Chapter 153: Little Stray Cat?

Lu Qingyue looked rather surprised, her expression slightly dazed.

Guo Mengyun had not expected to run into her here either. She raised an eyebrow in surprise, her face lighting up with pleasant delight. "Are you here to pick up Xingye?"

Lu Qingyue felt a bit awkward, assuming that Guo had made prior arrangements with Cheng Xingye. "Oh, I didn't know you were coming to pick him up too..."

Guo Mengyun quickly smiled. "It's fine, it's fine. It's just that I didn't know you two had plans for tonight, so I told the driver to swing by and pick him up on the way."

Hearing this, Lu Qingyue hesitated, fidgeting with her hands. "Then..."

Who was he supposed to go with? Lu Qingyue didn't know if Cheng Xingye had to return to the company tonight, and she hesitated, leaving her sentence unfinished.

Guo Mengyun, however, guessed her intent and quickly softened her gaze, saying in a low voice, "No matter how busy work is, it can wait. He’s been away on business for so long; naturally, he should spend this evening with you."

Her words were so polite and warm that Lu Qingyue was momentarily at a loss for what to say.

In truth, Lu Qingyue didn't know that Guo Mengyun had always had a very good impression of her, already regarding her in her heart as practically a daughter-in-law. Happening upon her here, Guo felt this was a perfect opportunity to say some things she hadn't been able to voice in front of Cheng Xingye. She spoke kindly, wanting to chat for a moment. "Dian Dian, if you're free in the future, have Xingye bring you over. My home—"

Before Guo Mengyun could finish, a cold, deep voice sounded from behind her.

"Mom."

Guo Mengyun’s words faltered.

The two women turned around in astonishment to see Cheng Xingye standing two or three meters away. He was wearing a black overcoat, pulling a suitcase, his expression cool and detached. His gaze fell upon Lu Qingyue with visible surprise before he met Guo Mengyun’s eyes. Finally, he looked at the girl's dazed little face and asked with apparent calm, "Why are you both here?"

Guo Mengyun, assuming they had made prior arrangements, immediately spoke up to explain, "Mom didn't know Dian Dian was coming; I had intended to pick you up and take you home. But since you two have your own plans, don't worry about me. Go ahead and do what you need to do."

She meant it sincerely. Guo Mengyun had always been concerned about her son's romantic progress. Ever since he graduated from college, she hadn't stopped urging him to marry and have children soon. Now that her son had finally found a girl he truly liked, she naturally couldn't step in and interfere. If she scared the girl away, given Cheng Xingye’s stubborn and aloof nature, he might just end up a bachelor for life out of spite.

Lu Qingyue peeked at their expressions, wondering if she shouldn't have come today, while simultaneously feeling that the dynamic between this mother and son was somewhat awkward.

Fortunately, seeing that the girl felt uneasy in her presence, Guo Mengyun read the room and smiled. "Dian Dian, I'll be heading off then. Come visit the house when you're free; I'll make you something delicious."

Lu Qingyue said "Oh," but before she could reply, she felt fingers prying between her own.

Cheng Xingye interlaced his fingers with hers in an assertive, seamless grip, then replied coolly on her behalf, "We'll see."

Guo Mengyun knew he was still harboring resentment over their past attempt to force a match between him and Ye Zixuan. Feeling ashamed, she could only offer an awkward smile, bid farewell to Lu Qingyue once more, and turn to leave.

Once she was out of earshot, Cheng Xingye looked down at her.

Lu Qingyue was wearing a white down jacket today, which made her look tiny and easy to bully. It was no wonder his alarm bells had gone off the moment he saw her standing with Guo Mengyun. Having not seen her for half a month, his heart softened as she stood obediently by his side. He couldn't resist reaching out to pinch her soft cheek. "Why didn't you tell me you were coming to pick me up?"

He had intended to take a taxi home himself. His flight had arrived at 8:30, and he felt it was too late and unsafe for her to come out. He hadn't expected her to take the initiative and show up, only to run straight into Guo Mengyun.

Lu Qingyue hugged his arm, rubbing against him, and pouted coquettishly. "I wanted to give you a surprise."

Cheng Xingye thought to himself, *Yeah, right.* She was probably digging a pit for him somewhere. He chuckled silently to himself and lazily reached out, loosely gripping the nape of her slender neck to pull her closer, responding with deep meaning, "What a coincidence? I prepared a surprise for you, too."

Lu Qingyue said in surprise, "Really?!"

...

The surprise was revealed an hour later.

After she had returned home, showered, and persisted in asking what the surprise was, Cheng Xingye lazily tilted his chin toward the suitcase, signaling her to look for herself.

Lu Qingyue rummaged through it for a long time before finally pulling a fluffy headband and a uniform from a box at the bottom.

"A little wild cat?!"

...

Cascading window veils hung from the floor-to-ceiling windows. Hoshino, who had been playing with the curtains, was startled by the sudden rise in volume and immediately tucked its tail and scrambled away.

"Cheng Xingye, are you a pervert?!"

Lu Qingyue, mortified, threw the headband and the uniform at him.

The man sitting on the sofa didn't get angry or annoyed at being pelted; instead, he pressed a fist to his nose and let out a low laugh.

"You're still laughing?!"

Lu Qingyue’s face turned bright red, and she immediately lunged forward, wanting to hit him.

Her wrists were swiftly caught by his quick reflexes, and with a twist, he pulled her into his arms. Cheng Xingye held her wrists behind her back, looked down at her with a lazy, sidelong glance, and said with unhurried arrogance, "What did I say last time? You can run up a debt, but I’m going to collect interest."

Pinned down with ease, Lu Qingyue struggled but couldn't break free. She huffed indignantly, "Isn't this interest a bit too exorbitant?!"

When most people prepared a surprise, it was either flowers or gifts. He, however, had used the guise of a surprise to give himself a massive benefit. Truly, cunning men were impossible to defend against! Lu Qingyue couldn't help but complain about him silently in her heart.

Cheng Xingye knew she must be cursing him in her head. He curled his lips in amusement and admitted with a provocative air, "With both principal and interest, it’s not exactly cheap."

Lu Qingyue: "..." *You’re quite self-aware, aren't you?*

Watching Cheng Xingye’s composed demeanor, she felt a surge of annoyance. Her eyes darted around, and a bold idea suddenly struck her.

"I don't mind wearing this. But I have one condition."

Cheng Xingye, not expecting her to actually agree, raised an eyebrow, quite surprised. "What condition?"

Lu Qingyue was still pinned before him and had to tilt her head back to look at him. Seeing that he was willing to negotiate, she felt a flicker of excitement and couldn't help but wag her "fox tail."

She stared into his dark eyes, feigning obedience with a faint smile, and then, with shameless rebelliousness, said, "The condition is, I get to be on top."

Cheng Xingye: "???"

Cheng Xingye: "..."