Chapter 59: You Really Need To Work On Your Stamina

Knowing Jiang Se was going to visit an elder at Hanshan Temple, Yu Shiying had prepared a gift for her early in the morning.

“I made this apricot wine last year. The alcohol content is low—it’s just a sweet fruit wine. Your elder should like it. Oh right, isn’t she leaving Tongcheng after spring?”

Jiang Se replied, “Yes, Aunt Han is leaving for Nancheng next month. The wine you’ve prepared is just right for today.”

Han Yin was indeed planning to leave Tongcheng in April to live for two years at Nanguanyin Mountain.

Today’s visit to Hanshan Temple was both a farewell and a send-off.

She arrived at the temple around ten in the morning.

The parking lot at the base of the mountain was packed. Only after climbing up did she realize it was Women’s Day. Many mothers, worried about their daughters’ marriage prospects, had brought them here to draw matchmaking lots.

Along the way, Jiang Se overheard the phrase “the red matchmaker star is rising” several times.

Aunt Han had also said last year that Lu Huaiyan’s red matchmaker star was rising. That guy had even sworn that she was his red star.

Of course, Jiang Se didn’t believe it.

Lu Huaiyan probably didn’t really believe it either.

Neither of them ever pinned their hopes on vague talk of fate or the divine. The things they wanted—they had always pursued with their own hands.

Unlike them, Han Yin was a true believer.

While eating, she said to Jiang Se, “It’s good you’re going back to Beicheng—help me remind Ah Yan. The abbot said he’ll face a bloody calamity this year, and I worry he won’t take his safety seriously.”

Jiang Se replied with a smile, “If I see him, I’ll pass along your message.”

Han Yin laughed, “Don’t say it’s from me. Every time I call him, I say the same thing—he’s probably sick of it by now. Just tell him you said it. That way, he might actually listen.”

Jiang Se gave a noncommittal smile and changed the subject.

“Will President Lu or Assistant Li be taking you to Nancheng next month?”

“Ah Yan said he’ll go with me,” Han Yin said with a smile as she added a piece of food to Jiang Se’s bowl. “Why don’t you come along that day? Just treat it like a spring outing to Nanguanyin Mountain.”

“I might not be free that day,” Jiang Se replied with a smile. She lifted the lid off the wine jar and poured Han Yin a small cup. “I brought this wine especially today as an early send-off. Since I have to drive, I’ll stick to tea—but Aunt Han, you’re only allowed up to three cups.”

“Then promise me you won’t tell Ah Yan I drank three cups.”

Han Yin didn’t hold her liquor well. Just three sips made her tipsy.

As Jiang Se got up to leave, Han Yin gently hugged her—just like when she was a child—patted her shoulder, and said with a smile, “Auntie wants to thank our Se Se. You don’t know…”

Her wide sleeve slipped, revealing a deep old scar on her left wrist, along with seven or eight finer crisscrossed ones. The sentence “You don’t know…” lingered at her lips for a few seconds but never continued.

Jiang Se assumed Han Yin was just a little drunk and stopped her at the hallway.

Han Yin pulled her sleeve back down, nodded with a smile, “Drive carefully. Once you get to Beicheng tomorrow, remember to ask Ah Yan to pick you up.”

Jiang Se smiled and replied softly, “Goodbye, Aunt Han.”

The wooden door at the entrance closed shortly after.

Han Yin remained standing on the wooden steps by the doorway and murmured almost inaudibly, “Auntie wants to thank you. You don’t know… how lonely our Ah Yan has been. Thank goodness he met you.”

Her voice was so soft, it sounded like either a sigh or a self-murmur.

As she turned back into the house, a shaft of spring sunlight slanted through the pinewood window. She paused for a second, then smiled again, “Spring is finally here. How lovely.”

–

Just as Jiang Se descended the mountain, Lu Huaiyan’s call came through.

It was almost three in the afternoon—surprisingly, he wasn’t busy.

These past few days, he’d only had time after 10 p.m. Sometimes, when Jiang Se was still working, they’d video call each other while tapping away at their respective keyboards.

One time, Jiang Se forgot the video call was still running. Her eyes were glued to her laptop screen, and when she reached for her water cup, she accidentally knocked it over, spilling water all over her hand.

She frowned and couldn’t help but curse: “Shit.”

Just as the word left her mouth, a soft laugh came through from the phone mounted on the stand.

Jiang Se snapped back to reality and first glanced at the call duration on the screen: 1 hour and 16 minutes.

Then she looked toward the screen, where the man—who’d seemingly risen from the dead—was smirking, and asked: “What are you laughing at?”

The smile on the corners of his lips didn’t fade—if anything, it deepened.

“Can’t I laugh? Or should I help you scold the cup instead?”

—

Jiang Se didn’t answer the call immediately. After getting in the car and starting the engine, she put on her Bluetooth headset and finally picked up.

“I just had lunch with Aunt Han.”

“Mm, Mom just told me. She also said you brought her some wine,” Lu Huaiyan replied. “So, how many cups did she sneak in today?”

Jiang Se stayed silent as she turned the steering wheel and drove out of the parking lot.

A low chuckle soon came through her earpiece.

“Not talking? Did Mom ask you to keep it a secret? Let me guess—three cups?”

His guess was spot-on, and though he called it a guess, his tone was one of certainty.

Jiang Se glanced at the rearview mirror and asked, “Don’t you have work to do?”

“I do. I probably won’t have time to call you tonight, so I’m using the break between meetings to hear your voice,” he said, checking his watch. “Two minutes left.”

The sun was strong that day, and the small electric car was warm and toasty from the heat. Jiang Se cracked a window, letting in a rush of cold air to cool the interior.

She asked, “Are you free at 7 p.m. tomorrow?”

“I have a dinner meeting at 7.”

Jiang Se gave a short “Oh”: “Then send an assistant to the airport to pick me up. I’m heading to Beicheng tomorrow.”

Lu Huaiyan raised an eyebrow and was just about to ask why she was coming when a knock came at the conference room door—knock knock.

Looking up, he saw Zhou Qing standing outside, looking a bit grim.

Lu Huaiyan’s brows furrowed slightly. He ended the call with a quick, “Send me your flight info.”

Zhou Qing entered as soon as the door closed and said, “President Lu, photos of you and Miss Sun have hit the trending searches. I had someone take them down already, but they were pushed back up within half an hour—someone is clearly stirring the pot.”

The “Miss Sun” Zhou Qing referred to was Sun Wei, heiress of the Sun family from Hucheng. She had entered the entertainment industry under a pseudonym, acted in several indie films, and after winning two highly regarded Best Actress awards, quickly rose to fame. She was now one of the most prominent rising stars in the domestic entertainment scene.

Lu Huaiyan narrowed his eyes slightly. The night he returned to Beicheng, they had indeed crossed paths at a banquet.

She’d come over to toast him, and they hadn’t even exchanged more than a few words before he left. What kind of photos could they have gotten from that?

“Let me see the photos.”

Zhou Qing handed him a tablet—three photos in total.

Each shot was taken from a very carefully chosen angle, perfectly capturing a moment where the two were looking at each other.

Under the bright, clear lighting, only half of Lu Huaiyan’s sharply contoured profile was visible, while the woman was looking up at him with a delicately made-up smile, her expression seeming affectionate and full of unspoken understanding—as if there was some romantic connection between them.

Lu Huaiyan calmly set down the tablet.

The collaboration between Lu Corp and the Guan family had made some people restless. If this partnership was finalized, Lu Corp’s core projects for the next decade would all fall under his control.

Certain individuals, fearing that his position within Lu Corp would become completely unshakable, convinced themselves that the partnership was built on a political marriage between the two families. In desperation, they’d resorted to this cheap tactic.

Lu Huaiyan tapped the conference table lightly with his long, slender fingers, then picked up his phone and dialed a number.

As soon as the line connected, he didn’t bother with greetings. His voice was cold and sharp:

“Seems like you’re quite dissatisfied with your semi-retired life. In that case, I’ll find something for you to do—just so you don’t embarrass yourself with your nonsense again.”

Without waiting for a response from Lu Jinzhong, he hung up.

–

“I’ll say this one last time: you don’t need to wait for my instructions to handle Lu Jinzhong’s messes. Do what needs to be done,” Lu Huaiyan said, his gaze sharp as he looked at Zhou Qing. “You can’t even pull down a trending topic? Are you hoping I replace you?”

Zhou Qing’s heart skipped a beat.

He’d confirmed this was the work of Lu Jinzhong and his cronies. Though they were incompetent, they were still Lu Huaiyan’s kin, so he hadn’t dared act too harshly and had come to Lu Huaiyan for direction.

“I’ll handle it now.”

Zhou Qing grabbed the tablet and was about to leave when Lu Huaiyan stopped him.

“First, check all flights from Tongcheng to Beicheng after 3 p.m. tomorrow. Have Li Rui clear his schedule from 2 to 3 p.m. to pick someone up at Fuchun Street. Also, cancel tomorrow night’s dinner.”

Tongcheng to Beicheng? Fuchun Street?

Zhou Qing’s mind raced, and for some reason, he recalled Li Rui’s constant muttering: “A boss in love is at least less likely to dock our pay like a capitalist.”

“Yes,” he replied, pausing before adding hesitantly, “About the trending topic—should we have Assistant Li explain it to Miss Jiang?”

It wasn’t an unreasonable question. In Zhou Qing’s view, Young Master Lu wouldn’t bother explaining a baseless rumor to Jiang Se himself. Li Rui, with his big mouth, was better suited for the task.

But Lu Huaiyan didn’t even glance up. “No need. She won’t believe it.”

---

Jiang Se hadn’t even seen the photos of Lu Huaiyan and Sun Wei, and even if she had, she wouldn’t have cared. But she heard about it from Guo Qian.

Guo Qian was indignant. “What’s wrong with Lu Huaiyan? Getting caught in a scandal that’s trending?”

Jiang Se had just gotten home and was sitting on the floor packing her luggage. Her expression remained calm, unruffled.

“If it’s been taken down, it’s not real,” she said lightly. “That photo was probably someone else’s doing.”

Guo Qian exclaimed, “Se Se, how are you so calm?”

Jiang Se smiled. “Wasn’t that photo taken on the night of February 28?”

“Huh? How’d you know? Didn’t you say you hadn’t seen the news?”

That night, when Lu Huaiyan called her, he was in his dressing room changing, saying he’d picked up a scent he didn’t like.

Now, it was obvious he meant perfume.

Like her, he disliked carrying someone else’s scent on him.

“Don’t worry. He didn’t have any follow-up with Sun Wei that night. He called me as soon as the banquet ended,” Jiang Se said. “Besides, if he really had a change of heart, it’s no big deal. Who says every relationship has to lead somewhere? How many have you had?”

“You and I aren’t the same! You’re an iron tree finally blooming. How can you compare to a carefree butterfly like me?”

Jiang Se laughed. “If I’m an iron tree, my heart’s made of iron too. Don’t worry.”

With a few words, she calmed Guo Qian down. As soon as she hung up, she got a WeChat message from Li Rui, asking when would be convenient to pick her up for the airport tomorrow.

Jiang Se declined Li Rui’s offer. The next day, Jiang Chuan and Yu Shiying drove her to the airport themselves. The flight landed in Beicheng past seven, half an hour later than scheduled.

Pushing her suitcase out, she immediately spotted the man standing in the crowd.

He’d likely come straight from the office, dressed in a shirt and trousers, exuding an elite aura. Without a tie and with one shirt button undone, his cold, aloof demeanor carried a hint of laziness.

–

As soon as Jiang Se stepped out, his eyes were already on her.

She walked toward him slowly. “I thought Assistant Zhou would be the one picking me up.”

Lu Huaiyan took her suitcase from her hand and glanced at her. “Wanted to surprise you.”

His car was parked just outside the terminal. After putting her luggage in the trunk, he opened the rear door and got in with her.

“Hungry? Want to grab something to eat first?”

Jiang Se looked at him. “Not hungry. Let’s go to your place first.”

Lu Huaiyan took her hand, his Adam’s apple moving slightly as he said, “Alright. To Rui Du Huafu.”

The car headed toward Rui Du Huafu in the city center—his apartment closest to the airport, a forty-minute drive.

Neon lights flickered past the windows.

They sat quietly, half an arm’s length apart. Lu Huaiyan held her right hand, his thumb slowly rubbing the web of skin between her thumb and index finger. The closer they got to Rui Du Huafu, the more forceful the motion became.

They arrived at the underground parking lot, and he led her to the elevator.

He looked calm and composed as always when stepping out of the elevator.

But the moment the elevator doors closed behind them, Jiang Se felt his arms tighten around her waist—and then his kiss came down like a storm.

He still wore his gold-rimmed glasses, resting on the bridge of his straight nose. Paired with his intense, almost aggressive kiss, Jiang Se thought he looked every bit the wolf in gentleman’s clothing.

With her tongue caught between his lips, he muttered against her mouth, “Shower?”

Her jaw was pried open by him, and her mouth was sealed so thoroughly that she couldn’t speak at all.

Her slender neck tilted back sharply. With a wet pop, she pulled her tingling tongue from his mouth, lowered her gaze, and said, “No shower. I want to be on top.”

She’d mentioned this once in Tongcheng, in her kitchen. With a serious face, she told him that next time, she wanted to be on top. He had laughed and asked if she wanted him to sit or lie down.

Unfortunately, they hadn’t had the chance to try it since.

Lu Huaiyan looked into her eyes and chuckled. “You’ve been thinking about this for the past two weeks, haven’t you?”

He carried her to the sofa in the living room. After sitting down, he held her by the waist with one hand, tilted her chin with the other, and kissed her lips slowly as he said, “It’s in my pocket. If you want it, get it yourself.”

The ceiling lights in the spacious apartment lit up the living room with a row of soft spotlights.

The half-dim glow etched his sharp features in relief.

Jiang Se met his gaze directly, her dark eyes unflinching. She reached into the right pocket of his trousers.

He was wearing tailored black slacks, and as he sat, the fabric around the pocket folded in slight creases, creating some resistance for her delicate fingers.

Lu Huaiyan didn’t move a muscle, letting her grope around inside his pocket. When her hand brushed his skin through the thin lining, he remained still.

Only when she finally retrieved the item did his Adam’s apple shift again, gliding up and down.

Jiang Se set the item down by his leg and reached to undo the buttons of his shirt, kissing him again as she worked.

One button after another came undone. The collar pulled apart and hung loosely off his shoulders.

In the soft lighting, she paused and looked at him quietly. Then she took off his glasses, folded the temples inward, and ran the metal edge of the lens frame slowly down his face—starting from the center of his forehead, tracing the curve of his sharp nose, then down his sculpted jawline, his Adam’s apple, and collarbones.

It was part caress, part provocation—like she was painting a picture with his body.

Lu Huaiyan’s gaze lowered, and he noticed the familiar gold-rimmed glasses tracing the contours of his chest and abdomen.

The sharp, cool touch of the metal sent a chill down his skin, only stoking the fire that burned hotter beneath it.

“I’ve always thought your bone structure is excellent,” Jiang Se’s voice was cool and clear, but there was no hiding the admiration in her tone. “Even better than the Eastern European models I used to work with.”

Bone structure wasn’t just about the skull—how the rest of the body was built mattered too.

And she genuinely loved the structure and contours of his body.

Lu Huaiyan suddenly had the odd illusion that he was being appraised by a particularly picky art client—his girlfriend, no less—someone especially critical about human aesthetics and even harder to please.

His neck rested against the top of the sofa, chin tilted slightly upward as he chuckled, “Should I be saying thank you for that?”

Jiang Se lowered her eyes and smiled faintly. “No. Neither of us needs to say thank you.”

Releasing the glasses from her fingers, she slid her hands up around his neck and whispered beside his ear, “I know you like this body of mine too.”

Their desires were always laid bare—never masked. They never hid their physical attraction to each other.

Lu Huaiyan glanced sideways, lifting his palm from the leather of the sofa. One hand slid to her lower back, the other cupping the back of her head. Holding her just like that, he lowered his head to kiss the pulse at her neck.

“What I like isn’t just your body.”

His kiss made her tremble slightly. Her breath hitched, and she reached down toward the item she had left by their legs.

At first, she was clumsy, unpracticed—slow. The tension crept up his temples as the veins at the side of his forehead throbbed.

But the girl was stubborn—refused to let him take control. All he could do was nibble on her earlobe and murmur, voice low and husky with restraint, “You really know how to torture me.”

Thankfully, about ten minutes in, she finally got the hang of it.

Sweat began to bead across Jiang Se’s skin. She felt like she was submerged in a hot spring.

She was wearing a long-sleeved dress with a white pearl-trimmed collar and a soft mint green body—an elegant spring outfit with a touch of sophistication. But with a single ripping sound, it transformed into something else entirely.

Just like its wearer—refined on the outside, but with a cold and carnal soul underneath.

It turned out to be more exhausting than she’d expected.

Clinging to his neck, her damp cheek pressed against his, she panted softly, “Lu Huaiyan, can we… negotiate—”

Lu Huaiyan seemed to know exactly what she was about to say. He let out a low laugh, cutting her off before she could finish.

“No negotiating.”

He gripped her waist tightly with both hands and kissed her hot, trembling lips. “You need to work on your stamina.”

“……”

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