Chapter 3: He

Housekeeper?

Shen Huai frowned, looking down at the cleaning supplies he was carrying in his hand.

Only then did he realize that Lu Sheng had mistaken him for a cleaning boy.

"You misunderstood, I rented this place."

Shen Huai's eyes darted, and the lie slipped out.

A fleeting encounter; there was no need to tell her too much of the truth.

"You rented it?"

Unexpectedly, upon hearing this, Lu Sheng's pupils dilated even further.

"You can afford to rent a place here?"

Lu Sheng's eyes were full of shock.

The rent for properties here, even for the smallest layout, started at 20,000.

The unit she lived in was on the larger side, with a monthly rent of 40,000.

If the company didn't reimburse her, she wouldn't be able to afford it herself!

This Shen Huai, he actually had the means to rent a place here? Seeing the suspicion in Lu Sheng's eyes at a glance.

Shen Huai coughed lightly and added, neither too softly nor too heavily: "This place belongs to a classmate of mine."

"I found a job not far from here, and after my classmate found out, he let me come stay here; he said it was just to bring some life to the house."

Shen Huai finished explaining.

Most of the speculation in Lu Sheng's heart dissipated.

The little spark she had felt reignited for Shen Huai was instantly extinguished again.

That made sense.

There weren't that many fairy-tale stories of defying fate.

Times were different now.

For someone from a humble background to cross class lines was almost impossible.

"So that's it, I was just saying, the rent here is so expensive, how could you possibly afford it." Lu Sheng breathed a sigh of relief.

It was fortunate she hadn't fallen too deep for Shen Huai back then.

Looking at it now, it was simply a wise move.

Shen Huai smiled and said nothing.

He turned his head and continued to fiddle with the keypad lock.

"After entering the code, you have to press the * key to open it."

Carrying her trash bag, Lu Sheng dropped this sentence from behind Shen Huai, her tone somewhat mocking.

Shen Huai paused for a moment, then hurriedly pressed the * asterisk key.

"Click."

The door opened.

"Thanks." Shen Huai turned back, intending to thank Lu Sheng.

Only then did he discover that she was already gone.

Shen Huai shrugged and turned to enter the room.

As soon as he closed the door, he was stunned by the luxurious decor before him.

The massive floor-to-ceiling windows occupied almost the entire wall.

In the center of the living room sat a set of handcrafted European-style sofas.

The rectangular dining table was large enough to seat twenty people for a meal.

The silver tableware on the table, the crystal-clear wine glasses, and the priceless art paintings—every detail exuded luxury.

Outside the window was the bustling traffic; inside was understated, atmospheric luxury.

Standing before the floor-to-ceiling window overlooking the myriad states of life, Shen Huai truly felt like a winner in life.

No wonder rich people liked buying large flat-floor apartments.

So this was the feeling of enjoying a condescending view.

Shen Huai reached out and touched the furniture.

It was as clean as new, without a speck of dust.

He was somewhat surprised.

His parents had been in the coastal region for years; no one should be living here, so why wasn't there even a bit of dust?

Just as Shen Huai was lost in thought.

"Ding-dong—" The doorbell suddenly rang.

Shen Huai opened the door, and it was actually Lu Sheng.

He saw that Lu Sheng had returned, though he didn't know when.

She leaned against the door frame, her gaze toward Shen Huai somewhat complex.

Shen Huai's eyes fell upon Lu Sheng.

In just this short while, Lu Sheng had clearly changed her outfit.

The pajamas she had been wearing were gone, replaced by a dark green traditional-style cheongsam.

The cheongsam perfectly accentuated Lu Sheng's proud curves.

Her black hair was exquisitely coiled at the back of her head, held by a jade hairpin.

It was simple yet elegant.

Beneath her exquisite makeup, a faint, elusive blush appeared.

"Something up?" Shen Huai raised an eyebrow and spoke first.

"Nothing major, I was just curious, why didn't you bring your school beauty girlfriend along?"

Lu Sheng's red lips parted slightly, her gaze sweeping past Shen Huai to look behind him, whether intentionally or not.

"We've already broken up."

Shen Huai's words carried a double meaning. Besides, the fact that he had dated the school beauty Li Xinran was only posted on social media, and it had all been deleted after they broke up.

Hadn't this Lu Sheng blocked all his contact methods? How did she know about Li Xinran?

She seemed to realize her question was a bit abrupt.

Lu Sheng feigned a throat-clearing, her gaze falling back onto Shen Huai: "Want to grab a meal together?"

"No time, I'm going to buy clothes." Shen Huai shook his head.

Shen Huai had always refused invitations from ex-girlfriends whose motives were unclear.

"Buying clothes? Then I'll help you pick them out." Lu Sheng took the initiative, unbothered. "You young guys have no taste; I still have to vet things for you."

Shen Huai looked at Lu Sheng, his brows knitting slightly.

When they were together before, she was just like this.

Domineering, confident, and possessing an extremely strong desire for control.

Although when they were together, their conversations about the practice of positions far outweighed those about ideals and the future.

But even then, Shen Huai could clearly feel it.

Lu Sheng's intense desire for control, wanting to dominate every aspect of his life.

He didn't expect that three years later, she still hadn't changed a bit.

"No need, I'll just look and buy them myself." Shen Huai refused again.

"No!"

Lu Sheng barked sharply, then realized she had been a bit uncomposed, so she pulled a smile with some embarrassment: "Are you still holding a grudge against me?"

Shen Huai's eyes lifted slightly at the corners: "Since there is no more love, where would the hatred come from?"

"I can explain about leaving without saying goodbye back then."

Shen Huai: "Really, no need. There's no point in explaining things from the past."

Lu Sheng: "There is a point! I changed jobs back then and needed to go on business trips to other places for two years. You know me, I value my career more than anything; to keep myself from getting distracted, I didn't contact you."

"It turned out that after I came back, I found you already had a new girlfriend, so I didn't dare to contact you anymore."

At this point, Shen Huai finally understood: "So, now it's my fault?"

Lu Sheng put her hands on her hips, her argument weak but her tone assertive: "Isn't it? Couldn't you have waited for me? I only didn't contact you for two years, and you went and started a new relationship, and not just one, either."

"When it comes down to it, you can't blame this all on me."

"How about this, I'll help you pick out clothes, you treat me to a meal, and the past grievances will be settled, how about that?"

Shen Huai: "............"

Half an hour later.

Shen Huai appeared with Lu Sheng at the most high-end mall in Jiangcheng, looking helpless.

Lu Sheng walked into a custom shop with practiced ease.

"Hello, bring out your latest styles for me to see."

The salesperson looked at Lu Sheng, then glanced at Shen Huai behind her, and said with a welcoming smile: "Ms. Lu, is this your boyfriend? He's truly handsome."

Shen Huai frowned and was just about to open his mouth to explain, but Lu Sheng beat him to it, smiling as she spoke: "Remember to pair him with some accessories as well."

"No problem, Ms. Lu, leave it to me."

The salesperson walked quickly to Shen Huai and made a gesture of invitation: "Sir, please come with me."

Shen Huai pursed his lips with a dark expression and followed the salesperson into the fitting area.

Ten minutes later.

Lu Sheng, waiting outside, was clearly becoming impatient.

"Not ready yet?"

"Right away, right away, Ms. Lu, it will be ready in a moment."

The salesperson helped Shen Huai fasten the last button and then pulled back the curtain—

Lu Sheng turned her gaze over, and her breath hitched instantly.

Truly, a person relies on their clothes.

One had to admit, the salesperson's eye was sharp.

A deep midnight blue as the main color, paired with high-waisted straight-leg suit trousers of the same color.

Underneath was a pure white shirt, the slightly open collar revealing the faintly visible lines of his chest muscles.

Lu Sheng's face flushed red as she watched, her mind instantly flooded with those lewd memories, and she hurriedly lowered her gaze.

The cuffs of the trousers were subtly tapered, revealing custom-made black handmade leather shoes.

It fit his physique perfectly, professional and grand.

In one word: superb!

"We'll take this set." Lu Sheng nodded, very satisfied.

Upon hearing this, Shen Huai hurriedly shook his head to refuse: "This set is too expensive, I can't afford it."

He had snuck a peek at the tag while he was trying it on earlier.

This set added up to over 70,000; if he bought it, he'd really have to drink the northwest wind.

"I'll pay for it for you."

Lu Sheng waved her hand generously and took out a card.

Immediately after, she leaned into Shen Huai's ear and whispered, "Consider this compensation for the hurt I caused you back then."

Before Shen Huai could stop her, Lu Sheng swiped the card with a "swish" and paid the money.

"Ms. Lu, you are really good to your boyfriend!" The salesperson looked at Shen Huai with an envious expression.

Lu Sheng also looked at Shen Huai with a beaming smile, her eyes flashing with excitement.

"I guarantee that if you wear this outfit to the company on your first day, you'll definitely be so handsome that your boss won't be able to speak!"

Upon hearing this, Shen Huai only felt a headache.

He was going to work, not to seduce his boss.

(End of chapter)