"Grandpa Chen, what are you doing here, and where’s my mom? Why haven’t I seen her?" Qiaoqiao spotted the elder and bounced over to ask.
The old man grinned and gently patted Qiaoqiao’s head, saying, "The lady is upstairs in the reception hall waiting for Mr. Lu, and I’m here to welcome Mr. Lu upstairs."
"Then what about me? I want to go up with Uncle too," Qiaoqiao said, shaking her head.
"Miss, that won’t do. The lady just said she wants to see Mr. Lu alone. Miss, why don’t you wait in the living room for a while?" The old man still spoke with a smile, his face showing no trace of worldly troubles.
If it weren’t for recognizing the elder’s strength, Lu Tianxing would never believe that the elderly man before him was a potent figure who even the nation feared, rather than a kind and friendly grandpa.
"Hmph, I knew Mom wouldn’t let me go over, Grandpa Chen you relay a message for me. If she dares to make things difficult for Uncle, hmph, I’ll ignore her forever."
Qiaoqiao pouted in dissatisfaction, gave a cold snort, and instructed Lu Tianxing, "Uncle, you go on up with Grandpa Chen first. I’ll wait for you outside. Don’t you sneak away, I’m planning to invite you for a meal today to thank you for saving my life. When I, Qiaoqiao, say something, I mean it. So, you better keep your word to treat me to a meal next time."
Lu Tianxing smiled and nodded. He didn’t refuse Qiaoqiao’s suggestion, which was as quirky and clever as Mandala’s, only without Mandala’s penchant for playing tricks on people.
"Mr. Lu, the lady is waiting for you upstairs, please follow me," said the elder, gesturing invitingly to Lu Tianxing. Lu Tianxing nodded and followed the elder up the stairs.
Guided by the elder, the two navigated through some winding corridors and finally stopped in front of a jujube red door. The elder paused, knocked on the door, and said respectfully, "Mr. Lu, the lady is waiting for you inside, please enter."
Lu Tianxing walked straight in, pushing open the door. To him, a Heaven-level Martial Artist was no threat at all, so he had no reason to hesitate.
As he entered and scanned his surroundings, Lu Tianxing didn’t detect anyone else. The entire conference room was empty and spacious, except for a woman with long hair down to her shoulders. She stood with her back to the door, staring dreamily at the azure sea. The breeze, carrying the scent of the ocean, fluttered her hair, framing the woman’s shapely figure against the beautiful seascape like a stunning scene.
Even from behind, Lu Tianxing could sense that this woman, with her back to him, was a top-tier beauty; at least her silhouette suggested so, with curves in all the right places. Her figure was the kind where one more pound would make her appear overweight, and one less would make her seem too thin.
"How could it be you?"
When the woman turned around, Lu Tianxing and she both exclaimed in surprise, their eyes fully revealing the shock concealed in their gazes.
"Is this what they call fate in the legends? Or is the world so vast that it’s just happened to bring you to me?"
Lu Tianxing’s eyes widened in disbelief. He couldn’t fathom how he had failed to anticipate that Qiaoqiao’s mother would be Shen Manjun—the perfect woman he had encountered by the riverbank on that night, driving a Hummer H2, the very night he had signed the marriage contract with Bai Zhiqing.
The world seemed too small, making such an encounter possible, and moreover, that this woman would turn out to be Qiaoqiao’s mother.
Lu Tianxing observed Shen Manjun, his eyes unable to hide his admiration. In the time since they last met, he found that Shen Manjun’s charm had grown even more compelling. Dressed in a white silk high-heeled pencil skirt and with an exquisitely beautiful mature face, she exuded a captivating air that made it impossible to look away – particularly her chest, the formidable presence there nearly bursting from her clothes. The clothes did little to conceal her; instead, they added to her countless charms.
"No wonder Qiaoqiao said her mother is very beautiful. This is not just a beautiful woman but a mature, breathtakingly gorgeous woman, who even surpasses Bai Zhiqing."
Lu Tianxing couldn’t help but inwardly sigh.
While Bai Zhiqing was on par with Shen Manjun in terms of beauty, she lacked Shen Manjun’s mature and seductive charm. If Bai Zhiqing could arouse a man’s desire to conquer, then this woman was definitely a perfect allure.
Not only was Lu Tianxing somewhat stunned, but Shen Manjun, who had turned around, was also taken aback. She had not expected that the man who had saved her daughter would be Lu Tianxing, the same man who had flirted with her in the past.
For Shen Manjun, the memory of Lu Tianxing was fresh in her mind. He was the first man who dared to smoke in front of her and even blow the smoke in her face, and it was the only time she hadn’t gotten angry.
After all, Shen Manjun wasn’t an ordinary woman. After a brief moment of surprise, she regained her composure and said indifferently, "Mr. Lu, we meet again."
"Yes, I never expected that we would meet, either. The world seems a bit small," Lu Tianxing replied with a smile, appraising Shen Manjun with unmistakable admiration in his eyes.
"Mr. Lu, I’ve sought you out this time to thank you for saving my daughter. This is my way of repaying you."
Ignoring Lu Tianxing’s gaze, Shen Manjun reached into her handbag, took out a cheque, and placed it in front of Lu Tianxing: "This is fifty million, as my gratitude for saving Qiaoqiao. However, as Qiaoqiao’s mother, I have something to say to you, Mr. Lu. I hope you will stay away from my daughter from now on. She is not yet of age, nor is she your prey. I don’t want you to have any entanglement with my daughter."
"Fifty million, Miss Shen, I must say your daughter is quite valuable – makes me almost want to save her every day," Lu Tianxing retorted as he flipped the cheque in front of him with a light chuckle. "Miss Shen, how do you know that by saving Qiaoqiao’s life, I regard her as my prey? Don’t you think she’s merely a bridge, acting as a medium that connects you and me? Instead of liking that unripe Little Apple girl, I prefer a mature woman like you, Miss Shen, because a woman like you knows how to serve a man. Don’t you agree, Miss Shen?"
Lu Tianxing lit a cigarette for himself, took a deep drag, and exhaled the smoke toward Shen Manjun, while his lips curled into a faint smile. Leaning one hand on the table, he looked down at Shen Manjun from his higher position.
Shen Manjun was the kind of woman who made men want to commit sins at just one glance, emanating an attraction that was lethal to men, making it unbearable for them to look away.
Looking at Shen Manjun at that moment, he couldn’t help but want to pounce on her and take a bite.
Lu Tianxing considered himself someone who had seen quite a few women, but even then, when he saw Shen Manjun, he was still mesmerized for a moment. She was too tempting, stirring an irresistible urge to commit a crime, to push her down and conquer her fiercely.