“Avoiding you? I’m not avoiding you.” Although she had been gradually distancing herself from him lately, it wasn’t exaggerated enough to describe it as “avoiding.” “You’re overthinking.”

“Mm.” Since he was just testing the waters, and since she didn’t want to say more, Lu Linshen didn’t continue to probe. “I’ve been thinking about the company’s separation for a long time. It was only recently finalized, so it wasn’t something I was deliberately hiding from you.”

“As for other matters, if you have any questions or requests, you can always communicate with me.”

“Mm.”

“You’ve mentioned this to me before, and I understand. Aside from the T-stock company issue I brought up last time, I don’t have any other plans. By the way, I’ve already drafted a template for the contract termination. When you have time, take a look and see if anything needs to be adjusted.”

Lu Linshen paused for a moment. “Alright, I’ve spoken to Lao Qin and the others about the shares, and they have no objections. When the time comes, I’ll prepare the corresponding contract and bring it to you.”

“That’s good.” As soon as Meng Suihuan heard that the equity issue was settled, her face visibly brightened with joy. She wanted to instinctively hide her smile, but seeing Lu Linshen’s steady gaze, she didn’t try to conceal it. After all, it was something worth being happy about.

“Do you have anything else to discuss?”

“If not…”

“Yes!” Before she could finish her sentence, he cut in quickly, despite his mind going blank, trying to appear calm. “I have something else.”

“Mm?” Meng Suihuan raised an eyebrow, “What else do you need to discuss with me?”

“Do you have time tomorrow? Could you accompany me for a driving practice?”

The driving lesson was something Meng Suihuan had completely forgotten about. Now, suddenly being reminded of it, especially after just having drawn a small boundary with him, made her feel awkward. She smiled apologetically. “I’m going to meet with the government tomorrow to discuss post-listing matters for the company. The day after, I need to check the operations of our subsidiaries for the past six months and plan for next year’s development. I also need to take care of the company’s smaller matters and monitor the project progress at Feiyun Group… So, I might not be available for the next little while.”

Although he only asked about tomorrow, Meng Suihuan blocked off her time completely, not giving him any opportunity to schedule another meeting in the short term.

“I have an exam at the end of next month, and there’s still a lot I haven’t mastered. If I fail, it’ll delay things for at least half a year. So, I might need to trouble you to teach me some things in the evening.”

“Is that okay?”

Meng Suihuan was silent for a moment. Now that the request was made, it was hard to refuse, especially since she had originally agreed. “If I don’t have any other plans in the evening, of course, that’s fine.”

Upon hearing this, Lu Linshen’s face broke into a satisfied smile. “Alright, I’ll let you know in advance and confirm the time with you.”

“Mm.”

“The cooperation with Feiyun Group has basically been settled. You had a plan, didn’t you? Have you figured out how to implement it? Do you need my help?”

“I do.” Lu Linshen didn’t hold back. After all, the specific implementation of the plan would require her help.

“Although the company is separating, to avoid alarming others, we still need to maintain the appearance of our relationship in public for now. But it won’t last long, and it won’t affect you… or the company.” Fortunately, Lu Linshen reacted quickly, smoothly glossing over the word “you.” However, Meng Suihuan still heard it clearly, though she chose to ignore it and pretended not to notice.

“Alright, I’ll try to cooperate.”

“….”

“If there’s nothing else, you should head back. It’s getting late.” Meng Suihuan glanced at the clock in the living room, which now read 9:00. She stifled a yawn. According to her current biological clock, it was already time for her to be in bed.

Lu Linshen also glanced at the time and understood it was not convenient to stay any longer. “Then I’ll leave. You should rest early too.”

“Alright.”

“Be careful on your way back tonight, and send me a message when you arrive.”

At this hour, there were no buses running, so Lu Linshen had to stand by the roadside and try to hail a ride, hoping to find one that was going his way. However, his luck wasn’t great that night. After a long wait, he finally managed to stop a car, but it wasn’t headed in the same direction. So, by the time he finally got home, it was already an hour and a half later.

He took out his phone and typed in a number he had long memorized.

“I’ve arrived.”

“Goodnight.”

Meng Suihuan saw the message the next day at 7:00 AM. Looking at the time it was sent—around 11:00 PM—she wondered why he got back so late. Was there something that delayed him along the way?

She originally wanted to send a text to ask, but in the end, she deleted the words she had typed.

When going to Feiyun Group, Meng Suihuan specifically went to find Song Mian. On the surface, they discussed phone case designs, but in reality, she was probing into the progress between her and Lu Linshen. She had already arranged two opportunities for them to meet, but she wasn’t clear on the specifics. When Song Mian mentioned Lu Linshen, she still seemed unfamiliar with him. At this rate, who knows when they would get back on track. It seemed she had to find a way to give them a little push.

Before she could figure out how to help, she received a call from Lu Linshen, confirming the time to teach him how to drive. When they were about to hang up, she heard him cough, and instinctively asked, “Do you have a cold?”

“Do you need to rest?”

He might have misunderstood her as looking for an excuse to refuse, so he hurriedly replied while coughing, “I’m fine, it’s just a slight cough. I saw a doctor and have a mask, I won’t infect you.”

This fool, why couldn’t he hear the concern in her words? Was she worried he might infect her? It was obviously… She didn’t feel like explaining, so she spoke with a commanding tone, “Just wait at school, we’ll practice around there.”

Originally, they had agreed to meet near the company, but after remembering he only got home at 11 last night and now he was in this condition… Still, Meng Suihuan would never admit she was soft-hearted. She purposely said, “This is more convenient. I don’t want to drive you back late at night, it’s too much trouble.”

“Mm.” Lu Linshen chuckled lightly, his smile coming through the phone and reaching Meng Suihuan’s ears, “Then I’ll wait for you.”

When she arrived, she didn’t immediately recognize Lu Linshen. He was wearing a gauze mask that covered most of his face. Just as she was about to call him, she saw the figure with the mask waving in her direction. Only then did she drive over, and when she got closer, she saw it was indeed Lu Linshen. She looked at him in surprise. After all, their company had two cars—one he used for business trips, and the other was used by others when going out to negotiate cooperation. Coincidentally, she was driving the second one, the one others often used, and she rarely drove it. She never expected him to recognize it at a glance.

Suppressing her emotions, she parked the car in a nearby spot. Lu Linshen sat in the passenger seat, holding some snacks. He casually said he had bought a few things, but Meng Suihuan noticed they were all her favorites. At that moment, she suddenly realized—he had liked her long before. She had just never noticed it.

Suppressing the emotions rising in her heart, she acted as if nothing had happened and drove the car to a more spacious place. Since she didn’t know how well Lu Linshen could drive, she decided to let him practice a short distance first.

“Are you letting me drive?” He seemed a bit surprised. Meng Suihuan nodded and explained, “I don’t know your situation yet, so I need to see you drive a bit before knowing how to teach you and what parts to focus on.”

Lu Linshen was silent for a moment before slowly saying, “Alright.”

Whether it was her expectations being too high or his lack of natural talent, he tried to start the car three times, but each time the engine sputtered out as soon as it lit. On the fourth attempt, he finally got the engine started. But when she wasn’t ready, the car suddenly lunged forward. Seeing that something was wrong, she quickly shouted, “Brake!”

He jerked the wheel, and they sped toward a nearby tree. Meng Suihuan didn’t have time to think about anything else. She grabbed the wheel, adjusting its direction while shouting loudly, “Lu Linshen, step on the brake!”

Then, she felt her body lurch forward. If it weren’t for her seatbelt, she would have been thrown through the windshield. Once the car finally stopped, she looked at him in shock, her eyes full of doubt, “Are you sure you learned to drive at a driving school?”

“I did.” Lu Linshen knew his actions had been a bit scary. His expression was slightly awkward. “But I learned slowly, and there was a gap in between… so I didn’t learn very well.”

“What you did wasn’t learning slowly; it was just like a complete beginner who hasn’t learned anything!”

Lu Linshen: “…”

He could only remain silent.

After understanding his real skill level, she decided to start with the very basics. As far as theory went, there was no denying Lu Linshen had learned quite well. He could quickly answer basic questions. But when it came to practical operations, he struggled. He kept failing with starting the car.

Meng Suihuan thought to herself, “How did I have the courage to agree to teach him to drive? If I had known his level, I definitely would have refused!”

Unfortunately, it was already a done deal. She had no choice but to continue teaching him.

Just when she was about to lose her patience, Lu Linshen finally managed to start the car. Seeing his childlike excitement, she couldn’t help but smile in relief. Finally… they had taken the first step.