Her motto had always been to stay in her place and keep a low profile.
No choice. She had to explain honestly.
She recounted the incident in detail. Cheng Buxi was already exhausted. "A rumor can be started with just a word, but it takes a thousand to dispel it. I didn't want to trouble Professor Shen, but when he brought up Big Brother, I found it hard to refuse..."
If she didn't clear things up now, she probably wouldn't get a full night's sleep tonight.
Lu Tingzhou's brow twitched almost imperceptibly at a certain word: "You talked about me? What did you say?"
He was leaning slightly to speak to her more easily. He wore a crisp custom black suit with a notched lapel, paired with a moon-white silk shirt of excellent fabric. It accentuated his broad shoulders and narrow waist, a golden ratio. He lacked the solemn seriousness he had when working but instead exuded a relaxed, domestic husband vibe, indescribably easygoing.
Behind him stood a floor screen decorated with cranes and pines, said to have once been used in a prince's mansion during the Qing Dynasty. It featured twelve cranes in various poses, a unique piece from an auction that was priceless without market value.
With his lazy, self-assured demeanor, he truly looked like a carefree, hermit-like prince.
As he spoke, he slowly uncrossed his legs. His long brows were intrigued, and though there seemed to be a hint of a smile, it might as well have been nothing.
Cheng Buxi felt a twisted sensation that everything she said was slightly wrong. Gritting her teeth, her mouth dry, she said, "N-nothing much. It's just that back in elementary school, I also rode with Professor Shen for a while. Does Big Brother remember?"
It was you who permitted it back then, even initiated the connection. Why are you bringing up old grievances today and questioning me?
Cheng Buxi grumbled inwardly.
She rambled on, trailing off: "Professor Shen is still the same as before—really kind and enthusiastic. His car seems new, very comfortable and stylish. At first, I didn't want to bother him, but he brought up Big Brother first... I didn't want to be rude and make Professor Shen feel like we were distant."
Her voice grew quieter, and her attitude became clear.
Lu Tingzhou saw through her little scheme. She was merely considering the relationship between the Lu and Shen Families. If she had refused too directly, it would have seemed disrespectful and harmed the harmony.
But what was bothering him all along wasn't that. Without even giving her a cold glance, he said, "So now you know how to curry favor on my behalf."
Cheng Buxi was choked up. She didn't want to say another word. She wished she could turn into smoke and vanish with a poof.
The old servant had been sneaking a look from the side but couldn't interject, so she scowled and left the living room.
Since it had come to this, Lu Tingzhou didn't intend to let it go. Instead, with brows clear and eyes cold, he unhurriedly added, as if setting rules for her: "Next time you're in a hurry to come back, you can call. We have plenty of drivers at home."
"Or call me, and today's situation won't happen."
As he spoke, he didn't look at her but at the tea leaves rising and falling in the cup.
The newly arrived Taiping Houkui tea—Uncle Lu's favorite.
When Cheng Buxi was young and clueless, she had even boiled tea eggs with it. She set up a tent in the open, collected dry branches to boil water, and wasted a good amount. She got scolded for it. If not for Lu Tingzhou covering for her, she would probably feel that just looking at it would shorten her life now.
After all, this stuff was precious—just a pile of money.
The tea was hot. As the steam dissipated, it covered his pitch-black pupils with a moist mist, softening his gaze a little.
Not as cold as before.
But the words were hard to swallow. Cheng Buxi felt wronged—not only was she falsely accused, but she was also scolded. "You never said you were coming back today... How could I call you? Besides, at school..." Her voice grew softer, barely a whisper.
"Did you hear what I just said?" Lu Tingzhou interrupted her, whether out of anger or concern. "And you don't know how to dress warmer."
He seemed at a loss.
Cheng Buxi couldn't figure him out. She stopped murmuring at once and was about to say yes, but then, "Drink some water."
The cup of tea he had been holding appeared before her.
She felt a bit flattered. Beside the exquisite cloisonné blue teacup was his hand, with clearly defined bones.
His hand was truly beautiful—smooth, fair, slender, with prominent knuckles like bamboo joints, the slightly protruding veins on the back of his hand full of sensual tension.
So he hadn't intended to drink it himself all along; he was waiting for it to cool.
Cheng Buxi couldn't help stealing a few more glances. Thanks to the Lu Family, she had seen countless people growing up, both male and female, with good looks, but none could compare to him.
The Lu Family's elder brother was always so jade-like and handsome, having captured the hearts of many noble ladies. And she had seen with her own eyes how many glass hearts he had shattered with his aloof attitude.
She had witnessed many, real and false.
Though a bit startled, she obediently picked up the teacup and held it carefully in her palm.
Only a fool would refuse a way out, especially one offered by Lu Tingzhou.
But before she could hold it steady, "Answer me. Did you remember?" Another prompt.
Startled, she nearly spilled the tea. She glanced at him quickly like a hamster, "I, I remember—"
"Afraid you'd forget." His tone lifted slightly, as if teasing.
"No way... I'm not a goldfish..." She half-hid her full, delicate lips behind the teacup, finding the courage to talk back when her temper flared.
Lu Tingzhou chuckled softly. "Mm, that's best."
Cheng Buxi was speechless. "..." Her eyes unconsciously drifted upward, and she found him staring back at her intensely. His eyes were as black as ink, as deep as the night, and when they curved, they shimmered with sparkling light.
Peach blossom eyes so beautiful they were almost demonic.
Startled, she quickly looked away, as if shocked.
She busied herself by taking a sip of tea. The temperature was just right.
Lu Tingzhou watched her until her lips returned to their usual rosy hue, then he finally left, satisfied.
"What are you two siblings chatting about so enthusiastically?"
Mrs. Lu had just taken a phone call. She sat down majestically, draped in a shawl with an antique pattern.
She picked up the freshly brewed tea, blew on it to cool it, then lifted her eyes to look at the corridor behind. A servant clearly understood her intention and hurried out with a bow.
The servants working in big families were all shrewd as foxes.
When she hung up, Cheng Buxi vaguely heard her say "Azhu." If she remembered correctly, that was Mrs. Shen's surname.
Mrs. Shen was Shen Xiushi's mother.
Having just ridden in his car and then a phone call so soon was too much of a coincidence. It was hard not to make connections.
What had they talked about?
Cheng Buxi unconsciously tightened her grip on the cup's rim.
After Mrs. Lu finished her tea, as if remembering something, she suddenly beamed with joy and said to Cheng Buxi, "I remember when you were little, you boiled eggs with this tea, didn't you?"
The sudden memory made Cheng Buxi freeze. She nodded awkwardly.
"And you started a fire, got all sooty, almost alarmed security."
Mrs. Lu was probably recalling her pitiful state back then—not only was her face covered in ash and dirt, but the tea eggs she had so eagerly made ended up exploding. On top of that, she was severely scolded by Uncle Lu, her usually doting foster father.
That pack of Taiping Houkui wrapped in mulberry paper was an antique, produced in 1959. There was only a little left in the whole country, a gift from the mayor's wife, and she had wasted it all.
After Lu Kuanghai scolded her, he felt sorry for her and bought her a room full of toys as consolation.
Cheng Buxi never learned from her mistakes. With so many Barbie dolls and teddy bears, how could she remember those childhood embarrassments? They were long forgotten. "Ah, I think there was something like that..."
Lu Tingzhou, seemingly also reminded of those youthful memories, chuckled softly.
Cheng Buxi sneaked a glance at him. How mortifying!
Author's Note: