"I hаvе аn ехаm tomorrоw, аnd mу аdmissiоn ticket is still at hоmе." After sсrolling through hеr sосiаl mеdiа feed, Wu Мangmang suddenly lookеd uр at Lu Sui.
"Just hаve Аnniе gо gеt it for уоu." Lu Sui didn’t sееm tо think it was а problem.
Wu Маngmang stоod up. "No, I hаve to gо back. Yоur рlасе is tоо far from thе сity сеntеr. If I get uр toо еarly fоr thе eхam tomorrоw, I won’t be in goоd sрirits."
Lu Sui lоokеd at Wu Mangmаng quiеtlу for thrее sесоnds, thеn noddеd. "Аlright."
When gеtting into thе car, Wu Мangmаng sаw thе driver рlасing Lu Sui’s suitсase in the trunk. Shе cursed inwardly—cоuld it be what she wаs thinking?
So, Wu Mаngmang sаid tо Lu Sui taсtfully, "Actually, I don’t really like others coming to my place. Everyone should have their own private space, right?"
"Hmm." Lu Sui responded dismissively.
But seeing how calm and unbothered he looked, without any unusual expression, Wu Mangmang knew he hadn’t taken her words to heart at all.
"Actually, it’s like this: both humans and animals have territorial behavior. Once their territory is invaded, it can cause discomfort or even fights. I’d feel like someone was choking my neck, unable to breathe."
"Just like this." Wu Mangmang mimicked choking herself with one hand while pinching her nose with the other, indicating difficulty breathing.
"I can give you an oxygen bag." Lu Sui said.
Wu Mangmang immediately deflated. She poked Lu Sui’s cheek with her finger. "Don’t play dumb."
Lu Sui took her hand and held it in his. "Next time you don’t want me to do something, don’t refuse so directly. It’ll only pique my curiosity."
Boss Lu had made it clear that he was very curious about Wu Mangmang’s private space, so she could say she was escorted to her doorstep.
"Open the door. What are you standing there for?" Lu Sui, with his arm around Wu Mangmang, pinched her waist.
Wu Mangmang entered the password, scanned her fingerprint, then turned around fiercely and said to Lu Sui, "You’re not welcome here, you robber."
Lu Sui looked completely indifferent. Wu Mangmang wasn’t the first person to call him a robber.
"You like this kind of decor style?" Lu Sui glanced around Wu Mangmang’s traditionally Chinese-decorated house.
Wu Mangmang didn’t answer. Instead, she went to the fridge to get some cold milk to calm her nerves.
When she finished drinking and went looking for Lu Sui, she found him standing in her bedroom.
"Clear out a drawer for my things, and leave a wardrobe empty too." Lu Sui said.
He really didn’t treat himself like an outsider, Wu Mangmang thought.
"You’re only staying one night. Why did you bring so much stuff?" Wu Mangmang asked bluntly.
"Better safe than sorry." Lu Sui replied naturally.
"There’s no guest room here. Just pick whichever daybed you like." Wu Mangmang said.
Traditional Chinese-style houses never lacked beds—you could lie down anywhere.
"Hmm." Lu Sui nodded.
This was unexpected for Wu Mangmang. Ever since Lu Sui changed his online name, she felt she had seen through his dirty thoughts. She had expected him to insist on staying in her bedroom, but to her surprise, Lu Sui agreed so easily.
It left Wu Mangmang feeling somewhat empty, as if her fighting spirit hadn’t been fully unleashed.Lu Sui casually opened Wu Mangmang's wardrobe, looking at the antique-style dresses inside and asked, "I heard ancient people wore ku. When you wear these clothes, do you also wear ku?"
This was blatant flirting.
Ku, essentially, were pants without a waist or crotch—basically like two long socks worn on the legs, very airy.
They were most convenient for the male head of the household when it came to certain activities.
Wu Mangmang hadn’t expected Lu Sui to know about "ku." It seemed he hadn’t skimped on extracurricular reading during history class.
Wu Mangmang stepped forward and closed the wardrobe in front of Lu Sui. "Don’t even dream about it."
Lu Sui chuckled, leaning close to whisper in Wu Mangmang’s ear, "What am I dreaming about? How would you know?"
Trying to see who’s more shameless, huh?
Wu Mangmang gently pushed Lu Sui’s face away, then opened the wardrobe on the other side. Inside were rows of medieval-style undergarments, including ku, commonly known as "leg coverings."
Made of thin, white silk.
Then Wu Mangmang pulled Lu Sui’s neck down, mimicking his earlier whisper, "I wear this to sleep at night."
"Don’t push your luck," Lu Sui said bluntly, removing Wu Mangmang’s hand from around his neck. "I’m going to wash up."
Wu Mangmang stomped her feet angrily behind him. This man was allowed to tease her, but when she teased him, it was "pushing her luck."
When it was time to sleep that night, Wu Mangmang had been hoping for a bit of passion, but Lu Sui slept like a log on the bed, with no intention of sneaking into her boudoir for any romantic escapades.
Wu Mangmang couldn’t understand it. The boyfriends she’d dated before, though nothing ever came of it, were all incredibly eager.
Just seeing her in a tank top would get them worked up. If it weren’t for Wu Mangmang’s impressive self-defense skills, she probably wouldn’t have been a virgin for the past eight hundred years.
But with Lu Sui, things were different. This man had exceptional self-control and was very calculating.
For example, at the Christmas banquet, he knew she would reject him, so he didn’t even bother trying.
Or like tonight, knowing nothing would happen, he could restrain himself and just sleep soundly.
As for Wu Mangmang, she tossed and turned, frustrated that she hadn’t had the chance to humiliate him and vent her pent-up anger. She thought to herself, any woman who ended up with a man as unromantic as Lu Sui would be unlucky.
When she woke up in the morning, Wu Mangmang wasn’t surprised to find a new pimple on her nose.
During breakfast, she kept feeling like Lu Sui was glancing at the tip of her nose, whether intentionally or not. So when she went out, she not only wore a hat but also a thick scarf and a face mask.
She looked like someone with a severe cold heading out.
Since Lu Sui had dragged her out of bed at six in the morning, it was only seven when Wu Mangmang left the house. Although there was some traffic near the exam site, she wasn’t late at all.
Especially since the campus parking lot later became overcrowded, and seeing others driving around frantically looking for a spot made her secretly delighted.
"Want me to take a photo as a memento?" Lu Sui asked.
Only Wu Mangmang’s eyes were visible now. She hesitated for thirty seconds before hearing Lu Sui say, "You can use a beauty filter to remove the pimple."
Annoyed, Wu Mangmang yanked off her scarf. All the concealer she’d applied that morning had been for nothing."I had Sister Liu prepare a soup to clear heat and reduce fire for you. You can have it as soon as you finish the exam," Lu Sui said.
If Lu Sui hadn't been touching her earlobe with his fingers, Wu Mangmang might have thought he was being incredibly considerate. But right now, she couldn't help feeling he was mocking her.
Barricades had already been set up outside the examination hall, so Lu Sui couldn't enter the building. After Wu Mangmang climbed the steps, she turned back and waved goodbye to him.
She saw Lu Sui raise his hand and casually wave the back of it toward her, which suddenly reminded her of her middle school entrance exam.
Back then, other children were accompanied by their parents, while Wu Mangmang was dropped off by the driver.
Although it didn't really affect anything, seeing other children waving goodbye to their parents still made her feel a pang of envy.
Wu Mangmang turned and ran to the second floor, leaning out from the balcony to see Lu Sui still standing below the teaching building, hands tucked into his coat pockets, drawing the gazes of all the girls around.
Even those who preferred fresh-faced young idols or BL fans couldn't resist—after all, a handsome face was always pleasant to look at.
Wu Mangmang excitedly waved her arm at Lu Sui again, her face breaking into a wide smile brighter than the winter sun.
Lu Sui had no choice but to wave back at her.
Wu Mangmang ran to the third-floor balcony and leaned out again to look at Lu Sui, blowing him a flying kiss along the way. By the fourth floor, as if possessed by a K-drama heroine, she clasped her hands together and blew a heart-shaped gesture toward Lu Sui.
Lu Sui could only shake his head repeatedly.
Although the sun was out today, the classroom had neither air conditioning nor heating. Having been away from campus for so long, Wu Mangmang had forgotten about this detail, so she could only shiver and answer the questions while shaking her legs.
By the time the exam ended, she was frozen stiff.
As Wu Mangmang ran downstairs, she turned on her phone and called Lu Sui. The call had just gone through when she spotted him standing outside the building, searching for her in the crowd.
Wu Mangmang rushed out and hugged Lu Sui's waist, shouting "Daddy."
Lu Sui's body visibly stiffened.
Passersby behind them couldn't help but notice this strikingly attractive "father and daughter."
Some looked on calmly, merely thinking how spoiled this daughter must be—a grown woman taking postgraduate exams, yet still being escorted by her father.
Others thought the daughter had been raised poorly, lacking any independent living skills and probably only taking the exam because she couldn't find a job.
Naturally, there were also those with wild imaginations who found the behavior between this father and daughter ambiguous.
Wu Mangmang paid no attention to any of this. She only felt happy, happy, and still happy.
She stood on her tiptoes and kissed Lu Sui's lips again and again.
Instantly, everyone around wore expressions of utter disbelief, and someone quick-witted silently snapped a photo with their phone.
Some group chat or forum would likely soon feature a post titled "Eye-opening: Father and Daughter Kissing in Public."
"Why are you here? I thought you'd left," Wu Mangmang said. "Have you been waiting outside for me all this time?"
"I made a few calls from the car," Lu Sui replied.
He reached out to take her hand, frowning. "Why are your hands so cold? Was there no air conditioning in the classroom?"
"None," Wu Mangmang said. "The university classroom conditions aren't even as good as our high school's."
Wu Mangmang jumped in place three times. "What are we having for lunch? Are there any small restaurants nearby that you've tried?"
"I'll have Sister Liu deliver lunch to avoid any risk of you getting an upset stomach and affecting your exam," Lu Sui said, taking Wu Mangmang's hand and leading her to the car.Since there was no one in the car, the air conditioning wasn't on. Lu Sui took off Wu Mangmang's shoes and let her rest her feet in his lap.
Wu Mangmang was stunned by this treatment. Resting her chin on her knees, she watched Lu Sui as he made a phone call, inwardly marveling at Mr. Lu's methods of pursuing women. It wouldn't be unjust for her to fall for him all over again.
The car started and stopped outside a hotel near the school.
"Go up and rest first. I've booked a room. We'll stay here tonight so you can sleep in tomorrow," Lu Sui said.
"Then why didn't we come here yesterday?" Wu Mangmang asked.
"Weren't you insisting on going back to your place yesterday?" Lu Sui countered.
Even someone as clueless as Wu Mangmang knew that hotels near the school were surely fully booked these past two days. Though Lu Sui had considerable influence, he must have made the reservation in advance.
So, he did it on purpose yesterday, didn't he?
Just to get into her home?
As soon as they entered the room, Wu Mangmang hugged Lu Sui from behind. "So we're checking into a hotel in broad daylight, huh? You have ulterior motives."
Lu Sui gently pried her hands away and stepped aside, allowing Wu Mangmang to see that Old Peter and Annie were both in the suite.
Even someone as thick-skinned as Wu Mangmang couldn't help but feel embarrassed.
"Go wash your hands and eat," Lu Sui said.
Wu Mangmang immediately complied.
During the afternoon break, Wu Mangmang noticed that the hotel bedsheets seemed to have been replaced with the same color and brand used at Lu Sui's residence. It appeared Mr. Lu had quite a few quirks of his own.
Over the two days of exams, Lu Sui waited outside the venue after each session.
When the final exam ended, it was raining. The forecast predicted sleet, and the air was damp and chilly, colder than on snowy days.
Most examinees came and went alone, so Wu Mangmang's sense of superiority was beyond words.
"Didn't I tell you not to wait?" Wu Mangmang complained half-heartedly.
"If I really didn't wait, are you sure you wouldn't get upset?" Lu Sui took her hand to warm it.
"Of course not," Wu Mangmang insisted.
Only men who had never been in a relationship would believe that.
"Let's go. Auntie is treating us to dinner tonight," Lu Sui said. The "auntie" he referred to was Lu Jianan. Originally, they were supposed to have dinner together two days ago, but it was postponed until today because of Wu Mangmang's exams.
OpenNovel