Long-time colleagues knew that Lumi was joking, but there were a few who took it seriously, actually believing that there was something between Lumi and Tang Wuyi.

Tang Wuyi quickly followed up in the group: “Please go easy on me, sister.” Pretending to be a little white rabbit.

Young people were particularly uninhibited when joking around, and the group was indeed lively because of the swimsuit Lumi had thrown out.

After a while, Lumi added: “I’m just kidding. In Hokkaido hot springs, many hotels don’t allow clothes… Don’t buy swimsuits, let’s go naked!”

Lumi’s words caused a stir, and someone who had been to Hokkaido responded: “So stimulating?”

“You bet. Let’s all meet naked! Anyway, I can do it without any distractions.” Lumi thought for a moment. Tu Ming’s behavior definitely wouldn’t allow such things.

Tu Ming finally spoke up: “The hotel we booked has separate areas for men and women. Jack, don’t worry about sister’s hands. Men won’t be able to see the women’s swimsuits (if they can wear them). I hope everyone can go out safely, have fun, avoid accidents, and not cause any scandals. This way, the team-building will be more meaningful.” The words “not cause any scandals” were quite thought-provoking.

“Yes, yes, yes!” Daisy chimed in: “The boss is right!”

Everyone hurried to agree with Tu Ming, except for Lumi and Tang Wuyi, who remained silent, making them seem a bit out of place.

Lumi was a bit bored and watched some variety shows for a while. A message from Da Liang arrived: “Come join the tennis activity. It’s no fun without you.”

“If it’s no fun, why don’t you disband it? I’m not going. Tennis is boring.”

“What’s fun then? I’ll accompany you.”

A man’s subtle flirtation was something Da Liang was an expert at, but Lumi never took the bait. She wasn’t interested in Da Liang and even found his tactics a bit low.

Lumi was probably honed by Tu Ming, and now she wasn’t interested in any man who came her way. She clicked her tongue in self-mockery.

Perhaps because of the outrageous things she said during the day, Lumi didn’t sleep well that night. She had a dream that felt incredibly real, like a ghost pressing down on her bed.

In the dream, she was changing clothes in a hot spring hotel in Hokkaido when the sliding door opened, and Tu Ming walked in. He was only wearing white pants, with a slim waist and a cold expression. Lumi felt an inexplicable fear and pointed at Tu Ming, shouting: “You pervert! Get out!”

Tu Ming didn’t say a word. He walked up to her and pushed her down on the tatami mat. The dream was so real, with waves of sensation washing over her, and the feeling of desperation lingered even after she woke up the next day.

Lumi lay awake for a long time, finally cursing under her breath. I actually had a sex dream, and it was about someone who refuses to let me sleep with them. It must be because I haven’t had sex in too long. This won’t do.

The morning of the weekend was ruined by the bizarre dream from the previous night. Lumi couldn’t muster any enthusiasm for anything. She lounged on the sofa in her coral fleece home clothes, scrutinizing every man she found attractive from head to toe. No, none of them would do. She didn’t want to sleep with any of them.

Finally, she thought of Tu Ming, playing tennis, running like a seventeen or eighteen-year-old, with no excess fat on his body, his tennis shirt faintly revealing his contours. It was too tempting.

So Da Liang sent a message: “Who’s playing tennis today?”

“Almost everyone is here, including your boss making his first appearance after the car accident.”

“It’s boring at home, I’ll go take a look.”

When Ershan saw Lumi at the tennis court again, he teased her: “Are you here to help Ershan with work or have you taken a liking to someone?”

Lumi sat down and said: “I’m here to help Ershan with work.”

“Then why don’t you stand up?”

“No.”

Lumi’s eyes were fixed on the entrance of the gym. Tu Ming wouldn’t let her sleep, so he shouldn’t expect to either. Lumi was being a bit unreasonable. She dreamed about Tu Ming, and now it was his fault. She couldn’t care less. A fire was burning in her heart, and today she had to make Tu Ming feel it too. If she could make him feel the same pain, it would be even better.

Tu Ming didn’t expect to see Lumi at the gym, but she was sitting there talking to her aunt, only occasionally glancing at him and nodding, appearing particularly calm.

Tu Ming didn’t dare to run too much. He only played symbolically for a while before sitting down to rest. The sound of tennis shoes scraping against the floor in the gym was rough, and the men and women playing were all healthy. Tu Ming watched for a while, and time passed quickly.

There was a dinner gathering in the evening, supposedly to eat seafood buffet, and Tu Ming, who had just recovered, also signed up.

After the tennis game ended and they changed clothes to leave, Tu Ming saw Lumi walking out with other team members. It seemed that Lumi’s participation in the dinner was the only thing he didn’t know.

During the meal, Lumi sat across from Tu Ming, eating not too much but drinking a few glasses of red wine. Da Liang sat next to her, being particularly attentive, even asking her: “Since you’re drinking, don’t drive. I’ll drive you home later.”

“Ah.” Lumi’s “ah” was coquettish, as if she had some affection for Da Liang.

Her eyes secretly swept over Tu Ming, seeing that his expression was the same as usual. Lumi was used to it, so she stopped paying attention to him and continued to play her part. Knowing Tu Ming for a long time, she had grasped some of his pulse. He didn’t like her, but he wouldn’t allow other men to send her home drunk. Because he was worried about the girl being taken advantage of.

He would probably do the same for any girl, because he was Tu Ming.

Lumi drank a little more wine. When the gathering ended, her eyes were blurred, and she was leaning on Da Liang, who was soft and fragrant. He was in a good mood, feeling that today he finally had a chance to make a breakthrough with Lumi.

But Tu Ming walked over and said to Da Liang: “You’ve been drinking too, it’s not convenient. I’ll take her home.”

“No, I’ll find a designated driver. It’s quite convenient.”

“Then do you know where she lives?” Tu Ming wanted to see if Lumi was still a little sober.

“Where do you live, little Lumi?”

“In the sky…” Lumi babbled nonsense, pretending to be drunk to the end. A little red wine like this could knock her down, then she really would have lived in vain.

Tu Ming took Lumi from Da Liang’s hands: “How can I send her home if I don’t even know where she lives? I’ll take her. I’m responsible for my subordinates.”

Da Liang was reluctant, but he also understood Tu Ming. He couldn’t stand up to him, so he nodded helplessly: “Then I’ll have to trouble you.”

Tu Ming took Lumi, his hand resting on her shoulder. Lumi snuggled into his embrace, clinging to him, thinking: “Ershan didn’t lie to me. Pretending to be weak works.” She refused to walk, pretending her legs were weak. Tu Ming, afraid she would fall, finally moved his hand from her shoulder to Lumi’s slender waist. The warmth of his palm penetrated through her clothes to Lumi’s skin, and Lumi replayed last night’s dream in her mind. Tu Ming struggled to get Lumi to the car. He resisted the urge to scold her, feeling that she was not taking care of herself by getting this drunk.

Tu Ming’s car was still being repaired and hadn’t been returned yet, so today he was driving Tu Yanjing’s car. Tu Yanjing’s car was the same style as Tu Ming’s. Lumi nestled in the passenger seat, secretly opening her eyes a crack to take a look before closing them again. The car swayed gently, and Lumi was so comfortable she wanted to sleep, especially with Tu Ming.

Tu Ming parked the car at the entrance of her residential complex. It was the same complex where Lumi lived, and it was almost impossible for outsider vehicles to find a parking spot. Tu Ming was generally aware of this.

But parking at the entrance of the complex was another matter. How was he supposed to get her back home?

Lumi timely mumbled: “I want to go home to pee… I really need to pee…” even with a hint of crying.

Tu Ming had no choice but to squat down: “I’ll carry you back.”

Lumi was overjoyed inside, pretending to be unsteady on her feet as she clung to his back, her face pressed against his slightly warm neck. Was he hot? The mischief in Lumi’s stomach slowly seeped out at this moment, until it drowned her conscience.

Tu Ming carried Lumi to the entrance of her building and asked: “Where are your access card and keys?”

Lumi pointed to the inside pocket of her down jacket, pretending to reach for it but couldn’t grab it. Tu Ming sighed: “Don’t bother.” He helped her stand straight, unzipped her down jacket, and reached into the inside pocket, successfully finding the keys.

Lumi’s chest brushed against his sleeve as he did so. He hurriedly withdrew his hand, and Lumi took the opportunity to fall into his arms, deliberately making her body heavy, forcing Tu Ming to hold her.

Today was really like being treated like an emperor. Lumi thought in Tu Ming’s arms, to trick you into my house, I have to act like this. You’re really something!

Tu Ming turned on the light in her bedroom and saw her bed, with several books on the bedside table. When he placed her on the bed, he saw clearly what the books were. They were the serial pictures he had given her.

He was momentarily stunned. Lumi’s arms tightened around his neck, pulling him down onto the bed.

Her lips pressed against his ear, her face against his, hearing Tu Ming’s heartbeat like a drum, her mischievous heart could no longer be suppressed. She opened her mouth and bit his earlobe, her tongue flicking over it, causing Tu Ming’s breathing to become erratic.

But his rationality was still there.

His hand found her wrist, trying to pry open her arms, his tone very serious: “You’re drunk.”

Lumi hated this tone the most. Couldn’t he just go along with it like a bad man? She refused to let go, not only that, but during the struggle, her lips found his, pressing against them, making a soft sound, her tongue brushing against the corner of his mouth, taking the opportunity to enter his mouth when he opened it to speak. Tu Ming felt the blood rush to his head, with a momentary feeling of mild concussion. But his rationality was still there. She was his subordinate, and despite the different interactions between them, Tu Ming did not allow himself to lose control.

Lumi had been wanting this for so long, the waves surging, that soft gasp was not something she could fake. She wanted to devour Tu Ming completely and then part ways with him at dawn.

But he was angry, using force to pinch her wrist, causing her pain, but refusing to let her have her way. Lumi finally gave up, also getting angry, feeling humiliated, and finally mumbling: “Jack, Tang Wuyi, you’re really something.”

She closed her eyes and said something outrageous, sensing that Tu Ming paused for a moment, then the force on his hand increased, finally breaking free from her arms and turning to leave her house.

He didn’t even care if she lived or died. At least she said that last sentence to save some face, otherwise, she would have been completely humiliated.

Lumi heard the door close, jumped out of bed, and ran to the living room window to wait. Finally, she saw Tu Ming walking away with his head held high.

He really was something!

Lumi couldn’t explain why she was angry. She really wanted to do something with someone, and it didn’t have to be Tu Ming! Tu Ming’s anger had a bit of a self-destructive meaning. She took out her phone and scrolled through her contacts. Yes, Wang Jiexing, it was him.

Before she could make the call, Shang Zhi Tao’s call came in: “I’m coming to take care of you. Are you still conscious? Your boss said you were drunk and needed care.”

“I’m fine!”

“Come on! Your boss said you were drunk out of your mind! Wait, I’m coming to find you.”

Tu Ming was in a particularly bad mood, pacing at the entrance of Lumi’s residential complex. He didn’t like Lumi’s drunkenness and thoughtless behavior, but she needed care, so he called Shang Zhi Tao.

He had never deleted Shang Zhi Tao’s contact information, and unexpectedly, it came in handy today.

When Shang Zhi Tao entered, Lumi had already taken a shower and was lying in bed, her face flushed, her eyes slightly closed, looking like a sleeping beauty.

Shang Zhi Tao’s eyes widened: “Did your boss undress you and help you shower?”

“Don’t mention him.” Lumi stopped her: “It’s too disappointing. Don’t mention him in the future!”

“What’s going on? Another failure? It’s okay, it’s normal.” Shang Zhi Tao climbed onto the bed and pulled the quilt over to lie down: “So what if it’s a failure? Why do you look so upset? Can’t you just lose gracefully?”

“Just shut up.” Lumi glared at her and turned away.

The things that had happened didn’t need to be regretted, but Tu Ming’s rigid principles pushed her away, not giving her any chance. Lumi had let go, but because of a sex dream, she had new thoughts. Now, she had even tricked him into her house, but he retreat.