On the other side, Su Yaqin spoke with a mocking laugh.
“Gu Zhiyan, you sure are generous with your ex-girlfriend. An L-brand ring, just given away like that. Why not just marry her and bring her home?”
Her sarcastic tone made him frown involuntarily.
“What ring?”
“The one she’s wearing on her hand, the new L-brand series.”
Gu Zhiyan’s eyes darkened. “I never gave her a ring.”
“What?” Surprise flickered across Su Yaqin’s face, followed by a meaningful pause. “So what she said is true, it seems.”
Gu Zhiyan looked at her coldly. “What did you say to her? Don’t forget, we’re just in a cooperative relationship.”
Su Yaqin raised an eyebrow. “What’s the use of you being so devoted alone? She said it herself… the ring was a gift from her boyfriend.”
Impossible. They had only broken up a few days ago.
Shen Nanyin couldn’t possibly be with someone else so quickly.
Gu Zhiyan’s tone was firm. “She must have said that on purpose.”
“You’re not going to say she bought the ring herself, are you?”
“Why not?” Gu Zhiyan relaxed his posture. “She just wants to provoke me through you.”
Su Yaqin clicked her tongue twice. “I took a clear look—it’s a genuine L-brand plain ring. She bought it herself? Even if she started working from the Qing dynasty, she couldn’t afford it.”
“Unless…” Su Yaqin watched Gu Zhiyan’s tense expression and smiled meaningfully. “She’s latched onto a sugar daddy.”
In the afternoon, it was an elective physical education class. After changing into the required sports pants in the restroom, Shen Nanyin gathered on the playground.
Originally, third-year students didn’t need to take PE classes, but due to issues with the school’s academic system in their second year, the class was postponed to the third year.
Shen Nanyin and Wu Zan, with their slow reflexes, only managed to sign up for basketball.
Although it wasn’t summer yet, the afternoon sun was already blazing.
Wu Zan was the typical slacker—the kind who wouldn’t move even if poked with a stick—and now wore a bitter expression.
“Oh my goodness, I couldn’t learn the three-step layup in my freshman year. Why do I have to do it again now?”
Shen Nanyin also hugged the basketball worriedly. She truly knew nothing about sports.
After practicing for a whole class, the PE teacher couldn’t bear to watch and divided them into groups, assigning a male student to teach them.
The male student was serious and responsible, breaking down each step to teach them.
By the end of the class, although they still couldn’t make a shot, at least their movements were standard.
“Classmate, let’s add each other on WeChat. I’ll send you the breakdown video so you can review it later.”
Shen Nanyin hesitated for a moment. She initially wanted to ask him to send it to Wu Zan but then reconsidered, realizing she hadn’t considered Wu Zan’s wishes. In the end, she scanned the code.
As she walked toward the school gate, the male student happened to be heading in the same direction.
“Classmate, I’m Xiang Huali from PE Class One. What about you?”
Shen Nanyin replied politely, “Finance Class One.”
“Wow, that’s impressive. Is advanced math super hard?”
Shen Nanyin: “It’s okay.”
The tall, sturdy boy walked closely beside the girl, chattering away with a bright smile.
Even though the girl kept her distance coldly, Lu Jingyan’s expression darkened.
Shen Nanyin thanked him, and he waved before heading off in the opposite direction at the school gate.
The Lu family’s car was parked conspicuously by the roadside. Shen Nanyin hurried over.
Only after she fastened her seatbelt did Lu Jingyan casually ask, “That person just now… is he your classmate?”
Shen Nanyin shook her head. “He was assigned by the teacher to teach us the three-step layup.”
As she spoke, she felt somewhat uneasy. “Um, there’s something I need to confess.”
Lu Jingyan’s heart inexplicably tightened for a moment, and he suddenly didn’t want to hear it.
“Let’s talk about it when we get back—”
“He said he’d send me a breakdown video of the three-step layup and asked me to add him on WeChat, so I did.”
After saying it all in one breath, Shen Nanyin stole a glance at Lu Jingyan’s expression.
The man was momentarily stunned, then his brows and eyes relaxed, and a smile returned to his dark eyes.
“Is Mrs. Lu reporting to me?”
His narrow, captivating eyes curved into a gentle arc, his thin lips slightly upturned, his voice low, magnetic, and pleasant.
“Thank you, Mrs. Lu. I’m very happy.”
Was he really that happy?
Shen Nanyin, momentarily captivated by his appearance, pressed the back of her hand against her flushed cheeks to cool them down.
“You sit first. I’ll go make dinner.”
After arriving home, Lu Jingyan took her bag and put it away before heading into the kitchen.
Shen Nanyin hurriedly followed. “Let me do it.”
“I should have made breakfast too. It’s all my fault for waking up late.”
As she spoke, she rolled up her sleeves, ready to wash the vegetables.
But she was stopped by a hand on her wrist.
“I married a wife, not a maid.”
He gently patted her waist. “Go sit on the sofa.”
Shen Nanyin was shooed into the living room, but before long, she couldn’t resist and kept circling around him. “Is there anything I can help with?”
He seemed to think for a moment, then suddenly curved his lips.
“There is something only you can help with.”
Shen Nanyin immediately looked up. “Tell me.”
“I need you to…” He deliberately drew out his words, then chuckled softly under Shen Nanyin’s expectant gaze.
“Help me tie the apron.”
The light gently illuminated the fine fuzz on the man’s cool, pale cheeks. His thin eyelids were lowered, revealing faint blue veins.
He leaned in closer, making it easier for her to hang the apron around his neck.
But he was too tall. Even when he bent down, Shen Nanyin unconsciously rose slightly on her tiptoes.
The delicate fragrance of the girl mingled with the scent of fir, drifting into his nostrils. The warmth radiating from her skin brushed lightly against him.
So close.
Shen Nanyin pursed her lips slightly, instinctively holding her breath.
She felt the man’s unwavering gaze. Before the warmth could spread to her ears, she quickly hung the apron and withdrew her hand, taking a step back.
“Done.”
Lu Jingyan raised an eyebrow lazily. “Leaving the rest undone?”
Only then did Shen Nanyin realize she hadn’t tied the bow yet.
She walked behind the man, picked up the thin strings hanging on either side, and pulled them tight.
The lean, firm waist in front of her became visible, and Shen Nanyin inexplicably recalled the sensation she had felt when touching it.
Taut and full of strength.
She quickly shook her head and tied the bow in a few swift motions.
Leaning against the doorway, she watched him skillfully wash and chop the vegetables. The warm kitchen light fell on his profile, softening his features.
He seemed different from the rumored frivolous and unfaithful Young Master Lu.
Without thinking, she spoke up. “I didn’t expect you to know how to cook.”
The man rolled his sleeves up to his forearms and glanced at her lazily, a hint of teasing in his eyes.
“Little Shen, what kind of image do I have in your eyes?”
Her ears flushed red. She had actually spoken her thoughts out loud.
But it was truly hard to imagine a day like this—the heir of Lingyue Group personally cooking.
“I learned it while studying abroad.”
Lu Jingyan’s tone was casual.
Shen Nanyin suddenly wondered—had he made the congee when she was sick last time too?