“Lu An, you are too amazing!”
When meeting Liu Minghui again, it was still at that previous restaurant.
Liu Minghui could not help but speak excitedly as soon as she saw Lin Luan, her face full of joy.
Her hand was also holding a delicate little notebook, which seemed to be densely packed with many notes.
“Qingqing has never laughed this happily before!”
Liu Minghui opened the notebook and pointed her finger along the lines bit by bit, “Look, I have recorded everything! Cooking for Qingqing…………… wiping the corners of her mouth… and you even said you do not know how to take care of children, are you not a master at it!”
Lin Luan was made a bit embarrassed by Liu Minghui’s rapid-fire praise: “Auntie, you flatter me, I only did some ordinary things.”
“How can this be an ordinary thing!” Liu Minghui closed the notebook, “Quickly tell Auntie, what should be done for the next step? How can I make Qingqing more willing to share her thoughts with me?”
“Well…” Lin Luan scratched his head.
Liu Minghui had already ordered the dishes in advance, and the following time was spent with the two of them chatting while eating, mainly with Liu Minghui asking and Lin Luan answering based on his own experience.
After the meal, Liu Minghui called the waiter to settle the bill, and then naturally took an envelope out of her bag and pushed it in front of Lin Luan.
“Lu An, this is your Brother Fee from last time, please count it.”
Lin Luan took the envelope, and the thickness was even more considerable than he had expected.
Was the name Brother Fee a bit too strange?
It was just like that Friend Fee or something.
He did not count it on the spot, but simply put the envelope away calmly and placed it in his pocket: “Thank you, Auntie.”
“Eh? Not going to count it?” Liu Minghui was a bit curious.
“If I cannot even trust you, Auntie, then there would be no one left in this society to trust. Lin Luan smiled gently.”
Liu Minghui was stunned for a moment.
“You child, you are far too sensible.” She felt her eyes grow hot, “Really, you are still so young, yet… yet you have to bear the heavy burden of life… the hemp rope always breaks at the thinnest point, it really is…”
Liu Minghui had originally wanted to mention that his parents had both passed away, but she was afraid of poking Lin Luan’s sore spot, so she did not say it and changed it to bearing the heavy burden of life. Now her tears were about to fall.
“How about you just become my son, I will give you living expenses, so do not go do sales anymore.”
Liu Minghui wiped her tears with her hand and spoke to Lin Luan with a tear-stained face.
“Just recognize me as your mother…”
“No, no, no, there is no need, no need…”
Lin Luan waved his hands hurriedly.
It is a good thing for people to have obsessions, but Sister Liu, you should put away this obsession of taking people in as your son……
Leaving the restaurant, Lin Luan felt the thick envelope in his pocket, his heart filled with mixed emotions.
The face of his mother in his memory was already becoming blurred, but he knew very well that his mother loved him very much when he was a child.
Forget it, forget it, do not think about it, Xiaowan is about to finish class.
Lin Luan shook his head to avoid falling into memories again.
Mourning the past and grieving for the present is something rich people should do; he did not have the time.
By the time Lin Luan made his way back to the downstairs of his own Apartment Building, the sky had already turned somewhat dark.
He walked up the stairs with slightly tired steps, and when he was about to open the door, he saw a medium-sized delivery box at his own doorstep, with his name and address clearly printed on it.
“A delivery?” Lin Luan was a bit puzzled, as he had not bought anything online recently.
He bent down to pick up the box, and the weight in his hand was not light.
With questions in mind, he opened the door and entered the house, placed the box on the coffee table in the living room, sliced the tape with a key, and opened the cardboard box. Inside was a black suede gift box with excellent texture.
He lifted the lid, and the item inside made him freeze.
It was a wristwatch.
The design was simple and elegant, the lines were smooth, and the exquisite dial still reflected a luxurious luster even in the dim light.
Even if Lin Luan did not know much about luxury goods, he could judge from the workmanship and texture that this watch was very expensive.
There was no card in the watch box, no message, only a watch lying there quietly.
Who would send him such an expensive thing?
Lin Luan’s brow furrowed.
Su Jin?
In an instant, the figure of Su Jin surfaced in his mind.
Only she would send such an expensive gift without saying a word.
Lin Luan picked up the watch, and the icy metallic touch from his fingertips followed.
There were also tiny letters engraved on the back of the dial.
He leaned toward the window, using the last bit of the evening sunset to identify them carefully, and recognized a very small letter “S”, and it was even in a script font.
Su.
As expected, it was her.
After thinking for a moment, Lin Luan took out his phone, found Su Jin’s number, and dialed it.
The phone rang a few times before being picked up, and Su Jin’s cold and calm voice as usual came from the other end: “Hello.”
“Su Jin.” Lin Luan got straight to the point, “I received a delivery with a watch inside… did you send it?”
“Yes.”
Su Jin’s answer was concise and clear, without even a single extra inquiry or pleasantry.
Lin Luan continued to ask: “Why suddenly send me such an expensive gift? Our contract should not have reached the level of needing extra gifts yet.”
The other end of the phone was silent for two seconds, and then, Su Jin’s voice sounded again:
“It is for you, so just wear it. That watch is for you to use to increase your value. I do not want my male companion to be looked down upon because of external things.”
“Increase my value…” Lin Luan repeated the phrase in a low voice, a bitter smile appearing at the corner of his mouth.
Sure enough, in the world of the upper class, everything can be clearly priced, including his value as a male companion.
“What is wrong… do you not like it?”
Perhaps his silence made Su Jin notice something, as she asked another question, and there was a bit of cautiousness in her tone.
“No, it is very beautiful.” Lin Luan retracted his thoughts and returned to his usual submissive manner, “Thank you, Su Jin. I will use it well.”
“Yes.” Su Jin breathed a sigh of relief, “That is good…”
“Then when is the next time we will meet?” Lin Luan asked.
“I am busy with work today and tomorrow. I will contact you again after that, so be prepared.” Su Jin said, “I… if there is nothing else, I will hang up first.”
“Alright.”
The call ended, and Lin Luan placed his phone casually on the sofa, his gaze falling back onto the watch in his hand.
It lay quietly in his palm, luxurious and exquisite.
Lin Luan thought for a moment, put it back into the box, and stuffed it into the drawer of the coffee table.
This watch will probably have to be returned to Su Jin eventually, so he would not wear it for now. It would be difficult to handle if it got scratched or something.
***
Meanwhile, at Su Jin’s Villa.
As soon as the call was hung up, Su Jin threw her phone onto the sofa.
Her originally composed and cold posture collapsed instantly, and she rubbed her hair with some frustration.
“Will he think it is too formal?” She muttered to herself, standing up and pacing back and forth in the living room, “Or is the color too dark? Should I have chosen the one with a blue dial?”
“Probably not, Miss.” Song Li stood at the door of Su Jin’s room and said.
“Song Li! Song Li!” Su Jin suddenly asked, “Did you hear his tone just now? Was that last ‘Thank you, Su Jin’ a bit too polite? Does he actually not like it and is just too embarrassed to refuse me?”
Song Li weighed her words and said gently: “Miss, since Mr. Lin accepted it, he surely must have accepted the gift. You put a lot of heart into choosing the gift.”
“What is the use of putting heart into it if he happens not to like it……” Su Jin grumbled in a low voice, feeling a bit down.
She walked back to the sofa, picked up the phone she had thrown away, and swiped her fingertips across it, seemingly hesitating whether to send another message to ask, yet not knowing how to start.
She opened the chat interface with Lin Luan, typed a few words, and deleted them again.
After repeating this several times, Su Jin still could not muster the courage to send a message.
She threw the phone aside in discouragement, sank her entire body into the soft sofa, picked up a puppy throw pillow, and buried her slightly flushed face into it.
“It is so annoying…… how can giving a gift be so troublesome…” A muffled voice came from the pillow.