Hesitation
Xu Luoluo stared at the evening gown in her hand, still lost in thought. Although she knew it was Tang Yizhuo who had sent it, she had still been startled when a strange man knocked on the door and handed her this large box. He had just quietly delivered such a large package, and the gown was so glamorous. She bit her lip and frowned. She had never dressed so extravagantly in her life, especially since Su Ze was very likely to appear at tomorrow's banquet. She just wanted to keep a low profile.
As dusk settled outside, Xu Luoluo sat sideways on the fluffy bed, mechanically and skillfully applying hair oil and curling her long, dark brown hair into large waves with a curling iron. Her evening gown lay flat beside her legs, exquisite and beautiful, yet it made her feel somewhat lost.
Everything was ready, and seeing that it wasn't yet the appointed time, she felt stuffy in the room and wanted to go for a walk. Unexpectedly, as soon as she opened the door, she saw that the door to the opposite room had also opened. They looked at each other, both seeing surprise and embarrassment.
Xu Luoluo's surprise came from seeing Tang Yizhuo wearing a black hoodie and sneakers for the first time. He looked much more youthful than when he was dressed in a suit and tie, which made her sigh in her heart, "So you can be this young and innocent!"
Tang Yizhuo preemptively explained his surprise: "Dressed up so nicely?"
Xu Luoluo selectively ignored his question, focusing entirely on how "good-looking" she was. She couldn't help but touch her big, wavy hair and said happily, "I'm naturally good-looking."
"If you have nothing to do, come with me for a walk."
Tang Yizhuo's words came as a surprise to Xu Luoluo. Could she be alright dressed like this? But seeing his somewhat gloomy and haggard face, she wondered if it was because of some undercurrents in their work these past few days. She couldn't help but feel a little sorry for him. Since it wasn't time yet, she agreed, saying with a touch of arrogance, "Okay, only for one hour."
“Okay, let’s go then.” As soon as she finished speaking, Tang Yizhuo responded in a deep voice, without explaining further. As soon as the two entered the elevator, he pressed “P”.
Didn't we say we were just going for a walk? How did we end up in the parking lot?
Xu Luoluo sat in the car, lost in thought. She wondered what this man was up to, and the seat beneath her felt uncomfortably hot. Although she instinctively trusted Tang Yizhuo, knowing he wouldn't do anything reckless or illegal, his silent demeanor throughout the journey was so out of character that it made her uneasy. Moreover, the thought of their meeting that evening weighed heavily on her mind, like a hammer blow that could fall at any moment, leaving her breathless.
The hotel was in the suburbs. Outside the hotel, the road was lined with trees and there were few people and cars. Tang Yizhuo drove very fast, but he was very silent. Xu Luoluo didn't say anything either. She just watched the trees outside the car window rush by, and the trunks of each tree quickly overlapped and disappeared from sight.
"Su Ze will also be attending the banquet tomorrow," Tang Yizhuo suddenly said. "You should get ready."
Xu Luoluo was startled, realizing that he didn't know she already knew Su Ze was coming, and not only that, she was going to meet him that evening. She tried to feign surprise: "What should I prepare?"
"What do you think?" Tang Yizhuo twitched the corner of his mouth and glanced at her sideways. "Be prepared to be proper and professional. Don't make that kind of expression when the time comes; your embarrassment is written all over your face."
Xu Luoluo was embarrassed by his directness. She wanted to argue, but seeing her own red face in the mirror, she realized she had no acting talent. She could only lean back in her chair and mutter to herself, "What do you know?"
"How am I supposed to answer that?" Tang Yizhuo tapped his long fingers on the steering wheel. "What I know isn't important. What's important is that you know what you're doing. Tomorrow is a banquet, but you know that these seemingly casual activities are also an important part of closing deals. I'm sure I don't need to tell you how to do it."
"I understand," Xu Luoluo could only reply, not understanding why she had suddenly been lectured and left speechless.
She didn't know when the car had returned to the hotel. The two of them sat in the car with a heavy atmosphere. Tang Yizhuo parked the car, and she was about to open the door to get out, but when Tang Yizhuo's gaze swept over and locked onto her, she unconsciously stopped opening the door: "Is there anything else you need to tell me, Mr. Tang?"
Even though she was speechless, her heart still ached a little from his sudden lecture, and the words she uttered were polite but distant.
"Are you angry?" Tang Yizhuo's voice even carried a hint of amusement.
Xu Luoluo couldn't help but glare angrily.
"You're really good at understanding things." Tang Yizhuo patted her head. "Don't you understand the importance of separating public and private matters?"
After saying that, he suddenly withdrew his hand and sighed: "It seems that sometimes, even I don't understand."
"I don't know what you're talking about." Xu Luoluo felt as if she had been electrocuted where he had touched her, and the complex meaning in his tone made her heart clench.
Suddenly, she didn't dare to think about it anymore. She abruptly interrupted him, opened the car door, and got out, then casually turned back and waved, saying, "I have something to do, I'll go now. See you tomorrow."
After saying that, she didn't dare to look at Tang Yizhuo's reaction and hurriedly walked out of the parking lot.
But as she stepped into the elevator, she realized something was terribly wrong: she had forgotten her room key. The hotel elevator required a room key to press the button for her floor, and at that moment, she had no way to go back to Tang Yizhuo for help.
Xu Luoluo chose to bury her head in the sand. She hesitated in the elevator with the doors closed, unable to go upstairs. Suddenly, the elevator doors opened with a ding. She looked up, feeling embarrassed but also expectant. Just as she was about to speak to ease the atmosphere, she met Su Ze's gaze as he walked in coldly in a suit.
"You? Hello." She opened her mouth for a while, finally managing to swallow back the "You parked your car so slowly" that she almost said, and put it back into the correct greeting.
Su Ze was somewhat surprised, but his expression softened when he saw her, and he smiled, "Long time no see."
His smile only made her more surprised and guilty. After he swiped his card and pressed the floor button, she gradually regained her composure: "Yes, what a coincidence, we're on the same floor."
“Unfortunately,” Su Ze continued with a smile, “this is the floor I chose.”
"Huh?" Xu Luoluo, who had been maintaining a facade of politeness, couldn't help but look at him in surprise when she heard this. He calmly looked back at her and asked, "What's wrong?"
"It's nothing." Xu Luoluo, true to her ostrich-like nature, didn't ask, "So, which room are you staying in?"
Just then, the elevator stopped with a ding and opened its doors. Su Ze politely handed over his room key: "Um, I'm new here and not familiar with this floor. Miss Xu, could you show me around?"
Xu Luoluo shuddered as if possessed by a ghost. Where was that cold, aloof person from just now? Why did his politeness send chills down her spine?
"Come on, come on." Since the other party was so friendly, she naturally couldn't refuse him. So she took Su Ze to his room and swiped her card to open his door so he could drag his suitcase in.
"Then I'll be going?" She watched as the other person settled in. "See you at the coffee shop later."
"Why go through all that trouble?" Su Ze stood by the window looking at him. "Let's talk here. I'm tired too."
Xu Luoluo noticed that he did look tired from his long trip. She thought that if he drank coffee in the coffee shop, he probably wouldn't be able to rest well that night. So she took his advice, closed the door, and prepared to turn around and find a place to sit down and talk.
But as soon as she turned around, she was enveloped by the man's warm breath. Su Ze had come over at some point and pulled her into his arms.
“You…” Xu Luoluo was somewhat surprised, but also reluctant to push him away. This was the first time they had been so close since that day, allowing her to feel his warmth so realistically.
Su Ze didn't say anything, but just lowered his head and kissed the top of her head, then quietly hugged her for a long time.
"I miss you so much." His voice came from beside her ear, striking her heart with unparalleled clarity.
Knock knock knock.
She knew what she should say, and wanted to reply with "I miss you too," but her mouth felt like it was blocked by something, and she couldn't answer for a moment.
Su Ze gently released her.
Then he slipped something cool into her hand. Xu Luoluo looked down and saw it was her house key.
"Your aunt and uncle want you to take good care of yourself. Don't stay up all night writing; it's bad for your health." Su Ze's words were like a cup of warm water, gently soothing her heart. Her parents' nagging stemmed from their worry about her.
Xu Luoluo nodded, then looked a little embarrassed: "My parents just love to worry about things unnecessarily, and they even made you tell me this."
“I’m not just worrying unnecessarily, I also promised to take good care of you,” Su Ze continued calmly.
"Hmm... Hmm?" Realizing what he had said, Xu Luoluo's eyes widened. "Them, you, what did you say to them?"
Did he say they were dating? Although she felt a little guilty, shouldn't both of them be present for something like this? What was going on? Xu Luoluo couldn't believe it; had her parents just sold her off like that?
She had mixed feelings, but she looked away to hide her surging emotions.
“I said,” Su Ze gently opened her tightly clenched hands, “I’m pursuing you. They told me to keep trying.”
Xu Luoluo looked up at him after hearing this, and saw that he was still as usual, even smiling. She felt even more strange and surprised, and forgot to take her hand back.
Why is Su Ze so humble, acting as if their previous conflict never happened? What exactly happened while she was away from the company?
She suddenly felt a sense of panic.
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