Chapter 120: I Shall Confess First

Chu Chuo silently took off his helmet. So be it; with Ling Ziheng arriving, he was eager to see if Ling Ziheng’s personality would cause him to snap.

Lin Zhiwei, meanwhile, remained composed. She pulled out a bag of peanuts and began tossing them into her mouth one by one with unbothered patience, glancing sideways at the stiff, silent man beside her. "I only have this one bag, so if you're looking to eat, you're out of luck."

She rummaged through her bag again. "Consider it your lucky day. I actually have a pack of dried fish fillets. Here, take it."

With that, she tossed the pack of fish fillets to Chu Chuo, looking visibly reluctant to part with them. Being fed by her while still wearing such a sour expression—tonight was truly a bad start.

Chu Chuo examined the offering, hesitating over whether to tear it open. For years, he had lived on either extravagant delicacies or been dead drunk; he hadn't bought such snacks in ages.

"It won't kill you. My skills aren't that refined; I never learned how to poison anyone," Lin Zhiwei said, assuming he suspected her of foul play. She felt obliged to explain herself. Back when Lin Qiongjiu had forced her to study under Elder Sui to learn how to craft and neutralize toxins, she had spent three days fishing and two days drying her nets, barely scraping by. It helped that Elder Sui, despite his ferocious appearance, was actually an incredibly easygoing old rascal who tended to turn a blind eye to her antics.

Chu Chuo smiled helplessly, tore open the package, and popped a piece into his mouth. It tasted surprisingly good. "Don't you ever miss home? I mean, the Nameless Realm."

Lin Zhiwei’s hand, mid-air, froze. She watched helplessly as a peanut fell to the ground, feeling a pang of heartbreak. "It’s alright. My parents are the 'free-range' type. They’ve basically tossed me aside since I was a kid—well, they’ve never really paid much attention to me."

"You’re talking about the Lord of the Nameless Realm?" Chu Chuo pressed.

"You know, so why ask?" Lin Zhiwei shot him a sidelong glance.

"Fine. Even if you have backing and ability, do you know who Ling Ziheng’s archenemy is? He is—" Before Chu Chuo could finish, the glare of headlights from the distance blinded him.

Two limited-edition charcoal-gray Maybachs pulled up to the roadside, understated yet elegant.

Pei Xi was the first to step out of the car, nodding at Lin Zhiwei as he opened the door.

A pair of long, slender legs emerged, followed by that familiar, bewitching face illuminated by the night. Lin Zhiwei, forgetting all about the archenemy Chu Chuo was about to name, sprang to her feet and dashed over, throwing herself into the man’s arms and nuzzling against his chest. "Darling~ you're here!" Her flushed little face and bright eyes were filled with warmth.

Ling Ziheng’s anger vanished in an instant. The little girl deserved a scolding for her reckless drinking, but seeing her confessing so readily, he let it slide. Besides, that soft, honeyed "darling" had already melted his heart; how could he possibly stay angry with her?

"Don't catch a cold." He took off his coat, draped it over her shoulders, and patted her head.

"I'm not cold, really." Lin Zhiwei nestled into his chest, as docile as a kitten.

Not far away, Chu Chuo watched the intimate display between Lin Zhiwei and Ling Ziheng, a wave of jealousy churning in his heart. He never imagined the girl had such a side.

From the cunning he saw when they first met, to her dashing performance in the race, to her usual professional and poised demeanor as a director, and even the ruthlessness in her eyes when she had pinned him down—every time he saw her, she held a strange, magnetic attraction.

Yet, all this tenderness and affection was now directed at another man: Ling Ziheng.

As for himself, he only received a few sparse words: "You’re still salvageable," or "Good luck at the debut."

He lowered his gaze, lost in thought. It seemed he wanted more than just that.

Ling Ziheng glanced over from a distance, his eyes darkening. *Heh*, he hadn't guessed wrong. Chu Chuo coveted his little girl deeply, though perhaps even Chu Chuo hadn't realized that what he wanted had changed.

He wanted to flare up, but seeing his little girl’s unconcerned expression, her heart and eyes entirely filled with him, he gestured to Pei Xi and ushered her into the car.

Pei Xi hurried over. "Young Master Chu, I will see you home. My subordinates will have your car delivered later."

Chu Chuo nodded, not refusing. During that brief moment when he had locked eyes with Ling Ziheng, the man had clearly been furious, exuding his usual chilling aura, yet he had been completely disarmed by Lin Zhiwei’s presence.

He knew Ling Ziheng well. In all their years of conflict, while Ling Ziheng had never gained the upper hand openly, Chu Chuo had suffered many losses in the shadows. Furthermore, Ling Ziheng had always preferred to cast a long line to catch a big fish, constantly dragging him along to reach the person behind the scenes.

Even when Chu Chuo exhausted his resources trying to probe Ling Ziheng's true strength, he only ever saw the tip of the iceberg. The public squabbles between fans and the media reports were nothing more than skirmishes between Baimu and Ling Ziheng’s studio—things Chu Chuo usually couldn't be bothered with. But the industries and power Ling Ziheng held in the dark were things he had always wanted to investigate.

*Heh*, he was merely a pawn caught in the middle, playing both sides to survive. But Lin Zhiwei’s appearance had stirred a desire in Chu Chuo to break free.

Inside the car, Lin Zhiwei leaned quietly against Ling Ziheng, scrolling through her phone as she confessed, "I’ll confess first and hope for leniency. I never in a million years thought Chu Chuo would be here."

Ling Ziheng smiled faintly, smoothing the hair scattered across her forehead before planting a light kiss there. "I know." The little girl was putting on a good show, but in reality, she was probably terrified that he would be jealous and angry.

"And I wasted a whole bag of fish fillets on him, damn it," Lin Zhiwei muttered under her breath. If it weren't for her firm belief that eating was the best way to relieve awkwardness, she never would have sacrificed the fillets that Mi'er had given her.

"I'll buy you more when we get back."

"Alright then, I feel a little better now."

The driver in the front, having overheard their conversation, felt as though he had survived an unknown catastrophe. His usually cold and ruthless boss had rushed here from the office the moment he received the call; the driver’s hands had been shaking on the steering wheel the entire way.

He hadn't expected the boss's lady to be so unpredictable—sometimes乖巧 (docile), sometimes wild. And just in terms of looks, they were a perfect match. But judging by the boss's lady's temper, she seemed rather difficult to handle.

"What did he say?" Ling Ziheng asked, his voice alert.

"It was all nonsense before you arrived. Oh, wait, just before your car pulled up, he was about to tell me who your archenemy is." Lin Zhiwei lowered her eyes and yawned, clearly not taking any of it to heart.

"Do you want to know?" Ling Ziheng’s voice was low.

"No," Lin Zhiwei shook her head like a rattle. "I don't think anyone is as impressive as my darling. So, whether I know or not doesn't really matter."

*Heh.* Ling Ziheng looked down and smiled faintly. Since when had the little girl become so good at pleasing him? The last shadow of gloom in his heart vanished completely. "You little clever ghost."

Lin Zhiwei’s eyes flickered, feeling inwardly smug. To survive in the world, one had to rely on a sharp tongue. Besides, she really wasn't interested in who Ling Ziheng’s archenemy was. If that person were truly a formidable character, they would have already attacked China. Hiding away in the distance suggested they weren't much to worry about. She already had some guesses of her own.