West District
Footsteps approached slowly. Gu Nan listened intently. The person's steps were steady, and the heavy voice seemed to tug at her heartstrings, pulling at her nerves.
He paused with each step, then stopped beside her.
She tilted her head, and Lu Yushi's gaze quickly swept over the unburnt cigarette on her fingertips, his brow furrowing slightly. The furrowed brow did not diminish his good looks; instead, it made him appear even more cold and stern.
Gu Nan thought to himself, his mother is really amazing, to have given birth to such a handsome son.
Her gaze lingered on her for a long time, and when she came to her senses, she wasn't sure how long Lu Yushi had been staring at her.
"Hello."
Their eyes met, and Lu Yushi, expressionless, took half a step to the side, leaving a space about the width of a person.
Gu Nan: ?
Lu Yushi stood with his hands behind his back, staring into the distance, seemingly not intending to speak.
Gu Nan rolled her eyes and muttered silently, "His father is such a useless man, he gave birth to a mute."
The mute man wouldn't speak, so she was the only one who could break the silence.
She glanced sideways at the empty space beside her and slowly exhaled a puff of smoke.
The tobacco wisps turned white, drifting in wisps, blurring the slight upturn of a smile at the corner of his mouth.
It must feel great to kick someone when they're down.
"Is Young Master Lu satisfied with this result?" The corners of his mouth twitched, a smile spreading across his face.
The cigarettes were half-burned, and the smoke gradually enveloped the two of them.
The person next to me seemed to have developed deafness.
Gu Nan raised an eyebrow. Treating illnesses was something she was sometimes good at too.
She spoke in a relaxed tone, feigning casual conversation: "The weather forecast shows a high of 41 degrees Celsius today."
She paused mid-sentence to observe Lu Yu's reaction, a gentle smile on her face, her gaze kind and concerned. She advised, "Young Master Lu, if you want to know anything, just ask me directly. It's so hot; what if you get heatstroke..."
He didn't care whether Lu Yushi responded or not, nor did he care about the embarrassment of talking to himself in the eyes of outsiders.
She leaned her back against the windowsill, one hand bracing against the wall, and tilted her head to look at Lu Yushi, her breath ruffling the strands of hair at his temples.
"Young Master Lu, it will break my heart."
His deliberately lowered voice was like a bewitching enchantress.
Breaking the boundaries of normal social distancing, Lu Yushi had no choice but to lower his eyes and meet her gaze.
Her smile was radiant, smoke swirled around her, and sunlight streamed through the window, illuminating her profile and highlighting the hazy, alluring beauty of her almond-shaped eyes.
The image of him taking a nap during the hypnosis session lingered in his mind again. Lu Yushi looked away and said calmly, "Congratulations."
"Congratulations?" Gu Nan glanced down, then suddenly realized something, chuckled, pointed to herself, and said in a sweet and obedient voice, "You're making it sound like my words."
It was clearly Lu Yushi who wanted her to be the vice president, but she took pity on him and agreed. By any measure, she should be the one congratulating Lu Yushi.
After all, for her, being a vice president of the New Times was more trouble than benefit.
As for the rest…
She took another step forward, lowering her voice: "Young Master Lu, how's your investigation going? Do you need my help?"
His tone rose, revealing a hint of arrogance.
Investigate her? If the methods are sophisticated, she might even admire them to some extent.
Using such a stupid tactic is underestimating her.
Gu Nan thought to herself, "If you look down on me, don't blame me for slapping you in the face."
Lu Yushi turned around, his eyes suddenly darkening, his handsome face, which was always expressionless, revealing neither joy nor anger.
But the coolness around me pushed back the summer heat that was pouring in through the window.
Gu Nan stared directly into those cold eyes, feeling a familiar sense of oppression wash over her.
She clicked her tongue, thinking that the Lu family probably didn't need to turn on the air conditioning much in the summer.
As the cigarette burned down to the bottom and her craving subsided, she slowly turned around, walked to the table, spun the cigarette around, and stubbed it out in the ashtray. She then leaned back on the sofa with an air of nonchalance, crossed her legs, and casually draped her arms over the back of the chair.
He called out lazily, "Young Master Lu?"
Every word and action exudes the air of a natural-born playboy.
Lu Yushi slowly turned around, stared down at her for a moment, and asked ambiguously, "Why don't you agree?"
The two of them knew exactly what they disagreed about.
Gu Nan pretended not to understand: "Agree to what?"
Lu Yushi gazed at her indifferently, without offering any explanation.
Let the silence spread.
In terms of controlling the situation, Lu Yushi was probably better.
Gu Nan lowered her eyes and thought for a moment, then looked up and beckoned to Lu Yushi with a smile.
Unfortunately, the person's expression was indifferent, only giving her a sharp and cold look.
She chuckled nonchalantly, her fingertips tracing patterns on the two men, and blurted out a shocking statement: "Young Master Lu, are you going to pursue me?"
"What do you think?" The voice was cold and deep.
She spread her hands innocently: "Since you're not pursuing me, why did you add my contact information? To pay my respects? I have someone else to do that for me, so I won't trouble you, Young Master Lu."
A long silence followed.
It went on for so long that she began to engage in rare self-reflection.
Even a cornered dog will jump over a wall; what will Lu Yushi do when he's desperate?
With her arms crossed and her right hand lightly tapping her shoulder, she was impatient and about to make amends when she heard Lu Yushi's magnetic voice: "How many hypnosis sessions are left? It would be convenient to contact you."
She paused, and the corners of her mouth widened in a smile.
It seems the bottom line can be lowered even further.
“But…you already have J’s contact information.” Her eyes sparkled as she looked up, legs crossed, nonchalantly saying, “For hypnosis, please contact J.”
Her light, casual tone struck Lu Yushi's heart. She noticed Lu Yushi pursing his lips and thought to herself, "Did Lu Yushi hurt me?"
She rubbed her chin, pretending to think: "Hmm, J doesn't really check the news often. Young Master Lu is patient, after all, he needs something from you. Young Master Lu is old enough to have heard the old saying, 'When you need someone's help, you have to be a little soft-hearted.'"
In the smoking room, the two sat and stood, their gazes meeting in mid-air. One pair of eyes was deep and cold, while the other pair was filled with tears and a gentle smile in the light.
"I've heard that the Lu Group has a wide range of businesses. As the next generation head of the family, Young Master Lu must be familiar with the unspoken rules, right?"
"What do you want?" He parted his thin lips slightly, his voice icy cold.
"The unspoken rules are nothing more than power, money, and sex," Gu Nan tilted her head. "Young Master Lu, guess?"
Lu Yushi stared at her for two seconds, and unexpectedly continued along with her words, "Power, you have Ji Yuanyu, Wan Yi and Shen Ming; money, you don't lack."
Gu Nan asked in confusion, "Shen Ming, who are you?"
Her eyes narrowed slightly, and while she was playing with him, she couldn't help but look at Lu Yushi with a bit more curiosity.
To tell someone to be more assertive to their face would be insulting even to an ordinary person, let alone to someone like Lu Yushi who has held a high position for so long.
However, Lu Yushi only needed two breaths to dispel the chill throughout his body.
"Only color is left, Young Master Lu."
The room remained silent for a full two minutes.
Gu Nan didn't urge him. She casually took out a Rubik's Cube from the drawer and focused on fiddling with it.
The "clanging" sound continued.
She solved the 12-sided Rubik's Cube, put it down, and looked up.
"Um."
Um?
Gu Nan unconsciously raised an eyebrow, wondering what that meant.
Before he could react, a handsome face loomed large before him, his eyes filled with confusion, his lips suddenly felt hot, and he could feel a light breath through his nostrils, the air carrying the scent of sandalwood into his nasal cavity.
"You son of a bitch!"
Angry shouts echoed in the smoking room.
Loud and clear—
Exhilarating—
Lu Yushi didn't linger on her lips, just a light touch, then stepped back and quietly watched her wipe her lips.
Gu Nan looked up, her breath catching in her throat.
He pointed to the doorway and said, "Get out."
They were having a good verbal battle, how did it turn into a physical fight!
No, he used his mouth too.
It's just a difference between one verb and another.
She stared intently at Lu Yushi's departing figure, uttering each word clearly: "You're dead!"
Lu Yushi didn't stop walking. He pushed open the door, and Qiu Jingxun, supporting himself on one leg and leaning against the wall, objectively commented: "The fact that she wasn't beaten to death proves that this world is more tolerant than we imagined."
Lu Yushi turned his head away expressionlessly.
Qiu Jingxun shrugged: "The smoking room isn't soundproof."
...
"Hey, why are you walking so fast?" Qiu Jingxun shouted as he chased after her. "What did you do to her? Although she's a sharp-tongued person, she rarely curses people so directly."
"You know her very well?"
"I asked your junior sister, and she only said two words—insidious and arrogant." Qiu Jingxun thought for a moment and then said, "Oh right, your junior sister also said that she has never seen Gu Nan angry. She is like a porcelain doll that has been put into a vase of mockery."
He joked to himself, agreeing aloud, "Your junior sister's analogy is quite apt. A round face, a pointed chin, big eyes, and double eyelids—as long as she doesn't open her mouth, she really does look like a porcelain doll... Hey, why did you suddenly stop?"
As she spoke, she looked up and met Lu Yushi's gaze. The rest of her words caught in her throat, and she silently swallowed them back.
After taking a couple of steps, she couldn't help but complain: "I know you don't like Gu Nan, but Gu Nan is indeed good-looking and is an internationally renowned hypnotist at such a young age. I'm just giving an objective evaluation; subjectively, I'm still on your side."
Lu Yushi: "...Shut up."
Qiu Jingxun scratched his head, held back three breaths, and asked curiously, "What exactly did you do to her?"
The steady footsteps suddenly disrupted the rhythm, and Lu Yushi involuntarily raised his hand, his fingers unconsciously tracing the peak of his lips, as if touching that soft spot.
Those bewildered eyes kept replaying in my mind.
From bewilderment to astonishment to rage.
He seemed to see a small animal bristling with fur, and he didn't know how to describe it.
"Time Control?"
"As she wished."
From their first meeting until now, whenever they meet, Gu Nan always talks about men and women.
I thought she was easygoing, but it turns out she's all bark and no bite.
It's a paper tiger.
He thought he wouldn't run into her, he thought Gu Nan would dodge, but in a flash, all those thoughts were thrown to the back of his mind. He stared at those red lips as if that was his final destination.
"Huh?" Qiu Jingxun asked, puzzled. "What do you mean?"
Seeing that Lu Yushi did not intend to answer, Qiu Jingxun advised again: "After all, she is J. It would be best if she could cure your insomnia. If not, maintaining contact with her is more beneficial than harmful."
Lu Yushi's eyes flickered. More than the hypnotist, he was curious about the legendary hacker N. Having the top hacker in Beicheng completely outmaneuvered, N's abilities were not to be underestimated.
He had his doubts about Gu Nan, after all, the first letter of the character "Nan" is N.
He thought about it carefully late at night, then shook his head in denial.
Firstly, the letter J used by the hypnotist has no connection with Gu Nan or her family's names.
Secondly, if they don't want to reveal their identity, they will most likely choose a name with letters that have nothing to do with their real name, in order to avoid being investigated by those with ulterior motives.
Furthermore, she's only in her early twenties, yet she's reached the top level of hypnosis globally; calling her a genius is an understatement. To be considered an "N" level hypnotist would be utterly impossible.
Three reasons successfully dispelled his suspicions.
Assistant Sun Qian, holding investment promotion documents, knocked on the door and entered.
Lu Yushi turned the title page and casually asked, "Have you managed to contact the owner of Xingzi Tower?"
Sun Qian's eyelids twitched, she bit her lip, her heart pounding in her throat, and she stammered, "No."
"No need to contact her anymore."
Sun Qian's heartbeat returned to normal, and he visibly breathed a sigh of relief. Before he could speak, Lu Yushi asked again, "Is the new housing development in the West District under Xingzi Building?"
"yes."
How is the merchant onboarding process going?
"The opening has only been a short time, and the signing status has not yet been announced, but the scene is very lively, and the occupancy rate is expected to be around 50%."
Lu Yushi nodded, staring at the computer, his voice calm: "At this year's investment promotion conference, all merchants who move into the West District will be permanently blacklisted by the Lu family."
The sound of his heartbeat almost disappeared. Sun Qian wiped away non-existent cold sweat from his forehead and responded repeatedly.
The ruthlessness towards Lu Yushi is also more direct.
The Lu family has control over almost all the properties in prime locations. No one is certain about the future development of the West District, and no one would gamble on a certain dead end for something uncertain.
When Lu Yushi couldn't get the owner of the Xingzi Building to come out, he resorted to any means necessary to force him to come out.
Sun Qian took three steps at a time, his only thought being to escape this terrifying human, and also to mourn for the merchants.
Of all people to mess with, you had to mess with that one inside.
Hopefully, the owner of Xingzilou will be sensible. This time it's the West District, but who knows what it will be next time.
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