Chairman's Office.
Lu Tingzhou sat upright in his executive chair, back straight, jaw taut. Although he held several thick stacks of documents in his hands, he clearly couldn't read a single word.
The silver-rimmed glasses had been removed from his nose at some point, revealing his sharp, clean bone structure openly.
Even though his shirt buttons were fastened to the top, for the person on the sofa, the collar was still too large, sagging loosely to reveal the hollow beneath.
From not too far away, Lu Tingzhou stared at the snow-white skin exposed in that narrow gap, unconsciously swallowing.
That glaze-white luster was like jade shimmering with hidden light, faintly radiating a captivating glow.
Unnoticed, her hair had become disheveled, the flush on her face not yet faded, her eyes carrying a hint of timid moisture, like a small animal that had strayed into unfamiliar territory.
His gaze lingered on her for two seconds, then Lu Tingzhou rose.
...
When Wan Yi came to deliver the clothes, the elder brother was no longer at his desk.
Instead, he stood by the sofa where his sister sat, blocking her solidly like an opaque black high wall, bending down to help her adjust the overly large shirt cuffs.
He was a whole head taller than her, casting a heavy shadow that enveloped her completely. She had to tilt her head back forcefully to meet his gaze.
From Wan Yi's angle, she could only see their chairman's waist bending down, his buttocks full and perky, the inverted triangle of his shoulders spreading even wider, his back straight and tight, the muscles beneath his clothes almost bursting through.
His legs stood firmly, the lines vigorous and solid, clearly outlined from inside his trousers, tapering neatly from hips down to the crotch.
He was probably used to serving her like this—dressing her, washing her face, packing her bag. His movements carried a familiar ease, and occasionally his fingertips would inadvertently brush against the skin of his sister's wrist, giving her goosebumps.
There was a torn candy wrapper in the trash bin. Lu Tingzhou noticed it and raised an eyebrow to ask, "Candy?"
"Wowo milk candy." She had one in her mouth, her left cheek bulging, a bit like a pufferfish.
After speaking, she realized it was inappropriate, then quickly switched to a fawning tone and asked, "Brother, do you want one?"
Lu Tingzhou paused in rolling up her sleeve, shook his head, and said, "No, careful about your teeth."
"It won't," she said, thinking of something, the candy rolling around in her mouth before moving to the right—her right cheek bulged. She made a silly, half-smiling face, her gaze falling vaguely on the empty space beside her, as if her thoughts had flown elsewhere. She extended her other arm for him to adjust.
She thought, these candies weren't bought for herself anyway; they were prepared for Ning Ci.
She wondered what he was up to these days, smiling cat lips.
Ning Ci's lip shape was a bit like Brother's—both were plump and enticing, especially when he smiled, like a large feline, with clear lip lines. Privately, she had given him a code name: Smiling Cat Lips. She'd ask him later.
Unaware of how enticing she was, the elder brother took it all in without showing a trace. He looked down—her slender white wrist emerged from the overlong sleeve, looking even thinner.
Like a white lotus root, the blue veins winding on the back of her hand; his eyes darkened.
Seeing that her cuffs were neatly arranged by her brother and no longer in the way, Cheng Buxi's heart inexplicably softened, as if gently stroked by something fluffy.
The milk candy was still in her mouth, the sweetness lingering, seeming a bit richer than before.
'Knock, knock,' the office door was rapped.
Cheng Buxi's head peeked out from behind the wall—the lifesaving clothes had finally arrived.
"President Lu, the clothes are bought."
Clicking her tongue, they were bought on the spot. Cheng Buxi tilted her chin up to look at her brother again, trying to see something else from his sharp eyes, but found nothing.
Lu Tingzhou didn't turn around; he continued to fold and roll up her sleeves, utterly indifferent to whether his actions were futile at this moment—after all, they would soon be taken off, so sleeves didn't matter, but he persisted nonetheless.
"What time?" he asked the newcomer with his back turned.
Wan Yi glanced at her watch and answered, "Five and eight characters."
After she spoke, all three were briefly stunned. Cheng Buxi was the most obvious, looking confusedly at her brother, then at the door, clearly not understanding what they were saying.
Wan Yi also realized that this wasn't the Special Region; she had forgotten to change her speech habit and quickly corrected: "President Lu, it's five forty now."
She was from Guangxi, had moved to Guangdong with her mother after remarriage when she was young, and had grown up in the Guangdong and Guangxi region, accustomed to speaking Cantonese.
Lu Tingzhou realized at this moment that he had just spoken the official language of the Special Region.
Before he could speak, Cheng Buxi took the lead and asked, "Brother, will you ever go back to the Special Region?"
Her sister's slender, beautiful eyebrows knitted together, her body tensing, her tone barely hiding her urgency.
Lu Tingzhou's shadow paused. He said, "No."
Cheng Buxi asked again, "When you were there, did you often speak Cantonese?"
He said, "Occasionally."
The atmosphere was somewhat off.
It wasn't just that she couldn't interject or understand the conversation, feeling like an outsider; there were other layers.
Her brother stood at 1.91 meters in shoes, red-soled, very old-school. This secretary was also tall, at least 1.75 meters or more, while she was only 1.68 meters, with Converse sneakers less than 2 centimeters thick.
In front of the two of them, Cheng Buxi was incredibly petite, like a fragile omega who had accidentally wandered into the territory of a strong alpha, exuding an enticing pheromone scent.
Wan Yi carried no fewer than five bags, all from high-end department store brands. Upon receiving the order, she had practically floored the accelerator to SKP, shopping at various boutiques on the spot.
There was a Max Mara autumn coat, a Miu Miu cashmere knit, and a Marni casual jacket. Out of personal preference, she also bought a black Chanel piece.
Cheng Buxi finally chose the black Chanel tweed jacket, with silver camellia buttons at the cuffs and a subtle shimmer in the fabric—her favorite.