Lou Qingshuang cold facedly opened the door. The moment she turned her back, out of Shen Yue’s sight, she looked completely despondent. With a loud bang, the door slammed shut…
Lou Qingshuang walked out of her home and, step by step, made her way back to her car.
Sitting inside the vehicle, she turned the steering wheel to the left, and the car slowly drove away from the entrance of the residential complex.
Heavy rain pelted furiously against the glass, coming down so fast that even the windshield wipers couldn’t keep up.
Lou Qingshuang watched the downpour cascade over the windshield like buckets of water being dumped from above. Her car eventually came to a halt on the Xiangjiang River Bridge, the storm had blinded her view completely, rendering her unable to go any further.
Looking at the document envelope sitting on the passenger seat, Lou Qingshuang reached out to open it and pulled out two sheets of paper. Shining a specialized light on them, two distinct sets of fingerprints appeared.
She opened her phone and tapped on the surveillance camera app. Scrubbing back through the timeline, she watched with her own eyes as Shen Yue pulled out her phone to take photos.
Lou Qingshuang closed her eyes and put down her phone. Crystal clear tears welled up and rolled down her eyelashes.
Her rapid, shallow breathing betrayed the turmoil surging within her.
What should she do next?
She hadn’t set up those specific parameters in her earlier documents.
Their lawsuit against Lan Dai was still going to proceed regardless.
Lou Qingshuang bit her lower lip hard, tears glistening in her eyes as she stared sharply out into the overwhelming downpour.
Knock, knock!
Hearing the tap on her window, Lou Qingshuang pulled out a tissue to tidy up her face before cracking the window open just a sliver to look outside.
“Is there a problem with your car, Miss Lou?” Zhu Yan stood in the rain holding an umbrella, looking at Lou Qingshuang with concern.
“No, the rain is just too heavy to see the road,” Lou Qingshuang replied with a double meaning, a hint of self-mockery lacing her tone.
“Where is your Chairman Liu?” Lou Qingshuang curled her lips into a meaningful smile.
“The Chairman is in her car.” Sensing that Lou Qingshuang might have misunderstood and thought they were tailing her, Zhu Yan paused before explaining, “This is the way back to Chairman Liu’s home.”
“I know. Chairman Liu naturally resides in the most premium residential district in Lu City, doesn’t she?” Lou Qingshuang’s remark was loaded with a subtle layer of cold sarcasm, though a smile still rested on her face.
“It seems I’ve made you quite dissatisfied.”
Liu Yu stood behind Zhu Yan holding an umbrella. Behind her, the torrential rain poured down, creating a dense mist that nearly obscured her figure.
Lou Qingshuang looked at the person holding the umbrella in the rain. She was elegant, cold, her hair elegantly pinned up, dressed in a black suit and wearing rimless glasses. She exuded a powerful aura, almost as if the storm itself existed merely to serve as her backdrop. Lou Qingshuang’s breath hitched slightly, at this moment, Liu Yu was undeniably magnetic.
“What are you doing here? Coming to laugh at me?” Lou Qingshuang retracted her gaze and asked in an annoyed tone.
The corner of Liu Yu’s mouth curved slightly. She gave a slight nod toward Zhu Yan, and Zhu Yan nodded in return before turning around to get back into the car.
Liu Yu’s car pulled up directly in front of Lou Qingshuang’s, turning on its hazard lights as it waited quietly.
Holding her umbrella, Liu Yu walked around the front of the car and stood right by Lou Qingshuang’s passenger door.
Lou Qingshuang sat inside, watching her walk around the hood to the passenger side. She remained seated, having no desire to unlock the door, waiting for Liu Yu to give up and leave.
Yet, Liu Yu simply stood there holding her umbrella in the pouring rain, waiting silently for a full minute. Suddenly, the indicator lights on Lou Qingshuang’s car flashed. The thin line of Liu Yu’s lips curved upward as she pulled open the door and ducked inside.
The moment the door opened, the roar of the rain outside flooded into the cabin, bringing a rush of wind and moisture along with it.
Liu Yu folded her umbrella, placed it by the door frame, and softly shut the door. She turned her head toward Lou Qingshuang, her deep, rich voice echoing: “Been crying?”
Lou Qingshuang closed her eyes, unwilling to speak. On her phone, several missed calls from Shen Yue were displayed, none of which she had answered.
Bai Wan had also sent messages on Feixin asking about her, to which Lou Qingshuang had simply replied that she was on her way.
The scent on Liu Yu was remarkably pleasant, a subtle, woody incense like the smell of wood burning after the flames died down. Just like Liu Yu herself, it hid a burning intensity beneath a layer of ash, exceptionally crisp and pleasing to the nose.
Surprised, Lou Qingshuang opened her eyes and glanced at Liu Yu. In the past, the scent Liu Yu wore was always a deep, heavy sandalwood or something similar. Today, however, it was entirely different, almost as if she were a completely different person.
There was even a faint trace of rose fragrance mixed in. Lou Qingshuang crossed her arms over her chest, her brows knitting slightly, suspecting that Liu Yu was deliberately using a fragrance that mimicked her own pheromones. “You should get going, Chairman Liu.”
Liu Yu leaned back lazily against the headrest. “It’s a bit cramped. Adjust it for me.”
Looking at Liu Yu’s long legs with nowhere comfortable to rest, Lou Qingshuang took a deep breath and adjusted the seat for her.
“Why did you even get in?” Lou Qingshuang asked irritably.
She was already in a terrible mood, yet this woman insisted on intruding.
“Are you here to make fun of me?” Lou Qingshuang asked coldly.
“I’m here to look at a beauty.” With her long legs now comfortably accommodated, Liu Yu gave a satisfied look.
“Ha.” Lou Qingshuang let out a dry laugh at her words, staring out at the torrential rain. The dark, murky layer of clouds overhead was still building up, this storm wasn’t going to end anytime soon.
“It seems you found your answer.” Liu Yu could tell just by looking at Lou Qingshuang’s expression. She retracted her gaze and scanned the car, it was clean and immaculate, just like Lou Qingshuang herself, devoid of any unnecessary clutter.
“You knew all along, didn’t you?” Lou Qingshuang leaned her head back against the headrest and took a deep breath.
Liu Yu’s gaze landed on Lou Qingshuang’s exposed, swan-like neck. Her breathing tightened instantly, she wanted to kiss it.
She swallowed hard, her eyes darkening like a predator fixing its sight on its prey, ready at any second to sink its teeth into the prey’s neck and devour it whole. But for now, she still had to wait. Liu Yu suppressed the urge in her heart.
“So, do you need me to step in?” Liu Yu asked in a soothing, composed tone, yet without any sense of condescension or intent to forcibly meddle.
“Thank you, but I can handle it myself,” Lou Qingshuang closed her eyes and thanked her, her voice heavy with fatigue and disappointment.
“Then shall I have my driver take you back?” Liu Yu asked thoughtfully once more.
“Would that be okay? Just taking me to my company will do.” Lou Qingshuang opened her eyes, her shimmering, tear filled gaze resting on Liu Yu.
“Of course.” Liu Yu made a quick call. The driver in front immediately stepped out, while she and Lou Qingshuang moved to the backseat of Liu Yu’s car.
Sitting side by side in the back, they were extremely close, so close that Liu Yu caught the scent of roses once again.
Her rose was drooping and listless, just like its owner.
Liu Yu came within a hair’s breadth of releasing her own pheromones to comfort her, but she reined it in. If she actually did that, Lou Qingshuang would likely distance herself even further.
“Still too slow…” Liu Yu murmured softly under her breath.
“What?” Lou Qingshuang, who happened to be lost in thought, didn’t catch what she said clearly. She looked at Liu Yu, assuming she was speaking to her.
“Nothing. I just said the rain is heavy today, so the driver will be driving a bit slower,” Liu Yu explained with utmost patience.
“Thank you for today. I’m in no rush anyway,” Lou Qingshuang lowered her eyes and expressed her gratitude.
“You’re welcome. I quite like helping you.” Liu Yu’s covert gaze swept across Lou Qingshuang’s cheek before glancing away.
Half an hour later, they arrived at the foot of Lou Qingshuang’s company building. A bodyguard held an umbrella to assist Liu Yu and Lou Qingshuang.
Liu Yu stood in the rain, watching Lou Qingshuang drive her own car into the underground garage, choosing not to follow her inside.
Lou Qingshuang also watched the figure behind her through her rearview mirror. That tall, slender silhouette standing quietly in the rain, gazing after her, possessed an overwhelming presence, there was even a trace of something wild and unhinged about it.
Lou Qingshuang gripped the steering wheel tightly, her heart clenching. This woman was far harder to deal with than Shen Yue.
The moment she returned to her office, Lou Qingshuang held a private, brief meeting with Bai Wan.
“I can’t believe it was really her! How could she do this to you?! Stealing your formula just to curry favor with an old woman who refuses to even acknowledge her!” Bai Wan was so furious she nearly picked up her phone to call and berate Shen Yue on the spot, but Lou Qingshuang caught her hand in time.
“Frost, how do you plan to handle this?” Bai Wan asked angrily.
“I plan to go back and talk to her, to put an end to this once and for all,” Lou Qingshuang replied.
“Alright, then I’m coming back with you.” Bai Wan called the security department and, bringing along two bodyguards, accompanied Lou Qingshuang back to the Lou residence.
At this moment, Shen Yue was still preparing dinner. She wore comfortable loungewear, looking every bit gentle and rational.
When Lou Qingshuang opened the door, Shen Yue looked at the people stepping in behind her, as well as the furious expression on Bai Wan’s face. Shen Yue’s heart sank instantly, she had been caught.
“We need to talk.” Lou Qingshuang looked at her, the affection that once filled her eyes completely gone as she got straight to the point.
Shen Yue squeezed her apron tightly. She lowered her eyelids as a pang of sharp grief shot through her heart. Hadn’t she known this day would come? Why did she still feel such a desperate urge to cry?
“Alright.”
The two of them went back into Lou Qingshuang’s bedroom. Under the tense gazes of Shen Qiao and Aunt Wu, Shen Yue emerged five minutes later, having changed her clothes and carrying her luggage, before walking out the door.
“Go back and tell Lan Dai to drop the lawsuit and publicly admit that they stole the formula. Do that, and I won’t hand you over to the police.”
“Zhu Rui won’t listen to me.”
“Then you can go to prison.”
After those brief three sentences were spoken, the pain in Lou Qingshuang’s heart grew beyond measure. Her love had been completely buried by Shen Yue.
Shen Yue said nothing more, she simply left.
Lou Qingshuang sat alone in her room, staring blankly at the white chair. When Bai Wan walked in, what met her eyes was the sight of a completely shattered soul.