Chapter 32: Lipstick Mark

Bang, bang, bang.

Zheng Qian was drunk as a skunk; he hadn't realized that the aftereffects of this foreign liquor would be so strong.

After getting out of the car, he stumbled to the door, lacking even the strength to take out his keys, and could only knock weakly.

Fortunately, Jin Lu hadn't gone to sleep yet. Hearing the knocking, she immediately opened the door for Zheng Qian and helped him inside.

"My god, how much did you drink?" Jin Lu looked at Zheng Qian's state and felt a bit of heartache.

She first helped Zheng Qian change his clothes, then wiped his face with a towel, and force-fed him two bowls of hangover soup. Only then did Zheng Qian sober up a little.

"The aftereffects of this liquor are just too strong. I didn't feel anything while drinking it, but as soon as I got out of the car, I collapsed."

"Silly, that's how foreign liquor is. Feeling any better?" Jin Lu chuckled, "If you can't hold your liquor, don't drink so much."

"Yeah, I won't drink that much next time."

"There's an invitation in my jacket pocket. See if you're interested." Zheng Qian pointed to his coat.

Jin Lu picked up the coat, and before she even reached into the pocket, she noticed something unusual.

"Hubby, why does your jacket smell like perfume?"

"Perfume? No way?"

"Yeah, it smells like Darjeeling. No, wait, it is Darjeeling."

Zheng Qian's expression shifted slightly. Jin Lu's nose was sharp; she could smell the perfume and even identify the brand?

Only now did he realize where the perfume scent Jin Lu smelled came from.

Back in the KTV private room, Zhong Xiaoyao had leaned on him for quite a while; it must have rubbed off on him then.

Besides that, Zhong Xiaoyao had also sucked on his neck.

Zheng Qian subconsciously touched his neck, wondering if she had left a lipstick stain.

There was nothing on his hand, but Zheng Qian noticed that the towel on the coffee table, which Jin Lu had just used to wipe him down, was stained with a smear of crimson.

Jin Lu was incredibly sharp; she had probably discovered the perfume and the lipstick stain a long time ago, but she had waited for Zheng Qian to sober up a bit before asking so gently, seemingly without any intention of blaming him.

"Uh... let me explain, it's not what you think."

"Ugh... what's there to explain? This is men's cologne. What did you think I was thinking?" Jin Lu took the initiative to make an excuse for Zheng Qian.

"Oh, men's cologne? It must have been President Chen who sprayed it, I didn't even notice." Zheng Qian said with a guilty conscience.

He casually opened his phone to search, and discovered that it really was men's cologne.

He didn't know if Jin Lu was giving him a way out or if she hadn't noticed at all.

No, that's not right.

Even if Zhong Xiaoyao had sprayed men's cologne, Jin Lu must have noticed the lipstick stain when she was wiping his face, and she even wiped it off for him.

Just when Zheng Qian thought Jin Lu would continue to press him about the lipstick, she had already picked up the invitation.

"Yuntang International Red Wine Association? You managed to get this invitation?" Jin Lu was slightly surprised after seeing the invitation.

"Yeah, are you interested? It seems to be the day after tomorrow, how about we go together?"

"Sure."

Seeing that Jin Lu had no intention of pursuing the matter further, Zheng Qian let out a sigh of relief.

He suddenly felt that Jin Lu was quite sensible; she hadn't embarrassed him, nor had she made things difficult for him because of this incident.

If it were an average woman, upon discovering perfume and a lipstick stain, they would have likely started an argument or even a fight by now. How could they possibly be so diligent in helping you wipe down and change clothes?

This was probably one of the things Zheng Qian liked about Jin Lu.

At this moment, he checked Jin Lu's Favorability toward him; it hadn't dropped, still holding steady at 80 points—incredibly stable.

"What are you doing, what are you doing? You just sobered up a little and you're already getting restless?"

"Coach Jin, I didn't quite learn that move you taught me at the gym this morning. Can you demonstrate it for me again?"

"You're doing this on purpose!"

"No, no, I'm just slow. Coach, please demonstrate it for me again."

...

Zheng Qian slept until he woke up naturally.

Jin Lu had long since woken up, but she hadn't gotten out of bed, still curled up in Zheng Qian's arms.

"Huh, why are you so well-behaved today?" Zheng Qian kissed Jin Lu behind the ear and held her tighter.

"It still hurts a little, I don't really want to move."

Last night, Zheng Qian had been a bit overexcited; even a fitness coach couldn't handle that kind of tossing and turning.

"Ah, sorry, I'll be gentler next time."

"Actually, you're responsible too. Who told you to have such a flexible body that you can do so many positions?" Zheng Qian deflected the blame.

"You must be a scumbag. Why do you know so much?" Jin Lu said with a haughty look.

"No, no, no. I just watched it through the video materials of my predecessors. As for actual practice, this was my first time."

"I don't believe you!"

"Alright, alright, get up soon. I'll go make something to eat, and then I'll take you to the gym."

Zheng Qian lingered in bed for a while longer. He really had drunk a bit too much last night, and his head still ached a little.

Jin Lu soon brought up breakfast: a cup of fragrant coffee and two sandwiches.

"Huh? Why does this coffee taste a bit strange?"

"What's strange about it?"

"Strangely delicious."

"Pfft... where did you learn these cheesy pickup lines? I actually thought it wasn't to your taste." Jin Lu had really thought Zheng Qian wasn't used to the coffee and had been tricked by him.

"Hahahaha, it's quite delicious, better than those sold on the market." Zheng Qian didn't actually have the habit of drinking coffee, but since his previous company often required overtime, he would be drowsy after a while. If he didn't have a cup of coffee to refresh himself, he would fall asleep at his desk, so he gradually developed the habit of drinking coffee.

He felt that the coffee Jin Lu brewed was sweet and fragrant, with an excellent taste, while the ones sold on the market were like dishwater—terrible.

"Is this coffee made personally by the coffee shop owner's wife? Delicious, delicious!"

Jin Lu smiled: "Alright, alright, hurry up and get up after you eat. I'll go get your clothes."

The two arrived at the gym and worked out for two hours; it was almost time for a meal.

When they were done showering and ready to head out, they happened to run into Uncle Hou, who greeted Zheng Qian enthusiastically.

"Lu Lu is accompanying President Zheng to the gym again?"

"Yeah, forced to do it, hahahaha." Zheng Qian laughed.

"By the way, I just received an invitation to the Yuntang International Red Wine Association today. I can bring two guests."

"I don't have much interest in red wine, but I remember you seem very interested in it, Lu Lu. How about I give this invitation to you, and you can go check it out with President Zheng?"

Uncle Hou took an invitation out of his pocket; it was exactly the same as the one Boss Han had given Zheng Qian yesterday.

"Ah... no need, Uncle Hou. My hubby received an invitation to the wine party yesterday."

"You should also go and have some fun when the time comes; just treat it as going to make some friends."

Calling him boyfriend yesterday, and calling him hubby today?

That transition was a bit fast.

Moreover, supposedly, Yuntang only started sending out the invitations today. Uncle Hou thought he was definitely in the first batch to receive one, so how did Zheng Qian get his even faster? He already had it yesterday?

"Alright, then see you there. I'll go and have some fun too, haha." Uncle Hou smiled awkwardly.

"Alright, Uncle Hou, we'll be heading off now."

Jin Lu linked arms with Zheng Qian and went downstairs.