Chapter 5

In the deep silence of the office building’s parking lot late at night, Lin Wu fell back a few steps behind Chen Zhuo, hesitating slightly the first time she got into his car.

There was no better place to talk at the moment.

The parking lot was brightly lit, with light slanting from afar onto the front of the car.

After a few seconds of silence, Lin Wu noticed the man beside her glance sideways at her. “Talk here?”

She gave a decisive “Mm,” her tone firm. “Five minutes. Mr. Chen, where else do you want to talk?”

Chen Zhuo raised an eyebrow, his gaze fixed steadily on her face.

Lin Wu kept her head down, checking the time on her watch. “Four minutes and forty seconds left…”

Before she could even say the word “seconds,” Chen Zhuo suddenly turned sideways, closing the distance and blocking her lips, silencing her words completely.

He even pushed the limit, biting her lower lip and using his tongue to part her tightly closed lips, probing deeper.

Lin Wu was momentarily stunned. When she realized and tried to push him away, it was like an ant trying to shake a giant tree—she couldn’t budge him.

Helpless, she resorted to the simplest method to make him stop.

“Shh…” Chen Zhuo winced in pain, reluctantly pulling away from her lips and raising a hand to touch the corner of his mouth where she had bitten him, then smiled helplessly. “That harsh?”

Lin Wu glared at him with a cold face, saying nothing as she looked at his lips where tiny bubbles of blood had appeared.

After a tense moment, Chen Zhuo lowered his eyelashes and was the first to speak. “Sorry.”

Lin Wu’s long lashes fluttered slightly, her expression icy as she reminded him, “You still have three minutes left.”

No wonder he was a lawyer.

Chen Zhuo couldn’t help but think silently how strong his sense of time was, even at a moment like this.

After a brief silence, Chen Zhuo retracted his slight lean, lifted his eyelids, and looked toward the spacious front. “Why didn’t you reply to my messages this morning?”

Lin Wu answered succinctly, “Nothing worth replying to.”

Chen Zhuo: “…”

He choked slightly, raising a hand to pinch the bridge of his nose. “Are you angry?”

“No,” Lin Wu turned her head to look at him, very straightforward. “My relationship with Mr. Chen isn’t so fragile that I’d get angry over something so trivial.”

Lin Wu knew exactly how to hurt with words.

Fortunately, Chen Zhuo was long used to her attitude. Knowing he was in the wrong, he didn’t dare object to what she said.

So when he heard her words, he wasn’t annoyed but smiled, the corners of his lips curling inward lightly, both refined and teasing. “True.”

He agreed.

Lin Wu withdrew her gaze and turned her head, staring out the window. “When did you find out I work here?”

“Long ago,” Chen Zhuo didn’t specify a time.

Lin Wu forgot to ask further, curious, “How did you know?”

Chen Zhuo paused briefly, then asked, “Do you remember the time we ran into each other at the highway rest stop?”

—

That encounter, apart from their chance meeting on a Friday night, had also been the catalyst for their weekly Friday night meetings.

After their second date, Lin Wu had a clearer answer as to whether she could fall asleep after what they did or if it was because she was with Chen Zhuo that she could sleep well. So, she followed her heart and asked Chen Zhuo the next day whether they could continue their arrangement.

She didn’t expect Chen Zhuo to refuse.

He said he couldn’t.

Lin Wu was stunned for a long time and couldn’t help but ask, “Why?”

When they first went to the hotel, she had confirmed with Chen Zhuo that he had no girlfriend, no other ambiguous relationships, and more importantly, she could tell Chen Zhuo liked her body.

He had a strong desire for her.

Chen Zhuo was also somewhat surprised by her question.

He looked up at her, his eyes full of appraisal, inspection, and subtle emotions Lin Wu couldn’t detect.

After a moment, before Chen Zhuo could answer, Lin Wu said, “You enjoyed it too, didn’t you?”

Their two indulgences couldn’t have been one-sided; Chen Zhuo clearly felt it too.

Chen Zhuo was silent.

After a while, just as Lin Wu was ready not to press him, he suddenly asked, “Why do you want to continue?”

Lin Wu was taken aback, about to say it was because she could sleep well with him. But that didn’t sound quite right—they weren’t close enough yet, and she feared Chen Zhuo might think she was crazy.

After a few seconds of consideration, she looked at him and said, “You’re good-looking, have a decent figure, and you have good service skills…”

She repeated “decent” several times, making Chen Zhuo laugh.

He raised his eyebrows, closed his eyes briefly, tilted his head, and smirked, teasingly asking, “Just decent?”

Lin Wu was at a loss for words.

Chen Zhuo enjoyed her slight embarrassment and whispered, “Go on.”

Go on what?

Lin Wu thought.

After a second, she realized Chen Zhuo wanted her to keep giving reasons to convince him to continue this clandestine relationship.

“We’re destined,” Lin Wu said, sensing his attitude soften, recalling what He Jiayun had told her the day before. “Don’t you think so?”

Their first meeting was at a bar.

—

Page (2/3)

Their second meeting, though not exactly by chance, still happened when she arrived and he was still there.

Hearing this, Chen Zhuo looked at her with clear eyes. “Hmm?”

“Two encounters at the bar—doesn’t that count as destiny?” Lin Wu said.

Chen Zhuo smiled faintly, staring straight at her. “The first counts.”

The second doesn’t.

Lin Wu’s breath caught slightly; she understood what he meant.

He probably knew that their second encounter was arranged by someone tipping him off.

“Do you want to try?” Lin Wu suddenly proposed. “Let’s see if we have a third encounter. If we do, you agree to my terms, how about that?”

She was negotiating with Chen Zhuo.

Third time’s the charm.

But Shen City was huge; if they had a third accidental meeting with no one’s help, it would prove their fate.

Chen Zhuo agreed to this proposal.

Before leaving, he reminded Lin Wu, “Shen City is very big.”

Lin Wu, sitting at the dining table, smiled at him. “I know. That’s what makes it challenging, isn’t it?”

She liked challenges.

Chen Zhuo had nothing to say. Before parting, he looked at her meaningfully and said, “See you next time.”

Lin Wu: “...See you next time.”

Their “next time” came three days later.

Lin Wu was surprised their third meeting came so soon.

That day, she had taken her assistant to meet a client who lived in a remote town near Shen City.

The drive took almost three hours. They left in the morning and finished the meeting by three in the afternoon. Unfortunately, a continuous drizzle began, and there was a car accident on the highway that blocked several lanes. Lin Wu and her assistant hadn’t eaten much at noon and were now starving.

Without much hesitation, she drove into the nearby rest stop to grab something to eat before heading back to Shen City.

At first, Lin Wu didn’t notice Chen Zhuo’s presence.

She ordered a bowl of instant noodles and sat on a small round stool with her assistant, ready to eat, when suddenly she heard two young girls nearby say, “There’s a handsome guy over there!”

Lin Wu didn’t pay much attention, focusing on her noodles.

Only when the girls said the handsome guy was looking at them did Lin Wu sense an undeniable gaze. She instinctively looked up and was stunned to see Chen Zhuo not far away, eyes wide in disbelief.

Why was Chen Zhuo here?

She was a little dazed. After her assistant told her the noodles were ready, she snapped back to reality.

Feigning calm, Lin Wu finished the noodles and saw Chen Zhuo walk toward another side.

After thinking for three seconds, Lin Wu stood up. “Yu Xin, I’m going to take a walk over there. Let’s rest for a bit before we set off again.”

Zhao Yuxin, chatting with her boyfriend, didn’t ask further. “Okay, Lawyer Lin.”

Lin Wu got up and walked out.

At the exit Chen Zhuo had left through, she couldn’t see his familiar figure.

Suddenly, the flick of a lighter caught her ear. Lin Wu turned sharply and saw Chen Zhuo leaning against the wall.

Their eyes met.

Neither moved.

After a moment, Chen Zhuo called her, “Lin Wu.”

Her lashes lifted slightly, voice soft, “Yes?”

Chen Zhuo took out his phone and calmly asked, “Aren’t you going to exchange contact information?”

There was no inconvenience.

They had only exchanged names the first two times, no contact details, wanting no entanglements afterwards. But now, if they were to continue an intimate relationship, exchanging contacts was step one.

That day at the highway rest stop, they exchanged contacts and parted ways.

As she left, Lin Wu remembered she had forgotten to ask what he was doing there.

Later, she thought the question was silly—what else could one do at a highway rest stop besides rest and recharge?

“…”

—

Recalling that meeting, Lin Wu realized, “So that’s how you knew I worked here?”

Chen Zhuo nodded. “A colleague on our team had seen you in court and remembered you.”

On the way back, that person had enthusiastically told them they saw a familiar beauty—a lawyer from Xiang He Law Firm, famously cold and beautiful in the industry.

Other colleagues teased, “Where? Why didn’t you introduce us to the beauty?”

The colleague shrugged, “I’ve met her. She doesn’t remember me. How could I introduce you?”

Hearing this, Lin Wu was slightly surprised. “Have I worked with that person?”

“No,” Chen Zhuo glanced at her. “Would you forget someone you’ve worked with?”

Lin Wu: “Normally, no.”

Knowing Chen Zhuo had known her work location early on, Lin Wu felt a bit annoyed. “Why didn’t you mention it before?”

Chen Zhuo looked at her, the implication clear.

How could he bring it up?

—

Page (3/3)

Lin Wu didn’t like talking about her work. Occasionally, she might say a few words, but only to the point or ask Chen Zhuo questions about securities.

Both were discreet about their work. They answered questions but never pried.

Lin Wu never asked which company Chen Zhuo worked for; she only heard him answer the phone as “Mr. Chen,” so she began calling him that too.

But what kind of “Mr.” he was, she never asked, and Chen Zhuo never mentioned it.

Lin Wu: “…”

She paused, pursing her lips. “But you could have mentioned your work transfer, right?”

Chen Zhuo replied softly, “It happened suddenly. My fault.”

Chen Zhuo’s acceptance of blame was so sincere that Lin Wu couldn’t find fault.

She went silent, the words she had prepared to say before leaving work suddenly stuck in her throat.

After a quiet moment, Lin Wu turned her head. “Mr. Chen.”

Chen Zhuo tilted his head, his deep eyes making a soft “hm.” “Yes?”

Caught off guard by his exceptionally beautiful eyes, Lin Wu said calmly, “Regarding your work transfer… I have no right to interfere or comment, but I hope the agreement we made won’t change because of your transfer.”

Lin Wu was reminding Chen Zhuo that if they wanted to continue their previous arrangement, the terms must remain unchanged.

Even if they now worked in the same building, just a few floors apart, during the day they should remain strangers.

Lin Wu disliked change.

She hated when things went off track or deviated, causing her to lose control.

She liked everything to follow the plan and develop orderly.

Chen Zhuo wasn’t surprised by her words. He lightly tugged at the corner of his mouth, his expression cold and serious. “Lawyer Lin.”

He looked at her. “My memory is good.”

Lin Wu was stunned. “That’s good.”

She was relieved Chen Zhuo still honored their agreement, but along with the relief came an inexplicable irritation.

After finishing the conversation, Lin Wu was ready to go home.

She looked at the driver and hesitated briefly. “If Mr. Chen has nothing else to add, I’ll leave first.”

Chen Zhuo glanced at the time. “You drove here?”

Lin Wu: “No.”

“I’ll drive you back,” Chen Zhuo said.

Lin Wu instinctively replied, “No need.”

She politely declined and reminded Chen Zhuo, “We agreed—”

Before she could finish, Chen Zhuo’s tone turned firm. “It’s too late.”

He knew she was cold and stubborn, but tonight it was genuinely late.

To prevent her refusal, Chen Zhuo added, “Don’t worry, Lawyer Lin. I remember our agreement.”

Chen Zhuo understood Lin Wu didn’t like exposing her home address.

Her vigilance was sometimes high, sometimes nonexistent.

At this point, it was truly ungrateful to refuse again.

She had no choice but to give her address.

After entering the address into the GPS, Chen Zhuo drove out of the parking lot.

They didn’t speak again, tacitly maintaining silence.

Traffic was light late at night; Chen Zhuo drove steadily and quickly.

In less than twenty minutes, Lin Wu saw the residential complex where she lived.

At the two intersections before the complex, waiting at red lights, she spoke up, pointing to a nearby parking spot. “Drop me off there. I can walk the rest of the way.”

Chen Zhuo glanced at the GPS, expression cold. “Not there yet.”

“I’ll get off early,” Lin Wu insisted.

Chen Zhuo hesitated briefly, then tapped the steering wheel with a long finger and asked slowly, “Do you have colleagues in the complex?”

Lin Wu: “...No.”

Chen Zhuo’s tone softened. “So someone’s waiting for you at the gate?”

Lin Wu: “...”

Detecting his sarcastic tone, Lin Wu was at a loss for words, unsure how to respond.

After a moment’s struggle, she gave up and spoke quickly, “Mr. Chen, please turn into the underground garage at the next intersection and drop me off at the elevator entrance.”

It would take her three minutes to walk from the gate to her building, so if Chen Zhuo was driving her, she wanted him to take her all the way.

Chen Zhuo: “...Fine.”

The car entered the underground parking garage of the complex. Chen Zhuo followed her instructions and parked in front of the elevator entrance of her building.

Lin Wu opened the door and jumped out, glancing back at him. “It’s too late, so I won’t invite you up for a drink. Take care, and I won’t see you out.”