After Breaking Up with the Stoic CEO - Chapter 30

Chapter 30: Date

Arriving home an hour earlier than expected, Li Jin walked across the asphalt road and onto the small path. Lu Wu was squatting by the roadside, mumbling something to herself. Li Jin lightened her steps and approached, standing behind the woman without her noticing.

“Have you seen Li Jin?”

“She’s someone who is exceptionally good-looking, tall and slender.”

“I guess not.”

“She’s so busy with work, I can only stay home alone every day and wait. How would you have a chance to see her?”

“Sigh.”

“Eat slowly, there’s plenty more.”

Li Jin listened in silence, and only then did she suddenly speak up.

“Are you talking to a cat?”

Lu Wu was deeply immersed in her monologue when a second person’s voice abruptly appeared. Fortunately, she had long ago memorized that cool, clean voice. Turning around, she indeed saw Li Jin standing behind her. In that instant, the surprise and joy in her heart far outweighed anything else.

“Why are you back so early today?”

Li Jin looked at her hand covered in cat fur, her expression subtle. “It is a bit early.”

Lu Wu felt a bit embarrassed and explained, “This cat wandered in on its own. I saw it was hungry, so I made it some cat food.”

Li Jin didn’t say anything more. She looked down at the kitten slowly eating on the ground; the kitten happened to look up and let out a thin, tiny meow when it saw her. Li Jin frowned and stepped back to walk inside. Lu Wu rose and followed behind her.

“Do you dislike it?”

Li Jin said flatly, “I am allergic to cat fur.”

“Ah? I’m sorry.” Lu Wu’s footsteps paused. Looking at the cat fur all over herself, she instinctively moved a bit further away.

The air grew quiet. Lu Wu looked back; the kitten had no worries and continued to eat with its head down. She couldn’t help but feel a twinge of regret.

At this moment, Li Jin suddenly spoke again, her tone carrying a faint, trace amount of coldness: “Are you complaining about me leaving you here alone?”

Lu Wu froze. Those were words she had just muttered casually; the kitten hadn’t listened, but the person behind her had heard them loud and clear.

“It’s not a complaint, it’s that I miss you.” She looked at Li Jin’s profile, thought for a moment, and added honestly: “But I also have my own work to be busy with, so it’s not every single second—just occasionally.”

“Like when I’m walking, or when I’m eating, things like that.”

Li Jin stopped and turned back to look at Lu Wu. The other woman had a light, bright smile on her face. Love is a complex and heavy emotion; when the person in the “lower” position brushes off the waiting time in a few words, the person in the “higher” position can enjoy the passion and pleasure even more effortlessly.

Li Jin retracted what she had originally intended to say, and the coldness in her eyes receded slightly. “Understood.”

Lu Wu sensed that there was no dislike in Li Jin’s tone. She took a step forward and clasped the other woman’s cool fingertips in her palm. “I send you messages often; does it disturb your work?”

The messages referred to those photos in the chat history with jumping themes and ambiguous meanings—sometimes a cute, sweet-looking cake, sometimes a strangely shaped leaf by the roadside. In a sense, Lu Wu was very similar to the mother-daughter duo of Li Yan; they were all vivid and lively, capable of bringing a little spice to Li Jin’s dull life.

But they were also completely different. Lu Wu had seen her wickedness and her pure desires. They were quite compatible in both body and personality, making her a qualified bed partner. Li Jin made a temporary decision to show Lu Wu a bit more tenderness and patience.

“I won’t reply while I’m working.”

For her, this was already a very rare gesture of tolerance. Seeing Li Jin’s indulgence, Lu Wu curled her lips slightly and pushed her luck.

“Tomorrow is Chinese Valentine’s Day. I’d like to invite you to go out with me in the afternoon for a… date.”

The emphasis circled around before finally landing on the word “date.” There was anticipation, and a clear sense of shyness. Lu Wu had never proactively made such a request, and Li Jin was somewhat surprised. Heat radiated from their palms, along with the sound of a young, palpitating heart. The Lu Wu standing before her was the same person, yet something seemed different than before.

Li Jin watched her and answered. “Okay.”

Throughout the night, Lu Wu was in a state of high excitement and barely slept. Tossing and turning until past six in the morning, she got up to go to the kitchen to prepare breakfast. Li Jin preferred a lighter diet in the morning. Light wasn’t hard, but balancing nutrition required some effort.

Pumpkins are rich in vitamins, broccoli is rich in dietary fiber, and grains are essential. Lu Wu peeled and prepared the pumpkin for steaming, blanched the broccoli until cooked through, and added a bit of fine salt for seasoning. Finally, she brewed some plain congee in a small pot, letting it cool until it was warm enough to eat. Once the simple meal was ready, Li Jin finished getting ready and came downstairs.

Lu Wu smiled at her: “Come eat.”

Li Jin’s poise was innate; she ate unhurriedly, her movements elegant and distinguished, never making a sound. Lu Wu had words bottled up inside; she looked up from time to time, her movements distracted. Halfway through the meal, Li Jin took a phone call. After hanging up, she ate a few more bites and put down her chopsticks.

She methodically wiped her mouth with a tissue and said calmly, “You don’t need to get up early next time. If you want breakfast, you can call the housekeeper over.”

“It’s no trouble,” Lu Wu paused, too embarrassed to say she hadn’t slept all night. “Are you going to the office?”

Li Jin replied, “Yes. Is there anything else?”

The tone on the other end of the previous phone call had been somewhat urgent. Lu Wu worried that Li Jin might have a sudden change in schedule and proactively asked: “That call just now… was it something urgent?”

The hint of probing in her words was obvious, and Li Jin didn’t hide it. “Yes.”

Recently, a policy regarding Artificial Intelligence was announced, and financial capital was shifting significantly toward the field of robotics research. According to latest news not yet made public, a company called Yuanqing Tech in Hai City had achieved a major breakthrough in bionic robotics. At this investment juncture, whoever between the Hua family and the Li family could find the person in charge of Yuanqing Tech first would have a huge advantage in reaching a cooperation agreement.

The one who had called just now was Du Lin. The news she brought was that a certain male Vice President of the Hua Group had taken the earliest flight to Shanghai. It was indeed urgent.

Lu Wu received the answer. She didn’t ask what it was about, nor did she show any disappointment; she simply smiled. “Just focus on your work. We can still watch a movie at home after you get off work. What do you want to eat? I’ll cook for you.”

In reality, what Li Jin didn’t say out loud was that her control over risk had always been clear. The person in charge of Yuanqing Tech had their own pride. Most companies, including the Hua Group, only sent an ordinary Vice President or lower, who wouldn’t even catch the eye of the person in charge. This grand “rush to start” was destined to return empty-handed, and the Li Group only needed to watch the fight from afar to be the winning fisherman.

Besides—it was well known that President Li was a woman of her word. Li Jin glanced at Lu Wu. “What I promised last night still stands.”

The person who had been saying “it’s okay” a second ago lit up. “When will you be finished? I’ll take the subway to find you.”

“Two o’clock in the afternoon.” Li Jin only then remembered that Lu Wu still relied entirely on public transportation. She reminded her: “There are several cars in the garage. You know the code; you can pick one you like to drive.”

Lu Wu naturally knew Li Jin had more than one car, but those were luxury cars that ordinary people couldn’t even name, costing millions. Although she had a driver’s license, she had never driven a vehicle alone and was actually a bit intimidated. So she only gave a vague reply: “…I will come find you at two o’clock sharp.”

Li Jin nodded. Lu Wu was used to arriving early just in case. “If I am in a meeting, you can rest in the reception room.”

“Okay.”

As soon as Li Jin left, Lu Wu couldn’t hold back any longer. She messaged Qin Xu, who was far away in the US.

“Do you know what Li Jin likes?”

Qin Xu was in New York, thirteen hours behind. She was likely having dinner at this time and only replied half an hour later.

Qin Xu: “?”

Qin Xu: “You’re asking me?”

Qin Xu: “Aren’t you two a couple?”

Lu Wu also felt that asking Qin Xu wasn’t very reliable, but she was the only friend around her who knew Li Jin.

Lu Wu: “It’s a long story. Just answer me first, I’m in a hurry to go out.”

Qin Xu was waiting for someone in a restaurant and was feeling bored. She immediately sent back a heartless sentence.

“If it’s a long story, keep it short. I have an appointment, so you only have half an hour.”

Lu Wu: …

The words she had said yesterday were coming back to haunt her so soon. Before she could retort, Qin Xu placed a transoceanic call.

“Start talking, Little Lu Wu. Sister Qin is all ears.”

After a whole explanation.

“You mean, you and President Li have done it, but the relationship hasn’t been finalized?”

Despite the key information being blurred over, Lu Wu’s ears turned a bit red: “Yes.”

Qin Xu was silent for a long while on the other end, unable to reconcile “Li Jin” with the words “one-night stand.” After all, even sitting under the red and green lights of a KTV, President Li would only be holding a laptop looking at quarterly financial reports. Shirt buttons fastened to the very top, suit jacket so neat there wasn’t a single wrinkle. Always a cool face, with “celibacy” written all over her. And yet, in Lu Wu’s description, this person had rolled into bed with her on their fourth meeting.

Qin Xu pressed her temples. “Is an asteroid about to hit Earth? Or am I so tired from last night that I haven’t woken up yet?”

Lu Wu knew she would have this reaction and woke her from her dream: “Neither. I am the one pursuing her now.”

Qin Xu couldn’t hold it in anymore and wailed for a bit: “That’s my idol! You big, stupid pig!” After wailing enough, she began to brainwash herself. “It’s okay, Lu Wu looks good, she’s relatively young and successful, has a good personality… the two are quite a match, it’s not bad. It’s okay, it’s okay…”

Lu Wu couldn’t watch anymore and interrupted: “Can you tell me now? What does she like?”

Qin Xu compromised, saying weakly: “Actually, I’m not quite sure what President Li likes specifically, but I heard—”

Before she could finish, a set of footsteps approached.

“What are you chatting about? Can I participate too?”

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