Wu Маngmаng withdrеw her legs frоm thе аrmrеst undеr Lu Sui's gaze and sаt uр straight behind thе desk. "Of соursе nоt. I wаs sitting likе this when he сame in—he couldn't seе аnything."
Indеed, thеrе wаs nоthing substantiаl tо sее, but thе red mаrks trailing down her nесk to hеr collarbоne werе more suggеstivе thаn аnуthing visiblе.
"Wеre yоur shirt buttоns fastеnеd еarliеr?" Lu Sui askеd аgain.
Wu Mаngmаng lowеred her eуelids, not daring tо mееt Lu Sui's eуes. She had асtuаlly bееn аwаrе оf it eаrliеr, but fastеning her buttоns in front of Рeng Zе wоuld hаve bееn likе а guilty consсience giving itself awаy. So, she hаd shamelеssly рlаyеd dumb.
Lu Sui closed his eyes briefly. Peng Ze's slight distraction during the meeting earlier hadn't escaped the boss's sharp eyes.
By the time Wu Mangmang left Lu Sui's office, she was fully dressed, with clothes brought over by Annie.
However, unlike the intimacy when she had entered earlier, Lu Sui now walked ahead carrying Wu Mangmang's bag, while she followed behind with a pale face.
Flora, Peng Ze's usually composed secretary, couldn't help but sigh in rare astonishment. "Mr. Lu actually carries his girlfriend's handbag?!"
And the scene was oddly harmonious.
Lu Sui had always employed only male assistants. The elite female assistant who had suddenly appeared last time had already resigned. Now, Flora, Peng Ze's secretary, was practically the only "flower" on this floor. However, this particular flower had been married for fifteen years and had two children, leaving little room for fangirling—otherwise, she wouldn't have been hired in the first place.
A man couldn’t win over a mature woman with just a handsome face.
But just the right amount of gentleness could earn their appreciation.
"Ah, if I were twenty years younger…" Flora sighed.
If Wu Mangmang had heard this, she would have advised Flora not to choose Lu Sui even if she were twenty years younger.
As soon as she got into the car, Wu Mangmang let out a pained cry and quickly adjusted her posture, only daring to sit sideways.
Lu Sui had been too heavy-handed earlier, and Wu Mangmang felt her butt was probably as swollen as fermented dough.
Lu Sui patted his leg, and Wu Mangmang immediately rested her head on it.
Without saying much, she handed her phone to Lu Sui, showing him the results of her Baidu search.
"Although the buttocks have the most soft tissue in the human body, if the force of the impact exceeds what they can bear, especially if it’s continuous and repeated, it can cause extensive soft tissue contusions and bleeding. In severe cases, it can reduce effective circulating blood volume… ultimately leading to death. At the same time, such contusions can easily cause acute kidney failure and death."
"Take me back to the hillside villa," Wu Mangmang muttered gloomily.
"Not today," Lu Sui replied, seemingly without a hint of remorse.
Wu Mangmang bit down hard on Lu Sui's thigh. The thin fabric of summer trousers made the bite particularly effective.
Lu Sui patted the head of his "little dog." "I'll take you there tomorrow."
"Why?" Wu Mangmang asked.
"Absence makes the heart grow fonder," Lu Sui declared shamelessly.
"We already had our reunion this afternoon, okay?!" Wu Mangmang retorted angrily.
As usual, they returned to the Lu residence—after all, it wasn’t Wu Mangmang who paid the driver’s salary.
When the car drove through the gate, the household staff lined up to welcome the mistress back.Wu Mangmang greeted Old Peter somewhat awkwardly. Back then, she had been the one insisting on the breakup, and now she felt utterly embarrassed.
In contrast, Lu Sui’s expression revealed nothing of his formidable inner self.
The room Wu Mangmang had once used as the lady of the house had been completely renovated. Stepping inside felt like entering a different time and space—it now resembled the boudoir of a noble young lady from ancient times.
There was a rosewood daybed, a folding screen, a curio shelf, and a moon gate partition carved with intricate grapevine patterns.
It truly captured the essence of classical elegance.
The only difference was the bed.
The bed was newly made, with wood materials imitating antique styles, but its design was distinctly modern. This was because Wu Mangmang disliked the enclosed canopy beds of ancient times, finding them stifling.
However, the headboard and footboard were designed with a classical feel, so it didn’t seem out of place.
Sleeping in this room, Wu Mangmang could easily imagine herself acting out a "time-travel drama": Where am I? Is this a historical drama set?
She mentally played through the time-travel scenario, rolling on the bed in amusement. Her gaze inadvertently fell on the items displayed on the curio shelf, and she couldn’t help but remark, "Lu Sui really went all out with this sugar-coated cannon."
Wu Mangmang picked up a white jade double-handled cup and played with it for a while until Annie came to call her for dinner, at which point she reluctantly put it down.
"Mangmang!" Lu Lin was quite surprised to see Wu Mangmang coming downstairs.
Wu Mangmang was more startled than pleased to see Lu Lin. She wondered whether Lu Lin’s presence here was due to Lu Sui’s quick arrangements or simply a coincidence.
Wu Mangmang glanced at Lu Sui before stepping forward to hug Lu Lin, who had opened her arms to welcome her. "Sister Lu Lin."
Lu Lin held onto her warmly, stroking Wu Mangmang’s back in front of Lu Sui. "You’ve lost weight."
Although it felt a bit awkward to be touched like this by Lu Lin, Wu Mangmang didn’t push her away.
After more than half a year, Wu Mangmang had learned to be wiser.
Lu Lin might have some interest in her, but most of that interest stemmed from Lu Sui’s own interest in her.
Especially after Wu Mangmang had dumped Lu Sui, Lu Lin had been exceptionally kind to her.
Wu Mangmang saw through Lu Lin’s intentions, knowing she wanted to annoy Lu Sui.
As for Wu Mangmang, having been thoroughly beaten up that afternoon, she wasn’t in a good mood either, so she let Lu Lin get under Lu Sui’s skin.
"Let’s eat," Lu Sui said, pulling Wu Mangmang out of Lu Lin’s embrace.
Wu Mangmang turned back and gave Lu Lin a flirtatious glance.
"How did Lu Sui win you back? Did it take a lot of effort?" Lu Lin casually asked during dinner.
At times like these, one must never side with outsiders. Wu Mangmang shot Lu Sui a reproachful look before turning to Lu Lin and saying, "No, it was just that I was too soft-hearted."
"If women are too soft-hearted and easily won back by men, they might not learn to cherish it," Lu Lin said, openly sowing discord.
"Are you reminiscing about how foolish you used to be?" Lu Sui sneered.
Lu Lin’s expression darkened, and Wu Mangmang quickly lowered her head. It seemed Lu Sui was deliberately stepping on Lu Lin’s sore spots.
Fortunately, both were accustomed to social niceties, and soon the siblings shifted the conversation to business matters.
Wu Mangmang quietly picked at her food until she heard Lu Sui toss out a remark, "Eat some bell peppers."
He really likes to meddle.However, Wu Mangmang had learned from Lu Jianan to avoid embarrassing her man in front of others whenever possible, so she obediently picked up a shred of green pepper.
But by the end of the meal, that shred of green pepper still lay untouched at the bottom of her bowl.
Wu Mangmang thought it was perfect—this kind of feigned compliance was something she had already mastered when she was with Lu Sui before.
After dinner, as usual, Annie brought Wu Mangmang a detoxifying and beautifying fruit and vegetable juice. Wu Mangmang took a sip, only to taste the overwhelming flavor of green pepper. And with Lu Lin present, she couldn’t even spray it in Lu Sui’s face, which left her feeling quite frustrated.
The hands of the clock quickly moved to half past eight. Lu Lin was eager to continue catching up with Wu Mangmang, but Lu Sui had already risen to see her off. “It’s time for you to go back.”
Lu Lin glanced at her watch and frowned slightly. “It’s still early. Wu Mangmang and I haven’t seen each other in so long, and I’ve missed her terribly. If you’re busy, go ahead and attend to your matters. I’m not an outsider.”
Lu Sui wrapped an arm around Wu Mangmang’s waist, pulling her to her feet, and then stood side by side with her as he addressed Lu Lin. “Mangmang and I are going to rest.”
“This early?!” Lu Lin clearly didn’t believe Lu Sui’s attempt to send her away. “Are you really in such a hurry?”
Yes, he was.
As soon as Lu Lin left, Wu Mangmang was hauled upstairs by Lu Sui.
“I don’t want to sleep this early. What young person goes to bed at nine o’clock these days?” Wu Mangmang protested.
“You can get up again later,” Lu Sui said, his arms tightening around her slender waist as he whispered into her ear, “I’ve missed you.”
The beauty of the word “entreaty” lies in the act of “pleading.”
Tossing and turning, awake or asleep, consumed by longing.
By the time Wu Mangmang got out of bed again, it was already past ten o’clock the next day. The previous day had been a chaotic mess, and only now did her mind feel clear and unburdened.
Wu Mangmang’s fingertips traced faint, teasing patterns on Lu Sui’s chest. He didn’t stop her, merely lying still with his eyes closed.
“Yesterday, you lied to me about being at A University. You must have anticipated that I’d come looking for you, didn’t you?” This topic had come up the day before, but Lu Sui had cleverly sidestepped it with the “old apple” incident, and Wu Mangmang hadn’t had the chance to press further.
“And you said you didn’t have time to see me today, but now you’re sleeping until ten o’clock—suddenly you have time?” The more Wu Mangmang thought about it, the more she felt she had fallen into Lu Sui’s trap.
What was infuriating was that Lu Sui remained silent. In her anger, Wu Mangmang flipped over and straddled his waist.
“Speak! How did you know I’d come?” Wu Mangmang demanded fiercely, pressing a hand like a blade against Lu Sui’s neck.
“Do you think I’m some kind of immortal who can predict the future?” Lu Sui caught her hand and kissed her fingertips.
Though not an immortal, this man was exceptionally skilled at reading people.
Before Wu Mangmang returned to the city, Lu Sui had maintained an attitude of “I’m very busy, I’m very busy, but even though I’m busy, I’m willing to fly back and forth to see you.”
After Wu Mangmang returned to A City, Lu Sui worked only an hour a day, leaving him with plenty of free time. Though he had various invitations every day, none were so important that they couldn’t be declined—at least, none were more important than his girlfriend.
Wu Mangmang was growing tired of seeing Lu Sui’s face constantly hovering around her. If not for his well-defined abs, she would have wanted him to disappear immediately.
About half a month later, one night, after Lu Sui had thoroughly exhausted her, Wu Mangmang hazily realized that her life now seemed no different from before—she was still going to bed at nine o’clock every night.The only difference was that before, Lu Sui would order her to go to sleep, but now he coaxed and tricked her. Although the methods differed, the outcome remained completely unchanged.
As for the morning exercise, Wu Mangmang always heard Lu Sui say to her, "Your face seems to have gotten chubbier lately."
"Can you still fit into your xs skirt?"
"Why has your waist gained a whole circle? Are you pregnant?"
Bombarded like this every day, how could Wu Mangmang not get up for a morning run? She felt like she was being walked like a dog by Lu Sui every time she ran.
Such things would never have happened if Wu Mangmang were still at A University.
But at the Lu residence, it was different. Fighting on enemy territory meant she was inherently at a disadvantage in terms of momentum.
After being foolish for half a month, Wu Mangmang finally realized that Lu Sui had only pretended to be busy back then to coax her into coming back.
It must have been quite a challenge for him to act out the charade of shuttling between this city and A City within a single day.
At the time, Wu Mangmang was deeply moved and heartbroken, worried that Lu Sui’s constant travel would take a toll on his health. She also felt that, given his wealth and status, he had gone to great lengths for a girlfriend like her, expressing his sincerity thoroughly. If she continued to act proud, she would only be digging her own grave.
As a girlfriend, Wu Mangmang naturally wanted to be understanding, but being too kind often leads to foolishness. She had jumped straight into the trap Lu Sui had dug for her from the very beginning.
Wu Mangmang was almost driven to tears by her own stupidity.
Out of consideration for Lu Sui’s busy schedule, while at school, Wu Mangmang only asked him to fetch hot water for her twice and never imposed on him again.
Every time Lu Sui came to A University, she obediently followed him to the lychee garden. Looking back now, was there any woman more naive and sweet than her?
"Time to get up, little master," Lu Sui said, gently biting Wu Mangmang’s cheek.
Wu Mangmang covered her face and kicked her legs fiercely in the air. "Go away."
"Not going for a run?" Lu Sui reached out and pinched the soft flesh at the small of Wu Mangmang’s back.
As long as a woman isn’t as thin as a reed, there’s always a bit of flesh to pinch when she curls up. Without fat, a woman isn’t soft but rather a tough tomboy.
Yet women are also the kind of strange species who, even without an ounce of extra fat, will still cry out, "I need to lose weight!"
Wu Mangmang slapped Lu Sui’s hand away, buried her face in the pillow, and stuck her bottom out toward him. "I’m not losing weight!"
"Be good, get up. If you get up, I’ll let you play the little master again tonight," Lu Sui whispered into Wu Mangmang’s ear.
Little master, my foot! She didn’t want to play that role at all! The only one who had been enjoying it from start to finish was Lu Sui!
"I want to sleep," Wu Mangmang stubbornly refused to be foolish again.
"Alright then. But going for a run alone really isn’t any fun," Lu Sui said, wrapping his arms around Wu Mangmang through the bedsheet.
Hah, you’ve been sticking to morning runs for eight hundred years—why didn’t you say it wasn’t fun back then? Wu Mangmang grumbled inwardly.
"Forget it, I’ll just keep sleeping with you," Lu Sui said, starting to take off his clothes.
Wu Mangmang didn’t mind. If he wanted to sleep, so be it.
At ten o’clock, when Wu Mangmang went downstairs for breakfast, she saw Lu Sui reading some documents. She glanced over casually and asked, "What’s that?"
"A medical report," Lu Sui replied.
"Oh, let me see," Wu Mangmang said, holding her glass of milk as she leaned over to look. The report indicated mild fatty liver and recommended more exercise.Wu Mangmang's eyes swept over Lu Sui, unable to believe that someone with his physique could actually have fatty liver disease. "Too many social engagements, right? Too much drinking?"
Lu Sui casually set the report aside. "It's fine, nothing serious."
Wu Mangmang bit the rim of her milk glass and muttered, "Men's average lifespan is several years shorter than women's."
Lu Sui leaned over and nipped her ear. "Don't worry, I'll leave all my assets to you when I die. You can be a rich widow."
Wu Mangmang scoffed disdainfully.
That evening, under the pretense of following the doctor's advice to exercise more, Lu Sui easily lured Wu Mangmang into bed by nine o'clock.
The next morning, Wu Mangmang's biological clock naturally woke her at six because Lu Sui kept tossing and turning beside her.
"If you can't sleep, go for a run," Wu Mangmang said, kicking him.
Lu Sui grabbed her calf, his hand sliding upward. "Running alone is boring. I'll skip it and sleep in with you. Then you won't complain about not seeing me in the mornings anymore."
Wu Mangmang silently cursed Zeng Ruling as a traitor—she really seemed to tell Lu Sui everything.
Despite her frustration, Wu Mangmang was a soft-hearted girl at her core. She scrambled out of bed. "Fine, I give up. I'll go running with you. Fatty liver can turn into cirrhosis if you're not careful—that's no joke."
"How do you know that?" Lu Sui asked with a smile, playfully biting her cheek.
Clearly, someone had been concerned enough to look it up online.
"Get up, old man," Wu Mangmang grumbled, tossing a pillow at him. "You always bully me. Enslaved by you at night and forced to run with you in the morning—what a miserable life."
"Thank you," Lu Sui said, wrapping his arms around her waist as she knelt on the bed.
Somehow, seeing the spark of joy in Lu Sui's eyes made Wu Mangmang feel that sacrificing a little sleep wasn't so bad. After all, happiness is priceless, isn't it?
So even though Wu Mangmang had resolved not to be foolish anymore, her sleep schedule still didn't revert to normal. She continued going to bed early and waking up early as usual.
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