190: Chapter 190 Making Tea

Lu Manqi leaned against a side armrest, tilting her head to look at Jiang Chen. She was so bold that she barely recognized herself.

"President Jiang, are you always this good to everyone?"

Jiang Chen glanced at her, his gaze seemingly holding a hint of a smile, yet also appearing empty as he simply said, "It depends on the situation."

"Then what kind of situation is this?" she pressed on, her tone carrying a slightly tipsy stubbornness and a flirtatious, testing quality.

The elevator arrived.

The doors opened, and the motion-sensor lights in the hallway flickered on.

Lu Manqi walked ahead with sluggish steps, stopping in front of her door and rummaging through her bag for her keycard.

With a "beep," the door opened.

The entryway lights turned on automatically, casting a warm yellow glow over the two of them.

Lu Manqi held onto the doorframe and turned around. Jiang Chen stood just outside the door, with a single step's distance between them.

Her heart was beating so fast it felt like it would jump out of her chest.

She knew that if she said "Thank you, President Jiang, get home safe" right now, he would turn and leave, and everything tonight would become a fluttering heartbeat for her to reminisce about alone.

But she didn't want that.

Every glass of wine, every word, and every exchange of looks tonight had been pushing her in this direction.

There was Shen Xi's deliberate attempt to play matchmaker, and the little deer in her own heart that had been suppressed for too long and had finally broken out of its cage.

All the signals pointed toward the same answer.

She didn't want to wait anymore.

"President Jiang," she said, tilting her head slightly. Her eyes, exceptionally moist from the alcohol, looked straight at him. Her voice was soft like melted cream, with a hint of raspy laziness.

"Do you want to come in for a bit? I'll brew you a cup of tea... to help you relax."

The moment those words left her mouth, Lu Manqi felt all the blood in her body rush to her face.

But she didn't shy away from his gaze; instead, she tilted her head slightly, letting her coat slip halfway off her shoulder to reveal the slender line of her shoulder wrapped in a silk shirt.

This was a clear invitation.

The kind that adults understood.

Jiang Chen stood at the door, his gaze landing on her face, without responding immediately.

His expression remained steady and indifferent, but the emotions in his eyes were a few shades deeper than usual.

He fell silent for a moment, as if giving her a chance to take back the invitation.

But Lu Manqi did not retreat.

Borrowing courage from the alcohol, she reached out and gently tugged at his sleeve, pulling him toward her.

"Just for a little while," her voice dropped even lower, carrying a post-drinking sweetness and unmistakable expectation. "Okay?"

She didn't let go.

Jiang Chen looked down at her fingers clutching his sleeve—fair, slender, with distinct knuckles that were slightly pink from the exertion.

After a moment, he lifted his foot and stepped into the entryway.

The moment the door closed behind them, Lu Manqi felt her heart explode like a firework in her chest, scalding and brilliant.

The entryway's motion-sensor light was on, the warm yellow light pouring down from above, casting their shadows onto the light gray floor tiles where their silhouettes overlapped.

With her back against the door, she could clearly smell the scent of alcohol on herself mixing with the faint pine fragrance on Jiang Chen, weaving together an ambiguous warmth in the narrow space of the entryway.

Suddenly, she didn't quite dare to look up.

When they were outside, her courage was given by the alcohol, supported by the night, and pushed forward by a desperate impulse.

But now that the person had actually come in and was standing in the entryway she passed through every day—his suit jacket draped over his forearm, waiting calmly for her to lead the way—

She instead felt a delayed sense of nervousness.

This was her territory.

This realization made her heart beat a few more times faster, but at the same time, it gave her a subtle bit of confidence.

"President Jiang, please come in."

She took a deep breath and leaned over to take a pair of spare men's slippers from the shoe cabinet, her movements appearing a bit clumsy due to the tipsiness.

"I don't usually have many guests here; the slippers are new."

She regretted those words as soon as she said them.

Wasn't saying "don't usually have many guests" basically telling him he was the first man to enter this door?

Lu Manqi's ears burned. She lowered her head and pretended to organize the shoe cabinet, not daring to look at his expression.

Jiang Chen took the slippers and said thanks. He didn't react to her words, only quietly scanning the apartment with his gaze.

The place wasn't large, but it was kept very clean.

The living room had a cream-colored long-pile rug, the sofa was a light gray fabric style, and on the coffee table were a few professional finance magazines. Beside them was a narrow-necked vase with two sprigs of eucalyptus, clearly replaced regularly.

The floor-to-ceiling curtains were only half-drawn, revealing the night view of Jiangbin Road outside, with the lights on the opposite bank flickering in the darkness.

The tone of the entire room was warm, carrying the unique meticulousness and softness of a woman living alone, without redundant decorations or deliberate extravagance.

Jiang Chen sat down on the sofa, his posture relaxed and natural. He didn't look like a guest visiting for the first time, but rather like he had returned to a familiar place.

"Nice place, very clean," he remarked casually.

Lu Manqi placed her bag on the entryway cabinet. Hearing this praise felt like a gulp of warm honey water in her heart, so sweet she couldn't help but curl her lips into a smile.

"Please take a seat, President Jiang. I'll go boil some water and brew tea," she said, turning toward the small open kitchen, trying her best to make her steps look steady.

She took a tea set from the cupboard. It was a set of bluish-white porcelain she had picked up on a business trip to Jingdezhen last year—thin-bodied with a fine glaze, simple and elegant.

Usually, she couldn't bring herself to use it, but taking it out today, she felt it couldn't be more appropriate.

When she opened the tea canister, her fingers trembled slightly.

It wasn't from the cold; it was from nerves.

Lu Manqi took a deep breath and cursed herself inwardly.

Lu Manqi, where's your spine?

Weren't you quite bold outside? Why did you wimp out as soon as you got home?

You're the one who invited him in; you can't just let him sit there and watch your hands shake.

She steadied her mind, put the tea leaves into the teapot, and pressed the switch on the electric kettle.

While waiting for the water to boil, she turned around and leaned against the edge of the counter, looking at Jiang Chen in the living room from a distance.

He was sitting on the sofa, one hand resting on the backrest, tilting his head slightly to look at the night view outside the window.

The light hit his face from the side, making the curve of his brow bone sharp and distinct, and his jawline clean and smooth.

He looked too composed.

So composed that it was as if he were the master of this room, and she was merely a guest staying here.

Lu Manqi suddenly felt a bit unwilling.

This was her home, her home turf. How could she let him dominate the atmosphere?

"President Jiang," she called out, her voice steadier than she expected.

"What kind of tea do you like? I have Longjing, Jin Jun Mei, and a dancong that a friend gave me. The fragrance is very special."

Jiang Chen turned his head to look at her, his tone casual and gentle: "Anything is fine, no need to be too particular."

"Then let's have the dancong. That one is really fragrant; you'll know once you smell it."

She smiled, feeling like she had finally found her rhythm again.

The water boiled, and the electric kettle's switch clicked off.

Lu Manqi turned to lift the kettle, warm the cups, rinse the tea, and brew. Her movements were a bit slower than usual, but they were finally orderly.

The scalding stream of water poured into the teapot, and the unique Honey Orchid fragrance of the dancong was instantly released, filling the air with a layer of sweet floral and fruity scent.

She picked up the tea tray, which held two bluish-white porcelain tasting cups and the teapot, and walked steadily to the living room.

She leaned over across from Jiang Chen, placed the tea tray on the coffee table, and held the pot to pour two cups of tea.

The tea soup was golden and translucent, and the fragrance swirled between the two of them.