Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
Zhou Yao suddenly opened her eyes, glaring at him with a face that was both red and pale.
Luo Yi was caught between laughter and words. As Zhou Yao lowered her head and kicked at his calf, he sidestepped to avoid it. Zhou Yao grabbed his hand and kicked him twice more. He dodged effortlessly, and she just couldn't land a hit.
Zhou Yao turned to walk outside.
"Zhou Yao."
Luo Yi called her name, stepping forward to grab her hand. Zhou Yao shook it off but couldn't break free. With a twist of his wrist, Luo Yi pulled her back in front of him, quickly lowering his head to peck her earlobe.
Zhou Yao's heart skipped a beat; she froze, puffing out her cheeks and giving him a sidelong glance.
After a few seconds, she exclaimed, "I called you, and you didn't answer."
Luo Yi replied, "I was busy; I didn't see it."
Zhou Yao wasn't unreasonable either. After a brief silence, she calmed herself down, already filled with questions: "Did you start working at my mom's company?"
Luo Yi took one last drag from his cigarette, frowning slightly as he said, "I have to make a living somehow."
"I don't believe you," Zhou Yao pouted.
Luo Yi raised an eyebrow, looking at her through the thin veil of smoke.
Zhou Yao met his gaze, her expression turning serious: "Stop hiding it from me. I know you're Luo Yu's brother. Boss Luo, I've figured you out."
Luo Yi's expression changed slightly, a mix of wariness and testing.
Zhou Yao looked at him for a moment, then smiled slightly, revealing her white teeth. "Luo Boss, you should have told me earlier. I wouldn't have doubted you; what are you afraid of?"
Luo Yi felt a jolt in his heart, as if something soft had collided with him. His lips moved but then fell silent. A man who had experienced the world was at a loss for what expression to wear at that moment.
He mechanically smiled and asked, "Believe what?"
"That you are a good person. You don't have bad intentions," Zhou Yao said, lifting her chin slightly. "I have a good eye for people."
Luo Yi's gaze remained fixed on the young girl in front of him until he felt a heat between his fingers; the cigarette had burned down to the end.
He extinguished the cigarette and said nothing else. "Let's go."
"Where to?"
"My home."
"Oh." Zhou Yao walked briskly beside him and said, "Luo Boss, I'm with my classmates."
As Luo Yi stepped out the door, he glanced at the three girls in front of the milk tea shop next door and told Zhou Yao, "Go say hi to them; I'll wait for you."
Luo Yi walked to the roadside, took out another cigarette, lit it, and looked back. Zhou Yao was talking to her companions, and the three female students were looking over at Luo Yi with surprised expressions.
Luo Yi had no interest in them and withdrew his gaze, taking a drag from his cigarette.
The street was lined with ginkgo trees. It was deep autumn, and the leaves were golden, reminiscent of the road in front of Aden Inn. Luo Yi looked up; the weather was nice today, and the sky in Beijing was unexpectedly blue.
His heart felt as calm as water, just like that night when he had walked out of the inn with suppressed irritation only to find Zhou Yao waiting for him by the police car, exhaling warm breath into the air.
As tranquil as warm water.
"You live so close to my school," Zhou Yao said as she pulled back the sheer curtains of the living room's floor-to-ceiling window and looked outside. "Look, that's our school's laboratory building."
"This is for Luo Yu," Luo Yi replied as he sat down on the sofa and lit a cigarette. Zhou Yao turned her head and saw him. "I want one too."
Luo Yi handed her a cigarette, and Zhou Yao sat cross-legged on the carpet next to him.
"Boss Luo, why did you decide to work at Oya?"
"What do you think?" Luo Yi leaned forward, tapping the ash into the ashtray while glancing at her. "Did you not just claim that you figured me out?"
Zhou Yao shrugged. "I guess the Jade Buddha Tower case was planned by Dan Shan, with the goal being land."
Luo Yi was not surprised by her insight; he raised an eyebrow, signaling her to continue.
"I heard Officer Lu say that Dan Shan wanted land, and indeed, the Jade Buddha Pagoda is also in Dan Shan's hands. Looking back at the case, it all makes sense. The one who took action against the Jade Buddha Tower was my mom's company, and you were the one who appraised it. The person closest to my mom is my dad, and the person closest to you is Luo Yu. Doesn't that intersect with land? Dan Shan's original target was actually my dad and Luo Yu."
"And then?"
Zhou Yao hesitated slightly at this point; she lowered her gaze for a moment before raising her head. "Boss Luo, I guess you've been investigating this matter for years now. I want to help you, so I talked to my dad about it."
"Hmm?"
"I asked him if he encountered anything unusual during that time."
Luo Yi looked at her; this was exactly what he wanted to know.
"At that time, my mom's company faced a credibility crisis, and there were issues with cash flow. Someone approached my dad, saying they wanted to buy a project blueprint from one of his students. That student was Luo Yu."
"If my dad was willing to make the connection, he would have received a substantial commission, but he refused," Zhou Yao said slowly. "So—"
Luo Yi remained unfazed.
“Boss Luo, during that time you must have been in massive debt as well. I suspect that Luo Yu received similar invitations in the last period of his life.”
“Luo Yu, sell me the land blueprint, and I will give you a large sum of money to help relieve your brother's debt crisis.”
Luo Yi pulled at the corners of his mouth expressionlessly: “Luo Yu would definitely refuse.”
“I think so too.” Zhou Yao lowered his head, “During that time, Luo Yu must have been very depressed, but he usually doesn’t talk much, so I didn’t notice.”
Luo Yi's expression softened slightly: “It's not your fault.”
“But Boss Luo, Luo Yu wouldn’t commit suicide.” Zhou Yao looked up at him again, “He loves the Land Project very much and wants to dedicate his entire life to it. I understand that feeling; he wouldn’t possibly take his own life.”
“I know.” Luo Yi took a deep drag from his cigarette and repeated firmly, “I know.”
Zhou Yao fell silent, looking at Luo Yi. The man's gaze was unusually clear, showing no signs of emotional fluctuation—neither joy nor sorrow.
For over two years, he had been silently enduring and drifting outside like this.
“I’ll help you.” Zhou Yao blurted out, “Boss Luo, I’ll help you.”
Luo Yi turned his gaze over.
“If it’s clues related to Luo Yu, I can help you find them.”
“You’ve already helped me.” Luo Yi patted her head. Zhou Yao shrank her neck slightly.
“You heard what I just said; don’t doubt my mom, okay? Although my mom is fierce and ruthless in business, she wouldn’t do anything harmful.” Zhou Yao’s voice lowered again, “You came to Oya to investigate clues about the Jade Buddha Pagoda and Dan Shan? You don’t doubt my mom, do you?”
Luo Yi shook his head: “I’ve already guessed who Dan Shan is, but I want to find more concrete evidence to avoid mistakes and alerting the snake when striking the grass.”
Zhou Yao was taken aback: “You’ve already guessed?”
"Well. An acquaintance." Luo Yi squinted, exhaling a puff of smoke. "No matter how well Wu Ming's Jade Buddha Tower is forged, it can't fool my eyes. I'm certain that the one I authenticated back then was real."
"Do you believe my mother didn't use a fake to deceive us?" A glimmer flashed in Zhou Yao's eyes.
Luo Yi smiled faintly. "I trust my own judgment."
Zhou Yao pouted but didn't mind, quickly asking, "Then there's only your friend left—no, Jiang Hong didn't forge it either, right?"
"I know his character very well." When mentioning an old friend, a hint of stillness appeared in Luo Yi's eyes. After a pause, he said, "It's simple; someone around me swapped the True Buddha Pagoda."
Zhou Yao's eyes widened slightly. "Someone around you? A trusted confidant?"
"Yes."
"Do you have a suspect?"
"I don't suspect anyone. I'm certain."
Zhou Yao couldn't evaluate his past network of relationships and remained silent.
Zhou Yao furrowed her brows slightly, leaning over the tea table and gently tapping the ash from her cigarette into the ashtray. She suddenly turned to him and whispered, "Boss Luo."
"Hmm?"
"Are you sad?"
Luo Yi raised his gaze.
"Betrayed by someone you trusted. Does it hurt?"
"Not really," Luo Yi replied lightly, as if the wind and clouds were calm. "In this world, there's nothing I can't bear."
Luo Yi got up and walked to the sink to pour himself some water when suddenly he felt something soft behind him.
Zhou Yao wrapped her arms around his waist from behind.
In Yading, every time they descended the mountain, she would hold him like this, resting her head against his back, drawing warmth and a sense of security from him; this time, it was she who provided it.
Luo Yi looked down and stroked her hands around his waist.
Zhou Yao pouted slightly and lightly huffed, "Don't get cocky, I'm just comforting you."
Luo Yi turned around, cupped her face in his hands, and leaned down to kiss her lips, just as he was about to deepen the kiss—Zhou Yao's phone rang.
Caught up in the moment, Zhou Yao awkwardly pulled out her phone and turned to answer it.
Luo Yi glanced at the screen, "Jiang Han."
Zhou Yao quickly slipped out to the balcony and closed the floor-to-ceiling window. Luo Yi watched her for a moment, then calmly continued drinking water. After a while, Zhou Yao returned and said, "Senior Brother called. He said there's still something going on at school, so I have to go back."
Luo Yi replied, "Mm." As she turned to leave, he called out, "Zhou Yao."
"Eh?"
"Come here."
Zhou Yao rolled her eyes but walked back to him.
Luo Yi raised his hand and scratched under her chin and neck.
Zhou Yao felt ticklish from his scratching and squinted her eyes but didn't pull away. "What are you doing?"
Luo Yi replied, "Just teasing a cat."
Zhou Yao pouted and raised her hand to hit him, but he caught her wrist and pulled her into his embrace.
Luo Yi quickly lowered his head and kissed her lips, her cheeks, and her neck. Rather than kissing, it felt more like biting. Zhou Yao whimpered, feeling pain from the corners of her mouth to her neck, as if she might fall apart.
He buried his head in the crook of her neck.
“Luo Boss, it hurts,” she gasped weakly.
Only then did he pause and release her. He lifted his head, looking down at her, gently biting his lip.
Zhou Yao blushed and was dazed for a second before she pressed her lips together, treating it as a parting kiss.
She waved at him, saying, “I’m leaving.”
Luo Yi leaned against the counter, tilting his head to glance at the hickey on her neck, saying, “Go ahead.”
……
Zhou Yao jogged all the way to the school gate, where Jiang Han had long been waiting impatiently: “Is this how you ask someone to do a favor? Huh?”
“Yes, yes, yes, I was wrong. Sorry for the trouble.”
Zhou Yao rarely had such a good temper and didn’t argue with him. Jiang Han also calmed down and tossed the folder in his hand to her: “Here.”
It was a catalog of items collected and sold by Jiang Auction House from two years ago.
Zhou Yao's eyes lit up: “Thank you!”
“Did you take the wrong medicine today?”
“Ah?”
"With such a good temper and being so polite, one might think your mother is watching you."
Zhou Yao frowned and raised her chin. "Jiang Han, can't you speak properly?"
Jiang Han squinted in the autumn breeze. He noticed the fresh red hickey on her neck.
He asked, "Where did you just come from?"
"The bookstore," Zhou Yao said, scrunching her nose.
"Zhou Yao, ever since we were kids, you always scrunch your nose when you lie!"
"I'm cold, okay?"
"Look at what’s on your neck?!" Jiang Han held his phone screen up to Zhou Yao, who widened her eyes upon seeing it.
"Don't tell me you were bitten by a dog."
"You’re the dog!" Zhou Yao blurted out.
The two stared at each other.
Jiang Han smirked, glancing toward the direction Zhou Yao had come from—the upscale neighborhood. "Oh, so you're one of those city folks now."
Zhou Yao couldn't stand his sarcasm and warned, "Yes. I have a boyfriend now, and don't tell my mom."
Jiang Han looked at her for a moment before chuckling. "Your mom wants to set us up; you must have noticed that, right?"
"Ah?" Zhou Yao was stunned for a few seconds, then looked up helplessly. "They don’t know that we’re already impossible; back then—"
"Don’t you dare continue!" Jiang Han scolded her.
It was indeed deep autumn; even at four-thirty in the afternoon, the sky was already darkening.
The cold wind howled.
Luo Yi stood across from Qingyu Kindergarten, smoking a cigarette. When he saw Yan Lin walking out with her four or five-year-old nephew, he extinguished the cigarette and walked over.
Yan Lin looked up and saw him, not surprised: "You've been in Beijing for so long; what, you finally thought of me today?"
"I'm here to see Tao Tao. I've come back, but if I don't see him, it wouldn't be right." Luo Yi bent down and handed a Transformer to Tao Tao, who excitedly hugged it but looked a bit unfamiliar with Luo Yi.
Yan Lin tugged at Tao Tao's hand: "Uncle Luo, you used to call him Dad. Have you forgotten?"
Tao Tao stuck out his tongue and smiled silently, his eyes showing some anticipation.
Luo Yi self-deprecatingly said, "I've been gone so long that he doesn't remember me anymore."
Once upon a time, Tao Tao was closest to him. His biological mother hardly cared for him, and Aunt Yan Lin was strict, so Luo Yi spoiled him the most.
"He's too young," Yan Lin said. "You've settled in Beijing now; if you come to see him more often, he'll naturally get familiar with you again."
Luo Yi glanced at her: "You seem to know my situation quite well."
Yan Lin raised her eyes and brushed away the scarf that the wind had disheveled: "Your position as the head of the Procurement Department at Oya has been making waves in the industry. If I didn't know this much, that would be too ridiculous."
Luo Yi curved his lips slightly without any smile.
Yan Lin continued: "Speaking of which, you're really inconsiderate. I traveled all this way to invite you back into the fold; you didn't agree, and then you went to my competitor instead. Are you trying to undermine me?"
She curled her red lips, took out a cigarette after pausing for two seconds, then put it back: "Or should I say—you just enjoy being my rival?"
"Opponent?" Luo Yi smiled meaningfully, "Yanni Jewelry emerged two years ago during Oya's crisis."
Yan Lin's smile stiffened.
Luo Yi glanced at his watch, bent down to pat Tao Tao's head, and instructed, "Study well." Standing up, he added, "I have things to do, so I'll leave first."
Tao Tao then called out, "Goodbye, Uncle!"
Luo Yi smiled at him and turned to leave.
Yan Lin looked back at him, her gaze unwavering, until she watched him stride across the street and disappear around the corner. Only then did she retract her gaze and lower her head to look at Tao Tao. "Don't you remember that uncle? He used to like you a lot."
Tao Tao pouted, "I think I remember a little bit. Aunt, I like that uncle. Can we ask him to come play with me more often?"
"Sure," Yan Lin replied with a faint smile.
...
Zhou Yao came out of the laboratory building at six in the evening.
The sky was pitch black, and the temperature was quite low.
Zhou Yao stuffed his hands into his pockets and shrank his neck as he hopped down the steps. He saw Luo Yi standing by the flower bed under the Golden Locust Tree smoking.
Zhou Yao ran over in surprise, bumped into him, and wore a big smile on his face. "What brings you here?"
"Just passing by."
Zhou Yao smiled and pouted slightly.
Luo Yi threw the cigarette into the trash can and asked, "Haven't you eaten yet?"
"Yeah, I'm starving." She immediately laughed, "Are you going to treat me to a meal?"
Luo Yi didn't answer and walked ahead. Zhou Yao followed, wrapping her arms tightly around his. He didn't react much, but after walking for a while and feeling the cold wind, he took her hand and tucked it into his pocket.
...
Zhou Yao sat at the bar in the open kitchen, leaning on the counter and watching Luo Yi cook. He was chopping meat, tearing vegetables, and cracking eggs... everything was done in an orderly manner.
The aroma of cooked rice wafted from the rice cooker, and three dishes along with a soup were served on the dining table.
Before the rice was even served, Zhou Yao scooped a spoonful of green pepper beef: "Boss Luo, your cooking skills are so good?"
"I practiced cooking for Luo Yu before," Luo Yi said as he served her rice. Remembering the past, he added, "He wouldn't say whether it was good or not; if he liked it, he'd eat several bowls, if not, he'd just go hungry."
Zhou Yao lowered her head to eat rice, thinking that all his tenderness had been given to Luo Yu.
Zhou Yao said, "By the way, I checked; Jiang Auction has no connection with that Jade Buddha Tower, so the problem lies within Oya itself. However, now that you're in the Procurement Department, investigating its origins shouldn't be difficult."
Luo Yi replied, "All related documents are gone."
Zhou Yao was taken aback.
"Probably eliminated by someone."
"What should we do then?"
"There will naturally be other ways." He paused and looked at her, "You focus on your studies; don't worry about anything else."
"Oh." Zhou Yao said with a round mouth.
Luo Yi: "..."
The night outside grew darker, and Zhou Yao didn't want to leave anymore.
"Boss Luo, can I take a shower here? I still have to go to the bathhouse at school, and it's freezing outside."
Luo Yi glanced at her. "Go ahead."
Zhou Yao dashed up to the second floor, and Luo Yi didn't pay her any mind. After tidying up the kitchen, he washed up and took a shower on the first floor. When he came out, the house was quiet; Zhou Yao still hadn't come down.
Luo Yi was too lazy to blow dry his hair. He rubbed it with a towel, bent down to pick up his phone, and noticed a missed call from Lu Xu.
Luo Yi stepped onto the balcony and called Lu Xu back. Lu Xu said he had traced the number Lin Jinyan dialed that day; it was from Yunnan, with no identity registration, and had recently been canceled.
"Got it," Luo Yi replied.
"How's it going over there?"
"I can't find any information. But I have a suspect."
"Another suspicion? We can't afford to be uncertain."
Luo Yi smiled lightly. "Don't worry. They'll come looking for trouble on their own."
After ending the call, Luo Yi returned indoors. Zhou Yao still hadn't come down. He glanced at the time—how could a shower take half an hour?
Luo Yi went upstairs, pushed open the door, and his breath caught in his throat.
Zhou Yao was lying on his navy blue bed, wearing his white shirt, which barely covered her thighs. Her legs were as white as snow, long and slender. Her little toes curled slightly.
Luo Yi closed the door behind him, climbed onto the bed, pulled her into his arms, and leaned down to sniff her neck. She smelled of the body wash he often used.
He inhaled the fragrance from her embrace and lowered his head to kiss her, teasing with his tongue. Zhou Yao was driven wild with desire, tilting her head back, her red lips slightly parted as she breathed lightly, one foot futilely kicking at the sheets.
He caressed her, rising to her lips, kissing them, which felt somewhat dry but carried the scent of her body.
The passion could not be contained. He pressed down on her, his hand sliding down when Zhou Yao caught his wrist and softly murmured, "Wait a moment."
Luo Yi leaned over her, his gaze deep.
Zhou Yao wrapped her arms around his neck, slowly lifting herself up to peck at his lips and then kiss his cheek.
As she leaned in to kiss his ear, a mischievous smile played at the corners of her mouth.
"I want to," Zhou Yao said, lifting her face to whisper regretfully in his ear, "but I got my period today. Next time."
Comment 0 Comment Count