My Aloof Husband Can't Stop His Devoted Affection-Chapter 531 - 015: When did you start smoking?

"Hmm, where are you headed to?" Seeing them all come out, Nan Jiayan glanced at Lu Shishu and asked in a calm and indifferent tone.

"We are planning to take Lu the Painter to see the exhibition wall. If there’s anything unsatisfactory, we can make adjustments at the time," Ling Wan Yi explained with a gentle and graceful smile.

"Then let’s go and take a look together!" Nan Jiayan handed the coffee cup in his hand to his secretary, then put both hands in his pockets, his expression a mix of casualness and steadiness, his gaze fixed on Lu Shishu’s pretty face.

Lu Shishu didn’t shy away from his gaze but met it fearlessly, her expression still indifferent.

When they reached the exhibition wall area, Lu Shishu observed the design but didn’t say much. Another staff member from the art gallery then introduced according to the materials in hand: "This exhibition wall will display your four paintings: ’Untouchable’, ’A Thread of Penetration’, ’Habit of Secret Love’, and ’One Carat’."

After this series of introductions, Lu Shishu turned to her assistant Lin Zhiyuan: "Starting tomorrow, coordinate with Ling Cezhan on the artwork. Ensure the paintings remain intact."

"Ella, inform the field officer that we’ll officially engage with the artworks starting tomorrow," Nan Jiayan chimed in as soon as Lu Shishu finished, instructing his secretary.

"Yes." Ella was momentarily stunned but nodded immediately when she received Nan Jiayan’s glance.

Lu Shishu shot him a sidelong glance, then silently withdrew her gaze, lowered her eyes to glance at the elegant watch on her wrist: "Since things are settled for today, I’ll take my leave. Director Nan and Ling Cezhan, I’ll leave the remaining matters to you. If there are any issues, just contact my assistant." Her tone was flat and unfluctuating. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

"It’s also time for a meal. If Lu the Painter doesn’t mind, could we have the honor to dine together this afternoon?" As she was about to leave, Nan Jiayan quickly spoke up, but his tone remained fairly calm.

Hearing this, Lu Shishu looked over and met his starlit, deep-set eyes. Before she could respond, Ling Wan Yi smiled and interjected: "Come to think of it, it’s Lu the Painter’s first collaboration with our gallery. We’ve been liaising for almost half a month now, yet we haven’t shared a meal together. Saying so, it’s a bit embarrassing for us. It’s our oversight. If Director Nan hadn’t mentioned it today, I might have been too busy to remember. Now that we’re at the restaurant, we hope Lu the Painter can honor us."

Ling Wan Yi’s words were eloquent, praising Nan Jiayan without undermining herself, speaking with particular humility and courtesy, and showing great respect for Lu Shishu’s opinion.

This left Lu Shishu with little reason to refuse her. For commercial interests, Lu Shishu indeed couldn’t decline the invitation, since they were in a collaborative phase. Face needed to be preserved.

"Since Director Nan and Ling Cezhan have so sincerely invited me, it would be impolite to refuse, so I shall graciously accept." Lu Shishu looked at them directly, a faint, almost imperceptible smile on her face, her tone relaxed and calm.

"I’ll reserve a table now. I’m not sure what Lu the Painter likes to eat? There’s a hotpot restaurant near the gallery with quite a good reputation. Is Lu the Painter interested in giving it a try?"

"Uh... Sister Shishu doesn’t eat meat; she only eats vegetarian food," Lin Zhiyuan awkwardly smiled to help Lu Shishu answer just after Ling Wan Yi finished speaking.

"Ah! I see!" Ling Wan Yi was slightly surprised, then suddenly remembered: "That hotpot restaurant also has a mixed vegetarian hotpot."

Nan Jiayan listened to their conversation, his gaze falling back on Lu Shishu, his eyebrows tightly furrowed, seemingly a bit displeased, confused, and distressed.

He remembered she used to love barbeque and hotpot; how come she doesn’t eat meat anymore?

"What does Lu the Painter think?" Ling Wan Yi asked with a smile, seeing Lin Zhiyuan silent: "If you don’t like it, there’s a vegetarian restaurant at Yilin Mountain Villa, but it’s a bit far from here."

"Then let’s leave it. It’s raining today, so it’s inconvenient. The mixed vegetarian hotpot will do!" Sensing her tone of difficulty, Lu Shishu, who dislikes trouble, also doesn’t like going out in the rain, particularly despising the damp feeling.

"Okay, I’ll call and reserve a spot now." Seeing her agree, Ling Wan Yi smiled, nodded, and turned to call with her phone.

The other staff also nodded and left, while assistant Lin Zhiyuan was called away by a specialist to fill out supplementary information for the artworks.

In the spacious room, within a minute or so, only Lu Shishu and Nan Jiayan were left.

"They have some finishing work to complete, which might take ten or twenty minutes. Would you like to come to my office, have a seat, and drink some tea?" Nan Jiayan took two steps forward, getting closer to her, and asked softly, looking at her silhouette turned away from him.

Upon hearing this, Lu Shishu turned slightly to look at him, lightly chuckling, though her eyes were void of amusement, still icy: "Sure."

Since contact with Nan Jiayan was unavoidable now, she saw no reason or excuse to avoid it, so she might as well accept it graciously.

Back in his office, Nan Jiayan personally brewed a cup of tea and handed it to her. Lu Shishu took it calmly: "Thank you."

"When did you start eating vegetarian?" After she sipped the tea, Nan Jiayan suddenly asked.

"Many years ago." Lu Shishu raised her brows, glancing at the tea in the cup: "People change. Haven’t you changed too? When did you start enjoying tea?"

"A gift from someone else." Nan Jiayan squinted slightly, his gaze becoming sharp, mixed with some helplessness. He clearly understood her words carried deeper meaning.

The two sat for almost seventeen or eighteen minutes, speaking no more than ten sentences in total. Nan Jiayan didn’t know what to say, and Lu Shishu felt there was no need to say much. Between them, they were the most familiar strangers, with nothing more to discuss.

After another five or six minutes or so, the office door abruptly knocked, and Ling Wan Yi entered with a smile: "Director, Lu the Painter, I’ve reserved the table and we’ve finished the remaining work. We can head over now."

"Let’s go!" Nan Jiayan nodded, looking at Lu Shishu.

Lu Shishu picked up her bag and slowly stood up: "Hmm."

As the three walked to the gallery entrance, the other four specialists and her assistant Lin Zhiyuan were already waiting there. Two specialists each held two or three umbrellas, one handing a transparent umbrella to Nan Jiayan: "Director, we only have four spare umbrellas, so... we might have to share."

Nan Jiayan took the umbrella and glanced at the rain outside: "Hmm, fortunately, it’s not raining heavily, and it’s not far."

"Then let’s head over!" Ling Wan Yi smiled, opened an umbrella, and walked into the rain with one of the specialists under the same umbrella.

Lin Zhiyuan and the others did the same, each sharing an umbrella with someone beside them as they walked into the rain.

Lu Shishu watched them walk away and felt a bit puzzled. She instinctively turned to look at Nan Jiayan.

And Nan Jiayan was just looking at her, displaying a helpless yet gentle smile, opening the umbrella and handing it to her: "Why don’t you go ahead with it? The rain’s not heavy, and I don’t mind not using an umbrella."