He was somewhat surprised. Looking up, he saw Lu Xue gazing intently at him, her eyes shining brightly with a radiant smile.
It was only then that Mu Yuze realized belatedly that Lu Xue had deliberately said those words to rile him up just now.
He paused for a good while, his Adam's apple twitching slightly before he softly asked,
"So is this a gift to make amends?"
Lu Xue was so exasperated that she almost burst out laughing. "I specially picked this gift for you several days ago. I've just been waiting for the right day to give it to you!"
Mu Yuze opened the box and saw a pocket watch inside. It was in a very vintage style and exquisitely crafted.
On the watch cover was inlaid an oil painting, and it was actually a portrait of Mu Yuze himself.
Mu Yuze stared at the picture for a long while, unable to snap out of it. Although it was a scaled - down version on the pocket watch, it was not hard to see the charm of the original painting.
The man in the painting was intently looking down at the back of his hand, his long lashes drooping. The sunlight fell from the side, casting undulating contours on his high nose bridge.
Lu Xue leaned over and said, "I painted this based on your photo. Some time ago, a friend asked me to paint an oil - style portrait of her, and she even put it in her living - room. I thought I might as well paint one for you too. I've kept the large original painting in the old mansion, and the scaled - down version is the customized pattern on the pocket watch. Consider it a gift for you."
Mu Yuze caressed the pocket watch. It felt as if his fingertips had been rubbing it so much that they'd almost warmed it up, and the pocket watch was gradually getting hot in his palm.
He lowered his eyes, tightly clutching it before looking up and saying in a calm tone, "Thank you."
Then he put the pocket watch aside and continued to review documents.
Lu Xue was dumbfounded. She had thought that after giving this gift, she would at least get a few words of enthusiastic response. Even if he was cold, Mu Yuze should have worn the pocket watch in front of her and complimented how nice it was!
But he was so indifferent to her gift. Could it be that he wasn't even a bit touched?
Lu Xue was disappointed but didn't want to show it too obviously. Since the gift was already given, she had to pretend as if nothing had happened. She turned around and went back to her workstation to continue working.
During breaks at work, Lu Xue would occasionally glance over at Mu Yuze, only to find that his expression was the same as usual, showing no sign of the expected change.
She sighed silently in her heart. It seemed she had been too self - indulgent. Maybe Mu Yuze didn't even care about such a gift. With his status and position, he could get whatever he wanted. Maybe he simply didn't care about such trinkets.
When work ended that day, Lu Xue left alone, looking dejected.
Mu Yuze could see her leaving back when he looked up. It wasn't until Lu Xue's figure disappeared that a faint smile played on Mu Yuze's lips.
His gaze fell on the pocket watch he had casually placed aside. Suddenly, a soft tenderness welled up in his heart.
He put down what he was doing and caressed the pocket watch again, carefully feeling every part of it before putting it on his chest.
Seeing himself wearing it in the mirror behind him, Mu Yuze could feel his heart beating faster. Just covering the pocket watch with his right hand, he could hear his heart pounding.
At this moment, Yan Hua rushed into the office, rubbing his hands guiltily.
"Boss... It's like this. This afternoon, a staff member from the specialty store contacted me and said that you haven't ordered any new suits from them for a long time. If it's convenient, should I have them send a few sets over now?"
After saying this, Yan Hua carefully observed Mu Yuze's expression.
This afternoon, Yan Hua clearly felt that his boss was in a bad mood. After thinking hard for a while, he thought it was his flamboyant suit that made the boss jealous.
He had been too handsome today, which made the boss look less good - looking by comparison!
Yan Hua quickly went back to check Mu Yuze's personal affairs and found that Mu Yuze really hadn't bought any new personal items from the specialty store for a long time.
Yan Hua slapped his thigh, thinking that must be the reason. So he immediately rushed over to apologize to Mu Yuze and cautiously said these words to please his boss.
For a long time, Mu Yuze on the other side didn't respond.
Mu Yuze had one hand resting on the armrest while the other was covering the pocket watch on his chest. He seemed to be deep in thought, completely immersed in his own world.
Yan Hua felt as if an invisible barrier had separated him from the boss, and they were in different worlds.
Yan Hua leaned over and carefully asked, "Boss, are you okay?"
Mu Yuze didn't answer. He still held the pocket watch tightly. Yan Hua called out to him several more times before Mu Yuze looked up and replied indifferently,
"What is it?"