Chapter 54: Lu Jinchuan Actually Worried About Her?

"Is that so?" He Xicheng looked at Cheng Mu with a meaningful gaze. "It seems you hold the developer of U.N2 in high regard."

Cheng Mu replied, "Who wouldn't admire a top-tier genius like President He?"

Saying this served a dual purpose: on one hand, his admiration was genuine; on the other, it was a preemptive move to secure future opportunities for cooperation, as Feixi was undoubtedly the biggest potential stock of the future.

His old man had instructed him that establishing a good relationship with He Xicheng was a foolproof investment yielding only profit.

Wen Ying remained silent, maintaining her composure from the beginning to the end.

The inclination to admire the strong and pursue profit was human nature.

She reached out for a tissue, and unexpectedly brushed against a slender, well-articulated hand extended from across the table. A warm fingertip accidentally and awkwardly grazed her finger.

Startled as if by an electric shock, Wen Ying raised her head.

Lu Jinchuan was also looking at her. However, his expression remained quite calm; facing her slightly trembling pupils, he appeared entirely composed.

As if completely blind to Wen Ying's discomfort, he withdrew his hand.

Wen Ying pulled back her hand, the lingering sensation still faintly present.

It was burning yet tingling, annoyingly difficult to shake off.

She frowned.

Lu Jinchuan had been on guard against her the entire evening, deliberately avoiding any physical contact. How could their hands have bumped into each other so coincidentally just now?

Surely he wouldn't misunderstand and think she had initiated the physical contact on purpose, would he?

Wen Ying quietly knitted her brows.

Nobody else noticed this brief interlude.

At this moment, Su Nian spoke up without humility or arrogance, "I have always admired President He. U.N2 is the ultimate goal I pursue in this field of study. Actually, my previous wish to join President He's project team was also born from a desire to learn a thing or two from him. However, I believe I will still have the opportunity to collaborate with President He in the future."

Her ability was the foundation of her confidence.

In the future, she would surely lead a team to develop a product comparable to U.N2.

This time, He Xicheng truly failed to hold back and chuckled softly. "Oh, then I wish Miss Su all her wishes come true."

Yet they knew nothing.

The goal and ideal that so many people exhausted all their efforts to chase...

Was merely Wen Ying's starting point.

Cheng Mu played along enthusiastically. "Su Nian will definitely have no problem at all. With your level of excellence, you are bound to secure a place for yourself in the future scientific research field. Jinran, Jinchuan, and I all believe in you."

Lost in thought, Lu Jinchuan handed her a can of beverage and said, "Mm."

Su Nian looked at Lu Jinchuan, unable to suppress a sweet smile.

Huo Fuyi could not comprehend matters of the business world, and her understanding of aerospace engineering was superficial at best at this stage, but she knew one thing for certain: Wen Ying was formidable!

Faced with the condescension of Cheng Mu and the others, she immediately wanted to speak up in Wen Ying's defense, wanting them to know that Wen Ying truly understood a great deal!

Just as she was about to open her mouth, a piece of exquisite little cake was placed onto the small plate in front of her.

Huo Fuyi looked up and met Wen Ying's calm yet tolerant eyes.

Wen Ying said, "This is quite delicious. Would you like to try it?"

Interrupted by Wen Ying, Huo Fuyi instantly forgot what she had been about to do, unable to stop herself from leaning closer toward Wen Ying.

She loved being close to Sister Wen Ying so much!

Fragrant, soft, and gentle!

Oh, why couldn't she be her biological sister?

Lu Sioran instantly noticed Wen Ying placing the small cake on Huo Fuyi's plate and pouring her juice. She frowned at once, staring at Wen Ying with dissatisfaction.

Wen Ying noticed, but gave no reaction.

Lu Sioran grew unhappy in an instant. What was wrong with Wen Ying? Usually, she would never forget to take care of her, so why hadn't she looked at her even once the entire time?

Having just encouraged and affirmed Su Nian's excellence, Cheng Mu turned his gaze to Wen Ying instead and said, seemingly offhand, "Miss Wen, the meat is gone. Please grill another batch, and also bring over that bottle of wine and open it."

Instantly.

The surrounding atmosphere fell silent for a brief moment.

Wen Ying gave him a look that was neither warm nor cold.

Huo Jinran glanced at Wen Ying and said, "Such tasks shouldn't require Miss Wen's attention."

This was entirely the job of a service staff member.

He Xicheng and Wen Ying instantly grasped what Cheng Mu was implying.

Having praised Su Nian in the previous breath as a top-tier elite destined for great achievements, Cheng Mu now assigned her these trivial chores in the next breath, essentially conveying one clear message to her.

She and Su Nian were worlds apart.

Wen Ying was also well aware that the past incident of "climbing into bed and forcing a marriage via reporters" to marry Lu Jinchuan had caused them to loathe her to the extreme, believing she deserved to atone for her actions.

Cheng Mu tapped his forehead. "I didn't mean anything by it. I just figured that since Miss Wen has been a housewife for three years after all, I assumed she would be more accustomed to these things than the rest of us."

Wen Ying involuntarily looked toward Lu Jinchuan.

Could he be completely oblivious to the contempt shown toward her by the people around him?

It was simply that Lu Jinchuan had never cared about her feelings in the first place.

Just like right then, he merely acted as though it had nothing to do with him.

Because he had never once regarded her as his wife!

Wen Ying silently curled her lips and replied coldly, "If President Cheng finds his hands and feet inconvenient, perhaps I can assist you."

The smiling expression on Cheng Mu's face stiffened instantly.

He was thoroughly surprised that Wen Ying would openly direct such sarcasm at him.

She was completely unlike her usual submissive self in the past.

Ignoring Cheng Mu's shifting expression, Wen Ying turned her head, only to find herself unexpectedly locking eyes with Lu Jinchuan sitting across from her.

He was watching her, and a trace of a subtle, ambiguous smile flashed fleetingly through his aloof and detached eyes before she could process it.

It vanished in the blink of an eye.

Wen Ying froze in place.

Did Lu Jinchuan just... smile at her?

Why?

He Xicheng was the first to break the deadlock. He glanced sideways at Cheng Mu and asked, "What would President Cheng like to eat? Shall I grill some for you?"

Coming back to his senses, Cheng Mu instantly felt the moment lose its momentum.

Wen Ying had surprisingly not taken it lying down obediently.

Naturally, he could not possibly let He Xicheng do such a thing. "President He, you must be joking."

Yet anyone could tell that He Xicheng was fiercely protective of Wen Ying.

It could even be described as treating Wen Ying exceptionally well.

Su Nian furrowed her brow.

Did He Xicheng genuinely harbor feelings for Wen Ying?

Huo Jinran also cast his gaze upon He Xicheng, attempting to probe and uncover something.

Sensing this, He Xicheng turned his head to look at Wen Ying and lowered his voice. "Do you think that Huo Jinran has a strange look in his eyes when he looks at me?"

Wen Ying replied, "I didn't notice."

He Xicheng raised an eyebrow. Could it be that it was just his imagination?

As they spoke, Wen Ying passed another skewer of mushrooms to Huo Fuyi, who had been quietly focusing on stuffing her face from the very beginning.

She was a meticulous person by nature and always took note of the preferences of those around her.

Huo Fuyi raised her head, her cheeks stuffed to capacity, and said sweetly, "Thank you, Sister Wen Ying."

Wen Ying smiled faintly. "You're welcome."

Watching their interaction, Lu Sioran felt her brows knit together tighter and tighter.

Finally, she slammed the canned cola in her hand down onto the table with a thud. "This kills my appetite! I'm not eating anymore!"

To everyone's surprise, the cola can struck the iron tray, causing grease and water to instantly spark fierce flames.

And the person closest to the grill was Wen Ying; that mass of fire lunged straight toward her like a fierce beast!

Wen Ying hadn't even had time to react.

In a flash, a slender, fair hand grabbed the edge of the handle and swiftly pulled the grill away, sending the rolling heat wave safely away from Wen Ying.

Su Nian gasped in alarm. "Jinchuan! How is your hand?"

Recovering her wits, Wen Ying looked over.

Lu Jinchuan frowned slightly, discarding the extinguished grill behind him. As he curled his long fingers inward a few times, the tips of his fingers were scorched a burning red.

Wen Ying looked on in astonishment.

Could Lu Jinchuan have... acted out of concern that she would get burned?