Because they were at the Lu family's old residence, Lu Meng woke up rather early the next day.
She didn't let her thoughts run wild like she had last night. She went downstairs. The old man wasn't there—Lu Bofan was practicing calligraphy.
After breakfast, she came to his side and watched.
Lu Bofan's writing style was different from the old man's—his strokes were more majestic.
The more Lu Meng looked, the more familiar it seemed: "Did you write our marriage certificate?"
Lu Bofan lowered his gaze to look at her and gave a faint "mm" without much emotion. "Why do you ask all of a sudden?"
"I just didn't expect you'd write it yourself."
Actually, when Lu Meng had first seen the red marriage certificate, the first thought that popped into her head was: what beautiful handwriting. She had subconsciously assumed the old man had written it.
Lu Bofan's smile was faint: "If you like it, I'll write for you at home from now on."
Lu Meng had originally wanted to say that she had also practiced calligraphy, but the words reached her lips and instead she stared directly at the man and asked: "Anything I like—will you satisfy it?"
Lu Bofan set down his brush, his dark gaze calmly meeting hers: "To date, of the things you like and want, which one haven't I satisfied?"
He even remembered the four-piece bedding set.
Lu Meng was proud and composed: "Then I hope President Lu keeps it up, and definitely doesn't disappoint me."
The tone of someone issuing an order—just like last night.
A smile flickered in the depths of Lu Bofan's eyes. He adjusted his cuffs and unhurriedly followed behind the woman.
Feng Qingshu had come downstairs. Lu Meng asked with concern: "How's Tongtong?"
"Still has a slight fever. I'll have to ask for a sick day from her kindergarten today."
When the woman spoke again, there was an apologetic note: "Did we disturb you last night?"
"No, not at all."
Lu Meng reassured her: "As long as Tongtong is fine."
It was probably because the child had played too wildly outside yesterday, combined with the recent sharp drop in temperature, that she'd caught a chill.
Feng Qingshu ate a simple breakfast and then went upstairs to check on Tongtong. Lu Meng waited for the old man to return from his morning exercise—she had afternoon classes and needed to head to school.
Grandpa Lu's expression was slightly dark: "Why isn't Bofan driving you?"
Lu Meng wasn't angry: "He's busy with work."
Thinking of Lu Bofan's knee, her heart softened involuntarily. No longer afraid of the old man, she boldly came to his side: "Grandpa, please don't be fierce with him anymore."
The old man shot her a sidelong glance: "I have my reasons for being fierce with him."
Lu Meng wasn't intimidated by him either, like a mother bird spreading her wings to protect her own: "He's almost thirty now."
"I believe he has his own judgment before making any decision. Look—since the Lu Corporation was placed in his hands, has he ever disappointed you?"
Seeing that Grandpa Lu wasn't angered by her words, Lu Meng grew somewhat emboldened: "So trust him more, okay? And don't hit him anymore either."
The old man didn't agree, but instead said: "Yesterday when you saw me you were quite scared—how are you so bold today?"
Lu Meng hadn't expected that her restraint yesterday had been noticed by him. Heat rose to her cheeks: "That's because I knew you wouldn't be fierce with me."
A smile flickered in Grandpa Lu's eyes: "Married only such a short time, and you're already protecting him."
"He's my husband. If I don't protect him, who will?"
Lu Meng was quite good at pressing her advantage: "Grandpa, even though Lu Bofan doesn't say it, he feels pain too."
"Yesterday when you made him kneel, his knees were bruised."
Elder Lu was well aware of how strict he had been with this grandson, but he felt that as the heir of the Lu family, these hardships were necessary to endure.
Now there was a young girl protecting Bofan. Elder Lu wasn't angry—instead, he genuinely felt he had grown old.
Perhaps it was time to let go and leave everything to the younger generation.
Lu Meng returned to school and attended two classes back to back. Outside the window, dark clouds gathered, looking as though it might rain.
She lowered her head, texting a senior schoolmate who was abroad.
She had spotted a brand of earrings that would suit Lu Ling perfectly.
Her senior schoolmate happened to be returning to the country next week, so Lu Meng asked her to bring them back. The other party agreed without hesitation.
By the time the driver dropped her off at Nanshan Courtyard, it was already storming outside.
Lu Meng suddenly shivered from the cold. Auntie Ye saw this and quickly brought out some ginger soup: "Here, drink some to warm yourself up."
She carefully took a sip and couldn't help scrunching up her face at how awful it tasted.
Auntie Ye was amused by her vivid expression. "You're just like President Lu—neither of you likes drinking ginger soup."
The warm steam from the ginger soup misted over her eyes: "Really? He doesn't like it either?"
Auntie Ye nodded: "President Lu doesn't like ginger soup or anything medicinal. No matter how we try to persuade him normally, he won't touch it."
Lu Meng drank the ginger soup and couldn't help muttering: "I didn't expect him to be so stubborn too."
She went upstairs and took a hot shower, and her body finally warmed up. There was a message from Lu Bofan on her phone.
1: [I have a social engagement. Will be back late. You sleep first.]
Lu Meng propped her chin on her hand, tapping the phone screen with her fingertip and murmuring to herself: "Who said I was going to wait for you to sleep? So full of yourself."
She originally didn't want to reply, but then, not sure what came over her, she typed a few words back: [Auntie Ye made ginger soup. I can't finish it.]
He didn't address the ginger soup: [Did you get rained on?]
Lu Meng frowned: [A little. Freezing to death.]
After quite a while, the reply came: [Drink more. It's good for you.]
Lu Meng held the phone with both hands and typed: [Auntie Ye said you never drank it before.]
1: [Mm. I'm healthy.]
Lu Meng suspected he was taking a jab at her and felt rather unconvinced. Her constitution was good too.
[Then what do I do if I can't finish it? It'd be a waste to throw it away.]
Lu Bofan seemed to finally understand what she was getting at. After a long while, he replied with a few words: [Leave it for me.]
She was finally satisfied.
She might have actually caught a slight chill—Lu Meng felt dizzy and went to sleep earlier than usual.
In a hazy state, she seemed to feel someone touch her face.
Lu Bofan carried the damp chill of the outside on him. He took off his jacket, took her temperature with a thermometer—a slight low fever.
He went downstairs to get fever medicine and brought up a cup of warm water.
This was probably the first time Lu Bofan had ever taken care of someone. Fortunately, she was very obedient—though her consciousness was muddled, when he coaxed her to open her mouth, she would comply obediently.
After taking the medicine, Lu Meng seemed to remember something. Without even opening her eyes, she asked him vaguely: "Did you drink the ginger soup?"
Lu Bofan gave a sound of assent: "Drank it."
The drowsy person seemed completely reassured and buried her face in the blankets, falling into a deep sleep.
He went to another room to shower. When he came out, he didn't return to the bedroom but went downstairs instead.
The ginger soup still held some warmth. He took a sip, frowned, but didn't choose to pour it out.
A pungent bitterness lingered between his lips and teeth. Lu Bofan opened the cookies she had made earlier. Auntie Ye heard the commotion and came out, only to see the man leaning against the kitchen island, unhurriedly eating a cookie.
"The missus said they were for you, and I thought you wouldn't drink it. I didn't expect I was wrong."
Lu Bofan didn't continue eating the cookies. His voice was calm and mild, betraying nothing unusual: "I just happened to feel like drinking it."
Auntie Ye didn't seem entirely convinced: "Would you like some tomorrow too? I can make it for you again?"
"….."
Lu Bofan had actually hated bitter and spicy things since childhood, but his grandfather always forced him to overcome it, always sternly saying: "This little thing makes you want to run away? Xiaofan, you'll have to bear much more in the future. You have to choose to face it."
He didn't want to face it.
After growing up and leaving the old estate, many things had already been pressed onto his shoulders, and he couldn't set them down. Only food was something he could be picky about and choose freely, letting him breathe a little easier.
In places where his grandfather couldn't see, he never touched any food he disliked.
But this was left for him by Lu Meng.
Lu Bofan thought, perhaps because of the cookies, he found the bitter and spicy not so hard to endure after all.
If someone had given him a cookie when he felt he couldn't bear it as a child, maybe he wouldn't have felt so exhausted.
Lu Meng still had a slight fever the next day. Lu Bofan wanted to ask for leave from school on her behalf, but she refused.
He pulled the woman's shawl tighter around her: "Come back and rest as soon as class ends."
Lu Meng had heard from Auntie Ye early in the morning that he had finished the ginger soup, so she added a redundant explanation: "I couldn't finish it, that's why I let you have it."
Lu Bofan didn't call her out on it either. He lazily hummed in acknowledgment: "Thank you."
"Thanks to the ginger soup you left me, I didn't catch a cold."
"….."
Lu Meng looked like a deflated balloon, glaring at him with displeasure: "You're welcome."
Lu Bofan curved his lips silently and reached out to ruffle the woman's head.
Lu Meng also went to bed early that night.
Perhaps because she rested well, by Friday her fever had broken, and she was much more energetic, though her voice still had a slight nasal quality.
It was Lin Nuo's birthday today, and there was a gathering in the evening. Lu Meng had promised long ago that she would go.
Lu Bofan didn't approve: "Your cold isn't better yet."
"It's not a big deal anymore."
It seemed she was determined to go.
Lu Bofan didn't try to persuade her further, only saying: "Don't drink. If you feel unwell, come back early."
Lu Meng was fairly obedient, and besides, she hadn't planned on drinking anyway.
But some things are beyond one's control. For instance, Lin Nuo had hired a particularly professional bartender, and Lu Meng couldn't resist the temptation, trying two glasses.
Quite a few friends came to Lin Nuo's birthday gathering. Some were meeting Lu Meng for the first time and couldn't help stealing a few extra glances.
Lu Meng was truly beautiful—her features so striking they could be described as an aggressive kind of beauty.
Especially tonight, wearing a champagne-colored long dress, lazily perched on a bar stool with one hand propping up her chin, her gaze sweeping over casually—it was enough to make those young gentlemen who wanted to approach her think twice.
There was no helping it. She clearly looked like someone raised in luxury and refinement. Between her beautiful brows was an innate pride and aloofness, as if she could crush anyone under her stiletto heels at any moment.
Lu Meng had no idea what they were thinking. She was about to have another drink when her gaze swept over the wedding ring on her ring finger, and her movements suddenly paused.
She wasn't actually fond of drinking, especially after she started working.
She tapped open her phone. There were plenty of messages—just none from Lu Bofan.
Lin Nuo came over to check on her. Seeing her troubled expression, she thought something had happened.
Lu Meng shook her head. She finished the glass in her hand and asked Lin Nuo if she was going to stay up all night.
"Of course. Are you leaving?"
Lu Meng murmured in assent. "I have class tomorrow morning."
That much wasn't a lie.
Lin Nuo agreed readily. "Alright, I'll have someone walk you out. Is your driver coming to pick you up?"
"He should be waiting outside by now." Lu Meng leaned in and hugged her. "Happy birthday."
Lin Nuo shooed her off with a smile. "Go on, our esteemed Teacher Lu."
The one who walked her out was Lin Nuo's cousin, whom she had met several times before.
The two weren't particularly close. The other party courteously kept a certain distance from her. Lu Meng was just about to thank him when she suddenly noticed a black sedan parked not far away.
She didn't know how long Lu Bofan had been waiting for her. The man had his elbow resting on the car window, his dark, immersed gaze fixed on her unblinkingly from a distance neither near nor far.
Lu Meng felt inexplicably guilty. Lin Nuo's cousin called out to her, and she responded haphazardly, not actually taking in a word.
It wasn't until she heard the sound of a car door closing that she looked over again. Lu Bofan had already gotten out of the car, his tall, slender figure standing in the silent night, a woman's shawl draped over his arm.