“The girls from the Lu family have the same core,” Yao Luan said to Tu Ming.

“I’m not discussing the girls from the Lu family with you,” Tu Ming replied: “And I think your attempt to matchmake me with Lumi is too obvious. It’s unnecessary.”

“Fine, you’re stubborn, you win.”

“Go to bed early, sleep well, we have a business trip tomorrow.”

Tu Ming and Luke arrived at noon.

The filming location was not far from the airport, and they went straight to the site after landing. The staff was still setting up the scene. The first shooting scene of this advertisement would start at dusk in Guilin.

Tu Ming had his honeymoon in Guangzhou years ago and had been there multiple times for work over the years.

When they arrived, Shang Zhi Tao and Lumi were already busy with their respective tasks.

Shang Zhi Tao was discussing the shooting with the staff. This advertisement was to be inserted into a TV drama, and it needed to maintain the tone of the drama while highlighting the characteristics of the product itself. Shang Zhi Tao had done a lot of preparation and was now fine-tuning the script.

Lumi was overseeing the budget expenditures and was going over the details with the producer and the finance team.

When they saw the two bosses arrive, they paused their work to greet them before returning to their tasks. The client’s boss, Wang Jiexing, did not seem surprised by their composure and instead looked at Lumi with a smile. Tu Ming glanced at him and then at Lumi, guessing that they might be old acquaintances.

Luke joked: “Outside of the company, we pretend not to know each other.” Everyone laughed, also feeling that the people at Ling Mei each had their own personalities, and such scenes were not uncommon.

Lumi was annoyed by the budget issues. Many additional items were not in the original plan and needed to be scrutinized one by one. She lectured the staff as she reviewed the details: “With so much money for advance payments, you might as well become our investor. Why bother with procurement? Didn’t you consider the possibility that a batch might not be approved? Are you going to sell them second-hand then?”

The staff member tried to appease her with a smile, but Lumi was not having it: “Don’t you dare smile. This money is being spent without clear explanations. How can you be so carefree? First, complete the necessary paperwork before you start celebrating. Otherwise, you’ll only have tears to shed!”

“And another thing, is this your first day? Or did you forget our requirements after being managed by Daisy for a while? These invoices wouldn’t pass Daisy’s standards.”

Lumi scolded the staff member point by point. Tu Ming listened from a distance and thought she was right, except for her attitude. Many problems arose during the work handover process, and it was the details that were often overlooked, leading to someone having to take responsibility in the end.

What surprised Tu Ming was Lumi’s seriousness. She usually acted nonchalantly, but when she took things seriously, she was no less capable than anyone else. She spoke clearly and handled matters in an orderly manner. So it was no wonder that Lumi could “coast” for so long; she had her exceptional qualities.

Lumi explained the principles and processes to the staff in detail, and finally threatened: “If you continue to act on your own, you’ll have to cover the expenses yourself!”

She picked up her things and left, carrying an air of defiance and dominance.

The staff member rubbed his neck, feeling as if a cold wind had just blown through, sending chills down his spine.

Lumi didn’t care about that. She believed in doing what was best for everyone, and if mistakes were made, she didn’t care who was affected. She never worried about whose face hurt when something would fell apart. When it was time to be stern, her words were harder than anyone’s, and she could be quite intimidating.

As she turned around, Lumi saw Tu Ming talking to Wang Jiexing, his expression bright and cheerful, as if the weather was fine. She suddenly laughed.

Seeing someone attractive, being playful, and flirting openly—all these tactics were on full display. The wind in her mind was strong, blowing so hard that it made her dizzy, unable to open her eyes. It seemed that no other man in the world could interest her. Upon closer inspection, she realized the root of it all was right in front of her.

The person in front of her was the most pleasing to the eye.

Tu Ming heard the laughter and turned to look. Lumi’s gaze hadn’t shifted and she didn’t intend to. Her smile hadn’t faded, and her lips curved again into a smile.

Tu Ming didn’t understand why she was laughing and merely gave a symbolic smile in response.

“This employee must be hard to manage, right? Maybe you should hire someone more obedient,” the client Wang Jiexing suddenly said.

“Obedience isn’t the primary standard for judging an employee’s quality,” Tu Ming defended his position, not agreeing with Wang Jiexing’s suggestion.

In the evening, Tu Ming and the others were entertaining clients, and Lumi sat outside, bored, playing with her phone while listening to the noise inside. The drinking was moderate tonight, with no loud voices, just evenly paced conversations, and no one was overly aggressive. However, the clinking of glasses was frequent, and there was an underlying tension.

During this time, Tu Ming came out to order more alcohol, and Lumi approached him with wide eyes: “Done drinking?”

“Yes, we’re done.”

“Then let’s stick with red wine, don’t change it.”

“The client prefers baijiu,” Tu Ming told Lumi.

“With your stomach, you want to mix alcohol? Are you trying to kill yourself?” Lumi clicked her tongue: “Wait here.”

She walked to the bar and sent a message to Wang Jiexing: “Hey, buddy, why the change in alcohol? Trying to kill yourself?”

“If you’re worried about me, then no change,” Wang Jiexing replied.

“Get lost.”

Lumi ordered a bottle of red wine and walked back, seeing Tu Ming standing at the door on the phone. She placed the wine next to him, and as he hung up, he took it inside, slowing down the pace of drinking without being abrupt. Lumi might be reckless, but she had enough sense to do this.

Tu Ming put away his phone and picked up the red wine, not asking Lumi why there was no baijiu, and turned to go back inside.

“Aren’t you going to ask why it’s still red wine?” Lumi sent him a message.

“No need to ask. Thank you for taking care of my stomach.”

“So, will you teach me tennis this weekend?”

“No.”

“Hmph!”

Tu Ming put away his phone. The red wine had a strong aftereffect, and after going out and coming back, he felt a bit dizzy. Drinking more would be slow going. Wang Jiexing, for some reason, became a bit excited and kept raising his glass: “Thank you, Ling Mei, for sending such a strong executive team. Let’s drink another one.”

This drink couldn’t be avoided.

Tu Ming disliked drinking when he had to, and he exchanged a look with Luke, pretending he was about to vomit, waving one hand: “Sorry, I need to…”

“Go quickly,” Luke urged him: “You look really uncomfortable.” He stood up and escorted him outside, loudly instructing Lumi to take care of him, then turned back to Wang Jiexing: “Let’s slow down. If we keep drinking, we’ll all be defeated.”

The pace of drinking was dragged out.

Lumi saw Tu Ming come out, and Wang Jiexing, the reckless man, started again. She asked a server for a cup of hot water and placed it in front of Tu Ming. He picked up the cup and took a sip, but the water was too hot. He swirled it in his mouth, blowing out hot air and looking around for a trash can, his eyes turning red from the effort, before finally spitting it out.

This scalded him into alertness, his lips turning red, his mouth feeling like it was on fire.

“What? Is there poison in the water?” Lumi wasn’t good at taking care of people. Usually, there were servers around during banquets, but today she had to do it herself. And what happened? You spit out the water I poured for you. Quite unappreciative!

Tu Ming didn’t speak. He turned to the front desk to ask for ice water, took a big gulp, and held it in his mouth to soothe the burn. He did this several times before finally saying to the puzzled Lumi: “No poison, just scalding hot.”

Lumi slapped her forehead and laughed: “Look at this brain! It’s not poison, it’s just hot! Sorry, sorry, let me see, are you okay?”

“I’m fine.” His lips were peeling, and his mouth felt like it was on fire. Even so, he didn’t get angry with Lumi.

What a great temper, such good manners, Lumi thought.

Tu Ming held an ice cube in his mouth and found a wet tissue, sprinkling it with ice water and dabbing it on his lips. He leaned against the wall of the ventilated balcony, the ink-wash landscapes behind him soaking him in moisture, looking a bit pitiful.

The Guilin landscapes reminded him of the beauty he had experienced in his marriage, which faded with the deepening night.

After drinking, Tu Ming had a sticky gentleness that was hard to define. When their eyes met, Lumi felt a drumbeat in her heart.

“Shall I help you?”

“What?” Tu Ming spoke, reaching out to catch the paper that fell from his lips.

Lumi swallowed an ice cube, grabbed Tu Ming’s collar, and climbed onto him, pressing her lips against his. Her icy lips pierced through Tu Ming’s scalded, numb lips. The action was like riding a motorcycle, no hesitation, no fancy moves, just simple and direct.

Tu Ming, already slow from the alcohol, stood there in a daze, not knowing if it was day or night. When Lumi’s tongue pried open his lips and pushed the ice cube inside, all the alcohol rushed to his head, and he jerked up, hitting the back of his head hard against the wall.

“What are you doing?” His tone was stern, his face tight, finally showing anger.

Lumi pouted: “I’m helping you.”

“Do you help every drunk man like this? What do you think of yourself? What do you think of me?”

“Where’s your sense of propriety?”

“Is this how you deal with things? Do you have to make everything a mess?”

“Please respect me, and respect yourself!”

Lumi listened seriously to Tu Ming’s outburst, looking at his eyes, which were slightly bloodshot from the alcohol. His gaze was particularly sincere and clean, even when angry, still open and honest.

For the first time, she didn’t argue back, like saying, “What was that sticky look in your eyes just now? It was clearly an invitation.” The reason she didn’t argue was that there was a good chance this was all a misunderstanding.

After Tu Ming finished scolding her, the corridor at the end suddenly became quiet. A gust of wind blew by, and Tu Ming’s nausea from the alcohol surged again. He couldn’t even find a place in time and just vomited into the small trash can.

But he felt relieved.

An inexplicable relief.

Lumi ran to get water and handed it to him: “Rinse your mouth quickly!”

Tu Ming took the water and didn’t forget to thank her, rinsing his mouth bit by bit, feeling that he smelled terrible. At that moment, two soft fingers touched his lips. Lumi, uncharacteristically serious, said to him: “Open your mouth.”

A mint candy.

The mint flavor wasn’t strong, but it was refreshing, and Tu Ming’s mouth finally felt more comfortable.

Tu Ming leaned against the wall, the feeling of relief still lingering, and Lumi stood in front of him again, whispering and arguing: “You don’t like it like that? If you don’t like it, why get angry! If you don’t like it, why were you looking at me earlier! Anyway, you’re wrong to get angry! Getting angry can change anything!”

She pressed her lips to Tu Ming’s cheek, lightly: “I won’t change!” Tu Ming turned his head, but he couldn’t avoid it. Lumi’s soft lips, full of passion, just that one touch, burned him.

After saying that, she stuffed another candy into his hand and turned to leave.

That night, Lumi surprisingly couldn’t sleep. She tossed and turned in bed. Shang Zhi Tao, seeing her restlessness through the small gap in the curtains where the moonlight shone in, finally asked: “What’s wrong?”

Lumi actually sighed softly: “Ah, even when drunk, he doesn’t sleep.” She showed no regret from beginning to end.

Shang Zhi Tao’s blanket rose and fell with her laughter: “I thought you had something on your mind, and I was going to comfort you.”

“My problem is that my charm doesn’t work on Mr. Tu. He’s immune to both soft and hard approaches. I can’t find a way in, it’s like fighting a trapped beast!”

Sigh.

She actually sighed again.

The next morning, when Lumi opened her eyes, Shang Zhi Tao had already gone to the filming location. Lumi went out to eat rice noodles and unexpectedly ran into Tu Ming, who was up early, at the noodle shop.

“Good morning, Will.”

Tu Ming couldn’t match Lumi’s shamelessness and said to her: “I didn’t black out.” Implying that he remembered what she had done last night and that she shouldn’t pretend to be confused.

“Not blacking out is good, not blacking out is good. I was afraid you’d forget!” Lumi sat down across from him and looked at the bowl of clear soup noodles in front of him: “Doesn’t the hotel include breakfast?”

Tu Ming ate quietly and didn’t speak to her. Lumi added fuel to the fire: “Your mouth is scalded, blow on your food before eating.”

“Oh right, I also kissed you.” Lumi was great at provoking people. She had been scolded by him the night before, and now she was getting her revenge, not willing to suffer any loss.

“Others show their affection without using their hands.”

“I didn’t use my hands, I used my mouth.”

Lumi started to act shamelessly, completely unyielding. She slurped a mouthful of noodles, which were too spicy, and reached for a bottle of ice soda to drink, but Tu Ming took it away: “Drink room temperature water.”

“You’re really controlling!” Lumi snorted and obediently took a bottle of room temperature water.

“Don’t do that again. I thought I made myself clear. Last night was the last time.”

“You really don’t like it at all? You don’t want anything to happen between us?”

“I don’t like it. No.”

“Well, if that’s the case, I’ll find someone else.” Lumi took a sip of soup: “This person is good at one thing—he knows when to retreat.”