Xiao Rufeng felt nervous stepping into the elevator that led to the penthouse where her manager was staying. It wasn't like she was new to this luxurious lifestyle, but ever since she was kidnapped that night, things had never been the same for her.
For instance, whenever her phone rang, she would feel this kind of fear that someone might be stalking her. She also started waking up in the middle of the night, having nightmares, as the event kept playing in her mind.
Thankfully, the director had given them two weeks off to review the scenes they filmed over the past few weeks, and she didn't need to leave the apartment that Bluemedia owned in Shenjing. However, since Su Xiaofei had invited her for lunch today, she mustered all her courage to step out of her comfort zone to meet her manager today. She was also told that Yan Xiuchen and a friend of her husband would be coming today too.
The elevator opened, and she stepped out into the hallway outside the penthouse. Xiao Rufeng adjusted the pink and light yellow dress she was wearing and tucked in some of the stray strands of hair that managed to escape her messy bun.
As soon as she pressed the doorbell, she didn't need to wait for too long before Su Xiaofei came to answer the door.
"Hey, come on in. You're the first one to arrive."
Xiao Rufeng nodded her head and followed her manager inside. She looked around and was impressed by the interior decor of the place. The penthouse had an open layout and looked a lot more spacious than she expected it to be. She didn't expect any less from a living space owned by Su Xiaofei and Lu Qingfeng.
The moment she stepped into the penthouse, the homey fragrance of a home cooked meal greeted her. Whatever it was, Xiao Rufeng had no doubt that it would taste as amazing as it smelled.
Su Xiaofei padded to the kitchen barefooted, which was new for Xiao Rufeng. She had never seen her manager this carefree and homey. Her long hair was slightly damp, and Xiao Rufeng didn't fail to notice that Lu Qingfeng looked the same.
Her face heated up and she averted her gaze from the couple when Lu Qingfeng wrapped an arm around Su Xiaofei's waist and gave her a kiss. They looked so great together, so in love and happy, that it almost made Xiao Rufeng envy them.
Would there come a day for her to also experience something like this?
"Welcome, Miss Xiao. I hope you don't mind having some Italian today." Lu Qingfeng greeted her, pulling her out from her trance.
"Oh, no. I don't mind at all." She answered with a polite smile. "It's actually been awhile since I had one."
"You will surely love it. I have to brag that I got a great deal when I married him." Su Xiaofei laughed behind her husband. "Where's Song Yiran and Yan Xiuchen? Are they running late?"
"Song Yiran will be here soon." Her husband answered. "Chen-ge just called and said that he might be late. Apparently, his assistant got sick and asked him for a two-week off, so everything's a mess in his office right now."
"Can't he just hire another one?" Su Xiaofei raised a brow and Xiao Rufeng agreed with her. Considering how rich Yan Xiuchen was, it wouldn't be hard for him to find people to do his bidding.
"If only it's as simple as that. You've seen him, right? He's not really a sociable person. His assistant had been working for him for a decade now, and it's hard for Chen-ge to get another one that he could trust." Lu Qingfeng explained, which made sense to both women.
"Ah, then it would be hard for him to get the work done for the coming weeks." Su Xiaofei commented. She could imagine the struggle Yan Xiuchen would be facing. It would be the same for her if she lost the Zhang sisters' assistance at work. That would be a nightmare for her.
Xiao Rufeng remained silent, deep in her own thoughts, and didn't make any comment over Yan Xiuchen's circumstances.
It didn't take long and Song Yiran joined them and Yan Xiuchen arrived fifteen minutes later. He looked gorgeous in his crisp casual attire, Xiao Rufeng thought. He must have shaved that morning, since his face was free of any stubbles, which she saw during their first meeting.
"Sorry, I'm late. I brought wine as a peace offering." He told Lu Qingfeng before passing the paperbag to Su Xiaofei. He then turned to face Xiao Rufeng, and Song Yiran didn't miss his stiff expression.
"Hello, Miss Xiao. It's good to meet you in a better circumstance." He greeted, not offering his scarred right hand, and opted to keep them inside the pocket of his jacket.
The corner of Xiao Rufeng's lips curled into a smile, amused that Yan Xiuchen hadn't forgotten their previous conversation before the Zhang sisters took her home.
Everyone moved to the dining area, with Lu Qingfeng seated at the head of the table and Su Xiaofei on his right. Xiao Rufeng took a seat on her left, which forced Yan Xiuchen to be seated across Xiao Rufeng and next to Song Yiran.
Pasta Alla Gricia was served along with grilled chicken for the women and steaks for the guys. Su Xiaofei took one of the wine bottles that Yan Xiuchen brought and poured it. Xiao Rufeng noticed that she didn't take any herself, so she declined to have one when her manager offered her a glass.
Xiao Rufeng continued to watch her manager and Lu Qingfeng, noticing how happy they were. It had only been a few weeks since they got married, so they were probably still in the honeymoon phase. She then wondered if things would change once the phase had passed.
She shook her head. Of course it would, but she hoped it would be for the better.
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