After Breaking Up with the Stoic CEO - Chapter 32

“I’ll go in and say hello; I’m sure the guest inside won’t mind.”

Hearing this, Lu Wu instinctively prepared to stand up. But in the next second, a vibration sounded. Du Lin spoke first.

“Vice President Liu, you may go up now.”

Liu Yuhuan smiled, and the hand resting on the doorknob relaxed its pressure. “Is that so? Then I guess we’ll have to wait for another chance to meet.”

It was just a small interlude; Lu Wu didn’t take the woman from earlier to heart. After Du Lin left, Li Jin quickly sent a message.

“Are you downstairs?”

The previous message in the chat history was sent before she arrived; Lu Wu hadn’t had a chance to tell Li Jin she was already upstairs. She typed a reply.

“I’m in the reception room. Assistant Du personally came to pick me up.”

“Are you finished with the meeting?” Kitten peeking.jpg

For a long time, Li Jin didn’t respond. About half an hour passed before a single word came back from the other side.

“Mhm.”

Lu Wu thought for a moment and asked again.

“Do you need me to come find you?”

This time Li Jin replied quickly.

“No need, I’ve already arrived.”

Simultaneously, two crisp knocks sounded against the glass wall. Lu Wu froze and looked up; Li Jin was standing outside the wall, waving at her.

When Li Jin left in the morning, she was wearing a white shirt with khaki trousers, looking very capable. Seeing her again, her top had been replaced with a French V-neck halter top. Clearly a sexy piece of clothing, but on Li Jin, it naturally translated into a suppressed sense of maturity, adding a unique charm to her.

Coming down from the private elevator, the two of them garnered many stunned and admiring glances along the way. Walking behind her, Lu Wu’s eyes met fair, smooth skin, her nose caught a faint scent of lilies, and her head began to heat up.

Once in the car and alone, she finally swallowed and managed to squeeze out a sentence.

“Li Jin, you look very beautiful today.”

Li Jin’s expression didn’t change, her gaze sweeping over.

“Is the itinerary arranged? Where are we going?”

Lu Wu nodded. “First to a movie, then to dinner, and we’ll go home after a walk in the evening.”

“Mhm.”

“One bucket of popcorn and two—coffees.”

Watching a movie should naturally involve Coke with popcorn, but considering Li Jin beside her, Lu Wu changed her mind at the last minute.

“Here is your popcorn and coffee, please take them.”

“Thank you.”

It turned out this was the right decision. Li Jin didn’t eat sweets; she didn’t touch the popcorn the entire time, only taking small sips of her coffee.

The movie was a newly released American fantasy blockbuster. The plot was full of ups and downs, with comedy interspersed throughout. Judging by the audience’s reaction, it was a good film. But Lu Wu didn’t watch much of it; her attention was almost entirely focused on Li Jin beside her. The other woman watched the screen intently. She didn’t laugh often, but occasionally the corners of her mouth would curve up slightly.

Lu Wu had been worried about whether Li Jin would feel out of place, but now it seemed the date was going smoother than expected.

The movie ended exactly at six o’clock. Lu Wu found a well-rated Western restaurant not far away, near the pedestrian street. They decided to walk there. It was Qixi Festival, and the holiday atmosphere on the street was thick, with sweet young couples everywhere.

The green light for the crosswalk lit up, and vehicles stopped. They followed the flow of people across. Lu Wu walked behind Li Jin, crossing the asphalt road, and stopped when they reached the corner of the opposite street.

“Li Jin.”

Li Jin looked over. The sun was sinking in the west, casting a gentle afterglow. Lu Wu’s profile was touched with a faint golden light. As traffic resumed, she stood amidst the roar of engines, her eyes filled with direct, passionate emotion.

Li Jin replied, “Yes?”

Lu Wu pursed her lips and gathered her courage. “Actually, I prepared a small gift for you.”

Li Jin had actually noticed the small bag Lu Wu was hiding behind her back long ago. But at this moment, the other woman’s lips tightened and then relaxed, the moist luster being filled bit by bit by a delicate color. Her gaze was drawn in, and she uncontrollably asked a question that only lovers would care about.

“Why did you prepare a gift for me?”

Lu Wu lowered her head, her toe lightly kicking a small pebble on the ground. But even though she hid her eyes, her happy mood was completely exposed by the slight upward curve of her lips.

“Today is the first holiday with special meaning that we’ve spent together. Of course it’s worth commemorating.”

“More importantly, with this gift, every time you see it in the future, you’ll think of me every day.”

Li Jin snapped out of it, her gaze sweeping over Lu Wu’s reddened ear tips. Seeing that the other was full of anticipation, she followed along and asked.

“What did you get me?”

Lu Wu smiled and took a meticulously wrapped small box from her bag, handing it over.

“It’s not very practical, but I guess you’ll like it.”

Li Jin took it. She didn’t actually lack practical things. Gifts prevalent between lovers were limited: luxury bags, jewelry, or sports cars and real estate. She didn’t have much need for those, but she didn’t say anything to spoil the mood on such an occasion.

“Can I open it now?”

“Mhm.”

Despite having been anticipating the other’s reaction all along, now that the moment had arrived, Lu Wu felt a bit bashful and hesitant.

“Close your eyes first. I’ll open it for you.”

Li Jin looked at her, ultimately acceding to this not-too-excessive request, and lightly closed her eyes.

Lu Wu breathed a sigh of relief, carefully took out the work she had spent the whole morning carving from the box, took Li Jin’s hand, and placed it gently in her palm.

“You can open them now.”

Li Jin opened her eyes. What met her sight was a small wood carving of a cat in a natural wood color. It looked quite small—no more than a quarter of the size of her palm—but it had an unexpected weight to it. The carved lines on the surface were very distinct, showing that the carver’s handicraft was still a bit green.

“Did you make this yourself?”

“…Mhm.”

Lu Wu nodded sheepishly. Her gaze wandered around before finally landing on the way Li Jin’s fingertips were stroking the carving, and she explained further.

“I went to make it this morning. There wasn’t enough time, so it’s a bit rough.”

Actually, contrary to Lu Wu’s description, as Li Jin’s finger pads brushed over the marks left by the carving, she didn’t feel a single prickle. Every seemingly protruding edge had been carefully polished; it felt smooth to the touch with a hint of natural coolness. Lu Wu had put a lot of effort into this “rough” gift.

Li Jin easily reached this conclusion. But the wood carving wasn’t a dog, or a rabbit; it was, specifically—

She looked into Lu Wu’s eyes. “Why a cat?”

Lu Wu answered honestly, “Sister Yan told me.”

As expected, she had learned it from Li Yan. But Li Yan didn’t know, and Lu Wu didn’t know. What Li Jin truly liked was that newborn calico kitten from her childhood—that stray cat that was sent away during her very first month after arriving at the Li family.

Li Jin didn’t deny that Lu Wu was somewhat special to her. The other woman had seen her fallen, indulgent, and unruly side, yet could also nonchalantly accept her daytime side—reasonable, self-restrained, mature, and calm. This was the reason she kept her by her side.

Li Jin had once been very fond of this simple pleasing that didn’t ask about causes or consequences, but when it touched upon that past, a strange irritability rose in her heart.

“You certainly listen to Li Yan’s words.”

“What if I don’t like it?”

“I said I was allergic to cat fur.”

Li Jin didn’t look like she was angry, but the sudden coldness in her tone couldn’t be faked.

Lu Wu instinctively explained, “It’s not all because of what Sister Yan said. I can tell you like Xiao Hei.”

Xiao Hei was the black kitten from yesterday. Li Jin asked back, “How can you tell?”

“It’s not afraid of you.” Lu Wu paused, her tone carrying a sense of certainty. “Xiao Hei’s fur is in great condition and very clean. It doesn’t look like a stray at all; someone must feed and wash it regularly.”

“Plus, when it walked into the yard yesterday, it acted like it knew its way around, as if it had been there many times. So… the person feeding it is most likely you.”

Li Jin hadn’t expected Lu Wu to guess so accurately based only on a few details. Her gaze shifted slightly. Lu Wu blinked at her. “Kittens don’t lie, unlike humans who are always stubborn.”

Li Jin frowned. She didn’t deny it, but she didn’t continue the topic either, turning to walk forward. Lu Wu followed closely, mumbling.

“You might not be able to tell, but I’m actually the clumsy type. The teacher this morning taught well, but that carving knife was incredibly sharp; I almost cut my finger because I wasn’t paying attention.” “So do you like the gift?”

Li Jin could hear that she was acting cute to please her, and only said flatly, “Be careful next time.”

Lu Wu laughed, her eyes crinkling into lines. “I knew you’d be worried about me.”

Li Jin tilted her head to look over, her expression half-smiling. “Lu Wu, are you always this smooth-talking when you’re flirting with others?”

Lu Wu raised her hand without hesitation to show her heart. “I’ve never flirted with anyone else! In twenty years, you’re the only one I’ve ever felt a heartbeat for.”

She was so afraid Li Jin would misunderstand that her voice was loud, like an oath. By comparison, the other woman’s response seemed somewhat nonchalant.

“Then do you think you are the irreplaceable one to me?”

Li Jin’s eyes had always been indifferent, devoid of extra emotion. Lu Wu couldn’t tell for a moment if this sentence was a joke. But as the seconds ticked by, Li Jin continued to look at her coolly and quietly. Lu Wu finally realized the other was serious.

She was stunned for a moment. She didn’t ask why she was being asked such a question. She just thought about it seriously and finally gave her answer: “Yes.”

She saw a flash of surprise in Li Jin’s eyes.

“The reason?”

Lu Wu didn’t answer immediately. Instead, she took a step forward, moving closer. She reached out and loosely wrapped her arms around Li Jin’s waist, then lowered her head to press her forehead against hers.

She waited until she could clearly see her own reflection in those clear, deep eyes.

“I know your body, and I know your habits. I will do everything you like, and I can change everything you don’t.”

“If there is one person who can be perfectly in sync with you, it can be me, and it can only be me.”