The woman’s hair was slightly curled.
Its fragrance drifted into his nostrils.
A subtle blend of cedar and rose.
The scent acted like a key, quietly unlocking some deeply buried instinct.
He idly twirled a strand of sleek black hair around his finger.
“What do you have to offer for this collaboration?”
His voice was low.
Lou Qiyun lowered her gaze, her eyelashes casting faint shadows under the light.
“You’re late. If you had urgent matters, you could have skipped this.”
But any rational person would unquestionably choose the former.
Career represented reality, while emotions were merely an illusory dream.
But Lu Lingchuan was different.
He could have remained uninvolved, yet he had pursued her all the way here, searching for someone who had only briefly been by his side.
Since he had promised to arrive on time, he would never be late without reason.
He never did anything meaningless, nor would he easily break his word.
But now, he was late.
Lu Lingchuan’s fingers, still entwined in her hair, suddenly stilled.
The amusement in his eyes receded like a fading tide.
“What do you want to say?”
His voice remained low.
Lou Qiyun’s cool fingers slowly traced the bite mark on his neck.
She stroked it back and forth a few times, as if confirming something.
Then abruptly tightened her grip.
Her five fingers clamped around his throat like iron pincers.
Lu Lingchuan’s breath hitched, his Adam’s apple bobbing under the pressure.
He merely narrowed his eyes, gazing intently at the woman.
“You’re here for Wu Haifeng.”
She enunciated each word clearly.
Wei Junyi, that genius youth who preferred being an anonymous hacker over inheriting his family’s massive pharmaceutical business, had mentioned the Wu Family to her more than once.
A month ago, he had sneered on an encrypted late-night channel: “The Wu Family’s days of ease are numbered. How dare they offend the true powerful families of the capital? They’re digging their own graves.”
At that time, the Lou Family was busy dealing with internal equity disputes.
She had only half-listened, dismissing the remark without further thought.
But now, recalling Lu Lingchuan’s conversation with Wu Haifeng earlier that evening…
Those seemingly casual greetings were actually carefully veiled probes.
Every sentence resembled a meticulously designed move in a game.
It appeared the Wu Family had indeed attracted unwanted attention.
But who was behind it?
And which side was Lu Lingchuan on?
Lu Lingchuan narrowed his long, slender eyes, all emotion instantly vanishing from their depths.
With sudden force, he flipped her over, pinning her beneath him and seizing complete control.
“I prefer it this way.”
He leaned close to her ear, his breath scorching.
“Continue.”
Lou Qiyun’s breath caught, her chest heaving violently.
Yet she didn’t struggle, instead arching a delicate eyebrow.
The next moment, she actively reached out, her fingers slowly hooking around his neck to pull him closer.
“As Wu Haifeng’s fiancée, whatever information you want—whether business movements or family secrets—the Lou Family and I can obtain it in advance.”
“How about this collaboration?”
Lu Lingchuan didn’t respond immediately.
But the next second.
He abruptly lowered his head and captured her lips.
Lou Qiyun pressed her hands against him, pushing him back with slight pressure from her fingertips.
“The collaboration—do you agree?”
She stared directly into his profound eyes.
More than the collaboration, what captivated him was the woman before him.
But he didn’t press for answers, nor did he retreat.
He slowly lowered his body, leaning close to her ear.
“Fine, let’s see how far you can go.”
His words carried hidden meanings, profound and suggestive.
Before he could finish, Lou Qiyun suddenly raised her hand, hooked it around his neck, and without hesitation kissed him.
This time, she was the one in control.
No longer passively enduring, but taking the initiative.
A flicker passed through Lu Lingchuan’s eyes, yet the corners of his lips slowly curved upward.
But just as he was about to lose himself in that scorching kiss—
He abruptly opened his eyes.
His gaze darkened.
Only then did he notice the wound on her face had split open at some point.
A thin trail of blood meandered from below her brow bone, slowly tracing a path down her pale cheek.
The blood quietly seeped into their kiss, mingling with their warm breaths.
He immediately halted all movement, his breath catching.
Once steady, he turned to look at her.
“Where’s the first aid kit?”
Lou Qiyun leaned lazily against the headboard, her dark hair cascading over her shoulders, a trace of blood still staining the corner of her lips.
She pinched the blood-stained thread at the corner of her mouth, flicked it lightly, and casually tossed it away.
“The low table beside the wardrobe, just pull it open.”
Her tone was languid.
Lu Lingchuan said nothing more, swiftly and efficiently located the first aid kit, retrieved the antiseptic and cotton swabs, and returned to the bedside.
He crouched down, gently dipped the cotton swab in the solution, and carefully, bit by bit, applied it to the slender wound on her cheek.
His fingertips brushed against her skin, restrained to the utmost.
Lou Qiyun watched him quietly, her eyes reflecting his lowered brows and gaze.
Suddenly, the corner of her lips lifted, and she spoke in a light, airy tone.
“You’d make quite a dutiful wife like this.”
Upon hearing this, Lu Lingchuan’s fingers paused slightly.
Then he curved his lips into a smile, though it didn’t reach his eyes.
“Is that a tease or a compliment? Should I say thank you?”
Lou Qiyun blinked, her eyes shimmering.
“No need.”
Just as the medicine was applied, the faint scent of antiseptic still lingered in the room.
The silence had barely returned for a few seconds—
When a clear, sharp ringtone abruptly sounded.
Lu Lingchuan glanced at the screen, his pupils contracting slightly, his expression instantly turning cold.
Without a word, he turned to leave.
Pausing briefly at the door, his steps hesitated.
“I’ll be back.”
The door clicked open.
He descended the stairs without looking back, and as soon as he reached the bottom, a slender figure emerged from behind a pillar.
Blocking his path completely.
It was Lou Tinglan.
She crossed her arms, her eyes flickering slightly, her tone confident.
“I heard you beat Young Master Wu and won my sister’s heart?”
“My sister’s temperament is as cold as ice—no one can warm her up!”
“If she’s upset you in any way, you can just tell me…”
Before she could finish, an icy, piercing glare shot toward her.
“Get lost.”
The smile on Lou Tinglan’s face instantly froze.
Her previously bright expression stiffened.
She opened her mouth, but no sound came out.
She could only watch helplessly as Lu Lingchuan walked past her.
Watching his retreating figure, she stamped her foot in fury.
Suddenly, her eyes darkened, her gaze sinking.
The corner of her mouth twitched slightly, a shadowy, cold glint flashing in the depths of her eyes.
At the same time, the Butler, dressed in a neat dark uniform, walked softly to Lou Qiyun’s door.
He raised his hand and gently knocked three times on the door panel.
“The master requests your presence in the study.”
Lou Qiyun was sitting in front of her dressing mirror, holding a white tissue, her gaze calmly fixed on her palm.
After a moment’s thought, she asked no further questions.
She carefully wrapped the fragments of the monitor in a tissue.
Rising to her feet, her skirt swayed gently as she leisurely walked out of the room and headed toward the study.
No sooner had she pushed open the study door and steadied herself than she was met with a sharp question.
“Is the person properly taken care of?”
Lou Tingwen sat behind the large redwood desk, his face dark and gloomy as he stared at her.
His eyes were pitch-black and intense, exuding a suffocating aura of control.