The next day, Jiang Jingyu asked Lu Jiaying for leave, saying he had something to do in the morning and couldn't go to the company. Lu Jiaying, thinking he genuinely had plans, agreed.
In reality, he and Wen Ruxu had tricked Xu Lei into going to a hotel.
The morning after waking up, Wen Ruxu messaged Xu Lei, saying he hadn't slept well and had thought of her all night.
"Last night you were so beautiful. You looked like a fairy, I couldn't get enough. If I hadn't been afraid of upsetting you, I really wanted to..."
"Sister, I can't pretend anymore. I don't want to be your brother. I can't suppress my feelings and longing for you; this feeling is driving me crazy. I like you so much, I... can you feel it?"
Xu Lei didn't know how to respond to him.
Although she felt the same, she was a married woman.
She could only feign concern and urge Wen Ruxu to calm down.
Wen Ruxu replied, "I want to be calm, but you don't know how captivating you are."
"I've dated girlfriends before, but this is the first time I've encountered someone who makes me lose all reason. I'm going crazy. Tell me what to do. I really can't take it anymore."
Faced with such fervent confession, Xu Lei was deeply moved.
However, they hadn't known each other for long, and she found it difficult to be direct. She stared at the screen, carefully considering her words.
As she was thinking, Wen Ruxu sent her a hotel room key.
"If this continues, I'll surely go mad, so we can't go on like this. Sister, could you do me the favor of coming to see me, just one last time for a farewell, so we can clear things up?"
"If you don't like me, don't plan to divorce for me, and never be with me, I'll accept it. Who told me to appear too late."
"But I really wish I could hold you openly. Just grant me this one request. Please come."
"I know you're looking at your phone. I'll give you time to think. I'll wait for half an hour. If you don't reply within half an hour, I won't bother you again."
"We'll delete each other's contacts, and pretend this encounter was a mistake. You don't need to worry about me..."
Xu Lei sat on the edge of her bed, watching the minutes tick by.
Wen Ruxu indeed stopped sending messages. Five minutes, ten minutes, fifteen minutes, twenty...
This became the longest, most arduous time of her life.
Intense joy, impulse, repression, mixed with excitement, flooded her mind.
Finally, after looking at Wen Ruxu's photos on his moments a few more times, she made her decision.
She didn't seek a future together, but only the experience of the present.
This young man was so sensible, knew when to advance and retreat, and cared for her, understood her. He would be going abroad soon anyway, so having some kind of experience with him wouldn't be a waste of her years!
At the 25th minute, she tentatively messaged Wen Ruxu, sending two words.
"Little brother?"
Wen Ruxu replied instantly, "I'm here, I've been waiting for you, sister. You've decided to come, haven't you? Please, don't disappoint me, you will come, won't you?"
Xu Lei's fingers trembled as she typed "yes."
Wen Ruxu was overjoyed, "I knew sister cared for me. When will you come? An hour, is that okay? Sister, I can't wait to see you."
Xu Lei sent him an "okay" and said, "I'll message you when I arrive."
Wen Ruxu said "good," then immediately took a screenshot and showed the message to Jiang Jingyu.
"She's taken the bait. How are things on your end?"
"The person is already waiting in the lobby."
"Damn, will I get beaten or photographed? Don't let me embarrass myself!"
"Don't worry, I've prepared everything. You won't."