The moment Luo Yao noticed the strange fragrance lingering on Lu Yunze, her expression grew oddly strange.
“Lu Gege’s scent definitely wasn’t this strong when he left the house.”
“This… it’s the scent of flowers!” Lu Yunze quickly came up with an explanation. “I was looking for you the whole time, getting a bit anxious, so I just cut through the flower bushes here. Maybe some pollen stuck to my clothes.”
Lu Yunze thought this was a perfect excuse, but Luo Yao didn’t relax her furrowed brows; instead, she kept staring at him with a doubtful gaze.
“But Lu Gege, the scent on you is clearly from lemon-scented bath gel.”
“Huh?” Lu Yunze was stunned and sniffed the smell on himself.
“Could it be that the flowers here smell like lemon?”
There was indeed a faint lemon scent, but it wasn’t from the flowers—it was the scent on Jiang Sui.
“No, how do you know that it’s from bath gel?”
“Because I’ve used it before.”
There were several bathrooms in the Manor; the one Lu Yunze and Luo Yao used wasn’t the same as the servants’. Unexpectedly, they had collided over the scent of bath gel.
“Lu Gege, be honest, why do you have the scent of this bath gel on you?”
Luo Yao’s tone remained calm, but the dark meaning behind her words was impossible to hide.
“Could it be that you were just hugging another woman…”
Gulp!
Before she could finish, Lu Yunze suddenly raised both hands and placed his palms on Luo Yao’s shoulders.
The sudden move stunned the young lady, leaving her momentarily speechless.
“Lu Gege.”
“I wasn’t planning to tell you the truth, but since you’ve already noticed, I have no choice but to say it.”
“Go ahead, I’m willing to hear your explanation.”
Lu Yunze’s eyes turned serious.
“I specifically took a shower before leaving.”
Seeing her stunned expression, Lu Yunze continued his act after letting her go.
“Many people say I don’t look like a Young Master of the Luo Family, so I’ve been thinking about how to change myself, to look more fitting for my current identity. One idea was to become more hygienic.”
“So…”
“So I tried changing my habits, like showering more often. But I was too embarrassed to tell others, and I didn’t expect you, Luo Yao, to find out.”
Scratching his head, Lu Yunze looked somewhat embarrassed.
At this point, if Luo Yao still didn’t believe him, Lu Yunze really had no other way. He couldn’t just expose Jiang Sui, the little maid who owed the Luo Family 1.8 million debts—especially since she might then be targeted by Miss Luo and even risk losing her job. That would be too cruel.
If all else failed, he could make up another person, just to divert Luo Yao’s attention.
“Sorry, I have to deceive you for another woman’s sake, but I have no choice.”
Luo Yao stared at his face in silence for a long while, seemingly trying to find a trace of a lie, but quickly gave up and sighed.
“Lu Gege, I appreciate your effort, but you’ve got the wrong direction.”
“Ah, really?”
Phew, she believed it!
Calm, calm, don’t show any cracks.
Internally ecstatic but outwardly feigning surprise, Lu Yunze quickly followed the topic.
“I thought you’d do the same.”
“Lu Gege, showering too often isn’t good for your skin.” Luo Yao touched her own face, looking worried. “If you really want to change, why not ask me first? You made me worry for nothing.”
“I promise next time, next time for sure.”
“Rest assured, Lu Gege wasn’t tangled up by any troublesome women.”
“Why do you say that?” Lu Yunze asked curiously. “Who would be interested in me?”
“No, no, Lu Gege.” Luo Yao’s smile suddenly turned mysterious. “Even though you’re not a loser anymore, many people who are out of the loop still see you as one. They treat you as a tool invading the Luo Family and deliberately cozy up to you.”
Luo Yao knew far more about this than Lu Yunze, especially about those unscrupulous women who would even use their bodies as tools just to get close to their target’s heart.
“Lu Gege, you must be careful not to get tricked.”
Her eyes squinted into crescent moons, and her expression grew increasingly chilling.
“Otherwise, I’d have to rescue you and deal with those bad women.”
Lu Yunze didn’t ask how she planned to deal with them, probably because Luo Yao wouldn’t say even if he did.
Sometimes women’s conflicts are much harsher than those between opposite sexes.
Swallowing nervously, Lu Yunze quickly changed the subject and performed a magic trick by pulling out some porridge hidden behind him.
“Look, what’s this?”
“Sang, did you forget yours?” Luo Yao had also bought porridge back, so she didn’t expect Lu Yunze to have some too.
“I actually anticipated this situation and prepared an extra portion in advance.” Lu Yunze smiled cheerfully.
Luo Yao’s eyes widened.
“Then why didn’t you say so earlier?”
“You ran off immediately back then. How could I tell you?”
“You could have called me.” Luo Yao blushed again, wishing she could just disappear on the spot.
“Let’s go. Don’t keep Senior Wu waiting.”
Seeing Luo Yao so shy and not doubting Lu Yunze’s words, the two left the courtyard and returned to Wu Xuan’s hospital room.
Knowing they would bring porridge, Wu Xuan had been starving himself.
When Lu Yunze handed him the porridge, Wu Xuan was already ravenous.
After taking a bite, his face lit up. “Not bad at all. Even someone like me who doesn’t like porridge finds this tasty.”
“My family’s cook is quite skilled.” Lu Yunze rubbed his nose.
“I really envy you guys. Waking up every day with a bunch of people preparing all your meals—unlike me, who has to cook for myself at home.”
“It’s not that extravagant. Most servants are responsible for cleaning; only when the kitchen staff is short-handed do they help out.”
After all, the Manor is a three-story luxury estate that can accommodate over ten people. If cleaning staff were insufficient, the house would quickly get dirty and start to smell.
“Ah, money really is great.” Wu Xuan put down his spoon and sighed. “I’ve had to help my parents cook since I was little and never experienced being waited on.”
“With Senior Wu’s talent and strength, one day your family will be rich too.” Luo Yao smiled warmly.
“Senior Xuemai, you really think highly of me. I just mess around with musical instruments, but Lu Yunze is the truly talented one.”
“Senior Wu, you and Lu Gege are really close, huh?”
As soon as Luo Yao said this, both Lu Yunze and Wu Xuan spoke simultaneously.
“Of course! We’re like brothers!”
“How close?”
Wu Xuan cleared his throat twice.
“To exaggerate a bit, when Lu Yunze isn’t in the club classroom, I can guess exactly what he’s up to.”
“Fake!”
“Not lying, Xuemai. You can test me anytime. I might know even more than you.”
Hearing his confidence, Luo Yao still looked surprised. But then her expression changed, and she said something that altered both Wu Xuan and Lu Yunze’s faces.
“Senior Wu, since you know Lu Gege so well, you must know which people always pester him at school, right?”
Wu Xuan paused mid-bite.
Looking at Luo Yao’s expression now, it was a gentle smile—but in the eyes of these two men, it turned icy cold.
Not good, I’ve been fooled!
Fahhh