Chapter 369 My Rival Lives Next Door
The Lu family members all nodded in agreement.
Lu Jingyuan stood in the crowd, looking at Su Wantang with a hint of admiration in his eyes.
Su Wantang felt a little embarrassed by the old man's words.
Lu Jingyan took her hand and smiled at her.
Dinner was a lavish affair, a rare occasion for the Lu family to gather together so well.
During the meal, Grandpa Lu kept putting food on Su Wantang's plate, saying, "Eat more, you're taking care of two people now."
Meng Wan chimed in, "Yes, Wan Tang, you should eat more. You've lost weight these past few days."
The food in Su Wantang's bowl was piled up like a small mountain.
Lu Jingyan looked at her, his eyes full of smiles.
After finishing their meal, Lu Jingyan and Su Wantang returned to their small courtyard.
As soon as they entered the room, Lu Jingyan walked up to Su Wantang and picked her up in his arms.
"What?" Su Wantang was startled.
"You've been working yourself to the bone these past few days." Lu Jingyan placed her on the bed. "I'll take care of you."
“You’re still injured.” Su Wantang tried to sit up.
"I'm fine." Lu Jingyan pressed her down. "You lie down."
He went to the bathroom to run hot water, then came back and picked her up.
"Lu Jingyan, your wound..." Su Wantang said worriedly.
"It's alright, Dr. Chen said I'm recovering very well." Lu Jingyan put her into the bathtub.
The warm water enveloped her body, and Su Wantang sighed comfortably.
Lu Jingyan squatted down by the bathtub and picked up a towel to wipe her back.
"You haven't had a proper rest these past few days."
"How can I sleep when you're like that?" Su Wantang said.
Lu Jingyan stopped what he was doing and looked at her: "Wantang, I'm sorry."
"Don't say sorry." Su Wantang turned to look at him. "It's good that you're alright."
Lu Jingyan stared at her, his gaze gradually deepening.
He leaned down and kissed her lips.
The kiss was light and gentle, filled with the preciousness of something lost and then regained.
Su Wantang closed her eyes and responded to him.
After a long while, the two parted ways.
Lu Jingyan's breathing was a little erratic.
He looked at Su Wantang's slightly flushed face, his Adam's apple bobbing a few times.
“Wantang…” His voice was terribly hoarse.
Su Wantang looked at him, her heart racing.
Lu Jingyan lifted her out of the bathtub and wrapped her in a bath towel.
Back in the bedroom, he put her on the bed.
Under the dim light, Su Wantang's skin glowed white.
As Lu Jingyan looked at her, the restraint in his eyes crumbled little by little.
"Wantang." He leaned down and whispered in her ear, "This time it's my turn... to serve you."
......
The next morning, Su Wantang woke up at almost nine o'clock.
She propped herself up in bed, feeling her belly had grown even bigger. Reaching the study door, she found it ajar, and heard the sound of papers turning inside.
She pushed open the door and went in, and saw Lu Jingyan sitting at the table with a stack of documents in front of him.
She recognized those documents; they were reports about Tangdi Group and Haitang Technology that she had compiled a few days ago.
"What are you looking at?" she asked as she walked over.
Lu Jingyan didn't even look up, continuing to flip through the ledger in his hand.
“Look at your businesses,” he said matter-of-factly.
Su Wantang was taken aback: "Why are you looking at this?"
Lu Jingyan then raised his head and looked at her: "You are carrying two babies now, so I will take care of these things from now on. You just need to focus on your pregnancy."
Su Wantang was both amused and exasperated: "These are all my own businesses."
“What’s yours is mine.” Lu Jingyan put down his pen, stood up and walked to her. “I’m yours now, so your businesses are naturally under my control.”
Su Wantang was stunned by his words.
Isn't that something she said before?
How come he's using it to shut himself up now?
She glared at him: "You have a lot of twisted logic."
Lu Jingyan smiled and reached out to touch her belly: "This isn't twisted logic, it's the truth. Your most important task right now is to take good care of your health and give birth to a healthy, chubby son."
Su Wantang slapped his hand away: "Who said it has to be a son?"
“Sons and daughters are the same.” Lu Jingyan pulled her to sit down on a chair. “Sit down first, I’ll go get you breakfast.”
After he finished speaking, he turned and left the study.
Su Wantang leaned back in her chair, looking at the documents on the table that he had flipped through in a mess, and a feeling she couldn't quite describe welled up inside her.
She never imagined in her life that someone would so domineeringly take over all her affairs and then claim it was for her own good.
Lu Jingyan brought back breakfast: a bowl of millet porridge, two steamed eggs, and several side dishes.
He set out the bowls and chopsticks, then pulled up a chair and sat down next to her.
"Eat up, Aunt Wang says this millet is good for the stomach, eat more."
Su Wantang picked up her chopsticks and took a bite of the steamed egg.
Lu Jingyan sat beside her, looking at the documents while glancing up at her every now and then.
“Don’t just stare at me, I’m not a child,” Su Wantang said.
"I just want to see it," Lu Jingyan said matter-of-factly.
After Su Wantang finished breakfast, Lu Jingyan cleared away the dishes and went out.
She leaned against the door frame, watching the man intently reading documents under the lamp, and suddenly felt that this kind of life, where she was pampered and didn't have to worry about anything, seemed pretty good.
After Lu Jingyan's injuries were fully healed, he resumed his daily morning exercise.
However, he was no longer alone. Su Wantang would take a leisurely stroll in the courtyard with Wang Ma, watching him practice boxing.
That morning, Su Wantang returned from her walk and discovered that a new neighbor had moved into the previously vacant courtyard next door.
The gate to the courtyard was open, and people were moving things inside.
Wang Ma peeked out curiously, then returned to Su Wantang and said, "Miss, I heard it's a young female cadre surnamed Shen who was recently transferred to the General Staff Department, named Shen Qing."
Su Wantang raised an eyebrow when she heard the name.
Lu Jingyan had just returned from his morning exercise when he heard the news, and his brows immediately furrowed.
"How did she end up moving here?" His voice was a little deep.
Su Wantang glanced at him: "What do you think?"
Lu Jingyan's expression turned even uglier.
He knew, of course, that this couldn't be a coincidence.
The houses in this compound were allocated according to rank and seniority. How could Shen Qing, a cadre who had just been transferred, possibly be assigned to a house next to theirs?
Someone must be behind this.
Su Wantang looked at his expression and laughed: "What, you're not welcoming your old comrade-in-arms?"
Lu Jingyan immediately shook his head: "There's nothing between me and her."
"I know." Su Wantang patted his arm. "Don't be nervous, I didn't say anything."
Lu Jingyan breathed a sigh of relief, but his brows remained furrowed.
He knew this was no simple matter.
Sure enough, not long after, Shen Qing came to visit, bringing a plate of her homemade snacks.
She was wearing a blue uniform, her hair was neatly tied up, and she had a polite smile on her face.
"Brigade Commander Lu, sister-in-law, I've come to thank you for your previous visit." She handed over some snacks. "These are homemade, please have a taste."
Su Wantang warmly accepted the snacks and said with a smile, "Comrade Shen, you're too kind. Please come in and sit down."
Shen Qing followed her into the house.
Lu Jingyan sat on the sofa and, aside from the initial polite greetings, did not say anything more.
He picked up the walnuts on the table and slowly began to peel them.
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