"Is that what we’re calling it now?" He shifted his grip slightly, pulling her closer rather than releasing her. "Your ’reflex tests’ are getting increasingly violent, wife."
"Maybe my husband is getting increasingly annoying," Shuyin shot back, but there was no real heat in her words, just the comfortable sparring of two people who knew each other well enough to play at the edges of genuine conflict without ever crossing the line.
Lu Yuze laughed, low and warm, and finally released her leg while keeping his other arm firmly around her waist so she wouldn’t stumble. "Annoying enough to make you want to stay?"
The question was light, teasing, but Shuyin caught the genuine curiosity underneath it. He was still testing the boundaries of this thing between them, still trying to understand what made her tick, what would make her run, and what would make her stay.
"Unfortunately," she muttered, giving up on escape and instead relaxing into his hold with a put-upon sigh. "You’re extrely difficult to get rid of."
"Good." He pressed a kiss to her temple, softer now, the playfulness gentling into sothing more tender. "Because I’m not planning on going anywhere. Even when you try to murder before breakfast."
"It’s noon. This would be before lunch," Shuyin corrected with a smirk.
Before Lu Yuze could respond, she used her magic to lift herself off the ground, floating upward toward the ceiling with effortless grace. She drifted across the room like a leaf on water, moving toward the washroom door while staying well out of his reach.
"Find sothing good for to wear in the closet," she called down to him, her smirk widening at his look of amused exasperation.
With that, she disappeared into the washroom, the door closing softly behind her.
Soon, the sound of water running echoed through the bedroom.
Lu Yuze shook his head with an amused smirk of his own. He had a daughter who could order him around with the confidence of a young empress, and now he’d just gained a wife who did the sa, albeit with significantly more magical flair.
Sighing in resignation, he walked over to the expansive closet and began sorting through the clothes. There were the pieces they’d purchased together during yesterday evening’s shopping trip, and the additional items he’d bought for her separately, wanting to ensure she had everything she needed.
He selected a simple flowery dress, elegant but comfortable, appropriate for a day spent recovering while still maintaining dignity in front of the family. He opened the drawer containing her innerwear and selected a matching black set, then gathered everything and returned to the bedroom, placing them carefully on the dressing stand where she could easily find them.
With that task complete, Lu Yuze turned his attention to the bed. He withdrew the heavy curtains that had enclosed their sleeping area, wrapping them carefully around the ornate poles and securing them in place. Then he stripped the bed thodically, removing the sheets that still bore traces of the early morning’s ordeal, faint stains that the staff would need to treat carefully, and replaced them with fresh, crisp linens. The duvet cover ca next, then clean pillowcases, each step perford with the precise efficiency of soone who’d learned early in life to take care of his own space.
Once the bed was properly made and all the soiled laundry deposited in the hamper for the staff to collect, Lu Yuze retrieved his mobile phone from the nightstand where he’d left it the previous evening. He’d turned it off completely last night, not wanting any interruptions while resting.
Now, as he powered it on, the screen imdiately lit up with a flood of notifications.
ssages began streaming in, one after another, the phone vibrating continuously in his hand as missed calls, texts, and alerts populated the screen in rapid succession.
Lu Yuze watched as the notifications continued to pile up, the phone vibrating so persistently in his hand that it felt almost alive. He scrolled through the preview screen, his eyes scanning the senders and subject lines with practiced efficiency.
Ting Fei - 15 missed calls, 8 ssages
CEO Office - 12 ssages
Vice President Operations - 8 ssages
Various Directors - 23 ssages
Secretary’s Office - 6 ssages
His expression remained cold and impassive as he opened Ting Fei’s ssages first. His personal assistant served as his direct line to the company’s inner workings.
Ting Fei - 7:45 AM: Chairman Lu, the board eting proceeded as scheduled. CEO Wang provided updates on the Yang rger. All materials await your review at your convenience.
Ting Fei - 8:30 AM: Chairman Zhao called to confirm the rger tiline. I inford him you would be briefed and provide direction when available.
Ting Fei - 9:15 AM: VP Chen requests guidance on the Q4 expansion budget. Director Liu has the financial projections ready for your approval.
Ting Fei - 10:00 AM: All scheduled etings have been handled by the executive team as per standard protocol. Urgent matters are flagged in the attached briefing docunt.
Ting Fei - 10:45 AM: Press inquiries regarding your absence have been deflected with standard responses. No information released.
Ting Fei - 11:30 AM: Standing by for your instructions, Chairman Lu.
Lu Yuze’s lips curved into the barest hint of satisfaction. This was exactly how a well-oiled machine should operate, the CEO, VP, and directors handled day-to-day operations while Ting Fei filtered everything to what actually required his personal attention.
He typed a brief response: Compile a comprehensive briefing on all pending matters. Deliver to the estate by 6 PM. Board eting tomorrow, 9 AM. Inform the executive team.
Short, direct, no explanations necessary. He never apologized for his absences, he was the 80% majority shareholder and Chairman. His ti was his own to allocate as he saw fit.
He scrolled through the CEO’s ssages, all professional updates on operations, no questions, no complaints. CEO Wang knew his role: execute Lu Yuze’s vision and manage the company’s daily functions. When Lu Yuze was unavailable, the machine continued running because he’d built it to do exactly that.
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