Living Only For Myself: Make Those Who Hate Me Regret It

Chapter 251: "Zhou Mochen, Say You Love Me.

Xu Su ticked off a series of selections on the menu, finally giving the waitress a special instruction, "Extra spicy, the spiciest you can make it!"

The waitress taking their order was a young girl. It was her first time seeing such an attractive couple, and she blushed, her eyes darting between Xu Su and Zhou Mochen, unsure of where to look. Hearing Xu Su’s request, she nodded hurriedly. "Okay!"

Her clothes were too thick and would be inconvenient for eating, so Xu Su took off her coat. Underneath, she wore a fleece-lined hoodie. She rolled up her sleeves, propped her elbows on the table, and cupped her face as she smiled at Zhou Mochen opposite her. "You should take your coat off too."

When she wasn’t smiling, she had an aloof air about her—a sense of cold, proud detachment that made her seem out of place with her surroundings, someone you wouldn’t dare to offend easily.

But when she smiled, she came alive, easily giving people the mistaken impression that she was approachable and not so distant after all.

Just like now. A momentary silence fell over the surrounding tables. Aside from the soft gasps of indrawn breath and the bubbling of the hot pot, all conversation ceased as every gaze was drawn to her.

Fortunately, the man across from her had a frighteningly powerful aura, so no one dared to approach and risk embarrassment.

Zhou Mochen watched her for a long moment, his eyes narrowed slightly. "Don’t smile at other people like that in the future," he warned.

"Oh." Xu Su had also noticed the surrounding stares. Recalling Gu Yunjia’s advice, she touched her face in confusion. "Zhou Mochen, am I really good-looking?"

"Yes, exceptionally so." Zhou Mochen chuckled lightly. "In my eyes, no one is more beautiful than you."

Xu Su pouted. "That’s not what I mean. I mean, even when not seen through your eyes, am I still the most beautiful?"

Just then, the waitress came over with their food. Overhearing her, she couldn’t help but chime in, "I’ve never seen a girl as beautiful as you, not even on TV. Can you give me an autograph? I’m sure you’ll be on television one day!"

"...Thank you." Xu Su was mortified that someone had overheard such a narcissistic comment. "An autograph won’t be necessary. I’m not a celebrity."

The waitress was about to say more when Zhou Mochen tapped the table lightly. "You can get back to your work. We’ll call you if we need anything."

His voice was mild, yet it carried an inexplicable pressure that permitted no argument.

Watching the waitress’s back as she scurried away, Xu Su was speechless. "You’re so fierce."

"Should I have let her keep chatting with you, pestering you?" Zhou Mochen added ingredients to the pot, taking a moment to glance at her. "Susu, don’t be too meek in public. People will walk all over you."

"I’m not that meek. You know full well how bad my temper can be." Xu Su picked up a piece of cooked beef tripe, dipped it in the sauce she had mixed, and started eating.

She ate with great relish, completely unaffected by the surrounding stares.

Besides cooking and serving her food, Zhou Mochen occasionally took a few bites himself. Over the past six months, he had long since been trained to handle spicy food.

After a plate of river shrimp was cooked, Zhou Mochen put on a pair of disposable gloves and very attentively began peeling them for Xu Su.

Xu Su watched the man peeling shrimp across from her with a wide smile. "Zhou Mochen, you’ve never had a girlfriend before, so how are you so good at this stuff? And for an overbearing CEO, you don’t have a chauvinistic bone in your body."

Zhou Mochen looked up at her, his tone even. "When I like someone, I want to treat them well and take care of their every need. It’s a natural impulse; it has nothing to do with practice."

Xu Su’s heart stirred, and she was silent for a long time.

’She recalled a quote that was popular online in her past life: "When you truly like someone, you don’t keep score of what you give. You only feel that what you’re doing isn’t good enough, that you can always do better."’

Handing her the peeled shrimp, Zhou Mochen took off his gloves and asked, "Tell me, why did you skip class today? What were you doing on the rooftop?"

Xu Su paused, took a sip of her drink, and then replied, "I was on the rooftop chatting with Gu Yunjia for a while. After she left, I was still upset and wanted to calm down, so I stayed there."

Thinking of Gu Yunjia’s situation, Xu Su’s mood quickly soured. "What I learned today completely shattered my worldview."

’Even though I’ve lived two lives, I’ve never heard of anything like this. In my past life, during college, I heard plenty of rumors about female students being kept by sponsors, but for the ’sugar daddy’ to be an ’uncle’ they’ve known since they were a child...’

’Just thinking about it gives me goosebumps...’

’The way Zhou Mochen and I started in my last life wasn’t exactly respectable either, but it was so much better than Gu Yunjia’s situation...’

’I’ve seen how men in Zhou Mochen’s circle treat the mistresses they keep. Thinking back now, he never once looked down on me, from beginning to end...’

’Not only that, but he wouldn’t let anyone else belittle me, not even with a word...’

Tsk... The more Xu Su thought about it, the less she understood. She looked up at the man across from her. "Zhou Mochen, tell me you love me."

Zhou Mochen raised an eyebrow slightly and slowly parted his lips. "I love you."

Xu Su nodded in satisfaction. "So us being together... it’s not a ’kept’ relationship, right?"

"Xu Su, I hope this is the last time you ask that. I’ll overlook it this time as youthful ignorance, but from now on, don’t ever let me hear you use that word to describe our relationship again." Zhou Mochen’s expression darkened. "Otherwise, I’ll show you what a ’kept’ relationship really is."

His sudden fierceness left Xu Su a bit stunned. "Why did you get mad all of a sudden?"

"We’ve been together for almost half a year, and you’re still asking this kind of question. Don’t I have a right to be angry?" Zhou Mochen’s expression softened, but his anger hadn’t completely subsided. "I do whatever you say. I’ve done everything short of ripping my heart out for you. If I were just keeping you, would I need to go to all this trouble?"

"Let me tell you, in a real ’kept’ relationship, you would be the one trying to win my favor, learning how to please me." He gave a meaningful smile and added, "You’d have to start by learning in bed. Understand?"

Xu Su: "..."

’By his definition, then what we had in my last life wasn’t even a ’kept’ relationship...’

’I never tried to please him. It was more like the other way around.’

Xu Su looked at his fingers, messy from peeling the shrimp, and belatedly realized that her question had been hurtful.

She fell silent. Zhou Mochen hadn’t truly intended to hold it against her. Wiping his hands with a napkin, he asked, "Was that Gu Yunjia in the car this afternoon? What happened with her that got you so upset and shattered your worldview?"

Xu Su hesitated, unsure if she should say anything.

’It concerns a girl’s reputation...’

Realizing that even if she didn’t say anything, Zhou Mochen could find out on his own, she hesitated for a moment more before telling him what she knew.

Finally, she said with a complicated expression, "Are you men really so disgusting? To have those kinds of thoughts about a child you watched grow up."

"Where did you learn to paint everyone with the same brush?" Zhou Mochen chided her helplessly. "Don’t you lump me in with them. You’re the only one I have designs on."