Lin Wu actually enjoyed tonight’s dinner quite a bit.
Li Xiang was an excellent boss. Whenever he organized a meal, he never arranged vulgar activities like forcing rounds of toasts. If the other party tried to pressure his team to drink, he would politely decline on their behalf.
The people from the firm could drink if they wanted to, or not drink if they didn’t. In any case, Li Xiang would protect them.
Lin Wu kept her word that evening—she didn’t touch a single drop of alcohol.
Everyone ate and chatted. By the time the meal was mostly finished, the discussion about the case had reached a natural stopping point for now.
A few people continued talking casually, and the conversation gradually shifted from the case to other topics.
Lin Wu quietly set down her chopsticks at an appropriate moment and slipped out of the private room unnoticed.
As she reached the restroom entrance, Lin Wu brushed past a well-dressed, attractive woman.
A sweet fragrance drifted into her nose. She turned back to glance at the woman’s retreating figure, vaguely feeling that the person seemed somewhat familiar, yet her mind drew a blank on the name.
After thinking for a moment and still not remembering, Lin Wu simply gave up.
To her, if she couldn’t recall someone or something even after trying, then they clearly weren’t that important.
It wasn’t until she came out of the restroom and saw the two people standing in the corridor outside that it suddenly clicked—who the woman just now had been.
Lin Wu didn’t know her exact name. The only thing she remembered was that she and this woman had crossed paths once before.
The situation back then had been quite similar to tonight’s, only the location was different.
After being with Chen Zhuo for so long and gradually growing more familiar, they occasionally met at a bar on Friday nights for a drink, listened to some music, and then went back to the apartment together.
Lin Wu recalled that the last time they went to a bar had been over a month ago. She had been in a pretty good mood that day and had taken the initiative to invite Chen Zhuo.
The time before that had been during the summer vacation.
The bar they went to that day was very famous in Shencheng—sometimes they even managed to book entertainment industry artists or singers to perform on stage.
Lin Wu only found out after arriving that a very well-known band was performing that night, so the bar was much more crowded than usual.
Drinking and listening to music was one of Lin Wu’s preferred ways to relax.
She wasn’t very familiar with the band performing that day, but she quite liked the songs they sang. They weren’t extremely intense or noisy rap tracks, but rather slower, more grounded and realistic songs.
After the band finished their set, some of the bar’s customers started to leave.
Lin Wu and Chen Zhuo were no exception. They exchanged a glance, and Lin Wu stood up, telling Chen Zhuo she was going to the restroom and asking him to wait for her outside.
Chen Zhuo replied that he could wait at the restroom door.
Lin Wu paused for a second, then said, “That’s not really appropriate, is it?”
Chen Zhuo lifted his eyes. “What’s inappropriate about it?”
“…” Lin Wu fell silent for a moment, then joked, “You’re not worried I’ll run away, are you?”
Chen Zhuo looked at her steadily for a few seconds. “Would you run?”
Lin Wu answered without much thought, “Depends on how you behave.”
Chen Zhuo curved his lips and said slowly, “It’s too crowded. Let’s go.”
In the end, he still walked her all the way to the restroom entrance.
There were a lot of people waiting to use the restroom, so Lin Wu had to queue for a while.
When she came out, Chen Zhuo was still standing in the same spot waiting for her—only now there was an attractively dressed, trendy-looking girl standing in front of him.
From a slight distance, Lin Wu could still hear the girl’s excited voice: “Chen Zhuo, you’re here too? What a coincidence!”
She couldn’t quite catch what Chen Zhuo said in reply.
Then the girl asked, “Did you come alone? How are you getting back later? I didn’t drive. Can you give me a ride home?”
Lin Wu listened, glanced at the two of them, and then walked out the other way.
Just as she stepped out of the bar, her phone rang. It was Chen Zhuo calling.
“Where did you go?” His voice mixed with the noisy crowd, low and carrying a faint sense of pressure.
Lin Wu was quiet for a moment before answering, “At the entrance.”
A short while later, Chen Zhuo came out alone.
Lin Wu glanced behind him but said nothing.
Chen Zhuo lowered his eyes. “What are you looking at?”
“…Nothing,” Lin Wu had no intention of asking further. Her intimate relationship with Chen Zhuo was limited strictly to Friday nights. And they didn’t pry too much into each other’s private lives.
The two walked silently toward the parking lot.
Since they had both been drinking, Chen Zhuo had called a designated driver.
While waiting for the designated driver to arrive, Chen Zhuo suddenly spoke. “Lin Wu.”
Lin Wu responded and lifted her head to look at him. “What?”
Chen Zhuo went quiet, his gaze fixed steadily on her face. “Just now—”
Before he could finish the rest of his sentence, Lin Wu smiled first and cut him off. “President Chen, you don’t need to tell me.”
She followed the rules of their game very strictly—she had zero curiosity about that woman.
Because of that little incident, Chen Zhuo tormented her quite intensely that night.
At the time, Lin Wu had felt quite baffled. She didn’t really understand why he had suddenly lost control like that. Logically speaking, if one of them was supposed to be upset, shouldn’t it have been her?
Now, seeing the two of them again and remembering what happened that day, Lin Wu’s footsteps paused for a single second. Then she walked past them expressionlessly and returned to the private room.
They really did have quite the fate, Lin Wu thought.
“Chen Zhuo, what are you looking at?” Ying Xianyao had been speaking to Chen Zhuo. Noticing that he had turned his gaze away and his expression had become absent-minded, she followed the direction of his line of sight. There was nothing special in the corridor—just two servers standing neatly in place.
Chen Zhuo withdrew his gaze, his tone flat. “Nothing.”
Ying Xianyao gave an “oh” and tactfully didn’t press further. She curved her brows and eyes into a smile and said softly, “Are you free this weekend?”
Chen Zhuo: “No.”
Ying Xianyao: “…”
Hearing his answer, she pouted a little aggrievedly. “You said no without even thinking about it.”
Seeing her like this, Chen Zhuo slightly restrained his expression and spoke politely. “Miss Ying, I’m very busy.”
“…” Ying Xianyao froze for a moment, then said somewhat dejectedly, “Okay then. I’ll ask you again when you have time.”
Chen Zhuo didn’t reply. He lowered his head to glance at his watch. “I have something else. I’ll go first.”
Before Ying Xianyao could say anything more, Chen Zhuo turned and left.
Ying Xianyao watched his retreating figure, stomped her foot in frustration.
Back in the private room, everyone exchanged a few more polite pleasantries and prepared to leave.
The group walked to the entrance of the private room. Li Xiang spoke courteously to Chen Zhuo. “President Chen, feel free to contact us anytime if there’s anything.”
Chen Zhuo acknowledged with a sound, his eyes briefly sweeping over Lin Wu, who was standing to the side with a faint smile. His brows and eyes moved slightly. “No problem.”
After seeing Chen Zhuo and the others off, Li Xiang raised his hand to rub his temple and looked back at the group behind him. “Let’s head back. We still have work tomorrow.”
He instructed the assistants who hadn’t drunk to make sure each lawyer and colleague got home safely.
After giving out the instructions, Li Xiang seemed to remember something and turned to Lin Wu. “You and your assistant can ride with me?”
Lin Wu was just about to agree when her phone vibrated in her pocket.
She took it out to look. It was a message from Chen Zhuo—just two words: “Lawyer Lin.”
Lin Wu: “President Chen, something wrong?”
Chen Zhuo sat in the car, gazing at the flickering shadows of light outside the window. His long fingers moved slightly: “Yes.”
Lin Wu: “What is it?”
Chen Zhuo wanted to ask if she wanted to leave together, but he knew—she would definitely refuse.
After hesitating for a moment, Chen Zhuo raised his hand to loosen his tie slightly and let out a soft sigh: “Nothing. Rest early.”
“…”
After reading Chen Zhuo’s message clearly, Lin Wu felt quite baffled.
Was this man drunk?
“Lin Wu,” just as Lin Wu was puzzled, Li Xiang called her name. “Whose car are you riding in?”
Lin Wu snapped back to reality and quickly put her phone away. “Yours.”
“Then let’s go.” Li Xiang turned around, not forgetting to tease her. “Since when do you like playing with your phone?”
Lin Wu had nothing to say and casually made something up. “Client message.”
It wasn’t entirely a lie.
Li Xiang raised an eyebrow. “Which client is so unreasonable, contacting our Lawyer Lin after nine o’clock at night to talk business?”
Lin Wu smiled faintly and answered him, “A client of Xianghe Law Firm.”
Li Xiang: “…”
After riding in Li Xiang’s car and getting home, Lin Wu suddenly felt a wave of exhaustion.
Clearly she hadn’t spent much mental or physical energy socializing during dinner tonight.
After a simple wash-up, Lin Wu hesitated for a moment between going straight to bed or working a little longer before sleeping—and ultimately chose the latter.
Her body felt tired, but lying down right now would make it impossible to fall asleep. Lin Wu knew this very well.
What she hadn’t expected was that as soon as she sat down in the study, Chen Zhuo’s call came through.
Seeing the caller ID, Lin Wu felt a tiny flicker of surprise.
“Hello?” Lin Wu answered hesitantly. “President Chen.”
Hearing her clear, cool tone, Chen Zhuo lifted his eyes slightly and gave a soft acknowledgment. “Not resting yet?”
Lin Wu felt he was asking something he already knew—if she were resting, she wouldn’t have answered his call.
After a few seconds of silence, Lin Wu asked, “Is President Chen calling to supervise me?”
Chen Zhuo: “The case isn’t that urgent.”
Lin Wu caught the implication behind his words and gave a soft “oh.”
Suddenly, both of them tacitly fell silent.
The line became quiet. Through the current, they seemed to be able to hear each other’s breathing.
Lin Wu felt the atmosphere right now wasn’t quite right. She stared blankly at the computer screen she had just turned on, pressed her lips together, and said, “President Chen, if there’s nothing else, I’ll hang up.”
“You’re home?” Chen Zhuo asked.
Lin Wu: “…Yes.”
She paused for a moment, then decided to return the courtesy and ask, “And President Chen? You should be home by now too, right?”
Chen Zhuo: “Got here half an hour ago.”
Lin Wu: “…”
She hadn’t actually needed to know that level of detail.
“Okay,” Lin Wu replied. “Then President Chen, rest early.”
Chen Zhuo gave a soft “mm.” “Good night, Lawyer Lin.”
Lin Wu hesitated for one second. “Good night, President Chen.”
After putting down her phone, Lin Wu stared blankly into space for a while before pulling her attention back and refocusing on work.
She stayed busy until one o’clock before finally going to bed.
For the next two days, Lin Wu and Chen Zhuo did not meet again.
She was so busy her feet barely touched the ground, while Chen Zhuo, having just taken over the troubled Fengxing Investment Bank with a mountain of problems, was equally swamped and overwhelmed.
That Friday night, they also didn’t see each other.
On Saturday, Lin Wu met with a client. After finishing the discussion, she finally got a short weekend break.
As soon as she got home, He Jiayun called and asked her to come over for dinner.
Lin Wu sprawled lazily on the sofa, raised her hand to rub her eyes, and said, “Next time. I’m really tired today.”
Hearing her tone, He Jiayun frowned. “Didn’t rest well again?”
Lin Wu gave a vague affirmative hum. “Not exactly. Just a lot going on lately.”
He Jiayun: “…Alright then. Tomorrow?”
Lin Wu laughed helplessly. “Why are you so insistent on having me over for dinner? Did you prepare a surprise for me?”
He Jiayun tsked. “Your birthday isn’t even here yet—where would a surprise come from?”
Lin Wu gave an “oh” and raised an eyebrow. “So there is a surprise on my actual birthday, right?”
“…” He Jiayun was speechless. Over the phone, she clicked her tongue at Lin Wu. “Don’t try to trick me into spilling.”
Lin Wu couldn’t help laughing.
After chatting a bit more, He Jiayun remembered something. “How are you planning to spend your birthday? It falls on a Friday. Are you spending it with me, with your colleagues at the firm, or with Chen Zhuo?”
She was genuinely curious.
Lin Wu: “Chen Zhuo doesn’t even know when my birthday is.”
He Jiayun was surprised. “You’re sure?”
“Mm,” Lin Wu said. “We’ve never talked about it.”
He Jiayun: “He might still know. He’s seen your ID card before, right?”
“That was a long time ago,” Lin Wu replied. “Over half a year now.”
She didn’t think Chen Zhuo would remember such trivial details.
He Jiayun: “You never know.”
Lin Wu didn’t respond.
“Seriously—if we’re having dinner together, are you going to invite him? Or at least tell him that day is your birthday?” He Jiayun pressed.
Lin Wu answered without hesitation. “No.”
He Jiayun: “Got it. Then I’ll celebrate with you.”
Lin Wu smiled. “Alright. I’ll leave it in the hands of our young miss.”
He Jiayun: “Don’t worry.”
“Don’t make it too grand,” Lin Wu warned. “Just the two of us having a meal is enough.”
At most, they could add Li Xiang to foot the bill.
He Jiayun: “Got it.”
After chatting enough, He Jiayun told her to rest well and hung up.
Lin Wu tossed her phone aside. Right now, she didn’t feel like moving at all. She tilted her head back against the sofa, pulled the blanket from the side over herself, curled up, and closed her eyes to rest. Before she knew it, Lin Wu had fallen asleep.
She slept straight through until nightfall.
When she opened her eyes, everything around her was pitch black. For a moment, Lin Wu couldn’t even react to where she was.
After a pause to gather herself, she got up and turned on the lights in the room.
The instant the lights came on, Lin Wu instinctively closed her eyes for a second. It seemed to be a natural human reaction when brightness suddenly appeared.
She hadn’t eaten lunch, and after sleeping, she woke up ravenous.
Lin Wu walked to the kitchen, opened the fridge, and saw only a few cans of sparkling water and beer inside.
It seemed like she hadn’t gone grocery shopping in a very long time.
Lin Wu held the fridge door and thought for a moment before deciding to go out to the supermarket.
Although she usually lived rather carelessly, every now and then she still had the occasional urge to eat a proper meal and live a little more intentionally.
The supermarket wasn’t far from her neighborhood—just across the road.
Lin Wu didn’t plan to buy much, so she didn’t even drive.
The supermarket in the evening was rather quiet. Lin Wu liked these empty, uncrowded supermarkets.
Too many people and too much noise made her uncomfortable.
She grabbed a small shopping cart and wandered slowly along the shelves.
When she saw the shelves stacked full of snacks, Lin Wu hesitated for a second but still reached out. It was rare to indulge—surely it wouldn’t hurt just this once.
After picking up some snacks, Lin Wu moved to the freezer section.
The freezer was filled with all kinds of milk and yogurt, dazzling her eyes. She didn’t know which one to choose.
Suddenly, a familiar voice slipped into her ear: “The Earl Grey flavor is pretty good.”
“…?”
Lin Wu turned her head and saw Chen Zhuo standing beside her, dressed in a casual windbreaker, pushing an identical small cart. Her expression turned to stunned surprise. “How are you here?”
Chen Zhuo bent down, picked up a box of yogurt, and placed it in her cart. He spoke slowly and deliberately: “Shopping at the supermarket.”
Lin Wu: “…”
She didn’t speak, just stared at him.
Noticing her serious expression, Chen Zhuo gave a very light laugh. “What?”
“You…” Lin Wu frowned slightly, guessing, “You don’t live in the same neighborhood as me, do you?”
That seemed unlikely.
Chen Zhuo: “No.”
He actually wished he did.
Lin Wu: “Then you live nearby?”
If he didn’t live close by, he wouldn’t have come to this supermarket.
Chen Zhuo acknowledged it and admitted, “Yes.”
Hearing his confirmation, Lin Wu suddenly didn’t know what to say.
Should she marvel at how fateful this was, or how unlucky?
They had known each other for so long, and this was the first time they had run into each other near home.
Both of them fell silent at the same time.
Suddenly, Lin Wu’s stomach growled loudly.
Chen Zhuo turned to look at her. “…You haven’t eaten yet?”
Lin Wu nodded a little embarrassedly. “There’s no food at home.”
Chen Zhuo glanced at the time, suspicion rising. “Did you skip lunch too?”
It was just past six o’clock. If she had eaten a normal lunch, she wouldn’t be this hungry, nor would she have grabbed so many things. Chen Zhuo thought as he looked at the snacks in her cart.
Lin Wu gave a vague hum, feeling a bit sheepish. “…Seems like it.”
Chen Zhuo: “…”
He was speechless. His gaze lingered on her deeply for a moment before he spoke slowly: “Lin Wu.”
Lin Wu looked up. “What?”
Chen Zhuo’s eyes were deep and captivating. Whenever she met them, Lin Wu often found it hard to look away.
But this time, before she could shift her gaze, Chen Zhuo was the first to show a helpless expression. He lowered his voice: “What are you planning to make?”
He had originally wanted to ask if she could take slightly better care of herself.
But that would be too much. Lin Wu would resist. He knew her too well.
“…I haven’t decided,” Lin Wu said. She had come to the supermarket on a sudden whim—she didn’t have any clear plan for dinner.
Chen Zhuo understood. After a pause, he asked, “Want to eat home-cooked food?”
Lin Wu’s breathing hitched. Instinct told her she shouldn’t take this bait, yet she still couldn’t help asking, “Where?”
Chen Zhuo lowered his eyes and said unhurriedly, “My place. Want to come?”