Chapter 114: Private Invite

"Come in," Su Rong called out, her voice regaining its smooth, composed demeanor.

The heavy wooden door creaked open, and a young maidservant stepped inside holding a polished lacquer tray. Arranged neatly upon it was a steamy porcelain teapot, two matching cups, and several small plates bearing delicate, golden-brown pastries dusted with powdered sugar and crushed nuts. The maid moved with practiced grace, placing the tea set and treats onto the low table between them without making a single sound.

"Will there be anything else, Mistress Su?" the maidservant asked, bowing low with her eyes respectfully lowered.

"That will be all, Luo’er. Close the door behind you and ensure we are not disturbed," Su Rong instructed softly.

"Understood, Mistress."

The maid bowed once more and stepped backward out of the room, gently latching the door shut.

Once they were alone again, Su Rong picked up the warm teapot and poured two steaming cups of jasmine tea, the fragrant steam rising between them and filling the quiet room with a floral aroma. She handed one cup to Lu Feng before picking up a small pastry for herself.

"Eat up," she said with a warm smile. "These are made fresh daily by our head pastry chef. You look like you could use a proper morning treat."

Lu Feng accepted the cup, taking a gentle sip of the hot tea before reaching for a crispy pastry. The sweet, buttery crust practically melted on his tongue, pairing wonderfully with the subtle bitterness of the jasmine leaves. "Delicious," he remarked, taking another small bite. "Your pavilion certainly does not skimp on quality, Big Sister Su."

"Of course not," Su Rong replied playfully, sipping her tea. "We maintain only the highest standards here."

She leaned back against the plush velvet cushions, resting her chin in her hand as her dark eyes studied his face with genuine warmth. The initial chaos of their public scene had completely melted away, leaving a rare, tranquil quiet between them.

"So, tell me," Su Rong continued, her tone soft and conversational. "How has life been treating you lately, Lu Feng? How is the new estate holding up? Moving into a property of that size is no small feat for anyone."

Lu Feng swallowed his bite of pastry and set his teacup down onto the saucer with a soft click. "Life has been quite peaceful, all things considered. The estate is treating me well enough. It is far larger than what I truly need, but it provides a quiet environment to focus on my affairs."

He paused, offering a faint grin. "And as for the upkeep, I have Lin Laifu to thank for that. With his assistance, I managed to hire a reliable workforce to handle the daily maintenance, gardening, and security. Without his connections, managing such a massive property would have quickly turned into a tedious headache."

Su Rong nodded in clear approval, taking a slow sip of her tea. "Lin Laifu may be a frugal businessman, but his network in Crimson Vale is top-tier. If he vouched for your staff, then you can rest easy knowing your estate is in capable hands."

Suddenly, as the name ’Lin Laifu’ left her lips, Su Rong’s eyes flickered with a sudden spark of recollection. She set her teacup down and looked at Lu Feng, a subtle, intriguing smile spreading across her lips.

"Speaking of Manager Lin... your mention of his name just reminded me of something," she said, her voice dropping slightly as if sharing a pleasant secret. "Early this morning, before I left the pavilion to visit my friend’s residence, Lin Laifu actually came by to see me in person."

Lu Feng raised a brow in mild, feigned curiosity. "Oh? Did he?"

"He did," Su Rong confirmed, leaning in slightly across the small table. "He came to personally extend a private invitation to an exclusive, high-tier sales session that he is hosting tomorrow afternoon. It is not an official public auction, mind you—it is meant to be kept entirely quiet, restricted only to a handpicked circle of influential figures, wealthy clan elders, and high-ranking merchants."

She chuckled softly, looking at Lu Feng with an affectionate, open gaze. "Normally, such private commercial affairs are kept strictly hush-hush among the inner circles. But since you and I are close, I figured there was no harm in mentioning it to you—assuming, of course, that Lin Laifu hadn’t already beaten me to it and invited you himself."

She looked at him expectantly, a subtle glimmer of hope in her eyes as she added, "I was actually hoping you might accompany me to the sale tomorrow. It could prove to be an entertaining way to spend the afternoon."

Lu Feng maintained a perfectly composed expression, nodding smoothly to acknowledge her words. He was, of course, intimately aware of tomorrow’s private sale—after all, he was the very supplier providing the high-grade cultivation pills that Lin Laifu was planning to feature as the main event.

However, showing up at an event where his own anonymously provided pills were being auctioned off alongside the sister of the City Lord would draw far too much unnecessary attention to his person. Maintaining a low profile while establishing his footing in Crimson Vale was far more important at this stage.

"Lin Laifu did indeed mention the private sale to me earlier today," Lu Feng said calmly, offering her an apologetic smile. "And under normal circumstances, I would have gladly accepted your invitation to go with you, Big Sister Su."

Su Rong’s eyebrows lifted slightly in surprise. "Oh? Does that mean you won’t be attending?"

"Unfortunately, no," Lu Feng replied, leaning back in his chair with an air of quiet regret. "I have several pressing matters that I need to personally handle tomorrow to further secure my standing and gain proper ground within the city. Because of that, I will have to bail on this particular occasion and hopefully attend whichever sale comes next."

Seeing the mild disappointment flick across her delicate features, Lu Feng smiled warmly and added, "To make up for turning down your gracious offer today, I promise that the next time an exclusive event like this comes around, I will personally accompany you as your guest."

The lingering trace of disappointment on Su Rong’s face instantly vanished, replaced by a radiant, pleased smile. The prospect of having him join her for a future event was more than enough to satisfy her.

"A solemn promise, then?" Su Rong teased gently, tilting her head. "I shall certainly hold you to that, Lu Feng. You won’t be allowed to back out next time."

"I am a man of my word, Big Sister Su," Lu Feng chuckled lightly. "You have my promise."

"Good," Su Rong said happily, picking her teacup back up. "In that case, I shall attend tomorrow’s sale on my own. I am quite curious to see what rare treasures Lin Laifu managed to pull together this time. Hopefully, I will manage to find something I want... or better yet, something I actually need."

"I am entirely confident that you will find something extraordinary tomorrow, Big Sister Su," Lu Feng said smoothly, a knowing, subtle glint flashing deep within his dark eyes.

Su Rong let out a rich, melodic laugh at his unwavering confidence, shaking her head as she took a sip of tea. "My goodness, listen to you! I only wish I possessed as much high hope for tomorrow’s items as you seem to have on my behalf!"

Lu Feng looked back at her with a calm, easygoing grin, taking a final bite of his pastry before wiping his fingers on a linen napkin.

"Well," Lu Feng replied softly, his voice light yet carrying a subtle weight, "having high hopes is practically all I have left these days, Big Sister Su. So I see no reason not to keep them as high as possible."