He Lost Control with Jealousy — What Happened to Being Untouchable? - Chapter 26

The air seemed to freeze in that instant.

Lu Tingzhou looked into her eyes, which seemed capable of seeing through everything, along with the teasing glint in them, and felt his throat go dry.

This little fox was getting restless again.

He picked up the glass of water beside him and took a sip, trying to mask his discomfort.

“No talking during meals,” he uttered in a low voice, though his tone lacked conviction.

Sang Wan giggled twice, finding his forced composure all the more amusing.

She was determined to peel away his cold, hard exterior layer by layer, to see just whose heart made his pulse race beneath.

“Fine, President Lu,” Sang Wan said, picking up her chopsticks again with a bright smile. “Then I’ll focus on savoring your ‘special seasoning’ for now.”

She deliberately emphasized the words “special seasoning.”

Lu Tingzhou felt that his much-vaunted self-control was crumbling in the face of this woman.

After dinner, Lu Tingzhou went to the kitchen to clean up, while Sang Wan hopped off to the bedroom.

When he came out and didn’t see her in the living room, he frowned. “Running around again?”

Just then, Sang Wan emerged from the bedroom, now clad in a black nightgown that accentuated her slender legs.

“My clothes were uncomfortable, so I… changed.”

Lu Tingzhou sucked in a sharp breath, the visual impact was too much. This girl was doing it on purpose.

“Your assistant will be here soon. I should go.”

Sang Wan frowned. “So soon?”

Seeing her pout and unhappy expression, Lu Tingzhou’s lips curved slightly despite himself. “Try not to move around too much.”

“Then carry me to the sofa. My feet hurt.”

The corners of Lu Tingzhou’s mouth lifted higher. She could hop all the way to the bedroom to change, and now she was acting spoiled?

When he didn’t move, Sang Wan took a small hop forward, deliberately bumping into his chest, then hooked her finger around his pinky, gazing up at him with soft, pleading eyes.

“It hurts!”

His body reacted faster than his mind. He bent down, scooped her up in his arms, and carried her to the sofa.

The moment he set her down, Sang Wan wrapped her arms around his neck and abruptly pulled him closer, her red lips brushing against his chin.

She stared at him, mesmerized.

Lu Tingzhou met her unwavering gaze, a flicker of amusement in his deep-set eyes.

“Want to kiss me?”

“Mhm.”

Sang Wan nodded, then immediately flushed crimson upon realizing how honest she’d been.

Lu Tingzhou’s lips curved as he raised a hand to gently wipe her lips. The rich red lipstick smudged under his fingers, staining them with color.

Beneath, her natural pink lips were revealed, and Lu Tingzhou’s gaze darkened further.

Sang Wan’s breath hitched, her mind racing with anticipation for his next move.

Her hand wandered to his back, but before she could touch him, Lu Tingzhou caught it with his other hand.

“Rest properly. No moving around.”

With that, he straightened up decisively, went to the bedroom, and fetched a thin blanket to drape over her, leaving only her head exposed.

As she watched him stride away, Sang Wan finally realized, the seducer had been seduced.

What was wrong with this man?

What did he want?

The only thing her muddled mind could be sure of was that Lu Tingzhou wasn’t acting normal tonight. He hadn’t been entirely truthful.

But the heat surging through her body made the blanket entirely unnecessary.

She kicked it off and tossed it aside.

Once outside Sang Wan’s apartment, Lu Tingzhou took a deep breath.

By the time he reached the ground floor, he had already lit a cigarette.

Lin Hao observed his boss’s state and couldn’t help but wonder if this was a post-coital cigarette.

He checked the time, nearly two hours from when the boss went upstairs to when he came back down. Not bad endurance, he thought, though just barely passable.

Lu Tingzhou didn’t notice Lin Hao’s thoughts. As he smoked, his gaze dropped to the faint red marks on his fingers.

His fingertips still seemed to carry her warmth and lingering fragrance.

Just then, Qi Qi hurried over.

Spotting Lu Tingzhou, she froze, then mechanically bowed. “L-Lu… President Lu.”

“Go on up. Ice her ankle again before she sleeps.”

The deep timbre of his voice made Qi Qi doubt her ears. Since when did he care so much about Sang Wan?

When did this even start? Did their car crash spark some kind of fate?

Not daring to linger, Qi Qi scurried upstairs.

Once she disappeared inside, Lu Tingzhou stubbed out his cigarette and turned to leave.

When Qi Qi entered, she found Sang Wan lounging on the sofa in an alluring nightgown, her cheeks flushing slightly at the sight, as if imagining something she shouldn’t.

“Sister Wan… Did President Lu come up earlier?”

“How did you know?” Sang Wan eyed her curiously.

“I just ran into him downstairs.”

Sang Wan narrowed her eyes. Had he waited on purpose, making sure Qi Qi came up?

“Sister Wan, you and President Lu…”

Qi Qi took in Sang Wan’s teasing smile and could already guess the gist of it.

“Once I reel him in, I’ll give you a fat red envelope,” Sang Wan said with a laugh.

“So you’ve been scheming since that night you crashed into him?”

Fresh out of college, Qi Qi was still naive. Her mother, Xue Min, was Sang Wan’s mother’s closest friend, which was why she’d started working under Sang Wan right after graduation. To Sang Wan, she was like a little sister.

“Sister Wan, someone like him… he’s not short of women around him, right? And I’ve heard that men from families like his don’t even get to choose who they marry.”

Qi Qi had no idea that her own marriage had almost been out of her control.

Sang Wan had kept it from her, not wanting Aunt Xue Min to worry.

“When it comes to dating, go for the one you like. Save the practical considerations for marriage. If you can actually marry the person you love, that’s a rare, almost unattainable kind of luck.”

Sang Wan laughed self-deprecatingly. She didn’t consider herself one of the lucky ones.

If she wasn’t strong enough, Xu Shiming might just sell her off someday.

So for now, she just wanted to love someone passionately, without worrying about the outcome or forcing a future.

Late at night, Sang Wan returned to her bedroom to sleep.

Remembering the WeChat ID Lu Jingxuan had given her, which she still hadn’t added, she leaned against the headboard, pulled up the contact Lu Jingxuan had forwarded, and sent a friend request.

To her surprise, it was accepted almost instantly.

Seeing his profile picture, that strange sense of familiarity washed over her again.

Maybe this feeling was fate, proof that they were meant to cross paths.

So, Sang Wan sent Lu Tingzhou her first message: [President Lu, I look forward to your guidance in the future.]

The message sank like a stone, unanswered.

Sang Wan frowned impatiently as she waited.

Lu Tingzhou had just stepped out of the shower, water still dripping from his hair onto his dark gray robe.

Yet the first thing he did was check his phone.

Seeing the screen light up on the bed, he picked it up immediately.

Opening the message, his dark eyes narrowed slightly.

Across the way, the lights in her living room were already off. They were so close, yet he didn’t dare let her know.

Lu Tingzhou calculated silently, if he really wanted to keep her by his side, to openly cherish and protect her, he’d have to make sure she stayed willingly.

Just as Song Ze had said, even if she were to remember the past someday, she wouldn’t regret it.

It was fate.

Lu Tingzhou lit a cigarette, his thin lips taking a slow drag.

The drifting smoke gradually calmed him.

He glanced down once more at the woman’s profile picture on his phone. There was no denying it, she had always bewitched him like a siren, tugging at his soul.

Clenching the cigarette between his teeth, he saved the photo to his album before finally replying to Sang Wan’s message.

Sang Wan had been waiting anxiously for Lu Tingzhou’s reply, her heart unsettled. She even began to doubt whether the man who had carried her home and cooked for her tonight was really him.

How could he just leave and then completely ignore her?

Just as her impatience peaked, a message arrived.

Sugar Daddy: [Get some rest]

Sang Wan stared at the cold, detached words on the screen, the tiny flame of hope in her heart instantly doused, as if someone had poured a bucket of ice water over it.

Those two photos… weren’t they enticing enough?

What was wrong with this man? He’d held her, cooked for her, even flirted with her, only to suddenly turn into some chaste saint at the last moment?

Her fingertip tapped his profile picture, a hazy silhouette against a vast starry sky, as mysterious and distant as the man himself.

Finally, she tossed her phone aside in frustration.

Whatever. A man’s heart was as unfathomable as the ocean’s depths, no point overthinking it.

Yet, this feeling, this maddening itch she couldn’t scratch was something she’d never experienced before.

It was addictive. Intoxicating.

She rolled over, her mind a chaotic mess filled with thoughts of Lu Tingzhou.

Pulling the blanket over her head, Sang Wan forced herself to sleep.

She was afraid of insomnia.

The next day, the sunlight was warm and bright.

Sang Wan sent Lu Tingzhou a “good morning” message first thing, but there was no reply.

She checked her phone repeatedly, afraid she might have missed his response.

Yet, their chat remained frozen at her single “good morning.”

This went on until the afternoon.

Tired of the emotional turmoil, Sang Wan decided she was being pathetic and resolved to visit her grandfather instead.

She’d be joining the film crew in a few days, and her time wouldn’t be her own anymore.

Just as she changed into casual clothes and grabbed her bag to leave, her phone rang, inopportunely.

The screen clearly displayed the name: Xu Shiming.

Sang Wan’s delicate brows furrowed slightly as she answered.

“What is it?”

“Xiao Wan, do you have time now? Come to Zhuxuan Teahouse. There are some details about the Lanqin collaboration I’d like to confirm with you.”

Xu Shiming’s voice sounded unusually warm and affectionate, more so than usual.

A flicker of hesitation passed through Sang Wan’s eyes. That tone reminded her of years ago, back when her mother was still alive.

Xu Shiming had never liked her, but in front of her mother and grandfather, he would put on an act, his affectionate voice, his smiling face, all part of his counterfeit fatherly love.

Though the Lanqin collaboration wasn’t entirely finalized, the agreement had already been reviewed, and neither side had raised objections. What else was there to confirm?

Logically, she knew better. Yet, the illusion of paternal warmth still tugged at her heart.

“Fine, I’ll come,” she replied flatly before hanging up.

Turning to Qi Qi, who was waiting for her, she said, “Take me to Zhuxuan Teahouse first.”

Sang Wan found Xu Shiming’s private room effortlessly, this was a place her grandfather had often brought her to.

Pushing open the antique wooden door, she was surprised to find the room occupied by more than just Xu Shiming.

Apart from Xu Shiming, sitting prominently on the main sofa was the corpulent and well-fed Wang Sheng!

And beside Wang Sheng was her dear stepmother, Lin Lan.

The atmosphere instantly turned somewhat delicate.