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nWhile Su Jianan was knotting his necktie, she realized that Lu Boyan had chosen to use the same one that she had given him last time as a gift.

nNow that she thought about it, that necktie had made quite a several appearances these days.

nHaving dealt with work-related matters, Lu Boyan hung up the phone. That was when he noticed Su Jianan staring off into space. Although she was still holding on to his necktie, her hands were not moving.

nHe flicked her forehead. “You can even daydream in the middle of knotting a tie?”

nSu Jianan rubbed her forehead. “Lu Boyan, do you like this necktie that much?” She asked. “You’ve been using it a lot these days.”

n“Well, it’s placed on the outside, so it’s easier for me to grab it. That’s why I use it often.” All of a sudden, he looked as if he had just thought of something. “Is this the one you gave me?”

nSu Jianan had thought that the reason Lu Boyan wore this necktie so much was precisely that it was her gift to him; she thought that maybe it held a deeper meaning to Lu Boyan compared to the rest of his ties.

nBut judging from his tone now, it seemed like he had forgotten that it had been her gift. It made sense, though. He had a huge collection of neckties, after all. How could he possibly remember which necktie was given to him by whom?

nStill, she felt pretty mad. She tightened the necktie around Lu Boyan’s neck with more force than necessary, nearly throttling him in the process. When she saw the change in Lu Boyan’s face, she eased her hands on the tie and left to start brunch.

nLu Boyan ignored the tangled mess that was his necktie. He sat down across from Su Jianan and scowled at her, “Su Jianan, were you trying to murder your husband just now?”

nSu Jianan flicked a glance towards the collar of his shirt, which was completely askew courtesy of her use of excessive force while she secured the necktie around it just now. “Nope,” she said. “I’ve got no plans on becoming a widow at such a young age. My hands just slipped.”

n“Ugh. So unfair. How could he still look so damn handsome while wearing that mess of a necktie?”

nAmidst her thoughts, a tiny smile tugged at Su Jianan’s lips. When she looked back at him right then, her expression was completely innocent. “Dear, you’re not mad at me, are you?”

n“…” Lu Boyan gazed at her through narrowed eyes, though he said nothing.

nAdmittedly, Su Jianan was starting to feel a bit scared that Lu Boyan would be mad at her for what she did. He was the President of Lu Enterprises after all. Pretty sure nobody had the guts to treat him this way in the past…

n“Ahem!”

nSu Jianan stood up and walked over to Lu Boyan. She stopped beside him and then reached out to straighten his necktie. “There. Satisfied?”

nLu Boyan was still scowling at her with that handsome face of his. Su Jianan decided to ignore him. Pouting, she turned around and began to walk away. Before she could take a step, something hooked around her waist and yanked her downwards. The sudden movement threw her off balance, and she fell right into Lu Boyan’s lap.

n“…” Su Jianan stared at Lu Boyan with parted lips. There was a look of wariness in her expression, and her eyes were filled with something that was a mixture of innocence and confusion.

nAs Lu Boyan stared at her, his work, his career, and pretty much everything else, slowly faded away from his mind. The only thing he could see was Su Jianan; slowly and gradually, her image had begun to take over every nook and cranny of his mind.

nDesire resonated through his entire body.

nAs if having a mind of its own, his head bent down, and he kissed Su Jianan right on her lips.

nAt that moment, Su Jianan felt her pulse shooting through the roof. Every fiber of her being was thrown into utter shock.

nLu Boyan’s eyes held so much profound depth just now. It was as if he could suck her soul right out of her just by gazing at her. When he kissed her, she found herself kissing him back instinctively. By the time she realized what she was doing, her arms had already found its way to the back of his neck. She nearly jumped in shock at her actions.

nIt was as if Lu Boyan could read her mind; just when Su Jianan was about to withdraw her arms, he suddenly tightened his grip on her waist. She made a sound from the back of her throat as her arms tightened around his neck.

nA smile formed on Lu Boyan’s lips, and he deepened the kiss.

nThrough the thin fabric of his shirt, Su Jianan could seemingly feel the rise in Lu Boyan’s body temperature. She, on the other hand, was slowly losing the ability to breathe properly. As a result, the rising and falling of her chest became increasingly noticeable.

n“Lu Boyan…” She called out his name, weakly.

nJust when she felt the first hint of suffocation, Lu Boyan finally released his hold on her lips. He immediately sought out her lips again and gave her two gentle kisses. Only then did he ease his hands on her waist. The profoundness of his eyes as he was looking at her right now was far more intense than it had been just now.

nHeat rose in Su Jianan’s cheeks, and her face was soon as red as a pile of glowing embers. She averted her gaze, not daring to meet Lu Boyan’s eyes. Then, she started to struggle against him, wanting to get off his lap. Then, she felt a sudden pull from Lu Boyan’s hand. With a cryptic smile, he leaned forward and said into her ear, “I knew it was your gift.”

nDid he know? So he knew all along?

nIn other words, Su Jianan had guessed right before. He was wearing the necktie more often because it was her gift.

nSo just now he was just… acting? And this? What the hell was this? Did he do it so that he could take advantage of her?

nSu Jianan gave him a hard shove and leaped off his lap. “Lu Boyan, you’re a liar! You’re a goddamn liar!”

nMeanwhile, a certain liar was feeling very sated, so he was obviously in a good mood. He smiled back at Su Jianan even though she had just yelled at him. His endless staring made Su Jianan feel shy instead, so she lowered her head and went back to her meal.

nDue to the stunt that Lu Boyan had pulled, it was already 12:40 by the time they finished their meal. Worried that she would be late for work, Su Jianan urged Lu Boyan to pick up his pace.

nLu Boyan changed his shoes lazily. “It’ll only take five minutes by car to get from here to the police station. You can chill, you know.”

n“Chill? You’re the only one who can afford to chill,” Su Jianan said, poking at his shoulder. “Nobody will deduct your salary if you skip work. Nobody will bite your head off, too. I’m different, you know. I still have superiors to answer to. So step on it, will you?!”

nBy the time they went downstairs to retrieve their car, it was already 12:45. But Su Jianan soon realized that the apartment was quite near to the police station. Plus, with good road conditions and light traffic, she found that she had no reason to fret after all. She turned on the music and played a few of her favorite songs.

nLu Boyan did not prefer to have any music on when he was driving, which was why his car was devoid of any CDs in the past. But ever since Su Jianan began riding his car back from work, the CD compartment of his car was loaded with all kinds of CDs. Lu Boyan did not raise any objections to the addition. In fact, on some occasions, he would even launch into discussions with Su Jianan about which singers had superior voices.

nRight now, Su Jianan was playing the song of the singer that he hated the most. He frowned and asked Su Jianan to switch to another song. Su Jianan just smiled at him, “Actually, this song sounds nice when I sing it.”

nLu Boyan raised his brows; his eyes held nothing but doubt.

n“Don’t you believe me?” Su Jianan tilted her chin upwards challengingly. “I’ll sing it to you next time!”

n“Are you sure you won’t end up scarring me for life?” Lu Boyan commented drily.

n“…” She would have socked him twice if Lu Boyan was not driving right now.

nThey spent the rest of the car ride in an amiable and relaxing manner. When they arrived at the police office, Su Jianan suddenly realized something— right now, her life with Lu Boyan was no different than that of a real married couple.

nOther than the fact that they had not consummated their marriage, other than the fact that they had agreed to a two-year marriage before they had even gotten their marriage license, everything else about their life together showed that they had become an actual married couple.

nExcept that she had no idea if their relationship could even last long and forever like those of real married couples.

nOn another side of the city, Lu Boyan arrived at the company. The moment he stepped out of the elevator, he saw Shen Yuechuan trailing after him with a gloomy expression. Lu Boyan released a rare laugh. “This is the first time I’ve skipped work in seven or eight years. Aren’t you overreacting a little?” He joked.

n“Old Mu is here. He’s in your office right now.”

nDue to the sensitive nature of his identity, Mu Sijue never once came to Lu Enterprises. But today, Mu Sijue had arrived at Lu Boyan’s office completely unannounced. Plus, with the way, Shen Yuechuan’s face was looking…

nThe smile vanished from Lu Boyan’s countenance. He stepped into his office with Shen Yuechuan. At their entrance, Mu Sijue lifted his chin in greeting. “Have a seat. There’s something I need to tell you.”

nMu Sijue stared at Lu Boyan. There was an unprecedented look of distress in Mu Sijue’s eyes.

nLu Boyan knew right then that this was not a simple matter. He leaned back against the couch and crossed his legs. “Give it to me straight.”

n“I’ve got the word about it a month ago. I didn’t know for sure until fairly recently,” Mu Sijue said. There was a brief pause. “He’s returned to City A.”

nThe three of them knew better than anyone else who this “he” was.

nAll these years, with Mu Sijue working the dark, and Lu Boyan working in the light with Shen Yuechuan’s assistance, the three of them had been widening their influence and securing their power. All that, so that they could finally face that person in a head to head showdown.

nLu Boyan knew that he would return for sure; he would return to reclaim all the things belonging to the Kang Family, and he would try to restore the Kang Family to its former glory. What Lu Boyan had not anticipated was for the man’s return to be so soon.

n“What do we do?” Shen Yuechuan asked with a frown. Shen Yuechuan was the type who could smile no matter what kind of trouble he was thrown into. For the first time in his life, Shen Yuechuan was frowning in the face of an obstacle.

n“This day is bound to come anyway. All the preparations we’ve made all these years, aren’t they for the arrival of this very day?” A look of danger was slowly creeping into Lu Boyan’s profound eyes. “The earlier he returns, the sooner we can deal with him.”

nShen Yuechuan steepled his fingers. “No. I’m not worried about Kang’s return at all. I’ve been waiting for the coming of this battle for a long time. What I’m asking is, what should we do about Jianan?”

nMu Sijue glanced at Lu Boyan.

nLu Boyan, on the other hand, descended into silence.

nWith his brows drawn together and his lashes lowered, he looked like a commander in chief about to make a tough decision. Hesitance and indecision flashed across his eyes before he closed them. “I don’t know.”

nFor the first time in his life, Shen Yuechuan heard those three words coming out of Lu Boyan’s mouth.

nHe had always been the invincible, decisive, and quasi-omnipotent Lu Boyan. His far-reaching vision and shrewdness would always ensure that things went smoothly as planned. To many, he led a godlike existence.

nNever in the man’s life had he claimed to be clueless about something. But now, Shen Yuechuan believed that Lu Boyan had no idea how to handle Su Jianan.

n“I’ve already told her the worst case scenario before we got married,” Lu Boyan said, raising his head. His eyes looked sharp and confident once again. “Right now the priority is to deal with Su Hongyuan.”

nShen Yuechuan understood where Lu Boyan was coming from. He was looking out for Su Jianan’s future; no matter what happened, he wanted Su Jianan to live out the rest of her life safely.

n“Look, man. Maybe it’s because I don’t know anything about this romance mumbo jumbo, that’s why I don’t understand what you’re doing here,” Mu Sijue said. “But why are you hiding everything from her? Did it ever cross your mind that she might want to know about these things too?”

n“No. She wouldn’t want to know. I don’t want her to know either,” Lu Boyan said. “She had been living a clean life for the past 20 years or so. I don’t want to drag her into the darkness with me. Besides… She has someone she likes.”

nYes. The fact that Su Jianan had someone she liked was one thing that Lu Boyan had never forgotten.

n“Holy **!” Shen Yuechuan exclaimed. “I would’ve forgotten all about that if you hadn’t reminded me. Back then, Luo Xiaoxi did mention that there’s some guy whom Jianan’s been crushing on for many years. Then again, seeing her together with you for the past six months… I wonder why I failed to remember this particular thing?”

nMu Sijue chuckled. “Because they seemed like they have the hots for each other, that’s why,” Mu Sijue said, hitting the nail right on the head.

n“Damn right!” Inwardly, Shen Yuechuan gave Mu Sijue kudos. Smiling, Shen Yuechuan glanced at Lu Boyan. “Maybe you’ve already captured your Jianan’s heart after you two got married, and you just didn’t know it?”

n“Shut the hell up, all of you,” Lu Boyan growled, his cold gaze sweeping from Mu Sijue to Shen Yuechuan. “If either of you let it slip before Jianan, don’t ever think about showing your face in City A.”

nYeah, as if Shen Yuechuan was afraid of Lu Boyan’s threat. He resumed teasing Lu Boyan to his heart’s content. “Say, I don’t get you, man. You’ve got the guts to have me alone as your backup last time during the business negotiation with that highly dangerous person in Cambodia. And yet you’re chickening out when it comes to letting your wife know you— oww!”

nLu Boyan kicked him before he could finish.

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