Chapter 324 Conquered by Mutual Love

Song Ni’s question left Hugh in silence for a while. He held the coffee Tan Zheng had brewed, as if it were not scalding hot. About half a minute later, just as Song Ni was about to move past the topic, Hugh finally spoke. “It has happened before.” The single word “before” carried a wealth of stories. After saying this, Hugh took a sip of his coffee. So hot, so bitter, as if it provided a reason for the faint smile that seemed to be fading. Song Ni could roughly guess it was a story of unrequited love. She had no desire to delve into the reasons why, and for someone she had just met, asking such a question was already an intrusion. But Song Ni knew Hugh wouldn’t mind such things. “I believe there’s no such thing as conquest or being conquered between two people. We are two individuals with independent personalities. No one wants their independent personality to change drastically because of someone else. All these years, we’ve had an instinct to protect ourselves.” Hugh stroked his chin, carefully pondering Song Ni’s words. “But when Zheng was with you, he did change.” A faint smile lingered on Song Ni’s lips. “But he is still himself. He just acted very differently when he was with me. Perhaps my influence on him has manifested in other ways, but you cannot deny that Tan Zheng is still Tan Zheng.” Whether on the sports field or in the business world, Tan Zheng remained that arrogant, powerful, and enviable being that commanded submission. Hugh seemed somewhat convinced. Indeed, if he hadn’t witnessed Tan Zheng’s interaction with Song Ni, he would have still thought the current Tan Zheng was the same as before, merely seasoned by time. He shrugged. “So, dear Ms. Krist, can you enlighten me as to why Zheng acts differently around you?” The coffee was no longer that hot. Song Ni took a sip. The taste wasn’t exceptional, but the thought that Tan Zheng had brewed it for her made her feel very happy as she drank it. She said, “Don’t you already know?” Regarding this topic of ‘conquest,’ Song Ni had only asked Hugh one question. Hugh was an extremely intelligent person. The reason he would have an emotional fluctuation because of the word ‘lover’ was precisely because of love. So, it was love that changed them. Song Ni timed her words perfectly. “It wasn’t me conquering him, nor him conquering me. We were both conquered by love.” Love is the most unpredictable force. There are warriors who cry out for love, and there are those who stubbornly disregard it. Yet, imperceptibly, love can transform people, so much so that they don’t even notice. Tan Zheng arrived later and, after hearing this, took Song Ni’s hand. Love is a very romantic word. And a fluttering heart and warmth are the beginnings of love. Tan Zheng understood this clearly. His love for Song Ni had sprouted five years ago in a small alley on an afternoon. Therefore, in the subsequent years, he had undertaken the grand gesture of planting a field of sunflowers, a commitment he maintained for so many years. If it weren’t for love, he couldn’t explain it. Clinging to that hope and warmth was inherently a part of love. Hugh suddenly understood. Looking at Tan Zheng, who was now wearing matching couple’s outfits with Song Ni, he no longer felt a sense of unfamiliarity. There was nothing different; they were all just common people influenced by love. Because of this conversation, Hugh’s good impression of Song Ni reached a peak. He very much wanted to chat with Song Ni in other areas and even wanted to stay for dinner. However, unfortunately, Tan Zheng was subtly, and not so subtly, hinting at their departure. After finally seeing Hugh off, Song Ni’s next question successfully made Tan Zheng’s heart feel heavy. Song Ni asked him, “Do you know Hugh’s former lover?” She was curious. For someone as high-ranking yet possessing such a gentle demeanor as Hugh, she wondered what kind of girl he would like. Tan Zheng glanced at her. “Are you very interested in him?” Song Ni nodded. “I think he has a very story-like quality about him.” Hearing this, Tan Zheng’s expression worsened. When Song Ni agreed to the blind date, it was precisely because she found him mysterious and it sparked her curiosity. Seeing the man’s prolonged silence, Song Ni belatedly realized. Tan Zheng was jealous. “…” It was completely unnecessary. Song Ni reached out and poked his chest. “Can you not be so petty?” Tan Zheng, with a mix of amusement and annoyance, caught Song Ni’s hand. “I’m petty?” “Mm-hmm, I just chatted with him for a bit.” “You call that just chatting for a bit? You were practically chatting endlessly.” If he hadn’t intervened, who knew how long they would have talked. Song Ni’s brow twitched slightly. It seemed she had indeed chatted for quite a while. “I was just curious.” Hearing the word ‘curious’ made Tan Zheng even more agitated. Song Ni, after saying this, suddenly remembered something Song Jing had told her. “When a woman is curious about a man, that is the beginning of liking him.” “…” “Ahem, what I mean is, he has a story-like quality, no, I just find him mysterious and want to understand him a bit…” The more she spoke, the more displeased Tan Zheng looked. Finally, Song Ni gave up. “Oh, I was just curious!” Tan Zheng suddenly looked at her. Song Ni immediately added, “But it’s different from my curiosity about you. My curiosity about you is about wanting to win you over. My curiosity about him is just plain curiosity, the gossip-loving nature of humans.” This explanation finally somewhat soothed Tan Zheng’s mood. Song Ni secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Tan Zheng’s jealousy could be quite troublesome. Thinking this, Song Ni couldn’t help but mutter, “Why are you so petty about this particular matter?” Tan Zheng snorted. “If the roles were reversed, and I were chatting with another woman like that, would you feel upset?” “I would be upset.” Tan Zheng reached out and squeezed Song Ni’s cheek. “Then that’s that?” “But you don’t chat with women like that.” Not only did he not chat with women this way, but Tan Zheng generally didn’t interact much with women, except for her. The most he talked to women was professional exchanges with Su Qing. Who could blame him for still considering interacting with women to be a hassle? Tan Zheng: “It’s my fault now?” Song Ni immediately admitted her mistake. “My fault.” Time passed quickly. Tan Zheng remained busy with training, and Song Ni was busy with her studies. Oh, right, after Song Ni uploaded videos of their daily life, many fans praised Tan Zheng’s handsome hands. Because of this, the two even took a trip to the hospital for a full physical examination. Both were in good health. Soon, it was Tan Zheng’s birthday. Song Ni was immersed in the design drafts for the wedding dress competition, working day and night. By the time she remembered, her husband’s birthday was only two days away.