Chapter 13

Cold Beauty Young Lady

“Su Yize, if I remember correctly, I rejected your proposal the very first time you made it, didn’t I?”

Luo Yihuan narrowed her eyes. The smile in her gaze turned icy as she stared at Su Yize, whose eyes were flickering evasively. She tugged at the corner of her mouth in a smile that didn’t reach her eyes.

“Do you still remember what I said back then?”

In an instant, Su Yize felt a burning sting across his face. His gaze darkened as it lingered on Luo Yihuan’s features, and memories flooded back of that previous rejection.

As the eldest son of the Su Corporation, Su Yize had always been flamboyant and unrestrained from a young age. Nothing he wanted had ever eluded him—except for this, where he kept stumbling before Luo Yihuan.

The reason was simple: the Luo Group was the Su Corporation’s biggest client.

After Su Yize came of age, his family had pushed him toward Luo Yihuan with everything they had, hoping the two would tie the knot. Su Yize’s mother, who had been classmates with Luo Yihuan’s mother back in the day, had been especially insistent about a marriage alliance during family gatherings.

Su Yize had excelled since childhood and scorned the idea of a business marriage. His heart was set on one woman alone.

But plans rarely survived change.

After Su Yize officially took the reins of the Su Corporation, he finally understood why his parents were so desperate for him to marry Luo Yihuan.

The Luo Group’s operations spanned a wide range, including private healthcare, medical equipment, and pharmaceuticals. The Su Corporation specialized in medical devices, which made up only a portion of the Luo Group’s business—heavyweight, perhaps, but far from irreplaceable.

In other words, if ties with the Luo Group soured, they could simply switch suppliers, and the Su Corporation would face devastating losses before long.

That golden thigh—Su Yize’s parents had long sought to secure it through their children’s marriage.

After weighing the pros and cons, Su Yize chose the same path as his parents. He invited Luo Yihuan to collaborate on a mutually beneficial deal.

But she had shot him down without a shred of mercy.

Remembering it all, Su Yize clenched his fists, his face twisting in embarrassment. He glared at Luo Yihuan with gritted teeth, seething with resentment.

Su Yize had approached Luo Yihuan twice before about marriage.

The first time, he had walked away on his own.

The second time, after learning the meeting was at a coffee shop, she had sent a vice president in her place.

Their first encounter had come when Su Yize invited her to discuss a new contract phase. Unfortunately, it coincided with the Luo Group’s monthly shareholders’ meeting. He waited a full hour before she finally appeared in the reception room.

Su Yize picked up the coffee from the table, his brows furrowing in impatience. Mindful that he was on her turf, he decided to play the gentleman.

After another wait, the door finally opened, and Luo Yihuan strode in.

She inclined her head slightly as she sat, noting Su Yize’s somewhat unpleasant expression. A faint smile curved her lips. “My apologies, President Su, for keeping you waiting. The shareholders’ meeting ran longer than expected today.”

Su Yize uncrossed his legs and looked at the beauty across from him. Her smile softened his expression, and he gave a small nod in acknowledgment.

Time was tight, so Luo Yihuan wasted no time after her apology. The Su Corporation had sent the contract ahead, and she pointed out the changes from the previous version—precisely the modifications Su Yize had approved. They discussed their respective interests.

The more they talked, the tighter Su Yize’s expression grew.

From the start of the negotiations, Luo Yihuan’s stance had been unyieldingly firm, even hinting that if they couldn’t align interests, the partnership might end.

Su Yize tried enticing her with alternatives and appealing to the benefits of long-term collaboration, but she deflected each effortlessly.

The first negotiation ended in deadlock.

Narrowing her eyes at the conflicted look in Su Yize’s, Luo Yihuan knew the Su Corporation wouldn’t budge easily on this contract.

With that in mind, she rested her fingertips on the saucer, calmly lifted the teacup from the table, and took a sip to soothe her dry throat. She no longer looked at the man across from her.

She had already grasped the Su Corporation’s intentions this time. The rest could be handled by her subordinates.

“President Su, I have other matters to attend to, so I’ll take my leave. Feel free to stay.”

The porcelain cup clinked crisply against the table, snapping Su Yize out of his thoughts.

His mind raced through a few scenarios before he adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses, curving his lips in a sincere smile. “President Luo, let’s set aside the business for now. My mother has always spoken highly of you. Have you ever considered a marriage alliance between our families?”

Luo Yihuan arched a straight brow slightly. Her slender white fingers tapped lightly on her thigh, a hint of amusement playing at her lips. She leaned back languidly, tilting her chin up a touch in relaxed poise.

A flicker of hope sparked in Su Yize’s eyes. This posture of hers—could it mean…

But the next second, words slipped from those beautiful lips, freezing him in place.

In a perfectly even tone, Luo Yihuan said, “President Su, you seem eager to become the bridge of benefits between the Luo Group and Su Corporation, but for our current contract, that might not be worth even a 0.5% concession.”

Zero point five?! Su Yize’s brows shot up. Forgetting his gentlemanly facade, his face turned icy. He sat speechless for a long moment.

He, the president of the Su Corporation, was worth only 0.5% in her mouth? Fine, very fine—Luo Yihuan was something else.

Ire uncontrollably flared in Su Yize’s eyes. His fist, clenched at his side on the sofa, caught Luo Yihuan’s notice. She wiped the smile from her face, her gaze turning frigid.

“President Luo, until next time.”

Rage blazed in his chest. Su Yize suppressed the storm inside, lightly adjusted his glasses, and rose from the sofa with a forced smile.

“Until next time.”

Luo Yihuan remained seated on the sofa. As the reception room door opened and closed, the coldness in her eyes showed no restraint. She chuckled softly toward the rising sun by the window, laced with sarcasm.

The Su Corporation… She hadn’t pursued how Su Yize’s mother had privately badmouthed her to her own mother, triggering a relapse of psychological issues. Yet he still dared bring up a marriage alliance.

Rifling through her mental notes, Luo Yihuan recalled the latest Marketing Department report. On the Su Corporation’s supply quality—perhaps due to years of complacency—it had fallen far short of its former excellence.

Since the Su Corporation was no longer the best option, this was the perfect chance to switch suppliers. And those old fogeys too close to external relatives? Time to purge them all at once.

She sat quietly on the sofa, her head tilted back lazily, leg swinging idly. Her deep eyes drifted sideways to the window, where towering buildings crowded the view—utterly dull.

Withdrawing her gaze, Luo Yihuan closed her eyes lazily, savoring a rare moment of leisure.

A gentle breeze passed by. Watching Su Yize’s expression, Jiang Li could more or less guess that Luo Yihuan hadn’t minced words back then.

So why was this male lead still hounding her after the rejection? Jiang Li wondered, her eyes flickering. Suddenly, a detail she’d overlooked struck her.

Luo Qing was the female lead, and Luo Yihuan was female lead number two!

Yet here was the male lead acting like no one but Luo Yihuan would do. So how did he end up with Luo Qing?

If it was fate or some destined romance, why a coincidence that Luo Qing held a key position at the Luo Group—and shared in its inheritance?

Her gaze shifted, scrutinizing Su Yize more intently.

Jiang Li had thought her task only required getting close to Luo Yihuan. But seeing Su Yize like this, his intentions were clearly sinister.

Jiang Li’s stare was unabashed. Feeling the scrutiny from the woman across from him, her eyes hiding schemes, Su Yize paused as he adjusted his glasses. He shot her a cold glance.

Even after repeated rejections, a man had to maintain some dignity. Su Yize knew pressing further would backfire.

But…

His mind flashed to the photo of his father amiably chatting with that illegitimate son around his own age—unknown to him until now.

How could he stay calm?

The Luo Group’s thigh had once been just one option, but now it was a must.

Scheming in his head, Su Yize steadied his emotions, pushed up his glasses to mask the gleam in his eyes, and tried appealing by comparison. “Luo Yihuan, you’re 27 now. Your mother isn’t well and has been urging you to find someone. You know her wishes.”

“The eligible bachelors around us—you know them all. Bar-hoppers, opportunists, even some who prefer men. They’re all rotten to the core.”

The more he spoke, the more confident Su Yize grew. “Our Su family may not match yours, but our roots in Shore Lake run deep. As for me, I’ve succeeded abroad and back, and I’m considerate with women. Our families are closely tied too.”

He touted his merits one by one. The longer Luo Yihuan listened, the darker her expression grew.

She glanced at Jiang Li standing beside her, then let out a light chuckle. The sharpness in her eyes shattered into sparkling flecks of brilliant amusement, dazzling and beautiful.

Luo Yihuan was amused by Jiang Li’s scrunched-up, bitter face—like she’d just heard the filthiest language imaginable.

Jiang Li knew she was laughing at her, but she couldn’t spare the attention. She focused intently on Su Yize’s words, trying to piece together some logic.

Over there, Su Yize finished his pitch and lifted his chin. “So, without a doubt, I’m your best choice.”

Jiang Li, who had been hanging on every word, blurted out before her brain caught up: “What a shameless jerk.”

Her mouth fired before her mind, and she glanced at Su Yize’s humiliated face. Ignoring his inner fury, a surge of hot-blooded impulse rushed to her head. She spun Luo Yihuan’s shoulders around.

Raising her own chin—its soft curve prominent, like a bold little cat declaring love—she stared into Luo Yihuan’s eyes and proclaimed loudly, “In your world, only I can make you happy. No one else can replace me.”

This time, Luo Yihuan heard every word from Jiang Li’s mouth clearly.

She looked down into those bright eyes before her, twin galaxies sparkling endlessly, twinkling points of light shimmering brilliantly under the sun.

The words were the same as Su Yize’s, but Luo Yihuan felt her heart skip a beat. In that moment, all surroundings faded—only the person before her remained crystal clear.

Luo Yihuan saw the shyness in her eyes plainly, noted the slight tremble in her upper body, and the faint blush spreading from her collarbone downward. It all screamed utter embarrassment.

But she was so happy.

An obvious curve bloomed on Luo Yihuan’s lips as she admired Jiang Li’s increasingly flushed cheeks. Getting no reply, the proud swan-like neck that had been held high slowly drooped in embarrassment.

Glancing at Su Yize, whose face had darkened to the extreme, Luo Yihuan let out a pleased laugh from her throat. She raised her wrist, her fingertip gently pinching the blood-red tip of her ear.

Leaning in slightly, she caught the fresh, clean fragrance wafting toward her. Jiang Li didn’t dare move an inch.

A moist, soft touch brushed her forehead—gone in a flash.

In that instant, the warm kiss grazed her skin, and Jiang Li’s heart nearly stopped. Her body went rigid.

The wind seemed to halt; her breath hitched. She only registered the rise and fall of the white blouse before her, as tumultuous as her heartbeat—wild and unrestrained.

Luo Yihuan’s voice sounded close by her ear. After a sharp intake of breath, Jiang Li stared dazedly at her moving lips.

She said, “I like women.”