“Selling… of course we are selling this…” The store clerk reviewed the employee handbook in his mind multiple times and figured that Mr. Lu had spotted a bug.
The store manager, however, knew how to be flexible and simply packed it up for Lu Chengfeng.
Anyway, what was wrong with someone being willing to spend a fortune to dress someone else up? They were more than happy to serve a wealthy and generous client!
They hoped he would come back often!
Claiming that he had left something behind, Lu Chengfeng returned empty-handed, prompting Mu Ran to ask him, “What on earth did you leave behind?”
“I remembered wrong.” Lu Chengfeng’s expression didn’t change a bit, and he lied with complete composure.
On the way home, Mu Ran pulled out his phone to reply to work messages.
A private message slipped in.
Yun Cheng: [Brother Ran, I finished reading the documents from earlier, and the task you gave me is also done! Do you have time to take a look for me? Coincidentally, I brought you your favorite sachertorte, chocolate flavor, how about that!]
Mu Ran shifted his screen to the side and replied.
[How did you know I like eating this?]
Yun Cheng:
[(Scratching head emoji) I… I asked my brother. Since I’m troubling Brother Ran to teach me, of course I have to find out Brother Ran’s preferences~]
Mu Ran only thought this kid had a sweet mouth, and checking it out wouldn’t hurt.
[Then let’s meet at the cafe we mentioned last time. I’m not far from there.]
Yun Cheng:
[Okay, Brother Ran! I’m leaving right away!]
“Just drop me off right up ahead.” Mu Ran put away his phone. It wasn’t far now, and he felt like taking a walk.
Lu Chengfeng slowly opened his eyes. “Aren’t we going home for dinner?”
Mu Ran patted the bag between the two of them. “Today’s task is done, so I’m not going back. You should hurry up and deliver that to them. I have things to do today.”
“What things?” Lu Chengfeng tapped the armrest, looking at Mu Ran with a probing gaze.
He had just seen Mu Ran’s small movement; Mu Ran was hiding a secret from him.
“You’re meddling more and more, you know. Nobody is going to like you if you act like an old nanny. You’d better hurry up and figure out how to find some flaws in yourself instead.” Mu Ran dug his fingernails into his palms, the pain making his eye sockets sting with heat.
Up until now, he could say he had no secrets in front of Lu Chengfeng. It was as if his entire person had been stripped bare and stood in front of someone else, with Lu Chengfeng having a thorough grasp of his temper and disposition.
Yet what about him? He seemed utterly incapable of seeing through what was in Lu Chengfeng’s heart.
A person like this hid things far too well, and perhaps it was truly only when he met his destined other half that Lu Chengfeng would bare everything of himself.
Every time he thought of this outcome, his heart ached uncontrollably. If this kept up, he wouldn’t be able to keep up the charade much longer.
The car stopped steadily at the entrance of the cafe. The moment Mu Ran pushed open the car door, his arm was grabbed from behind.
Lu Chengfeng threw the bag onto the floor and pulled Mu Ran closer to him. “Come back early tonight.”
“Go back to our respective homes, OK?” Mu Ran made a gesture. “I still have documents to approve tonight. Isn’t your company busy?”
“But your health hasn’t fully recovered yet,” Lu Chengfeng said.
Mu Ran tapped his own chest with his hand. “My health is top-notch, don’t worry.”
“You haven’t eaten lunch yet.” Lu Chengfeng took a piece of chocolate out of his suit pocket, unwrapped the package, and pinched it between two fingers to feed it into Mu Ran’s mouth. “You’re prone to hypoglycemia; eat something first.”
“Mmm…” Mu Ran chewed the chocolate in his mouth, the sourness and sweetness intertwining on his tongue.
The person he had a secret crush on was right before his eyes, and being this close to Lu Chengfeng in broad daylight really made his heart beat faster.
Lu Chengfeng stared as Mu Ran finished eating the chocolate, his gaze gradually darkening. Instead of letting him go, he used his fingertips to stroke Mu Ran’s neck, slowly moving closer to him. “Go ahead.”
This guy must have had a wire crossed somewhere. Mu Ran pushed away Lu Chengfeng’s hand. “Got it, got it.”
At the entrance of the cafe, He Yuncheng held a delicately packaged cake and watched with cold eyes everything happening in the car not far away.
The car window lowered without warning, giving him a clear view of everything inside. The two of them were very close, and from a distance, it looked like the parting whispers of a couple they might even share a lingering, clingy kiss.
A bit interesting.
“Brother Ran!” He Yuncheng put away his fierce expression, replacing it with his usual harmless-looking facade.
“You’re fast.” Mu Ran lit a cigarette.
“No, I happened to be quite close by as well.” He Yuncheng shook his head and took a step forward, getting closer to Mu Ran.
Before him, the man gently bit the cigarette filter with his thin lips. The bluish-white smoke blurred his features, and when he clamped the cigarette between his slender, distinctly jointed fingertips, the crimson glow flickered intermittently, making him appear even more noble and distinguished.
Mu Ran was just like this: he looked approachable and easygoing, yet when you truly drew near, every small movement made people feel both elegant and miles away.
“What are you spacing out for?” Mu Ran pressed the cigarette butt out against the trash can and waved his hand in front of He Yuncheng’s eyes.
He Yuncheng slowly refocused his pupils. “Brother Ran is too good-looking.”
The two of them found a seat by the window. Mu Ran casually ordered a cup of coffee, looking somewhat distracted.
He wondered if Lu Chengfeng was giving the clothes to the female lead right now; the other person should be very happy, right? They looked like such a matching pair.
Beishan Villa
When Lu Chengfeng arrived home, the clerk from Anima Allure and the housekeeper were already waiting at the entrance.
“Mr. Lu, these are the clothes you requested.” The man held the bag with both hands, presenting it to Lu Chengfeng.
The housekeeper observed Lu Chengfeng’s expression and then took the bag.
Lu Chengfeng glanced at the other red dress. “I forgot to mention you don’t need to take the others back either. I’m buying all of them.”
He did not want anything similar to this dress to appear. Since he bought it, it had to be absolutely one of a kind.
“Young Master Lu, Old Master Lu is waiting inside for you.” After the clerk left, seeing that Lu Chengfeng’s expression was gloomy, the housekeeper softly reminded him.
“Got it.”
Lu Cheng sitting at the tea table, and Lu Chengfeng’s loud door-closing startled him so much that he messed up his phoenix three-nod tea-brewing motion. Lu Cheng put down the cup in his hand and gazed at this son of his.
“What’s making you so angry?” Lu Cheng knew this son of his best. Could it be that Mu Ran had fallen out with him again?
“Nothing. Dad, why are you here?” Lu Chengfeng leisurely took off his coat, rolled up his sleeves, poured himself a cup of tea anew, and conveniently poured a fresh cup for Lu Cheng as well.
Lu Cheng took a sip of tea. “Then I’ll cut straight to the point. Have you ever heard of An Jiayan?”
Lu Chengfeng seemed to have some vague recollection of the name.
The An family focused primarily on real estate and finance, and their vision for resource development was extremely unique. Quite a few people often followed the An family to bid on land nearby.
Why bring up the An family all of a sudden?
“I’ve heard of them,” Lu Chengfeng replied truthfully.
Lu Cheng’s eyes curved into smiles. “That’s good, then. I think the An family’s youngest daughter is quite nice.”
“And then?” Lu Chengfeng raised an eyebrow, failing to understand why his father was mentioning this to him.
Could this possibly be Mu Ran’s arranged marriage partner?
Lu Cheng took a deep breath. His son’s reaction to matters of the heart was just too slow.
No wonder he hadn’t had a girlfriend for over twenty years, and the only person who stayed close to him was Mu Ran—who still had to initiate contact with Lu Chengfeng every single day to maintain the friendship.
From his perspective, if Mu Ran ever got a girlfriend one day and couldn’t cling to Lu Chengfeng anymore, this kid wouldn’t even have a companion left by then.
“I plan to get you two engaged. You’re not young anymore; it’s time you found a girlfriend,” Lu Cheng said earnestly.
Lu Chengfeng nonchalantly spun the teacup in his hand, his tone filled with a sense of languid ease. “Unnecessary.”
“Other people’s children at your age probably already have several illegitimate children!” Lu Cheng stood up, filled with a mix of exasperation and high expectations. “And you? Why don’t you bring someone back for me?”
Lu Chengfeng half-leaned against the edge of the table, his eyes and brow softening. “Soon.”
“Soon, what soon?” Lu Cheng blinked, suddenly reacting. “You have someone you like? When can you bring them back for me?”
Lu Chengfeng looked contemplative. “No rush.”
“I’m rushing!” Lu Cheng really wanted to smash a teacup against his own son.
“Dad, two people need to cultivate their relationship first.”
“Fine, fine, fine. I’ll just wait and see how you cultivate your relationship.” Lu Cheng rolled his eyes dramatically.
If this son of his even knew the slightest bit about cultivating a relationship, he wouldn’t have lived his life into what it was right now.
He had been a bit too strict with Lu Chengfeng’s education when he was a child, but surely that wouldn’t turn him into a work machine, right?
“Oh right, in a few days your mom is hosting a birthday banquet. Remember to send an invitation to A-Ran.” Lu Cheng took an invitation card from inside his clothing and placed it on the table.
Lu Chengfeng picked up the invitation card, looked at it, and put it back down. “What invitation? I’ll just bring Mu Ran directly.”
Lu Cheng drained the tea in his cup in one gulp. “What needs to be done still has to be done. After all, we’re two separate families; don’t give others room to gossip.”
Two separate families.
Lu Chengfeng inexplicably found this phrase extremely grating to the ear.
“Mhm.”
The aroma of coffee beans filled the entire room, intertwining with the soft background music.
Mu Ran flipped through the documents in his hand, his eyes revealing pleasant surprise as he showered He Yuncheng with praise. “Not bad at all. You actually have quite a bit of talent.”
“Aren’t I amazing, Brother Ran?” At this moment, He Yuncheng looked just like a tail-wagging puppy, able to fly high with happiness just from a single compliment.
“Pretty amazing.”
He Yuncheng instantly looked like he had been injected with adrenaline, seizing the opportunity to lean closer to Mu Ran. “Then Brother Ran, won’t you consider me?”
“Don’t even think about it.” Mu Ran closed the folder. “Dismiss that thought. Come intern at my company starting tomorrow, or I’ll throw you out choose one of the two.”
“Alright, alright, don’t be mad, Brother Ran. I choose B!” He Yuncheng replied as he unwrapped the cake packaging, pushed it toward Mu Ran, and transitioned to the next topic. “Want a taste?”
Mu Ran used a fork to stab a small piece and put it into his mouth; it was the fragrance of chocolate.
Only, he always felt it lacked a certain something.
Suddenly, he felt a bit nostalgic for the piece of chocolate Lu Chengfeng had given him.
Actually, he had already eaten his fill from that one bite; he often ate a single bite, stopped, and wasn’t hungry anymore. Right now, he really couldn’t eat any cake.
The sky gradually darkened, and the cafe’s glass windows reflected the silhouettes of two people as Mu Ran and He Yuncheng chatted back and forth.
Mu Ran lowered his head to glance at his watch. “It’s getting late. You should head home early too.”
“See you tomorrow, Brother Ran.” He Yuncheng followed closely behind Mu Ran.
Outside the door, a light drizzle fell pattering down, splashing water droplets the moment it touched the ground.
“It’s raining, Brother Ran. Let me send you back.” He Yuncheng felt a secret thrill of joy inside.
A black figure appeared before the two of them. A well-tailored suit set off the man’s near-perfect physique, a hand wearing a gilded wristwatch held up a matching umbrella, and expensive leather shoes stepped onto the soaked ground, forming little puddles of water.