When Lu Bofan returned to his office after the meeting, he found Lu Cheng, who had just returned from his assignment abroad.
It wasn't just people in the company—even outsiders speculated that the cousins had a strained relationship.
Some even said Lu Bofan was deep-scheming and deliberately suppressing Lu Cheng.
In reality, the two brothers got along fairly well.
Lu Cheng wasn't like his father, who was always unwilling to accept his lot and schemed for power. He felt his current position was quite good—he didn't have to bear the pressure of the entire Lu family, didn't have everyone watching him, made a decent amount of money, and could go home after work to be with his wife and kids.
How blissful was that? So he completely didn't understand his father—if you can't shoulder the responsibility of being the Lu family's head, why covet it?
Wasn't it nice to be comfortable, with someone else carrying the weight for you?
In the office, halfway through Lu Cheng's report, he suddenly noticed there were cookies here in Lu Bofan's office.
He found it quite novel—after all, his younger cousin had been strictly disciplined by their grandfather since childhood.
He could secretly eat snacks, but Lu Bofan absolutely wasn't allowed to touch them—it was as if he were above worldly pleasures.
"Whose cookies are these, that they can actually be in your office?"
Lu Cheng happened to be a bit hungry and planned to try one. If they tasted good, he'd take some back for Tongtong.
Lu Bofan lifted his gaze from the documents. His expression showed no abnormality whatsoever, calm as an ancient well, as he said, "You can't eat these."
Lu Cheng looked at him, puzzled. "Why?"
Although his health was poor, he didn't have any allergies.
Lu Bofan casually made something up: "A hundred thousand per piece. Very hard to buy."
Lu Cheng was shocked, feeling as if he'd picked up a piece of gold—yet it looked so ordinary.
But the way Lu Bofan said it only made him want to try it more. What did a hundred-thousand-yuan cookie taste like, anyway?
Lu Cheng crossed his legs and stuffed the entire cookie into his mouth, chewing. After swallowing, he wrapped his arms around himself and clicked his tongue, savoring it. "It's tasty, sure, but I really can't tell what makes it worth a hundred thousand. Were you scammed?"
"….."
Lu Bofan coldly shifted his gaze away.
He couldn't be so petty as to say, "You can't try this—Lu Meng made it for me."
Ever since Tongtong was born, Lu Cheng had become stingy, always saying he needed to save for his daughter's dowry.
He'd casually named a high price and hadn't told the man to put the cookie down.
Eating it was one thing, but that tasteless evaluation made him particularly displeased.
"Transfer the money over. I'll have my assistant bring afternoon tea. Don't eat these anymore."
Lu Cheng lowered his head and transferred the hundred thousand, yet marveled with particular curiosity: "How did you become so calculating?"
Lu Bofan couldn't be bothered to explain, only feeling the price he'd quoted was too low. Had he known, he'd have said five hundred thousand.
The two chatted about business in the office. When the assistant brought in the afternoon tea, Lu Yan followed behind.
Lu Yan was actually quite unhappy—his son's first visit upon returning from abroad wasn't to him, the father, but to Lu Bofan.
But Lu Cheng had indeed handled this assignment beautifully, and he benefited from the reflected glory.
Lu Bofan's posture never changed—legs crossed, casually listening to the two converse, occasionally adding a few words.
After chatting for quite a while, Lu Yan had matters to attend to and left first.
Lu Cheng asked him, "Want to come to my place for dinner tonight? Invite Lu Meng too."
"She has plans with friends tonight."
Lu Bofan's fingertips paused, but he didn't decline the dinner invitation.
Lu Cheng didn't live with Elder Lu. Tongtong had long since gotten wind of the news. Hearing the commotion of the two men returning, the little girl ran out and peeked around.
"Why didn't Auntie come?"
Tongtong was quite fond of Lu Meng. Lu Bofan lifted her up. "She's busy with work."
At the birthday banquet she'd still had long hair, but in just a week the child had gotten a mushroom cut. Sitting in his arms, she was like a chattering little mushroom sprite.
Feng Qingshu had originally worried her daughter was too clingy, but unexpectedly Lu Bofan was quite patient.
Tongtong had always liked this young uncle. At dinner, she held up her milk, pretending to be an adult wanting to toast him, but accidentally spilled it on him.
Lu Bofan paid no mind to the soiled spot on his shirt. Instead, he frowned and brushed at his tie.
Tongtong knew she'd done something wrong and hung her head in apology.
"It's fine."
Lu Bofan didn't blame her. Lu Cheng took him upstairs to change clothes. Walking into the guest room, he saw the man had already taken off his tie.
"Just toss it here."
He assumed as a matter of course that Lu Bofan wouldn't want it anymore—it was just a tie, after all.
"No need."
Lu Bofan avoided his hand. "I'll just wash it clean."
Lu Cheng was stunned for a moment. When had his cousin, who seemed above worldly concerns, ever washed anything with his own hands? And treasuring it this much?
The doubt in his heart came out of his mouth.
Lu Bofan rolled his sleeves up two turns. Water flowed along the man's well-defined knuckles. His movements washing the tie weren't clumsy—they were even somewhat pleasing to the eye.
"Lu Meng gave it to me."
Lu Cheng understood everything now. He crossed his arms and leaned against the side, teasing, "Seems you two are getting along well."
Lu Bofan lowered his eyelids without refuting it, patiently washing the tie clean.
"I really never imagined that one day you'd actually wash a tie yourself. You little brat—after all these years of being alone, you've got some moves."
Lu Bofan ignored his teasing and merely said calmly, "It has nothing to do with having moves. Lu Meng is my wife. Something she gave me—I should always care about it."
Lu Cheng was gratified. "Even though you and Lu Meng were forced into marriage, seeing you two getting along so well now, your brother's happy for you too."
He always referred to himself as "brother," but in truth, between the two of them, Lu Bofan was the more steady one.
The man raised his eyelids and glanced at him. As he brushed past, he lightly tossed out a single sentence: "Who told you I was forced?"
When Lu Meng returned to Nanshan Courtyard, Lu Bofan had just arrived as well.
She remembered that what he'd worn when leaving this morning wasn't this shirt, and asked about it curiously.
Lu Bofan told her the reason. Lu Meng said "oh," then noticed what he was carrying. "What's that?"
"A tie."
She'd never have guessed it was hand-washed by Lu Bofan. She glanced at it and didn't think much of it. "I'm going to take a shower first."
Tonight she'd had dinner with Tang Lingyi and talked for a long time about work. Her head was buzzing now, and she still couldn't quite collect her thoughts.
Lu Bofan came out of the bathroom. No one was in the bedroom. He pushed the door open and walked in. He saw her in a camisole nightgown, various documents pressed under her hand, her plain features full of concentration.
He still remembered when they'd first gotten married—she was very polite, even asking his permission to enter the study.
By now, she had naturally taken over every corner of the home. Like her lip balm, which for some reason had ended up beside his computer.
Lu Bofan hadn't taken her business trip too seriously at first—after all, they were both adults with their own work.
But on the first night after Lu Meng left, when he returned to the Nanshan Courtyard, he suddenly found it too quiet and desolate.
It gave him an illusion of… guarding an empty room alone.
He rubbed his brow helplessly, mocking himself inwardly for being too sentimental.
After taking a shower, he still video-called her.
Lu Meng had just finished her work too. Tonight she had picked up that writer—Selina was an elegant old lady approaching sixty, with graying hair.
She had initially worried about being a poor host, but Selina had a wonderful personality. She loved China and was curious about every plant and tree here.
Lu Meng and she were decades apart in age, yet when they talked there was no generational gap—instead, they got along exceptionally well.
Lu Bofan patiently listened to her talk about work. Lu Meng spoke until her mouth was dry before she belatedly noticed the man's gaze.
Across the screen, he had been watching her unblinkingly the whole time—quiet, gentle, and accommodating.
"Why aren't you saying a single word?"
Her tone couldn't help but carry a touch of affectionate complaint. Lu Bofan raised the corner of his lips slightly, his voice warm and unhurried: "I just think Teacher Lu looks very charming when working. I couldn't bear to interrupt."
Lu Meng suppressed the slight upward curve of her lips and got back to the point: "Did you have something to tell me?"
Lu Bofan lazily propped his cheek on his hand, his gaze fixed on her face: "Do I have to have a reason to call you?"
Lu Meng was stunned for a moment. She realized something in her heart and asked with a bright smile: "So, it's because you miss me?"
She was too direct, and Lu Bofan didn't deny it: "Yes."
As soon as the words fell, he asked in return with an easy composure: "If we're really counting, I think this counts as something important too?"
"…."
Lu Meng turned her head away trying to calm down, but still couldn't overcome the flutter in her heart: "I've only been gone half a day—how did you become so good at sweet talk?"
She deliberately used a slightly interrogating tone, her dark, lustrous eyes full of unmistakable delight: "Hurry up and tell me, who corrupted our President Lu?"
The man smiled, answering gently and openly: "Sorry, no one. I just couldn't help myself."
Lu Meng's heart went "boom," and she felt her cheeks burn.
The two chatted for nearly three hours, until she yawned, and only then did Lu Bofan hang up.
The bedroom fell into cold silence once again. He rubbed his brow bone and couldn't help but laugh at himself.
When Lu Cheng had just gotten married, he and Feng Qingshu had been like this too.
Lu Bofan had thought he was too lovey-dovey back then—he never expected that one day he would be the same.
He closed his eyes for a long time, until the "ding" of a message broke the silent late night.
The cold white light of the phone fell on the man's sharp features. Lu Meng had clearly said she was going to sleep, yet she had sent him another message.
In the first photo was a men's tie.
Lu Meng: [Picked it up on a whim.]
A smile couldn't help but surface on the man's usually indifferent features. He deliberated before replying: [I really like it, thank you.]
He was saying he liked it before he had even received it.
Lu Meng turned her phone face down and tossed and turned for a long time, then suddenly buried her face in the pillow, letting out a resigned sigh.
Setting other things aside, sleeping while holding Lu Bofan was actually quite comfortable.
Some habits, once formed, are truly hard to break…
Selina was very grateful for Lu Meng's company these past two days, and her collaboration with Tang Lingyi was also progressing very smoothly.
Lu Meng didn't need to worry about the rest. But she had applied for annual leave, and it would be a shame to end her vacation just like that.
Lu Bofan gave her a suggestion instead—one of the Lu family's high-end hotels had just expanded this year, and she could go experience it.
Lu Meng thought it was feasible, but she politely declined his arrangement: "Just let me be an ordinary guest. That way the experience will be more authentic."
Lu Bofan had always respected her wishes: "Then I'll look forward to your feedback."
Tang Lingyi was busy with work, so Lu Meng called Lin Nuo, the young heiress, over.
The two booked the most expensive suite, and the hotel's dedicated butler came personally to receive them.
"I remember, last week they had that someone as a promotional ambassador, right?"
The butler smiled and said, "Yes."
What Lin Nuo was referring to was a male celebrity who had skyrocketed to fame in recent years. It was only through the butler's reminder that she thought of Gu Shen.
Almost anything about him could trend on social media. Inviting him for promotion was indeed the right choice—that day the hotel was packed with fans, and bookings across all lines multiplied several times over.
Lu Meng didn't follow celebrities. Looking at his photo, she merely commented that he was okay.
Their suite was on the thirteenth floor, and the butler's service was impeccable.
Lu Meng hadn't traveled much since she started working. While eating with Lin Nuo, Lin Nuo asked, "Are you and Lu Bofan planning to make up your honeymoon?"
"Not sure."
Lu Meng took a sip of champagne. As for the honeymoon, she had actually already forgotten about it.
After finishing their meal, the two came out of the elevator and spotted a familiar figure—a tall, thin man wearing trendy clothes, his mask covering him completely.
Lu Meng couldn't recall who it was and quickly forgot about it.
Over the next few days, she and Lin Nuo had a pretty good time.
There was a bar on the hotel's rooftop that the two hadn't visited yet.
After changing into a dress and stepping out of the room, Lu Meng was talking with Lin Nuo when suddenly chaotic footsteps approached. In an instant, someone came charging straight at her.
She couldn't dodge in time, and her back slammed hard against the door. Her shoulder blade immediately hurt terribly.
Lin Nuo was startled and quickly helped Lu Meng up.
The woman before them wore a mask and hat, but the hatred in her exposed eyes was unmistakable.
Lin Nuo shielded Lu Meng behind her and pushed the lunatic away: "Are you crazy!"
Amid the commotion, the elevator dinged, and someone stepped out.
The man at the front paused mid-step. Not knowing who he'd seen, he instinctively wanted to leave.
But the woman who had just tried to attack Lu Meng shouted at the man: "Gu Shen! If you dare leave, I'll expose you!"
….
The one who had attacked Lu Meng was the non-celebrity girlfriend of the popular male star Gu Shen.
The woman had assumed he couldn't go public for the sake of his career and chose to endure it. But unexpectedly, last month, Gu Shen broke up with her.
At the time, there were also rumors that Gu Shen was with another actress, and they were even photographed entering and leaving a love nest together.
She couldn't accept the breakup, but Gu Shen had blocked her on everything.
The girl had been in the relationship for eight years—how could she let go so easily? She tried every possible way to find him.
No one knew how long she had been following Gu Shen. The reason she attacked Lu Meng was because her body type was too similar to that actress. The night before, Gu Shen and the actress had been photographed getting into the same car, so she assumed this person was Lu Meng.
"How unlucky!"
Lin Nuo spat. Gu Shen acted so pure and innocent in front of the cameras, even blushing around female artists, but it was all an act—two-timing, dumping his ex-girlfriend. Disgusting!
The hotel also knew about the situation. A manager came over to soothe her, but clearly, their priority was also Gu Shen.
About half an hour passed, and Gu Shen didn't show up. Instead, his manager came to apologize.
Lu Meng didn't want to deal with this mess at all. She just happened to look a bit like the female artist and got dragged into it for no reason.
The hotel was equally at fault, letting irrelevant people go upstairs freely.
Lu Meng had thought she would get a sincere apology, but instead, both sides hoped she wouldn't leak this incident.
The hotel could tell that the two women before them had outstanding presence and surely came from significant backgrounds.
But after weighing everything, they still chose to side with Gu Shen.
After all, he was a top celebrity with huge influence. If today's incident got out, the hotel's negligence would also be exposed.
"Name your price."
The only ones who showed up were Gu Shen's manager and a hotel butler.
"You want to use money to settle this?"
Lu Meng could barely hold herself up relying on Lin Nuo. Her voice was cold: "You think I'm short on this kind of money?"
This butler wasn't the one who had served them on their first day at check-in, but a slightly plump man with a mustache.
And Gu Shen's manager had clearly handled many similar situations before.
"So, miss, what do you want us to do?" He was condescending, not hiding his sarcasm when he spoke: "Leaking it won't necessarily do you any good."
Having been in the entertainment industry, he knew all too well how easy it was for male artists to survive.
So what if a relationship gets exposed? Just release a breakup statement afterward, and the fans will come running back obediently.
Two-timing?
She didn't even have evidence. They could sue her for defamation.
In the worst case, have Gu Shen write an apology letter, and it would all blow over.
Lu Meng had never suffered such humiliation. Her shoulder blade still hurt terribly—even moving a little was uncomfortable.
Lin Nuo couldn't hold back and argued with them. It was also at this moment that Lu Meng received a call from Lu Bofan.
Usually at this hour, she would be the one to call him, but tonight she hadn't.
The moment the call connected, the man's gentle voice came through the receiver: "Back at the hotel?"
All the grievance from being hit surged up at this moment. Her nose stung, but her upright posture didn't soften one bit. In the deadlock, her voice was terribly cold: "I got hurt at your hotel, and I'm very dissatisfied with how they're handling it."
"So, Lu Bofan, I need you to handle this for me personally. Right now."
"If you can't handle it well, then don't come see me."