Chapter 1443 Another Year Has Pa.s.sed 4
Who else could that graceful figure be but Dongfang Liuyun?It seemed like she had just finished work too!
Despite already being New Year’s Eve, this woman was still busy working at the research lab. Did she have to work so hard?
Her steps were extremely resounding and settled as she soon walked down the flight of stairs.
From what Qi Lei remembered, Dongfang Liuyun seemed to have always been like this. She would always exude that frank aura on her, even from the way she walked. However, behind this frankness, there was an air of mystery that she carried.
His gaze slowly followed her movements, and when she turned at the corner and was about to walk across the pedestrian crossing, he suddenly honked.
The sudden sound surprised Dongfang Liuyun, so she subconsciously turned around and looked behind her. Under the dim streetlights, she could see Qi Lei who sat in the car while he had lowered his window to wave at her.
Dongfang Liuyun quietly watched him for a moment, then walked up to him.
She walked over to the car in a few steps, then steadily stopped. She lifted a hand to knock on the car window. Qi Lei quickly wound down his entire window to turn to look at her as his handsome face widened with a rare smile.
“Why are you here?” Dongfang Liuyun asked calmly.
Qi Lei raised his handsome brows and smiled. “Miss Dongfang, it seems like every time we meet, this is the dialogue we start with. Can we come up with something new?”
Dongfang Liuyun had her hands on her hips as she looked at him indifferently. She thought about it for a moment then continued, “It’s New Year’s Eve, so obviously, I’m a little surprised.”
“You realize it’s New Year’s Eve too?” he immediately asked her, “Why are you still here so late at night? I’m sure your research center wouldn’t be so mean as to force you to work overtime on a holiday, would it?”
“I came here to get some doc.u.ments. Since we’re going to be on break, I wanted to bring them home to look into them.”
Qi Lei paused before asking finally, “You…aren’t you going to go home for New Year’s Eve family dinner with your parents?”
Dongfang Liuyun’s gaze paused for a moment, her expression remained calm and indifferent, yet she did not answer Qi Lei’s question either.
“If you aren’t rushing to get home, let’s hang out then. Going into the New Year like this is quite lonely,” said Qi Lei as he watched her silently.
Dongfang Liuyun thought about it, then pulled open the car door to get in. Qi Lei took her briefcase to put on the seat behind. He then pointed at the safety belt, indicating for her to buckle up.
Dongfang Liuyun quietly fastened the safety belt while Qi Lei then started the car and drove ahead.
As she leisurely played music on the radio, she leaned back against the car seat.
The radio played a very low and raspy alluring voice.
‘In the wind, the cold winds of the heart, dreams were lost; before it could pa.s.s, it was lost…’
As she listened, Dongfang Liuyun closed her eye. Although her pale face seemed tired, her slender fingers intertwined as they laid on her lap, and she looked quite relaxed. The car window beside her was still wound down. With the cool breeze, Qi Lei could clearly get a whiff of her faint fragrance.
He did not drive quickly either and they just sat in silence.
When she sensed that they had driven for quite a while, Dongfang Liuyun finally asked softly to break the silence, “Where are we going?”
“Where do you want to go?” Qi Lei asked softly in return while his gaze remained focused ahead.
Dongfang Liuyun then lifted a hand to the s.p.a.ce between her brows and calmed herself down before responding, “It’s quite hard to find a place to eat right now. Since there’s nowhere we can go, I’ll bring you somewhere.”
“Where?” Qi Lei turned to look at her, puzzled.
Dongfang Liuyun slowly opened her eyes. “Park aside and let me drive.”
Upon hearing that, Qi Lei was stunned for a moment, but he snapped back to his senses quite quickly and silently parked the car aside.
The two of them swiftly switched places. Dongfang Liuyun drove while Qi Lei sat in the front pa.s.senger seat.
She swiftly made a turn with the car, and they started driving towards the north of the city.
They did not get stuck in any traffic jam since the roads were smooth, and after about half an hour, the car finally stopped at the entrance of a hot spring bath center.
The center looked like it was decorated quite lavishly, but it did not lose its elegance. From the looks of it alone, you could tell it was one of those higher-end recreational centers.
Qi Lei used to frequent this place, but in the past two years, he rarely stepped foot into it. Furthermore, he was a VIP diamond guest at this place!
What a coincidence!
Did Dongfang Liuyun frequent this place too?
She seemed quite familiar with it!
It was a one-stop service inside, and it was quite surprising that it was not closed on New Year’s Eve.
The car stopped steadily in front of the entrance, and the valet attendant immediately went up to open the car door respectfully. When he saw who it was inside, he was stunned for a moment. Then, he greeted courteously, “Master Qi! Miss Dongfang! You’re both here!”
When the valet attendant greeted them as such, Dongfang Liuyun was surprised. She looked at Qi Lei in astonishment. Was he a regular here as well?
Qi Lei only responded to her with a smile before getting down from the car.
Dongfang Liuyun swiftly got down and tossed the car keys to the attendant before she walked after him.
There were not many people at the center. The fact that Qi Lei and Dongfang Liuyun had turned up at this time surprised the attendants, and even the manager felt the same, but they dared not say much. They only quickly smiled and went up to them.
“Master Qi! Miss Dongfang! Long time no see!”
Before the manager could finish, Qi Lei had already spoken up while Dongfang Liuyun stood aside quietly with an exceptionally indifferent expression, “Enough nonsense. One-stop service as always, and I hope I don’t see any news that shouldn’t be showing up.”
The manager who stood beside them could vaguely feel the chill that Dongfang Liuyun emitted.
“Yes, yes, yes! I understand. I got it! Master Qi, Miss Dongfang, this way please!” The manager brought the two of them to the suite that Qi Lei had previously booked for the whole year.
It was a relaxing and elegant room meant to replicate the antiquities.
They ordered some drinks and dishes, which were delivered efficiently. Soon, the table was covered with delicious-looking dishes. Qi Lei and Dongfang Liuyun sat on opposite sides.
“Master Qi, we’ve recently got a few new j.a.panese female singers who are pretty good. They’re skilled in all sorts of musical instruments too. Would you like them to come play some songs for you to add to the fun?”