The next day. When Su Tang woke up, her alarm happened to ring at that exact moment.
She reached out to turn it off and rubbed her eyes.
The next second, fragments of last night’s memories flooded into her mind.
She had gotten sleepy and been tapped on the head, and later, when Lu Zheng saw that she was simply too tired, he had magnanimously allowed her to rest for ten minutes.
Then what happened?
Su Tang closed her eyes and thought about it for a long while, but she could not remember what came next.
She suddenly sat upright. How had she gotten back to her room last night?
Could it have been Lu Zheng who carried her back to her room?
At the thought, she immediately lowered her head and glanced at her nightdress. Although it was slightly rumpled, it was completely intact.
She breathed a sigh of relief.
But when she thought about what had happened last night, her thoughts were still a mess.
She had always been afraid of Lu Zheng, especially after having that prophetic dream.
Yet their interactions over the past few days had disrupted everything she had previously believed about him.
Especially last night.
He was clearly so busy, being the man who managed the entire Lu Group and had countless affairs to deal with every day.
Yet he had been willing to take time out of his schedule and patiently teach her.
When he saw that she had fallen completely asleep, he had even carried her back to her room.
Perhaps…
Lu Zheng was not as frightening as she had imagined?
But the next moment, she immediately shook her head, forcibly suppressing that inexplicable flutter in her heart.
No, no.
Su Tang, get a grip!
No matter how kind and patient he was, it was all based on the fact that she posed no threat to the Lu family.
Her top priority right now was to save money!
Once she had saved thirty million, she would leave the Lu family far behind.
Then she could do whatever she wanted.
With that thought, she happily got out of bed.
When changing clothes, she deliberately chose a white chiffon blouse made of lightweight, breathable fabric.
She paired it with a pair of light smoke-gray straight-leg cropped suit trousers and soft leather flats suitable for commuting.
The overall look was neat and polished.
Su Tang tidied her hair in front of the mirror, applied a simple layer of makeup, picked up her bag, and went downstairs.
Downstairs, in the dining room.
Lu Zheng was dressed in a black suit, sitting upright at the dining table with a newspaper in his hand, his sharply defined profile cold and refined.
Hearing footsteps, he looked up. “You’re awake?”
Su Tang paused. She had not expected Lu Zheng to still be there.
Normally, he would already have left for the company by this time.
“Good morning, Brother Lu Zheng.” She pulled out the chair and sat down opposite him.
The man gave a faint hum.
Su Tang did not want to talk to him any more than necessary, so she turned her attention to the dining table.
Although it was only breakfast, it was an elaborate spread.
Everything had been prepared according to her tastes, with steamed buns, youtiao, crystal shrimp dumplings, xiaolongbao, and more filling the entire table.
Su Tang took a sip of soy milk and picked up a piece of youtiao.
The exterior was crisp while the inside was soft and chewy, and it was so fragrant that she could not help narrowing her eyes in satisfaction.
While Su Tang was eating with relish, Lu Zheng’s gaze swept over her.
The young woman was dressed simply today, her hair tied into a low ponytail that exposed her slender, fair neck.
Yet her face was naturally striking, making even her plain clothes look brighter and more eye-catching, enough to make it difficult to look away.
“Take my car to work today,” he suddenly said, his gaze lingering on her.
Su Tang’s hand holding the bun froze, and her face was filled with astonishment.
For the past few days, Lu Zheng had never eaten breakfast at home and had left early every morning.
Today, not only was he having breakfast with her, but he actually wanted to drive her to work?
She immediately shook her head. “N… no need.”
The corners of Su Tang’s mouth nearly twitched.
Who in the entire company did not recognize Lu Zheng’s personal luxury car?
A few days ago, Lu Zheng had spoken to her in front of everyone, and she had spent ages explaining to her coworkers before finally convincing them that she really was not close to him.
If they saw her getting out of his car, who knew what rumors would spread around the company?
Lu Zheng raised an eyebrow, lifted his coffee, and took a sip. “Why?”
“My coworkers might see me. It wouldn’t look good, so I’ll just take a taxi myself.”
Su Tang looked at him with clear, doe-like eyes as she tried to reason with him.
But Lu Zheng merely nodded, then raised his hand to glance at his watch. “The driver will be here soon. Hurry up and eat.”
“Really, there’s no need to trouble you…” Su Tang quickly waved her hand. “I can get a taxi very quickly.”
“It’s on the way.” Lu Zheng’s tone was calm but left no room for argument. “And I’m not charging you.”
“But…”
Su Tang was about to say something more when Lu Zheng had already stood up.
Lu Zheng was more than a head taller than her, and his perfect physique beneath the suit carried an overwhelming sense of pressure. His shadow fell over her, enveloping her entire figure.
“Be good.”
He reached out and rubbed the top of her head.
The words that had been on the tip of Su Tang’s tongue were immediately swallowed back down.
Good grief!
This man genuinely had no idea what it meant to keep a proper distance!
Her little face scrunched up with worry.
Forget it. She would ride in his car. Just as he had said, at least she could save the taxi fare.
She lowered her head and continued drinking her soy milk, only realizing belatedly that the man had just rubbed her head.
Her ears instantly flushed slightly red.
Seeing her troubled little expression, the corners of Lu Zheng’s lips curved upward.
……
After finishing their work in the living room, the two servants took advantage of a free moment and stood in the side corridor, chatting quietly.
The younger servant wiped a vase and looked at Aunt Wu beside her, unable to resist lowering her voice. “I’ve noticed that Sir has really changed a lot lately.
“Before, Sir would leave early and return late, and he never stayed at home for long. Ever since Miss Su arrived, he’s been coming home earlier and leaving later. He’s practically at home every day.”
After saying this, she cautiously continued, “Aunt Wu, do you think it has something to do with Miss Su living here?”
Aunt Wu immediately glared at her when she heard this. “What nonsense are you talking about?”
Su Tang had been raised by the Old Madam since she was little. In both obvious and subtle ways, the Old Madam had always treated her as the future second young mistress of the Lu family, essentially intending her to become the wife of the second young master, Lu Huai.
It was something that the entire Lu family had tacitly accepted.
But the younger servant could not keep such thoughts to herself. She glanced around before whispering, “But Miss was asleep in the study last night, and Sir personally carried Miss Su back to her room. He was so gentle.”
At those words, Aunt Wu’s hands paused, and her expression turned solemn.
She had vaguely witnessed that scene last night herself, but she had not thought too deeply about it.
The younger servant continued, “Sir never lets anyone into his study. Even when it needs cleaning, he only allows you to go in. Yet he lets Miss Su come and go from his study as she pleases.”
“He treats Miss Su so differently.”
Aunt Wu glared at her. “It’s work time, so do your job properly and stop gossiping.”
The servant raised the rag in her hand with an aggrieved expression. “But I’m not slacking off.”
Aunt Wu lowered her voice and scolded her. “Don’t spread this around. Be careful or you’ll get fired.
“Miss Su… Miss Su and Sir grew up together. Of course Sir would treat her better than other people.
“Besides, Miss Su has followed Second Young Master Lu Huai around since they were children. The two of them have been childhood sweethearts.
“The Old Madam herself said that Miss Su would become the second young mistress of the Lu family someday.”
The younger servant’s mouth fell open.
She had only recently started working there and did not know much about the Lu family’s affairs.
After hearing Aunt Wu’s explanation, she gave an embarrassed smile. “So that’s how it is. Aunt Wu, I was just talking nonsense earlier. Please don’t tell Sir about it. I only just found such a good job…”
“Hmm. From now on, gossip less and focus on your work. Sir is a good man, and as long as we do our jobs well, there will be plenty of benefits for us.”
Although she said that, Aunt Wu’s heart was pounding.
After observing things over the past few days, she actually felt that there was a very good chance Sir liked Su Tang.
And it was not the kind of affection one had for a younger sister.
If that were really the case…
If Sir also liked Miss Su, then wouldn’t Sir and the second young master…
The brothers would turn against each other…
That would be a disaster of unimaginable proportions!
If the Old Madam found out about this, then no matter how much she loved Miss Su, she would never allow something like this to happen, would she?
Aunt Wu did not dare think about it any further.
There were some things that were better left unknown.