Chapter 12 Do You Dare Answer If I Call You Uncle?
Song Ni listened to the manager's introduction while flipping through the brochure. Hearing Tan Zheng's question, she looked up at him. The man leaned against the sofa, his right leg crossed over his left, a cigarette yet to be lit clenched in his mouth. He toyed with a lighter in his hand, his hair slightly disheveled after some time, falling onto his forehead, adding a touch of languor. The thoughts that had been entirely focused on the project suddenly shifted, a part of them now directed towards Tan Zheng.
Song Ni closed the brochure, took a sip of water, and asked, "What flavor is your cigarette?" In the past, whenever Song Ni attended social gatherings, she would smell various types of tobacco smoke, all of which she found extremely unpleasant. Only the scent of Tan Zheng's cigarettes did not repulse her.
Tan Zheng's hands stopped their playful movement. His eyes narrowed slightly, and he stared at Song Ni for a good while. "Curious?"
Song Ni nodded. Tan Zheng's cigarette scent was already more captivating than the club's activities. The man pushed the cigarette pack from his pocket across the table. It was a golden hard case, with a sharp-eyed eagle on it, and a string of characters engraved in silver beneath. Out of curiosity, Song Ni took out a cigarette. She had never smoked before, and as she held the cigarette between her index and middle fingers, she felt a completely new sensation.
Seeing Song Ni's action, the manager took a lighter from his pocket, ready to ignite it for her. Tan Zheng merely glanced at him lazily, and the manager retracted his thought. Song Ni moved to sit next to Tan Zheng, then imitated him by placing the cigarette in her mouth. She said nothing, just stared at the lighter in Tan Zheng's hand.
Tsk, so it was like this again. Tan Zheng put his leg down, leaned forward, and brought his face close to Song Ni. He still had the cigarette in his mouth, and the two cigarettes were almost touching.
*Sss—*
Tan Zheng lit his own cigarette with one hand. Song Ni's eyelashes trembled slightly. She braced herself with her right hand on the sofa, unsure of Tan Zheng's intentions. The man took a puff, turned his head, exhaled a cloud of smoke to the side, and then silently retreated, maintaining a distance, looking at Song Ni through the smoke.
"What's a young lady like you doing smoking?" His voice, soaked in smoke, seemed to have suddenly become hoarse.
Song Ni raised her hand and pinched her earlobe, her nose twitching. She finally clearly smelled the scent of this particular cigarette, a blend between milky and medicinal. The smoke was rich; it was a bit choking at first, but after it dissipated, there was a faint aroma, enough to linger. Song Ni frowned. Why was this slightly different from the smell on Tan Zheng?
"Do you always smoke this kind?"
Tan Zheng glanced at her, seemingly unwilling to discuss cigarettes with her. Song Ni took the unlit cigarette in her hand and brought it closer to Tan Zheng, sniffing again.
Tan Zheng: ...
He removed the cigarette from his mouth, his brow furrowing as he looked at the person who had moved closer. "What are you doing?"
Song Ni raised her hand to touch her nose, realizing her actions were somewhat inappropriate. "Nothing."
The manager stood by, his head bowed, his eyes fixed on his shoes, as if afraid of seeing something he shouldn't. Tan Zheng was a regular here, and he had a good relationship with the owner. If the owner knew that Tan Zheng had brought a girl today, he would definitely stay here to wait for an opportunity.
Song Ni was not familiar with shooting games and was about to ask Tan Zheng to choose one at random when she heard a charming voice, "Tan Zheng?"
The hand she had extended was quickly withdrawn. Song Ni looked up. It was a woman wearing a white tracksuit and a white baseball cap. The woman said something to the people beside her, then walked briskly towards them, her eyes showing obvious surprise as she looked at Tan Zheng. "Tan Zheng, what brings you here today?"
Tan Zheng, however, merely extinguished his cigarette and looked up at the woman, nodding. Song Ni noticed that the woman's smile seemed somewhat strained.
Interesting.
Song Ni twirled the cigarette in her hand like a pen, sitting on the side, watching the two with amusement. The woman was clearly fond of Tan Zheng. Even though Tan Zheng's reaction was lukewarm, she continued to smile and try to strike up a conversation. "I'm here with some business partners today. Unfortunately, I have other matters to attend to this afternoon, otherwise, we could have had a match."
Tan Zheng remained silent, the atmosphere almost thick enough to solidify. The woman touched her hair to disguise her expression and finally shifted her gaze to Song Ni beside her, with a hint of uncertainty and appraisal. "Is this your sister?"
Song Ni raised an eyebrow, gave her a faint smile, and then looked at the man who had been silent all along. Her lips curved, and she deliberately pitched her voice higher. "Brother?"
At this "brother," the woman in white relaxed her tense expression. The manager looked confused, while Tan Zheng's brow furrowed as he glanced at Song Ni. Her voice sounded strange.
"What nonsense are you spouting?" The woman in white's heart, which had just settled, rose again.
Song Ni smiled and picked up her cup to take a sip of water. "You're almost thirty, six years older than me. What's wrong with calling you brother?"
Listening to Song Ni's deliberate tone, Tan Zheng felt a headache coming on. It was one thing for this young girl to act cute in front of elders, but now she was putting on a show? Song Ni was clearly enjoying herself. "Or should I call you Uncle? Tsk, that would be a generational gap, wouldn't it? Do you dare answer?"
At this, the manager nearly burst out laughing, it was so much like the playful banter between a young couple. The woman in white also noticed this, and her expression instantly soured. Her gaze became unfriendly as she sized up Song Ni.
Tan Zheng narrowed his eyes, watching Song Ni's mischievous and unrestrained behavior in front of him, his mind racing with unspoken thoughts. As for Song Ni, she ignored the woman's stare, as if deliberately doing this to elicit a response from Tan Zheng. Or rather, she was testing him. Both of them were arranged by their families for blind dates, and based on today's progress, if nothing unexpected happened, their marriage could be expedited.
Song Ni had been spoiled by her family her whole life and could be unrestrained among her friends. She wanted to see how far she could go in front of Tan Zheng. The atmosphere between the two suddenly became strange. The woman in white, feeling uneasy, interrupted, "Tan Zheng, I didn't realize your sister was so adorable."
Hearing this, Song Ni's lips curled coldly. To put it nicely, it was adorable; to put it not so nicely, it meant she was impudent.
Tan Zheng finally shifted his gaze from Song Ni to the woman in white. "I am the only son in the Tan family." He was denying that Song Ni was his sister. As for Song Ni's identity, he had no need to tell anyone.
The woman in white tried hard to lift the corners of her mouth but found it futile. She gave a wry smile. "My partners are waiting for me over there. We'll chat more next time." With that, she left, giving Song Ni a deep look before departing.
Once the group had disappeared from sight, Song Ni also withdrew her testing demeanor and teased, "I scared away your admirer, you won't blame me, will you?"
Tan Zheng's brow twitched. "Speak normally."
Song Ni: Uncle Tan! Uncle Tan!
Tan Zheng: ...
(End of this chapter)