After a few days of being a hands-off manager on the cruise ship, Lu Ge returned and immediately began working non-stop, dealing with various reports and meetings that had piled up for three days.
After over a week of busyness, he finally returned to the Lu family over the weekend to have dinner with Lu's father and mother.
The atmosphere at the dining table felt a bit off.
Lu Ge raised his eyelids and looked at his usually chatty parents, who today were strangely quiet and composed.
“What’s wrong? Is our family going bankrupt?”
Lu's father: “…”
Little brat.
He covered his mouth and coughed, saying, “Well, son, you’re not young anymore…”
Lu Ge interrupted him, “In your eyes, is twenty-five already old enough to be buried?”
“...Just shut up.”
So Lu Ge shut up.
“You're not young anymore, it’s time to find someone to settle down with. We won’t stop you if you like men, but you should at least find someone, right?” Lu's father sighed, “I really can’t stand your generation's frivolous dating culture!”
Lu Ge boredly lowered his eyes, guessing what was coming next.
Lu's mother took over the conversation, “Don’t you like someone clean and tidy? I found a match for you—good-looking and from a good family. Why don’t you see if you like him…”
Lu Ge picked up some food and said flatly, “If you continue talking, I’ll go back to my own place to sleep tonight.”
His tone wasn’t heavy, but both parents knew he was serious.
Lu's father muttered unhappily, “Fine, if you don’t want to go, then don’t.”
Lu's mother nodded in agreement, “It’s not our fault if you miss the opportunity.”
Their quick concession today surprised Lu Ge a bit.
After dinner, Lu's mother brought out a beautifully wrapped box from the bedroom and handed it to Lu Ge. “Tomorrow, you need to visit the Xu family.”
Xu family… Lu Ge inexplicably thought of a sickly boy who felt fragile to carry, with bones that felt sharp.
“What’s going on?”
“Tomorrow is the younger son of the Xu family’s twentieth birthday. After work, take this to him.”
Lu Ge frowned, “How come I didn’t know you were in contact with the Xu family?”
Lu's father cleared his throat and said seriously, “Recently, Xu family helped us out on a project. No matter what, we owe them a favor.”
The Lu family's business spans a wide range, and Lu Ge is currently only responsible for the media market. So although he hadn't heard of the so-called “favor” Lu's father mentioned, he didn’t suspect anything.
He casually replied and took the box.
—
On Xu Zhixia's birthday, the Xu family was unusually lively.
Guests arrived one after another, personally handing gifts to the birthday boy, most of whom Xu Zhixia didn’t even know.
Qin Yan arrived very early and was the first to present a gift to Xu Zhixia.
He handed Xu Zhixia a small box tied with a ribbon and then gave him a hug.
“Happy birthday, Zhixia,” he whispered.
Xu Zhixia took the gift and smiled at Qin Yan.
When he opened the box, he found an antique men’s brooch shaped like a feather, which suited Xu Zhixia’s image perfectly.
“So beautiful.” A gentle voice came from the side.
Xu Zhixia looked up to see Ji Mian with a faint smile, gazing at the feather brooch in his hand.
“It really suits you,” Ji Mian continued.
Xu Zhixia's expression stiffened slightly, quickly tightening his fingers to hide the brooch in his palm, blocking Ji Mian’s gaze.
【Affection Value +80 (40x2), Contributor: Xu Zhixia.】
Ji Mian quietly shifted his gaze away.
As expected, Xu Zhixia knew that the original owner had a crush on Qin Yan.
If it really was Xu Zhixia who drugged Qin Yan on the cruise ship, could it be because he also liked Qin Yan?
Ji Mian looked at his brother's beautifully curved profile, feeling it was somewhat unbelievable. He felt Xu Zhixia didn’t seem like the type to act in such a despicable way over this.
【While first impressions are important, don’t judge someone by their looks.】 The system reminded him.
Xu Zhixia thanked him, “Thank you, Yan Ge.”
Then he put the brooch back into the box.
Qin Yan was momentarily stunned.
He had expected Xu Zhixia to wear it.
In previous years when he celebrated with Xu Chiqiu, Xu Zhixia always directly wore the gifts he received. Why this time…?
He glanced at Xu Zhixia’s dress, thinking: maybe this outfit doesn’t match the brooch.
With that thought, Qin Yan felt relieved.
Just then, another person hurried in from outside, entering the first-floor hall of the Xu family.
When the person came in, the entire hall fell silent for two seconds, causing Ji Mian to instinctively turn to look, only to awkwardly meet the other’s eyes.
Lu Ge was dressed in business attire, his tie still not loosened, hanging neatly around his collar.
For a moment, Ji Mian almost thought the person he saw on the cruise in a floral T-shirt wasn’t the same as the one before him.
Lu Ge also saw him.
The two exchanged a glance for a second before looking away.
Despite their previous encounter on the cruise, they both tacitly agreed that they were “not familiar” with each other.
Whispers filled the hall.
“Isn’t that Lu Ge? What’s he doing here?”
“I don’t know, I haven’t heard that the Lu family has any connections with the Xu family.”
“Could he be here to ruin the party?”
“Who knows, after all, it’s ‘Lu Ge.’”
Another person fell silent.
Well, it’s Lu Ge… it wouldn’t be surprising if he did anything.
Seeing Lu Ge, Qin Yan's good mood vanished.
What is this guy doing here?
Lu Ge scanned the room and spotted his target for the evening near Ji Mian, heading straight towards Xu Zhixia.
“Gift.” He tossed the gift box to Xu Zhixia without a single extra word.
The hall fell completely silent, all eyes turning towards the black gift box that Xu Zhixia held in his hands, lacking any extra packaging.
Xu Zhixia’s face showed a hint of awkwardness, but he still said, “...Thank you.”
He naturally remembered what Lu Ge had said to him on the cruise.
What reason does this person have to give him a gift?
Everyone looked eagerly at the box in his hands. Xu Zhixia frowned slightly but opened it.
The pure black velvet box opened to reveal a watch interwoven with silver and blue, resting quietly inside.
The sky-blue dial resembled the finest aquamarine, as if it were a miniature representation of an ocean. The strap was also exquisitely crafted, with silver and blue complementing each other, presenting an extreme beauty that seemed to hide the galaxy within.
Someone gasped, recognizing the watch’s value—at least starting from two million.
The Lu family may be wealthy, but it wasn’t common for them to casually give a small gift worth over a million.
Moreover, it wasn’t said that the Lu family and the Xu family had a close relationship.
So the only remaining possibility was one.
The guests present looked at Lu Ge and Xu Zhixia with ambiguous glances, some of whom had heard about Lu Ge's standards in choosing a partner, making their expressions even more intriguing.
Wasn’t Lu Ge's ideal type referring to the young master of the Xu family? Who would’ve thought Lu Ge was such a romantic?
Lu Ge lowered his eyes, his eyelids twitching.
—This was also the first time he had seen the item inside.
What kind of obligation demands such a grand repayment?
It wasn't that Lu Ge thought the watch was expensive, but the way it was presented was too ostentatious and attention-grabbing. To others, it clearly suggested ulterior motives.
Lu Ge furrowed his brows, recalling the indifferent expressions of his parents before he left home and that so-called vague “favor” that now sounded full of holes.
Tsk, he sighed inwardly.
He wondered why his parents were so quick to relent this time—they were clearly waiting for him here.
The person they wanted to introduce during dinner was definitely Xu Zhixia.
However, Lu Ge had long grown accustomed to the strange looks directed at him by others.
As for Xu Zhixia's feelings, that was none of his concern.
If anyone was to blame, it should be those two couples who had a sudden whim and no sense of boundaries.
It had nothing to do with him.
Lu Ge calmly withdrew his gaze, even having the mood to pick up a couple of small snacks from the nearest shelf to satisfy his hunger.
He came directly from the company and hadn’t had the chance to eat dinner.
Due to this unexpected development, the hall instantly became overly lively.
Ji Mian couldn’t stand the noise and didn’t have the energy to chat with a large group. The commotion inside the villa was unbearable, the air conditioning was set too cold, and watching Xu Zhixia, who was the center of attention like a star surrounded by the moon, also annoyed him.
After a while, he simply left the villa in search of a quiet place to rest.
Ji Mian didn’t notice that Xu Zhixia’s gaze had been glued to him since he left, his eyes unusually bright.
…
Lu Ge spent a long time picking and choosing from the dim sum rack, finally selecting a tiny fruit tart among the many extravagant options.
“What exactly are you trying to do?” A gloomy and oppressive voice came from beside him.
Lu Ge couldn't even be bothered to look up.
Qin Yan’s tone became colder. “Do you want to pursue Zhi Xia? You aren’t familiar with him, and there’s no reason for you to give him such an expensive gift.”
Lu Ge raised the corner of his lips and casually said, “It’s just a few million. I gave it; what’s so expensive about it?”
“……”
“What’s the matter? Is the gift from President Qin not as valuable as that watch?” He scoffed incredulously. “No way, right?”
Qin Yan: “……”
Qin Yan was filled with unspeakable curses.
The brooch he gifted Xu Zhi Xia had a nearly one million auction price; although it was precious, compared to Lu Ge’s watch, it seemed a bit lacking.
He said coldly, “I warn you, don’t have any improper thoughts about Zhi Xia.”
Only then did Lu Ge spare him a glance and replied, “It seems President Qin isn’t that concerned about that sickly one; why is there such a strong reaction when it comes to Young Master Xu?”
“Could it be that the one with improper thoughts is President Qin?” Lu Ge casually mocked.
“You!”
Lu Ge ignored Qin Yan's anger, stuffing the fruit tart into his mouth, slowly finishing it off, and finally felt somewhat satisfied. It was almost time to head back.
“Goodbye, President Qin.” As he walked past Qin Yan, he deliberately slowed his pace a little.
“Just a friendly reminder, when pursuing someone, you shouldn’t be so stingy,” he shook his head. “I wouldn’t even feel right presenting a gift worth less than a million. How embarrassing.”
Qin Yan: …
Lu Ge's words were purely nonsense. Although the Lu family was wealthy, Lu Ge had never bought himself a watch worth millions. For one, it was unnecessary; for another, in certain respects, he was actually much more frugal than Qin Yan.
But that didn’t stop him from making grand statements in front of Qin Yan.
Having said that, Lu Ge walked out of the Xu family's door with composure.
The villa was surrounded by a semicircular flowerbed, with lush trees on the outskirts.
The moon tonight was exceptionally round, and the moonlight was particularly bright, casting a silvery glow on the lush branches and projecting mottled shadows on the ground.
Lu Ge’s car was parked in the backyard. He walked along the narrow path between the flowerbed and the trees, circling around the side of the villa.
After leaving the front gate, the lighting significantly diminished, with almost all the brightness in sight coming from the round moon hanging overhead.
The silvery white color inexplicably brought a sense of tranquility.
Suddenly, a delicate rustling noise broke this peaceful night.
Following the sound, Lu Ge saw a small white figure agilely running along the eaves of the second floor—it was just a cat that had disrupted the tranquility.
The cat was bouncing around on the roof tiles of the second floor, playing happily.
Lu Ge hadn’t seen many of the Xu family's pets but guessed that this should be their cat.
There were quite a few visitors today, and he didn’t know which child had opened the locked window on the second floor, allowing this white cat to accidentally escape.
After amusing itself for a while, the white cat leisurely strolled along the eaves of the villa.
Lu Ge kept a similar pace, maintaining his position behind the white cat as they moved forward.
As they reached the side of the villa, the light spilling from the house completely vanished, leaving only untrimmed plants and trees, a rare sight devoid of modern traces.
At a certain point along the path, the white cat suddenly stopped, tilting its head to look down from the second floor, its round little head peeking curiously.
Lu Ge was indifferent to many cute animals that were adored by the world, but he seemed to have an innate fondness for cats.
Occasionally, when he saw a cat catching insects or birds by the roadside, he would even stop and watch for a long time.
He noticed a white cat looking down at the ground, and at first, he thought that perhaps the flowers below or a butterfly flitting among them had caught its attention.
However, as Lu Ge took a few steps forward, the trees that had blocked his view fell behind him, and he saw that the white cat was not watching a butterfly but rather a slender young man standing below it, gazing dreamily at the moon in the night sky.
Lu Ge suddenly smiled.
— Saying it was a butterfly didn’t seem wrong. It was just that this one was a sick butterfly that couldn’t flutter.
The cat, after staring at the person below for a while, suddenly moved its paw, aimed carefully, and leapt down, perfectly landing on the back of the young man’s neck.
On the ground, the young man’s body bent like a soft willow branch under the weight of the falling cat, instinctively leaning forward to cushion the impact.
Ji Mian was lost in thought and was startled by the sudden “heavy blow” to his head.
The cat’s paw grasped his hair, and its round body pressed against his slender neck.
The warmth and furry touch of the cat on his neck relieved Ji Mian — it wasn’t some strange, unidentified object.
He didn’t feel the slightest bit of anger; instead, he slowly straightened up and reached to lift the white cat from around his neck.
The cat, cuddling in his arms, meowed a couple of times as if seeking affection before curling up tightly in Ji Mian’s embrace.
Ji Mian gently curled the corners of his lips.
Lu Ge suddenly stopped in his tracks, forgetting to make a sound.
The young man holding the cat had his eyes downcast, his gaze calm. Under the moonlight, his pale skin and simple white shirt faintly glowed with a hazy silver light, almost like… a fairy.
In his lifetime, Lu Ge had never believed in the term “love at first sight,” and to be precise, this was not the first time he met “Xu Chiqiu.”
But at this moment, aside from love at first sight, he couldn’t think of any other way to describe the electrifying feeling that made his limbs numb and his ears feel oddly tingled.
Lu Ge touched his ear. It was hot.
“……”
How pathetic.
He stared fixedly at the person bathed in moonlight, unable to look away.
“Cough…”
The fairy holding the white cat suddenly coughed twice, slightly bending his waist, breaking the original tranquility.
When he straightened up again, Ji Mian finally caught sight of the tall figure standing not far away, and the hand holding the cat involuntarily stiffened a bit, fortunately unnoticed by anyone.
He thought to himself: Lu Ge and Xu Chiqiu were not familiar, so he shouldn’t be able to tell anything, right?
“Mr. Lu,” he spoke softly.
Lu Ge nodded reservedly and walked over.
With his expressionless face, he appeared rather calm.
As he got closer to Ji Mian, Lu Ge could see him more clearly.
The young man before him, strictly speaking, had many differences from Lu Ge’s ideal type.
In terms of appearance: a slightly slender figure with excessively delicate features. In terms of character: terribly shallow, very hypocritical, hiding a belly full of schemes…
It should be said that he was completely unrelated to Lu Ge’s ideal type.
Lu Ge looked him over and really couldn’t see anything particularly special about this person, but the warmth in his ears lingered.
Ji Mian felt that Lu Ge had been staring at him for a bit too long.
His brows furrowed slightly, and he was the first to speak, “Does Mr. Lu like Zhi Xia?”
“……” Lu Ge pulled the corner of his lips, having already been asked this question by many people in the villa, now too lazy to argue.
But Ji Mian slowly approached him, “If Mr. Lu needs help, I can lend a hand.”
“Help?” Lu Ge raised an eyebrow.
Lu Ge was self-aware, knowing what kind of person he was. This person, having seen his true nature, was still thinking of matchmaking him with his own younger brother?
“Zhi Xia listens to me the most. With my help, the process of pursuing Zhi Xia will be much simpler for Mr. Lu.” Although Ji Mian was smiling, the cold malice in his tone could hardly be concealed.
Then, as if thinking of something, the smile on Ji Mian’s face widened a bit, appearing somewhat distorted on his pale, sickly face, completely shattering the earlier tranquility.
It sounded like the method of this “help” was not very honorable.
“……”
“……You really are,” Lu Ge paused, “as treacherous as a snake.”
Ji Mian looked at him and suddenly smiled faintly.
“Mr. Lu is joking.”
“A person as outstanding as Mr. Lu must have countless suitors… It’s only natural for me to choose an excellent partner for my brother. I can’t take on the title of treachery.”
But Lu Ge only stared at his face in disbelief, doubting whether the beautiful figure he had seen, like a moonlight fairy, was indeed the same person before him.
Ji Mian’s cold gaze met his without flinching.
After a moment, Lu Ge replied, “Thank you for your ‘good intentions,’ but I’m afraid I don’t need it.”
After saying that, he looked at Ji Mian’s shoulders, which appeared particularly thin in the moonlight.
Hadn’t this person just coughed?
“Are you cold?” Lu Ge suddenly asked out of nowhere.
Ji Mian: “……What?”
But Lu Ge fell silent again.
“Since Mr. Lu isn’t interested, let’s pretend I never brought it up.” Ji Mian waved his hand listlessly.
He didn’t want to linger any longer and turned to leave, heading back in the direction Lu Ge had come from.
The white cat nestled in Ji Mian’s arms restlessly poked its furry head out over his shoulder.
Lu Ge stepped aside, unconsciously gazing at Ji Mian’s departing figure.
In that moment, the moonlight seemed to transform into a silver veil. As the young man’s figure disappeared into a large patch of shadows from the trees, the hazy silver glow of the veil slowly peeled away from him with each step he took. Reluctantly.
Lu Ge had watched many performances of the artists under his management.
Yet even the highest-grade equipment and the best lighting couldn’t create the “curtain call” scene that appeared before Lu Ge at this moment.
He stared at the treacherous fairy’s back for a long time.
It was truly a contradiction that two entirely opposite qualities could exist in the same person.
Retracting his gaze, Lu Ge touched his hot ear and sighed softly.
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