Chapter 3:The Unexpected Guest

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They didn’t say much as they walked side by side down the stone path from the bookstore, shoulders brushing now and then — not quite accidental. The air smelled like damp ivy and something warm baking nearby.

Luo didn’t try to fill the silence. He just let it settle. Comfortable. Present.

“So…” he finally said, glancing sideways. “What would happen if I invited myself over next time?”

Fei blinked. “Over?”

“To your place,” Luo said, casual as if asking about the weather. “Not for anything serious. Just tea. And maybe to return a jacket I left on purpose.”

Fei looked down at his shoes, unsure whether to laugh or blush.

“I… don’t usually have guests.”

“That’s alright,” Luo said. “I don’t usually get invited.”

Fei didn’t know that Luo was coming.

Not today.

He thought he had the morning to himself — a quiet breakfast with his book, maybe a walk through the garden if the sun stayed kind. But downstairs, in the sitting room, a very different kind of morning was unfolding.

Luo Wenzhou had arrived early — sharply dressed in a sleek navy suit, crisp white shirt, no tie. His hair was styled clean, his usual grin softened into a polished, businesslike calm. He looked every bit the heir of a tech empire: mature, composed, and quietly commanding.

He greeted Fei’s father with an elegant handshake, offered polite warmth to his mother, and settled into the low sofa across from them like he belonged there. But behind the calm mask, he was listening for one thing:

The sound of Fei Du’s footsteps.

Because the real reason he agreed to this formal meeting — under the pretense of reviewing business strategy and proposed engagement details — wasn’t just duty.

It was curiosity.

He wanted to see Fei's face when he walked in, unsuspecting, probably in a robe or a soft pullover, with sleep still in his eyes. The soft-spoken boy who always looked like he’d been poured gently into the room. Introverted, quietly precious — and entirely unprepared for Luo Wenzhou in full businessman mode.

Luo’s smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth as he sipped tea, already picturing it.

Upstairs, Fei was still flipping through a book, wrapped in a pale sweater and unaware of the very tall, very dangerous surprise sitting downstairs.

Then came the soft knock at his door.

“Xiao Du,” his mother called sweetly. “We have a guest.”

Fei looked up, blinking. “Who?”

“You’ll see, darling. Come say hello.”

Fei rose slowly, tugging the sleeves of his sweater. He hadn’t expected company, hadn’t dressed for it — but it was probably just another investor, someone from the board. Nothing to worry about.

He descended the stairs quietly.

Then stopped.

There, in the sunlit sitting room, looking like something out of a magazine — was Luo Wenzhou.

Fei froze two steps from the landing.

Luo looked up just in time to catch his expression.

Surprised. Flustered. Adorably unsure.

Luo stood slowly, offering a polite smile to the room — but his gaze was locked on Fei.

“Good morning,” he said smoothly. “I hope I’m not intruding.”

Fei’s voice didn’t come right away. When it did, it was barely above a whisper. “What… are you doing here?”

Fei’s mother answered for him. “We invited Mr. Luo and his father to discuss a few important matters.”

“About our partnership,” his father added. “And… you.”

Fei blinked. “Me?”