Chapter 137

The next morning, when Huo Jingcheng woke up, Su Ruoyun was still sleeping soundly. The sickly look from the early morning had faded, returning to normal, only the eyelids were still swollen.

He raised his hand to touch Su Ruoyun's cheek. Her forehead temperature was slightly higher than usual, but not as scorching as last night.

Huo Jingcheng slowly released the person in his arms, carefully pulled his left hand out from behind her neck, and got out of bed lightly.

In order not to wake Su Ruoyun, he went to the guest room to wash up. After eating breakfast, he instructed the servant to boil some snow pear water so she could drink it when she woke up.

Last night, having cried all night, her voice would definitely be hoarse today.

By the time Su Ruoyun woke up, it was already 10:15 in the morning.

The dark blue curtains were drawn carefully and neatly, with a glimmer of light leaking through the gap between the bottom of the curtains and the floor.

Su Ruoyun, sleepy-eyed, seemed to have her brain suddenly disconnected. For a good while, she didn't react, sitting up straight, the quilt on her body sliding to her waist, piling up layers of wrinkles.

She moved her head slowly, scanning the room bit by bit, looking blankly at the layout, until the memories of last night rushed in like a tide, and she reacted to what had happened last night.

On her way back to Beijing, she fell asleep, then woke up in Xiyuan, and then developed a fever, and she was also...

Thinking of this, Su Ruoyun's slender brows furrowed slightly, and she raised her hand to touch her side buttock, which was aching faintly. The moment her fingers touched her skin, the stinging pain seemed to become even clearer.

A clear spot still hurt. Su Ruoyun didn't dare to touch it anymore, decisively withdrew her hand, moved her legs to the side of the bed, and put on her slippers.

In the master bedroom bathroom, there was a set of brand-new toiletries, and next to them were bottles and jars, arranged in an orderly fashion.

Su Ruoyun looked closely; they were women's skincare products, and the brand she usually used.

After washing up, water droplets slid down her cheeks. She took a face towel to wipe her cheeks clean, applied skincare products, and then, shuffling in her slippers—the sound of the slippers rubbing against the floor making a "tap-tap" sound—Su Ruoyun walked slowly downstairs.

Downstairs, the servant who had been waiting for a long time saw her come down and immediately greeted her, efficiently placing breakfast and snow pear water on the dining table.

The dining table instantly emitted the aroma of breakfast and the clear, sweet scent of snow pear water, making one's appetite open up.

After Su Ruoyun finished breakfast, she didn't stay long in Xiyuan and went straight back to her apartment. To avoid another heatstroke, she didn't go to the tea house for several days, staying at home to rest well.

In the evening, Huo Jingcheng was worried and came to the apartment again.

At that time, Su Ruoyun was comfortably huddled in the soft sofa, her legs crossed, a book spread out in her lap, flipping through it listlessly, her gaze occasionally lingering on the pages.

Hearing the doorbell, she closed the book, placed it on the sofa to the side, put on her indoor slippers, and got up to open the door.

"Why are you here?"

Her long, smooth hair was draped behind her, adding a touch of gentleness. She peeked out and found that the person who had come was Huo Jingcheng.

"Why, am I not allowed to come see my girlfriend?"

Huo Jingcheng wasn't in a hurry to change his shoes. Instead, he raised his hand to embrace her, his thin lips capturing her lips, kissing her for a while unhurriedly.

Su Ruoyun stumbled, falling uncontrollably into his chest. Her right hand climbed onto his strong, powerful forearm, and she was able to stabilize her figure.

After a long while, Su Ruoyun raised her hand to wipe away the water stains remaining on her lips, walking inside while saying: "If you want to drink something, go to the kitchen and get it yourself."

Today, because of the heatstroke, she didn't crave cold things and continued to drink iced tea. On the coffee table, there was only warm water.

By the time Huo Jingcheng came back with iced water, what he saw was this scene: the warm-toned light spilled into the room, and the person he had been thinking about was in the picture.

Su Ruoyun was looking at the book in her hand intently, her black hair draped over her shoulders sliding down. When it blocked her vision, she raised her hand, her long fingers hooking the hair and tucking it behind her ear, revealing an exquisite face.

Seeing her absorbed, Huo Jingcheng didn't have the heart to disturb her, leaning lazily against the wall, admiring her.

For a long time, when he placed the empty glass in his hand on the cabinet, the faint sound caught Su Ruoyun's attention.

She lifted her eyes to look over: "Why don't you come over?"

Huo Jingcheng asked in return, taking a step while speaking: "What are you looking at?"

He cast his gaze toward the book spread out in Su Ruoyun's lap.

Upon hearing this, Su Ruoyun reached out and picked up the book on her knees, holding it with both hands, closing it slightly, and showing the title on the cover to Huo Jingcheng.

— "If You Can't Lead a Team, You Can Only Work Until You Die"

Huo Jingcheng's thin lips curled slightly. He walked to the sofa and sat down, pulled the book from her hand, and began to read it seriously, starting from the page she was on.

Seeing halfway, he suddenly spoke, breaking the original silence in the room: "Boss Su, what insights do you have on leading a team?"

He said it seriously, and Su Ruoyun also replied seriously.

She pursed her lips and told the truth: "No insights, that's why I'm reading here."

As she spoke, she raised her hand, placed it on the edge of the book Huo Jingcheng was holding, and applied a little force, taking her book back from his hand.

Huo Jingcheng said: "Reading books is not as good as asking me."

"You?"

Listening to Su Ruoyun's skeptical tone, Huo Jingcheng arched his brows, his voice truly nonchalant: "Why, don't you believe me?"

"No." Su Ruoyun replied insincerely, lowering her head to read her management book seriously.

"Then what is Boss Su's high opinion...?"

Su Ruoyun lifted her long lashes, cast a casual glance at him, and said flatly: "Isn't it just managing the employees under you?"

Huo Jingcheng turned to lean against the sofa: "Leading a team, leading a team, the important thing is leading, not managing. A leader solves core problems. The core is to make every member of the team believe in you. Leading a team is to let them play their role. Managing a team will only oppress them..."

"Actually... I said that on purpose," Su Ruoyun smiled slyly, the smile in her eyes impossible to hide.

Her two hands were propped on the sofa, and she changed her sitting posture slowly, her two slender legs hanging down naturally, stepping on the floor tiles in the air, swinging back and forth, causing the shadows to drift on the shiny floor.

Su Ruoyun deliberately drew out her tone, her words becoming more and more meaningful.

Huo Jingcheng's brows lifted slightly, a flash of confusion in his eyes. He turned his head, his gaze fixed on Su Ruoyun without blinking.

Only then did he hear Su Ruoyun say: "I want you to come and teach me."

As her voice fell, Huo Jingcheng was hooked by her, his thin lips curling upward, a clear smile in his eyes, his peach-blossom eyes glowing with spring colors, feeling secretly pleased in his heart.