Honey, Open The Door. I Want To Give You The Room Key - Chapter 7

Liu Yu withdrew her gaze from Lou Qingshuang’s weary face, hoping she would seize this opportunity. The vehicle then departed from the spot.

After some thought, Lou Qingshuang ultimately decided to leave her car parked there; she took a taxi home after buying the cake.

She hadn’t expected that to be Liu Yu’s car, nor did she know if the person watching her just now had been Liu Yu herself. Recalling the brand of that car, Lou Qingshuang felt a twinge of pain for her savings; insurance might not cover everything.

When Lou Qingshuang arrived home, she saw her mother chatting with the caregiver. She greeted her mother with a smile, “Mom, Auntie Wu, I’m back. I brought some sugar-free mini cakes for you and Auntie Wu.”

Auntie Wu was supporting Lou Qingshuang’s mother as she walked. She looked up and beamed at Lou Qingshuang, greeting her, “Ms. Lou, you’re back.”

“Yes, I’m back to spend some time with Mom.” Lou Qingshuang set down the mini cakes and stepped forward to help her mother walk slowly.

Lou’s mother was ill—it was serious, and she could only recover slowly through careful nursing.

Supporting her mother, Lou Qingshuang felt her withered, thin hand and squeezed it firmly in her palm, as if doing so would prevent her mother from slipping away.

Shen Qiao patted her hand, looking at her daughter with maternal affection, and said softly, “I’m fine. You should just focus on your own work.”

“I’ve already finished my work. I’m back to stay with you.” Lou Qingshuang leaned her head against her mother’s shoulder, soaking in her mother’s presence.

“Then go have a nap.” Shen Qiao touched the dark circles under her daughter’s eyes with heartache. How many days had she been staying up late again?

If it weren’t for her, why would Shuangshuang have to push herself so hard?

“It’s fine. I’ll sit with you for a while before I go rest.” Once Lou Qingshuang leaned against her mother’s shoulder, she didn’t want to move.

She was too exhausted; only by leaning on her mother did she feel a sense of relief.

Shen Qiao also leaned her head against her daughter’s. As the two leaned on each other, Auntie Wu was moved every time she saw the closeness between mother and daughter. She stood up, picked up a cake, and handed it to Shen Qiao. “Madam, have a taste.”

“Alright, thank you.” Shen Qiao took the cake and first fed a bite to her precious daughter.

Lou Qingshuang took a small taste and then pushed Shen Qiao’s hand back. “Mom, you eat it.”

“Madam, this flavor is really excellent.” Auntie Wu, who had taken a matcha-flavored cake, looked at Shen Qiao with bright eyes.

She quickly took two more bites, her eyes narrowing with delight. “Madam, it’s really delicious! It’s sweet but not greasy, with a refreshing texture. You must try it.”

“Is that so? I’ll try it too.” Shen Qiao picked up the cake her late husband had loved most and took a satisfied bite. “Mm, it really is delicious.”

As they ate slowly, Lou Qingshuang fell asleep on the sofa without realizing it.

In her sleep, she saw that female Alpha who had abruptly appeared in her dreams, asking with a smile if she had made up her mind.

Lou Qingshuang rolled her eyes—a very unrefined but satisfying move—and kicked out in her dream, making the other woman vanish.

By the time Lou Qingshuang woke up, her mood had improved, and night had fallen.

Auntie Wu was massaging Shen Qiao’s meridians to make her more comfortable.

Lou Qingshuang threw off the thin blanket. Seeing her wrinkled clothes, she went back to her room to change before going to her mother’s room. She saw her mother leaning against the bed, dozing off with a faint smile on her face.

“Auntie Wu, you can go straight to rest later. I’ll sleep with Mom tonight; you don’t need to come over.” Lou Qingshuang knew Auntie Wu had worked hard while she was working overtime these past few days, and wanted her to get a good night’s sleep.

Auntie Wu looked up; her round face and large eyes carried a vibrant cheerfulness that made anyone feel at ease. She nodded and said, “Alright. There are still forty minutes left for the massage. Then, Ms. Lou, you can help the Madam if she needs to get up during the night.”

“Okay,” Lou Qingshuang replied. She went straight to the bathroom and took a half-hour soak to soothe her tense nerves.

Half an hour later, Lou Qingshuang put on a silver silk nightgown and threw a robe over it, her porcelain-white legs appearing and disappearing beneath the hem.

After drying her hair and giving it a treatment, she prepared to go sleep with her mother.

Liu Yu held a glass of tequila, sitting by the floor-to-ceiling window. In the understated, cool room, only a small orange lamp was lit.

She sat by the window sipping her drink slowly, thinking of the person she had met today. Liu Yu took a small sip of the artisanal tequila; the flavor shifted on her palate, carrying a spiciness and an enchanting profile—just like Lou Qingshuang, with a long-lasting aftertaste.

Liu Yu sat expressionless in the dim orange light until she finished the glass.

She looked forward to her second meeting with Lou Qingshuang.

A moment later, she left the room, and the lights turned off automatically.

Three days later, Wanshuang Company officially held its first negotiation for cooperation with the Xinyu Group.

Wanshuang Company officially filed a countersuit against the Lan Dai Company. At the same time, they released clear factual evidence online, including but not limited to Lou Qingshuang’s former experimental progress.

They had submitted complete original data and research development records to the court.

The court date for this lawsuit was set for the end of next month. Because the evidence provided was sufficiently clear, there was no need for an extension.

Lan Dai had not expected Lou Qingshuang to still have the original data. Although they had forged their own, hadn’t they been told that the original data had been erased?

Zhu Rui called her inside contact, fuming with rage. “Didn’t you say the original data was gone?”

The other side was silent for a long while before saying, “I did indeed destroy it.”

“Then what is this stuff that’s surfaced now?” Zhu Rui asked, her face darkened.

“I’ll look into it further. You get prepared on your end—drag out the trial period as long as possible. Better yet, go ask the person you found what to do next.” With that, the other party hung up.

Sitting behind her desk, Zhu Rui took a deep drag of a cigarette. Lan Dai had been on a downward slope for years, and she desperately wanted to reverse the decline.

She knew that this time, they would either win a turnaround battle or Lan Dai would sink into obscurity—or perhaps be taken over by someone else.

Lan Dai had a complete R&D lab and a full processing factory; after some thought, Zhu Rui was reluctant to let it go.

She contacted the other party again, who only sent back one sentence: Take the “nostalgia” route.

With a grim expression, Zhu Rui thought it over and called her subordinates. “Tell the Marketing Director to film a nostalgia documentary about Lan Dai, looking back at our history.”

The Marketing Director moved quickly. In just a few days, a ten-minute documentary was released.

After all, Lan Dai was a product that had accompanied many people for decades. Although its audience and consumer base had dwindled, those people had not entirely forgotten the brand that had been with them in the past.

Lou Qingshuang, Bai Wan, and Qin Nan were all watching the documentary together.

It had to be said, the people at Lan Dai really knew how to play their cards.

By riding the momentum, they added another wave of heat to Lan Dai, and Wanshuang’s newly recovered reputation began to be battered once again.

The three looked at each other and could only rub their foreheads. “Since when did Lan Dai become so good at hype tactics?” Bai Wan said despondently.

“Wanshuang has weathered many storms; it will only get better,” Qin Nan said.

“Xinyu Company wants to collaborate with us on commercial packaging and product R&D. We are currently negotiating the specifics. If it goes through, it will be hard work for Director Lou,” Qin Nan shared some good news.

Lou Qingshuang nodded. “Alright, no problem.”

Qin Nan chatted with them for a bit longer before leaving. Lou Qingshuang leaned back on Bai Wan’s sofa. “My car is still at the Shuyu Cake Shop. Have your assistant help me drive it back.” She handed the car keys to Bai Wan.

“Sure.” Bai Wan took the keys, then remembered something even more troubling.

“Hey sister, has that person contacted you?” Bai Wan tilted her chin up, and Lou Qingshuang instantly understood her meaning.

Lou Qingshuang frowned at the memory of yesterday’s encounter. “She didn’t actually contact you, did she?” Bai Wan’s eyes widened.

“No, not that. It’s just that I ran into her at Shuyu yesterday, and even bumped into her car,” Lou Qingshuang said with a scowl.

“Huh? I’m telling you, it seems like the two of you have some kind of destiny.” Bai Wan clicked her tongue, leaning her arms on the desk. They met, and there was even a fender bender.

“This is an ill fate; it needs to be severed,” Lou Qingshuang said decisively.

“There’s also the insurance issue. Help me handle the insurance claim; I’ll make up the difference in cost,” Lou Qingshuang added.

“No problem. Shuangshuang, do you think we should go to a temple to pray? To sever this ill fate of yours!” Thinking about the recent string of events, it seemed everything had started going downhill since meeting Liu Yu.

Is Liu Yu perhaps a bit of a jinx to them?