That night’s practical lesson left Chu Luyu so embarrassed that she didn’t speak to Jiang Hezhou for several days afterward.
Logically, since he was back in Jingzhou, she should have returned to the apartment the next day. But instead, Chu Luyu used the excuse of wanting to spend more time with her mother, sent him a single message, and then ignored him completely.
She didn’t answer his calls, didn’t reply to his texts or WeChat messages. Even when Jiang Hezhou called Chu Yinyin twice, Chu Luyu just pretended to be asleep in her room.
Fortunately, although the case had made some progress, it still wasn’t truly closed. As the officer who’d been involved from start to finish, Jiang Hezhou had follow-up responsibilities to attend to.
During those brief few days, Chu Luyu broke down several times.
What she found most unbearable was that she had actually responded to the male lead’s touch—and not just a little.
The man’s low, husky, magnetic voice seemed to still echo in her ears. Especially when he said “you’re so wet,” the warm breath against her ear had felt electric, sending unfamiliar flashes of white light exploding in her brain.
Afterward, she asked the system in despair: [So what happened this time?! Why did the male lead actually go through with it?! I really felt like I was going to lose half my life, Cuihua!]
The system was also surprised by the male lead’s behavior that night. But after careful analysis, it tried to comfort Chu Luyu: [There’s not much we can do about this situation. Since the male lead hasn’t made up his mind to break off the engagement yet—hasn’t received that final big shock—even with that deep disgust value, he probably can’t refuse your requests. His damn sense of responsibility is just too strong. And you’re still his fiancée, after all!]
Chu Luyu: [But didn’t you say that in the original plot, he ignored the original host at this point?! Why is it different with me?!]
System Cuihua: [Minor plot details like this always have room for deviation. Remember how many times before the male lead didn’t follow the original development? But his disgust value toward you still goes up every day, which means we’re doing the tasks correctly. As for other differences—no need to worry about them.]
How could she not worry about it?!
She’d been a lifelong single—the type who’d feel awkward just making eye contact with a guy!
And yet she’d gotten that wet under the male lead’s fingers…
Chu Luyu couldn’t take it anymore and asked the system again: [So how much longer is this damned, task-controlled existence going to last?!]
System Cuihua: [Tasks are triggered randomly. We don’t know how many more are left. But as for the date when the engagement is supposed to be called off in the original plot—there are only 24 days left! Sweetie! Just 24 more days! Get through these 24 days, and we win!]
Chu Luyu was utterly devastated.
She felt like she could no longer face the male lead normally. Just seeing him—even just seeing a message from him—instantly brought back that night…
Just then, the phone on her bed suddenly rang again. She listlessly picked it up to look, then the next second, as if she’d seen a ghost, she flung it far away.
System Cuihua: [Ooh, another call from the male lead? You’re acting like such a heartbreaker—you did it and now you won’t take responsibility.]
Chu Luyu: [Shut up, please!]
The ringing looped until it automatically disconnected. The person on the other end didn’t call back again. Chu Luyu was just thinking about how quickly he’d given up today when, not two minutes later, she heard faint voices drifting up from downstairs through the crack in the door—
“Hezhou is here!”
Chu Luyu was startled. She didn’t even bother putting on shoes—she ran barefoot to the railing outside her room.
Looking down from upstairs, she spotted Jiang Hezhou at almost the first glance.
He must have just come from the bureau—he was wearing a long black coat, tall and lean, looking just as striking as ever.
Chu Yinyin greeted him at the door. Jiang Hezhou politely returned the greeting, and then, as if sensing something, he suddenly looked straight up.
Caught completely off guard, Chu Luyu found herself locking eyes with him across the floors. After a few seconds, his gaze drifted downward and he frowned.
“Why aren’t you wearing shoes?”
Hearing this, Chu Yinyin also noticed Chu Luyu’s bare feet.
She let out an “Oh dear” and quickly said: “Child, even though we have floor heating, you can’t just go around like this! Go put on your shoes!”
“Oh.”
Snapping back to reality, Chu Luyu scurried back to her room.
She closed the door and asked Cuihua: [What are the chances of me just hiding in my room all day and not going out?]
System Cuihua: [Zero. The male lead came here specifically to get you. Now that he’s here, there’s no way he’ll let you keep hiding!]
Chu Luyu: [Wuwuwu I wanna die.]
Sure enough, the man came up not long after.
He knocked symbolically on the door, and before Chu Luyu could react, the door opened from the outside.
She was still standing there. He immediately checked her feet, and upon seeing she still wasn’t wearing shoes, his brow furrowed again.
“You’re coming back to the apartment with me tonight.”
He spoke as he approached, having already taken off his coat. Now he wore only a thin black sweater. His tall figure suddenly crouched before her. From Chu Luyu’s angle, she could see his neatly trimmed short hair and the pale, cool nape of his neck.
He reached out, took her ankle, and slipped her slippers on. Then, still crouching, he looked up at her: “If you keep staying here, no one will be able to keep you in line.”
Just seeing him now made Chu Luyu feel uncontrollably self-conscious.
Her gaze darted away, and she instinctively pressed her lips together, mumbling quietly: “It’s not cold.”
Jiang Hezhou stood up and stared at her silently. He took a step closer, and she instinctively stepped back.
This evasive movement made him freeze in place.
His eyes unconsciously deepened. Chu Luyu could feel a heavy, weighty gaze pressing down on her from above. Her whole body tensed up, her limbs growing stiff, and she still hadn’t looked up.
Suddenly, footsteps sounded on the stairs—Chen Mian was coming up, sent by Chu Yinyin to call them down for fruit.
” Sis, brother-in-law, Mom says come down for fruit and chat. She also said Dad and my brother are on their way—they’re both coming home for dinner tonight.”
Jiang Hezhou silently looked away, but still stepped forward and took hold of Chu Luyu’s wrist.
“Let’s go downstairs first.”
His tone left no room for refusal. His grip was firm—she couldn’t break free at all.
When they went downstairs, their demeanor in front of Chu Yinyin was fairly natural.
Chu Yinyin observed them for a while. Seeing that her future son-in-law’s hand remained on her precious daughter’s waist—an intimate gesture with no sign of tension—she quietly breathed a sigh of relief.
Recently, her daughter had been holed up at home all day, apparently not contacting her fiancé. Chu Yinyin had worried they might have had a falling out, but thankfully, things seemed fine now.
By the time the food was on the table, both father and son Chen had arrived home.
Taking advantage of the moment Jiang Hezhou went to wash his hands, Chu Luyu quietly slipped over to sit next to Chu Yinyin.
Chu Yinyin was a bit surprised. “Why aren’t you sitting with Hezhou?”
Chu Luyu pouted, putting on a deliberately coquettish act: “What’s wrong? Can’t your precious daughter spend some time with you?”
Not far away, Chen Zhou and Jiang Hezhou, who had walked out of the restroom one after the other, both witnessed this scene.
Chen Zhou had been staying at home for the past few days and naturally knew that Chu Luyu hadn’t returned to Jiang Hezhou’s apartment for quite a while.
Hearing Chu Luyu’s words now, his expression couldn’t quite hide his satisfaction: “Xiao Yu’s childish side is acting up again. Don’t mind her.”
Jiang Hezhou was sharp enough to catch the subtle implication in Chen Zhou’s words—
[See? Didn’t I warn you before? The girl hasn’t grown up yet. Her feelings are fickle. She might like you yesterday and not like you today.]
Jiang Hezhou’s gaze had already turned very deep, but his expression remained unchanged. In response to Chen Zhou’s comment, he only said calmly: “No matter. At the end of the day, we’re the ones getting married. It’s only right that I’m patient with her.”
With that, he paid no further attention to Chen Zhou’s response and walked straight toward the dining room.
Chen Zhou’s previously pleased expression froze for a moment. In a place no one could see, an unnaturally cold glint flickered across his eyes.
Chu Yinyin was still scolding Chu Luyu, telling her not to throw little tantrums. Just then, Jiang Hezhou walked over, grabbed the girl’s wrist, and pulled her to her feet.
The bracelets on their wrists clinked together with a soft sound. She turned back in surprise, but the man wasn’t looking at her—instead, he said to Chu Yinyin: “It’s my fault. I did something wrong a few days ago and upset her. She’s probably still holding a grudge. I’ll coax her later and make it right.”
Chen Mian, with his granny-gray hair, couldn’t resist butting in with a teasing grin: “So that’s why she’s been camped out here all week. Before you went on your business trip, she stayed at your place by herself and only came back on Lidong… Turns out you pissed off Her Highness. You’re in trouble.”
Jiang Hezhou guided Chu Luyu to their usual seats. Hearing Chen Mian’s comment, he smiled: “No worries. I’ll take whatever punishment I deserve.”
The two sat side by side for the rest of the meal, not talking much. Jiang Hezhou still took care of her as always—peeling shrimp for her so no one else needed to step in.
Chen Huanian was delighted to have Jiang Hezhou at home for once. He brought out a bottle of wine he’d been saving for a long time. Jiang Hezhou, not wanting to spoil the mood, let the elder fill his glass cup after cup—and drank them all.
As the meal wound down, someone suddenly exclaimed, “It’s snowing outside!”
Chen Mian, still young and excitable, immediately rushed into the yard. A moment later, he came running back in, thrilled.
“It’s really snowing! This must be Jingzhou’s first snowfall of the year, right?”
Chu Yinyin saw her son acting like a little monkey and called out with a laugh: “Get back inside! You’re only wearing a thin sweater—you’ll catch a cold!”
Then, hesitating, she looked at Jiang Hezhou: “It’s snowing out there today, and the roads back to the city aren’t great. Why don’t you stay the night, Hezhou? You can head back in the morning.”
Chen Huanian chimed in: “Right, right—and he’s been drinking. A ride in the car now would just give him a headache.”
Chen Zhou, who had been sitting quietly, suddenly spoke up: “The guest rooms haven’t been used in a while—they’re probably not well-kept. Would that be suitable for a guest?”
Jiang Hezhou didn’t even spare him a glance, only smiled and said: “I don’t think I really count as a guest anymore. Besides, I don’t need a guest room—Xiao Yu and I can share a room.”
Chu Luyu froze, while the smile on Chen Zhou’s face faded considerably.
Chen Zhou said: “You’re not married yet. Sharing a room might not be appropriate, don’t you think?”
This time, before Jiang Hezhou could respond, Chen Mian butted in casually: “What’s inappropriate about it? My sis has been pretty bold before—she even kissed him in public…”
Chu Luyu knew exactly what he was about to say and quickly called out in warning: “Chen Mian!”
Chen Mian shot her a look that said “What are you gonna do about it?” and kept teasing her.
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