No way.
The moment he saw this scene, Lu Yunze almost froze on the spot.
If Jiang Sui hadn’t intentionally reminded him, he probably would have blindly walked right into the trap.
At a time like this, Lu Yunze didn’t even have to think to know who was peeking from behind.
He had thought Luo Yao completely believed his words and had let go of all her suspicions. He never expected her to still be on guard.
Recalling the smile she had shown in the kitchen, Lu Yunze even suspected it was just a deliberate performance designed to make him lower his guard.
Fortunately, Jiang Sui was no pushover either; she was incredibly sharp when it came to counter-surveillance.
‘Are they all playing a game of Infernal Affairs?’
As the target of “high-priority surveillance,” Lu Yunze felt an immense amount of pressure.
He sighed inwardly, then quickly adjusted his expression to begin playing along with Jiang Sui.
“Sorry, I really caused you some trouble.”
“Since the Young Master knows he’s a bother, please pay more attention. Not just for the sake of the Luo Family, but for the Miss as well.”
“Ah, haha… Well, can you delete that photo?”
“I cannot.”
Jiang Sui gave him a meaningful smile that made Lu Yunze’s heart tighten.
The expression on her face didn’t seem entirely like an act.
Meanwhile, Luo Yao, who was quietly hiding in the back, watched the scene unfold. She pouted slightly and pulled her head back.
Lately, Lu Yunze had been going out every weekend and even stayed out overnight. She naturally had reasons to be suspicious. On top of that, he had once mentioned that he didn’t like her always meddling in his business, so Luo Yao had tried to suppress her doubts, telling herself she might be overthinking things.
But as the frequency increased, Lu Yunze’s behavior became more and more abnormal. When he returned last Sunday, he looked exhausted, and when she asked where he had been, he refused to answer.
Then there was this sudden trip to the kitchen to bake a cake… When she probed him, he neither denied nor admitted anything. Even if she comforted herself with the thought that ‘the cake is for me,’ she couldn’t fully convince herself.
A moment ago, seeing Lu Yunze standing in front of Jiang Sui, she had even briefly wondered if he was having a private affair with their maid.
But now… it didn’t seem like that was the case.
Jiang Sui’s attitude remained indifferent, showing no signs of intimacy. If anything, Lu Yunze was the one who looked a bit restless.
So the question remained — if it wasn’t the maid, who exactly was turning Lu Yunze into this?
Just as Luo Yao was lost in thought, another figure entered her sight — Luo Heng.
“Good afternoon. Remember that place you recommended to me?” Lu Yunze took the initiative to call out to him.
“Huh?”
“That bar. I went there last Sunday and had a great time.”
“Really?” Luo Heng looked confused. “Didn’t you say you didn’t like those kinds of places?”
“It’s good to try new things sometimes. After all, it’s pretty convenient there, isn’t it?”
Lu Yunze smiled brightly, but Luo Heng felt like there was something off about that smile.
Following Lu Yunze’s gaze toward the little maid standing nearby, realization dawned on him.
“Oh — so that’s what you mean by ‘convenient.'”
So the so-called convenience referred to that kind of thing?
A bar was indeed much safer than doing it at the Luo Family home.
“Well? Didn’t I tell you I wouldn’t lead you astray?” Luo Heng nudged him with his elbow.
“Yeah, it was actually pretty great.”
“…Are you bragging to me?” Luo Heng made the complicated face of a perpetual bachelor.
“No, I just wanted to say thanks.” Lu Yunze paused, then added, “Also, I’ve been learning how to bake a cake recently. I’ll make sure to surprise you next time.”
A cake?
Luo Heng grew even more bewildered.
However, at that moment, a figure suddenly stepped between the two of them — Luo Yao.
She seemed shrouded in a dark aura. The moment she appeared, her gaze locked onto Luo Heng like a resentful wife filled with grievances.
“Good afternoon, little brother.”
“Good afternoon your head!”
“Why are you suddenly yelling at me?”
She had found it — the true culprit.
The person who had been inducing Lu Yunze to go out and even encouraged him to start baking cakes was actually Luo Heng!
‘The hardest thief to guard against is the one inside your own home.’
The moment she reached this “conclusion,” Luo Yao almost burst into tears.
“You, come here. I need to talk to you.”
She turned and took two steps before looking back and beckoning Luo Heng with her finger.
“Can I say no?” Luo Heng instinctively felt that things were about to go south.
“No,” Luo Yao’s tone was terrifyingly cold.
Lu Yunze patted Luo Heng on the shoulder, his voice heavy with solemnity.
“Next time we meet, I’ll definitely make it up to you.”
And so, a completely baffled Luo Heng was dragged away by Luo Yao.
With the departure of the Eldest Daughter of the Luo Family, the atmosphere in the corridor finally relaxed. Lu Yunze let out a long sigh of relief.
Though it was hard on Luo Heng, he would remember this “favor.”
‘Once I learn how to make a cake, I’ll make one for your birthday too…’
Lu Yunze pressed his hands together in prayer to some unknown deity.
“Young Master, shouldn’t you be thanking me?”
Jiang Sui stood to the side, arms crossed, looking at him with a smile.
“I clearly helped you as well, yet the Young Master’s head is filled with another man. It’s quite disappointing. Could it be that the Young Master actually likes men —”
“I don’t! Stop spreading rumors!”
Lu Yunze quickly interrupted her. He was just glad there was no one else around; otherwise, another ridiculous rumor would surely start circulating.
Seeing his flustered appearance, Jiang Sui couldn’t help but laugh.
This familiar feeling was the Jiang Sui that Lu Yunze knew.
“The Young Master said he was learning to bake a cake?”
“Yeah, that’s right.”
“Can I help?”
“Well…”
Lu Yunze hesitated.
On the surface, his concern was Luo Yao, but the real reason was something else entirely.
Jiang Sui tilted her head and said softly, “This cake… it couldn’t possibly have some special meaning, could it? For example, is it for someone very important — specifically, a woman?”
When no response came, her tone gradually turned cold.
“Is the Young Master so persistent because he doesn’t want me to know?”
Lu Yunze remained silent for a moment.
Since she had already seen through it, there was no point in hiding it any longer.
He looked up, staring directly into Jiang Sui’s pale purple eyes. His voice was calm and steady.
“Mrs. Xia’s birthday is coming up soon.”
“What?”
Jiang Sui blinked, stunned.
“Remember what you told me before?”
Lu Yunze had kept it in his heart all this time.
Originally, he had planned to just buy a cake, but he felt that lacked sincerity.
So, he decided to make one by hand and give it to Jiang Sui so that she could give it to Xia Youqing to celebrate her birthday.
“I wanted to surprise you after it was finished… but I guess I still couldn’t hide it from you.”
As he spoke, he couldn’t help but give a bitter smile.
He was prepared to be teased.
However, the expected reaction did not happen.
Instead, Jiang Sui’s expression gradually softened.
“You didn’t hide it from me, yet you deceived the Miss for my sake?”
“Huh?”
“The Young Master is becoming more and more cunning.”
She narrowed her eyes slightly, a faint blush creeping onto her cheeks.
“However, the Young Master is still an honest person… I like that about you.”
She reached out and took Lu Yunze’s hand, which was covered in flour.
Her hands covered his gently, as if confirming something.
Lu Yunze was momentarily dazed.
Meanwhile, Jiang Sui’s breathing grew slightly faster, and a hint of emotion that she couldn’t hide flickered in her eyes.
He was actually willing to go to such lengths for her.
He had even dragged Luo Heng out to act as a shield just to deceive Luo Yao.
As she thought of this, the girl’s smile took on a hint of obsession.
“Since it is the Young Master’s heartfelt intention, I will wait obediently.”
“I am sorry that I cannot work together with the Young Master this time.”
Lu Yunze took a deep breath and slowly tightened his grip on her hand.
“I promise I won’t let you down.”
These were his most sincere words, straight from the heart.