After a short while, Lu Yanting finally stopped what he was doing, raised his head slightly, and asked in a low, husky voice, still with lingering desire in his eyes, "Where is the thing I gave you?"

Qiu Mang seemed to have been suddenly awakened from a beautiful dream, her eyes glazed and unfocused, filled with a mixture of confusion and shyness. She subconsciously pointed to the bedside table beside her, her fingertips trembling slightly.

Lu Yanting looked in the direction she was pointing, stretched out his long arm, opened the bedside table, and instantly, several boxes of different brands and exquisite packaging came into view.

The man's lips curled slightly upward, and his narrow eyes narrowed slightly. "Looks like I was just being redundant. Were you waiting for me?"

Qiu Mang's cheeks burned at his blunt words, and she nodded subconsciously, but then seemed to realize something and shook her head in a panic.

Qiu Mang stammered as he explained, "I... since we have a deal, I naturally have to do my part."

Lu Yanting slightly curled his lips, his eyes playful, "So, those rejections just now were perhaps a way of playing hard to get?"

Qiu Mang bit her lower lip, trying to calm herself down, but her voice still trembled slightly, soft and sweet: "I'm really afraid of disturbing Xiao Peng..."

"Whatever!"

Before Qiu Mang could finish speaking, Lu Yanting forcefully swallowed the rest of her words.

...

At one o'clock in the morning, Qiu Mang woke up in bed and felt a little thirsty. She groggily prepared to get up and go to the kitchen for a drink of water.

She raised her hand and rubbed her aching temples, and the passionate and crazy scenes from last night flooded into her mind like a tide.

She glanced instinctively to her side; in the dim light, the bed was empty, and she was all alone. It seemed Lu Yanting had left.

Qiu Mang put on her slippers and gently opened the door, where a faint light came into view.

She looked closely and saw Lu Yanting standing quietly on the balcony smoking.

The man held a cigarette between his fingers, wisps of smoke rising from his fingertips, while his other hand rested on the railing. His head was slightly bowed, and his usually tall and upright figure now appeared inexplicably desolate.

Hearing the slight noise behind him, Lu Yanting slowly turned around. In an instant, their eyes met in the air, and for a moment, the air seemed to freeze.

"I...I got up to get some water." Qiu Mang pointed somewhat awkwardly toward the kitchen and explained in a low voice.

The man nodded slightly, stubbed out the still-lit cigarette in the ashtray, turned around and slowly walked over, sitting down on the sofa.

Qiu Mang strode to the kitchen, poured herself a glass of water and drank it down in one gulp. Just as she was about to return to her room, she heard a man's deep, hoarse voice, tinged with weariness, behind her.

"Come and stay with me for a while, if you can, please stay with me for a little while, okay?"

Qiu Mang stopped in her tracks, hesitated for a moment, and finally nodded, turning around and walking over.

"What would you like to talk about?" she asked softly, sitting down next to Lu Yanting.

Lu Yanting glanced at her, his gaze deep and complex, and then said, "We can talk about anything."

Qiu Mang moved slightly closer to him, looked up at him and said, "I saw you smoking just now, and you didn't look too good."

Lu Yanting stiffened slightly, seemingly surprised by her sharpness, then shook his head with a wry smile: "You can even tell that?"

Qiu Mang was taken aback, her gaze lingering on his face for a moment, a hint of inquiry in her eyes: "It's hard to imagine that someone as decisive and seemingly invincible as you in the business world would have his own troubles?"

Lu Yanting casually placed his hand on the sofa armrest, his fingers unconsciously tapping twice, making a dull sound: "Of course, everyone has troubles, but everyone's troubles are different."

"Then, can you tell me about it?" Qiu Mang raised her eyes, her clear eyes reflecting the starlight outside the window, full of sincerity and concern.

Lu Yanting took a deep breath, as if he had made a great decision, and slowly said, "Do you remember when I told you about the time I was kidnapped with Xu Jingyan?"

Qiu Mang nodded and answered without hesitation, "I remember. It's truly remarkable that Xu Jingyan would go to such lengths to save you."

Lu Yanting lowered his head slightly, his hair obscuring his eyes, making it impossible to discern his emotions: "The group that tried to kidnap us before has returned."

Qiu Mang's eyes widened, her face filled with shock and astonishment: "What? You mean, those people weren't caught before?"

Lu Yanting's eyelashes trembled slightly, as if recalling those thrilling past events: "No, they came prepared. All the surveillance cameras on that section of the road were destroyed back then. Perhaps the people behind them were too powerful. We didn't manage to catch anyone back then. I suspect they all went abroad afterward."

Qiu Mang frowned, bent her legs and put them on the sofa, hugged her knees with her arms, and said thoughtfully, "So, you're worried that those people will come back and cause you trouble?"

Lu Yanting shook his head, his voice low and helpless: "It's hard to say. They should be an organization that works for a certain person. I just don't know if that person's target is still our Lu family."

Qiu Mang nodded seriously and said firmly, "Then we should still be careful during this period."

After saying that, as if to ease the tense atmosphere, the girl casually picked up the fruit salad on the table, scooped out a spoonful, and started eating.

Lu Yanting turned to look at her, a barely perceptible glint in his eyes, and then asked, "So, are you afraid to be with me?"

"Cough cough cough..."

Qiu Mang had just taken a bite of strawberry when his sudden question made her choke. She hurriedly put down the fruit salad, grabbed a tissue to cover her mouth, and coughed until tears welled up in her eyes.

After a long pause, she finally raised her head, her eyes brimming with tears, and looked at Lu Yanting with a hint of reproach on her face: "Why did you suddenly ask this?"

Looking at her like this, Lu Yanting's lips curled up slightly, revealing a rare smile. He reached out and gently patted her back to help her catch her breath: "It's nothing, I just asked casually."

Qiu Mang nodded, picked up the fruit salad again, scooped out a small bite, and carefully put it into her mouth.

Suddenly, Qiu Mang's eyes lit up, as if he had thought of something new. A sly smile appeared on his lips as he chuckled, "Is there another possibility? They found me and asked me to poison you."

Upon hearing this, Lu Yanting was taken aback at first, then threw his head back and burst into laughter. He glanced at another fruit salad on the table, where a piece of fruit was wrapped in thick yogurt, shimmering enticingly in the dim light.