Chapter 30: Her Prey

Song Hecheng handed the menu to Tao Yu.

“Ladies first.”

Tao Yu calmly accepted the menu and chose two dishes. Song Hecheng then picked several more, and with Qi Datong’s enthusiastic service, the large round table in the private room soon filled with over twenty dishes and several bottles of fine wine.

Tao Yu smiled at Song Hecheng, who was sitting two seats away from her.

“Boss Song, you’re being too generous.”

Song Hecheng smiled helplessly. “Sorry for the abruptness earlier. Mr. Qi and I have a bit of a connection, so it was hard to turn down his invitation.”

“Comrade Tao, do you drink? I’ll be the driver today,” Song Hecheng joked.

Tao Yu’s smile remained unchanged as she shook her head. “Sorry, I don’t drink. Of course, I hope Director Song will still be the driver today.”

Tao Yu’s rare humor made the usually composed Song Hecheng laugh aloud, his smile like a refreshing spring breeze.

Looking at his smile, Tao Yu’s gaze flickered, and she asked, “Director Song, do you often invite people out to eat?”

Song Hecheng raised his eyebrows and thought for a moment before replying in a clear voice, “Occasionally.”

It was indeed an occasional event. In fact, Tao Yu was the first person Song Hecheng had invited out in recent days. Usually, there were plenty of people eager to have a meal with him, and many circles around North City would vie for a seat at his table.

In North City, everyone knew that securing a place at Song Hecheng’s table was like striking gold. People didn’t just covet his status as the chairman of the largest mechanical group in North City and even in all of Huaguo, but also his family, the Song family, known for their deep roots and influence.

But today, Tao Yu, who was invited, didn’t care about any of that.

For her, it was simply a matter of indulging her interest in Song Hecheng. She was good at pretending, and when she wanted to, she could always make others like her.

Throughout the meal, aside from Qi Datong’s brief appearance, it was just Song Hecheng and Tao Yu. Despite not being very familiar with each other, the atmosphere between them wasn’t awkward or silent during the meal.

Perhaps it was Song Hecheng’s charm or Tao Yu’s deliberate pretense, but the dinner grew increasingly pleasant. Throughout the meal, Tao Yu was poised and eloquent, always smiling and able to grasp the key points in their conversation.

By the end of the dinner, they had discussed work, and Tao Yu’s insightful views on her job had earned more and more of Song Hecheng’s admiration. A certain unspoken meaning seemed to hide in his deep gaze.

Yet, he couldn’t quite tell if he realized that the person he admired wasn’t as simple as she seemed. She always had an ulterior motive.

As the evening came to a close, a pot of tea was served. Song Hecheng, ever the gentleman, poured a cup for Tao Yu and politely inquired about her hand injury.

“Comrade Tao, Director Li mentioned that your hands are injured. Do you need to rest for a few days?”

“It’s fine, I can still work. It’s nothing serious,” Tao Yu replied with a gentle sip of her tea, her gaze lowered. “There’s no need to rest. Director Song, it’s just a sprain, it’s already much better. The bandaging just helps me hold a pen.”

After all, in this era, there were no electronic devices for office work, and all the translation and documentation had to be done by hand.

After Tao Yu spoke, Song Hecheng didn’t press further but added sincerely, “You’ve worked hard. If you need anything for work, don’t hesitate to ask Director Li.”

He paused, his tone turning more sincere. “Comrade Tao, your abilities are outstanding, and you’re important to our group. Please take care of yourself.”

Tao Yu set her cup down, her gaze drifting across the two seats between them. Her eyes flickered slightly as she looked at Song Hecheng and softly spoke, her words carrying a subtle, yet unmistakable edge of pursuit.

“Director Song, you’re too kind.”

“But… am I really important to you, Director Song?”

The expression on her face still held the usual warm smile.

“As a capable subordinate of the group, Comrade Tao is naturally very important to me,” he said.

Seemingly anticipating such a response, Tao Yu gave a faint smile.

She raised an eyebrow, neither affirming nor denying it.

But there was not a shred of smile in her heart; it was icy cold.

Boring.

Tonight is truly exceedingly dull…

Before heading back,

Qi Datong had arranged many seafood and mountain delicacies, filling the trunk and backseat of Song Hecheng’s car.

Song Hecheng initially declined, but as he had said before, it was hard to refuse such kindness.

It was Qi Datong who casually patted his bald head, unfazed, and said,

“Boss Song, don’t be so polite. If you hadn’t saved my life, I’d have died on the streets long ago. These things are nothing!”

Song Hecheng responded simply,

“Just a small favor, no need to mention the past.”

But Qi Datong disagreed, becoming serious.

“Boss Song is a true leader among men! From now on, I’ll follow your orders, through fire and water, without hesitation!”

It had quite a bit of a bandit-like flair.

Inside the car, Tao Yu lazily leaned against the backrest, observing Song Hecheng outside.

Tall, poised, and dignified.

A person from the streets? Saved Qi Datong’s life?

No matter how one looked at it, this didn’t seem like the usual style of Song Hecheng.

Song Hecheng didn’t seem quite as he appeared…

On this end, after a few more pleasantries, Song Hecheng bid farewell to Qi Datong.

Inside the car,

Tao Yu leaned back lazily, gazing out the window.

It felt as though Song Hecheng wasn’t her superior tonight, but just her personal driver.

She didn’t feel uncomfortable.

On the road,

Out of politeness, Song Hecheng asked a few questions, and Tao Yu responded courteously.

Only Tao Yu herself knew that she was feeling rather uninterested…

After driving for a while, they passed the gate of the large courtyard and arrived at the alley outside the small house.

Song Hecheng offered to help carry the items from the trunk and backseat into the small courtyard.

“Comrade Tao, you’ve worked hard. These things are a token of appreciation from the factory.”

Tao Yu shook her head in refusal.

“You’re being too polite, Director Song.”

Then she added,

“After all… as your subordinate, it’s simply my duty to work hard.”

Was that what he said?

She was just his subordinate, his colleague…

In front of Song Hecheng, she acted naturally. Since Tao Yu refused, he didn’t insist.

He nodded at Tao Yu to bid her farewell.

Tao Yu smiled and waved goodbye to Song Hecheng.

Then she turned and entered the small courtyard, unhesitatingly closing the gate behind her.

But as soon as the door was shut,

The fake smile on her face vanished in an instant.

At Song’s study,

Song Hecheng, damp from the rain, stood by the wooden window with its cracked patterns, arms crossed, gazing out.

His deep eyes became even more profound.

He was thinking about his odd behavior today.

Was it really necessary to go to the office building to retrieve that document when they arrived in North City?

Or was there some hidden emotion that prompted him to go up?

To try his luck?

Song Hecheng’s eyes, unreadable, narrowed slightly.

But he remembered noticing her hands frequently during the dinner after hearing she had been injured.

It was probably because they weren’t very familiar, so he only asked about it at the end, casually.

All of it reminded Song Hecheng

That he treated her differently from others.

But then he thought of someone else’s deliberately calm eyes,

And the mocking hint always hidden in those eyes.

Song Hecheng couldn’t help but shake his head and laugh.

No matter what, tonight had ceased to be calm.

It turned out that Song Hecheng had already noticed the other person’s disguise and deliberate closeness…

At Tao Yu’s room in the small house,

Tao Yu twisted her sore neck and sneered.

She had thrown out bait to Song Hecheng several times, and he couldn’t possibly not have noticed.

He was just pretending not to know, not taking the bait.

Well, let him notice.

From now on,

Whatever she did, Song Hecheng should continue his act as if nothing happened.

Such an interesting prey.

Don’t disappoint her