Chapter 1162 - Gentleman
On the way, while driving, Lu Lian thought about what Lu Bao said. "Dinner date? Is it?"
The light blush and pleasant smile painted on her face as she thought about it. Though she tried to keep it professional with Ming Rusheng, the thought of going on a date with him didn't fail to flutter her heart.
"Silly. It's just a dinner. Don't think too much," she confronted herself, but the next moment another thought came to her mind. 'I wonder what the date with him would be like?' and she smiled widely, 'Seems like I am going crazy.'
Lu Lian reached the hotel where Ming Rusheng had planned the dinner. It was the same one that belonged to the Ming Industries.
When Lu Lian reached there, the hotel manager who had been instructed to escort Lu Lian came to her.
"Welcome, Ms. Lu," said the manager when Lu Lian stepped out of her car.
The lady in short black stylish dress was worth catching everyone's attention, and difficult to take the eyes off of her.
The manager led Lu Lian's way inside the hotel after handing over her car keys to staff.
Crossing the hotel's lavish reception area, Lu Lian thought she had to go to the dining area, but the manager said, "Please, this way, Ms. Lu."
It puzzled Lu Lian, but she followed the manager. Getting into the elevator, the manager pressed a button for the top floor, and Lu Lian held her breath. It was the floor last time she went to Ming Rusheng's suite.
'Dinner can be in the dining area, and there is no need to go to his suite, isn't it?' she thought.
Soon they reached the top floor. When they came across Ming Rusheng's suite's entrance, and Lu Lian thought they had finally reached it, the manager walked ahead as he passed by the suite.
Puzzled, Lu Lian quietly followed the manager. He led her way towards the huge gallery on the hotel's top floor, which had a glass roof and was well designed and decorated beautifully as if under the dark starry sky, the most beautiful place to be.
Lu Lian saw a man in a black suit, facing his back towards her, standing by the glass railing as he looked ahead towards the city down, which glittered with numerous lights.
"Mr. Ming," the manager called.
Ming Rusheng turned to look at them as he understood she was finally there.
Lu Lian looked at the handsome man in front of her as everything seemed so dreamy. 'It was supposed to be just a normal dinner. Why does it feel like it's a date?' she thought as the two looked at each other.
The manager left as he bowed lightly, leaving the two alone.
Ming Rusheng observed the beautiful woman in front of him and couldn't take his eyes off her. She was always pretty, but the way she had dressed today was different from other times, which showed she valued this dinner with him or maybe a date.
He had prepared the best to make it all special, not being sure of if he would ever get to spend such moments with her after this night.
Ming Rusheng walked towards her, and Lu Lian could feel her heart picking up the pace as her breathing had started to turn shallow. 'Why is he so intimidating? Just looking at him is affecting me like this.' she thought.
"You are looking pretty," he complimented as he stood in front of her.
She continued to look at him in a daze, immersed in her thought she didn't realize when he already covered that distance between them.
"Huh? I..Mean thank you." She looked totally whipped, and Ming Rusheng couldn't help but smile seeing her puzzled.
Given her strong personality, he expected her to be confident, but she acted like any other girl who happened to go on their first surprise date. He was happy to see her like this but also scared if he broke her heart with the truth, he would reveal today. For now, he decided to cherish these moments, which he might treasure as good memories with her if she happened to leave him.
Ming Rusheng offered her hand, and she accepted as he took towards the round table covered with white silk cloth and decorated by keeping candles, flower vase and was placed in the center of that huge gallery as the two chairs were placed around it.
He pulled out a chair for Lu Lian to sit, and once she was comfortable, he sat in his chair. Hesitation surrounded Lu Lian's mind as she didn't know what to talk about. Though she had anticipated it to be something good, it was out of the box of what she could imagine.
It was definitely a date!
"Why are you so quiet?" Ming Rusheng asked.
"Umm..just didn't expect all this..so…" she looked around that beautiful place.
"As we had finally agreed for this, then why not make it better."
Lu Lain nodded, agreeing to it.
"It's beautiful," she complimented.
"I am glad you liked it."
The conversation turned more formal than how it should be when the two should talk normally. They could talk better in normal meetings, but this one turned out to be more awkward.
The manager returned with two attendants who brought the drinks for the two. Once they served the wine and the two picked up their glasses, Ming Rusheng asked, "Are you not comfortable here?"
"No..not at all. Everything is fine," she replied in haste.
"Seems like you are more comfortable with my other self than this gentleman side," he commented as the light smirk painted on his lips.
Lu Lian understood the underlying meaning and turned speechless.
He continued, "I too liked that side more, which allows me to get closer to you than sitting this far when you are just in front of me. Distance is no fun."
Cough! Lu Lian cleared her throat as she said, "I like this distance and gentleman side more."
Ming Rusheng offered her a doubtful look as he sipped on the wine. "Really?"
"Hmm."
"Then I will prefer to be a gentleman as it is what the lady likes."
"Thank you so much, Mr. Ming."
"Rusheng!" he said.
She gave him a puzzled look.
"My name. I won't mind if you call me by my name only," he said.
"Well.. that…."
"We are not at an official dinner meeting, so it should be fine."
Lu Lian smiled teasingly. "As Mr. Ming is older than me, it would be fine to call brother Rusheng like how girls address men older than them."
"Are you reminding me that I am older than you, or you want to make me your brother? Are you not satisfied with the perfect Polo team of four brothers?" Ming Rusheng countered.
The tense atmosphere lightened up as the two smiled.
"I won't mind making a Basketball team of five by adding one more brother to it," Lu Lian smiled teasingly.
"Ahh, I don't like that sport at all. Team of four seems better." Ming Rusheng replied as his straight denial for being her brother, and Lu Lian couldn't help but laugh lightly.
Letting her laugh to her heart's content, Ming Rusheng gave her a meaningful look as he looked at her intently. "Well, if you like single-player sports, we can play one-on-one. Only you and me. I bet it's more fun." Ming Rusheng's words and his gaze held the underlying meaning.
Lu Lian gave him a narrowed-eyed look only to hear him again. "When we played a few times before, you seemed to like it a lot."
Cough! Lu Lian coughed the wine in her mouth on hearing his bold words and her face turned red.
Ming Rusheng picked up the tissues and said, "Denying the facts can make you cough like this," and cleaned her mouth by dabbing it gently on her lips.
Once it was clear, he retreated his hand.
"A while ago, someone was talking about being a gentleman, but it seems like an impossible task for a man," Lu Lian commented.
Ming Rusheng smirked as he stared into her eyes for a while and then spoke, "This is what I am like a gentleman. If I had to bring another side out, you wouldn't be just sitting in front of me like this instead of turning into a mess the moment I saw you."