Chapter 4

Not Miss Lu. Lu Yi. Her name.
“Drive safe.”
There was no trace of reproach in his words, just a friendly reminder, yet Lu Yi somehow felt like she'd just been schooled. She instinctively straightened up in her seat, hands dutifully gripping the steering wheel.
"I will. Thanks for your concern, Mr. Lin." Preferably, let's not do this again.
Lin Jinshen didn’t bother saying more. With that last reminder, he hung up.
Before bed, Lu Yi accepted Zhong Wenlun’s friend request.
Unlike Lin Jinshen’s boomer scenery-profile-pic vibes, Zhong Wenlun had set a comic character as his icon, flaming red hair, squinty eyes curled in a mischievous grin. Completely different energy.
Even though it was late, Zhong Wenlun replied instantly the moment she accepted.
Bert: [Oh, you added me!]
[I thought it would take till tomorrow!]
[I’m Zhong Wenlun, call me Xiao Zhong or just Bert, whatever works!]
“…”
Three energetic messages in a row. Lu Yi blinked, a little slow on the uptake, already regretting her timing.
She updated his contact name to his full name and replied: [Hi, just call me Lu Yi.]
Zhong Wenlun: [Hang on a sec!]
Half a minute later, he messaged again, explaining he’d been busy gaming but was ready to chat now.
Lu Yi, who honestly didn’t want to chat, replied: [No worries, we can talk another time.]
Zhong Wenlun: [Uh-oh, talking about games in front of a girl, major turn-off, right? Hear me out, I swear I’m not addicted! It’s just a way to unwind after work. Miss Lu, do you ever game?]
Lu Yi: [Not really.]
[…]
Zhong Wenlun was a classic rich kid who knew how to have fun, always smooth, always steering the conversation, never letting things get awkward. He could banter about her industry gossip or jump to celebrity scandals, always ready with a joke, keeping every chat buoyant.
He even tended to overdo it: on mornings when she looked tired, he’d schedule coffee deliveries, not just for her, but for her whole team. He’d gotten the office address from Madam Xu, and when she called him out he just said, “Sorry! If it’s weird, I apologize.”
Her coworkers started side-eyeing her, whispering she had a new admirer. “Isn’t that the guy from your last blind date?”
Lu Yi just smiled and left it at that.
Back at her desk, as she scrolled through her phone, she noticed the glacier-profile-pic was now buried at the bottom. They hadn’t messaged since that last meeting.
Lu Yi set the phone aside, picked up her coffee, still hot, and sipped it slowly.
She’d first met Zhong Wenlun at a trendy new French restaurant near home.
He’d arrived early. Same vibe as online, youthful, full of energy, beaming before he even spoke. He sprang up to pull out her chair. “You’re even prettier than your photos,” he grinned.
“Thank you.”
Zhong Wenlun was flawless throughout, tailoring the order to her tastes, considerate to a fault.
Because they’d already chatted online, things in person were smooth, not a trace of the awkwardness from her last date.
Over dinner, talk drifted to past relationships.
Zhong Wenlun had dated three times before, all amicable breakups, usually over clashing personalities or values. He didn’t badmouth his exes; if anything, he blamed himself. “I was young,” he said, “never looking for anything serious back then.”
“I’ve been going on about me. What about you, Miss Lu?”
Lu Yi replied, “Just once, back in college.”
“Why did you two break up?” Zhong Wenlun looked genuinely confused, how could anyone let her go?
The old feelings were so distant they might as well have belonged to another life. The details were hazy now. She kept it brief: “Because we wanted different things for the future.”
Very pragmatic.
She couldn’t stay in the UK for him, and he wouldn’t come back to China for her.
Maybe the feelings were never deep enough. When it ended, whatever regret she’d had was swept away by the whirl of a new life back home. She hardly ever looked back.
Zhong Wenlun nodded, but pressed on: “If it was just outside forces, can I be blunt? Any feelings lingering?”
Lu Yi looked up, meeting his gaze. After a pause, she answered, “It’s been three years. If I still cared, I wouldn’t be sitting here now.”
“Just making conversation, don’t take it to heart,” he apologized quickly.
“No problem.”
Her phone, left on the table, started lighting up, message after message. Only one person blew up her phone like that: Yu Yin.
Lu Yi worried something urgent had come up, but it felt rude to check her phone at the table. She excused herself to the restroom and unlocked her screen, dozens of notifications cascaded down.
Text, voice memos, a barrage of stickers and emojis.
Yu Yin knew she was having dinner with Zhong Wenlun tonight.
The moment she’d heard his name, Yu Yin had started digging. By today, after polling friends far and wide, she gave Zhong Wenlun full marks.
He came from a decent family. He didn’t run the family business, but he worked in venture capital, no slouch, by any means.
Even better, Yu Yin knew one of his exes. The girl only had good things to say, not a single complaint. “He’s got great character, perfect husband material,” Yu Yin crowed.
Yu Yin: [Bottom line, you can’t go wrong picking Zhong Wenlun!]
Lu Yi couldn’t help but laugh, you’d think Yu Yin had missed her calling as a private investigator, or at least a paparazzi. It had only been a few days since she’d learned the guy’s name, and already she’d dug up his whole family tree.
Yu Yin sent a voice memo: [Who do you think I’m doing all this for? I barely sleep, night after night, worrying you’ll end up with the wrong guy. My poor mother’s heart is in pieces!]
Lu Yi had barely finished listening when another sixty-second voice memo pinged in.
Yu Yin: [Let me tell you what matters most: he scores well in THAT department too. Unlike Lin Jinshen, seriously, do we even know if he’s any good? He’s never even dated, for all we know you’ll be married and living like a widow! And don’t roll your eyes, intimacy matters! If that part of your marriage sucks, everything goes downhill, and next thing you know, divorce! What’s the point in getting married if that’s how it ends up?]
“…”
There were other people in the restroom.
Phone volume low, Lu Yi hurried to stop playback after the opening lines, opting to transcribe the message instead.
Lu Yi: [Got it, love. Message received!]
Yu Yin, mother-hen mode: [Don’t just say it, Lu Yi! Take it to heart, do you hear me?!]
Lu Yi sent a stern-faced emoji: [Okay.]
Yu Yin was still not done and added: [Trust me, Zhong Wenlun totally wipes the floor with Lin Jinshen!]
Lu Yi washed her hands and walked out.
When she came back, Zhong Wenlun joked half-seriously, “Honestly, I thought I’d scared you off and you’d slip away halfway. Thank you, really, for sparing my dignity and not bolting.”
“No way.”
As soon as Lu Yi sat down, Zhong Wenlun took the initiative and asked what she thought of him after meeting in person.
Lu Yi paused, considered for a moment, then came up with two words: “Witty and charming. Maybe...gentlemanly and considerate?”
“At least that doesn’t sound too bad, right?” Zhong Wenlun looked relieved, crossing one hand over his chest. “Honestly, Miss Lu, I’m very impressed, you look even better in person than in photos, you’re easy to talk to, and I know this sounds cliché, but the first moment I saw you, you reminded me of a flower.”
“What kind?” Lu Yi asked.
“Camellia. Gentle, never thorny.”
Lu Yi: “Thank you.”
She was dressed today in an ivory suit, the ruffled, sleeveless top showed off two slender, graceful arms. The asymmetrical pleats softened her cool aura with a touch of warmth. When she laughed softly during conversation, lashes lowered, it was like the surface of a pond rippling, calm yet inviting. Sometimes she’d unconsciously tuck a stray strand of hair behind her ear, the gesture delicate as her fingertips brushed the little pearl hanging from her earlobe.
Whenever she listened, her eyes stayed focused, giving you the sense you had her complete attention.
It was rare for him to find it so hard to look away.
Zhong Wenlun had never lacked girlfriends, but he’d never truly considered marriage, playing around was one thing, but any real talk of marriage was always family business. Lu Yi was the family’s choice. He’d already resigned himself to fate. Only, he hadn’t expected her to actually match his taste so well.
If both families locked in this engagement, they still had time to throw a wedding this year.
Zhong Wenlun gently prodded her for her own interests, hoping to know her better.
Lu Yi’s attention was fading; she listened out of courtesy more than curiosity. The indifference didn’t show on her face, but the moment she caught a blurred silhouette from the corner of her eye, her heart skipped a beat. Her thumb grazed her earlobe. Trying to look natural, she stole a glance, confirming, then quickly looking away.
She’d never expected to bump into Lin Jinshen here of all places.
Since their last encounter, they hadn’t messaged, hadn’t met. He was probably swamped with work. She certainly wasn’t going to reach out. Had it been a week already?
And now, running into each other, while she was out on a blind date with another man.
Even though nothing had been set in stone about her family’s marriage alliance, embarrassment crept in all the same, spreading slowly and unspoken. She hugged her arms, avoiding his gaze, praying he hadn’t spotted her.
But things rarely go the way you wish.
Zhong Wenlun knew Lin Jinshen. When he spotted him, he greeted him politely, calling out, “President Lin.”
Lu Yi clenched her teeth, nerves on edge. The scent from the elevator, so calm and clean, now speared through her like a stone tossed into a quiet lake, stirring up something that refused to settle.
She kept her lashes low, and with each inhale, each exhale, finally managed to lift her eyes.
Their gazes collided, Lu Yi already wanting to look away. She gripped her arm, and in the end, held his stare head-on, refusing to flinch.
She thought, Maybe Yu Yin was wrong; maybe it’s not a total knockout after all.
Zhong Wenlun was flawless, a pampered, elegant rich kid, but when standing side by side, Lin Jinshen was the one who drew the attention. His sharp features, the oppressive intensity in those deep-set eyes, there was no ignoring him.
“So, when did we last meet?” Zhong Wenlun said with polite small talk. “Didn’t expect to run into you here, President Lin.”
Lin Jinshen, lashes lifted, cast a brief glance at Lu Yi before turning his face to Zhong Wenlun. His reply came low and even: “President Zhong.”
Zhong Wenlun smiled and started to introduce Lu Yi. “Let me introduce, ”
“We’ve met.”
That husky, unmistakeable voice cut him off. Lin Jinshen’s gaze fell back on her face, her eyes, those long black lashes, the pearl by her ear.
Lu Yi felt a faint dampness in her palm.
“Miss Lu,” he said.
She felt like a student suddenly called on in class. Getting to her feet, her movements just a tad stiff, her eyes rested on his outstretched right hand for a split second.
“Mr. Lin.”
She offered her hand, just as etiquette demanded.
The heat of his palm pressed against her heart. His fingertip pressed very lightly over the back of her hand, lingering just half a second before letting go.
Lin Jinshen asked, “How have you been, Miss Lu?”
His voice was all business, not the least bit warm, at least, if he was making small talk, it didn’t show.
Lu Yi replied, “Pretty well, and you, Mr. Lin?”
“I’m alright.”
That was it. Q&A over.
It sounded exactly like a dialogue ripped from a high school English textbook.
“So you two already know each other?” Zhong Wenlun’s smile was complicated.
Lin Jinshen took his eyes off Lu Yi and said, “I’ve got business to attend to. I’ll leave you to your meal.”
The group he was with looked vaguely familiar to Lu Yi, no doubt all from the same social circles, out to discuss work over dinner.
Lu Yi sat down, only to hear Zhong Wenlun ask, “How do you know Mr. Lin?”
She looked up, but didn’t answer directly.
Zhong Wenlun picked up on the hint; he laughed, “Just a random question, don’t mind me.”
“It’s fine.”
And with that, the awkward moment passed.
Zhong Wenlun was a talker, the dinner stretched over an hour. It was Lu Yi who checked the time, gently suggesting they pick up the conversation another evening. He agreed, and mentioned there’s a vegetarian place near Yonghe Temple worth trying next time.
They’d both had a little to drink. Zhong Wenlun had a driver, but Lu Yi couldn’t drive herself. He offered to take her home and said she could come back for her car tomorrow.
Lu Yi waved her phone. “No need, I already called for a driver. Should be here any minute.”
“Alright then, text me when you get home, stay safe.”
“Will do. Goodnight.”
The driver would arrive in a few minutes.
While waiting, Lu Yi replied to messages. Her mother checked in, how was the meal, did they hit it off? Lu Yi answered honestly: the food was good, conversation too, everything went well.
After replying, she set down her phone. When she looked up with a gentle sigh, an angular silhouette appeared in her periphery. She turned, and her gaze collided, with Lin Jinshen’s obsidian eyes, steady and dark.
She hadn’t noticed when he arrived, but now that she’d seen him, pretending otherwise was out of the question. Out of courtesy, she nodded, silently willing him not to start a conversation. She’d already hit her social quota for the day and couldn’t stomach another round of awkward small talk.
And, more importantly, what could be more dramatic than bumping into your previous blind date at your current one? How was this her life?
Yeah, she felt just a little guilty.
“Still here?” Lin Jinshen didn’t come closer. He kept his distance, his voice carrying across the space between them.
Lu Yi replied, “Waiting for a driver.”
“Mr. Lin, you finished dinner already?”
“Just needed a breather,” he said, tone mild and unreadable.
“Makes sense.”
What made sense about it, she had no idea. Her scalp prickled. She just wished her driver would hurry up and put her out of her misery.
They both glanced away, each rooted where they stood, eyes fixed straight ahead.
“So is Zhong Wenlun one of your options too?” Lin Jinshen suddenly broke the silence again.
The way he said it, swap out ‘Zhong Wenlun’ for any company name and it’d sound exactly like business negotiations.
Total boardroom vibes. Pros and cons, weighing partners, choosing the smartest deal.
“…”
He’d figured it out.
Lu Yi could admit it, or not. It wasn’t really a secret.
She explained, “Marriage is a big deal. And with all these family alliances on the table, I don’t want to rush. I mean, since nobody’s decided anything yet, it seems reasonable to weigh all the options before settling.”
How would Lin Jinshen take that? If he walked away from this alliance because of it, well, fair enough. She could accept that. Better to know sooner than waste anyone’s time.
The night breeze turned chilly.
“I haven’t seen anyone else.”
“Hm?”
Lin Jinshen looked over, a shadow in his eyes beneath long lashes. Calmly, he added, “After meeting you, I haven’t gone on any other dates.”
Lu Yi was a little taken aback.
Was that his way of telling her she was the only one?