After Breaking Up with the Stoic CEO - Chapter 2

Chapter 2: A Certain Scent of Perfume, Somewhat Familiar

The book signing continued. The long queue now stretched nearly to the entrance of the venue. Lu Wu immersed herself back into the busyness, and as time ticked slowly away, everything finally came to an end as the sky began to dim.

The fans departed satisfied, and the organizers promptly sent staff members to escort the authors out of the building.

The person responsible for attending to Lu Wu was a young girl, about eighteen years old. She was somewhat introverted but extremely diligent, having busied herself helping since the morning. Her face was flushed from the stagnant hot air of the venue, and as she hurried over now, beads of sweat the size of beans clung to her forehead.

The corridor wasn’t very long. The girl led the way in silence, not daring to speak, but her eyes drifted occasionally, landing with restraint on the person beside her—a gaze containing a subtle, inward, yet fervent admiration.

Upon reaching the staff exit, the girl finally stood still, lowered her head, and spoke softly: “Teacher Lu, taking the elevator down from here leads to the parking lot. I have to return to the hall, so I’ll leave you here…”

Lu Wu stopped walking and turned her head, her gaze shifting slightly downward to the name tag on the girl’s chest: “Your name is…Xiao Xiao?”

Xiao Xiao’s heart raced with excitement, and her voice became a stutter: “Yes, yes, Lu… Teacher Lu can just call me Xiao Xiao.”

The corners of Lu Wu’s mouth curved up, and she winked: “Thank you for showing me the way, and thank you for your support.”

Before she could recover from the immense joy of having her idol say her name, Xiao Xiao met Lu Wu’s gaze again. Despite the day’s exhaustion, this woman still seemed full of vitality. She wore a smile that was peaceful and soft, revealing a perfectly measured sense of distance.

She was like a mint leaf—seemingly soft and unassuming, yet possessing a resilient strength that could penetrate anything.

Just being looked at by those eyes made one feel the surrounding heat dissipate instantly, replaced by a coolness like a night breeze.

The fan had been placed in the lounge before the first half of the signing ended, and Xiao Xiao hadn’t said a single extra word when handing over the mineral water, yet the other woman had still perceived her admiration. Xiao Xiao thought to herself: Lu Wu is indeed different from how she’s described online.

Seeing her remain silent, Lu Wu bid her farewell at the right moment: “Well then, see you next time.”

Xiao Xiao paused, then called out: “Wait a moment!”

“Mhm?” Lu Wu tilted her head, quietly waiting for her to continue.

Xiao Xiao kept her hands behind her back, still looking a bit constrained, but she gathered her courage to speak.

“Teacher Lu, will the next book be released at the end of this year?”

The next book…

Lu Wu smiled again, though the smile reached her eyes a little less. She gave a vague reply: “Perhaps.”

After saying goodbye to Xiao Xiao, Lu Wu leisurely entered the elevator.

The authors invited today were all big names; a net worth of millions was merely a stepping stone, so they naturally traveled with dedicated drivers and assistants. Xiao Xiao, as a young girl, had instinctively categorized Lu Wu into this group and led her directly to the underground parking lot entrance.

Unfortunately, Lu Wu didn’t have a car. To attend the event, she had woken up early and taken the subway for two hours.

She had indeed earned her first pot of gold from writing. But after the income arrived, she had bought a two-bedroom apartment in the center of City C in full, leaving her with just enough to maintain her daily life. The compensation offered by the organizers was very generous, which was why Lu Wu had decided to accept the invitation.

The elevator descended slowly. During the wait, Lu Wu fished out that black card with a premium texture from her bag.

There was no name on it, only a job title and a string of unremarkable numbers. According to common sense, paths to quick money are usually not good business—either seeking one’s wealth or one’s life. For her, the best choice would be to toss the card into a roadside trash can and download an anti-fraud app on her phone.

But as her fingertips rubbed the card, Lu Wu thought of the person who had handed it to her.

Could there be a scammer like that? Someone with a face you couldn’t forget after just one glance. A pair of noble, cold, and arrogant eyes; long, upturned brows; thin lips; and an expression that always carried a hint of aloofness when speaking.

It was a rare and high-class “abstinent” aesthetic.

Lu Wu’s thoughts drifted. Were those beautiful lips warm and soft, or… like the owner herself, did they carry a faint, cold fragrance?

Ding—

The elevator arrived.

The untimely association was bluntly interrupted. She lightly patted her own face; it was a bit hot. Was it the sweltering weather making her head foggy, or was it something else?

Before she could investigate further, a familiar voice rang out.

“Lu Wu, over here!”

Lu Wu looked up. Not far away, Qin Xu was leaning against her Porsche, waving at her.

City C is centered around service-oriented industries, with only a few core technology enterprises stationed there. However, any one of those enterprises, if pulled out, is a giant capable of causing significant tremors in the industry. Qintian Chips is a leader among them, with an estimated market value exceeding one trillion Hong Kong dollars. And the “Qin” in Qin Xu is the same as the “Qin” in Qintian Chips.

Qin Xu was the most special of all Lu Wu’s friends. Not just because of their history as online friends, but because of the “class gap” between them.

Just how wealthy was the Second Miss Qin? The Porsche behind her had a market price of around six million—and it was merely one of the cheapest and most low-profile cars in her garage.

As for Lu Wu—she was still quite a distance away from even owning a BYD.

Lu Wu amused herself with the thought and walked forward. She might as well call that person tonight to ask about the collaboration. Since a meat pie had fallen from the sky, there was no reason not to take a bite. As for the “in-depth exchange” issue, it wouldn’t be too late to discuss it when the time came.

Qin Xu saw Lu Wu smiling and asked curiously: “What are you laughing at?”

Lu Wu narrowed her eyes and replied casually: “Just in a good mood.”

In a good mood? That’s great, it will help with my beautiful romance.

Qin Xu spoke about the evening’s arrangements, giving her friend a heads-up: “The place is set at La Point. I checked in advance, Peng Ruan isn’t there.”

Lu Wu searched her memory and matched the location in her head with the “La Point” Qin Xu mentioned. La Point was located in the city center with a nice environment. It was an all-female bar—commonly known as a lesbian bar. It’s worth noting that the bar operated on a membership system based on wealth and looks, and was not open to the public.

As for Peng Ruan, Lu Wu had no impression of the name and replied casually: “Okay.”

As the car pulled out of the underground parking lot, Qin Xu continued to make small talk. “There are also a few friends joining who we’ve hung out with before; you know them too.”

Lu Wu reminded her: “You’ve already said that twice.”

Qin Xu covered for herself: “Really? I was just afraid you’d be nervous.”

The person they were meeting wasn’t some important guest in Lu Wu’s life, and Lu Wu never had a habit of stage fright. On the contrary, it was Qin Xu…

Lu Wu glanced at the person beside her. She was sitting bolt upright, her fingers gripping the steering wheel very tightly. Since she was there to help, Lu Wu asked: “What time is your ‘situationship’ coming over?”

Qin Xu paused and answered honestly: “Actually, I’m not quite sure.”

Lu Wu’s brow furrowed slightly, detecting something unusual: “What do you mean ‘not quite sure’?”

Just then, a red light came on. Qin Xu looked at her and gave a dry laugh: “She’s very busy. I sent her a message but haven’t received a reply yet.”

Lu Wu: “…”

“Is this what you called a date?”

Qin Xu explained with some guilt: “She’ll come over later when she sees it.”

Qin Xu’s dream guest never arrived.

The person had updated their status half an hour ago, yet was too stingy to reply with even a few words to the message sent several hours prior.

The dream of romance shattered before it even began. Qin Xu was in a bad mood and kept drowning her sorrows in alcohol, dragging Lu Wu along with her.

By the sixth bottle, Qin Xu’s eyes closed and she slumped onto Lu Wu’s shoulder, startling the surrounding friends.

“What happened?” “Is Sister Xu okay?”

Lu Wu reached out to check Qin Xu’s breathing, but her hand was ruthlessly slapped away. Qin Xu frowned, her words slurring: “Dizzy… where did this mosquito come from… see if I don’t… kill you!”

The crowd went quiet for a moment before bursting into laughter, finally relaxing enough to continue playing games and chatting.

Lu Wu felt a bit lightheaded from the drinking. She leaned Qin Xu against the sofa and said, “I’m heading out for a moment.”

The air conditioning in the private room was too cold. The moment she opened the door, a wave of warm air rushed in. Lu Wu stretched her stiff body, letting out an involuntary sigh of comfort.

But following that was a faint scent of lilies.

A certain scent of perfume, somewhat familiar.

Lu Wu froze in place. She raised her eyes and scanned the area, her gaze catching a figure that looked completely out of place in this atmosphere of wine and neon lights.

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