Kyoto kisses her

Chapter 17 I am Huo Jingcheng

Su Ruoyun shifted her gaze to a series of unfamiliar numbers above the text message chat box. The phone number wasn't in her contacts, and she had never seen it before.

Unsure if it was a prank, Su Ruoyun didn't reply to the message immediately. But the next second, another green message popped up in the chat box.

— [I am Huo Jingcheng]
Five words caught her eye. Su Ruoyun looked up and glanced around, then found a parking space nearby and parked temporarily. She then dialed the number.

The phone was answered in less than three seconds. She tentatively asked, "Mr. Huo?"

"Boss Yun."

Hearing the familiar voice, Su Ruoyun breathed a sigh of relief and politely asked, "I'd like to ask, where is the panda now?"

Huo Jingcheng succinctly uttered two words: "My home."

Upon hearing this, Su Ruoyun tightened her grip on her phone slightly, looking somewhat troubled. "Are you free now? Let's arrange to meet somewhere. Could you please bring the cat with you?"

All I heard on the other end of the phone was a firm "No."

Her temple throbbed, and her heart clenched as if gripped tightly in a large hand. Before she could ask why, Huo Jingcheng interrupted, "I don't know where it is now."

Su Ruoyun felt that Huo Jingcheng wouldn't go so far as to tease her, and her delicate eyebrows furrowed slightly, "You..."

Through the phone call, Huo Jingcheng also noticed her hesitation and took the initiative to explain the whole story.

When he found the kitten, he brought it into the villa and put it on the sofa. Huo Jingcheng went to pour a glass of water, and when he came out, the kitten was gone.

Su Ruoyun then understood the reason. After hesitating for a moment, she decided to go there now. "Could you give me your address? Can I come over now?"

Huo Jingcheng only informed her now, which means that he had just discovered the kitten, implying that the kitten hadn't eaten anything all afternoon and evening.

"Okay, I'll send you the address."

After the call ended, Huo Jingcheng sent a location.

[Xi Yuan]
Xiyuan is a well-known villa district and a gathering place for the wealthy in Beijing. It is said that the owners of each detached villa are at the pinnacle of power and wealth.

Su Ruoyun put her phone back in the armrest box, typed "Xiyuan" into the central control screen, and the navigation voice announced "Navigating for you now" in the car. After the navigation was successful, she turned on the left turn signal and drove the car out of the parking space.

The distance wasn't far, but it still took more than half an hour. It wasn't until after 11 p.m. that they arrived at the entrance of the residential area. Perhaps Huo Jingcheng had given prior instructions, because when the Mercedes drove into the residential area, the security guard at the gate only confirmed her name and let her through without asking any further questions.

The straight-arm barrier slowly rose, and looking through the windshield, the first thing that came into view was an endless lawn.

The car drove for about ten minutes, crossing the vast lawn, passing through the lush metasequoia forest and the artificial lake, before finally stopping in front of a detached villa.

The dim pillar lights illuminated the driveway. The car stopped in front of the villa, and Su Ruoyun deftly unbuckled her seatbelt, got out of the car, and walked quickly to the courtyard gate.

The deep black courtyard gate, as tall as a person, and the European palace-style decorations exude nobility and elegance. Through the fence, the villa's overall architectural style is Baroque, grand and dignified.

Huo Jingcheng had already given her the door code via text message. Out of politeness, she did not rush in, but instead stood in front of the steps and rang the doorbell first.

After waiting a short while and receiving no response, she sent another text message to Huo Jingcheng.

[Mr. Huo, I've arrived at the villa entrance.]
But still no reply came. No one opened the door for a while, and coupled with her overwhelming desire to find her cat, Su Ruoyun finally climbed a few steps and carefully pressed a few numbers.

With a soft electronic sound, she pushed open one side door, walked through the greenery and fountain at the entrance, and entered the villa.

Inside the opulent villa, only a crystal chandelier in the center of the living room was lit, its cool light reflecting off the crystal pendants onto the surrounding gleaming tiles.

"Mr. Huo... Mr. Huo..."

The villa's interior was spacious, and its entirety could not be seen at a glance. After looking around, Su Ruoyun still couldn't find Huo Jingcheng.

Just as Su Ruoyun was about to call Huo Jingcheng again, she suddenly stopped.

The second floor was initially dark, with no lights on. Su Ruoyun stood in the center of the living room, unaware of the orange wall lamp that had quietly lit up.

As she looked up, a glimpse of the stairwell caught her eye, and in the dim light, a figure appeared silently. Her breath almost stopped.

Su Ruoyun clasped her hands in front of her, looking slightly reserved. She turned around and raised her eyebrows to look at the man leaning against the railing.

Huo Jingcheng was wearing a knee-length bathrobe, the belt around his waist loosely tied, revealing a small patch of skin. Water droplets dripped down his neck and into the front of his robe, giving him a strangely austere look.

She pretended to be calm, but her eyes darted around, not knowing where to look. To avoid her gaze falling on him again, she could only stare blankly. She didn't ask Huo Jingcheng why he was standing there silently, but simply greeted him.

"Mr. Huo."

As midnight approached, outside the glass windows of the double-height living room, the bright moon hung high in the sky, with long plumes of smoke rising into the air. The crescent moon, resembling a full moon, rose directly into the sky, reflecting the girl's beautiful face in the cool moonlight.

Their eyes met in the air for only two or three seconds, but Su Ruoyun felt as if an eternity had passed.

The man's eyes were an unfathomable black, swirling with an ambiguous attitude. His pupils reflected the cold light of the crystal chandelier, seemingly longer than the unfathomable, endless moonlight and night outside, possessing a fatal attraction.

Su Ruoyun felt flustered by that dangerous gaze, unconsciously clenched her fists, and took a small step back.

The next second, I heard a series of thuds in my ear.

When he looked up again, the figure by the railing had disappeared. Huo Jingcheng turned around and went down the stairs.

The light footsteps sounded unusually loud in the quiet villa.

Su Ruoyun silently counted the footsteps in her mind when Huo Jingcheng's voice suddenly rang in her ears again, "Did you find the cat?"

She snapped out of her reverie, "Not yet."

Mentioning cats, Su Ruoyun looked around the huge villa and sighed almost imperceptibly, thinking that it would be difficult to find one for the time being.

But she still wouldn't give up, softly calling her kitten, "Panda... Panda..."

Meanwhile, Huo Jingcheng had already entered the living room. Seeing her dejected expression, he said softly, "Do you want to look for it a little longer, or should I have someone find it tomorrow and then deliver it to the teahouse for you?"

He stood behind her, his voice coming from behind, low and husky as if it had been rubbed by gravel, lower than usual, steady and mellow, with a hint of languidness that was hard to define.

(End of this chapter)