Chapter 43: Are You Alright?

 "Coffee?"

 Miyeon stared at the man standing in front of her with an expression of undisguised shock and amazement. 'This man, CEO Lu, is he really alright in the head?' Miyeon wondered.

"What?" Miyeon said, quickly fixing her expression to give Lu Minzhe an inquiring look.

"That..uh..Take me out for coffee," Lu Minzhe responded. He inwardly winced at his awkwardness. Why does he always make a fool of himself in front of her?

"I'm sorry?" Miyeon asked, not fully understanding his meaning. 'Did he really come here to have me take him out for coffee?' she mused, now somewhat convinced that there must be something wrong with this man.

"I heard there were good cafes around here," Lu Minzhe said straightfaced. 

"Well….Yes," Miyeon answered haltingly. Internally she thought, 'There must be tons of nice cafe spots in District 1 as well where you live though.'

"So, buy me coffee. I took you around Tokyo last time,' he said, looking rather serious.

"I'm sorry, CEO Lu. But, are you alright?" Miyeon asked bluntly. 'This is quite possibly the most shameless man I've met in my life,' she thought internally. 'What does he mean he took me around Tokyo? If I recall correctly, didn't he simply tag along while I was out by myself?' she thought with confusion.

"I am perfectly fine. Thank you for asking. I'm very particular about my coffee and I heard you are quite the coffee drinker so I have high expectations of you," Lu Minzhe declared confidently, purposely misunderstanding Miyeon's previous question.

"Ung?" Miyeon could only mutter in a questioning manner. 'What is this man going on about?'

"It's decided then. My car is over there. Let's go," he said, gesturing over where the Land Rover was parked. Like a shrewd businessman, Lu Minzhe took advantage of Miyeon's moment of uncertainty and promptly decided on her behalf. 

Before she knew it, Miyeon was already seated on the passenger side of the Land Rover and was inputting the address of the coffee shop she was planning to visit. On the other hand, the man beside her was wearing a satisfied smile on his face as he chatted about the weather. Afterwards, they drove in silence to AChromatic Coffee, a popular hangout spot of locals in District 4. 

The pair walked into the coffee shop earning the admiring and curious glances of the patrons. Since Miyeon often frequented this cafe, she quickly pointed towards an empty corner table for Lu Minzhe to take a seat while she placed their orders. 

Meanwhile Lu Minzhe made his way to the corner table, he began to observe the cafe's surroundings. The standalone coffee shop had a rustic feel with its wooden furniture and homey decor and was bustling with locals that Saturday afternoon.

As he was looking about, Lu Minzhe noticed several men craning their necks to get a better view of Miyeon who stood alone at the counter. This sight inexplicably made his mood turn sour. With his gaze fixed on the coffee counter, Lu Minzhe saw a man approach Miyeon and immediately his brows unconsciously furrowed. The two chatted for a few minutes and laughingly bade each other goodbye before Miyeon turned to grab the tray with her order on the counter. Seeing Miyeon interact with a random man made his chest feel stuffy. He knew it was just a casual conversation between the two yet still he felt unsettled. Why?

...…...

As Miyeon placed the tray containing an iced americano, drip coffee, and a slice of Japanese cheesecake on their table, she noticed Lu Minzhe had a sullen look on his face. Realizing that she had made the CEO of Lu Corp wait as she chatted with a stranger, Miyeon felt somewhat ill at ease.

"CEO Lu, I'm sorry for the wait," Miyeon said apologetically. 

"Was he a friend of yours?" Lu Minzhe asked and tilted his head towards where the man went with a slight frown creasing his face.

"Huh? Oh no, not at all. We didn't know each other," Miyeon answered with an easy smile.

"Then why the long conversation?" Lu Minzhe inquired.

"Oh that. Uhm. He was asking for my number," Miyeon said somewhat embarrassedly. She thought that would be the end of the conversation, so she took a sip of her americano and prepared to take a bite of the deliciously fluffy looking cheesecake. 

However, it appears Lu Minzhe was reluctant to let the topic go and persisted with another question. "Did you give him your number?" he asked in a tense voice. 

With her mouth full of cheesecake, Miyeon quickly chewed and swallowed before answering, "Hmm? No. Actually, I told a little fib...that I was already seeing someone. He got a bit embarrassed and we chatted a bit before parting ways." 

"Why did you do that?" Lu Minzhe asked, looking curiously at Miyeon. 

"Huh? Do what?" she asked, perplexed. 'Where is this conversation going? I just want to enjoy my cheesecake,' Miyeon grumbled internally.

"Lie. Did you not find him attractive enough?" he prodded. 'I'm really curious. I want to know what's her type,' Lu Minzhe thought while trying to tamp down his burgeoning interest. 

"Hmm? No, he was plenty attractive," Miyeon responded tentatively. "It's just...I have no intention of seeing anyone right now," she finally admitted.

"I see. Then," Lu Minzhe began, intending to ask about her previous relationships.

Thinking the sudden turn of events was too odd and personal for her taste, Miyeon intentionally cut off Lu Minzhe mid sentence by asking, "CEO Lu, what brought you over to this area today?"

"[coughing noise] Ah..That.. I had some business nearby." Lu Minzhe answered somewhat unnaturally as he took a sip of his coffee.

"Really? On a Saturday afternoon? In District 4?" Miyeon inquired, looking rather unconvinced.

"Ahem. Since earlier. I noticed you've been addressing me as CEO Lu," he interjected in an attempt to distract Miyeon from inquiring further. 

'There he goes again with this 'brother' thing. Does he have a sister complex?' Miyeon mused, not understanding the man's preoccupation with being addressed as 'Ge.'

"Minzhe-ge," she complied with a smile.

"Good," Lu Minzhe said, giving a charming smile of his own.

"So, you came here for business?" Miyeon prodded.

"Ahhh...yes. It's a personal business project," Lu Minzhe answered evasively. 

Seeing Miyeon's doubtful expression ease up a bit, Lu Minzhe discreetly smiled.

"Since I was around the area, I thought we could catch-up," he continued, looking self-assured.

"Hmm.." (Miyeon)

And so, the two began to casually chat about what they had been up to during the past month, when Lu Minzhe mentioned seeing Miyeon on one of Le Ciel's social media posts.

"Ah. You saw that," Miyeon said, looking slightly abashed.

"En. You looked very beautiful. Really...I couldn't keep my eyes off you," Lu Minzhe commented, as he fixed Miyeon with a riveting gaze.