"Single-track mind."
—This refers to Tang Hua's habit when going out.
Although she has successfully tracked her boss over a hundred times, it's only because the object of her tracking is the boss.
The boss is like a compass, guiding her in the right direction and leading her along the most correct path.
All along, Tang Hua has been like a scent-tracking mongoose, only following the boss in a straight line—
Leaving the house, taking out the trash, heading to Tianhe Platinum Apartments, engaging in a battle of wits with Uncle Wang, failing, moving on, looking for Old Liu's weak points, successfully sneaking into the complex;
Of course, if it's Uncle Bi on duty, she’ll have to slink back home and wait for another opportunity.
Or, leaving the house, taking out the trash, staking out the entrance of the complex, following the boss on the subway, going to school, sneaking into the building, and taking photos of everything related to him.
Beyond that, almost nothing else.
—Tang Hua is directionally challenged. She can only remember places related to the boss. The map in her mind is a straight line, with home on the left end and the boss on the right.
[Wherever the boss is, she can follow.]
[As long as she starts from the entrance of the complex and keeps following the boss, following him out, waiting for him to return home, she won’t get lost and can safely return to her little nest.]
"Hehe."
When she’s out, Tang Hua never speaks.
She would never ask strangers for directions.
Even if there are always clueless men trying to strike up a conversation, she wouldn’t utter a single word, only using a gaze as cold as ice, as if looking at maggots, to firmly deter them.
Today, a new location, an unfamiliar area, one she hadn’t explored before.
As a result, she’s a bit lost.
Tang Hua leans against the railing in front of the elevator, alone, feeling somewhat helpless.
People passing by can’t help but be drawn to her striking figure—
Today, she’s dressed simply, wearing a fitted knit sweater and white hot pants, with her midriff exposed and black stockings revealing an absolute territory;
Her thighs are cinched by the sock edges, giving them a manga-like quality,
Her long, deep purple hair cascades beautifully down to her hips.
She’s thrown on a blue-black jacket for warmth, but it does little to hide her voluptuous curves;
Thus, she stands before Lu Qing—
Like a succubus from the human world, hitting every one of his preferences.
Completely locking him in, giving him no chance to look away.
"..."
…
Lu Qing is under immense pressure.
Last time, in that dark little room, due to the poor lighting and the dangerous atmosphere,
He didn’t dare to look directly at her face or freely admire her stunning figure.
Even when he took her out for burgers in the evening, he remained restrained, resisting the urge to explore her exaggerated physique.
Today is different.
Today, the plaza is brightly lit, with the advertising signs on the storefronts creating a light pollution of sorts.
Tang Hua stands not far ahead, clear as day, instantly drawing attention with her figure and looks—
No, it’s more like she’s imprinted directly into his brain.
"..."
Lu Qing even has a hallucination.
Forget about L2D avatars or anime succubi,
If Tang Hua herself were dropped into a crowd, every man around would probably turn into zombies who haven’t eaten in centuries, immediately launching a siege.
She herself is more perfect, more alluring than any anime character.
—She is the succubus.
It’s terrifying.
Lu Qing quickly steps forward and grabs Tang Hua’s wrist:
"How long have you been waiting?"
"Ah… Boss…"
Tang Hua, who had been looking around, is suddenly "caught," her face flushing as she stammers, "N-not too long."
"Oh."
Hearing this, it’s clear she’s been waiting for at least half an hour.
Without another thought, Lu Qing leads her onto the escalator.
"Why didn’t you message me earlier to come get you?"
"I…"
"Didn’t I tell you, you can contact me anytime, no matter what happens? That includes anything, not just serious matters. Understand?"
He says this somewhat domineeringly.
"Mmm… Got it. Boss."
Tang Hua nods shyly, not daring to say more.
In truth, she’s wanted to reach out to the boss.
But in their current relationship, it’s hard for her to maintain boundaries, to not say something that crosses the line.
In her heart, boundaries are essential. Otherwise, she might accidentally say something strange, make an unreasonable request, and end up being disliked by him.
That must never happen.
Even if she gets lost, even if she’s disoriented, she can’t trouble the boss…
"Ugh."
…
…
The moving steps of the escalator rise one by one, and her nervousness makes her feel like she’s teetering.
She’s in front, he’s behind,
He’s holding her hand, so she doesn’t need to grip the dirty handrail.
Lu Qing feels as though the air around them is getting warmer.
"..."
He glances over and notices Tang Hua’s shoulders trembling slightly.
Just the tiniest bit, but they’re shaking.
"…………"
She’s too sensitive.
Lu Qing feels a bit helpless.
He’s only holding her wrist, and she’s already on the verge of breaking down.
If he were to invite her to his place to discuss serious matters, wouldn’t she just explode on the spot?
Ugh.
Better take it slow, gradually get her used to his way of doing things.
Right.
"How’s the progress on the ‘assignment’ I gave you earlier?"
To help her calm down, Lu Qing decides to use the skill "getting down to business" to cool her off.
"Oh… I’m working on it."
Tang Hua uses the hair on her shoulder to hide her face, nodding slightly.
"Alright, no rush. You can send it to me by Friday, there’s still two days. If you need more time, Sunday is fine too."
Lu Qing doesn’t want to pressure her too much, as these things can’t be rushed.
But then…
"It’s already done."
Tang Hua says softly, "I’ll send it to you later."
"Huh??"
Lu Qing is taken aback, pulling her off the escalator: "That fast?"
"Yeah. I didn’t sleep much, recorded it hundreds of times, and finally got one I’m happy with…"
Tang Hua says this matter-of-factly, as though it’s nothing.
"..."
Lu Qing is at a loss for words.
Of course.
Tang Hua has always been like this.
She’s not one to procrastinate.
"Alright, no rush. You can send it after we eat."
"Mmm…"
Tang Hua responds, then hesitantly adds, "Also… that’s done too."
"?"
"What’s ‘that’?"
Lu Qing is momentarily confused, glancing at her and noticing her face is alarmingly red.
He’s even more puzzled, "What ‘that’? Did I assign you something else?"
He remembers giving her a video project, but he doesn’t recall any other tasks.
He must have forgotten.
"Um, yes, Boss."
Tang Hua, trembling with nervousness, pulls out a small, exquisitely crafted box from the inner pocket of her jacket.
!!!
"That box…"
Lu Qing’s pupils shrink!
He immediately recognizes it—
It’s the small metal box from her closet, the one that used to hold the four to five hundred photos she took of him in secret!
Its size matches the dimensions of a sheet of paper, so it can only contain a stack of photos!
Why is she bringing this?
What is she planning?
Lu Qing is clueless but extremely tense. His mind is racing.
Before he can analyze further, she explains:
"This… this is a gift for you, Boss."
"Huh?"
"You… you gave me a ‘Maidolia’ succubus cosplay outfit…"
"!"
"Last time, you told me to take photos in it within three days…"
"Uh," Lu Qing suddenly remembers and quickly says, "That was actually a joke…"
"I took the photos. Inside are the raw shots. No edits, no filters, and I haven’t shown them to anyone." Tang Hua shyly averts her gaze, murmuring,
"They’re a bit daring."
"Today, I’m giving them to you, Boss. I hope you’ll like them…"
……
……