Sheng Ting’s new song was of a completely different style this time as compared to his usual style. The song included dark and mysterious elements. It sounded much classier than his standard fare. After listening to it once, Gu Mang looked up and asked Lu Chengzhou, “Do you have any dance studios?”
He clenched his jaw as he recalled the image of his fiancée dancing together with the idol during the MV shoot. It took him a moment to respond to her question. “Yes, on the third floor.”
She lifted an eyebrow in surprise. “Oh.”
“Are you intending to appear in another MV?” he asked calmly.
As Gu Mang replayed the song, she gave him a concise reply. “No, I’m just working on the choreography.”
Tsk. Lu Chengzhou felt somewhat irritated when he noticed how focused she was. Tossing his towel on a nearby chair, he picked up his phone and started replying to emails. However, he could not concentrate even after staring at them for two whole minutes. He tapped a finger against the side of his phone as he took another glance at the girl next to him, who appeared just as absorbed as before.
She was just about to listen to the song for the third time when the earphone was suddenly pulled out of her ear. She turned to shoot him a quizzical look with her eyebrows arched, but he took her phone from her and placed it on the low bedside cabinet before she could do anything. She stared blankly at him. “Lu Chengzhou?”
He turned his head to face her again. His voice was calm as he said, “It’s getting late. You should sleep now.”
She rolled her eyes in amusement. “11PM is considered late?”
“No?” He looked at the wall clock. It was only a few minutes to eleven. “What time do you think is considered late?”
Not knowing what he was up to, Gu Mang decided to act prudently by keeping her silence.
He continued asking, “Is 2AM late enough?”
It was not unusual for her to stay up all night back when she was working on missions, so she answered, “I guess so.”
Lu Chengzhou nodded in understanding. “Your bedtime will be at 2AM, then.”
She did not understand. “You—”
He turned off the lights with the remote control and pressed her down by the shoulders before she could even react. “Lu Chengzhou…”
She couldn’t say anything else as he sealed her lips with his, kissing her roughly as punishment.
Tsk. What a jealous lover he is.
…
The room was shrouded in darkness. Gu Mang’s hands trembled slightly out of tension as she dug her fingers into Lu Chengzhou’s shoulders. “I-It’s already 2PM…”
“Close your eyes and sleep if you’re tired.” His seductive, hoarse voice tickled her ear.
How am I going to sleep if he doesn’t stop what he’s doing?
…
Lu Chengzhou woke up rather early the next day. As he sat up in bed, Gu Mang frowned as she felt movement. He kissed her before whispering gently to her, “You can sleep in a little longer.”
“Mm.” Her forehead relaxed as she grabbed his finger and said groggily, “Deliver the medicine to Gu Si as soon as possible.”
He did not ask what was inside the box that she had given him yesterday, but upon hearing that it contained medicine, he asked, “Is Gu Si sick?”
She responded with a hum of acknowledgment.
“Okay.” He tucked a lock of stray hair behind her ear before asking, “Is there anything you want to eat today?”
Gu Mang’s face was half buried in the pillow as she hoarsely answered, “Chestnut porridge made by you.”
Her reply drew a laugh from him as he kneaded her earlobe. “Okay. Carry on sleeping.”
…
It was the first time Butler Lu had ever seen his young master in the kitchen and he could not help but be shocked by what he saw. As he stood nervously to the side, he placed the sugar jar next to Lu Chengzhou’s hand. “Here’s the sugar, young master.” Immediately after, he moved the jar of salt away.
“Leave.” The young man did not bother lifting his head as he poured the chestnut paste out of the blender. Butler Lu opened his mouth but did not say anything. He turned around and left the kitchen while looking backward nervously with every step he took.
Lu Chengzhou’s phone suddenly rang when the porridge was almost done cooking. While stirring the pot with a wooden spoon, he fished out his phone from his pocket and answered the call with his other hand.
Qin Fang’s frazzled voice came through. “Brother Cheng, Shadow League isn’t picking up our mission. We’re currently offering them four and a half billion.”
Qin Fang could not help but think about how capable the Miracle Doctor was. Including the amount they were offering him, the Miracle Doctor’s net worth was even higher than his sister-in-law’s when she was working under the moniker Silence. Most importantly, Shadow League remained unmoved even when they had increased the bounty to four and a half billion. The hacker org thought nothing of money.
“Keep raising the price,” said Lu Chengzhou indifferently.
“Noted.” Despite feeling the pinch, Qin Fang made a gesture at He Yidu, who continued increasing the bounty.
…
Meanwhile.
A few minutes after Gu Mang went back to sleep, she felt her phone vibrate. Annoyance flashed in her eyes as she took the call. She heard Lin Shuang’s voice. “He Yidu gave us a mission worth three billion last night. He kept increasing the offer by one hundred million after every hour. The offer is worth four and half billion now.”
She did not respond.
“Should we rip them off and accept the mission once their offer reaches the ten-billion mark?” asked Lin Shuang while getting increasingly excited as though she would become rich overnight.
Placing an arm across her forehead, Gu Mang closed her eyes and asked softly, “Have you found out why Lu Chengzhou is looking for the Miracle Doctor?”