From rejecting the beautiful female CEO to becoming extremely powerful

Su Qingwan waited until he had flipped the food a couple of times before slowly speaking, "You really think your old classmate is just a young girl who just returned from studying abroad?"

Lu Yunzhou tightened his grip, and the spatula scraped against the bottom of the pot with a sharp sound.

"President Su, what do you mean?"

Su Qingwan took a carton of milk from the refrigerator, poked the straw, took a sip, and then asked, "Have you heard of the Mu Group in Kyoto?"

Lu Yunzhou stopped moving.

"The Mu Group...one of the top three conglomerates in Great Xia?"

"Um."

Su Qingwan leaned against the kitchen counter, her tone as light as if she were talking about the weather.

"Qingying's mother is the current head of the Mu family, who controls half of the financial lifeline of the capital."

"Not to mention her father, he's the number two figure in Kyoto, a powerful figure. You can imagine how many people can lose their jobs with just a word from him."

Lu Yunzhou's hand holding the shovel froze in mid-air, his throat feeling as if something was blocking it.

He knew that Mu Qingying's family was wealthy, that she wore haute couture, expensive watches, and was very generous.

But he never imagined it would be at this level.

The Mu Group is a force to be reckoned with, standing at the pinnacle of a pyramid and looking down upon its inhabitants.

Even if Qingyao Group and Longyue Group in Sheng'an City were combined, they wouldn't be good enough to meet their standards.

"What are you stunned for?"

Su Qingwan tilted her head to look at him, a teasing glint in her eyes. "What, do you feel you're not good enough for me?"

"Mr. Su, does her family know she's here?"

"Her mother and I have been friends for decades. Qingying has called me Aunt Wan since she was a child."

"This trip back to China was originally arranged by her mother to go to the Kyoto headquarters for training, but she insisted on coming to Sheng'an first."

Su Qingwan chuckled, biting her straw. "Now you understand why I personally went to the airport to pick her up."

Lu Yunzhou took a deep breath, ladled the dish out of the pot, and cracked two eggs into it.

Mu Qingying.

The eldest daughter of the Mu family in Kyoto.

These words kept running through his mind, and a chill ran down his spine.

Last night, while we were eating grilled fish on a back street in the university town, she sat across from him, smiled, and said, "I've liked you since university."

She gave him a light kiss and ran away, turning back to say, "You owe me ice cream."

Those words, those laughs, those little gestures—they all felt so real that they didn't seem like the kind of things a billionaire heiress would do.

"President Su."

Lu Yunzhou lowered his voice, "I really don't know anything about Qingying's matter."

Su Qingwan threw the empty milk carton into the trash can, clapped her hands, and walked behind him.

"I believe you don't know."

Her voice suddenly lowered a few decibels, her breath brushing against the back of his neck, "But Lu Yunzhou, she's practically throwing a dowry of hundreds of billions at you, your luck... I'm getting a little jealous."

Her hand rested on his shoulder and slid down two inches down his collar.

Lu Yunzhou tensed up: "President Su, Qingying is still upstairs..."

"She's taking a shower upstairs."

Su Qingwan leaned closer, her lips brushing against his earlobe, her voice soft and gentle, "The water's still running, what's the rush?"

Lu Yunzhou gripped the spatula tightly, his blood rushing to his head.

Su Qingwan gripped his chin, forcing him to turn his face to the side.

Those eyes were so close, and what they held could burn a person through.

"Lu Yunzhou, have you forgotten about the older one now that you have a younger one?"

"I didn't..."

"Shhh."

The fire on the stove was still burning, and the eggs were sizzling in the pan.

The hum of the exhaust fan drowned out all other sounds.

Su Qingwan cornered him in a dead end between the refrigerator and the wall, placing her palm on his chest.

"Consider it... a little treat, so you don't get snatched away by some young girl."

The kitchen was quiet for a long time.

When Lu Yunzhou stood in front of the stove again, one side of the eggs was already burnt.

He frantically scraped off the burnt parts and then made two more.

Su Qingwan came out of the bathroom, leaned against the kitchen door frame to straighten her collar, her cheeks still flushed.

"Mr. Su, please have a seat in the living room. The food will be ready soon."

"understood."

Su Qingwan raised her hand to tidy her hair, and walked towards the living room in her high heels.

Ten minutes later, Lu Yunzhou brought four dishes and a soup to the table and set out the chopsticks.

Footsteps echoed down the stairs.

Mu Qingying changed into a milky white cotton dress for home, her long hair still damp from not being dried, and her cheeks were flushed from the steam of the hot water.

"It smells so good! Aunt Wan, the chef you hired is quite skilled!"

She rushed to the dining table and sat down, her chopsticks already outstretched.

Su Qingwan sat gracefully in the main seat, her demeanor composed.

Mu Qingying picked up a piece of sweet and sour pork ribs and stuffed it into her mouth, saying indistinctly, "Aunt Wan, why do you look so radiant today? Your face is so rosy."

Su Qingwan paused for a moment as she held the cup.

Lu Yunzhou stood to the side, his back instantly stiffening into a straight line.

"It's all because of your senior."

Su Qingwan put down her cup, pointed towards the kitchen with her hand, and said with a disgusted tone, "Chopping chili peppers without gloves, the whole kitchen smells like chili peppers. I stood there for a while and I got all smelly."

Mu Qingying blinked, believing it, and turned to Lu Yunzhou with a smile: "Senior, you're too careless. Remember to wear gloves next time."

"Okay, I'll be more careful next time."

Lu Yunzhou forced a smile, not daring to look in Su Qingwan's direction.

The meal was quite lively.

Mu Qingying was very talkative, chatting with Su Qingwan about interesting things in Kyoto and her experiences in England, while also playfully putting food into Su Qingwan's bowl.

After dinner, Lu Yunzhou cleared the dishes and went into the kitchen, leaving only the two women in the living room.

Mu Qingying sat down next to Su Qingwan, lowered her voice, and looked around.

"Aunt Wan, I have a favor to ask of you."

Su Qingwan turned her head to the side: "Speak."

"Please don't mention my family to Lu Yunzhou."

Mu Qingying lowered her voice even further, "I don't want him to know that I'm from the Mu family. I want to... just be friends with him."

Su Qingwan put down her teacup and observed her expression.

"Qingying, tell Aunt Wan the truth."

She raised an eyebrow. "Did you come to Sheng'an this time because of him?"

Mu Qingying's ears turned bright red.

She lowered her head, her fingers twisting the hem of her skirt, her lips pressed together, and she didn't utter a single word for a long time.

Su Qingwan sighed as she looked at her like this.

"Okay, Aunt Wan promises you, she won't tell him."

She reached out and ruffled Mu Qingying's hair. "But let me make this clear: your identity is what it is. Anyone with the will can find out."

"When he finds out himself, don't blame it on Aunt Wan."

"No, no!"

Mu Qingying suddenly raised her head, her eyes sparkling, and grabbed Su Qingwan's arm. "I knew Aunt Wan was the best!"

Su Qingwan shook her head helplessly as she was shaken, smiling on the outside but feeling conflicted inside.

The only daughter of the Mu Group, from a top family in Kyoto, she could have any kind of talented young man she wanted.

She happens to fall for a poor guy who's a retired soldier and works as a bodyguard, and she even tries to hide her family background and pretends to be an ordinary person to get close to him.

What incredible luck did Lu Yunzhou have?