As Lin Wu left her office, she received quite a few surprised looks from colleagues along the way.
When she reached the entrance, one of the senior attorneys even asked, “Meeting a client tonight?”
Except for special circumstances, Lin Wu had never left the firm before six-something in the afternoon.
Because of that, her overtime-loving colleagues were genuinely shocked to see her leaving so early today.
Lin Wu gave an affirmative hum and smiled lightly. “Yes.”
A future client still counted as a client.
The familiar lawyer smiled and said softly, “Everything goes smoothly.”
Lin Wu curved her lips. “I’ll borrow your good words, Lawyer Gao.”
“…”
When she reached the underground parking garage and walked toward her own car, Lin Wu casually glanced to the other side and spotted a familiar vehicle.
Why hadn’t Chen Zhuo left yet? He couldn’t possibly be waiting for her… right?
The thought appeared for only a second before Lin Wu pushed it down.
She got into her car. Her phone screen lit up.
She lowered her lashes and tapped open the message. It was from the person in the other car: “Lawyer Lin, I’m leaving.”
Lin Wu: “…I know the way.”
Even if she didn’t, she had navigation now.
Chen Zhuo: “Mm, I was overthinking it.”
His words made Lin Wu pause. She gripped her phone, momentarily lost in thought.
It took a while before the sound of an engine starting not far away pulled her back. She lowered her head and replied: “President Chen, lead the way.”
At this hour, many cars were leaving the office building, so Lin Wu and Chen Zhuo’s vehicles departing one after the other attracted no attention at all.
It was rush hour, and the roads were somewhat congested.
Lin Wu followed unhurriedly behind Chen Zhuo’s car. At red lights, she even took the chance to reply to two messages from He Jiayun.
More than twenty minutes later, the two arrived at the private kitchen restaurant.
Lin Wu was two minutes behind. By the time she parked in the courtyard lot, gathered her things, and got out of the car, Chen Zhuo was already standing under a tree waiting for her.
The wind outside was strong. It tousled his jet-black short hair, sending a few strands falling across his forehead, making his sharp, handsome features appear even more deeply defined and three-dimensional.
The pair of long, narrow eyes that were usually hidden behind thin lenses during the day now fixed steadily on her. When Lin Wu lifted her gaze and their eyes met from a distance, her heartbeat suddenly skipped a beat.
After a long moment, she finally spoke, grasping for something to say: “Why are you standing here?”
Chen Zhuo raised an eyebrow, shifted his gaze away from her, and gave a faint curve of his lips. “Waiting for you.”
Lin Wu paused, suddenly at a loss for words.
She knew the “waiting for you” in Chen Zhuo’s mouth referred to their agreed-upon business discussion. Since they had arrived together, it made sense to go in together.
But their relationship wasn’t just that of potential future business partners. There was also that ambiguous, unclear layer between them. With that layer present, his words easily invited overthinking.
After several seconds of silence, Lin Wu gave a vague “oh” and said, “Let’s go in, President Chen.”
She used the formal address to remind herself—and to remind him.
Understanding her intention, Chen Zhuo tugged lightly at the corner of his mouth. “After you, Lawyer Lin.”
The courtyard of the private kitchen restaurant was very large, designed in a classic and extremely authentic Chinese style.
Two vintage red lanterns hung at the entrance. Walking further in, there was a small path paved with cobblestones. Lush, verdant branches lined both sides of the path. Ahead were rockeries and flowing water, with thin mist rising from hidden nozzles.
The clear, melodious sound of a guzheng drifted into her ears. Lin Wu turned her head and saw staff members dressed in hanfu performing in a nearby pavilion.
After passing the pavilion, the two entered a private room diagonally opposite.
Once they were seated, Chen Zhuo gestured for the server to hand the menu to her. “Ladies first.”
Lin Wu took the thick menu booklet without standing on ceremony.
She flipped through it once and ordered two dishes she wanted to eat.
Chen Zhuo: “That’s all?”
Lin Wu: “You can order the rest, President Chen.”
Chen Zhuo acknowledged and added one meat dish and one soup.
After ordering, the server poured tea for both of them and quietly withdrew.
The private room fell into a brief silence.
After a moment, Lin Wu couldn’t stand the quiet any longer and opened her mouth. “President Chen, about the consultation you wanted—”
Before she could finish, Chen Zhuo cut in calmly. “No rush.”
Lin Wu paused and, seeing how unruffled he looked, kindly reminded him, “President Chen, you only paid for twenty minutes.”
“…” Hearing this, Chen Zhuo lifted his eyelids and looked at her. “Lawyer Lin.”
Lin Wu: “What?”
“I only paid for twenty minutes in advance. That doesn’t mean I’m limited to twenty minutes.” Chen Zhuo told her plainly.
He had the money to pay for extra time.
Lin Wu: “…”
She choked slightly. Just as she was about to say something else, Chen Zhuo suddenly asked, “Or does Lawyer Lin have another appointment later and needs to rush off?”
Looking at the faint, confident expression on Chen Zhuo’s face, Lin Wu really wanted to say yes.
Unfortunately, she didn’t have any other plans—she couldn’t even make one up.
After several seconds of speechless silence, Lin Wu chose to lower her head and sip her tea.
Chen Zhuo stared at her profile, suppressing the smile that rose in his eyes.
He covered his mouth with a light cough, then asked casually, “Have you been here before?”
Lin Wu answered honestly, “A few times.”
This private kitchen was relatively close to where Lin Wu lived, and the flavors suited her taste. Whenever He Jiayun invited her out to eat, she would almost always book a table here.
Lin Wu herself didn’t come often—the prices were too high. One meal here would make her feel the pinch for a whole week.
After speaking, she looked at Chen Zhuo. “President Chen must come here often, right?”
Judging from how familiarly he had navigated the place earlier, Lin Wu guessed this wasn’t his first time.
Chen Zhuo gave an affirmative hum and answered with exactly the same words she had used: “A few times.”
The only pity was that every time he came, he stayed in a private room. He had never sat in the main hall or admired the scenery in the outer pavilion.
The two exchanged a few casual, sporadic remarks. The dishes they ordered arrived one after another.
Chen Zhuo had told Lin Wu on WeChat that he liked to discuss business while eating, but in reality, this man didn’t talk much during meals. His table manners were elegant—even pleasing to the eye.
Lin Wu also disliked talking while eating. Mealtimes were one of the rare moments when she could truly relax.
She preferred to let her mind go blank and eat in peaceful quiet.
The two of them tacitly kept their silence.
When she had eaten enough, Lin Wu set down her chopsticks.
Chen Zhuo was still eating. Lin Wu lifted her eyes slightly and shifted her gaze toward him—
The man was still wearing his impeccably tailored suit today. After entering the private room, he had taken off the suit jacket. The sleeves of his white dress shirt were neatly folded up to his forearms, revealing the smooth, well-defined lines of his lower arms and the elegant watch on his wrist.
The skin on the back of his hands was thin; when he exerted even slight force, the veins stood out clearly. Paired with those long, clearly jointed fingers, there was an indescribable erotic quality to them.
Very suddenly, Lin Wu remembered the fire those hands had ignited across her body.
In an instant, Lin Wu felt a wave of thirst.
“Planning not to sleep tonight?” Chen Zhuo suddenly spoke up while Lin Wu was lifting her teacup again, his attention still seemingly on his meal.
Lin Wu’s expression froze for a moment. Meeting his refined and handsome features, she forced herself to stay calm and lowered her lashes. “I’ve already built up immunity to both tea and coffee.”
After so many years as a lawyer, Lin Wu had long become immune to the stimulating effects of coffee and tea.
She still drank them now purely out of habit—and because she had developed a psychological dependence on them.
Chen Zhuo: “…”
He gave a helpless smile, knowing he probably shouldn’t say more, but still added one sentence: “Try to drink a little less.”
Lin Wu pressed her lips to the rim of the teacup she had just brought to her mouth and gave a muffled reply: “I know.”
The meal was almost finished. It was time to get to the real purpose of tonight.
Chen Zhuo did genuinely have case-related matters to consult Lin Wu about, but they weren’t particularly urgent, nor were they the kind of important issues that required a private, in-person meeting.
Still, since he had asked, Lin Wu answered seriously.
A financial fraud incident had broken out internally at Fengxing Investment Bank. Although the company had done its best to suppress the news and prevent major ripples in the industry, the matter needed to be traced back and resolved at its root.
The managing director responsible had already been dismissed.
It was precisely because of this incident that Chen Zhuo had been sent to take over the branch office—to prevent any larger problems from arising.
During the morning meeting, although Lin Wu had been distracted, she had still absorbed the main points.
So when Chen Zhuo asked several questions, she was already prepared and answered them with ease and confidence.
In less than twenty minutes, the official business was wrapped up.
As the dinner drew to a close, Lin Wu stood up to go to the restroom.
The restroom was outside the private room. After asking the staff at the door, Lin Wu headed in that direction.
When she reached the entrance, someone was coming out.
Lin Wu kept her head lowered and didn’t pay much attention—
Until an unfamiliar voice reached her ears. Only then did she stop and turn her gaze toward the person.
The moment she saw who it was, Lin Wu couldn’t help freezing for a second.
She hadn’t expected to run into a “familiar face” here.
“You’re not going to pretend you don’t know me, right?” The girl had a small, palm-sized round face, bright and round eyes full of pure innocence. She smiled brightly at Lin Wu, then glanced down at her own outfit. “I don’t think I’ve changed that much, have I?”
Lin Wu lowered her lashes and forced a somewhat stiff smile. “No. I’m just… a little surprised.”
Sun Nian’an laughed to herself, seemingly in a very good mood. “I didn’t expect to run into you here either.”
She pressed her lips together slightly and asked in a low voice, “Are you working in Shencheng now?”
Lin Wu gave a small affirmative hum, her attitude cool and distant.
“Me too…” Sun Nian’an took out her phone and looked at Lin Wu. “I just started university here this year. I’m still very unfamiliar with the city.”
At this point, she looked at Lin Wu with a pitiful expression. “Can I add your contact information?”
Lin Wu didn’t move. She neither agreed nor refused.
The two stood in a brief stalemate. After a few seconds, Sun Nian’an bit her lip and asked cautiously, “Sis… did you hear what I said?”
Lin Wu snapped back to her senses. Looking at the phone gripped in her hand, she let out a soft breath and refused politely, “I didn’t bring my phone with me.”
Sun Nian’an let out an “ah” and pressed forward step by step. “You don’t remember your own WeChat ID?”
Lin Wu really wanted to say she didn’t remember, but she also knew deeply that many things had nothing to do with Sun Nian’an.
She fell silent for a moment before saying helplessly, “I’ll tell you.”
Sun Nian’an broke into a radiant smile. “Okay, go ahead.”
Lin Wu recited her phone number. Sun Nian’an entered it and added her. Before leaving, she didn’t forget to remind her, “Sis, remember to accept my request, okay?”
Lin Wu didn’t respond.
When Lin Wu returned to the private room from the restroom, Chen Zhuo was no longer waiting inside. Instead, he was standing at the doorway.
Their eyes met. Lin Wu was puzzled. “Why did you come out?”
Chen Zhuo didn’t answer. He only looked at her with burning intensity.
After a moment, he narrowed his eyes slightly and asked, “What’s wrong?”
Lin Wu didn’t think much of it. “What?”
Chen Zhuo gazed at her, his brow faintly creased. “…That’s what I should be asking you.”
Why did his lawyer come back from a trip to the restroom looking so off?
Lin Wu froze, surprised by how perceptive Chen Zhuo was.
She opened her mouth, pretending to be calm. “I’m fine. President Chen is overthinking it.”
To stop him from asking more, Lin Wu abruptly changed the subject in a stiff tone. “President Chen, should we get going now?”
Chen Zhuo paused. He looked at the calm outline of her profile, then lowered his gaze. “Let’s go.”
Lin Wu nodded.
The two returned to the room, gathered their things, and left, heading toward the parking area.
Before getting into her car, Lin Wu said to Chen Zhuo, “Goodbye, President Chen.”
Chen Zhuo didn’t reply.
Lin Wu opened the car door and got in. She didn’t start the engine right away. Instead, she took her phone out of her bag, opened WeChat, tapped into her friend requests, and stared blankly at the cute profile picture at the very top of the new requests list—
Accept or not accept.
Lin Wu felt uncertain.
Just as she was hesitating, someone knocked on her car window.
Lin Wu rolled down the window and looked at the man who had returned. Her tone carried a trace of impatience she herself hadn’t noticed. “President Chen, is there something else?”
Chen Zhuo didn’t take issue with her tone. Standing tall beside her car, he looked down at her with deep, intense eyes and spoke in a soft, slow voice, issuing an invitation: “Lin Wu, want to drink tonight?”
Lin Wu was stunned for a second. She lifted her head and looked straight into his eyes. Something stirred faintly in her heart. “What kind of drink?”
Chen Zhuo lowered his gaze, coaxing her gently. “What kind of drink does Lawyer Lin want?”
He tossed the question back to her.
Lin Wu was quiet for a moment. Her long lashes trembled slightly, and her voice became very soft. “I want vodka tonight.”