Chapter 52: When You Look At Me Like That, I Have To Do Something

It had only been seven days since they last saw each other.

Back when Lu Huaiyan had just started developing feelings for her, he was constantly traveling between Europe, Dongcheng, and Beicheng, hardly ever stopping. The longest stretch had been over half a month spent busy in Europe. Back then, he only thought of her occasionally, and even when he did, it wasn’t an unbearable longing.

He had even made a special trip to an auction house once, buying three bottles of antique wine as a gift for her.

It was a good excuse to meet, but even after returning to Tongcheng, he hadn’t been in any particular rush to see her.

It was nothing like now.

After saying this one sentence, he didn’t expect any response from her.

He simply let go of her hand and said, “Want some oden from the convenience store? That’s about all we can get right now.”

The New Year holidays weren’t over yet, and most restaurants were still closed.

Restaurants aside, even the food delivery riders were still back home celebrating.

The order Lu Huaiyan managed to place had only been delivered because the convenience store owner noticed the short distance and sent an idle clerk to deliver it.

Jiang Se was starving by now, her stomach practically sticking to her back, so naturally, she didn’t fuss.

“I’ll eat it. At this hour, someone’s actually delivering?”

Just as she finished speaking, a cautious knock sounded at the door.

The knock was so light that they wouldn’t have heard it if they weren’t already in the kitchen.

It wasn’t the delivery boy’s fault for knocking so gently.

When the store received the order, the remarks section had a special note:

“Girlfriend is still sleeping. Please knock softly or call. Do not ring the doorbell. Thank you.”

The store owner had even sighed emotionally, “This boyfriend is pretty considerate.”

The delivery clerk, a young man, was curious about what such a considerate boyfriend would look like.

The door opened after a moment.

“Sir, your oden has arrived,” the clerk said as he looked inside.

First impression: the man was tall.

Second impression: he was unbelievably handsome.

Third impression…

Before he could figure out the third, the man inside gave a polite “thanks,” nudged the door with his foot, pulled a few red bills from his wallet, handed them over, and took the food container.

The clerk stared at the cash in his hand, confused.

“Sir, you’ve already paid. Even the delivery fee’s been covered.”

Even if it hadn’t been paid, the cost of the meal and delivery together wouldn’t require this much cash.

“Tip,” the man, despite his cold and aloof demeanor, spoke with surprising politeness, his voice rich and pleasant.

“This wasn’t really part of your job.”

The clerk was still a bit dazed even after the door closed.

After a moment, he realized what his third impression was:

Rich.

And not just rich—rich and cultured.

Also, even though it was just a fleeting glance, he was pretty sure he spotted a fresh bite mark on the man’s wrist.

A deep bite, almost to the point of scabbing.

He couldn’t help but wonder:

Does his girlfriend have a bit of a fiery temper…?

Lu Huaiyan hadn’t ordered much: a few skewers of fish balls, chikuwa, and crab sticks, plus a small bowl of konjac and kelp.

“Eat a little first. Later, I’ll take you to my mother’s for breakfast.”

They stood by the kitchen counter and started eating right there.

Lu Huaiyan peeled the fish balls and chikuwa off the skewers, then used one skewer to pick up a piece of chikuwa and held it to Jiang Se’s lips.

“Got time?” he asked.

Yesterday, Han Yin had specifically instructed Lu Huaiyan to bring Jiang Se up to the mountains for breakfast this morning.

But when he saw her last night, they immediately lost themselves in each other.

It wasn’t until he woke up in the middle of the night that he remembered the arrangement.

Jiang Se nodded lightly, opened her mouth, and bit off half the piece of chikuwa—only to watch, wide-eyed, as he put the remaining half into his own mouth.

It reminded her of that bowl of noodles at Donglaishun that she hadn’t finished eating.

Ever since she was young, no one had ever eaten her leftovers.

If she couldn’t finish something, it was always thrown away.

Likewise, she never ate others’ leftovers.

That night, when he picked up her bowl and slowly finished the remaining noodles, she had felt an indescribable strangeness settle over her heart.

Was he really that hungry?

Hungry enough to even eat her leftovers?

And…

didn’t he find it disgusting?

It was probably that he really didn’t mind — after all, that night he had even taken the mint candy from her mouth.

As her thoughts wandered, he fed her two more fish balls and a few pieces of konjac, each time letting her take a small bite first, before eating the rest himself.

After swallowing a few bites, her hunger gradually faded, and Jiang Se refused to eat any more.

She opened the fridge and took out a bottle of yogurt. Just as she was about to ask him if he wanted one too, the man behind her suddenly said, “I met with Uncle Mo the day before yesterday. He said that seven years ago, in that abandoned factory, there were no traces of a fourth person.”

Jiang Se froze, then lowered her gaze and quietly closed the fridge door.

It felt as if she could once again see all those faces telling her she was wrong.

There really had been no trace of a fourth person in that abandoned factory.

Before Zhao Zhicheng died, he admitted to being the mastermind and said there were only three kidnappers.

While she was imprisoned, she had only come into contact with those three.

The so-called fourth person existed only in her words.

They all said she had suffered psychological trauma, and that was why she imagined a fourth person.

Even her aunt had asked her, “Is it because you had no way to release your anger, that you firmly believe there was a fourth person — just so you could have a target for your rage?”

The yogurt was a local specialty of Tongcheng, packed in a wide-mouthed glass jar, the lid wrapped in a layer of cotton cloth, tied off with a rough twine bow.

Jiang Se slowly untied the bow, her eyes lowered, waiting for his next words.

Waiting for him to ask:

Was it all just your imagination?

Could it be that the person you came to Tongcheng to uncover from Zhao Zhicheng’s past doesn’t even exist?

Just like everyone else had asked her before.

Her hands were steady as she unraveled the twine, her heart undisturbed, her expression calm.

Lu Huaiyan still had a fish ball speared on the bamboo skewer.

Seeing her opening the yogurt, he put down the skewer, pulled a slender bronze spoon from a nearby enamel jar, handed it to her, and said in an even tone, “Since there were no traces of that person in the abandoned factory, we’ll have to look elsewhere.

Zhao Zhicheng kidnapped you in the alley behind the art academy. Although the academy’s surveillance was turned off that day, Zhao Zhicheng must have scouted the area beforehand.

Do you want me to get you the surveillance footage from before that day?”

He knew she wanted to catch that person with her own hands.

He also knew she didn’t want him interfering in this matter.

That was why he didn’t decide for her — he was asking if she needed his help.

Footage from seven or eight years ago, especially from a gallery that Ji Yunyi used for trysts with his students, would not be easy to retrieve.

But if she wanted it, he could get it for her.

Jiang Se was reaching out to take the dark gold spoon from him. Hearing his words, her hand paused in midair for a moment.

Then she grasped the spoon handle firmly and slowly scooped up a spoonful of yogurt.

“No need. I already have those surveillance recordings. Zhao Zhicheng didn’t scout the area beforehand.”

Zhao Zhicheng had said that they had just happened to pass by the alley behind the art academy and happened to see her leaving, looking luxurious and wealthy, which had tempted them into acting impulsively — a case of a blind cat running into a dead mouse.

Because they hadn’t been sure of her identity at first, they had only called the Cen family the day after the kidnapping.

His story was seamless, as if her kidnapping had truly been just a stroke of bad luck.

But — how could there be so many coincidences in the world?

Coincidentally, the art academy’s surveillance was turned off.

Coincidentally, the wife of that student arrived at the gallery right after her.

Coincidentally, she witnessed the affair between the husband and the teacher, which caused two days of chaos.

And coincidentally… she ran into Zhao Zhicheng’s gang.

“Did you hear about what happened back then from my brother?”

On New Year’s Eve, he had asked her if she had come to Tongcheng to find the one who slipped through the cracks seven years ago.

At that time, she had already guessed — Cen Li had told him about the past.

That was why he had rushed over to take her to Hanshan Temple to make a wish.

Lu Huaiyan answered with a soft “mm.”

“Zhao Zhicheng said he kidnapped me on a whim. He said there were only the three of them. There’s no physical evidence or witnesses to prove the existence of a fourth kidnapper. Everyone says he was just a figment of my imagination.”

Jiang Se looked at Lu Huaiyan.

“Don’t you doubt me?”

Lu Huaiyan put down the bamboo skewer in his hand, lifted his gaze, and asked her, “Doubt what?”

“Doubt that everything about the fourth person is just my imagination.”

“Then, are you certain there was a fourth person?”

Jiang Se was momentarily stunned, then slowly nodded.

“Yes, I’m certain.”

She had started investigating this case five years ago, looking into Zhao Zhicheng and the other two kidnappers, looking into Ji Yunyi’s student and the student’s wife, and investigating every suspicious person who had appeared near the art academy that day.

She hadn’t let a single clue slip by — it was like searching for a needle in a haystack. It had taken her five full years to finally find Zhang Yue, to uncover a piece of Zhao Zhicheng’s past.

Before she found Zhang Yue, she had relied purely on intuition to believe that there had been a fourth person.

Now that she had Zhang Yue, she was even more certain.

The girl’s firm and decisive tone and expression made Lu Huaiyan chuckle softly.

“Then I’m certain too,” he said, looking at Jiang Se.

“There were too many coincidences on the day you were kidnapped.

If the same coincidences had happened to someone else, I might have believed that there really are people this unlucky in the world — but you are different.”

She was different.

Even if the chance of a fourth person existing was only one in ten thousand, because it was her, for him, that one in ten thousand became a full one hundred percent.

Besides, she was so certain — and he believed her.

Jiang Se lowered her eyes. The slender spoon was pinched between her two pale fingers, resting on the creamy white surface of the yogurt, completely still.

The room fell into a brief silence.

“Next time,” Lu Huaiyan said, taking the spoon from her hand, scooping up a spoonful of yogurt and feeding it to her, “should I wait until you’re not eating before bringing up what happened seven years ago?

Otherwise, it might ruin your appetite.”

Jiang Se lifted her lashes and opened her mouth to accept the yogurt he offered.

Some habits form unconsciously — for instance, his habit of feeding her.

Even before the spoon touched her lips, she would already open her mouth on her own.

“When I came back from England,” Lu Huaiyan said, “I was also absolutely certain that I could drive Lu Jinzhong out of the Lu Corporation.

At that time, Grandfather was already preparing to hand the company over to him. Becoming enemies with him meant that either he would end up a beaten dog, or I would become a stray. It took me five years to strip him of his board seat, and another three years to completely strip away all his power.

It was then that I realized — for some things in this world, the longer you wait, the greater the satisfaction when you finally succeed.”

The pace of his feeding matched the tempo of his speech — steady and unhurried, like a mountain unmoved by any wind.

Jiang Se quietly looked at him, her moist lips opening and closing slightly as she accepted each spoonful he offered.

By the time he fed her the last bite, Lu Huaiyan pressed the bottom of the spoon against her tongue, and gave a soft laugh: “Looking at me like that… I can’t just do nothing.”

He leaned in and kissed her, the cold spoon brushing past their tongues.

Jiang Se didn’t know how she looked at him through his eyes.

Maybe when she heard him speak of satisfaction, a trace of desire appeared in her gaze.

Or maybe when he spoke of certainty, she couldn’t completely hide the tremor in her heart — and he caught it.

For a moment, she very much wanted to tell him how she had survived the past five years.

She wanted to tell him that a part of her had been left behind seven years ago — and that she very much wanted to bring it back.

But she was already used to keeping silent.

Words had long lost their power for her.

Unless someone could put on her skin and experience everything she had endured, any words she spoke would only seem like pale, powerless whining to others.

After a lingering kiss, all the words that had rushed to her lips were finally compressed into one sentence: “When you think about me… what exactly do you think about?”

The question sounded a bit obscure, but Lu Huaiyan understood.

She was asking him — when he thought about her, what exactly filled his mind.

He curled his lips into a slight smile and lazily countered, “Do you want to hear the pure version first, or the impure one?”

Jiang Se answered coolly,“Impure.”

Lu Huaiyan said, “What else could I think about? Naturally, I think about how to make you feel good when we meet, or—”

He glanced at her and smiled: “—how to settle accounts with you.”

“And when it’s pure?” she asked.

“When it’s pure…” He softened his tone, as if carefully choosing his words. “Clearly thinking of nothing at all, yet somehow… my mind is full of you.”

The moment he said this, Jiang Se’s breath seemed to lighten instinctively, like a butterfly landing gently on a flower petal.

She had never doubted his ability to drive Lu Jinzhong away, nor had she doubted that he could firmly control the Lu Corporation at barely thirty years old — because this man… he simply knew far too well how to hunt down what he wanted.

“What’s with that look?”

Lu Huaiyan set down the bronze spoon, lifted his hands to cup her face, and studied her eyes with a smile. “Are you looking at me like I’m some heartless beast?”

“…”

Jiang Se answered calmly, “Next time, I want to be on top.”

Lu Huaiyan raised an eyebrow. “You were just thinking about that?”

His fingers applied a little pressure, squeezing her cheeks outward as he lowered his head and captured her pouting lips:

“With your stamina, you really think you can handle being on top? Fine. You want me lying down or sitting up?”

At the mention of stamina, Jiang Se immediately remembered how unstable her legs had been last night, and how he had leaned in from behind, whispering in her ear: “What’s wrong, my lady? Lost your strength? Or just poor endurance?”

This time, though, his kiss was restrained — unlike the aggressive, all-consuming kisses of the night before. His moist, heated breath skimmed over her lips, lingering yet never fully pressing down.

Jiang Se deliberately loosened her teeth and lightly caught his lips, then whispered, “Want to test it now? See how long I can last?”

Lu Huaiyan knew if he continued this kiss, it would quickly spiral out of control. Narrowing his eyes slightly, he let go of her and took a step back.

“Still trying to provoke me? Didn’t get enough fun just now?” he said, clearly referring to her teasing him about the bite marks.

He glanced at the wall clock — 6:15.

Han Yin usually had breakfast at 7:15.

At most, they had fifteen minutes before they needed to leave.

There wasn’t even enough time for proper foreplay.

Lu Huaiyan picked up his phone, his gaze toward Jiang Se now carrying a dangerous glint.

“Really want to test it now? If you really want to, I’ll just call my mother and tell her we’re not coming.”

If he made that call, Han Yin would probably guess immediately why they couldn’t even make it to breakfast.

“Forget it.” Jiang Se teased him and then quickly retreated, pulling her cardigan tighter around her and darting off into the bedroom.

“I’m going to change clothes.”

They arrived at Hanshan Temple just after 7:15.

Han Yin had received a WeChat message from Lu Huaiyan early that morning, and had personally called someone to prepare a few special Tongcheng-style desserts.

As soon as Jiang Se stepped into the bamboo cottage, she saw the basket of freshly steamed rose-flavored tangyuan (glutinous rice dumplings) laid out on the dining table.

Han Yin greeted them warmly, “You must be starving, come eat! The breakfast just arrived, still piping hot.”

After washing her hands, Jiang Se sat down at the table. Han Yin picked up a piece of the rose tangyuan and placed it in her bowl: “Ah Yan said you love this. The ones you usually eat at home are cooked in brown sugar syrup, right? I asked them to prepare a different style — steamed instead. Try it and see if you like it.”

The tangyuan in the bowl was snowy white and tender, filled with a sweet rose paste and dusted with a thin layer of milk powder.

A gentle bite released a mouthful of cloying sweetness.

Jiang Se lowered her gaze and calmly bit into half of it.

Suddenly, out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Lu Huaiyan picking up the chopsticks and taking one too.

Han Yin let out a surprised sound, “Eh? I thought you never liked soft and sticky pastries like these since you were little?”

“I like them now,” Lu Huaiyan answered seriously. “Tried them last night — surprisingly, they suited my taste.”

Jiang Se: “…”

Han Yin asked casually, “Se Se took you out to eat last night? What else did you two have?”

Lu Huaiyan lifted his eyelids slightly and glanced sideways at Jiang Se, then chuckled, “I’ll let Jiang Se tell you. She chose all the dishes we ate last night.”

“…”

This breakfast wasn’t exactly peaceful.

While tidying up the meal boxes, Jiang Se couldn’t help glancing at Lu Huaiyan.

That glance was cool and detached, much like the spring breeze blowing outside — carrying a hint of warmth, yet tinged with chill.

If it weren’t for the inappropriate setting, Lu Huaiyan would have most likely pulled her into his arms for a kiss right then and there.

Both of them had slept little the night before and had just eaten quite a bit of sweets.

After sitting and drinking tea with Han Yin for half an hour, Jiang Se began to feel drowsy.

Her sleepiness was something she couldn’t hide from Lu Huaiyan.

He downed his cup of pu’er tea in one gulp and said to Han Yin, “We got up early today. I’ll take her back to my place to rest for a bit.”

After speaking, he took Jiang Se’s hand and led her back to his residence, following the path around Zhuyin Lake.

Once inside, Lu Huaiyan turned on the heater.

While removing her scarf, he couldn’t resist giving her chin a playful squeeze and said, “No need to be so formal with my mother. If you’re hungry, tired, or uncomfortable, just tell her directly.”

Jiang Se gave a soft “mm” in response.

She was truly exhausted.

After entering the bedroom and lying down for just a short while, she was already slipping into a light sleep — when suddenly, her phone rang.

It was a special ringtone.

Her eyes snapped open instantly.

She reached for the phone and pressed answer.

“Is there news?” she asked immediately.

On the other end, a calm, steady female voice replied, “We found an interesting case. Fifteen years ago, there was an accident at the beer factory in Bo County.”

“What kind of accident?” Jiang Se asked.

“The owner of the factory accidentally drowned in a water tank on the premises,” Zheng Huan said slowly.

“Also, among the factory workers, there was no one named Zhao Zhicheng or Zhao Cheng. However, there was someone named Zhao Zhi. My people haven’t yet confirmed whether this Zhao Zhi is Zhao Zhicheng.”

Jiang Se pressed her lips together.

“Is the beer factory still operating?”

“Yes. After the original owner’s death, the factory closed for two years before someone bought it at a low price. Nowadays, its beer is mainly sold in Bo County and a few neighboring towns.”

“Look into the factory’s current owner, and Zhao Zhi as well. If possible, track down people who worked there fifteen years ago. Someone among them might know Zhao Zhicheng.”

After hanging up, Jiang Se sat there for a moment, clutching her phone, quietly lost in thought.

It wasn’t until she heard a noise at the doorway that she finally looked up.

The bedroom door had never been closed when she lay down.

Lu Huaiyan was leaning against the doorframe, his gaze fixed steadily on her face.

After watching her for a while, he said,

“Not sleeping anymore? If you can’t fall asleep… would you like to try doing what you were talking about this morning?”

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