Downstairs, lunch had already been served courtesy of Su Hongyuan's earlier instructions, and it was a feast.
Lu Boyan led Su Jianan into the dining area. "Sit," Lu Boyan said, pulling a chair out for her as if it was the most natural thing to do.
Huh? Is Lu Boyan serving her now? Su Jianan thought.
In an instant, Su Jianan felt as if she had been granted a gratuitous service and decided to go along with it. Turning to Lu Boyan she plastered on a sweet smile, "Thank you, honey," she said, sitting down.
Su Jianan took in the dishes that were laid out on the table. Deftly, she picked up a bowl and began filling it with duck soup. Once the bowl was filled, she placed it right in front of Lu Boyan. She smiled in a way that made her look like a subservient maidservant. "Drink the soup first," she said, "duck soup is very palatable. Try it."
The truth was that there was nothing Lu Boyan hated more than duck soup. He forced a smile and then reached out to ruffle Su Jianan's hair. "Thank you," he said. On the outside, his ministrations seemed every bit affectionate. But in truth, there were quite some force behind those hands.
"Oh, you're welcome," Su Jianan said. "I'm good as long as you like it."
Su Jianan knew this was Lu Boyan's idea of a revenge. In fact, she figured that her hair was messier than a bird's nest at this point courtesy of Lu Boyan's 'affectionate' gesture. Still, she beamed as if she was the happiest woman in the entire world, bird's nest hair and all.
Lu Boyan found himself highly satisfied with the way Su Jianan had handled her misfortunes with compliance and tolerance. Although he had no idea how long this little monster would stay this compliant, he decided to give face and finished the bowl of soup she had served him.
Upon seeing Lu Boyan's now empty bowl, Su Yuanyuan picked up the bowl in a show of attentiveness and courtesy. "Brother, let me fill up another bowl for you," she said, "our chef makes the best soups. You should have more."
"No, thank you," Lu Boyan said, "I don't actually enjoy duck soup."
Su Yuanyuan's movement stilled. An uncomfortable look crossed her face. "But when sis gave you that bowl just now..." she trailed off. She thought Lu Boyan really enjoyed duck soup.
Lu Boyan glanced at Su Jianan, his eyes filled with nothing but love and affection. "Since my wife had served it to me, I must drink it." Lu Boyan said. But if it's served by others....then thanks, but nope, Lu Boyan thought.
Su Jianan beamed sweetly seeming as though she would to lean in to kiss Lu Boyan any minute.
Su Yuanyuan felt even more awkward than before. But at the same time, she also felt a little offended. Sullenly, she placed the bowl before of Lu Boyan.
Having decided that she might as well go the whole way with things, she pointed at a crawfish, "Honey, I wanna eat that one."
Lu Boyan was highly dubious about Su Jianan's fondness for crawfish, though he put on a pair of gloves and grabbed one from the platter. He even went as far as meticulously removing the edible meat from the shell before placing them neatly onto her plate. "Eat slowly," he reminded in a 'gentle' tone.
It turned out that Su Jianan's fondness for crawfish was real. Just by looking at the tender and succulent crawfish meat in her plate, she could already imagine the meat's texture in her mouth. It would be soft, tender, and with just the right amount of tautness. She nodded distractedly and picked up a piece of meat. Then, she dipped the meat into the sauce and started digging in.
Lu Boyan:"…"
Su Jianan finished an entire crawfish, though its aftertaste had her craving for more. At the same time, she did not feel like removing the shells on her own. So she glanced at Lu Boyan smilingly, "Honey, I want another one."
Without batting an eye, Lu Boyan gave her a look. One that read: don't push it.
Meanwhile, Su Jianan could not care less whether she was going overboard. She continued looking at Lu Boyan with an enchanting smile on her face.
Reading the situation, Su Yuanyuan, out of 'good intentions', suggested, "Sis, maybe you should ask Auntie Liu. I mean, brother... he doesn't seem too keen on it. It's better not to force people, you know."
The way Su Yuanyuan saw it, Su Jianan was deliberately flaunting the ownership and claim she now had over Lu Boyan. And she did it because she knew about Su Yuanyuan's own feelings towards Lu Boyan. But now, it was time for her to send Su Jianan a message - a man like Lu Boyan was not somebody she could rule over!
Su Jianan completely ignored Su Yuanyuan. She looked at Lu Boyan with a slightly hurt look on her face, "Huh? Honey, are you not willing to?"
Lu Boyan felt a twictch at the corner of his lips.
He grabbed a napkin and began wiping off the sauce stains at the corners of Su Jianan's lips. Then, nimbly, he peeled another crawfish, though this time, he even dipped the meat in the sauce before placing it down on Su Jianan's plate. "Why won't I be willing to? I'll peel them all for you," he said, "no matter how many you want."
The affection and love contained between his brows was palpable. Su Jianan knew that that was just his acting skills going on full steam, but still, she felt as if someone had brushed her insides with a sheen of honey.
But such feelings of sweetness were addicting and hence should not be further indulged in.
Su Yuanyuan, who was on the side watching the entire scene, lowered her head. There was an audible splash as her tear fell.
She had met Lu Boyan ages ago. But then he was also famous, with tens of thousands of eyes watching him. So it was natural for him to not notice her at all. But for her, it was love at first sight. And when she found out that he was marrying Su Jianan, she had cried and thrown a fuss. But nobody had done anything to help her.
Afterwards, Su Hongyuan had told her that the marriage between Lu Boyan and Su Jianan could all just be an act, one that was meant for the Su family.
But now it seemed to her that Lu Boyan's affections for Su Jianan was so deep that he was willing to go as far as putting on a pair of gloves to peel crawfish. And Su Jianan, the little monster who was normally all sharp teeth and dancing claws back at home, had now turned so obedient and pretty. It was so obvious that there was chemistry and attraction between them!
"Yuanyuan, what's wrong?" Jiang Xueli asked. Seeing her daugher in tears had turned her insides into a crumpled mess. "Are you not feeling well?"
It took a long while before Su Yuanyuan answered. "Leg...my leg hurts," she mumbled incoherently.
"Your leg isn't healed yet?" Su Hongyuan asked, his brows pulled into a frown, "Don't cry. We'll take you to the hospital after lunch."
"But the driver has taken a day off today. And you've been drinking, so you can't drive," Jiang Xueli said, seemingly at her wits' end. Then, her glanced at Lu Boyan, "Boyan, can you take Yuanyuan to the hospital after lunch? This child is very fond of you."
Su Jianan rolled her eyes internally. Just how many veiled meanings are there in Jiang Xueli's words? she thought. Sure, she could put aside the fact that Jiang Xueli had just completely slighted her by suggesting that Lu Boyan take Su Yuanyuan to the hospital. But to flat out tell Lu Boyan that Su Yuanyuan liked him?
Huh, is she secretly throwing hints at Lu Boyan?
"Don't trouble yourselves by going to the hospital," Su Jianan said smilingly, "have you guys forgotten? I'm practically half a doctor. I've handled even more surgeries than a typical general surgeon! After lunch, I'll tend to Yuanyuan."
"Sis, you..."
It was as if the pain had been shocked out of Su Yuanyuan's leg! Su Jianan was a medical examiner, so weren't these so called 'surgeries' of hers just autopsies?!
Jiang Xueli's fear seemed to surpass even that of Su Yuanyuan's. "Su Jianan, what are you planning? You're a in forensics, and now you're trying to doctor my daughter?"
Huh, is she trying to belittle my professional career? Or is she trying to get Su Yuanyuan and Lu Boyan alone? Su Jianan thought.
Su Jianan felt as if her tiny world was on fire. But right in that moment, Lu Boyan placed another freshly-peeled crawfish on her plate, the look of his eyes imploring her to keep her cool. For a while, Su Jianan weighed her options before she decided that the crawfish would taste a lot nicer than anger. Well, I'll indulge my palate first, and see how it goes, Su Jianan thought.
"Jianan has a medical license," Lu Boyan said, the glove came off his hand in an elegant motion. Then he looked at Su Yuanyuan, "Miss Su, do you not trust Jianan?"
With someone as elegant and posh looking at you like that, it was virtually impossible for you to shake your head.
Su Yuanyuan's mind seemed to have lost its faculty for thought. Dazed, she nodded, "I'll listen to brother," she said softly.
After lunch, Lu Boyan and Su Hongyuan sat in the tea room and drank tea while discussing business matters. Su Jianan folded her sleeves up in the living room and said, "Yuanyuan, sit on the sofa. Let me help you take a look and see what's wrong with your leg." "Su Jianan, I know you did it intentionally." Su Yuanyuan said in a low voice as she stared viciously at Su Jianan. She sat on the sofa. "I can also tell you clearly that my injury has long healed. My leg does not hurt at all." Su Jianan sneered. She had already seen through it when they were upstairs. Su Yuanyuan's leg was not injured at all. She had taken the trouble to act so realistically for a purpose. "I was only getting close to Lu Boyan," Su Yuanyuan continued, "every socialite in A City wants a man like this. Do you think he's yours once you get married? How naive! Such a man can have countless women in his entire life. He belongs to whomever who gets t
At night, in the Orchid Gardens. Tang Yulan sat on an antique European sofa, with a throw over her. She drank her tea while asking on the telephone, "Old Xu, how are things between Boyan and Jianan?" Tang Yulan knew that Su Jianan and Lu Boyan did not have any relationship foundation before they got married in a hurry. They would definitely not be as loving as regular husband and wife. However, a relationship could be cultivated slowly. She was afraid that the two would live like housemates after marriage, so she had asked Uncle Xu to take note and to call her immediately if anything happened. Lu Boyan had long instructed Uncle Xu before, so Uncle Xu naturally only reported the good things and not the bad. He said, "Old Madam, Young Master and Young Madam are doing very well. Young Master brought Young Madam back to her home today and both of them are now resting at home." Tang Yulan smiled and said, "Then I can rest assure
After breakfast, Su Jianan suddenly discovered that she did not have a car. Going to work became a problem. After some thought, she asked Uncle Xu for help, "Uncle Xu, can you arrange for the driver to send me?" "The driver sent the helper to buy groceries early in the morning." Uncle Xu glanced at Lu Boyan and continued, "Young Master, why are you not sending Young Madam?" "I don't want him to send me!" Lu Boyan was too high profile. If she took a ride from him in his car to the police station... the consequences would be too terrible to imagine! This was the first time Lu Boyan had been regarded with contempt. He narrowed his eyes and said, "You don't want me to send you? Then you can only take a ride in my car." Lu Boyan put on his jacket elegantly and left. "Uncle Xu, what does he mean?" Su Jianan looked at Lu Boyan's retreating back confusedly. "It mea
Lu Boyan received a call from Tang Yulan the moment he returned home at night. "I know where you are going tonight. Bring your wife along." Tang Yulan ordered in gentle yet unyielding tones. Lu Boyan frowned and said, "Mom, she would not want to go to such a place." "Is it you who do not want to let her go, or does Jianan not want to go? Don't think that I don't know, Han Ruoxi will be there tomorrow!" Tang Yulan said in a tone that bore no arguments. "Anyway, you have to let everyone know tomorrow, that Jianan is the daughter-in-law of the Lu Family. I don't believe that that old fox Su Hongyuan will dare to have any ideas then." Lu Boyan frowned slightly and sat on the sofa in the living room. "Alright, I will take her with me." Just then, Su Jianan entered while scrolling on her mobile. Lu Boyan hung up and said, "Come here." "..." Su Jianan did not even l
Su Jianan did not hide her fascination and surprise. Lu Boyan felt for the first time, a sense of accomplishment in his appearance. He walked up to her confidently and asked in an attractive voice, "Do you think that your husband is very handsome?" Su Jianan nodded. She looked at Lu Boyan sincerely and said, "That's right, it's like you've got a special skill. Extremely! Handsome!" Lu Boyan caressed Su Jianan's head with satisfaction. Just as he wanted to praise her for being obedient, she suddenly said seriously, "But you have to be this handsome to be worthy of me!" Then, she smiled proudly and ran out of the door. Lu Boyan gritted his teeth. Damned chit! Su Jianan only knew that Lu Boyan was taking her to a party when they arrived at the hotel. She had never appeared at such a place ever since her mother passed away. She felt rather awkward and said, "Lu Boyan, can I go home now?" &quo
Just as Su Jianan was worrying about it, Lu Boyan appeared beside her without any warning. She was shocked and asked, "What are you doing here?" Lu Boyan's handsome brows frowned slightly and he asked, "Should I not be here?" Su Jianan pointed at the entrance and replied. "I heard your girlfriend is coming soon, aren't you going to meet her secretly?" Lu Boyan narrowed his eyes and suddenly flicked his finger on Su Jianan's forehead. "Ouch—" Su Jianan held her forehead and looked at Lu Boyan incredulously. "That hurt!" "Hurting's right." Lu Boyan said nonchalantly. "Come with me." Su Jianan pouted and held Lu Boyan's hand unwillingly. Just then, Chen Xuanxuan walked toward Su Jianan. She scanned Su Jianan from head to toe with a proud and picky gaze. Then, she said, "Brother Boyan, is this your wife? I heard Auntie Tang say that she's a medical examiner?"
Han Ruoxi walked toward Su Jianan watched by everyone. Her powerful aura seemed natural. And the sounds of her clicking heels were threatening. Su Jianan could feel it- If Han Ruoxi were really a monster in a game, then she would be the final boss. Everyone could not help but focus on them. They wanted to see how the drama between the rumored girlfriend and the wife would play out. Han Ruoxi took off her Prada shades with well-manicured fingers, revealing her exquisite features. Those who were seeing her in real life would be hard pressed not to be shocked. Her features looked as if God had made them according to the golden ratio. They were so perfect that those looking would forget to breathe. Tang Yulan had once told Lu Boyan and the "wedding banquet" that Su Jianan had grown more beautiful. Then, Lu Boyan's reaction had been so bland it was as if he was drinking plain water. Su Jianan now understood. Compared to someone o
Su Jianan hated it when others touched her. She stomped on Shao Mingzhong's foot with her delicate heels that moved swiftly and said, "Don't. Touch. Me!" She had actually been very forceful. Shao Mingzhong felt an intense pain but did not yell out in pain in order to save himself from embarrassment. He could only hold it in until his features beneath his mask were all twisted. His blade slid across Su Jianan's throat and he said, "Do you want to die?" "Calm down. What can you use to threaten Lu Boyan if I die?" Su Jianan smiled lightly. She moved her hand which was by her side... The kidnapper was speechless. He could only yell at Lu Boyan once more, "Lu Boyan, I'll give you five minutes. Make a choice!" Lu Boyan stared at Su Jianan deeply. Everyone thought that he would choose Su Jianan. "Let Ruoxi go." Many people doubted their own ears when they heard his answer. However, Han Ruoxi