The car fell into sudden silence. For a moment, Chen Zhuo had nothing to say.
Lin Wu also stopped speaking.
After a long while, Chen Zhuo glanced at her. His voice was clear and low, showing no particular emotion.
“That’s the only reason?”
Lin Wu: “…Mm.”
She had originally wanted to add that his voice was also very pleasant to listen to, but whether she said it or not didn’t seem to make much difference.
Right from the beginning, when she first spoke to Chen Zhuo, it was because of some external qualities of his.
When people first look at someone, what they notice in that very first glance is basically just surface-level things.
Chen Zhuo fell silent. A part of him wanted to ask her — if that day someone else who was equally good-looking had been sitting next to her, would she have asked him the same question?
But saying that out loud would be disrespectful to her, and far too offensive.
Suddenly the atmosphere inside the car became subtle and delicate.
Neither of them continued the conversation. They remained silent all the way to the bar.
Chen Zhuo parked the car. Lin Wu lowered her lashes and unbuckled her seatbelt.
“You can just drive my car back. My friend probably came by car too. I’ll just drive hers back later.”
“…” Chen Zhuo paused slightly and lifted his gaze. “What do you mean?”
Lin Wu looked at him calmly and explained, “Things on my side might not finish so quickly tonight. I won’t be going to the apartment.”
They had already agreed earlier that she wouldn’t go tonight anyway.
Hearing this, Chen Zhuo’s eyes darkened slightly. His voice carried a trace of coolness.
“You’re sure?”
Lin Wu didn’t hesitate much. “Sure. You go back first.”
Chen Zhuo was quiet for a moment, then said in a low voice, “Okay.”
He turned off the engine, got out of the car, and handed the keys back to Lin Wu.
“I don’t need the car. It’s very easy to get a taxi around here.”
Lin Wu hesitated for a second before taking them. “…Then I’ll go in first.”
Chen Zhuo gave a low sound of acknowledgment. “Go ahead.”
He paused, then still added one more sentence.
“Drink less.”
Lin Wu gave a soft hum. “I know.”
She pressed her lips together. “Then I’m going in.”
Chen Zhuo nodded.
After separating from Chen Zhuo, Lin Wu walked into the bar.
When she stepped through the entrance, she slightly turned her head. Taking advantage of the deep darkness of the night, she saw Chen Zhuo standing by the roadside hailing a taxi.
The night fog was thick. His departing back looked somewhat cold and lonely.
Lin Wu’s forward steps paused for a moment, but in the end she still walked into the bar.
The bar was extremely lively. The moment she entered, she was hit by a wave of heat.
Lin Wu couldn’t help frowning. She took out her phone and messaged He Jiayun: 「First floor or second floor?」
The message was sent, but there was no reply for a long time.
With no other choice, Lin Wu could only weave through the crowd toward the bar counter and ask the bartender if he had seen He Jiayun.
“Miss Lin is here.” The bartender greeted her with a smile. “What would you like to drink?”
Lin Wu shook her head. “Not drinking tonight. Have you seen Jiayun?”
The bartender pointed behind her. “She’s over there.”
Lin Wu turned her head and saw He Jiayun nestled in a booth playing games with her friends. She secretly let out a breath of relief and smiled. “Thanks. I’ll head over first.”
Bartender: “Come over if you want to drink.”
Lin Wu acknowledged.
When she reached He Jiayun’s side, Lin Wu raised her hand and poked her shoulder.
He Jiayun turned her head in confusion. When she saw Lin Wu appear, her eyes lit up. “You’re here!”
Lin Wu nodded. “How much have you had?”
“Not much.” He Jiayun pulled on her arm, making her sit down beside her. “Everyone, let me introduce you — this is my best friend Lin Wu. She’s a lawyer. If anyone in your family ever needs to file a lawsuit, remember to look for her.”
The friends playing with He Jiayun couldn’t help laughing.
“Jiayun, what kind of introduction is that?”
“Are you cursing us?”
“No way,” He Jiayun raised an eyebrow, looking sly and mischievous. “I’m just thinking — why let good water flow to someone else’s field?”
“Then why aren’t you telling them to look for Li Xiang?”
The friends drinking with He Jiayun tonight were all young masters and ladies from wealthy families. They all knew Li Xiang.
He Jiayun didn’t even need to think. “Li Xiang isn’t as good as our Wu Wu.”
One of the friends burst out laughing. “Next time we see Li Xiang we’re definitely telling on you.”
He Jiayun raised a brow and gave a light hum. “I’m not afraid of him.”
“You’re just fearless in front of Li Xiang.”
“I’m not.” He Jiayun denied it.
After He Jiayun said that, someone really did ask to add Lin Wu on WeChat, saying if they ever had legal business they would definitely come to her.
When it came to making money, Lin Wu usually didn’t refuse anyone. She generously took out her QR code and let everyone scan it.
After adding them, Lin Wu drank a few glasses with the group before quietly asking He Jiayun, “Really not much?”
“No,” He Jiayun laughed helplessly. “Just two glasses. Don’t worry, I know my limit.”
Only then did Lin Wu feel reassured. She took out her phone again to check the time and asked in a low voice, “Planning to stay until what time?”
“What’s wrong?” He Jiayun turned her head. “Do you have something else tonight?”
Lin Wu thought for a moment. “No.”
He Jiayun raised an eyebrow, staring straight at her. “Really no?”
“Really no,” Lin Wu gave a small laugh. “I just think it’s really noisy in here.”
He Jiayun slightly lifted her chin and gestured toward the stage in the center of the bar. “There’s a performance at twelve. Everyone came tonight to watch the show.”
Lin Wu suddenly understood.
No wonder when she first came in she felt there were more people than usual tonight. She tilted her head back to look toward the center of the stage. Shadows of people flickered everywhere. Suddenly, Chen Zhuo’s cold and stern face flashed clearly before her eyes. Even when He Jiayun called her name several times, she didn’t hear a thing.
“Wu Wu.” Only when He Jiayun bumped her arm did Lin Wu snap back to reality. “What?”
He Jiayun turned sideways to look at her, slowly blinking. “What were you thinking about?”
Lin Wu paused, then slowly shook her head. “Nothing.”
He Jiayun: “Really?”
“Mm.” Lin Wu raised her hand to rub her eyes. From the corner of her vision she caught a somewhat familiar face. She suddenly looked up — only to see rows of completely unfamiliar faces.
Noticing something off about her, He Jiayun followed her line of sight. “What’s wrong? Did you see someone you know?”
Lin Wu rubbed her eyes again and scanned around carefully. “…I saw wrong.”
He Jiayun nodded. Only then did she notice that Lin Wu seemed a little distracted. “Tired?”
Lin Wu gave a soft hum and leaned her head on He Jiayun’s shoulder. “A little.”
“Then let’s head back first?” He Jiayun suggested without hesitation.
Lin Wu laughed softly. “Let’s stay a bit longer. Didn’t you come to watch the performance?”
He Jiayun didn’t even think about it. “The performance can be watched anytime. If you’re tired, go home and rest.”
She was a person of action. She immediately stood up and said to the group of friends beside her, “I’m a bit tired, so I’m heading back first. Let’s hang out again next time.”
“You’re leaving already?” One of the friends looked surprised and checked her watch. “It’s not even eleven yet. Since when do you go to bed this early?”
He Jiayun gave a vague “ah” and dramatically clutched her chest, making up an excuse on the spot. “My heart hasn’t been feeling great lately. I’m trying to take it easy and nurture myself.”
The moment she said that, the others immediately fell silent.
“Alright then. Next time.”
Once they walked out of the bar, Lin Wu called for a designated driver.
While waiting, the two of them got into Lin Wu’s car first to sit and wait.
They had just gotten in when Li Xiang’s call came through.
He Jiayun answered and immediately put it on speaker. “Hey.”
Li Xiang: “Still at the bar?”
He Jiayun raised an eyebrow and drawled slowly, “You guessed wrong.”
Li Xiang: “What?”
“I’m at the bar entrance right now,” He Jiayun honestly reported her location. “I’m with Wu Wu. We’re about to head back.”
Knowing Lin Wu was also there, Li Xiang sounded slightly more at ease. “You didn’t drink too much, right?”
He Jiayun: “…No.”
She was a little speechless. “Do I sound like someone who’s drunk right now?”
Li Xiang: “Not sure.”
He hadn’t seen her in person, so from just her tone of voice, he couldn’t accurately judge yet.
Because sometimes when He Jiayun was drunk, she could still speak very logically.
He Jiayun choked for a second and was about to retort when Li Xiang suddenly asked, “Are you going home in Lin Wu’s car, or mine?”
He Jiayun was stunned. “Your dinner party finished already?”
Li Xiang: “Mm.”
“Then come pick me up.” He Jiayun didn’t hold back at all. “Wu Wu is a bit tired. Once the driver arrives, he can just take her straight home to rest.”
Li Xiang gave a low hum, his tone very natural. “Ten minutes.”
After hanging up, He Jiayun turned her head. “How’s my arrangement?”
“Very reasonable,” Lin Wu said.
He Jiayun raised her brows, looking a little smug and proud. “Of course. I can tire out Li Xiang, but I can’t tire you out.”
Lin Wu was amused by her words. The corners of her lips curved slightly. “Don’t let Li Xiang hear that, or he’ll pile even more work on me again.”
He Jiayun: “Understood.”
Both Li Xiang and the designated driver would still take a while to arrive.
The two of them sat quietly for a moment. Then He Jiayun reached out and poked Lin Wu’s arm.
“Wu Wu.”
Lin Wu: “Mm?”
She looked a little dazed. “What do you want to say?”
He Jiayun blinked her big eyes at her, then slowly shook her head. “I don’t even know what to say. I just feel like you’re not particularly happy tonight.”
“…” Lin Wu was stunned for a few seconds before speaking softly. “I think I made someone unhappy.”
He Jiayun was curious. “Who?”
Lin Wu: “…Chen Zhuo.”
He Jiayun suddenly understood and dragged out a long “ohhh” in a teasing tone. “What did you do?”
As soon as the words left her mouth, she realized. “You stood Chen Zhuo up tonight?”
Lin Wu thought about it. “…Sort of, but also not really.”
He Jiayun nodded and looked at her. “Since that’s the case, then find a way to make him happy.”
Lin Wu: “What?”
“If he’s unhappy, then you’re unhappy too,” He Jiayun said very insightfully and openly. “So just think of a way to make him a little happier.”
That way, Lin Wu would feel better too.
Lin Wu fell silent for a moment, then said quietly, “I’m not unhappy.”
“…Really?” He Jiayun looked at her, clearly not fully convinced.
Lin Wu: “Yes.”
She was just affected by the sight of Chen Zhuo’s back as he left earlier. There was an indescribable feeling in her chest. She didn’t know how to put it into words — only that it felt like a small stone was pressing on her heart, making her chest feel heavy and闷闷的 (stifled / stuffy).
Hearing this, He Jiayun nodded. “In that case—”
She spread both hands and shrugged.
“Then don’t worry about whether he’s happy or not.”
Lin Wu: “…”
She had thought He Jiayun would give her some actually useful advice.
Just at that moment, the designated driver and Li Xiang arrived at the same time.
After handing He Jiayun over to Li Xiang, Lin Wu told the driver her address and prepared to head home.
On the way, her phone screen lit up. It was a message from He Jiayun: 「A friendly suggestion.」
Lin Wu: 「Go ahead.」
He Jiayun: 「Considering how President Chen has been acting before, you should still coax him a bit.」
Lin Wu: 「…Oh.」
He Jiayun: 「Of course, you can also choose not to coax him. Men shouldn’t be spoiled.」
Lin Wu laughed softly: 「Okay, I’ll think about it.」
After ending the conversation with He Jiayun, Lin Wu turned her head to look out the window—
After a short while, she called out to the driver, “Excuse me, I’d like to change the address.”
“…”
At the same time on the other end, seeing Chen Zhuo come online, Meng Hui was quite surprised. “Didn’t you say tonight you had something to do and couldn’t join us to discuss the plan?”
Before Chen Zhuo could reply, another friend online — Zhou Che, the general manager of Fengxing headquarters — let out a laugh. “Got stood up, huh?”
Chen Zhuo: “…”
He slightly raised his brows and swept his gaze over the two people on screen. “Where were we in the discussion?”
Meng Hui and Zhou Che exchanged a glance. They both knew he wasn’t in the best mood right now, so they didn’t dare poke the tiger. They tactfully said, “We were just talking about…”
Chen Zhuo listened to Meng Hui’s explanation, his expression slightly restrained as he gave appropriate responses and opinions.
The three of them discussed some work matters.
When the discussion ended, Meng Hui suddenly remembered something. “I’m coming back to the country next week. Can you pick me up at the airport?”
Chen Zhuo: “No.”
Meng Hui choked. “Saturday — why not?”
Chen Zhuo: “I have to work overtime.”
Meng Hui’s mouth twitched. “What, after you parachuted into the Fengxing branch, your workload got even heavier than before?”
“You can come try it yourself,” Chen Zhuo said in a cold, flat tone.
Meng Hui gave an awkward laugh. “Nah, forget it. I’m doing pretty well over here right now.”
Chen Zhuo gave a faint, mocking smile.
Meng Hui ignored his sarcasm and continued on his own. “I don’t care. I’ve been away for so long — you have to at least give me a welcome dinner when I get back.”
Chen Zhuo was quiet for a moment before reluctantly saying, “We’ll talk about it then.”
Meng Hui: “Fine.”
After finishing the serious business, the three of them weren’t the type to chat much about private matters anyway, so they ended the video call.
It wasn’t exactly early anymore.
Chen Zhuo lowered his eyes to check the time — already eleven o’clock. He didn’t know whether the person who stood him up was still at the bar or had already gone home to rest.
Sitting in his office chair, he thought for a moment and then gave a small, speechless tug at the corner of his mouth—
Why was he thinking so much about it?
Lin Wu was already a very mature adult. She could handle herself perfectly well at a bar. His worry was completely unnecessary. Moreover, Lin Wu didn’t need his concern.
“…”
Downstairs from the apartment building there was a 24-hour convenience store. After asking the driver to park the car properly, Lin Wu didn’t rush upstairs. Instead, she first went into the convenience store and bought a steaming hot bowl of oden (Japanese-style fish cakes and vegetables in broth).
She hadn’t eaten much that evening, and after drinking two glasses of alcohol, her stomach felt a little uncomfortable. She planned to eat something light to settle it.
Holding the warm oden, Lin Wu walked slowly toward the apartment lobby.
At this hour, the lobby downstairs was quite lively — people checking in, night owls coming home, all gathered together.
As Lin Wu carried her oden toward the elevator, she pulled her phone out of her pocket, hesitating whether to send Chen Zhuo a message asking whether he was at the apartment or at home.
Before she could decide, the elevator doors opened. The people inside walked out, and the elevator continued downward to the basement level.
Lin Wu didn’t rush forward. As usual, she stood in place waiting.
Until a shadow fell over her. Along with the smell of the oden, she caught the steady, familiar scent in the air. Only then did she slowly lift her head and look at the person who had just stepped out of the elevator.
They looked at each other for a few seconds.
Lin Wu pressed the screen of her phone to turn it off and slipped it back into her pocket.
“You…” She tilted her head up to look at the man standing so close, her eyes flickering slightly, lips moving. “Where are you going?”
Chen Zhuo lowered his gaze to look at her. He took one step closer, narrowing the distance between them until almost no space remained.
“Here,” he said.
The place he was going to was right in front of him.
The place where Lin Wu stood was exactly where Chen Zhuo wanted to go.