For some reason, he intervened. Not only did he clear her gambling debt, but he also arranged a sumptuous dinner and lodging, almost like a savior.
Imagine being pushed to the brink, and suddenly a figure at the top of the pyramid appears—someone whose status and power are almost crushing. What's more, such a prominent person actually deigned to help a destitute refugee. It would be impossible not to be deeply grateful.
Later, this woman was determined to repay his kindness, but Lu Tingzhou had already forgotten about the matter. It wasn't until a bidding conference that she appeared in a fiery red dress, taking the brunt of toasts for him. Her outstanding social skills impressed the senior management, and with her eloquence and superb negotiation skills, she successfully secured the bid that night. After that, she held various positions in the company.
Xin Ji had thought about the reason. It was probably because that day on the Macau cruise, their President Lu had uncharacteristically lent a helping hand to a woman he had never seen before, and she happened to be somewhat attractive. The story of a hero saving a beauty always spreads with embellishments.
After all, their President Lu was known in the circle for being cold, aloof, and indifferent to women. His blatant help for her led the senior management to mistakenly believe there was something between him and Wan Yi, which made her entry into the company so smooth.
In the eyes of others, such a woman of unknown origin might not be accepted. But Lu Tingzhou was a leader who valued merit over background. For such a figure, as long as there were achievements, he didn't care about education or background. And Wan Yi's performance was indeed more daring than the average executive secretary, so she remained in use.
But he never expected that her presence would pose such a great threat to Cheng Buxi.
Xin Ji didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
After a hurried shower, Cheng Buxi followed her second sister's advice. She picked a mustard-colored long dress from the wardrobe, elegantly designed with understated colors.
She quickly applied light makeup and was almost done, but when it came to putting on the dress, she ran into trouble.
The back of the dress had a button design. Cheng Buxi struggled for a long time but couldn't button the top two buttons, rubbing her arms red.
Her breathing was unsteady, and her face flushed, especially the tips of her ears, like a layer of rouge powder, making her look endearing.
As she was stubbornly struggling by the shoe cabinet, she suddenly heard footsteps behind her.
At this hour on the second floor, the only one who could enter her bedroom was her Second Sister.
"Sister Siyu..." Cheng Buxi suspected nothing and immediately asked for help: "Help me with the back... the buttons..."
Bending over, she used one hand to protect her smooth chest from exposure, revealing the entire smooth curve of her back. Her exquisite and delicate shoulder blades were striking, dazzling the eyes.
The newcomer witnessed this forbidden and alluring scene, paused briefly, and his handsome brow furrowed in a momentary trance.
Cheng Buxi was careless and didn't notice the scent on him—a high-end woody fragrance.
Very few people used this fragrance on the market; it was very niche, with a dark tone. A hint of sandalwood mixed in at the cuffs, maximizing the sense of abstinence.
The newcomer was briefly dazed, then strode toward her.
His fingertips were ice-cold, his fingers long and nimble. Whether it was the temperature of the jade buttons or his own low temperature, the touch on her shoulder blades sent a ripple of tingling numbness.
The surroundings were silent. He had just fastened one button when Cheng Buxi suddenly felt something wrong. She turned her head, and their eyes met. She froze, her doe eyes round, and she called out blankly, "Brother."
This was definitely an instinctive shout, far more pleasant and natural than the dry "Brother Lu" from before.
After calling out, Cheng Buxi realized what she had just done—she had actually asked him to fasten her buttons...
Since their rift, they had never been so intimate.
And just now, they had been quarreling, almost at odds. Thinking of this, she panicked and stepped back several steps, her face turning pale.
Unlike her, Lu Tingzhou remained composed throughout, his eyes clear and unwavering. He continued to fasten the remaining button, his movements firm.
Cheng Buxi was the first to explain, "I, I thought it was Sister Siyu—"
Lu Tingzhou hummed lightly, not panicked like her. He scanned her from head to toe: "Planning to wear this?"
Cheng Buxi: "..." She looked down at herself in a daze.
Now she had embarrassed herself; she was even wearing one slipper wrong.
She was already flustered enough, unable to figure out why he had appeared in her bedroom.
Before she could confirm, "Too plain. Change into another one," he said without room for argument.
With that, he naturally sat down on the ottoman, picked up the Principles of Economics she had just put down—and the comic inside—and began flipping through it with great interest.
The book was very old, with a line of text on the cover, probably the comic's title: "Billion Dollar Contract Marriage: Capturing the Iceberg Professor"
Seeing this, his brows slightly lifted, almost forming a frown. But after only a brief moment of strangeness, he returned to normal. Despite a hint of disdain, he casually opened it.
This elegant and noble scene could be mistaken for a cover of a top magazine.
Cheng Buxi belatedly realized that he was after the comic. But at this moment, snatching prey from the tiger's mouth was impossible. And the price for successfully wearing this dress was not small. Cheng Buxi was reluctant to take it off and felt that wearing something plain was better.
"Sister Siyu said to wear something bright," she stubbornly resisted.
"Mm, the one from your birthday?" he asked calmly, flipping a page of the comic without looking at her.
Strange... birthday... Mentioning her birthday made her a bit angry. He hadn't come back on her birthday at all, only sent a scarf from afar as a gift.
Yes, a scarf.
Her birthday was in May, summer, still too early for a scarf. What did that mean? It seemed like he had picked a random item to fill the slot. It was perfunctory to the point that even Aunt Lu found it outrageous—after all, it was her twentieth birthday.
So Aunt Lu called him in front of the whole family, giving him a thorough scolding. Cheng Buxi vaguely heard his deep, impatient voice on the other end, saying he was busy.
Busy. Yes, he was always busy.
So how did he know that Aunt Lu had given her a dress this year? After thinking it over, there was only one possibility: her Second Sister had told him.
But even if Cheng Buxi wanted to cater to him, she couldn't: "That one was sent to adjust the waist by Aunt Lu," she said.
Waist.
Lu Tingzhou subconsciously glanced at her waist. It was slender and long like a water snake, easily held with one hand. Perhaps this was what ancient people called a "waste waist"—a forbidden term.
He swallowed involuntarily, tilted his head, and his gaze swept over the rows of neglected luxury brand dresses in the wardrobe. After a brief scan, he narrowed his eyes and said, "Mm, the one in the middle, lake green."
Lake green? She really didn't understand him. Wasn't lake green even more plain? Cheng Buxi grumbled inwardly, raising her slender, shapely brows.
But she had no choice; under someone else's roof, she had to bow her head.
Pouting, she took down the designated lake green dress and compared it in front of the mirror.
A bit sulky, even her tone became disrespectful: "Brother Lu, I need to change clothes."
In just a moment, she had switched to "Brother Lu" again.
The message to get out was too clear.
Lu Tingzhou frowned. They were the only two here.
He put down the colorful comic book—a cheap, poorly made pornographic publication with a worn spine, apparently read by so many people it couldn't be read properly. He didn't understand why she had guarded it like a treasure.
And the theme of a childhood friend professor and a schoolgirl... he didn't like it.
He could say he really, really didn't like it. He loathed it.
His entire body leaned toward her, and the surrounding aura was too powerful. Cheng Buxi instinctively shrank back half a step.
Their size difference was already huge, and the sense of alertness was pervasive. Under this oppressive enclosure, Cheng Buxi instinctively felt fear and the urge to flee.
"Xiaoxi."
It had been a long time since he called her face to face like this. The collision of his lips and teeth sent a wave of trance and thrill through him.
This scene had only occurred in his dreams for the past three years. All the blood in his body seemed to be clamoring—longing, yearning, thinking.
He had waited for this moment for far too long.
"Are you going to make my heart ride a roller coaster all night?"
Author's Note:
Is that so, bro? →↓↖↙↗↘