After Jiang Xueli and Su Yuanyuan moved into the Su family home, they would scheme against Su Jianan from time to time. She had fallen prey to their schemes for the first few times. Indeed, there were times when she had broken down due to being unjustly treated. She would curl up in bed, hug her legs and then cry.

When her mother was still alive, Su Jianan had never had to experience the feeling of “being bullied”. In fact, back then, she could barely conceive of the notion that there would be people in the world who would want to hurt her.

The revelation came after that, and it was through her tears that it had come. The protective s.h.i.+eld that her mother had erected for her was gone. It had gone into hibernation beneath the layers of ocher that her mother was buried in. At that time, Su Yicheng had gone to the United States, so even if he had the heart to protect her, there was only so much he could do from a place that far away. The only one she could rely on was herself.

Gradually, her sense of self-preservation as well as her ability to recognize threats grew stronger. She had developed a heightened sense of awareness. She was like a porcupine whose quills would erect at the slightest perception of danger. Since then, she would always find ways to return the favor whenever Su Yuanyuan and Jiang Xueli tried to scheme against her. She would have them leaping straight into the graves that they had dug for themselves. That was how she would prevent anyone from hurting her ever again.

This time, however, she was at some unknown hotel, inebriated. Someone had picked her up for no apparent reason at all.

She was utterly defenseless, and yet she had made no attempts to struggle. Because…

It was Lu Boyan. She knew.

What she could be even sure of was the fact that Lu Boyan would never do anything to hurt her.

Perhaps she felt secure right then, or it perhaps the alcohol had somehow given her more courage. She snuggled against Lu Boyan’s chest willfully. She even went so far as s.h.i.+fting herself in his arms to find a comfortable spot. Her hands fumbled around as she groped his chest. She felt something solid and rock-hard beneath her palms, which rea.s.sured her, making her feel safe.

In Lu Boyan’s eyes, Su Jianan was like an enticing kitten whose paws were groping his chest audaciously. If it were not for the fact that they were outdoors, he might have lost all his self-control already.

In the end, he tamped down his carnal urges. He carried her to the car and ordered Uncle Qian to drive them home.

Although Su Jianan’s light-headedness had alleviated, once she was in the car, it was as if she had returned to her inebriated state just now. Feeling uncomfortable, she s.h.i.+fted in Lu Boyan’s arms, rubbing herself against him as she hummed gently like a kitten.

Lu Boyan hugged her tightly and pushed away a few strands of long hair that had fallen over her cheeks. “What’s wrong?”

“… Dizzy.”

Lu Boyan asked Uncle Qian to slow down the car. Then he lowered the car’s side window to allow the evening air to enter the car. Slowly, Su Jianan regained her comfort. Even her lashes, which resembled the wings of a b.u.t.terfly, had stopped fluttering. Her breathing was shallow. She seemd to have fallen asleep.

If it were any other day, they would have reached home in about an hour. Today, it took Uncle Qian more than one hour to get them home. When they arrived, Uncle Qian slowed down the car carefully, bringing it to a soundless stop. As he parked the car, Uncle Qian had taken great care to be as quiet as possible. He had kept his breathing light and shallow, not allowing himself to take deep breaths at all to keep the noise minimal.

Lu Boyan looked at Su Jianan who showed no signs of waking up at all. He decided not to wake her. Instead, he picked her up and brought her straight to her bedroom.

The alcohol had brought out the rosiness of her face. Two patches of crimson adorned her cheeks, which looked very enticing. Right then, her skin resembled a pool of milk with red rose petals scattered all over it. The overall effect had rendered her small face infinitely more refined and alluring. If he leaned in closer, he could faintly detect the fragrance of fruit wine. It was as if he was under some kind of strange spell. It intoxicated him. His insides were screaming at him to take advantage of this beautiful woman in his arms.

Lu Boyan was rendered utterly powerless in the face of such temptation. When he kissed her, he could taste the aroma of fruit wine on her lips. He could feel the sweet tenderness that those lips possessed in spades.

He pulled away. A quick taste was all he dared to take. He swiftly placed the blanket over Su Jianan and then left the room.

He did not know what he would end up doing if he stayed any longer.

Uncle Xu hurried up the stairs. “Young Master, Sophia’s a.s.sistant stylists are here. What would you…”

“Ask them to wait. Jianan is sleeping.”

Lu Boyan headed to his study after he had left the order. Uncle Xu went downstairs to attend to the stylists who had deliberately rushed here. Uncle Xu was very curious about the reason Lu Boyan had asked Su Jianan to help out at the company. How did Lu Boyan end up carrying her back when they returned…

Dusk came, and the golden hues on the walls slowly receded into nothingness, like an announcement to the world of the day’s ending.

…

When Su Jianan roused, it was already dark. Beyond the window, the sky was murky, like how it would be during the time before dawn or after sunset. There was a gap in her memory. She could not for the life of her remember how she got into her own bed.

She got out of bed and went downstairs. At the same time, Lu Boyan was coming out of his study.

At home, he always dressed casually. The sleeves of his s.h.i.+rt were rolled up to his forearms. The two topmost b.u.t.tons of his s.h.i.+rt were undone, revealing his s.e.xy and attractive clavicles. The casual look he sported right then did nothing to affect the lush elegance that was typical of him. Instead, it gave him an inexplicable, seductive appeal.

The servants had yet to turn on the lights in the hallway. Only the lamps on the walls were lit, whose warm radiance slowly illuminated his beautiful features. The dim light and hazy ambience made him look breathtakingly handsome.

What a devil…

Su Jianan’s memory came back to her right then. She had been drunk back at the hotel. It was this devil who had brought her back.

Thank goodness. He did care about her after all.

Lu Boyan walked straight at her. “Still dizzy?”

Su Jianan shook her head. “It’s fine now,” she said. Then, she felt bewildered all of a sudden. “How did you know I was feeling dizzy?”

“You told me in the car,” Lu Boyan said, frowning. “You don’t remember?”

Whenever she got drunk, it was like a section of her memory would be cut out. Feeling awkward, she said, “Whatever that had happened in the car… I can’t recall any of it. But I know it was you who had brought me back. Thank you!”

The grin on her face was bright and adorable, as if she was trying to get on his good side. Still, it was not enough to stop Lu Boyan to give his warning. “You’re not allowed to drink whenever you’re out alone,” Lu Boyan said in a deep tone. “Or else, you can say goodbye to your job at the police station.”

Eh? Who could even make guarantees like that?

Su Jianan glanced down and rubbed the tip of her shoe against the ground. “You’re the one who likes to drink a lot when you’re out alone. You even smoke. What right do you have to stop me from drinking?”

Seriously? She had the audacity to talk terms with him? Did it even cross her mind that she would have been hara.s.sed, or worse, s.e.xually a.s.saulted, had he not gone to the hotel today?

Lu Boyan laughed in anger. “You’ve seen me drunk before?”

“I wasn’t drunk either!” Su Jianan stood her ground unrelentingly. “This afternoon, I was just… I was just a bit dizzy…”

Lu Boyan pinched the bridge of his nose. “Fine. I’ll play fair. No alcohol for you when you’re out alone. I’ll quit smoking.”

Su Jianan took a moment to consider his proposal. It was very rare for her to be out alone in the first place, let alone having to consume alcohol while out alone. In that case, it seemed to be a greater loss on Lu Boyan’s part if he had to quit smoking.

“Deal!”

She agreed happily.

Lu Boyan patted her head. “Go back to your room. There are people here to see you.”

After that, Lu Boyan began heading downstairs with the smirk on his lips remained unseen by Su Jianan.

“Idiot,” he thought. It was not like he was Su Yicheng. He never was much of a drinker or smoker from the start. He did smoke for a while a few years back, but had dropped the habit shortly after. He had smoked a few days ago only because his mind was troubled. He would not have to quit at all since he would not have touched a cigarette under normal circ.u.mstances. Yet Su Jianan looked as if she had walked away with the long end of the stick.

Su Jianan was baffled. “Who’s coming to see me?” she thought.

Just then, Uncle Xu came up with two young women with him.

One of the women smiled at Su Jianan. “Mrs. Lu, nice to meet you. We’re a.s.sistant stylists from SophiaRudolph. Sophia had sent us to take your measurements. We kindly ask you to go back to your room.”

SophiaRudolph？

It took Su Jianan a long while to remember what that name stood for. It was the name of the designer behind a luxury brand, and whose expertise was in making customized clothing for her customers. She had heard that many socialites and famous actresses had sought Sophia’s services by sending their information to her. All of them had hoped that Sophia would design an outfit for them.

However, Sophia had rejected most of their requests. She had shown no mercy at all, even though the people who sought her services were celebrities.

Right now, the situation was that Lu Boyan had somehow managed to acquire the services of the infamous SophiaRudolph. As if that alone was not surprising enough, Sophia had even sent down a couple of a.s.sistants here just to take her measurements?

It took every fiber of Su Jianan’s being not to have a mental breakdown right then and there. She invited both a.s.sistants into her room and cooperated with them as they took her measurements.

One of the a.s.sistants was in charge of recording Su Jianan’s measurements on an Ipad, and while doing so, she said, “Mrs. Lu, you have the perfect ratio indeed. No wonder Sophia had agreed to design a dress for you the moment she saw your photo. Actually, Sophia isn’t as picky or arrogant as most people think. It’s just that it’s impossible for some people to bring out the best of her designs. She thinks it would ruin all her hard work.”

Su Jianan smiled at what she had been told. After the measurements were done, she escorted the two women downstairs.

By then, the sky had gone completely dark. The servants served out the food that the chef had prepared for their dinner. Something came to Su Jianan’s mind instantly. She ran over towards Lu Boyan and looked at him apologetically. “I’m really sorry… I’ll make it up to you tomorrow by making your breakfast!”

She was supposed to prepare Lu Boyan’s dinner. Lu Boyan had even paid her for that…

For some reason, a certain someone had become unprecedentedly agreeable all of a sudden. He made a gesture for her to sit down, which she did. After a while, he saw that she had yet to touch her chopsticks. “Aren’t you eating?” he asked.

Su Jianan had eaten too much in the afternoon, so she shook her head. “I’m not hungry. You go on ahead!”

She stood up and was about to leave. Lu Boyan’s sharp gaze swept to her like a gust of wind. “Where are you going?”

Su Jianan pointed outdoors. “I feel like taking a walk in the garden. Is there anything else you need me for?”

“Yes,” Lu Boyan said. “Sit down and have dinner with me.”

“…”

She could very well have sneered at him in contempt, and then turn away to leave. However, it seemed as though Lu Boyan had gained control over some part of her mind, and had compelled her to listen to his orders. It was like she was incapable of doing anything that would defy him.

In the end, she sat down obediently.

“Do I still have to drop by the company tomorrow?” she asked.

Lu Boyan raised his brows. “You’re only halfway done with the anniversary celebration’s planning. Now you’re ditching it? You know what that’d seem like? A man s.c.r.e.w.i.n.g around with a lady and then casting her aside.”

“… Do you really have to make it sound so immoral?” Su Jianan’s gloominess intensified. “Fine, I’ll follow you along tomorrow.”

Lu Boyan was satisfied with that answer. Su Jianan watched as he polished off the food in a dignified manner. All of a sudden, she burped.

He set down his chopsticks and stared at Su Jianan coldly. Su Jianan pressed a hand to her mouth. Right then, her expression was that of childlike innocence. “I didn’t do it on purpose. I really had too much food in the afternoon. Right now, the sight of any food will just make me feel full. Watching you eat is just…”

Lu Boyan closed his eyes. “It’s alright,” he said.

Lu Boyan gave out an order for the dishes to be cleared from the table. He stood up and headed upstairs. Su Jianan sat there blankly for a long while. In the end, she got up and went into the living room, where she leisurely watched TV.

Su Jianan kept watching until 11pm. She did not feel sleepy at all. She suspected it was due to the long nap she had taken during the evening. She turned off the TV and went into the garden.

The garden was very large and had a rich European style design. A conservatory was established on the green lawn, and it was fully equipped with comfortable furniture, making it a good spot to spend one’s recreational time in. Then again, Su Jianan had been busy after she had moved in, so she did not really have time to familiarize herself with this part of the house.

Now, she finally had the time.

She ambled along the pavement, which was covered with white pebbles. Looking down, she could see tiny flowers and green gra.s.s poking out from between the rock crevices. Aloft, the crescent moon hung in the sky. The tepid moonlight had lengthened her shadow, causing it to stretch out in front of her. Bored, she began chasing after her own shadow. Even though she could never catch up to her own shadow, she still delighted in the process of chasing it.

She was completely unaware that behind her, a pair of profound eyes were staring right at her.