Sweet Gardenia - Chapter 29.1

Lu Zhi was still processing his remark about “glute training” as she made her way upstairs.

She wasn’t entirely sure what that exercise entailed, but by the time she dawdled her way to the CEO’s office, she noticed an unusual silence inside.

Pushing the door open and stepping in, she faintly heard the sound of trickling water. Was he showering?

Lu Zhi wandered over to the adjacent fitness room. It shared the same minimalist and sleek decor, equipped with every necessary piece of equipment. She even tried lifting his dumbbells. Unsurprisingly, she couldn’t budge them.

Just then, the sound of water ceased, replaced by soft rustling noises, as if he were drying his hair or his body.

Her imagination was vivid, and at that thought, images began to form in her mind. She promptly cut them off the moment she became aware.

For a while, there was no sound from inside.

Curious about what he was doing, Lu Zhi reached for the doorknob, about to turn it and investigate, when…

The door opened from the inside.

A wisp of lingering steam drifted out lazily. He seemed to be checking why she hadn’t arrived yet, his gaze shifting outward briefly before settling on her.

He raised an eyebrow, mildly displeased. “Trying to watch me shower again?”

The remark brought her back to their first meeting after six months of separation. Unaware that he had returned home early, she had pushed open the bathroom door to wash her hands, only to find him in the shower.

The circumstances then were entirely different from now.

In every way.

Lu Zhi looked up at him. “What’s so interesting about watching you shower?”

“…”

“Is that so?” He rubbed the corner of his eye. “But I seem to recall someone standing frozen for several seconds back then. Even after the topic was dropped, she still insisted in the car that she hadn’t seen anything.”

“No, I’m being honest,” Lu Zhi argued. “I really didn’t see anything. The steam was so thick.  If you hadn’t been wrapped in a towel, I wouldn’t even have realized you weren’t dressed.”

He nodded. “You remember it clearly.”

“…”

Noticing his hand still pressed against his eye, Lu Zhi leaned closer. “What’s wrong? Did an eyelash get in your eye?”

“Seems like it.”

Lu Zhi said, “Stop rubbing it, you’ve already reddened the skin. Let me take a look.”

She hopped onto the bathroom counter to get a better view under the light, cupping his face to examine it from different angles. The gesture felt somewhat reminiscent of his usual demeanor. After a thorough inspection, she concluded, “There’s nothing there.”

“There is.”

She had no idea why he was so certain.

Lu Zhi suggested, “Let me blow on it. Don’t move.”

She blew gently a couple of times, then leaned in closer. “How about now?”

She added, “Sometimes there’s nothing there.  It’s just a psychological effect…”

At that moment, he suddenly opened his eyes.

Startled, Lu Zhi released her grip. He asked in a low voice, “What did you eat?”

It took her a moment to process the question. “A mint… How can you even smell that?”

“You blew it right at me.”

She turned her face away, belatedly becoming aware of the stifling heat in the bathroom. The partially open door let in a faint stream of cool air, and droplets of water still glistened on his shoulders.

“Hold this for me,” he said. “The towel is about to fall.”

Lu Zhi glanced down. The towel around his waist was loosely tied, on the verge of coming undone. She muttered, “Can’t you fix it yourself?”

“Mm,” he replied. “Then let it be.”

“…”

The towel slipped down even faster. She squeezed her eyes shut, grabbed both ends, and fumbled to retie it, forcing herself to say, “Can you behave a little more decently?”

“What do you mean?” he said leisurely. “Are you saying I’m shameless?”

“Mhm.”

The next second, in the pitch-black enclosed space, her ear was suddenly bitten. A familiar warmth rushed in, and her hands instinctively loosened, the fabric slipping from her palms as the towel fell to the floor.

His voice was calm and faint: “Why are you unbuttoning my clothes now?”

“…”

Lu Zhi wanted to leave but couldn’t open her eyes. Puffing her cheeks in frustration, she pushed his shoulder. “Hurry up and put your clothes on.”

“Later.”

…

By the time they emerged, he had buttoned up the shirt he’d unbuttoned one by one. As for himself, he’d opted for convenience, slipping into a white T-shirt. His hair was almost completely dry.

She didn’t even dare to imagine how she would face Uncle Zong if he were still in the car. Fortunately, by the time they went downstairs, Uncle Zong had tactfully retreated in advance.

That night before bed, as she pulled up the covers, she suddenly remembered something and turned to him. “Oh, by the way, I’m going on a business trip to Jiangcheng this Friday. It’ll be about five days.”

He was flipping through a finance magazine, and his fingers paused briefly at her words.

“Why so long?”

“It’s not that long, is it?” she said. “I was gone for three months for winter camp before.”

He hummed in acknowledgment, though it was unclear whether he was reading the magazine or thinking about something else. She rolled over. “Do you have any hotel recommendations over there? It’s a hassle for me to look on my own.”

Given how picky he was, he must have stayed in many places, and only the best.

“I have a penthouse there, in the city center,” he said. “Want to stay? I can have He Zhao give you the keycard.”

She nodded, feeling sleepy. “Okay, I’ll stay in your room then.”

“Will your friend be staying with you?”

Half-asleep, she rolled over again. “Li Siyi? Not sure, I’ll ask her later.”

–

Li Siyi’s answer, of course, was to stay separately: “What if your husband shows up unexpectedly? Wouldn’t I be in the way?”

“…”

Lu Zhi didn’t bother correcting her and confirmed her flight ticket.

On Friday evening, they arrived in Jiangcheng smoothly. After dropping off their luggage, they explored the area before returning to the hotel.

Li Siyi had booked a room on the twelfth floor.

After her shower, Lu Zhi video-called Fu Yanshang.

The call connected after a few rings, and his face soon appeared in the top right corner. “You’re there?”

“Mhm, let me show you the room.”

He seemed genuinely surprised, raising an eyebrow. “You’re video-calling to check in now?”

“Of course I have to show you, so you don’t say anything weird again,” Lu Zhi said with conviction. “You’re like one of those paranoid husbands who constantly wonder if there’s another man in their wife’s room.”

“…”

A low chuckle came through the earpiece. Lu Zhi leaned against the edge of the bed.

“What are you laughing at?” she said. “Am I wrong?”

“You’re always right.”

Lu Zhi didn’t have the energy to question whether he was being sarcastic. “Do you remember what’s good to eat at this hotel? I’m a little hungry.”

“Truffle pizza?” He turned a page of his book. “I remember it being pretty good.”

“That’s too heavy, not good for digestion at night.” Lu Zhi gave up. “Forget it, I’ll just have some snacks.”

She instinctively reached for the drawer beside her: “Did you leave any snacks behind? Or maybe a card?” After a moment’s thought, she added, “I hope I don’t stumble upon any of your secrets.”

“Like what?”

“Like? Traces left by other women, something that shatters the pure and devoted image you’ve built for yourself…”

“Since when have I ever built such an image?” he said. “Lu Zhi, no man is a Liu Xiahui unless he’s incapable.”

Her dismissive tone was palpable: “Yeah, yeah, sure.”

“…”

The sound of rustling followed, and she suddenly let out a gasp, as if she had truly stumbled upon something shocking.

Fu Yanshang understood immediately: “Stop acting. I don’t have anything like that.”

“…”

Unable to fool him, she gave up with a sigh and obediently slipped back into bed. “You have no sense of fun at all.”

She flipped open the hotel menu, selected some simple ingredients, and then asked him, “Are you at home?”

“No.”

“Caught you… you’re not going home again,” she said leisurely. “So where are you? A bar?”

“I can tell.”

“What?”

“You’ve never been to a bar,” he said. “Would a bar be this quiet?”

“Maybe you booked a private room.”

“Even private rooms aren’t this quiet. I’ll take you sometime, and you’ll see,” he replied. “There’s no point in going home if you’re not there. I’m at the office, handling some work.”

She let out an “Oh” and said, “Then I won’t disturb you. I’ll hang up now.”

Just as she was about to press the end call button, his voice unexpectedly came through her earphones again.

“Aren’t you afraid of sleeping alone?”

“Are you treating me like a child?” Her finger paused mid-air as she defended herself. “I’m old enough… of course I’m not afraid.”

“Have you ever slept alone before?”

She thought for a moment. “…No.”

“But this entire hotel has plenty of people upstairs and downstairs. It’s not really like sleeping alone, is it?”

“This floor only has my room,” he said, his tone deliberately slow, as if trying to scare her. “And the rooms downstairs are expensive, so the occupancy rate probably isn’t very high.”

“…”

She pouted. “Then when will you be done? Let’s keep the call connected until you’re ready to sleep.”

After a pause, afraid he might say something unreasonable again, Lu Zhi quickly added, “No more talking! I’m going to sleep.”

…

She placed her phone beside the pillow, and the sound of rustling papers filled her ears. He probably didn’t stay here often, as he had left very few belongings in the hotel. As she turned over, something suddenly poked her head. She opened it to find a copy of The Rose Bible.

Following the instructions in the text, she rubbed her fingers over the bookmark, warming a corner with the heat of her fingertips before bringing it close to her nose. A rich rose fragrance wafted toward her.

She asked, “Do you like roses?”

“No,” he said.

“If I liked them, I’d bring them home, not leave them here.”

“No wonder I’ve never seen you keep any,” she murmured, lying on her stomach as she flipped through a few pages. It was a collection of various rose illustrations. If she hadn’t opened this book, she wouldn’t have known there were so many varieties in the Rosaceae family. “Did you buy this on a whim?”

“Yeah, I passed by a bookstore and picked out a few.”

“I’ll help you choose when we go back,” she said confidently, closing the book. “Wait for your surprise blind box.”

–

Whenever there was something important scheduled, Lu Zhi’s internal clock would naturally wake her up early.

When she opened her eyes, the sky was just beginning to lighten. In the unique silence of the suite, the occasional sound of keyboard tapping could be heard.

For a moment, she felt dazed. Rubbing her eyes, she blurted out, “Are you here?”

A voice came through the receiver, tinged with a low hum of static: “What?”

Slowly, she lowered her head and saw her phone screen still lit up, the sound of keyboard taps emanating from it.

Only then did Lu Zhi snap back to reality. “Oh, I heard the keyboard and thought it was strange.  I assumed you’d come over.”

“Missed me?”

Those three words sent a jolt through her. The blood in her resting brain suddenly rushed faster, and she clarified, “No! Don’t be so full of yourself!”

“I have something to do soon, so I’ll hang up now. You should hurry and eat breakfast.”

She dashed to the bathroom and splashed her face with cold water several times before her emotions finally settled.

Missed him?

How could that be possible?

He always loved talking nonsense, she should have gotten used to it by now.

When Lu Zhi returned to her bedside, intending to unplug the charger, she realized the video call hadn’t been disconnected.

Thankfully, she hadn’t made any strange noises earlier.

Just as she was about to speak, she noticed something else and paused, saying, “You worked all night?”

He drawled, “Worked on what?”

An ordinary question, but when he stretched out the words, it suddenly felt strange.

“W-work, of course,” Lu Zhi said. “I told you you could hang up when you slept, but you didn’t. Doesn’t that mean you didn’t sleep?”

“I lay down for a bit in between, but not for long.”

“Then you should rest quickly,” Lu Zhi urged. “We’re a bit pressed for time today. I’ll head out first.”