Sang Lu didn't notice Feng Yan's deep and inquisitive gaze at all.
After tying up her hair, she casually said,
"I saw you closing your eyes and resting in the car just now. Why don't you take a shower first today? Well, I'm going to organize my folders."
There was a bathroom in the master bedroom. Usually, she would use it first every night.
It wasn't that the two of them had discussed this matter in advance.
It was more like a silent understanding.
Feng Yan would wait for her to finish showering and the mist in the bathroom to disperse before going in.
Sang Lu was the same.
Even if they got up at the same time in the morning occasionally, she wouldn't rush into the bathroom to brush her teeth and wash her face when he was shaving.
As time passed, the master - bedroom bathroom seemed to be a kind of taboo and private place.
The "husband and wife" who had known each other for a short time tacitly didn't cross each other's private space.
Sang Lu knew herself well. She took quite a long time to take a shower.
She would apply body lotion, hair - care essential oil, and hand cream, always dawdling for a long time.
It didn't matter on ordinary days. But today, seeing that Feng Yan seemed very tired, she really felt embarrassed to let him wait for a long time.
Thinking of this, Sang Lu generously added,
"You don't have to rush. You can take your time. I'll go in later."
Feng Yan's eyes were deep. It was hard to tell what he was thinking.
He just nodded.
Sang Lu tilted her head and made an "OK" gesture. Then she carried a cardboard box and walked into her study.
The entrance corridor was a bit narrower and more cramped compared to the living room.
When they passed by each other, the air slowly stirred, bringing up a sweet fragrance.
Suddenly.
The cold - faced man's expression paused.
Almost instinctively.
He took a light sniff of the floating air.
The sweet and bright fragrance fermented into a kind of alluring smell.
It slipped through his nasal cavity, down his trachea, and into his lungs.
He never liked anything with a smell. Even the green plants in his study were Japanese black pine bonsais without fragrance.
But at this moment, the man who was usually annoyed by smells found that he didn't dislike the fragrance filling the surroundings.
Even...
Suddenly, the man's deep pupils shrank.
He thought the sudden idea in his mind was absurd.
The next second.
His expression returned to indifference. He strode into the master bedroom.
He pulled off the tie that he had loosened halfway and casually threw it aside.
He entered the bathroom and turned on the shower.
The man was tall and straight. The water droplets hit him and ran down his neck to his cold - white collarbone.
They flowed down along the well - defined lines of his abdominal muscles, washing over his lean waist.
The steam was thick, and it condensed into streaks on the glass.
The streaks slid down, blurring the man's broad shoulders, narrow waist, and the strong lines of his back.
After a while.
Feng Yan turned off the shower.
He casually ran his hand through his wet hair, pushing it back from his forehead.
His clear facial features were revealed. His well - defined face was extremely striking.
As he tilted his head back, his eyebrows twitched slightly.
Suddenly, he remembered what Sang Lu had said in the car - "He's really nice to me..."
Was he nice to her?
Confusion flashed across his handsome eyebrows.
He kept thinking about this sentence.
He asked himself in his heart.
The conclusions he came to were inconsistent.
After pondering for a long time with his head down, Feng Yan randomly grabbed a bath towel and threw it messily over his head. Then he took a step forward.
Just as he took one step.
He suddenly stopped.
He turned around and stood still for a few seconds.
It was hard to tell what he was thinking. He reached out and pulled the showerhead down a bit.
According to his memory of Sang Lu's height, he adjusted the showerhead to a suitable height for her.
...
Sang Lu stood on tiptoe and reached for the top shelf of the bookshelf.
She swayed from side to side for a while.
Then she let out a sigh of relief and clapped her hands.
"Done!"
She looked up at the folders that she had neatly arranged, aligning them along the edges. Her face showed the expression of a person with obsessive - compulsive disorder being cured.
It was so satisfying and stress - relieving.
"I'm really amazing. I'm a master of organization. How can I arrange them so neatly?"
Sang Lu felt good about herself and praised herself in various ways.
Just then, her phone on the table vibrated.
She received a new message.
[Director Wang: Xiao Sang, the arrangement from Qingmang TV has been advanced. You have to leave this Sunday. The TV station has already changed your flight ticket. The station will send a car to pick you up the day after tomorrow morning. Send me your address.]
Sang Lu's eyes widened in surprise.
It was good news.
If she left one day earlier, she could come back one day earlier.
In this way, she could be more sure not to miss Doctor Ji's visit to her home.
Sang Lu sent her address to Director Wang and casually asked,
[By the way, Director Wang, who is my colleague going on a business trip with me?]
She thought that if it was a girl, it would be great.
They could go shopping and have meals together after the exchange and study.
She had long heard that there were a lot of delicious foods in Nancheng where Qingmang TV was located.
Thinking like this, her thoughts began to wander.
She stroked her chin and murmured softly,
"I should bring more facial masks to share with my colleague. I also need to bring more soothing skin - care products. Maybe we won't get used to the weather in Nancheng."
"By the way, the honey - lemon candies I bought last week are very good. I'll take them!"
"I should also prepare some digestive tablets. I'm sure I'll eat too much on this trip."
Just as she was having beautiful daydreams, her phone vibrated again.
Director Wang sent three words: [Xie Sinan.]
Xie Sinan!
Sang Lu felt as if she had been struck blind.
It was actually Xie Sinan!
The picture in her fantasy of happily shopping, applying facial masks, and eating snacks with a newly - met female colleague instantly shattered.
She vaguely had a premonition that this trip to Qingmang TV would be full of trouble.
Xie Sinan, 27 years old, was a host who had just jumped from a sister TV station at the beginning of the year. He had hosted a popular variety show.
With his deep - voiced baritone and a gentle young - looking face that didn't show his age, he had gained countless fans. His popularity was comparable to that of second - tier young celebrities.
Sang Lu had already imagined the scene in her mind -
If she went on a business trip with him, they would definitely be surrounded by fans everywhere they went.
Maybe she would even be forced to act as a temporary security guard, squeezing through the crowd and shouting, "Excuse me, please let me through."
Sang Lu felt as if she had been struck blind again and again.
She let out a long sigh.
*
On Sunday morning, the morning light shone through the French windows into the luxurious penthouse.
In the fitness room, the veins on Feng Yan's arms bulged. His body was tense like a fully - drawn bowstring.
Bang -
He punched the heavy sandbag hard, and it let out a dull sound.
It swayed unsteadily.
After a long time.
He pulled up the bottom of his T - shirt and took it off. Then he went into the bathroom to take a shower.
When he came out again, he had changed into a clean black T - shirt, and his hair was half - dry.
Feng Yan was used to getting up early on weekend mornings. He replaced the usual company meetings with fitness training.
He had spent every weekend like this in the past few years without any change.
He went to the kitchen to get a glass of water and walked to the balcony to get some fresh air.
Just as he took a sip of water, he looked down.
He saw Sang Lu downstairs, holding her suitcase.
