Lu Lingchuan’s hand abruptly tightened.
His eyes were filled with suppressed fury.
When the medicinal powder accidentally touched his wound, a searing pain shot straight to his head.
Lou Qiyun suddenly turned around, leaning closer.
Her clear, bright eyes curved slightly.
“Don’t tell me you’ve fallen for me?”
She asked softly, her tone carrying three parts teasing and seven parts probing.
They were standing too close.
Close enough to feel the rhythm of each other’s breathing.
Their breaths nearly tangled together.
The air she exhaled gently brushed against his chin.
When she blinked, her eyelashes lightly swept across his face.
Lu Lingchuan’s gaze darkened, staring at her motionlessly.
His eyes were bottomless, his breathing gradually growing warmer.
Right at that moment, the door was violently knocked several times with “bang, bang, bang” sounds.
Lou Tinglan’s laughter drifted in from outside, dripping with schadenfreude.
“Oh my, I must say, sister, you’ve hidden yourself quite well!”
“Sooner or later you’ll have to marry someone, why pretend to be so aloof? Going through all this trouble just to end up getting beaten – you’ve truly reached new heights of foolishness!”
She even pretended to advise: “If it were me, I would have made things clear with Young Master Wu long ago. Who knows if the next one will be any better?”
Her tone sounded as if she had the other’s best interests at heart.
But the sarcasm and anticipation of watching a spectacle in her words were unmistakable to anyone.
Leaning against the door outside, the corners of her mouth were lifted high.
After calling out for several minutes with no response, Lou Tinglan impatiently pushed the door open.
She had expected to see her sister embarrassed and evasive, but instead was met with Lu Lingchuan’s terrifyingly cold gaze.
“Get out.”
Lou Tinglan froze completely, almost unable to breathe.
She abruptly stepped back half a step, her heart racing wildly, a chill running down her spine.
Why was he here?
Shouldn’t he be…
Lu Lingchuan stood up, the murderous aura around him no longer concealed, directly radiating outward.
“Should I escort you out?”
Lou Tinglan’s face turned pale, her lips trembling slightly, cold sweat beading at her temples.
She had never experienced such real pressure before.
Lou Tinglan’s face whitened as she took two steps backward.
“I’m leaving! I’m leaving right now!”
She spoke incoherently, her voice trembling.
She nearly tripped while turning around, not caring about her appearance anymore as she broke into a run.
Under Lu Lingchuan’s increasingly cold gaze, she turned and fled.
The sound of panicked footsteps echoed through the corridor.
Lou Qiyun stood up lazily and smiled.
“That was quite impressive just now.”
Though it was meant as praise, Lu Lingchuan’s brows furrowed.
He looked at her, his gaze slightly dark, as if displeased with her casual attitude.
Huh?
Did that mean he usually wasn’t imposing enough?
Lou Qiyun didn’t know what he was thinking. She casually took off her outer garment and opened the wardrobe to search for clean clothes.
Her movements were casual, her back turned to him, long hair falling over her shoulders.
She took out a simple white knit top and black long skirt from the wardrobe, changing out of the dress she had worn earlier.
After changing, she adjusted her collar slightly in front of the dressing mirror.
Then she picked up a USB drive from the dressing table.
It was a silver-gray metal USB drive.
Her fingers were long and pale, gently holding one end of the USB drive as she slowly extended it toward him.
There wasn’t a trace of hesitation in her movements, nor any extra expression.
“Leave your phone number, then you can go.”
After speaking, she slightly lowered her gaze, her eyes falling on the shadow stretched long by moonlight on the floor.
Lu Lingchuan tugged at the corner of his mouth and let out two cold laughs.
Suddenly stepping forward, he pressed her against the wardrobe.
His movements were swift, almost without any warning.
One arm braced beside her ear, the other firmly gripping her wrist.
He pinned her against the dark wood-grained wardrobe door.
Her back pressed tightly against the cold wooden panel, her heartbeat suddenly quickening.
He raised his hand to grip her chin, forcing her to look at the nearby full-length mirror.
His slender fingers clamped around her jaw.
For a moment, Lou Qiyun seemed to freeze as well.
Gazing at the familiar yet unfamiliar reflection of herself in the mirror, her eyes shimmered with a faint, elusive smile.
The blush on her cheeks had not faded.
Instead, it grew more pronounced under his intense gaze.
“Does Second Miss Lou plan to turn hostile and deny everything? Did I agree to that?”
Lou Qiyun let out a light laugh, not denying it. “How unfair! I—”
But her words were cut short.
Before she could finish, Lu Lingchuan abruptly lowered his head and bit her collarbone.
He pulled a Black Emperor Card from his pocket and tucked it into the hollow of her collarbone.
It was a card entirely black, edged with dark gold patterns.
“You belong to me, Lu Lingchuan. No one else can touch you except me.”
His voice was deep as he spoke.
It wasn’t a request but a command.
Not a confession, but a declaration.
Lou Qiyun’s brow twitched slightly.
The corners of her lips slowly curved upward.
She smiled calmly, openly.
“Fine, I’ll be waiting.”
She neither refused nor yielded, simply accepting his declaration with detached composure.
With that, Lu Lingchuan turned and leaped out the window in one fluid motion.
The night wind whipped the hem of his black trench coat.
A fully black Maybach was already waiting below.
Though its headlights remained off, it glided precisely to his landing spot.
The door opened automatically, and he stepped inside, the seat smoothly adjusting to an upright position.
Inside the car, Nan Yi spotted the USB drive immediately and reached for it.
Seated in the passenger seat, dressed in a sharp black suit, his gaze was as keen as an eagle’s.
The moment he saw the silver-gray USB drive in Lu Lingchuan’s hand, he stretched out his hand eagerly, his tone cheerful.
“Boss, did you get the intel? Let me see it quick.”
Lu Lingchuan suddenly asked coldly, “Am I not usually handsome?”
The air in the car seemed to freeze instantly.
Nan Yi froze, his brain short-circuiting for three seconds.
His hand hung mid-air, his eyes blank, his lips still curved in the same smile.
He looked as if he’d been struck by lightning.
He blinked, doubting his own hearing.
Handsome?
Boss?
What?
He screamed internally.
Did the sun rise from the west today?
What kind of person was Lu Lingchuan?
The helmsman of a corporate empire, decisive and ruthless.
He usually only discussed data, missions, and strategic layouts.
When had he ever cared about something like “handsomeness”?
But meeting Lu Lingchuan’s murderous gaze, Nan Yi immediately straightened his back and launched into effusive praise.
“Boss, even a random snapshot of you is cover-worthy! Those pretty boys in the entertainment industry can’t compare to a single finger of yours!”
His voice was loud, filled with reverence.
“Just standing there, your aura is god-tier! No filters, no editing—even a raw camera shot would drive fans crazy!”
“If you’re second, no one in the entire universe dares claim first!”
He grew more and more excited, even stumbling over his words.
“Aliens would place orders for products you endorse! Black holes would pause their devouring for you!”
The flattery was blatantly exaggerated.
Yet Lu Lingchuan gave a slight nod, his gaze calm, as if he had anticipated such a reaction all along.
He slowly raised his hand and passed over the USB drive in his grasp.
“Investigate this.”
Nan Yi took the USB drive, his fingertips slightly chilled, fine beads of cold sweat seeping from his temples.
He hastily pulled out a handkerchief and carefully wiped the sweat from his forehead.
Then he hurried over to the computer, took a deep breath, and inserted the device into the port.
As the system booted up, his eyes quickly scanned the screen, his expression gradually growing grave.