Chapter 048: Won't Refuse

"Is... is there such a thing? When was it spread? You can't take that kind of news online seriously; I have absolutely no relationship with her! I don't have any other women around me; I've always been sin—" gle.

Solas blurted out in panic.

He suddenly realized what he had said and was mortified.

How embarrassing.

Acting all flustered like this—would she think he wasn't steady enough and seemed unreliable?

But clearly, he wasn't usually like this. Why was it that in front of her...

That female artist was something else too; why did she have to come fluttering around him for no reason? And right in front of Seraphina.

Solas's impression of Gloria worsened even further.

Having played her little trick and achieved her goal, Seraphina gave a shallow smile: "Brother Solas, you don't need to be so nervous. I didn't believe those rumors online; I still have that much discernment. Besides, if you were that kind of reckless person, my father wouldn't have introduced you to me."

Thinking of the purpose for which Peter Pierce had introduced him to her, Solas's expression became somewhat unnatural.

He had come with the intention of discussing marriage.

Looking back now, it was indeed too abrupt.

Though Harvey Zale was unreliable, he did have one point right.

Since he had the intention, and matchmaking wasn't a format she liked, why shouldn't he take advantage of the fact that she was still single to properly pursue her?

Otherwise, if someone else beat him to it, what would he do?

"I'm very happy you can think that way. But I still want to tell you seriously: although the entertainment industry is messy, I really am not that kind of reckless person."

Seraphina looked up at him with a brilliant smile: "I know."

"I just thought your company's female artist was interesting and happened to remember that matter, so I brought it up casually."

The fact was naturally not so; she had done it on purpose.

Who told her she couldn't remember why he chose Gloria as his girlfriend in her past life? She could only defend against it from all angles.

Speaking of which, there was still over half a year until the time Gloria became Solas's girlfriend in the previous life.

At that time, her parents and brother were gone, and she had been rescued by Solas, staying by his side for less than a month.

"By the way, I've always been curious—what made you think of entering the entertainment industry when you started your business? With your ability, you should have been able to achieve even greater success in other fields."

Seraphina had originally just wanted to change the subject.

Even though she had been the head of the Solas family for twenty years in her past life, she wasn't technically a "good person" anymore—after all, good people didn't live long in that circle.

For her, using a little scheme to reach a goal was perfectly normal. But this person was Solas; using schemes in front of him made her feel somewhat uneasy.

Yet, despite it being just a subject change, Solas was stunned by her words.

He looked at her, his expression a bit complex.

It caused her heart to tighten involuntarily.

In fact, she already had a slight guess.

If it was truly what she thought, then he...

Seraphina's mood suddenly became very complex.

Solas was only stunned for a moment before quickly returning to normal, saying with a smile: "At that time, I just felt the field was decent, so I started. Without realizing it, I've been in this industry for so many years."

"However, I'm very happy you could give me such a high evaluation."

Those words came from the heart.

She said that with his ability, he could have achieved greater success in other fields. Didn't that mean that in her eyes, he was excellent enough? And that the success he had achieved now was considered worthy of her notice?

Anyone would be very happy to be appreciated by the person they've kept in their heart for years, wouldn't they?

He was naturally no exception.

"Then do you like the industry you're currently in?" Seraphina asked.

"It's alright."

In truth, it didn't matter whether he liked it or not. This was merely his personal career; in the near future, it would only be a tiny, tiny part of all his assets.

The Solas family had interests in all walks of life.

He looked at Seraphina and asked, "What about you? Do you like your profession?"

Seraphina paused slightly.

Did she like it?

Naturally, she did.

Once upon a time, music was her everything.

It’s just that today, it no longer was.

But that love was still buried deep in her heart; otherwise, she wouldn't have been unable to resist walking toward the school's arts building earlier, and even playing a piece in the music classroom on impulse.

Playing a piece was one thing, but the key was that Solas had appeared by the window and, with her sharp senses, she hadn't even noticed him immediately—which showed how immersed she was.

If she didn't truly like it, how could she be so immersed?

Having realized this, Seraphina gave a smile of relief: "I do."

"Brother Solas, you heard the piece I played just now. What did you think of it?"

Brother Solas...

Every time he heard her call him that, his heart couldn't stop racing.

As for what she asked...

Naturally, it was played exquisitely.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have had his heart touched by a single piece and fallen in love at first sight.

He had many things he wanted to say, but he felt none of them were suitable for now. After a moment of silence, Solas only gave a simple evaluation: "It was very beautiful."

Seraphina didn't mind if his evaluation was simple; she was just looking for topics for small talk anyway.

"I'm glad you liked it. Then I'll play for you again when there's a chance."

Solas felt that her smile was dazzling.

Just looking at her like this made his heart burn with heat.

"Alright."

It felt as if everything happening today was like a dream.

If it were a dream, he hoped he'd never wake up.

"By the way, there's something I thought about, and I think it's better to tell you."

Solas was puzzled. "Go ahead."

"I dialed your number before. I got it from my mother and accidentally called it while saving it. You probably don't have much of an impression of it."

She didn't intend to change her number, and she and Solas would definitely exchange numbers later. When the time came, if Solas checked his call history, he would know she had called him once.

Since she didn't plan to let him bear the heavy memories of the past life with her, it was best to take the initiative so he wouldn't look too deeply into a single phone call.

With Solas's mind, even if it were a simple call, as long as he found a point of suspicion, he would definitely be able to deduce something.

She couldn't guarantee that in their future interactions Solas wouldn't notice anything, but at least for now, it was best not to let him become suspicious.

How could he not have an impression?

So that's how that phone call came about.

It wasn't that he hadn't considered the possibility, but he still hoped that call wasn't just an accident.

However, it was also quite good.

She had proactively saved his number—wasn't that a huge step forward?

"Actually, I do have an impression," he said, looking at her with a serious expression.

Instead, it made Seraphina freeze for a moment.

"I saved your number a long time ago."

Seraphina felt a bit awkward under his gaze. She didn't dare meet his eyes again, her gaze flickering away: "Is... is that so?"

She wouldn't be stupid enough to ask if he got her number from her father. She had an intuition that he had her phone number, and it was definitely not from her father!

She wasn't ready to lay things out clearly yet.

She didn't know exactly what kind of feeling she had for Solas, but she could say with great certainty that once the Pierces' troubles were solved, for the rest of her life, Solas would be the center of her existence.

She could even give her life for him.

She also really liked the feeling of being with him.

In her memory, Solas was just a close friend to whom she could entrust her life. To change the relationship, she needed a bit of time.

But if Solas truly spoke up and made things clear, she definitely wouldn't refuse.

How could she bear to let him be sad?

Seeing her avoidance, Solas was undoubtedly disappointed.

He sighed inwardly; it seemed he was indeed being too impatient.

Better to take it slow.

She didn't seem to dislike interacting with him, which was a good sign.

However, when he said earlier that he had saved her number a long time ago, he was truly nervous, his heart lifted high.

The scene was a bit awkward. Solas was about to find a topic to shift the focus when Seraphina spoke first: "The private kitchen restaurant you mentioned is just ahead, right?"

"...Mm, yes."