Chapter 41: Falling Deeper?

Bai Jin heard it.

The moment the video call connected, she heard Lu Huan calling out to Momo and telling it to come see its mom.

Actually, on second thought, Momo was the cat Lu Huan had gone to all the effort to adopt—coordinating with the hospital, taking it to the vet for a checkup, buying all the pet supplies. Lu Huan had handled every bit of it herself.

They were living in Lu Huan’s home now, so by all accounts, she was Momo’s owner.

Yet Lu Huan seemed to think Bai Jin was its owner too.

It was a warm, comforting illusion.

Bai Jin cherished that illusion.

Lu Huan aimed the screen at Momo. The cat meowed twice, finally dragging its attention away from exploring its new surroundings.

“Meow?”

Bai Jin spotted the cat tree, the fully stocked cat bed, the rug, and all the other supplies behind it—clear signs of how much time Lu Huan had spent preparing.

She called out to Momo. She never said much when petting it usually, but she parted her lips and murmured, “Be good.”

Her voice was soft and light, the usual chill in her tone melting away just a little. Bai Jin had no idea how Momo felt about it, but Lu Huan froze for a moment.

“Meow~”

Momo answered, then kicked off with its paws and scampered away.

Lu Huan snapped out of it and smiled. “So gentle, Bai Jin.”

She pulled the phone back toward herself, stood, and walked over to the dining table. Her tone was casual as she added, “I’ve never seen you be that gentle with me.”

It was true. She’d never been gentle with Lu Huan—especially when she was biting, she’d gnaw like her life depended on it.

Had she really just been gentle?

Bai Jin fell silent. She hadn’t even noticed her own tone.

So… Lu Huan liked it like that?

Lu Huan had no clue what was running through her head. She returned to her seat and kept eating her noodles. With the camera angled off to the side, Bai Jin could only vaguely make out one of her ears and a few strands of hair at her temple.

Remembering the photo she’d just seen, Bai Jin asked, “Is that all you’re having for dinner? Just noodles?”

“Yeah… I’m too wiped out to move. Making do is fine.”

Ever since Bai Jin’s hospitalization, Lu Huan had realized how much of a hassle solo meals could be. She didn’t want to cook too much and waste it, so she kept portions small and just coped.

But things hadn’t been like that before.

Back when Lu Huan lived alone, she’d make fancy single-serve meals whenever she had time. Now it just felt like too much trouble.

She’d probably gotten too used to cooking for two.

Lu Huan shifted her attention back. “What about you? What’d you eat?”

“Dumplings,” Bai Jin said. “Aunt He made them at home and brought some over for me to try.”

Lu Huan nodded. “Aunt He’s great. Such a kind, warmhearted lady.”

Qin Dian had sharp eyes for people—anyone she approved of wasn’t ordinary.

Thinking of Qin Dian made Lu Huan suddenly recall something. She’d always been concerned about Bai Jin and would check in if anything happened.

“Right,” Lu Huan asked, “did Mom come to see you afterward?”

Bai Jin answered honestly. “Auntie visited last week and asked about my injury.”

“Oh. Really.”

Lu Huan tried not to show anything unusual. She kept her eyes down, poking at her noodles with her chopsticks. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

Bai Jin replied, “You were on that business trip. You were busy.”

She had been busy lately—too busy to visit the hospital.

Still, Lu Huan didn’t buy that her intentions were quite so simple. Anything involving the Lu Family had to be approached with caution.

If Bai Jin stuck to that excuse, pressing further wouldn’t get her anywhere.

Her tone might have come off too stiff and formal, though—enough to arouse suspicion. So she said, “Fine, you’ve got a point. But I don’t want to hear it.”

“And it’s making me a little mad. What are you going to do about that?”

Bai Jin hadn’t expected her to say that. The explanation on the tip of her tongue died unspoken. “Mad…?”

Her reaction was more puzzled than anything. Lu Huan huffed a laugh. “What, is getting mad your special privilege?”

“No.” Bai Jin had never dealt with a situation like this. After a hesitant pause, she asked, “So… what should I do?”

“Promise me one favor,” Lu Huan said. She wasn’t being reasonable, and she took it further by adding, “I’ll tell you what it is later, when the time comes.”

Bai Jin didn’t even have a chance to ask what the favor was before Lu Huan barreled on. After mulling it over, not sure what else to say, Bai Jin simply agreed.

The call stayed connected. Neither of them mentioned hanging up.

Once Lu Huan finished her own bowl, she turned to prepare Momo’s portion. She scooped the right amount of kibble into its bowl, and Momo came bounding over, drawn by the smell.

It buried its face in the bowl and chomped away happily.

It was eating quite nicely.

The rear camera stayed trained on Momo, letting Bai Jin watch it chow down so obediently.

Adapting to the new home without any freakouts—everything was going smoothly.

“Good as long as it doesn’t make a fuss,” Bai Jin said.

Lu Huan replied, “This is just the first day. Who knows what it’ll be like later. You can handle it from now on.”

Bai Jin stared at the cat on her screen, but her mind was elsewhere. “Mm… oh, right.”

“The doctor stopped by today for a check. She said I’m recovering well—should be able to leave the hospital in a few more days.”

The days were flying by.

Lu Huan’s hands paused for a moment before resuming their motion. “Good. I’ll come pick you up then. I’m looking forward to you getting out early, too.”

“After all…”

“Cooking for two is way better than cooking for one.”

—

The weekend ended, and a hectic Monday rolled in.

Zuo You delivered the organized files and the next few days’ schedule to Lu Huan’s office. Things had eased up a bit after the past couple of busy weeks.

Around noon, Lu Huan left her office and took the elevator down, planning to grab lunch at the company cafeteria.

The lunch rush had passed, leaving most of the workstations empty.

As she stepped into the elevator, three people were already there. It wasn’t until the doors slid shut that Lu Huan realized they looked familiar—colleagues of Bai Jin’s.

The elevator car hung in heavy, awkward silence. Ren Ningning and Xiao Lü exchanged a glance, then cleared their throats to break the ice. “President Lu, heading to lunch at this hour too?”

“Mm,” Lu Huan replied. “You as well?”

“Yeah, yeah—fewer people now.” Ren Ningning went on, “Hey, President Lu, how’s Bai Jin doing with her recovery? When’s she coming back? We were thinking of visiting again sometime.”

“She’s recovering well,” Lu Huan said. “She should be back at the office soon. No need to worry about her.”

“Oh! That’s great. We’ve been wondering when she’d return.”

The elevator dinged at their floor, and Ren Ningning and the others let out a collective breath of relief.

“See you, President Lu! Bye!”

Lu Huan nodded, and the three young women bolted out like she was some kind of monster.

On a second thought, Lu Huan wasn’t sure if it was her imagination, but one of the shyer girls had kept her head down the whole time—though her eyes kept darting over, like she wanted to look but was too scared.

Lu Huan didn’t dwell on it and headed to the cafeteria.

Her phone rang. Glancing at the caller ID, she saw it was a familiar contact.

She answered as she walked. “What’s up?”

Xi Hangyu’s voice came through, weary and tinged with self-mockery. “Give your mage buddy a hand, won’t you, big-shot president—”

Car horns blared in the background, mixed with the whoosh of wind.

Something was off. Lu Huan stopped in her tracks, her hand freezing on the glass door handle. Her brows furrowed.

“Why the sudden tone?”

Xi Hangyu’s voice turned world-weary. She let out a helpless chuckle. “What else? Your jinx of a prediction came true. Botched a prophecy reading.”

“And now they’ve blockaded my house for the debt.”

“…”

Lu Huan owned a villa out in Jinning City’s East Suburb, though she rarely visited. It was a proper townhouse—not as grand as the Lu Family Villa, but hardly cheap.

When she got picky, she could list a dozen complaints: too big to navigate, stairs everywhere, too far from downtown and the office, and so on.

That was why Lu Huan hardly ever stayed there. She preferred her city-center apartment—quiet and cozy for one person.

The villa stayed pristine thanks to the maids who cleaned it regularly. And today, it was finally coming in handy.

Xi Hangyu stepped inside and made a beeline for the plush sofa in the spacious living room on the first floor. She flopped onto it, all traces of her usual poised lawyer persona gone.

The place had sat empty for ages, but the cleaning crew kept it spotless—every surface and stick of furniture gleaming.

“Thanks.”

Lu Huan gave her a once-over.

She remembered picking Xi Hangyu up earlier: the lawyer had been crouched in a dingy alley mouth, staring off into space.

Normally, she cut a sharp figure in her business suits—vibrant, eyes scanning everything with curiosity and a hint of disdain, like nothing could touch her.

But today, slumped on a discarded wooden crate, she looked utterly drained. A far cry from her usual self.

Lu Huan figured it tied back to the case Xi Hangyu had mentioned last time.

Seeing her like this, Lu Huan didn’t pry. She’d explain when she was ready.

“No need to thank me—we’re friends. I’ll call Aunt Zhu and the others to come over. Just rest here for now.”

Lu Huan shot off a message to the maids. “Pick a room upstairs that suits you—except the master bedroom. It’s locked, and you probably can’t get in anyway.”

Xi Hangyu cracked a smile and teased, “Locked door, huh? You haven’t changed after all these years. People might think you’re hiding treasure in there.”

Lu Huan laughed and swore lightly. “Mind your own business.”

The villa was fully stocked with everything anyone could need. Once things were settled, Lu Huan gathered her things to leave.

“Rest up. I’m heading back to the office.”

She turned for the door, but Xi Hangyu called after her. “Already? You haven’t had lunch either. Stick around and eat with me?”

“Too busy—grabbing something at the office. Need to wrap up work early so I can visit someone later.”

Visit someone.

Xi Hangyu could guess who.

She sat up straighter on the sofa, leaning back against it.

“Lu Huan… that makes three times.”

Lu Huan came to a halt. “What three times?”

“From our last meeting at Sumen until now,” Xi Hangyu replied, “you’ve ditched me three times, and every single one was because of her.”

Lu Huan hadn’t given the matter much thought before, but now that she reflected on it, Xi Hangyu was right. The first time had been on the bridge, when she’d claimed she needed to go back and soothe someone. The second had been when Bai Jin ran into trouble.

Xi Hangyu’s eyes curved slyly at the corners. “What I’m saying is… you haven’t really fallen for her, have you?”

Fallen for her?

Heh.

Lu Huan found the idea laughable. She turned on her heel and walked away, tossing a casual, feather-light remark over her shoulder.

“No way.”

Not in this lifetime.

“……”