Driving to Qingyuan Club, it was already four in the afternoon.
Now, the staff of the club all knew that Qingyuan Club had an additional male owner. Seeing Ling Chen arrive, the doorman immediately opened the door with respectful ceremony to welcome him in.
"Mr. Ling, President Liu said that you can go up by yourself," the doorman said, looking at Ling Chen with great admiration.
As employees of the club, everyone knew about Liu Xiyao’s rules: men were never allowed in her room, with the sole exception being this young man.
Ling Chen nodded and went straight into Liu Xiyao’s private elevator. Upon reaching the fifth floor, it was still the same room as the last time. Pushing open the door, he hadn’t yet seen anyone, but a captivating fragrance already wafted to his nose.
Looking up, he saw Liu Xiyao walking out of the bathroom. She seemed to have just taken a bath, wearing a loose garment that resembled ancient Han clothing as a nightgown, her waist-length hair still wet and not yet blow-dried.
Seeing Liu Xiyao again, Ling Chen felt his mood could not settle down for a long while. The woman before him was like a cup of rich and aromatic wine; the longer it was stored, the more intoxicating the fragrance became, making one involuntarily revel in it.
Fair and silky skin, delicate and lovely facial features, a graceful figure, as well as the noble elegance that radiated from within her—all of it was breathtaking.
Feeling the appreciation in Ling Chen’s gaze, Liu Xiyao slightly lifted the corners of her eyes, giving him a calm look. Such expressions were too familiar to her and had long become a norm.
"Have a seat," she gestured to the sofa, then picked up her phone to check the messages on it.
Ling Chen smiled slightly, unceremoniously took a seat on the sofa, and picked up the teapot on the coffee table. Spotting an empty cup right in front of him, he casually filled it and then brought it to his lips.
Just then, Liu Xiyao saw his action and quickly stretched out her hand to stop him, saying: "Don’t..."
Ling Chen swallowed the tea, smacking his lips, finding the tea sweet, leaving a fragrant aftertaste. Noticing an unusual color on Liu Xiyao’s face, he asked, "What did you just say?"
Liu Xiyao, looking at the teacup in his hand, shook her head helplessly and said, "Nothing... It’s nothing."
Following her gaze, Ling Chen took a closer look at the teacup in his hand. Suddenly, he noticed a faint lipstick mark on the edge of the cup.
Being a man, he naturally wouldn’t wear lipstick, so this lipstick mark... Realizing this, he immediately understood why Liu Xiyao tried to say that "Don’t" earlier.
No wonder he found the tea so sweet; it was because of this.
Does this... count as an indirect kiss?
He gave an awkward chuckle and sneakily glanced at Liu Xiyao. She appeared very calm, but Ling Chen, with his keen eyes, still noticed that Liu Xiyao’s face was tinged with a slight blush.
"Um... cough... President Liu, you wanted to see me about something?" he quickly changed the subject.
"It’s almost been a month."
Ling Chen slapped his forehead, he had been so busy that if not for Liu Xiyao’s reminder, he would have almost forgotten. They had agreed last time to prepare medicine every month to help Liu Xiyao nourish her body and detoxify.
"President Liu, please sit for a while. I’ll go grab some medicine and be right back," he said, standing up and leaving the room.
Watching Ling Chen disappear at the door, Liu Xiyao’s gaze uncontrollably fell back to the teacup, and a flush of shyness rose on her delicate, snow-like cheeks.
Everyone who knew her was aware that she didn’t quite like interacting with men. Perhaps some experiences from her childhood had made her somewhat repulsive towards men. Last time, Ling Chen barged into her room and almost saw her entire body; and this time...
For some reason, she didn’t feel a strong aversion towards Ling Chen. By the side of this man, who was a few years younger than herself, she felt very secure, with no need to be on guard all the time.
In less than half an hour, Ling Chen returned with several packages of traditional Chinese medicine that he had just bought.
"President Liu, take a rest. I’ll go and prepare the medicine for you."
Liu Xiyao’s room came with a kitchen. Ling Chen prepared the herbs, found a clay pot to put on the stove, and simmered them on low heat. In no time, a strong scent of traditional Chinese medicine wafted from the clay pot.
After dusting off the remnants of the herbs from his hands, Ling Chen went back to the living room and was immediately taken aback. While he was preparing the medicine, Liu Xiyao had changed into a pure white Cheongsam. Her fair legs were exposed, and she sat with her legs crossed. Her hair, which was now dried, was casually draped behind her, and her arm, as delicate as a lotus root stalk, rested gently on the arm of the sofa supporting her cheek. Her beautiful eyes revealed a hint of laziness.
Ling Chen swallowed hard and approached the sofa to sit down, continuing to admire the woman up close.
"Were you alright that day?" Liu Xiyao asked softly.
Ling Chen didn’t react at first. "Which day are you talking about?"
"The night of the banquet. I heard from President Gao that someone died that evening."
"Oh, I know about that," Ling Chen replied with a smile. Not only did he know about it, but that deceased person had a significant connection to him. If it weren’t for his intervention, that person wouldn’t have died.
"President Liu, you..."
"Don’t keep calling me ’President Liu’; you’re not my employee. There’s no one else here; no need to be so formal. I’m just two or three years older than you; perhaps you should change the way you address me."
"Then... can I call you Xiyao?"
Liu Xiyao nodded slightly, evidently pleased with the address.
"Xiyao, do you know that Zhu Hong?"
"Not at all, never even met him. Boyang Company is renowned internationally; eight percent of the world’s pharmaceutical products are manufactured by them. Moreover, Boyang Company has profound expertise and research in various medical fields and owns many patented medicines. Nowadays, most of the anticancer drugs used by major hospitals abroad come from Boyang Company. When Zhu Hong invites people in the name of Boyang Company, nobody would refuse."
"From what you’ve said, Boyang Company is quite impressive, huh?"
"Boyang Company has strong assets and ranks within the top ten of the world’s Fortune 500. That tells you how powerful they are, right? Boyang Company’s operations were primarily in North America, Europe, and South Africa, with only three branches in Asia. This time, Zhu Hong has been authorized by the higher-ups of Boyang to set up a company in East Sea City, indicating that they’re preparing to speed up their expansion into Asia."
After saying this, Liu Xiyao looked at Ling Chen, her eyes shimmering with curiosity, "Why are you asking about Zhu Hong?"
"Nothing much, just asking. Xiyao, listen to my advice, it’s better to minimize your interactions with that person in the future, or better yet, don’t even get to know him," Ling Chen cautioned.
"If you ask me now, I’m not sure how to explain it, but just listen to me; I won’t harm you."
Liu Xiyao nodded thoughtfully, "I understand, I’ll keep your words in mind."