Chapter 14 Hesitation Leads to Defeat

The black Rolls-Royce drove smoothly through the night. Inside, Qi Xin was reporting his work to Lu Jinyuan, and Jiang Qingying didn't want to interrupt.

Her attention was mostly focused on the night view outside the car window, and she only half-listened to their conversation. After a long while, when they finally finished, she turned to look at him. "On the way?"

Instead of answering, Lu Jinyuan asked, "Do you believe me?"

"Of course I don't believe it!" Jiang Qingying glanced at him irritably. "President Lu really doesn't waste a single resource."

Tonight's awards ceremony was already a hot topic. With so many eyes watching, including celebrities from the entertainment industry, there were naturally many media outlets present, not to mention the several cars full of paparazzi hiding in the shadows.

She and Lu Jinyuan are both big figures in Nanzhou City, and their popularity is definitely no less than that of top-tier celebrities. Exclusive headlines are probably already prepared, and their names will likely appear on the trending searches in about ten minutes.

It has both fame and buzz; what a clever publicity stunt.

Jiang Qingying spoke first, "The group's public relations department will issue a statement tomorrow announcing the marriage. You just need to cooperate."

Lu Jinyuan understood but said nothing, as if it were something he had expected.

Silence fell over the car, the only sounds being the car driving and the howling of the night wind. The dim streetlights cast alternating shadows on Lu Jinyuan's face, outlining the smooth lines of his profile. He was immersed in the darkness of the night, his eyes lowered as he looked at the tablet in his hand, his arm casually resting on the armrest, his well-defined index finger slowly sliding across the screen.

His relaxed and languid posture, combined with the suit he was wearing, surprisingly gave him a mature-beyond-his-years feel.

Jiang Qingying hadn't looked at him so closely in a long time, so long that... she had almost forgotten their first meeting without realizing it. But the hippocampus, which stores memories, only needs a little reminder to bring them back, just like a drop of ink in clear water can create ripples all over the place.

“You haven’t really changed much over the years. It would be even more obvious if you took off your suit.”

Upon hearing this, Lu Jinyuan lifted his eyelids, meeting her bright black eyes that shone even in the darkness, and asked in a low voice, "You mean ten years ago?"

Jiang Qingying acquiesced.

Lu Jinyuan laughed, "I'm thirty this year, not some greenhorn in his early twenties."

Jiang Qingying smiled, her lips curving upwards. "Not blond, but he has a strong youthful vibe, the kind of melancholic youth."

Tonight, Jiang Qingying suddenly felt nostalgic, recalling past events as if she had returned to the past. She was immersed in memories, and her guardedness and sharp edges seemed to be temporarily put away.

Lu Jinyuan had no habit of reminiscing about the past. He was busy dealing with the things at hand and didn't care about her or respond to her words.

Jiang Qingying, unusually good-tempered, didn't get angry at his neglect. Instead, she was possessed by the mischievous little girl from back then, staring at him with mischievous thoughts in her eyes.

Just like back then.

That year, Jiang Qingying was seventeen years old. It was during the May Day holiday, and she went to visit her cousin at a university in a neighboring city. However, her cousin was a graduate student at the time and didn't have time to play with her. During those few days, she spent most of her time wandering around the university by herself.

Jiang Qingying met Lu Jinyuan in a coffee shop. At that time, Lu Jinyuan was working in the coffee shop, and Jiang Qingying was waiting for her cousin to finish her experiment. She could only find a seat in the shop and listlessly prop her head up and stare blankly.

"Your coffee."

A clear, deep voice reached her ears from above, and Jiang Qingying subconsciously looked over, but what she felt first was her sense of smell.

It smells like fir.

A calming woody scent evokes the feeling of being deep in a snow-capped forest, cool and sophisticated. The subtle fragrance of plants collides with the bittersweet aroma of warm coffee, instantly soothing her restless heart.

Jiang Qing's eyes flickered as he found his target and locked his gaze on the source of the scent. He paused for a moment, and the first word that came to mind was "absolute".

Jiang Qingying's lustful nature was inherited from her mother. She was raised with this upbringing and was influenced by her mother. Children from wealthy families are usually good-looking and have good temperaments, but it is rare to find someone like her.

Gloomy, yet charismatic.

A melancholy lingered in his detached, aloof eyes, cold and ruthless. The young man stood tall and straight, his movements as graceful as a bamboo shoot. He wore the coffee shop's employee uniform, but it did nothing to diminish his unapproachable aura.

Xiao felt Jiang Qingying's gaze was too intense. The young man looked at her with a cold and indifferent gaze, his eyes silently questioning her.

Jiang Qingying chose an outdoor spot. The sunlight filtering through the parasol only cast a few rays onto her, yet it bathed her in a soft glow. Her beautiful fox-like eyes looked perfectly natural on her slightly childish face, and her smile was like a seductive hook, always hitting its mark.

No one could resist him; he was the first.

The boy waited only a second, and when he received no response, he turned and left, leaving only his back to her as she smiled knowingly.

Jiang Qingying raised an eyebrow, seemingly unconcerned.

On the contrary, I was very happy because I was delighted to have appreciated such a beautiful and precious object.

"What are you looking at?" Her cousin, who had rushed over, interrupted her openly admiring the treasure.

Jiang Qingying pointed to the coffee counter and asked softly, "Do you know him?"

Her cousin looked over and answered without much thought, "Lu Jinyuan, a junior in college."

Are you familiar with this place?

"I'm not familiar with him, I just know him. After all, good looks are everything, and he has a lot of admirers, but he doesn't like to talk to people."

Jiang Qingying chuckled, looked away, and realized that he really didn't like to talk to people.

"...It's fun."

"Huh?" Her voice was soft, and her cousin didn't quite hear her. "What did you say?"

Jiang Qingying's eyes darted around. "She didn't say anything."

For the next two days, Jiang Qingying appeared at the coffee shop regularly, just in time for Lu Jinyuan's shift. She would smile and follow him closely, and even when caught, she didn't flinch, but instead smiled even more blatantly.

Of course, Jiang Qingying wasn't a pervert; she just watched people laugh without doing anything.

The day before, Jiang Qingying slipped a note into his apron pocket with her contact information and a sentence on it.

Hesitation will lead to defeat.

A very confident statement: You'll definitely regret missing out on me.

As expected, Jiang Qingying didn't receive a response. So the next day, she stood directly in front of him, her hands resting on the service counter, her eyes sparkling with a smile, and asked, "Why didn't you contact me?"

Lu Jinyuan was busy with work and paid no attention to it.

Jiang Qingying continued, "I've been waiting for you all night."

This time, Lu Jinyuan actually gave her a look.

"If you hadn't looked up at me, I would have thought you were deaf. But it would be good if you could say something to prove you're not mute."

He was certainly not mute; he had spoken, whether it was one of the few times he said something to Jiang Qingying that day, or when he was taking orders for other customers.

"Have you never learned manners and reserve?"

Jiang Qingying had achieved her goal and was in high spirits. "I think I was quite polite. As for being reserved..."

A lustful person has no sense of restraint.

Lu Jinyuan remained silent, his cold gaze meeting hers. For a fleeting moment, as if frozen in time, less than a second had passed. Her fox-like eyes were like silky smooth, richly colored silk, her pale red lips slightly upturned, revealing a hint of infatuation in her expression.

Hesitation will lead to defeat.

Even if he couldn't control himself for a fraction of a second, he would be hooked by her foxhook.

Hesitation will lead to defeat.

He finally read the same sentence aloud ten years later.

Jiang Qingying snapped out of her thoughts, regaining her aloof demeanor, but couldn't help asking, "So you read that note."

"I've seen it." Lu Jinyuan finally looked away from the tablet, gazing into her eyes. His thin lips parted slightly, his voice low and cold, like the evening wind whistling past outside the car. "I threw it away after I finished watching it."

Jiang Qingying was both angry and amused. Hesitating would lead to defeat, so she threw it away immediately after reading it. She had never hidden her playfulness back then. If he ignored her and didn't respond, so be it. A noble young lady had her pride, and being rejected once was enough.

Besides, she had no intention of doing anything to Lu Jinyuan; at that time, she was more interested in playing than in falling in love.

She didn't even feel that she had ever been tempted.