CH 22.1

Chapter 22: “Luo Lingsheng, can I pursue you?” (Part 1/2)

The next day, because the two were going to Lou’s appointment together, on a rare occasion, Luo Lingsheng stayed at home for lunch.

“I’ve checked. It takes about forty minutes to get to the banquet location.” Shi Yunnan checked the time on his phone, and said to Luo Lingsheng on the main seat, “Shall we leave in half an hour?”

Shi Yunnan got ready very early.

The suit was lined with fine black glitters, the neckline was a wide open deep V, and there was a fox diamond lapel pin clasped on the right chest.

Under the extreme color contrast of the clothes, his skin became whiter and more delicate, hooking people’s eyes to probe under the collar.

Wild and fiery.

As always, it was his own preferred style.

Luo Lingsheng wiped his hands with a wet towel, and cast his eyes down at his own plain clothes, “Well, I’ll go upstairs and change my clothes.”

He had looked at clothes that were considered fitting and decent on weekdays, but in the end there was no result last night. Even at this moment, he still hesitated about the choice of clothes.

Luo Lingsheng steered the wheelchair to the elevator room, then he heard footsteps closely following behind him, “Luo Lingsheng, should I help you pick some clothes?”

Shi Yunnan had no idea that the other party was struggling with clothing. He just uttered from his own standpoint.

“Does this count as our first time attending a banquet together? How about dressing… a little more like lovers?”

Probably due to professionalism, Shi Yunnan always cared about these details.

Since it was a contract marriage, it was natural for them to make every aspect adequate in front of outsiders.

Luo Lingsheng pushed his glasses, using his hand to conceal the joy that flashed under his eyes, “Okay.”

Five minutes later.

Luo Lingsheng waited quietly at the door of the dressing room, watching Shi Yunnan nimbly pick out a suit from the room full of clothes. Shi Yunnan turned around and asked with a smile.

“How about this set? The twill stripes have a fine flash, and the details match my outfit today.”

“Yes.” Luo Lingsheng answered with a straight face, “I’m fine with it.”

Shi Yunnan brought him the clothes, the rainbow fart1 of praise came as soon as he opened his mouth, “Patriarch Luo is like a walking hanger. Naturally, it doesn’t matter what clothes you wear.”

He bent down with an obvious teasing in his smile, “Do you need help? I’d be glad to offer my service.”

To be honest, he didn’t look closely enough last night, he really wanted to see Luo Lingsheng’s abdominal muscles hidden under his clothes.

He wanted to see what had this man’s self-discipline become? How sexy was the body hidden under the clothes?

Luo Lingsheng saw through Shi Yunnan’s intentions and slightly curled his lips.

When he reached out his hand to take the clothes, he inadvertently grazed the back of the other party’s hand with his fingertips at the same time, reversing the situation–

“Does second young master Shi want to help me change clothes or strip them off?”

“…..”

The back of his hand was numb, adding a trace of invisible ambiguity.

Shi Yunnan was stunned, always feeling that Luo Lingsheng was deliberately teasing him, but not showing it obviously.

Soon, he realized that he was in a trance, and got up to recollect himself, “I, I don’t mean it that way, you can change by yourself. I’ll call someone to help you if you need.”

After speaking, he hurried out of the dressing room.

Luo Lingsheng heard his slightly flustered footsteps, and the joy that had originally stayed on the tip of his heart appeared on his face.

He slowly raised his hand, staring at the thumb that had just been in contact for a second, and let out a low laugh, “Why can’t I refrain from teasing him?”

Luo Lingsheng didn’t like to have too much physical contact with others. Even if there was a slight difficulty in moving around, he tried his best to accomplish what he could.

After a while, he came out of the dressing room, neatly dressed.

Shi Yunnan, who was waiting at the door of the room, reappeared and bent down to pin silver cufflinks on his shirt.

He did this without mentioning the somewhat ambiguous episode from earlier.

“What’s this?”

“The suit accessories from the same designer’s animal collection.”

The seemingly disordered lines could actually reveal the general outline of an animal upon closer inspection.

“Your cufflinks are decorated with tigers.”

Shi Yunnan then pointed to the pin on his clothes and asked with a smile, “Mine is a fox, the details are still related, how about it?”

Shi Yunnan’s eyes shone brightly when he asked the question, suddenly reminding Luo Lingsheng of Little goldfish who usually looked forward to compliments.

Luo Lingsheng paused for two seconds, “Well, you have a good aesthetic.”

Shi Yunnan grunted contentedly, and not at all being modest, “Of course, my aesthetics must be good.”

Otherwise, how can I think you are especially good looking, plus a heavenly dish2?

A brief smile passed between Luo Lingsheng’s eyebrows and eyes. He felt that Shi Yunnan at this moment was like a proud little white fox who couldn’t help wagging its tail.

“Let’s go, don’t be late.”

“Ok.”

…

Mrs. Lou was formerly known as Lou Ying, and her husband who shared the same surname was Lou Desheng.

When the two were young, they each went through unsatisfactory emotional experiences, and then got together with the help of their parents.

Both side’s parents were originally business partners, so the couple naturally took over the makeup brand of Lou’s ‘Hua Zhong Ge’ .

Twenty five years went by in a flash.

The Lou’s wedding anniversary banquet was very low-key. They did not deliberately invite those wealthy and distinguished personages who were out of their league. They only invited some good friends and relatives whom they usually talked to.

Therefore, when Shi Yunnan brought Luo Lingsheng to the scene, it really shocked the Lou couple.

“Second young master Shi, Patriarch Luo? P-Please come in!”

Mrs. Lou looked at her husband with anxiety when she saw Luo Lingsheng, an absolutely well-known big shot.

Mrs. Lou was a measured person who knew what to do and what not to do. She never wanted to climb Luo Lingsheng through the relationship with Shi Yunnan.

When writing the invitation letter, she had considered the marriage relationship between the two of them, but she was afraid that the sudden invitation to Luo Lingsheng would make the other party feel that her purpose was not pure.

In the end, she wrote ‘Shi Yunnan’ name alone, purely to thank the other party for his kind intention at the banquet.

Unexpectedly, the two of them appeared at the same time today.

“Mr. Lou, this is a small token we prepared for you two, please accept it.”

Shi Yunnan handed over the gift he had prepared early to express his congratulation.

“Y-you’re too polite.”

Lou Desheng was pleasantly surprised and flustered. He said to Luo Lingsheng somewhat embarrassedly, “I didn’t expect that Patriarch Luo would be willing to honor us with your presence. Our banquet was prepared simply, I’m afraid we might not be able to entertain you well.”

“…I’ll ask someone to prepare it again now!”

“Mr. Lou, there’s no need for such trouble.” Luo Lingsheng stopped him, his expression was not serious.

“I’m only here to accompany Yunnan. You guys do your own things as usual. There’s no need to change the celebration for me, an uninvited guest.”

Shi Yunnan nodded in cooperation, he also felt that it was unnecessary.

Neither he nor Luo Lingsheng were willing to stay at this kind of banquet for too long. They came to send the gift, and at most sat for a while before leaving.

The Lou couple hurriedly invited them to sit inside.

In the hall, some guests soon recognized Luo Lingsheng. Each of them couldn’t conceal their surprised expressions, and they began to talk in low voices—

“I’m not mistaken, am I? Luo Lingsheng actually came to Lou’s banquet?”

“When did Mr. Lou and his wife become involved with the Luo family? They are really low-key.”

“Is Shi Yunnan the young man next to him? I heard that he and Patriarch Luo only disclosed their relationship a while ago.”

“Yes, Mrs. Zhao deliberately embarrassed Mrs. Lou at that banquet, and also involved Shi Yunnan…”

“If you ask me, Mrs. Zhao was the ignorant one. Now her family couldn’t climb the Luo family, but instead gave the opportunity to Lou family by mistake.”

“Then I would rather it be Mr. and Mrs. Lou, their husband and wife are good people.”

While everyone was whispering, Luo Lingsheng and Shi Yunnan had been invited to a relatively quiet private room.

When Mrs. Lou’s daughter, Lou Yuan, heard that a distinguished guest was coming, she rushed to greet them, “Dad, mom.”

“Yuan Yuan, these two are Mr. Luo Lingsheng and Shi Yunnan, the second young master of the Shi family.”

Lou Yuan was their daughter, who just graduated from university this year, and was currently managing the overall promotion of Lou’s brand.

“Hello, welcome.” Lou Yuan greeted them in a natural and graceful manner.

Shi Yunnan responded with a smile, “I know that with Mrs. Lou’s temperament, she must have brought up a very outstanding daughter.”

Shi Yunnan thought that Lou Yuan was pretty and attractive.

Of course, this kind of compliment was within the designer’s appreciation of beautiful things, and there was no other intention.

“By the way, there is also a small accessory for Miss Lou in the gift bag, I hope you like it.”

That day at Zhao’s banquet, the two brothers had heard Mrs. Lou casually mention that ‘the dress was bought by her daughter’ , so when choosing he added an extra one in passing.

Sitting in the wheelchair, Luo Lingsheng inconspicuously narrowed his eyes, and did not speak.

“Gift?” Lou Yuan glanced at the gift bag in her mother’s hand when she heard this.

She was a straightforward person, and after obtaining Shi Yunnan’s consent, she opened the gift in person——

It was a small and exquisite bracelet, especially for girls in their early twenties.

“Thank you Mr. Shi, I like it very much.”

“You’re welcome, this bracelet itself is very suitable for Miss Lou.”

The back and forth dialogue between the two sounded very pleasant.

Luo Lingsheng’s gaze was fixed on his cufflinks. Suddenly, he felt an unexplainable irritation, and even the air pressure all over his body dropped.

He must say, Shi Yunnan had no sense of distance to anyone, just like now, his sweet and honeyed phrases were casually used to please the girl.

Taking advantage of the gap in the chat, Luo Lingsheng smoothly moved away from the topic, “Is there any alcohol?”

Shi Yunnan immediately turned his attention back to Luo Lingsheng and asked with a smile, “I don’t usually see you drinking alcohol. What do you want to drink? I’ll get it for you.”

Luo Lingsheng’s eyebrows and eyes eased up in an instant, “Anything is fine.”

“Both of you, please take a seat. I’ll go get it.” As the host, Mr. Lou hurriedly took care of the matter. He quickly walked out of the room and ordered the waiter to bring the wine.

…

Because of the arrival of a big shot like Luo Lingsheng, the Lou couple returned to the private room after the simple opening of the banquet.

Shi Yunnan was standing in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows, and looking at the scenery outside the hotel, only to find that a factory sign not far away was vaguely written with the word ‘Lou Family’.

“Mr. Lou, that is…”

“Our production workshop.” Lou Desheng said, “The scale is relatively small, I’ve made both of you laugh.”

“Mr. Luo and Mr. Shi, you may not know this, but the reason why my parents chose this hotel for the banquet is because it is close to the production workshop, which is convenient for the employees to move back and forth.”

Lou Yuan pointed her finger down, “The fifth, sixth, and second floors of the hotel are also covered by our family. The employees are all dining on the lower floor.”

Mrs. Lou explained gently, “The sale isn’t going well these years, but the living cost is soaring. We can’t increase the salary of the old employees. We can only take advantage of such occasions to set up a sumptuous feast to treat everyone.”

Shi Yunnan nodded in appreciation after hearing the words.

He could see that the Lou couple were generous and kind people, and had their own rules for treating people and things.

Shi Yunnan recalled the original book plot in his dream where the Lou’s was acquired in one sentence, and his mood was a bit complicated for a moment.

“Mrs. Lou, I don’t know much about cosmetics, but I heard that your family is an old brand?”

“Sort of, we started with nourishing skin care products, and then we developed cosmetics based on ancient recipes.”

Mrs. Lou gave her daughter a wink.

Lou Yuan quickly went out of the room, and walked in with some exquisitely packaged souvenirs.

“These products were originally one of the souvenirs given to guests today. If Mr. Luo and Mr. Shi don’t mind, you can take them back and give them to female friends for a try.”

“Female friend?”

Shi Yunnan looked at Luo Lingsheng and replied jokingly, “We are married people, we can’t just give gifts to our female friends.”

Luo Lingsheng thought of the bracelet that Shi Yunnan had just sent out, and his eyes overflowed with jealousy.

Lou Yuan’s eyes moved back and forth between the two, showing a faint smile.

She must say that Patriarch Luo and Mr. Shi are really a perfect match!

As he looked at it, Shi Yunnan curiously unpacked the gift box, and took out a flat cylindrical box with a transparent exterior and a light yellow lotion inside.

After opening the top bottle cap, a very elegant floral scent came out and penetrated into the tip of his nose.

Why does this smell so familiar?

Shi Yunnan’s expression changed immediately, and the remaining memories of his mother came out in his mind——

When Shi Yunnan was a child with a small milk fat on his face, this seemingly floral fragrance always lingered around him whenever Wen Min stroked his cheek with her hand.

This also created Shi Yunnan’s most deep-rooted impression of his mother.

Shi Yunnan didn’t expect that after nearly twenty years, he once again smelled the fragrant that made him feel nostalgic.

The soreness at the bottom of his heart suddenly appeared, and Shi Yunnan couldn’t hold back the redness of his eyes for a while.

“This is our old product. It is a moisturizing flower oil that nourishes the skin. The fragrance is light but very unique. It is pure and natural, and the only product on the market without a duplication.”

Mrs. Lou, who fell into the memory, did not notice Shi Yunnan’s expression, “When I was young, this product was selling very well…”

Luo Lingsheng immediately noticed that something was wrong with Shi Yunnan, and interrupted the introduction of other party, “What’s wrong?”

After his reminder, the three people in the Lou family finally realized Shi Yunnan’s mood. They were a little confused and flustered for a while.

“Second young master Shi, are you not feeling well? Or did I say something wrong?”

“No.”

Not wanting to lose his cool, Shi Yunnan immediately adjusted his demeanor and smiled back, “It just occurred to me that my mother seemed to have used your family’s product before she passed away.”

Over-the-top compliments fans needlessly showered their idols.

I think I did add a footnote about heavenly dish before?? Anw, heavenly dish is an internet slang meaning that someone’s appearance or personality is very likable. It can also mean that someone is your ideal type when you say “He/she is my dish.”