Chapter 22: Room Card

“President Fu, when is your birthday?”

Fu Yumian was momentarily taken aback. “Why are you asking me that?”

“What else? Of course, I want to throw you a birthday party.”

Han Tian had once mentioned to Lu Qingzhuo that ever since Fu Yumian’s mother passed away, she had rarely celebrated her birthday. The only family she had left was her father—an alpha suffering from a severe illness, currently confined to the ICU of a private hospital.

As far as Lu Qingzhuo knew, Fu Yumian was the only child in the Fu family. Her mother had passed away shortly after giving birth to her, leaving her to grow up alone.

Lu Huating was a business prodigy and a strict yet caring father. However, he couldn’t entrust the future of the Fu family to Fu Yumian alone. What he needed was an alpha heir to inherit his fortune—not an omega who would only cry and whimper.

So, he raised Fu Yumian as an alpha from a young age, putting her through untold hardships. His ultimate goal was to mold her into an exceptional successor.

“Go look it up on Baidu yourself.” Fu Yumian tossed out the remark lazily before reclining on the sofa. She then gestured toward the kitchen. “There’s watermelon in the fridge. Get me some.”

“I’ll go get it.” Lu Qingzhuo smoothly made her way to the kitchen. Opening the fridge, she spotted a neatly cut plate of seedless watermelon. Noticing a few other fruits inside, she peeked her head out and asked, “President Fu, do you want anything else?”

Fu Yumian didn’t respond, so Lu Qingzhuo took a bit of everything. She washed and dried the fruit before arranging it meticulously on a plate. If she had more time, she would’ve made an elaborate fruit platter.

“President Fu, I grabbed a little of everything for you. No wonder this is Hainan—the fruit is unbelievably fresh.”

She had sneaked a bite earlier, and it was indeed delicious. The watermelon, in particular, was so sweet that eating too much would surely lead to weight gain.

Lu Qingzhuo bent down to place the elegant ceramic plate on the table. She then unwrapped a disposable wooden fork and handed it to Fu Yumian with thoughtful precision.

Fu Yumian pinched the fork between her fingers, seemingly satisfied with Lu Qingzhuo’s attentiveness. But as soon as Lu Qingzhuo sat down, Fu Yumian subtly shifted further away, as if maintaining some kind of distance.

Lu Qingzhuo frowned. “Why are you sitting so far away?”

She had been about to search for Fu Yumian’s birthday on Baidu when she realized she had left her phone behind. Hearing Fu Yumian’s question, she hesitated before replying, “President Fu, isn’t it inappropriate for me to sit too close while you’re eating?”

“Come closer. Eat with me.”

Eating together, chatting, and getting an increase in allowance—this was basically the dream job.

Lu Qingzhuo almost burst into laughter but managed to suppress her smile. Though she said, “Oh, I wouldn’t dare,” her hands were quicker than her words. She had already unwrapped a fork for herself.

She had been eyeing that plate of glistening red watermelon for a while. When Fu Yumian took a bite, she followed suit. For every piece Fu Yumian ate, Lu Qingzhuo took one as well.

The chilled fruit was indeed sweet.

After eating a few peeled mangosteens, Fu Yumian lost her appetite. She wasn’t a big eater, but she could tell that Lu Qingzhuo wasn’t fully satisfied.

So, in a commanding tone, she said, “Finish the rest. Don’t waste it.”

“Yes, President Fu.”

Nearly a month had passed since Lu Qingzhuo married Fu Yumian. She had never wished for time to pass faster than now. Something about Fu Yumian’s attitude toward her felt off, but Lu Qingzhuo didn’t dwell on it. She figured she’d ask Han Tian when she had the chance.

The clock on the wall showed 11 PM, yet Fu Yumian showed no sign of letting her leave.

Lu Qingzhuo was a night owl. As an alpha, she had endless energy, capable of functioning on just four hours of sleep while working at full capacity. Even pulling all-nighters for filming rarely left her exhausted.

On top of that, her skin remained flawless—she never got acne from lack of sleep, a beauty trait most actresses could only dream of.

That was all in her past life, though. In this life, Lu Qingzhuo had no interest in being a workaholic. She just wanted to take it easy and enjoy a life where she never had to worry about food or money.

The room was quiet, apart from the faint sound of Lu Qingzhuo chewing fruit.

“President Fu, it’s already past eleven. Aren’t you tired?”

Fu Yumian shook her head. “I had some coffee earlier. I’m not sleepy.”

“Coffee this late at night? We have several scenes to shoot tomorrow.”

Speaking of tomorrow’s shoot, Lu Qingzhuo recalled that Lin Zhiyu had mentioned coming to the set to watch her film. It was only right to inform Fu Yumian.

Since Fu Yumian seemed to be in a good mood, Lu Qingzhuo said cautiously, “President Fu, Lin Zhiyu said she wants to visit the set tomorrow. Would that be okay…?”

“Shen Shijun hates having outsiders watch during filming. Didn’t your agent tell you about her rules?”

Fu Yumian shifted into a more comfortable position and removed the gold-rimmed glasses perched on her nose. Her gaze on Lu Qingzhuo lacked its usual sharpness, instead carrying a touch of sensual languor.

"Is that so? Then I'll tell Zhiyu not to come tomorrow. She can wait for me in the room."

The room?

Fu Yumian’s eyes darkened. "Tomorrow night, Shen Shijun is treating all the staff to dinner. Where do you want to go?"

"Really? Zhiyu said she's hosting a party tomorrow night and insisted that I attend." Lu Qingzhuo probed cautiously. "President Fu, what should I do?"

"Which is more important—her or your film? Think it over carefully."

"Alright then, I'll give it some thought. Director Shen’s invitation is significant, and I can't miss it since it’s her first time hosting."

This difficult ordeal continued until Fu Yumian, in a rare act of concession, finally told her to go back to sleep. Only then did Lu Qingzhuo, as if waking from a dream, leave Fu Yumian's room.

But the issue of getting an allowance raise lingered in her mind, haunting her even as she wandered dreamily down the hall. It wasn’t until she fumbled at her own door, unable to find her keycard, that she snapped back to reality.

She had left in such a hurry that she had forgotten to take it.

The corridor was eerily silent. Countless horror movie scenes flashed through Lu Qingzhuo’s mind as she rubbed her arms and made her way to the front desk—only to find that not a single staff member was there.

How odd.

As an actress, Lu Qingzhuo had a habit of letting her imagination run wild. Her thoughts spiraled until she had practically conjured up a full-fledged biohazard crisis in her mind.

Just as she was about to call the front desk for assistance, a group of staff members returned from their late-night meal.

One of them, smiling politely, greeted her. "Good evening, Miss Lu. How can I assist you?"

"Please help me unlock Room 002. I forgot my keycard when I left. Thank you."

At the mention of Room 002, the staff exchanged brief, startled glances. A flicker of shock crossed their faces for only a moment before they quickly regained their composure.

"Of course. Please wait a moment."

One of them walked over to the computer to check, then turned back with an apologetic look. "I'm sorry, Miss Lu. Our system permissions are currently under maintenance, and we’re unable to unlock doors at the moment. It will take about an hour—after midnight—before we can assist you."

What kind of strange excuse was that? Lu Qingzhuo felt completely baffled.

A chilly draft swept through the hall, making her shiver in her thin clothes. She rubbed her arms as one of the staff members stepped forward to close the door.

"Miss Lu, why don’t you sit down and have some warm water first?"

Lu Qingzhuo sat in the lounge for a while, but whether it was from the cold air or exhaustion, she started feeling a bit dizzy. Just then, a familiar voice drifted to her ears.

"President Fu."

"President Fu is here."

Lu Qingzhuo rubbed her eyes and, through her slightly blurred vision, saw Fu Yumian approaching. Her gaze was impassive as she silently studied Lu Qingzhuo’s bare legs.

Feeling her eyes sting from exhaustion, Lu Qingzhuo rubbed them again and rasped, "President Fu, is something wrong?"

Fu Yumian’s gaze lingered briefly on her slightly disheveled collar before she responded in an indifferent tone.

"Come sleep in my room."  

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