Ning Guangyaoâs face lit up, and he peered inside the house.
Coincidentally, Lin Ruoxi came out when she didnât hear a reply from Wang Ma. With a beige dress on and her hair tied up, she looked less aloof and more gentler.
The moment she saw Ning Guangyao, she paused in her tracks as if in a trance.
Somehow, she couldnât move her legs as if they were stuck to the floor.
âRuoxi, Iâm glad youâre still awake. I hope you donât mind me visiting you so suddenly,â Ning Guangyao said with a smile.
Lin Ruoxi pursed her lips. Her body shuddered as she cast an unreadable gaze at him.
âWhatâs the reason behind your late-night visit, Premier Ning?â
Ning Guangyao said sheepishly, âI wanted to come over earlier, but I was caught up in a meeting with the local government. It ended very late, and I wanted to see you before I go back to Beijing tomorrow.â
âYouâve seen me, so please leave.â Lin Ruoxi nodded coldly and turned to leave.
âRuoxi,â he pleaded, âI know you might not want to see me, but I really want to talk with you. Could you accompany me to a meal? I havenât eaten dinner, and Iâm kind of hungry.â
Seeing that she wasnât replying to her, he added, âPlease, my daughter.â
With her back facing him, Lin Ruoxi hit her lip. In the end, she softened up.
Since a premier had begged her, she thought it would be cruel to reject him.
After taking a deep breath, Lin Ruoxi turned around.
âWang Ma, Iâll be back late. You can go to sleep first if youâre tired.â
Wang Ma nodded nervously. Though she was smiling, her gaze was filled with worry.
Meanwhile, Ning Guangyao was overjoyed.
He led Lin Ruoxi to his car and then commanded the chauffeur, âGo to White Deer.â
Ning Guangyao looked at his daughter, who was staring outside the window impassively. Since she didnât seem inclined to talk, he broke the silence. âRuoxi, do you know about White Deer Club? Itâs actually the Ning clanâs property. I always go there when I visit Zhonghai. There arenât any disturbances there, so itâs quiet.â
âPremier Ning, my surname is Lin. The Ning clan has nothing to do with me,â Lin Ruoxi replied flatly.
Ning Guangyao shook his head, sighing. âI know itâs hard for you to acknowledge a father that had wronged you so many times. Similarly, I know itâs also hard for you to return to our clan. But you also know that I no longer care about the publicâs opinion. I realized that relationships formed by blood can never be forsaken. The affluent families in Beijing and Zhonghai already knew youâre my daughter. No matter what they say, Iâm proud of you. I know Iâve hurt you many times with my actions and words. I repent everything Iâve done that I constantly have nightmares of you staring at me with disdain. Each time I awoke, I felt so regretful that my heart ached so badly. Yet, I donât dare to contact you, for fear that you will spurn me. I feel so useless. Last time, when the Yang clan was in trouble, I wanted to bring you to the Ning residence. However, I had to look at the big picture and was worried you would reject me. So I placed all hopes on Yang Chen, hoping that he would resolve the crisis. I was so nervous at that time that I could hardly breatheâŚâ
His confession sounded as if he was talking to himself.
At that moment, he was acting like a father who was repenting his wrongdoings.
Lin Ruoxi didnât respond, but her eyes that were staring at the bustling city were misty.
Ning Guangyao talked for around twenty minutes until the car pulled up at a club located in between the western suburb and the city area.
The White Deer Club usually only received VIPs
Since Ning Guangyao would be visiting, they closed the place early and waited for his arrival.
Once they entered into a private room that was renovated in a traditional style, Ning Guangyao ordered the staff to bring in a dozen of dishes that were surprisingly Lin Ruoxiâs favorite dishes.
One of them was the glutinous rice balls from the Zhao couple. Ning Guangyao must have ordered someone to buy them during the day.
âHow is it? I had them prepare these. Itâs our first dinner, I mean, supper together. I specially prepared your favorite dishes. Are you wondering how I know about your preferences?â
âRuoxi, Iâve been watching you grow up since you were young. I remember all your favorites.â He was completely unbothered by Lin Ruoxiâs stony expression.
Then, he ordered the staff to bring in a bottle of red wine and WuliaNing Guangyaoe. The wine was for Lin Ruoxi while he sipped on the baijiu liquor on his own.
âHere, Ruoxi, eat this glutinous rice ball, this okra, and meat⌠Oh, since itâs already nighttime, maybe you donât want to eat meat? Then eat some vegetables,â Ning Guangyao said as he put some food into Lin Ruoxiâs bowl.
Lin Ruoxi stared at the pile of food in her bowl and finally moved her chopsticks. She then picked up a piece of okra and ate a small bite.
Ning Guangyao was dejected at first, but his eyes soon lit up. He clapped his hands and exclaimed, âAh! I almost forgot about it!â
That puzzled Lin Ruoxi. She then stared at him, wondering what he had forgotten.
Ning Guangyao beckoned the server over. âServe the white truffle Iâve ordered.â
The server nodded and soon served the seasoned white truffle on an exquisite silver tray.
Lin Ruoxiâs gaze that was normally impassive flickered with emotions.
Italian white truffle, French foie gras, and Middle Eastern caviar were top delicacies in the world.
Among them, white truffles were the hardest to obtain even with money. It was because they would spoil ten days after being harvested. Since they originated from Italy, the quantities were limited.
Normally, an egg-sized white truffle would cost around five thousand dollars.
For a fungus, the price was sky-high.
Nonetheless, Lin Ruoxi loved white truffles as much as she loved glutinous rice balls. Since it was too expensive and hard to store, she hardly ate it.
To her surprise, Ning Guangyao actually knew about this.
That led her to believe that he truly cared about her since she was young.
âHere,â â Ning Guangyao cut two thin slices and put them on a plate for her â âtry it. I ordered my people to airship it from Italy.â
Lin Ruoxi was moved by his thoughtful gesture. Since it was her favorite food, she didnât reject him.
She nodded and put it into her mouth. When she smelled and tasted the tantalizing food, a smile appeared on her face.
Ning Guangyao couldnât take his eyes off her smile.
After a long while, Lin Ruoxi finally sensed his gaze. Her cheeks heated up when she realized she was too immersed in the tastiness of the white truffle.
âYou smiled.â Ning Guangyaoâs eyes were misty. His face was twitching with excitement as he said, âI guess I havenât failed as a father. I can still make my daughter smileâŚâ
It was a straightforward sentence that somehow melted her iced heart.
Is a smile all it takes to make him feel so touched? Maybe Iâve been too prejudiced. I should put myself in his shoes; he must be pressured too. I suppose no parents would deliberately harm their children. Maybe he also felt hurt and remorseful when he hurt me.
At that thought, Lin Ruoxiâs expression softened, and she voluntarily picked up another piece of white truffle and put it in her mouth.