After Breaking Up with the Stoic CEO - Chapter 17

Chapter 17: Do You Have Time to Meet?

“I understand that a parent’s work is busy, but no matter how busy you are, you must always pay attention to the child’s physical and mental health…”

Realizing that the person on the other end of the phone was Li Jin, Lu Wu grabbed the phone back as quickly as she could.

“Hangxue, there’s a bit of a misunderstanding. Let me take the call.”

The second half of Tan Hangxue’s sentence got stuck in her throat. She looked stunned: “A misunderstanding??”

Lu Wu didn’t have time to explain much. She took a deep breath and held the phone to her ear. “Is this Li Jin?”

A cold, crisp “Mhm” came from the other side. It was definitely Li Jin’s voice.

Lu Wu explained nervously, “That was just my friend. She misunderstood who you were, so… please don’t take what she said to heart.”

Li Jin glanced toward Li Xinrui. The little girl, who had just been dejected, immediately lit up with excitement the moment she heard Lu Wu’s voice. Li Jin habitually tapped her fingers on the desk. “It’s fine.”

Avoiding Tan Hangxue’s suspicious gaze, Lu Wu tried to sound as natural as possible: “Why did you call so suddenly?”

Li Jin asked, getting straight to the point: “Do you have time to meet recently?”

Lu Wu unconsciously twisted the hem of her shirt, her tone rising slightly: “I do. Where should we meet?”

Li Xinrui mouthed words at Li Jin and made several “please, please” gestures.

At… home.

Li Jin paused: “My home.”

Even though the other woman’s attitude was the same as before, perhaps even showing a hint of deliberate coldness, made Lu Wu’s heart still trembled slightly. She swallowed hard: “When?”

A knock on the door sounded. Du Lin stood at the entrance to remind her: “President Li, the pre-meeting preparations are complete. We are waiting for you.”

Li Jin turned her attention away to reply: “Okay, I’ll be there immediately.”

“Understood.”

Du Lin left, and Li Xinrui looked at her pleadingly again.

Li Jin thought for a moment and asked: “When are you free? This weekend?”

Lu Wu gently bit her lip, a wave of eagerness surging in her chest. “I’m free anytime.”

“I’ll have the driver come pick you up.”

She wasn’t some big celebrity; there was no need to put anyone through the trouble. Lu Wu politely declined: “No need for the trouble. Just send me the address, and I’ll take the subway.”

“Okay.”

There were other people’s voices on the other end of the line, and Li Jin didn’t seem to have anything else to say. Lu Wu thoughtfully ended the conversation: “Then… you go ahead and get busy.”

“Mhm.”

The call ended. The car arrived at the destination: “Hot & Spicy Sichuan Hotpot Private Club.” It was obviously a restaurant famous for its explosive spice levels. But the judgmental stares coming from the side were clearly more intense than the scent of hotpot in the air.

“……One order of beef tripe, one order of shrimp paste, and two orders of marbled beef.” Lu Wu handed the menu back to the waiter waiting nearby. “That’s all for now.”

The young lady smiled sweetly: “Understood. Please wait a moment. Call me if you need anything else.”

The moment the person left, Tan Hangxue couldn’t hold back anymore. “Miss Lu, have you figured out where to start your explanation?”

Ji Youyan also rarely sided with her: “According to general courtroom guidelines… I suggest you confess the truth. You might be able to argue for leniency.”

Perhaps it was the shock from Li Jin’s phone call that had paradoxically relaxed her, but Lu Wu felt her emotions settle. She remained calm: “Ask whatever you want to know. Just ask directly.”

Tan Hangxue wasn’t fooled by her composed demeanor. She narrowed her eyes: “I just remembered, Li Jin is the unlucky Bentley owner whose car you scratched that day, right?”

Lu Wu didn’t deny it: “Yes.”

Tan Hangxue’s eyes widened, nearly flipping the table: “Did she ask you to go to her house? What does she want to do?”

Lu Wu countered: “She’s a woman. What could she possibly do?”

Tan Hangxue was stumped. It was true; not only was she a woman, but she was a woman with a child. Moreover—she had just spent the last few minutes fiercely criticizing the woman’s daughter. Tan Hangxue’s confidence leaked away, and her volume dropped significantly: “Then why did she ask you to go to her house?”

Lu Wu didn’t know either. On the phone, Li Jin’s tone had been cold, offering no explanation. Based on those few words, she couldn’t read her intentions. Was it because she had tasted the fruit of temptation after one night and wanted further contact? But as the one doing the work, Lu Wu knew that the experience she provided still had plenty of room for improvement. Or was it… that Li Jin actually had feelings for her too?

…It seemed a professional collaboration was a more likely possibility.

Lu Wu paused, deciding to take the opportunity to tell them about the cooperation. “President Li’s daughter is a fan of my books.”

Tan Hangxue was surprised: “A fan? Is it really that coincidental?”

Lu Wu added: “President Li had already come to my book signing before the incident.”

Tan Hangxue widened her eyes: “What??”

Lu Wu said, half-truthfully: “So don’t worry. This meeting is just to discuss cooperation.”

Ji Youyan was curious: “With that Li Corporation? What kind of cooperation?”

Lu Wu weighed her words: “Rather than the Li Corporation, cooperating with her personally is perhaps more accurate. President Li wants me to custom-write a new book.”

Ji Youyan had handled similar cases before and instantly understood the framework. “You are responsible for the creative work, and she takes full responsibility for publishing and publicity?”

Lu Wu nodded. Concerned that Lu Wu might get taken advantage of, Ji Youyan added: “Send me a copy of the contract later. I’ll take a look for you.”

Lu Wu agreed: “Okay.”

Seeing that Lu Wu didn’t seem to be lying, Tan Hangxue finally let out a sigh of relief and turned her attention to another question: “What about the royalties? Someone at President Li’s level must be very generous, right?”

Lu Wu held up one finger.

Tan Hangxue guessed boldly while sipping her tea: “100,000? That sounds pretty good.”

Tan Hangxue’s guess wasn’t groundless; Lu Wu’s previous breakthrough success was largely a result of both luck and timing. This wasn’t a great era for print literature, and under normal circumstances, a 100,000 yuan advance for a single work was already quite considerable. But it was obvious that Li Jin didn’t operate under normal constraints.

Lu Wu corrected her: “One million.”

Tan Hangxue choked on her tea: “H-how much?”

Tan Hangxue’s shock came and went quickly. Since Ji Youyan had personally confirmed the contract was fine, she easily rationalized it: Lu Wu was probably just born to make a living through writing. Before the hotpot was even finished, she had already started considering what kind of electric car Lu Wu should buy for her daily commute.

After the meal, the group went to Lu Wu’s home.

Buzz.

The fingerprint lock clicked open, and Lu Wu entered first: “Come in. No need to change shoes.”

Tan Hangxue glanced at the sides of the door. The fire cabinet was designed right next to the entrance, and the protruding part created a blind spot—large enough to hide a person. She walked in and started nagging again: “I always feel like this place isn’t very safe. You really should install a camera.”

Lu Wu smiled helplessly: “I’ve already ordered one. The technician will come in a couple of days.”

Ji Youyan was the last one in and closed the door: “I just checked. The security conditions here are decent. After what happened this time, they’ll probably get even stricter.”

Tan Hangxue wanted to say more, but Lu Wu cut her off: “Make yourselves at home. If you’re thirsty, there are drinks in the fridge. Help yourselves, I’m going to pack some things.” Before she finished speaking, she had already entered her room.

Tan Hangxue fell silent. Ji Youyan opened the fridge to grab a bottle of mineral water and turned to her: “What do you want to drink?”

Tan Hangxue was blunt: “Coke, Pepsi!”

Ji Youyan glanced at her and tossed her a box. Tan Hangxue caught it and took a look: yogurt, sugar-free. Her eyes widened: “Isn’t this Coke?”

Ji Youyan raised an eyebrow: “Do you still remember what the doctor said last month?”

Tan Hangxue: …

This reminder brought back the terror of being dominated by the dental clinic last month, and her energy completely deflated. “I’m not drinking it then.”

She set the yogurt aside and, seeing the study was open and feeling bored, Tan Hangxue walked inside. Several small, emerald-green potted plants were scattered in the corners, and custom shelves held handmade crafts. On the desk were translations of foreign literary works, showing signs of frequent use and giving the room a lived-in feel.

The only thing that felt out of place was a scattering of crumpled paper balls on the floor. Tan Hangxue picked one up to look: ‘Origins and Development of Photography…’. It was probably reference material for a new project that ended up getting scrapped for some reason.

At this moment, Lu Wu walked in from the doorway to grab her laptop and her regular notebook. Tan Hangxue tossed the paper ball into the trash can and spoke naturally: “Is the creation of the new work not going smoothly?”

Lu Wu paused mid-pack: “It’s alright.”

Tan Hangxue had never experienced the feeling of overnight fame, but she could guess what Lu Wu might be worried about. Once you’ve been recognized, it’s easy to fear that your future works won’t live up to expectations. Lu Wu wasn’t the type to shrink away in fear, but she was definitely the type to repeatedly refine and polish her prose. Tan Hangxue was more afraid that she would put too much pressure on herself and break under the weight.

She hinted: “Is there a time limit on the cooperation with President Li?”

Lu Wu replied blandly: “One year.”

Tan Hangxue’s gaze filled with worry: “Will you have enough time?”

Lu Wu looked up: “I will.”

Seeing her tone was certain, Tan Hangxue was surprised. Lu Wu didn’t explain. She wasn’t sure how to explain it. If she had to say, commercial cooperation was like a test with predefined questions; the client had already set the requirements, and just fulfilling those requirements meant the task was completed successfully. She did have doubts when writing, but that was more about a wavering and uncertainty in her own self-expression, not a genuine crisis.

“I’m pretty much done packing.” Lu Wu used this to end the conversation.

Tan Hangxue didn’t push it further and nodded: “Let’s go. There’s a commercial plaza nearby; let’s go take a look.”

Passing by a luxury department store counter, Tan Hangxue asked, “How about buying a silk scarf? It’s formal enough and shows your sincerity.”

Ji Youyan replied quite objectively: “I hear President Li isn’t very old…”

Tan Hangxue: …

Got it. She was subtly saying I’m old-fashioned. “Lu Wu, what about you?”

Lu Wu didn’t answer.

Tan Hangxue turned her head. Lu Wu was staring at her phone screen, her mind clearly having flown off somewhere else. Tan Hangxue’s temples throbbed: “Lu Wu, are you listening to me?”

Lu Wu’s focus finally sharpened. On the screen in front of her was the latest WeChat pop-up notification:

You have a new friend request.

There was no description, just an empty blank “Li”.

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