Chapter 29: Compliance To Her Unexpected Demand?

The man’s voice always reminded Jiang Se of strong liquor filled with ice.

Smooth, cold, intense.

A single sentence seemed to pull them back into the cloakroom.

The dim lighting, the clear sound of swallowing, and the feeling of her soul being forced to separate from her body as if she were weightless.

Dealing with a smart man is always troublesome. Even the slightest movement, the faintest breeze, would alert him.

Lu Huaiyan liked to gaze into her eyes, so Jiang Se raised her lashes, openly allowing him to look as much as he wanted.

As he leaned in, the distance between them suddenly shortened.

He smelled of whiskey.

The malt fragrance soaked into the ice was subtly warmed by his intense body temperature, giving off a faint, moist warmth.

Jiang Se suddenly asked, “Drinking whiskey so early in the morning?”

Lu Huaiyan nodded, “Mm, I haven’t slept all night. Just needed a pick-me-up.”

His eyes were indeed bloodshot from staying up, and the creases on his eyelids were deeper than usual, a sharply defined furrow.

Beneath the furrow were his cold, dark eyes hidden behind lenses.

A type of sensuality that was both hard and fiery.

“If I say the whiskey in your hand excites me, would you believe it?”

Jiang Se leaned slightly forward and asked, “Can I have a sip?”

Lu Huaiyan didn’t move at all. He glanced at the red tea next to her, then laughed softly, “Red tea with whiskey?”

Jiang Se nodded, “Just think of it as a pick-me-up.”

“Se Se, you’re getting less sincere when you’re brushing me off, but I’ll choose to believe you.”

What else could he do? This girl was tough, and he couldn’t pry words out of her.

So, he chose to believe.

The smile on Lu Huaiyan’s lips deepened. His fingertip slightly raised, unscrewing the metal cap, then gently pressed the long spout of the bottle against Jiang Se’s lips.

“Open your mouth, I’ll feed you.”

Jiang Se looked at him and slowly parted her lips.

Her lips were beautifully contoured, like flower petals, and when the metal spout touched them, they felt as soft as jelly. The golden liquid flowed past her pearly teeth and slowly spread to the tip of her pink tongue.

Lu Huaiyan gave her a small sip before moving the bottle away, but some of the liquid, not yet sealed, dripped onto Jiang Se’s lips.

The man’s long fingers lightly twisted, holding the flat metal bottle between his index and middle fingers, while his thumb gently wiped the whiskey off her lips.

They were close.

Her breath carried the subtle fragrance of red tea, the rich warmth of whiskey, and a hint of sweetness, buried deep, a contradictory yet intoxicating scent.

Just like her.

With a clink, the nearly half-empty whiskey bottle slipped from Lu Huaiyan’s fingers and fell to the ground, its spout spilling out the remaining liquid.

Neither of them paid attention to the bottle that had fallen, and the air became thick with the scent of whiskey.

Jiang Se gazed at the lowered brow and eyes of Lu Huaiyan and suddenly asked, “What’s the relationship between Officer Mo and Uncle Mo? Is he capable?”

Although she was asking about Mo Jichen’s criminal investigation abilities, directly asking about another man’s skills in front of him felt somewhat subtle.

Lu Huaiyan’s finger left her lips as he lifted his lashes and met her gaze, giving a somewhat ambiguous smile. “Are you trying to bypass me and contact Mo Jichen directly?”

He always saw through her intentions easily.

Jiang Se simply responded with an “Mm.”

Lu Huaiyan gently shifted his body back, increasing the distance between them, then said fairly, “Mo Jichen is Uncle Mo’s son. His abilities are naturally not bad, or I wouldn’t have asked him to help.”

Jiang Se blinked and said, “I want you to promise me, don’t interfere with this case.”

Lu Huaiyan looked at her and smiled, saying, “Should I be surprised? Se Se, what if I don’t agree?”

“You wouldn’t refuse,” Jiang Se said slowly, word by word. “Because you know I have to catch that person, just like you have to personally drive Lu Jinzhong out of the Lu family.”

They were both the same kind of people. As long as they had breath in their bodies, they would do things to the very end.

Lu Huaiyan’s gaze pierced directly into the depths of her eyes.

The alcohol spilled on the floor evaporated into the air, entering his bloodstream with each breath he took. For the first time, his body, which had never been drunk before, felt a slight sense of inebriation.

His peripheral vision caught sight of her hand wrapped in gauze, and the whiskey that had spread across the floor, now creeping toward the legs of the chair.

The man suddenly stood up, his hands reaching under Jiang Se’s arms to lift her effortlessly, moving her from the high chair to the small dining table in a flash.

“Your hand needs new medicine. After the bandages, we’ll have breakfast,” he said, then walked toward the medicine cabinet in the living room.

Jiang Se watched his back, not moving, obediently waiting for him to come over and tend to her wound.

The injury, after a night’s resting, looked even more terrifying than last night.

But it was only a frightening sight. Although the glass had left several small cuts, it wasn’t severe enough to need stitches.

Despite this, Lu Huaiyan still specifically asked Professor Jiang whether it would leave a scar or affect her ability to draw or play the violin in the future.

The old professor had looked at him for a long time, then joked, “Your tiger claw injury was so deep and didn’t leave a scar, nor did it affect your piano playing. What’s going to happen to this little girl’s wound? It’ll just hurt for a few days, then she’ll paint and paint and paint… Oh, but violin? That’s not certain. She’s lost a tendon in her left pinky finger.”

Hearing this from Professor Jiang, Lu Huaiyan was reminded of some old memories.

When Jiang Se had been kidnapped, she wasn’t truly unharmed. Her pinky finger tendon had been severed.

It was she who had cut it herself. When she was rescued, her left hand, bound behind her back, was tightly clutching a broken nail. She had gripped it so hard that the sharp edge of the nail severed a tendon in her pinky.

As he applied the medicine, Lu Huaiyan subconsciously softened his touch. After applying it, he slowly wrapped the gauze around her palm, lowering his eyes as he asked, “Does it hurt?”

Jiang Se’s right hand was pressed against his left palm, and as he asked the question, his thumb gently caressed her slender pinky.

His tone was as light as clouds in the sky, yet his touch was tender and affectionate.

Jiang Se’s eyelashes paused slightly. “No, it doesn’t hurt.”

The part of the girl’s finger exposed outside the gauze was even whiter than the gauze itself. When her delicate hand was pierced by the glass, she managed to make him feel not the slightest difference.

“I guessed you would say it doesn’t hurt.”

As he spoke, Lu Huaiyan tied the gauze with one hand, his other hand gently caressing her fingertips, from the pinky to the thumb, then from the thumb back to the pinky.

Her hands were beautiful, the nails giving off a pearl-like pink glow. Each finger possessed an incomparable grace—slender, long.

The skin on her fingertip wasn’t perfectly smooth, with a faint callus formed from years of practice. These artistic hands, looking delicate, held an unseen strength that could only be felt when held.

His touch was light and teasing.

This kind of touch, more than an intense kiss, made her feel closer, as if he wasn’t caressing her fingers, but something deeper within her.

Jiang Se lowered her eyes.

It was a good day. A beam of sunlight slanted through the floor-to-ceiling windows, the soft light flowing gently across their fingertips, from the thumb to the pinky.

The pain from the wound gradually gave way to a warm, tingling sensation.

Jiang Se slowly lifted her eyes, gazing at Lu Huaiyan’s face, half bathed in light.

Seeming to sense her gaze, Lu Huaiyan finally tore his eyes away from her hand, quietly meeting her eyes again, his gaze as deep as a quiet pond.

They sat like that in the winter morning light, their fingertips touching, silently watching each other.

The earlier ambiguity that had hung in the air with the scent of whiskey had long dissipated, replaced by something deeper, quieter, blending in the light around them.

After a moment, Lu Huaiyan gently lowered her hand, letting his eyelids fall as he packed away the medical kit. He spoke softly, “Mo Jichen will contact you. He’ll update you on all the progress with this case.”

This was his way of agreeing not to interfere.

Jiang Se also averted her gaze, gently nodding. “I’ll leave after breakfast. My aunt is probably going crazy looking for me.”

Lu Huaiyan placed the medical kit beside her, “Planning to stay in Beicheng for a few days?”

“Two days. The qipao shop issue isn’t resolved yet. Once that’s taken care of, I’ll come back to find Officer Mo.”

Lu Huaiyan silently watched her for a few seconds and nodded. “Alright.”

He turned around and took a square wooden box from the back of the chair, gently taking Jiang Se’s left hand and placing the box into her pale palm.

“It’s a gift from Grandfather last night.”

The box wasn’t large. Jiang Se initially thought it was a jade pendant, but upon opening it, she realized it was an antique jade ring.

This jade ring was far more valuable than the jade bracelet the Fu family had previously sent her.

Jiang Se subconsciously looked up. “Is this really from Grandpa Lu?”

“Could it be fake? In Beicheng, who could make my grandfather give a gift?” Lu Huaiyan took the jade ring out of the wooden box and slid it onto her left thumb, lowering his head as he did. “Grandfather has always liked you.”

He liked her, but the gift Grandfather Lu had originally prepared for Jiang Se wasn’t this one.

The original gift, like the one for Cen Yu, was a set of diamond jewelry, but Jiang Se’s set was made of the rarer pink diamonds.

Lu Huaiyan had specially swapped Jiang Se’s gift.

Seeing her hesitation, he lazily released his hand, leaning back in the chair and laughing lightly. “What’s wrong? Not daring to accept it?”

A piece of jewelry like this couldn’t be taken lightly, but Jiang Se didn’t refuse.

She lowered her eyes, her thumb gently pressing against the velvet inside the wooden box, and gracefully said, “One cannot refuse a gift from an elder. Since it’s from Grandpa Lu, of course, I’ll accept it.”

The jade ring slid down from her finger, fitting securely back into place with a soft snap.

Jiang Se closed the wooden box and held it in her hands, lifting her face slightly and smiling. “I’m hungry. Is there anything to eat?”

Lu Huaiyan’s gaze lingered on her eyes. After a moment, he stood up, picked up the medical kit from the dining table, and asked, “What would Miss Jiang Se like for breakfast today?”

The few foods she liked to have in the morning had already been delivered an hour ago.

But this young lady didn’t order any of those. Instead, she glanced lazily at the floor and said, “Miedexiang lamb chops and whiskey.”

Lu Huaiyan had been heading toward the kitchen counter, but upon hearing Jiang Se’s breakfast order, he immediately stopped, turned back to look at her, and said, “Pick one: coffee, juice, or tea. As for whiskey, no way.”

He had already shown mercy by feeding her a sip of whiskey earlier. If she wanted more, was he supposed to throw away his hand?

Without whiskey, how could she enjoy those pan-seared lamb chops?

Jiang Se calmly ordered a new breakfast: “White truffle bagel and red tea, with one sugar in the tea as usual.”

Her voice was as elegant as always, but only Lu Huaiyan could detect the subtle displeasure that was hard to notice.

He chuckled softly, yet he didn’t relent. After placing the medical kit down, he rolled up his sleeves and washed his hands, preparing the white truffle bagel and red tea for the young lady.

Jiang Se turned her face slightly, glancing at the kitchen counter.

The light surrounding him was soft and gentle. In this clear winter morning, his tall and poised figure bathed in the light seemed unusually tender.

—

After breakfast, Mo Jichen’s call came right on time.

As she had expected, now Uncle Tong and Aunt Zhang were the main suspects, with the finger pointing at Cen Yu as well because Uncle Tong and Aunt Zhang were Cen Yu’s housekeepers.

What a clever move. A piece of sugar with a little twist had brought danger to both her and Cen Yu.

With the phone pressed to her ear, Jiang Se said with certainty, “It’s not them.”

Mo Jichen responded in his usual business-like tone, “Even though you’re sure it’s not them, we still have to follow the procedure. I’ll continue questioning them and also look into the people who went in and out of the tea room that night. Of course, the rose rock candy bottle is another clue.”

Jiang Se was an outsider when it came to investigation matters, so she naturally listened to the professionals. She gave a soft “mm” and said, “Thank you for your hard work, Officer Mo.”

Such a low-level case shouldn’t have been taken on by Mo Jichen. He had volunteered for it because of Lu Huaiyan’s influence.

Mo Jichen chuckled, “Miss Jiang, you’re too polite. I’m just doing my job. If you must thank someone, it shouldn’t be me.”

Hearing this, Jiang Se glanced over at Lu Huaiyan, who was tapping away at the keyboard, handling his business.

The man seemed to sense her gaze. His fingers paused, and he lifted his eyes to meet hers.

He had said he wouldn’t get involved in this matter, but he truly had left the whole thing for Jiang Se to handle herself.

Their gazes met across the room. Jiang Se nodded in agreement, “Mm, thanks should go to you.”

—

Just as the call with Mo Jichen ended, Jiang Se was about to formally thank Lu Huaiyan when the doorbell suddenly rang, echoing through the air like a torrential rain, loud and frantic.

Along with the doorbell, there came a series of furious “bang-bang” knocks, and even through the door, one could feel the anger of the person outside.

This method of knocking was very much like Cen Mingshu’s style.

After leaving the hospital last night, Jiang Se had been out of contact.

Lu Huaiyan, too, had been out of touch.

It had taken Cen Mingshu until now to find out Jiang Se’s whereabouts, and naturally, she was full of fury.

Jiang Se didn’t rush to open the door. She glanced over at Lu Huaiyan and smiled. “I don’t think it would be a good thing for my aunt to see you here.”

Lu Huaiyan raised an eyebrow. “Are you worried she’ll cause trouble for me, or that I’m… someone to be ashamed of?”

“Neither,” Jiang Se replied. “If my aunt misunderstands our relationship, it will bring me a lot of trouble.”

As for whether it would cause trouble for Lu Huaiyan, that wasn’t something she considered.

She just hoped Cen Mingshu wouldn’t bother her.

The doorbell and knocks grew louder.

Lu Huaiyan, as if unbothered, lowered his eyelids, his voice soft as he repeated the two words Jiang Se had just said, “Misunderstand?”

Jiang Se nodded lightly.

Lu Huaiyan didn’t look away, his gaze fixed on her.

She was wearing his clothes, sleeping in his bed, drinking his whiskey, and had even eaten breakfast made by him, and yet… she told him she didn’t want others to “misunderstand” their relationship.

Was she going to deny everything now?

Lu Huaiyan chuckled. “So you want me to hide in my own house, do you?”

Jiang Se nodded again. “If you don’t mind.”

“What if I mind?”

Jiang Se replied, unhurried, “Then I’ll just have to find someone who doesn’t mind helping me.”

Lu Huaiyan didn’t respond immediately, his gaze still on her. After a long moment, a hint of a smile slowly crept into his eyes. “Not bad. You’ve used me quite well.”

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