After the housekeeper left, she was the only one left in the spacious living room.
The coffee table was filled with various refreshments. She took only a sip of tea, and while waiting, her gaze inadvertently swept over the pack of cigarettes and lighter on the sofa.
After waiting for about ten minutes, the sound of footsteps and conversation broke the silence in the room.
Su Lingzhi looked up towards the hallway entrance, and soon, the figure of two men appeared before her eyes.
One was dressed in a business-style beige suit, with a Northern European Caucasian appearance.
And the other one...
At the moment their eyes met, Su Lingzhi felt her heart skip a beat, staring blankly at him. She never expected to cross paths with him again.
And she certainly never expected that her client would be him.
In a daze, she stood up from the sofa, watching them say goodbye, and the housekeeper leaving with the man in the beige suit…
At that moment, the vintage clock on the wall pointed exactly to four o'clock.
The whole living room had only the two of them, their eyes meeting in a silent exchange.
The man's noble and composed face was fully revealed under the white light, his lake-like deep eyes carried an inherent allure, and his gaze, unwaveringly fixed on her, appraised her from head to toe.
He walked over, made a gesture for her to sit, and spoke slowly and calmly, "Sorry to keep you waiting."
Su Lingzhi lowered her gaze and sat back down.
In this situation, she could only pretend to have never met him to communicate with him normally.
"Mr. Zhao, I'm here to measure your sizes."
Fu Yinli corrected her, "The housekeeper who brought you in is surnamed Zhao, my surname is Fu, you can call me Yinli."
Su Lingzhi looked down, "Okay, Mr. Fu."
Fu Yinli paused slightly and asked, "How should I address you?"
"Lindie."
"Your Chinese name."
Su Lingzhi looked up and met his gaze, "Su Lingzhi, Ling as in silk fabric, Zhi as in before."
"Where are you from?" Fu Yinli continued to ask.
"I grew up in Beijing."
Although the questions were simple, she answered them cautiously.
But as a representative of the company, she still had to try to present herself decently, even though this man, whom she had met that night, was still in such an embarrassing state.
"We met the night before last, do you remember?"
As soon as these words were uttered, Su Lingzhi's defenses crumbled instantly, and she forced herself to stay calm, "I don't recall."
Fu Yinli chuckled lightly, unconcerned and did not force her to remember.
Or perhaps she was pretending not to have seen him.
Noticing her nervousness, Fu Yinli got down to business, "Aren't you here to take measurements? How do you plan to do it?"
Upon hearing this, Su Lingzhi took out a notepad and tape measure from her bag.
"Mr. Fu, let's start with the neck circumference."
Fu Yinli stood up, his black shirt tucked into his pants, the first button undone, exposing the skin at his neckline, fair and temptingly alluring.
He was already tall, and Su Lingzhi's height only reached his nose tip, but she still had to stand on tiptoe to loop the tape measure around the back of his neck.
Measurements inevitably involved physical contact, and they were so close now that she could hear his breathing and smell the warm, clean woody scent on him.
For some inexplicable reason, her heart started to race again.
Fu Yinli looked down at her, "Are you afraid of me?"
His gentle words were as if coaxing, particularly seductive.
Su Lingzhi's cheeks reddened slightly, and she shook her head in denial, "No."
She glanced at the scale on the tape measure, turned around, and wrote down a number on her notepad.
After that, she moved around to his back, measuring his shoulder width, bust, waist, and then the foot circumference, each step inevitably involving body contact.
In twenty years, it was her first time measuring a man's sizes. Although she didn't know his current age, his body proportions were perfectly maintained.
At the last step, she hesitated with the tape measure, unsure where to start.
Because she had to slip the tape measure through his legs, securing it at the front and back of the waistband to measure the crotch length.
If she mentioned her concerns now, it would make her look unprofessional.
But…
For such an intimate measurement, he as the person involved should feel more embarrassed than she did, right?
Su Lingzhi calmly looked at him, her amber pupils faintly reflecting light.
She decided to throw the problem back to him, reminding him, "Mr. Fu, we need to measure the crotch length."
Regarding the term 'crotch length,' she guessed he wasn't unfamiliar, he should know how it's measured.
Fu Yinli met her gaze, seeming to see through everything, and asked, "First time measuring a man's body?"
Su Lingzhi hastily averted her eyes, she thought she was acting composed, but he still noticed.
But this matter, there was nothing to hide.
"Compared to suits, I'm more skilled in women's fashion design, but please believe me, I will ensure you are satisfied with my design."
"Why panic?"
Su Lingzhi's suspended heart slowly settled down, unable to understand him.
"Wait a moment." With that, Fu Yinli went upstairs, took a pair of suit pants and came back down, handing it to her for measurement.
Su Lingzhi took the suit pants, feeling a sense of relief, and thanked him.
His conduct was measured, gentlemanly and elegant; such a well-cultured person, aside from a strong aura, brought nothing intimidating.
Moreover, what big personalities hadn't she met? What was there to fear?
She should be grateful the client didn't complicate things for her.
"Mr. Fu, I've completed the measurements. Do you have any requirements for the suit? Any specific style you prefer?"
"Just a slim fit for daily wear," Fu Yinli countered, "Can you do embroidery?"
"I only handle sketch designs, pattern making and embroidery are done by specialists."
"Do you know how or not?"
Su Lingzhi froze for a moment, then nodded in acknowledgement, "Yes."
"Then embroider your Chinese name on the clothes." He specifically emphasized, "By your own hand."
The words carried intense ambiguity.
Su Lingzhi stared intently at the man before her, her mind blanking out.
Shortly, she quickly came back to her senses, keeping her composure, and asked, "Do you have any other requests?"
"No."
Su Lingzhi put away her pen, they exchanged WeChat information to facilitate follow-up design drafts and modifications.
As she was preparing to leave the villa, Housekeeper Zhao suddenly called out to her.
"Miss Su, please wait."
Then, Housekeeper Zhao stepped forward, handing her a bottle of medicinal oil, "This is from our sir for you."
Su Lingzhi took a look at it, it was a bottle of medicine for bruises and injuries.
She didn't understand the significance of his gift, but the medicine stirred memories of that embarrassing night.
She clenched the medicine bottle, expressing gratitude, "Please thank your sir for me."
After seeing her off, Housekeeper Zhao returned to the living room, looked at the man standing by the floor-to-ceiling window, and reported, "Sir, Miss Su has left."
Fu Yinli responded indifferently, "Hmm."
Housekeeper Zhao hesitated for a moment, then asked, "Why didn't you directly tell Miss Su that it was you who paid a large sum to have her specifically design the suit?"
"If she's that afraid of me, and I tell her directly, do you think she would dare to come alone in the future?"
The overwhelming pressure emanating from the sir indeed made people daunted, but with sir's conditions, which woman wouldn't want to attach herself to him?