Liu Hui stared straight at her, and at this moment, she had none of the dazzling charm and captivating beauty that Emma had seen when they first met. She was dressed in a very ordinary white short-sleeved shirt and a pair of jeans, her hair casually tied up, revealing a plain face.
But even with just a plain face, she seemed to lack that vibrant spirit, yet she was still attractive.
Liu Hui looked at Emma, almost pleadingly: "Please let me meet your dad."
Emma frowned; she had said that partly out of anger. Even someone as calm as her had her triggers, and Liu Hui was one of them.
Emma took a deep breath to keep herself from seeming sharp and biting. She calmly said, "Miss Liu, you need to understand one thing: my father is an adult with his own judgment. I can't and won't restrict him from doing anything. I won't stop him from meeting whoever he wants or not meeting anyone."
Liu Hui looked at her and said, "But he said he has to consider your feelings."
Emma couldn't help but laugh. She knew what Liu Hui meant; she was just a stumbling block between them. Without Emma, Ni PingSen would still be living a carefree life with her in Vietnam.
They were not on the same wavelength, and Emma turned to leave.
But Liu Hui took a step forward and blocked her way, frowning at Emma as if she had made up her mind to say, "Why can't you just let me and your dad be?"
Me and your dad?
Emma was amused by her phrasing and nodded, seriously asking, "Am I really not letting you and my dad be?"
She genuinely wanted to know what unforgivable thing she had done to warrant such a direct accusation.
Liu Hui was taken aback and spoke first, "I'm sorry, I'm not like you, a graduate from a prestigious university who has read so many books and knows how to speak. I just want to say that I was wrong, but I truly love your dad. No matter how many mistakes I've made, I've been by his side for these seven years. We've endured all the hardships in this world together. Your father is my support, and I believe I am his too."
Emma looked at her coldly, quietly listening to everything she had to say.
After she finished speaking, Emma asked, "Are you done?"
This time, Liu Hui was silent.
Emma looked at her and said in an extremely cold tone, "If you're finished, then I can start. Let me tell you, you and I are not even strangers, so your behavior today is foolish and laughable."
Liu Hui looked up sharply; she knew Emma wouldn't treat her well.
But Emma's calm and restrained tone, saying such things peacefully, made her even more uncomfortable.
But what could she do? Ni PingSen was completely unwilling to meet her, even though she had come all the way from Vietnam to Shanghai.
Emma: "Also, don't ever talk to me again about how you and my dad suffered together, how you relied on each other for survival, because it only makes me despise you more. If it weren't for your selfishness, he wouldn't have had to live so hard or so tired."
She never believed that a few tears and words from Liu Hui could move her.
On the contrary, the more Liu Hui spoke, the more Emma thought about the things Ni PingSen had been through, how he survived in a place like the Middle East, how he ended up in Vietnam after so many twists and turns.
Just hearing a few words about it would make her furious inside.
Was this their sweet love story?
Bullshit.
Emma realized that some people were really self-absorbed, doing things that only benefited themselves, yet in the end, they still made up all sorts of reasons as if their contributions were so important.
In fact, these so-called contributions were not needed by others at all.
All the hardships they had endured together were forced upon Ni PingSen by Liu Hui; she never really considered whether Ni PingSen wanted them or not.
Of course, she might have thought about it.
But she just had to impose them on others.
Liu Hui found that no matter whether she pleaded or reasoned emotionally, Emma was like an impenetrable wall, completely unmoved by her.
So Liu Hui looked at her with red eyes: "Don't push me. It was you who took him away from me. Your mother has been dead for more than ten years; she's long gone."
As soon as the word 'dead' came out, Emma suddenly raised her palm.
Liu Hui instinctively closed her eyes, waiting for the slap to come down.
She would have preferred if Emma had slapped her, hit her hard, so she could pay back what she owed. Then she could go and win Ni PingSen back. She knew he was angry, but why should their years of affection just be thrown away?
The sound of car horns on the roadside and the constant noise around them did not affect the tense atmosphere between them.
It was as if an invisible glass dome had enveloped the two of them.
There was silence between them.
When Liu Hui opened her eyes, Emma had already lowered her hand; even if she was angry, she still didn't want to resort to violence.
Emma looked at Liu Hui and said very slowly, "I don't want to hear another word about my mother from you, and I don't want to see you again."
As she turned to get back in her car, she paused, looked up, and said, "My mother may have passed away many years ago, but she has always lived in my father's heart."
"You may have won against her, but even in death, she's not going to let you win."
With that, Emma got in her car, quickly restarted the engine, backed up a few meters, and drove around Liu Hui. This time, she smoothly merged onto the road.
When she arrived at the hotel, she directly reported the private room name to the waiter.
This was an extremely private club, decorated in a traditional Chinese style. One side of the hall's stone-blue wall had water slowly flowing down it, the clear and pleasant sound of dripping water was pleasing to the ear.
The chandelier in the hall was in the shape of an orchid, emitting a soft white light that was not dazzling but very gentle.
The waiter, dressed in a light white Chinese cheongsam, smiled and led Emma to her destination.
When she entered the private room, she realized she was the first to arrive. Emma took out her phone from her bag and glanced at it, realizing there was still half an hour before the appointed time.
She had left early, and surprisingly, there was no traffic on the way here.
Emma went into the restroom in the private room and changed into the dress she had brought. Fortunately, the restroom was not only luxuriously decorated but also fully functional.
In a short while, after Emma had changed her clothes, she freshened up her makeup with a clean and refreshing look.
Once she was all set, she opened the door to leave, only to find Jason entering through the same door.
"Have our parents not arrived yet?" Jason looked at the empty private room, his brows slightly furrowed.
Emma, on the other hand, looked at the spacious room and asked earnestly, "Is this room too large?"
She knew that Jason had only invited their parents today, with no other guests, but the dining table in the room was enormous, large enough for about fifteen people.
A massive table was placed in the private room, which was itself quite spacious.
Jason smiled and said, "It's the first time we're hosting both sets of parents; no amount of grandeur is too much."
Emma blinked and said, "If it's about grandeur, how about going outside and setting off some firecrackers to celebrate?"
Jason turned his head, squinting his eyes at her, feeling that Emma had become increasingly playful lately.
Emma probably realized that her joke might have slightly annoyed him, so she quickly turned to look at the table, where a beautiful arrangement of flowers was placed in the center, looking quite splendid.
She tilted her head slightly, revealing her profile and the graceful line of her neck. The neckline of her dress was somewhat loose, also exposing her collarbone.
The delicate lines and the fair skin created a rather stunning visual effect.
Jason raised his hand; instead of pinching her earlobe or touching her cheek, he reached through the black hair draped over her shoulder and gently touched the back of her neck.
As his fingers slightly hooked, he brushed her long hair back, revealing the fair skin of her nape.
His fingers were a bit cool; even though it was a hot summer day, he seemed to have a naturally cold constitution, and his fingers were cool, which felt quite comfortable against the skin.
However, as his fingers gently rubbed, Emma felt a tingling sensation that shot from the skin on the back of her neck.
Almost in an instant, it spread throughout her entire body.
She couldn't help but shrink her neck a bit.
Jason watched her natural reaction and couldn't help but chuckle softly, leaning down close to her ear, "Xingxing."
Emma looked back at him, but he said nothing.
She was really going to be defeated.
While Emma was still thinking, the door to the private room was pushed open again, and Jason's hand instantly moved away from the back of Emma's neck, quietly hanging by his side as if he hadn't been the one teasing her just now.
"Dad."
Emma looked at the person at the door and called out in surprise because she really didn't expect Ni PingSen to run into Zhong Lan and the others in the lobby.
Zhong Lan glanced at Emma, then turned back to Ni PingSen with a smile, "When we were in the lobby, I told Lao Huo that this might be Jingxi's dad, but he insisted it couldn't be that coincidental."
It turned out that as soon as they had entered, Ni PingSen had followed closely behind, walking fast and passing by Zhong Lan, who had spotted him.
Zhong Lan had also whispered to Huo Zhenzhong, saying that this person looked quite familiar and might be Jingxi's father.
Huo Zhenzhong probably thought it couldn't be that coincidental and was about to take her directly to the private room. He and Zhong Lan often came to this club and would choose this place when hosting friends, so they were quite familiar with it.
It wasn't until they heard the waiter politely guiding Ni PingSen and mentioned the name of the private room that Zhong Lan turned around and tentatively greeted him.
Huo Zhenzhong laughed and said, "It's really fate; otherwise, our two families wouldn't be in-laws."
Jason stepped aside and politely said, "Everyone, please come in."
Soon, everyone entered the private room, and Jason instructed the waiter to start serving the dishes.
At this point, Huo Zhenzhong and Zhong Lan had already skipped the stage of getting to know Ni PingSen, but the two fathers were chatting. Huo Zhenzhong, although the chairman of a listed group, was always gentle and courteous, with the elegant demeanor of a knowledgeable scholar.
As for Ni PingSen, he was overly youthful, the kind of person who looked much younger than his age, both in appearance and temperament. He didn't seem like a fifty-year-old at all, but rather in his early forties.
Even someone like Zhong Lan, who was always praised for her youthful beauty, felt a bit of pressure when looking at Ni PingSen.
This meal, which should have been shared long ago, finally began, and everyone was quite relaxed. Although Ni PingSen had lost his memory, he used to run a restaurant in Vietnam. Although it was usually Liu Hui who greeted the guests, he had learned how to do it at the beginning.
Over time, he had developed a personality that could chat with anyone.
When Huo Zhenzhong heard Ni PingSen talk about how he handled seafood, he excitedly invited Ni PingSen to go deep-sea fishing with him next time.
He said, "I'm part of a deep-sea fishing association, and I'll find time to go fishing. However, no one knows how to handle seafood. If you come with us, our division of labor will be clear."
Ni PingSen smiled and nodded, "Sure, you take care of the fishing, and I'll handle the cooking."
After hearing this, Zhong Lan laughed and said, "Why do I feel like you two are like old friends at first sight?"
It was more than just a first encounter; it seemed like they had instantly clicked and left her, the legitimate wife, feeling sidelined. She couldn't help but feel that there was an inexplicable rapport between the two.
Everyone chuckled at Zhong Lan's slightly jealous remark.
Jason spoke softly, "My dad treasures that yacht of his. He personally supervises its maintenance, fearing that others might damage it."
"That's not a yacht, it's his mistress," Zhong Lan snorted.
Huo Zhenzhong quickly pleaded, "My dear, there's no comparison between the yacht and you. Why bother with it?"
The atmosphere during the meal was particularly relaxed, leading to Huo Zhenzhong and Ni PingSen both drinking quite a bit.
Fortunately, they had drivers, and Emma didn't try to dissuade them too much since they were enjoying themselves.
As the evening came to a close, Huo Zhenzhong invited Ni PingSen to visit his home next time, saying, "I should have invited you to my home, but I was afraid you might feel constrained. Next time you come over, I'll bring out the best bottle from my wine cellar for us to taste together. They say when a father marries off his daughter, he should offer good wine."
Huo Zhenzhong was clearly a bit tipsy, but not drunk; he was just more open than usual during his social engagements.
He continued, "It's like we're marrying off our son too."
When Emma heard this, she almost dropped her jaw in surprise.
She turned to look at Jason, who surprisingly remained calm.
Instead, it was Zhong Lan who spoke up, "We should also start planning the two children's wedding. The wedding was canceled before because of the sudden passing of the grandmother, which made us all very sad. Now a year has passed, and even if we're observing mourning, the filial piety is sufficient. Let them hold the wedding soon, so that the grandmother in heaven can rest easy."
Ni PingSen nodded, turned to Emma, and said softly, "The decision on the date should be made by the groom's side, so please take a look first."
He knew that Jason's family was large and influential, and since they had long resided in Hong Kong, there might be specific customs to follow.
He had delayed Jingxi once before, and now he hoped to personally escort her down the aisle.
On the way back, Emma took the lead, giving Jason a signal to ride back with Old Xu in his car. She, on the other hand, drove back home with Ni PingSen.
As the car approached home, Emma looked at Ni PingSen, who was dozing in the passenger seat, and ultimately remained silent.
But Ni PingSen suddenly opened his eyes, turned to her, and asked, "What's wrong?"
Emma was taken aback for a moment.
Ni PingSen: "Is there something on your mind?"
Emma considered whether to tell him about her encounter with Liu Hui, who had clearly followed Ni PingSen back to Shanghai. From what she gathered, Ni PingSen was unwilling to meet her.
Ni PingSen said, "Jingxi, if there's something, you can tell me directly."
Emma shook her head.
No matter what happened, she would stand by her father.
It was her turn to shield him from the storm, just as he had done for her in the past.
When Emma pulled up to the house, Jason was standing in the yard, seemingly waiting for them. As Emma parked the car, she and Ni PingSen got out.
Jason looked at Ni PingSen's slightly flushed cheeks and asked with concern, "Dad, are you alright?"
"I'm fine," Ni PingSen shook his head. The few drinks had only left him slightly tipsy; he was certainly not drunk.
Emma reached out to help Ni PingSen upstairs, but he waved her off with a light chuckle, "This amount of alcohol won't get your dad drunk. I'll go upstairs to freshen up. You two should rest early as well."
With that, Ni PingSen went straight inside.
Jason and Emma stood there, watching him go upstairs. Once he disappeared from sight, Jason turned to Emma and softly asked, "How was your talk with Dad?"
Earlier, Emma had deliberately given him a signal, clearly wanting to have a private chat with Ni PingSen.
Emma let out a long breath and said helplessly, "We didn't talk about anything. I think Dad is quite tired."
Jason fell silent for a moment. "What were you planning to talk to Dad about?"
Emma, who had been staring at the house, was taken aback by his question: "Don't you know?"
"Did you tell me?" Jason raised an eyebrow slightly.
Emma reflected for a few seconds; she indeed hadn't mentioned it. However, the appearance of Liu Hui was too unexpected, and with the dinner tonight, she hadn't had the chance to tell anyone.
She said calmly, "I saw Liu Hui today."
Jason looked up, his brows furrowed with a moment of confusion: "Liu Hui?"
The next second, he realized who she was talking about and his expression became tense: "Why is she in Shanghai?"
Regarding Ni PingSen's past relationship, Jason didn't feel it was appropriate to get involved too much. After all, he was just a son-in-law, and meddling in his father-in-law's love life was somewhat awkward.
He had thought that when Ni PingSen left Vietnam, everything had been settled properly.
He didn't expect Liu Hui to chase him all the way to Shanghai. Jason's face darkened slightly: "Did she do anything to you?"
Although Jason had never interacted with her, his first impression of Liu Hui wasn't very positive. Now that she had pursued them to Shanghai and directly approached Emma, it was clear she wasn't ready to give up.
Emma shook her head: "She said she wants to see Dad, but Dad has no intention of meeting her."
Jason's brows, which had been furrowed from the beginning, showed no signs of relaxing. His previously relaxed expression now appeared somewhat serious. A woman's obsession could indeed be quite terrifying. Just the things Liu Hui had done to keep Ni PingSen by her side were enough to prove that she was someone who wouldn't give up until she achieved her goal.
"I'll handle this matter," Jason said softly.
Emma immediately shook her head: "Forget it, this is my dad's business. I can't involve you in this."
As someone of Jason's stature, he was always under the scrutiny of the media and the public. He had to be cautious with his words and actions. She couldn't knowingly involve him in a potentially dangerous situation with Liu Hui.
However, her words made Jason less pleased.
He looked down at Emma, his voice low: "Do we need to use the word 'involve' between us?"
It sounded a bit too distant.
Emma was taken aback, but this time she didn't avoid his gaze. She looked up at him directly: "Shenyan, just as you always protect me first, I want to protect you too. I don't want you to be associated with any gossip or rumors."
She didn't want Jason to get caught up in this emotional dispute. The sensational gossip that made it into the nine o'clock news was something many media outlets were keen on.
Perhaps it was because she had been in the media for so long, always fearing the possibility of something going wrong.
Just the matter of Ni PingSen and Liu Hui wouldn't attract much attention, but if it were a scandal involving Jason's father-in-law, it would likely spark gossip and speculation.
Emma hoped she was just overthinking things.
Jason let out a soft sigh; he truly hadn't anticipated that Emma would think this way. He had thought he could be her shelter from the storm, but instead, she stood in front of him without hesitation, saying, "It's okay, I want to protect you too, just like you've protected me."
He reached out and pulled Emma into his embrace, and as he almost enveloped her in his arms, he whispered, "Do you feel it?"
Emma was slightly stunned, feel what?
His action of holding her was so gentle and careful, was it tenderness?
Emma hesitated for a moment, then suddenly Jason tilted his head, his lips almost brushing against her ear as he whispered, "Is my shoulder much broader than yours?"
Emma had a narrow frame and a slender figure, and at this moment, she was perfectly cradled in Jason's arms.
Hearing Jason's words, she felt like laughing. Was that what he was talking about?
But the next moment, Jason exhaled softly, his voice deep as he said, "Let the broader shoulder take the lead."
There was a few seconds of silence in the air.
An especially quiet silence.
Then Emma burst into laughter; she really didn't expect Jason's sweet nothings to be so unique. She rested her chin on his chest and looked up at Jason with a smile, "Mr. Jason, you're really becoming more and more witty with your words."
Mr. Jason?
Jason found her title amusing, so he bent down and whispered in her ear, "Would you like Mr. Jason to teach you?"
Emma's eyes widened.
How did she detect a sensual undertone in that sentence...
After being thoroughly and indescribably taught by Mr. Jason, Emma could no longer think of those messy things and drifted off to sleep.
The next morning, when Emma left for work, Jason watched her go and then got into his car.
As soon as Jason sat down, he said, "Tang Mian."
Tang Mian, sitting in the passenger seat, immediately turned around.
Jason: "I need you to look up someone for me now."
After Jason mentioned the name, he continued, "Find out when she arrived in Shanghai."
Tang Mian nodded, indicating he would do it right away. However, he then spoke with concern, "President Jason, today you have a meeting with the legal team. The EU is likely to file a lawsuit against Hengya Group soon."
Jason leaned back in his car seat. With Hengya Group's expansion in Europe, they had secured at least 20 major contracts, leaving their competitors far behind.
But Hengya Group was not without its challenges. As the group continued to make strides in Europe, the U.S. had begun investigating Hengya's operations in America six months ago, claiming suspicions of national security threats.
The EU had also launched an antitrust investigation into Hengya Group, scrutinizing their business practices for potential unfair competition.
The investigation was still ongoing, and Hengya Group had a large legal team to handle it.
Jason: "I'm aware."
After arriving at the company, around ten o'clock, the legal team arrived, and the secretary arranged a large office for them. Soon, Jason appeared in the office.
As everyone stood up, he nodded slightly, "Please, have a seat."
The meeting officially began, with not only Jason but also the executive president of the European company and several senior administrative vice presidents from headquarters, mostly those involved with European operations.
As the meeting delved deeper, the expressions on everyone's faces grew increasingly grave.
It was clear that, at worst, the EU might require Jason to attend a special hearing.
Jason remained silent throughout.
At this moment, Emma was completely unaware of these developments. After finishing her morning work, Song Yu pulled her out to eat, "Sister Jingxi, although the cafeteria food looks good, it can get boring after a while. Let's go eat Chongqing noodles. I tell you, the noodles at this place are really delicious."