Chapter 17 - Chapter 17: Midnight Candor, Unraveling the Knots

The next morning, the first ray of sunlight streamed through the office building's floor-to-ceiling windows, falling on the Stellar Center's construction drawings. Colleagues from the technical department gathered around the conference table, holding samples of Q690 steel sent by the special steel manufacturer. Their fingertips traced the fine grains on the steel's surface—this high-strength steel was nearly one-third lighter than ordinary Q345 steel, with a cold metallic luster at the cross-section, yet it could bear more than twice the load."Sister Su, the calculation results are in!" Xiao Zhou hurried over with a tablet, where the jumping red numbers gradually turned green. "After replacing with Q690 steel, the load-bearing coefficient of the curved dome reaches 1.2, far exceeding the safety standard of 0.9! Moreover, the material cost is only 8% higher than the original plan, which is within the client's budget fluctuation range!"Su Wan took the tablet, repeatedly verifying the data on the screen. In just twenty hours since the problem was discovered yesterday afternoon, the weight that had been hanging over her heart finally lifted. She looked out the window— the plane tree leaves below had turned golden yellow in the autumn wind, with a few occasionally drifting down, swirling in the air—just like her tangled mood a few days ago, which had finally found its anchor."Thank you all for your hard work. Go home early to rest today," Su Wan smiled and patted Xiao Zhou's shoulder. Turning around, she saw Lu Chengyu standing at the entrance of the office area, holding two cups of hot American coffee, with tiny water droplets condensing on the white cup walls."It looks like the problem's solved," he approached, handing one cup of coffee to Su Wan. Their fingertips brushed accidentally—both froze for a moment before quickly pulling back. The tips of Lu Chengyu's ears turned slightly pink; he coughed softly and said, "Shall we have dinner together tonight? To celebrate solving the problem, and... I want to talk to you properly."Su Wan held the warm coffee cup, feeling the warmth spread from her fingertips to her heart. She thought of the loosened barrier between them during last night's overtime, and the misunderstandings that hadn't been fully resolved. Finally, she nodded: "Okay."The private restaurant Lu Chengyu chose was hidden in an alley in the old town. Osmanthus trees lined both sides of the bluestone path, their delicate golden petals falling to the ground, filling the air with a faint sweet fragrance. The restaurant's door was an old vermilion wooden one, creaking when pushed open. Inside were retro wooden tables and chairs, with yellowed old photos hanging on the walls. Warm yellow light streamed down from the chandeliers above, creating a quiet and cozy atmosphere.The waiter handed over the menu. Lu Chengyu skillfully checked off a few dishes: "The sweet and sour mandarin fish here is excellent, and there's your favorite stir-fried seasonal vegetables. I noticed you don't like food too spicy when we ate together last time."Su Wan's hand holding the menu paused, a warm feeling stirring in her heart—she hadn't paid attention to her own eating habits, but Lu Chengyu had remembered. The dishes were served soon: the sweet and sour mandarin fish was coated in amber sauce, with a crispy outer layer and tender fish meat; the stir-fried seasonal vegetables were bright green, still steaming hot from the pan. Yet neither of them ate much. The atmosphere at the table, like the tea, was warm but tinged with a subtle awkwardness.It was Lu Chengyu who broke the silence first. He put down his chopsticks, leaned forward slightly, and looked at Su Wan earnestly: "Su Wan, when you saw me with Chen Yuxin at the mall, did you misunderstand something?"Su Wan bowed her head, stirring the rice in her bowl, the grains drawing small lines at the bottom. Her voice was as light as the osmanthus fragrance floating in the air: "Later, I thought about it—maybe I was too sensitive at the time.""It's not your fault; I didn't handle it well," Lu Chengyu's voice was deep and sincere. "The Chen Group is a stone supplier for the Stellar project. We met that day to finalize the delivery time of the granite—the client suddenly requested delivery two weeks earlier, so I had to communicate with Chen Yuxin to adjust the production line. As for her adjusting my tie, it's because I was in a hurry that morning and didn't notice it was askew. She helped me casually, and I didn't think much of it at the time. Looking back, it's indeed easy to misunderstand."As he spoke, he pulled up the chat records from that day on his phone—there were his communications with Chen Yuxin about stone supply, as well as records of him asking his assistant to contact the manufacturer in advance. Su Wan looked at the words on the screen, and another weight in her heart slowly lifted."And about publicly clarifying the rumors earlier," Lu Chengyu continued, his tone tinged with apology. "At that time, I only thought about helping you silence the gossip, but I didn't consider your feelings, which only put you in a more awkward position. I'm sorry for being so impulsive."Su Wan looked up, their eyes meeting. Lu Chengyu's gaze was full of remorse, like a child who had done something wrong. It reminded her of the first time she met him—when she fell into the water at Yunqi Lake, he had jumped in to save her without caring about his appearance, his eyes filled with the same anxiety and concern."I know you meant well," Su Wan said softly, her fingers gently caressing the cup wall. "Actually, what I care more about is... the gap between our statuses. You're the president of Chengyu Investment, and I'm just an ordinary designer. People in the company already talked about me getting the Stellar project. If we get too close, there will only be more gossip. My mother also told me that I should marry someone of equal status, otherwise I'll be wronged in the future..."By the end, her voice trembled with a hint of grievance, and her eyes glistened slightly. These days, she had kept these worries hidden in her heart, not daring to tell anyone. Now, facing Lu Chengyu, she finally couldn't hold back.Looking at her tear-glazed eyes, Lu Chengyu felt a sharp twinge in his heart. He hesitated for a moment, then reached out and gently held her hand resting on the table. Su Wan's hand was small and delicate in his palm, her fingertips slightly cold. He warmed her hand with his palm, his voice firm yet gentle: "Wanwan, status gap has never been an obstacle to love. I like you not because you're the designer of the Stellar project, nor because you have an excellent background—only because you're Su Wan. The Su Wan who squats on the balcony feeling sad for half a day when her succulent withers; the Su Wan who stays up until midnight revising plans without ever complaining; the Su Wan who secretly feeds stray cats on rainy nights."His words were like a warm current, surging into Su Wan's heart. She remembered last month, when her succulent "Peach Egg" had rotted at the roots from overwatering. As she squatted on the balcony sighing, Lu Chengyu had happened to come to deliver documents. He quietly looked up a guide to saving succulents and brought new nutrient soil the next day. She remembered staying late at the office another time, seeing a stray cat downstairs. Just as she was about to turn around to buy ham sausage, she saw Lu Chengyu walking over with cat food, saying, "I guessed you'd want to feed it." She remembered arguing with the construction team over details of the Stellar project—Lu Chengyu hadn't intervened directly, but had helped her find relevant specification documents, allowing her to convince the other party with professionalism...These trivial moments, like scattered stars, now converged into a galaxy in her mind."Mr. Lu..." Su Wan's voice trembled, tears swirling in her eyes."Call me Chengyu," Lu Chengyu interrupted her, his thumb gently caressing the back of her hand, his eyes full of expectation. "Wanwan, give me a chance, and give yourself a chance, okay? I'll handle the pressure from my family, and I'll make the office gossip disappear. I don't want to miss you because of these external things."Su Wan looked into his earnest eyes, which reflected her own figure. At this moment, all her entanglements and worries finally vanished. She nodded gently, and tears finally fell, landing on the back of her hand. The cold touch made her feel extremely warm.After dinner, Lu Chengyu drove Su Wan home. The car stopped at the community gate. As Su Wan unbuckled her seatbelt and prepared to get out, Lu Chengyu suddenly called her. He took an exquisite velvet box from the glove compartment—it was light blue, the same style as the necklace box he had given her before."I originally wanted to give this to you on your birthday, but because of the misunderstanding, I never got the chance," he handed her the box, the tips of his ears still flushed. "Would you open it?"Su Wan opened the box to find a silver bracelet inside. The chain was made of small gear shapes, each gear able to rotate flexibly. At the end hung a tiny star pendant, with the character "Wan" (evening) engraved on the back. "The gears represent the technical problems we solved together," Lu Chengyu's voice sounded a little nervous. "The star represents the Stellar project, and also you—in my heart, you're like a star. No matter how many dark clouds there are, you'll always shine on your own."Su Wan's fingertips gently touched the gears. Under the cold metallic touch was Lu Chengyu's thoughtfulness hidden in the details. She looked up at Lu Chengyu and smiled, her eyes still glistening with unshed tears, yet brighter than ever: "Thank you, Chengyu. I love it."Looking at her smile, Lu Chengyu's heart felt filled with warm water, sweet and warm. He watched Su Wan walk into the community, not driving away until her figure disappeared at the corridor entrance. In the rearview mirror, the street lamp at the community gate was on, like a warm star illuminating the path in his heart.