The vehicle drove on until it finally stopped outside the office.
Lu Beicheng glanced out the window, then lowered his gaze to the woman in his arms, who still hadn’t woken up.
His brows furrowed slightly, his eyes full of disdain. This woman could really sleep.
Watching her peaceful sleeping face, Lu Beicheng fell silent for a moment, then said quietly to the young soldier, “Go take care of your own business.”
The young soldier answered. Having learned from what happened before, he opened the car door carefully and slipped out without making a sound.
Lu Beicheng glanced after him and gave a discreetly satisfied nod. No wonder the soldier had been trained by him—he knew how to read the room.
Unlike a certain woman!
As the young soldier was about to leave, Lu Beicheng suddenly remembered something. “Leave the car keys.”
＊＊＊＊＊
Lin Qiqi slept more soundly than she had in ages.
When she opened her eyes again, the first thing she saw was the man’s finely defined jaw.
Her beautiful almond-shaped eyes blinked as her gaze slowly traveled upward, meeting the man’s dark eyes.
Lu Beicheng parted his thin lips. “You’re awake.”
Lin Qiqi nodded dazedly. Her mind was still a blank; her thoughts hadn’t quite returned.
So how had she ended up in his arms?
Perhaps noticing the confusion in her eyes, the man kindly explained, “You fell asleep and snuggled into my arms yourself.”
“…” Lin Qiqi looked away and muttered, “Lu Beicheng, have you never heard the saying, ‘If you see through something, don’t say it out loud’?”
Hmph!
This man was still as annoying as ever!
Lin Qiqi sat up from his arms and stretched.
Mm, a man’s embrace really was the best remedy. The pain in her chest had finally stopped.
So comfortable~
She glanced at him, then took back what she’d just thought.
Yes, this man was still as “useful” as ever!
In a good mood, Lin Qiqi smiled and looked out the window. “When did we get here? Why didn’t you wake me?”
Lu Beicheng worked the stiffness out of his body and gave a cold snort. “Would I dare wake you?”
He’d gotten hit just for covering her with his jacket. If he’d actually woken her, who knew what kind of tantrum she would’ve thrown?
Lin Qiqi: “…”
Had he swallowed a firecracker or something?
Lu Beicheng opened the car door and got out, glancing at her. “I’m going to the office. Are you waiting in the car, or coming with me?”
Lin Qiqi naturally chose the latter. “I’ll come with you.”
The man’s cold expression softened a little at her answer.
He strode around the front of the car and opened her door for her. “Get out.”
Lin Qiqi said, “Oh,” then obediently got out and followed him.
Lu Beicheng opened the office door and walked straight over to his desk.
He pointed casually at the sofa beside it. “Sit wherever you like.”
Lin Qiqi answered and went over to sit down.
She took a casual look around the office, but her gaze soon settled on the man, who had already begun working.
She didn’t know what he was bent over, writing so quickly, but he looked very focused.
Outside the window, bright sunlight streamed through the glass and fell across the desk.
It bathed the man in a soft glow, seeming to soften even his stern features.
Lin Qiqi watched him, transfixed. They said a man was most attractive when he was focused on his work.
Looking at Lu Beicheng now, she thought that was absolutely true.
When he was serious, his appeal seemed to multiply countless times over.
The woman’s fixed gaze was impossible to ignore. Lu Beicheng reluctantly stopped writing and looked at her. “I’m filling out a marriage application. Do you want to read it?”
Lin Qiqi came back to herself and shook her head. “No.”
She was looking at him, not at what he was writing.
“If you don’t want to read it, then stop staring.”
It was distracting him.
Lu Beicheng’s sword-like brows drew together. He, who usually had such remarkable self-control, had actually let this woman distract him.
Lin Qiqi pouted. This man was just as stingy as ever—not even a little bit less.
She looked away, leaned her head back against the sofa, and stared up at the ceiling in boredom.
Honestly, if he didn’t want her looking, she’d stop. It wasn’t a big deal.
Lu Beicheng soon finished filling out the marriage application. He stood, picked it up, and prepared to take it to his superior.
Before leaving, he told her, “I’m going to the leader’s office. Stay here by yourself for a bit.”
Lin Qiqi nodded lazily. “Mm. Got it.”
Seeing how bored she was, Lu Beicheng thought for a moment. “There are books on the shelf. See if there’s anything you’d like to read.”
Lin Qiqi turned and lifted her face to look at him. “I can touch those?”
“Sure.” Lu Beicheng glanced around the office. “Just don’t rummage through the filing cabinets and leave them in a mess. Otherwise, do whatever you like.”
Then he added quietly, “You don’t have to be so formal.”
Lin Qiqi couldn’t help smiling. “Okay, I understand.”
The man was giving her quite a lot of leeway.
Lu Beicheng nodded and said no more. He turned and left the office.
Lin Qiqi watched him until his back disappeared from view, then looked away.
Being alone was even more boring, so she got up, went to the bookshelf, and picked out a book at random to pass the time.
She’d barely read a few lines when someone knocked at the door.
When Lu Beicheng had left, he had made sure to close it behind him.
Lin Qiqi thought it over for a few seconds. She didn’t want to answer. Whoever it was had come to see Lu Beicheng, and he wasn’t there anyway.
But the knocking didn’t stop when nobody answered. If anything, it grew more and more insistent.
With no choice, Lin Qiqi got up to open the door.
The visitor was a woman in her twenties, dressed in a military uniform, with short hair cut to her shoulders.
She looked brisk and capable, yet still had a young woman’s charm.
Lin Qiqi smiled politely at her. “Hello. Lu Beicheng isn’t here right now.”
Gu Qingwan stared at her, taken aback by her beauty for a few seconds. Then she seemed to realize something, and her expression changed at once.
“Who are you?”
Lin Qiqi’s brows furrowed slightly. The woman’s attitude was rather unpleasant.
Still, thinking she might be one of Lu Beicheng’s colleagues or something, Lin Qiqi held back and replied, “Lin Qiqi.”
Gu Qingwan froze. Who had asked for this woman’s name?
She stared at Lin Qiqi with open hostility. “Why are you in Brother Lu’s office?”
Lin Qiqi glanced at her. “However you want me to be here, that’s how I am.”
Too lazy to bother with her further, she went back to the sofa and continued reading.
Seeing how at ease Lin Qiqi seemed in the office, Gu Qingwan narrowed her eyes. “What’s your relationship with Brother Lu?”
Lin Qiqi paused, then tilted her head and smiled faintly. “Why don’t you ask Lu Beicheng?”
“…” Gu Qingwan drew a quiet breath. “Where is he—where’s Brother Lu?”
Lin Qiqi kept her attention on the book in her hands and answered without looking up, “He went to the leader’s office.”
At that, Gu Qingwan immediately turned and left.
Hearing her footsteps, Lin Qiqi called out calmly, “Please close the door behind you.”
“!!!” Gu Qingwan stopped, grabbed the handle, and slammed the door shut with all her strength.
A loud bang rang in Lin Qiqi’s ears. She gave a scornful smile.
Then, without giving it another thought, she went back to reading.