It's not Miss Lu, it's Lu Yi, her name.
"Drive safely."
There was no reproach in his words, it was clearly a friendly reminder and Lu Yi felt like she was being educated. Unconsciously, she sat up straight and gripped the steering wheel with both hands.
"Yes, thank you, Mr. Lin, for your concern. Next time, I'd better not.
Lin Jinshen didn't say much more and hung up after this reminder.
Before going to bed, Lu Yi checked out Zhong Wenlun's friend.
Unlike Lin Jinshen's avatar, which was a landscape that middle-aged people would use, Zhong Wenlun used his cartoon character, with extravagant red hair and a happy smile with his eyes narrowed into a line. It was a totally different style.
It was late, but Zhong Wenlun replied seconds after she passed.
Bert: [Ah, it's been approved!
I thought it would take until tomorrow to be added.
I'm Zhong Wenlun, you can call me Zhong or my English name Bert.
"..."
Three messages appeared one after another. Lu Yi blinked slowly, already regretting sending the message.
Lu Yi changed his message to his name and replied, "Hello, just call me Lu Yi.
Zhong Wenlin: "Wait!"
Half a minute later, he sent another message saying that he had been playing a game, but now he could concentrate on chatting.
Lu Yi, who didn't really want to chat, asked, "That's fine, we can chat again next time.
Zhong Wenlun said, "Oops, is talking about games in front of a girl a big turnoff? Can I make a lame excuse? I'm not addicted, I'm just relaxing after work. Miss Lu Yi, do you usually play games?"
Lu Yi said, "Not really."
[...
Zhong Wenlun is the kind of playboy who knows how to eat, drink and have fun. He can talk, take the initiative to lead the conversation, and keep the conversation going. He is funny and can talk about anything from interesting anecdotes about Lu Yi's industry to celebrity gossip.
He even goes overboard in his consideration, and the next morning, when she hasn't had a good night's sleep, he orders coffee to be delivered, not only for her, but for her colleagues as well. He says, "Sorry, if you mind, I apologize.
Her colleagues think she has a new suitor and ask her about it, wondering if it's the guy from the blind date.
Lu Yi just smiled and didn't say much.
When she returned to her desk and picked up her phone, her finger slipped down the screen and the iceberg avatar had long since fallen to the bottom. They never spoke again after that meeting.
Lu Yi put down her phone, picked up the still hot coffee, and sipped it in small mouthfuls.
The first time she met Zhong Wenlun was at the newly opened French restaurant, Citronella.
When Lu Yi arrived, Zhong Wenlun had already arrived early. Just as she had imagined, he was young and energetic. He smiled before she could even open her mouth and stood up to pull out her chair. "I'm even prettier in person than in your photos."
"Thank you."
Zhong Wenlun had nothing to complain about. From ordering the food, he took care of Lu Yi's tastes, being meticulous and considerate.
Since they had chatted online, the awkwardness of their last meeting didn't happen when they met in person.
During the meal, the conversation turned to their past relationships.
Zhong Wenlun had had three girlfriends, all of whom he had left peacefully because of personality or philosophical incompatibilities. He did not slander his ex-girlfriends, but took the blame for the problems. He said he was young and didn't want to give them a future.
"You talked about me, what about you, Miss Lu Yi?"
Lu Yi said, "We dated for a while, we were college classmates."
"Then why did you break up?" Zhong Wenlun couldn't understand how the other person could let go.
The previous relationship was so distant that it seemed like something from a previous life, and the details of the past had been forgotten. She concluded, "Because our future directions were different.
A practical reason.
She could not possibly stay in England for him, and he was unwilling to return to China with her.
Maybe they didn't like each other enough. When it ended, that small regret disappeared with the start of a new life in China. She rarely thought about it.
Zhong Wenlun nodded and asked again, "If it's for this kind of external reason, may I ask if there's still any affection?"
Lu Yi looked up and met his eyes, and after a moment, she replied, "I've been separated for three years. If there was any affection left, I wouldn't be sitting here."
"Just a random question, don't take it seriously," Zhong Wenlun apologized.
"It's okay."
The phone on the table lit up, and messages kept popping up. This kind of frequency was only matched by Yu Yin's voice.
Lu Yi was afraid that she had an emergency, but it was really rude to look at the phone while eating with someone. On some pretext, she went to the bathroom, and as soon as she unlocked her phone, a dozen messages popped up.
A collective bombardment of text, voice, and emoticon messages.
Yu Yin knew that she was having dinner with Zhong Wenlun tonight.
Ever since she learned his name, she had been investigating him. So far, based on feedback from friends from all walks of life, she thinks Zhong Wenlun is not bad.
His family background is decent, and although he doesn't run the family business, he is a venture capitalist and not a bad person.
Yu Yin even knows one of his ex-girlfriends, and when she talks about him, she only praises him and has no complaints, which shows that he is a good person and an excellent partner, and is very suitable to be a husband.
Yu Yin: [In conclusion, choosing Zhong Wenlun was the right choice.
Lu Yi found it amusing and said that instead of being a blogger, she should be a private detective, or at least a paparazzi. It had only been a few days since she had learned Zhong Wenlun's name, and she already knew everything about him.
Yu Yin sent a voice message: "Who am I doing this for? I'm afraid you'll go astray, and I can't sleep all night because I'm worried as a mother."
As soon as Lu Yi finished listening, a new 60-second voice message was sent.
Ling Yuyin: "And the most important thing is that he's quite good in bed. Can Lin Jinshen do that? He hasn't even had a girlfriend at that age, so it's not even certain that he can. What if she ends up a widow? I'm telling you, don't think that's not important. It can cause a lot of problems. If there's disharmony in the life, the relationship won't be good. And if the relationship isn't good over time, it's easy to get divorced. Then the marriage will have been in vain."
"..."
There were other people in the bathroom.
The volume of the phone was not loud, so Lu Yi immediately turned off the playback at the beginning and converted the voice to text.
Lu Yi: "Okay, Bao, I got it!"
Yu Yin's motherly voice reminded her, "Don't just say you understand, make sure you listen to my words and understand!
Lu Yi sent over a serious expression, "Okay."
Yu Yin added, still not satisfied, "Listen to me, Zhong Wenlun is definitely better than Lin Jinshen!"
Lu Yi washed her hands and walked out.
When Zhong Wenlun saw Lu Yi coming back, he said half-jokingly, "I thought you were afraid of me and slipped away in the middle. Thank you for taking care of my face and not leaving."
"How could you?"
After Lu Yi sat down, Zhong Wenlun took the initiative to ask about each other's impressions after this meeting.
Lu Yi was slightly stunned, and after thinking it over, she spoke up, thinking of two words on the spot: "Interesting and humorous, gentlemanly and considerate?"
"At least it doesn't sound too bad, right?" Zhong Wen showed a relieved expression, stroked his chest with one hand, and said, "I feel very good about Miss Lu. You are even more beautiful than your photos, and you have a very nice personality. It may sound a bit cliché, but at first glance, I felt that you were very much like a flower."
"What kind of flower? Lu Yi asked.
"Camellia, gentle and non-aggressive."
Lu Yi: "Thank you."
Today, she was wearing a white suit with sleeveless ruffles, and her two slender, translucent arms were designed with irregular folds to look cool and gentle. As they talked, she smiled slightly, her eyelashes drooping like ripples slowly spreading across the surface of water. When she unconsciously played with the stray hair at her ear, she twirled the small pearl dangling from her earlobe.
When she listened, her gaze was focused, giving the other person her full attention.
There are rarely moments when he can't take his eyes off her.
Zhong Wenlun is never short of girlfriends, and he has never had any intention of getting married. The reason is that although he is willing to play along, the family still makes the decisions about marriage. Lu Yi was chosen by the family, and he was ready to accept his fate.
However, he never expected her to be exactly what he wanted. If the two families finalize the marriage, there is still time to hold the wedding this year.
Zhong Wenlun tried to find out more about her by asking about her preferences in a roundabout way.
Lu Yi lost interest in the conversation, but she still listened out of courtesy. She didn't show it, but the next second, when she caught a glimpse of that vague figure out of the corner of her eye, her heart skipped a beat. She twisted her finger around her earlobe and glanced over, unnoticed. After confirming it, she quickly looked away.
She never thought that she would run into Lin Jinshen here.
After their last meeting, they hadn't chatted, let alone met. He must have been busy at work and had no time to spare, and she would never take the initiative. It had been a week, right?
And now they met again, and she was on a blind date with another man.
Although the two families had not confirmed a marriage alliance, Lu Yi could still feel the silent awkwardness spreading. She crossed her arms and avoided eye contact, hoping that he hadn't seen her.
But things often don't go as planned.
Zhong Wenlun met Lin Jinshen, and when she saw him, she naturally greeted him politely, calling him "President Lin".
Lu Yi gritted her teeth, and in the midst of her nervousness, she smelled the scent in the elevator again. It was clearly a calming scent, but it was like throwing a stone into a lake, stirring up the surface of what should have been a calm lake.
She lowered her eyelashes, and between an inhale and an exhale, she finally raised her head.
As soon as their eyes met, Lu Yi was about to look away, but she grabbed the small hand on her arm and boldly met his gaze.
She thought that Yu Yin's words were wrong, and it didn't seem to have a second effect.
Zhong Wenlun's appearance was impeccable, a spoiled nobleman. When the two of them were in the same frame, Lin Jinshen would be the first to notice his presence. His silhouette was three-dimensional, and the eyes under his eyebrows looked over with a sense of oppression that could not be ignored.
"When was the last time we met?" Zhong Wenlun exchanged polite greetings, "I didn't expect to meet here.
Lin Jinshen raised his eyelashes and his gaze passed by Lu Yi. He turned his face slightly to look at him and replied in a low voice, "President Zhong.
Zhong Wenlun smiled and then introduced Lu Yi, "Let me introduce you, this is..."
"I know her."
A deep, recognizable voice interrupted him, and Lin Jinshen's gaze once again fell on her face, her eyes, the long, dark lashes that curled up, and the pearl at her earlobe.
Lu Yi felt the palms of his hands become slightly damp.
"Miss Lu," he said.
It was as if she had been called upon in class, and she rose with a slightly stiff movement, her gaze lingering for a moment on his outstretched right hand.
"Mr. Lin,"
She shook his hand politely.
The temperature of her palm burned a corner of her heart. His fingertip pressed lightly against the back of her hand, just enough to let her know he was there before letting go in less than half a second.
Lin Jinshen asked, "How have you been lately, Miss Lu?"
His voice was harsh and lacked the slightest warmth of greeting, at least not that she could tell.
Lu Yi replied, "Not bad, and you, Mr. Lin?"
"I'm fine."
That was the entire exchange.
It was like a standard conversation in an English textbook.
"So you two know each other?" Zhong Wenlun's smile was complicated.
Lin Jinshen looked away and said, "I have something to do, so I won't bother you two while you eat.
The person he was with also looked somewhat familiar, probably from the same circles. They had come to eat and also to talk about business.
Lu Yi sat down and listened as Zhong Wenlun asked, "How do you and Lin always know each other?
She looked up without answering directly.
Zhong Wenlun also realized that he had asked something inappropriate and laughed, "It was just a casual question, don't think too much about it."
"It's fine."
That little incident was forgotten.
Zhong Wenlun was talkative, and the meal lasted for over an hour. It was still Lu Yi who reminded him that it was getting late and they could continue the conversation another day. He agreed and said that there was a good vegetarian restaurant in Yonghegong that they could try next time.
They both drank some wine. Zhong Wenlun didn't have a problem because he had a driver, but Lu Yi couldn't drive, so he suggested that he drive her home and just pick up the car tomorrow.
Lu Yi shook her phone: "Don't bother, the designated driver I called is already on his way."
"Okay, be careful on the way and remember to send me a message when you get home."
"Okay, bye."
The designated driver would be there in a few minutes.
Lu Yi waited in the gap to answer the message. Lu's mother asked how the dinner went and if they had anything to talk about. She answered truthfully that the food was good, they had something to talk about, and it was pretty good.
After she finished answering, she put the phone down and looked up to catch her breath when she saw another tall figure out of the corner of her eye. She tilted her head and her dark vision collided with Lin Jinshen's.
She didn't notice when he arrived, but since she saw him, she couldn't pretend not to. She nodded out of politeness. She hoped in her heart that he wouldn't say anything, because she was already tired of socializing and didn't want to have another awkward conversation.
There was a more important reason. She had been on a blind date and had been seen by her previous blind date. She couldn't believe that such a ridiculous thing had happened to her.
She felt a little guilty.
"You haven't gone home yet?" Lin Jinshen asked without coming over.
Lu Yi said, "I'm waiting for a designated driver."
"Did you finish eating so fast, Mr. Lin?"
"I just went out for some fresh air," Lin Jinshen replied nonchalantly.
"That's good."
Lu Yi didn't know what was so good about it. Her scalp tightened as she hoped that the designated driver would arrive soon and end this conversation.
The two of them happened to look away, each of them standing in place, their gaze fixed forward.
"So Zhong Wenlun is also one of your options?" Lin Jinshen suddenly spoke, breaking the silence between them once again.
His tone made it sound as if Zhong Wenlun was the name of any company.
It was a normal conversation that would happen in any business partnership, weighing the pros and cons and choosing the more suitable partner.
"..."
He could tell.
Lu Yi said yes, but it wasn't as if she couldn't say it.
She explained, "After all, this is an important matter of marriage and alliance, so it can't be rushed. I think since no one has made a decision yet, it's only natural to consider a few more options before making a decision."
Lin Jinshen would think what he would think. If he rejected this marriage alliance because of this, it would be understandable and acceptable. After all, this was only the first stage of contact, and it would be good for both sides to come to a conclusion as soon as possible.
It became windy that night, and it was a bit chilly.
"I didn't."
"Huh?"
Lin Jinshen looked over, his gaze dark under his long eyelashes. He calmly added, "I didn't see anyone else after you."
Lu Yi was stunned for a moment.
Was he telling her that she was his only choice?