From rejecting the beautiful female CEO to becoming extremely powerful

Su Qingwan's gaze swept back and forth between the two.

Those eyes seemed to be measuring something, pausing silently for a few seconds.

Mu Qingying seemed oblivious, tugging at Su Qingwan's sleeve and pulling her outside: "Aunt Wan, I took an early flight and only ate a compressed biscuit in between. I'm starving. Please take me to get something to eat."

Su Qingwan stumbled a step as she was pulled, and laughed irritably, "What's the rush? I'll have someone make it for you when we get back to the manor."

Lu Yunzhou followed behind, carrying his carry-on suitcase, and only then did the tension in his back slowly ease.

Mu Qingying's blink just now was perfectly timed, clearly saying: Don't worry, I know what I'm doing.

The three returned to the car. Mu Qingying sat in the back seat, close to Su Qingwan, and opened the sun visor to adjust her bangs in front of the mirror.

Lu Yunzhou shifted gears and started the car, his hands still a little stiff as he gripped the steering wheel.

"Aunt Wan, your driver looks pretty good in a fight."

Mu Qingying glanced at him in the rearview mirror, tilted her head, and asked, "From the military before?"

"Yeah, a veteran."

Su Qingwan leaned back in her chair with her eyes closed.

"That's perfect."

Mu Qingying leaned forward, her tone slightly coquettish, "Aunt Wan, can I borrow her for a few days?"

"I just returned to China and I don't have a single person I can rely on. I can't even find someone to carry my bag when I go out."

Su Qingwan didn't even lift her eyelids: "Dream on. Go find someone outside yourself."

"It's only for a few days! I'll return it when I'm done!"

"No."

Mu Qingying pouted, leaned back in her chair, and muttered, "Stingy."

Su Qingwan laughed at her words and pinched her cheek: "It's no use throwing a tantrum at me. I still have a use for this person."

Lu Yunzhou kept his eyes fixed on the road ahead without looking to the side, but his temples suddenly throbbed.

Mu Qingying's attitude towards negotiating terms was too casual.

Even when rejected, they simply throw a tantrum and move on, showing no stage fright or politeness whatsoever.

This sense of propriety is not something that ordinary juniors possess.

What is Su Qingwan's status in Sheng'an City?

The head of Xinghe Group, Xiao Sihai's wife, is a ruthless character with connections to both the legitimate and criminal worlds.

His subordinates are so timid that they dare not speak much, and when they meet, they wish they could bend over to the floor.

The interaction between Mu Qingying and her was so relaxed that there was no distance between them at all.

Who exactly is she?

Lu Yunzhou's sweaty palms soaked the steering wheel.

Previously, all I knew was that she was the most beautiful girl in the medical school, came from a wealthy family, and was very generous.

But that level of "wealth" is completely different from being on par with Su Qingwan.

The girl's background was even more terrifying than he had imagined.

Forty minutes later, the car entered the manor.

Su Qingwan took Mu Qingying's hand and led her upstairs to the second floor: "Come on, I'll show you to a room. You can stay as long as you want this time."

"That's wonderful, Aunt Wan!"

The sound of two people's footsteps and laughter came down the stairs.

Lu Yunzhou closed the car door and went into the kitchen.

I tied on an apron, pulled the cleaver from the rack, set out the cutting board, and began preparing the ingredients.

The sound of the knife blade crushing the garlic cloves was intermittent and rhythmic.

His mind was filled with other things.

Mu Qingying moved in.

Right here in this villa, under the same roof as Su Qingwan.

Su Qingwan is currently unaware of the full details of his marriage to Feng Qianyi.

What if Mu Qingying mentions Fengming Group at the dinner table one day, or if Feng Qianyi overhears her on the phone...

He didn't even notice that a potato was cut into uneven slices, some of which were almost as thin as paper.

The exhaust fan hummed, drowning out the noise behind them.

A cold finger suddenly touched the back of his neck.

Lu Yunzhou sprang to his feet, his instincts honed through training allowing him to grab the kitchen knife and turn to block.

"Lu Yunzhou, are you trying to bleed me dry?"

Su Qingwan was startled by his reaction and took a half step back, a smile on her face but a cold glint in her eyes.

He quickly put the knife back on the cutting board and sighed, "Mr. Su, could you please walk a little more quietly?"

Whether I make noise when I walk or not is not the point.

Su Qingwan walked around to the refrigerator, opened the door, took out a bottle of sparkling water, unscrewed the cap, and took a sip.

She leaned against the kitchen counter, her gaze slowly sweeping over his face.

"The point is, what are you panicking about?"

Lu Yunzhou lowered his head and continued chopping vegetables, deliberately slowing down his movements: "I'm not panicking."

"Your hands are shaking, yet you're not panicking?"

Lu Yunzhou gripped the hilt of his knife without saying a word.

Su Qingwan drank her sparkling water and remained silent for a long time.

The only sounds in the kitchen were the hum of the exhaust fan and the chopping board.

"Lu Yunzhou, I have something to ask you."

"Please ask."

"What exactly was your relationship with Mu Qingying before?"

The knife paused for a moment.

"I'm not blind; I saw the glance she gave you when she got off the train."

Su Qingwan screwed the bottle cap back on, casually tapping the bottle with her index finger. "Two strangers wouldn't exchange glances like that."

Lu Yunzhou shoveled the vegetables from the cutting board into the pot, and only after the oil splattered did he turn around.

There's no point in hiding it anymore.

The more Su Qingwan is fooled, the more she wants to dig deeper; it's better to tell her part of the truth.

"I know you; we're university alumni."

He leaned against the stove, "We've met a few times from different colleges."

Su Qingwan squinted at him: "How many times have we met?"

"It really was a chance encounter."

Lu Yunzhou gave a wry smile. "Back then, my monthly living expenses were eight hundred yuan, and I had to carefully budget my spending when eating in the cafeteria."

"She was known throughout the school for her beauty, and the line of suitors stretched all the way to the school gate."

"I felt it was presumptuous of me to even glance at him twice, so what kind of interaction could we possibly have?"

Su Qingwan scrutinized his expression, her gaze like a small knife slowly cutting.

"Then why didn't she recognize you just now? Pretending it was the first time we'd met?"

"Probably because they're afraid of awkward silences."

Lu Yunzhou started the fire and stirred the pot, "It's been several years since we last contacted each other. Anyone would feel awkward catching up with you in front of me."

Su Qingwan stared at the back of his head for a few seconds, then her lips relaxed slightly.

"You're right."

She placed the sparkling water on the table, turned and walked out, her high heels clicking twice before she stopped.

"However, Lu Yunzhou."

"Um?"

"Aren't there a bit too many flowers and plants around you?"

Lu Yunzhou's lips moved, but he didn't utter a single word.

Su Qingwan had already left the kitchen, her trench coat hem swaying in the breeze.

The oil in the pan was too hot, and the vegetable leaves splashed and splattered when they were thrown in.

Lu Yunzhou gripped the spatula and flipped the pot a couple of times, sweat trickling from his forehead to his chin.

We've gotten away with it for now.

But from then on, Mu Qingying lived in this house, and Su Qingwan's eyes would never let any detail go wrong.

I had just caught my breath when my phone vibrated in my pocket.

Lu Yunzhou took out his phone with one hand and looked at Mu Qingying's WeChat message.

"Lu Yunzhou, Su Qingwan just spoke to you alone? She didn't give you any trouble, did she?"

He used his oil-splattered thumb to press out two words: "It's okay."

Mu Qingying replied instantly: "When are you going to pay me back for the double scoop ice cream you owe me? We've moved under the same roof now, you can't run away from me."

The caption read "hands on hips" followed by a small emoji.

Su Qingwan's voice came from upstairs: "Lu Yunzhou! Is dinner ready yet?! I'm starving!"

He stuffed his phone back into his pocket, and a new layer of sweat appeared on his forehead.