If you don't like it, I won't speak carelessly like that again in the future.

His gaze was somewhat cold, and his voice dropped very low, carrying practically no emotion at all.

Those direct, indifferent words struck heavily upon Ji Fei's heart.

It seemed Lu Yunzhou did not give her an ounce of extra care or special treatment, regardless of her beauty or status.

Suddenly, a trace of hurt flashed in Ji Fei's eyes. The smile she had intentionally worn upon coming over to express her gratitude froze on her face.

Then, looking at him somewhat awkwardly, she said in a gentle voice, "It's nothing."

Ji Fei curled her red lips, her smile tinged with a sense of aloofness while retaining her inherent gentle demeanor.

"Regardless of whether Young Master Lu specifically came to help me..."

"In any case, having the person behind the scenes who truly wanted to harm me taken away by the police is a help to me."

"I still need to say thank you."

Seeing that Ji Fei insisted on thanking him, the man's gaze grew exceptionally cold. Lowering his eyes, he let his sight fall upon her face, and then said,

"Miss Ji, I am not the one I helped."

Lu Yunzhou emphasized those words once again.

Looking at Ji Fei, who had stepped forward to thank him, he said with a serious tone, "If you truly want to express your gratitude, go thank the police. They are the ones who helped you catch the culprit."

"I have some matters to attend to, so I will take my leave."

Ji Fei froze once again.

Having said that, Lu Yunzhou wore an intensely cold expression. He seemed to carry an air of noble aloofness, refusing to touch or be approached by others.

Consequently, his attitude toward Ji Fei was also exceptionally frigid.

With his ascetic physique, clad in a pure black custom-tailored suit, he looked just like pristine snow upon a high mountain—a man of cold and noble bearing.

He didn't even deign to spare her another glance, his voice piercingly cold.

However, as he turned around, Lu Yunzhou furrowed his brow, suddenly catching sight of someone standing not far away.

Shen Zhaoxi was standing there, though it was unclear how long she had been watching.

With her brows slightly raised, draped in a black suit jacket, her slender figure appeared delicate. Her lips were pressed together as she watched his direction.

Then, Ji Fei saw that the man who had just been completely indifferent toward her suddenly darkened his gaze.

He strode forward with his long legs, his thin lips pressed tightly together. With his aloof expression and distant aura, he walked toward a young woman standing not far away inside the hotel.

As Lu Yunzhou reached her side, Shen Zhaoxi glanced at the person in the distance.

Raising an eyebrow, she asked, "Young Master Lu, you have acquaintances in the Nanjiang crew?"

Lu Yunzhou's gaze darkened. In a slightly cold voice, he explained, "I don't know her."

Hearing his words, Shen Zhaoxi smiled in her eyes, her tone carrying a hint of inquiry.

"You don't know her?"

Actually, she had seen through it long ago.

It was only natural that a person like him would instantly catch everyone's attention in a crowd.

However, she hadn't expected that wherever Lu Yunzhou went, he would become the object that such people desired to approach.

Sensing the amusement in the young girl's eyes, and fearing that she might be feeling slightly troubled or unhappy, he said,

"Let's go have breakfast."

Lu Yunzhou said softly to her.

Then, one could see the man, whose expression had been icy just moments before, speaking in a low, gentle voice to a young girl.

The way he looked at her seemed almost as if he were coaxing her.

Ji Fei frowned.

While Ji Fei stood there somewhat dazed, Lu Yunzhou left with that young girl.

Who was that young girl?

Why would he coax her with such gentleness, yet treat her own self with such freezing indifference?

"Sister Ji Fei, are you alright?"

Her young assistant, noticing her expression, hurriedly stepped forward to comfort her.

"I'm fine."

Ji Fei's complexion was slightly pale, her voice low, hoarse, and soft.

Watching the direction in which the man had departed, her gaze grew dark.

***

Inside the hotel, once the police had finished making their arrests, it was already close to ten o'clock in the morning.

The sky was clear, but being right by the river, the wind remained biting.

Even with the sun out, the temperature in Nanjiang stayed much lower than elsewhere, feeling considerably colder.

Lu Yunzhou brought Shen Zhaoxi to a Chinese restaurant near the resort. Through the transparent glass windows, one could catch a view of the river landscape—a rather pleasant sight.

Outside, there were fences planted with various small flowers, embellishing the desolate riverside scenery.

Upon entering the restaurant, they chose a relatively quiet spot by the window, offering an excellent view.

Beneath the warm amber lighting, the man's aloof brows, eyes, and distant aura were softened somewhat.

His hands were exceptionally attractive—long, slender, coldly pale, and with distinct joints. As he proceeded to wash the tableware for Shen Zhaoxi,

his noble and unhurried movements, with his slightly curved fingers, looked beneath the lights like a piece of exquisite, pale, and pleasing art.

Shen Zhaoxi recalled meeting him in Dongzhou. Perhaps it was because Lu Yunzhou had been wearing black tactical gear back then, making him look fierce, stern, and tinged with a ruthless, murderous chill.

Yet at this moment, sitting right across from her in the restaurant, his demeanor was cool and elegant, resembling pristine snow on a majestic peak.

Shen Zhaoxi silently raised her gaze, studying the man's handsome and fair face. His contours were reflected in the restaurant's interplay of light and shadow.

The man lowered his head, using tea to rinse the tableware in front of her before placing it back down before her.

"All done."

He spoke in a lowed voice. Dressed in a black suit, with his cool temperament and straight posture, the man unconsciously radiated a captivating, ascetic aura.

Immensely bewitching.

"What is it?" Perhaps sensing something, Lu Yunzhou's gaze deepened.

Seeing the young girl before him staring unblinkingly at him, her eyes fixed entirely upon his person,

Lu Yunzhou knitted his brows. The cool vocal tones slipping past his lips seemed laced with a magnetic quality.

"Lu Yunzhou."

Shen Zhaoxi spoke softly. Suddenly propping her chin with one hand, she stared at the ascetic-looking man before her and said,

"I never knew before that you looked so good in a black suit."

Word had long circulated in the Beijing upper circles that the young master of the Lu family possessed an impeccably aloof countenance, much like a flower upon a high ridge.

It drove numerous high-society heiresses and socialites in the capital to infatuation and adoration, all dreaming of becoming Mrs. Lu.

Back then, Shen Zhaoxi hadn't felt much about it.

Yet now, she suddenly seemed to understand them a little.

A man like Lu Yunzhou—

Even completely setting aside his identity and family background,

just based on his refined and handsome appearance alone, he was more than enough to captivate legions of people.

Otherwise, that actress filming in Nanjiang wouldn't have gone out of her way to thank him.

Hearing her words, Lu Yunzhou's gaze darkened. He looked into the young girl's smiling eyes,

his brow furrowed.

"You don't like it?"

His voice was low and cold, carrying a trace of bewitchment from deep within his throat. Yet to Shen Zhaoxi, it somehow sounded as though he were feeling somewhat anxious and nervous.

Looking at the man's aloof face and his tightly furrowed brows as he gazed at her,

Shen Zhaoxi's gaze darkened slightly, wondering inwardly what his wearing this black suit had to do with whether she liked it or not.

Abruptly, Shen Zhaoxi leaned in close to him, curving her lips as she locked eyes with his pitch-black pupils.

"What do you think?"

Shen Zhaoxi's gaze was cool, yet as she spoke those words, she intentionally drew out her tone.

A hint of a smile was mixed into her voice, inexplicably carrying a soft, spoiled, coquettish flavor.

She continued,

"Doesn't Young Master Lu think that being so handsome makes it easy to attract other women?"

"I really dislike it when my man is looked at by others."

In other words, a man like Lu Yunzhou was simply not suited for her.

Hearing this, Lu Yunzhou furrowed his brow, his gaze darkening as if he finally understood her meaning.

His cool brows and eyes were veiled with a layer of contemplation before he said softly to the girl,

"If you don't like it, I won't speak carelessly to others ever again."