Chapter 359: Watching the Sunset

Watching the sunset was a surefire way to attract tourists, and as a savvy businessman, Lu Yunque certainly wasn’t going to miss out on it.

"Hmph! It’s true what they say—there’s no such thing as an honest merchant."

Yun Zijin seized the opportunity to tease him.

"If I don’t earn enough money, I’m afraid I won’t be able to provide for you, my little Dijing landlady."

Lu Yunque teased right back.

Yun Zijin tilted her head. "I never said I wanted you to provide for me."

"Yes, but I want to provide for you."

Lu Yunque came up behind Yun Zijin, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her into his embrace. He lowered his gaze and whispered in her ear.

Yun Zijin’s ears instantly flushed red. She instinctively tried to pull away from his embrace, but Lu Yunque stopped her.

"The sun is setting."

At his words, Yun Zijin instinctively looked up toward the sunset and saw that the sun had just begun to dip below the horizon.

Not wanting to miss such a rare moment, Yun Zijin quickly took out her phone and snapped several pictures.

Finally, she propped her phone against the railing and started recording a video.

Lu Yunque waited patiently as Yun Zijin fiddled with her phone. When she was finally done, he gently cradled her face from behind, tilting her head up slightly. Then, he leaned down to kiss her, and in that instant, time seemed to stand still.

Mindful that the position might be uncomfortable for her, Lu Yunque only lingered for a moment before releasing her.

Yun Zijin quickly turned away, grabbed the phone from the railing, and saved the video she had just recorded.

"Feeling better now?"

Yun Zijin had just put her phone away when Lu Yunque suddenly spoke.

"Huh?"

It took Yun Zijin a moment to understand what he meant.

"You were upset today because of... your birth mother and Situ Wenze, weren’t you? Are you feeling any better now?"

The more Lu Yunque learned about Yun Zijin’s past, the more his heart ached for her.

He couldn’t even begin to imagine how she had managed to get through her days in the orphanage.

If she hadn’t been so exceptional, getting into Dijing University through her own hard work, she might have spent her entire life in that small corner of G City.

And he would have never met her. He’d probably still be living a monotonous life, shuttling between home and the office, with nothing but work to fill his days.

Just thinking about that possibility made his heart clench with a sharp, aching pain.

Yun Zijin hadn’t realized Lu Yunque was still dwelling on it. She had only been upset for a little while and had gotten over it quickly.

But the thought of how much he cared about her feelings brought a small smile to her lips. "I’m fine, you don’t have to worry. They can’t get to me."

Even though Situ Yunliang was her biological mother, they had only met a handful of times—at the DNA test and today’s opening ceremony.

If not for their blood ties, they would be nothing more than strangers who had crossed paths a few times.

’They’re just strangers. How could they possibly affect my mood?’

"You’re really okay?"

Lu Yunque studied her expression, trying to determine if she was truly as unaffected as she claimed.

"I’m really fine!"

Yun Zijin answered him again with conviction.

Seeing no trace of strain on her face, Lu Yunque finally relaxed.

"There are still a few other spots to see around here. Do you want to check them out, or head home now?"

The sky would darken quickly now that the sun had set. They were on a mountain, after all, and Yun Zijin was only in an evening gown; it was bound to get cold.

"Let’s head back. We can explore those other places next time we come hiking together."

She was wearing an evening gown and high heels, which made getting around difficult, and she didn’t want to put herself through that.

Lu Yunque respected her wishes. Once the last glow of sunset had faded, he led her back the way they came, and they took the cable car down the mountain.

At the foot of the mountain, Lu Yunque’s driver had already parked the car right where the cable car let out, sparing Yun Zijin a long walk in her sky-high heels.

By the time they returned to Xingyu Mansion, it was nearly eight in the evening.

It wasn’t too late, and Lu Yunque had planned on lingering at Yun Zijin’s place to spend another couple of hours with her.

But just as he was about to get out of the car, he received a call from Mo Bin. An order for the Lu Family in France had a problem.

Lu Yunque’s knuckles turned white as he gripped his phone.

’Assistant Mo, you’ve really outdone yourself!’

"What’s wrong?"

Sitting so close, Yun Zijin could vaguely hear parts of the conversation, but couldn’t make out the details.

"There’s a problem with the order in France. I have to go handle it."

The thought of having to be in a long-distance relationship with Yun Zijin for the next several days cast a gloomy, dejected air over him.

"Oh, you have to leave right now?"

Yun Zijin didn’t react as strongly as Lu Yunque. She couldn’t very well tell him to ignore the Lu Family’s business for her own selfish reasons.

That line of reasoning wouldn’t hold up anywhere in the world.

Although Lu Yunque was reluctant, he was the CEO of the Lu Family. As such, he had to fulfill the duties of his position and take responsibility.

"Yeah."

Lu Yunque nodded, his eyes already filled with reluctance to leave.

"Well then... have a safe trip. Call me when you get there.

Oh, right. Take this with you."

Yun Zijin took out one of the Fortune Talismans she had and placed it directly into the breast pocket of his suit jacket.

’This is a Fortune Talisman from the System. I hope it brings Lu Yunque some good luck on this business trip.’

"This is..."

Lu Yunque was a materialist, but the matriarch of his family and his mother would occasionally visit temples or Daoist monasteries to get safety talismans.

However, the one Yun Zijin had just given him looked quite different from the ones his grandmother and mother had given him in the past.

"A lucky charm. I hope it brings you some good luck."

After placing the talisman in his pocket, she gave it a habitual pat.

Only after she patted it did she realize the pocket was right over his heart. The gesture felt a little more intimate than she intended.

Lu Yunque caught the small hand patting his chest, pulling her in for a deep and meaningful farewell kiss.

When it was over, he straightened her slightly disheveled dress. "You should go back inside. I need to get to the airport."

Since it was a last-minute trip, there was no time to file a flight plan, so he couldn’t take his private jet. Lu Yunque had to take a commercial flight to France.

Mo Bin was calling repeatedly, afraid Lu Yunque would be late and miss his flight.

Yun Zijin nodded. "Don’t lose that talisman I gave you. It’s very useful."

She stressed the importance of the talisman again before getting out of the car.

"I will. I’ll keep it with me at all times."

’Listening to one’s wife is a tradition passed down by the Lu Family ancestors,’ he thought.

Once she was sure Lu Yunque had taken her words to heart, Yun Zijin finally got out of the car.

Zero One opened the car door for Yun Zijin and helped her out.

From inside the car, Lu Yunque waved goodbye to Yun Zijin. He watched until she was safely inside before telling the driver to go.

"To the airport."

"Yes, sir!"

The driver had been practically invisible the entire day; after driving for hours on end, this was the first thing he had said.

After the car had been driving for a while, Lu Yunque took the Fortune Talisman that Yun Zijin had tucked into his breast pocket and studied it for a long time.