Jiang Jingyu first grabbed his phone, then pretended to rummage through Lu Jiaying's bag.
"President Lu's stomach started hurting again, so I'm taking her some stomach medicine. Excuse me, the three of you please continue drinking; she'll be back shortly."
After searching the bag a few times and not finding anything, he simply picked it up.
"I'll just take it to President Lu so she can find it herself."
He smoothly slipped out of the private room.
Xu Lei let out a cold laugh and winked at the other two.
"It seems Lu Jiaying isn't coming back; she's wary of us."
"Then let's go too. I'll pay the bill. You two proceed with the plan quickly."
Vice President Li and Vice President Wang left the restaurant arm-in-arm and returned to the hotel.
They went to the lobby front desk, stated Lu Jiaying's room number, said she had too much to drink and lost her room card, and asked for a spare card while also requesting their belongings stored there.
"A client urgently needs a document, and we need to send it out quickly. Please hurry."
They had been staying there for a few days and were familiar with the front desk staff.
Besides, the restaurant they were going to had been recommended by the front desk staff before they left.
The front desk staff, not suspecting anything, handed over the room card, and the two successfully made their way to Lu Jiaying's room.
Technical Vice President Li hid an intelligent home surveillance probe, newly developed by the Zhan Group, behind an art painting positioned above the bed, and then retreated.
When Jiang Jingyu returned to the washroom, Lu Jiaying was splashing cold water on her face.
Her tolerance for alcohol seemed truly low; in just over a month, he had seen her drunk twice, each time with a more exaggerated reaction than the last.
Last time, only her face had turned red, but this time, her neck, ears, and the skin on her arms were all flushing. It looked quite alarming.
"President Lu, are you alright? Do you want me to take you to the hospital?"
"I'm fine." Lu Jiaying closed her eyes and shook her head. "I'm so tired. I just want to go back and sleep. Let's go."
Wearing high heels, she stumbled with each step, finding it truly uncomfortable. Jiang Jingyu could only support her.
However, both of them were hot, and their skin touched where their hands met, feeling as if it might ignite.
In short, they returned to the hotel in a rather disheveled state.
Passing by the front desk, the staff there tried to greet them, but the two didn't even cast a glance in their direction.
Upon reaching the door of the room and swiping the card, as soon as Jiang Jingyu let go, Lu Jiaying kicked off her high heels. Just like last time, she irritably took off her suit jacket and threw it on the floor, then rushed towards the washroom.
As she walked, she untied her hair. Her dark, beautiful hair cascaded down like a waterfall, emitting a faint fragrance, making Jiang Jingyu feel even hotter.
Eager to get home and take a cold shower, he said to Lu Jiaying, "President Lu, I'll be heading back too."
He placed his bag on the sofa, closed the door, and left her room.
As a result, when he reached his own door and swiped his card, he suddenly remembered that his phone and room card were in Lu Jiaying's bag.
He had no choice but to return and ring the doorbell again.
The doorbell rang once, twice, three times, five times, and Jiang Jingyu was starting to lose patience when Lu Jiaying finally opened the door, albeit slowly.
As the door opened, Lu Jiaying, still wet, caught him by surprise, and Jiang Jingyu's breathing immediately became uneven.
The black spaghetti strap dress was soaked, clinging tightly to her body, making her skin appear smooth and tender like a peeled egg, rising and falling.
Water droplets clung to her hair and eyelashes, trickling down her fair cheeks and onto her chin.
For some reason, illuminated by the water droplets, her eyes and lips looked different from usual.
Though she wore no makeup, she was incredibly captivating, holding Jiang Jingyu's gaze so that he couldn't look away.
At the same time, he felt like he was dying.
He was so hot he felt like spontaneously combusting; if he didn't take a cold shower soon, he wouldn't survive.
"My phone and room card are in your bag."
After looking at Lu Jiaying for several seconds, he managed to speak with difficulty.
Lu Jiaying, barefoot and groggy, turned back to find her bag, not paying attention to her footing.
The floor was too slippery. The moment she turned, her foot slipped, and before she could even scream, she leaned backward.
Jiang Jingyu, with quick reflexes, rushed into the room and caught her.
The two tumbled to the floor, and Lu Jiaying's head landed in a rather critical spot.
One looking up, the other looking down, they found themselves in this position, their eyes meeting.
As they looked at each other, it's unclear who made the first move, but their lips, which had never touched those of the opposite sex, inexplicably met.
Then, the room door was closed, and Jiang Jingyu, carrying her, rushed into the washroom.
Even with their lack of experience and slowness in such matters, upon waking up the next morning and seeing each other's state and the messy room, they knew what had happened.
However, their reactions differed from those of ordinary men and women who had crossed such a boundary.
Knowing she had crossed a significant line in her life, Lu Jiaying's first reaction was not to cry and demand Jiang Jingyu take responsibility, but shame.
She felt she had betrayed the trust of Zhan Bei Jue and Jiang Nan Fang.
She felt she had let down Lu Qingxu and Melody for their years of cultivation and guidance.
In their eyes, Jiang Jingyu was still a child, and she was a full eight years older. How could she have committed such a despicable act?
Jiang Jingyu was also bewildered.
In his eyes, Lu Jiaying was his superior, and in private, a figure of authority.
Although he greatly admired her work abilities, liked her dressing style, and sometimes secretly appreciated her contrasting charm, he had never considered being in such a relationship with her.
It was too awkward; both of them were so embarrassed they didn't know how to speak.
After waking up and finding themselves nestled together, and upon seeing each other's faces, they quickly pulled apart.
Each of them had a long internal monologue.
Finally, it was Lu Jiaying, the more experienced elder sister, who spoke first.
"I don't remember what happened last night, and I believe you don't either, so it's as if nothing happened. I trust you won't spread any rumors about the current situation, so let's leave it at that. Hurry and get your clothes and leave."
Jiang Jingyu was a man, after all. Having grown up witnessing male elders take responsibility for their partners, he felt that since something like this had happened, he should at least give Lu Jiaying some sort of explanation. Leaving like this didn't feel right.
He wanted to say something, but his life experience was too shallow; he truly didn't know what to say.
"I remember what happened last night..."
Lu Jiaying's goosebumps nearly stood on end from embarrassment: "I said I don't remember, so you're not allowed to remember. Get out!"
A moment later, Jiang Jingyu, speechless, put on his clothes, ran his hand through his hair casually, and opened the door to leave.
Unexpectedly, as he stepped out, he ran into Xu Lei.
This woman, dressed similarly to yesterday, had a smiling expression on her face, as if she were about to knock on Lu Jiaying's door.
Upon seeing him, her smile widened.
"Oh, little Jiang, you're up so early?"
Then, fearing that Jiang Jingyu might misinterpret her words, she quickly added.
"I heard your flight was booked for ten in the morning. It's not even seven yet. Why are you disturbing President Lu so early?"
"Is her stomach feeling better? There's millet porridge downstairs at the restaurant. If she's already awake, I'll ask her to join us for breakfast."