Chapter 17: This Old Man Seems Familiar

Lian Youyou shook her head, her large eyes brimming with tears. “Professor… I—”

“You didn’t pass, did you? It’s alright, it’s alright, there will be other chances. Just try harder next time.” Lu Ming was at a loss, flustered by Lian Youyou’s tears. He hastily pulled a handkerchief from his pocket to wipe her tears away.

Were those judges blind? How dare they not let Youyou pass. He’d see to it that every one of them would be fired!

“Ha, I was just kidding!” Just as Lu Ming’s handkerchief was about to touch the corner of her eye, Lian Youyou suddenly broke into a bright smile. “Did I scare you?”

“Huh?”

“Lulu, I passed!”

Lian Youyou jumped up with joy, her legs wrapping around Lu Ming’s as she landed. With her arms around his neck, she cheered, “The judges gave me amazing feedback! It’s all thanks to the song you picked for me—I wouldn’t have done so well otherwise!”

Did he hear that right? Did she just call him ‘Lulu’?

From the way she addressed him, it felt as if the distance between them had suddenly closed.

Once she calmed down, Lian Youyou realized she’d gotten carried away. Her face flushed red as she slipped off Lu Ming and took several steps back. “I’m sorry, Professor… I was just too excited and lost control.”

“I like it when you lose control,” Lu Ming replied with a gentle smile.

Lian Youyou froze, staring helplessly at the tall man in front of her, uncertainty sparkling in her eyes like starlight.

The man bent down, closing the distance between them until their breaths mingled. She could clearly see her own reflection in his eyes.

At last, Lu Ming reached out and gently patted her head, his voice soft. “Wait here for me—I’ll go get the car.”

As she watched Lu Ming stride away, his long legs carrying him swiftly, Lian Youyou’s mind was a blur.

Had she just been flirted with by Lu Ming, this young rascal? Goodness, she was over twenty years older than he was; at his age, he should be calling her ‘auntie.’ Yet here she was, the elder, being teased by someone so much younger. What kind of situation was this?

The elevator behind her chimed open, and Quan Qing’er emerged, surrounded by a group of girls.

“Let’s all take my boyfriend’s car,” Quan Qing’er’s voice was sweet and melodious—the kind that homebodies adored, gentle and coquettish. “No need to bother with cabs.”

No sooner had she spoken than a red Bentley pulled up. As it reached the building entrance, the car spun with a flourish, coming to a stop in a showy, ostentatious manner.

Lian Youyou shook her head in disbelief, clicking her tongue. Such a flashy color, such an attention-grabbing way to park—the owner was surely a flamboyant, high-profile trust-fund kid.

“Qing’er! Your boyfriend must be loaded! He’s driving a Bentley—it must be so expensive!” one girl, who clearly wasn’t used to such sights, exclaimed loudly.

A dazzling smile, revealing eight pristine teeth, spread across Quan Qing’er’s face. “He’s just an ordinary man. Everyone, please get in.”

The driver emerged from the car wearing a baseball cap, sunglasses perched on his nose, and a black mask covering his face—bundled so tightly that not a trace of skin was exposed. Still, from the bit of visible skin and his build, he appeared to be a man in his forties or fifties.

“Qing’er, is your boyfriend famous or something? Why is he so wrapped up?”

“Oh, you’re overthinking it. He just has a skin allergy at the moment.”

Curious, Lian Youyou trailed after the group of girls out into the lobby.

The man opened the passenger door for Quan Qing’er with a flourish, prompting another round of squeals from the girls.

“Qing’er, your boyfriend is so gentlemanly!”

“You must have saved the galaxy in your past life to have landed such a kind and wealthy boyfriend!”

The man’s gaze, hidden behind his sunglasses, briefly met Lian Youyou’s. He immediately turned his head away.

Did he find her so unattractive that he couldn’t even bear to look at her?

Wait a moment—why did the ornament he had in his car look so familiar?