Chapter 15: The Clothes Were Dropped in Surprise

Le Qi leaned against the car door, gazing at the man’s sleeping face. A warm breeze brushed past, bringing an unusual calm to her heart, so rare that she found herself unwilling to shatter this serene moment.

At that moment, Chu Linchen furrowed his brow, his expression darkening, a cold sweat forming at his temple. Instinctively, Le Qi reached out to wipe it away, but suddenly, her slender wrist was firmly grasped by a powerful hand.

“Mrs. Si, remember your place. There are some things you’d best not do, or else...” he warned.

With that, a long, strong leg planted firmly on the ground, he tore off his wool shawl and stood upright before Le Qi. His towering presence loomed over her, an unspoken pressure radiating from him.

Le Qi stepped back, only to find the car door behind her. Furious yet at a loss for words, she forced a polite smile and said, “Since Mr. Chu is awake, I won’t see you upstairs.”

“You look ugly when you smile like that,” Chu Linchen said, bypassing her and leaving with a parting shot. His silhouette stretched long in the light, carrying a lonely kind of beauty.

But Le Qi had no mood to appreciate it. She was burning with anger, biting back the urge to punch him. Just then, her phone rang—it was Bai Yu.

As soon as she answered, Bai Yu’s excited voice pierced through the speaker, so sharp it made Le Qi pull the phone away.

“Qi, how did it go? Did you succeed? You didn’t waste the opportunity I set up for you, did you?”

Recalling Chu Linchen’s earlier words, Le Qi rolled her eyes at the distant figure of the man. Speechless, she couldn’t help but vent, “Please, just let me be. Marrying a man whose face looks like a deck of cards and whose mood swings wildly is pure suffering.”

“No way! He seems pretty easygoing and handsome to me,” Bai Yu replied skeptically. “Hey, Le Qi, you’re not chickening out, are you?”

“What’s there to chicken out of? Just think about it—he’s still single despite all his advantages, so he must have some personality flaws. Even if women chase after him, it’s probably for his money. And honestly, if it comes down to money, I’d consider it compensation for the misery,” Le Qi snapped in frustration.

Hearing her best friend’s description, Bai Yu nearly burst out laughing but still felt Chu Linchen was a rare gem. Even with a few flaws, he wasn’t beyond repair.

She pressed on, “Personality flaws? So what? If he’s not a complete psycho, you can handle it! Think about your jerk ex-fiancé and his cheating partner—tsk tsk tsk. Honestly, once you divorce, they’ll just be part of your past.”

She paused, then added, “Let’s be real, compared to Chu Linchen’s wealth and looks, that deadbeat is lightyears behind. Actually, he’s buried eighteen floors underground. If you manage to win Chu over, that deadbeat’s face will be swollen from all the slaps. You’ll have him forever under your heel—how amazing would that be?”

Hearing this, even if Le Qi hadn’t considered it before, she had to admit that Bai Yu’s vision was quite satisfying. She imagined Si Qinyu turning green with envy, forced to call her “aunt,” and she couldn’t stop herself from chuckling.

She teased Bai Yu back, “Haha, once I marry Chu Linchen, by seniority, that jerk will have to call me auntie. I can even give him a few red envelopes at New Year—just ten or twenty bucks. Hilarious.”

But then her smile froze. Chu Linchen, who had walked far away and out of sight, suddenly turned back, his face darkening.

After fantasizing with her best friend for a while, Le Qi felt a pang of guilt, especially when she noticed Chu Linchen seemed to be approaching her. Panicked, she yanked open the car door and floored the accelerator.

Chu Linchen stopped his hand just as he was about to take out his phone. Rubbing his temples, he felt a headache coming on, but he didn’t realize that his gaze softened slightly, washing away much of the coldness that usually clung to him.

When Le Qi arrived home, she spotted something in the backseat and almost lost control of her expression. She was also filled with regret. She had been too timid; Chu Linchen probably just wanted to retrieve the clothes he left in her car, but instead, she fled in panic. She wondered how he must be mocking her silently.

Oh no, he probably thinks I’m some kind of weirdo who secretly keeps his clothes.

Quickly, Le Qi pulled out her phone and messaged Chu Linchen—fortunately, she had saved his contact just that day.

“Sorry, I only realized your clothes were left in my car when I got home. I’ll take them to the dry cleaners tomorrow and return them after they’re cleaned.”

Sending this timid yet firm message, Le Qi carefully packed away Chu Linchen’s suit before removing her makeup and taking a bath. She lay in the tub with a face mask, humming softly as she watched a show, feeling that with Si Qinyu absent, even the air in the house seemed clearer.

While drying her hair, she received Chu Linchen’s reply.

“Received. Please deliver to the company tomorrow.”

“Treating me like a personal assistant, but no salary,” Le Qi grumbled as she sent back an “OK” emoji. Then she leisurely applied her skincare, body lotion, and hair oil, determined to be flawless down to every strand.

This battle was far from over. She couldn’t afford to wilt into a dull, tired woman now—if she did, even if she didn’t lose outright, it would still be a defeat.

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Early the next morning, Le Qi took Chu Linchen’s clothes to the dry cleaners before returning home to cook a nourishing bird’s nest soup with rock sugar and lotus seeds. Soon, the sweet aroma wafted through the air, even drawing out Fang Lehong.

“Hey, Qi, what’s cooking? Smells amazing,” Fang Lehong said, clearly hinting she wanted some. But Le Qi pretended not to hear and answered, “It’s bird’s nest soup with rock sugar and lotus seeds—good for beauty and health.”

“Well, I woke up a bit thirsty... Qi, don’t put in too much sugar, okay?”

Seeing Le Qi’s feigned ignorance, Fang Lehong was a little annoyed but added, “Just saying.”

Le Qi couldn’t keep up the act any longer. She looked up, beaming brightly. “Got it, Mom. Just wait and see.”

Once the soup was ready, Le Qi carefully ladled some into a beautiful insulated pot. For the leftover bits, she added a little water from rinsing the pot and reheated it, attaching a note:

“Mom, this is made just for your taste. Be sure to eat it.”

She drew a smiling face, the corner of her mouth curling with a trace of sarcasm.

Le Qi then drove to pick up the suit. The dry cleaners had cleaned and pressed it neatly. She delivered it to Chu Linchen’s company but, recalling yesterday’s awkwardness, she didn’t go inside. Instead, she handed it to the receptionist.

“Please give this suit to Mr. Chu and let him know it’s been cleaned.”

Leaving the words behind, Le Qi hurried away, planning to visit the hospital next and quietly enlist Chu’s wife’s help. Although she didn’t notice it, the receptionist’s eyes sparkled with excitement and gossip as she watched Le Qi leave.