The two had been "living together" for quite some time, but they hadn't taken the final step.
Even on several occasions when she could sense his desire, he managed to restrain himself in the end.
At this moment, facing his hint, she didn't shyly dodge away. Instead, she met his burning gaze and gently nodded, her eyes clear and honest.
"Yeah, really. I'm okay with anything."
She didn't shy away from her own desire for him.
In her opinion, since their relationship was stable and they deeply loved each other, some things were just natural and inevitable.
She loved him and was naturally willing to entrust herself completely to him.
Her frank response was like the sweetest honey, instantly soothing Pei Jiangmu's heart that was often restless and anxious.
He knew this meant that she truly liked him now.
Otherwise, given her shy nature in some aspects, she would never have said such things.
He let out a soft laugh and couldn't help but plant a kiss on her lips.
With this exciting promise, Pei Jiangmu had been in an extremely happy and expectant state for days.
Even when he was forced to cooperate with Cui Ran on the project, the frost on his usually cold face seemed to melt a bit.
Although he was still aloof and polite, at least he wasn't as icy as before.
Even Cui Ran couldn't help but feel a bit curious and asked him if he was so happy because the AI project was about to go live.
Pei Jiangmu certainly wouldn't share his mood with her.
After all, who could have thought that the young master of the Pei family was a lovesick fool?
He just gave Cui Ran a cold glance and said, "I'll be even happier if the project goes smoothly."
Seeing his aloof attitude, a look of sadness flashed across Cui Ran's eyes, but then she forced a smile.
"Of course. The staff of our Cui Group are all very professional and efficient."
Most of the people from the Cui Group who participated in the project had only heard of the young master of the Pei family but had never seen him before.
After several meetings, they were shocked to find that this legendary "Young Master Pei" not only had outstanding looks and temperament but also extremely strong and precise working abilities.
For many problems that they were at a loss for, he could always point out the core of the problem sharply and put forward constructive suggestions.
"My goodness, I didn't expect the young master of the Pei family to be so handsome. I thought he didn't show up in public because he was just ordinary-looking."
"And his ability is so strong! The details he modified in the plan just now were simply a stroke of genius!"
"The most important thing is that he's our Manager Cui's fiancé. They're really a perfect match in terms of talent and appearance, and well-matched in family background!"
"Yeah, yeah. Look at the two of them standing together. Even when they don't say a word, they seem so compatible. They're so well-suited for each other!"
"Rather than shipping those real or fake celebrity couples, we should ship this engaged couple. I'm in love with them!"
...
Similar discussions were quietly spreading within the project team of the Cui Group.
Anyone who saw Pei Jiangmu and Cui Ran walking side by side after the meeting would think they were a perfect match.
After all, one was cold and noble, and the other was capable and elegant.
In terms of family background, appearance, or ability, they seemed to be a match made in heaven.
This illusion of "being well-suited" seemed so natural to those who didn't know the truth.
However, only Pei Jiangmu himself knew that all his good mood and patience at this moment came from the person at home who had made a promise to him.
If it were normal times, Pei Jiangmu would surely have noticed these discussions.
He would also have surely noticed that the looks Cui Ran gave him were becoming more and more complex and gentle.
Unfortunately, his whole world, apart from work, was only Meng Ruochao. He had no time to care about anything else.
During all the breaks in the meeting, he would habitually check his phone.
If there was a message from Meng Ruochao, he would be extremely relaxed. He might even show a gentle smile while looking at his phone.
If there was no message, he would take the initiative to send her a message first.
Most of the time, because Meng Ruochao was busy, she couldn't reply to him in time. During the following time, he would be a bit tense.
Of course, his emotional changes were very subtle. If one didn't stare at him all the time, they wouldn't notice at all.
Occasionally, some people just thought that Young Master Pei seemed to be stricter.
But they would attribute it to his dissatisfaction with the meeting content and didn't think about anything else.
The project was progressing smoothly.
At the end of the first stage, the Cui Group hosted a dinner for everyone downstairs.
Pei Jiangmu didn't want to attend at first, but he accidentally heard that the eel rice in the Japanese restaurant where the dinner was held was extremely delicious.
The steps he was about to take to leave immediately stopped.
Extremely delicious?
Then he must let his Ruochao taste it!
He raised his hand and looked at the time.
Qi Yu, who was standing beside him, saw this and immediately leaned over and asked, "Boss, are you going?"
Pei Jiangmu glanced at him. "Go. Why not?"
Just as they finished speaking, Cui Ran also walked over and gave Pei Jiangmu a faint smile.
"Jiangmu, let's go. I happen to have something to talk to you about."
Maybe she was afraid that Pei Jiangmu would refuse, so she quickly added, "It's about work."
Pei Jiangmu nodded slightly and followed Cui Ran towards the dinner venue without saying much.
Seeing this, Qi Yu also quickened his steps to keep up.
On the way, Cui Ran tried to find some work-related topics to talk to Pei Jiangmu.
Pei Jiangmu actually didn't like walking side by side with her.
He always subconsciously kept a distance from her.
When Cui Ran noticed this, a look of sadness flashed across her eyes, but she quickly forced a smile.
"Jiangmu, I know you want to keep a distance from me, but this is the Cui Group."
"If you always act so unfamiliar with me, it won't be good for me if someone with ulterior motives sees it."
Hearing this, Pei Jiangmu paused slightly.
He turned his head and looked at Cui Ran with a calm but somewhat scrutinizing gaze.
Actually, he wasn't an unreasonable person.
He also understood that in this cooperation, the surface harmony and tacit understanding between the two of them could sometimes avoid many unnecessary troubles.
But he had his own principles.
"That means your ability is not strong enough. You should spend more time on yourself."
After a pause, perhaps feeling that this statement was too embarrassing, he added another sentence.
"At least, even if your ability is not strong enough to ignore the rumors, you should learn to be indifferent mentally."
This wasn't much better.
It was almost like throwing the words "you're both incompetent and vain" in Cui Ran's face.
Cui Ran didn't expect him to be so defensive against her, leaving no room for her at all. Her face looked a bit stiff.
She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down, and tried to say in a more peaceful tone.
"Jiangmu, I just hope that in the workplace, we can show a better cooperation state. It will also be beneficial to the progress of the project."
Pei Jiangmu just glanced at her and didn't say anything more. He continued walking towards the dinner venue.
Cui Ran looked at his back, feeling mixed emotions but helpless.
After all, not everyone was like Pei Jiangmu, with outstanding personal ability and being favored. He didn't need to give anyone face.
But seeing him like this, she was even more curious about the woman he held in the palm of his hand.
Meng Ruochao, right? What kind of charm did she have that could make a man like Pei Jiangmu fall for her?