In the evening, they dined at Green Lake Villa behind the club.
Several men joined the meal as well. Bai Lu didn’t recognize any of them; she could only follow behind Lu Zhi like a child.
However, in the eyes of the others, Bai Lu, who hadn’t even graduated university yet, was indeed just a young girl.
Bai Lu was actually a little defiant. She felt she understood things very clearly. Lu Zhi must think the same way, which was why she treated her with such tolerance.
She wasn’t sure if, excluding her elder brother Bai Hao’s connection, Lu Zhi would still treat her so well.
Or perhaps, she wouldn’t even spare her a single glance, just like before.
“Enjoying the drink that much?”
Along with a soft query, a section of fair wrist reached over. Slender, delicate fingers gently and smoothly took the glass from her hand.
Bai Lu’s slightly melancholic heart hammered fiercely. She always felt that if Lu Zhi kept talking to her in this low, intimate voice, the left half of her body would go hemiplegic.
“We’ll be heading back soon, don’t drink too much.”
Lu Zhi took her wine glass, swirled it in her hand so the red liquid slowly traveled around the inside of the crystal, then took a sip herself before placing it back on the table.
Seeming to not receive a reply, Lu Zhi tilted her head slightly, emitting a monosyllabic “Hmm?” sound from her nose, tinged with confusion.
“…Okay.”
Bai Lu stared at Lu Zhi’s mouth, at the moist lip color. The wine seemed to have just flashed briefly over the other’s soft pink tongue tip.
She uncomfortably pursed her lips, twisting her fingers in turmoil. Her voice came out as if scorched by fire, finally escaping after a long while: “You… you just used my glass to drink…”
Lu Zhi raised an eyebrow at that, glanced at the glass she had just set down, and chuckled lightly: “It’s fine.”
Bai Lu felt that laugh was hooked, pulling all her tipsiness and crimson flush up from her gut and pinning it onto her face.
She remained in a daze all the way until they bid farewell to the others.
Then the car door was gently closed. In the sealed space, the cool fragrance mingled with alcohol, fermenting under the warmth of the heater.
Bai Lu felt unbearably hot and peeled off her coat and scarf, leaving only a fitted black sweater.
“Driver, please turn the air conditioning down a bit.”
Bai Lu heard Lu Zhi’s voice. This person was always like this—restrained, calm, elegant, polite to everyone. But in reality, she was aloof and cool, holding everyone at arm’s length at all times.
She stopped her fussing and leaned her head to one side. The black car window reflected Lu Zhi, seated on the other side. She was looking at her phone; the fluorescent brightness of the screen illuminated her face, clearly showing her serene, delicate features.
The mountainous forest scenery of the night rushed past outside the window. The winding mountain road was like a huge maze; turning round and round, there were only streetlights, one after another, flickering like starlight.
When the car finally emerged from the forested mountain, Bai Lu realized Lu Zhi had already put down her phone and was now leaning lightly against the seat, resting.
She could finally turn her head openly. The light inside the car was dim, but the city lights outside shone in, flickering brightly and dimly across Lu Zhi’s clean, beautiful face.
Bai Lu’s gaze traced the features of this woman inch by inch. The slightly lowered eyelashes cast a shallow, curved shadow upon her face. Her nose was delicately straight. Her lip color was a rich red, carrying a moist sheen—a gentle serenity and peace completely without guard.
Bai Lu thought, she might be going crazy.
After the Spring Festival ended, everything returned to its proper course.
Thanks to a few project sales and purchases made before the new year, the Yifang Group had managed to free up some capital and correspondingly slashed many budgets. With this inflow and outflow, the figures on the annual audit report finally looked somewhat better.
Of course, this money was still a drop in the bucket compared to the massive external bank debt. But at least it gave them a bit more confidence when seeking new investments.
At the end of March, the company’s financing department was anxiously racking its brains over the upcoming first-quarter loan repayment deadlines, yet new loan approvals were still not coming through.
Bai Lu was also tossed into restless turmoil by the tense atmosphere in the office. In the end, she hesitantly asked Lu Zhi if she could go and beg Zhou Ying.
“Uncle Zhou is the bank president. He would have a solution, wouldn’t he?” Bai Lu propped her chin on her hand, brows tightly furrowed, squatting beside Lu Zhi’s feet as she watched her sketch outlines on an easel with a paintbrush.
It was a weekend, and the sunlight outside was splendid, making one feel incredibly lazy. She had nothing to do today, so she had come to find Lu Zhi to hang out.
Since her last visit here, Bai Lu had grown quite fond of coming by frequently. Gradually, her daily routine had started to resemble Lu Zhi’s. At least on weekends, she no longer went out carousing with that group of rich second generations as she used to.
Her thoughts were actually not wrong.
The Zhou family was already an elite powerhouse in the banking system and had been close friends with Father Bai for many years. Having them act as an intermediary bridge could indeed cut out a lot of trouble.
Lu Zhi looked down slightly at Bai Lu. This young girl had been at the company for less than half a year. Of course, she couldn’t resolve the company’s many problems, but being able to recognize them was progress.
“Regarding the last incident, we’ve already completely fallen out with Zhou Ying. Now, this loan holdup might very well have the Zhou family’s hand behind it. What use would it be to beg him?” Lu Zhi was practicing a still life painting of a pot of brilliantly blooming sunflowers, her voice calm as she unraveled the less-than-savory inner workings of these matters.
Lu Zhi put down the palette in her hand, her gaze falling on Bai Lu. She asked with a smile, “Don’t tell me you actually still like him?”
“Who likes him?!” Bai Lu shot up upon hearing this, vehemently denying it: “Zhou Ying is a scoundrel! Utterly mercenary! I was really blind before!”
Lu Zhi smiled, not surprised by her reaction.
Truly, money moves the heart.
When Bai Lu had understood nothing, Zhou Ying’s scheming against the Bai family had been seen as unintentional faults. But now that she had stepped into the game and understood what money and profit were, she comprehended why the saying went: cutting off someone’s financial path is like killing their parents.
Zhou Ying certainly wasn’t at the level of killing parents, but for Bai Lu to like him as purely and ignorantly as before was absolutely impossible.
Besides…
Lu Zhi shifted her gaze back, gently dipping her brush in pigment and applying it to the canvas. Her voice carried a teasing flavor: “If you don’t like him anymore, then who do you like now?”
“I…”
Bai Lu was startled. Her gaze fell on the woman seated upright before the easel beside her. She wore a plain-colored long dress, her hair gently pinned at the back of her head, a few unruly strands falling near the tip of her chin. She looked both intellectual and languidly elegant.
“I like…”
Bai Lu’s mood inexplicably sank. She nibbled her lip with her shell-like teeth, unable to speak for a long moment.
Lu Zhi perceived her struggle and didn’t press further, standing up directly.
“Don’t worry. Regarding the bank loan, I’ve already found an intermediary. Your father has submitted the documents. It’s being rushed through urgently now and should arrive in the account within a couple of days,” Lu Zhi comforted her.
As expected, Bai Lu’s mood was quickly diverted. Surprised, she asked, “You already found someone? Who?”
“You’ve met him. Chen Yongsheng.” Lu Zhi pulled Bai Lu towards the sofa. The girl’s fingers were fine and soft, truly fitting the ancient description of a woman’s hands being delicately boneless. “You had dinner with him and Wang Lin during the Spring Festival. You never pay attention to these matters, so it’s natural you don’t remember.”
She pressed Bai Lu down onto the sofa, then went to the sink to wash the dried paint from her hands, teaching her word by word: “Chen Yongsheng is a high-achieving student who just returned from abroad last year. He was directly appointed as a bank Vice President. Although he looks young, he has connections with the Finance Bureau behind him, so his future prospects are vast.”
“The Yifang Group is a large enterprise with massive transaction flows. By releasing this money, he’s also setting a benchmark within the bank. For both sides, it’s a mutually beneficial deal.”
“However, this amount isn’t large, it can only temporarily solve the most urgent problem. In the future, you’ll need to put effort into maintaining the relationship.” Lu Zhi pulled out a paper tissue and meticulously wiped the water droplets from her hands.
Bai Lu listened, flabbergasted. It took her a moment to recover.
“You, you predicted this all along…”
“All trends leave traces to follow. Once you’ve seen more at the company, you’ll be able to do it too in the future.” Lu Zhi leaned against the table, smiling.
“You’re amazing.” Bai Lu dismissed the latter sentence but sighed from the bottom of her heart, her gaze at Lu Zhi filled with innate admiration and reverence.
Lu Zhi lowered her eyes. The young girl looked up, her delicate chin and neck slightly raised. Shattered light flowed in her eyes. She had a pair of eyes that looked exceptionally clean—bright, limpid, like spring water.
The sunlight outside the window fell on her profile. Her skin was fair and tender, her fine hair soft. She resembled a naive, innocent fawn.
After everything was finalized, the remaining loan disbursal procedures indeed proceeded very quickly. Once the company’s crisis had temporarily passed, Lu Zhi found a weekend and organized a gathering for everyone to spend two days at a resort villa outside the city.
As they were all younger people, Father Bai didn’t attend, only instructing Bai Lu to properly entertain and convey his thanks on his behalf. Although this child had always been a slacker before, her circle of idle friends was surprisingly large. She promptly pulled together a group of young, handsome men and beautiful women to join in as guests, making the event seem lively and significant.
The villa had dedicated staff to arrange activities, one little game after another. Bai Lu and that group of young people were all experts at having a good time, together creating a very cheerful atmosphere.
“Rest for a bit.”
Seeing Bai Lu’s face reddened by the sun, Lu Zhi couldn’t help but pull her under the pavilion.
Bai Lu had tied her hair in a loose braid, downy stray hairs framing her forehead and temples. Although it was only early April, the outdoor temperature during the day was already quite high. She wore a pink off-shoulder checkered blouse with lotus-leaf trim, loose blue jeans, and white skateboarding shoes. She looked very young, pretty, and vibrant.
Bai Lu’s face still held traces of joyful laughter, but her body obediently allowed Lu Zhi to pull her down to sit on a rattan chair: “It’s fine, I put on several layers of sunscreen. We’re going boating later, are you coming?”
“I’ll pass. You go accompany them.”
“Ah,” Bai Lu was a bit disappointed, then leaned in to observe her expression and asked with concern, “Is it because the sun is too strong? It really is a bit hot today.”
Lu Zhi shook her head, smiling as she said, “Bai Lu, although I’m the one who organized this gathering today, you are the main host. Try to interact with them more; you might find them useful in the future.”
Bai Lu was taken aback. After understanding her meaning, her expression grew somewhat complex. She stared at her with a dazed look for a moment before nodding: “Got it.”
Lu Zhi sensed her slightly low spirits and reached out to stroke her hair, consoling her: “Just go with the flow. The main point today is still to come out and have fun.”
Bai Lu was very easy to coax. She quickly raised her face again, her eyes curving into two crescent moons: “Okay.”
