What Are Your Tastes? chapter 4

Return the Original Words

“Mr. Lu, get in.”

The sound of rain partially obscured the volume, but Zhou Yanchuan’s voice was naturally loud, and Lu Yunchu heard it clearly. Despite his surprise that Zhou Yanchuan had stopped specifically to offer him a helping hand, Lu Yunchu knew he had no other choice. Practical matters were more important than pride.

“Are you taking me back to the studio?” After getting in the car, Lu Yunchu asked uncertainly.

Zhou Yanchuan kept his eyes on the road ahead without glancing at him. “Otherwise, can you wait for a car now?”

“Thank you Mr. Zhou.”

“Feel free, don’t keep calling me ‘Mr.’ like that,” Zhou Yanchuan continued, knowing that Lu Yunchu’s respect was more superficial than genuine, his formal tone carrying a sting, “You didn’t drive today?”

“My car got scratched and had to be sent for repairs.”

Zhou Yanchuan fell silent. The windshield wipers moved mechanically, and rainwater continued to pour down on the windows in waves.

Lu Yunchu had only worn a thin shirt that day, and from the moment he got in the car, he felt cold—not from the cold air outside, but because Zhou Yanchuan’s car surprisingly had the air conditioning on.

He glanced sideways and saw that the man driving was similarly dressed lightly but seemed unaffected. A few minutes later, Lu Yunchu sneezed.

Zhou Yanchuan glanced at him and casually turned off the air conditioning. “Sorry, I forgot to turn it off after the hot days a couple of days ago.”

“It’s okay.”

The weather in spring changed so quickly. One day the sun could make you sweat buckets, and the next day a downpour could drop the temperature by several degrees.

“The weather is so unpredictable now,” Zhou Yanchuan said casually as he drove, “you always have to remember to adjust your clothing.”

He spoke in a casual tone, seeming to have completely forgotten the previous unpleasantness in the office.

“Mm,” Lu Yunchu relaxed as well, voicing his curiosity, “Do you always drive yourself?”

Shouldn’t the big boss of Hongchuan have a regular driver? Yet every time he had seen Zhou Yanchuan, whether that day or that Saturday, he was alone, so Lu Yunchu couldn’t believe he was his client.

Lu Yunchu didn’t explicitly mention the driver, but Zhou Yanchuan understood his implied meaning.

“I can drive myself. Why bother with someone else picking me up?”

“You didn’t hire a driver?” Lu Yunchu remembered that Lu Changming would always have a driver run errands even on holidays. In terms of economic strength, the Lu family was not as strong as Hongchuan.

“Of course, the company has a driver,” Zhou Yanchuan said, “usually for official business, the driver takes me. But for normal commute, there’s no need to bother him, right?”

“Isn’t meeting clients considered official business?”

“When was that?” He thought for a moment and realized, “Oh, that time… it was spontaneous. Originally, the vice president was supposed to go, but he had something on, and I happened to be nearby, so I went directly.”

Perhaps because he had been with Lu Changming for so long, seeing a completely different boss made Lu Yunchu feel curious and involuntarily looked at him a few more times.

Zhou Yanchuan muttered quietly, “I have hands and feet, why can’t I do things myself?”

“True,” Lu Yunchu chuckled knowingly. Zhou Yanchuan indeed had his charm, except for his tasteless style and arrogant attitude that annoyed him.

It was raining, and with darkness setting in, it took a while for Lu Yunchu to realize something was wrong. “Oh, I haven’t told you my studio’s address.”

“Isn’t it over in the cultural and creative district?” Zhou Yanchuan still looked ahead. “Manager Sun told me.”

“But—this road isn’t heading there.”

“Why rush… the traffic in the city center is terrible. Let’s find a place to eat.”

Lu Yunchu was stunned. “Are you saying we’re going to have dinner together?”

“Do you have other plans?” He glanced at the time in the car. “It’s late. Let’s just eat together.”

“No problem.” Lu Yunchu didn’t mind having dinner with Zhou Yanchuan. He had originally wanted to discuss the design drafts with him outside, but he was rejected at the time, thinking he didn’t want to meet strangers.

Not knowing what kind of restaurant the other party would choose, Lu Yunchu thought to himself that it was reasonable to pay for the meal when dining with a client.

The sedan stopped by the roadside. There was a small restaurant to the right. Although he hadn’t been here before, Lu Yunchu could tell at a glance that this was a relatively mid-range restaurant for the common people.

Such restaurants tended to be crowded during meal times. When they entered, the lobby on the first floor was already full, and they followed the waiter to the second floor where they found a window-side table for two.

Lu Yunchu took out his phone to scan the QR code on the table to order, but Zhou Yanchuan stopped him.

“Look at what you want,” he handed over the paper menu. “I’ll scan it. It’ll be easier for payment.”

“You’re paying?” Lu Yunchu was surprised. He had intended to treat him, which was why he wanted to scan the QR code on his side.

“Yeah, didn’t I bring you here?” Zhou Yanchuan saw his expression and guessed his thoughts. “Alright, Mr. Lu, just focus on completing the work as I requested, and I can treat you a few more times.”

As soon as he mentioned the work, Lu Yunchu began to feel overwhelmed, and even his gratitude diminished. He casually flipped through the menu and didn’t feel much desire to choose dishes.

“I’m fine with anything,” he put the menu back and said to Zhou Yanchuan, “You decide, Mr. Zhou.”

“Then I’ll choose randomly,” Zhou Yanchuan skillfully operated on his phone, “but the dishes I order from here won’t disappoint.”

“Do you come here often?”

“I’ve been here quite a few times.”

Shortly after ordering, the waiter brought tea. Lu Yunchu held the teacup with both hands, enjoying the strong aroma of wheat lingering at his nose.

“Mr. Lu,” Zhou Yanchuan suddenly looked at him intently, “Is the Lu family in S City related to you—”

Perhaps because it involved privacy, he didn’t say it too directly, but Lu Yunchu understood, “You know about my dad’s company?”

Zhou Yanchuan wasn’t too surprised, “Lu Changming, is he really your father?”

“Do you know him?”

“Not very well,” Zhou Yanchuan told him, “I had some dealings when I went there on business at the beginning of the year.”

“How did you know about my relationship with him?”

“I heard he had a son studying art, seems like it’s your name,” he looked towards him again, “plus you look a bit like him, so I guessed.”

Lu Yunchu processed this information for a while and asked in confusion, “So, did you approach me for the sculpture because of this?”

“Not really,” Zhou Yanchuan put down his teacup, “I barely know Mr. Lu, there’s no need to play that card. Besides, I thought you looked like him only after meeting you…”

Lu Yunchu breathed a sigh of relief. He would rather lose a business deal than get involved with Lu Changming in any way.

“As for the sculpture, Manager Sun arranged it,” Zhou Yanchuan continued, “I wasn’t interested at first, but luckily I asked about it. Otherwise, who knows what mess it would have turned into…”

Lu Yunchu felt conflicted again and instinctively wanted to argue. Just then, the chicken soup they ordered was served. Zhou Yanchuan scooped a bowl and pushed it towards Lu Yunchu, “Have some of this, it’ll warm you up.”

“Thank you.” Lu Yunchu didn’t say much, gently stirring the spoon.

Moments ago, he had been disdainful of his unattractive creativity, but now he was offering soup proactively—this person could seamlessly switch between “criticism” and “kindness,” making Lu Yunchu suspect he was bipolar.

The chicken in the soup was tender from stewing, yet there was not a trace of grease, flavorful yet light, with a hint of medicinal herbs. After drinking the chicken soup, Lu Yunchu indeed felt his body warming up and even started to sweat.

“Mr. Lu, don’t mind if I speak bluntly,” the expression of deep resentment on the other person’s face struck Zhou Yanchuan, easily evoking thoughts of his inner turmoil, “I’m different from you. I’ve climbed up from the bottom step by step. I’ve played the fool too many times, so I understand very well how to assert control over the conversation.”

Lu Yunchu caught the undertone in his words. Perhaps in Zhou Yanchuan’s eyes, he had a superior upbringing, received a good education, and therefore did not understand the hardships of life.

To outsiders, he was indeed enviable. But what outsiders couldn’t imagine was that he had never loved his father or that oppressive family.

“I’m not targeting you,” Zhou Yanchuan added, “I’m like this with everyone.”

Lu Yunchu didn’t intend to explain himself and casually asked back, “So do you pour out your heart to everyone like this, Mr. Zhou?”

“No,” Zhou Yanchuan smiled, “Consider it a special encouragement from me for the ride to the hotel that day.”

“You call this encouragement?”

“Well,” he nodded lightly, “to be honest, people with low self-identity need to hear more praise, but you obviously don’t belong to that category. Mutual flattery in business won’t do much good for you.” In other words, straightforward communication can save each other’s time.

Lu Yunchu realized he had just misunderstood something. Perhaps Zhou Yanchuan’s implication was not about family but about the individual as a person and their experiences, not just sarcasm.

“Can I take your words as praise?”

“Of course,” Zhou Yanchuan replied with a smile. Lu Yunchu’s pride in his eyes might be arrogant, but he was clear-headed, knew how to leave room, and didn’t embarrass each other.

After dinner, the rain outside stopped.

“Thank you today,” Lu Yunchu prepared to say goodbye to Zhou Yanchuan, “I will complete the sculpture as requested.”

But Zhou Yanchuan said, “Get in the car, we haven’t reached the destination yet.”

Lu Yunchu was surprised, “The rain has stopped, and it’s easy to get a cab. I can go back by myself.”

Ignoring him, Zhou Yanchuan opened the passenger door himself.

“Nowadays, doing business is not easy. We’re both experienced, so don’t be polite about such a small favor,” he said, raising his chin to the other person. “Just returning the favor.”

Lu Yunchu smiled and stopped refusing.