Chapter 3（A Dangerous Kind of Gentle）
1806 Words
The restaurant was growing uncomfortably warm.
Su Wan slipped off her coat and draped it over the empty chair beside her.
Lu Feng’s gaze followed the movement.
Without the coat, she looked even smaller—slender frame wrapped in a simple white knit sweater. She was painfully aware of how stiff her expression must be, like someone dragged into a date against her will.
Lu Feng knew exactly how people saw him.
He was born this way. He had no intention of changing, nor pretending to be someone else. Marriage was a lifetime matter—he wasn’t about to disguise himself just to get a wife.
The food arrived.
“Would you like help grilling?” the server asked.
“No need,” Lu Feng replied. “We’ll do it ourselves.”
He picked up the tongs and laid slices of meat onto the grill.
Su Wan’s eyes drifted to his hands.
They matched his height and build perfectly—long fingers, broad palms, bronzed skin, strength visible even at rest. For a fleeting, absurd moment, she wondered if he could bend stainless-steel tongs with one hand.
In all her years, she had never encountered a man with such overwhelming presence in real life.
“You’re afraid of me,” Lu Feng said suddenly, lifting his gaze.
“Or are you just bad at dealing with people?”
Only then did Su Wan realize—his silence was unsettling, but once he spoke, the pressure only intensified.
“A bit of both,” she admitted, cupping her glass and taking a sip of lemon water to hide herself.
“How did my aunt describe me?” he asked.
She chose her words carefully.
“She mentioned your age, education, height… and said you’re a good person.”
Amazing physique sounded inappropriate.
Extremely wealthy sounded shallow.
Single because you’re tongue-tied—that was clearly the head nurse’s attempt to cover up his criminal-boss face.
She really had set her up.
“I wouldn’t say I’m particularly good,” Lu Feng said calmly. “But I’m not a bad man. I follow the law.”
Su Wan nodded.
She believed him. No matter how much the head nurse exaggerated, she wouldn’t introduce an actual criminal.
Lu Feng turned the meat on the grill. His phone lit up.
He answered without looking away, movements steady.
Su Wan couldn’t hear the other end—only his low, clipped voice.
“Is it buried?”
“I’ll go this afternoon.”
“Prepare another one.”
Su Wan: …
The diners at nearby tables: …
Buried?
Buried what?
The air went dead silent. Su Wan could even hear someone at the next table gulp loudly.
This guy…
He really was some kind of underworld boss, wasn’t he? Talking like that in public?
Lu Feng set his phone down. The meat was perfectly grilled. He placed several slices onto Su Wan’s plate first.
“Thank you,” she said weakly.
“You’re welcome.”
Each time, he gave her twice as much as himself, splitting the portions evenly afterward—efficient, no awkward politeness.
But Su Wan had a small appetite. When he reached for more, she quickly raised a hand.
“You eat,” she said hurriedly. “I’m almost full. I’ll just have some porridge.”
He looked at her.
“Really full?”
She forced herself to meet his eyes for a second.
“Really.”
He didn’t insist. He gathered the remaining meat into his own plate.
Su Wan sipped her porridge in small mouthfuls. Whenever he asked something, she answered with a smile—but she never initiated conversation.
While eating fruit, Lu Feng said, “I have something to handle this afternoon. Where do you live? I’ll drive you.”
“No need,” she replied quickly. “I can take a cab. It’s not far.”
“My matter isn’t urgent.”
“Really, it’s fine—”
Her words died when she met his gaze again. Silent. Unyielding.
She surrendered.
“…Alright. Sorry to trouble you.”
She bit into a strawberry, silently encouraging herself.
Just endure another half hour. Once we part ways, it’s over.
The cashier was near the entrance. Su Wan followed behind Lu Feng. As they neared it, she gathered her courage.
“Shall we split the bill?”
Lu Feng paused and looked back.
The nurse kept her eyes down, so tense her toes nearly curled.
“I’ll pay first,” he said. “I’ll send you the amount later.”
Relief washed over her.
As he paid, two servers behind the counter fell silent the moment they saw him. A child near the entrance tried to rush inside, looked up at Lu Feng—and instantly retreated behind their parents.
Lu Feng noticed none of it.
Su Wan noticed everything.
Everyone was afraid of him. And when they looked at her, their expressions grew complicated—as if some dramatic crime saga was unfolding in their minds.
Outside the restaurant, she walked stiffly beside him.
The mall was crowded.
Yet in front of them, there was always an empty space.
People parted unconsciously, avoiding eye contact, stealing glances only after they passed—at him, and at the harmless-looking girl beside him.
Su Wan: …
The atmosphere grew heavier.
“Want some milk tea?” Lu Feng asked, pointing to a shop ahead.
“Y-Yes,” she said quickly.
Holding a drink was better than sitting there with nothing to do.
The moment they entered the milk tea shop, it fell eerily quiet.
Su Wan ordered honey pomelo tea.
Lu Feng paid. He didn’t order anything for himself.
“About ten minutes,” the clerk whispered.
Lu Feng led her to a small two-person table.
The space was tight. He had to spread his legs slightly, knees rising above the tabletop, his broad upper body nearly enclosing her.
For the first time, Su Wan truly felt how small she was.
She turned her head, pretending to be fascinated by the clerk making drinks.
It gave Lu Feng a chance to look at her.
Fair skin. Soft baby fat on her cheeks. A healthy pink glow. A slender neck—and behind her right ear, a tiny dark mole.
She could feel his gaze on her the entire time.
She remembered her six previous blind dates—each time, the men were interested, and she felt nothing.
She was afraid of Lu Feng.
Even more afraid that he wouldn’t understand what “ending things amicably” meant.
Please, she thought. Let him not like me.
They took the drinks and headed to the underground parking garage.
It was empty. Rows of cars sat silently. Their footsteps echoed.
Su Wan barely let go of her straw.
Lu Feng unlocked his car. A black Jeep flashed its lights.
With his long stride, he reached the passenger side first and opened the door, waiting for her.
She only dared approach because of the head nurse’s connection.
“Thank you.”
He closed the door for her, walked around, fastened his seatbelt.
“Which complex?”
“Fuxing Road. Heping Community.”
As he set the navigation, Su Wan spoke again, forcing herself.
“That’s my grandmother’s place. My parents lived there too. They passed away in a car accident when I was three. She raised me.”
Lu Feng glanced at her.
She clenched her fingers.
“She had it hard. I’ve decided—when I marry, I’ll bring her to live with us.”
She laid out her biggest “burden.”
“That’s how it should be,” Lu Feng said calmly. “Which gate?”
“…East gate.”
He started the car.
Sunken into the wide seat, Su Wan stole glances at him.
Thirty years old. Sharp profile. Mood unreadable.
Is he bothered by what I said?
She thought—even if she looked alright, “bringing a grandmother along” was a condition no man would accept.
After a few minutes, they stopped at a red light.
“Have you been on blind dates before?” Lu Feng asked.
Her nerves snapped to attention.
“Yes. Six or seven times.”
“Why didn’t any work out?”
Her mind raced.
“They didn’t like me.”
“Nurses are busy. Night shifts. Too many patients. No time for dates.”
“One man backed out the same day after hearing I’d catheterized male patients.”
“I’m boring. Don’t sing, don’t game. Bad at housework. Some men mind that.”
“And my finances. My grandmother… many see it as a burden.”
Lu Feng gave a noncommittal hum.
The light turned green. He drove on.
Su Wan watched the city blur past, heart unsettled.
She regretted not dumping all this earlier. She’d been too shaken to think clearly.
Twenty minutes later, the car stopped by the east gate of Heping Community.
She unfastened her seatbelt.
“About the photos,” Lu Feng said. “My aunt was wrong. I apologize on her behalf.”
She smiled faintly.
“It’s okay. I wasn’t completely honest either.”
“In what way?”
She lowered her head.
“When she asked if I’d had boyfriends, I lied. I said no. In college… I dated three.”
She said it on purpose.
Some men were a mess themselves, yet obsessed with a woman’s past.
Please, she thought. Be that kind of man. Dislike me. Block me. Let this end.
“That’s normal,” Lu Feng said. “How many college students don’t date?”
She couldn’t read his tone.
“You have, too?” she asked.
“No,” he replied. “My situation was special. I’ve always been single.”
Su Wan: …
“As for today,” he continued, “I’m not used to splitting bills with women. How about you treat me next time?”
Her heart skipped.
She’d said all that—and he still wasn’t put off? He even wanted another meeting?
He looked at her silently.
That gaze—emotionless, yet more oppressive than any accusation.
Her breath caught. The refusal stuck in her throat.
She forced a smile.
“Y-Yes. Sure.”
Not sure at all.
“When are you free?” he asked.
“I—I need to check my schedule. Our shifts are messy. Three rotations. I lose track sometimes.”
“I remember,” Lu Feng interrupted, “you said today and Sunday at noon.”
Su Wan: …
“Right,” she said weakly. “Almost forgot.”
Click.
The car unlocked.
Lu Feng leaned over.
One hand reached past her to open the passenger door.
His face was suddenly close.
“So,” he said, eyes fixed on hers, every word deliberate,
“Sunday?”
- Writer
