novelraw Chapter 287: What Are You Thinking to Look So Unwell?
Chapter 287: What Are You Thinking to Look So Unwell?
After closing the passenger-side door, Zhou Mochen walked around the front of the car and slipped into the driver’s seat. He started the engine, steering out of the campus gates with one hand while grasping Xu Su’s with the other. He smiled and asked, "Is there something you want to tell me?"
Xu Su gazed at Zhou Mochen’s profile, hesitating. ’Why hasn’t he mentioned the photos online...?’
"What’s wrong?" Zhou Mochen squeezed her hand and glanced over at her. "Is something troubling you?"
’He’s really not going to bring it up? Is he trying to do a good deed without taking any credit?’
After a moment’s hesitation, Xu Su decided to ask him directly. "The post about me online... did you have it deleted?"
There wasn’t much traffic at this time of night, so Zhou Mochen stepped on the gas, the car picking up speed. He seemed a little surprised to hear her question. "You knew your photo was posted online?"
"I only found out this afternoon. The post was deleted not long after that. It was you, wasn’t it?" Xu Su glanced at him. "Are you angry?"
"What’s there to be angry about?" Flipping on the turn signal, Zhou Mochen steered into the underground garage. "I saw the photo. I’ll admit I wasn’t thrilled to see you in a picture with some kid, but at least you knew to keep your distance. It’s not enough to make me angry."
He steered the car into a perfect parking spot with one hand. After killing the engine, he leaned over and kissed Xu Su’s cheek, his tone calm. "Just promise me it won’t happen again."
"..." ’And that’s not being angry?’
"Then why didn’t you bring it up earlier?" Xu Su opened her door and hopped out. "If I hadn’t said anything, were you just going to pretend it never happened?"
"How could I pretend it never happened..." Zhou Mochen pulled Xu Su into the elevator, then tipped her chin up to look at her seriously. "This matter isn’t trivial. Even if you hadn’t mentioned it, I was going to make you understand the consequences of casually taking photos with people."
"Since you knew about the post, I assume you clicked on it and read the comments, right? Seeing all those complete strangers picking you apart, did you enjoy it?"
"Happy, my ass." Xu Su yanked his hand away, annoyed. "If I liked having people pick me apart, I’d have become a celebrity. Why else would I have studied so hard to get into University B?"
Zhou Mochen said, "In that case, don’t casually take photos with people anymore. Especially guys."
"..." Xu Su was speechless. ’After that whole roundabout conversation, we’re back to his main point. How is this not being angry?’
Xu Su grew a little curious. "How did you find out my photo was posted online anyway?"
’Haijiao Forum might get a lot of traffic, but the post had only been trending for less than half a day. Zhou Mochen isn’t the type to waste time browsing forums, let alone see it reposted on QQ Spaces...’
"The PR department reported it." The elevator doors opened, and Zhou Mochen pulled Xu Su inside their apartment, adding casually, "My girlfriend’s photo was posted online for countless users to see. If my own people remained clueless, what would be the point of keeping them on payroll?"
Xu Su was so shocked she froze before even taking off her shoes. Her eyes went wide. "What PR department? Since when has one of your company’s departments been keeping tabs on me?"
’This wasn’t a case of Zhou Mochen finding out and ordering the PR department to handle it. An employee had found it and reported it on their own initiative...’
’What did that mean?’
’It meant his company’s PR department had known about her for a long time. That was why they were able to spot the photo when it was only circulating on a small scale, report it, and have the post shut down so quickly.’
Zhou Mochen didn’t understand her shock. His brow furrowed slightly. "People like us don’t need unnecessary public attention. It became the PR department’s responsibility to keep your personal information from being exposed online three years ago. Think about it. Have you ever seen photos of me or Shen Chen posted on the internet?"
He said it so naturally, as if it were the most normal thing in the world.
Of course, Xu Su knew that people in their circle were extremely low-key. They might have their fun in private, but none of them would ever deliberately flaunt their wealth to attract attention. Each one was more mysterious than the last, their digital footprints nearly impossible to find.
In her past life, Zhou Mochen had only appeared on a financial news show once. They hadn’t even fully stated his identity, just briefly mentioning a few of his more superficial investment successes. He was the very definition of mysterious.
’And no one ever figured out why he’d even done that interview. Wouldn’t it have been better to just remain a powerful tycoon behind the scenes? Why run out in front of the cameras just to show his face...’
’At the time, Xu Su had even narcissistically thought that he didn’t seem interested in discussing his "entrepreneurial journey" with the audience. It was more like he’d gone on the show specifically to confess his feelings to her. After all, he’d spent more than half of the thirty-minute interview talking about his love life...’
But!
’What did he mean by "people like us"?’
’How could he say that in such a matter-of-fact tone, as if she’d been born into that same circle, the daughter of some top-tier elite family?’
’But the truth was, she wasn’t even really part of their circle now, let alone three years ago...’
’Three years ago... was that 2005?’
’They had only just met back then. Had he really already considered her one of "us"?’
’And he had even acted on it...’
Xu Su stared blankly at Zhou Mochen, her mind in turmoil. ’Did he decide from the moment we met that I would one day be his, and only his?’
Her soul had returned to the past, and seeing that listless, dazed version of Zhou Mochen had shaken her to the core. It was only then that she’d finally sorted out her feelings and realized she liked him. That was why they were together now, the love between them mutual.
’But what if... what if she had continued to hate him? What would have happened then?’
A heart-stopping fear, accompanied by immense pressure, washed over her. Xu Su felt a long-forgotten sense of suffocation.
’Even if she never came to like him, it seemed it wouldn’t have mattered. She could never have escaped him anyway.’
Seeing Xu Su just standing there, unmoving, Zhou Mochen raised an eyebrow. He bent down and reached for her feet. "Susu, don’t just stand there. If you want me to help you with your shoes, you can just ask. I’d do anything for you."
"..." Xu Su stared blankly at the man taking off her shoes, a storm of complicated emotions swirling within her.
’Forget it...’
’What’s the point of dwelling on all this? If his love had been unrequited, his affection would have been nothing but pressure for her. But now, their feelings were mutual. Her boyfriend’s love was just... incredibly deep. So be it.’
Of course, there was still pressure. The one thing she feared most was incurring an emotional debt she could never repay.
Xu Su sighed. She had known for a long time just how much Zhou Mochen liked her, yet she still found herself surprised every time.
’How could a man like him even exist...’
"What are you thinking about? You look troubled."
Zhou Mochen pulled Xu Su down to sit on the sofa with him. Seeing her dazed expression, he chuckled. "Have I not been direct enough all this time? Xu Su, I’ve been serious about you from the very beginning. I never intended to just play around. Don’t look so frightened, as if you can’t bear the weight of it all."