Chapter 98 – Extra: Eldest Brother and Bai He
Lu Lou swept a glance around. Lu Xiao had already disappeared; only he and Bai He were left in the living room on the first floor.
“Just now Third said he was going to ask sister-in-law to judge the dispute—and you agreed.” In the past, if someone in the Lu family used the wrong form of address, Bai He would smile and say nothing.
Bai He put away the boxing gloves in Lu Lou’s hands. If he didn’t intervene, Lu Lou and Lu Xiao would probably turn the gym into a boxing ring, and then he wouldn’t be able to explain things to Shen Ning.
Bai He said, “Mm. I agreed.”
Lu Lou stood there blankly. Love had arrived too suddenly; his processor was still stuck on the previous episode—being told by Lu Xiao that even this could fail.
“Because you like me a little, right?”
Bai He said, “Because you can’t beat him.”
Lu Lou clenched his fists, wishing he could transform into a boxing champion. He’d never imagined he’d be dragged down by his combat power—by his own wife, no less.
He had never felt inferior to Lu Xiao in any way—except fighting.
Some younger brothers were thick-skinned and good at fighting; wasn’t that how they even managed to chase the queen bee?
Could it be that when pursuing primitive bloodlines, the most valued trait was still male strength? Had Lu Yushu secretly signed up for a boxing class to win over his secretary?
Lu Lou said, “Help me sign up for a boxing class.”
Bai He frowned. “You still want to fight?”
Lu Lou said, “To work out.”
Bai He put the boxing gloves back into their case and looked at him with a warning. “If you sign up, I’ll move out.”
Lu Lou didn’t know how a decent opening had escalated to talk of moving out. A spark of insight hit him—thinking of the time he’d been kept in the dark, when Bai He had helped his father and brothers secretly shift meetings around for him…
To Bai He, unity was as heavy as a mountain. He fully possessed the virtues and capabilities of an eldest sister-in-law.
“Fine. I won’t train. Brothers fighting—that would be the eldest sister-in-law’s dereliction of duty. I won’t make things hard for you.”
After speaking, Lu Lou watched Bai He’s reaction.
Bai He opened his mouth as if to refute him, but a glimmer of “good that you know” flashed in his eyes, as though he’d been persuaded by Lu Lou’s reasoning.
Lu Lou smiled slightly. Bai He— a secretary who carried family responsibility on his shoulders.
He leaned closer, dipped his head a little, and met Bai He’s gaze. “You can’t manage everyone—so why don’t you stop managing the eldest one?”
Lu Lou spread his hands. “You’re welcome to take over my life in every respect, including my love life.”
He reached out, placed a hand at Bai He’s waist, applied a little force—without using his full strength—and pressed him toward himself.
Bai He’s lowered fingers twitched. After a brief pause, he rested his face against Lu Lou’s neck, feeling the sudden acceleration of blood through his carotid artery. Like a worker bee sensing an increase in headwind through its antennae, he had no choice but to adjust his flight posture.
Worker bees couldn’t fly forever. Many times, they needed to land on a flower to rest or to shelter from wind and rain.
If the nectar source was of high quality, the worker bee would inevitably linger.
Bai He said, “Your heart’s beating too fast.”
Lu Lou said, “You’re managing that too?”
After a while, Lu Lou said, “Let’s go back to the room.”
He took Bai He’s hand and led him to the elevator. Facial recognition detected them; the doors opened automatically and set the destination to Lu Lou’s floor.
The doors opened and closed. Bai He’s expression was subtle. “You’re not frigid.”
Lu Lou said, “I never said I was.”
Bai He said, “You said—”
Lu Lou said, “I only said I don’t have time. Don’t worry, I won’t do anything to you.”
Bai He said, “I also need to clarify—I’m—”
Lu Lou said, “I know.”
Bai He said, “If you—”
Lu Lou said, “Secretary Bai, I really didn’t lie to you. I’m just overly excited today.”
Bai He lowered his gaze, focusing on his nose, then his breath. Of course he knew Lu Lou wasn’t frigid.
But he believed what Lu Lou said about not having time. After all, whether a CEO had time or not was decided by the secretary—and time was in Bai He’s hands.
As for Lu Lou’s physical condition, his annual medical report—Bai He saw it before anyone else. A good secretary knew how to assess medical reports and adjust their boss’s workload.
Physically, though, Lu Lou had never given Bai He cause for concern. The two of them were naturally suited to working overtime.
When Bai He worked late, if it wasn’t past midnight he would go home to sleep. Lu Lou would try to keep him overnight at the office and fail, then sulkily announce he’d sleep at the office himself and have the driver take Bai He home.
The next day, Bai He would arrive at work energetic as ever. Lu Lou… Lu Lou would also look quite energetic.
In the past, at work, Bai He would occasionally run into his boss’s morning reaction after sleeping in the office. The first thing he did upon entering the executive office was to pull open the curtains. Lu Lou didn’t always sleep under a blanket, so everything was on full display.
Worker bees weren’t particularly compassionate. He just wanted to open the curtains so Lu Lou would wake up sooner, completely ignoring how the sudden light made his boss squint.
After opening the curtains, Bai He would toss out a “Breakfast is ready,” then stroll out to wait for him in the outer office.
Lu Lou, still muddled from dreams, would blink—and there it was again, the familiar office environment. His conditioned response to work overrode everything: hurry, the secretary was waiting for him to start work.
Not long after, the CEO would appear in the executive office impeccably dressed, eating breakfast while listening gravely to the secretary’s briefing on key group matters.
And Lu Lou had indulged this, too.
Thinking back, Bai He’s lips curved slightly.
Lu Lou asked, “What are you smiling about?”
Bai He said, “Thinking about how I handled situations like this in the past.”
Lu Lou was puzzled. “You encountered this before? Who?”
Bai He: “……”
You.
Bai He frowned slightly. When he was a secretary, he could ignore Lu Lou’s physiological needs. But as a boyfriend—could he still do that?
…Probably not.
Overall, Bai He wanted to be an excellent partner.
In Lu Lou’s first year as the group’s top leader, he met Bai He through recruitment. Lu Lou had already interned under Lu Fengge for many years; Bai He was still new, but his ability stood out. He surpassed many experienced secretaries and became Lu Lou’s unquestioned choice.
A secretary like this didn’t share the blood-and-fire camaraderie of a startup phase, but having guarded the Lu Group day and night together, there was an added warmth that couldn’t be replaced.
In Lu Lou’s heart, regardless of whether he could win over his secretary, the secretary’s position was unshakable. Pursuing the secretary felt like a high-stakes gamble—he was constantly afraid the secretary would hand in a resignation letter.
He was like a gambler who, seeing his younger brothers win, couldn’t help but itch to try—asking the secretary for chips while placing those same chips on the secretary.
Thankfully, this time, the secretary stood behind him.
In the elevator, both of them recalled pieces of the past. When they stepped out, they were both a bit more composed.
Lu Lou soothed him like HR comforting a newly onboarded employee: “Don’t be nervous. The ‘eldest sister-in-law of a wealthy family’ thing was just a joke. You don’t have extra responsibilities. Our way of getting along won’t change. If you don’t adapt right away, don’t rush to deny this relationship. At least… give me a three-month probationary period?”
Meanwhile, Bai He was thinking that he’d noticed the rate at which a row of royal jelly in the fridge was being consumed—it definitely wasn’t something Meng Xueyuan alone could finish.
Ordinary men weren’t suited to consuming royal jelly—except the bee clan. In this household, besides Meng Xueyuan, only Lin Xilan could drink it.
When worker bees drank royal jelly, they could shake off the extreme frigidity caused by staying too close to Meng Xueyuan.
Frigidity didn’t mean incapacity; it was just that most of the time they wouldn’t actively generate desire.
They were relatively passive—testing a partner’s patience and skill.
They weren’t actually bees.
As long as they were willing to cooperate, human instinct could override certain bloodline constraints.
Lost in thought, Bai He let Lu Lou’s words go in one ear and out the other for the first time, retaining only scattered key points and automatically assembling an analysis. “What probationary period? Who are you hiring?”
Lu Lou said, “Give me three months’ probation—no, six months.”
Labor law stipulated that a probationary period couldn’t exceed six months; Lu Lou went straight to the maximum.
Bai He was confused. “Does marriage law stipulate that dating requires a probationary period?”
Lu Lou paused. “Sorry. I referenced the wrong statute.”
Looking at the straight-laced Lu Lou, Bai He thought for a moment and said, “President Lu, I’ll give you a report tomorrow.”
Lu Lou asked, “What kind of report?”
Bai He said, “You’ll find out tomorrow.”
“A Feasibility Report on Dating a Worker Bee”
…The report summarized the principles and techniques required to achieve life’s great harmony, defined suitable settings and timing, and placed official business above all else.
This was without question the most difficult report Bai He had ever written. For it, he even asked clan members to help look up some internal data.
Lu Lou received the report and hadn’t even put it into practice yet when he became so radiant that Shen Ning noticed.
Shen Ning truly felt apologetic toward Baihua Village.
And since the Baihua Village clan leader was his youngest son’s spouse, the apology could only be digested internally!
Lu Lou soon discovered that following the report’s instructions, it was very hard to find an opportunity to verify its accuracy.
The prerequisite: getting off work on time. Just this alone—Lu Lou couldn’t manage it for a whole week. Every time quitting time approached, something or other would pop up to bother him.
Lu Lou worked furiously at his desk, seeing the light of quitting time—only to watch helplessly as his dear secretary ushered yet another department manager in.
“……”
In the blink of an eye, an hour passed. Lu Lou took a deep breath. “Secretary Bai, didn’t I say we’re not seeing executives today?”
Bai He said, “Oh. He has something urgent.”
Lu Lou thought: no matter what, it’s not more urgent than me.
He boxed the secretary in by the water dispenser, lowered his brows, and asked softly, “Is there someone abusing public office for private ends and losing their sense of priorities, hm?”
Bai He: “……”
Lu Lou glanced at the time. “Six-thirty. I don’t care—this counts as leaving on time.”
“Not going home today. We’re going to my place.”
Bai He took a moment to react. Having lived at the Lu residence for so long, he’d almost forgotten that over the years Lu Lou had actually spent more time at another apartment—one he’d been to many times.
Bai He grew slightly unsettled. When he made the plan, he’d tried hard not to project himself into it, pretending he was just a secretary wholeheartedly thinking of his boss.
Lu Lou stared at Bai He’s flushed earlobe, lowered his head, and took it into his mouth.
A shiver ran up Bai He’s spine; his earlobe burned as if it had just been pierced. He forced his voice steady. “This is a prohibited setting.”
Lu Lou said, “I didn’t do anything.”
He took a paper cup from the dispenser and filled it with water. “Your lips are dry. Drink.”
Lu Lou found himself a little addicted. But once the secretary put his clothes back on, that addiction vanished—and the secretary proceeded to schedule him into a packed workload.
Lu Lou even spotted tasks on his desk that didn’t belong to him.
Ridiculous. The secretary worked diligently at the desk, yet refused to work overtime in bed.
He looked up at the secretary’s focused profile five meters away, checked that no one was around, cleared his throat, and rapped the desk twice with his knuckle, issuing an unquestionable command—
“Secretary Bai, schedule one night of sex this week.”
Without looking up, Bai He said, “Okay.”
Bai He: “……”
Bai He: “……”
