Su He tiptoed back to the bedroom, her face blushing so intensely it felt like it could drip blood.
This time, she changed into a pair of pajamas with long sleeves and long pants, wrapping herself up tightly. It was the kind of attire that absolutely wouldn't invite any misunderstandings from the big shot.
Lu Yanbei was extremely picky about food. He wouldn't eat anything with a strong fishy smell, anything difficult to digest, or anything with ginger, garlic, or scallions. He was also allergic to seafood. Su He had to exert all her strength and put her lifelong culinary skills to the test to prepare three dishes and one soup.
When the food was served, Su He went to the study and knocked on the door.
Five seconds later, Lu Yanbei came and opened it.
"Dinner is ready," Su He said concisely, then turned and scurried away.
Lu Yanbei walked to the dining table with his usual languid steps. His hair was still damp, indicating he had just showered.
Su He served him a bowl of rice and respectfully handed him his chopsticks.
As Lu Yanbei reached out to take them, his long, slender fingers immediately captured Su He's attention.
Su He was an artist, highly sensitive to lines. The male and female protagonists in her works, regardless of their personalities, all possessed hands so beautiful they made one want to lick them. Although her original stories weren't particularly exciting, her art style captivated countless people. As a result, most of her fans were drawn to her because of her drawings.
Su He was a severe hand fetishist, the die-hard kind. Seeing attractive hands made her unable to look away, wishing she could claim them as her own. Staring too intently had led to her being mistaken for mentally unstable on several occasions.
Just like at this moment, Su He was completely captivated by Lu Yanbei's fingers, her eyes unblinking, having long forgotten her earlier embarrassment.
Lu Yanbei seemed to sense it and slowly extended his hand towards her. "How about you just look your fill?"
Su He's thoughts were exposed, and she awkwardly averted her gaze. "I, I was just curious why some people's hands are so beautiful. Don't worry, I have absolutely no improper thoughts about you!"
Su He's explanation only made things worse. The more she said, the more guilty she felt, like she was protesting too much.
Seeing her flushed face, Lu Yanbei's lips curved upwards almost imperceptibly. "You are my woman, Lu Yanbei's woman. I permit you to have such thoughts."
Su He looked up in surprise, wondering if this big shot was getting too invested in the role. He kept calling her "my woman," yet they were clearly a contractual, superficial couple.
Fake!
All fake!
Su He forced an awkward smile and buried her head in her meal.
The more you talk, the more you err.
The only correct approach is to remain silent.
The meal concluded in silence.
After clearing away the tableware, Su He was about to return to her room when she noticed Lu Yanbei hadn't left. He was sitting in the living room, seemingly with something to tell her.
Seeing her emerge from the kitchen, Lu Yanbei pointed to a box on the coffee table. "See if you like it."
Su He was filled with confusion.
Lu Yanbei didn't offer an explanation, but his clear gaze made Su He reluctant to refuse. She walked over and opened the box, discovering a jewelry box. It was filled to the brim with expensive jewelry.
"This..." Su He was too astonished to speak, looking at the glittering items.
"Sometimes I have to go out and socialize, and I can't appear too shabby," Lu Yanbei said casually.
"Understood." Su He carefully closed the box again. She assumed these would be props she might need to use when cooperating with him in the future. "I'll definitely take good care of them!"
Lu Yanbei stared at her for two seconds, feeling a strange sense of helplessness.
Did she really understand?
The information conveyed by her eyes was clearly not what he had imagined.
"If there's nothing else, can I go back to sleep now?" Su He had just taken on a new project and needed to submit her draft by the weekend. Time was money!
Lu Yanbei nodded.
Relieved, Su He immediately grabbed the box and ran back to her room. After closing the door, she remembered her sleepwalking incident and went back to lock it securely.
Lu Yanbei: ...
*
In the city center, at a high-end club called Golden Coast, Gu Yuheng had organized a gathering to celebrate Leiting's birthday. Lu Yanbei had a last-minute conflict and arrived late.
The others playing cards with him saw his tardiness and insisted on a drinking penalty.
Lu Yanbei readily agreed, downing the champagne Gu Yuheng tossed at him in one gulp.
"Brother Yan is actually so agreeable!" Gu Yuheng exclaimed dramatically, raising his voice.
Leiting put down his cards, seemingly sensing something. "Brother Yan seems to be in a good mood today."
"Could it be that you've closed another big deal?" Gu Yuheng guessed.
Lu Yanbei tugged at his tie, not saying much.
He handed a box to Leiting, saying, "Happy birthday."
"Thank you, Brother Yan," Leiting said, accepting it with both hands respectfully.
Frankly, he didn't have much expectation for birthday gifts. Birthdays came every year, and the presents were always similar, diminishing the excitement he felt on his first birthday.
Besides, he hadn't been very polite when opening presents back then.
"Leiting, hurry and open it so we can all see what good stuff Brother Yan got you!" Gu Yuheng, with his lively personality, was good at livening up the atmosphere. It was partly to give face to Lu Yanbei, and partly genuine curiosity.
Seeing all eyes on him, Leiting looked at Lu Yanbei. "Brother Yan, can I open it then?"
"Go ahead," Lu Yanbei said, rolling up his sleeves and popping a piece of fruit into his mouth. After his previous hospital stay, Lu Yanbei was now very protective of his health.
He had been too busy at the company earlier and didn't have time for dinner. If he didn't find something to fill his stomach now, his stomach would surely act up.
Leiting slowly opened the box under the expectant gaze of everyone.
"Holy crap!"
"This is too cool!"
As the box opened, gasps and exclamations filled the air.
"Brother Yan, this... is this really for me?" Leiting's face was filled with disbelief and obvious joy.
Lu Yanbei responded with a lazy hum.
"This is the latest unreleased limited edition figure from D-brand. Where did you get it, Brother Yan?"
"This isn't cheap. I heard the pre-sale price starts in the six figures."
"Brother Yan, do you have any more? I want one too!"
Leiting was a seasoned anime fan, and his greatest hobby was collecting various anime character figures. He owned a villa that was reportedly dedicated solely to displaying these treasures!
Lu Yanbei's gift had hit the bullseye, landing right in his heart.
"Brother Yan, I love this gift so much!" Leiting was generally a quieter person than others, but his beaming face clearly showed how much he loved it.
"I'm glad you like it," Lu Yanbei said, always generous with his friends.
Leiting lovingly played with the figure of his favorite hero, a smile never leaving his lips.
The group was filled with both envy and jealousy, making them even more eager to foster a good relationship with Lu Yanbei.
Many in this group were there to join the fun with Gu Yuheng and hadn't yet fully entered this circle. To curry favor with the influential Lu Yanbei, they had a sudden idea and called for several beautiful girls.
These girls were mostly sisters or cousins from well-known families in the circle. Upon hearing Lu Yanbei was present, they immediately put aside their current tasks and rushed over.
Among them, one named Lin Ran specifically went to Gu Yuheng to take credit.
"Are you crazy!" Gu Yuheng almost shrieked. "Don't you know Brother Yan's temper? How dare you send women to him, are you tired of living?"
"I just thought the room was a bit sparse and figured more people would make it livelier..."
"Livelier my foot! Call them back immediately! If Brother Yan gets angry later, I can't protect you!" Gu Yuheng scolded his friend fiercely.
Unfortunately, it was too late.
Two minutes later, the private room door was knocked on, and several renowned socialites from the circle had arrived.