Lu Linshen initially didn’t take Qin Yu’s words seriously; he was sitting there reluctantly. However, after hearing this, he felt as if struck by lightning, his mind going completely blank. He… kissed her?

Qin Yu clicked his tongue. Now this was the reaction he was waiting for! He had been holding this in all night and almost drove himself crazy. Now he was finally able to say it, and he saw the exact reaction he had hoped for on Lu Linshen’s face. He was utterly satisfied.

“Are you sure?” Lu Linshen finally spoke, after a long moment of shock, his tone filled with disbelief. “Are you sure you’re not lying to me?”

Qin Yu pouted. “Of course it’s true. If you don’t believe me, you can ask Lao Xu and the others. If you think we’re teaming up to mess with you, go ask Meng Jie. She’s the one whose lips you bit.”

“Ugh! Lao Lu, I never expected it. You look so serious on the outside, but I didn’t realize you were so ruthless and reckless inside!”

Lu Linshen: “…”

He really had no memory of it. But Qin Yu spoke with such confidence and even brought Lao Xie and Lao Xu to corroborate his story. Moreover, the part about him biting Meng Suihuan’s lips… his breath immediately grew shallow as he desperately tried to recall what had happened the previous night. Unfortunately, after thinking for a long time, the last thing he remembered was himself collapsing. As for what Qin Yu said, he had no recollection.

He had no choice but to rely on Qin Yu for answers.

“Old Qin, could you tell me exactly what happened last night?”

Qin Yu began to describe the scene dramatically.

“When we got out of the car, Meng Jie came to help. I was holding you, but you suddenly broke free from my grip. Before I could react, you rushed up and kissed Meng Jie.”

As Qin Yu spoke, his voice became more animated, his emotions evident. “We were all stunned.”

“If you hadn’t suddenly said something strange, I might not have reacted in time.”

“…What did I say?” Lu Linshen felt defeated, but he had no choice but to ask.

Qin Yu stood up and looked down at him, speaking each word deliberately.

“You said—”

“Be proactive, be brave.”

“But I’m curious, why did you say that? Shouldn’t you have said ‘I like you’ at a time like this?”

Qin Yu suddenly had an epiphany. “I get it now! It must be your secret code with Meng Jie! Only the two of you can understand it!”

Lu Linshen: “…”

He now wished he could take a cold shower to clear his head. Damn, what did he do last night after drinking?!

After a few seconds of silence, Lu Linshen lowered his voice, “So what was her reaction?”

This time, Qin Yu was stunned. He had been too shocked at the time to notice Meng Suihuan’s emotions. Now that Lu Linshen asked, he was at a loss.

“Uh, she was probably angry, but it didn’t seem like it…” Qin Yu scratched his head. “I don’t remember.”

“Lao Xie and them should know!”

Qin Yu quickly threw this world-class dilemma to his two friends. Lao Xu rolled his eyes at him, while Xie Zhixin smiled gently and began describing the scene.

“She was shocked at first. After reacting, she pushed you away with a cold face, but when she left, she smiled at you.”

“Oh, oh, oh! Lao Xie, now that you mention it, I remember! Meng Jie did smile in the end, but it was a bit strange. She looked angry at first, but then it seemed like she was happy. I still don’t understand, what did that smile mean?”

“Could it be that she likes Lao Lu?”

Lu Linshen: “…”

Don’t look at me.

He didn’t know the answer to that either. In fact, everything that happened last night was a blur to him. His mind had no recollection of it.

Although he had no clear memory of it, whether he was taking a shower, eating, or working through new project issues, the related conversations kept popping up in his mind:
– He kissed her.
– She smiled at the end.

Eventually, he couldn’t control his emotions any longer. He pulled out his phone and dialed a number that had been etched into his memory. The dial tone rang.

His fingers tightened around the phone, and the warmth in his palm seemed to rise. He felt a wave of heat throughout his body.

Then, the phone was picked up, and a familiar yet chilling voice came through.

“Hello?”

Lu Linshen’s mind went blank once again. It felt like countless tangled threads, impossible to unravel. He didn’t know how much time had passed. It wasn’t until the voice on the other end said, “If you don’t speak, I’m hanging up,” that he snapped back to reality. He closed his eyes, took several deep breaths to calm his wildly beating heart, and finally said to the person on the other end of the phone, sincerely apologizing, “I’m sorry.”

Although he knew it was a little too late to say this, it was the only thing he could think of at the moment.

“I was drunk last night. In a moment of impulse, I did something foolish. Whatever request you make… I’ll accept it.”

The voice on the other end responded with a casual, “Oh.”

And then it went silent. It seemed as though the matter was nothing to her.

Lu Linshen even began to doubt whether what happened last night was just Qin Yu making things up to mess with him.

“…Do you know what I’m talking about?”

The tone on the other end remained unchanged, calm as ever, which made Lu Linshen feel like the roles had somehow been reversed.

“I know, you’re talking about how you kissed me last night.”

Under normal circumstances, a girl would have had a stronger reaction to something like this. Especially Meng Suihuan. He still remembered how she reacted when he simply hugged her. But this time, he had kissed her in public, and she had just brushed it off so casually.

Lu Linshen felt like he had never understood her thoughts. After a brief silence, he patiently continued, “So, you don’t have anything else you want to say?”

“Well… you bit me, and it really hurt. Be more careful next time.”

Lu Linshen: “…”

When Meng Suihuan was kissed by Lu Linshen last night, she was initially stunned and angry because he had acted like a clumsy, reckless boy. He had even bitten her several times. He had bitten her lips so hard they were broken.

Just as she was about to lose her temper, the system showed her some data, and all her emotions were instantly washed away. She couldn’t help but wonder if kissing someone could heal so much life value?! Why hadn’t she used this simple and direct method before? Why had she taken such a long route?

In the end, she even thought she might take the initiative next time.

But through the phone, there was nothing more she could do. After thinking for a moment, she decided to lightly tease him, just to get back at him a little. After all, he had bitten her lip and caused her pain when eating!

The result—Lu Linshen immediately hung up the phone.

Meng Suihuan: “…”

She had only said one thing, and now she couldn’t help but laugh! Though, it was definitely more innocent and amusing than she expected. Tsk.

Since the celebration banquet, Meng Suihuan had focused all her attention on the company’s IPO, temporarily ignoring Lu Linshen. Lu Linshen, on the other hand, was deeply affected and threw himself back into studying mobile chipsets, checking for gaps, and even optimizing relevant features. A week quickly passed.

It must be said that work really does help shift one’s focus. Like Lu Linshen, who forced himself to study intensely during this period, optimizing the software and data to perfection. His mind was even filled with many new ideas and possibilities.

Phew. He let out a long breath.

Just then, he heard Qin Yu’s voice again, sounding extremely surprised.

“Lao Lu, what time is it, and you’re still studying data?! Hurry up and pack! We’re about to leave!”

“Hmm?” Lu Linshen glanced at him. Qin Yu had not only changed into a flashy outfit but had also styled his hair to be extremely neat.

“Are you going on a blind date?”

Qin Yu immediately widened his eyes and grabbed his shoulder. “Lao Lu, what nonsense are you talking about? You seriously haven’t remembered what important day it is today, have you?”

“Important day?” Lu Linshen repeated the words, and suddenly a number popped into his mind. He glanced at the calendar next to him. The number was circled in red!

Damn! The day for Xuyu’s IPO was today.

Lu Linshen quickly packed up his computer and saved the data, then rushed to take a shower and change into clean clothes. He followed Qin Yu and the others to the destination.

When they arrived, the venue was already filled with people. The scene was much grander than the exchange meeting they had attended before.

Upon entering, Lu Linshen immediately started looking for Meng Suihuan, but unfortunately, there were too many people around. After scanning the crowd, he couldn’t find a trace of her. At that moment, he overheard some people gossiping about Meng Suihuan and Xuyu.

At first, Lu Linshen didn’t pay much attention. But their discussions were so loud that he didn’t have to try hard to hear them; their words seemed to automatically reach his ears. And the more they spoke, the worse it got.

Lu Linshen furrowed his brows, ready to rebut them publicly, but he was stopped by the hurriedly arriving Qin Yu, who held him back.

“Lao Lu, calm down.”

“Meng Jie specifically told us not to engage with this.”

Lu Linshen raised his gaze and looked at him, his brow furrowed, his voice hoarse, “You knew about this?”

His tone was casual, just like before, but Qin Yu could clearly feel the difference. There was now an invisible pressure emanating from him. Though Qin Yu didn’t understand why this thought had crossed his mind, his intuition was always sharp.

After thinking carefully, Qin Yu hesitated before answering. “Lao Lu, it’s not that I didn’t want to tell you, but I was afraid it would interfere with your work, so…”

Before he could finish, the oppressive feeling behind him vanished, and Lu Linshen calmly looked at him. “Find a quiet place and tell me everything you know.”

So, Qin Yu found a quieter spot and shared what he knew. When it came to the gossip, he spoke with righteous indignation.

“Ugh! What do these people know? They just talk nonsense all day. Meng Jie has been under so much pressure for this IPO, and the others in the company have been working day and night… Yet these people, with one sentence, decide they know everything. If it weren’t for Sister Meng repeatedly telling us not to pay attention, I’d have already cursed them out!”

After hearing all this, Lu Linshen’s frown deepened, his emotions choking in his throat. After a long pause, he finally looked up at Qin Yu, his hoarse voice carrying a hint of pleading.

“Lao Qin, from now on, any news about her, good or bad, tell me first, as soon as you hear it.”

“Sorry to trouble you.”

Qin Yu was a little taken aback, pausing for a few seconds before realizing who the “her” was.

Qin Yu: “!!”

Damn! He had unintentionally learned some new gossip!