Chapter 17: Good Night, Jiang Se

As the car entered the parking lot, Jiang Se saw the man standing outside the elevator from a distance.

He was still wearing the same suit from the news report.

A light gray shirt, a black suit jacket, and perfectly pressed trousers that hugged his long and powerful legs.

When the car headlights hit, he glanced over.

His handsome, excessively cold face was illuminated by the light.

His deep-set eyes, particularly sharp nose bridge, and stern jawline all outlined a curve that stirred a desire for conquest.

Jiang Se got out of the car and walked toward him slowly.

She wore a thick white scarf, her pointed chin partly hidden in the scarf, and her long hair fell messily over her shoulder, making her face seem even smaller and paler.

When Jiang Se got closer, she realized Lu Huaiyan had taken off his glasses, no wonder the gaze on her felt heavier than usual.

Lu Huaiyan looked at her nose tip, slightly reddened from the cold, and asked, “Cold?”

Jiang Se wasn’t feeling cold; she wore a sweater and coat, so it didn’t bother her.

On the other hand, he was only wearing a thin shirt and suit, with the top button of his shirt undone, his Adam’s apple awkwardly protruding above his collar, rising and falling as he spoke.

“I’m not cold.”

Her voice, slightly chilled, was muffled by the thick scarf, sounding a bit stuffy.

Lu Huaiyan’s gaze lowered, scanning the thick, almost cotton-like scarf, and asked, “Is it a scarf made by someone else?”

Jiang Se responded with a soft “Mm,” and surprisingly, in a very good mood, she casually said, “My mom knitted it.”

People like them usually had personal assistants who bought clothes for them.

The scarves Jiang Se used to wear were all luxury brand cashmere ones, and this was the first time anyone had seen her wearing such an ordinary and thick scarf.

It was clear that she really liked this scarf.

As soon as she entered the house, the first thing she did was carefully remove the scarf and hang it on the coat rack in the foyer.

The apartment had the heating on, and Jiang Se took off her coat, then changed into indoor slippers before entering. These slippers hadn’t been there last time, so they must have been prepared by the housekeeper at Lu Huaiyan’s request.

On the marble table in the living room, there was a well-crafted wooden briefcase with a crown carved on the top, underneath which were camellia flowers.

That was the emblem of a prestigious European auction house. They only held two auctions a year, and those invited were all people of high status.

Lu Huaiyan stood at the boundary between the foyer and the living room, slightly lifting his chin, and nodded toward the briefcase on the table. “Open it yourself, I’ll go change.”

Jiang Se raised her eyes to look at him.

Her eyes were very dark, with a deep swirl at the bottom, almost absorbing all the light from the chandelier above.

Lu Huaiyan glanced at her, then lightly chuckled, “You smoked, your clothes smell.”

Jiang Se withdrew her gaze.

Earlier, whether it was in the elevator or in the foyer, he had kept a distance. It turned out he was worried about the smoke smell affecting her.

There were fewer cars at night, and she had arrived quite quickly, but it had still taken nearly twenty minutes.

Why hadn’t he changed clothes in those twenty minutes?

Did he only change after she arrived at the hotel?

The man walked directly to the changing room as he entered the bedroom. When he took off his jacket, he couldn’t help but smile at his reflection in the mirror.

When he asked the girl if she wanted to see the gift, he was just looking for an excuse to video call her.

Who would have thought that, in the middle of the night, she would actually come over directly?

When the girl’s gentle voice came through the phone, accompanied by the sound of static, his body, which hadn’t rested for nearly 24 hours and had been soaked in alcohol all night, suddenly became unexplainably excited.

It took nearly twenty minutes of cold wind to suppress the reckless impulses raging in his blood.

Lu Huaiyan changed into a pure black casual outfit, and when he came out, Jiang Se had already opened the briefcase.

Inside, there were three bottles of antique liquor: a bottle of whiskey, a bottle of vodka, and a bottle of tequila.

She reached for the whiskey, which was placed at the far left.

The clear liquid inside the handmade crystal bottle shimmered, as if it contained crushed gold. A gentle shake revealed diamonds embedded at the bottom of the bottle.

These antique liquors were priceless; not only was the alcohol expensive, but the bottles themselves were precious works of art.

One bottle could be worth an entire house in North City.

Such liquor was typically collected, but Lu Huaiyan took out a cocktail shaker from the bar and handed it to Jiang Se, saying, “A shaker from 1869, want to try?”

The shaker had been a gift from the auction house, crafted from pure silver and platinum, its appearance elegant, like a shortened urn.

“‘Parisian’?” Jiang Se was more interested in the shaker than in the expensive antique liquors. “Is it clean?”

Lu Huaiyan smiled, “Would the auction house dare send it to me if it wasn’t clean?”

Upon hearing that, Jiang Se took off her gloves and began to open the shaker.

The shaker was the earliest two-piece design, without a filter, making it harder to mix drinks compared to modern cocktail shakers.

Jiang Se liked challenges. After opening the three bottles of antique liquor, she went over to the bar, took out an ice bucket filled with ice cubes, and a metal ice pick was slanted into the bucket.

Her movements as she mixed the drinks were elegant, without any exaggerated showmanship. When her long, pale fingers gripped the shaker, there was a gentleness, as if she were holding the hand of a lover.

The three types of liquor mixed into a pale gold color, like the light of dawn falling on the river.

As the liquor poured from the shaker, it resembled a thin ribbon, leisurely and gracefully falling into the crystal glass.

Lu Huaiyan’s gaze moved from Jiang Se’s cold, almost pale white fingers, inch by inch, up to her focused eyes.

She seemed unaware, picking up the ice pick and forcefully smashing the ice cubes. She picked up a piece and dropped it into the crystal glass, then pushed it toward him.

“The drink I made can’t be without someone drinking it. Try it?”

The ice cubes in the glass bent at both ends, like a transparent crescent moon, encased in the liquor, which gradually became tinted with a faint golden hue.

It had a kind of decadent beauty.

His fingertip gently touched the cool glass, which was covered in mist, and Lu Huaiyan smiled, “Aren’t you drinking?”

Jiang Se threw the ice pick back into the bucket. “I still need to drive later.”

He chuckled inwardly. She was lying again.

The man raised the glass to his lips, tasting the rich, strong liquor. His tone was ambiguous as he asked, “What? Afraid I don’t have a room for you?”

While putting the three bottles of antique liquor back into the case, Jiang Se replied indifferently, “Is anyone allowed to stay in your rooms?”

Lu Huaiyan laughed softly. “Do you think anyone can just enter and stay in my place?”

“Naturally not.” Jiang Se glanced up at him, smiling as she said, “So, isn’t that showing a bit of self-awareness on my part?”

When she said this, her eyes locked with Lu Huaiyan’s. He wasn’t wearing glasses, and his gaze was dark, with his emotions hidden deep within.

This time, her gaze was not just assessing but testing him.

Testing.

Lu Huaiyan’s thoughts drifted to the phone call from Han Yin a few days ago, and the smile in his eyes deepened.

When the man’s dark eyes softened with a hint of a smile, the sharp, blade-like gaze he usually carried suddenly became gentler.

Leaning forward slightly, Lu Huaiyan allowed the dim lights to illuminate his eyes more clearly, giving her a better view of his gaze.

“Jiang Se, here, you don’t need to have any self-awareness.”

Jiang Se met his eyes without hesitation. After a moment, she blinked and smiled lightly, “Alright, I’ll leave the wine here with you, and next time, I’ll come over to drink. If I really need a place to stay at President Lu’s place, I’ll personally choose a room.”

Pausing, she glanced at the glass in his hand, asking with a smile, “Is the drink I made good?”

Lu Huaiyan’s Adam’s apple slowly sank, and he murmured, “It’s the kind of drink that could get me addicted.”

“Addicted? Quite a high compliment.” Jiang Se raised her eyes, smiling, and casually changed the topic, “The gift’s been seen, and the drink’s been had. How about we talk about Cao Liang?”

Lu Huaiyan’s gaze lowered, landing on her rosy lips.

It was the same measured smile as before, as if meticulously calculated.

For a brief moment, Lu Huaiyan couldn’t help but think—how bad had his eyesight been in the past to have thought her gentle smile was bland, tasteless, and non-threatening?

He raised the glass and took another sip.

The cold liquor slid down his throat in a smooth arc, swallowed silently.

But strangely enough, the alcohol, diluted by ice water, felt even stronger.

Putting the glass down, Lu Huaiyan said, “Cao Xun will send him abroad next month. Without at least three to five years, he won’t be able to return.”

Abroad?

That would be a real stroke of luck for him.

Jiang Se pursed her lips, her smile fading a little. “Why would Cao Xun be willing to send him away?”

Cao Liang’s reckless nature was certainly due in part to the protective influence of his brother, Cao Xun.

Keeping him under his watch meant that, when trouble arose, at least Cao Xun could clean up the mess. But once he was abroad, too far away to help, without the Cao family, who would clean up after this troublemaker?

Cao Xun couldn’t possibly be unaware of the consequences of sending Cao Liang overseas.

“Cao Liang really angered his brother this time.” Lu Huaiyan didn’t mention Jiang Tang but subtly referred to the relationship with a knowing glance. “Of course, the addition of the Lu Corporation does make him a little cautious. I added an extra clause to the new contract.”

“A new clause?”

Lu Huaiyan casually hummed in acknowledgment. “If either party causes a scandal that breaks the law, they will have to exit the cooperation and pay double the compensation for the losses to the other investors.”

Tong City, due to its geographical location and unique cultural heritage, is highly likely to transition from a third-tier city to a second-tier or even a new first-tier city in the next few years.

Such a large opportunity would be impossible for the Cao family to give up.

Cao Liang’s drunk-driving incident posed a potential risk to the Cao family’s smooth acquisition of this “cake.”

Not just Cao Liang’s issues—given Lu Huaiyan’s meticulous and ruthless nature, he probably held onto other shady matters about the Cao family.

Like his stepmother’s affair with Lu Jinqin.

At this moment, not a single rumor had leaked—he had firmly suppressed everything.

Such a calculating and merciless person, who clearly didn’t want to waste energy on Tong City’s project, yet had come anyway.

Jiang Se looked at Lu Huaiyan, her eyes sharp as she asked, “Why is Lu Corporation getting involved in the Tong City project?”

The man didn’t respond immediately, instead, he smiled and asked back, “Didn’t you say you didn’t want to know the reason?”

He was referring to the time they had tea at the bamboo house, when he had driven her down the mountain.

At that time, she had clearly only wanted to inquire about the renovation of the old district, showing no interest in why Lu Corporation was joining the project.

But now, she was curious.

“At that time, I really didn’t want to know. But now, haven’t I changed my mind?” Jiang Se lightly ran her finger over the gloves she had just taken off, her eyes lifting slightly, her tone casual, “What, is it now a business secret? You can’t talk about it?”

Lu Huaiyan gently swirled the ice cubes in his glass, and the smile in his lowered eyes deepened.

“How could it be a secret? I already told you, you don’t need to have any self-awareness while you’re here with me.” He chuckled lowly, his voice smooth. “Haven’t you already sent the video out anonymously? The video came from my hands, so now, I guess I’m your accomplice. If anything were to happen, Lu Corporation and I would be there to protect you. The Cao family wouldn’t be able to trace anything back to you.”

Accomplice.

The simple two words made Jiang Se suddenly recall a sentence she had once read: “My lifelong wish is to be able to become an accomplice with someone.”

It was such an ordinary yet romantic phrase.

And when those words were spoken in a voice that had been soaked in strong liquor, it was hard not to find other meanings hidden within.

It felt ambiguous, almost like a gentle intrusion.

Jiang Se pursed her lips, a faint smile forming at the corner of her mouth.

As Lu Huaiyan had said, she had indeed sent the video to the girl from the medical school not long after receiving it, but she had not followed up on what happened after.

At the end of the day, it wasn’t her decision to make, and she had no desire to intervene.

“Has she decided to sue Cao Liang?”

“No.” Lu Huaiyan responded, “At least, not yet. Instead, it seems that after her family received the video, they’re trying to get more money from the Cao family.”

That was the nature of people—once they tasted a bit of sweetness, they wanted more.

At first, with only a witness testimony, even if the girl’s brother told the truth, it wouldn’t necessarily lead to Cao Liang’s conviction. But now, with the victim awake and the video from that night, the chances of successfully convicting Cao Liang had increased significantly.

But clearly, they still chose to settle privately, opting for money instead.

This was reality.

Justice and fairness often felt too abstract, too intangible. Not everyone dared to sacrifice everything in order to seek justice for themselves. The money they had in their hands was far more concrete.

Jiang Se lowered her eyelashes.

Her long lashes cast a faint shadow over her face.

Lu Huaiyan glanced at her, his voice low, “Disappointed?”

“I’m not her, so I don’t have the right to judge her decision, and I certainly don’t have the right to be disappointed.” Jiang Se lifted her lashes, her eyes as dark and emotionless as a mirror, calm and clear, “Besides—”

She paused for a moment.

Lu Huaiyan’s gaze fixed on her eyes, “Besides what?”

“Besides,” Jiang Se’s voice was soft and faint, “maybe she’s just gathering strength, waiting for the right moment to strike back, rather than throwing herself against a stone wall right now.”

Lu Huaiyan silently watched her for a while. Then, he smiled. “A long time ago, Cen Li once said something that was quite puzzling.”

“What did he say?”

The man slowly leaned back against the couch and casually repeated, “He said, No matter who you offend, don’t offend our Se Se.”

At the time, Lu Huaiyan had thought it was just Cen Li warning others not to bully his sister. But now, upon reflection, it seemed to carry a different meaning.

This girl, she was the kind to get back at those who wronged her.

That name Se Se, with its unique tone, lightly fluttered from his low, husky voice, carrying an inexplicable warmth.

Jiang Se’s lashes fluttered, and she quickly curved her lips into a smile, nodding. “That’s quite true.”

She then glanced at her watch and said, “I’ve seen the gift, and I know the follow-up with Cao Liang. I should go now.”

Lu Huaiyan drained his glass, and the crescent-shaped ice cube had already melted into thin fragments, which slid into his mouth with the liquor.

He watched her, waiting until the cool ice had completely dissolved into water before slowly swallowing. Standing up, he said, “Let me walk you out.”

Jiang Se didn’t refuse. She nodded and smiled at him in gratitude.

This time, Lu Huaiyan took her to the underground parking lot without hesitation, even being quite gentlemanly as he opened the car door for her.

As he bent to hold the door, Jiang Se passed by him. Her scarf brushed against his shoulder, and in the dry air, a light “crackling” sound followed.

The strands of hair outside her scarf were pulled toward his shoulder by static electricity, and as she instinctively turned her head, more and more strands of dark hair were drawn to him.

The distance between them was so close now that she could distinctly smell the lingering scent of incense mixed with the strong liquor that clung to him.

Jiang Se lifted her lashes.

Her gaze met his dark, intense eyes. His pitch-black pupils reflected the coldness in her eyes.

They locked eyes for a moment.

Jiang Se curled her lips into a soft smile, and in a quiet voice, she said, “Good night, Lu Huaiyan.”

Lu Huaiyan also smiled faintly and replied, “Good night, Jiang Se.”

Jiang Se turned, lowered herself into the car.

The strands of her hair that had brushed against his shoulder fell away, one by one, as she settled into the seat.

Lu Huaiyan stood there, watching the woman in the driver’s seat as she drove away, slowly retreating a few steps.

When the purple electric car had disappeared from view, he finally tilted his head, raised his hand, and gently stroked the spot on his jacket where her hair had touched.

---

By the time Jiang Se arrived back at Xiangshu Lane, it was already morning.

The sky was still dark, with frost covering the eaves, reflecting the pale light of the snow.

The whole world seemed neither night nor morning.

Jiang Se stood by the window, gazing at the faint light in the darkness. She sent a message to Zhang Yue: “Alright, I’ll guard the qipao shop, and you’re in charge of making that qipao for me. You know the kind I want, and I want to know all the stories behind it.”

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