Final Civilization

Chapter 40: Confidence

Han Ming found it hard to believe that Yan Jing had uttered those words directly in front of Duoduo.

At that moment, Yan Duoduo was chewing a piece of large shrimp meat, glancing at the two of them with wide eyes, the corners of her mouth shiny with oil, secretly giggling. The little girl, wise beyond her years, seemed to understand what her mother had just said.

Just like that, Yan Jing looked at Han Ming, Han Ming looked at her, and little Duoduo looked at both of them. After a few seconds of silence, Yan Jing finally broke into a smile:

"Just a joke, don't mind it, Han Ming. You're a good person, and you get along well with Duoduo and me. I would be more than grateful if you could visit here often."

Visiting your home often? Wouldn't that be even weirder?

Han Ming's gaze flickered slightly as he nodded calmly.

"Okay."

Little Duoduo also secretly let out a sigh of relief, looking at Han Ming with a suppressed grin. Han Ming quickly shot her a look that made her shrink back.

By the time the meal finished, it was already past 8 PM. After eating, Han Ming, who had originally planned to leave, was pulled by Duoduo to watch TV. Helpless, and feeling somewhat sorry for the little girl who usually had few people to play with, he stayed again. It wasn't until Yan Jing took her upstairs and coaxed her to sleep that Han Ming finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"Accompanying a child, once or twice is driven by interest. After many times, it becomes a test of patience."On the second-floor terrace, Yan Jing took out a bottle of Louis XIII from the wine cabinet, poured a glass for Han Ming, and said:

"Didn't make you feel annoyed, did it?"

Han Ming shook his head:

"Playing with a child doesn't cause annoyance. It's when you want to please the child or seek pleasure through the child that you lose patience."

Yan Jing glanced sideways slightly: "Oh? So which one are you?"

"I'm neither, because I also really enjoy playing," Han Ming said.

Yan Jing gave a light laugh, sat down on the sofa opposite Han Ming, crossed her slender legs gracefully, and said leisurely:

"But I saw you seemed a bit tense after dinner. Could it be... you were scared by what I said?"

"A little bit," Han Ming said frankly.

"I thought so."

Yan Jing smiled: "Don't take it to heart. I've investigated you, and after this period of contact, I quite admire your background and character. I'm willing to cooperate and be friends with someone like you. Of course, if you really wanted to pursue me, to become Duoduo's father, I might agree. After all, Duoduo likes you, and I think you're not bad. I might consider giving you such an opportunity."

"Because although I don't lack money and can spare some time, a child needs companionship. Duoduo's growth also needs the role of a father."

Yan Jing's words were calm, sounding as if she were discussing a desirable business deal, even carrying a sense of condescending scrutiny, which made Han Ming feel both astonished and somewhat helpless.

"Chairwoman Yan, are you serious?"

"Playing dumb while knowing full well can easily lower someone's favorable impression," Yan Jing said, smiling as she looked at him.

Han Ming's gaze swept over Yan Jing. He put down the wine glass in his hand, his expression turning serious as he said:

"The vision of a single mother struggling to balance career and family sounds truly moving. Let me analyze it for you. You think your daughter likes me, plus I saved her, and after conducting a background check, you judge this should be a source of affection that can stay by your daughter's side to nourish her growth. So you extend an olive branch to me, but it's actually just testing my attitude. If I agree, it shows you're not really looking for a father for Duoduo, but rather a male nanny named 'Dad' for her. Perhaps you plan to sign some agreements with me, so both sides can gain some benefits. This isn't an emotional need, but a business negotiation. Am I right?"

Upon hearing this, Yan Jing gave a radiant smile, not getting angry at all. Instead, she looked at Han Ming with a wave-like gaze, not avoiding the issue at all.

"Yes. So, are you willing? To be Duoduo's father, to be my man."

She sat there, her posture relaxed, like a supreme queen reigning above all men's dirty thoughts, monetary desires, and sins, bestowing a mission of ennoblement upon Han Ming.

Han Ming let out a light laugh: "Sorry, you're too confident in yourself."

"Business can be negotiated, but a scale can't weigh a heart of gold, let alone two ounces of it. Moreover, this attitude is practically an insult to my character. You seem to care deeply about Duoduo's growth, protecting her, making time to accompany her, cooking for her, sheltering her in that botanical garden. But in truth, your heart is anxious, hesitant."

"Oh?" Yan Jing raised a delicate eyebrow, looking at Han Ming with keen interest. "You seem to know me quite well, starting to judge me so quickly? Tell me, where am I anxious, where am I hesitant?"

"Simple," Han Ming said directly.

"Because you know you can't give your daughter genuine warmth. Your tenderness is all an act. You buy her princess dresses, but she likes to run. You cultivate a floor full of greenery, but what she likes is a single frog inside it. You use many cameras to protect her safety, but those who can play with her rarely get a second chance to interact with her. Except for me, who saved her life and appears in your list of monitored subjects as maintaining the 'lowest security risk,' you've begun to find a choice that can be used to compensate for this hesitation."

"So you invited me to your home for a meal, wanting to test my feelings towards you. You are extremely confident in yourself. Indeed, you are Yan Jing, the Queen of Tianzhou. You are beautiful, gorgeous, with an excellent figure, immensely wealthy. Which man could easily resist the temptation of being Duoduo's father and being your man? Even just being a tool, prostrating at your feet, playing the role of a nominal husband but actually a male nanny—for the vast majority of men, that would probably be hard to refuse. Given your past, your label for men is almost equivalent to tools, so this judgment fits your character very well."

"As for anxiety, you appear calm and composed in every gesture, handling things with ease, because your confidence stems from your absolute control over things. Your tracking and surveillance of me started the very day I saved Duoduo. I guess there are at least over 30 cameras on the 46th floor of Tianzhou, right? And definitely many at home too. Although it seems like only you and Duoduo are here, your bodyguards can probably reach your side within 3 minutes. Let me guess even more bizarrely—you arranged to chat with me on the second floor because this terrace is open. Perhaps there's even a remote sniper rifle already aimed at me. Of course, since you've investigated me, you'd know I don't pose that great a threat to you. But I'm just wildly guessing—who knows if the White Widow of Jinghai can get her hands on a sniper rifle?"

Hearing this, Yan Jing had already begun to laugh softly to herself. She looked at Han Ming, the interest in her eyes growing increasingly intense. Unable to help herself, she kicked off her high heels and curled up on the sofa, as if eagerly awaiting him to continue.

"You enjoy the feeling of planning step by step, strategizing, keeping everything under your control. This is the source of your confidence, and it also indicates you've had a past lacking in security. A person's excessive lack of security often comes from an unsafe environment and constantly disrupted expectations in relationships. But you shouldn't impose this on Duoduo. To put it bluntly, if you really find her such a contractual father, it would be very cruel to her. By the way, you don't respect her much either. It's just a mother's obsessive love."

After listening to Han Ming's words, Yan Jing still wore a smile on her face. Only at the last sentence did she show some confusion, immediately asking curiously:

"Really? Where don't I respect her?"

"She doesn't like eating fish. Didn't you notice?"

Yan Jing frowned slightly. Her expression finally changed a bit at this moment, asking tentatively: "How do you know? She's never told me."

Han Ming sighed and said:

"Because you haven't properly played with her, haven't patiently listened to what she says. You don't know she caught Xiao Ba because she didn't want the frog to eat the little fish in the pond, so she made friends with Xiao Ba. She likes fish, so how could she eat fish? Didn't you notice at dinner she only took a sip of the fish soup?"

Yan Jing's expression darkened slightly: "Impossible. If she doesn't like it, she could just tell me directly."

"Because that's the only dish you know how to cook. The other dishes are all customized for you by the restaurant. I guess she's worried that if she says so, the number of times you eat with her will become even fewer. Believe me, children's perception of love is very sharp. Sometimes they are much smarter than you imagine."

Hearing this, Yan Jing's pupils contracted. Her shoulders trembled slightly unnaturally, and the force in her fingers gripping the wine glass gradually increased.

Now, she looked at Han Ming, her gaze finally turning serious.

"I didn't expect a lawyer to be so observant."

Han Ming stood up, replying calmly: "This shows your choice of our Fang Tiancheng firm is very correct. We will definitely provide Tianzhou with professional legal services."

After walking two steps, he stopped again, turned back, and asked:

"By the way, have you found the person who attacked Duoduo?"

Yan Jing looked at him with a meaningful gaze and said:

"Do you care about that?"

Han Ming replied: "As a party involved and as Duoduo's friend, I am still quite concerned about this. I sincerely hope such a thing doesn't happen again."

Yan Jing looked at Han Ming, the corner of her lips lifting slightly as she nodded:

"Thank you. Because of your assistance, things have progressed much more smoothly."

Han Ming nodded and turned to leave.

"Are you free next week?"

Yan Jing asked from behind.

"Something up?" Han Ming asked.

Yan Jing stood up and walked towards the terrace: "I plan to take some time to take Duoduo back to my hometown to pay respects to our ancestors. Having narrowly escaped a great disaster, we need to fulfill vows made to the ancestors. It's also a chance to take her out to relax. Of course, if her lifesaver could come along, Duoduo wouldn't be bored on the journey. It will take at most two days. I will pay the highest consultation fee according to your law firm's rates."

Han Ming felt a headache coming on. Yan Jing was really treating him like her daughter's future stepfather, arranging things for him. The key point was she was generous with payment and used Duoduo as a reason, making Han Ming feel both helpless and pained.

Seeing Han Ming's silence, Yan Jing smiled and said: "What, afraid this White Widow will eat you up?"

"Tell me the confirmed time in advance so I can arrange my work schedule," Han Ming responded. "May I ask, where is your hometown?"

"A small place called Taiping Town in Luochuan, An Province. Although I haven't been back for many years, I really like the scenery there."

Yan Jing said calmly.

Upon hearing this, Han Ming's pupils suddenly contracted sharply.

...Tai...

...ping...

...Town!