Chapter 12: President Lu Finds It Hard to Guess the Little One’s Thoughts

In the bedroom on the third floor of Xishu Garden, the curtains were tightly drawn, not allowing a single ray of light to seep through, leaving the room in complete darkness and silence.

The man frowned, his strong arm reaching out to fumble on the nightstand, picking up his phone.

Lu Tingshen was awakened by the ringing of his phone. He had landed at four in the morning and had only managed to sleep for five hours by now.

Being woken up by the call, his eyes were bloodshot, resembling a lion just roused from sleep, his brows furrowed, clearly in a foul mood.

Seeing the caller, he sighed, answered the call, turned on the speakerphone, and casually tossed the phone onto the pillow, his voice indifferent and lazy.

“What is it?”

Hearing the boss’s hoarse voice, Lin Cheng sighed.

“Boss, Fengyue Shopping Mall was successfully completed half a month ago. President Song has invited you to inspect the work at three o’clock this afternoon.”

“Alright, pick me up at Xishu Garden at two in the afternoon.”

Without waiting for a reply, he hung up the phone, pulled the blanket over his head in irritation, and turned over to continue his sleep.

Half a month ago, he had gone on a business trip to Italy to negotiate a cross-border project.

The project there involved many complex issues.

Both teams had revised the plan several times.

It had taken him a full half a month, keeping him so busy that he often didn’t return to the hotel to rest until two or three in the morning.

The development of Fengyue Shopping Mall was one of the key investment projects of Lu Corporation in recent years.

Located in the city center of Binhai City, it had cost over ten billion yuan and covered an area of two thousand acres.

It was intended to become a landmark commercial circle in China.

Even before the mall was completed, dozens of stores had already signed up to move in, and by the month before completion, the number of stores had increased to several hundred.

At the entrance of Fengyue Shopping Mall, the main person in charge, Song Qifeng, along with several senior executives and security personnel, stood eagerly waiting.

After waiting for more than ten minutes, a low-key black business car slowly approached from a distance, and Song Qifeng’s heart settled.

He hurriedly led the group forward to greet Lu Tingshen as he stepped out of the car.

Dressed in a black suit, his sharp eyebrows and tall stature made him stand out among the crowd of senior executives.

After shaking hands, they walked into the mall together.

Since it had just been completed, it had not yet been put into use or opened to the public, making the vast mall appear empty and desolate.

The entire mall had ten floors, with each floor divided into different sections. It was no exaggeration to say that this mall could meet the vast majority of customers’ needs.

Song Qifeng enthusiastically introduced the layout of the mall and its basic operations in the future.

Lu Tingshen listened indifferently, occasionally offering suggestions on certain issues.

The inspection work ended smoothly at around six o’clock.

Lu Tingshen leaned back lazily in the back seat, tiredly rubbing his throbbing temples.

He had been maintaining such a high-intensity workload for over ten years, frequently traveling on business trips and working late into the night, which had become routine for him.

He picked up his phone beside him, looking at the chat page with that person, and took a deep breath. He felt as if he wasn’t as tired anymore.

He had previously promised to visit him after finishing those busy days, but before Lu Tingshen could finish, he had to rush off on an international business trip.

Over the past half month, he and Ji Jinbai had mostly stayed in touch through their phones.

Most of the time, it was the young man who did the talking, while he played the role of a listener.

Despite his busy schedule, he would always find time to patiently and gently reply to every single message.

Even so, Ji Jinbai never felt that the responses were perfunctory.

When the young man saw the big orange cat under the teaching building, he would excitedly take a photo and share it with him.

When he encountered a beautiful sunset, he would snap a picture and tell him how stunning it was.

If he ate something unpalatable in the cafeteria, he would vent to him…

With a time difference of over ten hours, each reply often came after a long delay. They continued this intermittent conversation for half a month.

Unconsciously, Lu Tingshen gradually came to understand the rhythm of Ji Jinbai’s daily life through their chats.

Until today, he noticed that Ji Jinbai hadn’t sent him a message for three consecutive days.

The chat page was still stuck on the young man’s message about working on a piece for a competition, accompanied by a complaint.

The last messages were his own replies.

L: Take care of yourself, remember to eat on time, and don’t stay up late.

When there was no reply, Lu Tingshen assumed he was too busy with his studies and didn’t think much of it.

At noon today, Lu Tingshen sent Ji Jinbai a message.

He told him that he had returned from his business trip and asked if he was free to meet for a meal.

However, he received a cold rejection from Ji Jinbai.

Jinbai is not Jinbai: I’ve been busy lately, President Lu, there’s no need to come see me.

The words carried a sense of distant detachment, and his calls went unanswered.

Lu Tingshen frowned, pinching the bridge of his nose. He could sense that something was off with Ji Jinbai’s mood.

But he couldn’t figure out what had caused such a drastic change in his attitude toward him.

The thoughts of a young man are truly hard to decipher.

After all, there was an age gap of over a decade between them, spanning several generational divides.

He had the driver stop at the entrance of Qing University. Gazing out the window, his long, strong fingers lightly tapped against his crossed legs.

Lu Tingshen’s eyes were deep and contemplative. He let out a helpless sigh and called his nephew.

“Ring, ring, ring…”

Lu Tingshen tapped his fingers rhythmically.

A few seconds later…

“Hello, Second Uncle, what’s up?”

Lu Mian, who was reading manga in his dorm, quickly answered the phone.

Ji Jinbai, who was nearby, subtly glanced in his direction.

His eyes flickered imperceptibly.

He pretended to remain calm, lowering his gaze as if nothing had happened, and continued writing his homework.

Lu Tingshen’s tone was neutral as he asked, “Is Ji Jinbai with you right now?”

Lu Mian, with a knowing look, glanced at the person sitting two seats away.

Suppressing a smile, he replied, “Yeah, he’s here. Why?”

The man paused.

Then he said, “Let him take the call.”

Lu Mian, now acting as a mere messenger, walked over to Ji Jinbai and handed him the phone, signaling for him to answer.

Ji Jinbai was momentarily stunned but quickly realized when he saw the caller ID labeled “Second Uncle.”

He took the phone and stepped out onto the balcony.

Ji Jinbai lowered his gaze, quietly listening to the steady breathing on the other end of the line.

Neither of them spoke.

After a minute, the man’s deep voice broke the silence: “You’ve been off lately. Did something happen?”

“Nothing happened,” Ji Jinbai replied coolly, his eyes fixed on the streetlight outside the window.

“I wanted to see you sooner, but I had to go on a business trip unexpectedly. I’m sorry.”

Ji Jinbai didn’t expect the man to pause for two seconds just to apologize to him.

“It’s not because of that,” he said.

Upon hearing the boy’s denial, Lu Tingshen chuckled softly and coaxed in a lowered voice, “Did someone make the little one angry?”

The man’s magnetic voice came through the receiver, stirring an inexplicable sense of grievance in Ji Jinbai’s heart. He bit his lip.

In a small voice, he replied, “Yes.”

Someone had indeed made him angry, and that someone was none other than the man on the other end of the line. Ji Jinbai had been heartbroken for days.

Hearing the pitiful “yes” from Ji Jinbai, Lu Tingshen’s heart melted completely.

Just as he was about to say something, Ji Jinbai interrupted him, “Don’t ask anymore…”

Lu Tingshen’s smile faded. He felt that the boy was definitely hiding something from him.

His expression turned serious, and his voice grew cold, “I’m at your school gate right now. Come out. I think we need to talk.”

Noticing the man’s increasingly firm tone, Ji Jinbai couldn’t help but feel a shiver in his heart.

Summoning his courage, he stubbornly and awkwardly lied, “No, I have things to do. I can’t come.”

Lu Tingshen narrowed his eyes, his gaze cold as he stared at the school gate. He felt a bit helpless. How could he not detect the awkwardness and sulkiness in the boy’s tone?

He couldn’t help but sigh.

“I’ll give you two options. One, you come out to the school gate obediently. Two, I’ll come to your dormitory to find you myself.”

“The second option won’t be as simple as just finding you,” Lu Tingshen added, his hand resting on the car window as he delivered this subtle “threat.”

Hearing his words, Ji Jinbai grew afraid that the man might actually come to his dormitory.

Thinking that it wouldn’t hurt to go down and meet him, he decided to use this opportunity to clarify things.

If Lu Tingshen really had a girlfriend, Ji Jinbai didn’t know what he would do.