Honey, Open The Door. I Want To Give You The Room Key - Chapter 9

The ease and ethereal aura Lou Qingshuang possessed when she first entered vanished the moment she saw Liu Yu; she didn’t even dare to smile.

A faint smile appeared on Liu Yu’s face—a smile so bright and open that it seemed to light up the entire space. She spoke with great sincerity: “I’m sorry for making you feel uncomfortable.”

Liu Yu’s voice sounded truly earnest. Lou Qingshuang looked into her eyes and decided to accept it as a real apology, mostly because she couldn’t exactly turn around and storm out.

Lou Qingshuang watched Liu Yu. Even as the woman sat there quietly, her every move was so composed and steady that it made one hesitant to look at her directly.

The private room was elegantly decorated, filled with a faint, soothing fragrance intended to make one feel relaxed, but none of that reached Lou Qingshuang.

“You can take off your coat; the heating in here is quite sufficient,” Liu Yu suggested.

“No need, I’m wearing something thin underneath. Thank you for the kind offer, Chairman Liu,” Lou Qingshuang replied, pulling her coat tighter and declining the gesture.

Liu Yu smiled and didn’t press the matter. Instead, she focused on brewing tea.

Lou Qingshuang watched Liu Yu perform the tea ceremony with pleasing grace. When the fourth infusion—the most flavorful one—was ready, Liu Yu poured a cup and pushed it toward Lou Qingshuang. Lou Qingshuang still didn’t drink.

“Don’t be so nervous. Just as my invitation stated, we’re only here to chat about the future development of Wanshuang Company.” Liu Yu’s eyes were calm and sharp, yet carried a hint of gentleness. She picked up her own teacup and began to drink.

Looking into those eyes, Lou Qingshuang had to admit that Liu Yu was an incredibly charismatic Alpha. If it hadn’t been for her initial crude behavior of handing over a room card twice, Lou Qingshuang would have likely held a strong baseline of admiration for this business tycoon.

Lou Qingshuang gathered her scattered, nervous thoughts. Now that the connection had been made, she had no choice but to maneuver and deal with it. Since she was already here, she wanted to hear the perspective of this business predator who had kept her so much on guard.

“I am grateful to Xinyu for cooperating with us this time. This partnership is very important to us; it has a great chance of helping Wanshuang find its footing amidst the storm.”

In that moment, Lou Qingshuang understood everything. When Wanshuang was under attack, it was Liu Yu who had stepped in to save the company, giving them a chance to stabilize.

Liu Yu had helped Wanshuang without leaking a single word of it. The invitation following the contract signing was all part of a calculated sequence.

Since Liu Yu had helped, Lou Qingshuang could no longer simply refuse her future invitations. She had to consider the continued development of Wanshuang.

She had wondered why the Chairman of Xinyu Group hadn’t invited Bai Wan, who usually handled external cooperation, but had invited her instead. It truly was one link connected to another.

Hearing Lou Qingshuang’s blunt words, a smile appeared on Liu Yu’s face—one that held both approval and indulgence.

As Liu Yu listened to Lou Qingshuang speak eloquently, the younger woman laid out her plans for Wanshuang very clearly, covering everything from product direction to handling the current plagiarism scandal. With the temporary training she had received from Bai Wan, she had refined her ideas well.

Under Liu Yu’s attentive gaze, Lou Qingshuang unconsciously began to say more and more, even voicing her frustrations regarding the inability to catch the internal mole.

“Industrial spies are always the hardest to catch. Usually, it’s someone you aren’t guarded against and someone you trust.”

“Or perhaps it’s someone who can get close to you, but has a low profile, just quietly doing their work,” Liu Yu shared, offering her experience while simultaneously guiding Lou Qingshuang’s thinking.

Lou Qingshuang fell into thought. Her first move after the leak was to check those closest to her, but so far, she had found nothing. She couldn’t think of anyone with a “low profile”; they were a small team, and she felt she knew everyone intimately.

However, regarding those who could access core secrets, she circled a few names in her mind and then singled out those with the highest visibility for analysis.

Currently, they had only conducted routine questioning of a few people based on surveillance footage. Without evidence, they couldn’t forcibly check people’s phones; they could only audit access permissions and system logs. The HR and legal departments had been questioning people for two days until their heads throbbed, yet they still hadn’t found the mole.

Lou Qingshuang now had a few candidates in mind. “Thank you, Chairman Liu.”

“If you really want to catch them, define a narrow scope and release a piece of fake information,” Liu Yu said with a smile, offering her suggestion.

Lou Qingshuang’s eyelashes fluttered. That was the best method. Since Xinyu and Wanshuang were currently discussing projects, it was the perfect time to set a trap.

“Thank you, Chairman Liu. I understand,” Lou Qingshuang said softly.

“You’re welcome. It’s about time for the food to arrive.” Just as Liu Yu finished speaking, there was a knock at the door. The service staff’s timing was impeccable.

Before long, the dishes were laid out. Looking at the spread, Lou Qingshuang noticed that half of the dishes were her favorites. Clearly, Liu Yu had investigated her privately.

Lou Qingshuang glanced at Liu Yu. This person hadn’t given up.

“Let’s eat; we can talk while we eat.” Liu Yu invited Lou Qingshuang to sit. She gave Lou Qingshuang plenty of respect, as the two sat across from each other on the left and right sides.

Lou Qingshuang sat near the dishes she liked. Looking at the beautifully plated sautéed asparagus, she noted that Liu Yu truly reached a level of meticulousness in every step. She said politely, “Thank you very much for the invitation to dinner, Chairman Liu.”

“There will be many opportunities in the future. First, try the vegetarian dishes here.” Liu Yu was the first to take a portion with her chopsticks.

Lou Qingshuang didn’t respond. She picked up the beautiful chopsticks and took a piece of the steaming asparagus. It was sweet and crisp, with just enough salt to enhance the flavor. The chef’s control of the heat was masterful.

The two ate slowly without speaking. For a while, the room was very quiet.

Liu Yu looked up and caught a glimpse of which dishes Lou Qingshuang was reaching for. It seemed these dishes were indeed to her taste.

“Is the food to your liking? If it is, you can always come here to eat in the future,” Liu Yu suddenly remarked.

Lou Qingshuang’s hand paused mid-air. Her lashes blinked, and she emphasized once again, “When I marry my fiancée in the future, I will invite you as well. I hope you will grace us with your presence.”

Liu Yu sat up straight and looked at her with a smile, saying nothing. Her gaze was deep—a depth Lou Qingshuang couldn’t quite decipher—but it no longer contained that hair-raising, forceful determination to possess her.

The current Liu Yu seemed more… human.

After the meal, Liu Yu saw Lou Qingshuang out to the back entrance of the club. She watched with a faint smile as Lou Qingshuang waved and got into her car. Only after Lou Qingshuang had left done Liu Yu’s own car slowly pull up.

“Chairman Liu, how did it go today?” Zhu Yan asked, poking her head out from the front seat.

“Not bad. She isn’t as repulsed anymore,” Liu Yu said with a smile.

“Chairman Liu, chasing someone requires technique. Besides, you weren’t that kind of person to begin with,” Zhu Yan advised earnestly.

“Mm-hmm.” Liu Yu didn’t say anything. She knew better than anyone what kind of person she actually was.

Sitting in her car, Lou Qingshuang was also reflecting on Liu Yu’s behavior today. If Liu Yu really wanted to do something to her, she wouldn’t need to use so many tactics.

There were plenty of people willing to help her. Liu Yu would only need to drop a hint or move a finger to turn everyone against Wanshuang, leaving the company besieged on all sides. Perhaps then, Lou Qingshuang truly would have gone to beg her.

But this current move by Liu Yu left her unsure of what to do.

Was this a “retreat to advance” tactic? Or was she planning to use this favor as leverage for a demand?

What exactly was she trying to do?