Exiting the station, Cheng Buxi immediately spotted the black Bentley parked at the intersection.
Under the neon lights of the night, it emitted a cold, silver-black sheen.
Perhaps because it was rare, or because the license plate was too eye-catching, a few young men and women were attracted to take a closer look. Some even boldly knocked on the window, only to be rejected and storm away on their high heels.
She quickly tidied her hair and clothes to make sure she looked neat. Composing herself, she moved toward the car. Unexpectedly, as soon as she took two steps, the car drove toward her.
Her phone had been taken off silent, and now a message alert sounded.
She looked: it was just [Stand there, don't move]
Hearing this order was like being hit with an acupoint. Cheng Buxi immediately obeyed, stopping in place and waiting.
Just as she was nervously wondering what expression to make, the car arrived before her. The window rolled down, revealing the face of the person in the back seat, tinged with anger.
"Bro..." She nervously began to tidy the stray hairs by her ears, calling out dryly, her throat tight.
Lu Tingzhou's gaze fell on her clean, fresh lips, then he said, "Get in."
Cheng Buxi's heart trembled as she obediently got into the car.
She was dressed very maturely today, different from usual, and Lu Tingzhou had noticed from afar.
The dark blue knitted cashmere sweater complemented her skin tone well, and the skirt-pants were form-fitting. Time flew, and she had blossomed from a girl to a young woman. Standing at the bustling, fragrant street corner, she was like a blooming jacaranda.
Perhaps because time passed too quickly, seeing such a direct change in his little sister, who had grown up under his watch, made him daze for a moment.
It was rare to see her dressed so maturely all year round. One might think she had been out on a date with some other surname. Lu Tingzhou knew she didn't have that intention, nor would she dare. After all, Madame Bai was loudly arranging blind dates for her.
At this sensitive juncture, she wouldn't disrespect Mrs. Lu's face and judgment.
But even so, he still frowned. "Didn't you check your messages?"
"Where have you been so late?"
"You didn't even answer the phone. Don't you know people worry?"
These rapid-fire questions caught Cheng Buxi off guard, her palms sweating. She could only choose one to explain. "With a friend... watching a movie..."
"A movie takes that long?" Under his calm, indifferent gaze lay a morbid possessiveness. "What time is it now?"
Cheng Buxi looked at the time: it was already 10:30. Oh my god! She must have taken the wrong medicine today. Whenever it came to Ning Ci, she became a different person.
"Why didn't you check your phone?"
"It was on silent..."
"?" A hint of confusion in his brow.
Meeting his sharp, puzzled gaze, Cheng Buxi quickly explained, "I put it in the locker when I showered and forgot to turn off silent mode..."
Lu Tingzhou didn't ask further. "A movie takes that long?"
"And... and I ate dinner..." she said.
"What did you eat?"
"Oden..."
The atmosphere in the car visibly froze for a moment.
Cheng Buxi was absolutely certain that her brother was angry—not because she came home late, but a kind of bewildered anger.
The next second, Lu Tingzhou ordered, "Turn around, go to Rong Garden."
Today's driver was Xin Ji. Secretary Xin, as the chairman's secretary, wasn't a formally trained driver; he was just working overtime today. Hearing this, he almost slammed on the brakes, but luckily he reacted quickly—this year's year-end bonus was spared.
Xin Ji, the chief assistant, wiped the cold sweat off his back but didn't dwell on his near failure; he just followed orders. "Yes, Chairman!"
Soon the Bentley U-turned on the green-lighted central lane.
Cheng Buxi was somewhat surprised, not understanding why he wanted to go to a restaurant so late. She asked, "Bro... haven't you eaten dinner yet at this hour?"
"No."
"Then are you hungry?"
"Not hungry."
"...Then why?"
"If you don't eat staple food, will that be okay?" Lu Tingzhou interrupted her.
So that was it. "..." She went silent for a moment. He really knew her habits well.
Since childhood, she could skip anything but could never skip staple food. No matter how much cream cake, egg tarts, or marshmallows she ate, she always had to finish with a bite of staple food.
What was oden? Lu Tingzhou was full of black lines.
Cheng Buxi recalled all the delicious food she had tonight—the vast Beijing cuisine had opened a small page in her mind. She murmured, "Actually, I ate a lot... I also had sugar-coated hawthorn sticks..."
Lu Tingzhou's face said "I don't care," and he turned to ask, "What about that friend of yours? Why didn't I see them?"
Suddenly mentioning the nonexistent friend made Cheng Buxi's heart tighten. She quickly explained, "He... his home is near the subway entrance, so he went back early."
"Did you wear perfume?"
Cheng Buxi was stunned, then said yes.