Chu Luyu shot him a soft, resigned glare and replied: “This bracelet has been locked on my wrist the whole time. Even if I tried to run, you’d catch me within half an hour anyway. I’m too lazy to go through all that trouble.”
Jiang Hezhou smiled, and the tenderness in his eyes finally returned somewhat to how it used to be when he looked at her. “Baby’s such a good girl.”
The hotpot restaurant was located on a food street in the city center. The entire street was filled with trendy internet-famous eateries, drawing a large crowd of young people looking to check in. They only found out upon arrival that the owner of this place was Xiao Yan’s brother, and they had chosen to eat here tonight to show their support.
The place was packed with people. A waiter led them all the way to a private room on the second floor, where the environment was relatively quieter.
When the door opened, besides Zhang Jiting, Ji Chen, Xiao Yan, and the others, there were also a few other friends from their social circle—not as close, but still on speaking terms.
This was Chu Luyu’s first time meeting these people. They all seemed very curious about her, constantly stealing glances at her throughout the meal. Two of the more outgoing ones kept calling her “little sister-in-law” this and that, making Chu Luyu’s social anxiety flare up. She felt incredibly uncomfortable throughout the entire hotpot dinner.
Jiang Hezhou noticed her discomfort midway and asked in a low voice if she wanted to leave early. Chu Luyu thought about it but shook her head, saying she’d finish the meal first.
After all, it was rare for them to go out, and this was a support event for Xiao Yan’s brother. It wouldn’t look good for her to drag Jiang Hezhou away in the middle of it.
Finally, as the meal neared its end, Chu Luyu said she wanted to go to the restroom to wash her hands. Jiang Hezhou nodded, took her hand, and stood up with her.
A friend nearby immediately noticed their movement and quickly said: “Hezhou, what’s going on? Are you and little sister-in-law leaving already?”
Jiang Hezhou indeed had no intention of coming back. He nodded and said: “We’re pretty much done. I’ll take her to the restroom and then we’ll head home. You all take your time. Send me the bill later—it’s on me.”
“Come on, we rarely get to see you! How can you leave right after eating? Is little sister-in-law too clingy and won’t let you stay out longer? That won’t do—equality between men and women is important these days. You can’t just give in to her on everything.”
As soon as those words left his mouth, Jiang Hezhou’s gaze turned several degrees colder. He stared at the speaker, saying nothing, but his eyes already carried that quiet, intimidating force.
The atmosphere around the table dropped considerably. The small hotpots placed one after another around the table continued to bubble and steam. Zhang Jiting, seeing that his brother was about to lose it again, quickly jumped in.
“You’ve got that wrong. Between Jiang Er and little sister-in-law, he’s always been the clingy one. She doesn’t even need to stick to him—he sticks to her all on his own.”
The tension eased a little at that. Zhang Jiting nudged Xiao Yan under the table, and she quickly got up and walked over to them.
“Today’s the opening day, and my brother’s been too busy to come chat with us properly. We’ll find another time to hang out just us, and then we’ll make him treat us to a big feast!”
Chu Luyu smiled and nodded. “Sure.”
This time, when they said they were leaving, no one dared to stop them. Just before the private room door closed, Chu Luyu heard someone inside ask quietly: “Hezhou really treats her like the apple of his eye, huh? Can’t even say one extra word about her.”
A moment later, Zhang Jiting’s voice drifted over lazily: “Since you know your Hezhou ge treats her like the apple of his eye, next time keep your mouth shut.”
Only after the two had walked far away did Chu Luyu say to Jiang Hezhou: “That guy didn’t even say anything that bad. You making a face like that—they’re definitely going to talk behind your back later.”
Jiang Hezhou’s expression remained indifferent. “Doesn’t matter. I don’t have much to do with them anyway. If they don’t like it, we just won’t associate with them anymore.”
Chu Luyu looked at him and said: “You’re not associating with this one, not associating with that one. One day, you’re going to end up all alone.”
“As long as I have you with me, it’s fine.” As he held her hand, his grip was very tight. “All of them combined can’t compare to even one of you. They don’t matter.”
Chu Luyu sighed inwardly but didn’t say anything more.
When they later reached the entrance of the women’s restroom, he still didn’t let go of her.
Chu Luyu shook her arm and looked at him quizzically. “What? Are you going to come in with me too?”
Jiang Hezhou remained silent and didn’t let go. After a long moment, he asked in a calm tone: “Keep the phone call connected?”
???
!!!!!!!!!
Chu Luyu’s face darkened. She stared at him and said, “Jiang Hezhou, if you keep this up, it’s going to be really hard for me not to think of you as a pervert.”
The man chuckled at her words, his voice low and husky with a magnetic quality, his tone carrying a double meaning: “You call me that every single night, don’t you? I’ve heard it plenty of times.”
Chu Luyu couldn’t take it anymore. She thought for a moment, then handed over her phone and coat to him.
“I don’t have a single cent on me. Now that my phone and coat are with you, even if I ran out, I’d freeze to death in no time because I couldn’t afford a cab. Besides, this restroom is on the second floor, and the window probably isn’t that big, right? Even if I could jump out through it, I’d most likely break my leg… You know I’m terrified of pain. There’s no way I’d put myself in that kind of danger.”
Jiang Hezhou didn’t say anything more after that. He just ruffled her hair and said, “Go on, then.”
Over by the restroom, Xu Fengqing came out and happened to brush past Chu Luyu.
She seemed to have completely forgotten who Chu Luyu was. As they passed each other, they exchanged a glance, but she didn’t say a word.
Xu Fengqing returned to the private room and, amid the lively atmosphere, called out to Chen Zhou.
“Chen Zhou, I just ran into your stepmother’s daughter—oh wait, I guess she’s not your stepmother anymore, is she? Your dad’s divorcing her soon, right?”
“Yeah, soon.” Chen Zhou’s smile, which had just surfaced, hadn’t faded yet. He followed Xu Fengqing’s lead and said, “Is she also here eating with friends?”
“No, she’s with that second young master of the Jiang family. But those two are really lovey-dovey now. I saw that Jiang guy watching his girlfriend like a hawk. When I was washing my hands inside, I overheard some of what they were saying. For some reason, he seemed really afraid she’d run off. He followed her to the bathroom, and when your step-sister went in, she handed over her coat and phone to him, looking all obedient and demure.”
After Xu Fengqing finished, someone else in the private room chimed in: “Jiang Er does seem pretty into that girl. I heard he’s already started looking for people to help plan the wedding.”
Chen Zhou’s expression shifted, his smile fading slightly. “Wedding?”
“Yeah, I heard he’s been looking for wedding planners. Apparently, he said they’ll get their marriage license in a few months and have the wedding right after.”
Chen Zhou’s expression went completely cold. When he spoke again, the smile curling at his lips was rather icy: “He just got his own brother sent away, and now he’s already planning a wedding. He sure has a lot of leisure time.”
—
After they got back, the two parked the car in the garage and took a couple of laps around the neighborhood.
The night sky was unusually clear tonight. During winter, it was rare for the moon to be fully visible without being obscured by clouds. They strolled leisurely under the moonlight, Chu Luyu’s small hand firmly clasped in Jiang Hezhou’s palm, tucked into his coat pocket.
This was one of the rare moments of leisure and peace they’d had recently, and Chu Luyu was thoroughly enjoying it. As they walked, she felt bold enough to ask for a little more sweetness, so she said to Jiang Hezhou: “Jiang Hezhou, can we please not use that chain leash tonight? And can we not sleep in that cage either? We’re not birds—what’s the point of sleeping in a cage all the time…”
Hearing this, Jiang Hezhou suddenly froze, his steps halting as he turned to look at her.
Under the night sky, the man’s features were strikingly handsome, and the gaze behind his glasses pressed down on her heavily in that moment. “You still want to leave.”
Chu Luyu was truly exasperated. She pulled her hand out, stood on her tiptoes, and grabbed his face with both hands.
“Is it that every time I bring up this topic, you go into fight-or-flight mode? Which ear of yours heard me say I want to run away? Besides, all my documents are with you, and this bracelet is still on my wrist. Even if I wanted to run, where could I possibly go?”
Jiang Hezhou stared at her like that and replied: “You don’t belong here. So in a sense—whether it’s taking away your documents or keeping the bracelet on you—if you really want to leave, none of those things matter.”
Chu Luyu thought about it and realized he had a point. She was just about to say a few more words to him when, suddenly, she heard a passerby in the distance shout: “Get out of the way!! A flowerpot is falling from upstairs!!!”
Chu Luyu didn’t react at all, but Jiang Hezhou looked up sharply. His expression changed in an instant as he shoved the girl away from in front of him!
He had intended to step back as well, but by then it was too late. He only managed to move halfway before the flowerpot crashed down onto one of his feet.
Jiang Hezhou’s face went rigid in an instant, pain flashing in his eyes. Chu Luyu rushed back to his side in panic, quickly supporting him.
“How are you? Can you move your foot?”
Sweat beaded at the corners of the man’s forehead. His expression remained relatively composed, but his words nearly scared Chu Luyu to death: “Two of my toes hurt a lot right now. At this level of pain, the mildest outcome would probably be a hairline fracture.”
The passerby who had shouted at them earlier also ran over.
He looked deeply shaken, patting his chest as he glanced upward: “It’s the middle of winter—how could a flowerpot fall from a high floor? That’s so strange. And at this temperature, leaving a flowerpot outside, wouldn’t any plant freeze to death?”
As if realizing something, Chu Luyu’s gaze immediately fell on the shattered flowerpot on the ground. Among the debris scattered on the floor were not only shards of the pot but also quite a bit of potting soil and a green plant that still looked fairly healthy.
In an instant, a chill ran down her spine. Staring at the oddly suspicious wreckage on the ground, she couldn’t help but call out to the system: [Cuihua…]
The system was silent for a long time. When it finally spoke, its words made her feel utterly hopeless: [Yes, baby. You guessed right. It’s the plot kill.]
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