CHAPTER 196: CHAPTER 198: SUCH SCHEMING, SUCH METHODS

Lu Shifeng said, "No need."

His mother didn’t like her and even tried to get rid of her with ten million. Even if she went, she’d only get scolded.

Thinking of this, he glanced at her, stood up, and took a beautifully packaged envelope from his desk drawer and handed it to her: "Take this, it’s an invitation to a luxury cruise from the Silver Sea Blue Sky Club. You did well not accepting my mother’s ten million. Find yourself a companion to relax with."

What is this, a reward?

Su Xingyu accepted the envelope with some speechlessness, opened the finely crafted thick kraft paper, and sure enough, it was a VIP invitation to the most luxurious cruise club in the country, the Silver Sea Blue Sky, valid for two people.

She gently pinched the invitation with her fingertips, even more speechless: "You’re telling me to find a companion myself?" Did he not know this was usually for couples, like young married pairs?

Lu Shifeng said, "Is there a problem?" He thought for a moment and added, "Don’t find Ouyang Yi, Ling Weilong, no men are allowed."

... Well, at least he has some sense of crisis.

Su Xingyu was both amused and annoyed: "Then who should I find? Xia Ling? She has Pei Ziheng. Mrs. Gui?"

Lu Shifeng frowned at her: "Don’t you have any other friends?"

"Do you?"

Then the great Mr. Lu fell silent...

Su Xingyu turned the cruise invitation over and over, asking, "Why do you have something like this?" It didn’t match a certain president’s style.

Mr. Lu said, "It’s a regular provision, to reward subordinates."

So, does this mean he sees her as a subordinate?

Su Xingyu suddenly lost interest and set the invitation aside: "Thank you."

Lu Shifeng looked at his watch, stood up: "I have to go now, I’m heading to the hospital this afternoon, my mother wants to see me. I won’t be back tonight, the issue with the Hanyu Research Center isn’t resolved yet. After seeing my mother, I’m heading straight to the airport with Zhuang Heng." He spoke while smoothly putting on his tailored suit jacket.

Su Xingyu lightly bit her lip, a fleeting illusion took over her, as if he and Zhuang Heng were the real couple.

But after what happened last night, she told herself not to overthink, not to dwell on these trivial things.

Listlessly finishing her lunch, she took the cruise invitation back to her desk.

Anna came over, and before she could say anything, her keen eyes spotted the invitation on the desk and she exclaimed, "A cruise invitation from the Silver Sea Blue Sky Club! Exclusive Feng Blade edition! Oh my god, Xingyu, where did you get this, did Mr. Yang give it to you?! This is a rare reward within our group, only a few high-level executives are qualified to distribute it!"

With her exclamation, everyone in the office gathered around: "Let me see, let me see! Oh my, it really is Silver Sea Blue Sky! Xingyu, you’re going to make it big!"

The crowd was babbling while Su Xingyu was stunned. She hadn’t expected this invitation to cause such a stir. If she had known about the Feng Blade exclusive, and that it was only given out by a few top executives, she wouldn’t have flaunted it all the way back! No wonder she felt so many people were staring at her on the way back to the office!

That bastard Lu Shifeng tricked her again!

"Xingyu, tell us, where exactly did this invitation come from?" Anna’s excited voice rang out, affectionately wrapping her arm around Su Xingyu’s neck, "You’re amazing, just joining the company and getting such a reward, did you make a breakthrough in your work? It must be a big breakthrough, a cruise invitation! I’d dream of going!"

Others eagerly looked at Su Xingyu: "Yeah, tell us, what’s going on? Treat us, treat us!"

"Ah, I don’t really know what’s going on..." Su Xingyu said with a slightly forced smile. She couldn’t possibly tell them that she had clashed with Mr. Lu’s mother, and then the president rewarded her? That was too surreal; even she wouldn’t believe it. Deliberating carefully, she found a scapegoat, "Mr. Yang gave it to me. He seemed to want to say something, but just then someone came to see him, so I left first."

"Is that so..." The crowd let out a collective sigh of disappointment.

Someone nudged Anna: "Anna, you’re Mr. Yang’s assistant, you should know something, right?"

"How could I know?" Anna rolled her eyes, also very anxious, "Xingyu, Xingyu, remember to ask Mr. Yang next time, and once you find out, you must tell us!"

Su Xingyu smiled awkwardly: "Alright... alright."

Someone else grabbed the invitation to look at it: "Silver Sea Blue Sky, eh, I remember Miss Zhuang has been there once, right? Seemed like she went with Mr. Lu, she even posted it on Weibo."

This time, Su Xingyu’s smile froze on her face; no wonder Lu Shifeng gave out the invitation so naturally, he’d already accompanied someone there! Why did he accompany Zhuang Heng but want her to find a companion herself? Her heart churned with repressed anger, even if she kept telling herself not to get angry over Zhuang Heng, emotions often wouldn’t be controlled.

Anna chimed in quickly: "Miss Zhuang did go once, and not just with Mr. Lu, Miss Xie, Mr. Yang, and others were there too. It was a company high-level team building, wasn’t it? About ten people went."

"Oh, oh," the person who spoke earlier suddenly realized, "Miss Zhuang only posted about herself and Mr. Lu, I thought it was just the two of them."

"Speaking of which, what’s the relationship between Miss Zhuang and Mr. Lu? Is Miss Zhuang really at the hospital with Mr. Lu’s mother today? And what about the homewrecker having an affair with Mr. Lu? Could it be a love triangle?"

"Let me tell you, wives are no better than mistresses, mistresses can’t compare to stolen love..."

The group was once again fervently gossiping.

Su Xingyu listened, feeling a headache coming on. However, knowing Zhuang Heng did not go out alone with Lu Shifeng, she felt somewhat relieved. Accompanying that was a heaviness—Lu Shifeng, does this man occupy too much space in her heart? Her joys and sorrows were not supposed to be influenced by him...

Amidst her tangled thoughts, the surrounding chatter gradually quieted down.

She looked up and saw Zhuang Heng.

Today, Zhuang Heng looked a bit haggard, her usually impeccable suit showed a rare wrinkle, with faint shadows under her eyes indicating a lack of sleep. She held her expensive Hermès handbag, looking at Su Xingyu with a cold demeanor, her distant arrogance palpable.

Su Xingyu unconsciously straightened her back. Why was she here? Wasn’t she supposed to fly back to the Hanyu Research Center with Lu Shifeng?

"Miss Zhuang."

"Miss Zhuang."

Colleagues around greeted her one by one, carefully returning to their seats, anxious if Zhuang Heng had heard their gossip earlier.

Only Su Xingyu behaved normally, putting away the cruise invitation and getting up to make herself a coffee.

Zhuang Heng blocked her way, speaking softly at a volume only they could hear: "Su Xingyu, you’re quite the schemer, quite the tactician."