She casually switched on the lights and rubbed her aching neck.
Why had mother chosen such a man in the first place? His private life was already disgraceful enough, yet he was shameless in business as well.
Fortunately, she had retained her composure today and had not gone to the Tianfeng Consortium to make a scene and demand justice. Otherwise, she would have completely disgraced herself.
She inadvertently raised her eyes and was stunned speechless. She even forgot to breathe. Could someone tell her why a man was sleeping on her sofa?
The man had one arm draped over his face and was lying on the other side, so all Su Jingsheng could see was a pair of expensive leather shoes gleaming with a cold light.
This was her home, right?
Then who was going to explain this man's situation?
Su Jingsheng looked as though she were facing a formidable enemy. She picked up a long-abandoned broom from the corner and cautiously walked over. At that moment, her heartbeat thundered in her ears.
Because she knew very well that, as a weak woman, she was no match for this man.
There were not many households nearby. She did not know whether anyone would hear her if she shouted later.
While Su Jingsheng was calculating her options, she also reached the man's side. Just as she was about to shout, the phone placed nearby began to ring.
The man lowered the arm covering his face and calmly sat up. “Hello.”
His voice was filled with displeasure.
Su Jingsheng slowly lowered the broom and let out a deep sigh of relief. She had thought that, because the place had been vacant for so long, some bad person had taken it over. It turned out to be Lu Qingyu. She had given him a key before, so naturally he could come in.
But why was he here alone, and why was he sleeping on the sofa?
Lu Qingyu looked coldly at Su Jingsheng.
When the assistant heard the voice of President Lu, his body seemed to have been struck by lightning, leaving him crispy on the outside and tender on the inside.
What had he heard?
Laziness! Drowsiness!
Their President Lu was a famous workaholic who spent twenty hours a day working. He also suffered from severe insomnia. It was only ten o'clock, yet President Lu had actually fallen asleep.
Most importantly, he had woken him up...
The assistant now wanted to die to atone for his crime.
“What is it?” Hearing the assistant's exclamation over the phone, Lu Qingyu became even more displeased.
It had better be something important.
Otherwise, he would not let it go.
The assistant secretly swallowed and said in a low voice, “President Lu, you asked me to investigate Su Jingsheng today. She was driven out of the Su Family today.”
If it had not been for Su Jingsheng—
the biological mother of their Young Master Lu—he would never have dared to make a reckless phone call, even if he were beaten to death.
“I know.” Lu Qingyu's tone did not fluctuate much.
He hung up immediately, then continued lying on the sofa with one arm across his eyes. He had never liked glaring light.
From Su Jingsheng's perspective, the man had severe dark circles beneath his eyes, as if caused by prolonged sleeplessness.
That made sense. For a person like him, unless he worked twice as hard, there was no way he could survive in this society.
But—
This house had been left for baby. Where was baby? Why was this man the only one here?
“Why are you here alone?” Su Jingsheng asked.
No one had lived here for a long time. Dust covered the floor and coffee table, and even the air was filled with the smell of dust. Yet this man had actually slept soundly.
He had not even noticed her opening the door.
Hearing the question, Lu Qingyu gave up on resting.
He had merely been passing by. Remembering that he had a key to this place, he had entered as if possessed, and had even fallen asleep here.
In the villa, not even the beds in high-end hotels could let him sleep peacefully, yet an old, shabby sofa had allowed him to sleep deeply.
Strange.
“I—”
Without waiting for the man to explain, Su Jingsheng spoke directly. “Did you get yourself into some trouble and become unable to return home? Is baby all right?”
Her anxious heart clenched tightly.
Trouble?
Lu Qingyu deeply furrowed his brows. Did this woman really take him for an ordinary insurance salesman?
“Baby is fine.” Even so, Lu Qingyu could not be bothered to explain.
“All right.”
Men needed their dignity. Even if he really had gotten into trouble, as long as baby was fine, that was enough.
She had been exhausted all day and had suffered such a great shock. The warmth in Su Jingsheng's body was nearly depleted. No, she had to eat something.
Ignoring Lu Qingyu's presence, she went to the kitchen. It was mostly covered in dust, but there was little greasy grime, so cleaning it was relatively easy. The refrigerator, however, was completely empty, so she needed to go out and buy some ingredients.
Su Jingsheng rolled up her sleeves, deftly tied up her long hair, and began tidying up step by step.
Half an hour later, everything was finished.
There was a supermarket across the road. She might as well go buy some things.
When she came out of the kitchen, Lu Qingyu was still resting on the sofa. This time, however, he was only pretending to sleep.
After thinking it over, Su Jingsheng did not disturb him. She quietly left the house, and when she returned, she put everything away in the refrigerator one item at a time. Watching the refrigerator gradually fill up, she revealed a satisfied smile.
She asked in a deep voice, “Would you like something to eat?”
She looked back toward the sofa. At some point, the man had already sat up, holding his phone as though chatting with someone.
Lu Qingyu looked at the words “Emergency Meeting” on his phone screen and, as if possessed, replied, “All right.”
All right?
Why was this man always so high and mighty, as though she owed him something?
Su Jingsheng pursed her lips and imitated Lu Qingyu's “All right,” then awkwardly went to the kitchen and began cooking noodles.
Lu Qingyu's slender fingertips skimmed across the phone screen. With practiced fluidity, he typed five words: Delay it by one hour.
Her days with the Su Family had not been particularly good. Although she was the young miss, there were some things she still did herself, so cooking was a small matter she could handle casually.
In less than ten minutes, Su Jingsheng brought two steaming bowls of noodles before Lu Qingyu.
She was still wearing an apron. There was an indescribable homelike comfort about her. A few loose strands of hair fell into her line of sight, and she tucked them behind her ear bit by bit. Looking at the fragrant noodles, she revealed a satisfied smile.
“I haven't made this in a while, so I don't know whether my cooking has gotten worse. If it doesn't taste good, just say so. There's no need to be polite.”
After saying that, she began eating heartily without looking back.
There was nothing more comfortable than eating a steaming bowl of noodles in the depths of winter.
At present, her heart was much colder than the depths of winter.
Lu Qingyu did not understand. It was only a bowl of noodles. Why was this woman as happy as if she had won a grand prize?
Was it really that delicious?
He picked up his chopsticks and took a bite. It was a very ordinary home-style flavor, with nothing special about it.
Yet precisely because it was not special, it carried traces of warmth he had never experienced before. His usually cold eyes showed a slight change at that moment.
Seeing that the man was not annoyed, Su Jingsheng felt somewhat pleased with herself. With a fried egg in her mouth, she said indistinctly, “Among the Young Ladies, I should be the best cook. Don't be polite—eat more. You should learn more in the future, too, and then cook for Xiaobao.”
Her mother was not by her side.
So she could only entrust this father to make up for her share as well.
“No.” The man spoke coldly without raising his head, continuing to eat his noodles.
“What do you mean, no?” Su Jingsheng asked.
“Among the Young Ladies, you are not the best cook.”
There were countless Young Ladies who tried to curry favor with him, and lovingly prepared lunch boxes were one of their methods. He had seen good ones before, but he had never seen any that gave him more of an appetite than Su Jingsheng's.