After Breaking Up with the Stoic CEO - Chapter 8

Chapter 8: Her Again?

The silence on the other end of the line lasted too long…so long that Li Jin began to wonder if the number her assistant sent over was incorrect.

But Du Lin was always rigorous in her work; important data was usually cross-checked three times before being handed over. She wouldn’t make such a low-level mistake. The only explanation was that the person didn’t want to talk, likely because of the rejection last time.

Li Xinrui was still watching from the side, anticipation practically overflowing from her eyes.

Left with no choice, Li Jin spoke again to confirm: “Are you busy?”

This time, Lu Wu finally spoke.

“No.”

Just two short words, quite unlike her usual personality. Her voice was also somewhat husky with a slight nasal tone, sounding as if she had just cried.

Li Jin paused for a moment. “Are you unwell?”

Lu Wu shook her head. After a few seconds, she remembered she was on a call and the other person couldn’t see her movements, so she sniffled.

“Are you calling to talk about the compensation?”

“I might not be able to pay it all at once. If it’s convenient, I’d like to pay in installments—three thousand a month until it’s cleared. Would that be okay?”

Li Jin listened patiently and waited for her to finish before replying: “No.”

Lu Wu was hesitant: “By ‘no,’ you mean…”

“I don’t need your compensation.”

Li Jin’s voice was flat, carrying a sense of distance—as if she were explaining a fact, devoid of any vivid emotion.

Lu Wu couldn’t tell if “don’t need” meant she simply didn’t want it, or if it meant it wasn’t enough. During the last call, the assistant had referred to her as “President Li,” and Li Jin drove an incredibly expensive car; she likely wasn’t short on money.

Perhaps—the purpose of this call was to hear an apology in person?

Lu Wu groped for a direction, testing the waters: “Regardless, I want to apologize for my previous presumption. About the car, and about the kiss…”

Calling it a kiss was a stretch; it was merely a few seconds of contact, at most an unintentional lapse while drunk. Li Jin had long since turned the page on it. But Lu Wu bringing it up now out of the blue caused a fair bit of trouble.

She fell silent for a moment, glancing at Li Xinrui.

The young girl’s eyes were wide and round. She didn’t dare speak, but her mouth was moving frantically to mouth her shock. Li Jin shot her a glance, a look that carried a subtle warning. Li Xinrui made a zipping motion over her lips, trying her best to minimize her presence.

Li Jin set down the documents in her hand and turned somewhat more serious.

“Miss Lu, the main reason I’m calling this time is to schedule a time to discuss the custom project.”

This woman acted as if she hadn’t heard Lu Wu’s words at all. She didn’t say she minded, nor did she say she didn’t; instead, she moved straight to business.

Lu Wu couldn’t fathom Li Jin’s thoughts. After a moment of silence, she followed her lead: “I spoke with your assistant last time. You were very busy and had no time to meet.”

It sounded like a mere statement of fact. However, Li Jin hadn’t forgotten the ambiguous things Lu Wu said while drunk, so it was easy to detect a hint of pouting in that sentence.

She paused for a few seconds. She didn’t explain why she was busy last time, nor did she respond to the other’s slight moodiness. She only said coolly: “Tomorrow at 1:00 PM. We’ll finalize the details first, and specialized personnel will handle the follow-up later.”

The tone was strictly business, perfectly avoiding any issues that might lead to further personal entanglement.

Lu Wu felt a sense of relief in her heart, yet also a strange sense of loss. She replied: “I understand.”

The call ended.

Li Xinrui finally burst out: “Li Jin! What did Lu Lu just say?”

“A kiss? Did I hear that right?”

“Do you like women too? How come I’ve never heard you mention this? Did she kiss you or did you kiss her?”

“That’s Lu Lu we’re talking about!”

Li Jin’s temples throbbed from the noise. She tapped the desk lightly. “Stay quiet, or I’m sending you back to your grandmother.”

At the mention of Li Chunhua, Li Xinrui shivered, and the firecrackers finally died down. But she still couldn’t sit still. she peeked at Li Jin: “Then… can I call her ‘Auntie’ in the future?”

Li Jin’s gaze was calm as she ruthlessly crushed the fantasy: “I don’t like her.”

Li Xinrui fell from the heavens back to earth instantly. She asked one more time, unwilling to give up: “Really?”

Li Jin flipped through the files, signing her name at the bottom with a fluid motion. “Mhm.”

Li Jin never lied. The young girl felt it was a pity and let out a long sigh. “I thought Lu Lu could become my aunt…”

Li Jin’s tone was airy: “Is having me as an aunt not enough?”

Li Xinrui’s survival instinct was strong. She hurried over to massage Li Jin’s shoulders. “Of course I didn’t mean that. You’re the best!”

Li Jin only gave a light chuckle and spoke no more. Documents were still piled on the desk, some of which needed to be finished today. The lively girl was uncharacteristically quiet for a while. For a time, the only sounds in the room were breathing and the scratch of a pen against paper.

After an unknown amount of time.

“Will you get married in the future? Regardless of whether it’s a man or a woman.”

Li Xinrui asked softly, as if discussing a major secret exclusive to the two of them.

Li Jin looked at her, distracted. “Why the sudden question?”

The girl squeezed into a corner and sat down, acting worldly. “Living alone is hard. If you marry, there will be someone to take care of you. You and Mommy are both good people; I want you both to be happy.”

Li Jin was surprised. “Did Grandmother tell you that?”

Li Xinrui shook her head. “Joey told me.”

Li Jin knit her brows slightly. “Joey?”

Li Xinrui stuck out her tongue. “A friend I met in Rome. She’s very smart and often tells us life lessons.”

“Grandmother wouldn’t say that to me. She only tells me not to have a puppy love.”

The girl was adorable. Li Jin only smiled. “You should ask your mother.”

Li Xinrui wouldn’t let her shift the fire, asking relentlessly: “But what about you? Do you look forward to being with another person and having a beautiful future?”

But what about you?

Li Jin’s pen stalled for a moment. The answer was already decided. She had no intention of being with anyone.

Qin Xu observed the road conditions while keeping an eye on Lu Wu’s mood. She felt the atmosphere in the car was a bit “noisily lonely.”

“Remember that older sister I told you about? She replied to my message again.”

Lu Wu looked interested, tilting her head to ask: “What did she say?”

Qin Xu rubbed the bridge of her nose. “She said her flight was delayed that night and she couldn’t make it. She apologized to me.”

Lu Wu said thoughtfully: “So that’s how it was.”

Qin Xu added: “She might come tonight.”

Lu Wu replied naturally: “Isn’t that great? Looks like you’re about to leave the single life.”

It was a predictable reaction, but when one’s mood is off, no matter how much they pretend to be normal, those close to them can always see the difference.

Qin Xu glanced at her and asked tentatively: “The stuff online… do you know about it?”

The stuff online.

Naturally, she meant the incident at noon where Feiyan Literature was blasted onto the trending search list for riding He Qing’s coattails. The real-time discussions were getting uglier by the minute; personal attacks against Lu Wu were everywhere, some even involving her parents and family.

A long time passed after the question, but Lu Wu didn’t answer, appearing to be in a daze. Seeing this reaction, what was there left for Qin Xu to understand?

“They didn’t do anything bad to you, did they?”

Lu Wu snapped back to reality, met with an anxious face. She shook her head. “No.”

Qin Xu breathed a sigh of relief. She had never encountered such a situation and didn’t know what to say. After thinking it over, she offered dryly: “The internet is just toxic these days… they blow everything out of proportion. Actually, your book is written quite well.”

Lu Wu looked at her, her gaze calm. “Don’t take it to heart.”

Being comforted by Lu Wu instead, Qin Xu opened her mouth, but the rest of her sentence got stuck. Seeing her reaction, Lu Wu found it amusing and smiled nonchalantly. “Actually, I’m pretty much immune to this stuff.”

Qin Xu felt heavy-hearted and couldn’t bring herself to smile. “Really?”

Lu Wu looked down, playing with her nails. “Just keep a steady mind.”

Qin Xu didn’t dare stimulate her further and changed the subject: “I booked a KTV. They all say I’m the ‘Little Song Queen’ of C-City. You have to listen closely later.”

Lu Wu agreed, her tone relaxed: “Then I shall listen closely.”

The KTV Qin Xu booked was spacious, clean, and well-organized. The soundproofing of the private rooms was good; the hallway was quiet without a hint of noise. It clearly wasn’t cheap, but it lacked that outdated, gaudy luxury decor. It wasn’t off-putting; it seemed like a place frequented by young people.

The waiter led them to the door. “Your room is here. I wish you a pleasant evening. Press the bell if you need anything.”

“Thank you.”

Because Qin Xu said there would be no outsiders tonight, Lu Wu didn’t think twice about why the waiter used “you all” (plural) instead of “the two of you.”

Until Qin Xu pushed open the door, and the sound of conversation drifted out.

Lu Wu leaned over and teased: “Has your gentle older sister arrived already?”

Qin Xu clearly hadn’t expected the other person to be a woman of her word and even arrive before her. “I… I didn’t know either…”

Just then, the person inside noticed the movement. A woman stepped out from the blind spot behind the wall.

Wavy light chestnut hair, a light green long dress, eyes slightly curved, showing two dimples when she smiled. She was exactly as Qin Xu had described: someone who felt gentle and bright at first sight, a special person.

She walked over and naturally took the hands of Lu Wu and Qin Xu.

“You’re here? Come in and sit.”

Qin Xu was so nervous her body was stiff; she naturally let herself be led. Lu Wu didn’t even have time to refuse before being pulled inside.

Once inside, there was another woman sitting on the sofa with a laptop on her knees, seemingly handling work.

Lu Wu froze, instinctively licking her lips.

How could it…be her again?

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