Chapter 168 Willing and Eager

Seeing Shen Qingyi remain still, Lu Yan knew he had guessed correctly.

He stepped forward and said gently, "Qingyi, have you ever considered why those people hiding behind the scenes, who have no relation whatsoever to the professor, are trying to harm him? Why did Mother Han and the Zhao family—whom we haven't seen in four years—know that you have that manuscript in your hands? They don't understand the professor's work at all, yet they are sparing no effort to get it. The fact that you haven't handed it over means the professor must have given you extremely strict and earnest instructions, am I right? Although I don't know what kind of manuscript it is, I know it is important—important enough that someone is willing to kill for it, do you understand?"

Shen Qingyi looked at Lu Yan in some astonishment. This man was simply too clever; from just a few clues, he had deduced the general outline of the entire affair. She had actually been thinking of handing it over to him in advance anyway.

"So, you were probing me, weren't you? With such an important matter, how could I have possibly let it slip..." As soon as she finished speaking, Shen Qingyi felt she was in the wrong again. Facing Lu Yan, she truly found herself defenseless against his vigilance.

Seeing her puffing out her cheeks in irritation, Lu Yan softened his tone, "Hand it over to me. Keeping it on you is too dangerous. I swear to you, without your permission, I will never use it for any profit-making purpose." He wanted to extricate his wife from this dangerous situation. Now that there was such a commotion on this front, with the enemy in the dark and them in the light, he needed to make preparations early.

Shen Qingyi hesitated for a moment, then asked, "Then were you probing me just now?"

Lu Yan nodded and replied, "Yes!"

Unless it was a matter of great importance, he would never force his wife to make a decision—such as visiting Han Lanzhi. Knowing that it would merely be the icing on the cake, as long as there was no danger, he was always willing to cooperate with her wishes.

Shen Qingyi let out a heavy sigh, "I bought a small three-bedroom apartment over at Binjiang Garden, and I hid it there. It was going to be given to you anyway, though Father said it had to be after six years. There are still two years left."

Lu Yan was surprised, "You were going to give it to me?"

"Yes!"

No wonder Han Lanzhi had tried to force his wife to divorce him.

Seeing him suddenly fall silent, Shen Qingyi asked, "What time is the train tomorrow?"

"Eight o'clock in the morning. I'll drive you over. Have you found a place to stay there yet? If not, I'll have someone arrange it for you."

Shen Qingyi nodded, "Yes, Sister Xiyun has already prepared a place for me."

Thinking of leaving at eight o'clock the next morning, Shen Qingyi said, "Why don't you drive me over to retrieve it right now?"

"Alright! I'll go to the office to get the car, wait for me a moment."

Lu Yan went out, gave a few instructions to Lu Caiqing and An'an, and then headed to the office.

After a little while, Shen Qingyi heard the sound of an engine starting. She hurried outside and saw the car Lu Yan usually drove. She walked over and was about to get in through the back door when Lu Yan reached out and opened the front passenger door, saying, "Sit here!"

Shen Qingyi obediently walked over, sat down in the seat beside him, and fastened her seatbelt. She hadn't expected Lu Yan to suddenly become so particular.

Seeing that she was safely seated, Lu Yan stepped on the accelerator and they set off. When they arrived at the residential complex, Lu Yan parked the car, and the two of them unfastened their seatbelts and got out together.

They had only walked a short distance when they heard an enthusiastic voice call out, "Qingyi!"

Zhou Qing stepped forward to greet them.

Shen Qingyi stopped in her tracks and smiled, "What a coincidence."

"What coincidence? Weren't you coming specifically to find me?" After saying this, Zhou Qing couldn't help but glance at Lu Yan.

Shen Qingyi waved her hands, "No, no! I bought an apartment in this complex too."

Zhou Qing looked surprised, "When did that happen? Do you want to continue being neighbors with Youqing?"

Shen Qingyi hesitated for a moment, then nodded.

Zhou Qing wore an expression of regret, "Oh dear, why didn't you mention it earlier? Didn't I tell you that the apartment I'm living in belongs to President Xia? I bought a place in another new real estate development as our wedding home."

Shen Qingyi put on a regretful expression, "Look at my memory, goodness..."

Zhou Qing comforted her, "It's fine, it's fine! Being neighbors with President Xia is also great, it makes submitting manuscripts much more convenient. However, he's been very busy lately; he went to Pengcheng several days ago and hasn't returned yet."

Lu Yan's expression dimmed slightly. He said to Zhou Qing, "We still have some matters to attend to, so we'll be leaving first."

"Alright!" Zhou Qing smiled at Shen Qingyi and tactfully took his leave.

As Shen Qingyi walked upstairs, Lu Yan followed closely behind in silence.

She unlocked the door and pushed it open. Since the windows had likely been left open for ventilation over the past couple of days, the musty smell was very faint. She opened all the windows, drew the curtains halfway, and brought over a stool, preparing to reach up and retrieve the box from the top of the wardrobe.

However, just as she climbed onto the chair and raised her arms, the box was effortlessly lifted from right above her head by a single hand.

Shen Qingyi stood on the chair, turned her head to look at Lu Yan, and asked, "Why... why didn't you just take it earlier?"

It had put her through the trouble of setting up the chair and climbing all the way up. It was more than a little embarrassing.

A faint smile hung on the corners of Lu Yan's lips, "You didn't say anything, and I didn't know what you were planning to do with a chair."

Shen Qingyi found herself unable to refute this.

Seeing his wife standing there looking somewhat dazed, Lu Yan walked over, placed his hands beneath her, and—just like lifting An'an—lifted her down from the chair. He set her down to sit on a nearby desk, supporting his weight with both arms on either side of her body, half-enclosing her in a face-to-face embrace.

Shen Qingyi, caught completely off guard, had no way to escape his gaze as she looked into his magnified face. His delicate, subtle brows and eyes resembled a refreshing landscape painting, both elegant and vivid.

He stared at her without blinking, making Shen Qingyi feel somewhat unnatural and causing her face to heat up. "What are you doing?"

"How is it that even now, you still haven't learned to proactively ask for help?" His voice was calm, carrying a faint trace of gentle reproach.

These words reminded Shen Qingyi of the year she turned eighteen. She had just failed the college entrance examinations, had not yet gone to study under Elder Qian, and had no desire to retake the exams. To escape her mother's nagging, she had locked herself in her room to paint.

She did not talk back and was extremely obedient. Having no other choice, Han Lanzhi could only complain to her father.

Her father had confiscated her sketchbook and paintbrushes, saying, "You can come and get these two things from me after you've straightened out your thoughts."

And those very items had been taken away by her father and placed on top of the wardrobe.

During that period, she had felt truly lost and had no desire to retake the exams. After all, she hadn't been careless in her studies; out of fear of bringing shame upon her parents, she had studied exceptionally hard. Repeating the year would not yield a better result, and if she failed again after retaking, it would be a double blow. Her mind was in complete turmoil, and it seemed only painting could bring peace to her heart.

That day, taking advantage of the moment her father had just stepped out, she pushed open the door to his study and saw Lu Yan sitting straight at her father's desk, looking focused and earnest.

She was afraid of disturbing him because whenever he came to the house, her father never allowed anyone to casually interrupt him.

Hesitating for a moment, she noticed that when she pushed the door open, he hadn't even lifted his head, leading her to believe that this bookworm hadn't noticed her at all.

Walking on tiptoe, she brought over a stool and placed it in front of the wardrobe. Just as she climbed up, the items were effortlessly retrieved from above by someone else.

With a blank expression, he handed the items to her and said, "Doing this is very dangerous."

Dangerous? She was already eighteen years old; where on earth did he see any danger?

Nevertheless, she had taken them, politely muttered a "Thank you!", and quickly ran out holding her sketchbook and paintbrushes.

Seeing that she remained silent, Lu Yan's eyes and brows curved into a smile, "Actually, for many things, all it takes is a single word from you, and I would willingly do them for you."