Chapter 74 Chapter 74
Lu Ye used to spend countless nights poring over stock prices, financial statements, and endless reports. What others used as a resting block was merely an extension of his workday. He raced against time, always feeling like time was insufficient. When he looked down, it was late at night, and when he looked up, it was dawn.
This was the first time in a long time that he felt the warmth of the lights and the long night.
An Jiuyue, wearing his pure cotton T-shirt as pajamas, sat on the bed with a silk quilt in her arms, her eyes fixed, as if waiting for his decision.
Lu Ye stood at the door, halfway back, wanting to leave but stopping.
He did not miss the pair of smooth, white, and slender legs under the wide edge of the T-shirt. Under the orange light, the shadows outlined ambiguous and attractive lines.
He also didn't miss the way her toes were slightly curled inward, gently and slowly rubbing against the bed sheets. The very light rustling sound seemed to be teasing the boundary that he had adhered to for many years.
And the swan neck beneath the loose collar, the delicate and moving collarbone, and the rounded outline that seems to be invisible hidden in the excess fabric...
Lu Ye placed one hand on the door armrest, exerting force silently, while the other hand was clenched into a fist behind his back.
His bed, a mere respite for a light sleep, was always covered with sheets, spotless and tidy as if new. The cold, solid-colored sheets and pillowcases, the bare headboard, and even the nightlight, a single, sharp tube, lacked any element of nostalgia.
But tonight, there was a woman sitting on this bed. She was the one he had embraced, kissed, waited for from youth to maturity, and the one for whom he had practiced self-denial and abstinence for many years.
An Jiyue's drooping eyelashes fluttered, and she whispered softly, "Lu Ye, will you stay with me tonight?"
Although she didn't dare look at him, her request was still as straightforward and frank as her usual temperament. The man's eyes dimmed and his thin lips opened slightly.
He held his breath and refused: "Forget it, I'll go sleep on the sofa."
His guest room was used as a storage room, but since he was away from home for so long, the storage room was empty. Outside the master bedroom, the only place where you could sleep, besides the recliner in the study, was the sofa.
She was unwilling to give in, so she changed her tone and asked, "Well, can I accompany you?"
Lu Ye refused with a stiff and slightly red face: "No need. You should get some rest after such a long flight."
An Jiyue didn't seem to expect him to reject her so calmly. He had praised her a few days ago.
"I am certain that this is the most beautiful carcass."
What are you pretending to be now?
An Jiyue was slightly annoyed. She was afraid that Lu Ye would be too respectful to speak up, so she took the initiative to express her consent, which could even be considered an invitation. But after he repeatedly put her off, she also lost her temper.
She didn't care about him, covered her head with the quilt, and then leaned back - "Bang!", the back of her head hit the headboard hard.
Lu Ye rushed in and picked up An Jiuyue, who was grimacing in pain, and turned her long hair over with concern to check if she was swollen.
"Are you stupid?" He rubbed her breasts with a look of disappointment.
"I wasn't stupid before, but after this collision, I might become stupid..." An Jiuyue had a depressed look on her face, tears welling up in pain.
She had come all the way here for him, but this heartless and ungrateful man was actually such a "gentleman." It was as if she didn't respect herself enough and was just pestering him.
An Jiyue puffed up her face in grievance, feeling ashamed and reaching out to push him away.
"Be good and stop making trouble. Let me see." Lu Ye helplessly clamped her wrist gently, "If it swells up, you need to apply ointment."
He half-knelt on the edge of the bed, stood up, parted her hair, and examined her bit by bit. He was relieved when he saw that there was nothing serious.
Lu Ye sat beside her, speaking slowly and leisurely, as if trying to calm both of them down at the same time: "Ji Yue, listen to me. It's late today, and you've come such a long way. If you don't get enough rest, you'll have a headache tomorrow."
An Jiyue frowned and said, "I have a headache now."
Lu Ye smiled gently and looked into her eyes searchingly: "I know what you are thinking, can't you guess what I am thinking?"
He took An Jiuyue's hand, placed it on his lips and kissed it closely, his cold eyes filled with a hazy, drunken mist.
"As you can see, I've been busy all day today, and even my back is stiff. But even so, there's still no sign of improvement in the subscription gap. With such a heavy burden on my mind, I really don't have much time to think about it..."
An Jiuyue was stunned for a moment, and when she saw the vague sadness in his eyes, she immediately understood and felt a little guilty.
At such a critical moment, she became unreasonable. Hadn't I come to S City to accompany him and help him? How could I put more pressure on him?
Lu Ye hugged her and held her against his chest, his voice coming warmly from his chest.
"Do you really think I'm a cold-blooded animal? Do you think I don't have any hidden impulses at this moment? Like now, with only two layers of cloth between us, the test for me is almost at its limit..."
The muscles on his chest trembled with his breathing, as if he was trying hard to suppress some desire, and the fingers holding her shoulders were gradually tightening.
After a long time, he finally calmed down the flames and breathed a sigh of relief.
"But you know me best. If I want to do something, I must devote myself to it and do it to the best of my ability. Otherwise, I would rather not even start. This is true for new funds, and it applies to everything else as well."
Lu Ye looked at her with a straight and frank gaze and made a promise: "I will give you the best."
The girl in his arms seemed to be frozen in place, speechless.
He asked again: "Give me a few more days, okay?"
An Jiyue nodded mechanically.
Lu Ye raised the corners of his lips and kissed her between the eyebrows: "We have a long way to go."
He stood up, closed the door and walked out of the bedroom.
An Jiyue breathed a sigh of relief, and her heart finally began to beat wildly.
Every word Lu Ye said was beyond her expectations. She didn't know how to react, but she just felt that he was right and she should just listen and do as he said.
He said they had a long time to live. He said he would give her a few more days. He said he wanted to give her the best.
How could Lu Ye speak so openly and frankly about a secret that comes naturally and is tacitly understood when love is at its peak?
He explained the reason—he was too tired and not in the mood today. He even gave a preview—a few days later.
An Jiyue covered her pounding heart with her hand. It wasn't beating like a deer, but was banging against the door frantically.
With so many official warnings already, should she make some preparations? An Jiyue thought chaotically. Safety measures, hair management, sexy and fragile clothes...
She couldn't wait to open the shopping app on her phone, her fingers shaking.
Suddenly, another thought flashed through his mind. Just now, Lu Ye seemed to have said that his waist was stiff today...
An Jiyue, like a queen making arbitrary decisions, immediately pushed all other things aside and started searching for: lumbar support cushions and massagers.
-
Lu Ye parked the car, turned off the engine and sat in it for a long time without moving.
With less than twelve hours until the launch meeting, there is still a significant gap in the subscription quota.
Another day passed, and he had tried his best, going on roadshow after roadshow with almost no time to rest.
As a related party, Shen Xingyu couldn't participate directly, but he did try to persuade some of his friends, the second generation of wealthy families, to lend their support. However, it was only a drop in the bucket, better than nothing.
Lu Ye rarely encounters the current situation.
When he was a student, even in the last two hours, he would always be able to put together a report assignment and hand it in, and maybe even get an excellent grade.
It was because at that time everything depended on personal achievements, and a student with such strong abilities like Lu Ye could naturally thrive and become a legendary figure on campus.
In the business world, the logic of individual effort seems to have been turned upside down. Even though he had joined a top-tier organization like Company Z and achieved the position of co-chief, Lu Ye, with his limited influence, was still just a young man with no background.
For a business deal that others can close with just a few words, he may need to spend three days preparing materials, two days contacting the contact person, and another day doing a detailed roadshow.
Even so, the investors will still disregard his hard work just because of a comment or a greeting from his network of contacts.
Lu Ye seemed to be drained of energy, and he rarely felt powerless.
He always had a clear plan and a plan in mind before going on stage. But tomorrow, he might have to take the stage with such a large subscription gap.
He even felt a little sorry for An Jiuyue - he had promised to adjust his condition, but today was another day of sitting still, and he still felt heavy-hearted and tired all over.
There was a sudden knock on the car window.
Lu Ye turned his head and saw An Jiyue in pajamas looking into the car worriedly.
An Jiyue took a week off and revised scripts and held meetings online every day, but it did not affect her normal work.
"Lu Ye, are you okay?" Her voice came from outside the car window.
The pajamas she had just bought were light blue, and the soft cotton looked very skin-friendly and comfortable. Lu Ye's heart softened. He took out the key, picked up the computer, and got out of the car.
An Jiyue had already guessed the progress by looking at his condition.
This was something she had expected. She had learned how tedious and complicated negotiating a new deal was, and how long it would take, during her years working for Anshi.
Lu Ye was never one to sit still and wait for death. He must have put in a lot of effort and made the greatest effort in the past two days.
She had personally read the roadshow materials he prepared, the detailed and thorough models and strategies, and the exclusive timing experience that Lu Ye had accumulated over the years, which would convince any discerning investor.
The more this happened, the more she felt sorry for Lu Ye. If it was due to some other normal reason, she could have comforted him with words like "Eight out of ten things in life are not what you want to see." But he was being deliberately targeted, and she herself couldn't let it go, so how could she comfort him?
She took several deep breaths quietly, blinked, and smiled at Lu Ye again, as if nothing had happened.
"I ordered takeout, and it's here. Can we go back and eat?"
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