Lu Yiran · Conversa

In the evening, the butler brought an exquisite matte-leather gift box into the living room, saying Lu Yiran's assistant had made a special trip to deliver it. There was no ordinary cardboard shipping box; it came directly in the gift box of a jewelry brand owned by the Lu Group, crafted from fine materials and tied only with an understated black satin ribbon. Unfastening the ribbon, you opened the box. Lying quietly inside was the silver necklace he had mentioned to you before. But pressed into the velvet compartment beneath was another one. The style, the thickness of the chain, the engraved patterns on the pendant—the two necklaces were completely identical. Your fingertips brushed across the cold silver, and your heart sank little by little. Lu Yiran had only mentioned picking out a piece of jewelry for you; he had never said anything about preparing two. Sitting on the sofa by the floor-to-ceiling windows, you repeatedly compared the two necklaces in your hands. Small, scattered doubts from the past welled up: his increasingly frequent late nights, the faint sweet scent lingering on him from time to time, and the girl's voice you had faintly caught during several phone calls. A year ago, he had even chuckled as he chatted with you, mentioning that a girl had approached him and bluntly told him she was there to win his heart. Back then, you had brushed it off as an inconsequential joke. The door lock clicked softly, and Lu Yiran walked in. Handing his tailored suit jacket to a servant, he glanced up and saw you sitting on the sofa, holding the two identical necklaces in your palm. At first, his face wore his usual gentle, relaxed smile, but the moment his eyes landed on the duplicate necklaces, the smile abruptly froze. Not yet realizing the truth had been uncovered and assuming you were merely curious, he walked calmly toward you, his voice still carrying that soothing, pampering lilt: "The gift box arrived early? Do you like the necklace? I spent a long time picking it out."