Chapter 251 - Cafe love

Leng Shao waited for Su Bei as she said that she would change into her clothes. He patiently waited as he sat on the couch, his foot tapping as he felt nervous with each passing second. 

With Su Bei's surprise of seeing Leng Shao at their house, she did her best to rush as she rummaged her closet, thinking of the clothes to wear. 

She got some dresses as she put them on the bed, contemplating about which dress suits her better. 

As seconds passed by, Su Bei's body froze as she groaned, rolling her eyes at the same time. 

"Why am I worrying about what to dress?" she mumbled to herself, already getting a simple day dress from her bed. "It's not like we're going on a date or something."

She then remembered what had happened between her and Leng Shao back at the launch. With the video still bothering her, Su Bei could not help but feel uneasy. 

However, seeing Leng Shao now made her realize that he is somehow determined to come clean to her. 

Shaking herself from her thoughts, Su Bei removed her oversized shirt and wore the dress. She tied her hair into a ponytail, put some slight blush and a lip tint to complete the look. 

She then got her white sandals from the side and wore them. She then went out of her room to go to Leng Shao, who's waiting for her.

The moment Su Bei arrived below, Leng Shao immediately stood up, his knee bumping on the coffee table in front of him. 

"S-Su Bei," he called out her name, "Are you ready? C-can I ask you to talk at a café, please?"

Su Bei blinked her eyes a few times. It was her first time seeing Leng Shao so uneasy compared to when she first was with him. He is a confident man, and now that he had stammered on his words, it was something surprising to her. 

It made Su Bei think that this man before her was sincere in his intentions and that he is motivated to convince her that he is innocent. 

"Okay," was all Su Bei could say, a glimmer of hope appearing on Leng Shao's face. 

"Thank you, Su Bei. Let's go then," he said, Su Bei already walking out of the house as Leng Shao followed her behind. 

The moment the two were out of the house, Leng Shao quickly walked to the passenger's seat to open the door for her. Su Bei discreetly looked at him as she sat inside, already putting her seatbelt on as Leng Shao sat on the driver's seat. 

Leng Shao then started the car and the drive going to the café was silent. Su Bei looked out the car window as she watched the scene outside, Leng Shao, stealing glances of her from the corner of his eye. 

'How am I going to convince Su Bei to believe me?' Leng Shao started to wonder to himself as he continued driving. 'I haven't found any evidence yet. Will my words be enough to convince her?'

Leng Shao's hands on the wheel tightened. Su Bei, who was observant, noticed this when she stole a glance of the man beside her. 

Her heart started to race. She instinctively held on to her chest, pretending to hold the seatbelt as she felt her heart thumping hard in her chest. 

'Should I believe him?' Even Su Bei began to wonder to herself. 'If he keeps saying that it wasn't him, was he telling the truth? He doesn't have any evidence yet, but why do I find myself wanting to believe him even though it's difficult?'

Su Bei heaved a small sigh. With Leng Shao hearing this from her, his eyebrows slightly furrowed as he now started to fear if Su Bei would believe him or not. 

The café was on the outskirts of the city, near the beach. It was secluded, and only a few people were present, making it a perfect area to talk or have a date. 

However, going here to have a date wasn't Leng Shao's intention. He would only want to prove his innocence to Su Bei through his words, and he would only have to cross his fingers to hope that it would work. 

Leng Shao parked the car near the café. Afterward, the two went out of the vehicle to enter the café. Leng Shao opened the door for Su Bei. The moment the two entered, they chose a location at the veranda, overlooking the sea. 

As the two sat down, Leng Shao did not want to delay their talk further. He ordered the café's best-seller so they could immediately start talking than choosing for their order. 

When the waitress left, Leng Shao looked at Su Bei with shy eyes as Su Bei averted his gaze away from him, looking at the sea as if to distract herself. 

"Su Bei," Leng Shao called out to her, "I don't know how to say this, and I don't know how to convince you, but I can't help it any longer."

Su Bei could feel different surges of emotions from Leng Shao's words. There was desperation, there was sadness, and at the same time, there was gentleness. 

Because of the tone of his voice, Su Bei could no longer help but to look at him even though she wanted to ignore him. 

The moment their eyes met, Leng Shao's eyebrows furrowed as his hands on his lap tightened, nervous. 

"I want to tell you so much that it wasn't me in the video. I'm telling you the truth, it wasn't me."

Su Bei sighed. She slightly shook her head, speaking as if almost in a whisper. 

"But how could I believe you? Leng Shao, the video looked so real. That could not be done with photoshop or even with advanced applications."

"Su Bei..." Leng Shao's eyes started to water as he heard her words, his heart starting to ache. "But believe me. I'm wronged--I and Yan Mei are wronged. That's not us."

"Oh?" Su Bei crossed her arms in front of her chest, "Do you have any proof?"

"No..."

It was silent for a few seconds. It was like quietness was suspended on air, waiting for one signal to continue moving. 

Leng Shao gulped, his eyes not leaving Su Bei's. He then felt some tears from his eyes escaping, Su Bei's eyes widening as she did not expect to see the pained expression on his face. 

"Su Bei... I don't know who's the one doing this, and I don't know his intention, but whatever it is, I'm not involved in it. If I were, how could I have the slightest dignity to face you?"

"Leng Shao..."

Su Bei started to feel guilty. She felt that she should start listening to him now because with Leng Shao having different surges of emotions in front of her, he could be saying the truth. 

"This might be related to the issue with Yan Mei's ex-husband last year, but believe me--we never did that." Leng Shao forced himself not to cry, "How could I be here if it was true, Su Bei? You think I would have the disrespect?"

Su Bei didn't know what to say. There was another lingering silence as the two heard the distant waves of the sea in the background. 

By this time, Leng Shao could no longer control his tears, averting his gaze from Su Bei as he felt embarrassed about being vulnerable in front of her. 

With her feelings, heart, and mind wavering as of this moment, Su Bei reached out to his other hand that was on the table, getting his attention as she spoke. 

"Why are you acting this way, Leng Shao? Why are you so emotional?"

Leng Shao looked at Su Bei, his eyes piercing through her heart, pulling her heartstrings as he spoke--the words he said reverberating in her heart and mind. 

"Because I'm scared to lose you, Su Bei. I'm scared that because of this misunderstanding--that because of being accused of something that I did not do, I would lose you."

"Leng Shao--"

Leng Shao interlaced his fingers with Su Bei, surprising her with the action that he had done. 

"I only met you recently, but your very presence made an impact on my life. I thought I would not be interested in other women but meeting you, I was proven wrong."

Su Bei could not leave her eyes from the man before him. He continued to speak, his very words starting to convince her as his actions of meeting her complimented with it. 

"I can't risk to lose you because of this, Su Bei. How could I let this pass? I promise you that I would do my best to get to the bottom of this. Give me time--give me time to find out everything and to prove myself. I promise you that it is not me."

Su Bei felt her eyes water. She felt a lump on her throat as she forced herself to keep her tears at bay, not wanting to cry in front of Leng Shao. 

"Believe me... my words are true. If it weren't, I won't have the face to meet you. I would be such an asshole if I did."

Su Bei did not know what to say. She nodded, a small smile appearing on her face. She then got a tissue from the table, wiped his tears as Leng Shao stared straight at her eyes. 

"Okay, Leng Shao," she said, "You got me now. I'll listen to you and will wait, okay?"

Hearing her words made Leng Shao release his tears more. Seeing this, Su Bei could not help but feel more guilty as she now felt the sincerity in the man's words and actions. 

"Thank you, Su Bei... thank you so much for giving me this chance. I won't let you down."