Five-star hotel. Meng Suihuan’s proposal for the reform of state-owned enterprises had made great progress. Although there had been some setbacks along the way, they had all been resolved well. Mayor Sun looked at her with a smile and praised her, “Xiao Meng, your suggestion was great. Now, Anda Group has undergone a complete transformation and is full of vitality again. The production value this month has already returned to its previous levels.”

Meng Suihuan was happy but even more curious. How did the progress happen so quickly? After all, the employees in state-owned enterprises had been working for decades, accustomed to a comfortable life, and it was hard to take the first step. She had expected it to take at least a year or more to see results, but with some help, the time had been shortened, and now, just four months later, there were already noticeable effects. Seeing the smile on Mayor Sun’s face, she smiled humbly and said, “I just made a suggestion. The rapid and effective results are all thanks to you, Mayor, and all the leaders and staff.”

As time passed, Meng Suihuan drank quite a bit of alcohol, and the atmosphere remained lively. As they were leaving, she tripped over her left foot and nearly fell. A hand quickly and steadily supported her. “Meng Jie, are you alright? Can you hold on?”

She replied while moving to the side, naturally pulling her arm away from his hand. “I’m fine, just accidentally kicked a stone and tripped. My mind is clear.”

Jiang Chengxuan glanced at his hand, still frozen in the air. A trace of disappointment flashed in his eyes, and he lowered his voice. “I arranged for the driver to wait on the other side of the street. I… I’ll take you home.”

As soon as he finished speaking, he felt his arm being forcefully pushed away. He looked up and saw Lu Linshen, who had somehow appeared between him and Meng Jie. Lu Linshen gave him a cold glance, his arm tightening around Meng Jie’s shoulder. “Xiao Jiang’s kindness, we appreciate, but I’ll take Suihuan home. You don’t need to bother.”

Just as he tried to avoid looking at his own reflection, Meng Suihuan raised her head and playfully called out, “Lu Linshen, what are you doing here?” She didn’t avoid him at all. Instead, she leaned into his arm, her expression relaxing and becoming more natural.

His fingers slowly brushed through the stray hair on her forehead, his previously hostile gaze softening into a gentle and tender one. He unscrewed a bottle of water and brought it to her lips. “Drinking makes you thirsty, sweetheart. Drink some water first.”

She, like a well-behaved kitten, obediently drank a small sip. He affectionately wiped her lips with his thumb, his eyes focused and gentle, his movements light, as though he were treating a precious gem. Finally, he tapped her forehead lightly. “Didn’t I tell you to drink less? Why do you still not listen?”

She didn’t resist or push him away. Like a good little kitten, after drinking the water, she naturally leaned against his shoulder.

Some things, although she already knew the answer, still left room for unrealistic fantasies in her heart. She thought… as long as she persisted enough, there might be a chance. It was quite laughable.

Jiang Chengxuan let out a soft laugh, but it carried a bitter undertone. Soon, he saw Lu Linshen pick up Meng Jie in his arms and gently place her in the back seat, leaning her against his shoulder. When Lu Linshen tried to close the door, Meng Suihuan stopped him, ordering, “Don’t move.”

Lu Linshen gave a helpless smile and turned to ask Jiang Chengxuan for help. “Xiao Jiang, could you close the car door for me? Thank you.”

He raised his hand to close the door. Just as it was about to shut, he heard Lu Linshen’s voice reminding him, “Be gentle, don’t scare her.”

The door closed gently, but the window was slowly rolled down.

“Xiao Jiang, thanks for looking after Suihuan. You’ve worked hard. I should’ve taken you home too, but since she’s really drunk tonight, I’m afraid she might feel uncomfortable, so I won’t send you. Send me the fare, and I’ll cover it.”

“No need,” Jiang Chengxuan replied. “Accompanying Boss Meng at social events is part of my job. I was just doing my duty.”
—————–
“Lu Linshen, so what’s your choice?”

She already knew his feelings; he had shown them through his actions. But she still wanted an answer. She wanted him to give her the answer himself.

She stepped closer to him, stopping just a short distance away. The warm yellow light from the living room lamp illuminated his face, highlighting his sharp features. He still looked so handsome.

“Suihuan, you know my nature. Once I set my mind on something, even if it means blood and tears, I won’t easily give up. Whether it’s conducting experiments or loving you, it’s the same.”

“So, let’s be together.”

“You need to think it through, I might leave at any time.”

This was the ticking time bomb between them.

“Then we should be together sooner. Every minute and second wasted is a waste of the time we could spend loving each other.”

Laughter like silver bells rang out in the living room, crisp and pleasant to the ears. “Lu Linshen, why is your mouth so sweet lately? How are you so good with words?”

His answer was even better than she had expected, even more charming. She decided to reward him.

“Lu Linshen, look down.”

He obediently lowered his head. Her fingers gently wrapped around his neck, and she gave a teasing command, “Lower it a bit more.”

He lowered his head further.

She stood on her tiptoes and tilted her head back, pressing a “reward” on his lips. As she stood up to leave, he grabbed her arm, pulling her back. He tentatively spoke, “So, Suihuan, are we together now?”

Though the choice was in his hands, the decision had always been in hers.

She scoffed. “You big fool, I already kissed you, so what do you think?”

In the next instant, she was lifted off the ground, her body spinning in the air. She couldn’t tell how many circles he had spun her in, but her head was completely dizzy from it.

“Lu Linshen, put me down, I’m going to throw up if you keep spinning me like this~”

Her words were effective. As expected, he obeyed and gently put her down, making her sit on his lap. He gazed at the empty space on her neck. “Suihuan, where’s the necklace I gave you?”

“It’s in the bedroom on the nightstand, what’s wrong?”

“Your neck looks so empty. Let me get it and put it on for you.”

He was so cute, acting as though she had an empty neck just because he had other ideas. Under the dim yellow light, the golden necklace in his hand blended with the light. He gently moved her hair aside, awkwardly trying to put the necklace on her. At times, he got her hair caught in it, and other times, he fastened it too tightly.

She teased him, offering to put it on herself, but he refused, as if it was some important ritual. After much effort, he finally managed to put it on her.

He gazed at her with intense admiration, his tone sincere and gentle. “It looks really good on you, Suihuan.”

For a moment, she couldn’t tell if he was talking about the necklace or about her.

“Suihuan, can I kiss you again?”

Meng Suihuan considered herself experienced with the ups and downs of life, but this direct approach was rare. She… turned her head away in embarrassment and anger.

“No!”

His once bright eyes instantly dulled. He stood there, looking foolish, and sighed with a hint of sadness.

In that moment, when he wasn’t paying attention, she leaned in and softly kissed the corner of his mouth.

“This is a punishment for you,” she said, “for asking a girl such an embarrassing question so straightforwardly.”

She kissed him again, “And this is a punishment for you too, for saying you wouldn’t give up on me, but now that I say no, you give up so easily…”

“I’m sorry, Suihuan.”

“You didn’t do anything wrong, Lu Linshen. I just want to tell you that in love, we are equals. It’s not just that you chose me, I also chose you. So, you don’t have to be so cautious. You can be bolder, more relaxed, and confident. Do whatever you want.”

As soon as she finished speaking, his lips pressed forcefully against hers again. After a long while, she felt breathless.

“Suihuan, is this how it is?”

Meng Suihuan: “…”

There’s no need to be so studious in some matters.

It was another call from Qin Yu. After chatting for a while, Qin Yu informed him that the technical difficulties had been overcome and that in the next phase, the product could be launched for market testing. Noticing her curious gaze, he instinctively explained, “The company has recently developed a few new games, and they are currently being tested and upgraded.”

“If you have some free time, you can try them out too, see how they compare to the game you described before, and figure out what improvements can be made.”

Meng Suihuan raised an eyebrow, surprised that he was already working on games and had reached the testing stage. As expected of the man she had her eyes on, his execution was impressive.

“Sure, I can try them,” she smiled and agreed, then asked, “But I have two projects that need planning and evaluation, so I might not be able to do it immediately. Is this urgent?”

“It’s not urgent. Just help test them when you have time,” he replied.

Suddenly, an odd voice rang out from the phone, breaking the calm.

“Damn, Lu Ge, was that just Meng Jie’s voice? Are you two together now?”

“Mm.” Lu Linshen, with a considerate gesture, poured her a glass of milk and then slowly responded to Qin Yu, “Yes, we’re together.”

“Oh, I knew it! But it’s so early, and you’re already at Meng Jie’s place? Aren’t you worried about disturbing her?”

“Will I disturb her?” Lu Linshen suddenly raised his eyes to look at her, his tone serious. “Suihuan.”

Wasn’t he asking a rhetorical question? Meng Suihuan shot him a glare, deliberately opposing him, “What if I say yes? What, are you going to leave now?”

Lu Linshen smiled lightly and shook his head. “Since I’ve already disturbed you, I should make it up to you and wait until you calm down. How could I leave?”

“Make it up to me? How are you going to do that?” Meng Suihuan raised an eyebrow, teasing him.

In the next moment, she felt his gaze slowly shift from across the table to her face, moving down to her lips. Thinking back to certain scenes from early this morning, she wondered if his idea of “making it up” meant… She glared at him harder, “You scoundrel—”

How did she never notice before that Lu Linshen could be like this?

“Suihuan, I haven’t said how I’ll make it up to you, so how did I become a scoundrel? Are you thinking of something else?”

On the other end of the phone, Qin Yu listened to their teasing banter and felt something was off between the two. It almost seemed like they were together now. Together…? Were they… together?

His brain, which had crashed for a moment, quickly started working again. The more he thought about it, the more likely it seemed. Qin Yu excitedly slapped his thigh, “Brother Lu, what did you just say? You and Meng Jie are together? Is this ‘together’ the kind I’m thinking of?”

Lu Linshen raised his gaze to look at Suihuan, who was drinking her milk, his eyes soft and affectionate.

“Yes, it’s exactly what you’re thinking. Suihuan and I are together, our hearts are in sync.”