Chapter 329: Lu Yunque Bought Villa No. 2 at Xingyu Mansion

Since Lu Yunque said he didn’t know them, Yun Zijin didn’t ask any more questions.

At the entrance of Jinsheng Hotel, Lu Yunque’s driver, Zero One, and the others had already brought the cars around.

The two of them got into Lu Yunque’s Rolls-Royce Phantom. Lu Yunque first dropped Yun Zijin off at Xingyu Mansion, then had the driver take him home.

＊

「The next day.」

When Yun Zijin got up and opened her curtains, she discovered the Ice Tree and Fire Tree she had previously planted in the garden had sprouted.

Yun Zijin rushed out of her room and down into the garden behind the main building.

"Well now... one of ice and one of fire. That’s a unique look, huh!"

The entire Ice Tree looked as if it were made of ice. Even its trunk was an icy blue, and you could feel a chill radiating from it just by getting close.

As for the Fire Tree, its branches were wreathed in constant flame. The trunk had turned a deep crimson, perhaps from being perpetually scorched by the fire.

"Miss, I was just about to tell you. Those two seeds you planted... they’ve grown into such strange trees."

’Who ever heard of trees that give you both ice and fire?’

’But, you couldn’t deny that with these two trees at home, you could save a fortune on air conditioning.’

’Use the Fire Tree when it’s cold and the Ice Tree when it’s hot. It’s basically a complete, all-in-one service.’

’I just wonder how big they’ll get when fully grown. If they could be turned into potted plants and kept indoors, that would be absolutely perfect.’

Putting her thoughts into action, Yun Zijin asked Wang Minli to get two extra-large flowerpots for her.

Wang Minli accepted the task and immediately went to get them.

Yun Zijin took out her phone, snapped a few photos of each tree, and sent them to Lu Yunque.

——Qingqing Zijing: Look! The trees I planted. I just noticed they sprouted today.

At that moment, Lu Yunque must have just finished his morning workout. He happened to be looking at his phone, so he replied the instant Yun Zijin’s message came through.

——L: ?? What are these trees? This is the first time I’ve seen them.

Lu Yunque had an excellent memory; if he had seen something before, it was nearly impossible for him to forget it.

But Lu Yunque was certain he had never seen these two types of plants before.

There wasn’t even a similar description in any of the books he had read.

——Qingqing Zijing: Fire Tree and Ice Tree. If you stood near them, you’d know how they got their names.

Reading Yun Zijin’s reply, Lu Yunque fell into thought.

——L: When I get the chance, I’ll come experience it for myself.

Lu Yunque didn’t ask where she got the seeds, and the corners of Yun Zijin’s lips lifted into a slight smile.

’She loved how he was so considerate. He knew there were many things about her that didn’t add up, but he never pried.’

——Qingqing Zijing: You don’t have to come over. I can give you the seeds. But where would you plant them?

The place Lu Yunque stayed at during the work week was a large apartment, which wasn’t as convenient for planting as a standalone villa.

——L: I bought Villa No. 2 in Xingyu Mansion. The paperwork is all finalized, and it’s currently under renovation.

Yun Zijin was surprised to suddenly hear that Lu Yunque had bought Villa No. 2, right next door to her.

’Lu Yunque was pretty good at keeping secrets. She was right next door and hadn’t heard a single thing.’

Yun Zijin sent Lu Yunque a "You’re dead meat" sticker, then put her phone away.

’She still had to meet with Situ Wenze today, so she’d let him off the hook for now. She’d deal with him after she took care of business.’

Meanwhile, Lu Yunque saw the sticker she sent. When she didn’t reply to his follow-up messages, he knew he was in trouble.

’He’d only bought the house because Mo Bin happened to see a for-sale listing. He then had Mo Bin negotiate with the owner.’

He was able to pay for the house in full in one go, and the owner even gave him a two million discount.

’He had originally wanted to wait until the house was renovated to give Yun Zijin a surprise, but he didn’t expect the matter of the Ice Tree and Fire Tree to come up.’

’It was difficult to plant trees in his apartment, but the backyard of a villa would be perfect.’

Since she was meeting Situ Wenze at Qingjin Pavilion at 10:00, Yun Zijin left right after breakfast.

Lu Yunque called her on the way, but Yun Zijin waited for his second call before answering.

On the other end of the line, Lu Yunque, who was working overtime on a weekend in his office at the Lu Group, finally breathed a sigh of relief when Yun Zijin answered.

"Zijin..."

"Mm."

"Um... I didn’t mean to hide it from you. It’s because it’s not renovated yet that I didn’t say anything."

’Buying a pre-owned house was already a major break from his "overbearing CEO" image; there was no way Lu Yunque could use the existing interior design.’

’So, everything had to be gutted and redone—new design plans, new renovation, the works.’

A warm, three-generation family had lived in Villa No. 2 before. They were now in the process of selling off all their domestic assets because the entire family had decided to emigrate.

And as luck would have it, Mo Bin had come across the listing for the Xingyu Mansion villa.

As the CEO’s ever-capable assistant, Mo Bin had of course informed Lu Yunque immediately.

Lu Yunque made the call on the spot: buy it, no matter the cost.

"Fine, I’ll accept that excuse. But... you may be spared a death sentence, but you can’t escape punishment. What do you think would be a fitting penalty?"

Yun Zijin didn’t suggest a punishment, leaving it up to Lu Yunque to come up with one himself.

"Then... how about I cover all your expenses for the next month?"

’Of course, Lu Yunque didn’t want to make things hard on himself, so he chose the easiest option. What if she actually agreed?’

Yun Zijin: ...

’Of all the punishments he could have suggested, he had to pick the one she would absolutely never agree to.’

’If he paid for all her expenses, who would complete her mission of spending an average of 100 million a week?’

’He was practically dancing in her minefield.’

"That won’t work. Think of another one."

Yun Zijin refused without hesitation. No one could stop her from spending money.

"Then... how about I write you a formal apology?"

’Lu Yunque suddenly had a flash of inspiration. He felt that any material punishment would be less sincere than a written apology.’

’After all, buying her things and giving her gifts was something he should be doing as her boyfriend anyway. A written apology, however, would allow him to clearly articulate his profound understanding of his mistake.’

’Hearing that Lu Yunque was going to write her a formal apology, Yun Zijin’s eyes lit up. That wasn’t a bad idea at all, huh.’

"That works. A casual 800 words should do."

’Even elementary school essays require 800 words. She was already going easy on him by not asking for a thousand.’

Lu Yunque had actually been about to suggest a thousand words, but since Yun Zijin said eight hundred, he obediently agreed.

By the time they hung up, Yun Zijin had arrived at Qingjin Pavilion.

It was ten minutes to 10:00. Yun Zijin went straight to the front desk.

"Miss Yun, Mr. Situ has already booked a private room. This way, please."

Upon seeing Yun Zijin, a waiter who had been waiting for guests by the front desk stepped forward.

Yun Zijin nodded slightly at the waiter and followed her towards the private room.

But the deeper they went inside, the more peculiar Yun Zijin found it.

’This route... it doesn’t seem to lead to the private rooms I’ve been to before.’

Before Yun Zijin could figure out what was going on, they arrived at the room. The waiter even thoughtfully held the door open for her.