199: Chapter 199 Chen Shuyu is numb

"Fine then."

"You've learned to preemptively strike now, have you?"

Su Qingxue stood under the entryway light, a lingering smile still pressed at the corners of her lips, her eyes slightly upturned—it was clear she intended to settle scores with him.

Lu Li tossed his jacket aside and gave her a lazy glance.

"This isn't called a preemptive strike."

"This is called self-preservation in advance."

Lu Yaoguang laughed uncontrollably nearby, hugging a throw pillow and slapping the sofa.

"Sister-in-law, don't pay any attention to him. He's the classic example—acting all profound on the city gate tower during the day, and acting like a jerk the moment he gets back to the hotel at night."

On the other end of the video call, Wang Peng immediately chimed in.

"Exactly, exactly! That's just how my brother is!"

"Brother! Do you even know how handsome you were today?! I almost kowtowed to the TV at home!"

Lu Li walked over and casually waved in front of the camera, acknowledging them.

"Did the TV do something to offend you?"

"Well, it was broadcasting you!" Wang Peng was so excited his face was practically pressed against the screen. "Brother, be honest with me, did you really make Titan? Can you get me one too? It doesn't need to fire missiles, just water is fine."

Yang Yueru sat nearby; she had initially wanted to stop him, but upon hearing the end, she couldn't help herself, her eyes shining as she gazed at the screen.

"Cousin, today was really... too exaggerated."

"So many people on our side were stunned."

Lu Li leaned against the back of the sofa, his expression still that same lazy look, as if he hadn't just returned from such an occasion, but had merely gone out for a casual stroll.

"It was alright."

"Mostly it was just waking up too early; it was inhumane."

"..."

There was a brief second of silence on the other end of the video call.

The next moment, Wang Peng slapped his thigh hard.

"Did you hear that! That's my brother for you! The whole world had their scalps tingling from this military parade, and he's complaining about waking up too early!"

The room immediately erupted in laughter.

Even Chen Wanqing couldn't help but laugh and scold him: "You really are incorrigible."

After chatting a bit more, Wang Peng still wanted to keep the conversation going, but Yang Yueru gave him a gentle tug.

"Uncle and Auntie must be tired today too, let Cousin and the others get some rest first."

"Right, right." Wang Peng finally realized, nodding repeatedly, not forgetting to add one more thing, "Brother, when you get back, I'll treat you to a meal! Oh wait, with your status, you probably wouldn't care for my treat, so... I can just kowtow to you instead—"

Lu Li raised his hand and hung up the video call.

The action was crisp and decisive.

"Noisy."

The screen went dark, and the suite became much quieter.

In this quiet, one could actually hear the extremely light footsteps in the corridor outside, rhythmic, restrained, neither near nor far.

Chen Shuyu subconsciously glanced toward the door.

Since the afternoon, she had felt that this floor was abnormally quiet.

It wasn't the kind of quiet found in a normal hotel.

It was the kind of quiet that comes after a deliberate clearance.

There were people guarding the elevator entrance and the floor entrance; even those inconspicuous black sedans parked in the parking area downstairs were parked with excessive precision.

Lu Li hadn't stayed here at all yesterday.

Because he was to attend the military parade celebration today, he had been taken to another location the night before for final itinerary confirmation and security protection.

And even after the celebration ended and he returned to the hotel, this protection had not been withdrawn.

Thinking of this, the tremor in Chen Shuyu's heart, which had been pressing down on her since the daytime, silently surged up another level.

This was no longer as simple as "Lu Li brought out another piece of black technology."

This person had truly reached another level.

No one in the room spoke; the atmosphere was briefly silent for a moment.

Chen Shuyu suddenly spoke up.

"So, can you tell me now?"

She looked at Lu Li, her tone still the familiar one she always used, but the slight tightness in her throat was something even she herself noticed.

"Of those things today, how much of it did you actually have a hand in?"

Lu Li looked up at her, his lips curling lazily.

"Your question is unprofessional."

"How is it unprofessional?"

"You should ask," he unscrewed the water on the table and took a sip, his tone flat, "how much wasn't my doing."

Chen Shuyu: "..."

She opened her mouth, wanting to roll her eyes like she used to and call him a jerk.

But the words reached her lips and suddenly she couldn't say them.

During the day at the viewing site, when she saw those steel creations walking over step by step, she had already been stunned into numbness.

Now, looking at this person in front of her, wearing the most ordinary clothes, leaning against the hotel sofa, his expression listless, his tone incredibly irritating—

Yet it was precisely him.

All clues, all guesses, all the things one dared not think too deeply about, ultimately all fell back onto him.

Chen Shuyu was quiet for two seconds, then suddenly smiled.

The smile was a bit complex, a bit resigned, and also a bit unspeakably bitter.

"Fine."

"I shouldn't have asked that question."

She raised her hand to rub her brow, as if finally suppressing some emotion, then turned to look at Su Qingxue, and then at the two elders of the Lu family.

"Uncle, Auntie, Yaoguang, I'm going back to my room."

Lu Yaoguang was stunned.

"Sister Shuyu, you're leaving already?"

"If I don't leave now, I really won't be able to sleep tonight."

As Chen Shuyu said this, her gaze fell back on Lu Li, lingering for half a second before she murmured:

"You really don't leave any room for others to live."

The words were a complaint.

But the emotion in her tone lacked its usual bluster, leaving only a near-resigned acceptance after being continuously stunned.

After speaking, she waved her hand and turned to walk out.

The door opened and closed.

Only the Lu family and Su Qingxue remained in the suite.

With Chen Shuyu, the best at keeping the conversation going, gone, the room became quiet, with warm light spilling across the floor. After the earlier laughter dissipated, certain suppressed emotions began to surface little by little.

Chen Wanqing watched Lu Li for a while before asking softly:

"Are you tired?"

Lu Li paused, then smiled.

"It's alright."

"It's just that the procedure today was too long; sitting made me a bit sleepy."

Chen Wanqing wanted to laugh and be angry at his words, but her eyes slowly turned red.

"You child..."

"We're at this point now, and you still have no seriousness."

Lu Li didn't respond, just looked at her.

Chen Wanqing opened her mouth; she had originally wanted to say so much, but when it came to it, only the simplest, most plain sentence remained.

"It's good that you're back."

Lu Li's gaze paused slightly, and he nodded.

"Yeah."

Lu Jianjun, who was to the side, hadn't said much the whole time.

Only now did he raise his eyes and gaze steadily at Lu Li for a few seconds.

"Not bad today."

His voice wasn't loud, and he still had his rigid, serious demeanor.

"You didn't embarrass the family."

Lu Li was taken aback, then his lips slowly curled up.

"I know."

These two, father and son, were both equally reluctant to say soft words.

Yet just these two sentences had said everything that needed to be said.

Lu Yaoguang sat on the side, her eyes feeling a bit hot, but she couldn't stand the atmosphere being too stifling, so she immediately sniffled and deliberately lifted her chin as she interjected:

"What do you mean 'didn't embarrass the family'."

"My brother scored huge points for the family today, okay."

This one sentence made even Chen Wanqing laugh.

The mood in the room finally relaxed a little.

And Su Qingxue hadn't said much from beginning to end.

She just sat there, watching Lu Li, watching Lu Jianjun's stiff-faced praise, watching the moisture welling up in Chen Wanqing's eyes; her heart felt like it had been gently bumped by something, warm and soft.

During the day at the scene, she had wanted to hug him.

Now that she was back here, that thought hadn't faded; instead, it had grown stronger.

But with everyone there, she ultimately didn't move, just gently clenched her skirt with her fingers, her gaze fixed on Lu Li.

Lu Li seemed to notice and turned his head to glance at her.

That glance was very brief.

Yet she was inexplicably left with burning ears.

The next second, Lu Li had already walked over and sat down beside her.

His movements were as natural as if he were supposed to sit there all along.

He turned his head to look at her, his voice lowered, lazy.

"President Su."

"Hmm?"

"Were you quite mesmerized by me today?"

Su Qingxue: "..."

Lu Yaoguang couldn't help it and laughed, shaking as she hugged her pillow.

Chen Wanqing also turned her head, her eyes full of smiles.

The tips of Su Qingxue's ears were hot, but for some reason, she didn't want to hide anymore.

She looked up at Lu Li, her eyebrows slightly raised, a hint of irrepressible pride in her cool demeanor.

"Yes, I was."

"What, is that not allowed?"

This time, it was Lu Li's turn to pause for half a beat.

Then, he let out a low laugh.

It was very light.

But that hint of laughter seemed to follow the light, falling right into her eyes.

Everyone in the room was laughing.

Outside the window, the night in Jingzhou was deep, the black sedans parked quietly downstairs, and occasionally, extremely light footsteps passed by in the corridor outside, only to quickly fade away.

And on the coffee table, Lu Li's face-down phone suddenly vibrated again.

The glowing screen flashed once in the warm light.