After Breaking Up with the Stoic CEO - Chapter 33

Chapter 33: Sweet Nothings

Li Jin had looked over Lu Wu’s files.

A father who was an alcoholic, lazy, and achieved nothing; a mother who was merely a woman doing odd jobs in a small town. The files listed Lu Wu’s growth trajectory in meticulous detail: getting into the best junior high in town at age twelve, getting into a school fight at sixteen, and later achieving excellent university grades but giving up a spot for an overseas exchange program.

And finally, in her early twenties, her mother remarried, and Lu Wu became completely alone.

Sometimes Li Jin felt Lu Wu was somewhat similar to herself, yet at this moment, she felt the other woman was fundamentally different.

“It can be me, and it can only be me.”

Lu Wu’s voice hadn’t intentionally deepened, yet it seemed to possess a power that could penetrate the heart. Like her person, she quietly blended the qualities of stubbornness and tenderness into one.

Li Jin’s lips parted slightly, and after a long pause, she spoke softly.

“No one is irreplaceable.”

Lu Wu disagreed, pointing loosely at Li Jin’s eyes.

“But you are looking at me. Right now, there is no one else here, only me.”

Young love is like this—it expresses itself with burning heat, completely devoid of logic.

Li Jin fell silent.

In the gap of silence, Lu Wu had already lowered her head and kissed her. It was different from any of their previous kisses; the other woman had completely retracted her invasiveness. She only held her, her tongue-tip touching cautiously with a bit of restraint, lightly tapping the peak of Li Jin’s lip.

When Li Jin didn’t respond for a long while, Lu Wu bit her lip with moderate pressure. A dense, tingling sensation mixed with a trace of almost imperceptible dull pain. Li Jin’s train of thought was interrupted, forced to focus entirely on this kiss.

The traffic light turned red then green; cars stopped again, and a new wave of people crowded over from across the street. When they were about to bump into the pair of young women kissing by the roadside, the crowd automatically split into two paths to yield.

Among the crowd were tourists from out of town and young people working nearby. One was mature and intellectual, the other lively and soft; both had stunning features, attracting many to stop and watch. There were whispers of discussion.

Lu Wu ended the kiss at the right time. Allowing herself to be scrutinized by various gazes, she simply embraced Li Jin, using her hand to shield the other’s face, her fingers tensed straight.

“Let’s go first.”

Li Jin’s vision was blocked, but her hearing was unaffected. Facing a minority group, the remarks from the majority were often unkind. Lu Wu’s instinctive tension was obvious, yet this tension wasn’t for herself.

Li Jin was somewhat moved, her tone softening: “Mhm.”

After the two left, the crowd dispersed. Only two Japanese men remained standing there, commenting wantonly.

“あの二人女だろ？ きもちわる！” (Those are two women, right? Disgusting!)

A young girl nearby pulled her companion along to argue with them.

“Hey, have you guys eaten too much natto? Why are your mouths so foul?”

“何を言ってるの？意味分からない。” (What are you saying? I don’t understand you.)

“Can’t understand, huh? I’m scolding you precisely because you can’t understand. Blah blah blah.”

Walking far from the crowd, Lu Wu finally lowered her hand. Li Jin’s vision became clear again, but the hand resting on her waist remained close, showing no intention of moving away. Lu Wu acted as if nothing had happened and brought up the previous topic.

“There are many types of wood carvings; some can even be colored. If you don’t like this one, I’ll go learn some more and try to make an even more cute and vivid kitten.”

Li Jin should have told her to let go, but she suddenly felt like letting things take their natural course. Pretending not to notice the hand, she said flatly, “No need.”

Lu Wu persisted: “It’s no trouble. Actually, even I think this one is quite ugly.”

Li Jin paused, answering her previous question: “It looks good.”

“I’ll make it a little cat for company, then carve a tiny kitten. It’ll be a cute little family…” Lu Wu’s rambling stopped abruptly as she realized what Li Jin had said. She turned to look at Li Jin, her eyes overflowing with surprise. “What did you just say?”

Li Jin walked forward, her tone nonchalant: “If you didn’t hear it, forget it.”

Lu Wu leaned in relentlessly, her nose almost touching the side of Li Jin’s face. “No, you said it looks good. I heard it.” “So you like it, right?”

The warm breath brushed over her. The sweet smell of cream popcorn mixed with the faint bitterness of coffee, paired with the evening summer breeze carrying the scent of the city—it was an experience Li Jin had never had in thirty years. She moved out of the crook of those arms, creating some distance, her tone unusually stiff.

“Are you still going to the restaurant?”

Lu Wu wasn’t annoyed; she followed with small steps, closing the distance again and smiling with narrowed eyes. “Yes.”

The restaurant was a blend of modern and traditional, with a piano accompaniment and a quiet, elegant atmosphere. The interior was a white minimalist style, very popular with young people. Being a holiday, more than half the seats were occupied.

The server was a young girl. After confirming the reservation, she guided them to a seat on the terrace. “The preparation will take some time. If you need anything, please press the bell to call me.” With that, she stepped aside, not disturbing them further.

The shop backed onto the river. A gust of wind blew across the terrace, just as the setting sun kicked up layers of orange-red scales on the water’s surface. Lu Wu was glad she had communicated with the staff to book such a good spot. She turned to see Li Jin looking at her, seemingly with something to say. She then remembered what she had forgotten and spoke up quickly: “The reviews online said the sets here are quite good, so I just booked it. I forgot to ask, do you have any dietary restrictions?”

Li Jin usually had none, but she remembered that Lu Wu was recently caught in a contract dispute and seemed to have paid a penalty. She looked over and asked casually, “Do you like Western food very much?”

Lu Wu preferred Chinese flavors and wasn’t used to Western food, she wished the steak could be fried until well-done. She was still secretly trying to guess Li Jin’s preferences, her heart in her throat, only to hear this question first. She answered casually, “It’s okay.”

Li Jin paused, saying flatly, “I have no dietary restrictions.”

Lu Wu breathed a sigh of relief. But before she could finish:

“No need to come to a place like this specifically next time.”

Lu Wu froze, instinctively thinking Li Jin was dissatisfied. She looked up at her but saw no intense emotion in those calm, cool eyes. Then that sentence was…

Thinking it over, a different possibility suddenly appeared in her mind. She stared at her for a good while, propping up her chin.

“Li Jin…” “Are you worried about me?”

The hand Li Jin held her water glass with stilled, but she quickly brought it to her lips naturally. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Lu Wu was getting used to this person’s occasional inconsistency between words and actions. She slowly explained: “Today is Qixi, and it’s our first date. I felt it should be more formal, which is why I chose this place.”

“As for the rest… the website owed me a royalty fee, and it was credited to my account these past two days. My income is indeed unstable, but I still have some savings—enough to maintain daily life… and what’s needed for dates.”

Li Jin remained expressionless: “No need to tell me specifically.”

Lu Wu didn’t expose her, only blinking. “Oh~ it’s nothing, I just suddenly remembered and mentioned it casually.”

Li Jin drank her water calmly, her aura not losing ground at all. Since royalties were mentioned, Lu Wu brought up another matter.

“By the way, I haven’t told you yet. The editor-in-chief of Liucheng Publishing House found me a couple of days ago and said they wanted to sign me.”

Li Jin said nothing, only nodding to indicate she knew. Lu Wu was in a good mood, chuckling. “Liucheng is a famous platform in the industry. Maybe in the future, I can sell a few multi-million dollar copyrights, and then I’ll…”

And then she would buy Li Jin the biggest diamond ring and hold a luxury wedding most befitting her status. Of course, Lu Wu didn’t say the second half out loud. Since they weren’t together yet and she was just a small author on the verge of fading out, saying it out loud would seem like making empty promises.

Lu Wu shifted the focus to the upcoming meeting. “Have you heard of Huo Jing? She’s the editor-in-chief of the publishing house; almost all the famous, top-tier authors are under her.” “I’m actually a bit nervous. I wonder if she’ll have prejudices against me because of what happened before.”

Hearing the familiar name, Li Jin’s gaze changed slightly, but returned to normal a moment later. “The fact that she was willing to find you proactively shows she values potential more.”

Lu Wu bit her straw, taking a sip of the refreshing, sweet-and-sour birch sap, and said vaguely: “It would be great if Editor-in-Chief Huo really found me proactively, but she actually did it as a favor to someone else.”

Hearing this, Li Jin’s brow knit slightly. “Did she tell you that?”

Lu Wu didn’t notice anything unusual and just shook her head. “No, not really.”

A trace of doubt flashed in Li Jin’s eyes. “Then how do you know I—”

“I have a friend who works under Editor-in-Chief Huo; she’s the one who spoke up for me. She’s very famous, her pen name is He Qing.”

Both spoke at the same time, and Li Jin’s second half of the sentence stopped abruptly. Just as the words fell, Lu Wu keenly sensed the air turn several degrees colder.

She probed: “You… don’t like this author?”

As soon as she said it, Lu Wu denied it to herself. A person like Li Jin, busy every day, how could she have the leisure to read popular fiction?

Sure enough, the other gave a negative answer. “No.”

But before Lu Wu could feel relieved, a storm hit her the next second.

“Just one thing to remind you. You can sign with Liucheng Publishing House, but pay attention to the contract duration. Don’t let it affect our cooperation.”

Li Jin’s tone changed suddenly, inexplicably creating a distance between the two. Lu Wu didn’t realize where the problem was and was just about to say something when the server began intermittently bringing out the appetizers.

“Excuse me. The first dish, ‘Sweet Nothings’—crispy seaweed rolls paired with smooth, delicious ox tongue. Please enjoy~”

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