Night Rose

Su Jin looked around her newly rented apartment. "Is it small? At least it's more comfortable than in New York."

"I won't say much about the house. That man doesn't look like a good person. Don't trust him, and don't let yourself get stuck in a place like this! I'll wait for you." Lu Mingzhou wanted to take her hand.

Su Jin avoided her like the plague, her movements so fast that Lu Mingzhou only saw a blur.

"You don't need to judge me. Who made you wait? You're in a hurry to get married, but I'm not."

Su Jin rolled her eyes, walked straight into the room, and locked the door behind her.

The movements were so loud that everyone in the living room could hear them clearly.

Lu Mingzhou sat dejectedly on the sofa as another message came in on his phone.

Junior sister: Senior brother, how's it going? Has Sister Su forgiven you? Did you see the data from that day?

Lu: Sorry, junior sister, she set a password, I can't see it.

Junior sister: She's actually being this wary of you?? Can't you figure out the password? Maybe it's some kind of anniversary? Did you try every single one?

Upon seeing this message, Lu Mingzhou felt even more disappointed. What was wrong? Hadn't he wanted to get rid of Su Jin a long time ago? Why was he feeling upset because she really didn't care about him anymore?

Lu: I've tried everything, but it won't open.

My junior sister sent a crying emoji after a long time.

Lu Mingzhou replied with a hug emoji, feeling sorry for Lu Mingzhou.

Lu: Junior sister, if anything happens, your senior brother will take responsibility. Don't worry, you'll be fine.

In the living room, Lu Mingzhou was lying on the sofa texting his junior sister.

Inside the bedroom, Su Jin turned on her computer and began examining the traces left by Lu Mingzhou.

Lu Mingzhou went all out with his act, even actually logging into his email account, and then completely deleting all his search history.

Su Jin entered the password and clicked on the log that Lu Mingzhou had gone to great lengths to open. She carefully read through the log from beginning to end, trying to find out Lu Mingzhou's reason for doing so.

But this diary entry was no different from anything else; there was nothing unusual about it.

"What exactly is he looking for?" Su Jin murmured to herself.

Suddenly, a voice call popped up on my phone.

It's so late, usually no one will call her.

She looked down and saw that it was Zhou Zheng.

Could something have happened?

Su Jin immediately answered the phone, "Hello, what's up?"

The sound of rushing water came from the other end of the line, her voice echoing in the empty bathroom.

"It's me." Zhou Zheng's voice came from a distance.

"I know it's you. What are you doing?" Su Jin asked patiently.

"I'm taking a shower, can't you tell?"

"...Why are you calling me while you're taking a shower? Did you fall down? Can't get up?"

"Don't think of me as the worst person. I just wanted to see what Engineer Su was doing. I didn't expect you to actually answer the phone."

Su Jin thought to herself, "If I'm doing something, wouldn't calling me ruin the atmosphere?"

This person isn't innocent; was the phone call a test?

"Zhou Zheng, do you think I'm the kind of person who would obediently go with an ex-boyfriend if he came to bother me? Don't worry, I'll definitely wait until the competition is over."

The sound of water stopped on Zhou Zheng's end. He remained silent for a long time before finally asking, "You're leaving after you're done?"

"Not necessarily, what's wrong? Is my choice important to you?" Su Jin asked deliberately.

She didn't intend to listen to Zhou Zheng's proper answer, but this time he actually thought about it seriously for a few seconds.

"It's very important," Zhou Zheng said.

Su Jin smiled and turned off her computer, letting go of all her tension.

"Okay, then we'll have extra practice tomorrow!"

"Aren't you going to spend time with your ex-boyfriend?" Zhou Zheng asked.

Su Jin scoffed, "What do you mean, 'accompany'? Let him go back to where he came from! I have security cameras in my living room. If he dares to retaliate and make a mess of my house, I'll report him to...his company!"

Zhou Zheng extracted the important part from this long passage: her ex-boyfriend was sleeping in the living room, and they were not in the same room.

Actually, Zhou Zheng could tell from the moment Su Jin answered the phone.

If old feelings rekindle, who would have time to answer the phone?

After the call connected, Su Jin's side was quiet, as if there was no one else there.

"Okay, extra practice tomorrow, am I willing to do it?"

"There's nothing I can do even if I'm unwilling," Su Jin snorted.

The two chatted for a few more minutes about trivial things, only putting down their phones when they got too hot to hear.

After taking a shower, Su Jin lay down on the bed. She was in the same room as Lu Mingzhou again, but her mood was different.

Zhou Zheng sent a voice message, and when Su Jin listened to it, her ears immediately felt a tingling sensation.

Goodnight, Sister Su.

Zhou Zheng's voice rose slightly at the end, indicating that he was in a good mood. His voice also had his unique deep and magnetic quality, making it very pleasant to listen to.

Su Jin listened to it several times before putting down her phone and going to sleep.

She slept very soundly, not even noticing the noise Lu Mingzhou made when he left the house.

Lu Mingzhou didn't have much stuff to begin with, and left dejectedly with his bag in hand.

He stood downstairs, ready to hail a taxi, but then he saw a familiar white car at the corner.

Lu Mingzhou's face stiffened, and he immediately turned to go back upstairs when he heard the car window roll down and someone call his name.

"Ex-boyfriend, if you go up there at this hour, Su Jin probably won't be awake yet. Don't disturb her. Do something decent."

Zhou Zheng leaned lazily against the car window and let out a long yawn.

Lu Mingzhou turned around and walked silently to Zhou Zheng's car.

Zhou Zheng wasn't afraid of him causing trouble. After all, he wasn't 1.9 meters tall for nothing. If this person could beat him, he would be willing to be his grandson.

"Don't even think about Su Jin. She's not some ordinary woman. You can't just seduce her with your looks. She's lived in Shanghai since she was a child. Going abroad is just a pastime for her. The companies she's worked for are among the top in the world. And she's someone you can never reach in your entire life." Lu Mingzhou raised his chin, revealing an arrogant expression.

Zhou Zheng looked him up and down. "What's wrong? You're trying to feel superior because you lost? I don't know if I'm good enough for her, but you probably won't have a chance in this lifetime."

"You!" Lu Mingzhou tensed his jaw, his teeth itching with hatred. He stared at the man in front of him and scoffed, "I slept with her last night. Do you think I have a chance?"

"Oh? You slept with her, so she answered my calls and chatted with me?"

Zhou Zheng deliberately provoked him, his sharp eyes looking up at him with a hint of nonchalance.

"Tsk tsk, you don't even think before you speak. Look at you, you were kicked out first thing in the morning. She probably doesn't want to talk to you at all."

Every word was a thorn, aimed directly at Lu Mingzhou's heart.

Lu Mingzhou's face turned pale with anger, but he remained defiant, "Su Su sent you to pick me up, right? You're just a driver, what right do you have to say anything?"

After saying that, Lu Mingzhou went to pull the car door, but the door did not budge.

Zhou Zheng waved his hand dismissively. "Who said I came to see you off? I checked flight tickets and came specifically to see if you got kicked out this morning. By the way, just a heads up, it's hard to get a taxi this early in the morning, everyone's not at work yet. After all, not everyone gets kicked out first thing in the morning."

The car window slammed shut, and under Lu Mingzhou's resentful gaze, the Volkswagen sped away, leaving only a trail of exhaust fumes behind.