9 – Waiting for a Reply
Su Qinghe opened the document and looked down at this so-called dating agreement.
The agreement contained over a dozen clauses, all based on the principle of mutual benefit. The two of them would pretend to be in a relationship to fend off the blind dates arranged by their elders.
The term stated in the agreement was one year, during which both parties were required to cooperate and play the role of a couple convincingly in front of their elders.
Su Qinghe’s gaze moved to the final lines of the document, which stated the termination clause—if either party wished to dissolve the agreement early, they would need to pay the other party one million yuan as a penalty.
One million?!
Su Qinghe’s pupils contracted. That penalty was far too steep. Her savings only reached five figures—there was no way she could afford that much money.
Lu Yanci’s deep voice sounded by her ear. “Su Qinghe, you can take your time to consider it. No need to give me an answer right away.”
“Alright, I’ll think it over carefully.” Su Qinghe suppressed the shock in her heart and nodded solemnly.
Lu Yanci drove Su Qinghe to the entrance of her residential complex and slowly pulled over to the side of the road.
Su Qinghe tucked the dating agreement into her bag, then turned to Lu Yanci and said, “President Lu, thank you for the trouble tonight. I appreciate it.”
“You’re welcome.” Lu Yanci looked at Su Qinghe’s gentle profile and wanted to remind her to apply the medicine again after she showered.
But he felt that kind of concern might come across as too eager. Afraid of scaring Su Qinghe off, he swallowed the words of care and watched helplessly as Su Qinghe got out of the car and walked away.
Su Qinghe had only walked a short distance into the complex when she spotted He Nanzhi sitting on a stone bench beside the greenery, casting her a gossip-filled look.
“Nanzhi, why are you downstairs so late at night?” Su Qinghe asked.
“I’ve been cooped up at home for days without going out. My mind hit a wall tonight, so I thought I’d come downstairs for a walk to relax and see if I could find some inspiration.”
He Nanzhi stood up and followed behind Su Qinghe through the entrance of the building.
Back at home, Su Qinghe changed into her slippers. The wound on her heel finally didn’t hurt as much.
Su Qinghe lounged lazily on the sofa. He Nanzhi poured two cups of warm water, walked over, and sat down beside her, casually handing one of the cups to her.
“Qinghe, you’re something else—said you were busy with work, but you came back riding in a Maserati.” He Nanzhi asked curiously, “Who’s the owner of that Maserati?”
Su Qinghe took a sip of water and said in a gentle tone, “Lu Yanci.”
“Lu Yanci?” He Nanzhi quickly recalled the name. She covered her mouth in surprise. “Your CEO drove you home?”
Su Qinghe nodded lightly. “Mm, yes.”
“I knew it!! He must like you—why else would he drive you home alone?” He Nanzhi’s tone was somewhat excited.
As a screenwriter of romantic dramas, her greatest hobby in daily life was, of course—shipping couples!
Su Qinghe patted He Nanzhi’s shoulder and said, “Why are you more excited than I am?”
“Well, did he confess to you?” He Nanzhi pressed on.
“No.” Su Qinghe got up, walked to the entryway, pulled a document out of her bag, returned to the sofa, and handed the file to He Nanzhi.
“What’s this?” He Nanzhi took the document. The further she read, the tighter her brows furrowed. “A dating agreement?!”
Su Qinghe nodded gently. “That’s exactly how it is. President Lu is probably being pressured by his family to go on blind dates, so he wanted me to pretend to be his girlfriend. As a condition of the exchange, he would also cooperate with me to deal with my family.”
He Nanzhi gradually withdrew her smile and asked seriously, “Did you agree?”
“He said there’s no rush for an answer—he’ll wait until I’ve thought it over properly.”
“Then you need to think it through carefully.” After all, this was Su Qinghe’s personal matter, and she would have to make the decision herself, so He Nanzhi didn’t say anything more.
Whether Su Qinghe agreed or refused.
She would have her own reasons either way.
……
Shengshi Group, main conference room.
The senior executives sat around the ten-meter-long conference table. The atmosphere was somewhat heavy, and everyone sat perfectly upright, afraid of being singled out by Lu Yanci.
Something had been off these past two days—Lu Yanci seemed to be in a particularly bad mood.
Lu Yanci sat in the central seat at the head of the table, his gaze slightly dark as he looked at the PPT projected on the screen across from him.
President Chen, who was in charge of the new real estate project, stood before the screen, reporting on the initial progress of the project.
Twenty minutes later, President Chen finished his report, returned to his seat, and pulled out a tissue to wipe the sweat from his forehead.
Fortunately, it had been a close call.
The meeting lasted an entire day. After it concluded, Lu Yanci sat on the sofa in his office and raised a hand to rub his furrowed brow.
“Shi Yu,” he said with a light sigh, “why didn’t I just set a time back then? It’s already the third day, and there’s still no answer.”
Zhou Shiyu knew that Lu Yanci was referring to the contractual relationship with Su Qinghe.
“President Lu, why don’t you take the initiative and ask?” Zhou Shiyu suggested.
Lu Yanci hummed in acknowledgment, then picked up his phone and looked at the number saved in his contacts.
After hesitating for a moment, he still made the call.
Zhou Shiyu, being perceptive, walked out of the office.
It was already seven in the evening. Su Qinghe still had some work left unfinished and was sitting in front of her computer, sketching out a design draft.
The phone resting on the desk began to vibrate at that moment.
Annoyed at having her thoughts interrupted, Su Qinghe frowned slightly. Seeing the unfamiliar number on the screen, she decisively rejected the call.
Not long after, the phone vibrated again—the same number calling back.
Su Qinghe answered impatiently. “Hello? Who is this?”
“Su Qinghe.” Lu Yanci’s deep voice came through the phone.
Su Qinghe froze for a moment. How did Lu Yanci get her phone number?
Then it quickly occurred to her that he was her boss—looking up an employee’s information would be a trivial matter for him.
“President Lu, is there something you need?” Su Qinghe asked softly.
“Are you still at the company?”
“Yes, I’m still at the company.”
“It’s getting late. Let’s have dinner together.” His tone left no room for refusal.
Su Qinghe glanced at the time in the bottom-right corner of her computer screen and replied, “Alright.”
After agreeing on the meeting place, Su Qinghe shut down her computer, picked up her bag, and took the elevator downstairs.
The meeting spot was a Chinese restaurant not far from the company. To make conversation easier, Lu Yanci had specially reserved a private room.
Su Qinghe walked into the private room first. A tea artist dressed in a qipao was brewing a pot of kung fu tea.
Just as the tea was finished steeping, Lu Yanci arrived as well.
Lu Yanci walked in with his suit jacket and tie draped over his arm, his shirt collar slightly loosened. He strode in with his head held high and handed his coat to a nearby attendant to hang up.
“Let’s order first—take a look and see what dishes you’d like.” Lu Yanci took the seat to Su Qinghe’s left and passed her the menu.
After they ordered, the tea artist and the waitstaff all withdrew from the room.
Su Qinghe lowered her head slightly, her long, thick lashes trembling gently.
Thinking of the topic they were about to discuss, she felt a knot of nervousness in her chest…