Assistant Wen didn't know who Lu Bofan was messaging, but he was perceptive enough to read from the man's relaxed, languid posture that President Lu was in a good mood today.
He seized the opportunity to hand over the report, his heart still thumping nervously as he gave his presentation.
Lu Bofan set the documents down on his desk with casual weight, tearing the work apart without mercy—yet, uncharacteristically humane, he granted an extra three days.
Assistant Wen let out an instant sigh of relief. He hurried out of the office, wiping the sweat beading on his forehead, only to find his other colleagues distributing gifts.
Lu Bofan had just gotten married, and he'd arranged for wedding candy to be given to the entire company.
The moment Assistant Wen sat down, he spotted the new intern hugging a gift box, sniffing at it like a little dog.
He didn't understand: "What are you doing?"
The other replied gleefully, "The smell of money—it's just so fragrant."
"…"
Assistant Wen glanced at the red envelope inside the gift, calmly closed it again, and opened his computer to revise the documents, putting on an aloof air in imitation of his boss: "This is nothing."
Even though the pressure at this company was intense and the work never-ending, Assistant Wen could guarantee that no other place could beat their benefits and salary—
That was also the main reason he'd never left.
Not long after Assistant Wen left, Lu Yan came looking for him.
It was mainly about the East City project. Lu Bofan had completely disregarded his uncle's dignity, holding things up ruthlessly for far too long.
Lu Yan had originally thought that since he'd just gotten married, he'd surely take a few days of wedding leave—which meant there'd be an opportunity.
But when he saw that cold face at the company, Lu Yan nearly keeled over on the spot.
He didn't state his purpose directly. Instead, he put on the airs of an elder and made a show of concern: "Just married, and you're already busy? Not going on a honeymoon?"
Lu Bofan's voice was faint: "Lu Meng and I are both busy with work."
To Lu Yan's ears, those words carried a different meaning. That girl from the Lu family was just an ordinary university lecturer—how busy could she possibly be?
Coming to the company the very day after the wedding—it seemed the two of them didn't have much of a relationship.
Lu Yan didn't know what crossed his mind, but he leaned back and offered what seemed like a well-meaning reminder: "I'll admit the Shao family has decent standing, and your in-laws are respectable figures, but dig deeper, and the rest of the Shao family aren't easy to deal with."
"If someone tries to latch onto the Lu family, don't let Lu Meng whisper sweet nothings in your ear and have you agree to it."
"You're married now, sure, but she's still an outsider."
"Uncle."
Lu Bofan suddenly cut him off. The man's posture wasn't rigid or proper; he idly rubbed his wedding ring, his cold, handsome features showing no change at all, yet his voice carried a trace of frost: "It's only my first day of marriage, and you're already here trying to drive a wedge between Lu Meng and me. What exactly are you plotting?"
His question was light yet sharp, and Lu Yan felt as though his dignity had been stripped away. Stiffly, he tried to save face: "I'm doing this for your own good."
As a junior, Lu Bofan showed not a shred of humility. His chin lifted slightly, and the gaze he cast down at Lu Yan held a hint of mockery: "Then you'd better stop. I don't want to hear it."
Lu Yan truly wanted to pull rank as an elder, stand up, and give him a proper scolding—but these days, the entire group was under Lu Bofan's control.
He didn't truly believe it either. Most marriages in their kind of family were alliances; in the end, how deep could the feelings be? It was nothing but a tangle of interests.
He had never believed that his nephew, who looked down on everyone, could have feelings for that girl from the Lu family. They had only met a few times.
Lu Yan suddenly brought up the project in the east of the city. Lu Bofan was the same as always, leaving no room for negotiation, even saying somewhat caustically, "Uncle, if this project had been submitted by one of my subordinates, they wouldn't be showing up at the company tomorrow."
"How about this—I see you've been quite concerned about my marriage leave. Why don't I give it to you, and you take a break?"
He kept saying "you" politely, but his words nearly infuriated Lu Yan to death. Wasn't he clearly saying—
You're getting old, so behave yourself.
Lu Yan left in anger, and Lu Bofan felt not a trace of guilt.
The meetings that followed gave almost no time to catch one's breath. Assistant Wen stayed by his side, miserably preparing to message his girlfriend to tell her he'd have to work overtime again tonight.
"That's it for today."
The man suddenly tossed out a sentence, and Assistant Wen was still dumbfounded, not reacting in time. He hurried after him and cautiously confirmed, "Then the meetings later?"
Lu Bofan glanced at him sideways. "Give them one more night. I hope what I see tomorrow is a qualified proposal."
Though it was caustic, it delighted Assistant Wen. The happiness of a worker was just that simple—not having to work overtime made one feel blissful. "Got it, boss!"
It was already seven in the evening when Lu Bofan returned to Nanshan Courtyard. When he used to live alone, he mostly came back around nine.
Auntie Ye was somewhat surprised to see him back so early. "You're not busy today?"
Lu Bofan gave a faint "mm." His gaze drifted carelessly elsewhere, his tone so casual it was as if he were asking offhandedly, "Is Lu Meng upstairs?"
He had always been arrogant and cold, not one to care about others' feelings, but Lu Yan's words lingered in his mind.
Coming home late on just the second day of marriage—would his wife feel uncomfortable?
"Madam went to school. She said she wouldn't be back for dinner. Would you like to have dinner now?"
Lu Bofan paused while adjusting his cuff, but he didn't ask anything more, only gave a mild "mm."
After dinner and a shower, as soon as he came out, he ran into the woman who had just returned from outside.
Lu Meng was wearing a long dress with a cinched waist, overall leaning toward a new Chinese style, with an elegant-colored shawl draped over her shoulders. Looking downward, perhaps because the scrape hadn't healed yet, she wasn't wearing stiletto heels today, only comfortable flat shoes.
She didn't seem to expect him to be there either, and her steps halted just like that. Unlike the extreme intimacy of last night, at this moment the two of them were so distant—one looking down from above, the other standing by the stairs, tilting her face up slightly.
Lu Meng keenly caught the scent of shower gel on the man. The crisp fir always gave the illusion of being hard to approach.
But she couldn't help thinking of last night—their interlocked fingers pressed into the bed covers, his scent sweeping over her from all directions.
The fragrances on both of them seemed to have blended together—turbulent, unfamiliar, strange—as if even the air had melted into something intense and ambiguous.
She unconsciously curled her hand and took the initiative to speak with a slightly unfamiliar politeness: "You're home."
Lu Bofan gave an "mm." Lu Meng nodded. Her steps moved and she continued upward, saying in an ordinary tone, "I heard from Auntie Ye that you used to come back late."
"I'm not busy today." Perhaps realizing he had been too aloof, he paused and asked, "Do you have class tonight too?"
"No." Lu Meng explained, "I went to the library this afternoon to get some work done."
When they had first met, Lu Bofan already knew that aside from her schoolwork, she also took on other translation jobs.
The two exchanged no more pleasantries than necessary. After Lu Meng finished showering, she planned to wrap up the remaining translation work.
Lu Bofan was in the study. She knocked tentatively on the door, politely refraining from entering directly, and simply stood at the doorway to ask, "May I borrow the study? I'd like to get some work done."
The woman had changed into a camisole nightgown. The red silk traced the slender curve of her waist and flattered her complexion. With her makeup removed, her clean cheeks were fair with a rosy glow.
Lu Meng had always liked this style of nightgown. Even now, married and about to share a bed with a man she wasn't well acquainted with, she had never considered changing to a different style.
The study was brightly lit, yet she couldn't quite read the man's emotions. She only heard him say, neither warm nor cold, "This is our home. You can do whatever you want. You don't need to ask my opinion."
She was taken aback for a moment, and couldn't help thinking of when she'd asked him about the bedding set earlier that day—he had answered the same way.
You decide.
She also realized she had been treating him like a stranger. She closed the study door behind her and her footsteps grew noticeably lighter. "Really? I can do anything?"
Lu Bofan's gaze fell on the bare ankle exposed beneath her nightgown. Perhaps because her skin was so fair, the marks from where it had been scraped were glaringly conspicuous.
"You can," he answered calmly, then asked as if casually, "Did you apply medicine today?"
Lu Meng didn't notice his gaze. She glanced at the injury on her foot and answered distractedly, "I did."
"Oh, right."
Something occurred to her, and she looked up from her documents. "I'm going back to my parents' place tomorrow to drive my car back."
Today, because of her foot injury, the family driver had been taking her around.
But she did have a car—her parents had given her one when she graduated, and later she'd bought another one herself just for commuting.
Rather than being driven around by others, she preferred driving herself.
This time, Lu Bofan didn't agree right away. He leaned lazily back, his gaze fixed intently on hers without wavering. "Is there nothing in the garage you like?"
For this marriage alliance, he had indeed shown great sincerity in marrying her.
Aside from the dowry that couldn't be measured in numbers, the several cars parked in the garage were also for her.
But she, the lady of the house, seemed never to have set foot in the garage.
Lu Bofan assumed she was dissatisfied, but Lu Meng merely shook her head and said, "Too flashy."
The cars he'd given her weren't suitable for driving to school—they'd easily spark discussion. Something more ordinary would be better.
On this point, Lu Bofan truly hadn't thought it through carefully enough.
He nodded. "I have a business trip next week. I'll go back with you tomorrow."
Lu Meng had originally wanted to refuse, but meeting the man's calm gaze, the words at the tip of her tongue stopped short.
As a husband accompanying his wife home, it did seem only proper.
The two worked without disturbing each other. When Lu Meng finished wrapping up, she stretched, and saw that Lu Bofan was still busy.
She went downstairs and cut some fruit. Thinking of President Lu still working upstairs, she kindly decided to share half with him.
Back in the study, she placed the cut fruit beside the man.
Lu Bofan actually didn't eat anything in the evenings, but he still didn't refuse. "Thank you."
Lu Meng intended to go back and rest, but out of the corner of her eye she caught sight of the picture frame by his desk, and her steps halted just like that.
Lu Bofan had clearly also seen where her gaze was drawn, and explained mildly, "Auntie Ye put it there."
It was their wedding photo. Though the two of them looked very intimate in it, all Lu Meng remembered was how stiff her smile had been at the time.
She sighed inwardly at how good Auntie Ye was at finding a place to put things, and Lu Bofan watched her leisurely: "You seem quite surprised?"
Lu Meng simply felt that he wasn't the type to tolerate a wedding photo being placed in his workplace.
She averted her gaze unnaturally: "No, well, I'll head back first—"
Lu Bofan circled her wrist, applying a bit of force that made her tumble onto his lap.
Lu Meng instinctively tried to get up, but the man's arm around her waist pressed her against him, enveloping almost her entire body, making it impossible to break free.
"Or," he said, "where do you think it should go?"
He seemed to see through her thoughts with ease, and casually tossed out a few words: "Our nightstand?"
Lu Meng was far too close to him. This overly intimate posture was more than she could handle, heat spreading ceaselessly from her ears, and her voice lacked confidence: "Put it wherever you like."
As she spoke, she tried to leave, only to be pulled back into his arms. Lu Bofan looked at her and asked unhurriedly, "What are you running for?"
"….."
Lu Meng struggled to stay calm: "Don't you still have work to do?"
Lu Bofan's gaze traveled slowly from her lips upward, hooking leisurely onto her line of sight, brazenly carrying a hint of aggression: "Finished."
Lu Meng suddenly didn't know what to say.
The air seemed to grow cramped and sweltering, the ambiguity climbing steadily. She didn't know how the kiss started—her hand braced against the man's broad shoulder kept clenching, while the hand behind her seemed to keep moving upward, pressing against the back of her neck, forcing her to lift her face.
In what should have been a quiet, solemn study, there remained only the sounds spilling from tangled lips and teeth. Beyond that, she clearly heard her own anxious heartbeat.
She hadn't expected that just coming in to borrow a place to work would suddenly turn into kissing.
In a gap to catch their breath, their eyes met. Adults didn't need words to understand each other. Her mouth was dry, yet she still asked, knowing full well the answer: "Are we doing it today too?"
Lu Bofan, just as he had yesterday, gave her the choice, though the arm around her waist showed no intention of letting go: "If you don't want to, we won't."
Did she want to?
Lu Meng was acutely aware of the desire in her body.
She was also perfectly candid about her physiological needs.
At least judging from last night's collision, she had enjoyed it, had taken pleasure in it—it was just a bit tiring.
But if it was only once, she thought she'd be willing.
Sensing she wasn't refusing, Lu Bofan lifted her face and kissed her again.
This time, Lu Meng was much more proactive. Only when her lower back hit the desk did she use her last shred of reason to ask: "Not going back to the room?"