After returning from the hot spring villa, Chu Luyu once again threw most of her energy into the renovation of her interest class studio, occasionally doing tasks when the plot demanded it.
But after that big one—stripping naked to apply body lotion—she didn’t take the milder events that followed too seriously anymore.
By the end of September, the renovation was nearly complete. During this time, Chu Fanyin and Chen Mian had come by twice, showing great concern for her situation. Chu Fanyin kept telling her not to overwork herself, while Chen Mian quietly asked if she had enough money for the renovation—if not, he’d go out and borrow some for her, and he’d pay it back himself.
Chu Luyu now completely regarded this younger brother as her own flesh and blood. Hearing his offer, she simply told him to focus on his studies and not worry about her affairs.
Finally, she pulled him aside and asked in a low voice: “How are your dad and mom doing lately?”
“Same as before. He came home twice, but Mom didn’t give him the time of day. He seemed to lose face, so he went back to staying at the company.”
Chu Luyu thought to herself that this wouldn’t do. If this cold war dragged on, a divorce like in the original plot was only a matter of time!
She hesitated over whether to invite Jiang Hezhou to have dinner with the Chen family once things on her end were wrapped up.
With Jiang Hezhou there, no matter how stubborn the old couple was, they’d at least show up for the sake of face, right?
……………………
That afternoon, Chu Luyu did some basic cleaning in the studio.
The renovation was largely finished. She hadn’t rented a very large space—after completion, there were only three empty rooms: one large one for group classes, one small one for one-on-one instruction, and a combined lounge area.
She had also ordered a bunch of tables, chairs, and cabinets, which were due to arrive in the next few days. Once everything was in place, she could start scheduling trial classes.
Chu Luyu was pretty excited. Yesterday, when she went to the nearby elementary school to hand out flyers, several parents and kids had already shown interest in coming for a trial session. Along the way, she also ran into a slightly cocky little boy who got out of a luxury car—he looked like some young master from a wealthy family.
The little master had asked her for a flyer, stared at her a few times, then trotted back into the car with his driver.
She had even mentioned this to the system at the time. She said that if this young master really ended up enrolling in her class, she was definitely going to sell him the most expensive one-on-one package.
She had priced one-on-one tuition at 33,000 yuan per year—that money would be enough to cover the next six months’ rent.
After a busy afternoon, with only half an hour left until Jiang Hezhou was supposed to pick her up, Chu Luyu climbed up a ladder to wipe down the murals on the wall and call it a day.
The ladder had been left behind by the renovation workers and hadn’t been retrieved yet—it was a bit wobbly. As Chu Luyu climbed step by step, her heart was pounding with unease.
Suddenly, a voice came from behind her, startling her.
She spun around in a panic, lost her footing, and as the ladder wobbled, she fell backward.
Time seemed to slow down in that moment. Chu Luyu felt everything before her turn into slow motion. She saw a handsome man in a suit standing at the doorway. Seeing her about to fall, he instinctively rushed over and reached out to catch her.
But the next second, for some reason, the moment he clearly saw her face, he immediately pulled his hands back.
Chu Luyu watched helplessly as hope arose, then vanished, and she crashed heavily to the ground.
Chu Luyu: ???
She lay there, motionless, staring at the man over there.
Qi Mubai, uncharacteristically awkward, hesitated for a long moment before finally saying: “Men and women should not touch…”
Chu Luyu was almost amused by his exasperating behavior and complained to the system: [This male lead number two is definitely off. ‘Men and women should not touch’—why doesn’t he just say he’s afraid of tarnishing my virtue!]
The system was already dying of laughter: [He probably didn’t see who it was at first and instinctively reached out to catch you. But then he looked and thought, ‘Oh crap, it’s that woman who used to chase me shamelessly. If I touch her now, will she latch onto me again? What do I do? What do I do? Maybe I’ll just let her fall? Better her than me… HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!]
The system’s vivid description was so on point that if Qi Mubai could hear it, he’d give that inner monologue a perfect score.
Because that was exactly what he was thinking.
That afternoon, his sister had called him from overseas, saying her little son was dead set on signing up for a painting class. Since she was abroad and couldn’t come back, she asked Qi Mubai to check out the studio.
He’d had his assistant look into it and found out the location. After work, he had his driver bring him over.
When he first walked in, he saw a graceful, slender silhouette.
The girl was wearing a flowy, floral-print dress with a hat folded from newspaper on her head, her long hair braided into a thick plait hanging at her side. At first glance, she looked quite demure.
At that moment, Qi Mubai hadn’t associated her with the “Christmas tree” who had once pursued him…
It wasn’t until the girl turned around and lost her footing that he instinctively moved to catch her—but after seeing her face, he forcibly stopped himself.
He was genuinely afraid of this woman latching onto him again. That unbearable, dreadful past—he really didn’t want to go through it again.
Chu Luyu couldn’t care less what this male lead number two was thinking. She was certain that if the same thing had happened with Jiang Hezhou, he would never have just stood by and watched her fall.
Even if he despised her inside, he would still show the proper kindness and decency.
That was the difference!
Hmph, no wonder Jiang Hezhou could beat him to become the male lead!
After getting up, Chu Luyu’s face still held a hint of displeasure as she shot him a less-than-friendly glance: “Can I help you?”
Qi Mubai paused, studied her for a moment, then said: “The flyer you handed out—my nephew took one. After he got home, he kept pestering my sister to sign him up.”
Chu Luyu blinked, instantly recalling the little short-legged young master from yesterday.
“Then your nephew has pretty good taste. For someone so young, he’s got better judgment than most people.”
Chu Luyu buttered him up, then immediately grabbed the brochure she had prepared and brought it over to Qi Mubai, fully treating him like a potential paying parent. She enthusiastically began introducing her interest class.
“My studio here—though it’s not big—the classes…”
Qi Mubai looked at the girl before him, finding it impossible to associate her with that woman from before.
Right now, she was confident. Perhaps because she was completely assured of her professional expertise, her eyes seemed to sparkle as she spoke, her soft, fair face looking absolutely radiant.
“—So, I recommend that you sign the little young master up for the premium one-on-one course. The annual fee for one-on-one here is only 33,000 yuan. For people at your social standing, that’s a steal, don’t you think?”
With that, the girl gave a mischievous blink, looking exceptionally understanding: “Of course, if you think it’s too cheap, you’re welcome to request a higher price. My studio only has a minimum standard—the upper limit is up to you.”
Qi Mubai felt he had plenty of money, but he wasn’t an idiot.
If anyone else had said that to him, he’d make sure they regretted it for a long, long time.
But right now, looking at her, he only found her flippant attitude rather endearing—and even felt a strange, fresh flutter of attraction in his chest.
He must be out of his mind.
After a long pause, Qi Mubai changed the subject abruptly: “Why aren’t you wearing makeup anymore?”
Chu Luyu: …………She really wanted to curse him out, arghhhhh.
Chu Luyu was truly at her limit and asked the system with utter exasperation: [Cuihua, does the male lead number two have any plot with me? It’s fine if I do whatever to him, right?]
System Cuihua: [What, you wanna hit him?]
Chu Luyu didn’t reply, but her expression had already turned cold.
“What business is it of yours whether I wear makeup or not? Are you buying the classes or not?”
Qi Mubai was taken aback, not expecting the girl to flip so suddenly.
“No, I came today to tell you not to waste your efforts on a child. The family won’t agree to him coming to your…” He glanced around meaningfully, his tone unconsciously laced with arrogance, “…tiny little workshop.”
Chu Luyu: [Oh my god, Cuihua, I’m about to explode! Why does someone like this get to be the male lead number two! Why does he get to have a romance arc with the sweet, soft female lead!]
System Cuihua: [It’s not really a romance arc—he just guards her from afar. The main leads are pretty 1V1 in the main plot.]
Chu Luyu: [I still can’t stand him! Petty, rude, and ridiculously arrogant! He’s nowhere near comparable to the male lead!]
At that thought, any pretense of politeness left her face.
“If you’re not buying classes, then leave. Don’t waste my time here. My workshop is small and can’t accommodate a great Buddha like you.”
Qi Mubai was somewhat speechless. He studied Chu Luyu and asked bluntly: “I notice you’ve really changed a lot. Is it because you’re engaged to someone else and have a new romantic interest, so now you treat me like this? Have you forgotten how you used to follow Chen Zhou around chasing after me?”
Chu Luyu’s patience was completely exhausted. She felt that from the moment they met, this man had been constantly testing her limits.
Her natural personality wasn’t particularly assertive—in fact, it was rather soft—but that didn’t mean she’d willingly let herself be looked down upon or bullied.
“So? Do you have a fetish for having people chase after you? If you’re that desperate, buy a one-year one-on-one course from me—then I’ll consider chasing you around for two laps.”
Qi Mubai: “…………”
Chu Luyu couldn’t be bothered with him anymore. She rolled her eyes inwardly and began tidying up, planning to head downstairs to wait for Jiang Hezhou.
Given his punctual, meticulous nature, his car would probably arrive in about ten minutes.
After packing up, she turned around to find that the man was still there.
Chu Luyu glared at him coldly: “What’s your deal? Standing here all this time, not leaving—looking for a fight?”
Qi Mubai felt he must be out of his mind.
He didn’t know why, but when he saw her packing up, he had inexplicably wanted to wait and go downstairs with her.
He said nothing more and silently turned to head toward the elevator outside.
The commercial space Chu Luyu rented was on a low floor—she had deliberately chosen the third floor in case the elevator wasn’t working.
Now, the two of them stood together in an awkward silence. As they waited for the elevator to come down from upstairs, Qi Mubai couldn’t help speaking again.
“If you don’t want to take the elevator with me, you can take the stairs.”
Chu Luyu shot him a look as if he were an idiot.
Then she complained to the system: [Cuihua, see? I told you—this male lead number two is definitely unhinged. What a nerve, telling me to take the stairs.]
System Cuihua: [Why do I feel like you become tougher whenever you’re dealing with him?]
Chu Luyu: [It’s because he’s so unlikeable! Don’t you find him insufferable!]
System Cuihua: [I don’t know much about him. In the main plot, he’s just the knight who silently protects the female lead… He’s quite gentlemanly around her.]
Chu Luyu: [I don’t care about that. All I know is that right now, in my book, he’s got no character and a lousy personality!]
System Cuihua: [Alright, alright, the male lead number two is a total jerk. If you can’t bring yourself to curse him out, I’ll do it for you.]
After being soothed by the system for a bit, Chu Luyu finally felt her temper settle.
Just then, the elevator finally arrived at the third floor. The doors opened, and she and Qi Mubai walked in one after the other.
Logically, from the third floor to the first, the elevator ride should take at most two or three seconds. But in those two or three seconds, something still went wrong.
As the elevator passed the second floor, it suddenly stopped without warning.
At first, Chu Luyu didn’t react—she thought someone had pressed the button on the second floor. But after waiting a moment and seeing the doors show no sign of opening, she finally realized something was off.
A moment later, the elevator’s control system seemed to have activated emergency protection mode. The overhead light went out, leaving only a small emergency light source.
Disliking the dimness, Chu Luyu fumbled for her phone and turned on the flashlight.
She wasn’t encountering this kind of elevator malfunction for the first time. Back in her real-world life, the elevator in her residential complex used to break down all the time. She’d been pretty scared at first, but over time she’d gotten used to it.
Right now, she calmly pressed the emergency call button from memory. The security office responded quickly, saying they’d send someone over right away.
After doing all that, she finally remembered there was someone else behind her. She glanced back instinctively—and saw the man cowering in the corner.
Huh? No way? Was it really like they said—nine out of ten CEOs have stomach issues, eight are afraid of women, and seven have claustrophobia?
She asked the system internally: [Cuihua, what’s up with him?]
System Cuihua: [Claustrophobia, duh. Don’t you remember? In the main plot, he flashed back to this—the female lead stayed with him in an elevator during one of his episodes, and that’s why he fell for her.]
Chu Luyu: […] So he’s got some childhood trauma about being kidnapped and locked in a box too?
System Cuihua: [Nope. He’s just a male lead number two—the writers probably didn’t want to waste too much ink on him. Pure phobia, no backstory.]
That was way too half-assed!
Chu Luyu looked at the man’s face, which had gone completely pale. In the end, she couldn’t bear to just stand by. She took a couple of steps toward him, crouched down in front of him, and asked:
“Are you okay?”
Qi Mubai was at a point where he could barely distinguish his surroundings anymore.
This was a condition that had followed him since childhood—inexplicable and incurable.
Normally, he rarely had episodes and could enter and exit elevators like any normal person. But whenever there was a malfunction, he’d immediately relapse.
At this moment, he sensed someone approaching him, accompanied by a beam of light. His vision was already blurred, and almost on pure instinct, he pulled the person in front of him into his arms.
In that instant, he clung to her like a piece of driftwood. Once he had her in his arms, he began gasping heavily.
Chu Luyu froze for two seconds. The moment she realized what he was doing, she reacted fiercely, trying to push him away.
But Qi Mubai’s arms seemed welded shut around her—he left no room for her to break free.
Fortunately, the security guard arrived shortly after. The elevator doors were pried open from the outside, and a flood of light poured into the car. The man finally showed signs of coming to his senses.
This time, Chu Luyu had no trouble pushing him off.
She stepped out of the elevator first and said to the security guard: “His driver or assistant should be waiting downstairs. Please wait here for a moment—if he still can’t leave on his own in a few minutes, go downstairs and contact them.”
When she walked outside, Jiang Hezhou’s car was already parked by the curb.
But there was no one inside. Chu Luyu looked around and spotted him just as he pushed open the door of a nearby milk tea shop, carrying a cup in hand.
He must have come straight from the municipal bureau today—he was still wearing his white lab coat. From a distance, his tall, straight figure exuded an air of cool, restrained detachment.
Chu Luyu felt like she could finally cleanse her eyes. Without comparison, there was no harm—she’d always thought the male lead was great, but after running into the male lead number two today, she thought the male lead was absolutely heavenly.
She couldn’t help herself—she went pattering over to him. The moment the man spotted her figure, the usual calm coolness in his eyes melted away.
“You went to buy me milk tea?”
“Mm. Taro tapioca, 50% sugar, with an extra serving of taro and an extra serving of boba.”
Chu Luyu’s earlier frustration with the male lead number two vanished in an instant. She took the milk tea and happily took a big, satisfying sip.
The little girl really looked like she was enjoying it—her eyes curved into crescent moons, her cheeks puffed out round and full as she swallowed, absolutely adorable.
“I might not have time to cook for you today. I called ahead and ordered some dishes from a restaurant. We’ll pick them up on the way back, then I’ll drop you off at home—I still need to head back to the bureau.”
“If you’re that busy, why did you come pick me up? It’s not like I can’t take a cab myself.”
Jiang Hezhou didn’t know how to answer.
Because the truth was, 80% of the reason he made this trip was out of selfishness.
He hadn’t seen her all day—he missed her. He really wanted to see her.
Even if it was only for the ride back, he felt the detour was well worth it.
But once they got in the car, his good mood abruptly came to an end.
Due to his profession, Jiang Hezhou had always been very sensitive to smells. The car was an enclosed space, and after Chu Luyu sat down, he could vaguely detect an unfamiliar fragrance on her.
A cool, woody oud—a very classic men’s cologne.
Jiang Hezhou’s hands tightened on the steering wheel unconsciously, the knuckles of his bent fingers turning white.
He stared straight ahead, seemingly focused on driving. It wasn’t until the car stopped at a red light that he spoke casually.
“Did anything special happen today?”
This was a topic the two of them always brought up during their car rides these days.
Chu Luyu was used to it and assumed it was just like any other day—she didn’t overthink it.
Leaning tiredly against the car door, she replied in a soft voice: “Nothing special—just the usual renovation stuff. We’ve reached the deep-cleaning stage. Once the tables, chairs, and drawing boards I ordered arrive tomorrow or the day after, the interest class should be ready for trial lessons.”
“Mm.” Jiang Hezhou kept his eyes on the road, his expression natural. But if one listened closely, a faint tension could be detected in his voice. “And people? Did you run into anyone out of the ordinary?”
That question immediately made Chu Luyu think of the male lead number two.
But on second thought, he was a romantic entanglement from the original owner’s past. Even though it was over, it probably wasn’t a good idea to bring him up with the male lead.
So she paused briefly, then casually said: “No, not really. I was with the renovation workers all day—when would I have time to run into anyone special?”
Jiang Hezhou’s expression cooled in an instant. Only one thought flashed through his mind—
She was lying.
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