8 – Love Contract?
Su Qinghe walked backstage. Before she even reached the stairs, Li Jiajia hurried to her side, supporting her with one hand while exclaiming in admiration, “Qinghe, your performance was amazing!”
“Qinghe, you were absolutely stunning on stage! You should have seen it—those people couldn’t take their eyes off you.” Chen Ran looked at Su Qinghe and said with a beaming smile.
Su Qinghe felt a little embarrassed by the praise. She lowered her head slightly and smiled. “It’s not that exaggerated. You two are just trying to make me feel good.”
“We’re telling the honest truth.” Li Jiajia said with a serious expression. “You could easily rely on your looks, but you insist on relying on your talent and character instead.”
“Hahaha… I’m not that shallow a person.” Su Qinghe chatted and laughed with Li Jiajia for a while, then walked into the dressing room to change back into her own clothes.
The new collection showcase came to a successful end, and the next segment was the designers’ curtain call.
Chen Ran led the 85 brand designers from backstage to the front of the stage, bringing the event to a perfect close amid the applause of the audience.
After watching the runway models’ presentation, the guests filed out of the venue one after another and headed to the adjacent exhibition hall to look at the sample garments on display.
The follow-up ordering work at the exhibition hall would be handled by the marketing department.
Su Qinghe, along with the other designers, stayed backstage to help pack up the sample garments and tidy up the scattered accessories.
Once the work was done, Su Qinghe walked out of the hotel entrance carrying her bag. After waving goodbye to her colleagues, she headed toward the roadside, planning to hail a taxi home.
Her place wasn’t far from here. However, taking the subway home would be rather inconvenient, as she would need to transfer twice along the way.
During today’s runway show, the high heels Su Qinghe had worn weren’t quite the right size, and they had scraped the back of her heels raw.
Not wanting to endure the pain of walking a long distance, Su Qinghe decided to take a taxi home.
Standing by the roadside, a gust of bleak, chilly wind blew past, sweeping up the withered yellow leaves on the ground.
Su Qinghe pulled her coat tighter, her eyes fixed ahead as she waited for a taxi with the “available” light on to appear.
After waiting for over ten minutes, she still hadn’t managed to flag down a cab.
Just then, a black Maserati MC20, its turn signal blinking, drove over and pulled up to the curb in front of Su Qinghe.
Su Qinghe furrowed her brows slightly. With the car blocking her view, she wouldn’t be able to see any oncoming taxis, so she lifted her foot, ready to walk forward a few steps.
The driver’s side window of the Maserati rolled down slowly, and Lu Yanci called out to her retreating figure, “Su Qinghe.”
Hearing someone call her name, Su Qinghe instinctively turned her head to look.
It was actually Lu Yanci!
Lu Yanci was her boss. Though Su Qinghe was reluctant, she had no choice but to walk over.
Standing outside the passenger-side window, Su Qinghe asked, “President Lu, is there something you need?”
Her tone was extremely polite and distant.
Lu Yanci turned his head toward her and said, “Get in. I’ll give you a ride home on the way.”
“No need.” Su Qinghe shook her head repeatedly. “Thank you for your consideration toward your employees, President Lu. I can just take a taxi back.”
Are you kidding?
Having mistaken the wrong person at the blind date earlier was already embarrassing enough.
Su Qinghe had no desire to be alone with Lu Yanci!
Lu Yanci narrowed his eyes and said with a hint of threat, “Oh? Then what about that time you mistook the wrong person at the blind date…”
He had only gotten halfway through his sentence when Su Qinghe had already pulled open the car door and, bending slightly, settled into the passenger seat.
After fastening her seatbelt, Su Qinghe managed a faint smile at Lu Yanci. “President Lu, I’ll have to trouble you then. I live at Jun’an Garden.”
Lu Yanci entered the address into the navigation system and started the car, pulling forward.
Soothing English songs played in the car, but Su Qinghe’s heart was in turmoil, and she didn’t pay the slightest attention to the lyrics.
Lu Yanci drove in silence. Su Qinghe had no idea what he was up to, but she knew very well that he now held something over her.
If her colleagues ever found out that she had mistaken her blind date for the wrong person, it would be utterly humiliating.
Then again, Lu Yanci probably wouldn’t stoop so low…
Su Qinghe stole a subtle glance at Lu Yanci, catching a glimpse of his handsome, focused profile before quickly averting her eyes.
Lu Yanci turned the steering wheel and drove into a small side street. Before long, he pulled the car into a parking spot by the roadside.
“President Lu, what are you—” Su Qinghe asked, puzzled.
“Stay in the car for a moment. I need to run in and buy something,” Lu Yanci said, then opened the door and stepped out.
Su Qinghe watched his retreating figure as he walked into a pharmacy, though she couldn’t tell what he purchased.
A few minutes later, Lu Yanci walked back toward her.
It wasn’t until Lu Yanci opened the passenger door that Su Qinghe could see what he was holding—antiseptic solution, cotton swabs, and band-aids.
Su Qinghe froze for a moment. He couldn’t possibly be…
“Take off your shoes. Let’s treat that wound,” Lu Yanci said calmly, crouching down beside her.
Feeling flustered, Su Qinghe instinctively pulled her feet back, her cheeks warming as she stammered, “President Lu, just give me the medicine. I can take care of it myself once I get home.”
“Take off your shoes,” Lu Yanci repeated in a tone that left no room for argument.
Su Qinghe looked at his stern expression and didn’t dare refuse. She lifted her foot and slipped off her high heel, revealing a pair of feet as fair as jade.
Lu Yanci dipped a cotton swab in the antiseptic and gently brushed it over Su Qinghe’s wound.
Even though his movements were incredibly gentle, the sting was unbearable, and Su Qinghe couldn’t help but suck in a sharp breath.
The esteemed President Lu, in all his dignity, had condescended to crouch by the roadside to tend to her wound.
An indescribable feeling quietly crept into Su Qinghe’s heart.
After applying the antiseptic, Lu Yanci placed a band-aid over the wound to keep the shoe strap from scraping it again when she walked.
Su Qinghe took the pharmacy bag from Lu Yanci’s hand and said sincerely, “Thank you.”
Lu Yanci walked around the front of the car and settled back into the driver’s seat. Instead of starting the engine right away, he turned his head toward Su Qinghe and said, “If you really want to thank me, perhaps you could do me a favor instead.”
Su Qinghe blinked and smiled. “Please, go ahead, President Lu.”
“Last time you went on that blind date, I could tell you weren’t really keen on it,” Lu Yanci said. “Am I right?”
“You’re right.” Su Qinghe nodded openly. “I’ve been studying abroad for the past few years. Since I planned to return to China to build my career, I never dated while overseas. After coming back, my elders started pressuring me to get married. I had no choice but to go on blind dates.”
Lu Yanci produced a document from somewhere and handed it to Su Qinghe.
When Su Qinghe saw the title of the document, her eyes widened immediately. She looked at Lu Yanci in surprise. “A dating contract?”
Lu Yanci nodded. “Mm, take a look first.”