"I have two children."

"I guarantee, I will treat these two children as my own."

Su Xiaomeng chuckled lightly,

"I don’t need any of your guarantees, I said it, the reason I consider this marriage alliance is for those two words ’interest,’ but Rong Jing, remember, if I gain nothing from this marriage, don’t think you can gain any benefit either."

"Bringing you home is the biggest benefit I get."

Rong Jing smiled with eyes curved.

Su Xiaomeng pursed her lips, looking at the smiling man before her, he seemed to be moved by her words.

In fact...

What kind of thoughts this man harbors, how deep his scheming goes, Su Xiaomeng, lacking experience, couldn’t fathom.

Rong Jing left the Yin Family feeling victorious, so much so that the Yin Family’s employees were the first to feel the matter was true.

Chen Lan rushed into the office impatiently, he looked at Su Xiaomeng in shocking disbelief, at that moment he looked remarkably similar to the enraged Eric just now,

"Madam, don’t joke about that, really marrying Rong Jing? This isn’t how you make a fake thing real!"

Su Xiaomeng still stood on the spot, looking at the bouquet of flowers beside her, her hand fiddling with the rose petals, watching them fall one by one.

"Chen Lan, do you think Rong Jing still suspects that Shixiu isn’t dead?"

"..."

A single sentence made Chen Lan feel as though he was placed in an ice cellar, his whole body cold as he met Su Xiaomeng’s dark eyes, he unconsciously swallowed.