He Lost Control with Jealousy — What Happened to Being Untouchable? - Chapter 35

Lu Tingzhou scoffed lightly, how could he ever admit it? With a smirk, he said, “Businessmen always unconsciously weigh whether a deal is worth it or not.”

Seeing his darkened expression, no longer as relaxed as before, Sang Wan was in high spirits.

She hooked her finger around his pinky and gave it a gentle shake, her voice soft and coquettish. “Oh, it really was just a dream! I didn’t even see that person’s face clearly! How about this, next time I dream, I promise to imagine your face in it. It’ll be you in my dreams and in reality, okay?”

The tender touch on his finger instantly soothed the bitterness in Lu Tingzhou’s heart.

He lifted his gaze, watching the shimmering allure in her fox-like eyes, and the corners of his lips curled slightly. “Are you sure it won’t be a wet dream?”

Though teasing her with his words, the tenderness in his eyes was impossible to hide.

Sang Wan giggled, a hint of shyness flickering in her eyes as she swayed their clasped hands. “Probably… it will be.”

Lu Tingzhou pinched her cheek lightly, neither too hard nor too soft.

In his heart, he felt grateful, she was still the same Sang Wan from before.

…

Meanwhile, Song Zixi was restless, repeatedly calling Xu Mingyue, but no one answered.

The trending topic had vanished without a trace, not only that, but a string of influential figures had spoken up in Sang Wan’s defense. Even Xiao Yan, who rarely posted on Weibo, had reposted Sang Wan’s statement with the words “Innocence needs no defense.”

This was a clear show of support for Sang Wan.

Coupled with the fact that the marketing account had been deactivated, she couldn’t possibly misunderstand the situation.

The only silver lining was that she hadn’t been directly involved in the matter.

In just half a day, the internet looked as if it had undergone a thorough cleanup: the hashtag, the video, all erased without a trace.

She had considered the possibility that Lu Tingzhou was behind it, but part of her refused to believe it. After all, she had already sent him the photos, how could a man like him still intervene after seeing Sang Wan in another man’s arms?

Her sister had told her that Lu Tingzhou had a cleanliness obsession, he wouldn’t touch anything “unclean.” Having seen Sang Wan embraced by another man, how could he still want her?

Besides, he had just returned from abroad that evening after a day and night of flying. Would he really jump straight into handling this mess for Sang Wan? How much face did she even have?

Her sister had also mentioned that Lu Tingzhou had treated her and Kaikai the same as always these past few days. Could she really have been overthinking things?

But if it truly was Lu Tingzhou’s doing, wouldn’t all her future resources pale in comparison to Sang Wan’s?

The entire night, Song Zixi tossed and turned, unable to sleep.

It wasn’t until the next morning that Xu Mingyue finally answered her call.

“What happened last night?”

Without hesitation, Song Zixi cut straight to the point.

“Xixi, Lu Tingzhou found out I was the one who hired the paparazzi. He said Sang Wan is his woman, you’d better watch yourself.”

Xu Shiming had already warned Xu Mingyue not to provoke Sang Wan again. If Lu Tingzhou decided to come after the Xu family the way he had dealt with Wang Sheng, they wouldn’t have a patron like Sun Meixi to bail them out.

Sun Meixi had only tolerated Xu Mingyue out of respect for Wang Sheng.

“That’s impossible! How could Lu Tingzhou possibly be interested in Sang Wan? Clearly…”

Song Zixi was now panicking. Without finishing her sentence to Xu Mingyue, she hastily hung up and immediately dialed Song Xinran.

Song Xinran had already been asleep when the ringing woke her. Answering the call, she scolded, “Do you have any idea what time it is here?”

“Sis, Lu Tingzhou really has taken a liking to Sang Wan! That trending topic I sent you yesterday, it had already exploded, but within hours, it vanished completely from the internet.”

“The person who posted the video was even warned by Lu Tingzhou, and he himself admitted that Sang Wan is his woman.”

“Sis, no one but Lu Tingzhou could have taken down the trending topic so quickly and completely erased the online backlash.”

Song Zixi blurted everything out in one breath, and Song Xinran’s drowsy eyes gradually widened.

Sang Wan!

This name had been frequently appearing in her ears and within her sight lately.

The person she had dismissed as insignificant just a few days ago was now clearly unsettling her.

Especially after seeing the trending topic today, she had specifically looked up Sang Wan.

She had to admit, she was exactly the kind of beauty that would captivate any man.

“Find someone to keep an eye on Sang Wan for me. Remember, just surveillance, no reckless actions. I’ll be back in a couple of days.”

Song Zixi eagerly agreed, “Got it, I’ll arrange for someone to watch her right away. You should come back soon. A man like him needs to be kept close to feel secure. With you separated by an entire ocean, if something happens, it’ll be too late to react. Now that they’ve just gotten involved, hurry back and reel him in.”

After hanging up, Song Xinran, on the other side of the Pacific, was wide awake.

Only she knew that Lu Tingzhou’s gaze had never lingered on her, but what she wanted, she would get.

Because she had leverage.

Meanwhile, Sang Wan was in high spirits, pushing her grandfather for a walk in the nursing home. The old man was in good spirits, which put her completely at ease.

“Grandpa, I’ll be joining another film crew in a couple of days, but don’t worry… this time I’ll make sure to visit you. I won’t disappear for so long like last time.”

As she spoke, Sang Wan stopped and leaned against her grandfather’s shoulder, just like she used to as a child.

She really wanted to tell him that she no longer had a home or a father.

Her only family left was him.

But even though her grandfather wouldn’t understand her words, Sang Wan couldn’t bring herself to say it.

She sniffled and giggled playfully, “You little old man, I’m working so hard, you can’t slack off either. You have to get better quickly. You promised to set up a professional design studio for me, so no backing out. I haven’t given up on my dreams, so you can’t slack off either.”

The old man stared blankly into the distance, letting her lean on him without fuss or complaint, quiet as if his soul had left his body, just like in the movies.

Uncle Liu watched Sang Wan with a pang of sadness and comforted her, “Wanwan, don’t worry about your grandpa here. Take care of yourself, you don’t need to keep thinking about us.”

Uncle Liu had been taking care of the old man for years. Sang Wan treated him well, always regarding him as family.

He, in turn, was very affectionate toward her.

“Wanwan, Uncle Liu let you down. Your dad forbade me from contacting you and even took my phone away.”

Seeing Uncle Liu’s guilt and self-reproach, Sang Wan smiled faintly. “Uncle Liu, I know. All these years, it’s only because of your careful care that I could focus on acting without worry.”

Uncle Liu hesitated, then sighed. “Just take care of yourself. Don’t worry about things here.”

He was well aware of the situation in the Sang family, a young girl who had lost her mother and whose father had become a stranger.

After leaving the hospital, Sang Wan arranged to have dinner with Su Mo and Qu You.

Once she joined the film crew next week, it would be a long time before she saw them again.

“Well, well, our big star Sang Wan, did you find money today? You’re grinning like a flower.”

The moment Su Mo saw Sang Wan, she could tell she was in a great mood.

Sang Wan curled her lips into a smile, her eyes brimming with unconcealed joy. “Pretty much. I found a golden treasure.”

“Golden ingot?” Su Mo’s eyes lit up. “Spill the details, what golden ingot? Did you finally conquer that unattainable flower on the high peak?”

Qu You chuckled. “Momo said there must be something going on the moment we arrived.”

“Tsk tsk…” Su Mo waggled her eyebrows suggestively. “With that kind of grand gesture last night, I can’t think of anyone else but President Lu who could pull it off. At the company today, that Shen Yubai guy smirked at me like a total flirt and said, ‘Your Sang Wan is quite the angler, reeling in the big fish without even a ripple.'”

Sang Wan burst into giggles at her teasing, not denying it. Instead, she lifted her chin proudly. “Of course. Who do you think I am? I’ve always said there’s no man I can’t catch, and Lu Tingzhou is no exception.”

Qu You watched their playful banter from the side, her lips curving into a soft smile.

After the laughter died down, Qu You gently reminded her, “Wanwan, don’t forget your hospital follow-up. You’ve been looking much better lately, it’s a good chance to ask the doctor if you can stop the medication now.”

At the mention of this, Sang Wan’s smile faded slightly, but she still replied breezily, “Yeah, I really do feel a lot better recently, and my sleep’s improved too.”

Qu You nodded. “You’ve come so far and stayed so strong. That’s amazing.”

“Our Sang Wan is definitely amazing, how else would she become the hottest star around? Oh, by the way, get me Xiao Yan’s autographed photo when you see him.”

Sang Wan frowned. “I thought you liked Zhuo Fan?”

“Who said I only like Zhuo Fan? I like all good-looking men.”

Unlike the boisterous Su Mo, Qu You was always the quietest among the three.

“Youyou, don’t just stay cooped up at school and the hospital all the time. Come out and have fun with Momo more often.”

Sang Wan knew Qu You carried heavy thoughts, so she had been trying to pull her out since returning. But most of Qu You’s time was divided between school and the hospital.

“Don’t worry about me. Just take care of yourself when you’re on set.”

Qu You understood Sang Wan wanted her to relax more, but it wasn’t in her nature.

“You, still pining after that professor of yours?” Su Mo asked between bites.

Qu You had feelings for her professional course teacher, also her mentor during hospital internships. Though it wasn’t a secret among the three, she had never revealed who it was.

“Maybe I’ll stop liking him after graduation.”

Qu You’s smile was bittersweet. The gap in status and background forced her to bury her feelings deep inside.

Sang Wan knew all too well now what it was like to want to be close to someone you liked, a feeling she had only recently come to understand. For someone like Qu You, having to face him daily yet unable to speak her heart, even having to hide it, must have been painful.

She moved closer and hugged Qu You. “If you really like him, go for it. What era is this to still let status hold you back?”

Su Mo nodded. “Exactly! You overthink things. If you like someone, chase them. If it doesn’t work out, just break up.”

Qu You eyed them both and frowned. “Are you two here to lecture me? One just got into a relationship, and the other’s all talk. What gives you the right to advise me?”

Su Mo immediately clammed up, shooting Sang Wan a raised eyebrow as if to say, You’ve got the confidence, you take this.

Sang Wan scratched her ear, thinking to herself, My confidence isn’t even that solid yet.

“Alright, let’s drop it and just enjoy the meal.”

Once the dishes were served, Sang Wan snapped a photo and sent it to Lu Tingzhou.

Then she sent him another message: “Good wine, good food, and good company. After eating, we’ll go watch some handsome guys dance.”

She was doing it on purpose, who told him not to call her all day, not even sending a single message?

…

After parting ways with Su Mo and Qu You, Sang Wan went straight back to Jingyuan.

Who had the mood to watch handsome guys dance? All she wanted was to see Lu Tingzhou lose control.

Tossing her bag aside, she slumped onto the sofa, feeling hollow inside.

The passion and ambiguity from last night were still vivid in her mind, yet today he had already reverted to his “busy CEO” mode?

Still the same aloof, indifferent Lu Tingzhou who couldn’t be bothered with anyone.

The messages she sent him sank like stones into the sea.

Sang Wan stared at her phone for a while, thinking this guy had gone too far. Fine, if that’s how it is, then neither of them should bother with the other.

Playing with her phone, she glanced at the opposite apartment, still dark and lifeless, wondering if he had moved out.

Checking the time, it was already late. As if possessed, she opened her chat with Lu Tingzhou again.

Scrolling through their conversation history since they met, looking at his terse replies, Sang Wan pouted. Her slender fingers tapped the screen a few times before she finally, pathetically, sent him a sticker.

Sang Wan: A big, bold [?]

The message sent successfully, and the phone screen, which had just turned off, lit up again immediately.

Sang Wan’s heart skipped a beat as she eagerly tapped to open it.

Her sugar daddy replied with two words: “Open up.”

Open up?

Sang Wan froze for a second before realization dawned, and a radiant smile instantly spread across her face.

She leaped up from the sofa in excitement, dashing toward the door so fast she nearly lost a slipper.

“Click.”

The moment the door cracked open, a large, well-defined hand reached in and clasped her wrist.

In the next second, the man’s tall figure slipped inside. With a slight lift of his left foot, the door shut behind him.

Before Sang Wan could utter a word, his arm wrapped around her waist, pinning her against the door.

The familiar, crisp scent of him enveloped her instantly.

Lu Tingzhou held her waist with one hand while the other gripped her chin, tilting it up to force her to meet his gaze.

In his deep eyes flickered a mix of amusement, laziness, and an undisguised… hunger.