Iceberg's Deep Love - Chapter 3

“We’re all here to drink. What’s wrong with just one drink?” Gu Jihuan murmured, her slurred words carrying a hint of coquettishness in their slightly rising cadence.

Seeing that Gu Jihuan could stand on her own, Lu Shinian released her arm, instinctively stepping back to maintain a distance of about a meter. “No need. I have things to take care of.”

But as Lu Shinian retreated, Gu Jihuan suddenly closed the gap, her body radiating a strong alcoholic haze.

Swaying slightly, she leaned her forehead lightly against Lu Shinian’s shoulder, her warm breath brushing against his neck as she mumbled incoherently.

Amidst her slurred words, Lu Shinian caught a few distinct phrases: “Someone… is following me…”

Lu Shinian glanced in the direction Gu Jihuan had come from—a quiet corner at the end of the hallway, rarely frequented by anyone.

The corner was clearly visible, empty and deserted. No one was there.

Gu Jihuan is doing this on purpose, Lu Shinian thought, his gaze lingering on her with renewed scrutiny.

Gu Jihuan was impeccably dressed tonight, her vivid eyeshadow and winged eyeliner perfectly complementing her crimson dress, exuding an alluring charm.

Her fingertips pressed lightly against Lu Shinian’s wrist, the gentle warmth of her touch lingering against his skin.

Lu Shinian couldn’t help but feel a slight stir in his heart, yet he lowered his lashes with practiced restraint.

Perhaps… those old foxes had already investigated her thoroughly and deliberately sent someone today to lure her into their trap.

Lu Shinian’s clothes carried a faint, distant, and cool fragrance that, after diluting some of the alcohol fumes, helped Gu Jihuan regain a bit of clarity.

She hadn’t brought her phone when she went to the restroom, and the alcohol had further disoriented her.

She hadn’t clearly seen the person behind her, but she was certain someone was following her with malicious intent.

Lu Shinian’s phone buzzed two or three times. It was a message from Dai Meng: President Lu, we’ve reached an agreement. We accept your investment.

Lu Shinian glanced at the woman in his arms. She was leaning almost entirely against him, clearly drunk and still somewhat disoriented.

“Come with me for now,” Lu Shinian said softly, gently taking Gu Jihuan’s hand and leading her back.

Gu Jihuan was dazed, only noticing that the hand holding hers felt slightly cold, yet it didn’t repel her. A drunkard with no sense of direction, she obediently followed Lu Shinian.

Dai Meng watched Lu Shinian return with someone in tow, her surprise quickly giving way to tactful silence.

Gu Jihuan sat quietly beside Lu Shinian, lost in a daze. Her beautiful eyes, though unfocused, shone brightly like polished gems.

She wasn’t acting drunk or rowdy; she simply sat there, wooden and blank, like a motionless wooden beauty.

Colleagues often teased Gu Jihuan about her legendary tolerance for alcohol, but only Jiang Min knew that when Gu Jihuan sat silently, staring blankly, she was already drunk.

Lu Shinian glanced at Gu Jihuan out of the corner of his eye and said slowly, “Now that we’ve reached an agreement, I’ll have someone contact Miss Dai tomorrow to finalize the contract.”

Dai Meng raised her hand to signal a waiter. “President Lu, we’ve prepared a bottle of champagne. Since we’ve reached an agreement, let’s celebrate with a toast.”

The waiter opened a bottle of Dom Pérignon Black Diamond champagne in front of everyone, poured the glasses without a word, and retreated.

Lu Shinian understood immediately: Dai Meng had planned this in advance. The owner of this hotel was likely Miss Dai herself.

Choosing this venue for the business meeting was a strategic move, giving her home-field advantage.

However, Dai Meng hadn’t anticipated Lu Shinian immediately taking the upper hand. Fortunately, the meeting ended on a positive note for both parties.

Dai Meng raised her glass. “President Lu, we’re young and inexperienced. We look forward to your guidance in the future.”

Just as she was about to take a sip, her wrist was gently restrained. It was the young man beside her again. “Mengmeng, you still have a cold. You shouldn’t drink.”

“Ah…” Dai Meng paused, then murmured, “Chen Ming, we agreed on this. What’s the point of not drinking now?”

Lu Shinian pressed down on Dai Meng’s glass and said softly, “I’ve never been fond of drinking culture, and I need to visit my grandmother later. I wouldn’t want to arrive smelling of alcohol. Let’s stick to tea today.”

“Alright then.” Dai Meng stood up first and drained her cup of tea in one gulp. “I apologize for the poor hospitality today, President Lu. Next time you visit, the drinks are on me.”

Lu Shinian smiled in response. Miss Dai was clearly not a cunning person; after just a few exchanges, she had revealed all her group’s strategies.

In contrast, the young man beside her fell silent after his initial remark, his expression darkening.

As Lu Shinian chatted with Dai Meng, he suddenly felt a tug on his sleeve. He turned to meet Gu Jihuan’s slightly dazed gaze.

The butterfly tassel earrings near her ears swayed gently, accentuating her radiant smile. She said slowly, “I want champagne.”

Though she was a dazzlingly beautiful and assertive woman, her request for alcohol made her seem like a child asking for candy, her fluttering eyelashes adding to her charm.

Lu Shinian couldn’t help but sigh softly. She could tell immediately that Gu Jihuan was drunk—not just tipsy, but so intoxicated she remembered nothing but the alcohol.

“You’re drunk. Stop drinking,” Lu Shinian said flatly.

She felt the hand gripping her sleeve shake slightly, and a voice full of childish pleading whined, “I’m happy today! I want to drink! I want it!”

Gu Jihuan was acting like a disobedient child.

Lu Shinian had originally planned to probe her, to see if she’d been sent by those old men. But now it seemed unlikely.

They wouldn’t send someone so useless, who got drunk before even attempting their mission.

Gu Jihuan happily clutched her champagne glass, her mind completely muddled. Yan Yu, Grandma, the Lu Family… all had long since faded into oblivion.

As midnight approached, Lu Shinian prepared to leave, but felt her sleeve being tugged tightly.

The inexplicably acquired beauty had fallen asleep, her brown hair disheveled and scattered. Her slender, pale fingers clung fiercely to the fabric, the air thick with the scent of alcohol, and her slightly curled-up posture made her look utterly vulnerable.

Lu Shinian raised her hand to free her sleeve, but then heard a soft, dream-muttered whisper: “Don’t go…”

Gu Jihuan prided herself on being someone who didn’t dwell on emotions. She could maintain a long-distance relationship with Yan Yu, live independently, and even drink freely after being abandoned.

Yet, when drunk, she inexplicably clung tightly to the person beside her, as if letting go would mean losing everything.

Lu Shinian’s fingertips brushed against Gu Jihuan’s skin, his brow furrowing slightly. Her body was radiating heat, so intense that his fingertips trembled involuntarily.

The bar was full of drunkards, and this was Dai Meng’s territory, so there shouldn’t be any trouble. Still, Lu Shinian felt an inexplicable unease.

In the second-floor bedroom of Villa 18 at Longhua Tianyu, long brown hair lay scattered across the white pillow, revealing a slender, pale hand dangling over the edge of the bed.

Lu Shinian opened the door and glanced inside. Seeing Gu Jihuan still asleep, he rubbed his hair dry while making a phone call.

The voice on the other end was brisk and excited: “Shinian, did you really secure the Lost Path project?”

After Lu Shinian confirmed, the caller grew even more animated: “Shinian, you’re still awake, right? I’m coming over right now!”

“I’m not yet—” Lu Shinian began to reply, but the line went dead with a beep-beep-beep.

Lu Yuqiong had always been a whirlwind of energy. Lu Shinian smiled helplessly and leaned back against the sofa, his slender fingers gently pressing against his temple.

His consciousness began to fade slowly; he was truly exhausted today.

For the past few days, he had been immersed in reviewing project materials for Ludi Group, preparing to take over Lu Di’s responsibilities. Today, he had attended a formal banquet, rushed to the bar to meet Dai Meng without even changing his clothes, and only now found a moment of peace.

Gu Jihuan descended the stairs from the second floor, rubbing her temples, her mind still hazy and disoriented.

Normally, Gu Jihuan had a high tolerance for alcohol and rarely got drunk. But tonight was different. She had already vomited once, and her stomach was still churning.

Despite her muddled state, Gu Jihuan realized this wasn’t her familiar surroundings. She was in an unfamiliar bedroom, and the hallway outside was equally foreign.

The living room was spacious, almost cavernous, with a modern minimalist design. Softly colored spotlights added a touch of warmth to the otherwise empty space.

In the quiet expanse, Gu Jihuan spotted a figure on the sofa. She appeared to be asleep.

The tablet beside him remained lit. Lu Shinian had changed into a linen-colored loungewear set, revealing a glimpse of his handsome neck beneath his dark, tousled hair.

Without the cold, imposing aura he carried in the bar, he now exuded a gentle warmth, like a slender bamboo stalk radiating a delicate fragrance and lacking any aggression.

Gu Jihuan’s footsteps seemed to rouse Lu Shinian. He looked up just as she did, his deep, penetrating gaze meeting hers directly.

“Thank you. About that… someone really was following me back then,” Gu Jihuan insisted, her voice tinged with guilt.

She hadn’t completely blacked out. She remembered following Lu Shinian and even asking others for drinks… getting so drunk she lost track of everyone.

A sickly flush stained Gu Jihuan’s cheeks, the lingering scent of alcohol clinging to her. Her lips appeared particularly crimson, and the red dress was creased from being crumpled. Her hair was slightly disheveled, yet she didn’t look disheveled, but rather possessed a languid, effortless beauty.

Despite the distance between them, Lu Shinian suddenly felt as if he could once again detect that intoxicating, rose-like fragrance.

“No need to thank me, it was nothing,” Lu Shinian said. “There are new pajamas in the bedside cabinet and fresh toiletries in the bathroom.”

“No, I’ll just call a car to take me home now. What’s the address here?” Gu Jihuan paused mid-sentence, suddenly realizing she didn’t seem to have her phone.

“Longhua Tianyu,” Lu Shinian replied. “I’ll have a driver take you.”

As he spoke, Lu Shinian reached for his phone on the table and dialed a number from his contacts.

Gu Jihuan preferred her privacy, only having a housekeeper come regularly to clean and cook. The driver didn’t live at the villa, but calling him over was easy enough.

Gu Jihuan blinked slowly, her gaze lingering on Lu Shinian. “Longhua Tianyu?”

“Mm,” Lu Shinian replied calmly. “The car is already at the entrance of the estate. It’ll be here in a moment.”

In a moment… Gu Jihuan slowly processed the implications. If it took a while to drive from the estate entrance to the villa, just how vast was this place?

She couldn’t help but admire her own luck. Grabbing someone at random in a bar, she’d somehow managed to snag the wealthiest man in the city.

Longhua Tianyu was Jiang City’s most exclusive residential area, comprising only twenty-eight villas, each occupied by the city’s wealthiest elites.

Gu Jihuan, who was usually quite relaxed, felt a sudden wave of unease upon hearing the name Longhua Tianyu. She couldn’t shake the feeling that she was actively trying to seduce a wealthy man.

Lu Shinian remained silent, adding to Gu Jihuan’s awkwardness. With no phone to distract her, she could only stare blankly out the floor-to-ceiling window.

The window faced a small garden in the courtyard. In the early autumn season, fallen leaves lay scattered across the path, creating a romantic, poetic scene.

The bright interior lights reflected Gu Jihuan’s face in the glass. She paused, lightly pressing her fingertips against her jawline.

As her fingertips grazed her skin, a prickly sensation made her hiss softly and draw in a sharp breath.

“What’s wrong?” Lu Shinian asked instinctively.

“Can you check? Do I have a rash on my neck?” Gu Jihuan turned, her voice tinged with urgency.

She tugged down her collar, exposing the pale skin of her neck. Tilting her chin slightly upward, she revealed her slender fingers and sharply defined collarbones.

She seemed completely unaware of her own beauty and allure, her actions entirely unconscious.

Lu Shinian’s eyelashes fluttered slightly, and he instinctively averted his gaze, a fleeting moment of panic flickering in his deep, dark eyes.

But the panic quickly subsided, replaced by a calm composure. She stepped closer, leaning down to examine the large patches of red rashes that had erupted on her pale skin. The areas Lu Shinian had touched were flushed crimson, the bl00d vessels beneath her skin almost visible.

“There’s a large rash here,” Lu Shinian said, his gaze darkening. “It looks like an allergic reaction. Should we go to the hospital?” He didn’t reach out to touch her.

Gu Jihuan’s skin was exceptionally fair, making the red rashes starkly visible and alarming.

“Allergic reaction…” As a doctor herself, Gu Jihuan had already suspected this when she first felt the itching.

Buzz, buzz, buzz—Lu Shinian’s phone rang. The driver had arrived outside.

Lu Shinian stood up, grabbed a coat, and handed it to Gu Jihuan. “Allergic reactions can range from mild to severe. We can’t delay. I’ll go to the hospital with you.”

“No need, I can handle it myself…” Gu Jihuan’s words were cut short as her wrist was suddenly gripped tightly.

Lu Shinian, moving with urgent strides, pulled Gu Jihuan out the door with an undeniable force.

Gu Jihuan glanced up and caught a glimpse of Lu Shinian’s profile. Her expression was unusually serious. Despite her typically composed demeanor, she reacted with extreme sensitivity to the word “allergy,” as if it were an immediate life-threatening emergency.

Gu Jihuan was notoriously stubborn, even Jiang Min couldn’t dissuade her when she dug in her heels. Yet now, she didn’t even have a chance to protest before being dragged out the door.