10 – Su Qinghe Refused
Lu Yanci picked up the purple clay teacup, took a sip, and asked slowly, “Three days have passed. I’d like to hear your answer. Have you thought it through?”
What was meant to come had come—there was no avoiding it.
Su Qinghe spoke up with some awkwardness. “President Lu, I fully understand your reasons for proposing a contractual relationship. However, after careful consideration, I still feel this isn’t quite appropriate.”
Lu Yanci raised an eyebrow. “What’s not appropriate about it?”
“Everything about it,” Su Qinghe said, her bright eyes looking straight at Lu Yanci as she continued, “You and I aren’t from the same world to begin with. In terms of family background, you come from a wealthy household. As for me, I’m just an ordinary young person from a small town.”
Lu Yanci immediately frowned. “Family background isn’t an issue.”
Su Qinghe shook her head. “President Lu, you’ve had countless wealth since the day you were born. Family background certainly matters—otherwise, the saying about ‘matching doors and equal households’ wouldn’t exist.”
Lu Yanci’s starting point was the finish line that most ordinary people could never reach in a lifetime.
Only those standing at the top had the right to casually say, “Family background doesn’t matter.”
“What about besides family background?” Lu Yanci’s gaze dimmed slightly, but he refused to give up and continued asking.
“And there’s also status.” Su Qinghe softened her voice and said slowly, “You’re the esteemed president of a conglomerate, while I’m just an ordinary employee. Even as a fake couple, we wouldn’t be well-matched in terms of conditions.”
Lu Yanci was silent for a long time, then finally let out a helpless sigh. “Then let it be as you say. Just pretend I never brought it up.”
Hearing Lu Yanci say this, Su Qinghe was visibly relieved and said with a smile, “Thank you for your understanding, President Lu.”
Lu Yanci tugged at the corner of his lips. Even if he didn’t understand, what could he do? Was he supposed to use his position as president to force her to agree?
Having grown up in a well-bred family, forcing someone to do something against their will was something Lu Yanci could never bring himself to do.
Lu Yanci picked up his teacup and swallowed the tea along with the bitterness in his heart.
After a moment, a knock came at the door of the private room from outside.
Lu Yanci said in a calm tone, “Come in.”
The server opened the door and wheeled in the food cart—all the dishes they had ordered were now served.
Su Qinghe quietly watched Lu Yanci, waiting until he picked up his chopsticks before she began to eat.
This private restaurant operated on a membership reservation system. The dishes were exquisite, the flavors excellent, and the prices extremely high.
Thanks to Lu Yanci, Su Qinghe had the chance to eat here for once.
Although the atmosphere was slightly awkward, Su Qinghe didn’t stand on ceremony and leisurely savored the delicious dishes.
Seeing Su Qinghe eating with such relish, Lu Yanci smiled and asked considerately, “Would you like to order more? The roasted squab here is also exceptional.”
Suddenly, a surge of air rose from her stomach. Su Qinghe raised her hand to cover her mouth and let out a small burp, blushing as she said, “No need—I’m full.”
Lu Yanci stood up, picked up his coat, and draped it casually over his arm. He turned to Su Qinghe and said, “Come on, I’ll drive you home.”
Su Qinghe witnessed a true case of “face-scanning” payment—after finishing the meal, they could simply walk out, since the bill had already been prepaid.
As they stepped out of the restaurant, the wind had picked up, and the temperature seemed to have dropped considerably. Their breath turned into puffs of white mist.
Su Qinghe spotted the subway entrance across the street and quickly spoke up to Lu Yanci, “President Lu, no need to trouble yourself with driving me home—I can just take the subway back.”
Lu Yanci pressed the car key, and the passenger door automatically swung open. He squeezed out two words: “On my way.”
Su Qinghe recalled that she had already turned him down once at the restaurant, so she couldn’t very well insist on taking the subway now. She obediently climbed into the Bentley.
After fastening her seatbelt, Su Qinghe glanced at the luxurious interior and couldn’t help but sigh inwardly—indeed, rejecting Lu Yanci was the best choice.
In just a few short months, Su Qinghe had seen Lu Yanci drive no fewer than ten luxury cars.
Every single one of Lu Yanci’s cars started at several million yuan.
The car slowly pulled away, and Su Qinghe turned her head to gaze at the quiet streets outside the window. Streetlamp after streetlamp cast warm orange light through the glass onto her face, creating an indescribably serene beauty.
Lu Yanci turned to look at her for a moment, then immediately averted his gaze.
In his deep, dark eyes lay a faint trace of tenderness that was hard to detect.
Half an hour later, the car pulled over to the curb. Su Qinghe waved her hand and thanked him again, “Thank you, President Lu. See you tomorrow.”
Lu Yanci curved the corner of his mouth and said softly, “Mm, see you tomorrow.”
Su Qinghe went upstairs and entered her home. The apartment was pitch dark and eerily quiet. She reached out and flipped the switch by the door, turning on the living room light.
After changing into her slippers, Su Qinghe suddenly remembered that one of the scripts He Nanzhi had written had wrapped up filming today, and the director had invited her to attend the wrap party.
Su Qinghe had just finished showering and blow-drying her hair when He Nanzhi finally came home.
“Hehe… Hehe…” He Nanzhi, still in her slippers, ran straight into Su Qinghe’s room.
Before Su Qinghe could even react, He Nanzhi rushed over and threw her arms around her, exclaiming with sheer excitement, “Hehe, I sat at the same table as Chen Jingzhi! We even took a photo together, and we shook hands!”
“Don’t hug me—I just showered.” Su Qinghe pushed He Nanzhi’s shoulders away with a look of disgust.
“Oh, oh, oh, I was just so happy I didn’t notice.” He Nanzhi released Su Qinghe and pulled a chair over to sit beside her.
“Where’s the photo? Let me see.” Su Qinghe wasn’t usually one to follow celebrities, so she didn’t really remember who Chen Jingzhi was or what his notable works were.
He Nanzhi pulled out her phone from her pocket, opened her photo album, and showed it to Su Qinghe, her eyes brimming with joy: “Here, look. He’s so handsome!!”
Only after seeing the photo did Su Qinghe recall that Chen Jingzhi seemed to have starred in several period dramas.
Though, most of his roles were second or third male leads.
“Yeah, he is pretty handsome.” Su Qinghe nodded in agreement—that compliment was purely for He Nanzhi’s sake.
If it were up to Su Qinghe’s own taste, she thought Chen Jingzhi wasn’t even as good-looking as Lu Yanci.
The thought flashed through her mind, and Su Qinghe quickly shifted her focus, continuing to chat with He Nanzhi about the wrap party.
Once the conversation got rolling, somehow it drifted back to Lu Yanci.
When He Nanzhi learned that Su Qinghe had turned down Lu Yanci, she wasn’t surprised at all.
“Hehe, honestly, I really admire you. After all, President Lu’s net worth is right there. What if you could turn a fake relationship into a real one…”
Su Qinghe smiled lightly, as if it were no big deal. “I still prefer a simple life. I don’t want to get close to people or matters that are too complicated.”
Every girl has fantasized, at some point, about marrying into a wealthy family one day.
It’s just that Su Qinghe was far too clear-headed. She knew exactly what kind of life suited her best.