LHKE Ch18

Early May, the beginning of summer, with green shadows creating a quiet day and solitary flowers signaling the end of spring.

On the day Lu Changting returned from his business trip, it happened to coincide with the first rain of May. He had caught a bit of sleep on the plane, but when he disembarked, he was still feeling a bit drowsy.

His flight landed at 11 p.m., and as he exited the terminal, all he could see was the endless night. The rain wasn’t heavy, but the wind was cold, and the fine drizzle carried a slight chill as it brushed against him.

Once in the car, the driver asked if he was heading back to the Lu family home or his villa. Rubbing his temples, he gave an unexpected answer: “Take me to ‘Gu Jiu.'”

The rain made the roads slippery, and a red carpet had been laid out at the entrance of the bar, extending all the way inside. Lu Changting, carrying several exquisitely packaged gift boxes, walked steadily along the carpet into the bar.

Two young women were sitting at the bar, looking like it was their first time there. They were chatting with Le An, asking if he had any drink recommendations. Le An patiently recommended some drinks for them, then looked up and was momentarily surprised to see Lu Changting before offering a polite, standard smile. “Mr. Lu.”

Lu Changting glanced around the hall but didn’t see Shen Li. “Is Boss Shen not here today?”

“The boss is in the lounge,” Le An replied, glancing at the lively crowd in the bar before calling Chen Ke over. “Take Mr. Lu to the lounge.”

Shen Li’s lounge was on the second floor, at the end of the hallway. Chen Ke knocked on the door, and after hearing a “Come in,” he opened the door and stepped aside, gesturing for Lu Changting to enter.

Shen Li’s lounge was simply decorated, with a desk, chair, coffee table, and sofa. It had the same minimalist style as his home, providing a rare quiet corner in the otherwise lively and indulgent atmosphere of the bar. There was also a small door that revealed a glimpse of a bed.

Shen Li was sitting on the sofa, holding a pen. Several sheets of draft paper were spread on the coffee table, along with a calculator and an open laptop, as he reviewed financial statements. He was so focused on calculating the cash flow that he didn’t look up until Lu Changting placed the gift boxes on the coffee table, coming into his line of sight. Only then did Shen Li raise his head.

His mind, preoccupied with numbers and figures, took a moment to register, and he finally put down his pen and stood up. “You’re back from your trip?”

“Just got back,” Lu Changting replied, clearly exhausted from a week of being extremely busy, averaging only four or five hours of sleep each night, combined with the long journey. His face didn’t look too good.

He forced a smile. “I brought you the local specialties I promised.”

“Thank you,” Shen Li responded politely, then added, “Have a seat.”

He didn’t dwell too much on why Lu Changting brought him gifts immediately after returning, his mind instead filled with concern and worry over how pale Lu Changting looked.

“What would you like to drink?”

Lu Changting relaxed a little as he sat on the sofa. “Just a glass of hot water, please.”

Shen Li poured him a glass of warm water and took out some chocolates from the candy box on his desk. Noticing that Lu Changting’s hair and shoulders were slightly wet, he frowned. “Is it still raining?”

“Yes,” Lu Changting replied, taking a few sips of water.

Glancing at the computer screen, he asked, “Am I interrupting you?”

“No,” Shen Li replied as he tidied up the draft papers and pushed the laptop aside. “I can finish this tomorrow.”

“You can continue. I’ll just sit here for a bit and then leave.” Lu Changting hesitated slightly, tightening his grip on the water cup. “Can I sit here for a while?”

The atmosphere during this one-on-one interaction was somewhat awkward. Thinking of the photo with the two people hugging under dim lighting, Lu Changting wasn’t entirely sure if it was appropriate for him to rest in Shen Li’s lounge.

“Of course, you can,” Shen Li said nervously, still not used to being so close to Lu Changting. He smiled, his lips and eyes curving gently as he tried to hide his nervousness. “If you’re too tired, you can lie down in the room for a while.”

Lu Changting was tempted. He looked at the door, at the bed partially visible inside, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he swallowed another sip of warm water.

“No need,” he said. “I’ll just sit for a bit.”

He unwrapped a piece of chocolate, folded the wrapper, and put it in his pocket before placing the candy in his mouth, letting the sweetness dissolve on his tongue.

The room fell into silence. Shen Li absentmindedly stared at the financial report, the once straightforward numbers now appearing as complex symbols that he couldn’t make sense of.

“Uh,” he started, getting up to pour himself a glass of water, and asked casually, “How did your blind date go?”

Hearing Shen Li ask about the blind date, Lu Changting couldn’t help but feel a bit pleased. Was Shen Li perhaps a little concerned about him too?

“We just had a meal together,” he replied, looking at Shen Li with a deep, calm gaze. “She’s the daughter of a business associate of my father, her family is involved in overseas trade, and she’s been living and studying abroad for many years. She just recently returned to China.”

“Oh…” Shen Li lowered his head and took a sip of water, hiding the emotions in his eyes. “You two should get along well.”

Lu Changting’s gaze deepened as he looked at him. “What do you mean by ‘getting along well’?”

“Do you think we get along well?”

Shen Li was taken aback by the question. “I guess… we get along well,” he answered awkwardly, quickly adding, “As friends, that is.”

“Friend.” Lu Changting repeated the word softly, turning it over and over in his mind, breaking it down and reassembling it, reluctant to admit it but unable to refute it either.

He should have realized it earlier.

He thought to himself that he should have recognized his feelings for Shen Li—feelings that went far beyond mere friendship.

During the days he spent alone in C City, he had endured the torment of missing Shen Li, forcing himself to focus on work. Every time he closed his eyes, he couldn’t help but wonder about the relationship between Shen Li and that other person. Why were they hugging? And what happened after the hug?

Scenes of their time together replayed in his mind like a movie, making him realize, albeit belatedly, that he remembered every detail about Shen Li with remarkable clarity.

Those lingering glances that always seemed to rest on him, the involuntary urge to get closer, the emotional highs and lows—all were the result of his selfish desire, which he now recognized as “love.”

He sighed, feeling a sense of weariness even greater than the exhaustion from working late into the night.

“I should go,” he said, realizing that his current state and emotions made it unsuitable for him to be alone with Shen Li. “I’m a bit tired.”

“I’ll walk you out,” Shen Li said, standing up and grabbing an umbrella from the shelf.

Lu Changting, sounding drained, responded, “…No need.”

But Shen Li ignored his refusal and walked him downstairs, holding the umbrella as he saw him off to the car. He instructed the driver, “The roads are slippery in the rain, so please drive carefully.”

Bending down by the car window, he added to Lu Changting, “You got caught in the rain. When you get home, make some ginger tea or drink some cold medicine. Take care not to catch a cold.”

Lu Changting looked at him deeply, listening quietly until Shen Li finished speaking.

Shen Li was always like this—thorough and considerate to the point of causing misunderstandings.

Suddenly, Lu Changting closed his eyes and said hoarsely, “Let’s go.”

…

During the days he was away on business, a lot of work had piled up at the company. The next morning, as soon as Lu Changting arrived, he gathered the senior management for a meeting and delegated the tasks related to the collaboration project in C City.

He hadn’t had time to eat breakfast, and as he stood up after the meeting, he felt a bit dizzy and swayed slightly. Gripping the desk, he sat back down, prompting Wan Qing to look at him with concern. “Mr. Lu?”

“I’m fine,” he said after a brief pause, “Make me a cup of coffee, with extra sugar.”

Everyone returned to their respective workstations, leaving him alone in the conference room. After sitting for a moment, he stood up again, regaining his usual calm demeanor, and headed to his office.

Lu Changting spent the entire day busy in his office. He ordered takeout for lunch and didn’t take a break at noon. By the end of the workday, he was still at the company, working overtime.

Wan Qing, as his assistant, felt obliged to stay and work overtime as well since the boss was still there. When she delivered the sorted documents and the schedule for the next day to the CEO’s office, she heard a soft cough from inside. Unable to resist, she advised, “Mr. Lu, it’s time to go home.”

Since taking over the Lu Group, Wan Qing had come to fully understand Lu Changting’s workaholic nature. However, despite his intense work ethic, Lu Changting was highly efficient, rarely worked overtime, and was meticulous about maintaining his health—after all, managing such a large enterprise required a strong body.

But lately, her boss had become more reserved and inscrutable, even more focused on work than usual.

Sometimes, when Wan Qing saw colleagues chatting in the company’s small group about how every member of the Lu family was a workaholic, she couldn’t help but agree, albeit with some resignation. She had initially hoped that with a new president, his workload might ease a bit, but it turned out that when it came to work, Lu Changting was no less intense than Senior Mr.Lu.

Taking the documents from Wan Qing, Lu Changting acknowledged her with a nod. “You can leave once you’re done.”

Wan Qing wanted to persuade him further, but just then, the phone on Lu Changting’s desk rang—it was his personal phone. Swallowing her words, Wan Qing simply said, “Then please get some rest after you’re done.”

Seeing the caller ID, Lu Changting couldn’t help but frown slightly.

It was his blind date.

After their meal together, they had exchanged contact information out of courtesy. Occasionally, he would receive messages from her on WeChat, but he was often too busy to see them right away, responding politely with a few words when he could. However, this didn’t seem to dampen Miss Xiang’s enthusiasm.

His first impression of Xiang Wan had been quite favorable—a dignified and elegant lady from a prominent family, much like his own mother. But beyond the appreciation for her youth, beauty, and good manners, he felt nothing more for her.

The rain had stopped and started again, leaving the windows covered in droplets, with the sound of the rain still audible outside.

He sighed inwardly and answered the call.