After Breaking Up with the Stoic CEO - Chapter 20
Chapter 20: Looking Forward… to Your Performance
Lu Wu wanted to get closer to Li Jin; there was no way she was going to let such a good opportunity slip away.
“…Then I’ll be imposing on you.”
Li Jin didn’t say anything more; she turned and walked toward the entrance.
Fingerprint unlock.
“Welcome home.”
The gentle mechanical female voice echoed through the villa, sounding even more desolate than it had during the day. Li Jin walked straight inside in her high heels, leaving behind only one sentence.
“Make yourself at home. You don’t need to tell me in advance if you want to do something.”
Was she teasing her about asking if she could drink water that night?
“Got it.”
Lu Wu replied somewhat awkwardly, sitting down to change her shoes with a bit of restraint. After changing, she walked in to find Li Jin leaning against the island, holding a glass of water.
“Is Ruirui…”
“She’s already asleep.”
“Oh.” Lu Wu let out a sigh of relief.
Li Jin saw her restraint and lazily raised her eyelids. “The guest room is on the first floor.”
Lu Wu wanted to say something but hesitated. She could tell Li Jin had been drinking that night. Last time they met, she had advised her to drink less, but Li Jin hadn’t agreed, and Lu Wu had no standing to ask. Perhaps finding her look wanting to speak but not daring to was amusing, Li Jin suddenly smiled, a light sound spilling from her lips. She had just finished drinking water, and as she looked sideways, the light outlined the full lines of her lips, still stained with a hint of enticing moisture. Lu Wu was mesmerized.
Li Jin asked again: “What did you want to say?”
Lu Wu asked in return: “Can I say anything?”
Pushing her luck.
Li Jin didn’t speak, just flicked a light glance her way. It was as if she were rejecting her, yet simultaneously indulging her.
Lu Wu grew a bit bolder: “You drank tonight?”
Li Jin replied coolly: “Mhm.”
Lu Wu didn’t ask for the reason; she only took the cup from her hands: “I’ll pour you some hot water.”
“Is there lemon and honey?”
“In the fridge.”
She busied herself in the kitchen for a while, finally handing the warm cup back. “It’s 45 degrees; it shouldn’t be too hot. Try it.”
Li Jin took a sip—sour, sweet, and fragrant. Even the throbbing headache in her brain seemed to ease. Lu Wu was still watching her, her eyebrows furrowed slightly. It was the same expression as that night when she was afraid of hurting her; her eyes held concern and a kind of blunt emotion she couldn’t hide.
When Liu Yuhuan asked if she had someone else tonight, Li Jin genuinely hadn’t been moved. There was no one in her heart. It was just that after staying stagnant for so long, even dead wood would eventually crave a stray spark. And Lu Wu was young enough.
Li Jin took the initiative to explain why she had been drinking. “There was a business engagement tonight; I couldn’t push it off.”
“Got it.”
Lu Wu’s lips were still pressed together, but laughter was already overflowing from her round eyes. Li Jin lowered her gaze, set the cup down gently, and turned to walk upstairs.
“Rest early.”
The glass contacted the countertop with a crisp clink. Clang—
Like fireworks blooming in the silent night, tugging at the heartstrings. Lu Wu swallowed, determined.
“Wait a second!”
Li Jin stopped, turned around leisurely, and waited for the rest.
Lu Wu’s tone was natural: “Um… I want to take a shower. I might need your help.”
Li Jin remained silent, her gaze piercing—as if she were drunk, yet somehow maintaining a core of sobriety throughout. After a while, she smiled. “Fine.”
“How do I turn on the water?”
“Touch-controlled water output. The bathtub control panel is here.”
“Is there a bathrobe?”
“Disposable towels and toiletries are in the cabinet.”
“I feel a bit cold.”
“You can adjust the AC temperature with voice commands. 27 degrees should be suitable.”
“Oh.”
“Anything else you need help with?”
Li Jin answered every one of Lu Wu’s questions, standing in the room the entire time without showing a hint of impatience. Lu Wu thought she didn’t seem like someone accustomed to holding high office—she was polite, considerate, and meticulous, even fully respecting her guest’s privacy by not stepping a foot into the bathroom.
But they had seen each other completely vulnerable; she didn’t want this coldness and distance.
Lu Wu lingered for a while, saying nothing. Li Jin didn’t press her, ending it with a simple: “It’s getting late.”
Seeing her walk to the door, Lu Wu didn’t have time to overthink; the words slipped out before her brain could catch them.
“Is tonight okay?”
Li Jin asked: “What do you mean?”
Lu Wu’s face was burning, but she forced herself to look Li Jin in the eye. “That night… did you get hurt there?”
Li Jin didn’t speak; her gaze was cool and detached, showing no emotion. Faced with her silence, Lu Wu licked her lips, speaking even more directly. “I watched a lot of videos, trimmed my nails, and prepared different finger cots…”
Li Jin called a stop to it: “Lu Wu.”
But Lu Wu saw it clearly: there was surprise in those eyes, but absolutely no disgust or aversion. She leaned in, deciding to double down. No matter how practiced she pretended to be, someone who had been drinking really didn’t have much strength. Li Jin backed against the hard red cedar wood, trapped in the arc of Lu Wu’s arms. She couldn’t push away the young, strong arms, and could only instinctively tremble under the hot breath.
“What are you doing?”
The reprimand wasn’t sharp; it sounded more like a commendation. Lu Wu leaned her forehead against Li Jin’s, her lips grazing the space between her neck with restraint: “Li Jin, I will make you feel good.”
It sounded like a promise, and an invitation.
Li Jin closed her eyes slightly, saying lazily: “I’ve had a lot to drink.”
Lu Wu turned her head to kiss her lips, her tongue tentatively prying them open, tasting a hint of sweetness. “I’m drunk now, too.”
An nonsensical response.
Li Jin steadied her disrupted breathing and asked another unrelated question: “What if it were cigarettes?”
Lu Wu whispered: “I actually don’t really like the smell of smoke.”
Li Jin looked up at her: “Taking advantage of someone else’s state and you’re still being picky?”
Taking advantage of the state.
Even though she knew Li Jin didn’t mean it with any deep sentiment, Lu Wu took it to heart. She stopped what she was doing and spoke earnestly: “If you don’t want to, I can wait.”
Li Jin was silent for a long time, finally letting out a soft laugh.
“It seems you really like me.”
“Mhm.”
Lu Wu replied obediently, missing the ambiguity in that laugh, feeling only that her ears were burning too hot now that her secret was laid bare. She didn’t dare look at Li Jin, her gaze shifting as she asked the question that had long been festering in her heart.
“Then do you li—”
Click.
Suddenly, footsteps sounded outside the door, approaching.
“Little Jin? Is that you?”
Li Xinrui yawned, her voice thick with the confusion of just waking up. Lu Wu’s body tensed; moving back felt wrong, staying felt wrong, and in the end, she looked down at Li Jin in a panic. In the silent air, their heartbeats were too loud, and they were still pressed together intimately, like they were having an affair.
The hallway light turned on, yellow light creeping in through the crack of the door, casting Li Xinrui’s shadow, getting closer and closer. Li Jin glanced over and, helpless, lowered her voice.
“Let go.” “Oh…”
Li Jin’s breath hit her chest, carrying a faint, elusive cold fragrance. Lu Wu felt singed by the heat and obediently distanced herself, standing stiffly in place. Li Jin straightened her dress, opened the bedroom door, and walked toward the little girl.
Upon seeing Li Jin, a flash of joy crossed Li Xinrui’s face. “Little Jin! When did you get back? Why didn’t you tell me? You had me worried.” Her tone was a bit resentful, but mostly it was just acting spoiled.
Li Jin patted the little girl’s head, explaining simply: “I just got back. You were already asleep, so I didn’t want to disturb you.”
Li Xinrui hummed and turned to look behind her. “What were you doing in the guest room? Do we have a guest today?”
Li Jin’s expression was normal: “Yes.”
Li Xinrui was overflowing with curiosity: “Who is it? Do I know them?”
Li Jin brushed it off: “The guest has already turned in; it would be rude to disturb them now.”
“But a guest is staying at our house and I didn’t go over to greet them properly. That’s not polite either.”
The two of them stood at an impasse for a while, which ended only when Li Xinrui withdrew her gaze. The little girl gave a reluctant hum: “Don’t tell me… are you hiding some secret you can’t tell me?”
Li Jin looked down at her, putting on a rare show of authority as an elder. “Ruirui, Grandma should have told you that you have to formally report to school tomorrow, so you must sleep before 12 o’clock tonight. Do you remember?”
Li Xinrui had played happily all afternoon and had long since thrown the report date to the back of her mind. Upon hearing this, her little face tightened, and her round, bright eyes looked up pitifully: “Li Jin… I forgot.”
Li Jin didn’t tease her too much, patting the girl’s shoulder to soothe her. “Don’t worry, Grandma has already had people prepare everything and send it over. Go to sleep now; I’ll take you to school tomorrow.”
Li Xinrui was reluctant: “Then I’m going to sleep. Goodnight, Little Jin!”
Li Jin softened her voice: “Goodnight, Ruirui.”
She stood there for a while, watching the small figure disappear into the elevator. Only when the pat-pat-pat of footsteps faded away did Lu Wu’s heartbeat return to its normal rhythm. She walked out of the room just as Li Jin was about to turn away.
Lu Wu called out to her: “Li Jin.”
Li Jin tilted her head; a few strands of hair fell, dangling between her brows, and she casually brushed them behind her ear. In the yellow halo of light, the severity and tenderness that hadn’t yet faded were interwoven.
“Mhm?”
Lu Wu was nervous: “You didn’t answer my question.”
“201.”
Lu Wu didn’t hear clearly, asking subconsciously: “What?”
Li Jin looked at her sideways but didn’t repeat what she had just said. Her eyes held an elusive tease, stopping just at the edge of more.
“Looking forward… to your performance.”
Support After Breaking Up with the Stoic CEO
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE
