Chapter 14

“Shen Qing.” A clear voice sounded behind her. Lu Zhi turned around and saw Xu Zirui walking toward her, dressed in a bespoke black suit, complete with a pair of gold-rimmed glasses.

“Zirui,” Lu Zhi raised her glass, her expression perfectly composed.

“Shen Qing, you look beautiful tonight.” Xu Zirui’s handsome face held a smile, like a peacock flaunting its feathers.

His compliment was brazen, yet Lu Zhi remained calm, replying politely, “Thank you.”

Beside her, Bai Lu snorted.

The young lady’s alcohol tolerance was surprisingly good. She’d been drinking champagne all evening, yet she still managed to maintain a sober appearance.

Xu Zirui heard the sound and casually shifted his gaze to Bai Lu, acting as if he’d just noticed her. His expression was a bit exaggerated as he said, “It’s Lulu! Girls really do change so much as they grow up; I almost didn’t recognize you!”

Xu Zirui was nearly a decade older than Bai Lu. Though his words were complimentary, his tone clearly treated her like a child.

Bai Lu, of course, had no intention of matching his false pleasantries. Upon hearing this, she pursed her lips, her impatient expression hanging clearly on her face. She stepped closer to Lu Zhi and demanded, “What do you want?”

“I just came over to greet Shen Qing.” Xu Zirui smiled, making Bai Lu’s attitude seem somewhat unreasonable. “I must also thank you for your guidance on the company’s recent project turnover. Things wouldn’t have gone so smoothly otherwise.”

Finishing his words, he looked back at Lu Zhi, his flattery delivered with an air of magnanimity.

Lu Zhi allowed a smile, saying, “You flatter me.”

Bai Lu, however, frowned and looked back and forth between the two of them, a vigilant expression on her face. “How are you two so familiar?”

Xu Zirui simply smiled without answering.

“Bai Lu,” Lu Zhi suddenly turned her gaze to Bai Lu, saying, “Regardless of anything else, Zirui is an executive at the company and a good friend of your late brother. In public or private, you shouldn’t be so impolite.”

Lu Zhi’s words were a light reprimand, but her tone carried no real accusation.

Xu Zirui’s expression flickered slightly, his smile thinning.

By bringing up Bai Hao so proactively, Lu Zhi had directly shattered the ambiguous atmosphere he had been trying to create.

Upon hearing this, Bai Lu was actually quite obedient. She gave a disinterested “Oh,” and didn’t retort. She leaned against the railing, bored, listening to the two of them talk.

The company annual meeting was held at a hotel. After it ended, it was already very late. Father Bai had some matters to discuss with a few old friends and told Bai Lu to go home first without waiting for her.

As Bai Lu left the hotel, she discovered it had started snowing outside.

She saw Lu Zhi’s car backing out of the open-air parking lot and couldn’t help but stop in her tracks, standing at the entrance for a moment.

Sure enough, Lu Zhi’s car drove towards her. The dark-tinted window rolled down, revealing a delicate face.

Lu Zhi was wearing a black dress today. The car’s heater was on high, so she only had a white fur shawl draped over her, wrapped casually around her neck, her wavy curls falling over her shoulders.

“I’m not going back tonight,” Lu Zhi said, tilting her head slightly from inside the car.

Bright eyes, white teeth, brows and eyes like a painting—she resembled a stunningly beautiful movie star from the end of the last century.

Bai Lu suddenly stammered. After a long pause, she asked a very dumb question: “Why aren’t you going back?”

Lu Zhi paused, momentarily unsure how to answer.

Over the past two years, Shen Qing’s visits to the Bai Family Residence had been very infrequent. Except for special occasions, or times like when Father Bai had been unwell, Shen Qing always stayed in her own apartment. The elders in the family understood and sympathized, so they had never said anything.

Now that Lu Zhi was here, she naturally continued Shen Qing’s habits.

A gust of wind swept over, carrying a few icy snowflakes. Bai Lu shivered, quickly snapping back to her senses. Her face felt inexplicably warm. She hurriedly said, “Oh, oh! Not going back! Okay, I understand, then…”

“Then…”

“Then can I come to your place to hang out?” She paused, her eyes widening.

“Hmm?” Lu Zhi was slightly puzzled, looking at the look of expectation that suddenly appeared on Bai Lu’s face, as if on a whim.

“It’s so boring going back alone. I’ll sleep over at your apartment tonight! Okay?” Bai Lu was a bit excited. Once this idea popped into her head, she couldn’t suppress it. She looked at Lu Zhi and said, “Shen Qing, I promise, I’ll absolutely listen to you and won’t touch your things without asking. Okay? Please?”

The apartment Lu Zhi lived in was downtown, also a property owned by the Yifang Group. Located on the 27th floor, it featured a huge floor-to-ceiling window offering a panoramic view of the city at night.

As soon as Lu Zhi entered, the lights turned on automatically. Under the slightly cool-toned light, the place was clean, bright, and spotless.

Lu Zhi brought a pair of slippers for Bai Lu, saying, “They’re new.”

Bai Lu replied with an “Oh,” slipped off her high heels, and looked around curiously. At first glance, the style seemed very simple and elegant, perfectly matching Shen Qing’s taste.

The living room was large, with the main light fixture shaped like a school of soaring whales. Several oil paintings hung on the walls, all in light, pale colors likely chosen to match the tone. Bai Lu squinted to examine the painting titled “The Deer” hanging near the entryway, noticing a small “S” marked in the bottom right corner.

Bai Lu turned back and asked, “Did you paint these on the walls yourself?”

“Some time ago,” Lu Zhi said.

“They’re beautiful,” Bai Lu thought for a moment, then offered two dry words of praise.

Lu Zhi smiled.

Bai Lu genuinely thought they looked nice, but unfortunately, she was “unlearned” and lacked the vocabulary to articulate it. She’d known for a while that Lu Zhi was a quite famous painter, but she had never actually seriously looked at her artwork.

She thought for a moment, and her mind suddenly flashed back to the last time she’d seen Lu Zhi in the art studio, along with that model, the bare back…

Could it be that artists’ figure paintings were all that ambiguous?

The question flashed through her mind and quickly disappeared.

In the center of the living room was a grey U-shaped sofa, a perfect balance of soft and firm. Bai Lu sat down and bounced a few times, remarking, “Living alone is really quite comfortable, no wonder you don’t come back.”

Lu Zhi gave an “Mm,” living alone was indeed very nice.

She casually draped the shawl she’d been wearing over the sofa, then went to the wet bar and brought back a glass of plain boiled water, placing it on the coffee table.

“It’s too cold out; drink some hot water first.”

Bai Lu was seated on the sofa, flipping through some books that had been left there. They were colorful picture books with sparse text and many ukiyo-e style illustrations. Bai Lu turned several pages, finding them quite interesting—certainly more so than the economics and statistics she had to study.

She took the offered cup, cradling the glass as she took a sip. Bland boiled water, the perfect temperature, flavorless, but as soon as it went down, it quickly warmed her chilled stomach.

“Bai Lu, come see your room.”

“Oh, okay!” Bai Lu set the water glass on the coffee table and stood up, full of enthusiasm.

The apartment was nearly two hundred square meters, but it only had three rooms: a master bedroom, a guest room, and the largest one, which Shen Qing had converted into a study and art studio.

The guest room’s decor matched the living room, all in a simple style. The blue and white light-colored bedding clearly showed it hadn’t seen many visitors.

“No one’s slept in it before, and the hourly housekeeper tidies it up regularly,” Lu Zhi explained.

Bai Lu strictly adhered to the etiquette of being a guest, nodding obediently. “Okay, even if someone had slept in it, I wouldn’t mind.”

Lu Zhi laughed, easily seeing through her polite words.

“The guest room doesn’t have its own bathroom; it shares the one with the living room. Toiletries and such are all new; you can help yourself.” Lu Zhi took her into the bathroom, opening cabinet doors to show her around, like leading a curious child.

“And pajamas,” Lu Zhi paused briefly, then led her to her own bedroom. “Let me check if I have a new set.”

Bai Lu responded with an “Oh,” her eyes already scanning the surroundings. Compared to the cool style of the living room, Lu Zhi’s bedroom was unexpectedly much warmer. A very large bed, the bedding not perfectly neat—even slightly messy—but looking exceptionally soft and inviting.

On the fluffy carpet on the floor lay scattered various small items: books, a tablet, pillows, plush toys…

A row of quirky figurines lined the nearby cabinet. Bai Lu’s gaze lingered on them for a long time, not recognizing a single one.

“What’s this? An octopus?” Bai Lu picked one up as she walked into the walk-in closet, asking Lu Zhi curiously.

“A jellyfish,” Lu Zhi looked back at the blue object.

“Huh?” Bai Lu turned it over in her hands, unable to see any resemblance to a jellyfish.

“I molded it myself. I’m not very skilled; it’s a poor resemblance,” Lu Zhi said with a laugh.

Bai Lu raised an eyebrow. Made it herself? No wonder it’s so ugly. Hah, you’re not so perfect after all!

A strange sense of schadenfreude suddenly hit Bai Lu. She toyed with the figurine in her hands with fresh amusement, indeed spotting a small fingerprint left on it. She unconsciously rubbed it with her thumb, then looked up, shifting her gaze to this averagely-sized walk-in closet.

It was full of transparent glass wardrobes. The first thing that caught the eye was a variety of dresses, mostly long ones.

The dress Lu Zhi wore today was also long, a simple black velvet figure-hugging style. It featured a teardrop-shaped cutout at the left collarbone, revealing fair skin, with pleats at the waist outlining a slender figure. It perfectly displayed both elegance and allure.

Bai Lu secretly sized up Lu Zhi from behind. She could barely remember what clothes this woman used to wear, but in recent months, she seemed to have worn long dresses quite often.

She glanced at Lu Zhi’s slim waist, having to admit that long dresses really suited her.

Lu Zhi was rummaging through the wardrobe, finally pulling out a light cyan nightgown. “No new pajamas, but this is also clean. Make do with it.”

“Did you wear it?”

“Mm,” Lu Zhi nodded, then said, “Otherwise, you can sleep naked; the sheets and covers were just changed two days ago.”

Bai Lu pursed her lips uncomfortably. Sleeping naked at home was no problem, but here, well… it didn’t seem right.

“Alright, thanks.” She reached out to take it. The fabric was soft and silky smooth to the touch.

Lu Zhi withdrew her hand, then pulled a pair of briefs from a drawer and handed them over, saying, “These, I haven’t worn.”

Bai Lu almost choked seeing the black lace underwear Lu Zhi held out with her hooked finger, her face instantly flushing bright red.

Seeing Bai Lu’s bright red ears, a mischievous glint flashed through Lu Zhi’s eyes, but her voice remained very calm as she said, “After washing, this is the only new style left. I haven’t worn it. Take it for tonight.”

Bai Lu was mortified, but she really couldn’t refuse this one. She could only blame herself for spontaneously deciding to barge in as a guest without bringing any change of clothes!

She glanced cautiously at Lu Zhi, whose expression was perfectly serious, as if she’d just handed over an ordinary piece of clothing.

Bai Lu paused, then had no choice but to reach out and take it, murmuring a thanks in a voice as quiet as a mosquito.