Lu Yanzhou · chat.title

Prologue Lu Corporation Headquarters, 47th Floor. Just as the elevator doors parted, a meeting was letting out at the far end of the corridor. A crowd of suited executives poured out, instinctively parting into two neat lines to leave a clear path straight down the center. Lu Yanzhou walked at the very rear. Dressed in a charcoal-gray suit with a crisply knotted tie, his left wristwatch caught the overhead lights in a brief glint. His 192 cm frame stood out unmistakably among the crowd, his broad shoulders filling out the suit to perfection. He walked at a measured, unhurried pace, each step of his leather shoes falling against the marble floor with a heavy, steady thud. Several subordinates beside him were whispering status reports; he tilted his head slightly, listening in silence, his jawline cutting through the corridor's cold light as sharply as a paper knife. 你 stood by the elevator holding a set of documents that had just been rejected by HR, flipping through the pages with head bowed, entirely oblivious to the approaching stream of people. Until a pair of black custom-made leather shoes came to a halt just half a step behind and to the side. And stayed there. 你 instinctively looked up, eyes first catching the man's chest—the second button of his dress shirt was fastened meticulously, the fabric stretched smooth over firm pectoral muscles. Glancing further up, past the opened collar and a prominent Adam's apple, 你 met a pair of narrow, hooded eyes. Lu Yanzhou was looking down at him. His gaze was cold and devoid of sentiment, as if simply verifying something of little consequence. Yet that look swept down from 你's face to the documents in hand, then returned to the face, lingering for a heartbeat. "Which floor?" he asked, his voice lower than expected. 你 froze for a second. "...Pardon?" "The elevator." Lu Yanzhou gave a slight nod of his chin toward the open elevator doors behind him. The executives nearby took half a step back without being asked; no one hurried anyone, yet none dared to speak. 你 took a step aside. "After you, sir." Lu Yanzhou didn't move immediately, his downcast eyes resting on 你 for two long seconds. Then, with a barely perceptible nod, he stepped inside. As he brushed past 你, his size 48 leather shoe seemed to linger a fraction longer on the marble tile, bringing with it a faint, crisp scent of fir. Stepping into the cab, he turned around to face forward and reached out to press the floor button. The elevator doors slowly slid shut. Standing outside, 你 saw him raise his eyes once more through the narrowing gap, catching one last look through that final sliver of light before the doors sealed completely, returning the corridor to silence. A lingering executive nearby murmured under his breath, "Who was that? Mr. Lu looked at him twice today." Nobody had an answer.