《Bringing the Nation's Husband Home》 Chapter 1: Bringing the ‘Nations Husband’ Home (1) Chapter 1: Bringing the ¡®Nation''s Husband¡¯ Home (1) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Everyone tries to do their best to love another, but more often than not, they forget to tell each other "I love you". When Lu Jinnian¡¯s phone rm sounded, Qiao Anhao was the first to rouse. Turning sideways, she realised that she had fallen asleep in Lu Jinnian¡¯s arms! After about two seconds, the events from the previous night starteding back to her. Thunderstruck, she jumped off the bed and ran towards the toilet in a panic. Qiao Anhao¡¯s vigorous actions together with the phone¡¯s rm woke Lu Jinnian. As he opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was Qiao Anhao slipping into the toilet. Even though it was just a nce, he could clearly tell that she waspletely naked, kiss marks marking her tender white skin. Snippets from the night before started returning to his mind. Qiao Anhao had climbed into his arms, kissing him, caressing him, slowly undressing him¡­ Lu Jinnian furrowed his eyebrows. Scanning the room, he took in the mess on the bed, male and female pyjamas closely tangled together, a small bright red patch staining the bedsheets... Lu Jinnian had too much alcohol the night before, which caused him a splitting headache. But this did not hinder his thought process. In just about a second, he figured what had happened between the two of them. It was not a dream! Everything was real! Lu Jinnian¡¯s eyes darkened as he clenched the nket. The next second, he yanked it open and marched towards the bathroom, his face a mask of anger. Qiao Anhao shut the bathroom door, taking deep breaths. She had also drank alcohol the night before. Intoxicated, she had climbed into Lu Jin Nian¡¯s arms. Thinking that it was a dream, she had daringly kissed him, before sessfully seducing him. Not once had it urred to her that it wasn''t a dream. Both Qiao Anhao and Lu Jinnian have been married for about two months. However, it was not a marriage of love and the public was not aware of their coupling. The following two weeks after they had married, they had effectively avoided each other with tacit understanding. Once they were out of the house, they automatically regarded the other as a stranger. But now, she had broken their agreement ¡­ How will he react? Just the thought of it made her shudder in fear and panic. After a long while, Qiao Anhao reached towards the shower with trembling hands. Just as she was about to calm herself with cold water, the shower door flew open. Lu Jinnian charged in angrily. Grabbing her arm, he yanked her back. Reaching forward once again, he grabbed her neck, pushing her towards the wall behind. Frustrated, Lu Jinnian did not control his strength and Qiao Anhao could feel pain throbbing down her back when he pushed her against the wall. Instinctively, she inhaled sharply. But before she could finish her inhale, Lu Jinnian snarled, "Qiao Anhao, I never knew you had the ability to take advantage of me, how could you climb into my bed when I was drunk?!" Chapter 2: Bringing the ‘Nations Husband’ Home (2) Chapter 2: Bringing the ¡®Nation¡¯s Husband¡¯ Home (2) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Just then, Lu Jinnian seemed to have remembered something. His eyes lowered slightly. Exerting more strength, he pulled Qiao Anhao¡¯s chin upwards. Lifting her face, he stared into her eyes. With a tone as cold as ice, he hissed, " Qiao Anhao, if I remember correctly, on our wedding night, like a lofty woman, the first sentence you said was not to touch you! Now what? Just two months into the wedding and you can¡¯t wait to climb into my bed?" Lu Jinnian remained expressionless, frost and indifference coating his gaze. As he spoke, he strengthened his arm on her neck, slowly emitting a dangerous air that left people trembling. Qiao Anhao¡¯s original anxious state intensified under his interrogation. Even her toes were trembling. She bit down on her lip, stunned for a long while, unable to say a word. Lu Jinnian also stopped talking, seemingly patient. Silence fell on the room, and Lu Jinnian continued to look unwaveringly at Qiao Anhao¡¯s pretty face. Qiao Anhao was a bundle of nerves as she felt her thoughts being read by Lu Jinnian. Her heart raced and just when she couldn¡¯t withstand the pressure any longer, Lu Jinnian spoke, breaking the silence, "Or have you always wanted to be in my bed..." Qiao Anhao trembled in shock. Had he found out about her feelings? Panic shed across her eyes. Trying desperately to hide her feelings, she blurted out, "I want a role in ¡¯To the end of time¡¯!" Lu Jinnian stopped mid-sentence, unable to continue. Qiao Anhao may have spoken too fast, causing him to be lost in a trance. For a long while, he stood silent. She felt as though her heart was about to leap out of her throat. She struggled to calm down, staring straight at Lu Jinnian¡¯s wless face. Keeping herposure, Qiao Anhao continued, "As you know, its been more than half a year since my debut but I haven¡¯t taken on any substantial roles. Since you hold so much authority in this industry, just a word would definitely secure me a role in ¡¯To the end of time¡¯." Qiao Anhao froze briefly. After about five seconds, she pressed her lips into a tight line. Slowly, she continued, "Yesterday night was my payment." Registering her words, Lu Jinnian¡¯s pupils shrunk sharply. As though trying to suppress his anger, the fingers on her neck started trembling. The next moment, he burst intoughter, " Qiao Anhao, are you trying to y with me?" Lu Jinnian chuckled, a shortugh no more than two counts, before the smile disappeared. He red sharply at her, and with a cruel tone soaked in frost said, "So you want to y with me? Alright, I¡¯ll make sure to break you!" Chapter 3: Bringing the ‘Nations Husband’ Home (3) Chapter 3: Bringing the ¡®Nation¡¯s Husband¡¯ Home (3) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Lu Jinnian red at Qiao Anhao with a murderous expression. Clenching his teeth, he spat out hisst sentence before ruthlessly removing his hands from her neck. Without sparing her another nce, he left. y till your death... Qiao Anhao¡¯s longshes trembled slightly as her face paled. She remained glued to the wall until a thundering door m resounded. Only then did she swallow the saliva that had formed behind her tightly sped lips. Exhausted, she copsed to the ground, tears clouding her vision. Why would she climb into his bed just to act in ¡¯To the End of Time¡¯ ? She just wanted to use it as an excuse to conceal her real feelings. Feelings only kept to herself. Her love for him. She loved him. She was secretly in love with him for the past thirteen years, never daring or allowing herself to let him know. She thought that if she just concealed her feelings, everything would turn out alright. But never would she have known that one night, slightly intoxicated, she would expose her deepest secret. She had clearly overestimated her own abilities. Even though Qiao Anhao had infuriated Lu Jinnian by climbing into his bed, she still received a phone call from ¡¯To the End of Time¡¯ crew three dayster, informing her to go for an audition. It wasn¡¯t made known to her whether the audition was the director¡¯s decision or an order from Lu Jinnian. Her screen time for the drama was neither too little nor too much. It wasn¡¯t a major role but it wasn¡¯t a filler either. But it was definitely a thousand times better than her previous role. Since the role was obtained through undignified means, the audition was just a formality. Directly after it, she signed the contract. Three dayster, Qiao Anhao officially joined the crew, just a day after Lu Jinnian had flown off to Rome to film a new movie. After a wild night together, the married couple of two months had gone separate ways. Three monthster... After three months of filming ¡¯To the End of Time¡¯, the television drama sessfully ended off in a rented mansion worth thirty million dors. The whole crew erupted in joy, the happiest being the director. He picked up his phone and generously booked the top floor dining hall of Jing Cheng hotel, treating the whole crew to a celebratory meal. ¡¯To the End of Time¡¯ ended around 3 pm in the afternoon. The technical crew needed to pack up their equipment and the actors needed to remove their makeup and change, hence the celebratory meal was set at night, around 8 pm. Lu Jinnian had been in Rome all that time due to the filming of his new movie. Using the limited two day break in-between his tight schedule, he returned to the country to settle sudden issues arisen in thepany. Due to the time constraint, Lu Jinnian barely had any time to rest from the long flight. Right afternding in Bei Jing international airport, he went straight to thepany. Without time wasted, the meeting started the minute he entered. The board had already gathered and was waiting for his arrival. The meetingsted from 3 pm in the afternoon all the way till 6 pm at night. Lu Jinnian¡¯s assistant followed him into his office. "Mr. Lu, I¡¯ve already booked the 12 am flight to Rome. After touchdown, you can rest up to fifteen hours before your next scene." Chapter 4: Bringing the ‘Nations Husband’ Home (4) Chapter 4: Bringing the ¡®Nation¡¯s Husband¡¯ Home (4) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem After the long flight and a meeting thatsted the whole afternoon, Lu Jinnian looked exhausted. Sitting in his office, he casually took out the phone he had on silent while listening to his assistant report his schedule. Just as he was about to lock his phone, a message came in. Lu Jinnian smoothly clicked it open, "¡¯To the End of Time¡¯ filmingpleted. There¡¯ll be a celebratory banquet tonight at 8 pm in Jing Chen hotel. Do drop by if you have the time!" Lu Jinnian stared at the message for about five seconds before lifting his head indifferently. He nodded towards his assistant, acknowledging his report. Lu Jinnian¡¯s assistant had been working for him for many years, hence he was well acquainted with his boss¡¯ aloof personality. Unperturbed by Lin Jin Nian¡¯sck of concern, he continued, "Mr. Lu, there are about six hours before the airne takes off. Would you like to have dinner in the city or at the airport?" "In the city," Lu Jinnian replied faintly. Before his assistant could ask about the location, he continued, " Jing Chen hotel." When Lu Jinnian and his assistant finished their meal, it was already 8.30 pm. They footed the bill before proceeding to the main door. Just as they reached it, Lu Jinnian stopped. His assistant stopped immediately as well. "Mr Lu, is something wrong?" Lu Jinnian remained silent for awhile and just when his assistant was started debating whether or not to repeat the question, he replied, "Wait for me in the car, I have something to do upstairs." He stood at the main door for a few more seconds before turning towards the lift. - As part of the crew in ¡¯To the End of Time¡¯, Qiao Anhao was naturally at the dinner. The minute she reached the city, she had hurriedly bathed, changed her clothes, done her hair, and applied light makeup before rushing to Jing Chen hotel. Despite preparing in record time, Qiao Anhao was stillte for the dinner. When she reached, ¡¯To the End of Time¡¯ director was already on the stage, addressing the crowd, expressing his gratitude. Since everyone was focused on the director, no one noticed Qiao Anhao¡¯ste arrival. She stood in the crowd, looking around before making a beeline for her manager Zhao Meng. After the director¡¯s brief speech, the dinner began. Since it was a banquet, socializing and alcohol were customary. Qiao Anhao wasn¡¯t an A lister in the industry but her pretty face, perfect figure, good personality, and eloquence allowed her to shine, so she fit in perfectly. Qiao Anhao was starving by the time she greeted everyone in the banquet. Without hesitation, she pulled Zhao Meng towards the buffet area. She filled her te before randomly sitting down near a window. After a few bites, the originally boisterous banquet hall suddenly fell silent. Qiao Anhao lifted her head in curiosity as she continued to munch on her food. Following the direction of the crowd¡¯s gaze, she saw Lu Jinnian. Chapter 5: Bringing the ‘Nations Husband’ Home (5) Chapter 5: Bringing the ¡®Nation¡¯s Husband¡¯ Home (5) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem The memory from three months ago resurfaced. She remembered getting strangled by Lu Jinnian after climbing into his bed... "Qiao Anhao, are you trying to y with me? "Good, Qiao Anhao, you want to y? I¡¯ll y till the end!" The grip she had on the chopsticks unconsciously tightened, and her heart pounded. He must have been very angry that day to have said such things. For the past three months, she had been hiding from him. Despite her efforts, she still met him in the end. Dressed in a well-fitted ck suit, Lu Jinnian¡¯s tall and trim physique was entuated. As the bright lights in the banquet hall fell on his face, his originally exquisite facial features became three-dimensional. His sharp nose bridge, thin lips, strong brows were dazzling. The entertainment industry was saturated with good looking people. One could easily pick out an entertainer that would stand out in the crowd. However, Lu Jinnian was not just that, he possessed a unique charisma that would capture anyone¡¯s attention, easily making him the focal point anywhere. Silence fell in the room the minute he arrived. ¡¯To the End of Time¡¯ director was the first toe back to his senses. With a ss of wine in hand, he enthusiastically weed Lu Jinnian, "Mr. Lu..." The atmosphere gradually heated up after the director had spoken. Even though it was clear to everyone that their greetings wouldn¡¯t be reciprocated, it didn¡¯t stop them from greeting him. Lu Jinnian strolled towards the seating area as though no one had spoken to him. Even though it was just a short stroll, hewas still able to captivate everyone¡¯s attention. The director held onto the wine, fawning all over Lu Jinnian with a smile stered on his face. Qiao An was eating in the seating area. Initially, when she was still a distance away from him with the crowd shielding her, she had the courage to look at him. But as he came closer, she only dared to sneak asional peeks. When Lu Jinnian was finally about to reach her, she didn¡¯t even dare to lift her head. Cautiously, she remained in her seat, motionless, no longer moving her chopsticks, no longer as carefree as before. "Chairman Lu, why didn¡¯t you inform us that you wereing? I could have gotten someone to escort you..." When the director¡¯s words reached Qiao Anhao¡¯s ears, she distinctly felt Lu Jinnian walking towards her. Unconsciously, she tightened the grip on her chopsticks and straightened her back into a rod. As she focused on her te of food, even her chewing started to slow, bing careful. When Lu Jinnian finally walked pass her and Qiao Anhao was preparing to heave a sigh of relief, she realized that he had sat down in a chair behind her. Chapter 6: Bringing the ‘Nations Husband’ Home (6) Chapter 6: Bringing the ¡®Nation¡¯s Husband¡¯ Home (6) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem When Qiao Anhao first fell in love with Lu Jinnian, her dreams were constantly filled with him. As time went by, she became afraid of seeing him. Whenever he was near her, she would be drowned in fear and anxiety. And these feelings only intensified after the events three months ago... At this very moment, Lu Jinnian was sitting behind her. All her senses heightened as she grew aware of his voice and his breath. Her palms got soaked with sweat from her anxiety. Lu Jinnian and the director¡¯s conversation centered around movies and dramas. Even though Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t say much, Qiao Anhao¡¯s heart trembled at his every word. No longer able to withstand the pressure, Qiao Anhao put down her chopsticks, threw the excuse of toilet to Zhao Meng, and stood up. But the moment she stood up, Lu Jinnian stood up as well. Was it a coincidence or was it deliberate? The washroom was behind Qiao Anhao and the dining hall exit was behind Lu Jinnian. Hence, just as she turned, he turned as well. Their gazes collided. Just a nce at Lu Jinnian caused Qiao Anhao to frantically lower her head, avoiding his eyes. The two of them now have been married for five months but the news had never been publicized. To the public, the two of them were strangers to each other. Qiao Anhao clenched her fists tightly, trying to calm her rapidly pounding heart. Attempting to act like everyone else, as though they were indeed strangers, she greeted him politely, "Good evening, Mr. Lu." Lu Jinnian remained straight-faced, not moving, his gaze uncertain, giving the impression that he hadn¡¯t heard Qiao Anhao¡¯s greeting at all. After a long while, he suddenly blinked. Turning, he took a detour before taking long strides out the dining hall. From the very beginning, he hadn¡¯t taken a single nce at Qiao Anhao, as though the woman in front of him wasn¡¯t the wife he had married five months ago. Lu Jinnian had a cold and aloof personality that made it difficult for others to get close. His authority in the entertainment industry further instilled fear in others, forcing them to behave carefully around him. The moment he left the dining hall, the atmosphere gradually heightened, returning to the boisterous affair of before his arrival. But because he hade, people naturally started gossiping about him. "Lu Jinnian is indeed a legend of the industry." "He¡¯s not just a legend, he is an unbelievable miracle. For the past ten years since his debut, there wasn¡¯t any gossip or bacsh." "He has also built his own empire from scratch. It¡¯s said that he entered the industry as a poor boy without any background. After four years, his fame skyrocketed, and he clinched the "Best Male Actor" award for six consecutive years. Out of the ten movies voted online as ssics, he appeared in six, in only two of them not as the lead." Chapter 7: Bringing the ‘Nations Husband’ Home (7) Chapter 7: Bringing the ¡®Nation¡¯s Husband¡¯ Home (7) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem "What¡¯s most unbelievable is that when Huan Ying Entertainmentpany was facing bankruptcy issues, he took out all his savings to buy it. Everyone thought that he would go down together with thepany, but in just three short years, he actually developed Huan Ying into the biggest Entertainmentpany in the country. Which A lister in the industry isn¡¯t from Huan Ying nowadays?" "But I heard that he has an aloof personality, doesn¡¯t like interacting with others and likes to do everything by himself. Though in terms of looks, ability, and acting skills, he¡¯s definitely at the top. He¡¯s no doubt worthy of the "Nation¡¯s Husband" title bestowed on him. I wonder who this "Nation¡¯s Husband" will marry in the end..." "Now that you mention it, he debuted at 18... so he should be 28 now. Reasonably speaking, even if he doesn¡¯t get married, he should at least have a girlfriend, why haven¡¯t there been any gossip?" "Yes! Girlfriend aside, he doesn¡¯t even have a female that he¡¯s intimate or close with. Such a mystery! Or maybe he doesn¡¯t like girls..." ... Listening to their endless chatter, Zhao Meng couldn¡¯t hold back her curiosity. Lifting her head, she asked Qiao Anhao, who was directly in front of her, stirring her cup of coffee, " Why is he back in Bei Jing? Isn¡¯t his movie still ongoing?" Even though their marriage was kept a secret, Qiao Anhao still told Zhao Meng, who was not only her manager but also a long time best friend. Hence, Qiao Anhao immediately understood who she was talking about even though Zhao Meng didn¡¯t specifically mention Lu Jinnian. Her hands stopped momentarily. Looking up and into her friend¡¯s eyes, she shook her head, saying honestly, "I don¡¯t know." "You don¡¯t know?!" Zhao Meng looked incredulous. "Miss Qiao Anhao, are you even his wife? He didn¡¯t even call to notify you when he came back from Rome?" Qiao Anhao continued to shake her head. "He didn¡¯t." Just then, Zhao Meng suddenly remembered that when her friend had bumped into Lu Jinnian, he didn¡¯t even bother looking at her. At that time, she had thought that they were trying to cover up their marriage, but now, she realized that it wasn¡¯t the case. Zhao Meng frowned, continuing, " Are you guys like that in private? How often do you two talk?" Qiao Anhao looked down, not speaking. She and Lu Jinnian weren¡¯t interacting in private. In the five months they had been married, they spoke three times, thest time being the scolding from three months ago when she climbed into his bed. Thinking of that, her lips curved upwards slightly. Ignoring Zhao Meng¡¯s first question, she answered the second one, "We haven¡¯t talked in three months." Chapter 8: Bringing the ‘Nations Husband’ Home (8) Chapter 8: Bringing the ¡®Nation¡¯s Husband¡¯ Home (8) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem "Three months?!" Zhao Meng widened her eyes in shock. "Miss Qiao Anhao, are you his wife or his mistress? No, you¡¯re worse than a mistress! A mistress would at least get benefits, but what have you gotten? Look at what you¡¯re wearing, which item costs more than a five digit sum? And with the authority he yields, he could easily groom you into an A lister, but instead he gave you a small role in ¡¯To the End of Time¡¯..." Qiao Anhao remained silent, her heart trembling with Zhao Meng¡¯s ruthless words. It was the truth, she was indeed worse than a mistress. Even though both roles included sleeping with a guy, a mistress had to be of interest to the man at the very least. But Lu Jinnian was infuriated after she had slept with him. Qiao Anhao lifted the coffee and downed a big gulp, suppressing the bitterness biting at her. Calmly, as though she were speaking about someone else, she said, "You should know we were forced to get married. There were no feelings involved,ck ofmunication is normal." Zhao Meng and Qiao Anhao have known each other since young, so even though their interests and hobbies differed, they still had a close rtionship. Hence, regarding some matters, Zhao Meng understood. She was silent for a long while, staring at Qiao Anhao who remained impassive. Finally, she took a deep breath. "Qiao Qiao, during middle and high school, there weren¡¯t many girls who could talk to him but you were one of them. He treated you well and had even gone out to y with you several times. Why did you suddenly stop interacting in college? Why did you start treating each other as strangers that had never met before? Many a time he would treat you impatiently, not minding hisnguage. What exactly happened?" What happened? Qiao Anhao slipped into a trance. She stared at her coffee for a long while before shaking her head slowly. Softly she whispered, "I don¡¯t know, all this while, I¡¯ve been desperately wondering what exactly happened that year." Lu Jinnian¡¯s assistant had already parked the car at the main entrance by the time Lu Jinnian exited Jing Chen hotel. The minute his assistant saw him, he immediately came out to open the back door. Lu Jinnian entered the car wordlessly. While closing the door, his assistant raised his head to peek at his boss¡¯ expression, only to find his face tight with his lips clenched into a straight line. The assistant definitely hadn¡¯t expected such an expression! He hurriedly closed the back door in a panic. Returning to his front seat, he started the engine and scooted out. Chapter 9: Bringing the ‘Nations Husband’ Home (9) Chapter 9: Bringing the ¡®Nation¡¯s Husband¡¯ Home (9) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Having worked for Lu Jinnian for many years, his assistant could easily decipher his mood based on the smallest expressions. Whenever he clenched his lips so tightly, he was most likely not in the best mood. But he was feeling fine after dinner, so how could there be such a change? Did something happen just now? Even though he had his suspicion, the assistant couldn¡¯t muster enough courage to ask about it. He continued to drive steadily, only asking in a business like tone, "Mr. Lu, do you want to go directly to the airport?" Lu Jinnian remained quiet. Silence suffused the car. Lu Jinnian had a cold personality that prevented others from getting too close, and at that moment, he was emitting so much frost that the atmosphere in the car became suppressive and suffocating. The assistant continued to drive forward, no longer speaking, purely focusing on the road while anxiety slowly engulfed him. As the car steered from the second to thirdne, the clear weather suddenly changed and it started pouring. To calm his own nerves, the assistant spoke again. "It¡¯s raining," he said. As the words fell, the rain intensified, rain droplets smashing furiously onto the car, producing a loud rhythmic "pa" sound. Lu Jinnian continued to remain silent. Upon the second rejection, the assistant gave up, shutting his mouth. The rain continued to strengthen, blurring the vision ahead, and the car slowed. Just as the car was about to turn towards the airport, Lu Jinnian suddenly said, "Stop the car." His voice was not loud but it was enough for his assistant to hear. He immediately mmed the brakes, stopping the car. The assistant turned back towards Lu Jinnian. "Mr. Lu, is something wrong?" Again, Lu Jinnian stayed silent, both eyes staring out the car window at two students in uniforms. Both the girl and boy were running hurriedly through the rain. They ended up hiding under a building. After about two minutes, they left in a cab but Lu Jinnian¡¯s gaze remained glued to the spot under the building they had hid under. The assistant was bewildered. Impatient, the assistant asked again, "Mr. Lu?" Still, Lu Jinnian remained silent. However, he seemed to be in a trance, his thoughts straying to a memory from many years ago. It was also raining heavily that day, and he and Qiao Anhao had both ran to the same old building for shelter.That was the first time they met. Both not saying a word, they looked at each other only to realize they were from the same school from their uniforms. "Mr. Lu?" After a seemingly long time, the assistant¡¯s voice sounded once again. Lu Jinnian¡¯s brows twitched slightly. He turned his head slightly, his deep gaze calm, emotionless. Chapter 10: Bringing the ‘Nations Husband’ Home (10) Chapter 10: Bringing the ¡®Nation¡¯s Husband¡¯ Home (10) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem "Mr. Lu, the ne will depart in two hours, we need to check in..." Before the assistant could finish his sentence, Lu Jinnian cut him off, "You can leave at the nearest taxi stand." "Huh?" the assistant asked in shock. He was just about to continue, but Lu Jinnian added, "I¡¯m not going to Rome today, change it to tomorrow morning." Once his assistant left, Lu Jinnian moved to the drivers seat. Grabbing the steering wheel, he started tapping it lightly. Finally, seemingly having given up, he turned the keys irritably, driving decisively towards the city center. --- After ¡¯To the End of Time¡¯ celebratory dinner, Zhao Meng drove Qiao Anhao back to Mian Xiu Garden. It was a prestigious district in Beijing surrounded by mountains. Every inch ofnd was highly valued and costly. This was where Lu Jinnian and Qiao Anhao¡¯s marital house resided. Zhao Meng stopped her car steadily in front of the vi. The rain had stopped after washing off the dirt from the sidewalks. As the warm yellow street light hit the puddles, rays of light reflected in all directions. After saying goodbye, Qiao Anhao waited for Zhao Meng to leave her sight before reaching into her bag for the key to the main door. After the rain earlier, the flowers that were blooming in the front yard had all fallen, emitting a mixture of flower aroma and the smell of rain. Even though the vi was not far from the main gate, Qiao Anhao deliberately strolled towards it slowly. Lu Jinnian was back from Rome, would he be back tonight? Or was he already in the vi? After the incident three months ago, Qiao Anhao was not able to face him. The very thought of meeting him would cause her to shudder in fear and anxiety. Qiao Anhao stood at the door of the vi, eyes closed. She took several deep breathes before retrieving her keys to open the door. Other than two part-time cleaners, there were no other long term helpers in the vi, causing it to seem extremely quiet. She stood at the entrance, scanning the living room. Confirming that there was no one, she slipped into her house slippers and slowly started upstairs. Only after making sure that the upstairs were also empty did she sigh inwardly, finally rxing. He was not in the vi... but would hee back tonight? These past three months aside, after they got married, Lu Jinnian would asionally drop by Mian Xiu Garden with no particr schedule but neverter than 1 am. It was 12 am night right now, so if he was not back in another hour, it was highly likely that he would not being back tonight. Time gradually crawled past Qiao Anhao¡¯s uneasy heart. When the clock hit 1 am, she finally rxed her tensed body. She had been stressed the entire day, and now that she was able to rx, she copsed onto the sofa in exhaustion. It was 1 am, he definitely wouldn¡¯t being back tonight. Chapter 11: Small Acts of Love (1) Chapter 11: Small Acts of Love (1) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Qiao Anhao waited for herself to fully calm down before raising from the sofa. Taking a set of clothes, she headed to the bathroom. She left the tap streaming into the bath while she removed her makeup in front of the vanity table. When she was about to squeeze toothpaste onto her toothbrush, she vaguely heard footsteps outside amid the sshing water. She froze, her hand unconsciously tightening her grip on the toothbrush. She stood at the sink area for a long while before pushing the bathroom door open. Outside, Lu Jinnian was sitting on the sofa. Qiao Anhao had felt uneasy the whole night, not knowing if he was going toe back. Only when she saw daybreak did she finally calm down, knowing it was toote for him toe back. At this moment, she was not prepared to face him. Her heart sank, the familiar sense of fear and anxiety creeping up on her, overwhelming her. Hearing the door being pushed open, Lu Jinnian turned his head slightly, his gaze sweeping past Qiao Anhao without any emotion evident. She trembled when he nced at her. Unconsciously, she looked away, quickly lowering her head. Even though she knew that she would be ignored if she spoke to him, after a slight hesitation, she still asked warmly, "You¡¯re back?" All she gave him was the tip of her head... She didn¡¯t even want to look at him... Lu Jinnian clenched his lips, looking away coldly. Ignoring Qiao Anhao¡¯s words, he lifted his hand to unbutton his suit. Qiao Anhao was used to being ignored by Lu Jinnian, but this time, probably due to the events three months ago, she could distinctly sense the frost radiating off him. She grew increasingly more nervous. Wishing she could escape, she squeezed the toothbrush tightly. Finally, when she could no longer withstand the pressure, she blurted out an excuse, "Erm... my bath should be ready, I¡¯ll go bath now." Lu Jinnian continued to ignore Qiao Anhao, causally tossing his suit onto the sofa before taking long strides out the door of the master bedroom. Only after a long while after Lu Jinnian had left did Qiao Anhaoe back to her senses. She shut her eyes, taking in a deep breath before heading back to the bathroom. If she could, Qiao Anhao would have hidden in the bathroom till Lu Jinnian left Mian Huan garden. However, despite that, she still came out. When she opened the bathroom door, Lu Jinnian came into her sight, just having finished his shower. He was dressed in pajamas and was sitting on the bed, the side that he usually slept on. With both hands behind his head, he rested, eyes closed. Chapter 12: Small Acts of Love (2) Chapter 12: Small Acts of Love (2) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem When Qiao Anhao opened the bathroom door, Lu Jinnian came into her sight, just having finished his shower. He was dressed in pajamas and was sitting on the bed, the side that he usually slept on. With both hands behind his head, he rested, eyes closed. Qiao Anhao averted her gaze before even catching a glimpse of his expression. Lowering hershes, she walked towards her vanity table. The table had a mirror that faced the bed. Every time Qiao Anhao looked into it, she could catch brief glimpses of Lu Jinnian. Initially, she stole only quick peeks, but after confirming that Lu Jinnian never once opened his eyes, most likely asleep, she dared to admire him quietly in the mirror. Lu Jinnian¡¯s face was imprinted into Qiao Anhao¡¯s mind; she could remember every detail distinctly even with her eyes close. Ever since the first time they met thirteen years ago, she had never stopped getting butterflies just by looking at his face. With his eyes shut, Lu Jinnian seemed to be less cold, the frosty aura that he seemed to emit had also dissipated, softening his features. Mesmerized, Qiao Anhao forgot to apply her facial cream, causing it drop on the floor. Even if it was just a one sided crush, just being able to watch him up close like this was enough to spread joy and warmth to every cell of her body. If his eyes were open, Qiao Anhao would have never dared to look straight at him like this. She often fell into a trance, mesmerized by his looks, and that could easily expose her feelings for him. Qiao Anhao¡¯s features softened, turning gentle as she continued staring at him. Impulsively, she lifted her hands, caressing Lu Jinnian¡¯s reflection, starting from his eyes, then moving to his nose bridge, and stopping on his slightly pinkish lips. The memory from three months ago resurfaced, the feeling she of when she had kissed those lips. Even though it had been three months, the memory was still crystal clear. She remembered everything: his soft warm lips... Qiao Anhao¡¯s heart rate quickened, her fingers continuously stroking the reflection of his lips. But just as she was about to sink into her own "one sided love" universe, a phone suddenly rang, indicating an iing message. Lu Jinnian furrowed his brows, seemingly annoyed by the disturbance. Momentarily shocked, Qiao Anhao instinctively retrieved her hands back, hurriedly applying the cream she had dropped earlier. Chapter 13: Small Acts of Love (3) Chapter 13: Small Acts of Love (3) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Maybe because she was caught red-handed, she didn¡¯t dare to look at Lu Jinnian through the mirror again. Instead, she sat as straight as a rod, staring at herself unwaveringly, applying her cream. Qiao Anhao silently decided that she would apply it really slowly, so even if Lu Jinnian were to wake up, he would have fallen back asleep by the time she finished. She took great care to apply the facial cream. When she stood up finished, she took a sneak peak at Lu Jinnian in the mirror. He was still lying on the bed, looking at his phone intently. As soon as Qiao Anhao caught sight of Lu Jinnian, she started getting flustered. Silently, she walked to the side of the bedroom to switch off the lights. She then took great pains to ensure that her footsteps were soft as she crept over to her side of the bed. Just as she was about to lift the nket on her side of the bed to lie down, she suddenly thought of something and rushed towards the changing room. Carrying a human sized teddy bear, she walked out. Qiao Anhao returned to the bed with the huge teddy bear. Lu Jinnian lifted his head impassively, sweeping over her with a frosty re. Qiao Anhao¡¯s heart thumped uncontrobly. Not even daring to breathe, she clutched the teddy bear tighter and hurriedly made her way to her side of the bed. She ced the bear in between her and Lu Jinnian, separating the two of them. Only then was she able to rx. She took a deep breath and slowly found a morefortable position in the bed, hardly daring to move. She had bought the bear after got married and had shared the same bed twice. Every time she got too close to Lu Jinnian, her heart would beat rapidly. Afterwards, she would get helplessly nervous and anxious. The very first time they had shared a bed, her posture was very formal and stiff. But when she fell asleep, having rxed slightly, her posture started getting haywire. Unconsciously, she had reached over and touched Lu Jinnian. That night, he had pushed her away aggressively. The second night, he had pushed her off the bed before leaving the room. After that night, she realized the extent of his hatred. Even if it wasn¡¯t intentional, he found her touch repulsive. In order to prevent such an incident from repeating itself, she specifically bought the 1.8 m teddy bear the next day. And the next time they shared a bed, she ced the teddy bear between them to prevent any unintentional touches through the night. The bedroom was dimly lit, causing one¡¯s vision to be blurred and hearing to be enhanced, Qiao Anhaoy on one side of the bear with both eyes shut. But she wasn¡¯t able to fall asleep. She could clearly smell the fresh scenting from Lu Jinnian, which squeezed her heart. Chapter 14: Small Acts of Love (4) Chapter 14: Small Acts of Love (4) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Qiao Anhao could clearly hear Lu Jinnian as he asionally tapped his phone, producing a soft sound. After some time, he locked his phone, slipping the room intoplete silence. It was so quiet that she could hear his every breath. Qiao Anhao had lied down too quickly. Even though she was in an ufortable position, she didn¡¯t dare to move much. Carefully, she turned, changing into another morefortable position. Regardless of how cautious and small her actions were, she had still managed to disturb Lu Jinnian. He turned suddenly, flipping over vigorously. Frightened by the fierceness of his actions, Qiao Anhaoy motionless, not daring to move. Lu Jinnian seemed to be in a bad mood. He tossed and turned as though something was frustrating him. Qiao Anhao was unable to sleep either as she focused on him who was turning around restlessly. Suddenly, Lu Jinnian yanked his nket aside, sitting up fiercely. Qiao Anhao trembled in fear, shocked by his furious actions. Not daring to open her eyes, she remained motionless. Vaguely, she heard footsteps and the flicking of a lighter. Gradually, the faint smell of cigarettes drifted over, filling the room. As far as Qiao Anhao could remember, Lu Jinnian was not a smoker. This was the first time since they married that he had smoked in front of her. She couldn¡¯t help wondering where he¡¯d learned to smoke and when did he start. Lu Jinnian sucked in two long mouthfuls before ncing over at Qiao Anhao, who was lying silently, and the teddy bear beside her that wasrger than her. Straight faced, he turned his head. He walked towards the balcony and pushed open the windows. After finishing his cigarette, Lu Jinnian waited for the smell to dissipate fully before closing the door. He then walked over to the bedside. This time, after lying down, he no longer tossed and turned. Without Lu Jinnian¡¯s constant movements, Qiao Anhao was still nervous, but the huge teddy bear in-between them as well as her fatigue overcame her. Gradually, she began to rx, slowly sinking into a deep slumber. Qiao Anhao didn¡¯t know for how long she had slept when suddenly she felt someone roughly grabbing her hand. A mind numbing pain spread through her entire body, and Qiao Anhao furrowed her brows, slowly opening her eyes. Just then, she saw Lu Jinnian siting by the bear, staring at her coldly. "Trying to seduce me when I¡¯m sleeping again?" he snarled. Qiao Anhao¡¯s fatigue left her. She blinked her eyes with curiosity before lowering her head. She realized that she had unknowingly stretched beyond the teddy bear into Lu Jinnian¡¯s side. She tried to shrink her hand back instinctively, but Lu Jinnian clenched it tighter, not allowing her to escape. With a toneced in ridicule, he asked, " Why? You want to sell your body for another role now that the previous one is over?" Chapter 15: Small Acts of Love (5) Chapter 15: Small Acts of Love (5) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Qiao Anhao paled at Lu Jinnian¡¯s ridicule, her face bleaching white. After the incident three months ago, his impression of her had gone down the drain. He wouldn¡¯t even listen when she tried to exin. Ignoring the hurt, she whispered, "It wasn¡¯t intentional." "Not intentional?" Lu Jinnianughed sarcastically, frost clouding his eyes. His snide remark next was merciless and cruel. "Miss Qiao, I never expected your lies to be as good as your ability to take advantage of others! That day, I¡¯m pretty sure it was you who climbed into my bed when I was drunk, and if I don¡¯t remember wrongly, you were pretty enthusiastic, even begging me to sleep with you!" Lu Jinnian¡¯s words pierced Qiao Anhao¡¯s heart, each word seemingly cutting deeper and deeper, leaving her eyes red. That night, she had indeed begged him. But she too had drunk alcohol! Slightly tipsy, mistaking it for a dream, she had asked softly, "Can I be your woman?" Qiao Anhao had never expected Lu Jinnian to use the events of that night to mock her. Her face flushed a deep shade of red. Humiliated and shamed, she pinched herself. Only when the pain from her fingertips overshadowed the pain inflicted by Lu Jinnian¡¯s words did she calmly exin herself, "I had no intentions of seducing you, I was asleep when i identally touched you." "It better be the case. But get this straight, even if you were the one that started this game, from now, I¡¯m the one in control. You can indeed gain benefits from me with your body, but that¡¯s only when I¡¯m interested in sleeping with you." Lu Jinnian paused, then with arrogance soaking his every word, he continued mercilessly, "If I¡¯m not interested, I won¡¯ty a finger on you even if you throw yourself at me like the first time!" With Lu Jinnian¡¯s every word, bit by bit, the blood drained from Qiao Anhao¡¯s face. She continued to hang her head, not daring to look at his expression When Lu Jinnian finished, he coldly released Qiao Anhao¡¯s wrist and went to the changing room. When he came out, Qiao Anhao was still on the bed, in the same position as when he had left her. She looked fragile and thin, and with her head hung low, she looked like a student being punished. When the dim lights hit her, she looked young and innocent. Lu Jinnian stood by the changing room door, quietly staring at Qiao Anhao. After a while, his eyes lowered. He turned and left the room. Chapter 16: Small Acts of Love (6) Chapter 16: Small Acts of Love (6) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Some time after Lu Jinnian had left, Qiao Anhao slowly lifted her head, staring at the the side of the bed that he had been lying on. Moving the big teddy bear away, she buried her face into his side, breathing in his scent, feeling the warmth he had left behind. Qiao Anhao took in a deep breath greedily before caressing the nket that still carried his warmth with her face, bitterness spreading through her heart. Even if he had said such cruel things, she still couldn¡¯t help being in love with him. Yesterday night at ¡¯To the End of Time¡¯ banquet, Zhao Meng had been right. They were never like this in the past. Back then in school, Lu Jinnian was generally quite close to the guys, but he would avoid girls at all costs. And at that time, she was one of the few girls that were on speaking terms with him. However, he talked to her not because she was special but because of Xu Jiamu. The Xu family and Qiao family were very close, and she had grown up with Xu Jiamu. Lu Jinnian was Xu Jiamu¡¯s half brother of the same father, which meant that Lu Jinnian was the legitimate son of the Xu family. Not affected by the problems from the previous generation, Lu Jinnian and Xu Jiamu had a close rtionship and got along well together. Qiao Anhao had became one of the girls that spoke with Lu Jinnian through Xu Jiamu. However, they were only on talking terms which primarily consisted of greetings out of courtesy such as "Hello" and "Good bye" . Back when she was younger, without so much worries, she would always actively pursue her love. Even though she wasn¡¯t the kind of girl who could daringly confess to a guy, write love letters, or deliver choctes at Valentine¡¯s, she would secretly look for him. asionally, in the school field or on the way home, she would catch up to him, greeting him casually while suppressing her feelings. He would either reply with a greeting or just nod his head, but that was enough to leave her basking in happiness. More than once she had dreamed of a future with him, but she could never muster enough courage to confess. As such, their lukewarm rtionship persisted, while her feelings hidden deep within her heart grew each day. After she entered university, for a reason she did not know, Lu Jinnian started to treat her with hatred and disdain. Initially, she had thought she was too sensitive because of the love she harbored. Chapter 17: Small Acts of Love (7) Chapter 17: Small Acts of Love (7) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem One day, Xu Jiamu identally told Qiao Anhao that Lu Jinnian had someone he liked. So the next time she had bumped into Lu Jinnian, she couldn¡¯t help asking him who that girl was. Even though Lu Jinnian had shown signs of irritation to her several times before, it had never been like that day. Even after so many years, she could still distinctly remember that moment. With a forbidding expression, he snarled, "Why would you care who I like? It definitely isn¡¯t you!" That was when she finally understood that Lu Jinnian must really hate her. Even though she never found the reason for his hatred, from that day onwards, she started to avoid him. Just as she had told Zhao Meng, they stopped interacting from that day onwards. The few times when they had met, there wasn¡¯t much talking, and whenever they were forced to talk, his words were always hurtful. Because of her deep love for Lu Jinnian, Qiao Anhao paid attention to his every word. Because of her deep love for him, he could easily hurt her vulnerable feelings. Over time, she started to fear his presence, fear interacting with him, for every time he spoke, his words would trample all over her heart. She always thought that as long as they didn¡¯t interact much, the two of them would just part ways, bing strangers. One day, though, fate dramatically forced them to be a couple. Only the heavens knew how happy she had been when she realized that they were going to get married. She was fully aware that Lu Jinnian hated her. That¡¯s why on their wedding night, she had made it clear to him that she would not interfere or affect his life and neither would she let others know about their rtionship. Because of her love for him, that night three months ago, she had seduced him with the help of alcohol. "He must have really hated me a lot to have been that angry after sleeping with me," she mused. It was never her intention for him to think that the role was her aim, but she had had no choice, she could only use a materialistic and cheap image to exin her actions. Because he had once said: no matter who he likes, it wouldn¡¯t be her. Tears welled up in the corners of her eyes as she relived the moment he¡¯d said that. After Lu Jinnian left, Qiao Anhao didn¡¯t fall asleep till day break. - For the next few days, she didn¡¯t see or hear from him again. Chapter 18: Small Acts of Love (8) Chapter 18: Small Acts of Love (8) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem After about a week, Lu Jinnian¡¯s movie¡¯s promotional news hit the entertainment magazines. That was when Qiao Anhao found out that he was currently in Rome, filming. The days flew by calmly, and it was the end of April in the blink of an eye. It was half a year since Qiao Anhao had entered the industry, but she still remained unaplished, without much fame or poprity. Even if she had gotten a role in ¡¯To the End of Time¡¯ because of Lu Jinnian, the production was still being edited and was not on air. Besides, the promotional videos were starred by the more popr actors. Hence, Qiao Anhao remained unknown without any new casting offers or endorsements, wasting precious time. Regardless, Zhao Meng continued being a responsible manager, tirelessly seeking out audition opportunities for new films. The entertainment industry was alwaysplicated: good looks and capabilities may not necessarilynd a role. Hence, for the past month, out of the eight auditions Qiao Anhao had gone to, all ended in failure. And today, on the ninth audition, she continued her failing streak. "Qiao Qiao, it¡¯s already been a month and you haven¡¯t gotten a single decent role, not even as a side character that barely shows her face. At this rate, we¡¯re both going to starve." In contrast to Zhao Meng¡¯s irritation, Qiao Anhao remained calm. She sat beside her friend, casually scrolling through her phone. In a nonchnt tone, she replied, "Haven¡¯t we been fine in the past when this happened?" Just as Qiao Anhao said that, she coincidentally stumbled upon "Lu Jinnian" who was the top hit for weibo. She stopped talking momentarily before continuing as though nothing had happened, "Even if I starve, I won¡¯t let you starve." "I know that you¡¯ll still pay me even if you don¡¯t get a job, but Qiao Qiao, at this rate, you¡¯re going to deplete all the inheritance left by your parents," Zhao Meng remarked while sneaking looks at Qiao Anhao through the side mirror. When she saw "Lu Jinnian" on her phone screen, she continued, "Qiao Qiao, why don¡¯t you try asking Lu Jinnian for another role? You should make full use of him, since he treats you so badly. Besides, his money has nothing to do with you, your parents left you early on in life and you were brought up by your uncle. Do you really intend to sever all ties with him and go back to your uncle?" Chapter 19: Small Acts of Love (9) Chapter 19: Small Acts of Love (9) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Zhao Meng was definitely not a bad person but rather a practical one. She meant no harm and was just thinking on behalf of Qiao Anhao. She was hoping that her friend could ride on Lu Jinnian¡¯s authority, rising in the industry so that she could still livefortably even if she were to leave him in the future. It was not wrong for a woman to think for herself. It wasn¡¯t that Qiao Anhao was too dignified for the idea, but rather Lu Jinnian¡¯s hatred was so strong that it didn¡¯t interest him to touch her. She lowered hershes, shielding her darkened pupils. She curved her lips slightly. "He¡¯s currently filming in Rome, don¡¯t you know? You don¡¯t expect me to sleep with him in Rome do you?" Zhao Meng froze slightly. Qiao Anhao¡¯s brows furrowed and she asked, "What¡¯s wrong?" "Qiao Qiao, don¡¯t you know?" "Know what?" After a long while, Zhao Meng said, " Lu Jinnian came back from Rome two days ago, didn¡¯t hee home?" So he was back... and as his wife, she had no clue. Qiao Anhao froze, before smiling nonchntly. "It¡¯s normal that he didn¡¯te back... The longest I went without hearing from him was three months, and it¡¯s hardly been even half a month." Zhao Meng didn¡¯t reply, silence engulfing the car. After a while, she couldn¡¯t help saying, "Qiao Qiao, two days ago, I heard one of the board members from Huan Ying entertainmentpany say that Lu Jinnian fainted and was rushed to the hospital while having a meeting on the day he was back." Qiao Anhao took a while to digest the information before replying with an "Oh". "I also heard the board members say that even though he was burning with a high fever, he refused to let the doctors treat him, insisting on getting himself discharged. Ignoring all the persuasions, he drove away alone with his fever." Zhao Meng then couldn¡¯t help adding, " Do you think he¡¯ll be okay? He left the hospital without any treatment with a high fever." Qiao Anhao remained indifferent but in a corner where Zhao Meng couldn¡¯t see, her hands were tightly clenched, bunching up the edge of her shirt. Zhao Meng stared at the road ahead intently. After a long time, she asked again, "Qiao Qiao, aren¡¯t you going to visit him?" Qiao Anhao was silent for a moment before shaking her head. "We agreed to not interfere in each other¡¯s businesses." Zhao Meng was the one to reply with an "oh" this time and the car sunk into silence once again. Chapter 20: Small Acts of Love (10) Chapter 20: Small Acts of Love (10) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Even though Qiao Anhao acted heartlessly in front of Zhao Meng, after her friend left, she hesitated a bit before driving out in her own car. Xu Jiamu had once mentioned that Lu Jinnian had a private mansion in the northern side of the city on a mountain. Qiao Anhao had also gathered from Xu Jiamu that Lu Jinnian hated hospitals and would hide in that mansion whenever he was sick. At that time, Xu Jiamu was just randomlyining since Lu Jinnian was not willing to receive treatment despite being very ill. Many times, the personining has no ill intention, but at that time, Qiao Anhao had secretly shelved the information in her mind for future use. Even though she wasn¡¯t sure if he would be at the mansion, she still decided to try her luck. She specifically stopped by a medical shop before going to the mansion. Since she wasn¡¯t sure of his condition, she just randomly picked some fever medicine. Qiao Anhao had never been to the mansion, but she vaguely remembered Xu Jiamu mention that the mansion was at the peak of the mountain called Yi mountain. Qiao Anhao set the GPS towards Yi mountain and realized it was indeed in the northern part of the city. She then started the engine and steered in that direction. Thankfully, Yi mountain was not big and only had one mansion. Qiao Anhao drove to the peak, and there stood a lonely mansion, which most likely belonged to Lu Jinnian. Qiao Anhao started out at 3 pm in the afternoon and by the time she reached Yi mountain, it was already 5pm in the evening. She was just in time for the sunset. Reddish-gold rays spilled onto the mansion, giving it the vibe of a castle; it was both grand and beautiful. The gates of the mansion were tightly shut. Qiao Anhao stopped her car before them and looked around. She spotted a fence that was rather low and went toward it, moving over it. She didn¡¯t have the keys to the mansion and no one received her when she knocked on the door. She peaked in through the windows but didn¡¯t catch a glimpse of Lu Jinnian at all. Circling the perimeter of the mansion, she located a half-open full-length window at the back of the mansion. She hesitated for a bit before opening it fully and entering the mansion. The mansion had a luxurious interior. She walked through the whole first floor but still could not find Lu Jinnian. She then climbed up to the second floor, her footsteps being the only sound. The mansion would have been deathly silent if not for her walking around. Qiao Anhao continued looking through the second floor, and only found Lu Jinnian at the end of the hallway in a big bedroom. He was wearing a suit, and with his eyes shut, hey silently on the bed. From afar, he seemed to be sound asleep. Qiao Anhao lifted her hand, knocking on the door, but looking at the bed, she saw that Lu Jinnian remained motionless, without any reaction. She furrowed her brows, takingrge strides towards the bed. Chapter 21: Who Allowed You to Come In? (1) Chapter 21: Who Allowed You to Come In? (1) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Lu Jinnian was wearing a suit, and with his eyes shut, hey silently on the bed. From afar, he seemed to be sound asleep. Qiao Anhao lifted her hand, knocking on the door, but looking at the bed, she saw that Lu Jinnian remained motionless, without any reaction. She furrowed her brows, takingrge strides towards the bed. Once she was near the bed, she could clearly see Lu Jinnian sprawled on the bed, his body trembling lightly. Subconsciously, Qiao Anhao reached out to touch his forehead. He was burning and he didn¡¯t react to her hand as he hadn¡¯t reacted to the knock on the door. He must have fainted from the fever! Qiao Anhao hurriedly dug out the fever medicine that she had bought earlier. Following the manual, she took out two pills and picked a bottle of mineral water from the edge of the bed. She then forced the pills into his mouth after supporting him up with much effort. At this point, Lu Jinnian was unconscious from the fever. It was not possible for him to drink the water and when Qiao Anhao poured it into his mouth, he spat it all out. She tried twice more, but he continued to spit it all out, and his temperature continued to rise to the point even the air surrounding him was warm. Qiao Anhao started panicking as he continued to refuse his medicine. Even if she were to call for a doctor, it would take a few hours for them to reach such a deserted area... Just then, Qiao Anhao suddenly remembered how her mother would use an ice pack to cool her down when she had a fever. She ced the medicine and water onto the bedside table before going into the kitchen to get some ice cubes. Opening the refrigerator, all she found was chilled mineral water. After thinking for a moment, she took the mineral water bottle and returned back upstairs. She rinsed a towel in the cold water before wringing it dry and cing it on Lu Jinnian¡¯s forehead. With much difficulty, she removed his suit and unbuttoned his shirt. Taking another cold towel, she started wiping his body, hoping to cool him down. The cooling towel was like an ice on coals, bringingfort to Lu Jinnian. His tensed up brows began to rx as Qiao Anhao continuously wiped his body, and even his trembling started to calm. Gradually, as he fell into deep sleep, his ragged breathing became calm, deep breaths. Seeing that his trembling had stopped, Qiao Anhao sighed inwardly. She carefully tucked him in before kneeling beside the bed, guarding him. Her gaze couldn¡¯t help falling onto his face. His lips were unnaturally white, his brows furrowed, and his face streaked with fatigue. But even in such a condition, he still managed to look mesmerizing. Chapter 22: Who Allowed You to Come In? (2) Chapter 22: Who Allowed You to Come In? (2) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Qiao Anhao couldn¡¯t help getting lost in Lu Jinnian¡¯s face. By the time she resurfaced, the skies were already dark and the already silent ce seemed even more quiet, even the bugs from the forest could be heard. The lights in the bedroom were not switched on. Surrounded byplete darkness, Qiao Anhao used the light from her phone to find the light switch and flip it on. She then reached out to touch Lu Jinnian¡¯s forehead again. Sensing that his temperature had dropped slightly but was still too warm, she reced the towel on his forehead with a freshly chilled one. She continued to guard him beside his bed, refusing to fall asleep. Every once in a while, she would rece the towel on his forehead, and once it was 11 pm, his temperature was no longer startling. Only then did Qiao Anhao thoroughly rx. Sitting on the floor leaning against the bed, she fell asleep, no longer able to stay awake. Due to the poor sleeping posture, she awoke after a while. Instinctively, she reached out to feel Lu Jinnian¡¯s forehead and found that the fever was back again. She hurriedly prepared another chilled towel to put on his forehead, but this time, the towel did not have any effect. His temperature continued to raise, and he whimpered in pain as he slipped into unconsciousness. The cold towel was only a temporary solution. To fully eradicate the fever, medicine was necessary. Deep into the night and in such a deserted ce, Qiao Anhao started to be increasingly more worried... She stared at Lu Jinnian for a while before seemingly making a decision. She stood up and took the medicine from the bedside table. She then stuffed it into Lu Jinnian¡¯s mouth before taking a big gulp of water. Slowly, she brought her mouth closer to Lu Jinnian, aiming for his lips. As she lowered her head, his face magnified. She could clearly feel his breath. Her whole body tensed, and the two hands she had ced beside Lu Jinnian¡¯s head tightened their grips on the bed sheet. Her lips trembled as she slowly positioned next to Lu Jinnian¡¯s lips. Qiao Anhao could feel her heart thumping uncontrobly. Counting the incident three months ago, this was the second time their lips had touched. She stopped breathing, slowly transferring the water in her mouth over to Lu Jinnian before using her mouth to push the fever pills down his throat with the water. As she felt him swallow the pills and water, she quickly pushed herself away. Lifting her hands, she touched her lips, breathing deep as her heart thumped loudly. Chapter 23: Who Allowed You to Come In? (3) Chapter 23: Who Allowed You to Come In? (3) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Some time passed before Qiao Anhao could get back to her senses from touching Lu Jinnian¡¯s lips. The man himself slept peacefully, probably due to the fever medicine. Qiao Anhao secured the nket around him and started reading the fever medicine manual. It stated that another pill should be taken if the fever persisted after four hours. After four hours it would be 3 am... Qiao Anhao wanted to set an rm but was worried it would disturb Lu Jinnian¡¯s sleep, hence she decided to force herself to stay awake. While waiting, she reached out to touch Lu Jinnian¡¯s forehead several times and felt his body temperature fall. After enduring the four long hours, it was finally 3 am. He was no longer burning but was still running a fever. Qiao Anhao was worried that Lu Jinnian would start burning up once she fell asleep, so following the previous method, she fed him the medicine again. The previous time she fed him medicine, she had left his lips immediately, but this time, she lingered greedily on his lips. She lingered only for a few seconds before frantically lifting her head, breaking the contact. But as soon as she pushed away, she suddenly felt someone pulling her head down. Her lips were once again deeply entwined with Lu Jinnian¡¯s. His high fever caused him to be delirious. He vaguely sensed that someone was taking care of him but yet it felt like a dream. Hazily, he felt someone stuff something into his mouth. It was bitter and a little dry and just as he was about to spit it out, he felt gentle, cushion like lips blocking his mouth. It was a familiar feeling. Qiao Anhao froze in fear, her mind nk. By the time she came back to her senses, they were already deep in the kiss. Chapter 24: Who Allowed You to Come In? (4) Chapter 24: Who Allowed You to Come In? (4) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Qiao Anhao quietly predicted Lu Jinnian¡¯s next actions. Subconsciously, she turned her head to look at him and saw that he wore a dazed expression. He must be treating the whole incident as a dream! The memory from three months ago shed past Qiao Anhao¡¯s mind once again. At that time, the incident had happened when Lu Jinnian was not in the right state of mind as he was right now, and when he woke up, he was so angry that he had wanted to strangle her to death. A shiver ran through Qiao Anhao¡¯s spine. She instinctively reached forward to push Lu Jinnian away. Lu Jinnian frowned. Grabbing her hands, he forced her to keep still. Qiao Anhao struggled desperately but was still not able to break free. When she was finally too tired to move, she stopped, giving up. He clearly was not interested in sleeping with her, but the fever must be clouding his thoughts, for him to have pulled her close. If he were to find the same thing from three months ago to have happened again... Qiao Anhao stopped her thoughts, not daring to continue down that road. She bit down on her lip, offering Lu Jinnian the liberty to do whatever he wanted. ... Satisfied, Lu Jinnian drew Qiao Anhao into his arms before falling back into a deep slumber. Qiao Anhao was beyond tired, but yet she could not fall asleep. She waited for her senses to return, and her first thought was to leave Lu Jinnian¡¯s arms. Even though she yearned deeply for his embrace, longing to stay there a little longer, she knew that it did not belong to her. His arms were not hers. He was only willing to hug her now with the fever clouding his thoughts. It was all a mistake. Just as Qiao Anhao was about to remove Lu Jinnian¡¯s arm from her waist, the corner of her eye caught sight of her phone. She hesitated slightly before reaching for it. Opening the camera app, she took a photo. In the photo, she was in his arms, and he was in deep sleep. Even though he was hugging her, it was not his true intention. Still, she longed to be there. With a photo, she could secretly relish the moment, privately admire him, trying to convince herself that maybe he truly wanted to fall asleep with her in his arms. Chapter 25: Who Allowed You to Come In? (5) Chapter 25: Who Allowed You to Come In? (5) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Qiao Anhao saved the photo before putting the phone aside. She tilted her head, looking at the man beside her. Even asleep, he still managed to give off a lonely aura as though he really hated human interactions. Qiao Anhao stared at Lu Jinnian silently for a long time before reaching out to caress his face. A shock ran through her fingertips, rapidly diving into her heart. Her heart pounded uncontrobly. If Lu Jinnian was awake, she would have never acted so absurdly. Qiao Anhao fell into a trance. Physically, he was just a reach away, and yet, the two of them were worlds apart. She started to think about her feelings for Lu Jinnian. It really was quite incredible for her to sustain a one sided love in silence for thirteen years. From the thirteen year old naive teenager to the twenty-six year old grown woman right now, Qiao Anhao spent her best years devoted to Lu Jinnian. There was no hesitation, no holding back, she had given him all her love. As she thought about the painful one sided rtionship, tears welled up in her eyes and streamed down uncontrobly. Very softly, in a voice barely audible, she said to Lu Jinnian, "Lu Jinnian, do you know? I¡¯ve only ever dreamed about confessing this love, only ever dreamed of telling you I love you." Slowly, she took a long deep breath, hershes lowered. She then silently reached out to pull Lu Jinnian¡¯s arms away and left the bed. As soon as she left his arms, she felt her body go cold. Her clothes had been torn beyond salvation. She walked over to Lu Jinnian¡¯s closet, but there were no women clothes. She searched around and settled for a simple shirt. Lu Jinnian was much taller than her so the shirt was long enough to be a dress. Qiao Anhao didn¡¯t dare to go near the bed, afraid that the same thing might repeat itself. She stayed on the sofa in the living room, far away. Unable to stay awake any longer in the second half of the night, Qiao Anhao dozed off sleepily. However, due to the bad sleeping position, she was awake the minute the sun hit her face. Rubbing her eyes, she looked towards the bed. Lu Jinnian was still asleep. Qiao Anhao walked to the bed. She reached out with her hand, preparing to touch Lu Jinnian¡¯s forehead to feel whether his fever had subsided, but before she reached him, she felt someone roughly grabbing onto her arm. Stunned, she looked down, colliding with Lu Jinnian¡¯s eyes. Chapter 26: Who Allowed You to Come In? (6) Chapter 26: Who Allowed You to Come In? (6) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Just having awoken from deep sleep, Lu Jinnian was in a daze. He stared at Qiao Anhao for about two seconds before lowering his gaze to his hand that was clutching her wrist. Frowning, he tried to think of why she would reach out to touch him. Sleepily, he muttered coldly, "What are you trying to do?" Just then, Lu Jinnian recalled that he had gone to the mansion in Yi mountain. He looked around doubtfully, confirming that he was indeed in the bedroom at the mansion in Yi mountain. He returned his gaze back to Qiao Anhao before asking straight forwardly, "How did you know about this ce? Who allowed you toe in?" The minute he finished asking, he caught sight of the shirt that she was wearing. He frowned, realizing that under the nket, he was not wearing anything. Memories of the two of them deeply entwined on the bed shed, and he returned his gaze to Qiao Anhao once again. Kiss marks littered her porcin skin that was not covered by the shirt... Lu Jinnian exerted more strength with the hand he had on Qiao Anhao¡¯s arm. "Last night..." That two words were enough to put Qiao Anhao in a frenzy. What was destined toe woulde... Instinctively, she started to exin, "I heard that you were sick so I came to give you some medicine..." She stopped midway, not knowing how to continue exining. Even though Lu Jinnian had been in a daze, he could still vaguely make out what had happened. The bitter substance in his mouth was medicine and she had kissed him to stop him from spitting it out... Lu Jinnian¡¯s lips moved and his cold expression warmed slightly. Qiao Anhao continued to panic as Lu Jinnian remained silent, not saying a word. She hesitated momentarily before continuing, "I never expected that would happenst night..." Before Qiao Anhao could finish her sentence, her arm was roughly cast aside by Lu Jinnian. Shocked by his strength, she staggered backwards. Before she could stabilize herself, his haughty voice sounded, "What do you want?" The suddenness of those four words left Qiao Anhao speechless. Unable to process them, she looked at him in confusion. Lu Jinnian saw her gaze and, reading her expression, continued, "Previously, you climbed into my bed for a role in ¡¯To the End of Time¡¯. This time, I slept with you, what do you want in return?" Chapter 27: Who Allowed You to Come In? (7) Chapter 27: Who Allowed You to Come In? (7) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Qiao Anhao¡¯s heart sank. Initially she had requested for a role, but that was because she was afraid that he would find out about her love for him. But now, he saw her as a woman that used her body for favors. Qiao Anhao clenched her lips, refusing to speak. Lu Jinnian waited, but seeing how Qiao Anhao was not prepared to speak, he broke the silence. "Why aren¡¯t you saying anything? After plotting with such effort, getting me medicine, taking care of me, and even finding this ce, isn¡¯t it all for more benefits? "You mentioned that you didn¡¯t expect to sleep with me..." Lu Jinnian stopped, realizing he was not making sense. Sinking into silence, he swallowed. Staring straight into Qiao Anhao¡¯s eyes, he seemed to be reading her mind. In an emotionless tone, he continued, "Unless you weren¡¯t looking for any benefits froming here..." Qiao Anhao didn¡¯t expect him to figure it out so easily... Subconsciously she tightened her fists, trying desperately to keep calm, and said, "Two days ago, I went to Huan Ying Entertainment for an audition for the second lead in ¡®Alluring Times¡¯ but failed." It had never urred to Qiao Anhao that she would end up continuously hiding her feelings, continuously portraying herself as an object used for transactions. She could feel the sharp pain from her palms but showed no signs of the pain and said, "The film has a star studded line up and has gained attention even before the show started filming. If you really want to reward me, give me the second lead role." Wordlessly, Lu Jinnian continued to stare at Qiao Anhao. Suddenly, his eyes sank. Wrapped in his nket, he jumped from the bed. Takingrge strides towards her, he grabbed her by the wrists, yanking her forward. Lu Jinnian dragged her out of the bedroom, down the stairs, heading straight for the door. His actions slowed momentarily before he pushed Qiao Anhao out the door without hesitation. With a loud and resounding "bang", he mmed the door shut. Lu Jinnian¡¯s series of actions were swift and unexpected, not sparing Qiao Anhao any time to react. By the time she came back to her senses, she had already been thrown out of the mansion by Lu Jinnian. But all her things were upstairs.... Chapter 28: Who Allowed You to Come In? (8) Chapter 28: Who Allowed You to Come In? (8) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Just as Qiao Anhao was hesitating on whether or not she should knock on the door to retrieve her things, the tightly shut door swung open. A series of loud swishes resounded as her things were rudely tossed onto the ground. Before Qiao Anhao could react, the door mmed shut. Her bags weren¡¯t zipped, the contents spilling out, littering the entire floor. She stood stunned. After she managed to gather her senses, she knelt down and started filling the contents into her bag one by one. After she packing, she took onest look at the tightly shut door. Pursing her lips tightly, she turned around silently, walking away with heavy steps. Lu Jinnian returned to his room and, as he reached for the pack of cigarettes on the bedside table, he found a packet of fever medicine on the table. Qiao Anhao had bought him fever medicine. Lu Jinnian¡¯s eyes dimmed. He took the medicine and dumped it in the trash bin before lighting up a cigarette. He walked towards the window, taking deep puffs. As the smoke entered his body, he started to rx. From the window, he could see the back view of Qiao Anhao leaving. His fingers trembled. He lifted the cigarette, taking another deep breath. He then left the smoke in his mouth for a while before blowing it out slowly. Clouded by the smoke, he could still see Qiao Anhao entering her car. After about half a minute, the car started and left. Lu Jinnian waited till the car was out of sight before lifting his hand to take onest puff. He then extinguished the cigarette on the ashtray. He stood on the balcony for a while longer before turning to his room to retrieve his phone. Entering a number, he waited for connection, then said, "Leave the second female lead role for ¡®Alluring Times¡¯ empty, I have someone in mind. "Also, clear my schedule, I want to act the second lead role for ¡®Alluring Times¡¯. "There is nothing wrong. After acting in the lead role for so long, the second lead would be a good change. Besides, I didn¡¯t intend to take up any more films. "Okay, that¡¯s it for now. Just do as I say." Before giving the other person a chance to speak, Lu Jinnian hung up the call. After his high fever, his body was yet to fully recover. He threw the phone on the bed before lying down in fatigue. Somehow, his eyes would subconsciously look towards the trash bin at the side. He stared at the bin for a long while before staggering to pick up the box of fever medicine inside. Lu Jinnian stared at the box, a dim light shing across his eyes. Chapter 29: Officially Entering the Crew (1) Chapter 29: Officially Entering the Crew (1) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Qiao Anhao drove straight to Mian Xiu Garden after leaving Lu Jinnian¡¯s mansion. Without any fame or job, she spent the following four days cooped up inside the mansion. In these four days, Lu Jinnian never once came home. One night, maybe due to her long afternoon nap, Qiao Anhao tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep. She reached for her phone and looked at the time¡ªit was close to 12 am. She then looked at the empty half of the bed thinking, ¡¯He probably won¡¯t be back again tonight.¡¯ If he came back, she would get anxious. But if he didn¡¯t, she couldn¡¯t help feeling disappointed. Qiao Anhao pulled away her nket, leaving the bed. Walking towards the balcony, she looked out into the night, a expression of loneliness clouding her face. In his heart, he must have never thought of her as his wife... For the majority of the past five months, she had been left alone to guard this empty room. Qiao Anhao looked out a while longer until her phone rang. Returning to the bedroom, she reached for her phone and saw a long stretch of unfamiliar numbers. Who would call her at such ate hour? She hesitated before answering. With a gentle voice, she asked, "Hello, who is this?" The caller ignored her question, going straight to the point, "Next week, you will officially enter the crew for ¡¯Alluring Times¡¯ as the second female lead." The hand grabbing the phone tightened in an instance. Never would she have expected Lu Jinnian to inform her personally. Taking a deep breath, she replied calmly, "I understand. Thank you... Lu..." Qiao Anhao was about to say his full name but stopped herself, correcting it to, "Mr. Lu." Her words seemed to have entered the sea, there being no chance of a reply. If not for the buzzing sound from the phone, she would have thought Lu Jinnian had hung up. After a long while, so long that Qiao Anhao started to wonder if he had forgotten to hang up and started debating on whether she should hang up herself, Lu Jinnian¡¯s cold emotionless voice came through. "There is no need to thank me. Miss Qiao exchanged for it with her body. But I must say, Miss Qiao¡¯s body is definitely valuable to be able to get a second lead in ¡®Alluring Times¡¯..." Lu Jinnian seemed to have more to say, but he suddenly stopped, and after about two seconds, the line went dead. Chapter 30: Officially Entering the Crew (2) Chapter 30: Officially Entering the Crew (2) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Even though Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t manage toplete his sentence, Qiao Anhao was sure it wouldn¡¯t have been anything nice. She had been trying to figure out Lu Jinnian¡¯s actions for the past few days. It was him who had asked her what kind of reward she wanted, but when she hadplied, treating her own body as a transaction tool, he became so infuriated he wanted to strangle her, even tossing her out the mansion. After his phone call, she finally understood his anger... He must have thought she was overestimating her body. She should have thought of this way earlier, shouldn¡¯t she? He had no intention of sleeping with her, from the very beginning. So how was her body worth a second lead in ¡¯Alluring Times¡¯? If it wasn¡¯t for his fever, he probably wouldn¡¯t have wanted to touch her... right? She must be the only woman in the world that was despised after being slept with... Simrly, she must be the only wife in this world who found out her husband¡¯s phone number only after five months of marriage. Her lips couldn¡¯t help curling upwards. She smiled deprecatingly at herself, sorrow clouding her eyes. ¡®Alluring Times¡¯ was a highly anticipated film that Huan Ying Entertainment had spent twenty million on. After preparing for two years, even an internationally acimed production and filming crew were engaged. With such gimmicks, it was enough to garner attention even before the filming had started, zing up on weibo. The film had a star studded cast with the exception of Qiao Anhao. Even a small side role in the film was a nationally acknowledged famous second lead. On the first day, there was a simple ceremony. All the actors were present except for the second male lead. The official shooting would start on the second day and the first day was solely dedicated to an opening ceremony. The whole crew for ¡¯Alluring Times¡¯ would be invited to a dinner so they could familiarize with each other before the actual shooting. By the time Qiao Anhao rushed over, the banquet hall was already full. She had done research on all the crew members before the filming had began. She was well informed on all the crew and actors in the film. Everyone had entered the industry long before her, so it was necessary for her to be polite, greeting them one by one. The producer of ¡¯Alluring Times¡¯ was seated in the front row. Just as Qiao Anhao was going to shake his hand, someone beat her to it, reaching out their hand in greeting, "Mr. Sun, long time no see." Chapter 31: Officially Entering the Crew (3) Chapter 31: Officially Entering the Crew (3) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem A women¡¯s voice, crisp and sweet came from the person in front of her. Subconsciously, Qiao Anhao tilted her head. Lin Shiyi was beside her, smiling as she shook producer Sun¡¯s hand. "Shiyi, it¡¯s been a long time since ourst film," he replied. "I hope it¡¯ll be a pleasant working experience," Lin Shiyi replied. While she was greeting the producer, Zhao Meng seemed to have recalled something. She leaned over to Qiao Anhao and whispered, "Qiao Qiao, Lin Shiyi was the original second female lead for this show and when you became the new second lead she was relegated to the third lead. She is someone who remembers her grievances and is a wolf in amb¡¯s skin, especially in front of the producer and director, you had better take note..." Before Zhao Meng could finish her sentence, Lin Shiyi turned around. Zhao Meng immediately quietened, smiling brightly at Lin Shiyi. Simrly, the other woman smiled back, but her words were directed at Qiao Anhao, "An Hao, long time no see." Qiao Anhao knew Lin Shiyi quite well. She was an artist in Huan Ying Entertainment and had advanced the fastest. Even though they bothe from the samepany, Qiao Anhao had never spoken, much less interacted with Lin Shiyi. And Lin Shiyi had always been haughty, never interested in speaking to Qiao Anhao. Lin Shiyi greeted her so warmly and with such a passionate expression it seemed they were well acquainted. Qiao Anhao couldn¡¯t help having her heart shrink slightly at that facade. Remembering Zhao Meng¡¯s words, it dawned on her that Lin Shiyi must have found out that Qiao Anhao was the one that had stolen her role. Even if she hated her now, she still had to act as though they had a close rtionship. It had to be difficult for her. Lin Shiyi could put on a facade, and so could Qiao Anhao. After all, both of them weren¡¯t willing to leave a bad impression in front of the producer. Qiao Anhao smiled brightly, as though she and Lin Shiyi were indeed close friends. With a warm and weing voice, she remarked, "Shiyi, you¡¯re much prettier than thest time I saw you!" Lin Shiyi was well aware of the act Qiao Anhao had on. Wearing an impable expression, she returned a warm smile. "No, you are the one that has blossomed." Shiyi turned to look at producer Sun, kindly introducing Qiao Anhao to him. "Producer Sun, this is Qiao Anhao, the second female lead. Even though she just entered the industry, her acting skills are solid." Qiao Anhao was well aware that this self introduction was to show producer Sun her generosity towards a newbie. As for her acting skills... Lin Shiyi had never seen them before so how could she even have a clue.... Chapter 32: Officially Entering the Crew (4) Chapter 32: Officially Entering the Crew (4) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Even though that was what she was thinking, Qiao Anhao kept a bright smile on her face. As she shook hands with producer Sun, she continued with the act. "Nice to meet you producer Sun. Now, don¡¯t listen to Shiyi, there is so much that I need to learn and improve on. But I have often heard Shiyi speak highly of you and your work ethics." If it was just simple bootlicking, to leave a good impression, Qiao Anhao was fully capable. Producer Sun was delighted by Qiao Anhao¡¯s words. Smiling brightly, he looked up at her, a tinge of shock staining his eyes. The entertainment industry was saturated with beauties and arge portion had gone under the knife. One just had to pay a bit more attention to see the simrities or to discover the unnaturalness. But the woman in front of him had a clean beauty with delicate features, giving off a bright and fresh vibe. Beside her stood Lin Shiyi, who still wore a bright smile, but there was an unfamiliar coldness when she looked at Qiao Anhao. By the time she was finishing with her greeting to producer Sun, the majority of the crew had already arrived. Producer Sun deliberately positioned himself beside Qiao Anhao. After everyone found their seats, Qiao Anhao found that the four seats directly in front of her were empty. Who hadn¡¯t arrived here yet? Just as she was scanning the table to find out who was missing, the banquet hall door opened and in came three people. The director for ¡¯Alluring Times¡¯, the female lead Song Xiangsi, and the male lead Cheng Yang. Cheng Yang was the only male actor that had managed to get popr despite Lu Jinnian¡¯s monopoly over the industry. But he definitely couldn¡¯t surpass his adversary. If not for Lu Jinnian¡¯s deliberate attempts to support him, bringing him along to every film he acted in, there would have been no way Cheng Yang could have gained such fame. As for Song Xiangsi, she was the female version of Lu Jinnian, the nationally acimed goddess and best female lead. "I¡¯m sorry for beingte, the traffic was bad," the director exined while smiling cheekily after he sat down. Cheng Yang expressed his regret for beingte before politely finding a seat. As for Song Xiangsi, she nodded towards the crowd lightly as a form of greeting before sitting down elegantly. Seeing that almost everyone was here, the waiter came forward to ask, "Now that everyone is here, can we serve the food?" The producer waved his hand saying, "Wait a minute, one more person isn¡¯t here yet." The producer and director were the highest ranking people in a filming crew and now that they had both arrived, they chose to wait for someone instead of ordering the food? Everyone looked around curiously and finally someone asked, "Who¡¯s not here yet?" The director quickly answered, "Our second male lead." Second male lead? Even the male lead was here, but they were waiting for the second male lead? Who exactly was he? Chapter 33: Officially Entering the Crew (5) Chapter 33: Officially Entering the Crew (5) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Even Qiao Anhao couldn¡¯t contain her excitement. In the film, the second female lead and second male lead had many interactions, but till now, she still had no idea who he was... Looking at all the interested faces, the producer wanted to reveal the answer mysteriously, but just then, the doors to the banquet hall opened once again. Instinctively, everyone turned to look at the door. Producer Sun swallowed his words before standing up in a hurry. Noting his actions, the whole table looked towards the door. Producer Sun smiled enthusiastically. "Mr. Lu, you¡¯re finally here! Come,e and sit down." Just like everyone else, Qiao Anhao had turned towards the door. Halfway through her turn, producer Sun¡¯s words sunk in. Her heart shook and, before she could fully digest his words, Lu Jinnian had came into sight. Qiao Anhao could hear the crowd taking in deep breaths and speaking in low voices tinged with confusion. "The king of movies is the second lead?" "Oh my goodness, no wonder the news were kept hidden. This is definitely big news! I¡¯m sure weibo would go crazy!" Even though Lu Jinnian started off as an actor, he was the CEO of Huan Ying Entertainment right now. About ny percent of the artists in the banquet hall were signed under Huan Ying Entertainment and the main investor for ¡¯Alluring Times¡¯ was also Lu Jinnian. The crowd stood up, following the producer¡¯s lead. It was no wonder the producer and director wanted to wait for him before ordering the food. Unable to process the information, Qiao Anhao remained seated even though everyone else was standing. Zhao Meng had to reach out and roughly pull her up for she was unaware of what was happening. Lu Jinnian wore his usual emotionless expression, not acknowledging the standing crowd. Takingrge strides, he walked towards the only empty seat, sitting down. Those who had worked with Lu Jinnian were ustomed to hisck of expression. Only after seeing that he found his seat did the producer sit down. He waved towards the waiter for the menu before personally passing it to Lu Jinnian. "Mr. Lu, what would you like to eat?" Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t bother looking at the menu, throwing a casual, "Anything." The producer¡¯s enthusiasm didn¡¯t falter despite Lu Jinnian¡¯s coldness. With a smile stered to his face, he opened the menu and ordered the most expensive dishes listed before indicating for the rest of the table to order. In the presence of Huan Ying Entertainment boss, no one was brave enough to order anything. Everyone courteously refused the menu when the waiter passed it to them. Chapter 34: Officially Entering the Crew (6) Chapter 34: Officially Entering the Crew (6) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Only Song Xiangsi reached for the menu. Gracefully, she opened it, ordering two of her favorite dishes Qiao Anhao only came back to her senses when the menu reached her, She gave the waiter a slight smile while waving her hands, indicating that she didn¡¯t want to order anything before returning the menu to him. After the waiter left with the menu, Qiao Anhao lifted her head to look at Lu Jinnian, who was directly in front of her. The banquet hall was dimly lit with warm lights, a ray hitting Lu Jinnian¡¯s face, giving him a distant feeling. Beside him sat the director for ¡¯Alluring Times¡¯. Lu Jinnian shook his head slightly at something the director said, then continued listening. He seemed to have sensed Qiao Anhao¡¯s gaze as he suddenly turned, looking straight at her. She immediately turned in shock, pretending to be speaking to Zhao Meng. She was almost caught. Qiao Anhao dared not look in Lu Jinnian¡¯s direction again. In a dinner like this, there would definitely be alcohol. Maybe due to Lu Jinnian¡¯s presence, producer Sun generously ordered two bottles of royal salute whiskey. The waiter poured a full cup for everyone, refilling at least 2-3 times before the atmosphere became warm and joyous. Lu Jinnian remained quiet. Even if others came to give toast, he barely spoke, only rising his ss. When others came to greet him, he would nod slightly. His face remained cold and emotionless, giving the impression that he hade from another world. In a dinner like this, everyone was trying to form connections, but because of Lu Jinnian, Qiao Anhao remained reserved, unlike the other actors who kept trying to engage with the producer and director. Only when the others came to talk to her did she respond and smile warmly. In opposition to Qiao Anhao¡¯s reserved nature, Song Xiangsi seemed to be out of ce. She seemed to be here just to eat dinner. Dignified and elegant, she sat in her seat, gracefully picking up the food bits one by one with her chopsticks, asionally taking a sip of water. Halfway through the dinner, the producer beside Qiao Anhao seemed to have recalled something. He turned his head and looked at Qiao Anhao before shouting out, "I almost forgot, everyone here has worked together one way or another and must be familiar with each other. Now, I would like to introduce our second female lead... " The producer wanted to say her name, but he could only remember her surname. He stopped momentarily, then turned to look at Qiao Anhao. "Why don¡¯t you introduce yourself to everyone." Chapter 35: Officially Entering the Crew (7) Chapter 35: Officially Entering the Crew (7) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem The producer¡¯s introduction was sudden, not giving Qiao Anhao any time to prepare, but she still stood up gracefully. Nodding towards the table of people, she spoke in a clear voice, "Nice to meet you, I am Qiao Anhao. I hope we have a pleasant time working together, thank you." When she finished her introduction, producer Sun apuded. Song Xiangsi, who had been eating in silence the whole time, looked up at Qiao Anhao when she introduced herself. She observed and studied the neer, her eyes filling with doubt. Once the apuse stopped, producer Sun seemed to want to get closer to Lu Jinnian. He said, "Mr. Lu, Qiao Anhao is your partner in the show." Lu Jinnian lifted his eyes, ncing in Qiao Anhao¡¯s direction. Her palms started to sweat as she desperately tried to stay calm. No one around the table was aware of their rtionship and treated them as two strangers. Hence, producer Sun turned towards Qiao Anhao. "Anhao, stop being silly, hurry and greet Mr. Lu. Try to familiarize yourself with him, it¡¯ll be useful." Producer Sun¡¯s words ignited yet another wave of nerves. Qiao Anhao braced herself as she stood up, lifting the ss in front of her. Using a formal tone, she said, "Mr. Lu, nice to meet you, I hope we¡¯ll have a good time working together." Lu Jinnian remained seated, indifferent. Looking down, he stared at his wine ss. Qiao Anhao exerted more strengthen with the hand holding the wine ss. She had always known that he didn¡¯t like her and had tried her best to act as strangers whenever they were in public, but now that she was forced to greet him publicly, he wasn¡¯t even going to acknowledge her? After a long time, Lu Jinnian blinked. Without even looking at Qiao Anhao, he lifted his ss, finishing the wine inside. Qiao Anhao heaved a sigh of relief. Lifting up her wine ss hurriedly, she downed the contents and retreated to her seat. But before she could get seated properly, she heard a sharp voice ringing, "Qiao Anhao must have really good luck to be able to work with Lu Jinnian as a newbie." Lin Shiyi was the one who spoke. Even though her words seemed harmless, if someone was to dissect them, they would know that she was focusing on "newbie" and not her luck. As a neer, she was able to work with Lu Jinnian, and had even managed to snatch a role from Lin Shiyi, who had been in the industry for such a long time... It definitely wasn¡¯t luck. In an instance, everyone started suspecting the means Qiao Anhao had used to get her role. Chapter 36: Officially Entering the Crew (8) Chapter 36: Officially Entering the Crew (8) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem The atmosphere around the dining table started to turn suspicious. The crowd begun sneaking glimpses at Qiao Anhao. She was naturally aware of their thoughts. Her role was indeed exchanged with her body.... Due to herck of confidence, she didn¡¯t know how to react, and her expression was one of startlement. Her startled expression seemed to be that of someone at a loss for being exposed. The atmosphere at the table sunk. Qiao Anhao was flustered and embarrassed, feeling painfully exposed in front of arge crowd. Zhao Meng, her manager thought desperately, trying to find a way to salvage the awkward situation. Just as the heavy atmosphere was about to reach a breaking point, Lu Jinnian, who was seated directly in front of Qiao Anhao, lifted his eyes to look at her. She sat there with hershes lowered, trying desperately to stay calm, but her tightly clenched lips betrayed her. He stared at her for about five seconds before looking away. He spoke coldly, frosting up the surroundings. "Miss Lin, there have always been a saying in the industry, don¡¯t you know? Luck is a form of your capability." Lu Jinnian seemed to be speaking casually, but it became apparent to the crowd that it was not luck but her acting skills that won Qiao Anhao the role. Lu Jinnian¡¯s words also insinuated that Lin Shiyi was not capable enough to hold onto the role! Even though Qiao Anhao didn¡¯t know why Lu Jinnian had helped her out of the siege, she still felt warm and excited. Remaining calm, she lifted the corners of her lips into a smile, and in a humble voice, she said, "There is a lot for me to learn, I hope I won¡¯t be a burden to the crew." Lu Jinnian¡¯s words held authority and were finite. Together with Qiao Anhao¡¯s humble voice, the crowd couldn¡¯t help but think favorably of her. In an instance, everyone started singing her praises before moving on to another topic. Seated in a corner, Lin Shiyi still had a smile stered on her face, but gradually, her face clouded. She had wanted to put Qiao Anhao in a situation, but now, she had actually harmed herself! If it wasn¡¯t for Qiao Anhao, she would have been the one acting alongside Lu Jinnian! And it was a dream for all female actresses to act alongside him! After the meal, Qiao Anhao left for the bathroom. When she returned to the banquet hall, most of the people had already left, leaving it almost empty. When she arrived, she saw that the parking lot was full, so the car had been parked far away. Zhao Meng had went to collect it while Qiao Anhao was in the bathroom. Chapter 37: Afraid to Cause Trouble (1) Chapter 37: Afraid to Cause Trouble (1) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem After the meal, Qiao Anhao left for the bathroom. When she returned to the banquet hall, most of the people had already left, leaving it almost empty. When she arrived, she saw that the parking lot was full, so the car had been parked far away. Zhao Meng had went to collect it while Qiao Anhao was in the bathroom. When she reached the hotel door, Zhao Meng had not yet returned with the car. She waited at the side and saw Lu Jinnian walking out from the hotel. Her position was right in front of hotel, so if Lu Jinnian were to walk straight, he would definitely bump into her. Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t like interacting with her in public ces and whenever they met, he would ignore her as though she was thin air. Rather than waiting for him to ignore her, she decided to stand aside, hiding from him. Qiao Anhao turned around swiftly, walking forward when she caught him preupied. Before she could walk far, a car suddenly stopped beside her. The car¡¯s window went down and someone called her name, "Xiao Qiao." Qiao Anhao turned her head and saw producer Sun in the seat beside the driver. She politely greeted him, "Mr. Sun" Producer Sun stretched his head out the window: "Xiao Qiao, why are you out here alone? Don¡¯t you have a car?" As he spoke, Producer Sun came out of the car to personally help Qiao Anhao open the back door. "Where do you live? I can give you a lift." Qiao Anhao hurriedly shook her head, expressing her gratitude. "Mr. Sun, thank you so much, but you don¡¯t have to trouble yourself. My manager is on her way with the car." "Oh.." Regret clouded producer Sun¡¯s eyes as he continued to stare at Qiao Anhao. The more he looked at her, the deeper he sunk into her beauty. Impulsively he asked, "Xiao Qiao, which university are you from?" Even though Qiao Anhao wanted to avoid Lu Jinnian, she didn¡¯t want to offend producer Sun. She answered his question politely, "X university." "X university... that¡¯s a really good school." Before Qiao Anhao had spotted Lu Jinnian, he had already seen her. The minute sheid her eyes on him, she had walked away, obviously avoiding him. Lu Jinnian stopped momentarily, frost clouding his gaze. Just as he was prepared to walk towards his car, he saw producer Sun¡¯s car stop beside her. Lu Jinnian was too far to hear their conversation, but he could tell that they were enjoying themselves. Qiao Anhao kept smiling at producer Sun, exposing her wless teeth, and whatever she said delighted producer Sun. In the end, producer Sun took out his phone and typed something in while Qiao Anhao spoke. Afterwards, she took out her phone which was lit up, a calling through. They must have exchanged numbers. Chapter 38: Afraid to Cause Trouble (2) Chapter 38: Afraid to Cause Trouble (2) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Qiao Anhao made small talk with producer Sun and, before they parted ways, he asked for her contact number so that he could liaise with her for suitable productions in the future. Qiao Anhao didn¡¯t find anything amiss, giving him her contact number. After exchanging numbers, producer Sun put away his phone, then said, "Xiao Qiao, I have something onter, I¡¯ll head off first." She hurriedly reached out to help producer Sun open the car door. Once he was well seated, she shut the car door. Waving at producer Sun, she bid him farewell sweetly, "Goodbye Mr. Sun." Producer Sun waved back and the car left. She still had her smile even after the car was far off into the distance. Just then, it dawned on her that Zhao Meng was not back yet. She reached for her phone and dialed Zhao Meng¡¯s number while looking around in search for her. But she was nowhere in sight. Before Qiao Anhao could make the call, she saw Lu Jinnian walking towards her. Unconsciously, she froze and lowered hershes. Qiao Anhao thought that Lu Jinnian would ignore her, walking by as usual, but this time, he had stopped directly in front of her. Her heart beat rapidly. Anxiously, she lifted her head to look at Lu Jinnian. He remained impassive, his gaze focused on her mobile phone without any emotion. Qiao Anhao was already immune to Lu Jinnian¡¯s cold manner, but she didn¡¯t understand why he would stare at her phone with such intensity. Her fingers froze from Lu Jinnian¡¯s frosty gaze. She moved them unnaturally, clenching the phone tighter. Since Lu Jinnian showed no intention of speaking, she tried to shield her embarrassment by changing the topic. "Err, thank you for helping me out back there." Truthfully, the fact that Lu Jinnian would help her out in that kind of situation left her totally and utterly ttered. In that instance, she felt as though her heart had blossomed into a mini garden. She was left in pure happiness. Even though it had been an hour, warmth and sweetness still squeezed her heart whenever she thought of it. He had actually helped her... Did that mean.. deep inside his heart, he didn¡¯t hate her that much? Lu Jinnian heard Qiao Anhao, and his gaze slowly shifted from her phone to her face. As the dim street lighting hit her white porcin skin, her features softened, making her look sweet and gentle. Chapter 39: Afraid to Cause Trouble (3) Chapter 39: Afraid to Cause Trouble (3) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Right then, the image of Qiao Anhao¡¯s cating manner in front of producer Sun shed past Lu Jinnian¡¯s mind. His expression closed up and in a tone without any warmth, he said, "You¡¯re thinking too much." Qiao Anhao lifted her head in doubt. Thinking too much? Lu Jinnian¡¯s mesmerizing lips curved into a sardonic smile and the frosty voice continued, "I wasn¡¯t helping you, I just didn¡¯t want to bring trouble to myself. A newbie acting as the second female lead in this TV series would definitely stir gossip and, since you¡¯re acting alongside me, I didn¡¯t want any of your bad reputation to affect me." He wasn¡¯t trying to help her, he was just trying to save himself from trouble. She was thinking too much after all... Qiao Anhao lowered hershes, shielding her disappointment. Her lips trembled as she wordlessly tightened the grasp she had on her skirt. Lu Jinnian nced coldly at Qiao Anhao, then brushed past her in long strides. For a long time after Lu Jinnian left, Qiao Anhao remained motionless. Only when a sharp honk pierced the night did she blink,ing back to her senses. Zhao Meng had arrived with the car. Qiao Anhao entered the car and sat down. "There was a car ident that jammed the road for 30 mins," Zhao Meng exined while driving. Qiao Anhao remained silent, tilting her head to the side, looking out the window. Zhao Meng took one nce at the back mirror before making a turn. "Qiao Qiao, thank goodness for Lu Jinnian. I didn¡¯t expect him to actually help you out." The minute she heard that, Qiao Anhao clenched her lips, shutting her eyes. Zhao Meng continued, "I guess Lu Jinnian still remembers past ties. After all, you have known each other for so many years, saying a few words should be nothing." Past ties... That wasn¡¯t his intention at all. He was just worried about gossip. She had been too naive, feeling as though she had struck the lottery with just a few words. She should have known that Lu Jinnian would not have helped her... She was indeed thinking too much. How could she forget, he had once used a resolute tone to inform her: no matter who he liked, it wouldn¡¯t be her. Noting that Qiao Anhao wasn¡¯t speaking, Zhao Meng couldn¡¯t help reaching over to nudge her. "What is it? Something wrong?" "No." Qiao Anhao didn¡¯t open her eyes, afraid that she would tear up in front of Zhao Meng. "The alcohol is making me tired." "Oh, then you should sleep, I¡¯ll wake you up when we reach your home." Qiao Anhao agreed lightly, and the car sank into silence. Chapter 40: Afraid to Cause Trouble (4) Chapter 40: Afraid to Cause Trouble (4) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Qiao Anhao didn¡¯t have any scenes the first two days of filming, but she would stille punctually just to take a look and familiarize with the ce. On the first day of filming, Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t turn up as he didn¡¯t have any scenes. On the second day, he had one scene. Arriving at 10 am, he didn¡¯t rush to get prepared, but instead he had sat down on a chair to observe the filming. Due to Lu Jinnian¡¯s presence, even the actors without any scenes came. However, due to Lu Jinnian¡¯s frosty aura, no one dared to approach him or evene close to him, causing an invisible barrier of three meters around his spot. During lunch time, everyone gathered for the packed food and Lu Jinnian was no exception. He epted the food without anyins and began to eat silently. He ate gracefully, emitting an aristocratic air. After his meal, he entered the dressing room to get prepared for his role. The scene Lu Jinnian had today was with Song Xiangsi. Song Xiangsi had started filming in the morning and was already prepared by lunch time. After Lu Jinnian was ready, Song Xiangsi¡¯s makeup artist immediately came forward to touch up her makeup before the lighting and filming crew positioned themselves. Lu Jinnian and Song Xiangsi both debuted around the same time and had acted as a couple in multiple blockbusters. Both possessed good looks that matched each other, garnering the "Best on-screen Couple" title. Since they had worked together multiple times, they were familiar with each other¡¯s working style. Even if they weren¡¯t acting as a couple this time, they were able to portray the atmosphere and emotions required for the scene perfectly. The smooth filming earned endless praises from the director as he continuously shouted, " Good! Great! Keep it up!" Halfway through the scene, the director called for a break, signaling for the makeup artist to touch up their makeup. Lu Jinnian took two sips of the water his assistant had passed him before waving it away. After getting his makeup touched up, he went to the filming location to wait. After Song Xiangsi finished touching up, they continued with the scene. After getting everyone immersed in the filming previously, they also stunned those watching with their acting in the second half of the filming. They perfected the scene to the point people started to question if it was reality. The second half of the scene finished sessfully and, by the time the scene ended, the set was deep in silence. After about ten seconds, the director came back to his senses, shouting, "Cut" After that scene, the filming for the day officially ended. They were filming in a resort in Jing Cheng, and since the filming had to be done in private, the whole resort had to be booked, resulting in all the crew members having to stay in the resort hotel. Chapter 41: Afraid to Cause Trouble (5) Chapter 41: Afraid to Cause Trouble (5) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Since there weren¡¯t enough rooms for the full crew, only the more famous actors had an individual room. The rest shared a room with their managers. After resting in the hotel room for a while, Qiao Anhao and Zhao Meng both went to the restaurant on the third floor for dinner. Dinner was buffet style, so they both took a te of food each. As they were searching for a seat, producer Sun, who was seated by the window nearby, waved to Qiao Anhao. "Xiao Qiao, sit here! We can discuss the filming for tomorrow." Producer Sun was seated at a table with six seats. five of which were already filled by the director, the male lead Cheng Yang, Song Xiangsi, and Lu Jinnian, leaving only one seat empty. Coincidentally, it was the seat beside Lu Jinnian. Qiao Anhao walked towards the dinning table with the te. She hesitated and only when producer Sun spoke to her again did she look up at Lu Jinnian. Her husband remained oblivious, chewing his food wordlessly. Qiao Anhao ced her te on the table cautiously before sitting down stiffly. The director had just been exining the main points for the scene tomorrow. He nodded towards Qiao Anhao as a sign of greeting before continuing his exnation. Only Lu Jinnian continued to eat as though nothing was happening. Everyone else was focusing on the director. Hence, Qiao Anhao didn¡¯t even dare to move her chopsticks. Sitting formally, she paid all her attention to the director. Thankfully, the director kept it short so the crowd could start eating. Producer Sun sat in front of Qiao Anhao, and when he picked up his chopsticks, he smiled at her before asking, "Xiao Qiao, have you memorized your lines for tomorrow?" "Yes, I¡¯ve memorized them." Qiao Anhao smiled and nodded. "Is this all you¡¯re eating?" Producer Sun asked, looking at her te. "Yes," Qiao Anhao answered with a smile. "Filming is tough, you need to eat more," Producer Sun chastised as he signaled for the waiter at the corner. "One more set of abalone rice and steak." Lu Jinnian¡¯s chewing stopped momentarily before he resumed without any emotion present on his face. However, the air around him seemed to have fallen drastically. Qiao Anhao sat beside Lu Jinnian and could distinctly sense the frosty aura he emitted. As she grew more nervous, her actions became more and more reserved and formal. However, Producer Sun kept talking to her, so she had to keep her cating smile, acting as though everything was normal. Chapter 42: Afraid to Cause Trouble (6) Chapter 42: Afraid to Cause Trouble (6) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Qiao Anhao felt as though this was the most painful meal she had ever eaten. With much difficulty, she managed to endure till the director, Song Xiangsi, and Cheng Yang finished their meals. Once they had left, she hurriedly put down her chopsticks, indicating that she was done. Just as she was about to excuse herself, producer Sun seemed to have thought of something, asking her, "Xiao Qiao, do you have any endorsement jobs other than filming?" Qiao Anhao shook her head as she replied, "I don¡¯t." "I have a friend that manages an European cosmetic brand in Asia. They¡¯re currently looking for a new endorsement model and have asked for my rmendation. I find your looks and personality well suited for the role and intend to rmend you." Lu Jinnian tightened his grip on his chopsticks when he heard producer Sun¡¯s words. Qiao Anhao didn¡¯t think they were close enough for her to ept such treatment, hence she thought for a moment before refusing his offer, "Mr. Sun, I don¡¯t think I¡¯m capable for such a role. I¡¯m still a newbie without much poprity after all." "Why aren¡¯t you capable? Besides, it¡¯s just a rmendation, I can¡¯t be sure if it¡¯ll go through. Once you¡¯re free, I¡¯ll introduce you to them, if they are satisfied, they¡¯ll ept you." It wouldn¡¯t seem nice if Qiao Anhao were to continuously reject him, so she nodded, saying,"Okay, thank you Mr. Sun." When Qiao Anhao finished speaking, Lu Jinnian suddenly ced his chopsticks on the table. He didn¡¯t use much strength, but yet it gave off a distinct pressure. Producer Sun seemed to have detected Lu Jinnian¡¯s displeasure. He immediately turned to him with a smile stered on his face. "Mr. Lu, was the food to your liking?" Lu Jinnian stayed silent, wiping his lips with his napkin. He then lifted his head as he ced the napkin back on the table. ncing at producer Sun with a frosty gaze, he said, "Mr. Sun, I would like a word with you if you have the time." "Yes, yes, of course I have time." Producer Sun immediately ced his chopsticks down and reached for his suit jacket at the back of his seat. Standing up, he walked towards Qiao Anhao and reached his hand out to pat her shoulder, saying, "Xiao Qiao, take your time, I¡¯ll leave with Mr. Lu first." Qiao Anhao was wearing a sleeveless dress. When producer Sun patted her shoulder, his hand came in contact with her bare skin. Chapter 43: Afraid to Cause Trouble (7) Chapter 43: Afraid to Cause Trouble (7) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem A sharp glint shed passed Lu Jinnian eyes before he suddenly stood up. He looked at the script he had ced at the side. Before reaching it, he stopped suddenly and turned to leave with a dark expression. Seeing that Lu Jinnian had left, Producer Sun didn¡¯t dare to stay any longer. Hurriedly, he rushed after. The meal finally ended, and Qiao Anhao sighed inwardly feeling as though she was finally liberated. She remained in her seat trying hard to calm herself down before standing up to leave. Before she could take more than two steps, she heard the polite voice of a waiter from behind her. "Excuse me, could you wait a minute." Qiao Anhao turned back and saw a waitering forward with a script in his hand. "Miss, is this yours?" Qiao Anhao didn¡¯t bring the script down for dinner hence she shook her head. "It must be from one of members of the filming crew, could you help me pass it to them?" Qiao Anhao reached over to take the script. "Thank you," the waiter thanked her before leaving. There were only four actors present during dinner: her, Lu Jinnian, Song Xiangsi, and Cheng Yang. Since the script wasn¡¯t hers, it had belong to one of the other three. Qiao Anhao flipped open the script trying to find any indication of the owner. On the first page of the script, there were the familiar three words in strong neat strokes, "Lu Jinnian" It was actually Lu Jinnian¡¯s script. Qiao Anhao¡¯s heart pounded rapidly, resounding through her entire body. Once she reached her room, she sat down at the table, staring at the script as she debated when to pass it back to Lu Jinnian. She would have preferred to pass it back to him tomorrow morning, but he had a whole day of scenes the next day. What if he needed to memorize his lines? She could easily pass the script to any hotel worker or Zhao Meng to let them then pass it on to Lu Jinnian but she was reluctant to do so. Qiao Anhao pondered for a while before finally reaching out for her phone to call Lu Jinnian. The phone rang for a long time until he picked up. Without giving Qiao Anhao an opportunity to speak, he said, "What is it?" Even through the phone, Qiao Anhao could sense Lu Jinnian¡¯s foul mood. Anxiously, she stuttered, "You left your script in the dinning hall." Lu Jinnian was silent for about five seconds before throwing a door number, 1001, to Qiao Anhao. After that the line went dead. Chapter 44: Afraid to Cause Trouble (8) Chapter 44: Afraid to Cause Trouble (8) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Qiao Anhao listened to the phone beeping for a long while before realizing that "1001" was actually Lu Jinnian¡¯s room number. Why would he tell her his room number? So that she can bring the script to him? Qiao Anhao thought for a long time beforeing to the conclusion that it must have been his intention. She threw Zhao Meng a random excuse and left with the script in hand. Room 1001 was a presidential suite on the top floor. While Qiao Anhao stood in the elevator, her anxiety increased with each increase of the floor number. When she finally reached the top floor, she took a deep breath before exiting the elevator with the script. She followed the arrows on the walls towards room 1001. Halfway through, she passed by the lounge area for several of the higher ranked crew members. The door for the lounge wasn¡¯t closed and inside she could hear a hushed conversation between two uniformed waitresses. "Previously, I went to room 1003 to deliver coffee and almost died of fright. Mr. Lu was in an extremely bad mood, he was nitpicking on every detail of the movie." "The person he was scolding, was it the producer of the show?" "Yes! He is the producer. When producer Sun offered him boiling water, Lu Jinnian actually waved it aside, scalding producer Sun¡¯s hands. The resort doctor just treated his hand and I heard it was quite serious." "How can it not be serious? It was boiling water! No matter what service room 1001 asks for, I¡¯m not going. You can go instead since you are braver." ... Qiao Anhao grew increasingly more anxious and uneasy as she listened to their conversation. Cautiously, she walked to room 1001. As she looked at the tightly shut door, she took several deep breaths, then reached out to press the doorbell. Only after she had pressed it did she see the "Do Not Disturb" sign hanging on the door knob. She then knocked on the door gingerly. The door was not locked and, with just a soft knock, it sprung open. Qiao Anhao stuck her head into the room. The living room was empty so she lifted her hand to knock on the door again. Just then, Lu Jinnian opened the bathroom door dressed in casual clothes. His face was tight, expression dark. Maybe due to the fight he had with producer Sun, his whole body was emitting a frosty pressure. Qiao Anhao stood at the door, not daring to enter. She held up the script towards him. "Here¡¯s your script." Lu Jinnian swept his gaze over Qiao Anhao without any intention of going forward to reach for the script. Qiao Anhao paused for a moment before walking into the room. She didn¡¯t pass the script to Lu Jinnian but instead ced it on the living room table. "I¡¯ll put your script here." She then lifted her head to look at Lu Jinnian again. He maintained a distance, leaning against the bedroom door, seemingly toozy to say a word. Chapter 45: Thinking Back to When We First Met(1) Chapter 45: Thinking Back to When We First Met£¨1£© Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Qiao Anhao paused for a moment before stepping into the room. Instead of handing Lu Jinnian the script, she put it on the coffee table in the living room area. "I¡¯m leaving the script here," she said. Once she finished speaking, she lifted her head and looked at Lu Jinnian. The guy hadn¡¯t moved an inch. He was still leaning against the bedroom door with the same emotionless expression on his face. Qiao Anhao knew full well that she had done what she came here to do and should quietly leave. Still, she stood in her tracks for a moment before saying in a low voice, "Goodbye." Then, she turned around and headed straight for the door. Silence fell in the room. Besides the faint sound of Qiao Anhao¡¯s footsteps, nothing was heard. But just as she was about to reach for the hotel room door, the sound of rushed footsteps suddenly came. Qiao Anhao and Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t think too much about what they wanted. Their footsteps paused slightly before continuing ahead. Before Qiao Anhao could even take two steps forward, a hand from behind reached past her. The door she had tried to open was mmed shut with a "bang". Lu Jinnian left Qiao Anhao¡¯s whole body trembling in shock with his abrupt actions. Just as she was going to lift her head to look up at him, he grabbed her wrist and fiercely dragged her into the room. Her wrist pulsed with pain since he grabbed her with great force. She began to fight back with her whole body as she felt an immediate sense of danger. As she struggled under Lu Jinnian¡¯s force, he tightened his grip on her wrist until she was unable to break free. Qiao Anhao could only stumble after him as he dragged her to the bathroom door. Lu Jinnian extended his arm and pushed the door open. With a strong pull, he propelled Qiao Anhao inside. Before she could regain her footing, her whole body involuntarily trailed closely behind Lu Jinnian. He lifted her up in the air and threw her into the bathtub. Then, he reached out for the shower head hung on the wall, turned it on to it¡¯s most powerful setting, and sprayed Qiao Anhao without a word. The water ran fierce and was exceptionally cold, painfully hitting her body. She wrestled to jump out from the tub but was stopped by Lu Jinnian. He pushed her by the wrist to the furthest corner of the tub and continued to spray her with the shower. When he was almost done, Lu Jinnian¡¯s eyes fell on Qiao Anhao¡¯s shoulder, where producer Sun had patted her. He aimed the shower head directly at her shoulder. The pain intensified for Qiao Anhao as he concentrated the shower¡¯s spray to one area. In response, she tried to dodge it but in vain. Lu Jinnian would always redirect the shower to her shoulder. In the end, she gave up struggling all-together, closed her eyes and curled up into a corner of the tub. Lu Jinnian ceaselessly showered her with cold water, leaving Qiao Anhao¡¯s whole body to shiver. Seeing this, he tightly pursed his lips and threw the shower head to the ground. He then seized her from the tub and shoved against the wall, pressing her tightly up against it. Chapter 46: Thinking Back to When We First Met (2) Chapter 46: Thinking Back to When We First Met (2) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Qiao Anhao didn¡¯t understand just what Lu Jinnian wanted to do. Under the pressure of his body, she instinctively closed her eyes. Lu Jinnian¡¯s brow was cold as ice. He stood with head tilted and his eyes glued to Qiao Anhao. He pushed hard against her body but didn¡¯t make any other movements. Qiao Anhao was soaked from head to toe, and so was Lu Jinnian. The clothes on his body were dripping wet. In the bathroom, the sound of running water came from the shower head he had thrown into the tub. Besides this, there was silence. Deep down inside, this kind of silence and stillness in the atmosphere made Qiao Anhao feel incredibly uneasy. However, she didn¡¯t dare open her eyes. In the end, because of the cold or the nerves, she couldn¡¯t help but tremble. Such a minor gesture couldn¡¯t evade Lu Jinnian¡¯s watchful eyes. He furrowed his brows. Suddenly, he lowered his head and bit down hard onto her shoulder, where producer Sun had touched. He bit down heavily, with ferocity. A sharp pain coursed through Qiao Anhao¡¯s shoulder and traveled down the nerves of her entire body. Without knowing it, she stretched out her hand to push him away. Her actions made Lu Jinnian bite down on her shoulder even harder. Qiao Anhao¡¯s entire body began to tremble and she very clearly felt a sticky wetness trickle down from her shoulder. Yet, Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t had no intention of stopping at all. Qiao Anhao couldn¡¯t take the pain anymore. In an instant, tears began to fall, crashing onto Lu Jinnian¡¯s neck. The warm liquid slowly crept down Lu Jinnian¡¯s neck and flowed down the left of his chest. His whole body froze and he suddenly stopped biting her shoulder. However, his lips still gripped her shoulder, motionless. Secondster, another teardrop fell onto his neck. Lu Jinnian trembled. His head darted up and he covered Qiao Anhao¡¯s lips. He kissed her ¨C with a hint of aggression mixed with the taste of blood. They¡¯d had physical contact on two asions now. No matter how mad he had gotten at her previously, he was always gentle, even if he wasn¡¯t willingly so. But this time, it was different. He was harsh and severe, possessive and torturous. In pain, Qiao Anhao didn¡¯t feel quite like herself. Chapter 47: Thinking Back to When We First Met (3) Chapter 47: Thinking Back to When We First Met (3) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Some say that a woman¡¯s first is the most painful. Well yeah, it was painful. But Qiao Anhao felt that the pain this time was far less bearable. Perhaps it was because she was drunk on the night of her first, or perhaps it was because she loved him. That night, he was so gentle. Even if he hurt her, the pain felt sweet. However, right now, Qiao Anhao felt like she would die from the pain. There was no joy nor excitement in this ¨C only endless torture. Yes, torture. She felt as though he was punishing her, but also releasing some kind of resentment he felt deep down. His every movement carried no emotions, like he was using his full force in an attempt to hurt her, to inflict pain on her. For her, she was really in pain; not just physically but also in her heart. Qiao Anhao suddenly regretted personallying over to hand him the script. She should have asked Zhao Meng toe. Perhaps she should have listened to the assistants when she overheard them saying that he was in a terrible mood after his tantrum. She should have just headed back. She shouldn¡¯t havee and stood in front of the gun. She knew full well that he didn¡¯t like her, in fact, he kind of hated her, and yet she still walked right up to his doorstep. She offered herself up for him to vent his anger. Perhaps he¡¯s two different people: one when he¡¯s in the right frame of mind, and one when he¡¯s with her. Perhaps the first two times with him she¡¯d only felt it was wonderful because he was: once drunk, and the other time delusional from the fever. How could she forget? He once said to her, "So you want to y with me? Alright, I¡¯ll make sure to break you!" So when he snapped out of it, how could he possibly be gentle towards her? With that thought, Qiao Anhao¡¯s eyes couldn¡¯t help but well up. - After a long while, everything simmered down. Qiao Anhao felt weak, lying limp on the bathroom floor. The pain left her slightly trembling. Lu Jinnian red and shut his eyes, staring at Qiao Anhao with a skittish look. He gulped and swiftly turned around. As he turned, his eyes revealed a creeping hint of sadness and pain. But only for a split second, then he became calm once again. And with that, his expression returned to its cold, emotionless, and distant self. He stood up and wrapped a towel around his body. Turning around, he switched off the shower and walked out of the bathroom. Without the sound of the running water, the bathroom was frighteningly quiet. The door was left ajar, and so Qiao Anhao, whoy on the cold ground, could hear the faint sounds of clothes rustling. Disoriented, she slipped into sleep. Lu Jinnian was fully dressed. He took his wallet, phone, and car keys, and was ready to leave when he passed the bathroom door. He slowed down slightly, as though he was going to nce into the bathroom, but eventually decided against it. shing a cold look at the door, he strode out. Chapter 48: Thinking Back to When We First Met (4) Chapter 48: Thinking Back to When We First Met (4) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem When Qiao Anhao woke up, the ce was chillingly silent. She opened her eyes and found herself somewhere icy-cold. After nking out for a while, she finally remembered that she was in Lu Jinnian¡¯s bathroom. She tried her best to get up. Her entire body ached. She staggered for a few steps out of the bathroom and discovered the presidential suitepletely empty. Lu Jinnian was already gone. Qiao Anhao nced at the clock on the wall. It was already one in the morning. When she came to deliver the script to Lu Jinnian, she¡¯d forgotten to bring her phone. She¡¯d disappeared for so long now, would Zhao Meng have rmed the crew? Qiao Anhao immediately picked up the phone in the room and dialed the number for the room she shared with Zhao Meng. The phone was picked up very quickly. Qiao Anhao let out a short "Hey..." On the other end, Zhao Meng followed with an anxious voice, "Qiao Qiao, where did you go?!" Qiao Anhao didn¡¯t respond to Zhao Meng¡¯s question, but instructed her, in a weak voice, "Come by 1001 and bring some clothes." Not long after hanging up the phone, Zhao Meng collected some clothes and rushed over. She had nned to shower her with a flurry of questions about why she was at 1001, but when she saw her friend¡¯s pale white face and her body full of purple bruises, she was at a loss for words. It waste at night, and as they had to film the following day, everyone was already fast asleep, so Qiao Anhao and Zhao Meng didn¡¯t see a soul on their way back to their room. Only once Zhao Meng had entered the room, did she ask, "Qiao Qiao, was it Lu Jinnian?" Qiao Anhao pursed her bottom lip and avoided the question. "You didn¡¯t rm the crew about my disappearance, did you?" "No," replied Zhao Meng. Just as she was ready to question further, Qiao Anhao managed to get a word out first, "I want to shower." Without waiting for a response, she walked into the bathroom. When she got out, Zhao Meng hadn¡¯t yet gone to sleep. She looked at Qiao Anhao with a pained expression, "Qiao Qiao..." "Zhao Meng, I¡¯m fine. It¡¯ste. Let¡¯s go to sleep," Qiao Anhao said, interrupting Zhao Meng once again. Zhao Meng moved her mouth as if to talk but just let out a sigh. She didn¡¯t say a word and climbed into her bed. Qiao Anhao also went to bed and turned off the lights. She pulled the covers over her head and hid as tears silently began to flow. - The next morning, Qiao Anhao opened her eyes to find that she had a splitting headache, her nose was stuffy, and she had difficulty breathing. It must of been because of the cold showerst night and havingin on the cold floor for so long that she caught a cold. Seeing that Qiao Anhao was pale white, Zhao Meng couldn¡¯t help but say in a worried voice, "Let¡¯s call the directer to push back your scene for a while. With your cold, you must be feeling terrible. There¡¯s no way you can film today." Chapter 49: Thinking Back to When We First Met (5) Chapter 49: Thinking Back to When We First Met (5) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Qiao Anhao, who was fairly tired, shook her head and said, "Forget it. Nobody¡¯s happy that I¡¯m the second female lead anyway. That night at the dinner party, Lu Jinnian said I got the part with my own skills, drawing everyone¡¯s attention to me. Today¡¯s my first day shooting, so there¡¯ll definitely be a lot of people watching. If I told them to postpone my scene because of my cold, who knows what everyone would think of me. Perhaps they would say I backed out at thest minute, or that I¡¯m a new person who doesn¡¯t have the right to act like a diva. It might even create some bad blood within the crew, as they might use me of intentionally holding back the filming." - Before heading out to meet the crew, Qiao Anhao drank a cup of hot water. It helped her feel slightly better, but when she reached the make up room, her head started to ache again once she sat down. She forced herself to get it together as she sat in front of the mirror, ready for make up. In the beginning, Qiao Anhao could hold it in, but halfway through make up, she grew increasingly more dizzy. While Qiao Anhao¡¯s hair were being done, Lu Jinnian rushed into the make up room. There were quite a few people who had to shoot today, and so all the seats were pretty much taken. After taking a quick sweep around the room at the door, Lu Jinnian went over to the seat behind Qiao Anhao. Because of the cold, Qiao Anhao found it difficult to focus, and so she didn¡¯t even notice Lu Jinnian sitting behind her until the make up artist held up a mirror for her. Through it, she saw Lu Jinnian sitting leisurely behind, ring tly into the mirror. As she raised her head, his eyes slightly turned, coincidentally staring at Qiao Anhao through the reflection of two mirrors. As Qiao Anhao met Lu Jinnian¡¯s line of sight, memories fromst night immediately resurfaced. She couldn¡¯t help but shiver, her lips pursed tightly, and her eyes instantly drooped. For the rest of the make up, Qiao Anhao sat stiff. She didn¡¯t move an inch. When the make up artist finished, she couldn¡¯t wait to get up and rush towards the set. It¡¯s hard to say whether it was the cold or if she got up too quickly, but Qiao Anhao went limp when she rose, causing her to sit right back down on the chair again. Zhao Meng couldn¡¯t help but worry. "Qiao Qiao, are you sure you can do this? I think you¡¯re not in the right condition right now. How about we speak to the director and go see a doctor?" "No, I¡¯m fine," Qiao Anhao said in a low voice. From behind Lu Jinnian, she stood up once again and hastily walked off with her head down. Qiao Anhao arrived at the set. Just as she¡¯d predicted, even if there was¡¯t much to shoot, the entire cast and crew were here. She knew that these people hade to see her. Chapter 50: Thinking Back to When We First Met (6) Chapter 50: Thinking Back to When We First Met (6) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem They came to catch a glimpse of her acting skills, to see if Lu Jinnian¡¯s words the other day at the dining table were true. They wanted to know if she really had it in her to squash Lin Shiyi, and if she could really take on the role as the second female lead. Even Lin Shiyi, who didn¡¯t have any scenes today, came dressed in casual clothes with a few other actors. They sat under a parasol chatting away as they waited for today¡¯s shooting. Qiao Anhao¡¯s scenes today were all shot with Lu Jinnian. He hadn¡¯t finished having his make up done yet, so she went to find a rtively inconspicuous ce to sit with Zhao Meng. Lu Jinnian finished his make up and arrived on set. His eyes swept tly through the crowd of people before stopping at Qiao Anhao. She wore a jacket over her costume. Her head was turned and she was talking about something with Zhao Meng. Every now and then Zhao Meng would raise a hand and stroke Qiao Anhao¡¯s head. Lu Jinnian shed across the make up room, past Qiao Anhao and Zhao Meng who were talking nearby. His handsome brows furrowed as he turned around and rushed towards the director who was fiddling with the security equipment not too far away. - "Qiao Qiao, Lu Jinnian¡¯s out of make up," said Zhao Meng. When Qiao Anhao heard Zhao Meng¡¯s words, she lifted her head. From afar, she saw Lu Jinnian discussing something with the director and producer before heading back into the make up room. Soon after, the director¡¯s assistant rushed over to Qiao Anhao and Zhao Meng. Qiao Anhao thought that the assistant hade to tell them to get ready to shoot, so she stood up. But as the assistant made his way to her, he apologetically said, "Miss Qiao, I¡¯m sorry. The director told me to inform you that today¡¯s shooting has been canceled." Qiao Anhao furrowed her brows. Zhao Meng asked doubtfully, "We¡¯re not shooting?" The director¡¯s assistant continued with a smile, "Yes, Mr. Lu has something urgent to attend to and has to go back to the city. It looks like your make up today was all for nothing." Qiao Anhao asked, "So when will we start shooting my scenes?" "I estimate we¡¯ll shoot in around four or five days¡¯ time. We¡¯ll contact you when we know the specifics. We¡¯re terribly sorry Miss Qiao." After the director¡¯s assistant left, Zhao Meng couldn¡¯t help butin under her breath, "If he had something to do, why not speak up earlier? Make up is all done, we¡¯ve waited half a day, and then they tell us we aren¡¯t shooting..." - Qiao Anhao didn¡¯t think about going back to the city. After her make up was removed and she returned to her hotel room, she noticed a slight fever. Zhao Meng was so worried she wanted to take her to the hospital no matter what. Qiao Anhao was afraid that this would drag on for a few days, which would interfere with the shooting. but since she had four to five days off, she decided she might as well go back to the city. First, she went to the doctors for a check up, where they confirmed that it was nothing severe. She¡¯d just caught a cold, and so they prescribed her some medicine. Back at Fairview Park, Qiao Anhao took the medicine and climbed into bed. After about half an hour, the medicine started to kick in. She felt dizzy and fell asleep. Perhaps it was because of the unsettling cold, but Qiao Anhao didn¡¯t sleep well. Various pictures flitted through her mind. Chapter 51: Thinking Back to When We First Met (7) Chapter 51: Thinking Back to When We First Met (7) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem The Qiao Anhao before she was ten years old possessed the world¡¯s purest form of happiness. She had a sessful father and a loving mother. But on the year she turned ten, she lost her happiness in just one night. It was a Thursday and her parents were going to participate in a charity dinner. Before leaving, her father had patiently helped her finish her homework. He had solved the most difficult questions for her. Her mother had run a bath and prepared a set of pretty clothes for her to wear to school the next day. At that time, Qiao Anhao acted like a little adult. She sent her parents all the way to the door and instructed them to look out for their safety. She must have looked adorable at that time as they both kissed her on her forehead before waving goodbye and driving off. Her mother had trained Qiao Anhao to be an independent girl. Every time after she showered, she would request for Qiao Anhao to wash her own socks, but every time, she woulde up with a different excuse to escape that responsibility. But that day, she decided to wash her socks on a whim. She washed her socks seriously and had even hung her clothes nicely. Sweetness spread across her heart as she thought of how proud her mother would be. But on the second day, when she opened her eyes, it wasn¡¯t to her mother¡¯s praise but to her uncle¡¯s eyes. He asked if she wanted toe stay at his house for a while. At ten years old, she was still just a kid. She didn¡¯t detect the difference in her uncle¡¯s eyes and, since every time her parents were busy, she would be sent to stay at her uncle¡¯s house temporarily, she nodded in agreement, even packing her own luggage. Her uncle had a daughter that was of the same age who she had a close rtionship with. Every kid would be happier withpany, hence she didn¡¯t suspect anything. But when her parents didn¡¯te after a long time, she decided to ask her aunt and uncle. They told her that her parents were overseas and would only be back after a while. She believed them. But one day, when she had quarreled with her cousin over a toy, she told her that her parents were dead and would never be back. The Qiao Anhao at that time didn¡¯t understand the concept of death but she could fully understand the meaning of "never be back". In her fear and horror, she broke into tears in an instance, waking her aunt and uncle. That night, her cousin was sent to the study room to be punished while her aunt and uncle spent half the night trying to console Qiao Anhao, telling her that they would rush back. She truly believed their words then, butter, after many days, she started to pester them, asking when her parents woulde back. Gradually, she stopped asking, understanding her cousin¡¯s words. Her aunt and uncle had always treated her well, everything her cousin had, she would have, sometimes even better. But even though she was grateful, she could never feel secure. Chapter 52: Thinking Back to When We First Met (8) Chapter 52: Thinking Back to When We First Met (8) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Her aunt and uncle had always treated her well, everything her cousin had, she would have, sometimes even better. But even though she was grateful, she could never feel secure. To an outsider, she was a girl born with a silver spoon. She had beautiful clothes that were the envy of girls her age and even a cute phone that other girls her age could only see on magazines. Since she wasn¡¯t her aunt and uncle¡¯s biological daughter, they would never treat her as strictly as they would treat her cousin. Even if both of them were to get into trouble, they would always punish Anxia, her cousin and not her. When they quarreled, Anxia would be the one getting scolded. The difference in treatment made her aware of their distance. She would always be an outsider, and her own home had been destroyed when she was ten in a car ident. From then on, she never fought with Anxia, learning to give in, learning to make hot tea for her aunt and uncle after a hard day at work. She always thought that her youth would stay innocent forever, but that was only until she met him. That day, she and her table mate had ssroom duty. After ss, the sky was clear and the sun was bright, but by the time they locked the ssroom door and walked out of the school, a sudden bolt of lightning struck the sky. Qiao Anhao hugged her bag as she rushed towards the bus stop. Halfway through, it started pouring. Qiao Anhao continued to hug her bag, running towards the nearest shelter. She ran into a dpidated house, and just then, someone else rushed in as well. Out of curiosity, she lifted her head, ncing towards the other person. The person was a boy with white skin. He had on a pair of headphones and his bag slung over one shoulder. Both his hands were held against the wall. He had his head turned so Qiao Anhao could only catch a glimpse of his profile, but she noticed that he was wearing the same uniform as her, just that his were pants and hers was a skirt. Qiao Anhao was considered a tall girl, even taller than some guys her age, but this guy was so much taller than her. They were the only ones in the house seeking shelter and, since they didn¡¯t know each other, they remained silent. When the rain finally calmed, the guy suddenly reached out with his hand to pull his bag forward. He straightened, turning his face slightly. That was when she first saw how he looked. He possessed the most beautiful face that she had ever seen. He had a clean look that was notmonly seen, and in that instance, she felt as though she hade face to face with the main character of her dreams. Chapter 53: Memories of the Youth (1) Chapter 53: Memories of the Youth (1) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem The boy seemed to have realized someone was staring at him. He looked up, sweeping a frosty nce over Qiao Anhao, jolting her back from her dreams. Treating her as thin air, he left the shelter without any emotion evident on his face. Only when the back view of the guy could no longer be seen did Qiao Anhao walk towards the bus stop. Right then, the bus arrived. Qiao Anhao tapped her card and sat down by the window. Looking out at the thoroughly washed city, the memory of the boy from before shed past her mind. The third year of middle school was a critical period, Qiao Anhao¡¯s thoughts were quickly swept by a sea of questions, but whenever she took a break, the boy from before would cloud her mind. However, she didn¡¯t meet him even in graduation. Yet on the first day of high school, she and Qiao Anxia met Xu Jiamu and through him, she met the boy from her memories. Unlike Qiao Anhao, that boy, seemed to have forgotten their meeting in the rain. When Xu Jiamu had introduced them, he nodded his head coldly, not even bothering to open his mouth. Qiao Anhao only found out his name from Xu Jiamu afterwards. Lu Jinnian... That night, when Qiao Anhao was leaning on her desk studying, she couldn¡¯t help but write those two words in her book. Those two words consisted of many strokes. Slowly but very seriously, she wrote each stroke neatly into her book. With each stroke, Lu Jinnian was not only engraved in her book but also in her mind and her young heart. In her high school, the sses were separated ording to grades. Xu Jiamu and Lu Jinnian had excellent grades, both entering the first ss. Qiao Anhao and Qiao Anxia both had mediocre grades, entering the third ss. Xu Jiamu and Qiao Anhao were close and would often hang out together, hence the frequency of her meeting Lu Jinnian increased significantly. With each meeting, she started to pay more attention to him, andte at night, when shey on her bed, the frequency at which she thought of him would also increase. Gradually, it became an obsession. Whenever she went to the washroom, she would deliberately pass the first ss just to sneak a peak at him. When she managed to catch a nce of his familiar form, her heart would thump uncontrobly, but whenever he wasn¡¯t around, her day would dim slightly. After ss, she would drag her friends to the field for a jog, acting as though she was there to exercise when her true intention was to watch Lu Jinnian y basketball. After year one, Qiao Anhao was sure that Lu Jinnian would pick science major so she followed along blindly. She also found out that the sses would be separated ording to the grades once again. In order to enter the same ss as Lu Jinnian, she studied hard for the very first time in her life. Chapter 54: Memories of the Youth (2) Chapter 54: Memories of the Youth (2) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem It wasn¡¯t that Qiao Anhao didn¡¯t get tired, but knowing she would be in the same ss as Lu Jinnian gave her a strong drive to carry on. She persisted and was rewarded with surprisingly good grades in the exam that would decide her ss. All the teachers were shocked, naming her the ck horse. As per her wish, she sessfully entered the first ss for the science. However, she only realized after that Lu Jinnian had done badly that exam, entering the third ss. Just like that, Qiao Anhao¡¯s dreams were dashed... She became ssmates with Xu Jiamu and Qiao Anxia entered the third ss for the arts. All her friends were happy to see her doing well, but she could only ster a forced smile to ept their blessings. Afterwards, she had hid in the small forest behind the teacher¡¯s block, crying till dusk. Even though she was upset, she knew that the oue would stay the same. The fact that they were not ssmates was a reality that she had no power to alter. Just like in year one, she continued to observe him secretly from afar. The girls in the third ss were vastly different from the girls from the first ss. Third ss girls didn¡¯t care about their studies and if they liked someone, they would go all out. Every time Qiao Anhao passed by the third ss, she would see Lu Jinnian being surrounded by a group of girls who seemed to be trying to get his attention. Even though he would always wear the same cold expression, ignoring their presence, Qiao Anhao couldn¡¯t help feeling jealous. Bitterness would often eat at her the whole day, making her moody. Several times, Qiao Anhao saw Lu Jinnian talking to a girl after school at either the gate or at the bus stop nearby. She recognized her as his ss president who was involved in multiplemunities in school. At that time, Qiao Anhao felt as though a dagger was thrust into her heart, the pain she felt was so unbearable as though the world was going to copse. She would try to decipher and analyze their rtionship when she was at home. It wasn¡¯t that Qiao Anhao and Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t share good memories, though. For instance, in year two, there was one time when she had hurt so badly from her monthly cycle that her face went pale as a sheet, and she had to use the wall as a support, not able to continue walking. He had then supported her all the way to the nurse¡¯s office. Even today, she could still distinctly remember the events of that day. Shey on the bed in the nurse¡¯s office and he had sat on the chair next to the window reading a book. They didn¡¯t speak at all but the warmth she felt was enough. She had felt as though she owned the world at that moment. But in the end, they still made small talk. That was because the girl she had seen talking to Lu Jinnian several times before coincidentally came into the nurse¡¯s office to buy sters and then came over to initiate a conversation. Chapter 55: Memories of the Youth (3) Chapter 55: Memories of the Youth (3) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem When the girl left and the nurse¡¯s office was quiet again, Qiao An Hao mustered up her courage and asked him the question that was constantly on her mind. "Are you together with that girl?" Once she asked the question, she almost bit off her own tongue. Would Lu Jinnian see her as a gossipy girl? Qiao Anhao lifted her eyes anxiously, secretly observing his expression. When the question sank in, Lu Jinnian frowned slightly before lifting his face from his book to nce at her. In a light tone, he replied, "No." Qiao Anhao nodded, making a "oh" sound. Lu Jinnian then returned his attention to his book. Silence fell on the room and after a long while, Lu Jinnian spoke up again, "Our ss will be organizing an activity soon, and we¡¯re both in charge." Lu Jinnian kept a straight face as he spoke, his eyes never leaving his book. Qiao Anhao had buried into her nket, breaking into a wide grin soundlessly. Due to the extreme pain from her monthly cycle, the nurse had to give her painkillers. Before Qiao Anhao could foot the bill, Lu Jinnian had handed the nurse thirty dors. At the door of the nurse¡¯s office, Qiao Anhao thought for a while before rushing to Lu Jinnian¡¯s side. Reaching for her wallet, she took out 50 dors and passed it to Lu Jinnian. "Here¡¯s the doctor¡¯s fee, thank you for your help." Lu Jinnian swept a nce at the 50 dor banknote she held and the wallet she had open. Inside, there was a thick stack of 100 dor bills. His eyes dimmed slightly before he turned and tookrge strides away, ignoring Qiao Anhao. The second time Qiao Anhao had studied hard was after a pic. At that time, Xu Jiamu and the group were barbecuing outdoors. They had invited a lot of friends and Lu Jinnian was included. That day, the weather was good and the skies were clear. Everyoneid down on the grass after the meal to cloud gaze. Somehow the topic shifted to their ambitions and their dream universities. Lu Jinnian was the only one who remained silent the entire time. On the way back, Qiao Anhao heard Xu Jiamu asking Lu Jinnian, "Bro, what about you? Which university do you want to go to?" "A university." A university was globally acimed and one had to be the top of the cohort to enter. Qiao Anhao dared not even dream of entering it. She was not sure which university she wanted to enter, but when someone asked her if she wanted to enter a university in Hang Zhou, she nodded. She didn¡¯t have any preference, but since Hang Zhou was a pretty city, she decided that it would be nice to enter a university there. Chapter 56: Memories of the Youth (4) Chapter 56: Memories of the Youth (4) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem The only reason Qiao Anhao liked Hangzhou was because the city was pretty. But to her, no city could overshadow Lu Jinnian. Even if she knew that Lu Jinnian and A university were both unattainable dreams, she still wanted to go ahead and fight for it. That day, she set a new goal in life and that was to enter A university to be Lu Jinnian¡¯s schoolmate. It was much more difficult to enter A university than it was to enter the first ss. Students from the whole country were vying for a slot there. It was a school that parents could only dream their child would enter. A person¡¯s ability was indeed infinite and her obsession for Lu Jinnian was so insane that as long as it was an opportunity to get close to him, she would go all out. From that day till the end of the exams, she immersed herself in her studies. Other than studying, sleeping, eating, and secretly thinking of Lu Jinnian which she then turned into motivation, she didn¡¯t do anything else. Her hard work was rewarded and she was repaid with amazing results. She was just one mark below Xu Jiamu and that result easily got her into A university. Qiao Anhao began to search for Lu Jinnian¡¯s results after finding hers. He had gotten about ten marks more than Xu Jiamu! The instance she found out that they all passed the cut off for A university, she started crying tears of joy. Her dreams were finally going toe true. On a hot summer day, Qiao Anhao received her eptance letter. During an early autumn day, she happily took her eptance letter to A university. Knowing that Xu Jiamu had also entered A university, she invited him for a drink afterpleting the administrative procedures. Causally she asked, "Where¡¯s Lu Jinnian? Isn¡¯t he with you?" Xu Jiamu bit his straw muttering, "My brother? He didn¡¯te to A university, he went to Hangzhou." He paused for a while before continuing, "During the holidays, he was scouted to be a celebrity and would have to visit Hengdian often. Hangzhou is closer to Hengdian so he went to the university there." Can one know how it feels to have the whole world crushing down on you? Even after so many years, Qiao Anhao would still feel that same feeling every time she dreamed of that moment. It felt as though a ray of lighting struck her, electrifying her whole soul. She had used all of herself to work towards A university, but he had gone to Hangzhou to act?Because it was nearer to Hengdian? Wise people once said that fate was what brought people together. She and Lu Jinnian were probably two people born without fate. Even if she used up her entire soul to chase after him, to love him, she won¡¯t be able to get even a bit of it back... Youth, seemingly beautiful, was filled with sorrow. Tears started to well up in her eyes, streaming down her face. Chapter 57: Memories of the Youth (5) Chapter 57: Memories of the Youth (5) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem With her eyes shut, tears started streaming down her face as she dreamed of the past. Regardless of how much effort she had invested, she would never be able to get close to him. Many times, sorrow not known to others could only be released in dreams as though it was engraved in the heart and no matter how hard you ignored it, it would explode at the slightest touch, erupting into million pieces, inflicting an unbearable and endless pain. Qiao Anxia had always been an average student with mediocre grades and had entered a local university in Shanghai. Even though Qiao Anxia and Qiao Anhao weren¡¯t biological sisters, they still came from the same ancestral home, and ever since Qiao Anhao¡¯s parents died in a car ident, she had been living in the same house as Qiao Anxia, forming a tie akin to that of sisters. Qiao Anxia left her hometown for Shanghai and would often call Qiao Anhao and Xu Jiamu, inviting them toe over. After multiple invites, Qiao Anhao and Xu Jiamu finally caved, flying over during winter. Shanghai was simr to Beijing, both flourishing cities without much for y. Hence, Qiao Anxia suggested they head over to Hangzhou. Xu Jiamu had no objections and, since Lu Jinnian was there, Qiao Anhao obviously didn¡¯t have any objections either. The three of them then headed for Hangzhou. Xu Jiamu and Lu Jinnian were biological brothers with different mothers but they had always been close. With just a phone call, Xu Jiamu managed to sessfully invite Lu Jinnian out. They stayed for four days and Lu Jinnian apanied them through all of them, from West Lake Broken bridge to Leifong tower , from Lingyin temple to Xixi wend. After spending four days and twelve meals together, Qiao Anhao managed to get closer to Lu Jinnian than in the four years they had spent as schoolmates. On thest day in Hangzhou, they visited Hangzhou shopping mall. As girls, she and Anxia wanted to buy all the pretty things there and, since they had always been close to Xu Jiamu, who was rich, they spent his money mercilessly. Spending a few thousand on a simple item was a usual urrence for the three of them, but Lu Jinnian grew increasingly silent, the light in his eyes dimming as he saw them spending money so freely. In the end, he threw an excuse before going to the washroom. Sitting in one of the tiny cubicle, he took long deep puffs from his cigarette, quickly finishing the whole box he had in his pocket. Just then, they called to ask where he was. In Hangzhou, Qiao Anhao added Lu Jinnian on QQ and would often find an excuse to talk to him when she returned to Jingcheng.Even though they were only making small talk, the conversation never seemed to end. As long as their hearts were close, distance was not an issue. Chapter 58: Memories of the Youth (6) Chapter 58: Memories of the Youth (6) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem At that time, there was already a one hour train ride connecting Shanghai and Hangzhou. Hence, Qiao Anhao would often visit Qiao Anxia in Shanghai and together they would make their way over to Hangzhou, stating that it was more fun there than Shanghai. Once she was in Hangzhou, she would log into QQ to ask Lu Jinnian for a meal jokingly. Every time, Lu Jinnian would ept her request, bringing her and Qiao Anxia out for a meal. By the fourth year of her university, Qiao Anhao had umted a thick stack of ne tickets from Beijing to Shanghai, train tickets from Shanghai to Hangzhou, and ne tickets from Hangzhou back to Beijing. Each stack of tickets represented a meeting she had had with Lu Jinnian. Oh, not true! The stack minus three would be the urate representation for the number of meetings they had had. Yes, he had not met her three times she went over. Before the first time he had refused to meet her, she had went over to Shanghai as usual, but since she hadn¡¯t informed Anxia prior to her arrival, Anxia had gone to France with her friends, leaving her alone in Shanghai. Unfamiliar with Shanghai, she took the train down to Hangzhou. This was the first time she had gone down alone. Previously, she would always have thepany of Qiao Anxia or Xu Jiamu. Throughout the entire train ride, she was trying to figure out an excuse to meet Lu Jinnian. In the end, before she could think of an excuse, an excuse came to her. Due to her absent-mindedness, she realized only after exiting the train station that her wallet was missing. At that time, she was penniless and in an unfamiliar ce. Instead of feeling upset, she felt d that someone had stolen her wallet. She left Lu Jinnian a message and he asked for her location, telling her to stay there. She obeyed, standing at the exact same spot for nearly three hours until she saw Lu Jinnian rush over. Lu Jinnian had rushed over clothed in an ancient costume. It was an extremely worn and dirty costume that attracted everyone¡¯s attention. Only after they entered a cab did she realize that Lu Jinnian was filming in Hengdian when he received her text. Since Qiao Anhao had lost her wallet, her identification card was missing as well. Without an ID, she wasn¡¯t able to check into a hotel. Hence, Lu Jinnian brought her to his rented apartment near his school. It was an old apartment that was rtively small. The interior was simple with just some basic furniture: a bed, a desk with an oldputer on top, an open style kitchen, and a washroom. Once they reached the apartment, Lu Jinnian took a shower and changed into a fresh set of clothes, then signaled for Qiao Anhao to shower before leaving with his wallet. When she came out of from the shower, Lu Jinnian had already returned with a bag of food he had ced on the desk. Chapter 59: Memories of the Youth (7) Chapter 59: Memories of the Youth (7) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem After dinner, Lu Jinnian changed the bedsheets before preparing to return to his hostel. Qiao Anhao reached forward to grab his hand. Thinking that she was afraid, Lu Jinnian remained silent. Sitting in front of hisputer, he turned it on. Qiao Anhaoy on the bed ying with her phone. The apartment was silent besides the buzzing emitted by theputer. Time flew and it was 11 pm in the blink of an eye. Lu Jinnianid out a mattress andid down on the floor, while Qiao Anhao upied the bed. The nket covering her had a light fragrance, the exact same scent that Lu Jinnian carried. Subconsciously, the scent flustered her, and her heart beat rapidly. That night was a quiet night. They looked into the darkness, enjoying the silence as their thoughts ran. Listening to each other¡¯s breathing, they gradually sunk into a deep sleep. Halfway through the night, it started to pour in Hangzhou. Thunder struck and lighting shed, but the ferocious weather did nothing to dampen Qiao Anhao¡¯s spirits. She remained asleep with a hint of a smile. The next day, Qiao Anhao went to apply for a temporary ID. Lu Jinnian helped her buy a ne ticket and sent her to the airport personally. Before she had entered the customs, Lu Jinnian took out his wallet, forcing a few hundred dor bills into her hand. Despite usually speaking little, he had told her in a whispered tone to take care of herself and to call him once she reached Jingcheng. At that time, they were getting increasingly closer as though a rtionship would blossom anytime soon. But somehow, from that day onwards, everything changed drastically. The first thing Qiao Anhao did after returning to Jingcheng was to make a new ID and the minute she received it, she booked a ticket to Shanghai. Dragging Qiao Anxia to Hangzhou, she called Lu Jinnian as usual. Lu Jinnian said that he was filming at Hengdian and wasn¡¯t able to rush over. She said that she could visit him at Hengdian. He told her that the show was private and outsiders weren¡¯t allowed. At that time, she didn¡¯t think much, believing that he was indeed busy. She was just a little disappointed and so left Hangzhou after only two days. One monthter, she visited Hangzhou again, but Lu Jinnian said he was in Xi An, filming. After another half a month, she went to Hangzhou yet again and Lu Jinnian used the same filming excuse to reject her once more. Lu Jinnian was getting increasingly popr at that time, after doing well in a few memorable roles. Some of Qiao Anhao¡¯s hostel mates were even starting to fantasize about him. Females were naturally sensitive species and Qiao Anhao had already sensed that Lu Jinnian was avoiding her, but she had no idea why. She thought that it was probably her love that was causing her random thoughts. Hence, after learning that he had someone he liked, she used a good friend¡¯s tone to ask him about it. Chapter 60: Memories of the Youth (8) Chapter 60: Memories of the Youth (8) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Qiao Anhao didn¡¯t dare to continue remembering, tears pouring down her cheeks furiously. That line was like a nightmare, "No matter who I like, it would never be you." It would never be you... Until that moment, from her middle school till the fourth year of her university, she had carried a torch for him for eight years. For those eight long years, she had loved him, worked hard for him, did silly things for him, dreamed of him, thought about him, and had dedicated her entire soul and life to him. But this guy, the guy she had given eight precious years to had told her that no matter who he liked, it would never be her. Her one sided love, the feelings she had been harboring died before even sprouting. From that day onwards, her love for him had to be a secret. She started by trying to avoid him and gradually not meeting himpletely. asionally, she would hear about him from Xu Jiamu. She knew that he was doing very well in the industry, she knew that he had won the best screen actor award yet again and had even bought Huan Ying Entertainment... Even if Xu Jiamu didn¡¯t tell her, she could still find out easily. He was famous globally and every little detail about his life would be a headliner, causing a sensation. Afterwards, she would subconsciously try to avoid him, but everywhere she went, she could see posters of him from the endorsements he was doing. She was clearly aware that he did not like her, and yet, every time she saw his posters, she would stare at them mesmerized, trying to spot any changespared to the face in her memory. As she recalled those times, Qiao Anhao started really crying, unable to control her sorrow. Her tears then woke her up from her dream. In a daze, she opened her eyes to the familiar bedroom. She stared at the wall for a long while before realizing that it had actually been a dream and her pillow was wet from her tears. Qiao Anhao continued to stare at the wall. It was already 12 am... When she returned home in the afternoon, she had fallen asleep after taking her medicine. Qiao Anhao left her bed, heading to the bathroom to wash her face. Taking her medicine, she left the room and walked to the kitchen for a ss of water. After swallowing her medicine, she took out some frozen dumplings from the freezer. She heated them up before sitting down alone at the dining table to eat her food. While she was eating, she heard a car outside. She turned to the window and saw a car driving in. Her grip on the chopsticks tightened unconsciously. She lowered her head and stared at the te of dumplings. Soon, the door creaked open and Lu Jinnian entered. Chapter 61: Sign Here (1) Chapter 61: Sign Here (1) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem While she was eating, she heard a car outside. She turned to the window and saw a car driving in. Her grip on the chopsticks tightened unconsciously. She lowered her head and stared at the te of dumplings. Soon, the door creaked open and Lu Jinnian entered. Qiao Anhao sneaked a peak at him while he was changing his shoes at the entrance before lowering her head to focus on her te of dumplings. She acted exactly the same way as before when she was alone in the mansion, but deep in her heart, she was fully aware that her palms were damp from sweat. Lu Jinnian entered the living room, throwing his jacket onto the sofa. As he was loosening his tie, he caught sight of the lights in the kitchen. Inside, Qiao Anhao was eating alone at a long dining table that could fit up to ten people. He stopped loosening his tie and turned towards the European clock in the living room. It was nearly 1 am in the morning. He frowned slightly before throwing his tie on the sofa and turning to head up the stairs. After just two steps, he turned towards the dining area as though he had forgotten something. Even though Qiao Anhao was eating, her attention was focused on Lu Jinnian. She was not looking at him but she could hear him fiddling around. She had originally rxed when he had headed towards the staircase, but the next moment, he had approached the dining area. Qiao Anhao¡¯s heart clenched, her actions stiffening. When he was in the living room, Lu Jinnian wasn¡¯t able to see what she was eating, but once he entered the dining area, he could clearly see the te of frozen dumplings. His frown deepened and his lips moved slightly as though he wanted to ask something. But he didn¡¯t. Takingrge strides, he walked towards the fridge and opened it. Other than the mineral water he had ordered, there was only frozen dumplings and instant noodles inside. Lu Jinnian stared at the fridge for a while before reaching inside to take a bottle of mineral water. Opening it, he leaned against therge stone wall and downed a big gulp. Uneasy due to Lu Jinnian¡¯s presence, Qiao Anhao finished her te of dumplings rapidly before standing up to wash the te. She dried her hands hurriedly and went back upstairs. Chapter 62: Sign Here (2) Chapter 62: Sign Here (2) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Just as Qiao Anhao wasing out of the shower, Lu Jinnian entered the bedroom. The bathroom door was next to the bedroom and they bumped right into each other. Qiao Anhao stiffened. She wanted to look up but couldn¡¯t muster up enough courage. In the end, she hung her head and rushed into the bedroom. Lu Jinnian swept a nce at Qiao Anhao¡¯s back before going into the bathroom. Down with a cold, Qiao Anhao felt exhausted. She walked towards her side of the bed and plopped down. As she was about to fall into a deep sleep, she heard water streaming from the bathroom. That was when she realized that Lu Jinnian was going to stay for the night! Qiao Anhao struggled out the bed, walking slowly to the dressing room to take the bear out. Hugging the bear, she was halfway to the bed when Lu Jinnian came out of the bathroom with only a towel wrapped around his waist. Holding another towel in his hand, he dried his hair as he walked out. Lu Jinnian stopped momentarily when he saw Qiao Anhao hugging the bear. Wearing a nonchnt expression, he walked towards the vanity table to blow dry his hair. Through the mirror, he could see her ce the bear in the middle of the bed. She then buried herself under the bed and lied down with her back facing his side of the bed. Lu Jinnian¡¯s eyes dimmed, and without realizing it, he increased the speed for the hairdryer, rapidly blowing his hair. He then threw the hair dryer on the vanity table and turned to look at the bed coldly. Even with the bear in the middle, Qiao Anhao stilly close to the edge. A woman¡¯s instinct told Qiao Anhao that Lu Jinnian was staring at her. She stiffened under the nket, her face burying deeper into the pillow. When she felt moisture, she froze for a moment before remembering that she had been crying for a long time in her dream. Qiao Anhao was fully aware that Lu Jinnian would never care about what had happened to her pillow but she was still afraid he would find out that she had cried. Wordlessly, she pulled her pillow deeper under the nket. Her actions were small but still fell into Lu Jinnian¡¯s eyes. It was as though she was trying to get away from him. Lu Jinnian stared at Qiao Anhao silently for a long while before his eyes shed and he turned to leave the room. Once the bedroom door closed, Qiao Anhao opened her eyes and quickly flipped over her pillow. She then repositioned herself andid back down. After about five minutes, the bedroom door opened once again. Lu Jinnian entered with a thick stack of papers. Walking towards the bedside, he looked down at Qiao Anhao, then threw the papers on the bedside table next to her. Chapter 63: Sign Here (3) Chapter 63: Sign Here (3) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem When the papers fell down, a gush of wind swept across Qiao Anhao¡¯s face. Her longshes trembled slightly and she opened her eyes. Lu Jinnian was pointing at a box at the bottom right of one the paper¡¯s with his long fingers. In a cold voice, hemanded "Sign here" and left for the changing room. Once the changing room¡¯s door closed, Qiao Anhao sat up and picked up the stack of papers. After just a nce, her brows furrowed. It was a cosmetics endorsement contract. And it was one of the top luxury brands that only took foreign models who were globally acimed. Lu Jinnian wanted her to sign the papers... Did that mean he was giving her this endorsement? It was so unreal that Qiao Anhao felt as though it was a dream. Lu Jinnian came out of the changing room in a fresh set of clothes. Holding onto a tie, he stood in font of a full length mirror. Through the mirror, his deep yet distant gaze swept ross Qiao Anhao. In an emotionless tone he asked, "Have you signed it?" Qiao Anhao snapped out of her daze, shaking her head. After much struggle, she lifted her head to look at Lu Jinnian, her eyes filled with disbelief and doubt. "Are you giving me this endorsement?" Lu Jinnian replied with an nonmittal "yea". He was really giving it to her... Happiness started spreading through her heart, but it was soon overshadowed by doubt. Why would he give her an endorsement deal out of nowhere? Lu Jinnian knotted his tie skilfully before turning to face Qiao Anhao. With an indifferent expression, he nced at the contract she held, noticing the nk box. He frowned and asked with a frosty tone, "Why aren¡¯t you signing? Aren¡¯t you interested in a cosmetic endorsement?" Hearing Lu Jinnian¡¯s voice, Qiao Anhao once again snapped back to the present from her running thoughts and reached for a pen. But before she signed the papers, she couldn¡¯t help wanting to clear her suspicion. "Why are you giving me this endorsement?" "You deserve it," Lu Jinnian replied again without any warmth. She deserved it? Qiao Anhao couldn¡¯t understand his words. Lu Jinnian stared at her confusion. Silence fell on the room until he threw out another five cold words, "Your reward for yesterday night." Reward for yesterday night... so it was a reward for using her body yet again. Qiao Anhao froze for about five seconds beforeprehending Lu Jinnian¡¯s meaning. She tightened her sp on the pen she held, the tiny bit of happiness she felt vanishing in an instance. Chapter 64: Sign Here (4) Chapter 64: Sign Here (4) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Qiao Anhao stared at the contract that gued her mind. In that moment, all she felt was endless humiliation. Seeing that Qiao Anhao was hesitant, Lu Jinnian couldn¡¯t help but furrow his brows. His aura was cold to begin with, so with furrowed brows, he emitted an intensely icy aura. As for the tone of his voice, it was arctic. "What? Are you not content with the remunerations for this product endorsement?" Hearing the sound of Lu Jinnian¡¯s voice, Qiao Anhao¡¯s hand slightly shook as she held the pen. Then, without a word, she slowly signed her name. A single slip may cause evesting sorrow. The excuse she gave after climbing into Lu Jinnian¡¯s bed the first time now continued to cause her endless humiliation. At that time, she should have never asked for a part in ¡®To the End of Time¡¯. She really wanted to reject signing the contract, but this entire mess was her own doing. There was no excuse for it. Thirteen years ago, she fell in love with him. Because she was young and shy, she didn¡¯t dare confess her love. Thirteen yearster, she was still in love with him. She loved him so much she tried her hardest to conceal it. The furthest distance on Earth was the distance between them - so close, and yet he didn¡¯t realize that she loved him. She stood before him, and yet she didn¡¯t dare to let him know that she loved him. Qiao Anhao¡¯s eyes were filled with fog as she lowered her head, trying her hardest to not let her tears fall. Before thest stroke of her signature, the tip of her pen hovered over the contract for a long while. Only when the fog in her eyes dissipated did she ce the pen down onto the table and hand Lu Jinnian the contract. Qiao Anhao¡¯s calm and collected attitude made Lu Jinnian feel rather hot-tempered, as if his insides were set on fire, mes bursting to break free but unable to find an exit. All of a sudden, Lu Jinnian directed his attention to the giant bear on the bed. His expression instantly ran cold and he said to Qiao Anhao in a heavy tone, "There¡¯s a condition that states that you mustn¡¯t endorse any other products from other cosmetic brands whilst on their project. Otherwise, you¡¯d be legally liable and will have to pay a heftypensation. "Let me remind you, you¡¯d better read these uses well. If you breach the contract, you¡¯ll be the one locked up, you¡¯ll have to pay forpensation, and don¡¯t you even think Huan Ying Entertainment will help you with a single cent!" When Lu Jinnian finished, he reached out and swiped the contract from Qiao Anhao¡¯s hands. He gave her a stern look and, turning, left. Perhaps it was Lu Jinnian¡¯s appearance and exit or the cold, but Qiao Anhao felt more exhausted than usual and struggled to fall sleep. She hugged her giant bear that was taller than she was andy peacefully in bed. She stared with her eyes wide open straight into the empty abyss of the ceiling for a long while. She vaguely remembered the events that unfolded half a year ago and her feelings after suddenly having to marry Lu Jinnian... Chapter 65: Sign Here (5) Chapter 65: Sign Here (5) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem At that time, she had not met Lu Jinnian for nearly a year and theirst meeting had been at Xu Jiamu¡¯s birthday dinner. But he didn¡¯t get to see her then... She had hidden in a corner, looking at him secretly from afar from the moment she saw him entering. At that time, she had throughly given up on the notion that they could be together. At that time, she felt as though they had becameplete strangers who didn¡¯t care for each other. But heavens would always throw surprises at the least likely moments. Even if both Lu Jinnian and Qiao Anhao had indeed be strangers, their life were once again entwined. And that was because of Xu Jiamu. Xu Jiamu was the sole sessor for Xu Enterprise, the prince charming in a typical romance novel. But such a prince had actually fell in the hands of fate. Late one night seven months ago, he had gotten into a car ident. That night, Xu Jiamu drove a Bugatti Veyron, headed straight for a two story high bridge. The front of the car was crashed beyond recognition, and when Xu Jiamu was rescued from the car, he had already stopped breathing. That tragic ident took the life of the sole sessor Xu Jiamu just like that. Due to his position and the monstrosity of the ident, it became a headliner instantly, causing a stir globally. To an enterprise, the sessor was of extreme importance. The ident had caused Xu Enterprise shares to drop drastically, almost to the point of bankruptcy several times. In order to salvage the situation, Xu Enterprise told the public that Xu Jiamu wasn¡¯t dead. Xu Jiamu was not dead, but there was little difference since he had fallen into a vegetative state. The doctors said there was a chance that he would wake up, but they couldn¡¯t confirm when. To the public, as long as they couldn¡¯t see the actual person, everything the enterprise said was an excuse. In the end, Xu family thought of a temporary solution which was to get someone to disguise as Xu Jiamu so that they could tide over this adversity. And that responsibility fell onto Lu Jinnian who had had no connections with the Xu family for the past few years. The reason was simple, Lu Jinnian and Xu Jiamu shared the same father, hence simr genes, and they looked rtively simr even though they weren¡¯t exactly twins. To cover up all the ws, the enterprise told the public that Xu Jiamu was disfigured from the ident. Lu Jinnian then came out into the public with scars drowning his face. Just like that, the public was won over, and the Xu Enterprise managed to gradually pick up. Chapter 66: Sign Here (6) Chapter 66: Sign Here (6) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem At that time, Qiao Anhao was not aware of it and was convinced that Xu Jiamu was awake. She rushed to the hospital happily, going to give her blessings to the friend she had been close to ever since young. She was so happy she had teared while hugging him. It was only afterwards when Xu Jiamu¡¯s mother had spoken to her privately that she found out that it was Lu Jinnian she had hugged. The Xu family and Qiao family were both close due to good working rtionships. Han Ruchu, Xu Jiamu¡¯s biological mother had always treated Qiao Anhao well, and that afternoon, she held onto her hand, telling her the story red-eyed and teary. Many of the board members wanted to take back their investments and marriage was their only solution. But since they had told the public that Xu Jiamu was disfigured, no heiress was willing to marry him. She begged Qiao Anhao to help them, and that was to marry the ¡¯fake¡¯ Xu Jiamu, Lu Jinnian. Qiao Anhao was thoroughly shocked by the news. Not able to fullyprehend the request, she told Han Ruchu she needed time to think about it. Han Ruchu didn¡¯t make things difficult for her, but instead, hoped that Qiao Anhao would keep it a secret, not letting anyone in the Qiao family know about it. Qiao Anhao understood the gravity of the situation and promised not to let the word out. After leaving, she thought quietly for a long time. It felt as though the heavens were trying to reward her, and if she were to ept it, she and Lu Jinnian would no longer be strangers. Qiao Anhao had always longed to be Lu Jinnian¡¯s wife. But it was always a hopeless situation until now. Now, the opportunity to be his wife was directly in front of her. However, she could only tell her grandfather that she was marrying Xu Jiamu. Even so, it was her only shot at getting close to Lu Jinnian. If she let this opportunity go, there was a high chance they would end up as strangers for the rest of their lives, never saying a word to each other again. She struggled for a long time before calling Han Ruchu to ept the proposal. But she had one request and that was not to let anyone outside the board and business partners to know about her marriage with Xu Jiamu. Han Ruchu agreed without hesitation. After all, now that the public thought that Xu Jiamu was disfigured, the Xu family were not willing to hold a grand wedding for people to gossip about. Just like that, Qiao Anhao and Lu Jinnian became a married couple. A couple without a marriage certificate. However, a small wedding was held. Not many people came, only people with business ties with the Xu family. Chapter 67: Sign Here (7) Chapter 67: Sign Here (7) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem On their marital night, she had told Lu Jinnian that she won¡¯t be a hindrance, won¡¯t affect his lifestyle, and won¡¯t let the public know about their rtionship. She also added that since they weren¡¯t a real couple, they couldn¡¯t consummate. But even though she had said those words, deep inside her she was anticipating it. After she finished, Lu Jinnian stared at her for a long time before coldly throwing a "You better remember your words" and going into the bathroom. Since the real Xu Jiamu was still in aa, the Xu family understood that Lu Jinnian couldn¡¯t always stand in front of the public as him. Unless it was absolutely necessary, "Xu Jiamu" would not appear in front of the public. As "Xu Jiamu¡¯s" wife, Qiao Anhao wasn¡¯t required to stay with Lu Jinnian. They could live separate lives and only meet once in a while to act as a couple. Qiao family were not aware of the truth behind her marriage, and after her marriage, she moved out of her uncle¡¯s house. Qiao Anhao wasn¡¯t willing to stay in the Xu mansion and renting a house would cause suspicion, hence, to prevent any loopholes, Lu Jinnian allowed her to stay in his mansion in Mian Xiu garden. Lu Jinnian and Xu Jiamu had bought a mansion next to each other in Mian Xiu garden during its opening. Hence, every time Qiao Anhao was in the area, others would only think that she was in Xu Jiamu¡¯s house. Also, every time Lu Jinnian came back, he could act as Xu Jiamu. However, there was an issue that constantly bothered and excited Qiao Anhao. Inside Lu Jinnian¡¯s mansion, there was only one bed. The other rooms were either empty or had been converted for other use. So every time Lu Jinnian was back, they would have to share a bed. Qiao Anhao thought for a very long time, finally falling asleep uncertain. She barely had any recollection of it, but the next day, in the middle of her deep sleep, she was awakened by loud noises downstairs. - Qiao Anhao¡¯s eyes flew open and she could hear a conversation between a man and a woman. Hurriedly, she yanked open her nket to grab a jacket. When she came down, she realized it was actually a bed delivery. Under the instructions of Madam Chen, the bed was ced in a room on the first floor. Madam Chen was a caretaker employed by Lu Jinnian. Since Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t like the presence of others in his home, she would onlye in the morning to clean up the ce. She was not aware of theplicated world of the rich, so when Qiao Anhao married Lu Jinnian, she called her "Mrs. Lu". Seeing that Qiao Anhao was awake, Madam Chen immediately smiled and asked, "Mrs. Lu, you¡¯re awake?" "What¡¯s happening?" Qiao Anhao looked at the bed that was being brought in. "Mr. Lu had ordered it. He told me that since both of you would be busy filming, the house would be empty. He wanted me to stay in to take care of it." After she exined it, she pointed to the kitchen, continuing, "Mrs. Lu, I have finished making breakfast. Since you¡¯re awake, you should have some after washing up." Chapter 68: Sign Here (8) Chapter 68: Sign Here (8) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem "Mr. Lu had ordered it. He told me that since both of you would be busy filming, the house would be empty. He wanted me to stay in to take care of it." After she exined it, she pointed to the kitchen, continuing, "Mrs. Lu, I have finished making breakfast. Since you¡¯re awake, you should have some after washing up." Qiao Anhao had been living in Lu Jinnian¡¯s mansion for almost half a year, and during the three months she was filming "To the End of Times", she barely returned to Mian Xiu garden. The house was empty for three months, but Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t get anyone to look after the house... Why would he want Madam Chen to stay in now? Qiao Anhao was puzzled, but she didn¡¯t think deeper into it since she could never understand him anyway. Due to Madam Chen¡¯s arrival, the fridge was no longer empty. It was filled to the brim with fresh vegetables, fruits, and meat. Madam Chen didn¡¯t just clean well, she was also a great cook. Judging from Qiao Anhao¡¯s nasally voice, Madam Chen could tell that she had a cold, so she specifically made her some herbal soup. Under Madam Chen¡¯s care, Qiao Anhao fully recovered by the time she had to return back to filming. Due to her cold, Qiao Anhao hadn¡¯t been out for the past two days. Now that her body had fully recovered, her spirits were even higher than before. As she munched on her breakfast, she looked out, marveling at the beautiful weather before deciding to go for a walk. Even though it wasn¡¯t autumn and the sun wasn¡¯t strong, Madam Chen immediately rushed over with a parasol when she saw that Qiao Anhao was empty handed. "Mrs. Lu, take a parasol to shield yourself from the strong sun." Qiao Anhao had the type of skin that would never tan and wanted to reject Madam Chen, but when she saw the bright sun, she reached out to take it along. Madam Chen returned to the mansion and began to clean the kitchen. As she moped the floor, she heard the mansion door opening and thought that Qiao Anhao was back. Without lifting her head, she shouted. "Mrs Lu, you¡¯re back so soon?" Lu Jinnian frowned slightly while taking off his shoes at the entrance. With a clear voice, he asked, "Where did Mrs. Lu go?" Madam Chen froze slightly when Lu Jinnian¡¯s voice replied. She turned and greeted Lu Jinnian before answering his question. "Mrs. Lu went to the garden in the back for a walk." Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t reply. He ced the car keys on the shelf nearby and went upstairs. As Lu Jinnian walked towards the elevator, Madam Chen thought for a bit and asked, "Mr. Lu, do you need me to call for Mrs. Lu?" Lu Jinnian paused momentarily before replying coldly, "No need." He then walked into the elevator going upstairs. Chapter 69: Blockbuster Worthy Act (1) Chapter 69: Blockbuster Worthy Act (1) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Lu Jinnian went to his study room to get a document before returning back down. Madam Chen saw himing out of the elevator and immediately stopped what she was doing. "Mr Lu, you¡¯re leaving?" Lu Jinnian nodded, expressionless, and walked towards the shoe cab to change his shoes. As he reached for the keys on the cab, he turned to look at Madam Chen, who was cleaning an antique porcin vase. He paused for a few seconds before asking, "How has Mrs. Lu¡¯s health been these few days?" Madam Chen truthfully reported, "Mrs. Lu fully recovered yesterday and her spirits are much higher today. I don¡¯t think theres much of an issue..." Before Madam Chen could finish her sentence, Lu Jinnian had already left with his car keys. He acted as though it wasn¡¯t him who had inquired about Qiao Anhao¡¯s condition but rather Madam Chen who had forced the information on him. Lu Jinnian opened the car door and sat inside. He turned into the empty road at the side and made a turn. When he was looked at the road through the back mirror, he caught sight of Qiao Anhao. She was holding onto a parasol, picking flowers in the garden. A spark brightened Lu Jinnian¡¯s eyes and he hit the brakes, stopping the car. He stared at Qiao Anhao through the back mirror for a really long time before he reached for a cigarette. He lit it up, his actions familiar yet dignified, as he continued to stare unwaveringly at Qiao Anhao. Only when the cigarette was at its end and burned his fingertips did Lu Jinniane back to his senses. Still, he remained focused on his back mirror as he casually tossed the cigarette into the ashtray. He lowered the window on his side side. Clenching his lips, he forced himself to look away from the back mirror. Forcefully, he held onto the steering wheel and sped away. Qiao Anhao picked a huge bouquet of flowers, bringing it into the house happily. She got Madam Chen to fetch an empty vase and put the bouquet in. She then started snipping off the excess leaves until she was satisfied enough to put it on the dinning table. As Qiao Anhao was washing her hands, Madam Chen seemed to have remembered something. She turned to inform her, "Mrs. Lu, Mr. Lu was back to grab a document just now." Qiao Anhao paused momentarily before acknowledging her without any emotion. She lowered her head and washed her hands seriously, her originally lifted spirits having dampened once again. Chapter 70: Blockbuster Worthy Act (2) Chapter 70: Blockbuster Worthy Act (2) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Due to Lu Jinnian¡¯s urgent matter, filming was pushed back by four days. Once they returned to filming, the scene with both Lu Jinnian and Qiao Anhao was brought forward. On the first day of filming, the weather was exceptionally good, just like the day they were originally supposed to film. The entire filming crew gathered at the location earlier than the scheduled time. When Qiao Anhao changed and put on her makeup, Lu Jinnian was already at the location, waiting. As usual, there was an invisible barrier of two meters surrounding him. However even if no one dared to approach him, the female actresses would still constantly steer their gazes in his direction. As soon as the director saw Qiao Anhao, he personally went to inform Lu Jinnian. Everyone took their respective positions and filming began. In the script, the second female lead and second male lead had been good friends since they were young. To him, she was just a sister, but to her, he was the man she had been carrying a torch for secretly for a long time. So on the day he was prepared to marry the woman that he loved, she couldn¡¯t control herself and had harmed him so that he could not get together with her. And today, the scene that they were going to film was of hering tofort him when the girl of his dreams was preparing to leave for another country. When the director shouted "Start", all the cameras were directed towards Lu Jinnian. In avishly decorated room, Lu Jinnian slouched on the floor, his clothes crumpled and in a mess, several empty beer bottles surrounding him. In his hand, he held yet another bottle of beer, his face tight with agony. Lu Jinnian¡¯s acting was impable. Regardless of how cold and emotionless he was in real life, he could immerse himself in any role instantly, perfectly molding into the character. Stripping away his cold and distant exterior, he was now an agonized man that was in pain. To emphasize his sorrow, he pretended to choke on the beer, suddenly turning to cough ferociously. As he coughed, tears welled up in his eyes before streaming down his face. "Lu Jinnian is indeed the best screen actor, with just one scene, he hasbecame the perfect embodiment of the role." "Oh my god, that coughing and crying scene was so amazing! He made the role alive in an instance." Everyone couldn¡¯t help praising Lu Jinnian¡¯s impable act. Even Lin Shiyi, who had unknowingly stopped to stand beside Qiao Anhao, couldn¡¯t help smiling as she said, "Miss Qiao, I¡¯m sure you won¡¯t disappoint Mr. Lu¡¯s impable acting." Chapter 71: Blockbuster Worthy Act (3) Chapter 71: Blockbuster Worthy Act (3) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem One actor¡¯s mesmerizing performance would bring about immense pressure to the actor acting alongside him. If the apanying actor was not able to continue properly, no matter how outstanding the first actor was, the other would just look out of ce and stiff. The only reason Lin Shiyi was here was to see if Qiao Anhao could live up to her role. Now that Lu Jinnian had started off with such an outstanding performance, she started to gloat over Qiao Anhao¡¯s misfortune. She was just a newbie without much experience, to be met with such a high level script and performance, she would definitely not be able to follow through! As she thought about how Qiao Anhao was going to embarrass herself, she spoke to her who had stayed silent all this while, "We¡¯re all anticipating your performance." After she finished, Lin Shiyi scanned the surrounding crowd who nodded their heads in agreement. Qiao Anhao was well aware of the true meaning behind Lin Shiyi¡¯s words. She was just waiting for her to humiliate herself. Without a word, Qiao Anhao stood calmly. Once the director signaled for her toe over, she transformed into another person in an instance, rushing over into Lu Jinnian¡¯s room anxiously. Once she saw his situation, she shouted the second male lead¡¯s name. She ran over, kneeling on the floor and snatching the bottle away. At this point, Lu Jinnian was already dead drunk. Qiao Anhao pulled him onto the sofa with much difficulty before picking up a wet towel from the coffee table. With it, she slowly helped Lu Jinnian wipe his face. Qiao Anhao didn¡¯t have great acting skills, but at that moment, when she looked at Lu Jinnian¡¯s agonized face, she recalled when he had told her that no matter who he liked, it wouldn¡¯t ever be her. Her eyes dimmed, instantly clouding with sorrow and pain. She loved him so much, but in reality she didn¡¯t dare to show even a tiny bit of it. Now that they were acting, she didn¡¯t have any worries or hesitation, in that instance, she thoroughly immersed herself in the role. Following the script, she wiped Lu Jinnian¡¯s face. She then started adding her own scenes. Qiao Anhao traced Lu Jinnian¡¯s face lightly and in a mesmerized yet pained tone she muttered softly, "Why can¡¯t I be the one you love?" Tears welled up in her eyes as sheid on Lu Jinnian¡¯s chest. Only when they were acting did she dare to approach him like this. As she realized how sad her reality was, she couldn¡¯t help shutting her eyes, letting the tears stream down her face. Chapter 72: Blockbuster Worthy Act (4) Chapter 72: Blockbuster Worthy Act (4) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem The filming for the scene ended. But the entire set remained silent, waiting for thete "Cut" from the director. The moment Qiao Anhao¡¯s fingers had caressed his face, Lu Jinnian¡¯s whole body stiffened. If not for his strong self-control, he would not have been able to continue acting asleep and would¡¯ve acted out of the norm. When Qiao Anhao¡¯s sorrowful voice asked " Why can¡¯t I be the one you love?", he had clenched the fist he had positioned behind his body, away from the camera. When she hadid down on his chest, he could clearly hear his heart thumping rapidly, even his breathing became unstable. Afterwards, he had felt moisture on his shirt. Was that her tears? Lu Jinnian finally couldn¡¯t resist himself, opening his eyes, staring straight into Qiao Anhao¡¯s tear filled eyes and sorrowful expression. Her expression was too real, to the point that he could have sworn those were her true feelings. Deep down, did she love him? So that she could act out the scene so realistically... Lu Jinnian¡¯s throat moved and his fingers lifted uncontrobly, wishing to wipe off the tears on her face. In that instance, the director¡¯s voice suddenly sounded, "Cut." The minute she heard the director¡¯s voice, Qiao Anhao retrieved her sorrowful expression instantly. Not daring to stay on Lu Jinnian¡¯s chest any longer, she moved away hurriedly. Just like that, the hand that Lu Jinnian had lifted froze in the air. He stared at Qiao Anhao unwaveringly, studying her carefully. But he could no longer detect any trace of the sorrow and pain. The Qiao Anhao out of the film didn¡¯t even dare to look at Lu Jinnian, so how could she have noticed the slightly lifted hand? Only when she sneaked a peak in his direction did she realize that he was staring at her intently. Her heart thumped so rapidly it skipped a beat. Guiltily she said, "For the scene, I had some sudden inspiration. I¡¯m sorry I didn¡¯t inform you earlier." With that one line, Lu Jinnian clenched the hand he had lifted, and calm washed over him. The truth yet again reminded him that he was dreaming. He was aware that he was dreaming, yet he wanted to test the fact again and again, each time ending in his humiliation. Lu Jinnian¡¯s eyes dimmed in an instance and he pushed away Qiao Anhao, who was still sitting beside him. Once his feet touched the ground, he headed for the resting area without sparing her a nce. Chapter 73: Blockbuster Worthy Act (5) Chapter 73: Blockbuster Worthy Act (5) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Lu Jinnian could easily immerse himself into the TV series and could easily get out of it. Actors who had worked with him were all used to his working style. Every time after a scene, he would leave without saying anything to the actor who had acted alongside him. As the director shouted cut, the cameras stopped. Since the crowd were far from Lu Jinnian and Qiao Anhao, no one detected anything suspicious between the two of them. The director looked at the scene that was captured before standing up to firstmend Lu Jinnian¡¯s performance. He then turned to look at Qiao Anhao with a newly acquired appreciation and awe. He started praising her generously, "Xiao Qiao, your performance just now was impable! This is the first time after working with Lu Jinnian for so many years that I¡¯ve seen an actor other than Song Xiangsi follow up his act so well. All the other actors that he had worked with were not able to follow up naturally, and you did it in the first take! The parts you added were great! Really great!" She was just acting as herself, how could it be bad? Qiao Anhao suppressed her own self-deprecation. Turning to the director, she curved her lips saying "Thank you" and left to touch up her makeup. The crowd that had came to watch Qiao Anhao were now filled with respect and awe, some even praising her out loud. "I never expected a newbie to have such an amazing performance!" "Yes, no wonder she was able to get Mr. Lu¡¯s praise back at the dinner." "Qiao Anhao is not only pretty but can act as well. She is also paired with Lu Jinnian in this tv series, she¡¯ll definitely make it big after this show!" Lin Shiyi couldn¡¯t help looking in Qiao Anhao¡¯s direction as she heard the endless praises. She never expected that the newbie that had snatched her role actually possessed such amazing acting skills. She had always thought that such an inexperienced newbie must have gotten the role because of her looks. Who knew she was able to act alongside Lu Jinnian, the best screen actor, with such poise! Just as the crowd had said, if she were to continue like this, she would definitely make it big soon. In the movie industry, Lin Shiyi had always been suppressed by Song Xiangsi. After enduring for so many years, Song Xiangsi was finally not taking on as many roles. She had thought that this was her chance at bing the next best screen actress but now... now there is a Qiao Anhao?! Lin Shiyi¡¯s eyes dimmed. She wouldn¡¯t let anyone be a hindrance in her road to be the best screen actress. She turned around coldly before storming off in her high heels. Chapter 74: Blockbuster Worthy Act (6) Chapter 74: Blockbuster Worthy Act (6) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem "Good work!" the director shouted happily as the scene ended sessfully. "For the next scene, the clothes are different. Crew, please assist the actors," the directed instructed while looking at what was next in the schedule. Qiao Anhao¡¯s attire was already prepared and hung in the dressing room. Upon the director¡¯s orders, Zhao Meng immediately brought Qiao Anhao to the dressing room where her clothes waited. Just as Zhao Meng was about to push open the dressing room¡¯s door, it was pulled open by the person inside. A young girl anxiously ran out and without daring to even look at Qiao Anhao, she lowered her head, greeting Qiao Anhao "Qiao Jie" before rushing off. Due to a tight schedule, Qiao Anhao and Zhao Meng didn¡¯t think much, entering the dressing room to change into the clothes and high heels that were prepared before returning to the filming location. For this scene, the second male lead had found out that the second female lead was the one who had destroyed his rtionship, hence he wasing to seek revenge. The first scene was of Qiao Anhao. She sat beside the pool under a parasol, reading a book quietly. This was a static shoot, so Qiao Anhao was required to stay at the same spot with the book while the cameraman shot from the different angles. When the angle was chosen, under the director¡¯s signal, Lu Jinnian sat down in a sports car speeding towards Qiao Anhao. Just before crashing into her, the car stopped and Lu Jinnian came out, mming the car door shut, marching over. Seeing that it was Lu Jinnian, Qiao Anhao broke into a wide smile. Before she could shout out the second male lead¡¯s name, he snatched her book, throwing it to the ground. Turning to face Qiao Anhao, he started to scream at her. The TV series had gone on smoothly till here. The next scene, Lu Jinnian told Qiao Anhao that he never wanted to see her again and turned to leave. Qiao Anhao reached out to pull him back in a panic but was roughly pushed away from him. She wasn¡¯t able to regain her footing and fell. Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t actually use a lot of strength, he just acted as though he exerted a lot of strength. Qiao Anhao had acted ordingly, letting go off Lu Jinnian¡¯s hand, falling. She had indeed released Lu Jinnian¡¯s arm when he lifted his hand, but when she was prepared to fall, her high heels broke the instant she exerted some pressure on them, causing her to lose bnce, falling into the swimming pool. Chapter 75: Blockbuster Worthy Act (7) Chapter 75: Blockbuster Worthy Act (7) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem The swimming pool was two meters deep. Qiao Anhao entered head first, making arge ssh. The incident was too sudden and the surrounding people were too stunned to react. Lu Jinnian had pushed Qiao Anhao away, leaving with a sunken face but after no more than two steps, he heard the sound of someone falling into the water. Subconsciously, he turned only to see the huge bubble formed where she had fallen in. Qiao Anhao couldn¡¯t swim, and since the swimming pool was in open air, it wasn¡¯t heated. Now that it was the middle of the night, the water¡¯s temperature must have been extremely low, and she had just recovered from a cold.... Lu Jinnian¡¯s face paled in an instance, and without any thinking, he jumped into the pool. When Qiao Anhao¡¯s head sunk under the water, she was still in a daze. The wave of cold water washed over her and she started to have difficulties with breathing. She tried desperately to shout for help, but that caused her to take in more water. She struggled instinctively, but due to the momentum of falling into the water, she kept sinking. Yet just when she was about to reach the bottom of the pool, she felt someone hook an arm around her waist, bringing her into a warm embrace and dragging her upwards. The moment Lu Jinnian dragged Qiao Anhao out, he immediately reached to press her abdomen. As he applied pressure, Qiao Anhao continuously spat out water. She gradually came back to her senses. With her eyes shut, she began recalling how she had fallen into the water. Everything had happened too fast and the people nearby couldn¡¯t detect any loopholes. But as the victim, she distinctly remembered her heel breaking before she had fallen into the pool. There was no other reason other than foul y for her heel to break on t ground. Someone must have been trying to humiliate her. The time Lu Jinnian had taken to bring Qiao Anhao up was less than two minutes, so she was in no danger. However, she remained pale and unconscious even after spitting out water. Lu Jinnian frowned, anxiety and fear shing in his eyes, He reached out and tapped Qiao Anhao¡¯s face lightly, but she remained motionless. Instead, her body was trembling uncontrobly. Lu Jinnian clenched his lips. Not caring about the crowd, he took a deep breath before lowering his head, aiming for Qiao Anhao¡¯s lips. The more the people wanted to watch her humiliate herself, the more she would not let them get their wishes. Now that she was filming and had identally fallen into the water, she would change this incident into something exciting! Chapter 76: Blockbuster Worthy Act (8) Chapter 76: Blockbuster Worthy Act (8) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem In the script, the second male lead was already interested in the second female lead. Hence, if she fell into the water, he would definitely save her... Qiao Anhao¡¯s longshes trembled slightly as she thought of her next line. Slowly, she opened her eyes. The cold from the water caused her to tremble, making it difficult for her to speak. With a trembling voice, she said, "I did it because I like you, but I promise never to do it again. Can you forgive me?" When Lu Jinnian had carried Qiao Anhao out of the water, someone had already snapped out of his daze and shouted out anxiously, "Someone fell into the water!" With the person¡¯s voice, the director was also shaken out of his shock. Taking his speaker, he was about to shout for towels when Qiao Anhao¡¯s voice sounded. "I did it because I like you, but I promise never to do it again. Can you forgive me?" In that instance, the director stopped his original actions, looking into the screen intently. When Lu Jinnian first heard Qiao Anhao¡¯s voice, he was puzzled. He looked into the girl¡¯s dark eyes for five whole seconds before realizing that she was still acting. Falling into the water was not an incident but part of her act? Lu Jinnian suppressed his concern, studying Qiao Anhao. After confirming that she was alright, anger washed over him. She was sacrificing her life just to act? She had just recovered from a cold and now jumped into the freezing pool... And she couldn¡¯t even swim. What if no one saved her in time? Lu Jinnian¡¯s expression turned cold, emitting an overpowering pressure. He looked at Qiao Anhao. Lifting one corner of his lips, heughed coldly and tossed her out of his arms. With an anger that he couldn¡¯t suppress, he stood up and stormed off. Together with Lu Jinnian¡¯s departure, the director shouted a satisfied "cut" before instructing the crew, "Hurry, bring some towels to Xiao Qiao and Mr. Lu." The crew hurriedly brought towels and fresh clothes over to Qiao Anhao and Lu Jinnian. When the crew brought a towel over to Lu Jinnian, he stared at them furiously. The crew was too scared to say a word, stumbling backwards before his assistant took the towel. The man passed it to Lu Jinnian daringly, saying carefully, "Mr. Lu, wipe yourself down before you catch a cold." Chapter 77: Oh, Arent You Honest (1) Chapter 77: Oh, Aren¡¯t You Honest (1) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Lu Jinnian snatched the towel from his assistant and tossed it onto the floor roughly before entered his resting area with a gloomy expression. Taking his phone and wallet, he was about to leave the set when he saw Zhao Meng helping Qiao Anhao dry her hair. He hesitated for a while before starting to walk in her direction. "Qiao Qiao, even if you were inspired, how can you treat your life so lightly. You can¡¯t even swim, why would you enter the water?" Zhao Meng recalled the earlier scene and couldn¡¯t help chastising her, "If you weren¡¯t saved in time, you could have drowned!" Qiao Anhao thought about the heels that were submerged in the water. Her eyes shing, she said in a hushed tone, "I didn¡¯t want to fall in, the heels that I wore broke, causing me to lose bnce and fall in." Zhao Meng¡¯s actions paused momentarily before she asked, "Your heels were fine, how could they break so suddenly? Unless..." Zhao Meng stopped talking. Even though neither said anything, both of them were clear that the heels had been tampered with. After a while, Zhao Meng seemed to have thought of something. She leaned towards Qiao Anhao and whispered, "Qiao Qiao, I don¡¯t think Lu Jinnian doesn¡¯t care about you. Just now when you fell into the pool, a normal reaction would be to go into a daze, but he jumped in after without any hesitation." Qiao Anhao knew that Lu Jinnian had saved her but she wasn¡¯t aware of the situation before he had jumped in. So when she heard Zhao Meng¡¯s words, her heart trembled. She lifted her head and was about to rify with her friend, but Lu Jinnian appeared at the door, causing her to swallow her words. Lu Jinnian looked down at Qiao Anhao, and after about two seconds, he spoke, his voiceced with anger, "Miss Qiao, I hope that you will inform me before adding your own scenes in the future. This is a filming set, not a ce for you to y. Not everyone will tolerate your ideas if you were to act as you please." He paused momentarily before ncing at Qiao Anhao¡¯s dripping wet hair and the robe that covered her soaked clothes. In a tone that was razor sharp, he said, "If you want to die, don¡¯t do it on the set. Huan Ying Entertainment doesn¡¯t need a dead actress to tarnish its name." Chapter 78: Oh, Arent You Honest (2) Chapter 78: Oh, Aren¡¯t You Honest (2) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem The tiny spark of anticipation that had formed in Qiao Anhao¡¯s heart vanished in an instance with Lu Jinnian¡¯s words. She had believed Zhao Meng for a moment. But how could she have forgotten that Lu Jinnian had been the best screen actor for so many consecutive years. He was always a one-take actor, and when he had jumped in to save her, it wasn¡¯t because of worry but to follow through her act. Since she was soaked in cold water, Qiao Anhao was pale as a sheet of paper, without any trace of color. She tried to keep the calm on her face but Zhao Meng who stood behind her couldn¡¯t help feeling upset for her. "Mr Lu, Qiao Qiao didn¡¯t want to drop into the water, but her heels were tampered with, causing her to lose bnce and fall into the pool. She only decided to add the scenes to escape having to retake the whole scene..." Lu Jinnian¡¯s expression froze slightly as his gaze fell on Qiao Anhao¡¯s feet, realizing that she was not wearing any shoes. He frowned deeply, an eeriness shing past his eyes. Before Zhao Meng could finish her sentence, his face dimmed and he left the set in his wet clothes. Zhao Meng looked at Lu Jinnian¡¯s back and couldn¡¯t help pouting. "So rude!" Qiao Anhao remained quiet, using a towel to wipe off the droplets on her face. She stood up and went to the changing room to change before leaving the set with Zhao Meng. On her way into the hotel, Qiao Anhao bumped into a crew member, a young girl. She smiled sweetly at her, shouting "Sister Qiao". Qiao Anhao returned a slight smile and nodded. By the time she reached her hotel room, she recalled that she had seen the girl before but since there were so many crew members, she couldn¡¯t pinpoint who she was. Only at night, when she was eating dinner and caught sight of the same girl sitting beside Lin Shiyi¡¯s assistant, did she whisper to Zhao Meng, "Who is that young girl sitting beside Lin Shiyi¡¯s assistant? She seems familiar, have we seen her somewhere?" Zhao Meng chewed, her chopsticks in the air, as she stared at the young girl. Suddenly, she remembered something and said, "Qiao Qiao, I remember! This afternoon, when we were about to go to the changing room, she ran out of it. Do you remember? I think its her, just with a change of clothes." Qiao Anhao was already sure but she couldn¡¯t confirm. Now that Zhao Meng had confirmed her suspicion, she nodded, saying, "Yes, it¡¯s her." "She is Lin Shiyi¡¯s new assistant. This afternoon, after she entered your changing room, your heels broke..." Zhaomeng stopped in mid-sentence, staring straight at Qiao Anhao before smiling coldly. "I never would have expected that she would do this on the very first day!" Chapter 79: Oh, Arent You Honest (3) Chapter 79: Oh, Aren¡¯t You Honest (3) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Qiao Anhao smirked silently. After dinner, when there were no more scenes to shoot in the evening, the crew usually liked to rest downstairs in the lounge, y cards, sing, or work out. During dinner, Qiao Anhao and one of the minor actors she was close with decided to meet up at eight to y cards. After dinner, she and Zhao Meng took a walk in the garden behind the hotel, and when it was just about time, they went to the lounge downstairs. Not everyone was there just yet when Qiao Anhao arrived at the recreational room. She chatted with a few people for a while, and then went to the bathroom. The restrooms in the lounge were decorated particrly beautiful with a humongous dressing table. Qiao Anhao walked into a random stall. A few seconds after she locked the door, she heard a flurry of footsteps. It sounded like there were quite a few people. Just as Qiao Anhao was ready to flush the toilet, she clearly heard a voice from outside say, "Mr. Lu is just the worst. He says the harshest things..." Qiao Anhao stopped in her tracks and listened carefully. "Right? So what if he¡¯s the best screen actor. He¡¯s just so disrespectful!" "Especially since sister Shiyi didn¡¯t even do anything. Everybody was singing in the box when sister Shiyi saw that Mr. Lu was sitting all alone. She thought she¡¯d ask him to sing too out of the kindness of her heart, but he said such horrible things. It was so hard to hear!" When Qiao Anhao heard Lin Shiyi¡¯s name, she was so happy that she sat back down on the toilet and continued to eavesdrop. "Right? How could he tell her that if she liked hitting on guys so much, she should go straight to a nightclub and not work in the entertainment industry!" "Those words of his were enough! How could he then turn to the director and ask him to hire ¡¯sensible¡¯ actors instead of these shady escorts. He added that actors like her served to bring down the ss of our whole crew! And he said it right in front of everyone!" "There were so many people in the room and a few investors outside! The way he just called sister Shiyi an escort was so inconsiderate!" "But don¡¯t you girls think that Mr. Lu was acting strange today? Before, he would never even attend these kind of singing events or any of the group events, but he turned up! Granted, he did ignore everyone who approached him, but he turned up! His words today were so irritating. Wonder what the hell killed his mood." "So what if you¡¯re not in the right mood! You can¡¯t just go and insult people!" "Alright there, sister Shiyi, cheer up..." It was not until everyone had their say that Lin Shiyi finally speak up. With the hint of a trembling cry in her voice, she said, "I¡¯m fine. It¡¯s alright. Let¡¯s go." Chapter 80: Oh, Arent You Honest (4) Chapter 80: Oh, Aren¡¯t You Honest (4) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem After Lin Shiyi spoke, the others who hade into the restroom with her said a few moreforting words and walked out one after the other. The restroom fell silent. Qiao Anhao, who was satting on the toilet, reyed their whole conversation from start to end in her mind. She understood exactly what had happened. So there were a few investors here tonight, and so the crew booked the KTV room. Lin Shiyi and Lu Jinnian were there, but when everyone was singing, Lu Jinnian sat quietly on his own. Then, Lin Shiyi tried to get him to join in and sing but got made fun of by him. Lu Jinnian¡¯s personality was fairly reclusive. He was never approachable, nor did he like to talk, but when he did speak, he always got down to the point. ording to their story, when Lu Jinnian made fun of Lin Shiyi tonight, he wasn¡¯t quiet about it. It shocked everyone in the room, and he even dragged the director into his rant. Remembering how Lu Jinnian made fun of her when he was mad, Qiao Anhao could imagine the attitude in his voice and the level of awkwardness when he spoke to Lin Shiyi. Qiao Anhao couldn¡¯t help but shiver. After making sure that it was silent outside, she stood up and rushed out. When Qiao Anhao left thedies¡¯ room and stopped at the sink to wash her hands, she noticed Lin Shiyi standing in front of the mirror, fixing up her smudged make up. Qiao Anhao didn¡¯t do anything to wrong to Lin Shiyi, so she brazenly walked up to the sink and turned on the tap, calm andposed. She thoroughly washed her hands. She didn¡¯t look over at Lin Shiyi, but she could sense that the other threw a few nces over at her through the wide mirrors. Qiao Anhao pretended she didn¡¯t notice, finished washing her hands, and wiped them dry on the paper towels beside her. Lin Shiyi closed her powder case and put it away in her handbag. Then, she pulled out her red lipstick. She removed the lid and said in a strange tone, "Miss Qiao¡¯s acting skills are truly astonishing." Qiao Anhao couldn¡¯t hear the sarcasm in Lin Shiyi¡¯s words. At first, when she found out that she¡¯d stolen her role, she wanted to avoid confrontation as much as possible¡ªit¡¯s important to keep the peace. However, it was clear that Lin Shiyi had no intentions of keeping the peace at all, so there was no way to work harmoniously. Qiao Anhao wasn¡¯t the type to cower, and so she decided that she may as well be frank. "In the afternoon, it was you who messed with my high heels, wasn¡¯t it?" Chapter 81: Oh, Arent You Honest (5) Chapter 81: Oh, Aren¡¯t You Honest (5) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem "Yeah, it was," admitted Lin Shiyi without a trace of hesitation. Secretly shocked, Qiao Anhao smirked. With an impervious smile, she said, "Oh, aren¡¯t you honest?" "I dared to do it, so I¡¯m not afraid for you to know." Lin Shiyi put on her red lipstick and slightly pursed her lips to spread out the color. She turned and nced over at Qiao Anhao as she pulled out her mascara from her bag. "What? So now that you know I sabotaged you, are you waiting for a chance to get revenge? "But how do you n to get revenge? By giving me a taste of my own medicine? Will you wait to break my heels when I shoot my scene to humiliate me?" sneered Lin Shiyi with a face of disdain. "Go on, try it. Let¡¯s see if you can do it." Qiao Anhao chuckled. "Miss Lin, you¡¯re over-thinking it. Even if I were to get revenge, I wouldn¡¯t use other people¡¯s methods. Besides, I never even thought about getting revenge at all, because I have to thank you. If it weren¡¯t for your calls, there wouldn¡¯t have been so many people there to see me perform, nor would they have been sold on my shocking skills this afternoon. If it weren¡¯t for you, I wouldn¡¯t have gone with the flow and convinced the director I was improvising on the spot with my broken heels. He wouldn¡¯t have seen me in a different light nor would I have received his endless praises. So, Miss Lin, thank you." Qiao Anhao¡¯s words pierced Lin Shiyi¡¯s heart. She had wanted to humiliate Qiao Anhao earlier that afternoon, but instead made her shine even brighter. Then,ter that afternoon, she tried to sabotage her again for her only to turn things around and earn the director¡¯s respect. Lin Shiyi recalled her ruthlessness, gritted her teeth, and said, enunciating every word, "You¡¯re wee, Miss Qiao." When Lin Shiyi finished, she grabbed her handbag and turned to leave, but she only took two steps forward before suddenly remembering how producer Sun would always look after Qiao Anhao. She stopped in her tracks, smirked, and turned around to face Qiao Anhao, slowly saying, "However, Miss Qiao, did you really rely on your acting skills to get into the crew? Don¡¯t think for one minute that I don¡¯t know that you slept with a man to get in." At this point, Lin Shiyi slowly leaned forward, drawing closer to Qiao Anhao¡¯s ear and said in a low voice, "Won¡¯t you teach me just how you slept in producer Sun¡¯s bed to get the opportunity to partner up with Mr. Lu?" Qiao Anhao didn¡¯t think that Lin Shiyi would say such wild usations. Slightly angered by her words, she balled up her fists in anger. She looked all around her and found a bin with a water bottle inside. Her eyes lit up and she turned to look at Lin Shiyi, asking, "You really want to learn? You want me to teach you?" Chapter 82: Oh, Arent You Honest (6) Chapter 82: Oh, Aren¡¯t You Honest (6) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem After Qiao Anhao finished speaking, she walked over to the bin and pulled out the water bottle. She filled it up under the tap, turned, and walked over to Lin Shiyi. She lifted the bottle over Lin Shiyi¡¯s head and poured water all over her. Qiao Anhao waited for the bottle to empty before throwing it back into the bin again. She looked at Lin Shiyi, smiled, and asked, "Had enough water? If that wasn¡¯t enough, I can go on..." Lin Shiyi never expected Qiao Anhao to think of such a way to retaliate: a single bottle of water poured over her head and over the make up she¡¯d tried so hard to fix. Ruined! In an instant, her expression grew cold. There wasn¡¯t a hint of elegance and grace. All she wanted to do was p Qiao Anhao on the face. Qiao Anhao figured it¡¯d be so. ording to Lin Shiyi¡¯s personality, she¡¯d definitely fight back after being treated like that. And so, Qiao Anhao was prepared. The moment Lin Shiyi raised her hand, she grabbed her wrist in anticipation. But just as she was going to open her mouth to get back at Lin Shiyi, footsteps suddenly came from outside. Someone hade into the restroom. Qiao Anhao¡¯s eyes diverted. She grabbed a piece of tissue and thrust it against Lin Shiyi¡¯s face, pretending to wipe off the water like a good, helpful sister. "Sister Shiyi, how could you be so clumsy? You¡¯re all soaked." Just when Lin Shiyi wanted to shout at Qiao Anhao for her sudden act of intimacy, she heard producer Sun¡¯s voice from behind. "Xiao Qiao, Shiyi?" Producer Sun walked over. Seeing that Lin Shiyi was covered in water, his brows immediately furrowed and he asked, "What is this?" Qiao Anhao stole the first word, not giving Lin Shiyi a chance to speak. "Producer Sun, when sister Shiyi tried to unscrew a bottle, she identally squeezed it and squirted water all over herself." After saying this, Qiao Anhao wiped the water off Lin Shiyi even more gently,pletely removing her make up. "Sister Shiyi, don¡¯t move. Let me help you wipe it off." ¡¯Don¡¯t you just love to act like you¡¯re friends with everyone in front of your favorite manager? Fine!¡¯ Shiyi though, seething. Now she had to act like she cared, and put on a caring and considerate face to match her act, when she was actually a volcano bursting with anger on the inside. Producer Sun nodded. "Shiyi, you should be more careful." Lin Shiyi felt like she was about to go insane, but she couldn¡¯t fall for Qiao Anhao¡¯s trap. She could only force a smile, as though she was about to cry. Lin Shiyi nodded at producer Sun obediently and said as softly as she could, "I will. Thank you, producer Sun." She then turned her head, smiled awkwardly at Qiao Anhao, and said, "Thank you Anhao. I¡¯ll be heading off first to get changed." Without giving Qiao Anhao or producer Sun any time to react, she turned on her heels and, covering her make-up free face, she left in a hurry. Chapter 83: Oh, Arent You Honest (7) Chapter 83: Oh, Aren¡¯t You Honest (7) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Seeing that Lin Shiyi had left, Qiao Anhao wanted to quickly greet producer Sun and leave too. But before she could open her mouth, he red intensely at her with a smile. "Xiao Qiao, do you want to drop by the room I bookedter? Quite a few of the crew will be there." Qiao Anhao¡¯s lips curved and she softened her tone to reject his invitation. "Producer Sun, I¡¯m so sorry. I¡¯ve made ns with sister Yang to y cards. She¡¯s probably waiting for me already." "Cards? Speaking of which, I¡¯m kind of itching to y. Later, I¡¯ll stop by and show off my skills." Producer Sun paused, then said, "Coincidentally, I¡¯m preparing to invest in a new drama. They¡¯ll start shootingte next year. ¡¯Alluring Times¡¯ would have finished shooting by then. We should talk about if you¡¯re interested in the new drama over a game of cards." For him to put it that way, it was difficult for Qiao Anhao to reject his invitation. All she could do was smile awkwardly in agreement. - Lin Shiyi cried as she ran out of the KTV room. Lu Jinnian picked up the jacket behind him and got up to leave with a cold expression. "Have fun guys. I have matters to attend to," he said as he turned to walk out the door. Lu Jinnian¡¯s assistant hurriedly went around the room, joking with everyone. After saying "sorry" to the room full of people, he hastily followed after. Lu Jinnian walked swiftly with his assistant following behind, but not too close behind. He maintained a good distance between them. It was not until they were close to the elevators that the assistant speed up in front of Lu Jinnian and pressed the button. When the elevator doors opened, Lu Jinnian wore a nk expression on his face. As the doors shut behind them, his assistant secretly let out a sigh of relief. The assistant had followed Mr. Lu for seven or eight years. Of course, he¡¯d know that Mr. Lu¡¯s mood wasn¡¯t good right now. Why? Even he hadn¡¯t a clue, but he did know that Mr. Lu returned to the hotel with his clothes soaking wet. The first thing he said was to bring today¡¯s filming material immediately. After listening to his instructions, the assistant brought back the tape for Mr. Lu to watch. After watching it, Mr. Lu¡¯s expression became even more frightening. Whenever there was a social event, the crew would always ask Mr. Lu to attend. Today was no exception. The director had to entertain some investors of KTV downstairs, and so he specifically came to invite Mr. Lu, knowing full well that he wouldn¡¯t attend. He had never taken an interest in these kind of social events, but for some reason, after the director took Lin Shiyi¡¯s call, Mr. Lu unprecedentedly told them he¡¯d be there in a while. Even though the assistant was shocked by Mr. Lu¡¯s change of heart, he felt he needed to fulfill his duty of an assistant by tagging along. Chapter 84: Oh, Arent You Honest (8) Chapter 84: Oh, Aren¡¯t You Honest (8) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Mr. Lu didn¡¯te to hang out with everyone; he came to practically crash the party. Sitting silently wasn¡¯t just enough, he had to look intense,pletely killing the mood in the room. In this circle, quite a few women tried to get with Mr. Lu. On the low, there was a rumor going around that whoever could get Mr. Lu would be the queen of the entertainment industry. However Mr. Lu gave off the impression he was far too unapproachable. Female stars who were weak didn¡¯t have the guts to try hit on him. Of course, there were some brave ones, but because he was rarely seen outside of shootings or at social events, those brave women didn¡¯t even have a chance to try. Yet tonight, Mr. Lu¡¯s appearance finally gave these brave female stars a chance. Who knows if it was the alcohol, but Miss Lin Shiyi sure was brave enough tonight to pick a song. She came forward, looked at Mr. Lu with fluttering eyes, and ask for a duet. At that exact moment, the cold and silent Mr. Lu, all of a sudden erupted into a rant at Lin Shiyi. The atmosphere in the cheerful room instantly changed. Everyone in the room looked on, shocked. Nothing but the sound of the backing track in the KTV room could be heard. After being shouted at, Miss Lin Shiyu¡¯s eyes grew red and she ran out of the room. The elevator doors opened and the assistant stood aside, waiting for Lu Jinnian to walk out before following after. When they returned to the hotel room, the assistant remembered that Lu Jinnian jumped into the pool earlier that day. Afraid that he might have caught a cold and it would affect his filming, the assistant ordered ginger tea to the room. He brought it over, taking it off the hands of the hotel staff. He knocked on Lu Jinnian¡¯s bedroom door. A minuteter, a dull "enter" came from inside. The assistant pushed open the door and smelled the pungent smell of cigarettes. His eyebrows creased as he saw Lu Jinnian standing by the window with a cigarette between his fingers. He sat soundlessly looking out the window. The hostility he had earlier in the KTV room hadpletely disappeared. The assistant had seen this side of Lu Jinnian many times before, most often in the middle of the night. As he sat smoking alone in a daze, he looked like he was thinking about something or someone. He seemed like he was at peace, but as always, he carried an aura of imperishable sadness and solitude. Though the assistant was ustomed to the unexpected, deep down inside, he always wondered what kind of thing or person was capable of getting Mr. Lu so down that he had been unable to let go for five years now. However, no matter how curious he got, the assistant would never ask. He carried over the ginger tea and softly broke the silence in the room. "Mr. Lu, you got into the water today. Drink some ginger tea. It¡¯ll help you avoid getting a cold." Chapter 85: Who Am I to You? (1) Chapter 85: Who Am I to You? (1) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t react. His assistant stayed silent, carefully leaving the ginger tea on the table. Even though his assistant¡¯s actions were soft, the porcin cup still made a sound when it touched the table. Lu Jinnian turned his head at it. He raised his hand, bringing the cigarette to his mouth to take a long puff, and stared out through the full length window. He extinguished his cigarette before turning to his desk. He raised the cup with a single hand and took a gulp. The spicy sensation stayed in his mouth for a long time until he seemed to have recalled something. Quietly, he looked at his assistant who was already at the door. "Anymore?" His assistant stopped, realizing after a moment that Lu Jinnian was referring to the ginger tea. Assuming that he wanted to drink some, he immediately nodded. "I¡¯ll go pour more." Lu Jinnian said a light "yes" before lowering his head to blow at his tea and sipping some more. In a barely audible tone, he said, "Bring some to room 5231." His assistant paused momentarily. ¡¯Who stays in room 5231?¡¯ he wondered. Seeing that his assistant was still in a daze, Lu Jinnian lifted his head to sweep a cold nce ross him. "Say it¡¯s an arrangement from the crew." The assistant understood Lu Jinnian¡¯s meaning instantly, replying with a "ah" before exiting the room. It took him about five minutes to return after delivering the ginger tea. - Lu Jinnian sat in his chair, the cup of ginger tea in his hand still emitting heat. As soon as he heard the door open, he looked at his assistant nonchntly, asking lightly, "Have you delivered it?" "Yes." His assistant hesitated before exining the situation. "But Miss Qiao was not in her room, her assistant Miss Zhao Meng took it for her." Lu Jinnian frowned slightly before lowering his head to take a slow sip of his ginger tea. Before he could swallow it, he heard his assistant continue. "Miss Zhao mentioned that producer Sun wanted to discuss a new role with her so she is ying cards with him downstairs." Lu Jinnian¡¯s actions suddenly stopped and he clenched his cup of tea tightly. He stared into the cup coldly and, after about two seconds, he forced down the ginger tea as though nothing had happened. He nodded his head slightly. "I understand." Lu Jinnian paused for a bit, then continued, "You can go back for today." A long time after his assistant left the room, Lu Jinnian ced the porcin cup back on the desk. He looked out the window with a cold expression for a time before taking out his phone. His fingers flew across the screen, sending a text out. Chapter 86: Who Am I to You? (2) Chapter 86: Who Am I to You? (2) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Lu Jinnian waited for the text to sessfully deliver, then chucked his phone to the side. Qiao Anhao was on a roll, being the sole winner out of the four people. Every single time she won, it was when she sat directly in front of producer Sun, the other two yer were just there to make up the numbers. - In order to suck up to producer Sun, the other two actors kept letting him win. They would deliberately let either the director or producer Sun win when they yed together, so that they would be in a good mood, awarding them with a new role. Hence, now that Qiao Anhao had won several rounds, winning a huge sum from producer Sun, she didn¡¯t know if she should continue ying. Producer Sun didn¡¯t force her to continue ying, instead looking at his watch to check the time. He remarked, "After ying for so long, aren¡¯t you guys tired? Anyone wants supper?" Before Qiao Anhao could reply, the other two female actresses enthusiastically replied, "Me!" "I know a seafood stall nearby that is quite good, lets go there," Producer Sun decided, calling for his assistant. In the time producer Sun used to call his assistant, Qiao Anhao tried to think of an excuse. Just then, her phone vibrated. Picking it up, she saw a message from Lu Jinnian: "Come up with your script." Even though she didn¡¯t understand what Lu Jinnian wanted, she was still grateful for the text. She waited for producer Sun to hang up before she used an apologetic voice to excuse herself. "Mr Sun, I¡¯m really sorry but I can¡¯t go for supper. Mr. Lu wants me toe with my script now. He probably wants to discuss the scenes tomorrow." Even though producer Sun said he wanted to treat everyone, his main motive was to treat Qiao Anhao. From the first day he met her, he was mesmerized. He had been paying her special attention so that he could make her his. Who knew Huan Ying entertainment would ept a cosmetic endorsement for her before he could provide one. So now he wanted to use a new role to entice her during supper then get her some alcohol so he could seal the deal. But Lu Jinnian disrupted his ns. This was the second time his ns were fouled by Lu Jinnian. Even though producer Sun was infuriated, he didn¡¯t want to offend Lu Jinnian so he forced a smile, acting as though it was alright. He caressed Qiao Anhao¡¯s hand, saying, "Xiao Qiao, if you have something on, we can have supper another time." Chapter 87: Who Am I To You? (3) Chapter 87: Who Am I To You? (3) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Since the marriage till now, Lu Jinnian had never made the first move with Qiao Anhao. This was the first time. A woman¡¯s intuition told Qiao Anhao that Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t call her to talk about the script at all. Yet, she couldn¡¯t figure out why he¡¯d ask for her. She returned to the hotel room confused, grabbed the script, and walked into the elevator. As she saw the red numbers turn, she remembered that time she had went to Lu Jinnian¡¯s room to give him the script. She remembered that destructive scene where he tossed her around and couldn¡¯t help but shiver. It made her feel even more nervous. When the elevator doors opened, Qiao Anhao walked out, passing through the empty, quiet corridors. She stopped for a moment and gripped hard the script as she headed for Lu Jinnian¡¯s door. Standing before the room 1001, Qiao Anhao took a deep breath and pushed the door bell with a trembling finger. - When Lu Jinnian heard the door bell, he didn¡¯t get up to open the door but walked over to the desk. He picked up his own script and walked into the bathroom. Then, without a hint of hesitation, he ripped up two to three pages and flushed them down the toilet. He waited for the pages to flushpletely before leaving the bathroom and opening the door for Qiao Anhao. - After the door bell had rung for quite some time with no one opening the door, Qiao Anhao assumed that Lu Jinnian wasn¡¯t in. Suddenly, just as she was about let out a sigh of relief, the door opened. Qiao Anhao¡¯s body stiffened. She held her breath, then raised her eyes to find Lu Jinnian standing in front of her. Before she could clearly see his face, she lowered her head, and quietly said, "Mr. Lu, you asked me toe over with my script. Is there something you need?" Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t bother with Qiao Anhao¡¯s words but shifted his body aside to make way for her. He said in a cold voice, "Come in." When Qiao Anhao walked past Lu Jinnian, he softly closed the door - "Ka cha!" - and Qiao Anhao¡¯s body couldn¡¯t resist trembling. Her footsteps stopped, her mind conflicted for a moment, then she turned around. She faced Lu Jinnian and repeated her question, "Mr. Lu, is there something you need?" Like before, Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t answer her. In fact, this time, he didn¡¯t say a word. His silence made Qiao Anhao feel extremely pressured. She could sense his annoyance. Right then, Qiao Anhao was scared stiff. She thought he was going to go off once again. Half a minute went by and Lu Jinnian suddenly spoke in a calm voice, "I can¡¯t find my script, so give me yours. I¡¯ll make a copy." Chapter 88: Who Am I To You? (4) Chapter 88: Who Am I To You? (4) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Whilst shooting ¡¯Alluring Times¡¯, they practically had all their scenes together, and so their scripts were basically the same. Lu Jinnian had asked so nicely... and Qiao Anhao felt a little astonished. She raised her head and looked at him. She realized there wasn¡¯t a trace of anger on his face. The raw nerves calmed slightly. Then, she immediately pulled up the wrinkled script that she had gripped tightly in her hands. She thought about it for a moment, then said, "I¡¯ll leave the script here with you. I¡¯ll leave first. Once you¡¯ve made a copy, let me know and I¡¯lle pick it up." Lu Jinnian¡¯s eyes grew slightly cold as he red at Qiao Anhao, who had her head lowered. He took the script from her hands and, turning to the living room, pointing at the sofa. "You¡¯ll wait here." He took the script with him into the room, not allowing Qiao Anhao to object. Qiao Anhao carefully sat down on the sofa. Through the open door, she saw Lu Jinnian standing in from of the desk, shuffling through the script. He then put some pages into the hotel¡¯s miniature photocopier, and she heard the swiping noises from the photocopier at work. The photocopier was automatic, so Lu Jinnian¡¯s part was done. He turned back and headed for the living room. Startled, Qiao Anhao immediately diverted her eyes from him. Lu Jinnian stepped into the room. First, he looked at Qiao Anhao who sat stiff on the sofa. Then, he made his way to the bar where he poured a cup of water and brought it over to Qiao Anhao. Stunned, she hurriedly put both hands out to take the cup of water and said in a low voice, "Thank you". Lu Jinnian casually sat in silence beside Qiao Anhao on the sofa. He grabbed the remote control from the table and turned on the TV¡ªa variety show was on. It was Qiao Anhao¡¯s favorite show, but at this moment, she was growing increasingly more nervous. Sitting beside Lu Jinnian, she could smell his sweet body odor with her every breath, causing her heart to race like crazy. She was in no mood to watch TV right now. In the end, all she could do to rx was to drink the water non-stop. Seeing that her cup was empty, Lu Jinnian calmly asked, "Do you want more?" Shocked by Lu Jinnian¡¯s voice, she frantically shook her head and put her cup on the table. Soon, she realized that her palms were drenched in sweat. She was able to hide her nerves earlier with the cup of water but now she was empty-handed. She could only sit there beside Lu Jinnian, motionless. The longer she sat, the stiffer she felt. By the end, she felt like she would transform into a rock. Chapter 89: Who Am I To You? (5) Chapter 89: Who Am I To You? (5) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Although Lu Jinnian seemedposed watching the TV, his attention was actually on Qiao Anhao, who sat beside him. He could clearly sense her weariness and unease. When she had the cup in her hands at first, she seemed fine. But when she finished her water, it was like someone had pressed her pressure points. Even her breathing seemed conscientious. Deep down, Lu Jinnian felt a strong sense of defeat. He stared at the TV in a trance for a while. Suddenly, he stood up and said without any hint of emotion, "I¡¯ll go check to see if it¡¯s finished copying." Then he marched off. When Lu Jinnian left the room, it felt like a giant mountain was lifted from Qiao Anhao¡¯s shoulders. She could finally breathe normally. Raising her hand, she patted her chest and took a few long breaths. Her whole body rxed and went limp on the sofa and she started watching the TV. Just then, the TV presenter made a joke. Although Qiao Anhao didn¡¯t dareugh out loud, she couldn¡¯t help pursing her lips. Sitting behind the desk, Lu Jinnian was taking in Qiao Anhao¡¯s every movement. He was slightly startled for a split second. Swiftly, heposed himself and diverted his eyes to the photocopier. - Qiao Anhao was afraid that when Lu Jinnian came back, it would be awkward, so she thought she may as well close her eyes and pretend to sleep. The room was quiet. Besides the sound of the photocopier, nothing else could be heard. Qiao Anhao closed her eyes. Her mind was racing with wild thoughts, but in the end, she fell asleep in a daze. Once the copy was finished, Lu Jinnian reassembled Qiao Anhao¡¯s script. He walked back into the room with it to find her lying crooked on the sofa, already asleep. Lu Jinnian¡¯s steps came to a stop. He stood there for a while, then returned to the room and grabbed a nket, which he gently pulled over her. Qiao Anhao was deep asleep. She didn¡¯t feel a thing. Lu Jinnian stared at her beautiful sleeping face for quite some time. His hand reached out to gently touch her face. Just as he was inches away from touching her skin, he stopped in his tracks. His fingers hung in the air for a while. After much consideration, his hand softly and gently stroked her temple, before he quickly pulled away. He stood up and returned to his room. Since Qiao Anhao was sleeping in an ufortable position on the sofa, she woke up after over an hour. When she opened her eyes, she looked around the room in a daze. The memory of where she was rushed back, and in that instant, she became truly awake. She slowly got up from the sofa. Chapter 90: Who Am I To You? (6) Chapter 90: Who Am I To You? (6) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Since Qiao Anhao was sleeping in an ufortable position on the sofa, she woke up after over an hour. When she opened her eyes, she looked around the room in a daze. The memory of where she was rushed back, and in that instant, she became truly awake. She slowly got up from the sofa. The nket draped over Qiao Anhao fell to the ground when she got up. The room was silent. The TV that was on earlier had been turned off. The sounds from the photocopier had stopped. Perhaps the script had already finished copying. Qiao Anhao took a few steps forward towards the bedroom when she noticed that she stepped on something. She looked down to find a thin nket. She dazed out for a moment before bending down to pick it up. She clutched the nket with a stunned look on her face. Did Lu Jinnian cover her when she fell asleep? Knowing full well that there wasn¡¯t anything behind his actions, deep down inside, Qiao Anhao still felt a sliver of happiness. The corner of her lips couldn¡¯t help but gently arch upwards. She tightly hugged the nket and briskly stepped towards the bedroom. The bedroom door was open, its lights illuminating the room. Qiao Anhao didn¡¯t rush head first in but stood at the door. At first, from the living room, Qiao Anhao couldn¡¯t smell the cigarettes, but once she stood at the door, the smell rushed up her nostrils. She discreetly creased her eyebrows. She peered into the room to find Lu Jinnian sprawled on the table, lying motionless. Out of courtesy, Qiao Anhao reached out to knock on the door. Seeing that Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t respond, she knocked again and called out, "Mr. Lu." He still didn¡¯t respond. It looked like he¡¯d fallen deep asleep, spread out on the table. Qiao Anhao hesitated for a moment before tiptoeing into the room. She went over to the window and opened it. The gentle night breeze wafted in. Qiao Anhao saw that Lu Jinnian wore short sleeves, and after thinking about it for a moment, carefully went to his side and put the thin nket over him. Lu Jinnian¡¯s face waspletely covered by his arms, so she couldn¡¯t see his face. As Qiao Anhao was covering Lu Jinnian, she stared at his head for a while. Without making a single sound, she reached over, hoping to pick up the script and leave. But as her hand reached for the script, Lu Jinnian suddenly lifted his head. Stunned, Qiao Anhao hurriedly pulled her hand back and exined, "I knocked but you didn¡¯t respond, so I came in." Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t say a word. He turned to look at the open window and back at the nket draped over him. Qiao Anhao noticed his actions and grew a little nervous. She quickly exined, "There was a lot of smoke in the room, so I opened the window. It was cold and I was afraid you¡¯d catch a cold." Chapter 91: Who Am I To You? (7) Chapter 91: Who Am I To You? (7) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Lu Jinnian still didn¡¯t say a word, but he pulled the nket that was draped over him and held it gently in his hands. The impervious cold re he wore slightly softened. After a while, he gave Qiao Anhao a gentle murmur of "mmm" in response to what she had said earlier. Then he picked up the script on the table and gave it her. "Your script." Qiao Anhao secretly lifted her eyes to see that Lu Jinnian¡¯s expression was quite calm. He didn¡¯t mind that she had walked into his room without permission or opened his window on her own ord. Only then did she let out a sigh of relief. When she reached out to take the script, Lu Jinnian suddenly said, "Thank you." Astonished, Qiao Anhao lifted her head to look at him. Before their marriage, in the span of five years, there hadn¡¯t been much interaction between them. Even before those five years, there was over half a year where he was cold and impatient towards her. After their marriage, he ignored her when she spoke or responded rudely to whatever she said. In the course of about six years, he never spoke a single word to her calmly. This was the first time. Even if it was just a polite "Thank you". These two simple words brought out an indescribable feeling inside her. Qiao Anhao stared at Lu Jinnian for at least half a minute before snapping back to her senses. She felt her eyes burn a little, and she quickly looked down, covering the wetness in her eyes. She hugged the script in her hands and said in a low voice, "You¡¯re wee." Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t respond. Qiao Anhao stood quietly. Calm andposed, she said, "It¡¯s ratherte. I¡¯ll be going now." Lu Jinnian nodded with a dull "mmm". As Qiao Anhao turned around, he suddenly remembered what his assistant had said earlier when he brought over the ginger tea; something about producer Sun looking for her to talk about a new drama. "Ah, there¡¯s just one more thing." Qiao Anhao turned around, suspiciously looking at Lu Jinnian. Lu Jinnian¡¯s eyes swept across the table before he said in an elegant tone, "Recently, Huan Ying Entertainment has been investing in a historical drama. Like ¡¯Alluring Times¡¯, it¡¯ll have the same top quality lineup, screenwriter, and director. It hasn¡¯t yet been publicized and the characters haven¡¯t been finalized yet, but it¡¯s estimated that the shooting will start after ¡¯Alluring Times¡¯ finishes. I¡¯ve organized for you to join the cast as their leading actress. Make your schedule free." Chapter 92: Who Am I To You? (8) Chapter 92: Who Am I To You? (8) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Qiao Anhao and Lu Jinnian had slept together a total of three times. The first time, they were drunk. Qiao Anhao had made a move to seduce Lu Jinnian, and when they woke, she hid her true feelings by asking him for a part in ¡¯To the End of Time¡¯. The second time was when Lu Jinnian was sick. In a daze, she fell asleep in his arms. When she woke up, he asked her "What do you want?". Under pressure at the time, she tried to prevent him from figuring out she liked him, so she couldn¡¯t help but blurt out that she wanted a role in ¡¯Alluring Times¡¯. The third time was when she delivered his script. Without a word, he dragged her into the bathroom, showered her in cold water for half a day and bit her hard on the shoulder. After he vented everything, she fell asleep as always. Then, when she went home, he gave her amercial deal to sign. Now, on his own initiative, he was saying that he wanted to give her the leading female role in the next drama. Was this a sign to say they were about to enter their fourth exchange? In the future, was there going to be a fifth, a sixth, a seventh... If this goes on, when will it end? As for her, in Lu Jinnian¡¯s eyes, she¡¯ll forever be a woman who uses her body to get ces. Qiao Anhao tightly hugged the script in her hands and slightly pursed her lips, as though she had just made a big decision. She opened her mouth and said, "I don¡¯t want to take on this project." From the start, Qiao Anhao didn¡¯t want to have these kind of exchanges with Lu Jinnian. Every time they slept together, he would give her some benefits. There weren¡¯t any feelings of love, only endless sadness and over-thinking.. She was sad that she only had this kind of closeness with him, and she assumed that in his heart, she was seen as something dirty. You only care about how you¡¯re seen by another person if you like that person. Qiao Anhao knew that even if she was clean and innocent, he would never like her. Even what she was doing now could break the small intimate connection between them. But Qiao Anhao really didn¡¯t want their tainted deals to get between her and Lu Jinnian, because she didn¡¯t want for Lu Jinnian, who already didn¡¯t like her, to further look down on her. More than anything else, she was afraid of the disgusted and hateful look in his eyes after their exchanges. Lu Jinnian¡¯s eyebrows slowly furrowed, and he asked in a cold tone, "Why?" Qiao Anhao lowered her eyes and thought about what she had to say. She raised her head and looked right at Lu Jinnian. She gulped and said, "I don¡¯t want to make this kind of deal with you." This kind of deal... Of course, Lu Jinnian knew what type of deal Qiao Anhao was speaking of. She was talking about the benefits she would receive after sleeping with him. SHE had been the one who took the initiative to suggest these deals, and now she was the one calling an end to them. And it was tonight, after producer Sun had looked for her to talk about the new drama... Chapter 93: Who Am I To You? (9) Chapter 93: Who Am I To You? (9) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem In an instant, Lu Jinnian¡¯s re frosted over. Knowing that she had discussed a new drama with producer Sun over cards burned a fire within him. He couldn¡¯t hold it back any longer. Without any warning, he stood up from his chair and extended his hand. He grabbed Qiao Anhao by the arm and pressed her down onto the desk. He then gripped her neck, and as he stared intensely into her eyes, he ruthlessly asked her, "Qiao Anhao, who am I to you?" Lu Jinnian¡¯s attitude had always been like this. With no warning at all, he pressed Qiao Anhao hard against the wooden table, painfully crushing her back. Lu Jinnian red into her eyes, as though an angry fire surged inside him. He gritted his teeth and continued to ask in low roar, "I¡¯m asking you, who am I to you?" As though he had used all his power to scream and to clutch her throat with his fingers, Lu Jinnian began to shudder. His voice swiftly hardened as he said in a trembling voice, "A tool for you to get into the entertainment industry? Or a stepping stone for you to get to higher ces? Now that there¡¯s someone inviting you to shoot a show, you go and try to kick me aside?" After his words, Lu Jinnian¡¯s chest began to heave, and his entire body trembled. "Or are you saying that you¡¯ve already climbed into my bed three times and now you¡¯re tired of me. You want to go and climb into someone else¡¯s bed?" Qiao Anhao, who was naturally afraid of him, now faced a furious Lu Jinnian. She was so afraid that her entire body stiffened and she didn¡¯t dare look at him. A secondter, the hand he used to clutch her neck suddenly grabbed her arm. He flung her up from the table and brutally threw her onto the bed behind her. Giving no exnation, he cruelly pressed her down. "Qiao Anhao, just when did you hear that those who "put out" ever get to be the boss? Between the two of us, when was it ever up to you to make the decisions?" He stared into her eyes. His eyes had be slightly red and looked like they were filled with despair and reluctance. The cold in his voice just then became a little hoarse/ "Qiao Anhao, don¡¯t think that just because you¡¯ve epted two dramas that you now have wings. Let me tell you, if you can get in the circle, you can just as easily disappear from the circle. Even if you don¡¯t want to take the leading role in the next show, you WILL take the role!" When his words stopped, he fiercely covered her lips. Chapter 94: Who Am I To You? (10) Chapter 94: Who Am I To You? (10) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Just like that time in the bathroom, he inflicted intense pain upon her. There was no pity, no gentleness, just straight up venting. He clearly didn¡¯t want to touch her, nor did he want to make a deal with her, but she was the one who made the first move and started all this. Now, she suggested to stop making these deals with him. Why was he so fired up? Also, he said... she didn¡¯t want to rely on him, but others... In his eyes, did he think she was that kind of person to rely on others to get to the top? Qiao Anhao knew that even if she tried to exin herself, Lu Jinnian wouldn¡¯t necessarily believe her. But she wrestled with the idea in her mind and couldn¡¯t help but open her eyes. She pushed herself to endure the pain Lu Jinnian inflicted and opened her mouth to say in a low voice, "I never wanted to rely on others, I only wanted to rely on myself.." In reality, she wanted to tell him that she liked him and that she didn¡¯t want him to look down on her, so she didn¡¯t want to make this deal. However, in the end, she couldn¡¯t bring herself to say it. One has to understand that from the beginning, she did ask him who he liked and he had responded by angrily saying that it didn¡¯t matter who he liked, it wouldn¡¯t be her. If she told him that she liked him now, who knows what kind of rude things he would say to her. Lu Jinnian really didn¡¯t imagine that Qiao Anhao would suddenly speak. All of a sudden, he stopped in his tracks to register what she had said. Not rely on anyone, only rely on herself? If producer Sun had never mentioned taking up the leading role tonight, what would she have said to him? Right to this point, could it have been because she had already entered the entertainment industry and had two shows that he had no value. So now, she wanted to cut all ties with him? Well actually... this whole time... hadn¡¯t she always treated him this way? As much as she could, she would always look for ways to avoid him and distance herself from him... She tried to not get involved with him whenever possible. Even when he was alone, she tried her best to not even look at him. A hint of sadness crept into Lu Jinnian¡¯s eyes. Itsted for just a moment before he returned to tranquility. Without a word, he continued to kiss her. Because of the pain, Qiao Anhao let out a little shiver, but he refused to give in. He eased off a lot more but was still quite rough. - Once finished, Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t have any intention of hanging around. He quickly got up off the bed and headed straight for the bathroom. Chapter 95: Deep, Forbidden Love (1) Chapter 95: Deep, Forbidden Love (1) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Lu Jinnian came out the shower and changed into a clean set of clothes. He turned around to see Qiao Anhao in bed. Shey curled up. Her white, bouncy skin had patches of blue and purple, and the bite marks had hardened into scabs. He had given her those a few days ago. Perhaps because of the pain, her body still trembled. Seeing Qiao Anhao like this, Lu Jinnian felt the urge to go over and hug her in his arms. But in the end, he only balled up his fists and forcefully pushed the thought to the back of his mind. As he made his way to the bedroom door, he stopped and stood there for a while before turning to the bedside. Qiao Anhao felt Lu Jinnian nearing closer and held her breath. Lu Jinnian reached his hand to touch Qiao Anhao¡¯s face. Her face seemed to be in pain, revealing a mild paleness in color. Lu Jinnian pushed down the pain in his heart and enunciated every word in an abnormally frightening tone, "Qiao Anhao, I warn you. The deal that we have between us, I say when we start and when we end. It¡¯s not up to you to decide!" He forcibly pursed his lips and continued, "And don¡¯t you worry about spending your whole life with me. Once I¡¯m done ying with you, I won¡¯t let you stay even if you beg me. When that happens, you¡¯ll have to rely on yourself to work in the entertainment industry!" Qiao Anhao¡¯s eyes were pitch ck. The light in her eyes had darkened and herplexion grew pale, as though she had been drained of blood. Lu Jinnian red straight at her lifeless face, then turned to leave with a look of indifference. Qiao Anhao didn¡¯t stay in Lu Jinnian¡¯s room for long. Ten minutes after he left, she pushed herself off the bed and went back to her room, enduring the aching pain in her body. Zhao Meng hadn¡¯t gone to sleep yet. She sat in bed ying games. Seeing that Qiao Anhao came back, she excitedly dropped her phone, but then, she fell silent. When she saw how roughed up her friend looked, her smile disappeared. After a long while, she asked, "Lu Jinnian, that b*stard. Did he hit you again?" Exhausted, Qiao Anhaoid down in the bed. Her pale white expression stared up at the ceiling for a long while. Then, she broke into a smile and intentionally said in a chilling tone, "Zhao Meng, did you know... I got the leading female role in Huan Ying Entertainment¡¯s uing historical drama. Leading-female-role! I¡¯m going to be a star!" Zhao Meng didn¡¯t say anything. She only gazed at Qiao Anhao. Under her gaze, Qiao Anhao finally stoppedughing. She slowly turned around, facing away from Zhao Meng, and closed her eyes. The room stayed silent for quite a while until Zhao Meng said, "Qiao Qiao, half a year ago, when you suddenly made such a fuss about joining the entertainment industry, as the daughter of an influential family, what was your real reason for getting in the entertainment industry?" Chapter 96: Deep, Forbidden Love (2) Chapter 96: Deep, Forbidden Love (2) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Qiao Anhao didn¡¯t make a sound. This question, uncle and auntie had also asked it at the start. Even though her parents passed away when she was young, uncle and auntie looked after her like her biological parents. They couldn¡¯t bear to let her suffer even a little bit, so they didn¡¯t want her to endure the hardships of the entertainment business. In the end, she had did her best to convince them by saying she was just doing it for fun. Only then did they allow her to go. Actually, she didn¡¯t do it for fun... She entered the industry for him. For he, who now saw her as just a y-thing. For he, who could dispose of her at any given moment, once he was finished toying with her. Seeing him and Song Xiangsi named the Best Screen Couple every year, she wanted so much for herself and him to take that title. Even if it was a fake title, something of everyone¡¯s imagination, she still wanted it toe true, because she would never have the opportunity to be a real couple with him. It was just like how she pretended to y his wife to do Han Ruchu a favor. But now, she fully understood just how much he hated and looked down on her. Thinking about this, Qiao Anhao couldn¡¯t help but drill a mental hole in her brain. Thirteen years. Thirteen years felt like a single day in love with him. She really didn¡¯t know just how long she could continue to love him. Qiao Anhao didn¡¯t make a sound for a long while and the room held its silence. But just as Zhao Meng thought that she would never hear an answer to her question, Qiao Anhao turned her head, smiled, and said jokingly, "Because there¡¯s fast money in the entertainment business." "Pft... You need money?" "Nobodyins about having too much money, right?" "Yeah yeah yeah... Qiao Qiao, when you earn a lot of money, don¡¯t forget to share it with me!" "No problem. For every hundred bucks, I¡¯ll share a cent with you." "Capitalists sure are bloodthirsty..." "Hehe" "Qiao Qiao, no matter how difficult things get. Don¡¯t worry. I will always be there for you." Qiao Anhao fell silent. After a long while, she said with a soft voice, "Zhao Meng, thank you." - Since the night Qiao Anhao had suggested to cancel the deal and Lu Jinnian¡¯s crazed outburst, apart from shooting, she had tried her best to avoid him. Of course, they had to see each other, but if she didn¡¯t have to speak, Qiao Anhao would keep her silence. After shooting, besides having dinner, she didn¡¯t go to the social rooms anymore. Even when she went to the cafeteria, she would first stand at the door to see if Lu Jinnian was inside. If he was there, she would head back to her hotel room and wait for him to leave before eating. Of course, when that time came, all that was left were the leftovers. Half a month went by, and the crew took three days off in ount of Song Xiangsi¡¯s event. It was Song Xiangsi¡¯s birthday, so she suggested for the whole crew to have a carnival. Chapter 97: Deep, Forbidden Love (3) Chapter 97: Deep, Forbidden Love (3) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Qiao Anhao knew that Lu Jinnian would be at Song Xiangsi¡¯s birthday party. To avoid bumping into him, she naturally didn¡¯t want to go. However, Song Xiangsi came to invite her in person. If she wasn¡¯t going to attend, she had to tell her that face-to-face. To set her up for an excuse, Qiao Anhao asked Zhao Meng to buy a Chanel bag without the tag to personally bring to the penthouse party. Song Xiangsi¡¯s room was number 1005, and she was the one to open the door. Seeing that it was Qiao Anhao, she cracked a smile and moved aside to let her in. "Miss Qiao, pleasee in." "Stop it." Qiao Anhaoughed, then pulled out a bag and gave it to her. "I¡¯ve been really busy and wasn¡¯t able to get you a present." When Song Xiangsi saw the logo on the outside, she knew it wasn¡¯t expensive, but she didn¡¯t make a big deal. She generously epted it. "Thank you." Only then did Qiao Anhao reveal her true intentions. "Miss Xiangsi, I¡¯m busy tonight, so I might not be able to attend your party. I¡¯m so sorry." "It¡¯s still early. We¡¯re heading outter. If you¡¯re busy, you can alwayse and leave earlier..." strongly insisted Song Xiangsi. Before Qiao Anhao could answer, a cold voice nearby suddenly spoke, "Song Xiangsi, I never knew that you had the tendency to push others." On hearing Lu Jinnian¡¯s voice, Qiao Anhao subconsciously clutched at her clothes and tried to calm herself. In a low voice, she said, "Miss Xiangsi, I really have matters to attend to. My assistant is waiting for me. I¡¯ll be leaving first." When she finished speaking, Qiao Anhao hesitated for a moment but headed towards where Lu Jinnian stood. She turned to him, her eyes lowered. Without looking up, she greeted him. "Hello Mr. Lu..." Before Qiao Anhao could finish, the door in front of her shut with a "bang" suddenly. She shuddered slightly, raising her head to see that Lu Jinnian¡¯s door was tightly shut. She bit her bottom lip, forced a smile at Song Xiangsi, and said "Goodbye" before heading for the elevators. - That night, Song Xiangsi was walking with a ss of wine when she passed a quiet, deste balcony. There, she saw Lu Jinnian smoking alone. She hesitated for a moment beforeing over in her high heels and standing shoulder to shoulder with him. Sensing that someone hade over, Lu Jinnian pinched his cigarette. He turned callously to find Song Xiangsi standing next to him, but he had no intention of speaking. After so many years of working together, Song Xiangsi was well used to Lu Jinnian¡¯s attitude. She didn¡¯t mind them one bit and stood next to the balcony¡¯s railing, staring up at the starry sky. She took a sip from her winess. Then, as though to stir matters up, she said in a soothing voice, "Mr. Lu,tely your emotions have be unstable. It seems it¡¯s all because of a woman." Lu Jinnian let out a grunt at her nonsense and turned to leave. Song Xiangsi didn¡¯t stop him but slowly and leisurely turned around, staring at his retreating back. She fearlessly continued, "And that woman seems to be Miss Qiao Anhao." Chapter 98: Deep, Forbidden Love (4) Chapter 98: Deep, Forbidden Love (4) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Song Xiangsi didn¡¯t stop him but slowly and leisurely turned around, staring at his retreating back. She fearlessly continued, "And that woman seems to be Miss Qiao Anhao." Lu Jinnian paused a little, but his footsteps didn¡¯t waver at all. Song Xiangsi raised her tall ss and slowly took a sip of red wine. She wore a smile as she raised her voice a little. Facing Lu Jinnian¡¯s back, she said, "When Miss Qiao Anhao fell into the water, Mr. Lu didn¡¯t hesitate for a second to jump after. I¡¯ve known Mr. Lu for many years now, and I¡¯ve never seen him show so much affection before!" Lu Jinnian¡¯s steps halted but he didn¡¯t turn back to face Song Xiangsi. He stood on the spot for two seconds before continuing on his path away. Song Xiangsi swirled the wine ss in her hands. She continued as though she was talking to herself, "During takes, Mr. Lu looks rxed sitting in his ce, unconcerned by the surroundings. Yet, from the corner of your eye, you always nce to your far right. Why is that?" Song Xiangsi answered her own question. "Because Miss Qiao Anhao sits to the far right... to the far right..." Lu Jinnian turned around in a sh and stared into Song Xiangsi¡¯s eyes. A fire began to burn. The tone of his voice was cold as ice. "Song Xiangsi, I didn¡¯t know you were such a gossip!" "Mr. Lu, could you be angry out of embarrassment?" Song Xiangsi didn¡¯t fear Lu Jinnian¡¯s threatening demeanor for a second. She stared at him with her smiling eyes. "It¡¯s in a woman¡¯s nature to gossip. Furthermore, if it¡¯s about Mr. Lu, of course I¡¯m interested. However, Mr. Lu, this afternoon, when Miss Qiao Anhao was clearly speaking with me, why did you cut in? Is it because you¡¯re pissed that you know she¡¯s noting to my party to avoid you?" "Song Xiangsi..." Lu Jinnian said in an increasingly hostile tone, for she had hit the nail on the hammer. He looked like he was ready to flip at any moment. "Oh, I forgot. Not only are you pissed, you¡¯re jealous Miss Qiao Anhao looked at me when she spoke. When she spoke to you, she didn¡¯t even bother looking at you. So then, you mmed the door so loud. Tut tut tut... Mr. Lu, I didn¡¯t realize that you had such a cute side. You¡¯re even jealous of a woman..." "Nonsense!" Lu Jinnian suddenly noticed that he¡¯d turned around to argue with Song Xiangsi - an unwise decision. He insulted her with just one word before turning away again. This time, Song Xiangsi finally stood up upright and followed after him. Completely ignoring the frosty exterior that enveloped his body, she tilted her head and stared at him. She smiled and asked, "Hey, Mr. Lu! Who is Qiao Anhao to you?" Chapter 99: Deep, Forbidden Love (5) Chapter 99: Deep, Forbidden Love (5) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Who is Qiao Anhao to you? Those few words made Lu Jinnian slow down, but only for a moment. In an instant, he let out a gentle chuckle, throwing a single word out there - "Crazy". He sped up and brushed off Song Xiangsi, leaving her birthday party. Crazy? Song Xiangsi shut her lips tight. "Pft." Did Mr. Lu call her crazy? Or did he call Miss Qiao Anhao crazy? - It was already raining heavily when Lu Jinnian left Song Xiangsi¡¯s birthday party. Since his assistant was busy, Lu Jinnian went back to the city on his own. He opened the car door and got into the driver¡¯s seat. He stared at the pouring rain through the car window. His eyes were dazed for a moment, but he shook it off and started up the car, slowly getting on to the road. The sound of the heavy rain outside was all that could be heard in the car. The pitter patter of rain drops fell to the left of Lu Jinnian¡¯s chest - the softest part. It fell onto his heart, making him feel a little suffocated. In the end, he turned on the car radio. The show on the radio was the assistant¡¯s favorite one that he listened to whilst driving - a show about love and rtionships. In reality, Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t quite understand why his assistant, a twenty-seven year old man would like these kind of girly shows. He reached out, ready to change the channel, when he heard the male broadcaster say in a hoarse but gentle voice, "Sometimes, how can love make a person work hard to make money?" This question hit him like an electric shock to his fingers. His finger trembled for a moment, then he pulled it back to the steering wheel. He listened on to the meaningless show. "Actually, most of the time we don¡¯t earn money but the right to love a person. Because the love of your life is the most beautiful. Deep down inside, she deserves the very best of what the world has to offer. And if you love her, you will get her everything she deserves. "Money doesn¡¯t necessarily measure how much a person loves you, but a penniless person will fail in love. "And so, people work hard to make money, just to be better, before they go on to love the person they truly love deeply." Work on bing better before you go on to love the person you truly love... Not so long ago, he had felt the same way. Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t hear the details of what the male broadcaster said next for the words rang in his mind. When the ringing stopped, some things rose that he didn¡¯t want to think about or touch on in the deepest, most gentle part of his heart where he kept past memories. There, they stayed, drifting in his mind. Chapter 100: Deep, Forbidden Love (6) Chapter 100: Deep, Forbidden Love (6) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Everyone says that children are angels sent from above. Lu Jinnian thought that even if he was an angel, he was an invisible angel. Some people are born into genuine happiness, while others are born to be seen as a nuisance. Like him - someone who was not meant to exist in this world. The Xu family was a noble family of the capital. It was vast and so was their business which never failed. Of course, behind such a prosperous family, they couldn¡¯t avoid traditions and crude shackles - arranged marriages. The year Xu Wanli and Han Ruchu had their arranged marriage for business, Xu Wanli had a one night stand with a third-rate celebrity. He was greedy and under the influence of alcohol at that time. Sometimes, matters can be so dramatic. One night, two months after the scandal, the minor celebrity discovered she was pregnant. Coincidentally, a few dayster, the tabloids reported Han Ruchu was pregnant also. On the same day eight monthster, the minor celebrity and Han Ruchu went intobor. However, one had the best room in a first-rate hospital, and the other had a regr room in a third-rate hospital. They both gave birth. The minor celebrity gave birth first and Han Ruchu¡¯s child came two hourster. All these years, Lu Jinnian never understood why the minor celebrity didn¡¯t abort the child when she discovered that she was pregnant, and what was the true purpose of giving birth to the child. Perhaps it was for the money or perhaps it was for the status, but no matter what it was, it proved that women are always the weakest existence. The goal from the start was to give birth in October and watch the child arrive to this world, then act like the most loving mother, but she was probably too afraid to part with the child, and so she didn¡¯t carry it out. Nor did she dare let the Xu family know, so she worked hard to look after the child without letting the Xu family know it was their biological son. Perhaps, if things had went that way, that would¡¯ve been the end of it. But when the minor celebrity¡¯s child reached three years old, hematopoietic stem cells were discovered and he needed a bone marrow transnt to survive. The minor celebrity considered donating it herself but her HLA wasn¡¯t a match with the child¡¯s. In the end, she had to helplessly find the Xu family. At the time, even though Xu Wanli and Han Ruchu¡¯s rtionship was founded by benefits rather than emotions, after their marriage, they had lived harmoniously. Also, Xu Wanli had always yed the role of the doting husband, so when the minor celebrity¡¯s child suddenly came knocking, his game was undoubtedly destroyed. Xu Wanli didn¡¯t feel anything for the minor celebrity. That night they spent together was just a moment of drunken debauchery, and their child was evidence of his previous debauchery. It was the the only stain in his life, and so deep down, he had never wanted that child, Lu Jinnian, to exist. Chapter 101: Deep, Forbidden Love (7) Chapter 101: Deep, Forbidden Love (7) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Han Ruchu certainly was not going to have her own son¡¯s inheritance threatened by the child of her husband¡¯s mistress - no woman would! Hence, the two of them schemed to give the minor celebrity some money to send her away. The minor celebrity wholeheartedly refused and begged profusely. In the end, Xu Wanli¡¯s father took initiative, even though the child was illegitimate, he was still his grandson after all. The grandfather told Xu Wanli to go with the minor celebrity and his child to test for HLApatibility. Test results showed that he was not a good match. Theirst hope was with the Xu family¡¯s only heir. The results from the two step brothers came out¡ªthey were aplete match. This meant that the minor celebrity¡¯s child, Lu Jinnian, had hope! But Han Ruchu point-nk refused to consent to the operation. In the very end, with no other possible option, Xu Wanli¡¯s father drew conditions to persuade Han Ruchu to consent: the minor celebrity¡¯s child couldn¡¯t live with the Xu family, the child would be excluded from the family tree, the child wouldn¡¯t take over the Xu family¡¯s estates, and her son, Xu Jiamu, would be the Xu family¡¯s sessor. The operation was sessful. After it, the minor celebrity held up her end of the deal. She took Lu Jinnian, who had the Xu family blood running in his veins, and left. The minor celebrity never made it big, nor was she able to get a foot in the entertainment industry after giving birth. Now, without anybody to rely on or an educational background, she looked after the child with nothing. In the end, she had to work shifts in a night club to survive. And so, Lu Jinnian spent the nights of his childhood alone. The evesting memory of his mother was the image of how she would drink a lot ande home vomiting in the bathroom. But no matter how hard their days became, the minor celebrity never let her son suffer. However, because of her job, Lu Jinnian got teased a lot by his ssmates. Those days of immature teasing, at times, were the most deadly. Lu Jinnian tried to blend in with other ssmates a few times but failed. Eventually, he slowly gave up and started to do things alone. Over time, that became a habit. Perhaps, that was when his cold and unsocial personality started to take shape. The reason for why Lu Jinnian was so rude when he spoke was only because he was acting defensively. His mother passed away from alcohol poisoning when he was in the sixth grade. From then on, he became an orphan on this earth who couldn¡¯t contact his own rtives. After her death, he received some inheritance. Even though it was small, it was enough for him to survive a few years. His neighbor was an olddy who had no children. Seeing how pitiful he was, she took him in. Chapter 102: Deep, Forbidden Love (8) Chapter 102: Deep, Forbidden Love (8) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem After his mother, the person who loved him most in this world, passed away, his personality became even more unsociable. As Xu Wanli¡¯s father, his grandfather, grew older, the more he missed the grandson who lived outside. Hence, on every new years day, he would send someone to invite the child to their family¡¯s reunion dinner. Even though Han Ruchu didn¡¯t react, her attitude was always dismissive. As for his biological father, he never looked him straight in the eyes. When Xu Jiamu called "Dad", he also tried to call him "Dad", but Xu Wanli told him off and Han Ruchu screamed at him. From then on, he ruled out the word "Dad" from his life forever. Compared to adults, children are the most innocent in the world. Xu Jiamu didn¡¯t think that he and Lu Jinnian were any different. In fact, he quite liked his brother who was two hours older than him, and so he made the move to get closer to Lu Jinnian, calling him his brother. When Han Ruchu saw this, she told Xu Jiamu off, but once established, the bond between boys was difficult to break. Then, Xu Wanli¡¯s father, Lu Jinnian and Xu Jiamu¡¯s grandfather passed away and Lu Jinnian never stepped foot in the Xu family¡¯s home ever again. However, he crossed paths with Xu Jiamu a lot more. That was when Lu Jinnian learned about Qiao Anhao. The three of them, Qiao Anxia, Xu Jiamu, and Lu Jinnian, were of the same age. Qiao Anhao was younger than them by two years. To allow the two sisters to go to school together, the Qiao family had forced Qiao Anhao to skip two years in elementary school. The Xu family and Qiao family didn¡¯t live too far away. On many asions, Xu Jiamu, Qiao Anxia, and Qiao Anhao would go home together after school. During junior high, Xu Jiamu and Lu Jinnian liked to go y football in the field after school. Qiao Anxia would usually stand by the field screaming for Xu Jiamu to go home. They were only in junior high at the time, but Qiao Anhao and Qiao Anxia were already quite popr with the guys. In private, people called them "Da Qiao" and "Xiao Qiao". "Da Qiao", since Qiao Anxia¡¯s personality was very fiery and outspoken, whereas Qiao Anhao wasparatively quiet and peaceful. The two sisters were considered pretty. Qiao Anhao was naturally more beautiful, but Qiao Anxia¡¯s personality drew people¡¯s attention. And so, every time Qiao Anxia screamed for Xu Jiamu to go home, people would whistle and scream "Da Qiao". Qiao Anxia would arrive at the field with Qiao Anhao alongside. Though everyone was whistling and screaming at her, Qiao Anxia never blushed. Yet, Qiao Anhao, who stood behind her, would always secretly blush. When he first noticed it, Lu Jinnian had the ball in his arm. In his heart, he couldn¡¯t help but chuckle and silently make fun of her - they¡¯re screaming Da Qiao, so why are you, Xiao Qiao, blushing so hard? But at that time, he never asked himself what Xiao Qiao¡¯s blushing face had to do with him. Chapter 103: Deep, Forbidden Love (9) Chapter 103: Deep, Forbidden Love (9) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Perhaps he had already noticed her back then. The young man¡¯s heart struggled to understand what love was or what it meant to be moved. He only knew that after ying football after school everyday, he would see her and feel rxed. When he didn¡¯t see her, it felt like something was missing. For over half a year, he had always silently paid attention to her. Then, on one heavily rainy day after school, he finally actually got close to her. At the time, he carried an umbre and was about to pull it out from his school bag when he saw her carrying her school bag over her head and running over to a shelter under the roof of a house. He didn¡¯t know what came over him but he pushed the umbre back down into the bag and followed her under the roof. He was listening to Jay Chou at the time, but he turned off the music as he stood next to her. With earphones in his ears, he heard the pitter patter of raindrops. From the start, he never turned to look at her once. To be honest, he was a little nervous. It was not until the rain had died down and he was getting set to leave that he turned to look at her. As he turned, he found that she was staring straight back at him. In that instant, his heart picked up, and he quickly diverted his eyes, bolting away. After that, he got close to her again on their first day as new high school students. In reality, he didn¡¯t want to go to that high school. The tuition was a little expensive, and at that time, he had already spent all of histe mother¡¯s savings. However, when he found out through Xu Jiamu that she would be attending that high school, he pawned off his mother¡¯s jewellery and used all the money he earned working in the summer to pay off a year¡¯s tuition. That day new students had to report to school, so he purposefully stuck with Xu Jiamu. When Xu Jiamu introduced them, he really wanted to say his name but out of habit he just coldly nodded. Xu Jiamu gave her his name instead. At that time, it counted as both of them officially recognizing one another. To the very least, when they bumped into each other, she would say "hi", and he would nod at her or sometimes, he would say her name. Naturally, his favorite ce was the school field. Every night when he would y football, he saw her and her friends in the field running. Yeah. Actually, there was another secret people didn¡¯t know. That field was where the guys got together to judge who was the school¡¯s most beautiful girl. He didn¡¯t vote for her. However, in the end, she was chosen as every guy¡¯s most beautiful girl in school. At the time, he was happy but also distressed. So many other guys also thought that the girl he had his eyes on was the most beautiful. Chapter 104: Deep, Forbidden Love (10) Chapter 104: Deep, Forbidden Love (10) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Later, he heard that they would be splitting the ss depending on their results in Science and Arts. When it came time for the end of term examination, he left thest big question at the end of the math paperpletely nk. There was no helping it, that was what he got for falling for a girl with bad grades. All in all, the idea was there, but the results were terrible. Who knew that out of nowhere, she would turn into a ck horse getting into ss 1. He, on the other hand, ended up in ss 3. That day when the ss was divided, he was in an awful mood. Heid in bed that night tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep. With a headache from theck of sleep, he entered the ssroom the next day to find a pink envelope in his drawer. It made his mood worse. A weekter during break, he and a few guys went to the school¡¯s snack shop where he bumped into her. However, she didn¡¯t notice him. She carried a lot of snacks. Just as she was going to pay, she suddenly blurted, "I forgot to get a small bun." When he heard those words, he walked straight up to the food section. He stood in front of a selection of different buns, until she woulde over like they¡¯d met by chance. At the time, he stared at the bread but from the corner of his eye, he paid close attention to her. Who knew that when she clearly said small bun, she actually ran off to the sanitary goods section. She stared at the flowery packages for a good long time before grabbing a sanitary towel and leaving. Sanitary towel meant small bun? Till now, he still didn¡¯t get the corrtion. The longest time that they had ever spent alone was when he left the washroom once. He caught her resting on the wall, pale-faced, clutching her stomach. She looked like she was really in pain, and so he sent her to the school¡¯s nurse room. As a whole, that was the most perfect afternoon of his life. It was a bright sunny day. Shey there on the bed not too far from him. He looked like he was reading but all he was thinking about was her. Later, a female ssmate came over. After that, Qiao Anhao said a few words to him. Just as she was going to leave, she actually asked him if that girl before was his girlfriend. Did she misunderstand him? He hurriedly cleared things up. For someone who rarely spoke, after he cleared things up, he further exined why he was speaking to her in the first ce. Secretly, deep down, he thought that after the ss event finished, it would be best if he and this female ssmate never spoke again. Truth be told, he never could be bothered by that female student. That afternoon, although it was the most perfect afternoon, at the same time, it was his most shameful afternoon. Because when it came time to paying for the medical fees, the bill came to twenty eight bucks. He reached out for thirty. He¡¯d earned that thirty that weekend under the bright sun handing out leaflets. But she casually opened her wallet to reveal a thick pile of hundreds. That was a year of his wages and more. Chapter 105: Deep, Forbidden Love (11) Chapter 105: Deep, Forbidden Love (11) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Truthfully speaking, that was when he started to think about how he could work hard to make money. Just like what the male broadcaster said - love can¡¯t be measured by money, but without money, love would be impossible. For him, bing a better person was to be able to love her. Furthermore, he loved that version of her - the girl who didn¡¯te from an ordinary family, but a wealthy one. Truthfully speaking, he wasn¡¯t much of a talker, so he didn¡¯t enjoy hanging out with ssmates. But every time Xu Jiamu went out, he would call her, so he would go regardless. It goes to show that it was a good idea to go out, becauseter, he found out that she wanted to go to university in Hangzhou. Hangzhou was so big, and there were quite a few good universities. She didn¡¯t mention which one she wanted to go to, but even if they didn¡¯t go to the same university, at least they¡¯d be in the same city. Hence, when the SAT scores came out, he applied for three universities in Hangzhou without any hesitation. Facts have proven, there¡¯s no such thing as the worst, but there¡¯s the worst of the worst. Though she said she was going to Hangzhou, she actually stayed in Beijing. From then on, they lived in two separate ces. When he left for Hangzhou, Xu Jiamu asked why he didn¡¯t stay in Beijing. All he could say to brush him off was that he was scouted in Hengdian to shoot a movie. Back then, he was in a terrible mood up until she, Xu Jiamu, and even Qiao Anxia came to Hangzhou. That was also when he learned about the luxurious life she lived. No matter if it was what she used or what she wore, it was expensive. Back then, their stars weren¡¯t aligned in the slightest. He felt immensely pressured. After that, she would often go to Hangzhou, and with every trip, he would treat her to a meal. At the time, she never knew that there was a poor man, who scraped his wallets to pay for her bills. Nor did she know that, one meal of hers was a month of his pay. On his fourth year of university, when his acting career was picking up, he received a text from her saying that she¡¯d lost her wallet and was alone at Hangzhou South station. At the time, it was heavily raining in Hengdian. He didn¡¯t even change out of his clothes before renting a ck car and rushing over. That night was the first time in their lives where they shared a room. That night, she slept well with a smile on her face, while he had to hide in the bathroom a few times in the middle of the night. That night, she didn¡¯t know it, but he secretly stole a kiss. After the kiss, he said deep down that he would take responsibility for it. - When Lu Jinnian¡¯s car entered the city, it was still raining heavily, but he no longer dared to continue reminisce about the past. At her birthday party, Song Xiangsi asked him who Qiao Anhao was to him. He hadn¡¯t replied. If he were to reply now... Qiao Anhao.. She was his deep, forbidden love. Chapter 106: Deep, Forbidden love (12) Chapter 106: Deep, Forbidden love (12) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem When Jinnian¡¯s car entered the city, it was still raining heavily, but he no longer had the courage to continue recalling things from the past. Song Xiangsi had asked him what Qiao Anhao was to him. He hadn¡¯t replied. If he were to reply now... Qiao Anhao.. She was his deep, forbidden love. If he were to go back in time, back to the time of his memories, and someone were to ask him who she was to him, he would say that she was his deepest love. However, somehow, along the years, that love had became forbidden. From the day he had noticed her to the day they had hid under the deserted home for shelter, to the day she was officially introduced to him by Xu Jiamu... to the day they shared a room, he had been trying desperately to improve himself. He had always believed that to love someone was to protect them from the world and not let them suffer with him. He entered the entertainment industry when he was 18 years old, with a total of four years, he went from the substitute to the side character that no one paid any attention, to finally the third male lead. In the entertainment industry, not only females were humiliated, males were too, especially one with such an exceptional looking face. Not just women, even men tried to keep him as a paid lover. He had always been blunt, offending the rich and powerful, thus often getting ostracized and pressured. Those four and a half years were the most difficult time of his life, but yet, it was also his most blessed. No matter how hard the situation, as long as he remembered that he was working for his one true love, he would willingly plow through any situation. Thest time he had sent Qiao Anhao out of Hangzhou, he had given her all his money. At that time, his new drama was about to air and even though he was just the second male lead, he was a favored character. He strongly believed that with this role, he would officially open himself to the industry. When he had watched Qiao Anhao queue up, he had still been thinking if the love he had harbored for so many years could finally materialize the next time they met. However, life would always throw surprises at you. In the end, he managed to take over the industry with that role. Every alley and street was filled with his news, and the sess that he had been striving for was well in his hands. But somehow, his seeking for love, it all changed from there. Chapter 107: The Secret that Cannot Be Told (1) Chapter 107: The Secret that Cannot Be Told (1) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem The change had caused them to grow further and further apart... and now, they were practically strangers. Even though many years had passed, every time Lu Jinnian reminisced about the two of them, he would feel a persistent ache in his heart. It was so painful that even breathing would hurt. Lu Jinnian gripped the steering wheel, staring straight ahead at the rain droplets, his expression tight. After a long while, he blinked lightly, preparing to stop the memories from five years ago. Suddenly, amongst the dense rain, he caught sight of a familiar figure. As Lu Jinnian was speeding, the figure disappeared in a blink of an eye. He frowned as he looked at the side view mirror. It was drenched in rain, blurring the reflection. Even though it was just a blurred glimpse, he knew who she was. Subconsciously, he mmed the breaks, bringing the car to a stop before winding down the window to wipe the water droplets with a hand. Through the mirror, he saw Qiao Anhao standing in the rain with an umbre, waiting for a taxi. Lu Jinnian thought for a heartbeat before winding up the window and turning back. As soon as Qiao Anhao and Zhao Meng entered the city center, Zhao Meng received a call stating that there was an emergency at home. She had wanted to send Qiao Anhao back to Mian Xiu Garden before attending to her home affairs but since it was still early and returning back to an empty home didn¡¯t seem very appealing, Qiao Anhao told her that she could get a cab at the shopping mall nearby. - Once Qiao Anhao entered the shopping mall, the sky started to darken but it didn¡¯t rain. She roamed around in the mall for a bit before getting a random meal for dinner. After dinner, it was about 9.30 pm and the mall was about to close. Qiao Anhao footed the bill and took the elevator down to the basement before leaving the mall. The minute she came out, it started to pour. She took an umbre out and ran towards the roadside. After waiting for a long time, she saw an empty taxi. But just when she was about to wave for it, a ck Audi overtook the taxi, stopping in front of her. Due to the heavy rain, Qiao Anhao couldn¡¯t see the car te clearly. She was just about to go backwards to wave for the taxi when the window of the Audi winded down. A familiar and cold voice cut through the rain, "Come in." Qiao Anhao hadn¡¯t expected that it was Lu Jinnian¡¯s car. The moment she heard his voice, she paused momentarily. The next moment, an impatient hand opened the car door and Lu Jinnian left the car without an umbre. Enduring the heavy rain, he went around to open the car door before pushing her in. Chapter 108: The Secret that Cannot Be Told (2) Chapter 108: The Secret that Cannot Be Told (2) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Lu Jinnian¡¯s actions were swift and decisive, not giving Qiao Anhao any room for objection. He pushed her into the front passenger seat and returned to the driver seat. He fasten his seat belt and mmed the elerator. From the corner of his eye, he could see that Qiao Anhao had not fastened her seat belt. His fingers yed with the steering wheel for a while before leaning over to her. Qiao Anhao was shocked by his sudden closeness and since she couldn¡¯t tell his intentions, she moved backwards instinctively. Seeing her actions, Lu Jinnian couldn¡¯t help feeling ridiculed. She hated his closeness so much? His eyes dimmed instantly, his lips clenching tightly. He yanked the seatbelt beside her roughly and fastened it before retreating back swiftly. Back in his seat, his feet mmed into the elerator once more. The car shot forward and if Qiao Anhao hadn¡¯t had a fastened seatbelt, she would¡¯ve toppled over. This was the first time they had been alone after the night she had tried to stop their deal. Qiao Anhao was at a loss. She remained silent and in the same position even after the car had went driven for a long time. Silence fell in the car, only the rain drops against the windows and the radio advertisement breaking it. Qiao Anhao didn¡¯t dare to look at Lu Jinnian, so she turned her head slightly, observing him through the blurry side mirror. She could tell that he wasn¡¯t in a good mood and her originally shaking nerves grew even more shaky. She gripped onto her bag and even her breathing became careful. The tight atmosphere suffocated her. She desperately thought for a topic. In the end, she asked in a single breath, "You... didn¡¯t go to Song Xiangsi¡¯s birthday dinner? Why are you back here?" Lu Jinnian never expected Qiao Anhao to speak to him. Momentarily stunned, he paused for a bit before blinking slowly. With a slightly warmer expression, he continued to look ahead. He replied in a clear voice, a hint of softness in it, "I came back earlier." After a while, Lu Jinnian remembered that Qiao Anhao had asked two questions. Ever since young, he had always been alone, not interacting with others much, hence he grew to have few words. But every time Qiao Anhao asked him a question, regardless of whether it was before or now, he would try his best to reply as fully as possible. Chapter 109: The Secret that Cannot Be Told (3) Chapter 109: The Secret that Cannot Be Told (3) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem The real reason he had decided to leave the dinner earlier was because Song Xiangsi, the mad woman, hade over to gossip about his feelings. At that time, he was already in a foul mood, and when he left, it suddenly started to rain, causing him to remember the past, further affecting him. Subconsciously, he was on his way to Mian Xiu Garden. Ever since five years ago, Lu Jinnian had never dared to show any signs of his feelings. However, he didn¡¯t feel like not replying to her second question as talking to her had always been a blessing to him. He hesitated, finding a conventional answer. "I have something onter so I came back earlier." Lu Jinnian¡¯s second sentence came about a minute after the first one so when he suddenly continued, Qiao Anhao had a doubtful expression. Turning to look at him, she realized that he was replying to her second question, so she nodded hurriedly, acknowledging his response. After awhile, she replied with a "oh" sound. The road that Lu Jinnian took was the road that she had always taken, so when she saw Bai Sheng shopping mall, she knew that there would be a train station one hundred meters ahead. It was currently 10 pm at night so the train was still operating. Lu Jinnian must have an emergency matter to attend to since he came back in such a heavy rain, even skipping out on Song Xiangsi¡¯s dinner. It was only a short distance from Mian Xiu Garden, and if he were to go after sending her back, it would be quitete.... Qiao Anhao struggled for a bit before finally saying, "There¡¯s a train station a hundred meters ahead, you can let me off there. I can take the train, you should go attend to your matter." Lu Jinnian¡¯s eyes dimmed instantly. Was she being considerate or trying to avoid him? He tighten his grip on the steering wheel, not reacting to her words, as though she hadn¡¯t spoken. Often enough, he would choose to ignore whatever she said that hinted of avoiding him. Qiao Anhao was aware that Lu Jinnian often ignored her, so she couldn¡¯t tell if he had agreed to her proposal or not. When the car was about to reach the train station, she pointed it out once more. "The train station is here..." When she spoke, the car didn¡¯t stop. It sped up instead, zooming past the train station. Chapter 110: The Secret that Cannot Be Told (4) Chapter 110: The Secret that Cannot Be Told (4) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Qiao Anhao swallowed the rest of her sentence before looking at Lu Jinnian in shock. At some point, Lu Jinnian¡¯s face had became eerily cold, colder than when she had first boarded the car. She bit her lip, not daring to speak. Silence fell in the car once again, the same pressure from before suffocating her once again. In order to loosen herself, she directed her attention to the advertisement that was on air. However, after only two minutes of it, a song started to y, and it was a familiar tune. It was an old song that Qiao Anhao used to love, just that after leaving her school days for so long, she couldn¡¯t remember its name. The intro melody was slightly long, but gradually, the singer¡¯s voice woulde through. After listening to the first word, she could tell that it was a song from Jay Chou. "After finishing the coffee, the feelings that I had suppressed, The past that I¡¯ve tried so hard to relive could be seen on my face. Rainy days aren¡¯t the most beautiful, It¡¯s the house we hid to shelter from the rain that is..." The minute Qiao Anhao heard the lyrics, she suddenly recalled the name of the song - "Secret ". Jay Chou had a lot of ssics, and when she was in school, everyone worshiped him. Out of all the songs, this song was her favorite, and only because of the lines, "Rainy days aren¡¯t the most beautiful, It¡¯s the house we hid to shelter from the rain that is..." At that time, the only reason she watched the movie ¡¯Secret¡¯ was because Jay Chou was her idol. She had no interest in the movie itself, but the piano melody at the end spread a warm sensation in her heart. When she heard the lyrics, she would remember the image of the time she had hid from the rain with Lu Jinnian. Mesmerized, she would listen to the song again and again. Staring straight ahead, Lu Jinnian would asionally sneak a peak at Qiao Anhao through the back mirror. As he saw her staring at the radio, seemingly in deep thought, he frowned, listening in to the music. Just then, he heard the lines, "Rainy days aren¡¯t the most beautiful, It¡¯s the house we hid to shelter from the rain that is..." He looked out the window at the strong rain, his hand tightening on the steering wheel. After he had calmed himself, for the first time ever, he asked Qiao Anhao, "What¡¯s this song?" Qiao Anhao came out of her thoughts, replying, "Secret" She paused for a moment before continuing, "Jay Chou¡¯s song from a few years ago." Chapter 111: The Secret that Cannot Be Told (5) Chapter 111: The Secret that Cannot Be Told (5) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Lu Jinnian nodded, not speaking. Gradually, the song ended, changing to another one. After this song, Qiao Anhao quickly figured out the next song. It was "Love Letter" by Zhang Xueyou. She didn¡¯t really like the song, but as she listened to its name and the lyrics, she suddenly remembered that she had once written a love letter as well. Love letter is something that belongs to high school and regardless of whether one is a male or a female, whether the male chases the female or the other way around, it is always popr. One would write their feelings on a pink paper and get someone to pass it to the person he/she likes or would themselves ce the letter in the person¡¯s cab after school when everyone had left. But Qiao Anhao¡¯s letter wasn¡¯t written in high school. In high school, she never had the courage to confess, since she didn¡¯t know Lu Jinnian¡¯s feelings and was afraid that a failed confession would mean that they couldn¡¯t even be friends. Besides, she had seen him throw away love letters from other girls even though there were a lot of onlookers. A girl had even cried on the spot before changing schools subsequently. The only time she had mustered enough courage to write a love letter was after they had shared a room. At that time, she didn¡¯t tell Zhao Meng who she liked but had used a friend as a guise. After listening to "her friend¡¯s" experience, Zhao Meng was sure that the man was interested in the woman. If not, he wouldn¡¯t have left his work to find her when he realized that she had lost her wallet. When a normal man and woman shared a room and nothing happened, it was either that the man liked the woman too much, he wasn¡¯t willing to taint her, or he had different sexual preferences. Outsiders often had a clearer understanding of the situation. Qiao Anhao had felt that Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t touch her since it was the normal thing to do, but after Zhao Meng¡¯s analysis, her thoughts started running wild and the more she thought about it, the more she felt that Lu Jinnian could be interested in her, and as she continued to think, she suddenly remembered that Lu Jinnian had told her to take care of herself and to call him when she was safe. She took out her phone and without even checking the time dialed his number. Lu Jinnian seemed to have been awakened from his sleep for he sounded tired. Qiao Anhao reddened. Embarrassed, she said, "I didn¡¯t notice the time." Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t me her and instead asked, "It¡¯s fine, you reached Beijing?" Chapter 112: The Secret that Cannot Be Told (6) Chapter 112: The Secret that Cannot Be Told (6) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem "Yea," Qiao Anhao replied before exining, "I went to make a new Identification card in the afternoon, so I forgot to call." "Yea," Lu Jinnian mimicked her. After a while, he spoke again, "It¡¯ste now, sleep early. A girl shouldn¡¯t go to sleep sote." Even though it was a rtively normal sentence, Qiao Anhao could detect a trace of concern. After hanging up, she was more sure that Lu Jinnian indeed liked her, and so she thought for a whole night before deciding to write him a love letter. At that time, she decided to first finish writing her letter. The next time she visited Hangzhou and they had a meal together, she would secretly throw it in his coat when he went to the toilet. That love letter used up almost all of her brain cells. After one whole week, she finished an 800 word letter. Since it was so long ago, she couldn¡¯t remember the content of it, but she remembered that it was tender, sensational, and she had even added the lyrics of Jay Chou¡¯s ¡¯The Secret That Cannot Be Told¡¯, "Rainy days aren¡¯t the most beautiful, It¡¯s the house we hid to shelter from the rain that is..." Oh, and she had added eleven words that still remain forever engraved in her mind. They were the ending of her love letter, the line she had thought of after many hours: For the rest of my life, I will only love you. Initially, she had thought of "For the rest of my life, I will love you the most", but she was worried that Lu Jinnian would misunderstand, thinking that she would love someone else as well, hence she changed the "most" to "only". After she had changed it, she had even gotten Xu Jiamu to check it to ensure that the letter was emotional. After obtaining Xu Jiamu¡¯s approval, she went to the korean stationary shop in Wu Dao street to buy a pretty envelope and paper. The paper was pink and filled with red peaches, while the envelope was baby blue with a red peach in the middle. She had gone to school with a pen to copy the draft she had written before spraying it with a drop of her perfume. At that time, she was dreaming of how wonderful it would be, but she couldn¡¯t send her letter out since the next time she went to Hangzhou, Lu Jinnian had refused to see her. She could clearly feel that Lu Jinnian had feelings for her and thest time they met, he had even given her all his money so she could be safe. How then could he grow apart from her just like that? Chapter 113: The Secret that Cannot Be Told (7) Chapter 113: The Secret that Cannot Be Told (7) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem The more she reminisced about the past, the more her heart ached. Uncontrobly, her eyes reddened and she was afraid that she would end up crying in the car in front of Lu Jinnian, so she lowered her head, suppressing her emotions. Only when the car stopped did she raise her head. Through the car window, she could tell that they had reached Mian Xiu Garden¡¯s entrance. Qiao Anhao didn¡¯t dare to stay in the car any longer. She opened the door and took flight. Her actions were so swift that Lu Jinnian barely had enough time to react. It was as though she had alighted the exact moment he had stopped the car. Lu Jinnian frowned, remembering how reluctant she was to board his car, and now that they had reached the house, she couldn¡¯t stay in his car for one extra minute. He clenched his lips tightly, lowering hisshes, hiding his disappointment. Just as he was about to drive off, he saw Qiao Anhao¡¯s bag in a corner of the passenger seat. He hesitated for a while before sounding the horn. Qiao Anhao paused momentarily before turning back to look at Lu Jinnian. She quickly lowered hershes, worried that he could see that her eyes were red. Trying hard to sound stable, she asked, "What¡¯s wrong?" Lu Jinnian pointed to the passenger seat, but since Qiao Anhao had lowered her head, she wasn¡¯t able to see his actions. He took a deep breath before reaching out for her bag. He pulled the hand brake and walked out to her, bringing the bag with one word, "Bag." That was when she realized that she had left her bag in his car. He was standing close to her, so she reached over for her bag hurriedly before taking a step back. With her head still lowered, she replied, "Thank you." Then she quickly followed up, "I¡¯ll go in first." Lu Jinnian remained quiet but his expression was ice cold. Ever since they had married, she always hung her head in his presence, not willing to look at him, finding all sorts of excuses to get away from him. Qiao Anhao kept her head lowered. Seeing that his leather shoes were still there, she asked, " Are... youing back tonight?" "You..." Lu Jinnian stopped after one word, ridicule floating in his eyes. He had wanted to ask, ¡¯Do you want me toe home?¡¯ But before he could say it, he realized that he was just looking to be humiliated. Why would she want him toe back? Lu Jinnian clenched his fists tightly. Hardening his voice, he changed his words to, "I don¡¯t have any needs tonight." I don¡¯t have any needs tonight... He was telling her that he would onlye back when he wanted to sleep with her? Qiao Anhao didn¡¯t know what was wrong. He had said meaner things to her before, but once he finished his sentence, she could feel herself floating, her vision blurring, and a tear rolled down her cheek. Chapter 114: The Secret that Cannot Be Told (8) Chapter 114: The Secret that Cannot Be Told (8) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem I don¡¯t have any needs tonight... He was telling her that he would onlye back when he wanted to sleep with her? Qiao Anhao didn¡¯t know what was wrong. He had said meaner things to her before, but once he finished his sentence, she could feel herself floating, her vision blurring, and a tear rolled down her cheek. Hot tears starting streamed down through her fingers. They trembled slightly as she tried desperately to keep the tears in, but the more she tried, the more the tears came. In the end, an endless stream flowed down her face. She hurriedly rubbed at it, trying hard to wipe it all away. Lu Jinnian had wanted to leave after that line, but just as he was about to turn, from the corner of his eye he caught sight of the gleam from the tear that hadnded on her fingers. He froze instantly, paralyzed, not able to move an inch. Soon, he clearly saw the endless stream of tears hitting her fingers. His hands clenched into a tight fist. The moment she raised her hands to wipe at her face, he suddenly reached out and grabbed them, pulling her forward. With the other hand, he lifted her chin. The sight of Qiao Anhao¡¯s small face drenched in tears came into sight. Her eyes were big and pretty, the insides welled up with tears. She must have been trying to force her tears back as her lips were tightly clenched and her nose bright red. Her sorrowful expression looked pitiful and wronged. A wave of emotions flooded Lu Jinnian¡¯s eyes. He couldn¡¯t help tightening the the grip he had on her hands as he struggled internally. Several times, the fingers he had on her chin wanted to reach up to wipe away her tears, but every time he loosened his grip on her chin slightly, he tightened it back instantly. Under Lu Jinnian¡¯s gaze, tears started streaming at a faster rate. Behind the endless stream of tears, Qiao Anhao wasn¡¯t able to see his expression, but instinct told her that he was agitated, seemingly angry but yet not. Just when she couldn¡¯t take it anymore, her tears dripped onto Lu Jinnian¡¯s fingers that he had on her chin, then flowed down into his palm. Her tears were slightly cold but once they hit his palm, they sent a me straight into his heart, burning him with nervousness. The next moment, he released her chin, turning away fiercely. He walked over to his car door, entered, and hurriedly mmed the elerator, speeding off. Chapter 115: In and Out of Filming (1) Chapter 115: In and Out of Filming (1) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem After the downpour, the streets were slightly flooded. Lu Jinnian sped through, sttering water every time his car sunk into the puddles. Several droplets had fallen onto Qiao Anhao¡¯s arms when he had driven off. Once Lu Jinnian left, Mian Xiu Garden¡¯s street was empty, with only Qiao Anhao in sight. The streetmps from both sides of the street shone dimly, their rays hitting Qiao Anhao¡¯s thin figure, making her seem all the more lonely. She stood at the same spot for a long time until she stopped crying. She opened her bag to take out a packet of tissues to dry her face. Turning, she walked into the mansion. When Qiao Anhao opened the doors with her keys, stopping at the entrance to change her shoes, Madam Chen came out of her room, not at all surprised to see Qiao Anhao who hadn¡¯t made prior notice of her arrival. "Mrs. Lu, I¡¯ve prepared dinner, do you want to have some?" After crying, Qiao Anhao was still feeling moody and out of sorts, so she didn¡¯t find it surprising that Madam Chen was expecting her. She just shook her head, replying softly, "No thank you, I already had dinner." She paused, then added, "I¡¯m a little tired, I¡¯ll go up now." "Why don¡¯t I run you a hot bath so that you can feel better?" Madam Chen said,starting to make her way upstairs. Qiao Anhao smiled, rejecting her, "It¡¯s okay, I¡¯ll do it myself, you should rest." "Alright, good night Mrs. Lu." "Good night." Qiao Anhao smiled at Madam Chen once more before heading upstairs. Back in her room, she tossed her bag on the sofa before taking a hot shower. By the time she changed into a set of dry clothes, she was wide awake. She took out the luggage she had brought over to Mian Xiu Garden and, after entering the code, took out a small box. She brought it over to the carpet and opened it up. Inside, the box was a mess. There were ne tickets, train tickets, and a few random 100 dor bills. Qiao Anhao stared at the contents for a long while before reaching in to search for something. Soon, a sky blue letter came into sight. She caressed it several times before taking it out. The letter was still sealed, even after so many years; the owner hadn¡¯t opened it. But since it had been so long, the color of the envelope had faded slightly. The red star in the middle was nearlypletely gone, showing patches of white. A while after Qiao Anhao had went up, Madam Chen returned back to her room. She went to the phone and dialed a number. Chapter 116: In and Out of Filming (2) Chapter 116: In and Out of Filming (2) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem When his phone rang, Lu Jinnian¡¯s car was about to enter the highway. Due to the rain, the streets had few cars that were going at high speeds. Lu Jinnian had no intention of slowing down when he heard his phone ring. He turned his head to the side to get glimpse of his phone¡ªit was a call from Mian Xiu Garden. He hesitated before exiting the highway. He stopped his car at the side and picked up his phone. There was a three day break from filming, so he knew that she would definitely go back home and had instructed Madam Chen to prepare dinner ahead of time. He had also instructed Madam Chen to inform him when Qiao Anhao came back. Madam Chen didn¡¯t know that Lu Jinnian had sent Qiao Anhao home so the moment he picked up, she informed him politely, "Mr. Lu, Mrs. Lu is back, but she has already eaten outside so she went upstairs to rest." Lu Jinnian acknowledged her with a light "mm", but just when he was about to hang up, he suddenly remembered that Qiao Anhao¡¯s hair and clothes were slightly damp from standing by the road side while waiting for a taxi. He didn¡¯t hang up, but instead in a low voice instructed Madam Chen, "Boil some ginger tea for Mrs. Lu so she won¡¯t catch a cold." "But Mrs. Lu said she wanted to rest..." "Ginger tea can be made in a few minutes. If she is asleep, just wake her up and make her drink it before she sleeps." Without waiting for Madam Chen to reply, he continued, "Remember to adjust the room temperatureter, I don¡¯t want Mrs. Lu to catch a cold." "I understand, Mr. Lu." Lu Jinnian thought for a bit more and after confirming that there was nothing else, he added ast line, "Don¡¯t let Mrs. Lu know it was instructed by me." He then hung up. After hanging up, Lu Jinnian suddenly realized that he hadn¡¯t asked the question that was bothering him the most. How was Mrs. Lu feeling when she reached home? Was she still crying? He took up his phone, but when he was about to call back, he hesitated and put his phone back into his pocket. He sat in the driver seat, his hand casually stroking the steering wheel as images of Qiao Anhao¡¯s tear streaked face filled his mind. He had known her for about ten years and in those ten years, she had always been either all smiles or silent with her head lowered. Sometimes, when something upset her, she would clench her lips tightly. But it was the first time she had cried. As he continued thinking, he could feel pain on the palm that her tear had reached. The pain made a beeline for his heart, hurting him to confusion. He started his car and turned back, heading back to Mian Xiu Garden. Chapter 117: In and Out of Filming (3) Chapter 117: In and Out of Filming (3) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem The sudden knock on the door jolted Qiao Anhao out of her daze. "Mrs. Lu", Madam Chen called out. Qiao Anhao hurriedly put the letter back into the box and sealed it shut before putting it back into the luggage. After locking the luggage, she ced it back into the original spot and went to open the door. Behind them, Madam Chen held onto an exquisite porcin bowl. "Mrs. Lu, I made some ginger soup. It¡¯s been raining the whole day, you should have some to not catch a cold." After drinking the ginger tea, thin sweat broke out on Qiao Anhao¡¯s back, and Madam Chen left with the empty bowl. Qiao Anhao climbed onto the bed, randomly scrolling through Weibo. Most of the friends she followed were also in the entertainment industry and arge portion of her Weibo was filled with birthday wishes to Song Xiangsi. Even Lu Jinnian had sent a simple "Sis, happy birthday" with a birthday cake emoticon at the back. No more than three hours after the post, there were more than ten thousandments. Qiao Anhao clicked to expand the section and, as usual, it was flooded with fans calling him "Hubby" Qiao Anhao also directed a birthday post to Song Xiangsi. Surprisingly, she replied with a "Thank you, little sis" instantly. In the drama ¡¯Alluring Times¡¯, Qiao Anhao acted as the little sister of Song Xiangsi¡¯s character, and inside the drama, Song Xiangsi¡¯s character would address Qiao Anhao as "little sis". The affectionate tone she had used was just a reference to the drama. Once Song Xiangsi replied to Qiao Anhao¡¯s post,ments from her fans and Lu Jinnian¡¯s fans flooded in instantly. Since Lu Jinnian was also acting in ¡¯Alluring Times¡¯, his fans stayed up to date with any news regarding the drama. Once they saw Song Xiangsi addressing Qiao Anhao as "Little sis", they knew that she was partnered with Lu Jinnian, hence many of his fans leftments on the post. "So you are my husband¡¯s new mistress!" "Pretty indeed!" "Don¡¯t you dare seduce my husband!" "Oh my, why are my love rivals all so pretty! I feel under pressure!" ... Qiao Anhao scrolled through all the replies and after reading through a countless number, she started getting sleepy, finally dozing off with her phone. When Lu Jinnian entered Mian Xiu Garden, he could see through his car window that all the lights in the mansion were switched off except for a faint glowing from the room on the second floor. Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t drive into the garage but instead stopped in front of the door. He left the car and entered the house. Madam Chen didn¡¯te out, probably asleep. He changed his shoes and using the dim light from the living room went upstairs. Chapter 118: In and Out of Filming (4) Chapter 118: In and Out of Filming (4) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Lu Jinnian pushed open the bedroom door. It was silent and, when he went in, he saw Qiao Anhao lying on her side of the bed in deep sleep. He walked over softly, not making any sound. With the faint glow of themp, he stared at Qiao Anhao¡¯s face for a while before reaching out to pry her phone out of her hands. He ced it on the bedside table and moved back to lightly cover her exposed back with the nket. Lu Jinnian sat on the side of the bed for some time before reaching out to touch her face. With his thumb, he caressed her cheeks and under her eyes as though he was wiping away her tears. He gradually moved his hand up to her head, leaving it there silently. Ever since five years ago, after he found out that she was someone he could never love, he had always stayed cold and calm in front of her. Even if he would lose control asionally, he could quickly catch himself and hide his true feelings, not letting her find out that his love was the reason behind his rash actions. Other than his mother, she was the only one in the world he cared about. His mother had given him life, let him experience the coldness and darkness of the world, but Qiao Anhao had given him a new life. She was the reason warmth and light still existed in this world. But she would never know that in his life, she was his drive and hope. Even now when he finally seeded, she was still his drive and hope. No one knew that all these years, even if he had a family, he had been living alone. Even if he was constantly surrounded by people now, they would never know that deep inside, he was buried in loneliness. Ever since he was young, he had never asked for much¡ªhe only wanted her. But there were many things he couldn¡¯t get, and those included her. He once thought of fighting for her, but before he could even start, he had been disqualified. Soon after, she started avoiding him. It was a mystery to him why she had started avoiding him. Even to this day, he still wasn¡¯t clear why she had left his life. It was on one of the nights that Xu Jiamu had a gathering. On that night, he was feeling horrible because of her and had drank a lot. Intoxicated and muddled, he seemed to have seen her. His memory wasn¡¯t intact and he wasn¡¯t sure if it actually happened, but she had asked him something and he seemed to have replied. And when he came awake, she had no longer been around. He had asked Xu Jiamu of when she left and he said she¡¯d left early, so he wasn¡¯t sure if their conversation had actually happened. Chapter 119: In and Out of Filming (5) Chapter 119: In and Out of Filming (5) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Ever since that day, every time Xu Jiamu had a gathering, he would squeeze out time just to go over, but the number of meetings he had with Qiao Anhao dwindled. And whenever they met, she would not speak to him. The reality that she was leaving his life was much more painful than when he realized that he could not love her five years ago. Emotions flooded into Lu Jinnian¡¯s eyes as he continued to look at Qiao Anhao. Pain, heartache, sadness, helplessness... and a rush of emotions that eventually became misery. Only when she wasn¡¯t looking did he dare to expose his true emotions. Even though he acted like he didn¡¯t care, he did. Deep inside, he cared a lot. He couldn¡¯t help taking a deep breath. Pulling himself out of his misery, he moved, lightly kissing her hair. He wished to be able to tell her "I love you", but his throat was choked. He tried again, and still he wasn¡¯t able to say it. He stood up slowly and turned to leave the room. Some love just couldn¡¯t be expressed with voice. Because the moment it was said aloud, it would be lost. And he had lost enough. As it was, he would use his entire life to maintain their status quo. Even if the current situation was horrible. The words of liking someone could easily be said, but love, it was buried deep in one¡¯s heart. - The next day, when Madam Chen was about to leave her room to make breakfast, she bumped into Lu Jinnian, who was walking down from upstairs. She was momentarily stunned, wondering what time had hade back yesterday. After a short pause, she politely greeted him, "Good morning, Mr. Lu." Lu Jinnian nodded wordlessly before heading out the door. He changed his shoes and just when he was about to leave the house he instructed her, " Don¡¯t tell Mrs. Lu I was back." Without waiting for Madam Chen to respond, he left. When Madam Chen snapped out of her daze, Lu Jinnian was already in his car preparing to leave. She stood at the same spot, her mind filled with questions. She shook her head, wondering why would Mr. Lu try to hide his concern for Mrs. Lu? The next two days, Qiao Anhao stayed in without leaving the house much. They passed peacefully, without Lu Jinnianing back, though ording to the news he was in the city. - Once, when Madam Chen was going to the toilet in the middle of the night, she saw Lu Jinnian¡¯s car. It was parked in the front yard and he was sitting inside. After staying for a very long time, he drove off. Chapter 120: In and Out of Filming (6) Chapter 120: In and Out of Filming (6) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem The second day after returning back to the set, filming resumed as usual, from morning tillte at night. It was mainly scenes with Song Xiangsi, Cheng Yang, and Lin Shiyi. Onlyte at night it was Lu Jinnian and Qiao Anhao¡¯s turn. This scene was of their back view and happened at night. The second male main lead hadn¡¯t been home for several days and suddenly came back drunk, treating the second female lead as his one true love, kissing and even confessing to her. Everyone in the industry was aware that up to now, even when the scene required, Lu Jinnian would never really kiss the actress. Hence, the director informed Qiao Anhao prior to the scene that they wouldn¡¯t actually be kissing. Even so, it was still the first time she was filming a kiss scene and was jittery the entire day. The moment the director shouted for them to prepare, Qiao Anhao entered the set, sitting down on the sofa to watch the television. When the director shouted start, all the cameras were directed towards her, circling around the small room scene. Only when the director was satisfied did he signal Lu Jinnian. To get into the mood, Lu Jinnian had drunk a little alcohol. Before it could take effect, he staggered into the room at the director¡¯s signal. Hearing footsteps, Qiao Anhao turned towards the door. Once she caught sight of Lu Jinnian staggering into the room, preparing to remove his shoes, she immediately went over to help him and supported him to the sofa. Just as she was about to get him some water, Lu Jinnian suddenly grabbed her, pushing her onto the sofa. The filming was wless till here. The next part was for Lu Jinnian to look at Qiao Anhao with a drunken gaze before gradually moving forward to kiss her. But just when he was about to lower his head to kiss Qiao Anhao, the director shouted "CUT", and continued, "Mr. Lu, your expression isn¡¯t good, retake!" This was the first retake for Qiao Anhao and Lu Jinnian after so long, and it was actually because of him. The filming restarted from the beginning. It wasn¡¯t clear if Lu Jinnian wasn¡¯t in the right mood or some other reason, but whenever he was about to kiss her, something would pop up. "CUT, Mr. Lu, the angle of the kiss is off." "CUT, Mr. Lu, you need to see Xiao Qiao when you kiss her." "CUT, Mr. Lu..." "CUT.." Multiple NGs followed. The director was so irritated he disregarded Lu Jinnian¡¯s position and shouted, "NO, NO! Rest for ten minutes. Mr. Lu, go and get yourself in the mood! MAKEUP ARTIST, TOUCHUP." The audience had started to gossip when they saw Lu Jinnian¡¯s poor performance. Lu Jinnian¡¯s face sank, and after he had his makeup done, he seemed to havee to a decision. He told the director beside him, "For the kissing scene, I¡¯m going to really kiss her." Chapter 121: In and Out of Filming (7) Chapter 121: In and Out of Filming (7) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Lu Jinnian¡¯s face sunk and after he had his makeup done, he seemed to havee to a decision. He told the director beside him, "For the kissing scene, I¡¯m going to really kiss her." His frosty voice wasn¡¯t loud but it still reached the ears of the crew nearby. Everyone was originally moody due to Lu Jinnian¡¯s performance, but now, they were stunned. For the kissing scene, I¡¯m going to really kiss her... What did that mean? Did it mean... It was clear what he wanted, but no one dared to believe their ears. They simultaneously looked at each other before their gazes fell onto Lu Jinnian and the director. The director had heard Lu Jinnian¡¯s words clearly, but yet he could not believe what he had heard. Kissing was a clear no-no for Lu Jinnian. Previously, a producer had insisted for him to do it, but in the end, Lu Jinnian broke the contract for the drama, got sued, and even paid a huge sum for breaching the contract. The director struggled for a long time before asking Lu Jinnian, "Mr Lu, what do you mean?" Lu Jinnian stared ahead unwaveringly, remaining silent. Only after the makeup crew was done with his hair did he stand up to look at the director. In a frosty voice, he replied, "For the next scene, it¡¯ll be a real kiss." He then turned his head and, without even looking at his assistant, said "I¡¯m going to the bathroom" and tookrge strides out. Sitting elegantly at the side to observe the filming, Song Xiangsi suddenly smiled after hearing Lu Jinnian¡¯s words, choking onto the water she was holding. The water flowed into her nose and she spat the remaining water in her mouth. In the midst of her coughing fit, she couldn¡¯t help scolding Lu Jinnian inside. Even though he¡¯s the best screen actor and clearly wants to take advantage of Qiao Anhao, he acts as though he¡¯s the one losing out. Song Xiangsi¡¯s coughing fit attracted Lu Jinnian¡¯s attention, and when he turned, he looked straight into her eyes. The moment they caught each other¡¯s attention, Song Xiangsi gave him a teasing nce. The moment Lu Jinnian saw that nce, his eyes dimmed and he walked away at a faster pace. Lu Jinnian had actually requested for an real kiss scene. To the director, it was an event worthy of a celebration. If people were to get word of it, the impact would be sensational. The minute he heard the news, the director ran to Qiao Anhao¡¯s dressing room and, without even waiting for her approval, he barged in shouting, "Xiao Qiao,ter for the filming with Mr. Lu, it¡¯ll be A REAL KISS SCENE." Chapter 122: In and Out of Filming(8) Chapter 122: In and Out of Filming£¨8£© Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem As though Qiao Anhao had received a big shock, she looked at the director in disbelief. "A real kiss?" "Yes, a real kiss!" The director looked straight at Qiao Anhao, aggravatingly insisting, "Xiao Qiao, when you became an actress, I believe someone would have told you that an actor¡¯s most basic skill is professionalism, so when we shootter, don¡¯t be nervous, and don¡¯t hold back. Try your best to get into it. Just one kiss. It¡¯s fine." When the director finished and turned to leave, he was in high spirits. He went straight to the set and ordered the staff to slightly rearrange it. Since the director was aggravated just now, his voice was kind of loud. Everyone had already assumed that Lu Jinnian was going to have to shoot a real kiss scene with Qiao Anhao, so now that the time finally came, the audience instantly erupted. Most of the actresses and female crew members were talking. Their voices carried hints of jealousy and hatred. "God.. Mr. Lu will actually shoot a kiss scene." "Qiao Anhao really has the luck of eight previous lifetimes to actually get the chance to kiss Mr. Lu." "Yeah, right..? A real-life kiss... with tongue..." - There was chatter all around, but Qiao Anhao didn¡¯t pay attention to what everyone had to say in the slightest. All she could think about was the French kiss she was going to have with Lu Jinnian in a moment... Actually, it wasn¡¯t like they hadn¡¯t kissed before. But a french kiss... That would be the first... The more Qiao Anhao thought about it, the more nervous she got. Lu Jinnian quickly returned to the set. Compared to Qiao Anhao¡¯s nervousness, he appeared way more calm andposed. As though the next scene was no different from any other scene. Following the director¡¯s instructions, the two of them got into their positions. In an instant, the entire set fell so quiet you could hear a pin dropping. All eyes were transfixed on Qiao Anhao and Lu Jinnian. They filmed from the start to when Lu Jinnian grabbed onto Qiao Anhao¡¯s arm and pressed her up against the sofa. Even though Qiao Anhao was nervous deep down, there weren¡¯t any problems during the shoot, but when Lu Jinnian looked at her, ready to kiss her, she felt overwhelmingly nervous. She closed her eyes out of difort. When Lu Jinnian¡¯s lips neared Qiao Anhao, hovering only a centimeter away, the director screamed, "Cut!" Lu Jinnian froze on the spot. Since the start of filming, this was Qiao Anhao¡¯s first NG. The director was quite forgiving in his tone. "Xiao Qiao, you closed your eyes a little too early just then. You have to wait until both of you kiss, then you close your eyes." Qiao Anhao nodded and said, "Sorry". They then started from the beginning again. This time, she didn¡¯t close her eyes too soon, but when her lips touched Lu Jinnian¡¯s, she instantly became abnormally stiff. Chapter 123: In and Out of Filming(9) Chapter 123: In and Out of Filming£¨9£© Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Pressed against her lips, Lu Jinnian gently stroked them twice. Just when he was going to open her mouth with his tongue, he suddenly stopped in his tracks. He raised his head and made an apologetic gesture to the director on the sidelines. "Sorry, we didn¡¯t grasp the feeling in this one. Let¡¯s go again." The director nodded and signaled for the staff members to prepare the set. Even though Lu Jinnian filmed with Qiao Anhao, the two of them didn¡¯t interact beyond reading their lines. Without cameras on, they rarely spoke. Lu Jinnian got up from Qiao Anhao, and as he was supposed to leave, he bizarrely turned to Qiao Anhao who was sitting up on the sofa. "Later, when we start rolling, I¡¯ll look at you, and you remember to look back at me. The script clearly said that the two of us should look at each other." Of course Qiao Anhao knew she had to look at him, but when they looked at each other, her eyes always wandered. She was obviously too afraid to look into his eyes. When he suddenly pointed this out, her face grew a little red. She nodded and let out a low "mm". Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t say another word and just turned to leave. There were already too many NGs for this scene, and so when they started to reshoot, the director impatiently repeated from the top the things they had to be aware of. By the end, he even had a word with Qiao Anhao. "Xiao Qiao, don¡¯t be too nervous. Rx a little." This was a signal for them to start reshooting. In thevish vi, the lights shone dimly on Qiao Anhao as she quietly watched the TV. When she heard a sound from the door, she quietly turned her head. Seeing that it was Lu Jinnian drunkenly walking into the house, she shot up to greet him. She supported him over to the sofa. Following the scene in the script, she went over to pour a cup of water when he suddenly grabbed her by the wrist. This time, the force Lu Jinnian used to grab her wrist was different to the previous NGs. It was a little stronger, like the strength you¡¯d use to grab onto something you wanted. Qiao Anhao was startled. When her body fell onto the sofa, Lu Jinnian pushed her down with his body on top. He stared into her eyes. When their eyes met, Qiao Anhao subconsciously wanted to divert her gaze away, but then she remembered what Lu Jinnian had said to her after thest NG. And so, she forced her eyes not to wander but stare right back at Lu Jinnian -pletely aligned. His eyes were beautiful and dark, seemingly never-ending. Despite how hard he tried to hide his cold demeanor, he still gave off a distant feeling. Chapter 124: In and Out of Filming(10) Chapter 124: In and Out of Filming£¨10£© Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Both of them stared quietly into each other¡¯s eyes for about ten seconds. Just when Qiao Anhao thought that Lu Jinnian would lower his head to kiss her, his eyes suddenly revealed faint colors. They started to grow deeper and more vibrant. In his eyes, aplex emotion emerged. Those emotions grew stronger, like a whirlpool. Qiao Anhao was so transfixed, she couldn¡¯t look away. In his eyes, she saw intense love and pain. In that instant, Qiao Anhao felt her heart go numb, like it was electrocuted. Then it started racing faster and faster, as though it was going to jump out from her mouth. Lu Jinnian lowered his head inch by inch, extremely slowly. His lips trembled a little as they lightly touched hers. A strong current from their lips traveled through their entire bodies. From the moment his lips touched hers, he didn¡¯t make a single move. Their lips just quietly came together. Nobody made the first move. Besides the turning of the recording tapes in their ears, nothing else could be heard. It was as though the whole world had stopped in that one moment. Suddenly, the stationary Lu Jinnian pried apart Qiao Anhao¡¯s lips. He forced his tongue in her mouth, wrapping hers gently around his. He kissed her without any hesitation as he tossed and turned their tongues together. In that split second, Qiao Anhao couldn¡¯t tell if they were filming or if it was a dream. She waspletely drunk from the moment, and her eyes closed without a conscious thought. Her entire being was immersed in their deep kiss. Sounds farther away grew increasingly more distant. All that she could hear were the sounds of their breathing and the racing of their hearts. He kissed her boldly, deeper and deeper. Even the force he used to press down on her grew heavier. It was like he was going to swallow her up at any moment. He was only like this whilst filming, where he could release all of his love and exhaust all of his energy by kissing her. They only stopped after holding the kiss for quite some time. Lu Jinnian¡¯s lips slowly pulled away from Qiao Anhao, his beautiful eyes staring quietly at her. The long and passionate kiss just now had left him a little breathless. He gasped for breath in front of her face. The director stood on the sidelines, looking at the monitor, and thought the kiss scene was finally over. But just when he was about to scream "Cut", Lu Jinnian suddenly reached out and slowly stroked Qiao Anhao¡¯s face. Following his gesture, her long eyshes trembled as she opened her eyes. Once again, their eyes found each other. Chapter 125: In and Out of Filming(11) Chapter 125: In and Out of Filming£¨11£© Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Lu Jinnian¡¯s eyes revealed lingering passion and emotions from the kiss. They focused quietly on hers for a while as his hands softly stroked her face twice. In that instant, all that was present in the cold, unsociable man was intense affection. The way he carefully stroked her face, there was no hint of hidden love in it. It looked as though he was protecting a treasure, the only reason he was on this earth. When he spoke, his voice carried tones of drunkenness. "You know... your single careless smile, it warms my entire world." - After the kiss scene, it was the confession scene. There was meant to be a break in between, but now, Lu Jinnian was carrying on to the next. Staff members couldn¡¯t help but stare astonished at the director, but he only made a hand gesture to signal for silence, for he was glued to the monitor full of excitement. Actually, this was never in the script. Who knew that after so many NGs, in the very end, Lu Jinnian¡¯s acting skills would explode. The lines he improvised were exhrating! - Lu Jinnian¡¯s voice paired with the world¡¯s most touching lines traveled from Qiao Anhao¡¯s ears and straight into her heart. She stared into his eyes, slowly bing entranced. Lu Jinnian¡¯s face was like gold dust, there was only tenderness in it. He looked at Qiao Anhao for a long time, blinking softly. In a slightly hoarse voice, he whispered softly, slowly saying the words he had kept deep down for so many years, "This year I found happiness because of you, so..." After saying that, his brows slowly pressed against her forehead. The fingers on her face started to tremble slightly. He stopped for half a minute and looked into her eyes. He grew somber and moved. His voice next revealed a sadness and pain. "Never leave me again, alright?" In his heart, Lu Jinnian added two words to that line - Qiao Qiao... His words were only for her, but they could only be said like this to be just for her. ¡¯This year¡¯ it sounded like his name, Jinnian. ¡¯Anhao¡¯ as in wellness or happiness, was her name. Actually, what he really wanted to express was - I¡¯m only happy with you in my life. Qiao Anhao was transfixed and a little dazed. In that split second, shepletely forgot that she was filming. It was all like a dream to her. She didn¡¯t move, and neither did he. The two of them quietly held their positions like that. Seeing that the tape was almost finished, the director, who was staring at the monitor, picked up the microphone. He screamed, "Done!" Without holding back, he startedplementing, "Beautiful! That scene just now was just beautiful!" Chapter 126: In and Out of Filming(12) Chapter 126: In and Out of Filming£¨12£© Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem After the directors call, Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t hesitate to pull himself away from Qiao Anhao. From head to toe, he didn¡¯t reveal a hint of tenderness and warmth that he¡¯d just disyed on camera. There was only his cold and distant self. As usual, after filming, he left straight away. When Lu Jinnian passed Song Xiangsi, her head tilted and sheughed out loud without holding back. "Our Mr. Lu¡¯s acting can sure turn pretend into reality!" she stated with a hidden meaning, purposefully emphasizing thest four words. Lu Jinnian walked away as if he didn¡¯t hear a word she said and, not sparing her even look, left immediately. On his way, he said to his assistant in a dull voice "Off to remove the make up" and went to the make up room. Long after Lu Jinnian had left, Qiao Anhao stilly dumbfounded on the sofa. It was not until Zhao Meng ran up calling for her that she slightly came back to reality. Even then she stood uppletely out of it. Zhao Meng followed her as they rushed for the changing room. The scene just now was indeed spectacr. Zhao Meng couldn¡¯t help but startplementing them both, but Qiao Anhao didn¡¯t hear a word. Her mind was filled with the way Lu Jinnian looked at her during the shoot, his kiss and his words... Remnants of his kiss, his breath, and warmth lingered between her teeth and lips. Qiao Anhao couldn¡¯t resist reaching out to touch her lips. Her face had be a little red. When Qiao Anhao and Zhao Meng entered the make up room, Lu Jinnian was already on his way out, having already finished removing his make up and changing into his own clothes. Not yet recovered from the scene just now, Qiao Anhao heard Zhao Meng call "Mr. Lu". Only then, did she raise her head to see Lu Jinnian walking out. In an instant, her slightly red face grew even redder. She also called, "Mr. Lu." Lu Jinnian¡¯s face carried no emotions, and his footsteps had no intention of slowing down. When he brushed past Qiao Anhao, she nced at him. He felt her eyes rise up to him, and he looked back without any emotion at all. It was as though they were strangers. With his unwavering look, he walked away. Qiao Anhao subconsciously turned around and stared at Lu Jinnian¡¯s back. She saw that he was back to his usual cold and distant self. He didn¡¯t reveal a hint of the same tenderness and affection he had during the shoot. It had all been just an illusion. In that instant, Qiao Anhao¡¯s heart turned cold. She instantly woke up. Back there, it was had been all just a dream. Awake, she shoulde back to reality. That tenderness and affection was only for the scene. Never for her. Chapter 127: Dont Talk Nonsense (1) Chapter 127: Don¡¯t Talk Nonsense (1) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem No matter what she thought, Qiao Anhao was gued by a heavy sense of loss. They had a lot of NGs that night and they were quite tired, so after they removed her make up, she looked down in the dumps. Back in the hotel, she took a shower and headed straight for bed. Qiao Anhao pulled out her phone. Out of habit, she was about to set her rm when she remembered that she didn¡¯t have any scenes with Lu Jinnian tomorrow. She turned her phone to silent instead and put it on the cab above the bed¡¯s head. Qiao Anhao didn¡¯t sleep well. Who knew if it was because Lu Jinnian had exhausted her during that night¡¯s filming, but she dreamed of his beautiful confession. She was touched and delighted. Her face blushed slightly as she slowly said the words that she¡¯d kept hidden in her heart for all these years, "Lu Jinnian, did you know that I¡¯ve liked you for thirteen years..." When she finished speaking, Qiao Anhao subconsciously wanted to hug Lu Jinnian, but she reached out to hug the air. She then opened her eyes. Zhao Meng had turned off all the lights in the house, so everything was pitch-ck. In the other bedy Zhao Meng, fast asleep and slightly snoring. Qiao Anhao however didn¡¯t have a hint of wanting to fall asleep. With her eyes open, she looked into the darkness, thinking back to Jinnian¡¯s gentle eyes during that scene. Then she thought about the cold re he gave her when he walked out of the make up room. She fell asleep again. When? Qiao Anhao didn¡¯t know. The skies outside gradually got bright. Even though Qiao Anhao hadn¡¯t went to bedtest night, she did get up in the middle of the night a few times. And so, she didn¡¯t get up until ten the next morning. Zhao Meng was already out by then. Qiao Anhaoy in bed for a while. Just as she was ready to get up and wash her face, her phone suddenly vibrated. She tilted her head to see the screen¡ªit was Qiao Anxia. Without hesitation, she immediately picked it up. "Sis." "Are you up? I¡¯m about fifteen minutes away from your hotel lobby. You¡¯d better get ready to meet downstairs." Even after so many years, Qiao Anxia¡¯s personality hadn¡¯t changed one bit. She always got straight to the point, never beating around the bush. She immediately hung up when she finished what she had to say. - Though Qiao Anhao had already washed her face and changed at top speed, she was stillte by five minutes. As soon as she left the hotel, she saw Qiao Anxia standing impatiently by her car with her phone raised, just about to make a call. Before Qiao Anxia could call Qiao Anhao, she saw her and put her phone away. She pointed to the car and said, "Get in." Without a word, she opened the car door and got in. Chapter 128: Dont Talk Nonsense (2) Chapter 128: Don¡¯t Talk Nonsense (2) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Qiao Anhao got in the car. Just as she was putting on the seat belt, Qiao Anxia stepped on the gas. The car sped off. Qiao Anhao was well used to her sister¡¯s aggressive driving style. After the car left the vi, she turned to ask her, "When did youe to Beijing?" "Last night at eleven" "You¡¯ve been on vacation for quite a long time, almost four months now." Qiao Anxia smiled but didn¡¯t speak. After a while, she turned around to sweep a nce at Qiao Anhao before asking, "How about you? How¡¯s married life? How has Xu Jiamu been treating you?" Besides Qiao Anhao, everyone in the Qiao family thought that Xu Jiamu had woken up and that the person she married was him. She blinked, turned her head to the window and replied evasively, "Alright." Noticing that they were heading north, she asked again, "Where are you going?" "To lunch. There¡¯s a family restaurant at the foot of the mountain. Their food isn¡¯t bad." Qiao Anhao nodded silently. After a while, Qiao Anxia spoke again. "But this afternoon, we won¡¯t be eating alone, there¡¯s one other guest." "Who?" Qiao Anhao nced over at her sister. She stared at the road, smirking. "Someone who might be my boyfriend." Qiao Anhao had never heard that Qiao Anxia had been dating, and so was instantly intrigued. "Who? When did this happen?" "A few years ago." Qiao Anxia blinked, a mysterious smile crossing her face. "I¡¯ve never been too sure. But now, I think something might happen." Qiao Anhao was even more intrigued. "It¡¯s been quite a few years now, Qiao Anxia, why haven¡¯t I heard about this?" "Well you know now..." Qiao Anxia asked Qiao Anhao back before she added, "You know him." "Someone I know, for at least several years? Who is it?" Qiao Anhao was even more interested now. Her sisterughed without a word. Qiao Anhao pursed her lips. Someone who was close with Qiao Anxia and someone she knows. She thought hard about it and started to guess, "The heir to Wansheng Group?" "Him? I¡¯d never date him even if I was blind," Qiao Anxia said with a disdainful expression. "Your university¡¯s student council president?" "How¡¯s that possible? We haven¡¯t kept in contact for so long now." "Could it be that Tony from America..." "No, stop randomly guessing. You¡¯ll seeter." Qiao Anhao sealed her lips and turned away from Qiao Anxia. - Even though the ce served family dishes sourced from local farms, everything looked unique. There was even arge fish pond by the door. Qiao Anxia had booked a private room in advance, on hearing her name, the staff immediately took the two of them upstairs. Just as Qiao Anhao and Qiao Anxia sat down in the booth, the waiter pushed open the door. "Miss. Qiao, your other friend has arrived." Chapter 129: Dont Talk Nonsense (3) Chapter 129: Don¡¯t Talk Nonsense (3) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Which girl in her youth didn¡¯t have a male god they held deep in their heart? Lu Jinnian was handsome, tall, and had a cold personality which was extremely simr to the prince in romance novels. He was the ideal guy that fit the criteria girls in their youth would have of a male god. Hence, in high school, even if it was hard to approach Lu Jinnian, there were still an endless supply of girls that chased after him. And the girl that was most persistent and most sensational was Qiao Anxia. On the first day, when they were applying for school, she had been mesmerized by his looks. Shortly after they entered, during their initialpulsory military training, she started to aggressively pursue him. But even Qiao Anxia, who had a pretty face, good figure, and was an heiress was not able to win him over despite trying out all sorts of methods. In year one, when Qiao Anhao and Qiao Anxia were still in the same ss, she would get Lu Jinnian a present every few days. Several timester Lu Jinnian had stopped Qiao Anhao and had gotten her to return the presents back to Qiao Anxia. With an irritated tone, he would snarl, "Return it to your sister!" "Tell your sister not to disturb me anymore!" "I will never like her!" Even till today, Qiao Anhao naively believed that Lu Jinnian had used her to pass on the messages, but never would she have expected that he was actually just trying to find ways to talk to her and at the same time rifying that there was nothing between him and Qiao Anxia. Even though Qiao Anxia didn¡¯t chase Lu Jinnian for long, it was still half a year. In that half a year, everyone had paid attention to them, wondering who would end up as Lu Jinnian¡¯s girlfriend. Many girls could not tolerate Lu Jinnian¡¯s cold exterior and it caused their initial infatuation to disappear. Or maybe they just continued to carry a torch for him secretly from afar, but only Qiao Anxia continued to pursue him persistently. Hence, to the mass majority, they were quite confident that the two would end up together. But thissted only till a certain year¡¯s Christmas day when Lu Jinnian was at hisst straw, not willing to be harassed by Qiao Anxia any longer. He had scolded the then, "Qiao Anxia, I¡¯ve never seen a woman as thick-headed as you before. Are you addicted to chasing guys?" Ever since young, Qiao Anxia had been pampered, so how could she tolerate such humiliation? Lu Jinnian¡¯s words were like a p to her face. It shattered her pride into a million pieces, and she threw the present she had brought into a trash bin before turning to leave. After ten days, Qiao Anxia got a boyfriend, a senior from the music club. Chapter 130: Dont Talk Nonsense (4) Chapter 130: Don¡¯t Talk Nonsense (4) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem This had caused a stir in the school. But soon, everyone¡¯s attention was swept away by another interesting gossip. Qiao Anxia had many boyfriends, but none of themsted long, the longest being two months. Using her good looks, she had swept through the guys in her high school, switching up one boyfriend for another constantly. Qiao Anxia wasn¡¯t a calctive person and didn¡¯t hold it against Lu Jinnian even though he had rejected her. Every time they went out together with Xu Jiamu, she would treat him normally. Qiao Anhao, who had been carrying a torch for Lu Jinnian, had asked her if she still liked him about a year after the night she was rejected. At that time, Qiao Anxia hadughed lightly. In an arrogant tone, she dismissed it, "I stopped liking him a long time ago, I was merely infatuated by his looks." Afterwards, the two of them indeed had a peaceful and nd rtionship. During university, Qiao Anxia had even lived together with a Shanghai heir she had met in school. However, they didn¡¯tst long, breaking up after just half a month. She then dated a sessful Chinese-American businessman. After so many years, Qiao Anxia and Lu Jinnian barely kept in contact. Hence, when Qiao Anxia had mentioned a man she had known for many years who could potentially be her boyfriend, Qiao Anhao still couldn¡¯t figure him out even after going through everyone they both knew. So when the waiter for Nong Jia Cai restaurant warmly and politely said "Miss Qiao, your other friend just arrived", Qiao Anhao smiled, turning curiously to find out who he was. That was when she caught sight of Lu Jinnian¡¯s cold expression. The smile on her lips froze and she swallowed the words she was about to say. Qiao Anxia smiled and stood up hearing the waiter¡¯s words. "Jinnian, you¡¯re here." Lu Jinnian nodded, expressionless, and he pulled out the seat in front of them. This morning, when he woke up and saw a text from Qiao Anxia, he had wanted to ignore it. But by the time he came out of the shower, there were a few more messages, all from her as well. [Aren¡¯t you in the same drama as Anhao? I¡¯m meeting her for lunch, you want toe along?] Lu Jinnian stared at the message, hesitating for a bit before replying, [What time?] Qiao Anxia instantly answered, [11.30am, at Xiao Nong Jia Le Yuan.] Chapter 131: Dont Talk Nonsense (5) Chapter 131: Don¡¯t Talk Nonsense (5) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem After Lu Jinnian was seated, Qiao Anxia signaled to the waiter. He brought her the menu which she personally passed over to Lu Jinnian. "Jinnian, you can order." From the moment Lu Jinnian entered the private room, he never once nced at Qiao Anxia. When she had passed him the menu, he looked towards the menu, took a glimpse at Qiao Anhao who was seated beside her sister. Qiao Anhao was holding onto an antiseptic towel, staring at the table, seemingly lost in thought. Lu Jinnian frowned before saying, "I can eat anything, you can decide." Qiao Anxia didn¡¯t act coy. She opened the menu and ced it between herself and Qiao Anhao. In a sweet tone, she said, "Qiao Qiao, let¡¯s order." From the moment Qiao Anhao saw Lu Jinnian, her mind had be nk. Her sister¡¯s voice now jolted her out of her daze. Looking towards her, she made a questioning murmur, "uh?" "Stop dreaming!" Qiao Anxia teased before pointing at the menu. "Order anything you want, today Best Screen Actor Lu is treating!" Lu Jinnian was treating Qiao Anxia? Qiao Anhao lifted her eyes slightly, sneaking a glimpse at Lu Jinnian, who sat directly in front of her, before hurriedly lowering her eyes. She clenched her fists, her heart in a mess. Randomly, she ordered two vegetable dishes. Qiao Anxia didn¡¯t force her to order more, instead, she took the menu and ordered several of the signature dishes. Lastly, she ordered three cups of freshly squeezed orange juice. No more than ten minutester, the dishes were almost fully served. Qiao Anxia lifted her chopsticks, taking a bite. Seeing that Qiao Anhao had not started, she ced a piece of chicken into her bowl. "The chicken served are all from the farm here. It¡¯s organic and delicious." Qiao Anhao forced a smile and lifted her chopsticks to start eating. If it was only Qiao Anhao and Lu Jinnian, the meal would¡¯ve been dead quiet, but with Qiao Anxia¡¯s constant chattering, there was not a moment of silence. Qiao Anhao sat in the corner silently, not making a sound. She didn¡¯t have much appetite and ate slowly. Lu Jinnian sat on the chair in a rxed posture. He didn¡¯t say much, just asionally acknowledging Qiao Anxia¡¯s words with an "uhm" sound. Every time he replied or would lift his head to take more food, his eyes would casually sweep past Qiao Anhao. Chapter 132: Dont Talk Nonsense(6) Chapter 132: Don¡¯t Talk Nonsense£¨6£© Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Qiao Anxia had a great dinner. When she put down her chopsticks after her meal, she let out a sigh. "The food here is great." As she said that, she turned to look at Qiao Anhao, who had already put her chopsticks down. "Qiao Qiao, what¡¯s wrong? You alright?" Qiao Anhao lightly nodded. Qiao Anxia looked over at Lu Jinnian. Her eyes smiled when she said, "Lu Jinnian was the one who told me about this restaurant." Qiao Anhao clenched her hand, fingers stabbing hard into her palm, and forced a smile. Sitting opposite her, Lu Jinnian lifted his eyelids to look at Qiao Anhao after Qiao Anxia¡¯s words. To him, she looked calm as usual, as though her sister inviting him to dinner had nothing to do with her at all. There was a sh of bleakness under Lu Jinnian¡¯s eyes. After a few seconds, his tone was mild. "If I remember correctly, Jiamu and I used to fish over there by the mountain. You went hiking with your friends andter bumped into the restaurant, so Jiamu suggested we eat here." He knew that Qiao Anhao didn¡¯t care about the hint of flirting in Qiao Anxia¡¯s words. Even if he pretended as if nothing had happened between him and Qiao Anxia, to her, his rification meant nothing, but he still wanted her not to misunderstand him. Qiao Anxia couldn¡¯t believe that the usually quiet Lu Jinnian would expose her pleasant words. With a slightly awkward expression, she pretended as though she was fine and changed the subject. "Don¡¯t you both have no filming this afternoon? It¡¯s still early. How about we go watch a movie? There¡¯s a new big Hollywood produced movie that just came out.." To Qiao Anhao, she¡¯d suffered enough through the dinner. Upon hearing her sister¡¯s suggestion, she didn¡¯t even need to think about it. She shook her head and said, "Nah, I¡¯m busy this afternoon. You two can go watch the movie. I won¡¯t be joining in on the fun." Qiao Anxia didn¡¯t insist any further but turned to Lu Jinnian with a bright smile. "How about Mr. Lu? Do you have time?" Lu Jinnian wanted to refuse first, but he wasn¡¯t given a chance to before hearing Qiao Anhao¡¯s words. Won¡¯t be joining in on the fun... Ha... Lu Jinnian¡¯s eyes revealed a hint of mockery as his expression became instantly cold. He opened his mouth to get to the point. "Not interested." He got up, kicked his chair away, and called for the waiter. "Cheque please!" Then, with a cold look, he picked up his jacket from the side and rushed out of the private room. Qiao Anhao and Qiao Anxia¡¯s eyes met. The both of them didn¡¯t know just how they had managed to suddenly piss off Lu Jinnian. Chapter 133: Dont Talk Nonsense (7) Chapter 133: Don¡¯t Talk Nonsense (7) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Coming out of the elevator on the first floor, Qiao Anhao finally couldn¡¯t hold it in any longer. She asked Qiao Anxia in a low voice, "Sis, the guy you said might be your boyfriend is Lu Jinnian?" Qiao Anxia lightly nodded and said in a low voice, "Actually, it¡¯s a littleplicated. At first, I thought there was no heat between Lu Jinnian and I - like we¡¯d be friends forever. But for the past few years, we would bump into each other at parties and we¡¯d chat a little. Qiao Qiao, you know how it is. Lu Jinnian is proud and arrogant. He told me once that no woman has caught his eye. I didn¡¯t think too much about it, but for a few years now, I feel like he could¡¯ve been interested me all this time..." - When Lu Jinnian paid the bill, he saw Qiao Anhao and Qiao Anxia walk out of the elevator. As he took his card back, he rushed over to catch up to them. Just as he was ready to call out to them, he heard Qiao Anhao¡¯s voice. He held his tongue and listened to Qiao Anxia¡¯s long exnation. His expression grew dark in a split second, and he stopped in his tracks. - Qiao Anxia and Qiao Anhao walked out of the restaurant. Having not noticed Lu Jinnian, Qiao Anxia was just about to pull out her phone and call to find out where he was, but he left on his own without even saying goodbye to them when he passed by. He went straight for his own car, entered, stepped on the elerator, and drove off. - Qiao Anxia dropped off Qiao Anhao at the hotel. After seeing her go in, she was ready to start up the car and leave when suddenly the passenger seat door opened. Startled, she turned to find a gloomy-looking Lu Jinnian sitting in her car. Before she could speak, Lu Jinnian raised her hand and pointed forward. In a cold voice, he said, "Drive and stop down there." Qiao Anxia couldn¡¯t guess why Lu Jinnian would get in her car, but she didn¡¯t hesitate to listen to his instructions and drove to a quiet, remote ce. She turned off the engine and smiled at Lu Jinnian. "Were you looking for me..." Qiao Anxia didn¡¯t get to finish before Lu Jinnian cut her off, "Qiao Anxia." It wasn¡¯t like he had never called her full name, but this time, Qiao Anxia had a bad feeling about it. She looked at him, blinked and didn¡¯t say a word. "I don¡¯t ever remember giving you the impression that I was remotely interested in you..." Chapter 134: Dont Talk Nonsense (8) Chapter 134: Don¡¯t Talk Nonsense (8) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem "I don¡¯t remember ever giving you the impression that I was remotely interested in you..." Lu Jinnian looked into Qiao Anxia¡¯s eyes with cold, uncaring eyes. His next words were clearly apologetic but they sounded hurtful no matter how he said them. "If I really did, then I apologize to you here. I hope you can stop kidding yourself. Don¡¯t go around talking nonsense!" Lu Jinnian¡¯s words were too direct, overly straight and to the point. In that brief moment, Qiao Anxia was a little caught off guard. She stared at Lu Jinnian in a daze for a long while. Her face slowly grew pale and she pursed her lips tightly. She didn¡¯t talk for a long time before asking, "Did you overhear my conversation with Qiao Qiao?" Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t respond to Qiao Anxia¡¯s question. His eyes turned slightly cold. "The reason I¡¯m sitting here now is very simple, it¡¯s to tell you that things I didn¡¯t want before, I won¡¯t be picking up now!" In that instant, Qiao Anxia¡¯s face turned extremely pale. Her body shivered slightly, her eyes became a little red, but she stubbornly took a deep breath. Pushing the bitterness deep down inside, she balled up her fists and tried hard to appearposed. After staring at Lu Jinnian for some time, she asked, "Why?" She didn¡¯t wait for him to reply before answering for him. "Is it because of the woman you like?" Qiao Anxia couldn¡¯t help but form a gentle smile. "It¡¯s been so many years now and you¡¯re still alone, which goes to show that you couldn¡¯t get together with the woman you love. It¡¯s been over ten years - over ten years! You still haven¡¯t given up?" Lu Jinnian¡¯s eyes were cold with a sense of determination. Every word and pause hit Qiao Anxia¡¯s heart. "Don¡¯t worry. Even if I did give up, I wouldn¡¯t fall for you." Qiao Anxia forcibly pursed her lips, gripping hard the steering wheel. Lu Jinnian stared at the windshield for a few seconds before speaking again. Even though he sounded cold, there was a slither of pain in his voice. "Besides, I could never imagine ever giving up on her." After hisst words, Qiao Anxia couldn¡¯t pretend any longer. All these years, she¡¯d dated many guys, but no matter if it were the guy who chased her, or if she was the one to chase the guy, she would always get with the guy she set her eyes on. Apart from Lu Jinnian... he was an exception. At first, she was young and frivolous, and had let go of all her arrogance and pride to chase him. But in the end, he was the one to give her the cold shoulder. Chapter 135: Dont Talk Nonsense (9) Chapter 135: Don¡¯t Talk Nonsense (9) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem At the time, she thought that Lu Jinnian was her only w. So much so that, she had already epted this w. Up until over four years ago, Lu Jinnian would always casually chat for a bit when they bumped into each other at parties. Even though she couldn¡¯t say she fully understood him, for all the years she¡¯d known him, she could say that she was someone who rtively got him. She¡¯d never seen Lu Jinnian go out of his way to talk to a girl before. At first, she thought that she was over-thinking things, but once, twice, then three times... over four years, Lu Jinnian would always go out of his way to say a few words to her... So she started to think he was interested in her. Honestly speaking, when they were young, she only chased him for his entrancing good looks. Of the many beautiful faces she had seen, no one had ever stuck out as much as he. She wanted him to be her boyfriend. To describe her feelings at the time, it was as though she had her eyes on the most limited edition handbag in the world. She just wanted to have it to get everyone¡¯s attention, and to make people envious. So at the time, she thought that having a boyfriend like Lu Jinnian would definitely let her gain face. Her heart hadpletely given up on him, but when she felt that Lu Jinnian might be interested in her, feelings for him started to awake. Furthermore, Lu Jinnian now was the best screen actor for six years running, the CEO of Huan Ying Entertainment, and titled the ¡¯Nation¡¯s Husband¡¯. However, she never imagined that it was all in her head and that Lu Jinnian was still uninterested in her. She¡¯d lost twice to this man whopletely burned the Qiao Anxia who had everything she ever wanted since she was young. She really wanted to know just who was this woman - this woman who was able to make Lu Jinnian somitted, who he could persistently be hung up on for over ten years like it was his first day. Qiao Anxia stared at Lu Jinnian, who was about to get out of the car. She asked, as she couldn¡¯t hold back her curiosity, "Lu Jinnian, just who is the woman that you like?" Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t show any intention of wanting to entangle himself with Qiao Anxia any longer. Just as he was going to get out of the car, he heard Qiao Anxia suddenly ask from behind him, "Lu Jinnian, just who is the woman that you like?" His hands were ready to push open the door when he suddenly stopped. Secondster, he held his motionless pose as he said in a dull voice, "You¡¯re unworthy of knowing who she is!" And then he pushed open the door, and without a single sign of stopping, he stalked out. Chapter 136: Dont Talk Nonsense (10) Chapter 136: Don¡¯t Talk Nonsense (10) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Qiao Anxia sat in the car. Through her mirror, she saw the faint figure of Lu Jinnian from afar. Her eyes finally couldn¡¯t help but be red. - When the elevator reached the top floor, Lu Jinnian walked out. His assistant was hugging a few documents, waiting for him at his door. He said, "Mr. Lu, in the afternoon, thepany¡¯s vice president sent someone to give us a few documents. They said they were urgent. Please look over them. If there aren¡¯t any questions, please sign them as soon as possible and send them back to thepany." Lu Jinnian nodded lightly and pulled out the key card to his room. He removed his zer and handed it over to the assistant. He took the documents over to the sofa, sat down, and examined them. There were seven documents. Lu Jinnian looked through them all and signed them. By then, it was dark outside. Lu Jinnian handed the documents over to the assistant and signaled for him to send them off to thepany. Seeing that it was already eight and Lu Jinnian still hadn¡¯t eaten, the assistant asked, "Mr. Lu, do you want me to call the kitchen for supper?" Perhaps it was because he had read through all the documents in the afternoon, exhaustion came over Lu Jinnian. He waved at the assistant, hinting that it wasn¡¯t necessary. The assistant got the hint. Hugging the documents, he said in a low voice, "Then, Mr. Lu, if there¡¯s nothing else, I¡¯ll be off." Lu Jinnian raised his hand to between his brows and massaged it, nodding slightly. As the assistant turned away, Lu Jinnian suddenly opened his eyes and said, "Later, drop by Miss Qiao¡¯s room and ask her to stop by." "Yes," replied the assistant in a low voice. He gently opened the door and left. Instantly, all that was left in the huge suite was Lu Jinnian. Heid down on the sofa, staring out at the starry sky beyond the window. His mind subconsciously thought about the words he¡¯d said to Qiao Anxia in the farm-to-table restaurant. When Qiao Anxia was younger and had failed to get with him, he had to still seen her because of Qiao Anhao and Xu Jiamu. But he tried his best not to interact too much with her. Up until over four years ago. Back then, it had been seven whole months since he hadn¡¯t seen Qiao Anhao. Nor had he heard any news about her. That night, Xu Jiamu¡¯s friends went singing at The Royal Pce. He turned up a littlete. When he rushed in, there were hardly any seats left apart from the one next to Qiao Anxia. He went over and sat down. At first, Qiao Anxia didn¡¯t initiate a conversation with him, nor did he want to talk to her. It waster, when everyone was ying a game, that she handed him a sieve and said something. Compared to his usual self who never replied, this time, he said something to her. The two of them chatted for a bit until he pretended to casually ask, "What happened to Qiao Anhao? Howe she didn¡¯te?" Qiao Anxia didn¡¯t think much of it and replied, "Qiao Qiao caught a cold. She¡¯s not feeling too good, so she didn¡¯t want toe out." He nodded calmly as though it was nothing, but his heart clenched in pain. Chapter 137: You Like Rainy Days Too? (1) Chapter 137: You Like Rainy Days Too? (1) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Qiao Anxia didn¡¯t think much of it and replied, "Qiao Qiao caught a cold. She¡¯s not feeling too good, so she didn¡¯t want toe out." He nodded calmly as though it was nothing, but his heart clenched in pain. At that time, she was already someone he could not love, even if he was worried, he had no right to visit or care about her. In the end, he drove through the silent night, sitting outside the Qiao family¡¯s mansion, guarding till the next morning before driving off. He knew that Qiao Anhao would always be a burden he could not carry but yet he could not let go. Even though at that time they no longer were in contact, he still wanted to know how she was living. Just like that, he continued to talk to Qiao Anxia to get snippets of information... Unknowingly, itsted for four years, until the day Xu Jiamu¡¯s mother Han Ruchu came to him. She wanted him to act as Xu Jiamu and marry Qiao Anhao... Only then did he stop talking to Qiao Anxia. Ever since the incident five years ago, he knew that Qiao Anhao was someone he could never love, so he started to treat her coldly, but his love never wavered. He never thought of trying to love someone else or settling with someone more suitable. Hence, when he heard Qiao Anxia telling Qiao Anhao that he might be interested in her and could even potentially be her boyfriend, he wasn¡¯t just infuriated but worried as well. He was worried that Qiao Anhao would misunderstand him, think he liked her sister. That day, he didn¡¯t return back to the set but waited directly at the hotel. Once Qiao Anhao went it, he immediately joined Qiao Anxia in her car. He was at the peak of his fury then, saying harsh and offensive words to her. But it was all for the best, if he couldn¡¯t get together with her, he wanted to make it clear to her. "Knock! Knock! Knock!" The sudden knock on the door jolted Lu Jinnian out of his daze. He arranged his expression before gracefully standing up to open the door. ording to Lu Jinnian¡¯s instructions, his assistant had gone to find Qiao Anhao, telling her that Mr. Lu wanted to see her upstairs. Before leaving, the assistant hesitated before adding, "Miss Qiao, Mr. Lu hasn¡¯t eaten since afternoon... He has been working the entire time and only now got some free time. I asked him if he wanted to eat but he refused, yet he¡¯ll have a long day tomorrow. Could you get him to eat a littleter?" - Chapter 138: You Like Rainy Days Too? (2) Chapter 138: You Like Rainy Days Too? (2) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Qiao Anhao nodded, acknowledging his words, but once Lu Jinnian¡¯s assistant left, her smile soon faded. For the entire afternoon, her mind was in a mess, circling around Qiao Anxia and Lu Jinnian. ording to her sister, she seemed to have a good rtionship with Lu Jinnian. At the beginning, Qiao Anhao had agreed to Han Ruchu¡¯s request, hoping that after living together for a long time, sparks would fly between her and Lu Jinnian. But if he were to end up with Qiao Anxia, she wouldn¡¯t have a chance at all... Her face sank, turning deste. She stood at the entrance of the hotel for a long while before returning to her room. After finding her phone, she prepared to head up. Just then, Lu Jinnian¡¯s assistant called, passing on his instructions. She called the hotel restaurant¡¯s number to order a meal for supper. This was the peak period where crew members were often in the elevator, so there was a high chance that she would meet someone she knew. Afraid to be seen, Qiao Anhao took the piping hot meal to the stairs. Just then, Lin Shiyi received a call from a producer, but since she was having a mini gathering in her room, she left to the corridor to pick her call. The producer had a suggestive tone and she had to coax him. There were constantly people walking around in the corridor so she retreated to the emergency staircase. But just as she was about to push open the door, she caught sight of Qiao Anhao through the small ss. She was holding a tray of food and climbing up. Lin Shiyi was filled with doubt, who would she be bringing the supper to? She hesitated slightly before ending the call with the producer. Pushing open the door, she followed Qiao Anhao silently. Lu Jinnian opened the door, and when he saw Qiao Anhao, he turned to walk in wordlessly. - Qiao Anhao took a deep breath at the door. Then inrge strides, she walked into the room, closing the door behind herself. Lu Jinnian seemed to have entered the shower as streaming water could be heard. Qiao Anhao ced the supper she had bought onto an empty space on the coffee table in front of the sofa. She then reached out to arrange the documents and magazines that were carelessly strewn around the small table. She hugged the stack and was about to put it on the side when the shower door opened. Lu Jinnian looked straight at her. Qiao Anhao tightened her grip on the stack as she exined softly, "Your assistant mentioned that you haven¡¯t eaten so I got you some supper." Chapter 139: You Like Rainy Days Too? (3) Chapter 139: You Like Rainy Days Too? (3) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Lu Jinnian directed his attention to the coffee table. There was indeed a box of food there. His brows furrowed slightly and his gaze deepened. He continued to stare at the food, not moving. Qiao Anhao thought that he didn¡¯t want to eat so she struggled slightly before adding, "Your assistant mentioned that you¡¯ve been working the whole afternoon, you must be tired. If you don¡¯t eat, how can youst till tomorrow?" Lu Jinnian continued to stay silent, his gaze falling back on Qiao Anhao. Her fingers tightened on the documents she held. Weakly, she added, "Besides, even if you have no appetite, you should still eat a little, it¡¯s better than not eating..." Qiao Anhao was almost defeated at this point. If she were to do away with the "married couple" title, they were practically strangers. On their marital night, she had even mentioned that she would not interfere with his life and he had told her "better remember your words." Hence, after their marriage, she had never questioned his lifestyle, not even said a simple word of care or goodnight... But now, she was insisting that he eat his meal. Was that considered breaching their agreement... Qiao Anhao felt increasingly more uneasy the more she pondered. But till the end, she weakly insisted, "It won¡¯t be good for your stomach if you skip meals often." Lu Jinnian remained silent, staring unwaveringly at her. Just when she was about to give up, he suddenly walked forward, sitting down on the sofa. He pointed to the box of food, asking, "What¡¯s there?" Qiao Anhao looked at Lu Jinnian in shock, and after a while, she still couldn¡¯t process his words. Lu Jinnian seemed to be amused by her slow reaction, his lips curling upwards slightly. Continuing in a calm voice with no expression, he asked, "I thought you brought me food?" Qiao Anhao finally understood that he was referring to the supper. Her eyes curled slightly before she ced the stack of documents on his desk. Walking back to the supper, she opened the box and reported the food she had ordered, "One box of Yanzhou fried rice, one bowl of winter melon soup, a set of chicken wings and one stir fried Kan..." Lu Jinnian continued to remain silent, staring at Qiao Anhao, his expression gentle. Chapter 140: You Like Rainy Days Too? (4) Chapter 140: You Like Rainy Days Too? (4) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Qiao Anhao ced the food neatly in front of Lu Jinnian before helping him open a pair of disposable chopsticks. Passing them over, she added, "I don¡¯t know what you like so you can just have a little of each..." Lu Jinnian stared straight at her, seemingly studying her. Just like that, their gazes collided. Stunned, Qiao Anhao couldn¡¯t continue her sentence. With widened eyes and her head slightly lifted, she returned Lu Jinnian¡¯s gaze. He no longer had aplicated and distant look in his eyes, it was reced by something deeper; his eyes were shinning. As she stared, her heart rate quickened uncontrobly, her face reddening slightly. Not until she felt her face burn did shee back to her senses, averting her gaze. Nervously, she passed the chopsticks, "Chopsticks." Qiao Anhao¡¯s voice jolted Lu Jinnian back to reality. He blinked a few times before arranging a cold and distant expression back into ce. Wordlessly, he took the chopsticks. Lowering his eyes, he started to eat casually. Lu Jinnian ate gracefully, not making any sound. The entire room was silent. Qiao Anhao knelt in front of Lu Jinnian for a long while before managing to collect herself from the eye contact. Lifting her eyes slightly, she peaked at the man in front of her. After sneaking a nce several times, she realized that Lu Jinnian was focused on the food in front of him. Hence, she mustered more courage and started to sneak longer stares at him. Lu Jinnian was still wearing the same set of clothes he had on for lunch. He had removed his jacket , undid his tie, and unbuttoned the top two buttons, exposing his exquisite cor bones. He had his cuffs rolled up, revealing a small section of his strong muscled arm, adding a hint of casualness to his elegance. He focused on his food, his longshes fluttering slightly from time to time. The first time she had seen him, she was mesmerized by his looks. After thirteen years, regardless of how many times she had dreamed of him, she would still get mesmerized and awed by him. To her, he was the only one is this world whose looks could stand the test of time. Qiao Anhao stared in a daze. After some time, Lu Jinnian seemed to have noticed and suddenly looked up. Qiao Anhao looked back down in shock, her heart beating rapidly once again. Chapter 141: You Like Rainy Days Too (5) Chapter 141: You Like Rainy Days Too (5) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Subconsciously, Qiao Anhao tried to find an excuse to hide from Lu Jinnian to calm herself down. But when she turned towards the window, she stopped in her tracks and, unconsciously, eximed, "It¡¯s raining!" As she eximed, she stood up, walking to the window. Lu Jinnian froze when he heard her, slowly turning towards the window. Indeed, big droplets were sttering onto the window, drenching it in rainwater. In front of the window, Qiao Anhao stood transfixed. Lu Jinnian nced over for a brief moment before averting his gaze. He finished off all the food that Qiao Anhao had bought and set his chopsticks down. He wiped his mouth with a piece of tissue then tossed it into the bin nearby. Hesitating for a bit, he tookrge strides to the window where Qiao Anhao stood. Lu Jinnian was much taller than her. Since it waste into the night, the window was like a mirror. He could clearly see that Qiao Anhao was transfixed, focusing all her attention on the rain outside. Her eyes were shinning and he couldn¡¯t help asking, "You like rainy days too?" Qiao Anhao was about to reach out her hand to caress the window, along with the droplets that streamed downwards. Only when she heard his question did she realize that unknowingly he had appeared beside her. Her fingers paused on the window for several seconds before she nodded her head lightly. "Yes, I like them." Lu Jinnian remained silent, but right then, he had on a gentle and warm expression. For some time, Qiao Anhao continued to randomly caress the window. She only realized afterwards that Lu Jinnian had asked if she liked rainy days too. She turned her head and looked at Lu Jinnian, throwing his question back at him, "You like rainy days too?" "Yes, I like them too," Lu Jinnian replied in an usually gentle tone, as though there was a deeper meaning to his words. So they both liked rainy days... maybe that was what carrying a torch was like, when both of them had a something inmon, it was as though they were much closer. A sweet sensation spread through Qiao Anhao¡¯s heart. She liked rainy days because that was how they had first met, seeking shelter on a rainy day. That day, she had fallen head over heels for him. But what about him? Just when Qiao Anhao was hesitating whether to ask him why he liked rainy days, the man beside her who rarely spoke said, "Initially, I didn¡¯t really like them." He paused, seemingly in deep thought, then continued in a light tone, "Afterwards, because of an incident, I started liking rainy days." Chapter 142: You Like Rainy Days Too? (6) Chapter 142: You Like Rainy Days Too? (6) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Lu Jinnian paused, seemingly in deep thought, then continued in a light tone, "Afterwards, because of an incident, I started liking rainy days." Just like that, Qiao Anhao¡¯s heart skipped a beat. The reason he liked rainy days was the same as hers... But she started liking them because of someone while he started liking them because of an incident... This was the first time after their marriage that she had spoken to Lu Jinnian so calmly. She started to get braver, asking out her suspicion, "What incident made you like rainy days?" Lu Jinnian stared out at the pouring rain, his expression turning sorrowful. "That was the first time I got close to the most important person in my life..." Lu Jinnian stopped, suddenly realizing what he was saying. Qiao Anhao stood beside him, focusing all her attention on his words. But after waiting for a long time, he still remained silent, not finishing his sentence. She turned her head suspiciously, looking up at him. Through the window, Lu Jinnian caught sight of Qiao Anhao¡¯s expectant face as she stared at him. The incident five years ago had taken away his right to have her. Even if he loved her, it had to be hidden deep in his heart, but just now, when he wasn¡¯t paying attention, he had almost exposed himself. Lu Jinnian¡¯s throat moved, his senses overtaking his emotions. Lightly, he said, "Forget it, it isn¡¯t worth mentioning." "Oh," Qiao Anhao replied softly, not saying anymore. She stared out at the pouring rain, her feelings dampening. Lu Jinnian had said that he had met the most important person in his life on a rainy day, was it the girl that he liked? So they both met the person they love the most on a rainy day, just that the person she loved the most was him and the person he loved the most was someone else... Just moments ago she was cheered by theirmon interest, but now, she couldn¡¯t help feeling sad and bitter. Their conversation ended and the room fell into silence once more. They both stood in front of the window, gazing out at the rain, lost in their thoughts. He was thinking about her. She was thinking about him. The rain in Beijing was often short-lived,ing suddenly and ending quickly. No more than half an hourter, the big storm had calmed to a small drizzle. In the end, the dark clouds faded and a faint ray of light could even be seen. That was when Qiao Anhao came back to her senses, realizing that both of them had been standing in front of the window for such a long time. She turned and saw that Lu Jinnian was still lost in his thoughts, staring out at the window. Remembering that she was called up by him, she asked, "Is there anything you need me for?" Chapter 143: You Like Rainy Days Too? (7) Chapter 143: You Like Rainy Days Too? (7) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Only after Qiao Anhao spoke did Lu Jinnian remember that he had called for her. He had wanted to rify that there was nothing going on between him and Qiao Anxia, but since they weren¡¯t lovers or a real married couple, it didn¡¯t make sense for him to do so. He remained silent for a long time, trying to figure out how to go about exining. In the end, he just randomly asked, "What about you? Don¡¯t you have anything to ask me?" He was the one who had called her up, and now he was asking her what she wanted to ask him... Qiao Anhao was struck dumb by his question. Shaking her head, she looked at him questioningly, "What should I ask?" Lu Jinnian thought that Qiao Anhao didn¡¯t understand his meaning, hence he hinted, "This afternoon when we were eating lunch with Qiao Anxia, you didn¡¯t have anything to ask me?" The mention of Qiao Anxia dampened Qiao Anhao¡¯s spirits that had been slightly lifted when Lu Jinnian ate and watched the rain with her. Moodily, she stared out of the window in silence. Lu Jinnian stood beside her with surprising patience. He continued to wait, giving time for Qiao Anhao to speak first. But after a long time, she still remained silent, and disappointment engulfed him. What was he expecting when he had asked her that? Expecting her to mind what Qiao Anxia had said about him getting together with her? Regardless of which woman was with him or had something going on with him, she had always been indifferent. Why should she start minding now? Self-depreciation floated into his eyes. He couldn¡¯t helpughing at himself mockingly, as though he was really defeated by her. Helplessly, he said, "Me and Qiao Anxia..." The moment Qiao Anhao heard her sister¡¯s name, she couldn¡¯t help feeling a deep sense of fear surrounding her. At that moment, she was terrified that Lu Jinnian would say that they had gotten together. Unconsciously, she clenched her hands into fists, her lips tightening. She interrupted him with, "My sister is a good choice, she¡¯s pretty, has a good background, there¡¯s nothing bad about her... " Before she could finish her sentence though, Lu Jinnian rudelymanded, "Go and take a bath." Chapter 144: You Like Rainy Days Too? (8) Chapter 144: You Like Rainy Days Too? (8) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Qiao Anhao stopped in her tracks, stunned by the randommand "Go and take a bath". She turned and was about to "Huh?" in response but was stopped by Lu Jinnian¡¯s expression. At some point, his expression had grown distant, his gaze cold. Even the surrounding air seemed to have gone cold. Qiao Anhao opened her mouth, but nothing came out. She just stood there, unmoving. Lu Jinnian pressed his lips together, his hands clenched tightly as though desperately suppressing his emotions. After about ten seconds of no movement, he spoke again, his voiceced with fury, "Didn¡¯t you hear me? Go and bathe! Or are you expecting me to bathe you?" Lu Jinnian¡¯s voice turned savaged towards the end, not giving Qiao Anhao any room for objection. She trembled slightly, stumbled backwards. Turning, she hurriedly walked into the bathroom. After she bathed and came out, Lu Jinnian was still standing with his back to the living room, a cigarette in his hands, taking deep puffs. Hearing the bathroom door open, he lifted his head slightly, observing Qiao Anhao. The moment he saw her, he sucked in another deep breath before extinguishing his cigarette in a nearby ashtray. Casually, he turned around to stare at her. In a calm voice he said, "Didn¡¯t you ask me why I called for you? You think I have any other use for you? My body just needed you, I just wanted to have sex!" - Qiao Anhao had already predicted it the moment he had asked her to bath but she had never expected him to say something so cruel the moment she came out. My body just needed you, I just wanted to have sex... Qiao Anhao bit her lip, her hands tightening on her clothes, her face stripped of color. Lu Jinnian seemed oblivious to her reaction. Lifting his hands, he undid his buttons and threw his shirt on the sofa. Bare-chested, he rushed into the bedroom. Upon passing her on the way to the bathroom, he slowed, saying, "Don¡¯t just stand there, wait where you¡¯re supposed to be." Finishing, he brushed past her and stepped into the bathroom, mming the door shut. The moment Qiao Anhao heard the door close, she shuddered. Tonight, the initial harmony had given her a new ray of hope. Even if they couldn¡¯t have love, they could still go back to the times before when she secretly carried a torch, when he still cared about her. Chapter 145: You Like Rainy Days Too? (9) Chapter 145: You Like Rainy Days Too? (9) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Back then, even though he was distant, saying little, it was still much better than how he was now! Lu Jinnian finished showering in an instant, casually threw on a robe and started drying his hair with a towel as he walked out. Qiao Anhao was still at the same spot as when he had entered the bathroom, and he couldn¡¯t help frowning slightly. Takingrge strides towards her side, he asked, "Didn¡¯t I tell you to go to where you¡¯re supposed to be? Or do you prefer this spot?" The moment he finished talking, he grabbed her arm, pushing her onto the sofa before lying on top of her. "Since this is what you want, I shall fulfill your desires... My body wants it after all!" Qiao Anhao trembled slightly, lowering hershes instinctively to hide the hurt in her eyes. Lu Jinnian lowered his head. When he was preparing to kiss her, he suddenly remembered something and reached out to tug her chin up. Lifting her head, he forced her to look into his eyes before asking coldly, "Qiao Anhao, didn¡¯t you want to learn from Zhao Feiyan and Zhao Hede? Two sisters sharing a husband?" Qiao Anhao was stunned by the random question he suddenly threw out. Before she could process his words, she was pushed against the hard floor yet again. With mocking in his voice, he continued to humiliate her. "Qiao Anhao, you climbed into my bed and became my woman, and now you praise your sister in front of me? Don¡¯t you find it disgusting?" Ever since the day they married, Lu Jinnian had always been hurling cruel words at her. Even though she thought that she was immune to it, it still hurt every single time. Because she loved him, because she cared about him, she would always mind. Qiao Anhao paled. Praising her sister to him was considered disgusting? Lu Jinnian tightened the grip he had on her chin, continuing, "Get this straight, I don¡¯t want her. You don¡¯t find sharing a man with your sister disgusting, but I do! Ever since the day I slept with you, I would never touch Qiao Anxia, so stop trying to praise her. I don¡¯t like her, and even if she thinks otherwise, it¡¯s all one sided and has nothing to do with me." He shouted out thatst part. He originally didn¡¯t want to exin himself after she started praising Qiao Anxia. She probably didn¡¯t care whether he had anything going on with other women, but deep down in his heart, he still couldn¡¯t help rifying himself. In that moment, sadness and helplessness clouded his eyes. He clenched his teeth, lowered his head, and kissed hard her lips. Chapter 146: You Like Rainy Days Too? (10) Chapter 146: You Like Rainy Days Too? (10) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Lu Jinnian used so much brute force that the kiss was more like a bite. Qiao Anhao recalled the previous two times, the excruciating pain that had almost killed her, and she grew nervous. When Lu Jinnian was kissing her, she couldn¡¯t help trembling. Due to the pain, tears welled up in the corners of her eyes. Lu Jinnian could distinctly feel Qiao Anhao trembling. On instinct, he looked down at her face and saw the moisture in her eyes. He suddenly remembered the previous time, how she had curled up on the bed, her face as white as a sheet. Unconsciously, he tightened his grip on her shoulders, his expression still cold, but his actions grew gentler, softer. - When everything ended, Lu Jinniany on top of Qiao Anhao. After his release, his brain became hazy, as though his entire soul had been emptied. Lu Jinniany on top of Qiao Anhao, panting. Unconsciously, he was about to stroke her hair, but before he could reach it, he clenched his hand into a fist roughly pulling it way. Turning, he came off her body. He took his robe and casually wrapped it around his body, then turned to look at Qiao Anhao. Curled in a corner of the sofa, she was breathing heavily. Coldly, he said, "For this transaction, text me if you have any advertisement you want. If you don¡¯t have anything in mind, I¡¯ll randomly assign you one." Finished, he walked towards the bathroom, mming the door shut behind himself. Qiao Anhao was the only one left in the living room. The moment Lu Jinnian turned away, she reached for her clothes, shielding her naked body. She rested a while before saving up enough energy to sit up and put on her clothes. She stood up and looked at the tightly shut bathroom hesitantly. In the end, she left his room without a word. It was already 12 am and Zhao Meng was already asleep. Qiao Anhao took a quick shower before quietly reaching her bed, yet her exhaustion had left her. Tonight, she had no idea which sentence had infuriated him. Chapter 147: You Like Rainy Days Too? (11) Chapter 147: You Like Rainy Days Too? (11) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Tonight, she had no idea which sentence had infuriated Lu Jinnian. She knew that he didn¡¯t like her, so she was always careful with her words in front of him, afraid that she would say something wrong, exposing her love for him. Never would she have expected that the random excuse she had sprouted to hide her feelings for him could give him the power to hurt her so many times. She had wanted to stop their deal, but that had only infuriated him further. He said that only when he was sick of her would he let her off, or he would personally end her career in the entertainment industry if she refused. She could stop acting, could give up the right to entangle herself with him, could get used to living with her one-sided love forever, but she could not abandon Xu Jiamu. Xu Jiamu was a childhood friend. Due to to her own selfish reasons, she had agreed to Han Ruchu¡¯s suggestion. If she were to pull out, the Xu family would sink into jeopardy. Tonight, he had mentioned that he didn¡¯t like Qiao Anxia... The worries that had burdened her the entire afternoon started to rx a little. But soon after, she started worrying about Qiao Anxia¡¯s feelings. - Qiao Anhao had a scene the next day, so she rushed to the set at 8 am. After she changed and got her makeup done, the filming began. On set, she didn¡¯t interact with Lu Jinnian other than during filming. Due to the previous night, Qiao Anhao stopped stealing nces at him, unlike what she would do on a normal day. - Lu Jinnian seemed to be in a horrid mood. During filming, he would loosen up a bit when the scene required, but every time the director shouted "Cut", his frosty mask woulde back on, casting a pressuring atmosphere on the entire set. The lunch for that day was still a buffet at the hotel¡¯s restaurant. Since Qiao Anhao didn¡¯t have any shows in the afternoon, she removed her make up and went straight to the restaurant with Zhao Meng. When they reached it, there weren¡¯t many people left in the hotel. Qiao Anhao filled her te with food before finding a corner to sit with Zhao Meng. They passed a table of eight chairs with seven of them filled. Of those seven, three of them were third rated actors and the rest were filming crew. They seemed to be gossiping, and the moment Qiao Anhao and Zhao Meng came close, they stopped talking instantly. Once Qiao Anhao and Zhao Meng were seated, they resumed talking but in hushed tones. From time to time, they would stick their heads to the middle of the table, seemingly sharing a secret. They would also take peaks at Qiao Anhao and Zhao Meng. Chapter 148: You Like Rainy Days Too? (12) Chapter 148: You Like Rainy Days Too? (12) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Initially, Qiao Anhao didn¡¯t pay them any attention, but halfway through her meal, she realized that more and more people were starting to look her way, some even pointing at her as they talked. She started to have a bad premonition. She ced her chopsticks down, and, lifting her head, she asked Zhao Meng, who was sitting in front of her, "Did something happen today?" Zhao Meng looked at a loss, shaking her head. With food in her mouth, she murmured " I didn¡¯t hear anything." After swallowing her food, she continued, "Something wrong?" Just then, someone was using a chopstick to point at Qiao Anhao. When Qiao Anhao caught her in the act, the woman immediately turned away. Qiao Anhao frowned, knowing that something about her must have spread among the crew. Softly, she instructed Zhao Meng, "After your meal, go find out what had happened." They stood up, leaving, but on their way, a conversation reached them. The restaurant was on the fourth floor of the hotel, and on the way from the elevator, there was a smoking lounge. Now that it was after lunchtime, there were about five people on the sofa in the smoking lounge, chatting as they smoked. Some of them were loud while some of them were soft, but every word could be heard by anyone passing by. "I told you, Qiao Anhao didn¡¯t get her role based on capability. There are so many people with good acting skills, but I haven¡¯t seen anyone recing the second lead on such ate notice!" Unconsciously, Zhao Meng looked towards Qiao Anhao. Qiao Anhao remained calm, signaling for Zhao Meng to remain quiet, not to rm the people who were chatting. She then sat still, waiting for them to continue. "Girls like her who look innocent are actually sluts deep down." This time, it was a third rated actor who started out as a model that spoke. Holding onto a cigarette, heughed coldly. Taking a deep breath, he blew out a perfect circle before using a demeaning tone to say, "But she sure is calm, either she doesn¡¯t know that her shameless act was exposed, or she just has thick-skin." Chapter 149: Answer Me One Question (1) Chapter 149: Answer Me One Question (1) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem "Ya, she sure is calm. If I were her, I would definitely be hiding." "Do you think Mr. Lu fell for her or she seduced him?" "Isn¡¯t it obvious? It was definitely her who took the initiative. Besides, didn¡¯t you realize that producer Sun was treating her quite good as well? She probably got the role by sleeping with the important people in the set." "But how could Mr. Lu do this? The first time he has a scandal, and its with her..." "Hehe... are you jealous? You could also use supper as a way to care for him, then just offer yourself. If Mr. Lu is tempted, you might be on your way to stardom." "Me? Jealous? What should I be jealous about? Isn¡¯t it just selling your body, thats what prostitutes do!" As their words became meaner, Zhao Meng couldn¡¯t help coughing, rming the group. The instance they saw Qiao Anhao, their faces fell. But quickly, they calmed, stood up, and left, ignoring Qiao Anhao¡¯s presence entirely. First one, and then the rest of them. In less than half a minute, only Zhao Meng and Qiao Anhao were left in the lounge. Zhao Meng observed Qiao Anhao. She looked so calm it was scary. After a while, Zhao Meng softly opened her mouth, wanting tofort her friend, "Qiao Qiao..." Qiao Anhao blinked,ing back to her senses. She gave her phone to Zhao Meng, and in a calm voice, she instructed, "Go online and find out exactly what kind of news it is." Finishing, Qiao Anhao tookrge strides towards the elevator and pressed the button. The minute she returned to her room, Zhao Meng passed her phone over. "Qiao Qiao, someone sent an anonymous message on weibo, and it has gone viral... they said you entered Mr. Lu¡¯s room in the middle of the night without notice..." Zhao Meng¡¯s voice softened at the end of the sentence. Qiao Anhao clenched her lips as she reached out for the phone, but Zhao Meng pulled it away. "Qiao Qiao, every artist has scandals, it¡¯ll be over after a while..." "Give me my phone," Qiao Anhaomanded as she stuck her hand out. Zhao Meng held onto the phone, taking two steps back, shaking her head. "Qiao Qiao , you don¡¯t have to see this... It¡¯s just going to hurt you." Qiao Anhao who was always mild-tempered couldn¡¯t help shouting, "I said, give me my phone!" Chapter 150: Answer Me One Question (2) Chapter 150: Answer Me One Question (2) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem "Qiao Qiao..." Zhao Meng bit her lip, seeing the anger on Qiao Anhao¡¯s face. In the end, she sumbed and passed the phone to Qiao Anhao. On Weibo, there were two photos. One was of her standing outside Lu Jinnian¡¯s room with half of his face exposed when he opened the door. The other photo was of her holding a packet of supper entering his room. This photo was uploaded at 5 am in the morning. Since Qiao Anhao had been filming the whole afternoon, she didn¡¯t bother logging onto Weibo to check out thetest news. It had been eight hours since the photo was uploaded and there were already a few thousand shares, and the post had even made it to the headlines. Thetest hit for Weibo, ament, had over 10k likes: "The second female lead for this show was Lin Shiyi, but at thest moment the role was snatched by Qiao Anhao. Now, the truth has been revealed: SHE SOLD HER BODY!" Thements after that were all from people scolding her. "Shameless woman, get out of the entertainment industry!" "Slut, how dare you seduce my husband!" ... Qiao Anhao scrolled through Weibo, and thements got increasingly more mean. Her face darkened as she kept on reading. She gripped the phone in a choke hold, her breathing rapid, her chest puffing up. Zhao Meng couldn¡¯t take it any longer and said, "Qiao Qiao, do you want me to contact Huan Ying Entertainment¡¯s PR team? They might be able to get Weibo to delete thements." "Delete?" Qiao Anhaoughed coldly. "You think this will go away if the photos are deleted? It¡¯s only been eight hours, but it has already grown into a headliner. The person behind must have been prepared." "You mean someone is against you? Why would they do that?" "If ¡¯Alluring Times¡¯ airs, who do you think will attract the attention of the public?" Qiao Anhao asked. "Her motive must have been to spoil my reputation, convincing everyone that I got the role through underhanded means before I can get famous. No matter how good my acting is, everyone would doubt me!" "Qiao Qiao, who would do that to you?" "The staff and the crew have been made to sign a confidentiality contract, the waiters would definitely not take photos, and even if they did, they would not sell them to paparazzi, so it can¡¯t be them either." Chapter 151: Answer Me One Question (3) Chapter 151: Answer Me One Question (3) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Qiao Anhao¡¯s gaze turned cold when she said, "This person spent so much effort just to stop me from getting famous, overshadowing her. Take a look at thements, see who gains the most out of it." Zhao Meng took the phone back and scanned thements. "Lin Shiyi! Many of thements areining that you stole her role... " Zhao Meng seemed to have understood something. She looked up and eximed, "It¡¯s definitely her! The main reason she was able to climb so high in this industry was because of acting innocent and framing others!!" "Yes, its her. But I won¡¯t let her make use of me like that!" "Qiao Qiao, have you found a solution?" Early in the morning, when Lu Jinnian¡¯s assistant came to find him, he found Lu Jinnian in a foul mood and acted with extreme caution. In the afternoon, the assistant carried over a stack of documents to the office. When he got Lu Jinnian to sign them, he stood at the side, not daring to make a sound, afraid that he might identally offend Lu Jinnian. A pressuring atmosphere settled in the room. In just a few minutes, the assistant broke into a sweat, and by the time Lu Jinnian had finished signing the documents , he was prepared to leave the room, but then he suddenly remembered the news on weibo regarding Lu Jinnian and Qiao Anhao. The assistant hesitated for a while before finally reporting the news, "Mr Lu, there are news regarding you trending on weibo now." News about him trending on weibo was amon urrence for Lu Jinnian, so he didn¡¯t react to it, focusing his attention on the cigarette in his hand. His assistant continued hesitantly, "The news is a scandal, about you and Miss Qiao." Miss Qiao... Lu Jinnian paused momentarily, then lifted the cigarette to his lips and took a deep breath. Looking straight ahead, he swept a nce over his assistant, signaling for him to continue. "When Miss Qiao entered your room yesterday, someone took a photo and posted in on weibo. Now everyone is bashing her..." The assistant suddenly shut his mouth when he saw Lu Jinnian¡¯s face grow darker with each word. Lu Jinnian tossed the cigarette that he had barely smoked into the ash tray before clicking his keyboard. His long fingers flew across it, and after a few seconds, he entered weibo. Just as his assistant had said, the scandal with Qiao Anhao was a top hit. Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t hesitate, clicking on the link. He scanned the photos before scrolling to thements section. Every page was filled withins about Qiao Anhao, and the next moment, he threw the mouse to the floor. Chapter 152: Answer Me One Question (4) Chapter 152: Answer Me One Question (4) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem The assistant was startled by Lu Jinnian reaction and shuddered in fear. "Bang!" a sudden thump sounded. Turning his head, the assistant saw a mouse bounce off the wall, then shatter to pieces on the ground. He turned back carefully, looking at Lu Jinnian. The man had a frosty expression as he sat on his seat, focused on the screen. Even though he was silent, deep in his eyes, there was a me burning. The assistant knew that this was a sign that Lu Jinnian was furious, even though he couldn¡¯t read Lu Jinnian most of the time, but he still knew to cate him when necessary. Taking a deep breath, he spoke in a low voice, "Mr. Lu, do you need me to get someone to talk to weibo officials? They could delete the post." Lu Jinnian continued to stare at the screen, unwavering, for a long while before looking up. With suppressed anger he said, "You can leave first, I will handle this." The assistant hurriedly nodded and said "Yes". He then picked up the documents and hurriedly left the room, careful to not infuriate Lu Jinnian further. Once his assistant left, Lu Jinnian lifted his hands and touched hisptop¡¯s touchpad. There was an influx of messages in just those few minutes, all of them scolding Qiao Anhao. Lu Jinnian reached out and mmed hisptop shut. What if she saw the messages... His calm facade suddenly faded. Frustrated, he stood up and tookrge strides, pacing about the room. In the end, he settled back on the desk and reached for his phone, dialing Qiao Anhao¡¯s number. - "Qiao Qiao, have you thought of something?" Qiao Anhao shook her head slowly, and just as she was about to say "Not yet", her phone rang. Zhao Meng climbed off the bed and walked to Qiao Anhao¡¯s bag to find her phone. The moment she saw the caller, she hurriedly passed it over to Qiao Anhao. "Lu Jinnian is calling." Qiao Anhao had been focusing all her attention on the culprit. neglecting the fact that Lu Jinnian was also part of the scandal. When they had married, she had promised him never to expose their rtionship to the public, but now everyone knew. Was he calling to scold her? She pressed her lips together. Reaching for the phone, she walked to the window and took a deep breath before answering. "Hello?" The moment Lu Jinnian heard Qiao Anhao¡¯s voice, he came back to his senses. In his fury, he had actually lost control of his senses and called her.... Chapter 153: Answer Me One Question (5) Chapter 153: Answer Me One Question (5) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem The moment Lu Jinnian heard Qiao Anhao¡¯s voice, he came back to his senses. In his fury, he had actually lost control of his senses and called her.... He was about to ask her if she was alright. Ever since five years ago, he had lost the right to show care for her. Because he couldn¡¯t love her, he decided not to show even an ounce of his love for her. All these years, he had wanted to reach out to her multiple times, but every single time, he had forced himself away. He was afraid that he would lose control of himself. After they had married, he seldom went home, afraid that the more time they spent together, the harder it would be to keep up his facade. Even so, the moment he learned that she would be upset, he lost control. Lu Jinnian clenched the phone, and after a moment of silence, he managed to calm himself down. Speaking in a low voice, he tried to sound calm and nonchnt. " I saw the news on weibo..." Indeed, he had called because of the scandal... Qiao Anhao lowered hershes, staying silent for a time before replying. "Yesterday, I didn¡¯t notice that I was being photographed. I¡¯m sorry for dragging you into this." He didn¡¯t call to me her about the news. Besides, he didn¡¯t mind the scandal one bit, in fact, he was quite fond of it... Lu Jinnian opened his mouth but didn¡¯t know how to respond. He lifted his head and brushed his hair in frustration before changing the topic, "Yesterday night, you wanted..." The moment he said those four words, he realized how bad he was at changing a topic. Increasingly more frustrated, he loosened his tie before taking two deep breaths. Without saying another word, he hung up. Hearing the line go dead, Qiao Anhao blinked slowly, pondering over Lu Jinnian¡¯s words, "Yesterday night, you wanted..." He was about to ask what she wanted forst night? Her face sunk as she looked out the window. Taking a deep breath, she looked towards Zhao Meng and asked, "Recently, are there any advertisements better than the ones Lin Shiyi has?" Zhao Meng thought for a while before replying, "I heard there¡¯s a popr variety show that seems to be inviting her." Qiao Anhao nodded, not saying a word. After a while, she lifted her phone and typed a message to Lu Jinnian. Lu Jinnian had been clenching his phone ever since he had hung up. In a daze, he felt his phone vibrate. He looked down and saw a message from Qiao Anhao with a short line, "I want to be XX variety show¡¯s guest next week." Chapter 154: Answer Me One Question (6) Chapter 154: Answer Me One Question (6) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Lu Jinnian stared at the message, growing more frustrated by each passing second. Infuriated, he tossed the phone onto the table Some timeter, he came back, picked it u, and replied with one word: "ok" Instantly, Qiao Anhao replied with thank you. Lu Jinnian tossed the phone to the corner once again. Exhausted, heid down on the bed and shut his eyes closed. Before, when he was still poor, when he was not good enough for her, even though he didn¡¯t confess, but when she had period cramps, he had brought her to the nurse¡¯s office and stayed with her the entire afternoon. Before, when he knew that she lost her wallet, he traveled a long way to fetch her before letting her spend the night in his ce. But now, when he was rich and was able to provide her with the life she wanted, he had lost the right to love her. From the simple attention in the beginning to the deep loveter, his one true love became a woman he could never love. How could that have happened? Now, he could only use their deal as a way to stay with the girl that he had vowed to protect for all time, the girl he wanted to protect with his entire being. Moisture collected in the corners of his eyes. He shielded them, and after a long while, he sat up. Grabbing his jacket, he left for the filming set. When he arrived at the set, Song Xiangsi had already finished filming, removed her makeup, and was preparing to enter her car. Lu Jinnian quickly walked over and reached out to block her path to the car door. Song Xiangsi took one nce at him before turning to her manager and assistant. "Wait for me outside." They nodded before leaving the immediate surroundings. Song Xiangsi then looked up at Lu Jinnian. He ced his hand down, allowing her to enter the car. He then followed closely behind, shutting the door after himself. "Mr. Lu, why are you here?" Song Xiangsi asked as she opened a bottle of mineral water. She realized she couldn¡¯t open it so she passed it over to Lu Jinnian. "Help me open it." Lu Jinnian ignored her, continuing to stare at her. He moved his lips several times before forcing out, "Help me with something and I¡¯ll agree to your one request." Song Xiangsi used her teeth to force the bottle open before smiling at Lu Jinnian. "Anything? What about sleeping with me?" "Never!" Lu Jinnian spat through clenched teeth. "Hmph, not like I want it." Song Xiangsi pouted. Lifting her head, she took a sip of water before turning to look at Lu Jinnian. "What if I said I wanted 10% of Huan Ying Entertainment¡¯s shares? Would you be willing?" Chapter 155: Answer Me One Question (7) Chapter 155: Answer Me One Question (7) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem "I agree," Lu Jinnian answered, not hesitating to be straight forward. "Mr. Lu, you must know what ten percent share of Huan Ying Entertainment represents? Its investors would have a say in future productions, is that correct?" Song Xiangsi calmly asked. "Correct." Lu Jinnian still did not hesitate in the slightest. "And you do know that you only own fifty five percent of the shares in Huan Ying Entertainment, right? If you sell the ten percent to me, Huan Ying Entertainment could change its CEO. You¡¯ve spent so many years building thispany. Are you sure you don¡¯t want to think this through?" Lu Jinnian¡¯ brows creased as he thought that Song Xiangsi was a little annoying. "Why are you talking so much nonsense? One word, do you agree or not!" Song Xiangsi was dazed by Lu Jinnian¡¯s unblinking eyes. After a long while, she then raised her bottle and continued to take a drink. She opened her mouth to speak, but this time without the theatrics. "Lu Jinnian, as far as I remember, we¡¯ve known each other for many years now. From when you first entered the entertainment industry till now, you have never asked anyone for help." Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t utter a word. Song Xiangsi lowered her head and chuckled. "I remember the first time I met you, there was a boss of a coalpany who wanted to be your sugar daddy. You didn¡¯t agree to it, so he used his position as an investor to make your life hell. During filming, they clearly agreed to fake the fight scene, but when it came down to filming, they hit you hard, one strike after another, till they put you in bed for over half a month. "Even then, I saw how much pride you had. I thought to myself, what on earth could ever make this arrogant person bow his head. Who would of thought, for her, you¡¯d be willing to give it up, and for her, you¡¯d go ask others for help. You could even give away Huan Ying Entertainment, thepany you¡¯ve built up to this scale. Lu Jinnian, I never could have seen iting. As cold-blooded as you are, when you get heated, you can be so domineering..." His act having been seen through, Lu Jinnian¡¯s face appeared slightly ufortable. As he opened his mouth to speak, he sounded slightly strained. "Song Xiangsi, your nonsense is just extraordinary." Lu Jinnian then opened the car door and got out. "Alright, alright!" Song Xiangsi called out to stop Lu Jinnian. "I don¡¯t want shares in Huan Ying Entertainment, nor will I ask anything from you. I just need you to answer my question. Answer me honestly. If you give me a satisfying answer, I¡¯ll help you." Lu Jinnian sat back in his seat. "What¡¯s the question?" Song Xiangsi raised her hand. "First of all, I have to rify that I¡¯m not interested in you in the slightest, nor do I like you. I have someone I like. I¡¯m just curious, that¡¯s the only reason I¡¯m asking you this question." Chapter 156: Answer Me One Question (8) Chapter 156: Answer Me One Question (8) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Song Xiangsi stopped for a moment before enunciating every word of her question. "So, do you actually love Qiao Anhao?" After asking, she shook her head. "Oh, that¡¯s not right. I meant to ask, just how much do you love Qiao Anhao?" How much do you love Qiao Anhao... Lu Jinnian¡¯s expression instantly calmed down. Through the windshield, he looked at an enormous old tree outside. His eyes slightly glistened for a moment when he said in a low voice, "A lot. So much so that sometimes I would loathe my old self - the poor, dejected Lu Jinnian who knew full well that he wasn¡¯t worthy of her, yet still scraped his wallet to pay for her meals. That Lu Jinnian." Though Song Xiangsi had clearly asked the question out of curiosity, when she heard his answer, she suddenly didn¡¯t know how to respond. The car instantly fell quiet. After a long while, Song Xiangsi squeezed her water bottle. She turned her head to look at Lu Jinnian whose head was tilted in a daze, and said, "Actually, you could fix this withouting to me. You know what it¡¯s like. Someone in your crew wants to harm Qiao Anhao, and you don¡¯t want them to tread all over her. You want to use this career-destroying move to Qiao Anhao¡¯s advantage, am I right?" "That¡¯s one reason, yeah..." Lu Jinnian paused, then continued, "There¡¯s another reason. I just can¡¯t watch as she gets hated by so many people." As a public figure, who hasn¡¯t been hated before? For all theplements received, you have to take all the nder thates too. There are times when principles are principles. When it happens to other people or yourself, you can convince others or yourself, but when it happens to the one you love, you realize that there¡¯s no way to ignore the abuse. It is a thousand times, a million times worse than when it happens to you. So it turns out that most of the time and in most cases, there are two sides. Like how he knew Qiao Anhao clearly got her role by sleeping with someone, but he wouldn¡¯t allow anyone else to know it. Song Xiangsi didn¡¯t say a word but straight up pulled out her phone from her pocket. She shared a post on a popr weibo which said, "Are you sure that Miss Qiao Anhao was hiding at Mr. Lu¡¯s room and not me? I was also clearly in Mr. Lu¡¯s room. Why didn¡¯t they capture me? Only Miss Qiao Anhao? So people really look down on me like this? We were only discussing the script. Even this can stir up scandals. Can we still happily continue shooting?" Song Xiangsi added a slew of "Goodbye" emojis at the end of the post. After she sent it, she handed it to Lu Jinnian. "Right! I¡¯ve helped her clear her name. This will not only clear your love, Qiao Anhao, but it¡¯ll give you some free publicity before the show even airs. Everyone will know about it!" Chapter 157: Answer Me One Question (9) Chapter 157: Answer Me One Question (9) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem "Ayyy, the young were bound to surpass us eventually. I get the feeling that my position as the best screen actress isn¡¯t safe. Looks like there¡¯s no way to..." Saying this, Song Xiangsi shook her head. With a pitiful expression, she said "That evil person who took the photo, posted it up on weibo, and spent all that energy to fan the rumors to the hot topics chart had worked so hard to put others down. Ayyy. How pitiful..." Before Song Xiangsi could finish, Lu Jinnian interrupted her with a cold look. Then, without hesitation, she immediately changed her way of speech, speaking in a righteous manner, "I hate that type of people the most. If you¡¯re going to act, just act. Is it really that fun to create stupid drama because you¡¯re bored? They¡¯re the worst. For every one found, they should be ruthlessly tortured..." Before she could finish though, Lu Jinnian interrupted in a quiet voice, "What I just said to you, you¡¯d better hold your tongue. Don¡¯t tell anyone, or else..." Lu Jinnian hadn¡¯t finished his threats when Song Xiangsi copied his previous action and cut him off. "What did you just say? Do you want to repeat that one more time..." Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t utter a word. Deep down inside, he¡¯d always trusted Song Xiangsi, or else he would have never asked her for help. He said "I¡¯m off", but just as he was going to open the car door to leave, Song Xiangsi¡¯s phone suddenly rang. Then she let slip, "Qiao Anhao¡¯s calling!" Lu Jinnian furrowed his brows and sat back down. - Song Xiangsi¡¯s fans were as powerful as Lu Jinnian¡¯s fans. The post she had just posted on weibo instantly shot up to the hot topics. Zhao Meng was first to notice Song Xiangsi¡¯s weibo and then called Qiao Anhao to take a look. Song Xiangsi maintained good rtionships in the entertainment industry. With her post, the director for "Alluring Times" quickly chimed in to clear things up and back up the story that they were only discussing the script yesterday. Many cast members immediately took advantage of the situation to share andment on the post to get on the director¡¯s good side. In the end, even Lin Shiyi acted sincerely by sharing it on her weibo to clear up the matter. In an instant, what would have been pages of hate messages about Qiao Anhao became a hot conversation about Song Xiangsi and Lu Jinnian. It worked so well that people started to hate on those who fueled the rumors. The situation was inexplicably resolved. Qiao Anhao looked strangely at Zhao Meng, who was even more confused. They couldn¡¯t understand why Song Xiangsi would chime in to help when she wasn¡¯t close with Qiao Anhao at all. But for whatever reason, the situation ended up well all because of Song Xiangsi. Out of courtesy, Qiao Anhao had to call her. The phone call was picked up very quickly. Qiao Anhao soon heard Song Xiangsi¡¯s clear voice. "Miss Qiao? What¡¯s up?" Chapter 158: Answer Me One Question (10) Chapter 158: Answer Me One Question (10) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem The phone call was picked up very quickly. Qiao Anhao soon heard Song Xiangsi¡¯s clear voice. "Miss Qiao? What¡¯s up?" On the phone, Qiao Anhao pursed her lips into a smile as she sincerely thanked Song Xiangsi. "Sister Xiangsi, I saw your weibo post. Thank you for your help." "Actually, you don¡¯t need to thank me. You should thank..." Just as Song Xiangsi said this, she looked at Lu Jinnian who shot her a look of warning. She smiled at him and changed the subject. "Miss Qiao, don¡¯t mention it. It was nothing." Although Song Xiangsi said this, Qiao Anhao could clearly hear what Song Xiangsi really meant through the pause in her speech. Did someone ask her to help her out of the situation? Qiao Anhao pushed her doubts deep down and said in a weak voice into her phone, "Sister Xiangsi, it was all thanks to you this time. If it weren¡¯t for you, I wouldn¡¯t know what to do. If you have time, let me treat you out for a meal?" "Sure." Song Xiangsi didn¡¯t hold back even a little bit, epting with no reservations. "Then I¡¯ll set up a time and let you know." Song Xiangsi replied "Sure" again. Before Qiao Anhao hung up the phone, she didn¡¯t forget to say another "Thanks". - Song Xiangsi hung up the phone and turned to nce over at Lu Jinnian, who sat beside her. Knowing that he stayed to clearly eavesdrop on her conversation with Qiao Anhao, she purposefully pretended to be stupid by asking, "Mr. Lu, how have you not left yet?" Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t care for Song Xiangsi¡¯s taunt. He asked in a clear voice, "How... is she?" Song Xiangsi¡¯s expression instantly fell. "Nothing much. From her tone, it sounded like she had cried..." Lu Jinnian furrowed his brows. His hands that were rxed by his sides instantly balled up into fists. He turned his head and red at Song Xiangsi, clearly repeating each word, "She cried?" Seeing Lu Jinnian with his guard up like this, Song Xiangsi couldn¡¯t help butugh out loud. Only after meeting his murderous eyes did she stopughing. When she started to speak, her voice carried a hint ofughter, "I was just kidding. Seeing as you¡¯re so anxious to know, she seemed alright from her voice. She should be just fine now..." Before Song Xiangsi could finish, Lu Jinnian instantly flipped. His face was dark when he said, "Crazy!" He reached out and forcefully flung the car door open and left. Outside the car, Song Xiangsi¡¯s manager and assistant saw Lu Jinnian, and immediately greeted him with respect, "Mr. Lu." Lu Jinnian took long, angry strides away as though he hadn¡¯t heard them. One could clearly tell from his back that his body had rxed a lot more after clenching up earlier when he heard that Qiao Anhao had cried. Chapter 159: Karma Calls(1) Chapter 159: Karma Calls£¨1£© Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Actually, you don¡¯t need to thank me. You should thank... After Qiao Anhao hung up the phone, Song Xiangsi¡¯s words echoed in her mind. Even though she had the Xu family and Qiao family behind her, neither family agreed for her to get mixed up with theplex world of the entertainment industry. And so, without a doubt, neither would help her fix the scandal she had caused. They¡¯d only go to Weibo¡¯s official staff to block those rumors rather than turn to Song Xiangsi to clear things up. She herself was just a new actress in the entertainment industry. She had only met the people in the crew during filming, so they weren¡¯t close enough with her to step out to help. Not to mention, there were very few people in the crew. In the afternoon, they were the ones who made fun of her, and people who she did have good rtions with were only third rate actors. They obviously weren¡¯t Song Xiangsi¡¯s level. And so, after thinking about it, the only person Qiao Anhao could think of who would turn to Song Xiangsi for help was Lu Jinnian. With that thought, Qiao Anhao¡¯s heart began to quiver. That Weibo post looked as though Song Xiangsi stood out to help her clear things up, but in reality, she had used her celebrity influence to stir up the conversation. However, there are many ways to kill a scandal. Why would Lu Jinnian specifically choose a way that would help her out the most? Moreover... this way, not only did it help her, it trashed the person who fanned the rumors... With that thought, Qiao Anhao¡¯s heart raced - dong-dong-dong - as it beat particrly quickly, like it would jump out of her mouth at any moment. Perhaps Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t really do it for her but was punishing the person who spread the rumors, and she just happened to be caught in the middle and benefited from it. After all, the scandal also dragged down Lu Jinnian. For him to take action wouldn¡¯t be odd... right? That must be it... Deep down, Qiao Anhao warned herself over and over again to not let her imagination run wild here. - Even though Lu Jinnian found out from Song Xiangsi that Qiao Anhao was fine now, he was still a little worried. The variety show contract that Qiao Anhao wanted was meant to be signed next week, but to make an excuse to see her, he called his assistant to get the contract from the televisionpany early. When his assistant returned with the contract, it was already eleven at night. Lu Jinnian gave it a quick read to confirm there weren¡¯t any problems. He let his assistant leave, then sat in his hotel room, alone and in silence for a while. In the end, he got up, grabbed the contract, and headed downstairs. - Last night, Qiao Anhao had left Lu Jinnian¡¯s room after twelve at night. As she had an early shoot the next morning, she took a shower at ten. The bathroom door was close to the room door, so just as Qiao Anhao got out from the shower, she heard a knock. Zhao Meng was busy with something at the moment, so she shouted to Qiao Anhao, "Qiao Qiao, you¡¯re closer to the door. Could you get that?" Chapter 160: Karma Calls(2) Chapter 160: Karma Calls£¨2£© Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Qiao Anhao responded by reaching out and opening the door. She was ready to ask what the person wanted, when she noticed that it was Lu Jinnian who stood elegantly behind the door. She stared at him, opened her mouth to speak, but the words were instantly stuck in her throat. As she¡¯d juste out of the bathroom, Qiao Anhao only wore a single towel with a pair of dripping wet flip flops. This kind of wear revealed her delicate white shoulders and her two long legs. Because of the steam, her dainty face had a drunken red tint. Lu Jinnian looked Qiao Anhao up and down with his brows slightly furrowed. "Who is it, Qiao Qiao?" Zhao Meng asked. Not hearing an answer from Qiao Anhao for half a minute, she ran over, bare-foot, to find Qiao Anhao standing in front of Lu Jinnian. Immediately, in a polite voice, she greeted him, "Mr. Lu." Snapping out of it, Qiao Anhao found that Lu Jinnian was staring directly at her. Her hands subconsciously clutched the towel to her breasts. She took a step back and asked, "Can I help you?" Lu Jinnian, who stared directly at Qiao Anhao, raised the document in his hand and said in a nd tone, "X station needs you to sign this contract." With an "Oh", Qiao Anhao took the contract and turned around to walk to the desk. Zhao Meng stood at the door and cautiously asked Lu Jinnian, "Mr. Lu, do you wante in for a bit?" Lu Jinnian shook his head, not saying a word. He held his graceful and calmposure as he stood at the door, his eyes focused on Qiao Anhao. He never looked away for a second. Feeling it impolite to leave Lu Jinnian standing alone at the door, Zhao Meng could only stand stiffly next to him. Qiao Anhao stood bent over at the desk, one hand pressed against the towel to prevent it from falling, and the other signing the contract. The towel was already short. When she bent over, her entire thigh was exposed. When Lu Jinnian took notice of her white cotton underwear, his breath slowed down slightly. He felt heat rise up from his stomach, and he turned to look at the empty hallway. There were three copies of the contract. In total, she needed to sign three times. Qiao Anhao signed and looked over them once. Once she confirmed there were no problems, she reorganized the contracts and handed the papers over to Lu Jinnian. "They¡¯re all signed." Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t even look at her, just coldly snatched the contracts from her hands and turned to leave without a word. It hadn¡¯t been two seconds since he left, when he hurriedly rushed back. Qiao Anhao stared at him, dazed. Before she could react, Lu Jinnian reached over to her room¡¯s door and mmed it shut. He left once more in long strides. Chapter 161: Karma Calls(3) Chapter 161: Karma Calls£¨3£© Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Qiao Anhao asked Lu Jinnian for the variety show deal on purpose. As ofte, the variety show had been Lin Shiyi¡¯s best form of publicity. If the show was to be taken by the person she hated the most, thinking about it... wouldn¡¯t that just be extremely devastating? Qiao Anhao looked for a chance to reveal this news to Lin Shiyi. Before she could even find one, opportunities came knocking at her door. In the TV series, Song Xiangsi and Lin Shiyi were love rivals, and Qiao Anhao was an old friend of Song Xiangsi¡¯s. Today¡¯s scene happened to be with all three women. The scene, more or less, described the moment when Song Xiangsi and Qiao Anhao met up for coffee, and as though enemies were destined to meet, they bumped into Lin Shiyi. A dispute happened between Song Xiangsi and Lin Shiyi. For Qiao Anhao, she was only in the background, now having much to act. The scene was shot from three in the afternoon in a charming cafe that the crew set upst minute. Song Xiangsi was the first to enter the scene. She sat in the cafe, waiting for Qiao Anhao. When the cameraman filmed Song Xiangsi¡¯s scene, Qiao Anhao and Lin Shiyi stood to one side, waiting for the director¡¯s signal. Zhao Meng couldn¡¯t hold down her temper. Even though she knew Lin Shiyi was the one who had spread the scandal, she couldn¡¯t brazenly expose her without evidence. So, when she saw Lin Shiyi standing nearby with her head up high, she couldn¡¯t help but say to Qiao Anhao, "Qiao Qiao, who do you think spread those nasty rumors about you? How vile!" Qiao Anhao instinctively looked over at Lin Shiyi, who stood nearby. She smiled and said, "It could be anyone you want it to be... Nevertheless, we should really thank her. If it weren¡¯t for her, I wouldn¡¯t be where I¡¯m now, among the top ten most searched on Weibo." Even though Zhao Meng was riled up, she wasn¡¯t stupid. Upon hearing Qiao Anhao¡¯s words, she immediately nodded and chimed in, "That¡¯s right... Nowadays, even if you try really hard to boost someone¡¯s poprity, you won¡¯t necessarily be sessful. Whereas, Qiao Qiao, you only had a few thousand Weibo followers, but the whole thing blew up and you coincidentally managed to reach millions..." Zhao Meng pulled out her phone, opened Weibo, and pointed at Qiao Anhao¡¯s profile pic. She said, "Look! You¡¯re about to reach ten million!" Qiao Anhao didn¡¯t reply. She only turned her head and shot a smile at Lin Shiyi, who stood nearby. Qiao Anhao¡¯s smile was very beautiful, but it clearly revealed a slither of taunting and mockery. These days, Lin Shiyi¡¯s mood was particrly bad. She thought that after taking those kind of photos, it would be the end of Qiao Anhao, but it didn¡¯t turn out as she had imagined. Suddenly, Song Xiangsi came bustling in. It ended up that she, Lin Shiyi, had actually worked so stupidly hard to help Qiao Anhao. Not only did she not crush her, she helped to boost her poprity. Chapter 162: Karma Calls(4) Chapter 162: Karma Calls£¨4£© Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem She originally had a stomach full of anger without a way to let off steam. Who knew that the next morning she would receive a phone call from the station saying that the variety show had changed its guest. But, to who? That was temporarily confidential information. One has to understand that to get on the variety show she had to sleep with the chief of the station, a fat, old man. In the end, she slept with him for nothing. She was already depressed enough, but now, Qiao Anhao and her assistant went as far as to stand next to her, echoing back and forth about the scandal, as they cheerfully showed off. Noticing how frustrated Lin Shiyi was, Qiao Anhao shot her a bright smile, as though to say "Thank you for your help". In that instant, Lin Shiyi felt her body sizzle with mes of anger. Just as she was ready to taunt Qiao Anhao, the director called the her name. Lin Shiyi¡¯s words were left stuck in her throat. She watched with pent up anger as Qiao Anhao walked onto the set and sat next to Song Xiangsi. Qiao Anhao and Song Xiangsi managed to share just a few words before Lin Shiyi entered the scene. The three of them didn¡¯t see each other in the cafe, and the air was peaceful. When Song Xiangsi went to the restroom, she and Lin Shiyi bumped right into each other. In the script, Lin Shiyi was first to fire shots, followed closely by Song Xiangsi, who would exchange light-hearted words with an angry faced Lin Shiyi. Then, at that moment, Qiao Anhao would walk over and greet Lin Shiyi, to which Lin Shiyi¡¯s eyes would sweep across to her. But she simply wasn¡¯t meant to bother with her, and continue to go toe-to-toe with Song Xiangsi. The three of them had performed well in previous scenes. Song Xiangsi was a seasoned actress, so it was a given that she¡¯d have no problems, but Qiao Anhao didn¡¯t want to lose to Lin Shiyi. And, how could Lin Shiyi ever allow herself to lose to Qiao Anhao? So, both of them gave their very best, wanting to go head-to head with their acting skills. However, just as Qiao Anhao opened her mouth to greet Lin Shiyi, she turned to look at her with a smile. The smile she gave her was practically the same one Qiao Anhao had earlier on set. Lin Shiyi instantly thought about the words Qiao Anhao and her assistant shared just before filming. That, on top of everything else that happened in these past few days, was going to make herpletely lose her cool. Subconsciously, she shot her a ruthless re towards Qiao Anhao. Not long after, the director loudly screamed, "Cut"! He quickly added, "Lin Shiyi, why are you ring at Qiao Anhao? You¡¯re meant to re at Song Xiangsi!" Lin Shiyi snapped out of it, and apologized profusely. The director didn¡¯t me her anymore, but threw the words out there, "Let¡¯s go again". A make-up artist came over and retouched their make-up. Chapter 163: Karma Calls (5) Chapter 163: Karma Calls (5) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem This scene wasn¡¯t meant to be an important scene. The director wanted for it to be done in one take, which was why he purposefully gave everyone ten minutes to get themselves together to avoid another mishap. However, for Qiao Anhao, the less she saw it as an important scene, the more she wanted to mess with Lin Shiyi. Only something like this would embarrass her! Lin Shiyi was in the entertainment industry for quite some time now. How could she have caused an NG because she lost her cool? The director gave her ten minutes, which was just about enough time topose herself. Qiao Anhao lowered her eyes and quietly contemted for a while. Then she took a bottle of water and headed for the calm Lin Shiyi who stood under a big tree. "Have some water." Qiao Anhao unscrewed the bottle cap and handed the bottle to Lin Shiyi. Lin Shiyi didn¡¯t put her hand out to take the water but turned to look at Qiao Anhao, who smiled politely at her. To outsiders, she looked like she was caring for a fellow actress. However, her words were direct. " You took the photos and posted them up on Weibo, didn¡¯t you?" Lin Shiyi¡¯s expression grew slightly cold at the words while Qiao Anhao¡¯s smile became even brighter. "Then I need to really thank you for giving me the opportunity to be more famous." Lin Shiyi¡¯s hands suddenly balled into fists. Considering that she had scenes to shootter, she convinced herself repeatedly to not bicker with Qiao Anhao for a while. It took her some time to convince herself of that until she regained herposure. She rushed over to Qiao Anhao, who was still smiling elegantly, reached a hand out and took her water with a single "Thank you." Then she turned to leave. Qiao Anhao had went over to Lin Shiyi to ruin her mood, so how could she just let her go now? She hurriedly caught up to her, who was staring straight at the road ahead. Qiao Anhao looked as though she was just walking with Lin Shiyi back over to the set, but she was actually speaking in a low and gentle tone. "Lin Shiyi, the variety show that you wanted to guest star in canceled on you, didn¡¯t they?" Lin Shiyi¡¯s steps slightly slowed down. She turned her head over to look at Qiao Anhao. Even though she didn¡¯t speak, her expression seemed to ask, ¡¯How did you know?¡¯ Qiao Anhao smiled at Lin Shiyi before raising her hand like a good sister to brush off a leaf that had fallen on Lin Shiyi¡¯s shoulder. Her soft beautiful lips gently said, "Because I¡¯ve reced the guest star on the variety show." Saying this, Qiao Anhao took a step closer to Lin Shiyi with a bright, innocent smile. "That¡¯s right. Once again, I stole another one of your jobs." Chapter 164: Karma Calls(6) Chapter 164: Karma Calls£¨6£© Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Lin Shiyi looked over at Qiao Anhao and was instantly filled with hatred. It looked as though she was going to jump on her and tear her apart in a second. Qiao Anhao was calm andposed, paying attention to her surroundings. "There are so many people around us, watching. You must hold it in. Don¡¯t let others see you as a joke." Lin Shiyi gritted her teeth in anger, her face shing white and blue. She forcibly balled up her fists, her chest heaving up and down. Qiao Anhao pulled her hand from Lin Shiyi¡¯s shoulder before elegantly turning around and walking two steps away. Suddenly, as though she had realized something, she turned her head towards Lin Shiyi and said, "Oh, right. I forgot to tell you just now that I took the ce to guest star on the variety show on purpose." Lin Shiyi really wanted to grab Qiao Anhao and ruthlessly p her twice, but there were so many people watching around them. She could only painfully hold her anger inside, because of which her entire body started to tremble. - Song Xiangsi only paid attention to the two of them when Qiao Anhao handed Lin Shiyi some water. From afar, it looked like Qiao Anhao and Lin Shiyi were having a friendly chat. However, Song Xiangsi could see that there were invisible shes of swords between the two of them. Song Xiangsi watched with great enthusiasm, she couldn¡¯t help but raise a hand to support her chin. Half-way through the show, she thought about Lu Jinnian who didn¡¯te on set today because he had no scenes to shoot. In the blink of an eye, she pulled out her phone and sent Lu Jinnian a text. She took great pleasure in others¡¯ misfortunes. "Mr. Lu, conflict between your beloved and Lin Shiyi is happening on set." - In the afternoon, Lu Jinnian had a video conference with Huan Ying Entertainment¡¯s higher executives. As he sat behind his desk, he stared at theputer monitor with employees sitting around a meeting table and earnestly listened to their reports. Suddenly, his phone screen lit up. His eyes instinctively swept over to see that he¡¯d received a message from Song Xiangsi. He nced over the message before abruptly grabbing his phone. Through theputer¡¯s webcam, Lu Jinnian¡¯s actions were seen on the big screen by those in Huan Ying Entertainment¡¯s meeting room. In the middle of his confident andposed speech, he stopped abruptly. In all these years, Mr. Lu had never slipped up during a meeting. This was the first... Whilst everybody was looking at one another in dismay, Lu Jinnian suddenly got up, put on a jacket, turned towards a screen of employees, and said hurriedly, "I have matters to attend to. Today¡¯s meeting is adjourned." He didn¡¯t give people on the other side a chance to react. He raised his hand and immediately closed theputer shut, then picked up his phone and walked out of the hotel room. Chapter 165: Karma Calls(7) Chapter 165: Karma Calls£¨7£© Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Lu Jinnian speed-walked over to the elevators and incessantly pushed the button to bring the elevator up. Seeing the red number gradually jump up from the first floor, he burned with anxiousness. Then it stopped on the fourth floor. Lu Jinnian angrily raised his hand and pushed the button to stop it. Then he immediately turned around and walked to the stairs. - When Qiao Anhao finished talking to Lin Shiyi, she calmly returned to the set just as the director¡¯s ten minutes were over. They started shooting for the second time. Song Xiangsi maintained her best condition, as she had in the first scene. Perhaps it was because Qiao Anhao had gotten everything out of her system, so she was in good spirits and her performance was perfect inparison to before. The director nodded at his monitor, satisfied with both of their performances. He gestured over at Lin Shiyi, who stood far away, to enter the scene. As for Lin Shiyi, who knew what she was thinking... As the director gestured her over, she didn¡¯t even react. The director furrowed his brows, gesturing at her again. Lin Shiyi still didn¡¯t make a move. In the end, her manager went over to her, slightly anxious, and reached out to give her a push. Then she snapped out of it and walked over to the set. Lin Shiyi¡¯s condition didn¡¯t seem good, but she hadn¡¯t made any big slip-ups so far. Just when the three women stood opposite one another, Lin Shiyi, like the first time, viciously stared at Qiao Anhao. "Cut cut cut!" The director screamed, raising the microphone. He relentlessly shouted at Lin Shiyi, "Lin Shiyi, what is wrong with you? The same mistake?! Why did you get it wrong TWICE? I told you before, you have to stare at Song Xiangsi. Song Xiangsi! She is your love rival, not Qiao Anhao. You don¡¯t have a deep grudge against her!" Such a simple scene had two consecutive NGs. No wonder the director was so angry, which was why his tone was a little heavy. Lin Shiyi was yelled at quite harshly, but because it was her fault, she didn¡¯t have a fit. All she could do was blush and awkwardly apologize. "Sorry, sorry, director, I¡¯m so sorry." The director didn¡¯t care for Lin Shiyi¡¯s apology this time, immediately waving his hand to signal for the crew to reposition the props. The three women¡¯s make-ups weren¡¯t messed up, but the make-up artist rushed over to take a closer look just in case. Song Xiangsi was surrounded by a bunch of people. She let them prep her up as her eyes roamed over the grounds. Just as she expected, she saw Lu Jinnian¡¯s figuree rushing from afar. Chapter 166: Karma Calls(8) Chapter 166: Karma Calls£¨8£© Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Song Xiangsi waited for Lu Jinnian to draw closer before she raised her hand to disperse the crowd around her. She casually took a few calm strides towards his side and said, "You arrived sooner than I imagined!" Song Xiangsi looked Lu Jinnian up and down. "Ah, Mr. Lu, how worried were youing over... You¡¯re sweating, and... Did you just run here? Your hair¡¯s all messed up..." Lu Jinnian simply didn¡¯t care about Song Xiangsi. Without any expression, his eyes swept through the set beforending on Qiao Anhao, who was resting in her chair. Her head was turned as she was talking with Zhao Meng about who knows what. She was smiling brightly, and there wasn¡¯t a hint of any conflict in her disposition. In that instant, Lu Jinnian realized that he had been yed by Song Xiangsi. Hence, his cold eyes moved to her, and he turned his gloomy face around, about to leave. "Aye, Mr. Lu, don¡¯t go!" Song Xiangsi caught up with Lu Jinnian¡¯s footsteps. Completely fearless, she looked him up and down before saying with too much enthusiasm at his misfortune, "Mr. Lu, you¡¯re drenched. You didn¡¯t run all the way over here did you? Yeesh, perhaps you really did... Your hair¡¯s all messed up from the run... but you¡¯re still good looking..." Lu Jinnian knew Song Xiangsi¡¯s personality. The more you paid her attention, the more energy was wasted, and so he immediately ignored her chatter. His footsteps hastened. Song Xiangsi couldn¡¯t quite catch up. The distance between the two of them slowly increased, so she may as well have stopped. She looked around to discover that she was quite far from the set. Yet, to prevent others from listening in, she only slightly raised her voice to Lu Jinnian in front of her, who kept walking ahead. She said cautiously, "Mr. Lu, I didn¡¯t trick you. She was actually arguing, but from what I could tell, she beat that person. I wouldn¡¯t be too sure if that person won¡¯t strike back at her at a moment¡¯s notice." Song Xiangsi clearly saw his footsteps stop when her words sunk in. Her lips curled into a smile, and she immediately turned around and walked back to the set. Coincidentally, the director was already calling for someone to look for Song Xiangsi. Seeing that she came back herself, he immediately signaled for their third take. Before Song Xiangsi stepped on the set, she looked all around her, searching for Lu Jinnian, who had been walking out. Who knows when, but he was already standing poised near the set. - Lin Shiyi¡¯s manager noticed that Lin Shiyi¡¯s condition was extremely poor. Just before she walked back onto the scene, the manager constantly advised her to get into character. Lin Shiyi didn¡¯t say a word, but every now and then she would nod. Atst, her eyes fell on Qiao Anhao, who stood in front of her. Chapter 167: Karma Calls(9) Chapter 167: Karma Calls£¨9£© Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Qiao Anhao¡¯s expression was gentle. From her eyes, she even released a soft and gentle radiance. When her eyes met Lin Shiyi for a second, she even shot her a friendly smile. As for Lin Shiyi, every time Qiao Anhao gave her a taunting or provoking smile, she would get angry and pent up with rage. Yet Qiao Anhao stayed calm, as though she didn¡¯t even see her as anybody, like she was born to lose to her. In that instant, Lin Shiyi felt an unspeakable humiliation creep into her heart. She forcibly balled up her fists, and her emotions fluctuated like crazy. For the rest of the filming, Lin Shiyi¡¯s performance worsened. "Cut! Lin Shiyi, can you still act? Such a simple scene, how can you continuously NG?" "Cut! Lin Shiyi, I¡¯ve told you before. You have to ignore Qiao Anhao - ignore! Do you not understand the meaning of ¡¯ignore¡¯?" "Cut! Lin Shiyi, did you just say something? Your lines are muddled and unclear!" "Cut! Lin Shiyi, Qiao Anhao didn¡¯t even greet you, yet you looked at her and started saying your lines. Are you in a rush?" The worse Lin Shiyi was, the better Qiao Anhao performed. Between the two of them, theirparisons were particrly transparent. To continuously NG seven to eight times, the surrounding cast and crew couldn¡¯t help but start getting annoyed. "Just what¡¯s wrong with Lin Shiyi? She can¡¯t even act such a simple scene." "Right? From the start of theTV series, there¡¯s never been a scene with so many NGs!" "Right! Does she even have any acting skills? She can¡¯t evenpare to a new person like Qiao Anhao..." "Such a simple scene and yet everyone¡¯s here wasting time for her. We¡¯re going to finish realte today for sure! Damn it!" Themotion in the surroundings stirred up everyone, which made Lin Shiyi feel anxious deep down. It brought her even more pressure. In her next try, she entered the scene too hastily and said the wrong lines. It made the director so mad, he immediately smashed the microphone on the floor. Instantly, the entire set fell silent. The director¡¯s face was livid as he stared furiously at Lin Shiyi. He moved his lips and looked as though he couldn¡¯t even be bothered to yell at her. He immediately raised his hand and gestured towards Lin Shiyi a number "1", which signaled to her that this was herst chance. Perhaps it was because Lin Shiyi was forced into a dead end where anyone would explode, but she didn¡¯t make any major mistakes despite her very stiff performance. Or maybe because the scene had taken up too much time and the director had lowered his standards, knowing that no matter if Lin Shiyi filmed anymore, it would be a forced pass, that, with a gloomy expression on his face, he shouted out, "Pass!" Chapter 168: Karma Calls(10) Chapter 168: Karma Calls£¨10£© Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem The sound of that word, it was like receiving a get-out-of-hell-free card. Lin Shiyi secretly let out a sigh of relief, and the stiffness in her whole body instantly released itself. Her legs gave way, and she leaned on the table at the back of the caf¨¦. This was definitely the worst nightmare of her acting career. Just as Lin Shiyi thought her nightmare was over, a cold voice came from beyond. "Sun Zheng, since when has your standards be low?" Sun Zheng was the director¡¯s name. The director had put all of his focus just now on filming, so he hadn¡¯t noticed when Lu Jinnian had arrived on set. After he heard Lu Jinnian¡¯s abrupt words, his head turned towards the direction of his voice. He looked over to find Lu Jinnian¡¯s frosty expression where he nearby with his eyes nkly sweeping over the three women on set. He walked over to where the monitor was. Qiao Anhao also hadn¡¯t noticed Lu Jinnian. Her body instinctively stiffened when she suddenly heard his voice. She sneaked a nce at him before slightly lowering her head, standing cautiously in her spot without moving. In contrast to her, Song Xiangsi, who stood beside her, looked like she was enjoying the drama of it all. Excitement radiated from her eyes as she looked at Lu Jinnian whilst holding in herughter. Just when Lin Shiyi could finally rx after much difficulty, her performance was ruthlessly brought up again. Everyone on set focused on Lu Jinnian. Seeing him walk over, the director immediately called out, "Mr. Lu." Without wasting time, Lu Jinnian headed straight for the monitor. He reached out and pressed it, reying the scene that was just shot. His expression grew even colder. He raised his hand and pointed to the screen. He said to the director in freezing voice, "Lin Shiyi¡¯s acting skills are crap, why you never mentioned it before? I didn¡¯t put so much money into this TV series for you to fool the audience. You¡¯re tantly insulting the audience¡¯s intelligence! Anyone off the street can act better than her!" Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t hold back with his harsh and direct words. Though he wasn¡¯t loud, his voice discreetly reached every corner. Lin Shiyi¡¯s face instantly turned pale, left without a single trace of blood. The people present couldn¡¯t help but secretly draw in their breaths. Those words were quite ruthless... Regardless of what was on screen, Lin Shiyi still had years under her belt of being a celebrity female star, so to be criticized as worthless by Lu Jinnian... The director broke a sweat, chuckling ufortably. He said a few words to y up to Lu Jinnian, "So, Mr. Lu, how about this, we¡¯ll continue to TV series and let Lin Shiyipose herself before we re-shoot?" Chapter 169: Mr. Lu Angered(1) Chapter 169: Mr. Lu Angered£¨1£© Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem With a dark, cold expression, Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t make a sound. The director hastily ted Lin Shiyi, "Lin Shiyi, you better pull yourself together. We¡¯re going to have to re-shootter!" Without even waiting for Lin Shiyi to speak, he ushered everyone in the area, "What are you all doing just standing there? Hurry up and get ready for the next scene!" The next scene was also shot in the cafe. It was a scene between Chen Yang and the third male actor. Song Xiangsi and Qiao Anhao also had scenes to shootter. For now, Qiao Anhao went to the toilet, as thest scene had taken so long, she hadn¡¯t had a chance to go all that time. Song Xiangsi, however, sluggishly took the water bottle that the assistant handed her and walked over to where Lu Jinnian was standing. Lu Jinnian tly looked over Song Xiangsi, who stood beside him, without any intention of speaking. Then he diverted his eyes to the set. Song Xiangsi raised her water bottle and followed Lu Jinnian¡¯s line of sight. After a while, she looked over at the filming in front of her, then turned towards Lu Jinnian and slightly teased him in a low voice, "Mr. Lu, weren¡¯t you on your way out just now? Why did youe back?" Lu Jinnian¡¯s face didn¡¯t reveal any emotions as he slightly shifted to the side by a step. Song Xiangsi followed his sidestep, continuing to close in on him, speaking in a low voice, "Did you specifically stay to take thest stab?" As though he hadn¡¯t heard Song Xiangsi¡¯s words, Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t react. His eyes continued to stare at the set. Song Xiangsi shrugged, a little bored. She didn¡¯t speak with Lu Jinnian any longer and only looked around her. She saw Qiao Anhao and Zhao Menge out from the restroom and opened her mouth again to say, "She¡¯sing over." Lu Jinnian obviously knew that the ¡¯she¡¯ Song Xiangsi referred to was Qiao Anhao. His expression didn¡¯t change, but he looked to his side from the corner of his eye. Song Xiangsi looked at Lu Jinnian¡¯s calm andposed expression as she casually roasted him with a single word, "pretender". Then her eyes swept over the chair by Lu Jinnian. Soon after, she let out a high, enigmaticugh, as though she had suddenly realized something. She let out a "tut tut tut" as she closed in on Lu Jinnian beside her. In a low voice only the two of them could hear, she said, "Do you know to whom that chair belongs to?" Lu Jinnian appeared unmoved. Song Xiangsi continued to ask, "You came to stand here on purpose, didn¡¯t you?" Lu Jinnian remainedposed. Song Xiangsi let out a "huh" before she neither too fast nor too slowly stated out Lu Jinnian¡¯s act, "Did you really think that I wouldn¡¯t know that you¡¯re standing here only because this is Qiao Anhao¡¯s seat?" - Qiao Anhao walked halfway to her ce before realizing that Lu Jinnian was standing next to her chair. Without conscious thought, her footsteps slowed down. Chapter 170: Mr. Lu Angered(2) Chapter 170: Mr. Lu Angered£¨2£© Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Qiao Anhao wanted to get closer to Lu Jinnian, but she would always get nervous and awkward around him. After the scandal from a few days ago, then the contract signing yesterday... his impatient expression... Deep down, Qiao Anhao had mixed feelings. Just then, by coincidence, she saw a familiar looking actress standing nearby. She stopped to greet the actress and randomly made conversation. The two of them stood there, chatting away. After a while, Qiao Anhao realized that her phone wasn¡¯t on her body. Then she remembered that her phone was on her chair. She wanted to see if there were any notifications on her phone, but if she went over, she¡¯d bump into Lu Jinnian. In the end, she asked Zhao Meng to fetch it for her. Zhao Meng greeted Lu Jinnian and Song Xiangsi before going through Qiao Anhao¡¯s bag, pulling out her phone, and leaving. After Zhao Meng handed the phone over to Qiao Anhao, Song Xiangsi turned to look at Lu Jinnian. Lu Jinnian¡¯s expression didn¡¯t show any big changes. His eyes calmly looked ahead at the set. She was ready tough at Lu Jinnian¡¯s pain by saying "She¡¯s avoiding you", but then, she saw that Lu Jinnian had consciously lowered his hands to his sides. They were balled up so hard that blue veins protruded. Song Xiangsi instinctively closed her mouth and swallowed the words she was about to spout. She turned her head again to look at Qiao Anhao, who was happily chatting away not too far away. Then, when she turned to look at Lu Jinnian... she wasn¡¯t sure if she was just seeing things, but his usual cold and calmposure looked like it he contained a hint of helplessness and sadness. - The following two scenes were shot particrly smoothly. They were all beautifully shot, which raised the director¡¯s spirits after having to deal with the previous over ten consecutive NGs. He was even cheerful to the point where from time to time he would give the actors a few words of praise. The director¡¯splements taunted Lin Shiyi. She thought about how she looked like a clown just now, not only yelled at by the director but also by Lu Jinnian. She was practically humiliated in front of everyone. The more Lin Shiyi watched, the worse her expression got. In the end, she made an excuse and left the set on her own. It wasn¡¯t like she had never made an NG, but she had never before caused such humiliating NGs like today. Moreover, her humiliation was all bestowed upon her by Qiao Anhao! From when she entered the entertainment industry to now, she often relied on stepping on other actors to get to the top. Who could count just how many actors fell by her hand. Many people adopted the way of thinking where they held their grudges and avoided conflict by staying far away. If carefully looking at the times, today was the first in her life where she¡¯d lost to someone. Furthermore, she¡¯d lost soplete and utterly! Chapter 171: Mr. Lu Angered(3) Chapter 171: Mr. Lu Angered£¨3£© Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Oh, that¡¯s not right. It wasn¡¯t the first time. It was the fourth time. The first time was when Qiao Anhao stole her role of the second female actress on "Alluring Times". The second time was when Li Jinnian had exposed the scandal to destroy her, but it helped her instead. The third time was when she stole her guest role on the variety show of her dreams. The fourth was today. She had actually lost to one person¡¯s hand four consecutive times! Moreover, with the amount of NGs she had today, she feared that she¡¯ll be the talk of the town at the dinner table in the entertainment industry! Deep down, the more Lin Shiyi thought about it, the more she felt done in. In the end, she just gritted her teeth and quickly ran away. She didn¡¯t know in which direction she was going, but when she reached the end, she saw a grasswn and some people busily tending to something. Though Lin Shiyi didn¡¯t know those people, she could tell that they were staff from the filming crew. She watched for a while, and just when she was ready to turn and leave, those people finished what they were doing. No matter what, Lin Shiyi was still a first tier celebrity, so those people recognized her, and all of the young girls greeted her, "Sister Shiyi." Even though Lin Shiyi wasn¡¯t in the mood to smile, she still forced a slight smile to her lips. She looked over in the direction where they had been busily working and saw a beautiful swing, covered with fresh flowers and green leaves. Lin Shiyi thought it was pretty, so she casually asked, "Is that for filmingter?" The young girl didn¡¯t think that Lin Shiyi would ever talk to her. She excitedly nodded and said, "Yeah. Sister Anhao has to film hereter." Qiao Anhao? Lin Shiyi slightly creased her eyebrows, keeping her smile. "Oh". "Sister Shiyi, can I get your signature?" The young girl pulled out a small notebook from her bag and brought it over to Lin Shiyi. Lin Shiyi took the pen and signed it. The delighted young girl said goodbye to Lin Shiyi, rushing over to the other staff. Lin Shiyi stood on the spot without moving. She waited until she saw all the staff leave before walking over to the well-decorated swing. After circling it, she finally stopped. Her eyes stared at the swing¡¯s rope. The setting for Qiao Anhao¡¯s next scene... She tried to defeat her twice, but had never seeded... Yet this time... Lin Shiyi¡¯s eyes grew cold. In the end, she forcibly pursed her lips, contemted for a moment, and walked a bit to the side. She found a small sharp stone and circled back to the front of the swing. Chapter 172: Mr. Lu Angered(4) Chapter 172: Mr. Lu Angered£¨4£© Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Lin Shiyi tip-toed closer, pulled onto the higher part of the rope, and slightly lifted the flowers wrapped around it upwards. She brought up the small rock and started to wear the rope down with it. Lin Shiyi only stopped when all that was left was a thin piece. She then covered the thinned out rope with flowers. She circled it left and right, making sure there were no ws to be found, and hurriedly walked away. After a while, Lin Shiyi realized that she was still holding the small rock, so she threw it in theke nearby. - When it was time for Qiao Anhao¡¯s scene, it was already dusk. Coincidentally, the sun set in the west, covering the mountain in red. This scene only needed Qiao Anhao. The overview of the scene was that after learning that the second male lead could not possibly fall in love with her, she went to the swing that he built for her and sat on it whilst reminiscing about their past. This scene had no lines, only requiring facial expressions and emotions in the eyes to convey the pain of not being able to have the one your heart yearns for. For Qiao Anhao, it wasn¡¯t too difficult. The director examined the setting through the monitor to make sure there weren¡¯t any problems, then gestured for Qiao Anhao to start. Qiao Anhao walked over to the swing with an infatuated expression. She reached over to gently stroke the swing before sitting down. The director had advised her to focus on the scenario before the start of filming, so Qiao Anhao quietly sat down on the swing, somewhat dazed. She stayed silent on the swing, then after a while, she nted her legs on the ground and lightly rocked. "Great! Beautiful! That¡¯s it!" In the next part of the scene, Qiao Anhao had to swing with her eyes shut as she smiled against the wind. Qiao Anhao was alone on the swing, so it was going to be difficult to swing high, and so the director specifically asked for staff to push Qiao Anhao from behind. The first time they pushed her, they didn¡¯t put enough power into it, so the swing wasn¡¯t high enough. They tried again. On the second try, the swing did swing high enough, but the staff were in the shot, and so they had to shoot a third time. Following the director¡¯s signal on the third time, Qiao Anhao swung again. When she swung far back, the staff pushed hard and immediately ran away. Qiao Anhao promptly closed her eyes, putting on the required expression for the scene. As the swing rose high in the air, the corner of Qiao Anhao¡¯s lips revealed a slight smile. The director watched the monitor, nodding his head in satisfaction andplimenting her. Then, just as the swing reached it¡¯s highest point, the rope suddenly snapped. Qiao Anhao lost her bnce and couldn¡¯t help but let out a shriek. Her body flew forward and fell towards the ground. Chapter 173: Mr. Lu Angered(5) Chapter 173: Mr. Lu Angered£¨5£© Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Then, just as the swing reached it¡¯s highest point, the rope suddenly snapped. Qiao Anhao lost her bnce and couldn¡¯t help but let out a shriek. Her body flew forward and fell to the ground. As the director saw the scene through the monitor, the smile on his face instantly froze. He was dumbfounded, and didn¡¯t react at all. Everybody present on the set spaced out on the spot. They looked over when they heard Qiao Anhao scream. Even Song Xiangsi, who was leaning sluggishly against a tree, casually checking her phone, jumped straight up. Her hands shook, causing her phone to drop to the ground. She instinctively looked over at Lu Jinnian. Before she could open her mouth to speak, he, who was standing nearby, watching the shoot, abruptly leaped forward. - The highest point of the swing didn¡¯t reach past two-meter height, so it would take only a few seconds to fall. However, when Qiao Anhao fell, those few seconds felt like they dragged on, passing much slower than they should. She felt weightless. Her eyes tightly closed in a state of panic as chaos raged in her head. In her heart, she thought that she was done for. When the swing neared the height of a ground floor, she fell without any warning. Even if she was lucky enough not to get severely hurt, she wouldn¡¯t be able to avoid a light injury. Since she had the role of the second female lead, she had quite a few of scenes. If she were injured, it would hold back the entire filming process. By then, people would inevitablyin. The sound of the wind rushed into Qiao Anhao¡¯s ears. She quietly gritted her teeth and balled up her fists. She mentally prepared herself for theing bone-breaking pain. Qiao Anhao was on the verge of colliding with the ground when a nearby figureunched itself towards her. It crashed against her, cushioned her fall and mitigating the worst of the impact. Everyone on the set froze, staring mutely at the scene of the ident. Qiao Anhao was a little dazed, for the pain she had anticipated never came. She felt like she was having a dream. Eyes closed, she didn¡¯t budge for a long time. Qiao Anhao wasn¡¯t heavy, but having fallen from a high distance, she still crushed Lu Jinnian, making him a little dizzy. For a long while, hey on the ground like a cushion. Suddenly, as though he had realized something, he sat up and took Qiao Anhao, whoy on top of him, in his arms. Her hair messy, shey with tightly shut eyes and didn¡¯t move an inch, as though she had fainted. Lu Jinnian¡¯s eyes shed with worry, and his handsome face drained of blood. "Qiao Anhao?" Chapter 174: Mr. Lu Angered(6) Chapter 174: Mr. Lu Angered£¨6£© Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem When Qiao Anhao heard Lu Jinnian¡¯s voice, her brows slightly creased. She came to the realization that the only reason why she hadn¡¯t felt any pain from her fall from the swing was that she was on top of someone. And that person was... Lu Jinnian? He rushed over to save her? From the bottom of her heart, in that instant, Qiao Anhao was bewildered. Seeing that Qiao Anhao¡¯s eyes were still shut, Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t make a move. He couldn¡¯t help but reach out to gently pat her face. That was when he discovered the red, bloody trickle going down her forehead. Lu Jinnian felt like something had ruthlessly clutched his heart, and his fingertips suddenly trembled. Anxiety and panic climbed through him, his mouth gaped open, but he couldn¡¯t speak. The director who was staring at the monitor abruptly snapped out of it and hurriedly rushed over to Lu Jinnian and Qiao Anhao. His actions also woke up everyone in the area. One after the other, everyone present came flocking to the scene of the ident. The director was the first to reach Lu Jinnian and Qiao Anhao. He lowered his head to see Qiao Anhao with both eyes tightly shut. His expression was a little flustered, and he directed his words to Lu Jinnian, "Lu..." Lu Jinnian suddenly raised his head to reveal cold, intense anger-filled eyes. With a sharp tone, he interrupted the director, "Lu WHAT Lu! Each and every one of you... What are you doing?! Hurry up and get the car started to go to the hospital!" Lu Jinnian screamed at the director so loudly that he instinctively took a step back and frantically nodded his head. "Yes..." "Hurry!" The usually cold and quiet Lu Jinnian, in that instant, had no patience at all. Even before the director could reply, he interrupted him again, a little agitated. His expression was so vicious, you could practically describe it as horrifying. If the director was too slow by a single second, he would kill someone. Frightened, the director didn¡¯t dare reply to Lu Jinnian. He even forgot to order the other people to do it and ran out to the car park himself. Seeing Lu Jinnian¡¯s state, one by one, people who originally stood nearby were frightened and froze in their tracks, too afraid to take a single step forward. Qiao Anhao snapped back to reality, shocked by Lu Jinnian¡¯s two consecutive angry roars. The hospital? Take her to the hospital? She wasn¡¯t hurt, why take her to the hospital? Her brows twitched, and she opened her eyes. She was about to say something to stop them, but instead, her she was taken aback by what she saw. The Lu Jinnian in front of her was one she hadn¡¯t seen for as long she had known him - pale-faced, his eyes worried and confused, as though he was terrified to lose something. That instant, Qiao Anhao felt like something hastily smashed into her heart. She stared at Lu Jinnian, and fell into a daze. Chapter 175: Mr. Lu Angered(7) Chapter 175: Mr. Lu Angered£¨7£© Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Zhao Meng, who was originally too afraid toe close because of Lu Jinnian, saw Qiao Anhao open her eyes. She asked right away, "Qiao Qiao, how are you?" When Lu Jinnian heard Zhao Meng¡¯s voice, only then he realized that Qiao Anhao had already opened her eyes. He anxiously assessed her for a while, before believing that she hadn¡¯t any major injuries. That was when he discreetly let out a sigh of relief. Everything was then gone in the blink of an eye as Lu Jinnian quickly gathered back any hint of emotion. His expression recovered back to its usual calm and stoic self. Lu Jinnian transformed so quickly, Qiao Anhao creased her brows. She stared back at him but couldn¡¯t find any trace of anxiousness or confusion in his expression. Qiao Anhao lips gently moved when she turned her head. She shook it at Zhao Meng, then quietly said, "I¡¯m fine." When she finished speaking, her eyes returned back to Lu Jinnian. From his face, it looked like he was feeling nothing. Perhaps, when she opened her eyes just now, the anxious expression he had had was all just a figment of her imagination. "Are you really okay?" Song Xiangsi couldn¡¯t help but ask. "Are you hurt? Stand up and take a walk." When Qiao Anhao heard Song Xiangsi¡¯s words, she realized that she was held in Lu Jinnian¡¯s arms. Her face flushed slightly red as she hurriedly got up from his grasp. She stumbled a few steps back before managing to open her mouth to say, "Really, I¡¯m fine." "That¡¯s good. You scared us to death just now. To fall from such a height, you could¡¯vended badly and got half of your body paralyzed. Luckily, Lu Jinnian had quick reflexes and caught you." When Song Xiangsi said this, she let out an obvious sigh of relief, clearly shocked by what had just happened. That was when Qiao Anhao looked Lu Jinnian in the eyes. She bit her bottom lip and thanked him in a low voice, "Mr. Lu, thank you for earlier." Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t make a sound. He just reached his hand out and pushed against the ground. Perhaps because he had sat for too long, when he got up, his eyebrows furrowed a little. He used the strength in his hands to support himself against thewn. He pushed up with great effort, and slowly stood up. The director, at whom Lu Jinnian had screamed to get the car ready just now, came running back with a head wet from sweat. He was panting for breath when he said, "Mr. Lu, the car is ready..." Mid-sentence, he saw Qiao Anhao standing up, alive and well. In a bit of a daze, he said again, "Xiao Qiao, are you okay?" Qiao Anhao nodded. "Then, do you still want to go to the hospital?" Qiao Anhao hurriedly shook her head again. "It¡¯s okay. I¡¯m fine." "It¡¯s best you go to the hospital to have a check-up just to be sure," Song Xiangsi said, "Also, your forehead is bleeding. Don¡¯t let it leave a scar..." Chapter 176: Mr. Lu Angered(8) Chapter 176: Mr. Lu Angered£¨8£© Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Qiao Anhao raised a hand to rub her forehead where she was hurt. "It¡¯s just a scrape. It¡¯ll heal up in two days. It won¡¯t leave a scar at all. I really don¡¯t have to go to the hospital." The director couldn¡¯t make the cal, so he looked at Lu Jinnian for his opinion. Lu Jinnian nced over at Qiao Anhao, who had just smudged the blood from her cut all over her forehead. His tone of voice suggested ¡¯no¡¯ wasn¡¯t an answer when he said, "Go to the hospital!" "You really don¡¯t have to go through all that trouble..." Qiao Anhao hadn¡¯t finished her sentence when Lu Jinnian cut her off to say, "Miss Qiao, you have just had an ident and you are a part of the cast which we have invested in. You may say that you¡¯re fine now and don¡¯t need to go to the hospital, but if you turn aroundter to go in for a check-up and find that there really is a problem and try to extort us - then what do we do?" Qiao Anhao opened her mouth to exin that she would never do that, but Lu Jinnian simply didn¡¯t give her a chance, answering his own question, "Also, don¡¯t forget that you are a signed artist of my Huan Ying Entertainment. If you don¡¯t go to the hospital after an ident, I certainly don¡¯t want to hear any scandals about abuse against artists from mypany!" As Lu Jinnian spoke, he snatched the car keys from the director¡¯s hand, and then went straight for Qiao Anhao¡¯s arm. Holding her, he rushed to the parked car not too far away. After just two steps, it looked like he had suddenly thought of something. He stopped in his tracks and red at the director with a cold look, causing the director to slightly shiver in fear. A secondter, Lu Jinnian raised his arm with the car keys. He pointed at the broken swing not that far off and said mercilessly, "Before I get back, I want you to give me a reasonable exnation. Tell me, how can a swing break like that for no reason!?" When he finished, Lu Jinnian turned his head and, dragging Qiao Anhao¡¯s arm, stalked out. - Lu Jinnian raced to the hospital in his car. The two of them didn¡¯t speak at all on the drive from the vi to the city. It was at least a two hour drive, but he reached the public hospital in an hour and a half. Lu Jinnian simply wasn¡¯t looking for Qiao Anhao¡¯s opinion at all. He dragged her straight to the emergency ward, signed in, and shouted to the doctor, "Give her a full body check-up!" Without even looking at Qiao Anhao, he took long strides out, and left. - The full body check-up took a long time. Lu Jinnian stood in the hallway, waiting, slightly bored. Every now and then, he would raise his hand and press the left of his back. His brows creased hard, as though he was enduring something. In the end, it was like he couldn¡¯t take it anymore. He pulled a cigarette from his pocket, wanting to divert his attention. However, just as the cigarette settled between his lips, Lu Jinnian saw the sign on the wall, saying inrge letters, "No Smoking". He angrily took the cigarette from his mouth and shoved it back into its pack, and into his pocket. Chapter 177: Mr. Lu Angered(9) Chapter 177: Mr. Lu Angered£¨9£© Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Lu Jinnian stood in front of the window in the hospital¡¯s hallway. He stared out at the pitch-ck night sky for a while, thinking back to the cut on Qiao Anhao¡¯s forehead. It wasn¡¯t serious, but the cut was on her face. He pulled out his phone and called his assistant. As the assistant was already in the city, he rushed over to the hospital with a small bottle of medicine in just half an hour after picking up Lu Jinnian¡¯s call. He handed him the bottle. "Mr. Lu, this medicine is almost finished. All that¡¯s left is this one bottle. If you give this to Miss Qiao, you won¡¯t have any left for yourself." Lu Jinnian got the medicine a few years back when he was filming in Yunnan and stumbled upon an old traditional Chinese doctor. He bought this scar removal ointment that was passed on by his ancestors. At the time, he often visited the doctor, as it was difficult to avoid getting hit whilst filming fight scenes in his historical drama. No matter how serious the injury was, as long as he rubbed the ointment, it would never leave a scar. Hearing his assistant¡¯s words, Lu Jinnian¡¯s expression didn¡¯t change. He just took the ointment, shoved it in his pocket, and said in a dull voice, "If we get a chance to go to Yunnan, go back and buy more from that old traditional Chinese doctor." The assistant moved his lips but no words came out. In the bottom of his heart, he silently thought about the old traditional Chinese doctor who he¡¯d met on a one-off chance. So many years had passed since they then, who would he find there when he went back to buy the medicine? - When Qiao Anhao finished her check-up, it was already nine at night, and her results showed that there were no major problems. The doctor cleaned the cut on her forehead with some alcohol to kill all the bacteria. When she fell, she probably brushed her head against something and scraped a little piece of skin off. Even though the doctor said it was nothing, Lu Jinnian still made Qiao Anhao do all the different types of checks. When they confirmed that there was really nothing wrong, he returned the reports back to her. He then turned to leave the hospital. Qiao Anhao gathered all her test results and shoved them into her bag, hurriedly following behind him. - Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t take Qiao Anhao back to the crew but to Mian Xiu Garden. He drove straight to the vi¡¯s gates before stopping the car. Madam Chen apparently had heard some movement. Before the car even pulled up, she had already walked out from the house. Qiao Anhao unfastened her safety belt. She got out of the car and greeted Madam Chen. Lu Jinnian rolled down the driver side¡¯s window and pulled out a bottle of ointment to hand it over to Qiao Anhao. He took a nce at the cut on her forehead, and said in t voice, "To prevent scarring." Qiao Anhao didn¡¯t put her hand out to take it, casually saying, "The doctor said it won¡¯t leave a scar..." She even refused a bottle of ointment from him? Lu Jinnian¡¯s expression hardened, and he interrupted Qiao Anhao again, "If it leaves a scar, who will be responsible? Miss Qiao, don¡¯t you forget that you are an actress, you rely on your face for your work. The audience would find a scarred face an eyesore. Please, have some professionalism!" Chapter 178: Mr. Lu Angered(10) Chapter 178: Mr. Lu Angered£¨10£© Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Lu Jinnian¡¯s words were merciless. When he finished speaking, he didn¡¯t even nce at Qiao Anhao but directly threw the ointment to Mother Chen. Mother Chen hurriedly put her hands out to catch it, before smiling and saying, "I¡¯ve already prepared dinner. It¡¯s still hot,e in quick and eat." When she finished speaking, Mother Chen realized that Lu Jinnian wasn¡¯t leaving the car, and so she asked, "Mr. Lu, will youe home tonight?" "No," Lu Jinnian callously shot out. He turned the steering wheel, and turned the car right back around. Then he stomped on the elerator and sped out of Mian Xiu Garden¡¯s courtyard. Qiao Anhao watched the quickly disappearing car. She slightly lowered her head, hiding the disappointed look in her eyes. Qiao Anhao turned to Mother Chen, pretending everything was fine, and put on a modest smile. "Let¡¯s go in." After dinner, when Qiao Anhao went upstairs, Mother Chen handed over the ointment Lu Jinnian had thrown her. "Madame, mister¡¯s ointment." Qiao Anhao looked at the bottle in Mother Chen¡¯s hands. She paused for a moment, took it, and walked upstairs. Qiao Anhao had been busy all day, and so she was naturally a little tired. After taking a shower, she crawled into the bed. But just as she was going to turn off the lights, her eyes caught on the small bottle on the cab by the bed¡¯s head. Holding the bottle in her hand, she shut off the lights and slipped under the soft covers. She shut her eyes, but sleep didn¡¯te no matter what. Why did Lu Jinnian save her? Did it look like he was worried about her just then? But then, he gave her the cold shoulder soon after. Also, his words were hard to hear. Qiao Anhao couldn¡¯t help but turn over and look at the small bottle in her hands under the pale yellow night¡¯s light. Did he give her the bottle because he really was afraid that it would leave a scar on her face or would affect her sight? Or perhaps, he simply didn¡¯t want her face to scar? The more Qiao Anhao thought about it, the more confused her heart became. More than five years ago,ing back from Hangzhou after the first time they were alone together in a room, she had thought nonsense, like she was doing right now. She had thought that he was interested in her, but in the end, she was forced to realize that it was all in her head. Moreover, five years ago, he had told her that no matter who he liked, it would never be her. So why should she indulge in these fantasies? In the end, she¡¯d be the only one left disappointed and hurt. Qiao Anhao bit her lip, hugged the small bottle with her eyes shut, and sadness slowly crept inside her. - Lu Jinnian drove straight to the mansion on the Yi mountain. The mountain was empty, without a single soul on it. He entered the password and walked in, then drank a cup of water before unbuttoning his jacket. He used his teeth to pull off his shirt, and lowered his head to find the back of his white shirt covered in red. Chapter 179: The Most Beautiful Confession with Hand Signs(1) Chapter 179: The Most Beautiful Confession with Hand Signs£¨1£© Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Lu Jinnian pursed his lips, casually throwing his white shirt into theundry basket. He made his way upstairs and looked in the medicine box in the corner mirror of his wide changing room. He took the cotton swabs and used all his strength to stretch his arm out to clean the wound on his back. The pain brought an expression of difort to his face. There were some ces he couldn¡¯t reach, and after a couple more unsessful tries, he eventually gave up. He closed his medicine box and stood half-naked in front of his floor-to-ceiling window. The stars in the night sky, half-way up the mountain, were very clear. The shining lights above were dazzlingly beautiful. Lu Jinnian stared at the sky for a while, until he saw a faint outline of Qiao Anhao¡¯s face appear among the stars. At that moment, he waspletely transfixed, but his phone suddenly rang. He abruptly snapped back to reality to find that it was all just an illusion. He lowered his eyes, standing still in his spot, then headed to the bedroom. He picked his phone and saw a notification, the director of "Alluring Times" was calling. Lu Jinnian¡¯s fingers swiped the screen to ept the call. "Mr. Lu, about the swing incident this afternoon, it¡¯s been investigated. When the stage prop crew were preparing the props, there was a mistake. They didn¡¯t notice that the rope was thinned out. I already gave them a good yelling. How would you like to proceed with this incident?" Lu Jinnian¡¯s voice sounded slightly heartless when he asked, "Are you sure you¡¯ve investigated thoroughly?" "People from the stage prop crew said so themselves." Lu Jinnian held the phone without saying a word. Even though they were a phone call away, the director still felt Lu Jinnian¡¯s silence pressuring him to the point where it was difficult to breathe. His forehead was covered in sweat. After a good while, Lu Jinnian finally said, "Since you¡¯ve investigated thoroughly, I¡¯ll leave it to you to handle." There was clearly no emotion in Lu Jinnian¡¯s tone of voice, but you could hear the director¡¯s weak heart in his. The director spoke in a tone you¡¯d use for negotiations when he carefully said, "I¡¯ll fire them all right away for an entirely new crew, Mr. Lu. How does that sound to you?" "That¡¯s up to you. I just hope that a situation like this will never happen again," Lu Jinnian spat out the ruthless words before hanging up. - When the director heard the ¡¯doot doot¡¯ sound through the phone, he let out a long sigh of relief. He turned his head and looked at Producer Sun and Lin Shiyi who were sitting in his room. He raised a hand to wipe away the sweat on his forehead. Then he looked over at Lin Shiyi and said in traumatized voice, "It¡¯s not like you don¡¯t know that Mr. Lu has always disliked conflict amongst a crew. This time, for Chief Sun¡¯s sake, I helped you cover this up, but if this happens again, I¡¯ll definitely not interfere." Lin Shiyi smiled sweetly at the director. "This time, thank you so much, director." Chapter 180: The Most Beautiful Confession with Hand Signs(2) Chapter 180: The Most Beautiful Confession with Hand Signs£¨2£© Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem "Don¡¯t thank me, thank Chief Sun." The director waved his hand, and said, "You¡¯d better quickly get someone to pay-off those crew members now, whilst Mr. Lu isn¡¯t on set. Make them quickly go away to save yourself some peace of mind before anyone finds any ws in the story!" - Even though there was a big incident on set yesterday, no one got hurt, and so they continued to shoot the next day as per usual. Qiao Anhao and Lu Jinnian were originally meant to have a scene together in the early afternoon. However, because some scenes were dyed yesterday, their¡¯s was pushed back tillter that afternoon. The scene they had to shoot was to be shot in the city. Qiao Anhao yed the second female lead who had just found out that the second male lead, who she loved deeply, would be back from his trip abroad. The two of them got in-touch again, and so they was a little dazed as she walked down the street. Lu Jinnian, the second male lead, coincidentally would see Qiao Anhao and follow after her. Eventually, when she was about to cross the road, she¡¯d be almost hit by an oning car because of her absent mindedness, but he would reach out and grab her. The street for the shoot was closed off in advance. Pedestrians on the street were all extras from the crew. Since they had to walk down the street that was about a thousand meters wide, they split the scene into three parts. The first part only featured Qiao Anhao, the second featured Lu Jinnian looking over at her, following behind her. And finally, thest part would show Qiao Anhao crossing the street and Lu Jinnian reaching his hand out to grab her. The first two parts were shot in one take. However, when it came to the final part, just as Lu Jinnian raised his hand, ready to grab Qiao Anhao¡¯s, who was about to be hit by a car, arm, he suddenly stopped. Who knew why, but when he raised his hand half-way up, he suddenly paused. The director screamed out, "Cut". He creased his brows and asked in a loud yell, "Why did your hand stop mid-air?" Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t say a word, his hand holding its position halfway-up. After standing for quite a long while, he slowly lowered his hand. He turned his head to the director and said apologetically, "Sorry, let¡¯s go again." When he finished speaking, Lu Jinnian strode towards his first position of the shot. The make-up artist quickly circled him to fix the make-up. After he was done and all of the props were repositioned, the director called out, "Standby." Lu Jinnian raised his hand and pressed his shoulder before letting out a long sigh of satisfaction. Following the director¡¯s word "Action", he immediately got into character. When Qiao Anhao was about to get hit by the oing car, Lu Jinnian leaped forward like a tiger and reached his arm out. He forcefully dragged Qiao Anhao back. The car in front of her shed by, scaring her into turning her head and looking at Lu Jinnian in astonishment. He who was discreetly gritting his teeth to endure the pain in his back and staring back at her Chapter 181: The Most Beautiful Confession with Hand Signs(3) Chapter 181: The Most Beautiful Confession with Hand Signs£¨3£© Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem The two of them stared into each other¡¯s eyes for about ten seconds before the director screamed in satisfaction, "Good, not bad. Prepare for the next scene!" The moment the director said his first word, Lu Jinnian ripped away from Qiao Anhao¡¯s wrist. He stumbled back a little, then around and took quick strides away. "Mr.Lu ..." The assistant watched Lu Jinnian finish filming, and then immediately brought over a bottle of water for him. Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t bother with his assistant, just continued striding towards his personal van. He slid open the door and sat down inside. The assistant hurriedly followed him to the car, where he discovered that Lu Jinnian was pale white. He furrowed his eyebrows, and just as he was going to ask his employer if he felt ufortable somewhere, he took notice of Lu Jinnian¡¯s light blue shirt that he wore for the shoot. On the back, there were a few dots of bright red. The assistant¡¯s eyes widened. "Mr. Lu, why is there blood on your back?" Lu Jinnian¡¯s eyebrows creased, but he didn¡¯t say a word. He unbuttoned his shirt and pulled it off. The assistant then saw that on the left side of Lu Jinnian¡¯s back was arge gash from his shoulder to his waist. The most serious part the deep gash was now bleeding. "Mr. Lu, you¡¯re hurt this bad! Why didn¡¯t you say anything?" The assistant threw the water bottle in his hands aside onto the car seat. Then, he started rummaging through his body bag for for an ointment. After looking for a while, he suddenly remembered that Mr.Lu had given it to Miss Qiao yesterday. He grabbed straight for the car keys and said, "I¡¯ll take you to the hospital now and get some medicine." "Not necessary," Lu Jinnian said in a cold voice to stop his assistant. Because of the pain, he took a deep breath before ordering him, "Don¡¯t let anyone know that I¡¯m injured." Since Lu Jinnian¡¯s mother had passed away, it wasn¡¯t like he¡¯d never been sick before, but there was just no one who cared. He was already used to looking after himself. At one point, grandpa had allowed for him to join the Xu family¡¯s new year¡¯s eve family dinner. When he went to see the fireworks with Xu Jiamu that night, thetter had had an ident. His fingers got burnt and were a little red. The entire Xu family circled him, some even med Lin Jinnian for not looking after Xu Jiamu well. Everyone crowded around Xu Jiamu when they entered the house, called a doctor and doted on their precious child. They left Lu Jinnian all alone in the courtyard. No one realized that the palms of his hands were blurred with flesh and blood. Compared to Xu Jiamu, he was several times more severely injured, but they didn¡¯t look for it, so they didn¡¯t realize. No one bothered to care that if he hadn¡¯t used his hands to scatter the fireworks at the right time, then perhaps Xu Jiamu would have been left blind. Most of the time, after being neglected too often, one will just no longer want to let others know when they¡¯re hurt. Chapter 182: The Most Beautiful Confession with Hand Signs(4) Chapter 182: The Most Beautiful Confession with Hand Signs£¨4£© Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem The assistant opened his mouth to try and persuade him, "But it¡¯s summer now. If you sweat, it will easily get infected." "I¡¯ll handle it myself." Lu Jinnian¡¯s tone of voice was a little impatient, as though he didn¡¯t want to continue mentioning this problem. The assistant couldn¡¯t stop worrying and was ready to try and persuade him again, but Lu Jinnian raised his eyes, nced at him, and said, "Ah right. There¡¯s something I need you to help me investigate." "What?" "Yesterday, a swing broke during filming. Go investigate what exactly happened." "Didn¡¯t the director say that it was the crew¡¯s fault?" "If what the director said was true, would I bother asking you to investigate?" "Understood. I¡¯ll definitely get to the bottom of this." Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t say anymore. His head rested against the back of the seat. He closed his eyes. After a period of silence, he opened his eyes again and looked at the assistant. "Tonight, will Chen Yang be treating everyone at The Royal Pce?" "Yes, Mr. Cheng just received an award, so he promised to treat everyone on the crew to celebrate." The assistant paused, then spoke again, "How about Mr. Lu you don¡¯t attend tonight? With an injured back, try best not to drink any alcohol..." "It¡¯s nothing," Lu Jinnian tly interrupted the assistant and pointed at the seat in the back. "Grab a clean shirt from in there." - Chen Yang booked a big party room at The Royal Pce. Everyone in the crew who were anyone turned up. When Zhao Meng drove Qiao Anhao over, the navigation system redirected them to the wrong route. They drove far off track, and coincidentally into traffic, so when they finally arrived at The Royal Pce, they were the only one¡¯s missing. The sofas in the party room were packed full. Seeing Qiao Anhao enter, Chen Yang immediately got up and swept around the party room to wee her. He saw that there was a seat by Lu Jinnian, and so he immediately pointed it out for her. "Xiao Qiao, there¡¯s a seat by Mr. Lu." Qiao Anhao really wanted to sit next to Lu Jinnian, but she was also afraid that sitting by him would make her nervous. Summoning her courage, she went over and sat down by his side. Now that everyone was present, Chen Yang walked over to the dance floor at the center of the party room, grabbed the microphone, and gave a few polite words of thanks before walking over to a wide marble table. He held up a ss of wine and said, "But before everyone here downs their ss, we should wait on one more person." "Who? It can¡¯t be your girlfriend right?" said a male actor who was close with Chen Yang. Hearing those words, eyebrows rose and a flurry of questions were thrown out. Chen Yang wore a bashful smile for a moment. He didn¡¯t beat around the bush but nodded straight away and said, "Yes." In that instant, the atmosphere in the room became alive. Chen Yang waved his hands to signal everyone to not get excited. "But to protect feelings, I momentarily don¡¯t n to go public with it, so please, everybody, help me keep this a secret first." Chapter 183: The Most Beautiful Confession with Hand Signs(5) Chapter 183: The Most Beautiful Confession with Hand Signs£¨5£© Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem The moment Chen Yang finished speaking, he pulled out his phone from his pocket. Then he made an apologetic hand gesture to everyone. He took a call, walking out of the private party room. Not long after, he returned hand in hand with a woman in a light yellow dress. Qiao Anhao and Chen Yang weren¡¯t close, so she wasn¡¯t very interested in his girlfriend. She lowered her head and refreshed her weibo. The female celebrity sitting next to herplimented the girlfriend to the person sitting next to her in a low voice, "Chen Yang¡¯s girlfriend is so pretty." Out of pure curiosity, Qiao Anhao raised her head to sneak a nce, and her whole body suddenly froze. It looked like Lu Jinnian was sitting with a cold expression, looking at his phone, but in reality, he was paying attention to Qiao Anhao next to him. Soon, he realized that the woman beside him had stiffened. He tilted his head and first looked at her, then traced her line of sight. He discreetly nced over to see that the person Chen Yang held in his hands was a bright-eyed, smiling Qiao Anxia. His eyebrows twitched slightly, and as though it was none of his concern, Lu Jinnian callously lowered his head and continued to look at his phone. Chen Yang bent over to grab two sses of wine and handed one to Qiao Anxia. With his own ss in his hand, he reached out to grab Qiao Anxia¡¯s shoulder. In front of everyone in the party room, he smiled generously and introduced her, "This is the person I was just saying we were waiting on... my girlfriend, Qiao Anxia." When Qiao Anhao saw Qiao Anxia, her mind was blown. Now, after hearing Chen Yang¡¯s introduction, she waspletely confused. Not long ago, Qiao Anxia was infatuated with Lu Jinnian, she thought that he would be her boyfriend. Howe, in the blink of an eye, she got together with Chen Yang? There was only one character difference between Qiao Anxia and Qiao Anhao. In an instant, someone asked her, "Xiao Qiao? Chen Yang¡¯s girlfriend only has one character different from yours. She wouldn¡¯t happen to perhaps be your older or younger sister, would she?" Qiao Anhao didn¡¯t have time to reply, since Qiao Anxia, clutching a ss of wine, elegantly tilted her head and said, "Anhao is my cousin." The person who¡¯d just asked, couldn¡¯t help but joke, "Shit... So it¡¯s really TM. What a coincidence. Chen Yang, you¡¯re actually dating one of our crew¡¯s rtive." Even if Qiao Anhao had her doubts at the bottom of her heart, she wasn¡¯t stupid enough to go and ask Qiao Anxia about what exactly had happened between her and Chen Yang. And so, when Qiao Anxia finished exining their rtionship and sat down in her ce, Qiao Anhao looked up at her and called out, "Big sis." Qiao Anxia turned to Qiao Anhao and gave her a warm smile. Her eyes swept over Lu Jinnian who sat beside her as though he was a stranger, pausing only slightly. Momentster though, her face brightened up with a smile, and her line of sight jumped elsewhere. Chapter 184: The Most Beautiful Confession with Hand Signs(6) Chapter 184: The Most Beautiful Confession with Hand Signs£¨6£© Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Qiao Anxia faced a room full of people and joking said, "You can call me Da Qiao, and my sister Xiao Qiao." "Da Qiao, Xiao Qiao, honestly you are a beautiful pair of sisters." - Qiao Anxia¡¯s personality had always been outgoing. After talking with new people for no longer than three minutes, she could already be getting along well with them. And so, her arrival, not only did it not kill the mood, it actually lifted it. All that could be heard in the entire party room were, "Da Qiao, which university did you graduate from?", "Da Qiao, how did you meet Chen Yang?", and "Da Qiao, why don¡¯t you sing us a song?". Qiao Anhao sat quietly next to Lu Jinnian She was used to these kind of scenes. After she found out her parents had passed away, she couldn¡¯t go back and had to live at her uncle¡¯s house, so she gradually lost the same confidence and cheerfulness that Qiao Anxia had in her bones. In most cases, whenever Qiao Anxia and she went out, Qiao Anxia would always easily get along with others. Yet, she would always sit quietly to one side, and smile as she watched her. The sounds of drinking, chatting, singing, andughing were all over the lively party room. Yet, all thismotion seemed to have no affect on Lu Jinnian beside her. He maintained a calm posture where he sat on the sofa, staring at his phone. Next to him, Qiao Anhao would sneak a peek at him every now and then. When she unintentionally caught sight of his phone screen, she learned that he was looking through Huan Ying Entertainment¡¯s reports. Even in a noisy ce like this, he still managed to work! Qiao Anhao couldn¡¯t help but quietly let out a sigh. From the bottom of her heart, she silently thought, ¡¯If he had to work, what was the point ining here?¡¯ - Qiao Anhao sat in the party room for quite some time, and grew a little bored. She stepped out to go to the restroom. Coincidentally,ing out from the cubicle, she bumped right into Qiao Anxia. "Qiao Qiao." Qiao Anxia reached out and patted Qiao Anhao on the head. Qiao Anhao rubbed the part where she was touched. She fixed her hair up, then quickly grabbed Qiao Anxia, who was about to enter the cubicle, "Big sis, what¡¯s actually going on? Howe you¡¯re with Chen Yang?" "We bumped into each other at a charity event the week beforest. We exchanged numbers, got talking, and we felt like we both got along quite well, so we started dating," Qiao Anxia said in a light-hearted tone. "But awhile ago, didn¡¯t you say that you liked Lu Jinnian..." Qiao Anhao genuinely cared about Qiao Anxia, but she also wanted to know how she actually felt about Lu Jinnian. When Qiao Anxia heard the two words, "Lu Jinnian", she thought back to the image of her being rejected by him not so long ago. Immediately, she pursed her lips and interrupted Qiao Anhao. "He said he has someone he likes, and that person isn¡¯t me. If the love from one is unrequited by the other, why should I waste any more time on him?" Chapter 185: The Most Beautiful Confession with Hand Signs(7) Chapter 185: The Most Beautiful Confession with Hand Signs£¨7£© Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem When Qiao Anxia said that, she paused for a moment, then asked, "Qiao Qiao, do you know who Lu Jinnian likes?" Qiao Anhao shook her head. "Forget it." Qiao Anxia smiled with an attitude as though she didn¡¯t want to talk about it. She then said candidly, "They¡¯re all waiting to go back to ying games. Let¡¯s talk about it if we have some timeter." When she finished speaking, Qiao Anxia headed straight for the cubicle and closed the door. - Lin Shiyi spent her day frightened and on edge. Yesterday, she was furious when she cut Qiao Anhao¡¯s swing for her shoot. In the end, she was fine, but in a fit of rage, Lu Jinnian asked the director to investigate the issue. The crew who worked on the swing knew she was over by the shoot¡¯s ce at the time. To make sure it wasn¡¯t traced back to her, she spent a lot of money to buy their silence. She also agreed to sleep with Producer Sun a few times in exchange for his help in speaking with the director to cover the truth. The more she wanted to crush Qiao Anhao, the more bad luck she found herself in. Her mood was indescribably bleak. Just now, she was only in the restroom for a smoke to calm her terrible mood when she unintentionally overheard the conversation between Qiao Anhao and Qiao Anxia. So... Qiao Anxia likes Lu Jinnian? Whether Lu Jinnian actually liked Qiao Anhao and if there was anything between them at all - Lin Shiyi wasn¡¯t entirely sure. But one thing she was sure of now was that Qiao Anhao filled her insides with a burning rage, so she really did not want for Qiao Anhao to ever rest easy. So Lin Shiyi walked out from her cubicle, stood in front of the sink, and quietly waited for Qiao Anxia. Qiao Anxia came out quite quickly. Was she really form a noble family, why did she look so high ss? Through the reflection in the mirror, Lin Shiyi looked Qiao Anxia up and down. The other woman finished washing her hands and was about to dry them with the paper towels when Lin Shiyi called out to her, "Miss Qiao." Qiao Anxia turned her head and shot Lin Shiyi a friendly smile. "Excuse me, can I help you?" Lin Shiyi¡¯s personality had always been frank. She didn¡¯t go around in circles with Qiao Anxia but said frankly, "Miss Qiao, don¡¯t you just want to know who Lu Jinnian likes?" Qiao Anxia¡¯s eyebrows creased, but she didn¡¯t say a word. Lin Shiyi¡¯s lips twitched and she smiled at Qiao Anxia. "I don¡¯t know if Miss Qiao usually checks weibo¡¯s hot topics and saw what was there awhile ago... Your sister and Lu Jinnian made it to the top most searched. She went to Lu Jinnian¡¯s roomte at night and didn¡¯te out until quite a few hourster." Qiao Anxia was always smart. After hearing Lin Shiyi¡¯s words, she knew what the actress really meant. The corners of her lips rose, and she gave her a dazzling smile. She kept up her noble manners and eloquently said, "In your entertainment industry, just how many of your news are real? They¡¯re all a bunch of groundless rumors. As for my sister, I know her better than you." Chapter 186: The Most Beautiful Confession with Hand Signs(8) Chapter 186: The Most Beautiful Confession with Hand Signs£¨8£© Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem "Then how are you so sure that the person Lu Jinnian likes isn¡¯t Qiao Anhao?" Qiao Anxia faced Lin Shiyi¡¯s question with her curved, light-hearted smile, staring closely at Lin Shiyi for a while. She opened her mouth and asked the actress in return, "If I¡¯m not wrong, you¡¯re Miss Lin Shiyi right?" Lin Shiyi blinked but didn¡¯t say a word. Qiao Anxia kept up her high ss manners, but the words she continued to say were nothing but ruthless, "Miss Lin, though I may not be in the entertainment industry and don¡¯t really care for matters within it, nevertheless, Qiao Anhao is my sister. "As for her matters, I know little about them. You¡¯re shooting a TV series together right now, and you were originally the second female lead, right? Then my sister stole the role... Based on that point alone, whatever you say to me, I will always think that you have some ulterior motive. You and I have met by chance, a one-off chance meeting. Please, tell me what makes you so sure that I would believe you over my sister?" When Qiao Anxia finished speaking, she gave Lin Shiyi an elegant and gentle smile. She said, "If you¡¯ll excuse me...", then turned to leave the restroom. "Miss Qiao, there¡¯s just one more thing you¡¯re probably unaware about. Last night, Qiao Anhao was in an ident on set. She fell from a swing and Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t hesitate for one second to jump over to catch her. He even sent her to the hospital. Because of her, he was in a fit of rage and fired all of the stage prop crew!" Though what Lin Shiyi said was true, she wasn¡¯t sure if what Lu Jinnian had done was all for Qiao Anhao. Nevertheless, to drive a wedge, Lin Shiyi immediately spoke with a confident tone, as well as jealousy at the situation. At those words, Qiao Anxia¡¯s footsteps slightly paused for a moment. Lu Jinnian and Qiao Anhao had known each other for many years. Though it looked like they were not close, but Qiao Anhao was Xu Jiamu¡¯s wife, and Lu Jinnian was Xu Jiamu¡¯s brother. If Qiao Anhao was really in trouble, it would be normal for Lu Jinnian to save her. Qiao Anxia turned her head and looked into Lin Shiyi¡¯s eyes with a slight hint of anger. "Miss Lin, I don¡¯t care about whatever kind of motive you have today, but let me tell you clearly, don¡¯t even think about trying to pick at Qiao Qiao and my rtionship. "There¡¯s nothing more important in this world than my sister. Moreover, let me warn you, I will not argue with you this time, but if there¡¯s a next time... If I find out that you have mistreated Qiao Qiao, other people might not argue with you, but I, Qiao Anxia, will definitely be the first to stand up to spend all my effort to exile you from the entertainment industry. Don¡¯t think I¡¯m just ying either. The Qiao family really has the ability to do this!" Qiao Anxia¡¯s words crushed Lin Shiyi with their frankness and ruthlessness. Her face grew troubled and awkward. Qiao Anxia gave a gentle smile, turned around, and stomped elegantly away in her heels. Chapter 187: The Most Beautiful Confession with Hand Signs(9) Chapter 187: The Most Beautiful Confession with Hand Signs£¨9£© Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem When Qiao Anhao returned to the party room, she suddenly felt the urge to escape, as soon as she heard the people say they were going to y a game Qiao Anxia suggested. Ever since they were young, whenever Qiao Anxia were with a lot of people, they¡¯d y only one game - rock, paper, scissors. Everyone would take turns to y, the winner would be safe, but the loser would have to face the next yer. ording to their draw, the final loser would have to ept a punishment. The punishments were old fashioned as well, like truth or dare. The reason why Qiao Anhao wanted to escape at thest minute when she realized what wasing was because, in all those years, every time she yed this game, she was the biggest loser. If it weren¡¯t because of the ¡¯truth¡¯, then it was because people would mess with her too hard with her ¡¯dare¡¯. Though Qiao Anxia had went to the restroom, the game had already started. It was three out of two, and everybody yed enthusiastically. The room was filled withughter andmotion. Not long after, it was Qiao Anhao¡¯s turn. She summoned the tatters of her courage and yed ¡¯rock¡¯, and lost three out of three. She lost spectacrly. The crew knew that Lu Jinnian never liked to mingle in these kind of activities, so they never expected him to participate. They automatically excluded him. When someone was ready to heckle Qiao Anhao to choose truth or dare, Qiao Anxia coincidentally walked through the door, so the sisters, Da Qiao and Xiao Qiao, yed against each other. In the end, the results were the same as before. Qiao Anhao lost three out of three. Her loss was iparably spectacr as usual. "Xiao Qiao, choose, truth or dare?" "The loser will have to first drink three shot sses, and then y truth or dare." "For truth, you have to tell us who was your first! For dare, you have to go out and kiss the first man you meet!" While most argued over the tasks, someone poured three shot sses and pushed them in front of Qiao Anhao. Ever since Lu Jinnian had entered the party room, he was staring at his phone. But when he heard those two options, his brow furrowed and he lifted his eyes. When he saw the three shot sses in front of Qiao Anhao, his brows furrowed even harder. After a slight pause, he put his phone away, sat upright, and said in an emotionless voice, "There¡¯s still me." Lu Jinnian¡¯s abrupt words silenced the whole room. Everyone inexplicably blinked with disbelief. Even Qiao Anxia stared at Lu Jinnian, her eyebrows gently twitching. Lu Jinnian turned unenthusiastically to face Qiao Anhao and said in a low voice, "Bring it." Qiao Anhao was dazed for a moment before she realized that Lu Jinnian had really also joined in the game. She hurriedly stuck out her arm. Back in junior high, Qiao Anxia loved ying this game. For Qiao Anhao, who had a hundred losses in a hundred games, the only person she could beat was Lu Jinnian. Chapter 188: The Most Beautiful Confession with Hand Signs(10) Chapter 188: The Most Beautiful Confession with Hand Signs£¨10£© Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem The only reason why she won was because after Qiao Anhao continuously yed against Lu Jinnian, she realized that he would always y the same sequence: Paper, scissors, rock. At the time, she had been delighted for a long while to have unintentionally learned that her crush had such a quirk. It was a secret of his that she kept in the deepest part of her heart. A little secret only she knew. Of course, from that moment, whenever they faced one another, she would be able to sneakily win with the sequence: Scissors, rock, paper. But... It¡¯s been five years without any contact between them. Who knows if he still had the same quirk? Though Qiao Anhao wasn¡¯t confident, she still yed "Scissors", and Lu Jinnian actually yed "Paper". She won. The second time, she yed "Rock", and Lu Jinnian yed "Scissors". She won again. The third time, she yed "Paper", and Lu Jinnian yed "Rock". She won every round. So after all these years, he still kept his quirk? A hint of happiness couldn¡¯t help but surface from the bottom of Qiao Anhao¡¯s heart. "Mr. Lu, you lost!" Song Xiangsi wore a beaming smile as shemented on the results. She pointed at the three sses on the table. "Three sses, down them!" After that, she said in front of everyone in the room, "Everybody, think! What kind of question should we ask Mr. Lu? Let¡¯s think. If Mr. Lu doesn¡¯t answer the question, then, how should we punish him?" Because Lu Jinnian was very cold and difficult to approach, this forfeit was made even greater. Having admitted his loss, he reached his hand out and raised a ss. Without a blink of an eye, he downed all three,pletely ignoring his assistant¡¯s warning just before the party about not drinking with his back injury. urately speaking, it wasn¡¯t just the people in the room but everyone in the world who were most curious about the dating history of the lonesome Lu Jinnian. Perhaps it was because everyone had a little to drink that they were a little more courageous... Or perhaps it was because everyone felt a little closer to him after he joined their games... With the help of a little alcohol, someone asked, "Mr. Lu, do you have some you like? When did you start to like them?" The moment these questions were asked, the entire private room fell silent. Even Qiao Anhao, Qiao Anxia, and Song Xiangsi, who knew that Lu Jinnian had someone he likes, paid close attention. Perhaps because he had downed three sses, Lu Jinnian looked a little out of it. The vivid colored lights shone on his extraordinarily beautiful face, making him appear particrly stunning. He paused for five seconds before slowly opening his mouth to say, "I noticed her in the first half of the third year of middle school." At first, she was just someone who he noticed. First time, second time, third time... Then he would pay specific attention to her. After that, it became a silent and irreceable deep love. These thoughts he had were words that could never be said to her aloud, but with this game, he could pass the message into her ears. Just like when ying Rock, Paper, Scissors, he didn¡¯t y the sequence "Paper, scissors, rock" to just anyone. He would only y it against her. Paper, scissors, rock. 5,2,0. This is what he gave her, the most beautiful confession with hand signs. It¡¯s a shame she never understood its meaning. Chapter 189: The Most Beautiful Confession with Hand Signs(11) Chapter 189: The Most Beautiful Confession with Hand Signs£¨11£© Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Paper, scissors, rock. 5, 2, 0. This is what he gave her, the most beautiful confession with hand signs. It¡¯s a shame she never understood its meaning. When Qiao Anhao, who sat next to Lu Jinnian, heard his clear voice, a bleak hint of bitterness surfaced from the bottom of her heart. So in reality, he had started liking that unknown girl from the first half of the third year of middle school. She herself had met him in first half of the third year of middle school and fallen in love with him at first sight. Up until now, it made a total of thirteen years. If she added it up, he had actually liked that woman for thirteen years and a half... She always thought that she was really stubborn and tireless in love. Who would have thought that he was the same as her, also just as tireless and stubborn in love... Sometimes, you¡¯re so easy-going when you talk, but deep down, you¡¯re not really carefree. When Qiao Anxia heard Lu Jinnian¡¯s ¡¯truth¡¯, her expression was particrly serious. The moment he told those words, and before people could get distracted, she didn¡¯t know why, but she suddenly spoke up. "Who would have thought Mr. Lu would be so infatuated and persistent in love." With her ss of red wine, Song Xiangsi slowly swirled it around twice, and continued Qiao Anxia¡¯s words, "Indeed. If you count it up, it¡¯s been over ten years. That woman is very lucky to have our Mr. Lu so obsessed." After saying this, Song Xiangsi nced over at where Qiao Anhao sat. Then her lips curved at Lu Jinnian. How could Lu Jinnian not know that Song Xiangsi was making fun of him. Yet his expression was nd as he sat against the sofa, not giving Song Xiangsi any reaction. - After that, the game continued, and Qiao Anhao still lost more rounds than she won. However, when she won, another person would face Lu Jinnian, and Lu Jinnian would win for sure. Deep down, when Qiao Anhao lost, she would rely on Lu Jinnian¡¯s w in the game to barely get by. After someone stepped out first to bravely ask Lu Jinnian about his dating history, people after him were dead set on asking him questions about his dating history also. "Mr. Lu, so do you still like the woman?" "Yes." "Mr. Lu, so did you ever get with her?" "No." "Mr. Lu, after all these years, you can¡¯t still be holding onto your crush? Have you never confessed to her?" "Wanted to, but never seeded." Lu Jinnian¡¯s response caused chaos among everyone in the room. "Oh my god! No way! Who would be so stupid as to turn down THE Mr. Lu?" "Are you sure that the woman isn¡¯t blind?" "Definitely blind. THE Nation¡¯s Husband! You¡¯d dream of taking him home!" Everyone wanted to know everything about who he liked. Above all else, they wanted to know every little detail concerning him and the woman he liked. Qiao Anhao was no exception. Ever since she found out that he had someone he liked, her heart secretly thought, was the woman he liked pretty? Did he ever get together her? Does he still love that woman? That night, everyone in the private room helped her ask the questions she¡¯d been hiding in her heart. However, after she satisfied her curiosity, her heart became even sadder. At the very end, after ying for many more rounds, Lu Jinnian lost again. When he lost, someone asked the question Qiao Anhao most wanted to ask, "Mr. Lu, what¡¯s the name of the woman you like?" Chapter 190: The Most Beautiful Confession with Hand Signs(12) Chapter 190: The Most Beautiful Confession with Hand Signs£¨12£© Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem After having lost again, Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t bother waiting for everyone to remind him to drink as a punishment. He took the ss from the table and downed it. Just as he set it down and was about to pick up the second one, he heard someone ask that question. His hand stopped abruptly. The others in the room broke intomotion. "Yeah. We¡¯ve been asking for half a day now, yet we still don¡¯t know who Mr. Lu likes." "If Mr. Lu doesn¡¯t want to say her name, it¡¯s alright to show us a photo." "Yeah, yeah, yeah! Whoever caught Mr. Lu¡¯s eye must be pretty right?!" When Lu Jinnian heard everyone bouncing back off each other¡¯s words, his expression looked ceaselessly calm. His hand slightly bent over and picked up the second ss. He threw his head back, and the alcohol traveled down to his stomach. A drip of red liquid trickled down the corner of his lips, along his neck, and slid down the inside of his shirt. The picture was so beautiful, it made people gasp in admiration. Lu Jinnian put down his second ss, not stopping there. He picked up the third ss and downed it without even a blink of an eye. As he held the third ss, he looked at the crowd of people in the room who stared back at him waiting for an answer. His eyes gently blinked, and he said tly, "I¡¯ll sing for everyone." Everyone slightly sighed in disappointment. At the key moment, he actually didn¡¯t choose ¡¯truth¡¯ but ¡¯dare¡¯! Lu Jinnian calmly stood up from the sofa and strode over to the song selection station. Out of habit, he reached over with his right hand to select a song, when he stiffened a little. He swapped to his left hand and gently pressed the screen twice. The entire room fell silent at that moment; a gentle and elegant melody started to y. Lu Jinnian did not like singing at all, nor did he know many songs. Apart from the national anthem, that he could sing topletion, he could only sing the song he had just selected from start to end. This song was the soundtrack for a movie he starred in four years ago. This song left a deep impression on him, because the lyrics would make him sing the very words he wanted to say to Qiao Anhao. The prelude wasn¡¯t long, nor was it a very popr song, and so everyone couldn¡¯t guess what the song was until the three words appeared on the screen, "What a Pity". Then they realized what it was. The song selected was a duet, but when the lyrics popped up, only Lu Jinnian¡¯s exquisite voice was heard. "Forget. Want to forget, easier said than done. Not mad at you. It¡¯s the only attack I can¡¯t bear. "Emotions as deep as the ocean floor, no one canpare to my love, but you never cared for this at all." On careful consideration, everyone present had known Lu Jinnian for many years now, and yet they had never heard him sing. Normally, he always wore a cold and distant expression, which made it difficult to imagine that he could take a smooth bad and sing it in such a moving and meaningful way. Right then, the room fell silent. All that could be heard was Lu Jinnian¡¯s voice filling up the room. "Miss you, not only because of loneliness. In the end, I didn¡¯t lie to you, there¡¯s really love. I dare make the whole world my enemy. "For you, I have suffered the utmost. These sufferings, I would even ept." In that instant, the memory of working through the harsh summer heat, when they had just graduated the third year of middle school and entered junior high, surfaced in Lu Jinnian¡¯s mind. Chapter 191: Why Couldnt It Have Been Me? (1) Chapter 191: Why Couldn¡¯t It Have Been Me? (1) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem In his mind, Lu Jinnian remembered the time when he had wanted to enter the same high school as her; he had endured the zing sun, working. In year two of high school, on the day of her birthday, Xu Jiamu suddenly had something to do so he begged Lu Jinnian to order the cake. The five digit worth cake was sky high to the him back then, but he had still paid with all of his savings. Xu Jiamu had given him a card, but he didn¡¯t take a single cent. He remembered the time he was bullied in the entertainment industry, the time he had struggled hard. At that time, he had treated the whole world as his enemy and only had her in his mind. Because of his love for her, everything was worth it. "No good, in the end I lost you. I¡¯m sorry, I tried. "I never gave up, I just avoided you, thinking it won¡¯t hurt me." But no matter how much he tried, he still couldn¡¯t give her up. He knew that she came to visit him in Hangzhou three times afterwards, but he had refused to see her. At that time, it wasn¡¯t that he didn¡¯t love her, but as long as he didn¡¯t see her, he could slowly forget her, stop hurting himself. "Too bad we can¡¯t go back, and crying only makes it worse "I constantly rejected others, just for the unpredictable you." But in the end, he still underestimated her charm, overestimated his willpower. Ever since he was young, he had always been hurt by others. He grew up cold, crude, and not caring about others, but all these were just a defense mechanism. And she was a proof that he still was not able to protect himself. Lu Jinnian seemed to perfectly deliver the song, bringing a depressing atmosphere to the room, infecting a solemn atmosphere on everyone. The colorful lightsnded on Lu Jinnian, causing his expression to look dazed and his gaze to shine. "I constantly rejected others, just for the unpredictable you. "But deep inside, I yearn to tell you not to leave..." Lu Jinnian felt his throat tighten. Through the whole song, he¡¯d never onceid a nce at Qiao Anhao, and at that moment, he looked over at her. He tightened his grip on the microphone, trying to suppress his feelings, trying to sound calm. In the end, he finished perfectly with a clear pitch. "It¡¯s a pity we can¡¯t go back, and crying only makes things worse. "I constantly rejected others, just for the unpredictable you." With hisst word, silence engulfed the room. No one spoke, not a single sound. In that instance, it was as silent as if the room was empty. Lu Jinnian continued to look into Qiao Anhao¡¯s eyes. Qiao Anhao could see deep inside his eyes¡ªthere was anticipation there, despair, struggle. Deep inside, sorrow filled her own heart. After about a minute, Lu Jinnian blinked. Steering his gaze away from Qiao Anhao, he set the microphone on the table, and, without saying a word, he left the room. Chapter 192: Why Couldnt It Have Been Me? (2) Chapter 192: Why Couldn¡¯t It Have Been Me? (2) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem A long while after Lu Jinnian left, the people in the cabin gradually snapped out of their daze, but they still remained silent. Suddenly. Cheng Yang said, "This song! Its the theme song for the movie that me and Lu Jinnian acted in four years ago when I just entered the industry!" A few of the actors in the room were part of the cast of that movie and now that Cheng Yang had mentioned it, they nodded their heads in enlightenment. One of them said, "I found it familiar too! At that time, when we were still filming in the desert, the conditions were so bad. In each tent, more than a couple people had to squeeze in, and once, when I went to the bathroom in the middle of the night, on the way I found Lu Jinnian awake, sitting alone, staring up at the sky. He was surrounded by cigarette buds and had his ear phones plugged in with this song sting." He paused momentarily as if recalling the events from that night before continuing, "I tapped his shoulder, and when he came back to his senses, he turned back and looked at me with blood-shot eyes. Those were the kind of eyes that seemed like he had cried. After that, he seemed to have realized his actions and suddenly stood up to leave. When I went back to the same spot after visiting the bathroom, I found the words "Happy Birthday" written on the sand. Since the wind that day was strong, it was already blurry, but I could still vaguely make out those words." Silence over the room until someone else said, " I never would have guessed that such a frosty and unapproachable person could love someone for so long." "I heard a rumor from before stating that Mr Lu didn¡¯t smoke in the past, but after something happened, he picked it up. Could it be a failed confession that caused him to pick up smoking?" "Yes! Mr Lu is a heavy smoker. I often see him standing and smoking alone in a corner." Silence settled on the room once again, the atmosphere bing depressing and pressuring. In the end, someone changed the topic. "Mr Lu mentioned that the person he likes is his first love. I don¡¯t even remember my first love, what about you guys?" Someone replied, "First love? I only remember my first night." Laughter erupted and the conversation continued. "I still remember my first love, a pure and clean little girl, I would put a lollipop in her cab every day." "Haha, thats nice. I treated my first love badly, I would bully her everyday till sheined to the teacher and I got a beating from my dad." Laughter erupted once again, a cheery mood settling on the room. Lu Jinnian came out of the bathroom and leaned against the wall to smoke a cigarette before returning back to the room. The room wasn¡¯t locked, and once he approached, he heardughter from inside. Just then, Song Xiangsi asked, "Qiao Anhao, what about you? What about your first love?" Chapter 193: Why Couldnt It Have Been Me? (3) Chapter 193: Why Couldn¡¯t It Have Been Me? (3) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Lu Jinnian froze where he stood at the door. Qiao Anhao sounded soft and gentle as usual, but it was enough for Lu Jinnian, who was at the door, to hear clearly. "My first love isn¡¯t as lively or interesting as any of yours. It was a crush, and I¡¯ve loved him for many years, I even studied hard just to enter the first ss as him. After that, I studied hard once again to enter A college." "Wow! Never saw you as a schr material!" "A college, thats a prestigious school that only the best can enter. Then why did you enter the entertainment industry?" The entire room seemed to be curious about Qiao Anhao¡¯s love life. Lu Jinnian clenched his lips, leaning onto the wall weakly. Back then, he had left an entire page nk for his math paper just so that he could enter the third ss to be with her, but she had worked hard for someone else to enter the first ss. He went to Hangzhou such an unfamiliar ce just so that he could be in the same college as her, but she had once again fought hard to enter A college for someone else. Lu Jinnian stared at the ceiling lights in a daze, his eyes starting to sting. A waiter walked passed and saw Lu Jinnian, who was standing motionless. He couldn¡¯t help asking, "Mister, do you need anything?" Lu Jinnian shifted his eyes to the smiling man, shook his head, and slowly straightened up, and left. First love, the carrying of the torch, and youth seemed to be a beautiful memory in everyone¡¯s heart. Once people reach a certain age, they would be casually reminded of the beautiful past, and a feeling of regret and unspoken feelings would rush in. The gathering was supposed to end at 11 pm, but the people were still engrossed in their conversations at 12 am. Just then, someone¡¯s phone rang, reminding the crowd of the time. Qiao Anhao knew that she would definitely drink alcohol in the gathering, hence she told Zhao Meng to leave with the car. She helped Qiao Anxia and Cheng Yang up to his manager¡¯s car since they seemed to have drunk too much. She then got a cab and returned to Mian Xiu Garden. Madam Chen was already asleep, since she wasn¡¯t sure if Qiao Anhao woulde back tonight. Softly, Qiao Anhao went up, ensuring she didn¡¯t wake Madam Chen. She showered and climbed into the bed, but just as she was about to switch off the lights, she heard a car entering. Qiao Anhao frowned, removing her nket. She climbed off the bed and ran to the window. Through it, she could see Lu Jinnian¡¯s car entering the front yard. He didn¡¯t drive into the garage, stopping in front of the main door. Lu Jinnian opened the car door and came out. Drunk, he staggered towards the house. He raised his hands, preparing to key in the passcode, but once he raised his hands, he frowned. He couldn¡¯t seem to remember the passcode. Qiao Anhao heard the doorbell ring. Shuddering, she ran down. Madam Chen was already awake and had opened the door. Lu Jinnian¡¯s clothes were crumpled, and he staggered into the house without even removing his shoes. Madam Chen followed behind him with a pair of slippers in her hand, repeatedly calling after him. Qiao Anhao came forward, taking the slippers from her, before signaling her to go rest. Chapter 194: Why Couldnt It Have Been Me? (4) Chapter 194: Why Couldn¡¯t It Have Been Me? (4) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Returning back to the bedroom, Lu Jinnian went straight to lie on the bed. Qiao Anhao came over, cing the slippers on the floor before softly telling him, "Change your shoes." Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t react. He just stared at the lights on the ceiling. Qiao Anhao stood at the side for a while before informing him yet again. Lu Jinnian ignored her once more, shutting his eyes. Qiao Anhao moved her lips, looking at the shoes that he had on. Kneeling, she untied the shoces and pulled them off. When she was removing his shoes, she hesitated momentarily before removing his socks as well. She then ced the slippers onto his feet. When she lifted her head, preparing to stand, she saw Lu Jinnian staring at her. At some point, he had sat up and was now looking straight at her. Qiao Anhao paused and lowered hershes instinctively, speaking softly, " You¡¯ll feel better after a shower..." Lu Jinnian continued to sit on the bed motionlessly. Qiao Anhao bit her lip and stood up. "I¡¯ll go run a bath for you." She then turned and ran to the bathroom. After no more than two steps, Lu Jinnian reached out to grab her hands. She fell onto the bed, and with a turn, he pressed her underneath him. Not giving her any room for objection, he kissed her roughly on the lips. He kissed furiously, pressing hard against her, as though he wanted to eat her up. After a long while, out of breath, he released her. His dark eyes stared into hers for a long while before he lowered his head once again to seal her lips. This time, he was no longer as rough, kissing with much more care. Slowly, he traced her jaw, down to her neck. With insatiable desire, he started sucking on her neck before moving up to her ears and, suddenly, he stopped, pressing onto her motionlessly. Lu Jinnian paused so suddenly, he left Qiao Anhao in a daze. She was just about to turn to look at him, but at that moment, she heard him ask in a low voice, "Why can¡¯t it be me?" Qiao Anhao frowned slightly, not able to process what he was saying. Lu Jinnian fell silent, motionless. Even though he wasn¡¯t fat, he was tall and heavy. He pressed onto Qiao Anhao, causing her to wriggle about ufortably. In the end, he reached out his hand to grab her shoulder, securing her, not letting her move another inch before repeating his question, "Why can¡¯t it be me?" Every time he asked, Qiao Anhao could feel her neck getting wetter... from Lu Jinnian¡¯s tears. Paralyzed, sheypletely still. Lu Jinnian took a big gulp before burying his head in her neck. Grabbing onto her hands, he trembled slightly. In a shaky voice, he asked, "Why couldn¡¯t it have been me? Why am I not the one you love?" Chapter 195: Why Couldnt It Have Been Me?(5) Chapter 195: Why Couldn¡¯t It Have Been Me?£¨5£© Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Lu Jinnian took a big gulp before burying his head in her neck. Grabbing onto her hands, he trembled slightly. In a shaky voice, he asked, "Why couldn¡¯t it have been me? Why am I not the one you love?" Why couldn¡¯t it have been me? Why am I not the one you love? Qiao Anhao¡¯s, who hadn¡¯t previously understood what exactly Lu Jinnian meant, heart raced heavily with a "Badonk" when she heard those words. Then, in an instant, she realized that his words were meant for the woman he liked. She felt like someone had brutally clutched her heart. It was so painful, she felt it was a little difficult to breathe. Under the pressure of his body, he abruptly tightened his grip even more. A fierce pain crept upon the wound on Lu Jinnian¡¯s shoulder, and instantly traveled through his body. It twisted fiercely for a moment. Even though he¡¯d drank a lot alcohol and his head was a little dizzy, he instantly woke up. Lu Jinnian hid next to Qiao Anhao¡¯s neck, his brows creasing soundlessly. His hands tightly gripped onto the bedsheets. Then, he used all the strength in his chest to turn over. He could of continued to talk, pressing against her forever, but his whole body started to tremble, and he gulped twice. Then, he abruptly raised his head, ruthlessly covering her lips, and started to forcefully rip off her clothes. Qiao Anhao grabbed Lu Jinnian¡¯s shoulder when his movements became heavier. Lu Jinnian¡¯s brows creased harder. As though he couldn¡¯t take the pain from his back any longer, he grabbed onto Qiao Anhao¡¯s wrist and pushed her onto the bed. With some resolution and crudeness, he entered her body. His position looked threatening, but it was no different from the previous times he had done it with her. She clearly knew how gentle he really was. Even his kiss had be so light and soft. He revealed a strong sense of love and protectiveness. - After quite some time, Lu Jinnian finally stopped. In the very end, his hand held onto hers tightly, sping every finger. He lowered his head and stared deeply into Qiao Anhao¡¯s eyes for a long time before slowly lowering his head again and kissing the center of her eyebrows... her hair... Then, he gently held her in his arms. From Qiao Anhao¡¯s memory, Lu Jinnian had only once... just once fallen asleep with her in his arms after they did it. It was during the second time, when he had a fever and she came to take care of him. In an unconscious state, he had forcefully had sex with her. That night, she knew that he would never willingly have sex with her. It was only that after spending so much time alone while they were together that she felt a little happiness being in his arms. She even stupidly grabbed her phone and took a photo. Thenter, whenever he touched her, he would maliciously have sex with her, as though he hated her to death. Don¡¯t mention a hug, he wouldn¡¯t even give her a gentle kiss. Every time they finished, he threw her aside like throwing away something dirty, and quickly left her without any hesitation. Now she finally knew. That night when he had a fever, he probably only treated her that gently because, like tonight, he must have mistaken her for the woman he loved. Chapter 196: Why Couldnt It Have Been Me?(6) Chapter 196: Why Couldn¡¯t It Have Been Me?£¨6£© Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Perhaps the position was too ufortable, for Lu Jinnian, who was embracing Qiao Anhao, slightly shifted his body, pressing her even tighter to himself. His chin coincidently was on top of her forehead, and he lightly rubbed her hair. Then, he lowered his head again and gave her long hair two pecks. After feeling satisfied, he muttered disorientated, "You don¡¯t even know. I¡¯ve been waiting for you for so many years. When will you evere to me..." Lu Jinnian¡¯s voice grew fainter. Then, eventually, it disappearedpletely. During the party, even though every one of his answers were short, they were filled with his unwavering love for that woman. As Qiao Anhao sat by his side, every time she heard his response, she felt a knife brutally stab her heart. Now intoxicated, his words were full of deep emotions, which was even more hurtful. Qiao Anhao tightly balled up her fists, forcing herself not to tremble. Yet, a wetness gradually surfaced in the corner of her eye. She had always craved for his embrace, but now, she had learned that it could be so very painful. Qiao Anhao shut her eyes, wanting to rip herself away from Lu Jinnian¡¯s body. However, he seemingly felt something, and held her tighter. The bedroom was silent. All that could be heard was the ticking of the clock on the wall. Lu Jinnian¡¯s breathing gradually grew long and calm, as though he was already deep in sleep. But Qiao Anhao wasn¡¯t the least bit sleepy, tears flowing uncontrobly from the corners of her eyes. - Next morning, Qiao Anhao was woken up by Zhao Meng¡¯s phone call. She groggily reached for her phone. She picked up the call and said "Hey". Then she heard Zhao Meng¡¯s say seriously, "Qiao Qiao, don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re not fully awake? Don¡¯t forget that you have a scene to shoot inte afternoon. I¡¯m about to reach Mian Xiu Garden. You¡¯d better hurry up, or you won¡¯t make it on set." Qiao Anhao instantly woke up, hung up the phone, and hurriedly ripped the sheets off herself. When she got off the bed, she realized that her whole body felt weak and in pain. Then, images of her and Lu Jinnian togetherst night suddenly came back to her. She subconsciously looked around the room. It waspletely empty; Lu Jinnian was long gone. If it weren¡¯t for the exhaustion, yesterday could¡¯ve been a dream she¡¯d made up. As she was in a rush, Qiao Anhao didn¡¯t have time to think about her pain and suffering. She hurriedly ran into the shower and turned it on. Just as she was about to wash her hands, she suddenly stopped, stunned. She looked at her left hand¡ªit was unexpectedly covered in blood. The blood was already dried up and dark in color. Where did ite from? Qiao Anhao was so shocked, she turned slightly pale. She stared at her own fingers for a while. Without caring about the running water in the shower, she ran out of the bathroom. She walked over to the bed and pulled open the sheets. There, she saw that Lu Jinnian¡¯s half of the bed, the snow white bed sheets on which he¡¯din yesterday, had striking red patches. Qiao Anhao then looked over to her left hand, and wrinkled her eyebrows at the memory of grabbing onto his shoulder yesterday... In her heart, she felt a as though she was brutally hit. Her face was so pale, it was almost translucent. Lu Jinnian was injured? What¡¯s more, it seemed pretty serious... Chapter 197: Why Couldnt It Have Been Me?(7) Chapter 197: Why Couldn¡¯t It Have Been Me?£¨7£© Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Madam Chen had prepared breakfast a long time ago. After seeing Qiao Anhaoe down, she immediately stopped cleaning the china and asked with a smile, "Madame, would you like some breakfast?" Qiao Anhao shook her head and walked towards the entrance. As she changed her shoes, she realized something. Lifting her head, she rushed to ask Madam Chen, "What time did Mr. Lu leave in the morning?" "It wasn¡¯t even 6 am. Not long after I had woken up." Qiao Anhao nodded and asked again, "Did he look a bit off?" Madam Chen thought back and said, "Nothing off in particr... However, Mr. Lu¡¯splexion wasn¡¯t great. His lips were a little pale." Qiao Anhao slightly crossed her hands, pursed her lips, but didn¡¯t say another word. After a while, Madam Chen asked, "Madame, did something happen?" Qiao Anhao shook her head and pushed the door open to leave, smiling at Madam Chen. Zhao Meng was already at the entrance of the vi¡¯s courtyard, waiting for her. Qiao Anhao opened the car door and sat in. Zhao Meng started up the car, jabbering relentlessly about just howte she woke up. Mid-sentence, she saw the red kiss marks all over Qiao Anhao¡¯s cor and said with a "tut tut tut", "No wonder you got up sote... so someone exerted themselvesst night!" Qiao Anhao¡¯s mind was filled with the blood on her hand and bedsheets. She wasn¡¯t at all in the mood to bother with Zhao Meng¡¯s teasing. She just raised an arm to pull on her cor, then turned her head and looked out the window. Zhao Meng looked at Qiao Anhao¡¯s eyes and asked, "What¡¯s wrong? In a bad mood?" Qiao Anhao still didn¡¯t say a word, and so Zhao Meng didn¡¯t bother talking either, turning on the music in the car. There was slight traffic on the city roads, so the car started and stopped. Just when they finally were gaining speed, Qiao Anhao saw a twenty four hour pharmacy and hurriedly said, "Stop the car." "What?" Shocked, Zhao Meng quickly stepped on the throttle. Qiao Anhao grabbed her bag. "I want to drop by the pharmacy." "Pharmacy? Where are you hurt?" Zhao Meng asked in concern. "I¡¯m not, I¡¯m just going to drop by." Qiao Anhao didn¡¯t say anymore to Zhao Meng, just pushed open the car door and jogged over to the pharmacy. - It was already twelve in the afternoon when they reached the set. Qiao Anhao and Zhao Meng grabbed a bite to eat at the hotel restaurant and rushed over. The make-up artist was already on set waiting. When they finished make up, it was almost time to start filming. Qiao Anhao and Zhao Meng hurried over to the set and saw that that the director and Lu Jinnian¡¯s assistant stood by each other. The assistant was on the phone. The director waved when he saw Qiao Anhao. She walked over and was just about to call, "Director", when Lu Jinnian¡¯s assistant put his phone down and rushed over to her. He greeted her, "Miss Qiao", then turned to the director with an upset expression. "Still no answer." "How about the office? Home? Other residences or his favorite ces to go... Have you searched there?" asked the director with furrowed brows. "I¡¯ve looked all over," said Lu Jinnian¡¯s assistant. Qiao Anhao asked aloud, "Did something happen?" "We can¡¯t find Mr. Lu,"the director replied . After a while, he decisively said to Lu Jinnian¡¯s assistant, "How about this... Perhaps Mr. Lu is really busy, so I¡¯ll shoot this scene some other time. I¡¯ll wait for news on Mr. Lu, you can go now, and we¡¯ll reschedule the scenester." Chapter 198: Why Couldnt It Have Been Me?(8) Chapter 198: Why Couldn¡¯t It Have Been Me?£¨8£© Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem "Thank you very much, director," Lu Jinnian¡¯s assistant thanked. politely He bid the two of them farewell, took his phone, and dialed Lu Jinnian¡¯s number as he turned to leave. The director apologetically said, "Xiao Qiao, we¡¯ve probably got you all done up for nothing again." "Don¡¯t worry about it." Qiao Anhao nced at the assistant, who was already a fair distance away, before she turned back to the director. "So, director... You¡¯re busy. If there¡¯s nothing else, I¡¯ll be off to remove my make-up and go back to the hotel now." "Okay." "Bye." Qiao Anhao smiled at the director, then turned around to chase after Lu Jinnian¡¯s assistant. She ran ahead and blocked his path. "Miss Qiao?" Lu Jinnian¡¯s assistant stopped walking, put down his phone that never got through, and asked politely, "Is there something I can help you with?" "Lu Jinnian, was he injured?" Qiao Anhao asked straight forwardly. The assistant thought back to Lu Jinnian¡¯s request from yesterday. He paused for a moment, and kept up his polite smile. "Sorry..." "I know he¡¯s injured." Qiao Anhao didn¡¯t wait for the assistant to finish but rushed to speak first. The assistant gulped but didn¡¯t say a word. "His back is injured, am I right?" Qiao Anhao chased up. The assistant twitched his lips before he finally gave a quick nod. After pausing for a while, he asked, "Miss Qiao... he drank a lot at the party yesterday with you all, didn¡¯t he?" When Qiao Anhao heard these words, she subconsciously lowered her eyes. Lu Jinnian did in fact drink a lot during rock, paper, scissors, and because she knew the trick to his y, he lost many rounds to her. Yesterday, she really didn¡¯t know that he was injured... Qiao Anhao bit her lip, and gave the assistant a gentle nod. "I knew it!" In an instant, the assistant¡¯s voice grew anxious. "The wound on his back is so serious, how could he drink alcohol? It¡¯s definitely infected by now. The wound must have gotten worse. He¡¯s in hiding, just like thest time, during the historical drama filming. "Because he didn¡¯t get a stunt double, when he lost focus during a fight, he twisted the tendon in his left ankle. He didn¡¯t tell anyone about his injury that time! I didn¡¯t even know either until four dayster, when I was in his hotel room. He staggered out from the shower then and just fell to the ground. Then I knew he was injured!" At this point, the assistant becamepletely furious. "Four days... Twisted tendon... Pushing himself for four days... His ankle swollen to the size of a bun! When he arrived at the hospital, the doctor said that if he had pushed himself for a bit longer, he would have ended up crippled! "I really don¡¯t understand what¡¯s wrong with Mr. Lu. He¡¯s like this every time he gets injured or sick. He doesn¡¯t say a word to anyone and hides away alone. He doesn¡¯t let anyone find him, and he exerts himself without a word. I really don¡¯t understand what he¡¯s thinking deep down. "Unless, he doesn¡¯t know how to scream in pain? He¡¯s incapable of the most basic ability of loving oneself! Say... where do you think he¡¯s gone? He hasn¡¯t picked up the phone, nor replied to any messages!" The assistant couldn¡¯t help but pace irritably on the spot as she muttered non-stop. "I¡¯m so worried, and I¡¯m wondering how is he right now? "Miss Qiao, what do you say we do?" the assistant, who had stopped walking and turned to look at Qiao Anhao, asked. However, Qiao Anhao had already turned to leave and was quite a distance away by then. - Qiao Anhao removed her make up, asked Zhao Meng for the car keys, and drove off. The crew were located in the southern part of Beijing and Mount Yi was in the northern part. It took her a total of almost three hours by car to reach Lu Jinnian¡¯s mansion on Mount Yi. Chapter 199: Why Couldnt It Have Been Me?(9) Chapter 199: Why Couldn¡¯t It Have Been Me?£¨9£© Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Besides the asional sound of birds chirping, the world from halfway up the mountain was incredibly peaceful and quiet. The dazzling rays of sunlight shone on the mansion, giving a grand ting of gold light. This was the second time Qiao Anhao was here. Yet, she still couldn¡¯t help but sigh in appreciation, stunned by the view of this otherworldly ce like Taoyuan. Like thest time, the mansion gates were left wide-open, so Qiao Anhao took a turn into the courtyard. She saw the car that Lu Jinnian drovest night parked by the pool. So he was hiding here all alone... Qiao Anhao stopped the car, pulled out the keys, and carried her bag as she walked toward the mansion¡¯s gate. She pressed the door bell, but nobody came to open it. She creased her brows, growing more worried from the bottom of her heart. She circled around the the back of the mansion likest time. She saw that his floor-to-ceiling window that she had entered throughst time was half open, so she walked up to it, pushed it open, and entered the mansion. Qiao Anhao got to the corridor of the second floor and walked to Lu Jinnian¡¯s bedroom door. She raised her hand, ready to open it, when the door was pulled open first from the inside. - When Lu Jinnian woke up the next morning, he was a little groggy when he saw Qiao Anhao in his arms. He waspletely dazed out for a long while before he gradually remembered that he had left The Royal Pcest night on his own. There, he didn¡¯t drink a lot. In the middle of the night, he drove aimlessly around the empty streets of Beijing. His mind revolved around what she had said in restaurant, "My first love isn¡¯t as lively or interesting as any of yours. It was a crush, and I¡¯ve loved him for many years, I even studied hard just to enter the first ss as him. After that, I studied hard once again to enter A college." He felt like someone had brutally clutched his heart, and didn¡¯t stop squeezing it. The pain hurt so much, it caused his whole body to thrash around. Eventually, he settled for going to a bar on his own, and drank his sorrows away for quite a long time. Actually, when he came out of the bar, he realized that he was very clear-headed. He could even control the speed of his car especially well. He could stop at a red light, and go through a green one, but for some reason, he drove back to Mian Xiu Garden. He didn¡¯t actually ckout, so he clearly remembered everything that transpired. Even though he spoke the words hidden deep in his heart whilst he was intoxicated, he didn¡¯t make any major mistakes. Lu Jinnian heaved, his head feeling a little heavy and his back scorching with pain. At that moment, he knew his wound must have worsened from the drinkingst night. Even if he wanted to rest for a while with her in his arms, ever since he were young, whenever he got sick or were injured, he was used to being on his own. He forced himself off the bed, put on his clothes, and left. He forced himself to endure the pain in his body as he drove to his mansion in Mount Yi. Back in his room, he took two anti-inmmatory tablets before heid straight on the bed. He fell asleep in a daze up until he heard the faint sound of the doorbell. When he left the bed, he realized that when he came back earlier, he had forgotten to change into his slippers; he just walked barefoot to the door. When he pulled the door open, he saw the pretty Qiao Anhao standing before him. Lu Jinnian thought it was an illusion, and was stunned on the spot. Qiao Anhao was also shocked by Lu Jinnian suddenly opening the door. She quickly collected herself and took a good look at the horrifyingly pale man in front of her. Chapter 200: Why Couldnt It Have Been Me?(10) Chapter 200: Why Couldn¡¯t It Have Been Me?£¨10£© Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Qiao Anhao eyebrows creased and she reached her arm out to Lu Jinnian¡¯s forehead to feel for whether or not he had a fever. But just as her fingertips touched between his brows, Lu Jinnian abruptly snapped out of his daze. He remembered the wound on his back, and without even thinking, he grabbed Qiao Anhao¡¯s wrist, "Who let you in?" Qiao Anhao was so shocked by Lu Jinnian¡¯s sudden move, she shivered. With her head raised, she looked at him, who was about to speak. His cold tone of voice became calmer when he said, "Get out of my mansion!" When he finished speaking, he ruthlessly flung her hand away and mmed the door shut. Qiao Anhao instinctively reached out to push the door, but she clumsily slipped, hitting the door frame. Lu Jinnian tightened his brows, reaching to grab the door to stop it. He red at Qiao Anhao¡¯s fingers that were dangerously close to being crushed between the door. His tone of voice had a hint of anger when he spoke next. "I¡¯m telling you to get out of my mansion!" With that, Lu Jinnian wanted to shut the door again, but he saw that the woman had annoyingly grabbed onto the frame. In the end, he could only grit his teeth and fling the door open. He reached out and clutched Qiao Anhao¡¯s arm. All of a sudden, he picked her up and strode downstairs with a nk expression. "What are you doing?" asked Qiao Anhao. With those words, Lu Jinnian immediately opened the front door, and brutally threw her out! Without even waiting for Qiao Anhao to respond, the door in front of her mmed shut with a "Bang". Qiao Anhao reached out and smacked the door. Not a single sound was heard inside. She turned her head. Through the wide, shining, floor-to-ceiling windows, she saw that Lu Jinnian had already strode off upstairs. She pouted before going around the back and entering the mansion through the same floor-to-ceiling window again. Having had her first experience of being kicked out, this time her steps were particrly light. The bedroom door wasn¡¯t closed. Lu Jinnian was spread on his stomach out on the bed with his head staring out the window at who knows what... Qiao Anhao carefully tip-toed closer to therge bed. When she drew closer, Lu Jinnian realized that something was off. He instinctively turned his head, but before he could clearly see Qiao Anhao¡¯s face, she quickly sat on top of his waist. The sudden weight made Lu Jinnian slightly crease his brows. Subconsciously, he reached out to pull Qiao Anhao off of him, but her somewhat cold hands were one step ahead. Without any warning, she rolled his shirt over him to expose the wound on his back right before her eyes. Lu Jinnian stopped abruptly, his arm halfway-up, and his entire body stiffened. On his fair back was a giant graze. Since the wound wasn¡¯t dealt with sooner, there were some areas that were infected. Especially near the shoulder, which was incredibly red and swollen. Seeing this, Qiao Anhao¡¯s face turned pale white. She bit her bottom lip and asked in a low voice, "Was it when you came to rescue me? Was that when you got injured?" Chapter 201: Will You Always Love Her? (1) Chapter 201: Will You Always Love Her? (1) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Seeing this, Qiao Anhao¡¯s face turned pale white. She bit her bottom lip and asked in a low voice, "Was it when you came to rescue me? Was that when you got injured?" They were filming a modern drama, so there weren¡¯t any fighting scenes. The only thing that could have injured him was when he grazed himself whilst catching her as she fell off the swing... Qiao Anhao suddenly thought back to the look Lu Jinnian had given her that day when she opened her eyes. Those eyes had been filled with worry and confusion. However, his expression changed very quickly, and so she wasn¡¯t quite sure. Deep down, she was a little doubtful, but now, seeing that he had injured his back, the absolute doubt and struggle that she had tried hard to forget, her inner most feelings resurfaced once again... Lu Jinnian... did he... care a bit about her deep down inside? Or else, why would he sacrifice himself to save her? Qiao Anhao¡¯s heart was confused. Her intuition told her that she guessed correctly, but she was also afraid that she was just over-thinking things. In her heart, she thought about it for a long time. By the end, she couldn¡¯t help but gently lift her eyelids to look up at the side of Lu Jinnian¡¯s face. She carefully worded her question and asked, "That day, why did you save me?" Lu Jinnian¡¯s fingers trembled lightly as he tried to grab Qiao Anhao¡¯s hands. He tightly grasped and let go again... he let go and grasped again tightly. In the end, he fell back on the bed without a sound. After staying silent for a long while, he then shut his eyes and masked his emotions, then said in a t tone, "If anything unfortunate were to really happen to you on set, there¡¯s no way I could exin it to Xu Jiamu." Why did he save her? He loved her so much... How could he let her get hurt right in front of him? He thought... the most depressing thing in the world was probably this. He clearly cared about her, which is why he was so selflessly brave. However, he could only find a reasonable excuse to make himself look like he didn¡¯t care. So he actually saved her, all because of Brother Jiamu... Qiao Anhao was disappointed, but she still let out an "Oh" to say she understood. Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t make a sound. After staying silent for a long time, Qiao Anhao then remembered why she was here. She looked at the wound on Lu Jinnian¡¯s back. She wanted to reach over to touch it but was afraid to hurt him. Eventually, she pulled her fingers back and asked in gentle voice, "Doesn¡¯t it hurt?" Lu Jinnian¡¯s hand tightly grasped the bedding. Doesn¡¯t it hurt? They were such simple words, but to him, they were what he had once craved. Because he had a bone marrow transnt when he was young, his health was abnormally weak. After his mother passed away, how could a child only ten years old look after himself. He would often have a cold or get a fever. When he went to the clinic, he would see other children his age treated like gems by their parents, but he would forever be alone. Back then, he was young and craved attention. Even though his mother told him that his father and the Xu family had nothing to do with him, he still ran over to the Xu family¡¯s apartment block doors with a fever. Hoping to get just a little of his father¡¯s attention... no... just to be seen, he waited at the doorstep for a very long time before his father finally came to him. But before he could speak, his father furrowed his brows and asked with a dark look, "Who allowed you toe here? Leave!" Chapter 202: Will You Always Love Her? (2) Chapter 202: Will You Always Love Her? (2) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem His father didn¡¯t even look at him but walked into the office block. To his father, Lu Jinnian was of no rtion to him, as if he was a stranger. There was practically no one who cared if he suffered when he was sick, if he was injured and in pain to the point where he felt that he could never feel suffering or pain. But now, she actually asked if he was in pain... They were such careless words, but they easily pierced the softest part of his heart. When Qiao Anhao posed her question, she reached and opened her bag, took out the disinfectant, ointment, and bandages she had bought in the pharmacy. She picked the cotton swabs to firstly disinfect Lu Jinnian¡¯s back. Perhaps because of the pain, Lu Jinnian¡¯s back suddenly tightened. As though Qiao Anhao also felt the same pain travel through her, her hand struggled to hold the cotton swab. To stayposed and divert her attention, she couldn¡¯t help but ask, "When you got injured, why didn¡¯t you say anything? Even if you didn¡¯t want to let other people know, you still have to go to the hospital to get it checked up. If the wound isn¡¯t properly handled, it could easily get infected. "Also, yesterday, why did you drink so much? With an injury like this, you shouldn¡¯t drink alcohol at all... For someone so old now, how can you not look after yourself..." Ever since Lu Jinnian was young, his personality was always that of a loner; he did he like to talk, and he preferred silence. However, now, by his ear, all he could hear around him was her gentle, long-winded chatter. Perhaps because it was the first time Qiao Anhao had to take care of such a ghastly-looking wound, she seemed particrly timid. Her voice carried a slight tremble, which made her gentle voice sound especially cute and attractive. She said one thing after another, without repeating a sentence, nor showing a hint of stopping. Yet, he didn¡¯t think that it was the least bit annoying. In actuality, as listened to her jabber on, an indescribable warmth took over his heart. With eyes shut and body spread out on the bed, Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t say a word. It looked as though he had fallen asleep, but the corner of his lips hidden under his arms carried a slight hint of a smile. Only when Qiao Anhao finished handling Lu Jinnian¡¯s wound did she climb down from his body. Then, taking a few anti-inmmatory pills into her hand, she said, "Take some of these pills, you¡¯ll get better in no time." As she said this, she grabbed the bottled water from the cab by the headboard. She twisted the cap off and carried it over to the bed. That was when she discovered his eyes were shut, his breathing was long and heavy, and he had already fell asleep. His eyshes were long, like two wings. Under the light, his nose line was entuated, forming a beautiful shadow. His expression was still and calm. The corner of his lips was slightly arched, as if he was smiling. His dazzling features unexpectedly contained a hint of warmth. Qiao Anhao bent her body to stare at Lu Jinnian¡¯s face for a very long time. She couldn¡¯t help but draw closer, and secretly nt a light kiss on his face, before running away, blushing like crazy. She took the bottled water and pills to the cab by the headboard. Then she discreetly pulled the nket over his body, picked her own bag, and quickly left the bedroom. Chapter 203: Will You Always Love Her? (3) Chapter 203: Will You Always Love Her? (3) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Lu Jinnian had woken up early in the morning toe to the Mount Yi vi. As he still had a slight fever, he never slept well, and so listening to Qiao Anhao¡¯s chatter, he unwittingly nodded off. That nap, he fell into a particrly deep sleep. When he woke up again, sky outside his window was already dark. As the lights were off in his room, it was pitch-ck. Lu Jinnian felt around for the remote control. He turned on all the lights in the vi. Seeing that he was the only one in the room, he instinctively raised his arm to rub the bandage on his back. With this, he confirmed that Qiao Anhao had really been here this afternoon. He then flew off the bed and left the room. The vi was very quiet. Apart from his footsteps, no other sounds could be heard. The floor-to-ceiling window on the first floor wasn¡¯t shut, and so the cold night air blew the curtains, fluttering them endlessly. Lu Jinnian went around the whole vi but couldn¡¯t see Qiao Anhao at all. A hint of disappointment couldn¡¯t help but appear in his heart. She had already left... Lu Jinnian stood in therge empty living room on his own for a long while before pursing his lips and striding up the stairs. He circled the bedroom once more before finally taking a few pills from the cab by the bedhead. Lu Jinnian¡¯s line of sight instantly paused. He quietly stared for a long time, and then pulled out a cigarette from the side-drawer, sitting down. He lit it up but didn¡¯t take a hit, as he heard a faint sounding from downstairs. He furrowed his brows and listened carefully. There was in fact a faint sound of footsteps. Thereupon, he put out the cigarette in his hand in the ash tray, then quickly got up and left the room. Just as he reached the stairs, he saw Qiao Anhao panting, carrying arge bag into the dining room. Lu Jinnian strode over, casually going down the stairs towards the dining room. The dining room¡¯s door was open, and he saw her taking one dish out after the other from her bag of takeaway and ce them neatly on the dining table. Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t say a word to disturb her, leaning on the dining room doo as he quietly watched. Qiao Anhao nicely packed everything away, looked at the table of food, and pped her hands in satisfaction. She turned around then, ready to call Lu Jinnian for dinner. When she saw him posed leisurely at the door, she jumped in shock, but then smiled at him. "You¡¯re up? Then go wash your hands for dinner." Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t move but stared into Qiao Anhao¡¯s eyes for a while, then asked, "You went out just now to get take out?" Qiao Anhao nodded, then said with a hint of an anger in her voice, "You live too far. They wouldn¡¯t deliver here, and so I had to drive over there myself to get it." So she didn¡¯t leave after all... Lu Jinnian¡¯s heart rxed a little. He slowly stood upright, turned towards the first floor, and went to themunal bathroom to wash his hands. When he came back, Qiao Anhao already sat obediently at the dining table, waiting for him. As she saw hime in, she said, "I can¡¯t cook, and I don¡¯t know what you like to eat, so I bought some rather nd food." Lu Jinnian pulled out the chair in front of Qiao Anhao and sat down. He nced over five dishes and one soup. The meat and vegetables suited each other well, and nutrition was well bnced. He nodded at Qiao Anhao and picked up the chopsticks that she¡¯d prepared for him earlier and started to eat. After a few bites, Lu Jinnian raised his head and looked at Qiao Anhao, who was eating in silence. He stopped for a moment, thinking of a topic for conversation. He asked, "How did you get in?" Chapter 204: Will You Always Love Her? (4) Chapter 204: Will You Always Love Her? (4) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Lu Jinnian rarely spoke to Qiao Anhao before, and so she only realized whilst she was about to take a bite that he had asked her a question. She swallowed the food on her chopstick, blinking at him. Flustered, she stumbled to say in a low voice, "I climbed through a window." Climbed through a window... The corners of Lu Jinnian¡¯s lips couldn¡¯t help but twitch. He picked up his chopsticks and shoved some random dish into his mouth to stop his smile from surfacing. With a straight face, he continued to eat without saying a word. Qiao Anhao carefully looked at Lu Jinnian for a while. It didn¡¯t seem like he had any intention of chasing or arguing about past events. Consequently, she let go and took a bite of her fod. She lowered her head and continued to innocently and sincerely scrape her rice. The dining room was very quiet. The two of them ate their meal facing each other in silence. Just when they were about to finish eating, Lu Jinnian suddenly broke the silence, and with no warning at all, threw six numbers at her. Qiao Anhao spaced out for a moment, then raised her head and stared up at Lu Jinnian, clueless with her big eyes. Lu Jinnian shot Qiao Anhao a nce, and continued to virtuously eat in peace. Just when he was full, he put his chopsticks down and repeated the six numbers, followed by the question, "Got it?" What was that? Qiao Anhao innocently blinked her big round eyes. She nodded at first to say she¡¯d remembered, but then shook her head. Lu Jinnian creased his brows, a helpless look on his face. With hints of wanting to spoil her, he stood up and walked out of the dining room. After a while, he came back with a piece of paper and pushed it in front of Qiao Anhao. On the piece of paper, he wrote down the six numbers he had just said in cursive handwriting. Qiao Anhao looked at the piece of paper. Then raised her head up at Lu Jinnian. He looked down at her from above. His extraordinary handsome face didn¡¯t have much of an expression when he stretched his clean, long fingers and pointed at the paper. With two clear knocks of the table, he simply said the five words, "The passcode to the mansion." He turned around and left the dining room. As thought he had thought of something, Lu Jinnian stopped at the door, turned around, and said to her, "From now on, don¡¯t climb through the window. If the security system catches you, it¡¯ll call the police. If that timees, don¡¯t point at me to bail you out from the police station." Having said what he wanted, Lu Jinnian strode off. When he reached upstairs, he turned to the floor-to-ceiling window behind him to find that it really wasn¡¯t closed shut. He hadn¡¯t even told his assistant about this mansion in Mount Yi, because when he was in a bad mood or ill, he liked to stay here alone. For this reason, he didn¡¯t bother finding a part-time cleaner, and so it was up to him alone to take care of the cleanliness of the mansion. A few months ago, when he came over, he watered the flowers on his way to open the windows for some fresh air. It must¡¯ve been then that he forgot to close it... When Lu Jinnian reached out to lock the floor-to-ceiling window, he thought about the person sitting in the dining room nibbling at her food. His movements paused for a moment. In the end, he gave up and allowed the window to remain wide open. He turned and walked upstairs. A passcode of six numbers. After saying it twice, Qiao Anhao still couldn¡¯t remember it. Written down on paper, who knows if she¡¯ll turn around and lose it. Eventually when she came over again... then she¡¯ll still have to climb through the window... Since she likes to climb through the window, he¡¯d better leave it open for her to climb through in the future... Chapter 205: Will You Always Love Her? (5) Chapter 205: Will You Always Love Her? (5) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem When Qiao Anhao finished eating, she put the leftovers in the bin and ced it by the entrance hall. Then, she went upstairs. Lu Jinnian was posed elegantly on the sofa with a notebook on his knees. With both hands, she hastily knocked on the door. Qiao Anhao¡¯s knock was a reminder for Lu Jinnian. She strode into the room, took the medicine she¡¯d bought from the pharmacy, and ced it by Lu Jinnian on the sofa. She pointed at the anti-inmmatory pills and said gently, "These are anti-inmmatory pills. After a while, remember to take them. You need to take four..." Then she pointed at the rubbing ointment and said, "This is to be applied externally. If you need it, I¡¯lle over tomorrow to put it on. If you don¡¯t, you can find your assistant." Lu Jinnian carried theputer in his hand, and slightly stiffened at her words. He gave a light nod. Qiao Anhao followed with a nod of her own. After staying quiet for a while, she said, "So it¡¯s gettingte, I¡¯ll head out first." Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t say a word. Qiao Anhao waited for a few seconds, then said, "Goodbye". She got her bag and walked out of Lu Jinnian¡¯s bedroom. Lu Jinnian sat on the sofa, unmoving. Before, he was always alone in the vi, yet he didn¡¯t feel lonely. Perhaps because of her appearance, when she suddenly left, he felt like the vi became frighteningly empty. Hearing the sound of the car starting up downstairs, Lu Jinnian grabbed theptop and stood up. He walked over to the bed and looked around for a while for his phone. He dialed a number. "Yeah, temporarily close off the exit, and let those on duty off for half an hour. Yeah, thanks." After he hung up the phone, Lu Jinnian walked, calm andposed, back to the sofa. He sat down, brought up hisptop, and continued to handle the urgent documents hispany had sent him today. With every letter he typed, Lu Jinnian sneaked a nce at the phone by his side. On the fifteenth time he looked up, his phone screen lit up with a call from Qiao Anhao. Lu Jinnian wasn¡¯t in a hurry to pick up, continuing to type on the keyboard. Then he very slowly reached his arm out to grab his phone. He slid a finger across the screen and picked up the call, "What¡¯s wrong?" "The gates of your vi are locked and there isn¡¯t anyone on duty. Do you have an ess card?" Qiao Anhao asked in soft voice, through the phone and into Lu Jinnian¡¯s ears. "Yeah," Lu Jinnian actually answered honestly. Then he stood up, pretended to look around for a while. He even purposefully made some noise for Qiao Anhao to hear through the phone. Eventually, he held up the ess card, looked at it for some time, and lied over the phone without looking red-faced or panting from the search, "Oh, I just remembered. Two days ago, I must of left it in the hotel at the set when I changed clothes and never brought it back." "Ah?" cried Qiao Anhao in shock. "So how do I get out?" Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t say a word, as though he was really thinking of a n. After a while, he shared the n in his mind, "Come back first. If you can¡¯t leave tonight, then stay here for now." Qiao Anhao, who couldn¡¯t leave the vi, thought it thorough, but could only do as told, and so she replied with an "oh". Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t say more and hung up straightaway. Chapter 206: Will You Always Love Her? (6) Chapter 206: Will You Always Love Her? (6) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Lu Jinnian lowered his head, looking at the ess card in his hands. Walking over to a locker, he lifted his head and punched in the passcode, throwing the ess card in before mming the door shut. Returning back to the sofa calmly, he continued to work on hisputer. After about fifteen minutes, he heard a car entering. His lips curved upwards as his fingers continued to fly across the keyboard. When Qiao Anhao¡¯s footsteps inched closer, Lu Jinnian had already hidden away his smile, resuming a focused expression. Qiao Anhao entered softly, careful not to disturb Lu Jinnian while he worked. She went to a sofa far away from him and entertained herself with her phone. Looking sideways, Lu Jinnian¡¯s attention was always on her. Qiao Anhao sat on the sofa, turning often to look through the window in boredom. After a while, he swept a nce over her, pausing momentarily when he saw the medicine at her side. He ced theptop on the coffee table in front of him, then walked towards the side of the room to grab a bottle of mineral water. He pretended as though he¡¯d forgotten to eat his medicine, swallowing two pills. Once again, he looked towards Qiao Anhao, throwing the television remote control over before walking back to the sofa to resume his work. Qiao Anhao switched on the television, lowering the volume the instant the screen lit up. She held onto the remote control, punching onto the buttons, flicking through the various channels before finally stopping on a movie channel. Producer Sun was currently being interviewed, and at the bottom of the screen, it mentioned that "Empress Dowager" would be aired shortly after. "Empress Dowager" was the movie that garnered Lu Jinnian his first Best Screen actor title. It was a ssic historical romance that producer Sun had invested in. Qiao Anhao ced the remote control down and waited for producer Sun to finish his interview so that she could watch Lu Jinnian¡¯s movie. Lu Jinnian¡¯s noticed that she kept flicking through the channels only to stop on the channel with producer Sun. Even though she hadn¡¯t been interacting much with the man recently, Lu Jinnian was still well aware of his intentions... he had wanted to be her sugar daddy, offering her the role of a first female lead. Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t want topare himself with such a guy, but he couldn¡¯t help destroying the image of anyone that had an interest in her. He fell into a deep thought before acting as though he wanted to gossip with Qiao Anhao. Casually, he stated, "There seems to be something going on with producer Sun and Lin Shiyi." Qiao Anhao didn¡¯t seem to like Lin Shiyi, hence anyone associated with her would automatically be cklisted... Just as he expected, even though Qiao Anhao didn¡¯t react violently to the news, it was clear that there was a flicker of unhappiness on her face. Lu Jinnian kept his mask of calm, but it was obvious that a hint of satisfaction had tinted his face. Satisfied, he looked back at his screen to continue his work. Producer Sun ended shortly and "Empress Dowager" started airing. At that time, Lu Jinnian was much younger, with less calm and restrain on his face. But just like right now, he was mesmerizing. Chapter 207: Will You Always Love Her? (7) Chapter 207: Will You Always Love Her? (7) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem At that time, Lu Jinnian¡¯s acting skills were already impable, his expression, his actions were all perfectly delivered in ordance to the role. The plot was interesting and the actors were good. "Empress Dowager" was indeed a rare ssic. With this film, he firmly secured the Best Screen Actor title. Qiao Anhao had watched this movie several times before, but every single time, she was still sucked into the movie. Halfway through it, Lu Jinnian¡¯s phone vibrated. She turned to look at him, but he had already picked it up. It was a call from his assistant. "Mr. Lu, there¡¯s been some progress with the swing incident." Lu Jinnian nced at Qiao Anhao. Silently, he ced theptop onto the table and left the room. After he exited the room, he was sure to shut the door before asking, "What progress?" "The strings holding the swing were mechanically cut off, the cuts are rtively new, so I retrieved the security cameras. At that time, Lin Shiyi had gone in the direction of the grasnd, but since there weren¡¯t any security cameras in that area, I can¡¯t confirm that she had gone there to cut the strings. "However, another than her, only the crew had gone in that direction. Other than her, there isn¡¯t anyone else with the motive to cut the strings. I suspect that she bribed that filming crew so that there won¡¯t be concrete evidence. Mr. Lu, how do you intend to settle the issue?" Lu Jinnian had already had his suspicions, he just needed evidence. ording to his assistant¡¯s words, there wasn¡¯t any concrete evidence, but he was sure that the swing had been touched by Lin Shiyi. A murderous glint flickered past his eyes, his entire expression turning cold and menacing. He narrowed his eyes, snarling into the phone: "If there isn¡¯t evidence, there are always other ways to deal with her." "Mr. Lu, you mean?" His assistant had been following Lu Jinnian for years and could vaguely guess his intentions, hence he tried, "Shall we boycott her for a while?" "Not for awhile. Do it permanently." Ever since Lu Jinnian took over Huan Ying Entertainment, this was the first time he had boycotted an artist. As an artist, he understood the struggle and difficulties they faced, so he would often tolerate mistakes. This was the first time he had called for such a harsh punishment. "But it¡¯ll be difficult to change her role in ¡¯Alluring Times¡¯ now..." "Get the script crew to reduce her screen time." "Yes, Mr. Lu." After Lu Jinnian hung up, he stood at the stairs, taking deep breaths, trying to calm his bursting anger. Only when he managed to calm himself fully did he return to the room. Lu Jinnian swept a nce over the screen, realizing that it was the kiss scene between him and Song Xiangsi. He turned to look at Qiao Anhao, who was focused on the screen with an intensity greater than before he had left the room. Chapter 208: Will You Always Love Her? (8) Chapter 208: Will You Always Love Her? (8) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Lu Jinnian swept a nce over the screen, realizing that it was the kiss scene between him and Song Xiangsi. He turned to look at Qiao Anhao, who was focused on the screen with an intensity greater than before he had left the room. Lu Jinnian stared at Qiao Anhao for a while before turning to look back at the screen. On screen, he and Song Xiangsi were deeply engrossed in their kiss, as though they were using their whole souls and bodies. They were both from the entertainment industry and were clear that this was just an act, a facade for the public. There were many married couples within the industry that had seen their other half kissing someone else. But since he hadn¡¯t really kissed Song Xiangsi, just yed at the angle, there was nothing to mind about it. In the past, when he had sat in the theater, looking at his own kiss scenes, he didn¡¯t feel much but now that Qiao Anhao was staring with such intensity, he started to feel an unknown sense of fear. Lu Jinnian remained silent, careful not to disrupt her. Slowly, he sat down on the sofa and picked up hisptop. After he keyed in the passcode and was preparing to clear thest bit of work he had left, he couldn¡¯t help lifting his head to look at the unfinished kiss scene ying on the screen. With his fingers, he lightly touched theptop screen before calmly asking, "Nice?" Qiao Anhao turned, looking at him with doubt. Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t exin his question, his expression light as he lifted his fingers to swipe at the touchpad. Reclining his hand, he positioned it on his chin and stared at theptop screen for a while before cing it on the keyboard to type. Qiao Anhao blinked, unsure if Lu Jinnian was murmuring to himself or her. She turned back to the television and continued to watch the movie, but before her eyes reached the screen, Lu Jinnian spoke again. In a detached voice, he said, "The movie is filled with different angles, nothing is real, there isn¡¯t much to watch." So he had been asking about the kiss scene... Qiao Anhao stared at the screen for a few seconds before replying, "Even though it¡¯s about the angle, the visuals are amazing, plus, the snow background just adds so much emotion to the kiss. The image is so pretty it nourishes the eye." Lu Jinnian remained silent, his gaze focused on hisptop. Qiao Anhao turned back to the screen to watch the movie. Just then, she seemed to remember that Lu Jinnian had mentioned that it was about the angle. In that instance, she remembered how the director had mentioned that Lu Jinnian had never kissed anyone before and was always ying with the angle for his kiss scenes. She couldn¡¯t help her curiosity, turning back to ask, "The kiss scenes in the movie aren¡¯t real?" Lu Jinnian continued to stare at theptop, murmuring, "Yea.." Qiao Anhao had watched every single movie that Lu Jinnian starred in. There were kiss scenes in all of them, and some of them looked extremely realistic. She couldn¡¯t help listing a few of his movies to verify, " What about in ¡¯Clouds¡¯ and ¡¯Heaven¡¯ ?" Lu Jinnian nodded his head. Qiao Anhao turned her head, thinking intensely before listing a few other movies. Lu Jinnian nodded once again. "But in ¡¯Obsessed¡¯ there¡¯s a bed scene..." Chapter 209: Will You Always Love Her? (9) Chapter 209: Will You Always Love Her? (9) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Lu Jinnian frowned, his typing stopped as he rested his fingers on the keyboard. He thought for a long while before recalling which movie "Obsessed" was. "That one? A substitute was used." A bubble of happiness erupted in Qiao Anhao¡¯s heart. Back then, when she had watched the movie in the theater, she was filled with jealousy and sorrow thinking that his body was exposed to the whole world. Lu Jinnian lowered hisshes as he continued to focus on hisptop. But before he could read anything, he suddenly realized that Qiao Anhao had listed almost all the movies that he had starred in, she even knew about "Obsessed" which didn¡¯t do very well. He himself had almost forgotten about it, but she had actually remembered the bed scene inside... He couldn¡¯t help lifting his head to look at her, asking, "You seem to be paying attention to my movies." Qiao Anhao¡¯s heart thumped rapidly, even skipping a beat. She clenched her hands slightly, afraid that he had sensed something. She stared unwaveringly at the screen, trying to calm herself down before replying, "All your movies are famous, everyone loves them. And I¡¯m actually a fan of yours!" Finishing, she turned to smile at Lu Jinnian with curved eyes before continuing to casually conceal her feelings. "How is it? Die hard fan, aren¡¯t I? I can name all your movies!" Lu Jinnian was named the "Nation¡¯s Husband" and had an insane amount of crazy fans globally, but Qiao Anhao was the fan that made him the happiest. He closed hisptop and slouched back on the sofa, watching the movie with Qiao Anhao before asking, "Out of all my movies, which character is your favorite?" Qiao Anhao tilted her head slightly, considering the question seriously. Just when he thought she didn¡¯t hear his question properly and was going to repeat himself, she finally replied, "My favorite? My favorite is the movie ¡¯Longing¡¯." "Longing". Lu Jinnian frowned slightly. "Even though you were the second male lead in that movie, youpletely overshadowed the male lead. Your love for the female lead, your sister, was forbidden, and you were able to portray the restrain and internal struggle so well. " Sorrow clouded Qiao Anhao¡¯s eyes as she spoke, the character resembled her love for him. She loved him, but along the years it had turned into a secret she was afraid to let out, afraid that a confession would cause an irreversible oue. She was not a coward, she was just afraid to not be able to see him again. Lu Jinnian had filmed many ssics, like "Empress Dowager" , "Bustling Dreams" , "Clouds", and "Heaven". "Bustling Dreams" had even been named the best ssic of their time, garnering him many awards. "Longing" was the movie that had made him famous, but since he was the second male lead, it wasn¡¯t as memorable. Chapter 210: Will You Always Love Her? (10) Chapter 210: Will You Always Love Her? (10) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Lu Jinnian had always seen Qiao Anhao as someone who would prefer the main lead in a ssic movie, never would he have expected that "Longing" would be her favorite. This was the movie that had garnered him national fame, allowing him to enjoy the luxurious life that he was living now. But yet, it was also the film that had caused them to drift. It was the film that he loved yet hated. Lu Jinnian drifted into a daze momentarily before lightly blinking his eyes. In a wavering voice, he said, "This is also one of my favorites, but it¡¯s also the film I hate too." "Why?" Lu Jinnian¡¯s expression rxed slightly, and for a moment, Qiao Anhao could have sworn she saw a hint of sorrow on his expressionless face. "It was the film that allowed me to lie the life I have now, but it was also the film that caused me to lose the most important person in my life." Losing the most important person in his life.... Qiao Anhao frowned slightly, remembering that the night before, he had mentioned that he had thought of confessing but it didn¡¯t work out... She hesitated before finally asking, " So you confessed after filming "Longing" and failed?" Lu Jinnian was indeed going to confess, but before he could even do it, he had lost his right to do so. He crossed the hands that he had casually ced on his knees. He lowered hisshes and after a long while, he replied with a soft "Yea..". After another long while, he continued with, " You can say that." Qiao Anhao had always been curious about Lu Jinnian¡¯s love story, but even if she were to find out the entire story, she was the one that would get upset. However, she couldn¡¯t keep it in and decided to ask, "Are you still in contact with her?" "We lost contact for a period of time, but nowadays, we still talk." A rush of emotions flooded Qiao Anhao¡¯s mind, the first half of the sentence had brought about happiness and the second half brought her into the dumps. They still talk... But how were they progressing now? Lu Jinnian is so aplished and charming, she definitely won¡¯t reject him again..? Qiao Anhao tapped her fingers, her interest in the film lostpletely. She pretended to be happy, turning her head towards Lu Jinnian. "In novels and dramas, couples usually end up together in a happy ending after a separation, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be the same." She has no idea that he was talking about her. But from her expression, she didn¡¯t seem to care that he had someone in his heart, and was even anticipating their reunion. Frustrated, Lu Jinnian suddenly stood up, preparing to leave the room. Just before he left, he seemed to have noticed something. After five years, they finally were able to interact again, even though there weren¡¯t sparks, they could still hold a conversation calmly without ending on a bad note. He didn¡¯t want them to miss out on each other once again. He fisted his hand, suppressing his emotions, before saying bitterly, "She¡¯s married." Chapter 211: Will You Always Love Her? (11) Chapter 211: Will You Always Love Her? (11) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Lu Jinnian He fisted his hand, suppressing his emotions, before saying bitterly, "She¡¯s married." If Xu Jiamu hadn¡¯t encountered an ident, where would he have gotten the chance and right to marry her? Even when they appeared in public as a married couple, he had to act as Xu Jiamu. Even though they were together in this marriage, there will eventuallye an end. He was just a substitute, Xu Jiamu¡¯s substitute. The girl that he liked was already married, she was already someone¡¯s wife... That¡¯s why he had hugged her, asking why she couldn¡¯t love him. Yesterday night, when he was reminded of her, he had gone to drink away his sorrow? The news both delighted and upset Qiao Anhao. She was happy that her love rival was taken, but at the same time, she was worried that he would be in pain from the news. Qiao Anhao hesitated slightly before asking, " Will you still love her even though she is married?" Lu Jinnian focused the moment he heard the question, his eyes brightening. He look deeply into her eyes, seemingly trying to direct the message to her. "Yes." Lu Jinnian¡¯s response was resolute and unwavering, without a hint of indecisiveness. Qiao Anhao¡¯s heart ached slightly as she turned, her back facing Lu Jinnian. Trying desperately to keep her voice calm, she said, "But she¡¯s already married, you can¡¯t just wait your whole life." Five years ago, he already knew that she would never be his, but regardless how many times he tried to convince himself to give up, his love for her still remained resolute and wholesome, never diminishing. His personality was probably the main issue, he would never be able to give up and seek another. Ever since thirteen years ago when she had entered his life, entered his heart, she filled it uppletely, leaving it too full for anyone else. Lu Jinnian curved his lips slightly, mocking himself. In a clear and elegant voice, he said helplessly, "I wish I could stop loving her... but..." His voice cracked slightly, flooding with sorrow and pain, leaving her heart aching. "I can¡¯t, I can¡¯t convince myself to let go." Qiao Anhao was left speechless. The room sank into silence, the movie being the only sound in the house. Lu Jinnian seemed to have realized the heaviness of their conversation. He randomly used a gossip in the industry to steer the topic away. Qiao Anhao remained in the dumps, unable to enthusiastically carry on. But since he had spoken, she could only force herself to continue on. This was the first time he had spoken to her, slightly lightening the flooding sorrow that was engulfing her. Gradually, she started to feel better, confirming the gossips with Lu Jinnian. "Did XX and XX really sleep together?" "Did XX really cheat on XX with XX?" "Did XX and XX really divorce?" Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t hold back, satisfying her curiosity, one question after another. He even exined how Huan Ying Entertainment¡¯s public rtions tackled some problems. Chapter 212: Will You Always Love Her? (12) Chapter 212: Will You Always Love Her? (12) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem As the skies darkened, the mansion situated halfway up the mountain grew increasingly more silent with only a clear gentle female voice and an elegant aristocratic male voice filling the air. This was the first time Lu Jinnian had held such a long conversation. By the time he came back to his senses, he realized that it was alreadyte into the night. Even though Lu Jinnian wanted to continue this conversation forever, he didn¡¯t want to disrupt her rest. "It¡¯s gettingte, go shower and rest." Initially, Qiao Anhao had no intention of staying, hence she didn¡¯t bring anything. When Lu Jinnian told her to shower, she frowned, worrying about what to wear afterwards. Lu Jinnian seemed to have seen through her thoughts. He turned to his changing room and brought over a t-shirt. After she entered the bathroom, he re-opened hisptop and immersed himself in thest bit of work before going downstairs. Shortly after, Lu Jinnian came back up with a cup of hot milk. When he returned, Qiao Anhao was already done. She sat in front of the vanity table, drying her hair. His t-shirt slouched on her small, slender body, her dark hair resting lightly down her back, her tiny face clear of makeup. She appeared a few years younger, exactly how he remembered her from back in high school. In that instant, he remembered the day many years ago when they had shared a room. His eyes watered slightly as he stood at the door, quietly observing her. After she had dried her hair, he straightened and walked towards her to pass her the milk. "You¡¯ll sleep better with it." "Thank you." Qiao Anhao reached over to take the cup. After taking a sip, she seemed to be reminded of something. "Do you have extra nkets? You have an injury on your back , so my bad sleeping habits might hurt you.. or maybe I can sleep on the sofa." Every time Lu Jinnian and Qiao Anhao slept together, it was for a transaction. To him, it was normal to feel sexual desire for the girl he was in love with, but he didn¡¯t want it to be a transaction. But once their transaction was over, he didn¡¯t even have a reason to touch her. The mood tonight was too perfect, he wasn¡¯t willing to let anything taint it. Hence, the moment he heard her, he nodded lightly, entering the bathroom. Due to his injury, Lu Jinnian wasn¡¯t able to shower. He took a simple wash and entered the changing room to change into his pajamas. Before he left, he found an extra nket, taking it to the sofa. This scene was unusually familiar, it was the same as the night many years ago in Hangzhou. Qiao Anhao held the cup of milk, trembling slightly. She ced the cup on the table and walked towards the sofa to look at Lu Jinnian. "Goodnight." "Take the bed," Lu Jinnianmanded, pointing towards it. "But you¡¯re injured..." Qiao Anhao replied, hurriedly lying down on the sofa. Lu Jinnian frowned slightly. He bent down, scooped her up, and carried her to the bed. Chapter 213: Suspected Love (1) Chapter 213: Suspected Love (1) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem When Lu Jinnian straightened, his gaze fell onto Qiao Anhao¡¯s face. She was looking up at him with wide eyes, and just like that, their gazes collided. The mood in the room became increasingly more ambiguous. His gaze heated up, and Qiao Anhao¡¯s heart thumped rapidly. Suddenly, he reached out with his hand. Qiao Anhao¡¯sshes trembled slightly before she shut her eyes unconsciously. His warm fingers moved to her face and caressed it lightly. Hershes shook, and she realized that he was wiping off the excess milk that was left on her lips. Opening her eyes, she saw tenderness recing the frost in his eyes. "Goodnight." Lu Jinnian¡¯s hands remained on her head, pausing there for a long while, seemingly undecided on what to do with next. In the end, he tapped her head lightly before turning to walk to the sofa. Qiao Anhao felt as though the whole world had stopped; she stared nkly at the ceiling, dazed. Only when the lights switched off did she regain her senses. Turning back, she could vaguely make out Lu Jinnian¡¯s figure on the sofa with the faint light from the window. Tenderness and warmth filled her. She dived into the nket, taking in Lu Jinnian¡¯s faint and familiar scent. The scent was exactly the same as five years ago when she had stayed in the same room as him. Even though it was alreadyte into the night, they both stayed wide awake, but neither said a word. The room remained silent, with only their breathing to be heard. asionally, the sounds from the crickets would enter the room. Unknowingly, exhaustion took over, putting Qiao Anhao to sleep. When her breathing finally grew deeper and longer, Lu Jinnian slightly moved his body before standing up. He walked over to the bed and stared down at her face. When she was asleep, her features softened, appearing warmer than usual. After a long while, he reached out his hand to lightly caress her tender face. Lowering his body, he ced a soft kiss on her forehead, staying there for a long time, unwilling to move away. Forcing himself away, he left the room with a box of cigarettes. The injury on Lu Jinnian¡¯s back only healed after four days. During those four days, Qiao Anhao stayed in the mansion to apany him. Those four days was the longest period of time they had stayed together, and the conversations they had were far more numerous than in the past thirteen years. Only on the fifth day did Lu Jinnian receive a call from his assistant stating that there was a meeting that required his attendance. On that day, they both left the mansion. - Lu Jinnian¡¯s car was in the city, so he drove Qiao Anhao¡¯s car out. He drove to Huan Ying Entertainment and stopped there. Passing her the car keys, he waited for her to drive off before walking to the elevator. Not far away, someone had witnessed the entire scene. Chapter 214: Suspected Love (2) Chapter 214: Suspected Love (2) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Lu Jinnian passed the keys over to Qiao Anhao, only turning to leave after she was out of sight. He waspletely unaware that, not far away, someone had witnessed the entire scene. Qiao Anxia took a week off. She had wanted to take a vacation in Maldives, but her boyfriend Cheng Yang was busy filming. Frustrated, she hadined to him on the phone, and instead, he had suggested for her to visit him on set. Having a vacation alone seemed too boring and staying in the city didn¡¯t seem like a holiday, hence she agreed. Coincidentally, Cheng Yang had to sign a contract in Huan Ying Entertainment that afternoon. He picked Qiao Anxia up and brought her along with him. He drove into the underground parking underneath Huan Ying Entertainment and parked his car. The minute the car stopped, Qiao Anxia turned over to the driver seat and threw a hand around Cheng Yang¡¯s neck, giving him a deep kiss. Cheng Yang circled her waist with one hand and stopped the engine with another. Right when Qiao Anxia was about to pull away, he reached over to haul her over into his embrace, deepening the kiss. They kissed for about three minutes before finally separating. Cheng Yang smiled, panting slightly. "There there, any more and you won¡¯t be able to leave the car." Qiao Anxia stuck out her tongue, trailing kisses a short path across his face before releasing him. She looked into the rear view mirror and started putting herself together. She arranged her slightly disheveled hair and touched up on her lipstick. Just then, she spotted a familiar red Porsche. The car was a limited edition, there was only one in the entire world. Her father had specifically gotten it for Qiao Anhao for her twenty fourth birthday. Qiao Anxia hurriedly turned, preparing for Qiao Anhao toe down. She was about to call out to her, but Lu Jinnian stepped out from the driver¡¯s seat. Qiao Anxia swallowed the "Qiao Anhao" that was about toe out, suspicion clouding her vision. Just then, Qiao Anhao left from the other side, walking towards Lu Jinnian. The two of them seemed to be talking while she received the car keys from him. Afterwards, she returned to the car and left. Lu Jinnian stayed in the same spot for a long while, staring in the direction that she had left. Curling his lips slightly, he seemed to be smiling when he took elegant strides towards the elevator. Lu Jinnian had a car, so why would she send him here? Qiao Anxia clearly remembered that the two of them weren¡¯t on best-friend terms... When did they get so close? She frowned, sinking into deep thought. "Xiaxia, Xiaxia?" Cheng Yang called out as she stared at the rear mirror in a daze. When she didn¡¯t react, he reached out and tapped her head lightly. Qiao Anxia snapped out of her daze, turning to look at Cheng Yang. "Huh?". Cheng Yang replied warmly, "Hey, stop dreaming, lets go." Qiao Anxia nodded, hurriedly applying the lipstick before stepping out. "Why were you in a daze?" Cheng Yang held onto Qiao Anxia¡¯s hand, pressing the button on the elevator. Qiao Anxia was back to her original morous state. She shook her head and brushed him off, "Nothing much." Chapter 215: Suspected Love (3) Chapter 215: Suspected Love (3) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Cheng Yang signed a product endorsement contract for a national Chinese restaurant chain. The chain was simr to KFC. It had a twenty four hours delivery service, and their specialty was crayfish. Cheng Yang¡¯s manager and Huan Ying Entertainment¡¯s copyright department had already passed the contract clearance, so there were basically no problems. He only had to simply look over it, take a pen, and sign it. When Cheng Yang finished signing, and held up his contract, Qiao Anxia nced over it and saw that the remuneration for the endorsement had a row of zeros. She wore no expression on her face, and instead turned to Cheng Yang and pointed at the photo of the delicious crayfish on the contract. She said, "Crayfish is Qiao Qiao¡¯s favorite. In the middle of the night, she would drag me to Ghost Street to eat it." "Really?" Cheng Yang turned his head and gave Qiao Anxia a warm smile. Then he continued to sign. "Thepany I¡¯ll represent cooks delicious crayfish. If she likes it, I can take both of you out for free. Eat as much as you like." "That¡¯s great." Qiao Anxia nodded confidently. "If Qiao Qiao knew, she¡¯d be so delighted for sure." Cheng Yang didn¡¯t say a word as he checked and signed the contract. After making sure that he didn¡¯t miss a signature, he handed it over to the copyright manager in front of him. "Sorry to bother you." "That¡¯s fine, Mr. Cheng." The copyright manager gave a friendly smile. Cheng Yang nodded and said "Goodbye" before taking Qiao Anxia¡¯s hand, ready to turn around to leave the copyright department office. On his way, he saw Lu Jinnian standing nearby, as though he was waiting for someone for a contract. Cheng Yang¡¯s footsteps paused for a moment, as he called out, "Mr. Lu." When Lu Jinnian heard Cheng Yang¡¯s voice, he turned his head. When he saw Qiao Anxia, his face didn¡¯t really show any emotion, he just greeted them with a light nod. Standing in front of Lu Jinnian was a staff member who had coincidentally found the contract that he had wanted at this moment. He handed it over with both hands. "Mr. Lu, I found it." Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t say a word. He stared with a careless look while epting the contract. After flicking through it twice, he confirmed that it was the one he was looking for. Then he strode off and left the copyright department office. - When Lu Jinnian¡¯s meeting finished, and he was done handling his matters, it was already eight in the evening. He dialed the internal line to let his assistant get the car ready. When he hung up the phone, he thought back to the afternoon at the copyright department when he had bumped into Qiao Anxia and Cheng Yang. He thought about what Qiao Anxia had said, and so said over the phone, "Please wait." "Mr. Lu, do you have any orders?" Lu Jinnian¡¯s fingers lightly knocked on the desk as he said, "Order some crayfish from the restaurant chain that Cheng Yang endorses. Bring it over to the set. They should be just about finish up filming, so everyone can eat supper together." Usually on set, the producers, director, and all those in money would treat everyone on set to something to eat. Even though Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t enjoy socializing, but he would treat everyone when he it was needed. And so, his assistant didn¡¯t think it was too suspicious. When he heard Lu Jinnian¡¯s instructions, he directly followed orders. The assistant found the closest chain restaurant to Huan Ying Entertainment and bought out all of their leftover crayfish of the day. Hepletely filled up the box that he had prepared. Just like Lu Jinnian had predicted, it took about five minutes to reach the set by car, and filming for that day had coincidentally finished up about then. The assistant hurriedly walked over to the director¡¯s ear and said two words in a low voice. The director then took the microphone and shouted, "Everybody, don¡¯t leave just yet. Mr. Lu has bought us all supper tonight." Chapter 216: Suspected Love (4) Chapter 216: Suspected Love (4) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem The round of cheers were immediately heard when the crew heard Lu Jinnian was treating. The assistant generously handed out everyone a box to have supper. Naturally, it made people a little excited, and so some of them took photos and posted it on their Moments on Wechat. That night, the supper aroused actors that weren¡¯t on set even toe over and join in on the fun. Luckily, the assistant had bought more than than was needed, so everyone had a share. As soon as staff members heard that there¡¯d be supper, they pulled up a long wooden board at thest minute. They put together arge, long table for everyone to sit around and eat. Tonight, Qiao Anhao had a scene to shoot. Just as she came out from removing her make-up, the long table was already surrounded, full of people. She was just about to find a seat when Song Xiangsi raised her hand and called her name. Seeing that Song Xiangsi and Lu Jinnian coincidentally had two vacant seats between them, Qiao Anhao dragged Zhao Meng over with her. Zhao Meng sat down next to Song Xiangsi first, and so Qiao Anhao could only sit closer to Lu Jinnian. Thankfully, they had gotten along well thesest few days, and so she wasn¡¯t as nervous and ufortable as she had been before. On the contrary, when Lu Jinnian¡¯s assistant handed her a box of crayfish, she turned her head and smiled with her eyes at Lu Jinnian, saying, "Thank you Mr. Lu." Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t say a word. His face didn¡¯t show any emotions, but he pulled out a pair of disposable gloves and handed them to Qiao Anhao. - In the afternoon, Cheng Yang took Qiao Anxia to the apartment in the city to get a few clothes. But he ended up getting dragged to the bed and kissed by her, which almost got out of control. When they both got up from rolling around in the bed, it was already evening. Cheng Yang called for take out. The two of them ate together and continued to roll around for a while before he drove back to the set. Cheng Yang stopped the car at the car park downstairs. Just as he got his phone and turned off the navigation, he saw a lot of notifications pop up on his WeChat group. He tapped it open to see that everyone was on set having supper. He turned his head and asked Qiao Anxia, "Someone¡¯s treating people to supper over there. Would you like to go see?" Qiao Anxia took a nce. It was still early. She¡¯d be bored if she went back to the hotel, so she nodded and said, "Sure." - The director saw Cheng Yang and Qiao Anxiaing over first. With a crayfish in his hands, he screamed loudly, "Cheng Yang,e here." Everybody shuffled over to one side to make two spaces for Cheng Yang and Qiao Anxia. Lu Jinnian¡¯s assistant hurried brought over with two boxes of crayfish from the trunk in the car. He ces them in front of the two neers. As the food was spicy, the director constantly gasped for the cold air, saying, "You came just in time. If you came anyter, you wouldn¡¯t have been able to eat Mr. Lu¡¯s crayfish!" "So it was Mr. Lu who treated everyone to supper. No wonder the entire crew is all here." When Cheng Yang said that, he helped Qiao Anxia open her take out box like a gentleman. He also considerately asked in a low voice, "Do you want me to help you peel?" Qiao Anxia smiled gently at Cheng Yang, who took the gloves and pulled a crayfish from the take out box. He casually started to peel. In the afternoon at Huan Ying Entertainment, when she told Cheng Yang that crayfish was Qiao Qiao¡¯s favorite, she hadn¡¯t noticed Lu Jinnian beside them. Yet in the evening, Lu Jinnian treated the entire crew to crayfish. Chapter 217: Suspected Love (5) Chapter 217: Suspected Love (5) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem It hard to say if all girls are naturally sensitive, but Qiao Anxia felt that there was a hidden meaning behind Lu Jinnian treating everyone to crayfish. She couldn¡¯t help but pretend to be inconspicuous as she nced over at Qiao Anhao and Lu Jinnian opposite her. She realized that Qiao Anhao kept her head down, fully focused on eating the crayfish. She had the exact same look as she did back when she would drag Qiao Anxia to eat crayfish at Ghost Street. It was the exact same drooling-look. Lu Jinnian sat next to her with his usual expression. He sat silently from the very start, endlessly peeling the crayfish with his gloves. Yet he didn¡¯t eat them. After he finished, he put all of the meat into the the crayfish soup. Qiao Anxia continued to act inconspicuous as she observed Lu Jinnian and Qiao Anhao several times more. The two of them looked like there was nothing between them. But from the bottom of her heart, Qiao Anxia couldn¡¯t help but feel doubt. Perhaps, she was over-thinking things? Qiao Anhao did indeed really like eating crayfish. Because of her love for it, she¡¯d picked her box clean before anyone had even finished half of theirs. Qiao Anhao, who hadn¡¯t had enough, licked her lips greedily, wanting to continue eating. She sat in her seat, rolling her eyes. As she stared at other people eating excitedly, she couldn¡¯t help but gulp twice. When Lu Jinnian finished peeling the crayfish from his box, he turned his head and looked at Qiao Anhao. Her lips were so red from the spiciness that they looked like they would bleed. In contrast, her fair white skin looked even paler. Faced with all the conversations in the room, she still didn¡¯t butt in, but herrge, pitchck eyes were wide, circling the room full of people with crayfish in their hands and boxes marred by sauce. Those eyes were just like little children asking to eat sweets, cute and obedient. Lu Jinnian¡¯s heart couldn¡¯t help but grow warmer. Lowering his eyes, he hid the gentleness in his them as he asked Qiao Anhao with no emotion, "What are you looking at?" When Qiao Anhao heard Lu Jinnian¡¯s voice, she immediately pulled her attention from other people¡¯s crayfish and shook her head at him. But before she could open her mouth to speak, Zhao Meng, who sat next to her, gathered her thoughts and exined in a teasing voice, "Qiao Qiao loves crayfish the most. She¡¯s definitely not had enough to eat, so she¡¯s staring at other people." Caught, Qiao Anhao¡¯s face grew red, and she immediately shook her head at Lu Jinnian. She retaliated with little confidence, "No-no-no!" "Mr. Lu, look! Qiao Qiao doesn¡¯t have any confidence in her words!" Zhao Meng continued to tease. Qiao Anhao¡¯s face grew redder in an instant, as she felt betrayed by her best friend! Lu Jinnian stared at the blushing Qiao Anhao that looked so red she could start dripping blood. He stayed silent for a few minutes. He lowered his eyes to cover a sh of a warm smile in his eyes. Then he pointed at the crayfish in front of him that he¡¯d already peeled and said in neutral tone, "If you like it so much, you might as well finish this off too." Qiao Anhao nked out for a moment, then furiously shook her head like a rattle and said, "I¡¯m already full." "I don¡¯t like to eat this stuff. If you don¡¯t eat it, then it¡¯ll just be thrown away anyway. I was bored, so I peeled them for fun." Lu Jinnian¡¯s exnation was said in a dull voice as he swapped his box with hers. Chapter 218: Suspected Love (6) Chapter 218: Suspected Love (6) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Song Xiangsi, who sat next to Zhao Meng, couldn¡¯t help but burst intoughter when she heard this. After racking her brain over it, she stared at the cold Lu Jinnian whose head was turned. She took the crayfish from her own box and handed it over. In a low voice, she teased, "Mr. Lu, why don¡¯t you y a little longer." Lu Jinnian nced at Song Xiangsi, who looked like she was enjoying his situation a little too much, with a nk look. He originally wanted to ignore it straight away, but from the corner of his eyes, he saw Qiao Anhaopletely focused on the crayfish meat. Lu Jinnian then raised his hand, going straight for the crayfish extended to him and peeled it elegantly. He put the meat into Qiao Anhao¡¯s box. Song Xiangsi instantly took back her jeering expression and sneered coldly at Lu Jinnian. She put her box back in front of her and started peeling a crayfish. Later, as though she having thought of something, she sighed. "Peeling crayfish is really fun! A hand full of oil, hehehe... I¡¯ve never yed such a fun game..." - The table that the staff had built was wide and long. Qiao Anxia sat directly opposite Qiao Anhao and Lu Jinnian, and there were many people chatting all around them. She could only asionally hear a few words that were said opposite her. When Lu Jinnian turned his head, Qiao Anxia looked over at Qiao Anhao, never letting her focus leave the expressionless man. Lu Jinnian looked no different from any other day, as cold as usual. However, perhaps it was just her imagination, but there was an indescribable tenderness emanating from him at this moment. Qiao Anxia heard him say tly, "I was bored, so I peeled them for fun" Then she saw Lu Jinnian swap his box for Qiao Anhao¡¯s box. Since she sat down, she had noticed that Lu Jinnian only peeled but didn¡¯t eat any crayfish. From the bottom of her heart, she was bewildered as to why he would do this. Yet when she saw heard those words, she suddenly had a strong premonition - Lu Jinnian had peeled his crayfish to give to Qiao Anhao from the very start. In Qiao Anxia¡¯s mind, she didn¡¯t know why, but the memory of that night she had bumped into Lin Shiyi in the restroom at Cheng Yang¡¯s party at The Royal Pce resurfaced. The actress had told her, "Then how are you so sure that the person Lu Jinnian likes isn¡¯t Qiao Anhao?" Back then, she waspletely confident and 100% convinced that the person Lu Jinnian loved wasn¡¯t Qiao Anhao. But now, she was no longer so sure. Who could say if it was because she had a guilty conscience, but the more Qiao Anxia saw Lu Jinnian and Qiao Anhao sitting together, the more she felt that there was something between them. These few years, she had always been very curious as to who was the woman Lu Jinnian loved and what kind of person she was. But she had never thought to turn her suspicions towards Qiao Anhao. An indescribable feeling came over Qiao Anxia¡¯s heart. A kind of suspicious feeling that grew stronger until, finally, she couldn¡¯t help but forcefully shake her head. Even though Qiao Anhao and Lu Jinnian¡¯s rtionship had been neutral all these years, they had known each other for many years after all... plus, Xu Jiamu. And right now, they were also working on the same tv series, so that¡¯s why they¡¯d grown abnormally close. The whole motive behind Lin Shiyi¡¯s words was to pick the sisters¡¯ rtionship apart. When Qiao Qiao¡¯s parents passed away, she was left with only one rtive in the world. How could Qiao Anxia then question her? Chapter 219: Suspected Love (7) Chapter 219: Suspected Love (7) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem As she thought about it, Qiao Anxia took a few deep breaths, pushing all of the disturbing thoughts to the back of her mind. - The first two days that Qiao Anxia was on set, she felt quite excited from watching them film, but after a few days, she found it boring. Eventually, in the afternoon of the third day, she took advantage of the fact that Qiao Anhao had no scenes and dragged her to go shopping in the city. After Qiao Anhao¡¯s parents passed away, and she was taken to her cousin¡¯s family, Qiao Anxia¡¯s parents treated her overly nice. It wasn¡¯t like it didn¡¯t irritate Qiao Anxia. In fact, there were numerous times where the two of them got into an argument. However, Qiao Anxia¡¯s father only punished Qiao Anxia. At the time, she really felt extremely horrible, but after she grew up and learned how pitiful Qiao Anhao really was, she wanted to let Qiao Anhao win. But Qiao Anhao, who was already mature, never bothered to argue with her. Later on, Qiao Anxia did something unforgivable to Qiao Anhao in the spur of the moment... Because of this, Qiao Anxia has been feeling restless all these years and had been thinking hard about how to treat Qiao Anhao well. She wanted to try her best to slowly make herself feel better for owing her cousin. So whilst shopping in the afternoon, when Qiao Anhao saw pretty bags or clothes, she didn¡¯t hesitate to swipe her card for her up until thest moment the two of them left the shopping center with manyrge and small bags. Eighty percent of them belonged to Qiao Anhao. Qiao Anxia and Cheng Yang were meant to meet up for dinner in the evening, and so they started to leave for the set at four. Today coincidentally was Friday, so a lot of people left work early, which led to ridiculously heavy traffic that on a normal day would have started only from five. Qiao Anxia was impatient when she encountered such road conditions, so she couldn¡¯t help but curse. Qiao Anhao was already long used to Qiao Anxia¡¯s temper, and so she was abnormally calm as she sat in the passenger¡¯s seat. She took out her phone to y games when Qiao Anxia suddenly did an emergency brake and uttered a few curse words. Qiao Anhao couldn¡¯t help but raise her head and say with a smile, "Sis, can you calm down?" Qiao Anxia gave a snort but didn¡¯t say a word. Her eyes and hands were agile as she drove down the street. The road in front of her had calmed down a little, and so Qiao Anxia¡¯s expression was slightly moreposed. Because Qiao Anhao was on her phone for a while, she felt slightly car sick. She put down her phone and started a conversation, "Sis, how are you and Cheng Yang doingtely?" "Alright." Qiao Anxia thought about it for a moment and replied. "Every time, it¡¯s just ¡¯alright¡¯. Count it up. How many boyfriend¡¯s have you had since junior high? It¡¯s about time you find a suitable guy who treats you well and get married. Uncle and aunt are both worried." "Qiao Qiao, they¡¯re pissing me off, and you want to piss me off with the two of them, don¡¯t you..." Qiao Anxia hadn¡¯t finished what she wanted to say when she suddenly cried out, "Qiao Qiao, be careful!" Then, without giving time for Qiao Anhao to react, Qiao Anxia¡¯s car ruthlessly crashed into the back of the car in front of them. - When Cheng Yang picked up Qiao Anxia¡¯s call, Lu Jinnian, Song Xiangsi, and Producer Sun were in the director¡¯s room, discussing the script. Cheng Yang pulled out his mobile and saw Qiao Anxia¡¯s number. He said "Sorry" to everyone around the room before he got up and replied, "Xia Xia, what happened? ... What, a car ident?" Lu Jinnian, who sat on the sofa with a cold expression, heard these words, which caused his brows to unintentionally crease. Chapter 220: Suspected Love (8) Chapter 220: Suspected Love (8) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem "What, a car ident?" Lu Jinnian, who sat on the sofa with a cold expression, heard these words, which caused his brows to unintentionally crease. In the afternoon, Qiao Anhao and Qiao Anxia were together... Lu Jinnian¡¯s usually icy eyes nced over with a hint of anxiousness. Hisid-back and rxed body slightly stiffened, and his focus heightened. He heard Cheng Yang¡¯s gentle voice ask gently, "Are you hurt? It was a serious crash..." Coincidentally, Cheng Yang opened the door to the director¡¯s room at that time and stepped out, conveniently closing the door behind him and cutting off any sound behind him. Lu Jinnian¡¯s brows tightened even more intensely, his thoughts growing even more confused. The director didn¡¯t stop the discussion on ount of Cheng Yang having left the room. The usual eloquently-spoken Lu Jinnian sat very quietly on the sofa. His eyes didn¡¯t turn away from the view outside the window. It looked like his full attention was focused on listening to the director¡¯s words, yet it also looked like he was lost in thought. The director seemed like he said he was tired. Finallying to a end, he turned to ask Lu Jinnian, "Mr. Lu, what do you think about these amendments to the script?" Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t make a single reaction. Both his eyes were still glued to the view out of the window. The director picked up his teacup from the table and took a sip. He looked at Lu Jinnian, who didn¡¯t say a word, and said again, "Mr. Lu?" Song Xiangsi creased her brows and turned her head. She saw Lu Jinnian unexpectedly in a daze, and so she extended her arm to touch his arm. She said in a low voice, "What are you thinking about? The director asked for your thoughts." Lu Jinnian gave a "mm". Coming back to his senses, he blinked, pulling his eyes back from outside the window. Just now, he only cared whether Qiao Anhao was in Qiao Anxia¡¯s car at the time of the ident and if she was hurt. He simply didn¡¯t hear the director¡¯s words. To ask him for his thoughts, now... How would he know? Lu Jinnian¡¯s eyes tly swept past the people sitting in the room. He gave aposed nod, thought about it for a moment, and said, "It¡¯s great". He then fished around his pocket for his phone, wanting to give Qiao Anhao a call. In the end, Cheng Yang, who took the call, coincidentally pushed the door open toe back into the room at that exact moment. "I¡¯m terribly sorry, Anxia was just in a bit of a car ident and didn¡¯t bring her driving license. The traffic police are waiting to inspect it. I have to go bring it to her," said Cheng Yang apologetically. "A car ident. Was it serious?" Song Xiangsi asked, concerned. "There shouldn¡¯t be any big problems." Cheng Yang¡¯s reply made Lu Jinnian forcefully purse his lips. The hand clutching his phone instinctively tightened. There shouldn¡¯t be any big problems... What did he mean by "shouldn¡¯t"? Lu Jinnian turned his head and nced at Cheng Yang, who had grabbed for his jacket. He got up with a calm expression and picked up his own jacket. "Well, actually I have business in the city too and I need a lift. My assistant has the car. As you¡¯re on the way, take me with you." Cheng Yang and Lu Jinnian came out from the hotel. When Cheng Yang pulled out his car keys and was ready to sit down, Lu Jinnian said, "Give me the keys, I¡¯ll drive." Cheng Yang zoned out for a bit, yet he didn¡¯t react. He handed Lu Jinnian his car keys. As Lu Jinnian started the car up, he asked, "Where¡¯s the car ident?" "At Fourth Ring Road..." Cheng Yang hadn¡¯t finished speaking when Lu Jinnian stepped on the elerator, turned the steering wheel at top speeds, and drove off. Chapter 221: Suspected Love (9) Chapter 221: Suspected Love (9) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Qiao Anhao didn¡¯t have her seatbelt on, so she fell forward, almost hitting the windshield in front of her. Settling her nerves, she turned hurriedly to ask Qiao Anxia, "Sis, are you okay?" Qiao Anxia gripped onto the steering wheel, panting heavily. When she finally managed to calm down, she shook her head. "I¡¯m fine." Looking straight ahead, she gazed at the red Audi A4L before them whose back was crushed. Qiao Anhao alighted, observing the damage. It wasn¡¯t a serious ident, but the bumper waspletely squashed. Qiao Anxia alighted shortly after. Without even looking at the damage, she walked to the driver seat, knocking on the window. When the window shield winded down, she apologized before asking, "Do you want to settle privately or call the police?" The Audi A4L owner was a fashionable youngdy with long curly hair. The sudden impact had left her frightened and pale. She didn¡¯t bother looking at the situation and said in a warm voice, "I have already called the police, and the insurancepany can settle the damage." Qiao Anxia smiled nonchntly, reaching for her bag to retrieve her name card, passing it over. "This is my contact details." The traffic police arrived shortly. They took photos of the impact and got them to drive to the side of the road. After registering the car tes, they asked for their driver licenses. Qiao Anxia rummaged around her bag before remembering that she had left her license in another bag in Cheng Yang¡¯s hotel. The Audi owner seemed to be in a hurry; she left immediately after settling with the traffic police. The police had other matters to tend to, instructing Qiao Anxia and Qiao Anhao to stay in their original position. After about fourteen minutes, Qiao Anxia looked up in boredom. Just then, through the rear mirror, she saw Cheng Yang¡¯s car speeding over. "Cheng Yang is here," Qiao Anxia said before stepping out of the car. Cheng Yang¡¯s car stopped steadily behind Qiao Anxia¡¯s car and Lu Jinnian jumped out from the drivers seat. Ever since Lu Jinnian had rejected her, Qiao Anxia had not spoken to him. She couldn¡¯t help frowning when she saw him leave Cheng Yang¡¯s car. "Why are you here?" Qiao Anhao instinctively lifted her head the moment she heard his name. Once she caught sight of him, she bit her lip slightly before stepping out of the car. At that moment, Cheng Yang had alreadye over too. With Qiao Anxia¡¯s license in one hand, he walked over, exining with a warm voice, "Mr Lu¡¯s assistant drove his car, and since he was in the city, I brought him along." Cheng Yang turned, looking towards Lu Jinnian. "Mr Lu, why don¡¯t you drive my car? I¡¯ll drive the two of them to the set." Ever since Qiao Anhao had stepped out, Lu Jinnian¡¯s gaze was fixed on her, even when Cheng Yang spoke, he was still looking at her. After making sure that she was alright, he shook his head. "It¡¯s okay, I¡¯ll get a cab." Chapter 222: Suspected Love (10) Chapter 222: Suspected Love (10) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Lu Jinnian turned, takingrge strides to the side of the road. He reached out his hand and a cab stopped instantly. He entered the car, leaving in a sh. It was less than two minutes from the moment he arrived to the moment he left. He was gone without saying a word, as though he was just there to get a free ride. Qiao Anhao had a night scene to film, which meant she had to rush back to the set. Not wanting to disrupt Qiao Anxia and Cheng Yang, she left, allowing the two of them to continue with their original dinner n. Qiao Anhao drove the badly crushed car, returning to the mountain lodge. - After dinner, Qiao Anhao returned to the set to change and get her make up done. After preparing, there was still almost half an hour before she was due for filming. The crew were preparing the props, and the set was in a chaos. The other actors were still preparing and Zhao Meng had gone to the toilet due to a stomach ache. Qiao Anhao roamed around aimlessly since she didn¡¯t want to sit in boredom. The mountain lodge was in a famous mountainous region in the outskirts of Beijing, the scenery was beautiful, and at night, when the colored lights were lit, it looked like a fairytale. Qiao Anhao treaded on the rocks carefully, walking forward aimlessly. When she ended up at the pavilion, she saw Lu Jinnian standing alone, looking at the lighthouse across theke, seemingly deep in thoughts. Qiao Anhao wasn¡¯t surprised to see him on set as he had a scene that night as well. She stopped, gazing at him. She hesitated slightly before climbing the stairs slowly towards the pavilion. Sensing that someone was near, Lu Jinnian turned. The moment he saw her, he was momentarily shocked before quickly extinguishing the cigarette in his hand. The Qiao Anhao in the past would never have dared to disrupt Lu Jinnian, but after staying together when they were injured, she seemed to have grown closer to him. They were no longer as distant as before, seemingly returning back to their high school days. Even if they weren¡¯t close, they could still hold a conversation. When she was about one meter away, Qiao Anhao stopped. Grabbing her skirt, she panicked slightly before tilting her head to smile at him. With a gentle tone, she asked, "You finished preparing?" Lu Jinnian seemed surprised that she would initiate a conversation. He fell into a daze, then hurriedly nodded his head, replying with a soft "Yea". After a short while, he added, "Guys are usually faster." Even though he had only said five words in total, Qiao Anhao couldn¡¯t help the happiness bubbling inside her. Just like many years ago in high school, she would often appear in ces he frequented, and when she bumped into him, she would greet him enthusiastically. His reply would bring her joy, just like it was doing right now. "Even without makeup, you would look amazing." Lu Jinnian curled his lips into a smile, turning to look at Qiao Anhao who was surrounded by colorful lights. Casually, he asked, "This afternoon, I heard Cheng Yang mention that you and Qiao Anxia had a car ident?" Chapter 223: Suspected Love (11) Chapter 223: Suspected Love (11) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem "It was just a rear-end collision." Lu Jinnian asked nonchntly, "Was anyone hurt?" "We¡¯re fine." Qiao Anhao blinked, looking in the direction of Lu Jinnian¡¯s line of sight. From that angle, the lighthouse appeared magical with the lights reflecting off it. She stared for a long while before remembering Lu Jinnian¡¯s back injury. "What about you?" she asked softly. "Ah?" Lu Jinnian made a questioning sound . "Has the injury on your back recovered? How is it?" "It¡¯s good," he replied lightly, not letting any emotion show. Even though he had helped her because of Xu Jiamu, she hadn¡¯t thanked him. There was a moment of silence before she spoke again. "Thank you." Even though it was abrupt, he understood. Without replying or looking at her, he stuck his hands into his pockets, quietly looking ahead, his lips curled upwards into a slight smile. Only after a long while did he reply. "You¡¯re wee." Qiao Anhao didn¡¯t respond , instead, she held onto the white marble fence in front of her. As she looked ahead, a wide grin stretched across her face. The night breeze blew softly, and the the lights flickered. Neither said a word, cherishing the silence. Deep inside, warm and indescribable happiness filled their hearts. After a seemingly long while, Lu Jinnian shifted his attention away, saying faintly, "It¡¯s about time, lets go." Qiao Anhao nodded, tuning to leave first with Lu Jinnian following behind her. Just like that, they walked quietly down the rocky path, enjoying each other¡¯spany. Only when they reached the set did Qiao Anhao know Cheng Yang and Qiao Anxia were back from the city. The filming was about to begin, and before it started, the director instructed them again, emphasizing on the key points, leaving no time for Qiao Anhao to greet her cousin. Qiao Anxia was discussing with Cheng Yang their ns for the future, what they would do when he finished filming the movie. When she saw Qiao Anhao and Lu Jinnian entering from the forest, her face fell instantly, losing all her enthusiasm. She lost herself in thought, ignoring Cheng Yang. The scene today included Song Xiangsi, Lu Jinnian, and the other important characters of the movie. They had gathered to enjoy the dance Qiao Anhao had prepared for the finale of thepany¡¯s annual dinner. The script required everyone except Lu Jinnian to be mesmerized by Qiao Anhao¡¯s dance. He would be in a daze from a text he received from his girlfriend and forced to decide whether to leave or to stay. In the end, when Qiao Anhao was at the height of her performance, he would turn to leave. - Qiao Anhao had a background in dancing and had even received training from a dance instructor from the crew. The actions weren¡¯t difficult, especially not to her. Chapter 224: Suspected Love (12) Chapter 224: Suspected Love (12) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Dressed in a bright red dress, Qiao Anhao danced barefooted on a white marble stage. The director had decorated the set exquisitely. There was a wide full-length window behind her, and outside, bright fireworks lit the dark skies. The curtains were milky white and even the walls and ceilings were the same shade of white. The pale background directed all the attention onto Qiao Anhao who was dressed in the fiery red dress. In order to set the mood, background music was ying in the back. Other than the melodious music, nothing could be heard. Gracefully, she bent, lifted her legs up high and leaped forward, her red dress flying wildly. Without shoes, her tiny feet appeared delicate in contrast to the fiery dress. Lu Jinnian stood beside Song Xiangsi. He took out his phone, pretending to read a text before looking towards Qiao Anhao in frustration. The moment he saw her dancing, he fell into a daze. In that instance, he was captivated. He was supposed to look down at his phone once again, but all he could do was to continue staring at her. He seemed to havepletely forgotten that the cameras were rolling, an unknown heat stirred internally. From afar, the director frowned slightly. He hadn¡¯t shouted "Cut", assuming that Lu Jinnian wanted to add his own scenes. But after a while, Lu Jinnian still remained motionless. Song Xiangsi, who was standing beside him, seemed to have caught on. She turned to look at him, realizing that he was in a daze. Instinctively, she looked towards the director who was frowning, clearly displeased. Song Xiangsi faltered, pretending to loosen her grip, dropping a cup of water. "Pang!", the cup smashed into bits. The sharp thud shocked Lu Jinnian out of his daze. The director could no longer keep his frustration, shouting loudly, "CUT!" Before waiting for the director to speak , Song Xiangsi graciously apologized, "I¡¯m sorry, I seemed to be in a daze just now. I promise it won¡¯t happen again." The director was appeased by her attitude, signaling for the crew to touch up her makeup. In the midst of the frenzy, Song Xiangsi whispered in Lu Jinnian¡¯s ear, "Mr. Lu, even though she¡¯s pretty, I hope you¡¯ll remember that we are filming. I¡¯m sure you won¡¯t want the entire crew to know you have a thing for her." Song Xiangsi didn¡¯t mince her words, turning to leave after reminding Lu Jinnian. Lu Jinnian remained emotionless, but deep inside he was in shock. He had actually forgotten that they were filming, he had even felt his body reacting to her... If it weren¡¯t for Song Xiangsi, he would have exposed his feelings to the entire crew... All these years he had hidden his feelings so well, but only now did he realize that he had been overestimating his willpower. Or rather, he didn¡¯t have much restraint when it came to her. Lu Jinnian shut his eyes, taking a deep breath internally, trying to suppress the frustration in his body. Chapter 225: Suspected Love (13) Chapter 225: Suspected Love (13) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Qiao Anhao¡¯s dance was mesmerizing, captivating everyone¡¯s attention. There weren¡¯t many people that noticed Lu Jinnian¡¯s unusual behavior But that didn¡¯t mean it went unnoticed. Qiao Anxia had been observing him,pletely taking in Lu Jinnian¡¯s actions. It was obvious that he had been in a daze due to Qiao Anhao, his fiery intense stare betraying him. The suspicion that she had suppressed bit at her once again. After touching up her makeup, Qiao Anhao identally spilled water onto her hand as she took a sip. She looked around for her bag, spotting it beside Qiao Anxia. "Sis, could you pass me the tissue in my bag." Qiao Anxia was in a daze, her face nk as she opened Qiao Anhao¡¯s bag. The moment she opened the bag, she froze as she spotted a familiar looking medicine bottle. "Sis? Found it?" Qiao Anhao asked once again, bringing Qiao Anxia back to her senses. Qiao Anxia passed the tissue over before sweeping another nce over the medicine bottle. Nonchntly, she pretended that nothing was wrong, zipping Qiao Anhao¡¯s bag shut. That medicine bottle belonged to Lu Jinnian. She was familiar with that bottle. Two years ago, Lu Jinnian¡¯s assistant had sent her back when she gotten drunk after a gathering. Before leaving the car, he had passed the bottle over to Lu Jinnian , reminding him to apply it on his wounds. At that time, she had asked about it out of curiosity. His assistant told her that it was a medicine specially brought from Yun Nan that removed scars. She then asked where she could get it in Beijing. Lu Jinnian¡¯s assistant then told her that there was only one bottle in the whole Beijing and it belonged to Lu Jinnian. But now Qiao Anhao had it too. She had never been to Yun Nan and couldn¡¯t have bought the medicine there, so it could only mean that Lu Jinnian had given it to her... The more Qiao Anxia thought, the more anxious she got. The second take had already began, but she still couldn¡¯t stay calm, excusing herself to the toilet. Standing in front of the mirror, she washed her hands in deep thought. She recalled the events from the past few days beforeing to a conclusion that Qiao Anhao was the girl Lu Jinnian had been in-love with all these years. Qiao Anxia was startled by her revtion, grabbing onto the basin. She looked down at the streaming water, seemingly in shock. "Miss Qiao?" Qiao Anxia looked to the side, seeing Lu Jinnian¡¯s assistante out from the men¡¯s toilet. She hurriedly swept away her startled expression, smiling towards him as she continued to wash her hands. Casually, she asked, "When did youe back from the city?" "City? Which city? I was in my room sleeping the entire day," he replied. "Really? I could have remembered wrongly," she said calmly before smiling slightly once again. "I¡¯ll be leaving now." Qiao Anxia nodded, her lips curling into a small smile. Once he left, she clenched onto the basin tightly. Lu Jinnian¡¯s assistant was here the entire day... That meant that Lu Jinnian had lied this morning when he mentioned that his assistant had taken the car away... Chapter 226: Suspected Love (14) Chapter 226: Suspected Love (14) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Lu Jinnian¡¯s assistant never took the car out in the afternoon. To Qiao Anxia¡¯s surprise, Lu Jinnian had told Cheng Yang that his assistant took the car just to catch a ride... He was clearly lying... But what was point of his lies? At Huan Ying Entertainment, she casually said that Qiao Qiao liked crayfish. Then, in the evening, Lu Jinnian treated the whole crew to crayfish. When they got into a car ident, he and Cheng Yang immediately rushed over to the scene. He stared at Qiao Qiao for a while without saying a word, then grabbed a cab and left. In the evening, when Qiao Qiao was dancing, he was staring at her in an obvious a trance. Then, there was that small bottle of medicine in Qiao Qiao¡¯s bag... The harder Qiao Anxia gripped onto the sink, the paler her fingertips appeared. Her chest heaved restlessly. If one was to call her premonition just a woman¡¯s intuition, then now, Qiao Anxia may not be 100%, but at the very least, she was 90% certain... Qiao Anhao was the love Lu Jinnian had been missing all these years. From the very start, he had never thought about giving up on his love! It was actually Qiao Anhao, it was actually Qiao Anhao... "Xia Xia? Xia Xia?" Qiao Anxia heard the faint sound of someone calling her. She suddenly looked up at the person in front of her for a while, spaced out. Cheng Yang gracefully furrowed his brows. He grabbed her shoulder and said in a worried voice, "Xia Xia, is there somewhere you don¡¯t feel well?" Qiao Anxia nced over at the hand on her shoulder and raised her head. As she faced him, she slowly came back to her senses. She shook her head and said, "I¡¯m fine." Cheng Yang stretched his hand out and rubbed Qiao Anxia¡¯s head. Her temperature was normal, which made his heart retreat into his chest. Still, he felt uneasy and asked worriedly, "You don¡¯t look too good?" Forcing a smile, Qiao Anxia dug herself into Cheng Yang¡¯s arms. With her eyes shut, she stayed there for a while, then said in a weak voice, "I¡¯m a little tired. Let¡¯s go back and rest." "Okay," Cheng Yang replied obediently. Qiao Anxia, in his arms, turned to leave the bathroom. After a walking a distance, Cheng Yang suddenly opened his mouth to ask again, "Xia Xia, are you really okay? If you don¡¯t feel well somewhere, tell me, I¡¯ll take you to the doctor¡¯s." A hint of warmth came over Qiao Anxia¡¯s heart as she shook her head at Cheng Yang. Her tone carried hints of childishness when she lied, "Perhaps my period is about toe. My stomach hurts a little. It¡¯s really nothing." - Lin Shiyi didn¡¯t graduate junior high. After dropping out, at first, she was a side chick who relied on her body and good looks to get close to quite a few rich bosses. After living an enviable life of glitz and mor, she met a film investor at a dinner party the year she turned neen. Even though he was already fifty, Lin Shiyi imagined that he could be her big break. So after the dinner party had finished that night, she secretly slipped her number into the fifty year old man¡¯s hand. And because she took that first move, it swiftly started off her career in the entertainment industry. From the age of neen to twenty seven, she had spent a total of eight years in the entertainment industry. She always had the drive to reach the top. Of course, the sugar daddies behind her back followed one after another, each more powerful than thest. As ofte, to hustle in this world, sometimes you couldn¡¯t rely on skills but your background. Chapter 227: Suspected Love (15) Chapter 227: Suspected Love (15) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Lin Shiyi despised Song Xiangsi. At first, she nned to go head-to-head with her, but about, Song Xiangsi... she was an anomaly. She was hustling in the entertainment industry, all high and mighty, receiving all the best things, and yet, seemingly not having anyone who supported her... Yet, how could she not once let slip that she had someone who supported her? In the entertainment industry, they called Song Xiangsi a talented female actress you¡¯d meet only once in a hundred years. No matter what, Lin Shiyi could neverpare to her. In the end, she might as well know her ce. In the past eight years, besides Song Xiangsi, Lin Shiyi had never stopped her little tricks. No matter whether it was relying on male celebrities to generate her following, or to crush any female celebrities who threatened her ce. In short, she hustled to the top. All until Qiao Anhao stole her role as the second female lead in "Alluring Times", that¡¯s when she started to have bad luck. The swing incident left her with lingering fears and made her far more restrained, far more low key. In the end, she realized that not only were there no signs of her luck turning around, hermercial jobs had all been canceling on her for no reason these days. Even in thest interview, where she exposed her bra strap and let half her soft breasts spill out, hoping to have made the headlines with such a small move, nothing happened. The reporters who would always expose these entertainment rumors actually didn¡¯t bother actually taking any good photos of the event. Lin Shiyi felt that her career was in danger, and so she thought of everything to kiss up to the powerful entertainment industry exes who she knew. In the end, it was like those people had gotten wind of something¡ªthey allpletely avoided her. In all the years Lin Shiyi has hustled in the entertainment industry, this was the first time where she experienced people ignoring her everyday and her ns falling ineffective. The entertainment industry was not short in celebrities. If one person¡¯s rate of exposure was low, then people would forget about them soon after. And so, Lin Shiyi felt that she needed to get a decentmercial. Even if someone was trying to make her slip up behind her back, they couldn¡¯t ruin her potential. So in the end, she turned to the only person she could meet, Producer Sun, knowing that he was preparing to film a major historical dramately. In the end, who knew that every time she would find him in the middle of the night, this old pervert would repeatedly y games with her. She was extremely cooperative, but after they had ¡¯cooperated¡¯, he would say things she liked to hear, and yet would have no intention of acting on them. Lin Shiyi could also feel that Producer Sun was messing with her. She dared to get mad but didn¡¯t dare say a word of it. And so, she could only do her best to please him. Who knew if it was luck, or if the heavens had given her a path that wouldpletely crush her, when she actually went to find Producer Sun, she found herself a fighting chance. Lin Shiyi had the key card to Producer Sun¡¯s room, and so, in the middle of the night, she sneaked into his room in hopes of climbing into his bed to surprise him. She silently entered the room, and heard Producer Sun¡¯s voice. "Out of these female celebrities, the only one I haven¡¯t yed with is Song Xiangsi. I haven¡¯t touched her, and can¡¯t touch her because she¡¯s protected by the box office. Who doesn¡¯t treat her like a deity... Oh, don¡¯t even mention it. That one. Really pretty... prettier than Song Xiangsi. Innocent and clean. Moreover, you can just tell with one look that she¡¯s natural with no surgeries done... called something like Qiao Anhao... I¡¯m definitely interested in her, but no matter how I try to seduce her, it doesn¡¯t work. Perhaps I can¡¯t get her, so I¡¯m itching inside..." Chapter 228: Suspected Love (16) Chapter 228: Suspected Love (16) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Producer Sun was clearly on the phone with someone when Lin Shiyi heard half of the conversation. Her hand that originally wanted to open the bedroom door wide open paused. So Producer Sun was interested in Qiao Anhao... After she had put so much effort into kissing up to him for so long to no avail, if she gave him Qiao Anhao, he would give her anything she wanted. In this business, there were people who would even offer their own friends to other people¡¯s beds. In addition, Qiao Anhao was also the woman Lin Shiyi hated the most. If she traded her for some benefits, then what reason was there not to do it? The corner of Lin Shiyi¡¯s lips curved into a cold sneer. Had she not gone to Producer Sun¡¯s room, and left silently, then she wouldn¡¯t have started to scheme on how to offer Qiao Anhao up to Producer Sun¡¯s bed. Nor would she have started to think about the favor that was to fall on her, what benefits would she trade it for. After learning from the swing incident, Lin Shiyi¡¯s n, this time, was to unfold specifically when Lu Jinnian wasn¡¯t around. That day, it was a Friday. Because of the rain, outdoor filming could only be rescheduled for a clear day, and so the crew had the afternoon and evening off. Producer Sun was probably in a good mood then, for he offered to treat everyone to dinner. Coincidentally, Lin Shiyi was on her period, so her stomach wasn¡¯t feeling well. She didn¡¯t feel like going, but when she found out that Lu Jinnian had business back in the city, she tightly gritted her teeth and climbed off the bed. She dressed herself up, ready to go to the dinner party. As Producer Sun was treating, everybody, naturally, wouldn¡¯t refuse. Besides Lu Jinnian and Chang Yang, who had to drive his girlfriend that night, everyone else all came. The party was located in a hot springs resort not too far from the vi. After dinner, Producer Sun was going to generously treat everyone to a dip in the hot spring. Lin Shiyi was on her period, so she couldn¡¯t take a dip. Instead, sheid down in the warm beds next to the hot spring, chatting away with other people, but her line of sight never faltered from Qiao Anhao. The temperature of the hot spring was high, and so they didn¡¯t soak in there for long; it was easy to dehydrate. Lin Shiyi spent a lot of money to get her manager to send a round of several boxes of drinks. She even especially asked for the resort staff to give everyone a bottle. Qiao Anhao, Zhao Meng, Song Xiangsi, and a few other actresses stayed in the red wine bath chatting away when the staff brought over the drinks. They very considerately twisted the caps off of everyone¡¯s drinks and personally handed them into their hands, one by one. The staff didn¡¯t tell the guests who had treated them, leaving after serving the drinks. Among those present, only Producer Sun would treat them, so nobody thought much of it and continued to chat and drink. Perhaps it was because the water was too hot, or if they had soaked for too long, causing the body to take in a lot of hot air, Qiao Anhao felt herself grow hotter from inside. It was so unbearable, like her heart was on fire. In the end, she couldn¡¯t take it anymore and got out of the hot spring. She made an excuse, covered herself up in a towel, and went to the washrooms. Qiao Anhao turned on the shower and rinsed her face in cold water to feel slightly morefortable. She raised her head to see that her face had be abnormally red. She couldn¡¯t help but prod at it. For no reason at all, she grew more and more excited, so much so, even her heart raced incredibly fast. Atst, Qiao Anhao felt herself losing sense, and her strength begun to disappear. Her consciousness grew disorientated, and yet there was this indescribably strange feeling of excitement that started flowing from inside. Qiao Anhao¡¯s breathing hastened a little, and then, her body fell limp on the ground. Chapter 229: Suspected Love (17) Chapter 229: Suspected Love (17) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Once Qiao Anhao entered the washroom, Lin Shiyi followed closely with her manager and assistant. When Qiao Anhao realized that she was falling, Lin Shiyi looked at her manager and assistant, signaling for them to move. The two of them went forward, holding her up, covering her face with her hair, pretending to support her. While everyone else was still in the hot spring and weren¡¯t paying attention, they quickly carried her out into Lin Shiyi¡¯s van, driving back to the crew¡¯s hotel. Dragging Qiao Anhao, Lin Shiyi took the elevator all the way to the top floor. She used producer Sun¡¯s ess card to open his room door, throwing Qiao Anhao on the bed before shutting the door behind heself. Once she returned to her room, Lin Shiyi took out her phone to send Producer Sun a text, [Mr Sun, I sent you a surprise and it¡¯s waiting for you in your room right now. Enjoy!] Producer Sun felt fatigued from the hot spring. He walked out and began to dry his dripping wet hair before walking to the locker. The moment he opened his phone, he saw the text Lin Shiyi had sent ten minutes ago. He stared at the phone for a long while before hurriedly changing his clothes and footing the bill. He instructed his assistant to leave before driving back to the hotel himself. - Zhao Meng was in deep conversation with the others and only after she came out of the hot spring did she realize that Qiao Anhao was not around. She had gone to the bathroom a long while ago but had not returned. Zhao Meng walked towards it, but even after circling the whole bathroom, she still couldn¡¯t find Qiao Anhao. She then continued to walk around looking for her friend, but she was still not in sight. Zhao Meng returned to the locker area and found that Qiao Anhao¡¯s clothes and belongings were still inside. Her things were here so she must still be here! Zhao Meng returned back to the hot spring in search of Qiao Anhao. It had been quite some time and most people were already on the way out. Zhao Meng greeted the familiar crew that walked past as she walked around searching for Qiao Anhao. As she still couldn¡¯t find her friend, she started to get increasingly more worried. Worried and panicky, Zhao Meng had a bad premonition. When she wanted to return to the hot spring one more time, Song Xiangsi stopped her. "Zhao Meng, everyone has left, why would you go back in when you just came from there?" Zhao Meng stopped, shouting back, "Sis Xiangsi, I can¡¯t find Qiao Qiao." "Wasn¡¯t Miss Qiao talking with the others awhile ago? Besides, how can you lose someone that¡¯s of age?" Song Xiangsi paused for a while guessing, "She could have had an emergency and didn¡¯t have time to inform you?" "But her clothes and belongings are still in the locker!" Zhao Meng paused momentarily before continuing, "If she had changed, I wouldn¡¯t be so worried, but she¡¯s definitely not someone who would walk around in her swimming suit." Chapter 230: Suspected Love (18) Chapter 230: Suspected Love (18) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Song Xiangsi frowned, starting to grasp the seriousness of the situation. Her expression turned solemn instantly and she asked, "When was thest time you saw her?" "It was before she went to the bathroom when she was still talking to us.." Before waiting for Zhao Meng to finish the sentence, Song Xiangsi tookrge strides towards the hot spring. Zhao Meng paused with her mouth wide open as she looked towards Song Xiangsi¡¯s manager. She too was puzzled and had no idea what Song Xiangsi was going to do. Rushing over, they followed her closely. When she reached the red wine hot spring, Song Xiangsi realized that the drinks that were originally ced beside the pool were no longer there. She continued to look at the other pools and realized that the drinks there had also been taken away. Her lips stretched into a thin line as she vaguely guessed the situation. Walking out of the hot spring area, she instructed Zhao Meng and her assistant, "If I didn¡¯t remember wrongly, the boss of the hot spring contacted me for a coboration, use that number to call him back. Tell him that a coboration is possible but he has to cooperate and let me see the security footage now." Zhao Meng didn¡¯t understand why would Song Xiangsi need the security footage, but she still did as she was told. After hanging up, a few workers came to look for Song Xiangsi, escorting her to the security room politely. Song Xiangsi scanned the multiple screens and once she saw Qiao Anhao enter the bathroom, she instructed them to erge the footage. Shortly after she had entered, Lin Shiyi entered with both her manager and assistant. Song Xiangsi¡¯s eyes dimmed when she saw the four of them exiting the washroom. One of them had her entire face covered with hair. Even though the others couldn¡¯t tell, Zhao Meng knew instantly that she was Qiao Anhao. She raised her hand pointing to the women. "Qiao Qiao, Qiao Qiao was taken by Lin Shiyi! Why would she bring Qiao Qiao away? I need to find her!" Zhao Meng turned and dashed out of the security room. "Stop!" Song Xiangsi shouted in a strict voice. She walked forward and grabbed Zhao Meng¡¯s arm. "Do you actually believe Lin Shiyi would tell you what she did to Qiao Anhao?" "I¡¯ll call the police!" "Police?" Song Xiangsi smirked slightly before continuing, "Do you have evidence? Lin Shiyi did carry her out, but thats not kidnapping, it¡¯s not against thew. Besides, we belong to the same crew, no one would believe she is in danger with just this clip. Even if you manage to convince the police, she would already be in trouble by the time we find her." "Then... What do I do? Lin Shiyi has always hated Qiao Qiao, now that she has brought her away, it won¡¯t be anything good... Oh! I can call Anxia for help.." Zhao Meng fished out her phone and dialed Qiao Anxia¡¯s number. Before she could press call, Song Xiangsi snatched it over and dialed Lu Jinnian¡¯s number instead. "Why would you find her, you should be finding Lu Jinnian!" Chapter 231: Shes The Only One You Cant Touch! (1) Chapter 231: She¡¯s The Only One You Can¡¯t Touch! (1) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Just then, the call went through. Song Xiangsi raised the phone to her ear and went straight to the point, "Mr. Lu, I¡¯m not Qiao Anhao, I¡¯m Song Xiangsi. About one hour ago, Qiao Anhao was taken away by Lin Shiyi!" Tonight, Lu Jinnian had a gathering. He had never liked attending gatherings, and due to his personality, he never seemed to be able to blend in like the rest. During the gathering tonight, he had barely said a word or even taken a bite. Halfway through, he had taken out his phone out of boredom and was looking through WeChat. One crew member had shared the scrumptious meal that they were having and had briefly exined that the dinner was treated by Producer Sun. In the photo, he spotted Qiao Anhao using her phone as she sat between Zhao Meng and Song Xiangsi. He stared at the photo for a long while, till someone came up to toast a drink. Without emotion, he kept his phone, raising his wine ss. It was already 10 pm when the dinner ended. When his assistant went to retrieve the car, he went to the bathroom, bumping into Qiao Anxia. Qiao Anxia was on a seven day leave and today was thest day. She had just finished a meal with Cheng Yang after he sent her back to the city. The restaurant was situated on one of the top floors of the building; the skyline could be seen from the height. Cheng Yang and Qiao Anxia didn¡¯t leave after their meal, staying behind to admire the beautiful night view as they chatted about nothing. Only at 10 pm did Cheng Yang call for the bill. Qiao Anxia excused herself to the bathroom, and just then, she bumped into Lu Jinnian. He was clearly startled but did not show much emotion, nodding towards her. Without saying a word, he walked to the side, clearing the path for her. Even though Qiao Anxia was confident that Qiao Anhao was the girl that Lu Jinnian had been in-love with for all these years, she wasn¡¯t entirely sure. Few seconds after he brushed past her, she shouted, "Lu Jinnian." Lu Jinnian frowned, hesitating slightly before finally stopping, but he didn¡¯t turn to face her. Qiao Anxia turned and, seeing that Lu Jinnian had his back towards her, she took a deep breath before walking to face him. Lifting her head to look into his frosty eyes, she pressed her lips before saying, " I think I know who you love." Lu Jinnian¡¯s gaze faltered slightly, but he remained emotionless. His lips remained pressed together as he continue to look at her, waiting for her to continue. "Lu Jinnian, do you think your emotionless facade can hide everything?" Qiao Anxia lowered hershes as she chuckled. Looking back up, she looked into his eyes before speaking slowly, "Lu Jinnian, the person you like is my.... " "Ring!" Lu Jinnian¡¯s phone rang, cutting her off. He frowned, fishing his phone out. He paused slightly, sinking into a daze when he saw who was calling, as though he couldn¡¯t believe that it was happening. He swiped the screen, but before he could say a word, Song Xiangsi¡¯s voice came through, "Mr. Lu, I¡¯m not Qiao Anhao, I¡¯m Song Xiangsi. About one hour ago, Qiao Anhao was taken away by Lin Shiyi!" Chapter 232: Shes The Only One You Cant Touch! (2) Chapter 232: She¡¯s The Only One You Can¡¯t Touch! (2) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Lu Jinnian¡¯s eyes dimmed instantly. The corridor outside the bathroom was silent, and since Song Xiangsi had raised her volume, Qiao Anxia could hear her. Her face fell the moment she heard the content, forgetting what she was about to say. "What happened to Qiao Qiao?" she asked anxiously. Lu Jinnian clenched his lips tightly as he threw his phone back into his pocket. Completely ignoring Qiao Anxia, he pushed her aside, takingrge strides out. Qiao Anxia fell backwards, hitting the wall. When she regained her bnce, Lu Jinnian had already entered the lift. Pausing for about a second, she stood up and followed behind him in a hurry. When the lift reached the ground floor, Qiao Anxia ran out towards the entrance. Just then, she saw Lu Jinnian pulling his assistant out of the car, throwing him aside. He climbed into the car, and without even fastening the seat belt, he mmed onto the elerator, speeding off. When the assistant finally regained his footing, he saw Qiao Anxia, who had chased after. Confused, he asked, "Miss Qiao, what happened to Mr. Lu?" "Come to the car first!" Qiao Anxia pulled him into the cab she had just gged. Ferociously, she order the driver, "Follow the Audi A8 in front with car te ending with 88." "That car? He¡¯s speeding though..." Before the driver could finish, Qiao Anxia threw a wad of cash over at the driver. "DRIVE!" The driver looked around at the cash that was all around, his expression dazed. Before he could think to say another word, Qiao Anxia had already removed her heel and was aiming the pointed edge towards his neck. " Are you going to start the car?" The driver swallowed, mming onto the elerator, chasing after Lu Jinnian¡¯s car. Qiao Anxia casually moved her heel aside, fastening it back onto her foot. Heel back in ce, she exined to Lu Jinnian¡¯s assistant who was still in a daze, "Goddess Song called just now to inform him that Qiao Qiao has been taken away by Lin Shiyi!" The minute Lu Jinnian came out of the elevator, he received another call from Song Xiangsi saying that someone saw Lin Shiyi¡¯s van in the car park of the crew¡¯s hotel; she was currently in her room. Lu Jinnian sped all the way back to the set. - Luckily, the roads were rtively empty as it was alreadyte into the night. His car flew across the streets and a two hour journey waspleted in less than half an hour. He stopped his car at the bottom of the hotel, and after pulling out the keys, he mmed the doors shut, entering the hotel. There were several crew members who were on their way out, and when they saw Lu Jinnian, they moved to the side politely greeting him, "Mr. Lu." Chapter 233: Shes The Only One You Cant Touch! (3) Chapter 233: She¡¯s The Only One You Can¡¯t Touch! (3) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Lu Jinnian walked towards the elevator with a tight expression. The cab that Qiao Anxia was in reached the hotel shortly after, and before waiting for the cab to stop, she opened the doors and left the cab, running into the hotel. - The moment she entered, she saw Lu Jinnian in the elevator. She ran forward and waited to see which floor he stopped at before mming the elevator buttons several times. When the elevator reached her, Lu Jinnian¡¯s assistant had also arrived, having run over. The two of them rushed in and waited anxiously as the elevator ascended. Qiao Anxia pushed past the doors and wandered about frantically, trying to find Lu Jinnian. When she saw him at the end of the hall knocking on a door, she pressed her lips into a thin line. Running over, she lost bnce, falling over. She held onto the wall at the side trying hard to stand straight before removing her heels, throwing them aside. Thirty minutes after Lin Shiyi had sent Qiao Anhao to Producer Sun¡¯s room, she received a short text, [I like it.] Lin Shiyi¡¯s lips curled into a wide grin as she replied, [Enjoy your night]. She curled back in her bed and started to watch the television happily. At about 10 pm, she went to change her sanitary pad. Looking into the mirror, she observed her breasts which were slightly swollen due to her period. She appeared sexier than usual and she started to ponder whether or not to get her breasts erged. Just then, she heard someone knocking on her door. The knocking increased, sounding urgent. It came on continuously, without any signs of stopping. Lin Shiyi removed her hand from her breasts, walking to the door impatiently as she asked, "Who is it?" No one replied. Lin Shiyi thought her manager had returned, so she strolled over to the door and opened it slowly. The moment she opened the door, she saw Lu Jinnian. He looked exceptionally scary and distant. Lin Shiyi trembled inwardly as an uneasy feeling engulfed her. Is he here for Qiao Anhao? But the two of them weren¡¯t even close... The only reason he was strict to her regarding the swing incident was because he didn¡¯t like people plotting schemes on set... Even though she was panicking inside, Lin Shiyi forced out a smile, tilting her head as she asked seductively, "Mr. Lu, can I help you?" "Where is Qiao Anhao?" he snarled. It really was about her... Worry and guilt clouded Lin Shiyi¡¯s eyes, but she regained herself instantly, continuing to smile. "Miss Qiao should be in her room..." "Stop your bullshit!" Before Lin Shiyi could finish her sentence, Qiao Anxia who had just reached shouted angrily. The next moment, without waiting for anyone to react, Qiao Anxia threw her heels at Lin Shiyi. " Stop acting, we all know you took my sister away." Chapter 234: Shes The Only One You Cant Touch! (4) Chapter 234: She¡¯s The Only One You Can¡¯t Touch! (4) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Qiao Anxia¡¯s heels smashed straight into Lin Shiyi¡¯s head. Lin Shiyi¡¯s face paled in an instant as the pain spread. Unconsciously, she retreated back into her room, her hands grabbing onto her head. "I don¡¯t know!" she shouted. "You don¡¯t know?" Qiao Anxia had always been hot-tempered, and now that Lin Shiyi was not willing to cooperate, she stomped forward grabbing onto her hair. She pulled on it before mming her hand onto her face, pping her several times. "I¡¯ll help you remember!" Lu Jinnian stood at the door without any intention of helping Lin Shiyi. "Lin Shiyi, where did you hide my sister?" Qiao Anxia grabbed another handful of her hair as she shouted. She pulled Lin Shiyi¡¯s hair upwards, forcing her to look up. Qiao Anxia had used all her strength to inflict pain, leaving Lin Shiyi¡¯s pretty face red and swollen. Qiao Anxia looked into her eyes, and with a sharp authoritative tone, she asked again, "WHERE IS MY SISTER?" Lin Shiyi pressed her lips, not willing to say a word. Qiao Anxia felt as though her organs were about to explode in anger. She looked around the room, her gaze falling on a fruit knife in a corner. Without a second thought, she reached for it and and pressed it to Lin Shiyi¡¯s face. "I¡¯ll give you three seconds, if you don¡¯t confess, I¡¯m going to sh your face!" Lin Shiyi looked at the knife frantically, her heart beating rapidly. She desperately tried to stare back at Qiao Anxia, retorting, "It¡¯s against thew!" "Law?" Qiao Anxiaughed as though it was a joke before her face turned cold. Using the knife, she roughly tapped Lin Shiyi¡¯s face. " Isn¡¯t kidnapping against thew? Since you started it, let¡¯s see whose the final victor!" Qiao Anxia shouted in a cold voice, "Three!" Lin Shiyi trembled. "Two!" "One!" Qiao Anxia shed her face without hesitation. Just a small cut and blood started dripping down her face. Lin Shiyi cried in fear, her trembling voice shouting, "STOP, I¡¯LL TELL YOU!" Qiao Anxia stopped instantly. Lin Shiyi¡¯s lips shivered as she continued, ,"Qiao Anhao is in Producer Sun¡¯s room..." The moment Lu Jinnian heard it, hostility filled his eyes. He turned and sprinted all the way up. "Smack!" Qiao Anxia pped her face once more before grabbing onto her chin, staring into her eyes. "Lin Shiyi, let me warn you, if you dare to do anything to my sister again, I¡¯ll make sure to pay you back ten times worse! You better pray that she¡¯s alright..." Qiao Anxia paused momentarily. Her voice trembled when she spoke next. "Lin Shiyi, I¡¯ll make your life a living hell." Chapter 235: Shes The Only One You Cant Touch! (5) Chapter 235: She¡¯s The Only One You Can¡¯t Touch! (5) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Qiao Anxia looked towards the fruit knife she held, smiling coldly towards Lin Shiyi. "Didn¡¯t know you were such a wuss, just a small cut and you¡¯re like that?" she mocked. Qiao Anxia tossed the fruit knife onto the floor before running out of Lin Shiyi¡¯s room. Outside, she instructed Lu Jinnian¡¯s assistant, "Go get my shoes!" Barefooted, she ran towards the elevator heading for the top floor. This wasn¡¯t the first time that Lin Shiyi had sent a woman to Producer Sun, hence he understood what the gift was the moment he received the text, leaving the hot spring ahead of time. The entire journey back to the hotel, Producer Sun was trying to guess who she could be this time. The moment he opened the door and found Qiao Anhao lying on the bed, his body reacted almost immediately. He never expected Lin Shiyi to have sent Qiao Anhao... She was the woman he had been craving for the longest time! Drugged, Qiao Anhao couldn¡¯t think straight, lying lifelessly curled into a ball on the bed. Her entire face was tinted pink, even the skin that was exposed were a deep shade of pink, appearing exceptionally seductive. Just this image was enough to arouse Produced Sun. He tookrge strides to the bed and stared down into her beautiful face for a while. How could someone look so beautiful? He fished out his phone and sent a text to Lin Shiyi before reaching out to caress her delicate skin. Turning, he went straight to the shower. Producer Sun washed himself briefly beforeing out of the shower. While he was drying himself, he hesitated slightly as he looked towards his cologne. After a moment, he reached for it and started spraying it all over his fat body. Satisfied, he tied a towel over his waist and headed out. Grinning, he climbed onto the bed, impatiently reaching out with his hands to pull off Qiao Anhao¡¯s swimsuit. She was burning! The slight touch sent a tremble through him, rushing him into a frenzy. Qiao Anhao felt as though she was on fire, heat engulfing her. She was excited and sensitive, but the minute someone touched her, she had a strong sense revulsion. It was the first time she had felt such repulsion. With thest shred of sanity, she was sure that this was not normal, but regardless of how she struggled, she wasn¡¯t able to exin it. Qiao Anhao wore a conservative swimsuit, and when she curled up, it clung to her, making it difficult to remove. In a hurry, Producer Sun roughly ripped it off, sending pain coursing through Qiao Anhao. She frowned, an unfamiliar scent clouding her senses. It was a man¡¯s cologne! Man? Qiao Anhao frowned deeper as she wrestled her eyes open. Even after staring at the person in front for a long while, she still could¡¯t register who he was. Chapter 236: Shes The Only One You Cant Touch! (6) Chapter 236: She¡¯s The Only One You Can¡¯t Touch! (6) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Man? Qiao Anhao frowned deeper as she wrestled her eyes open. Even after staring at the person in front for a long while, she still could¡¯t register who he was. But she knew from the scent that it definitely wasn¡¯t Lu Jinnian. Qiao Anhao lifted her hands weakly, pushing away the hands that were pulling at her swimsuit, but no matter how much she struggled, she couldn¡¯t inflict any harm on the man. Instead, her struggles seemed to tug at his heart, kindling a me inside him. He couldn¡¯t resist any longer, lowering himself to kiss her face. Qiao Anhao tilted her hand, hiding away from him. Drugged, her feeble struggles were useless even if a sense of disgust engulfed her. Producer Sun tugged and fiddled with the swimsuit, but when it was almostpletely removed, his phone rang. He ignored it, but the ringing kept going on relentlessly. Standing up, he looked over in frustration, realizing that it was from his wife. He grabbed his phone hurriedly, hiding in the bathroom. Even though she was out of sorts, Qiao Anhao was aware that she was in danger. The minute the man left the room, she tried to stand up, but the moment she did so, her body gave away, falling near the bed. "Ah," she groaned from the impact. Without waiting, she lifted her hands to hold onto the table nearby, trying to pull herself up. She pulled and slowly staggered towards the door. Her body was limp and her legs were numb, she had to use every ounce of strength in her body to take each step. When she finally reached the door, she could no longer support herself, kneeling on the floor. Producer Sun ended the call swiftly and quickly returned to the bed only to realize that Qiao Anhao was no longer there. He rushed out of the bedroom and found her kneeling by the door. Smiling, he cooed "Darling" as he reached over to carry her. At that moment, Qiao Anhao had exhausted all her strength and could only allow him to carry her without struggling, copsing into his embrace Herpliance ignited another fire within Producer Sun¡¯s heart, tugging at it relentlessly. He ran over to the bed impatiently and pounced onto her. Qiao Anhao is in Producer Sun¡¯s room... Lu Jinnian understood her words instantly. It had been an hour since Qiao Anhao went missing and the hot spring was only half an hour away... This meant that she had been in his room for an hour.... One hour... Lu Jinnian¡¯s fingers trembled as he reached for his phone to call the hotel manager,manding for Producer Sun¡¯s room card. The minute he reached the top floor, there was already a hotel staff there with the card. Lu Jinnian snatched it over and signaled for the staff to lead him to Producer Sun¡¯s room. As he tapped the card onto the door, his heart was beating rapidly, his fingers trembling uncontrobly. When he realized that the room was silent, he ran towards the bedroom. Chapter 237: Shes The Only One You Cant Touch! (7) Chapter 237: She¡¯s The Only One You Can¡¯t Touch! (7) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Before Lu Jinnian entered the bedroom, he caught a glimpse of the bed through the half-closed door. Producer Sun was lying on top of Qiao Anhao, his hands tugging at her swimsuit while shey motionless, staring at the ceiling. Her eyes were nk and she looked like a lifeless doll. Fire and heartache flooded Lu Jinnian, and he felt as though his heart was being torn apart. He had been in the entertainment industry for a long time and was aware that many actresses had to go through darkest and dirtiest nights, arge portion of them being drugged. Lu Jinnian¡¯s felt a searing pain in his chest, and his breathing seemed to have stopped. The next second, his face sunk into a menacing scowl. He kicked the door open and stomped in. The door mmed into the wall with a resounding "BANG!", jolting Producer Sun. He turned around and before he was even able to see the intruder¡¯s face, Lu Jinnian had already grabbed his hands and punched his face. With all the strength in his body, he smashed straight into Producer Sun¡¯s head. Producer Sun¡¯s head titled from the impact and before he could stabilize his stout figure, he fell onto the floor with a loud thud. Lu Jinnian approached him with a menacing aura, bending to pick him up before raising his leg, striking hard into his gut, sending him flying. Producer Sun glided across the smooth empty floor, smashing hard into the sofa. Before he could get back to his senses, Lu Jinnian had struck him once again. The strike was sudden and Producer Sun was not prepared for the impact. He couldn¡¯t hide , screaming in pain as he flew across the floor once again. Lu Jinnian seemed oblivious to Producer Sun¡¯s pain as he loomed over. He grabbed the stout man once more and struck hard between his thighs. "WHO ALLOWED YOU TO TOUCH HER! WHO THE FUCK ALLOWED YOU TO TOUCH HER!" As he screamed, he continued to strike between Producer Sun¡¯s thighs, venting his anger. He continued to strike relentlessly, like a madman. "YOU DARE TO TOUCH MY WOMAN, I¡¯LL MAKE YOU PAY." As he shouted, he recalled the image he saw through the door opening. Jealousy and heartache enveloped him. He seemed to have lost control. Grabbing a ss cup at the side, he threw it at Producer Sun¡¯s head. Fresh blood started oozing out of the man¡¯s head... Qiao Anxia and Lu Jinnian¡¯s assistant reached the floor only when Lu Jinnian had kicked Producer Sun out of the bedroom. As Qiao Anxia took in the scene, her face paled. She stumbled backwards. Lu Jinnian¡¯s assistant was shocked by the violence of the scene, and when he saw blood spilling out of Producer Sun¡¯s head, he came back to his senses, rushing forward to restrain Lu Jinnian. "Mr. Lu, it¡¯s enough! You¡¯re going to kill him!" Chapter 238: Shes The Only One You Cant Touch! (8) Chapter 238: She¡¯s The Only One You Can¡¯t Touch! (8) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem "Mr. Lu, enough! You¡¯re going to kill him at this rate!" Lu Jinnian ignored his assistant, pushing him away. Holding onto the half broken ss cup, he smashed it on the floor. His assistant quickly hugged onto Lu Jinnian¡¯s waist and used all his strength to pull him back as he shouted, "Mr. Lu, if you kill him, it¡¯ll be the end of you as well!" Lu Jinnian¡¯s eyes were so bright, they looked as though they were about to go up in mes. He struggled out of his assistant¡¯s restraint, running towards Producer Sun once again. Qiao Anxia couldn¡¯t help covering her mouth in shock as Lu Jinnian stabbed Producer Sun like a madman. The assistant was in a frenzy. Without a real thought, he turned his head and saw Qiao Anhao lying on the bed unconscious. "Mr. Lu, Miss Qiao seems to be unconscious. We need to call the ambnce immediately!" This sentence seemed to have magically calmed Lu Jinnian, stopping him instantly. The ss cup was just inches away from Producer Sun¡¯s throat. He stared at Producer Sun¡¯s bruised up face, his chest swollen. Lu Jinnian clenched the ss cup. His lips pressed together tightly before he tossed it away. Producer Sun shut his eyes in fear as the ss cup brush past his ear, smashing into the television behind him, a crack forming on the screen as the cup shattered into pieces. Producer Sun trembled uncontrobly, unable to calm down. Lu Jinnian couldn¡¯t seem to vent the anger within him as he struck the coffee table. Grabbing onto Producer Sun¡¯s cor, he stared straight into his eyes. He scowled, then said in a controlled voice, "In this industry, I don¡¯t care about what you do, you can sleep with whoever you like." Lu Jinnian paused momentarily, his anger staining his eyes blood-shot. He tighten his grip on Producer Sun¡¯s cor before continuing menacingly, "But let me warn you, Qiao Anhao is the only one you can¡¯t touch, or I¡¯ll make sure you pay!" Lu Jinnian¡¯s face sunk, and without looking at Qiao Anxia or his assistant, he entered the bedroom. He tugged at the bed sheet, wrapping it around Qiao Anhao, making sure she was fully covered before carrying her out. When Lu Jinnian came out of the room, Qiao Anxia blinked,ing back to her senses. She put down her hands and looked at Qiao Anhao, who was in Lu Jinnian¡¯s arms. "How is she?" Qiao Anxia reached out, wanting to hold Qiao Anhao¡¯s hand. Lu Jinnian tightened his arms around Qiao Anhao, stumbling backwards instinctively as though she was a precious gem that required protection. Without bothering to look at Qiao Anxia, he left the room. Chapter 239: Shes The Only One You Cant Touch! (9) Chapter 239: She¡¯s The Only One You Can¡¯t Touch! (9) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem When the assistant stood up, he grabbed Qiao Anxia, who stared at his hand, before rushing behind Lu Jinnian. When they reached the elevator, the door had just opened, Lu Jinnian entered hugging onto Qiao Anhao, ignoring the both of them. His assistant pulled the dazed Qiao Anxia into the elevator before pressing the button for the ground floor. As soon as the elevator reached the ground floor, Lu Jinnian exited with Qiao Anhao while his assistant followed behind, rushing to help him open the car door. After Lu Jinnian was settled in the car with Qiao Anhao in his arms, his assistant shut the door and opened the passenger seat. He rushed Qiao Anxia into the car before hurriedly entering the driver seat and speeding off to the nearest hospital. The assistant sped all the way as silence engulfed the car. No one said a word, and Qiao Anxia was still out of sorts, her mind in a frenzy. She stared at the road ahead in a daze for a long while before turning her eyes towards the rear mirror. Through the mirror, she could see that Lu Jinnian still had the same protective stance, his hands tight around Qiao Anhao while her head rested weakly on his chest. Qiao Anhao¡¯s face was a deep shade of red. Lu Jinnian seemed to be worried that her head would be ufortable in that position for he adjusted her, even arranging her disheveled hair one strand at a time. He was treating Qiao Anhao with utmost care, a gentleness that Qiao Anxia had never seen him show before,pletely different from the monster that had inflicted pain on Producer Sun. He was even emitting tenderness that was at odds with his usual frosty demeanor. Qiao Anxia felt her throat choke up and her eyes start to hurt, tears welling slightly. She wanted to avert her gaze, but no matter how hard she tried, her eyes were fixed on them. When the car arrived at a hospital emergency department, Lu Jinnian left wordlessly, carrying Qiao Anhao. He didn¡¯t bother informing his assistant or Qiao Anxia, opening the door and walking towards the hospital doors. His assistant parked the car and the both of them entered the hospital. By then, Lu Jinnian had already carried Qiao Anhao to the second floor. Lu Jinnian kept Qiao Anhao in his arms as the doctors conducted checks, collected blood samples, took her temperature, and even when the doctors were inserting the IV drip, she was still in his arms. He didn¡¯t seem to want to let her go and after the IV drip was inserted, he looked up and instructed his assistant, "Get a set of clean clothes." The assistant understood that he was referring to clothes meant for Qiao Anhao. He nodded his head wordlessly, leaving with the car keys. Before he left the room, he looked towards Qiao Anxia, who had remained silent all this while, asking, "Miss Qiao, do you need a ride back?" Qiao Anxia shook her head. Lu Jinnian¡¯s assistant smiled and nodded his head politely, leaving. The hospital room was silent. Qiao Anxia clenched both sides of the chair, turning to look at Lu Jinnian, who was still holding Qiao Anhao. His gaze never once left the woman in his arms, as though there was no one else in the room. Chapter 240: Shes The Only One You Cant Touch! (10) Chapter 240: She¡¯s The Only One You Can¡¯t Touch! (10) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem The hospital room was silent. Qiao Anxia clenched both sides of the chair, turning to look at Lu Jinnian, who was still holding Qiao Anhao. His gaze never once left the woman in his arms, as though there was no one else in the room. Right now, he was oblivious to the surroundings¡ªthere was only Qiao Anhao in his eyes. As the night deepened, Qiao Anxia slightly loosened her rigid body, standing to pour two cups of water. She walked over, cing one of the cups in front of Lu Jinnian. His attention remained focused on Qiao Anhao, he didn¡¯t even bother lifting his gaze to look in Qiao Anxia¡¯s direction. Qiao Anxia pressed her lips into a thin line, her grip on the cup tightening. In that instance, she felt as though she was unneeded and a hindrance in the ward. Qiao Anxia sat in front of Lu Jinnian for a while before giving up, leaving the ward with a cup in her hand. She stood in front of a window in the corridor, staring out at the dark skies, her vision blurring. As time trickled by slowly, the night deepened. Gradually, the traffic slowed, and when it reached 1 am, Lu Jinnian¡¯s assistant returned with a fresh set of clothes. He knocked on the door before entering. cing the bag of clothes on the sofa, he left silently. Just then, he saw Qiao Anxia who was staring out the window in a daze. Once again, he asked, "Miss Qiao, Mr. Lu can take care of her, do you want to go back? " Qiao Anxia remained silent for a while before speaking with a slightly raspy voice, "I¡¯ll stay a little longer, once Qiao Qiao¡¯s in a stable condition, I¡¯ll leave." Lu Jinnian¡¯s assistant stood beside her silently, apanying her. After about half an hour, Qiao Anhao¡¯s IV drip was nearly empty. Lu Jinnian pressed the emergency button, calling the nurses over. They tended to Qiao Anhao, checking her temperature and blood pressure. After confirming that she had recovered, they looked towards Lu Jinnian. "She ingested hallucinogens, but luckily the dosage wasn¡¯t detrimental. But it would be better for her to stay another night in case her condition worsens." Lu Jinnian nodded. Once the nurses left, he reached out to feel her pulse, realizing that it had finally calmed down. Previously, when he left the hotel, her heartbeat was so fast he could barely keep count. She was no longer unconscious and had sunk into a deep sleep. Lu Jinnian took a deep breath, cing her onto the bed carefully. He removed the bed sheets and swimsuit that was wrapped tightly around her before making sure she was fully covered under the nket. He went to the bathroom, and after a while, he came out with a slightly damp towel. Sitting on the edge of the bed, he removed the nket and began to tenderly wipe her wless skin. Producer Sun had touched her... She would have felt vited and disgusted... He wanted to make sure she was clean before she woke up... Qiao Anxia¡¯s phone vibrated, snapping her back to her senses. She reached into her bag, fishing it out. The moment she unlocked it, she realized that were multiple missed calls from Cheng Yang. It suddenly dawned on her that she had left the hotel without informing him. Before she could call him back, Cheng Yang called again. She swiped the phone and Cheng Yang¡¯s anxious voice came through, "Xia Xia? Where are you?" Qiao Anxia lowered her eyshes and in an apologetic tone said, "I¡¯m sorry... Qiao Qiao was in danger just now, I didn¡¯t have time to inform you." Chapter 241: Do You Know Who He Likes? (1) Chapter 241: Do You Know Who He Likes? (1) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem "Is she okay? Is it serious?" "I¡¯m in the hospital now, everything¡¯s under control... Can youe get me... Yea, Nation Hospital." Qiao Anxia hung up, turning towards the ward, but before she entered, she could see through the tiny ss window that Lu Jinnian was cleaning Qiao Anhao¡¯s body. Qiao Anxia stopped in her tracks, her gaze fixed on the two of them. Lu Jinnian¡¯s actions were serious and cautions, as though he wanted to remove all traces of Producer Sun but didn¡¯t want to hurt her. After ensuring that she was clean, he reached for the set of clothes that his assistant had brought over. Even though Lu Jinnian had blocked her view of Qiao Anhao, Qiao Anxia could clearly tell from his back view that he was helping her change her clothes and his actions were definitely loving and gentle. After changing her clothes, Lu Jinnian positioned Qiao Anhao on the bedfortably before sitting down beside her. He stared at her sleeping face for a while before reaching out to caress her forehead, his long fingers tracing her brows longingly. Just by looking at his profile, Qiao Anxia could see a tenderness and gentleness that had never once crossed his face in the many years she had known him. In that instance, Qiao Anxia felt as though he was a stranger. She stood still, as though paralyzed, not moving an inch. Just then, her phone vibrated, jolting her back to her senses. She lowered her head and saw an iing call from Cheng Yang. Swiping right, his voice came through, "Xia Xia, I¡¯m at the hospital entrance." Qiao Anxia pulled herself together, replying softly, "I¡¯ming." After she hung up, Qiao Anxia looked towards the ward onest time. Lu Jinnian lowered his head, softly pressing his lips onto Qiao Anhao¡¯s forehead. Qiao Anxia quickly averted her gaze, turning to leave without a word. Before she descended the staircase, she bumped into Lu Jinnian¡¯s assistant. "Miss Qiao, are you leaving?" "Cheng Yang is here, I¡¯ll leave for today." "Then good bye, Miss Qiao." "Goodbye." Qiao Anxia smiled before walking down the stairs. After entering Cheng Yang¡¯s car, Qiao Anxia shut her eyes after a short conversation. Sensing that she was tired, Cheng Yang stopped talking, removing his jacket to cover her. He drove straight to his apartment in the city. After parking his car, he didn¡¯t wake Qiao Anxia, instead he carried her softly, bringing her up. Cheng Yang ced her on his bed before tucking her in, making sure she was warm andfortable. He lowered his head to kiss her before entering the bathroom. Qiao Anxia shut her eyes, lying motionlessly on the bed. The minute she heard the shower turn on, she buried her face into the nket, the image before she left the hospital clouding her mind. Just a few hours ago, when she had bumped into Lu Jinnian in the bathroom and had stopped him, she had wanted to get a confirmation on her suspicion, on whether Qiao Anhao was the girl he had been in-love with all this while. But now... there was no longer a need. Chapter 242: Do You Know Who He Likes? (2) Chapter 242: Do You Know Who He Likes? (2) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem All these years, the girl that he had been holding deep in his heart was Qiao Anhao. On the way back from the hospital, even though Qiao Anxia had pretended to be asleep, all she could think about was how she had always thought they weren¡¯t close. How did he fall in love with Qiao Anhao? Sometimes, when you cancel out a possibility, all the problems and loopholes would be neglected. But the moment you catch on and start to ponder, the problems would naturally surface. When they were in high school, Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t turn up for all the gatherings, but as long as Qiao Anhao went, he would definitely be there. However, the two of them would barely talk, sometimes even stay seated far apart. Qiao Anxia wasn¡¯t exactly sure, but in year three, Xu Jiamu had organized a camp on a mountain. It was extremely hot and humid that night so everyone slept in the open. When she woke up in the middle of the night to go to the toilet, she seemed to have seen Lu Jinnian sitting beside Qiao Anhao. At that time, she was too tired to think much ,but when she was walking back to sleep, she seemed to have seen Lu Jinnian fanning Qiao Anhao as she slept. On the second day, when everyone woke up, Lu Jinnian was no longer around, so she had forgotten about the incident. But now, the pieces seemed to fall into ce. That night, Qiao Anhao who was often bitten by mosquitoes, didn¡¯t get a single bite. That night, while everyone was asleep, Lu Jinnian had spent the entire night chasing the mosquitoes away from her. Afterwards, when they entered college, whenever she and Qiao Anhao went to Hangzhou, Lu Jinnian would always treat them to a meal. But there were several times when she went there alone and asked to have a meal with him, he often fond ways to reject her. At that time, she had naively believed that he was really busy from filming, only now did she realize that he wasn¡¯t busy, his time was only for Qiao Anhao. There was more... For the past four years, Lu Jinnian would often initiate conversations with her. At those times she hadn¡¯t noticed anything, but every single time they spoke, he would always ask about Qiao Anhao... All this while, it had been her one-sided wishful thinking. All these years, he didn¡¯t really want to talk to her but was trying to find out about Qiao Anhao... If it wasn¡¯t for tonight, if she hadn¡¯t seen with her own eyes his fury and worry, she would have never found out that Lu Jinnian could love someone that much. Or rather, she felt as though there was no one else in this world that could love someone else as much as he loved Qiao Anhao. - The hospital was silent and peaceful. Lu Jinnian sat beside the bed, staring at Qiao Anhao for a long while. Only when he heard her deep breathing did he finally heave a sigh of relief, his stressed body rxing. He felt as though he had gone through a life and death ordeal, leaving him exhausted. If it wasn¡¯t for Song Xiangsi... If he had been just a littlete... She would have been tainted by Producer Sun. Right then, an inexinable fear and horror started to creep up into his heart, drowning him, Chapter 243: Do You Know Who He Likes? (3) Chapter 243: Do You Know Who He Likes? (3) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Right then, an inexinable fear and horror started to creep up into Lu Jinnian¡¯s heart, drowning him, If anything were to really happen to her in his crew, he would never forgive himself. It was like there was something stuck in Lu Jinnian¡¯s throat, painful and swollen. With both arms, he reached over to hold Qiao Anhao¡¯s arm with the band aid where she had her IV. The image of when he charged into Producer Sun¡¯s room shed across his mind again. The memory of Producer Sun pressed up against her. His own stiff, emotionless expression. Suddenly, it felt like someone had stabbed him in the heart, then forcibly sliced across. He felt the pain of blood pouring out of him. He couldn¡¯t help but grip onto her hand even harder, as though he was upset about something. Then, he lowered his head, and gently kissed her slim fingers. - At two in the morning, the assistant who stood outside guarding the hospital room finally couldn¡¯t take it anymore. He went downstairs to sleep in the car. Just as he was in deep sleep, he suddenly heard a knock at the car window. As he woke up all groggy from sleep, he was still in a confused daze, as rolled down the windows to see Lu Jinnian standing outside, carrying Qiao Anhao who was in deep sleep. The assistant woke up sprightly and hurriedly got out of the car. He opened the passenger door and waited for Lu Jinnian, who carried Qiao Anhao, to sit in. He got back into the car, yawned a few times consecutively, before asking, "Mr. Lu, are we going to the set or back to Mian Xiu Garden?" Lu Jinnian, who hadn¡¯t shut his eyes all night, had shadows under his eyes. His face was pale, but it didn¡¯t affect his handsome good looks in the slightest. He lowered his eyes to look at the woman in his arms, who moved to a morefortable position. Then he looked up and said in a low voice, "Mian Xiu Garden." The assistant read the vibe and didn¡¯t say a word. He only started up the car and headed towards Mian Xiu Garden. - When the car reached Mian Xiu Garden, Madam Chen had just gotten up. She heard the sound of the car and immediately ran out of the mansion to find Lu Jinnian carrying Qiao Anhao. She was dazed for a while before asking, "What¡¯s wrong with Missus?" Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t say a word, carrying Qiao Anhao into the mansion and upstairs. He ced her onto the big and soft bed. He took the duvet and carefully covered her with it, then gently tip-toed out of his bedroom. On his way out, he closed the door and turned to Madam Chen by the entrance. He said in a t tone, "Don¡¯t make congee for breakfast too oily." Madam Chen nodded and said, "Yes." Lu Jinnian strode away. Just as he reached the stairs, he suddenly stopped walking. "Don¡¯t disturb the Missus¡¯ rest. Remember to leave the congee warm, so when the Missus wakes, it won¡¯t be cold." "Yes." Lu Jinnian thought for a moment more and added, "Look after the Missus well. I have business to attend to. I¡¯ll be off." "Understood, Mr. Lu." Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t say a word more, standing on the spot for a while before walking downstairs. Not long after, the sound of a car starting up and leaving came from outside the house. - Qiao Anhao had a dream. The dream was beautiful. Her father and mother were in it. Though they had left her so many years ago, she still remembered their young, smiling faces. She also remembered their courtyard, and the two pomegranate trees. Every autumn, there would be bright red fruits, each one like beautifulnterns. In her dream, she saw a young, fair-skinned boy in a school uniform. As the dream changed, the young man turned into the modern-clothed, cold yet charming Lu Jinnian. Chapter 244: Do You Know Who He Likes? (4) Chapter 244: Do You Know Who He Likes? (4) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Perhaps because Lu Jinnian and Qiao Anhao had grown closer recently¡ªhe wasn¡¯t as cold to her as before¡ªshe actually dreamed a dream she hadn¡¯t dared to after so many years - The picture of her and Lu Jinnian getting married... In the dream, Lu Jinnian wore a dark suit in the ceremony¡ªhe was awfully handsome. All their close friends were there to give their most sincere blessings. Under their master of ceremonies¡¯ instructions, they gave their most devoted vows and exchanged rings. During a round of cheers, Lu Jinnian slowly lowered his head and kissed her... His handsome face in front of her grew bigger, and she stared at his lips. Just as her lips were about to touch his, Qiao Anhao abruptly opened her eyes, waking up from her dream. The world around her was silent. She blinked twice and realized that she was home, at Mian Xiu Garden. She creased her brows, groggily standing up. She surveyed the room for a second¡ªthere was no one besides her. The curtains weren¡¯t shut, so the sunlight from outside was awfully bright. It lit up half the room. She remembered. Last night, she was at the hot spring resort, so how did she get back here in Mian Xiu Garden? Qiao Anhao thought hard before realizing that she had forgotten arge portion of events that had happenedst night. She couldn¡¯t think of how that might have happened, so she thought that she might as well give up. Raising her head to look as the European style clock on the wall, she realized that it was almost afternoon, and there was a scene to shoot in the early afternoon. Suddenly, Qiao Anhao reached for her phone by the pillow. In the end, she didn¡¯t feel anything, so she circled the room. She had the habit of carrying her bag up, but it wasn¡¯t in the room either. Confused, Qiao Anhao walked over to the bathroom and quickly washed her face. She went downstairs, circled the living room, looking all over. Madam Chen, who had heard movement outside, came out from the kitchen and saw Qiao Anhao. She immediately gave her a warm smile and said, "Miss Qiao, are you awake?" Qiao Anhao smiled gently at her and asked in bewilderment, "Madam Chen, have you seen my bag?" Madam Chen shook her head and said, "Miss. Qiao, Mr. Lu carried you home in the morning. You didn¡¯t bring a bag." Didn¡¯t bring a bag? Lu Jinnian carried her back? Only then did Qiao Anhao lower her head to look down at the clothes she wore. She found herself in a brand new feminine cotton Chanel dress. She became even more confused. Why did Lu Jinnian carry her home? Madam Chen saw Qiao Anhao just standing there on her own. With her delicate brows creased, she was clearly in a daze. Madam Chen thought about Lu Jinnian¡¯s orders in the morning. She immediately said, "Miss Qiao, Mr. Lu told me to cook congee. He told me to serve it when you wake up." Qiao Anhao still felt like something must have happenedst night, but she couldn¡¯t think of what. After hearing Madam Chen¡¯s voice, she tly replied with an "Oh". She looked a little dazed as she walked into the dining room. Madam Chen swiftly served the congee she had left to warm. She ced it in front of Qiao Anhao, as well as a few side dishes. Qiao Anhao held the spoon and casually stirred the congee. Every now and then, she would lower her head to take a sip. In the end, she couldn¡¯t hold back her curiosity any longer and looked at Madam Chen who stood to one side, serving her. She asked, "Madam Chen, when Mr. Lu came back in the morning, did he say anything?" "He told me to cook congee, as well as not to disturb your rest..."Madam Chen paused for a second, then added, "And for me to take good care of you." "Nothing else?" Madam Chen shook her head. Qiao Anhao¡¯s heart was even more curious. She couldn¡¯t help but bite her spoon, wishing to ask Madam Chen again, when, suddenly, the doorbell rang. Chapter 245: Do You Know Who He Likes? (5) Chapter 245: Do You Know Who He Likes? (5) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Lu Jinnian¡¯s mansion, Mian Xiu Garden, was rarely disturbed by outsiders. Qiao Anhao curiously put her spoon down. Just as she was ready to get up, Madam Chen instinctively walked out the dining room, "Madam, I¡¯ll go open the door." Qiao Anhao sat back down on her dining chair. She ate her congee, thinking about how to recollect the few hours she¡¯d forgotten. "Qiao Qiao!" Just as Qiao Anhao lifted her spoon full of congee to her mouth, Zhao Meng suddenly screamed as she entered the house. Qiao Anhao paused for a moment. Without bothering with Zhao Meng, she thought about her situation, and slowly swallowed the congee. Madam Chen recognized Zhao Meng since she hade to Mian Xiu Garden a few times to pick up Qiao Anhao, so she enthusiastically pulled up a chair for her. "Miss. Zhao, would you like to eat something?" It was already midday and Zhao Meng hadn¡¯t eaten yet. She came straight from the set, and so she immediately nodded, unreserved, adding a "Thank you". Then she put her face in front of Qiao Anhao, looking her up and down before giving a long sigh of relief. With a fluster of words, she told Qiao Anhao, "Thank goodness that you¡¯re fine, Qiao Qiao. Yesterday, you don¡¯t know how you scared me! Lin Shiyi, that b*tch. I always knew she wasn¡¯t a good person, but I never thought that she would ever do something so despicable, stoop to that level! "But, Qiao Qiao, you don¡¯t be angry. This time, her stunt has finally put the nail in the coffin for her. I heard someone say that someone pped her silly in the face. Today, the media has been exposing her scandals non-stop. Weibo haspletely exploded with hatements. Even her fans have be her haters. Let off some steam, it really let off some steam. The whole world is shouting at her, don¡¯t you worry!" As Zhao Meng spoke, she smiled triumphantly. "Qiao Qiao, let me tell you... I couldn¡¯t be more pissed. I even hired a few people to shout at her. One of them actually got the hottest reply on Weibo!" Qiao Anhao was in a daze, shocked by Zhao Meng¡¯s words as she hadn¡¯t taken a breath throughout the lengthy exnation. When Madam Chen brought the congee in front of her, she happily grabbed a spoon and wolfed down the food. When she shut her eyes, Qiao Anhao blinked and casually asked her, "Zhao Meng, what about Lin Shiyi?" "Hmph!" Qiao Anhao¡¯s question made Zhao Meng choke for a second. She grabbed for a napkin to cover up her long cough before ring at Qiao Anhao. She with a strange expression, "Qiao Anhao, are you dumb? You don¡¯t know what happened to Lin Shiyi? Don¡¯t you know that she almost put you in some serious danger yesterday? Just a little longer and you would have been raped by that pervert Producer Sun!" Qiao Anhao furrowed her brows, innocently asking in return, "I was raped by Chief Sun?" Seeing her expression, Zhao Meng blinked twice and asked with a serious voice, "Qiao Qiao, you really don¡¯t know?" From Zhao Meng¡¯s words, Qiao Anhao could vaguely understand the nasty thing that had transpiredst night. Her expression became awful. She pursed her lips and didn¡¯t say a word. Zhao Meng¡¯s grip on the spoon tightened for a moment. Then she loosened up, looked at Qiao Anhao, and exined every detail ofst night¡¯s events. "Qiao Qiao, someone put drugs in your drinkst night at the hot spring, but someone quickly disposed of the drink, so we¡¯ve already lost the evidence." Chapter 246: Do You Know Who He Likes? (6) Chapter 246: Do You Know Who He Likes? (6) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem "Last night, it was all thanks to Sister Xiangsi or I wouldn¡¯t have found you. After telling her the situation, she was the first to notice something wasn¡¯t right. Then we looked at the recording tapes and saw you taken away by Lin Shiyi. By then, the drug had already taken effect on you, and you were delirious. You practically had no strength to fight back." After Zhao Meng¡¯s boration, a number of blurred images crossed Qiao Anhao¡¯s mind, but they were scattered and basically impossible to link together. "When I saw what happened, I was really shocked. I wanted to call Sister Anxia to save you, but Sister Xiangsi took my phone away and called Mr. Lu." Lu Jinnian? A sh of doubt crossed Qiao Anhao eyes. "Then, it was one of Sister Xiangsi¡¯s assitants who found Lin Shiyi¡¯s car at the hotel. They called Sister Xiangsi, and Sister Xiangsi told Mr. Lu. What came after, I didn¡¯t see for myself, so I don¡¯t know what actually happened, but I heard Sister Xiangsi say that Lin Shiyi had taken you to Producer Sun¡¯s room..." On that note, Zhao Meng looked like she had just thought of something, and stressed, "However, because they¡¯re afraid people will find out and the media will broadcast absurd stories everywhere, which would be bad for you, news of what happened were cut off early. Not many people know." "So, Qiao Qiao, if you really want to thank someone, you must thank Mr. Lu. It was him who saved youst night, so nothing happened to you. If he hadn¡¯t rushed back from the cityst night, you would have definitely been picked clean by Producer Sun." Lu Jinnian saved her? Only then did Qiao Anhao realise that on the back of her left hand there was actually a small prick. It must of been from an IV drip, which meant that Lu Jinnian had taken her to the hospitalst night? Madam Chen did say that he had carried her back home earlier. Is it possible that he looked after her at the hospital all night long, waiting for her to be all right beforeing home? Just now, Zhao Meng said that the news today werepletely exposing Lin Shiyi¡¯s scandals. Not only that, but there were some people who were actually working together to expose her... Suddenly, Qiao Anhao asked Zhao Meng for her phone. She tapped open Weibo, and just as expected, she saw that all the hot topics were about Lin Shiyi. Even old photos of Lin Shiyi working as a nightclub hostess were dug up and exposed on Weibo. As well as all the dirt on how she sabotaged so many celebrities over the years. There were even memes with evidence, and it looked convincingly true. So much so that even a big confirmed star on Weibo posted a sextape of Lin Shiyi. Though the man¡¯s face wasn¡¯t clear on the video, you could clearly see Lin Shiyi¡¯s face. All these years, Lin Shiyi had cultivated a good image. With all these old rumours exposed all at once, it would practically erase her. There must have been someone meddling behind it all. Not only that, but Lin Shiyi had paid for a lot of followers. Whenever something happened, her followers would praise her with all sorts ofpliments. But this time, the rumours were everywhere. There was not even a hint of those paid followers. They must have been controlled by someone too. The most important thing to a celebrity is their reputation. This was practically reputation killing. Unfortunately, this was the end of Lin Shiyi¡¯s career in the entertainment business. Chapter 247: Do You Know Who He Likes? (7) Chapter 247: Do You Know Who He Likes? (7) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem It was clear that someone was meddling in the shadows. Their goal was simple - to eradicate Lin Shiyi. Yet, following straight after the day Qiao Anhao was in danger, this all happened to Lin Shiyi. The person who meddled most probably was... Qiao Anhao hadn¡¯t yet thought of the name when Zhao Meng, who was sat opposite her, suddenly said, "Qiao Qiao, people from the WeChat group are saying that Producer Sun will pull his investment from ¡¯Alluring Times¡¯!" For a second, Qiao Anhao nked out. Then hurriedly closed Weibo and opened up WeChat. She saw a lot of people in the group popping up with messages non-stop, discussing Producer Sun pulling his investment. "Producer Sun invested a billion into this movie, ¡¯Alluring Times¡¯. How could he pull his it back out of nowhere?" "Right? What the hell happened? Yesterday, Producer Sun treated us all, but today, he¡¯s parting ways with us?" "Not only that, but early this morning, Producer Sun left our WeChat group." "Don¡¯t even mention it. I just sent him a WeChat message and he never even replied. I tried to call him, but he didn¡¯t answer either..." ... In just a few short minutes, hundreds of messages appeared in a sh on the WeChat group chat. Qiao Anhao felt a little dizzy looking at the messages, so she couldn¡¯t help but put her phone down. Zhao Meng, who sat opposite her, looked at the chat, saying, "Even though that guy, Producer Sun, is a little perverted, he was rich. He came from a family that owns coal mines and had invested in a few films and television shows in these past few years. He¡¯s worth several billions. ¡¯Alluring Times¡¯ is a big production with a total investment of two billion. A billion was from Producer Sun, and the other billion was from Mr. Lu..." Speaking of which, it looked like Zhao Meng had thought of something. She lifted her head, looked at Qiao Anhao, and asked, "Qiao Qiao, but it¡¯s a real coincidence. You were in trouble yesterday, and today, Lin Shiyi fell to such a tragic end and Producer Sun pulled back his investment. You say, do you think this had something to do with you? Do you think Mr. Lu did this?" Qiao Anhao just thought it might be Lu Jinnian, but now hearing Zhao Meng¡¯s words, her heart shuddered for a moment. "For Mr. Lu to mess with Lin Shiyi, I can understand that. Lin Shiyi deserved it. However, Mr. Lu had no reason to let Producer Sun pull his investment? Do you think that if we don¡¯t have a new investment to cover Producer Sun¡¯s investment then ¡¯Alluring Times¡¯ would probably stop filming? If that¡¯s so, Mr. Lu¡¯s would have lost his billion in the process. That¡¯d be so wrong!" Qiao Anhao was a little confused by Zhao Meng¡¯s words. She was fairly certain it was Lu Jinnian, but also fairly uncertain... A slither of anxiety appeared in her heart again. She was really afraid that if finances for "Alluring Times" couldn¡¯t be resolved, then Lu Jinnian¡¯s billion would be lost. - Because Producer Sun had pulled his investment in "Alluring Times", the production crew temporarily stopped working for three days. Zhao Meng came over, first, to hand Qiao Anhao her bag, and second, to see her. She stayed till three in the afternoon before she left. A few minutes after Zhao Meng had left, the news about Producer Sun pulling his investment made it out. Weibo was popping off as usual with news about Lin Shiyi, as well as the movie "Alluring Times". Bored, Qiao Anhao swiped through Weibo all afternoon. Her mind was filled with wild thoughts up until dinner time, then she forced her thoughts to calm down. After dinner, Qiao Anhao went back up to the second floor bedroom. She hadn¡¯t even sat down for a few minutes when her phone rang. Chapter 248: Do You Know Who He Likes? (8) Chapter 248: Do You Know Who He Likes? (8) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem The call came from Xu Jiamu¡¯s mother, Han Ruchu. After Qiao Anhao and Lu Jinnian got married, Han Ruchu rarely called her, but when she did, she needed Lu Jinnian to pretend to be Xu Jiamu. Qiao Anhao grabbed her phone and walked towards the balcony. She opened the windows. The breezy night wind blew in. She casually picked up the phone, and said, "Aunt Xu." Even though to outsiders it looked like she was already married to Xu Jiamu and should call Han Ruchu "Mom", as Xu Jiamu¡¯s wife, but they knew it was really an agreement. And so, when she was not acting, Qiao Anhao would always call Han Ruchu "Aunt Xu". Han Ruchu¡¯s voice sounded dignified and contrived. At first, she showed Qiao Anhao some care, "Qiao Qiao, have you eaten dinner?" "Yes, I have," Qiao Anhao answered politely. She also politely asked in reply, "Aunt Xu, and you?" "I¡¯m waiting for your Uncle Xu toe back so we can eat dinner together." Han Ruchu finished being courteous and went straight to the point. "Qiao Qiao, next Friday is Xu Jiamu¡¯s birthday. Do you still remember?" Qiao Anhao knew it was Xu Jiamu¡¯s birthday, but a lot of things had happenedtely, and so she hadn¡¯t paid much attention to the date. With Han Ruchu¡¯s reminder, she suddenly remembered, "Yeah, I remember." "Xu Jiamu¡¯s birthday party must be well managed, so please inform him." Qiao Anhao naturally knew who she meant by ¡¯he¡¯, but actually, Qiao Anhao was always pissed off by this. Lu Jinnian clearly had a name. Why did Han Ruchu have to rece his name with ¡¯him¡¯ or ¡¯he¡¯, as though he was insignificant? As though he was something disgusting, and something she hated to call. "I understand." Though Qiao Anhao was annoyed, she still responded with politely. "That¡¯ll be all. I¡¯m hanging up." "Okay. Bye, Aunt Xu." "Goodbye." When Han Ruchu finished speaking, she immediately hung up. After hearing the "doot doot doot" from her phone, Qiao Anhao brought her phone down and stared at the screen for a while. She hesitated whether to call Lu Jinnian to tell him the news or to just leave him a text message. Before Qiao Anhao could decide, she suddenly received a notification on WeChat. It was sent by Zhao Meng. "Qiao Qiao, I just heard from one of the staff members from the crew that she heard from the hotel staff that Producer Sun¡¯s assistant took him to the hospitalst night. Also, he was hurt pretty bad. Lots of things in his room were smashed. There was a lot of blood on the floor, shattered ss, and the coffee table was kicked over." Having heard this news, Qiao Anhao nked out. Before she could even reply, Zhao Meng sent a new voice message. Qiao Anhao clicked it and heard Zhao Meng¡¯s voice say, "Qiao Qiao, let me tell you... Producer Sun was definitely beat up by Mr. Lu. Last night, Mr. Lu came into his room to rescue you, so I must be right!" When Qiao Anhao heard Zhao Meng¡¯s voice message, another one was sent over. "Also, Qiao Qiao, I just heard someone say that it wasn¡¯t Producer Sun who wanted to pull out his investment. Mr. Lu wanted Producer Sun kicked out of the ¡¯Alluring Times¡¯ crew. They say that he was arguing with Huan Ying Entertainment¡¯s board of directors all day today. In the end, he was adamant on forcing Producer Sun to pull out!" Chapter 249: Do You Know who He Likes? (9) Chapter 249: Do You Know who He Likes? (9) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem "Holy sh*t, Mr. Lu is so arrogant and reckless! A billion! A billion yuan investment. He said he¡¯d kick, and so he just kicks! The world of the wealthy... I just don¡¯t get it!" Qiao Anhao didn¡¯t reply to Zhao Meng¡¯s messages, her friendined on her own. Seeing as she sent so many messages with no reply, she stopped sending anymore. Qiao Anhao gripped her phone where she stood on the balcony for quite a long time. Then she lifted her finger, opened WeChat, and listened to each and every one of Zhao Meng¡¯s messages again. In the afternoon, she wasn¡¯t sure that Lu Jinnian had done all of that for her, but now, she was pretty sure of it. From Zhao Meng¡¯s messages, she could hear that Lu Jinnian fought Producer Sun when he saved herst night. She couldn¡¯t imagine what it would possibly look like for such a heartlessly cold man to physically fight someone. Her racing heart hastened without reason. Lin Shiyi¡¯s scandals were everywhere, and Producer Sun was kicked out of "Alluring Times¡¯s" production crew... It was just like what Zhao Meng said, a billion yuan investment. He said he¡¯d kick, and so he just kicks! That¡¯s definitely daring, and so arrogant! Qiao Anhao couldn¡¯t help but tightly grip her phone. Actually, it wasn¡¯t like Lu Jinnian had never helped her in the past. When Lin Shiyi made things difficult at "Alluring Times¡¯s" first dinner party, his one word helped her get out of it. When Lin Shiyi took photos of her in his room and exposed them on Weibo, he was the one who asked Song Xiangsi for help. When she fell down from the faulty swing, he was the one who selflessly leaped in to catch her. After all the times he had helped her, she had never felt as shaken up and moved from the bottom of her heart as this one. In those instances he would have helped everyone the same, but this time, she could say for sure that Lu Jinnian was protecting her. This confirmation made Qiao Anhao¡¯s heart grow instantly wild. She had never thought that she would ever be protected by such an unbelievably cold man. Though she didn¡¯t know why he protected her, deep down inside, she was moved, happy, and satisified. Qiao Anhao, who had hesitated just a moment ago whether to call or send him a text message, suddenly, really wanted to see Lu Jinnian. She tightly grasped the phone, a little nervous. Then she took a deep breath, looked for Lu Jinnian¡¯s number, and made the call. - Darkness shrouded Huan Ying Entertainment tower. Each and every member of the board of directors wore scowling expressions on their faces as they left the meeting room with cold looks. Song Xiangsi only came out from her own office when everyone had left. She stood in the empty hall for a while. Then went to the break room and made a cup of coffee. Carrying her coffee, she walked over to Lu Jinnian¡¯s office... Song Xiangsi knocked on the door. She didn¡¯t hear a peep from inside, and so after a minute, she pushed the door open and walked right in. Lu Jinnian stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window. He stared at the city lights outside, about to light up a cigarette. In that moment, he had shed the intense and rude aura he¡¯d possessed in the meeting room. All that was left was his usual aura of cold and pride. He clearly knew that someone had entered the office but didn¡¯t react in the slightest. Song Xiangsi put her coffee to one side of the table. With her high heels, she walked over to Lu Jinnian¡¯s side. She traced his eyes towards the night sky in front of them for a while before saying, "That billion yuan investment... You thought of a n on how to get it yet?" Chapter 250: Do You Know Who He Likes? (10) Chapter 250: Do You Know Who He Likes? (10) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Lu Jinnian had no intention of talking. He just brought the cigarette to his lips and took a good long drag. Momentster, Song Xiangsi turned her head and nced over at Lu Jinnian. Then, from her hand bag, she pulled out a few bank cards between her two fingers. She held them in front of Lu Jinnian. "These cards have my earnings from the movies I¡¯ve filmed all these years. You know, my value will just keep going up. Besides the half Huan Ying Entertainment stripped from me, I still got quite a bit in my hands. If you add it all up, there¡¯s five to six million. The pin code is 123456 for them all." After a long while, Lu Jinnian turned his head. He shot a nce at the cards Song Xiangsi handed him. With no intention of reaching out to get them, he asked in a t tone, "Song Xiangsi, I don¡¯t remember us having such a good rtionship for you to go all out to help." "What? You afraid I¡¯m up to no good?" Song Xiangsi curved her red lips into a smile. She didn¡¯t say a word but stared out the window at the city lights, and dazed out. It wasn¡¯t like she schemed against Lu Jinnian, it was just that this world had far too many fickle men. It was difficult to find such a persistent and loyal person. Even if they had no rtion, she still wanted to protect this sentiment. Not to mention... he was also that person¡¯s older brother... In a split second, Song Xiangsi recovered her usualposure. "All right, I¡¯m not joking with you anymore. If you¡¯re really worried, then take it as my investement in the movie . When we start earning money, just give me a share." "Thanks, but that¡¯s okay." This time, Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t even take a look at the bank cards in Song Xiangsi¡¯s hands. The words from his mouth carried an air of arrogance. "I don¡¯t need other people¡¯s help just yet to protect the person I want to protect." "Hmph, you¡¯ve got spine. So let me ask you, Mr. Lu, how will you produce a billion out of nothing?" "I sold ten percent of my shares in Huan Ying Entertainment." Lu Jinnian¡¯s tone was abnormallyposed. Song Xiangsi stared nkly. After a long while, she broke intoughter. "You really are willing to do anything for her. You have to know that if you sell ten percent of your shares, then there¡¯s a possibility you¡¯ll lose your ce as the chairman. The entire fortune you spent to build thispany from scratch could fall into someone else¡¯s hands." "So what?" Lu Jinnian¡¯s tone carried a hint of disdain. He paused for a moment, raised his arm, and took a drag. The smoke lingered around the back of his eyes, revealing a hint of sadness. "This money was earned for her to begin with." Heaven knows... He could take this money and spend it on her. Oh how happy would that make him! Lu Jinnian raised his arm again and took a drag, blowing out a beautiful circle. The tone in his voice was so low, it was like he was talking to himself when he spoke next. "If all it took was my entire fortune to be able to go back to the old days, I¡¯d be willing to lose it all..." At the very least, his poor former self could be her friend. Even if they couldn¡¯t love each other, the atmosphere would be warm and they could chat peacefully. Though Song Xiangsi didn¡¯t understand exactly what Lu Jinnian meant by the words he said to himself, she felt as if something had covered her heart. For a long time, she didn¡¯t make a sound. The office was silent. After who knows how long, Lu Jinnian¡¯s phone rang. He pulled it out from his pocket and looked at the iing message. His hand instinctively put out the cigarette, and he picked up the call. Chapter 251: Do You Know Who He Likes? (11) Chapter 251: Do You Know Who He Likes? (11) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem The office was silent. After who knows how long, Lu Jinnian¡¯s phone rang. He pulled it out from his pocket and looked at the iing message. His hand instinctively put out the cigarette, and he picked up the call. Qiao Anhao¡¯s heart shivered softly for a moment when she heard the call was picked up. She shut her eyes, took a deep breath, and said, "Lu Jinnian..." Having just called his name, Qiao Anhao fell silent. After their rtionship became no longer so cold and constricted, she hadn¡¯t called him "Mr. Lu" ever again, but she also knew that their rtionship wasn¡¯t close enough to call him by his name. For this, every time she spoke, she would purposefully avoid saying his name. Perhaps it was because of Zhao Meng¡¯s messages, she was a little confused and hastily called him by his name. A hint of sweat formed on Qiao Anhao¡¯s hand that held the phone. Lu Jinnian waited for a long time, but he couldn¡¯t hear any words from Qiao Anhao after she called his name. His brows twitched, and although his voice was low and emotionless, between his dazzling eyes was ayer of gentleness. "What¡¯s the matter?" When Qiao Anhao heard Lu Jinnian¡¯s voice, she wanted to tell him all about what Han Ruchu said over the phone just now, but the words didn¡¯t leave her mouth. She also thought about wanting to see him, and so her lips moved, soundless for a time, then she gently asked, "Are you busy tonight?" Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t understand what Qiao Anhao meant. Momentster, he cleared his throat and asked again, "What¡¯s the matter?" Qiao Anhao forcefully raised her fingers and with their tips traced the ss window. Then, as though she had decided on something, she summoned the courage to say what she wanted to say. "If you¡¯re not busy tonight, could youe home for a moment?" All in all, it had been almost half a year since they got married. This was the first time she called him toe home. As usual, the two of them were mutually respectful to one another, besides asionally sharing a bed, they were no different from strangers. In that instant, there was really a ¡¯wife calling the husband home for dinner¡¯ type of feeling, which made Lu Jinnian really happy. He felt an unspeakable throb his chest. It made him stand in front of the floor-to-ceiling window for a long time without saying a word. Qiao Anhao waited for a while, but Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t reply. She wasn¡¯t confident he would reply to begin with, so now she was growing more uneasy by the second. Even though he didn¡¯t reject her, he was silent, which made both her cheeks glow red. She bit her lip. After two gulps, she added in a low voice, "I have something I want to tell you... if you don¡¯t have time, then..." "I¡¯ll be home in about half an hour." Before Qiao Anhao could finish, Lu Jinnian¡¯s cool voice was heard through the phone. In that instant, Qiao Anhao was stunned. Before she could snap back to reality, Lu Jinnian had already hung up. Qiao Anhao brought the phone down from her ears and clutched it in her palms. She let out a long sigh of relief, realizing that her heart was racing at an rming rate. - Lu Jinnian said he¡¯ll be back in Mian Xiu Garden in half an hour. In actual fact, it was just twenty minutes. Qiao Anhao heard the sound of the caring from downstairs. She walked to the window and looked down to see Lu Jinnian already slowly driving into the garage. Chapter 252: Do You Know Who He Likes? (12) Chapter 252: Do You Know Who He Likes? (12) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Qiao Anhao immediately turned around and ran out of the bedroom. Holding onto the hand rail, she hurriedly made her way down the stairs. Just as she reached the entrance hall, the doorbell rang. Qiao Anhao stood at the door and took a deep breath. After nking out for two seconds, only then did she stretch her hand out to slowly pull open the door. With the door slightly ajar, she put her head out to first take a look. She only opened the door when she saw Lu Jinnian in his suave clothes. She crouched down and grabbed his slippers from the shoe rack, cing them neatly in front of him. Lu Jinnian¡¯s lips moved but no sound came out. After he changed into slippers, he casually put his car keys on the shelf by the entrance. As he walked into the house, he took off his jacket. Just as Lu Jinnian was about to casually throw his jacket on the sofa, a small pair of hands grabbed it from his hands first. Qiao Anhao got a clothes hanger and hung it neatly on the clothes rack. When she turned around, Lu Jinnian stood distracted in front of the sofa. She lifted her head, and looked at his exquisiteplexion under the light. She wore a slight smile. "Have you eaten yet? I¡¯ll go heat up the food." After a while, Lu Jinnian nodded silently in agreement. Qiao Anhao promptly put on slippers and ran into the kitchen. Seeing Qiao Anhao rushing in, Madam Chen also followed her in, but she left the kitchen secondster and went back to her own bedroom. Qiao Anhao heated up the food and carried it all to the dining table before calling for Lu Jinnian. After he sat down, she brought over the chopsticks and soup. Qiao Anhao wore warm yellow pyjamas, her hair casually tied up into a bun, and she wore a pair of cotton slippers. She looked small and dainty. Ever since Lu Jinnian came home, her actions have been very fluid, like those of a virtuous wife who diligently waited for her husband. Lu Jinnian was kind of stunned, silently picking up his chopsticks and elegantly eating his meal. From the very start, Qiao Anhao stood to one side and watched. Every now and then, she would give him more rice and pour him soup. The picture looked normal. The atmosphere was very warm. After Lu Jinnian had finished his meal, he went upstairs. Qiao Anhao did a quick clean up and called for Madam Chen to wash up. Then she went to themunal washroom to wash her hands and went upstairs. Back in the bedroom, Lu Jinnian had already showered and changed into his light blue cotton pyjamas. He sat on the sofa, watching TV with his hair a little wet. He must have not used the hair dryer. Qiao Anhao didn¡¯t disturb him but grabbed her own pyjamas and walked into the bathroom. As Lu Jinnian had just taken a shower, the bathroom was filled with hot steam. The temperature was a little high when Qiao Anhao came out from the shower, her skin a little flushed. As she passed by the changing room door, she nced at the bed and thought about getting the teddy she put in the bottom cab in the changing room. She hesitated for a moment, but in the end, didn¡¯t go to grab it. Instead, she went straight over to the dressing table and put on her skin care products. When she put on the eye cream, Lu Jinnian, who sat on the sofa in front of the TV, suddenly turned to nce at her. Then he asked, "Didn¡¯t you say that you were looking for me?" With Lu Jinnian¡¯s reminder, Qiao Anhao suddenly remembered important matters. Her fingertips around her eyes stopped, and she lightly nodded her head. She quickly rubbed the cream evenly, then turned around to look over at Lu Jinnian. Chapter 253: Do You Know Who He Likes? (13) Chapter 253: Do You Know Who He Likes? (13) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Qiao Anhao seemed to have remembered something, her fingers paused before she slightly nodded. She hurriedly finished applying her eye cream and turned to look at Lu Jinnian. Pressing her lips together, she said, "Mrs. Xu called just now, she mentioned that its Jiamu¡¯s birthday next Friday. They would be holding a celebratory party ...." Qiao Anhao paused, not able to finish her sentence... She had wanted him to act as Xu Jiamu, for him to act as a couple with her, but she just couldn¡¯t continue, and so she stopped. Even though she didn¡¯t finish her sentence, Lu Jinnian knew instantly the moment he heard that it was Xu Jiamu¡¯s birthday. Nonchntly, he nodded towards Qiao Anhao before hesitantly replying with a "oh". In that instance, the warm rays from the ceiling light fell on Lu Jinnian, blurring his handsome features. Qiao Anhao stared for a while, making sure that he wasn¡¯t unhappy; her tensed up muscles finally rxed. Turning back to face the mirror, she started detangling her hair. Half a minuteter, she suddenly said, "Zhao Meng told me about yesterday, thank you." Lin Jinnian continued to watch the television, his face calm. He only murmured a slight "mhm". "And regarding Lin Shiyi and producer Sun, thank you." Lu Jinnian seemed surprised that Qiao Anhao had found out about that, his hands trembling slightly before he turned the remote control, nodding slightly. After she had finishingbing out her hair, she hesitated slightly before adding, "Actually, there isn¡¯t a need for Producer Sun to remove his investment, I¡¯ll just avoid him in the future. If ¡¯Alluring Times¡¯ doesn¡¯t do well, your money would be wasted." Lu Jinnian¡¯s stopped ying with the remote control, but his eyes were still fixed on the television. He stared ahead for a while before turning to look at her. "I¡¯ve already settled that issue." "Oh," Qiao Anhao replied softly and stoop up to take onest look at Lu Jinnian. Turning, she climbed into the bed. Lu Jinnian seemed to have heard her. He turned to look at the bed. Qiao Anhao was already lying there, but this time she didn¡¯t have her favouriterge teddy bear with her. He paused slightly, seemingly surprised, before turning back to switch off the lights and lower down the volume. The world seemed to have quietened instantly. Qiao Anhao shut her eyes under the nkets, her mind starting to run wild. After a long while, she felt Lu Jinnian¡¯s side of the bed sink when heid down beside her. Just like before, the two of themy on the edges of the bed, far away from each other. Now that the bear wasn¡¯t between them, the bed seemed too big and empty. As the night deepened, Qiao Anhao could clearly hear the tempo of Lu Jinnian¡¯s breathing. His familiar scent reached her, flooding her senses. She remained motionless, anticipating his next actions. Chapter 254: Do You Know Who He Likes? (14) Chapter 254: Do You Know Who He Likes? (14) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Gradually, Qiao Anhao sunk into a deep sleep while Lu Jinniany beside her wide awake, staring at the ceiling in difort. After a while, he ripped off the nket, climbing softly off the bed. He grabbed a box of cigarettes and left the bedroom. As he stood in front of the second floor corridor¡¯s window, he lit up a stick and began to puff away in the cold night. After the cold wind had calmed his frustrated body, he returned back to the bedroom andid down carefully, making sure not to disrupt Qiao Anhao. The moment he turned, he frowned as he saw that half of her back was out of the nket. The warm rays of the night¡¯s light shone on her tender skin, making it appear milky white and wless. The frustration that he had calmed down rose once again. He took a deep breath before reaching out to pull the nket over her. While he was tucking her in, making sure that the nket was tightly secure, his fingers identally brushed her skin, and shock flew through his body. He quickly tucked the nket in before turning to face the other direction. Lu Jinnian could feel her delicate warm body gravitating towards him under the nket. The closer she got, the more frustrated he became. Before he could climb out of the bed once again, he felt warmth on his back. The next moment, he felt her entire head rubbing his back. Lu Jinnian tensed, but before he could move another inch, Qiao Anhao hugged his waist. In that instance, Lu Jinnian felt as though his breathing had stopped. He shut his eyes, taking several deep breaths, trying to calm himself. He reached for the tiny hands that were on his waist. Before he could dodge her, her head titled to the side, once againnding on his arm. Her nosended directly in front of his chest, breathing warm air onto him, leaving him hot and impatient. Without a second thought, he pushed her to the side. Due to his violence, Qiao Anhao was startled awake, her eyes wide with confusion, clouded with exhaustion. In her adorable, dazed state, she murmured, "Lu Jinnian, what happened?" Her voice was soft and raspy, it was as though she was ming him. When she had called his name, she had even raised her pitch slightly, tugging at Lu Jinnian¡¯s heart. He clenched his fists before finally giving up on his restraint, lowering his head to seal her lips. In a daze, Qiao Anhao didn¡¯t struggle, she even moaned slightly as he deepened the kiss. Lifting her slim hands, she hugged his neck. Herpliance once again threw him into a frenzy... This was probably the first time the both of them had made love with such chemistry. Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t know how to describe his current state of mind. Was it relieved? Extatic? When it ended, he felt as though he was floating in the clouds. He copsed onto her, taking in her scent as hey there soaking in the afterglow. After he had finally calmed down, he slowly left her. By then, Qiao Anhao was already in deep sleep, her cheeks stained red from their passionate love making. Lu Jinnian reached out to caress her head lovingly before reaching for wet tissues to clean the both of them. Once he made sure she was clean, he fell asleep with her in his arms. Chapter 255: Do You Know Who He Likes? (15) Chapter 255: Do You Know Who He Likes? (15) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Truthfully, Lu Jinnian had never expected for anything to happen that night. Often, the more one cared, the more he would be careful, afraid that it would be a harmful transaction. Both Lu Jinnian and Qiao Anhao were worried. The next morning, they both fretted about what to say to the other. In the end, they silently agreed to remain silent, seeing that the other had nothing to say. Some things were like pandora¡¯s box, not meant to be opened. The next day, Lu Jinnian came back to Mian Xiu Garden. Even though both of them were curious about what the other party thought about the night before, they remained silent, following their usual night procedure. The beautiful memory was sudden, just like a dream, neither was willing to break it. Deep inside their hearts, there were too many things at stake. Qiao Anhao was worried that the moment she said something, they would return to their previous state. Lu Jinnian was worried that the moment he said something, she would ask for a reward. Neither was willing to taint the beautiful memory of the night before, even if it meant lying to themselves. To them who had carried a love for thirteen years, the night before was a dream they were willing to protect for as long as they could. Three dayster, "Alluring Times" continued filming. When they returned to the set, they could not selfishly stay together every night as they wanted. Three days before Xu Jiamu¡¯s birthday, a city scene had to be filmed. Hence, that night, instinctively, the both of them returned back to Mian Xiu Garden after their work. That night, they had a passionate love making. The next morning, Qiao Anhao didn¡¯t have any scenes so she woke upte. After she washed up, Madam Chen had already prepared lunch. Qiao Anhao didn¡¯t see Lu Jinnian so she thought that he had left. After washing her hands, she was prepared to eat. Just then, Madam Chen said, "I¡¯ll go up to get Mr. Lu." "He didn¡¯t go out?" Qiao Anhao asked. "Mr. Lu¡¯s assistant came just now, the two of them are in the study room." Qiao Anhao nodded before seemingly thinking of something. She stood up. "I¡¯ll go get them, you can check on the soup." She reached the study room quickly. Before she knocking on the door, she could hear them talking through the small opening. "Next Friday, I have to go over to Xu family, remember to clear my schedule." "This Friday?" His assistant paused momentarily before continuing, "Are you going to act as Mr. Xu again?" Lu Jinnian remained silent. "This Friday is Mr. Xu¡¯s birthday, but..." His assistant stopped before adding, "Isn¡¯t it also your birthday this Friday?" Qiao Anhao stood paralysed... This Friday was Lu Jinnian¡¯s birthday? Ever since they had known each other, Lu Jinnian had never celebrated his birthday. In the past, she had asked Xu Jiamu if he knew Lu Jinnian¡¯s birthday but he had refused to tell her. "Mr. Lu, you¡¯re going to celebrate Mr. Xu¡¯s birthday, then what about your own?" Chapter 256: Do You Know Who He Likes? (16) Chapter 256: Do You Know Who He Likes? (16) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem "Do I have a choice?" Lu Jinnian replied casually as though he didn¡¯t care about his own birthday. Qiao Anhao frowned. Through the tiny door opening, she could vaguely catch a glimpse of Lu Jinnian. He had his head lowered as he flipped leisurely through the documents. As he flipped, he paused momentarily as though a thought had struck him. He lifted his head, looking into the empty space in front of him, his expression dazed, a tiny deprecating smile curling his lips. He lowered his head once again, studying his documents. With an emotionless expression, he replied indifferently, "Besides, there isn¡¯t much to celebrate." Ever since his mother passed away, the number of people that knew his birthday dwindled, his father, his wife, and his grandfather... But every year on that day, they would only celebrate Xu Jiamu¡¯s birthday. How could they remember his? There wasn¡¯t much to celebrate.. and there wasn¡¯t anyone to celebrate with him... His assistant did not say anymore. Silence fell on the room. Lu Jinnian sat gracefully, resuming his work. However, from the tiny opening, Qiao Anhao could see the usual cold, detached look he had on his face, even his tone was his usual frosty one. But somehow, she could sense a hint of loneliness and istion. She distinctly remembered that every year on Xu Jiamu¡¯s birthday, he would often invite everyone out to have fun. It was always a joyous asion and Lu Jinnian would definitely be there. He would even prepare a present for him, appearing indifferent as usual. Who knew that it was also his birthday... It was both their birthdays, but he had to stand by the sidelines, watching as his little brother was flooded with gifts and blessings. And on that very day, he wouldn¡¯t receive a single greeting. Qiao Anhao could feel a throbbing ache clench her heart, she leaned against the wall for a long while. Only when Madam Chen came out of the kitchen did she finallye back to her senses, walking over to knock on the door. That afternoon, Lu Jinnian and his assistant left directly after lunch. Qiao Anhao had the whole day to herself since there wasn¡¯t any filming that day. Since it was both Lu Jinnian and Xu Jiamu¡¯s birthday on Friday, she decided to get the both of them a present. Out of habit, she called Zhao Meng to ask her out, but she was on a date. Qiao Anhao didn¡¯t want to disrupt her, so she called Qiao Anxia instead. Since Qiao Anxia was working in Qiao Enterprise, her working hours were flexible, and she agreed to Qiao Anhao¡¯s request instantly. Coincidentally, both Qiao Anhao and Qiao Anxia had to renew their car tes that day. Since Qiao Enterprise was in the central business district, Qiao Anhao took the metro over to find her cousin. Qiao Anxia remembered that it was Xu Jiamu¡¯s birthday, hence she decided to pick out a present for him while Qiao Anhao shopped. When Qiao Anxia was about to pay, she turned and saw Qiao Anhao leaning over the counter, staring at something. Qiao Anxia titled her head slightly and saw her pointing at an elegant tie clip. Chapter 257: Do You Know Who He Likes? (17) Chapter 257: Do You Know Who He Likes? (17) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem When Qiao Anxia was about to pay, she turned and saw Qiao Anhao leaning over the counter, staring at something. Qiao Anxia titled her head slightly and saw her pointing at an elegant tie clips. Qiao Anxia couldn¡¯t keep herughter in. "Qiao Qiao, isn¡¯t one present enough? How many presents are you going to get Xu Jiamu?" Qiao Anhao smiled back at her as she received the neck tie from the counter staff with her hands. She looked down to inspect the tie clips for awhile before turning to look at Qiao Anxia. Holding up the necktie to her own chest, she asked, "How is it?" Qiao Anxia took two steps back, studying Qiao Anhao. After a short pause, she nodded slowly. "It¡¯s good." Qiao Anhao lowered her head again to scrutinise the necktie once more before nodding her head in satisfaction. The more she looked at it, the more pleased she was with her choice, she started to imagine how Lu Jinnian would look. Qiao Anxia looked on impatiently, hurrying her, "Qiao Qiao, are you done?" Qiao Anhao passed the tie clips over to the counter staff. "I would like to get this." The counter staff smiled slightly as she nodded. "Would you like to pay together or separately?" Qiao Anxia took out her wallet and pulled out a ck card. Without even thinking, she replied generously, "Together." "Separate." Qiao Anhao reached out to block Qiao Anxia¡¯s hand as she smiled warmly at the staff. She turned back to look at Qiao Anxia. "Sis, it¡¯ll be better for me to pay for a present myself." Qiao Anxia seemed slightly irritated. "Suit yourself." She turned turned back to pass her card to the staff. "Charge my item then, there isn¡¯t a password." The staff smiled politely as she reached over to take the card to make payment. Afterwards, she packed Qiao Anxia¡¯s item into a bag and passed it back to her. Pointing towards the customer service counter at the exit, the staff continued, "Miss, if it¡¯s a gift, you could go there to get a card and your gift wrapped." Qiao Anxia smiled slightly as she nodded in acknowledgement. Reaching over to grab the bag, she tilted her head towards Qiao Anhao. "I¡¯ll go over to take a look first." She then walked away. After settling the bill, Qiao Anhao walked over as well. She picked out two exquisite boxes and passed it to the staff, informing her in which box to ce which gift. The red box was for Xu Jiamu and the blue box was for the tie clips. Qiao Anxia who was writing her blessing at the side asked curiously, "Qiao Qiao, isn¡¯t both presents for Xu Jiamu? Why do you need to separate them?" Qiao Anhao¡¯s fingers trembled slightly before she resumed writing the birthday card. After writing ¡¯Happy Birthday¡¯, she replied lightly, "I have a friend in the filming crew with the same birthday." Initially, Qiao Anhao had wanted to tell Qiao Anxia that it was for Lu Jinnian, but when she remembered that Qiao Anxia was rejected by Lu Jinnian a month ago, she couldn¡¯t bring herself to tell her, afraid that she would be upset. Chapter 258: Do You Know Who He Likes? (18) Chapter 258: Do You Know Who He Likes? (18) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem "Oh..." Qiao Anxia replied indifferently before passing the card over to the staff. After Qiao Anhao had packed both gifts, they left the shop. When Qiao Anhao had mentioned about the filming crew, Qiao Anxia seemed to have been reminded that the day after her cousing was in danger, rumours of Lin Shiyi exploded. In the past, she wouldn¡¯t have thought much of it. But after the night she had witnessed how Lu Jinnian went crazy because of Qiao Anhao, she immediately understood when Lin Shiyi got scolded by everyone the next day, it was definitely Lu Jinnian¡¯s doing. She had thought that he had done enough, but that night, when she attended a dinner, she met several board directors from Huan Ying Entertainment. When the conversation stirred towards producer Sun, they rified that Lu Jinnian had forced him to withdraw his funds and leave the crew. Lu Jinnian¡¯s love for Qiao Anhao had gone to a point where he could forsake mary benefits... "Sis, how¡¯s this dress?" Qiao Anhao¡¯s sudden voice jolted Qiao Anxia back to her senses. She turned towards her. Qiao Anhao stood in front of a full length mirror, her hands holding onto a small pink dress, her head tilted to a side, awaiting Qiao Anxia¡¯s verdict. The rays from themp fell on Qiao Anhao, leaving her wless milky skin glistening. She wasn¡¯t wearing any makeup, but her skin was smooth and delicate, her thickshes framing her soulful eyes, her red lips a stark contrast against her white teeth. Qiao Anhao was no doubt a beauty. After Qiao Anhao¡¯s parents died, she had been living in Qiao Anxia¡¯s home. All these years, Qiao Anhao had constantly given in to her cousin¡¯s requests and had always beenpliant. Hence, even though Qiao Anxia was aware that Qiao Anhao was much prettier than she was, she had never harped on it. Deep inside, she had always believed that Qiao Anhao could never suppress her. In her eyes, Qiao Anhao was just an orphan while she was the eldest daughter of Qiao Enterprise, the apple of her parents¡¯ eyes, the future owner of Qiao Enterprise. But now, as Qiao Anxia stared at Qiao Anhao, she was left in a daze. She had never known that Qiao Anhao was this mesmerising, to the point it tugged at her heart. Was this why Lu Jinnian had fallen for her? For her looks? Qiao Anhao turned to look at Qiao Anxia who was staring at her, frowning slightly. Her plump lips pouted as she called out to her, "Sis? Sis?" When Qiao Anxia finally came back to her senses, she realized that she had gone into a daze. She lowered eyes before looking back up to praise her cousin, "It¡¯s pretty. Do you like it? I¡¯ll get it for you." Qiao Anhao turned to face the mirror, studying herself a little longer before shaking her head. "Forget it, let¡¯s go walk around." After walking for another hour, Qiao Anhao still didn¡¯t get anything. In the end, they randomly entered a coffee shop for a rest. Ever since Qiao Anhao found out about Lu Jinnian¡¯s birthday, she had been secretly nning on how to celebrate it. When they entered the coffee shop, she saw a wall that was filled with pretty pink and purple balloons. Inspired, she decided to decorate Mian Xiu Garden to surprise Lu Jinnian. Chapter 259: Do You Know Who He Likes? (19) Chapter 259: Do You Know Who He Likes? (19) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem After ordering coffee, Qiao Anhao reached for her phone and went on Taobao to pick out balloons and some pretty decorative items whilst she was at it. She felt immediately excited, seeing as she could amass all different types of pretty candles. With her head tilted, she thought about what she wanted to write on the bedroom floor. After thinking about it for a long time, in the end, Qiao Anhao thought of the most simple words: Lu Jinnian, Happy Birthday. And so, she sent those words off to the store with the dimensions of the bedroom floor. The store took a moment to estimate it all, then told Qiao Anhao just about how many candles she needed. Following the store¡¯s instructions, she made her order. There needs to be a birthday cake to celebrate a birthday... Qiao Anhao finished shopping for the decorations. She originally wanted to go order a cake from ck Swan, but once she exited Taobao, she saw an advert for handmade cakes. She blinked, hesitating, but finally gave in. She followed the advert and entered the store. Inside, she bought all of the equipment needed to bake a cake, an oven, and ingredients; she was ready to personally bake a cake for Lu Jinnian¡¯s birthday. When Qiao Anhao finished paying, she thought about her perfect idea and her lips couldn¡¯t help but curve upwards. Stunned by Qiao Anhao¡¯s beauty, every now and then, Qiao Anxia would stare at her for a while. She wasn¡¯t sure if it was her mind ying games on her, but the more she examined her cousing, the more beautiful and wless she looked from all 365 degrees round. Her beauty was definitely worth a second look. Qiao Anxia saw that Qiao Anhao was always ying with her phone. Every now and then, she would also let out a sillyugh, which prompted Qiao Anxia to not be able not to ask, "What¡¯s got you so happy?" When Qiao Anhao heard Qiao Anxia¡¯s words, she raised her head and stared at her with curved brows. Then she bit on her straw and drank some juice. With a cheerful smile, she said, "I bought some things off Taobao." "You good-for-nothing! How is this something to be so happy over," Qiao Anxia teased, doubtful. She lowered her head and nced over at her own phone. A notification from QQ popped up. Qiao Anxia casually clicked it open and saw news of Lu Jinnian¡¯s new film in cooperation with Hollywood. The news published a photo of Lu Jinnian¡¯s close-up. His handsome eyes and cold expression were celestial. Qiao Anxia stared at it for a good long while before diverting her eyes to Qiao Anhao. She said, "Lu Jinnian is just bing bigger and bigger. Not only does he own the film industry in maind China, but now he¡¯s entering Hollywood." Qiao Anhao had also seen the news sent in the WeChat group. When she heard Qiao Anxia¡¯s words, her lips curved into a smile, and she said to Qiao Anxia, "Yeah." Back in university, when Qiao Anhao was in Beijing and Lu Jinnian was in Hangzhou, she missed him, yet she couldn¡¯t brazenly contact him, so she had thought of all these ways to send him texts or QQ messages. Even now, when Qiao Anhao saw the headlines, she was just as sneaky and hesitant as she was before, sending Lu Jinnian a message, [The news say that you¡¯ll be working with Hollywood on your new film. Is that true?] Lu Jinnian quickly replied to Qiao Anhao¡¯s message with just a simple one word reply, [Yeah.] But even so, it suddenly felt to Qiao Anhao like they had gone back to the beautiful times of their youth. Chapter 260: Do You Know Who He Likes? (20) Chapter 260: Do You Know Who He Likes? (20) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Qiao Anhao stared at her phone screen , and thought for a moment. Then, just as she used to do to Lu Jinnian whenever she went to Hangzhou and cried for him to treat her to dinner, she sent him another message, [You have to treat me to dinner.] [Okay.] Qiao Anhao¡¯s phone received Lu Jinnian¡¯s reply, which was then followed by another message with a few more words, [What do you want to eat?] [Anything¡¯s fine.] After Qiao Anhao typed this, she paused for a second, and added the words, [What day?] [Today.] [Then Anxia mighte. I¡¯m with her right now.] [Ok, where are you? I¡¯lle pick you both up.] Seeing as Lu Jinnian had no thoughts, Qiao Anhao told him where they were. After about a minute, Lu Jinnian sent another message, [Alright, wait for my call.] [Okay then.] Qiao Anhao replied to Lu Jinnian with those two words. She turned her eyes from her phone, towards Qiao Anxia who was taking a selfie. "Sis, as I sent Lu Jinnian a message just now to congratte him, I casually asked him to treat us. Who would of thought, he actually agreed. Do you want to eat?" Qiao Anxia¡¯s expression, as she looked into the camera, slightly froze for a second, and she said in a neutral tone, "Whatever, I don¡¯t mind." She looked into the camera, posed with an elegant expression, and pressed the capture button. Just when Qiao Anxia put her photo through MeituPic, ready to edit, she looked up at Qiao Anhao and said, "Qiao Qiao, can I ask you a question?" "What question?" Qiao Anhao stared at Qiao Anxia with her full attention. Qiao Anxia also put down her phone, and her expression became serious. "Qiao Qiao, do you know who Lu Jinnian likes?" Qiao Anhao shook her head. "No, I don¡¯t." She paused, bit her straw, and took two sips. Then said to Qiao Anxia, "But when I asked him once, he told me that the woman he loves is already married." Qiao Anxia didn¡¯t make a sound but stared directly at Qiao Anhao. She closely looked her up and down. After staring for a long while, Qiao Anxia realised that Qiao Anhao¡¯s eyes were only filled with curiosity. She wasn¡¯t hiding anything, nor did she look guilty. Only then did Qiao Anxia divert her eyes. It seemed like Qiao Anhao really didn¡¯t know that she was the woman Lu Jinnian was in-love with. Qiao Anxia lowered her head, sitrring the coffee in her cup. With a gentle "yeah", she continued to say, "She¡¯s married." So Qiao Anxia already knew that the woman Lu Jinnian loved was married after all. Didn¡¯t that also mean that she knew who she was? Qiao Anhao forcefully bit her straw. After some hesitation, she still asked, "Sis, do you already know who Lu Jinnian loves?" Qiao Anxia didn¡¯t say a word. Qiao Anhao lowered her eyes. She secretly mentally prepared herself, then asked in a rxed voice, "Who is it?" Qiao Anhao was already married to Xu Jiamu, and in all these years, Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t let her know that she was the one he loves. He must of not wanted to disrupt his brother¡¯s marriage. Also, Qiao Anhao and Xu Jiamu seemed like they were doing well... If she revealed the truth, would it disrupt Qiao Anhao¡¯s happiness? Chapter 261: My Birthday Present to You (1) Chapter 261: My Birthday Present to You (1) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Qiao Anxia hesitated for a moment. In the end, she curved her lips, shook her head, and smiled at Qiao Anhao. "How would I know who Lu Jinnian loves? I haven¡¯t contacted him in so long. I know as much as you do. I just heard from other people that the woman he loves is already married, so I thought I¡¯d may as well ask you." "Oh," Qiao Anhao replied, embarrassed. She bit her straw and turned her head to look out of the cafe window. After a pause, Qiao Anxia put the mug in her hands down and asked again, "It¡¯s been a long time since I saw Jiamu. How is he recently?" The real Xu Jiamu was still lying in the hospital. He hadn¡¯t woken up yet, but people didn¡¯t know about that... Qiao Anhao nodded and said, "He¡¯s great." After a while, she continued, "You know how it is, after Jiamu was disfigured, he doesn¡¯t like to see people." "Yeah, it¡¯s such a shame. If Jiamu hadn¡¯t gotten in that car ident, then the two of you together would be an ideal couple." Qiao Anhao lowered her eyelids to cover the guilt in her eyes. She smiled, and didn¡¯t say anything. "But it¡¯s all right. Cosmetic surgery is so advanced now. Wait until Jiamu gets better, then we¡¯ll n something." - When Lu Jinnian received Qiao Anhao¡¯s message, he was sitting in Huan Ying Entertainment¡¯s meeting room, listening to department performance reports. He had already brushed over these reports before the meeting, so he was already a little distracted. Then the phone in his pocket suddenly vibrated. At first, he didn¡¯t consider taking it out, but feeling a little bored, he fished it out to find a text from Qiao Anhao. For that split second, Lu Jinnian felt that time had stopped. This was simr to when he used to sit in his university library, tired from the pressure of filming and studies, and he would suddenly receive a random, meaningless text from Qiao Anhao, like, "You took on a historical drama?", "I heard Brother Jiamu say that because of filming, you failed your course?", "It¡¯s snowing in Hangzhou? Does that mean you can see the Broken Bridge covered in snow?" Whenever it got around to that time, he was a little a tired and irritated, but then, like a miracle, things would quiet down and he would chat with her on the phone for a long time. Thinking back to those precious days of his youth, a hint of sadness and sorrow came over Lu Jinnian. His fingers gently tapped on the phone screen as he replied to Qiao Anhao. It was already five o¡¯clock when the meeting came to an end. Lu Jinnian returned to the office to handle some urgent documents for the day. Then he grabbed his phone to check the time¡ªit was already twenty past five. He clicked open and reread the messages, sent during the meeting, between him and Qiao Anhao. In the corner of his lips, there was a hint of a smile. "Mr. Lu..." cried the assistant, pushing open the door and entering. Lu Jinnian hurriedly put his phone on his desk. With a cold expression, he said, "What?" "Mr. Lu, you have a dinner scheduled for tonight. It¡¯s booked for seven, but there might be traffic, so we have to leave early..." Before the assistant could finish, Lu Jinnian interrupted in a t voice, "I won¡¯t be attending tonight¡¯s dinner." The assistant was stunned. Lu Jinnian stood up. As he put on a jacket, he said in a cold tone, "I¡¯m taking the car. Come directly to the office tomorrow morning. You don¡¯t have to go to Mian Xiu Garden." Chapter 262: My Birthday Present To You (2) Chapter 262: My Birthday Present To You (2) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem The assistant was stunned. Lu Jinnian stood up. As he put on a jacket, he said in a cold tone, "I¡¯m taking the car. Come directly to the office tomorrow morning. You don¡¯t have to go to Mian Xiu Garden." Without waiting for his assistant to react, Lu Jinnian pulled open his office door and left straight away. - Perhaps it was because Qiao Anhao had drank a lot of juice, she had to go to the restroom. On her way there, she dug through her bag for tissue. While searching, she realised that she forgot to bring her phone. She hastily turned back. But as she needed to go, she hesitated for a moment, then turned right back into the restroom. Just two minutes after Qiao Anhao left, the phone on the table started to ring. Qiao Anxia looked up and saw the three words "Lu Jinnian" appear on the screen. She hesitated for a moment, not picking up the call. The phone automatically hung up, but after thirty seconds, Lu Jinnian dialled again. Qiao Anxia raised her head and looked at Qiao Anhao¡¯s phone a few times. The fourth time Lu Jinnian called, she finally reached for it and picked it up, "It¡¯s me." Hearing Qiao Anxia through the phone, Lu Jinnian creased his brows and didn¡¯t say a word. Qiao Anxia waited for half a minute before saying, "Qiao Qiao¡¯s in the restroom. If there¡¯s something urgent, I¡¯ll get her to call you back when she gets back." "No, it¡¯s fine." Lu Jinnian¡¯s voice sounded neutral through the phone. "I¡¯m already at parking block B on the lower floor of the mall. In a bit,e down." "Okay." Qiao Anxia stopped for a moment, then said, "Goodbye". With that, she hung up. Just as she was about to put Qiao Anhao¡¯s phone back on the table, she saw two shipping notifications from Taobao pop up on the phone screen. Qiao Anxia instantly thought about how ecstatic Qiao Anhao looked sitting there just now and couldn¡¯t help her curiosity about what she bought, and so she casually clicked it. A bunch of cake baking equipment and a bunch of balloons, and candles. Was this the surprise she wanted to give Xu Jiamu? Qiao Anxia couldn¡¯t help but chuckle, she then swiped down to Taobao¡¯s chat log. As a result, she saw the name "Lu Jinnian". Qiao Anxia furrowed her brows and scrolled right to the top and took a serious read at Qiao Anhao and the seller¡¯s conversation. When she saw Qiao Anhao send the seller the phrase, "Lu Jinnian, Happy Birthday", she finally understood. So it turns out, these things that Qiao Anhao bought weren¡¯t for Xu Jiamu¡¯s birthday, but to celebrate Lu Jinnian¡¯s birthday... Qiao Anxia couldn¡¯t help but nce over at the two gift boxes opposite her. She thought about what Qiao Anhao had said to her about a friend in the crew celebrating their birthday in two days. That friend... was it Lu Jinnian? The hand Qiao Anxia used to clutch Qiao Anhao¡¯s phone couldn¡¯t help but clench harder. With her fingers on the screen, some other apps repeatedly popped up and closed endlessly. As Qiao Anxia calmed down, she lowered her head and looked at Qiao Anhao¡¯s phone. She realised that her finger was randomly hitting things on the phone. Qiao Anhao¡¯s photo gallery unexpectedly opened. There weren¡¯t many photos in Qiao Anhao¡¯s photo albums, but one of them caught Qiao Anxia¡¯s full attention. Chapter 263: My Birthday Present To You (3) Chapter 263: My Birthday Present To You (3) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem There weren¡¯t many photos in Qiao Anhao¡¯s photo albums, but one of them caught Qiao Anxia¡¯s full attention. It was a photo of a man and a woman. The woman was Qiao Anhao, and the man was someone she was far too familiar with, Lu Jinnian. Qiao Anxia paused for five minutes, then she raised her fingers and erged the photo. Qiao Anxia noticed that the photo was clearly shot above the bed. Lu Jinnian¡¯s eyes were shut, and Qiao Anhao was held in his arms. He was deep asleep with Qiao Anhao cuddled against his chest. There was a hint of feminine gentleness in Qiao Anhao¡¯s eyes. The photo was shot just aboveher breasts, so it didn¡¯t reveal anything explicit, but there was a deep love bite on her white, delicate cor bone, which exposed everything. Qiao Anxia thought that she would never forget this moment and this feeling for the rest of her life. Startled and astonished. In disbelief. Yet the photo on the phone¡¯s screen, and the chat log on Taobao, made it impossible for her not to believe it. Qiao Anxia¡¯s head was nk for almost a minute, then a thought registered - Qiao Anhao and Lu Jinnian actually slept together... How did they end up sleeping together? When did they sleep together? As Qiao Anxia was thinking, she looked for the time Qiao Anhao¡¯s photo was shot. She realised that it was something that had happened two months ago... No wonder Lu Jinnian suddenly dropped his status to y the second male lead. No wonder Qiao Anhao¡¯s casual words could get Lu Jinnian to treat them to a meal. And no wonder she could get Lu Jinnian toe out for dinner. It was only because she mentioned that Qiao Anhao would be there that he agreed... So way back then, the two of them were already secretly sleeping together. Qiao Anhao was married to Xu Jiamu. How could she mess around with Lu Jinnian? If sh*t hit the fan and Xu Jiamu found out, then what would happen? By that time, wouldn¡¯t it cause blood brothers to turn against each other? Also, the Qiao family and Xu family had an arranged marriage. For something like this to happen, wouldn¡¯t it ruin all these years of close friendship between the two families? Moreover, Qiao Anhao would definitely be scolded for sleeping around... At this point, Qiao Anxia¡¯s back became cold. She couldn¡¯t dare imagine how Qiao Anhao would hold her own in front of her close friends and family if that day really dide... Almost fifteen minutester, a waitress came over to ask Qiao Anxia if she needed another drink. Only then did Qiao Anxia snap back to reality. She shook her head and forced a smile. She waited until after the waitress had left before she put Qiao Anhao¡¯s phone back to it¡¯s original spot. Qiao Anxia¡¯s mind was racing. She grabbed a spoon and casually stirred her coffee. As her drink began to foam up, Qiao Anhao finally came back. "Sorry to make you wait. There were quite a lot of people," she said sweetly, a gentle smile on her lips. Qiao Anxia raised her head and looked at Qiao Anhao¡¯s innocent face with some disbelief. This girl was actually a woman who would betray her marriage. She forced a smile back at Qiao Anhao, and tried to remain calm as she said, "Lu Jinnian called just now. He said that he¡¯s already in the parking lot downstairs. He also said that after youe back from the restroom, we should head down." "Oh?" Qiao Anhao replied. She casually tapped her call log and saw that Lu Jinnian had made a few missed calls and there was one call received. Then she raised her head, smiled at Qiao Anxia, and said, "Let¡¯s head down." Chapter 264: My Birthday Present To You (4) Chapter 264: My Birthday Present To You (4) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Qiao Anxia seemed to have been affected by the photo; she could sense a hint of anticipation on Qiao Anhao¡¯s face as she smiled. Qiao Anxia arranged her expression before settling the bill. When they were both in the lift, she casually asked, "Qiao Qiao, is Jiamu treating you well?" It was not the first time that Qiao Anxia had asked her this question. Qiao Anhao tilted her head to the side, her voice cajoling. "Sis, you have asked this question many times after I got married." "I¡¯m just worried that you aren¡¯t happy." Initially, she was indeed worried that because of something she did, she had caused her unhappiness, but this time, she had asked to find out if what was happening between her and Lu Jinnian was because she was mistreated. Qiao Anhao¡¯s smile grew warmer with Qiao Anxia¡¯s concern. Even though she was well aware that she didn¡¯t marry Xu Jiamu, she still decided to lie to make Qiao Anxia feel better. " Why won¡¯t I be happy? Jiamu has always treated me well, you¡¯re a witness to that." Qiao Anxia had wanted to ask her why she would betray him if he treated her well... but she wasn¡¯t able to say such harsh words to Qiao Anhao, afraid that she would feel embarrassed, harming their rtionship. In the end, she asked once more, "Really?" "Really." Qiao Anhao wasn¡¯t aware of Qiao Anxia¡¯s thoughts, so she smiled sweetly at her, reaffirming her doubts. Qiao Anxia stared at Qiao Anhao for a long while, only when they reached the ground floor and the elevator doors open did she nod her head slightly. "Then all¡¯s good." She then couldn¡¯t help adding, "Qiao Qiao, I really hope that you have a happy marriage." Qiao Anhao¡¯s marriage was just a show, a show that would continue till the day Xu Jiamu woke up. But who knew when that would be... Till then, she could only keep up the facade, pretending to be in a fake marriage. She turned to smile at Qiao Anxia once more. "Sis, you don¡¯t have to worry about me, I¡¯ll definitely live a blissful marriage. You should be worrying about yourself, you should really consider Cheng Yang." Qiao Anxia curled her lips into a smile, remaining silent. From the corner of her eyes, she could see Lu Jinnian¡¯s car. - Lu Jinnian chose the dinner location. They had light cantonese food in an exquisite restaurant with elegant decor. In therge room, there were only the three of them. Halfway through their dinner, someone came in with a violin to y a short tune. After dinner, it was already 10 pm. There weren¡¯t many cars on the street and since both Qiao Anhao and Qiao Anxia didn¡¯t drive, Lu Jinnian sent Qiao Anxia home. Qiao Anxia had originally wanted to return back home, but Cheng Yang called halfway and she went to his apartment instead. After dropping her off, Lu Jinnian started his car once more. Chapter 265: My Birthday Present To You (5) Chapter 265: My Birthday Present To You (5) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Since both Qiao Anxia and Qiao Anhao boarded Lu Jinnian¡¯s car, they sat at the back while he drove. When he turned into another street, the lights shed red and the car stopped momentarily. Lu Jinnian looked into the rear mirror and caught a glimpse of a shopping bag beside Qiao Anhao. While they were having dinner, Qiao Anxia mentioned that they had went shopping for birthday presents. That bag probably contained Xu Jiamu¡¯s present... Lu Jinnian couldn¡¯t help staring at the bag, envy clouding his gaze. Even when the lights turned green, he was still focused on the shopping bag. Only when the cars behind him started beeping did hee back to his senses, stepping on the elerator. Turning the steering wheel, he made a turn, widening the distance before asking casually, "You went to buy a present for Jiamu just now?" "Yea," Qiao Anhao replied. She remembered the present she had gotten for him. Hesitating slightly, she decided to surprise him on Friday instead. There wasn¡¯t much change in Lu Jinnian¡¯s expression, but his grip on the steering wheel tightened. He sank into silence before finally asking, "What did you get?" "A tie," Qiao Anhao replied. Lu Jinnian nodded, no longer continuing the conversation. The warm streetmps shone into the car, their rays hitting his face, blurring his features. That night, after showering, Qiao Anhao climbed into the bed. When Lu Jinnian came out of the shower, he didn¡¯t even switch off the lights before pressing onto her, lowering his head to kiss her ferociously. His actions were rough and impatient, pulling off her panties, entering her. Qiao Anhao trembled, hugging his broad shoulders instinctively. Lu Jinnian tensed slightly before deepening the kiss. The next day, he left early in the morning to attend a meeting at Huan Ying Entertainment. He drove off without even having breakfast. After the morning meeting, it was already 10 am. Without having time to even take a sip of water, he left for a lunch meeting. After the lunch, it was already 1.30 pm. From the moment he was awake, he had been working endlessly, only able to take a breather now. His lunch meeting was held in a clubhouse, and after his meal, he entered the restroom for a breather, while his assistant drove the car to the service centre for a wash. When the assistant returned after half an hour, Lu Jinnian was already refreshed and talking on the phone. The assistant stood beside him silently. Only when he ended the call did he ask, "Mr. Lu, do we go back to thepany now?" Lu Jinnian nodded. The assistant was about to head out when he recalled something. He reached into his pocket and fished out a voice recorder, passing it to Lu Jinnian. "Mr. Lu, is this yours?" Lu Jinnian titled his head, shaking his head as he coldly replied, "No." Chapter 266: My Birthday Present To You (6) Chapter 266: My Birthday Present To You (6) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem "But Mr. Lu, this was found in the back of your car by the cleaning staff." The voice recorder belonged to either Qiao Anhao or Qiao Anxia... Lu Jinnian frowned, stopping his movement. He reached out and took the voice recorder before walking towards the elevator. After returning back to Huan Ying Entertainment, he started working on the pile of urgent documents that were stacked on his desk. By the time he was done, it was already 4.30 pm. He lifted his head to massage his temples before slouching back into his chair. He sat silently, resting for about five minutes before straightening to open hisptop. Just then, he caught sight of the voice recorder that was ced on his desk. He stared at the voice recorder, hesitating slightly before reaching out to grab it. This voice recorder seemed rather worn out, it was probably bought a while ago. Lu Jinnian¡¯s grip on the voice recorder tightened, his thumbs circling it. He couldn¡¯t seem to figure out who it belonged to. One couldn¡¯t help but be curious of the unknown. Even though Lu Jinnian knew that he had to return the voice recorder, he still couldn¡¯t help but press the y button. There was a buzzing sound before a clear voice came through, about ten secondster, Lu Jinnian heard a familiar voice calling a familiar name. "Qiao Qiao, what did you say?" It was Xu Jiamu¡¯s voice, it was deep and soulful, pleasing to the ears. Qiao Anhao¡¯s reply didn¡¯te through, instead, the buzzing sound took over. After a long while, Xu Jiamu¡¯s impatient voice came through again, "Qiao Qiao, hurry and tell me what you were saying. Why do you need to close the door?" "Wow, you¡¯re serving me water?" "Jiamu, can you be serious. I have something important to tell you." Qiao Anhao¡¯s voice finally came through. "Sure sure, I¡¯ll be serious." Xu Jiamu¡¯s indulgent voice came through, he even coughed seriously before continuing, "I¡¯m serious now, you can say whatever you want, I¡¯m all ears." There was a moment of silence before Qiao Anhao begun speaking in her warm voice. "Everyone in this world exists to find their other half, I think mine has appeared, and that¡¯s you." Lu Jinnian froze as he stared at the voice recorder nkly. Xu Jiamu didn¡¯t respond, instead, Qiao Anhao¡¯s voice came through sentence by sentence. "I don¡¯t wish for much, I just hope that we can be together. "I¡¯m not that good with words either, I just wish to say that for the next fifty years, I could still love you like I do right now. "For the rest of my life, there won¡¯t be anyone else I would love as much as I love you. "You have no idea how hard I have been trying to approach you ever since the first day we met. "I have many dreams, but all of them are of you. I have many wishes, but all of them are to be with you. I hope for a lot, but all of it is for you to love me." Chapter 267: My Birthday Present To You (7) Chapter 267: My Birthday Present To You (7) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem "To the world, you are just a mere human. But to me, you are the whole world. "In my whole life, I will love you the most. A long while after herst word, Xu Jiamu finally responded, "Qiao Qiao..." After just calling her name, the recording ended. After a long pause, Xu Jiamu¡¯s voice came through again, seemingly with a solemn expression. "In my whole life, I will only love you." The recording then ended, nothing elseing through. Silence settled in the office, and Lu Jinnian remained paralysed, the voice recorder still in his hands. His expression was calm and indifferent, showing neither anger or joy, his eyes staring straight at the voice recorder. He seemed to have fossilised. Lu Jinnian remained in that position till someone knocked on the door. He lifted his head slowly, staring at the tightly shut door, his lips moving slightly but nothinging out. He moistened his lips and swallowed some saliva before tightening his grip on the voice recorder. He took a deep breath to calm himself before saying, "Come in." His assistant opened the door but didn¡¯t walk in. He stood, politely informing Lu Jinnian, "Mr. Lu, it¡¯s already 7 pm, do you want to go back?" Lu Jinnian lowered hisshes, sinking into silence before replying, "You can leave now, I¡¯ll drive back myselfter." "Sure," the assistant replied before taking two steps back to lightly close the door. Silence returned to the office once more. Lu Jinnian turned to look out the window, realizing that the skies were dark and the entire city was lit by tiny sparks of light. He reached for his cigarette box out of habit. He stood up and lit a stick, smoking silently. He had always been aware... but to hear it with his own ears... His heart ached and throbbed with unimaginable pain. In my whole life, I will love you the most. In my whole life, I will only love you. Such a beautiful confession. Lu Jinnian shut his eyes, using all his strength to suck in the nicotine, trying to numb his feelings. But his breath was too hasty, he choked onto the smoke, coughing uncontrobly. - The day before, Qiao Anhao had specifically found a local seller so that her order could be delivered to Mian Xiu Garden in the afternoon. There was a total of tworge boxes. Qiao Anhao and Madam Chen carried them up to the second floor, hiding them in the bedroom. Lu Jinnian¡¯s birthday was the next day and Qiao Anhao was worried that he would find out about her surprise. Both of the boxes were ced in the dressing room cupboard. She even locked it and kept the keys. The cupboard was where she had kept her luggage, and now that the boxes took up the space, she could only ce her luggage in a corner of the dressing room. But as soon as she remembered her secret box, she hurriedly took it out. Chapter 268: My Birthday Present To You (8) Chapter 268: My Birthday Present To You (8) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem After searching for a ce to hide the metal box, she couldn¡¯t help taking a look at the contents. The box was flooded with ne and railway tickets. She fiddled around and pulled out the sky blue envelope. She opened the envelope and took the letter inside. Line by line, her cursive handwriting filled the page. Lu Jinnian, The existence of everyone in this world is to await the appearance of their other half, I think i have met mine, and it is you. I don¡¯t have big ambitions, I just wish to be with you. I¡¯m not that good with words either, but I want to say that for the next fifty years, I wish I could still love you like I do right now. For the rest of my life, there won¡¯t be anyone else I would love as much as I love you. You have no idea how hard I have been trying to approach you ever since the first day we met. I have many dreams, but all of them are of you. I have many wishes, but all of them are to be with you. I hope for a lot, but all of it is for you to love me. To this world, you may just be a mere human, but to me, you are the entire world. For the rest of my life, I will only love you. Qiao Anhao. At the back of the letter, she had used a light pink pen to write a line from Jay Chou¡¯s song, " "Rainy days aren¡¯t the most beautiful, It¡¯s the house we hid to shelter from the rain that is..." At that time, even though she was about to graduate from college, she was still a naive romantic youth. The neat rows of words seemed to reflect her insecurity and embarrassment. Back then, she had read out the whole letter to Xu Jiamu to ask for his opinion. After listening to her, he had scolded her, but afterwards, he had helped her correct one word. Thest line was changed from " For the rest of my life, I will love you the most" to " For the rest of my life, I will only love you." Who knew that the word that he changed had be a prophecy over time. After all these years, Lu Jinnian was still the only one in her heart. Qiao Anhao sighed, returning the letter back to the envelope, sealing it in the tin box. After circling the entire house, she stuffed the box under the bed. It was just a few consecutive days that Lu Jinnian stayed in the house, but Qiao Anhao seemed to have gotten used to his presence. After dinner, she would sit in the living room, watching television as she counted down the time until he would came back. If he waste, she would catch up on a live broadcast drama. The drama would end at 9.45 pm, by then, Lu Jinnian would already be back. But today, after the drama ended, he was still not back. She watched another twenty minutes worth of advertisement, but there were still no signs of Lu Jinnian¡¯s car. Qiao Anhao sat on the sofa in boredom, adjusting her posture several times. She took the remote control and started switching channels, trying to find something interesting to watch. When it was about 11 pm, Madam Chen, who had been sleeping, came out to get some water. When she saw Qiao Anhao still sitting on the sofa, she got a shock. "Mrs. Lu, why aren¡¯t you asleep?" Qiao Anhao continued staring at the television. She replied indifferently, "I¡¯m not sleepy." After a moment, she added, "Hurry and go to sleep after drinking your water." Chapter 269: My Birthday Present To You (9) Chapter 269: My Birthday Present To You (9) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem "Mrs. Lu, you should sleep early too," Madam Chen nagged before heading back to her own room. Once again, Qiao Anhao was the only one left in the living room. She watched the television for a while more before ncing up to look at the clock. It was about televen thirty, but Lu Jinnian was still not back yet. It¡¯ll be his birthday in another half an hour.... Qiao Anhao bit her lip, clenching her phone. She yearned to call and ask him why he wasn¡¯t back, but after finding his number, she realized that she didn¡¯t have any excuse to rush him home. The past few days had been sweet and blissful, she had even started treating herself as his wife, but she knew it was just temporary, and soon, the dream woulde to an end. She pressed her lips, forcing herself to put down her phone. Hugging her arms, she curled up at the edge of the sofa, her mind running as she stared at the television. When the clock struck twelve, the clock in the living room started to ring. Qiao Anhao moved, loosening her stiff limbs. It was Friday already, it was his birthday, but he wasn¡¯t back. Qiao Anhao took a deep breath, sinking into a daze before pulling out her phone. She bit on her fingers, debating on whether or not to wish him happy birthday. Her fingers flew across the phone, and the words "Happy Birthday" appeared. She bit down on her lip once again, and just when she was about to hit send, she heard the engine of a caring from outside. She hurriedly threw her phone aside, rushing to the window to see who it was. Lu Jinnian stood in front of his office¡¯s window, smoking one stick at a time. Only when he finished the entire box did he take a deep breath, tossing the empty box into the bin. He stood in a daze for a while longer, before leaving the office with his car keys. When the car left the office building, he nced at the clock. It was already 11 pm. After the heavy downpour, the streets were wet with tiny puddles everywhere. Lu Jinnian drove his car around the city aimlessly. He wanted to go to his another mansion, but when he was halfway there, he remembered that his rtionship with Qiao Anhao had only gotten better when he was present. His heart clenched slightly, and he turned his car back to the city. He didn¡¯t know where he could go, driving around aimlessly once again. Unknowingly, he was heading back to Mian Xiu Garden, only when he reached it did hee back to his senses. Lu Jinnian hesitated slightly, mming onto the breaks. His car stopped immediately. Straight ahead, he could see that the living room lights were still switched on. He lowered hisshes, sinking into deep thought before starting his car once again, preparing to leave. The moment he was about to hit the elerator, the door flew open and Qiao Anhao ran out in her pyjamas. Lu Jinian¡¯s foot froze before leaving the elerator, stopping the car once again. Qiao Anhao ran over in her slippers. Lu Jinnian¡¯s car windows were down. When Qiao Anhao reached the car, a wide grin spread across her face, and she asked him sweetly, "You¡¯re back?" Chapter 270: My Birthday Present To You (10) Chapter 270: My Birthday Present To You (10) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Lu Jinnian¡¯s car windows were down. When Qiao Anhao reached the car, a wide grin spread across her face, and she asked him sweetly, "You¡¯re back?"" Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t respond, he just nced at her briefly before turning his head away to look straight ahead. His perfect features was calm without any a trace of emotion, his entire body giving off a frosty, distant vibe. Sensing his bad mood, Qiao Anhao quickly hid her smile, asking cautiously, "What¡¯s wrong?" When Lu Jinnian heard her speak, he tilted his head slightly, ncing at her through the rearview mirror, his fingers squeezing the steering wheel. Just one nce, and he abruptly pulled out the car keys and pushed open the doors to leave the car. Lu Jinnain tookrge strides into the house, without even ncing at Qiao Anhao. She hurriedly followed behind him. By the time she entered the house, he had already changed into house slippers and was removing his jacket. Qiao Anhao slowed down, stopping about half a metre behind Lu Jinnian. In a small voice, she asked, "Have you eaten dinner? Do you want some food?" Lu Jinnain ignored her, continuing to remove his jacket. He casually threw it onto the sofa before walking up the stairs. Qiao Anhao took her phone from the sofa before following after him. At the entrance of the bedroom door, she asked him again, "Do you want to bath? It¡¯ll help you rx after a long day." Lu Jinnian continued to ignore her as he walked out of the room. Qiao Anhao touched her cheeks in confusion before running after him again. "It¡¯ste, aren¡¯t you going to rest?" Lu Jinnian pushed open the study room door and entered as though Qiao Anhao hadn¡¯t spoken. Before she could react, he mmed the door, shutting her out of the room. Qiao Anhao looked at the tightly shut door. She turned the knob unconsciously, realizing it was locked. She frowned, not understanding the situation. Why was he in such a bad mood? Qiao Anhao stood outside the study room for a while before walking to the bedroom. She chewed on her fingers as she pondered. Just then, she remembered Lu Jinnian telling his assistant that there wasn¡¯t much point in celebrating his birthday. She clearly remembered the loneliness and despair on his face when he had said that. Today is his birthday, is that why he¡¯s so moody? Qiao Anhao ran to her side of the bed, pulling open the cupboard to take the blue gift box out. She had wanted to give it to him after she had prepared everything, but now, he had locked himself in the study room... Qiao Anhao bit her lip, standing up to get the backup keys Madam Chen had left, ten went back up. - "Qiao Qiao, Qiao Qiao, Qiao Qiao!" Qiao Anxia shouted three times before sitting up on her bed violently. Chapter 271: My Birthday Present To You (11) Chapter 271: My Birthday Present To You (11) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem "Xia Xia, what¡¯s wrong?" Chen Yang was suddenly woken up by Qiao Anxia, whoy beside him. He groggily sat up and asked her what happened with a worried expression. Qiao Anxia nced over at Chen Yang, and realized that she was just dreaming. Only then, did she quietly let out a sigh of relief. She outstretched her arms and hugged Chen Yang¡¯s waist. As she pushed her face into his chest, she said in a low voice, "Nothing, it was just a nightmare." Chen Yang hugged Qiao Anxia and found afortable position. His hand stroked her back over and over again. "Go to sleep. Don¡¯t be scared, I¡¯m here." Qiao Anxia didn¡¯t say a word, but she hugged Chen Yang¡¯s waist even tighter. In the night, silence fell again. Qiao Anxia felt Chen Yang¡¯s strokes be lighter and eventually stop, his breaths growing slow and longer. She knew he had already fallen asleep, but she wasn¡¯t the least bit sleepy. She opened her eyes and stared at Chen Yang who had his eyes shut and was deep in sleep. Then, she quietly removed his hand from her back, flipped her covers, got off the bed, and left the room. She went to the kitchen first and grabbed for a cold bottle of RIO. Opening the bottle, she took a sip and walked over to the balcony. She stared out into the city lights at night and thought about the dream she just had. In the dream, Qiao Anhao knew that she did something terrible. She anxiously stared and pointed at her, and said that she ruined her happiness. Qiao Anhao, in the dream, cried and cried as she said that she saw her as the world¡¯s best older sister, so how could she do this to her? That me, that anger, they were all real. Qiao Anxia couldn¡¯t help but grip tighter onto her bottle of RIO. The icy cold touch slightly calmed her anxious heart. Qiao Anhao and her had grown up with Xu Jiamu ever since they were young. The three of them were never apart. Their rtionship was so good, they had no secrets between each other. But this was something Qiao Anhao didn¡¯t know, nor did Xu Jiamu. Before she graduated, she had the life of a rich girl who everyone envied. She dated many handsome guys. Among all the boyfriends she¡¯d had, she was impulsive and exciting towards some, whereas she was lonely and empty towards others, but that didn¡¯t mean she had never felt anything for them. On her fourth year, close to graduation, she dated a Shanghai TV host. He was tall, handsome, and his voice was piercing and charming. However, the one who she truly loved was the man who seemed proud and virtuous... Lu Jinnian. She was the same as now back then. Even though she wasn¡¯t happy about it, she had already lost all hope of being with him. At first, her wishes were simple. He was just a guy she wanted to date, so she could at least know the feeling of being with him. How to put it... All in all, she felt a little something for him in the end. She even had the impulse to talk marriage with this guy, but when she brought it up with her parents, they only expressed their strong disapproval. On top of that, they told her something that she never even knew... that she had to marry Xu Jiamu. That was when she learned about the arranged marriage between the Qiao and Xu family. The Xu family¡¯s business was vast, and Xu Jiamu was their only son. It was truly rare to find such an ideal person. Even though Qiao Anxia¡¯s parents had always treated Qiao Anhao very well, when it came to such a great opportunity, they wanted to save it for their own daughter. Chapter 272: My Birthday Present To You (12) Chapter 272: My Birthday Present To You (12) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem All parents think that the decisions they make are for the good of their children. Qiao Anxia schemed to convince her parents out of it but eventually failed. She even had to break up with her TV host boyfriend in Shanghai. Qiao Anxia always saw Xu Jiamu as a friend. She never had any feelings for him, yet she couldn¡¯t fight her own parents on this. She was afraid that she¡¯d end up forced to marry Xu Jiamu. Later, Qiao Anxia was always troubled by this. She even thought about studying abroad and not returning for over ten years to avoid the arranged marriage. But before she couldpletely carry out her n, she unintentionally eavesdropped on a conversation. It was an early summer¡¯s afternoon. She remembered it well. The weather was unexpectedly good that day, with blue skies, white clouds, and a light breeze. That day, a servant was cleaning her room when she needed to go to the bathroom, so she used Qiao Anhao¡¯s bathroom nearby. At the time, there was a music recording software that was really popr, which she also happened to be obsessed with. When she was on the toilet, she got her phone out to record a song. It was right when the sound of Qiao Anhao¡¯s voice came from the other side of the door. "Brother Jiamu, I need you to help me, but you have to keep it a secret." People are naturally curious. When she heard Qiao Anhao say this, she instantly forgot what she was doing. Instead, she stood on top of the toilet and pushed herself up against the bathroom door to listen in on them. From Qiao Anhao and Xu Jiamu¡¯s conversation, she knew that Qiao Anhao was looking for Xu Jiamu to help her check a love letter. The contents of the love letter were very well written. Each sentence was filled with emotions, and each word was deep with love. Xu Jiamu, that young master, sure was serious. He remainedposed, waiting for Qiao Anhao to finish reading. When she did eventually finish, he even seriously gave her some suggestions. In turn, Qiao Anhao epted Xu Jiamu¡¯s suggestions, and she thanked him happily. She generously followed up on the promise she made Xu Jiamu if he checked her love letter. She was going to treat him to ice cream in return, so the two of them quickly left the room. Qiao Anxia waited until after it waspletely quiet outside before snapping back to reality. As her mind was wrapped around who Qiao Anhao liked, she opened the bathroom door and went back to her own room. When her curiosity subsided, she realized that her phone had recorded the whole thing. She was just about to delete the recording when a thought suddenly shed ross her mind. She hesitated for a while, but still saved the the recording. Then she reyed it. Hearing Qiao Anhao and Xu Jiamu¡¯s conversation, a single thought came to her mind. She immediately ran over to her desk, opened herputer, and stored the recording. She cut out the unnecessary parts and only left the parts that clearly suggested something romantic was going on. She then copied it onto the recording pen that her parents had bought herst year and went to the Xu family. She knew that Xu Jiamu and Qiao Anhao were out for ice cream, yet she still pretended to havee for for Xu Jiamu. In the end, seeing that he wasn¡¯t home, she asked Han Ruchu if she wanted to listen to thetest song she had recorded. Naturally, Han Ruchu agreed, but when Qiao Anxia¡¯s finger clicked y on the recording pen, a song didn¡¯t y. Instead, the recording that she¡¯d edited earlier had yed. Chapter 273: My Birthday Present To You (13) Chapter 273: My Birthday Present To You (13) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Naturally, Han Ruchu agreed, but when Qiao Anxia¡¯s finger clicked y on the recording pen, a song didn¡¯t y. Instead, the recording that she¡¯d edited earlier had yed. Qiao Anxia acted as though she were panic-stricken and turned the recording pen off. But Han Ruchu, who had already heard a portion of it, asked for her to finish ying the recording. She pretended to look anxious, as she sat next to Han Ruchu. When the recording pen finished ying, she then carefully said to Han Ruchu, "Aunt Xu, no matter what, please don¡¯t let Jiamu and Qiao Qiao know that you know about their love. They told me to keep it a secret." - Thinking of it all, Qiao Anxia suddenly lifted her hand and downed her bottle of RIO. A pending arranged married was something no one could change, as marriage is the best way to unite two families. To protect herself, she could only betray Qiao Anhao¡¯s lifelong happiness. She knew that Han Ruchu¡¯s beloved son was her life, so she purposefully put on this act for Han Ruchu to see, to let her believe that her son truly loved Qiao Anhao. After almost two weeks, she identally overheard her own parent¡¯s talking and found out that the daughter-inw Han Ruchu had her eye on was Qiao Anhao, not Qiao Anxia. In that instant, her wishes were fulfilled. However, with her wishes fulfilled, it was the moment when she became riddled with guilt. She often dreamed of Qiao Anhao¡¯s hate-filled eyes, how to make up for her wrongs, and how to make herself feel better about it all. From that moment on, she did her best to be good to Qiao Anhao. Up until the afternoon of the day before yesterday when she learnt that Qiao Anhao, who was married to Xu Jiamu, was actually messing around with Lu Jinnian. Thereafter, she silently put the recording pen, that she carried with her everywhere, in Lu Jinnian¡¯s car. The reason she did this was simple. It was so that Lu Jinnian knew that Qiao Anhao and Xu Jiamu were truly in love with each other. No matter how much he loved and cared for Qiao Anhao, he must drop it all. He must give up! Because Qiao Anxia couldn¡¯t bare to see Qiao Anhao and Lu Jinnian betray Xu Jiamu any longer. The day everything came out, the only person who would be called a slut, the one who would be med woudl be Qiao Anhao! Five years ago, Qiao Anxia had done a terrible thing. She had already wronged Qiao Anhao once. Now, she had to do her best to protect her, to never let her suffer. - Qiao Anhao stood at the study room¡¯s door with keys in one hand and a blue gift box in the other. She took a deep breath. In the past, she¡¯d given many presents, but this time was her most nervous of all! Qiao Anhao raised her hand to gently knock on the door. Without waiting too long for an answer, she opened it with the key, turned the handle, and pushed the door slightly open. She was weed by a room pungent with the smell of cigarette smoke. She coughed a little, choked by the smoke. Luckily, she reacted quickly by covering up her mouth, then pushed her head in to look around. Her dark eyes watered and shifted around for a bit until she stared directly at Lu Jinnian who stood by the window with his back to the door. His posture was perfectly straight, and there were cigarette butts of different sizes all around him. Just how long could he have been here to have smoked so many? Qiao Anhao furrowed her brows, summoned her courage, and walked into the room. Then she gently shut the door and strode over to Lu Jinnian¡¯s side. Chapter 274: My Birthday Present To You (14) Chapter 274: My Birthday Present To You (14) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem It was not until Qiao Anhao drew closer did she see that he was holding a cigarette in one hand and something that looked like a pen in his other hand. His eyes stared directly at it. Who knew what he was thinking about... Qiao Anhao bit her bottom lip, walking a little closer to where Lu Jinnian stood. Lu Jinnian, who was stuck in a daze all this time, suddenly felt that someone wasing closer to him. He quickly turned his head and swept his cold eyes over Qiao Anhao. He hurriedly shoved the pen back into his trouser pocket and asked in a frosty voice, "Who let you in?" A long time had passed since Lu Jinnianst spoke to Qiao Anhao in such a deathly cold tone. Qiao Anhao didn¡¯t quite know how to react, trembling a little. She timidly looked over at him to see that he wore a frighteningly intense look on his face. To her own disappointment, she started to get nervous and scared again. She instinctively gripped tighter the gift box in her hands, and gulped. Then she shut her eyes and pushed the thing in her hands in front of him, saying in a gentle, low voice, "It¡¯s for you." After saying these three words, Qiao Anhao realized that her heart was racing at an rming rate. In that moment in time, the feeling she had was exactly the same as the time when she held her carefully written love letter in her arms and traveled all the way to Hangzhou to find him. Apprehensive, uneasy, nervous, impulsive... In that short breath, the sweat in her palms soaked into the wrapping. Lu Jinnian callously turned around and stared at the blue gift box in Qiao Anhao¡¯s small, delicate hands. His brows furrowed and his eyes looked confusedly at her. Yet, in the end, he showed no intention of reaching out to take it. Qiao Anhao didn¡¯t know how much time had passed, but her hands were a little sore from holding up the gift box. She became even more helplessly uneasy, and she couldn¡¯t help but secretly lift her eyelids. She nced up at him, meeting his cold, deep eyes They were like snow that hadn¡¯t melted for a thousand years, staring right at her. Qiao Anhao¡¯s fingers trembled a little, holding the gift box, and she took a step back, saying in low voice, "Happy Birthday." But lthough her voice was low, her words clearly reached Lu Jinnian¡¯s ears. His exquisite, coldplexion instantly froze, and he stared into Qiao Anhao¡¯s eyes. Brushing away his astonishment, he seemed like he wasn¡¯t sure of what she had just said. After a while, he asked in t tone, "What did you say?" Since the time he got home till now, those were the first words he said. Even though it was just four words, they let Qiao Anhao¡¯s entire body loosen up. She got slightly braver as she looked up at Lu Jinnian with his usual cold expression on his face. She repeated the words she had just said one more time, "Happy Birthday." She paused, then added two more words, "Happy Birthday to you!" Qiao Anhao said "Happy Birthday" twice, which finally confirmed for Lu Jinnian that he hadn¡¯t heard wrong. Happy Birthday... They were two simple words, but to him, they felt so foreign. To think about it, thest time he¡¯d heard those two words were as long as, perhaps, seventeen or eighteen years ago? Lu Jinnian wanted to say something, but it was like something was stuck in his throat. He opened his mouth to speak, but he couldn¡¯t make a sound. Chapter 275: My Birthday Present To You (15) Chapter 275: My Birthday Present To You (15) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Lu Jinnian wanted to say something, but it was like something was stuck in his throat. He opened his mouth to speak, but he couldn¡¯t make a sound. He stared at Qiao Anhao for a long time before trying hard to suppress the impact of her three "Happy Birthday"s to him. Even so, even if he tried to sound cold on purpose, there was still a hint of a tremble in his voice. "How did you know that today¡¯s my birthday?" Whoops... She had only wanted to buy him a birthday present and give him a surprise. Yet she forgot she found out about his birthday by eavesdropping. Qiao Anhao¡¯s face flushed slightly, and she bit the corner of her lip. She awkwardly drew her pursed lips back, honestly revealing, "The day before yesterday, when I was going to call you for dinner, I identally overheard your conversation with your assistant..." At this point, Qiao Anhao lifted her eyes and analysed Lu Jinnian¡¯s expression. When she realized that it hadn¡¯t changed much, she summoned her courage to continue the rest of her story. "So then, that¡¯s how I knew about your birthday." As she said thatst sentence, Qiao Anhao¡¯s voice grew quieter and quieter, until at the veryst word it disappeared. But Lu Jinnian understand what she meant. So when his assistantined that it was also his birthday on Friday, she stood outside the study room. For the first time in Lu Jinnian¡¯s life, he felt that having a talkative and fussy assistant wasn¡¯t such a bad idea. Qiao Anhao couldn¡¯t hear Lu Jinnian¡¯s thoughts, so she lifted her eyelids and sneaked a peak at him. There weren¡¯t big changes in his expression. Only the deepest part of his eyes seemed to be reeling with emotions, and yet it didn¡¯t. Behind Lu Jinnian¡¯s cold expression, Qiao Anhao couldn¡¯t quite grasp if he was or wasn¡¯t upset. And so, to win his favor, she lifted the gift box a little higher, proudly saying, "This is my birthday present to you. I chose it whilst shopping with Xia Xia in the afternoon the day before yesterday." Lu Jinnian blinked softly. His pitch-ck pupils calmly looked at Qiao Anhao for a moment. Then he reached his arms out and took the box from her hands. Nobody noticed his fingertips trembling. As though to control his own emotions, Lu Jinnian asked for the first time, "What is it?" When Qiao Anhao heard Lu Jinnian¡¯s question, she rxedpletely. Seeing his eyes slightly soften up, her mood also became more cheerful, and she said cutely, "Presents are more meaningful if you don¡¯t know what they are before you open." "Really?" Lu Jinnian asked light heartedly in return. His slender fingers hooked open the seal, and then he ripped open the packaging. This revealed a golden velvet box, and he opened it. There was a striking tie pin inside. Under the lights of the house, the small diamonds in the tiling above reflected the light and shot directly at Lu Jinnian¡¯s eyes, causing them to, for some reason, start to heat up. When he was with his mother, his standard of living wasn¡¯t great, so from where would there be extra money left over to get him a present? The cake was even secretly taken from the night club his mother worked at. That was probably the only present he had ever received. Since his mother passed away, nobody had paid attention to his birthday, so even he stopped caring about it. But he never imagined that there would actually be a day when he would receive such an exquisite and touching present. Not to mention, the present was given to him by the woman he had loved for so many years. Chapter 276: My Birthday Present To You (16) Chapter 276: My Birthday Present To You (16) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Right then, Lu Jinnian felt like he was in a dream. He stood frozen on the spot, casual and elegant, with his eyes locked on the tie clip. After a long while, he finally looked up at Qiao Anhao, and said in a hoarse voice, "Thank you." Qiao Anhao smiled gently. Under the bright lights of the study room, her expression seemed to be cuter and softer. "I didn¡¯t know what kind of presents you liked, so I chose something I liked for you, not knowing if you might like or dislike it yourself." "I like it," Lu Jinnian said without any hesitation. He stared at the tie clip in the box for a long time before carefully putting the lid back on. Then he said, "I really like it." Qiao Anhao continued to smile, revealing a hint of relief in her eyes. Lu Jinnian¡¯s fingers gently stroked the box. As he stared at Qiao Anhao¡¯s smiling face, it was as if the coldness between his eyes subsided immensely. For someone who didn¡¯t like to reveal any traces of worry to people around him, the next words were very surprising. They just suddenly floated out of his mouth. "It¡¯s been many years since Ist received a birthday present." Because of those simple words, the smile on Qiao Anhao¡¯s face gradually disappeared. Her mind went back to the day she had watched through the study room¡¯s doorway and seen Lu Jinnian¡¯s expression when he said, "What¡¯s more, I¡¯ve never really celebrated my birthday". It was the same look. Though his tone was nonchnt, it also revealed hints of sadness. From what she remembered, Lu Jinnian would always attend Xu Jiangmu¡¯s birthdays, but he had never celebrated his own. Qiao Anhao couldn¡¯t help but ask the question in her heart, "Do you never celebrate your birthday?" "Mmm." Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t open his mouth but made a sound deep in his throat. After a while, he slowly opened his mouth to say, "After my mother passed away, I never celebrated my birthday again." Lu Jinnian¡¯s words didn¡¯t really sound nonchnt. For some reason, when Qiao Anhao heard them, a sharp, intense pain crept into her heart. She knew that Lu Jinnian and Xu Jiangmu were step-brothers, and she knew that Lu Jinnian¡¯s mother passed away early. But besides this, she didn¡¯t know much more. Even if Xu Jiangmu, who was the same age as Lu Jinnian, didn¡¯t know his birthday, their father surely would of known... Even if he was an illegitimate son, he was Uncle Xu¡¯s own flesh and blood. Even if it couldn¡¯t have been as extravagant as Xu Jiangmu¡¯s birthday parties, at the very least, he must of received a present or birthday wishes? Qiao Anhao slowly moved her lips and asked, "What about Uncle Xu? Did he never celebrate your birthday?" Lu Jinnian¡¯s face instantly froze over, and a ruthlessness slowly rose in his eyes. Qiao Anhao was astonished. Realizing that she had said something wrong, she felt uneasy in her heart and bit her bottom lip. In a low voice, she was just about to say "sorry", but she only made it to "So-" when Lu Jinnian turned his head with a frozen expression. He stared into the night sky beyond the window, and said in a oddly calm tone as though he was recounting someone else¡¯s story, "Instead of wanting to celebrate my birthday, he would have rather that I¡¯d never had a birthday." To Lu Jinnian¡¯s father, his birth was a stain on his life. If it were possible, his father must of not wanted for him to live on this earth. The ache in Qiao Anhao¡¯s heart grew stronger. Chapter 277: My Birthday Present To You (17) Chapter 277: My Birthday Present To You (17) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Qiao Anaho felt her heart clench, aching for him. Her throat choked, stopping her from speaking. Lu Jinnian looked out the window, his lips curling into a small faint smile, as though mocking the situation. Nonchntly, he continued, "But it¡¯s fine, I¡¯ve gotten used to it." Used to it.... He said those words so lightly that Qiao Anhao could no longer keep her sorrow in. She had never known that the man she had loved so deeply, the man that was always proud and aloof actually had such a heartbreaking story that no one knew about. Qiao Anhao could feel tears welling up as her vision clouded. She nced at Lu Jinnian who was staring out the window . Summing up all her courage, she said, "In the past, nobody was there to celebrate with you, but now you have me...." Lu Jinnian froze, his body tensing. Even though he looked oblivious, his heart and mind were in a frenzy. Qiao Anhao struggled to curl her lips into a smile, suppressing her tears. "If you don¡¯t mind, I would like to celebrate all your birthdays with you from now on." If you don¡¯t mind, I would like to celebrate all your birthdays with you from now on. Even though Lu Jinnian knew that the girl he loved didn¡¯t love him and that her words didn¡¯t mean much, he still couldn¡¯t help feeling touched by her words. Even though they weren¡¯t particrly touching, he was satisfied. Lu Jinnian felt his throat close up, and before Qiao Anhao could react, he reached out and pulled her into his embrace. Lu Jinnian¡¯s actions were too sudden, catching Qiao Anhao off guard. When she finally came to her senses, she was already in his arms, her head resting on his chest. She moved her head instinctively. Lu Jinnian suddenly raised one hand to hold her in ce and used the other to secure her waist. Squeezing her to him, he instructed, "Don¡¯t move." As he spoke, he rubbed his face against her fluffy hair before pressing his lips to her head, inhaling her faint scent. In a faint voice, he murmured, "Don¡¯t move, let me hug you for a while, just a while." Lu Jinnian¡¯s eyes started to sting. He lowered his eyshes, bringing her closer to his body, as though he wanted to merge them together. Regardless of who you love, please let me hug you quietly today, on my birthday. I just need a little while. Let me feel this warmth that I¡¯ve never felt before, let me feel a little less lonely for a bit. I¡¯m not as cold and emotionless as you think I am, but only by hiding behind my ruthlessness am I able to look a little less pathetic. Qiao Anhao stopped moving, standing quietly, allowing Lu Jinnian to hug her. After a long while, she raised her arms to hug him back. Outside, the skies were dark, inside they didn¡¯t speak, they just stayed in each other¡¯s arms. They were both using their entire souls to love the other, but they forgot to say "I love you." That night passed by peacefully, and they separated only after a very long time. That night, unlike the previous nights, nothing happened. Chapter 278: My Birthday Present To You (18) Chapter 278: My Birthday Present To You (18) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem The next day, when Lu Jinnian woke up, Qiao Anhao was still asleep. He prepared quietly, making sure not to disturb her before leaving for work. At the door, he turned and saw her still deep asleep, and he pondered for awhile before takingrge strides towards the bed. Staring down at her, he lowered his head to kiss her temples before tugging the nket around her. Satisfied, he walked out of the bedroom. While he was searching for his car keys in his pockets, he felt the box that he had deliberately brought along in the morning. Sitting in the car, he paused momentarily before removing the tie clips from the box. Looking at the rear mirror, he attached the tie clips before driving off in satisfaction. When Qiao Anhao woke up, it was close to 11 am in the morning, but because she had sleptte the night before, she still felt sleepy. She widened her eyes before turning back to hug the nkets, preparing to sleep more. But after closing her eyes for half a minute, she jolted awake, remembering her ns. She turned to look at the time before rushing to prepare herself. When she came down, Madam Chen had already prepared lunch. Qiao Anhao hurriedly filled her stomach, then pulled Madam Chen upstairs to help her blow the balloons to decorate the room. Qiao Anhao deliberately moved the flower racks in the balcony aside, and with Madam Chen¡¯s help, she started arranging the candles she had bought. Even though it was just a simple "Happy Birthday Lu Jinnian", the two of them struggled for two hours. After decorating the room, Qiao Anhao looked around to inspect the decor. Satisfied, she got Madam Chen to bring all her baking supplies to the kitchen. Ever since she was young, Qiao Anhao had never set foot in the kitchen, much less to say bake a cake. This was the first time in her life that she was making it, and it was indeed an uphill task. Luckily, Madam Chen was experienced, and with her guidance, she was able to finish baking a simple cheese cake. After waiting for the cake to cool, she started to add ayer of buttercream while instructing Madam Chen to cut some fresh fruits for the cake. Lastly, in the empty space in the middle, she used red cream to write an almost illegible "Happy Birthday". Qiao Anhao inspected the cake, the taste was still unknown, but it¡¯s appearance was passable. Pleased with her product, she hid the cake in the freezer section. Madam Chen smiled and started to wash up. "Mrs. Lu, Mr. Lu will definitely be happy with your surprise!" Qiao Anhao¡¯s lips curled into crescents as she grinned happily, staring at the cake in the freezer. Turning back to Madam Chen, she instructed, "Madam Chen, why don¡¯t you take the day off today? You cane back tomorrow afternoon." Madam Chen understood instantly. "Yes, yes! How could I forget! If it¡¯s Mr. Lu¡¯s birthday, you must not want to be disrupted. I¡¯ll leave after packing up." Qiao Anhao smiled in embarrassment. "Thank you Madam Chen." Madam Chen waved her hands, packing up swiftly before leaving. Chapter 279: My Birthday Present To You (19) Chapter 279: My Birthday Present To You (19) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem After Madam Chen left, Qiao Anhao realized that Xu Jiamu¡¯s dinner celebration was about to begin. She hurriedly rushed upstairs to prepare herself. That night, Lu Jinnian had to attend the dinner celebration as Xu Jiamu. His assistant cleared his schedule for the evening, pushing everything forward. Ever since he entered the office, he had been so busy he had to eat packed food for lunch. Every Friday, Huan Ying Entertainment would have a meeting at 3 pm in the afternoon, but today, it was brought up by an hour. By the time the meeting ended, it was already 3 pm. When Lu Jinnian came out of his office, he coincidentally passed by Cheng Yang¡¯s office. Since Qiao Anxia had to attend Xu Jiamu¡¯s dinner, she specifically came over to Huan Ying Entertainment to get Cheng Yang so the both of them could go together. Cheng Yang¡¯s office was open, but he wasn¡¯t inside, leaving Qiao Anxia alone with her phone. When she heard footsteps passing, she looked up and saw Lu Jinnian walking past. After about two steps, Lu Jinnian stopped. His assistant, who was following behind, stopped as well. He didn¡¯t understand why he had stopped, asking,"Mr. Lu?" Lu Jinnian¡¯s eyes darkened slightly before he faintly instructed, "Wait in my office, I have something to do." "Yes," the assistant replied, leaving. Lu Jinnian wanted for his assistant to leave before turning to walk back, standing in front of Cheng Yang¡¯s office. Qiao Anxia froze momentarily, not expecting Lu Jinnian to return. She ced her phone down and looked up at him without moving. After about five seconds, she asked, "Yes?" Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t reply, instead he walked wordlessly into Cheng Yang¡¯s office. When he was about one metre away from her, he stopped, fishing for the voice recorder in his pocket. Without even looking at Qiao Anxia, he tossed it at her, then turned to walk out the door. Qiao Anxia looked at the voice recorder he had tossed, pursing her lips. She reached for it shouting out, "Lu Jinnian." Lu Jinnian stopped, but he didn¡¯t turn around. Qiao Anxia walked over in her heels and held the voice recorder in front of his face. She asked, "You heard the contents, didn¡¯t you?" Lu Jinnian remained calm, not nning to respond. But from his expression, Qiao Anxia could tell that he had heard it. This meant that he knew that Qiao Anhao and Xu Jiamu were in love... Just then, she spotted the tie clip on Lu Jinnian¡¯s tie. It was from Qiao Anhao! Even after he found out that she loves Xu Jiamu, he didn¡¯t get mad? He even epted her present and ced it on his tie... What did that mean? He wasn¡¯t going to give up even though he knew they were in love? Qiao Anxia turned serious. "If you heard the contents, you should know that QIao Qiao and Xu Jiamu are in love." Chapter 280: My Birthday Present To You (20) Chapter 280: My Birthday Present To You (20) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Lu Jinnian remained nonchnt, but his fingers curled into a fist. He returned a frosty gaze, still not willing to say a word. "Lu Jinnian, I know that you like Qiao Qiao, and I know that there¡¯s something between the two of you, but she is Jiamu¡¯s wife, Xu Enterprisedy boss, you can never be with her! "If you really like her, please stop harassing her. If this carries on, you¡¯re going to destroy her! "And you aren¡¯t just going to destroy Qiao Qiao, the Qiao family and Xu family will also be implicated! "As her sister, I can¡¯t just see her walking into the mes! "Besides, you should know that you¡¯re the third party in this right?" Qiao Anxia¡¯s words unknowingly agitated Lu Jinnian, a sharp glint sparked in the depths of his eyes. He turned and stared at her ferociously, before brushing past to leave the room. Qiao Anxia was angered by hisck of respect, and her whole body trembled in fury. She couldn¡¯t help reaching out to grab his arm. "You¡¯re charming, and even though she is involved with you right now, it may not be her true feelings. She might just be confused or infatuated momentarily. Don¡¯t forget that Qiao Qiao and Jiamu grew up together, their bond will definitely be tighter and stronger than yours..." "Said enough?" Lu Jinnian interrupted, his hands clenched into tight fists, suppressing the urge to hit her. He stayed silent for another two seconds before speaking in a calmer tone, "Qiao Anxia, there isn¡¯t a point in telling me this. Besides..." Lu Jinnian stopped, his breathing pausing as well. After a long while, he took a deep breath and continued in a calm tone, "I have always been clear that she doesn¡¯t love me." Qiao Anhao opened her mouth, but before she could say anything, he spoke. "About me destroying her and pushing her into the mes..." Irony shed past his eyes as though mocking Qiao Anxia¡¯s ignorance. He spoke in a clear, direct voice. "Let me tell you truthfully, even if I destroy myself or throw myself into the mes, I will never hurt her. Don¡¯t you worry!" Lu Jinnian¡¯s voice became deste towards the end. He swallowed his saliva, sorrow clouding his face as he continued in an almost inaudible tone, "I willing love her, never expecting anything in return." Suddenly, he pulled his hand out of Qiao Anxia¡¯s grip, takingrge strides away. - Qiao Anhao applied a light and elegant makeup, deliberately choosing a peach-colored long dress and pumps. She wanted to give Lu Jinnian a surprise, so she didn¡¯t want him to enter the house. After tidying up the ce, she stopped in front of a mirror to do a final check, and then moved to wait by the door with her bag. Chapter 281: Did I Disappoint You?(1) Chapter 281: Did I Disappoint You?£¨1£© Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Qiao Anhao wanted to give Lu Jinnian a surprise, so she didn¡¯t want him to enter the house. She got everything together and stood by the floor mirror. After a quick check, she grabbed her handbag and walked over to Mian Xiu Garden¡¯s doors. She waited for almost fifteen minutes before she saw Lu Jinnian¡¯s car turned in from a distant crossing. Coincidentally, the sun was setting in the west, covering the entire mansion in red. With the red sunlight reflecting off of Mian Xiu Garden¡¯s white walls, the mansion looked like an utopia. Just as Lu Jinnian drove in, he saw Qiao Anhao standing outside the fences. The multi-colored Japanese roses on the fence were just in bloom. Under the radiance of the sunset and fresh flowers, he saw her wearing a long peach-colored dress, her skin snowy white and long ck hair falling to her waist. The image was so beautiful, it had to be something from a fantasy. Lu Jinnian looked like he was in a daze until Qiao Anhao, who stood by the side of the road, waved at him. He blinked, snapping back to reality, and hurriedly stepped on the break; the car still drove about three meters past Qiao Anhao. Just as Lu Jinnian was getting ready to bring the car around, Qiao Anhao walked over in her high heels. She bent down first to see Lu Jinnian through the car window, opened the door, and then got in. Beforeing to pick Qiao Anhao, Lu Jinnian had already dressed in a navy and fixed his hair to Xu Jiamu¡¯s favorite hairstyle. He stuck many fake scars on his face and drew on Xu Jiamu¡¯s usual brows. He had aplete makeover. Xu Jiamu was a pampered and spoiled young master, and Lu Jinnian had a cold and antisocial aura about him. Even if they really did look simr, they seemed like very different people, and so it was really difficult for others to catch the deceit. If Qiao Anhao didn¡¯t know it was Lu Jinnian pretending to be Xu Jiamu, who she had grown up with, it would have been difficult to tell this "Xu Jiamu" in front of her was an impostor. Xu Jiamu¡¯s birthday party was held at the Xu family mansion, which wasn¡¯t too far away from Mian Xiu Garden. Even though it was after work hours, with a little traffic, it took no more than forty minutes to reach the Xu family mansion. The birthday party was meant to start at eight in the evening. It was just seven, so there was still an hour to go. The guests hadn¡¯t arrived yet, and therge courtyard remained peacefully empty. Lu Jinnian randomly found an empty space and parked his car. Then he and Qiao Anhao walked to the door. Like a gentleman, Lu Jinnian pressed the doorbell. After less than ten seconds, the sound of someone unlocking the doors was heard. The door opened, and there stood Xu family¡¯s housekeeper, who had served the family for many years. He imed that he came from the Han family, ever since Han Ruchu married into the family. The housekeeper moved aside to let Qiao Anhao and Lu Jinnian in, then screamed into the house, "Sir, Madam, Miss Anhao is here." Clearly, both Qiao Anhao and Lu Jinnian stood outside the door, but the housekeeper only mentioned Qiao Anhao. As they went around the entrance, Qiao Anhao was greeted by Han Ruchu. Han Ruchu wore an off-the-shoulder dress, arge ruby ne, and an up-do. She looked elegant and extravagant. Just like the housekeeper, she only spoke of Qiao Anhao. "Qiao Qiao, you¡¯re here?" She grabbed onto Qiao Anhao¡¯s hand and enthusiastically linked arms with her into the house. From the very start, she never even nced at Lu Jinnian, who stood beside Qiao Anhao. It was as though he was air. Chapter 282: Did I Disappoint You? (2) Chapter 282: Did I Disappoint You? (2) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem As Han Ruchu waved Qiao Anhao over to sit down, she also ordered the housekeeper to prepare tea. Without any intention of waving Lu Jinnian to sit down, she turned to look at Qiao Anhao and smiled graciously. She asked with care, "Qiao Qiao, how have you been recently? Has filming been tiring?" "No." Qiao Anhao pursed her lips, and thanked her again, politely. "That¡¯s good. If you¡¯re tired, stop filming. Say you don¡¯t want to work for the Qiao family, I can arrange for you to join the Xu family..." Midway through Han Ruchu¡¯s words, the housekeeper brought a tray over. On it were three steaming cups of tea. The housekeeper firstly ced a cup in front of Han Ruchu, then another cup in front of Qiao Anhao. The final cup was left on the table, but they didn¡¯t bother to offer Lu Jinnian a drink. It was as though the final cup was just for show. Qiao Anhao thanked the housekeeper in a low voice, before replying to what Han Ruchu had just said. "I like filming, so please, you don¡¯t have worry about me." "Since you like it, then do as you please." Han Ruchu¡¯s red lips curled into a smile, and she took the cup in front of her. Qiao Anhao gave her a warm smile. From the corner of her eye, she saw Lu Jinnian standing in front of the floor-to-ceiling window. His demeanor was neutral as he stared out the window. Who would know what he was thinking about. Qiao Anhao gently creased her brows, then remembered that ever since they walked in till now, Han Ruchu was fixated on her. She didn¡¯t care at all for Lu Jinnian. Even the servants of this house didn¡¯t bother to offer him a seat. There were no outsiders in the house, so everyone knew it was Lu Jinnian impersonating Xu Jiamu. Qiao Anhao didn¡¯t bother ying along, and directly called his name, "Lu Jinnian?" Lu Jinnian, who was staring out the window, heard Qiao Anhao¡¯s voice but only slightly turned his head. His eyes fell on her. He didn¡¯t say a word, but looked over, puzzled. Qiao Anhao waved at him and patted the empty seat next to her. In a soft voice, she said, "Why are you standing over there? Come sit?" With a cup in hand, when Han Ruchu heard Qiao Anhao¡¯s words, her expression froze. For just a second, a hint of avoidance and disgust shed across her eyes. Then she smiled with her eyes and took a sip of her tea with a rxed posture. Despite Han Ruchu¡¯s expression, for an instant, her eyes clearly met Lu Jinnian¡¯s. Back when he was young, he¡¯d seen the same expression on Han Ruchu¡¯s face the first time she met him - hatred and disdain. After all these years, she hadn¡¯t changed. Lu Jinnian¡¯s expression didn¡¯t change at all, as though he was long used to it by now. Hisposed eyes jumped off of Han Ruchu¡¯s face and into Qiao Anhao¡¯s pitch-ck pupils. He blinked gently and said in low voice, "There¡¯s no need." He didn¡¯t wait for Qiao Anhao to say anything more and turned around and continued to look out the window. Han Ruchu curved the corner of her lips into a grin when she heard Lu Jinnian¡¯s words. She then took a few more sips of tea and turned her head. With a sincere smile, she continued to chat with Qiao Anhao about everyday life. Out of respect and good manners, Qiao Anhao chatted with Han Ruchu, but every now and then, she would look over at Lu Jinnian from the corner of her eyes. He was very quiet. So quiet in fact, if he wasn¡¯t sneaking a nce at her from time to time, you wouldn¡¯t know that there was a person standing in front of the floor-to-ceiling window. Chapter 283: Did I Disappoint You? (3) Chapter 283: Did I Disappoint You? (3) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Mid-conversation, a servant came over to quietly ask Han Ruchu a few questions about the party. Han Ruchu smiled apologetically to Qiao Anhao. She turned her head and gave some instructions. Qiao Anhao hesitated for a moment, before she put her cup down and turned around to walk over to Lu Jinnian. She was just two meters away from him when Xu Wanli walked down the stairs. When he saw Qiao Anhao, he called out, "Qiao Qiao." Qiao Anhao stopped in her tracks to greet Xu Wanli. "Uncle Xu." Xu Wanli smiled brightly and nodded. As he fixed up his tie, he walked over in front of her. The words from his mouth were directed towards Han Ruchu, though. "Ruchu, it¡¯s been a while since Ist saw Qiao Qiao. She¡¯s gotten so much prettier." Han Ruchu had already prepared everything. Hearing Xu Wanli¡¯s words, she elegantly and calmly stood up and walked over to him. She reached her arms out and naturally helped Xu Wanli fix his tie. "Qiao Qiao has always been pretty, ever since she was a baby." Xu Wanli chuckled a little. When he turned his head, his eyes met Lu Jinnian¡¯s, who had also coincidentally just turned his head when he heard Xu Wanli¡¯s voice. Xu Wanli¡¯s smile froze, and he tly turned away to embrace Han Ruchu¡¯s shoulders on his way to the sofa. Lu Jinnian stared at his back, tightly pursing his lips. His eyes fell, masking the hurt in his eyes. Xu Wanli hugged Han Ruchu as he sat down. Then he asked how Xu Jiamu¡¯s birthday preparations wereing along, to which Han Ruchu answered in a warm tone of voice. The two of them looked like a married couple who have been in love for many years. Seeing this, Lu Jinnian felt a sharp pain, as he remembered that because of his birth, his own mother lived miserable and adrift. The two arms by his side silently balled into fists. Although Xu Wanli¡¯s series of reactions just now seemed quite natural, Qiao Anhao could still clearly see the annoyance in his eyes when he saw Lu Jinnian. It wasn¡¯t like Qiao Anhao and Lu Jinnian had never pretended that Lu Jinnian was Xu Jiamu when they met Xu Wanli and Han Ruchu. But back then, it was mostly during parties, where everyone had worked hard to keep up the act. They¡¯d never met privately, and so she never realized the reality before. In actuality, Qiao Anhao could understand why Han Ruchu ignored Lu Jinnian and was cold towards him. For the most part, no woman would be able to speak nicely and treat their own husband¡¯s illegitimate son warmly. However, Xu Wanli was unexpectedly just as cold towards Lu Jinnian, which left Qiao Anhao a little puzzled. Even if he didn¡¯t like this son, Lu Jinnian, he wouldn¡¯t be sozy as to not bother to talk to him, right? An unspeakable pain surfaced in Qiao Anhao¡¯s heart. She instinctively looked over at Lu Jinnian, about to speak, when suddenly he said in a deeply cold voice, "I¡¯m going out for a smoke." He didn¡¯t wait for Qiao Anhao to respond, just turned around and strode out of the house. "Qiao Qiao,e..." Qiao Anhao, who secretly wanted to follow Lu Jinnian out, suddenly heard Han Ruchu¡¯s call. She replied with an "Oh". Through the floor-to-ceiling windows, she nced over at Lu Jinnian, who stood by his own car, as he lit up his cigarette. He took a deep one and let out a mouthful of smoke. She turned around and walked towards the sofa. Chapter 284: Did I Disappoint You? (4) Chapter 284: Did I Disappoint You? (4) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem When it was almost seven forty, the guests arriving one after the other. No one knew where Lu Jinnian had went. All Han Ruchu, Xu Wanli, and Qiao Anhao could do was to stand by the door, wearing beaming smiles as they weed guests. On her way, Han Ruchu called the housekeeper over and whispered for him to go and find Lu Jinnian. At seven fifty, Lu Jinnian still hadn¡¯t turned up. Annoyance surfaced in Han Ruchu¡¯s eyes, but she still kept her smile up as she greeted Xu family¡¯s business investors into the banquet hall. Then she silently left, walking over to the housekeeper who had just walked through the mansion¡¯s doors. Han Ruchu immediately asked in a cold voice, "Where is he?" Before the housekeeper could speak, Lu Jinnian followed in closely behind, stepping into the house. Han Ruchu shot the housekeeper a look, from which the housekeeper instinctively knew to walk over and take care of the guests in the hall. Han Ruchu gracefully walked over to Lu Jinnian on her high heels. Before she could make a sound, two guests walked in. She smiled immediately, holding onto Lu Jinnian¡¯s arm. Smiling from ear-to-ear, she greeted both guests, "Chief Zhao, Madame Zhao." She looked at Lu Jinnian warmly, and urged him, "Jiamu, quickly. Come say hellow to Chief Zhao and Madame Zhao." Lu Jinnianpletely pulled back his cold and estranged self. He never spoke much, but to be more like Xu Jiamu, he yed along with Han Ruchu and kindly said, "Uncle Zhao, Aunt Zhao, wee." When he finished speaking, Lu Jinnian headed for the hall with a hand gesture. Only after waiting for the Zhao¡¯s to stride over to the the hall, did Han Ruchu chase after Lu Jinnian, pulling on his arm. Yet, she also maintained a good distance between the Zhao¡¯s in front of them. Seeing that no one was paying attention to them, Han Ruchu slightly turned her head and said to Lu Jinnian in an abnormality low, frigid tone, "Tonight is Jiamu¡¯s birthday. I implore you to focus. Don¡¯t make any slip-ups." As Han Ruchu said this, a guest unexpectedly came over to her. She immediately stopped her words and shed a bright smile. Once the guest greeted her as they walked past, she then continued to warn Lu Jinnian in a cruel voice, "Nobody asked you to help from the very beginning. You willingly agreed to do this. Furthermore, don¡¯t you forget, your life belongs to Jiamu!" The words clearly reached Lu Jinnian¡¯s ears, yet his eyes wereposed, as though Han Ruchu¡¯s words were meant for someone else. His line of sight circled the hall. Not too far away, he saw Qiao Anhao. He turned his head to Han Ruchu and smiled. The two of them looked like a loving pair of mother and son. Then he pulled his arm away and walked over to Qiao Anhao. Han Ruchu was right. The Xu family certainly didn¡¯t force him to do this favor. Xu Wanli and Han Ruchu didn¡¯t even tell him about it¡ªit was the Xu family¡¯s housekeeper who went to find him. The housekeeper didn¡¯t offer him any benefits, nor did he beg him. He only simply said that the Xu family was in trouble, and they needed him to pretend to be married to Qiao Anhao to ovee those problems. Chapter 285: Did I Disappoint You? (5) Chapter 285: Did I Disappoint You? (5) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Even though those words only numbered to a brief dozen, he only paid attention to two: Qiao Anhao. Back then, it had been a long time since he hadn¡¯t seen her. People around him didn¡¯t know her, and so those two words endlessly reyed in his mind. Suddenly, when he heard someone say the name that was engraved in his heart, he was startled. After a long while, his brain finally started moving again, but all he thought about over and over again was: "to pretend to be married to Qiao Anhao". He clearly knew Xu Wanli and Han Ruchu hated him, but after remaining silent for a long time, he still agreed to do it. He agreed without making any requests or proposing any conditions. It wasn¡¯t for anything else, but those two words - Qiao Anhao. Even if he had to endure any grievances and hate, it was worth it. As no one knew about it. Back then, he had been so excited. He felt like it was the heavens finally giving him such a wonderful opportunity; a reason to appear by her side again. - "Jiamu!" Qiao Anxia saw Lu Jinnian first. She waved and smiled at him. Qiao Anhao, who had her back to Lu Jinnian, immediately turned around. She walked closer to Lu Jinnian, before smiling sweetly and calling out, "Brother Jiamu." Brother Jiamu... the woman¡¯s voice was soft and gentle. Those two wordsing from between her teeth, it sounded like there were hints of real emotion there. It wasn¡¯t like how she called him. She would always sound distant and polite with "Mr. Lu". But recently, she had made him extraordinary satisfied, for she¡¯d called him by his name twice. Lu Jinnian pushed down the sour feeling in his heart and stared at Qiao Anhao with a little warmth. He naturally pulled her over and hugged her soft hips. Even though Lu Jinnian was dressed up as Xu Jiamu, his body odor didn¡¯t change. When Qiao Anhao hugged his waist, her heart raced like crazy when she smelt the light scent of him. There were hints of shyness in her eyes. The new married couple didn¡¯t hold back with their love for each other, as the two of them acted so sweet and affectionate towards one another. A person¡¯s appearance could change, but not the voice, and so when Lu Jinnian approached someone both he and Qiao Anhao knew, he would do his best not to talk. As time passed, everyone believed it was Xu Jiamu¡¯s disfigurement by the car ident, which caused him to change in personality and not talk as much. And so, Lu Jinnian only pursed his lips and nodded at Qiao Anxia who had just greeted him enthusiastically. After the car ident, Qiao Anxia was very epting of the silent "Xu Jiamu", and so she pointed at Chen Yang next to herself. She introduced him, "Jiamu, this is my boyfriend, Chen Yang." Chen Yang kindly pulled out his arm. "Hello." As usual, Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t say a word, just shook hands with Chen Yang. Qiao Anhao was afraid that if they lingered for too long, they¡¯d be caught out by Qiao Anxia, so she immediately found an excuse to leave. "Brother Jiamu and I are going to greet other guests." After waiting for Qiao Anxia and Chen Yang to nod, she held onto Lu Jinnian and left. - Xu Jiamu¡¯s birthday party started at eight on the dot. Xu Wanli and Han Ruchu were also afraid to be caught out, and so they started the party off by giving their birthday wishes. Han Ruchu went up on the podium and spoke. Lu Jinnian could only stand on the podium and wait for her to finish speaking. He raised a ss and drank with everyone. Chapter 286: Did I Disappoint You? (6) Chapter 286: Did I Disappoint You? (6) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Qiao Anhao grabbed onto Lu Jinnian¡¯s elbow when they walked down the stage. Facing the crowd, they raised their ss to toast before walking silently to a corner, leaving the guests to Han Ruchu and Xu Wanli. Even though there weren¡¯t many people in the corner, there were still some walking around. In order to prevent suspicion, they stood silently, careful not to make conversation, exposing themselves. When they were greeting the audience, Lu Jinnian had drank a lot in ce of Qiao Anhao. Before the dinner, he hadn¡¯t eaten. He slouched against the sofa as his stomach started to hurt. The mood in the main hall was boisterous, withughter erupting again and again. As she listened on to the continuous chatter andughter, Qiao Anhao recalled the scene before the celebration had began. Lu Jinnian had walked to the side of the car to smoke in silence after Han Ruchu and Xu Wanli had ignored him. Her heart clenched, and she turned to look at him. Lu Jinnian was currently leaning against the sofa with his eyes shut. Even though his face was filled with scars and had been touched up slightly to look like Xu Jiamu, she could still see past all the facade, seemingly able to make out at his perfect visual. Qiao Anhao¡¯s eyes turned tender as she stared at him. As she looked, her mind started to show the image of Lu Jinnian. As his face formed in her mind, her lips curled into a tiny smile. In the end, Qiao Anhao sunk into a daze, her expression tender and loving. When Lu Jinnian¡¯s stomach was feeling better, he opened his eyes and collided right with Qiao Anhao¡¯s deep gaze: her stare was intense and slightly intoxicated. Lu Jinnian¡¯s heart skipped a beat, he was unable to look away. Her eyes were clear and beautiful, and reflected in them, he could see Xu Jiamu. He frowned, freezing for a few seconds before remembering that he was in Xu Jiamu¡¯s disguise. Was that why she was looking at him with such an expression? She had mistaken him for Xu Jiamu? How could he forget... She would lower hershes or look elsewhere whenever she looked at him, but now she was looking straight into his eyes. Lu Jinnian felt his heart tighten and throb as though someone had stabbed it. Pain spread through his body and his eyes dimmed. He forced his gaze away, hiding from her harmful eyes. Qiao Anhao had no idea that Lu Jinnian¡¯s reaction was because of her. She was still deep in thought, unable to snap out of her daze as she continued to stare at him. Even though he had diverted his gaze, he could still feel her stare. His lips started to feel dry, the voice recording ying in his mind repeatedly. "In my whole life, I will love you the most." "In my whole life, I will only love you." Lu Jinnian trembled, then abruptly stood up, Chapter 287: Did I Disappoint You? (7) Chapter 287: Did I Disappoint You? (7) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Lu Jinnian thought about it, and slowly got up from his seat. As more guests arrived, the two of them walked hand-in-hand, like a loving married couple, all the way to the sofa in the corner. After they sat down, Lu Jinnian closed his eyes to regain hisposure, but he never let go of Qiao Anhao¡¯s hand. Qiao Anhao, on the contrary, only stared nkly at Lu Jinnian¡¯s face,pletely forgetting that he was holding her hand. Right then, he suddenly got up and dragged her arm up with him, instantly snapped her out of her daydream. She blinked with some iprehension in her eyes. But as Lu Jinnian seemed to emit an air of annoyance, she stood up from the sofa and opened her mouth. "Lu..." After she let out just a syble, she saw other people walk by and immediately changed her words. "Brother Jiamu, what¡¯s wrong?" Qiao Anhao¡¯s single word "Lu", she hadn¡¯t finished speaking the name when the party started getting rowdy, so Lu Jinnian only heard what she said after that. Brother Jiamu... He silently pursed his lips and abruptly loosened his grip on Qiao Anhao¡¯s hand. Then he turned to leave. Qiao Anhao hurriedly chased after him. "Where are you going?" Lu Jinnian walked quickly. Wearing very tall high heels, Qiao Anhao worked hard to catch up to him. When she managed to grab onto his wrist with great difficulty, he didn¡¯t even turn his head. He just brushed her hand away and went into a restroom. The restroom door mmed shut in front of Qiao Anhao, leaving her standing there in a daze. Her expression was somewhat stunned, but from the bottom of her heart, she knew Lu Jinnian was in a bad mood. Thinking back to everything that had just happened, Qiao Anhao was certain that she hadn¡¯t done anything wrong. She turned her head and looked over at the cheerful andughing crowd. Then she looked at Xu Wanli and Han Ruchu, who smiled politely, standing hand-in-hand. Suddenly a thought came to her mind - two children, who are both from the Xu family; one is unconscious, and yet he receives such blessings, whereas the other has to endure rolled eyes and abandonment. After his mother passed away, no one even remembered his birthday. - Lu Jinnian stood in the cramped cubicle with scattered emotions. He lit up a cigarette. In the past few years, he¡¯d gotten into the habit of smoking wildly when he was in a bad mood or when he missed that woman. In actuality, he didn¡¯t like the smell of tobo. It was a little harsh on the nose, but all these years alone, besides using it to numb his senses, he couldn¡¯t think of any other way... There were constantly peopleing in and out of the restroom. The sound of other toilets flushing could be constantly heard. Even the sound of men peeing standing up and chatting were heard. Among the chaos, Lu Jinnian inhaled the heavy tobo smoke, working hard to suppress his raging emotions. He knew that he was acting jealous. He knew he was just Xu Jiamu¡¯s recement, but seeing that her eyes only saw Xu Jiamu¡¯s image, he was still irritated. As it turns out, if you really love someone, jealousy is an innate instinct. The more you love, the more sensitive you are. It isn¡¯t something you can control. Chapter 288: Did I Disappoint You? (8) Chapter 288: Did I Disappoint You? (8) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem In the end, Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t even know what he was thinking. When he came back to his senses, he found that there were quite a few cigarette butts in the toilet bowl. The phone in his chest was constantly vibrating. He pulled it out¡ªit was Qiao Anhao calling. He didn¡¯t pick up, but immediately rejected the call. Then he threw the half of a cigarette in his hands into the toilet and pressed flush. The water swirled, making a whirling sound before the toilet bowl quickly fell silent. Lu Jinnian took a deep breath, fixed up his shirt, and pushed open the cubicle door. He stepped out and stood in front of the sink, fervently washing his hands. He grabbed a tissue and wiped his hands clean, before walking out of the restroom. - Not long after Lu Jinnian went into the restroom, Han Ruchu sent someone to look for both Qiao Anhao and Lu Jinnian to get ready to cut the cake. Qiao Anhao didn¡¯t dare run off. She only stood by the door of the restroom. On her way there, she took her phone out and dialed for Lu Jinnian, but nobody picked up. After around ten minutes, Han Ruchu sent someone to rush them over again. Qiao Anhao could only call again. This time, the phone rang just twice before it was cut off. She creased her brows, ready to find someone to go into the men¡¯s restrooms and call for Lu Jinnian toe out when the man came out himself Qiao Anhao hurriedly walked over. She firstly looked him up and down and realized that he was quite calm. Then she said, "They just came to rush us over. They say you have to cut the cake." Lu Jinnian nodded slightly. His movements were so light, it was difficult for others to detect him. He reached his arm out and wrapped it around Qiao Anhao¡¯s waist, as they walked back to the banquet hall. The banquet hall instantly fell silent when the two of them appeared. All the lights were switched off in a sh. Then two servants slowly pushed out a multiyered cake, as tall as a person. The top of the cake was filled with candles with swaying mes. Who knew who started it off, but the birthday song was sung. The birthday cake stopped in front of Lu Jinnian, and everyone surrounded it. Once the song had finished, everyone stretched their heads out and blew out the candles.. The moment the candles went out, dozens of crystal lights lit up all together. The whole room exploded with cheer. There was someone who whistled, and others who shouted "Happy Birthday". Everyone had prepared a thoughtful gift and handed them one after the other to Lu Jinnian. There already were servants standing to one side, ready to immediately take the gifts after Lu Jinnian received them. Even Han Ruchu and Xu Wanli prepared him a gift. Everyone were busy cheering to notice how stiff Lu Jinnian¡¯s fingers were when he stretched his hands out to take Xu Wanli¡¯s present. This was the first time in his life receiving a gift from his biological father. Qiao Anhao was thest to give him a gift. People who Qiao Anhao and Xu Jiamu were familiar with, mischievously ushered her to give the birthday boy a kiss after she gave him his gift. All of a sudden, everyone started to blindly roar all at once. Qiao Anhao timidly lifted her eyes and nced at Lu Jinnian. She hesitated for a moment. Under everyone¡¯s rhythmic chanting of "kiss him", she summoned her courage, tip-toed, and kissed Lu Jinnian on the lips with her eyes shut. It was a quick peck, like a frog skimming the water. Suddenly, the deafening sound of cheers and pping rocked the banquet hall. Chapter 289: Did I Disappoint You? (9) Chapter 289: Did I Disappoint You? (9) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Qiao Anhao¡¯splexion had a thinyer of foundation, and her eyes quivered with hints of shyness. Her voice was mellow and delicate. "Brother Jiamu, Happy Birthday." Lu Jinnian lips lingered with Qiao Anhao¡¯s warm breath. He stared at her for a while, moving his lips, and then lowered his eyes to mask the raging emotions beneath them. The corner of his lips curved into a hint of a smile. A flurry of graceful andposed servants brought over a knife and he started to cut the cake. - After eating the cake, guests started to leave one after the other. Qiao Anhao and Lu Jinnian stood at the Xu family doors, politely escorting the guests to their cars. One luxury car after another drove out of the Xu family mansion. Not long after, the mansion waspletely empty. In an instant, the previously rowdy ce fell overtly silent. The servants came in and out of the mansion, cleaning up after the party. Qiao Anhao and Lu Jinnian followed behind Xu Wanli and Han Ruchu just beneath the steps to the mansion, then stopped. Qiao Anhao called out to Xu Wanli and Han Ruchu, who stood half a meter in front of her, "Uncle Xu, Aunt Xu..." Xu Wanli and Han Ruchu stopped in their tracks and turned their heads at the same time. Perhaps it was because Xu Wanli had drank a little, his face waspletely red. Qiao Anhao pursed her lips into a smile before courteously saying her goodbyes, "We won¡¯t be going in. It¡¯ste, we¡¯ll head out first." Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t even make a sound, as he strode directly over to his own car. He opened the car door and sat in, then pulled the car up in front of Qiao Anhao. He pulled down the car window but didn¡¯t say a word, only pressed the car horn. His eyes stared nkly in front of him, never bothering to look at Xu Wanli and Han Ruchu. Qiao Anhao immediately waved at the two of them. She opened the door and sat down, then put her head out the window and called out to them, "Goodbye." Xu Wanli and Han Ruchu also said "Goodbye" to Qiao Anhao, and then gave her a few caring words. Lu Jinnian silently stared up front, waiting for them to politely bid farewell. Then he stepped on the elerator, turned the steering wheel, and slowly started up the car. He drove out of the Xu family manor. - From the Xu family manor to Mian Xiu Garden, they passed the most bustling street of the city. Night cleaning trucks had just passed, and so the streets were wet. Under the traffic lights, rays of light reflected brightly. Lu Jinnian pulled the car window down, and the cool night breeze slowly came in, making the ride feel particrlyfortable. The birthday partysted several hours long, and Qiao Anhao had been drinking, so was quite tired. As soon as she got in the car, she leaned back and shut her eyes to take a nap, as she thought about giving Lu Jinnian a surprise when they got home. Lu Jinnian¡¯s car was ying a soothing song by a charming female singer. Lu Jinnian couldn¡¯t recall the song, but he felt that the melody wasn¡¯t bad. After hearing a few lines, he turned his head and nced over at Qiao Anhao. He saw her eyes were shut, as though she had already fallen sleep, and so he raised his arm and casually turned off the music. It was quiet in the car. Only the sound of car horns going off were asionally could be heard from outside. Qiao Anhao didn¡¯t sleep, but she shut her eyes to get some rest. Suddenly, she heard that there was no more music. She opened her eyes and coincidentally, through the side view mirror outside the window, saw Lu Jinnian turn his head, concentrating on his driving,. Chapter 290: Did I Disappoint You? (10) Chapter 290: Did I Disappoint You? (10) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem It was quiet, thiste at night. Both sides of the road were filled with multi-colored neon lights. Lu Jinnian¡¯s posture whilst driving was casual. Every now and then, the bright lights would sh across his face. Though he had a scar on his face, hints of his stunning handsome good looks still exuded from his bones. Qiao Anhao slightly adjusted her head, and found a morefortable angle. She couldn¡¯t help but stare at Lu Jinnian in the side view mirror in a daze. There was a turn in the road ahead. Lu Jinnian instinctively shifted his head and nced at the side view mirror by Qiao Anhao to check the traffic conditions. Who knew when she¡¯d woken up, but right then, he saw her beautiful pitch-ck eyes staring at him, entranced. Lu Jinnian slightly creased his brows, and quickly turned his head. He smoothly turned the steering wheel, and then sneaked a nced at the mirror. He saw that face, that looked ny percent simr to Xu Jiamu, and he couldn¡¯t help but tighten his grasp on the steering wheel. Lu Jinnian drove patiently for five minutes when he realized that Qiao Anhao was staring at him through the side view mirror without blinking. His eyes became cold, and in the next second, he grabbed the steering wheel with one hand. With his other hand, he grab for a make-up removing wipe and rubbed it frantically over his face. Following Lu Jinnian¡¯s actions, the shape of Xu Jiamu¡¯s drawn on eyebrows were quickly removed. His original handsome eyebrows were revealed. With just one hand, Lu Jinnian also casually pulled off the scars on his face, exposing half of his white, smooth face before Qiao Anhao¡¯s eyes. Qiao Anhao who¡¯d been staring nkly into the side view mirror, instantly snapped back to reality. At first, she turned her head and looked over at Lu Jinnian who was still removing the scar. Then she looked out the window again at Beijing¡¯s most packed street of bars and night clubs. Quite a few celebrities woulde at night, and so it also brought quite a few paparazzis there too. As much as seventy to eighty percent of the entertainment news were exposed there. If anyone happened to take their photo, then Lu Jinnian and her would definitely be the headliner the next day. Qiao Anhao instincitively raised her hand and pulled up her side window. She turned her head to look over at Lu Jinnian¡¯s fully opened window and was just about to signal for him to pull it up, when she saw the windshield in front of her. If anyone wanted to take their photo from the front, then there was no use in closing the car window. On a normal day, celebrities woulde here all dressed up. Having attended a birthday party today, Lu Jinnian and her were dressed up quite a bit. If anyone took their photo, then it¡¯d be difficult to clear their names. Qiao Anhao thought about it for a moment, and said to Lu Jinnian, who was driving single-handedly, "Don¡¯t remove the scar on your face just now, do it when you get home." Lu Jinnian stopped moving his hands for a moment, but then he forcefully tore half of the scar off. Because of the excessive force, thin lines of red appeared on his smooth white skin. Seeing this, Qiao Anhao creased her brows, and did not hesistate to grab onto Lu Jinnian¡¯s wrist. She stopped him, as he was just about to take the scar off. "Remove it with make up remover. Be careful not to harm your skin..." Lu Jinnian nced callously at Qiao Anhao who held onto his wrist with a cold look in his eyes. When he spoke, his voice sounded particrly distant and frigid. "What? Did I disappoint you?" Chapter 291: Look Clearly at Who I Am (1) Chapter 291: Look Clearly at Who I Am (1) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Disappointed? Qiao Anhao didn¡¯t quite understand what Lu Jinnian meant by that. She curved her lips up and made a "Mm?" sound towards him. Because she grabbed his wrist, her face was quite close to his. She pouted her lips, coincidentally in his line of sight. The light pink matched her white skin and pitch-ck pupils, making her look clean and attractive. The image of her tip-toeing and lightly kissing him on the lips at Xu Jiamu¡¯s birthday among all the jeering surfaced in Lu Jinnian¡¯s mind. It was a soft feeling with the gentle smell of sweet fruit, and hints of shyness, she then called out, "Brother Jiamu, Happy Birthday!" Malice slowly filled Lu Jinnian¡¯s eyes. From hearing the recording pen to the words Qiao Anhao said to him at this afternoon¡¯s birthday party... He suppressed his raging emotions at those time, but just then, he couldn¡¯t suppress them any longer. Suddenly, he forcefully pulled his wrist away from Qiao Anhao¡¯s grasp. Without any hesitation, he tried everything to rip off the scar on his face in one breath. His other hand, the one that controlled the steering wheel, turned the car in a small alleyway ahead. He stepped on the elerator, and the car drifted from side to side until he reached an isted riverside. This was clearly not the way home... Qiao Anhao looked at Lu Jinnian filled with suspicion. Just as she was going to ask why he drove there, the car suddenly came to a stop. Because of the emergency break, Qiao Anhao¡¯s body lunged forward. She heard the sound of the safety belt clicking open. Soon after, Lu Jinnian pushed her shoulders back, her body that was going to fall forward was pushed back to the car seat. Then she heard Lu Jinnian say in a low, stifling voice by her ear, "The dream has beenid bare, are you really disappointed?" Again, disappointed? Qiao Anhao furrowed her brows and stared at Lu Jinnian, whose expression looked as though it had frozen over. She gulped and asked in a low voice, "Lu Jinnian, what did you say? What dream?" Lu Jinnian¡¯s eyes surged withplex emotions. As if he was speaking to himself, his voice sounded particrly low when he murmured, "You were happy today, weren¡¯t you? Because you could see him so lively, and not someone who only lies on the bed, who can¡¯t talk, and can¡¯t look at your body... But I¡¯m not him..." At this point, Lu Jinnian¡¯s eyes looked angry, but also sad. He didn¡¯t wait for Qiao Anhao to take a good look. His eyes froze over. As he pressed on her shoulder, he suddenly pressed down even harder, as though he waspletely filled with hatred. He gritted his teeth with every word, as he quietly said a few words. "I¡¯m not him, I¡¯m not him. In your eyes, why do you only see him, and not me? Why?" Lu Jinnian¡¯s voice was very low, and his words were everywhere. Qiao Anhao didn¡¯t quite hear him clearly. She only heard a few mumbled phrases. Something about ¡¯not him¡¯, and ¡¯can¡¯t see me¡¯? No matter how she thought about it, she didn¡¯t understand what he was saying. Her brows furrowed even tighter. "What do you mean ¡¯not him¡¯? What do you mean by ¡¯can¡¯t see¡¯? Lu Jinnian, what are you even saying?" Qiao Anhao¡¯s words agitated Lu Jinnian. The words in his mouth stopped abuptly. Chapter 292: Look Clearly at Who I Am (2) Chapter 292: Look Clearly at Who I Am (2) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Qiao Anhao¡¯s words startled Lu Jinnian, his words got stuck in his mouth, and he became dazed. He raised his head to stare at her for two seconds before lowering it down abruptly, covering her lips. His actions were abrupt and without warning, so when Qiao Anhao finally came back to her senses, her breath had been taken away. His kiss was violent and aggressive, as though he was trying to vent his frustration. asionally, when he didn¡¯t control his strength, her lips would hurt. He pressed her against his body tightly, not allowing her any opportunity to move. He entered her roughly, without bothering to be gentle, even though he knew that she would hurt. It was as though he wanted her to feel the same pain that she had given him. Without caring about her, he continued on wit increasing speed and roughness. In the end, Qiao Anhao could no longer take the pain, struggling, she pleaded lightly, "It hurts!" The moment he heard it, Lu Jinnian paused momentarily before carrying on with increased intensity. Tears started welling up in Qiao Anhao¡¯s eyes as the pain intensified. Lowering his head, he could vaguely see tears streaking down her face, as the dim light from the moon fleeted in. His lips pressed together before he lowered his head once more to cover her lips. It had been a long while since Qiao Anhao had received such torture, time seemed to have stopped, and it went on and on. Unknowingly, after a long while, everything ended. Qiao Anhao curled into a ball from the pain. Lu Jinnian was startled by her action, reaching out to grab her chin upwards to look into her eyes. His eyes were red, with a hint of pain and insanity, his lips trembling as he breathlessly dered, "Look clearly at who I am!" After a slight pause, he asked, "Are you clear?" His voice was fierce, interrogating her. Qiao Anhao shivered at the coldness of his voice. Lu Jinnian seemed to have seen her tremble, for his lips curled up into a smirk. He loosened the grip on her chin and moved back slightly. Looking at her, he spoke again in a low voice. "Forget it, I must have thought too highly of myself. How can you see me?" His tone was cold and ruthless, but soaked in sorrow as well. Qiao Anhao remained silent as she listened on in confusion. Silence sunk on the car, and the river streaming nearby could be heard. After a while, Lu Jinnian¡¯s usual cold expression came back. Wordlessly, he took out a tissue to clean up before arranging his clothes. Sitting back on his side, he turned to look at Qiao Anhao, but before he could take a look, he took his phone out and pushed open the car door. Chapter 293: Look Clearly at Who I Am (3) Chapter 293: Look Clearly at Who I Am (3) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem When Qiao Anhao heard the door lock open, she trembled. She hesitated slightly before opening her eyes to look at the side view mirror through the window. Just then, she caught a glimpse of Lu Jinnian¡¯s back. She remembered the surprise in Mian Xiu Garden, her lips moved, but nothing came out. Lu Jinnian stood by the door, his gaze looking straight at a vine. After a while, his hand moved and a loud thud could be heard as the car door mmed shut. He then tookrge strides away. The car suddenly became very quiet. Qiao Anhao curled up in the back seat, unable to move. After a long time, she lightly blinked her eyes and sat up with a pale face. She arranged her clothes and tied her hair into a messy pony tail. Sitting in the back of the car, she nked out for a bit before finally climbing into the driver seat and heading back to Mian Xiu Garden. Lu Jinnian gged for a cab, heading to Huan Ying Entertainment. After paying the cab, he walked into the building. The security guard on night duty was only semi-awake, so when he saw someone walk in, he shook his head to take a closer look. When he realized it was Lu Jinnian, he was instantly alert. "Mr. Lu." Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t respond, he just tookrge strides towards the elevator. It was close to 11 pm and the entire building was silent. When Lu Jinnian came out of the elevator, he walked straight into his office, but when he passed by Song Xiangsi¡¯s ce, he realized that the lights were still on. There were also murmursing from her office. Lu Jinnian frowned before raising his hand to knock on the door. The voice quietened, and after three seconds, Song Xiangsi¡¯s calm authoritative voice came through. "Who is it?" Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t reply, instead, he pushed open the door and walked in. Song Xiangsi was the only one in her office. She was dressed in a diamond encrusted white maxi dress, which reflected the rays from the officemp. She slouched on the sofazily with a twelve inch cake ced on the coffee table in front of her. The candles on the cake were extinguished, and beside it was a bottle of red wine and a wine ss. She seemed to have drank quite abit as her pupils were slightly dted. When she saw Lu Jinnian, her perfectly lined lips curled into a wide smile, allowing her delicate features to look charming and seductive. " Mr. Lu? What are you doing here at such ate hour?" Lu Jinnian nced at the cake before walking over to the coffee table to stare at the cake and red wine. Coldly, he asked, "It¡¯s your birthday?" Song Xiangsi¡¯s smile widened further, her diamond encrusted nails holding the wine ss elegantly as she tilted her head, downing the wine. She ced the wine ss back down on the coffee table and replied, "It¡¯s a friend¡¯s birthday." Song Xiangsi retrieved another wine ss from the bottom of the coffee table and passed it over to Lu Jinnian. "Want some?" Chapter 294: Look Clearly at Who I Am (4) Chapter 294: Look Clearly at Who I Am (4) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Lu Jinnian swept a nce over the wine ss before sitting down wordlessly on the other single person couch. Song Xiangsi looked as he sat down. Knowing that he agreed to join her, she passed a wine ss over. Taking the wine bottle, she poured herself more She held the stem of the ss and raised it slightly to touch his ss before downing the whole thing. Lu Jinnian held the stem of his ss and took a sip gracefully, wordless, not intending to talk. Song Xiangsi was used to Lu Jinnian¡¯s silence, so she started to entertain herself. She had a high alcohol tolerance and downed several consequent sses without feeling tipsy. She tilted her head, studying Lu Jinnian. He wore a formal suit that seemed suitable for a formal ball. Casually, she asked, "You went to a ball?" "Yea," Lu Jinnian murmured before taking another sip. Song Xiangsi was aware that Lu Jinnian had gone to Xu Jiamu¡¯s birthday dinner since they were brothers after all. She wanted to ask if he was doing well... The moment the words reached her mouth, they stopped. Her lips curled into a small smile and she filled her wine ss again, but before she could fill it up, the bottle was empty. Song Xiangsi frowned, tossing the wine bottle on the floor. She held the wine ss and finished thest bit before standing up wobbly, staggering to the washroom. When she came out again, she had removed her thick makeup, exposing a clean, milky-white face. The cold water from the wash had cleared her mind. She stared at Lu Jinnian, who was still drinking wine on the couch, before walking towards him. She walked one round around him before lowering her head to his shoulder to take a sniff . Lu Jinnian frowned instantly, standing up abruptly, pushing Song Xiangsi away from him. Song Xiangsi stumbled backwards, falling onto the sofa. She stretched out her body and looked up at him from below, her face turning yful. "Mr. Lu, that smell definitely says something. Who was it?" She struggled to stand up, a cheeky smile on her face as she asked, "Was it Qiao Anhao? You slept with her?" Lu Jinnian¡¯s expression darkened instantly. He pressed his lips together, walking out of Song Xiangsi¡¯s office. Song Xiangsi followed behind closely. "Is that shame and anger I see? Or was it her who slept with you?" Lu Jinnian¡¯s face darkened another shade. He stopped abruptly and turned to re at her, snarling, "Shut up!" Turning back, he stuffed his hands into his pockets to look for a cigarette in frustration. Litting a stick, he took a deep breath before starting to rx slightly. Song Xiangsi stopped her teasing when he reached for his cigarette box and took a stick out. She did the same and lit a stick of her own, her slender fingers bringing it to her lips seductively. The nicotine slowly spread through her body, her pretty features rxing slightly as she reminisced the taste. As she smoked, she started recalling thest time she smoked, realizing that it had been many many years... Chapter 295: Look Clearly at Who I Am (5) Chapter 295: Look Clearly at Who I Am (5) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem It had been at least seven years ago, at that time, she had just picked up smoking, but was soon stopped by that person.... Right now, she wished that he would appear again, woulde up to her with a furious expression, snatching the cigarette away from her. How she wished that he would scold her, but all that was just a dream. At this point, he would never appear before her again... Song Xiangsi couldn¡¯t help shaking her head, forcing back the memories that she had spent the past few years trying to forget. She took in another deep puff before blowing a perfect circle. Through the smoke, she could see Lu Jinnian staring nkly into space. Song Xiangsi twitched, tapping the ash tray lightly. In a hoarse voice, she asked, "What¡¯s wrong? Bad mood?" She added ruthlessly, "Because of Qiao Anhao?" Yes, because of Qiao Anhao... Somehow, every time he got upset, it would always be linked to Qiao Anhao... Lu Jinnian¡¯s throat clenched, he took another deep puff, steering the topic away. "Why are you here alone celebrating a friend¡¯s birthday? Your lover?" "Hahaha.." Song Xiangsi scoffed as though she had heard something funny. Sheughed so hard her tears welled out before turning back to Lu Jinnian with a serious expression. "He¡¯s dead." Deep in her heart, there was a dead person. Inside the heart of a seemingly carefree person, there seemed to be a heart-wrenching story. Guys weren¡¯t as gossipy as women, so Lu Jinnian stopped asking, sinking into silence. Song Xiangsi didn¡¯t speak as well, the two of them sitting in silence as they continued to smoke one cigarette at a time. After a seemingly long while, Song Xiangsi suddenly said in a low voice, "The rumors about my start are real, I started as an escort." Lu Jinnian froze slightly before remembering the rumors when she just became popr. But Song Xiangsi was born to act, her fame increased rapidly, burying all those rumors. Song Xiangsi moved to the front of Lu Jinnian, before continuing on in a small, emotionless voice, "But I only sold myself to one person, for fifty thousand RMB." She raised her hand towards him, emphasizing the five with her outstretched fingers. Then self-depreciation spread across her face. "I sold myself for seven years, isn¡¯t worth it, huh?" Song Xiangsi raised her arm to extinguish the cigarette as though she hadn¡¯t said anything. "It¡¯s gettingte, I¡¯ll be going back now. Lu Jinnian, bye bye!" Without waiting for Lu Jinnian to react, she turned and walked away in her heels. After she left, the office sunk into a hollow silence. Lu Jinnian stood still all the way till the midnight rm sounded. Through the open ss window, he stared out at the flickering lights, cherishing the end of his birthday. He stared on for a long while, remembering the night five years ago that he would never forget.... Chapter 296: Look Clearly at Who I Am (6) Chapter 296: Look Clearly at Who I Am (6) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem That was two months after the day Qiao Anhao had spent the night at his Hangzhou apartment. That was the night their rtionship had taken a turn for the worst, resulting in them bing strangers. Every time he remembered that night, even after five years, he would still feel as though a dagger was ripping his heart apart. It was the night the Golden Movie Award ceremony was held and it was also the night he was awarded the ¡¯Best Second Male Lead¡¯ award because of the hit series "Longing". That was also the start of his blossoming career and Qiao Anhao¡¯s twenty first birthday. Regardless of how busy he was, he would always find time to celebrate her birthday. If he could, he would have gone to Beijing to celebrate her birthday with her. But that day, he needed to be at the award ceremony, as it would affect his entire career. If he was really awarded the best second male lead, his career would be smooth sailing from then on. This was the moment he had been waiting for after struggling for four years, after fighting hard to improve himself, to be able to give her the best. He made up his mind and headed to Shanghai from Hengdian. Before his flight, he arranged for his assistant to bring Qiao Anhao two sets of presents. One was the ck swan cake he would order every year and the other was a bouquet of fresh flowers he specifically flew over from France. In the bouquet, he had handwritten a card with the words: Lu Jinnian will only be happy with Qiao Anhao. Initially, he was ecstatic to have won the award, in front of the thousands of apuding crowd, he was both touched and excited. After the ceremony at 8 pm, it was about four hours till the end of Qiao Anhao¡¯s birthday. He didn¡¯t attend the after party of the award ceremony, but instead took a flight to Beijing with his trophy. When his ne had touched down, it was already 11.30 pm. In his hurry, he didn¡¯t inform his assistant and took a cab straight to Qiao family¡¯s mansion. By the time the cab reached the highway, it started drizzling. He sat at the back of the cab, looking out at the blurry scenes outside the window, recalling the first time he had met Qiao Anhao. His face smoothed out and he started feeling an unusual tenderness and anxiety. His heart started to run and even the palm that was holding onto the trophy started to sweat as he thought of how he was going to confess. At 11.45 pm, the cab stopped directly outside Qiao family¡¯s mansion. He paid and alighted. Qiao Anhao¡¯s birthday party had already ended. The entire mansion was silent except of the open door. He waited for the cab to leave before taking a deep breath. He headed towards the entrance while arranging his confession speech. But before entering the mansion, he paused, his gaze falling on the trash area outside. Chapter 297: Look Clearly at Who I Am (7) Chapter 297: Look Clearly at Who I Am (7) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem It must of been someone from the Qiao family who tended to the cleaning. The rubbish bin was filled with all types of gift boxes, empty bottles, and fruit peelings. Among the rubbish, he honed in on one ce - a bouquet of fresh flowers and an unopened cake with the ck Swan packaging that was probably just thrown out. From the part of the packaging, you could clearly see that the cake had fallen out of shape. Also, the petals of the beautiful fresh flowers, received in the morning, were scattered on the floor. Some petals were trodden on, and the bronze card was ripped in two, casually thrown on top of the battered flowers. In that split second, it was like Lu Jinnian¡¯s pressure points were pressed. He stood on the spot without moving an inch. Just like that, the happiness and wonderful image in his heart dissipated in a puff of smoke. No, it was like someone had cruelly pped him across the face. He stood on the spot for a long time before striding forward, bending down to pick up the bouquet of flowers. Indeed, the bouquet of flowers was worthless to Qiao Anhao, and to him now, it wasn¡¯t worth much either. But, back then, it cost him the pay from several episodes of filming. The drizzling rain grew heavier. He wanted to fix up the flowers, as if something like this could calm his scattered heart. But it was no use. The beautiful flowers were far too trampled on. His finger touched the flowers, and the petals fluttered down to the ground. In the end, all that was left in his hand were a bunch of bare stems. His fingertips trembled for a long while, before picked up the ripped up card and put the pieces together. The words he wrote, "I am happy only with you", fell into his eyes, as the rain smudged the ink. He didn¡¯t know how long he was there, spaced out, but suddenly there was the sound of a car stopping behind him. Following this came the sound of a car opening, and footsteps stopping behind him. "Sorry to disturb you." Lu Jinnianposed himself and slowly got up with a hand full of bare stems. He turned around to find the Xu family housekeeper. The housekeeper didn¡¯t bother to wait for him to speak, but pointed at the car behind him. "Please follow me. Madam would like to see you." Naturally, he knew that the ¡¯Madam¡¯ the housekeeper referred to was Han Ruchu. Han Ruchu had always hated him to death. What good could there be to see her; he stood on the spot without moving. The housekeeper wasn¡¯t in a rush, and continued to say, "Madam says, she has something to tell you about Miss Anhao." "Miss Anhao", the two words were like his weakness that brutally clutched onto his life force. He lowered his eyes and got in the car. The housekeeper drove him to a private clubhouse, but he was actually brought to the monitoring room. Only Han Ruchu was in there, dressed very luxuriously. In front of her was a screen showing an erged party room. He only needed one look to recognize all of the people there: Xu Jiamu, Qiao Anhao, Qiao Anxia, Zhao Meng, and some other friends he knew. The housekeeper waited for him to enter before closing the door. There were only the two of them, he and Han Ruchu, in the monitoring room. He didn¡¯t greet her, but Han Ruchu didn¡¯t mind. She wore an elegant yet arrogant smile, not even bothering to look at him. She shot out the words, "You like Qiao Qiao." Her words were an affirmative sentence. There wasn¡¯t a even a hint of doubt. Chapter 298: Look Clearly at Who I Am (8) Chapter 298: Look Clearly at Who I Am (8) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem He didn¡¯t make a sound. Nor was Han Ruchu interested in hearing what he had to say. With her eyes fixed on the big screen in front, she continued to speak warmly and calmly, but every word, it was as cutting as a knife. "I implore you to give up because there¡¯s something that you probably don¡¯t know. It¡¯s that the Xu family and Qiao family had formed an engagement long ago. "So to speak, you probably don¡¯t quite understand, so let me put it simply. Jiamu and Qiao Qiao have an engagement, which is to say that Qiao Qiao is Jiamu¡¯s fiance, and will marry him in the future. Moreover, I think there¡¯s something you probably don¡¯t know, Qiao Qiao and Jiamu are mutually in love. "What¡¯s more... you¡¯re an illegitimate son who wants everything but has nothing! What right do you have to love Qiao Qiao "Don¡¯t forget. Qiao Qiao is the daughter of the Qiao family. Even if her parents have passed away and she¡¯s just an orphan now, it doesn¡¯t change the fact that she is the daughter from a wealthy family. Never in your life will you be able to touch the inheritance and shares in the Qiao family business that she owns! "But it¡¯s different for our Jiamu. He is the Xu family¡¯s future heir. Qiao Qiao and him are a perfect couple and a match made in heaven." As Han Ruchu said this, Lu Jinnian saw Qiao Anhao and Jiamu singing a duet to an old song, "Hiroshima, my love", on therge screen in front. The big screen had no audio, so he couldn¡¯t hear them sing, but he could see that the two of them were standing side by side. Just like Han Ruchu said, there was a feeling of a perfect couple and a match made in heaven. "I called you here tonight, and said so much, to tell you... don¡¯t go pining over Qiao Qiao! "I believe your mother must of told you before; one must know how to show gratitude. Don¡¯t you forget that the only reason why you have survived until now is because of my son. Jiamu donated his bone marrow to save your life. If it weren¡¯t for my son, you would of died early on! "Unless, you would return the favor by stealing his lover?" Han Ruchu said everything she wanted to say in one breath. There seemed to be nothing more she wanted to say to him, for she turned around and left the monitoring room. When she reached the door, it looked like she suddenly thought of something. Her footsteps stopped, and she slowly turned around. She stared into his eyes with utmost hate and contempt. "You know in your heart just how Jiamu has treated you all these years. I hope you don¡¯t be the third person, just like your mother was!" The moment Han Ruchu finished speaking, she turned around, and leaving only the clear sound of high heels trotting farther and farther away. Lu Jinnianpletely forgot how he left the clubhouse that night. All he could remember was that when he snapped back to reality, he was already standing in the heavy rain like an idiot. His hand was clutching onto the fresh flowers without petals that someone had thrown away, and the card that was ripped in two. Then he saw Qiao Anhao, Xu Jiamu, and the others leave the clubhouse. Qiao Anhao seemed to be drunk, Xu Jiamu carried her on his back. He stood very far away in the rain, as he stared at their backs. After thinking over and over again, he thought about why Qiao Anhao studied to get into the first ss from the third ss, and why she wanted to go study in Hangzhou but stayed in Beijing. So it was all for Xu Jiamu. That night, he walked mindlessly around in the rain for a very long time. The next day, he had a fever and locked himself in a hotel room. He spent seven days and seven nights in bewilderment beforepletely waking up. Chapter 299: Look Clearly at Who I Am (9) Chapter 299: Look Clearly at Who I Am (9) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem That night, he walked mindlessly around in the rain for a very long time. The next day, he had a fever and locked himself in a hotel room. He spent seven days and seven nights in bewilderment beforepletely waking up. His phone had many missed calls, mostly from the media. One of the messages he received was from Qiao Anhao, congratting him in receiving the best supporting male award at the Golden Film Festival. As he saw her message, he instinctively wanted to reply, but just as he typed the two words, "Thank you", the memory of what happened on the night of her birthday came over him like a rushing tide. His fingers stopped typing for quite a long time, then he ended up slowly deleting the letters, one-by-one. He put his phone done, stood up, and walked over to the hotel¡¯s floor-to-ceiling window. There, he stared at the bustling city under the sun¡¯s rays with a pitch-ck heart. Actually, he was even more hurt by the fresh flowers and cake that Qiao Anhao threw out than Han Ruchu¡¯s words. All along, he only worked hard to better himself so he could love her. He never thought about whether she loved him or not. After that, Qiao Anhao went to Hangzhou about three times. She even invited him to eat with her. Before, her messages would be like a surprise from the skies, but for him back then, they were torture. Crushes in your youth mostly end in failure. He told himself to leave it at that, but who knows if it was his heart ying tricks on him, but the less he saw her, the more he missed her. There was even one time when he went back to the hotel to get some rest after filming and he saw a woman who wore the same clothes as Qiao Anhao. In spite of everything, he stupidly stood on the spot and stared for a long time. It was only after his assistant had called him a few times that he snapped back to reality. Later, his mood became extremely low for no reason. Later, two months after graduation, he went to Beijing for an event, where he unexpectedly bumped into Xu Jiamu. During their free time, he and Xu Jiamu stood on the balcony smoking. He thought about what Han Ruchu had said to him and pretended to casually ask, "I hear the Xu family and Qiao family have an arranged marriage?" When he heard arranged marriage, Xu Jiamu furrowed his brows. Then he took a deep drag of his cigarette. He gently made a "mmm" sound. The hand with which he held his cigarette trembled gently. Then he took a longer drag than Xu Jiamu. After a while, he asked, "Da Qiao or Xiao Qiao?" For Xu Jiamu, when he found out that his own engagement had nothing to do with love but to bring the Xu family some benefits, it didn¡¯t matter who he married... At that time, when Xu Jiamu knew about the arranged marriage, but still didn¡¯t know who he was going to marry, he didn¡¯t know that Lu Jinnian had fallen for Qiao Anhao. If he knew, he would have definitely not have answered like he did He only assumed that Lu Jinnian was asking who he preferred out of the two, and so he answered, "Of course, it¡¯s Qiao Qiao." With such a very simple, very casual answer, he forcibly transformed Lu Jinnian¡¯s deep love into a forbidden love. Actually, when he heard the answer, his expression was stiff. Perhaps it was because the light was dim, but Xu Jiamu didn¡¯t notice anything out of the ordinary. He even patted his shoulder and said that he¡¯d be treating the night after. He was going to treat him and friends that he hadn¡¯t seen for a long time to y. Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t hear what Xu Jiamu said, but he nodded awkwardly. Chapter 300: Look Clearly at Who I Am (10) Chapter 300: Look Clearly at Who I Am (10) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem The next day, when Lu Jinnian received Xu Jiamu¡¯s call, he nked out for a long time before snapping back to reality. He knew that he might meet Qiao Anhao. His heart was riddled with thoughts for a really long time; thoughts of meeting her but not daring to look at her. In the end, like there were external forces at work, he still went anyway. After two short months, seeing her again, it was like seeing someone again after a lifetime apart. Actually, that night, they didn¡¯t say anything to each other. She sat next to Xu Jiamu. The more he saw them, the more he felt that they looked perfect together. He drank blindly. By the end, he was so drunk he became dizzy. Heid on the sofa, dizzy and groggy, vaguely feeling her appear by his side. When he was drunk, he often had these kind of illusions, but that time, it was particrly realistic. He could smell the very faint scent of her unique body odor. As he was drunk, that scent only served to make him even more groggy. So much so that he even heard her say something about who was the person he liked. Then he said something back. All in all, it was a great mess. When he got sober, she wasn¡¯t there anymore. It was around that time that both of them gradually grew apart. From seeing each other once in two to three months to more than half a yearter, one year, and then finally, not meeting at all... Later, he met her again after Xu Jiamu¡¯s car ident. In fact, he never thought about what kind of attitude he would have when he faced her again. Then, on her wedding night, she made it clear to him that she wouldn¡¯t interfere in his life. Nor would she disturb him. She certainly wouldn¡¯t let anyone know about his rtionship with her. She clearly drew the line, leaving him speechless. In the end, he could only say "You better remember your words" to save the scene. At the time, he already began to stop caring about morals. Though he knew that he was nothing but a substitute, he still let her stay in his mansion. He even removed all the beds in the mansion. But he still didn¡¯t touch her. During then, he kept telling himself that he didn¡¯t like her. It was the only way that he could pretend that none of it mattered, and go back to his mansion every now and then. It let himy beside her in bed, as though they were innocently shooting a film. He always thought that would be it for them. When Xu Jiamu woke up, then he would have done his job and step back. But one night, she actually made a move on him... He thought he was just dreaming... Every time she drew close to him before, he would have some extreme reaction. So much so, there was one time, where he threw her off the bed. When he woke up the next day, he knew it wasn¡¯t a dream but reality. In that instant, an infinite amount of emotions shed through his chest. He rushed into the washroom to grill her. When he found out that it was her first time, a hint of anticipation surfaced in his heart, but in the end, all that changed with her one request, to get a part in "To the End of Time". Ever since she entered the entertainment industry, he had already asked Qiao Anxia and learned that she was doing it purely for fun. If she wanted to be the female lead, she could absolutely ask the Xu family and Qiao family to invest. She didn¡¯t need to use a woman¡¯s precious virginity in exchange for a minor role. The price was indeed a little too big. No matter what her reasons were for jumping into bed with him, from the bottom of his heart, he was certain that it wasn¡¯t because she loved him. Chapter 301: Xu Jiamu is Responsive (1) Chapter 301: Xu Jiamu is Responsive (1) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem No matter what her reasons were for jumping into bed with him, from the bottom of his heart, he was certain that it wasn¡¯t because she loved him. Perhaps she had drank too much that night and took him for Xu Jiamu¡¯s substitute, or perhaps it just was all the liquor... Nevertheless, it had already happened. There was no use in crying over spilled milk. The next day, when he woke up, he casually found an excuse to beat around the bush. In fact, he clearly knew that their deal wasn¡¯t her idea, but he still stubbornly deceived himself to believe it was true, that he never made such a deal with her. Then he could make himself feel good. He never betrayed his own brother, Xu Jiamu. It was Qiao Anhao, that woman seduced him. His intentions really weren¡¯t innocent. He was the worst, but there was no helping it. All he could do was use that to his advantage, and vent his anger at her again and again. In the end, their rtionship started to get better. He carefully cherished that. In the end, he thought that if he and Qiao Anhao let nature take it¡¯s course, they would fall in love with each other. But Qiao Anxia¡¯s recording pennded in his hands, and the way she looked at him when he wore Xu Jiamu¡¯s face... So it turned out, it was another one of his ludicrous dreams. He was always like that. He clearly knew he was being foolish, but he couldn¡¯t help himself. - At this point, Lu Jinnian felt sharp waves of pain deep inside the left part of his chest. He couldn¡¯t help but raise his hand and gently press against it. He then put out the light in the cigarette he was holding. He stood in front of the window for a while, before he strode over to his desk. He pulled out the first drawer and took out two ripped up pieces of paper. He put the two together to form a golden greetings card. On it were washed out words, but you could still make them out - "I am happy only with you". - Madam Chen wasn¡¯t in. The whole mansion was pitch-ck. Even the lights outside weren¡¯t turned on. Qiao Anhao turned on the lights and nced at the empty living room. She dragged her heavy body to the second floor, pushed open the bedroom door, and nced over at the wall. There were multi-colored balloons stacked to form the words ¡¯Happy Birthday¡¯. In that instant, she froze at the door. Up until now, she still clearly remembered how she felt whilst she spent all afternoon decorating the room. Her mind could only ceaselessly imagine what kind of expression Lu Jinnian would have when he saw it. Even though she was the one giving him a surprise, at the time, she felt excited and happy that she would get a surprise as well. Qiao Anhao stood nkly at the door for a long time, before she entered the bedroom. She looked all around, at the balloons stuck on the four walls. In the end, her eyes stopped at the balcony where she had arranged the candles into words. Then, as though her whole body had lost it¡¯s energy, she slowly crouched down. She hugged her knees and put her head in-between them. Even if she was stupid, she knew that he was clearly venting his anger out on her. Yet, no matter how hard she thought about it, she didn¡¯t understand just how she had triggered him to make him this angry. The more Qiao Anhao thought about it, the more she felt wronged. In the end, her shoulders started to tremble slightly, and sobs gently broke out . Chapter 302: Xu Jiamu is Responsive (2) Chapter 302: Xu Jiamu is Responsive (2) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem After a long while, Qiao Anhao lifted her head from between her knees. The tears on her face had dried up, and the rims of her eyes were red. As she had crouched for quite some time, when she stood up, her legs were numb. She fell back down to the floorboards. Qiao Anhao bit the corner of her lip and got up from the ground. She nced at the time on the wall. It was already quarter past twelve; his birthday had passed. She stood dazed on the spot for a while, then lowered her eyes and walked out of the room. The mansion was empty. The only sound was her footsteps. As she listened, there was an unspeakable loneliness at the bottom of her heart. She went to the storage room, took out a cardboard box, and went back to the room. Then she kneeled on the floorboards, picked up the candles one-by-one, and put them into the box. With the box of candles in her arms, she went downstairs and put it in the storage room. When she walked back into the room, Qiao Anhao rushed over to the wall with a sharp piece of iron wire in her hand and popped all the balloons. The loud popping entered her ears, one-by-one. She wasn¡¯t the least bit frightened. Her expression wasposed, and her fingers continuously stabbed into the balloons on the wall, shoving them into the rubbish bag. When she tidied up the room, Qiao Anhao took the rubbish bag downstairs. As she was ready to throw it out, she thought about the cake in the fridge and stopped for a second. She walked over to the dining room, opened the fridge and took the cake out. Her hands slightly clenched into fists. A secondter, she chucked the cake in the rubbish bag. She took the bag and walked out of the room, and threw the bag into the public bins in the district outside. After Qiao Anhao finished up, it was already one in the morning. She removed her make up, showered, and climbed into bed. Hard to say if it was because Lu Jinnian had recentlye back home every night, she felt that something was missing by her side. She tossed and turned, but she couldn¡¯t sleep no matter what. After much difficulty, sheter fell asleep, but not long after, she suddenly woke up and looked out the window. The skies were already bright, and the other side of her bed was empty. Clearly, Lu Jinnian hadn¡¯te back. Qiao Anhao hugged the covers and sat there for a while. Then she heard sounds of something unlockinging from downstairs. She instinctively removed her covers and jumped out of bed, and ran out of the room bare-footed. Just as she reached the stairs, she saw Madam Chen carryingrge and small bags into the kitchen. Qiao Anhao felt a pang of disappointment from the bottom of her heart. She stood there on the spot for a while, then returned to the room. She wasn¡¯t the least bit sleepy, so she quickly cleaned herself up. Thinking about having to go to the set today, she called Zhao Meng to pick her up early. - Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t sleep all night. At seven in the morning, he heard sounds outside the office and snapped back to reality. Then he got up from his office chair and went to the room in the back, took a shower, and changed into clean clothes. At nine, there was a morning meeting. When it ended, it was only ten. Today, he had to be on the set of "Alluring Times". Last night, he left the car with Qiao Anhao, and his other cars weren¡¯t at Mount Yi mansion, but at Mian Xiu Garden. And so, after the meeting, Lu Jinnian called his assistant to take them to Mian Xiu Garden. - Though Qiao Anhao asked Zhao Meng toe over early to pick her up to go to the set, when she arrived, it was alreadyte. The time was almost eleven in the afternoon. Chapter 303: Xu Jiamu is Responsive (3) Chapter 303: Xu Jiamu is Responsive (3) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Though Qiao Anhao asked Zhao Meng toe over early to pick her up to go to the set, when she arrived, it was alreadyte. The time was almost eleven in the afternoon. Zhao Meng didn¡¯t drive in but stopped the car outside of the mansion¡¯s courtyard. Qiao Anhao bid Madam Chen goodbye and walked over, grabbing her bag. Just then, Zhao Meng, who had already turned the car around, stopped by the pavement in front of the gates. Just when Qiao Anhao was about to cross the road, a Mercedes-Benz stopped right in front of the mansion. She abruptly stopped in her tracks, about to go around the car, when she saw the car open. Lu Jinnian¡¯s assistant stepped out from the front passenger seat and stepped back to open the car door in the back. Lu Jinnian stepped out of the car and walked forward two steps. He saw Qiao Anhao at the gates of the courtyard and immediately stopped walking. The two of them stood about a meter apart. Neither of them spoke first. The assistant didn¡¯t notice the situation behind him. He paid the chauffeur, then turned to see Lu Jinnian standing without moving. He couldn¡¯t help but call out, puzzled, "Mr. Lu?" He took two steps forward and saw that Qiao Anhao was in front of Lu Jinnian. In that instant, he politely greeted her, "Hello, Miss Qiao." Qiao Anhao snapped back to reality and nodded slightly at the assistant. She tightly grabbed the bag in her hands and looked away from Lu Jinnian. Then she shifted two steps to the side, around Lu Jinnian, and rushed over to the street. She walked away hurriedly, and didn¡¯t even notice that the car Lu Jinnian had called had already started up. She was dangerously close to being hit, but luckily, Lu Jinnian reacted just in time. He suddenly pulled her arm, which made her take two steps back, and the car slowly drove off in front of her. The assistant jumped in fright. He looked over at Qiao Anhao, slightly pale, and asked, "Miss Qiao, are you okay?" Qiao Anhao forced herself to calm down and shook her head at the assistant. Then she realized that Lu Jinnian had grabbed her arm. His palms were soft and warm. Her body stiffened. She raised her head and looked at Lu Jinnian. His head was lowered, his pitch-ck eyes staring directly at her. She instinctively lowered her eyes, and hesitated for a moment, before she struggled to pull her arm out of his grip. Without a sound, she lowered her head and walked off towards the streets. Lu Jinnian¡¯s hand froze rigidly in the air, still seeming as though he was holding something. He held onto that pose, as he stared straight at Qiao Anhao¡¯s figure. Qiao Anhao pulled the car door open, and Zhao Meng, who was on the phone, turned her head and blew a kiss. She hung up the phone, started up the car, and drove off. The car took a turn up the road ahead. Even when theypletely disappeared, Lu Jinnian was still standing, nked out, on the spot. After following Lu Jinnian for so many years, his assistant could smell that something was wrong. He instinctively stepped a few steps away from Lu Jinnian, and kept himself quiet, as he pretended to be deaf and mute. After a long while, Lu Jinnian¡¯s handsome and refined eyes blinked gently. He pulled his eyes back from afar, then put his hand down. He calmly turned his head and strode over to the mansion without a sound. The assistant waited for Lu Jinnian to walk ahead for some distance before he started striding in after him. ording to many years of experience, he knew that though Lu Jinnian looked quite calm, at this moment in time, it was actually when his mood was the worst. Chapter 304: Xu Jiamu is Responsive (4) Chapter 304: Xu Jiamu is Responsive (4) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem The assistant didn¡¯t follow Lu Jinnian into the house, but grabbed the car keys, opened the car door, and sat down in the driver seat. Having just seen Qiao Anhao to the door, Madam Chen was about to sit down to eat. Then she heard the door open and assumed that Qiao Anhao was back for something she had forgotten to bring, so she hurriedly put her chopsticks down and walked out. "Miss..." Just as Madam Chen called out that one word, she saw Lu Jinnian changing his shoes at the entrance. She quickly changed her tone of voice to be far less casual. "Mr. Lu, you¡¯re back." Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t go to see Madam Chen, nor did he say anything. He couldn¡¯t be bothered to. Madam Chen was well used to Lu Jinnian¡¯s cold attitude, and continued to ask with a smile, "Have you eaten lunch yet, Mr. Lu? Do you want to eat something?" Seeing as Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t respond, the expression on her face became awkward. In the end, she said, "The missus just left." "I know." When Lu Jinnian heard what she said, he replied with those two words. Seeing that Lu Jinnian spoke, in that instant, Madam Chen then continued to say, "Mr Lu, you must of had so much fun celebrating your birthday, right?" When she mentionedst night, Lu Jinnian¡¯s face instantly were covered by a dark cloud. A hint of viciousness shed across his eyes. He took big strides up the stairs. From the very start, Madam Chen didn¡¯t notice Lu Jinnian¡¯s expression and continued to go off on her own tangent, as she stood there jabbering on. "You must know, missus had prepared your surprise all afternoon." Surprise. What surprise? It was like Lu Jinnian had his pressure points pushed. He abruptly stopped on the stairs. "Missus bought a lot of baking items and personally baked a cake for you. She said that it was her first time baking a cake, andined about doing a bad job. Yet, in the end, I think Missus has quite some talent. She seeded on her first try. "Missus also stuck balloons all over the house, and arranged those little candles on the balcony of the bedroom into a line of words..." Before Madam Chen was finished speaking, Lu Jinnian took big strides up the stairs. He forcefully pushed open the bedroom door to find that the room was no different from usual. There were white walls, and the green nt on the balcony had grown nice and tall. The windows were open, and the summer breeze blew in. The curtains swayed with the green leaves, carrying a light fresh scent. It was nothing like what Madam Chen had just said. Lu Jinnian stood in the room for no more than ten seconds before he turned around and went back down to the kitchen. Madam Chen immediately followed him in. "Mr. Lu, leave the kitchen to me. What do you want to do? Let me help you." Lu Jinnian never said a word. He just swept across the kitchen, to find that what Madam Chen said was true. He really did see a brand new oven. He pulled open the kitchen drawers. In the end, he saw baking ingredients in one of the storage cabs. Lu Jinnian felt like there was a lump in his throat brutally choking him. It was ufortable, yet he was so flustered, he couldn¡¯t speak. He ruthlessly mmed the cabs shut, then walked quickly out of the house. The assistant saw him at the door and immediately started up the car, then opened the passenger door. Without even a nce sideways, Lu Jinnian walked straight out of the mansion. The assistant looked over at him puzzled. As did Madam Chen. Then, the assistant chased after Lu Jinnian. Just as he reached the gates, he saw Lu Jinnian flipping through the rubbish bin by the gates, looking for something... Chapter 305: Xu Jiamu is Responsive (5) Chapter 305: Xu Jiamu is Responsive (5) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Just as he reached the gates, he saw Lu Jinnian flipping through the rubbish bin by the gates, looking for something... Even though the rubbish in Mian Xiu Garden was cleared daily, there was still a stench from the bin. The assistant froze momentarily before rushing forward with his hands covering his nose. "Mr. Lu, it¡¯s dirty here, what are you looking for? I¡¯ll get someone to find it for you..." Lu Jinnian continued searching through the trash wordlessly, as though his assistant hadn¡¯t spoken. Just then, a spark brightened his eyes when he spotted ck stic. The assistant retreated backwards, looking as Lu Jinnian opened the stic bag. In a daze, he stood by the rubbish bin, frozen, looking straight into the bag. The cake was in ruin, the butter cream spilling over the bag. There was also deted balloons inside that were emitting a horrible smell. In that instant, Lu Jinnian was at a loss for words. He stood there, a heart-wrenching pain exploding through his body. He stood trembling, with the stic bag in his hands. The assistant didn¡¯t know what he saw, but he knew that something was wrong. He just stood silently at the side, not daring to even breathe. Lu Jinnian remained paralyzed in the same position for a long time before finally blinking his eyes. He continued to stare down at the mess in the bin, trying to decipher how the cake had looked like originally. After another long while, he blinked before cing the stic bag back in the trash bin. He then brushed past his assistant, as though he wasn¡¯t there, heading for the backyard. When Madam Chen saw Lu Jinnian entering, she immediately greeted him "Mr. Lu", but he brushed past her as though she hadn¡¯t spoken, walking straight for the bedroom. He entered the room and shut the door, leaning against it, staring up at the crystal lights in deep thought. Madam Chen wasn¡¯t lying.. She had nned a surprise for him yesterday. Madam Chen mentioned that it was the first time she had made a birthday cake... If he hade back home yesterday, it would have all been his. Why didn¡¯t hee back? Why didn¡¯t hee back? His eyes started to sting, his throat choked up to the point he couldn¡¯t breath normally. He reached to cover his face with his hands, a wrenching murmur escaping his throat, "Lu Jinnian, why didn¡¯t you back?" By the time he came went down, he was back to his frosty, distant self. He had showered and changed into a fresh set of clothes. Without a word, he walked to his car. The entire journey, Lu Jinnian remained in the same position as when he just entered the car, his gaze staring out the window in deep thought. The atmosphere in the car was thick. The assistant focused on driving, his gaze staring straight ahead, not daring to make any sudden movements. - Qiao Anhao wasn¡¯t in Mian Xiu Garden for lunch, she had gone to the hotel restaurant with Zhao Meng. Yesterday, she didn¡¯t sleep well and her mood wasn¡¯t the best, causing herck of energy. She randomly picked a few food before finding a ce to sit down. Chapter 306: Xu Jiamu is Responsive (6) Chapter 306: Xu Jiamu is Responsive (6) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Qiao Anhao was hungry, but she couldn¡¯t work up an appetite. Her actions were slow and draggy. Zhao Meng carried a te over, the contents almost spilling over. She sat down and ced a white bowl in front of Qiao Anhao. "Qiao Qiao, they just made Dong Po meat so I got you a bowl." "Thank you," Qiao Anhao replied. She opened the cap and the thick meaty aroma flew out. The smell didn¡¯t whip up her appetite but instead sent her stomach churning. The Dong Po meat in this hotel was made by a Hang Zhou chef , the taste was superior, and it was considered their specialty. Qiao Anhao had always been a fan, but somehow, when she ced the lean meat into her mouth, it tasted weird, making her feel ufortable. She spat the meat out and reached for her own in vegetables. "What¡¯s wrong?" Zhao Meng asked, inaudibly with a full mouth. "My stomach doesn¡¯t feel well." Qiao Anhao didn¡¯t eat much but she felt full. She ced her chopsticks down and looked at Zhao Meng. " It¡¯s probably the alcohol from yesterday." After her meal, she returned to her room andid on the bed in exhaustion, falling asleep instantly. That evening, she was deep in sleep when she was woken by Zhao Meng. Qiao Anhao opened her eyes in a daze, before murmuring in confusion, "What¡¯s wrong?" "What¡¯s wrong? You have a scene at night, hurry and get some food before going to the set!" Zhao Meng replied before ripping her nket off. Qiao Anhao looked out the window, realizing that it was almost dark. She looked at her watch instinctively, it was almost 6 pm in the evening. She was awake in an instant, rushing to prepare herself before getting a meal with Zhao Meng. She still didn¡¯t have much an appetite, not finishing the cold te and bowl of in porridge she¡¯d randomly picked. Beside her, Zhao Meng was devouring half a te worth of Chilli fish. The fish had a strong smell that sent Qiao Anhao¡¯s stomach churning. In the end, she couldn¡¯t even bring herself to finish her porridge, her stomach in a frenzy, making her nauseous. There was quite a lot of crew members having their meals. Qiao Anhao was afraid to cause a scene, so she ced her chopsticks down and signaled that she was going for the bathroom, and rushed out of the restaurant. But once she reached the bathroom, the nausea disappeared instantly. Qiao Anhao washed her hands and returned to the restaurant. But the moment she inhaled the aromaing from inside her stomach started churning once more. Remembering that she didn¡¯t have much of an appetite anyway, she sent Zhao Meng a text, deciding to rest in the lounge area nearby. The scene that night required a lot of actors, while Qiao Anhao rushed to get her makeup done, Song Xiangsi and Cheng Yang were already there, doing their makeup. Qiao Anhao greeted them before sitting on her designated seat. Chapter 307: Xu Jiamu is Responsive (7) Chapter 307: Xu Jiamu is Responsive (7) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Qiao Anhao¡¯s makeup artist was an experienced woman in her mid thirties. Dressed in a peach-colored dress, she had on a light spritz of seductive perfume. While she was helping with the makeup, the strong scent irritated Qiao Anhao, causing her stomach to churn once more. She had to endure through the long makeup process, but by the end, the feeling grew so overwhelming, she could barely keep it in. Qiao Anhao suppressed the urge to vomit, enduring till the makeup wasplete before she hurriedly moved away from the makeup artist. This time, it took a long while before she could calm the storm in her stomach. After she changed, she walked to the set with Zhao Meng. The director was talking to the actors that were filming today, emphasizing on the main points. When he saw Qiao Anhao, he immediately waved towards her. Beside Lu Jinnian, Song Xiangsi moved to the side instantly, leaving en empty space beside him for Qiao Anhao. Qiao Anhao paused. Lifting her lids to look at Lu Jinnian¡¯s clothes, she took a heavy footstep over. She looked straight at the director, never once ncing at Lu Jinnian. The director spoke enthusiastically for about twenty minutes before getting the actors to position themselves. Qiao Anhao and Lu Jinnian had to enter together, hence their positions were near each other. After the director¡¯smand, Lu Jinnian looked towards Qiao Anhao instinctively. When she felt his gaze, she remained oblivious, pretending not to know anything, never returning his gaze, walking stiffly without waiting for him. Lu Jinnian stared at Qiao Anhao back, following after. When she heard his footsteps, she turned stiff, forcing herself to stay calm with each step forward. Once she reached her spot, she stopped. Shortly after, Lu Jinnian stood beside her. Lu Jinnian¡¯s elbow perched near Qiao Anhao¡¯s elbow. With just a small movement, their skins would touch. They didn¡¯t speak, not even looking at each other, as though they were two strangers, even the surrounding atmosphere was distant. After a while, the director shouted hismand and the filming began. There was four scenes today and Lu Jinnian was only needed for the first two. The filming for "Alluring Times" had been going on for a long while, so the actors were already familiar with their roles. The number of NGs decreased, and the first scene waspleted in one take. The director shouted a satisfied "Good!", then ordered the crew to prepare for the second scene. The makeup artists immediately came forward to touch up the makeup of their allocated actors. When the makeup artist approached, Qiao Anhao felt her stomach began to churn once more. She endured the smell and forced her mind to focus on something else. Chapter 308: Xu Jiamu is Responsive (8) Chapter 308: Xu Jiamu is Responsive (8) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem When the makeup artist approached, Qiao Anhao felt her stomach began to churn once more. She endured the smell and forced her mind to focus on something else. But when the woman was reapplying her eye shadow, the close proximity increased the scent, and she could no longer hold it in. Turning her head to the side, she vomited. Qiao Anhao didn¡¯t have much food that day and everything she had was already digested, so she only vomited out a tiny amount of liquid. "Miss Qiao, are you okay? Are you ill?" the makeup artist asked in concern. Qiao Anhao felt instantly better. She rinsed her mouth with the bottle of mineral water brought by Zhao Meng, exining to the makeup artist, "I drank some alcohol yesterday and it¡¯s been hurting my tummy." The makeup artist touched up her lips which were smudged from the water. "The hot weather causes food to rot fast, you should pay attention to your meals. It¡¯s best if you take some gastric pills." "Yes." Qiao Anhao smiled, not willing to say more. Song Xiangsi stood nearby, taking in the conversation between Qiao Anhao and her makeup artist. She turned and looked towards Lu Jinnian, his brows were deeply furrowed after seeing her vomit. Song Xiangsi curled her lips upwards, smiling secretly, waiting patiently for her makeup to be done. Before the second scene began, she walked towards Lu Jinnian. Lu Jinnian knew there was someone beside him but he remained nonchnt. Song Xiangsi circled him once before stopping beside him, following his gaze towards Zhao Meng and Qiao Anhao. She stood there, deliberately staying silent just like him until the director indicated the start of filming. She straightened, lowering her head to admire her manicured nails before saying slowly, "Qiao Anhao seems to have gastric problems because of the alcohol she drank yesterday." She left this sentence with him and walked away. After the second scene was done, Lu Jinnian stood at the side of the set, observing Qiao Anhao. When she vomited once more, he frowned, walking back to the makeup station. After removing his makeup, his assistant was already waiting for him. He opened the car door and sat inside. The assistant started the car and headed towards the filming crew hotel. When they reached a cross road, Lu Jinnian who had been silent all this while, suddenly spoke. "Find the nearest pharmacy." His assistant acknowledged themand, entering it into the GPS. "Mr. Lu, are you feeling ill?" Lu Jinnian remained silent, turning to look out the window. His assistant kept quiet and followed the GPS to the nearest pharmacy. After no more than twenty minutes, the car stopped. The assistant asked, "Mr. Lu, what do you need? I¡¯ll get it for you." "I¡¯ll go," Lu Jinnian replied lightly and opened the car door to walk towards the pharmacy. There was a wide variety of gastric pills, so he repeated Song Xiangsi¡¯s words to the attendant, waiting for a rmendation. Chapter 309: Xu Jiamu is Responsive (9) Chapter 309: Xu Jiamu is Responsive (9) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem The counter staff rmended a few kinds, Chinese medicine and western medicine. Lu Jinnian read the exnation manual on each medicine, finally settling on Chinese medicine that protected the gut. Once he reached the mountain vi, Qiao Anhao was still in the midst of filming. Lu Jinnian instructed his assistant to stop at the entrance of the hotel. After about half an hour, a car drove over. Lu Jinnian had been focusing outside his car all this while, when he saw Qiao Anhao¡¯s car, he pushed open the car door and came out. After being with Lu Jinnian for so many years, the assistant vaguely understood what he was thinking. He knew that he was waiting for Qiao Anhao, so he quickly followed after Lu Jinnian alighted. Zhao Meng parked on the opposite side, since the spot directly outside the hotel entrance was already taken. She then came down with Qiao Anhao, walking towards the hotel. Just before they reached the door, Lu Jinnian¡¯s assistant called out, "Miss Qiao." Qiao Anhao and Zhao Meng stopped instantly, turning towards the call. Lu Jinnian and his assistant were not far away under a tree. The light was dim, blurring the expressions on their faces. Zhao Meng turned to look at Qiao Anhao. "Mr. Lu is looking for you." Qiao Anhao pressed her lips, standing stationary as though she hadn¡¯t heard Zhao Meng. The assistant turned to look at Lu Jinnian before calling out again, "Miss Qiao, over here." Zhao Meng asked, "Qiao Qiao, why are you in a daze?" Qiao Anhao lowered hershes, having no intention of walking over. The assistant started to feel uneasy, thinking of calling out to her once again. But before he could say anything, Lu Jinnian, who was beside him, walked towards Qiao Anhao. The assistant¡¯s eyes widened fear, and he froze, too startled to move. When he finally regained his senses, he rushed forward after Lu Jinnian. When Lu Jinnian was about fifty meters from Qiao Anhao, he stopped. With the faint glow from the streetmp, he looked down to stare at her. A night breeze blew, bringing out a stream of cold air, sending Qiao Anhao¡¯s long hair flying. Lu Jinnian studied Qiao Anhao for a long while. When he realized that she didn¡¯t intend to speak, disappointment clouded his eyes. He passed his stic of medicine over to her. "It¡¯s for you." The stic bag was transparent and she could see a box of gastric medicine lying inside. Her fingers trembled slightly, sorrow spreading through her heart. In the past, if he bought medicine for her when she wasn¡¯t feeling well, she would have felt blessed, but after the incidentst night... He was always like that, treating her so lightly, making it difficult for her to understand his true intentions. Previously, when there was an improvement in their rtionship, she would start to anticipate more, thinking that there was hope. But afterst night, when he had treated her so violently in the car, she was brought to reality. If he had always been cold to her, she would still be be sad, but not disappointed. The disappointment after being given hope was despair. She was afraid that after he treated her so warmly, he would rip her heart apart the next moment. Qiao Anhao¡¯s fingers moved slightly, clenching onto her skirt, not intending to reach out for the medicine. Chapter 310: Xu Jiamu is Responsive (10) Chapter 310: Xu Jiamu is Responsive (10) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Qiao Anhao¡¯s fingers trembled, she grasped her skirt, having no intention of reaching for the medicine. Lu Jinnian frowned, his grip tightening on the stic bag, his arms remaining outstretched. The skies were gradually darkening and crew members were already in the hotel. The surroundings were dark, the four of them not speaking. After a long while, Qiao Anhao was still not willing to ept the medicine, her position distant and reserved, the atmosphere tensing. Behind Lu Jinnian, his assistant and Zhao Meng were starting to feel awkward and uneasy. Another breeze blew, sending a shiver through Qiao Anhao. With a calm and detached gaze, she looked away from Lu Jinnian, preparing to leave. When his assistant saw it, he instantly reached out to grab the medicine from Lu Jinnian¡¯s hands, passing it over to Zhao Meng. "Miss Qiao¡¯s stomach isn¡¯t feeling well, Mr. Lu specifically got her some medicine." Zhao Meng hesitated slightly before reaching over, thanking him on behalf of Qiao Anhao. "Thank you." She turned back to look at Qiao Anhao, who was staring at the medicine in her hands. Zhao Meng¡¯s fingers froze slightly, Qiao Anhao turned around without any emotion, walking away. After a few steps, Lu Jinnian¡¯s light voice broke the silence."If you aren¡¯t feeling well, I¡¯ll help you push your scenes back." Qiao Anhao stiffened, continuing to walk a few more steps before stopping. With her back still facing Lu Jinnian, she turned her head to look at him. In a calm and distant voice, she replied," It¡¯s fine. Thank you, Mr. Lu." Mr. Lu... Lu Jinnian was left in a daze. He continued to stare at her for a long while before nodding, his action disconcerted, as though he was trying to hide the fear and uneasiness inside him. After some time, he opened his mouth, as if trying to say something, but then shut it back. After another few seconds, he replied, "It¡¯s gettingte, hurry up to rest." Qiao Anhao didn¡¯t say anything, she nodded, turning to look at Zhao Meng. "Let¡¯s go." Zhao Meng grabbed her hair in embarrassment, and smiled brightly towards Lu Jinnian. "Goodbye, Mr. Lu." She then ran after Qiao Anhao. When they entered the hotel, Lu Jinnian stared for a while before shifting his gaze. "Let¡¯s go," he said, walking towards the hotel. His assistant didn¡¯t disturb him. He quietly ced a cup of water beside his table and cautiously left his room. Before he left the room though, he added, "Mr. Lu, smoking excessively is bad for health." Lu Jinnian¡¯s fingers trembled, the ashes falling slightly. Without turning to look at his assistant, he seemed to have nodded his head. Chapter 311: Xu Jiamu is Responsive (11) Chapter 311: Xu Jiamu is Responsive (11) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem The assistant stood for a while before closing the door, leaving Lu Jinnian¡¯s room. - "Qiao Qiao, what¡¯s going on with you and Lu Jinnian?" Zhao Meng finally asked after they entered the elevator. Qiao Anhao remain silent, her gaze falling onto the medicine that Zhao Meng was holding. Her lips pressed into a thin line. "I thought you were doing well a while back? He angered you? Qiao Qiao, what happened?" Zhao Meng persistently asked several times, but Qiao Anhao never once replied. When they reached the room, she walked straight into the bathroom to shower and then climbed onto the bed. Before she could flip the nket open, a box came flying,nding in front of her. It was the gastric medicine that Lu Jinnian had gotten for her. "Qiao Qiao, it¡¯s from Lu Jinnian. If you want it, you can eat it. If you don¡¯t want it, you can toss it. I¡¯m not going to settle it for you," Zhao Meng said decisively and headed to the bathroom. Qiao Anhao stared at the box for a long while before putting in on the bedside table. Sheid down on the bed, staring up at the ceiling, her mind in a mess. She wanted to eat the gastric medicine, and at the same time, she didn¡¯t want to eat it. Just like when she was in front of him, she had wanted to reach out for the medicine, but she had forced herself not to. Deep inside, she knew that she was using the easiest way to get back at him for the sadness that he had caused. Qiao Anhao felt extremely lethargic, probably due to the gastric problems. Even though she was still thinking about the medicine beside her, she fell into a deep sleep the next instant. That night, she slept deeply. The next day, when she woke up, she felt much more energized. She had filming the entire day, hence she quickly prepared herself before following Zhao Meng to the hotel restaurant for breakfast. As usual, the breakfast served was nutritious. Qiao Anhao saw golden yellow dough fritters and took two. After sitting down, she took two sips of a drink before using her chopsticks to pick up the dough fritters. After taking a bite, she found the dough fritters extremely oily, even though she didn¡¯t think so normally. Her entire stomach was fumbling, she dropped the chopsticks, and without even waiting for Zhao Meng to ask her anything, she ran out of the restaurant to the washroom. She didn¡¯t even have time to enter a bathroom cubicle, vomiting into a public basin. When Lu Jinnian came down for breakfast, he saw Qiao Anhao running towards the washroom the moment the elevator doors open. Just then, his assistantmented, "Miss Qiao doesn¡¯t look good." Lu Jinnian frowned. He hesitated slightly before instructing his assistant to wait at the restaurant. He then tookrge strides, following after Qiao Anhao. The minute he entered the bathroom, he heard someone vomiting. He walked in and saw Qiao Anhao¡¯s slender figure hunched over a basin, puking continuously. Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t hesitate, running towards her to grab her arm. "What¡¯s wrong? Your stomach still hurts?" The moment Qiao Anhao heard him, her body stiffened. Before she could react, she lowered her head for another wave of vomit. Chapter 312: Xu Jiamu is Responsive (12) Chapter 312: Xu Jiamu is Responsive (12) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Lu Jinnian¡¯s nervous voice sounded again. "You didn¡¯t eat the medicine yesterday? We¡¯re going to the hospital now." Lu Jinnian reached for his phone, preparing to get his assistant to collect the car. There wasn¡¯t much for Qiao Anhao to vomit, only liquid coulde out. Through the mirror, she could see Lu Jinnian¡¯s every action. She forced herself to straighten and shook her head. "It¡¯s fine..." Before she could finish her sentence, she lowered her head to puke again. When she finally felt okay, she reached out to open the tap. She washed the basin before rinsing her mouth. Calmly, she looked at Lu Jinnian. "I¡¯m fine and I have scenester, I don¡¯t need to visit the hospital." Qiao Anhao took another look at him before reaching for some paper towels to dry her wet hands. She then turned to walk out of the bathroom. After stepping out of the bathroom, Lu Jinnian reached for her shoulder, turning her around to study her pale face. Qiao Anhao clenched her lips into a tight, thin line. Lu Jinnian grabbed her elbow, leading her away. As they walked, he spoke in an authoritative voice. "You need to visit the hospital." "I¡¯m really fine," she replied, trying to struggle out of his grip. But how could she overpower him? In the end, she was pulled by Lu Jinnian all the way to his car. He opened the door, and when he was about to push her in, a phone suddenly rang. Lu Jinnian paused slightly before realizing it was Qiao Anhao¡¯s phone. Without any hesitation, he pushed her into the seat, then walked over to the drivers seat. When he was about to start his car, he heard Qiao Anhao speaking enthusiastically. "Really? Jiamu responded?" Lu Jinnian¡¯s feet stopped instantly, pausing for about ten seconds before looking at Qiao Anhao through the rear mirror. A wide smile had spread across her face. Her voice was tainted with surprise and happiness. "That¡¯s great. I understand, I¡¯ll go over now... Bye." After she hung up, she realized that she was in Lu Jinnian¡¯s car. She kept her smile, sinking into silence for a while, before turning to face him. "Mrs. Xu called, she mentioned that Jiamu responded, I want to go over." After pausing for a bit, she continued, "Since he¡¯s at the hospital, I can visit a doctor after visiting Jiamu, you don¡¯t have to send me." Lu Jinnian hands clenched around the steering wheel, his knuckles turning white. His lips moved slightly. He stepped on the elerator wordlessly, turning out of the filming set. After a long time, Lu Jinnian spoke, his voice dry and hoarse. "I¡¯ll send you." Qiao Anhao nodded, not willing to extend the conversation. When they were just about to enter the city, Lu Jinnian seemed to have remembered something. He reached for his phone to call his assistant to change the filming date. Chapter 313: Xu Jiamu is Responsive (13) Chapter 313: Xu Jiamu is Responsive (13) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem The car came to a gradual stop outside the hospital that Xu Jiamu stayed in. Qiao Anhao nced at the people entering the hospital before turning to look at Lu Jinnian. "Thank you for sending me here." Lu Jinnian stared outside the window at the hospital, his jaw tight. After a while, he replied with a faint "Yea." Qiao Anhao paused for a bit. "I¡¯ll go down first, Mrs. Xu is waiting for me." "Okay," Lu Jinnian replied in a monotonous voice as his throat closed up. Qiao Anhao pulled the door, realizing that it was locked. She turned her head to remind him. He replied with a light "yea", rushing to open the lock. Just then, he hit the front lights and quickly offed it. Qiao Anhao could hear the clicking from the car, she pushed open the door once again and alighted. After shutting the door, she hesitated for a bit before turning to look at Lu Jinnian. "Bye." Lu Jinnian nodded, but just when she was about to shut the door, he called out, "Qiao Qiao.." Qiao Anhao froze, her entire body tensing. In the many years they had known each other, he had always called her Qiao Anhao, Qiao ssmate, Miss Qiao... This was the first time he had called her so affectionately. Qiao Anhao clenched the car door tightly, even though she seemed calm, her heart was running. Lu Jinnian seemed to have realized that in a frenzy, he had called her the name that he held deep in his heart. With a calm expression, he continued, "Remember to visit the doctor after visiting Jiamu, gastric problems can get troublesome." "I will." Qiao Anhao felt an indescribable pain leaking from her heart. She struggled to smile back at Lu Jinnian as she bid him goodbye. Lu Jinnian nodded, his lips moving slightly, as though saying "Goodbye", but since the volume was so low, she couldn¡¯t hear it. She closed the door and headed for the hospital. Lu Jinnian sat in the car alone, staring at Qiao Anhao¡¯s back until she disappeared from his sight. After a long while, he realized that all this while, he had been watching her back while she walked away. Initially, he had watched her from afar when she went home. Back then, she was either with Qiao Anxia or bickering with Xu Jiamu. In high-school, there were several times when he would wait by the entrance in search of her back. In college, every time she came to Hangzhou, he would secretly send her off from afar, not letting her know. He would stand outside the airport or the railway station, waiting to see the view of her back. Even now, it was the same... Many times, if she had just turned back, she would have been able to see him. But all this while, she had never turned back to nce at him. - Xu Jiamu stayed on the top floor, in the first ss ward. The Xu family had spent arge sum of money and power to book down the entire floor so that there wouldn¡¯t be many people. The female guard that stood at the entrance recognized Qiao Anhao and seemed to be waiting for her. The moment she saw her, she walked forward to lead her to the ward. Chapter 314: Xu Jiamu is Responsive (14) Chapter 314: Xu Jiamu is Responsive (14) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem When she entered the ward, she saw arge group of specialists in white gowns crowding over Xu Jiamu, doing checks. Han Ruchu stood at the side, anxiously looking towards her son. Qiao Anhao walked over lightly, stopping beside Han Ruchu. She greeted her, "Auntie Xu." Han Ruchu nodded. She seemed to have cried, as her eyes were red and swollen. She looked at Qiao Anhao and immediately reached out to grab her hands. "Qiao Qiao, you¡¯re here." Qiao Anhao nodded, looking towards the group of specialists. "Jiamu responded?" "Yes, just now, when I was talking to him, I saw his fingers move." Han Ruchu seemed extremely agitated. "Qiao Qiao, Jiamu moved, I saw him, he grabbed here..." She lifted her right hand to the spot that Xu Jiamu had touched, pointing to a specific spot. "Here, Jiamu touched me here!" Just then, one of the specialists turned and walked towards Han Ruchu, removing his mask. "How¡¯s my son?" Han Ruchu asked anxiously without waiting for the doctor to speak. The man replied, "All of Mr Xu¡¯s vitals are fine. If he moved today, it means that he¡¯ll definitely wake up." A wide smile broadened across Han Ruchu¡¯s face, her eyes glistened with tears. "Really? When will Jiamu wake up?" "It depends, he may wake up soon or he might wake up after a while. We aren¡¯t able to give you a definite answer on that. But rest assured, if he moved today, it means that the treatment that we have been doing is effective. If we¡¯re to continue, he will be able to wake up." "Thank you, thank you." Han Ruchu thanked him several times out of excitement and agitation. In the end, she could no longer suppress her tears, allowing them to flow down her face. Xu Jiamu could finally wake up, and the happiest person about this was his mother Han Ruchu. Qiao Anhao was happy too, Xu Jiamu was after all her best friend in this world. But after the happiness wore off, sorrow started to surface. Even though Lu Jinnian treated her unpredictably. Even though he had made her disappointed and sad on his birthday. Even though she was confused by him, why he had gotten mad at her, why she could see hatred and disgust in his anger towards her. She was only human, she couldn¡¯t be fine with him after he had treated her so unfairly when she did no wrong. She was indeed upset and a little angry, it was normal for anyone to feel like that, but she never wanted to sever all ties with him. But if Xu Jiamu was going to wake up, she would no longer have to act as a couple with Lu Jinnian. Did that mean they were going to resume being strangers? Han Ruchu stayed in the hospital all the way till 1 pm. Qiao Anhao stayed behind to apany her until taking a ride in Han Ruchu¡¯s car back to the set. Only in the car did Qiao Anhao remember her gastric problems. Chapter 315: Xu Jiamu is Responsive (15) Chapter 315: Xu Jiamu is Responsive (15) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Only in the car did Qiao Anhao remember that she had been having gastric problems and that Lu Jinnian had reminded her to visit the doctor after she alighted. She nced at the crowded emergency unit, considering her condition. She wasn¡¯t feeling that ufortable any longer, hence she decided to forgo visiting a doctor. It wasn¡¯t the first time she had gastric problems, she would usually recover after taking some medicine. Han Ruchu made a call to push back Qiao Anhao¡¯s entire day of filming, rendering her free. Once she boarded the car, Han Ruchu asked, "Qiao Qiao, where do you want to go?" Qiao Anhao thought for a while, realizing that she didn¡¯t have anywhere to go, hence she said, "Mian Xiu Garden." When she started the car, Han Ruchu nced at the time, realizing that it was going to be noon. She said, "It¡¯s lunch time, why don¡¯t youe along to my house for a meal, it¡¯s been a long time since you came over. Coincidentally, Uncle Xu is going to be out, you can apany me and I¡¯ll get the driver to send you backter." Qiao Anhao recalled the failed surprise she had nned for Lu Jinnian, deciding that it would be better to avoid that ce, so she nodded. "Sure." Just then, she recalled that the Qiao family mansion was nearby and added, "I¡¯ll go visit Qiao house after lunch, it¡¯s been a long time since I visited them." Han Ruchu smiled, praising Qiao Anhao for being so filial, and drove towards the Xu family mansion. On the way, they had some small talk. When the Xu family stewardess saw Han Ruchu and Qiao Anhao together, she was unusually happy, greeting Qiao Anhao enthusiastically, offering her a seat and helping her get tea. She even ordered the cook to add on a few more of Qiao Anhao¡¯s favorite dishes. Even though there was only the two of them, a wide spread was prepared on the table. Back when Qiao Anhao was still living in the Qiao mansion, she and Qiao Anxia would often visit the Xu family, hence the Xu family steward and Han Ruchu were both clear of their preferences. Once the dishes were all served, Han Ruchu ced a piece of chicken into Qiao Anhao¡¯s bowl. "Qiao Qiao, here¡¯s your favorite dish, Auntie Yun specifically made it for you, since you came." Auntie Yun was the stewardess that she had brought over when she married into the Xu family. This chicken dish was indeed Qiao Anhao¡¯s favorite. Thinking back, it had been a few months since shest tasted it. Her appetite kicked in. Smiling happily, she thanked Han Ruchu before starting to eat. The familiar taste delighted her. She couldn¡¯t help praising auntie Yun for her culinary skills. Auntie Yun smiled happily, cing a piece of fish that she had made into Qiao Anhao¡¯s bowl. The fish meat was braised and smelled amazing. Qiao Anhao picked it up eagerly, cing it into her mouth. A fishy taste spread across her mouth and her stomach started to fumble once again. She raised her hand to cover her mouth, then dry vomited. "Qiao Qiao, what¡¯s wrong?" "Miss Anhao, what¡¯s wrong?" Han Ruchu and the stewardess asked in concern. Qiao Anhao waved her hands, rushing into the public bathroom to continue vomiting into the toilet bowl. Han Ruchu ced her food down, following after her. Qiao Anhao had locked the door. Han Ruchu tried to push it open, but she was left outside, hearing Qiao Anhao vomit. Chapter 316: Xu Jiamu is Responsive (16) Chapter 316: Xu Jiamu is Responsive (16) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Han Ruchu knocked on the door twice. "Qiao Qiao? What¡¯s wrong? Qiao Qiao?" "I¡¯m fine..." Qiao Anhao said, and threw up again. When Han Ruchu heard her vomiting, her brows furrowed in worry. Then she ordered the housekeeper right away, "Call the family doctor to make a visit. For Qiao Qiao to vomit like this, there must be something wrong." The housekeeper stood still on the spot. Han Ruchu couldn¡¯t help but say something to usher the housekeeper again. When the housekeeper drew close to Han Ruchu¡¯s ear, she said in a low voice, "Missus¡¯s vomiting may not be an illness. She could also be pregnant." Having given birth, Han Ruchu was experienced, and so when she heard those words, she realized it instantly, and turned to look at the closed bathroom door. Then she strode over towards the living room, pacing up and down. She waved the housekeeper over and whispered in her ear, "Give Sister Lin a call. Ask her to make a visit now." "Yes, Missus." The housekeeper immediately did as instructed. Qiao Anhao felt much better after throwing up, just as she did in the morning. As she came out of the bathroom, she immediately saw Han Ruchu, and said, a little embarrassed, "Aunt Xu, apologies for disturbing your meal." "Don¡¯t worry about it. But what¡¯s wrong with you? What got you vomiting like this?" Han Ruchu pointed at the dining room, and walked over with Qiao Anhao. "I drank too much the night of Brother Jiamu¡¯s birthday. Then the next day, my stomach didn¡¯t feel well. For the past two days, I¡¯ve just been wanting to vomit." "When the driver takes you home, buy some medicine for your stomach. Don¡¯t let it drag on. Be careful not to let it be something serious." Qiao Anhao tenderly smiled, with curved eyes, and said, "Okay, Aunt Xu." Han Ruchu smiled but didn¡¯t say a word. She sat with Qiao Anhao at the dining table and continued to eat. Taking two bites, she looked at the pickled vegetables and duck soup on the table, before she personally brought Qiao Anhao a bowl. Qiao Anhao said "Thank you", as she took a spoonful. It tasted sour. Just how she liked it, and she continued to take a few more mouthfuls. Han Ruchu, who sat opposite her watched her eat. In the blink of an eye, she wore aposed smile in the corner of her lips, and continued to eat elegantly. After dinner, the Xu family had guests over. Han Ruchu offered her guest a seat, and then said to Qiao Anhao, "Qiao Qiao, do you still remember? This is Aunt Lin. When Jiamu and you got married, she gave you a white jade bracelet." Qiao Anhao remembered her at the mention of a white jade bracelet. This guest was a close friend of Han Ruchu who worked in the gynecology department of the Chinese hospital. Qiao Anhao immediately greeted her politely. "Aunt Lin, hello." When the woman heard herself being called Aunt Lin, she gave a warm smile, and looked Qiao Anhao up and down. Yet her words were directed towards Han Ruchu. "Ruchu... your daughter-inw sure is beautiful." Han Ruchu smiled, and alsoplemented Qiao Anhao. "Look at your smug look."Ms. Lin snorted at Han Ruchu. Then she politely asked Qiao Anhao a few questions. Soon, her eyes fell on the bracelet on Qiao Anhao¡¯s wrist. She suddenly moved closer and grabbed for that wrist. Silently pressing onto Qiao Anhao¡¯s pulse with her fingertips, she said, "This is Chanel¡¯stest bracelet design, right? It¡¯s a limited edition. I wasn¡¯t able to get my hands on one." Chapter 317: Xu Jiamu is Responsive (17) Chapter 317: Xu Jiamu is Responsive (17) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem "This is Chanel¡¯stest bracelet design, right? It¡¯s a limited edition. I wasn¡¯t able to get my hands on one." Qiao Anhao wasn¡¯t familiar with Madam Xu, and she didn¡¯t like having such close interaction, but out of courtesy, she didn¡¯t just pull back her hand and kept a slight smile. "Initially, when i saw a photo of the bracelet, I found it mesmerizing, now that I have seen the real thing, I¡¯m impressed. But your milky white skin is much nicer than mine," Madam Lin praised. She did so for some time before releasing her arm, turning to nce at Han Ruchu. Han Ruchu returned Madam Lin¡¯s nce, looking for a few seconds, then lowered her lids to take another sip of the flower tea. Slowly, she ced the tea on the table and spoke to Qiao Anhao in a warm voice. "Qiao Qiao, didn¡¯t you say you want to visit Qiao mansion? I¡¯ll get auntie Yun to prepare some tonics for you to bring along." Qiao Anhao instantly understood that Han Ruchu wanted to speak to Madam Lin in private, hence she started to politely bid them farewell and left the Xu mansion with the gifts. After sending Qiao Anhao off, the stewardess came back to inform Han Ruchu, "Mrs. Xu, Miss Anhao has left." Han Ruchu nodded, looking slightly at the surrounding maids. The stewardess understood instantly, sending them all out of the house. Han Ruchu then asked Madam Lin, "Sister Lin, how is it?" "Ruchu, I felt her pulse just now and she¡¯s definitely pregnant. But since I took quite some time, she seemed to have realized, so I couldn¡¯t find out exactly when she got pregnant. But I do know that it¡¯s at least two months old." Madam Lin paused before asking again, "Isn¡¯t it a joyous thing? Why aren¡¯t you excited?" Han Ruchu remained calm, a graceful smile stered on her face as she took a slow sip of the flower tea. She raised her lids, replying, "Sister Lin, pretend nothing happened." Madam Lin could see the sharpness in Han Ruchu¡¯s eyes, and so she suppressed the inner curiosity and nodded."Sure, I¡¯ll pretend I know nothing." Han Ruchu smiled again, signaling for Madam Lin to drink her tea. Madam Lin¡¯s Chinese hospital had something on in the afternoon, so she bade farewell soon after. Han Ruchu stood at the door. When Madam Lin drove off, she turned to enter the house. She walked straight up to the second floor, the stewardess following behind her. The woman closed the door and stood beside Han Ruchu. In a low voice, she asked, "Mrs. Xu, is Miss Anhao really pregnant?" In front of Madam Lin, Han Ruchu was graceful and calm, but she turned solemn instantly after, replying to the stewardess with a "Yea." "Who¡¯s the father of her child?" Once the stewardess asked the question, her expression dimmed. "Do you think it belongs to Lu Jinnian?" Han Ruchu remained silent, her face darkening. After a long while, the stewardess asked. "Mrs. Xu, what do you intend to do? Are you going to let her give birth to the child?" Han Ruchu¡¯s heart clenched. She waved the stewardess away in irritation. "Go out first, I need to think." Chapter 318: Xu Jiamu is Responsive (18) Chapter 318: Xu Jiamu is Responsive (18) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem "Yes, Missus," the housekeeper answered with respect and left the room. It was incredibly silent, as Han Ruchu was the only one left in the mansion. Bright rays of light came through the window, lightening the whole house. All was calm. - Qiao Anhao didn¡¯t call ahead when she went to visit the Qiao manor, but luckily for her, Qiao Qinghai and Shen Yi were in. Seeing Qiao Anhao back, they were unusually delighted. Since her parents had passed away when she was ten years old, they had taken her in. Over ten years had passed since that time. Their love for one another long surpassed just aunt and niece, uncle and niece. Qiao Anhao was just like their own daughter. The Qiao family servants were also happy to see Qiao Anhao. They brought over a lot of delicious snacks to the table, whilst calling her "Little Miss". At first, Qiao Qinghai and Shen Yi did want for Qiao Anxia to marry Xu Jiamu, as biological parents understandably favor their own biological daughter. However, as the Xu family had their eyes set on Qiao Anhao, they didn¡¯t have much of an opinion. After Qiao Anhao "married" Xu Jiamu, she moved out of the Qiao family manor. Also, because of filming, she rarely had time toe back, and so they bombarded her with all sorts of questions, afraid that life on her own was difficult. Han Ruchu were also worried for Qiao Anhao like this, but Qiao Anhao wasn¡¯t moved by her concerns. Her responses were courteous and respectful, but now, having faced her aunt and uncle¡¯s concern for her, she was very moved and filled with warmth. Although she lost her family at the age of ten, the heavens hadn¡¯t treated her so bad, giving her another family. Qiao Anhao wanted to stay at Qiao manor for a while before heading back to the set, but her uncle and aunt were too nice. Under such great hospitality, how could she suggest she leave now? In the end, she stayed there all afternoon, knitting with Shen Yi and ying chess with Qiao Qinghai. It wasn¡¯t until the evening that she said she had to leave. At three in the afternoon, Han Ruchu called to specifically ask Shen Yi to let her know when Qiao Anhao was about to leave. So when Qiao Anhao said she was going to go, Shen Yi gave Han Ruchu a call back. Five minutester, the Xu family¡¯s chauffeur appeared at the Qiao family¡¯s door. Han Ruchu pushed open the passenger car door and courteously greeted Qiao Qinghai and Shen Yi, before turning around to say to Qiao Anhao, "I¡¯ve asked the chauffeur to stay behind for you." Qiao Anhao said with a smile, "Thank you". Han Ruchu opened the trunk and pointed at the two boxes of swallow¡¯s nest. "They¡¯re ready made to eat. This afternoon, I especially asked Aunt Yun to prepare and choose top quality swallow¡¯s nest for you. You must have endured quite a lot on set. You¡¯ve gotten so skinny, and your appetite hasn¡¯t been good these days, so you mustn¡¯t let yourself suffer. Take these with you to revitalize yourself." Seeing how Han Ruchu was towards Qiao Anhao, Qiao Qinghai and Shen Yi were incredibly pleased. Qiao Anhao thanked her again. She politely chatted for a while, and then got in the car. - Han Ruchu didn¡¯t actually get in the car but stayed at Qiao mansion. When the Qiao family chauffeur left the neighborhood, it was already almost seven o¡¯clock. On route to south of the city, it was surprisingly congested today. The route that would usually only take an hour, took whole two hours. When they reached the hotel of the set, it was already ten in the evening. That night, filming at a distant location hadn¡¯t yet finished, so the lower floor of the hotel was particrly quiet. Chapter 319: Xu Jiamu is Responsive (19) Chapter 319: Xu Jiamu is Responsive (19) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem The chauffeur steadily stopped the car, got out first, and then opened the car door for Qiao Anhao. After she got out of the car, he walked around to the trunk and carried the two boxes of swallow¡¯s nest that Han Ruchu has especially prepared for her. The chauffeur politely said, "Miss Qiao, since you live in that house over there, let me carry it for you." Qiao Anhao saw the chauffeur carry the boxes with both hands, and said "Thank you" in a low voice. Then she turned around and walked into the hotel lobby with the chauffeur following respectfully two steps behind, boxes in hands. The two of them didn¡¯t notice that there was a person sitting in a car not too far away... - Since Lu Jinnian took Qiao Anhao to the hospital, he never left. At around eleven o¡¯clock, he saw her get into Han Ruchu¡¯s car. With his head in the mud, he didn¡¯t think much. Nor did he know how long he sat in the car before he turned the steering wheel and slowly left. At dusk, he drove back to the hotel at the set, but he didn¡¯t go up. He sat there waiting for four whole hours until he saw a familiar car drive in through the rear view mirror. It was the Xu family¡¯s car. The car was parked at the hotel entrance. When the car door opened, the Xu family chauffeur got out first, then went over to open Qiao Anhao¡¯s passenger car door. He took two boxes out from the trunk and followed Qiao Anhao into the hotel. The Xu family must of given Qiao Anhao some kind of supplements. They have always treated her like family. If Xu Jiamu woke up, they would be the perfect family. Lu Jinnian pulled down the car window and lit a cigarette. As he took a breath and blew out the smoke, an unspeakable pain emanated from his very bones. - Zhao Meng wasn¡¯t in the hotel room. The chauffeur put the boxes down in an empty spot on the floor and politely took his leave. Qiao Anhao didn¡¯t do much that day, but she felt this unspeakable sense of exhaustion. After a hot shower, she climbed into bed. Just as she was groggily about to fall asleep, the hotel door opened, followed by Zhao Meng¡¯s voice. "Swallow¡¯s nest. Qiao Qiao, can I have some?" Qiao Anhao didn¡¯t even blink, just gave Zhao Meng a "mm" as though to say yes. Then she flipped over and coincidentally faced the light by the bedside cab. The light left her ufortable, and so she opened her eyes to turn off the lights. But then, her line of sightnded on the box of stomach medicine she¡¯d put asidest night. Zhao Meng twisted the lid off a bottle of swallow¡¯s nest. As she ate it, sheplemented on how good it tasted, then went over in front of Qiao Anhao to ask, "Qiao Qiao, do you want to eat some? It tastes great." Qiao Anhao didn¡¯t eat anything that evening. She wasn¡¯t hungry at first, but with Zhao Meng¡¯s words, she suddenly felt an emptiness in her stomach. Even though she was just about to fall asleep, she stopped feeling sleepy with Zhao Meng¡¯s chatter and the sight of her stomach medicine. So she nodded at Zhao Meng, who put the bottle of swallow¡¯s nest in her hand, and cheerfully ran over. She gave Qiao Anhao a bottle, without forgetting to twist off the lid, and handed it to her. Just as Zhao Meng said, the swallow¡¯s nest tasted amazing. Qiao Anhao ate some. Since she didn¡¯t feel any pain in her stomach, she continued to eat it. Zhao Meng was always a night owl. After eating the swallow¡¯s nest, she sat at the desk and went on theputer. Less than half an hourter, she yawned numerous times. Chapter 320: Xu Jiamu is Responsive (20) Chapter 320: Xu Jiamu is Responsive (20) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Zhao Meng was always a night owl. After eating the swallow¡¯s nest, she sat at the desk and went on theputer. Less than half an hourter, she yawned numerous times. In the end, she couldn¡¯t stand it any longer. She got up and took a shower. When she climbed into bed, Qiao Anhao was already fast asleep. - In the next few days, Qiao Anhao still felt nauseous every now and then. She used to often have stomachaches, but they would only make her feel nauseous for two to three days. After her bodily functions recovered on their own, she would just be fine. Who knew that this time, it wouldst for a good few days, without any signs of recovery. Qiao Anhao couldn¡¯t help but feel uneasy. The other day, she wanted to go to the doctors to get it checked, but the next day, she ate something and the nausea and thought of vomiting had already disappeared. Even the red barbecue meat that she saw two days ago, didn¡¯t make her want to vomit anymore. Her stomach didn¡¯t feel the least bit ufortable. She thought that everything was back to normal and that she had naturally gotten better, so she felt relieved. Han Ruchu gave her forty whole bottles of swallow¡¯s nest. Zhao Meng would have one every night. They were said to help improve one¡¯s beauty. Though Qiao Anhao didn¡¯t have one a day like Zhao Meng, she ate about five or six. She didn¡¯t know if it was because she¡¯d been so exhausted and busy with filming, but she always seemed to be sleepy. Even Zhao Meng was often yawning alongside her. One night, when Qiao Anhao was filming a night scene. It was only eight o¡¯clock, yet she couldn¡¯t open his eyes. Whilst filming with Lu Jinnian, she still yawned, because of which they had to cut the scene short and re-shoot. Qiao Anhao drank half a bottle of cold water to wake herself up a little, as she wanted the second try to be thest. In the end, just as she had almost finished filming, she couldn¡¯t control her yawning and let out a few consecutive yawns, which caused another NG. After Qiao Anhao went on set, she had always performed well. Even with two consecutive NGs, the director didn¡¯t get angry. He just ordered her to take a half an hour¡¯s rest. Qiao Anhao didn¡¯t know what was wrong with her recently. She used to sleep seven hours, which was about enough, but in these past two days, she was madly sleepy. Even though the director didn¡¯t me her for the NGs, they still dyed quite a lot of time. That, as well as the fact that it was also a night scene, it naturally made everyone have to stay behind and work through the night. To ensure that the third take would be sessful, Qiao Anhao walked out of the studio on her own. It was raining lightly, so the temperature outside was quite cold. Qiao Anhao only wore a thin mini dress, so when she stepped out, her whole body shivered a little in the cold breeze, instantly waking her up. To make sure she stayed awake, Qiao Anhao took a slow walk outside. In the end, she reached a hibiscus tree which was in full bloom. She stopped to take a look. Coincidentally, a gust of cold wind and water made the air moist. The petals from the hibiscus tree rustled and fell in the rain. Drops of waternded on Qiao Anhao¡¯s exposed skin. It was so cold, she couldn¡¯t help but shiver. She hugged her shoulders and was about to tip-toe back into the studio when she felt someone drape something over her from behind. Qiao Anhao nked out for a moment, then turned around. Who could say when he came over, but it was Lu Jinnian who was silently standing beside her. As though he hadn¡¯t noticed the bewilderment in Qiao Anhao¡¯s eyes, he reached his hand out and pulled his jacket tighter over her shoulders. Chapter 321: I am Sorry (1) Chapter 321: I am Sorry (1) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Lu Jinnian acted as though he didn¡¯t see the doubt in her eyes, he reached out to ce a jacket over her shoulders before saying in a calm voice: "It¡¯s getting cold, becareful not to get a cold." Ever since the birthday, Lu Jinnian and Qiao Anhao had had a rather distant rtionship, other than during filming, they barelymunicated. When she heard his voice, she looked away, thanking him faintly, "Thank you." Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t respond. He continued to stare at Qiao Anhao for a while more before following her gaze towards a patch of hibiscus flowers. She stood silently with the jacket over her shoulders. Lu Jinnian¡¯s familiar scent clouded her senses, turning her mind into a frenzied mess. Is he showing her care... If not, why would he get her gastric pills and bring her a jacket... But if he cared, why did he suddenly get so mad at her? Both of them stood in silence for a long while, staring at the blossoming hibiscus flowers. Just then, Lu Jinnian spoke silently, breaking the peace. " How¡¯s Jiamu? Is he going to wake up?" "Yea," Qiao Anhao replied lightly. After a bit, she added, "Since Jiamu moved, the specialists said that he would definitely wake up, but they weren¡¯t sure when." As she spoke, she paid attention to Lu Jinnian, trying to find some regret. But after staring for a long while, she still wasn¡¯t able to spot anything in his frosty exterior. He acknowledged her words with a faint "Oh, it¡¯s good that he can wake up." Qiao Anhao hung her head, feeling a hint of sorrow. It wasn¡¯t that she was hoping Xu Jiamu wouldn¡¯t wake up, but she was feeling upset that Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t seem to feel anything about the situation. It was as though the end of their rtionship didn¡¯t matter to him. She hung her head for a long while, trying to calm herself. She spoke in a low voice when she told him, "I¡¯ll go in first, I have a scer." Lu Jinnian remained silent, his gaze still focused on the blossoming hibiscus. Qiao Anhao stood for a while more, after confirming that he didn¡¯t intend to react, she removed his jacket, passed it to him, and walked towards the filming set. When her footsteps got lighter and finally disappeared, Lu Jinnian turned around to look towards the direction she had gone. Under the dim lighting and empty surroundings, he looked lonely and deste. She should be happy if Xu Jiamu woke up... Then, they would probably get together? What about him? What was he going to do? Leave and stay alone forever? The filming took the rest of the day, and when it finally ended, Qiao Anhao had at least ten days worth of rest. After returning back to the city, she realized that there was arge amount of swallow¡¯s nest left over, hence she gave some to Zhao Meng before taking the rest back to Mian Xiu Garden. For the ten days that she didn¡¯t have any scenes, Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t have any either. When she looked up entertainment news, she would find news of him in the city, but never once did hee back to Mian Xiu Garden. Chapter 322: I am Sorry (2) Chapter 322: I am Sorry (2) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem On the afternoon of the fourth day of Qiao Anhao¡¯s break, she could feel a slight difort in her stomach, a pain simr to period cramps. Ever since young, she had always experienced period cramps. It was also not regr and would skip a few months, but the doctors had assured her that everything was fine. She had taken Chinese medicine to correct the problem and for half a year, everything had be normal. But soon after, it returned back to the irregr pattern. Too much medication was bad after all, so she went to visit another doctor who assured her once again that everything was fine. Qiao Anhao had mild difort in her stomach, butter that afternoon, it was fine. After having dinner, Madam Chen asked, "Mrs. Lu, is Mr. Lu working overseas? Why hasn¡¯t he been back?" The question left Qiao Anhao startled, and after a while, she murmured an inaudible "Yea", then continued to eat her meal. After dinner, Madam Chen specifically heated up a bottle of swallow¡¯s nest that Han Ruchu had given her. Qiao Anhao finished eating it and curled up on the sofa to watch television. Just then, she could feel difort in her stomach, she took a nket to cover herself, afraid that she would get a cold. Gradually, she fell asleep. - These few days, Lu Jinnian had been back to Mian Xiu Garden, but he didn¡¯t leave his car. He had a dinner meeting earlier today, but when it ended, it was still early. The host had invited everyone to another location for some games, but Lu Jinnian refused, feeling uneasy the entire time. After his assistant drove the car up from the underground car park, he came out to open the door, but Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t enter. He stood for a while longer, then said, "Pass me the keys, you can leave first." He waited for his assistant to leave with the cab before entering the car, his heart beating rapidly. He tried to calm himself, but he couldn¡¯t stop a rush of anxiety from drowning him. He wind down the window, waiting for his breathing to calm, but the heaviness in his heart was still lingering. He started the car and mmed into the elerator. After about ten minutes, he still felt the same heaviness in his heart, hence, he took out his phone and called Mian Xiu Garden. Madam Chen saw his number and picked up instantly, greeting him. "Mr. Lu." Lu Jinnian replied with a faint "Yea" before asking impatiently, "How¡¯s Qiao Qiao?" Madam Chen felt that the phone call was abrupt, so she paused for a bit, replying in confusion, "Mrs. Lu is fine, she¡¯s watching television upstairs." Lu Jinnian¡¯s anxious heart finally calmed down. He took a deep sigh before replying with a faint "Oh.". He hung up after it. Lu Jinnian had wanted to work overtime, but when he reached the crossroad, he seemed to feel uneasy, even though Madam Chen had assured him that Qiao Anhao was fine. Hence, he turned back to Mian Xiu Garden. When he reached the front yard, it was just 10.30 pm. Madam Chen was not asleep yet. When she heard his car enter, she came out to greet him. After alighting from the car, he didn¡¯t bother with greetings, brushing past her while he pressed the lock button on the car keys. Without even removing his shoes, he ran up the stairs into the bedroom, mming the door open. Chapter 323: I am Sorry (3) Chapter 323: I am Sorry (3) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Madam Chen stood at the foot of the stairs, looking at Lu Jinnian in confusion, standing in a daze. Lu Jinnian was walking past the bathroom door when he saw Qiao Anhao on the sofa. He froze, his gaze observing the entire bedroom. The television on the wall was currently showing an advertisement. The window wasn¡¯t closed and cold wind kept blowing in, sending the curtains flying. Qiao Anhao was fast asleep on the sofa with a white nket covering her. The entire bedroom was the same as usual, there was nothing different. The atmosphere was quiet and peaceful. Lu Jinnian¡¯s uneasiness finally settled, he took a long deep breath before walking to the sofa softly. Once he reached it, he bent down to remove the remote control from Qiao Anhao¡¯s hands, switching off the television. Turning back to face her, he stared for a while before reaching out to caress her long hair that fell across her face. His slender fingers touched her soft, silky skin. It was smooth, and he knew it was real, which calmed his anxious heart. His anxiety was due to her treating him so coldly for the past few days, or maybe it was because of Xu Jiamu. He was confused, his heart was in a mess, causing him to feel that way. Just then, he realized that somehow his entire back was soaked in cold sweat, and his heart relishing in thefort of her presence. He couldn¡¯t help breaking into a smile as he gazed at her, longing in his eyes. Perhaps she was the only one in this world that was able to send his mind and heart into a frenzy. Lu Jinnian¡¯s fingers slowly rubbed against her cheeks. He lowered his head and kissed her forehead before carrying her towards the bed, tucking her in. After sweating so much, Lu Jinnian felt sticky and ufortable. He casually tossed his jacket onto the sofa and loosened his tie. After taking few steps to the bathroom, he paused, frowning slightly. He looked towards the sofa that Qiao Anhao had been lying on. That¡¯s when he realized that there was a hint of red on the white nket that she had used to cover herself. Lu Jinnian frowned, retreating back to the sofa to grab the nket. It was clearly a blood stain, and the nket was slightly warm. The blood was fresh! And the nket was on Qiao Anhao... Lu Jinnian¡¯s calmed feelings started to run wild once again. He pulled his tie open, tossing it onto the floor before running to the bed to inspect Qiao Anhao. He turned her around and found a small trace of blood on the bed sheet, there was also a trace of blood on her panties. Lu Jinnian¡¯s mother had died young, and as a man, he didn¡¯t interact much with women, hence he forgot that women had their period every month. The moment he saw blood, he started feeling anxious, reaching out to tap her face. "Qiao Qiao? Qiao Qiao?" Qiao Anhao¡¯s eyes remained shut, without any sign of movement. "Qiao Qiao?" Lu Jinnian shouted once again, shaking her shoulders. When there was still no reaction, he rushed downstairs, shouting, "Madam Chen! Madam Chen!" Chapter 324: I am Sorry (4) Chapter 324: I am Sorry (4) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Madam Chen stood at the bottom of the stairs, looking at Lu Jinnian in confusion. She had thought that he had run up to find Qiao Anhao in anticipation, since he had not seen her in a long time. But just when she was about go back to her room, the door flew open and Lu Jinnian was shouting for her. Madam Chen did not hesitate, rushing up instantly. When she reached the top, Lu Jinnian had wrapped Qiao Anhao in a nket and had carried her out of the room. "Get the car ready!" he shouted. Madam Chen had wanted to ask what was wrong, but the moment Lu Jinnian had shouted at her, she ate her words and rushed out. By the time he came out of the house, Madam Chen had already opened the car doors. He ced Qiao Anhao inside, fastened her seat belt,pletely ignoring Madam Chen when she asked what was wrong. Entering the driver¡¯s seat, he mmed into the elerator and sped out. As he sped to the hospital, he reached for his phone to get his assistant. Just then, he realized that his hands were soft and weak. "Inform the doctors ... not me, its Qiao Qiao, I¡¯ll reach there in a few minutes. After he hung up, he looked towards Qiao Anhao, his mind running through the problems that she could be suffering from, his heart in a knot. When he reached the entrance of the emergency exit, his assistant was already there, waiting for Lu Jinnian¡¯s entrance. His assistant had prepared everything, Lu Jinnian carried Qiao Anhao down and followed to the third floor where she was rolled for checks. The sole floor was silent. Even though Qiao Anhao was only gone for about ten minutes, Lu Jinnian felt as though he had endured a century. Every minutested forever and pained him. His usual smooth demeanor was long gone, as he repeatedly asked his assistant, Why isn¡¯t she out yet?" His assistant could not help it any longer. "Mr. Lu, Miss Qiao could just be on her period, it¡¯s probably nothing serious." Period. Lu Jinnian frowned slightly, remembering that he had once learned about it biology lessons. Calming down slightly, he stood up once again. Just then, the operation door opened and a female nurse came out. She pulled down her mask and asked, " Who are her family members?" "I am." At that moment, Lu Jinnian had forgotten that he was just acting as her husband and spoke on instinct. "You¡¯re the patient¡¯s husband?" the nurse asked before passing a document over. "The patient is two months pregnant, but the report shows that the baby died at least a week ago. We need to do a miscarriage immediately, otherwise she¡¯ll be in grave danger." Lu Jinnian froze, his mind running, unable to process what she had just told him. His assistant, grasping the gist, asked, "Died in her stomach?" Chapter 325: Im sorry, Im sorry (5) Chapter 325: I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m sorry (5) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem "Yes." It seemed like there was an urgent situation in the operating room. The nurse handed the files to Lu Jinnian. again With some urgency in her voice,she said, "Mister, could you please quickly sign it? They¡¯re waiting to proceed with the operation." Lu Jinnian still didn¡¯t make a sound, though his face looked calm. He hesitated for only a second before taking the file from the nurse. He saw two words, "miscarriage operation", there, on the consent forms. His heart suddenly shrank. The woman he loved was pregnant with his child. Though it was meant to be a joyous asion, the moment he found out he was going to be a father, he also knew he¡¯d lost the child. Lu Jinnian tried his best topose himself, as he took the pen from the file. His fingers shivered when he took off the lid and lowered the pen to where the nurse had pointed. Yet, he didn¡¯t sign it. He clearly knew what those three words "intrauterine fetal death" meant. There was no saving the child, yet his heart was so unbearably pained, having to sign for an abortion. "Mister." Seeing as he hadn¡¯t moved at all, the nurse in front of Lu Jinnian called him once more. Lu Jinnian lowered his head and stared at the consent form in his hands. He tightly pursed his lips and lowered his pen. He didn¡¯t know just how many times he had written the two words, ¡¯Lu Jinnian,¡¯ in the past. Ever since he became famous, he practically had to write those two words everyday for fans, just as he needed to do on the consent form. But this one, he believed, was the most painful, most excruciating signature of his life. When the nurse saw Lu Jinnian sign the word "Lu" and pause, as though he had just felt the severity of it all in his heart, she, who perhaps because she was also a woman, spoke up with hints of resentment and me. "The two of you sure are something. Looks like you¡¯re both not young, you got married and had sex, and yet you¡¯ve never considered the pregnancy, right? Now, that there¡¯s a life on the line, jeez... But the woman is the most pitiful. Let¡¯s not talk about the damage done to a body after a miscarriage... As a mother, if she knew that her own child had silently passed away, she¡¯d probably be heartbroken to death!" Lu Jinnian¡¯s face had be pale under the nurse¡¯s criticism. He opened his mouth, but there were no words and no back talk. In the end, he suppressed the pain in his heart, signed rest of his name, and handed the consent form to the nurse. When she saw Lu Jinnian¡¯s signature, the nurse took the surgical consent form and rushed back. The doors of the operating room closed shut once again, and silence returned to the corridor. Seeing as Lu Jinnian stood on the spot motionless for a very long time, the assistant said in a low voice, "Mr. Lu, don¡¯t be too sad." The assistant¡¯s simple words of condolence, instantly made the bottom of Lu Jinnian¡¯s eyes to heat up. He instinctively reached into his pocket. He originally wanted to smoke, but he saw the "No Smoking" sign in the corridors and gave up in the end. Then he looked over at his assistant and said, "Leave first. I¡¯ll be fine here on my own." The assistant said, "Mr. Lu, if there¡¯s anything you need, call me." Lu Jinnian nodded silently. The assistant stood there on the spot for half a minute before he reached over and patted Lu Jinnian¡¯s shoulders, then he walked away. Chapter 326: Im sorry, Im sorry (6) Chapter 326: I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m sorry (6) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Lu Jinnian heard the footsteps behind him grow further and further away, until in the end, theypletely disappeared. Then his body went limp and he dropped to the chair beside him, as though all his strength had been drained. All he could think of was every detail of what had just transpired once more. Two months pregnant. An intrauterine fetal death... It was like Lu Jinnian was in a nightmare. His consciousness was only filled with those words. Qiao Anhao was pregnant. Pregnant for two months now. Two more months, and they¡¯d have known the sex of the baby. Eight more months, and the baby would have been born. A year and eight monthster, the baby would have been waddling in front of him, mumbling ¡¯daddy¡¯ to him... Such a beautiful thing... Yet how could such a beautiful thinge to such a devastatingly tragic end? His child... Qiao Anhao and his child... How did the baby die in the womb? Lu Jinnian finally couldn¡¯t help but lower his head, and bring his hand to cover his face. His shoulders began to tremble, and a warm liquid trickled down from between his fingers. Their child, how did the baby die? Unless it¡¯s because he¡¯s an illegitimate son that shouldn¡¯t exist on this earth. But did his child need to be punished? - The assistant downstairs suddenly remembered that he forgot to give Lu Jinnian Qiao Anhao¡¯s operation forms, and so he went back up again. Just as he came out of the elevator, he saw someone sitting on his own in the long corridor. Even though they were quite a distance apart, he saw that the man, who had covered his face, sat with his shoulders trembling. In that instant, the assistant froze on the spot and didn¡¯t dare walk forward. He quietly looked for a long time, but didn¡¯t disturb the miserable, distressed man=. He only silently retreated into the elevator, as though he hadn¡¯t been there at all, hadn¡¯t seen a thing, and left. He had been following Lu Jinnian for over seven years. In these long seven years, he had already married and had a kid. Yet, Lu Jinnian, who was older than him by a year, had been all alone in the world. He was also curious, of whether Lu Jinnian actually had a woman he liked. That was until over half a year ago, when Lu Jinnian promised the Xu family to be Xu Jiamu¡¯s recement. At the time, he was strongly against it. After all, it was practically nonsense. But the moment he saw Miss. Qiao, that¡¯s when he knew Lu Jinnian wasn¡¯t actually all alone in this world. He already had someone he loved. The assistant believed that no one in this world understood Lu Jinnian more than he did. He always knew that his background wasn¡¯t good, and he was an illegitimate child. Though he looked arrogant, cold, a lone wolf, virtuous and condescending, in fact, everyone saw he has a poor attitude... But who would of thought that although there were two sons of the Xu family, one was a young master with the world around his fingers, and the other had the lowest standing in society. Without rtives or anyone to care for him, he relied on his own hard work to survive his teens. The only reason why he looked like he was heartless was actually because he didn¡¯t want anyone to see his pitiful and weak side. The assistant believed that no one in this world could make Lu Jinnian feel warmth inside, besides Miss Qiao. Otherwise, when the man wasn¡¯t paying attention, he wouldn¡¯t have caught him staring at Miss Qiao, in a daze. Now that the baby was lost, he must be devastated beyond belief. Chapter 327: I am Sorry (7) Chapter 327: I am Sorry (7) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Outside Han Ruchu¡¯s bedroom, the steward silently called out to her, "Mrs Xu." Han Ruchu looked towards the sleeping Xu Wanli, climbing softly off the bed. She took a jacket before leaving the bedroom. With a finger to her lips, she signaled for the stewardess to be quiet while they walked down the stairs. The stewardess followed behind her closely. The both of them walked out of the house to the empty garden before the stewardess spoke. "Mrs. Xu, Miss Anhao has just been sent to the hospital, her baby having died in her stomach." The night waste and the stewardess spoke in a low voice, emphasizing thest coupe words. Han Ruchu clenched her jacket, forcing a calm expression on her face as she looked at the lotus flower that had blossomed. After a long while, she nodded. "I understand." She paused for a bit, then added, "You can leave now, I want to be alone." "Yes, Mrs. Xu," the stewardess replied and left respectfully. A cold breeze blew past. Han Ruchu looked out at the calm waters, taking a deep breath. To the eyes of others, she seemed to have the perfect family: a blissful marriage , a loving husband, and a filial son, but who knew that under the facade she had suffered so much? Until Xu Jiamu was three years old, she had naively believed that her life was indeed blissful, but that all ended when that women carried a child to the Xu family, that was when she knew that her blissful life was such a big joke! Her husband had actually left a child outside and that child was born on the same day as her son, the day when she was the proudest had actually be a humiliation. All these years, every time she celebrated her son¡¯s birthday, she would remember the child that her husband had outside. She hated him, she had also med him, and ever since then, her son was her whole world. She pampered him to no end, knowing that her son would never betray her. She had given all her love to Xu Jiamu, hence when she had found out from Qiao Anxia that her son was in love with Qiao Anhao, she had gone to Qiao family without hesitation to ask for her hand. Five years ago, the night of Qiao Anhao¡¯s birthday, she had been outside her home and had coincidentally bumped into Lu Jinnian¡¯s assistant. He was preparing to deliver a present for her to the the Qiao family¡¯s helper. At that time, she had intervened. The moment she saw the card from Lu Jinnian, she had helped to break any hope that Lu Jinnian had for Qiao Anhao on behalf of her son. The reason was simple, Qiao Anhao was the woman that her son loved, no one else was allowed to snatch her from him. Besides, Lu Jinnian was the person she hated the most, hence she told him straight in the face that Qiao Anhao and Xu Jiamu were going to marry, but at that time, the marriage hadn¡¯t been set, as they were both still young. If it wasn¡¯t for the ident which robbed her of her choices, she would have never let Lu Jinnian interact with Qiao Anhao. At that time, there wasn¡¯t any other choice, the only one in this world who could act as Xu Jiamu was Lu Jinnian. Chapter 328: I am Sorry (8) Chapter 328: I am Sorry (8) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem She didn¡¯t beg Lu Jinnian for help, but she was sure that he would definitely help her, for he liked Qiao Anhao. At that time, the situation was too rushed for her to consider it in depth. Who would have thought that the both of them would end up with a child! Xu Jiamu¡¯s feelings aside, Qiao Anhao was still Xu family¡¯s daughter-inw to the public. If the Xu family¡¯s daughter-inw were to be pregnant, everyone would assume that it belonged to Xu Jiamu, so once the child was born, the Xu family would be forced to ept the child. Previously, she had strongly objected to Lu Jinnian entering the Xu family, how could she let his child enter now? Qiao Anhao wasn¡¯t aware that she was pregnant, but as a mother, Han Ruchu knew that she would not bare to abort the child even if it wasn¡¯t nned. At that time, if she were to force Qiao Anhao to abort the child, that would cause tension between the two of them, and to protect her child, the two of them might end up on bad ties, which would not be beneficial to her at all. As long as Xu Jiamu was not awake, Lu Jinnian and Qiao Anhao were still useful. Hence, that afternoon, after pondering for a while, she decided that the best way was to... not let the baby have a chance to be born. - Lu Jinnian sat in a daze for a long while before standing to wash his face in the washroom. He then sat for another thirty minutes before Qiao Anhao was pushed out into her ward. Her face was pale as she slept in silence, oblivious to whatever had happened. Abortion wasn¡¯t a major operation, but there were many things to take note of: she couldn¡¯t afford to get cold, and needed plenty of rest, sex was also prohibited. The doctor listed everything out once, and Lu Jinnian memorized everything in detail. In the end, the doctor seemed to have recalled something, asking Lu Jinnian, "Has your wife always had trouble sleeping?" Lu Jinnian frowned slightly, he hadn¡¯t slept with her much, so he wasn¡¯t sure of her sleep quality. He turned to ask, "What¡¯s wrong?" "When I checked her blood, I realized there was arge trace of sleeping pills in her blood stream, which is why I was wondering if she has sleeping problems." Lu Jinnian frowned more, he had never known that she was reliant of sleeping pills. His heart clenched slightly, and he pressed his lips together not saying anything. "Too many sleeping pills would cause a dependency, you should advice her to stop taking it. It¡¯s extremely bad for health and she might have not known that she was pregnant, which is why she didn¡¯t stop her intake. Therge amount of sleeping pills won¡¯t affect her much, but it is different for a baby, causing the miscarriage." The doctor paused for a while before adding, " The main reason for the miscarriage were the sleeping pills." Chapter 329: I am Sorry (9) Chapter 329: I am Sorry (9) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem The doctor paused for a while before adding, " The main reason for the miscarriage were the sleeping pills." Lu Jinnian froze, his face paling. "Besides, the kind of sleeping pills that she is taking has aponent that would cause the user to be unconscious, causing her to still be asleep now. "During the operation, I gave your wife an anesthesia shot. That shot along with the her sleeping pills would let her sleep for a long while more. If she¡¯s fine after she wakes up, she can go home, but she may still be a little weak, so do make sure she has plenty of rest. After the surgery, she¡¯ll bleed for about a week. If the bleeding doesn¡¯t stop, you muste back for a check up." The doctor had said a lot and had tried to concise his words, but once he saw Lu Jinnian¡¯s expression, he hesitated and tried tofort him. "Mr. Lu, I hope you won¡¯t me yourself even though you are upset. The fact that the child is here means that you have made an effort with the mutual consent to not use any preventive measures. You might be upset to have lost a child, but your wife will definitely feel even worse, since it¡¯s a mother¡¯s nature. "Besides, if she were to know that she had caused the death of her child, she would feel guilty. That¡¯s why I decided to inform you about it beforehand, so that she won¡¯t be in shock when she finds out after she wakes up." Lu Jinnian couldn¡¯t exin the negativity in his heart. He felt in pain and lost, but his eyes stared calmly at the doctor. Mustering up a lot of energy, he murmured, "Yea, I understand." After a bit, he added, "Thank you." The doctor nodded formally then retreated with the others from the ward, leaving him alone and in silence. The lights in the ward were dim and yellow, blurring his vision. He stood at the same spot for a long time before turning to look at Qiao Anhao, who was lying on the bed. She had just been through a surgery. Her face was pale but peaceful, unaware of the tragedy that had just happened. If she were to find out that she had lost a child in her dreams and that the child died because of the sleeping pills that she had taken, what would she do? Be upset? Regret it? Break down? Or would she be devastated? In that instance, Lu Jinnian¡¯s mind was filled with the image of Qiao Anhao crying sadly. His heart clenched, and the the nurse¡¯s and doctor¡¯s words echoed in his head. "Let¡¯s not talk about the damage done to a body after a miscarriage... As a mother, if she knew that her own child had silently passed away, she¡¯d probably be heartbroken to death!" "You might be upset to have lost a child, but your wife will definitely feel even worse, since it¡¯s a mother¡¯s nature." Feel even worse... When he found out that his child had died, he felt as though every cell in his body had exploded; he had never felt such pain in his life. Chapter 330: I am Sorry (10) Chapter 330: I am Sorry (10) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem She would feel even worse, how bad would that be? Just the thought of it made him shudder, making him me himself more. They were right, it was indeed his mistake. He had loved her for so many years, and every single time they did it, it seemed like a dream. He never remembered to take contraceptive measures and she had also forgotten, causing the tragedy today. When they were still in school, boys from his dorm had also had an active sex life, but none of them had ended up killing a life. He remembered in one physical education lesson, a girl was not aware of her pregnancy and had participated in a marathon. In thest round, she started bleeding heavily. Afterwards, she realized that she had miscarried. That was back in high school, and the incident had severely damaged the reputation of their school. In the end, the girl was forced to leave. When she left with her belongings, her eyes were red and swollen, but the guy had found another girlfriend soon after. Every time the incident was brought up, the girl would be med for her indecency. There was another time in college, the guy that was living below his bunk bed, who had a rtively good background, had managed to get together with the most popr girl from the Chinese department. She had aborted three times because of him, but he had never cared, even showing off to the others when he got drunk. After he had graduated, he had dumped her, but by then, she wasn¡¯t able to get pregnant anymore. At that time, he didn¡¯t pay attention to any of those gossips, but today, after Qiao Anhao had a miscarriage and had to have an abortion, the memories seemed toe flooding into his mind. Back then, he didn¡¯t care, he just felt that the guys were jerks and the girls were pitiful. He had even sworn that if he managed to get together with Qiao Anhao, he would never let her endure such darkness, he would give her the best that he could. And yet he still allowed her to endure such a tragedy... If he hadn¡¯t touched her, if he had been able to control himself, if he had thought to take contraceptive measures... If he had thought about pregnancy nausea few days ago when he had touched her... if... Lu Jinnian¡¯s hands clenched into fists, his throat tight and choked up. Such a tragedy could have been prevented in so many ways, but he hadn¡¯t taken any. He had let her down. He had failed to give her the perfect life that he had promised. Lu Jinnian stayed up the entire night, guarding beside Qiao Anhao¡¯s bed. As the doctor had mentioned, the anesthesiasted a long time. She slept for a long time with no signs of waking. Halfway through, the doctor visited but left without saying much more than that she was in deep sleep. The next day at 7 am, Lu Jinnian called his assistant to drive him and Qiao Anhao back to Mian Xiu Garden. Madam Chen was already awake. When she saw the car, she ran out to greet them. Lu Jinnian carried Qiao Anhao, who was fast asleep, upstairs, into their room. With concern, Madam Chen asked, "Mr. Lu, what¡¯s wrong with Mrs. Lu?" Chapter 331: Im sorry, Im sorry (11) Chapter 331: I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m sorry (11) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem When Lu Jinnian changed his shoes, he remembered what Madam Chen had just said. Without shifting his eyes, he carried Qiao Anhao while telling Madam Chen, who was putting the shoes away, in a t tone, "Nothing much, the missus was just on her period." Lu Jinnian paused for a while, then remembered the doctor¡¯s instructions and said, "Make more nutritional foods for the missus to nourish the body." As soon as Madam Chen heard that it was the period, she instantly felt relieved and nodded without hesitation in response to Lu Jinnian¡¯s instructions. The bed cover and quilt cover on the bed had already been changed by Madam Chen. Lu Jinnian put Qiao Anhao down. He pulled over the covers and didn¡¯t forget to turn up the central heating in the room by two degrees. Then he walked out of the bedroom, back downstairs, and out. The assistant was still waiting at the door. Lu Jinnian silently nced over at the assistant, but then strode over to the back garden. The assistant hurriedly caught up. Lu Jinnian was far away from the mansion by the time he stopped. Having done an all-nighter, he pulled a cigarette out from his pocket. He lit it up and took two hard drags before he told the assistant, "I won¡¯t be going to the office for a while. If there¡¯s anything that can be pushed back, do that. If there¡¯s something really urgent, send me an email. I¡¯ll handle it at night. Try not to call me." Lu Jinnian took another hard drag and added in calm voice, "I want to stay at home with her for some time." The assistant knew the "her" Lu Jinnian mentioned referred to Qiao Anhao. He nodded and said, "Understood, Mr. Lu." Lu Jinnian thought about it for a moment, then instructed him, "Also, her scenes in ¡¯Alluring Times¡¯ for the next five days, dy them. The doctor says, she needs at least seven days rest." "I¡¯ll contact the director." Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t say anything. The assistant waited a while, and said, "Mr. Lu, is there anything else?" Lu Jinnian¡¯s eyes fell on a rose that bloomed not too far away. He stared straight at it for a long while before turning to say to the assistant, "Her... miscarriage, don¡¯t let her know..." "But what do we do if Miss Qiao senses something wrong?" "I¡¯ll tell Madam Chen that her period came, and I¡¯ll talk with the hospital. They won¡¯t leak any information. Also, check to see if anyone followed us and took photos. If they did, then stop them. I¡¯ve spoken to the doctor. They say that after the operation, besides feeling weak, she¡¯ll feel a little bloated, no different from a period." Lu Jinnian took another drag, and with hints of sadness in his voice said, "No matter what happens, just do as I tell you to. I just can¡¯t imagine what would happen if I told her when she woke up that she¡¯d lost her child, not to mention..." At this point, Lu Jinnian felt like something was lodged in his throat. It was unbearably painful. He stopped for a long while. His voice quivered slightly when he spoke again. "This was all my fault to begin with, let me be the only one punished. I really don¡¯t want to see her sad." If it weren¡¯t for him,st night¡¯s tragedy would have never had happened. Considering she spentst night unconscious, and knew nothing, let her continue to stay that way. The loss of a child. The insufferable pain. That kind of pain, only he should have to endure. Chapter 332: Im sorry, Im sorry (12) Chapter 332: I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m sorry (12) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem The assistant looked on silently, watching as Lu Jinnian took one drag after another. At that exact moment in time, his face clearly lookedid-back and virtuous, but yet, he gave off hints of devotion and persistence. In that instant, the assistant didn¡¯t quite know what to say. From the bottom of his heart, he thought that a lot of people made mistakes in this world and worked hard to keep it hidden, but mostly so that others didn¡¯t hate them or because they didn¡¯t dare face the truth in their heart. Yet Mr. Lu was hiding because it was too painful. The two of them were silent for a long time before the assistant snapped out of his wild thoughts. He broke the silence. "Mr. Lu, if there¡¯s nothing else, I¡¯ll be o to the my way to the office now." Lu Jinnian nodded with a "mm". The assistant slightly bowed, then turned to leave. - Qiao Anhao woke up at three in the afternoon. After sleeping for as long as eighteen hours, when she opened her eyes, her mind was a little fragmented, and her memory didn¡¯t quite connect together. She nklyid in bed for a while, before she realized that she was in her room in Mian Xiu Garden. Then she slowly remembered that she was clearly watching tvst night when she fell asleep for some reason. Qiao Anhao tilted her head, and nced over at the time on the wall. It was already three in the afternoon. She actually slept for that long? Surprised, she wanted to get out of bed, but she realized that her entire body was so weak that she hardly had any strength in her. She furrowed her brows, feeling that something was wrong with her body; she had lost a lot of strength. Uncertain, she flipped the covers over and got out of bed. There wasn¡¯t a single person in the bedroom. Beyond the closed windows, the sun was bright. Qiao Anhao treaded on the fluffy rug on the floor and walked out of the bedroom. She walked bare-footed across the cold floorboards towards the railings. Then she called downstairs. "Madam Chen?" Perhaps it was because she had slept for so long, her voice was a little hoarse. She clearly tried to shout, but her voice was very low. So she cleared her throat and tried again, louder this time. "Madam Chen!" Who would have guessed, Madam Chen didn¡¯t appear, but the study room door nearby opened. Qiao Anhao turned her head to see Lu Jinnian walk out. She was a little astonished to find him home, and stood stunned for a while. The next second, Lu Jinnian furrowed his brows, taking big strides over to her and unexpectedly picking her up in his arms. Then he gently asked, "Why are you calling for Madam Chen?" Qiao Anhao was a little stunned by Lu Jinnian¡¯s sweep. She blinked, then answered, "I¡¯m thirsty." Lu Jinnian turned his head and cried out, "Madam Chen." His voice was louder than hers by far. Madam Chen immediately ran out of a room on the first floor. "Mr. Lu, what are your orders?" As Madam Chen asked, she lifted her head to see Qiao Anhao in Lu Jinnian¡¯s arms. With surprise in her eyes, she immediately asked, "Missus, you¡¯re awake?" "Pour a cup of water, send it up." Lu Jinnian impassively threw her those words. With Qiao Anhao in his arms, he walked back into the room and put her down on the bed. He pulled over the covers, then said, "Your body isn¡¯t well right now, you must rest more in bed." Qiao Anhao heard Lu Jinnian¡¯s words, then came to the realization that her stomach felt bloated, and there was a sanitary pad in her underwear. Her period actually arrived whilst she was asleep? Chapter 333: Im sorry (13) Chapter 333: I¡¯m sorry (13) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Her period actually arrived whilst she was asleep? The sanitary pad, who helped her put it in? Suspicion shed across her mind. Madam Chen brought up a cup of water. "Missus, you¡¯re finally awake. You slept really hardst night. You didn¡¯t even notice that you were on your period. In the end, Mr. Lu discovered it." Lu Jinnian discovered it? So that¡¯s to say, he came back to Mian Xiu Gardenst night? Madam Chen, who liked to chatter, continued on, "At first, Mr. Lu didn¡¯t know your period came when he saw you bleeding. He thought something had happened to you, so he hurriedly carried you and rushed you over to the hospital. You really firghtened me at the time." Was there really such a blunder? Yet Qiao Anhao didn¡¯t want to smile the least bit, because all she could think about was the thought of Lu Jinnian helping her put in the sanitary pad. Qiao Anhao¡¯s face heated up in a instant, and she couldn¡¯t help but nce over at Lu Jinnian. Lu Jinnian¡¯s expression was calm as usual. Ever since he took the cup from madam Chen, it was like he felt some warmth. He held it for a while before striding over to the bedside. As he drew closer, Qiao Anhao¡¯s face heated up, and she couldn¡¯t help but lower her head. Madam Chen, who still stood to a side, said, "Missus, thank goodness your period came. At the time, I thought you had a miscarriage..." When Lu Jinnian heard those words, a flustered look shed across his eyes. But then he quickly regained hisposure, casually interrupting Madam Chen, "Missus just woke up, she must be hungry. Did you cook soup? Bring it up." Lu Jinnian¡¯s reminder made Madam Chen remember important business. She immediately said, "I¡¯ll go now." Then she turned around and ran down the stairs. Qiao Anhao¡¯s mind was filled with the thought of Lu Jinnian putting in the sanitary pad for her. She simply didn¡¯t pay attention to what Madam Chen had been saying. Not to mention, since she started feeling bloated yesterday afternoon, she though her period wasing, so she didn¡¯t think much of it. Lu Jinnian saw that Qiao Anhao¡¯s expression looked quite normal, and it left him at ease. He brought the cup to her. "Didn¡¯t you want a drink?" When Qiao Anhao heard Lu Jinnian¡¯s voice, her face was almost blood-red. She quickly lifted her head and nced up at him. Then she took the cup, lowered her eyes, and drank the water. After Qiao Anhao drank half the cup, Madam Chen brought over some food. Having brought the tray to the bedside cab, she picked up the soup, stirred it a little, and was ready to feed Qiao Anhao, when Lu Jinnian, who was standing nearby, said tly, "Let me." By the time he said it, he had already sat down by the bed and was moving to tentatively put two pillows behind Qiao Anhao. Madam Chen froze, then immediately handed Lu Jinnian the soup with enthusiasm. Lu Jinnian scooped a spoonful of soup, blew on it, and brought it near Qiao Anhao¡¯s lips. Qiao Anhao was a little shocked by the affection. She furrowed her brows and hesitated for a bit, to confirm she wasn¡¯t in a dream. Then she opened her mouth and ate the soup. When Lu Jinnian finished feeding her soup, he started to feed her rice. Madam Chen made steamed fish. With every piece he picked up, Lu Jinnian was afraid there were bones in it. His expression was very focused and serious. It was as though he was carrying out really important work. Qiao Anhao couldn¡¯t help but feel a little stunned. She still felt that this moment she was living now was just like a dream. Chapter 334: Im sorry (14) Chapter 334: I¡¯m sorry (14) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Qiao Anhao nkly let Lu Jinnian feed her, one mouthful at a time, until she shook her head at him, too full to eat anymore. Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t push her. He put the chopsticks down and shot Madam Chen a look. She instinctively knew to take the tray away and walk out of the room. Lu Jinnian took the pillows behind Qiao Anhao away for her toy down, not forgetting to pull the covers over her. Qiao Anhao had slept for so long. Even though her body was weak, she wasn¡¯t very sleepy. She was a little bored of justying there, and so she wanted to get up to grab her phone, but then, Lu Jinnian, who had just pulled the covers over her, said, "What do you want to do?" Qiao Anhao, who was stunned for a moment, lifted her head and innocently looked up at him, saying, "Get my phone." Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t say a word but walked to the coffee table, picked up her phone, and handed it over to her. Qiao Anhao sat up again, embarrassed, and took her phone. She randomly browsed through some websites, but she couldn¡¯t get into it at all. Every now and then, her eyes would look over at Lu Jinnian, who was sitting on the sofa. Since they¡¯ve known each other, at the calmest times of their rtionship, he would always be cold and distant in front of her. However, today, he was so considerate and gentle. There were even hints of docile indulgence and spoiling, which left her a little embarrassed and at aplete loss. Also, when her stomach was in pain, he had bought her medicine... When she continuously made NGs, and she came out for fresh air, he hade out to give her his jacket... So it was true that he hadn¡¯t treated her that bad recently, but today was particrly nice... Qiao Anhao started to waver. She really didn¡¯t want to argue about what happened that night of his birthday and would have been d tofortably and harmoniously get along with him, yet she was also afraid of when he would suddenly be cold and heartless again. Her feelings were extremelyplicated. In the end, Qiao Anhao, who was weak from surgery, fell asleep once again. - This time, Qiao Anhao only took a short nap. She woke up at seven something in the evening. As she ate lunch a littlete, she wasn¡¯t hungry, and so she sat in her bed watching TV. When it reached nine something at night, she then had dinner. At eleven, Lu Jinnian ordered Madam Chen downstairs to make her a cup of hot milk. Madam Chen said she would do so, and went into the kitchen. When she opened th fridge to get milk, she remembered that Qiao Anhao had brought home swallow¡¯s nest a few days ago, so she turned her head, asking Lu Jinnian, "Mr. Lu, there¡¯s swallow¡¯s nest at home, would you like me to heat it up for supper?" Lu Jinnian answered from upstairs, walking out from his study, "Heat it up just for the missus." "Mr. Lu, you¡¯re not eating it? But the missus brought the swallow¡¯s nest home." "Missus bought it?" Lu Jinnian asked Madam Chen. His footsteps halted, and he stood listening, interested. He turned his head and looked down the stairs. "It didn¡¯t seem like Missus bought them." Madam Chen wasn¡¯t particrly clear on the whole story, and so she hesitated to speak out of turn. "Missus brought them back from set one day, and also, they were unpacked." Brought them back from set? Lu Jinnian suddenly remembered that Qiao Anhao had visited Xu Jiamu in the hospital a few days before, and it was the Xu family¡¯s chauffeur who had taken her back to the hotel that night. At the time, he even gave her two boxes of something. That day, he sat in the parked car far away, and so he couldn¡¯t take a good look at what those two boxes were. Could it have been the swallow¡¯s nest? Lu Jinnian furrowed his brows, and as though lightning had struck his mind, a series of thoughts shed through his mind... Chapter 335: Im Sorry (15) Chapter 335: I¡¯m Sorry (15) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Lu Jinnian furrowed his brows, and as though lightning had struck his mind, a series of thoughts shed through his head... He was clear that Qiao Anhao had been vomiting that morning, but he had simply assumed that she had gastric problems. He had even forced her to visit the hospital, but after she entered the car, she had received a call from Han Ruchu regarding Xu Jiamu... After that day, her vomiting seemed to have subsided, so he assumed that she was getting better and had calmed down a little... On hindsight, Qiao Anhao never seemed to have gastric problems, the nausea was because of the pregnancy and when she had a miscarriage, the nausea stopped as well. "Mr. Lu?" Madam Chen looked at Lu Jinnian, who stood by the stairs in silence, his gaze focused on themp in the living room. He looked to be deep in thought. When he came back to his senses, there wasn¡¯t much expression on his face. In his usual calm, frosty voice, he replied, "Forget it, heat some milk for Mrs. Lu, she just ate an hour ago, she¡¯s probably still full." "Yes, Mr. Lu." Lu Jinnian nodded. Madam Chen walked back to the kitchen, and Lu Jinnian¡¯s gaze fell back to themp. When Madam Chen heated some milk and brought it out of the kitchen, she noticed that Lu Jinnian was still standing by the stairs. She was mesmerized for a heartbeat. The dim warm lights from above the stairs scattered across his face, blurring his features. She froze slightly. "Mr. Lu? Why are you still here?" "Yea," he replied faintly before looking towards the milk in her hands. "Give it to me." Madam Chen hurriedly brought the cup over. Lu Jinnian turned and walked back up to the bedroom where Qiao Anhao was cuddled in, watching television. When she heard the door open, she took a quick look before focusing her attention back on the television. Lu Jinnian walked to the bed and passed the milk over. "Madam Chen just heated it." Qiao Anhao looked up at him, her gaze staying a while longer, seemingly in a struggle. In the end, she reached out and hugged the cup of milk with both hands, taking small sips as she watched the television. Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t leave. He stood by the bed, his gaze on Qiao Anhao. Then he suddenly asked, "Have you been sleeping badly?" "No.." Qiao Anhao was confused by his random question, she shook her head and turned to look at him. "Why?" "Nothing," he replied faintly before taking two steps back to lean on the vanity table. After a while, he asked again, "I heard that you brought some swallow¡¯s nest back home?" Qiao Anhao took another sip of milk before nodding. "You like it? There isn¡¯t much left, I¡¯ll get Madam Chen to buy more tomorrow," Lu Jinnian said without emotion in his voice. Lu Jinnian seemed to be trying to talk to her... Even though Qiao Anhao had been upset and had made up her mind to ignore him, she could no longer suppress herself after all his kind acts. Chapter 336: Im Sorry (16) Chapter 336: I¡¯m Sorry (16) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem "It¡¯s fine," Qiao Anhao rejected decisively, but when she saw Lu Jinnian¡¯s lips press together, her heart clenched slightly. She held onto the cup of milk a little tighter, her eyes lowered. After a moment of silence, she spoke again. "I don¡¯t really like the swallow¡¯s nest, it was given to me by Mrs. Xu a few days ago when I visited her house. I gave a portion to Zhao Meng and kept the rest." The swallow¡¯s nest was indeed given by Han Ruchu... when he was downstairs, he had suspected, but he needed a confirmation from Qiao Anhao, besides, she mentioned that she didn¡¯t have trouble sleeping. Just then, a wild thought entered his mind. He wasn¡¯t sure if it was true, but ever since he was young, he didn¡¯t have a good rtionship with Han Ruchu, hence he might be over thinking. Lu Jinnian remained silent, nodding towards Qiao Anhao before replying causally, "Oh..." "Yea," Qiao Anhao agreed faintly, not knowing how to continue. Silence fell on the room. Qiao Anhao continued to drink her milk, and when she finished, Lu Jinnian reached out his arm to take cup. He then removed the pillow she had used for back rest, then faintly said, " Sleep." Qiao Anhao didn¡¯t reply, sheid down silently and shut her eyes. She could vaguely feel Lu Jinnian standing by the door, looking down at her for a while before leaving the room. Lu Jinnian ced the empty cup in the kitchen basin and retrieved a paper towel to wipe his wet hands. Instead of returning to the bedroom, he walked to the side of the kitchen to send his assistant a text, [Come to Mian Xiu Garden.] After less than a minute, his assistant replied. Lu Jinnian ced the phone back into his pocket and returned to the bedroom as though nothing had happened. Qiao Anhaoid on the bed, seemingly asleep. He switched off the main lights, leaving only a tiny night light on, then walked to the edge of the bed and covered her with a nket before dimming the night light, after which he walked to the balcony. Qiao Anhao was still awake. The bedroom was silent, and even though Lu Jinnian had tried to keep quiet, she could still hear and sense him when he was close, or when he had walked away. When he had tucked her in, her entire body was tensed up. After a seemingly long time, she finally entered deep sleep. Lu Jinnian¡¯s phone vibrated, and when he reached for it, he saw a text from his assistant. He looked out the window and saw a car arriving. He turned, then before leaving the room, he took onest look at Qiao Anhao. Downstairs, he walked to the kitchen and removed a bottle of birds nest before walking out of the house. His assistant was already waiting for him. Deep in the night, there was barely any sound. Lu Jinnian ced his finger on his lips to signal for his assistant to keep quiet as he led them away from the house. Chapter 337: Im Sorry (17) Chapter 337: I¡¯m Sorry (17) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Only when they reached the outside of the front yard did Lu Jinnian stop. He passed the bottle of swallow¡¯s nest over to his assistant and instructed, "Check the contents. Remember to find a trustworthy doctor and don¡¯t let anyone in the Xu family find out, inform me immediately when the results are out." - In the past, Qiao Anhao would feel weak and exhausted whenever she was on her period, but it was never as bad as she was feeling right now, it was as though she was having a grave illness. Her entire body was lifeless and weak, and she spent a huge amount of time in deep sleep. Every time she woke up, Lu Jinnian would be in the room, either giving her drinks or feeding her meals. Initially, she had been confused by his warm and caring act and didn¡¯t know how to react, but gradually, she got used to him. After about five days, she had nned to return back to filming, but the director received a call and pushed back the filming by two more days. The first three days, Qiao Anhao had bled immensely, but gradually, the flow decreased and by the sixth day, the bleeding stopped. Her body was no longer as weak as before and she could start to move about and eat her meals downstairs in the dinning area. Lu Jinnian seemed to be on a long holiday. He didn¡¯t leave the house and would stay in the mansion with her. Even though Qiao Anhao was still a little bothered by his actions on the day of his birthday, they still managed to have a peaceful rtionship that wasn¡¯t as intimate as before. On the seventh day, the bleeding was no more and she became less exhausted, even her afternoon naps were starting to decrease in duration. When she went to sleep at 1.30 pm, she would wake up by 2 pm. When she woke up, she would look around the bedroom instinctively and when she couldn¡¯t see Lu Jinnian, she would feel a hint of disappointment. In the past, she would be able to see him in the bedroom whenever she woke up... Qiao Anhao became moody instantly. She put on her slippers and began to head downstairs. After scanning the entire living room, she still couldn¡¯t find Lu Jinnian. Madam Chen was watching the television in the living room when she saw Qiao Anhao. She stood up immediately, asking, "Mrs. Lu, you¡¯re awake?" "Yea," Qiao Anhao murmured, walking to the water cooler to get a cup of water. She took a sip before putting the cup down and asking, "Where¡¯s Lu Jinnian?" "Mr. Lu? Isn¡¯t he upstairs?" Madam Chen asked with doubt. She then added, "After he took his meal, he went up and did note back down." "Oh," Qiao Anhao replied, returning back upstairs. She went to the bathroom in the bedroom, then entered the changing room, but Lu Jinnian was nowhere to be seen. Hence she walked to the study room. It wasn¡¯t locked. She turned the knob lightly, pushing the door open... While Qiao Anhao was asleep, Lu Jinnian had received a text from his assistant, ["Mr. Lu, the results are out.] Chapter 338: Im Sorry (18) Chapter 338: I¡¯m Sorry (18) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Lu Jinnian stared at the text, starting to feel anxious. He stared at the sleeping Qiao Anhao for a moment before turning to walk out of the bedroom to his study room to call his assistant. The man picked up instantly. Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t say anything, but his assistant was already used to how their conversations worked. He started to report the news, "Mr. Lu, I found a trustworthy friend from college to do the check and the next day the results were out, but my friend was overseas and he just came back. I went to find him this afternoon." "Yea," Lu Jinnian replied, indicating that he was listening. The assistant didn¡¯t jump straight to the point, but instead asked him, "Mr. Lu, where did you get the swallow¡¯s nest?" Lu Jinnian frowned, starting to feel uneasy The assistant remembered that the night that Lu Jinnian had gotten him to investigate the contents of the swallow¡¯s nest, he had made sure to remind him not to let the Xu family find out, hence he asked, "Mr. Lu, is this from the Xu family?" Lu Jinnian remained silent. His assistant seemed to have received a reaffirmation since he continued, "Did Miss Qiao eat the swallow¡¯s nest?" Lu Jinnian seemed to have had his suspicions confirmed. In a hoarse voice drenched with anxiety and menace, he asked, "Are there sleeping pills in the swallow¡¯s nest?" The assistant remained silent. Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t rush him, waiting patiently. After a long while, the man spoke again. "Mr. Lu, there are indeed sleeping pills in the swallow¡¯s nest. There isn¡¯t a lot, but it has a calmingponent that inrge quantities would cause the user to be unconscious." Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t have the ability to figure out the truth at first nce, but when Madam Chen had mentioned that she had taken the swallow¡¯s nest from the set, he started to suspect and had tried to pry the information from Qiao Anhao. Rather than to call it suspicion, it would be more appropriate to name it intuition. It was the same intuition that he had felt the night that his and Qiao Anhao¡¯s child had died. That day, he had felt uneasy and weird, hence deciding to return back to Mian Xiu Garden. Because of that same intuition, he had gotten his assistant to check the swallow¡¯s nest. He had thought that the results would be out by the second day, but it had dragged on for such a long time. He didn¡¯t rush his assistant the entire time, for deep down he probably already had an answer, he just wasn¡¯t in the right mind to ept it yet. In the end, it was exactly what he had guessed, there were sleeping pills in the swallow¡¯s nest. Sleeping pills.... Lu Jinnian¡¯s fingers started to tremble more and more. His lips pressed into a thin line, not able to say a word. His eyes became bloodshot, turning a deep shade of red, a menace tainting his face. His breathing grew morebored, and he snarled, "She killed my child..." The assistant seemed to have wanted to say something, but the moment he heard Lu Jinnian, a shiver ran through his spine. He asked, "Mr. Lu?" Chapter 339: Im sorry (19) Chapter 339: I¡¯m sorry (19) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t hear his assistant, he just continually repeated in a tone soaked through with menace, "Killed my child..." His assistant finally heard what Lu Jinnian was saying, but he couldn¡¯t process what he was implying, hence he asked, "Mr. Lu, you mean that after Miss Qiao took the swallow¡¯s nest from the Xu family she had a miscarriage? "Miscarriage", the word woke Lu Jinnian instantly. His usual demeanor was long gone. He was agitated, hurriedly hanging up on the call and smashing the phone against the wall. There was a painting on the wall, and he hit it with his throw, causing the painting to break into pieces. A eeriea darkness clouded his face, he turned to look at the broken painting without any emotion. His chest was aze with a fiery me that was burning his insides. He had a strong urge to run to Xu family and tear every member into pieces, to thoroughly destroy every one of them. He was always aware that the Xu family hated him because of the mistakes made by his mother, but how could they go after his child? Once when he was young, Lu Jinnian had med his father and hated the Xu family, but never with the intensity that he was feeling right now. The more he thought of them, the more angry he got. His hatred was like a dagger, digging deep into his heart, as though he was going to die from pain alone. In the end, he seemed to have lost control, for he raised his leg and smashed the coffee table. The ss shattered everywhere, but he still wasn¡¯t satisfied, he continued to vent his anger, tossing and smashing everything in sight. The standingmp,puter, documents, tablemp... Everything in sight was smashed, even the study table, the cupboard, and the books in it were all strewn across the floor. Lu Jinnian smashed till there was nothing left in the standing in the room. Only then did he stop, panting uncontrobly, his eyes bloodshot as he scanned the surrounding wall paper. In that instance, he felt as though all his energy had left his body, and heid down on the floor. There were many broken pieces on the floor, cutting into his skin. Blood dripped everywhere, but he couldn¡¯t feel anything and continued to lie on the ground. Chapter 340: Im Sorry (20) Chapter 340: I¡¯m Sorry (20) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem As silence fell, his anger seem to dissipate, leaving a deep sense of self me and sorrow. If it wasn¡¯t his child in her stomach, she might not have been hurt in such a way. If he had been more insistent when he got her to visit the doctor, he would have known of her pregnancy before them and could have put preventive measures in ce. He didn¡¯t find out early enough, failing to protect her and their child. It was him who had let her down. It was all his fault, his birth being the start of the mistake. When he was three years old, he had gotten leukemia and his mother had knelt outside Xu family¡¯s mansion, begging them to save his life, and from then on, his life was deeply entangled with the life of the Xu family. He promised to love her with all his ability, how did he bring her harm? Lu Jinnian¡¯s breathing became irregr, his blood pumping fast and strong. Even though it was autumn, he felt icy cold, his whole body no better than ice. But no matter how much his body hurt, it could not be on par with the pain he felt in his heart... That child was just two months old¡ªhe hadn¡¯t even formed fully¡ªyet he was taken away from this world so silently... Qiao Anhao was a child that they had known since young, how could they harm her? How ruthless must they be to have done such a thing? Lu Jinnian seemed to have lost all sense, only feeling a coppery taste in his mouth, forcing itself out. He couldn¡¯t seem to hold it in any longer, vomiting a mouthful of blood. - The door to Lu Jinnian¡¯s study room wasn¡¯t locked. Qiao Anhao lightly pushed, and it opened. The study room was silent. She stuck her head in instinctively, and froze at the sight. The study room was no longer how it looked before, the exquisite and grand decor long gone. It was a hideous mess now. Qiao Anhao stood in a daze for about a minute before getting her senses back. She forced the shock down and walked in to take a closer look. In the middle of the room floor, Lu Jinniany with his eyes wide open, as he stared at the ceiling. He seemed to be in deep thought, his face a mask of misery. Qiao Anhao felt her heart clench. The next moment, she saw him spit out a mouthful of blood, his face turning white. "Lu Jinnian!" she screamed, running into the study room. As she approached, she realized that there were multiple cuts on his body, caused by the ss shards on the floor. Her heart sank. Instinctively, she froze momentarily, then reached out to help him up. But the moment she touched his arm, he seemed to have been electrocuted, tossing her hand away instantly, then pushing her onto the floor. The spot that shended didn¡¯t have any ss, but her arm had hit onto themp, causing a cut to form. Qiao Anhao frowned, but she didn¡¯t look at her injury. Her gaze was focused on Lu Jinnian. His perfect features appeared cold and distant, his eyes holding a menacing glint. Chapter 341: Im Sorry (21) Chapter 341: I¡¯m Sorry (21) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem It wasn¡¯t the first time Qiao Anhao had seen him having a fit, but it was never with such an intensity. He was filled with so much hatred that it scared her. Qiao Anhao was slightly frightened. She wanted to approach him but paused, looking at him for a long while. When she confirmed that he wasn¡¯t going to do anything sudden or extreme, she reached out a hand towards his arm. After touching him, she reached back swiftly, to ensure that he wasn¡¯t going to push her away again. Since he didn¡¯t react, with slightly more courage this time, she moved over gingerly, calling out his name softly. Qiao Anhao didn¡¯t have much courage, hence she only dared to call him softly in a faint voice that seemed to have came with the wind. The voice had a magical effect on Lu Jinnian, calming his angry heart, bringing his sense back, bit by bit. With bloodshot eyes, he finally managed to focus and turned to look at Qiao Anhao¡¯s careful yet protective face. That was when he fully awoke. Madam Chen, who was watching television, had heard Qiao Anhao¡¯s scream and had shouted "Mrs. Lu" several times worriedly from below. But when there was no response, she had hurriedly ran up towards the open study room. The sight startled her. When she saw Lu Jinnian¡¯s state, she shouted in shock, "Mr. Lu, what¡¯s wrong?" She walked over, eximing, "Mr. Lu, why do you have so many cuts? I¡¯ll call for the doctor!" "No need for that..." After Lu Jinnian¡¯s mother had died in the hospital, he had never liked to see doctors and had never once called for the family one. Even with so many cuts, he felt that it wasn¡¯t serious enough, dismissing Madam Chen. "But.." He had so many cuts... And it was currently summer, exposing his injuries to infection. What if there were ss shards left in his body? Madam Chen had wanted to argue more, but she turned and saw Qiao Anhao¡¯s injured arm, and immediately eximed again, "Mrs. Lu, why are you injured as well? It might leave a scar if not properly treated." Lu Jinnian immediately looked over at her arm, the sight of of her injured arm bringing the roughness of his actions to mind. He frowned and without hesitationmanded, "Why are you still in a daze? Hurry and call for the doctor." After achieving her aim, Madam Chen replied with a faint "Yea" before rushing to make the call. Madam Chen called the private hospital closest to Mian Xiu Garden. After about ten minutes, the doctor arrived. By then, both Qiao Anhao and Lu Jinnian had returned to the bedroom. Madam Chen brought the doctor over to them. Aspared to Lu Jinnian¡¯s injury, Qiao Anhao¡¯s was considered minor, there wasn¡¯t a need to call for the doctor. Even if she didn¡¯t disinfect the wound, it would fully recover in a few days. Hence, Madam Chen pointed to Lu Jinnian, who was on the sofa. "You can treat Mr. Lu¡¯s injuries first." Chapter 342: Im Sorry (22) Chapter 342: I¡¯m Sorry (22) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem The doctor ced his bag down, and when he was about to check on Lu Jinnian, he spoke in a faint voice, "Treat her first." "I¡¯m fine." Qiao Anhao didn¡¯t even feel pain anymore, hence she shook her head. The both of them kept pushing the doctor away, so he stood still, unsure of what to do. He looked at Qiao Anhao then at Lu Jinnian before finally silently using his eyes to plead them for advice. Qiao Anhao spoke again. "He vomited blood just now, find out whats wrong." "Treat her." After Qiao Anhao had finished her sentence, Lu Jinnian spoke again in a calm tone, his voiceced with authority and forcefulness, as though he was afraid that Qiao Anhao would defy him once more. Turning to her, with a much warmer and softer voice, he said, "You go first." Without hesitation, the doctor walked to Qiao Anhao. "I¡¯m sorry, could you show me your arm?" Qiao Anhao had wanted to argue more, but when she heard Lu Jinnian¡¯s "You go first", she just shut her mouth and reached her arm out to show the doctor. The cut wasn¡¯t serious and anyone could have treated it. The doctor skillfully disinfected and wrapped it up. After five minutes, everything was done. He turned to Lu Jinnian. "Mr. Lu, it¡¯s your turn." Lu Jinnian ignored him, asking instead, "How much is it?" The doctor was startled, how much? Does that mean that he came over just to treat such a small injury? Qiao Anhao frowned, but before she could speak, Madam Chen said anxiously, "Mr. Lu, you haven¡¯t been treated yet." "There¡¯s no need for that," Lu Jinnian replied impatiently, ring at Madam Chen, and signaled for her to send the doctor off. "Madam Chen, pay the bill and lead him out." "Mr. Lu..." "I said it¡¯s fine," Lu Jinnian cut her off. "Mrs. Lu.." Madam Chen looked at the blood stained shirt and pleaded towards Qiao Anhao. Qiao Anhao looked at Lu Jinnian. She was aware that he didn¡¯t like doctors and would not get treated by them even if he was seriously injured. She bit her lip before standing to smile apologetically at the doctor. "I¡¯m sorry to have troubled you toe here, let me send you down." Madam Chen looked with worry at Lu Jinnian, but she had no right to make anyment. She followed behind Qiao Anhao as she sent the doctor down. Before sending the doctor out, she asked, "Doctor, can you give me some medicine that can be used to treat injuries? Madam Chen will settle the bill with you." The doctor nodded, opening his bag to take a bottle of disinfectant, some medicine, bandages, and sters out. He thought for a bit before handing her a box of anti-inmmatory medicine as well, informing her of the dosage and how often it should be taken. Qiao Anhao wrote everything down before letting Madam Chen send the doctor out. With the items the doctor had given her, she went back upstairs. When she entered the room, she found Lu Jinnian smoking in front of the window. She ced everything on the sofa, then tookrge strides towards him. Wordlessly, she reached out and snatched his cigarette. Chapter 343: Im Sorry (23) Chapter 343: I¡¯m Sorry (23) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem "How can you smoke when you have so many injuries?" Qiao Anhao chastised, throwing the cigarette into the ash tray. When she saw a pack of cigarettes and a lighter in his other hand, she snatched then over without hesitation, throwing them into the rubbish bin. Her actions were smooth and swift, and Lu Jinnian looked at her without any anger or me. After dealing with the smoke, she pulled him to the sofa. Lu Jinnian looked down at her small hands that had grabbed him, his eyes turning gentle. Without any resistance, he followed her obediently like amb. Qiao Anhao pointed to the sofa and instructed, "Sit." She took an antiseptic towel and started to wipe her hands. Lu Jinnian remained silent, sitting on the sofa obediently. Qiao Anhao knelt in front of the coffee table and started fiddling with the medicine that the doctor had given her. She took a cotton wool ball out and tore the wrapper. Turning to Lu Jinnian, shemanded again, "Take off your shirt." Qiao Anhao tapped the cotton wool ball in antiseptic before starting to disinfect his wounds, her heart clenching with each swipe. His back to her, there was a faint smile on his face. The ss shards were tiny, so even though there were many injuries, they weren¡¯t deep and the blood had already stopped flowing. Qiao Anhao disinfected them, one by one, before applying the medicine. Lu Jinnian could feel the gentleness of her hands caressing his wounds. The anger started dissipating, leaving heartache and tenderness behind. After Madam Chen had sent the doctor off, she went back upstairs to check on them. When she reached the bedroom door, she could see from the opening that Lu Jinnian was sitting on the sofa while Qiao Anhao at the side, helping him apply the medicine. Even though there wasn¡¯t a conversation, through the dim light scattering on their bodies, she could tell that it was a peaceful moment and that her worries were unfounded. Madam Chen didn¡¯t disturb them, she went back down silently. After Qiao Anhao had applied the medicine, she poured a cup of water and passed it to Lu Jinnian. She took four pills and pushed them to him. In a light voice, she said, "Have some anti-inmmatory pills, this is to prevent infection. And you can¡¯t shower today, it¡¯ll probably scab and be better by tomorrow." Even though there wasn¡¯t much emotion on Lu Jinnian¡¯s face, but deep inside he felt all warm and tingly. He didn¡¯t object or hesitate, reaching over to take the pills and swallowing them. Qiao Anhao looked as Lu Jinnian drank the cup of water. After a while, she asked in exasperation, "What exactly happened to make you so mad?" Lu Jinnian felt his throat choke up. He remained silent for a long while, trying to force his saliva down. "Company matters." Chapter 344: Im Sorry (24) Chapter 344: I¡¯m Sorry (24) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem When Lu Jinnian replied, Qiao Anhao could see a murderous glint in his eyes. She knew that he wasn¡¯t being honest, and she also knew that the lie was to humor her, but if he wasn¡¯t willing to tell her the truth, she would never force it out, regardless of how curious she was. It was definitely an extremely painful and torturous thing. Any woman that was treated in such a fickle way by the man she loved would feel a sense of despair and uneasiness. Qiao Anhao was well aware that he didn¡¯t love her, but when their rtionship had slightly gotten better, she couldn¡¯t help sinking deeper and deeper. But on the day of his birthday, she had woken uppletely and had been reminding herself since not to be deceived anymore. But what does it mean to really love someone? Was it knowing that even though he didn¡¯t love you, that he could hurt you, you still couldn¡¯t help worrying and showing concern when he was down? That was because you would hope that he was happy, and because you would be affected when he was sad. Qiao Anhao knew that she didn¡¯t have a backbone. She should have stopped loving him on the day of his birthday, when he had treated her that way, but she couldn¡¯t. She had been loving him for thirteen years, loved him for his strength and his ws. One could say that she was silly or maybe even dumb, but by that moment, she had ignored him for far too many days. Right then, all she was left with was care and concern. In a small voice, she said, "Don¡¯t be sad, no matter what it is, it¡¯ll be over with in time. Remember never to hurt yourself, even if you¡¯re angry." Sometimes, the person you love would have a mysterious power over you, a simple sentence would be enough to melt youpletely. Qiao Anhao¡¯s words were like a pot of honey, wrapping Lu Jinnian in warmth and sweetness, gratitude and love, spreading straight to his heart. He turned his head to look at her and saw that her hand was wrapped in a bandage. When his eyes rose to her face, he seemed to be in deep thought and wanted to say something but nothing came out. In the end, he reached his hand out to pull her into his arms. He hugged her tightly, his eyes starting to sting, his heart warm and full. In a low voice, he said. "I¡¯m sorry I hurt you." Qiao Anhao¡¯s heart melted. If it had been a second ago, she would still have been thinking of the bad things that he had done to her, but right now, she no longer cared. She lifted her arm and circled his waist, then assured him, "It¡¯s all right." Lu Jinnian rubbed his chin on the tip of her head. After a while, he spoke again. "I¡¯m sorry." Qiao Anhao thought that he was still apologizing for the injury on her arm, hence she said again, "It¡¯s all right." She paused for a bit before adding forcefully, "It¡¯s all right, besides, it¡¯s a small injury." Lu Jinnian remained silent, but he tightened his embrace. His second apology was not because of the injury, it was because of their child. He was sorry that he had implicated her, causing the death of their child. He was sorry that he wasn¡¯t a good father and wasn¡¯t able to protect the child properly. Chapter 345: I love you, I love you (1) Chapter 345: I love you, I love you (1) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem The next day, Qiao Anhao and Lu Jinnian had to go back to filming. It was thest stretch, hence she had brought about a lot of things. When Madam Chen saw that she had packed several bags, she helped to put everything into arge luggage. When Zhao Meng arrived at Mian Xiu Garden to fetch Qiao Anhao, Lu Jinnian was carrying the luggage down the stairs out to the car. Qiao Anhao opened the car door. She didn¡¯t enter the car yet but turned to bid Madam Chen farewell, then turned to Lu Jinnian and reminded him to take his medicine. Just after two sentences, his assistant came, and she repeated everything she had said to Lu Jinnian to him as well. The assistant listened attentively, continually assuring her, "Don¡¯t worry Miss Qiao, I understand." Qiao Anhao continued to nag on for a time more, When she finally finished, she lowered her body and entered the car. Before she left, she reached out of the window to wave them goodbye. "Alluring Times" was rushing to air during the winter holiday. In order to ensure that theter promotions had sufficient time, they had toplete the entire series within twenty days. The filming schedule was packed and almost all the actors were required to remain on standby every night. There was barely any rest time. Even Lu Jinnian, who would return to Huan Ying Entertainment during breaks, stayed in everyday. Often enough, he would be going through his documents in the lounge with a face covered by makeup. Qiao Anhao had even seen him having conference meetings with the board through hisptop. Other than sleep, Lu Jinnian was either at the cafeteria or at the set. In order to avoid suspicion and unwanted rumors, he and Qiao Anhao didn¡¯t interact much, but since they were both in the same filming set and were a couple in the drama, they would still chat asionally, just not as intimately as back at home. Even so, Qiao Anhao would often sense his care and concern. When they were filming an outdoor scene, the temperature would drop, and Lu Jinnian¡¯s assistant would bring a shawl over or send her a hot tea or hot milk. These were minor details, but it was enough to warm her heart and send butterflies fluttering in her stomach. She would look towards him unconsciously, and asionally, their gazes would collide, and through the boisterous and busy crowd, they would share a rare intimate moment. Qiao Anhao¡¯s heart would beat rapidly. She didn¡¯t posses the same will power as Lu Jinnian and would avert her gaze nervously to talk to Zhao Meng, pretending that nothing had happened. Sometimes, when she couldn¡¯t hide her nervousness, she wouldugh chidingly at Lu Jinnian. Even though he would still have the same nonchnt expression, his lips would curl up into a faint smile, and every single time it happened, it sent a rush of heat to her face. Chapter 346: I love you, I love you (2) Chapter 346: I love you, I love you (2) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem The busy days flew by. In the blink of an eye, they were down to the final scenes of the drama. But before shooting thosest few scenes, "Alluring Times" organized a promo conference. The location of the promo conference was in Beijing city¡¯s Shangri-La China World hotel. It was booked for half four in the afternoon, and all of the famous media outlets were invited. All of the main cast members would have to be there. Since everyone was at the set, before attending the conference, they were all at the set¡¯s makeup studio to get ready. Lu Jinnian had something to deal with at work, so he was on the phone whilst in makeup. The stars who were going to attend the conference were already prepared. When everyone spotted him, they all politely greeted him with "Mr. Lu". Lu Jinnian wore no emotions on his face when nodded at them. Every now and then, he would say a few words into the phone and then casually walk over to his own makeup chair. Lu Jinnian¡¯s chair was back-to-back with Qiao Anhao¡¯s makeup chair. When he sat down, he could see her through his mirror. As he was on the phone, he also paid attention to her. Perhaps the air conditioner was too high, for she was a little cold. Just as the makeup artist was looking for the powder puff, she raised her arm and rubbed the exposed part of it, and shivered. Lu Jinnian furrowed his brow at the thought of the doctor¡¯s orders for Qiao Anhao not to get a cold during the first month after surgery at all costs. Then, he said "Sorry" into the phone in a low voice and hung up. He turned to the assistant behind him and asked, a little annoyed, "What¡¯s going on? Does the air con need to be so high?" The assistant looked at Lu Jinnian in his full suit with a strangled look. Having juste in from outdoors, the tip of his nose had a slightyer of sweat, so he couldn¡¯t help but feel a little suspicious. Yet his words were honest when he spoke. "I¡¯ll go find the remote control and turn the heat up." Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t make a sound. When the assistant turned to walk away, he suddenly said, "Just turn it offpletely." Qiao Anhao, who sat behind Lu Jinnian, clearly heard what he said to his assistant. Through the mirror, she also saw them bothe in from outdoors with sweat on their faces. Her heart slightly trembled for a moment. Not long after she sat down to do her makeup, she felt that the air conditioner was a little too much, but it was the scorching summer and other stars were probably really hot. If she found the remote and turned up the heat, it would definitely annoy them. She thought it¡¯d be better if she avoided that kind of drama, and so she hoped to get her makeup done early and quickly get out. In the end, Lu Jinnian, who had sat there for just half a minute, suddenly hung up the phone and got someone to turn the air conditioner off. Before, there were some things she probably wouldn¡¯t have imagined, and wouldn¡¯t dared to have imagined to be true. But now, she was absolutely sure that Lu Jinnian had turned the air conditioner off for her. In that instant, an indescribable feeling of happiness crept into her heart. The corner of her lips couldn¡¯t help but curve upwards. When Qiao Anhao finished doing her makeup, she turned around to find Lu Jinnian, who had also finished up, standing there while his stylist fixed his tie. Lu Jinnian¡¯s stylist wasn¡¯t a short man, but standing next to him, Lu Jinnian seemed to dominate. When he fixed the tie, the man was slightly tip-toeing. Qiao Anhao saw that there, on Lu Jinnian¡¯s tie, was the tie clip she had gifted him. Chapter 347: I love you, I love you (3) Chapter 347: I love you, I love you (3) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Qiao Anhao saw that there, on Lu Jinnian¡¯s tie, was the tie clip she had gifted him. Her line of sight couldn¡¯t help but stop there for a while. As she lifted her head up, her eyes met Lu Jinnian¡¯s eyes. A glimmer twinkled in her pitch-ck pupils, and she winked at Lu Jinnian. Then her lips curved into a bright smile that showed her teeth, and she brushed past him and out of the makeup room. There were a total of seven cars on the way to the conference. Song Xiangsi and Cheng Yang were in one car, Qiao Anhao and Lu Jinnian in another, and the leftover cast members in two more. The director was in one, the producer in another, andstly, the other staff members were in the final one. Even though the conference was for the media, there were some of Lu Jinnian, Song Xiangsi and Cheng Yang¡¯s fans who got word of it. They arrived early to surround the Shangri-La China World hotel¡¯s entrance. Cheng Yang and Song Xiangsi were the first to get off the car. The security staff stopped the fans, as they risked everything to stretch their arms, screaming their favorite celebrity¡¯s name. Song Xiangsi held onto Cheng Yang¡¯s arm, as they faced both sides of fans with friendly smiles and nods. While treading down the red carpet to the hotel, Song Xiangsi waved towards the screaming fans, which made them scream louder. Lu Jinnian and Qiao Anhao¡¯s were next to arrive at the hotel entrance. Lu Jinnian¡¯s assistant had worked with him for many years now, and was long known by the fans. From the moment the assistant¡¯s car arrived, words like "Lu Jinnian", "Lu Jinnian I love you" started being shouted out. The assistant opened the passenger side door. Lu Jinnian bent over, but before he even got out, the screams had turned to ear-piercing cries. Qiao Anhao had seen Lu Jinnian¡¯s fans go crazy like that on television before, but now that she was in the middle of it, nerves suddenly came over her. She tried her best to remain calm, as she held onto Lu Jinnian¡¯s arm. They walked into the first floor hall of the hotel, and the fans behind them slowly disappeared. Only then did she secretly let out a sigh of relief. She turned to nce over at Lu Jinnian, who seemed particrlyposed. The conference was held on the third floor of the hotel. The service staff escorted Lu Jinnian and Qiao Anhao up the elevators and into the hall, where they were greeted by the shing lights of the media. Qiao Anhao and Lu Jinnian first stood in front of the "Alluring Times" promo poster that spanned the entire wall. They posed at various angles for the media to take photos, then the two of them got up on stage and sat at their assigned seats. Soon after, the director and other stars arrived. When everyone had finished taking photographs, they got to their positions, and the host, who stood at the side of the stage, said into the microphone, "Please be quiet." The host repeated this three times until it waspletely silent, though the bright lights continued to sh. The host then continued by saying, "We¡¯re delighted to wee the media and friends who are present today for the promo conference for ¡¯Alluring Times¡¯. First off, I must give a warm wee and introduce to everyone, the director and each and every actor attending our conference today." Then, the host called out the director, Lu Jinnian, Song Xiangsi, Cheng Yang, Qiao Anhao, and others¡¯ names. After the host¡¯s introductions, everybody stood up in order, one after the other. They greeted the media below the stage and paid their respects. Chapter 348: I love you, I love you (4) Chapter 348: I love you, I love you (4) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Next, it was time for the host and the director¡¯s interaction. The host asked him a few questions about "Alluring Times". Having attended many conferences like this, the director was particrly skillful with his answers. He emphasized the tv series¡¯ strongest points for everyone, and then chucked a few enticing thoughts to build suspense. Then the host interacted with the cast with questions also about "Alluring Times", such as questions about their characters, their personalities, who they were partnered up with, and their brief thoughts on their characters. Of all the actors present today, besides Qiao Anhao, they¡¯d filmed many other movies, so they were very natural and rxed, as though they were talking with friends during their interview. Qiao Anhao was a little nervous, but before the conference, she was told how to skillfully answer the questions, so as to not make any careless mistakes. - The conference ended promptly at six o¡¯clock. After the actors signed their "Alluring Times" poster and posed for photos for the media, the two main couples Song Xiangsi and Chen Yang, Lu Jinnian and Qiao Anhao were separated into two different rooms for interviews. The other actors and the director stayed at the conference to answer questions from other media outlets who didn¡¯t have interview opportunities. Qiao Anhao and Lu Jinnian were arranged to be interviewed in the hotel¡¯s penthouse suite. When the two of them reached it, the interviewer in charge hadn¡¯t arrived yet. The room was specifically decorated with three European armchairs, a round ss table, and in front hung a poster of "Alluring Times" with Lu Jinnian and Qiao Anhao on it. There were some fruit, a bottle of red wine, and three bottles of mineral water on the round table. The service staff that escorted Lu Jinnian and Qiao Anhao in, gave them three tall sses of red wine, then left the suite. The two of them were left in the suite alone. Qiao Anhao, who had stiffened up to keep up herposure,pletely rxed at that moment. As though she¡¯d lost her bones, her body sat limp on the sofa. Her head casually tilted, and coincidentally, she nced over at the tie clip on Lu Jinnian¡¯s chest that she had gifted him. Lu Jinnian stood not too far away from the floor-to-ceiling windows. The orange, setting sun shone through the ss andnded on his chest, reflecting a piercingly bright light from the small diamonds on the tie clip Qiao Anhao quietly looked at it for a few seconds, before moving her eyes away. That was when she noticed Lu Jinnian looking unwaveringly at her. With the shining light of the setting sun on him, ayer of gold enveloped his body, making him lookpletely majestic. Qiao Anhao only sneaked a nce, but that was enough to make her breathing go unsteady. She hurriedly lowered her eyes, to avoid his line of sight. The suite seemed exceptionally quiet. Qiao Anhao stared at her meticulously polished nails for a moment, then, as though she had remembered something, she lifted her eyes. She stared at Lu Jinnian and asked, "Are your injuries all healed now?" Lately, the set had been quite busy, so the two of them didn¡¯t have much time to talk, nor did she have time to ask. "Yeah." Still staring at Qiao Anhao, Lu Jinnian spoke in an elegant and neutral voice, but his eyes, they had clearly be more gentle. Chapter 349: I love you, I love you (5) Chapter 349: I love you, I love you (5) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem After a while, Lu Jinnian added, "It¡¯s been a long time now. In some ces, the scars are so light, they aren¡¯t even visible anymore." Qiao Anhao curved the corner of her lips into a gentle smile. "That¡¯s good." Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t speak more. He just stared, slightly transfixed by the corners of Qiao Anhao¡¯s lips and that peacefully warm smile she wore. The suite fell silent again. Qiao Anhao hadn¡¯t quitee back from Lu Jinnian¡¯s stunning gaze, so her fingers grabbed for the ss of red wine that the service staff had brought over, to steady her shaken heart. But before she could bring the ss to her lips, Lu Jinnian, who wasn¡¯t standing far away, suddenly strode over and grabbed her soft, delicate fingers to stop her. Qiao Anhao was stunned for a moment, then she looked up at him with confusion. Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t look at her, but gently took the tall ss from her hands and put it back on the round table. He grabbed for a bottle of mineral water, twisted the cap, and handed it to her. He stared into her eyes and said, "Drink some water. Alcohol is bad for the body." Most importantly, it hadn¡¯t been one month since her miscarriage operation. She couldn¡¯t have alcohol. Qiao Anhao didn¡¯t know what Lu Jinnian was really thinking. She thought about how he had been carefully looking after her all this time, and how he must be afraid she¡¯d drink the alcohol and trigger the same stomach pains as before, that¡¯s why he probably stopped her. The happiness and sweetness that she¡¯d recently been feeling crawled into her heart again. Staring into his eyes, she couldn¡¯t help but freeze up. As Lu Jinnian met her eyes, a hint of tenderness washed over his own, usually cold ones. His hand didn¡¯t move, it was still holding up the bottle of water. For that instant, it was like time stood still with the image of the two of them deeply staring at one another... The entire world had be utterly silent. They could hear the sound of each other¡¯s heartbeat. The room was gradually filled with an air of intimacy. Lu Jinnian couldn¡¯t help but lower his head, as he drew closer to Qiao Anhao¡¯s face. Qiao Anhao didn¡¯t move away, but her lips gently quivered, as though they were anticipating for something. A broiling heat crept into Lu Jinnian¡¯s eyes, and his head pushed lower. Just as his lips were about to touch hers, a knock on the door was suddenly sounded. Both Lu Jinnian and Qiao Anhao snapped back to reality at the same time. To mask her nerves, Qiao Anhao quickly took the bottle of water from Lu Jinnian¡¯s hands and hurriedly said, "Thank you". Then she pretended to be really thirsty and gulped the water down with her head raised. Lu Jinnian peacefully stared at Qiao Anhao for a few seconds, then straightened up and said in his usual neutral tone, "Come in." When his words reached outside, the service staff at the door opened it, and the reporter and photographer came in. Qiao Anhao hastily put the bottle down and grabbed a napkin. She wiped the water from her lips and stood up. The reporter respectively shook hands with Qiao Anhao and Lu Jinnian, greeting them, and then the three of them took their seats. They waited for the cameraman to adjust the lighting and give them the OK hand sign. When he did so, the reporter brought the mic up and said, "We all know that you both act as a couple in "Alluring Times", so you must of worked quite closely with each other during this time. Let me ask you then, Mr. Lu... In your eyes, what kind of person is Miss Qiao?" Chapter 350: I love you, I love you (6) Chapter 350: I love you, I love you (6) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Lu Jinnian crossed his slender legs. His posture looked elegant and casual. Of course, he knew that the reporter had asked this question to dig up some dirt. Faced with the reporter¡¯s question, he pretended to think seriously about it, and then replied with a vague answer, "A very talented actress." The reporter didn¡¯t let it go and continued to ask, "Besides having talented acting skills, anything else?" Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t know just how many interviews he¡¯d had like this one, so he was well rehearsed in countering every question. And so, he turned his head and looked at Qiao Anhao. He answered like any idiot would at first nce of her, "Young, beautiful." The reporter knew that Lu Jinnian was ying games back and forth with him, but he couldn¡¯t help but chuckle at his answer. After that, he gave up exchanging polite words with Lu Jinnian, and turned his head directly to Qiao Anhao, who had just entered the entertainment industry. "Miss Qiao, I¡¯m sure you know that Mr. Lu is nicknamed the ¡¯Nation¡¯s husband¡¯ byizens, and has won best male actor for six consecutive years. As you¡¯ve just entered the entertainment industry and you¡¯re able to work with him, how does it feel?" Qiao Anhao, who maintained her smile, paused for three seconds before replying. "It¡¯s very exciting." The reporter asked again, "Miss Qiao, having worked with Mr. Lu for so long, what kind of person is he?" Qiao Anhao had learned from Lu Jinnian¡¯s answer just now and said, "Someone with amazing acting skills, and someone who gives their partners an invisible sense of pressure and motivation to do better." The reporter continued to ask Qiao Anhao, "There are many people online who want to get to know Mr. Lu more. As Miss Qiao has worked with him for so long, have you noticed any particr habits or interests that people don¡¯t know about Mr. Lu?" Even though Qiao Anhao had never been interviewed by anyone in the entertainment industry, she knew perfectly well that if she answered the question, then that would be telling the world that she and Lu Jinnian had a close rtionship. She was silent for three seconds, before she answered with a smile. "Mr. Lu is very busy. Most of the time, when we finish filming, he would be hugging hisptop, as he worked on set. When we¡¯re in makeup, he¡¯s often on the phone, discussing business matters." The reporter had dug a few holes, but he didn¡¯t ask any real questions, as they couldn¡¯t dig up any hot gossip. In the end, all they could do was give up and continue to ask other questions. "If you get the opportunity in the future, would Miss Qiao be willing to work with Mr. Lu again?" Qiao Anhao instantly said, "Yes." The reporter turned to Lu Jinnian. "Mr. Lu?" Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t hesitate either. "Yes." The reporter lowered her head and looked down at the questions she¡¯d prepared in advance, then asked Lu Jinnian, "For thest question, Mr. Lu, I¡¯d like to ask you a personal question. Do you have ns to get married?" Neutrally, Lu Jinnian replied with excellent manners, "This is a secret for the time being." The reporter chased that answered with, "By that, Mr. Lu, can I assume that you already have someone in mind?" Lu Jinnian pretended to not hear the reporter¡¯s question and didn¡¯t bother answering. The reporter reacted quickly to Lu Jinnian¡¯s willful disregard and rounded it up to ovee the awkwardness. "It looks like Mr. Lu is the same as before, unwilling to disclose information on his personal life, and we respect Mr. Lu¡¯s wishes. Now then, let us ask Miss Qiao. Miss Qiao, what kind of person is the person you love?" Qiao Anhao looked at the reporter and blinked. Her long eyeshes were like the wings of a butterfly when she did so. Then, with all seriousness, she said, "The person I love is Mr. Lu." Chapter 351: I love you, I love you (7) Chapter 351: I love you, I love you (7) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Qiao Anhao looked at the reporter and blinked. Her long eyeshes were like the wings of a butterfly when she did so. Then, with all seriousness, she said, "The person I love is Mr. Lu." Lu Jinnian, who was seated beside her, was sipping from a ss of red wine, before he could swallow, he took in the full sentence. The person I love is Mr. Lu... The hand with which he held the wine ss trembled, and he had to force down the wine in his mouth. His heart thumped rapidly, as though it was about to fly out of his chest, and he used all his strength to clench the wine ss in his hand. Holding his breath, he tried desperately to calm himself, but he still couldn¡¯t stop his fingers from shivering. The reporter was also startled by Qiao Anhao¡¯s reply. Even though he had been on the ball the entire interview, his mind seemed to have gone nk in that instant. He looked at Qiao Anhao in shock, unable to say a word. An elegant and beautiful smile continued to fill Qiao Anhao¡¯s face as she looked at the reporter with clear eyes, but deep in her heart, a sour feeling had spread. Ever since the start, she had only loved him, never wavering, never changing, but she had never dared to say it out. Just now, when the reporter had asked her, she had wanted to dismiss her with "I haven¡¯t met anyone that touched me" or "I would like to know who he is as well" or a million other response, but in that instance she had replied, something shed across her mind and the truth just came blurting out. The person I love is Mr. Lu, is Lu Jinnian. Only heavens would know how many times she had said that sentence in her mind. Ever since half a year ago when she had be close to him once again, she had never dared to show her feelings, never had the opportunity to, but now, she finally had the chance. Even though she knew that it would all be a joke. Qiao Anhao struggled to keep her lips curled, forcing her smile to not look painful or sorrowful. In a casual voice, she continued, breaking the silence, "Previously you mentioned that Lu Jinnian is the publicly acimed ¡¯Nation Husband¡¯ , it wouldn¡¯t make sense if i didn¡¯t choose him as the person I love, right?" The reporter was finally able to snap out of her daze... so she was kidding. She continued to cooperate and turned to Lu Jinnian, teasing him, "Miss Qiao just confessed to you, Mr. Lu are you going to ept her?" Lu Jinnian struggled toe back to his senses and calm his rapidly beating heart. With a calm expression, he swallowed the red wine in his mouth, casually ced the wine ss on the table, and looked towards the reporter. With a deep gaze, his tone seemingly hard to decipher, he replied, "I would never tell you that the person I have been waiting for all this time is Miss Qiao." Chapter 352: I love you, I love you (8) Chapter 352: I love you, I love you (8) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem "Oh..." The reporter was startled by Lu Jinnian¡¯sment. In the same teasing tone, hemented, "Seems like Miss Qiao and Mr. Lu are both willing parties, let us give them our blessings, wishing the both of you a blissful and sweet romance..." Then the reporter suddenly turned solemn. "Of course, we were just joking, let us end the interview here.I hope that everyone will support ¡®Alluring Times¡¯ which stars the actors Qiao Anhao and Lu Jinnian." Lu Jinnian and Qiao Anhao both turned to the camera and said "Goodbye", one after another. Qiao Anhao knew that Lu Jinnian was just cooperating and had made a joke, but deep down, she had been moved. Even though her true feelings had been taken as a joke, she treated his words seriously. Lu Jinnian knew that Qiao Anhao was just joking about loving him, but he was satisfied. This was the first time in his life that he had heard her say such loving words, but it was a pity that she didn¡¯t know his reply wasn¡¯t a joke but his true emotions. How many words in this world end up being a joke? And how many jokes are actually words that one does not dare say? By the time the interview ended, it was already 7 pm. Since it was in time for dinner, the director arranged a dinner for everyone at Beijing hotel. Lu Jinnian received an emergency call and had to leave for a meeting back at Huan Ying Entertainment. The meeting wasn¡¯t long. After he had rushed through his work and left thepany, it was only 9 pm. But he had a busy day and was slightly fatigued. The moment he entered the car, he leaned against the back to rest. His assistant didn¡¯t disturb him, starting the car silently. When they came out of the underground car park and were on the road, Lu Jinnian¡¯s phone rang. Lu Jinnian frowned. He fished for his phone and nced at its screen. He froze momentarily before exasperation shed past his eyes. He seemed to have recalled something. Looking back up at his assistant, he said, "Go to Nan Luo Gu Gang." His assistant was suspicious at his sudden decision, but he suppressed the urge to ask, heading towards Nan Luo Gu Gang as instructed. Lu Jinnian told his assistant to wait in the car. Leaving the car alone, he walked into a narrow alley. After about forty minutes, he came out carrying two stic bags in his hands. Once he boarded the car, he passed the bigger bag to his assistant. " Grab a cab at the junction in front to Mian Xiu Garden, I¡¯ve already informed Madam Chen, you can just follow her instructions." The assistant was confused, but after studying Lu Jinnian through the rear mirror, he didn¡¯t spot any abnormalities, hence he drove to the junction and carried the bag out of the car. Chapter 353: I love you, I love you (9) Chapter 353: I love you, I love you (9) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem While the cast was having dinner in Beijing hotel, the director suggested they go for karaoke, since the filming was about to end and their time together was alsoing to an end. There weren¡¯t any objections, so after dinner, at about 10.30 pm, they moved to the nearby ¡¯Resplendent¡¯. Qiao Anhao sat in Song Xiangsi and Cheng Yang¡¯s car. Halfway through, they had to visit a petrol station. When they reached the meeting ce slightlyter than the rest, Lu Jinnian who had left earlier on was there as well. He stood elegantly in front of the screen with an iPad menu in his hands and was ordering some alcohol and drinks. When he saw them entering, he lifted his head to nce at Qiao Anhao. The director noticed them as well and he pointed to the machine at the side, signaling them. " Go there and pick the songs that you want, two minimum for each person!" "Xiao Qiao, help me select.. " Song Xiangsi told Qiao Anhao two song names. Lu Jinnian frowned when he heard Song Xiangsi ordering Qiao Anhao around. While he was ordering a bottle of Royal Salute, he lifted his head to re at her. Song Xiangsi pretended to not have seen him, ordering another song before casually thanking Qiao Anhao. She turned and sat back onto the sofa, returning a challenging gaze towards Lu Jinnian. After Qiao Anhao helped Song Xiangsi order her songs, she ordered one for herself before sitting down in a seat nearby. When the third female lead saw Qiao Anhao sit, she turned around to greet her warmly. After no more than three sentences into their conversation, she felt the seat beside her sink slightly. Before she could turn to see who it was, the third female lead smiled in a reserved manner, greeting the person with a huge smile. "Mr. Lu." Lu Jinnian nodded coldly, passing the iPad to Qiao Anhao. "Do you want to eat anything?" Qiao Anhao shook her head, she had just taken her dinner and didn¡¯t have much of an appetite. Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t persist, he looked down at the iPad for a while longer, then finally ordered tworge tes of fruits and some nuts before passing it back to the waiter politely. The food was soon served and there was a wide variety of drinks, beer, red wine, and white white. The director asked for additional ice, filling everyone¡¯s cup with wine generously before suggesting a toast. Before Qiao Anhao could touch the wine, a porcin cup was ced in front of her. It was a hot cup of milk which was still emitting steam and a faint milky scent. "Didn¡¯t you mention that you weren¡¯t feeling well and needed something hot?" The third female lead immediately tried to gain his attention as well. "Mr. Lu, I¡¯m not feeling well too, can I get a hot cup of milk tea?" Lu Jinnian ignored her, pushing away the wine from in front of Qiao Anhao nonchntly before grabbing his own winess to toast, as the director had suggested. Chapter 354: I love you, I love you (10) Chapter 354: I love you, I love you (10) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem The third female lead who was ignoredughed awkwardly, trying to conceal her embarrassment before downing the ss of wine in front of her. Qiao Anhao remained silent, taking small sips of the hot milk in her hands. The milk was hot, but her heart was much hotter, sweetness enveloping her entire body as she took another sip. There was already someone holding the microphone in front of the screen, singing the song they had chosen. The people sitting were chatting as they enjoyed the drinks. The third female lead beside Qiao Anhao was deep in conversation with the director and Cheng Yang, ignoring herpletely. Lu Jinnian, who was on her other side, had always been silent with few words, so she could only sit silently, gazing at the person singing while she sipped her milk. When she emptied the cup, she ced it on the table and went to slouch on the sofa, her hands casually ced beside her thighs. Out of boredom, she started singing the song silently in her head. The third male lead was famous for hoarding the microphone. He sang three consecutive songs and had no intention of giving the microphone away, instead he ordered a Jay Chou¡¯s song "Dong Feng Po" for himself. When Qiao Anhao was in school, she had rather liked this song, but since it had been a long time, she didn¡¯t remember the lyrics. After singing five sentences inwardly, she stopped and looked up at the lyrics on the screen. That was when she saw the lines: "As the water flowed to the east, "No matter how much I tried to get more time, "The flowers can only bloom once "And I had missed it..." At that moment, Qiao Anhao felt Lu Jinnian¡¯s fingers touch hers. A strong wave of emotion flew through her fingers to her entire body, paralyzing it. As she stared at the lyrics, she could no longer sing the song inwardly. Qiao Anhao paused for a long while before realizing that Lu Jinnian¡¯s hand was still touching hers, and there was a phone in his palm. She gulped down and moved her hands, trying to avoid Lu Jinnian¡¯s touch. But at that moment, his hands released his phone and covered hers. In that instance, she felt as though her hands were no longer hers and there was an indescribable heat spreading from his palm into her bloodstream. She struggled for a while, trying to escape his touch, but instead she felt his fingers surrounding hers, holding her tightly. Qiao Anhao couldn¡¯t help turning to look at Lu Jinnian, but he was looking at the screen, his face expressionless, giving nothing away. Her heart raced, its speed increasing rapidly, even her ears were starting to burn. When she had carried a torch for him when she was younger, she had imagined holding onto his pure and slender hand. After so many years, this was the first time they had held each other so seriously, and it was more moving and exciting than she had imagined. Qiao Anhao imitated Lu Jinnian, staring at the screen without any expression. She also mustered some courage to squeeze his hand. Lu Jinnian could feel her tighten her grip, her eyes brightening, but his expression still gave nothing away. To the eyes of the others, they didn¡¯t seem to be interacting, but in a corner that couldn¡¯t be seen, their hands were tightly holding each other. Chapter 355: I love you, I love you (11) Chapter 355: I love you, I love you (11) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Qiao Anhao could no longer hear anything in the room. Her head was in a mess, why was Lu Jinnian holding her hand? What was he thinking? He couldn¡¯t be in love with her, right..? But he said that no matter who he liked, it would never be her... Deep in her heart, she felt both warm and confused. She didn¡¯t know how long he had been holding her hand, but gradually, she could feel her hand grow sweaty. It was sticky and humid, but she didn¡¯t hate it, in fact, she felt blessed. "Who ordered the next song?" Song Xiangsi asked after she finished the three songs she had picked. Qiao Anhao stared at the screen without any response. "Who picked ¡®There was you in my youth¡¯?" someone else asked once again. Qiao Anhao remained silent. Song Xiangsi¡¯s song was picked by Qiao Anhao, when no one answered after several people had asked the question, she shouted towards Qiao Anhao, "Xiao Qiao!" When Qiao Anhao heard her name being called, she finally snapped back to her senses. She looked at Song Xiangsi in confusion. "Huh? Xiangsi Jie, what¡¯s wrong?" Song Xiangsi waved the microphone. "Did you order the song ¡¯There was You in My Youth¡¯?" Qiao Anhao nodded her head hurriedly, slowly removing her hand from Lu Jinnian¡¯s hold before standing up. Lu Jinnian ,who was beside her, came back to his senses as well. With a calm expression, he clenched his hands into fists, as though he was trying to relish in the past memory, preserving it for forever. Qiao Anhao walked to Song Xiangsi to reach for the microphone. The third male lead who was standing by the karaoke machine was just about to prepare the background music when he suddenly eximed. "Eh, there¡¯s two ¡¯There was You in My Youth¡¯? Xiao Qiao, did you press it twice?" Qiao Anhao hadn¡¯t yet fully snapped out of the memory of holding Lu Jinnian¡¯s hand in front of so many people. When the third male lead had asked her the question, she wasn¡¯t able to process it. Before she could reply to him, Lu Jinnian suddenly replied, "I ordered it." Qiao Anhao looked towards Lu Jinnian in shock. He had actually chosen the same song as her? An indescribable sense of happiness started to fill her, they actually had the same favorite song. "Since Mr. Lu and Xiao Qiao picked the same song, why don¡¯t you sing a duet," someone rmended. Hearing one person sing was indeed boring, hence everyone else agreed with the suggestion instantly. Qiao Anhao didn¡¯t dare to make the call, so she looked towards Lu Jinnian, who was sitting on the sofa. He paused for about two seconds before standing up wordlessly to grab another microphone, walking to stand beside her. As the third male lead started to y the background music, the entire room fell silent. Lu Jinnian raised his hand in front of him to invite Qiao Anhao to begin. She shut her eyes, took a deep breath, counting the beats in her heart, then looked up. "I would often think about that year, the old study table, "I would often look at your profile, dreaming, "You would have never known that the young me kept you deep in my heart." Chapter 356: I love you, I love you (12) Chapter 356: I love you, I love you (12) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem The moment Qiao Anhao said that sentence, the image of her young self floated into her mind. In order to catch a glimpse of Lu Jinnian, she would deliberately walk past his ssroom to the washroom. At that time, she had already loved him but had kept it deep in her heart, never letting anyone know. Qiao Anhao¡¯s voice was soft and melodious. The song was originally sung by a man, but the moment she had sung the first line, it gave a unique vibe to the song. In that instance, Lu Jinnian felt to have returned to his youth as well. Every day after school, he would follow behind her secretly, watching as she walked home with Qiao Anxia and Xu Jiamu. There were also times when she walked home alone, under the reddish skies, with a long stretch of road ahead of her. She was in front, while he followed behind, and even after so many years, that love was still pure and beautiful. Lu Jinnian brought the microphone to his mouth continuing the next part. "I waited for you by the road with my bike. "In the cold night, you stood beside me, and all I saw was the beauty of your eyes. "We didn¡¯t ever say goodbye, our separation usually silent." Qiao Anhao took the next line. "Will you think of me asionally, like how I would often speak of the past?" Lu Jinnian picked up after her. "Conversations are endless under the summer wind and autumn rain, "But one autumn, we just lost contact." Qiao Anhao sang the next. "Will you think of me asionally, or am I no longer part of your life?" They looked at each other, their eyes filled with love as they sang the song. But no one knew that deep in their hearts, they were thinking of the same past. They both carried a torch for each other but never said a thing. They would often bump into each other, even though others saw it as fate, only they themselves were aware that it was deliberate. Just how much effort had they spent on each other? They carried the memories from before, bing good friends, but in the end, their friendship ended and they separated for five long years. In those five years, Qiao Anhao had never stopped thinking of him, but she could only depend on gossip to calm her inner yearnings. In those five years, Lu Jinian never forgot about her. In order to hear news about her, he had despicably made use of Qiao Anxia¡¯s affection to hear about her every move. Qiao Anhao sang, "You were there in my youth." Lu Jinnian followed with, "I was there in your youth." They both thought that they had missed out on each other, but neither was aware that they were each other¡¯s true love. He was the most beautiful memory of her youth, and she was the the purest, most precious dream of his young self. The entire room was filled with their melodious voices. This was a new song, but they had both noticed the song without the other party realizing it, because when they were young, they had each other, and they still held on to that love. Lu Jinnian sang this time, "I had you in my youth." And Qiao Anhao echoed him, "I had you in my youth." After thest two sentences, the background music slowly faded out. The colorful spotted lights kept rotating, the rays hitting their faces. She nced up at him, warm and gentle. He returned her gaze, his own blurry and deep. Deep in her heart, Qiao Anhao silently recited: Lu Jinnian, I love you. Deep in his heart, Lu Jinnian spoke with mixed feelings: Qiao Anhao, I love you. Chapter 357: I love you, I love you (13) Chapter 357: I love you, I love you (13) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem They looked into each other¡¯s eyes for half a minute, repeating the words that they had never dared to say aloud in their hearts. They were three simple words, I love you. It was he most straightforward confession, but it was so touching and deep. There was still filming the next afternoon, hence at 11.40 pm, everyone started leaving. Qiao Anhao had sat in Lu Jinnian¡¯s car to the interview, so when everything ended, he told her "Wait for me, I¡¯ll drive you" and went to settle the bill. Several others had drank too much. Qiao Anhao helped to send some of them into cabs and made sure to see them off before turning back to the main hall of Resplendent. Lu Jinnian was standing under amp in front of the counter, signing his name. Qiao Anhao didn¡¯t walk up to disrupt him, just stood far away, observing him. His actions were swift and decisive. He passed the counter staff his card , and when she had passed the card back to him, she said something in agitation. Lu Jinnian nodded faintly, and before she passed a book over, he took the pen once more, bending to sign his name. After getting his signature, the counter staff used her phone to secretly snap a photo of him. He seemed to have sensed it but didn¡¯t expose her, just ced down the pen and took his card back. Turning around, he instantly saw Qiao Anhao standing by the door and tookrge strides towards her. Lu Jinnian¡¯s car was parked at the entrance of Resplendent. He pulled out his car keys and unlocked it, opening the door for Qiao Anhao. He shut it after making sure she had entered and was seated. He entered the driver seat and nced at the clock, it was currently 11.55 pm. He started the car, casually turning his steering wheel. Once he exited Resplendent, he didn¡¯t speed up but instead stopped his car by the side of the road. Qiao Anhao frowned, turning her head in confusion. "What¡¯s wrong?" Lu Jinnian remained silent, staring at his phone screen, and silence settled in the car. He stared at his phone from 11.59 pm to 00.00 am before suddenly retrieving a paper bag from underneath his seat. Passing it over to her, he said in a gentle voice, "Happy Birthday." Qiao Anhao looked at the paper bag in front of her, her brain not able to process what had happened. She sat in a daze, looking extremely adorable. Lu Jinnian felt tenderness wash over him as he looked at her. In an even gentler voice, he spoke once again. "This should be the first time I wished you Happy Birthday." Qiao Anhao blinked, suddenly remembering that it was her birthday. Every year during her birthday she would hold a party, but due to the busy filming schedule, she wasn¡¯t able to find any time. Besides, she and Xu Jiamu were a married couple to the public, so Lu Jinnian would be required to act as him if she were to hold a party, causing a lot of trouble. When Xu family and Qiao family had called to ask her about it, she dismissed them instantly, stating that she was too busy filming. Today, when she woke up, she could still remember that the next day was her birthday, but as the day got busier, that information waspletely forgotten. Chapter 358: I love you, I love you (14) Chapter 358: I love you, I love you (14) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem When Lu Jinnian realized that Qiao Anhao wasn¡¯t going to react, he spoke the third time. "Aren¡¯t you going to look at your present?" Qiao Anhao snapped out of her daze, reaching out to take the paper bag from Lu Jinnian, then impatiently tearing it apart. Inside, there was an exquisite looking gift box. As she reached for it, she turned to ask him shyly, "What is it?" "I remember someone told me that presents must be opened without knowing the contents." On his birthday, she had said this very thing after giving him his present. He actually used her words on her... Qiao Anhao pouted, her slender fingers starting to unwrap the wrapper. Lu Jinnian saw her slight pour and tenderness washed over him. In that instance, he had an impulse to reach out and ruffle her hair. Qiao Anhao tore the wrapper open carefully, and in the end, a red box came into sight. Lu Jinnian started to feel nervous, remembering the present he had specially prepared for her many years ago being tossed into the rubbish bin. His hands clenched into fists. When she opened the box, insidey a porcin doll. Not long ago, a designer in Huai Ying Entertainment had specifically taken her portrait and turned it into a cartoon. The porcin doll was the cartoon version of her. Qiao Anhao had never expected him to turn the cartoon version of her into such a pretty porcin doll; it was adorable. Happiness and joy shed through her eyes. She turned to face him. "Thank you." Looking at her obvious happiness, Lu Jinnian started to calm down, but he still needed to seek affirmation. "Do you like it?" "I like it!" Qiao Anhao replied without any hesitation. As long as it was from him, she would like it. When he saw the firmness of her words in her eyes, he was finally able to calm down. In the five years that they had been apart, he had always set an rm to remind himself of her birthday. Every year on her birthday, he would prepare a present for her. As he got richer, the presents he prepared started to be better, but he was never able to send them. Even if he had sent them, he would have had to get someone else to deliver it to her, and he was also afraid that his presents would end up in the bin, just like five years ago hence he never sent anything to her. Tonight when his phone had reminded him, he decided to get her a gift in return for the present she had given him. Even if he wasn¡¯t sure if she cared. At that time, it was alreadyte and the malls were closed, making it difficult for him to buy a gift. He was troubled for a while before remembering that not long ago, he heard someone say that in Nan Luo Gu Gang, there was a doll maker that specialized in porcin dolls. His dolls were unique and exquisite, so Lu Jinnian got his assistant to send him there. He didn¡¯t let his assistant follow along because the doll that he was about to give her was different from all the other dolls. The porcin doll was hollow inside, and he had ced a letter with everything he had wanted to tell her in there; all his inadequacies and why he wasn¡¯t able to say it afterwards. She was his deep, forbidden love, and this was the only way he could tell her some things. Chapter 359: I love you, I love you (15) Chapter 359: I love you, I love you (15) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem She was his deep, forbidden love, and this was the only way he could tell her some things. Maybe she would never get to see it, or maybe in the future, when theypletely lost contact would she finally see the secret hidden inside the porcin doll. Presents were never judged based on their mary value. To Qiao Anhao, even if someone were to give her the most expensive thing in the world, it would pale inparison to the porcin doll that was gifted by Lu Jinnian. She looked at it, finding it more attractive every time she took another glimpse. In the end, she could no longer keep it in any longer and took out her phone and passed it to Lu Jinnian. "Help me take a photo." When he heard her words, hisshes trembled slightly. He immediately concealed his thoughts, reaching for the phone with no emotion evident on his face. Qiao Anhao hugged the doll and pouted. With her clear eyes, red lips, and white skin, she looked adorable. Lu Jinnian stared at the phone screen for a few seconds before snapping the photo. Qiao Anhao took the phone back and examined the photo. With a satisfied expression, she started to whiten her skin with a beautifying app. She opened the weibo app after and posted the photo with a short caption: "A birthday present as cute as me, wishing myself a happy birthday..." She ended it with a smiley emoticon. Lu Jinnian sat at the side, taking her actions in. Without much expression, he said, "Lets go back to Mian Xiu Garden." "Sure," Qiao Anhao replied without hesitation. The phone in her palm vibrated, and she looked down to see that Song Xiangsi had replied to her post. "Xiao Qiao happy Birthday, you¡¯re adorable!" Qiao Anhao had garnered quite a few fans on weibo, and a few well-known stars from the filming crew re-posted her post, so in less than a minute, there were manyments and blessings. It soon became the most popr post in her weibo. Qiao Anhao¡¯s phone notification went off continuously. Due to therge influx of responses, she couldn¡¯t look at every one of them, but every time her phone went off, she would look down at the screen. When the car steered into the road ahead, the traffic lights turned red. Lu Jinnian stepped on the brakes, stopping the car, and took out his phone for a quick look. He typed swiftly and ced the phone back down when the traffic lights turned green. Just then, Qiao Anhao heard another ring. She started to feel irritated and when she was about to dismiss the notification, she saw that Lu Jinnian had re-posted her photo with a simple "Happy Birthday". Warmth spread through her, and she turned to see through the rear view mirror that Lu Jinnian was concentrating on the road. She bit down on her lip before replying to his post, "Thank you". After she did so, she figured it was too obvious and so she replied to Song Xiangsi, Cheng Yang, the director, and everyone else. When they reached the next red light, Lu Jinnian took up his phone once again. Among a sea of notifications, he saw Qiao Anhao¡¯s reply and replied again with "You¡¯re wee". In that instance, Qiao Anhao had just refreshed her page, and when she saw his response, her lips curled into a smile uncontrobly. Chapter 360: I love you, I love you (16) Chapter 360: I love you, I love you (16) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem In that instance, Qiao Anhao had just refreshed her page, and when she saw his response, her lips curled into a smile uncontrobly. She didn¡¯t continue to reply Lu Jinnian on weibo, but every now and then, she her attention would be drawn to him, sitting beside her. In the car, even though the two of them didn¡¯t talk, the atmosphere felt particrly affectionate. When the car drove past a rather old KTV, Qiao Anhao thought back to when Lu Jinnian and her had started to grow closer in the first year of high school. Every year, he would give her a birthday present, up until the year she graduated. Since then, she had not received any of his presents. Back then, it was also coincidentally when their rtionship started to gradually grow to be colder. In high school, she treated her ssmates at that KTV many times. After the car had long passed the KTV, Qiao Anhao turned her head and looked over at Lu Jinnian. "Who would have thought that you remembered my birthday. I thought you¡¯d have forgotten it long ago." Lu Jinnian stared straight at the neon lights on the street in front. The lights endlessly shed across his face, which made his expression look slightly blurred. He was silent for around five seconds, then said, "I¡¯ve never forgotten." Her birthday, his mother¡¯s birthday, and the anniversary of his mother¡¯s passing were the most important dates these past years. He¡¯d never forgotten them once. Qiao Anhao¡¯s heart trembled, and an unspeakable anxiousness came over her. She held her breath and asked, as though to confirm something, "You always remembered my birthday?" "After celebrating seven birthdays, how could I forget?" As Lu Jinnian said those words, his tone seemed to reveal an indescribable sentiment. Even though the birthday gifts he gave her in her youth were modest, he would spend that day with her every year. From the first year of high school till the first year of university, it had been seven years. In those seven years, he had fought his very hardest to love her. Seven years? Those words instantly reminded Qiao Anhao of their youth, and the days she persisted in loving him. She had cherished every one of his gifts, like they were the world¡¯s most precious treasures. Qiao Anhao¡¯s brows suddenly furrowed. That wasn¡¯t right. She only received six presents in the past. Why did he say ¡¯seven years¡¯? Did it include this year¡¯s present? Qiao Anhao thought of asking Lu Jinnian when her phone suddenly rang. It was an unknown number. Qiao Anhao swallowed her words and picked up the phone. The sound of a polite woman¡¯s voice came from the other line. "Pardon me, am I speaking to Mr. Xu Jiamu¡¯s wife, Mrs. Qiao Anhao?" Qiao Anhao was stunned for a moment. "And you are?" "It¡¯s the hospital, Mr. Xu has just woken up. I called the Xu family, but nobody was avable to take the call, so I could only contact you." "I¡¯ll be right there." Qiao Anhao hung up the phone, and said to Lu Jinnian beside her, "We have to go to the hospital. Brother Jiamu just woke up." Lu Jinnian gave a gentle nod and silently turned the car around, towards Xu Jiamu¡¯s hospital. Along the way, from the bottom of his heart, he thought... with Xu Jiamu awake, would that be the end of them? Along the way, from the bottom of her heart, she thought... with Brother Jiamu awake and how well their current rtionship was, could they still be friends like this after the marriage was over? Along the way, the two of them had different thoughts. One was afraid of breaking up, the other thought of starting anew. Chapter 361: Xu Jiamu Woke Up (1) Chapter 361: Xu Jiamu Woke Up (1) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem The drive took only fifteen minutes to reach the hospital Xu Jiamu was staying in. Xu Wanli and Han Ruchu were probably busy, for they hadn¡¯t yet made it yet. Lu Jinnian and Xu Jiamu¡¯s rtionship was always very good. When Qiao Anhao asked if he wanted to go upstairs to see him, Lu Jinnian thought about it for a moment and nodded. He parked the car in the hospital¡¯s underground parking lot, locked the car, and followed Qiao Anhao in. The nurse taking care of Xu Jiamu was waiting for Qiao Anhao in the first floor hall. When she saw her enter, she immediately took her upstairs. As they walked, she described how Xu Jiamu woke up. "Today, at around six o¡¯clock, Mr. Xu moved. Ever since Mr. Xu movedst time, he would move a little every day, but tonight, he moved quite often. We didn¡¯t think much of it, but when I came back from the restroom just now, I noticed that Mr. Xu¡¯s eyes were actually wide open..." Following the nurse¡¯s description, Qiao Anhao and Lu Jinnian stepped into the hospital room. It was just as she had described, Xu Jiamuy in bed with an IV attached to his arm. His eyes were open, staring at the ceiling, as though he was thinking of something. Even though there was no love or blood rtion between them, to Qiao Anhao, Xu Jiamu was like her biological brother - a brother who had protected her ever since she was young. Especially after her parents had passed away, Xu Jiamu really doted upon her. So when she saw Xu Jiamu, who was unconscious for so long, open his eyes, a hint of excitement inexplicably came over her. She rushed over to his bedside without a second thought and stared at Xu Jiamu for a long time. After confirming her reflection in his eyes, she then called out, "Brother Jiamu." Xu Jiamu stared at her with a lifeless expression, as though she was a stranger. His look was nk and unresponsive. Qiao Anhao was frightened by the emptiness in his gaze and continued to call out, "Brother Jiamu?" Then she carefully and gently asked again, "Brother Jiamu, you don¡¯t recognize who I am?" When Xu Jiamu heard Qiao Anhao¡¯sst words, his eyes finally moved. He stared at her with a glossy eyes. Qiao Anhao held her breath, as she looked at Xu Jiamu. She didn¡¯t dare say a word, her eyes filled with anticipation. Xu Jiamu looked at her for a long time, then forced his hand to touch hers. He wanted to hold it, but he didn¡¯t have the strength to do so. In the end, all he could do was stretch his lips into a slight smile. As if it required a lot of energy, he spit out two murmured words, "Qiao... Qiao..." Suddenly, Qiao Anhao¡¯s tears fell and she tightly grasped Xu Jiamu¡¯s hand. She was so emotional, she couldn¡¯t really speak. "Brother Jiamu, you¡¯re finally awake. You don¡¯t know just how you scared me. Brother Jiamu, I thought you¡¯d never wake up again..." Lu Jinnian, who had followed Qiao Anhao into the hospital room, saw this scene and only felt an abundance of needles stabbing into his heart. The hand Qiao Anhao held Xu Jiamu with shook for a long while, before she remembered Lu Jinnian. Then she raised her hand to wipe away her tears. With a red nose, she moved away and said to Xu Jiamu, "Brother Jiamu, Lu Jinnian is here too." Chapter 362: Xu Jiamu Woke Up (2) Chapter 362: Xu Jiamu Woke Up (2) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem When Lu Jinnian heard Qiao Anhao words, he abruptly spent a lot of energy to suppress the agony in his heart. He kept a poised expression, as he called out to Xu Jiamu, "Jiamu." Xu Jiamu stared at Lu Jinnian¡¯s eyes with a hint of reliance, as though beingatose for so long had absolutely no effect on the only brotherly love he had in the world. He spent a lot of strength to make the single sound "Bro." Xu Jiamu, who just woke up, had used up his strength. Lu Jinnian was very silent, and so in the hospital room, only Qiao Anhao chattered on. However, her words, were mostly for Xu Jiamu. She spoke of everything that had happened these past few months whilst Xu Jiamu was unconscious. She also talked about what happened during his car ident. To Qiao Anhao, he was a very important friend in this world, who had a new chance at life. It was truly a joyous and exhrating asion. Sometimes, some things are unromantic, but when you learn that there is something between the people, you can¡¯t help but over think things. So, in Lu Jinnian¡¯s eyes, Qiao Anhao¡¯s joy and excitement had a different meaning. Her simple call ¡¯Brother Jiamu¡¯ left him especially rolling with jealousy. Qiao Anhao said, "Brother Jiamu, you have to get better soon. I¡¯ll be releasing a new drama soon. You once said that if I made it on TV, you¡¯d be my very first loyal viewer..." After those words, Lu Jinnian finally couldn¡¯t take it anymore and said, "I¡¯m going to the restroom." He walked out of the hospital room. Tonight, after seeing them chat, he finally knew that there were many promises between them. Even though Xu Jiamu¡¯s reactions were a littlete, but when Qiao Anhao mentioned a TV drama, the emotions in his eyes began to shift. The two words "Song Xiangsi" jumped into mind, and an unspeakable anger broiled in his chest. As it was the first time Xu Jiamu had woken up after a longa, his body was very weak, and so not long after, his energy ran out. He slowly shut his eyes and fell into a deep sleep. Qiao Anhao pulled the covers over him, then turned to order the nurse to take good care of him. Only then did she grab her bag and walk out of the hospital room. - When Lu Jinnian left the room, he never went back in. He stood in the corridor and stared through the ss window at Qiao Anhao by Xu Jiamu¡¯s bedside jabbering on. Even though he didn¡¯t know what she said, envy crept into his heart. So much so that even the thought of him taking Xu Jiamu¡¯s ce in the car ident and bing a vegetable crossed his mind. Xu Jiamu fell asleep, and Lu Jinnian watched as Qiao Anhao attentively pulled the covers over him. Finally, he turned away and left. - Qiao Anhao walked out of the hospital room and saw no sign of Lu Jinnian in the empty corridor, so she grabbed her phone and dialed his number. Nobody picked up, so she went to ask the nurse to find a male nurse to go into the restrooms to look for him. Once she that he wasn¡¯t in there, she walked downstairs. She walked out of the inpatient department but still couldn¡¯t see Lu Jinnian, and so she pulled out her phone again. This time, when she called his number, she heard it ringing not too far away. Chapter 363: Xu Jiamu Woke Up (3) Chapter 363: Xu Jiamu Woke Up (3) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Qiao Anhao followed the sound of the ringtone to find Lu Jinnian smoking, as he leaned against a column. Her eyebrows creased for a moment, and she hung up the phone. Sheined, "Why aren¡¯t you picking up the phone?" Lu Jinnian snapped out of it when he heard Qiao Anhao¡¯s words. A little flustered, he put out the cigarette in his hand and asked in response, "How¡¯s Jiamu?" "He¡¯s asleep," Qiao Anhao replied. "Howe you¡¯re down here on your own? I called and you didn¡¯t even pick up." Lu Jinnian pulled out his phone to find three missed calls. His lips quivered, and he replied Qiao Anhao¡¯s first question, "The habit kicked in, so I came down for a smoke." He paused for a moment before exining, "I didn¡¯t hear my phone ring just now, sorry." Qiao Anhao was a little angry at Lu Jinnian at first for not picking up or showing up, but the moment she saw him, her angerpletely disappeared. Now, hearing his apology, she immediately smiled with curved eyes and lowered her head. She saw a lot of cigarette butts on the bin by the column, and her brows furrowed once more. "You just smoked that many?" Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t make a sound. Qiao Anhao¡¯s next words were fairly angry and worried. "Smoking is bad for the body. It¡¯s better if you stop smoking. Quit it." Lu Jinnian gave a nod, then strode over to the car. He pulled the front passenger seat door and waited for Qiao Anhao to get in, then he closed the door and got in himself. Lu Jinnian¡¯s focus whilst driving was far worse than before. He would have even driven through a red light if it weren¡¯t for Qiao Anhao, who reminded him just in time for him to step on the brake. With Lu Jinnian¡¯s birthday present and Xu Jiamu waking up, Qiao Anhao arched her brows, for she was in particrly high spirits. Lu Jinnian saw Qiao Anhao¡¯s smile through the rear view mirror, which made his mood hit rock bottom. Xu Jiamu being awake, did it really make her this happy? During the summer in Beijing, artificial rain was always scheduled to go off deep in the night. The car hadn¡¯t left the hospital for long when the heavy rain came pouring down. Itsted for only ten minutes before it stopped. Lu Jinnian stared at the asional drops of rain on the window and asked the question that was on his mind all night, "Did the doctor mention how long it would take Jiamu to recoverpletely?" "Fastest would be one month, slowest perhaps three," Qiao Anhao honestly ryed the information. "Mm," replied Lu Jinnian, then didn¡¯t speak more. His thoughts became a little erratic. If it¡¯s fast, then one month, slow, then it¡¯s two to three months... Did this mean that they had at most two to three months together, or as few as thirty days? Construction work on the streets of Beijing always took ce at night. The road to Mian Xiu Garden was coincidentally closed off for construction tonight. Lu Jinnian wanted to reverse the car and take a detour, but Qiao Anhao was afraid it would take half an hour to drive around it, so she suggested to just walk over, as it would only take ten minutes. Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t have an opinion on it, so he stopped the car by the road and the two of them walked towards Mian Xiu Garden. As it had just rained, there were puddles everywhere. Lu Jinnian was afraid Qiao Anhao would get her feet wet and cold, so he bent down in front of her and said, "I¡¯ll piggyback you." Chapter 364: Xu Jiamu Woke Up (4) Chapter 364: Xu Jiamu Woke Up (4) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Qiao Anhao was stunned by Lu Jinnian¡¯s sudden words. She stared at his back for a while in a daze, then heard his clear voice again. "It rained, so the roads aren¡¯t easy to walk." Qiao Anhao thought Lu Jinnian was worried she¡¯d be tired from walking in such high heels. She hurriedly snapped out of it and said, a little shocked by his affection, "It¡¯s okay, I can walk. What¡¯s more, it¡¯s not too far." Lu Jinnian remained crouched. "Get on." After he said this, he turned around and grabbed Qiao Anhao¡¯s arms. With a single swing, shended on his back, with him holding her legs by his dies. Then he stood up. Qiao Anhao was afraid of falling, so she hastily grabbed onto his shoulders. Without moving an inch, she was carefully spread across Lu Jinnian¡¯s back. It was quite wide, and his footsteps were steady. His bright shoes, crossed over one shallow puddle after the other. Qiao Anhao, who was on his back, felt an unspeakable sense of stability, and her stiff body gradually rxed. Since it had just rained at one in the morning, it was quite cold. Because of the night breeze, water from the tree leaves would asionally drip onto Qiao Anhao¡¯s face. Her arms and hair were cold, but her heart was particrly peaceful. Perhaps it was because Qiao Anhao had fallen quite a bit, after walking for about a hundred meters, Lu Jinnian stopped in his tracks and pushed her up. With her hands around his neck, she turned to see the perfect outline of his side profile. Qiao Anhao¡¯s chest pressed against Lu Jinnian¡¯s back. She could feel the heat of his body through the clothes between them. A warm current flowed through her racing heart, and her hands around his neck couldn¡¯t help but stiffen up. As both of them were quite close, Qiao Anhao could smell a mix of tobo on Lu Jinnian¡¯s body. The look in her eyes became gentle when she called softly, "Lu Jinnian?" "Hm?" Lu Jinnian¡¯s tone of voice was as gentle as his extraordinary steady footsteps. Qiao Anhao stayed quiet for a minute, then quietly said in his ear, "We¡¯ve been ssmates for so many years." Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t quite understand why Qiao Anhao suddenly said that, but he furrowed his brows and made a "mm" again. Then he said, "Including middle school, that¡¯s six years." "So we¡¯re considered friends right?" Whilst Qiao Anhao asked this question, she randomly felt nervous and apprehensive. If they were friends, then even after Xu Jiamu left the hospital and they couldn¡¯t pretend to be husband and wife like they were now, they could still keep in contact, right? Even if he really had a woman he was in love with... even if he persistently loved her, that woman was already married. As time goes on and the days go by, he¡¯ll need to start a family eventually. Until that time came, it wouldn¡¯t matter if he¡¯d marry for love. If they would always keep in contact, then she would have some hope, right? Chapter 365: Xu Jiamu Woke Up (5)

Chapter 365: Xu Jiamu Woke Up (5)

Trantor:Paperne Editor:DarkGem Friends... At first, when they were young, he could only silently be her friend because he was too poor and had low self-esteem. But back then, in his heart, he never wanted to be her friend. Later, when he found out about her and Xu Jiamu''s arranged marriage, he thought that they''d never cross paths, or he''d just forget about her. However, when they really drew further and further apart, he realized just how dark those days were for him. Back then, he had hoped so hard to find a reason to get close to her. Even if they couldn''t speak, he was satisfied to be able to see her from afar. But his humble desires never came true, and in the end, they became strangers. If Xu Jiamu hadn''t gotten in a car ident, then perhaps the two of them would of continued to live in two straight paths that would never cross the other again. But now that Xu Jiamu woke up, it¡¯ll be the end of them... If in the end she and Xu Jiamu got together, he was willing to turn his love into a secret, never to be mentioned. He would be by her side forever, and a friend who never bothered her. When she was sad, he wouldfort her. When she had troubles, he would help her. When she was happy, he would sorrowfully wish her well... With that thought, Lu Jinnian blinked and said in a very clear voice to Qiao Anhao on his back, "Weren''t we always friends?" Weren''t we always friends? Those words whirled in Qiao Anhao''s mind before shepletely understood his meaning. Her cautious heart suddenly fell far back, as though she had taken a chill pill. She then went along with Lu Jinnian and gave him an affirmative "mm". Momentster, she added, "Yeah, we were always friends." They tried their utmost to be with one another in the past... Two people who clearly deeply loved each other... But times change and years go by... Because they had once lost, they didn''t dare act rashly. Because they had loved far too deeply, they were even more timid. Even if they could only be friends, that was a gift from the heavens. Lu Jinnian didn''t speak. He just piggybacked Qiao Anhao through the pale green lights. As they drew closer to Mian Xiu Garden, they saw that the osmanthus tree in the courtyard had just bloomed Qiao Anhao, who was on Lu Jinnian''s back, could smell the sweet scene of it and her lips couldn''t help but slightly curve upwards. Lu Jinnian purposefully slowed his footsteps, as though to immortalize this beautiful moment in time. When they passed another billboard, Qiao Anhao saw two words "seven years" on a poster. Then she remembered the question she''d wanted to ask Lu Jinnian before she received the hospital''s call. She then pushed her head out and broke the silence between them. "Lu Jinnian, when you were in the car just now, you told me that you gave me seven birthday presents. Do you still remember what those seven gifts were?" Every gift he gave her was carefully prepared, how could he not know? Lu Jinnian pretended that he couldn''t remember and asked, "What were they?" Qiao Anhao tilted her head and thought for a moment, then she recounted each and every one of them. "The first year of high school it was a music box." That music box wasn''t expensive. Just a hundred something yuan. It was the first time Lu Jinnian had attended her birthday party. When he saw Xu Jiamu and Qiao Anxia gifting her all sorts of expensive luxury goods, his heart had felt notably defeated. Chapter 366: Xu Jiamu Woke Up (6) Chapter 366: Xu Jiamu Woke Up (6) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem "The second year of high school was a pretty notebook." "The third year of high school was a porcin cup." "The first year of university, you gave me a photo frame." "The second and third of university were a ne and an anklet... And the final gift was tonight¡¯s porcin doll!" Qiao Anhao recounted each and every birthday present Lu Jinnian had given her. They were aplete match to Lu Jinnian¡¯s memory, but when she said thest gift, his brows furrowed. Except for today¡¯s gift, the seventh gift... shouldn¡¯t it have been the rose and cake he had given her on her fourth year of university? Back then, he gifted her the most expensive gift he¡¯d ever bought. Why didn¡¯t she mention it? Lu Jinnian felt that there was something not right about that, and he quietly asked, "On the fourth year of university, I also gave you a birthday present. Don¡¯t you remember" "Fourth year?" Qiao Anhao asked with some skepticism. "Did you remember incorrectly? The birthday in my fourth year of university you were at a film festival in Changsha. You didn¡¯t attend my birthday party, how could you have given me a present?" Even though Lu Jinnian couldn¡¯t clearly see Qiao Anhao¡¯s expression, but based on her words, she sounded at a loss, and so he asked her in doubt, "I didn¡¯t?" Qiao Anhao was always protective over Lu Jinnian¡¯s gifts, so she couldn¡¯t have remembered incorrectly. But to avoid making a mistake, she tilted her head and thought about it seriously. Once she waspletely sure, she said to Lu Jinnian, "You really didn¡¯t. You didn¡¯t even say ¡¯Happy Birthday¡¯ to me that year!" Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t say anything. From the bottom of his heart, he understood. That year, he received an award, yet he went all the way to Beijing. Seeing that the gifts were thrown in the rubbish bin, she obviously never received them, which goes to say, someone seized them Who could it have been? Han Ruchu¡¯s name suddenly popped up in Lu Jinnian¡¯s mind. It was her, definitely her! What transpired that night came too suddenly, and hit him too hard. He obviously didn¡¯t think of such a loophole back then. Thinking back now, he realized... how could Han Ruchu have been so certain that he loved Qiao Anhao. She must of definitely seen his gift to her. Han Ruchu, who had always hated him, must of found out that he liked her son¡¯s fiance, so that¡¯s why she did that. So, that woman, she not only killed his son, but she also made him misunderstand Qiao Anhao all those years ago. His heart suddenly felt upset and delighted at the same time. He was delighted that the woman he loved, even though she didn¡¯t love him, had never learned of his feelings. He was upset that someone had him in the palm of their hands. After all the hate and me, Qiao Anhao was actually innocent all along. Qiao Anhao looked at Lu Jinnian for a long time without making a sound. Then she asked, "Did you really give me a birthday present in my fourth year of university?" Lu Jinnian snapped out of his own thoughts, and calmly said, "I think remembered wrong." Qiao Anhao suddenly settled down, as she hugged Lu Jinnian¡¯s neck. She asked a question she¡¯d thought of whilst she was just recounting the presents. "You really like Shmily merchandise, don¡¯t you?" "Hm?" Lu Jinnian softly asked back. "Why?" Chapter 367: Xu Jiamu Woke Up (7) Chapter 367: Xu Jiamu Woke Up (7) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem "I just realized that the gift you gave me had ¡¯Shmily¡¯ engraved on it. These past few years, this brand has been especially popr." Actually, Qiao Anhao had long ago seen the engraved letters ¡¯Shmily¡¯ on Lu Jinnian¡¯s first gift. Back then, she didn¡¯t know what it was, nor did she know that this brand produced all kinds of gifts. Up until around four years ago when she saw a Shmily gift store on the high street. That¡¯s when she knew that those letters were the name of a brand. Lu Jinnian¡¯s tone remained elegant and calm. "That brand¡¯s gifts aren¡¯t bad." "They¡¯re great." Qiao Anhao sounded like she really agreed. After a while, she said, "Do you know the touching story behind this brand?" "What story?" "I saw on Weibo that this brand, Shmily, was an acronym for See, How, Much, I, Love, You. They say that the founder of the brand was a lovesick man. The only reason why he created this brand was to confess to the woman he loved, but the gifts industry was toopetitive. The poprity of this brand was low for many years before it grew popr. Then this story has been shared on Weibo." "So there¡¯s such a romantic story." "Yeah, it¡¯s really romantic!" Qiao Anhao¡¯s words had a hint of envy. "That girl is so lucky." Lu Jinnian smiled without saying a word, as he piggybacked Qiao Anhao through the gates of Mian Xiu Garden. See, How, Much, I, Love, You. Shmily. Previously, the gifts he gave her were quite cheap, but they had deep meanings. He personally engraved those words onto the first gift. Later on, about over four years ago, when they had already stopped keeping in contact and he had be rich, he then officially founded this brand. It only sold some cheap gifts, and the rent in Beijing was expensive. At first, it didn¡¯t make any profit. In fact, it made a loss. Back then, his assistant even said that he wasn¡¯t business minded and rmended that he close all of his branches. He refused to do so for no reason other than because it was the best confession he once gave her. Shmily. See, How, Much, I, Love, You. - When Han Ruchu called the hospital, Xu Jiamu had already fallen asleep and Qiao Anhao had already left. It was quitete, but since she knew that her son had wokenn up, she called the housekeeper to driver her to the hospital. The road from the Xu family to the hospital coincidentally passed the street in front of Mian Xiu Garden¡¯s neighborhood. Han Ruchu always thought that her son didn¡¯t pay attention to what was out the window, but the housekeeper driving suddenly slowed the car down... Han Ruchu furrowed her brows. She raised her head and saw the housekeeper staring straight outside the window. Who knew what the housekeeper was looking at. She asked her, "What¡¯s the matter?" The housekeeper heard Han Ruchu¡¯s voice and pointed out out of the car window, saying, "Missus, look, it¡¯s Miss Anhao." Han Ruchu followed where the housekeeper was pointing to see Qiao Anhao, who was carried on someone¡¯s back. The person carrying her was Lu Jinnian. Chapter 368: Xu Jiamu Woke Up (8) Chapter 368: Xu Jiamu Woke Up (8) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Since the car was quite far away, and there was construction happening on the other road, Han Ruchu and her housekeeper simply couldn¡¯t hear what the pair outside was saying. However, from their expressions, they seemed to be having fun chatting. The housekeeper said, "It looks like Miss Anhao¡¯s rtionship with that bastard isn¡¯t bad. The young master loves Miss Anhao, and now that the young master has finally woken up..." As the housekeeper said this, they coincidentally saw Qiao Anhao tilt her head and stare at Lu Jinnian with a sweet smile. The housekeeper suddenly stepped on the breaks. After the car had stayed on the street for some time, she said, "Do you reckon Miss Anhao is falling for the bastard? If so, then what of the young master?" Han Ruchu¡¯s expression instantly froze over. She stared wordlessly at the two outside until Lu Jinnian carried Qiao Anhao into the neighborhood. Only then did she divert her eyes. The housekeeper in the drivers seat said with annoyance in her voice, "The young master treated that bastard so well. For him to dare treat the young master like that..." When Han Ruchu heard this, her expression looked worse for wear. As though to cut the housekeeper off, she said with a cold tone, "Start the car." The car drove off. - Qiao Anhao and Lu Jinnian talked for a long time, but they were quite tired, so eventually they stopped talking. She closed her eyes whilst on Lu Jinnian¡¯s back. Her breathing was light, as she blew incessantly on his neck. It somewhat distracted his heart and stiffened his steps. A cool gust of wind came in, and woke Lu Jinnian up. He suppressed the evil fire in his heart, and walked even slower than before. Even though both of them didn¡¯t speak, but the atmosphere felt far better than when they spoke. There was a feeling of evesting peace and quiet. Even if Lu Jinnian wanted to make this road longer, they had reached the end. He stepped into his own courtyard. Because of the rain, the flowers in the courtyard had fallen to the ground. There were quite a few petals stuck to Lu Jinnian¡¯s leg. When they reached the door, he brought his hand up to the doorbell. Before it could ring, Madam Chen opened the door. "Mr. Lu, Missus." Lu Jinnian greeted her with a nod. Qiao Anhao, who was carried on his back, blinked and called out, "Madam Chen." After they entered the mansion, Qiao Anhao didn¡¯t have any intention of getting down, nor did Lu Jinnian say anything for her to get down, so he continued to carry her in. Madam Chen changed Qiao Anhao¡¯s shoes for slippers, and he changed into slippers himself. With Qiao Anhao still on his back, when he reached the bottom of the stairs, he looked at her as though having thought of something and said, "We¡¯re home." Qiao Anhao knew that Lu Jinnian meant for it to be a sign for her to get off of him. With a reluctant heart, she waited for five seconds, and then said in an unwilling voice, "Put me down." Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t say a thing but lowered his body. Qiao Anhao conveniently slipped off of him. Lu Jinnian then said, "I¡¯m going to the restrooms. Go upstairs first and help me turn on the shower." Qiao Anhao nodded, turned, and trotted upstairs. Lu Jinnian stared at Qiao Anhao, who disappeared around the corner of the stairs, with the hint of a wide smile in his eyes. He turned to look at Madam Chen, who immediately understood and ran into the kitchen. The lights were off in the bedroom. Qiao Anhao pushed open the bedroom door and went to reach for the light switch on the wall. Before she even pressed the switch, there was already light in the room. She furrowed her brows and was about to walk in when she stopped, dazed, in her tracks... Chapter 369: Xu Jiamu Woke Up (9) Chapter 369: Xu Jiamu Woke Up (9) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem The lights were off in the bedroom. Qiao Anhao pushed open the bedroom door and went to reach for the light switch on the wall. Before she even pressed the switch, there was already light in the room. She furrowed her brows and was about to walk in when she stopped, dazed, in her tracks... There were two rows of candles at her feet with about a meter-wide pathway in between the rows. The candles wound around the bed and sofa and out towards the balcony, where the light was even brighter. With the light from the candles, Qiao Anhao saw that the walls were covered in light pink and purple balloons. On the wall directly facing the television, the two words "Happy Birthday" were spelled with the balloons.. The whole scene looked familiar. Qiao Anhao stood there for a long time, before she strode over to the pathway formed by candles. She walked towards the balcony, and when she went around the sofa, she saw the entire balcony densely covered with candles. The orange glow from the candlelight radiated non-stop, entuating the unlit red candle in the center, making it particrly eye-catching. It clearly spelled out the four words - Qiao Qiao, Happy Birthday. This was clearly the surprise she had originally prepared on Lu Jinnian¡¯s birthday. While Qiao Anhao was in a deep trance, and before she could even register what was happening, the familiar sounds of footsteps came from behind her. She instinctively turned her head and saw Lu Jinnian, who still wore the formal suit from the conference, holding a cake with lit candles in both hands. He calmly and elegantly strode towards her, as he emerged from the candlelight pathway. The glow from the candles all over the floor brought about a romantic atmosphere. Ayer of creamy yellow light highlighted thepelling handsomeness of Lu Jinnian¡¯s face. The reflection of light in his eyes made them particrly bright. Qiao Anhao¡¯s heart was transfixed by Lu Jinnian, who drew closer to her one step at a time. She thought it was all an illusion. When Lu Jinnian was half a meter away from Qiao Anhao, his feet stopped. He pushed the cake in both hands in front of her, and looked into her eyes with a rare seriousness and concentration. He said with maism in his voice, "Because there wasn¡¯t enough time, I wasn¡¯t able to personally bake you a cake like you did, so I had to ask my assistant to order a cake from ck Swan." Qiao Anhao, who had just walked into this scene, was already full of suspicion as to whether Lu Jinnian knew about the preparations she had made on his birthday, but now, hearing it from his mouth, she was absolutely sure of it. She stared at it, and asked with a slight tremble in her voice, "You... know?" Lu Jinnian knew what Qiao Anhao was asking about. He blinked lightly, and gazed into her eyes. Keeping his cool, he first gave a slight nod before saying, "Yeah, I know." Qiao Anhao moved her lips, wanting to ask him how he knew, but before she could ask, he spoke again. He told her everything he wanted to tell her when he came back to Mian Xiu Garden on the day after his birthday, and found out that he¡¯d missed the surprise she¡¯d prepared him. "I¡¯m so sorry. That night, because of my own reasons, I was in a bad mood and hurt you. I¡¯m also sorry that I missed out on your surprise for me. "I want to say sorry for that night." Lu Jinnian paused for a moment, and then added, "And I want to say thank you for that night." With only the glowing candlelight lighting the room, Qiao Anhao stared at the charmingly handsome and noble man who left people breathless. The bottom of her eyes welled up. Chapter 370: Xu Jiamu Woke Up (10) Chapter 370: Xu Jiamu Woke Up (10) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem The wetness at the bottom of Qiao Anhao¡¯s eyes grew heavy. In the end, her vision became foggy, and the tears hung in the corner of her eyes, about to give way. Qiao Anhao couldn¡¯t quite see, but through the blurriness she made out that there were many candles. She tried her best to curve the corner of her lips to say "Thank you", but just as her lips moved, tears uncontrobly flowed down her face. Lu Jinnian held the cake with one hand, and with his empty hand, he reached out to wipe her tears. Then he said as though to lightly remind her, "Okay, make a wish." Qiao Anhao hurriedly nodded her head, and a few drops of tears fell. The corner of her lips curved up even more when she closed her eyes to make a wish. After she made a wish, she opened her eyes and a single tear fell. Taking in a deep breath, she blew out the candles, and gave Lu Jinnian a beaming smile with a face full of tears. She opened her mouth to speak, and said, slightly choked up, "Thank you..." She wanted to say something, but the words didn¡¯te out, and her tears fell even more intensely. For all the years she¡¯d loved him, she only cried in front of him once, and that was only a single tear. At the time, he nced at her, then turned around and left. Ever since then, no matter how he treated her, even if she wanted to cry, she would hide away and secretly cry alone. The night of his birthday had clearly happened so long ago. She didn¡¯t even cried this hard that night, when she felt so wronged, but now, she didn¡¯t know what was wrong with her; the tears just wouldn¡¯t stop. Lu Jinnian looked at Qiao Anhao, who was crying like a child, and his heart felt a little flustered. He put the cake aside, onto the coffee table. Even though he seemed calm andposed as he wiped her tears away, but his fingertips were trembling, which revealed his panic. In the end, his tone was tense when he said, "Don¡¯t cry..." From the bottom of her heart, Qiao Anhao also felt that her crying was a little bratty, but sometimes women can be weird like that. When they encounter something heartbreaking, they¡¯re meant to cry but they don¡¯t shed a tear. When they shouldugh, they¡¯re a sobbing mess. Qiao Anhao tried her best to control her tears, but in the end, she justughed. Then ended up suddenly hugging Lu Jinnian¡¯s waist with her head in his chest. His body froze, until he felt her tears soak into his shirt. When he felt lines and lines of trickling of tears, he reached out to gently stroke her back. His strokes were a little stiff. Qiao Anhao graduallyposed herself. Deep in Lu Jinnian¡¯s arms, she raised her head, and with a pair of red eyes from the crying, she gave him a beaming smile. "Sorry, my emotions are a little out of control..." As she¡¯d been crying, her eyes were particrly bright. When she smiled, there was a slight childish air about her tearful face. She smiled again. "I didn¡¯t want to cry..." Lu Jinnian watched her, mesmerized. He originally wanted to wipe her tears with his fingertips, but his hand held her face still instead. Qiao Anhao didn¡¯t finish speaking. She suddenly stopped, opened her big bright eyes, and stared innocently and bewitchingly into his eyes. The two of them held their gazes for a long time, their expressions transfixed. The atmosphere in the room surged with an air of romance. Chapter 371: In What Way am I not Good Enough? (1) Chapter 371: In What Way am I not Good Enough? (1) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Qiao Anhao¡¯s intuition told her that the events that were about to follow hadst happened the night of Lu Jinnian¡¯s birthday. Unconsciously, she bit her soft tongue in anxiety and anticipation. Lu Jinnian¡¯s gaze turned tender and deep as he raised his hands to caress her face. Bending his head slightly, he covered her lips. Lu Jinnian¡¯s actions were abrupt, only when Qiao Anhao felt moisture and numbness on her lips did she realize what was happening. Hershes quivered and her hands gripped onto his cor. When she shut her eyes, she felt his tongue enter her mouth, sending her mind aze. The night was dark, the candles burning silently. The windows weren¡¯t closed, and the cool wind blew in, sending the balloons on the balcony flying and bringing in a breath of fresh air. The world seemed to have stopped. Their frantic breaths, rapid heartbeats, and soft moans filled the air. Gradually, the hand Qiao Anhao had used to grip his cor turned limp with sweat. As their kiss deepened, they became intoxicated by each other¡¯s body, trying desperately to tighten their bond. Lu Jinnian ced a hand behind her head, deepening their kiss, and with the other, he started searching for the zip on her dress. Qiao Anhao¡¯s dress had aplicated zip. After searching desperately for a while, he still couldn¡¯t find it. He started to feel impatient, tugging her dress upwards in frustration. The suddenness caused Qiao Anhao to stumble backwards, kicking over two candles. The ss cup that held the candles shattered, sending a shrill noise through the air, startling their senses back into them. Lu Jinnian struggled to force himself away from her, his breathing rugged and breathless. He almost forgot that her abortion was less than a month ago, her body was not going to be able to take it. He took in several deep breaths, before lowering his head once again to kiss her lips onest time. Mustering up all the self control he possessed to suppress his inner mes, he said in a hoarse voice, "Do you want some cake?" Just a second ago they had been kissing passionately, now he had asked her if she wanted cake? Qiao Anhao wasn¡¯t able to process the abruptness of the situation; her brain was left in a daze. After a long while, she shook her head. "Let me get Madam Chen to put it in the fridge, you can have some tomorrow." Lu Jinnian spoke in a low deep voice that was almost a moan. He shut his eyes for a while more before pushing Qiao Anhao away, creating a safe distance between the two of them. He gazed at her before tidying her clothes and instructing her to take a bath. Just a moment ago there had been a fiery situation and now it had been put to an abrupt stop; Lu Jinnian wasn¡¯t the only one feeling unsatisfied and frustrated. With low spirits and a heavy heart, Qiao Anhao hesitated slightly but decided to hold on to her dignity. In the end, she was just not able to harass him to continue what he had started... Unwillingly, she turned and dragged herself to the bathroom. Chapter 372: In What Way am I not Good Enough? (2) Chapter 372: In What Way am I not Good Enough? (2) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Lu Jinnian waited till the bathroom doors were close before bringing the te of cake downstairs. He passed the cake over to Madam Chen before heading out. The night breeze blewfortably against him. Instinctively, he touched his pockets for his box of cigarettes. He took a stick out and brought it to his mouth, but just when he was about to light it up, he remembered the words that Qiao Anhao had said to him in the hospital: Smoking is bad for health, you should quit. He paused for a while before removing the stick he held in his mouth. He stuffed it back into the cigarette box and hesitated once more. Walking over to the trash bin at the side, he threw in both the entire box of cigarettes and the lighter. He was out for about ten minutes, and after calming his heart, he turned and re-entered the house. The moment he pushed the bedroom door open, he heard the shower running. The sound started to frustrate him, stirring the me within him that he had desperately tried to suppress. He walked to the changing room, grabbed a fresh set of clothes before walking to the next room to take a cold shower. When he returned to the bedroom, Qiao Anhao was standing by the vanity, preparing to blow dry her hair. Her hair was starting to get long. Even if she had done hair treatments, it would still tangle when it was wet, so she was using her fingers to untangle them. Lu Jinnian threw the towel that he held aside and walked over. He picked up abbed her hair silently. Qiao Anhao froze slightly, turning to look at him through the mirror. She observed him for a while before lowering hershes. Lu Jinnian untangled her hair before blowing it with the hairdryer seriously. The buzzing from the hairdryer continuously sounded in Qiao Anhao¡¯s ears. After making sure that her hair was dry, he didn¡¯t forget tob it once again. Only then did he put theb down and said, "It¡¯s done." Qiao Anhao looked at him through the mirror once again. With a trace of a smile, she started to apply her facial lotion. Lu Jinnian remained silent, ruffling his hair as he blew it dry before lying on the bed. After applying her facial products, Qiao Anhao climbed onto the bed as well. Once she was properly tucked in, he stood up to off the lights. The candles on the floor were still burning, sending a soft warm glow through the room. They bothy in silence. It was alreadyte, but Qiao Anhao was wide awake, the image of the moment a while back shing in her mind. Why didn¡¯t he touch her in the end? She kept reying the image in her mind, feeling frustrated, while Lu Jinnian, who had just taken a cold shower, was ruffled by her constant tosses and turns. When she finally turned once again, he could no longer keep it in any longer, grabbing her wrist, putting an end to her restlessness. Qiao Anhao had originally thought that he was about to continue from where they left off, but instead, he just held onto her wrist, without any signs of movement. Disappointment and sadness clouded her, and she flipped over once more. "Can¡¯t sleep?" Lu Jinnian turned and looked into her face with the faint glow from the candle. Chapter 373: In What Way am I not Good Enough? (3) Chapter 373: In What Way am I not Good Enough? (3) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Qiao Anhao nced at Lu Jinnian wordlessly. Finally, he sighed in defeat and pulled her into his arms, preventing her from moving. "It¡¯ste, let¡¯s sleep." Lu Jinnian¡¯s embrace miraculously calmed Qiao Anhao¡¯s ruffled heart. Even though they were separated by a thinyer of clothes, she could still feel his warmth. The candles cast a faint warm glow on the room, and as she rested her head on his arm, she could hear the strong thud of his heart, giving off a sense of security. In her mind, she couldn¡¯t help thinking of what had happened recently. Even if he still possessed the same nonchnt demeanor, his care for her was apparent. When they had gone to Resplendent for dinner, he had held onto her hand , carried her back home, and had even celebrated her birthday... He would never have done that in the past. What caused the sudden change? After thinking for a while, she suddenly came up with a wild conjecture... Did he fall in love with her after their time together? She started feeling confused and anxious, opening her eyes to look at him. He had his eyes shut, his expression calm as though he was on the verge of falling asleep. There was a hint of indifference and loftiness etched on his face. As she nced at him, she couldn¡¯t help feeling an impulse. That impulse started to feel stronger and stronger, and when she could no longer keep it in she whispered his name. "Lu Jinnian?" With his eyes shut, he replied with a murmur instinctively before opening his eyes. The moment she caught his gaze, she started to feel anxious. She had wanted to ask if he liked her, but the question was stuck in her throat. When her brain started to clear, she remembered that he had once told her that no matter who he liked, it would never be her, so could she just be thinking too much? When he realized that she wasn¡¯t going to react, he frowned, asking, "What¡¯s wrong?" When Qiao Anhao finally came back to her senses, she looked at him, her mind confused. She randomly found an excuse. "Are you tired?" With the woman he loved in his arms, how would any normal man be able to fall asleep? In a clear voice, Lu Jinnian said, "No." He asked again, "What¡¯s wrong?" "Hmm." After a moment of silence, she asked again, "Can I ask you a question?" "Ask," Lu Jinnian replied instantly. Qiao Anhao started to feel her heart quicken. She gripped onto the the nket before asking, "In what ways am I not good enough?" Her question threw Lu Jinnian off guard, leaving him speechless. In his heart, she was the most perfect being in the world. Qiao Anhao started getting more nervous from his silence, hence she decided to exin herself, relieving the tension. "It¡¯s like this... Jiamu once told me that you have someone you like." Chapter 374: In What Way am I not Good Enough? (4) Chapter 374: In What Way am I not Good Enough? (4) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem "I was always curious and wanted to ask you about who you like..." Qiao Anhao tried to appear curious, as though she was just being gossipy. She thought that she looked rxed, but deep inside, her heart was bleeding. She took several deep breaths inwardly, trying to control her emotions, allowing herself to seem nonchnt when saying the words that had sent her to tears multiple times. "No matter who I like, it will never be you." Qiao Anhao appeared calm, even curling her lips upwards into a small smile before lowering hershes to shield her hurt and sorrow. She continued to joke with ease, "Don¡¯t you know how hurtful that was? I was just being curious, but you had actually said that.... Am I that bad?" In that instance, Lu Jinnian was even more confused. That sentence wasn¡¯t part of any of his memories. He frowned, trying to recall what had happened five years ago, before they had grown apart. At that time, they hadn¡¯t met for a few months and finally reunited in a gathering held by Xu Jiamu. That time, he had just heard from Xu Jiamu that he was going to marry Qiao Anhao. It had been the worst moment of his life. He felt despair closing in on him and on the second night of the gathering, he didn¡¯t speak to Qiao Anhao. He just kept drowning himself in alcohol. And at the end of the night, he dreamed that he had met her and had spoken to her. Lu Jinnian could sense that what she was saying was from the night he was drunk. He sunk into silence for a long while before asking, "Was it five years ago on the night of Jiamu¡¯s gathering?" "Yea," she replied faintly. "That night, the girl I love had married someone else, so I wasn¡¯t in a good mood. I drank too much and mistook you for a hallucination..." Hallucination... Qiao Anhao didn¡¯t know how to exin her current emotion... She could barely breath. Her grasp on the nket tightened, but she forced herself to react normally. "So on that night, you mistook me for the girl you love? You thought that she was the one asking you, that¡¯s why you said that?" Lu Jinnian¡¯s lips pressed into a thin line, sadness creeping onto his face. After a long while, he exined faintly, "That sentence wasn¡¯t for the girl I love, it was for myself." So that¡¯s how it was.... That sentence was not meant for her, but the girl he loved wasn¡¯t her either... Qiao Anhao¡¯s happiness was soon drowned by ayer of sadness. She struggled to keep the smile on her face. "I really thought you meant it." She paused slightly before continuing, "But the girl you love must be blessed, having you love her for such a long time." Chapter 375: In What Way am I not Good Enough? (5) Chapter 375: In What Way am I not Good Enough? (5) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Lu Jinnian lifted his lips lightly, but he didn¡¯t speak. The entire room was so quiet that even the sparks of light from the candles could be heard. After a long while, Lu Jinnian finally spoke, but instead of replying to her, he called her lightly, "Qiao Qiao..." Qiao Anhao raised her head in confusion, looking up at him. "Huh?" Lu Jinnian stared at her, his eyes a mixture of emotions. He wanted to tell her that she was the girl that he loved, but he was afraid that if it went wrong, they couldn¡¯t even be friends. When someone has totally lost something, he never wants to return back to that stage. The five years without her was the worst time of his life and he never wanted to relive that again. His heart was in a mess. After a long while, he finally cleared his throat. "You are girl worthy of love." This was the first time that Lu Jinnian had praised her. Qiao Anhao took a deep breath of his familiar scent, another sudden impulse forming in her mind. She really wanted to ask if she was really worthy of love. If she was worthy, that what about him? Why didn¡¯t he love her? The more she thought, the more she wanted to ask him. She was really going to call for him, but as she looked at him, he was staring back at her with a deep gaze, as though waiting for her to speak. In that instance, she lost all her courage. This was the best time of their rtionship and she didn¡¯t want to do anything to jeopardize this moment. After all, even if she was a girl worthy of love, that didn¡¯t mean that he would love her. She swallowed the words back in, finally saying in a faint voice, "Goodnight." After a long while, he replied in an equally faint voice, "Goodnight." This was the end of their conversation. They closed their eyes, pretending to be asleep, but deep inside their hearts, they were both thinking of their deepest secret.... He loved her; She loved him. Qiao Anhao had no idea how she fell asleep that night, but when she woke up, it was already 11 am in the afternoon and Lu Jinnian was no longer beside her. The candles on the floor had already been extinguished, leaving an empty ss containers behind. The balloons on the wall were the same as the previous night, reminding her that it was not a dream. She looked at her phone and saw many blessings from her family and friends. As she brushed her teeth, she started to reply to them one by one. By lunch time, Zhao Meng had arrived to fetch her to the filming set. Qiao Anhao began packing her things, but before she left, she suddenly remembered that Lu Jinnian had prepared a cake for her. She told Madam Chen to pack it for her and she brought it along to the filming set. That afternoon, Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t have any scenes, so he didn¡¯t turn up. But in the few minutes they were apart, she realized that she really missed him. After she was done with her scenes, she headed back to the hotel. Upon reaching it, she saw Lu Jinnian¡¯s car in the car park! Knowing that he was nearby, she suddenly remembered the cake he had prepared for her, which she could use as an excuse to meet him. After returning to her room, she cut the cake and ced arge slice onto a te. Just when she was about to leave the room, her phone suddenly rang... Chapter 376: In What Way am I not Good Enough? (6) Chapter 376: In What Way am I not Good Enough? (6) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem After returning to her room, Qiao Anhao cut the cake and ced arge slice onto a te. Just when she was about to leave the room, her phone suddenly rang... It was from the front counter. "Is Miss Qiao Anhao there?" She held the cake in one hand and the phone in another. Bending down, she answered, "Yes." " Hello Miss Qiao, the front staff has two deliveries for you. Do you need me to send them up now?" One was from Qiao Anxia. She had initially wanted to deliver the present personally but was sent overseas on ast minute business trip, hence she could only send it through postage. As for the other gift... Qiao Anhao frowned slightly, curious as to who had sent it, but she was in a rush to go upstairs to find Lu Jinnian, so she didn¡¯t think much of it and said in a warm tone, "Yes please, I¡¯m sorry to have to trouble you." After she hung up, Qiao Anhao informed Zhao Meng, who was devouring the cake, to collect the delivery for her before rushing out the door. After closing it behind her, she hesitated slightly before returning back to the room. She ced the cake down and tidied her hair. After examining herself for a long while, she reached for her blusher and dabbed a little on her cheeks. Pressing her lips together, she was satisfied with herself. She reached for the cake once more and left her room. - Qiao Anhao came to the entrance of Lu Jinnian¡¯s room on the top floor. At the door, she didn¡¯t forget to take out her phone to look at her reflection, making sure that she looked perfect before pressing the doorbell. Lu Jinnian¡¯s assistant was the one that opened the door. When he saw her, he stood aside immediately. "Miss Qiao,e in." Qiao Anhao walked in with the cake in her hands. She scanned the surroundings, and when she didn¡¯t see Lu Jinnian in the living room, she asked, "Where¡¯s Lu Jinnian?" "Mr. Lu is in the bedroom." His assistant pointed to the bedroom before walking to knock on the door. After waiting for a while, Lu Jinnian¡¯s faint voice came from inside, "Enter." The assistant pushed the door open. Lu Jinnian sat in front of the study table. He continued to stare at theputer screen without bothering to look up, as though he had nothing to do with the person that just entered. His assistant was already used to Lu Jinnian¡¯s nonchnce, so he added, "Mr. Lu, Miss Qiao is here." The moment Lu Jinnian heard that Qiao Anhao was here, he diverted his gaze from theputer screen to look at her, who had just entered the room. A wide smile spread across her face instantly. It was sunset, and through the window, warm yellow rays were spilling into the room onto Qiao Anhao¡¯s face, making her smile seem almost celestial. Lu Jinnian stared in a daze for a while before raising from his chair, asking in a gentle voice, "Why are you here?" Qiao Anhao smiled at him, lifting therge cake in her hands. "I came to send you a a slice of cake." Lu Jinnian pushed the messy documents aside, emptying a space for the te. The assistant had specially ordered Qiao Anhao¡¯s birthday cake, so he knew that it was her birthday. He instantly gave her his blessing, "Miss Qiao, Happy Birthday." Chapter 377: In What Way am I not Good Enough? (7) Chapter 377: In What Way am I not Good Enough? (7) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem "Thank you." Qiao Anhao smiled towards his assistant and ce the cake on the empty space Lu Jinnian had emptied. It seemed rude not to offer his assistant, so she turned towards him. "Do you want a slice?" The assistant nodded his head, epting Lu Jinnian turned to re at his assistant, forcing him to swallow his words. The man then turned to smile at Qiao Anhao, forcing out his next words. "Thank you Miss Qiao, but I don¡¯t really like sweet food." "Oh..." Qiao Anhao turned and looked at Lu Jinnian. At that moment, there wasn¡¯t any expression on his face. He no longer had the strict expression he had used to face his assistant, and so Qiao Anhao remained oblivious to what had happened, a faint smile on her face. She passed the fork she had brought up to Lu Jinnian and told him, "The cake is all yours." Lu Jinnian replied with a faint "Yea", and when Qiao Anhao wasn¡¯t paying attention, he swept his assistant a nce. The man suddenly realized the situation and immediately said, "Mr. Lu, I just remembered that I promised my wife that I¡¯ll be home tonight for dinner, so if there¡¯s nothing more, can I go back?" Even though Lu Jinnian was well aware that his assistant left because of his warning, he remained expressionless, as though nothing had happened, and nodded. "Yea, I know." The assistant turned to Qiao Anhao and bade her goodbye before leaving the room. After he left, Lu Jinnian nced at the time on hisputer. It was dinner time, so he asked, "What do you want to eat?" "Anything..." After Qiao Anhao had replied, she suddenly remembered that Lu Jinnian was busy with work before she had arrived. "Weren¡¯t you busy with work? Should we go after you finish?" She paused for a bit, then lied, "I¡¯m not that hungry yet since I just ate some cake." Lu Jinnian thought about it before passing his iPad to Qiao Anhao. "You can wait here." "Okay." She reached for the iPad and pointed to the living room, so that she wouldn¡¯t disrupt him. "I¡¯ll wait over there." Lu Jinnian nodded, not saying anything. Qiao Anhao smiled sweetly at him before hugging her iPad and leaving the bedroom, closing the door behind herself. Lu Jinnian looked at the tightly shut door, standing in the same position for a long while before lowering his hand with a faint smile on his face. He pulled his chair and sat down to continue with his work. After he finished, the skies were already dark. He turned and took a look at the time. Two hours had already passed. He suddenly stood up, remembering that Qiao Anhao was still waiting for him in the living room. He kicked her chair aside and tookrge strides to the door. When he pulled it open, he saw her lying on the sofa with the iPad in her hands, watching a movie. She was afraid that to disrupt him, so she had the iPad¡¯s volume set on really low. Lu Jinnian slowed, his expression turning gentle. Qiao Anhao seemed to have sensed him, for she turned her head instinctively, seeing him. She ced the iPad on the sofa and sat up. With a smile on her face, she asked, "You finished?" Chapter 378: In What Way am I not Good Enough? (8) Chapter 378: In What Way am I not Good Enough? (8) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Lu Jinnian nced at her smile, bliss and tenderness enveloping his heart. This was the most beautiful part of life: No matter how busy you were, the moment you finish, the person you love is there, waiting with the warmest smile. He looked at her gentle smile for a long while before blinking. In a warm voice, he asked, "Hungry?" "I¡¯m fine." An hour ago, she was indeed hungry, but after such a long time, the hunger had gone away. Lu Jinnian grabbed his car keys and wallet from the coffee table while saying, "Let¡¯s go, I¡¯ll get you some food." He brought her to the White House Restaurant in Beijing city which cost at least five digits per meal, with an additional twenty percent of service charge. The restaurant was a ce that money alone could not buy. It was said that the female waitresses here had a higher requirement than in "Paradise", the biggest nightclub in Beijing. This was the first time that Qiao Anhao had entered in this restaurant, and it was just as the rumors had made it out to be. Just the entrance fee was seven digits and that¡¯s not inclusive of the meal. All the wine served was world famous and the servers were dressed in light colored qipaos which hugged their curvaceous figures and had amazing visuals. It was definitely a ce that nourished the eyes. Truthfully, the restaurant was extravagant. The food was good but it wasn¡¯t worth its price tag. Even if the price wasn¡¯t worth it, Qiao Anhao still had an enjoyable meal. After their meal, it was alreadyte and the entire city was lit up. Lu Jinnian sped across the quiet night back the film set. Qiao Anhao didn¡¯t want to separate from Lu Jinnian just yet, so when the car stopped, she unwillingly unfastened her seatbelt and alighted from the car slowly. The two of them walked side by side into the hotel entrance. The bellboy pressed the elevator after the two of them entered it. Lu Jinnian pressed his floor while she pressed her floor. She looked at the red numbers on the elevator ascending ,one number at a time, reaching her floor in an instance. When the elevator doors opened, she turned around unwillingly to bid him goodbye. Lu Jinnian nodded lightly, saying, "Goodnight." Qiao Anhao continued to stare at him for a while. Only when the elevator doors made a sound did she quickly exit. When she was about to turn and wave to him, the doors were already shut. After Lu Jinnian reached his room, he ripped off his tie and removed his shirt before walking to the bathroom. Just then, he received a text from Qiao Anhao, [Thank you for the scrumptious meal tonight.] Lu Jinnian¡¯s actions slowed. With his free hand, he typed a few words, replying with [You¡¯re wee.] She quickly replied with a smiley face, saying, [I¡¯ll go and shower now, goodnight.] Chapter 379: In What Way am I not Good Enough? (9) Chapter 379: In What Way am I not Good Enough? (9) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Lu Jinnian responded with a [Goodnight], and after he confirmed that she wasn¡¯t going to reply, he entered the bathroom. Aftering out, he wanted to smoke out of habit, but when he touched his pocket, he realized that it was empty. He remembered that he had thrown it away. Instead, he poured a cup of hot water for himself and sat down on the living room sofa to watch television. After flipping through a few channels, he switched the television off, tossing the remote control on the coffee table. That¡¯s when he saw the iPad. He picked it up and saw that Qiao Anhao had been watching the movie "Nian Nian¡¯s Notebook". He exited the movie and found that there was an additional QQ chat software on his iPad. It was definitely downloaded by Qiao Anhao, so he clicked in and realized that she hasn¡¯t logged out of her ount. He entered the main page and began reading, sentence by sentence. Most of her entries were about her feelings and what she wanted to do for that day and other random thoughts like "Randomly craving H?agen-Dazs", "Really wishing to watch a concert", "Having a meal with sis tonight". These words didn¡¯t seem to hold much meaning, and asionally there was a photo of her in her entries. Lu Jinnian scanned each entry in detail, all the way to five years ago, which was nearly a thousand and two hundred entries ago. Among them there were at least four hundred selfies, with almost twenty different hairstyles, thirty-eight shared songs, twenty-four overseas trips¡ªHangzhou taking up seven times¡ªand three novels, with one recently filmed into a drama. In the five years that they didn¡¯t have any interaction, he had constantly been wondering what she had been up to, and tonight, he had been been able to fill in on her life for those five years. Lu Jinnian ced the iPad down and nced at the time. It was already 00.00, and he was about to head to bed when his phone vibrated. He reached for it and realized that it was a month after Qiao Anhao had a miscarriage and she was due for a checkup. She didn¡¯t know that she had lost a child, how was he supposed to bring her to the hospital? But she couldn¡¯t not go for the check up either... What if there were anyplications? Lu Jinnian stared at the phone screen for a long while, his eyes shinning when he thought of something. He lifted his phone and called his assistant. - After reaching her room, Qiao Anhao took a shower before climbing into the bed to sleep. The next morning, she woke up earlier to wash up. Only after she was done did Zhao Meng wake up to bath in a daze. While waiting for Zhao Meng, Qiao Anhao recalled that Qiao Anxia had sent her a delivery. She walked around the room in search and found a box on the study table. She walked up and ripped off the packaging, find inside was a channel packaging. She opened it and found thetest earring design with a card in Qiao Anxia¡¯s handwriting. "Qiao Qiao, Happy Birthday, Anxia." A smile spread across her face when she picked up the card and the earrings. She packed the wrapper and packaging, realizing then that there was a letter beneath the box. The sender¡¯s information wasn¡¯t written, there was only her information. She frowned, tearing the envelope open. She pulled out the paper and scanned the contents, her face paling instantly. Chapter 380: In What Way am I not Good Enough? (10) Chapter 380: In What Way am I not Good Enough? (10) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem They were D&C forms, and Qiao Anhao was the person who had had the operation... She saw the two words, the name of the person who had signed underneath. The fingers holding onto the papers shook violently. Lu Jinnian. It was his signature. He agreed for her to do the D&C operation. Qiao Anhao¡¯s eyes were filled with astonishment and disbelief at what she saw, but it was in ck and white. It was written so clearly, and it didn¡¯t seem like a prank. Her mind waspletely nk. She read the papers over and over again, several times. In the end, no matter how she saw it, the words were so clearly written on paper. Qiao Anhao didn¡¯t know just how long she was standing there, frozen on the spot, staring at the papers. It wasn¡¯t until Zhao Meng hade out of the shower, and she asked where the hair dryer was that she finally snapped back to reality in a panic. She hastily folded the papers up and shoved them into her bag. Then she silently took a deep breath, and quietly pointed over at the sofa, saying, "Over there." Even though Qiao Anhao appearedposed, Zhao Meng still heard that there was something wrong in her voice. With a head of dripping wet hair, she looked up at her and asked worriedly, "Qiao Qiao, what¡¯s wrong?" "I¡¯m fine." Qiao Anhao shook her head. Right then, her mind was inplete disarray. She needed to quickly find a ce to clear up her thoughts, so she pulled a smile for Zhao Meng. "I¡¯m hungry. Maybe my blood sugar is low. I don¡¯t feel well, so I¡¯m going to the restaurant first. Later,e find me there." Zhao Meng nodded, and said, "Yeah." Qiao Anhao didn¡¯t say anything more, just grabbed her handbag, and then quickly left the hotel room. She didn¡¯t go to the restaurant but got straight into the elevator and left the hotel. She went to the empty garden behind the hotel and sat on the stone bench. There, she continued to flip through the papers in her bag, over and over again. Her fingers gripped tightly onto the papers, creasing their edges. She looked at the time of the operation on the D&C forms. It was over twenty something days ago when she went to the hospital. But at the time, she was deep asleep, so she didn¡¯t really have any recollection of it. The next day, when she woke, she was already in the bedroom in Mian Xiu Garden. Madam Chen had said her period came. Her period was always irregr. Every time it came, she¡¯d always be so incredibly sick, like she¡¯d lost half her life. Even though she was weaker than usual that time her period came, she didn¡¯t feel like anything was off. She sensed that something wasn¡¯t right, but she didn¡¯t think anything more of it. Unless, back then, she... actually had had a D&C? But this letter was a little too strange. There wasn¡¯t any information about the sender. Was this a set up? The more Qiao Anhao thought about it, the more confused her heart was. Deep within, there was a part of her that believed that Lu Jinnian would never abort their child, but this letter definitely shook her. Her heart was conflicted for a long time. In the end, she folded the forms up and put them into her bag. She pulled out her car keys and drove her car to the hospital on the forms. Rather than pondering over these papers on her own with crazy thoughts, why not go directly to the hospital and get down to the bottom of it? The morning roads in the city weren¡¯t congested. Qiao Anhao took only two hours to reach the City Hospital. Since there were many people there, Qiao Anhao was afraid someone would take her photo, stirring up gossip, and so she wore a hat and mouth mask when she got out of the car. Chapter 381: In What Way am I not Good Enough? (11) Chapter 381: In What Way am I not Good Enough? (11) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Qiao Anhao wasn¡¯t entirely sure whether she had the D&C procedure. On top of that, these operations were usually confidential. Even doctors couldn¡¯t divulge their details, and so Qiao Anhao contacted a friend who worked at the city hospital for a favor - to find a gynecologist. As her friend was at work, they couldn¡¯t personally take Qiao Anhao, but she had already prepared everything. Qiao Anhao followed the address her friend gave her to find the gynecologist. Prior to her arrival, the gynecologist already knew what she wanted done, and so as soon as they saw her, they immediately asked for her name. After Qiao Anhao told them, the doctor entered the name and identification number into the search. Nevertheless, in the end, theputer showed: No record. "There¡¯s no record of it on our system," said the doctor, pointing at theputer monitor. Qiao Anhao looked at the words on theputer screen. She lightly creased her brows. So then that express mail, was someone really trying to y a joke on her? As though Qiao Anhao wanted to confirm onest time, she asked, "Could there have been some kind of mistake?" The doctor shook his head. "That¡¯s not possible. As it¡¯s all confidential, we would document each of our procedures, just in case they were required as evidence for future legal purposes. Currently, I am unable to search for details of your operation, which is to say that you definitely did not have a D&C at our hospital." Seeing as the doctor was absolutely certain, Qiao Anhao¡¯s heart suddenly calmed down. She gave her thanks to the doctor, said goodbyes, and left. As Qiao Anhao walked out of the gynecology and obstetrics block, she didn¡¯t forget to call her friend to give her thanks. Her friend asked what was wrong with her, to which Qiao Anhao smiled and said she¡¯d made a mistake. Her friend on the other line chuckled and told her that someone was definitely ying a prank on her with the D&C forms. She thenughed at how possibly dizzy she could of been to not even know if she had had a D&C. In the face of her friend¡¯s teasing, Qiao Anhao didn¡¯t exin in detail. She continued with a few polite words, and hung up the call. With the knowledge that she didn¡¯t have a D&C, she felt a little curious as to why anyone would mess with her, but she was also significantly more rxed. Just as Qiao Anhao was about leave the hospital doors, a question suddenly stopped her, "Excuse me, are you Miss Qiao Anhao?" Qiao Anhao was unavoidably shocked by getting recognized with her hat and mask on. She stared at the person who stopped her and didn¡¯t say a word. The woman who stopped Qiao Anhao was around thirty, and she wore a nurse¡¯s uniform. Seeing that Qiao Anhao¡¯s eyes were on alert, she added, "I was the one who sent you that express mail. Could I please talk to you for a moment?" Qiao Anhao looked over at her, stunned. She pointed at her car, which was parked not too far away, and led her over. The nurse followed right behind her. Qiao Anhao took the nurse into her car, started it up, and drove to a rather remote ce, through an alley into an enclosed courtyard behind the hospital. She then stopped and turned her head to ask the nurse, "Why did you send me that express mail?" The nurse seemed to struggle to speak. She hesitated for a long while, before she first apologized to Qiao Anhao, and then said, "Miss Qiao, I¡¯m truly sorry, but you did indeed have a D&C. I was there on duty the night of your operation." Chapter 382: In What Way am I not Good Enough? (12) Chapter 382: In What Way am I not Good Enough? (12) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Qiao Anhao¡¯s expression became ghastly, and she silently stared at the nurse. The nurse took a deep breath, and continued to say, "It was Mr. Lu who carried you into the hospital. The doctor gave you a check up. You were already two months pregnant, so Mr. Lu signed for the doctor to carry out an abortion." There was a hint of anger in Qiao Anhao¡¯s eyes. "When all is said and done, what is your motive? I just asked in the hospital. I clearly didn¡¯t have a D&C at your hospital!" "I don¡¯t have a motive at all, and I didn¡¯t lie to you. I just can¡¯t live it down. The only reason you couldn¡¯t find any evidence of your abortion, it¡¯s because Mr. Lu¡¯s assistant already got in contact with the higher ups at the hospital. Moreover, the night of the operation, he also paid the doctor and nurses hush money. The doctor¡¯s was 20 million, nurses were 10 million," said the female nurse. She then pulled her phone out, logged into her online banking, and showed her wire transfer history for Qiao Anhao to see. "This is the first time in my life doing such a thing. At first, I wanted to take this money and hold my tongue, but recently, I¡¯ve been frequently having nightmares. I¡¯ve been feeling really guilty for being an aplice that night, helping to abort your child whilst you were oblivious to what was happening." Qiao Anhao stared at the name of Lu Jinnian¡¯s assistant on the phone screen. The anger beneath her eyes transformed into astonishment. "The only reason why I didn¡¯t dare lease any messages with the express mail, it was because I didn¡¯t dare. I knew that you would definitelye to the hospital after you received the express mail, so I waited early at the hospital doors. "If you don¡¯t believe me, you can go to another hospital for a check up. It hasn¡¯t been a month since you had the operation. Your uterus hasn¡¯t fully recovered. If you just take a B-scan, you¡¯ll find out the truth. "Also, today you¡¯re due in for a follow up at our hospital, but Mr. Lu is probably afraid that you¡¯ll find something out. He might¡¯ve not taken you here for a follow up, so you can conveniently change hospitals to get another check up. It¡¯s your body after all. You can take this chance to check for yourself, whether what I said was or wasn¡¯t true "I¡¯ve told you everything that I should of, so I can now have my own peace of mind. Finally, I¡¯d like to say that I¡¯m so sorry." Qiao Anhao stared ahead, in front of the car window, without any reaction. The nurse let out a gentle sigh of relief, then pushed the car door and got out, leaving. When the nurse took a turn at the corner ahead, she walked for quite a distance more before she pulled a phone from her pocket. It was already in a call mode when she lifted it to her ear. She opened her mouth and said, "Mrs. Xu, I have done what you have asked for. You heard everything I just said, now it¡¯s your turn to follow up on your word." About half a minuteter, Han Ruchu¡¯s usual calm andposed voice came from the phone. "Send me your ount number. A hundred million. I¡¯ll wire it to your ount without a cent short, but you must also remember what you promised me. Quit immediately and leave Beijing." The called was dropped, and the corner of Han Ruchu¡¯s lips curved into a mocking smile. Now that her son is awake, Lu Jinnian¡¯s several months long dream woulde to an end. Unless her son didn¡¯t want Qiao Anhao, then Lu Jinnian can quit even thinking of stealing her from her son¡¯s hands! Chapter 383: In What Way am I not Good Enough? (13) Chapter 383: In What Way am I not Good Enough? (13) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Qiao Anhao didn¡¯t quite know how to describe her emotions at that precise moment. The nurse had clearly already left a long time ago, but she still felt her presence, constantly hearing her words her ears, breaking her heart. She sat there nkly in the car for a long while, until another car drove in head on. Because it was a really narrow alley, the other car honked their horn. The piercing sound shocked her back to her senses. She raised her head to find the other car had carefully driven past her and left. Nearby, she heard a familiar tune. It was not until the car was out of sight when she then realized it was her phone going off. She lowered her head vacantly. She looked at the screen, which disyed the name, "Lu Jinnian". Seeing those two words felt like a needle brutally stabbing her heart. The pain made her fingertips tremble. She used a lot of energy to grab her phone. In the end, it turned out to be Zhao Meng on the phone. Qiao Anhao tapped to take the call. Before she could speak, Zhao Meng¡¯s anxious voice came through. "Qiao Qiao, where did you drive off to? The entire crew is waiting on you..." Qiao Anhao¡¯s lips twitched, but she didn¡¯t speak. Then Lu Jinnian¡¯s elegant and sweet voice reached her ears. "Where are you?" She felt a bitter taste in her mouth. The tip of her tongue moved a little, before she could rx her tone of voice. "Uncle suddenly was looking for me for something urgent, and I didn¡¯t have enough time to tell you all." Lu Jinnian had no intention of ming her. "Are you all done now?" "Yeah, I¡¯ve finished up." "I¡¯ming to pick you up." "No that¡¯s okay, I¡¯m driving..." Qiao Anhao hadn¡¯t finished speaking when Lu Jinnian spoke again. "Today¡¯s scenes have been canceled, and the people from themercial you epted want to see you in the afternoon." She hung up the phone. Qiao Anhao lifted her eyes and nced at the rear view mirror to find that her face was covered in tears. She frantically wiped her face, and took a deep breath. Seeing her face back to normal, she started up the car and stepped on the elerator, as her eyes became red again. - Lu Jinnian was waiting for Qiao Anhao downstairs of the mall in the Qiao estate¡¯s neighborhood. He must of driven into the city ten minutes ago. Through the rear view mirror, she saw his car behind hers.. He slowly stopped beside her with both his hazard lights constantly shing. Before his assistant could get out and open the door for Lu Jinnian, he had already gotten out of the car. He walked over to Qiao Anhao¡¯s car, opened the car door, and rxed when he her sitting there with a calm expression on her face. He asked in a low voice, "Are you all right?" "I¡¯m fine." Qiao Anhao pulled the corner of her lips into a smile. She grabbed her bag and got out of the car. Zhao Meng also got out of the car and ran to Qiao Anhao. She pulled her arm and med her for leaving without a word. Then Lu Jinnian interrupted Zhao Meng, "Take her car and get back to the set. I¡¯ll take her to see the business partners." Qiao Anhao tried hard to look like everything was normal. She even made a little joke during the lunch date. After she put in a lot of effort to entertain, she felt exhausted. As soon as she got into the car, she fell back into her seat and closed her eyes. As the car slowly moved, the thought of Lu Jinnian¡¯s name on the abortion papers lingered on her mind. Chapter 384: In What Way am I not Good Enough? (14) Chapter 384: In What Way am I not Good Enough? (14) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem The air conditioner was on in the car. As Lu Jinnian was afraid Qiao Anhao would catch a cold while sleeping, he grabbed a nket from the side and pulled it over her. Qiao Anhao felt Lu Jinnian draw closer. Her whole body stiffened, and her hands balled into fists. She could only calm down after he had moved away. After a while, she heard him say to his assistant driving in the front, "Turn down the air con a little." Deep down inside, Qiao Anhao knew she had her suspicions, but because of how considerate Lu Jinnian was towards her, she started lying to herself. For Lu Jinnian to care about her so attentively, how could he be so harsh as to abort her child? What¡¯s more, that child was his. They say even wild beasts look after their young. No matter how cold Lu Jinnian was, she wasn¡¯t the woman he loved. Yet he shouldn¡¯t be that cruel... But when the nurse showed Qiao Anhao her phone, it really was Lu Jinnian¡¯s assistant¡¯s name on her wire transfers log. It was from the bank¡¯s systems. It couldn¡¯t possibly have been faked... Because Qiao Anhao liked Lu Jinnian, her heart wasn¡¯t willing to ept such a devastating truth, and so she started to kid herself and find excuses for him. The hospital clearly didn¡¯t have her abortion records, nor did she know that nurse. How could she just take her words seriously, and believe that Lu Jinnian aborted her child? Furthermore, who¡¯s to say she was even pregnant in the first ce! So she should ask Lu Jinnian... - The reason Lu Jinnian went to find Qiao Anhao today wasn¡¯t to take her to the lunch date, but to take her to the hospital for a follow up. He didn¡¯t want her to know that she once had a child. Not to mention, when they found out about the child, someone had already killed the baby whilst still in her belly. What¡¯s more, the culprit was someone she considered as family - her Aunt Xu, Han Ruchu. He wasn¡¯t able to be a good father, so now he was filled with hate and thirst for vengeance, and he chose to bear the burden for her as well. And so,st night, he thought of a way for Qiao Anhao not to find out the truth and go to the hospital. He told his assistant the n in advance. As the assistant was about to reach the city hospital, he looked up at the rear view mirror and met Lu Jinnian¡¯s eyes. Seeing Lu Jinnian slightly nod his head, he immediately understood everything. He checked the condition of the roads left and right, then as he was about to exit the main road ahead, he turned the steering wheel to the left. The car crashed into a fence by the road out of the blue. - Qiao Anhao was torn for a long time, before she got the courage to open her eyes. She took a deep breath and opened her mouth, ready to ask Lu Jinnian. But in the end, just as the word "Lu" was about to leave her throat, the car suddenly shook. Out of the blue, her body smashed into the car door. As everything had happened so suddenly, Qiao Anhao¡¯s mind was still confused. Before she could figure out what had happened, Lu Jinnian had pulled her over, and worriedly looked her up and down. He anxiously asked, "Are you all right?" Qiao Anhaoposed herself, but before she could speak up, he angrilyshed out at the assistant driving up front, "Do you even know how to drive!" Lu Jinnian¡¯s screaming made the assistant apologize frantically. With a cold expression, Lu Jinnian silently pushed open the car door and carefully carried Qiao Anhao out. He stopped a taxi on the road and walked over to it. Chapter 385: In What Way am I not Good Enough? (15) Chapter 385: In What Way am I not Good Enough? (15) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem The taxi stopped in front of the City Hospital¡¯s entrance. Lu Jinnian paid, then carried Qiao Anhao out and walked in. Qiao Anhao looked at the City Hospital she had visited just five hours ago. Her mind was full of the nurse¡¯s words that she wouldee back for a follow up. For no reason, an unspeakable sense of fear came over her heart. Previously, when Qiao Anhao had idents on set, Lu Jinnian would also take her to the hospital for full body checks. This time, it was the same as usual. She didn¡¯t see anything out of the ordinary on Lu Jinnian¡¯s face. There were less people in the hospital than earlier that afternoon. Lu Jinnian put her down on the chair, as he went over on his own to get a ticket number. When he went to register, Qiao Anhao saw him raise his phone and make a call. The hospital was quite noisy, and she couldn¡¯t see the words his mouth made, nor did she know who he was on the phone with. Perhaps, she was being a little sensitive, but that phone call made her feel an unspeakably ufortable. Qiao Anhao wasn¡¯t actually hurt. She sat there on the chair and thought for a while, before she got up and walked over to Lu Jinnian. As she was about to reach his side, he saw her, and his lips moved with no expression on his face. He hung up the call, then stared at her with furrowed brows. "Why did youe over? Are you in pain somewhere?" She shook her head and smiled at him. "I¡¯m absolutely fine. I was just a little shaken up back there. How about you? Are you hurt?" Lu Jinnian¡¯s expression rxed a little, and he said, "I¡¯m fine." Qiao Anhao blinked, and said in a gentle voice, "As we¡¯re both fine, how about I not get the check up. I don¡¯t even have a single scrape." When Qiao Anhao said this, she stared straight at Lu Jinnian. He was still as water, unchanging. You couldn¡¯t tell his motive at all. With a calm tone, he said without much reaction at all, "Still, let¡¯s get a quick check, just in case." Qiao Anhao gave him a slight smile, and didn¡¯t argue with him, "All right." After registering, Lu Jinnian took Qiao Anhao directly upstairs, like he did before when she got into an ident on set. As before, she had a full body check up. There wasn¡¯t anything special about the entire process, so she gradually rxed and thought that perhaps the nurse¡¯s words had really gotten to her. Qiao Anhao had done many check ups, all of which finished in the evening. Who knew when, but Lu Jinnian had went out to buy here a bottle of yogurt. Seeing here out of the examination room, he put the straw into the drink and handed it to her. They waited for the nurse to call out their name. Lu Jinnian let Qiao Anhao wait there, as he went to go collect the check up results. He was gone for quite some time. When Qiao Anhao finished her yogurt, he still hadn¡¯te back, and so she went went to throw the empty bottle in the bin on the side. Then she went to find him. Through the ss door, Qiao Anhao saw Lu Jinnian give the doctor, who she¡¯d just finished the check up with, a nod. He folded the paper in his hands and put into his wallet, then took out some papers from his pocket. He pulled the ss door open and walked out. Lu Jinnian saw Qiao Anhao and handed her some papers, as he said, "The check up results came out normal." Chapter 386: In What Way am I not Good Enough? (16) Chapter 386: In What Way am I not Good Enough? (16) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem "I told you I was fine. You¡¯ve wasted so much money and time at the hospital," whined Qiao Anhao in a nagging tone. Then she casually flipped through the test results and rolled them up into her bag. She raised her head, and from the corner of her eyes, she stared at Lu Jinnian¡¯s wallet in his trouser pocket. She asked, "What took you so long?" Lu Jinnian¡¯s expression didn¡¯t change when he said, "The doctor was busy, so had to take a call." "Oh." Qiao Anhao looked as though she really believed him, as they walked out from the elevators. When they left the hospital, Qiao Anhao and Lu Jinnian hailed a taxi. When the driver asked where they were headed, Qiao Anhao rushed to say first, "Mian Xiu Garden." The taxi driver responded and started the car up. Qiao Anhao turned her head to Lu Jinnian, and said, "We don¡¯t have a car, and it¡¯s a little inconvenient to go back to the set right now. Let¡¯s go back home and get back to the set tomorrow morning." Lu Jinnian gave a light "mmm", but didn¡¯t give an opinion. Madam Chen was unusually happy when she saw them back. She asked the two of them if they¡¯d eaten anything for dinner, then she hurriedly ran into the kitchen. Even though it waste in the evening when they hailed the taxi, it was still hot outside. Qiao Anhao was all sweaty, so when they went back to the bedroom, she went into the changing room to get pajamas and then took a shower. She came out of the bathroom with a towel, wiping her dripping wet hair. Seeing that Lu Jinnian had already taken off his jacket and was sitting on the sofa in a suit, on his phone, she asked, "Do you want to take a shower?" Lu Jinnian nodded and put his phone down. He walked into the changing room and took off his trousers. He randomly picked up a towel and walked into the bathroom. Qiao Anhao heard the sshing sounds from the shower and immediately threw the towel away. She softly and quietly walked over to the changing room and picked up Lu Jinnian¡¯s trousers from his dirtyundry basket. She searched for while and pulled out his wallet. As she opened it up, she saw a line of bank cards and some gold cards for clubs and hotels. There was some cash in there too. She opened the inneryer of the wallet to find a piece of paper, and quickly pulled it out, and immediately saw her name. It was her pelvic examination results with a single line written at the bottom from the doctor. Though it was barely legible, she made out the words: No blood clot, normal thickness, recovered well from the operation. The sshing sounds from the shower were still there. The hand Qiao Anhao held the paper with trembled uncontrobly. She felt as though something had shed her heart in half, and her blood flowed like a river. Who could say how much time went by. When Qiao Anhao heard the shower stop, she hurriedly folded the paper back to how it was. She shoved it back into Lu Jinnian¡¯s wallet, zipped up the inner pocket, and put the wallet back into his right trouser pocket. Then she threw the trousers back into the dirtyundry basket. She hastily walked out of the changing room and quickly sat in front of the dressing table. She grabbed the hairdryer in a fluster, plugged it in, and randomly dried her hair... Qiao Anhao had just started blowing her hair when Lu Jinnian came out of the bathroom. He changed into simple cotton pajamas, with his hair rubbed half dry. Seeing her drying her hair, he walked over, naturally took the hairdryer, and helped her dry her hair. Qiao Anhao didn¡¯t dare look at him at all. She just lowered her head and hid her face behind her hair. Chapter 387: In What Way am I not Good Enough? (17) Chapter 387: In What Way am I not Good Enough? (17) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Qiao Anhao didn¡¯t dare look at him at all. She just lowered her head and hid her face behind her hair. The rims of her eyes red up a few times, but she tried to push down the tears. When her hair was dry, she took a deep breath. She casually tied her hair up, and said, in a tone as though everything was normal, "I¡¯ll go see if Madam Chen has finished cooking dinner." Then she walked out of the bedroom. When Qiao Anhao came to the kitchen, Madam Chen had already finished. The soup made bubbling noises, as it boiled under the high heat. Madam Chen was crouching in front of the bin, peeling garlic. Seeing Qiao Anhaoe over, she immediately said, "Missus, dinner will be ready real soon. You can call Mr. Lu to wash his hands ande down now." Qiao Anhao nodded and walked over to the stove. She pushed out her head, and nced at the soup on the hob. She clearly saw that it was pork ribs and corn, but she still asked, "What kind of soup are you cooking?" Madam Chen said, "Corn and pork rips soup." "It smells good,"plimented Qiao Anhao. She didn¡¯t know if it was the hot soup, but tears fell from her eyes and into her casserole. Qiao Anhao hurriedly wiped them away. Whilst Madam Chen wasn¡¯t paying attention, she said "I¡¯ll go call him for dinner", and walked out of the kitchen. She didn¡¯t go upstairs, just turned to the second floor bedroom door and called, "Dinner time". She walked into themunal bathroom, and locked the door behind her. As she stood there in front of the sink, she looked into the mirror at her frighteningly red eyes. She didn¡¯t actually want to cry, but the tears still fell uncontrobly, until there were two knocks at the door. Lu Jinnian voice came in, "Qiao Qiao?" Qiao Anhao wiped her eyes and took a deep breath. She shouted "Coming!", and turned on the tap. She sshed a handful of water onto her face, and quietly spaced out for a minute. When she had calmed down, she turned off the tap and wiped her face with the towel beside her, then walked out. Lu Jinnian sat in his usual ce in the dining room. Madam Chen was carrying the soup. Seeing here in, she attentively pulled her chair out. Qiao Anhao sat opposite Lu Jinnian. She took Madam Chen¡¯s soup, and gently said, "Thank you". She lowered her head and drank her soup. Her and Lu Jinnian had eaten together many times before. When they ate, they didn¡¯t really interact with each other, and so the table was a little quiet. Qiao Anhao¡¯s appetite wasn¡¯t good, but she forced herself to eat a little. In the end, she couldn¡¯t take it any longer and put her chopsticks down. Lu Jinnian, who sat opposite her, nced over at her bowl that was barely touched, and his brows furrowed. "Poor appetite? Or the food is not suitable?" Madam Chen, who stood to one side, also asked, "Missus, what would you like to eat? I¡¯ll go and cook something else." Qiao Anhao¡¯s eyes stung, and tears almost fell. She lowered her eyes. After ten seconds, she looked up at Lu Jinnian and gave him a sad smile. Her voice was calm. "I ate a little too much in the afternoon. I¡¯m not very hungry right now, I¡¯ll eatter." Lu Jinnian nodded, and didn¡¯t force her. Qiao Anhao got up and walked out of the dining room. She heard Lu Jinnian say to Madam Chen, "Missus likes to eat swallow¡¯s nest congee. Cook her congee. When she¡¯s hungry, don¡¯t let her eat heated up leftovers." Qiao Anhao¡¯s fingertips trembled when she heard those words, and she quickly strode away. Chapter 388: In What Way am I not Good Enough? (18) Chapter 388: In What Way am I not Good Enough? (18) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem When Lu Jinnian finished his dinner and went back to the bedroom, Qiao Anhao was watching TV. He didn¡¯t disturb her, but sat next to her, apanying her. At half nine, the drama Qiao Anhao was watching coincidentally finished, and Lu Jinnian asked, "Do you want to eat something?" Qiao Anhao gave a light nod. Lu Jinnian got up and left. After a while, he came back carrying a steaming hot bowl of swallow¡¯s nest congee. As Lu Jinnian had said, she really liked eating swallow¡¯s nest congee. Every time Madam Chen cooked it, she¡¯d add a little sugar. Today, Madam Chen made swallow¡¯s nest congee as she usually did, with a little sweetness. However, Qiao Anhao felt like it was like Chinese medicine; difficult to hold down with every mouthful. She practically forced the entire bowl of congee down without tasting the food. She put the empty bowl on the coffee table and went to brush her teeth. When she came out, Lu Jinnian and the empty bowl on the coffee table were gone. Qiao Anhao put on a basicyer of cream and climbed into bed. As she pulled her covers, she saw Lu Jinniane back. He asked, "Sleepy?" Qiao Anhao nodded, murmured something unintelligible, and shut her eyes. Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t make a sound, and walked into the bathroom. Qiao Anhao wasn¡¯t sleepy in the slightest. She felt Lu Jinniane out from the bathroom, softly turn off the bedroom lights, and gently get into bed beside her. The bedroom was very quiet. Qiao Anhao shut her eyes, as sheid there in a daze for a long time, without moving. She felt the long intervals between Lu Jinnian¡¯s breathing beside her, as though he was already deep asleep. Only then did she dare to gently open her eyes, turn her head, and look at him. With the dimmed yellow night light in the bedroom, Qiao Anhao looked at Lu Jinnian¡¯s handsome and wlessplexion. Perhaps it was due to his personality, but he even wore a cold expression between his brows when he slept. She really wanted to lie to herself like she didter that afternoon. She wanted to help him make an excuse, and then summon her courage to ask if he really did abort her child. But she couldn¡¯t forget the pelvic examination results in his wallet: No blood clot, normal thickness, recovered well from the operation. Operation? Blood clot? Thickness? If she had done the abortion operation... That piece of paper crushed all of her fantasies. She really didn¡¯t want to ept it, but she didn¡¯t even have the chance to kid herself anymore.. That was her child, and it was his! How could he have been so ruthless as to abort his own flesh and blood? Because Qiao Anhao was so mad, her body trembled, and she had the sudden urge to shake Lu Jinnian awake. But then, she gritted her teeth, and asked herself, why did he do it, why did he kill his own child? Does he not even feel the slightest bit torn or disturbed? How could he possibly sleep so well in the dead of the night? Qiao Anhao¡¯s tears fell without warning. In the midst of her anger, her face looked unusually pale, and there was an unspeakable pain in her heart for the child she had never even known she¡¯d had. She remembered how Lu Jinnian was suddenly so nice to her after the operation. It was because he aborted her child. He felt sorry for her, like he owed her, and so was that why he treated her so nice? The funny thing was, in these past few days, she had stupidly felt happy and loved by how he had treated her... Chapter 389: In What Way am I not Good Enough? (19) Chapter 389: In What Way am I not Good Enough? (19) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem It was because he aborted her child. He felt sorry for her, like he owed her, and so was that why he treated her so nice? The funny thing was, in these past few days, she had stupidly felt happy and loved by how he had treated her... So much so that she even re-imagined that he had feelings for her. She was hopeful for their future together... But now, she finally knew that for the beauty of it all, a life was exchanged! Qiao Anhao¡¯s tears blurred her vision. She raised her hands to lightly wipe them away, and hurriedly turned around. With her back facing Lu Jinnian, her tears continued to cascade. No matter how much she wanted to ask him what actually happened, in the end, she didn¡¯t have the courage to wake him up and ask. Even if the truth wasid out unavoidably in front of her, she still wasn¡¯t willing to face it. Or, perhaps, she was unwilling to ept it. - Qiao Anhao didn¡¯t sleep all night. The next day, when it was light out, she climbed out of bed. Lu Jinnian was still fast asleep. She didn¡¯t wake him but stared at this sleeping face for a while, before quietly going into the bathroom. She cleaned herself up and got changed into a simple yet ssy light yellow dress. She carried her bag and walked out of the bedroom. Madam Chen wasn¡¯t awake yet. The enormous living room was particrly quiet. The wallmps were on, emitting a faint yellow light. Against the gradually increasing light from outside the window, they were a little dim. Qiao Anhao grabbed her phone and called for a ride. Then she put on her shoes and walked out. The morning air was extremely crisp. The flowers in the courtyard had bloomed quite a lot overnight. There was a single rose tilted and crushed by a wooden stick. Qiao Anhao walked over, picked up the stick, and supported the flower upright. Then she walked out of the courtyard. The taxi she had called was already waiting at the door. She got into the car, and told the driver to go to the People¡¯s Hospital. Before the morning rush hour, the streets of Beijing were empty and quiet. The neon lights from the stores on both sides of the street were out, and after a certain distance, she saw cleaners in orange clothing. The car stopped at the entrance of the People¡¯s Hospital. Qiao Anhao paid the driver, and got out of the car. She walked straight into the department of gynecology and obstetrics. She got a number and waited in line for about half an hour before she saw a doctor. She immediately requested for a B-scan, and then she waited for another half an hour until she could enter the operation room. After the check up, Qiao Anhao fixed her clothes and sat on a chair in the hall, as she waited for her results. That¡¯s when her phone rang. Qiao Anhao thought it¡¯d be Madam Chen asking where she was. Because she didn¡¯t want them to know that she was at the hospital, she wasn¡¯t in a rush to pick it up. Instead, she walked to a quiet restroom at the end of the hospital before pulling out her phone. In the end, the name of the phone screen turned out to be Aunt Xu. Qiao Anhao let out a deep breath, tapped to take the call, brought the phone to her ear, and said in polite and soft voice, "Aunt Xu." "Qiao Qiao, you¡¯re awake?" Han Ruchu¡¯s voice was extremely energetic. She paused for a moment, and asked, "Have you been busy recently?" "It¡¯s been all right..." Qiao Anhao paused for a moment, and asked, "How is Brother Jiamu recently?" "Jiamu is great. He can now get out of bed and walk, and his speaking is more coherent. It won¡¯t be long before he cane home to rest." When she mentioned her son¡¯s recovery, Han Ruchu sounded incredibly happy. Chapter 390: In What Way am I not Good Enough? (20) Chapter 390: In What Way am I not Good Enough? (20) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Qiao Anhao wanted to be happy for Xu Jiamu, but in that precise moment, she couldn¡¯t be happy no matter what. All she could do was force herself to summon her enthusiasm, and say, "I¡¯m really happy that Brother Jiamu is awake." "Qiao Qiao..." Han Ruchu called out Qiao Anhao¡¯s name, as though she had suddenly thought of something. She paused for a moment, and said in a very serious tone, "Qiao Qiao, thank you so much during for being here. If it weren¡¯t for your help in upholding the Xu family and Qiao family¡¯s marriage, the Xu family¡¯s assets, who knows what would have been left of the Xu family." "It¡¯s nothing, really..." That¡¯s right. How could she forget? The whole reason her and Lu Jinnian were able to be together was all for an act... The corners of Qiao Anhao¡¯s eyes were a little dry. She raised her head to push back the tears, and said, "Aunt Xu, this was something I had to do. Brother Jiamu has always treated me well. I can¡¯t not care about him." "Qiao Qiao, you¡¯re a good girl. Aunt and uncle really like you." When Han Ruchu said those words, a hint of guilt surfaced in her heart, as Qiao Anhao had no clue that it was her who killed her son. Yet, there was no other way. Who allowed for the child in her to be Lu Jinnian¡¯s child? What¡¯s more, the baby was under Xu Jiamu¡¯s name, that¡¯s why the kid couldn¡¯te to this world! Han Ruchu closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Then she said in a particrly rxed tone, "But Qiao Qiao, don¡¯t worry. The doctor said that after one week, Jiamu will be able toe home to rest. By then, you won¡¯t have to act with Lu Jinnian any longer. "He even called me a few days ago to ask when would be the earliest time Xu Jiamu would be discharged. He¡¯d had enough of living a double life. Perhaps he¡¯d like to get out of it as soon as possible. I believe you and him must be tired from acting as husband and wife, right? But, that¡¯s all right. You¡¯ll be free real soon." Qiao Anhao didn¡¯t hear a single word of what Han Ruchu said after. Her mind whirled over the words: Lu Jinnian called me a few days ago to ask when would be the earliest time Xu Jiamu would be discharged. He¡¯d had enough of living a double life. Perhaps he¡¯d like to get out of it as soon as possible.... It was like there was something stuck in Qiao Anhao¡¯s throat. After using a lot of energy, she said in a gentle tone, "Aunt Xu, if there¡¯s nothing else, let¡¯s leave it her for now. I have some matters to attend to. I¡¯m hanging up now." "Alright, Qiao Qiao. Take care of yourself." "Mm, I will. Thanks and goodbye, Aunt Xu." Qiao Anhao hung up the phone. She stood in the restroom for quite a long time before she washed her face and wiped it clean. She then walked out into the hall, refreshed. The check up results she¡¯d just done were out. Qiao Anhao carefully flipped through the results one by one to look for hers. On the second tost sheet, she pulled out her results, and went to see the doctor in their office. Qiao Anhao followed the doctor¡¯s signal and took a seat. She handed the results to the doctor, who took a quick nce, and asked "You¡¯ve had an abortion?" With one question, Qiao Anhao¡¯s fingers tightly grasped onto the bag, and she gently nodded. The doctor pointed at the scan on her results, and said to Qiao Anhao, "The abortion was very sessful. The uterus doesn¡¯t have any blood clots anymore, nor are the walls of the uterus any longer thin, but you must rest. Within the next six months, don¡¯t get pregnant." Chapter 391: Goodbye My Youth, Goodbye My Love (1) Chapter 391: Goodbye My Youth, Goodbye My Love (1) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Qiao Anhao wore a smile, as she nodded to the doctor¡¯s orders. Then she got up, collected her check-up results, and said goodbye. When she left the doctor¡¯s office, a young woman happened to walk past her. The young woman was on the phone, probably calling her husband. She said that she was over two months pregnant. The pregnant woman was probably quite pampered, as the tone of her voice sounded spoiled. Qiao Anhao nced at the woman¡¯s belly. It was still quite t. She instinctively rubbed her own belly. When her child was aborted, she was also two months pregnant. Her belly was the same as that woman¡¯s. You couldn¡¯t see that there were any signs. Wait... If she had no idea that she was pregnant, how would Lu Jinnian know? That night, she was just sleeping in Mian Xiu Garden. The next day, when she woke up, she was still in Mian Xiu Garden. There was only ten hours in that time period. And within those hours, she lost her child... Lu Jinnian signed the abortion papers, the bank transfer logs were on that nurse¡¯s phone, the follow-up report in Lu Jinnian¡¯s wallet, and now the B-scan in her hands... If one was a coincidence, the second could also be a coincidence, then what of the third and fourth? Were they all coincidences? Lu Jinnian clearly knew that she was pregnant, yet she had had the abortion. The next day, Madam Chen told her that her period came... Lu Jinnian sure is something! Everyone knew the truth, besides her - the mother! Qiao Anhao¡¯s eyes filled with tears again. She hurriedly walked out of the hospital block, around the back, and continued into an ally. She walked until there was practically no one around. Then, like the burst of a balloon, she crouched down and wailed. Since yesterday morning, when she saw his signature on the abortion papers, until now, when she changed hospitals to confirm her abortion... In these twenty four hours, she had been fighting back her own emotions. Now, she could finally let herself go. She was full of hatred. She hated how ruthless Lu Jinnian actually was. She also hated herself for not immediately realizing that she was pregnant... But if she had immediately realized it, would Lu Jinnian still want the baby? Just now, Aunt Xu even said it... Lu Jinnian called her to ask when was the soonest Xu Jiamu would be discharged... soonest... How could she forget? It was just an agreement between the two of them. It wasn¡¯t like they were a real married couple... At first, they agreed that neither of them was allowed to disturb the other, and for a life to suddenly grow in her belly, let alone the fact that the child would be under Xu Jiamu¡¯s name, that was definitely a lot of trouble. His first thought of not wanting the baby was normal... She was just too in character. She actually forgot that everything was fake. With Xu Jiamu now awake, they were destined to break up. If he didn¡¯t want anything to do with her, then why would he allow for her to give birth to his child? Qiao Anhao didn¡¯t know how long she cried for, but it felt like no more tears could fall any longer. She calmed herself down and slowly got up off of the floor. She looked all around her to realize that she had actually ran off to the entrance of the hospital¡¯s morgue. No wonder no one had walked by for quite some time. Chapter 392: Goodbye My Youth, Goodbye My Love (2) Chapter 392: Goodbye My Youth, Goodbye My Love (2) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Qiao Anhao pulled out some wipes from her bag, and also grabbed her phone to use as a mirror. She wiped the tears from her face, and was ready to put her phone back into her bag when a call came through... - Just when Lu Jinnian was rather deep asleep, he woke up to the unusually bright sunshine from the windows. He raised his arm to shield himself from the light. As he turned his head, he saw that there wasn¡¯t anyone on the other side of the bed. He furrowed his brows, but didn¡¯t mind too much. He assumed Qiao Anhao just went downstairs when she woke up, and so he pulled his covers off and walked into the bathroom. He got a quick shower and put on some random clean clothes when he came out. Out of habit, when he walked out of the changing room, he patted his trouser pocket, and realized it was empty. Then he remembered that his wallet was still in his clothes pocket from yesterday, so he picked up his trousers from the dirtyundry basket. He felt around for his wallet and strode out of the door. Suddenly, he remembered that he had shoved the follow-up results into his wallet yesterday, so he walked into the bathroom and pulled the paper out from his wallet. He ripped it up and chucked it into the bin, before he rxed and walked down the stairs. Madam Chen had already made breakfast. Seeing Lu Jinniane downstairs, she was unusually happy when she said, "Good morning, Mr. Lu." "Morning," replied Lu Jinnianzily. He walked into the dining room, and saw that the room was empty. He then asked, "Where¡¯s Missus?" Madam Chen stared at him oddly. "Missus hasn¡¯t woken up yet?" Lu Jinnian furrowed his brows. "When I woke up, Missus had already gotten up." Madam Chen made an "Ah" sound, then searched the entire mansion up and down, but in the end, she still couldn¡¯t find Qiao Anhao. She also ran to the floor-to-ceiling window to look at the garden outside for her. Before she could say "It seems like Missus isn¡¯t home" to Lu Jinnian, he had already pulled out his phone and dialed her number. - When Qiao Anhao saw who the call was from, her emotions were all over the ce. After a while, she picked up the call. Before she could speak, Lu Jinnian asked, "Qiao Qiao, where did you go?" Qiao Anhao lowered her eyes, and lied in her usual gentle voice, "I went to see Brother Jiamu." Lu Jinnian¡¯s lips pursed tightly when he heard those words. After a while, he said "How¡¯s Jiamu?" "Much better." Qiao Anhao thought about Han Ruchu¡¯s words, and added, "After another week he can be discharged." Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t linger on the topic of Xu Jiamu for long, giving a light "mm". He naturally changed the topic. "Will youe home soon?" "No, Zhao Meng wille pick me up to the set." "Mm." Lu Jinnian then said, "Then both of you take care." "I will," replied Qiao Anhao obediently, as she usually would to his care. Her voice was so gentle, it made people soften up. "I¡¯m hanging up. Bye." "Bye," replied Lu Jinnian. Just as he was ready to hang up, he heard Qiao Anhao¡¯s say, "Lu Jinnian..." He didn¡¯t say a word but put the phone back to his ear. After a few seconds of silence, she added, "There¡¯s a new Hollywood movie out on Friday. How about we go watch it together?" Chapter 393: Goodbye My Youth, Goodbye My Love (3) Chapter 393: Goodbye My Youth, Goodbye My Love (3) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem When she was young, Qiao Anhao often saw ssmates around her secretly dating from a young age. As they were afraid to be caught by the teachers, they pretended to be strangers in school, but as soon as school was over, they would hold hands when they walked. In the weekends, the girls would take off their simple school uniforms to wear beautiful dresses. They¡¯d lie to their parents by saying they were going out with their girl friends, but they were really going out with the guy they liked, to watch a movie, buy a big box of popcorn and two cokes. Such a simple date, yet it was simply beautiful. Back in those days, she would fantasize: Just when will I be able to watch a movie with Lu Jinnian..? That was the most wonderful childhood dream of hers. A thirteen year old dream that never came true. If they weren¡¯t destined to be together, then, let them relive the end of the days where they cried,ughed, felt touched, and hurt. Let her have a beautiful,sting memory. Lu Jinnian was a little taken aback by the affection in Qiao Anhao¡¯s suggestion, and so he nked out for a minute. An unspeakable, wild feeling of happiness surfaced in his heart. Even his usual tone of voice sounded particrly upbeat. "All right, I¡¯ll book the tickets." The tears that werepletely dried out fell again. Qiao Anhao curved her lips into a smile, and said in a rxed tone of voice, "Mm, but I have to film ourst scene that very night, so you¡¯d best book it forter that afternoon." "All right," Lu Jinnian agreed with no objections. He casually asked, "Is there anything else?" "No..." Qiao Anhao bit her lip. She said "Bye", as he hung up the phone. She raised her head, looked up at the bright blue skies, and took a deep breath, pushing back the tears that wanted to flow continuously. He was the man who she deeply loved for thirteen years. She once swore to herself that she would only love him in this lifetime. "In my whole life, I will only love you" were the most beautiful, romantic words she had written for him. But the man she had loved with all her heart had hurt her so deeply. When the evidence was put in front of her one-by-one, she had lost her right to ask him, and so now, she didn¡¯t dare ask him, "Lu Jinnian, did you or did you not abort my child?", to which he would answer "Yes". In that moment, in front of her, just how unbearably awkward would that be? Qiao Anhao kept her head up, and shut her eyes for a long time. She then pulled out yesterday¡¯s abortion papers and today¡¯s check-up results. She tore them up into bits, and threw them into the bin beside her. - Since today was the weekend, there were six days from now till Friday. When Lu Jinnian hung up on Qiao Anhao¡¯s call, he couldn¡¯t wait to call his assistant to help him book two VIP tickets. He passed on Qiao Anhao¡¯s words to him, "Friday night, Qiao Qiao and I have to film ourst scene, and so book it forte that afternoon... She¡¯d probably want to rest a bit, so book it for three... Oh, and remember to book the seats for the non-smoking area. Qiao Qiao doesn¡¯t like the smell of cigarettes... "Also, they have to be center seats. It¡¯s ufortable to watch from the side. Remember to prepare a nket in the car in advance. The movie is two hours long, if the air con is too high, she¡¯ll get cold... "Oh, right, prepare two cushions as well, in case we get ufortable, so we can support our lower backs." ¡¯It¡¯s just a movie, Mr. Lu¡¯s too much!¡¯ thought the assistant, secretlyining in his head. Yet he appeared very respectful and agreed to everything, then asked, "Mr. Lu, do you have any other requests?" Chapter 394: Goodbye My Youth, Goodbye My Love (4) Chapter 394: Goodbye My Youth, Goodbye My Love (4) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Lu Jinnian thought about it in detail, until he was sure there was nothing else to add. Just as he was ready to press the button to hang up the phone, in that very moment, he worriedly repeated everything he had just said to the assistant. As Lu Jinnian had just reminded him to book three o¡¯clock tickets, the assistant said, "Mr. Lu, I¡¯ve got it. Three o¡¯clock tickets. No smoking. Prepare a nket and pillow, because you¡¯re afraid Miss Qiao..." Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t even wait for his assistant to finish speaking and hung up without hesitation. - The filming of "Alluring Times" was drawing to an end. Every day, there were actors whoe into the set to film their final scenes, and leave. There were fewer people each day at the rowdy vi, until the very end, when it appeared especially empty. Before, the hotel restaurant was packed full, now, over a half of the seats were left practically empty. Qiao Anhao pretended to not know that she had been pregnant and had lost her child. She seemed no different than before. Whilst filming, she was whole-heartedly in character. When there weren¡¯t any scenes to shoot, she would sit at a side and watch other people¡¯s scenes. She would also chat andugh with other actors and staff members. Every now and then, her line of sight would fall on Lu Jinnian. When her eyes met his, she would even curve her lips into a sweet smile. Once they turned away from one another, she¡¯d lower her eyes to mask the pain and sadness that crept up on her. During the day, she looked very normal, but when the night came, it was hard for her to fall sleep, and she had many dreams even if she did. In the dreams, there would always be a cute, white, chubby baby looking at her, calling her mama. When she would reach out to touch it, the baby would disappear. Then, she would wake up and rub her belly. Tears would inexplicably start to fall. - On Friday, the weather in Beijing was remarkably clean. The skies were clear, without a hint of smog. Early that afternoon, Qiao Anhao drove the car from the set back to Mian Xiu Garden. After she had lunch, she took a shower, and then searched through her entire wardrobe, trying on some outfits. In the end, she chose a white dress withce at the bottom. It looked youthful and clean. Qiao Anhao¡¯s long hair was digitally permed in Spring. Now, though it had grown out a little, it was still beautifully curled. Yet she asked Madam Chen to help straighten it for her. Atst, she looked into the mirror and put ayer of barely visible, light and natural makeup. Just when she had pretty much finished up, she looked at the time. It was half past two. She grabbed her bag and went downstairs. Lu Jinnian had just driven home from Huan Ying Entertainment and stood in the living room. Before he could even finish his cup of water, he saw Qiao Anhaoe downstairs. In the middle of taking a swallow, he abruptly stopped. Just like time travel, in that moment, it was like he instantly when back to the days of his youth and saw the straight-haired Qiao Anhao in her graceful white dress. She walked over to him and smiled gently. "Can we go?" Without taking his eyes off of Qiao Anhao¡¯s smile, Lu Jinnian stood as if his pressure points had been triggered. He stood still, watching her, a perfect match to the memory of her former high-school self. After a long while, his long eyshes gently fell and rose again. He raised his head and downed the water. His long fingers put the cup down, and he said in pleasant voice, "Let¡¯s go." Chapter 395: Goodbye My Youth, Goodbye My Love (5) Chapter 395: Goodbye My Youth, Goodbye My Love (5) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem When they were about to reach the door, Lu Jinnian nced beside him at Qiao Anhao¡¯s outfit, and back at his own. He stopped. "I¡¯ll go up and change." Qiao Anhao gave a nod. She walked to the entrance on her own. First, she put on her shoes. She¡¯d originally wanted to wear her white strappy heels that she had bought recently, but just as she put her right foot in one shoe, she paused. In the end, she took the shoe off and opened the shoe cab. After looking through it for a long while, in the end, she chose to wear a pair of tform canvas shoes. She bought these canvas shoes this spring, when she and Xiao Anxia had made ns to go hiking. However, because of somethingst minute, hiking was canceled, and so she left those shoes in a box in the shoe cab, and never touched them again. Qiao Anhao wore the canvas shoes, and stood in front of the floor mirror. After a few nces at her long straightened hair, she asked Madam Chen to give her a ck hair band, with which she tried her hair up. Satisfied, she picked up her bag and made her way out the house. Lu Jinnian saw Qiao Anhao standing at the door, when he had finished changing his clothes. Her long ck hair became a youthful, pretty ponytail. He spaced out again for a moment, before reaching for his car keys. He pressed on button, as he walked down the stairs and pulled the car door. It was two something in the afternoon, the time when the summer sunshine was at it¡¯s brightest. Lu Jinnian wore a pair of Dior sunsses, and a simple white shirt with his sleeves casually rolled up. Two buttons on his cor were unbuttoned, and he wore a long pair of beige trousers. Under the sunshine, he looked captivating and stunning. Qiao Anhao stared at him for around five seconds beforeing over to him. When she brushed past his chest and bent down to sit in the car, she smelled the same dull scent she had smelled years ago. It had never really changed in this many years. Lu Jinnian started up the engine, which made the air conditioner blow a light breeze and music go off. The car slowly drove out of Mian Xiu Garden and followed the road. There were many tall trees on both sides of the road in Beijing. They hid most of the sun¡¯s light. All that could be seen were small round dots of sunshine between the tree leaves. As the car drove through, there were intermittent shes of light and dark. There was a soothing English song ying in the car that made you feel unexpectedly calm. After a long while had passed, at a red light, Lu Jinnian turned his head and nced at Qiao Anhao¡¯s outfit. "Did you went to get your hair done earlier this afternoon?" "Nope." Qiao Anhao paused for a moment, then said, "I asked Madam Chen to help me straighten it. When I wash my hair, the curls wille back." "Oh." Lu Jinnian¡¯s line of sight stopped at her fair white neck behind the ponytail. Then he pulled his eyes away and straight at the red light that had changed to green in front of him. He stepped on the elerator and continued to drive on. The car was silent for about a minute. Then Qiao Anhao turned her head, blinked at Lu Jinnian, and asked, "How do I look?" As Lu Jinnian paid attention to the road ahead, he turned his head and nced at Qiao Anhao, saying, "Good." After a while, he added, "You look just like you did in high school." Qiao Anhao¡¯s eyes curved like the crescent moon, as though happiness emitted from her heart. "So many years have passed, and you still remember how I looked in high school? Even I can¡¯t really remember." Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t make a sound. In his heart, he said, ¡¯Not only high school. If I close my eyes, I can clearly remember your soft and innocent look in middle school as well.¡¯ Chapter 396: Goodbye My Youth, Goodbye My Love (6) Chapter 396: Goodbye My Youth, Goodbye My Love (6) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Qiao Anhao looked at Lu Jinnian without saying a word or making a single sound. The car was silent for a minute, until it turned into the car park ahead. The cinema attendant had already given Lu Jinnian the tickets in advance. When they got out of the car, he also brought along the bag with the nket and pillows his assistant had prepared for him. There were ten minutes left before the movie was due to start. Before they went through the ticket inspection, Qiao Anhao ran over to the counter and bought a big box of popcorn and two cokes. When they walked into the theater itself and found their seats, the movie was just about to start. The ce that was originally rowdy, instantly became quiet. Qiao Anhao put the popcorn in-between her and Lu Jinnian¡¯s seats. As she stared firmly at the big screen, every now and then she would reach for a popcorn and shove it in her mouth. The air conditioner in the room was on high. After about ten minutes into the movie, Lu Jinnian already felt cold. He took out the nket from the bag, andid it out across Qiao Anhao¡¯s legs. Qiao Anhao turned her head towards him. His irresistibly handsome side profile was practically stuck to the tip of her nose. Her racing heart skipped a beat. She waited for him to cover her with the nket and go back to his seat, then hurriedly grabbed a fistful of popcorn and shoved it in her mouth. She instinctively realized at that moment that, since Lu Jinnian had sat down beside her till this moment, the popcorn hadn¡¯t been touched, and so she nudged his arm and pointed at the box. Beside the popcorn was a bottle coke. Lu Jinnian thought that Qiao Anhao wanted him to help her take the cap off, so he grabbed for the bottle, took off the cap, and put a straw in for her, then handed it to her. Qiao Anhao took the coke, tilted her head, and whispered into his ear, "Do you want to eat popcorn?" Lu Jinnian nodded to show he understood, and the two of them continued to watch the movie. Every now and then, Qiao Anhao would feel Lu Jinnian beside her take some popcorn. Half-way through the movie, there was a rather raunchy scene. Most couples¡¯ first choice is to go to the cinemas for a date, and so raunchy scenes like those would always fill the room with an air of romance. Some couples that were a bit touchy would already start hugging and kissing. Qiao Anhao could even hear the man and woman behind her hugging and kissing, making raunchy noises. This, mixed with the gasping from the movie, made people blush and hearts race. It wasn¡¯t like Qiao Anhao hadn¡¯t experienced it before whilst watching TV at home. She wasn¡¯t really bothered by revealing scenes like these, but at that moment, she found it a little awkward watching such raunchy scenes on the big screen with Lu Jinnian sitting right next to her. Her pupils wandered everywhere, but every now and then, they wouldnd on Lu Jinnian¡¯s side profile. He sat casually beside her, watching the big screen without so much as a blink. There weren¡¯t any emotions evident on his face, as though the entangled naked bodies didn¡¯t exist. Qiao Anhao reached for the popcorn, coincidentally at the same time as Lu Jinnian. That was how their hands touched one another. Lu Jinnian, who originally stared directly at the big screen, turned his head and looked at Qiao Anhao. Deep within his eyes, it was like there was a bright shimmer of light that shone vigorously. Chapter 397: Goodbye My Youth, Goodbye My Love (7) Chapter 397: Goodbye My Youth, Goodbye My Love (7) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Qiao Anhao suddenly froze when her eyes met Lu Jinnian. The raunchy sounds from the movie echoed ceaselessly. Lu Jinnian¡¯s eyes had be scorching hot, as he stared at Qiao Anhao. The air conditioner was clearly on high, but Qiao Anhao could feel a heat creep up up her body. The raunchy scene on the big screen was over, and the kissing couples parted with the dissipating air of romance. Qiao Anhao and Lu Jinnian were still looking at each other when suddenly a loud noise erupted. The movie had cut to a fighting scene, which abruptly woke the two. Qiao Anhao subconsciously pulled her hand away from the popcorn, but Lu Jinnian was one step quicker and caught it. Qiao Anhao¡¯s body stiffened slightly, but she didn¡¯t pull her hand away from Lu Jinnian. She turned her head and looked at the screen. Lu Jinnian stared at her side profile for a while, then also turned his head to the screen. Since quite sometime had passed since they looked away, they struggled a little to catch up, but the two of them were adamantly focused on the movie. They seemedpletely into the story, but little did they know that both their hearts were racing extraordinarily fast. After the credits rolled, everyone started to leave one-by-one, but Lu Jinnian and Qiao Anhao still sat in their seats. They held hands up until the entire screen was empty. With only the two of them left in the room, they were still reluctant to let go, even as the cleaning staff came in to collect rubbish. Only then though did they get up at the same time, cleaned up the things by their seats, and walked one after the other out of the theater. It was already five o¡¯clock when the movie finished. Thest scene they had to shoot was scheduled for eight o¡¯clock in the evening. There was no time to eat in the city, and so they bought something simple from the supermarket whilst Lu Jinnian was in the car, ready to drive Qiao Anhao back to the set. On the way there, the two of them didn¡¯t speak. They seemed to look calm, as per usual, but their hearts were still in the cinema, holding hands for as long as forty minutes. When they arrived back on set, it was already seven o¡¯clock. Lu Jinnian and Qiao Anhao went straight to the make-up room. Other actors had already finished their make-up and were on set trying to get in character. Qiao Anhao and Lu Jinnian sat back-to-back in front of their dressing tables. As the make-up artists raised their heads towards the mirror, their eyes would always identally meet, which made them reminisce about holding the warmth from their hands in the afternoon. - In "Alluring Times", Qiao Anhao and Lu Jinnian yed a married couple who had been living separately for quite some time now. Due to issues with their family, they nned to get a divorce certificate the next day. In that moment, the character Lu Jinnian yed realized that he was only unwittingly obsessed with the woman he was with. In actual fact, he was in love with Qiao Anhao¡¯s character, who he pushed away because of marriage matters. However, because he had done things to her that went too far, he couldn¡¯t really ask her for forgiveness. What¡¯s more, after they had lived apart for so long, she had gotten closer to another fine man. The scene they had to shoot today was where the other man proposed to Qiao Anhao¡¯s character on her birthday. This woman, who had given up on Lu Jinnian¡¯s character, nodded her head to say ¡¯yes¡¯. After she took the ring, Lu Jinnian¡¯s character was left in despair. When she went to the restroom alone, he couldn¡¯t hold down his emotions, and, after dragging her away, finally confessed to her. Chapter 398: Goodbye My Youth, Goodbye My Love (8) Chapter 398: Goodbye My Youth, Goodbye My Love (8) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Lu Jinnian¡¯s make-up was simpler than Qiao Anhao¡¯s. When he finished, hers was just halfway done. He got up. As the make-up artist was checking on her work, Qiao Anhao¡¯s phone rang. The phone was on the table. When Lu Jinnian heard the ringtone, he instinctively turned his head to see the two words on the screen "Aunt Xu". Qiao Anhao made an apologetic gesture at the make-up artist, and then picked up the phone from the table. She pressed to take the call. "Aunt Xu?" There were only a couple people left in the make-up room, so it was really quiet. Lu Jinnian, who stood behind Qiao Anhao, could clearly hear Han Ruchu¡¯s voice. "Qiao Qiao, you¡¯re shooting yourst scene tonight, right? Tomorrow, you¡¯re free, right?" Qiao Anhao gave a gentle "mm", and Han Ruchu¡¯s voice continued, "Qiao Qiao, tomorrow Jiamu will be discharged. Remember, to go pick him up." Lu Jinnian¡¯s hand gently curved into a fist, his lips tightly pursed without making a sound, and he stood on the spot with a calm expression until the make-up artist said "You¡¯re good". He then turned around and walked out of the make-up room door. The moment he was going to push the door, he heard Qiao Anhao¡¯s usual soft voice say from behind him, "I know, Aunt Xu. I¡¯ll go tomorrow. I¡¯m about to start filming now. I can¡¯t talk right now... Mhmm... Bye." Lu Jinnian strode down the stairs. Who knew what happened, but he missed a step. Luckily, his assistant behind him was quick to react and pulled him up. He then asked in low voice, "Mr. Lu, are you okay?" Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t speak, butposed himself, and strode right over to the set. Tomorrow, Xu Jiamu will be discharged... Didn¡¯t they say it¡¯d be as soon as a month, or as long as two months¡¯ time? It had only been half a month, howe Xu Jiamu¡¯s about to be discharged? With Xu Jiamu discharged, then will he, as his recement, bow out with his mission aplished? Bow out with his mission aplished... Did it mean that they wouldn¡¯t be able to pretend to be husband and wife any longer? This afternoon, they went to the movies, and the atmosphere was clearly good. How did the winds suddenly turn and break the two of them up again? - After Qiao Anhao finished her make-up, she walked on set. Lu Jinnian wasn¡¯t there. After the director instructed her on what to focus on during the shoot, it was then that she saw Lu Jinnian emerge on his own, walking over the wooden bridge from behind the forest. Seeing Lu Jinnian walk over, the director immediately signaled for all the staff to get into position. After adjusting the lighting and cameras, they officially started filming. The scene started off with a group of people sitting in a room, drinking and singing. Qiao Anhao and Lu Jinnian never really interacted with each other, so much so that they didn¡¯t even once nce at the other. When the cameras had enough of those shots, Qiao Anhao and a striking male actor started to sing a song together. Lu Jinnian drank one cup after another of the water that was supposedly wine. He kept his head down, never looking up at the perfect couple singing together. When the singing finally stopped, everyone pped. Just when everyone thought both of them were ready to move on, the man who Qiao Anhao had sung with unexpectedly crouched down in front of everyone and gave a heartfelt proposal, "Will you marry me?" Chapter 399: Goodbye My Youth, Goodbye My Love (9) Chapter 399: Goodbye My Youth, Goodbye My Love (9) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Lu Jinnian, who had his head down and only cared to drink, raised his head when he heard those words. He stared directly at Qiao Anhao. Qiao Anhao seemed as though she were shocked by this sudden scene, looking startled, giving no reaction at all. The man recited every word from the script with deep emotion. Following his lines, a hint as if she was being torn appeared on Qiao Anhao¡¯s face. The people in the room of her birthday party all egged her on to say ¡¯yes¡¯! Lu Jinnian, who had a ss of wine in his hands, started to tighten his grip. In that split second, when Qiao Anhao nodded, he couldn¡¯t help but stand up and quietly leave. Qiao Anhao, who hadn¡¯t even nced at him, looked over to see his back. As though she was hesitating over something, she finally epted the ring from the man on one knee. The entire room was filled with cheers. Lu Jinnian, who stood outside, looked particrly lifeless. The atmosphere in the room was beaming with joy, whilst outside, Lu Jinnian was alone in despair. Following the director¡¯s signals, Qiao Anhao found an excuse to leave the room. When she was out, she was face-to-face with Lu Jinnian, who stood outside the door. The two of them didn¡¯t speak, but their eyes silently crossed. Then Qiao Anhao trotted over to the restroom in her high heels. When she came out from the restroom, Lu Jinnian, who originally stood at the door, appeared near the restroom. Just like before, their eyes never met. This time, Qiao Anhao said her lines, "You go in first." Then, she even gave Lu Jinnian a gentle smile as she strode towards him. Walking alongside her, Lu Jinnian balled up his hands into fists. Because of the strength, his knuckles were prominently white. When he couldn¡¯t see her from the corner of his eyes anymore, he suddenly raised his arm and urately grabbed Qiao Anhao¡¯s arm behind himself. Then he pushed her body up against the wall, lowered his head, and kissed her lips. Qiao Anhao struggled, wanting to push Lu Jinnian off of her, but he had mped her arm down hard. It wasn¡¯t easy for her to fight back the deepening kiss. Qiao Anhao struggled even harder. In the end, unsure of where the strength came from, she suddenly pushed Lu Jinnian off. She raised her hand, ording to the script, and pped him across the face. Of course, as they were filming a drama, the p looked as though it was hard, but in fact it only lightly brushed him. Then, with her whole body trembling, Qiao Anhao recited her line, "What the hell do you want?" Lu Jinnian, who had just been pped, stared straight at Qiao Anhao with trembling lips. "I just want to ask you one question..." After Lu Jinnian said this, he remained quiet for a long time. "If I told you that I fell in love with you, would you fall in love with me again?" "No!" Qiao Anhao didn¡¯t hesitate to reply with that one word. An expression of hopelessness started to cross Lu Jinnian¡¯s face. His hand that held her shoulder gradually loosened up, and just when he really was about to pull away from her, she recited, "Because I never stopped loving you." Lu Jinnian was stunned. Then, he suddenly kissed Qiao Anhao¡¯s lips again. This time, the two of them needed to act like they were really into the kiss. And with that kiss, it would be the end for their filming together. Chapter 400: Goodbye My Youth, Goodbye My Love (10) Chapter 400: Goodbye My Youth, Goodbye My Love (10) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem In the instance that Qiao Anhao and Lu Jinnian¡¯s lips touched, the two of them could no longer differentiate whether it was an act or reality. Even though they had been acting as a couple for at least eight months, they only became close after entering "Alluring Times¡¯" set. The filming had gone on for about three months, and in this short time, they had spent more time together than in the past thirteen years. In these short three months, there were tears,ughter, warmth, and a ton of heart fluttering moments.... But at this moment, the filming wasing to an end ,and in reality, their act as a couple was alsoing to an end. Their kiss deepened, turning passionate as they immersed themselves in all the pent up love. The director observed at the side through the screen, satisfied with the take. When he felt that it was enough, he raised the speaker, but just when he was about to shout "Cut", he suddenly saw tears streaming out of Qiao Anhao¡¯s shut eyes. Many times, when actors immersed themselves in the role, they would follow the emotions of their role. The director lowered the speaker, thinking that Qiao Anhao was adding scenes. He turned and signaled for the rest of the crew to continue filming while he continued to look into the screen, observing what was happening The tears streamed down Qiao Anhao¡¯s face, entering her kiss. The moment Lu Jinnian sensed the moisture, he froze briefly before deepening the kiss further. After kissing for a long while, they broke apart panting. The moment Qiao Anhao opened her eyes, tears started to pour out, and Lu Jinnian, who didn¡¯t have any sand in his eyes, started to feel his eyes sting. The two of them looked up and gazed into each other, and as though they had practiced beforehand, they spoke at the same time. "I love you." This was not part of the script. When the director saw the scene, he started getting excited. After two minutes of them gazing lovingly at each other, he raised the speaker excitedly to shout "Cut!" The scene ended perfectly. The crew members came forward hurriedly to pack up, while the director ran over to Lu Jinnian and Qiao Anhao. "Mr. Lu, Xiao Qiao, that was amazing! You actually added such a beautiful scene. That was absolutely perfect, stunning and emotional!" The director threw in a long chain of praises, pulling both Lu Jinnian and Qiao Anhao back to reality. The two of them looked at each other for a long while before finally looking away. Lu Jinnian was able to conceal his emotions quickly, his usual demeanor returning. Qiao Anhao had a smile on her tear stained face as she casually thanked the director while using the tissue that Zhao Meng had passed over to wipe her face. She turned back to bid farewell to both Lu Jinnian and the director before leaving to remove her makeup. Lu Jinnian, do you know? From today onward, every time I¡¯ll remember our story, the movie in the afternoon will be considered a loving date and the confession in the scene tonight would be my confession to you. Lu Jinnian, do you know? Before our story became just a memory, I cried for you. Chapter 401: Goodbye My Youth, Goodbye My Love (11) Translator: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Chapter 401: Goodbye My Youth, Goodbye My Love (11) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem The next day, Qiao Anhao woke up early in the morning. She looked out and found the weather in a horrible condition. The skies were cloudy and the entire city seemed to be covered with a thinyer of fog. Zhao Meng had already packed all her items and the hotel staff was already bringing them to their car. Before leavig Qiao Anhao specifically went to the set to bid farewell to the director, Cheng Yang, Song Xiangsi, and the other crew members who still had onest scene. Regardless of how they entered the set, or how they had quarreled regarding their screen time, when it was time to leave, all of it no longer mattered. Everyone had slogged hard for this movie for about three months. It was a set that was filled with happiness, sorrows, tears, and everyone¡¯s hard work. Qiao Anhao wasn¡¯t a dramatic person, but when she bid farewell to everyone, she started to feel tears welling in her eyes. She didn¡¯t go back to Mian Xiu Garden but instead got Zhao Meng to send her to the hospital that Xu Jiamu was at. As for her luggage, she tasked Zhao Meng to send it to her house, nning to im it afterwards. After Zhao Meng¡¯s car left, Qiao Anhao entered the hospital. Xu Wanli wasn¡¯t around but Han Ruchu and her housekeeper were in the ward, helping the nurse pack, while Xu Jiamu was taking some tests. Qiao Anhao walked forward to help Han Ruchu pack Xu Jiamu¡¯s clothes. She scanned the room to ensure that they didn¡¯t leave anything behind before getting to the housekeeper to ce the items in the car. After about ten minutes, the doctor came out to inform them of the next checkup, and hey entered the car. The car headed straight to Xu family¡¯s house. Even though Xu Jiamu was already able to walk, his body was still weak from being in aa for such an extended period of time. That¡¯s why when they returned, Han Ruchu got the maids to support him into his room to rest the moment they reached the house. Before Han Ruchu had gone to fetch Xu Jiamu, she had gotten the maid to make him some herbal porridge. Once he was settled in, the housekeeper instructed the maids to bring the porridge up. In a enthusiastic and coaxing tone, she said, " Young master, you have been busy the entire day. Mrs. Xu got the maid to prepare some herbal porridge for you, you should have some." Han Ruchu sat at the bedside. She faced the bed with a warm smile on her face. "Son, let mum feed you some." As she said that, she reached her hand towards the housekeeper. The housekeeper immediately passed the porridge over, but before Han Ruchu could take it, Qiao Anhao had already grabbed it. She turned and said, "Let me do it instead." Han Ruchu paused, but she didn¡¯t object, standing next to the housekeeper. "Let Qiao Qiao do it." The housekeeper politely passed the porcin bowl over. Qiao Anhao took it with two hands before sitting in front of Xu Jiamu. She scooped a spoonful and blew on it softly before sending it to his mouth. Xu Jiamu opened his mouth. He looked at the people surrounding him and frowned, then waved his hand. "Mum, can you all get out, its getting suffocating." Qiao Anhao scooped another spoonful and blew on it with a smile on her face. She turned and said, "Auntie Xu, you guys can entrust him to me." Chapter 402: Goodbye My Youth, Goodbye My Love (12) Chapter 402: Goodbye My Youth, Goodbye My Love (12) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Han Ruchu saw them as two lovebirds who were trying to get some time alone. She smiled indulgently before sending a nce to the housekeeper. The woman understood instantly, exiting the room with the maid. Han Ruchu was thest to leave. Before she left, she nced at Qiao Anhao and Xu Jiamu. She hesitated slightly before taking out her phone to take a few photos of them secretly. Lu Jinnian reached Huan Ying Entertainment early in the morning and had meeting all the way tillte in the afternoon. During it, he wasn¡¯t able to focus and would asionally fall into a daze. By the end of the meeting, the board members were all aware of the abnormality. After enduring through the meeting, Lu Jinnian returned back to his office to face a thick stack of documents. As he sat on his desk, he couldn¡¯t process anything, his entire mind filled with the image of Qiao Anhao and Xu Jiamu. When it was 11 am, his assistant came in with an urgent document. Lu Jinnian flipped through the document in frustration before cing it back down on the table. Just then, the phone rang. He ignored it and continued to flip through the document, but after the phone vibrated several times, he turned to look at it impatiently. It was an anonymous number that had sent him some photos. He stared at the screen for a long while before forcing his gaze away. Without any expression, he lifted the pen to sign his name. In the instance that he was about to pass the document back to his assistant, the phone vibrated again. It was from the same anonymous number, and he could vaguely guess who it was. After a moment of hesitation, he ced the document back down on the table and answered the call. It was indeed who he had guessed. Han Ruchu¡¯s arrogant and frosty voice came through. "Did you see the photos I just sent? Now that Xu Jiamu is out of the hospital, it¡¯s an end for you and Qiao Qiao." Lu Jinnian tightened the grip he had on the phone, his lips quivering. Han Ruchu was confused by his silence. With a sharp voice, she continued, "What is it? You can¡¯t bear it? Or did you forget that you are the extra in their rtionship. If Jiamu didn¡¯t get into an ident, you would never have gotten the opportunity to get close to Qiao Qiao. It¡¯s just a business deal, and you¡¯ve already earned so much, it¡¯s about time you learned to stop!" Lu Jinnian¡¯s face darkened instantly, and he snarled menacingly, "You can say anything you want about me, but let me warn you, don¡¯t you dare to humiliate Qiao Qiao. She was never a business deal!" "Not a business deal? Why did you even act as her husband in the first ce? Even if you want her, you can only have her when my son has had enough, you¡¯re only worthy of what he doesn¡¯t want!" "Let me tell you onest time, you can humiliate me but not her!" Lu Jinnian stood up in agitation. "Don¡¯t assume that I won¡¯t try to snatch her over from Xu Jiamu. The only reason I would let them be together is because I¡¯m not enough for her and wouldn¡¯t want to bring her any inconvenience." Lu Jinnian hung up and smashed the phone against the floor. Chapter 403: Goodbye My Youth, Goodbye My Love (13) Chapter 403: Goodbye My Youth, Goodbye My Love (13) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem "THUD!" A loud, thundering sound emitted from the office. Lu Jinnian¡¯s assistant stood at the side, not daring to make a single sound. Lu Jinnian¡¯s chest puffed up and down. He rose from his desk and pulled open the closet to look for his cigarette box. He removed a stick before tossing the entire box into the trash bin abruptly. Takingrge strides to the window, he turned his back to his assistant, staring outside silently After a seemingly long while, he seemed to have calmed down and turned to face his assistant. He asked, "Have you found out about the Xu Enterprise board situation? How is it going?" "I¡¯m almost done with it." Lu Jinnian nodded His assistant continued, "Mr. Lu, have you really decided to do that?" Lu Jinnian was silent, staring out the window. After a long minute, he murmured a muffled "Yea", his voice faint and emotionless. "Just do as I nned." The assistant did not try to convince Lu Jinnian otherwise. "All right, I¡¯ll go prepare it." Lu Jinnian remained silent. The assistant took the document, wanting to leave silently, but after taking two steps, he hesitated. With an uneasy heart, he asked, "Mr. Lu, are you prepared to leave Miss Qiao just like this?" Lu Jinnian stayed silent, sorrow starting to envelop him His assistant raised his hand to rub his own nose. "Your rtionship with Miss Qiao has been much better. Even if she had once liked Mr. Xu, that does not mean that she cannot fall for you. If she changed and is no longer willing to be with Mr. Xu anymore, will it not be a pity if you just let her go so easily? " Even after such convincing, Lu Jinnian stood nonchnt. His assistant lifted his hand to rub the nose once more before awkwardly finishing, "Er... Mr. Lu, you can just forget what I just said. If there isn¡¯t anything more, I¡¯ll go now." Lu Jinnian was paralyzed. Once the footsteps of his assistant faded into the distance, he turned back to look at the cloudy skies, the words of his assistant repeating in his mind conterminously. - Qiao Anhao ced the empty bowl on the side of the table and helped Xu Jiamu wipe his mouth with a wet towel. She raised her lids and looked toward him, asking, "What exactly happened on the day of your ident? You didn¡¯t even drink, how could the collision be so serious? Anger shed past his eyes, before heughed lightly, brushing her off. "I did not react in time, causing the ident. But I¡¯m fine right now, am I not?" "Luckily you¡¯re fine," she chastised . Then her face turned serious, and in a solemn tone, she asked, "Brother Xu, have you always known about our marriage agreement?" Xu Jiamu was silent. After a moment of silence, she spoke again. "I¡¯m sorry, but I cannot marry you." Chapter 404: Goodbye My Youth, Goodbye My Love (14) Chapter 404: Goodbye My Youth, Goodbye My Love (14) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Xu Jiamu seemed to know that Qiao Anhao¡¯s sentence wasn¡¯t finished. He leaned backzily, finding afortable position. Without any sign of anger or confusion, he nced at her, waiting patiently for her to continue. Qiao Anhao moved her lips slightly. "Only after your car ident did I found out that I was betrothed to you. Because of the car ident, rumors that the Xu family no longer had a sessor started to fly, causing the board of directors of the Xu Enterprise to raise objections. In the end, the only solution was for Lu Jinnian to act as you and for us to act as a couple so that the Xu family could pass through the crisis. "Other than me, no one in the Qiao family is aware of your condition, and since Auntie Xu specifically came to find me..." At that time, she only agreed to the suggestion after knowing that she was going to act as a couple with Lu Jinnian. She had always loved him, but she had never let anyone know. Even Xu Jiamu wasn¡¯t aware of it even though he had seen her love letter... Qiao Anhao paused for a while before continuing, "We have been friends for so many years, so I couldn¡¯t just leave you in a plight, that¡¯s why I agreed to the suggestion, but now.,." "Now that I¡¯m awake, you have already finished what you promised initially, hence you want to end the marriage with me, am I right?" Xu Jiamu finished her sentence for her. Qiao Anhao lowered hershes, hesitating slightly before nodding her head. "Sure, I understand. I¡¯ll take care of the matter," Xu Jiamu agreed instantly, without any hesitation or doubt. Qiao Anhao raised her head in shock. "Brother Jiamu, how are you going to settle it alone?" "You don¡¯t have to bother about that, I can¡¯t have you asking for a divorce yourself. Don¡¯t forget that ever since your parents died, Qiao Anxia¡¯s parents have been taking care of you, and for this marriage, you are representing not only yourself but the Qiao family. "If you were to suddenly ask for a divorce, how would you face your aunt and uncle in the future?" Xu Jiamu exined the situation in detail before reassuring her, "Qiao Qiao, you don¡¯t have to worry about a thing, I¡¯ll settle the issue, you can just sit back and wait." Truthfully, Qiao Anhao had never thought of the Qiao family when she decided on the divorce, but after he had mentioned it, she was suddenly struck with the problem of how to face her aunt and uncle. She was touched, remembering that ever since they were young, Xu Jiamu had always been thinking out for her. She nodded her head, replying lightly, "Brother Jiamu, thank you." "Qiao Qiao, why are you being so formal with me?" Xu Jiamu smiled and reached with his hand to softly ruffle her hair. "But Qiao Qiao, you¡¯ll have to wait a while, I don¡¯t even have the strength to leave the house right now..." When Qiao Anhao returned back to Mian Xiu Garden, it was already 9 pm. She had eaten dinner at Xu mansion, so she informed Madam Chen not to prepare anything before heading upstairs. Lu Jinnian wasn¡¯t back yet. Even though she hadn¡¯t done much the entire day, she was exhausted. After taking a bath, she limped to the bed but couldn¡¯t seem to fall asleep. At about 12 pm, she suddenly heard the sound of a car engineing from downstairs. Chapter 405: Goodbye My Youth, Goodbye My Love (15) Chapter 405: Goodbye My Youth, Goodbye My Love (15) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem The mansion was silent and no matter how good the soundproof walls were, she could still hear Lu Jinnian talking to Madam Chen. As his footsteps became louder, the bedroom door suddenly opened. Qiao Anhao¡¯s eyes remained shut as she pretended to be asleep. Lu Jinnian¡¯s footsteps were light. He seemed to have stood at the side of the bed observing her for a long while before going to the bathroom. After about ten minutes, he came out and climbed lightly onto the bed, careful not to wake her up. The light scent from the soap mixed with his familiar scent and flew towards Qiao Anhao. She inhaled slightly, the warm heat from his bath entering her system. Her eyes started to sting slightly, tiny droplets framing hershes before falling onto the pillow. Lu Jinnian thought that she was asleep and didn¡¯t disrupt her. The two of themy apart for a long while before she suddenly turned, waking Lu Jinnian who was about to fall asleep. He opened his eyes in shock, looking at her before calling softly in a sleepy voice, " Qiao Qiao." Qiao Anhao didn¡¯t reply, her bright eyes looking straight at him under the faint glow from the bathroom light. Lu Jinnian¡¯s mind cleared instantly. Using his elbows to prop himself up, he asked, "What¡¯s wrong?" Before he could finish his question, he froze, for she pounced onto him, crashing his propped up body back onto the bed. Lu Jinnian was confused by her sudden actions. He frowned but didn¡¯t object as his lips were violently covered by hers. Her kiss was awkward, just like the first night when they were both drunk. With the power of liquor, she had pounced on him just like now, biting his lips randomly, her hands all over his clothes. But she didn¡¯t have much strength. Regardless of how much she tried, she couldn¡¯t rip his clothes off, releasing only the front two buttons of his shirt. Reaching under his shirt, she started to feel his warm chest... Lu Jinnian¡¯s mind was still confused, but he was sentpletely aze by her actions. He had restrained for a month, now that she had taken the initiative, how was he to control himself? After being in a daze for about five minutes, he hugged her waist and flipped her over, pressing onto her body, covering her lips violently, his hands ripping off their clothes efficiently. She was the only woman he had touched and they didn¡¯t do it often, so he was still considered an amateur, his actions based purely on his instincts. He was the only man she had touched, so she didn¡¯t have much experience. With shyness and ack of courage to let herself go, she was akin to a puppet, following after him without much excitement. Even so, without any techniques, they were still able to hit climax, they were still able to touch their deepest, innermost desires. Deep into the night, with only their panting, even if they didn¡¯t say a word, they could sense the simplest form of love that their bodies were expressing. After a month of abstinence, they started to yearn for more, getting passionate. When it ended, they seemed to have fought a war, lying in fatigue. Chapter 406: Goodbye My Youth, Goodbye My Love (16) Chapter 406: Goodbye My Youth, Goodbye My Love (16) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Lu Jiamuy on top of Qiao Anhao for a long while, taking deep breaths before finally getting his senses back from the afterglow. He reached out to wipe the sweat off her long hair before lowering his head to lightly kiss her forehead. Turning back to his side of the bed, he reached out to bring her into his embrace and shut his eyes. When Qiao Anhao finally heard his breathing turn deep and long, she slowly opened her eyes to touch her forehead, where he had just kissed. Even though a long while had passed and it was already cold, she seemed to be able to feel warmth, but deep inside, her heart had turned to frost, her mind filled with the image of his signature on the abortion form. Her eyes started to fog, and in the end, she could no longer hold it in, the tears streaming down her face. The next morning, when Lu Jinnian woke up, he could feel his entire body aching, but he felt satisfied and ready for anything that awaited him. He turned and realized that Qiao Anhao was not around. Without even bothering to wash up, he ran downstairs. "Madam Chen! Madam Chen!" Just then, the kitchen door flew open and Qiao Anhao walked out. Her long hair was tied up and an apron was tied around her waist as she held onto a spat. Lu Jinnian froze. "Where¡¯s Madam Chen?" "Madam Chen had something on at home," Qiao Anhao replied before running back into the kitchen to lower the fire. She stuck her head out once again. "I made breakfast, you cane have some after washing up." She made breakfast? Lu Jinnian looked at the kitchen incredulously before running back up in anticipation. He took a quick shower, dried himself, and changed in record time, then swiftly went to the dinning area. Qiao Anhao stood beside the dinning table, scooping porridge. Lu Jinnian stood motionlessly while looking at her, mesmerized. Qiao Anhao seemed to have sensed him. She raised her head and smiled lightly towards him. "Sit." Lu Jinnian walked to the dinning table silently. The table was filled with dishes that weren¡¯t meant for breakfast. He looked towards her questioningly. "You made all these?" Qiao Anhao ced the bowl of porridge in front of him. "It¡¯s the first time I made it, so I¡¯m not sure if it¡¯s nice." Lu Jinnian paused momentarily. Just when he was about to have a taste, he noticed a tissue she had on her hand. There was blood oozing out of it. He stood up abruptly, grabbing onto her hand. "You¡¯re injured?" "It¡¯s fine, I cut it while I was cutting the vegetables." Qiao Anhao tried to hide her hands instinctively. Lu Jinnian frowned. He cautiously removed the tissue. When he saw the cut, his frown deepened and he left the dinning area. He was back in an instance with antiseptic and a ster in his hands. He knelt in front of her chair and took hold of her hand. Using the antiseptic, he first disinfected the wound then carefully covered it with the ster. "If Madam Chen isn¡¯t around, you can call for delivery. Don¡¯t ever cook again." Qiao Anhao lowered her head to look as he treated her wound with seriousness. She looked away, for her eyes started to sting, tears threatening to form. Chapter 407: Goodbye My Youth, Goodbye My Love (17) Chapter 407: Goodbye My Youth, Goodbye My Love (17) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Qiao Anhao lowered her head to look as Lu Jinnian treated her wound with seriousness. She looked away, for her eyes started to sting, tears threatening to form. Only after he covered her wound with a ster did he stand up. Qiao Anhao hurriedly took in a couple deep breaths, suppressing her unstable emotions, turning to face Lu Jinnian with a smile. "Lets eat, it¡¯s going to get cold." "Yea," Lu Jinnian agreed lightly. He raised his hand to ruffle her hair, tossing the cotton wool he had used into the bin before retrieving a wet tissue to clean his hands. Returning back to his seat, he took up the chopsticks. Before he could take anything, Qiao Anhao beat him to it, picking a water spinach and cing it into his bowl. Lu Jinnian was startled. When he raised his head to look at her, she met his gaze with a bright smile on her face, cheekily teasing him, "It¡¯s the first time I cooked. I don¡¯t even have the courage to try it, as the guinea pig, you should try some." Lu Jinnian¡¯s lips curled into an indulgent smile. Without another word, he ced the spinach into his mouth. "How is it?" Qiao Anhao asked, anticipation visible in her eyes. Lu Jinnian swallowed the vegetable before replying seriously, "Not bad." "Really?" Qiao Anhao picked up a piece suspiciously, cing it into her mouth. After chewing twice, her face scrunched up into a wrinkled frown. Using all her will power to stop herself from spitting it out, she swallowed the vegetable, then chucked down a ss of water. "SALTY!" Lu Jinnian smiled silently. He didn¡¯t coax her like how other men did, he didn¡¯t try to praise her with sugarcoated words. Instead, he continued to eat the dishes she had made silently. Qiao Anhao¡¯s first meal was not fantastic. It was edible at most, but Lu Jinnian continued to eat it as though it was the finest meal in the world. Qiao Anhao couldn¡¯t help feeling moved by his silent actions. He was indeed good to her, but this wasn¡¯t love... was it? When Lu Jinnian was half full, he realized that Qiao Anhao hadn¡¯t touched her chopsticks; she had been staring at him the entire time. His chewing gradually stopped. Without saying a word, he returned her gaze, seeing his reflection in her eyes. This was the first time in his life that he had found himself stunning. The dinning area was silent, the sunshine from outside spilling in. In that instance, Lu Jinnian suddenly remembered what his assistant had told him the day before, "Even if she had once loved Mr. Xu, that doesn¡¯t mean that she can¡¯t fall for you now. It¡¯s clear that she genuinely cares for your well being..." Lu Jinnian¡¯s heart started to turn. When he hade back the previous day, he had been debating whether or not to ask her about her feelings. His hesitation was because he was afraid that if he didn¡¯t hear what he wanted to, they couldn¡¯t even be friends. Lu Jinnian had struggled for a long time until he finally decided. "Qiao Qiao..." The exact moment he spoke, she spoke as well. "Lu Jinnian..." Chapter 408: Goodbye My Youth, Goodbye My Love (18) Chapter 408: Goodbye My Youth, Goodbye My Love (18) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Both of them froze slightly. After about half a minute, they spoke at the same time again. "What is it?" "Something wrong?" Qiao Anhao then added," You can say it first..." Lu Jinnian had continued as well, "You say..." They both stopped, smiling at their chemistry. After a while, Lu Jinnian spoke again. "You can go first." Qiao Anhao was silent for some time. She didn¡¯t try to argue with him. Instead, she smiled, ced her hands on the table, and straightening her back, she looked right at him. "Then I¡¯ll go first." Lu Jinnian replied with a faint "Yea" and ced his chopsticks on the table to return her gaze. As Qiao Anhao stared at his good looks, her throat started to choke. No matter how many times she had repeated the words in her mind, some words just couldn¡¯t be spoken out loud. Before she could say anything, sorrow had already enveloped her. Qiao Anhao¡¯s tongue moved several times but she was still not able to speak. In the end, she forced a casual smile on her face. Suppressing her tears, with her arms clenched tightly against her bosom, she took a deep breath and looked back up at him. "Jiamu was discharged yesterday." Lu Jinnian¡¯s gaze faltered visibly, but he still maintained his posture without moving his gaze. He nodded, acknowledging her words, then asked, "Is he feeling better?" "He¡¯s feeling much better, but he¡¯s still on bed rest..." Qiao Anhao gave him a brief outline of Xu Jiamu¡¯s condition. Finished, she paused slightly, forcing a brighter smile on her face. The bottom of her eyes started to shimmer, so she counted to three inwardly before continuing. "He was discharged yesterday... You won¡¯t have to act as him anymore..." Her voice cracked a little. She struggled to keep her numb lips upturned. "And we won¡¯t have to act as a couple anymore." Lu Jinnian remained silent, his gaze turning heavy as he continued to look at her. Qiao Anhao raised her hand to cover her face. She shut her eyes and took a deep breath before quickly wiping away the tears that had flowed out. She ced her hand back down with the same bright smile on her face. "From this moment on, our deal will end as well." Lu Jinnian seemed to have turned into a statue where he sat in front of her. "I called your name to tell you..." Qiao Anhao paused, taking a deep breath before she continued slowly as though forcing every word out, "I¡¯m leaving." Qiao Anhao struggled to keep the tears from falling, her voice cracking slightly. "I¡¯m leaving, I¡¯m leaving this ce." Lu Jinnian remained paralyzed. The dinning area was silent, the mood frosting up. Chapter 409: Goodbye My Youth, Goodbye My Love (19) Chapter 409: Goodbye My Youth, Goodbye My Love (19) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Qiao Anhao remained silent, the two of them staring at each other. After a long while, Lu Jinnian¡¯sshes fluttered, and he returned back to his senses. He straightened and stared straight into her eyes, remembering that he was about to ask her if she was going to go back to Xu Jiamu now that he was discharged from the hospital. In the end, before he could ask his question, she had already told him that she was leaving... He knew that all they had was a short lived happiness. He also knew that they would separate eventually, but he had never expected for it toe so abruptly... Just a moment ago, she had made him breakfast, had let him feel blissful and touched, but the very next one, she had caused him to fall straight into hell. The higher you go, the harder the fall, and the pain left him in a daze. But she was, after all, not his. No matter how beautiful the hallucination is, it is not real, and today was the day he finally woke up, the day he returned back to square one. Lu Jinnian blinked, feeling his throat tighten. After a while, when the sting in his eyes faded, he spoke. "You..." Even one word was enough to send his throat choking again. He paused and used ten seconds to calm himself once more before continuing, "... when are you prepared to leave?" Qiao Anhao looked at him, her eyes dark. She did not answer instantly but waited a bit. "Today." "Today?" Lu Jinnian¡¯s hands started to tremble, and he muttered something under his breath. His lips pressed into a thin line, and his breathing started to turn inconsistent. "Must you..." Before he could finish his sentence, he fell limp onto the chair, staring up at the ceiling. He had on a calm expression, but no one could know how painfully his heart was aching. Ever since they reunited, he knew that this day would arrive, but he had never expected to find out that she was leaving the moment before she was going to move. He really wanted to ask her "Must you leave?". He really wanted to ask "Can¡¯t you stay and live with me?". He really wanted to ask "Qiao Qiao, did you know? I have loved you my entire youth, and now that my youth is ending, can¡¯t you give me a happy ending?". But the girl that he loved was his brother¡¯s lover, it was a dead end. Who could tell him exactly how to solve this? The words lingered at the tip of his tongue, his logic forcing them back. He was afraid that the moment he voiced them, they would turn awkward, ending their rtionship. He didn¡¯t want to live his life in regret. Lu Jinnian took a while to reply. In the end, he took a deep breath, straightened his body, and looked at her calmly. "Let me send you." Qiao Anhao shook her head. "It¡¯s okay, I¡¯ll get Zhao Meng to bring me." "Let me send you to Zhao Meng¡¯s house," Lu Jinnian said the moment she finished her sentence. Qiao Anhao pondered for a while. In the end, she didn¡¯t reject him but instead nodded her head slightly. "Okay." Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t speak, he turned and looked out the window. Qiao Anhao sat silently for a while before breaking the silence. "I¡¯ll go up to pack." Chapter 410: Goodbye My Youth, Goodbye My Love (20) Chapter 410: Goodbye My Youth, Goodbye My Love (20) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t react, it was as though he hadn¡¯t heard her speak. Qiao Anhao stood up, after waiting for about ten seconds, she turned to leave the dining area. Only when the door to the dining area closed did Lu Jinnian turn from the window to stare at the spot she had been standing on, his face a frightening shade of white. Once Qiao Anhao closed the door to the bedroom, tears started streaming down her face. She used her fingers to wipe the pouring droplets. Slouching against the door, she knelt down onto the floor and started to cry her heart out. Even though she cried on the day she confirmed the abortion, even though she had thought that she had cried away all the pain in her heart, even if she had already made up her mind to leave Lu Jinnian, when she finally did it, she didn¡¯t expect her heart to feel as though it had broken into pieces. She had loved him for thirteen years, she had given him the most beautiful days of her youth, but today, she was forced to remove him from her life, and it was... painful... But she had no choice, she was not able to forgive him for killing her child, she could not allow herself to continue loving such a man. She never knew that this would be their end, and she had no idea if she could still fall in love with someone else, but she knew that from now onward, she would never love someone so entirely, so pathetically, like how she had loved Lu Jinnian. She never wanted to feel the pain and hurt that she had so freely allowed him to inflict upon her. Qiao Anhao didn¡¯t have much belongings. When she came, she had brought a single suitcase, and now that she was leaving, it was also just that one suitcase, just with a few more clothes and shoes and the porcin doll from Lu Jinnian. - When Qiao Anhao pulled the suitcase from the bedroom, it was alreadyte afternoon, and Lu Jinnian was no longer in the mansion. The luggage was a little heavy, so she walked straight to the elevator. When she reached the first floor, she pulled the suitcase out and stood in the living room. She looked around at the familiar surroundings, realizing that it had been eight months. Her gaze fell on many different spots, the images vivid in her mind. She took onest look before pulling her luggage out the door. The moment she pushed the door open, she saw Lu Jinnian standing outside. The sun¡¯s rays hit his body but he didn¡¯t seem to feel hot at all. When Lu Jinnian heard the door open, he turned to first look at Qiao Anhao then his gaze fell on the luggage that was trailing behind her. His throat choked up slightly when he asked, "Done packing?" Qiao Anhao nodded. "Done packing." She paused for a bit before adding, "There were some clothes and shoes that I won¡¯t be able to wear any longer so I didn¡¯t bring them along. I ced them in a cardboard box in the changing room, you can get Madam Chen to toss it." Lu Jinnian nodded slightly, turning to stare at his car wordlessly. He picked his keys and reached for Qiao Anhao¡¯s suitcase. After walking down the stairs, he opened the car¡¯s trunk to put the luggage in, then walked to the passenger seat to open the door for her. Chapter 411: Goodbye My Youth, Goodbye My Love (21) Chapter 411: Goodbye My Youth, Goodbye My Love (21) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Qiao Anhao walked down the stairs to Lu Jinnian. She took a nce at him, then bent to enter the car. Before she could fasten her seat belt, he had already done it for her. After entering his car, Lu Jinnian fastened his own seat belt and asked her for Zhao Meng¡¯s address. While he was keying it into the GPS, his fingers couldn¡¯t stop trembling. After having struggled through it, he started the engine. Suddenly, he mmed the breaks. Pausing for some time, he came back to his senses and turned the steering wheel out of Mian Xiu Garden. The entire journey, they remained silent, only speaking once when Qiao Anhao held out her phone to send Zhao Meng a voice message, informing her that she would arrive in about half an hour. When they were nearing Zhao Meng¡¯s house, Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t seem to have any intention of slowing down. Only when Qiao Anhao spoke to remind him of the location did he m the brakes. He looked out the window and saw that they had passed Zhao Meng¡¯s house by about two hundred meters. "I¡¯ll make a turn." "It¡¯s fine, it isn¡¯t that far, I¡¯ll just walk over." Qiao Anhao smiled. Lu Jinnian¡¯s jaw tightened as he stared ahead silently. After a long while, he replied, "Okay." Qiao Anhao reached for the keys in her bag, passing them over to Lu Jinnian. "The keys to Mian Xiu Garden." Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t reach for them. Qiao Anhao ced them in apartment in the car before grabbing her bag. "I¡¯ll go now." "Okay," Lu Jinnian replied robot-like. After a while, when he seemed to have realized what was happening, he hurriedly alighted from the car to help her with her luggage. "Thank you." Qiao Anhao reached out to take her suitcase, but when she grabbed onto it, Lu Jinnian tightened his own grip. "Qiao Qiao.." Qiao Anhao lifted her head to look at him. Lu Jinnian opened his mouth, his gaze faltering. After a long while, he just said, "Goodbye." Qiao Anhao forced a smile, replying, "Goodbye." Lu Jinnian tightened the grip he had on the luggage, then loosened it, and tightened it yet again. In the end, he still let go of it. Qiao Anhao pushed the suitcase to her side before smiling onest time at him. She turned and tears started to pour down her face. Goodbye, Lu Jinnian. I have no idea how long it will take for me to stop loving you, but from now on, I will no longer naively hope for your love. Even though I me you for killing our child, I would also want to thank you for the eight months you gave me. Thank you for letting me understand that you would never love me. Goodbye, my youth, goodbye, my love. Goodbye, those thirteen years of beautiful pain. Lu Jinnian stood paralyzed. He looked as Qiao Anhao lugged her suitcase away. When he couldn¡¯t see her anymore, he still remained there until a traffic police came up to warn him off. He apologized to the officer and drove away. As he drove, he was suddenly confused, he had no idea where he could go. Chapter 412: Goodbye My Youth, Goodbye My Love (22) Chapter 412: Goodbye My Youth, Goodbye My Love (22) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem When Lu Jinnian drove up to the intersection ahead, he suddenly felt flustered. He didn¡¯t know where he should go. He was now on his own again. His father didn¡¯t want him, his mother had passed away, and the woman he loved just left him. He was back to the old days. Living alone. It had been a long time since he felt lonely. In that instant, he was buried underneath it. Lu Jinnian aimlessly drove for who knows how long, but in the end, he drove back to Mian Xiu Garden. Rays of sunlight bathed the white mansion with the red roof, making it look particrly beautiful. He stopped the car and walked into the house. He looked around the entire mansion. It was no different from usual, but it felt notably empty. The dining room¡¯s door was wide open. He saw that the breakfast Qiao Anhao had made was still on the table; it hadn¡¯t been tidied away. He could almost envision the two of them there, eating breakfast. The bottom of Lu Jinnian¡¯s eyes red up, and he hurriedly went upstairs. He pushed open the bedroom door and saw her dressing table. It was usually full of make-up products, but nowpletely empty. The pain in his heart grew even more. He staggered over to the bathroom, where her face cleanser, shower gel, shampoo, and conditioner were all gone. She even cleared out her toothbrush, cup, and toothpaste. Also, the cabs in the changing room were half empty. All that was left were neat rows upon rows of men¡¯s clothing. She left, just like that... as though she had never even existed in his world... as though those eight months were all a dream... The reality of waking up was far too cruel. Lu Jinnian felt that his breathing was unstable. He quickly left the bedroom in a panic and flew down the stairs, and out of the mansion. He got in the car and felt that his heart was slightly morefortable. They had just split up thirty seven minutes and forty eight seconds ago, and he already missed her inextricably. He couldn¡¯t stay here. If he did, it would only cement his longing for her. Lu Jinnian fumbled as he started up the car and left. He drove carelessly for a long time, until the night was approaching. He stopped then at a flower shop, got out, and bought a bunch of chrysanthemums. Then he got back into the car and drove out of the city. About two hourster, he drove to a cemetery. He drove along the winding road and half-way up the mountain, then stopped, got out, and walked to a lonely gravestone. He ced the chrysanthemums in front of it and knelt down. Looking at the ck and white photo, after some time, he said, "Ma... I¡¯m here to visit you." The howling of wind halfway up the mountain responded. Lu Jinnian raised his hand and gently rubbed the ck and white photo. He spoke again in a low voice. "Ma... Do you know... I really do love that woman... I¡¯ve mentioned her to you before. She¡¯s called Qiao Anhao... ¡¯Qiao¡¯ as in an arbor tree, and ¡¯Anhao¡¯ as in to be at peace. What a nice name, right? "She has a beautiful smile. You don¡¯t even know... Besides you, she¡¯s the only woman in the world that has wished me a happy birthday... But, Ma... She¡¯s Jiamu¡¯s fiance... You¡¯d definitely tell me to not do anything to let Jiamu down, right? "So, Ma... right now, I¡¯m on my own again." As Lu Jinnian said this, he suddenly covered his face with his hand, and quietly knelt there in front of the gravestone. His shoulders started to tremble ever so slightly. After two hundred and fifty-one days of being reunited, they had to split up again. The anguish was far more intense than imagined. Chapter 413: Silent Companionship (1) Chapter 413: Silent Companionship (1) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem As Lu Jinnian said this, he suddenly covered his face with his hand, and quietly knelt there in front of the gravestone. His shoulders started to tremble ever so slightly. After two hundred and fifty-one days of being reunited, they had to split up again. The anguish was far more intense than imagined. Every moment of these two hundred and fifty-one days gradually reyed in his mind in slow motion, one frame at a time. They were cold as strangers when they were pretending to be husband and wife. To draw himself closer to her, he removed all but one beds in the mansion. Finally, he got what he wished for. With her lying beside him in bed, it actually felt like torture. Night after night, he was unable to sleep. He still clearly remembered the first night. Whilst she was asleep, she unknowingly stuck to his arm. It was like a bolt of lightning had shocked his entire body, and he pushed her off the bed... In his mansion in Mount Yi, she looked after him when he was sick... Shooting scenes with her on "Alluring Times", singing that song "There was You in My Youth" with her at the Royal Pce, going to watch a movie together, the streets they¡¯ve walked together, the restaurants they¡¯d eaten in, the words they said... And the secrets that she didn¡¯t know. The "paper, scissors, rock" confession for her, the gift brand "Shmily" that he personally created for her, the note hidden in the porcin doll he gave her, the song "What a Pity" he sang for her... The memories that apanied him... They were like a hand that ruthlessly grasped tightly onto his heart. The pain made his entire body shiver, causing uncontroble tears to fall through the crack between his fingers. Tear-by-tear, they crashed onto the gravestone in front of him. Lu Jinnian stayed by the grave for most of the night. Besides his eyes that were slightly red, his expression looked as calm and cold as usual. He sat in the car for quite some time after, then casually turned some the music in the car. A mellow song came on. "Miss you, not only because of loneliness. In the end, I didn¡¯t lie to you, there¡¯s really love. "I dare make the whole world my enemy. For you, I have suffered the utmost. These sufferings, I would even ept...." Lu Jinnian¡¯s throat rumbled up and down a few times. He slowly stepped on the elerator, as he turned the steering wheel down the mountain. "What a pity, to have lost you in the end. Sorry, I tried my best. "I never gave up, I just stopped seeing you. I thought this would mean I won¡¯t be hurt..." In the dead of the night, there wasn¡¯t a single person on the suburban streets, just Lu Jinnian¡¯s speeding car. "What a pity, we can¡¯t go back. The sad tears grow more intense. "I have always gracefully declined other people¡¯s love, all because of your uncertainty..." He stared straight at the road ahead, tears flowing down his face once again. His lips moved, but no sound came out. He slowly mouthed the lyrics along to the music, "I have always gracefully declined other people¡¯s love, all because of your uncertainty. "Actually, in my heart, I want to beg you not to leave..." - The day after Qiao Anhao left Mian Xiu Garden and flew to Mn with Zhao Meng, she shot the cosmeticsmercial that Lu Jinnian had previously helped her get. Themercial was just over ten seconds long, but the shoot was quite demanding. It needed to be shot in five locations; Mn, Paris, Rome, Athens, and the Vatican city. Qiao Anhao stayed in Europe for almost half a month until she finished the shoot. Her ticket was booked for a next day return from Paris to Beijing. Chapter 414: Silent Companionship (2) Chapter 414: Silent Companionship (2) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Paris is a shopping haven. Since the first day Zhao Mengnded in Paris, she had been crying about going shopping. However, because work was so hectic, Qiao Anhao had to wait for their schedule to free up to be able to go shopping. That happened to be the day before they had to fly back to Beijing. Zhao Meng drafted a shopping list before they went out As they walked out the door, Qiao Anhao looked at Zhao Meng¡¯s very long list of items andined that she was impulsive when she had money. In the end, whilst shopping, Qiao Anhao, who hadn¡¯t originally nned on buying anything, actually went crazy with shopping, and bought more than Zhao Meng. Eventually, when she bought more than she could carry, she got Zhao Meng to help her carry her bags. Zhao Meng looked at the big and small bags they were carrying, and noticed that eighty percent of those bags were Qiao Anhao¡¯s. She couldn¡¯t help but use her friend¡¯s earlierints back at her. "Qiao Qiao, you had the decency to say that I¡¯m impulsive when I have money. I see now that that¡¯s you!" Zhao Meng then shook her head and said with an envious tone, "But there¡¯s no helping it. Who said you had to have a rich husband like Mr. Lu!" Qiao Anhao, who was at the Chanel counter choosing nes, heard Zhao Meng¡¯s words, and the ne dropped straight onto the counter from her trembling hands. She apologized frantically to the sales staff with an unnatural expression on her face. Then she pointed at the two nes she had her eye on for the sales staff to wrap up. Thest stop for Zhao Meng and Qiao Anhao was Hermes. Way before Zhao Meng arrived, she had already chosen a men¡¯s wallet for her boyfriend on the inte. When she asked the sales staff to help her wrap it up, she casually asked Qiao Anhao, "Qiao Qiao, do you want to choose a present for Mr. Lu?" Qiao Anhao, who stood aside, paused for a very long time, then shook her head. It was difficult for anyone to read what she was thinking. She lowered her eyes and didn¡¯t make a sound. When the two of then emerged out of Hermes, they had already used up all their energy, so they found a cafe to rest. Zhao Meng got her phone out and took two photos of her conquests from the afternoon. She posted them up on the Moments, then looked at Qiao Anhao, who was looking out the window in a daze. She brought her phone up and took a photo, then casually handed it to Qiao Anhao, saying, "Look! Qiao Qiao, I took a good photo of you, right? You can post it up on Weibo." After a pause, Zhao Meng added, "Qiao Qiao, as your agent, I feel like I¡¯m obligated to remind you that you haven¡¯t updated your Weibo in a long time." Qiao Anhao looked away but took her phone. She looked at the photo Zhao Meng had taken. It looked fine, so she uploaded it onto Weibo with the caption: France, Paris, Finish. After she posted it on Weibo, out of habit, Qiao Anhao wrote in the two words, "Lu Jinnian". Just as she was about to click search, her finger slightly curved, and in the end, she exited Weibo. Qiao Anhao stared at her phone for a long time, then opened her photo album. She clicked onto the photo she had secretly taken when Lu Jinnian was sleeping. As she was busy with work for half a month, and she¡¯d been avoiding some people who she didn¡¯t want to be in touch with, it made her feel like everything was normal. However, suddenly hearing his name from Zhao Meng¡¯s mouth on her day of rxation, it made her realize that the feeling of missing someone was deep-rooted in her blood and bones. Chapter 415: Silent Companionship (3) Chapter 415: Silent Companionship (3) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Zhao Meng called Qiao Anhao¡¯s name a few times but didn¡¯t get a response. Her friend had her head raised, staring deeply at her phone. Wanting to pull a prank, Zhao Meng quietly got up and walked in front of Qiao Anhao, looking at her phone screen. She whispered gently into her ear, "Qiao Qiao, what are you looking at that¡¯s got you so hooked?" Qiao Anhao shivered in shock, then quickly reacted by flipping her phone over and putting it onto the table. It was a shame though, Qiao Anhao had fast reactions, but Zhao Meng had already seen everything on her phone screen. She looked over at Qiao Anhao with a lovey-dovey expression. "Tut tut tut". She asked mysteriously, "What? Qiao Qiao, did you fall for Mr. Lu? Are you eager to go home now? Do you really want to go see him?" Qiao Anhao lowered her eyes, not saying a word. Zhao Meng couldn¡¯t see that anything was out of the ordinary, so she continued to say, "Tomorrow we can go back to Beijing. We¡¯ll reach Beijing International Airport by the following day, at seven in the morning. If you really miss him like crazy, we could first go to Huan Ying Entertainment..." "Zhao Meng," Qiao Anhao suddenly interrupted her friend¡¯s words. Zhao Meng paused, but she still wore a mischievous smile on her face as she stared at Qiao Anhao. Qiao Anhao pursed her lips, tightly gripping her phone. Then she lifted her eyes, looked over, and said in a serious voice, "Zhao Meng, I broke up with Lu Jinnian." Zhao Meng¡¯s eyes shot open. She stared at Qiao Anhao with a look of disbelief. Qiao Anhao curved her lips into a smile. "Sorry for not telling you for so many days..." It had already been half a month since they weren¡¯t husband and wife. Remembering it again, Qiao Anhao¡¯s eyes still red up. She turned her head and stared out of the window at the local scenery of the foreign country, then slowly added, "... Lu Jinnian and I are no longer husband and wife." Zhao Meng waspletely stunned for five minutes, before she murmured, "Wasn¡¯t everything just fine before? Why so sudden?" Qiao Anhao didn¡¯t make a sound, but tears began to roll down from the corners of her eyes. That¡¯s right, everything was fine before. She even fantasized that after Xu Jiamu woke up, they would still be friends, and they would still have a future. However, all of a sudden, everything changed. She could no longer be with him, nor would she ever have any fantasies about him, or see him ever again. He was just a higher up of a filmingpany that she was signed up with. He was just the man of her youth she loved for thirteen years, who wore a white shirt and stood under a roof with a callous expression when they avoided the rain together. From now on, he would be deep in her heart, in a dream that would never be touched. - Lu Jinnian sat at the window seat on the fifth floor cafe of the Four seasons hotel. Beside him, his assistant kicked his leg under the table for the eighth time. Then, with an apologetic expression, he smiled at the two people sitting opposite them and said, "Sorry, just a moment." It seemed like the two of them wouldn¡¯t sit still for any longer, but they remained calm, forcing a smile back at him. Then, the entire table fell silent again for a long time. As time slowly went by, Lu Jinnian¡¯s assistant was a little ufortable in his seat, and became a little anxious. A proposal was put in front of Lu Jinnian. They wasted two whole hours of the partners¡¯ time. Even with the reminder, Lu Jinnian still had no reaction, just staring nkly at the contract. Chapter 416: Silent Companionship (4) Chapter 416: Silent Companionship (4) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem After half an hour passed, the assistant kicked Lu Jinnian again. The man still stared unwavering at the contract without any reaction at all, treating everything around him like air. The two partners before him had clearly grown restless. Seeing as Lu Jinnian hadn¡¯t said a word, the assistant coughed heavily. In the end, all he could do was smile at the two partners. "I¡¯m so sorry. How about this... We¡¯ll take this proposal back with us to have a good look. When we reach a decision, I¡¯ll contact you both. What do you think?" The two of them looked at each other, and one of them nodded their head, saying "All right." The assistant then hurriedly got up, politely seeing both of the partners out. When he came back, Lu Jinnian eyes had already pulled away from the proposal and he looked out the window with an intense expression. In the past half a month, this was the fifth time he met partners to discuss a possible cooperation. In the end, after they met, Mr. Lu would keep his silence. No matter what the other person said, or how someone prompted him, he didn¡¯t react at all. To be more exact, ever since Qiao Anhao and Mr. Lu had broken all ties, Mr. Lu had be silent. Before, Mr. Lu didn¡¯t speak much either, but now it was so to a frightening degree. Often during business meetings, he wouldn¡¯t utter a word throughout. When he did speak, it would be two simple words, "Let¡¯s begin", or "Meeting adjourned". Mr. Lu had always been antisocial, but now, he was even more antisocial than before. Sometimes, he would attend mandatory events, but whenever he went, he would always find a quiet corner alone. Qiao Anhao¡¯s split with him seemed like it had little effect on him. His temper was normal, emotions were normal, but, he was very clearly even more distant and difficult to get close to. Quite a few people at thepany also noticed him acting strange. Some said that Mr. Lu had be even colder, others said that Mr. Lu was even more condescending, but only he knew that he¡¯d lost someone who he could talk to, so he didn¡¯t want to talk at all. The assistant shook his head, walked forward, and looked at the same page and words in the proposal that had left Lu Jinnian in a trance. In the end, his eyesnded on the word "Hao". If that was the case... It was something that appeared often, a most ordinary word, and yet, because the word was in that woman¡¯s name, every time he saw it, he would end up like that... The assistant gently sighed in relief, put the proposal away, and then said in low voice, "Mr. Lu, it¡¯s gettingte, shall we leave?" Lu Jinnian stayed quiet for some time, but in the end, he nodded without a word. He then stood up, and the assistant hurriedly called the service staff for the bill. He followed Lu Jinnian out. After he got in the car, Lu Jinnian still didn¡¯t say a word. He sat there in the back on his own and pulled out his phone. Who knew what he saw, but he stared dazed for a long time. He abruptly raised his head and said in a cold, t voice, "To Mian Xiu Garden." After Qiao Anhao moved out of Mian Xiu Garden, Lu Jinnian had never went back to there Madam Chen was originally hired for Qiao Anhao. Now, she had already been given a big sum of money to leave. The assistant was in a daze for a moment. He didn¡¯t say a word, but followed Lu Jinnian¡¯s orders and changed the route in the navigation. Chapter 417: Silent Companionship (5) Chapter 417: Silent Companionship (5) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Lu Jinnian leaned back into his car seat with his eyes shut. His phone screen lit up with the post Qiao Anhao has just uploaded on Weibo. He didn¡¯t ask his assistant to drive in, but to stop at the entrance of Mian Xiu Garden¡¯s neighborhood. He got out of the car, alone, and walked in. The gates of the mansion were locked. He searched his pocket for ages before he pulled out a set of keys. They were the keys Qiao Anhao had left him in the car on the day she left. He still clearly remembered when he gave her the keys, when they weren¡¯t that close. He had tried hard to appear distant, afraid that he would reveal the excitement he felt inside. He unlocked it and pushed open the steel doors, stepping in. Without Madam Chen, the courtyard hadn¡¯t been swept for half a month already. The day Qiao Anhao left, the entire courtyard was filled with blooming flowers, but now, they were all withered on the floor. Lu Jinnian stood on the fallen flowers at the entrance of the mansion. He entered the passcode, pushed the door open, and walked in. The mansion was empty inside, just like his heart. He walked up the stairs, towards the bedroom. It was the same as the day Qiao Anhao left. The windows were shut. A few days ago, there was a storm, which left strokes of mud marks from the rain. The silent room stifled Lu Jinnian¡¯s heart. He looked at the bag on the floor of the changing room, and thought of what Qiao Anhao had said to him before she left: Inside, there were clothes that she didn¡¯t want. Lu Jinnian paused for a moment, then walked over. He opened the bag and pulled out each item of clothing. He took the coat hangers from his clothes and hung her¡¯s up. In the bag, there were also Qiao Anhao¡¯s cleaning products. He put them under the shower and washed them. Then, he ced them back in their original ces. Once he had tidied up everything, Lu Jinnian¡¯s heart felt the slightest bit better. By putting the things she didn¡¯t want back in their ces, it felt like she was still living with him in the mansion. - After Xu Jiamu was discharged, he was stuck in the Xu family estate for the entire half a month without going outside. He wasn¡¯t even allowed to take a walk in the courtyard, as the housekeeper or Han Ruchu would make a huge fuss and order the servants to follow behind him, afraid he would get into an ident. Though he was clearly living an enviable life of luxury, Xu Jiamu felt like it was a prison. He felt incredibly oppressed. One day, he finally snapped and sneaked out of the house when Han Ruchu was at thepany and the housekeeper was cooking. Before sneaking out the front door, Xu Jiamu had called for a taxi in advance. Once he got in the car, he tried to call his close friends toe out with him. As Xu Jiamu couldn¡¯t drink, he thought about it again. In the end, he decided to hold the party at Mian Xiu Garden, where he promised everyone to cook avish dinner. Before he went to Mian Xiu Garden, Xu Jiamu personally took a trip to the supermarket and bought a bunch of ingredients. He casually left the address and sent the food off for delivery. The Xu family would send someone over to Mian Xiu Garden to clean the mansion. Within two minutes of Xu Jiamu¡¯s arrival, Qiao Anxia and Chen Yang had alreadye over. Xu Jiamu called them over to sit anywhere. Before he could even pour them two cups of water, the doorbell rang. It was the supermarket food delivery. Xu Jiamu pointed at the water dispenser as a signal for Qiao Anxia to help herself. He then pulled the door open, standing there to check his order with the delivery men. That was when he saw Lu Jinnian standing on the balcony of the mansion next door. Chapter 418: Silent Companionship (6) Chapter 418: Silent Companionship (6) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Xu Jiamu paused for a moment and turned his head towards the delivery man to continue listening to him rattle on. "A pound of celery, a bag of star anise, soy sauce, vinegar, a bag of salt, two pounds of chili... "Sir, this is everything you¡¯ve ordered," the delivery man said as he handed Xu Jiamu the list. "Could you please sign here?" Xu Jiamu took the pen and signed. After the delivery man left, he stood at the door for half a minute before ignoring the boxes next to him and striding over to the mansion next door. He pressed the doorbell with the other hand in his pocket. After waiting for a while, the door opened, and Xu Jiamu smiled, calling out, "Bro." When Lu Jinnian heard the doorbell, he wondered who it could be. As he opened the door, he saw Xu Jiamu¡¯s beaming smile. He slightly paused, then gently nodded at him. Xu Jiamu was long used to Lu Jinnian¡¯s personality, and so didn¡¯t mind it. He continued to smile and said, "Bro, I invited Anxia and them to dinner tonight. Do you want to join?" Lu Jinnian looked over at Xu Jiamu¡¯s mansion and thought back to Qiao Anhao, who he¡¯d seen dragging her suitcase into the house next door when he drew the curtains in the morning. After a while, his lips squirmed, and he replied with only one word, "All right." - Even though Qiao Anhao and Xu Jiamu said they would divorce, for now, they were still married in name. After moving out of Lu Jinnian¡¯s mansion, she definitely couldn¡¯t live back with the Qiao family, nor was she willing to move into the Xu family¡¯s estate because she would then have to share a room with Xu Jiamu. Once she thought about it for a while, she decided to move back into Mian Xiu Garden. However, this time, not in Lu Jinnian¡¯s mansion, but Xu Jiamu¡¯s mansion. But because she was in a hurry to film themercial abroad, she had only put her suitcase in Xu Jiamu¡¯s mansion. Then she hastily rushed off to catch her trip. The flight from Paris to Beijingpletely exhausted her out, so when she reached Beijing this morning, she went straight to Mian Xiu Garden to catch up on some sleep. When she woke up that afternoon, she heard the faint sounds of talkinging from downstairs. At first, she thought it was a dream. She turned around, shut her eyes, and continued to sleep, then she realized that the rowdiness became clearer. So she climbed out of bed and ran out of the room and down the stairs in her pajamas, where she saw several people in the living room chatting andughing away. Qiao Anhao was a little dizzy from the rowdy scene before her. Before she snapped back to reality, she heard Qiao Anxia make a fuss about nothing. "Qiao Qiao, did you just wake up?" Qiao Anhao furrowed her brows. "Sis, howe you¡¯re all here?" "Jiamu said he¡¯d cook everyone dinner." Qiao Anxia pointed at the entrance, where Qiao Anhao then saw Xu Jiamu crouched down next to a cardboard, arranging all types of vegetables and fruits. Xu Jiamu had a box of tomatoes in his hand. He turned his head and nced at Qiao Anhao. "Qiao Qiao, you¡¯re back from France? How was themercial?" "Great..." As Qiao Anhao said that, the doorbell rang. Xu Jiamu, who was just about to stand up to open the door, was beaten to the punch by Qiao Anhao, who walked over. "Let me." She didn¡¯t look through the peep hole to see who it was and pulled the door open. When she raised her head, she saw Lu Jinnian¡¯s breathtakingly handsome face. Chapter 419: Silent Companionship (7) Chapter 419: Silent Companionship (7) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Qiao Anhao was abruptly stunned on the spot. When Lu Jinnian saw who opened the door, his pupils clearly widened. As he finally went back to normal, he stared straight at Qiao Anhao. However, it was like his stare had frozen over, giving off a cold feel. It had only been half a month without seeing each other, but Qiao Anhao felt like it had been as long as a century. Hisplexion was still outstanding, but his expression looked even colder than before. Between his brows, the heartlessness and remoteness was as thick as the fog. "Bro, you¡¯re here?" Xu Jiamu¡¯s words suddenly woke Qiao Anhao up, and she realized that Lu Jinnian was staring at her chest. She was wearing a strappy nightdress, whichpletely revealed her delicate cor bone. Her face grew hot. She lowered her head and quickly opened the door. Then she said to Xu Jiamu in a low voice, "You take care of them, I¡¯ll go up and change." As she said this, Qiao Anhao turned, and ran all the way up the stairs. Lu Jinnian stood at the entrance, without moving an inch until Qiao Anhao disappeared around the corner of the stairs. Then he swept his eyes over to Xu Jiamu¡¯s cardboard boxes. Besides vegetables, fruit, and other ingredients, there were a few boxes of condoms. In that instant, it was like his whole body was struck by an electric shock, and his body shook. "Bro, why are you just standing there? Come and sit!" After seeing Lu Jinnian standing at the door for so long, Xu Jiamu couldn¡¯t help but remind him. It was like Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t hear Xu Jiamu¡¯s words, as he stared transfixed at the small colorful square boxes. Xu Jiamu furrowed his brows and called out, "Bro?" Lu Jinnian snapped back to reality in a blink. His hands silently balled up into fists. Practically using all the power in his body, he forced himself to calmly stride over to Xu Jiamu¡¯s side. As he walked over to the living room full of familiar faces, he responded to their greetings with an absent-minded nod. Then he found a armchair and sat down. People in the room were happily chatting away andughing, but Lu Jinnian sat aside and never said a word. His eyes stared outside the window, as though he was in a daze, until Qiao Anhao came back down after getting changed. His pupils then hovered over her body. With Lu Jinnian in the living room, Qiao Anhao felt a little ufortable. She chit-chatted a little with Qiao Anxia and the others, then went into the kitchen to see if she could help Xu Jiamu. She came out twice, once carrying a pot of tea, and once carrying a te of fruit. She even poured everyone a cup of tea. As she handed Lu Jinnian a cup, he spoke his first words since entering the house, "Thank you." Qiao Anhao lowered her eyes, and didn¡¯t even look at him. She just gently twitched the corner of her lips and walked back into the kitchen. - Even though Xu Jiamu was a young master who lived a life of luxury, he had learned how to cook a table full of dishes during his university years. Even though Qiao Anhao was in the kitchen, she couldn¡¯t really do much to help. At best, she helped peel the garlic and wash a te, all whilst Xu Jiamu repeatedlyined about her being in the way. In the end, Xu Jiamu couldn¡¯t take it any longer and turned the fire off. He pushed Qiao Anhao by her shoulders towards the kitchen door. He was about to kick her out when Lu Jinnian walked head on into them. Chapter 420: Silent Companionship (8) Chapter 420: Silent Companionship (8) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Qiao Anhao and Xu Jiamu¡¯s footsteps stopped at the same time. Xu Jiamu smiled and he asked, "Bro, what¡¯s wrong?" Lu Jinnian¡¯s expression ran cold and he looked away when he saw Xu Jiamu¡¯s hands on Qiao Anhao¡¯s shoulders. He handed him the house phone and said in lonely and cold voice, "You¡¯ve got a call." Xu Jiamu pulled his arms from Qiao Anhao¡¯s shoulders and took the phone. He nced at the caller id, raised his hand, and rubbed his nose. He picked up the call, and cried, "Ma... I¡¯m fine... I was just bored like crazy at home. Qiao Qiao is with me..." Xu Jiamu passed Qiao Anhao the phone, shrugged with a helpless expression, and said, "Mrs. Han would like to speak with you." As Qiao Anhao took the phone, Xu Jiamu pointed at the soup he was cooking in the kitchen and walked over to it. Qiao Anhao put the phone to her ear and said, "Aunt Xu." "Qiao Qiao, you¡¯re back from France?" Qiao Anhao gave a gentle "mm", then Han Ruchu¡¯s voice was heard again. "Jiamu turned his phone off. I called you, but you didn¡¯t pick up." Qiao Anhao then remembered that her phone was upstairs, and she hurriedly said in a soft voice, "I don¡¯t have my phone on me. Is there something you need?" "Nothing much... just to look after Jiamu. He¡¯s only just been discharged. Though his condition is good, he¡¯s still not very nimble. Don¡¯t let him drink alcohol..." Han Ruchu rambled into the phone, leaving many tasks for Qiao Anhao. Qiao Anhao patiently responded to every one of them. Even though Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t know what Han Ruchu had really said, but he could take a guess what it was. His heart instantly darkened. "Don¡¯t you worry. I will definitely watch out for Brother Jiamu and take good care of him." Qiao Anhao¡¯s tone was soft and gentle, as she slowly finished what she had to say. Then she hung up the phone. As she was about to put the phone on the dock, Lu Jinnian, who stood nearby, pulled his arm out and said, "Give it to me." Qiao Anhao raised her eyelids up at Lu Jinnian¡¯s serene eyes. His beautiful pupils were silently cold and carried no emotions. She hesitated for a moment, then handed the phone to Lu Jinnian. "All right, I¡¯ll leave it to you." Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t make a sound when he took the phone with a calm expression. He calmly turned around and walked back into the living room. His back looked cold and arrogant, but no one knew that his heart was bleeding. - Xu Jiamu¡¯s dinner was exceptionally grand. The group sat surrounding the dining table. They hadn¡¯t lifted their chopsticks to taste the food yet, but just by looking at the table the dishes were very presentable and smelled wonderful. That¡¯s when everyone started to say all sorts ofpliments. "Jiamu, are you sure that you got someone to fix your face and not your not cooking skills?" Long before Xu Jiamu had woken up, the Xu family revealed that they had contacted the world¡¯s best stic surgeon to restore Xu Jiamu¡¯s face, so that the real Xu Jiamu could smoothly handover from Lu Jinnian¡¯s fake "Xu Jiamu" facade. Not to mention, Jiamu¡¯s face had recovered well. He looked no different from before, and there was no indication that he¡¯d been in a car ident. "This is truly a full recovery. Before, when you were disfigured, the young master Xu avoided being seen, practically never leaving the house, and never letting anyonee to visit!" "Comeee now! Let¡¯s raise a ss to our glowing young master. Cheers!" Chapter 421: Silent Companionship (9) Chapter 421: Silent Companionship (9) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem The entire table raised their wine sses, ready to down their drinks. Qiao Anhao, who sat beside Xu Jiamu, reached out and took ss from his hands in exchange for a cup of water. She then politely exined to the table full of people, "Brother Jiamu still can¡¯t drink alcohol yet. " Assuming that Xu Jiamu had only just finished his cosmetic surgery, everybody didn¡¯t force him to drink. Qiao Anxia teased Qiao Anhao with a bright smile, "Qiao Qiao, you sure are protective of Jiamu." Xu Jiamu smiled wordlessly, and downed his cup of water with everyone. The harsh alcohol ran down Lu Jinnian¡¯s throat with a hint of raw bitterness. Xu Jiamu¡¯s dishes tasted superb. Everyone around the table assumed Xu Jiamu and Qiao Anhao were husband and wife, so they couldn¡¯t help but start teasing. "Xiao Qiao, you¡¯re so lucky to be able to eat young master Xu¡¯s exotic dishes everyday." After one person started the teasing, others started to chime in as well. "That being said... Jiamu, your wedding ceremony back then with Xiao Qiao was far too sloppy. You didn¡¯t even invite some of us here. Now that your face has recovered, isn¡¯t it about time that you hold a bigger wedding ceremony?" "Yeah, Jiamu. You didn¡¯t even have a wedding ceremony. Did you do right by Xiao Qiao, did you do right by us?" Even though Xu Jiamu and Qiao Anhao knew that the ceremony they were crying about would nevere true, the two of them agreed to not let it slip in the slightest before they got the divorce finalized. To do this, Xu Jiamu even yed along with everyone, smiling and saying, "Definitely, I¡¯ll definitely make up for the wedding ceremony to Qiao Qiao." From start to end, Qiao Anhao kept a gentle smile and didn¡¯t say a word. When Xu Jiamu said those words, she couldn¡¯t help but nce over at Lu Jinnian from the corner of her eyes. His expression was cold and distant as usual as he silently drank his wine, as though the conversations at the table had nothing to do with him. Qiao Anhao couldn¡¯t help but tightly clutch her chopsticks. Though she said she wouldn¡¯t love him again, whilst others were egging her on with another guy, it still pained her heart to see him so nonchnt. "Not only make up for the wedding ceremony, make up for the proposal! Xiao Qiao, let me tell you... If young master Xu doesn¡¯t propose, by all means, don¡¯t agree to anything!" "They¡¯re already married, what can¡¯t she agree to?!" "She can¡¯t agree to have kids!" "Yeah yeah yeah, don¡¯t agree to have kids!" "Xiao Qiao, when he proposes, remember to call upon us. We¡¯ll help you see if he¡¯s sincere enough. Until then, you mustn¡¯t give young master Xu a child." Give him a child... Qiao Anhao and Xu Jiamu¡¯s child... Lu Jinnian instantly thought about his own unborn child who was killed in the belly... His hand couldn¡¯t help but grip harder onto his wine ss. He couldn¡¯t hear what was so funny about what they just said, but everyone around the tableughed cheerfully. His eyes calmly waited for everyone to change the topic, then when no one noticed, his eyes silently fell on Qiao Anhao. She had her head down, quietly chewing on a piece of chicken thigh that Xu Jiamu had picked up for her with his chopsticks. Lu Jinnian only looked for five seconds before looking away. Then he raised his head and downed another ss of wine, stood up, and left for the living room. Chapter 422: Silent Companionship (10) Chapter 422: Silent Companionship (10) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Lu Jinnian stood alone in the living room. The sound ofughter red from the dining room. It sounded like the atmosphere was very lively, but his whole body was shrouded heavily with a sense of loneliness that wouldn¡¯t dissipate. He didn¡¯t know just how long he stood there for. When the dining room doors opened, he masked his loneliness by hurriedly pulling out his phone from his pocket and pressing it against his ear, pretending to be on the phone. Xu Jiamu called out, "Bro". Seeing as Lu Jinnian was on the phone, he instinctively shut his mouth, pulled open themunal restroom doors, and walked in. Lu Jinnian only put his phone back into his pocket when he heard the sound of flushing from the restroom. Xu Jiamu came out, drying his hands with tissue. Seeing as Lu Jinnian was off the phone, he said, "Bro, you finished up?" Lu Jinnian gently nodded his head. Someone from the dining room called Xu Jiamu¡¯s name, to which he replied back in a high pitched voice. He chucked the paper into the bin and turned to Lu Jinnian. "Come in and eat." Lu Jinnian stood on the spot, motionless and cold. "I have to go, there¡¯s some business I have to attend to." A hint of disappointment shed across Xu Jiamu¡¯s eyes, but he didn¡¯t press on. "All right, if you have timeter, I¡¯lle find you for a meal." Lu Jinnian made a "mm" sound and nced at the dining room door. He didn¡¯t say anything, just stood there quietly for two seconds, then strode out. The temperature at night had already dropped. It wasn¡¯t as hot as it was during the day, as a matter of fact, it was quite soothing. Lu Jinnian held a cup of tea and stood in his balcony as he quietly stared up at the stars. He only agreed to go to Xu Jinnian¡¯s dinner after seeing her enter the mansion in the morning. He knew that by going over, he was simply asking to be tortured by things he saw and heard. Yet, there was no helping it. God only gave him a chance to be with her for two hundred and fifty-one days. Even though he got this opportunity by acting as Xu Jiamu¡¯s substitute, now, all he could do was torture himself to get closer to her. A single dinner was more torturous than he ever imagined, but that was all right, he was still able to see her. He even spoke twice to her, did he not? The two conversations: the first was when he said "Thank you" when she handed him tea, the other was when he said "Give it to me" as she hung up the phone on Han Ruchu. But it was all worth it, was it not? Lu Jinnian stood there all the way up to ten something at night, until there was movement at the neighboring mansion. Perhaps two people had drank a little much, for when they got into their car, they screamed incoherently, which triggered the neighbor¡¯s dog to bark endlessly. The car lights shone endlessly in the courtyard as they left one-by-one. Under the faint yellow lights, Lu Jinnian, who stood on the second floor, saw Xu Jiamu and Qiao Anhao at the gates of the courtyard. They walked back into the mansion and shut the doors,pletely silencing the entire world. Only the two of them, Xu Jiamu and Qiao Anhao were left in the mansion next door... Lu Jinnian¡¯s mind wandered to the boxes of condoms he¡¯d seen as part of Xu Jiamu¡¯s shopping earlier, when he went over for dinner, and instantly didn¡¯t want to think more. After about half an hour, the lights in the mansion next door were out. Lu Jinnian¡¯s hands trembled, and his cup shattered into pieces which fell to the ground. Chapter 423: Silent Companionship (11) Chapter 423: Silent Companionship (11) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem The hot tea sshed onto Lu Jinnian¡¯s body, leaving pale yellow stains. Lu Jinnian retreated back into the bedroom in a fluster. His steps were a little erratic as he walked over to the washroom, turned on the tap, and wildly sshed water onto his face. That night, he clearly didn¡¯t drink a lot, but in that very moment, his stomach was churning like the sea. It was extraordinarily painful. At that moment, he couldn¡¯t take it any longer and suddenly rushed over to the bathroom. He knelt down and started vomiting. Lu Jinnian vomited for a long time. He vomited until his stomach was hollowed out, but his insides were still burning in pain. They¡¯d clearly ended it half a month ago, but he was still a bit slow. He still thought that she woulde back to his mansion every day, and would sleep with him in his bed. Now that he thought of her actually living with Xu Jiamu in his mansion, and that there was the possibility of something actually happening between them, like what happened with himself, he couldn¡¯t ept that... The more Lu Jinnian thought about it, the more he panicked. In the end, he climbed off from the wooden floor. Despite the dirty tea stains on his clothes, he went straight up to Xu Jiamu¡¯s door, raised a hand, and pressed the doorbell. His movements were brash as he pressed several times. After the lights in the mansion lit up, Xu Jiamu¡¯s voice reached him. "Who is it?" Then the doors were open. Xu Jiamu was already in pajamas. He was probably lying when someone had suddenly woken him up. His expression wasn¡¯t good, but as soon as he saw Lu Jinnian outside the door, his mood immediately became better and he cried out, "Bro?" Then Xu Jiamu saw Lu Jinnian¡¯s dirty clothes and furrowed his brows. "Bro, what happened to your clothes?" Lu Jinnian shook his head. "It¡¯s nothing, I identally spilled some tea." "Oh." Xu Jiamu yawned. "Bro, did youe find me for something?" With Xu Jiamu¡¯s question, Lu Jinnian only then realized that he¡¯d been a little impulsive earlier. He was dazed out for a second, when he randomly made up an excuse. "A few days ago, I took a few photos at a charity event, do you want go pick two out?" Xu Jiamu covered his mouth and yawned again. Then he mumbled, "Another day. It¡¯ste, and I¡¯m a little sleepy. And, Bro, you have to look after yourself. Don¡¯t always sleep sote." Lu Jinnian oddly twitched the corner of his lips. "So... You should go get some rest." "Mm," Xu Jiamu responded. He then said to Lu Jinnian, "Goodnight". "Goodnight," Lu Jinnian replied as he turned to leave. Half-way through the courtyard, the lights in the house behind him switched off. Lu Jinnian¡¯s footsteps paused for a moment, and the urge to pry the door open and take Qiao Anhao away came over him. If he had just the tiniest right, as he was now, then he would definitely take her... But he had no right to do so. Xu Jiamu was Qiao Anhao¡¯s fiance, and him? To her, he was nothing. Lu Jinnian formed fists, shut his eyes, and his tensed body paused for a moment. In the end, he turned away and walked out of Xu Jiamu¡¯s courtyard with heavy footsteps. He didn¡¯t go back to his own mansion but went back to the 24-hour convenience store at the gates of the neighborhood. He bought a few boxes of cigarettes, stood under themppost outside Xu Jiamu¡¯s mansion, and smoked all night. That night, it was the longest and most grueling night of his life. Chapter 424: Silent Companionship (12) Chapter 424: Silent Companionship (12) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem That night, it was the longest and most grueling night of Lu Jinnian¡¯s life. Nobody knew what kind of frame of mind he used to survive every second of every minute of that night. Nor did anyone know, just how many nces he took at Xu Jiamu¡¯s mansion. Furthermore, no one knew how many times the rim of his eyes had turned red. That night, his heart was restless, it was bone-piercingly painful, hopelessly depressed... He¡¯d sampled all sorts of emotions in one go. If he could, he never wanted to relive the emotions he¡¯d lived through that night. It was only when the first ray of sunshine reached the horizon that he felt the exhaustion of that night. His footsteps staggered him back to his own mansion. Behind him, he left a ground full of cigarette butts. - Even though Xu Jiamu was well and healthy, he hadn¡¯tpletely recovered. It was easy for him to grow tired. That night, he had cooked a table full of food, and then chatted with his friends for a long time. In the end, he was sufficiently tired out. On top of it all, he had left the Xu family estate in a hurry, so he didn¡¯t bring his car keys and slept on the sofa of Mian Xiu Garden. He woke up at eight in the morning the next day, called a private car, and left straight away. Qiao Anhao, who had finished shooting themercial, waspletely free. In the following week, she was staying in Mian Xiu garden, sleeping and watching movies. Xu Jiamu¡¯s and Lu Jinnian¡¯s mansions were divided by just a fence. In the courtyard of one mansion, you could clearly see the what was going on in the other. Qiao Anhao and Lu Jinnian never bumped into each other again for a week after that day at Xu Jiamu¡¯s mansion when they¡¯d seen each other for the first time after their split. asionally, when Qiao Anhao wouldy on the balcony reading, she would pay attention to the mansion next door. Every time she looked over, the big doors were shut tight. The courtyard had a floor full of tree leaves and flower petals, but no one tended to them. She bumped into Lu Jinnian again on the first day of the next week. Qiao Anhao was a signed artist under Huan Ying Entertainment. Usually, she didn¡¯t really need to go into the office, but when Monday came around, she had to go in. She slept veryte the day before, so the next day when she woke up, it was already afternoon. Zhao Meng was busy that day, so she couldn¡¯t pick her up, but she also had her car, and so Qiao Anhao had to call for a private one. She found a ce to eat, and then went to Huan Ying Entertainment. Qiao Anhao stayed alone in the office, bored, so she pulled out her phone and yed a game. Half-way through it, she received a message on WeChat. She exited the game, clicked on WeChat, and saw that the notifications hade from the group chat. That WeChat group didn¡¯t have many people in it; just the few regr people who liked to get together. About half an hour ago, Qiao Anxia had sent a message about treating everyone tonight to karaoke at the Royal Pce. Qiao Anhao immediately ignored the WeChat group. At first, she hadn¡¯t seen the message and didn¡¯t respond, but now she saw it after Qiao Anxia just @¡¯d her. She replied with, [I don¡¯t have a car today. It¡¯s not convenient for me to go.] Then Qiao Anxia @¡¯d Xu Jiamu. Xu Jiamu immediately asked, [Qiao Qiao, where are you?] [At the office.] After a while had passed, Xu Jiamu then said in the group, [Quickly get off work. I¡¯lle pick you up.] Qiao Anhao didn¡¯t reply. She clicked back into her game and continued to y. - Xu Jiamu stopped downstairs of Huan Ying Entertainment before he called Qiao Anhao to tell her that he had reached the office. Chapter 425: Silent Companionship (13) Chapter 425: Silent Companionship (13) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem After Xu Jiamu hung up the phone, he coincidentally saw Lu Jinnian and his assistanting out from the office block. Xu Jiamu paused for a moment, then pushed open the car door and waved over at his friend. Lu Jinnian¡¯s eyebrows twitched when he saw Xu Jiamu and he walked over. "Howe you¡¯re here?" Xu Jiamu called out "Bro", then replied to the question Lu Jinnian had just asked, "I¡¯m here to pick up Qiao Qiao." Lu Jinnian¡¯s assistant, who stood next to Lu Jinnian, shuddered a little, and hurriedly greeted Xu Jiamu in an attempt to change the topic, "Mr. Xu, long time no see." Xu Jiamu politely smiled at Lu Jinnian¡¯s assistant, then turned his head to sincerely invite Lu Jinnian. "Bro, Qiao Anxia is treating everyone to karaoke at the Royal Pce, are you free? If you¡¯re not doing anything, let¡¯s go together." Lu Jinnian¡¯s expression and tone was as calm as water when he spoke. "I have to go to a dinner tonight." Even though Han Ruchu often told Xu Jiamu to stay away from Lu Jinnian since he was young, but in his heart, he really liked his brother. He loved to call his brother out whenever he did something. When he heard this, a hint of disappointment crept into his heart. "Oh, right. Bro, tend to your business, it¡¯s more important." Lu Jinnian¡¯s car stopped by the roadside, and Xu Jiamu personally opened the car door for his brother. When Lu Jinnian got in, Xu Jiamu ordered his assistant, "Don¡¯t let my bro drink too much." "Don¡¯t worry, Mr. Xu." Xu Jiamu nodded as he bent down, and said to Lu Jinnian, "Bye then, Bro." When he saw Lu Jinnian nod back, he closed the door and stepped back two steps. "Goodbye, Mr. Xu," the assistant said with his windows rolled down. He stepped on the elerator and slowly drove off. Xu Jiamu stood by the road until Lu Jinnian¡¯s car drove into a main road, then he turned around to see if Qiao Anhao had arrived yet. As a result, when he turned his head, he saw a familiar figuree out from Huan Ying Entertainment¡¯s office block. All of a sudden, the muscles in Xu Jiamu¡¯s entire body involuntarily seized up. Song Xiangsi walked out of the building in ten centimeter heels, furious, with her assistant and manager trailing behind her. She said to her manager slightly annoyed, "I¡¯ve told you many times, don¡¯t sign me up for dinner parties. Don¡¯t ept them on my behalf. I wanted to go home to sleep tonight, but now, great..." At the sight of Xu Jiamu at the foot of the stairs, Song Xiangsi suddenly stopped talking and so did her footsteps. The assistant and manager behind her also stopped walking and looked over at her, a little confused. As they followed her line of sight, their eyesnded on Xu Jiamu. The manager and assistant looked at one another but didn¡¯t say a word. On the main street, there was the endless noise of of cars driving past. In two short minutes, quite a few people entered the Huan Ying Entertainment block, and quite a few people also left it. There were five meters between Song Xiangsi and Xu Jiamu as they both stared at each other. After about a minute, when Song Xiangsi assumed Xu Jiamu would walk over to say something, he pulled open the car door behind him and sat inside. Chapter 426: Silent Companionship (14) Chapter 426: Silent Companionship (14) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Xu Jiamu acted as though she were aplete stranger. Song Xiangsi¡¯s hand suddenly tightened, as she stared at Xu Jiamu¡¯s car for just a second. Then, as though nothing had happened, she continued to arrogantly trod on in her heels towards her own car that was parked to one side. As she walked, she continued to scold her manager, "Tonight, I have to go to the Royal Pce to entertain. It¡¯s not like you didn¡¯t know that each and and every one of those capitalist are like dogs. Every single one of them are bad from their very bones!" With these words, she had already opened the driver¡¯s door and sat inside. The manager hurriedly said, "Sis Xiangsi, let me drive..." Song Xiangsi didn¡¯t even wait for her manager to finish speaking when shot back, "What are you two stupidly standing there for? Are you going or not?" As she said this, Song Xiangsi stepped on the elerator, scaring the manager and assistant into quickly pulling the car door¡¯s open. They crawled in, but before the assistant could close the car door, Song Xiangsi stepped on the elerator. The door brushed Xu Jiamu¡¯s car, caused it to suddenly jump. In the driver¡¯s seat, Xu Jiamu looked as though he was staring straight ahead, but from the corner of his eyes, he was looking Song Xiangsi up and down through the rear view mirror. In that split second when her car brushed his, a burning rage hastily erupted in his eyes, and he abruptly tightened his grip on the steering wheel. - When Qiao Anhao got Xu Jiamu¡¯s call, she was in the restroom. Once she had gathered her things into her bag, left the restroom, ande downstairs, about ten minutes had passed. The moment she came out of the Huan Ying Entertainment office¡¯s block, she saw Xu Jiamu¡¯s car and waltzed over. She pulled open the passenger door, sat inside, and called, "Brother Jiamu?" Without any reaction, Xu Jiamu stared in the direction of Song Xiangsi¡¯s car that had driven away a long while ago. Qiao Anhao lifted her hand up and waved it in front of Xu Jiamu, whilst half-jokingly saying, "Brother Jiamu, you can¡¯t be mad at me for making you wait ten minutes, right?" Xu Jiamu¡¯s pupils shifted for a bit, before he pulled himself back and gently chuckled, as though he¡¯d heard a funny joke. "What the hell are you saying? What¡¯s there for me to be angry about?" "You¡¯re really not mad?" Qiao Anhao looked like she didn¡¯t believe a word of it. She tilted her head and smiled at Xu Jiamu. "But your expression just now didn¡¯t look too happy. Did something happen?" Xu Jiamu didn¡¯t say a word, but started the car up and steadily drove off. - The atmosphere in the car was extremely tense. While driving, the assistant nced over to check on Lu Jinnian in the rear view mirror, twice. The man didn¡¯t say a word as he gazed out the window at the surging traffic. He wasn¡¯t angry nor sad, but after working as Lu Jinnian¡¯s assistant for so many years, he could still feel the gloomy mood. When the car was almost at the Bejing hotel, Lu Jinnian, who hadn¡¯t really moved since he got in the car, finally moved. He diverted his attention from outside the window to his assistant at the wheel, then said, "After dinner, didn¡¯t they say they were going to find a ce to y cards?" Lu Jinnian only asked a single question, but his assistant instantly understood everything. He intuitively answered, "Yes, Mr. Lu. Where do you guys want to go to y cards at night? The Capital Club, or the Royal Pce?" Chapter 427: Silent Companionship (15) Chapter 427: Silent Companionship (15) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Naturally, the assistant knew what was going through Lu Jinnian¡¯s mind, and so he didn¡¯t even wait for him to choose. He paused for a while, and then continued, saying "Mr. Lu, you had a little sh in the past at the Capital Club with Chief Lin who you are meant to have dinner with tonight, and so would you like to go to the Royal Pce?" Though the assistant had clearly said the words on Lu Jinnian¡¯s mind, his face didn¡¯t reveal a hint of happiness. Instead, after listening to the assistant¡¯s words, he remained silent for a while, then gently nodded as though he didn¡¯t care. Of course, the assistant didn¡¯t dare expose Lu Jinnian¡¯s hypocrisy and went on with official business, pulling out his phone and booking a booth at the Royal Pce. The car fell silent again, but the atmosphere didn¡¯t feel as tense as before. Through the rear view mirror, the assistant looked over at Lu Jinnian again. His head was turned again as he stared out the window. However, the gloom that umted between his eyes for the past few days seemed to have dissipated a little. Because of Lu Jinnian¡¯s overly good skills at masking his criticism, the assistant randomly felt a hint of sadness just now. He clearly didn¡¯t like ces like the Royal Pce, nor did he like to y cards. Above all, he hated women who he didn¡¯t know throwing themselves at him. Yet, tonight, because that woman will be at the Royal Pce, he was going too. Even if they were clearly in the same ce, the two of them might not even bump into each other, but just by getting closer to her, even like this, improved his mood. The assistant had studied science and technology, a serious degree with incredibly technicalnguage, but at that moment, for some reason, his mind boggled over Eileen Chang¡¯s famous tragic but beautiful quote, "Loving somebody is being humbled to the dust, and then from there blooming into a flower." But Mr. Lu has been humble for so many years now. How has the flower not bloomed yet? Just what could be going through his mind? After all these years... Clearly there isn¡¯t the least bit of hope, how could he hold on like this? The assistant thought about it over and over again, and started to get depressed. Then, he started to shout at himself - For god¡¯s sake! As a mother f*cking grown man with a wife and kids, an awesome sry, who was living the life, did he really have nothing else to do but to be THIS fucking sad. - Qiao Anxia booked abo room with a card room and an additional small KTV booth. A row of people who excitedly hugged the microphone, screaming, then ran over to y cards. Qiao Anhao, who wasn¡¯t at all interested, sat on her own and watched the TV. Qiao Anxia¡¯s luck must¡¯ve been good. Every now and then, her excited screams could be heard. Xu Jiamu sat opposite Qiao Anxia. Perhaps it was because he hadn¡¯t yed in such a long while, he wasn¡¯t in the right condition tonight; he lost every round. In the end, he let someone else spectating behind him take his ce. Xu Jiamu brought a bottle of beer to his mouth, lifted his head, and drank half the bottle. Then he saw Qiao Anhao, who was sitting on her own on the sofa and hugging a pillow, immersed in the television. He strode over and sat next to her. Qiao Anhao was watching an old movie which starred Song Xiangsi as the leading female. At the time, Song Xiangsi was still quite young, and though her acting skills weren¡¯t as refined as they were now, there were hints of those beloved skills that everyone supported her for. Xu Jiamu stared at the screen with raised brows, and felt his mood thwarted. Chapter 428: Silent Companionship (16) Chapter 428: Silent Companionship (16) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Of all people, Song Xiangsi¡¯s calm voice was coincidentally heard from the television. "Let¡¯s break up..." Suddenly, Xu Jiamu tightly grasped his beer bottle, bending its top until it exploded and sshed all over his hands. Completely unaware, he stared at the television screen with riveting emotions, then raised the remains and downed them. He casually put what was left of the bottle on the coffee table, got up, and then walked out of the room. When Xu Jiamu came out of the restroom, the door to room 1005 opened, and Song Xiangsi, who wore a skin-tight mini-dress, stepped out. The two of them exchanged looks for no more than one second, before they looked away as though they hadn¡¯t seen each other at all. The two of them looked straight ahead of them, brushing past the other with arrogance and calmness. Xu Jiamu heard the "Ta ta ta" of heels behind him fade away. His footsteps suddenly stopped, and he stood on the spot for a while. He pulled out his phone, made a call, and waited a while. The door of room 1005 behind him opened. A man in an ashy silver suit popped out, "Young master Xu, over here." Xu Jiamu followed the guy in the ashy silver suit into room 1005 with no emotions on his face. The private room was filled with debauchery and corruption. There sat quite a few men and women. Two women were in a maid outfits and were sitting around a middle-aged man with arge stomach, who was singing. That middle-aged man was clearly off-tune, but he sang into the microphone with an expression as though he was deeply engrossed in the song. "You are my little apple, I can¡¯t love you enough..." Ever since Xu Jiamu was little, he mingled in Beijing¡¯s business circles. Han Ruchu started to take him to various types of events from a young age, for him to better get to know more people. Though when he grew up it all became a little fake, Xu Jiamu knew how to conduct himself. He wouldn¡¯t say that he knew the hundred percent of the rich people in Beijing, but at least ny for sure There was a total of five men in this private room, and he knew all of them. Two of the five were self-proimed actors. After being unconscious for eight months, Xu Jiamu didn¡¯t recognize them. On seeing him enter, the man who was singing stopped and put down his microphone to greet the manager of the Royal Pce. Even though Xu Jiamu hadn¡¯t been here for several months, the manager didn¡¯t dare to neglect him in the slightest, politely lining up all the pretty girls in the shop in front for him to choose. Xu Jiamuid down nonchntly on the sofa, ncing a few times over several girls. Yet, in the end, he had no intention of saying a word, as though he was waiting for something. The manager stood to one side with a smile but didn¡¯t dare press him. The man sitting next to Xu Jiamu, who was hugging a cute woman, moved closer to his side and pointed twice. He gave his opinion. "This one, and this one, aren¡¯t bad..." "Oh really?" asked Xu Jiamu nonchntly. Before his voice dropped, the door opened. It was Song Xiangsi, who had just came back from the restroom after finding an excuse to avoid drinking. The moment she pushed the door open, she gritted her teeth tightly, andined deep down inside on how she wouldn¡¯t be here to entertain at all if it didn¡¯t pay so well. Then she suddenly saw Xu Jiamu sitting in the center of the sofa. A sh of hostility shed across her eyes, and before she could speak, Xu Jiamu suddenly raised his hand, waved it around, andnded it on her, "Then this one." Chapter 429: Silent Companionship (17) Chapter 429: Silent Companionship (17) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem The entire private room instantly froze. The man sitting next to Xu Jiamu swiftly exined, "Young master Xu, you¡¯ve got it wrong. Miss Song is our business partner, not one of the girls." Manager promptly said, "That¡¯s right, Young master Xu. Miss Song is our guest." In the face of every one¡¯sments around him, Xu Jiamu had no intention of changing his mind. He still chose Song Xiangsi. The words from his mouth seemed as though they were directed at the manager but were in fact meant for Song Xiangsi to hear. "Name a price. How much will it be to go out for supper?" Song Xiangsi, who was originally a little bewildered,pletely understood what was happening in that very moment. Her brows didn¡¯t move, she calmly stood her ce and stared back at Xu Jiamu. "Ermm... that¡¯s..." The manager didn¡¯t dare offend Xu Jiamu or Song Xiangsi, so he only said these two words. He nced over at both parties, then smiled with a troubled look and said, "Young master Xu, take a look at these pretty girls I brought. They¡¯re new. Which do you like? You can also take them out for supper." "To go out for supper with this girl, five thousand. What? Won¡¯t this price cover this girl?" Xu Jiamu effectively disregarded the manager¡¯s words. On his own ord, he looked back at Song Xiangsi, and after a while, he asked, "Could it be that you want five million?" Xu Jiamu purposefully emphasized the words "Five million". A hint of temptation clearly appeared in Song Xiangsi¡¯s eyes. Xu Jiamu curved his lips into a smile, as his eyes fell on the manager, yet his words were for Song Xiangsi to hear. "You won¡¯t agree to five million? Then fifty million? Five hundred million..." The manager carefully said, "Mr. Xu, this isn¡¯t something I can decide." When he finished speaking, the manager nced over at Song Xiangsi, who was standing to one side. This time, Xu Jiamu absolutely didn¡¯t give Song Xiangsi any time to react at all, by directly adding, "Unless you don¡¯t want money, you want something else? If it¡¯s not face..." Before Xu Jiamu could finish, Song Xiangsi suddenly shot a bright smile and said, "It¡¯s just supper, right? I¡¯ll go." In the entertainment circle, Song Xiangsi practically never ate alone with a man. No matter how high the price, one couldn¡¯t take her out. At most, she would attend an event like this one tonight under the pretense they were business partners. And so, when she said those words, everyone in the room stared nkly for a moment. Song Xiangsi always did things her way. In the face of everybody¡¯s doubts, she didn¡¯t have the slightest intention of exining herself. Instead, she hastily walked out of the private room first, stood outside, and waited for Xu Jiamu. Xu Jiamu got up and threw at the manager, "Put the bill for this room under my name". Then he bid everyone farewell and walked out without even a look at Song Xiangsi, who waited at the door outside. He took big strides towards the exit. The two of them didn¡¯t speak to each other all the way to the car park. Xu Jiamu opened the car door, nced at Song Xiangsi, and got in the car fist. He waited for her to get in before abruptly stepping on the elerator, and his car jumped out. The car was silent. From the very start, Xu Jiamu never looked directly at Song Xiangsi. When they were about to reach Gui Street, Song Xiangsi asked, "Young master Xu, where are we going for supper?" Xu Jiamu didn¡¯t make a sound. Rage surged beneath his eyes, and he drove faster. In the end, Xu Jiamu turned the car into a high-end apartment block in the city. Song Xiangsi¡¯s expression grew pale. Chapter 430: Silent Companionship (18) Chapter 430: Silent Companionship (18) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem The car stopped in the underground car park. Xu Jiamu got out of the car and went ahead and pressed the elevator button. He stood at the entrance waiting for Song Xiangsi to get in before he stepped in. Then he pressed the floor number. The elevator door opened when it reached the right floor. Xu Jiamu walked over to the left door, entered the passcode, and pushed open the door. As usual, he watched as Song Xiangsi entered first, then followed behind. Xu Jiamu closed the door and threw the car keys randomly by the entrance. He stared directly at Song Xiangsi without a word, then suddenly raised his hand, pping her brutally across the face. That p came out of nowhere and was sufficiently hard. Song Xiangsi, who waspletely caught off guard, fell to the ground from it¡¯s sheer force. - Eleven o¡¯clock. Everyone had left. Xu Jiamu left the private room at ten and never came back. Other people drank quite a lot, so they called a car. Whoever had a ride, got picked up. Qiao Anhao called fro Chen Yang, who had coincidentally just finished work, to pick up Qiao Anxia. Then, she pulled out her phone and called Xu Jiamu. After a few times, he still didn¡¯t pick up. When Lu Jinnian¡¯s assistant came out of the restroom, he saw Qiao Anhao at the lobby of the Royal Pce and greeted her, "Miss Qiao." Qiao Anhao put her phone away and nodded at the assistant. Seeing that Qiao Anhao was on her own, the assistant was slightly confused, so he nosily asked, "Miss Qiao, didn¡¯t youe here with Mr. Xu? Why are you here alone?" Qiao Anhao wondered how Lu Jinnian¡¯s assistant knew. The man added, "I coincidentally bumped into Mr. Xu waiting for you downstairs at the office." Qiao Anhao understood and pursed her lips into a smile, then said, "I don¡¯t know where he is. I¡¯m waiting for him." The assistant made an "oh" sound in sudden realization. Then politely said, "Miss Qiao, I have some business to attend to, so I¡¯ll be off now." Qiao Anhao smiled gently and nodded. - The assistant pushed open the door and nced at Lu Jinnian over at the mahjong table. There were three other yers, one of whom had a young girl in hisp, then there he was - far removed and alone. The assistant silently walked over to Lu Jinnian and nced at his tiles. There was nothing he could say, his tiles were incredibly lucky. He waited for Lu Jinnian to throw out a two dot tile, then bent down, and whispered in his ear, "Mr. Lu, on my way back from the restroom just now, I saw Miss Qiao in the corridors." Lu Jinnian¡¯s expression didn¡¯t change, but his fingers obviously clenched harder onto the tiles. The assistant continued to report back in a low voice. "Who knows where Mr. Xu went. Miss Qiao is waiting for him." "Oh." Mr. Lu gave a nod, as though it didn¡¯t matter. The assistant¡¯s pupils twitched lightly, and he added, "It looks like Qiao Anhao didn¡¯t drive. If she can¡¯t wait for Mr. Xu, she might hitchhike. It isn¡¯t easy to get a car from here..." Before the assistant could finish, Lu Jinnian stood up from his seat, calm andposed. He pointed at his winnings and said to his assistant, "Take over for a while." He then said "Sorry" to the other three yers, who looked confused, and grabbed for his jacket behind his seat and left the private room, all without waiting for his assistant to react. Chapter 431: Silent Companionship (19) Chapter 431: Silent Companionship (19) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Qiao Anhao called Xu Jiamu several times but was still not able to reach him, so she gave up, sending him a text before leaving. She stood at the side of the road, waiting for a cab to arrive. She stood in the heart of the city where the rich would frequent, the people here had their own cars and would rarely grab cabs, hence there were barely any cabs in the area. Lu Jinnian rushed to the main hall while putting on his jacket. He scanned the area trying to find Qiao Anhao but she was nowhere in sight. He ran out and continued to scan the surroundings. The security guard seemed to have recognized Lu Jinnian, for he walked forward and greeted him politely, "Mr. Lu." Lu Jinnian ignored his greeting, continuing to look around. He ran towards the road, panting slightly. He took several deep breaths before turning to look at the main entrance. Around two hundred meters from the entrance, under a streetmp, stood Qiao Anhao. She wore a light blue dress with a floral pattern. Lu Jinnian¡¯s gaze turned gentle as he continued to look at her in a daze. Taking several steps forward, he gradually increased his pace to reach her. Just when he was about a hundred meters from her, a cab suddenly stopped beside her. She seemed to have met a savior, quickly entering the cab without hesitation, and just like that, she disappeared into the night. Lu Jinnian froze,his gaze locked on the direction she¡¯d left. The tiny glimpse of hope he had when his assistant had told him that she may need a ride back vanished in an instance. The cold night wind blew past. He stood there, listening as cars sped past. After a long while, he turned back with heavy steps. Before he could enter Royal Pce, he paused once again, hesitating slightly, he turned towards the car park at the side. He started his car, driving straight back to Mian Xiu Garden after circling the area. He took the expressway, and sped to Mian Xiu Garden reaching it in a short while. As he drove past Xu Jiamu¡¯s house, Qiao Anhao had just reached it. She bent to pick up her bag and was preparing to pay the cab. Lu Jinnian mmed into the brakes instinctively. After paying the cab driver, she turned and entered the front yard, shortly after, the mansion lit up. Lu Jinnian waited for the cab she had taken to leave before he drove forward, stopping in-between his and Xu Jiamu¡¯s mansions. - After spending such a long time outside, Qiao Anhao was getting hungry. She hurriedly defrosted some dumplings before throwing them in the pot and chopsticks into the basin. After taking a light shower, sheid back down on her bed. She scrolled through her weibo, and only at 1 am did she off the lights. Chapter 432: Silent Companionship (20) Chapter 432: Silent Companionship (20) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Qiao Anhao shut her eyes and prepared to sleep, but soon, she started to feel slightly ufortable. She continued to lie for a short while more before ripping the nkets off abruptly, rushing to the bathroom. She removed her clothes, realizing that there was a red spot on her panties. Her period was here... As she walked over to get some sanitary pads, she remembered that she had just moved into Xu Jiamu¡¯s mansion and hadn¡¯t had time to prepare her daily necessities. But she couldn¡¯t just sleep like that... She sat on the toilet, pondering it with a deep frown etched on her face. She yanked a bunch of toilet papers, cing them on her panties before standing up. She simply rinsed her hands and exited the bathroom. Grabbing her wallet, she walked downstairs. - Why was she out sote into the night? Lu Jinnian frowned. Without even offing the car engine, he pushed open the door and shouted her name as he ran towards Xu Jiamu¡¯s mansion, "Qiao Qiao." Even though he wasn¡¯t loud, the night was silent enough, and Qiao Anhao froze slightly before turning to look at him. He was dressed in a suit thatplimented his tall physique. The warm glow from the streetmp spilled across his face, blurring his handsome features. He casually walked forward, stopping about a meter from her. He slightly lowered his head, noticing that she wore slippers. "Why are you out sote?" Qiao Anhao was jolted back to her senses. She lifted her head slightly to look at him. "I need to buy stuff." It was currently 1 am, and the only twenty-four hour convenience store was about five hundred meters away from Mian Xiu Garden¡¯s entrance. It would take about twenty minutes for her to go ande back. Qiao Anhao had rushed out in a hurry, she was still dressed in her pajamas with just a jacket over. Even though the security in Jing Cheng was good, it still wasn¡¯t safe to go out sote at night... Besides, what could she need so urgently? Lu Jinnian frowned before saying faintly, "It¡¯ste now, get it tomorrow." "I need it urgently." She hesitated before adding, "It isn¡¯t far, I¡¯ll be back shortly." Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t try to stop her, he told her to wait before turning back. He opened his car door and offed the engine before grabbing his wallet from the passenger seat. He hurriedly walked back to where Qiao Anhao was waiting. "Lets go." Qiao Anhao snapped out of her daze, realizing instantly that he was going toe along with her. Instinctively, she said, "It¡¯s okay..." Without even waiting for her to finish her sentence, he started to walk forward. Chapter 433: Silent Companionship (21) Chapter 433: Silent Companionship (21) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Qiao Anhao stood still for a short while before following after Lu Jinnian. Just like that, he walked in front while she trailed after, maintaining a short distance between them. They remained silent the entire journey, neither attempting to speak to the other. When they reached the convenience store, Lu Jinnian stopped at the entrance, waiting for her to go in alone. Through the ss windows, he saw her throwing a few bags of sanitary pads in her basket. So her monthly period was here, no wonder she said it was urgent... When she was at the cashier, Lu Jinnian pushed open the door and reached for his wallet. When the cashier had finished scanning the goods, he passed a hundred dor bill over. "I brought small change..." Qiao Anhao took a few ten dor notes out of her wallet, but before she could pass it to the cashier, Lu Jinnian had already reached for the change that the cashier had passed over. He took the bag filled with sanitary pads and headed out of the shop without her. Just like before, they maintained a small distance between them, with him in front and her trailing behind. When she lifted her head to look at him, she thought to have seen loneliness in his wide shoulders. She couldn¡¯t bear it and averted her gaze. The night was silent, the glow from the moon shinning down upon them, elongating their shadows. When they reached the entrance to Xu Jiamu¡¯s mansion, Lu Jinnian stopped and passed the bag over to Qiao Anhao. She reached for it and thanked him. He didn¡¯t reply, and the two of them looked at each other in silence. Lu Jinnian knew that he was supposed to tell her to go back and rest early, but the words remained stuck in his throat, unable toe out. Just like that, they stood silently. When the silent atmosphere was starting to turn awkward and Qiao Anhao realized that Lu Jinnian wasn¡¯t going to say anything, she lifted her head and said, "I¡¯ll go now." Lu Jinnian lowered hisshes, nodding his head after some time. He lifted hisshes before saying a faint, "Rest well." "Yea," Qiao Anhao replied softly, tightening her grip on the bag. She brushed past Lu Jinnian and entered the mansion. Lu Jinnian stood at the entrance for a long while. When he was sure that she had entered the room, he shifted his gaze and lifted his head to look at the night sky. He took a few steps toward his mansion before turning back towards the convenience store abruptly. When Qiao Anhao returned back to the bedroom, she cleaned herself once more before washing the soiled panties. Before, when her period came, it would always be without any notice, without any difort, but now, her stomach felt bloated and hurt slightly. She wasn¡¯t sure if it was because the temperature of the water she had used to wash her panties was too low. She hung her panties in the balcony and was about to go back to bed when the door bell suddenly rang. She walked down and when she peeped through the door hole, she didn¡¯t see anyone. She started to feel worried, hesitated slightly, but still opened the door in the end. There wasn¡¯t anyone there, the front yard was empty as well. Qiao Anhao frowned slightly. While she was still thinking about it, she suddenly spotted a bag in front of her. Chapter 434: Silent Companionship (22) Chapter 434: Silent Companionship (22) Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Qiao Anhao frowned slightly. While she was still thinking about it, she suddenly spotted a bag in front of her. She wasn¡¯t sure what was in the bag and was worried that it was ate night prank. Lifting her head, she scanned the empty front yard. After hesitating for a long while, she knelt down to examine the contents of the bag. With the glow from themp at the entrance, she saw that the bag belonged to the convenience store that she had gone to just now. Carefully, she pried the stic bag open slightly. Inside, she saw two boxes with logos. Her heavy heart finally settled, and with both hands, she hurriedly opened the bag to take what was inside out. Two boxes of red ginger tea, a big bag of hot packs, and three bags of dates... These were the usual things that women on their period would have. Red ginger tea was exceptionally good at alleviating any period cramps. But her period had juste and she hadn¡¯t told anyone, who could... Before her sentence could form, she instinctively turned to look at Lu Jinnian¡¯s mansion. Lu Jinnian¡¯s car was just entering his mansion, the ring light still on. As he was parking his car, the front of it was facing Xu Jiamu¡¯s mansion, blinding Qiao Anhao. She reached her hands up to block her eyes, only when the lights dim did she put them down. The front yard lights never turned on. She couldn¡¯t see anything, but she could hear the sound of the door closing. Soon after, the house lit up, the lights spilling into the yard, lighting it up. Qiao Anhao stared at the lights for a long while before retracting her gaze. She looked back down at the bag before her, realizing that these were ced here by Lu Jinnian. It was actually quite easy to guess. He was the only one that knew she was on her period, and he must have returned back to the convenience store to get this bag for her when she had entered the house. Qiao Anhao¡¯s heart squeezed slightly. She knelt for a long while before cing everything back into the bag and bringing it back into the house. Before she entered, she turned back to take onest look at the mansion ahead that was lit up. When she reached her room, she opened a pack of red ginger tea, making herself a cup. The aroma from the tea filled the entire room instantly. As she sat on the sofa, she stared at the steaming hot cup, her feelings growing confused. She knew that Lu Jinnian had gone to the convenience store with her because he was worried, she also knew that he had bought things for her because he cared for her. But she could not understand what his care and concern meant right not. Was it because of the child that he had killed? Was he trying to make himself feel better because of the guilt? Many times, even though one knew that they could not be together, one would still feel touched and moved by the other¡¯s actions. Just like her and Lu Jinnian. He had killed her child, so she had decided to stop loving him, even struggling to remove him from her memory, but tonight, she couldn¡¯t help but feel touched by his actions. Chapter 435: Silent Companionship(23) Chapter 435: Silent Companionship£¨23£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem The next morning, Lu Jinnian set out early to work as usual. As he passed by Xu Jiamu¡¯s mansion, he deliberately slowed the car, ncing at the mansion through the car¡¯s windows. Maybe because he had spoken to Qiao Anhao the night before, he was in an exceptionally good mood. After settling his documents, he stood in a corner of his office in front of the floor length window, reminiscing about their conversation the previous day. Even though their conversation didn¡¯t hold much meaning, it still managed to ce a smile on his face. Deep inside, he was starting to find the short distance between his mansion and the entrance of Mian Xiu Garden adorable. Lu Jinnian pondered it for a long while before lowering his head to drink some coffee. Just then, he heard knocking on the door. He swallowed the coffee in his mouth before replying faintly, "Come in." His door opened slightly and his assistant came in with a document in his hands. "Mr. Lu, you need to sign this." Lu Jinnian walked back to his desk, cing the cup down. He reached for the document and flipped it slightly before signing his name, returning it back to his assistant. The man reached for the document with both hands before continuing, "Oh, Mr. Lu, there¡¯s one more thing. I have contacted the variety show that you assigned to Qiao Anhao previously, they would be recording on the ninth if this month. If there¡¯s nothing wrong, I¡¯ll get someone to inform her." "Yea..." Lu Jinnian replied naturally, but when his assistant was about to leave, he suddenly spoke again. "Wait." His assistant turned back in confusion. "Mr. Lu, do you need me for anything else?" Lu Jinnian hesitated slightly before replying, "I¡¯ll inform her myself." The assistant paused slightly, not knowing how to respond. After about a second, his mind seemed to have processed Lu Jinnian¡¯s words. He nodded politely, replying, "I understand, Mr. Lu." Lu Jinnian waited for his assistant to leave and closed the door before reaching for his phone. He keyed in the numbers that he had keyed in so many times these past few days but never dared dial. - Qiao Anhao would often feel ufortable on the first day of her period, staying in bed till it was afternoon. There was a mini home theater in Xu Jiamu¡¯s house. After lunch, she decided to watch a movie out of boredom. Halfway through it, Xu Jiamu called her, apologizing for his absence the previous night. He sounded weird through the phone, but Qiao Anhao didn¡¯t ask much, and call was quickly cut off. She ced the phone back down on the sofa, but just then it rang once again. She originally thought it was Xu Jiamu since the call had cut off abruptly, so she waited for it to ring a few times before picking up. When she saw the phone screen and Lu Jinnian¡¯s name, she froze slightly before answering with a soft "Hello". "It¡¯s me," Lu Jinnian¡¯s usual frosty voice came through. Qiao Anhao gripped the phone tightly, acknowledging with a soft "yea". Continuing, she asked politely, "What is it?" Chapter 436: Silent Companionship(24) Chapter 436: Silent Companionship£¨24£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Lu Jinnian spoke calmly. "The variety show that I assigned to you previously will be recorded on the ninth of this month, remember to prepare for it beforehand." It was about business matters... "I understand." Lu Jinnian sunk into silence at his end. Qiao Anhao held onto the phone, waiting, before speaking once more, "Erm, is there anything more? If not, I¡¯ll hang up now." After about a minute, Lu Jinnian said softly, "Yea." When she was about to hang up after saying goodbye, he suddenly spoke again. "Qiao Qiao..." Qiao Anhao paused, silently waiting for Lu Jinnian to continue. After a moment of silence, he spoke once again. "Is it inconvenient these few days? The recording might be tiring, do you need me to push the date back?" Just like from the bag of things that he had left at the door, she was starting to feel confused. She lowered hershes and remained silent for a while before replying calmly, "It¡¯s okay, there¡¯s three more days, by then, I¡¯ll be fine." "If... you don¡¯t feel well on the day of the recording, remember to let the crew know." "Yea, I understand, thank you." - Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t intend to snatch Qiao Anhao from Xu Jiamu. He also didn¡¯t expect for her to fall for him, but he didn¡¯t want them to sink into bing strangers as they had five years ago. Those were the worst years of his life... He was always finding ways to get close to her, finding ways to talk to her, but he wasn¡¯t able to find any. Informing her about the variety show could be done by any small member of the staff in thepany, but he yearned to speak to her and was willing to do such a minute take. But Qiao Anhao was just a newbie who didn¡¯t have much on her schedule, in order to find ways to speak to her, he had to abuse his position to give her more work just so that he could talk to her to tell her about it. Even though it was just half a month, Lu Jinnian had epted three dramas, seven advertisements, and other random activities for her... Even though his actions had caused the board members of Huan Ying Entertainment to be unhappy, he chose to ignore them and did as he pleased. Just when the board members were the tensest, Lu Jinnian, who was still in the midst of filming "Alluring Times", assigned a historical drama for Qiao Anhao. She had never acted in this genre before, and to make matters worst, Lu Jinnian, who was the producer, had also invested in the drama. Lu Jinnian¡¯s assistant started predicting that in a month the actresses in Huan Ying Entertainment would probably start to rebel. The historical drama "Heaven¡¯s Sword" that Qiao Anhao was assigned to was a big production, just like "Alluring Times". It was the first time she had the female lead role, so she was nervous, but luckily, the male lead was Cheng Yang who she was rather familiar with. Song Xiangsi was also part of the drama, but her screen time was short, it was more of a guest role. Chapter 437: Silent Companionship(25) Chapter 437: Silent Companionship£¨25£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem "Heaven¡¯s Sword" was filmed in Hengdian. On the first day, Xu Jiamu randomly insisted on sending Qiao Anhao over for work. He booked business ss tickets, the two of them sitting in the same row but there was a small pathway between Qiao Anhao and Xu Jiamu. Zhao Meng had prepared a movie on her iPad beforehand, so once the ne took off, she switched it on and passed an earpiece over to Qiao Anhao. Xu Jiamu took a newspaper from the air stewardess and flipped through it casually until finally resting his gaze on a photo on the top half of the second page. Song Xiangsi wore a pale colored long silky dress, as she stood on the red carpet with her delicate jaw slightly tilted, a smile on her face. Xu Jiamu stared at the photo for a long time before finally shutting the newspaper in frustration. He stuffed it into the magazine slot and turned over to look at Qiao Anhao and Zhao Meng. They were both engrossed in their iPad. Turning to look into the screen, Xu Jiamu saw a close up shot of Song Xiangsi. He took in a long, deep breath, moving back to recline against his seat. He shut his eyes, but all he could remember was the memory of Song Xiangsi pping him a month ago. On hindsight, he had no idea why she had pped him, but he was thoroughly angered and had return a p before he could stop himself. His return was hard and aggressive, stinging his palm. He regretted instantly, and in that swiftly, he started to fret. He knelt down instinctively, apologizing. But the moment heid his eyes on her, he saw that her eyes were dry, without any tears. She had on a calm expression that didn¡¯t make sense. It was as though he hadn¡¯t pped her. She stood back up as though nothing had happened and started to make herself presentable. It was as though the person that was pped wasn¡¯t her at all... Just like the day he had gotten into the car ident... That night at 8 pm, he had rushed to the airport to get her after she had finished her work in France. He had brought her for dinner and had even gotten her a present. When they reached the apartment, he impatiently reached under her clothes, and just like every other time, she obedientlyplied. But once all their clothes were taken off and he was about to enter her, she suddenly said in a calm voice, "Jiamu, let¡¯s break up." At that moment, all he could remember was how close they were. He had taken her words for a joke and continued to kiss her face as though she hadn¡¯t said anything. But she reached out to push him, repeating the sentence once more. "Jiamu, let¡¯s break up." He looked into her eyes and could see her seriousness. When they were both in university, she had came to him to sell herself so that she could have enough money to settle her father¡¯s medical fees. At that time, he had bought her for fifty thousand. They had been together for seven years, but now, she, who had never been in a rtionship, suddenly wanted to break up. Even till today, he couldn¡¯t understand why he would feel so angry. It was as though his pride had been tattered. He had thought for a moment and asked, "Are we even together?" Chapter 438: Silent Companionship(26) Chapter 438: Silent Companionship£¨26£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Song Xiangsi was much cooler about it than Xu Jiamu. She didn¡¯t even get angry, she just pulled onto the nket so that it covered her. Nodding, she said, "I¡¯m sorry, I seemed to have forgotten that I sold myself for fifty thousand, but since you have used me for seven years, I¡¯m sure I¡¯ve made up for it, so let¡¯s end it here Mr. Xu." She was always able to shut him up, he thought in frustration. In the end, he decided to be a scoundrel. "Whatever, do you think I care? I¡¯ve slept with you for seven years, I¡¯m already sick of it." He left the bed and put on his clothes before mming the door shut when he left. He had always had a mild temper, but somehow, on that day, he was in a bad temper. Standing near the door, he realized that he had forgotten to take his wallet and wanted to enter the apartment once more, but gave up, posting onto a group chat, [Didn¡¯t bring my wallet.] He knew that she had always been monitoring his chats, so he waited for a long while, but she still didn¡¯t reply. In the end, he could no longer keep it in, sending a text over. When no one replied, he called her, realizing that she had cklisted him. The anger that he had suppressed started to climb back up. He entered the elevator and headed toward his car. He remembered that he had sped, fury clouding his mind. He had wanted to numb himself with the high speed. When he reached the underground tunnel, he had aggressively steered to the side to avoid a white car that he was heading towards. In that instance, his car crashed right into the tunnel wall. Before he had gone unconscious, his entire mind was filled with Song Xiangsi. When had she be so important to him? So important that he could get into a car ident for her... He was still wondering if she would be upset over his death... But the truth had shown that she didn¡¯t have many emotions in her, how could she be upset? He was in aa for nine whole months but the moment he had woken up, she hadn¡¯t sent him anything. He had tried to call her only to realize that he was still cklisted... As he reminisced about the past, he looked back at her. She seemed oblivious of the turmoil in him, and his reasoning snapped. Without even thinking, he dragged her into the bedroom in which they had seven years of memory before pressing her onto the bed... He could admit to himself that he had fully intended to torture her that night. He had wanted to vent all of his frustration on her, but even if he had treated her violently, even if she was clearly in pain, she still had a nonchnt smile on her face. He didn¡¯t feel a tinge better the next day. When he woke up, she was no longer around, that was when he found out that she had gone over to Yun Nan for work... She didn¡¯t bother informing him that she had left, so he naturally didn¡¯t bother asking. Weren¡¯t they just both wasting each other¡¯s time? They were just waiting for the other to snap. But in the end, he was still flying over to Hengdian... Because she was going to be around for "Heaven¡¯s Sword" opening ceremony. After touched down in Hangzhou, they traveled to Hengdian, reaching it at 8 pm. Chapter 439: Silent Companionship(27) Chapter 439: Silent Companionship£¨27£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem "Heaven¡¯s Sword" would start filming the next day, hence the director specifically got the entire cast together for a dinner. Qiao Anhao arrived at Hengdian thetest. By the time she came, the dinner had already started. "Heaven¡¯s Sword" had a few actors from "Alluring Times", so everyone treated her warmly when she arrived, running over to greet her. Cheng Yang even personally pulled the empty seat beside him out so that she could sit down. Qiao Anhao walked to her seat, toasting the crowd to apologize for beingte before sitting down. Lu Jinnian was already there. He sat beside Qiao Anhao, leaning backwards casually with a hand on the table and another holding a ss of wine. He remained silent as the table in front of him brimmed with conversations. Qiao Anhao was the female lead for the drama. She was pretty, so the investors and directors contentiously toasted her and even tried to talk to her. Every time it happened, Lu Jinnian would frown slightly in irritation. After she had rushed over, she had barely eaten but had already downed at least sevenrge cups of alcohol. Lu Jinnian saw the director walking over once more and frowned, he ced the wine he held down on the table before speaking faintly, "The ceremony will be at seven tomorrow, and after the ceremony, we¡¯ll have to change locations which takes about eight hours. Let¡¯s end this early so that everyone can rest." Lu Jinnian waved for the waiter to settle the bill. It wasn¡¯t even 9 pm and it was a rare opportunity for many of the actors to have a meal with the producer and director, so they weren¡¯t willing to end so early, but since Lu Jinnian had already made the order, no one dared to object. Unwillingly, they started to drag themselves up to bid farewell to the directors and investor. Qiao Anhao had drunk quite a lot. Before leaving, she took a trip to the restroom. But the moment she closed the cubicle door, she heard a conversation between several people. "Who¡¯s the female lead? Why don¡¯t I remember her?" "You met her in the restroom before, so you might not remember. It was the one that arrived thetest, I think she¡¯s called Qiao Anhao? She¡¯s quite pretty and was the second female lead in ¡®Alluring Times¡¯." "Oh yes, the one that acted alongside Lu Jinnian! He seemed to be promoting her quite aggressivelytely, assigning many advertisements for her, and they¡¯re all top tier. He had even gotten into a conflict with the board members, but he didn¡¯t say a word. In the end, he just said ¡®I just want to promote her, what can you do?¡¯ before leaving. "After that, he assigned her the female lead role of the most invested movie of the year. By then, no board member dared to voice their objections." "Oh, it reminds me, the female lead for "Heaven¡¯s Sword" was originally meant to be filmed in Lijiang but it has been changed to Jianghu. I heard that one of the main cast has altitude sickness, so Lu Jinnian had specifically gotten the director and screen writer to make the changesst minute. Do you think the actress with altitude sickness is Qiao Anhao?" "One more thing, why didn¡¯t you mention that ourpany actually went to Beijing to choose a intern actress with Qiao Anhao¡¯s physique seemingly to act out the harder more difficult stunts?" "But that¡¯s the treatment for big stars, she only filmed two dramas, isn¡¯t she just a newbie..?" Chapter 440: Why Didnt You Want My Child?(1) Chapter 440: Why Didn¡¯t You Want My Child£¿£¨1£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem The conversation stopped and the whole lot left the restroom. Qiao Anhao was already done but she continued to sit in the cubicle with no intention of standing up, her mind still on thee conversation. She was also a part of Huan Ying Entertainment, but it was the first time she had heard the news. Recently, Lu Jinnian had indeed contacted her often to tell her about updates in her schedule, but she had naively believed that it was thepany¡¯s decision and never thought more of it. She certainly would have never guessed that he had even quarreled with the board just so she can have the advertisements. As for finding a stunt double, she waspletely unaware of it, but they had indeed guessed correctly about one thing, the person with altitude sickness was her. She had been to Lijiang in the past but at that time, she wasn¡¯t in contact with Lu Jinnian, so he couldn¡¯t have known about her altitude sickness. But when they were filming "Alluring Times" and had spent arge amount of time together, she had tried to find a topic so that they could talk. Just then, there was an advertisement about Lijiang, and so, since she couldn¡¯t find any other topic, she had casually mentioned that it was a horrible ce and that she would never go there again, the altitude sickness had nearly killed her. At that time, he was busy, but when he heard her, he raised his face with doubt in his eyes. He had asked her nonchntly if she had altitude sickness in Lijiang. She didn¡¯t think much of it and had nodded, before slightly borating on her condition in Lijiang. At that time, sheined that the ce had made her lose five kilograms in three days. He didn¡¯t react much, simply acknowledging her words with an "oh" before returning to work. Afterwards, when she had gotten the script and realized that they would be in Lijiang filming for at least half a month, she had been scared out of her wits. Three days were able to take half a life, if they were to film in Lijiang for half a month, would she end up dying there? But they couldn¡¯t just change the filming location because of her, so she did some research to help mitigate the problem. In the end, she had received a new script the very next day. The new script has several changes but the biggest one was the location - Lijiang had been reced by Jianghu. At that time, she didn¡¯t think that it had anything to do with her and was instead just d that everything ended up this good. But now that she had heard their conversation, she was quite sure that Lu Jinnian had done it for her. Sometimes, words that were casually said would be forgotten instantly. But she would have never expected that he would actually remember. Chapter 441: Why Didnt You Want My Child?(2) Chapter 441: Why Didn¡¯t You Want My Child£¿£¨2£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Recently, Lu Jinnian had been treating Qiao Anhao well... From small things like buying sanitary pads with her to big things like changing the filming location... From things she knew to things she wasn¡¯t aware of... When he had arranged the work for her, he could have gotten his assistant to inform Zhao Meng or he could have given her a call, but sometimes, he would let her know personally. There was even once when he had informed her with a bag of desserts from Man Ji. Before that, she had casuallymented [Sister Xiangsi, I want some too!] when Song Xiangsi had posted a photo of herself eating desserts from Man Ji. When she had saw him with the desserts, she knew that he must have seen herment on that post. She was touched but had struggled desperately to ignore her feelings. Because love wasn¡¯t so easily forgotten, but there were just some things she couldn¡¯t forgive. She didn¡¯t want to let herself get hurt by him in any more ways, the baby was herst straw. Loving someone could cause her to lose herself, but she didn¡¯t want to do it without any dignity. She stayed in the cubicle for a long while, taking in deep breaths, trying to calm her thoughts and emotions before leaving the restroom. - Song Xiangsi opened the door, when she saw Xu Jiamu standing outside, she didn¡¯t respond. Her manager, who was in the other room, asked as he stuck his head out, "Xiangsi, who is it?" When he saw Xu Jiamu, his expression turned careful. He politely and formally greeted him, "Mr. Xu." Xu Jiamu didn¡¯t bother acknowledging his presence, his gaze fixed on Song Xiangsi. Song Xiangsi ignored his gaze, turning back to look at her manager. "You should go back to your room." Her manager nodded before brushing past Xu Jiamu on his way out. Song Xiangsi didn¡¯t look at Xu Jiamu, she turned and entered the room. Xu Jiamu closed the door, following after her. Before he could say a word inside, Song Xiangsi removed her dress andid on the bed while looking at him. "Come." Xu Jiamu was confused by what she was doing, he stood still, dazed. Song Xiangsi lifted a brow, her lips curving slightly. "Mr. Xu, didn¡¯t youe for this? I have to be up early tomorrow, so get it done quickly!" Xu Jiamu¡¯s senses returned instantly, a vein popping on his forehead from the suppressed anger. In a furious voice, he shouted, "Song Xiangsi, what¡¯s wrong with you?" Song Xiangsi looked straight into his eyes. With a calm expression, she continued to undress herself. She looked back to rush him. "Don¡¯t you want it now?" Xu Jiamu gritted his teeth and tookrge steps to the sofa. He grabbed her dress and tossed it onto her naked body before ring down at her. With unstable breaths, he turned and stormed out unsteadily. Song Xiangsi waited till he mmed the door before she picked up her clothes to put them back on. Walking to to a window, she looked down and waited. Not longter, she saw Xu Jiamu storming out of the hotel into the distance. Chapter 442: Why Didnt You Want My Child?(3) Chapter 442: Why Didn¡¯t You Want My Child£¿£¨3£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Xu Jiamu left in a cab while Song Xiangsi looked into the distance, not moving. This was the second time she had infuriated him so much. The first time, he had gotten into a car ident. She never could understand why he was so angry, wasn¡¯t she supposed to be the one that was infuriated ? For fifty thousand, she had sold herself for seven years... What a cheap sum, if it wasn¡¯t because she loved him, how could she have followed after him without a title for so many years. Yes, it was without any title. For the past seven years, she was his mistress. She had never seen any of his friends and they had never acted like a normal couple, never holding hands on the road. Initially, she had been fine with the idea and thought that in these seven years, he could fall in love with her, but it never happened. Instead, he had told her that he was going to get married. But she wasn¡¯t the bride. Before, she was just a mistress, but now she was going to be a mistress and a third party? She could never forget that day when she had finally woken up. It was through a phone call. "We¡¯re around the same age and its about time I got married... I intend to marry this year... Remember to bring me a present... You¡¯re talking about the woman I bought for fifty thousand? We¡¯re still in contact... Whatever, I¡¯ll just continue on after I marry... You can¡¯t expect me to marry her, right? You should know that I need someone of equal social status..." Equal social status, those words hit her heart deeply She could never forget the pain. In that moment, she realized that amon girl like her would never be a Cindere and would never be able to marry a prince. Even if she had endured seven years, she was still not able to stand beside him in public. Seven years of hiding in the dark was enough, she was tired. If they couldn¡¯t end up together, she would rather end it. - Once Qiao Anhao and Zhao Meng returned to the hotel , thetter pointed to the table, informing her friend, "Mr. Lu¡¯s assistant sent it over, he said that you didn¡¯t have much during dinner so he specifically got you some takeouts." Qiao Anhao stared at the food for a while before entering the bathroom. When she came out, Zhao Meng sat on the bed, asking, "You¡¯re not eating?" Qiao Anhao ignored her and started to apply her skin care products in front of the mirror. Zhao Meng ran over to the table barefooted and opened the box of food. "It looks yummy, Qiao Qiao. He treats you really well, he even noticed that you didn¡¯t eat much..." Qiao Anhao suddenly tightened her grip on the eye cream, squeezing arge amount out. She pulled some tissue in frustration, cleaning her hands before tossing the cream bottle onto the table. Climbing onto the bed, she covered her head with the nket, pretending to be asleep. Zhao Meng went quiet instantly. The nket sent Qiao Anhao¡¯s entire world into darkness, she recalled the conversation that she had heard back in the restroom. Her suppressed feelings sent her into a frenzy once again. She continuously recalled the abortion papers that Lu Jinnian had signed, and she could no longer avoid her feelings. - Qiao Anhao had always been trying to ignore his actions, but in the end, something on set happened that prevented her from ignoring him any longer. Chapter 443: Why Didnt You Want My Child?(4) Chapter 443: Why Didn¡¯t You Want My Child£¿£¨4£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem The devastating incident had happened suddenly and violently. It had thrown herpletely off guard, as she had been living peacefully ever since she was ten and her parents died. The day the incident happened was the fifth day of filming. They were in a rural area that not many people have been to, so no matter how much they had poured into the film, the conditions were still bad. On that day, the weather had been unusually good with endless clear blue skies. It was the bluest that she had ever since with barely a cloud in sight. The sun shone brightly ahead and the flowers were in full bloom, the scenery was akin to a beautiful painting without any ws; it was paradise. When evening fell, the crew started to get tired, so the director allowed half an hour of rest before the next scene. But no one knew that thest scene would actually have such a gruesome incident. - The filming had been going on for five days and Lu Jinnian had followed for five days. The conditions were bad, his assistant started to feel ufortable after living infort for such a long time. For the past few days, he had been camping in front of a fan an stuffing down watermelons. Lu Jinnian, inparison, waspletely fine as though he had stayed in harsher conditions. Everyday, he would stare into hisputer from nine to five, getting work done. Today was no different. Before it was 5 pm, he had already finished all the work in his inbox. He leaned back on his chair, shut his eyes, and raised his hands to massage his stiff shoulders. "Mr. Lu, have some watermelon, it helps with the heat." His assistant brought a te the instant he saw that he had finished his work. After a while, Lu Jinnian sat up straight and reached for a toothpick to grab a piece. After just two bites, he ced the toothpick down and stood up. "I¡¯ll see how the filming is doing." Lu Jinnian pulled the curtains open and walked out. His assistant hurriedly ced the watermelon into the fridge before rushing to follow him to the set. When they were about two hundred meters away, the director shouted, "Prepare!" With themand, everyone got into positions. "Start!" The cameras moved and both Qiao Anhao and Cheng Yang came onto the screen. Thest scene today was a duel between the two of them. It was on a cliff that was about three meters high, a violent stream behind them as a background. The water flowed aggressively, hitting onto the rocks, producing loud sshing sounds that could be heard from afar. The stunt instructor had already instructed both Qiao Anhao and Cheng Yang beforehand, but at the very start, their actions were still unfamiliar. After multiple NGs, the instructor came forward to exin the scene in detail once more. When they started to film again, the actions were much more fluid. Qiao Anhao was dressed in red, dark ck hair down to her waist. Her eye makeup matched her dark hair and her lips were a ssic red. She had a simple hairdo with just a small ruby pin attached to the top of her head. Cheng Yang waspletely in ck, the two of them ring at each other, prepared for the confrontation. The wind on the cliff was strong, sending their robes flying, producing loud billowing sounds. Chapter 444: Why Didnt You Want My Child?(5) Chapter 444: Why Didn¡¯t You Want My Child£¿£¨5£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem As they stared at each other in confrontation, Cheng Yang was the first to yield. He nced back with mixed feelings. "Listen to my exnation..." "What exnation? That you weren¡¯t the groom yesterday?" Before he could finish, Qiao Anhao started to interrogate him. She stared at him with both love and hate before seeminglying to a decision. With her delicate jaw slightly tilted upwards, she pulled her long sword out and pointed it at Cheng Yang¡¯s chest. "Pull your sword, you once said that if you were to betray me, you would willingly ept death. Today, only one of us will live." As she spoke, she swung her sword at him aggressively. Cheng Yang anxiously dodged it. "It isn¡¯t like what you think..." Qiao Anhao continued to swing her sword as though he hadn¡¯t spoken. This time, Cheng Yang pulled his sword out to counter her. Cheng Yang didn¡¯t attack her, he just defended himself. As Qiao Anhao¡¯s character watched the man she loved marrying someone else, her heart was wrenched apart. Her eyes red, she attacked with viciousness. The two of them fought on the cliff , the rose in the air with the use of wires. Her red dress and his ck robe entwined together as they fought, forming a beautiful sight, blending with the scenery behind. In the end, Cheng Yang was defeated, Qiao Anhao pointing at his chest mercilessly. Cheng Yang had on a shocked expression before finally shutting his eyes, waiting for death to take him. Qiao Anhao held her sword forward. The instant she touched his skin, she froze, her hands trembling. In the end, she wasn¡¯t able to do it. She tossed the sword on the floor before turning around, a single tear dropping straight down her face, and she flew upwards with the help of the wire. "Cut!" the director shouted in satisfaction. As he pped his hands, he couldn¡¯t stop singing praises. "Well done! Well done! It was a good take!" Thest scene for the day finally ended, and everyone took in a deep breath. As the crew started clearing the equipment, Qiao Anhao started to untie the wire while apologizing to Cheng Yang who was beside her. "I seemed to have been too violent just now, I hope I didn¡¯t injure you?" "I¡¯m fine." Cheng Yang smiled before lowering his head to allow his assistant to help remove the outermostyer of the costume. Thest scene had lots of difficult actions that used up a lot of her energy, so Qiao Anhao was soaked in sweat. After confirming that Cheng Yang was fine, she returned a bright smile before wiping the sweat off her face. She got Zhao Meng to pass her a bottle of water and downed it. But before she could drink more than two gulps, she suddenly felt the ground shake. Before she could react, she heard the sound of stones falling, and her feet started losing ground; she fell from the three meter cliff. The fall was sudden, and Zhao Meng who was beside her was the first to see it happen. A sharp scream pierced the air, "Qiao Qiao!" She turned back hurriedly, shouting with her entire lungs, "Qiao Qiao fell down, Qiao Qiao fell down!" Lu Jinnian, who stood beside the camera and was talking to the director, was the first to react. He turned to look at the cliff, where the red figure was no longer standing Before his mind could process the information, he ran to the edge of the cliff, and without a word, he jumped. Chapter 445: Why Didnt You Want My Child?(6) Chapter 445: Why Didn¡¯t You Want My Child£¿£¨6£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem "MR. LU!" Before Zhao Meng could get back her senses from Qiao Anhao¡¯s fall, Mr. Lu had jumped down as well. "MR. LU!" His assistant came running over, shouting for him. He looked down slightly before turning away in fear. - Only when Qiao Anhao started falling at a fast pace did she realize that she was in danger. The next moment, she had sunk into the icy cold water. Without any prior preparation, she choked on the water. With both hands, she struggled to keep afloat. When her head came out of the water, she hurriedly opened her mouth, shouting towards the shore, "Help!" When the next wave came, it sent her back into the water, drowning out her calls. The next time she popped her head out, she saw that she was nearing the edge of the cliff, she wanted to swim back, but the current we too strong. Even if she used all her strength, she still wasn¡¯t able to move forward, instead, she had been pushed backwards. The strong current continued to pound on her head, filling her ears with water, affecting her hearing. When she opened her eyes, all she could see was an endless stream of water and a stone wall that she couldn¡¯t climb. Soon, strength had been stripped off of her, she started to feel her legs getting numb as despair started to fill her mind. In the past, when she had watched television, she had seen such scenes before, but back then, she had dismissed it as exaggeration and drama. Never once had it urred to her that she might end up in a situation like this herself. But she was not the lead of a show. No matter how hard she struggled, there wouldn¡¯t be a princeing to save her. Her hands were starting to get weak, her body to sink slightly; she could feel death in the air... She couldn¡¯t possibly just die here in a stream she didn¡¯t even know the name of... Everyone had a desperation to live, and Qiao Anhao was no exception, she continued to struggle upwards even if her limbs were growing exhausted. A mixed sense of despair and worry started to fill her entire body. Even though she could see death ahead, she wasn¡¯t able to run away. Tears started to fall and she felt an overwhelming sense of helplessness. She felt helpless, just like when she was ten and had lost her parents, just like not long ago when she had lost her child and the man she loved the most. In the end, heaven didn¡¯t take pity on her plight one bit and was going to take her life on top of all that. The more she thought of it, the more upset she became. Tears fell down her face continuously. - The moment Lu Jinnian had heard Zhao Meng¡¯s scream "Qiao Qiao fell down", his entire mind turned nk, as though his brain had been eaten, there weren¡¯t any emotions. When the cold water finally hit him, he was shocked momentarily before he realized that he had to keep calm. But the moment he thought that she was in this vast stream, he started to panic and worry once more. Chapter 446: Why Didnt You Want My Child?(7) Chapter 446: Why Didn¡¯t You Want My Child£¿£¨7£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem The entire crew had walked over to the edge, everyone¡¯s faces grim. The current was running at a fast speed. In a blink of an eye, Qiao Anhao had been taken into the distance. When in less than five minutes, Lu Jinnian came out of the water, everyone started to shout his name, but the current was too strong, drowning their voices. He scanned the surroundings before swimming towards the direction that Qiao Anhao was swept towards. Just then, Lu Jinnian¡¯s assistant seemed to have gotten back his senses. He shouted towards the group at the edge of the cliff, "Stop staring, call the police! POLICE!" "Right right, police!" Several people took their phones out and started to make calls. When the call finally went through, the assistant seemed to have remembered something. He instructed the director, "Remember not to let this matter spread, especially not of Mr. Lu. If anyone found out, Huan Ying Entertainment will be gone." The director nodded immediately before asking, "Should we inform Qiao Anhao¡¯s family?" The assistant hesitated slightly, then replied, " Not yet, Mr. Lu can swim well, he might be able to save her. We just have to wait below, they might be in danger from staying in the water for such a long time." - Lu Jinnian scanned the surroundings, taking in the situation and realizing that he was being moved at an rming rate. This meant that Qiao Anhao must have been swept away... Without hesitation, he followed the current. He swam fast while conserving energy. He didn¡¯t know how long he had swam or how far he had gone when worry started to form once more. The situation in his mind was getting grimmer by the minute. Just when he thought that she had gotten into an ident, he saw a red figure floating about ten meters away. When she fell, she was dressed in red! A glimmer of hope alighted, and he continued to swim towards the red figure. The closer he got, the more anxious he was. He was worried that it was all a disappointment. Only when he was near did he finally see her entire form. It was indeed Qiao Anhao in her costume. He grew excited, swimming towards her aggressively. He grabbed hold of her costume and tugged it upwards, seeing her pale face. Lu Jinnian hurriedly reached out to hug her in his embrace, shouting her name anxiously, "Qiao Qiao!" She looked up at him, her lips moving slightly. She seemed to want to speak but was too weak. She leaned onto him and fainted. Swimming against the current alone was a difficult matter, now the situation had grown even worse with Qiao Anhao alongside. The skies were about to dim. Lu Jinnian looked at the cliff¡ªit was much lower than near their filming location. Chapter 447: Why Didnt You Want My Child?(8) Chapter 447: Why Didn¡¯t You Want My Child£¿£¨8£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem The skies were about to dim. Lu Jinnian looked at the cliff¡ªit was much lower than near their filming location. This meant that the more they flowed, the nearer they¡¯d be to thend. Lu Jinnian took a nce at the unconscious Qiao Anhao before continuing to swim downwards. He had no idea how far they had gone. With the faint light from the moon, he saw that the distance to thend was indeed much shorter. When the distance was less than half a meter and the current was starting to slow, Lu Jinnian pushed Qiao Anhao onto shore before climbing up after. He applied pressure on her stomach to force out all the water she had drank. When he saw that she hadn¡¯t drank much, he sighed in relief. He reached out to feel her forehead to ensure that she wasn¡¯t having a fever before checking her breathing. When he confirmed that everything was all right, he finally rxed. Lu Jinnian took in the surroundings¡ªit was an untouched forest. He reached into his pocket and found his phone, a box of deformed cigarettes, and a lighter. The phone was no longer functional after being soaked for such a long time, but the lighter could still be used. He took a look at Qiao Anhao¡¯s soaked clothes. If she were to continue wearing them, she would definitely catch a cold. He didn¡¯t know when help would arrive, and if she were to fall ill here, it would be serious. A primitive forest was dry, so he couldn¡¯t light a me for it would easily cause a forest fire. Lu Jinnian pondered for a while before carrying Qiao Anhao into the forest to find shelter. Using purely his instincts, he headed in a random direction. Luckily the moon was bright, sending light into the forest, allowing him to see the way.. The forest was filled with dried leaves which cracked with his every step. - When Qiao Anhao finally opened her eyes, she was still in a daze. Where was she right now? She lifted her head and looked around. When she saw that she was in a forest, she frowned before recalling what had happened. She had fallen into the stream while filming and then had thought that she was about to die. That thought sent a shiver through her even now. Lu Jinnian seemed to have sensed her movements. He turned but couldn¡¯t see her face clearly, so he lightly asked, "Qiao Qiao?" When she heard his voice, her frown deepened. Why was he here? Was she dreaming? Lu Jinnian waited for a while. When she didn¡¯t reply, he asked again, "Qiao Qiao, are you awake?" When she heard him once more, she came back to her senses, remembering what had happened. When she was about to give up, she had felt someone hug her. At that time, she seemed to have thought it was just a hallucination... She realized that Lu Jinnian had saved her, but she still couldn¡¯t process what had happened, asking in a daze, "Lu Jinnian, is that you?" Chapter 448: Why Didnt You Want My Child?(9) Chapter 448: Why Didn¡¯t You Want My Child£¿£¨9£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem "Yes, it¡¯s me." Lu Jinnian¡¯s had heard the clear but faint voice. After a moment, he asked, "Qiao Qiao, how are you feeling now?" After he had asked, she seemed to feel a sharp pain on her left leg. Biting her lip, she replied softly, "I¡¯m fine." She lifted her head to look at the dried branch above her. "Where is this?" "I don¡¯t know," Lu Jinnian replied honestly. "Oh..." They both remained silent. Lu Jinnian focused on the road ahead, walking carefully with Qiao Anhao on his back. Qiao Anhao wasn¡¯t able to get over what had happened. She leaned on Lu Jinnian¡¯s back, staring into space with a nk expression, deep in thought. After a long while, she realized that Lu Jinnian¡¯s presence meant that he had jumped down the cliff after her. In that instance, her heart squeezed, her expression turning into one of iprehension. The three meter cliff wasn¡¯t high, but in the face of such a strong current, wasn¡¯t he worried that he would die? And why did he jump ? If he didn¡¯t jump, would she already be dead? Qiao Anhao¡¯s mind was filled with endless questions. She couldn¡¯t hear Lu Jinnian even when he told her about the cave ahead of him. Lu Jinnian carried her into the cave. Someone must have been here before for there was a straw mat and ck charcoal inside. Lu Jinnian was worried that she would catch a cold, so he signaled for her to sit closer. When she stood up, her entire body slouched forward from the pain in her left leg. Lu Jinnian came forward hurriedly to catch her. "You¡¯re injured?" "It¡¯s fine." Qiao Anhao shook her head before limping towards the fire. But after two steps, Lu Jinnian lifted her up and ced her in front of the fire before kneeling down by her feet. He moved the red costume aside to see that the white pants beneath were already soaked in blood. He frowned and carefully lifted them There was a long cut on her left leg that was still oozing out blood. Luckily it wasn¡¯t very deep. He heaved a sigh of relief before taking off his almost dried clothes. He dried them further in front of the fire before shredding without hesitation to wrap Qiao Anhao¡¯s leg. Even though he had been careful, Qiao Anhao could still feel a stinging pain. She sucked in a breath, frightening Lu Jinnian. He trembled slightly and tried his best to lessen any force he had on the leg. Qiao Anhao bit her lip, enduring through the pain. With the glow from the fire, she stared at Lu Jinnian¡¯s handsome features. Lowering hershes, she seemed to be in a struggle, for her hands had clenched into fists silently. Chapter 449: Why Didnt You Want My Child?(10) Chapter 449: Why Didn¡¯t You Want My Child£¿£¨10£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem After about half an hour since Lu Jinnian had left the cave, lighting pierce the skies before a thundering p sounded. Qiao Anhao, who had been in a daze, shuddered. Just then, it started pouring outside the cave. The forest was dense, so there wasn¡¯t much rain falling to the ground. Then again, another lighting struck through the skies. Qiao Anhao started to feel uneasy, worried that Lu Jinnian would be struck. She ced her hands on the floor and tried to stand up. When she was prepared to walk out, she saw Lu Jinnianing back with branches in his hands. She grabbed onto her clothes and sat back down. Lu Jinnian added more branches into the fire. When it started to ze, he reached into the pile of branches for some fruits and threw a couple to Qiao Anhao. "Fill your tummy." Qiao Anhao looked at the red looking fruit that looked like an apple but wasn¡¯t . She hesitated slightly before reaching for it. Lu Jinnian seemed to have guessed her thoughts. As he continued to fiddle with the branches, he exined, "Its a wild fruit that can be eaten. In the past, when the filming conditions were bad, I had to live like this in the forest as well. Back then, an elderly farmer told me that the people in his vige would eat this often." Qiao Anhao let out a light "oh" lightly before rubbing the fruit with her clothes. She ced it in her mouth and took a bite. It was sweet and sour and tasted delicious. Recently, Lu Jinnian had been trying to use different ways to get close to her, but he could always feel her distance and just chose to ignore it. He knew that ever since Xu Jiamu woke up, he was no longer needed. He washed his face, a tinge of despair and loneliness creeping onto his expression as he continued to fiddle with the fire. The rain outside was getting harsher, beating onto the branches, causing loud sounds. Other than the sound of water, the crackling of the fire could be heard in the cave as well. They sank into silence, no longer speaking to each other. Qiao Anhao ate two fruits. When she was finally full, she lowered her head to stare at the fire. After a seemingly look while, the rain still continued to fall. Lu Jinnian reached towards his jacket, which was already dry. He grabbed it and walked towards Qiao Anhao, cing it over her shoulders. "If you¡¯re tired, you can sleep. I¡¯ll keep watch." Qiao Anhao looked towards him, her lips moving slightly but nothinging out in the end. Sheid down on the straw mat and curled her body. With Lu Jinnian¡¯s jacket covering her, she shut her eyes. After a while, she could hear Lu Jinnian¡¯s footsteps going away. She opened her eyes slightly and saw that he was half naked, leaning at the edge of the cave. He turned his head to look out the entrance, his face emotionless as though he hadn¡¯t a care in the world, but somehow she could sense loneliness and despair radiating off him. In the end, she shut her eyes, forcing herself to sleep. Chapter 450: Why Didnt You Want My Child?(11) Chapter 450: Why Didn¡¯t You Want My Child£¿£¨11£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Qiao Anhao couldn¡¯t fall asleep, she remained in the same position, listening to Lu Jinnian adding more branches to the fire several times. After a seemingly long time, she started to feel drowsy, in her half-awake state, she heard Lu Jinnian coughing. The sound wasn¡¯t loud, and towards the end, he forced the cough down. Qiao Anhao frowned. After a while, she heard a suppressed cough once again. She could no longer keep her eyes shut. Peaking through the mes, she could see him sitting in his original spot with his hands covering his mouth, trying to keep the sound in so that she wouldn¡¯t be disrupted. His face was unusually pale, his body trembling slightly; he didn¡¯t seem well.... Was he having a fever? Qiao Anhao could feel her heart squeeze once more. She tried to ignore him but couldn¡¯t keep it in any longer: "Lu Jinnian..." Lu Jinnian froze slightly before turning to look at her weakly. "Did I wake you up?" Apology and guilt sneaked into his face as he apologized faintly, "I¡¯m sorry." His apology made her heart clench. She could feel the stinging burn in her eyes and struggled to keep the tears back. Turning her head aside, she took a deep breath to calm herself. When she could finally speak normally, she asked, "Are you okay?" It was a simple question, but in that instance, a glimmer of hope shed past his eyes. Before he could reply her, another cough escaped through is lips. He swallowed a big gulp of saliva in order to suppress it before looking at her. "I¡¯m fine, I might have choked on the smoke from the fire." While he spoke, his entire body was trembling. It was as though he was freezing. Qiao Anhao felt her tears starting to well up. With the intensity of the sting increasing, she lowered hershes and bit her lip before struggling to stand up. "What do you want to do? I¡¯ll help you, be careful of your leg." Lu Jinnian hurriedly stood up, but before he could take a step, he fell back down. Qiao Anhao limped over slowly. When she finally reached him, she extended her arm to feel his forehead. His skin was burning but yet he felt cold. Before she could say a word, Lu Jinnian had a coughing fit, then reassured her weakly, "I¡¯m fine." Qiao Anhao ignored him. She returned back to the straw mat to grab his jacket and limped back to him. Before she could ce the jacket on him, he reached out to stop her. She looked down at him and saw an expression that she had never seen on him before. He had a dazzling faint smile. "I¡¯m really fine, you can have it on when you sleep to save yourself from getting a cold." Qiao Anhao could no longer ignore him anymore, and tears poured down her face endlessly. He jumped down the cliff for her, carried her to find shelter, helped her tend to her wound, let her rest while he stood guard, didn¡¯t even dare to cough out loud, fearing it would disrupt her, and now when he was having a high fever, he had reassured her warmly that he was fine. Lu Jinnian panicked. Even though everything was fine a moment ago, why would she suddenly cry? "Qiao Qiao..." Before he could finish his sentence, Qiao Anhao started to question him as tears continued to stream down her face. "Why did you jump down?" Chapter 451: Why Didnt You Want My Child?(12) Chapter 451: Why Didn¡¯t You Want My Child£¿£¨12£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Lu Jinnian panicked. Even though everything was fine a moment ago, why would she suddenly cry? "Qiao Qiao..." Before he could finish his sentence, Qiao Anhao started to question him as tears continued to stream down her face. "Why did you jump down?" The instance she asked the question, she could feel her chest start to hurt once more. For the past few weeks, she had been desperately trying to suppress her feelings for him, but in an instance, everything came gushing out. He continued to study her expression: she seemed agitated, her lips trembling as she repeated the question once more. "Lu Jinnian, why bother about me? Why jump down to save me?" Tears continued to stream down her face continuously while Lu Jinnian stared on in anxiety. Half his heart had frozen over, and due to his fever, he seemed to be in a slight daze, his pale lips moved slightly but he remained silent. Qiao Anhao¡¯s tears started to fall at a faster rate. She lifted her hands to wipe them off, but they seemed to be never ending, drowning her entire face. She bit down on her lip, forcing back her cries as she stared at Lu Jinnian. Taking another deep breath, she added, "Do you know how much I wish you were out of my life!" Lu Jinnian remained expressionless, as though he didn¡¯t care what she had said, but behind him, in a corner she couldn¡¯t see, he was holding tightly onto a pile of dirt. "We¡¯re no longer a couple, no wait, we were never a couple, but now, we are officially strangers... You have no idea how hard I¡¯ve been trying to ignore your presence..." The more Qiao Anhao spoke, the more her heart started to ache. In the end, she started to plead with him. "Lu Jinnian, I beg you, please leave me alone... You have no idea how pained and upset I get whenever I see you..." Qiao Anhao¡¯s knees buckled and she dropped to the floor, crying into the ground. Lu Jinnian had never known that he had been bringing her pain all this while. Even if she released him and left his world, he still had hopes, he still tried desperately to appear before her, to treat her well. Initially, Qiao Anhao was still able to ignore his presence, but today... When she had fallen from the cliff, he hade after her, he had helped her tend to her wound, given her his clothes, braved the rain, endured the cold, and now, he acted as though everything was fine when he was running a high fever. If he was able to do such a cruel thing to her, why couldn¡¯t he just continue to be cruel so that she would be able to forget him? Why did he have to treat her so well after doing such a thing? His actions made her waver, made her heart confused, made her struggle between hatred and love. It was driving her to the edge... Lu Jinnian could no longer hear a thing, his mind nk. All he could hear were her cries, each sob driving a dagger deeper into his heart. Her words repeated continuously in his mind, seemingly killing his soul every single time. Chapter 452: Why Didnt You Want My Child?(13) Chapter 452: Why Didn¡¯t You Want My Child£¿£¨13£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Ever since Lu Jinnian was young, he had been insulted many times. Even his birth father had said cruel things to him before, but he had never felt as pathetic as he felt right now. He wanted to allow himself to react or do something, but he had no idea what he should do. He could only maintain his usual frosty demeanor. After a seemingly long time, Qiao Anhao¡¯s cries started to go down, hershes trembling lightly. He had always assumed that if his confession failed, he would lose herpletely, so he would rather silently stay by her side. Even if she would never turn back her entire life, it was fine. Because in this world, she was the only one that gave him hope and showed him the beauty of life. Many times, just her expression or a faint smile was able to brighten his day. But even this tiny request was slowly turning into an unreachable desire. Lu Jinnian¡¯s eyes gradually turned red. He lowered hisshes, his expression remaining calm. After a long while, he lifted hisshes and looked towards Qiao Anhao, his eyes distant and cold. Qiao Qiao, did you know? You¡¯re the warmth that I¡¯ve spent my whole life trying to get close to. His lips curled into a slight smile, it was faint and had a hint of sorrow. Right now, he was ready to tell her that he would get out of her life. - Qiao Anhao cried for a long long time but she couldn¡¯t seem to vent her sorrow, her heart continued to be in a deep knot of pain. The moment she saw his name on the abortion form, she felt upset, she felt weak, she didn¡¯t even have the courage to ask him why he had killed her child because she was worried that his words would send her straight down to hell. But she never never expected that herck of courage would cause the pain and suffering today. She wanted to free herself, she wanted to just run away, to let her heart go cold... She lifted her head and looked straight into his eyes. The rain outside continued to pour relentlessly, and before she could ask her question, two steam of tears fell down her face. She took a deep breath before asking hoarsely, "Why didn¡¯t you want my child?" Lu Jinnian had been preparing his words but before he could say anything, he heard her question. He tilted his head to look at her curiously. Her eyes were swollen. As she knelt on the floor, she appeared small and delicate. She had her head raised towards him, staring straight into his eyes with a resolute expression. She repeated her question once more. "Lu Jinnian, Lu Jinnian, why did you abort my child?" Qiao Anhao¡¯s voice choked up as her heart continued to ache. "Lu Jinnian, I know that our marriage was fake and the child wasn¡¯t in the n, but since he had arrived, how could you be so ruthless? How could you kill him?" After crying for such a long time, her calmed emotions erupted once more. "Don¡¯t you know that it¡¯s a life? How could you be so ruthless to kill a life? It¡¯s murder, MURDER! "Who gave you the right to kill my child?" Her tears came back with a fury, her throat choking up as she spoke. "My.. child, who gave you the right? WHO?" Chapter 453: Why Didnt You Want My Child?(14) Chapter 453: Why Didn¡¯t You Want My Child£¿£¨14£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Qiao Anhao murmured "Who gave you the right?" several more times before looking up at the ceiling. She wiped her face off the endless tears, turning to stare out at the rain through the entrance of the cave. Gradually, the image of how she fell in love with Lu Jinnian materialized in her mind. It was a rainy day just like today. Her heart started to throb, she could no longer bare it any longer, starting to cry once more. This time, the cry was short. She quickly regained her senses, her longshes were soaked with tear droplets as she stared at him. In a resolute voice, she said, "Lu Jinnian, seriously, I can understand what you did, I¡¯m Xu Jiamu¡¯s wife in name, the child wasn¡¯t meant to be alive, but even if i can understand your intentions, I can never forgive you. "I can never be as ruthless as you are..." Her voice turned weak. She always thought that the most torturous thing in the world was not being able to love, but right now, she realized that the more torturous thing was that after what he had done, she still couldn¡¯t stop loving him. She buried her head between her knees, speaking in a sorrowful voice, "If you have been treating me well because of guilt, you can forget it because you¡¯ll never be able topensate for what you did..." Her question seemed to have caught Lu Jinnian off guard, it was only now that he was able to process what had happened. Qiao Anhao had found out about the abortion? But he had already silenced the doctors and nurses with a huge sum of money... Just when he was still pondering on how she had found out, he heard herst sentence: "You can forget it because you¡¯ll never be able topensate for what you did..." A glimmer of hope rose. With bright eyes, he finally said, "You didn¡¯t want to have anything to do with me because you thought I had aborted the child?" His question seemed to have caught her off guard this time. She clenched onto her cor, not daring to look at him as her eyes started to turn red once more. In a seemingly soulless voice, she said, "You really killed my child...." As opposed to her despair, Lu Jinnian was visibly agitated. He reached out to grab her shoulders, persisting with his question. "Qiao Qiao, answer my question first, you never wanted to see me again because of the child?" Qiao Anhao buried her head further into her knees. She moved her shoulders, trying to free herself from him. Lu Jinnian exerted more pressure as he asked once more, "Answer me..." Before he could finish his question, she abruptly lifted her head. With a face full of hatred, she spat out, "Yes!" Qiao Anhao had only said a word, but it was enough. A dazzling bright smile spread across Lu Jinnian¡¯s face. He pulled her into his arms and embraced her tightly. Chapter 454: Why Didnt You Want My Child?(15) Chapter 454: Why Didn¡¯t You Want My Child£¿£¨15£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Qiao Anhao was in despair and felt like dying but he had on a smile on his face? Even if she had a mild temper, she couldn¡¯t help getting infuriated. She struggled with her entire body, trying to free herself from his embrace, but Lu Jinnian exerted more strength, sessfully caging her in his arms. It was as though he was trying to meld her into his body. She started to get increasingly furious, she opened her mouth and bit down on his shoulder. Lu Jinnian trembled, clearly in pain, but he had no intention of letting her go. In Qiao Anhao¡¯s desperation, tears started to fall out once more, her entire body trembling. When she could feel herself dying inside, she suddenly heard Lu Jinnian¡¯s whisper. "Qiao Qiao, you indeed got an abortion and I had indeed signed the papers, but I didn¡¯t have a choice, the child..." He had thought that she hated him but only now did he realize that it was because of the child. Lu Jinnian felt as though his emotions had just went on a wild ride, it was so exhausting it almost killed him. At this moment, when he mentioned the child, the happiness was reced by sorrow once more. In a low voice, he exined, "When the report came out, the child had already been dead for a weak." Qiao Anhao seemed to have been struck, she stopped biting onto Lu Jinnian instantly. "Qiao Qiao, when I reached Mian Xiu Garden, you were already bleeding. I didn¡¯t know what to do so I sent you to the hospital... At that time, your condition was bad and you needed to go to a surgery immediately.." Lu Jinnian never wanted to be reminded of that night ever again. Even till today, he would awake from this nightmare sometimes. "Qiao Qiao, I¡¯m sorry I wasn¡¯t able to protect the child as a father should." Qiao Anhao blinked several times before moving her mouth away from his shoulder to look at him in shock. "Died inside me?" Lu Jinnian nodded lightly. His throat moved slightly, and he continued, worried she didn¡¯t believe his words, "The reports are all with me, you can take a look once we return if you don¡¯t believe me." Her child died? That¡¯s why he signed the abortion papers? Which meant she had misunderstood him all this while? He had been treating her really well recently... But she had always been ignoring him and treating him coldly... And a few minutes ago, she had just said such mean things to him... She started to regret her actions and started to feel embarrassed. She buried her head in his shoulder and stared back at the spot that she had just bitten... There was blood and the skin had turned slightly purple. Lowering hershes in embarrassment, she reached out to caress his bruise before asking lightly, "Does it hurt?" Lu Jinnian¡¯s face was a frightening shade of white, but he shook his head faintly. "Doesn¡¯t hurt." Chapter 455: Why Didnt You Want My Child?(16) Chapter 455: Why Didn¡¯t You Want My Child£¿£¨16£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Qiao Anhao couldn¡¯t help her eyes from turning red. She reached out and hugged Lu Jinnian¡¯s neck, burying her head in his chest. After a moment, she raised her head slightly towards his ears, in a low whisper, she apologized, "I¡¯m sorry." Even though she wasn¡¯t loud, Lu Jinnian could hear every word. His body froze, but he didn¡¯t say anything, wordlessly hugging her closer. Qiao Anhao remained silent. In this deserted ce, they quietly enjoyed each other¡¯s embrace. After a seemingly long time, the rain stopped, sinking the forest into silence. The only sound wasing from the crackling fire. When Qiao Anhao finally calmed down, she began to think of what Lu Jinnian had said . She turned to face him slowly. "Lu Jinnian, why did the baby die?" Lu Jinnian froze slightly, remembering the swallow¡¯s nest that Han Ruchu had given her. Menace with a mixture of hatred and heartache shed through his eyes, but it was gone in an instance. Before Qiao Anhao could detect any change, he had returned back to normal. Han Ruchu was her mother-inw, the mother of the man she loved... If she were to know the truth, it might cause a rift between her and Xu Jiamu... The only reason Han Ruchu had targeted her was because of him, it was all his fault.... In an emotionless voice, he exined, "The first three months of pregnancy are usually the toughest, it¡¯s very easy to have a miscarriage. At that time, you were still filming, theck of rest and proper nutrition caused it to happen." Qiao Anhao recalled her nausea. She had originally thought that it was a normal gastric problem, but now that she thought about it, it was probably from the pregnancy. Afterwards, the nausea had stopped and she thought that her stomach was fine, but it was actually because the baby had died... If she had listened to Lu Jinnian and visited the hospital early on, the tragedy wouldn¡¯t have happened and she wouldn¡¯t have ended up misunderstanding him. She remained in deep thought for a long while before asking softly, "Lu Jinnian, then why didn¡¯t you tell me the truth?" Lu Jinnian seemed to feel sick. He leaned against the cave¡¯s wall, staring at the fire. "Qiao Qiao, I just didn¡¯t want you to be upset." I didn¡¯t have any other intentions, I just didn¡¯t want you to feel that heart wrenching pain that I had felt on that day. I just wanted to carry all the pain and shoulder all your burdens. He was just worried that she would be upset, that¡¯s why he didn¡¯t tell her. It wasn¡¯t because he didn¡¯t want the child... Qiao Anhao started to feel a stinging sensation in her eyes. She softly murmured, "I¡¯m sorry." She waited slightly, then asked uncertainly, "Lu Jinnian, will you me me?" Lu Jinnian couldn¡¯t keep the cough in any longer, starting another fit. "Huh?" he asked after. "Will you me me for misunderstanding?" Qiao Anhao repeated uncertainly. "No..." Before he could say another word, he fell onto her. Chapter 456: Why Didnt You Want My Child?(17) Chapter 456: Why Didn¡¯t You Want My Child£¿£¨17£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Lu Jinnian had ced his entire body weight on Qiao Anhao, and she had almost fallen with him. Turning her head to the side, she could see his tightly knotted forehead and pale lips. Just then, she remembered that he was still running a fever. She reached out to feel his forehead: the temperature seemed much higher than before. He had soaked in the stream for such a long time, went to collect branches shirtless, all of it must have caused him to catch a cold. Qiao Anhao felt her heart start to ache once more. She hurriedly climbed out of his embrace, then struggled to pull him to the straw mat. Using all her strength, she endured the pain in her leg, towing him towards the mat. She covered him with his jacket before adding more branches to the fire so that it would burn more furiously, increasing the temperature in the cave. The rain had been ongoing for a long time, causing the air to be moist. As the wind blew, the cave started to get cold and humid. Lu Jinnian frowned as hey on the straw mat, his face scrunching up in difort. Even unconscious, he was trembling from the cold. Qiao Anhao stood in front of Lu Jinnian, attempting to block the wind that was entering the cave but it didn¡¯t seem to work as he continued to tremble uncontrobly. Even his breathing was starting to get weak as he continuously murmured something. Qiao Anhao moved her ear towards his mouth to try and decipher what he was saying. After listening for a long while, she realized that he was repeating "Cold". Without any hesitation, she removed her costume and ced it over Lu Jinnian¡¯s body, but just then, a gush of wind entered, sending chills through her body. Even with twoyers of clothes, he didn¡¯t seem to be getting any warmer... Qiao Anhao looked at the fire before turning to look at the entrance of the cave. Deep in the woods, what could provide him with warmth? She felt his icy cold hands as she listened to him murmur. She started to feel anxious, and frowning, she thought desperately of ways to warm him up. Just then, she seemed to have thought of something. Biting her lip, she removed all her clothes and slipped under the clothes that were covering Lu Jinnian. She inched over to him and arranged the clothes over both their bodies before hugging him close to send her own body warmth over. Qiao Anhao hugged Lu Jinnian for a long while. In time, she felt his shivering stop and his body start to warm slightly. His breathing turned long and deep as though he had fallen asleep. Only then was she able to finally rx. She leaned against him in exhaustion, allowing sleep to take her. - Lu Jinnian had a dream, he dreamed that the both of them were lying together naked, her skin just like in his memory. It was soft and tender, sending desire through his body. He couldn¡¯t control it, kissing her lips greedily, seeking more. It was a scary feeling. He became excited almost instantly and impatiently sought for more, pressing onto her body. He could hear his breathing bing impatient and his temperature starting to rise. Chapter 457: Why Didnt You Want My Child?(18 Chapter 457: Why Didn¡¯t You Want My Child£¿£¨18£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Lu Jinnian could hear his hurried breaths and feel his ever rising body temperature. Even his breaths were starting to heat up. He wasn¡¯t sure where they were, but all he could feel was the rising heat... His desires turned strong and his actions became increasingly daring. He continued to caress her lustfully, yearning and seeking more, while she remained docile, amodating his touch. It was indeed a dream... Lu Jinnian¡¯s breathing became erratic and unstable, but at thest moment, he suddenly stopped. I can¡¯t... Now that they were no longer a couple and Xu Jiamu was awake, he couldn¡¯t, not when the man she loved was awake. They were meant to be together and he wasn¡¯t going to ruin it... Even in his dreams, he wasn¡¯t going to allow it.... He tried to control his breathing, his hands clenching tightly into fists as he desperately pushed down his desires, forcing himself away from her body. Yet he pulled her into his embrace, ayer of sweat covering his forehead. - The next day, Qiao Anhao was awakened by the birds chirping. She was in a slight daze, staring up at the cave wall for a while before bolting up from the mat. She sat on the mat and scanned the surroundings, realizing that she was all alone. The fire had extinguished, leaving a pile of ashes in its wake and the clothes she had removed the previous night were back on her. Lu Jinnian had dressed her? But where was he? Qiao Anhao tied her crumpled clothes, finding kiss marks on her corbone. It was then that she realized in a daze that something had happened the night before. Her face blushed a deep shade of red instantly. It wasn¡¯t a dream, it was real... But halfway through, why did he suddenly stop... "You¡¯re awake?" Lu Jinnian¡¯s voice came from the entrance of the cave. Qiao Anhao hurriedly stashed away her thoughts, turning to look at Lu Jinnian. He walked into the cave with his hands full with the fruit that she had eaten the night before. She continued to stare at him as he ced the fruits in front of her. She picked one and took a bite before turning back to look at him, "How¡¯s your fever?" Lu Jinnian swallowed the fruit before replying. "It¡¯s gone." He paused for a moment, then added, "Thank you forst night." Qiao Anhao knew that he was referring to how she had removed her clothes to provide him with warmth, and her face turned red instantly. She lowered her head and bit hard into the fruit. The cave remained silent for a while. After some time, she lifted her head to ask, "What are we going to do now?" All Lu Jinnian could think about was the incident from the night before, but when he realized that she was speaking to him, he hurriedly asked, "Huh?" Qiao Anhao thought that he didn¡¯t understand what she was asking, so she rified. "I meant how are we going to leave this ce? The crew might not be able to find us here." She reached into her pockets and fiddled around before saying in exasperation, "I forgot I was wearing a costume so I don¡¯t have a phone..." Just then, her eyes brightened and she stared at Lu Jinnian. "Right, did you..?" Chapter 458: Why Didnt You Want My Child?(19) Chapter 458: Why Didn¡¯t You Want My Child£¿£¨19£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Lu Jinnian bolted up from his seat abruptly as though he had met with an urgent matter, frightening Qiao Anhao. She paused slightly before lifting her head. "What¡¯s wrong?" Lu Jinnian pointed to the entrance of the cave calmly, saying, "Nature¡¯s call." Before waiting for her to respond, he headed out of the cave. He randomly chose a path, and after walking about fifty meters, he stopped. Having left in a hurry, he was still holding on to the fruit. He held it in his mouth and reached for his phone. He pressed the on switch and stared at the screen in anticipation, and miraculously, it actually lit up. He could even get a signal! Several texts came through, producing multiple beeps. Deep in his heart, he couldn¡¯t help scolding the phone. What kind of phone was this? It could actually turn on after being soaked in water for such a long time? Lu Jinnian exhaled, as he thought of the woman that was still thinking of ways to contact someone, something shed past his eyes. He hesitated slightly before tossing the phone away. When he was out getting fruits, he realized that there were multiple traps in the forest. This meant that there was a vige nearby and it was highly likely that someone would be here today to reap their gains. When they came to im their prey, the two of them would be able to follow them back, but before that, he would be able to spend quality time with her... Lu Jinnian strolled back into the cave leisurely. He sat back down on the log and faced Qiao Anhao, who was still munching on the fruit. In a calm tone, he asked, "Right, before I left, what did you want to ask me?" "Do you have your phone with you?" Lu Jinnian replied honestly, "I do." Surprise clouded her eyes: "Hurry and take it out, maybe it can still work. If it works, we¡¯ll be able to get help!" "Yea." Lu Jinnian nodded amodatingly before raising his hand to reach into his pocket. Frowning, he reached for his other pocket. He then pulled the entire pocket out before looking back at Qiao Anhao in despair... In aforting tone, he tried to reassure her, "Maybe it¡¯s in the jacket." As he spoke, he reached for the jacket at the side. He touched the pockets as Qiao Anhao stared at him with anticipation and hope. Just then, he pulled out his wallet really slowly. He frowned and stood up, dusting his pants slightly. He spoke next in a curious tone as though he was talking to himself. "It¡¯s weird, I remember bringing my phone with me." Qiao Anhao¡¯s lifted spirits were dashed in an instance, but she still helped him analyze the situation. "Maybe you dropped it when you jumped into the stream?" Lu Jinnian nodded. With a cating expression, he agreed to her words, "Maybe..." Chapter 459: Why Didnt You Want My Child?(20) Chapter 459: Why Didn¡¯t You Want My Child£¿£¨20£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Just as Lu Jinnian had predicted, at about noon, an elderly and middle-aged man came into the cave. In one hand, they held hunting guns and in the other, they had a random assortment of animals. They seemed surprised to see living humans so deep inside the deserted forest. The historical robe that Qiao Anhao wore shocked them further. They froze, thinking that they had encountered a monster. Lu Jinnian exined their predicament to them in detail, and only then did the two hunters seemed to calm down and regain their senses. Without hesitation, they agreed to help both Qiao Anhao and Lu Jinniane back to safety. The forest road was harsh. With her leg injury, Qiao Anhao wasn¡¯t able to tread through by herself, so Lu Jinnian carried her instead. Even thought the elderly man had a full head of white hair and long snowy beard, his footsteps were swift and agile, with no indication of his age. But when he saw Lu Jinnian with Qiao Anhao on his back, he slowed down significantly, even helping to support him when the path started to became harsher. Through the conversation, Qiao Anhao found out that they were father and son and were hunters. The elderly man didn¡¯t speak much, but the younger man smiled cheerfully as he told them that they were lucky to have met them since they would onlye every three to five days. If they had been here any earlier, they might have had to wait for up to three or four days. It was only three hourster when they reached the entrance of the vige. It was rather small and filled with wooden houses. While they were walking over, the pair realized that Qiao Anhao was injured, so the moment they reached the vige, they led them to the only health center. The vige was rural and surrounded by mountains. Even though roads had just been built, the conditions in the vige were still harsh. The medical center wasn¡¯t very advanced, and there was only one doctor who applied a thinyer of medicine onto Qiao Anhao¡¯s wound. After the wound was treated, the hunters brought them to their home. The moment they entered the house, the younger man shouted. Moments after, a middle-aged woman came out. When she saw Lu Jinnian and Qiao Anhao, her gaze turned curious, and her husband exined the situation. She turned back to Lu Jinnian and Qiao Anhao, enthusiastically weing them into the house for a meal. The middle-aged women didn¡¯t expect the additional guests, so she was worried that there wouldn¡¯t be enough food and headed back to boil another two bowls of noodles. After the meal, the woman brought them to the west house. She pointed towards a room and told them that she had prepared it for them. The room had soil flooring and didn¡¯t have much furniture. The bed sheets were visibly fresh and clean but looked worn with stitching at the edges. Beside the bed, there was a water sk and two cups on a ck, wooden table. The cups looked new, clearly untouched since the day they were bought. The middle-aged woman didn¡¯t disrupt them. She just told them to inform her if they needed anything before closing the door. The cave conditions had been bad, so Lu Jinnian and Qiao Anhao hadn¡¯t gotten much rest. On top of that, since Lu Jinnian had carried her for such a long walk, he was indeed tired. The moment theyid on the bed, they fell into deep sleep. Chapter 460: Peaceful and Beautiful Times(1) Chapter 460: Peaceful and Beautiful Times£¨1£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem When Lu Jinnian woke up, the other side of the bed was already empty. He frowned, bolting up. When he was about to find Qiao Anhao, he caught sight of a set of clothes at the corner of his pillow. It was a simple white shirt and a pair of long ck pants. On the floor, there was a bucket of water, beside which was a Thermos sk and a small towel. Lu Jinnian¡¯s frown disappeared instantly. He walked towards the bucket and poured some hot water in. He ced the towel into the bucket before wringing it dry to wipe himself. Turning back to the bed, he put on the clothes and walked out of the room with the bucket. The living area outside was empty, the door slightly ajar. He walked over and was mesmerized by theforting and peaceful sight. There was arge tree in the courtyard. He didn¡¯t know what species it was, but it was filled with pink flowers, its trunk thick and coarse, showing its age. Qiao Anhao sat below the tree, a little girl about seven years old beside her, leaning against a short table. The little girl had a pen in her hands and appeared to be practicing writing. Qiao Anhao was focused on the white paper, her tone soft and gentle when she spoke. "No, it¡¯s wrong here... Nope, still wrong... Let me show you one more time..." As she spoke, she covered the little girl¡¯s tiny hands, patiently writing the words out slowly. "There, you can try again... Yes, that¡¯s great! It¡¯s really pretty, you did well..." The little girl tilted her head up to smile sweetly at Qiao Anhao before lowering it back down to continue practicing. It was nearing dusk, the sun casting a reddish glow on the tree, the rays spilling onto Qiao Anhao and the little girl. Qiao Anhao had already removed her costume. She had on a simple white dress, her hair tied into two long ids. Her face was clean, without any makeup, her white skin gleaming under the sun¡¯s rays; it was wless. The wind blew softly, causing a few petals to fall onto her and the girl¡¯s dark hair. Qiao Anhao reached out to pinch the petals away carefully. Lu Jinnian held onto the bucket, leaning against the door as he stared at the image ahead, mesmerized. His heart clenched, it felt full and at ease. The little girl was the first to notice Lu Jinnian¡¯s presence. She held onto the pencil, her head tilted to the side as she stared at him, blinking slightly. When Qiao Anhao realized that the girl was in a daze, she lightly called out to her "Nan Nan." She towards her line of sight, and when she saw Lu Jinnian at the door, she straightened and asked, "You¡¯re awake?" Lu Jinnian snapped out of his daze. "Yea..." He tookrge strides forward and poured the water away before heading to the tree. Qiao Anhao turned to smile at him. "She¡¯s Nan Nan, the daughter of the family. Brother Chen and his wife went to farm, and since she was reading, I decided to teach her a few words." Lu Jinnian nodded his head lightly, looking down at the white paper. When Qiao Anhao had covered the little girl¡¯s hand, the words were neat, but when the girl had written herself, they started to curve weirdly in every direction. Chapter 461: Peaceful and Beautiful Times(2) Chapter 461: Peaceful and Beautiful Times£¨2£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem A while after Lu Jinnian woke up, elderly Chen, Brother Chen, and his wife came back from the farm. While they were having lunch, Lu Jinnian asked where he could borrow a phone, sadly, the only family with a phone in the vige wasn¡¯t at home in the afternoon. But when brother Chen was on the way back from the farm, he had seen that the door to the house was open, hence he immediately brought Lu Jinnian over. Brother Chen exined Lu Jinnian¡¯s situation to the family, so they allowed them into the house and led them towards their phone. The house¡¯s owner signaled for Lu Jinnian to use it, and he walked over and entered his assistant¡¯s phone number. The call went through instantly. The assistant¡¯s voice was drowned in anxiety. "Is there news from Mr. Lu and Miss Qiao?" Lu Jinnian paused for a bit before replying simply, "It¡¯s me." "Huh?" His assistant asked curiously, seemingly in a daze. After a while, he shouted enthusiastically, "Mr. Lu? Mr. Lu is that you?" "Yea." "Mr. Lu, is that really you? Where are you now? Oh, did you see Miss Qiao? How are your conditions?" The assistant rambled on continuously. "I¡¯m with her now, we¡¯re both fine." Lu Jinnian paused momentarily before adding, "We¡¯re at..." He turned to look at brother Chen, who understood instantly, and taking over the phone, he reported the vige¡¯s name and its exact location. After the assistant had recorded the details, brother Chen passed the phone back to Lu Jinnian. "Mr. Lu, I¡¯ll rush over right now." - When they returned back to brother Chen¡¯s house, his wife had already made dinner. The vige people led a simple life: they slept early and woke up early, so after dinner, elderly Chen brought the little girl into the house to sleep while brother Chen and his wife stayed behind to clean up their hunting gains before turning in. The vige was extremely quiet once night set in. Besides the moonlight, there weren¡¯t any other light sources. Qiao Anhao had slept too much in the afternoon, so sheid beside Lu Jinnian, both of them wide awake. The moment she shut her eyes, her mind started to run. The more she thought about random things, the more awake she was, and in the end, she flipped over. Using the faint glow from the moon, she stared at Lu Jinnian¡¯s perfect profile. After staring for a long while, she blinked and whispered his name, "Lu Jinnian?" "Yea?" Lu Jinnian opened his eyes as he flipped to the side. His eyes seemed like bottomless pits under the faint glow, captivating her. Her heart jumped, and she lowered hershes unconsciously, hiding from his gaze before continuing, "Thank you." If it wasn¡¯t for him, she would probably be dead. "It¡¯s fine." Lu Jinnian knew what she meant, and he replied warmly. His voice was cold and frosty but it still managed to warm her heart. Lu Jinnian had jumped down the cliff to save her, so was it like in the dramas where one could sacrifice their own life for someone else? Chapter 462: Peaceful and Beautiful Times(3) Chapter 462: Peaceful and Beautiful Times£¨3£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Qiao Anhao couldn¡¯t exin it, but a thought started to form in her mind. Her heart pounded rapidly as she continued to stare at Lu Jinnian¡¯s profile, and before she could process whatever was in her mind, she blurted out, "Lu Jinnian, why are you so good to me?" Her question seemed to have startled Lu Jinnian. He remained silent, not knowing how to reply. Only after Qiao Anhao had asked the question did she realize what had happened, and she started to grow anxious. She held her breath. When she realized that Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t react at all, she started to feel embarrassed. Desperately, she tried to find a way out, she thought randomly before finally thinking of something. "Lu Jinnian, are you guilty because of the death of the child? Is that why you¡¯re treating me so well?" Lu Jinnian had been fretting about what to do, so the moment he heard her, he heaved a sigh of relief and replied with a faint "Yea." He was indeed sorry for the death of the child, but even if the child hadn¡¯t existed, he would still have jumped into the stream without hesitation if the incident had happened again. But there were some things that he wasn¡¯t able to let her know. It was really because of the child... Disappointment clouded Qiao Anhao¡¯s heart instantly, but even if he felt guilty, wasn¡¯t sacrificing his life a bit too much? She wanted to pursue the matter further, but before she could ask the question, she paused. She had wanted to ask him: Did you jump down the cliff because you like me? Indeed, Lu Jinnian had treated her really well and done so many things that had caused her to be misled... But what if she was wrong? Qiao Anhao¡¯s lips moved, but in the end, she swallowed her question, remaining silent. Lu Jinnian, who was lying beside her, seemed to have suddenly remembered something important. He turned his head and stared into her eyes, his face solemn. "I paid the hospital arge sum to keep your abortion a secret, how could you have found out about it?" Lu Jinnian¡¯s question caused Qiao Anhao¡¯s mind to freeze, but she replied honestly. "A nurse from the hospital sent me the form..." She paused, seeming to have realized that something was wrong. Without continuing her sentence, she asked, "Hey, wait up. The nurse mentioned that you didn¡¯t want my child and that she was the aplice. The only reason she sent the papers to me was because she was guilty and was trying to redeem herself... Why would she feel guilty about my miscarriage?" Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t care for the second half of her sentence. With a frown, he asked,"What was in the delivery?" "The abortion papers you signed." "When did you receive them?" Qiao Anhao thought for a while. "On my birthday..." Wasn¡¯t her birthday the day that Xu Jiamu woke up? Lu Jinnian¡¯s heart clenched tightly; he had understood everything in that instant. Everything was nned by Han Ruchu... Chapter 463: Peaceful and Beautiful Times(4) Chapter 463: Peaceful and Beautiful Times£¨4£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Han Ruchu would definitely be aware that Qiao Anhao would get an abortion in the hospital as she was the one who had ced the sleeping pills in that swallow¡¯s nest. When her son woke up, she no longer had any worries, but she was afraid that Qiao Anhao would fall for him after spending such a long time together, so she had tried to find a loophole to scheme upon. At that time, Lu Jinnian just didn¡¯t want her to be upset, so he forgot that his dishonestly could be used against him. Just a moment of miscalction and a tragedy could have happened. If she didn¡¯t fall into the stream, he would have never known that she hated him so much. Five years ago, on Qiao Anhao¡¯s birthday, that woman had thrown away the flowers and cake he had gotten Qiao Anhao. Five yearster, still on Qiao Anhao¡¯s birthday, that woman had sentenced him to death in Qiao Anhao¡¯s world. He had underestimated her hatred towards him, and her ruthlessness. Between an unknown nurse and Lu Jinnian who had exined the situation the night before, Qiao Anhao chose to believe him without hesitation. She never noticed anything strange about him as she continued to voice her doubt. "Why would the nurse lie? What was her motive?" Lu Jinnian was deep in his thoughts and didn¡¯t realize that Qiao Anhao had spoken. After a long while, she still didn¡¯t get a response, so she couldn¡¯t resist anymore. "Lu Jinnian?" He hurriedly put away his thoughts. Turning towards Qiao Anhao, he replied in a faint voice, "I¡¯m not sure either... I handed the matter to my assistant, and he had mentioned that there was a nurse that threatened him for more money but he had ignored her, that may be the reason why she came to you..." So that¡¯s what happened... Qiao Anhao looked at Lu Jinnian and apologized once more. "Regardless of how it was, Lu Jinnian, I want to say I¡¯m sorry." "It¡¯s fine..." Lu Jinnian paused, his gaze turning murderous. Some things had been done deliberately so she would misunderstand, so how could she have realized? Han Ruchu was there ever since she was a child, she treated her like a daughter, so Qiao Anhao would probably never believe that she was the one who had killed her child. If he were to tell her the truth now, would she think he was using Han Ruchu? He was able to tolerate Han Ruchu¡¯s repeated insults and hurt, but he wasn¡¯t capable of forgiving her for what she had did to his child, there wille a day when he¡¯ll get his revenge. Lu Jinnian shut his eyes, forcing the anger down before replying faintly, "Actually, it¡¯s also my fault." After pausing for a bit, he added, "It¡¯ste, sleep." After talking for such a long time, Qiao Anhao was indeed starting to get sleepy. In the end, she could no longer fight her drooping eyelids and fell asleep. In a daze, she felt someonee close, cing a warm, moist kiss on her forehead. Chapter 464: Peaceful and Beautiful Times(5) Chapter 464: Peaceful and Beautiful Times£¨5£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Qiao Anaho¡¯s brows moved, she seemed to have smelled the familiar aroma of Lu Jinnian. Just then, she seemed to have heard someone whisper, "Qiao Qiao, I like you, I have liked you for a very very long time." Qiao Anhao¡¯s lips curled upwards into a smile, her head rubbing the pillow before falling into deep sleep. Lu Jinnian stared at Qiao Anhao¡¯s face for a long while before reaching out to rub her hair lightly. Turning back to his side of the bed, heid down. - The next morning, Qiao Anhao was awaken by thunder. She sat upright and turned to the other side of the bed, Lu Jinnian was no longer around. The skies started to pour outside, and she came out and saw that brother Chen¡¯s wife was the only one in the living room. She sat on a wooden stool, sewing a man¡¯s shirt. "Miss Qiao, you¡¯re awake?" She raised her head to look at Qiao Anhao. Putting the clothes down, she walked to the side and ced a set of breakfast onto the table in front of her. Qiao Anhao thanked her before sitting down. She tilted her head and asked, "Where is everyone?" "They went to he mountain to cut shoots." Qiao Anhao didn¡¯t reply, she lowered her head to eat silently. When she was halfway through, lighting struck, piercing the air before a loud p of thunder resounded. Swiftly, the rain increased in intensity. Qiao Anhao turned to face the door instinctively. As she looked out, the rain pelted down from the skies aggressively, blurring her vision. As puddles started to form, flooding the area, she started to feel increasingly worried, losing her appetite. She continued to stare out the door, gaining Madam Chen¡¯s attention. She smiled slightly,forting Qiao Anhao, " Miss Qiao, don¡¯t worry, the weather here is always like that, it¡¯ll stop in a while." Qiao Anhao nodded her head lightly, her heart uneasy. The skies were pouring. Since she was in Beijing ever since she was young, it was the first time she had experienced such bad weather. Madam Chen seemed to understand Qiao Anhao¡¯s anxiety, but at the same time, she was bored, so she asked, "Miss Qiao, where are you from?" Qiao Anhao stared at the horrid weather, her mind running as she replied soullessly, "Beijing." "Oh Beijing, that¡¯s a big city, no wonder you seem so elegant." As she spoke, Madam Chen tied an end knot on the shirt before biting off the thread. Another lighting pierced through the skies, and Qiao Anhao paled, starting to get more anxious, her entire body trembling. Madam Chen couldn¡¯t keep in herughter. "Miss Qiao, don¡¯t worry, your man will definitely be fine." Your man... Qiao Anhao was just about to exin when suddenly two figures came into sight. She paused, swallowing her words. She stood up hurriedly and saw brother Chen running in covered in mud, behind him was Lu Jinnian, who was entirely covered in mud as well. But even mud, it still couldn¡¯t conceal the elegance that he emitted. The moment she saw him back in one piece, Qiao Anhao finally calmed her heavy heart. Before she could ask how he was, Madam Chenughed lightly. "Aiya, you¡¯re finally back Mr. Lu! You have no idea how worried your wife was when she realized you were out in such a bad weather. She was so anxious she almost cried!" Chapter 465: Peaceful and Beautiful Times(6) Chapter 465: Peaceful and Beautiful Times£¨6£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Madam Chen pointed with her head towards the table as she spoke. "Look, she didn¡¯t even eat much." Lu Jinnian nced towards the breakfast on the table before ncing back at Qiao Anhao. She blushed upon hearing Madam Chen¡¯s words, and when she sensed Lu Jinnian looking at her, she blushed an even deeper shade of red, lowering her head to shield her face. Just then, she realized that she hadn¡¯t rified their rtionship. Before the men had returned, Madam Chen had already boiled some water for them to have a bath. After they took a hot bath, the rain had already stopped and the skies were clear once again, brightening the vige. Qiao Anhao walked back to the room with a freshly brewed bowl of ginger soup. When she entered, she saw that Lu Jinnian¡¯s hair was drenched and was still dripping water. She frowned slightly, cing the ginger soup on the table before leaving the room to get a dry towel. Lu Jinnian sat on the edge of the bed, holding the bowl of ginger soup in his hands and sipping from it carefully, the droplets from his hair dripping into the bowl. Qiao Anhao walked towards him, ced a towel on his head, and started to dry it tenderly. Lu Jinnian stiffened slightly, spilling hot soup onto the back of his hand, scalding it bright red. Ignoring the pain, he lowered hisshes, continuing to sip the hot soup gingerly. The room was silent. After a moment, Qiao Anhao said softly, "Erm, Madam Chen misunderstood." Lu Jinnian took a moment to process her words before replying with a nonmittal "Oh." Reaching out with his hand, he ced the bowl onto the table beside. Qiao Anhao removed the towel and caressed his hair; it was only slightly damp now. She turned, and when she was about to leave, she tripped on Lu Jinnian¡¯s leg, falling right into his arms. Her face blushed a deep shade of red as she struggled to climb out of his embrace. But Lu Jinnian, he instead grabbed onto her wrists. Qiao Anhao stiffened. She lifted her head and her gaze collided straight with Lu Jinnian¡¯s eyes. In that instance, her heart raced and an unknown anxiety started to enclose her. After a seemingly long while, Lu Jinnian moved her hands to the back of her head, moving her head slightly upwards. Soon, she felt his head lowering closer and closer to her face. Qiao Anhao felt as though her heart had stopped. Her longshes trembled slightly before her eyes shut entirely. She could feel his breath spilling onto her face, it was heated and moist. She couldn¡¯t help gulping down her saliva. Even though her eyes were shut and she couldn¡¯t see anything, she knew that his lips were almost touching hers... just then, their lips met. Heat ran through her body, spreading everywhere, and hershes started to tremble rapidly. Lu Jinnian¡¯s lips covered her lips, but he remained motionless for a long while before slowly kissing her. Just when his tongue was going to venture in, Madam Chen¡¯s loud voice pierced through the air. "Mr. Lu, Miss Qiao, someone is here to get you!" Chapter 466: Peaceful and Beautiful Times (7) Chapter 466: Peaceful and Beautiful Times (7) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Lu Jinnian paused for a moment, while Qiao Anhaopletely snapped back to reality and instinctively pulled away from his arms. She lowered her blushing face, and straightened her clothes. She made a sound to the other side of the door, nced at Lu Jinnian, and walked out first. "There are two cars stopped at the door. They say that they¡¯re here to pick you both up..." said brother Chen¡¯s wife, as she pointed at the courtyard. Qiao Anhao stared nkly for a moment, then when she stepped out and saw who was standing outside, she instantly smiled. "Sis, Brother Jiamu!" Lu Jinnian, who was originally following behind Qiao Anhao, stopped in his tracks for a moment when he heard the two names she called out. After a while, he stepped out of the house and saw the three of them chatting andughing away. Xu Jiamu probably knew that Qiao Anhao had hurt her leg, so he supported her over to the stool under the tree. Then, he crouched down in front of her and rolled up her trousers to check on the wound. They probably assumed someone would be injured, and so they specially brought a medical kit with them. When Qiao Anxia ran over to the car to get it, Xu Jiamu remained crouched and rubbed the herbal medicine to disinfect the wound. He added on ayer of ointment before bandaging it up. Xu Jiamu lifted his head. Who knows what he asked Qiao Anhao, but she smiled at him and shook her head. The bright rays of sun happened to shine on her face and her smile, which pierced Lu Jinnian¡¯s eyes. He instinctively turned his head in pain, and stood by the door a little fazed, until his assistant walked over and called out to him, "Mr. Lu". Lu Jinnian hurriedly snapped back to reality and turned his head towards brother Chen and his wife in the house. He said, "Thank you", and soon after, nced at his assistant, who immediately knew to take out an envelope. Lu Jinnian took the envelope and handed it to brother Chen and his wife. "Thank you so much for taking care of us. Here¡¯s a little something as a token of goodwill." Brother Chen took the envelope, and saw a pile of red notes. He immediately pushed it back, wanting to return it to Lu Jinnian, but in the end, the assistant came forward, and reasoned with them. Finally, he convinced them to ept the envelope. "Mr. Lu, should we be on our way now?" asked the assistant. After he finished thanking the Chen family, he turned his head and walked over to Lu Jinnian, who stood dazed to one side, staring at an empty space outside the house. Lu Jinnian diverted his eyes and gave a light nod. The assistant immediately rushed over to the three who were chatting away to one side, and reminded Xu Jiamu with a respectful tone, "Mr. Xu, we can head out now." "Wait one moment, let me say goodbye to brother Chen and his wife." Qiao Anhao got up from the stool and rushed over to the house. Xu Jiamu stood still on the spot, before calling out "Bro" to Lu Jinnian, who stood inside the house. Lu Jinnian greeted him with a silent nod, then his eyes fell on Qiao Anhao, who came out of the house. Probably because of the pain in her leg, for two days, she was quite slow and limped when she walked. It had just rained, and so there were quite a few puddles on the ground. She walked a little cautiously, perhaps to avoid getting her shoes wet. Now, she walked for about five meters before suddenly stopping. Qiao Anxia cried out in curiosity, "Qiao Qiao?" Qiao Anhao didn¡¯t turn her head but raised her hand to rub her forehead. Then, without any warning, her body went limp, and she dropped to the ground. Chapter 467: Peaceful and Beautiful Times (8) Chapter 467: Peaceful and Beautiful Times (8) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem "Qiao Qiao!" "Miss Qiao!" "Miss Qiao!" Everyone screamed in shock at practically the same time. Lu Jinnian was the first to rush over to Qiao Anhao, followed closely behind by Xu Jiamu. However, Xu Jiamu was far closer to where Qiao Anhao had fallen than Lu Jinnian was, so it didn¡¯t matter how fast he ran. Xu Jiamu was the first to reach Qiao Anhao, and he crouched down, propping her up. Xu Jiamu lightly pped her face and gently called her name twice. Yet Qiao Anhao was resting weakly on his shoulders without the slightest reaction. Lu Jinnian, who had originally lunged forward, stopped sharply in his tracks. He looked over at the pale-faced Qiao Anhao with her eyes shut, nestled in Xu Jiamu¡¯s arms. His eyes were rather astounded. Just now, because he ran over so abruptly, his breath was a little unsteady, and his outstretched hands lingered still, mid-air. Brother Chen and his wife, Qiao Anxia and the assistant had alreadye over. "What happened to Miss Qiao? How did she suddenly faint?" said brother Chen¡¯s wife, as she looked over at her husband. "Qiao Qiao, Qiao Qiao!" Qiao Anxia shook Qiao Anhao¡¯s arm, then impatiently cried out to Xu Jiamu, "Xu Jiamu, what are you doing, nking out? Hurry up and take Qiao Qiao to the hospital!" With Qiao Anxia¡¯s cries, Xu Jiamu abruptly snapped back to reality, then hurriedly carried Qiao Anhao out. He turned and rushed out the door. Qiao Anxia hurriedly left with the words, "Thank you for taking care of Qiao Qiao." She then ran away in her ten centimeter shoes and caught up with Xu Jiamu. As she opened her handbag, she pulled the car door and outstretched her arms to push Xu Jiamu, who was setting Qiao Anhao down, into the car. With bossy aura, she ordered him, "Hand me the keys, you get in too. I¡¯m driving!" Without even waiting for Xu Jiamu to search for his keys, Qiao Anxia ardently reached her hand out and scoured through his pockets, to which Xu Jiamu cried out, "Qiao Anxia, what the f*ck do you think you¡¯re touching?!" With the car keys in her hand, Qiao Anxia shot Xu Jiamu a scornful look, as though she couldn¡¯t be bothered to answer him. Then she put the key straight in the car and started the engine up. "Bro, you lot hurry and catch up!" screamed Xu Jiamu into the courtyard behind him, and then, he got in the car. Before the car door was even closed, Qiao Anxia stepped on the elerator, causing it to jump. The dirty water by the road flew on Xu Jiamu¡¯s face, and he howled in rage, "Qiao Anxia, could you just be normal!" The car door then abruptly mmed shut, and as the car started up with a roar, it quickly disappeared. "Mr. Lu, shall we also be going?" With his assistant¡¯s reminder, Lu Jinnian quickly came to his senses. He lowered his eyelids, masking the sadness beneath his eyes, then straightened up. He silently pulled back his arms that were ready to hold Qiao Anhao and turned to say a few words to bid brother Chen and his wife farewell. However, the words never came. In the end, he gently nodded, and strode over the the courtyard doors. Brother Chen and his wife saw Lu Jinnian and his assistant to the door, but Lu Jinnian still didn¡¯t say a word. The assistant enthusiastically said his goodbyes to the couple, then started up the car, and chased after the car in front. Lu Jinnian¡¯s car followed closely behind Qiao Anxia. They stopped at the entrance of a local hospital downtown. Chapter 468: Peaceful and Beautiful Times (9) Chapter 468: Peaceful and Beautiful Times (9) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem The car hadn¡¯t evene to aplete stop when Lu Jinnian pulled open the door and got out. He took big strides towards the car in front, but before he even got there, Xu Jiamu had gotten out with Qiao Anhao in his arms. He rushed over to A&E, as Qiao Anxia hurriedly locked the car and caught up. Lu Jinnian¡¯s footsteps stumbled for just a moment, then he caught up to them. There were many people in the hospital. They took Qiao Anhao immediately to the operating room. Xu Jiamu sat on a chair in the waiting room with an anxious expression, whereas Qiao Anxia sat restlessly in her seat. She eventually got up and paced up and down in front of Xu Jiamu every now and then. Her pacing made Xu Jiamu feel agitated. He couldn¡¯t take it anymore and raised his head. "Qiao Anxia, could you sit and be quiet for a moment?" "Xu Jiamu, your wife is lying in there, could you look a little worried?" retorted Qiao Anxia. Xu Jiamu didn¡¯t react to her retort and just waved his hand, wearing an expression that said he couldn¡¯t be bothered by her antics. The assistant instinctively nced over at Lu Jinnian, who stood around five meters away from the window, when he heard the two words "your wife" from Qiao Anxia¡¯s mouth. Lu Jinnian appeared exceptionally quiet, as though he hadn¡¯t heard what was just said,. He stood still, staring out the window. However, the assistant noticed that his hand on the window sill had clenched into a fist. Because he had used excessive force, white lines had formed around his knuckles. About half an hourter, the doctor emerged from the operating room. Qiao Anxia was the first to rush over to him. "How¡¯s my sister?" Xu Jiamu followed closely behind, walking up to the doctor. Lu Jinnian, who stood in his spot without moving, just slightly turned his head towards the two. The doctor removed the face mask and said, "The patient is fine. Perhaps she hasn¡¯t been resting welltely, and when exposed to the cold, it triggered an inmmation in her body. Now, she has a high fever and her blood pressure is low, which is why she fainted. We¡¯ve given her some fluids for now." After a pause, he added, "If one of you is avable, please proceed to patient registration for overnight stays." Lu Jinnian nced at his assistant, who instinctively knew to walk up to them. "Miss Da Qiao, Mr. Xu, I¡¯ll go." Xu Jiamu and Qiao Anxia didn¡¯t reject his offer, and nodded. The assistant took the form, ready to go downstairs, when Lu Jinnian stretched out his hand and took it from him, walking downstairs. After Lu Jinnian came back, Qiao Anhao was given a private room at the hospital. When she fainted, her clothes had bepletely dirty. Now, she¡¯d changed into a hospital gown andy quietly on the bed with an IV drip in her arm. Xu Jiamu sat by her bed with a clean towel in his hands, wiping her hair and clearing the dirt from her face. Lu Jinnian stood in the corridor, staring at that scene for a long time. In the end, he didn¡¯t go in but gave his assistant the money for the hospital bill, then turned to go downstairs on his own. It was already evening by the time Lu Jinnian came back with a handful of bags. The needle in Qiao Anhao¡¯s arm was already removed and reced with a ster. She was deep asleep on the hospital bed. When Xu Jiamu, Qiao Anxia, and his assistant had received Lu Jinnian¡¯s call yesterday, the three of them had rushed overnight, so they hadn¡¯t slept all night. On top of that, after a day of torment at the hospital, they were so incredibly exhausted that they couldn¡¯t take it anymore and also fell asleep. Chapter 469: Peaceful and Beautiful Times (10) Chapter 469: Peaceful and Beautiful Times (10) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Xu Jiamuy spread out by the bedside. As for Qiao Anxia and the assistant, one was on the sofa, while the other was on the chair. Lu Jinnian tried not to disturb them when he gently ced the things he¡¯d bought on the table. Then he walked over to Qiao Anhao¡¯s bedside and stroked her forehead to find that she still had a fever. He walked softly into the bathroom, where he grabbed a towel and ran it under cold water. When he squeezed it dry, he walked back into the room again and ced it on Qiao Anhao¡¯s forehead. The cold soothed her a little, and her furrowed brows began to slowly rx. Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t leave her bedside, whilst he stared at her with soft eyes. After quite some time, he stretched out his hand and stroked her head. After he returned with the wet towel, he hadn¡¯t dried his hands of cold water. With her high temperature and his freezing touch, she couldn¡¯t help but to give in to the cold, wet palm of his hands. At her sweet, obedient look, Lu Jinnian couldn¡¯t help but slowly curve the corner of his lips into a slight smile. With his thumb, he gently stroked her cheeks a little, but then, he nced over at Xu Jiamu, who was spread out at her bedside, fast asleep. His eyes twitched a little, and he pulled his arm back and walked away. Xu Jiamu, Qiao Anxia, and the assistant didn¡¯t wake up until the nurse came around to give them food. Whilst they ate, the nurse used that time to check Qiao Anhao¡¯s temperature. She still had a fever, and so the nurse put her on another drip. It was already eight in the evening when they finished their dinner. When Xu Jiamu saw Qiao Anxia¡¯s fatigued, sleepy face and the cramped hospital room, he said, "How about you guys find a hotel to get some rest, and I¡¯ll be fine here." Lu Jinnian wanted to stay here so bad, but Xu Jiamu was around. What gave him the right to take care of her? He stared at Qiao Anhao in bed with a serene look on his face, then after a long a while gave a light nod and said, "All right." Before he left, Lu Jinnian pointed at the bag he had brought in the afternoon. "Those are clothes for her." "Mm." Xu Jiamu nodded and said, "Got it." Lu Jinnian nced over again at Qiao Anhao in deep sleep, then strode out the door. - The assistant found a hotel near the hospital and made reservations for three rooms. Lu Jinnian stood in front of the window and smoked around three cigarettes before realizing that he¡¯d finished the pack. Heid down on the bed, but no matter what he did, he couldn¡¯t fall asleep. In the end, he changed clothes and walked out the room. He went to the convenience store by the hotel and bought a pack of cigarettes. As he came out the store, he lit one up. Standing in the unfamiliar street of the town, he took two deep drags. The night breeze blew past and fused with the dry summer heat. Nights in the little town seemed notably peaceful. There were practically no cars on the street, and even the shops on both sides of the road were closed for the night. Every now and then, one or two motorbikes would speed through the street. Lu Jinnian stood there for a while, but in the end, he strode all the way to the hospital. When he reached the in-patient¡¯s block, he put out the cigarette in his hand. The corridor was very quiet. All that Lu Jinnian could hear was the sound of his own footsteps echoing in the long corridor. He stopped outside Qiao Anhao¡¯s room but didn¡¯t enter. He leaned against the wall and, through the ss window, stared at Xu Jiamu overlooking Qiao Anhao. There he was, sitting by her bedside, raising his arm to adjust the IV drip. Lu Jinnian couldn¡¯t help but lift his head up at the lights above him that made his eyes dry and obscured his vision. An irrepressible bitterness tossed around in his chest. Chapter 470: Video Call(1) Chapter 470: Video Call£¨1£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Sometimes,no matter how hard people try to keep things hidden, there would still be loopholes. When Xu Wanli was having dinner with some investors in the entertainment industry, he found out that Qiao Anhao had gotten injured during the filming of "Heaven¡¯s sword". Initially, Xu Wanli had no idea that the victim was Qiao Anhao, hence he just treated the news as gossip. In the end, the investor came close to him and whispered softly that the victim seemed to have been his daughter inw, but to prevent any trouble, the crew had stopped the news from spreading. Xu Wanli wasn¡¯t sure of those words¡¯ credibility, but when he returned home, he still told Han Ruchu about the matter. From there, Han Ruchu had called Qiao Anxia¡¯s mother to ask about it and she had called Qiao Anhao to find out. But when no one answered the call, she anxiously dialed for Qiao Anxia. Even though Qiao Anxia had reassured her that Qiao Anhao was already fine and that she and Xu Jiamu were there, taking care of her, Han Ruchu and Qiao Anxia¡¯s mother still took a flight down the very next day. - On yet another night, Lu Jinnian¡¯s assistant carried a pack rice over to Lu Jinnian¡¯s car. He opened the drivers seat door and sat in. Lu Jinnian sat in the passenger seat with the new phone that his assistant had gotten for him and was scanning through the pile ofpany documents, with the seemingly untouched lunch at his side. His assistant frowned, cing the new pack of food in the car before bringing the previous pack out to toss it in the rubbish bin. He returned back to the drivers seat and said, "Mr. Lu, you haven¡¯t eaten in almost a day, have some food." "I¡¯m not hungry." Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t bother lifting his head when he replied faintly, he continued to stare at the phone and reply to the pile of emails. The assistant continued, "Mr. Lu, there are people taking care of Miss Qiao, I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll be fine." Lu Jinnian ignored him, bringing his phone closer. He said, "There are some problems with the contract, I¡¯ve indicated the areas that need to be edited and have sent it to your email." Ignored, the assistant touched his nose and looked out the car to face a certain window on the second floor. Sighing inwardly, he thought about how Mr. Lu was the most worried when Miss Qiao fell ill. But beside her, she had her fiance, so all Mr. Lu could do was stand by the side. Yet when Mr. Xu¡¯s mother came, he could no longer even stand by the sides and had been relegated to waiting in the car. When she finally woke up in the afternoon, the assistant had ecstatically reported the news to Mr. Lu, hoping that he would get some rest, but unlike what he had hoped, the other had no intention of leaving. The assistant remained silent, not disrupting Lu Jinnian. The entire car was silent except for the few words from Lu Jinnian while he was holding meetings with the board members. At night, the skies were dark. When Lu Jinnian finally finished arge chunk of work, he ced his phone at the side and leaned back against the seat. He reached his hand out to massage his forehead before spotting his assistant through the rear view mirror. He paused before saying, "You can go back now." Chapter 471: Video Call(2) Chapter 471: Video Call£¨2£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem The assistant asked, "Then... What about you, Mr. Lu?" "I..." Lu Jinnian raised his eyes to look at the second floor window that his assistant was looking at just now. He then said, "I¡¯ll wait awhile more." Qiao Anhao was in the hospital ward but he was down here. Even if he waited till she was discharged, he still wouldn¡¯t be able to get close! The assistant knew that he wasn¡¯t in the position toment, but after hesitating, he couldn¡¯t help caring. "Mr. Lu, why don¡¯t you go back to the hotel for some rest, you spent the whole ofst night in the hospital staircase and hadn¡¯t rested the entire day, you¡¯ll burn out if you continue at this rate." Burn out... Lu Jinnian¡¯s gaze remained on the second floor window. The lights were still on and he could vaguely make out the silhouettes passing behind the windows. Heughed lightly as though he had just heard a joke, and replied, "I won¡¯t burn out, I¡¯m used to it." Probably due to the conditions that he grew up in, he had grown up with personality issues: he was introverted, aloof, and difficult to be with, the longer people interacted with him, the more tired they became. Soon, he began to keep his thoughts to himself, but at this moment, he wasn¡¯t able to keep the sorrow inside him. It was the kind that couldn¡¯t be contained inside, and this was the first time he spoke such private thoughts to his assistant. "You¡¯ve no idea how many times I¡¯ve waited for her in a car just like this." Just like this, he had sat and guarded her so many times he had lost count. When he was young and poor, he wasn¡¯t able to give her happiness, so he didn¡¯t dare to pursue her. But sometimes, when the thoughts became too much, he would stand on the ground floor of her hostel for a long time just to sneak a nce at her. Yet it wasn¡¯t every time that he was able to see her since she didn¡¯t stay in school everyday. After that, when they lost contact and he was busy filming, he didn¡¯t have much time in Beijing, but every time he was there, he would guard by the area that she lived. Sometimes, he would wait till night fell, and sometimes he would wait till the next day, and sometimes he waited for more than a day for just a glimpse of her, even if it was just her back, a simple sight was enough. One year, on his birthday, he didn¡¯t receive any blessings and had felt really lonely, so much so that he started to yearn for her presence. In the end, he took a flight all the way back to Beijing only to be faced with disappointment. So, he was used to it and was not tired out by it, there were even times that it made him feel safe and at ease. The assistant had never chatted with Lu Jinnian like this, so he was at a loss for words. After a long while, he finally said, "Mr. Lu, why don¡¯t you chase her? You canpete fairly with Mr. Xu." "Compete fairly?" Lu Jinnian repeated the words, his gaze zed. When he was three, his mother had knelt outside Xu house door to help beg for his life, at that time, he had already lost the rights topete fairly with Xu Jiamu. Most importantly... Lu Jinnian said, "No matter what his mother does, it doesn¡¯t change the fact that he is the only family I have left." Chapter 472: Video Call(3) Chapter 472: Video Call£¨3£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem When Lu Jinnian was eleven, he lost his mother and was sent to Xu family by his grandfather. At that time, Han Ruchu, Xu Wanli, and even the helpers wouldn¡¯t even nce at him, only Xu Jiamu didn¡¯t despise him and chose to ept his aloofness, treating him kindly and even trying to be friendly with him. When the midnight rm sounded, Xu Jiamu would receive a lot of red packets, each filled with a thick wad of cash. Any one of the red packets was filled with more money than the inheritance that Lu Jinnian¡¯s mother had left for him. But he had none. At that time, Xu Jiamu had thrown all the red packets into the bin, saying a sentence that even till today was deeply etched in Lu Jinnian¡¯s heart: If my brother doesn¡¯t have any, I don¡¯t want them either. From then on, he had always treated Xu Jiamu as his brother. In that instance, the assistant had no idea what Lu Jinnian was thinking. This man of little words that was always cold and distant seemed like he would never be happy or upset, he seemed to be nonchnt and never having a care for the world, but even though his words were often mean and he wasn¡¯t the best person to be with, deep inside, he held so much. When someone treated you with just a little bit of care, you would keep it deeply inside your heart and stay loyal to that person,willing to ept all the pain on his behalf. Since Mr. Lu knew that Mr. Xu liked Miss Qiao, he decided to give up his rights. Because he didn¡¯t want to hurt him. Willingly suffering by himself. The assistant felt his throat choke up, his heart begin to ache. Only after a long while did he speak up again. "But, Mr. Lu, there¡¯s a long way ahead, you can¡¯t just keep waiting. Why don¡¯t you try to find another girl..." Yes, he could try to like another girl. If he could sessfully find someone else, maybe he wouldn¡¯t be in so much pain. Lu Jinnian replied helplessly, "But other girls... they aren¡¯t Qiao Anhao." In that instance, the assistant was left speechless. The car sank into silence once more. Seemingly after a long while, Lu Jinnian spoke again, rushing his assistant back to rest. This time, the man nodded and left silently. Lu Jinnian winded down the window and lit up a cigarette. Through the smoke he blew out, he stared at the second floor window, sorrow shing past his eyes. She was just a few meters away from him... But he wasn¡¯t able to go up. It was as though he was able to touch her if he just reached out, but somehow, he wasn¡¯t able to hold on. Between them, there was a long wall that he was never able to cross. - Qiao Anhao had been on two IV drips the previous night, so she was only able to get another drip at 10 pm today. Xu Jiamu guarded her bed the whole ofst night. Tonight, he had returned to the hotel with Han Ruchu while Qiao Anxia and her mother took over. Qiao Anhao was still running a fever, but she was much better and was afraid of boredom, so she requested for his phone when Xu Jiamu left. In the afternoon, Xu Jiamu added an additional bed in the ward. At 11.30 pm, Qiao Anxia ran to the convenience shop to get some food while her motherid on the other bed to sleep. Chapter 473: Video Call(4) Chapter 473: Video Call£¨4£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem When Qiao Anhao woke up from her afternoon nap, she wanted to find out how Lu Jinnian was doing but because of Han Ruchu, she didn¡¯t dare to ask anyone. After sleeping for such a long time, Qiao Anhao was wide awake and started to y games on Xu Jiamu¡¯s phone. Soon, she felt bored though and ced the phone down, listening to her aunt¡¯s soft breathing. Gradually she started to feel frustrated. She held up the phone and stared at the screen for a long while before scrolling through Xu Jiamu¡¯s contact list to find Lu Jinnian¡¯s number. She wasn¡¯t sure if he had gotten a recement ... He was probably with his assistant... But... Qiao Anhao scanned through Xu Jiamu¡¯s contact list but wasn¡¯t able to find Lu Jinnian¡¯s assistant¡¯s number. She hesitated slightly before sending a text over, [You there?] When Lu Jinnian heard his phone ring, he tapped his cigarette lightly before ncing over at his phone screen. He was confused when he saw that it was from Xu Jiamu, so he sent a question mark over. She actually got a reply... Qiao Anhao couldn¡¯t help as excitement spread across her. Since one of her hands had a needle, she could only use the other one. Biting down on her lip, she struggled to type a few words. [What are you doing now?] When Lu Jinnian saw the reply, he frowned, sensing something wrong with Xu Jiamu, so he sent yet another question mark over. Qiao Anhao looked at the two question marks he had sent her and bit her lip, wondering if it was an automated reply. She hesitated before sending a question mark. In the end, her reply got lost. After waiting for a long while, she still wasn¡¯t able to get a response. Qiao Anhao frowned, reading the short conversation repeatedly. In the end, she suddenly recalled that it was Xu Jiamu¡¯s phone. Hurriedly, she sent another text out, [I am Qiao Anhao.] Lu Jinnian held a new cigarette in his mouth. When he was about to lit it up, he heard his phone ring once again. He turned and looked at the screen: it was yet another text from Xu Jiamu. This time, he had sent him a question mark. Internally, Lu Jinnian scolded him crazy before lighting his cigarette. After about five minutes, his phone rang once more. Instinctively, Lu Jinnian nced at the screen, spotting the text from Xu Jiamu, [ I¡¯m Qiao Anhao.] Lu Jinnian lifted his head up towards the second floor window, feeling warmed by her text. Qiao Anhao held onto the phone, focusing on the screen, waiting for a reply. In the end, the phone started to vibrate, the word "Brother" appearing on the screen. Lu Jinnian had actually called. Qiao Anhao used one hand to receive the call but because she was using only one hand, she identally hung up. She stuck her tongue out, hurriedly calling him back, but the line got cut off. She waited slightly before calling back. This time, it went through. She was afraid that she would disrupt her aunt, so in a low voice, she called out," Lu Jinnian?" Chapter 474: Video Call(5) Chapter 474: Video Call£¨5£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem After feeling moody the entire day, Lu Jinnian, just hearing her call his name, felt a dark cloud lift. In a light voice, he faintly asked, "Hmm?" Even though it was a simple word, it was enough to bring peace to Qiao Anhao¡¯s uneasy heart. But she didn¡¯t know what to say, she couldn¡¯t possibly tell him that she missed him... that would be too humiliating. Hesitating, she asked, "Lu Jinnian, have you eaten dinner?" Lu Jinnian turned to look at the untouched food that his assistant had gotten him. In a soft voice, he replied, "I have eaten." Looking back, he saw the cigarette he held in his fingers, and even though she couldn¡¯t see through the phone, he knew that she didn¡¯t like it when he smoked, so he threw it away even if there was still half left. "What did you eat?" Lu Jinnian looked back at the packed food. "Pizza." "That¡¯s unhealthy, even though I like pizza too, you shouldn¡¯t have too much, it¡¯s very hearty..." Just a moment ago, Qiao Anhao had had nothing to say, now she seemed to have an endless amount of things to say as she continued to ramble on. Lu Jinnian wasn¡¯t the least bit annoyed. His face rxed instead, tenderness seeping into his eyes as he continued to chat randomly with her. Halfway through, a nurse came to help Qiao Anhao remove the needle, so she ced the phone at the side. She had wanted to continue her conversation in a while, but after the nurse left, she realized that the call had ended, so she called back, but before it got through, she hung up and instead clicked onto the video call button instead. The call went through instantly, the image loading for a bit before Lu Jinnian¡¯s perfect features came into sight. His surroundings were dim, so he had switched on the car lights. The first thing she asked was, "You¡¯re in your car?" That was when she realized that his dark circles were much worse than before and his face was filled with fatigue. She seemed to have guessed what he was up too. Pulling her nket away, she softly came down from her bed, walking to the window. She pulled the curtains and looked down, not far away was Lu Jinnian¡¯s lit up car. It was just as she had guessed, he was waiting downstairs... Her heart clenched tightly. The fingers with which she held the phone started to tremble. Tenderly, she said, "Lu Jinnian, step out of your car." "Why?" "Step out." After Qiao Anhao had requested the second time, she could see through the window that he had indeede out of his car. "I¡¯m out, why..?" As Lu Jinnian asked, he lifted his head instinctively to look at the second floor window. In the end, he couldn¡¯t finish his sentence. Today, he had nced up at that window multiple times. Now, Qiao Anhao stood there, with the phone in front of her, her back against the brightly lit room. Even though he couldn¡¯t see her expression, he was able to see her waving hand. Chapter 475: Video Call(6) Chapter 475: Video Call£¨6£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Qiao Anhao deliberately lowered voice when speaking to the phone. "Can you see me?" Lu Jinnian closed the car door, walking forward. He sat casually on the front of the car, his head lifting upwards to look at Qiao Anhao. His lips curled upwards uncontrobly when he replied warmly, "Yea, I can see you." The night seemed to have turned tender because of Lu Jinnian¡¯s words, and Qiao Anhao looked down. Lu Jinnian sat on his car under the streetmp, the warm rays elongating his body, delighting her. In a soft, whiny voice, she asked,"How long have you stayed in the car?" Her tender voice reached deep into Lu Jinnian¡¯s heart, calming him. In a deep, clear voice, he replied, "Not long." "Really?" Qiao Anhao asked. Her lips curling slightly when she added, "More than twelve hours?" Lu Jinnianughed lightly from her smile. "Yea." He sighed, murmuring softly, "It finally happened." "What happened?" Qiao Anhao had no clue what he was saying. "Nothing." Lu Jinnian looked up at her. Inwardly he thought, this was the first time that she had noticed him guarding her. "Oh," she replied with low spirits. Lu Jinnian changed to a more rxed position and leaned back on his car, asking, "Has the fever gone down?" "It¡¯s gone." The moment he changed the topic, Qiao Anhao seemed to have forgotten about his murmur. She directed the camera to the hand that was previously injected before whining to Lu Jinnian as how a girlfriend would to her boyfriend, "Look, they injected me four times, there¡¯s even a bruise..." Lu Jinnian brought the phone closer to himself. Indeed, surrounding the ster on the back of her hand, there were multiple purple bruises. "Does it still hurt?" he asked lightly. The pain had already subsided but Qiao Anhao still pouted and whined, "It hurts..." Her whiny voice was a little loud, causing her aunt to stir slightly. Instinctively, she covered her mouth, but she still added, "It really hurts!" Lu Jinnian stared at her adorable expression, his gaze turning warm. He reached out to caress the screen as though he was caressing her face. When Qiao Anhao saw his hand reach out, she turned silent, and only their faint breathing could be heard. The atmosphere turned sweet and warm, their hearts at ease, while an asional light breeze passed through at times. After a long while, Qiao Anhao blinked. Lightly, she said, "I will be discharged tomorrow." Chapter 476: Video Call(7) Chapter 476: Video Call£¨7£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem After a long while, Qiao Anhao blinked. Lightly, she said, "I will be discharged tomorrow." "Yea." "They want me to go back to Beijing to rest so I won¡¯t be able to go back to film for the next few days." "Okay." "My flight is tomorrow afternoon at ten." "Yea." "What about you? Are you going back to Beijing?" Without waiting for Lu Jinnian¡¯s reply, Qiao Anhao hurriedly whispered, "My sister is back, I¡¯ll hang up first." After the call cut off, Lu Jinnian continued to listen to the phone¡¯s buzzing for a long time before putting it back in his pocket. He stood stationary for a long while staring at her window. In the end, he lowered his head tough lightly, his face tender. - The next day, Qiao Anhao and her caretakers reached the airport. Xu Jiamu had driven from Beijing, so he went straight to the customs to apply for his car to be sent back, leaving Qiao Anhao, Qiao Anxia, her mother, and Han Ruchu to check in. After they had checked in, they headed to a cafe to wait for Xu Jiamu. The application to send the car back wasplicated, so even after half an hour, Xu Jiamu was still not back. They tried to call and rush him, but he didn¡¯t respond. When they were finally left with an hour, Qiao Anhao decided to personally get him. Before she could reach the counter, she met Xu Jiamu. The airport cafe was often packed and filled with luggage and trolleys, causing the walkway to be narrow, so she walked directly behind Xu Jiamu. When they passed a corner of the cafe, she identally bumped into someone¡¯s thigh and turned to apologize, but then, she froze. Lu Jinnian sat elegantly on the chair, a cup of coffee in his hands as he sipped slowly. Qiao Anhao wanted to call out to him but when she saw Han Ruchu seated not far away, she swallowed her words, instead sending a questioning gaze to him. Lu Jinnian remained silent as well. He seemed to have understood her gaze, for while continuing to drink his coffee, he knocked on the table where he had ced his ne ticket. Qiao Anhao swept a nce, realizing that it was the same flight that she was on. "Qiao Qiao?" Xu Jiamu asked when he realized that she was no longer right behind him. Qiao Qiao made a sound of acknowledgment, nced back at Lu Jinnian, and walked off hurriedly. When she reached the table, she instinctively turned towards Lu Jinnian¡¯s direction once more. After Xu Jiamu had settled the bill and they were on the way out, Qiao Anhao realized that the seat that Lu Jinnian was sitting on was now empty. After going through the security checks, Qiao Anhao kept looking around, missing out on what Qiao Anxia had said, irritating her. "Qiao Qiao, what exactly are you looking for?" "Nothing?" Qiao Anhao shook her head, her gaze wandering once again. Only after the security checks, on the way to the boarding gate outside a restroom did Qiao Anhao spot Lu Jinnian once more. Chapter 477: Video Call(8) Chapter 477: Video Call£¨8£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Qiao Anhao bit her lip, paused, and looked towards the group. "My stomach hurts, I¡¯ll go to the restroom, you can wait for me at the boarding gate." Han Ruchu looked towards Xu Jiamu. "Qiao Qiao, you might get lost, why don¡¯t you let Jiamu apany you." "It¡¯s fine, I know where the boarding gate is," Qiao Anhao replied. Afraid that Xu Jiamu would follow her, she hurriedly waved to them before heading toward the restroom that Lu Jinnian had entered. Behind, Qiao Anxia reminded her once more, "Gate thirty one." - Qiao Anhao rushed to the restroom. After ten seconds, she sneaked her head out. When she saw that the group had left, she hurriedly came out to wait outside the guys restroom. Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t notice her, walking straight to the basin. After he had closed the tap and was preparing to get the tissue, a piece suddenly appeared in front of him. Startled, he turned to see Qiao Anhao looking at him angrily. "Why did you stay in there for so long?" Lu Jinnianughed, exining, "There were a lot of people." Reaching for the tissue in her hands, he wiped his hands gracefully before cing his hand on her forehead. After confirming that her fever was gone, he asked, "How¡¯s your body?" "It¡¯s much better." Qiao Anhao smiled then and sneaked her head out to look once more. Realizing that Han Ruchu and Qiao Anxia were less than thirty meters away, she said in a hurry, "Auntie Xu and Anxia is here, I¡¯ll go now, bye bye." Qiao Anhao rushed out of the restroom. After taking two steps, she seemed to have recalled something. She turned back and asked, "Which seat are you at?" "32F" Qiao Anhao nodded, heading out. - After boarding the flight, the group sat at the very front of the ne while Lu Jinnian and his assistant sat behind. Even though the flight to Beijing was just a short one, barely two hours, Qiao Anhao visited the restroom five times. Qiao Anxia, who sat by thene, was irritated by her constant harassment and swapped seats with her in the end. Every time Qiao Anhao passed by Lu Jinnian¡¯s seat, they didn¡¯t say much, at most a wave or a short "Hi." Even so, Lu Jinnian was satisfied. Thest time she had visited the toilet, she even cheekily tapped his shoulder. But at that moment, Han Ruchu stood up to visit the restroom, startling Qiao Anhao. She hurriedly retrieved her hand, heading back to her seat with her head lowered, while Lu Jinnian opened up a newspaper to shield his face. The moment Han Ruchu passed by, he felt as though he was having an underground rtionship with Qiao Anhao. Oh, more urately said, it was an underground friendship. Even though friendship was the most upright rtionship in the world, but they had to do it sneakily, in the dark. If they could stay peaceful, Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t mind staying her underground friend forever, but in just a few days, their friendship was exposed. Chapter 478: Video Call(9) Chapter 478: Video Call£¨9£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Back in Beijing, Qiao Anhao was sent back to to the Qiao house. Even though her fever was gone, her ordeal was too frightening, so her aunt and uncle insisted she stay with them for at least two days. Qiao Anhao wasn¡¯t able to resist, so she agreed. When the housekeeper saw her, she was unusually happy and prepared arge variety of food for every meal, preparing all the dishes that she liked. Even if her aunt and uncle were busy, they would be back for every meal, and every time, they would nag at her to leave the entertainment industry. Even though their constant nagging may seem annoying, it warmed Qiao Anhaos¡¯ heart. The next day, Zhao Meng came over with her phone, so whenever she felt bored, she would text Lu Jinnian. On the third day, her aunt and uncle finally allowed her to return to Mian Xiu garden. Since they had no clue about her fake marriage, before they separated, she and Xu Jiamu were still a couple in their eyes, so on the day she left, Xu Jiamu had personallye to get her. Seated on the passenger seat, Qiao Anhao took out her phone to text Lu Jinnian out of habit: [What are you doing?] Lu Jinnian seemed to be busy as he only replied after five minutes, [Meeting.] Qiao Anhao replied with a [Oh] before looking out the window, realizing that they were near Huan Ying Entertainment. Turning to Xu Jiamu, she said, "Brother Jiamu, you can stop at the turn in front, I need to drop by the office." Xu Jiamu nodded. "Do you need me to wait for you?" "It¡¯s okay, Zhao Meng is in the office, so she can bring me over tonight." "Okay," Xu Jiamu replied, turning into the road ahead. After the turn, they reached Huan Ying Entertainment in less than five minutes. Before leaving the car, Qiao Anhao seemed to have recalled something important, and she turned and looked at Xu Jiamu. "Brother Jiamu, do you still remember about ending the marriage?" "I remember." Xu Jiamu leaned back andughed lightly while teasing, "Qiao Qiao, ever since we were young, when have i disappointed you? Your hurry seems like you really hate me." Qiao Anhaoughed. "I was just reminding you!" Waving towards Xu Jiamu, she said, "I¡¯ll leave now, bye Brother Jiamu." "Goodbye," Xu Jiamu replied. After seeing her enter Huan Ying Entertainment, he turned to leave. When Qiao Anhao went up, Lu Jinnian was still in a meeting. Through the clear ss, she could see him sitting elegantly, his features handsome, his expression cold. She couldn¡¯t help taking her phone out to snap a photo, sending it to Lu Jinnian. Through the ss, she saw him sweep a nce at his phone. His fingers swiped across the screen, and he frowned slightly, then looked out the window. His gaze fell on her. Chapter 479: Video Call(10) Chapter 479: Video Call£¨10£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Before Qiao Anhao could smile at Lu Jinnian, he diverted his gaze away. With ayer of ss between them, Qiao Anhao couldn¡¯t hear him, she could only see his lips moving slightly before he stood up. Under the scrutiny of the entire room, he pushed open the door, heading towards her. Qiao Anhao never expected him to leave in the midst of a meeting because of her randomly sent photo. When he stood in front of her, she snapped out of her daze, bolting up from the sofa to stare at the board directors behind him, and her face flushed instantly. In a whiny tone that didn¡¯t have a hint of reproach, she med him, "How can youe out?" Lu Jinnian wore a white shirt, and when the ceiling light fell on him, he appeared dazzling. He lowered his head to gaze at her. Without bothering to reply to her question, he asked in his same emotionless voice with a hint of undetectable indulgence, "How¡¯s your body? Why did youe to the office?" "I passed by so I came up for a look." Hershes lowered as she spoke, worried that her true intentions would get exposed. She hadn¡¯t seen him for a while, so she came... "Oh," Lu Jinnian replied, his gaze still focused on her. Qiao Anhao started to feel uneasy. She nced at the room that was staring at them, and her face turned an even deeper shade of red. Softly, she said, "Aren¡¯t you in a meeting? Hurry back in." "Okay," Lu Jinnian replied, but he had no intention of moving. "Why aren¡¯t you going?" she asked. "Right this moment," he said but still remained stationary. Qiao Anhao stomped her foot in frustration, her face so red it could bleed. Before she could rush him again, he said, "Wait for me." Turning, he entered the meeting room once more. The meeting continued but Lu Jinnian was visibly distracted, staring out at Qiao Anhao every once in a while, and even the board members were starting to get inattentive, ncing out at Qiao Anhao. - When the meeting ended, it was already 6.30 pm, and Lu Jinnian rushed out of the room instantly. By then, all the secretaries had left and the open-spaced living room was empty. Qiao Anhao sat alone, her head leaning against the sofa, the newest edition of an entertainment magazine in her hands, her eyes shut. Lu Jinnian¡¯s footstep slowed. He turned towards the meeting room, signaling for the board members to keep quiet. They quietened instantly, and Lu Jinnian waved his hand once more, to chase everyone away. In an instant, the entire floor was left just for him and Qiao Anhao. He walked over and picked her up, carrying her away. Soon though, she opened her eyes in a daze and scanned the empty surroundings, crawling out of his embrace before asking, "What time is it?" "6.30," Lu Jinnian replied. He then added, "I¡¯ll get my jacket, then I¡¯ll take you to have dinner." Chapter 480: Divorce(1) Chapter 480: Divorce£¨1£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem It has probably been a few months since Lin Shiyist saw Qiao Anhao, even though they were barely acquainted, the other was deeply etched in her mind. Lin Shiyi has been in the entertainment industry for a very long time and had fought with many actresses before, not every battle was victorious but it always ended in just a small defeat. Yet with Qiao Anhao, she had been defeated so brutally that her reputation was in tatters even to this day, people would still leave meanments on her weibo to scold her. She was never the first female lead, even the second female lead role was a rare opportunity, but now, she wasn¡¯t even able to get a role with lines. Her manager had forsaken her for a new artist ,and now, she relegated to selling herself to satisfy her material needs. All these was because of Qiao Anhao. For the past few months, Lin Shiyi would keep an eye on her, but whenever she heard of news, it would be another blow as the news would always be about her new endorsement or her new lead role. There was even once when she had followed an elderly rich man to gamble that she found out that Qiao Anhao was actually the wife of their heir to Xu enterprise. At that time, she realized the pain ofparison. For the past few months, she had been dreaming of finding a weakness, heavens must have been touched for she was finally awarded an opportunity. - Lu Jinnian got his assistant to leave before he personally drove Qiao Anhao to dinner. In the meeting, he seemed to have been paying attention to everyone¡¯s critique, but his mind had been actually wandering off. He was thinking of where to bring Qiao Anhao for dinner, and in the end, he decided on "Peppermint Garden". While he was still in the meeting, he sent them a text to book a table. "Peppermint Garden" was an open air restaurant in a vintage looking garden. Lu Jinnian had booked the table beside the pond below the vines. The view was scenic and thepany was one he was fond of, bringing a cheery spirit to the both of them. Qiao Anhao had been to "Peppermint Garden" several times and had a preference for some dishes. Hence, when Lu Jinnian was ordering, she picked an additional two dishes that she preferred. Lu Jinnian ended his meeting at 6.30 and they reached the restaurant at 8 pm, so Qiao Anhao was already starving. The dishes were served quickly, and the moment they were served, she held up her chopsticks. Before Lu Jinnian could pick up his chopsticks, his phone rang. It was regarding business matters, so Qiao Anhao ate quietly, not disrupting him. Lu Jinnian had ordered a set of sweet vinegar prawns, and Qiao Anhao really liked the sweet and strong taste, so initially, she ate with her chopsticks, but in the end, she ced them down to use her fingers. The sauce stained her entire hand, causing her to feel ufortable, so she decided to finish the whole lot. When there were only about seven prawns left, she realized that Lu Jinnian hadn¡¯t eaten. Chapter 481: Divorce(2) Chapter 481: Divorce£¨2£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Qiao Anhao continued in embarrassment, but instead of eating the prawn, she removed the shells from the remaining ones. The table was a little big, so when she ced the prawns into his bowl, she had to leave the seat slightly and stretch her hand out. Even though Lu Jinnian was leaning against his seat while on the phone, his gaze was still focused on Qiao Anhao, especially on her expression while she munched on the prawns. Just then, he saw her stretch her hand across the table to pass him the prawns. He froze slightly, thinking that she was going to feed him. With an indulgent expression on his face, he leaned forward with his mouth open, biting away the prawn she was about to drop in his bowl. Qiao Anhao could distinctively feel the heat and moisture of his lips on her fingers. In just an instance, the numbing feeling disappeared together with the prawn in her hands. She wasn¡¯t going to feed him, she was just about to put it in his bowl... Qiao Anhao couldn¡¯t help staring at him. When he sensed her gaze, Lu Jinnian thought that she was looking for an appreciative gesture, so he moved the phone slightly aside before silently forming the words "thank you". Was she the type of woman to randomly feed a man food? Even though Qiao Anhao was misunderstood, she was satisfied! It was as though a piece of leaf had fallen into theke in her heart, causing ripples to form and spread. She lowered her head, her heart bursting. Reaching for the prawns, she continued to remove the shells seriously. When she was finished with on, she stretched her hand out to ce it into Lu Jinnian¡¯s bowl, but this time, it was bit away by him once again. The table was silent with only an asional sentence from Lu Jinnian to the person on the phone. Towards the end, the person sent him a video, allowing Lu Jinnian to see the contents on hisputer. While he monitored his screen, he leaned over to snatch away the food from Qiao Anhao whenever her hand stretched over. Soon, it became a habit, and he didn¡¯t even have to look to know where the prawns would be. As Qiao Anhao saw his fluid movements, she looked back down in her bowl, at thest prawn, her eyes moving back and forth between his face and the bowl. She looked towards the prawn shell at the side and decided to tease him a little. Reaching out with her hand once more, she passed a shell over. Out of habit, Lu Jinnian leaned over to nib on the food, but after taking a few chews, he seemed to have realized that something was wrong, and frowning, he spat it out. Lifting his head , he saw Qiao Anhao smiling cheekily back at him, thest prawn dangling between her fingers. She stretched out her fingers once more, and he lowered his head to get the prawn, his features rx. After another two sentences, he hung up, turning back to look at Qiao Anhao. She was trying to get a tissue out of the packet, but since she only had one clean hand, she couldn¡¯t take it out no matter how hard she tried. Lifting her head to look at Lu Jinnian, she said, "Help me with this." Lu Jinnian pulled a wet tissue out, but instead of passing it to her, he naturally reached over to help her wipe the hand clean. Qiao Anhao lowered hershes to look as Lu Jinnian wiping her fingers, not rejecting his actions. Even though she knew that their actions were intimate and ambiguous, she had no clue as to what he was thinking. Even so, she, who had been loving him for the past thirteen years, was satisfied with the intimacy. Chapter 482: Divorce (3) Chapter 482: Divorce (3) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem In actual fact, Qiao Anhao wanted to ask Lu Jinnian how a woman should prevent intimacy from happening... like, for a couple in a passionate rtionship, is that really a good idea? But she didn¡¯t dare open her mouth to ask. Everything has been going so welltely, what would happen if she carelessly asked such a question and shattered their wonderful time together? If there were to be a day when they went back to being friends, then they could still keep in contact, if she did not ask her questions now. There was no doubt in Lu Jinnian¡¯s heart. He felt that Qiao Anhao was relying on him, but relying on what exactly, he didn¡¯t really understand that. As ofte, this woman was his own little brother¡¯s wife. Above everyone else, he knew in his heart that he shouldn¡¯t get close to Qiao Anhao, but he just couldn¡¯t control himself. He and Qiao Anhao were getting along so well right now. Though he didn¡¯t know where exactly they were heading, but honestly speaking, of the thirteen years he¡¯s been in love with her, this was the first time in his life when he felt the slightest bit of sweetness. He really didn¡¯t want to kill his chances. - Tonight, Lin Shiyi apanied someone to the "Peppermint Garden". She was once a first-rate female celebrity. Inparison to delicate models and drifters, her looks and the way she carried herself stood out among the crowd. And so, she turned up at the dinner party to especially show face for her big ¡¯investor¡¯. The happier he was, the more money she got, so she went out of her way to obey him. Whoever he told her to drink to, she would drink to. However, regardless of how well she could take her alcohol, after taking endless shots she couldn¡¯t take it anymore. She found an excuse and trotted away from the dinner table in her high heels. After she stumbled towards the restroom, she vomited into the sink,pletely emptying her stomach from all the alcohol, which made her feel a little better. Then she turned on the tap and wiped her mouth with water. She fixed up her make-up to keep up appearances, and went back to the dinner. "Peppermint Garden" was a Chinese garden with winding paths that all looked simr to one another, and so on her way back, Lin Shiyi got lost. She wanted to ask a waiter how to get back to table 08, but she never bumped into anyone. Instead, she saw Lu Jinnian and Qiao Anhao sitting at a table by theke. Lu Jinnian looked like he was on the phone. Half his face was hidden in the shadows, so it was difficult to read his expression. Sitting in front of him was Qiao Anhao, who lowered her head as she ate a shrimp. Though the two of them never interacted, the atmosphere between them seemed warm. Actually, at first, Lin Shiyi didn¡¯t pay too much attention to it. After all, they were just two actors who had previously worked together sharing a meal. But just as she was about to turn away after staring for quite some time, she saw Qiao Anhao feeding Lu Jinnian shrimps. Wasn¡¯t Qiao Anhao, Xu Jiamu¡¯s wife? Why would she get so close to Lu Jinnian? Unless... there was trouble in their marriage? Lu Jinnian was the third wheel? As those words shed across Lin Shiyi¡¯s mind, the blood in her body began to boil. If anyone were to see this, how big of an uproar would there be? Nevertheless, the entertainment circle and the media had such a close rtionship, not to mention, after all these years, Lu Jinnian has never been tangled up in any scandals... Even if there were a lot of reporters, it would never be exposed. However! If she couldn¡¯t get theizens¡¯ attention, she could get the news round to her ¡¯investors¡¯ and let it spread across the businesswork in Beijing. By that time, as someone¡¯s wife, Qiao Anhao... would definitely be the butt of jokes! At that thought, a cold smile lifted the corners of Lin Shiyi¡¯s lips. Then, she pulled out her phone, and snapped a few shots of Lu Jinnian and Qiao Anhao. Chapter 483: Divorce (4) Chapter 483: Divorce (4) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Lately, Lin Shiyi had had her eye on a new Audi. Yesterday, she spent the night with a rich man she recently got to know and intentionally put the idea out there as she got out the magazine cover with the car and sweetly told him that she wanted it. At the time, the man had gotten excited and started perversely staring at her breasts. Without even a nce at the car on the cover, he nodded in agreement and pushed her onto the bed. The next day, Lin Shiyi reminded him what he agreed tost night, and he really did take her to the new 4S shop. She circled the car she saw yesterday and shamelessly told him to buy it with insurance, to which he replied that he will in a few days¡¯ time Lin Shiyi knew that she probably had no hope in a few days¡¯ times, and so she continued to sweetly ask two more times. In the end, the man looked like he had no intention of buying it, so she found an excuse to leave the waiting room to go to the restroom. After she finished, she stood in front of the sink to touch up her make-up. Through the mirror, she saw her delicately beautiful good looks and felt a little wronged deep down. If she had wanted a car when she was famous, she wouldn¡¯t even bat an eyelid when men practically brought money to her door... As soon as she thought back to the old days, Lin Shiyi started to remember her hate for Qiao Anhao. She thought back to a few days ago, when she had sent reporters the photo she¡¯d taken, but in the end, there was no sign of a scandal, which started to get her irritated again. She pped herpact foundation shut, then turned around and out of the restroom. As she was about to re-enter the waiting room, she saw the 4S store manager, attentively walking next to a gracefully poised middle-aged woman that was circling around the Audi Lin Shiyi had been looking at. Then, with a snooty expression, that woman said something, to which the 4S manager nodded and bowed, leading her to the VIP seats. After offering her a seat, the manager ordered the sales assistant to pour her a cup of coffee, and then he ran over to the front desk to get the bill. At first, Lin Shiyi only noticed the middle-aged woman because she bought the car that was on her mind, like something on a grocery list. However, when Lin Shiyi finished admiring others and was about to go back into the waiting room, she heard the manager ask in a low voice, "Madam Xu, are you buying this car for yourself?" "No, it¡¯s for my son." "Then should I put it under Mr. Xu Jiamu¡¯s name?" The middle-aged woman arrogantly nodded, sipping her coffee without a word. - Mr. Xu Jiamu... Again, those words peaked Lin Shiyi¡¯s interest. She stared from the side and whispered to the smiling sales assistant, "Who is thatdy?" "It¡¯s Mrs. Han Ruchu, the deputy director of the Xu enterprise." - Han Ruchu waited in the 4S store until the paperwork was finalized, then left Xu Jiamu¡¯s address for them to directly deliver it to him. Finished, she picked her bag and slowly walked out with her assistant. The assistant ran first, next to the car, and pulled open the door. Han Ruchu bent down and was ready to get into the car when she heard someone calling for her. "Madam Xu." Han Ruchu stopped, then she and her assistant turned their heads. They saw a woman who was dressed in an alluring way standing at the door of the 4S shop with a smile on her face, staring at them. Chapter 484: Divorce (5) Chapter 484: Divorce (5) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Han Ruchu dealt with important business everyday and the people she knew were prestigious. When she saw the unfamiliar young face, she didn¡¯t quite remember who it was, so she flicked her brows and stood there without saying a word. Lin Shiyi walked elegantly over to her in high heels, maintaining a wide smile on her face. She reached her hand out to introduce herself. "Madam Xu, my name is Lin Shiyi." Han Ruchu nced at Lin Shiyi¡¯s outstretched hand without any intention of shaking it. Han Ruchu¡¯s assistant politely said, "Pardon me Miss, is there something you want?" Though it was the assistant who asked, Lin Shiyi took it as Han Ruchu¡¯s inquiry. She looked the woman in the eyes and said, "Madam Xu, Qiao Anhao is your daughter-inw and Mr. Xu Jiamu¡¯s wife, am I correct? The reason I called your name was to tell you something about Qiao Anhao." After mingling in the business scene for so many years, Han Ruchu had long trained herself to not react to certain matters. Even if she was curious deep down inside, she would always maintain a calmposure. Seeing as Han Ruchu wore an arrogant expression and wasn¡¯t angry, Lin Shiyi pulled a few photos out of her bag and handed them over to her. Han Ruchu¡¯s assistant stretched his hand out to take the photo, then passed it over. With a single nce, Han Ruchu¡¯s expression immediately froze. Then, she finally spoke her first words to Lin Shiyi. "Where did you get these photographs?" This was the reaction Lin Shiyi was looking for. If Qiao Anhao¡¯s mother-inw was pissed, then Qiao Anhao¡¯s days would be insufferable. A hint of joy shed across her heart, but herposure remained calm when she lied. "I got these from a friend awhile ago. Madam Xu, didn¡¯t you know? Many people in Beijing¡¯s businesswork know about this. Everyone¡¯s saying in private that the Xu family¡¯s daughter-inw and the CEO of Huan Ying Entertainment got together during filming..." Before Lin Shiyi could finish, Han Ruchu interrupted her, "Enough!" The sheer force of Han Ruchu¡¯s ferocity left Lin Shiyi a little dumbstruck. Han Ruchu only nced at Lin Shiyi, and snatched the photos from the assistant¡¯s hands. Without saying a single word, she got into the car. The assistant instinctively knew to get in as well. They started up the car and left. After Han Ruchu got into the car, she stared gloomily at the photos. Her eyes were practically spewing fire, and after a while, it was like her body could no longer suppress her anger. She threw the photos at the car seat and leaned back, out of breath. She stared outside the window for a while, and then said, "Don¡¯t go back to Xu enterprises. Head straight for the Qiao family estate!" - That morning, Chen Yang had flown to France to take part on the runway, so Qiao Anxia picked up her parents after work and went home together with them. Compared to the past, they got back today rather early. When they arrived home, servants hadn¡¯t made dinner yet. Qiao Anxia took a shower and brewed a pot of Bi Luo Chun green tea, then brought a cup for her parents, who were reading a newspaper in the living room. Her father took a sip of tea. With work on his mind, he casually asked Qiao Anxia something. "Dad, when you¡¯re at home, could you not always be busy with work?" sheined, which also prompted her mother to chime in. Then, the doorbell rang. Chapter 485: Divorce(6) Chapter 485: Divorce£¨6£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Qiao Anxia stood up to open the door. When she saw Han Ruchu, she smiled. "Auntie Xu." Han Ruchu ignored her. Without changing her shoes, she stomped into the house. When both Qiao Anxia¡¯s mother and father saw her expression, they knew that something was wrong. They nced at each other and mother Qiao stood up with a smile on her face. "Ruchu, what happened? Why are you so angry?" Han Ruchu remained silent, tossing the photos onto the coffee table. Both Qiao Anxia¡¯s parents froze, then reached to pick a photo each. The moment they took in their contents, their faces paled instantly. After a moment, father Qiao said, " Ruchu, there could be a misunderstanding." "Misunderstanding? I hope it¡¯s a misunderstanding, but the photos are out, so how can you call this a misunderstanding? Now, the entire Beijing business circle is aware of this scandal, your precious niece cuckolded my son! I¡¯m sure they¡¯re allughing at my Jiamu right now!" Since Han Ruchu was infuriated, her words became especially mean and crude. Mother Qiao tried to salvage the situation. "Ruchu, I don¡¯t think you should be so agitated, you should know that Qiao Qiao and Xia Xia were both Xu Jiamu and Lu Jinnian¡¯s ssmates, this could just be a meal..." "JUST A MEAL? Besides, who eats like this?" Han Ruchu bent down, pointing at the photos aggressively. Since they were at the wrong, the Qiao parents smiled while instructing Qiao Anxia, "Xia Xia, get auntie Xu some tea." Father Qiao then turned to mother Qiao. "Get Qiao Qiao here right now." Father Qiao stood up, tapping onto Han Ruchu¡¯s shoulder. "Ruchu, calm down, we¡¯ll ask Qiao Qiao when she gets back." After Qiao Anxia poured Han Ruchu a cup of tea, she picked a photo up to take a look. Inside, Lu Jinnian and Qiao Anhao were sitting at a table beside ake while having a meal. Lu Jinnian was tenderly using a wet tissue to help Qiao Anhao clean her hands. Qiao Anhao, in the meantime, had her face lowered, her gaze focused on the hand that Lu Jinnian was wiping, a hint of embarrassment on her face. After staring for a few moments, Qiao Anxia lifted her head to look at Han Ruchu¡¯s infuriated expression then back at her disappointed parents. Fury erupted in her chest, and grabbing the photos, she left the house. Just then, the maid outside, who was watering the nts, greeted her, "Miss Qiao." Qiao Anxia ignored her, entering her car. Without even fastening her seat belt, she stomped on the elerator. - For the past few days, Qiao Anhao had been having dinner with Lu Jinnian, but this afternoon, he had informed her that he had to work overtime. So when it was 6 pm, she called for takeaway. Since she hadn¡¯t been alone for dinner thesest few days, she didn¡¯t have much of an appetite today. She didn¡¯t touch the takeaway that she had bought. Leaning against the sofa, she stared at the television for a while when her phone vibrated. Looking down, she saw that Lu Jinnian had just replied to the text she had sent half an hour ago. Chapter 486: Divorce(7) Chapter 486: Divorce£¨7£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem [Have you had dinner?] Qiao Anhao looked at the takeaway on the table. [No, I¡¯m not hungry.] This time, Lu Jinnian replied instantly. [Do you want to eat supper tonight?] With hesitation, she replied, [Yep.] [I¡¯ll contact you when I¡¯m done.] Before she could reply, her phone suddenly rang ¡ªit was a call from Qiao family. Without hesitation, Qiao Anhao picked up, and the moment she did, her aunt¡¯s urgent voice came through. "Qiao Qiao, do you have time now? Come back right away." "Now?" "Yes, right now." Qiao Qiao could hear the seriousness from her aunt¡¯s voice. It sounded as if something serious had happened, so she replied with a faint "yea" before adding, " I understand, I¡¯lle over now." - Huan Ying had several new projects recently, causing Lu Jinnian to be unusually busy. The entirepany was working overtime just to get things done. Expressionless, Lu Jinnian listened to the ideas from the project manager. He nced over at his phone. When he realized that Qiao Anhao hadn¡¯t replied to his text, he locked his phone, cing his focus back on the screen. Just then, the meeting room door was pushed open and a secretary that hadn¡¯t knocked off came in. She signaled towards Lu Jinnian¡¯s assistant. He stopped typing, and without interfering with anyone else, he silently left the room. After a while, he silently returned back to his chair. Turning to Lu Jinnian, he whispered in his ear, "Mr. Lu, the elder Miss Qiao is here, she wants to see you." Curiosity flitted past his gaze, before his expression turned calm once more. His assistant added softly, "I told to the secretary to bring her to the lounge." Lu Jinnian nodded faintly. He nced at his phone before returning his attention to the meeting. After about an hour, the meeting ended; it was currently 8.10 pm. Lu Jinnian packed the documents on his table and left the room. When he was outside, he saw an impatient Qiao Anxia. Seeing him, she immediately walked forward, and in an imprudent tone, she said, "Lu Jinnian, lets have a talk." Lu Jinnian remained emotionless. Without even ncing at her, he brushed past and walked towards his office. The assistant smiled politely at Qiao Anxia. "Miss Qiao, if there is anything, you can speak to Mr. Lu in his office." Qiao Anxia red at the assistant, then, turning, stomped behind Lu Jinnian. Lu Jinnian pushed open his office door, walking straight to his chair. Ever since early in the morning, he had only casually taken a small snack in the afternoon. He spent the rest of the day immersed in his work, so he felt extremely tired. With raised hands, he massaged his temples. His assistant escorted Qiao Anxia into the office, and after personally making two cups of coffee, he ced them on the table before leaving the office. Chapter 487: Divorce(8) Chapter 487: Divorce£¨8£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Once the room was left with just the two of them, Qiao Anxia walked to the front of Lu Jinnian¡¯s office to toss the photos onto his table violently. Lu Jinnian frowned, but his eyes remained shut as he massaged his temples. Seeing his nonchnt expression, she remembered how he had always treated her. Infuriated, she said, "You better take a look at what it is!" Lu Jinnian¡¯s face darkened, seemingly annoyed by Qiao Anxia¡¯s words. After pausing for a while, he removed his hands from his temples and straightened to sweep a nce past the photos on they table; they were of him and Qiao Anhao. Without much change in his expression, he continued to sip his coffee. "How did you get them?" "You already know about the existence of the photos?" Qiao Anhao heard the meaning behind his words. Unclear about his intentions, she asked, "Right, it¡¯s no wonder the photos didn¡¯te out on tabloids. You must have already stopped it from spreading, but Lu Jinnian, even if you can stop it from going onto entertainment news, that doesn¡¯t mean you have stopped it from spreading privately." Lu Jinnian lowered hisshes, blowing on the steaming cup of coffee as he continued to sip slowly. Qiao Anxia clenched her fists before continuing, "You don¡¯t know where Qiao Qiao is right now?" The moment her words fell, she distinctly heard Lu Jinnian stop drinking his coffee. At that moment, she felt confused by her own feelings. She hesitated momentarily before stating, "Qiao Qiao was summoned back home, she¡¯s back home right now because of the photos." The cup fell, spilling onto the back of Lu Jinnian¡¯s hand, scalding it, leaving a red bruise. Even though there wasn¡¯t much change in his expression, there was still a hint of worry in his gaze. "Lu Jinnian, the entire business circle has seen the photos. They already know that Qiao Anhao has cuckolded Xu Jiamu, and auntie Xu is furious. An hour ago, she personally stomped over to my house to find my parents. Do you know the expression my parents had when they saw the photos?" Qiao Anxia paused, staring straight at Lu Jinnian. "Do you still remember what you told me a few months ago?" Just then, she repeated the words she had said to him in the past. " Remember, I said, if you really love her, stop harassing her, let her go. You¡¯re going to ruin her at this rate! "Now, what I want to say is that you have already ruined her!" "Now, everyone knows that she had an affair. Auntie Xu is her mother inw, and because of this incident she hates her, and when Xu Jiamu finds out, he¡¯s going to scold her, and my parents are visibly disappointed with her. If Qiao Qiao and Xu Jiamu divorce because of this, my parents and the entire Qiao enterprise board will me her!" Chapter 488: Divorce(9) Chapter 488: Divorce£¨9£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem "Lu Jinnian, most often, the woman is med, not the man. You are wrong as well, but nobody will me you, everyone will point fingers at Qiao Qiao. "You said you love her, but is this your love? "You ruined her reputation, how is she going to live in Beijing like this?" Due to Qiao Anxia¡¯s agitation, her words turned sharp and ruthless. She paused, and her voice next was calmer than before. "Besides, Lu Jinnian, her parents died young, the only kin she has left are me and my parents. Do you really want her to be left alone by herself?" Lu Jinnian clenched the coffee cup. Silence enveloped the office. Qiao Anxia stood in front of his table, staring at him for a long while before saying, "I have said my piece, the rest is up to you. Good bye!" She paused for a bit, then turned and left. Outside, Lu Jinnian¡¯s assistant politely greeted her when she left, "Miss Qiao." Ignoring him, she headed straight for the elevator. - On the way to Qiao house, Qiao Anhao kept wondering what could have happened, she even thought that it was because of her aunt and uncle¡¯s health. The more she thought, the more worried she became. After enduring the entire ride back, without care, she hurriedly ran into the house. The housekeeper was the one who opened the door. When she saw Qiao Anhao, she spoke in a low voice. "Mister, Missus, Miss Qiao is back." After changing her shoes, Qiao Anhao walked inside in a daze. The atmosphere in the living room was tense, and Han Ruchu was there as well. She studied the three of them before greeting them. "Aunt, Uncle, Auntie Xu." Han Ruchu remained distant, ignoring Qiao Anhao. Her uncle nodded and her aunt stood up with a stack of photos. "Qiao Qiao,e with me." Qiao Anhao nodded her head in confusion, following her aunt up to the second floor. "Aunt, what¡¯s wrong?" Faced with Qiao Anhao¡¯s question, her aunt passed the photos over. Qiao Anhao reached over and saw that it was photos of her and Lu Jinnian eating. She froze, but before she could speak, her aunt spoke up. "Qiao Qiao, even though I don¡¯t know what exactly happened between you and Xu family¡¯s illegitimate son, but I believe you, yet that doesn¡¯t mean that auntie Xu believes you. "Now that you are married to Jiamu, you should be more wary of your actions and should keep a distance from other guys, else it¡¯ll bring shame to Xu family. "Besides, the Qiao and Xu families have deep ties. I don¡¯t want to mention anything, but deep inside, you should know what to do." After a slight pause, she continued, "Qiao Qiao, you should know that Lu Jinnian has always been a thorn in auntie Xu¡¯s heart. You should keep your distance." Chapter 489: Divorce(10) Chapter 489: Divorce£¨10£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Qiao Anhao had wanted to exin herself, that in just a few days she would divorce Xu Jiamu, so by then, she would be able to date Lu Jinnian if she wanted. But she was still considered Xu Jiamu¡¯s wife. If she were to continue interacting with Lu Jinnian now, she wouldn¡¯t be able to rify herself. Qiao Anhao decided to steer clear of problems and nodded her headpliantly. "I understand, I was wrong. Me and Lu Jinnian are just ssmates, there¡¯s nothing between us." Mother Qiao finally calmed her heavy heart after hearing the reassurances. She chatted with Qiao Anhao for a bit more, mostly emphasizing on how to be a good wife. Then Qiao Anhao followed mother Qiao down to apologize to Han Ruchu, promising that such an incident would not happen again. Since the Qiao and Xu families had close business ties, Han Ruchu forgave her even if she still felt unhappy. The atmosphere cleared slightly, and in order to further clear the mood, father Qiao called Xu Jiamu back for a family gathering over dinner. - After the meal, Xu Jiamu and his father had some alcohol. When they were about to leave, he called for the driver. When they left Qiao family house, Xu Jiamu¡¯s driver hadn¡¯t arrived yet, so they decided to take a stroll. After just a short walk, Qiao Anhao¡¯s feet started to hurt so they found a bench to rest. The bench faced a small park filled with children ice skating. Qiao Anhao looked straight ahead, imagining herself when she was young. Back then, she, Qiao Anxia, and Xu Jiamu would often y just like that. "Brother Jiamu, do you remember teaching me ice skating here?" "But till today, you still can¡¯t skate independently. I guess I wasn¡¯t a good teacher, huh." Qiao Anhao smiled. Lifting her head, she gazed at the streetmp before saying softly, "Brother Jiamu, I¡¯m sorry about the photos, I made you aughing stock." "It¡¯s fine, what¡¯s there to apologize about? My mother was just making a mountain out of a molehill. Since brother was asked to act as me, and he was your husband for eight long months, in such a time, even strangers would be close. Besides, it was just a meal, there¡¯s nothing to make a fuss about, right? I hope you won¡¯t take it personally, my mother just takes her pride too seriously. After our divorce, you¡¯ll be free." Qiao Anhao¡¯s lips curled into a smile. Looking up at the sky, she asked, "Brother Jiamu, what do you intend to do after our divorce? Are you going to marry for profit once more?" Before the car ident, if someone would have asked Xu Jiamu this question, he would have definitely agreed without hesitation. Chapter 490: Divorce(11) Chapter 490: Divorce£¨11£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Every man has a dream and that is to be sessful in the business world, and Xu Jiamu was no exception. Ever since he was young, he knew that marrying was the best deal in the world. A business marriage would bring benefit to both parties, so only a fool would miss out on it. But now that Qiao Anhao had asked him the question, he paused, not understanding his own hesitation. Deep inside, he felt guilty though, since Song Xiangsi¡¯s face floated into his mind. After about five seconds, he shook his head, chasing her face out of his mind. "Of course, I¡¯ll definitely find a girl with a suitable background to marry." Xu Jiamu¡¯s words were resolute, as if they were trying to convince him as well. Just then, his phone rang¡ªit was from his driver. Xu Jiamu stood up and looked at Qiao Anhao. "Let¡¯s go, the driver is here." Qiao Anhao grabbed her bag, following behind Xu Jiamu out of the area. Not far from the bench they had sat, in a spot they didn¡¯t notice, stood Qiao Anxia. Her face was pale, her expression dazed. She stood stationary for a long while before her senses returned. The originally crowded park quietened as all the children left for home. When there was barely anyone left, she moved her stiff body, walking towards the bench that they had sat on, the conversation between Qiao Anhao and Xu Jiamu floating in her mind. The Xu Jiamu with the bandaged face was actually Lu Jinnian, which meant that before Xu Jiamu¡¯s face recovered, Qiao Anhao had been the wife of Lu Jinnian and not Xu Jiamu. It was no wonder Qiao Anhao had a photo of herself and Lu Jinnian sleeping together. Just a moment ago, Qiao Anhao had been discussing her divorce with Xu Jiamu... This meant that Xu Jiamu never liked Qiao Anhao and she never liked him.... When Qiao Anxia was young, in order to escape the marriage with Xu Jiamu, she had misled Han Ruchu into thinking that Xu Jiamu liked Qiao Anhao, causing her to choose Qiao Anhao as the marriage candidate. She had been guilty for many years until she saw them happily married... She thought that Qiao Qiao had been confused and so had even given Lu Jinnian the voice recorder, even disrupting him several times to leave Qiao Anhao alone. But she had been wrong all along. But why didn¡¯t Qiao Qiao tell her such a big secret? And if she hadn¡¯t harmed Qiao Qiao all those years ago, would she have been the one to act as Lu Jinnian¡¯s wife? In the end, she had been the one who gave away the opportunity to be with Lu Jinnian... - Lu Jinnian¡¯s assistant waited outside his office for a long while, but his superior remained inside, so he nced at the time and knocked on the door. The room remained silent, and after a moment of hesitation, he pushed the door open. Lu Jinnian sat on his chair with a cup of coffee in his hands, seemingly in deep thought. He didn¡¯t seem to have noticed his assistant enter the room at all. Chapter 491: Divorce(12) Chapter 491: Divorce£¨12£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem The assistant stood for a while before calling out, "Mr. Lu." After about five seconds, Lu Jinnian turned his head slowly. "What¡¯s wrong?" "It¡¯s almost ten, are you going to leave?" Lu Jinnian sipped the coffee out of habit, realizing that it had long gone cold. cing the cup down, he wiped his face with a palm, replying, "Okay." He stood up to grab his jacket before leaving the office. His assistant nced at theputer that was still switched on and the wallet next to it. He reminded, "Mr. Lu, yourputer is still on." Lu Jinnian turned. "Oh," he murmured, returning to his desk to hurriedly switch theputer off. The assistant wondered, what exactly did Miss Qiao Anxia say to Mr. Lu? He didn¡¯t seem to be in the right state of mind... He pondered it for a bit before picking the wallet, not bothering to remind Lu Jinnian. - Once they were out of the car park, the assistant looked at Lu Jinnian through the rear view mirror. He recalled that they had been going to Mian Xiu Garden for the past few nights, so he asked, "Mr. Lu, are you heading to Mian Xiu Garden?" Lu Jinnian stared out at the window, replying with a faint "Yea", The lights from the streetmp spilled across his face, blurring his expression. After a while, the assistant passed the wallet over. "Mr. Lu, you forgot about your wallet." Lu Jinnian paused, reached over, and stuffed it into his pocket before returning to gaze outside. The car stayed silent. After about ten minutes, Lu Jinnian suddenly asked, "If you found out that your wife had a close male friend, what would you do?" The assistant wanted to reply with ¡®My wife wouldn¡¯t be close to another man¡¯ but once he saw Lu Jinnian¡¯s serious expression, he decided to reconsider his response. After wrecking his brain with the question, he replied with an exaggerated expression, "I would be angry, then upset." "Then.. would you quarrel with her?" "Not initially, but I would find her for a talk." The assistant paused before adding, "But if my wife continued to find the man after our talk, I would quarrel and worse, I would divorce her." "Oh," Lu Jinnian replied. He then asked, "If you parents knew about it, how would they react?" First he wanted him to think of his wife having an affair and now he wanted him to think of how his parents would react? The assistant was at a loss, but he still replied instantly. "Well, the older generation would definitely make a fuss about it. If they liked her, it would be easier, but if they didn¡¯t like her, the situation would be tense andplicated." "Oh," Lu Jinnian muttered, and then stayed silent. The assistant was confused by Lu Jinnian¡¯s questions, why would he suddenly ask about his family matters? Through the rear mirror, he nced over and asked, "Mr. Lu, what made you so curious?" Chapter 492: Divorce(13) Chapter 492: Divorce£¨13£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Lu Jinnian remained silent. His assistant spoke again. "Mr. Lu, are you going to invest in a family drama?" Lu Jinnian continued to stay silent. This time, his assistant remained silent as well, ncing at him through the rear mirror asionally. Lu Jinnian frowned, his expression not moody but with a hint of dilemma instead... What exactly did Miss Qiao Anxia say to Mr. Lu? The assistant started feeling curious, but just as he was wrecking his brain for an answer, Lu Jinnian suddenly asked, "Is there a deal in Hong Kong the day after tomorrow?" "Yes, Mr. Lu." The topic changed so fast the assistant could barely catch up .After a short pause, he added, "Mr. Wang is going to Hong Kong tonight regarding the contract." In a faint voice, Lu Jinnian said, "Inform him that he doesn¡¯t need to go." "Huh?" the assistant asked. Just then, Lu Jinnian added, "Book two tickets to Hong Kong, we¡¯ll go to settle the deal." Lu Jinnian was meant to go for the deal, but yesterday afternoon, he had forced it on Mr. Wang. Now, out of a sudden, when Mr. Wang was already in the airport, he suddenly changed his mind... The assistant called Mr Wang uncertainly. After hanging up the call, he booked the flight tickets. "It¡¯s at 11 pm, we¡¯ll make it if we head to the airport now. I¡¯ll get the hotel in Hong Kong to settle our clothes." Lu Jinnian replied with a light "Yea". Just then, his phone rang, and he looked into the screen out of habit, realizing that it was a message from Qiao Anhao. [Still working?] Lu Jinnian unlocked his phone. He was about to reply but then hesitated slightly; he deleted the response and ced the phone face down beside him. - When Qiao Anhao returned back to Mian Xiu Garden, it was already 10 pm. She was supposed to have supper with Lu Jinnian, but he hadn¡¯t contacted her. She looked at her phone and sent a text over, [Still working?] After about a minute, Lu Jinnian still hadn¡¯t replied. This was the first time that he hadn¡¯t replied to her. Before, even when he was at his busiest, he would still reply instantly when night fell, so Qiao Anhao sincerely believed that he was just busy. After removing her clothes, she entered the bathroom. When she was out, she headed straight for her phone, but Lu Jinnian still hadn¡¯t replied. cing it back down, she headed towards the vanity table to blow dry her hair. It was nearing 11 pm, so even if he was working, he should be done soon, so she ran back to the changing room to stare at therge row of clothes before settling on a pastel yellow sling dress. She circled in front of the mirror, and once satisfied, she hurried out of the changing room back to her phone, but Lu Jinnian still hadn¡¯t replied. She sent a question mark over. - When Lu Jinnian and his assistant were going through the security checks, Lu Jinnian emptied his pockets, cing everything necessary in the provided basket. Chapter 493: Divorce(14) Chapter 493: Divorce£¨14£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem When Lu Jinnian was about to pass the security gates, he heard his phone ring. His steps paused slightly, but in the end, he ignored it, passing though the gates. After the security checks, Lu Jinnian stuffed the items he had emptied back into his pockets, deliberately leaving his phone thest. Originally, he hadn¡¯t wanted to look, but in the end, he couldn¡¯t keep it in and nced at the screen. Indeed, there was an unread text, Qiao Anhao had sent him a question mark. Lu Jinnian stared at the screen, his throat tightening. He lowered hisshes, shielding the emotions that flickered past his eyes. Tensing his jaw, he ced the phone back into his pocket. When they reached the airport, they only had about half an hour before the take off time, so the air stewardess led them towards the VIP path. When the ne yed the safety video, Lu Jinnian was already seated with his seat belt fastened. While his assistant switched off his phone, he turned to look at Lu Jinnian who remained stationary. He reminded, "Mr. Lu, you need to switch off your phone." Silently, Lu Jinnian reached for his phone, but just before he switched it off, he once more saw the text that Qiao Anhao had sent over. The head air stewardess walked over over with the menu. Smiling politely, she asked, "Hello sirs, would you like any drinkster?" The assistant replied, "Two cups of coffee, thank you." "Sure." The woman recorded the order, but just then, she saw the light from Lu Jinnian¡¯s phone. "Sir, please switch off your phone, thank you." Lu Jinnian fingers caressed the phone screen slightly before switching it off decisively. - Qiao Anhao curled up on the sofa, watching the television as she waited for Lu Jinnian¡¯s phone call. As time trickled by, she started to feel impatient. She nced up at the clock¡ªit was about midnight but Lu Jinnian hadn¡¯t replied to her yet. Frustrated, she dialed his number, wanting to ask how he was doing. When the call went through, an automated voice answered her. "I¡¯m sorry, the person you have called has switched off his phone." Switched off? Qiao Anhao frowned, did Lu Jinnian¡¯s phone ran out of battery? She dialed his assistant¡¯s number instead. Both their phones ran out of battery? What a coincidence... She called the office number, and yet, no one picked up. Qiao Anhao drummed her cheeks before tossing her phone on the sofa. She stared at the television while her thoughts ran wild. After a seemingly long time, she fell asleep on the sofa. But since she was curled up, she wasn¡¯t able to sleep well. Halfway through the night, she woke up to look at the time on her phone. It was already 2 am, but there were still no new notifications on her phone; he hadn¡¯t called her or replied to her text. Qiao Anhao stared at the phone screen in a daze, her heart empty. She rose to head to the toilet. When she was out, as she was washing her hands, she gazed at the beautiful dress that she had deliberately worn for Lu Jinnian. Her mood fell while her fatigue disappeared. Chapter 494: Divorce(15) Chapter 494: Divorce£¨15£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Qiao Anhao pulled a tissue to wipe her hands before heading to the bedroom with her phone in her hands. Sheid on the bed, staring intently at the conversation she had had with Lu Jinnian. As she read every word, her heart started to ache, tears clouding her vision. Lu Jinnian had treated her coldly in the past, but back then she wasn¡¯t as sad as she was right now.. Didn¡¯t he just miss out on a dinner? Was it necessary to be so upset? The more she thought about it, the harder the tears streamed down. - When the hotel came into view, it was already 2 am. After showering, Lu Jinnianid down on the bed, the image of Qiao Anhao surfacing in his mind. He couldn¡¯t help reaching for his phone to stare at the messages she had sent and the call that he had missed, his mood declining. He tossed his phone to the side and shut his eyes, but no matter how hard he tried, he wasn¡¯t able to fall asleep. As he tossed and turned on the wide bed, he ended up reaching for his phone to stare at the two unanswered messages. He fell into a daze, then reached for his cigarettes to light a stick. - Lu Jinnian¡¯s assistant¡¯s phone had been out of battery the night before and once he reached the hotel, he fell into deep sleep. The next day, when he was awakened by the hotel staff, he started to wash up while switching on his phone. A few notifications came in, and he clicked onto the screen, seeing a call from Qiao Anhao. Hurriedly, he returned her call. After a few seconds, her familiar voice came through. "Hello?" He spat the foam out before greeting her. "Miss Qiao, give me a second." He quickly rinsed his mouth and wiped his lips, then spoke politely as usual. "Miss Qiao, you called yesterday night?" Qiao Anhao sleptte the night before and was awakened early in the morning by the phone call. Theck of sleep caused her head to ache, and she hadn¡¯t been able to see who the caller was before picking up. Now that she heard Lu Jinnian¡¯s assistant¡¯s voice, she came to her senses instantly. She straightened up and grabbed her hair. Just then, the man¡¯s polite inquiry came in, " Miss Qiao, you called yesterday night?" "I called Lu Jinnian but he didn¡¯t answer his phone." "He could have been on the ne when you called." "ne?" she asked. "Yes, we flew over to Hong Kongst night for a business deal." The assistant paused before asking, "Miss Qiao, you didn¡¯t know?" "He didn¡¯t mention it." When the assistant detected the disappointment in her voice, he hurriedly exined, "He might not have had the time to mention it since he ended verytest night and directly after work we headed straight for the airport. He was only able to rest at about 3 am, so he could have been too tired." He paused for a while before asking, "Miss Qiao, are you looking for Mr. Lu now? I can go to his room and get him, but I¡¯m not sure if he¡¯s awake." After Qiao Anhao heard about the schedule of the previous night and that he had slept only at 3 am, her heart started to ache. Hurriedly, she said, "It¡¯s okay, let him rest." Chapter 495: Divorce(16) Chapter 495: Divorce£¨16£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem "Okay." After the assistant replied, he added thoughtfully, "Miss Qiao, when Mr. Lu wakes up, I¡¯ll get him to call you." "Thank you." After making himself presentable, the assistant headed to Lu Jinnian¡¯s room. The night before, he had gotten a spare room key to Lu Jinnian¡¯s room. After knocking on the door, he waited for a while, and when he was sure that there wasn¡¯t any movements in the room, he swiped the card and entered. The living room was empty. When he pushed open the bedroom door, the strong cigarette smell came flooding out, irritating his nose, causing him to sneeze twice. The bed was a mess, but Lu Jinnian was no longer in it. The bathroom doors were shut and the sound of running water could be heard. The assistant pressed his nose while walking towards the coffee table, the entirety of which was filled with cigarette butts of every length. He opened all the windows to air the room before taking a deep breath. Just then, he heard the bathroom door open. When the assistant first started working as Lu Jinnian¡¯s manager, he had nagged him about his eating choices and lifestyle, and even till today, the habit remained. "Mr. Lu, why did you smoke so much yesterday? How many times have I told you that smoking is bad for health. Even if you can¡¯t quit, how could you have smoked so much?" Lu Jinnian remained nonchnt towards his assistant¡¯s nagging. With his dripping wet hair, he picked his clothes up, draped them over himself, and started buttoning the buttons. The assistant continued to nag, but just then, he remember the phone call with Qiao Anhao, so he stopped nagging and said, "Mr. Lu, if you have time, you should give Miss Qiao a call." Lu Jinnian paused, not making a sound. His assistant started exining the details, "Miss Qiao tried to contact you yesterday but since she couldn¡¯t reach you, she came to find me instead. I returned her call this morning when I saw her missed call." Lu Jinnian acknowledged his words with a brief "yea" while putting on his suit jacket. Grabbing the documents at the side, he left the room. His assistant followed after him in a hurry. - Qiao Anhao¡¯s mood was lifted instantly by the call. Sheid on her bed, happily returning back to sleep. When she woke up once again, it was already noon. The night before, she had left the television running. When she nce over, she actually found Lu Jinnian, dressed in formal clothes, on the screen. Qiao Anhao flipped and stared at the screen unwaveringly. Lu Jinnian was tall and had outstanding looks. Even if the broadcast was about a new business cooperation, the camera was focused on Lu Jinnian. The screen never once left him, it was either zoomed in straight on his face or zoomed out for a wide angle view. Lu Jinnian sat on the first row, aptop in front of him. As the different speakers came on stage, he would asionally tap his keypad before ncing towards his phone. Several times, he even swiped open his phone. Qiao Anhao stared at Lu Jinnian¡¯s actions, a small smile spreading across her face, and a giggle escaped her lips. Lu Jinnian was actually spacing out... The memory of the past, of a physical education lesson came floating in her mind. At that time, her period came, so she left for ssroom earlier than usual. Chapter 496: Divorce (17) Chapter 496: Divorce (17) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem When Qiao Anhao passed Lu Jinnian¡¯s ssroom, she was used to ncing through the window and at him sitting with a white shirt at his desk. At the time, he was in physics. All the students carefully listened to the teacher talking behind the desk at the front. Most were taking notes, all apart from Lu Jinnian, who had his head lowered, a pencil in hand. He was sketching something on a white piece of paper on the desk, sometimes using a rubber. His ssmate who shared his desk noticed he was absent minded in ss and tried to peer over at what he was sketching. Who knew that Lu Jinnian¡¯s reactions would be so fast, he took a book and covered his paper. Their actions suddenly rmed the teacher, who was giving the ss. The teacher called their names out and asked them a question. The ssmate who shared the desk stammered at the question, but Lu Jinnian blinked for a second and then clearly and urately answered. The teacher then punished that ssmate to stand in front of the ckboard. Lu Jinnian, who had sat down, removed the textbook from his sheet of paper and continued to concentrate on his sketch. Lu Jinnian back then was far from his mature self that he was now. His youthful features and inexperienced self were full of absent-mindedness back then, but in her heart, she hade to idolize that young image of him. No wonder he was the man she had fallen in love with, even when he was absent-minded, he was so freaking good looking! - Qiao Anhao waited until the show was over before getting out of bed. She washed her face and then called for takeout. She then went over to charge her phone that was almost out of battery. The assistant had told her that Lu Jinnian would call her. Qiao Anhao waited during the day all the way until seven in the evening. Waiting could really wear down a person¡¯s willpower. Qiao Anhao was so afraid of going crazy from waiting that she started to tidy up the room. She re-folded all her clothes, then washed some of those that she¡¯d only worn once, and carried them to the balcony to dry one after another. When there were only two pieces left to to dry, her phone finally rang. Qiao Anhao impatiently ran back into the bedroom. Because she was in such a hurry, she identally bumped her leg into the clothes drying rack. She bumped her knees on it so hard, tears came rushing out. However, Qiao Anhao was not in the mood to check her wound and directly ran over to the sofa. She grabbed her phone, but in the end, it turned out that the call came from Qiao Anxia, not Lu Jinnian. Qiao Anhao instantly felt glum. She answered the call, greeting "Sis." She then heard the ear-splitting sound of someone singing. She creased her brows and asked, "Sis, where are you?" "Qiao Qiao? Come out and find me, hurry..." she said in a barely understandablenguage. She then screamed, straining her voice as she sang, "Do you even love me, do you love me..." Qiao Anhao held her phone a little further away from her ear, and screamed loudly back, "Who are you with? How much did you have to drink?" "Just me. I¡¯m with you, Qiao Qiao. That¡¯s not right, just me alone." Qiao Anxia was so drunk, her words weren¡¯t very clear. She even huped when she finished speaking, then continued, "Just me, on my own, at the Royal Pce." Then, without even hanging up, she continued to sing. This time, no matter how Qiao Anhao tried to ask any questions, she didn¡¯t get a reply. Chapter 497: Divorce(18) Chapter 497: Divorce£¨18£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem After Qiao Anhao hung up the call, the image of Qiao Anxia singing alone in Royal Pce filled her mind. The more she thought, the more worried she got. After she changed, she took her bag and left. When she reached the front desk of Royal Pce, she asked for Qiao Anxia and was escorted by a waiter to the room that she was in. The moment she reached the door of the room, she could hear Qiao Anxia¡¯s heartbroken voice piercing through the air. She pushed the door open, and the sight of Qiao Anxia standing on the table with her head raised high, screaming into the microphone, came into sight. Her surroundings was filled empty beer bottles. Qiao Anhao closed the door before rushing to her sister. She lifted her hand to pull her down from the table. "Qiao Anxia, are you crazy?" She nced at Qiao Anhao, continuing to sing. As she sang, tears streamed down her face. In the end, she knelt down with the microphone in her arms and started sobbing uncontrobly. Qiao Anxia didn¡¯t shut her microphone, and her sobs echoed through the entire room. This was probably the first time that Qiao Anhao had seen Qiao Anxia cry so helplessly. Frantically, she walked towards theputer to switch off the microphone before pulling Qiao Anxia up to the sofa and ordering a cup of hot tea. Qiao Anhao held the hot cup of tea, feeding Qiao Anxia slowly. She reached out to arrange her messy hair while pulling out a tissue to wipe her tears dry. Qiao Anxia had indeed drunk too much, but ever since she was young, she had been training her limits with Xu Jiamu, garnering a high tolerance towards alcohol. With just a few sips of hot tea, her mind cleared and Qiao Anhao¡¯s concerned face came into sight, the image stirring a fresh set of tears. "Sis, what exactly happened to you?" Qiao Anhao asked with concern. Qiao Anxia¡¯s tears fell furiously and she shook her head. She reached out to engulf Qiao Anhao in her arms, burying her head in her shoulder as she continued to sob quietly. Qiao Anhao returned the embrace silently, asionally patting her back to reassure her. After a long time, Qiao Anxia seemingly calmed down. She took a deep breath before calling out, "Qiao Qiao." "Yea?" When Qiao Anxia heard the tender and soothing reply, her words froze in her throat, unable toe out. She had wanted to apologize but couldn¡¯t muster enough courage to do so. This was about when she was still young and ignorant. At that time, a moment of folly had caused so manyplications. She was afraid that the moment she spoke, she would see hatred in Qiao Anhao¡¯s eyes, and that she would no longer treat her as before. She opened her mouth but did not dare to tell the truth even now. Silently, she continued to hug Qiao Anhao tightly. Right now, she was confused and upset. She was afraid that Qiao Anhao wouldn¡¯t forgive her and heartbroken by losing the only opportunity to get close to Lu Jinnian. She knew that Lu Jinnian liked Qiao Anhao and not her. After two failed confessions, she had coolly found herself another guy, but right now, when she found out that she had lost the opportunity to get close to him by herself, she couldn¡¯t help feeling a kind of heartache that she had never felt before. Chapter 498: Divorce (19) Chapter 498: Divorce (19) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem With great difficulty, Lu Jinnian found a little spare time for himself from ten in the morning till five in the afternoon. He found a secluded ce for some air and lit up a cigarette. Halfway through his cigarette, he pulled out his phone and looked at it for a while. He clicked open Qiao Anhao¡¯s WeChat, wanting to send a message... But Qiao Anxia was right. The more frequently he and Qiao Anhao got together, the more romantic they became, and the more Qiao Anhao got hurt. He was too selfish by wanting to get closer to her when it brought her so much trouble. Last time, her child died in her womb, and this time, would her entire reputation be in ruins? He couldn¡¯t hurt her time and time again in the name of love. With that thought, in the end, Lu Jinnian put his phone away and took a deep drag. Before he blew the smoke out, his assistant appeared and reminded him, "Mr. Lu, we should head out. Dinner is about to start." There were quite a few of Beijing¡¯s business partners at the dinner party. Everyone knew each other and sat at the same table. On a normal day, Lu Jinnian never spoke much and tonight he was no different. Since everyone sat down, they drank one ss after another, but he never spoke more than ten words. The men and women were all the same - they all had a hint of nosiness in their bones. After having one ss too many, people started talking about all sorts of things. Lu Jinnian also caught wind of the person on everyone¡¯s lips but remained impartial and acted like he didn¡¯t care until the very end. Atst, he didn¡¯t know who started the topic, but the conversation fell on the Xu family enterprise. "Han Ruchu, the vice president of Xu enterprises recently pooled several billions in funds. It seems to be an investment." "That woman has always been full of courage. She stabilized arge majority of the Xu enterprise¡¯s finances." "I¡¯ve worked with her once or twice. She seems to be really knowledgeable and a visionary. She¡¯s brilliant." On the topic of Han Ruchu, someplimented her, whilst others mmed her. In the end, who knew who said it first, but another gossip came to the front. "Ah right! As we¡¯re on the topic of Han Ruchu, I just remembered an incident. Have you all heard? Recently, the young master Xu and the daughter of the Qiao family are talking about divorce?" Lu Jinnian, who originally seemed like he didn¡¯t care, suddenly was all ears when he heard those words. His heart jumped for a moment. Could it be - was Qiao Anhao and Xu Jiamu going to get a divorce because of him?" "Seriously? When was this?" "I heard about this around a week ago." A week ago... Back then, there hadn¡¯t been any photos taken secretly of him and Qiao Anhao, so it had nothing to do with him? Lu Jinnian¡¯s mood slightly rxed. "Why did they talk about divorce? The business rtionship between Qiao and Xu families has been extremely close..." "It was because of a woman - the granddaughter of Lin Sun. She¡¯s currently studying in university. I don¡¯t know how she and young master Xu got to know each other, but then the two of them kind of..." Mid-speech, that person shrugged his shoulders and hinted, "Well, you all know. Young master Xu must¡¯ve fell for her and wants to marry her. Now they¡¯re thinking of how to get a divorce from the Qiao family." Lu Jinnian, who never spoke suddenly asked, "Are you sure?" "Of course I¡¯m sure. My sister is ssmates with Lin Sun¡¯s granddaughter. She saw young master Xu going to her school a few times, otherwise, how would I know about it." "Lin Sun¡¯s granddaughter... They¡¯re truly a family with three generations worth of government officials. Indeed, a better match than the Qiao family. No wonder they¡¯re in talks of divorce." Chapter 499: Divorce (20) Chapter 499: Divorce (20) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Lu Jinnian sat in his seat, listening attentively to every word of the discussion. His expression seemed just as distant and cold as usual, but his heart was wreathing. "Thatdy from the Qiao family is ever so pitiful." When Lu Jinnian heard this, a myriad of images crossed his mind. The image of him listening to Qiao Anhao and Xu Jiamu¡¯s confession through Qiao Anxia¡¯s earphones... And Qiao Anhao¡¯s happy and tearful face when Xu Jiamu woke up... In the end, the image transformed into Qiao Anhao¡¯s distraught, crying face. Suddenly, it felt like someone had brutally punched his heart. In an instant, the chopsticks in his hand crashed onto the table, making a "Pa!" sound. All eyes at the table were suddenly on Lu Jinnian. Even people from the other tables nearby turned at the loud sound. Everyone looked over with confusion at Lu Jinnian, who had stood up. Lu Jinnian said "Excuse me" with a somber expression, then picked up his jacket. Under everyone¡¯s watchful eyes, he kicked his chair behind him and strode out. His assistant nked out for a second, then got up. He smiled and apologized to everyone, hurriedly following Lu Jinnian out. Lu Jinnian walked so quickly that his assistant had to practically jog to catch up with him. In all the years, Lu Jinnian had heard it all at the dinner table; who had gone off the rails, who was financing a celebrity on the side, or who¡¯s wife killed themselves because they were abandoned. Whenever people started to talk about these topics, others would sigh along, but not him. He would remain calm and give them no reaction at all. So much so that even he would start to think to himself, ¡®ah that¡¯s so normal. Don¡¯t all wealthy men like to y around like this? Or else, how would I exist in the first ce?¡¯ No matter what he thought to himself or how he didn¡¯t react in the past, he¡¯d never suddenly erupt in anger when he heard Xu Jiamu was messing around with another woman. But right now, he was so angry that he felt like he was Qiao Anhao, the person abandoned. Yet Qiao Anhao had once told Xu Jiamu something like "In my whole life, I will only love you.". She grew up with Xu Jiamu and now was his wife, but he actually wanted to marry another woman. Lu Jinnian was never as cruel as to imagine a day when Qiao Anhao and Xu Jiamu would break up and he might have a chance with her. However, now that it came true, he was far from happy and excited, unlike what he imagined he would be; he felt an unspeakable pain in his heart. "Mr. Lu, Mr. Lu!" When Lu Jinnian heard the calls from behind, he stopped walking and turned his head to find his assistant panting. He said, "Book me a flight, I¡¯m going back to Beijing, NOW!" The assistant dazed out for a moment, then said, "But Mr. Lu, you still have a meeting to attend tomorrow. You might have to sign a contract... You can¡¯t go back!" "Either arrange for someone else to deal with these matters, or just cancel the signing all together!" Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t even think twice about it, and reiterated, "I¡¯m going to back to Beijing tonight!" "Mr. Lu ..." His assistant still had more to say. He wanted to talk Lu Jinnian out of it, but in the end, the other had already grabbed for his phone and called to book tickets. Lu Jinnian got off the phone and then ignored his assistant¡¯s cries of "Mr. Lu". He raised his hand to hail a taxi, got in, and left his assistant with the words, "Check out of the hotel and pack up everything in the room". Then he said to the taxi driver, "To the airport." Chapter 500: If No One Wants You, Ill Marry You (1) Chapter 500: If No One Wants You, I¡¯ll Marry You (1) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Lu Jinnian got off the phone and then ignored his assistant¡¯s cries of "Mr. Lu". He raised his hand to hail a taxi, got in, and left his assistant with the words, "Check out of the hotel and pack up everything in the room". Then he said to the taxi driver, "To the airport." The assistant stood outside the car with an anxious expression. He called out "Mr. L...", but in the end, he hadn¡¯t finished speaking when the tail lights of the taxi shed. The car started up and drove into the traffic. The assistant stamped his feet and helplessly clutched his hair as he nced back at the hotel behind him. Then, he pulled out his phone and called director Wang, who Lu Jinnian had originallye all the way to Hong Kong to meet but randomly canceled on. - On the way to the airport, Lu Jinnian pulled out his phone and called Qiao Anhao several times, but in the end, no one answered. He then left her a slew of WeChat messages, but didn¡¯t receive a reply either. Perhaps he was really affected by what he¡¯d just heard, but his intuition told him that Qiao Anhao already knew about Xu Jiamu¡¯s business. For her to not pick up her phone, or reply to messages, was she hiding in a corner somewhere, crying? At that thought, Lu Jinnian started to be restless in his seat. He wished for nothing more than to be like one of those characters from xuanhuan novels and instantly teleport to Qiao Anhao¡¯s side. When he reached the airport, he paid the taxi driver as he got out and checked into his flight. He passed security and boarded the ne... Lu Jinnian made no stops during this process, smoothly getting everything done. The ne took off and the announcements reached his table. As he stared at the night lights of Hong Kong out of the window, his erratic anger simmered down. He distinctly ran off on a business to Hong Kong just to avoid her for her own good. Who would of thought that he¡¯d hear bad news about her so far away! He never thought about being a hero, but he always wanted to protect Qiao Anhao from harm. He knew that perhaps, right at this moment, Qiao Anhao possibly had no idea that Xu Jiamu loved someone else. That was just his guess and what he worried about, but no matter if she knew or not, he still had to go back. Because he didn¡¯t want that woman to be alone at her saddest, most desperate time. So he needed to hurry over to her as fast as possible, to be with her whilst she was sad, and to cheer her up. Two hourster, the nended steadily at Beijing International Airport. It was alreadyte at night in Beijing and raining heavily when Lu Jinnian got off the ne. He bolted straight for taxis. The queue was a little long, so whilst lined up, Lu Jinnian called Qiao Anhao until his phone ran out of battery. Yet still, she never picked up. While burning with anxiety, Lu Jinnian eventually left the queue, braved the heavy rain, and ran straight out of the airport. Not long after, his clothes werepletely soaked. There were around five kilometers from the airport terminal to outside the airport. He ran until the rainwater all over his body had mixed with the sweat on his back. With great difficulty, he finally saw a ck taxi, and without any hesitation, he waved his hand, got in, and gave the driver the address to Mian Xiu Garden. When the car reached his home, Lu Jinnian paid the driver, and rushed over to Xu Jiamu¡¯s mansion. His breath was unstable when he raised his hand and pressed the doorbell a few times. - Qiao Anxia kept crying, unable to stop for a very long time, before shepletely calmed down. With the Royal Pce¡¯s staff¡¯s help, Qiao Anhao was able to drag her into the car and take her home. Chapter 501: If No One Wants You, Ill Marry You(2) Chapter 501: If No One Wants You, I¡¯ll Marry You£¨2£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem The moment Qiao Anhao left Qiao Anxia¡¯s house, it started to rain. Qiao Anxia stayed in an area where it was difficult to get a cab, and now that it rained, Qiao Anhao had to wait a long while before a one finally arrived. When the cab reached Mian Xiu Garden, the rain had escted to a huge downpour. After paying the cab driver, Qiao Anhao rushed towards Xu Jiamu¡¯s mansion. In less than five minutes, she was thoroughly drenched. She ran into the house and stopped on the carpet by the entrance, ignoring her dripping clothes, as she fished for her phone in her bag. On the screen, there were multiple missed calls, all from Lu Jinnian. The earliest one was three hours ago when she was still in Royal Pce, apanying the hysterical Qiao Anxia. The room was filled with loud sounds back then, drowning out the sound of her phone, and afterwards she was preupied with chasing after Qiao Anxia, neglecting her phone. Without hesitating, she called Lu Jinnian, but was met with an off phone. Initially when Qiao Anhao had seen the missed calls, she had been ecstatic, but when he didn¡¯t answer, it dampened her mood in an instant, and she wondered if they were about to miss each other once again. She ced the phone on the closet at the side, wringing her dripping her wet hair onto the water absorbing mat. The dirty rainwater flowed onto her face while she was wringing her hair dry, a few droplets falling into her eyes. Qiao Anhao had naturally sensitive eyes, every time she filmed, it was easy for her to tear up, causing a hard time for her makeup artist. Now that the rain water entered them, they turned red instantly. She pulled out a tissue, and just when she was about to dry her eyes, the door bell rang. Qiao Anhao was still in front of the door, so she turned, and without even asking who it was, she pulled the door open. Not bothering to look at who was outside, she lifted the tissue to dry her wet eyes. - Lu Jinnian reached out, prepared to press the door bell once more, but before he could do so, the door was pulled open. He looked into the house instinctively, and inside, Qiao Anhao was thoroughly drenched, holding on a tissue, dabbing her eyes. His heart yanked, and he fell into a frenzy. Had she found out about Xu Jiamu¡¯s incident..? "Qiao Qiao..." Lu Jinnian was about to coax her but he paused, not knowing how to continue after calling her name. Ever since he was young, he had never spoken much, and in the face of the only girl he loved crying, his mind turned nk. How was he supposed to coax her? The moment Qiao Anhao heard his voice, she froze, lifting her head to look at him. She blinked incredulously, and in that moment, two tears streamed down her face. Lu Jinnian started to panic. His mind slowed down, and he opened his mouth, but nothing came out. His mind was in a mess and an impulse to beat Xu Jiamu begun to form. He tensed, his hands clenching into fists, while he desperately tried to suppress his heartache. Chapter 502: If No One Wants You, Ill Marry You(3) Chapter 502: If No One Wants You, I¡¯ll Marry You£¨3£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem In the end, Lu Jinnian still wasn¡¯t able to think of how tofort Qiao Anhao, so he decided to pull her into a silent embrace. Before his hand could even reach out though, Qiao Anhao, who was still tearing, broke into a wide smile. In a clear voice with obvious surprise, she asked, "Lu Jinnian, why are you here?" Qiao Anhao¡¯s sudden smile seemed to have shocked his brain into a daze, and his hand paused in mid air. His gaze focused on her face, taking in the moisture in her eyes. Why was she crying and smiling... Did Xu Jiamu¡¯s abandonment agitate her so much? Lu Jinnian¡¯s heart started to ache once more, but his mind was still nk, he was still unable to find words tofort her. With the door open, the cold breeze blew in continuously, sending a shiver through her soaked body. In that instance, Lu Jinnian seemed to havee back to his senses. He picked her up and walked up the stairs to the bathroom on the second floor, cing her in the bathtub. Opening the tap, he adjusted the temperature before cing the hose in her hands. "Take a hot shower, it¡¯ll keep the cold away." Turning, he left the bathroom. Before he left though, he didn¡¯t forget to switch on the bathroom heater. The moment Qiao Anhao left the shower, she saw Lu Jinnian carrying a cup of ginger tea up. He passed it over to her, then after picking up a hairdryer, he started to blow dry her hair. The buzz from the hairdryer was loud, so they didn¡¯t speak, the atmosphere returning back to when they were still living together as a couple. Qiao Anhao took a sip of the ginger tea, and warmth spread from her chest to all over her body. When Lu Jinnian was done, he arranged the cord before cing the hairdryer back on the shelf. Without the buzz the room sank into silence, only the sound of soft rain fall entering from outside. Lu Jinnian stood in front of Qiao Anhao, watching as she sipped the ginger tea slowly. Only then did a phrase to show his concern spring into his nk mind. "Qiao Qiao, are you all right?" "I¡¯m good..." Qiao Anhao treated his question as a casual greeting. After finishing the cup, she ced it back on the table and lifted her face to smile at him. Before she had been carried to the bathroom by Lu Jinnian, she had wanted to ask him, "Lu Jinnian, aren¡¯t you in Hong Kong? Don¡¯t you have a meeting tomorrow? Why are you suddenly back here?" After the initial shock and the long string of questions, Lu Jinnian sensed that Qiao Anhao wasn¡¯t upset... But he thought back to her teary eyes and drenched body, and without answering her questions, he asked, "Where did you go just now? Why didn¡¯t you bring an umbre when it¡¯s raining?" Qiao Anhao replied honestly, "Qiao Anxia drank too much so I went to get her. I didn¡¯t bring an umbre out with me so I got drenched in the rain." Lu Jinnian studied Qiao Anhao for a long while before finally confirming that he had been too anxious just now, she didn¡¯t seem to know about Xu Jiamu¡¯s incident just yet. He was relieved, and took a long, deep breath. Chapter 503: If No One Wants You, Ill Marry You(4) Chapter 503: If No One Wants You, I¡¯ll Marry You£¨4£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Qiao Anhao noticed Lu Jinnian¡¯s weird behavior. She lifted her head up to look at him with a curious gaze. "What¡¯s wrong? You seem to be nervous." "Nothing." Lu Jinnian was back to his usual demeanor with just that word. He turned to look at the clock on the wall. It was almost 1 am, so he bent to pick up Qiao Anhao and then gently ced her on the bed before thoughtfully tucking her in. Switching off the lights, he said, "It¡¯ste, get some rest." That was when Qiao Anhao realized that his hair and clothes were still wet. They were both caught in the rain, but he had only thought about her. Touched and warmed, she curled under the nket, saying softly, "Lu Jinnian, hurry and take a shower, you¡¯re going to get a cold." "Yea," Lu Jinnian replied softly but remained stationary, his gaze on her. "I¡¯ll showerter, you should sleep first." Qiao Anhao didn¡¯t argue, shutting her eyes obediently. Deep inside, she could sense something weird about him but, she couldn¡¯t seem to pinpoint what was it. The next morning, after she woke up, she received a call from Lu Jinnian, saying that he would take her for a trip. Even thought they had been interacting often, they didn¡¯t travel around much. She wondered about his sudden change, but instead of voicing it out, she happily agreed, randomly packing a few clothes with her. She had assumed that he meant traveling somewhere near Beijing for a short while, but she had never expected that he meant to travel around half of China! From Luoyang to Xian to Shanghai to Hainan before heading to Hangzhou and ending off at Nanjing. Qiao Anhao managed to see the terracotta warriors and even climb Mount Hua. Thetter had a difficult and narrow path, in her heels, she could barely walk there, so in the end, it was Lu Jinnian who carried her down. Qiao Anhao had been to Shanghai several times, and it was a bustling metropolis simr to Beijing, well suited for shopping. They stayed for three days, buying a ton of things, heading to the courier at least five times. They reached Hainan in the afternoon. After checking in, Qiao Anhao ran to the hotel boutique to get a beach dress and beach hat. Once she made sure she was pretty, she dragged Lu Jinnian to the beach to sit on the banana boat. While they were on the boat, she was identally swung into the sea. Without hesitation, Lu Jinnian jumped into the sea faster than the workers, catching her. The both of them had on life jackets, so Qiao Anhao didn¡¯t seem afraid at all, spitting the salty water she had ingested all over Lu Jinnian¡¯s face. Besides Beijing, Hangzhou was the next state that housed a bulk of their memories, many of its sights had been visited when Qiao Anhao had visited when they were still in university. They strolled through the memoryne, cycling to the Xitang and Song cities. In the old town of Xitang, they entered a y shop. With the guidance of the owner, they gave a try at making pottery. Chapter 504: If No One Wants You, Ill Marry You(5) Chapter 504: If No One Wants You, I¡¯ll Marry You£¨5£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem While in school, Lu Jinnian was already one of the best while Qiao Anhao was just mediocre, but this mediocre devoted all her heart to her studies and eventually made it into the A university. After just one simple demonstration by the shop owner, Lu Jinnian could do it perfectly while Qiao Anhao was still struggling, missing out on many steps after several demonstrations. When new customers came in, the shop owner left, leaving Lu Jinnian and Qiao Anhao to mold the y by themselves. The warm rays from the sun spilled across Xitang, the sound of streaming water billowing with the wind, different faces contentiously passed by the window. The mood was peaceful and the pair was at ease. The pottery that Lu Jinnian had made looked great while Qiao Anhao¡¯s piece was an utter disaster. When the shop owner came back again to look at their work, Qiao Anhao reached over for the cup in front of Lu Jinnian. With a bright smile, she lied naturally, "What do you think, I¡¯m impressive, right?" With just a nce, the shop keeper knew that the cup she held was Lu Jinnian¡¯s, but he didn¡¯t intend to expose her lie. Yet before he could praise her, Lu Jinnian, who sat beside her, smiled indulgently andmented sincerely, "Impressive." A sweet smile crossed her face instantly. Turning to look at the cup she had forced into his hands, she widened her eyes and with an incredulity in her voice, she remarked, "Lu Jinnian, hurry and teach me how you can make such an ugly cup!" She then added, "Hurry and hide it, stop embarrassing yourself!" Lu Jinnian chuckled in amusement, a hint of tenderness and warmth crossing his usual frosty expression as he carefully ced the horrendous looking cup into a box. When they reached Nanjing, they had even went to Orchid theater to watch "The Peony Pavilion". Even though they could barely understand the songs, the tunes were delightful. Afterwards, they went for a scrumptious meal consisting of Mei Ling porridge and duck blood vermicelli... After about two days, they took an afternoon flight back to Jingcheng. Lu Jinnian¡¯s car was parked in Beijing airport¡¯s carpark, so once they entered the city, it was already 5 pm, dinner time. When the car passed by Beijing Hotel, Lu Jinnian slowed, asking, "Dinner here?" "Sure." Qiao Anhao lifted her lids to look at the hotel before nodding her head without anyments. - The private rooms in Beijing hotel were always packed, but since they arrived early, they managed to get thest room. Lu Jinnian ordered a pot of pu¡¯er tea, the aroma from the tea diffusing in the air, lifting their spirits. After ensuring that Qiao Anhao had been well fed, Lu Jinnian ced his chopsticks down, pushing the cup of tea that he had brewed in advance over to her. "Have some tea, it¡¯s good for your gut. I¡¯ll go down to pay the bill." Qiao Anhao sipped the tea, nodding towards Lu Jinnian. He reached for his wallet and left the room. After footing the bill, when he was about to head back to the room, he caught sight of a familiar figure in the seat near the window. Chapter 505: If No One Wants You, Ill Marry You(6) Chapter 505: If No One Wants You, I¡¯ll Marry You£¨6£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Ever since the start of filming of "Heaven¡¯s Sword" when Song Xiangsi had infuriated Xu Jiamu, they hadn¡¯t interacted once. Just as the rumors said, Xu Jiamu was indeed getting closer to Lin Qianqian. They first met when the girl was eleven. At that time, she had followed him everywhere, affectionately calling him "Brother Jiamu". He had been annoyed by her constant harassment until the day she emigrated with her parents. The day that Xu Jiamu had been infuriated by Song Xiangsi, he had headed straight for a bar to get a drink, that was where he reunited with Lin Qianqian. Intoxicated from the alcohol, she had ran to him calling him "Brother Jiamu", just like before. In a daze, he had stared at her for a long while but still couldn¡¯t figure out who she was. In the end, he was only able to remember who she was after she had told him her name. Lin Qianqian had snatched over his phone to call herself, saving his number. She then returned to the dance floor to y with her ssmates. The next day, he received a call from her. At that time, he was still confused as to how she had gotten his number. When they were young, he had hated how she acted like a princess. If not for his parents, he would never have been willing to y with her. He randomly threw her a few excuses after receiving her call, but when he was prepared to hang up, a notification came in, reminding him to settle the divorce with Qiao Anhao. Just then, a thought shed past, and he returned back to the call and chatted a while more. Soon after, he apanied her to the mall and even had a meal with her. But today, it was purely fate that led them to have a meal together in Beijing Hotel. Lin Qianqian had somehow gotten his location and had gone to his office to find him. He had originally wanted to send her back to school but had bumped into Song Xiangsi having a meal with Hua Yao Enterprise¡¯s vice president. That¡¯s why he decided to bring Lin Qianqian ,who was insisting on watching a movie, for a meal. Song Xiangsi and the vice president of Hua Yao Enterprise sat in the main dining area, so Xu Jiamu deliberately chose a spot nearby. The vice president of Hua Yao Enterprise recognized him instantly, standing up to greet him enthusiastically. In contrast, Song Xiangsi remained emotionless in his presence, treating him as a stranger. Only after the vice president of Hua Yang Enterprise finished his greetings did she acknowledge his presence out of courtesy. "Nice to meet you, Mr. Xu." She was indeed the best female screen actress. After sharing a bed with him for the past seven years, she could still act as though it was the first time they met... Xu Jiamu acted even more distant than her, lightly shaking the hand she had reached out before pulling Lin Qianqian¡¯s chair out gentlemanly. He even handed her a napkin thoughtfully. It was probably the first time that Xu Jiamu had treated her so well, causing her to feel ttered. Xu Jiamu sneaked a nce at Song Xiangsi; she was smiling happily as she conversed with the vice president of Hua Yao Enterprise, oblivious to Xu Jiamu and Lin Qianqian. At that moment, an unspeakable fury ignited in Xu Jiamu. Chapter 506: If No One Wants You, Ill Marry You(7) Chapter 506: If No One Wants You, I¡¯ll Marry You£¨7£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Lin Qianqian started treating Xu Jiamu intimately, reciprocating his thoughtful acts. In the past, Xu Jiamu would have definitely pushed her away, but this time, he didn¡¯t and even cooperated with her. He didn¡¯t keep his eyes on Song Xiangsi, but all his attention was on her. Ever since the start, she remained oblivious to him. When he opened his mouth to ept the plum that Lin Qianqian had personally brought over, he started to feel an unexined sense of helplessness. In an instance, he felt that everything he was doing was meaningless. When he was about to foot the bill, a figure suddenly approached him. Xu Jiamu lifted his head instinctively, and his lips curled upwards instantly. "Bro..." Before he could finish his greeting, Lu Jinnian had already yanked his cor upwards. His actions were violent and abrupt, catching Xu Jiamu off guard. Lin Qianqian bolted up from the seat in shock. "What are you..." Before she could finish her sentence, Lu Jinnian turned to send her a menacing re, it looked as though she was a family enemy. Furiously, he spat out, "Don¡¯t speak to me, it¡¯ll taint my ears." A shiver ran through her spine, and she swallowed her question, standing frozen in shock. Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t mince his words at all, so to Lin Qianqian who had been pampered ever since young, it was a huge shock. As she stared at this infuriated celestial looking man, she was too afraid to speak, biting down on her lip, tears beginning to well up in her eyes. "Bro, what are you doing?" Xu Jiamu asked in a low voice. Even though Xu Jiamu didn¡¯t like Lin Qianqian, he still found such actions repulsive. Lu Jinnian ignored his question, with a cold expression that was emitting frost, he dragged Xu Jiamu to a restroom. - After Qiao Anhao finished the cup of tea that Lu Jinnian had poured for her, she waited a while longer but when he was still not back, she took out her phone to give him a call. The phone started to ring beside her. She turned and found that Lu Jinnian had left his phone on the chair beside him. After waiting a while more, she started to feel bored. Grabbing her things, she walked out the room to find Lu Jinnian. The moment she came out of the elevator, she caught a glimpse of Lu Jinnian. He was standing at the front desk, his expression infuriated as he red behind him. Qiao Anhao had wanted to run over but stopped instinctively, turning towards his line of sight. There, she saw Xu Jiamu, who was sitting by a window. In front of him was a young and pretty girl that looked familiar, but in that instance, she wasn¡¯t able to decipher who she was. Xu Jiamu and the girl were behaving intimately, asionally feeding each other food. There was even once when he leaned over to whisper in her ear, sparking a smile on her face. The next moment, Lu Jinnian, who was staring in a fury, stomped over under the scrutiny of the crowd to yank Xu Jiamu to the restroom. Chapter 507: If No One Wants You, Ill Marry You (8) Chapter 507: If No One Wants You, I¡¯ll Marry You (8£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Qiao Anhao stood in a daze, the moment she got back her senses, she rushed to the restroom as well. - The restrooms in Beijing hotel came with individualpartments. Lu Jinnian found a randompartment, and after pushing the door open, aggressively stuffed Xu Jiamu in, then came in himself and shut the door. "Bro, what did I do wrong? Even if you are angry, you could have talked to me back at home, there¡¯s so many people here... You¡¯re humiliating me!" Xu Jiamu spat out in a mixture of confusion and anger. "Humiliate?" Lu Jinnian repeated coldly as he recalled the image of him in the dining room and then Qiao Anhao, who had been in love with him all this while. A me erupted in him, and he raised his arm and punched Xu Jiamu right in the face. That punchnded straight on Xu Jiamu¡¯s handsome face.He was caught off guard and fell onto the basin. "Bro, why did you beat..." Before he could finish his sentence, Lu Jinnian had locked his arm. He exerted strength, and Xu Jiamu screamed in pain. "Why don¡¯t you talk about how you humiliated Qiao Anhao!" Lu Jinnian¡¯s voice was cold and frosty. His breath started to be unstable from anger, and in a menacing voice, he mocked, "Xu Jiamu, your taste sure hasn¡¯t gotten better. How is that woman better than Qiao Anhao!" "Bro, it¡¯s not... Argh!" Before Xu Jiamu could finish his sentence, he started to shout in pain, taking in several deep breaths. If he could, Lu Jinnian would have crushed his bones. He pressed hard against Xu Jiamu¡¯s shoulder, snarling in fury, "That woman can neverpare to Qiao Anhao, you must be blind!" Lu Jinnian looked to his left then right. Suddenly he turned Xu Jiamu over, reaching towards his belt. "F*ck, bro, what are you doing?" Xu Jiamu shouted anxiously, instinctively covering his crotch. Lu Jinnian lifted his eyes to re at him coldly before pulling his belt violently. He used it to motion violently, scaring Xu Jiamu into backing away, and then swiftly left the room. - Qiao Anhao stood outside the restroom, listening to the footsteps. She didn¡¯t know why she was panicking, but at that moment, she found a free restroom and hid inside. - Lu Jinnian mmed the restroom door before securing it with the belt. He looped the handles a few times before tying a dead knot. Xu Jiamu, who was inside, kept pulling at the door, but it didn¡¯t budge at all. He shouted, "What are you doing? Why are you locking me? Lu Jinnian..." "Pat Pat Pat!" Xu Jiamu continuously pounded against the door. Lu Jinnian remained oblivious to the sound. He turned and reached into his pocket to get his wallet. Pulling it outside, he passed a few red notes over to he cleaner at the side. Pointing towards the door, he said, "Release the man inside in about twelve minutes." Twelve minutes.... In these twelve minutes, Lu Jinnian left the hotel with Qiao Anhao. Chapter 508: If No One Wants You, Ill Marry You(9) Chapter 508: If No One Wants You, I¡¯ll Marry You£¨9£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Lu Jinnian knew that some secrets won¡¯t hold, but to witness Xu Jiamu behaving intimately with another women had sent a hint of anxiousness through his burning heart. Even though he wasn¡¯t the one who was having an affair and the person that was betrayed, Qiao Anhao, wasn¡¯t him, he couldn¡¯t help panicking. He was the person that was most afraid to see sadness and heartache in the eyes on that woman. Lu Jinnian tidied his messy clothes, took in a few deep breaths, trying to suppress his anger. When he finally calmed down, he walked out. - Qiao Anhao couldn¡¯t exin why she wanted to hide, but when she heard Lu Jinnian walking inside the restroom, she instinctively hid herself. She was the only one in the big luxurious restroom. Leaning against a cold hard door, she could hear Lu Jinnian¡¯s voice, speaking with a hint of anger. "Release the man inside after twelve minutes." Subsequently, the sound of his footsteps gradually softened until they finally disappeared. She raised her hand and looked at the reflection of herself in the gold encrusted mirror. All she could feel was her thumping heart. Blood raced across her body, and a strange feeling rushed through her. She was confused about Lu Jinnian¡¯s action at first, but now that she had heard his conversation, she understood that it was because of her. "Xu Jiamu, your taste sure hasn¡¯t gotten better, how is that woman better than Qiao Anhao!" "That woman can neverpare to Qiao Anhao, you must be blind!" In her memory, Lu Jinnian had always been distant and arrogant. Even when he was infuriated, he was still able to maintain his calm and elegant demeanor, delivering the most hurtful words. But today, he was visibly out of control .When he scolded Xu Jiamu, his voice was trembling. He thought that Xu Jiamu had a new lover and had abandoned her. It infuriated him and he hurt the brother that he cared about a lot. In order to end their marriage, Xu Jiamu had acted as though he had betrayed her, and it was all to ensure that she won¡¯t get med by her family when they divorced. Lu Jinnian wasn¡¯t clear on the truth, so he had misunderstood him, causing such a big mix-up. But even if it was a misunderstanding, it was a beautiful misunderstanding. Lu Jinnian had wanted to stand up for her after learning that she was wronged, he had locked Xu Jiamu up in the restroom for twelve minutes, afraid that she would see him with another woman... Everything he was doing was because of her. Even though he was aloof and distant and had never said anything touching to her, but all his actions moved her. How could she not love such a man? Qiao Anhao¡¯s eyes turned red instantly. After a long while, when she was finally able to calm herself down, she washed her face and headed back up to the room. - When Lu Jinnian reached the room, he didn¡¯t see Qiao Anhao, but just when he was about to call her, his assistant called. Chapter 509: If No One Wants You, Ill Marry You(10) Chapter 509: If No One Wants You, I¡¯ll Marry You£¨10£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Qiao Anhao headed to the room. She pushed the door open, but before she entered, she heard Lu Jinnian¡¯s voice. "What do you mean the things we heard in Hong Kong might not be true? I just saw him eating with another woman..." Qiao Anhao paused, taking in Lu Jinnian¡¯s frustrated voice. "Didn¡¯t I tell you? I won¡¯t be going to thepany these few days, if there¡¯s anything, send it to my email, I will settle it tonight." "Meeting tomorrow? I¡¯m not free, I won¡¯t be able to make it. ... The other party insists I make it? Then forget about the deal. ... Payment for breaching the contract? Whatever." Previously, Qiao Anhao had asked him why he was back from Hong Kong a day early when there was a meeting the next day. He had assured her that the matter was assigned to someone else and that Beijing office had something important so he came back. But from the conversation, she could tell that he probably heard about Xu Jiamu¡¯s affair which provoked him in rushing back. That night, he was drenched from the rain. When she had opened the door, he just stood and stared silently. At that time, she had sensed his abnormality, had even asked why he was so anxious, but he didn¡¯t exin himself. Now she knew, she knew everything. The very next day, he said that he was on leave and asked if she wanted to have a vacation. At that time, she had agreed happily, naively believing that she was apanying him for his vacation, but now she knew that it was never a vacation, he just wanted to clear her mind, knowing that she was about to be abandoned. It exined everything. When they were in Hainan, they stayed in a double room apartment. When she walked to the restroom in the middle of the night, she saw that his room¡¯s lights were still on and the doors weren¡¯t tightly shut. Inside, she could hear someone typing. When she returned from the restroom, she could even hear him talking to someone on the phone in a low voice. At that time, she was too tired to bother, heading back to her room in a daze to sleep, but he, he was actually rushing his work... How many things had he done for her that she never knew about? Her heart clenched. "That¡¯s it, I understand. I¡¯ll hang up now." When Qiao Anhao heard thest sentence, she hurriedly released the door handle, walking down the corridor. Raising her head, she took a deep breath before turning around. Just then, Lu Jinnian anxiously exited the room with the phone in his hand. "Lu Jinnian?" Qiao Anhao shouted with a faint hint of tremble in her voice. When he heard her voice, he heaved a sigh of relief and swiftly strode toward her. "Where did you go? Didn¡¯t I tell you to wait for me in the room?" "I went to the restroom," Qiao Anhao replied with a faint smile. "Have you paid?" "Yea." "Why did you take so long?" "The queue was a little long and the machine malfunctioned." "Oh." Even though Qiao Anhao was clear about what had happened, she acted clueless, not exposing his lie. With a warm smile on her face, she asked, "Can we go now?" Chapter 510: If No One Wants You, Ill Marry You(11) Chapter 510: If No One Wants You, I¡¯ll Marry You£¨11£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem When the car entered Mian Xiu Garden, it was just 9 pm. The items that Qiao Anhao had shipped over from Shanghai were ced with the estate security, and Lu Jinnian drove over to get her items before driving to Xu Jiamu¡¯s mansion. When they reached, he alighted to help her bring the items in. After traveling for so many days, Qiao Anhao was probably worn out, so Lu Jinnian was quick. Before he left, Qiao Anhao stopped him. "Lu Jinnian." He paused and turned to look at her questioningly. In a pair of slippers, Qiao Anhao walked to the entrance of the house. "I have to go to the Xu family house tomorrow." Lu Jinnian nodded, acknowledging her words. Smiling, she added, "Goodbye." "Goodbye." Lu Jinnian lingered a while longer before leaving. Even though Qiao Anhao wanted to spend every day with him, she didn¡¯t want him to neglect his work because of her. Besides, even if she was still married to Xu Jiamu, there was no love. Even though she¡¯ll be the party that was pitied in the uing divorce, she wasn¡¯t upset at all. Instead, she hoped to end this partnership as soon as possible so that she would be able to advance to the next stage with Lu Jinnian. If she had known that she was betrothed to Xu Jiamu, she would have never agreed to marry him, but before she became aware of it, he had gotten into a car ident. At that time, she had wanted to get close to Lu Jinnian so she epted the request. Lu Jinnian had no idea how silly she was at that time, willing to be another¡¯s wife in name just so they could meet again. But that was her only chance, if she hadn¡¯t done it, she would have never had the opportunity or power to talk to him. - The next day, Qiao Anhao indeed headed to Xu mansion. Inside, she was fretting over how the divorce mightplicate things. But she had never expected how smoothly it would go. In the afternoon, Xu Jiamu specifically booked a room for both sides of the family to gather. His lips were still swollen from when Lu Jinnian had punched him yesterday. When Han Ruchu saw it, she started to worry exaggeratedly, heartache visible on her face. When everyone was sitting, Xu Jiamu signaled towards the waiter to pour everyone a cup of tea. Han Ruchu was confused by the gathering, so she asked, "Jiamu, why did you gather all of us?" Xu Jiamu picked thest cup of tea, walking towards his seat casually. He took a sip before cing the tea back down, and after looking at both sides, he said, "I want to divorce Qiao Qiao." Xu Wanli was just about to sip his tea, but right then, his hands trembled, spilling the tea. Han Ruchu and the Qiao family objected instantly. "What?" "Why?" "Jiamu, what happened to you and Qiao Qiao?" Xu Jiamu paused for a moment before repeating, "Today, I came to tell you that I want to divorce." Chapter 511: If No One Wants You, Ill Marry You(12) Chapter 511: If No One Wants You, I¡¯ll Marry You£¨12£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem The entire room fell silent. Just then, the hot water boiled, bubbling sounds clouding the air. Mother Qiao broke the silence. "Was it because of the photos? Jiamu, I told you that Qiao Qiao and him are just friends..." Xu Jiamu objected instantly, "No, it has nothing to do with my brother." This time, Han Ruchu spoke. "Why then? Haven¡¯t you always liked Qiao Qiao?" "I do like Qiao Qiao, but I¡¯ve always treated her as a sister. Recently, I found a girl that I like more." Xu Wanli violently ced the cup on the table, which resounded with a loud thump. In a furious voice, he shouted, "Bastard!" Seeing how the situation had escted, Qiao Anhao anxiously added, "I already agreed to the divorce." Xu Wanli paused, swallowing his scolding. Xu Jiamu continued, "The only reason we got together was to maximize the profits between both corporations. We have already discussed and came to the conclusion that we don¡¯t have any feelings for each other. After we divorce, we can still be friends. For the corporation between bothpanies, I would be willing to offer up 20% aspensation. " "Jiamu..." 20% was worth a few million... Han Ruchu called out his name, prepared to stop him. Xu Jiamu continued, not giving her any chance to speak. "I also promise that for any future corporations, I would definitely consider Qiao Enterprise first." Qiao Anhao knew that it was time for her to make a stand, so she spoke as well. "It¡¯ll be an amicable divorce and we will still be good friends even if we divorce. I¡¯m sure our divorce will definitely cause a stir within the business circle, but that¡¯s only in the short term, besides, as long as we¡¯re still on good terms, the gossip won¡¯t affect us." Father Qiao and mother Qiao looked at each other. Even though they weren¡¯t enthusiastic about the separation, a bad divorce in the future would be disadvantageous for them. Father Qiao took a moment before nodding. "Qiao Qiao can decide her matters on her own, we will respect her decision." Han Ruchu was originally satisfied with this daughter inw, but ever since she found out that she had slept with Lu Jinnian and had even had an abortion, she hadn¡¯t been too pleased. But since her son loved her, she decided to close one eye. Now, when they wanted to separate, she was definitely willing. When Xu Wanli was about to scold Xu Jiamu again, she discreetly kicked him under the table, warning him off before looking at the Qiao parents apologetically. "I¡¯m really sorry for this to happen." - After the meal, it was 3 pm in the afternoon, Qiao Anhao left in Xu Jiamu¡¯s car. Xu Jiamu turned and pointed to his lips that were still bruised. "Qiao Qiao, I¡¯ve done so much for you this time. My brother even punched me thinking that I had an affair, and now I have to bear the title of an unfaithful man..." Chapter 512: If No One Wants You, Ill Marry You(13) Chapter 512: If No One Wants You, I¡¯ll Marry You£¨13£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Xu Jiamu suddenly paused. He lifted his head to look into the mirror before turning to face Qiao Anhao. "Qiao Qiao, do you think i look good with the scar?" Yesterday, when he came out of the washroom, he had bumped into Song Xiangsi. At that time, he was tending to his wound, so when he caught sight of her, he turned, facing her with the unscarred side of his face. He thought that she would brush past him, acting as a stranger, but she suddenly stopped, before walking in front of him. Lifting her hands, she straightened his face to study the side that was bruised before chuckling. "Pssh! Hahaha! You look so much better like that!" Releasing his face, she entered the washroom. Qiao Anhao replied simply, "No." "Not good?" Xu Jiamu asked persistently before staring into the mirror once more. "I think I look good though..." "..." Qiao Anhao lifted her eyes, ignoring Xu Jiamu, before adding shortly after, "Brother Jiamu, thank you." Xu Jiamu, who was still examining his scar, suddenly turned serious. "Qiao Qiao, whatever I said just now was just a joke, I never took it to heart..." "I know." Curling her lips into a smile, she continued, "But still, thank you." - Xu Jiamu was still busy, so he dropped her off at Mian Xiu Garden¡¯s entrance, not following her in. Qiao Anhao started to pack the moment she reached his house. Even though she hadn¡¯t stayed for long, she had many things, arge chunk bought when she went traveling with Lu Jinnian. When she first came to Xu Jiamu¡¯s mansion, she had only brought one luggage, so there wasn¡¯t enough room for her newly bought things. In the end, she gave up, heading to the supermarket nearby to get a new suitcase. - Since Qiao Anhao didn¡¯t needpany, Lu Jinnian headed to his office the next day. After being away for so long, there was an umted stack of documents for him, even if he had been working every night. Lu Jinnian spent the entire afternoon buried in documents. After having lunch, he barely had time to rest before having to meet a client to sign a contract. Directly after, he had another meeting. By the time he returned to his office, it was already 6 pm. He sat in his chair, finally able to calm down after the frantic day. Reaching for his phone out of habit, he scrolled through the long list of notifications, realizing that there weren¡¯t any news from Qiao Anhao. After visiting the Xu family she didn¡¯t say anything? Just when he was about to send her a text, an iing call came in. Qiao Anhao was calling. Without hesitation, Lu Jinnian received the call. "Hello." Before the call could even ring, Lu Jinnian had already picked up. There was a moment of silence before Qiao Anhao asked, "Are you done with your work?" Without even ncing at the documents that had piled into a mini hill on his desk, Lu Jinnian replied, "I¡¯m done." Chapter 513: If No One Wants You, Ill Marry You(14) Chapter 513: If No One Wants You, I¡¯ll Marry You£¨14£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Without even ncing at the documents that had piled into a mini hill on his desk, Lu Jinnian replied, "I¡¯m done." Not pausing, he asked, "What¡¯s wrong?" "Nothing..." Qiao Anhao seemed to have something to say but held it in. She hesitated before replying, "Lu Jinnian, if you aren¡¯t busy, you cane to the restaurant on the top floor of Hua Yuan hotel. I¡¯ll treat you to dinner." "Sure, I¡¯lle right now." After he hung up, he grabbed his jacket and rushed out the door, not even bothering to turn off hisputer. Just then, Lu Jinnian¡¯s assistant came to look for him. Before he could knock on the door, it was yanked open violently, scaring him backwards. He hurriedly greeted, "Mr. Lu." Lu Jinnian ignore him, takingrge strides to the elevator. His assistant trailed behind. "Mr. Lu, you have a dinner today..." Lu Jinnian entered the elevator. Lifting his head, he interrupted, "I haven¡¯t switched off myputer, help me do that and remember to close the windows, it might rain." Before giving his assistant any opportunity to speak, he closed the elevator door, descending. - Since it was knock off time, the streets were littered with cars. In the end, Lu Jinnian gave up, using the public busne. Even so, it was 7 pm when he finally reached Hua Yuan hotel. Lu Jinnian hurriedly parked his car before rushing to the main hall. He took the elevator all the way to the top floor. Without waiting for the waitress to ask, he reported the details, "Table 116, Miss Qiao." Hua Yuan hotel¡¯s top floor restaurant was a rotating restaurant. In the middle of the room was a stage and a girl dressed in a ball gown sat there in front of a piano, ying a melodious tune. The surrounding tables were all facing the window. After Lu Jinnian walked around the stage, he saw Qiao Anhao sitting alone in a two people table, her head titled sideways as she looked out the window. He bypassed the waitress and headed straight to her. When he was about five meters away, he paused. He had spotted tworge suitcases beside her. The waitress who was left behind walked to Qiao Anhao¡¯s table. She turned to look at Lu Jinnian who was three meters away before speaking politely, "Mister, this is your seat." Qiao Anhao turned in the direction of the waitress¡¯s voice. When she saw Lu Jinnian, she waved at him. "Lu Jinnian." Lu Jinnian¡¯s gaze moved from the suitcases, and he walked towards her with uncertainty and confusion. He turned to look at her, trying to decipher her mood. Why did she bring two suitcase when she asked him out for dinner? Was she in shock because of Xu Jiamu¡¯s affair? Was she preparing to leave Beijing? Was this meal her farewell to him? When Qiao Anhao saw Lu Jinnian¡¯s dazed expression, she raised her hand, waving it in front of him. "Hey, Lu Jinnian, stop dreaming! Sit down!" Lu Jinnian came back to his senses. He nodded lightly, his nce still focused on Qiao Anhao. After about two seconds, he pulled his chair to sit down. Chapter 514: If No One Wants You, Ill Marry You(15) Chapter 514: If No One Wants You, I¡¯ll Marry You£¨15£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem "I waited for half an hour! I¡¯m starving, hurry and order something." Qiao Anhao rested her jaw on one hand and pushed the menu to Lu Jinnian with the other. Lu Jinnian continued to stare at Qiao Anhao, not touching the menu. Qiao Anhao waited a while longer before grabbing the menu back out of hunger. She turned to the waitress at the side, ordering four dishes and one soup. The waitress repeated her order before asking, "Would you like anything to drink?" In the past, Qiao Anhao would either drink tea or freshly squeezed orange juice, but this time, she tilted her head to the side to ponder. Without asking Lu Jinnian, she said, "One bottle of red wine, Chateau Lafite Rothschild." "Sure, give me a minute." The waitress left politely after recording their order. She was actually drinking.... Her mood must be worse than it seemed... Lu Jinnian licked his lips. Just when he was about to call her, the conversation from the table behind them flitted over. "Have you heard? Qiao Anhao was dumped by Xu Jiamu." Lu Jinnian¡¯s heart fell. He scanned the surroundings, not daring to look at Qiao Anhao, afraid to see tears or sorrow on her face. Qiao Anhao heard the conversation as well. She turned to look at the table behind, there were threedies who were from the Beijing business circle. Even though Qiao Anhao wasn¡¯t close to them, they had spoken several times. "I heard about it but I¡¯m not sure of the details." "Xu Jiamu hooked up with Lin Qian Qian, I heard that their rtionship has been going well. Recently when I met her, she had even imed that Xu Jiamu had gotten her two limited edition Chanel bags." "But Qiao Anhao grew up with Xu Jiamu, it hasn¡¯t even been a year and she was dumped?" "Lin Qian Qian is younger than her and her family background is definitely much better... It¡¯s quite normal she got dumped." Lu Jinnian kicked the chair behind him abruptly, walking over to the table ferociously. He red at the three of them, then snarled, "Before discussing about others, you should make sure the person isn¡¯t around." The threedies who were engrossed in their conversation froze in shock before looking around. When they caught sight of Qiao Anhao behind them, they paled instantly, embarrassment clouding their faces. Qiao Anhao remained calm in her seat. She smiled faintly, greeting them. The threedies¡¯ face changed instantly, from white to green. They hurriedly greeted Qiao Anhao and stood up to foot the bill. Without even having their meal, they left. Lu Jinnian returned back to his seat, his entire face ck. After a while, he raised his head to look at Qiao Anhao, saying carefully, "Qiao Qiao, don¡¯t listen to their..." Qiao Anhao knew that her divorce would definitely bring gossip, but her conscience was clear and she didn¡¯t care what others thought. Chapter 515: If No One Wants You, Ill Marry You (16) Chapter 515: If No One Wants You, I¡¯ll Marry You (16£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Even when they were gossiping, she just listened with interest. She was especially entertained when their faces changed upon hearing Lu Jinnian¡¯s warning. And in that instance, her lips were curled upwards into a smile. But when Lu Jinnian returned to his seat, with an uneasy expression, reassuring her, "Qiao Qiao, don¡¯t listen to their..." At that moment, she paused, not able to continue smiling. She remembered the night before, in Beijing hotel, when he had grabbed Xu Jiamu by the cor, she recalled the conversation he had with his assistant that she had overheard, in that moment, tears clouded her eyes. Lu Jinnian started to panic, but luckily the server came over with the dishes. Lu Jinnian clumsily pulled the chopsticks from the tissue, passing them over to her. "Aren¡¯t you hungry? Have some food. What do you want to eat?" Right after he asked, Qiao Anhao¡¯s gaze coincidentally stopped at the roast chicken. Lu Jinnian immediately ced a piece in her bowl. The tears in her eyes flooded, streaming down into the bowl. Lu Jinnian¡¯s hand trembled, dropping the chopsticks onto the floor. He hurriedly bent to pick them up, but the moment he touched the chopsticks, he seemed to have remembered something. He tossed them back to the ground and straightened, passing a tissue over to her. Qiao Anhao, who was observing him, saw his hurried and messy actions. She chuckled, reaching over to take the tissue. As she wiped her tears, she spoke with a hint of a smile. "Lu Jinnian, why did you toss the chopsticks after picking them up?" It was only then that Lu Jinnian realized what he had done. His lips curled upwards, breaking into a faint smile as he continued to focus his gaze on Qiao Anhao worriedly. Qiao Anhao took a deep breath, calming her overwhelming emotions. She picked up the wine bottle and poured into both their sses. Passing a ss over to Lu Jinnian, she raised her own ss. "Cheers!" Throwing her head back, she downed the ss. Lu Jinnian swallowed his saliva before raising his ss to down the contents. Qiao Anhao lifted the wine bottle to refill the sses. This time, she didn¡¯t down hers immediately. She gazed at Lu Jinnian before saying seriously, "Lu Jinnian, that ss was to thank you for what you have done recently." "This ss, is to celebrate my return to being single." With a bright smile on her face, she gently touched her wine ss against the side of Lu Jinnian¡¯s and threw her head back to down the contents. The second ss was to celebrate her being single... What did she mean? Lu Jinnian frowned, staring at her motionlessly. Qiao Anhao ced the ss down and wiped her lips. When she saw that Lu Jinnian hadn¡¯t drunk, she nudged her jaw towards his ss. "Why aren¡¯t you drinking?" Lu Jinnian blinked, ignoring her question. "What did your words mean?" Qiao Anhao looked into his eyes for a few seconds before exining, "It¡¯s as I said, Jiamu and I divorced today." Chapter 516: If No One Wants You, Ill Marry You(17) Chapter 516: If No One Wants You, I¡¯ll Marry You£¨17£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Qiao Anhao looked into his eyes for a few seconds before exining, "It¡¯s as I said, Jiamu and I divorced today." Lu Jinnian froze, disbelief clouding his eyes. When she said that she was single again, the thought had crossed his mind, but he wasn¡¯t sure, so he had asked her. Yet he never expected her to be so open about it. Lu Jinnian fell into a daze, seemingly shocked by her revtion. After staying motionless for about half a minute, he revealed worry with a hint of heartache on his face. Carefully, he said, "Qiao Qiao, don¡¯t be too sad...." Recently, Lu Jinnian had been wondering, if the affair was exposed, how would he console her. In the middle of the night, he had even secretly searched online on what to say, memorizing the words. But now that he was faced with the scenario, his mind went nk. He would rather be the one experiencing her pain. "I¡¯m not sad.." Qiao Anhao was indeed not sad. She was even relieved and ecstatic to be able to finally end the marriage, having only epted the marriage to approach him, not that she would ever dare to tell him that. To clear the misunderstanding between him and Xu Jiamu, she paused and exined, "I was actually the one who wanted a divorce. In order to help me, he went to find Lin Qian Qian...." Qiao Anhao was the one who initiated the divorce... Lu Jinnian froze once more, trying to process what she had just said. When he finally understood her words, a hard-to-exin happiness and excitement filled his heart. She was the one that initiated the divorce, did that mean she didn¡¯t like Xu Jiamu anymore? "Basically, Brother Jiamu and I will still be good friends in the future... What I¡¯m trying to say is that I¡¯m really not upset..." Qiao Anhao emphasized once more before looking at Lu Jinnian seriously. "But Lu Jinnian, even if I¡¯m not upset, I still want to thank you for all your care and concern." Lu Jinnian wanted to ask why she initiated the divorce when she had spent her entire youth loving him, but he was afraid that it might stir up unhappy memories. He concluded that his worry was unfounded as not all couples have happy endings. After spending a long time together, they might have found each other unsuitable. Why bother to ask so much? The most important thing was that they were divorced. Now he was allowed to love her, wasn¡¯t that the happiest part? An unexined happiness erupted, filling up his entire soul. He couldn¡¯t contain the excitement any longer. Trembling, and with bright eyes, he said with an undetectable trace of joy, "You¡¯re wee." Chapter 517: If No One Wants You, Ill Marry You(18) Chapter 517: If No One Wants You, I¡¯ll Marry You£¨18£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem "Hey, Lu Jinnian, shouldn¡¯t you down that second ss?" Qiao Anhao nudged her jaw towards his ss forcefully again since Lu Jinnian remained motionless. "Yes, yes," Lu Jinnian replied in agitation before downing the entire ss without flinching. When he ced the ss down, he pinched himself violently in a spot she couldn¡¯t see. Sharp burning pain ran through his body, and it brightened his mood. Lu Jinnian poured himself another ss, downing the contents to calm his excitement. ncing over at Qiao Anhao, he asked, "Now that you¡¯re single again, do you have any ns?" "ns, hmm, not yet..." Qiao Anhao shook her head, reaching for a sweet vinegar pork rib, but before she could reach the te, Lu Jinnian had already ced the biggest piece in her bowl. Qiao Anhao bent her head to munch on the pork rib. Later, lifting her head, she added, "But as for now, the most important thing would be toplete the filming for "Heaven¡¯s sword" Lu Jinnian seemed to be reminded then that when they acted as a couple, she had climbed into his bed. Till today, he still wasn¡¯t clear about her reasons. She didn¡¯tck money, so why did she enter the industry? He asked, "Qiao Qiao, I never asked you before, but why did you enter the entertainment industry?" "Because..." Of you... Those words almost came out, but Qiao Anhao managed to stop them in time. She munched on the pork rib a bit more before replying, "...I want to be the best screen actress." Best screen actress would definitely be part of the best screen couple. Back when she couldn¡¯t get close to him and could never be a real couple with him, her deepest wish was to settle for being a fake, on-screen couple. Qiao Anhao bit on her chopsticks while lifting her eyes to nce at Lu Jinnian. "Oh, right, didn¡¯t you ask me what I intend to do in the future? "Heaven¡¯s Sword" is just a short term goal, in the future, I want to settle down with a good man." Hope shed passed Lu Jinnian¡¯s eyes. He held onto her words, asking sincerely, "What do you consider good?" ¡¯Just like you...¡¯ Qiao Anhao thought inwardly. She continued to bite on her chopsticks. After a short while, she spoke with a bright smile on her face. "Someone who treats me well is considered good." - Even though Qiao Anhao wanted to treat him, Lu Jinnian still managed to pay in the end. They both pulled one suitcase when exiting Hua Yuan hotel. Lu Jinnian ced both suitcases in his car boot, then opened the passenger seat for Qiao Anhao. Only after making sure she was well seated did he move to the driver seat. After starting the car, Qiao Anhao said, "Lu Jinnian, you can drop me off at Four Seasons hotel." Lu Jinnian nced at her doubtfully. She understood instantly, exining, "I moved out from Brother Jiamu¡¯s mansion, but I didn¡¯t want to return to Qiao Mansion, and since everything had happened in such a rush, I didn¡¯t have time to find amodation yet." Chapter 518: If No One Wants You, Ill Marry You(19) Chapter 518: If No One Wants You, I¡¯ll Marry You£¨19£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem "It¡¯s not safe for a girl to stay in a hotel." Lu Jinnian paused before suggesting, "If you don¡¯t mind, do you want to stay with me?" He was afraid that she would reject, so he added, "I have to work in the morning and I have to go out for dinners sometimes, so I don¡¯t spend much time there..." Qiao Anhao thought that she would probably be the one disrupting him if she stayed... She turned, and Lu Jinnian paused, his palms soaked in sweat from anxiety. This was the first time he was so proactive towards a girl. Their gazes collided, and after a moment, Qiao Anhao said, "If you don¡¯t mind, I won¡¯t mind either." Lu Jinnian went nk momentarily, before joy coated his eyes. "Do you want to stay in the mansion or apartment?" "They¡¯re both fine," she replied, reaching for her phone to cancel the hotel reservation. The mansion out of the city was a little far and the mansion in the city was beside Xu Jiamu¡¯s mansion... After a moment¡¯s thought, he suggested, "How about Ming Zhu Garden? It¡¯s quite high and in the heart of the city, it¡¯ll be convenient if you need anything, and the view is pretty..." Before he could finish his sentence, she interrupted. "Sure." Lu Jinnian shut his mouth, heading towards Ming Zhu Garden. When they passed a 24-hour supermarket, Lu Jinnian stopped to get some daily necessities. Even though Ming Zhu Garden was an apartment, it was two-story high and its size wasparable to the house in Mian Xiu Garden Lu Jinnian brought the keys up, entering the apartment first before bending to grab a pair of male house slippers for her. "There¡¯s only male ones, tomorrow I¡¯ll get a female pair for you." After she was snug in the slippers, he brought her upstairs. He pushed open a bedroom door on the North side. "Here¡¯s the main bedroom and there¡¯s a bed, do you mind?" Qiao Anhao shook her head. Before she could react, Lu Jinnian passed the bag of daily necessities he had bought and pointed to the bathroom. "You should have a hot shower." He then pulled her two suitcases to the changing room. After her shower, Lu Jinnian had already hung up all her clothes in the changing room, even her makeup had been neatly arranged on the vanity. Qiao Anhao wore a night gown with a low neck and hem line, exposing her slender legs and seductive cor bones. After the hot shower, her skin had a faint pink glow. Lu Jinnian felt his throat go dry. Turning his head, he hurriedly said, "You should rest." He then walked out of the bedroom. - Qiao Anhao fell into a deep sleep. The next day, when she woke up, it was close to 11 am. The first thing she did was reach for her phone¡ªshe had fur unread texts from Lu Jinnian. [Breakfast is in the cooler box.] [I ced the keys on the dining table.] [If you need anything, you can call this number.] This one also contained a string of numbers. Chapter 519: If No One Wants You, Ill Marry You(20) Chapter 519: If No One Wants You, I¡¯ll Marry You£¨20£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem [If you can¡¯t find anything or don¡¯t know anything, you can ask me.] - Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t have much work the entire afternoon. When it was finally time for a meeting, he had even fallen into a daze. The night before had seemed like a dream, it was so surreal. After enduring through the meeting, he returned to his office and reached for his phone to write Qiao Anhao a text. [Are you awake?] Qiao Anhao was prepared to have the breakfast he bought. There were dough fritters in her hands, so she sent a voice message instead. She replied in a murmur, "I¡¯m awake." [What are you doing?] Qiao Anhao sent him a photo. Lu Jinnian nced at the familiar dining area and the breakfast he had bought earlier, his heart finally assured. He wasn¡¯t dreaming, Qiao Anhao and Xu Jiamu had really divorced. She was single and living in his house.... In an instance, mixed emotions clouded his mind. He had never dared to think of entering her heart, but now, he seemed to see the light to his long wait, but he still couldn¡¯t help feeling insecure. She was the woman he had been loving for thirteen years, one he gave up on only when he realized that she was in love with Xu Jiamu. Now, that she no longer had anything to do with his brother, Lu Jinnian finally had the opportunity he had been waiting for. He was prepared to use his entire life to get her. No one could know how much courage was needed to advance friendship into a rtionship as any mistake would send one straight down to the dumps. It was a gamble, and Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t have any confidence at all. Regardless, he was not willing to easily give up on her. He had been waiting for thirteen years... Only after thirteen long years did he finally have this opportunity. A lifetime was a long time. Even if he couldn¡¯t get her in a year, he could try for another one, or even three, or four years... Or even the next thirteen years... - Before the afternoon meeting, Lu Jinnian sent Qiao Anhao another text to ask what she was doing again. Halfway through the meeting, she replied with a voice message. He ced the phone to his ear, gathering that she was watching television. He even heard the faint advertisement being yed in the background. He ced his phone back down and asked, [What are you watching?] Qiao Anhao sent yet another voice message back, but this time, when he ced the phone to his ear, the marketing director had just finished his presentation. He faced Lu Jinnian asking, "Mr. Lu, what do you think?" Lu Jinnian¡¯sck of response caught the attention of the entire room. Everyone caught sight of him listening to his phone. Even though he would faze out during meetings sometimes, this was the first time that he had done it so openly. The directors looked around at each other before finally the market research director asked again, "Mr. Lu?" Lu Jinnian ced his phone down, and just when the directors were prepared to hear hisment, he started typing on his phone. His assistant, who was sitting beside him, couldn¡¯t help coughing to remind him before discretely kicking him under the table. But he seemed to have used too much strength, which startled Lu Jinnian, and he identally clicked onto the voice message. Chapter 520: If No One Wants You, Ill Marry You(21) Chapter 520: If No One Wants You, I¡¯ll Marry You£¨21£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem The assistant seemed to have used too much strength, which startled Lu Jinnian, and he identally clicked onto the voice message. At that moment, Qiao Anhao¡¯s soft and tender voice filled the meeting room. "I¡¯m watching the rerun of ¡¯The Voice of China¡¯." In the voice message, the was a faint background noise. "The voice of china, the most traditional herbal tea." Silence fell in an instance. Mr. Lu was actually chatting with a girl and she sounded familiar... Even though no of the directors dared to speak, they started to give each other weird nces. Lu Jinnian lifted his lids, ncing at his assistant who was using his hands to shield his face. Just when everyone thought that he was going to burst in anger, he returned his gaze back to his phone and started typing. Everyone, even the assistant looked at him with disbelief. The vice-president who sat on the other side of Lu Jinnian stuck his neck out to nce at Lu Jinnian¡¯s phone¡ªhe was actually on Wechat, texting! There was even a hint of a smile on his lips. Thepany workers had never seen him smile like that before, so the vice-president mustered up some courage to ask, "Mr. Lu, who are you talking to?" "She¡¯s a girl." "..." The meeting room went into silence, everyone digesting his words. After Lu Jinnian had replied, he lifted his head to add, "I¡¯m chasing her." Best screen actor Lu who had never been in a scandal was actually chasing a girl... The entire room went into a frenzy, losing the mood for a meeting in an instance. The other directors continued to ask questions, encouraged by Lu Jinnian¡¯s response. "What kind of girl is she to be able to attract Mr Lu?" "Mr. Lu, do you even need to chase her? I¡¯m sure she¡¯s interested?" Another female employee added enviously, "That girl must be pretty!" Lu Jinnian¡¯s mood lifted, he had never expected such reactions from his staff. He had wanted to avoid the topic to return back to business, but in that instance, he seemed to have thought of something. "How do you chase a girl?" "When I chased my girlfriend, I spent a huge sum, spending a few thousands per month." "I chased my wife in university, we were ssmates at that time. Just to get to know her, I treated my entire ss a month¡¯s worth of milk tea... After that, I had to eat instant noodles for the next few months..." "I gave mine a fresh flower every day. When I suddenly stopped, my wife came after me..." Lu Jinnian sat in his chair, taking in everyone¡¯s advice seriously. In the end, he even knocked on his assistant¡¯sptop, signaling him to make a record. Just like that, a meeting on the new business deal became a reminisce of of how everyone had chased girls. Chapter 521: If No One Wants You, Ill Marry You(22) Chapter 521: If No One Wants You, I¡¯ll Marry You£¨22£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Lu Jinnian knocked off work early that afternoon. It was the first time in so many years, and it was also the first time that he yearned to return home, so much so that he even ran past a red light. When he finally reached Ming Zhu Garden, he held onto the keys to open the door. As he changed into his house slippers, he shouted for Qiao Anhao, but no one replied. Lu Jinnian shouted her name once more, a frown denting his temples. With only one slipper on, he rushed up the stairs into the changing room. Only when he saw that her clothes were still inside did he finally heave a sigh of relief, pulling out his phone to call her. Qiao Anhao picked up instantly, but her background noise was very loud and the phone signal was bad, her voiceing out in patches. Only after a while did the background finally turn quiet. "What¡¯s wrong?" "Where are you?" "I¡¯m in Cheng Jian building¡¯s supermarket." The supermarket was near Ming Zhu Garden. Lu Jinnian walked there without taking his car. Just when he reached the entrance of the supermarket, Qiao Anhao walked out, carrying a huge bag of groceries. Lu Jinnian hurriedly went forward. Qiao Anhao reached for her phone. When she realized that it wasn¡¯t even 5 pm, she asked in confusion, "Why are you back so early?" "There wasn¡¯t much work." Reaching for the bag, Lu Jinnian frowned, realizing that it was filled with vegetables and condiments. Qiao Anhao exined, "My appetite has been getting bad from eating out everyday." "Oh," he responded as they headed back, shoulder to shoulder. The sun was about to set, the horizon a beautiful shade of red, brightening the path as they strolled leisurely. There were many elderly couples strolling by as well. Qiao Anhao turned to nce at Lu Jinnian¡¯s ridiculously handsome features, and just then, she suddenly remembered a suitable phrase: My most beautiful wish is to walk hand in hand with you under the sunset, enjoying the cool breeze. - Qiao Anhao cooked while Lu Jinnian washed the dishes, their chemistry akin to a newly married couple. After their meal, the skies were still bright, so they decided to take a walk outside. When they returned, Qiao Anhao held onto a box of strawberry H?agen-Dazs, while Lu Jinnian held onto a bag filled with tidbits. When they reached home, it was just 8 pm. Qiao Anhao curled up on the sofa, watching television, a packet of chips in her arms. Lu Jinnian came out of the study room with hisptop to sit beside her while he attended to his work. When the advertisement yed, Lu Jinnian suddenly called for Qiao Anhao. She turned with the chips in her hands. Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t look at her, his gaze focused on theptop screen, his fingers on the keypad. "Come over." "Why?" she asked as she leaned over. As she came close, a faint aroma flitted over, and Lu Jinnian¡¯s back tensed instantly. Turning theptop screen towards her, he spoke in his usual cold voice. "Thepany has a new modern movie where the male lead will be confessing to the female lead. There have been a few ideas, but which one would you prefer? Since you¡¯re part of the target audience, your suggestion would be useful." Chapter 522: If No One Wants You, Ill Marry You(23) Chapter 522: If No One Wants You, I¡¯ll Marry You£¨23£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Qiao Anhao scanned the screen as she continued to munch on her chips. When she realized that the venue was a prestigious hotel in Beijing, she asked, "It¡¯s going to be filmed in Beijing?" "Yea." Qiao Anhao scanned through all the hotels before pointing to one of them. "This one, you can see the pce through the window. If they were to eat dinner here, the scenery would be beautiful and the scene would be amazing." "Oh." Qiao Anhao tilted her head to continue scanning the description. "Candle light dinner, girls prefer that... For flowers, you should use blue roses, it¡¯ll look elegant, even though I prefer Chinese Bellflowers... For meals, western... red wine..." "Yea," Lu Jinnian repeated continuously, pretending to be seriously considering her suggestions, but deep inside, he was silently memorizing everything. After Qiao Anhao was done with her suggestions, she curled back in her corner to watch her show, while Lu Jinnian sat beside her, typing on hisptop asionally. Qiao Anhao was watching a romance drama where the female lead was dumped by her husband. She met with the rich male lead and the two of them fell in love after their encounters, in the end. When they were prepared to get married, the male lead¡¯s family strongly opposed her because of her past. Before the advertisement, Qiao Anhao didn¡¯t think too much of the drama, but after when she saw how resolutely the male lead¡¯s mother opposed the female lead, she suddenly recalled that even though she didn¡¯t get a marriage license, she was considered a divorcee to everyone... Would Lu Jinnian despise her... No matter how sessful and confident a person was, in the face of their deepest love, they would still magnify their own ws, worried the other party would mind. Worry started to form in Qiao Anhao¡¯s mind, and the more she thought, the more uneasy she became. In the end, she couldn¡¯t helpmenting to Lu Jinnian, who sat beside her, "Oh god, I¡¯m a divorcee just like the female lead, so will I be despised like her as well? But I¡¯m still young! Lu Jinnian, do you think I won¡¯t be able to get married?" When he heard herin, he nced at the screen to stare at the female lead who was in tears as she broke up with the male lead. He lowered his head to look back at hisptop, saying faintly, "If no one wants you, I¡¯ll marry you." Even though Qiao Anhao knew that he was just trying tofort her, her heart skipped a beat. Staring intently at the screen, she took a moment to calm herself before smiling brightly. "Sure, when the timees, I¡¯m sure everyone will be envious of me." Lu Jinnian paused, his fingers turning stiff. He struggled to calm himself before turning to look at Qiao Anhao. Her profile shone under the light, her longshes slightly curled, her dark eyes staring straight at the screen, blinking asionally. When Qiao Anhao stopped hearing his typing, she turned over curiously, colliding with his gaze. Chapter 523: If No One Wants You, Ill Marry You(24) Chapter 523: If No One Wants You, I¡¯ll Marry You£¨24£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Lu Jinnian¡¯s beautiful eyes were deep and bright, with a hint of a mysterious glint. In just an instance, Qiao Anhao was mesmerized. Just like that, the room narrowed in on them, and they could only see the other in their eyes. Lu Jinnian¡¯s eyes deepened. He stared for a long while before leaning closer. Qiao Anhao had a tingling suspicion for what was toe, and hershes trembled, but she didn¡¯t try to hide. Lu Jinnian¡¯s features magnified gradually, and just before his lips touched hers, she shut her eyes. She could distinctively feel his warm breath on her face, and her hands tightened on the sofa as she prepared for the kiss. But just before he reached her lips, her phone rang. Lu Jinnian stopped, staring at Qiao Anhao for a while longer before forcing himself away. Qiao Anhao flushed a deep shade of red. She nced at her phone before walking to the window to pick up. "Sis." "Qiao Qiao, you moved out of Jiamu¡¯s mansion?" "Yea." "Then why didn¡¯t youe back to stay?" "I intend to get an apartment in the city, didn¡¯t you get one for yourself as well?" "All right..." Qiao Anxia paused for a bit before adding, "If you see anything you like, don¡¯t hesitate to get it." Qiao Anhao hung up. When she turned, she saw Lu Jinnian walking out of the bathroom. In the past, they would use their deal as an excuse, but now that they decided to be friends, their almost kiss seemed weird. Qiao Anhao averted her gaze, while Lu Jinnian remained at ease. He nced at the time. "It¡¯s gettingte, get some rest." The words seemed to be Qiao Anhao¡¯s saviors. She nodded, hurriedly threw a "Goodnight!", and ran up to her room. Even though Lu Jinnian indeed wanted to do certain things, he was willing to wait till after his confession, when she epted him and they became an official couple. Yet even though that was his intention, that night at 1am, he was still reminiscing about what almost happened on the sofa. At night, Qiao Anhao was awakened by thirst, probably due to the ice cream and chips that she had eaten earlier. Using the glow from the staircase light, she ran down the stairs in her nightgown. She poured herself a cup of water before throwing her head back to down the water. Just then, the lights in the living room turned on. Qiao Anhao jumped in shock, her hand trembling, spilling the contents onto her chest. She turned, seeing Lu Jinnian walk out of the study room on the first floor. Qiao Anhao wore a white night gown, and now that it was wet, it was almost transparent. Lu Jinnian¡¯s gaze fell on the wet patch on her chest. Qiao Anhao froze for an entire minute before snapping back to her senses. She ced the cup down, and shielding herself with her hands, she ran towards the stairs. As she brushed past Lu Jinnian, he suddenly reached out to grab her hand, pressing her against the wall behind her. Lowering his head, he covered her lips. Chapter 524: If No One Wants You, Ill Marry You(25) Chapter 524: If No One Wants You, I¡¯ll Marry You£¨25£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem The bedroom was almost dark with only the faint, warm glow from the nightmp in the corner of the bedroom. Lu Jinnian used his elbow to prop half his body up as Qiao Anhaoid t below him. His eyes brightened and dimmed as he looked into her eyes, his breath unstable from the kiss. His fiery gaze, or maybe the long absence of intimacy, caused Qiao Anhao to feel increasingly more anxious, her face flushed as though it was their first time. Lu Jinnian stared at her, taking in her shy but mesmerizing expression. He seemed to have been influenced as well, anxiety spreading across him. Even though he had kissed her against the wall earlier on impulse, his senses had already returned. His body was clearly aroused, and now that it had started, he could no longer hold it in, but he still suppressed his inner desires to ask her out of respect, "Qiao Qiao, can I continue?" It wasn¡¯t a transaction, he wasn¡¯t a substitute - it was purely just the two of them. Was it okay? Lu Jinnian¡¯s voice was soft, with a hint of seduction, sending a shiver down Qiao Anhao¡¯s spine. Her heart thumped rapidly, hershes trembled, and deep inside, she had already agreed. But how could she say it out and yet still keep her dignity? Lu Jinnian could no longer keep his desires. Impatient but not willing to force her, he reached out his hand to pull her zipper slowly, as though seeking her permission. When his fingers brushed past her skin, a numbing sensation pulsed throughout Qiao Anhao, sending desire down her spine. Instinctively, she grabbed onto the bed sheets below her, and gradually, she shut her tremblingshes. Lu Jinnian had been focusing on her all this while. When he confirmed that there wasn¡¯t disgust or unwillingness on her face, he mustered up his courage, slowly pulling her nightgown off... Even though it wasn¡¯t their first time, he was more careful than he had ever been. In the past, when it happened, it was either when they were drunk , he was sick and unconscious, or when he wasn¡¯t willing to let her get close to other guys, using the transaction as a reason. There was even once when he lost control and raped her in the car out of jealousy for Xu Jiamu... Truthfully, if a man really loves a woman, just looking at her is enough to stir his desires. No matter the reason behind the act, the man would always feel satisfied but every time it ended, he would feel lousy about himself if it was under bad circumstances. Tonight was the very first time that both Lu Jinnian¡¯s body and heart were able to be satisfied and content. Because this was the very first time he used only his own identity, that of Lu Jinnian, to experience the most intimate act with her. - Maybe Qiao Anhao was too tired or maybe she was too sleepy, but when it ended, she rested her head on his chest, falling into a deep sleep. But Lu Jinnian was wide awake, his eyes open as he gazed at Qiao Anhao, who was nestled in his arms, his heart agitated. After a long while, he finally managed to fall asleep. The next morning, the moment he opened his eyes, he looked down at Qiao Anhao, who was still in his arms. Even though she was still fast asleep, everything felt surreal. He reached out to caress her face, and it felt warm beneath his fingers. Only then did he believe that the night before was not a dream. Chapter 525: If No One Wants You, Ill Marry You(26) Chapter 525: If No One Wants You, I¡¯ll Marry You£¨26£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem In the past, when they acted as a couple, when he saw her in his arms still asleep in the morning, it wasn¡¯t that he didn¡¯t feel happy or touched, but now, everything was different. He felt a strong wave of emotion hit him, and he was even a little moved. Thirteen years, soon to be fourteen.... From the initialck of capability to love her to the forbidden deep love to finally being able to tell her he loved her. He had to endure over five thousand nights... His worth grew from below three digits to over ten digits... He could finally love her. Lu Jinnian was never an emotional person, but at that moment, moisture started welling in his eyes. Since he woke up, he had been staring at Qiao Anhao, as though he could never get enough of her. Last night, she had fallen asleep on his arm, and they remained in the same position through the night. Right now, his arms were numb, but he didn¡¯t want to move an inch. Only at 8 am did the rm start to ring. Lu Jinnian carefully took Qiao Anhao¡¯s head off his arm. Lowering his head, he ced a loving kiss on her forehead before leaving the bed. After preparing for work, he went to get breakfast for her and ced it in a thermosk. Only then did he finally head off to work, sending her a few texts on his way to remind her to eat and that the gym card, the lounge card, and a bank card were ced on the table. The gym and lounge cards could be used in the mall nearby so that she could have some entertainment. - Qiao Anhao slept all the way till 10 am, her body weak and in pain. She flipped to the side, hugging a nket, and shut her eyes to continue resting. Five secondster, she seemed to have realized that she wasn¡¯t wearing anything. After a momentary freeze, her eyes flew open and she inspected her body - it was covered in kiss marks. She turned and saw her nightgown peeping from under the bed, that was when she recalled the events from the night before. Without being under any form of transaction, they had made love... A day ago, Qiao Anhao could still believe that they were still friends, but afterst night, they were no longer pure. She hadn¡¯t seduced him the previous night. Regardless of how one saw it, it was all Lu Jinnian. But he hadn¡¯t exined anything... What did he mean? One night stand? Friends with benefits? Girlfriend? But Lu Jinnian hadn¡¯t even confessed or officially asked her out... Qiao Anhao¡¯s mind started to run. After a while, she still wasn¡¯t able to figure out his intentions. Climbing off the bed, she went to wash up. When she returned for her phone, she saw Lu Jinnian¡¯s text. She came downstairs to the dinning table, taking in the cards that were on the table. Behind the bank card, there was a small note with the password, Qiao Anhao could tell that it was probably Lu Jinnian subsidiary card. She stirred the porridge as she gazed at the cards, her mind in a mess. As she ate in confusion, her phone suddenly rang. ncing over, she saw that it was from Lu Jinnian. Chapter 526: If No One Wants You, Ill Marry You(27) Chapter 526: If No One Wants You, I¡¯ll Marry You£¨27£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Qiao Anhao hesitated slightly before picking up the video call. Lu Jinnian spoke without much emotion, but his voice wasn¡¯t as cold as usual. "You¡¯re awake?" Qiao Anhao swallowed the porridge in her mouth. "Mmh, why?" "Nothing, I just wanted to know if you¡¯re awake." Lu Jinnian paused before adding, "I¡¯ll be going to the western suburbster on to y gold with Mr. Zhang and Mr. Zhao." Was he reporting his schedule? Why was he telling her about it? Qiao Anhao secretlyined in her heart. Lifting her head, she looked out the window at the bright sun. "The sun¡¯s really strong today, won¡¯t it be hot?" "It¡¯s a indoor golf course." "Oh," she replied before taking a bite of bread. Just then, she heard knocks on the dooring from the phone. The next moment, Lu Jinnian responded, "Come in." His face came back on the screen once again. "I¡¯ll get busy now." "Mmh, bye." When Qiao Anhao hung up, she pinched the bread as her mind wandered off. After friends have sex, there are usually three scenarios¡ªthey pretend nothing happened and continue being friends, they be a couple, orstly, they never meet again. Qiao Anhao was quite sure that Lu Jinnian wouldn¡¯t choose thest option so it was either the first or the second one... But was it the friend or girlfriend one? Even though the two choices were only a word apart, the status was worlds apart! Qiao Anhao bit hard into the bread, remembering that Lu Jinnian had sought her permission the night before. "Qiao Qiao, can I continue?" He was seeking her permission... So why did he leave her a bank card and why did he call to report his whereabouts... Was he trying to test out being a couple? Joy started to seep through her heart before it suddenly turned to worry... But he had a girl he had been loving for thirteen years... Now that he was interested in her, what if one day they grew apart? While Qiao Anhao was fretting over her emotions, she finished her breakfast. Just then, she seemed to have figured her status: semi-girlfriend, a little closer than a friend but a little less than a real girlfriend. Even though she always wanted to be with him, she had never dared to think of hat actually happening, so now that he was her semi-boyfriend, she was content... Maybe, if everything worked out, they would really get together... The positiveness lifted Qiao Anhao¡¯s spirits instantly, and heading upstairs, she changed into a pretty set of clothes. Grabbing the bank card from her semi-boyfriend, she left for the mall nearby. On her way, she received three calls from Lu Jinnian: one to tell her that he had finished ying golf, another to inform her of his meeting at 3 pm, and thest one to tell her not to wait for him as he woulde back a littlete tonight. It was four in the afternoon. Qiao Anhao was tired from all the walking, so she found a cafe to take a rest. That was when she received her fourth call. Chapter 527: If No One Wants You, Ill Marry You (28) Chapter 527: If No One Wants You, I¡¯ll Marry You (28) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem It was four in the afternoon. Qiao Anhao was tired from all the walking, so she found a cafe to take a rest. That was when she received her fourth call. At the time, Qiao Anhao had a straw in her mouth and had finished half of her bubble milk tea that she bought from her semi-boyfriend¡¯s, Lu Jinnian¡¯s card. In reality, the bubble milk tea tasted average, but because it was bought with Lu Jinnian¡¯s money, Qiao Anhao felt like it tasted better than any she had drank before. By chance, there were two very fashionable young women sitting next to Qiao Anhao. One of them raised her wrist and said to the other, "This is something my boyfriend bought for me. He spent..." She made a hand gesture of the number eight. The other woman looked envious when she asked, "Eight million?" "Eighty million!" The other woman showed off, revealing the price, causing a glow of admiration to practically fall from the other woman¡¯s eyes. At that sight, Qiao Anhao silently lowered her head and nced at the eighteen yuan bubble milk tea. She couldn¡¯t help but let out a long, sweet sigh. As a semi-girlfriend, she sure was "cheap"... Right after, her phone rang. Qiao Anhao thought it was Lu Jinnian at first, so she pulled out her phone and picked up the call. When she was going to say Lu Jinnian¡¯s name, she actually saw Qiao Anxia¡¯s name sh on the screen, and awkwardly changed "Lu" for "Sis". Qiao Anxia had no intention of talking nonsense. As soon as she opened her mouth to speak, she was swift and decisive. "Qiao Qiao, did you see the news just now?" Qiao Anhao bit her straw, making noises as she sucked her milk tea. With a nk expression on her face, she asked, "What news?" "About Xu Enterprises," said Qiao Anxia, straight to the point. She took the opportunity to lecture Qiao Anhao. "Qiao Qiao... In any case, you¡¯re a part of the Qiao family. Could you please spend some time in your day to focus on business news? Do you know what¡¯s happening with our Qiao Enterprise stocks? Are you really nning to rely on the entertainment industry for the rest of your life? Have you never thought about working at Qiao Enterprises..." Qiao Anhao knew that there was no end to Qiao Anxia¡¯s topic, so she quickly swallowed the tapioca in her mouth, and sweetly said, "Sis, Sis, I know. I¡¯ll put things right, but first, get to the point. What happened with the Xu family?" "The Xu family..." Qiao Anxia¡¯s tone instantly became serious. "The project Aunt Xu recently spent several billions on fell through. They don¡¯t want to cooperate with her anymore, and so thatrge sum of money was squandered just like that. "Then, there were problems with the food at the Xu Enterprises which led to a dramatic fall in stock prices... In such a short afternoon, thirty percent of the Xu Enterprise assets just dissipated in a puff of smoke... Not only that, but now, someone bought arge amount of shares from the Xu Enterprise..." "How could this happen?" A hint of anxiousness covered what was left of the sweet expression on Qiao Anhao¡¯s face at the thought of being semi-boyfriend/girlfriend with Lu Jinnian. "Hasn¡¯t business recently been going just fine at Xu Enterprises?" "Business was going great, but at the moment, someone must be trying to sabotage the Xu family behind the scenes. Most importantly, nobody knows who might be against them. All in all, things don¡¯t look good for the Xu family right now." Chapter 528: If No One Wants You, Ill Marry You (29) Chapter 528: If No One Wants You, I¡¯ll Marry You (29) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem "Sis... I scare easily, don¡¯t frighten me. What do you mean by ¡¯things don¡¯t look good¡¯?" "It means that Xu Enterprises might change its CEO." "Change CEO?" Qiao Anhao pursed her bottom lip. "You mean to say that there¡¯s a possibility Xu Enterprises might belong to someone else?" Though Qiao Anhao didn¡¯t want it confirmed by Qiao Anxia, but most of the time, things don¡¯t always turn out the way you want it. Her sister stated, " Yes, and Qiao Qiao, though you and Xu Jiamu got a divorce, our two families still have a good rtionship. I just gave the Xu family a call. I¡¯m calling you now to tell you to give them a call." Knowing that Xu Enterprises were in trouble, Qiao Anhao naturally would give Xu Jiamu a call. It took a long while for him to answer the phone. It seemed like he was very busy. There were muted voices of people in a meeting, the sound of the door opening and shutting, and finally Xu Jiamu¡¯s drained voice, "Qiao Qiao, what¡¯s up?" "Brother Jiamu, Anxia just called. She told me that somethings happened at Xu Enterprises. How are you right now?" "I¡¯m all right." It seemed like Xu Jiamu had just lit up a cigarette, since Qiao Anhao could hear the sound of him blowing out air through the phone. As she was about tofort him, a voice was came through. "Young Chief Xu, the stocks have dropped again..." "Qiao Qiao, I have to cut this short. I¡¯m a little busy with something right now. I¡¯ll give you a call backter," Xu Jiamu said incredibly fast and then immediately hung up. After listening to the beeping sounds from the phone for a long time, Qiao Anhao pulled it from her ear and opened an inte browser. She entered Xu Enterprises into the search engine to find news of their troubles and their falling stock value. She also found a few articles by financial analysts critiquing the Xu Enterprise. - Lu Jinnian¡¯s three o¡¯clock meetingsted until half four. His assistantter gave him an important documents to sign. As Lu Jinnian flipped through it, his assistant brewed him a cup of coffee. When he came back with a cup, Lu Jinnian had just finished signing the documents. The assistant put the coffee on the desk. Lu Jinnian picked it up, took a sip, but perhaps because it was too hot, he ced it back down on the desk. Then he slid the signed documents in front of the assistant. The assistant didn¡¯t grab for them. Instead, he pulled out his phone and put it in front of Lu Jinnian. "Mr. Lu, this is the news that just came out." He paused, then added, "About Xu Enterprises." Lu Jinnian raised his hand and tapped the phone¡¯s screen to brighten it up a little. He scanned through the contents of the news with no expression on his face, then let out a gentle "mm". After a while, he asked, "How many of Xu Enterprise¡¯s stocks have I bought?" "Three percent short of fifty percent." Lu Jinnian picked up the coffee on the table and took a gulp. Then he nodded without a word and waved his hand to signal for the assistant to leave. The assistant stood in front of the desk without moving. Lu Jinnian pulled the coffee cup from his lips, lifted his eyes to nce at the assistant to find that he looked rather hesitant. Lu Jinnian furrowed his brows and asked, "Is there something else?" "Mr. Lu, there¡¯s something I¡¯m not sure if I should remind you..." Chapter 529: If No One Wants You, Ill Marry You (30) Chapter 529: If No One Wants You, I¡¯ll Marry You (30) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem "Mr. Lu, there¡¯s something I¡¯m not sure if I should remind you..." "Remind me what?" replied Lu Jinnian callously. He casually grabbed the notes he¡¯d asked his assistant for that morning and flipped through them. They were from yesterday¡¯s meeting about him going after a woman. The assistant carefully said, "Mr. Lu, before I remind you, can I ask you a personal question?" Lu Jinnian¡¯s eyelids didn¡¯t raise when he said, "You may." "Mr. Lu, in yesterday¡¯s meeting, the woman you said you were going to chase, was it Miss Qiao?" "Besides her, do you think I would have anyone else in mind?" Lu Jinnian finally raised his eyes up and nced over at his assistant with eyes full of caution, as though to warn him not to test his limits. The assistant was frightened by his look, and hurriedly shook his head. "No, no one else." The assistant was afraid Lu Jinnian would look deeper into it, and so hastily cut to the point. "Mr. Lu, don¡¯t forget, when Miss Qiao¡¯s child died in the womb, you kept that from her. She and the Xu family are very close. Xu Wanli and Han Ruchu watched her grow up. If she finds out that you defeated the Xu family... If she falls out with you, then what will happen?" When Lu Jinnian heard about Qiao Anhao¡¯s miscarriage, he thought back to the ident whilst filming "Heavenly Sword". At the thought of Qiao Anhao already knowing that she had a miscarriage, his expression immediately fell. The assistant was so scared, his legs shivered, as he thought it was because he had insinuated that Miss Qiao would fall out with him. Afraid that Lu Jinnian would get angry, and would get back at him, he hurriedly changed his words. "Mr. Lu, I believe Miss Qiao would believe you. She¡¯d definitely believe you. She absolutely won¡¯t fall out with you!" Lu Jinnian seemed like he was long used to his assistant¡¯s grovelling after sharing his honest words of advice, so he just continued with no regards, "She already knows about the child." "Eh? Ah? Miss Qiao knows?" The assistant¡¯s eyes were practically going to fall out, as he looked at Lu Jinnian in disbelief. "How did Miss. Qiao find out?" The assistant remembered that only he and the doctor knew about Qiao Anhao¡¯s miscarriage and swiftly cleared himself. "Mr. Lu, I promise you, I didn¡¯t tell Miss. Qiao!" "It was Han Ruchu," Lu Jinnian revealed, calm as ever. The assistant secretly sighed in relief. Thankfully, Mr. Lu didn¡¯t doubt his loyalty. Lu Jinnian carried an auspicious air between his brows. "If Qiao Qiao hadn¡¯t gotten into an ident during filming, I¡¯d never have jumped down after her, and she might¡¯ve misunderstood me forever!" "Han Ruchu is truly despicable!" The assistant firstly expressed his anger, but then sill reiterated what he had just tried to remind him. "Mr. Lu, even if Miss Qiao had a miscarriage, we don¡¯t have sufficient evidence to prove it. To solely rely on the sleeping pills in the swallow¡¯s nest, it won¡¯t be enough to convince her. If she doesn¡¯t believe Han Ruchu could really do it, then we still..." This time, the assistant learned well to leave some words be. "I¡¯ll handle this." Indeed, Lu Jinnian had already though of a n. When Qiao Anhao and he were in danger, the only reason why he didn¡¯t tell her the whole truth was because Han Ruchu was her future mother-inw and her fiance¡¯s mother. He didn¡¯t want to ruin the perfect imagine she had of her. But now, things were different. Now, he had a chance to be with her. Chapter 530: Ive Loved You for Thirteen Years (1) Chapter 530: I¡¯ve Loved You for Thirteen Years (1) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Lu Jinnian had to think of a n to prove to Qiao Anhao that, back then, it was Han Ruchu who had meddled with her pregnancy. And he had already thought of one. When the assistant heard Lu Jinnian¡¯s words, hepletely rxed. As he hugged the documents, hepliantly said, "Mr. Lu, if there¡¯s nothing else, I¡¯ll be on my way." Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t say a word, and his expression reverted back to his usually cold look. He went over his meeting notes from yesterday about getting a girlfriend. The assistant didn¡¯t disturb Lu Jinnian and silently turned around to leave. Just as he opened the door, he was suddenly called to stop. "Wait." "Mr. Lu, what are your orders?" Lu Jinnian threw a document on the desk and said, "Based on these photos, make the necessary preparations for me." The assistant walked over and picked up the document. It looked like a candlelit dinner with some kind of florescent lights. It was requested for the lights to form the words: "Qiao Qiao, can I go after you?","Qiao Qiao, I¡¯ve loved you for thirteen years","Will you be my girlfriend, Qiao Qiao?". As the assistant sneaked a nce, he couldn¡¯t help butpliment, "How romantic! Mr. Lu..." Then, he incidentally read the words on Lu Jinnian¡¯s mind, "I am only happy when I¡¯m with you... Qiao Qiao, will you..." When Lu Jinnian wrote those words, they really came from his heart. He didn¡¯t feel a certain way about them, but at that moment, when the assistant read them out, he felt a little restless. It was the same feeling a young person would have when he got close to the girl he liked. Lu Jinnian¡¯s entire body felt agitated with embarrassment. His pale white face had ayer of light red. He cleared his throat in annoyance, and said in an extremely dark tone, "Get out!" The assistant was so frightened, he swiftly stopped talking and didn¡¯t dare take a deep breath. With the documents in his arms, he ran for the open door. However, once again, before he could even reach it, Lu Jinnian asked with a degree of uncertainty, "If I confess, what do you think the odds are that she¡¯ll actually agree?" With the documents in his arms, the assistant stopped walking, turned his head to sneak a quick nce at Lu Jinnian. When he confirmed that there wasn¡¯t a hint of anger, he turned his head and said in a ttering way, "Mr. Lu, I think Miss Qiao will definitely agree!" "Really?" asked Lu Jinnian in return. He then thought back tost night, when he asked her if he could continue. She didn¡¯t reply, but when they had sex, she didn¡¯t refuse either... so his chances of seeding were quite high, right? After reassuring himself, Lu Jinnian still didn¡¯t feel confident, and so he said to his assistant, "What do you think of the confession n?" "Great! If I were a woman, I¡¯d definitely be moved." Though the assistant was ttering with his words, those were his true feelings. Mr. Lu had really put his heart and soul into this confession n. He felt that Mr. Lu must¡¯ve nned it for a really long time yesterday... What¡¯s more, he even chose a day to confess - next Wednesday, on Chinese Valentine day... How romantic... After being assured by his assistant, it was like Lu Jinnian had taken a chill pill. His expression instantly became cold. "You can go now." This time, the assistant didn¡¯t turn around when Lu Jinnian asked with little confidence, "Are you sure my confession n has no ws? Take a good look, is there something else that needs to be added? What about a gift? Do you think it¡¯s all right?" There were five days until the confession, and Lu Jinnian realized that he was actually so nervous, he wasn¡¯t in the right mind. Chapter 531: Ive Loved You for Thirteen Years (2) Chapter 531: I¡¯ve Loved You for Thirteen Years (2) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem "Mr. Lu, there really isn¡¯t a problem with it. It¡¯s already perfect." The assistant expressed his honest opinion to Lu Jinnian. Seeing as he was still a little anxious, he wanted to calm his nerves, so he looked all around him, and in the end, grabbed a pile of documents from the table. He walked up to Lu Jinnian, and said, "Mr. Lu, how about we y a game to see if the heavens will allow your confession to seed or not seed?" Lu Jinnian slightly nodded, then stared with rapt attention at the assistant¡¯s test. The assistant grabbed the first document and said. "Confession seeds..." He grabbed the second document. "Confession doesn¡¯t seed..." "Confession seeds..." "Confession doesn¡¯t seed..." When the assistant saw thest document, his expression instantly stiffened. He didn¡¯t dare sneak a nce at Lu Jinnian. How could thest document coincidentally be ¡¯Confession doesn¡¯t seed¡¯! In that split second, Lu Jinnian¡¯s expression froze over. With a light tone, he helped the assistant reveal the answer, "Confession doesn¡¯t seed?" The assistant instantly felt a cold shiver crawl up his back. He quickly shook his head and said, "Mr. Lu, it was a simple mistake. Let¡¯s go again now... again... This time, I¡¯ll start with ¡¯Confession doesn¡¯t seed¡¯, then it¡¯ll end with ¡¯Confession seeds¡¯..." "Leave!" Before the assistant could finish, Lu Jinnian casually grabbed theputer¡¯s mouse, and chucked it at the assistant. This time, the assistantpletely shut up, hugged the documents in his arm, and bolted out of the office. Lu Jinnian sat back in his office chair in rage. He raised his hand and massaged his head. He stared at the documents his assistant counted just now, then dawdled for a while, recounting, "Confession doesn¡¯t seed... Confession seeds... Confession doesn¡¯t seed... Confession seeds..." "..." "Confession seeds!" Lu Jinnian looked at thest document, and slowly said those two words. Then, he shut his eyes, and sat back into his chair. He secretly thought that he¡¯ll definitely seed. Definitely seed! - Though Lu Jinnian called Qiao Anhao to say that he might be homete, and for her not to wait for him to have dinner, he still managed to get out of his dinner meeting and drive home early on his own. On his way back, he gave Qiao Anhao a call, as he knew that she¡¯d be eating at the lower floor of the mall. And so, he drove directly to the parking lot of the mall, and went to find her. When Lu Jinnian arrived, Qiao Anhao had just finished eating. He casually paid the bill, and seeing as it was early, he suggested that they go watch a movie. Qiao Anhao didn¡¯t mind. As Lu Jinnian hadn¡¯t thought in advance what movie to watch, he chose the one that was about to y. When they sat down in their seats, the movie had already started. Lu Jinnian froze as he realized that the female lead happened to be Lin Shiyi. He then realized that Huan Ying Entertainment had invested in this movie half a year ago, but it was only recently released in cinema. He was so concerned with the time, that hepletely didn¡¯t pay attention to the cast. When this film was shot, Qiao Anhao hadn¡¯t entered the entertainment industry yet, and Song Xiangsi was filming in Hollywood, so Lin Shiyi was considered for the role of the female lead. Lu Jinnian knew that Qiao Anhao and Lin Shiyi had never gotten along, yet this was the movie he chose. He was a little afraid that she¡¯d be unhappy, so he turned to nce over at her, and whispered in her ear, "Who in the world has such bad taste to cast such a crappy female lead?" Chapter 532: Ive Loved You for Thirteen Years (3) Chapter 532: I¡¯ve Loved You for Thirteen Years (3) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Lu Jinnian knew that Qiao Anhao and Lin Shiyi had never gotten along, yet this was the movie he chose. He was a little afraid that she¡¯d be unhappy, so he turned to nce over at her, and whispered in her ear, "Who in the world has such bad taste to cast such a crappy female lead?" Of course, Qiao Anhao knew that Lu Jinnian was putting down Lin Shiyi to make her happy. Honestly speaking, Lin Shiyi was by far more strikingly beautiful on screen than off. Though she wasn¡¯t exactly nicknamed the world¡¯s unrivaled beauty, but her looks did stand out above the rest. All in all, she wasn¡¯tpletely terrible. However, Qiao Anhao still disliked Lin Shiyi. She felt it especially after sitting down to watch a film where she starred as the female lead. There was a hint of difort in her heart at first, but after hearing Lu Jinnian¡¯s words, her difort quickly turned to delight. She bit her straw and drank her hot orange juice. With her eyes glued to Lin Shiyi, who had very fine make up on, she said, "Is she that bad? I think she¡¯s all right..." With those words, Qiao Anhao suddenly remembered that Lin Shiyi was a signed actress under Huan Ying Entertainment. The only way she could have gotten the female lead¡¯s role was through someone¡¯s ny percent stake in Huan Ying Entertainment. She then pulled out her phone and did a Baidu search for this movie, to find that it was, in actual fact, a production by Huan Ying Entertainment. The movie was targeted to celebrate Chinese Valentine¡¯s day. What¡¯s more, the first name among the investors was: Lu Jinnian! So he actually scolded himself for having bad taste... A sweetness spread across Qiao Anhao¡¯s face, and a bright and touching smile took over her face. She then tilted her head and forcibly asked, "So do you think I¡¯m pretty?" When Qiao Anhao left the house, she was afraid of being recognized, so she wore a pair of ck sunsses. In that moment, whilst they sat in the cinema, the screen was dark, and so she took the sses off to watch the movie. Without having applied any make up onto her brows, she looked clean and energetic. The lights reflected off of the cinema screen and sent a sharp ray of light into her eyes. She saw that Lu Jinnian¡¯s expression was nk when he nodded and said without hesitation, "Pretty." When Qiao Anhao heard hispliment, she handed her phone to him, and, with a pout, said, "But you just said you had no taste! So you¡¯re saying I¡¯m not pretty enough?" Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t think Qiao Anhao would actually use his own words against him. He opened his mouth, but in that instant, he couldn¡¯t think of how to get out of it. In the end, he decided to tightly shut his mouth. Upon seeing Lu Jinnian¡¯s sunken expression, Qiao Anhao couldn¡¯t help but smile. She turned her head and continued to look towards the screen. Who knows if it was because of her good mood, but she no longer felt that Lin Shiyi was that annoying. Lu Jinnian, who sat beside her, focused every second on Qiao Anhao. Even though he saw that she was really into the movie, he still felt like there was something wrong in his heart. After a short while, he couldn¡¯t help but turn his head to ask, "Qiao Qiao, do you want to go out for a walk?" Qiao Anhao shook her head, and ignored him. She stared at the screen without blinking, at the scene where the male and female leads were choosing wedding dresses. Lu Jinnian stayed quiet for about three minutes. He then pointed at Lin Shiyi¡¯s crying face on the big screen, and, turning his head towards Qiao Anhao, said, "Her acting skills are truly terrible. She¡¯s not even in character when she cries!" Qiao Anhao pretended she didn¡¯t hear and reached out for the popcorn beside her. But, as she didn¡¯t look, she grabbed the air. Chapter 533: Ive Loved You for Thirteen Years (4) Chapter 533: I¡¯ve Loved You for Thirteen Years (4) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Lu Jinnian hastily grabbed a single popcorn and put it in Qiao Anhao¡¯s mouth. Qiao Anhao nced over at it and pulled her wandering hand back. She snatched the popcorn away with her mouth, and continued to watch the movie. When Lu Jinnian noticed that Qiao Anhao had swallowed the popcorn in her mouth, he immediately grabbed another and put it to her lips. Coincidentally, that was when the screen showed a picture of Lin Shiyi in a wedding dress. Then, with a helpless expression on his face, Lu Jinnian said, "They say, women are the most beautiful when they wear a wedding dress. Now, who¡¯s pping themselves in the face? Here¡¯s an example of someone who¡¯s ugly in a wedding dress." Since the very start of the movie till now, every so often, Lu Jinnian would nitpick something about Lin Shiyi. Finally, on herst nerves, Qiao Anhao couldn¡¯t help but turn her head and look at him head on. When Lu Jinnian met Qiao Anhao¡¯s eyes, he was about to act serious and add, "Qiao Qiao, you¡¯ll definitely be the world¡¯s prettiest woman in a wedding dress." In the end, before he could speak, Qiao Anhao said in a slightly defeated tone of voice, "Lu Jinnian, do you know that talking in the cinema is very rude?" Lu Jinnian was so stunned, the words he wanted to stay got stuck in his throat. Qiao Anhao opened her mouth and munched the popcorn from his fingertips, then continued to say, "Also, why are you paying so much attention to Lin Shiyi? You¡¯re not into her, are you?" Lu Jinnian promptly shook his head, about to exin himself to her, but Qiao Anhao grabbed several kernels of popcorn and shoved them in his mouth. She then made a "shhh" expression with her hands. Lu Jinnian moved his lips, then shut them again. After a while, he whispered, "Qiao Qiao, you know that¡¯s not what I meant." Qiao Anhao didn¡¯t bother with Lu Jinnian and stared at the big screen with her lips nted. She opened her mouth, after having swallowed her popcorn, and Lu Jinnian immediately grabbed another one and attentively put it in her mouth. When he pulled his fingers away, he was intentionally or unintentionally bit by Qiao Anhao. Though it wasn¡¯t strong, Lu Jinnian still felt the numbness from fingertips travel to his heart. He quickly pulled his fingertips away, and used his other hand to rub where she¡¯d just bit. He turned his head and looked at her, staring at the big screen with a calm expression, though ayer of redness had clearly crept up her ears. Lu Jinnian gulped, andpletely calmed down. - It was ten in the evening when the movie ended. The supermarket on the lower floor wasn¡¯t closed and Qiao Anhao wanted to eat watermelon, so the two of them pushed a trolley into the supermarket. After they chose a watermelon, they passed the snacks section. Lu Jinnian casually grabbed a few bags of fruit puddings and nuts for Qiao Anhao to snack on when she watched TV at night. As they lined up in the queue, Lu Jinnian saw multicolored boxes on the shelf by the counter, and thought back tost night. As there were no condoms in the house when they had sex, at the final moment, he had to pull out, so as he stood there in front of the shelf, he considered it for a moment. In the end, he put a few boxes of extra thin condoms into the trolley. When Qiao Anhao saw what Lu Jinnian was doing, her face started to burn up. She turned her head to one side, pretending to have not seen what Lu Jinnian was doing and pushed the trolley forward. She looked straight ahead, not daring to look at what was in the trolley. Every now and then, her heart would randomly pick up speed, when she saw several of those small boxes in her peripheral vision. Chapter 534: Ive Loved You for Thirteen Years(5) Chapter 534: I¡¯ve Loved You for Thirteen Years£¨5£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem The supermarket was about to close, so it was very crowded. Lu Jinnian was afraid that Qiao Anhao might get lost, so he held onto her throughout their entire grocery trip. The supermarket was near where they stayed, so instead of getting his car, they decided to walk back. The night breeze blew softly and the streetmps cast a warm glow. Lu Jinnian held the grocery bag in one hand and held Qiao Anhao¡¯s hand in the other. The walk was short, the endless cars zooming by, continuously honking their horns. There were still people at the bus stop and there were others below the bridge singing... Qiao Anhao could feel her palm start to sweat in Lu Jinnian¡¯s hand, and she turned over to gaze at the man that was much taller than she was, his handsome looks shinning under the warm glow by the streetmp. She counted the streetmps as she walked, and she suddenly wondered what she was feeling now that they were a semi-couple... Was this semi-dating? It was sweet, it was warm and there was a hint of agitation... It was the feeling of bliss that she had never felt before. - Once they returned home, Qiao Anhao headed upstairs to take a shower. When she came back down, Lu Jinnian had already showered in the bathroom on the first floor. He wore a light colored lounge wear as he sat on the sofa having a video call. In front of him was half a watermelon and a spoon. When Qiao Anhao walked over, Lu Jinnian lifted his head to nce at her. When he realized that she was wearing a sling nightgown, he closed the video and started to type instead. Since he was busy working, Qiao Anhao didn¡¯t disrupt him. She sat in the corner and switched on the television. Hugging the watermelon in front of her, she dug the spoon in to take a bite. Halfway through his work, Lu Jinnian turned to look at her curiously, he even reached out to wipe the watermelon juice off the corners of her lips. Qiao Anhao decided to be nice, she reached out to ce a piece of watermelon in his mouth. Lu Jinnian opened his mouth to ept the watermelon. Raising his hands, he caressed her head indulgently before continuing to work on hisptop. After the first bite, she started to feed him more... Halfway through, she nced at hisptop screen, the screen was packed withplicated statistics and information that she didn¡¯t understand. Without asking him, she continued to feed him. In that moment, her spirits were high and she could see herself as the free loader that Lu Jinnian kept at home. He would be in charge of earning money to feed her while she was in charge of eating and drinking. She had finished a third of the watermelon and was feeding the rest to Lu Jinnian. He seemed to be engrossed in his work, but whenever her spoon approached, he would automatically open his mouth to ept the watermelon. Just then, an advertisement started to y. Out of boredom, Qiao Anhao decided to tease him just like before with the prawns.. She ced watermelons seeds on the spoon and fed him as usual. Indeed, he swallowed the entire spoon without even looking, causing her to burst intoughter. Only when Lu Jinnian heard herughter did he realize that something was wrong... He bent his head to spit out the seeds before closing hisptop. Turning, he pounced on Qiao Anhao. Chapter 535: Ive Loved You for Thirteen Years(6) Chapter 535: I¡¯ve Loved You for Thirteen Years£¨6£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Lu Jinnian grabbed Qiao Anhao¡¯s waist and started to tickle her. She tossed and turned until finally tears streamed out. When Lu Jinnian saw the tears, his expression turned serious instantly, as he gazed at her with bright eyes. Qiao Anhao gradually stoppedughing. With her eyes wide, she collided with his gaze. She could see a thickyer of desire in his zed eyes. Biting onto her lip, she lowered hershes. Lu Jinnian lowered his head, covering her lips. With one hand, he started to pull her nightgown away, and with the other, he dug through the grocery bag for the bag of condoms he¡¯d bought earlier. Covering her mouth aggressively, he deepened the kiss until they were both fully naked. With both hands, he tore the box open, puling out a condom... - The night was deep, the room was silent, the light buzzing from the air-conditioner could be heard along with two people¡¯s breathing... After an intense exercise, Qiao Anhao nestled in Lu Jinnian¡¯s arm like azy cat. Lu Jinnian slouched on the pillow, his breathing unstable as he caressed her hair softly. The living room was filled with the scent of their love making, melting both their bodies and their hearts. After lying for a long while, Qiao Anhao finally regained some strength, and turning, found a morefortable position. In the past, she would pass out after such an intense workout, but today, she felt unusually awake. She listened to the powerful thump of Lu Jinnian¡¯s heart, basking in the beautiful afterglow. Lu Jinnian moved slightly and broke the silence. "What have you done today?" Qiao Anhao thought for a while before giving him a detailed rundown of her day. The details were boring and mundane: she shopped, ate, and bought some stuff, she even reported how much she had spent... But Lu Jinnian listened attentively. Qiao Anhao even reached over to her phone to show him the two bracelets she had bought, asking his opinions on them. Truthfully, Lu Jinnian felt that all pearl bracelets looked simr but he still reassured her that it looked pretty. Qiao Anhao even told him how she used the card on a cup of milk tea. Just then, she remembered the call from Qiao Anxia. She lifted her head slightly. His jaw was directly above her head, and the tiny stubble tickled her. She raised her hand to caress it lightly before asking, "Lu Jinnian, do you know that the Xu family is in trouble?" Lu Jinnian never expected her sudden question, so he hesitated before replying with a "Mmh". "Anxia said that someone was behind it. But the Xu family didn¡¯t offend anyone, I wonder who it is..." Qiao Anhao nagged a bit before seemingly thinking of something. She crawled out of his embrace to stare into his eyes. "Lu Jinnian, I called Brother Jiamu this afternoon, and he didn¡¯t sound too good. You guys have always been close, you should call him to show some care." Chapter 536: Ive Loved You for Thirteen Years(7) Chapter 536: I¡¯ve Loved You for Thirteen Years£¨7£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem "Sure." Lu Jinnian raised his hand to caress Qiao Anhao¡¯s back softly, sending a tremble down her spine. Before she could continue the conversation, he pressed her below him, sealing her lips. The temperature in the room heated instantly, and Qiao Anhao¡¯s mind started to wander. An uncontroble, soft murmur escaped her lips... After Lu Jinnian was finished with Qiao Anhao, she fell into a deep sleep. He climbed out of bed, pulled out a piece of wet tissue to give her a quick clean, and returned to hug her to sleep. - The next morning was a weekend, and Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t set an rm as he didn¡¯t need to work. Only when Qiao Anhao rouse did he finally open his tightly shut eyes. Groggy and in a daze, he bit on her ears, softly murmuring "Morning" before pressing her under him once again... The next time they woke up, it was already noon. Lu Jinnian carried the exhausted Qiao Anhao into the bathroom for a shower. When he was done, he blow dried her hair before cing her back onto the bed. Quietly heading downstairs, he ordered takeout for when she woke up. Soon after, the food arrived. Lu Jinnian arranged it on the table before heading upstairs to wake Qiao Anhao up. After they had their meal, Lu Jinnian suggested going to the suburbs to enjoy the hot spring since the weather was good. There was a famous temple situated on top a tiny hill near the hot spring. Since Qiao Anhao wanted to pray, Lu Jinnian willingly obliged, but after their intense lovemaking the previous night and the consecutive morning, Qiao Anhao was too weak for the climb. She started to pant before they had even passed the foot of the hill, and turning to Lu Jinnian, she started toin. Lu Jinnian¡¯s hugged her waist, coaxingly suggesting to visit the next day, saying they could enjoy the hot spring instead. Bending down, he picked her up and carried her all the way back to the car, only then did her darkened face start to clear. At night, Lu Jinnian kept to his words and didn¡¯t touch her, silently hugging her till daybreak. And on the very next day, he really brought her up to the temple. But even after a good night¡¯s rest, she was exhausted after ascending and descending the hill. Kneeling down on the ground, she wasn¡¯t willing to take another step, and in the end, Lu Jinnian sumbed to his fate, carrying her back to the car. Qiao Anhao slept the entire ride back. When they finally reached home, she quickly ate, showered, and climbed early into the bed. While she slept, Lu Jinnian worked on his documents. When he finished, it was already 11 pm. He silently entered the bedroom, carefully climbing onto the bed. Pulling her into his embrace, he kissed her forehead lightly. Just then, Qiao Anhao stirred. In a half-awake state, she rubbed her head against his shoulder, humming lightly "Mmh Mmh". This night, yet again, Lu Jinnian wasn¡¯t able to control his inner desires, pressing her under him for one round before releasing her back to her sleep. - Just like that, their beautiful weekend ended, bringing about a busy week. The next day, the moment Lu Jinnian sat down at his desk, he saw a post, reminding him that Valentines day was on Wednesday. There were only two days left... His heart raced. He was anxious but at the same time excited for what was about toe. - On Monday afternoon, Qiao Anhao carried a big bag of grocery home. While she was preparing her meal, she received a text from Lu Jinnian. [Lets have dinner on Wednesday at 8 pm] Chapter 537: Ive Loved You for Thirteen Years(8) Chapter 537: I¡¯ve Loved You for Thirteen Years£¨8£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Today was Monday, so there were still two more days to Wednesday. Besides, why couldn¡¯t he tell at home if it was just dinner? Why send it through a text? And why two days in advance... Qiao Anhao replied with an [Oh.] as she continued to ponder. Lu Jinnian exhaled, shutting his eyes as he repeated the confession that he had prepared earlier. One word at a time, he pictured himself saying it. When he was sure that everything was perfect, he straightened, continuing with his work. But the moment he started to read the documents, his mind started to wander. In the end, he put away the documents and pressed onto a line on the telephone. "Prepare the car, I¡¯m going to Li Jing Xuan." - Due to Lu Jinnian¡¯s unending requests, the preparation for the venue for his confession was already underway even though it was two days away. Lu Jinnian¡¯s venue was set in the only open-air private room on the top floor of Li Jing Xuan. The moment Qiao Anhao lifted her head, she would see a sky full of stars. When she turned to the side, she would be able to see the night view of the forbidden pce. The view was perfect from all angles, regardless of where she decided to look. When Lu Jinnian reached the ce, there were a few workers on the balcony hanging the colorful lights. Once one of the sides was fully decorated, the manager switched on the lights to test the effects. The colorful lights sparkled, but since it was still daytime, so it wasn¡¯t especially beautiful. Thest lights that were turned on were the red at the back with the words: "With you this year, everything is good." Lu Jinnian¡¯s heart squeezed, he felt emotional when he saw the words light up. On the side of the balcony, there was a wooden table with arge, European style vase nestled on top. The vase was empty, without any flowers, but there was whitece covering it. As the manager exined the details, he pointed to the stone table at the side of the room. "Mr Lu, we would ce a bunch of fresh Chinese Bellflowers over there, and there would be candles surrounding them. Just as you requested, we specifically invited a western chef from overseas to prepare your meal that day, the red wine you requested for has also been prepared... "In order to heat up the atmosphere, we would also decorate the edge of the balcony with colorful flowers. When the night wind blows, their aroma would fill up the ce..." While the manager exined the preparations, Lu Jinnian checked every nook and cranny, ensuring that everything was perfect. Nodding, he instructed uneasily, "All the flowers must be the freshest and sent by air... The theme is pink and white, Qiao Qiao doesn¡¯t like bright red flowers... "For the lilies, choose the milky yellow colored ones, in the past, she had stared at those flowers in the magazine for a long while... There must be a lot of Chinese Bellflowers, it¡¯s her favorite flower... Order every color... Oh, the steak has to be fully cooked, Qiao Qiao doesn¡¯t like blood in her steak.. For fruits, she likes..." Lu Jinnian had wanted to just inform the manager of her favorite things, but in the end, he repeated every single detail from his order. On the way out of Li Jing Xuan, he saw a shop selling male clothes. Just then, he seemed to have thought of something new. Facing his assistant, who was driving, he said, "Oh, remember to choose a new set of clothes for me tomorrow, everything from inside to outside must be new. Everything." Chapter 538: Ive Loved You for Thirteen Years(9) Chapter 538: I¡¯ve Loved You for Thirteen Years£¨9£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Only on Wednesday morning did Qiao Anhao realize it was Valentines day. In the past, when Lu Jinnian woke up for work, he wouldn¡¯t wake her. Today however, this Wednesday morning, before he got off the bed, he kissed her till she woke up and whispered into her ear, "Qiao Qiao, don¡¯t forget, we have a date tonight." Sleep deprived, Qiao Anhao yawned. With half open eyes, she nodded. "I know" "Remember, at 6.30 pm, I¡¯ll get someone to drive you," Lu Jinnian added, nagging and emphasizing the importance once more. This time, Qiao Anhao didn¡¯t make a sound. She nodded while turning on her other shoulder, trying to get back to sleep. Just then, he continued, "Qiao Qiao, I¡¯m going to work now, don¡¯t forget about dinner." After getting ¡¯tortured¡¯ by Lu Jinnian for almost the entire night, Qiao Anhao was sleepy and exhausted, and now that he was nagging continuously, she started to feel her morning grogginess. Grabbing a pillow, she smashed Lu Jinnian¡¯s body violently, shoving his nag back into his stomach. After he had showered, dressed, and prepared for the day, he walked back to the room. Turning to look at the bed, he reminded Qiao Anhao once more, "Qiao Qiao, I¡¯m going now. Remember..." Another pillow came flying over, and Lu Jinnian raised his hands to catch it before tossing it onto the sofa at the side. Leaving the room, he carefully shut the door behind him. Silence finally returned to the bedroom. Qiao Anhaoid on the bed but couldn¡¯t fall asleep anymore. Flipping over, she sat up and reached for her phone out of habit, to look at the time. Just then, Lu Jinnian¡¯s text came in. [Qiao Qiao, tonight, dinner.] Qiao Anhao wanted to break down. She smashed her phone on the bed before covering her head with the nket in frustration. What day was it today? Why did he emphasize the dinner so much and so often? She reached for her phone to look at the calender, but there wasn¡¯t anything special. She then looked at the Chinese calender and instantly realized that it was the seventh of July! Chinese Valentines day! Valentines day.... The words repeated in Qiao Anhao¡¯s mind several times before she suddenly processed the meaning of the day. Lu Jinnian had asked her out for dinner on Valentines day... Was he inviting her to celebrate Valentines day with him? But its a day for lovers... Did that mean that she was about to be promoted to his girlfriend? Having lost all her sleepiness, she headed to the mall nearby to first get a facial done and then her hair set. After making sure that her hair was perfect, she got her makeup done professionally. Only then was she satisfied with how she looked. When she came out of the beauty salon, she realized that the mall was filled with Valentines day advertisements. Chapter 539: Ive Loved You for Thirteen Years(10) Chapter 539: I¡¯ve Loved You for Thirteen Years£¨10£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem When she came out of the beauty salon, Qiao Anhao realized that the mall was filled with Valentines day advertisements. She nced at the time, there were approximately six hours till their dinner date. Since she was bored, she decided to shop around the male section to find a Valentines day present for Lu Jinnian. Regardless of how rich or poor someone was, the way they celebrated Valentines day was simr - have a meal, watch a movie, and exchange gifts. The only difference was that a richer person would spend much more. The entire mall was flooded with females with the same mindset as Qiao Anhao; they all were looking for gifts for their loves ones. Even thought the mall was unusually crowded, all the customers seemed to be women. Some came by themselves, just like Qiao Anhao, while others came in pairs. When she passed by a ss window, she heard twodies discussing which outfit better suited one of theirs boyfriend. Qiao Anhao nced over, seeing a bright smile and blissful expressions on their faces. At that moment, she started to wonder if she too had that look on her face. After browsing through several stores, she settled on a tie. The queue to the cashier was a little long, and, out of boredom, Qiao Anhao lifted her head to look at the television hung above the cashier. The news was currently airing, reporting random events. Just when it was about to be her turn, she heard a familiar name in the conversation behind her. "Oh god, I never expected that in less than a month, Xu Enterprise will be about to change owners." "How is it?" "Look at the news! Xu Enterprise recently held a board meeting, and someone had bought over 53% of their shares, bing thergest shareholder in thepany. The first thing he did was fire Xu Wanli and Han Ruchu..." "Who is it?" "It¡¯s not stated.... Oh, its out... It¡¯s Huan Ying Entertainment¡¯s CEO Lu Jinnian..." "Oh god, my male god bought Xu Enterprise!" ... Lu Jinnian bought Xu Enterprise? Qiao Anhao¡¯s heart trembled. She instinctively turned over to look at two speakers who were holding onto their phones as they spoke. She fished out her own phone, and the moment she entered the news site, the newest headline was out: Xu Enterprise mystery buyer, thergest shareholder exposed! Qiao Anhao stared at the headline, hesitating before clicking on it. Initially, she didn¡¯t have the courage to look, but after taking a deep breath, she mustered enough to move her eyes to the text. ¡¯Xu Enterprise biggest shareholder is Lu Jinnian, who was awarded for six consecutive years as the Best Screen Actor and who is also the CEO of Huan Ying Entertainment. On the day of Xu Enterprise board meeting, using 53% shares, he became the person with the biggest say...¡¯ Qiao Anhao stared at the screen for a long while, repeatedly going over the words "Lu Jinnian" before finally digesting the article. Chapter 540: Ive Loved You for Thirteen Years(11) Chapter 540: I¡¯ve Loved You for Thirteen Years£¨11£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Qiao Anhao stared at the screen for a long while, repeatedly going over the words "Lu Jinnian" before finally digesting the article. Why would he buy Xu Enterprise? When did he start to plot the takeover? Why didn¡¯t she realize anything in so long? Qiao Anhao was in a mess. She stood motionless for a long while until the person behind kindly reminded her, "Excuse me, it¡¯s you turn to pay." Only then did she slowly get back to her senses, but even then, she couldn¡¯t seem to react. The cashier seemed irritated by Qiao Anhao. Impatiently, she knocked on the table. "Miss? Hurry up." She passed her item over, then suddenly realizing something. She reached for her phone and dialed a number, but it didn¡¯t go through. Quickly, she dialed for Lu Jinnian¡¯s assistant. "Miss Qiao." When she heard the assistant¡¯s polite voice, she shut her eyes to calm herself before asking, "Where¡¯s Lu Jinnian?" "Mr. Lu is in his office..." Before he could finish his sentence, Qiao Anhao hung up. Ignoring the cashier in front of her, she left, running towards the staircase. Qiao Anhao ran all the way out of the mall. When she reached the road, she jumped into a cab that someone else had hailed for. Turning to face the person, she apologized multiple times before telling the driver the address, "Huan Ying Entertainment, thank you." Xu Jiamu was a good friend she had grown up with. If it wasn¡¯t for him, she would have never been able to get together with Lu Jinnian. If it wasn¡¯t for him, she would have never easily ended her marriage... Xu Jiamu was always a brotherly figure, protecting her selflessly, but Lu Jinnian was the man she was in love with for thirteen years. The same blood flowed in their veins, and she wished that they would both be happy. She didn¡¯t want anything to get between them, so she wanted to rify Lu Jinnian¡¯s motives. - After the news were exposed, Lu Jinnian¡¯s phone never stopped ringing. Every time a call came in, he would briefly nce at the phone, never once epting. His calm demeanor seemed to show his confidence as he waited for one specific call. The call came in earlier than expected. When he saw the words "Han Ruchu" on the screen, his lips curled into a smirk. Staring without a blink at the screen, he slowly ced the document he was working on aside and epted the call. Casually, he strolled to the window, not saying a word. His eyes seemed to turn to ice. After a long moment of silence, Han Ruchu, who had always been strong in the face of a crisis, finally broke down. "Why did you do it? You..." Chapter 541: Ive Loved You for Thirteen Years (12) Chapter 541: I¡¯ve Loved You for Thirteen Years (12) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem "Will you even be able to look at Jiamu, who once saved your life? In all these years, he has treated you so well, have you forgotten? Do you even have a heart!" Lu Jinnian, who had remained rather quiet all this time, didn¡¯t wait for Han Ruchu to finish what she had to say. He suddenly, asked her mockingly, "Mrs. Han, was this all you wanted to say?" Before she could speak, someone else had said it all... In that moment, Han Ruchu kept her silence on the phone. This time, Lu Jinnian, didn¡¯t remain quiet like Han Ruchu. Instead, he continued to speak in a calm voice, but there was a pressing tone in his voice. "I can tell Xu Jiamu everything I did with a clear conscience! What about you? Mrs. Han, could you do the same? As a mother, could you honestly say that you¡¯ve done things with a clear conscience?" "What a joke! You stole what belongs to Jiamu. You¡¯re here talking to me about having a clear conscience, but don¡¯t you forget you¡¯re an illegitimate child that should have never been born onto this earth! You mother was a shameful mistress. As Jiamu¡¯s birth mother, how could I have a guilty conscience?" Even if Lu Jinnian one day stole Xu Enterprise after she painstakingly built it up for almost thirty years, Han Ruchu would still talk with the same confidence in her tone. She continued to speak ill of Lu Jinnian and his mother. "Let me tell you, even if Xu Enterprise bes yours, you still can¡¯t change the fact that you¡¯re an illegitimate child. Nor can you change the fact that your mother was a prostitute!" Lu Jinnian¡¯s brows shed with a hint of malevolence. He tightened his grasp on his phone and said, "Yes. That¡¯s right. My mother was a prostitute. My mother was a mistress who gave birth to me, but she received her just rewards. I¡¯ve also received mine, but even if my mother wasckluster, in my eyes, as her son, she was still a good mother, a great mother. Better than a murderer like yourself!" In that moment, Han Ruchu¡¯s confidence was clearly shaken. "What do you mean by that?" Lu Jinnian had no intention of letting Han Ruchu have a single word in, asking rhetorically, "I wonder, if Jiamu knew that his own mother¡¯s hands were so stained with blood, they didn¡¯t even show mercy to a two month old baby... Just with what kind of eyes do you think he would look at this kind of mother ?" Han Ruchu was somewhat clever. With Lu Jinnian¡¯s first sentence, she could already guess what he meant. Now, under Lu Jinnian¡¯s questioning, she instantly understood. "So you knew." "Yes, of course I knew. Qiao Anhao¡¯s miscarriage was all thanks to your sleeping pills in her swallow¡¯s nest. Mrs. Han, you made such careful preparations, but what a shame, you slipped up and revealed a w in your n." "When did you find out?" asked Han Ruchu. Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t say a word. After a while, Han Ruchu looked as though she had realized something and said, "So, the only reason why my several dozen billion investment got scrapped was because you were scheming behind it all? Was it also you who added fuel to the fire when Xu enterprises stocks fell? Your purpose for all this was to devour the Xu enterprise and leave Wanli and me with nothing! Am I right?" Chapter 542: Ive Loved You for Thirteen Years (13) Chapter 542: I¡¯ve Loved You for Thirteen Years (13) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Lu Jinnian had no intention of hiding, so he admitted, "That¡¯s right." "Just what will make you stop? I did this single-handedly. You cane at me..." Having gotten the evidence he wanted, Lu Jinnian had no intention of rattling on with her nonsense... He didn¡¯t wait for Han Ruchu to speak again, saying in an unsympathetic and arrogant voice, "Mrs. Han, if you called hoping that I¡¯ll let you off, let me tell you this... don¡¯t even think about it!" When Lu Jinnian finished speaking, he hung up the call. With a dark expression on his face, he walked over to the office desk and pushed the inte. His assistant was quick to knock on the door ande in. Lu Jinnian directly gave him the phone and said, "Take out the voice recording and upload it onto a recording pen. I need it for tonight." - The Xu family. When Han Ruchu heard "doot doot doot" sounds from the disconnected call, she cried out a few times, before ruthlessly smashing the phone to the floor. Because she was so angry and felt so done in, Han Ruchu¡¯s face was particrly unwell looking, and her chest heaved non-stop. "Madam, don¡¯t be so angry..." cried the housekeeper, trying to calm her. Seeing as Han Ruchu had rushed over to the sofa and started to sway, the housekeeper hurriedly went over to support her to a seat. "Madam, are you all right?" Han Ruchu tightly clenched her fists, fire burning deep in her eyes. The mes burned bright, until after a while, she muttered, "He knows what happened. He knows that I was the one who killed Qiao Qiao¡¯s baby." A sh of panic crossed Han Ruchu¡¯s eyes. "If Jiamu finds out, then he¡¯ll definitely me me..." At this point, Han Ruchu suddenly paused, as though she had thought of something. She pointed at the home phone on the side and said, "Quickly, give Jiamu a call, say that I¡¯m..." Then, Han Ruchu whispered something in the housekeeper¡¯s ear. As the housekeeper listened, she replied in a quiet voice, "Yes, Madam." When Han Ruchu finished speaking, she immediately went over to the home phone and dialed Xu Jiamu¡¯s number. She waited for the call to go through, then said with a panicked expression on her face, "Oh no, Young master! Just now, Madam fainted out of anger... Not because of Xu enterprises, but from your brother¡¯s call. He said something about meddling behind Madam¡¯s several billion investment and causing Xu Enterprise stocks to fall. "It was all because of how Sir and Madam treated his mother all those years ago. So now he wants them to taste what it feels like. That¡¯s the gist of what he said, but I¡¯m not particrly clear on the details... Anyways, young master,e home first to see Madam..." Once the housekeeper was off the phone, Han Ruchu asked, "How was it?" "The young master sounds very angry. He said that he¡¯s on his way home. Madam, shall I go call the family doctor over? First, get some rest upstairs, so that the young master doesn¡¯t see through your n." Han Ruchu gently nodded and stood up from the sofa. With the housekeeper alongside her, they walked up the stairs. As they walked up the stairs, the housekeeper said, "Madam, to be able toe up with this, it¡¯s all thanks to your quick reaction. Young master is your son, so your hearts are bound as mother and son. When he hears that the bastard made you faint out of anger, he certainly won¡¯t bother with what the bastard has to say." Chapter 543: Ive Loved You for Thirteen Years (14) Chapter 543: I¡¯ve Loved You for Thirteen Years (14) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Xu Jiamu¡¯s car stopped at Huan Ying Entertainment¡¯s entrance and he walked through the lobby. There was a new woman at the front desk whom he didn¡¯t know. She politely stopped him and asked who he was looking for. Xu Jiamu was about to give her Lu Jinnian¡¯s name when the phone in his pocket rang. He made a hand gesture at the woman at the front desk to wait, then walked to one side to take the call. From the housekeeper¡¯s words, Xu Jiamu¡¯s expression gradually grew enraged. In the end, he didn¡¯t even think twice as he hung up the phone andpletely ignored the questions from woman at the front desk. He walked over to the elevator with a livid look, pressed the button, and headed straight for the top floor. When the elevator doors opened, Xu Jiamu walked straight to Lu Jinnian¡¯s office. On his way, he passed Lu Jinnian¡¯s elderly secretary whom he knew. She hurriedly got up and politely greeted him, "Mr. Xu, are you¡¯re here to see Chief Lu?" Xu Jiamu didn¡¯t even bother with the secretary, pushing open the door of Lu Jinnian¡¯s office and barging in. Lu Jinnian was sitting at his desk, talking on the phone, when he heard the loud bang of the door. He lifted his head to find Xu Jiamu¡¯s furious face. He said "Apologies" into the phone and put it down. He stood up, walked around his desk and over to the door, which Xu Jiamu had pushed open, and shut it. "Lu Jinnian, why are you closing the door? Are you afraid that your staff outside will hear about all the nasty things you¡¯ve done?" Xu Jiamu didn¡¯t wait for Lu Jinnian to close the doors before erupting in a fit of rage, and choked Lu Jinnian¡¯s cor. Ferocity shed across his eyes as he spoke with a vicious expression. "Lu Jinnian, you¡¯ve done it! First, you lure my mother into a several dozen billion investment, then use it to run the Xu Enterprise stock value to the ground and buy arge amount for yourself! I really didn¡¯t know that you had this trick up your sleeve. You really hid it well. After I treated you as a biological brother all these years, in the end, this is how you treat me, right? I¡¯m fucking telling you, your mother was the lowly prostitute, not mine..." Xu Jiamu¡¯s final words instantly made Lu Jinnian¡¯s expression run cold. His eyes were frozen with anger when he said in a low voice, "Done talking?" As his words dropped, he raised his hand and yanked Xu Jiamu¡¯s hands off of his cor. Then said in a heavy tone, "I don¡¯t want to talk to you about personal matters during business hours... Even if we were to discuss it, I won¡¯t discuss it with how irrational you are right now. So, if you¡¯re done speaking, leave now. I¡¯ll pretend as though I never heard what you just said!" "Lu Jinnian, don¡¯t try to act all high and mighty with me. What fucking right do you have to act all high and mighty in front of me..." When Xu Jiamu finished speaking, Lu Jinnian suddenly pulled open the meeting room door and pointed outside. "I¡¯m going to say this again. I do not handle private matters during business hours. I¡¯m giving you two options, either you leave on your own, or I will call security to make you leave!" With his final word, Lu Jinnian nced towards the open door and then at Qiao Anhao¡¯s pale face standing on the other side of the door. He twitched his lips but never pulled his eyes away from her. "Lu Jinnian, you better pray that nothing happens to my mother. If anything does happen, then I¡¯ll be sure to get you!" Chapter 544: Ive Loved You for Thirteen Years (15) Chapter 544: I¡¯ve Loved You for Thirteen Years (15) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem With his final word, Lu Jinnian nced towards the open door and then at Qiao Anhao¡¯s pale face standing on the other side of the door. He twitched his lips but never pulled his eyes away from her. "Lu Jinnian, you better pray that nothing happens to my mother. If anything does happen, then I¡¯ll be sure to get you!" Xu Jiamu gritted his teeth when he finished speaking, turned, and walked, incredibly angry, out of the office. When Xu Jiamu came in front of Qiao Anhao, her heart was a little panicked. Lu Jinnian was the one who clearly did this, but she felt like she was the one who particrly let Xu Jiamu down. She cried in a low voice, "Brother Jiamu." When Xu Jiamu heard Qiao Anhao¡¯s voice, he slightly slowed down a little, but didn¡¯t stop. He brushed her shoulders on his way out. Qiao Anhao instinctively turned around, chased after Jiamu and grabbed his sleeve. "Brother Jiamu, don¡¯t be so angry..." Xu Jiamu¡¯s footsteps were firm and his lips were tightly pursed, face still filled with rage. He wanted to say something to Qiao Anhao, but at that moment, he was simply not in the mood to talk. In the end, he gave a gentle nod, then forcibly pulled his sleeve from her grip. As he strode into the elevator, he never turned his head, and left. Lu Jinnian looked at the scene unfolding in front of him. The sight of it was hard to watch, so he instinctively lowered his head. He straightened out his clothes that Xu Jiamu had creased up. He only lifted his head when he heard the sound of the elevator. Then he said to Qiao Anhao, who was not too far away, "Come in." Qiao Anhao stood at the spot for a long time before she turned around. Without making a sound, she walked into Lu Jinnian¡¯s office. Lu Jinnian shut the door and pointed at the sofa, offering her a seat. Then he asked, "Do you want something to drink?" Qiao Anhao shook her head as she sat on the sofa. Lu Jinnian walked to his desk and picked up the desk phone with one hand. In a low voice, he ordered, "A cup of coffee and another of milk tea." Lu Jinnian hung up the phone and nced over at Qiao Anhao, who sat quietly on the sofa. He slowly walked over to her and sat down. Qiao Anhao lifted her head, then looked into Lu Jinnian¡¯s eyes, as she asked, "Aunt Xu¡¯s several dozen billion investment project that got scrapped in the end... was that your doing?" Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t speak. The office seemed quite silent. About three minutes had passed when a knocking was heard from the door. Lu Jinnian cleared his throat, then said, "Enter." The door opened and Lu Jinnian¡¯s secretary entered, carrying a tray. She walked over to the sofa and ced the coffee and milk on the table. Then she left without a sound. Lu Jinnian pushed the milk towards Qiao Anhao, then finally answered her question. "I did it." He answered with certainty, not a hint of hesitation. Qiao Anhao¡¯s fingers shivered for a moment, as she stared at Lu Jinnian¡¯s blinking eyes, and continued to ask, "The only reason why the Xu Enterprise¡¯s stocks dropped so dramatically was because you did something behind the scenes?" Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t dispute it. This time, his answer was far swifter than before. "That¡¯s right." "Then, when Xu Enterprise¡¯s stocks plummeted, you bought arge amount of it just to take power from the Xu family?" Qiao Anhao asked her question particrly slowly. She practically shot it out word-by-word. So much so that when she finished asking, she felt her racing heart stop, as she started into his eyes with her full attention. Chapter 545: Ive Loved You for Thirteen Years (16) Chapter 545: I¡¯ve Loved You for Thirteen Years (16) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem This time, Lu Jinnian only said a single word. He didn¡¯t hold back or hesitate, and gave a simple, "Yes." Qiao Anhao really hoped that Lu Jinnian would reply negatively to her every question. As long as he denied it, she would have disregarded everything she had heard Xu Jiamu say at the door and believed him unconditionally. As long as he denied it, even if all the news outlets reported that he bough up the Xu Enterprise, she could still act ignorant. However, as things turned out, he admitted to all three of her usations. He even looked calm, as though the things he¡¯d done were right. She knew that someone was working behind the scenes to sabotage the Xu Enterprise, but she had never imagined it would be Lu Jinnian. She didn¡¯t know a lot about him, only that he was an illegitimate son of the Xu family, but he had never lived with them. He grew up with his own mother, and Xu Wanli and Han Ruchu didn¡¯t seem to like him at all. Though he was a child of the Xu family, she didn¡¯t know why he couldn¡¯t take control of Xu Enterprise. He and Xu Jiamu were always close, and he managed his ownpany quite well, so how could he suddenly steal Xu Jiamu¡¯s assets without warning... She still clearly remembered the night she found out about Xu Enterprise being in trouble. She had even mentioned it to him. At the time, he was calm andposed, so much so that when she asked him to show Xu Jiamu he cared, and he didn¡¯t hesitate to said "All right". At that instant, Qiao Anhao felt like she couldn¡¯t read Lu Jinnian. She instinctively muttered her questions. "Why? Why did you do it?" The office remained quiet for a long time. Lu Jinnian observed Qiao Anhao¡¯s expression for a long time, and couldn¡¯t quite tell what she was thinking. Right now, he didn¡¯t have the evidence with him. He wasn¡¯t absolutely sure that if he exined it now, she would trust him, but he still opened his mouth, "Qiao Qiao..." When Lu Jinnian called Qiao Anhao¡¯s name, he took of the tone of herst words, the way she was questioning him. He slightly lowered his eyelids to mask the sorrow in his heart. Even though he already knew that she¡¯d have questions when she found out, but when the time came for her questions, it still hurt him. Lu Jinnian gulped. He forced himself to stop caring so much and continued to speak in a deep voice. "I only did this because our..." At the same time, Qiao Anhao had be agitated, and she said in a slightly trembling, somber voice, "Lu Jinnian, for you to do these kind of things... If it were brother Jiamu, he definitely wouldn¡¯t have treated you..." When someone faces a situation that¡¯s difficult to ept or believe, it¡¯s hard not to confuse themselves. In that moment, Qiao Anhao feltpletely defeated by Lu Jinnian¡¯s admittance. She had no idea that the words she unknowingly just said... how she heartlesslypared the two, was practically killing Lu Jinnian. Lu Jinnian¡¯s following words seemed topletely disappear from his mouth. His stare into Qiao Anhao¡¯s eyes became moreplicated. For Xu Jiamu to experience this, get angry and not believe him, that he could understand. For her to hear Xu Jiamu¡¯s words and not believe him, he could tolerate. All because he knew in his heart that he had to back down to be able to shatter the beautiful facade of Han Ruchu in their hearts. But for her topare him to Xu Jiamu and wholeheartedly believe that Xu Jiamu would never do such a thing, without even considering that that he might have had a good reason for everything he¡¯d done... So in her heart, all along, he was never as good as Xu Jiamu. After doing all of this, how could he take that? How could he take that! Chapter 546: Ive Loved You for Thirteen Years (17) Chapter 546: I¡¯ve Loved You for Thirteen Years (17) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem "Right, you¡¯re right..." Lu Jinnian suddenly curved his lips into a smile. He stared into Qiao Anhao¡¯s eyes with a glimmer of self-mocking. "However, what a shame... In the end, I¡¯m not Xu Jiamu." He thought back to that night when the Xu family was in trouble. He remembered how sheid in his arms and asked him to take care of Xu Jiamu. He thought back to how she appeared at his office doors, and saw him and Xu Jiamu at the same time but called his name first... Even if Xu Jiamu and her were divorced... Even if he himself treated her so well... In her heart, Xu Jiamu was still the most important! "You must¡¯ve always thought of how great it would be if I became Xu Jiamu, am I right?" Lu Jinnian could distinctly feel a fit of jealousy spreading through his body. He really wanted to control his temper, but his emotions were riled up with Qiao Anhao¡¯s singleparison. Without waiting for her to react, his tone instantly became cold and stern. "But, Qiao Anhao. Let me tell you... I¡¯ll never be Xu Jiamu! "Since you care about Xu Jiamu so much, go and look for him!" As Lu Jinnian said this, he got up from the sofa, and dragged Qiao Anhao by the arm towards the door. He pulled it open and ruthlessly threw her out. Qiao Anhao stumbled under Lu Jinnian¡¯s sheer force. When she found her bnce, the door behind her was already mmed shut. She stared at the tightly shut door, and realized what she¡¯d just said to make Lu Jinnian this angry. She didn¡¯t really want topare him to Xu Jiamu, but as she just suddenly found out Lu Jinnian acquiring Xu enterprises, she couldn¡¯t ept that at all. He and Xu Jiamu were clearly biological brothers, and had always got a long so well, how could he make a move like that? How could he disregard all sentiment like that? Qiao Anhao saw the wandering eyes of those in the administration department nearby. She slightly lowered her head, turned around, and walked over to the office. As she tried to push open the door, she realized that it was locked from the inside, so she knocked on the door. Qiao Anhao waited for half a minute, but there was no response. She raised her arm again, ready to knock, when suddenly, Lu Jinnian pulled the door open. "Lu Jinnian..." He bolted towards the elevator with big strides, brushing past her like she wasn¡¯t even there. Qiao Anhao tried her best to catch up. Subconsciously, she tried to exin to Lu Jinnian in a low voice, "It¡¯s not what you think, I didn¡¯tpare you with Brother Jiamu. I just..." For tonight¡¯s dinner date, she had deliberately worn ten centimeter heels, and so she simply couldn¡¯t catch up to Lu Jinnian. Before she could finish what she had to say, he stepped into the elevator. When she finally reached the doors, they had already shut, and the elevator slowly descended. Qiao Anhao frantically pressed the elevator button to chase him down. She stepped out from the elevator on the lower floor and saw Lu Jinnian get into his car. She called his name and rushed towards him, but because she ran so hastily, she buckled under the her tall, thin heels. Using the car beside her to regain her bnce, she heard the sound of Lu Jinnian¡¯s car engine start up. Completely ignoring the pain in her ankles, she hobbled over as it sped off. Qiao Anhao watched as Lu Jinnian¡¯s car drove out of the parking lot for quite some time, then turned around to the elevator. Just as she was about to press the floor number for the elevator, the phone in her pocket started to ring... Chapter 547: Ive Loved You for Thirteen Years(18) Chapter 547: I¡¯ve Loved You for Thirteen Years£¨18£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem When Lu Jinnian¡¯s assistant came back with his phone and voice recorder, he realized that the office was empty, and there were two porcin cups on the table. The milk tea and coffee had already gone cold, so he went to ask the secretary to find out what had happened. When he found out who hade over, realization started to dawn on him. He hurriedly returned to his own office to get Lu Jinnian¡¯s clothes before leaving. The assistant has been following Lu Jinnian for many years, he knew all about his habits that Qiao Anhao wasn¡¯t aware of. Whenever he was upset, he would run, so he drove straight to the gym that Lu Jinnian frequented. The gym instructor recognized him when he saw himing and immediately led him to the private room that Lu Jinnian was in. The instructor might have been able to tell that Lu Jinnian was in a bad state, for he left after leading the assistant to the room. He knocked on the door but there wasn¡¯t a sound. When he entered, he saw Lu Jinnian running on a track with his headphones on. The assistant didn¡¯t disrupt him. He ced the things that he had brought along at the side before sitting down silently. Lu Jinnian counted every step he took inwardly. When he reached ten thousand, he finally stopped. His entire body was soaked with sweat. His assistant stood up instantly to pass him a bottle of water. Lu Jinnian tossed his head back, sweat dripping down his hair, and downed almost the entire bottle. When he stopped, his assistant pulled out his phone and a voice recorder. "Mr. Lu, here¡¯s the things you wanted." Lu Jinnian tossed the bottle in the bin, then used a towel to dry the sweat before reaching over to take the things. "Mr. Lu, did you fight with Miss Qiao?" Lu Jinnian ignored his question, silently raising the voice recorder to his ear to listen to the contents. When he made sure that there wasn¡¯t a problem, he ced it beside his phone and entered the shower. As the hot water drizzled down his body, Lu Jinnian shut his eyes, reying the events that had happened in the afternoon. The scene in the afternoon was not what he had expected. In his worst scenario, he had expected Qiao Anhao to scold him furiously, and because of that, he had prepared the recording of him and Han Ruchu. But the mishap was in that he had gotten angry at her... He took over Xu Enterprise only because Han Ruchu had killed their baby and hurt her, but the moment she hadpared him to Xu Jiamu, he was infuriated. But as he ran, using up all his energy, venting all his emotions, he clearly understood that his anger probably arose because of Xu Jiamu¡¯s words. Jiamu was his brother after all, and he wasn¡¯t able to disregard the emotions his words brought out, even though he knew that he was speaking out of fury. He just couldn¡¯t help feeling... angry. And Qiao Anhao¡¯s words just made his anger erupt. After he showered, he wrapped a towel around his waist. His assistant carried his clothes to him. "Mr. Lu, here¡¯s the clothes you got me to order for tonight¡¯s dinner." Chapter 548: Ive Loved You for Thirteen Years(19) Chapter 548: I¡¯ve Loved You for Thirteen Years£¨19£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem After Lu Jinnian showered, he wrapped a towel around his waist. His assistant carried his clothes to him. "Mr. Lu, here¡¯s the clothes you got me to order for tonight¡¯s dinner." The assistant emphasized on "tonight" and "dinner", and just then, Lu Jinnian saw a faint glimmer of dilemma in his eyes. His assistant had reminded him beforehand that Qiao Anhao would be unhappy if she found out about the takeover, and at that time, he had reassured him... Look what happened... He just left in frustration... Lu Jinnian moved his lips, and before he took the clothes, he reached for the phone on the chair. After finding Qiao Anhao¡¯s number, he was about to call her, but after a short while, he decided to text her instead. [I¡¯m sorry.] I¡¯m sorry for getting mad. I¡¯m sorry for being impatient. Just like that, his dampened spirits seemed to have lifted, his logic returning. All these years, he had always been calm and collected, but whenever Qiao Anhao was involved, he would be emotional and sensitive. He tightened his grip on the phone, and after a long moment, he sent another message.[Qiao Qiao, lets have a good talk during dinner tonight.] Lu Jinnian nced at the phone screen. When it indicated that the text was sessfully sent over, he ced it back down and stood up. Just before he entered the changing room, he suddenly remembered that he hadn¡¯t sent her the address, so he reached for the phone again to send onest text. [Li Jing Xuan, I¡¯ll be waiting.] After sending that six words, he exhaled, his dampened spirits brightening a little, and entered the changing room. - Qiao Anhao received a call from Qiao Anxia when she was in the elevator. Her sister told her that Han Ruchu was left bed-ridden from the shock. Even though Qiao Anhao didn¡¯t have any blood rtions with the Xu family, they had always been close to the Qiao family, and all these years, Han Ruchu had always treated her well. Now that she was ill, it was only fair for Qiao Anhao to visit. When she finally reached the Xu family mansion, she started to feel anxious, the guilt she felt when she stood outside Lu Jinnian¡¯s office arising. Even though Lu Jinnian was the culprit, because of her ambiguous rtionship with him, she already considered herself to be his... Now that he had done such a thing, she felt as though it was partially her fault. Qiao Anhao stood outside the Xu family house for a long while before taking a deep breath and pressing the doorbell. One of the maids came to open the door. She seemed to have expected her as she came with a pair of slippers. Pointing upstairs, she said, "Mrs. Han is upstairs." Qiao Anhao nodded her head, carrying the bag of tonic she had bought upstairs. The bedroom door was half open. When she entered, she saw the Xu family housekeeper inside with a tray filled with tonics. Someone must have visited before her. Han Ruchuy on the bed with her face pale. The trauma must have been too much for her, for she seemed to have aged in just one day. Xu Jiamu sat beside her, massaging her temples. Chapter 549: Ive Loved You for Thirteen Years (20) Chapter 549: I¡¯ve Loved You for Thirteen Years (20) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem The Xu family¡¯s housekeeper was the first to see Qiao Anhao enter. "Miss Qiao, you¡¯re here?" Qiao Anhao managed a smile and gently nodded. She ced some nutritional products that she had bought on the way over by the housekeeper¡¯s well-organized array of them. Han Ruchu pushed Xu Jiamu¡¯s hand away from her forehead, as he was massaging it for her. She sat up and patted the seat by her bedside and said, "Come sit." "Aunt Xu, Brother Jiamu." Qiao Anhao obediently walked over, greeted them, and sat down. Han Ruchu looked over at the nutritional products Qiao Anhao had bought for her, and said in a weak but extremely charitable voice, "Qiao Qiao, if you¡¯reing over, juste. Why did you bring gifts?" Xu Jiamu attentively grabbed a pillow and put it behind Han Ruchu. "Isn¡¯t it all because Qiao Qiao cares about you..." The housekeeper, who was organizing the products, then added, "Madam watched Miss Qiao grow up, and has always loved Miss Qiao. Ever since her parents passed away, Madam has treated her as her own daughter, so of course Miss Qiao has Madam in her heart and cares about her." After Qiao Anhao heard the housekeeper¡¯s words, her heart grew heavy with guilt. She lowered her eyes and forced out a hint of a smile. Then she thoughtfully asked, "Aunt Xu, how¡¯s your condition?" Han Ruchu wore a smile. Perhaps it was because she was ill, her usual swift and strict demeanor was faint. She spoke in a warm voice. "It¡¯s nothing serious. At the time, I was a little agitated, and for some reason, I fainted." The housekeeper bitterly said, "What do you mean ¡¯nothing serious¡¯? Anger kills the heart. Thank goodness Madam is blessed, otherwise you¡¯d have died from the rage..." "Don¡¯t talk nonsense in front of the children!" Han Ruchu suddenly sharply cut the housekeeper¡¯s words short. Perhaps it was because she was agitated, she suddenly started to cough. "Mom!" "Aunt Xu!" At the same time, Qiao Anhao and Xu Jiamu reached out with their hands to pat Han Ruchu on the back. She covered her chest with her hand, which soothed her breathing for a moment. With her gentle tone of voice, she said, "I¡¯m fine. When you get older, it¡¯s inevitable that you¡¯ll get sick. Today was just a coincidence." The housekeeper said with a pained heart, "Madam, at a time like this, what is there for you to hide? That bastard called to clearly piss you off. He has his eye on the young master¡¯s inheritance. That ungrateful dog... Our young master should never have saved that bastard¡¯s life!" Qiao Anhao tightly creased her brows at the housekeeper¡¯s use of the word ¡¯bastard¡¯, and asked a little astonished, "Save what life?" "Miss Qiao, you probably didn¡¯t know, but the year that little bastard turned three, he fell ill with leukemia. It was our young master who donated his bone marrow to save him. If it weren¡¯t for our young master, he¡¯d be dead! At the time, they agreed that he would never inherit the Xu family¡¯s wealth and assets. Nor could he show respect to his ancestors, or step foot into the Xu family house. In the end, now that bastard actually stole it all!" The year Lu Jinnian turned three, he had leukemia? It was Xu Jiamu who donated his bone marrow to save his life? No wonder, after so many years, Lu Jinnian never came back to the Xu family. When Qiao Anhao was in school, she racked her brains over why Lu Jinnian looked like he was quite poor when the Xu family business was so big. Though she was close with Xu Jiamu, she had never asked him about private family matters, and so she had had no idea. Chapter 550: Ive Loved You for Thirteen Years (21) Chapter 550: I¡¯ve Loved You for Thirteen Years (21) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Qiao Anhao had never known Lu Jinnian had such a past. Her heart started to tremble slightly with an unspeakable pain. The housekeeper seemed enraged, for she was stillshing out at Lu Jinnian over and over again. "It¡¯s true how cheap whores give birth to cheap..." Even though those scornful words were directed at Lu Jinnian, Qiao Anhao¡¯s heart felt incredibly downcast. A bone-piercing pain had emerged within her, as though countless needles had stabbed into her heart. Qiao Anhao suddenly stood up, not wanting to hear them talk about Lu Jinnian any longer. She made an excuse to go to the bathroom, but as she walked out of the bedroom and was about to shut the door, she heard the housekeeper say resentfully behind her, "The young master has wasted all these years treating the bastard so well..." Qiao Anhao went to the bathroom downstairs. Just before she entered, she coincidentally overheard one of the female servants on the phone with her husband. It sounded like they promised to go out tonight for Chinese Valentines day. The man was preparing for dinner, so he asked her what she wanted to eat. The woman, with the phone in her hand, listed dishes she wanted to eat in a delicate, soft voice. It was hard to say what got into Qiao Anhao, but she especially took notice of that servant. She realized that the woman had two pigtails, had make-up on, and her face seemed to be brimming with happiness, like she had everything in the world. Qiao Anhao walked into the restroom. When she finished in the toilet and washed her hands in the sink, she looked at herself in the mirror. Her hair and make-up were intricately well prepared, entuating her perfect facial features. She remembered, the only reason why she was so well dressed tonight was because she had a dinner with Lu Jinnian to celebrate Chinese Valentines day. She also remembered how the hairdresser had clearly told her she looked perfect, but she still nitpicked at everything to be even more perfect. So much so that before she left home, she flipped through all the clothes in her wardrobe and tried them each on. She did this all so that she could look her best for him on such a special day. At the time, she felt all sorts ofplicated emotions; unease, excitement, anticipation, anxiousness mixed with a hint of sweetness... Qiao Anhao¡¯s mind wandered as she washed her hands. When she went back upstairs, before she pushed open the door, she could hear Han Ruchu¡¯s voice from within the bedroom. "From the very beginning, I told you not to get close to him, but you had to go and get closer. Now, look. You have nothing. "The only reason he acted like a real brother to you was to hit you when you were down. He has always waited for the day tough at you... This was definitely something his whore mother taught him. That bitch couldn¡¯t steal what was mine, and so she taught her son to steal my son¡¯s things..." "Enough!" Xu Jiamu, who had remained quiet until now, suddenly violently erupted. "Are the two of you done talking? Lu Jinnian¡¯s mother passed away almost twenty years ago. How could she suddenly jump out of nowhere and teach him these things? What¡¯s more, he¡¯s never gone that far, has he? I still work there at Xu Enterprise!" With Xu Jiamu¡¯s words, the bedroom door suddenly flung open. Qiao Anhao felt a gust of wind towards her, then saw Xu Jiamu walking towards her with a dark look on his face. "Brother Jiamu..." Xu Jiamu continued to stride without a waver in his step down the stairs and out, without any response. Qiao Anhao called his name again and instinctively wanted to follow him. He stopped in his tracks then and leaned on the railings, turning his head toward her to say bleakly, "Qiao Qiao, I¡¯m feeling on edge right now. I want to go out for a smoke on my own for a little while." Chapter 551: Ive Loved You for Thirteen Years (22) Chapter 551: I¡¯ve Loved You for Thirteen Years (22) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Regarding Lu Jinnian, Xu Jiamu had some conflicting feelings about him. To some extent, men are impulsive and have their guards up. When he found out Xu Enterprise was acquired, he went over to ask him why he¡¯d done it. However, when he reached Huan Ying Entertainment¡¯s lobby, he received a call and found out Lu Jinnian was the one behind his mother¡¯s failed investment and the fall of Xu Enterprise¡¯s stocks. On top of all this, his mother fainted out of anger. At the time, his blood boiled and he spoke incoherently out of rage. But even so and even if his and Lu Jinnian¡¯s brotherly rtionship had ended, he still felt angry when his mother and the housekeeper went back and forth saying such horrible things about him. Xu Jiamu¡¯s heart suddenly was ovee with sadness. Though Lu Jinnian treated him this way, he still hated to part with his half-brother... Xu Jiamu raised his hand and rubbed his face, then gulped. With hints of powerlessness, he said, "Qiao Qiao, go in and apany my mom. What I just said was harsh, she¡¯s definitely hurt right now." Qiao Anhao gently nodded her head. Xu Jiamu tookrge strides down the stairs and out of the house. He walked over to the tree in the courtyard and leaned against it, then lit a cigarette. With clouds of smoke surrounding him, he thought back to when he was young and mischievous. Under this same tree, he had let off fireworks which just about missed his eyes. It was his ever silent brother, who was as pretty as a girl, who suddenly reached his arm out to grab the firework stick. At the time, Xu Jiamu was the Xu family¡¯s little king. With a single cry, everyone surrounded him. Even after so many years had passed, he still remembered how everyone escorted him back into the house. When he turned his head, the image he saw was branded into his mind - Lu Jinnian stood all alone under the tree with his usual apathetic look. Perhaps because of the pain, the hand he had just used to hold the firework kept shivering uncontrobly. At that thought, the corner of Xu Jiamu¡¯s eyes started to water, and then he took the hardest drag of his cigarette. - Back in the bedroom, the housekeeper was consoling Han Ruchu. Qiao Anhao, who sat by her bedside, added a few words in a gentle and quiet voice, but every now and then, her mind would wander towards Lu Jinnian. He got leukemia at three years old, and Xu Jiamu saved him... Xu Jiamu saved his life. Why would he treat the person who saved him like this? Furthermore, if he really wanted to go after the Xu family, why would he let Xu Jiamu stay in thepany? Honestly speaking, when she asked him those three questions about what happened, he very openly admitted it. It was far more hard-hitting than hearing about it from the news, as it gave her no room to think it through or respond. Now that Qiao Anhao had calmed down, and thought about what the housekeeper and Xu Jiamu had said, a slither of doubt took form within her and she felt more and more as though something wasn¡¯t quite right. In the afternoon, because one of the two people was someone who she grew up with, and the other was the man she was in love with for some many years, she subconsciously refused to face the scene. Because of this, her emotions were uncontroble. She was so emotional, she didn¡¯t pay close attention to what she was saying. Nor did she pay attention to what he said at the time... Now that she thought about it, when she said "Xu Jiamu would never do something like that", what did he say to her? Was he trying to exin it to her? Chapter 552: Ive Loved You for Thirteen Years (23) Chapter 552: I¡¯ve Loved You for Thirteen Years (23) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem At that thought, Qiao Anhao couldn¡¯t help but pull her phone out. Seeing that she received no iing calls or messages, her heart couldn¡¯t help but grow dejected. She really did unintentionally make a mistake, but he was so angry. She chased him all the way to the parking lot, but he wouldn¡¯t listen to her exnation. Even until now, he hadn¡¯t contacted her... was he still mad? After thirteen years of being in love with him, it was so difficult to spend a Valentines day together. With one fit of anger, was tonight¡¯s dinner ns thrown out the window? At that though, Qiao Anhao suddenly became panic-stricken. He may have been really angry in the afternoon, but she was the one who said the wrong thing. What if she was the first to apologize and clear the air... She would wait till dinner before she would calmly ask him why he did it. If it was really for revenge, she could try to persuade him to apologize to Xu Jiamu, then reconcile his rtionship with his brother... Otherwise, that¡¯d really be a shame, and just like that, the dinner she had hoped for would no longer going to happen. Qiao Anhao thought about it and instinctively turned her phone on. She found Lu Jinnian¡¯s number and wrote a message. She firstly typed [Hey], then felt like it wasn¡¯t sincere enough. She was afraid Lu Jinnian would ignore her message, so she deleted it. With a tilt of the head, she thought about it seriously andpletely forgot about Han Ruchu beside her. For about a good minute, Qiao Anhao collected her words together. When she lowered her head, she started to tap away at her phone. [I was too emotional this afternoon. I¡¯m sorry, you said you¡¯d meet up for dinner tonight. Can we talk about it then? I¡¯m going home to wait for you...] "Qiao Qiao." Before she could type "All right?", Han Ruchu suddenly called her name. Qiao Anhao replied absentmindedly. She tapped her phone screen twice, then came back to her senses when the housekeeper patted her on the arm. She looked over at Han Ruchu. "Aunt Xu, what¡¯s wrong?" "It¡¯s nothing. I¡¯m just thirsty. Could you please pour me a cup of water?" Han Ruchu smiled with a warm expression on her face. "But if you¡¯re busy, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll call Auntie Yun to get it." "No, I¡¯ll get it." Qiao Anhao hurriedly locked her phone and shoved it back into her pocket. She grabbed the ss cup and quickly walked down the stairs. She poured a cup of warm water. On her way back up to the room, her mind wandered to the iplete message she hadn¡¯t sent and if there were any problems with it. There was a turning on the stairs at the Xu family house, which was blocked by a wall. As Qiao Anhao carried the cup of water up the stairs, she didn¡¯t hold onto the railing. At the turn around that corner, the housekeeper suddenly popped out from behind the wall withrge and small bags, squarely crashing into Qiao Anhao. It all happened very suddenly. As Qiao Anhao held onto her cup, her mind preupied, she didn¡¯t notice that there was someone around the wall. The housekeeper bumped into her quite forcefully, and at an rming speed. As her foot was ready to take a step up, the push made her miss that step. Without any warning whatsoever, she rolled down the stairs. Qiao Anhao shrieked in fear. She heard the faint voice of housekeeper crying "Miss Qiao!", as her head hit the floorboards. The phone in her pocket fell out and dropped by her hands. Qiao Anhao didn¡¯t feel the pain. Her face was stuck to the floorboards , but she just felt a little light-headed and had fresh, sticky blood oozing out Chapter 553: Ive Loved You for Thirteen Years (24) Chapter 553: I¡¯ve Loved You for Thirteen Years (24) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Qiao Anhao was still fully conscious and felt the strength in her body slowly depleting. She grew weaker and weaker, whilst panic loomed over her heart. The only thought in her mind was to send her iplete message to Lu Jinnian. She thought that this might be thest time she could speak to him. Qiao Anhao tried her best to lift her hand. She wanted to grab her phone, but the moment she moved her fingers, she was struck by a bone-piercing pain which caused every part of her body to mor. She endured the pain and used all her strength to finally reach her phone. However, she didn¡¯t even have the strength to lift the phone from the ground. In the end, she dragged it towards her. Just then, it lit up, yet everything before Qiao Anhao¡¯s eyes faded to darkness and shepletely lost consciousness. After that, her phone rang with three consecutive messages - ding dong, ding dong, ding dong. The screen lit up with three messages from Lu Jinnian. [Sorry.] [Qiao Qiao, lets have a good talk during dinner tonight.] [Li Jing Xuan, I¡¯ll be waiting.] - There were two servants in the kitchen cooking when there was a shriek from outside. They hurriedly ran over and saw the housekeeper holding her ankle as she sat on the stairs. She gave a heart-wrenching scream, "Miss Qiao", and they took notice of Qiao Anhao with a phone in her hand lying in a pool of blood in front of the stairs. The white floor was covered in \bright red. The entire scene looked horrific. The two servants stood there nked out for a good three minutes, until one of them snapped back to reality and stumbled out of the house in a hurry. They ran towards Xu Jiamu and cried hysterically, "Young master, young master! Miss Qiao fell down the stairs..." Xu Jiamu¡¯s fingers fiercely trembled for a moment, then he chucked his half-smoked cigarette to the ground. He rushed towards the servant who called for him. The servant stood blocking the door, so he shoved him away and found Qiao Anhao covered in red. Xu Jiamu¡¯s face instantly paled, and he roared like crazy at the servants who stood dumbfounded. "Ambnce! Hurry! Call an ambnce!" Then he practically lunged himself in front of Qiao Anhao. With his trembling fingers, he lifted her up from the ground and thoughtlessly rushed out the door. - Han Ruchu nced at the housekeeper, who immediately knew to raise her hand and push herself up from the ground then limp up the stairs. Seeing the housekeeper limp up, Han Ruchu furrowed her brows. When the woman entered the bedroom, she asked, "I never told you to do it like that. You could pretend to be injured, how did you actually go and get yourself injured?" "When I bumped into Miss Qiao, I used a little too much force and identally sprained my ankle." Han Ruchu nodded. Then, as she was about to open her mouth to speak, a knocking sound suddenly came from the door. "Madam." Han Ruchu sat on the bed, pretending to feel unwell and said, "Come in." The servant handed Han Ruchu a phone, and said in a quiet voice, "It seems like it could be Miss Qiao¡¯s phone." Seeing that the phone was covered in blood, a hint of disgust crossed Han Ruchu¡¯s brows. She pointed at the coffee table, so as to signal for the servant to ce it there, then said, "Auntie Yun was in a hurry as she went down the stairs and identally bumped into Qiao Qiao. She also sprained her ankle, help her home to get some rest." Chapter 554: Ive Loved You for Thirteen Years (25) Chapter 554: I¡¯ve Loved You for Thirteen Years (25) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Han Ruchu waited for the housekeeper and the servant to leave the bedroom before she stopped pretending to look exhausted. She lifted her chin and stared out the window with eyes full of ruthlessness and ridicule. If she hadn¡¯t seen the message on Qiao Anhao¡¯s phone whilst she was just chatting to her, she never would have pictured that this girl and Lu Jinnian would ever really have dinner together tonight. Or that they would pretend to be husband and wife. Tonight was Chinese Valentines day... so they were a couple? Since Lu Jinnian retaliated so mercilessly over his child, how could she just leave it at that? How could a bastard, who was never meant to exist in this world, ever live a peaceful life? He didn¡¯t let her be happy, nor did he let her son be happy, so he could forget about being happy himself as well! Didn¡¯t he like Qiao Anhao? All right... Then let him experience how it feels to be stood up by the woman he loves on Valentines day... At that thought, the corner of Han Ruchu¡¯s lips curved into a chilling smile, and her eyes flickered with the intention to vent her anger. She grabbed her home phone, dialed a number, and pretended to be in a state of panic as she spoke into the phone, "Anxia? It¡¯s me, your Aunt Xu... Qiao Qiao¡¯s been in an ident. When she came up the stairs just now, she bumped into Auntie Yun and fell down the stairs... Jiamu already took her to the hospital... mm... I¡¯m really worried too. It looked really bad... I¡¯m so sorry, for an ident like that to happen here..." - The assistant had bought Armani¡¯s newest suit in sky blue. Lu Jinnian was quite pale. With his suit on, he looked tall and handsome, like a prince leaving the castle. It was only half to six. There was still an hour before Lu Jinnian and Qiao Anhao were due to meet, but his car had already stopped at the entrance of Lijing Pavilion. To ensure that his confession was romantic and quiet, Lu Jinnian spent a lot of money to book the top floor. When the elevator reached it, the usually bustling Lijing Pavilion was particrly quiet. The manager escorted Lu Jinnian towards the private room he had prepared for him in advance. As he pushed open the wooden door, he walked around the room and pulled open the curtains to reveal the shimmering night view through the floor-to-ceiling windows. The weather on this year¡¯s Chinese Valentines day was exceptionally good. The stars glistened in the skies, as the moon glowed brightly and the lights from the forbidden city burned splendidly nearby. With the swaying candle lights from the terrace, the scene all around radiated beauty. The aroma from the fresh flowers sent this morning filled the air. The manager escorted Lu Jinnian in, then retreated. As Lu Jinnian walked up to the terrace, he obeyedmon etiquette of the man being on the left and the woman on the right. He sat in the seat on the left, between therge European marble table, the delicate Chinese bellflowers, and the swaying candlelight. He stared at the empty seat in front of him, and his heart started to pound. He raised his wrist and nced at the time. It was already six forty three. There were forty seven minutes until Qiao Anhao was due to arrive. Lu Jinnian shut his eyes and looked calm in his seat as he prepared his lines. He mulled over them once more, his hands intertwined in hisp. Because of the sheer force of his grip, his bulging knuckles revealed the nervousness he felt inside. Seeing how nervous Lu Jinnian was, the assistant, who stood on the side side, wanted to help release some pressure and said, "Mr. Lu, the setting you nned is incredibly romantic." Chapter 555: Ive Loved You for Thirteen Years (26) Chapter 555: I¡¯ve Loved You for Thirteen Years (26) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Lu Jinnian ignored the assistant¡¯s words. The assistant then added, "Mr. Lu, in all the time I¡¯ve known you, I never knew you had such a romantic side!" Finally, Lu Jinnian lifted his head and admired the scene around him. Perhaps to relieve his nerves, he took a deep breath, and replied in a dull tone, "I¡¯m only romantic for Qiao Qiao." "Mr. Lu, have you thought about what you¡¯re going to do when Miss Qiao arrives?" "I want to first apologize for this afternoon, then let her listen to the recording pen..." As he said that, Lu Jinnian pulled out the recording pen from his pocket and put it within reach on the table. While going through the process, he actually became less nervous, and his tone of voice sounded a lot smoother and moreposed, "After Qiao Qiao listens to the contents of the recording pen, she¡¯ll probably be really hurt, as she probably never imagined that the elder she had respected for so many years would trat her in such a way. So I¡¯llfort her for a while. "Then, I¡¯ll call the manager to serve the food. Qiao Qiao and I will have drinks to celebrate Valentines day..." When he said that, Lu Jinnian secretly envisioned the entire scene ying out. Once she finished saying her wishes, the multicolored lights that he prepared all around them would light up the words he wanted to tell her. After she read all his messages, he¡¯ll earnestly stare into her eyes and convey how he felt about her. If she epted, he¡¯d love her right. If she declined, he¡¯d still love her right, until she was moved by his sentiment and epted him. At that thought, the corner of Lu Jinnian¡¯s lips curved into a gentle smile, which made his handsomeplexion grow seemingly softer. The assistant by his side fantasized, saying, "After Miss Qiao epts Mr. Lu¡¯s confession, you¡¯ll have to find a good date to propose to her. After the marriage, you could both have a beautiful baby..." Though Lu Jinnian knew that he hadn¡¯t even started his confession, when filled with the thought of something so far, his mind couldn¡¯t help but imagine what was just mentioned. With just that one thought, the picture had already made him brim over with happiness. After a long while had passed, Lu Jinnian lifted his wrist and nced over at the time. It was already seven twenty five. He cleared his throat and said, "There¡¯s five minutes until Qiao Qiao arrives." As his final syble dropped, a hint of anticipation surfaced in his heart. Even the assistant standing on the side randomly grew anxious. Time passed so slowly. It was just five minutes, but Lu Jinnian felt like it was as long as a century. Finally, the hand reached the half way point, but Qiao Anhao still hadn¡¯t appeared. It was just about the time they said they¡¯d meet, so perhaps she was a littlete. Lu Jinnian waited in his seat understandingly. Tick tock. Tick tock. Time went by. At seven forty, Lu Jinnian told himself, Qiao Anhao was stuck in traffic. At seven fifty, he told himself, she was stuck in traffic. At eight, the assistant told him that Miss Qiao was probably stuck in traffic, as it was Chinese Valentines day after all. There were a lot of people out and about. The night view grew darker, the stars became clearer, and the lights of the forbidden city turned brighter, while the mes from the burning candles on the table danced higher. Chapter 556: Ive Loved You for Thirteen Years (27) Chapter 556: I¡¯ve Loved You for Thirteen Years (27) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem The night view grew darker, the stars became clearer, and the lights of the forbidden city turned brighter, while the mes from the burning candles on the table danced higher. Time was evesting while waiting, and Lu Jinnian started to throb with anxiety. Eventually, they gradually subsided to nothing, and those feelings were reced with restlessness and worry. Lu Jinnian sat under the romantically decorated scene with a notably majestic air about him. However, the expression on his face started to grow tense. A hint of impatience emerged in the assistant¡¯s heart, as he incessantly raised his wrist to check the time. At twenty past eight, he finally couldn¡¯t help himself but break the tension in the air. "Mr. Lu, do you want to call Miss Qiao? Perhaps something has happened to keep her back." Lu Jinnian gave a gentle nod, then pulled out his phone and called Qiao Anhao. The sound doot-doot-doot rang in his ear over and over again, until the voice of the customer servicedy said, "I¡¯m sorry, the person you are trying to reach is currently unavable." "What¡¯s wrong? Miss Qiao didn¡¯t pick up?" Following his question, the assistant nced over at Lu Jinnian, whose eyes had be colder, and so he hurriedly changed his tone. "Perhaps Miss Qiao didn¡¯t hear it." Lu Jinnian forcefully pursed his lips, trying to call Qiao Anhao again. He didn¡¯t know how many times he repeated this, but with every call, it would always end with the customer servicedy¡¯s automated response. The atmosphere on the terrace grew increasingly more tense. Under the shimmering multicolored lights, the assistant noticed that Lu Jinnian wore no expression on his face whatsoever. There wasn¡¯t even the slightest hint of fear in his heart. The assistant, who stood to one side, didn¡¯t dare take a deep breath, as he saw Lu Jinnian ceaselessly try to call her. At nine o¡¯clock, a sudden knock was heard from the doors of Lijing Pavilion. Only then did the assistant secretly let out a sigh of relief. With hints of surprise, he first said to Lu Jinnian, "Miss Qiao has arrived". He followed with a response to the knock, "Come in." As the doors opened, Lu Jinnian abruptly stood up from his seat and stared directly towards the door. But when he saw that it was just the Lijing Pavilion¡¯s manager who had entered, his hand subconsciously grabbed the back of the chair. "Mr. Lu, it¡¯s already nine o¡¯clock. Excuse me sir, but shall we start preparing the dinner you ordered?" the manager asked politely. Lu Jinnian lowered his eyelids and turned his head, staring silently off towards the glistening lights of the forbidden city. The assistant was afraid that the manager would set off Lu Jinnian by asking about the dinner, and so he hastily waved at him. The manager seemingly felt that the energy was off, and so bowed and left the room. After the manager shut the doors, the assistant distinctly felt that the atmosphere on the terrace had grown more stifling. So much so that he didn¡¯t dare take a second nce at Lu Jinnian, who stood before therge dining table under the shimmering romantic backdrop. Lu Jinnian stared at the lights nearby with an indescribable feeling. Ever since the moment he fell in love with Qiao Anhao, he had waited for the day he could be worthy of her. Later, when he finally managed it, he found out that she was engaged to Xu Jiamu, so he continued to wait. When he saw them split up, he allowed himself to love her. He had waited for so many years that waiting had be a habit he no longer found painful. However, waiting tonight made him feel a pain he had never felt before. Chapter 557: Ive Loved You for Thirteen Years (28) Chapter 557: I¡¯ve Loved You for Thirteen Years (28) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem It was almost half past nine. Two hours had passed since the time they had agreed to meet. Did this mean that she wasn¡¯ting? Ah, thirteen years... Lu Jinnian had waited thirteen years for this day to finallye. He really didn¡¯t want to miss his chance before he died. He wasn¡¯t willing for them toe to such an end. He pulled his eyes away from the shining lights from afar and picked up the phone from the table and called Qiao Anhao again. This time, the phone rang three times before it was picked up. A hint of surprise shed across his eyes. Just as he cried a single word "Qiao", the phone was hung up and the doot-doot-doot of the busy tone rang from the phone. After Lu Jinnian tried to call again, he received no answer as before. Why did she hang up the phone after picking it up just now? Was she still mad at him for acquiring Xu Enterprise? Was she still mad at him for how he had acted out in anger and left her in the afternoon? But she picked the phone up, which meant she could check her phone... As though he suddenly saw a glimmer of hope, he hurriedly released his phone from his ear and sent her a message. [Qiao Qiao, I was in a bad mood this afternoon. I shouldn¡¯t have thrown you aside and walked off. I¡¯m sorry.] As he sent that message, Lu Jinnian saw the words "Message sent" appear on his screen and knew that Qiao Anhao had already read it. So then, he quickly sent another. [Qiao Qiao, I know you can see my messages. I¡¯m still waiting for you at Lijing Pavilion. Come and we¡¯ll talk, okay?] In the end, he never received a reply to the messages he sent. Lu Jinnian held his phone and waited for a while before trying to call Qiao Anhao again. Still no one answered, so he sent another message. [Qiao Qiao, I¡¯ll wait here until youe.] After waiting for an extensive amount of time, Lu Jinnian sent another message. [If you don¡¯te, I¡¯ll still be waiting.] With this message sent, Lu Jinnian raised his phone and rubbed it against his face. Then he straightened himself up and stood in front of the fence of the terrace, staring at the lights far away. He didn¡¯t know just how long he stood there for, but after some time, the phone in his palms vibrated for a moment. With hints of excitement, he brought the phone in front of him to find that it was just 10086 sending him the weather report. Somewhat disappointed, Lu Jinnian let his arm hang loose. At eleven o¡¯clock, the manager of Lijing Pavilion came over to tell Lu Jinnian that it was time to turn off the lights. The assistant nced over at Lu Jinnian, who stood stubbornly in front of the terrace fence without moving an inch. He made a hand gesture at the manager and walked out of the room with him. Outside, he gave the manager a figure, and requested for them to wait with them a little longer. Perhaps it was because tonight was Chinese Valentines day, but Beijing was still quite lively even at eleven o¡¯clock. Although they were on the top floor of Lijing Pavilion, they could still hear the faint sounds of people standing on the Sky Bridge and singing. "Do you know that I¡¯m waiting for you? If you really care about me, "How could you leave me to spend these never-ending nights alone..." Waiting is the most torturous and draining thing to one¡¯s patience. After the sound of the clock striking twelve at night, the initially bustling city of Beijing instantly fell silent. The stillness allowed Lu Jinnian to hear the crisp sound of his heart beating in panic, unease, and fear. He was really afraid to lose her just like that... Chapter 558: Ive Loved You for Thirteen Years(29) Chapter 558: I¡¯ve Loved You for Thirteen Years£¨29£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem If it was in the past and Qiao Anhao was a far away dream, Lu Jinnian might not be as anxious as he was feeling, but now that she was in reach and there was hope, the sudden despair... was too much. Lu Jinnian had no idea how to ept that reality. In the end, she still forsook him for Xu Jiamu and the Xu family? That¡¯s right, he knew that since young, they were far more important to her than him, and now that they were in trouble, she would choose to stand by them without hesitation. She wasn¡¯t even willing to hear his exnation... Even if she didn¡¯t trust him, he still kept convincing himself not to give up. His entire life, from his humble beginnings to now, he had never requested anything from anyone, but at this moment, the fear of losing her allowed him to throw his pride and arrogance. He started to beg. [Qiao Qiao, I beg you, can youe?] After sending the text, he seemingly quietened, returning back to his seat and cing both hands on the table as he waited silently. As the night fell, the streetmps started to brighten and flicker, but just like a statue, Lu Jinnian sat motionlessly. His assistant never once interrupted him, allowing him to sit silently by himself. When it was 2 am, the originally clear skies suddenly started to darken more, and gradually, big fat droplets started falling down. The assistant cleared his throat. "Mr. Lu, it¡¯s raining, why don¡¯t you wait inside." Lu Jinnian ignored him, sitting with his back straight, not leaving the seat at all. Often, thete Beijing rain was brief and abrupt, but two minutes after the assistant had spoken, the amount of dark clouds started to increase and the rain got increasingly heavier. The assistant hurriedly ran forward, trying to forcefully pull Lu Jinnian into the shelter. Lu Jinnian reached out to yank his assistant away before replying forcefully, "I said that I would wait here. I¡¯m not leaving, I will wait for her here." The rain grew so heavy that their vision was blurred, and the both of them became drenched instantly. Regardless of how hard the assistant tried, Lu Jinnian remained firm, and in the end, the assistant couldn¡¯t hold back anymore. "Mr. Lu, it¡¯s already 2 am, Miss Qiao might note!" Lu Jinnian clenched his lips together as sorrow clouded his eyes. Stubbornly, he clenched his teeth and forced out, "I will wait for her here." Giving up, the assistant sighed and ran indoors to get an umbre to shelter Lu Jinnian. After an hour of pouring, they were both drenched, even with the umbre. Lu Jinnian remained on the balcony all this while. Gradually, the skies began to brighten. When the sun was finally up in the skies, the quiet city was bustling once again, the forbidden pce was crowded with tourists, Lu Jinnian¡¯s drenched clothes were already dry, and he continued to sit in his ce without a moving. Only at 10.30 am did the silent Lu Jinnian finally stand up. Chapter 559: Ive Loved You for Thirteen Years(30) Chapter 559: I¡¯ve Loved You for Thirteen Years£¨30£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem After apanying Lu Jinnian for the entire night, the assistant started to doze off while standing against the wall. When he saw Lu Jinnian suddenly leave the balcony, he woke up instantly. "Mr. Lu, where are you going?" Lu Jinnian ignored him, takingrge strides towards the door to the staircase. The assistant followed closely behind, asking once more, "Mr. Lu, what are you going to do?" Lu Jinnian had waited sixteen hours for her, but she didn¡¯t turn up, so now, he was going to find her. If she wasn¡¯t willing to forgive him, that was the end and they would be strangers again, but he wanted to fight one more time. If the oue was disastrous, he would ept it. His assistant hesitated slightly before asking, "But, Mr. Lu, do you know where Miss Qiao is right now?" Lu Jinnian moved his lips but nothing came out. When the elevator reached the first floor, he walked out swiftly. One he was out of Lijing Pavilion, Lu Jinnian walked to his car. His assistant reached for the back seat¡¯s door out of habit, but Lu Jinnian said faintly, "I¡¯ll drive." Turning to the other side, he pulled open the car door to sit in the drivers seat. The moment his assistant sat down, he mmed onto the elerator, flying forward. Lu Jinnian sped the entire ride, but just as his assistant had said, he had no idea where she was. Beijing was a big city filled with people, so how was he supposed to find her... But even if he couldn¡¯t find her, he was still bent on doing so. He first went back to Ming Zhu Garden then Huan Ying Entertainment, but Qiao Anhao was nowhere in sight. He then drove to the mall that she frequented, the coffee shop, the supermarket, the restaurant... Ever since yesterday, Lu Jinnian hadn¡¯t eaten or slept, but he couldn¡¯t seem to feel his exhaustion as he went around Beijing, trying to finding her. In the end, he went to Zhao Meng¡¯s house before going to a few other of Qiao Anhao¡¯s friends houses. In an urgent and pleading tone, he had continuously nagged at them, to please inform him if they learned of where she was. After making them save his name, he had even given them his namecard. In the end, he headed to Qiao Enterprise helplessly. - Qiao Anhao was in a critical condition after hitting her head. The Qiao parents, Qiao Anxia, and Xu Jiamu didn¡¯t sleep the entire night, waiting anxiously outside the operating room. Only at 1 pm in the afternoon did her condition finally stabilize, but she was still in aa. Qiao Anxia had a meeting at 3 pm, but since she didn¡¯t sleep the entire night, her skin looked pale and sickly and she piled on a thickyer of makeup. Grabbing her documents, she was about to enter the meeting room when her office phone suddenly rang. It was a call from the front desk. "Miss Qiao, there¡¯s a Mr Lu here that wants to see you." Mr. Lu? Qiao Anxia didn¡¯t know many people with the "Lu" surname, the only one seemed to be Lu Jinnian. But then moment she thought of him, sheughed self-deprecatingly, why would Lu Jinnian look for her? Decisively, she replied, "I¡¯m having a meeting now, get him to leave his contacts." Chapter 560: Ive Loved You for Thirteen Years (31) Chapter 560: I¡¯ve Loved You for Thirteen Years (31) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem When Qiao Anxia finished speaking, she wanted to hang up, but then she heard a familiar voice from the other side, "Miss Da Qiao..." Qiao Anxia suddenly paused what she was doing. Lu Jinnian¡¯s assistant? Could it be that Lu Jinnian was looking for her? Why was he looking for her? An array of skeptic thoughts instantly shed across Qiao Anxia¡¯s mind. She paused for just ten seconds, then brought the phone back to her ear. "I¡¯m on my way down." With that, she hung up. Qiao Anhao then threw the documents for the meeting onto the desk and turned to leave the office. She didn¡¯t even wait for the secretary in the meeting room to speak before she throwing at her, "Push back the meeting by an hour". Then she stomped over, swiftly and decisively, towards the elevators in her high heels. As she stepped out of the elevator, Qiao Anxia nced over at Lu Jinnian¡¯s assistant, who stood at the entrance of the lobby. At the sound of Qiao Anxia¡¯s high heels striding over toward him, the assistant turned his head and immediately said, "Miss Da Qiao, Mr. Lu is looking for you." Qiao Anxia lifted her chin up slightly and scanned all around her. With Lu Jinnian nowhere to be seen, she furrowed her brows. "Where is he?" "Mr. Lu is waiting for you in the car outside," the assistant said. Qiao Anxia gave a quick nod, then strode through the doors. After taking just two steps, she suddenly pointed at a nearby cafe. "If there¡¯s something he has to say, let¡¯s talk there." "All right, I¡¯ll inform Mr. Lu." Qiao Anxia didn¡¯t say a word, walking straight towards the cafe. She found a quiet corner in the cafe and took a seat. Just as she ordered two cups of coffee with the baristas, she saw Lu Jinnian walk through the doors. A trace of shock instantly rose from her furrowed brows when her eyes fell on his body. His clothes were creased up, and there were water stains from what seemed like the rain. There were circles of mud marks, his hair was a mess, and his face was pale white. He looked rather worse for wear. In all the years Qiao Anxia had known Lu Jinnian, this was the first time she¡¯d ever seen him like this. From what she remembered, even during middle high, though the poor Lu Jinnian always wore his school uniform, he¡¯d always looked clean and tidy. What got into him? How did he end up looking so depressed? Lu Jinnian pulled the chair opposite Qiao Anxia and sat down. He gave her a slight nod of greeting. Qiao Anxia put away the skepticism in her heart and simply asked, "I ordered coffee, hope that¡¯s alright?" Lu Jinnian nodded once again, paused for a moment and added, "Thank you." "You¡¯re wee." Qiao Anxia raised her hand and flicked her hair. Then stared at Lu Jinnian and asked, "You wanted to see me?" "Qiao Qiao?" said Lu Jinnian the moment Qiao Anxia popped the question. With an unusually rushed voice, he then asked, "Where is Qiao Qiao? Tell me, I want to see her." So he was looking for her because of Qiao Qiao... That¡¯s about right. She should have known... Lu Jinnian always had Qiao Anhao in his heart. In the past, he¡¯d used to make the effort to talk to her only to find out more about Qiao Anhao. If it weren¡¯t for Qiao Anhao, why would he have made an effort toe see her? Qiao Anxia pushed down the precarious feeling in her heart. "Why are you looking for Qiao Qiao?" Chapter 561: Ive Loved You for Thirteen Years (32) Chapter 561: I¡¯ve Loved You for Thirteen Years (32) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem "I have something I want to talk to her about." Lu Jinnian paused for a moment and asked, "Do you know where she is right now?" Being quick-witted, Qiao Anxia guessed that some kind of misunderstanding must have happened between Lu Jinnian and Qiao Anhao, based on the impatient look on Lu Jinnian¡¯s face. Not only that but, he looked like he hadn¡¯t slept all night. He also looked like he was caught up in the rainst night. He couldn¡¯t have been looking for or waiting for Qiao Anhao all that time, could he? And yet, he didn¡¯t know that Qiao Anhao had fallen down the stairs, that she had onlye out of a critical condition just two hours ago, or that she was under heavy watch after slipping into aa... With that, a thought shed across Qiao Anxia¡¯s mind. If she opened her mouth, Lu Jinnian would be able to find Qiao Anhao. She didn¡¯t directly answer his question, asking in a spective way, "Did Qiao Qiao and you get into an argument because of what happened with Xu Enterprise?" Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t answer, but the tight pursing of his lips suggested that she had guessed right. Qiao Anxia remained quiet for about half a minute. This time, when she opened her mouth to ask him something, her tone of voice had a certain conviction to it. "You don¡¯t want to lose Qiao Qiao, so you came to find me and ask where she is. Am I right?" Lu Jinnian still didn¡¯t make a sound. The waiter came over with two cups of coffee. Qiao Anxia said "Thank you" in a low voice, and waited for the waiter to leave before she stirred the coffee a little and took a gulp. Then she went on her own tangent and said, "Lu Jinnian, I can tell you where Qiao Qiao is, but you have to answer me one question." Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t touch the coffee in front of him. He quickly nodded and agreed without hesitation the very moment Qiao Anxia¡¯s words were spoken. "Ask." Qiao Anxia took a deep breath and said in a calm andposed voice, "I know that Xu Jiamu woke up not too long ago and that the person who Qiao Qiao was pretending to be husband and wife with was you. I just want to ask... If I was the person Xu Jiamu was engaged to, and you and I pretended to be husband and wife would our rtionship be closer right now?" Just as Lu Jinnian was going to answer her question, Qiao Anxia beat him to it and said, "Lu Jinnian, you know the answer I want to hear. As long as you agree, I¡¯ll tell you where Qiao Qiao is right now." Lu Jinnian knew exactly what Qiao Anxia meant by her words. Without a hint of hesitation on his face and bloodshot eyes, which hadn¡¯t rested all night, he stared directly at Qiao Anxia, and said, "If you were the person Xu Jiamu was going to be married to, I would have never agreed to pretend to be Xu Jiamu." Qiao Anxia curved the corner of her lips into a gentle smile and lowered her eyelids. She nced over at the cup, and after a while, she lifted her head and stared at Lu Jinnian. She asked him, "Lu Jinnian, if you just say you would, then I¡¯ll immediately tell you where Qiao Qiao..." Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t wait for Qiao Anxia to finish before getting up from his chair and saying in a dull voice, "Sorry". Then he ced two notes on the table and got ready to leave. Seeing Lu Jinnian¡¯s actions, Qiao Anxia jumped up with him. "Lu Jinnian, did you forget why you came to find me?" When he turned to leave, his expression didn¡¯t change. Qiao Anxia hurriedly stretched her hand out and grabbed his arm. "All you have to do is lie to me, and you¡¯ll know where Qiao Qiao is..." Chapter 562: Ive Loved You for Thirteen Years (33) Chapter 562: I¡¯ve Loved You for Thirteen Years (33) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem "If I had to say such flirtatious words to another woman to find out where she was, then I¡¯ll pretend as though I never looked for you." As usual, Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t give Qiao Anxia the chance to continue speaking, straight up interrupting her. "Because I don¡¯t want to be unworthy of her." With Lu Jinnian¡¯s words, she raised her hand, and he pulled his own free from her grasp. Then, takingrge strides, he walked out of the cafe. Even if she didn¡¯t meet with him because of the Xu Enterprise incident, and even if he couldn¡¯t find her, he couldn¡¯t sully his love for her. He hadn¡¯t cleared his name yet. If they were to get together, people who criticized him could also go and antagonize her. All he could do now was to continue loving her like before. Even if that meant that all he could do now was to reject all the other advances in the name of her unconfirmed love. - Seeing Lu Jinnian emerge from the cafe, the assistant immediately opened the car door for him to sit inside. He hastily got in the car as well and asked with anticipation, "Mr. Lu, do you know where¡¯s Miss Qiao is now?" Lu Jinnian shook his head tly, not saying a word. In that instant, the anticipation in the assistant¡¯s face turned to disappointment. The car was silent for quite sometime, until Lu Jinnian suddenly said, "Go home first." "Then, Mr. Lu, you..." "I¡¯m fine, go on now." Lu Jinnian¡¯s tone sounded extremely dull, but there was a trace of insistence within it. The assistant hesitated for a moment, but eventually nodded. He handed Lu Jinnian the keys, then got out of the car and left. Alone in the car, Lu Jinnian sat there for a while before ultimately starting the car up and slowly driving off. If he couldn¡¯t find her, then he would choose the silliest way possible - to wait for the rabbit toe out of the hole. Even if she hadn¡¯t forgiven him and didn¡¯t want to see him for what happened to Xu Enterprise, she still had to go back home to the Qiao family, right? He drove to the entrance of the Qiao family estate and waited for her. If she turned up in a day, then he¡¯d wait that whole day. If she turned up in forever, then he¡¯d wait forever. - This was the second time Qiao Anxia woke up in the middle of the night to find Lu Jinnian¡¯s car outside the window. That car has been parked at the entrance of the Qiao family estate for a day and two nights. It practically never left the spot. When the car first parked there, the doors never opened, nor did the person insidee out. If you didn¡¯t know better, you¡¯d think it was an empty car. If you stared at the car long enough, you¡¯d realize that the car window woulde down every so often, and a hand would stretch out, holding a cigarette. The person in the car was just as silent as the car itself. He never disturbed anyone. Qiao Anxia knew that the person in the car was waiting for Qiao Anhao, who was still unconscious. In the middle of the night, Qiao Anxia had the urge to go out once or twice, to tell Lu Jinnian that Qiao Anhao was in the hospital. But whenever she walked to the entrance, she would feel a little reluctant. With him waiting there, her heart also felt just as tormented. One morning, after the car had been parked outside the Qiao family entrance for fifty six hours, it finally left. - Qiao Anhao eventually woke up after beingatose for four days and four nights. When she opened her eyes, she noticed from the light outside the window that night had just fallen. She suddenly scanned all corners of the hospital room, having some difficulty in turning her head. She hadid in bed for quite a long time when she felt her head surge with excruciating pain. Chapter 563: Ive Loved You for Thirteen Years (34) Chapter 563: I¡¯ve Loved You for Thirteen Years (34) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Qiao Anhao hadid in bed for quite a long time when she felt her head surge with excruciating pain. She instinctively wanted to lift her arm and touch it, but soon realized that there was some kind of pull on her wrist. Her pupils turned towards her wrist to find that she actually had a tube in her. Qiao Anhao felt slightly groggy. How did she end up on an IV drip? Then, she scanned her surroundings, and realized that she was in a hospital. Her brows furrowed at the thought of what the hell had happened, when suddenly, she heard someone¡¯s erratic voice. "She¡¯s awake! The patient in room 101 is finally awake!" A woman wearing a pink nurse uniform came running to her beside. "Miss Qiao, you¡¯ve finally woken up?" As she said this, the hospital¡¯s room doors were suddenly flung open. "Qiao Qiao!" "Qiao Qiao, you¡¯re awake?" Qiao Anhao heard two familiar shrieks of joy draw closer, and Aunt Qiao and Xu Jiamu¡¯s faces appeared in front of her. Behind them were a few doctors, who surrounded her and started to perform all sorts of checks on her. After quite a long time had passed, the lead doctor took off his face mask, pointed at Aunt Qiao, and asked Qiao Anhao, "Do you know who she is?" How could she not recognize auntie... Qiao Anhao nced at the doctor with an odd look, then cried, "Auntie". That¡¯s when she realized that her voice sounded a little weak. "Who is he?" The doctor then pointed at Xu Jiamu. "...Brother Jiamu." The doctor nodded in satisfaction, then turned to Aunt Qiao and Xu Jiamu, who stood behind him and said, "Miss Qiao¡¯s memory is just fine, and her heart pressure is normal. Probably because she fell quite severely, her brain was seriously shaken, which is why she fell into aa for quite some time. But, now that she¡¯s awake, there aren¡¯t any major problems. She¡¯ll be well enough to go home after a few days." When the doctor left, Aunt Qiao came to Qiao Anhao¡¯s beside and grabbed her hand. The rims of her eyes suddenly became red. "Qiao Qiao, you¡¯re awake? You almost scared auntie to death." "I¡¯m fine," reassured Qiao Anhao in a quiet voice. Then she suddenly remembered that she had had a dinner date with Lu Jinnian, and so she turned her head to nced out the window. Seeing as the skies had darkened, she impatiently asked, "What time is it?" Xu Jiamu lifted his wrist to check the time. "It¡¯s almost eight o¡¯clock." Sote? Qiao Anhao abruptly sat up, but because she¡¯d gotten up so forcefully, she felt a little dizzy. Her vision darkened for a moment, and she almost fainted again. Xu Jiamu hurriedly came to support her back onto the bed. "Qiao Qiao, you¡¯ve only just woken up. You can¡¯t be moving around." "No... I have ns to have dinner with someone." Aunt Qiao then answered, "You had dinner ns with someone that night? But you¡¯ve been unconscious for four days and four nights." Four days and four nights? Qiao Anhao¡¯s heart suddenly jumped, and she instinctively felt around her pillow. "Where¡¯s my phone?" "Your phone is probably at my house. Whatever it is, it can wait until you¡¯re slightly better. Tomorrow, I¡¯ll go get it from my house." Aunt Qiao went along with Xu Jiamu and also tried to persuade her. "That¡¯s right. Qiao Qiao, you¡¯ve only just woken up, don¡¯t think of anything else. Hurry and get some rest." Qiao Anhao wanted to borrow Xu Jiamu¡¯s phone for a second, but remembering what had happened between him and Lu Jinnian over the Xu Enterprise incident, she eventually didn¡¯t say a word. Chapter 564: Ive Loved You for Thirteen Years (35) Chapter 564: I¡¯ve Loved You for Thirteen Years (35) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem It hadn¡¯t been long since Qiao Anhao first woke, but she soon fell asleep. Perhaps it was because she¡¯d been unconscious for quite some time, this time, she didn¡¯t sleep for long. When she woke up again, it was alreadyte at night. The entire world sounded spectacrly silent. Xu Jiamu might¡¯ve not slept well for a few days, and so when she finally woke up, he fell deep asleep in the other bed. Her wrist was still on a drip, which looked like an IV. This time, when she woke, her head was a lot clearer than the first time. She remembered how she bumped into the Xu family¡¯s housekeeper and fell down the stairs. They told her that she¡¯d been unconscious for four days and four nights... four whole days and nights. Could Lu Jinnian have tried looking for her? Before she fell unconscious, she got into an argument with him. She originally wanted to apologize to him. What if he tried to look for her these few days and she didn¡¯t reply... The more Qiao Anhao thought about it, the more confused her heart became. She turned her head and nced over at Xu Jiamu, who was deep asleep. She bit her bottom lip, lifted her arm up, yanking the needle from her wrist. Then, she quietly removed her covers and climbed out of bed. The moment her feet touched the ground, Qiao Anhao felt stars appear before her eyes. She used the bed to support her up and waited a moment to feel morefortable. She then let go of the bed and slowly moved her feet. It didn¡¯t feel entirely painful to walk, and so she tiptoed all the way to the door. There were no other clothes in the hospital, and so she could only wear the hospital gown out. Just before she walked out the door, she realized that she didn¡¯t have any money on her and so she went over to the wallet Xu Jiamu put on the table and pulled out two notes. Luckily it waste in the night at the time, and so the nurses on thete shift were spread out on their desks, dosing off. She used that chance to casually slip out. Qiao Anhao had only reached the entrance when she felt that her body was at it¡¯s limit. She waited by the road for a while, and raised a hand to hail a taxi. - Qiao Anhao entered the passcode and opened the door to her apartment in Ming Zhu Garden. The apartment was pitch-ck, with no lightsing through whatsoever. She turned on the lights, then changed her shoes at the entrance, went upstairs to her bedroom, and saw that everything was just as it were on the day she left. Her changing room was aplete mess. After she had tried on every outfit, she had randomly thrown all her clothes in every direction. Qiao Anhao walked to the bedside and copsed there. She grabbed for the home phone on her bedside table and called Lu Jinnian. "I¡¯m sorry, the number you dialed cannot be reached within your service area." Qiao Anhao furrowed her brows. Not in the service area, was the phone out of battery? She put the phone down and nestled there in bed for a while. Only when she regained her strength a little did she sit up. Seeing that the iPad was on the coffee table, she walked over and put in her WeChat ID and password. After it took a long time for it load, she finally got into her ount. A ton of messages popped up one after the other. So much so that one of her group chats had almost ten million unread messages. Qiao Anhao searched for Lu Jinnian¡¯s name, and was disappointed to find that he hadn¡¯t sent her a single message. Nevertheless, she still sent him one, [I¡¯m home at Ming Zhu Garden.] After she sent the message, Qiao Anhao scrolled through her other unread messages. The first name she clicked on was Zhao Meng. She¡¯d sent her a ton of messages, which mostly were "You here?" or emojis. First, Qiao Anhao replied to Zhao Meng with a "Yeah". Just as she was about to write more, Zhao Meng suddenly replied with an exmation mark. Then she sent her a voice note. "Qiao Qiao, you¡¯re still alive? Do you know that Mr. Lu has been looking for you like crazy?!" Chapter 565: Ive Loved You for Thirteen Years (36) Chapter 565: I¡¯ve Loved You for Thirteen Years (36) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem "Qiao Qiao, you¡¯re still alive? Do you know that Mr. Lu has been looking for you like crazy?!" Qiao Anhao originally wanted to ask Zhao Meng why she wasn¡¯t asleep when it was sote, but when she heard those words "Mr. Lu has been looking for you like crazy", her fingers on the iPad suddenly stopped. Zhao Meng continued to send her endless amounts of voice notes. Before Qiao Anhao could even click on them, the other sent her a video chat request. Qiao Anhao epted the call. In her iPad, she saw Zhao Meng in a pair ofrge framed sses, pajamas, and with an erratic expression on her face. She asked, "Qiao Qiao, I called you but you didn¡¯t pick up. Just what the hell got into you?" "I don¡¯t have my phone on me..." Qiao Anhao only got those few words in before Zhao Meng interrupted her, as though she had other important matters to tell her. "Forget it, forget it. I¡¯ll deal with you for thatter. Right now, I¡¯ve got three important things to tell you. First, "Heaven¡¯s Sword" is set to continue shooting from next Wednesday. Second, Mr. Lu has been looking for you. Third, yesterday morning, you¡¯ve been caught in a scandal!" It sounded like Zhao Meng wasn¡¯t going to take a breath, nor give Qiao Anhao time to ask her the questions on her mind, as she jabbered on until everything was said. "Qiao Qiao, do you remember when you filmed "Alluring Times" with an actress called Wang Ying who yed Cheng Yang¡¯s secretary? She¡¯s quite good looking and she has a great personality. She was in an incident thatter dragged you into it..." Qiao Anhao furrowed her brows for a moment. "How did it drag me into it?" "Her boyfriend is a very popr singer in Hong Kong. The two of them were caught taking drugs the day before yesterday at eleven o¡¯clock. News got out, and it reached the top of Weibo¡¯s headlines. "At first, everyone was hot on the two of them, but at twelve o¡¯clock, someone released a photo of you and Wang Ying on the set of "Alluring Times". There were some other photos from an outtake that made her look tired. Those photos look like drugs were taken. "As you were the second female lead of the recently popr drama, "Alluring Times", your followed count has increased But then, everyone thought that you were taking drugs too, and then someone found photos of you and Wang Ying together... "You know what the people on the inte are like. They basically never go and find out the truth, they just follow the trends, and so the rumors started to spread everywhere in a moment¡¯s notice. Everybody¡¯s saying that you took the drugs, so you¡¯re in the headlines." Qiao Anhao didn¡¯t think that she¡¯d fall down the stairs and be unconscious for several days, and when did wake up, colossal changes would have happened. She hastily clicked onto Weibo, but she didn¡¯t search her name. Her brows couldn¡¯t help but furrow when she thought that Zhao Meng was pulling a prank on her. But then Zhao Meng said, "Headlines like these, about taking drugs, is a career killer for celebrities. On top of that, other celebrities would brutally stay far away from you. Then to top it all off, the nation is extremely strict on these things, so after these rumors came out, a lot of people didn¡¯t dare speak out for you. "Apart from Song Xiangsi, who came out to say something. But in the end, even she received bacsh. They said that even she might be taking drugs! Finally, at around three in the morning, Mr. Lu saved you." Chapter 566: Ive Loved You for Thirteen Years (37) Chapter 566: I¡¯ve Loved You for Thirteen Years (37) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem "Lu Jinnian?" Qiao Anhao whispered puzzled. As she checked the Weibo¡¯s top ten headlines, she noticed that six of them were were all about Lu Jinnian. She instinctively asked, "How is he? Why does he have so many hit threads on the top searched?" "Qiao Qiao, I really didn¡¯t want to tell you.. you say you want to mingle in the entertainment circle, right? Yet you don¡¯t even check the entertainment news!" said Zhao Meng, full of resentment. Then she continued to borate on how the whole situation unfolded. "Just when your scandal reached its peak, suddenly, someone spread rumors about Mr. Lu. They said that he¡¯s the illegitimate child of the Xu Enterprise that he just acquired! "In recent years, Mr. Lu¡¯s follower count was undefeated. On top of all this, he recently acquired Xu Enterprise, and so everyone were quick to draw their attention to something like that. As a result, the news instantly andpletely killed your scandal, burying it deep away." "Qiao Qiao, honestly speaking, after knowing Mr. Lu for so many years... I mean, he and I are considered ssmates from middle high school. I¡¯ve always thought he was an orphan. I never imagined that he was actually Xu Jiamu¡¯s step brother! "But, Qiao Qiao, whoever¡¯s behind all this against Mr. Lu, they actually went out and started talking about his mother." After Zhao Meng said that, Qiao Anhao had already clicked onto the top searched topics. It was like the inte had exploded into chaos! Everyone¡¯s discussions were far more sensational than what Zhao Meng had described. After so many years, Lu Jinnian had umted quite a lot of fans, but of course, the more popr a person is, the more people there are who hate them. And so, when the fans, randomizens, and haters mored together, their discussions were incredible. It was so chaotic that, in fact, marketeers and meme makers all started to jump on it, stretching out a day old piece of news. The more people talked about it, the more heated it got, and it didn¡¯t seem like it was going to simmer down. "Qiao Qiao, I really didn¡¯t know that Mr. Lu¡¯s mother used to also be a celebrity, who starred in a few pornos, and someone put those videos up on the inte, and... His mom seemed to also be an escort... Mr. Lu is quite pitiful." Zhao Meng was still talking on the video chat, making Qiao Anhao¡¯s fingertips gently tremble with her words. She scrolled through the screen non-stop, looking atizens trash, support, mock Lu Jinnian, and an unspeakable pain crept into her heart. "Qiao Qiao, it¡¯ste. I have to get off now, my boyfriend is calling me to go sleep. Oh right, get in touch with Mr. Lu. He couldn¡¯t find you before, and came over to my ce a few times. "The first time he came, it looked like he hadn¡¯t slept at all. His clothes were dirty and all crumpled up. His eyes were bloodshot, and he looked particrly worse for wear. Honestly speaking, in all the years I¡¯ve known Lu Jinnian, in my heart, he had always represented perfection. I¡¯ve never seen him like that. "When he saw me, he grabbed my shoulders and asked where you were, wouldn¡¯t I tell him where you were? His voice sounded... Even I felt pity for him. He was like a desperate child." With that, Zhao Meng snorted and said "Bye bye". Just as she was going to end the video call, it seemed like she had just remembered something. She paused for a moment, then said, "Qiao Qiao, to be honest, the moment Mr. Lu came to find me, I really thought that he loved you. Like, that really really deep kind of love." This time, when Zhao Meng finished speaking, she didn¡¯t pause at all and just hung up the video call. Chapter 567: Ive Loved You for Thirteen Years (38) Chapter 567: I¡¯ve Loved You for Thirteen Years (38) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem With the absence of Zhao Meng¡¯s voice, the room became unusually silent. Qiao Anhao sat extremely quietly on the sofa. Every now and then, her fingers would swipe the iPad screen. For the most part, people said that besides having a cold personality, Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t know how to love or socialize with others. Actually, there weren¡¯t many negative points said online about him, and so the majority of the hate was drawn from his mother¡¯s scandals. Photographs from old newspapers surfaced of her in a night club drinking with several men, and then there were also... those porn videos. Countless numbers of people shared them. It got so bad, they created memes out of some of his mother¡¯s exaggerated expressions. Some went as far as to postments and arguments on the topic which were unbearable to read. Even though Lu Jinnian had a strong fanbase, who would always shout positive words like "no matter what male idols do, they¡¯ll always be our male idols" and "we support you", they seemed to pale against the nder. She knew that he was Xu family¡¯s illegitimate son, but had never known who his mother was. Nor did she know about her dark past. Qiao Anhao thought back to the moment she went to visit Han Ruchu at her home. She remembered the insufferably repetitive and scornful things they said about Lu Jinnian¡¯s mother. Now that so many people online were saying such horrid things, just how awful must he be feeling? At that thought, Qiao Anhao wished she could hide herself somewhere nobody knew about and take the pain on her own. The pain was so unbearable, it felt like some had ruthlessly thrust a knife into her. She couldn¡¯t help but grab the home phone and try to call Lu Jinnian again, but she was still unable to connect to him. Qiao Anhao remembered that she saved her contacts onto a software, so she quickly tapped into the downloaded software on her iPad and looked for Lu Jinnian¡¯s assistant¡¯s number. She tried calling the number but his phone was off. She used to live in Mian Xiu Garden, so she had the number already saved on there. She tried calling but there was no answer. Qiao Anhao was about to call another number when she nced at the time on her iPad. It was half past three in the morning. With it being sote at night, everyone was probably asleep. She put down the phone drearily. Having ran out of the hospital, she felt particrly unwell, yet she still wasn¡¯t the least bit sleepy. Every now and then, she¡¯d refresh Weibo on her iPad. The more she looked, the more stifled her heart felt. The feeling was far more unbearable than when she was harassed. In the end, Qiao Anhao threw her iPad aside to stop the pain. However, she was so distracted that eventually, she angrily kicked her leg up, causing the iPad to fall off the bed. Then she hugged the pillow, and sat in a daze in a corner of the bed. The rim of her eyes started to grow red for no reason, and she couldn¡¯t help but raise her head and take a deep breath. Her eyes wandered onto the porcin doll on the shelf that Lu Jinnian had gifted her this year on her birthday. Qiao Anhao threw her pillow, climbed out of bed, and walked towards the shelf. She stretched her arm out and lightly rubbed the red lips and white teeth. The doll was a small, white porcin doll with a tender smile, which only made her feel even more pained. She couldn¡¯t help herself and reached with her hands towards the shelf and grabbed for the doll. She didn¡¯t know if it was because her body was weak or if it was because she hadn¡¯t gotten a good hold, but the porcin doll identally fell from her fingertips. Chapter 568: Ive Loved You for Thirteen Years (39) Chapter 568: I¡¯ve Loved You for Thirteen Years (39) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem "Pa-". The porcin doll shattered onto the hard floor, breaking into tiny sharp pieces that spread far and wide. Qiao Anhao froze on the spot for half a minute, with her hand suspended in the moment she grabbed for the doll, before she realized what she had done. Her long eyshes flickered for a moment, and then she crouched on the ground. She stared at the big and small shards in a panic and at a loss. Her fingertips trembled for a long while, before she hastily reached her hand out to pick the shards up one by one. She tried to piece the doll back to how it looked originally. However, the shards of porcin had shattered so bad, Qiao Anhao simply didn¡¯t know where the pieces fit. With one careless move, she identally cut her finger on a sharp edge of a shard. As the blood gushed out, she didn¡¯t feel any pain, nor did she stop picking up the pieces. When she picked up thergest piece, she saw a stic tube with a roll of paper inside among the shattered pieces. Qiao Anhao furrowed her brows and without conscious thought picked up the piece of paper. It was a good quality paper and particrly thick. With one pull, the paper unfolded itself. Then, Qiao Anhao saw that the paper was heavily filled with words. With just one look, she immediately recognized that it was Lu Jinnian¡¯s bold and cursive handwriting that looked natural and fluid. "First year. The first time we met, she wore a school uniform; a white shirt and blue skirt. In the height of autumn, she had a pink bike, and a blushing face. Second year. Rainy days weren¡¯t the most beautiful thing, finding shelter under the roof with her was. Third year. I left half the maths test nk, so I could be her ssmate. Fourth year. I gave her a birthday present with the words ¡¯Shmily¡¯ carved on the back. Who knows if she noticed... Fifth year. I gave up on my dream of attending a prestigious university. I gave up all ns of living an ordinary life to go to Hangzhou for her." As Qiao Anhao read this part, her hands, which were still holding the paper, started to tremble as she faintly understood what she was reading. The fog beneath her eyes began to coalesce. "Sixth year. With her single careless step closer, I smelled the soft smell of her hair. It made me stay up all night. Seventh year. I gave up a monumental, career-changing opportunity for her. Eighth year. I slept in the same room with her. It was the first time I kissed her and the same year I was awarded my first achievement award. I rushed to Beijing overnight to find that she was engaged to someone else. Ninth year. I started smoking because of her. I smoked and drank the whole night, alone in my room. I cried for her all night." A single tear slowly fell onto the paper, smudging the dry, ck ink. "Tenth year. On many asions, I secretly hid in a corner as I watched her back a few times. Eleventh year. After having seen thousands of different women, I always subconsciouslypare them to her, and she¡¯s always the best of them all. Twelfth year. All alone, I silently feel pain when she hurts, and happy when she is so. Thirteenth year. I made the best decision of my life... to cross paths with her once again." Qiao Anhao forcefully bit onto her bottom lip, tears falling hysterically one after the other. Chapter 569: Ive Loved You for Thirteen Years (40) Chapter 569: I¡¯ve Loved You for Thirteen Years (40) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem "After we met again... I secretly made countless confessions and signals that I didn¡¯t dare let her know. You like rainy days too? Paper, Scissors, Rock. I am only happy with you. I actually didn¡¯t want to love her... But... I couldn¡¯t do it, I couldn¡¯t convince myself to let go." Finally, Qiao Anhao couldn¡¯t hold in her cry any longer and wailed with every image stitched back together in her mind. His assistant went to her room to tell her that he hadn¡¯t eaten dinner yet, and suggested she go over and bring him something to eat. That night was the very first time there was a good atmosphere between them. She stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows and said in a cheerful voice that it was raining. He asked her, do you like rainy days too? At Chen Yang¡¯s party, she didn¡¯t want to be punished, and so knowing the w in his y, she beat him one game after the other in rock, paper, scissors. She never imagined that Paper, Scissors, Rock, 5,2,0, was the world¡¯s most beautiful confession with hand signs. When he shot scenes with her, the way he looked into her eyes when he said, ¡¯I am only happy when I¡¯m with you¡¯... She thought that he was saying ¡¯This year was only happy because it was spent with you¡¯. She had never dared to hope those words were for her to hear. At his vi in Mount Yi, they slept together one night. They¡¯d slept innocently together, as sheid in the bed and he slept on the sofa, in poor health. That night, she was so upset when she asked if he¡¯d continue to love the married woman, to which he replied, ¡¯I actually didn¡¯t want to love her... But... I couldn¡¯t do it, I couldn¡¯t convince myself to let go.¡¯ Qiao Anhao raised her hand and casually wiped away the tears, so she could continue reading. "She has a beautiful name. Qiao Anhao. Every one calls her Xiao Qiao." At the very end, there was another line. "Qiao Qiao, I love you. I¡¯ve loved you for thirteen years." It was like Qiao Anhao had lost all the strength in her body, falling limp on the ground. With a "waaaa", she started wailing like a child. In her previous dreams, she would wonder what she would do if Lu Jinnian fell in love with her one day. In her dreams, she was so sure she¡¯d be in joyful bliss. But now that her dream came true, she realized that the only way she could release theplicated emotions in her heart was to cry them all out. She loved him too. She never knew that between the two of them, there were so many misunderstandings. She liked rainy days, because of him. She worked hard to go up a ss, because of him. She studied her hardest to get into a prestigious university, also because of him. She joined the entertainment circle, also because of him. She agreed to marry Xu Jiamu, also because of him... There were so many missed chances between them. It looked like they weren¡¯t fated for each other, but their mutual love was the strongest sign on earth. They actually tried their best to love one another, but they didn¡¯t have the courage to tell each other "I love you". Qiao Anhao gripped harder onto the paper, as she cried so hard her whole body shivered. The only thing that could be heard in the silent room was the endless echoes of her cries. Qiao Anhao didn¡¯t know how long she cried for, but she cried and cried until she came to a sudden stop. Then, like an idiot, her crying face started to smile. She suddenly got up from the floor and rushed into the changing rooms. After changing her clothes, she fumbled for a bit and rushed out. She had to go find him. She had to go find him now. She wanted to say to him "Lu Jinnian, what a coincidence... I¡¯ve loved you for thirteen years too". Chapter 570: The Things She Didnt Know (1) Chapter 570: The Things She Didn¡¯t Know (1) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Before dawn arrived upon the empty streets of Beijing, humidity levels were high and the weather was cool. There were long intervals between cars driving past. Qiao Anhao stood by the side of the road for an awfully long time before she could hail a taxi. Eventually, she hailed one, got in, and requested to be taken to Mian Xiu Garden. When the car reached it, she paid the driver and ran out before even collecting her change. The passcode to Mian Xiu Gardens hadn¡¯t changed. The ce looked as if nobody had visited it in a long time. The fallen flowers on the courtyard floor had be muddy and tattered. As Qiao Anhao stepped on top of them, the leaves produced a crisp, crunching sound. Qiao Anhao opened the doors and noticed two pairs of slippers ced silently on the shoe closet; one for men, the other for women. The women one was hers, from when she had used to live here, pretending to be husband and wife with Lu Jinnian. After she left, she had left them in a bag and asked him to throw it out, but now the pair was here, back in their original spot. It looked as though the two of them were still living in the house. The vi waspletely empty, no a soul in sight. Just like before, there was ayer of dust on the grandfather clock. Qiao Anhao ran up the stairs and pushed open the bedroom doors. It was pitch-ck inside, and she turned on the lights in disappointment. The first thing she saw was the adult-sized teddy bear she had bought at the center of the tidy bed. She had taken all of her cosmetics with her when she left, but there, in front of the dressing table, were brand new ones of the exact same brands. Even the eyeliner was the same. That man... though he always had a cold expression on his face, as though he didn¡¯t care about anything, when did he memorize everything she used so clearly? Qiao Anhao had never known that something like this could make tears suddenly fall. As though she had an inkling of something, she walked into the changing room. She saw half of the wardrobe filled with his clothes, and the other half with the clothes she¡¯d asked him to throw out for her. Perhaps because the wardrobe wasn¡¯t entirely filled up, or perhaps it was because he wanted to buy her clothes but had no excuse for it, there was a wall full of thetest collections from her favorite brands. The newly bought clothes still had the tags on them. Qiao Anhao forcefully pursed her lips and moved away to step into the bathroom. The toothpaste, toothbrush, shower gel, cleansing lotion... The things she had used for over half a year whilst living there were all back in their original ces. With her gone, he couldn¡¯t open his mouth to ask her to stay, and so like this, he stubbornly pretended that she was still here. So it turned out that the person she loved, loved her this much as well. He was so foolish, to love her so foolishly. ¡ª When Qiao Anhao stepped out of Mian Xiu Garden, the skies were already a little bright. This time, she hailed a taxi to go directly to Huan Ying Entertainment. On her arrival, nobody hade for work just yet. There was only the night shift¡¯s security guard, who yawned and said "Good morning" to her. Qiao Anhao sat waiting incredibly patiently in the lobby outside of Lu Jinnian¡¯s office on the top floor. Having been with him for over half a year, she knew that his lifestyle was very simple. He always spent long hours at the office. From before seven in the morning to ten, everyone hade to work. All but Lu Jinnian. Qiao Anhao asked Lu Jinnian¡¯s secretary, but she could only tell her that Chief Lu hadn¡¯t been in the office for a few days now. Qiao Anhao nked out for a moment, then suddenly remembered the vi in Mount Yi. She thanked the secretary and rushed downstairs to catch a taxi for Mount Yi. Chapter 571: The Things She Didnt Know (2) Chapter 571: The Things She Didn¡¯t Know (2) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem From Huan Ying Entertainment, Qiao Anhao left for Mount Yi, which was located in the suburbs. When she arrived, it was already twelve in the afternoon. Even though it was the middle of the day, the vi in Mount Yi looked like an utopia from another world. The tranquility made you feel at peace. Since nobody answered the door when Qiao Anhao knocked on it, she entered the passcode that Lu Jinnian had once given her and entered the vi. All four walls were made of floor-to-ceiling windows, which allowed for the natural sunlight to illuminate the vi with dots of light due to going through the surrounding forest. Qiao Anhao went up the spiral staircase, straight for the bedroom door. As before, when no one could find Lu Jinnian, she would always be able to find him here. This time... Qiao Anhao stood at the door with an indescribable sense of nervousness in her heart. She took a deep breath, then pushed open the door with trembling hands. The bedroom was bright and clean. The bed was well made, without any signs of anyone havingin in it. Surprisingly, Lu Jinnian wasn¡¯t at Mount Yi vi either. Qiao Anhao furrowed her brows as she rushed into the bedroom, scanning every detail in the changing room and bathroom. Eventually, she walked out in disappointment. Mount Yi vi was huge, but there weren¡¯t many rooms, which meant that each room was quite big. Qiao Anhao was afraid that Lu Jinnian might be in one of those rooms, so she scanned through every one of them on the second floor. Apart from the bedroom, other rooms only had decorated walls. There weren¡¯t even any cabs or beds. However, the room on the far west side had a piano with a piano book on it, and a side table, which had a bunch of papers sprawled on top of it. Qiao Anhao randomly picked one up to find that it was a pencil drawing. Though there weren¡¯t any colors, Qiao Anhao could clearly tell that it was a drawing of her. A sh of astonishment crossed her eyes as she flipped through all of the sheets of paper. They looked quite old and as though someone had looked through them quite a few times, as they were rough around the edges. From the clothes in the picture, you could tell they were of her in her middle school uniform. The drawings themselves were of her doing various stuff. There were drawings of her back, of her side profile, of her immersed in a book, of her sprawled out on the table, asleep, of her dazing outside the ssroom window, and there was also one of her smiling in front of her bike... On the bottom right corner of all the sketches, there was a small line of words that was difficult to spot if one didn¡¯t take a closer look at it. That line contained the date, the words, ¡¯Lu Jinnian¡¯, and the title: "The Woman I Love". When did Lu Jinnian learn to draw? These drawings were all drawn whilst he was in middle school... Qiao Anhao suddenly remembered that when she used to often pass by his ssroom, she would see him with a pencil in hand, drawing something at an rming speed. At the time, she thought that he was just like her, randomly doodling whilst bored in ss. Now that she thought about it, was he drawing her back then? In those fleeting years of their youth, his efforts had far exceeded her expectations. Just how much exactly did he do without her knowing about it? The rims of Qiao Anhao¡¯s eyes started to burn as she stared at those drawings. After a long time had passed, she neatly ced each piece of paper back onto the table, and quietly left the room. She stepped out of Mount Yi vi and stopped at the doorway. She lifted her head towards the sunshine and took a deep breath. Lu Jinnian, just where the hell are you? Chapter 572: The Things She Didnt Know (3) Chapter 572: The Things She Didn¡¯t Know (3) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Since Qiao Anhao had ran out of the hospital yesterday, she practically hadn¡¯t had any rest or food in her. She was already weak from her severe injury, but now, her face was pale and her entire body was drenched in sweat. She slowly sat down on the stairs in front of the vi, her head buried in her knees as she sat hugging them. Her breathing was unstable. It was sunny in the midst of autumn. Though the sun wasn¡¯t as zing as it was in the summer, when it shined on the body, it still felt ufortably warm. Not long after, Qiao Anhao¡¯s white delicate skin tanned till her skin tinged with light red. She wanted to stand up, but her legs hadn¡¯t the strength. All Qiao Anhao could do was quietly sit on the stairs with her eyes shut, and stabilize her breathing. After a long while had passed, her breathing finally went back to normal. The sun had fallen in the east by that time. Qiao Anhao pushed herself up with one hand on the stairs, then sluggishly walked out of Lu Jinnian¡¯s vi. She got here by hailing a taxi, but as Mount Yi was a secluded area, she could only get back to the city by taking the bus. Qiao Anhao stepped out the gates of Mount Yi neighborhood and walked about two hundred meters east before reaching the bus stop. The only thing on her mind right now was where Lu Jinnian could be. She was so lost in thought that when the bus stopped in front of her, she was in such a trance, she didn¡¯t even react when the bus driver called her a few times. Then, as though Qiao Anhao had suddenly realized something, she waved over at the bus, but it had already slowly driven further and further away. Qiao Anhao gloomily lowered her hand and patiently waited for another bus. At that time, she suddenly heard the sound of a car breaking in front of her. The person lowered the car window and cried out to her, "Miss Qiao!" Qiao Anhao shot her head up to see Lu Jinnian¡¯s assistant. A hint of surprised came across her eyes, and she power walked over to the front of the car. "Lu Jinnian, where is he?" she asked as she stuck her face through the car window and looked inside. Her head dropped in disappointment when she saw that he wasn¡¯t inside. The assistant didn¡¯t reply to her question about Lu Jinnian¡¯s whereabouts, but got out of the car, and opened the passenger car door. "Miss Qiao, get in the car first. I¡¯ll take you back to the city." Qiao Anhao gave a gentle nod and got into the car. Seeing the rear view mirror that Qiao Anhao¡¯splexion looked like she¡¯d been drained of blood, the assistant asked apprehensively, "Miss Qiao, are you not feeling well? You don¡¯t look so well." "It¡¯s fine." Qiao Anhao forced a smile, shook her head, and asked, "Do you know where Lu Jinnian is? Take me to him, okay?" The assistant ignored Qiao Anhao¡¯s request again and handed her a bottle. "Drink some water." Qiao Anhao hesitated for a moment before taking the water, and then said in a low voice, "Thank you." The assistant first drove Qiao Anhao back to Lu Jinnian¡¯s Mount Yi vi and closed all of the doors and windows. He even covered all the furniture in white sheets of fabric, and put the bamboo stool and table in the courtyard into the storage room in the vi. The assistant¡¯s actions indicated that no one was going to visit here ever again... Qiao Anhao¡¯s heart suddenly jumped, and she couldn¡¯t help but ask the assistant whilst he was closing the doors, "Lu Jinnian won¡¯t he be living here anymore?" Chapter 573: The Things She Didnt Know (4) Chapter 573: The Things She Didn¡¯t Know (4) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem The assistant pushed the door to the vi, and when he was sure it was locked, he turned his head and nced over at Qiao Anhao. He moved his lips, but looked as though he was hesitant to say something. In the end, he just pulled open the car¡¯s door, and said to Qiao Anhao, respectfully as always, "Miss Qiao, please get in." A terrible feeling shrouded Qiao Anhao¡¯s heart as she stood there staring at the assistant with her shivering, colorless lips and pitch-ck pupils. The assistant turned his head and looked towards the lush trees in the distance with a distressed look on his face. After a while, he took a deep breath, and then looked over at Qiao Anhao once again and said, "Miss Qiao, it¡¯s almost dinner time right now. If you don¡¯t mind and you aren¡¯t busy, can I treat you to dinner?" "Why do you keep avoiding my questions?" Qiao Anhao¡¯s intuition grew stronger. Panic surfaced in her eyes and her lips trembled. She asked, "Is Lu Jinnian mad at me? He doesn¡¯t want to see me, am I right?" Streams of tears fell from Qiao Anhao¡¯s eyes. Not caring about the etiquette between men and women, she grabbed the assistant¡¯s arm and pleaded, "Tell me, where is he, please? You definitely know where he is. Tell me, please?" The assistant still felt resentful at heart for Qiao Anhao not turning up at ¡¯Lijing Pavilion¡¯ and leaving Lu Jinnian to wait so long for her. Though he was always polite, the tone of his voice revealed a hint of ridicule that was difficult to detect. "It¡¯d be great if Mr. Lu could really get angry at you." After the assistant said that, he saw Qiao Anhao¡¯s crying face and instantly became softhearted. Eventually, he gave a deep sigh and said, "Miss Qiao, get in the car first. I¡¯ll tell you everything over dinner, okay?" Qiao Anhao gave a light nod, then lowered her head and got inside. The assistant also got into the car and started it up. Once there was some distance between the car and Mount Yi vi, the assistant pulled out two tissues and handed them to Qiao Anhao next to him. ¡ª When the assistant turned the car into the road where ¡¯Lijing Pavilion¡¯ was, he asked, "Miss Qiao, do you mind if we go to Lijing Pavilion?" Qiao Anhao shook her head. After passing through the traffic lights ahead, the assistant didn¡¯t say a word, just turned into Lijing Pavilion¡¯s parking lot. Because they hadn¡¯t made a reservation, all the private rooms were booked. In the end, the assistant and Qiao Anhao sat in a secluded area of the lobby. The waiter came over with the menu, and the assistant handed the it over to Qiao Anhao straight away. "Miss. Qiao, take a look. What would you like to order?" Qiao Anhao didn¡¯t flip through the menu. She simply told the assistant, "I¡¯m fine with whatever." The assistant didn¡¯t press her any further and brought menu back in front of himself and ordered a few light dishes. They were all dishes Qiao Anhao liked to eat, and so she raised her head in astonishment and nced over at him. He looked back at her, but pretended it was nothing. He handed the menu back to the waiter with a smile of his face, and added two bottles of beer and a pot of tea. The tea and beer arrived quickly. The assistant personally poured a cup of tea and pushed it towards Qiao Anhao, then opened a bottle of beer for himself. Qiao Anhao quietly said "Thank you" and lifted the cup and took a sip of tea. The assistant didn¡¯t reply, but took a hard gulp of beer. Chapter 574: The Things She Didnt Know (5) Chapter 574: The Things She Didn¡¯t Know (5) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem The dishes at "Lijing Pavilion" arrived quickly on the table. The exquisite cutlery apanied with the light dishes looked like it would give anyone an appetite. The assistant personally pulled off the paper packaging from the chopsticks and passed them to Qiao Anhao. "These are all your favorite dishes. Finish up and we¡¯ll talk." Qiao Anhao didn¡¯t pick up the chopsticks. Her lips moved as though she was going to ask something but before she could, the assistant helped did it for her. "You must wonder how I know that these are your favorite dishes right?" She pulled the corner of her lips, and swallowed the questions she wanted to ask him. "Mr. Lu told me." The assistant wore a gentle smile, and took another gulp of beer. He turned his head then and stared at Qiao Anhao. "Eat first, let¡¯s talk after." When the assistant said this, he picked up his chopsticks and started to eat. Qiao Anhao stared at the assistant for quite some time before also picking up the chopsticks, and silently starting to eat something. These were the dishes she liked to eat, but she didn¡¯t have an appetite. She practically had to force herself to eat. After about half an hour passed, she finally couldn¡¯t eat anymore and put her chopsticks down. She lifted her head and looked over at the assistant, who had put his chopsticks down earlier and stared out the window, thinking about who knows what. He had finished the two bottles of beer in front of him. At the sound of Qiao Anhao putting her chopsticks down, he turned his head and asked, "Finished?" Qiao Anhao gave a gentle nod. The assistant raised his hand and called the waiter over. He asked for two more bottles of beer. After waiting for the beer to arrive, he poured a cup for himself and downed it. He then pulled out a phone from his pocket and handed it to Qiao Anhao. A hint of confusion crossed her eyes. "Didn¡¯t you ask about where Mr. Lu was? You¡¯ll know once you see what¡¯s on the phone." When the assistant finished speaking, he lowered his head, and poured himself another cup of beer. He took a big gulp. The assistant¡¯s phone screen lit up with Qiao Anhao¡¯s single tap. She then saw that he meant for her to read an email. Lu Jinnian had sent him that email. The email started off by telling him who would be in charge of certain jobs at Huan Ying Entertainment. After that, Lu Jinnian told him vice president Wang would be temporarily in charge of business operations. The email didn¡¯t end at that. Below, there was a long section where Lu Jinnian wrote personal stuff to his assistant. "Here are the foods Qiao Qiao likes to eat. When she¡¯s back on set, please tell the crew to cook more of these dishes if they have time. Her dream is to be the best female actress, so please make preparations for this during the year-end nominations. The entertainment industry is a little chaotic. It¡¯s not safe for a woman on her own, so please take care of her and don¡¯t let her suffer. I have a vi in Mount Yi. When you have time, please close the windows, especially the one in the room on the far west, just in case the rain falls through the window and onto the drawings of her on the table. Oh, right. Don¡¯t close the floor-to-ceiling window by the back door of the first floor - Qiao Qiao likes to climb in from there." Lu Jinnian had written a lot to the assistant. Qiao Anhao flipped through quite a few pages until she finally reached the end. Her mind was nk. She couldn¡¯t quite understand what Lu Jinnian meant by sending his assistant this email. Or perhaps, she actually did understand but wasn¡¯t willing to. Chapter 575: The Things She Didnt Know(6) Chapter 575: The Things She Didn¡¯t Know£¨6£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem The assistant studied Qiao Anhao. When she finished reading, he chucked down another mouthful of beer. "Miss Qiao, finished reading? Of the forty eight lines, all of them were about you." Qiao Anhao¡¯s hands clenched into fists. Staring straight at him, she asked in a low voice, "Where is he?" A tear dropped down her face, sshing onto the phone screen. Lu Jinnian¡¯s assistant acted as though she hadn¡¯t said anything. "He made me swear not to tell you anything." Another tear formed instantly, but she continued to stare intently at him. "Where¡¯s Lu Jinnian? Where did he go?" His assistant continued to ignore her. "Honestly, I¡¯ve been with Mr. Lu for so many years and I have never disobeyed him before. I obediently followed his everymand, but this time, I can¡¯t take it any longer. Even if he is to me me afterwards, I still want to tell you some things." Qiao Anhao suppressed her tears, shouting, "I¡¯m asking you where is Lu Jinnian? Lu Jinnian! Where is he?" Qiao Anhao shouted out those three sentences before stopping. Due to her loud voice, she garnered the attention of the passers-by, but since they were seated quite far from the others, no one could hear what she had been saying. "I don¡¯t know! I wanted to ask you where did he go!" the mild mannered assistant snarled, his eyes turning red. Grabbing onto the beer on the table, he chucked anotherrge mouthful, stopping only when half the cup was gone. Slouching onto the chair, he shut his eyes for a while.When he reopened them, he was visibly calmer. He first apologized to Qiao Anhao, then said standing up, "I¡¯ll bring you somewhere first." Qiao Anhao nodded. She stood up and followed behind him. The assistant led her to the top floor of "Lijing Pavillion", the room at the very end. He swiped the card to open the door before signaling for Qiao Anhao to enter. She walked in with Lu Jinnian¡¯s assistant trailing behind her. He pointed to the balcony, signaling for her to go over there. It was currently night time, and since there weren¡¯t any lights switched on, the balcony was in pitch darkness. Qiao Anhao scanned the surroundings, but all she could see was the stars and the lights from the forbidden pce. After about five seconds, the balcony suddenly lit up - colorful neon lights flickered continuously from all directions. From them, she could vaguely see a European style dinning table and walked over to it. There was a heart-shaped design made from candles on it, and the inside was filled with Chinese Bellflowers that had already withered. The candles had been burnt and were left with only half the stick. The poles around the balcony were decorated with beautiful flowers that had also withered. Where was this? Qiao Anhao looked around curiously. Just when she was about to ask what this ce was, she caught sight of the lights in front of her. Chapter 576: The Things She Didnt Know (7) Chapter 576: The Things She Didn¡¯t Know (7) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem All of a sudden, all that was left from the ever-glowing multicolored lights were the warm yellows that read, "Qiao Qiao, can I chase you?" Startled, Qiao Anhao noticed the other shing multicolored lights on the wall had also stopped. With one nce, she noticed that the pink lights read, "Qiao Qiao, I¡¯ve loved you for thirteen years". The blue lights read, "Qiao Qiao, will you be my girlfriend?" , and thergest backdrop was covered in one really long line of white lights, "I am only happy when I¡¯m with you. Qiao Qiao, will you ept my love? If you don¡¯t, I¡¯ll still love you." For a long time, Qiao Anhao¡¯s eyes darted back and forth between all four lines of lights. Muchter she said, "This..." "This is what Mr. Lu had especially prepared for you that night of Chinese Valentine¡¯s day." The assistant didn¡¯t wait for Qiao Anhao to finish asking. He then paused for a a bit and added, "He nned to confess to you that night, here." Qiao Anhao remembered how Lu Jinnian had reminded her for days that they had a dinner date together on Valentine¡¯s day. At the time, they weren¡¯t official, but they did things only people in a rtionship would do. In her heart, she had been secretly upset about that. Who would have known, he¡¯d actually prepared all this so long ago. "He was preparing this for a very long time." The assistant lifted his head and observed the terrace. He then pointed at the withered flowers and said, "He even nned for someone to send you fresh flowers, especially the Bellflowers. He said they were your favorite., and so asked someone to prepare one of each color." With those words, Qiao Anhao remembered when Lu Jinnian hade home one night and pointed at a set for a confession scene for a new movie. At the time, he had carefully looked at each item and rashly asked her if she liked them. Sometimes she would nod, and other times, she¡¯d shake her head. She told him that though she didn¡¯t like some things, if the movie was trying to be romantic, then they would be all right. It was that night that she had told him that she liked Chinese Bellflowers. "That night of Valentine¡¯s day, he sent you many messages to apologize, and said that he¡¯d wait for you right here. And he waited the whole night. When it reached three in the morning, it started to rain heavily, and I told him to get indoors. No matter what, he refused to go inside. He said he told you that he¡¯d wait for you right there. "You didn¡¯te, so he didn¡¯t go back. He just sat on that chair, like a statue." The assistant lifted his hand and pointed at the chair on the right. "That night, he called you so many times and sent you so many messages. In all the years I¡¯ve known Mr. Lu, I¡¯ve never seen him beg anyone, besides you. Time and time again, you were his only exception. "Sixteen hours. For someone so proud, to wait sixteen whole hours for you... In the end, you still didn¡¯te." When the assistant said this, his tone clearly became usatory. "To me, those sixteen hours were the most grueling. I don¡¯t know how Lu Jinnian could withstand them. "As long as it was about you, then perhaps even if he had to endure heart-wrenching pain, he¡¯d be more than willing to do so and even treasure the moment." The assistant let out a light sigh, and continued in a calm voice, "When he could no longer wait for you, he went to find you. "He went to look for ssmates you were close with, and told each and every one of them that they must contact him if they saw you." Chapter 577: The Things She Didnt Know (8) Chapter 577: The Things She Didn¡¯t Know (8) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem "Perhaps, he really didn¡¯t want to lose you, so eventually, he went to find your sister, Miss Da Qiao." When Qiao Anhao heard this, her mouth opened. Qiao Anxia knew that she was unconscious in the hospital at the time, so if Lu Jinnian went to look for her, then he should have known about that. Why would he be mad at her then? Before suspicion nestled in Qiao Anhao¡¯s mind, the assistant spoke up again. "Miss Da Qiao didn¡¯t tell Mr. Lu anything, so he waited outside the Qiao family doors for three days and nights." Qiao Anxia didn¡¯t tell Ju Linnian where she was. If she had, would she be able to find him now? A trace of bewilderment crossed Qiao Anhao¡¯s eyes, whichter became disbelief. In the end, it turned to pain. "Miss Qiao, the moment you saw me, you asked where he was. Well, actually, I really don¡¯t know where he is. I¡¯ve looked for the whole day." There was hint of disappointment and sadness in the assistant¡¯s voice. "I thought that he would be somewhere, waiting for you. From what I understand about Mr. Lu, he¡¯s loved you for so many years now, he¡¯d never give up in thest minute... So right now, I¡¯ve no clue why he would suddenly stop waiting... "The other day, he called me in the morning to ask me to help him divert the negative news. At the time, he only thought about you... But then, this morning when I woke up, I received this email. I tried to call him but nobody picked up." Qiao Anhao furrowed her brows,catching the meaning behind the assistant¡¯s words. "He diverted the scandal?" "Yeah..." The assistant sighed lightly again. "Did you really think that someone leaked the scandal about Mr. Lu being an illegitimate child? Mr. Lu has worked the entertainment industry for many years and no one ever dared to leak any gossip about him. So how would anyonee out and leak his background?" After hearing this, it was like Qiao Anhao had vaguely understood something, and her hand subconsciously gripped tightly onto her sleeve. She didn¡¯t want to listen anymore, but the assistant spoke with a neutral tone, thrusting the blood-drenched truth in front of her. "It was Mr. Lu who personally leaked the information. In the entertainment industry, when bad news gets out, you either call public rtions to handle it or cover it up with another person¡¯s scandal to divert the public¡¯s attention. "At the time, the public was pointing their fingers at you and saying that you¡¯d taken drugs. There were already quite a few people who started gossiping about you, and the situation was only going to get worse. Worsees to worst, it would affect your personal life, while as to work in the entertainment industry, you have to have a mental endurance here. "But Mr. Lu just didn¡¯t have the heart to let the power of the inte affect you this way. Nor did he want it to affect your career as an actress, and so he chose to divert the audience¡¯s attention on himself to lessen the damage on your reputation. "In truth, Mr. Lu knew full well that if he gave the news outlet information about himself, then it¡¯d be the same as showing other people his ws and weaknesses. He knew that other negative news about him would leak out after, but he still did it to protect you. He used himself to redirected the inte¡¯s devastating power away from you." As the assistant said this, he smiled, and then asked in a particrly t tone, "He¡¯s so stupid, isn¡¯t he?" Chapter 578: The Things She Didnt Know (9) Chapter 578: The Things She Didn¡¯t Know (9) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Qiao Anhao¡¯s entire body trembled at the assistant¡¯s gentle question. She took two steps back and leaned back up against the marble table. At that moment, she realized that there was only agony left in her heart. It was a bone-piercing, heart-wrenching type of pain. She never knew just how well that man treated her, yet this was not the first time she had felt this moved. This morning, when she broke the porcin doll at her apartment to find the letter he wrote for her, she felt just as worked up. She thought that he loved her, he really loved her... But she only just realized... that she had understood only one thousandth fraction of the love he held for her. The man she loved, had loved her so so very much... Qiao Anhao¡¯s tears fell uncontrobly. The assistant paused for quite some time before he choosing to continue. "Yet, he¡¯s just that foolish... At the time, I clearly tried to persuade him to consider emergency public rtion counter measures, but do you know what he said to me? He said he couldn¡¯t wait one second. "Back then, he¡¯d waited for you for so long, his voice was unusually exhausted, and he added that I shouldn¡¯t worry. In any case, he had been ignored and spurned ever since he was young. He was long used to it, but you weren¡¯t the same. You were the only beautiful thing in his life, and he couldn¡¯t allow for anyone to tarnish that." Ultimately, Qiao Anhao couldn¡¯t help but start to sob withughter. "He always used his own methods to protect you and never hesitated to hurt himself." The assistant felt a tinge of heat beneath his eyes, and quietly took a breath, then continued to say, "He¡¯s really foolish, right? But you have no idea, there were times where he was being even more foolish than this." The assistant closed his eyes, and said tly, "Did you really think that Mr. Lu bought Xu Enterprise to get revenge against the Xu family¡¯s injustices?" The assistant stood in his spot for a long time without moving, before he finally blinked and opened his mouth to say, "The only reason why he did it was because of you." Qiao Anhao stopped crying for a moment and looked up in disbelief. With a face full of tears, she nced at the assistant and asked, "Me?" "Yes, that¡¯s right. Because of you." The assistant enunciated every word and spoke with conviction, as though he was conflicted about something deep down inside. After a long while, he gritted his teeth and put the truth out there. "Miss Qiao, the recording pen is in Mr. Lu¡¯s possession, so I have no evidence. But it doesn¡¯t matter if you don¡¯t believe me, I still have to tell you, because I can¡¯t see Mr. Lu make himself suffer like that. You don¡¯t even know how much I regret listening to Mr. Lu, helping him keep his secret." The assistant seemed to really be annoyed, judging from how he started to rattle on in a single breath. "Miss Qiao, Mr. Lu told me that you know you had an abortion and that he personally signed for the operation, am I right?" Qiao Anhao gave a light nod. "Miss Qiao, did you know? Someone sabotaged your pregnancy and caused you to miscarry your child." Qiao Anhao¡¯s eyes suddenly shot wide open and her expression instantly changed. "Lu Jinnian told me that my baby was lost due to overworking myself during filming, so the baby died in my stomach..." The assistant didn¡¯t wait for Qiao Anhao to finish speaking. He opened his mouth to hit the nail on the head, asking her, "If he had told you that your child was killed by Han Ruchu, would you have believed him?" Chapter 579: The Things She Didnt Know (10) Chapter 579: The Things She Didn¡¯t Know (10) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem ...your child was killed by Han Ruchu, would you have believed him? Qiao Anhao was left dumbfounded by the information. She stared at the assistant with eyes full of shock and hysteria. The assistant didn¡¯t say a word. In that instant, the terrace became very silent, the night breeze alone making a sound, brushing faintly by the two people. After about three minutes went by, the assistant finally revealed the truth, exining everything without any pauses in his speech. "That night, when Mr. Lu called me, you were unconscious and had lost quite a lot of blood. Eventually, the doctor confirmed that you suffered a miscarriage. "The situation was urgent at the time, and they needed Mr. Lu¡¯s signature to proceed with the operation. After he signed, the doctor told Mr. Lu that the sleeping pills you had taken containedrge amounts of sedatives, which caused the fetus to die. "As for how did Mr. Lu connect the sleeping pills to the swallow¡¯s nest that Han Ruchu gave you, I¡¯m not so sure... but when you were discharged and resting at home, he called me to Mian Xiu Garden. There, he gave me a bottle of swallow¡¯s nest and told me to go get it tested. The tests came out positive forrge amounts of sedatives." With the assistant¡¯s words, Qiao Anhao¡¯s mind instantly thought back to the day she had vomited like crazy on her visit in the Xu family estate. She even told Han Ruchu that she must¡¯ve caught a stomach bug. On her way back to the set, Han Ruchu gave her two boxes of swallow¡¯s nest. Auntie was standing next to her at the time, and had added that her mother-inw was really treating her well. Sometimes, the person in the situation is blindsided. Han Ruchu watched her grow up and had always taken good care of her, as though she were really her half daughter, which was why shepletely trusted her. Even if the situation was a little fishy, she never overly suspect anything because she really trusted Han Ruchu. But now, she realized that the vomiting had stopped only after she ate the swallow¡¯s nest. Back then, she hadn¡¯t taken any medicine, and she thought that her body had recovered on it¡¯s own. At the time, she was especially tired, but not just her, Zhao Meng too! Zhao Meng was always a night owl, but during that time, she¡¯d sleep particrly early. It was so bad that she even dozed during the day on set. The more Qiao Anhao thought about it, the faster her heart raced. It was no wonder that she had used to rack her brain over how she had felt nothing while having an abortion. She even asked herself how on earth was Lu Jinnian able to have her undertake an operation without her waking up the whole time. Now that she thought about it, if there were sleeping pills in the swallow¡¯s nest, then she¡¯d fall into deep asleep right after taking them... If too much of them was consumed, then the person in deep sleep would fall into an unconscious state... Qiao Anhao¡¯s brows shifted, then she suddenly started muttering to herself. "That¡¯s right... right... then... everything would make sense... so that¡¯s what happened... that¡¯s it!" So her baby didn¡¯t die from natural causes! Someone murdered her baby! And that person was the woman who had always treated her like family... the woman who showed her love and care - Aunt Xu! Qiao Anhao suddenly pressed her hand against her chest. When she went to visit Han Ruchu to ask why Lu Jinnian would ever acquire Xu Enterprise, she did consider that he might have had his own reasons. Yet she had never imagined that a tremendous secret about herself would be the reason behind it all! So in truth, the only reason why Lu Jinnian took over the Xu Enterprise and sabotaged Han Ruchu¡¯s several billion investment, was actually for her and their baby? Chapter 580: The Things She Didnt Know (11) Chapter 580: The Things She Didn¡¯t Know (11) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Yet the day when Qiao Anhao had found out Lu Jinnian had acquired Xu Enterprise, she had evenined to him about it... It was no wonder he was so mad that day. At the time, she chased him for half a day hoping to exin herself, but he wouldn¡¯t listen. She was so distressed, thinking that it was just a harmless thing to say, so why did he have to be so merciless. It was not until now that she finally understood how she actually had made him feel incredibly wronged... Having loved him for so many years , she had actually hit him the hardest! Panic instantly shed across Qiao Anhao¡¯s eyes, and tears silently fell down her face once more. She asked in a mumble, "Why didn¡¯t he tell me? Why didn¡¯t he tell me earlier?" The final syble of Qiao Anhao¡¯s question dropped from between her teeth with a sobbing crack in her voice. "At first, he didn¡¯t want you to feel the pain of losing a child, but who would of thought that the baby¡¯s killer not only didn¡¯t cover up the situation, she tried to save the Qiao and Xu family ties after her son woke up by telling you an edited version." Qiao Anhao suddenly remembered that she had received an anonymous letter with Lu Jinnian¡¯s signature on the abortion papers on her birthday. It was the same day Xu Jiamu woke up. "Since he didn¡¯t think that you and him had a shot together, he chose to keep it a secret." In that instant, the assistant¡¯s voice became a little gentler. "What¡¯s more, even if he was targeting Han Ruchu, he was going to use his own ways to treat Xu Jiamu well. You don¡¯t even know... He never actually wanted to keep Xu Enterprise from the very start, he always nned to slowly transfer it to Mr. Xu... He just wanted Han Ruchu to taste how it felt to be left with nothing..." The assistant¡¯s words were clearly not trying to me Qiao Anhao, but she still lowered her head in regret. She bit hard into the corner of her lips, as she couldn¡¯t say anything to exin herself. All she could do was try her best to hold it in, but every now and then, she would let out a quiet sob. "Also, Miss Qiao, did you know? He was about to tell you everything that night on Valentine¡¯s day. At the time, he even thought about how upset you¡¯d be, so he considered ways to cheer you up..." In the end, Qiao Anhao couldn¡¯t take the assistant¡¯s words anymore and slowly slumped to the ground, sobbing out loud. The assistant stopped talking. The night breeze swept the terrace, but all that could be heard were the never-ending echoes of Qiao Anhao¡¯s cries. She sounded like she was in anguish. In the midst of her cries, you could hear the repeated faint sound of words "Sorry... sorry...". ¡ª Four monthster. "Cut¡ª" With the director¡¯s words, Qiao Anhao and Chen Yang, who were originally staring at each other with different emotions, instantly brought themselves back to reality. "Good work. Today¡¯s shoot was great. Everybody can go eat, then go get some rest. Tomorrow afternoon will be thest scene, then that¡¯ll be the end of the filming for ¡¯Heavenly Sword¡¯," the director said in the raised microphone raised, smiling wide. "The entire crew has tickets booked to return to Beijing tomorrow afternoon at five. Thankfully we managed to finish shooting before the lunar new year, so everyone can go home for their family reunion dinner." Chapter 581: The Things She Didnt Know (12) Chapter 581: The Things She Didn¡¯t Know (12) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem "Director! What about the celebration dinner!? Will you treat us back in Beijing?" cried a minor female actress. "Yes! Yes! Yes, it¡¯ll be on me" the director repeated himself a couple times. The hyped up people on the setughed and cheered. Quite a few of them even cried, "Thank you director!" As it was a historical movie, Qiao Anhao¡¯s make up was a littleplicated and the steps to remove it were troublesome. After she finished with taking it all off, there were only a few members of the crew left on set. When she came out of the make up room, two people were collecting the rubbish from the floor. When they saw her, the two of them kindly greeted her, "Hello Miss Qiao!" Qiao Anhao gave them a gentle smile, and replied with a "Hey", then walked back to where she and Zhao Meng were staying. The filming location was Jiangxi. As usual, they were staying in a constructed temporary house. Yesterday, her period hade, and so her body was already a little weak. Today, she filmed for the whole day, which left herpletely exhausted. As soon as she went back to the house, she immediatelyid down on the metal frame bed. It was deep in the winter period, and so the weather was incredibly cold. The house didn¡¯t have heating, which made it colder even than the outside. Qiao Anhao used twoyers of duvet to force herself to warm up, but nothing seemed to be able to warm her feet. In the end, all she could do was withstand the icy cold. The thought of when she was previously on her period involuntarily popped into her mind. It was the middle of the night, and she had ran out of Mian Xiu Garden to buy sanitary towels when she coincidentally bumped into Lu Jinnian. Because he was worried she might be in danger, he apanied her by walking quite a distance to the shop. That night, he even left a hand warmer and ginger in front of her door. The rims of Qiao Anhao¡¯s eyes couldn¡¯t help but heat up, and she instinctively hid her head in the covers. Four months had passed in the blink of an eye. In these four months, she spent all her time looking for him, but the world was so big and the seas were so vast, if someone wanted to hide from another, it was easy. Zhao Meng wanted to originally ask what Qiao Anhao wanted her to bring over to eat that evening, but she knew that if she asked, there wouldn¡¯t be a reply for ages. She then walked over to the beside, as though she had a feeling about something, and ripped away the covers. As she expected, she saw Qiao Anhao with slightly red eyes and couldn¡¯t help but let out a gentle sigh. She reached her hand out and helped her wipe the tears away. "Thinking about Mr. Lu again?" Qiao Anhao lowered her eyelids and didn¡¯t say a thing, two crystal balls of tears hanging from her long eyshes. "Did you call Mr. Lu¡¯s assistant today?" Qiao Anhao shut her eyes and gave a gentle nod. "Yeah." "Mr. Lu still hasn¡¯t contacted him?" As Zhao Meng asked this question, she saw the expression on Qiao Anhao¡¯s face and knew the answer. After a long sigh, she said, "Say... it¡¯s already been four months now. Where do you think Mr. Lu is?" Qiao Anhao didn¡¯t say a word. The house was silent. After a while, Zhao Meng opened her mouth to ask, "Qiao Qiao, if you can¡¯t find Mr. Lu in your whole life, what will you do? Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯ll continue on like this, looking for him?!" "Uh huh," replied Qiao Anhao in a very soft voice, but with hints of determination and persistence. "I¡¯ll continue the search. If it takes one day, then I¡¯ll look for a day, and if takes my whole lifetime, then so be it. No matter what, this time, I won¡¯t give up." Zhao Meng looked at Qiao Anhao with only pain in her heart. She wanted to say something tofort her, but every time, her words seemed overly saddening. Chapter 582: The Things She Didnt Know (13) Chapter 582: The Things She Didn¡¯t Know (13) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Eventually, Zhao Meng could only gently cover Qiao Anhao with the duvets. "I¡¯ll go get you some dinner. Get some rest." Qiao Anhao responded with a quiet grunt. With Zhao Meng out, the room was terrifyingly silent. Qiao Anhao could hear the faint sound of her own breathing. Sheid there for a long time before slowly curling her body into itself. Then, with her head buried under the covers, she quietly called out, "Lu Jinnian." Her response was a silent room. A single tear seeped out from Qiao Anhao¡¯s eyes, but the corner of her lips was still gently curved up. You, who I love the most... I¡¯ll continue to work hard to find you. Perhaps, I¡¯ll never be able to see you in my life, but looking for you is the only thing that keeps us connected. And so, I¡¯ll never give up. Perhaps, we really will meet one day, and we may already have white hair and no teeth. But, that¡¯s all right. I still want to find you. You took regret and despair away with you, and left me with the courage and endurance to wait. - When Zhao Meng returned, Qiao Anhao had already fallen asleep. She didn¡¯t wake her up and put her dinner in the thermal container. The temporary rooms that had been built for the set were far from a hotel. They didn¡¯t even have television. Zhao Meng always liked to sleepte and sit in bed browsing websites on her own, but eventually, she¡¯d get bored, then turn off the lights and fall asleep. In the middle of the night, whilst Qiao Anhao was asleep, she suddenly felt someone move her duvet. She assumed it was Zhao Meng, so she kept her eyes shut and murmured, "Stop messing around". Then she reached her arm out and pped the hand that moved her duvet. The hand felt extremely thick and the knuckles were big. It waspletely different from Zhao Meng¡¯s delicate and soft small hands. In that instant, Qiao Anhao¡¯s eyes suddenly shot wide open and she waspletely awake. The room was pitch-ck, but with the faint moonlight from the windows, she could see a figure next to her bed. Because it was dim, she couldn¡¯t clearly make out the person¡¯s face, but she could definitely tell it was a man. Qiao Anhao¡¯s body quivered, and she quickly sat up in her bed. "Who are you?" That man didn¡¯t think that she would suddenly wake up. His hand, which was searching by her pillow for something, suddenly paused. He then reached his arm out in a panic, covering her mouth with a palm, and pushed her whole body back under the covers. Qiao Anhao only just about made in time to let out a short shriek, before it turned into a weak whining sound. The man had covered her mouth with an enormous amount of strength. He pressed so hard on her nose that she couldn¡¯t breathe. With a will to cry for help, she reached her hand out to grab his arm, and with all her might, she pinched him hard. When Qiao Anhao pinched with great force, the man groaned in pain and slightly loosened his hand on her mouth for a moment. She immediately tried to call Zhao Meng, who was dead asleep next to them, but in the end, she could only cry a single word, "Zhao" before the man ruthlessly pressed his hand against her face. He then pulled the pillow from under her head in a swoop and savagely pressed it hard on top of her face. The pillow was exceptionally soft, and so under the man¡¯s forceful press, Qiao Anhao waspletely smothered until she couldn¡¯t breathe. Her hands stretched out in a struggle, when suddenly, she heard a muffled sound. Then, the pressure from her face disappeared. Trantor¡¯s Thoughts Paperne Paperne Hello BNHH fans ^^ Thanks for reading!! I¡¯m thinking about creating a private chat server on Discord for our littlemunity, and for future romance web novels I will be tranting :) Would you be interested in joining? Please share your thoughts in thements section. Many thanks xxx Paperne Chapter 583: The Things She Didnt Know (14) Chapter 583: The Things She Didn¡¯t Know (14) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem The man who had tried to take Qiao Anhao¡¯s life suddenly dropped to the bed and onto her leg, causing her to wince in pain. She let out a muffled grunt in pain, and suddenly snapped back to reality. As she pulled the pillow off from her face, she saw a dark figure rush to the door, pull it open, and run out in a sh. Zhao Meng, who was asleep on the other side of the room, was woken up. She abruptly sat up and groggily cried out, "Qiao Qiao". Then, she conveniently swiped the phone by her ear and shined it over at Qiao Anhao¡¯s bed. There, she saw a man with blood lightly dripping from the back of his head, dyeing the duvet a shy red. Zhao Meng¡¯s eyes shot wide open, as she was left shocked from the scene before her. She hesitated for about three seconds before she screamed at the top of her lungs, "Ah¡ª" Qiao Anhao wasn¡¯t actually frightened by the thiefing into her room in the middle of the night, trying to steal her things, and almost killing her, but she was so terrified by Zhao Meng¡¯s piercing scream that her whole body shivered. She then stared at the door and back at Zhao Meng, crying out, "Why are you screaming!" Zhao Meng didn¡¯t hear what Qiao Anhao said in the slightest, as she jumped out of bed and forcefully stamped her feet. With all her might, she continued to yell, "Help! Heeeelp!" The filming location was situated in a deserted area of naturalndscapes. During the day, it was very peaceful and so they lived in temporary rooms which weren¡¯t soundproof. In the dead of the night, Zhao Meng¡¯s scream instantly woke up the entire crew. The crashing sounds of doors opening and closing were heard, then someone pushed open Qiao Anhao and Zhao Meng¡¯s room. The entire crew rushed in. "What happened?" "What in the hell happened?" With everyone¡¯s questions, the lights in the room turned on. Everyone was looking at the scene at Qiao Anhao¡¯s bed. Chen Yang was the first to rush over. He looked at Qiao Anhao a little worried. "What happened? Are you all right?" Also quite worried, the director asked, "Xiao Qiao, what in the hell happened?" "I¡¯m all right." Qiao Anhao, who still had a lingering fear, let out a sigh of relief. She first pulled a hint of a smile to her face, then pointed at the man who had fainted, and reassured everyone with her words. "While I was sleeping, he reached around my pillow for something and woke me up. Then, something came over him and he grabbed my pillow and tried to smother me with it. In the end, someone came in and struck him down..." Qiao Anhao paused for a moment, then added, "He couldn¡¯t have been struck to death, could he?" Chen Yang, who was mostposed, reached his arm out and checked the stranger¡¯s breathing and examined his head. "It¡¯s nothing major... the wound is shallow and his breathing is normal. I suspect that he fainted momentarily from the force." Zhao Meng, who had already calmed down, then asked a little afraid, "Who is he? Why did he secretlye into someone¡¯s room in the middle of the night?" "He doesn¡¯t look like someone from the crew," replied someone. "From what he¡¯s wearing, he should be one of the nearby vigers." "It¡¯s almost new years. So many people want a little extra money around this time. He¡¯s most probably here to steal something." "All right, let¡¯s not stay here making up theories and quickly call call the police" said the director, interrupting the spections. Chapter 584: The Things She Didnt Know (15) Chapter 584: The Things She Didn''t Know (15) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Since the location was remote, the police arrived only an hour after they were called. The person who had sneaked into the room had already woken up, and when the police took him away, they casually picked the wooden stick used to hit the crook over the head. Of course, they also took Qiao Anhao with them for her testimony, apanied by Chen Yang and Zhao Meng. As everyone had assumed, the person was indeed from a nearby vige. Because of his gambling debts, he owed quite a bit of money. With the New Year''s drawing closer, he was being chased by loan sharks. Unable to go back home, he often wandered the scenic area. He inadvertently stumbled onto the crew whilst they were filming, and a thieving urge came over him. As to the identity of the figure who had knocked out the thief, Qiao Anhao wasn''t sure. All she could do was describe what she saw. However, even if they didn''t know who had hit the thief, the man was in the wrong first, and so in the eyes of thew, it was self-defense. Furthermore, if it weren''t for that person''s sudden appearance, someone might''ve lost their life. And so, after her testimony was taken, the police escorted them back to the set and searched the surrounding filming area for the hero Qiao Anhao had described. Perhaps that person had already left, since the police searched for a while but couldn''t find anyone. In the end, they gave up and left. The hugemotion that had started in the middle of the night was over at four in the morning. Chen Yang and Zhao Meng were unbelievably sleepy, and so everyone went back to their rooms to get some sleep. There was arge stretch of blood over Qiao Anhao''s bed, which made her slightly want to gag, and so she squeezed onto Zhao Meng''s bed with her. From the sound of her breathing, she could tell Zhao Meng was already fast asleep, but she wasn''t the slightest bit sleepy. With furrowed brows, her eyes stared straight at the door of the room. Just who had appeared in the nick of time and knocked the crook out cold? At the time, she had just escaped death, and she hadn''t quite recovered from the shock, and so her concentration wasn''t very good. She only saw a tall, slender figure. Then, in the blink of an eye, it had disappeared out the door. She didn''t know if it was because she missed Lu Jinnian, the image of the fleeting figure seemed simr to the memory of the shape of his body. - Qiao Anhao continued to let her imagination run wild until six o''clock, before she closed her eyes. After she had only slept for two hours, Zhao Meng woke her up. From then, she was busy with getting her make up done, rehearsals, and filming. As this was the final scene of "Heavenly Sword", everyone was extremely on edge. Throughout the filming, Qiao Anhao''s performance was good, but perhaps it was because of the incidentst night, all she could think about was the dark figure which had bolted off. It seemed like she was a little distracted, for she made an outtake. Thankfully, everyone knew about what happenedst night, so they didn''t give her the cold-shoulder for wasting their time. In fact, they went up front and gave her a few words of encouragement. After filming finished, everyone went back to their rooms to pack their things and get ready to head back to Beijing. Qiao Anhao wanted to chuck the blood-stained duvet out. When Zhao Meng rolled it up, something fell out and onto the floor with a "Pa!". Zhao Meng instinctively turned her head and nced over to see a pack of cigarettes. She lifted her foot and mentioned it to Qiao Anhao, who was at the side, folding the clothes. "The crook must have left thisst night, right?" At Zhao Meng''s words, Qiao Anhao nced over. Suddenly, her eyes stopped there for awhile. She put the clothes in her hands down, walked over, and bent down to pick up the pack of cigarettes. Trantor''s Thoughts Paperne Paperne Hello BTNHH fans ^^ Thanks for reading! Chapter 585: The Things She Didnt Know (16) Chapter 585: The Things She Didn¡¯t Know (16) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Nanjin95 Supreme. Qiao Anhao didn¡¯t smoke, nor did she like others smoking, and so she had never paid attention to cigarette brands. When she and Lu Jinnian were together, he rarely smoked in front of her, but when she tried to find him a few times, she did catch him in the act. Actually, back then, Lu Jinnian was always quick to put out his cigarettes. He would open a window to air it out, or take her somewhere else to talk, but she managed to take note of the brand on his pack of cigarettes: Nanjin95 Supreme. It was too much of a coincidence... In the early hours, Qiao Anhao tossed and turned in bed. Whilst she was unable to fall asleep, the hunch she had had came rushing back to her mind. With this and her intuition, she suddenly was very certain thatst night... at the most crucial moment, the person who had appeared and knocked out the crook was Lu Jinnian! She stared at the pack of cigarettes, and her chest instantly began to heave. She subconsciously let the name slip out in a mumbled cry, "Lu Jinnian..." Zhao Meng, who had shoved the duvet into the bin, couldn¡¯t help but furrow her brows when she heard Qiao Anhao call his name. For the past few months on set, she had often suddenly called his name in a daze like that. A bitterness crept into Zhao Meng¡¯s heart as she turned her head, wanting tofort her friend. But then, Qiao Anhao turned her head to also look directly at her with a beaming look of surprise on her face. As she held up the pack of cigarettes Zhao Meng had identally dropped on the floor, she said, "Zhao Meng, Lu Jinnian, Lu Jinnian!" When Zhao Meng heard this, she felt heartbroken. Qiao Qiao must be possessed... How could Mr. Lu transform into a pack of cigarettes? "Zhao Meng, it was himst night! It was Lu Jinnianst night!" As Qiao Anhao spoke, tears started to fall, but at the same time, she wore a dazzlingly bright smile on her face. She looked as though she had encountered something amazing. With tear pearls falling down her face, she rushed over and enthusiastically hugged Zhao Meng. She cried andughed as she said incoherently, "Zhao Meng, Lu Jinnian was by my side. The person who came to save mest night was Lu Jinnian! He was by my side!" When Qiao Anhao had finished speaking, she removed her hands that hugged Zhao Meng¡¯s neck, and grabbed her arm with a child-like excitement. She endlessly rocked it around and said, "Zhao Meng, I¡¯m telling you! Lu Jinnian always smoked this brand of cigarettes! It must be him, there¡¯s no way I¡¯m wrong!" With that, Qiao Anhao tightly hugged Zhao Meng a gain. Her tears fell down like a strings of pearls cut off, pearl by pearl. "Sure enough, he still cares about me! I knew it! He loves me so much, how could he bear to leave me on my own? "Zhao Meng, I¡¯m so happy! I¡¯ve waited for him for so long. I finally met him... "But he doesn¡¯t want to see me. He was clearly hiding from mest night! Or else why would he run out in a panic after saving me! "Zhao Meng, help me think! How can I trick him intoing out!" As though Qiao Anhao had suddenly thought of a serious matter, she pulled her arms away from Zhao Meng and stared at the pack of cigarettes. She tilted her head, an insuppressible smile in the corner of her lips. Then, she eagerly chattered on, "What do you think about me pretending to be sick? But if it¡¯s not serious, what do I do if he doesn¡¯te out? That¡¯s no good..." Qiao Anhao shook her head, then suddenly an idea shed in her mind. She turned her head, and with glistening eyes, she stared at Zhao Meng. "How about we n a car ident?" Chapter 586: The Things She Didnt Know (17) Chapter 586: The Things She Didn¡¯t Know (17) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem "Zhao Meng, I¡¯ve decided! Crash your car into mine, but you have to act convincingly. Lu Jinnian will definitely run out to save me, and then, I can grab him and never let go..." With a single pack of cigarettes, how could she be sure that Mr. Lu had been the one there? Zhao Meng looked at how enthusiastic Qiao Anhao was, and didn¡¯t say a word in the end, because she couldn¡¯t bare to trigger her. Even though these days she didn¡¯t look any different from before, filming and having meals as she was supposed to, Zhao Meng knew something was off. After being friends with her for so many years, she could tell that Qiao Anhao was unhappy every single day. So much so that she would wake up in the middle of the night and hear her secretly crying in bed on her own. - No matter what Zhao Meng thought, Qiao Anhao was certain that Lu Jinnian had been therest night. She was certain that this pack of cigarettes belonged to him. She had finally found a clue after four whole months of looking for him. She felt like the weight of a mountain had disappeared from her chest and her breathing became a lot smoother. After she packed her suitcase, she carefully ced the treasured pack of cigarettes into her bag. On her flight back to Beijing, Qiao Anhao didn¡¯t know just how many times she pulled out the pack of cigarettes and stared at it. - The day after Qiao Anhao returned to Beijing, she received a call from Qiao Anxia. Qiao Anhao consistently told herself not to me her sister for not telling Lu Jinnian about her being in the hospital when he was looking for her. She knew that, if Qiao Anxia realized that Lu Jinnian liked her, then she definitely would feel ufortable about it. But understanding was one thing. She still wandered if her sister had told Lu Jinnian that she was in the hospital in the first ce, would the end result have been the same or would it have been different now? She really didn¡¯t resent Qiao Anxia, but she still felt devastated from the bottom of her heart. And so, every time her sister called her, she would always hesitate for a long time. When she finallyposed herself, she picked up the call. "Qiao Qiao, what took you so long to pick up the phone?" The sound of Qiao Anxia¡¯s voice was crystal clear as always. Qiao Anhao quickly came up with an excuse. "I was just in the shower." "It¡¯s twelve in the afternoon. Did you just get up? You haven¡¯t had lunch yet, have you?" Qiao Anhao replied with a single "Uh huh", then said ,"Sis, did you call me for something?" "Can¡¯t I call you if it¡¯s nothing serious?" asked Qiao Anxia in return. She then continued with a cheerful smile, "Qiao Qiao, I¡¯m calling to remind you that tomorrow night is Aunt Xu¡¯s birthday. Don¡¯t forget toe over." When Qiao Anhao heard this, her eyes instantly became cold, for she remembered that it was Han Ruchu who had killed her baby. Qiao Anxia waited on the phone for a while, but didn¡¯t hear anything from the other side. "Qiao Qiao?" Qiao Anhao snapped back to her senses. "Got it." Perhaps it was the overly cold tone in Qiao Anhao¡¯s voice, but Qiao Anxia felt an indescribable sense of unease creep into her heart. In that instant, she remembered the image of Lu Jinnian waiting three whole days and nights at the doors of the Qiao family estate for Qiao Anhao. When she first woke up, Lu Jinnian had already went missing. Qiao Anxia knew perfectly well that Qiao Anhao didn¡¯t know that Lu Jinnian had asked her for her whereabouts. Yet whenever she faced Qiao Anhao, she could hear a tness in her tone of voice, which made her feel randomly guilty. Chapter 587: The Things She Didnt Know(18) Chapter 587: The Things She Didn¡¯t Know£¨18£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Qiao Anxia tightened the grip on her phone. After hesitating slightly, she asked, "Qiao Qiao, are you in a bad mood?" Qiao Anhao seemed slightly puzzled. "No." "Oh." After ensuring that there wasn¡¯t anything weird in her tone, she dismissed her suspicions. She said with a smile, "That¡¯s good, I have a meeting soon, talk to you in a bit." "Right, Sis, goodbye." "Goodbye." When Qiao Anxia said that, her fingers trembled slightly, and she said , "Qiao Qiao." "Yea?" Qiao Anxia wanted to be honest, but somehow, she couldn¡¯t seem to do it. After a long moment of hesitation, she swallowed her words. In a chirpy voice, she reminded as though nothing had happened, "Qiao Qiao, tomorrow 8 pm. Don¡¯t forget!" - After Lu Jinnian had left, Qiao Anhao used the payment she got from "Alluring Times" to buy an apartment in the city center. Even though it wasn¡¯t big, it was sufficient. In the past four months, she had visited her aunt and uncle at the Qiao family several times but had never step foot into the Xu family house. Even though Lu Jinnian had control over the Xu Enterprise, the Xu family and Qiao family would still gather together for meals, even though Han Ruchu no longer had control over the enterprise. Every time they gathered, they would invite Qiao Anhao, but she never once turned up, dismissing them with an abundance of random reasons. But on Han Ruchu¡¯s birthday, she went. The Xu family now was no longer as powerful as before, so Han Ruchu¡¯s birthday party was no longer as grand. It was just a simple dinner with both the Qiao and Xu families. Qiao Anhao arrived thest. When she reached the house, all the dishes were already served. When the Xu family housekeeper saw her, she immediately shouted into the house, "Mrs. Xu, Miss Xiao Qiao is here." Han Ruchu quickly walked over to the entrance. When she saw Qiao Anhao, she had on the same warm smile as before. "Qiao Qiao, you¡¯re finally here! Everyone has been waiting." Qiao Anhao stared at her for about two seconds before passing her gift over, smiling sweetly. " Auntie Xu, happy birthday." "You¡¯re too kind, even getting me a gift." Han Ruchu looked pleasantly surprised at the gift. After giving it another look, she passed it to the housekeeper. Turning to Qiao Anhao, she led her into the house. Everyone had gathered and the meal was set. The housekeeper had even opened two bottles of red wine, pouring everyone a ss. They chatted as they had their meal, the mood and atmosphere warm and cosy. Qiao Anhao didn¡¯t say or eat much. Once the dinner was over, the housekeeper reentered the dinning room with a cake. After lighting the candles, Qiao Anxia began singing a birthday song. Han Ruchu blew the candles and epted everyone¡¯s greetings before cutting the cake. Just then, Qiao Anhao who had been silent all this while spoke up. "Auntie Xu, do you still have the swallow nests you gave me previously? I have a sudden craving." Han Ruchu and the housekeeper froze momentarily. Qiao Anhao kept an innocent smile on her face as she added, "Auntie Xu, where did you get that swallow¡¯s nest? They¡¯re known to be good for health, but the one¡¯s I bought afterwards didn¡¯t seem to have the same calming effect as the ones you gave me." Chapter 588: The Things She Didnt Know(19) Chapter 588: The Things She Didn¡¯t Know£¨19£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Qiao Anhao deliberately emphasized on the word "calming", while her gaze remained focused on Han Ruchu¡¯s face. She could distinctly spot the shock that flitted through her eyes and a hint of anxiousness. Madam Qiao was aware that Han Ruchu had sent Qiao Anhao the swallow¡¯s nest. When she heard Qiao Anhao asking for food, she said indulgently, "Ruchu, you have spoiled her! She¡¯s starting to treat the Xu family as her own home, even demanding for food now!" "My mother loves her for that." Xu Jiamu smiled before turning to face his mother. "Right, mum?" Han Ruchu¡¯ste response attracted everyone¡¯s attention. The housekeeper behind her regained her senses instantly, silently nudging Han Ruchu¡¯s elbow. In a low voice, she whispered, "Mrs. Xu, don¡¯t just eat the cake, little master asked you something. She¡¯ll think that you are treating her as an outsider." Han Ruchu snapped out of her daze, hurriedly lowering hershes to conceal her anxiety. Her red lips curled into a smile. "What rubbish, I¡¯ve always wanted Qiao Qiao as my daughter." Calmly, she turned to her housekeeper. "Auntie Yun, I remember we still have some swallow¡¯s nest at home, heat it up and bring some over." "Yes, Madam Xu." With a turn, the housekeeper headed into the kitchen. Qiao Anhao took in the entire exchange, a quiet smile etched on her face. Internally, she smirked. The swallow¡¯s nest was heated in an instant, and it was the same as the one given to Qiao Anhao previously. When the housekeeper ced the swallow¡¯s nest in front of Qiao Anhao, thetter¡¯s gaze turned bright and sharp as though agitated. Her grip loosened slightly, and the chopsticks in her hand fell to the floor with a small thud. "Qiao Qiao what¡¯s wrong? Too touched by the swallow¡¯s nest?" Qiao Anxia smiled cheekily as she teased. Xu Jiamu bent to pick up the chopsticks, passing them to the housekeeper before getting a new pair for Qiao Anhao. Qiao Anhao lifted her head, her eyes clear of the fleeting emotion. Pouting, as though unhappy from Qiao Anxia¡¯s tease, she reached over to grab Xu Jiamu¡¯s chopsticks. She replied to him in a tender and sweet voice, "Thank you, brother Jiamu." But the instant she lowered her head, her eyes frosted over, and she tightened her grip on the chopsticks. The men at the table didn¡¯t seem interested in the swallow¡¯s nest, so they didn¡¯t touch it. Mrs. Qiao took two bites before turning to praise Han Ruchu. " This is really nice, I can see why Qiao Qiao misses it." Han Ruchu smiled. "Auntie Yun brewed this personally, the bird nests were also specially picked, they¡¯re natural and healthy." Qiao Anxia said, "Picking bird nests is indeed a skill! Many people have been selling inferior goods which not only do not aid the body but may also cause cancer!" Ever since the swallow¡¯s nest was served, Qiao Anhao had been silent, but at this moment, she added causally, "It may even kill." Chapter 589: The Things She Didnt Know(20) Chapter 589: The Things She Didn¡¯t Know(20) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Once she finished speaking, Qiao Anhao raised her eyes and red at Han Ruchu. Han Ruchu¡¯s expression was clearly tense, as though she understood the meaning behind those words. The grip on her spoon tightened. Qiao Anhao ignored Han Ruchu¡¯s strange behavior and pretended to look confused. She continued to act cute by saying, "That¡¯s odd. Whenever I ate Aunt Xu¡¯s swallow¡¯s nest, I¡¯d immediately became sleepy. This time, howe I¡¯m still so awake after eating it?" Qiao Anxia, who waspletely oblivious to what was behind the swallow¡¯s nest situation, couldn¡¯t help but reach her hand out and smack Qiao Anhao on the head. "Qiao Qiao, what the hell are you saying? Swallow¡¯s nest is just to relieve your body and mind. It¡¯s not like they¡¯re sleeping pills!" Qiao Anhao pouted, all upset, then raised her hand and rubbed her own head. "Sis, I¡¯ve told you so many times now. Stop always hitting my head..." With that, Qiao Anhao turned her head again, then looked over at Xu Jiamu all pitiful andined, "Brother Jiamu, Anxia hit me again..." "Come, I¡¯ll rub it." Xu Jiamu reached his hand out with a conniving expression on his face, then stroked the area where Qiao Anxia had just smacked Qiao Anhao. Qiao Anhao turned her head and proudly smiled at her sister. She looked as though she was innocent and said, "I really didn¡¯t lie just now. The swallow¡¯s nest Aunt Xu gave me worked better than sleeping pills!" As Qiao Anhao said this, the crisp sound of chinaware crashing to the ground was heard in the house. Qiao Anhao, Xu Jiamu, and Qiao Anxia, who were all messing about just now, turned their attention towards the source of the noise. The bowl in Han Ruchu¡¯s hands had fallen to the ground by ident, spilling the swallow¡¯s nest onto her skirt. "Madame, how could you be so clumsy?" said the housekeeper who hastily started to pull out tissues to help Han Ruchu wipe it off. Han Ruchu¡¯splexion didn¡¯t look too well. It was as thought she was a tad annoyed. She pushed the housekeeper¡¯s arm away, stood up, and said in aposed voice, "I¡¯ll go upstairs to get changed first. Wait here for a moment." - When Han Ruchu changed her clothes and made her way back downstairs, Xu Wanli and father Qiao had already left for the study room to y chess. The others in the meantime were sitting in a circle on the sofa of the living room. There was a steaming pot of tea on the marble coffee table that let out spirals of hot steam. Qiao Anxia was on the phone with Chen Yang. Every now and then, she¡¯d let out augh and asionallyin to him in a tender way, "You¡¯re so annoying!" Qiao Anhao and Xu Jiamu were watching an old movie on the television. Han Ruchu only sneaked a nce, but she saw that it was a woman in red. Her face was dainty and her personality stood out among the crowd. Han Ruchu rarely paid attention to things in the entertainment industry, but she knew that in these past few years, the popr queen of movies was an actress called Song Xiangsi. Han Ruchu sat down next to mother Qiao, who didn¡¯t look at all interested in the movie, so they both started to gossip about what they had heard over Mahjong recently. When Han Ruchu came downstairs, Qiao Anhao noticed her but pretended to be immersed in watching the television. She waited for Han Ruchu and mother Qiao¡¯s gossip to be over before she suddenly said, "Lu Jinnian¡¯s acting skills are truly impable." Everyone present knew that Lu Jinnian was Xu family¡¯s illegitimate son, whoter acquired the Xu Enterprise. Qiao Anhao¡¯s one sentence turned the atmosphere in the entire room instantly awkward. Trantor¡¯s Thoughts Paperne Paperne Join our smallmunity of btnhh readers at the paperne club Discord channel fortest chapter discussions, teasers, and spoilers etc ^^ (https://discord.gg/UXeEAvT). If you like BTNHH, maybe you¡¯ll like Ye Feiye¡¯s second tranted web novel, "A Billion Stars Can¡¯t Amount to You". It¡¯s out now in the voting pool! If you¡¯re interested, please vote your energy stones guys and girls :D Chapter 590: Long Time No See, My Love (1) Chapter 590: Long Time No See, My Love (1) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Mother Qiao looked over at Han Ruchu¡¯s expression and smiled in embarrassment. She cleared her throat as a reminder for Qiao Anhao to avoid the taboo topic. Qiao Anhao knew in her heart exactly what her aunt was suggesting, but she pretended to be ignorant. She turned her head and said in a natural tone, "I¡¯ve filmed with Lu Jinnian. Because of his superb acting skills, he gave a me a lot of pressure. His mother was a celebrity, so I guess his skills were probably passed on from her..." "Qiao Qiao!" She couldn¡¯t mention Lu Jinnian, let alone his mother. Mother Qiao saw Han Ruchu¡¯s face gradually grow cold, and couldn¡¯t help but open her mouth to stop Qiao Anhao. Qiao Anhao stared at mother Qiao innocently and waited for a while before looking as though she had suddenly realized something. "I forgot, Lu Jinnian¡¯s mother and Uncle Xu used to have..." As she said that, Qiao Anhao suddenly stopped there and raised her hand to cover her mouth. Pretending to have spoken out of turn, she said, "Sorry, Aunt Xu, I didn¡¯t mean to." At that moment, the expression on Han Ruchu¡¯s face looked like it had already reached its limit. Mother Qiao hurriedly turned her head and tried to calm Han Ruchu in a pleasant voice. "Ruchu, ever since Qiao Qiao was young, she always spoke before thinking. Don¡¯t take it to heart." The biggest thorn in Han Ruchu¡¯s heart was Lu Jinnian and his mother. At that very moment, on her birthday, for Qiao Anhao to actually bring up the fact that her husband betrayed her, it practically killed her mood in an instant. She was unbelievably annoyed inside, but with the Qiao family background behind Qiao Anhao, she couldn¡¯t get mad. All she could do was force herself to smile, pretend to be generous, and act as though she didn¡¯t mind at all. "Why would I? I know Qiao Qiao didn¡¯t mean it. How could I be angry at her..." When mother Qiao heard what Han Ruchu said, she immediately turned her head and told Qiao Anhao, "Qiao Qiao, quickly apologize to Aunt X..." Qiao Anhao knew what mother Qiao wanted to say, but she didn¡¯t wait for her aunt to finish. She got up and beat her to it by saying, "I have to use the bathroom." Then, she didn¡¯t wait for anyone to react before making her way to the bathroom. Mother Qiao, who only spoke half her sentence, could only smile at Han Ruchu and say, "I¡¯m so sorry. I¡¯ll have to discipline her when we get back!" "It¡¯s nothing." As she heard Han Ruchu¡¯s words, Qiao Anhao shut the bathroom doors. She leaned back against the wooden door and stood there for a while, then walked over to the sink. She stared at herself in the mirror with bone-piercing, cold eyes. If it weren¡¯t for Han Ruchu¡¯s birthday, she definitely wouldn¡¯t have taken a single step through the Xu family doors. The only reason she came today was to make Han Ruchu suffer. Didn¡¯t she say "Happy birthday"? Qiao Anhao gripped hard onto the cold sink and forcefully pursed the corner of her lips. With knowledge of who killed her baby looming over her, how could she pretend that nothing had happened? Seeing her, did it really make her birthday happy? - When Qiao Anhao came out of the bathroom, the atmosphere in the living room had gone back to normal. There was a different channel on the TV and Qiao Anxia had hung up on her call. Mother Qiao had probably felt apologetic for Qiao Anhao¡¯s indiscretion earlier, so she said some things that Han Ruchu liked to hear. Qiao Anxia was hugging a pillow and every now and then, she would add in a few words. As for Xu Jiamu, he was still watching TV in a daze, as though they were still watching the same movie as before. He looked like he was in a trance, perhaps thinking of someone or something. Trantor¡¯s Thoughts Paperne Paperne Join our smallmunity of btnhh readers at the paperne club Discord channel fortest chapter discussions, teasers, and spoilers etc ^^ (https://discord.gg/UXeEAvT). If you like BTNHH, maybe you¡¯ll like Ye Feiye¡¯s second tranted web novel, "A Billion Stars Can¡¯t Amount to You". It¡¯s out now in the voting pool! If you¡¯re interested, please vote your energy stones guys and girls :D Chapter 591: Long Time No See, My Love (2) Chapter 591: Long Time No See, My Love (2) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Qiao Anhao walked over to the sofa and sat back in her original spot. After hearing them chat away, she pretended as though she had remembered something and turned her head towards Qiao Anxia and said, "Sis, a few days ago whilst filming, one of the female staff on the set told me something really sad." "What was it?" Qiao Anxia, who was sending Chen Yang a text at the time, put her phone down and shifted to face Qiao Anhao with a serious look. Qiao Anhao purposefully spoke a little louder. "Well, she got married and her husband¡¯s mother, her mother-inw really wanted a son. However, their birth n was rather strict and their family could only have one child, and they¡¯d be fined for having a second one. On top of all that, their finances weren¡¯t that great. In the end, her first pregnancy turned out to be a baby girl. " Qiao Anhao¡¯s story clearly spoke about family and marriage issues, so mother Qiao and Han Ruchu took an interest in it, as parents to children of age. So, just as Qiao Anhao paused for a moment, mother Qiao anxiously asked, "Qiao Qiao, what happened then?" "Her husband really loved her, and although he also wanted a son, he didn¡¯t have the heart to abort the baby. Because of that, the two of them decided to have the baby. "Although the woman¡¯s mother-inw wasn¡¯t happy about it, she still agreed, but she told them that they must try for a second child, and the second child would have to be a son. "The two of them felt under immense pressure in Beijing, so they refused the mother-inw¡¯s suggestion. She cried, argued, and threw a tantrum for quite some time, but eventually, she came to terms with it because of her son¡¯s strong will. "Because of this whole issue, the mother-inw didn¡¯t contact them for over half a month. Later, for some reason, the mother-inw went over to Beijing, iming toe to take care of the woman. "As it was her husband¡¯s mother, and she was trying to be nice to her, she couldn¡¯t exactly stand up to her. So she treated her like her own mother." "Her and her husband both had to work, and so when they were both very tired, they¡¯de home to the mother-inw¡¯s cooking, the chores done by her. For a while, life was great for them. "After over half a month since the mother-inw came over, the woman went to the hospital for a check up. The doctor told her that since herst visit, when they detected the baby¡¯s heartbeat, the baby had passed away in the womb!" Qiao Anhao deliberately emphasized thest few words - "the baby had passed away in the womb!". So much so that she gritted her teeth, which caused Han Ruchu and housekeeper¡¯s faces to freeze, as they listened carefully at the story. Mother Qiao shrieked, "Yah!". With a sympathetic look, she asked, "How did she have a miscarriage out of nowhere?" "Right? How did she have a miscarriage out of nowhere? That¡¯s what she asked herself. She thought that it was because she¡¯d overworked herself, and she was so heartbroken over that. However, after her operation was over, the doctor told her that they¡¯d did tests on her blood and found traces of sleeping pills." "Sleeping pills?!" cried Mother Qiao in shock. "She can¡¯t take sleeping pills when she¡¯s pregnant. What kind of mother was she?!" "Because she was pregnant, she couldn¡¯t take sleeping pills, but her mother-inw put them in her food every day!" said Qiao Anhao slowly, in a gentle tone. Chapter 592: Long Time No See, My Love (3) Chapter 592: Long Time No See, My Love (3) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem "Ah? Her mother-inw gave her sleeping pills?" mother Qiao shook her head in disbelief. "This mother-inw is just too vile! To actually be so cruel to kill a perfectly fine life! To kill so relentlessly. Sooner orter she¡¯ll receive her karma!" Qiao Anxia, who was never interested in such topics, after she heard Qiao Anhao¡¯s story, she felt an indescribable sense of anger. "That mother-inw is practically a freak! That scumbag!" Qiao Anhao didn¡¯t say anything else, but stared directly at Han Ruchu. When their eyes met, her lips curved into a smile. Although mother Qiao and Qiao Anxia were cursing the mother-inw in the story, in that very moment, Han Ruchu felt like they were cursing her. Perhaps it was because of Qiao Anhao¡¯s smile... As someone who was always so arrogant, she had never felt this sullen before. She tried her best to stay still on the sofa, but her enraged chest started to clearly heave in anger. Though Qiao Anhao clearly knew why Han Ruchu was angry, she had no intention of stopping there. She continued to speak in a gentle voice to fan the mes instead. "Aunt Xu, why are you so mad? Don¡¯t you think the mother-inw is a piece of shit too?" How could Han Ruchu not hear that Qiao Anhao¡¯s words "piece of shit" were really meant for her? Suddenly, Han Ruchu tightened her grip on the cushion in her hand while staring at Qiao Anhao. The fury in her chest practically made her want to spit out fire, but because mother Qiao was next to her, she forced herself to hold it down. With a ridiculously frigid smile, she said in tense voice, "Yeah." "I think so too!" Qiao Anhao smiled sweetly at Han Ruchu for a moment, as though to seriouslyfort her. However, in actual fact, her words angered Han Ruchu half to death. "But Aunt Xu, you don¡¯t have to get so mad. Those wretched people who bring it upon themselves, don¡¯t survive. Sooner orter, everyone will turn on them and their family would leave them, and they will die a horrible death!" Qiao Anhao¡¯s curse was so harsh, yet she spoke so naturally and smoothly, she managed to gain Qiao Anxia and mother Qiao¡¯s support. Han Ruchu slightly shut her eyes, and worked hard to keep her smile. In order to remain calm, she spoke particrly slowly next. "I don¡¯t feel so well. You all sit for a while, I¡¯ll go upstairs for a moment." As she spoke, Han Ruchu stood up. Mother Qiao, who waspletely clueless about the underlying conflicts between Han Ruchu and Qiao Anhao, asked worriedly, "Ruchu, are you alright?" "It¡¯s nothing. Ever since I fainted from anger, my body hasn¡¯t been quite the same. I¡¯ll get some rest and be fine." Han Ruchu forced out a smile for mother Qiao. "Madame, I¡¯lle with you," said the housekeeper, as she supported Han Ruchu towards the stairs. Since Han Ruchu headed upstairs to rest, there was no reason for mother Qiao to be there, and so she got ready to go home. Qiao Anxia remembered that she was busy in the evening and so she was ready to leave with her mother. But before they left, mother Qiao and Qiao Anxia asked Qiao Anhao if she wanted to go back with them to the family estate. Qiao Anhao nced over at Xu Jiamu, who sat in a daze in front of the television, then shook her head. She gave a warm smile and said, "I¡¯ll stay for a while." The instant the four of them left, the huge living room became cold and lifeless. Qiao Anhao sat beside Xu Jiamu for a while, then nced up the stairs. She got up, walked over to the water dispenser, and got herself a cup of water. Chapter 593: Long Time No See, My Love (4) Chapter 593: Long Time No See, My Love (4) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Qiao Anhao sat beside Xu Jiamu for a while, then nced up the stairs. She got up, walked over to the water dispenser, and got herself a cup of water. When she walked back to the sofa, she called, "Brother Jiamu." Xu Jiamu didn¡¯t react. His line of sight was so concentrated, his eyes never blinked. "Brother Jiamu?" Qiao Anhao called his name again while patting his shoulder. Xu Jiamu abruptly came to his senses. He realized that because he had been staring at Song Xiangsi on the television, he hadn¡¯t a clue what had happened and how long he had nked out for. Ever since he left Hengdian studio in a fit of rage, he and her had never gotten in touch. Later on, Xu Enterprise was in trouble, and he was demoted from the Xu family¡¯s young master to a department manager at thepany. His status had changed so dramatically, he had never went to go look for her. And as for her, she hadn¡¯t had any jobs recently, so she stayed in Beijing all this time. She probably knew about his fall, but didn¡¯t bother contacting him to see how he was. For the past four months, the two of them were in the same city, but never met each other.. Actually, because he was so busy with work, sometimes he¡¯d think about her, but only for a split second. Then he would push the thought in the back of his mind. Tonight, if it wasn¡¯t for Qiao Anhao¡¯s choice for a movie, he wouldn¡¯t have even realized that he actually... missed her... Ah crap, he and Song Xiangsi only had a business rtionship... so why was he thinking about her? Xu Jiamu abruptly shook his head, then nced over at Qiao Anhao. Perhaps because it had been quite some time since he spoke, his voice was a little hoarse. "What¡¯s wrong, Qiao Qiao?" Qiao Anhao brought a cup of water up to Xu Jiamu¡¯s face. "Just now, Aunt Xu said she wasn¡¯t feeling well, so she went upstairs to get some rest. You¡¯d better bring her a cup of water." Xu Jiamu nodded, rubbed his face with his hand, then stood up and headed upstairs with a cup of water. - Back in the bedroom, Han Ruchu mmed the door shut behind her. She then reached her arm out in anger and wept the porcin ornaments off from the shelves, sending them crashing to the ground, shattering to pieces. "Madam, why are you getting so mad? Take care of your health," said the housekeeper anxiously. As though Han Ruchu hadn¡¯t heard the housekeeper¡¯s words at all, shepletely ignored her and paced around the bedroom a few times. When she finally stopped, she took a long, deep breath, gritted her teeth and said, "Qiao Anhao, that little bitch, she¡¯s always been so good and obedient. Who would of thought that she was so articte when cursing others, doing it so well, so indirectly?! How skillful of her!" "Tonight, she didn¡¯te to celebrate your birthday... she clearly came to trigger you! From when she asked for the swallow¡¯s nest till the moment she mentioned that bastard while watching TV, and also when she told that story about the mother-inw..." When she said this, the housekeeper stopped there, and continued with different words. "Madam, I¡¯m afraid she already knows that it was us who killed her baby." At this, the housekeeper furrowed her brows. "There¡¯s something fishy about that. Madam, you already got rid of that little bastard. With his personality, he definitely wouldn¡¯t go looking for Miss Qiao, so how would she have found out about what had happened?" Because of the housekeeper¡¯s words, Han Ruchu suddenly calmed down, but she still wore a furious expression on her face. After a while, the housekeeper said, "Madam, say... how much do you think Miss Qiao knows about us? Do you think she knows that it was us who pushed her down the stairs?" Chapter 594: Long Time No See, My Love (5) Chapter 594: Long Time No See, My Love (5) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem "If the Qiao family found out about this, then the family rtions between us would probably be ruined. Currently, the Xu family is far from how it was, there are so many things that we still rely on the Qiao family for..." "She knows, so what?" Han Ruchu didn¡¯t wait for the housekeeper to speak by interrupting her and saying, "If she had any evidence, then the Qiao family wouldn¡¯t havee to celebrate my birthday! She doesn¡¯t have any evidence, which is why she was beating around the bush to target me! But it¡¯s just so shitty that she made such a nice birthday party go up in smoke like that. Back then, how did we not make her fall to her death from the stairs..." Han Ruchu hadn¡¯t finished what she had to say when someone abruptly pushed open the door. The two of them were scared stiff as they turned their heads to see Xu Jiamu at the door with a cup of water in his hands. The expression on his face was drearily tense. Han Ruchu and the housekeeper looked at one another in terror. Han Ruchu was the first to snap back to reality. She pulled her lip corners slightly upwards into a hint of a smile and said in a soft voice, "Jiamu, why are you here?" Xu Jiamu didn¡¯t say word, but stood there at the door without moving an inch. His eyes stared right into Han Ruchu¡¯s eyes. Under his gaze, she felt herself trembling in fear. She stood there on the spot for a long while before striding in front of her son. She reached out and grabbed his hand, which he avoided. His eyes never once left her face. Her then said in a low voice to suppress the anger in it. "What you both just said... is it true?" From her son¡¯s words, Han Ruchu figured that he had heard what she and Aunt Yun had just said. Yet she wasn¡¯t sure just how much Xu Jiamu had overheard, so she stretched her arm out. "Jiamu, listen to what mama has to say..." "I just want to know, was what you two just said true?" Xu Jiamu seemed to be afraid that Qiao Anhao downstairs would hear what was said, so he spoke in a low voice. It was clear he was more terrified than outraged. "Back then, did Qiao Qiao fall from the stairs because of the two of you?" When Han Ruchu heard those words, she silently let out a sigh of relief. Thankfully, he had only heard half of it... "Jiamu, at the time, mama had no choice but to do that." "So you¡¯re saying you really did do it?" Xu Jiamu enunciated every word when he asked again. His eyes then turned to the housekeeper at the side who was at a loss for what to do. "And you... the two of you... you¡¯re both really something!" Xu Jiamu suddenly smashed the cup of water in his hands to the ground. Shattered pieces of ss flew in all directions and water sshed on the ground. Xu Jiamu nodded and chuckled lightly. Thatugh put fear into Han Ruchu, who always loved her son. She instinctively grabbed his arm. "Mama was wrong. Let mama exin, it¡¯s not what you think, son..." "Did you want for Qiao Qiao to fall to her death for the situation to be like what I think?!" replied Xu Jiamu harshly. He then turned around and walked down the stairs, fuming. "Jiamu, Jiamu!" Han Ruchu cried in a panic as she followed behind him. Because she had ran after him in a hurry, she identally sprained her ankle. Crouching on the ground, she cried in pain. Chapter 595: Long Time No See, My Love (6) Chapter 595: Long Time No See, My Love (6) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem "Madam!" the housekeeper cred out anxiously. She then rushed over and supported her up. Han Ruchu struggled to stand, but she still continued to chase her son whilst limping. The housekeeper called out in agony, as though she was going to cry. "Master, young master!" Qiao Anhao was downstairs when she saw Xu Jiamu storming downstairs, fuming. She hastily stood up. "Brother Jiamu, what¡¯s wrong?" Xu Jiamu didn¡¯t say a word, striding out the door. Qiao Anhao nced over at Han Ruchu at the bottom of the stairs. She grabbed Xu Jiamu¡¯s arm and said, "Brother Jiamu, Aunt Xu tripped up." Xu Jiamu slightly halted, and looked as though he was going to turn his head back to sneak a nce, but eventually, he decided against it. He gently pulled away from Qiao Anhao¡¯s grip, and walked out without saying a word, a dark expression on his face. "Brother Jiamu!" Qiao Anhao cried his name out in distress, but she had no intention of chasing after him. She waited until he swung close the door before putting away her panicked expression and nonchntly turning around with aposed face. She stared directly at Han Ruchu. Some words needn¡¯t be said. The look in the eyes is at times sufficient for the other person to understand what is being meant. That¡¯s right. Qiao Anhao knew that Han Ruchu would go upstairs, as she couldn¡¯t vent her anger below. Since the housekeeper had followed after, she assumed that they would most probably be talking about her. Actually, if Han Ruchu hadn¡¯t mentioned that the housekeeper personally made the swallow¡¯s nest over lunch, she wouldn¡¯t have thought the housekeeper had anythign to do with this at all. Honestly speaking, she wasn¡¯tpletely certain that Han Ruchu would talk about it with her housekeeper. She just thought she¡¯d give it a try, so she gave Xu Jiamu the cup of water to see if it might be her lucky day. The moment the doors were flung open with a great force, she knew that she had gotten lucky. That split second when Han Ruchu met Qiao Anhao¡¯s gaze, she instantly realized that she had gotten yed. She opened her mouth in a rage, wanting to speak, but Qiao Anhao made a "shhhh" gesture with her hands. She then pointed at the study room, and said in a neutral voice, "Aunt Xu, you son is already mad, do you want for your husband toe down to see you screaming at me and get angry with you too? Don¡¯t forget, my uncle is still in your house..." Just like that, the words on the tip of Han Ruchu¡¯s tongue flew back, down to her stomach. Her entire face puffed up red out from rage. The more she was like this, the sweeter Qiao Anhao smiled. She asked in a soft voice, "Aunt Xu, I wonder if you liked your birthday present?" Han Ruchu was so pissed, her face was slightly contorted. She raised her hand to clutch at her chest and pointed at Qiao Anhao without saying a single word. Qiao Anhao had fulfilled her objective, so there was no reason to continue on like this with Han Ruchu any longer. She slowly and gracefully picked up her bag, pulled the door open, and calmly left. When she left the Xu family¡¯s house, she finally let go of the rxed and pleased look on her face that she had put on for Han Ruchu. So sorry... She had used Xu Jiamu, who had always treated her so well. But she had had no other way. She couldn¡¯t do nothing after learning that Han Ruchu h ad killed her baby, and Xu Jiamu was the only person in the world that could trigger Han Ruchu. Chapter 596: Long Time No See, My Love (7) Chapter 596: Long Time No See, My Love (7) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem In this world, there are no people who are absolutely kindhearted. Those who are kind and naive are only so because no one had pushed them to their limits. Han Ruchu sabotaged Qiao Anhao and Lu Jinnian¡¯s rtionship, made them miss out on being together time and time again. Perhaps if it weren¡¯t for her, they might already be together. The pain of losing a child, the break up of two lovers... Qiao Anhao had such deep-rooted hate and desire for revenge, so how could she possibly sit there and do nothing? Han Ruchu owed her, and now she wanted to get it all back, bit by bit. No only for her, but for Lu Jinnian, and the child they lost... At this thought, a sharp light twinkled at the bottom of Qiao Anhao¡¯s eyes, hints of a terrifyingly cold look appearing on her soft and tranquil delicate face. It has to be known that it wasn¡¯t all just talk, back there in the Xu family¡¯s living room when she cursed out Han Ruchu. Han Ruchu killed her child, and she wanted her to experience the pain of her son, who she had raised for almost thirty years, walking further and further away from her. She wanted for everyone to betray her, and her family to leave her. That would be the final ending she prepared for Han Ruchu! Tonight, was just the start. - When "Heavenly Sword" was released, there were five days left until the lunar New Year¡¯s eve. After Han Ruchu¡¯s birthday, the busiest day for Qiao Anhao was twenty eighth of the twelfth lunar month of the lunar calender. In the afternoon, they announced the release of "Heavenly Sword", and in the evening, she went to its release party. On the twenty-ninth day, Zhao Meng flew to Hunan with her boyfriend. Qiao Anhao, who hadn¡¯t much to do, personally drove them to the airport. At the time, it was already closing in to the end of the year, and so the roads of Beijing had only a third of the cars usually there, which resulted in barely any traffic. On her way home, Qiao Anhao received a call from her uncle urging her toe back to the Qiao family estate that night. Though Qiao Anhao agreed, she only went back to the Qiao family in the afternoon of the thirtieth. The servants there had already gone home for the New Year¡¯s, and so when Qiao Anhao arrived, Qiao Anxia and mother Qiao were wrapping dumplings. Just as Qiao Anhao pushed open the door, she hadn¡¯t even taken her shoes off when she heard Qiao Anxia call out, "Qiao Qiao, hurry! Come wrap these dumplings." Qiao Anhao gave a quick response, then saw father Qiao standing right at the door, sticking rhyming couplets on the wall. As he was on his own, she didn¡¯t feel right, so she went over to give him a helping hand. Later, she entered the house, washed her hands, and helped them wrap dumplings. Father Qiao personally cooked the New Year¡¯s dinner. After so many years, the Qiao family still followed the same old rules during New Year¡¯s. Therge dining table was filled with rich foods. They couldn¡¯t be without a chicken, duck, and fish, and the main dish was always the three filling dumplings. As father Qiao would say, the meat filling recipe was originally invented by Qiao Anhao and Qiao Anxia¡¯s grandfather. Though it didn¡¯t taste surprisingly spectacr, it had a family-feel to it. They started to cook the dumplings at seven o¡¯clock, and Qiao Anxia went upstairs to get changed. She dressed herself up very nicely, and ran out the house with just her phone. Then, after about half an hour, just when the dumplings were all cooked, the doorbell rang. When Qiao Anhao opened the door, there was an extra person behind Qiao Anxia. It was Chen Yang. Qiao Anxia didn¡¯t wait for Qiao Anhao to ask and said, "Chen Yang¡¯s parents are abroad and can¡¯t make it back, so I invited him to spend New Year¡¯s celebrations at ours." In the four months Lu Jinnian hadn¡¯t been around, Qiao Anxia and Chen Yang had went public with their rtionship. She had brought him to the Qiao family estate a few times. If one looked back, Chen Yang was the only boyfriend of Qiao Anxia¡¯s that had went past the door of the Qiao family house. Chapter 597: Long Time No See, My Love (8) Chapter 597: Long Time No See, My Love (8) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Mother Qiao had always liked Chen Yang. After her daughter came back from their dates, she would even especially go and watch a few of his movies. She liked him so much that every time she yed mahjong, she would often rmend her daughter¡¯s boyfriend¡¯s new dramas to her mahjong friends. So when mother Qiao learned that Chen Yang hade over, she stopped cooking the dumplings and ran out of the kitchen to offer him a seat. When New Year¡¯s dinner officially started in the Qiao family home, New Year¡¯s G just came on the television. Father Qiao went over to turn up the volume. Even though people only kept saying that the New Year¡¯s G got worse year after year, they couldn¡¯t deny that it had be a tradition that made the New Year¡¯s feel special. In the past, father Qiao would be the only man at the table for New Year¡¯s Eve, and Qiao Anxia would sometimes have a few drinks with him, but today there was Chen Yang. Father Qiao especially brought out a bottle of the good stuff he¡¯d been storing. Because there was someone to drink with, father Qiao was really happy. Before Chen Yang arrived, he had especially bought a gift. Mother Qiao received an emerald bracelet, which made her so happy that she couldn¡¯t contain herself. Every one at the table ushered Chen Yang to eat more. Chen Yang really did like Qiao Anxia from the bottom of his heart. When she asked him for a napkin on the table, he handed it to her so slowly that she impatiently rushed him a little too rudely. Chen Yang then hurriedly gave her the napkin to wipe her hands. Mother Qiao would inevitably say a few words about Qiao Anxia, to which good-natured Chen Yang would just smile and say that it was fine. This made Qiao Anxia blink proudly towards her mother, who would helplessly shake her head. Perhaps it was because Chen Yang was there, mother and father Qiao were focused on him and Qiao Anxia. Their conversations were all about the two, so Qiao Anhao couldn¡¯t really get a word in, nor was she in the mood to talk. She wore a smile throughout dinner, but asionally, when Chen Yang and Qiao Anxia did something lovey dovey, a tinge of gloominess would sh across her eyes. She would lower her head and quietly eat the dumplings in her bowl. After dinner, Chen Yang wanted to help put the dishes away but was turned away by mother Qiao. She ushered Qiao Anxia to take him away. Seeing the leftovers on the table, Qiao Anhao couldn¡¯t let mother Qiao to tidy up by herself, so she helped clean it up. She also picked the job to wash the dishes. Mother Qiao grabbed some fresh fruit from the fridge, cut them up neatly, and carried them out on a tray. Qiao Anhao ced the washed tes into the tableware sterilization cab. When she came out of the kitchen, she coincidentally saw Qiao Anxia grab a toothpick with a piece of apple and put it into Chen Yang¡¯s mouth. Though Chen Yang, who was talking with father Qiao, didn¡¯t turn his head to look at Qiao Anxia, he casually opened his mouth to eat the apple. Then he reached his hand out to hug Qiao Anxia¡¯s shoulder. When Qiao Anhao saw this, she couldn¡¯t help but lower her eyes, as she remembered how she would sit to one side and watch TV in Ming Zhu Garden while Lu Jinnian was working in the evening. He was afraid she¡¯d get bored, so he would prepare all sorts of snacks and fruit for her. At the time, she did what she saw now before her eyes. As she ate, she would feed Lu Jinnian every now and again. He and Chen Yang were the same in one way, they didn¡¯t look back. Sometimes, she would mischievously shove nutshells, watermelon seeds, and other things into his mouth. When he bit into them, he would realize something was wrong, then put everything down, turn around, and pounce on her. "Qiao Qiao? Finished washing the dishes?" asked mother Qiao, while carrying a pot of tea into the living room, when she saw Qiao Anhao at the kitchen door. Chapter 598: Long Time No See, My Love (9) Chapter 598: Long Time No See, My Love (9) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Qiao Anhao brought herself back to her senses, and quickly nodded at mother Qiao. Seeing that she was carrying a pot of tea, she reached her arm out. "Serving tea? Let me." "That¡¯s all right." Mother Qiao nced over at Chen Yang and Qiao Anxia on the sofa, then gave a gleaming smile and said, "Chen Yang and Xia Xia are waiting for you. They said they wanted to go to the courtyard to watch the fireworks." Qiao Anxia heard mother Qiao¡¯s words and stood up, forcefully pulling Chen Yang from the sofa. She then said to Qiao Anhao, "Qiao Qiao, let¡¯s go! We¡¯ve waited half a day for you." - When Qiao sisters were little, before grandma and grandpa had passed away, everyone would go back to the family home every year to celebrate the Chinese New Year¡¯s. Back then, Qiao Anhao¡¯s parents were still alive. After New Year¡¯s dinner, her father would take her and Qiao Anxia to the courtyard to watch the fireworks. Her mother would stand to one side with a smile on her face. As time went by, setting off fireworks became a New Year¡¯s Eve tradition, up until father passed away. Then, uncle would take them to light fireworks. Tonight, Chen Yang was there. Father Qiao didn¡¯t light the fireworks, but he personally prepared arge box of them in the courtyard. As he lined up the fireworks, Chen Yang lit one up which set them all off. He then hurriedly ran back to Qiao Anxia¡¯s side. About ten secondster, the fireworks released one after the other. In that instant, the skies were lit up with a dazzlingly gorgeous disy of fireworks. When Qiao Anxia saw the breathtaking disy, she enthusiastically pointed up for Chen Yang to look up. Qiao Anhao stood about two meters away from them. She lifted her head and stared at the endless exploding fireworks falling from the skies. The bottom of her eyes started to heat up, and just when the fireworks hade to an end, she brought her head back down to see Qiao Anxia hugging Chen Yang¡¯s neck. Chen Yang had his arms around Qiao Anxia¡¯s waist, and the two of them were making out. Qiao Anhao stared at the two of them for a moment, then lowered her eyes. Just as she was ready to go back into the house, the phone in her pocket suddenly rang, which shocked Qiao Anxia and Chen Yang, who were kissing. Qiao Anhao waved her arms at them, then looked over at the iing call. It was from Zhao Meng, so she walked out of the courtyard to take the call. "Happy New Year, Qiao Qiao!" Through the phone, Qiao Anhao heard the sound of firecrackers now and then from Zhao Meng¡¯s side. It really did feel like New Year¡¯s over there. She said in a warm tone of voice, "Happy New Year!" Zhao Meng could kind of hear a little sorrow in her voice, so she calmed her excitement and cheerfulness to ask worriedly, "Qiao Qiao, what¡¯s wrong? Why can¡¯t I hear you? You seem a little sad..." Qiao Anhao had been better off had Zhao Meng not asked, for her eyes started to heat up again. She wasn¡¯t truly unhappy. Just that while everyone in China was celebrating the day, she suddenly really missed him. "I¡¯m fine." When Qiao Anhao said these two words, tears started to roll down her face. She leaned back against amppost and lowered her head. She shut her eyes and dazed out for a while until she couldpose herself. She then raised her hand to wipe her tears away and asked in a lighthearted tone, "You called me?" "Yeah, I wanted to tell you to check Weibo. You and Mr. Lu have reached the hot search list!" "What hot search list?" "Look for yourself and you¡¯ll know!" Zhao Meng said mysteriously. Then, in the background, Qiao Anhao heard someone call Zhao Meng¡¯s name. Her friend hastily said "Bye bye", but didn¡¯t forget to remind her to "Check Weibo!" as she hung up the call. Chapter 599: Long Time No See, My Love (10) Chapter 599: Long Time No See, My Love (10) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem When Qiao Anhao heard the doot-doot-doot sound of the call ending, she furrowed her brows and brought the phone down from her ear. She clicked on Weibo to find that it was just as Zhao Meng had said, the top most searched wasn¡¯t about Chinese new year, but her and Lu Jinnian. Lu Jinnian has been lying low for four months now. He didn¡¯t have any new projects and he didn¡¯t appear in front of the media. His exposure to the public has been extremely low, and besides filming "Heavenly Sword", she had no scandals at all, so how exactly did the two of them make the headlines? What on earth had happened? Qiao Anhao clicked open the most searched topic "Lu Jinnian and Qiao Anhao" with a heart full of suspicion, and found that the host had posted the words, "This year¡¯s best screen couple goes to the supporting male and female of "Alluring Times"! This is the first time the best screen couple goes to supporting roles rather than the main leads, however this year¡¯s actor happens to be Lu Jinnian once again. As for the actress, it¡¯s no longer the queen of movies, Song Xiangsi, but Huan Ying Entertainment¡¯s new young actress, Qiao Anhao." After that line, there was another link. She clicked it to reveal the results of the vote. Her and Lu Jinnian actually beat Chen Yang and Song Xiangsi in second ce by thirty million votes. So this was what Zhao Meng had wanted her to see. This was her dream when entering the entertainment industry. Because they couldn¡¯t be a couple in real life, she wanted to be just like Song Xiangsi, and be a fantasy couple on the inte. When other people mentioned her name, they¡¯d think of his name, and when his name was mentioned, they¡¯d think of hers. But she never imaged that her dream would actuallye true with the movie "Alluring Times". They were even selected as the best screen couple of the year. Qiao Anhao stared at her phone screen and saw that the voting page had a picture of her and Lu Jinnian kissing in "Alluring Times". Suddenly,rge tears rolled down from her eyes. She tightly grasped her phone and lowered herself to the ground, as she couldn¡¯t hold it in any longer. Crouched up against themp post, she sobbed there intermittently. She used to chase her dream for him, but now that the dream hade true, he wasn¡¯t by her side. Lu Jinnian, my love. Just where are you? Do you know... that I really miss you? - Qiao Anxia and Cheng Yang went into the house. After waiting for quite some time, Qiao Anhao still wasn¡¯t back in. It wasn¡¯t until mother Qiao asked for her whereabouts that Qiao Anxia got up and went out on her own to look. When she reached the front door, she heard the sound of sobbing. Her feet suddenly halted, for she recognized the sound of Qiao Anhao¡¯s cries. Her heart firmly tightened up, but she was about to rush over to her sister¡¯s side to ask what was wrong, she heard the mumbled cries of a name. Although Qiao Anhao was iprehensible through her tears, Qiao Anxia could still make out some of the words - Lu Jinnian. Those two words were like a hex, as they instantly made Qiao Anxia remember the dejected, handsome and cold man in the cafe under Qiao Enterprise. As soon as he saw her, he desperately asked where Qiao Qiao was. He then proceeded to wait at the Qiao family doors for three whole days and nights... It was like someone had locked Qiao Anxia¡¯s pressure points. She stood on the spot, unable to move an inch. Was Qiao Qiao crying over Lu Jinnian? Which is to say... she liked Lu Jinnian? Chapter 600: Long Time No See, My Love (11) Chapter 600: Long Time No See, My Love (11) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Qiao Anhao cried for a long time, before she randomly wiped her tears away with her hand. She nced over at the door to the Qiao family estate, but turned to walk straight out towards the neighborhood. Qiao Anxia didn¡¯t even know what was wrong with her. When Qiao Anhao walked past the doors, she ran to a side and hid in a panic. Because she hid so quickly, she identally cut her wrist on the thorns of a dried out rose. She drew her breath in pain, but subconsciously covered her cut until she saw the figure of Qiao Anhao walk away from the doors. Then she stepped out and watched her sister¡¯s back with aplicated expression. "Xia Xia?" When Qiao Anxia heard the sound of Chen Yang¡¯s voice and felt arms wrap around her shoulders, only then did she snap back to reality. "What are you looking at?" Chen Yang asked in a gentle voice and followed her eyes towards the area under amp post on an empty street. He furrowed his brows. "Where¡¯s Qiao Qiao?" "She¡¯s gone." Qiao Anxia smiled at Chen Yang with a pale face. "What¡¯s wrong? Are you not well?" Chen Yang grabbed onto Qiao Anxia, all worried. He saw her tightly covering her wrist, and with his brows furrowed, he asked, "Are you hurt? How did this happen?" "It¡¯s nothing, I just identally cut it." Qiao Anxia suddenly felt a little tired after she spoke, so she wriggled her way into Chen Yang¡¯s arms and rested her head on his shoulder. "How could you be so clumsy?"ined Chen Yang, as he hugged her back, feeling a little pained to see her hurt. Qiao Anxia didn¡¯t say a thing, but as she rested her head on his shoulder, tears started to roll from the corners of her eyes. - Qiao Anhao came out of the neighborhood and randomly chose a route, continuing to slowly walk onward. The streets were empty on New Year¡¯s Eve. There was practically no one around and no cars about. At this time, the usually bustling shops on both sides of the road were closed, and asionally, you could hear the sound of crackers from somewhere close or in the distance. Qiao Anhao walked for a long time beforeing to a stop. It waste at night on New Year¡¯s Eve, so there were practically no taxis on the road. All she could do was walk over to the bus stop sign and take a seat below it. After waiting for about ten minutes, she decided to no longer wait for the bus. It was also when she saw an olddy cross the street. The elderlydy looked to be quite old from her snowy white hair, but she was able to walk well, and steadily. Just as the olddy was about to reach Qiao Anhao¡¯s side, a motorbike suddenly curved in at an rming speed. The motorbike didn¡¯t hit the olddy, but it flew right past her. The olddy was so frightened that she lost her bnce and fell to the ground. The motorbike didn¡¯t look like it had any intention of stopping. Instead, it sped up and disappeared without a sight. The olddy sat there for quite some time and didn¡¯t get up. Qiao Anhao had seen many news reports of kindhearted people who help fallen elderly only to find themselves being hit, so she was a little worried about meddling in other people¡¯s business for fear of getting herself in trouble. However, when she remembered it was New Year¡¯s Eve, and how the elderly person was just like her¡ªalone on the streets without any family members to apany her¡ªshe begun to pity her. Qiao Anhao hesitated for a moment, but eventually stood up and walked over. Before she could ask if the olddy was okay, the woman suddenly called out in surprise upon seeing her. "Jinnian?" Chapter 601: Long Time No See, My Love (12) Chapter 601: Long Time No See, My Love (12) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Jinnian... such a familiar name. The words at the tip of Qiao Anhao¡¯s tongue, suddenly paused. But then, the olddy¡¯s expression grew erratic, as though she had seen her own family. She cheerfully reached her hand out and grabbed Qiao Anhao¡¯s hand. "Where¡¯s Jinnian? Why hasn¡¯t hee to visit me for so long?" Qiao Anhao crouched down and took hold of the olddy to help her to the bench at the bus stop. "Grandma... which Jinnian do you mean?" "Jinnian is Jinnian." The olddy, who originally looked delighted, suddenly became upset, as she desperately grabbed onto Qiao Anhao. "Tell me, where¡¯s Jinnian? Why doesn¡¯t hee to visit me?" The olddy¡¯s response was like she hadn¡¯t heard anything. As Qiao Anhao escorted her to a seat under the bus stop, she nced over at the promotional poster of Lu Jinnian behind them. She pointed at it and said, "Grandma, the Jinnian you mentioned, is that him?" The olddy looked over at where Qiao Anhao¡¯s fingers were for a while, then stood up. She got up closer and took a good hard look for moment, then raised her hands to touch the photo. "Jinnian, why haven¡¯t youe to visit grandma? You said you woulde visit grandma once a week! Count for yourself, just how long has it been! You heartless man!" The olddy muttered non-stop, but from her reactions, Qiao Anhao could tell that the Jinnian she was talking about was the Lu Jinnian she had been looking for! Was she Lu Jinnian¡¯s grandma? Qiao Anhao suddenly got excited and switched from ¡¯grandma¡¯ to ¡¯granny¡¯. "Granny, do you know where Lu Jinnian is? Please, tell me! I¡¯ve been looking for him everywhere but I can¡¯t find him. Where is he?" "Nonsense!" The olddy suddenly turned around and scowled at Qiao Anhao angrily. "You say you can¡¯t find Jinnian? How could you not find him! You¡¯re Jinnian¡¯s little wife, you definitely know." Little wife? Qiao Anhao froze at the olddy¡¯s words. "Granny, I¡¯m not Lu Jinnian¡¯s little wife..." The olddy didn¡¯t wait for Qiao Anhao to finish exining herself, as she grew angry with tears rolling down her face. "Are you trying to bully me because I¡¯m old?! Don¡¯t think that I don¡¯t recognize our Jinnian¡¯s little wife!" With the olddy crying, Qiao Anhao felt at a loss for what to do. "Granny, please don¡¯t cry. I..." The olddy didn¡¯t listen to what Qiao Anhao said, but then her face suddenly transformed from a clearly angry to a one with beaming smile. She grabbed Qiao Anhao¡¯s hand and said, "You little brat. With you, I¡¯ll be able to see Jinnian. Take me to find him!" Qiao Anhao was so confused by the olddy¡¯s erratic words that she didn¡¯t dare say something to make her cry again. Just as she racked her brain over what to do, she saw a sign wrapped around the olddy¡¯s chest. There was a number written on top of it. Out of curiosity, Qiao Anhao reached her arm out and grabbed it. The sign had a contact number written on it in case the olddy ever got lost. Qiao Anhao quickly pulled out her phone and called the number. The call was answered very quickly by a woman who sounded like she was meant to take care of the olddy. The woman on the phone didn¡¯t wait for Qiao Anhao to speak first, asking, "Excuse me, did you find my contact details on an elderly woman?" Chapter 602: Long Time No See, My Love (13) Chapter 602: Long Time No See, My Love (13) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Qiao Anhao gave a quick response to the woman who asked for their whereabouts. Half an hour after she hung up the phone, a car stopped in front of them. The driver¡¯s door opened, and a middle-aged woman stepped out. Seeing Qiao Anhao and the olddy, she immediately ran out and said to the olddy, "Madam, you almost scared me to death! Why did you run out on your own in a blink of an eye?" "I want to find Jinnian," replied the olddy with a face full of grievance. "Didn¡¯t Mr. Lu say that he was going on a long trip, and he¡¯ll be backter to see you?" The middle-aged woman acted sweet and calmly tried to cheer up the olddy. Mr. Lu? He¡¯ll be backter to see you? Qiao Anhao looked like she had found hope and instinctively said, "Will Lu Jinniane to visit granny in a while?" When the middle-aged woman heard Qiao Anhao¡¯s words, she looked like she had suddenly remembered something, and hastily pulled out an envelope from her pocket. She extended it over and said, "Miss, thank you so much. If the olddy really got lost, I wouldn¡¯t know what to tell Mr. Lu." Qiao Anhao didn¡¯t reach out to take the envelope but asked again, "Did you just say that Lu Jinnian woulde to visit granny? When will he visit?" The middle-aged woman was stunned by Qiao Anhao¡¯s words. But instead of answering her question, she asked in return, "Miss, do you know Mr. Lu?" Qiao Anhao frantically nodded. "I¡¯m Lu Jinnian¡¯s..." Before Qiao Anhao¡¯s following word "friend" could escape her mouth, the olddy suddenly interrupted, "She¡¯s Jinnian¡¯s little wife!" Then, as though she was showing off a piece of treasure, the olddy said to the middle-aged woman, "See, our Jinnian has such great taste! The wife he found is so beautiful!" Even though Qiao Anhao really wanted to marry Lu Jinnian, she wasn¡¯t really his wife, so she could only awkwardly smile at the middle-aged woman and say, "I¡¯m just a friend. I don¡¯t know what happened. Granny has been saying that I¡¯m Lu Jinnian¡¯s wife..." "You¡¯re clearly Jinnian¡¯s wife!" The olddy was angered again by Qiao Anhao¡¯s exnation. Without saying another word, she dragged Qiao Anhao over to the car, pulled the door open, and ushered her inside. Qiao Anhao looked at the middle-aged woman helplessly, to which she apologized with a smile and softly tried to persuade the olddy, "Madam, you¡¯ve got the wrong person. Mr. Lu doesn¡¯t have a wife. Mr. Lu hasn¡¯t married yet!" "She¡¯s Jinnian¡¯s wife. She is!" eximed the olddy time and time again until she started to cry. She pointed at Qiao Anhao extremely angrily and then said, "Come with me. I¡¯ll prove it to you!" With that, the olddy started to sob loudly. "I¡¯lle with you. I¡¯lle with you. Please don¡¯t cry granny." - When Qiao Anhao got into the car, the olddy was just like a child. She stopped crying and smiled, whilst talking to herself over and over again, calling Qiao Anhao, Lu Jinnian¡¯s little wife. As the middle-aged woman drove, she apologized to Qiao Anhao. Then, from her exnation, she understood that the olddy wasn¡¯t actually rted to Lu Jinnian by blood; she was his neighbor. After Lu Jinnian¡¯s mother passed away when he wasn¡¯t even ten, there was nobody to look after him. The neighbordy had lost her husband and daughter to an earthquake and was living alone at the time, so seeing how pitiful Lu Jinnian was for having lost his mother, she would invite him over for dinner every day, wash his clothes, and tidy his room. Chapter 603: Long Time No See, My Love (14) Chapter 603: Long Time No See, My Love (14) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem The olddy looked after Lu Jinnian till he graduated high school. Then, when he went to Hangzhou, he couldn¡¯t afford to keep the house, so whenever he came back to Beijing during the university holidays, he would live at the olddy¡¯s house. Later on, his life got better, so the olddy also lived a better lifestyle. In thest two years, the olddy had aged: she became a little muddle-headed, and her words were a little incoherent. Lu Jinnian was busy at work, so he couldn¡¯t take care of her all the time. She was healthy, so living in a nursing home and hospital would probably create more problems, so Lu Jinnian hired the middle-aged woman to take care of her year in, year out. - Qiao Anhao apanied the olddy back to her home. The woman couldn¡¯t wait to go in and then immediately started to flip through boxes and cupboards. After searching for a long time, she found a very small two inch photo and brought in front of Qiao Anhao and said, "Look, you say you¡¯re not Jinnian¡¯s little wife, but look! That¡¯s clearly you!" The olddy held up a rather old-looking piece of photo of Qiao Anhao with two pigtails. She wore her school uniform and smiled sweetly. Her face looked a little young, but it was still easy to recognize that it was her. The middle-aged woman saw the photo and cried in surprise, "Yiiiii, Miss. It really is you." "See, how could I mistakenly recognize our Jinnian¡¯s wife? Jinnian told me before that the person in the photo is the person he was going to marry." The olddy hugged the photo to her chest like it was her baby, then red at Qiao Anhao angrily. "Now how are you going to get out of this one?" From the olddy¡¯s unexpected words, Qiao Anhao and the middle-aged woman understood what she meant. Lu Jinnian had kept this photo and must¡¯ve told her that he really liked the person in the photo. Seeing Qiao Anhao tonight, the olddy recognized her from the photo and stood by her word, that she was, in fact, Lu Jinnian¡¯s wife. It waste at the time and the olddy was a little groggy. Even if they continued to argue, there wouldn¡¯t be much of a result, so the middle-aged woman went with the olddy¡¯s story. She tried to coax her like a child by submissively saying, "Yes, yes, yes, Madam. This is Mr. Lu¡¯s wife. However, it¡¯s gettingte. Madam, we have to get some rest now." With that, the olddy followed the middle-aged woman happily into the bedroom. But before she got into bed, the olddy ced the treasured photo of Qiao Anhao safely inside a cupboard. The middle-aged woman didn¡¯t stop the olddy, letting her be. She turned around and apologized for what she just said to Qiao Anhao. "Sorry, Miss. It was the only way to cheer up the olddy." "Don¡¯t worry about it," Qiao Anhao said with a smile. She then went straight to the point and asked, "What time does Lu Jinnian usually visit granny?" "In the past, Mr. Lu woulde every Wednesday, but now it¡¯s been four months without to visit. The olddy misses him so much. Otherwise, she wouldn¡¯t have ran out on her own like that." Qiao Anhao thought that she might have found a way to catch Lu Jinnian, but she never imagined to get this kind of answer. In that instant, she felt a little disappointed. "Oh, is that so..." "You two idiots! Today is New Year¡¯s Eve. Jinnian would definitely be at his mother¡¯s," mumbled the olddy while closing the cupboard. "The cemetery by the western suburbs, he¡¯s there every year to spend the New Year¡¯s with his mother..." Before the olddy could finish, Qiao Anhao suddenly turned around and ran out the door. She was out the house when she realized that she hadn¡¯t driven over here, so she went back in and grabbed the car keys on the table. "I¡¯m borrowing this. I¡¯ll bring it back tomorrow," she said and then disappeared without even waiting for the middle-aged woman to speak. Qiao Anhao got in the car and entered the destination into the navigation system. She then headed straight for the cemetery in the western suburbs. She didn¡¯t actually know where Lu Jinnian¡¯s mother¡¯s grave was, and so she stopped at the foot of the mountain and searched every gravestone. The cemetery was still. The icy wind blew by, cooling the bottom of her heart. Qiao Anhao was so frightened that her entire body was shivering, but she summoned her courage and continued walking up. When she had reached half-way up the mountain, she finally saw a person standing in front of a gravestone. With the light in front of it, Qiao Anhao was able to clearly make out that it was Lu Jinnian. Chapter 604: Long Time No See, My Love (15) Chapter 604: Long Time No See, My Love (15) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem With the light in front of it, Qiao Anhao was able to clearly make out that it was Lu Jinnian. Her rapid footsteps came to an abrupt halt when her eyes locked onto him. In that instant, the world froze into a picture for her. With the cold winter breeze, whistling from half-way up the mountain, her body shivered from the cold. It was so bad, her fingers started to tremble, yet she felt like there was a fire burning inside her. She should of clearly been happy and excited, yet she didn¡¯t know why, but she couldn¡¯t control the tears that rolled down her face. For four months, for one hundred and thirty something days, for a thousand million heartbeats... she¡¯d missed this person. Now, she finally saw him. In her mind, she had ceaselessly imagined the day that she would finally see him again and what she would do. However, in that precise moment, she realized that she¡¯d lost all her power to move. All she wanted to do was to quietly stare at him for a while to make up for the lost time of those four long months. Qiao Anhao¡¯s tears fell even more swiftly, and yet the corner of her lips started to curve upwards. Her eyes had be soft. Still, she was afraid that everything before her eyes was an illusion, and so she gently lifted her feet and very slowly walked over, drawing closer to Lu Jinnian little by little. As she drew closer, she could smell the light scent of his body that she was etched in her memory. The familiar rity of it made Qiao Anhao¡¯s tears fall like rain. It was really him... She wasn¡¯t dreaming. She finally... finally found him... Qiao Anhao¡¯s lips started to quiver. It was like she used up all the strength and feelings in her body when she opened her mouth to call his name. "Lu Jinnian?" With his back turned against Qiao Anhao, he stood there as though he was deep in thought and hadn¡¯t realized that there was someone behind him. It was not until he heard a familiar voice calling his name from behind him that he furrowed his brows. As he pulled his eyes away from afar, he thought to himself that it was just another hallucination. "Lu Jinnian... is that really you?" Before Lu Jinnian¡¯s thoughts had settled, he heard the sound of Qiao Anhao behind him again. His whole body trembled for a moment, but he didn¡¯t have any intention of turning his head. He could clearly feel that there was someone drawing closer to him from behind. His mind struggled for a long while, but in the end, he couldn¡¯t wipe away the memory of the light aroma. Lu Jinnian¡¯s hands subconsciously balled up into fists, and his body tensed up. "Lu Jinnian, where have you been all this time?" When Qiao Anhao asked that question, she reached her arm out to pull on Lu Jinnian¡¯s arm, but the moment her fingertips touched his coat, it was as if he was electrocuted. His reaction was overly dramatic; he avoided her arm with a swift turn away. Qiao Anhao¡¯s fingertips felt nothing but air. A little bewildered, she lifted her head and stared at the man¡¯s side profile. Though he was still as stunningly handsome as before, he appeared to be skinnier, and his cold gaze looked soulless. In the past, when Qiao Anhao saw Lu Jinnian like this, she¡¯d feel timid. Even now, she was still a little scared. With a gulp, she secretly summoned her courage to reach her arm out again. However, this time, she didn¡¯t even touch his clothes. Then, without even looking at her, he casually took a step and strode quickly away from her sight. Chapter 605: Long Time No See, My Love(16) Chapter 605: Long Time No See, My Love£¨16£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Qiao Anhao had never expected that Lu Jinnian would stay mad at her for such a long time, but she was determined to apologize and exin herself when she met him. Never had she foreseen though that the next time they met, he would disregard her, treating her as though she was a stranger. He didn¡¯t even bother to nce at her... After he had left coldly, Qiao Anhao stood in front of his mother¡¯s grave for exactly a minute before regaining her senses, running after him. She was in heels which hindered her speed, and the cemetery was situated on a hill with a long stretch of stairs down to the first floor. By the time she was halfway down, he was already a distance away, and regardless of how fast she went, she wasn¡¯t able to reduce the distance. But she wasn¡¯t about to give up, especially not after waiting for such a long time! Qiao Anhao bit her lip, as though she had just made a decision, and removed her heels, picked them up, and ran down the cold frosted stairs with only a pair of socks. Lu Jinnian was walking at a fast pace. Qiao Anhao continued to run down without giving herself any time to rest, but despite that, his silhouette gradually disappeared into the distance. Full of anxiety, she ignored the pain in her feet and increased her speed. There were tiny gravels all over the stairs, and in her hurry, she stepped right on a big one. "Ah!" she groaned in pain, but clenching her teeth, she continued to run forward, ignoring the pain. When she reached the bottom, she couldn¡¯t see him anywhere and despair started to sink in. She knew that he would definitely be at the foot of the hill to get his car, so she continued to move forward stubbornly, refusing to give up. When she was finally at the foot of the hill, she was already panting heavily, her whole body soaked in sweat. She threw her heels to the ground and was preparing to put them on when she suddenly spotted the headlights of a car. Lifting her head upwards abruptly, she saw his car and a faint smile touched her lips. He was so far ahead but he hadn¡¯t driven away yet? Was he worried about her? She was indeed still in his heart! Qiao Anhao abandoned her half worn heels, running towards Lu Jinnian¡¯s car. When she was about five meters from his car, he suddenly mmed onto the elerator, speeding out the cemetery entrance. Qiao Anhao jumped into her own car and drove out of the cemetery. She saw him entering the city, so she turned the steering wheel and hit the elerator, going after him. The entire journey from the cemetry to the city centre, Qiao Anhao sped but Lu Jinnian managed to speed faster than her, regardless of how fast she went, there was still a significant difference between the two cars. Chapter 606: Long Time No See, My Love(17) Chapter 606: Long Time No See, My Love£¨17£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem The two cars entered Beijing one after the other. When they reached the main road, Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t give Qiao Anhao any opportunity to react and suddenly sped up. By the time Qiao Anhao finally made the turn, the road ahead was already empty. Qiao Anhao slowed the car gradually, stopping at the side. She looked at the road ahead in a daze, not knowing whichne to take. In the end, she had still lost him... She sat in her car for a long while before reaching for her phone to look at the time ¡ªit was already midnight. The New Year had arrived, and she first called the middle-aged helper that was taking care of the old granny to ask if it was convenient for her to go over now to return the car. The woman assured her that it was fine to return it the next day. After hanging up, Qiao Anhao headed to her newly bought apartment unhappily. When she reached it, she sat down on the sofa lethargically. Only then did the heartache slowly start to creep in. She lowered her head to look at the faint bloodstains on her socks, pouting sadly. She carefully removed the socks from her feet to inspect the wounds - many tiny abrasions covered her white, wless skin. Qiao Anhao took out a box of antiseptic wipes from under the coffee table and removed a packet to clean her wounds. The stinging sensation sent her face into a crumpled frown. After ensuring that the wound was clean, she lost all her energy. Hugging a pillow, shey on the sofa. After so much difficulty, she had finally found Lu Jinnian, but he didn¡¯t seem to want to see her. In the past, she had always believed that when they reunited, it would be the start of her happiness, but as how things were now, she had clearly been naive. But she could understand his behavior. In the beginning, he had waited the entire night for her, something that must have been an extremely great torment for him. Lowering her head, she saw the box of cigarettes and a piece of paper. She reached out and pick the paper, seemingly making up her mind. She stared at it with a determined gaze. - Qiao Anhao indeed didn¡¯t give up, she didn¡¯t intend to hide either. Even though she had lost him the night before, it didn¡¯t mean that she was never going to find him again. The next morning, before the sun had risen, she climbed out of bed and headed to the Qiao house to celebrate the New Year¡¯s. After greeting her aunt and uncle, she apanied them for breakfast before leaving with a random excuse. She then drove the car back to the old granny. Once she returned the car, she didn¡¯t rush off but instead stayed behind to keep the grannypany. The old woman was one of the few people that Lu Jinnian held deep in his heart. After disappearing for such a long time, he didn¡¯t contact anyone, but on the night before New Year¡¯s, he had appeared at his mother¡¯s tomb. It meant that he would definitely visit the granny. Hence, Qiao Anhao decided to wait it out. Every morning, she would visit the granny and stay till it waste at night. On the fourth night of the new year, just as she had predicted, Lu Jinnian appeared. Chapter 607: Long Time No See, My Love(18) Chapter 607: Long Time No See, My Love£¨18£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem The old granny was just like a child, needing to be pampered constantly. Qiao Anhao remained patient and amodating throughout the conversations, and from them, she learned a lot more about Lu Jinnian. The afternoon Lu Jinnian appeared, the old granny repeated the tale from his childhood. She spoke of how the entire neighborhood he stayed in knew that his mother worked in a night club, for which she was despised. Since she was pretty, many guys in the neighborhood would often sneak nces at her, at the displeasure of the other women. Gradually, those women gathered to me her for bewitching the men, even warning their children to stay away from Lu Jinnian. Initially, when he was still young, he remained oblivious and had no clue that the other children hated him. Hence, he would often join in when he saw them ying, but every single time, they would look at him with disgust. Soon after, he stopped joining in. His mother slept during the day and worked at night, so many times, he could be seen alone in a corner of the neighborhood, ying by himself. There was one time when the most notorious little boy came to seek trouble. He must have mocked Lu Jinnian¡¯s mother, which led to a brawl. Lu Jinnian grabbed a brick and smashed it against his head. Without even finding out the truth, the people in the neighborhood insisted on finding Lu Jinnian¡¯s mother, ming the both of them. From then on, Lu Jinnian rarely went out in the morning. The old granny sighed deeply. At the same time, Qiao Anhao¡¯s heart clenched violently. She had never known that Lu Jinnian had such a dark past. So not everyone was born into the world with an aloof personality... It was just a pretense from theck of eptance. He used it to keep the most basic form of dignity. Before Qiao Anhao could probe deeper, the doorbell rang. The nanny that took care of the granny headed to the door. She seemed surprised to find Lu Jinnian there. "Mr. Lu, you¡¯re here?" The moment Qiao Anhao heard his name, she hurriedly walked out of the bedroom. She saw him walk through the door with a few big bags. This time, she could see him much more clearly. Other than him having lost weight, there didn¡¯t seem to be much difference. He still had the same aristocratic and distant vibe. Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t seem to have noticed Qiao Anhao, for he passed the bags to the nanny before changing his shoes. Faintly, he asked, "Where¡¯s granny?" "In the bedroom," the nanny replied. Lu Jinnian nodded, but just as he was about to walk towards the bedroom, he saw Qiao Anhao by the door. He frowned deeply, a hint of confusion shing past his eyes. In an instant, he returned back to his usual cold self and spoke to her as though speaking to a stranger. "What are you doing here?" Chapter 608: Long Time No See, My Love(19) Chapter 608: Long Time No See, My Love£¨19£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Lu Jinnian, after asking, felt as though he was caring too much, so before Qiao Anhao could reply, he added, "You¡¯re not needed here, you can go." Qiao Anhao paled, hurt by his words. The nanny anxiously helped out. "Mr. Lu, Miss Qiao is here to visit granny. On the night before New Year¡¯s, granny got lost while trying to find you, it was Miss Qiao who brought her back..." Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t seem interested in what she was saying. When she finished her sentence, he stated authoritatively, "Send her out." It was clear that he didn¡¯t want her here, it was as though another second with her was a torture to him. Qiao Anhao lowered hershes in embarrassment, her hands gripping onto her skirt helplessly. "Mr. Lu..." The nanny wanted to persuade Lu Jinnian, but he was clearly not interested, walking toward the bedroom withrge steps. When he was about to pass Qiao Anhao, she called his name, "Lu Jinnian." He hesitated slightly but didn¡¯t stop, brushing past her and entering the bedroom. Before he shut the door, he nced at the nanny. "Stop dreaming, send Miss Qiao out." Miss Qiao... This was the first time she hated these two words. She turned her head to look at him instinctively, but without giving her another nce, he shut the door. The atmosphere in the room turned awkward. The nanny smiled in embarrassment before attempting tofort her. "Miss Qiao, don¡¯t take it personally, Mr. Lu always had a bad temper." Qiao Anhao lowered hershes, replying softly, "I¡¯m fine." Afraid to implicate the nanny anymore, she smiled. "I¡¯ll go now." The nanny sent her all the way to the door, repeatedly apologizing on the way out. After sending Qiao Anhao to the elevator, she returned to pack the things that Lu Jinnian had bought. Heading to the kitchen, she poured a cup of water, then headed to the bedroom and knocked on the door. The old granny was already asleep, so Lu Jinnian sat by the bed, staring out the window in deep thought. The nanny came forward to pass him the water. Softly, without disturbing the granny, she whispered, "Mr. Lu, have some water." Lu Jinnian reached for the cup and thanked her faintly. After he took the cup, she added softly, "I have sent Miss Qiao out." Lu Jinnian paused slightly, his face impassive as he forced the water down his throat. Gracefully, he removed the cup from his lips and passed it over to her. He then nodded, acknowledging her words. The nanny grabbed the cup and left the room. Lu Jinnian sat in a daze for a while, before pulling the window open. Walking into the balcony, he lit up a cigarette. The smoke surrounded him, and he stood there with a dazed expression. Chapter 609: Long Time No See, My Love(20) Chapter 609: Long Time No See, My Love£¨20£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Lu Jinnian apanied the granny for dinner, and after an episode of an old historical drama, the nanny brought her upstairs to shower before sleeping. Only then did he leave. When Lu Jinnian came out of the elevator, it was already 10 pm. Once he was out of the apartment, he realized that it had been snowing - there was a thinyer of snow covering the area. As he walked down the staircase, the snow produced a crunching sound. When he came to the road, he reached for his car keys and unlocked his car. Just then, he saw a car not far away light up. When he was about to enter his car, he suddenly heard someone call for him. "Mr Lu." Lu Jinnian paused. He turned and saw that his assistant was at the other side of the road. He seemed to have been there for some time, ayer of snow covering the top of his hat. Lu Jinnian stopped moving. His assistant tookrge steps through the snow. Looking up into his eyes, he asked with agitation, "Mr. Lu, when did youe back? Why didn¡¯t you contact me?" "What are you doing here?" Lu Jinnian asked instead. "I¡¯m visiting my wife¡¯s distant rtive who stays in the neighborhood behind. She¡¯s still ying mahjong upstairs, but I came to get cigarettes and ended up spotting you!" the assistant replied honestly, but inside he was thinking of how all his wife¡¯s rtives were in Suzhou... The only reason he was here was because of Miss Qiao¡¯s phone call! Even though the assistant had been with Lu Jinnian for so many years, this was the first time that he had lied to him. And even though his lie wasn¡¯t exposed, he still felt guilty. Afraid that Lu Jinnian would find some loophole, he hurriedly asked, "Mr. Lu, are you freeter? Want to go for drinks?" Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t object. He nodded and pointed to his car, heading for the drivers seat. After working with Lu Jinnian for so many years, even if they hadn¡¯t met for four months, the assistant still couldn¡¯t change his habits. When he realized what his superior meant, he hurriedly rushed in front of him to open the back door. "Mr. Lu, please." Lu Jinnian was just about to enter the drivers seat, but when he heard his assistant¡¯s words, he paused slightly, then released the door handle, and went to the back seat. The assistant entered the front seat and started the car. "Mr. Lu, where do you want to go?" "Anywhere." The assistant thought for a moment, then suggested, "Golden Luxury?" Lu Jinnian agreed with a light "Yea." In the past four months, Jin Bi Hui Huang had been renovated, so it looked much more extravagant andvish than before. In the private room, the drinks that the assistant had ordered were delivered quickly. After the staff left, he turned and looked over. Lu Jinnian had on a calm expression as he leaned on the sofa, smoking. The assistant poured two ss of wine and pushed one over to Lu Jinnian. "Mr. Lu, are you intending to leave again?" Lu Jinnian averted his gaze from the ceiling, straightened, and finished the entire ss. With a nod, he replied, "Leaving." Chapter 610: Lu Jinnian, Im Pregnant(1) Chapter 610: Lu Jinnian, I¡¯m Pregnant£¨1£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem "What about thepany?" "Isn¡¯t thepany doing fine?" The assistant paused, recalling the conversation with Qiao Anhao. "Mr. Lu, when do you intend to leave?" Lu Jinnian hesitated. "I have not decided." "Mr. Lu, I have already carried out your orders regarding Qiao Anhao..." Lu Jinnian remained silent, but his hand tightened on the ss of wine upon hearing her name. When the assistant remembered that Lu Jinnian had emphasized not to let Qiao Anhao know about his actions but yet he had betrayed him, he started to feel guilty and immediately changed the topic. "Mr Lu, did you leave without saying anything because of Miss Qiao?" Lu Jinnian stiffened. His lips tightly clenched and various emotions seeped into his eyes. After a short while, he downed another ss of wine and rxed his temples back to his usual cold expression. He then replied faintly, "Stop mentioning what has already passed." "But Miss Qiao..." The assistant had wanted to say she had been looking for him for four whole months, but the moment he mentioned her name, Lu Jinnian smashed the ss of wine violently onto the table, before he could continue with his sentence. Snarling, he said, "I told you not to mention anything about her to me! " The assistant became silent instantly. The entire room fell into a deep silence. Shortly after, the assistant changed the topic. Lu Jinnian remained silent the entire time, his face dark as he continuously smoked his cigarette. When the cigarette was reaching its end, he pressed it into the ashtray and stood up. "It¡¯s gettingte, I¡¯m going back to the hotel." The assistant started to panic. Initially he was just trying to have justice for Mr. Lu when he told Miss Qiao about what he had done. Yet when he found out that she still cared about Mr. Lu, even going as far as calling his assistant every single day for four months to ask if there was any news, he started to feel a bit guilty for his previous actions. Tonight, when Miss Qiao called, she had pleaded for him to help relieve tension between her and Lu Jinnian, but the moment he mentioned her, his boss got mad. When he asked him where he had been gone for the four months and when he was returning to Beijing, he was not able to get a response... Was he driving him away instead? Despite the disappointment, the assistant was determined to help Miss Qiao... Because of this, he anxiously asked, "Mr. Lu, which hotel do you stay in?" Lu Jinnian turned, ncing over. "What¡¯s wrong?" His gaze caused a wave of anxiety and guilt to surge in the assistants heart, fear that he would be seen through. Quickly, he said, "I just wanted to send you there, besides, I did not drive today." Lu Jinnian stared at him for about two seconds, and just when his assistant thought that he was exposed, he suddenly replied, "Four Seasons Hotel." Chapter 611: Lu Jinnian, Im Pregnant(2) Chapter 611: Lu Jinnian, I¡¯m Pregnant£¨2£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Without waiting for a reply, Lu Jinnian opened the door and left. The assistant paused, and when he snapped back to his senses, he hurriedly took out his phone to text Qiao Anhao. [Miss Qiao, Mr. Lu stays in Four Seasons Hotel. From my understanding of his personality, his room will definitely be 1001. If you tell the staff his identity number, they will open the door for you, the number is...] After sessfully sending out the message, he seemed to have recalled something and sent another text over. [Oh right, Miss Qiao, Mr. Lu mentioned that he would be leaving soon. You can use his identity number to inquire about his flight number, but I can only help you this much; the rest is up to you.] When he made sure the text went through, he hurriedly left the room to chase after Lu Jinnian. Seemingly guilty for the second betrayal, he could not look straight into his boss¡¯ eyes. Lu Jinnian held Miss Qiao so deeply in his heart, there was no way he would stop loving her. The more he tried to avoid her, the more the assistant was certain that he still cared... Even though, he was not sure what had happened to cause Lu Jinnian to give her up. But she was the only solution. The only one that could make Mr. Lu upset was Miss Qiao, and at the same time, she was the only one that could make him happy, too. So his betrayal was justified, right? He just wanted to help Mr. Lu ... Help him regain the happiness he had lost for so many years. Yes, right, he was helping him find happiness! When they finally came to be together and the betrayal came to light, he could seek help from Miss Qiao. Knowing that Miss Qiao would be a strong backing, the assistant seemed to calm down somewhat. Through the rear view mirror, he nced at Lu Jinnian. - The assistant didn¡¯t send Lu Jinnian upstairs, he stopped at the entrance of the hotel before driving off. Since it was a couple days after New Year¡¯s, there weren¡¯t many upants, and now that it waste into the night, there was only one man at the counter and two security guard in the main hall. The elevator was at the top floor, so Lu Jinnian pressed the button and waited. After about two minutes, a light bell sounded and the doors opened. Lu Jinnian walked in and pressed for top floor. When the elevator reached his floor, he walked out and followed the long stretch down to the end. In front of room "1001", he stopped, reaching for his card to open the door. The room was in pitch darkness. Lu Jinnian used the faint glow from the corridor to find the electricity slot. He ced his room card in, lighting up the room. He turned and closed the door. Strolling back into the room, he removed his jacket and loosened his cor before heading towards the bedroom. With one hand, he pushed open the bedroom door, and with the other, he pulled out his tie, tossing it onto the bed beside him. He started to unbutton his shirt while turning to close the door. Just before he entered the bathroom to shower, he caught sight of something, and his whole body froze. After about three seconds, he turned back. Qiao Anhao sat on the sofa in front of the floor to ceiling window. Chapter 612: Lu Jinnian, Im Pregnant(3) Chapter 612: Lu Jinnian, I¡¯m Pregnant£¨3£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Lu Jinnian was not prepared, he had never expected to see Qiao Anhao sitting in his room. He froze, his fingers no longer unbuttoning his shirt. This was the first time Qiao Anhao had dared to enter someone else¡¯s room without permission. She was jittery and anxious. With her clear ck eyes wide-open, she stared straight at Lu Jinnian for a while before heading towards him. "Lu Jinnian, I¡¯m sorry for disturbing you. " Lu Jinnian remained silent, his gaze never leaving Qiao Anhao as she approached, his mind in a daze. It was as if he was dreaming. When she was about half a meter away from him, she lifted her head. Her heart thumped frantically, as though it was about to jump out of her throat. "Lu Jinnian, can we talk?" Her words seemed to be a dagger, striking deep into his heart. His face paled. Once he had sent a text to her with a simr meaning, [Lets have a good talk during dinner.] But that day, he waited the entire night. He had even humbled himself and thrown his pride, but only to be met with disappointment. Lets have a talk ... She did not give him an opportunity to do so, sentencing him to death instantly. His hands started to tremble, and due to the intensity, the button on his shirt was yanked off, falling onto the ground with a clear "ding". Lu Jinnian snapped back to his senses, a distant look clouding his eyes as he stared at her coldly, sucking all the warmth from the room. After about half a minute, he spoke in an emotionless voice. "I think there¡¯s nothing to talk about between the two of us." Without any emotion, he diverted his gaze away from her face. Moving his hands down to the next button, he continued to unfasten his shirt as he walked casually to the bathroom. Just when he was about to enter it, he turned abruptly to look at Qiao Anhao. He stiffened slightly before adding coldly, "I don¡¯t care how you entered today, but I hope that I won¡¯t see you when I¡¯m out, or I won¡¯t hesitate to call the police." Turning, he entered the bathroom. Anxiously, Qiao Anhao reached out for his shirt. Lu Jinnian tensed, and his lips clenched tightly. He lowered his head to stare at her white, slender hands. Confusion and a mixture of other emotions clouded his eyes, but he stillmanded her in a sharp tone, "Let go!" Qiao Anhao lowered her head instantly, her fingers trembling. She was visibly frightened by his tone. But she tightened her grip on his shirt, even if from anxiety, her palms were starting to sweat. "Lu Jinnian, I know that you¡¯re angry, but could you give me some time? Let me finish what I want to say..." "I¡¯m not interested!" he interrupted irritably. With the other hand, he took hold of her wrist and pulled her hands off. Chapter 613: Lu Jinnian, Im Pregnant(4) Chapter 613: Lu Jinnian, I¡¯m Pregnant£¨4£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Qiao Anhao could feel him pry her hands off, and she started to panic. In her anxiety, she started to blurt out what she wanted to say today. "Lu Jinnian, on the night of Valentines Day..." She couldn¡¯t finish her sentence. The words "Valentines Day" seemed to be a curse, turning Lu Jinnian into a madman. The originally calm man turned aggressive, pressing her against the wall. His hands wrapped around her neck as though he was going to strangle her if she continued. Qiao Anhao could distinctly feel the anger emitting from him as he tightened his grip on her neck. She started to feel breathless, and her face turned red. When Lu Jinnian nced down at her face, his gaze remained murderous, as though he could kill her at any moment. "You want to talk? Or are you here to mock me?" Lu Jinnian remained silent for a second, and when he spoke again, his voice was much calmer and resolute, without any room for objections. "If you are here tonight to talk about the past, it¡¯s not necessary. Whatever happened was in the past and is no longer important to me." He loosened his grip on her neck, and after grabbing her wrist, he pulled her to the door without waiting allowing her to react. Opening the door, he violently pushed her out and mmed the door behind her. Without her presence, Lu Jinnian¡¯s tensed body was finally able to rx. He stood behind the door for a while before heading to the bedroom. He had originally wanted to shower, but now, he reached for the cigarettes in his luggage and lighted a stick. Dangling the stick in his mouth, he caught sight of the phone that was lying silently in the corner of his luggage. He stared at the phone for a long while before reaching for it. The SIM card in the phone had already been thrown away. When he switched it on, it indicated that the battery was low. He stared at the photo of the conversation he had had with Qiao Anhao for a long while before erging one. The first text was between the two of them and it was dated four months ago. He paused for a long while before reading the words in it. [Don¡¯t wait for me, I won¡¯t go.] He clearly remembered that the message was sent by her after he had waited three whole day outside the Qiao mansion. When he had received it, he was about to faint from fatigue. That was after he had taken over Xu Enterprise and had waited the entire night on Valentines day. It was the first thing she had sent to him. Even today, he could still remember how agitated he had been at that time. When he read the message, he had found out that she knew that he had been waiting... She just didn¡¯t want to see him. Despair engulfed him, but he didn¡¯t want to give up. In order to touch her, he replied, [Qiao Qiao, I love you.] [I have loved you for thirteen years.] The two texts seemed to have sunk into the sea, for it was only after two hours that he received a reply. [Are you even worthy?] [I would never ept you who hurt brother Jiamu.] Chapter 614: Lu Jinnian, Im Pregnant(5) Chapter 614: Lu Jinnian, I¡¯m Pregnant£¨5£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem I would never forgive you for harming Brother Jiamu. So all this while, he could never match up to Xu Jiamu, and once he harmed him, he instantly became worthless. Are you worthy? Yes, was he worthy? The first time he had met her, just her bag was worth a few months of his part-time job pay. When she had period cramps and had to rest in the hospital, the thirty dor medical fee he had paid was sixty percent of his entire fortune, but the moment she opened her Chanel wallet, insidey a thick wad of cash. In Hangzhou, when she, Xu Jiamu, and Qiao Anxia went out shopping, they didn¡¯t hesitate to buy items costing up to five digits. But what about him? He had just felt ashamed, since he wasn¡¯t even able to afford the cheapest item in the mall. So was he worthy? He knew that he wasn¡¯t and it was the motivation behind his hard work and determination. He thought that with money, he would have the right to love her, but in the end, she was still an unattainable dream. On Valentines day, she didn¡¯t turn up, but he didn¡¯t mind. He waited three whole days for her, and still he didn¡¯t mind. When she was implicated and got entangled in a drug scandal, everyone was ming her, but at that time, he hade out to stand by her. He knew that if he were to be involved in a scandal, it would definitely bring about trouble. But he just wanted her to be all right. From the moment he fell in love with her, he was determined to protect her. He had given her love, but yet, she had repaid him with "Are you worthy?". Yes, he was not worthy. Even if she had lost her parents, she was still leading a morous and luxurious life. And what about him? He was the son of a mistress, a prostitute, an illegitimate son... The moment he arrived in this world, he was engulfed in such negativity. At that time, the rumors about him went viral, his past, and even his mother¡¯s past were dug out and exposed one by one. He sat silently in his carte one night, staring at the text [Are you worthy?], and he felt as though his world was copsing. In order to love her, he had driven himself to such lengths, to the point of mistreating himself. At that time, he had felt that his actions were lowly, past lowly for her to ask him if he was worthy. So he pleaded, [Qiao Qiao, I¡¯ll return Xu Enterprise to Xu Jiamu, can we go back to the past?] Instead, she had ced him on her cklist. At that time, he felt as though his heart had died. The love that had persevered for thirteen years... He no longer had any excuse to continue this love, instead, reasons to not love kept appearing one after the other. But in the end, when he was determined to leave her, he still left his assistant with a long list of things regarding her. As he typed out each word, he realized that all these years, she was his entire world. Lu Jinnian¡¯s fingers started to hurt, snapping him back to his senses. It was when he realized that his cigarette had reached its end and had burnt his fingers. He tossed the cigarette into the ashtray and put away his phone before entering the bathroom to wash his burn. Chapter 615: Lu Jinnian, Im Pregnant(6) Chapter 615: Lu Jinnian, I¡¯m Pregnant£¨6£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem He had intended to forget everything, so why would he suddenly reminisce about the sealed past? It was probably because of her sudden reappearance. He wanted to know why she would find him now when she was so ruthless back then... He shook his head violently at that thought, closing the tap. This was bad. He had used such a long time to forget her and had been trying to convince himself to cut off all ties, but just her reappearance was able to cause a stir in his heart. If this went on, he would definitely make the same mistake... But such heartache and despair was too much to go through for a second time. Lu Jinnian gripped the basin. He lowered his head and fell into deep thought. When he seemingly made up his mind, he pulled out a towel to wipe his hands before going back to the bedroom. He removed the shirt that was missing a button and changed into a new one before cing his few belongings back into his luggage. Reaching for the hotel phone, he dialed the counter. "Help me order the earliest flight to America, and I want to check out." After hanging up, he scanned the room. When he was sure that there wasn¡¯t anything left, he closed his luggage and headed for the door. - After meeting Lu Jinnian that day, Qiao Anhao had sent up a new chat group with her, Zhao Meng, and Lu Jinnian¡¯s assistant. The day she was chased out of Lu Jinnian¡¯s room, her first thought was to send a crying emoticon to the chat. Zhao Meng¡¯s first reaction was [Qiao Qiao, what¡¯s wrong? You didn¡¯t seed?] Qiao Anhao raised her head to look at the tightly shut door before replying sadly, [No] [Ah?] Lu Jinnian¡¯s assistant sent a shocked emoticon, then asked, [Miss Qiao, didn¡¯t you have a talk with Mr. Lu?] [I wanted to, but the moment I mentioned Valentines Day, he became infuriated and even took hold of my neck in a strangling motion. He then threw me out of the room] Zhao Meng who was a big fan of romance novels seemed to have forgotten the motive for the chat and sent a love emoticon. [Wa, best screen actor Lu is so cool, drools] Lu Jinnian¡¯s assistant remained calm. [Oh, previously, when I mentioned Miss Qiao, Lu Jinnian was also immediately enraged! I was so scared that I couldn¡¯t continue.] He then added quickly, [Miss Qiao, he¡¯s defending against you] [I¡¯ll just wait at the entrance till hees out...] The assistant then wrote, [By my understanding of his personality, he probably won¡¯t give you an opportunity to speak.] [Are you here to help me?] [I¡¯m, but I¡¯m just stating the truth...] After fan girling for a while, Zhao Meng suddenly sent out an emoticon showing disgust. [You two dummies! If he doesn¡¯t want to talk about the past, then don¡¯t! The more you try to bring it up, the more he will avoid you, and what if he suddenly goes missing again? I say the easiest method would be to sleep with him!] Chapter 616: Lu Jinnian, Im Pregnant(7) Chapter 616: Lu Jinnian, I¡¯m Pregnant£¨7£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Qiao Anhao: [...] Lu Jinnian¡¯s assistant: [...] Zhao Meng: [Hey, what do you guys mean, are you disgusted by my idea? You guys are really dumb! Think about it, if he was really upset that Qiao Qiao didn¡¯t turn up for Valentines day, would he have gone to Qiao house to find her?] Zhao Meng: [That day, he waited for such a long time before giving up. He must have been in despair to leave without a word, must have been certain that Qiao Qiao didn¡¯t like him, so right now, the thing that he cares most about is whether Qiao Qiao likes him and not the reasons why she didn¡¯t turn up!] Lu Jinnian¡¯s assistant: [It seems to make sense.] Zhao Meng: [What do you mean by seems? It¡¯s definitely like that!] Zhao Meng: [Qiao Qiao, for thest time, are you certain that you want to be with him?] Qiao Anhao: [Yes] Zhao Meng: [Then it¡¯s set! Even if you guys aren¡¯t a couple yet, there is mutual love, so you will definitely conquer everything. From what you¡¯ve mentioned, he must be quite determined not to get back with Qiao Qiao, so even if you were to tell him that you like him, he might not believe you. So forget about exining, why don¡¯t you go the more direct way and just ¡¯sleep¡¯ with him. When the timees, his resolve will certainly weaken!] Zhao Meng sent over arge chunk of text, but she didn¡¯t seem to be reassured, so she added: [Qiao Qiao, remember to ¡¯sleep¡¯ with him a few more times that night. If his resolve doesn¡¯t weaken, there would be a high chance that you at least would get pregnant! You can then use the child against him!] Lu Jinnian¡¯s assistant added: [Miss Qiao, when you get pregnant, remember to send me a photo so that I can gloat about it to Mr. Lu!] After that, the chat was flooded with their ns after Qiao Anhao became pregnant, everyone forgetting the current situation. Qiao Anhao read their conversation and sent a sweating emoticon, then got them back to reality. [The problem is that he doesn¡¯t even care about me right now! How am I supposed to ¡¯sleep¡¯ with him?] Before she could read their replies, the tightly shut door flew open. She saw Lu Jinnian leaving the room fully dressed, with his luggage in tow. She froze in shock momentarily before hurriedly straightening, "Lu Jinnian, where are you going?" He ignored her, heading towards the elevator with his luggage. Qiao Anhao followed behind hurriedly, but was not able to catch up. When she finally reached the elevator, he had already left. She hurriedly pressed for another elevator, and in the meantime took out her phone and sent a text to the group chat. [What do I do? Lu Jinnian left with his luggage, is he leaving?] The assistant who had followed him through multiple crisis remained unusually calm. [Miss Qiao, calm down, I¡¯ll check which flight he is on.] Chapter 617: Lu Jinnian, Im Pregnant(8) Chapter 617: Lu Jinnian, I¡¯m Pregnant£¨8£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem When Qiao Anhao reached the main hall, Lu Jinnian was already at the counter, paying for his room. He then headed towards the entrance with his luggage. Qiao Anhao focused her gaze on him, not daring to rx. Hurriedly, she followed after him. When she reached the entrance, he had already hailed for a cab. She ran down the steps, but when she was about to hail for a cab, her phone vibrated. [Mr. Lu booked a ticket to America. Miss Qiao, head directly to the airport now. I have already booked a seat on the same flight. As for Miss Zhao, please bring Miss Qiao¡¯s passport and a few set of clothes to the airport for her.] After ensuring that everything was in order, he added, [Miss Qiao, you must follow Mr. Lu closely once you reach America. If you were to lose trace of him there, it will be the end.] When the second message arrived, Qiao Anhao had already hailed a cab. She nced down at the message before hurriedly getting the driver to send her to the airport. After less than ten minutes, she received a reminder for the flight that was just booked. When she reached the airport, Zhao Meng was already at the entrance, waiting for her. Qiao Anhao paid the cab before following the instructions to the international gate 3. Before she could even spot her friend, she had already pulled open the car door to shout for her. Zhao Meng mmed the door shut and ran towards her, passing the passport over. "Qiao Qiao, here¡¯s your passport, but I didn¡¯t pack your clothes. If Mr. Lu were to see that you don¡¯t have anything, it would help to weaken his resolve." Qiao Anhao nodded her head aggressively, thanking her. When she was just about to leave, Zhao Meng pulled her hand over and ced a small box in her palm. "Qiao Qiao, this is for you." Qiao Anhao opened the tiny box to see a white pill lying inside. She raised her head and asked, "What¡¯s this?" Zhao Meng¡¯s face turned slightly red. She scanned the surroundings before coughing lightly. Slowly, she lowered her head to Qiao Anhao¡¯s ears and whispered softly, "Sex enhancement pills. They melt in water and doesn¡¯t harm the body. If you can catch him in America, you can count on this!" She moved away from her ear, then winked and smiled brightly. "You can go now." - From the clearing for emigration, all the way till she boarded the ne was she not able to see Lu Jinnian. When she finally caught sight of him, he seemed to be exhausted as he leaned against the backrest with his eyes shut. The moment she saw him, she paused slightly. He seemed to have sensed something, for his lids flew open. The moment he saw her, he frowned slightly and shut back his eyes. "Excuse me, what¡¯s your seat number?" An air stewardess asked when she realized that Qiao Anhao wasn¡¯t moving. Qiao Anhao smiled apologetically to her before heading to the economy seat. Shortly after she was seated, the doors to the ne were shut and the safety instructions started to y. Qiao Anhao took out her phone to send onest message. [The ne is about to take off.] Chapter 618: Lu Jinnian, Im Pregnant(9) Chapter 618: Lu Jinnian, I¡¯m Pregnant£¨9£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Zhao Meng: [Qiao Qiao, I wish you sess!] Lu Jinnian¡¯s assistant: [Miss Qiao, press on!] Zhao Meng: [Qiao Qiao, I really hope that when you¡¯re back, it will be with Mr. Lu!] Lu Jinnian¡¯s assistant: [+1] As Qiao Anhao scrolled through their responses, she felt touched. [Thank you], she replied with onest message and switched off her phone. She shut her eyes while leaning against the backrest. She raised her arm and clenched the box in her pocket, her heart strengthening slightly. Silently, she promised herself that she would definitely return with Lu Jinnian. - After fifteen hours of flight, the ne finally touched down in America, Los Angeles. Besides phone, wallet, and passport, Qiao Anhao didn¡¯t have anything else with her, so she didn¡¯t have to wait for her luggage. Instead, she hurriedly walked down the economy section towards the door. When Lu Jinnian¡¯s assistant had booked the tickets, there weren¡¯t anymore seats in the business ss left, so she could only sit in the economy ss. When she reached the gap that linked the economy and business ss, the air stewardess stopped her. "Sorry, Miss, you will have to wait a moment. You can only pass through when the business ss passengers in front have all alighted." Even though the air stewardess had spoken softly, the words still reached Lu Jinnian who was in the midst of packing. He nced over briefly. When he caught sight of her gaze, he didn¡¯t react, as though it didn¡¯t concern him, and continued to pull his luggage out of the ne. When the business ss passengers alighted, the air stewardess smiled at Qiao Anhao, signaling her forward. "Miss, you can go now." Qiao Anhao disregarded the air stewardess and ran out to the doors. The moment she entered the airport, she hurriedly looked around. Just then, Lu Jinnian was preparing to make a turn on the left isle. Hurriedly, she followed behind. Seemingly out of coincidence or maybe it was fate, every time Qiao Anhao was about to lose him, she would always catch a glimpse of him somewhere - Just after he hailed a cab, she got one as well! Qiao Anhao had no clue where she needed to go, so she simply got the cab to follow Lu Jinnian¡¯s cab. It was currently daybreak in Los Angeles, so there weren¡¯t many cars on the road. The cabs went one after the other as they streamed towards a hotel in the city center. When Qiao Anhao alighted, Lu Jinnian was still retrieving his luggage from the cab¡¯s boot. She footed the bill before following after him into the hotel. Lu Jinnian checked into the presidential suite, so Qiao Anhao used her identity card to order another suite. Both of them paid using their cards, so when they were required to sign the receipt, both Qiao Anhao and Lu Jinnian looked towards the pen ced on the front desk. identally, their hands touched when they both reached for it at the same time. Qiao Anhao widened her eyes, turning to gaze at Lu Jinnian, but he didn¡¯t bother to look at her. Instead, he moved his hand away without any emotion and asked the front desk staff for another pen in fluent English. After signing the receipt and making payment, he pulled his luggage towards the elevator. Qiao Anhao followed suit, hurrying after him. Chapter 619: Lu Jinnian, Im Pregnant(10) Chapter 619: Lu Jinnian, I¡¯m Pregnant£¨10£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Lu Jinnian and Qiao Anhao took the same elevator up to the top floor. The entire journey up was silent. Other than two staff members, there weren¡¯t other people in the elevator. Lu Jinnian stood in the corner silently, with one hand on his luggage, while Qiao Anhao stood beside him, her gaze on him. He disregarded her then entire journey up, not even giving her a tiny nce. Qiao Anhao was slightly affected by his coldness. From the moment she saw him, she had wanted to exin herself but at the cemetery, he left the moment he saw her; at the granny¡¯s house, he sent her out instantly; when she mentioned Valentines Day in the hotel, he got unusually infuriated and threw her out. Right at this moment, they were both in the same elevator, why couldn¡¯t he talk to her.... Just then, Qiao Anhao broke the silence. She was afraid that he would start to strangle her before she could finish her sentence, so she spoke the gist quickly. "I was in the hospital." The two staff members were Caucasians who didn¡¯t seem to know Chinese, but they thought that Qiao Anhao was speaking to them, so they turned to smile at her, only to realize that she was staring at Lu Jinnian. Turning back, they stopped the words that were already on their lips. The words that had been suppressed inside Qiao Anhao were finally let out, allowing her to rx a little. She continued, "On the night of Valentines Day, I didn¡¯te because I was in the hospital..." Lu Jinnian¡¯s fist tightened on his luggage, taking a deep breath before a self deprecating look entered his face. When he had heard that she had been in the hospital, he couldn¡¯t help feeling a hint of heartache. He was indeed hopeless, even after she had hurt him so much, he could still feel something for her. When he saw hering to America alone, he instantly knew that she was following him and had deliberately slowed down to wait for her several times. "I told you I don¡¯t want to talk about that!" Lu Jinnian wasn¡¯t clear it he was getting mad at himself or her, but his tone was angry when he interrupted her. "I don¡¯t care if it¡¯s real or just an excuse, I don¡¯t care and I don¡¯t want to know about it! I¡¯m sure we both know that it wasn¡¯t your absence that¡¯s the problem..." Lu Jinnian stopped. Lu Jinnian, how much longer are you going to torment yourself? You have already promised to forget, so why bother saying so much? Unless you intend to make the same mistake again? Lu Jinnian shut his eyes, swallowing the next half of the sentence back before snapping, "Forget it!" When he reopened his eyes, he was much calmer and back to his usual cold demeanor. "Miss Qiao, I don¡¯t care why you are here, but let me make this clear, I don¡¯t want to have anything to do with you." Chapter 620: Lu Jinnian, Im Pregnant(11) Chapter 620: Lu Jinnian, I¡¯m Pregnant£¨11£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem The elevator sunk into silence thatsted till the top floor. Lu Jinnian stood still in the elevator seemingly deep in thought. After a moment, he said in a low voice, "If possible, I hope that you will never appear in front of me again." Without waiting for any response, he left with his luggage. Qiao Anhao stood in a daze, watching alone in the elevator as he disappeared. She had already told him that she was in the hospital, so that¡¯s why she couldn¡¯t turn up, but he hadn¡¯t believed... He had even said that he didn¡¯t want to have anything to do with her and wanted her never to appear before him again... In that instance, her enthusiasm faded. Her eyes darkened, and she hung her head low, her lips in a straight line. Only when the elevator doors were about to shut did she finally snap out of her thoughts and slowly left the elevator. When she walked past a corner, she saw Lu Jinnian talking on the phone at the end of the corridor. She nced at her room number on the hotel card, walking along the corridor towards the number. When she approached him, she realized that her room was directly in front of his. He nced over, his gaze cold. In fluent English, he said into the phone, "See you tonight." He then hung up and entered his room without acknowledging her. - Qiao Anhao had slept on the ne, but she was still sleepy from the poor quality rest. After taking a bath, sheid down on the bed, her mind filled with the conversation with Lu Jinnian. He seemed to be determined, as though he really didn¡¯t want to have anything to do with her anymore. When it was just the two of them, it wasn¡¯t impossible to get close to him.. Was Zhao Meng¡¯s solution the only way? Qiao Anhao climbed out of the bed and walked towards the pill box that Zhao Meng had stuffed into her hands. She stared at it for a moment more before making up her mind. Regardless, she would definitely find an opportunity to ¡¯sleep¡¯ with him. Just as what Zhao Meng had said, even if he didn¡¯t forgive her afterwards, she could still use the baby as a weapon. After making the decision, she didn¡¯t sleep the entire night, leaning against the door while waiting for any movement in the opposite room. Lu Jinnian was probably getting rid of his jetg, for he stayed inside the entire morning, but at 1 pm, a waiter entered his room with food. When he left the room, it was 5 pm. He was in a fresh suit and looked dashing as usual. Before he left, he nced over at her door, seemingly noticing her spying. Qiao Anhao hurriedly ran back to her room to grab her wallet, her phone, and the pill box before leaving as well. She mmed the door on her way out, attracting Lu Jinnian¡¯s, who nced over, attention. As she thought about her scheme, she lowered her head guiltily. When they entered the elevator, there was another couple inside who seemed to be French. Chapter 621: Lu Jinnian, Im Pregnant (12) Chapter 621: Lu Jinnian, I¡¯m Pregnant (12) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Qiao Anhao had never studied french, and so she didn¡¯t understand what the two of them were chatting about. However, as they both wore smiles on their faces, and every now and then, they¡¯d kiss when no one was looking, you could make out that they were definitely telling sweet nothings to one another. On the way down from the top floor, Lu Jinnian and Qiao Anhao didn¡¯t make any contact. Qiao Anhao secretly nced over at him a few times, but he still had that look on his face as though she didn¡¯t exist. When the elevator doors opened on the first floor, Lu Jinnian¡¯s phone rang. He epted the call. Qiao Anhao, who stood behind him, heard him say in English, "I¡¯ll be right out." Qiao Anhao then trailed behind him out of the hotel. He held his phone up and scanned the area around him. When he noticed a beautiful blonde woman standing in front of a red Ferrari, he hung up and strode up to her. The woman seemed really happy to see Lu Jinnian. So much so, she rushed over and gave him a hug. The two of them stood by the side of the road, whispering about something, then got into the car. Qiao Anhao¡¯s mind didn¡¯t quite register what had happened until the car slowly drove away. She blinked, snapping suddenly back to her senses. She then hastily ran over to an empty taxi by the roadside. She pulled open the door, and told the driver to follow Lu Jinnian¡¯s car. Eventually, the red Ferrari stopped in front of a restaurant. Lu Jinnian and that blonde woman stepped out of the car and walked inside. Qiao Anhao paid the taxi fare and followed them in. By then, the two of them were already sitting at a table by the window. The woman was holding the menu, telling her order to a waitress. It looked like she was asking Lu Jinnian for his thoughts. She even said a few words to him with a bright smile. Lu Jinnian calmly gave a nod and inadvertently turned his head to see that Qiao Anhao had walked into the restaurant. It was just a quick nce, and he pulled his eyes away from her. Qiao Anhao found a spot to sit that was near Lu Jinnian and the woman. Despite having not eaten all day, she wasn¡¯t hungry, yet she ordered a steak meal anyway. Lu Jinnian and the blonde woman sat opposite each other. Qiao Anhao didn¡¯t know what they were chatting so cheerfully about, but every now and then, the blonde woman would let out a candidugh. Qiao Anhao may have been quite a distance from them, but she could still hear the sound of the woman¡¯sughter, which fell indescribably hard on the ears. Though Lu Jinnian¡¯s expression hadn¡¯t changed much from the start, as Qiao Anhao had known him for so long, she could tell that his and that woman¡¯s rtionship had to be pretty good. Qiao Anhao and the blonde woman had ordered the same meal. The waiter served their dishes at the same time. When Qiao Anhao grabbed the fork to cut her steak, Lu Jinnian coincidentally elegantly cut the woman¡¯s steak with his knife and fork. Qiao Anhao stared at Lu Jinnian¡¯s hand for a while, and couldn¡¯t resist pouting. With a fuming sense of jealousy burning in her heart, she forcefully stabbed the steak on her te. What kind of rtionship did Lu Jinnian have with that woman? Lu Jinnian hadn¡¯t believed her exnation and even said that he never wanted to see her again. Could it be that the real reason had something to do with this woman? Trantor¡¯s Thoughts Paperne Paperne Join our smallmunity of btnhh readers at the paperne club Discord channel fortest chapter discussions, teasers, and spoilers etc ^^ (https://discord.gg/Y9BSvZE). If you like BTNHH, maybe you¡¯ll like Ye Feiye¡¯s second tranted web novel, "A Billion Stars Can¡¯t Amount to You". It¡¯s out now in the voting pool! If you¡¯re interested, please vote your energy stones guys and girls :D Chapter 622: Lu Jinnian, Im Pregnant (13) Chapter 622: Lu Jinnian, I¡¯m Pregnant (13) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem At that thought, Qiao Anhao¡¯s hand with the knife trembled, and she identally cut her other hand. The sharp pain in the finger made Qiao Anhao shudder. The knife in her hand hit hard against the te, releasing a crisp scraping sound, and fell to the ground. The sound turned quite a few heads toward her. When a waiter who stood at the side saw this, he hurried over and bent down to help Qiao Anhao pick up her fork. Just as he gave her a new one in recement, he saw that a trickle of blood had escaped her finger, and couldn¡¯t help but ask, "Miss, are you okay? Your finger is hurt." Only after hearing the question did Qiao Anhao lower her head to see that her finger was indeed bleeding. Luckily, the cut was shallow. She lifted her head, about to shake her head at the waiter, when she saw Lu Jinnian, who hadn¡¯t once looked her way, staring straight at her finger. For just a moment, she stared firmly right back at him. For that instant, she had the feeling that he wanted to get up ande over, but after about ten seconds, he turned his head and continued to chat away with the blonde woman in front of him. The waiter brought over a ster and ced it on Qiao Anhao¡¯s table. "Miss, here¡¯s a ster." Qiao Anhao forced a smile and thanked the waiter. "Thank you." After the waiter left, Qiao Anhao picked the ster and ripped it open. Very slowly, she stuck it on her finger. As she lifted her head, she sneaked a nce at where Lu Jinnian was seated. He holding a bottle of red wine and pouring the blonde another ss. The woman had her phone in her hand, and brought the screen up in front of Lu Jinnian. Who knew what she was showing him. In that instant, Qiao Anhao was ovee by disappointment and devastation. Forget getting hurt, in the past, when she was tired from their strolls, he would crouch down and piggy back her without hesitation. But now, he was so cold towards her that he didn¡¯t even look at her. After she put the ster on, she lost her appetite. She sat in her seat for a while, then eventually got up, called the waiter for the bill and left. - After sitting at the hotel lobby for almost two hours, it was not until around nine something in the evening that Qiao Anhao saw the red Ferrari slowlye to a stop by the side of the road. She thought that only Lu Jinnian would be getting out of the car, but as it turned out, the blonde woman stepped out as well. With a "Weng", Qiao Anhao¡¯s mind suddenly exploded. Did that woman want to join Lu Jinnian in his room? Foreign women were so open! A single man and woman alone in a room... Qiao Anhao abruptly got up from the sofa, disturbing a foreign man reading a newspaper. He looked up in puzzlement and shot Qiao Anhao a questioning look. Lu Jinnian couldn¡¯t of really fallen for the blonde woman, right? Then what was she going to do? She still wanted to have a start over with him! The more Qiao Anhao thought about it, the more confused she felt. She didn¡¯t know where she got the courage from, but eventually, she stomped out of the hotel abruptly. In the heat of the moment, when she rushed over in front of Lu Jinnian and the woman, she didn¡¯t think twice to cry in a sickly sweet voice, "Hubby!" Trantor¡¯s Thoughts Paperne Paperne Join our smallmunity of btnhh readers at the paperne club Discord channel fortest chapter discussions, teasers, and spoilers etc ^^ (https://discord.gg/Y9BSvZE). If you like BTNHH, maybe you¡¯ll like Ye Feiye¡¯s second tranted web novel, "A Billion Stars Can¡¯t Amount to You". It¡¯s out now in the voting pool! If you¡¯re interested, please vote your energy stones guys and girls :D Chapter 623: Lu Jinnian, Im Pregnant (14) Chapter 623: Lu Jinnian, I¡¯m Pregnant (14) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem The blonde woman was Lucy, the wife of a director Lu Jinnian had met while filming in Hollywood, and a psychologist. After learning that he was back in America tonight, she personally invited him to have dinner together. When the car stopped at the hotel¡¯s doors, Lu Jinnian said "Thanks" to Lucy, then pushed open the car doors and got out. Who knew that Lucy would actually get out of the car and called for him to stop. Lu Jinnian turned his head towards Lucy, who said with a beaming smile, "Jinnian, I think you¡¯ve been a little restless tonight. You just seemed so distracted. Is something troubling you? Tell me, perhaps, I can help you." "I¡¯m fine," Lu Jinnian said tly. "Jinnian, you can¡¯t lie to me. Don¡¯t forget what I do for a living. Even if you tried hard to pretend to look calm tonight, I could still feel that you were acting strange. For example, during dinner tonight, you looked over at the window neen times. When I started the car up, you stared at the rear view mirror in a daze. Also while we were chatting tonight, there were four asions when you didn¡¯t even reply to me..." Just as Lucy spoke enthusiastically, they suddenly heard a delicate voice by their side. "Hubby!" When Lu Jinnian heard that voice, his whole body trembled. Lucy, who had been speaking at that time, furrowed her brows at his abrupt reaction and asked worriedly, "Jinnian, what¡¯s wrong?" Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t even have time to shake his head at Lucy before a small frame suddenly rushed over and into his arms. "Hubby, where were you? I¡¯ve been here waiting for you for so long." Lucy jumped in shock at Qiao Anhao¡¯s sudden appearance. Though she didn¡¯t understand Chinese, she at least knew a few words, and "Hubby" was one of them. She creased her brows while staring at Lu Jinnian, and asked in English, "Jinnian, you¡¯re not married, right? Why is she calling you hubby?" Qiao Anhao understood English, so as soon as she heard Lucy¡¯s questions, she was certain that her and Lu Jinnian¡¯s rtionship was abnormal. No matter if Lu Jinnian really liked this foreign woman, or if he faked his affection for her, she was definitely going to find a way to make her back off and never disturb him ever again. Qiao Anhao¡¯s eyes turned. Then, as though to show off her power, she tiptoed, and pecked Lu Jinnian on the cheek twice. Lu Jinnian, who had only juste to terms with had just happened, fell for it again, and he froze once more. Qiao Anhao, on the other hand, seemed practically addicted to her act. She continuously called him her husband in a yful way. "Hubby, I came all the way from Beijing to find you. Hubby, I¡¯m so tired from the flight. Hubby, I have something to tell you..." Qiao Anhao casually said thest word without thinking about what news she had for him, so after a short pause, she blinked and said, "Hubby, I¡¯m pregnant!" Right right right! If she was pregnant, then the foreign woman would definitely back off! After she said that, Qiao Anhao realized that she spoke in Chinese. What if that blonde woman couldn¡¯t understand? Qiao Anhao suddenly blinked her big eyes. She turned to look at Lucy, then shifted her gaze back at Lu Jinnian and repeated her sentence in English. "Hubby, I¡¯m pregnant! Aren¡¯t you happy?!" Chapter 624: Lu Jinnian, Im Pregnant (15) Chapter 624: Lu Jinnian, I¡¯m Pregnant (15) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Lucy, who had only understood the word "Hubby", looked over at Lu Jinnian once again with startled eyes, and asked, "Jinnian? Pregnant?" Lucy¡¯s astonishment fell on Qiao Anhao¡¯s eyes. In her mind, it looked like the woman had just realized that her boyfriend had a wife and she was looking for his confirmation. How could she ask for confirmation? Since the blonde woman still wasn¡¯t backing off, then she couldn¡¯t me her for going overboard! Qiao Anhao then hugged Lu Jinnian¡¯s neck and repeated her words in English in the sweetest voice she could muster while wearing a dazzling smile. "Hubby, I came all the way from Beijing to find you. Hubby, I¡¯m so tired from the flight. Hubby, I haven¡¯t eaten dinner yet, I¡¯m so hungry, so hungryyyy..." After a long time, Lu Jinnian who needed a lot of time to snap back from Qiao Anhao¡¯s actions that were without rhyme or reason finally came back to his senses. Who could tell him, just what was Qiao Anhao ying at? What kind of scene was she acting out? He gave Lucy an apologetic look and said, "Sorry..." As his words fell on Qiao Anhao¡¯s ears, she thought he was clearly trying to keep the beautiful blonde woman around. How could she give him that chance? Under such extreme circumstances, Qiao Anhao didn¡¯t even think twice about it. She tiptoed and forcefully pulled Lu Jinnian¡¯s head down. On a busy street on foreign soil, Lu Jinnian swallowed the words "Excuse me" when her lips covered his. The long-awaited softness and warmth made the blood in Lu Jinnian¡¯s entire body run against its flow. It was as if the pressure points on his whole body had been pressed; there was no way could raise his arms and push Qiao Anhao away. When Lu Jinnian had said "Sorry", Lucy instinctively thought that he would excuse himself, so she had never imagined that the pretty, little ck-haired woman would suddenly kiss him on the lips. Lucy couldn¡¯t help but gasp in surprise at her actions. Then, shaking her head with a smile on her face, she stepped back and got into the car. She started it up and left. When Qiao Anhao heard the sound of the car driving away, she thought that she¡¯d sessfully warded off the foreign woman. With that, her heart couldn¡¯t help but feel unbelievably satisfied. She tore her lips away from Lu Jinnian with the expression of content on her face. There were foreign men all around who couldn¡¯t help but whistle at the startled Lu Jinnian. With this, he finally responded to the fact that Qiao Anhao had actually forced him into a kiss just now. A silent smear of red crept up his cold and distant face, and his expression changed a number of times. Then he abruptly pulled Qiao Anhao away from his neck and arms, turned around, and took big strides in a rush to get into the hotel. After Lu Jinnian threw Qiao Anhao aside, her footsteps staggered for a moment. Then, dun-dun-dun, she stamped her high heels, chasing after him. She reached her arm out and grabbed his wrist. Lu Jinnian¡¯s muscles suddenly tightened up. He didn¡¯t turn around to face Qiao Anhao behind him but forcefully struggled to pull his wrist free. This only triggered Qiao Anhao to raise her other hand and hug his arm even tighter in hers. Lu Jinnian furrowed his brows for a moment, then continued to struggle out of her grip. When he realized he couldn¡¯t break free, he said in a cold voice, "Let go!" Qiao Anhao¡¯s body gently shivered, but she hugged his arms even tighter. Eventually, Lu Jinnian couldn¡¯t take it anymore. He turned his head and stared into Qiao Anhao¡¯s eyes in rage. "What the hell are you doing?" Trantor¡¯s Thoughts Paperne Paperne Don¡¯t try this at home... Chapter 625: Lu Jinnian, Im Pregnant (16) Chapter 625: Lu Jinnian, I¡¯m Pregnant (16) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem In the past, she said he wasn¡¯t worthy of her because of Xu Jiamu, and gave him no choice but to let go and leave. Now, she flew all the way from Beijing to America to harass him. In front of Lucy, she even repeatedly called him her husband and that she was pregnant with his baby, like she was giving an oath of sovereignty. What did she really want? Perhaps it was the overbearing look in his eyes that made Qiao Anhao instinctively lower her head to avoid his re. She then said in a quiet voice, "I lost my purse." She really did lose her purse, though it had been on purpose. Lu Jinnian stared at her scruffy hair without saying a word. Qiao Anhao quietly raised her eyelids to find that he still wore the angry expression he had had earlier, which didn¡¯t let anyone read his thoughts. She wasn¡¯t quite sure if he believed her or not, so she gently held one of his hands and flipped with the other through her own pockets. She then said in low voice, "I¡¯ve really lost it. When I left the restaurant, I walked a distance and hailed a taxi back to the hotel. When it came time to pay, I realized that I had lost my purse. I had to borrow money from the front desk to pay for my taxi fare." Although she had carefully calcted every move, when it was time to tell him, her mind couldn¡¯t help but go back to the time when she went to Hangzhou during university. Her purse was stolen, and she had to send him a text to ask him toe find her far from his ce. Yet, now, all he gave her was a cold and callous look. A trace of sorrow crept into her heart, and the rim of her eyes started to redden. Her voice sounded quite pitiful when she spoke next. "They didn¡¯t let me borrow it at first, so I told them that I had a friend here who would repay them, only then did they let me borrow the money. Yet they didn¡¯t let me go up to rest, they said I had to wait in the lobby for you toe back. I waited for over two hours for you toe back. I haven¡¯t even eaten, I¡¯m hungry." Every letter of Qiao Anhao¡¯s soft words lit Lu Jinnian¡¯s heart. Though she lowered her head so he couldn¡¯t see her face, his mind sketched out her pitiful and aggrieved face from her words. Lu Jinnian shut his eyes and silently took a breath. He tried hard to get his senses back, then pulled out a thick pile of notes from his wallet and handed it to Qiao Anhao. Qiao Anhao stared at the money but didn¡¯t reach her hand out to take it. She shook her head and said, "This isn¡¯t enough. One night¡¯s stay in the hotel costs several million." Lu Jinnian furrowed his brows, pulled out a bank card, and handed it to Qiao Anhao. "You know the pin." Since being reunited after four months apart, this was the first time Lu Jinnian had spoke to Qiao Anhao in a normal tone of voice. Though he was still quite callous about it, there was no longer any of that will to defy and reject her from his very bones. It was especially so when he said "You know the pin". Qiao Anhao wasn¡¯t certain why but tears started rolling down her face and crashed onto to the back of his hand, as she tightly pulled his sleeve. The tears were warm, yet they scorched Lu Jinnian¡¯s heart. He could clearly feel the very heart he had tried to harden up start to soften. Qiao Anhao raised her hand and carelessly wiped the tears from her face. With her head raised, she looked at Lu Jinnian with teary, puppy dog eyes, and said in an aggrieved and pitiful voice, "I don¡¯t want money, I want food." Chapter 626: Lu Jinnian, Im Pregnant (17) Chapter 626: Lu Jinnian, I¡¯m Pregnant (17) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Want food... It was so obviously funny, but Lu Jinnian couldn¡¯tugh aloud. He moved his lips as though to force himself not to let the words escape. However, eventually, he said it. "First, get in and pay them back." Qiao Anhao was so afraid that Lu Jinnian would throw her aside and leave, she didn¡¯t dare let go of his hand. She didn¡¯t listen to him and stubbornly stood on the spot without moving. Lu Jinnian stared at Qiao Anhao for two seconds before finally conceding. He silently turned around and let her hold his hand into the hotel lobby. As Qiao Anhao dragged his hand, she could only walk forward under the force of his pull. His footsteps were fast, and so to be able to keep hold of his hand, she had to jog behind him. When Lu Jinnian heard the hurried sounds of her high heels, he slightly lowered his head to one side and saw that her legs moving non-stop. He then slowed down. They walked up to the front desk where the receptionist asked politely, "Sir, how may I help you?" Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t bother with her. Instead, he turned his head and looked at Qiao Anhao with neutral eyes. He asked with no emotions, "How much?" As though she were a mistreated young wife, Qiao Anhao quietly said, "Forty." Lu Jinnian pulled out a hundred and threw it on the front desk, like he was unsatisfied with them for making Qiao Anhao wait for over two hours alone on the sofa. He didn¡¯t even bother saying "Thank you", but directly threw out the words "Take the change". Then they turned around and headed for the lobby. Lu Jinnian hailed a taxi by the side of the road, pulled the doors, and nced over at Qiao Anhao. He said in a frigid voice, "Get in." With that, Qiao Anhao let go of Lu Jinnian¡¯s hand and climbed into the car. Then, as though she was afraid Lu Jinnian would suddenly close the car door on her and walk off, she quickly pulled onto his sleeve, yanking him into the car with her. Lu Jinnian creased his brows without saying a word, as he realized howfortable he felt in his heart with Qiao Anhao¡¯s obedient, pitiful actions. Like a cat, he followed behind her, entered the car, and gave the driver a location. Throughout the journey, Qiao Anhao and Lu Jinnian never spoke to one another. It was only after they stopped and found themselves outside the same restaurant Lu Jinnian and the blonde women had been to that Qiao Anhao said in quiet voice filled with jealousy, "I don¡¯t want to eat western food." Lu Jinnian furrowed his brows as though toin how demanding she was. "Ah, western food is fine," said Qiao Anhao, quickly changing her tone. Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t even bother with her. He apologized to the taxi driver and gave another location. This time, the taxi stopped in front of a Chinese restaurant. Lu Jinnian paid the fare and got out of the car. He nced over at Qiao Anhao, who had tightly clutched his sleeve without much reaction through the whole drive. He just waited for her to crawl out of the car, then took big strides towards the restaurant. When they sat at the table, Lu Jinnian grabbed the menu and threw it straight in front of Qiao Anhao. Trantor¡¯s Thoughts Paperne Paperne Join our smallmunity of btnhh readers at the paperne club Discord channel fortest chapter discussions, teasers, and spoilers etc ^^ (https://discord.gg/Y9BSvZE). If you like BTNHH, maybe you¡¯ll like Ye Feiye¡¯s second tranted web novel, "A Billion Stars Can¡¯t Amount to You". It¡¯s out now in the voting pool! If you¡¯re interested, please vote your energy stones guys and girls :D Chapter 627: Lu Jinnian, Im Pregnant (18) Chapter 627: Lu Jinnian, I¡¯m Pregnant £¨18£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem The restaurant was situated in a popr area, so during normal dinning hours, there would be arge crowd. In order to save on staff, there was a paper menu on each table for the customers to tick and send to the counter. Lu Jinnian nced over at Qiao Anhao, and when he realized that she wasn¡¯t going to tick anything on the menu, he grabbed a pen at the side and tossed it to her. Qiao Anhao jumped, lifting her head to nce at him. She widened her eyes in shock, her gaze clear and harmless. Even though there wasn¡¯t much expression on his face, his tone softened without conscious thought. "Tick whatever you want to eat." "Oh." Qiao Anhao picked up the pen and scrutinized the menu. Out of habit, she started to chew on the tip of the pen . asionally, when she saw something she wanted, she would lightly tick the menu. Lu Jinnian¡¯s gaze turned blurry as he remembered an event from the past. It was after their physical education lesson, and while hugging a ser ball, he had deliberately passed by Qiao Anhao¡¯s ss. She was having a quiz and had been allocated a seat at the far end of the ssroom, but he could still spot her at a nce. At that time, she was still in third ss. When she couldn¡¯t solve the question, she would start to chew on her pen, just as she was doing right now, but with a frown etched on her face. After a long while, she would release the pen to tick her choice. Even though it wasn¡¯t much, he stopped outside her ss and stared for at least ten minutes. It was only when Xu Jiamu, drenched in sweat, came running to him did he finally avert his gaze. Some people and some memories would constantly be hovering around despite any attempts to forget them. In the past four months, he never once thought about her affairs, but now, her unconscious action was able to awaken the past that he had sealed. Lu Jinnian had already eaten his dinner and Qiao Anhao couldn¡¯t eat much, so she only chose one dish after a long time of contemtion. Finally, she ced the pen back down and passed the menu back to Lu Jinnian. Her act snapped his attention back to the present, and coldness and remoteness clouded his eyes. Casually, he flipped through the menu. When he saw that she had only picked one dish, he frowned. Without bothering to consult her, he picked up the pen and quickly ticked a few other boxes before standing to ce the order. It was after dinner hours, so the crowd had started to leave. The dishes were served quickly. Qiao Anhao realized that the items he had picked so swiftly - four dishes, a soup, and dessert were all her favorite. The long email that he had written to his assistant came to her mind, dampening her spirits slightly. When he ticked the menu just now, he seemed to be very familiar with the positions of the dishes... Did that mean he was a regr and would always pick these few dishes? Did he always patronize the restaurant alone to eat her favorite dishes? She could feel a slight sting in her eyes. Biting down on her lips, she whispered, "I¡¯m sorry." Chapter 628: Lu Jinnian, Im Pregnant(19) Chapter 628: Lu Jinnian, I¡¯m Pregnant£¨19£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Qiao Anhao¡¯s abrupt apology sent Lu Jinnian into confusion, and he just continued to look at her. She lifted her head and looked into his eyes with a bright, teary gaze. "Lu Jinnian, I¡¯m really sorry for making you wait so long and for things I said that day..." Qiao Anhao was referring to the words that she had said in his office. But Lu Jinnian had misunderstood, assuming that she was talking about the text. His eyes darkened, he beat down on the table aggressively and growled, "How many times do you need me to tell you, I don¡¯t want to hear about that!" Qiao Anhao trembled, clearly frightened by his sudden outburst. She didn¡¯t even dare to look at him, hurriedly hanging her head down. Lu Jinnian¡¯s aggressive act attracted stares from the other patrons, and Qiao Anhao could vaguely hear that they were discussing them. Instinctively, she clenched her fists and hung her head lower. A pressuring force continuously emitted from Lu Jinnian, and his chest was rising up and down furiously. Qiao Anhao was afraid that he would turn and leave just like before. Ignoring the fear deep in her heart, she reached out to grab his sleeve. Lu Jinnian sensed her move. He turned and saw her slender hand tugging at his sleeve, and deep inside, his anger started to fade. After about a minute, he exhaled deeply and passed a pair of chopsticks over to her. "Eat." Qiao Anhao lifted her eyes slightly to study him. When she saw that he no longer had that scary aura, she reached over for the chopsticks, though her other hand still held onto his sleeve tightly. Lowering her head, she started to eat obediently. Zhao Meng was right - He was indeed unwilling to talk about the past... But she could sense that deep inside he still cared about her. Was Zhao Meng¡¯s suggestion the only solution left? Qiao Anhao tightened her grip on the chopsticks. When she took in a mouthful of rice, she peaked over at Lu Jinnian. He was staring out the window in a daze. Qiao Anhao nce around the restaurant. When she saw the drinks located at the vending machine, she bit her lip and turned to Lu Jinnian. "I want orange juice." Lu Jinnian had been staring at Qiao Anhao¡¯s reflection on the window all this while. When he heard her, he turned and stared at her slightly before heading for the vending machine. Qiao Anhao stared at his back. When she saw him reach for his pocket to grab a new note while scanning the rows of drinks, she bit down on her lip and swiftly fished out the pill box and ced its contents in an empty cup. Chapter 629: Lu Jinnian, Im Pregnant(20) Chapter 629: Lu Jinnian, I¡¯m Pregnant£¨20£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem At that moment, Lu Jinnian bent down to reach for a bottle of orange juice and turned to get his change. Qiao Anhao hurriedly stuffed the box back into her pocket. She held onto the empty cup, concealing the pill inside. When he came back with her drink, he first unscrewed the bottle before passing it over to her. She reached for the bottle and poured some into the cup with the pill, heaving a sigh of relief. Reaching for another empty cup, she poured the orange juice in. Qiao Anhao ced the remaining juice on the table before passing the cup with the pill over to Lu Jinnian. Looking up at him, she fluttered her longshes and said in a sweet tone, "Here¡¯s yours." Lu Jinnian usually opted for coffee, tea, or just in water. He never touched sweet drinks. ncing at the juice, he shook his head in rejection. "I don¡¯t want it." In hesitation, he added another sentence to sound less harsh. "You can have it." Inwardly, heughed bitterly. Even after she had caused him so much hurt, he still felt an urge to cheer her up when she felt down. Qiao Anhao held the cup in the same position wordlessly, staring at him with the same clear, harmless eyes. Lu Jinnian couldn¡¯t handle the gaze any longer. He reached over and took the drink from her hands. Qiao Anhao smiled, her eyes curving into crescents. Reaching for her own drink, she touched her cup to his before downing the whole juice in one go. Lu Jinnian stared at her smile, mesmerized. cing the cup back down, Qiao Anhao realized that he hadn¡¯t moved, so she asked him about it. At that moment, he lowered hisshes and took a sip. It was sweet, sickeningly so, and a little sour. It wasn¡¯t a taste that he enjoyed, but just when he was about to ce the cup down, he noticed her gaze. After just a moment of hesitation, he downed the entire cup. Qiao Anhao stared at him till he finished the entire cup, only then did she pick up her chopsticks to resume eating. Deep down, she was starting to get anxious. Zhao Meng told her that the pill would take effect in half an hour... This meant that she had to return to the hotel soon... Qiao Anhao hurriedly finished the entire bowl of rice. Turning to look at Lu Jinnian who was staring out the window, she said, "I¡¯m done." Lu Jinnian averted his gaze. He wordlessly reached for his wallet and headed to the cashier. Once they left the restaurant, Qiao Anhao and Lu Jinnian entered a cab and returned to the hotel. As they entered the elevator going to the top floor, Lu Jinnian¡¯s face started to redden, and his breath started to get uneven. His gaze started to get fiery, as though suppressing an overwhelming inner desire. When the elevator finally reached the top floor, Lu Jinnian tookrge steps forward, as though trying to get rid of Qiao Anhao. Qiao Anhao could sense his abnormality. Without allowing him any opportunity, she ran after him. Just when he was about to open his room¡¯s door, she dashed forward into his embrace. Chapter 630: Marriage(1) Chapter 630: Marriage£¨1£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Qiao Anhao¡¯s unique scent clouded Lu Jinnian¡¯s mind, jolting his senses. With the limited restrain he still had, he struggled to pry her off him, but somehow, he couldn¡¯t seem to lift his arms. Qiao Anhao stood on her toes, sealing his lips. The soft tenderness brought out his inner desire, chasing away any willpower he might have had left. His mind went nk. Without thinking, his legs lifted, kicking the door open. Carrying Qiao Anhao in his embrace, he entered the room and kicked the door shut, pressing her against the wall, deepening the kiss. Lu Jinnian¡¯s kiss was passionate and aggressive, stripping away her strength, leaving her light headed. Due to the pill, his actions were impatient, tugging away her clothes roughly. The long row of buttons seemed to frustrate him. He pulled and tore the cloth apart, sending the buttons flying all over the floor. Before they even reached the bedroom, their clothes were almost entirely gone, strewn across the entire living room. Lu Jinnian¡¯s breathing turned ragged. He pushed the bedroom¡¯s door open and pressed Qiao Anhao down onto the bed, anxiously entering her. After staying celibate for such a long time and being under the influence of the pill, he was more aggressive than usual. Qiao Anhao was awake but light headed. When it finally ended and she wanted to take a breath, he suddenly hugged her, changing her position for another round. When it was finally over, she could no longer keep track of the number of times they had done it... Was it four times, or five? She just felt as though her entire body was wrecked and all her energy was sucked out. She slouched down onto his chest tiredly, sinking into deep sleep. - When Lu Jinnian woke up, the skies were still dark. He reached out for his phone but instead felt a soft tenderness. He frowned, with the faint glow from outside the window, he saw Qiao Anhao nestled in his arms, fast asleep. His mind froze instantly. Only after a long while did he process what had happened the day before... he most likely had been drugged by Qiao Anhao. He stared at her sleeping face for a long while before removing her from his embrace. Settling her gently on the pillow beside him, he headed to the bathroom. After a shower, he returned to the bedroom in a bathrobe and nced at Qiao Anhao. She was still fast asleep. He walked towards the door and left the bedroom. Outside, the floor was filled with both of their clothes. Lu Jinnian paused for a moment before bending down to pick them all up, tossing them into theundry basket in the living room. Walking towards his phone, he nced at the time, it was 4 am. Exhausted from the night before, he brewed a cup of coffee for himself. Holding onto it, he walked towards the balcony and sat onto a chair. Reaching for the cigarette box in front of him, he took a stick out and started to smoke as he stared out at the night sky. Behind every puff of smoke, his face remained impassive, his gaze blurry as though everything was fine, but deep inside, his heart was in a mess. Chapter 631: Marriage(2) Chapter 631: Marriage£¨2£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem She was poison. Even though he knew it was fatal, he still couldn¡¯t help approaching. Just like right now. Even after she had hurt him so badly, her unhappiness, her tears, and one night together was enough to tempt him back in. He couldn¡¯t help but admit his attraction, she could easily stir his heart, sucking him in. He could never understand why there could be a woman like her that could easily tear down his defenses. With just a simple act, she was able to turn his world upside down. He was clear of his most honest and raw intentions at this moment. Even after she had trampled over his pride, proimed him unworthy of loving her, refused to forgive him for another man, pushed him to his limits, he still wasn¡¯t able to give her up, he still wanted to be with her. He knew that he never had a choice when it came to her, that¡¯s what had driven him to a foreign country when she first abandoned him. The skies were dark, and the streetmps flickered. Lu Jinnian smoked one stick after another, never once stopping as he battled his inner war. From all her actions, he could tell that she wanted to be with him, but he couldn¡¯t muster enough courage to believe such a thought. He was frightened of the thought of losing her after epting such a fantasy. He didn¡¯t want to experience the same death-like pain once again. No one could know how torturous it had bee n when she had abandoned him, and he never wanted to experience such torment ever again. No one could know just how many sleepless nights he had used to convince himself to let go. Lu Jinnian lowered hisshes, staring at the ck watch he wore on the hand with which he held the cigarette. His resolve was weakening, and his spirits were low. There were two choices ahead, but he had no clue which to choose. Lu Jinnian sat there silently the entire night, until the sun started to raise and the city started to rouse, transforming into a bustling ce of activity. Standing up, he headed to the closet to change into a new set of clothes before leaving the hotel room with his wallet. After about an hour, he returned back with two bags. He ced them on the sofa before pushing the bedroom door softly. Qiao Anhao was still fast asleep. She didn¡¯t have good sleeping habits, kicking the nket aside, exposing arge area of her bare back and one long, shapely leg. Lu Jinnian looked at her for a while before entering and covering her tightly. He left after increasing the temperature for the heater slightly. Walking over to the window in the living room, he stuffed his hands into his pockets and stared into the distance. - This was probably the best sleep Qiao Anhao had had in four months. When she finally woke up, it was already 1 pm in the afternoon. She brushed her hair messily, ncing around the room with half-opened eyes. When she caught sight of a male suit in the corner of the room, she was jolted awake instantly. Chapter 632: Marriage(3) Chapter 632: Marriage£¨3£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Just like a movie scene, the memories from the night before flooded in, one by one. Qiao Anhao scanned the surroundings. When she realized that Lu Jinnian was nowhere in sight, she automatically assumed that he had ran away. She hurriedly climbed off the bed and ran out of the bedroom without noticing her naked body. When Lu Jinnian heard movement, he turned towards the source of the sound. Just then, Qiao Anhao appeared at the door unclothed. He frowned, turning away abruptly. "Wear something beforeing out." Qiao Anhao flushed a deep shade of red and retreated back into the backroom, mming the door behind her. After taking a shower, she wrapped herself in a bathrobe. When she approached the bed, she saw a new set of clothes with tags still on them. Lu Jinnian must have bought them for her earlier this morning. She quickly blow dried her hair, tied them into a messy bun, and put on the clothes before leaving the bedroom. Lu Jinnian had already ced some dishes on the table. When he heard the door open, he lifted his head. "Come have some food." He then sat down on the chair next to him. Qiao Anhao walked over slowly, studying his face. When she was sure that he wasn¡¯t angry or seemed to want to question her, she started to feel more reassured, pulling open a chair to take a seat. Lu Jinnian passed her a set of chopsticks, signaling for her to eat. That was when she finally rxed. She lowered her head and started eating. Deep inside, she wasplimenting Zhao Meng for her suggestion. After sleeping for such a long time, she was starving. With her newly brightened spirits, she started to eat happily. Lu Jinnian moved his chopsticks twice before putting them back down. He leaned back against the chair and stared at Qiao Anhao as she ate. Only when she stopped eating did he finally move. He turned to pass her a wet tissue before walking to the sofa. He nced at the two bags, hesitated slightly before bending down, and took out a box of pills. Turning around, he walked over to the table counter to pour a cup of water before heading back to the table. He first ced the cup of water in front of her, then paused for some ten seconds, seemingly debating something, after which he passed them over. "Eat one." Qiao Anhao had on a faint smile while holding onto the wet tissue. She then turned and saw the pills in his hands. "What¡¯s this?" Lu Jinnian remained silent. Qiao Anhao blinked twice and turned to look at the box of pills. All the color left her face instantly. She tightened her grip on the wet tissue in her hands as shock clouded her face. After a moment, she turned to Lu Jinnian with confusion in her eyes. "Why are you giving me this?" Lu Jinnian nced at her face for a moment before cing the pills on the table. Instead of replying to her, he pulled out an air ticket from his pocket. "After you finish it, I¡¯ll bring you to the airport." Chapter 633: Marriage(4) Chapter 633: Marriage£¨4£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Qiao Anhao nced at the air ticket, it was a flight from Los Angeles to Beijing. Her mind went nk. Didn¡¯t Zhao Meng say that all she had to do was sleep with him? Even if he wasn¡¯t going to forgive her, didn¡¯t she say that she could use the child to threaten him into marriage? But somehow Lu Jinnian had ruined her ns entirely... She didn¡¯t want to go back, she didn¡¯t want to eat the contraceptives... What was she going to do? Qiao Anhao started to panic. She then suddenly remembered what Zhao Meng had mentioned in the message - for her to continually sleep with him until he epted her... Qiao Anhao hung onto that solution desperately. She stood up abruptly and hugged Lu Jinnian¡¯s neck. Lifting her head, she covered his lips. Moving her arm down to his waist, she violently sunk into his clothes. But before she could venture far, Lu Jinnian grabbed her wrist, pulling her away from him as though trying to keep a distance. When he took a step back, his face was cold and distant. "The flight is two hours away, hurry and eat the pill. I¡¯ll go check out now." He released her wrist, arranging his messy clothes slightly before heading out of the room. She tried harassing him, acting cute, pitiful, and even drugged him. She seemed to have exhausted all the possible options but was still not able to make him change his mind. In that instant, she didn¡¯t know if she felt despair or frustration, but she suddenly grabbed the pills on the table and tossed them at Lu Jinnian¡¯s back. "You can eat it if you want, but I¡¯m not going to!" Lu Jinnian wavered slightly before stopping. Qiao Anhao seemed to have broken down. She reached for the air ticket and tore it into pieces, throwing it at Lu Jinnian with all her strength, but it didn¡¯t seem to satisfy her. She tookrge steps towards him. Reaching for the box of pills, she threw them out and started to stomp on them until they turned into a powdery mess. As she stepped on the pills, tears streamed down her face. Turning to the the sofa, she grabbed the pillows and tossed them at Lu Jinnian. And when there was nothing left to throw, she copsed on the floor, sobbing. Angrily, she red at him with tear filled eyes. "Lu Jinnian, what do you want? Even if you¡¯re angry, isn¡¯t there a limit?" Lu Jinnian was frustrated by her tantrum. After finally settling on a conclusion, he was starting to waver once again. He frowned, staring at her for a long while before walking over. He knelt down and started to gently wipe away her tears, but in that instant, Qiao Anhao could feel his distance. Chapter 634: Marriage (5) Chapter 634: Marriage £¨5£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem "Qiao Qiao, I¡¯m not angry..." Lu Jinnian said calmly. "This time, I just want to treat myself better." All these years, in order to love you, I thought about you first, before myself. As time went by, I started to forget that I can hurt as well. In this world, there isn¡¯t anyone who would think for me, so this time, I just want to care for myself. I don¡¯t want to jump right in just because I saw a hint of hope, only to end up in despair. "Yesterday in the elevator, whatever I said wasn¡¯t out of anger, those were heartfelt. I really don¡¯t wish to have anything to do with you anymore." Lu Jinnian paused before adding resolutely, "So, Qiao Qiao, do go back to Beijing, don¡¯t waste your time here anymore." Lu Jinnian spoke seriously, allowing Qiao Anhao to understand that he wasn¡¯t angry at what happened, he was giving up on her. Anxiousness started to fill her heart. "But Lu Jinnian, you like me... You¡¯ve liked me for thirteen years..." Her words brought him back to the time he was in the car and had sent her the message [I¡¯ve loved you for thirteen years]. He was reminded of how despaired he had felt at that time. An unexinable sorrow started to spread across his heart. He remained silent for a long while before saying, "Yes, I¡¯ve loved you for thirteen years. But Qiao Qiao, do you know? Now I¡¯m trying very hard to forget you." Cold numbness crept up Qiao Anhao¡¯s body, her heart tugged with a deep painful ache, and her body begun to tremble uncontrobly. What did he say? He said that he was trying to forget her? During the four months he was gone. she had always thought that when they finally reunited, it would be the start of her happiness. She had never expected it to be the end. Lu Jinnian noticed that she seemed to have been hurt by his words, staring at him nkly without responding. He couldn¡¯t help but feel pained inside as well when he saw her reaction. Lowering his lids, he said faintly, "I¡¯ll wait downstairs." He stood up and left the room. When the door finally closed, Qiao Anhao snapped back to her senses. She blinked slightly, the tears streaming down her face uncontrobly. Lu Jinnian had actually said that he was trying to forget her... Qiao Anhao felt an immense pain that made even breathing difficult. She had no idea how she managed to leave his room and even less of a clue of how she managed to get down and enter the cab with Lu Jinnian. The entire time, her whole mind was filled with one single sentence. She stared out the window. The more she repeated the sentence, the more her face whitened. In the end, it became as pale as a paper. Lu Jinnian turned towards the other window, his face impassive. When they finally reached the airport, Lu Jinnian paid and alighted first, heading to the other side to open the door for Qiao Anhao. She, on the other hand, remained in a daze, alighting from the cab as though on auto-pilot mode. Chapter 635: Marriage(6) Chapter 635: Marriage£¨6£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Lu Jinnian walked in front while Qiao Anhao trailed behind as they headed towards the airport. Since the ticket was torn apart, Lu Jinnian had to get another before leading her to the gates. He passed the passport and new air ticket into her hands. Qiao Anhao felt something in her palms. She grabbed onto the things in a daze, looking straight at Lu Jinnian. Her mind was still in a nk state. Lu Jinnian took out his wallet and stuffed a thick wad of cash into her hands. "Go in." Qiao Anhao stood still, her eyes nk, staring straight at him. Lu Jinnian started to feel frustrated from her stare. He cleared his throat and dryly said, "Goodbye." He then turned. After pausing for about ten seconds, he walked away with heavy, resolute steps. Goodbye? Qiao Anhao¡¯s temples moved slightly. She looked down at the wad of cash Lu Jinnian had stuffed into her hands, remembering the scene from many years ago at the train station in Hangzhou. When she had lost her wallet back then, he had also given her money, but at that time, he had told her to get back to Beijing safely. And now he had said goodbye. Did it mean that they¡¯ll never see each other again? She didn¡¯t want that! Zhao Meng had told her that he cared that she didn¡¯t turn up but he cared more whether or not she loved him. He said that it was never because he was angry. Right, how could she be so silly? So dumb? Just because he said he would try to forget her, how could she forget to tell him she loved him? After following him all the way from Beijing to America, she had wanted to exin herself, but she forgot to let him know that she loved him too. Hope shone brightly in her eyes. If she told him, she loved him, would he stop trying to forget her? He had been in love with her for thirteen years, and she had loved him for thirteen years too. After she had spent her entire youth loving him, how could it end like that? Regardless of the ending, she had to go at it bravely, didn¡¯t she? Determined, she rushed in the direction Lu Jinnian had left. The airport was crowded, and since she was in a hurry, she bumped into a few people, but continued to rush forward without having time to apologize. When she was finally at the door, she started to worry that she wouldn¡¯t see him anywhere. After frantically scanning the surroundings, she finally caught sight of him smoking at the rubbish bin nearby. He looked exceptionally lonely at that moment, and it tugged at the deepest part of her heart. Without hesitating, she dashed forward. Lu Jinnian seemed to have sensed something, for he turned to the side. The moment he saw her, he frowned, instinctively tossing the cigarette into the bin. Qiao Anhao ran towards him and tightly hugged the back of his waist. Lu Jinnian froze, and before he could react, he heard her small, soulful whimper. "Lu Jinnian, if I said I loved you, would you still not want me?" Chapter 636: Marriage(7) Chapter 636: Marriage£¨7£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Lu Jinnian froze, and before he could react, he heard her small, soulful whimper. "Lu Jinnian, if I said I loved you, would you still not want me?" The airport was popted and noisy, each sound much louder than hers, but he could still clearly hear what she had just said. If I said I loved you, would you still not want me? The sentence entered his brain, and he couldn¡¯t seem to process the meaning. In the end, it tranted only to: I love you Qiao Anhao said that she loved him. Lu Jinnian sincerely felt that he was hallucinating. How could she say that she loved him? If she loved him, why would she have let him wait for such a long time, sent him such hurtful words? His love for her must be so great that it caused him to hallucinate in broad daylight. After waiting for a long while, Qiao Anhao still didn¡¯t get a response from him. She started to feel anxious, unsure of how he felt. She tightened her grip on his waist and continued in a trembling voice, "Lu Jinnian, can you not try to forget me, can you not chase me back, can you be with me..." The whole sentence consisted of many "can you", but Lu Jinnian continued to stay motionless. In the end, she asked in a breathless, sob-filled voice, "Lu Jinnian, I love you, I really love you, can we be together? Can we? Can we?" The multiple "can we" sent his heart into a frenzy. Silently, he pinched his thigh. When he felt a sharp stinging pain, he realized that he wasn¡¯t dreaming. The girl he had loved for thirteen years had really just told him that she loved him. Last night, when she drugged him and they slept together, he had wanted to get back with her, but he was too afraid of facing another sad ending. After sitting and thinking through the entire night, he came to the painful conclusion of letting her go. If he wanted to have a peaceful life, they had to be strangers. But now she said that she loved him. He saw his weak resolve dissolving right in front of him. The worst thing was the bliss he felt when he heard her confession. Lu Jinnian, are you prepared to give yourself, to give her, to give the future of you two together a chance? His silence slowly ripped Qiao Anhao¡¯s heart apart, the wound gettingrger andrger. She was growing more and more anxious. When his hands suddenly came up to pry her hands off, her chest overflowed with horror. Lu Jinnian started to turn around to face her, but before he could say anything, she threw herself into his embrace, climbing onto him like an octopus. He stumbled backwards, and when he finally regained his footing, she broke into tears. "I¡¯m not going back, not going back!" Chapter 637: Marriage(8) Chapter 637: Marriage£¨8£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Qiao Anhao¡¯s loud cries attracted the attention of numerous passers-by. "Lu Jinnian, what exactly do you want? I¡¯ve already apologized, I already told you why I couldn¡¯t meet you. I didn¡¯t even mind when you said those hurtful things and gave me contraceptives after sleeping with me! And now you want to chase me away!" Even though the airport was filled with non-Chinese people, there were some who could understand thenguage, so when Qiao Anhao said "slept with me", Lu Jinnian frowned, a shade of faint red appearing on his dashing pale face. Instinctively, he raised his hands to try to pull her down and cover her mouth so that she would calm down, but these actions seemed to agitate her further, for she thought that he was about to abandon her in the airport. Violently, she threw her hands around his neck and started to scream while crying, totally disregarding her image. "Lu Jinnian, you bastard, I already said I don¡¯t want to go back, so why do you still want to send me back? "Lu Jinnian, what kind of guy are you? You aren¡¯t going to take responsibility after sleeping with me? "Lu Jinnian, you don¡¯t want me? Why did you sleep with me yesterday then? There¡¯s a child in my tummy now, I don¡¯t want to go, don¡¯t want to go... "Wa..." Qiao Anhao screamed loud and clear, following each sentence with deafening sobs. The surrounding crowd started to growrger, and several of the people started recording the show. This was the first time in Lu Jinnian¡¯s life that he felt so embarrassed. Instinctively, he turned to hide his face, but when he saw Qiao Anhao¡¯s teary visage, he turned back to shield her. "Qiao Qiao, calm down, stop shouting for a moment. Let¡¯s talk somewhere we¡¯ll be alone, all right?" "No, I don¡¯t want to find somewhere else, I want to talk here, I don¡¯t want for my child to be born without a father..." Lu Jinnian was left speechless. Helplessly, he said weakly, "Qiao Qiao, it¡¯s just one night, you couldn¡¯t possibly be pregnant..." "I¡¯m pregnant, I¡¯m pregnant! You¡¯re not me, how would you know!" Qiao Anhao anxiously interrupted without waiting for him to finish his sentence. Since he didn¡¯t seem to be amodating to her words, she started to cry louder. "Lu Jinnian, I give you two choices, you get together with me or I get together with you!" Lu Jinnian gave up, realizing that there was no way to talk any sense into her, and the people crowding around were growing in number, all of them pointing at them... At this rate, they were about to be headlines... Lu Jinnian hesitated before pushing her upwards and hurriedly leaving. Qiao Anhao continued to sob non stop as she repeated continuously, "I don¡¯t want to go back." Lu Jinnian carried her all the way till there wasn¡¯t anyone around and then put her down. In order to calm her, he grabbed her shoulders to stabilize her and stared straight into her eyes. "Qiao Qiao, let me ask you a question, if your answer satisfies me, I¡¯ll get together with you." Chapter 638: Marriage(9) Chapter 638: Marriage£¨9£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem "If your answer is able to satisfy me, I¡¯ll forgive you for everything: for noting to meet me, and for..."¡ªLu Jinnian paused, remembering the night he had received her text, and his eyes darkened, but quickly, his tone stabilized¡ª"everything you once said to me, I will be able to forget it." When Qiao Anhao finally saw a glimmer of hope, she stopped crying and looked straight into his eyes. "Tell me." After crying for such a long while, she wriggled her nose, looking exceptionally pitiful. "Qiao Qiao..." After a moment of silence, Lu Jinnian continued as he looked into her eyes with pain, "Give me a reason." Confusion settled on her face. She opened her mouth but nothing came out. Just then, Lu Jinnian¡¯s suppressed voice reached her ears. "Give me a reason to believe that you love me." Regardless of how many times she said she loved him, regardless of how much she harassed him, even if she disregarded her image and cried contentiously, not willing to leave... Even if there were so many instances he could list that could convince him that she wanted to be with him but... he still needed a reason. That "are you worthy" was enough to strip him of all his confidence and courage. After asking the question, he remained motionless, staring straight at her. Give him a reason to believe that she was in love with him? Tears drenched Qiao Anhao¡¯s face, but she turned serious in an instance, her temples scrunching together as though she was in deep thought. In the empty corner, it seemed unusually quiet. asionally, there would be a faint buzz from the airnes that flew past. After only about two minutes, Lu Jinnian felt as though he had waited for an eternity. The grip on her shoulders started to lessen in strength, and just when he was about to let go, she suddenly spoke up. "Lu Jinnian..." After crying, her eyes were bright and sparkly, the tip of her nose red and her hair tangled. She looked a mess, but he could see the sincerity in her expression. "Lets get married." If he needed a reason to believe that she loved him, she concluded that getting married was the best way to convince him. "You once said that if no one wanted me, you would marry me. You can marry me now, and I¡¯ll give you the rest of my life, do you think this is enough?" Lu Jinnian froze, his face impassive when he nced at her. After a long period of silence, he still didn¡¯t react, and uneasiness settled in Qiao Anhao¡¯s heart. Did he think that this reason wasn¡¯t enough? Or was he not willing to be with her? After about half a minute, since Lu Jinnian was still motionless, her eyes started to turn red again. Anxiously, she added, "Lu Jinnian, if you don¡¯t think its enough, I can add one more. There¡¯s a child in my tummy now, you won¡¯t abandon the child, right?" Chapter 639: Marriage(10) Chapter 639: Marriage£¨10£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Lu Jinnian couldn¡¯t process the "let¡¯s get married" part when he heard her continue. His lips trembled, and his expression turned indulgent. "Lu Jinnian, we can¡¯t let the baby be born without a father, right?" "Qiao Qiao..." he interrupted her continuous persuasion. Qiao Anhao finally shut her mouth, turning to look at him with anxiousness. "Yea?" "What did you say just now?" "Baby..." "No, the previous line." "Rest of my life..." "Before that." "If no one wants me..." "No, the one even before that." Qiao Anhao frowned. She tilted her head to think for a while. "Let¡¯s get married?" She then added, "Is it this line?" Lu Jinnian suddenly raised his hand to push a fallen out strand of hair behind her ear before replying warmly and resolutely, "Yes." She froze. Lu Jinnian lightly caressed her ear. "That¡¯s the reason I want, let¡¯s get married." After a moment hesitation¡¯s, he seemed to have made up his mind. He lowered his hands to hold hers. "Let¡¯s go back to get married now." Lu Jinnian pulled her towards a cab stand outside the airport and hailed for a cab to return to the hotel. Once he was back in his room, he hurriedly stuffed his belongings into his luggage and called on his phone to book air tickets back to Beijing. He then pulled her down to check out and brought her back to the airport. He had booked the same flight as that of Qiao Anhao. When they finally reached the airport again, it was less than half an hour before the ne took off. They hurriedly passed through all the gates, heading straight toward the ne. The doors to the airne shut the instant they sat down, and the safety instructions started to y. After crying and throwing a tantrum for such a long time, Qiao Anhao was exhausted. The moment the ne took off, she fell asleep. The temperature in the ne was starting to decrease, so Lu Jinnian requested for a nket to cover her. Just then he saw her tear-stained face. He stared for a few seconds before pulling out a wet tissue to tenderly wipe her face. When he was done, he stared at her sleeping form for a long while before finally turning to look out the window. Let¡¯s get married. He couldn¡¯t help but admit that he waspletely and entirely shaken when she said those three words. To ce his name next to hers permanently. There was probably no other reason more convincing than her suggesting marriage. To have his name in her identification book... From then on, he would have a family, he would no longer be alone. The girl he had been in love with for such a long time was finally going to be his wife... Such an enticing reason... At that instant, he realized that he wasn¡¯t able to find an excuse to reject her. He couldn¡¯t help but admit that after trying for such a long time to forget her, he was moved... Even if she had hurt him so deeply and caused him such despair, the moment she had asked him to marry her, he waspletely and utterly lost, unable to refuse. Chapter 640: Marriage(11) Chapter 640: Marriage£¨11£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem The best promise a man can give to a woman is marriage, and simrly, the best form of trust a woman can give a man is also marriage. Marriage is probably the most precious thing to anyone in this world. Qiao Anhao was wiling to use such a precious thing to convince Lu Jinnian that she loved him. If she was willing to entrust the rest of her life to him, she was willing to sink right back again. A slight mockery and sorrow clouded Lu Jinnian¡¯s eyes. In the end, he still lost to her. Every single time, she was able to cross his line, for every time, he was willing to lower that line for her... But who could he me? Other than her, he wasn¡¯t able to love anyone else. - When the ne touched down in Beijing International Airport, it was already 3 pm in the afternoon. The winter in Beijing had strong winds. Even if the sun was usually bright, the cold was enough to send one shivering. Before Lu Jinnian had left, he had taken a cab to the airport, so his car wasn¡¯t in the airport. The two of them queued at the cab stand waiting for a cab. The moment they boarded, the driver asked, "Where would you like to go?" Without hesitating, Lu Jinnian replied faintly, "Civil Affairs Bureau." "Sure." The driver seemed to be a local as he he replied with a Beijing ent. After traveling a short distance, Qiao Anhao said, "Mister, could we go to Jindian street." "Ah? Not to the Civil Affairs Bureau?" the driver asked in confusion. Lu Jinnian¡¯s face fell. Qiao Anhao hurriedly exined, "I don¡¯t have my identification book with me." Lu Jinnian¡¯s expression brightened slightly, disregarding her, he looked towards the driver. "Jindian street." Since it was still the beginning of the new year, there weren¡¯t many people in the city, which resulted in not as many cars, so they reached the ce in less than half an hour. Lu Jinnian paid the cab fare and they took the elevator up to Qiao Anhao¡¯s newly bought apartment. She opened the door, and without removing her shoes, she ran into her bedroom. Lu Jinnian ced his luggage by the entrance and nced around her apartment - there was a packet of takeout on the dinning table while the sofa was filled with her underwear and magazines. Frowning, he headed forward, prepared to tidy the area for her. Just then, he saw a cigarette box and a piece of paper on the coffee table. He paused. After a long while, he reached out to grab the cigarette box and paper. He first opened the paper: inside was a familiar handwritten message. The porcin doll had been broken... After a moment, he opened the cigarette box and counted the number of sticks inside. There were eighteen sticks, it was the box he had left at "Heaven¡¯s Sword" set. That was the only time in the four months that he had returned to Beijing. At that time, he had returned because it was his mother¡¯s death¡¯s anniversary. He had never intended to see her, and after paying respects to his mother, he ordered the ticket out to Jiangxi. That night, he had wanted to leave, but then had heard her screaming for help. Just then, he heard footsteps. Hurriedly, he ced the cigarette box and paper back on the coffee table. Turning, he saw Qiao Anhao running out of her bedroom with her identification book in her hands. Trantor¡¯s Thoughts Kingbao Kingbao "The best promise a man can give to a woman is marriage" Gah!!! That¡¯s so sweet, they¡¯re so sweet!! *spazz* Chapter 641: Marriage(12) Chapter 641: Marriage£¨12£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem "Let¡¯s go," Qiao Anaho said clearly. When Lu Jinnian walked towards the door, she followed right after. When she was about to walk out, she seemed to have thought of something. "Wait!" Lu Jinnian thought that she was regretting her decision and froze, stopping immediately. Turning with a ferocious expression on his face, he saw that she had run to the cupboard at the side. After rummaging through for a long while, she held up her car keys, hurriedly returning back to the door, a bright smile on her face. "Let¡¯s go." She was just looking for the car keys... Lu Jinnian heaved a sigh of relief inwardly, and they left the house. They took the same elevator down to the underground parking lot. Qiao Anhao pressed the keys towards a red Audi, and when the car unlocked, she passed the keys over to Lu Jinnian. He seemed to understand her intentions, reaching over before heading towards the drivers seat. - When it was about 4.20 pm, the car steered into the parking lot of the Civil Affairs Bureau. Lu Jinnian switched off the engine. Qiao Anhao released the seat belt and turned over, prepared to alight from the car. Lu Jinnian remained still, and instead called out, "Qiao Qiao." She turned over in confusion. Looking into his dark eyes, she asked, "Yea?" Lu Jinnian¡¯s subconscious was telling him not to bother asking her. He should just bring her out, get the checkup, take the photo, and get the marriage license, by then, she would truly be his wife. But he still hesitated. "Qiao Qiao, are you sure you want to marry me?" After they reunited, Qiao Anhao had been left behind by Lu Jinnian several times. The moment she heard his question, she started to panic. Instinctively, she reached out to grab his sleeve. "Lu Jinnian, are you regretting your decision?" Even though he was sorry to have caused her uneasiness, it seemed tofort him. He reached out to unfasten his seat belt before faintly replying, "Let¡¯s go." Qiao Anhao remained silent. She nodded and hurriedly alighted. Rushing over to the other side of the car, she grabbed onto Lu Jinnian¡¯s hand, worried that he would run off. Lu Jinnian looked down at her hand, his temples gaining a sense of tenderness instantly. Turning his arm around, he held onto her hand before closing the doors to the car, heading to the Civil Affairs Bureau. When they were right outside the doors, he turned to say again, "Once we enter, there is no turning back." Qiao Anhao replied with a "yea", her expression resolute. "Let¡¯s go." Lu Jinnian remained still. He then added, "And I will never ept a divorce." Qiao Anhao nodded her head continuously before using her jaw to point towards the Civil Affairs Bureau. "Let¡¯s go!" Lu Jinnian did not move, asking the third time, "Are you sure?" Qiao Anhao became increasingly more uneasy from his hesitance. They were already outside the Civil Affairs Bureau, he won¡¯t run away now, right? Without replying, she tugged him violently into the Civil Affairs Bureau. Chapter 642: Marriage(13) Chapter 642: Marriage£¨13£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem The staff in the main hall came forward to greet them, asking if they wished to get married or divorced before passing them two forms. Qiao Anhao tugged Lu Jinnian to the counter in front. Without hesitation, she picked up a pen and started to fill up the form. Halfway through it, she realized that Lu Jinnian, who was sitting beside her, hadn¡¯t started to write. Anxiously, she passed the pen in her hand over to him. When he didn¡¯t have any intention of moving, she hurriedly stuffed the pen into his palm, rushing him, "Hurry and fill it up!" Lu Jinnian nced over at her briefly before pausing on herpleted form. She really wanted to get married to him... Did that mean that she really loved him? Lu Jinnian fell into a daze, hisck of reaction sending uneasiness through Qiao Anhao. She looked around in contemtion before reaching over for his form. After just filling in his name, the staff behind the counter stopped her kindly. "I¡¯m sorry miss, the form has to be filled up personally by the party involved." But Lu Jinnian wasn¡¯t filling it up... Qiao Anhao bit the tip of the pen, she turned to the staff and replied sternly, "But he can¡¯t write!" "...." The staff looked at her speechlessly. Turning over to Lu Jinnian, he asked, "Mister, are you a willing party to this marriage?" "Yes," Qiao Anhao interrupted resolutely before Lu Jinnian could reply. "..." The staff fell into silence once again before cing a new form in front of Lu Jinnian. "Mister, if you are willing to get married, please fill up the form." Qiao Anhao frowned deeply. She lowered her head to stare sadly at the name she had just filled in... Was this form invalid now? Uneasily, she turned to nce at Lu Jinnian. Lu Jinnian snapped out of his daze. He nodded his head towards the staff before reaching for a pen in his pocket. Picking up the form, he started to fill it up with swiftness and fluidity. Finally, Qiao Anhao heaved a sigh of relief. When Lu Jinnian finished filling up the first page, she enthusiastically helped him flip to the next page. The rest of the procedures went by smoothly - Checkup, payment, reading the vows, and stamping... Regardless of which step it was, Qiao Anhao enthusiastically and impatientlypleted the tasks required. It wasn¡¯t that Lu Jinnian wasn¡¯t enthusiastic but when he saw her actions, he couldn¡¯t help believing that she really loved him. - When they were finally done, it was already 5 pm, after working hours. The roads were congested and filled with the loud honking by cars from all directions. Lu Jinnian pulled the car door open while Qiao Anhao climbed inside with a bunch of documents. After settling down, she started to flip through the documents. The moment Lu Jinnian boarded the car, she passed his documents over. "Yours." Lu Jinnian took the identification card. "You can keep the identification book. You¡¯ll need it when we go to the police station to bring your ount over." "Oh," Qiao Anhao murmured. Carefully, she stuffed all the documents into the inner pocket of her bag, as though they were a precious treasure. Chapter 643: Marriage(14) Chapter 643: Marriage£¨14£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Lu Jinnian took in her actions, and even though he remained expressionless, his face turned tender and loving. He started the engine, heading onto the road. Qiao Anhao lowered her head, carefully arranging the documents and photographs with seriousness, before finally raising the two red marriage certificates. Turning, she passed Lu Jinnian¡¯s certificate over to him. "Here¡¯s yours." Lu Jinnian turned his head slightly while keeping his focus on the road. When he saw the words "Marriage Certificate" imprinted on the cover page of the red book, he suddenly realized that both of their names would be together now. Abruptly, the steering wheel steered sideways, slightly out of control, but quickly, Lu Jinnian stabilized the car and calmly reached over to grab the red book. Only after holding it in his hands for a long while was he willing to put it aside into his pocket. Even though the red book didn¡¯t hold much warmth, he could still feel a hint of heat through the thin pocket fabric separating it from his skin. When they hit a red light, Lu Jinnian nced at Qiao Anhao through the rear view mirror: she was studying the red book intently. The faint glow from the sunset fell onto her face, coloring it with a faint reddish shade. Her longshes were lowered, her lips curled into a slight smile. Lu Jinnian was mesmerized just then, but the continuous honking from the cars behind him snapped him back to reality. He turned his attention back to the road. Even though his features were soft and tender, he spoke coldly. "Which house do you like?" "Uh?" Qiao Anhao asked in confusion as she lifted her head. "Do you intend for us to stay separately on the first day of our marriage?" "Uhh..." Qiao Anhao frowned, seemingly unclear of the meaning before suddenly realizing what he had meant. Tilting her head to the side, she thought for a while. "Mian Xiu Garden." That mansion in Mian Xiu Garden held many of their memories, and even after she had left, he still maintained everything as though they were still living together. Hence, after they got married now, she wished for Mian Xiu Garden to be their home. After she replied, she realized that she had sounded too resolute so she added, "Can we?" Without replying to her question, he said,"After such a long flight, you must be tired. After dinner, we¡¯ll go back to rest. I¡¯ll help you move your things tomorrow." He seemed to be agreeable. - After dinner, they returned to Mian Xiu Garden. While Qiao Anhao showered, Lu Jinnian headed to the study room. Out of habit, he lit a cigarette. After just a few puffs, he reached for the red book in his pocket. He stared at the cover page for a long while before flipping it open to look at the photo of himself and Qiao Anhao. She was smiling sweetly, her eyes curved into crescents. He clearly remembered that he was emotionless at that time, but in the photo there was a hint of a smile on his lips. After a long while, he nced down at their names. Lu Jinnian. Qiao Anhao. Chapter 644: Married(15) Chapter 644: Married£¨15£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Lu Jinnian lifted the cigarette towards his mouth to take a deep breath. Exhaling slowly, he looked at the two names behind the smoke for a long while. In the end, he still couldn¡¯t resist reaching towards his thigh to pinch himself. When the sharp stinging pain pulsed through his veins, he was reassured that the past twenty four hours¡ªthe flight back from America all the way till now¡ªhad really happened. Qiao Anhao was really married to him, she was his wife. "Lu Jinnian..." Qiao Anhao¡¯s voice suddenly sounded from the staircase. Soon, he could hear her hurried footsteps. He came back to his senses and extinguished the cigarette instantly, stuffing the marriage certificate back into his pocket. He turned to walk out of the study room. Qiao Anhao had just showered and was dressed in a cotton night dress and had a towel wrapped around her head. With a cleanly scrubbed face, she ran up the stairs with her hands on the railing as she shouted continuously, "Lu Jinnian, Lu Jinnian..." "Here." Lu Jinnian frowned, he shut the study room door and walked down the stairs towards her. The moment she heard his voice, she lifted her head in its direction. The moment his face came into sight, the obvious anxiousness and anxiety etched on her face faded away, turning into a warm smile. Rushing up the staircase once more, she panted slightly, seemingly out of breath. "I filled the tub with hot water for you." Was she worried when she couldn¡¯t find him? His heart increased in tempo, the drumming clear in his ears, and his gaze turned fiery. After a while, he nodded his head silently. Grabbing her hand, he walked her back to the bedroom. - When Lu Jinnian came out of the shower, Qiao Anhao was already lying on the bed, chatting in a low voice. He didn¡¯t pay attention to the content but when he heard her say "Brother Jiamu", he froze slightly before returning to the bathroom and closing the door behind himself. Qiao Anhao didn¡¯t talk for long, it was about two minutes before the conversation ended. Lu Jinnian tossed the towel he had in his hands before returning back to the bedroom. Qiao Anhao sat on the bed. When she heard him, she turned asking gently, "Done showering?" "Yea," Lu Jinnian replied coldly. He switched off the bedroom lights andid down on the bed. Nothing happened on the first night after they got married, they justid on the bed silently. Qiao Anhao inched slightly towards him. He didn¡¯t avoid and even brought her into his embrace. Since they came back from America, they had gone straight to get their marriage license. They never once stopped to rest, so by then they were exhausted. Qiao Anhao nestled in Lu Jinnian¡¯s arms and fell asleep after a short while. Lu Jinnian waited till her breathing became deeper before he lowered his head. With the faint glow from the nightmp, he looked at her face for a while. Reaching out with his arm, he lightly caressed her face. The feeling was real. ncing back at the ceiling, he stared for a while more before gently removing Qiao Anhao from his arms. Silently, he put on a sweater before going to the study room. He sat at the same spot he was in previously. Picking up the box of cigarettes in front of him, he lit a stick. Chapter 645: Marriage (16) Chapter 645: Marriage (16) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Qiao Anhao was the warmth that Lu Jinnian had tried with all his strength to get near. He once thought that he never had any hope of receiving this warmth. But now he had gotten it. Yet he felt like he could lose it at any time. He couldn¡¯t not admit that the words "Xu Jiamu" from her mouth instantly exposed his unbearably disheveled self of the past few months. Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t go back to the bedroom all night. Instead, he was smoking for most of the night on the balcony of the study room until a slither of light escaped from eastern skies. As the bright red sunlight rose, he moved about with his body having be stiff from sitting for too long. He then pulled out his phone and dialed a number. "Lucy, it¡¯s me... Have you slept? It¡¯s nothing, haven¡¯t you always wanted to travel to China? If you have timetely, you cane over... Uh huh, I want to talk to you... All right, I¡¯ll wait for you to book the tickets. Tell me when, I¡¯lle pick you up... Uh huh. See ya." He hung up the call. The sunlight had already pierced through the windows of the first floor. Qiao Anhao was probably going to wake up soon, right? He should go back to the bedroom. Lu Jinnian rubbed his face a little and sat there with his phone in his hand for a while. He then tidied up the mountain high pile of cigarette butts and went back into the bedroom. He wasn¡¯t in a rush to climb back into bed and went to the bathroom first to take a shower and brush his teeth to get rid of the smell of smoke. Only then he quietly slipped back into the bed. Qiao Anhao was deep asleep. Her face was just as beautiful and peaceful as it were before he left. Lu Jinnian¡¯s eyes flickered for a moment, and he pulled her into his arms again and shut his eyes. - On the third day after their marriage, Qiao Anhao officially started filming in Beijing for "Love at First Sight", a movie Huan Ying Entertainment had previously arranged for her. "Love at First Sight" wasn¡¯t a movie with a big budget, and so the celebrities cast weren¡¯t major stars. Qiao Anhao was cast as the female lead, and the male lead was an older celebrity, who had been in the industry for a long time and was never able to catch a break. The supporting female actress was an old acquaintance, Lin Shiyi. Ever since being blocked after "Alluring Times", Lin Shiyi wasn¡¯t cast in any movies for several months. It was not until in November, when she jumped between different men that she incidentally hooked a film investor. The investor seemed to have really fallen for her, as he actually injected arge sum into the "Love at First Sight" and helped her snag the supporting female role. Because of the investment, Lin Shiyi was bolder than when she filmed "Alluring Times". Even the director and screenwriter had to let her be to some degree, not to mention the other staff members and actors. Whoever saw her would always treat her with respect and call her Sister Shiyi. Honestly speaking, if it weren¡¯t for Zhao Meng¡¯s reminder, Qiao Anhao would ofpletely forgotten about Lin Shiyi. Lin Shiyi¡¯s personality was overbearing. The two of them had argued on so many asions, and every time, Lin Shiyi would never get anywhere. Now that she had bounced back, Qiao Anhao¡¯s first instinct was that this movie won¡¯t be that easy to film. However, in truth, the situation was much better than she had imagined. At the very least, she and Lin Shiyi didn¡¯t have to see one another for a week before shooting, so things between them seemed calm and peaceful. Qiao Anhao and Zhao Meng sat in the break room, waiting to shoot the next scene, but as there were so many outtakes during the current scenes being shot, Zhao Meng yawned in boredom. Suddenly, she came over to Qiao Anhao to gossip. "Qiao Qiao, how is life after getting remarried to Mr. Lu?" Chapter 646: Marriage (17) Chapter 646: Marriage (17) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Qiao Anhao, who was looking at the script at the time, was a little stunned by Zhao Meng¡¯s question. Actually, she couldn¡¯t quite describe life after her and Lu Jinnian¡¯s marriage. He had been back in China for some time now, but since returning, he hadn¡¯t gone back to the office, and yet whilst she was working, he seemed to be busy as well. All in all, it was like he was busy with something that she didn¡¯t know and wouldn¡¯t tell her about. Lu Jinnian treated her well. After their marriage, there hadn¡¯t been a single night when he didn¡¯te home. Two days ago, Zhao Meng was busy with something and had to take the car. When she made her way back to the set, she came across traffic, so Qiao Anhao had to wait for quite a long time. Perhaps it was because it was winter and she had to wait so long in the cold wind, Qiao Anhao had a fever in the middle of the night. Lu Jinnian then personally ran out to get her some medicine. Since then, he woulde by every day to the set. Now that she thought about it, there was really little toin about her husband, Lu Jinnian. If she had to find something, then she would say that since they got married over ten days ago, they had slept together every night, but he would never touch her. Not once. It was not like she was thirsty to start something between them but since he hadn¡¯t touched her on the second day after marriage either, she couldn¡¯t make an excuse. She couldn¡¯t tell herself that Lu Jinnian had done it too many times in America and so he was just recovering from that now since it¡¯s been so many days now. Even if she was being optimistic, she knew that there was a big problem between them. At that thought, Qiao Anhao couldn¡¯t help but get a little irritated. She closed the script, turned her head to the white sky out the window, and furrowed her brows even harder. She thought that after marriage, the two of them would slowly get closer, but from what she saw, that wasn¡¯t the case. She had to think of a n to fix the situation, but who could tell her what would be effective? "Qiao Qiao, why are you daydreaming? You¡¯ve been ignoring my questions for half a day. They¡¯re starting to film now. Hurry!" Zhao Meng sat on the side. She couldn¡¯t help but pull her arms out and p Qiao Anhao on the shoulders. Qiao Anhao¡¯s entire body shivered for a moment, and she suddenly snapped back to reality. She first let out an "Oh!", then hastily stood up and walked over to the set. - After Qiao Anhao finished filming the scene, the entire crew took a mid-shoot break. It was already four in the afternoon, so they only had her and Lin Shiyi¡¯s scene to shoot at half past four. As Lin Shiyi¡¯s current boyfriend was rich, she got her assistant to use arge sum of money to order afternoon tea in advance. It arrived during the mid-shoot break, so she gave everyone on set a portion. Lin Shiyi didn¡¯t use the fact her and Qiao Anhao were not on good terms to exclude her. Instead, she personally brought over two boxes of take out to Qiao Anhao and Zhao Meng. She gave an unusually friendly smile and said, "Here¡¯s a little something. You¡¯re wee." Qiao Anhao knew full well that Lin Shiyi only did this to appear superior because she had an investor backing her. Zhao Meng¡¯s personality was rather frank and she didn¡¯t like Lin Shiyi for past events. Seeing how sickly sweet she was acting, Zhao Meng felt sickened, and when Lin Shiyi came to especially hand her a box, she didn¡¯t take it and turned her head, pretending to talk to Qiao Anhao. As for Qiao Anhao, she smiled brighter than Lin Shiyi and said "Thank you" as she took it. Chapter 647: Marriage (18) Chapter 647: Marriage (18) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Naturally, the only reason why Lin Shiyi was so generous whilst everyone was watching her was because she couldn¡¯t lose to Qiao Anhao and let people see her as a joke. Qiao Anhao maintained a smile until Lin Shiyi left, then she put the two lunch boxes on the corner of the table. She turned her head and rehearsed the lines for the uing scene with Zhao Meng. Since Lin Shiyi had joined the crew, she often treated everyone to afternoon tea, to dinner, or to karaoke. Above all else, she had an investor backing her, so she had a group of members of staff an actors to feed, who respected her and surrounded her withpliments. "Sis Shiyi, your ring is so pretty! Is that Chanel¡¯stest model?" "Also, that dress Sis Shiyi wore this morning looked like a limited edition." "Did you guys see the car Sis Shiyi drove yesterday?" With everyone¡¯spliments, Lin Shiyi could only keep smiling. Every now and then, she drank her coffee through a straw. From the very start, her assistant by her side spoke on her behalf. "They were all gifts Sis Shiyi received from her boyfriend." Lin Shiyi¡¯s assistant¡¯s words drew a roar of admiration. Zhao Meng, who was rehearsing lines with Qiao Anhao, couldn¡¯t help but roll her eyes, andin in a quiet voice. "That¡¯s enough... There¡¯s always something to brag about every day on set. I can¡¯t take it anymore. Qiao Qiao, shall we go take a walk?" Qiao Anhao turned her head and nced over at Lin Shiyi, who was crowded by everyone not too far away. Every now and then,ughter could be heard from the group, and so they got all the scripts together and chucked them onto the table. But just as Qiao Anhao got ready to get up, the director¡¯s assistant suddenly ran over. He brought over a new script for her and said, "Apologies, Miss Qiao. The director instructed that I give this to you. He says that there were some inadequate areas, and so they made some readjustments. Later, when we shoot, follow this new draft." On set, it was quite normal for there to be amendments to script to improve the story, and so Qiao Anhao didn¡¯t see anything to fret about. She calmly took the script and nodded at the director¡¯s assistant. The assistant bowed a little, then ran over to Lin Shiyi and handed her the script. "Did the script change for the uing scene?" As Zhao Meng asked, she yanked the script from Qiao Anhao¡¯s hands. She randomly flipped through it with furrowed brows and an increasingly dark expression on her face. When she reached the end, she suddenly threw the script hard onto the table. "What is the meaning of this? It¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve ever seen a script change like this during filming. The next scene was clearly meant to be the female lead pping the second female. How did it end up being the other way round? Also, how did the second female end up with the male lead in the end? They dare make us film for half a day, then turn you into the supporting actress?" Qiao Anhao furrowed her brows when she heard Zhao Mengin and looked at the script. This wasn¡¯t an amendment; they were clearly writing a new script altogether! Zhao Meng was fuming as she flipped through another few pages. Because she was so angry, she ended up severely creasing the script. She said, "Also, Qiao Qiao, look! Every couple of scenes, you have to get pped by the supporting actress. What bullshit is this?!" "What¡¯s wrong? Why are you so mad?" asked Lin Shiyi, who was just surrounded bypliments, in a sweet voice. Chapter 648: Marriage (19) Chapter 648: Marriage (19) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem When Qiao Anhao heard Lin Shiyi¡¯s voice, she lowered her head for a moment, then curved the corner of her lips to reveal a cold smile. So her and Lin Shiyi weren¡¯t on peaceful terms or harmonious as they were before: It was all set up for this very precise moment. The instant Lin Shiyi spoke, Zhao Meng realized why the script was amended like this. The rim of her eyes turned red, for she couldn¡¯t contain her anger the same way as Qiao Anhao. "Is it because of the script?" Lin Shiyi didn¡¯t mind how Qiao Anhao and Zhao Meng ignored her at all, speaking while flicking through the script in her hands. Then she put on a stunned expression. "Ah, how did the script change like this..." Zhao Meng, who had already thought that Lin Shiyi was an eyesore, couldn¡¯t listen to her fake words any longer, especially since she changed the script to be so unrecognizable. At that moment, she erupted. Without even thinking twice, she retaliated.. "The only reason the script changed like this was because some people have no shame and messed with it behind the scenes!" When Zhao Meng said this, Lin Shiyi, who was calm andposed, instantly looked annoyed. "Who are you calling ¡¯shameless¡¯?" "Of all people, YOU should know best just who I¡¯m calling ¡¯shameless¡¯!" scoffed Zhao Meng, immediately turning her head and staring straight at Lin Shiyi. Without holding back at all, she exposed the truth, "What¡¯s wrong? You dared to use your private ties with the investor to change the script, and yet you¡¯re too cowardly to let me talk about it? Come on then. Tell everyone just how much you spent to amend the script like this?" During university, Zhao Meng¡¯s mouth was extraordinary. Right now, the few words she said forced Lin Shiyi to be at a loss for words, before she eventually let out a soft chuckle and threw the script in her hands with a "pah" on the table. She didn¡¯t even bother with Zhao Meng. Instead, she stared at Qiao Anhao. "Qiao Anhao, is it worth it to get mad? The industry has always ran like this. Rich people call the shots. If you really can¡¯t take the loss, then why don¡¯t you find a several thousand million investment and change it back? Don¡¯t go getting upset because you¡¯re incapable of something like this, and don¡¯t go ordering your assistant to randomly curse people!" "Lin Shiyi, with what eyes did you see Qiao Qiao ever order me to curse you out? So you are blind after all! You must¡¯ve been blind when you got with your man too!" Zhao Meng was so pissed at Lin Shiyi, the words spewed thoughtlessly from her mouth. "Let me tell you, Lin Shiyi! It¡¯s enough for you to go round parading that blind boyfriend of yours, you have to go and do it in front of Qiao Qiao. Aren¡¯t you afraid of getting pped? That man of your can¡¯t evenpare to a single strand of Qiao Qiao¡¯s boyfriend¡¯s hair! "Also, do you feel proud for treating the entire crew to afternoon tea? I¡¯ll leave it at that. Let¡¯s not even talk about afternoon tea, with Qiao Qiao¡¯s man¡¯s single word, he could have everyone on set receive a paid leave! "Of course, there¡¯s the script. Let¡¯s not even talk about the script, he can cut out your entire role! Cutting your role is nothing, he can stop the filming at any minute!" When Lin Shiyi heard this, sheughed like it was a really funny joke. She snorted disdainfully and let out a snicker. "If you¡¯re really capable of that, Qiao Anhao, then may we ask you to please call him? Call him toe over and let everyone get to know him." Chapter 649: Marriage (20) Chapter 649: Marriage (20) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem When Lin Shiyi heard this, sheughed like it was a really funny joke. She snorted disdainfully and let out a snicker. "If you¡¯re really capable of that, Qiao Anhao, then may we ask you to please call him? Call him toe over and let everyone get to know him." Zhao Meng really hadn¡¯t thought before she spoke. Anger alone had turned her eyes red. At Lin Shiyi¡¯s suggestion, Zhao Meng suddenly snapped back to her senses, and she turned her head and looked over at Qiao Anhao. Actually, she didn¡¯t lie. Qiao Anhao was officially Lu Jinnian¡¯s wife, and Lu Jinnian really was capable of the things she said, but... to make her ramble like that just now, if she wasn¡¯t able to call Lu Jinnian, then it would really sound like she was just bragging. What¡¯s more, the whole crew was here taking a break at the time, so they saw everything unfold. Maybe she might had made it easier for Lin Shiyi to make fun of Qiao Anhao... In actual fact, Zhao Meng knew full well that she was too impulsive just now, but since she had pushed it to this point, it was impossible for her to stop here. All she could do was nudge Qiao Anhao and say in such a low voice only the two of them could hear, "Qiao Qiao, you¡¯d better call Mr. Lu or else it¡¯s going to be he embarrassing for us." Qiao Anhao silently swept her eyes across the people around them, then whispered to Zhao Meng in the same low voice, "I don¡¯t know Lu Jinnian¡¯s number." She didn¡¯t, in fact, know Lu Jinnian¡¯s number. His previous number was canceled. There hadn¡¯t been a way to contact him ever since he came back to the country. "It can¡¯t be?" Zhao Meng, who was extremely confident at first, instantly deted like a withered ball. "Then, this time, we¡¯re really finished..." Qiao Anhao¡¯s background was good, but even so, Lin Shiyi still didn¡¯t believe that she could produce the man from Zhao Meng¡¯s description; someone who could invest over a billion and stop filming at any given moment. Seeing Qiao Anhao and Zhao Meng now whispering among themselves, she was even more certain that Zhao Meng had just been bluffing. In that instant, she became sufficiently confident, smiled, and spoke with obvious pretentiousness. "What¡¯s wrong? Your bluff didn¡¯t y right? Did you dig your own grave with that bluff?" Zhao Meng instinctively shut her eyes. She just had had to say what was on her mind. Later, who knows how Lin Shiyi would insult them. "His car isn¡¯t bad at all. He drives Qiao Anhao to and from the set everyday. But, nowadays, there are so many people who can afford to buy a good car. It doesn¡¯t necessarily mean that he¡¯s someone amazing." At that thought, Lin Shiyi suddenly curved her red lips into a smile. "Miss Qiao, the man inside your car is not someone who¡¯s old enough to be your father is he? Are you too ashamed to let him meet everyone?" With that, the many people, who were trying to impress Lin Shiyi, started tough quietly with her. "Lin Shiyi, stop trying to push your nasty misconducts on other people..." When Zhao Meng heard this, she instantly erupted, but then, when she had only finished saying half of what she had in mind, her arm was suddenly pulled back. It was Qiao Anhao, who had reached out to stop her. "Qiao Qiao?" Zhao Meng turned her head towards her friend. Qiao Anhao smiled at Zhao Meng, and pointed at her bag, as she softly and gently said, "Give me my phone." "Qiao Qiao, you do know Mr. Lu¡¯s number, right?" whispered Zhao Meng into her ear, as she handed her friend¡¯s phone to her. Chapter 650: Text Messages on the Phone (1) Chapter 650: Text Messages on the Phone (1) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Qiao Anhao didn¡¯t say anything, she just dialed "Home" from her Contacts. It was Mian Xiu Garden¡¯s home phone number. Though Zhao Meng had gotten them both into this mess, nevertheless, it was for her. Furthermore, that script... She really couldn¡¯t do it. Lin Shiyi had clearly paid to change the script to mess with her. If she agreed to shoot the face pping scene, who knows what else Lin Shiyi would do to embarrass her! Qiao Anhao made a call to simply try her luck. She wasn¡¯t sure that Lu Jinnian would definitely be home. However, as it turned out, her luck wasn¡¯t too bad. After three rings, she heard Lu Jinnian¡¯s clear voice through the phone. "Qiao Qiao?" "En," she responded. "What¡¯s up?" said Lu Jinnian asked. Qiao Anhao could hear the faint sounds of the chair skidding across the floor, and she suddenly became a little nervous. If she told Lu Jinnian that she was using him to show off in front of other people, then wouldn¡¯t he think of her as a vain woman and look down on her? Lu Jinnian waited for a while but hearing nothing spoke up himself. "Why aren¡¯t you saying anything?" "I..." Qiao Anhao¡¯s words caught in her throat, only a single word escaping. Lu Jinnian was actually more patient that she imagined. To make sure that she knew he was listening, he gently said, "En?". Qiao Anhao bit her bottom lip, shut her eyes, and took a deep breath. To hell with it! Let¡¯sy the cards out on the table! Lu Jinnian was her husband and she was being picked on by someone. If she didn¡¯t look for him, who would she look for? What¡¯s more, having him look down on her was better than having the whole crew look down on her. Even if it was embarrassing, she could leave it behind closed doors. At that thought, Qiao Anhao opened her mouth to speak with some confidence. "Do you have some free time right now?" "Uh huh, yeah." Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t pause when he answered. "Then could... youe to the set?" Qiao Anhao was afraid that Lu Jinnian wouldn¡¯te. She paused for a while, and thought about what she ha just said. In the end, who would have known that Lu Jinnian would answer instantly over the phone, "Alright, wait for me. Twenty minutes." Qiao Anhao heard the ruffling of clothes through the phone. She felt a little uneasy, but at the same time, her insides warmed. He didn¡¯t even ask her why she wanted him toe over to the set? Qiao Anhao, who had let her imagination run wild, heard Lu Jinnian¡¯s voice again through the phone. "I¡¯m hanging up, have to leave now." "En," responded Qiao Anhao. With that, Lu Jinnian hung up. - Lu Jinnian grabbed the keys and said in fluent English into the video conference on theputer, "Apologies, my wife is in a little trouble, I have to go check it out. As for ourunch proposal, let¡¯s look into it when Ie back tonight. If it¡¯s possible, I¡¯ll make some time for us to talk more about it in detail." One of the middle-aged foreign men wore a shocked expression. "Mr. Lu, you¡¯re married?" "Yes." Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t even notice admitting it. With his brows gently furrowed, he said, "Next time you guyse to China, my wife and I will look after you both." Then Lu Jinnian cut the video conference short, quickly closed theptop, and turned out to walk out of the study room. - Around ten minutes after he hung up, the director came over to rush Qiao Anhao and Lin Shiyi to get their make up retouched to start shooting. Chapter 651: Text Messages on the Phone (2) Chapter 651: Text Messages on the Phone (2) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Qiao Anhao calmly sat in her seat, waving for her make up artist to be still. The make up artist didn¡¯t quite understand what Qiao Anhao meant, but stood by the column beside her. Nearby, Lin Shiyi wore a cold smile, as she watched what had just happened. She calmly raised her chin to let her make up artist retouch her make up. After checking the set, the director walked back into the make up room to check if the two of them had finished preparing yet. He couldn¡¯t help but furrow his brows when he saw that Qiao Anhao sat rxed and hadn¡¯t even started yet. "Xiao Qiao, why haven¡¯t you started getting your make up retouched?" Qiao Anhao looked towards the two scripts in front of her. Without leaving any space for negotiations, she pointed at the earlier script and said, "If we¡¯re shooting this script, then I¡¯ll get my make up retouched. If we¡¯re shooting this script, then I¡¯m not shooting." "Not shooting? Then my make up was all for nothing?" asked Lin Shiyi angrily, suddenly turning her head towards the director. On set, the investor was always the person who called the shots. Even the director had to listen to Lin Shiyi, as she brought the investment to their drama, so when he heard her words, he immediately red at Qiao Anhao. "Xiao Qiao, don¡¯t forget that you signed the contract. Do you think if you say you¡¯re not shooting, then you really aren¡¯t going to shoot?" He then shot the make up artist that stood to a side a fierce look and said, "Hurry up and retouch her make up. What are you doing just standing there?" With that, he also mumbled to himself, "Acting so big... out here being so picky with the script? If you¡¯ve got the balls then why don¡¯t you invest in the drama yourself and be the boss?" On hearing the director¡¯sint, Lin Shiyi burst outughing, and used Zhao Meng¡¯s words to mock her enigmatically, "Director, you must be careful! Qiao Anhao has someone big backing her. He has so much power, he can not only give us all paid leave, he could also cut my role at any time. Oh! If that wasn¡¯t enough, he could stop production at any time..." Before Lin Shiyi could finish, the make up room doors opened and a surprised voice cried, "Mr. Lu!" Just then, everyone in the make up room looked over at the entrance to find Lu Jinnian dressed in a long ck coat. His tall handsome figure stood there radiating a bright, majestic, and benevolent aura. Lu Jinnian¡¯s appearance silenced the entire make up room in an instant. Everyone wore an astonished expression on their faces, feeling a little lost. This man was the best screen actor for six consecutive years, the CEO of Huan Ying Entertainment, and the man who recently acquired Xu enterprises. Why would such a legendary man like him appear here? Lu Jinnian¡¯s face still wore a cold expression as though he were thousands of meters away from others. However, it was cold in its own unique way. He stood at the door, staring to his left and right in a callous pose, as though he was looking for something. Eventually, his eyes fell on Qiao Anhao. Then, in front of everyone in the make up room, he didn¡¯t hold back as he called her with her nickname, "Qiao Qiao." The entire make up room instantly fell silent. The make up artist who was retouching her make up stopped moving. All eyes were on Lu Jinnian, then they shifted onto Qiao Anhao. She sluggishly got up from her seat. Under everyone¡¯s stares, she walked around the dressing table and towards Lu Jinnian. Even if Qiao Anhao had remained calm while being mocked by Lin Shiyi and the director, their words still had an affect of her mood. When she walked closer, Lu Jinnian saw that between her brows, the hint of annoyance. His own brows instinctively started to crease up. "What happened?" Chapter 652: Text Messages on the Phone (3) Chapter 652: Text Messages on the Phone (3) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem When Qiao Anhao walked closer, Lu Jinnian saw that between her brows, the hint of annoyance. His own brows instinctively started to crease up. "What happened?" On a normal day, it would take at least half an hour from Mian Xiu Garden to the set, even without traffic. On the phone, he told her to wait for twenty minutes, which she thought was him speaking casually. She never thought that he¡¯de in fourteen minutes t! Perhaps because he had ran out of the house in a hurry, the inside of his shirt¡¯s cor was a little creased up. All of a sudden, Qiao Anhao felt like she was being a little unreasonable. Wasn¡¯t someone just looking down on her? Was it worth her making it such a big deal, to even calling him over? Seeing as Qiao Anhao just stared at him, hesitant to talk, Lu Jinnian furrowed his brows even harder. He then lifted his head and scanned the room full of people with an intense look. When he saw that some people looked ufortable, he vaguely understood something. He lowered his head again and asked again in a quiet and good-natured tone of voice, "Just what happened? Did someone pick on you?" Well she wasn¡¯tpletely being picked on per say... Lin Shiyi was trying to trouble her, but Zhao Meng¡¯s sharp tongue had forced her to retaliate, so she didn¡¯t really lose out. What¡¯s more, when she called, he didn¡¯t even ask her for a reason and rushed over here in a hurry. Even if she was severely wronged, in that very moment, she felt that it wasn¡¯t even worth bringing up. She gently shook her head at Lu Jinnian. No matter how smart Lu Jinnian was, he could only guess that someone had upset Qiao Anhao. As for what made her so upset, he didn¡¯t have a clue. For a moment, he was worried that she was in a physical fight, where she lost out, so he looked her up and down. When he was sure that she was fine, he reached his arm out and brushed the hair that draped over her face behind her ears, and said in soft voice, "Tell me, who picked on you?" In that moment, the director snapped back to reality, and immediately wore a smile on his face to suck up to him. He hurriedly walked over to Lu Jinnian, speaking in a friendly tone, "Mr. Lu, well actually, nobody bullied Miss Qiao, it¡¯s all just a misunderstanding..." Before the director could finish, Lu Jinnian, who was staring at Qiao Anhao with gentle eyes, suddenly lifted his head and swiftly swept his sharp eyes towards the director. The expression on his face was frighteningly arctic. When he spoke, his voice was distant and quiet, with the power to stop someone in their tracks. "Did I ask you?" The director froze when he saw Lu Jinnian¡¯s expression when saying those four words. He stopped walking, too afraid to draw any closer, and his smiling face had be a little awkward. Even though Qiao Anhao was prepared to embarrass herself in front of Lu Jinnian, when it came time to ask him, she still lowered her head, feeling a little ashamed. Lu Jinnian quickly turned his eyes back to Qiao Anhao, and waited patiently for her to speak. Because his attitude towards the director just now had been overly terrifying, nobody dared to speak recklessly. They could only quietly wait as well. In that instant, the make up room fellpletely silent. Qiao Anhao¡¯s silence made Lu Jinnian feel that the situation was more serious than he had imagined. A hint of hostility emerged from the usual cold expression he wore on his face, and he suddenly lifted his head and told Zhao Meng, "You, tell me what happened." Chapter 653: Text Messages on the Phone (4) Chapter 653: Text Messages on the Phone (4) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Zhao Meng was someone who never lost out to anyone. Even though Lu Jinnian wasn¡¯t backing her but Qiao Anhao¡¯s, she stared at Lin Shiyi, who sat restlessly in her chair, and then let out a chuckle. Without concealing anything, she went straight to the point, "It¡¯s Lin Shiyi. She¡¯s bullying Qiao Qiao." Lin Shiyi... When Lu Jinnian heard that name, a sh of bewilderment crossed his eyes, as though he didn¡¯t know who she was. His eyes then scanned the make up room, before finally falling on Lin Shiyi¡¯s face. Suddenly he remembered. Wasn¡¯t this the woman he banned, and the woman who had targeted Qiao Anhao all the time duringst year¡¯s shooting of "Alluring Times"? Who would of thought that after so much time had passed, they would actually bump into each other again! It¡¯s truly inevitable for you to bump into your enemies. Lu Jinnian¡¯s eyes suddenly turned cold, and his brows creased, as though something had clicked in his mind. He abruptly lowered his head and said to the littledy next to him without much thought, a little helplessness and fondness in his voice, "How are you so stupid to get picked on by the same person every time?" He was clearly calling her stupid, but Qiao Anhao felt an obvious sense of warmth in her heart. She pouted at him and finally spoke the first words since he arrived. Her voice was quiet, with a slight spoiled tone, "Well it couldn¡¯t really count as bullying." "Does it or does it not count as bullying? What on earth happened? Tell me." Women were always argumentative but sweet creatures, and this nature would amplify to no end especially when they encountered someone they relied on. Perhaps it was because Qiao Anhao had kept her silence after debating to herself on whether or not to tell Lu Jinnian about everything and have him look down on her, or if it was his absolutely patience, or perhaps it was how he called her stupid, or further yet, his question "Does it or does it not count as bullying?"... Those words were overly permissive. Anyways, Qiao Anhao¡¯s heart softened up. She decided it couldn¡¯t be called telling on Lin Shiyi, but more likeining, so then, as though no one else were around, she told Lu Jinnian, "Thepany prepared this drama for mest year. At the time, the director was chosen and Lin Shiyi didn¡¯t have a part, but when time came for the shoot, she found a rich boyfriend who invested a lot of money, so he cast her into the movie and gave her the role of the supporting female character." "En," responded Lu Jinnian to signify that he was listening. His reaction made Qiao Anhao feel a little morefortable. After stuttering earlier, she now spoke more fluidly, regaining her usual voice and attitude. "I already didn¡¯t like her, but she would even show off her boyfriend every day. If that wasn¡¯t annoying enough, she then changed my script so that..." After so long, she finally got to the main point. She was unhappy because the script was changed... Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t interrupt Qiao Anhao, just staring at her with a serious face as he waited for her to continue. "The script clearly said that I was meant to p her in the scene, but in end, it was all changed and she had to p me. Not only once, but..." When Qiao Anhao said that, a tinge of annoyance emerged in Lu Jinnian¡¯s eyes. "And then?" Qiao Anhao bit her bottom lip and thought about what Lin Shiyi and Zhao Meng had said in their argument. Chapter 654: Text Messages on the Phone (5) Chapter 654: Text Messages on the Phone (5) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Qiao Anhao bit her bottom lip and thought about what Lin Shiyi and Zhao Meng had said in their argument. She wasn¡¯t sure if Lu Jinnian would be fine with Zhao Meng using him topare and argue with other people. If he really was unhappy, then what if Zhao Meng got dragged into this? Even though Qiao Anhao didn¡¯t do it, she racked her brain over it and ended up ming it on herself. "So I was so miserable, I started arguing with her..." She may have beenining, but besides putting Zhao Meng words onto herself, she exined everything else truthfully. "I cursed her out first..." In reality, it was Zhao Meng who had first called Lin Shiyi ¡¯shameless¡¯. As she said that, Qiao Anhao, who wasn¡¯t very confident, sneakily raised her eyes to look at Lu Jinnian. Seeing that he wasn¡¯t mad at her for shouting at someone else first, she continued to recount what happened. "She then told me that whoever has money calls the shots..." Lu Jinnian furrowed his brows. "She also said that if I was so big, then I should invest several thousand millions and change the script back to how it was before..." Lu Jinnian furrowed his brows even tighter. "In the end, she even said I had no power, which irritated me..." After talking for so long, Qiao Anhao finally got to the point once again. She didn¡¯t dare look at Lu Jinnian, keeping her head down when she said in a little voice, "I couldn¡¯t take it, so I told her to stop showing off her man everyday. My man is better than hers by far. Don¡¯t even mention treating everyone to afternoon tea, he could give everyone paid leave. Don¡¯t even mention changing the script, he could cut her role at any time..." The entire make up room fell extremely silent. Qiao Anhao was there just rambling at Lu Jinnian, and in his eyes, he was facing the woman talking to him as though nothing existed around him. The more Qiao Anhao spoke, the less confident she got. Suddenly, she got a "My dad is Li Gang" sense of d¨¦j¨¤ vu. In her mind, she resisted, but then her little face reddened. ¡®I¡¯m done for!¡¯ Lu Jinnian was going to definitely see her as a vain and boastful woman, thought Qiao Anhao, saying as quietly as a fly, "I also said that you could stop production at any time." Oh god. How could Zhao Meng put such a big lie out there? It wasn¡¯t enough for her to put such a big lie on the open, she actually made it happen by really calling Lu Jinnian over... Don¡¯t even mention Lu Jinnian looking down on her, she now even looked down on herself a little. He must be so disappointed in her, right? Qiao Anhao was about to stick to his chest, like a kid who had done something naughty. She nervously grabbed his sleeve, and continued to honestly say, "Lin Shiyi didn¡¯t believe me and said I was just bluffing, so I called you..." When Qiao Anhao said that, it was all finally crystal clear now. She didn¡¯t dare imagine how Lu Jinnian looked at that moment, even more so lift her head to check. The make up room was deadly silent, which made Qiao Anhao feel even more uneasy. She still felt that Lu Jinnian would probably be unhappy, so she tried to make him feel better by adding, "Actually, I don¡¯t even want topare my man with hers. I was just so mad that she said my man was so old he could be my father and I was ashamed to show his face, I... I..." No matter how she exined it, it sounded weak... Chapter 655: Text Messages on the Phone (6) Chapter 655: Text Messages on the Phone (6) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Eventually, Qiao Anhao simply fell silent. She lowered her head and stood there for a while, ready to honestly admit that she was immature and wrong to Lu Jinnian, when suddenly, he opened his mouth. "So, the real reason why you called me over was to actually tell other people that your man was as powerful as you said he was?" When Qiao Anhao, who was already apprehensive, heard Lu Jinnian¡¯s words, she instantly felt like she could die right then. Crap crap crap! Did that mean Lu Jinnian was getting angry? In front of so many people, if he flipped out... This time, Qiao Anhao didn¡¯t even dare speak. She just gave an especially quick nod and instinctively prepared herself to say in a pitiful voice, "I was wrong". But then, his hand suddenly rubbed her head. Qiao Anhao was so shocked in that instant, the words immediately got stuck in her throat. She hurriedly shut her eyes, wu wu wu... Lu Jinnian must of gotten extremely mad this time. Did this mean that he was just going to hit her straight away? Ey? Before the thought could settle in her mind, Qiao Anhao suddenly nked out. Lu Jinnian was stroking her head. Not only that, but he was so gentle... She silently raised her head with a little disbelief, sneakily looking over at Lu Jinnian. To her astonishment, there wasn¡¯t even a hint of gloomy coldness on his face. Instead, she saw a neutral smirk, which brought warmth to his usual frosty and handsomeplexion. Qiao Anhao thought that she was seeing things. After two hard blinks, she realized that Lu Jinnian still had that warm and affectionate expression. In that instant, she stared at him with her big, dark eyes in a daze, a little shocked by his affection. Lu Jinnian looked as though... Not only was he not angry, he seemed so delighted... Qiao Anhao¡¯s cute, silly, nk look amused Lu Jinnian so much, his eyes became soft. Then, he took her hand and held it. Honestly speaking, Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t really understand what was going through Qiao Anhao¡¯s mind. In truth, she couldn¡¯t have called him over because she was angry about the script being amended, right? How could they argue half a day just topare their men? All right, he admitted it. For Qiao Anhao topare guys, it was like a little studentpeting if she had the most sweets. It was immature and absurd of everyone involved, but he couldn¡¯t help but admit just how much he enjoyed every time the words ¡¯my man¡¯ came from her mouth. In that instant, he decided that he didn¡¯t mind being immature and absurd with her at all. Since she was the one who startedparing, she couldn¡¯t give up half way. What¡¯s more, he only had one wife. If he didn¡¯t protect her, then who would? Lu Jinnian first pushed Qiao Anhao back into her make up chair, and then looked over at several multicolored bottles ced to one side. He was very familiar with those bottles, because every time he opened the fridge in Mian Xiu Garden, he¡¯d find those same bottles lined up row by row. She must of personally grabbed a few of them to drink on set, and so Lu Jinnian casually grabbed for a pink bottle. He removed the lid and ced it in front of Qiao Anhao to signal for her to first take a sip of fruit juice. He then reached over to the table and grabbed a script, "Is this the amended script?" "No, it¡¯s this one." Zhao Meng hastily brought over the other script, and swapped it with the one in Lu Jinnian¡¯s hands. Chapter 656: Text Messages on the Phone (7) Chapter 656: Text Messages on the Phone (7) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem When Zhao Meng said this, Lu Jinnian was a little annoyed, but because he didn¡¯t know how the script was changed, he maintained hisposure. When he was filming, he would often memorize the script which resulted in him learning to go through a script really quickly. He practically flipped through a page, then another soon after. As he went through the script page by page, his face grew increasingly more arctic. Usually, Lu Jinnian barely wore any emotions on his face, which would stress people out very much. Right then, the atmosphere in the make up room started growing more tense due to the change of his expression. Practically no one dared to take a deep breath, besides Qiao Anhao of course, who sat cool and collected by Lu Jinnian¡¯s side. She bit her straw and drank her juice every now and then, making sucking noises at times. Suddenly, Lu Jinnian mmed the script shut, and let out a dull sound, which made Qiao Anhao feel a little curious, and she lifted her head up from the straw. But before she could take a clear look at what happened to Lu Jinnian, the abrupt sound of the man¡¯s arrogantly cold voice was heard. "Now, in the next scene to be shot, she has to..." While saying that Lu Jinnian first pointed at Lin Shiyi, then raised his hand to pat Qiao Anhao¡¯s head, which was at hip height whilst she was sitting. "Hit her?" In the make up room, no one dared to speak. Lu Jinnian was clearly there to help Zhao Meng and Qiao Anhao put up a front. Yet, when Zhao Meng saw Lu Jinnian¡¯s stance, she was still a little afraid, though she tried to stay calm, hastily nodding at him. "Yes." "Yes?" Suddenly, Lu Jinnian let out a coldugh, and gave a sharp re to everyone in the room. He ruthlessly smashed the script onto he table with a "Pa!", scaring quite a few people in the make up room to shivers. Then he said in an emotionless voice, "All right. Then start shooting. I want to see who dares to hurt a single hair of Qiao Anhao¡¯s under my watch!" In that moment, not just Zhao Meng, but even Qiao Anhao was so frightened by Lu Jinnian¡¯s brimming anger that she bit her straw, not daring to drink her juice. She didn¡¯t even dare look at his face, just to silently sneak a nce from the corner of her eyes. The director was so frightened by Lu Jinnian¡¯s stance, his legs were a little numb. In that moment, he couldn¡¯t care less about Lin Shiyi and the investment she brought to their crew. All he wanted to do was not get dragged down by Lu Jinnian¡¯s anger. His voice trembled when he said, "No... No... Mr. Lu, this isn¡¯t the next scene to be shot. That script... script, was just something we made to joke with Miss Qiao... we¡¯re going with the earlier script..." "Joke?" This joke was such a joke in itself. He already made her so upset, and yet he said he was just joking with her? Lu Jinnian suddenly grabbed the two scripts from the table and thrust them towards the director, smacking him directly on the head. "Who gave you the power to randomly joke around with her?" The director lowered his head without saying a word, as he felt his legs start to shiver. "Also, don¡¯t tell me that you¡¯ll go by the earlier script. Write me a new script just how you rewrote the original!" Chapter 657: Text Messages on the Phone (8) Chapter 657: Text Messages on the Phone (8) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem "My only request is that I get paid back tenfold for the amount of ps she has written in the script you gave Qiao Anhao!" Lu Jinnian only used a single "she" to rece Lin Shiyi. His expression spoke that it wasn¡¯t even worth calling her by the name. Pay back tenfold... implied that he had to think of a way for Qiao Anhao¡¯s character to p Lin Shiyi several times over, because she had thrown money away to change the script just to p Qiao Anhao¡¯s character. So to speak... Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t cut her screen time at all? Lin Shiyi sat in her own seat with her chin slightly raised, and thought about that. She couldn¡¯t mess with Lu Jinnian. In fact, he had previously made her suffer enough, but no matter how bad it got, she would just be cast out. She didn¡¯t need to be like the others, in a sense that she needn¡¯t kiss up to Lu Jinnian to survive in the industry. Since that was the case, then she didn¡¯t need to embarrass herself in front of Lu Jinnian with so many people around, and chose to suffer in silence. What¡¯s more, she had her investor to back her. Lu Jinnian wouldn¡¯t want to get on someone¡¯s wrong side over a woman, right... At that thought, Lin Shiyi let out a chuckle, for she wasn¡¯t the least bit afraid, and said, "Didn¡¯t you say that you could cut my screen time at any moment? Why haven¡¯t you cut it? So as it turns out, Mr. Lu isn¡¯t as good as Qiao Anhao was boasting?" When Lin Shiyi said that, everyone in the room broke a sweat for her. Everyone assumed that Lu Jinnian would direct his anger towards her, but who knew, he treated her as though she didn¡¯t exist. Hepletely ignored her words and continued to stare at the director menacingly. "Since Qiao Qiao said to stop production, then this drama is going to stop shooting for three months." He really was going to halt production... that would be such a big loss... the director instinctively opened his mouth to beg, "Mr. Lu..." Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t even give the director a chance to speak, as though it wasn¡¯t up for negotiation. He said, "Five months." The director naturally looked over at Qiao Anhao for help. "Miss Qiao..." "Eight months." Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t even think twice as he threw out those two words. "If you dare say another word, I¡¯ll stop production for a year." The director didn¡¯t dare to make even a sound. Qiao Anhao, who sat to one side, bit down hard onto her straw, her emotions going up again after she had calmed herself down when she saw Lu Jinnian not angry. Wasn¡¯t he taking this a little too far? Lu Jinnian neutrally pulled his eyes away from the director and slowlynded them on Lin Shiyi, who sat to one side. "Miss Lin, your boyfriend is so rich, the several thousand million investment could stretch for seven to eight months and he shouldn¡¯t mind at all, right?" Lin Shiyi pursed her lips, but didn¡¯t say a word. Lu Jinnian continued to calmly and slowly say, "If Miss Lin really wants to kick off production, that¡¯s isn¡¯t impossible, you can just return my investment and let your boyfriend cover it all. By then, don¡¯t even talk about the script, you can change it from a modern drama to a period drama." Lin Shiyi balled her hands into fists, but still didn¡¯t say a word. Lu Jinnian raised a hand and ced it sluggishly on the back of Qiao Anhao¡¯s chair. He then asked again, as if in afterthought, "Oh right. Miss Lin, what did you just say? That I didn¡¯t have the power to cut your part at any time?" Lu Jinnian lowered his eyes and chuckled as though he¡¯d heard a really funny joke. Chapter 658: Text Messages on the Phone (9) Chapter 658: Text Messages on the Phone (9) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Lu Jinnian lowered his eyes and chuckled as though he¡¯d heard a really funny joke. Then, in an instant, his expression suddenly became cold. "I don¡¯t have the power to do this? Lin Shiyi, didn¡¯t you learn from filming ¡®Alluring Times¡¯? "I thought that you would have learned your lesson from back then. I never thought that Miss Lin had such a cockroach-like imperishable attitude, that on the road to disaster you would choose to walk further and further down it. At this point, Miss Lin, I¡¯m quite impressed." Lu Jinnian¡¯s words were as sincere as they could be. So sincere, in fact, that Lin Shiyi¡¯splexion looked worse for wear, as though she couldn¡¯t hold in her anger anymore. It seemed like Lu Jinnian had nothing more to say, as he put on a face as though he couldn¡¯t be bothered to talk with Lin Shiyi. He turned his head and nced at Qiao Anhao, who was biting her straw, then patted her head with his outstretched hand and said, "Get changed, let¡¯s go home." "Okay." Qiao Anhao hurriedly put the bottle in her hand down, stood up, and just before she left her spot, Lu Jinnian, who stood beside her, suddenly saw two boxes on the table. He remembered how Qiao Anhao had told him that Lin Shiyi had treated everyone to afternoon tea, and so, as though he had just realized something, he suddenly picked up the two paper lunch boxes. Without so much as a blink of an eye, he immediately threw them into the bin to one side. Everyone there ate Lin Shiyi¡¯s afternoon tea, and so naturally they knew it was Lin Shiyi who had especially ordered them. Yet Lu Jinnian went and threw them directly into the bin like that, with a face of extreme disgust. He was really something... Someone sneaked a cheeky nce over at Lin Shiyi to find that her face was pale, then suddenly red. Even though Qiao Anhao loathed Lin Shiyi, she felt that Lu Jinnian had helped her topletely vent her anger. Just when she thought that the situation was over, who knew that after she had stepped no more than five steps towards the changing rooms, Lu Jinnian¡¯s voice could be heard from behind her again. It was like he would never end. He said in a lighthearted tone of voice, "Oh, that¡¯s right. Miss Lin, I have something else to tell you. If your boyfriend pulls his investment from "Love at First Sight" because of what happened today and breaks up with you, then don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll pay for you to continue as the supporting female role." Lu Jinnian paused for a moment, then gave a lightugh and added, "The only reason why I haven¡¯t cut your screen time is not because I can¡¯t, but because I want to see your face as you cannot bare to see Qiao Anhao yet have to put up with her!" The highest point of torturing her was not topletely erase her from the eyes, but to make it so that she had no choice but to face you and see as you outdo her in every area. Since Qiao Qiao really wanted topete with her, all right then... let¡¯s go all out until shepletely gives in. From here on out, she¡¯ll never dare topete with Qiao Qiao again! Lin Shiyi suddenly grabbed the phone of the table and stormed out of the make up room. - Qiao Anhao changed her clothes, removed her make up, and when she went to the bathroom to wash her face, she quickly went to the toilet as well. When she came out of her cubicle, she saw Lin Shiyi standing in front of the sink, wiping her tears. She noticed that someone was behind her, so she quickly lowered her head, turned the tap on, and washed her face. Qiao Anhao stood in front of the furthest tap from Lin Shiyi. She washed her hands and just when she pulled out some tissue to wipe them, Lin Shiyi coincidentally turned her head. Her eyes were full of resentment. Chapter 659: Text Messages on the Phone (10) Chapter 659: Text Messages on the Phone (10) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Qiao Anhao pretended as though she saw nothing, nonchntly wiped her hands clean. She pulled the door open and walked out. It was not until Lin Shiyi heard the door close that the angry expression on her face disappeared, reced with rolling tears down her face. In the past, she had never epted losing to Qiao Anhao because Lu Jinnian was always there. Every time she collided with her, she¡¯d end up in the worst situation. Every time! Now she and Qiao Anhao were on the same set again, and she only dared to treat Qiao Anhao like that because she had heard that Lu Jinnian had left Beijing. However, who would of thought... it was just the same as before. She moved a boulder again to only smash it on her own foot. Didn¡¯t they say that Lu Jinnian had disappeared? How did he suddenly reappear again? Lin Shiyi¡¯s brows suddenly furrowed. She remembered how she saw a figure as cool as Lu Jinnian with a tall foreign woman go into a room, just when she was with her boyfriend at the Four Seasons hotelst night... At the time, she¡¯d thought that the back of the man looked like Lu Jinnian¡¯s but dismissed it since he was missing. Now, though, it seemed like it really could have been him... - When Qiao Anhao left the bathroom and returned to the make up room, Lu Jinnian was already gone. Just as she picked up her bag, ready to look for him, an eighteen year old woman curiously raised her head and cried, "Sis Anhao". She nosily asked, "Is Mr. Lu really Sis Anhao¡¯s boyfriend?" - Since Lu Jinnian had to wait for quite some time for Qiao Anhao, he went out to light up a cigarette. Just when he headed back to the make up room and pushed the door half-way open, he heard someone ask Qiao Anhao this question. He didn¡¯t know why, but at that moment, his footsteps paused at the entrance and his eyes locked onto Qiao Anhao¡¯s face. Today, it was originally Zhao Meng and Lin Shiyi who had started arguing, and so Qiao Anhao had called Lu Jinnian toe over. At the very least, she could tell everyone that their rtionship wasn¡¯t normal. She and Lu Jinnian has been married for over ten days, yet he had never announced their rtionship, and so she didn¡¯t dare to announce it either. Suddenly, for someone to ask that question, how was she going to answer? Qiao Anhao thought deeply about it for a moment, and eventually shook her head slowly. "No." Lu Jinnian, who stood outside the door, balled his hands into tight fists. His heart unexpectedly fell to the lowest pit. In the room, Qiao Anhao gently smiled at the young woman and said in a soft voice, "Lu Jinnian isn¡¯t my boyfriend, he¡¯s my husband." It was clearly the truth, so why was she so guilty? Would Lu Jinnian be angry with her? Lu Jinnian, who was disappointed and hurt, suddenly felt his heart tremble. He really didn¡¯t think that she would say such a thing. The only reason why he didn¡¯t announce their rtionship was because he wasn¡¯t sure about the feelings they shared. But today, she called him to show off, and openly admitted that he was her husband... Could she really like him? Lu Jinnian felt his heart race like crazy as he watched Qiao Anhao talking to a young girl through the crack of the doors. He didn¡¯t disturb her, but waited for her outside. - Qiao Anhao was afraid that Lu Jinnian was waiting for her, and so she hurriedly said goodbye to the young girl, then rushed over to the entrance. However, just as she walked a few steps forward, she suddenly heard the voice of someone crying. "Qiao Anhao." Chapter 660: Text Messages on the Phone (11) Chapter 660: Text Messages on the Phone (11) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Qiao Anhao was afraid that Lu Jinnian was waiting for her, and so she hurriedly said goodbye to the young girl, then rushed over to the entrance. However, just as she walked a few steps forward, she suddenly heard the voice of someone crying. "Qiao Anhao." She halted for a moment. Why was Lin Shiyi calling her? She thought about Lu Jinnian, who was still waiting for her outside, and didn¡¯t felt like being held back by Lin Shiyi, so she just ignored her and continued to walk away. "Qiao Anhao!" Lin Shiyi shouted out even louder. After that, Qiao Anhao heard the hurried sound of high heels emerge behind her. Before her hand could pull the door open, Lin Shiyi was one step ahead, stopping in front to block her way. Because she¡¯d just been crying, her face didn¡¯t look so good, the rims of her eyes still red. Qiao Anhao was a little annoyed by Lin Shiyi¡¯s pestering, so her tone of voice was hostile when she said, "Lin Shiyi, just what do you want? Perhaps you don¡¯t think that you were embarrassed enough..." "Qiao Anhao, save your patronizing ways in front of me!" Lin Shiyi briskly interrupted Qiao Anhao¡¯s words. She curved her red lips into a mocking smirk, then said in a voice only the two of them could hear, clearly exining the very reason why she had called her name. "Rx. I didn¡¯t call you to argue with you. I called you to tell you that your man, who just stood up for you - Lu Jinnian - do you think that he would really be devoted to you alone?" Qiao Anhao¡¯s eyes slightly froze. Her lips moved, wanting to fight back with words, but Lin Shiyi didn¡¯t give the slightest chance. She continued to say in a low voice by her ear, "I¡¯ll tell you the truth. Last night at twelve at the Four Seasons hotel, I saw Lu Jinnian drive a beautiful foreign woman into the hotel. What¡¯s more, he entered the hotel room with her and stayed there for a really long time... "Qiao Anhao, a man and a woman alone in a room together... in the middle of the night... what do you think happened between the two of them in the room? Most importantly, why was your man not spending the night with you, but with that woman?" Lin Shiyi let out a chuckle. "Qiao Anhao, you can only be this arrogant because you¡¯ve got Lu Jinnian in the palm of your hands, isn¡¯t that right? If you didn¡¯t have him, then what are you even? Yet, from what I see, you don¡¯t even really have any pull on that man!" With those words, Lin Shiyi swept a nce towards Qiao Anhao¡¯s delicate white hands and said, "You just told someone that Lu Jinnian was your husband? You both got married? After marriage, he didn¡¯t even buy you a wedding ring?" When Lin Shiyi said this, Qiao Anhao instinctively hid her hands behind her handbag. She tried hard to maintain a calm expression on her face. "Are you done? If you are, then please do move aside." Lin Shiyi seemed like she hadn¡¯t imagined that Qiao Anhao would have that kind of response, as she was stunned for a second there before asking, "You don¡¯t believe what I said?" "Lin Shiyi, don¡¯t you find your own question funny?" Qiao Anhao looked like she had just heard a hrious joke, suddenlyughing out loud. She turned her head around and scanned Lin Shiyi up and down. "From head to toe, what part of you exactly is worth believing?" Chapter 661: Text Messages on the Phone (12) Chapter 661: Text Messages on the Phone (12) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem When Qiao Anhao finished speaking, she walked right around Lin Shiyi, and pulled open the make up room door. Her words drained the blood from Lin Shiyi¡¯s face. She slowly lifted her chin, turned around, and faced Qiao Anhao, who was eager to leave. She purposefully opened her mouth again to speak in a serious tone, "Oh, that¡¯s right. Qiao Anhao, I forgot to tell you just now... The room they booked at the Four Seasons is room 1002, the presidential suite." The hand Qiao Anhao used to hold the door trembled slightly, but from behind, she looked incredibly calm. She leisurely stomped out with a crisp ¡¯ta-ta-ta¡¯ sound of her high heels, as though Lin Shiyi wasn¡¯t talking to her at all. - When they left the set, it was already time to have dinner. On their way back to Mian Xiu Garden, they coincidentally passed a Cantonese restaurant, so Lu Jinnian turned the car towards it. He ordered the food, choosing only light dishes. The restaurant served the food very quickly. Before they started eating, Lu Jinnian personally handed Qiao Anhao a wet towel. Throughout their meal, he would pick up some food and ce it onto her te, but he didn¡¯t really eat himself at all. From the start, it seemed like he was at Qiao Anhao¡¯s beck and call, circling her. When she put down her chopsticks, he immediately handed her a napkin. When she almost finished drinking her cup of tea, he immediately filled it up for her. When she sneaked a nce at a te, he immediately grabbed food from that te for her. When there was a dish with fish or shrimp, he would debone or deshell it and hand her the soft meaty flesh. In the days since Qiao Anhao and Lu Jinnian had gotten married, they¡¯d spent three meals a day together. It wasn¡¯t like Lu Jinnian had never pulled out a chair for her, handed her a napkin, or poured tea for her, but he was never as attentive and enthusiastic as tonight. Just as Qiao Anhao chewed the shrimp Lu Jinnian had just peeled, she couldn¡¯t help but raise her eyes. She observed him, who was pouring her tea, to find that he still had the same cold expression on his face. However, his rxed brows told her that his mood was particrly good after leaving the set tonight. But on the set, she clearly caused him trouble... At that thought, Qiao Anhao remembered Zhao Meng¡¯s boastful words, causing her little face to immediately heat up. If it wasn¡¯t enough for Zhao Meng to not think before speaking when she randomly gloated, Qiao Anhao then had ryed it all to him. And after that, he actually went along and carried out every word. Especially the part where he stopped production of "Love at First Sight" for eight months! Also, for Lin Shiyi¡¯s boyfriend to contribute such a big investment, he must be someone with a powerful background... Before Lu Jinnian even asked who the investor was, he stopped production just like that, with her single word... Her momentary unruliness and impulse... will it cause Lu Jinnian trouble? At that moment, Qiao Anhao became a little shy. She couldn¡¯t help but lower her head, from which she discovered that there were two peeled shrimps and a piece of deboned fish already in her bowl. She felt even more uneasy and guilty. She pouted and picked up a shrimp and put it into her mouth, then raised her head and stared at Lu Jinnian in front of her, carefully asking, "This afternoon on set... did I cause you trouble?" Compared to Qiao Anhao¡¯s genuine restlessness, Lu Jinnian appeared calm andposed. So much so that he seemed like he didn¡¯t care at all. "How much trouble could you have caused me?" With Lu Jinnian¡¯s vague and lighthearted question back, another peeled shrimp fell into Qiao Anhao¡¯s bowl. Chapter 662: Text Messages on the Phone (13) Chapter 662: Text Messages on the Phone (13) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem "After all, Lin Shiyi¡¯s boyfriend invested so much money, which goes to say, he must be quite a big deal..." "Whether her boyfriend is a big deal or not, is that something you should be worrying about?" Lu Jinnian picked up a piece of fish. As he deboned it, he interrupted Qiao Anhao in a nonchnt voice, cutting off her words. "What if I caused you to have an enemy in the business industry? Then what?" Qiao Anhao¡¯s words were left stuck in her throat, and she gulped, staring at Lu Jinnian for about five seconds. She then realized what he had meant. Her eyes suddenly twinkled, and she drew her face closer. "Lu Jinnian, are you acting jealous?" Lu Jinnian turned his gaze from the fish to Qiao Anhao¡¯s face, and stared at her with a neutral look. "Do you really think that a man who set his eyes on Miss Lin is worthy of my jealousy?" Ayah... She was clearly being looked down on, so why did it make her feel so good? Qiao Anhao¡¯s eyes were curved as she pouted her bright red lips from the hot chillis. "You¡¯re clearly jealous... It¡¯s because I said that her boyfriend was a big deal that you¡¯re acting jea..." Before she could say her final word ¡¯jealous¡¯, Lu Jinnian suddenly picked up the deboned fish and shoved it into her mouth, stopping her from talking once again. When Qiao Anhao swallowed the fish, she clearly saw Lu Jinnian¡¯s pale face gain a slight tinge of pink. She couldn¡¯t help butugh whilst eating, which made him re at her even more intensely. She hurriedly bit her lip and held herughter in. She then her eyes into a crescent moon shape. Like this, she looked the most charming and attractive self. Lu Jinnian couldn¡¯t help but turn his head towards the window, and the tint of red on his face grew even more evident. However, even with Lu Jinnian¡¯s nonchnt words as guarantee, Qiao Anhao still felt uncertain. She was afraid that he would judge her for what she¡¯d said, and so after eating thest shrimp, she asked in an obedient voice, "Lu Jinnian, did I go a little overboard this afternoon?" Lu Jinnian took thest peeled shrimp and shoved it into Qiao Anhao¡¯s mouth. Then, he grabbed a napkin and slowly wiped his fingers. When he spoke, his tone of voice was rather t but there was also a mix of infinite affection and pampering. "I wouldn¡¯t mind if you¡¯d went even more overboard." I really don¡¯t mind if you went a little overboard. On the contrary, I really like it when you go overboard. It gave me a sense that in your world, I am someone who you can¡¯t be without. I love you, I like you, I want to spend the rest of my life with you... Those were the world¡¯s most sentimental terms of endearment. To randomly spit any one of those lines would touch someone. But, Lu Jinnian had said "I don¡¯t mind if you went a little overboard". Qiao Anhao thought that those words were the most beautiful words she¡¯d heard in the world. The warmest of sweet words couldn¡¯t evenpare. Even though she didn¡¯t believe Lin Shiyi¡¯s words, her one line of "after marriage, he hadn¡¯t even bought you a wedding ring?" had prodded the softest part of her heart. On their way off set, she had told herself over and over again that Lin Shiyi was just saying it to upset her. She mustn¡¯t get upset, or she¡¯d fall for her trap. What¡¯s more, wasn¡¯t it just a wedding ring? Chapter 663: Text Messages on the Phone (14) Chapter 663: Text Messages on the Phone (14) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem What¡¯s more, wasn¡¯t it just a wedding ring? What¡¯s the big deal? Who said that you needed a ring to be married! She and Lu Jinnian wanted to be special! However, even if she found infinite ways tofort herself, she knew deep down in her heart that she was still a little upset. Yet, at that very moment, she felt so warm and so happy because of his words. "Lu Jinnian, was I a little overboard this afternoon?" "I wouldn¡¯t mind if you¡¯d went even more overboard." How beautiful were those words... - After dinner, Lu Jinnian called the waiter for the bill, but he then suddenly looked like he had remembered something. He reached his hand out towards Qiao Anhao. "Mobile phone." She blinked in confusion at first, but then slowly came to a realization. She hastily pulled out her phone from her bag and handed it to Lu Jinnian. He took it, and after his fingers flew across the screen, he gave it back to Qiao Anhao. "If somethinges up, call this number." Qiao Anhao responded with an "oh". When she picked up her phone, she saw that it was an American number. She furrowed her brows, then raised her head and asked, "You¡¯re back in China now, are you not going to change your number to a domestic one?" The waiter, who Lu Jinnian had called over, brought a card machine over to him. He picked the pen to sign as he replied, "After a while, I¡¯ll get a new number. When I do, I¡¯ll let you know." "Why do you need a brand new number?" asked Qiao Anhao confused. "Was thest one not good? Couldn¡¯t you have bought a new sim and asked for your old number?" The previous mobile number... When Lu Jinnian heard those words, he clearly stopped signing his name for a moment. His expression then ran cold, but only for a split second. He snapped back to his senses and continued to sign, but his writing wasn¡¯t as fluid as before. After he handed the waiter back his pen, he grabbed for his jacket that hung on the side and said in a t tone, "Let¡¯s go." He turned around and walked out of the room. Why did Lu Jinnian suddenly look a little unhappy, Qiao Anhao wondered. She hadn¡¯t said anything wrong... Qiao Anhao sat in her seat alone, full of bewilderment for a time. Only then she picked up her bag and walked out of the room. When she walked out of the restaurant, Lu Jinnian had already started the car up and was waiting by the entrance for her. His facial expression looked normal, just as it was during dinner. It was so normal in fact that when she got into the car, he personally fastened her seat belt. It was as though the sh of annoyance in the restaurant had been all just in her head. It waste when they got back to Mian Xiu Garden. As usual, Qiao Anhao got a shower first, then left the water on and called Lu Jinnian¡¯s name. In bed, Lu Jinnian hugged Qiao Anhao, but didn¡¯t do much else. Qiao Anhao purposefully wriggled in his arms, but eventually he only just kissed her lips while locking her down so she couldn¡¯t move. She didn¡¯t know how long had passed, but the skies outside had already darkened and everything was silent. Just as she had shut her eyes, about to drift off to sleep, she suddenly felt Lu Jinnian gently slipping away from her. In that split second, she instantly wasn¡¯t sleepy anymore. With her eyes still shut, she motionlessly pretended to be deep asleep. She clearly heard Lu Jinnian quietly crawl out of bed, then walk towards the changing rooms. Next came the sound of ruffling clothes. Chapter 664: Text Messages on the Phone (15) Chapter 664: Text Messages on the Phone (15) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Why was Lu Jinnian getting dressed? Qiao Anhao furrowed her brows when she heard Lu Jinniane out from the changing room, and then shut the bedroom door on his way out. The room fell silent once again, and her eyes were filled with suspicion when she opened them. She soon heard the door open downstairs and her brows furrowed even tighter. She instinctively threw the covers off of herself, jumped out of bed, and ran towards the balcony. From there, she saw Lu Jinnian get into his car. The car lights lit up. He slowly turned the car around and drove out the courtyard. Why wasn¡¯t he asleep? What did he sneak out on his own for? In the middle of the night nheless... Qiao Anhao stood on the balcony in bewilderment for a long while, before running back into the bedroom. She grabbed her phone, ready to call him when... who else went through her head but Lin Shiyi¡¯s earlier words. Four Seasons Hotel... a foreign woman... a man and a woman alone in a room... room 1002, the presidential suite... Those words were as full of impact as an explosive in Qiao Anhao¡¯s mind, going off again and again. Her hand trembled and the phone fell down and crashed next to her feet. Her delicately white skin instantly became red, but she didn¡¯t seem to feel any pain at all, as she remained frozen there. Lu Jinnian liked her so much... How could he go look for another woman? However, for as long as they¡¯ve been married, he had never once made a move on her. Even tonight, she made a move to fall into him, yet he didn¡¯t do a thing. But in the afternoon, Lu Jinnian had looked after her, and when she mentioned another man over dinner, he¡¯d gotten jealous. He clearly cared about her. No-no-no, she had to trust Lu Jinnian... For him to go out like that, he must have his reasons... She couldn¡¯t let herself be affected by Lin Shiyi... Qiao Anhao forcefully shook her head, shut her eyes, and took a deep breath. She tried her best to calm herself down, as she continuously told herself to stop thinking about it, but the more she told herself not to, the wilder her thoughts ran. Eventually, she sat by the side of her bed as though she¡¯d lost all the strength in her body and looked around the empty bedroom. Her heart was overwhelmed with panic. A thought came to mind that impelled her to look into it, but another thought forced her to stop. The two thoughts fought one another in her mind for a long time, before Qiao Anhao finally stood up and walked towards the changing room. She had no idea how she got dressed, nor how she walked out the door. In short, when she finally snapped back to reality, she was already at the entrance of Mian Xiu Garden¡¯s neighborhood, having hailed a taxi. She got into the car, and when the driver asked her where she was headed, she paused for a long moment before saying, "Four Seasons Hotel". It was one in the morning. The streets were empty and extremely silent, and the sound of the speeding car traveled through Qiao Anhao¡¯s ears. She didn¡¯t know for how long they had been driving when the car came to a stop. She just stared nkly out the window without any reaction. The driver turned his head and patted the back of his seat. "Miss, we¡¯re here." With that, Qiao Anhao seemed to nod in retrospect. She pushed open the car door and got ready to get out. "Miss, you haven¡¯t paid your fare!" Chapter 665: Text Messages on the Phone (16) Chapter 665: Text Messages on the Phone (16) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem After the taxi driver¡¯s reminder, Qiao Anhao took half a minute to understand what he meant, then hastily pulled out her purse and paid the fare. The taxi driver had stopped the car opposite the Four Seasons Hotel. After waiting for the taxi to leave, Qiao Anhao stared up at the dazzlingly lights of the hotel across the wide road in front of her. She couldn¡¯t say why, but the nerves started to take over her heart. She kind of wanted to go over, and yet she kind of didn¡¯t. She stood on the street for five whole minutes before turning around, walking casually toward the Sky Bridge and onward, step-by-step. She descended the Sky Bridge, and her eyes instantly locked on to the car at the hotel¡¯s entrance. It was Lu Jinnian¡¯s car. He had reallye to the Four Seasons Hotel... In that instant, her chaotic heartpletely copsed. Could it be that what Lin Shiyi had said was true? Lu Jinnian hade to the Four Seasons Hotel to hook up with a foreign woman? However, they had clearly fallen asleep together in bedst night... In the morning, it was also her who had woken up first. He rested beside her, in the same hugging pose as the night before. She stared at his car for a long while, before her gaze honed in on the Four Seasons Hotel. She lifted her head and looked up at the top floor. The highest floor was the presidential suite... Lin Shiyi had even told her the room number. Could they really be in room 1002? Qiao Anhao gulped and hesitated for a moment. Eventually she strode over towards the hotel. In the Four Seasons Hotel, even if you wanted to visit, you had to register. All she had to do was give Lu Jinnian¡¯s name and ID number, then she¡¯ll know if he was in room 1002. At the front desk of the Four Seasons Hotel, there were only two members of staff on duty. Perhaps because it was veryte, they were slightly dozing off. When they saw Qiao Anhao walk over, one of the gentlemen immediately summoned his energy and smiled. He kindly asked, "Excuse me Miss, are you here to check in?" Qiao Anhao¡¯s expression seemed calm when she shook her head. After taking her phone out and finding Lu Jinnian¡¯s ID number, she said to the front desk, "I have a friend here. I¡¯m here to see him. His ID number is..." The gentleman quickly typed the series of numbers that Qiao Anhao had given into theputer. When he finished entering the eleven digit ID number, he politely asked Qiao Anhao to "Please wait". He then pressed search. After waiting for about half a minute, the gentleman pointed over to the elevator. "Mr. Lu is in room 1002, allow me to take you up." In that instant, Qiao Anhao couldn¡¯t quite describe how she felt. Actually, the reason for why she came out in the middle of the night was because her woman¡¯s intuition told her that there was something Lu Jinnian has been hiding from her. As soon as she saw his car at the entrance of the Four Seasons Hotel, she had already felt that there was a possibility that what Lin Shiyi had said was true. Yet, her heart still hadn¡¯t grasped onto the idea and was reluctant to believe her, so she had to run to the front desk to be certain. Qiao Anhao felt like her heart had been ruthlessly cut open by someone and the fresh blood poured endlessly out of her. She was so pained that her face instantly turned pale white and her feet got cold. But even then, her heart still repeatedly argued that everything wasn¡¯t real. Chapter 666: Text Messages on the Phone (17) Chapter 666: Text Messages on the Phone (17) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem "Miss? Aren¡¯t you looking for Mr. Lu? Please." Seeing as Qiao Anhao stood stunned on the spot for half a day, the gentleman politely reminded her of her goal. She slowly nodded at him with a pale face. Slightly preupied with her own thoughts, she then followed him towards the elevators. The gentleman helped her swipe her card, then pressed for the top floor. He smiled at her and told her the room number again, before taking his leave. Qiao Anhao stood alone between the four cold walls of the elevator, staring continuously at the jumping red numbers. Her heart started to race. It took just three minutes for the elevator to reach the top floor from the first. However, Qiao Anhao felt as thought it had taken several centuries. The elevator doors stopped, but she stood motionlessly until the rm rang. Just as the doors were about to shut, she stretched out her arm out and pressed the elevator button and slowly walked out. It was silent in the corridor as Qiao Anhao walked down the red carpets. She stared in front of her and took a deep breath. She turned left and walked past room after room before turning right, and to the very end. There, she finally reached the doors of room 1002. She stared at the tightly shut door and raised her hand a few times, but in the end she couldn¡¯t bring herself to press the doorbell. Lu Jinnian was inside... It was said that there was also a foreign woman in there... He had reached here before she did... What could they be doing right now? Qiao Anhao really didn¡¯t want to turn herself into an angry wife, but these wild thoughts and guesses just wouldn¡¯t stop running through her mind at that precise moment. She was just too conflicted. A part of her told her to believe Lu Jinnian, yet the other part of her couldn¡¯t stop itself from picturing Lu Jinnian and the foreign woman sleeping together. The two of them had been apart for four months He had been in America. Who in hell had he meet? In the letter he¡¯d hidden in the porcin doll, he¡¯d clearlyid out his deep love for her. And he was already married to her... Qiao Anhao felt that she was truly stubborn. The situation was already at this point, and yet she still had to see it with her own eyes before she could drop it. Yes. She had to see it with her own eyes. In the end, she could never believe that the man she loved this much would betray her. Even if... even if he betrayed her... she still wanted to take him home... this was her husband, her legal husband! At that thought, Qiao Anhao shut her eyes, took a deep breath, then counted to three in her head. She clenched her teeth and suddenly knocked hard on the door. She didn¡¯t know how many times she had knocked, but it was at least until the back of her hand had started to hurt. Then a familiar voice came from the other side... Lu Jinnian¡¯s voice. "Who is it?" Qiao Anhao didn¡¯t utter a word but continued to knock hard on the door. Suddenly, the door in front swung open and her hand froze in the air. She lowered her head silently for a whole half a minute, before raising it up. She saw a well-dressed Lu Jinnian standing before her. His brows were creased, and his eyes carried a hint of astonishment, like he wondered how she had followed him to here. Qiao Anhao stood motionlessly on the spot, staring into his eyes for a while. Then her eyes fell to his shoulders and into the room, where she discovered two sses of red wine on the table, a pack of cigarettes, and Lu Jinnian¡¯s jacket randomly chucked on the sofa. Her pitch-ck pupils quivered, before looking up again at Lu Jinnian¡¯s deep, beautiful eyes. Chapter 667: Text Messages on the Phone (18) Chapter 667: Text Messages on the Phone (18) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Neither one spoke. Instead, they quietly stared at one another. Qiao Anhao didn¡¯t know how much time had passed when the sound of high heels came from behind Lu Jinnian and a familiar voice, in English, was heard. "Nian, who is it?" When thest syble fell, Qiao Anhao saw the blonde woman in the long red dress walk over from inside the room. She recognized her from first nce. It was clearly the woman Lu Jinnian had taken to dinner in America! Could it be that she had never given up on him even after learning that she was pregnant with Lu Jinnian¡¯s baby? Had she chased him all the way to China? The instant Lucy spoke, Lu Jinnian snapped back to reality. Wasn¡¯t Qiao Anhao asleep? How had she follow him to the Four Seasons Hotel? That wasn¡¯t the point... It was the middle of the night, and he was in a room with someone of the other sex... Suddenly, a hint of panic emerged beneath Lu Jinnian¡¯s eyes. He nervously cried out, "Qiao Qiao..." Before he could finish, Qiao Anhao, who stood in front of him like a statue looked like she was provoked by something. Her body started to tremble lightly. Then, the next second, she abruptly grabbed onto his hand, as though she was afraid that what he said next would shatter her. She beat him to it and said, "Lu Jinnian, why did you leave by yourself? I didn¡¯t dare sleep on my own." In a situation like this, normally speaking, shouldn¡¯t the woman hysterically hit or curse? Why was Qiao Anhao¡¯s reaction so strange? Lu Jinnian had clearly not done anything to let her down, but in that moment, he¡¯dpletely lost her trust. "Qiao Qiao, listen to me. Lucy and I..." Lucy looked at the scene before her in confusion, then at Lu Jinnian and asked, "Nian?" As though Lucy¡¯s voice had set Qiao Anhao off, she suddenly screamed the words, "Lu Jinnian, I want to go home!" As her voice dropped, she jumped into Lu Jinnian¡¯s arms. She hugged his neck like a little girl, whining in a low and pitiful voice, "Home... home... Lu Jinnian, let¡¯s go home. Please?" "Alright, alright," he responded, afraid that she would lose it again. He didn¡¯t even grab his jacket, as he hurriedly left Lucy with a "Sorry" behind him. He immediately stretched his arms out and carried Qiao Anhao with big strides towards the elevators. On the way down, Qiao Anhao looked like she was afraid of something, for her body trembled in his arms. As she hugged his neck, she wouldn¡¯t stop gripping harder onto him as the time went on. When they reached the final floor, Lu Jinnian¡¯s breathing was a little irregr, yet he didn¡¯t dare say something to remind her. Just as he carried her out of the hotel¡¯s lobby, Qiao Anhao suddenly spoke. "Lu Jinnian, start up the car. I¡¯m going to the toilets." "I¡¯ll carry you." When he said this, he turned around, about to rush over to the lobby¡¯s restrooms. "I don¡¯t want you to. I want to go on my own!" said Qiao Anhao in a muffled voice. She struggled out of his arms, then didn¡¯t wait for him to react as she ran over to the restroom. Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t actually start up the car, but followed behind her. He stood at the entrance of the restroom for twenty minutes, but didn¡¯t see Qiao Anhaoe out. Chapter 668: Text Messages on the Phone (19) Chapter 668: Text Messages on the Phone (19) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Lu Jinnian waited impatiently, then got up and paced a few steps at the entrance of the restrooms. In the end, he stopped at the women restroom door. He hesitated for a moment, then pushed open the door and walked right in, as though he couldn¡¯t care about this now. Luckily, it was the middle of the night, so there was no one in the women¡¯s public restroom in the lobby. However, as this was the first time Lu Jinnian had ever entered the women restroom, he still had a mental barrier, and his posture while walking exposed his unease. He quickly sped past, opening every cubicle and carelessly sweeping his eyes across them. When he shut the final door, his brows furrowed tightly. Qiao Anhao wasn¡¯t in the restroom at all! As Lu Jinnian took big strides out of the women restroom. He pulled out his phone, ready to call her, when he suddenly saw the emergency route in the restroom. At that moment, he turned around and walked towards the elevator as though he¡¯d confirmed a guess of his. He desperately pressed the open button by the elevator, walked in, and headed straight for the top floor. The corridor of the top floor was silent. Lu Jinnian followed the way down it and turned at the corner. Before he could walk on, Qiao Anhao¡¯s calm voice traveled from the very end of the corridor in front of him. "I came here to see you, because I have something to tell you. Whatever you want to tell me, I don¡¯t actually want to hear it. "Lu Jinnian is my husband. My legal husband, under Chinesew. I have a marriage certificate here. I believe you wouldn¡¯t understand it. "I don¡¯t care about what happened between you and him in America, but what I want to tell you now, is the you and him must end it here. "Because the one who will grow old with him, the one who will give birth to his beautiful children, and the one who will take care of them as they grow up is - ME, not YOU. So I hope that you will stop pestering him. His future will never have you in it. Nor will I allow you to be in his future. "I¡¯ve said everything I wanted to say. Thank you for your cooperation. Goodbye." Qiao Anhao¡¯s voice wasn¡¯t loud, but the rity in her every word traveled through the silent corridors and into Lu Jinnian¡¯s ears. As he listened, his heart skipped a beat. It was not until he heard the sound of her high heels draw closer and closer to him that he abruptly snapped back to reality. Seeing as she hadn¡¯t noticed him, he took the opportunity to quickly turn around and walk back to the elevator. - After Qiao Anhao entered the elevator, the rims of her eyes couldn¡¯t help but redden. The Lu Jinnian who loved her so much and who did so much for her... How could he mess around with other women? She knew that when a wife normally discovered her husband doing such things, they¡¯d hit the mistress, curse out the husband, or even harsher yet, they¡¯d file straight for divorce. Some would even go as far as to ruin their husband¡¯s reputation altogether. When she had knocked on room 1002, in her mind, she had asked herself that if she saw Lu Jinnian, what would she do? Would she give him a cool p on the face, then grit her teeth and cry divorce? Yet when she opened the door and really saw him, she realized that she couldn¡¯t bring herself to divorce him. Even if she understood that this would remain as a thorn in her heart, which she could never pluck. She would mind. She would mind until she reached the end of her life, but she would rather mind, because she couldn¡¯t divorce him. So, in reality, she chose the most cowardly method. She didn¡¯t cry or throw a tantrum. She pretended to not understand a thing, as if nothing had happened between them. She stepped out of the elevator on the second floor, and followed the emergency stairway down to the first floor. Chapter 669: Text Messages on the Phone(20) Chapter 669: Text Messages on the Phone£¨20£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem When she came back down, she didn¡¯t head to the main hall directly. Instead, she turned towards the restroom to wash her face and calm down. The moment she entered the main hall, she saw Lu Jinnian¡¯s back. Amid the cold winter season, all he had on was a thin shirt, but even then he appeared elegant, as though unaffected by the cold. Qiao Anhao clenched onto her shirt and took a deep breath. "Lu Jinnian." He turned his head instantly, his face clear off any anxiety, as though nothing had happened. There was a glimmer of joy in his eyes while his temples remained soft. Gently, he asked, "What took you so long?" He was a man that was caught in a woman¡¯s room, how could he act so nonchntly? Or was it that he didn¡¯t mind being caught? Lu Jinnian¡¯s bright spirits seemed to increase her uneasiness. Only when he held her hand did she finally snap out of her thoughts. She turned to gaze at him, at his usual impassive face that seemed to have a hint of joy. Qiao Anhao couldn¡¯t figure out what he was thinking, and her heart grew increasingly more uneasy. The entire journey back to Mian Xiu Garden, they didn¡¯t talk much. Qiao Anhao sneaked several peeks at Lu Jinnian, trying to study his expression. Even though he could sense her gaze, he remained oblivious, staring straight ahead, thinking about the scene in Four Seasons Hotel. His lips couldn¡¯t help curling into a smile when he nced at her through the rear mirror. The moment Qiao Anhao saw his smile, her face darkened visibly, and she hugged her bag, looking uneasy and upset. The sight further brightened Lu Jinnian¡¯s spirits. It wasn¡¯t that he didn¡¯t want to exin himself, it¡¯s just that he wanted to see her uneasiness first. How should he put it... Her uneasiness warmed his heart, it made him feel loved. The car steadily steered into the yard of Mian Xiu Garden. After unbuckling his seat belt, Lu Jinnian alighted, preparing to open the door for Qiao Anhao, but before he could walk over, she had already pushed the door open and hurriedly entered the house. Lu Jinnian chuckled, following after her. Just when she was about to head upstairs, he called out her name as he removed his shoes, "Qiao Qiao." Qiao Anhao froze. Why was he calling her? Was it going to be a confrontation? He was caught having an affair... Did that mean he didn¡¯t care about their marriage? Was he going to tell her that he didn¡¯t love her anymore and was now in love with the women from Four Seasons Hotel? The more her thoughts ran, the more worried she got, and without waiting for Lu Jinnian to continue, she suddenly turned to look at him. "Lu Jinnian, I want a cup of water." Lu Jinnian nodded, heading to pour her a ss. "Qiao Qiao." "Wait, let me finish this." Tilting her head upwards, she downed the entire ss. Chapter 670: Text Messages on the Phone(21) Chapter 670: Text Messages on the Phone£¨21£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem "Wait, let me finish this." Tilting her head upwards, Qiao Anhao downed the entire ss. Passing the ss to Lu Jinnian, she seemed to have forgotten what she¡¯d said. She turned to him and said hurriedly, "I¡¯ll sleep now, I¡¯m tired. We can talk tomorrow." Without waiting for a response, she turned and ran up the stairs. Lu Jinnian held onto the ss, his lips curled upwards as he gazed at the tiny figure running up. He knew... She was afraid that he was going to say something she didn¡¯t want to hear, and running away was her solution. So... Qiao Qiao, does that mean that you actually care about me? Lu Jinnian fiddled with the ss, leaning against the staircase, staring up at the ceilingmp. At that moment, he could feel a heaviness that clouded his heart start to fade bit by bit. After about two minutes, he averted his gaze, turning to the kitchen. After less than two steps, he felt something below his slippers. He looked down and saw a tiny red booklet with the words "Marriage certificate" written on the cover. Lu Jinnian frowned, bending to pick it up. His certificate was locked in the cab in the study room, so this one must be Qiao Anhao¡¯s? Just a while ago, she had used it to brag, but now she had dropped it... Such a klutz. Lu Jinnian shook his head with a indulgent smile on his face. He ced the ss in the kitchen before heading to the bedroom. Qiao Anhao had already changed into her pajamas and was lying on the bed with her eyes shut, seemingly asleep. Lu Jinnian walked towards the bed. When he saw her flutteringshes, he knew that she was listening to his movements. Reaching out his with hand, he lightly pinched her tender face. "Qiao Qiao, where¡¯s your marriage certificate?" Marriage certificate... Why was he asking about that? Did he want a divorce? Qiao Anhao clenched onto the bed sheets, shutting her lids tightly. She was asleep, she couldn¡¯t hear anything. In order to appear realistic, she deliberately deepened her breathing, producing a slight snoring sound. Lu Jinnian stood by the bed, patiently staring down at Qiao Anhao for a while before using the red booklet he picked up to lightly tap her face. Qiao Anhao¡¯s temples moved. What did he use to tap her face? It seemed like a small booklet? She lifted her lids slightly, and just then, she saw the red booklet in his hands. In order to see what it was, she lifted her lids a bit more. That was when the words "Marriage Certificate" came into sight. Lu Jinnian was holding his marriage certificate... Why would he ask for her marriage certificate? He must want a divorce... Qiao Anhao covered her entire head with the nket. She couldn¡¯t see anything, she couldn¡¯t hear anything, she didn¡¯t know anything. She was asleep. Helplessly, Lu Jinnianughed. Pausing slightly, he pondered how long it had been since hestughed. The next instance, he ripped the nket, pulling Qiao Anhao out. Waving the red booklet in front of her, he said, "It¡¯s yours..." Chapter 671: Text Messages on the Phone(22) Chapter 671: Text Messages on the Phone£¨22£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem "Lu Jinnian, you thief!" Qiao Anhao jumped, her whole universe erupting. She red at Lu Jinnian, interrupting his words. He was too much! He actually stole her marriage certificate to divorce her! Qiao Anhao¡¯s eyes rotated one round, then she snatched the red booklet violently. Lu Jinnian had wanted to ask "You want it?" but froze, clearly startled by her usation. When he finally got back his senses, the marriage certificate was already gone. She clenched onto it, looking around anxiously as though searching for a ce to hide it. Lu Jinnian broke intoughter once more, amused by her actions. But before he couldugh out loud, he saw her blinking, as though finally settling on something before ripping the booklet into two. She didn¡¯t seem satisfied, ripping the book continuously into tiny pieces. When she finally stopped and was about to toss the pieces, she froze once more. She seemed to be worried that he would stick the pieces together, so she grabbed the whole bunch and stuffed it into her mouth. "Qiao Qiao!" In an instant, Lu Jinnian, who had been watching her actions with merriment, seemed to have been left in shock. Without hesitation, he grabbed her elbow, pulling her towards him. "Spit them out!" Qiao Anhao started to stuff the pieces into her mouth more aggressively, her throat moving up and down as though she was about to swallow the pieces. In anxiety, Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t bother thinking. With one hand, he held onto her jaw to lift her face and with the other, he reached into her mouth to pull the pieces out. After removing arge bunch, he reached into her mouth once more to ensure that there wasn¡¯t anything left. At that moment, she bit onto his finger roughly. Qiao Anhao used all her strength, and a sharp stinging pain pulsed through Lu Jinnian¡¯s finger to the rest of his body. He frowned, and was just about to pull his finger out, when suddenly he felt a droplet smash onto the back of his hand. He rxed his finger instantly, sitting there motionlessly, allowing her to bite for as long as she wanted. When the coppery taste entered Qiao Anhao¡¯s mouth, she finally let go. Exhausted, she knelt on the bed biting down on her lip in silence. After a moment, she raised her head,. Her tear stained face scrunched up when she asked softly, "Lu Jinnian, you said that you won¡¯t divorce me after we got married, and I already tore the marriage certificate, we can¡¯t divorce now, right?" Lu Jinnian was no longer amused by her anxiety, the happiness in his heart having thoroughly faded. An wave of heartache that he could not exin drowned his entire soul, and he stared at her tear stained face for a long while before reaching out to pull her into his embrace. "No divorce, we will never divorce." "Really?" Qiao Anhao turned to ask with glistening eyes, desperately seeking the confirmation. "Really," Lu Jinnian said, hugging her tighter. Chapter 672: Text Messages on the Phone(23) Chapter 672: Text Messages on the Phone£¨23£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Lu Jinnian¡¯s hug and simple assurance seemed to finally lift the shadow in Qiao Anhao¡¯s heart, she slouched onto his shoulder limply, finally breaking down. His throat tightened, and he didn¡¯tfort her, allowing her to vent her frustration. After she was done, he carried her to the vanity table. There, he lifted her face, lightly, and used his fingers to wipe her tears. "Qiao Qiao, Lucy is a wife of an American director who¡¯s my friend, it¡¯s not what you think it is. Besides, her husband was in the hotel room as well, he just wet to sleep earlier today." Qiao Anhao blinked her soakedshes. "Her husband was in the room?" Lu Jinnian nodded, reaching with a hand to caress her hair. "If you don¡¯t believe me, I can bring you over now." Qiao Anhao thought of how she was upset over a misunderstanding... The woman was married and her husband was in the room... And she had ran over to say such hurtful things... Embarrassment engulfed her, she was not going to go back! Hurriedly, Qiao Anhao shook her head. "Why didn¡¯t you tell me?" "It was for a private matter that has passed." Lu Jinnian closed the topic easily, as though not willing to share, before asking, "Qiao Qiao, is the marriage certificate tasty?" When the images of her before started to resurface, she puffed up her cheeks, and just then, she realized that there were still remnants of the pieces in her mouth. She blinked several times before gesturing towards him. "I¡¯ll tell you if youe over." Lu Jinnian reached his head over. Qiao Anhao lifted her head and covered his lips. Lu Jinnian froze, then the next second, Qiao Anhao¡¯s lips left. There seemed to be something new in his mouth.. Just when he stuck his tongue out to see, he saw her smiling face. In the same tone he had used, she asked, "Mr. Lu, is the marriage certificate tasty?" There were still stains from the tears before, but now, she had on a sly and charming smile. She was right in front of him. He just needed to reach out. Lu Jinnian went into a daze. His throat moved, and without realizing it, he swallowed the piece of paper that Qiao Anhao had left in his mouth. He didn¡¯t react, staring straight at her. Qiao Anhao jumped down from the vanity table in shock, patting his back anxiously. " Lu Jinnian, spit it out..." Before she could finish her sentence, he picked her up once more, setting her back up on the same spot. The next second, she felt a tenderness on her lips... The kiss sent her trembling, and the next moment, she felt his hands venturing into her pajamas. Her breathing hastened as their kiss deepened with a fiery passion. When he entered her, she grabbed onto his shoulder, gripping hard. Her short nails jabbed into his muscles, exciting him further... After the vanity table, Qiao Anhao was dragged onto the bed.... - The next day, Lu Jinnian woke up to a phone call. When he opened his eyes, the skies were already bright. Trantor¡¯s Thoughts Kingbao Kingbao Hehe, they¡¯re so cute *hearts* Chapter 673: Text Messages on the Phone(24) Chapter 673: Text Messages on the Phone£¨24£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem The next day, Lu Jinnian woke up to a phone call. When he opened his eyes, the skies were already bright. He frowned, not used to the light. Reaching for his phone, he realized that it was already 11 pm. After half a minute of confusion, he picked the call. It was a call from America - there was an emergency meeting that he was needed in, and they had already booked a ticket for him. After hanging up, he nced at the time, it was three hours away from his flight. Instead of rushing to get out of bed, he shut his eyes, hugging Qiao Anhao. She was afortable bundle in his arms. The traces of the passionate night before were still evident in her scent, and it seemed to have a calming effect, putting him at ease. He still couldn¡¯t believe that in just five months, there would actually be a day when he could sleep till daybreak. It was as if the past five months in America, where he spent his sleepless nights smoking, were just a distant nightmare. No one knew how he was able to endure even a second in those few months in America. He loved her so much. Even after she had hurt him that badly, he still couldn¡¯t stop loving her. But at the same time, he hated her, hated that she could be so cruel to him. He had tried to forget her and yet spent his sleepless nights thinking about her. It was such a dilemma, living in torture. If he could, he never wanted to tell anyone of that dark experience. If it was not for Lucy, he probably would have died in a foreign country, Lu Jinnian opened his eyes, to look at what he had never taken off even when he showered or swam. The scene of the night he received the text while waiting outside Qiao house shed past his mind but he no longer felt the same suffocating pain and heartbreak. Instead, it felt like a daze, as though it hadn¡¯t happened to him. So... The woman he loved had such a strong power, she could push him into hell, and at the same time, bring him back to life. Regardless, she finally fell in love with him, right? If thirteen years of heartache and love were able to bring him happiness for the rest of his life, he was satisfied. Finally, the Heavens were shinning on him. Lu Jinnian¡¯s lips curled into a slight smile,. He tilted his head to look at the exhausted Qiao Anhao. Reaching out, he caressed her face lovingly before lowering his head to nt a kiss on her temples lightly, careful not to wake her. Silently, he entered the bathroom. When he was done preparing, he grabbed a note and left a message on the bathroom mirror before quickly packing his luggage and heading off. After he started the car, he seemed to have remembered something. Reaching for his phone, he dialed a number. "Lucy, it¡¯s me... No, she¡¯s good... but could I trouble you toe over with your husband... Yea, I¡¯ll send you the directions in a moment. I have an emergency matter to tend to in America now... Yea, thank you..." After hanging up, he looked towards the mansion that was shimmering under the sunlight before starting his car. Even though she had believed himst night, he still wanted to invite Lucy over to exin it to her. Even though he enjoyed her unease, he didn¡¯t want her to stay that way. Chapter 674: Text Messages on the Phone(25) Chapter 674: Text Messages on the Phone£¨25£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Qiao Anhao woke up at 12 pm. When she entered the bathroom, she saw the note that Lu Jinnian had left. He had actually gone on a business trip... After brushing her teeth, she walked out to grab her phone to give him a call. Lu Jinnian picked up instantly. Through the phone, she could hear the airne boarding announcement. "You¡¯re awake?" "Yea," Qiao Anhao replied softly. "How many days will you be gone?" "I¡¯ll probably be back on Friday after I finish the work here." "Oh." Qiao Anhao looked at the calender on her phone, it was only Monday. Lu Jinnian heard her disappointment. He chuckled lightly before reminding her to have her meals on time and to tuck herself in at night... Although he had already written the reminders on a post-it he had stuck on the bathroom door. Only when the air stewardess came over to rush him to switch off his phone did he finally hang up. Qiao Anhao saw that her battery was low, so she charged her phone before heading to the kitchen. After opening the fridge, she was about to prepare some food when the doorbell suddenly rang. She switched off the stove, and turning to the door, she saw through the CCTV outside that it was a woman. She knew her as well, it was Lucy, and beside her stood a blond-haired man that she had never seen before. Qiao Anhao frowned, and opened the door with confusion. She greeted the both of them before using simple English to ask, "Are you looking for Lu Jinnian? He¡¯s out on a business trip." "Really? That¡¯s a pity," Lucy replied, smiling brightly at Qiao Anhao before pointing into the house. "Can we go in for a seat?" "Of course." Qiao Anhao hurriedly stepped aside, grabbing two pairs of slippers. After bringing them to the sofa, she ran to the kitchen to bring a hot pot of coffee. "Thank you." Lucy seemed to love to smile, every sentence of hers was followed by a bright smile. "Are you Nian¡¯s wife?" Qiao Anhao nodded. Lucy pointed to the man sitting beside her, introducing him, "He¡¯s my husband, he was also in the hotel yesterday." Qiao Anhao was suddenly reminded of the night before, when she had used Lucy. Her face blushed a deep shade of red. She lowered her head to apologize. "I¡¯m really sorry for yesterday night." "It¡¯s fine." Lucy smiled brightly once more, praising the coffee as she sipped on it slowly. "Is this your and Nian¡¯s house?" "Yea," Qiao Anhao pointed upstairs, "Care for a tour?" Lucy¡¯s face brightened from surprise. "Can I?" Qiao Anhao nodded her head. She stood up and gestured for the couple to go ahead. Mian Xiu Garden was a European style building. A famous designer from Europe had been hired to design it so it suited the tastes of the couple. They toured the house, the guests constantly praising the furnishings as they passed. When they came back down, Lucy smiled to her husband. "I have something to tell Mrs. Lu. Dearest, do you want to go back to the hotel first?" Lucy¡¯s husband agreed readily, giving her a quick kiss and an enthusiastic wave to Qiao Anhao before leaving. Chapter 675: Text Messages on the Phone (26) Chapter 675: Text Messages on the Phone (26) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem After Lucy¡¯s husband left, Qiao Anhao and Lucy sat on the sofa. The coffee had already gone cold, so Qiao Anhao brewed a new pot and poured Lucy and herself a cup. Lucy said "Thank you", then pulled out a business card from her bag and handed it over. Qiao Anhao epted it with two hands. Even though it was printed in English, she understood it. Lucy, 31 years old, Psychologist. Qiao Anhao put the business card away, and gave a simple introduction to Lucy. Before she could finish, Lucy smiled, nodded, and said, "Regarding your text messages, I know all about them." After a pause, she added, "Nian told me." She took a sip of coffee. "As for the misunderstanding I created, I offer you my apologies. However, rest assured, Nian only came to find me purely for business." "Uh huh..." Lucy tilted her head and thought about it for a moment. "Simply put, Nian is my patient." Lucy is a psychologist and Lu Jinnian is her patient, which is to say, Lu Jinnian¡¯s mental health... Qiao Anhao instantly became stiff, unable to believe what she was hearing. Lucy looked as though she understood exactly what Qiao Anhao was thinking, then curved her lips into a smile. "Actually, this is Nian¡¯s private matter, and I promised to keep it a secret, but you have this saying in China, something like ¡¯Whoever hung the bell...¡¯" Mid-speech, Lucy didn¡¯t quite know how to continue, so Qiao Anhao helped her in English. "Whoever hung the bell on the tiger¡¯s neck must untie it?" "Right!" Lucy nodded enthusiastically. "I believe, if you knew about it, then it would definitely be helpful for Nian." This time, Qiao Anhao didn¡¯t say anything, but stared straight +at Lucy. "I met Nian five months ago. At the time, my husband and I were driving home when we found him. He drank a lot, so he wasn¡¯t very conscious at the time. He and my husband had known each other for many years and were very good friends, so we took him home with us. "He wanted to leave when he sobered up, but my husband desperately tried to persuade him to stay. Finally, he agreed. "He¡¯s really handsome, and a gentleman. Though he doesn¡¯t speak much, but my husband and I like him a lot. Our Nini also likes him too. Nini is our beautiful Labrador retriever. "A weekter, I realized that something was off with him. That night, I went out to a party. It was already three in the morning when I came home. The lights in his room were lit and his door wasn¡¯t shut. I was curious, so I pushed it open to find that he wasn¡¯t asleep and his room was filled with cigarette smoke. "At the time, I just thought that he was really addicted to smoking, so I tried to persuade him to quit, but he didn¡¯t care." Lucy shrugged her shoulders, then looked a little helpless. "Though we lived together, we rarely interacted with him. My husband told me that was just the way he was, so I didn¡¯t think much of it. "Until one day, I came home from work. Nini saw me, immediately jumped onto me and grabbed my leg, dragging me to his bedroom while barking at the door. Nini¡¯s personality is very docile. We rarely see her like this, so I realized that something was wrong. I knocked on the door, but there was no reply. Nini then started to scratch at the door, and that¡¯s when I realized that something wrong, so I hurriedly went to find the keys, and when I opened the door..." As Lucy said this, she paused for a moment, nced at Qiao Anhao, then traced a line down her wrist and said, "He hadmitted suicide." Chapter 676: Text Messages on the Phone (27) Chapter 676: Text Messages on the Phone (27) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Qiao Anhao was stunned. She stared into Lucy¡¯s bright eyes which gradually darkened, as though she wasn¡¯t certain what she¡¯d heard. After a long while had passed, she asked in return, "Suicide?" With thatst word, Qiao Anhao¡¯s heart instantly panicked. So much so, she didn¡¯t dare hear Lucy¡¯s reply. Lu Jinnian actually tried tomit suicide... Why did he try to kill himself... She looked as though she was trying really hard to suppress her emotions, tightly clutching the coffee cup in her hands. Her lips had lost all color, like they were drained of blood. "Yes, suicide." As she said this, Lucy, who loved to smile, grew upset. "But luckily, I discovered him just in time. He was temporarily unconscious and was sent to the hospital for care. There weren¡¯t any major issues, and it didn¡¯t leave behind any repercussions. "That day, my husband didn¡¯t rush home from set, so I stayed with Nian in the hospital whilst he was unconscious. He cried two words..." Because Lucy had heard the two words so many times, though she couldn¡¯t speak Chinese and her pronunciation may have been shaky, she was able to say Qiao Anhao¡¯s name. "Qiao Qiao. "After he woke, he became even more quiet. The longest time he went without saying a single word was a week. He loved to randomly stare at one spot in a daze. He, at that time, didn¡¯t eat at all, so he was on an IV drip. However, because the nurse had to step away after taking the needle out, he didn¡¯t know how to call someone for help, so he lost blood." Qiao Anhao didn¡¯t know why, but when she heard this, she suddenly lowered her head, not daring to face Lucy. "That¡¯s when I realized he was severely depressed. His depression was so serious, little thoughts could trigger suicidal ones. That time, when he tried tomit suicide by cutting his wrists, perhaps the idea suddenly came to him whilst he was shaving with a razor. "Of course, severe depression wouldn¡¯t havee from a single event. This was something that had followed him from his living environment as a child. However, under normal situation it wouldn¡¯t affect him, but perhaps it was some kind of thought that had triggered him. "I tried so many ways tomunicate with him, but they were all useless. Then, I thought about your name. At first, when I mentioned you, he said some wild things, and he practically trashed everything in the house. "In the end, I could only control him with medicine to calm him down. Then I would spend time with him everyday and endlesslymunicate with him. At the time, my husband stopped production to help me. We spent a lot of energy to finally see him improve. "That period of time, was a challenge for me, but for him, it was a nightmare. "Though his condition has improved, it doesn¡¯t mean that he¡¯s fine now. He looks normal during the day, but at night, he would never sleep at all. We¡¯ve taken him to the hospital, and to see my psychology teacher. We¡¯ve used many methods, but they haven¡¯t worked. Even if he got a little sleep, it would be induced by medicine. "It was during all those sleepless nights that I learned all about you from him. "He used a lot of strength to force himself to forget about you, and yet he still loved you so so deeply. "You turned him into a hopeless lunatic. "I put off all the work in my office and spent every night with him for two whole months to help him ept the fact that he had already lost you." Chapter 677: Text Messages on the Phone (28) Chapter 677: Text Messages on the Phone (28) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem "I encouraged him to go to work. Through my husband, he was able to take part in a Hollywood picture. In fact, he personally wanted to take the leading male role for the movie. Despite me having caught him staring at your photo in a daze or standing in bewilderment, not knowing what to do with himself, at times, he gradually was able to feel less hurt by you. "However, forgetting someone isn¡¯t something that happens overnight. Though he drank and smoked, didn¡¯t speak much, and was a little bit of a loner, at the very least, he was able to live like a normal person again. So much so that he didn¡¯te to see me for as long as a month. At the time, I was really happy. I thought he¡¯d finally stepped out of the darkness and pain. But then, you reappeared... yet, he didn¡¯t have the courage to continue your story together... Eventually, he still wanted to work things out with you and re-immersed himself in that state of suffering and unease..." A single tear rolled from Qiao Anhao¡¯s right eye, falling down into her coffee cup. "Actually... Qiao, I really don¡¯t understand you. At first, you clearly rejected him by saying he was unworthy of you. You rejected him that heartlessly, so why did youe to find him after..." Qiao Anhao raised her head in surprise. She stared at Lucy, then moved her lips. "I never rejected him." "How could that be? Nian wouldn¡¯t lie to me. If you hadn¡¯t rejected him,why would he had thought that death was better than life... How would¡¯ve his heart turned to ashes?" Lucy¡¯s expression looked as though she was using Qiao Anhao of lying. "All in all, Nian probably didn¡¯t want to touch on the matter, but he told me everything in detail. From what he said, I understood that he waited a really long time for you, then confessed, but you rejected him..." "I didn¡¯t." Qiao Anhao shook her head, her pitch-ck pupils evidently lifeless. Her eyes quivered and she suddenly looked as though she was specting something. She then abruptly stood up from the sofa. "Han Ruchu, it must¡¯ve been her!" Qiao Anhao was so impatient, she spoke Chinese. Lucy didn¡¯t understand, able only to stare at Qiao Anhao¡¯s look of rage in bewilderment. "Qiao? I don¡¯t quite understand." Qiao Anhao remained lost in her own thoughts, whilst repeatedly mumbling to herself. Eventually she quietly grit her teeth and said with certainty, "She definitely did something, did something... I won¡¯t let her off... definitely won¡¯t let her off!" "Qiao? Qiao?" Lucy couldn¡¯t help but stand up and nudge her arm. Qiao Anhao snapped back to her senses. "Qiao, are you alright?" Qiao Anhao suppressed her emotions in a hurry, and forced a smile at Lucy. She said in English, "I¡¯m good. Thank you, Lucy." - From there, Lucy told Qiao Anhao many things about Lu Jinnian¡¯s time in America, but all Qiao Anhao could think about was what Han Ruchu could¡¯ve done to force Lu Jinnian to leave his hometown and frequently be in a daze. Having sent Lucy off with much difficulty, she shut the doors and angrily rushed up the stairs. She found her car keys and without even changing out of her lounge wear, she rushed out the house, wanting to go to the Xu family to question Han Ruchu. The moment she sat down in her car and was ready to drive off, she suddenly remembered Xu Jiamu¡¯s call on the night Lu Jinnian and she got married. He had mentioned that there would be a charity event in Beijing soon. Chapter 678: Text Messages on the Phone (29) Chapter 678: Text Messages on the Phone (29) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Han Ruchu would be at the charity g... Qiao Anhao took out her phone and nced at the time. The g was tomorrow night. She once said that she would make Han Ruchu pay for what she had done to her, bit by bit! If she charged into the Xu estate on her own and made the situation big without any evidence, nobody would believe her words. Perhaps it would eventually even call uncle and auntie over. Because the rtionship between the two families is so tight, they would me her for not knowing better. To defeat such a scheming woman, she mustn¡¯t fight her head on... Qiao Anhao wanted to think of a way to noty a hand on her, otherwise she¡¯d have smacked the woman till she didn¡¯t know what to do with herself! At that thought, Qiao Anhao¡¯s anger slowly fizzled out. As she sat in the car, racking her brain over it for a while, a flicker of light suddenly shed by. She remembered how she had ran out of the hotel to look for Lu Jinnian five months ago, but no matter how hard she looked, she couldn¡¯t find him. Instead, she had bumped into his assistant, who had exined a lot to her. He seemed to have mentioned that Lu Jinnian had a recording pen with evidence of Han Ruchu killing their child... Lu Jinnian had wanted to y it for her on Chinese Valentine¡¯s day. What a shame... Qiao Anhao suddenly pushed open the car¡¯s door, got out in a hurry, and returned to the house. When she came back from America with Lu Jinnian, he had only bought back a single suitcase. After they dragged it back to Mian Xiu Garden, they had never reced it. Today, he was out on a business trip. Even if he had to pack his suitcase, he wouldn¡¯t take the recording pen with him... so it was most likely that the recording pen was somewhere in the vi... She had to steal the recording pen and borrow it for a moment! Qiao Anhao ran upstairs in one breath, and barged into the bedroom. She then started to rummage through all the boxes and cabs. It didn¡¯t take long for her to turn the originally clean and tidy bedroom upside down. She randomly threw things around till there was practically nowhere to stand. After she flipped through the bedroom¡¯s cabs, she ran into other rooms. She looked through them room by room before she barged into Lu Jinnian¡¯s study. Qiao Anhao randomly picked up all the documents that were piled on the desk. She sneaked a nce, then mmed them back onto the desk. A few of those documents crashed to the ground, whilst other unfastened sheets of paper spread across the floor. She crouched on the floor,pletely confused, and started to dig through the desk drawers. There she saw more documents and other things of the sort. She couldn¡¯t help but furrow her brows, as she moved the chair. She stood on top of it and opened the bookcase. She looked up and down the bookcase, before eventually finding a locked drawer in the lower right corner of the cab. She tugged on the lock, and thought about the keys in the desk drawer she¡¯d seen during her search. Then, she hurriedly turned around, grabbed the keys and turned one of them in the keyhole. When she tried the third key, the lock made a "Kacha" sound and opened up. Qiao Anhao pulled the drawer to find it full of "NanJin95 Supreme" cigarettes. She creased her brows. Without a second thought, she dug them all out and threw them into a rubbish bin beside her. Beneath the cigarettes she saw a phone, a recording pen, a bright red marriage certificate, and a folder. She grabbed the recording pen and pressed the y button. A rustling sound came from the pen. Chapter 679: Text Messages on the Phone (30) Chapter 679: Text Messages on the Phone (30) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem "Why did you do it? You..." After about ten seconds, Qiao Anhao recognized that the female voice belonged to Han Ruchu, but before she could finish, Lu Jinnian interrupted her. "¡¯Will you even be able to look at Jiamu, who once saved your life? In all these years, he has treated you so well, have you forgotten? Do you even have a heart!¡¯ Mrs. Han, was this all you wanted to say?" There was a pause in the conversation, then Lu Jinnian¡¯s voice was heard again. "I can tell Xu Jiamu everything I did with a clear conscience! What about you? Mrs. Han, could you do the same? As a mother, could you honestly say that you¡¯ve done things with a clear conscience?" "What a joke! You stole what belongs to Jiamu. You¡¯re here talking to me about having a clear conscience, but don¡¯t you forget you¡¯re an illegitimate child that should have never been born onto this earth! You mother was a shameful mistress. As Jiamu¡¯s birth mother, how could I have a guilty conscience? Let me tell you, even if Xu Enterprise bes yours, you still won¡¯t be able to change the fact that you¡¯re an illegitimate child. Nor can you change the fact that your mother was a prostitute!" "Yes. That¡¯s right. My mother was a prostitute. My mother was a mistress who gave birth to me, but she received her just rewards. I¡¯ve also received mine, but even if my mother wasckluster, in my eyes, as her son, she was still a good mother, a great mother. Better than a murderer like yourself!" "What do you mean by that?" There were hints of astonishment in Han Ruchu¡¯s voice. "I wonder, if Jiamu knew that his own mother¡¯s hands were so stained with blood they didn¡¯t even show mercy to a two month old baby... Just with what kind of eyes do you think he would look at this kind of mother?" "So you knew." "Yes, of course I knew. Qiao Anhao¡¯s miscarriage was all thanks to your sleeping pills in her swallow¡¯s nest. Mrs. Han, you made such careful preparations, but what a shame, you slipped up and revealed a w in your n." ""When did you find out? "So, the only reason why my several dozen billion investment got scrapped was because you were scheming behind it all? Was it also you who added fuel to the fire when Xu Enterprise stocks fell? Your purpose for all this was to devour the Xu Enterprise and leave Wanli and me with nothing! Am I right?" At that moment, Han Ruchu¡¯s voice had already clearly lost its imposing demeanor. Even though the speed of her speech was quite steady, she had obviously lost her confidence. "That¡¯s right." "Just what will make you stop? I did this single-handedly. You cane at me..." "Mrs. Han, if you called hoping that I¡¯ll let you off, let me tell you this... don¡¯t even think about it!" When Lu Jinnian¡¯s enigmatic final words fell, the rustling sound from the recording pen also disappeared. Qiao Anhao pinched the recording pen with tightly pursed lips. She then stuffed the recording pen into her pocket and lowered her eyes. She paused there in front of the drawer for a while, before raising her head. Her eyes fell on the phone inside it. It was the phone Lu Jinnian had previously used... It was the one he¡¯d gotten when she first got into that ident during the shoot of "Heavenly Sword". Having been used for such a little time, it was no different from a new phone. Why didn¡¯t he use it? Chapter 680: Text Messages on the Phone (31) Chapter 680: Text Messages on the Phone (31) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem What¡¯s more, even if he didn¡¯t use it, he could casually put it somewhere. Why did he hide it here? Even though Qiao Anhao knew it was wrong to touch Lu Jinnian¡¯s things without getting his permission, but she had already stolen his recording pen. It wouldn¡¯t make it any worse if she sneaked a look into his phone then, right? She bit the corner of her lips as she stared at the phone, observing it for a while. In the end, she stretched her arm out and grabbed it. After she switched on the phone and unlocked it, the start up screen appeared. Half a minute went by, and she was taken to the home screen. There was about thirty percent of the battery left and a reminder to insert the SIM card. Lu Jinnian¡¯s phone barely had any applications, those few present were basically apps about financing. Qiao Anhao swiped over them in disinterest, before eventually opening WeChat. Perhaps it was because it had been a long time since he hadst logged in, she had to enter the password. Qiao Anhao¡¯s lips twitched with a little regret. She then exited WeChat and tapped onto other apps. She first clicked onto the call logs and realized that the dates stopped at October ofst year. Among the series of numbers, there was a call to his assistant. Besides this, there were two other numbers, and the rest of the calls were all to her. After Qiao Anhao had parted ways with the assistant, she had fainted on the street and was taken to the hospital. When she woke up, she saw that Xu Jiamu had watched over by her bedside, and had even brought her her phone. After the phone was switched on, it wasn¡¯t like she hadn¡¯t seen Lu Jinnian¡¯s missed calls, but they never amounted to the many calls he¡¯d dialed to her. Back then, when she fell unconscious from the fall, Xu Jiamu had returned the phone to her, which meant that her phone was at the Xu family estate for several days. Now that she saw the call log on her phone, and the numerous calls in it, the numbers obviously didn¡¯t match, which went to say... Someone had messed with her phone, or someone had taken out her SIM card and put it into another phone, erasing the messages from her own phone. Just then, she thought about when exactly she had rejected Lu Jinnian¡¯s confession. I her heart, she kind of understood it now. Her reaction was incredibly fast. She returned to the home page and clicked open the text messages. Inparison to the series of numbers in the chat logs, the text messages appeared a lot cleaner and concise. Only her name appeared on the page. She didn¡¯t even need to click on her own name before she saw the standalone phrase on the page: [I will never ept you for hurting Brother Jiamu.] Qiao Anhao couldn¡¯t quite exin why she was so nervous, but her heart started to race with disappointment, making her chest heave. Her fingers trembled when she hovered over her name a few times, but she never tapped it. In the end, she shut her eyes, and took a deep breath, as though she was summoning her courage, then finally gritted her teeth and tapped it. She saw a number of simple sentences. The first message was sent by her. [Don¡¯t wait for me. I won¡¯te to see you.] He quickly had replied to her with two consecutive ones. [Qiao Qiao, I love you.] [I¡¯ve loved you for thirteen years.] After about two hours, she had responded with two messages. [Are you worthy enough?] [I will never ept you for hurting Brother Jiamu.] Qiao Anhao stared at the five sentences, under a hundred characters, like she was hit by thunder. Chapter 681: Text Messages on the Phone (32) Chapter 681: Text Messages on the Phone (32) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Those words were never sent by her, yet Qiao Anhao felt her heart stop in panic. She spaced out for about ten whole minutes, before she snapped back to her senses and the emotions inside her instantly grew violent. There was a gentle warm breeze in the room, yet she felt a cold run through her body. She shifted for a moment to shake off the stiff posture that she¡¯d held for so long, and felt the pain in a certain part of her heart. The pain felt as uncontroble as the rolling waves of a river. No wonder he treated her like that when they met again after four months apart. No wonder he acted as though it had nothing to do with him when she told him that she was in the hospital, rather than ignoring him. No wonder he sent her on her way when she thought they had reconciled after drugging him and crawling into his bed. No wonder he was so distant at the airport when she hugged him and confessed her love. No wonder she felt like there was an invisible divide between the two of them even after they got married. No wonder... No wonder there are so many ¡¯no wonder¡¯s... There was always a little doubt hidden in her heart. At this very moment, shepletely understood. Shepletely understood it all. If he hadn¡¯t loved her... If she hadn¡¯t identally broken the porcin doll... If the assistant hadn¡¯t told her so much... If it weren¡¯t for his deep, thirteen-year-long love, which gave her infinite courage and perseverance, she imagined that he and her would have probably miss their chance to reunite again. Only people who are deeply in love understand just how hurtful the three words "Are you worthy?" are. Lu Jinnian, when the razor cut your wrist, did you feel hopeless in your heart? It was hopelessness, right? The woman you loved so much was so cruel to you. But... how could you have known it was a missed opportunity schemed by someone. A missed opportunity, a missed opportunity... They say that missed opportunities are the saddest form of lovers destined to meet but not fated to be together. In actual fact, when has someone ever known the story behind missed opportunities. However, they are opportunities missed one after the other! Han Ruchu, you¡¯re really something! Han Ruchu knew that she was Lu Jinnian¡¯s weakness long before she did, so that woman had used the one thing he adored most to take down his whole world! So as it turned out, the man she loved didn¡¯t leave in regret, but left with a heart reduced to ashes. So as it turned out, whilst she was searching for him for four months, his heart was actually torn and death looked better to him than life. Han Ruchu, I definitely won¡¯t let you off! Heartache, rage, hatred... Complicated emotions interwove in Qiao Anhao¡¯s chest, and she felt as though her slim body had just received a blow. She started to shiver. At that moment, she didn¡¯t hold the phone steadily enough, and so it fell to the floorboards. Her fingertips started to tremble, and then she saw a draft message in a dialogue box - another message he wrote but didn¡¯t send. [Qiao Qiao, I¡¯m giving Xu Enterprise back to Xu Jiamu. Let¡¯s go back to how we were before. Please?] Suddenly, Qiao Anhao¡¯s tears fell like rain. He had received those messages of hers, and yet he still wrote this... Lu Jinnian, do you even know, how you can so easily make me feel ashamed. Her fingers hovered across the phone screen, and slowly swiped up. Each and every one of the messages he¡¯d sent, whilst she was unconscious for four days, took form beneath her eyes. There were hundreds of text messages in total... When she woke up and grabbed her phone, she had only seen a tenth of this amount. Han Ruchu had taken her sim card, and when she saw Lu Jinnian in pain and brought low after sending him those text messages, just how proud did she feel? Chapter 682: Text Messages on the Phone (33) Chapter 682: Text Messages on the Phone (33) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem In this world, there wasn¡¯t anything that could hurt Lu Jinnian. She had never intended to hurt him. However, in the end, she had hurt him the most. Qiao Anhao felt like she was stabbed in the chest by a knife. The twinge of pain swept in wave by wave, forcing her to finally not be able to hold it any longer. She pinched Lu Jinnian¡¯s phone whilst crouched on the ground, and started to sob. After a moment passed, she stopped crying and climbed up from the floor in a panic. She ran back to the bedroom, and found her phone among the mess. She called and waited, but no one picked up. Then, the memory of going through Lu Jinnian¡¯s calls subconsciously reminded her that the phone she was calling could be switched off. She then suddenly remembered that, at that moment, Lu Jinnian was on a ne. Qiao Anhao dropped her arm, disheartened, standing in the bedroom for a while with the phone in her hand. She then went to the study room and crouched again in front of the drawers. Seeing that there was only a marriage certificate and a folder, she hesitated for a moment, then picked up the folder. She opened it to find an inheritance allocation document. Huan Ying Entertainment and shares of otherpanies would go to her, and the beneficiary to the Xu Enterprise was to go to Xu Jiamu. This inheritance allocation document was signed before New Year¡¯s eve, and thewyer used was Lu Jinnian¡¯s usualwyer. Which went to say that he had returned to the country before New Year¡¯s eve... Qiao Anhao counted the days in her mind, and realized that he had signed the document around the time she was shooting the final scenes for "Heavenly Sword". In that case, when she was in trouble on the set of "Heavenly Sword", that was really him! Xu Jiamu fell out with him over his acquisition of Xu Enterprise... She and him had parted ways because of Han Ruchu¡¯s meddling, yet he saw it as her abandoning him. He clearly knew that she and Xu Jiamu had given up on him, but he still left them with something beautiful. The rims of Qiao Anhao¡¯s eyes reddened again as she ced down the inheritance allocation document. Lu Jinnian... in your heart, besides me, you actually really care about your little brother, Xu Jiamu, don¡¯t you? Even though you never said it, you really want that ¡¯blood is thicker than water¡¯ kind of family-love, don¡¯t you? Since you want it, then we want it. You¡¯ve done so much for me, now it¡¯s time for me to do something for you. Because of you, I was able to feel the warmth and happiness of someone silently taking care of me. I want you to feel that for once as well. At that thought, Qiao Anhao stared at the inheritance allocation document, and a pang of determination suddenly shed across her eyes. - Xu Jiamu had called to invite Qiao Anhao to the g. He said it was a charity g, but it was actually a pleasant sounding excuse to hold a party for the rich and noble families. Since the age of sixteen, Qiao Anhao had attended these types of parties with Qiao Anxia, uncle Qiao, and aunt Qiao. This party looked like a charity event to gain donations, but in actual fact, it was an event to show off - for men to show off their wealth while women their looks. Back then, Qiao Anhao only attended these type of parties a few times. She had stopped going after being tortured by young wealthy womenparing their looks. On the contrary, Qiao Anxia¡¯s personality was naturally cheerful and belligerent. She would dress up gorgeously every time to attend these events, and every time, she would be the belle of the ball. So much so, in earlier years, Qiao Anxia was rated the most exceptionaldy for several years. The g was called "The Beijing G" and was organized by a club. When Qiao Anhao arrived, the entrance was filled with various types of luxury cars. Chapter 683: Text Messages on the Phone (34) Chapter 683: Text Messages on the Phone (34) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Qiao Anhao stepped into the clubhouse and handed her invitation to the service attendant, before they escorted her into The Crystal Pce themed hall. The g was filled with glistening lights and gentle piano music in the background. All the prominent families of Beijing were in attendance, dressed in luxury, as they mingled cheerfully with familiar acquaintances. Qiao Anhao wore a peach-colored strapped long dress under a jacket, which she handed to the attendant. Clutching her handbag, she stood at the entrance, scanning the room from left to right. Eventually, her line of sight fell on a group of wealthydies. She walked elegantly in her high heels towards Mother Qiao, who was chatting andughing away. "Auntie." When Mother Qiao heard her voice, she immediately turned around. Seeing that it was Qiao Anhao, she affectionately held her hand. "Qiao Qiao, you¡¯re here?" "En." Qiao Anhao picked up a wine ss from a tray carried by an attendant next to her. She then obediently stood by Mother Qiao¡¯s side, and after each and every one of thedies finished introducing themselves, she immediately greeted them with a raised ss. Qiao Anxia and Chen Yang were in Japan, so they couldn¡¯t attend tonight¡¯s g. Despite this, Qiao Anhao was in attendance, and though she wasn¡¯t as mboyant as her sister, she was sweet-tempered. In addition to this, Qiao Anhao released two dramas with high ratings, and so Mother Qiao received never-endingpliments from the wealthydies. Even though Qiao Anhao wasn¡¯t Mother Qiao¡¯s biological daughter, but after taking her in for over ten years, her mouth hung open in delight from other people¡¯spliments. Qiao Anhao wore a smile on her face as she stayed with Mother Qiao for a while, surveying the area around her. Finally, she found Han Ruchu in the midst of a casual conversation. She whispered in Mother Qiao¡¯s ear, "Auntie, I¡¯ll go say hi to Aunt Xu." Mother Qiao gave a kindugh and quick nod. Qiao Anhao gave a friendly smile and nod at the wealthydies beside her and said "Excuse me". Then she turned around and rushed towards where Han Ruchu stood. Though Lu Jinnian had thergest amount of shares in Xu Enterprise, the beneficiary was actually Xu Jiamu. In the past five months, Xu Jiamu had slowly umted more shares in thepany, so he had been gaining increasingly more authority. Presumably so, to console Han Ruchu, who had ran thepany to the ground. It had been almost over a month since Qiao Anhao and she hadst seen each other. Herplexion looked a lot better than when she had seen herst on her birthday. Qiao Anhao spected that by now, Han Ruchu had probably already used her scheming ways to clear the conflict she¡¯d created in their mother-son rtionship back then. ... Which was normal. Qiao Anhao never really hoped that what had happened that night could break their mother-son rtionship. After all, blood is thicker than water. Even if Han Ruchumitted the worst of mistakes, Xu Jiamu would still be softhearted. However, misunderstandings can be remedied, but the divide can never be wiped away. Yet, tonight, she was going to drive an even deeper wedge in their mother-son rtionship! At that thought, a cold sh of light crossed Qiao Anhao¡¯s eyes. It was only for a split-second, and she instantly regained her usually soft and warm glow. She took a few steps towards Han Ruchu, and opened her mouth to call her as intimately as possible, "Aunt Xu." When Han Ruchu heard Qiao Anhao¡¯s voice, her smiling expression whilst chatting with other guests clearly froze. After about ten seconds, she looked over at Qiao Anhao, and smiled with the least bit of warmth, "Qiao Qiao." Afterst year¡¯s birthday fiasco, surely she must think she¡¯s wretched! Chapter 684: Text Messages on the Phone (35) Chapter 684: Text Messages on the Phone (35) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Afterst year¡¯s birthday fiasco, surely she must think she¡¯s wretched! She was certainly someone who had experienced turbulent winds and waves. Having bumped into her again, she pretended like nothing has happened at all! But, that was fine. Even if she pretended, she had ways to make her so angry she¡¯ll cough up blood! Qiao Anhao wore a bright and gentle smile on her face when she walked up to Han Ruchu, as though she¡¯d met an elder she trusted. She reached her hand and linked arms with her as she sweetly said, "Aunt Xu, so here you are. I¡¯ve looked for a good half a day for you. I have something to tell you..." Qiao Anhao drew closer to Han Ruchu¡¯s ear and said in a low voice, which only the two of them could hear, "After wishing you a happy birthday, l haven¡¯t even wished you a happy New Year yet!" It¡¯ll be fine if Qiao Anhao hadn¡¯t mentioned the birthday, but as soon as she did so, she could feel Han Ruchu¡¯s body stiffen up. To keep the smile on her face, she became a little tense. Qiao Anhao shot a beaming smile then drew away from her ear, as though she had just whispered the sweetest thing. She waved her arms and said, "Aunt Xu, are you happy!" "Madam Xu, this is?" asked a smiling middle-aged woman, who had been chatting with Han Ruchu. Han Ruchu secretly tugged her own arm, wanting to pull away from Qiao Anhao¡¯s hold, however, it only made Qiao Anhao hug tighter. A burning me rose endlessly in Han Ruchu¡¯s heart, and she used all her strength to suppress herself. After using an enormous amount of energy, she finally forced out aposed smile. She looked at the middle-aged woman, and retaining her calm tone of voice said, "This is the Qiao family¡¯s daughter." "Hello, I¡¯m Qiao Anhao." Inparison to the nestling fire in Han Ruchu¡¯s heart, Qiao Anhao felt extremely carefree. She reached her arm out and touched her ss against the middle-aged woman¡¯s in front of her, then elegantly took a sip of red wine. "Qiao Anhao, I know. The supporting actress on Alluring Times." "So you¡¯ve watched my drama..." Hearing Qiao Anhao and the woman, who Han Ruchu was originally having a casual conversation with, start to chat enthusiastically, somehow randomly agitated Han Ruchu. She raised her ss and downed her drink. Then she shut her eyes, took a deep breath, and turned around to shoot a warm smile at Qiao Anhao. "Qiao Qiao, your auntie is over there, have you said ¡¯hello¡¯ to her yet?" How could Qiao Anhao not know Han Ruchu wanted to send her on her way, but what a shame... she would never let her get what she wants! Not only did she not leave, she was ready to stifle her even more! "I¡¯ve only just said ¡¯hello¡¯ to Auntie." Qiao Anhao blinked as though she¡¯d just thought of something. Then she suddenly said, "Oh, that¡¯s right. Aunt Xu, I forgot I have something else to tell you..." With that, Qiao Anhao drew closer to Han Ruchu¡¯s ear, then said in a low voice only the two of them could hear, "Last year¡¯s Chinese Valentine¡¯s day, does Aunt Xu know why I could of possibly fallen down the stairs at the Xu family estate?" "Has Jiamu told you?" asked Han Ruchu as if from a conditioned reflex as soon as she heard Qiao Anhao¡¯s words. In truth, Qiao Anhao hadn¡¯t known why she had fallen down the stairs back then: was it an ident or someone¡¯s scheme. The reason she mentioned it was because of the thoughts that rose in her mind after scouring through Lu Jinnian¡¯s drawer. Trantor¡¯s Thoughts Paperne Paperne Shout out to alikhemi101! Chapter 685: Text Messages on the Phone (36) Chapter 685: Text Messages on the Phone (36) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Qiao Anhao had only casually asked to disturb Han Ruchu for no reason, never imagining that the wily, old woman in love with scheming that she was, she would actually slip up! From her words, she had really been deliberately set up to fall down the stairs... On Han Ruchu¡¯s birthday, Qiao Anhao hadn¡¯t ned on Xu Jiamu overhearing this... Which went to say, Xu Jiamu knew his mother had tried to harm her... "Madam Xu, Miss Qiao, what are you both talking about?" Since the middle-aged woman saw Han Ruchu¡¯s expression be full of obvious agitation, she couldn¡¯t help but ask in curiosity. Han Ruchu quickly calmed down, suddenly remembering that she was at a g. Just as she was going to find an excuse to mask how she forgot her manners, Qiao Anhao deliberately spoke first, suppressing her. "Why would Brother Jiamu tell me these things? I was just casually trying my luck. I never imagined that you¡¯d actually let slip the truth. Aunt Xu, you have to be careful now... Don¡¯t go identally shooting your mouth off about killing other people¡¯s children like that too..." When Qiao Anhao said those words, the sweet smile on her face never wavered. To people around them, she looked like a girl whispering secrets to her mother. When Han Ruchu heard those words, "killing other people¡¯s child", she tried her hardest to stay calm. Yet Qiao Anhao could clearly feel her pulling her arm away in reflex. In truth, Han Ruchu¡¯s swing back wasn¡¯t wide at all. It wasn¡¯t something people could detect, but Qiao Anhao deliberately slid along with her movement Then she ripped her arm away from hers, silently gritted her teeth, and fell to the ground with a scream. The series of events that just unfolded looked as though Han Ruchu had pushed Qiao Anhao to the ground. It instantly drew the attention of quite a few people around them. "What¡¯s going on?" "Yeah, why did you all of a sudden push someone over?" "Yeah..." The kindhearted people nearby stepped forward to help Qiao Anhao up, and thoughtfully asked, "Are you all right?" Xu Jiamu, who wasn¡¯t too far away, noticed that something was strange, and looked over at his mother in confusion as to what was happening. He turned to the people he was having casual conversations with and said "Apologies", then quickly sped over there. He furrowed his brow when he saw someone supporting Qiao Anhao up, then passed through the crowd to reach her. Qiao Anhao shook her head at the people who helped her up and said "Thank you". She then saw Xu Jiamu thread through the crowd of spectating people. She lowered her eyelids and pretended to be totally oblivious. Turning her head, she looked over at Han Ruchu with an innocent expression on her face. "Aunt Xu, did I say something wrong? Why did you suddenly push me?" In her entire life, Han Ruchu had never suffered such anger, for Qiao Anhao had turned her usual elegant and generous self into a joke. Just then, the aggrieved look on Qiao Anhao¡¯s face undoubtedly made Han Ruchu so incredibly agitated that her face turned red, and the words ruthlessly jumped out from her mouth. "You¡¯re talking nonsense! When did I push you..." It¡¯s a shame that before Han Ruchu could finishshing out, Xu Jiamu abruptly grabbed her wrist. She was stunned for a moment, then subconsciously looked over at her own son. Her mouth gaped in panic, as though she had to exin something to him. Chapter 686: Text Messages on the Phone (37) Chapter 686: Text Messages on the Phone (37) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Before Han Ruchu could even make a sound, she was dragged out of the g under everyone¡¯s eyes. When she and Xu Jiamu returned, the charity auction was just about to start. The host stood on the stage, holding the mic, and gave an official introduction. Qiao Anhao took her seat beside mother Qiao Anhao, while she saw Xu Jiamu and Han Ruchu sit down together. The mother and son duo looked like they had been in an argument, as the expressions on their faces looked awful. Since the people were participating in this charity auction, they naturally looked like they were going to bid for a good cause. In truth, it wasn¡¯t that there were no good items in these charity gs, but people would go for the final item. Of course, only the noblest of families would bid for it. The earlier items up for bid weren¡¯t considered particrly expensive. They were mostly jewelry, gems, and decorative items. The process of an auction was always the same. Qiao Anhao didn¡¯t know just how many times she¡¯d seen it. With her eyes shut, she knew what would happen next. About over an hourter, it was time for the most important event of the charity g. The audience, who was half asleep, finally livened up. Even the host went wild, raising his microphone and introducing he next item for bid with witty and charming words. "Up next, we have a wardrobe named Miracle. Thirty carpenters spent six years to make this rare and valuable product. The starting bid is one billion, two thousand million RMB. Now, let us take a look at the wardrobe, Miracle..." After the host¡¯s words, the ck curtains were unveiled to reveal a dark green wardrobe filled with embedded multicolored gems. Under the lights, the wardrobe was dazzling to the eye. "It¡¯s really miraculous, right? Now, let¡¯s proceed with the item up for auction. Let¡¯s start the bidding¡ª" Thirty seconds after the host said his final word someone made the first bid. "One billion, two thousand, three hundred million RMB." "One billion, two thousand eight hundred million RMB." "One billion, three thousand million RMB. ¡ª In the span of twenty minutes, this Miracle wardrobe rose to two billion RMB. As the guests continuously made bids, it didn¡¯t look like they were nning on stopping any time soon. It was not until after the price shot up to three billion RMB that there were only two or three families left. The price then rose to two thousand million and there was only the Qiao family at the top. "Three billion two thousand million, going once." "Three billion two thousand million, going twice." Just as the host was ready to cry ¡¯sold!¡¯, Han Ruchu, who had remained silent, suddenly cried, "Three billion four thousand million." The entire audience roared. Who present didn¡¯t know that the Xu family was far from what it once was after the acquisition of the Xu Enterprise. Han Ruchu calling out ¡¯Three billion four thousand million¡¯, it suddenly attracted everyone¡¯s attention. Qiao Anhao had been waiting all night for this very moment. This bid was actually something that had inadvertentlye up in conversation with Qiao Anxia. She told Qiao Anhao that since the Xu family was far from what it once was, the Qiao family had to help them this year to get the final part of the auction. It was all to tell everyone that though the biggest shareholder of Xu Enterprise was reced, the Xu family still had money. They could still invest, and although it looked like arge sum of money was spent, the Xu family would still have gained a lot of benefits. Chapter 687: Text Messages on the Phone (38) Chapter 687: Text Messages on the Phone (38) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem The reason why it was the Qiao family and not the Xu family who made bids at first was because the Qiao family were flourishing for the past two years. If the Qiao family appeared as though they were determined to win, then many people would give up their fight. On the other hand, since the Xu family asked for such a favor, they would save arge sum of money. If Han Ruchu wanted Qiao family¡¯s help even after the way she treated Qiao Anhao... Don¡¯t count on it! To make the Qiao family¡¯s aid seem less conspicuous, Father Qiao deliberately made two counter bids after Han Ruchu¡¯s bids. "Three billion, six thousand million going once!" big numbers in Chinese aren¡¯t the same as English. For example, 10,000 = 1 million (Written in Chinese characters but actually 10 thousand in English) and 1,000,000,000 = 10 billion (Written in Chinese characters but actually 1 billion in English). I didn¡¯t convert the Chinese numeral system into English, considering it¡¯s in Renminbi. I figured ah... foreign currency = foreign concept of numbers, so perhaps I should keep it¡¯s cultural significance there. To my knowledge, no other culture counts numbers the way Chinese people do, so I thought that I should keep it true to the culture... "Three billion, six thousand million going twice!" "... and sold!! At three billion, six thousand million RMB!" With a m of his hammer, the host said, "Congrattions Mrs. Han Ruchu of Xu Enterprise for winning the final item up for bid this year." The audience erupted in apuse when Han Ruchu stood up with a smile on her face and walked over to the stage. Qiao Anhao pulled her phone out, wrote a simple text with the two English letters ¡¯ok¡¯, and sent it to Zhao Meng. The host first shook Han Ruchu¡¯s hand, then handed her the microphone with which she calmly and generously gave a few simple words to the crowd. The presenter smiled, retrieved his microphone, and said, "Now let¡¯s wee our master of ceremonies with the contract up on stage for Mrs. Han Ruchu to sign in front of everyone. Then Miracle wardrobe will officially belong to her." After the presenter¡¯s speech, music broke out. The master of ceremonies, who was dressed in a pink qipao, carried a tray to the stage, where the presenter personally handed Han Ruchu the pen. As she was just about ready to sign, the music in the background suddenly stopped ying. The host looked down backstage in confusion and held the microphone up. It looked as though he was asking "Why", but since the microphone wires were cut off, the audience below couldn¡¯t hear a word she said. The entire hall erupted in whispers. The host said something to the people backstage, then turned around to the audience and gave an apologetic bow. Han Ruchu stood with a straight posture when, suddenly, the words "Why did you do it? You..." filled the auction hall. "Will you even be able to look at Jiamu, who once saved your life? In all these years, he has treated you so well, have you forgotten? Do you even have a heart!" The first sentence was from a woman, and the second was a man¡¯s. Everyone thought that the voice sounded quite familiar, but they couldn¡¯t quite make out who it was. With stunned expressions overtaking the people¡¯s faces, the whispers eventually died down. Even the host up on stage was a little astonished. But because the voices mentioned the name "Jiamu", one-by-one, everyone turned their heads towards Xu Jiamu. He furrowed his brows in bewilderment, without a clue of what was going on. But before everybody could snap back to their senses, the sound of the same man¡¯s voice from earlier, drifted in. "Mrs. Han, was this all you wanted to say?" Mrs. Han... Jiamu... At that instant, everyone¡¯s gazes moved from Xu Jiamu to Han Ruchu. So the woman¡¯s voice belonged to her. "I can tell Xu Jiamu everything I did with a clear conscience! What about you? Mrs. Han, could you do the same? As a mother, could you honestly say that you¡¯ve done things with a clear conscience?" said the male voice. Although you could only hear the voice, the man sounded elegant, yet with a hidden forcefulness present as well. Trantor¡¯s Thoughts Paperne Paperne Big numbers in Chinese aren¡¯t the same as English. For example, 10,000 = 1 million (Written in Chinese characters but actually 10 thousand in English) and 1,000,000,000 = 10 billion (Written in Chinese characters but actually 1 billion in English). I didn¡¯t convert the Chinese numeral system into English, considering it¡¯s in Renminbi. I figured ah... foreign currency = foreign concept of numbers, so perhaps I should keep it¡¯s cultural significance there. To my knowledge, no other culture counts numbers the way Chinese people do, so I thought that I should keep it true to the culture... Hope this clears up any misunderstandings! Chapter 688: Text Messages on the Phone (39) Chapter 688: Text Messages on the Phone (39) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Though everyone watched TV, most of the time, Lu Jinnian¡¯s voice was dubbed, so very few people recognized that it was his voice. Yet Xu Jiamu could still make out that it was him. The stunned expression on his face turned intense. The recording being broadcasted seemed to have been meddled with for there was a long moment of rustling noises, followed by the clear words from the man¡¯s voice, "You murderer!" When Han Ruchu heard those words on stage, she finally remembered when the audio was recorded. Herplexion instantly turned paper-white, and her usually calm and graceful self, who was rather good at containing anger, came to reveal a look of shock and panic. Qiao Anhao sat calm andposed in her seat with her lips curled into a neutral smirk. She was admiring Han Ruchu¡¯s expression at that very moment. The people below the stage had already lost the mood to pay attention to the auction long ago. Everything stopped there for a long while, before the sudden uproar of conversations born from those few words. "Murderer? What is the meaning of this?" "Who is a murderer? Did he mean Madam Xu?" "Oh my god... what on earth happened?" Soon after that though, the sound of Han Ruchu¡¯s quiet, evidentlycking confidence voice rang through the hall. "What do you mean by that?" The sound of the man¡¯s voice followed closely behind her¡¯s. "I wonder, if Jiamu knew that his own mother¡¯s hands were so stained with blood they didn¡¯t even show mercy to a two month old baby... Just with what kind of eyes do you think he would look at this kind of mother?" "Ah..." The entire audience repeatedly cried in shock for as long as half a minute. Even Qiao Anhao, who sat beside mother Qiao, let out a low gasp. Then Han Ruchu¡¯s voice was heard again. "So you knew." "What happened?" "Those words are clear proof that Madam Xu admit to it." "She actually killed an unborn child?" The sounds of astonished gasps turned to increasingly louder discussions. Han Ruchu stood on stage with a face turned white from distress. The host who stood next to her red at Han Ruchu with a look filled with uprehending disbelief. Xu Jiamu¡¯s face looked calm, but his hands had already quietly balled into fists. Because of sheer force, the knuckles were protruding. Everyone heard the sound of the man¡¯s voice again. "Yes, of course I knew. Qiao Anhao¡¯s miscarriage was all thanks to your sleeping pills in her swallow¡¯s nest. Mrs. Han, you made such careful preparations, but what a shame, you slipped up and revealed a w in your n." This time the entire hall was dead silent. And it was a type of silence thatsted for a good long minute and caused the atmosphere to get out of control. "Qiao Anhao? Isn¡¯t that the Qiao family¡¯s daughter?" "Yeah... She was married to Xu Jiamu, thenter got divorced. It seemed like it was an amicable divorce, which didn¡¯t affect their two family¡¯s rtionship." "Isn¡¯t this far too shocking? Qiao Anhao married Xu Jiamu, was pregnant with his child, and then Han Ruchu aborted the baby?" "What the hell? That is one heartless bitch. She evenid hands on her own flesh and blood?" Mother Qiao, who sat by Qiao Anhao¡¯s side, was speechless when she heard the news. After a while, she turned her head in shock. Chapter 689: Text Messages on the Phone (40) Chapter 689: Text Messages on the Phone (40) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Mother Qiao, who sat by Qiao Anhao¡¯s side, was speechless when she heard the news. After a while, she turned her head in shock. She stared at Qiao Anhao, then asked, "Qiao Qiao? Is this true? You had a baby?" Qiao Anhao had waited all night for this very moment. Not only did she want Han Ruchu¡¯s reputation ruined in front of the entire circle of Beijing¡¯s wealthiest, she wanted for the Qiao family to side with her and be enemies! Even if she wasn¡¯t uncle and auntie¡¯s biological daughter, they were still a family and the same blood ran in their bodies. What¡¯s more, she was raised by them for almost twenty years. If they knew about just how cruelly Han Ruchu had treated her... Qiao Anhao let out a cold chuckle, then she put on a shocked expression on her face and the bottom of her eyes began to fog up. "I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on... I did have a baby, but the baby died in the womb. I was definitely pregnant around the time Aunt Xu gave me the swallow¡¯s nest..." With those words, two lines of tears rolled down Qiao Anhao¡¯s face. "Auntie, Aunt Xu put sleeping pills in my swallow¡¯s nest and killed my baby..." On stage, having to face everyone¡¯s finger pointing, Han Ruchu couldn¡¯t take it any longer! Before the auction even started, she had already gotten into an argument with Qiao Anhao, and now because of the baby, her reputation was ruined... The image she had worked so hard to uphold all these years, gone! Just like that! Gone! Han Ruchu instantly looked like she was going to crumble. As though she had nothing to lose, she suddenly stomped down from the stage and headed straight towards Qiao Anhao, then smacked her with the bag in her hand. "You little bitch, did you do this?!" Qiao Anhao knew that as soon as the recording was broadcasted, Han Ruchu would definitely flip out, but she never imagined that she would actually lose control like this. She actually was going to hit her in front of so many people! But... Qiao Anhao liked that, because only then could she act delicate and pitiful. It would make people sympathize with her, and at the same time unveil the truth due to Han Ruchu¡¯s anger and shame! Without any intention of dodging, Qiao Anhao looked at the handbag flying at her, allowing it to smack her on the head. To endure one moment¡¯s pain for Han Ruchu¡¯s irrevocable situation. It was well worth it! As the pain struck Qiao Anhao, she discreetly clenched her teeth and cried streams of tears. She stared pitifully at Mother and Father Qiao. With a little shock and panic, she cried, "Uncle, Auntie." Mother Qiao¡¯s personality was quite simr to Qiao Anxia¡¯s - incredibly protective. When Han Ruchu first gave Qiao Anhao those two boxes of swallow¡¯s nest, Mother Qiao had seen Qiao Anhao run to the toilets to vomit a few times when she came over in the afternoon that same day to watch TV together at the Qiao family estate. At the time, she told her that she must¡¯ve eaten something bad on set, so she didn¡¯t think much of it. Now, after mingling in the business industry for so many years and hearing the broadcasted recording released by an anonymous person, she instantly understood. Already angered beyond restraint, she now saw Han Ruchu actually physically hit Qiao Anhao, and her temper was set alight. She unexpectedly stood up and addressed the woman by her full name. "Han Ruchu, just what the hell do you want? What evidence do you have to be so sure it was our Qiao Qiao who did this!" Chapter 690: Text Messages on the Phone (41) Chapter 690: Text Messages on the Phone (41) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem When Mother Qiao finished speaking, she turned her head and stroked Qiao Anhao¡¯s shoulder tofort her. "Don¡¯t be afraid, Qiao Qiao. Uncle and auntie are here. I¡¯d like to see what she does!" "If it¡¯s not that little bitch, then who could it be!" Han Ruchu, at this moment, had already lost her mind. Mother Qiao grew increasingly angry with Han Ruchu¡¯s repeated words "little bitch". "Han Ruchu, could you watch that mouth of yours. Just who are you calling a little bitch? "Let me tell you, even if it was Qiao Qiao who broadcasted the recording, what are you really going to do? You¡¯ve done such outrageous things, and yet afraid to let people know about it? You think the Qiao family is easy to bully, don¡¯t you?" Mother Qiao and Han Ruchu¡¯s argument raised a lot of eyebrows nearby and drew a lot of people¡¯s attention. Xu Wanli had already stood up from his seat and walked over to Father Qiao. He then said, "Look, there are so many people watching. Can we talk about this when we get home?" People shouldn¡¯t underestimate Mother Qiao for her usual warm and gentle personality, agreeing to anything Father Qiao said. When the asion arose, if she didn¡¯t want to fallback, even Father Qiao didn¡¯t dare to mess with her. What¡¯s more, Qiao Anhao was rted to Father Qiao by blood, not Mother Qiao. Since his own wife was protecting his niece like this, who was he to stand out and shut it down. Naturally, he stared at Mother Qiao without making a sound. Mother Qiao let out a "Hmpf". "F*ck talking about this when we get home! I¡¯m telling you all, from this moment forth, the Qiao family and Xu family no longer have any ties. We will never be in contact again! How could you pick on our daughter out of nowhere?! Do you think that we, the Qiao family are weak sauce?! You¡¯ve hit someone in the face, and you want them to kneel over for you? You wish!" Mid-way through the aunt¡¯s speech, a teary-eyed Qiao Anhao almost couldn¡¯t hold back herughter. She had never imagined that her aunt, who only went to work or yed mahjong, would actually know how to use inte ng. "Do you really think that your daughter is good? Do you really think that little bitch is a match for our Jiamu?" Suddenly, Han Ruchu raised her hand and pointed a finger at Qiao Anhao. "Her baby deserved to die, because it was..." "Enough!" roared Xu Jiamu, who had remained quiet all this time. He had suddenly screamed for he knew exactly what his mother was going to say. He abruptly got up and tugged on Han Ruchu¡¯s arm. "Have you had enough? Or is this not embarrassing enough for you?" As he said that, he dragged his mother and walked right out the door with a hostile look on his face. When he passed Qiao Anhao, his feet slightly halted. He really wanted to look at Qiao Anhao and tell her he was sorry, but he never raised his head. He just stopped for half a second, then dragged his mother straight out. - Xu Jiamu dragged Han Ruchu all the way out of the Beijing Club without bothering for her cries of "Jiamu, let go of mama". He didn¡¯t stop until he reached the Xu family¡¯s car. After seeing them, the housekeeper, who was sitting in the car, hurriedly got out. "Madam, young master, what¡¯s going on?" Xu Jiamu didn¡¯t even bother with her, directly pulling the car door open and shoving Han Ruchu inside. "Go home!" He then suddenly mmed the car door shut. Han Ruchu hastily pushed the door open. "Jiamu, where are you going? Are you noting home with mama?" Chapter 691: Text Messages on the Phone (42) Chapter 691: Text Messages on the Phone (42) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Last time, on Han Ruchu¡¯s birthday, Xu Jiamu was angry for such a long time after learning that she was behind Qiao Anhao falling down the stairs, and he never stepped foot in the Xu family estate again. Not even to spend the New Years together. Eventually, Han Ruchu ended up in a hospital for refusing to eat or drink. Only then did hee back. The housekeeper took the full me for everything and told him that it was all her idea, which finally made Xu Jiamu feel more at ease. That hadn¡¯t been all that long ago... And now, all this happened... Except this was far more serious than thest time... Han Ruchu was frightened to death. This time, with Xu Jiamu¡¯s departure, she didn¡¯t know what she should do to call him back... She thought about it, and hurriedly got out of the car. She chased after him and grabbed tightly onto his arm. "Jiamu, you¡¯re mad at mama again, am I right? Don¡¯t be mad at mama, okay? "Listen to mama, that baby wasn¡¯t yours. You were in aa at the time, so it was that bastard Lu Jinnian¡¯s baby. Mama couldn¡¯t let him keep it... Mama can¡¯t have you raise another person¡¯s child out of nowhere... Mama was doing this for you, you have to believe mama..." "Is Lu Jinnian an outsider? He¡¯s my brother! He¡¯s also a child of the Xu family. His child is my child. How could the child not be able to stay!" Xu Jiamu didn¡¯t know if it was the anger or the pain, or even perhaps the panic, but with a trembling voice, he said, "Ma, it was a life. It was Qiao Qiao and my brother¡¯s child. A living, breathing life. How could you do it?!" "That bastard is not your brother! He stole yourpany!" shrieked Han Ruchu. "Why did he steal mypany? It was all because you killed his child! What¡¯s more, he was meant to have half of thatpany. It wasn¡¯t all mine!" As Xu Jiamu said this, he viciously swung Han Ruchu¡¯s arm away, which made her stumble. In the end though, she still managed to quickly grab hold of Xu Jiamu¡¯s again. "Mama was wrong. Mama promises you, mama will never do that again, okay?" Xu Jiamu was truly a little defeated by the truth. He always knew that his mother didn¡¯t like Lu Jinnian, and he could understand why she never liked him, but never could he have imagined that she would actually do something like this! HE raised his head and looked up at the sky. With a deep breath, he turned his head around to look at Han Ruchu, suddenly asking in a calm voice, "Just how many more cruel things have you done to them? Tell me all in one go. I beg you, let me mentally prepare for it." "No more, no more," answered Han Ruchu without even thinking twice. She shook her head and then said, "Really, no more." "Really, there¡¯s nothing more?" asked Xu Jiamu. Han Ruchu nodded. "Mama swears on it." Xu Jiamu didn¡¯t say anything but stared at Han Ruchu. She felt a little weak under Xu Jiamu¡¯s gaze. "Jiamu, believe mama. There¡¯s really nothing more. Come home with mama, okay? Please don¡¯t do it like before, not return home..." Xu Jiamu still didn¡¯t say anything, a tinge of disappointment surfacing in his eyes. It left Han Ruchu a little speechless. After a long while, she spoke again. "Jiamu, what¡¯s wrong with you? Don¡¯t stop talking. Don¡¯t scare mama, alright?" Xu Jiamu lowered his eyes and raised his hands, then pulled out a stack of papers from his bag and handed it to Han Ruchu. Chapter 692: Explanation (1) Chapter 692: Exnation (1) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Xu Jiamu lowered his eyes and raised his hands, then pulled out a stack of papers from his bag and handed it to Han Ruchu. She looked at him, and hesitated for a moment before taking the papers and flipping through them to find that they were printed text messages of logs from China Mobile. Han Ruchu used the lights from the roadside to take a closer look for a while. Then, she understood that these were text messages sent between Qiao Anhao and Lu Jinnian on Chinese Valentine¡¯s day. After staying quiet for a long time, Xu Jiamu finally said, "During those four days when Qiao Qiao was in the hospital, the phone was at our house. Can you tell me who sent these texts under Qiao Qiao¡¯s name?" Han Ruchu didn¡¯t say a thing, her fingers lightly trembling with the printed texts in her hand. After a while, she raised her head and asked, "Jiamu, where did you get this?" Xu Jiamu closed his eyes. "We¡¯ve already reached this point now. Are you honestly concerned about who is setting you up behind your back? The problem is, this isn¡¯t a set up, it¡¯s the truth! "You knew my brother liked Qiao Qiao, am I right? You used Qiao Anhao as bait to draw him in, so he agreed to impersonate me, am I right? Then you couldn¡¯t bare to see him happy when you found out that Qiao Qiao had a date with him on Valentine¡¯s day, so you ruthlessly pushed her down the stairs. After that you took her phone and sent those messages to my brother, didn¡¯t you!" As Xu Jiamu roared, his eyes suddenly turned red. "My dad is the one who wronged you, not my brother¡¯s mother, nor my brother. Wake up! This was all Xu Wanli¡¯s fault! Why haven¡¯t you dealt with him? Why do you have to deal with them? What have they done wrong?!" "It was that shameless Qiao Anhao, am I right? It was Qiao Anhao who did this, am I right?" cried Han Ruchu suddenly while holding the papers. At that moment, Xu Jiamu didn¡¯t quite know what to do. He raised a hand to rub his forehead and let out a deep sigh. He said, "You really disappoint me." With those simple words, he yanked his hand from Han Ruchu¡¯s grasp. "Jiamu, don¡¯t go..." she said, then as though she had just thought of something, she turned her head and shot a nce at the housekeeper. The housekeeper instantly understood what Han Ruchu meant and immediately said, "Young master, I took Miss Qiao¡¯s phone and sent those messages. Madam didn¡¯t know about them. It was all me, don¡¯t me madam..." "Enough!" Even though Xu Jiamu didn¡¯t turn his head to look at the two of them behind him, he clearly understood something in his heart. "Stop acting. Do the two of you really think I¡¯m stupid? I know whose idea it was to push Qiao Qiao down the stairs. I believed that because you¡¯re my mother... the mother who raised me to be this big, I thought that, after having argued with you for so long in this cold war, you would have reviewed yourself... you would of known where you went wrong... you would of understood what your son cares about, and then you would have respect for your son. "But in reality, I was wrong. "Honestly speaking, I have no idea who gave me these text logs. I received them earlier today by anonymous express delivery, and yet you are so certain it was Qiao Qiao who did it. "From the beginning, you never thought about the fact that you were in the wrong. You always stood at the best ce from which you could make other people¡¯s lives miserable." Chapter 693: Explanation (2) Chapter 693: Exnation (2) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Having said that, Xu Jiamu suddenly turned his head with a calm expression on his face and stared at Han Ruchu, who had no idea when she had started crying. "I¡¯ve given you opportunities. And not once. Just now, when I asked you what else have you done, you spoke so candidly to me... All the wrongs you¡¯vemitted, I could¡¯ve redeem them for you, but you didn¡¯t tell me. You still tried to treat me like an idiot and lie to me again. "Look after yourself. I will never go back to the Xu family estate." "Jiamu, don¡¯t! Mama was really wrong... Mama can¡¯t do this, Jiamu..." When Han Ruchu said thest word, she finally broke into a pained cry. Xu Jiamu lowered his eyes. She was his real mother after all. Seeing her cry like this, his heart still hurt. "I really want to believe you, but I¡¯m sorry, I can¡¯t." When Xu Jiamu finished speaking, he took two steps back. Han Ruchu cried even more erratically, like her heart was torn. "Jiamu, mama has nothing left. Tonight, mama¡¯s reputation has been ruined, everyone will say that mama is a horrible person and your papa will definitely me me for this mess. If mama was to lose you, mama really would be left with nothing... Jiamu... Mama begs you not to leave..." In the end, Xu Jiamu turned around. The housekeeper also started to plead. "Young master, don¡¯t leave." "Jiamu..." Xu Jiamu pulled his own car¡¯s door open and sat inside. "Jiamu, mama was really wrong, Jiamu..." Xu Jiamu shut his eyes and closed the door, isting himself from the cries outside. He sat in the driver¡¯s seat in a daze for a while, without even looking at Han Ruchu on the side. Then, he started up the car and drove off. As he drove, Xu Jiamu finally stopped holding back, and a single tear rolled out. He was really heartbroken. He couldn¡¯t say what he was so heartbroken about. He felt like in a single night, everything he knew was overthrown. His mother, who always loved him, did such a cruel thing to his brother and his friend. That brother of his, who he had hated and med, clearly acquired Xu Enterprise but also secretly left it to him. Even in his will, Lu Jinnian wrote his name as that of a beneficiary. Uncaring that his mother treated him like that. The tears flowed endlessly from Xu Jiamu¡¯s eyes. Every now and then, he would raise his hand and wipe them away. He then pulled out a print out of a document. It was a copy of Lu Jinnian¡¯s personally signed will. So his brother, who never liked to respond to anyone since he was young and always worked hard to adapt, actually... from his very bones, really cared about his little brother. Xu Jiamu¡¯s fingers, which were tightly clutching onto the photocopy, started to tremble. In the end, he couldn¡¯t hold his emotions down anymore. He stopped the car by the side of the road andid down on the steering wheel, his shoulders starting to tremble. - Because Han Ruchu was dragged away by Xu Jiamu, the auction was forced to stop. Without the main lead, naturally the explosive news suddenly died down and everyone left one after the other. Father and Mother Qiao were really angry, but also really worried, as they endlessly tried tofort Qiao Anhao. So much so, they insisted to take her back to the Qiao family estate with them. Only when Qiao Anhao told them three times over that she was fine, and that she just wanted to be alone for a while, did they reluctantly let her be. Chapter 694: Explanation (3) Chapter 694: Exnation (3) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem When Qiao Anhao parted ways with Father and Mother Qiao, she went back to her car and left Beijing Club. She drove straight to the New Haven shopping mall, then found a ce to park the car. After pulling out a few coins, she walked up to the public phone box and dialed Han Ruchu¡¯s number. The phone rang for a long time before it was picked up. Through the phone, Han Ruchu sounded weak and dispirited, as though she had recently received a big shock. "Hello, who is this?" Qiao Anhao silently held the public phone for ten seconds before speaking. "Me." Although it was just one word, Han Ruchu could tell who it was. "Why are you calling me? I don¡¯t have anything to say to you!" She sounded as though she was going to hang up the phone. Qiao Anhao was very certain that Han Ruchu wouldn¡¯t actually hang up the phone and chose to continue to listen. She said in a calm andposed voice, at a neutral speed, "I was the one who sent Brother Jiamu the copies of the text messages, so that even if I clearly fell by myself at the g, he wouldn¡¯t believe you. In his heart, he would already subconsciously believe that his mother wanted to harm me." Just as Qiao Anhao imagined, not only did Han Ruchu not cut the call, she cursed her. The woman was fuming with rage. "Bitch!" Qiao Anhao ignored it and continued to speak at leisure. "Of course I was the one who organized the recording at the charity g. And naturally, the recording wasn¡¯t only to embarrass you. The main objective was to put it out for Brother Jiamu to hear... Aunt Xu, Brother Jiamu must be really mad right now, isn¡¯t he?" "You little bitch!" Through the phone, Han Ruchu was so angry that her breathing started to be unstable. "Bitch? Don¡¯t you worry. Even if I were a bitch, I wouldn¡¯t go as far as to kill your child!" Qiao Anhao let out a chuckle. With a little curiosity in her voice, she said, "I really want to ask, if I¡¯m a bitch for doing this, then just how would you describe what you did?" As Qiao Anhao spoke those words, her face instantly became cold. Her voice turned as fierce as a whip. "Don¡¯t assume that other people are stupid and you¡¯re the smartest. You just used the fact that Lu Jinnian liked me and I liked him, that¡¯s the only reason you were able to stir up trouble. I called you to tell you that now you have to start paying back what you owe. Last year on your birthday, I told you... I will make everyone betray you and your family leave you! I won¡¯t let you die easy! That, I can promise you!" "Make everyone betray me and my family leave me? Jiamu is my son. As mother and son, our hearts are aligned. Even if he¡¯s mad right now, he won¡¯t be able to not care about me!" said Han Ruchu. If things were like before, Qiao Anhao wouldn¡¯t bepletely sure, but now they were different. Xu Jiamu had the copy of Lu Jinnian¡¯s will that she had sent him. She and Xu Jiamu were friends since they were young. Even though he is Han Ruchu¡¯s son, his temper is really different. He¡¯s a very sentimental person. On top of that, with a copy of the text messages, the recording pen, and the will, these three explosive pieces before Xu Jiamu¡¯s eyes were enough to shake his belief in Han Ruchu. Then, if anything were to happen to her and Lu Jinnian... The first person Xu Jiamu would assume behind it, would be his mother! Chapter 695: Explanation(4) Chapter 695: Exnation£¨4£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Qiao Anhao asked leisurely, "Really? Auntie Xu, let¡¯s see who¡¯s the final one standing!" Qiao Anhao removed her ear piece, but when she was about to hang up, she suddenly thought of something - she ced the ear piece back to her ear and spoke sweetly. "Oh right, one more thing, I forgot to mention that I¡¯ve already married Lu Jinnian. Your efforts to ruin him have all gone down the drain, I really want to know how you¡¯re going to continue your battle with him now that you lost his only Achilles heel." "You bitch..." Han Ruchu spat out through clenched teeth, but before she could finish her sentence, she started to cough violently. Housekeeper Xu¡¯s voice came through the phone, "Mrs. Xu, Mrs. Xu, are you alright? "Mrs. Xu, you vomited blood! "Call the ambnce, hurry..." Qiao Anhao took in the entire exchange without feeling a hint of guilt, instead, the arrogance and forcefulness she had on when she confronted Han Ruchu remained etched on her face. Han Ruchu, you were finally defeated for the very first time on the night of your birthday! Today, you remain beneath me! But no worries, from now on, everything has changed. From now on, you will never be able to rise again! - On the way to her car from the public phone, Qiao Anhao received a call from Lu Jinnian. It was currently 11pm in Beijing and 10 am in America. Before his ne took off, he informed her about the emergency meeting he was going to have the moment he reached America, hence he didn¡¯t have time to call her. The flight was about fifteen hours and if she were to calcte, he should be done with his meeting by now or be having a break in the midst of it. Not entering the car, she found a bench beside the mall. Above her was a streetmp spilling a warm glow over her. Due to thete hour, there weren¡¯t many people in the mall, other than the asional car driving past, the surroundings seemed too quiet. Lu Jinnian sent a video call request, and after she agreed, the screen went into darkness for about ten seconds before his face popped up. From his back view, he was probably in a hotel room. He had a bathrobe on and his hair was half wet from a shower. "Qiao Qiao?" "Yea," Qiao Anhao replied, before she could say another word, she saw the image of him on the screen frown deeply. "You¡¯re outside?" Lifting his head to look into his wrist watch, he said, "It¡¯s 11 pm in Beijing, why aren¡¯t you home? Are you alone outside? It¡¯s not safe." When he nced at the time, the ck strapped watch appeared in the corner of the screen. Qiao Anhao tightened her grip on the phone, her gaze fixed on the watch. Behind it, was there an ugly yet heartbreaking scar? After talking for a long while, Lu Jinnian realized that Qiao Anhao hadn¡¯t moved. Through the screen, he could see her gaze fixed on a corner. "Qiao Qiao? What¡¯s wrong? What happened?" Chapter 696: Explanation(5) Chapter 696: Exnation£¨5£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Qiao Anhao shook her head, getting back to her senses. Staring into the camera, she smiled tenderly before replying with a soft voice, "Nope." She then changed the topic swiftly. "You¡¯re done with work?" "Err... After about twelve hours of meeting, I just reached the hotel. I have another meeting at 3 pm this afternoon." Lu Jinnian gave a detailed report of his schedule after her single question. Lu Jinnian had been working for such a long time and hadn¡¯t even had time to rest... He was even due for a meeting at 3 pm... "Oh..." Qiao Anhao started to worry. "Why aren¡¯t you resting?" "In a while," Lu Jinnian replied warmly. He looked at the empty streets behind her before and asked, "Are you upset? Why are you alone out on the streets?" "No." Qiao Anhao shook her head, she tilted her phone downwards to show her evening gown. "I just attended a ball." Qiao Anhao wore an evening gown with a low neckline and had a coat over her shoulders. When she tilted the phone down, arge portion of her wless white skin came into sight. Half of her chest was now visible. Lu Jinnian turned his head away, but his voice was stillced with a faint hoarseness when he spoke. "It¡¯s cold outside, hurry into the car, you¡¯re going to get a cold." "A while more..." Lu Jinnian turned back to the screen and saw the phone still directed at her chest. His throat tightened, taking a difficult gulp, he struggled to force out his word. "Be good." Why did he seem like he was coaxing a child... She wasn¡¯t a child... Qiao Anhao pouted, but deep inside, her heart melted. Even though she had wanted to stay a little longer, her body stood up instinctively and headed for the car obediently. While she drove, Lu Jinnian changed the call into a voice call. Even though the safety in Beijing was good, he was still afraid that a video call might get her into an ident. He didn¡¯t want to cause a distraction so he remained silent for the entire journey back. Through the phone, he could hear her car moving, and she had stuffed a wireless ear piece into her ear and could pick up on the sound of television from his room. Even though no one spoke, Qiao Anhao felt safe and at ease on her way back home. After entering Mian Xiu Garden, she pulled out the ear piece and hung up on the call before sending him a video call. When the call went through, she said, "I¡¯m back home." "Yea," Lu Jinnian replied. She could hear a buzzing on the other side, but just then, Lu Jinnian muted the sound. "There¡¯s milk in the fridge, remember to heat it up, it¡¯ll help you sleep." When he was home, it was always done by him. Now that he was overseas for work, he would still remember his duties. "Hmm..." Qiao Anhao changed her shoes before entering the kitchen. As she waited for the milk to heat up, she nced at the screen. Lu Jinnian was staring at the muted television as it showed thetest financial news. "Aren¡¯t you tired?" Lu Jinnian turned to look at her. "A little more, I¡¯m not sleepy yet." Chapter 697: Explanation(6) Chapter 697: Exnation£¨6£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Qiao Anhao removed the heated milk and ced a straw into the cup. After taking a sip, she blurted, "Are you getting insomnia from missing me too much?" The moment the question left her mouth, she realized how shameless she was... Qiao Anhao lowered her head, not able to face Lu Jinnian through the screen. Her eyes rotated nervously before finally lifting slowly to sneak a peek. Lu Jinnian¡¯s dashing face was staring at her through the screen. Qiao Anhao could feel her heart race and her face flush, and she couldn¡¯t help lowering her head once more to gulp down more milk. Before she could swallow the milk, she heard his reply. "Yea." She couldn¡¯t understand his single word. "Uh?" Lu Jinnian nced at her adorable and confused expression, his lips curling upwards slightly. He slouched back on his pillowzily and added, "I said, yea, I miss you." After being married for so many days, he hadn¡¯t said anything sweet to her. This was the first time. Qiao Anhao¡¯s heart tightened, warmth engulfing her as she bit down the straw. After a while, she replied with a soft "Oh" to acknowledge his words. Lu Jinnian remained silent as he continued to stare at her, his longshes seemingly motionless. Qiao Anhao lowered her lids, not looking at him. They were surrounded by silence. After taking a gulp, she released the straw she was chewing. "I miss you too." After her confession, her heart raced instantly. After loving him for such a long time, even after causing a scene in America when she confessed, she had never said anything so seriously before. This was the first time. Time seemed to stop as the world froze around them. In the end, it was Lu Jinnian who changed the topic. He lifted his finger, waving it in front of the camera. "Look, it¡¯s bruised." Qiao Anhao nced up to look at the finger he was waving¡ªthere were several tooth imprints on it and it had turned a deep shade of purple. Yesterday at daybreak when she had dug for the marriage certificate, she had bit him... At that time, she was upset and afraid... and had bit down with all her strength, but she didn¡¯t know it was that bad... Qiao Anhao pouted in embarrassment. Lu Jinnian shifted on the bed to find a morefortable position before he continued warmly, "During the meeting, everyone saw it, they even asked how I got it." "Ah?" Qiao Anhao¡¯s eyes went wide. "What did you say? Did you say it was me?" "No," Lu Jinnian assured her, and Qiao Anhao heaved a sigh, but just then, he continued, "I told them the puppy at home had gone crazy yesterday and bit me. They even advised me to get a rabies vine." Qiao Anhao burst outughing, but then her face darkened. "Lu Jinnian, did you just call me a puppy?" Amusement tainted his face. "I guess you aren¡¯t that dumb." Qiao Anhao growled. "Lu Jinnian, are you calling me a dumb puppy?" Chapter 698: Explanation(7) Chapter 698: Exnation£¨7£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Lu Jinnian chuckled lightly as he gazed at the tiny woman across the screen. Leisurely, he added, "Mmh, a dumb puppy I love." A dumb puppy I love... Qiao Anhao felt as though a feather had brushed across the most sensitive part of her heart, and she floated on a cloud. Her gaze flickered around continuously. Even though he had called her a puppy, oh wait, a dumb puppy... But deep inside, she still felt warm and cuddly... Is she bing a masochist? Qiao Anhao had wanted to keep a straight face and act mad, but she couldn¡¯t help her lips from tilting upwards. "Lu Jinnian, are you confessing to me right now?" Lu Jinnian chuckled once more, without answering her question, he asked, "What do you think?" I think that you are. Qiao Anhao replied silently before cing the empty milk bottle on the table beside her. She nced up at the time, it was already midnight. It should be 11 am where he was and he had a meeting at 3pm... Ever since he left yesterday, he had been working relentlessly... Qiao Anhao lifted her lids, and through the screen, she nced at Lu Jinnian. "Aren¡¯t you sleeping?" "Hmm... A while more..." After a long flight and a meeting thatsted the whole night, he was worn out, but talking to her peacefully like that allowed him to unwind and rx, which was far more nourishing than sleeping alone. "It¡¯s a long distance video call, it¡¯s going to be expensive. Besides, I was the one who called, the call might suddenly cut off due to insufficient funds," Qiao Anhao nagged. Lu Jinnian slouched against the pillowzily, he held his phone and started to type away silently. Qiao Anhao could only hear the tapping sound made when as he tapped his phone. "What are you doing?" Qiao Anhao asked curiously. "Talking to someone?" "Mmh." Lu Jinnian was clearly distracted. Just then, Qiao Anhao¡¯s phone vibrated. Two messages popped up on her screen. It was from Telcopany, stating that her ount had been charged twice, each of the sums going up to five digits. The other message was the new bnce in her ount which was up to six digits. Qiao Anhao startled. "Has it reached?" That¡¯s when it dawned on her. "You were charging my ount just now?" Lu Jinnian lifted a brow. He remained silent but his actions confirmed her guess. So this was what it meant when happiness and bliss came by. There were some things that she had wanted to tell him when he was back, but right now she could no longer keep it in. "Er... Lu Jinnian, if you really can¡¯t sleep, can I tell you a story?" "Sure," Lu Jinnian replied without hesitation. "I¡¯m all ears." Qiao Anhao smiled, then added, "Give me a moment, I¡¯ll tell you when I¡¯m upstairs." "Mmh." Qiao Anhao ran up the stairs into the bedroom. Mimicking Lu Jinnian, she propped up a pillow and slouched back, hugging onto the nket. "I¡¯m going to start now." Chapter 699: Explanation(8) Chapter 699: Exnation£¨8£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem "I¡¯m going to start now." "Mmh." Qiao Anhao raised the phone and stared at Lu Jinnian silently for about ten seconds, as though trying to organize her thoughts. Clearing her voice, she began, "Long ago, there was a man and a woman who had an ambiguous rtionship. One day, they decided to have dinner together." As she started her story, her mind floated back to Valentine¡¯s day the previous year. "The woman tried on all the clothes in her closet before finally settling on a piece. She then headed to the mall nearby to get her makeup done. At that time, it was just 1 pm, there was about six hours before their dinner, so she walked around the mall to kill time. After walking aimlessly for a while, she suddenly thought of something, heading to the male department to choose a present. "While the woman was queuing up to pay for the gift, something happened. She went to find the man and inadvertently said some hurtful words, infuriating him. They quarreled and he left." Qiao Anhao¡¯s voice was soft and warm, calming to the ears. Lu Jinnian remained silent, taking in everything seriously. He seemed to have guessed what she was saying, his expression turning solemn but he continued to listen silently without interruption. "At that time, the woman had apologized but the man was too angry. The woman didn¡¯t do it intentionally and couldn¡¯t help feeling wronged. Just like that, they went into a cold war. "Because of the man, an auntie that had always treated the woman well since she was young fell ill so she went over for a visit." As she continued, Lu Jinnian was brought back to the memories of that day. "That man wasn¡¯t really angry, he was just upset that the woman wasparing him to someone else. That day, he went to the gym and ran for two whole hours before finally realizing that he had been impatient, so he sent her an apology message." Qiao Anhao took a steadying breath. "But the man didn¡¯t know... When the woman went to the auntie¡¯s house, she heard some things which caused her to be slightly affected. When she was in the bathroom and saw her exquisite makeup, she became reluctant to see their dinner date get ruined so she wanted to send the man an apology message. "The woman didn¡¯t just want to do it, she had even crafted the message to him." Lu Jinnian stared straight at Qiao Anhao without saying a word. "The woman thought for a very long time before putting down her thoughts." Even though her tone was light, somehow Lu Jinnian could sense a hint of sorrow. "The woman¡¯s message went like this - I was too agitated this afternoon, I¡¯m sorry. You wanted to meet for dinner, shall we have a talk then? I¡¯ll wait for you at home..." Lu Jinnian looked doubtful. On a corner of the phone that she couldn¡¯t see, his fingers started to tremble. Chapter 700: Explanation(9) Chapter 700: Exnation£¨9£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Qiao Qiao had sent him that message? Why didn¡¯t he receive it? He started to have his suspicions... Qiao Anhao continued in the same light tone. "Just then, the auntie shouted for her to get some water. "The woman would definitely agree... Hence she locked her phone, poured a cup of water, and headed up. Deep inside, she was still wondering if the message she had just typed was okay... "But just as she was on her way upstairs..." Qiao Anhao¡¯s eyes turned red and started to sting, she lifted her head and looked up at the ceiling. "Just when she was taking a turn, someone suddenly rushed down the stairs, knocking into her. The woman was caught off guard, rolling down the stairs." Lu Jinnian¡¯s face paled. He remembered that when he was in America, Qiao Anhao had told him that she didn¡¯t turn up because she was hospitalized. At that time, he did feel his heart clench because of her, but he never expected it to be so serious. After a long while, he asked, "What happened next?" "Then...Then... the women thought that she was going to die..." Now that Qiao Anhao was brought back to that moment, she could still distinctively recall how grim it had been. "She felt her life leaking out of her body as her senses started to weaken. She was afraid but worried as well. At that moment, she suddenly wanted to talk to the man, she wanted to send the text that she had crafted, she felt as though it could be thest chance for her to talk to him..." Qiao Anhao¡¯s light voice turned hoarse. "But when she finally reached for her phone and the screen lit up, she passed out." Lu Jinnian had wanted to ask "What next?" but nothing came out when he opened his mouth. There was silence on both ends of the call. After about a minute, Qiao Anhao took a deep breath and turned back to the screen. Moisture collected in the corners of her eyes, glistening in the light. "The woman almost died, she was in aa for four whole nights. When she finally woke up, the man had left..." When she recalled the day she ran out of the hospital to scour the whole Beijing for him, she started sobbing, no longer able to hold it back. "So... That day, you never saw the message I sent and never picked up my call? And you had no idea that I waited for you outside Qiao mansion for three nights?" Lu Jinnian asked, his voice shaky. Qiao Anhao didn¡¯t reply, sobbing silently. During those three days, she was still in aa... so who sent him the replies? Lu Jinnian had a suspicion but he still didn¡¯t get a clear answer. In a soft whisper, Qiao Anhao said, "Lu Jinnian, that woman said that if she knew that the man had confessed to her through the messages, she would have never rejected him." That sentence cleared off all the doubt in his mind. At that moment, Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t know how to describe his emotions. He froze and continued to get more still until finally hanging up the call. Chapter 701: Explanation(10) Chapter 701: Exnation£¨10£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Qiao Anhao who was still immersed in the sorrow of that the moment stilled when she heard the buzzing from the phone. She sat in a daze, not able to get back to her senses. She was exining... Why did he suddenly hang up on her? - Lu Jinnian hadn¡¯t done any vigorous exercise, it was just a simple phone call with an emotional content. But he felt as though he had just ran a marathon, he was breathless and panting uncontrobly. He tossed the phone onto the bed violently, lying down briefly with his rapidly beating heart before yanking his nket off. He paced about his bedroom continuously. What did Qiao Anhao just say? She said that she had been in aa for four days? She said that she didn¡¯t reply to him? She said that she had wanted to send him an apology? It waspletely different from what he had thought was the truth! This meant that Qiao Anhao didn¡¯t say that he was not worthy! And, what else did she say? If that woman knew that he had confessed, she would have never rejected him! Lu Jinnian felt as though happiness was rushing in all at once, and he couldn¡¯t seem to take it all in. Was he dreaming? He turned to look out at the bright skies. Back when he had problems, it was always the worst at night, but it was still daytime... Lu Jinnian raised a hand to rub his temples. He was in trouble, the problems must have rpsed, he needed to contact Lucy this instant! He quickly grabbed onto his phone. "Lucy I don¡¯t think I¡¯m finally okay. Could you get me a psychiatrist now, I¡¯m in Hilton hotel room 1513..." Lu Jinnian paused. Before he hung up, he added, "Get two doctors, I don¡¯t think its depression this time but hallucination." He hung up before spotting the call history with Qiao Anhao. He was really talking to her just now... Lu Jinnian hesitated slightly before calling Qiao Anhao. "Did you call me just now?" After his question, she asked, "Lu Jinnian, why did you hang up on me just now?" Lu Jinnian continued to ask persistently, "You mentioned that you were in aa for four days? Right?" Qiao Anhao opened her mouth but before she could reply, he asked, "You also mentioned that you didn¡¯t reply to any of my messages, right? "And that if you knew that I confessed, you would have never reject me? Right?" Qiao Anhao was left speechless by his questions and started to feel frustrated. But when she was about to ask what was going on, he continued, "Qiao Qiao, in your heart, I am worthy to love you, right?" That question seemed like a strike to her. Her anger dissipating in an instant, she stared at him resolutely. "Yes," she replied emotionally. She continued, "Actually, I feel the same..." Before she could finish the sentence, he hung up once again. Chapter 702: Explanation(11) Chapter 702: Exnation£¨11£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Qiao Anhao had wanted to say "I too have been in love with you for thirteen years, my entire youth" but before she could say anything, the call cut off once again, leaving the words stuck in her throat. What?! Qiao Anhao tossed the phone onto the bed. What was wrong with Lu Jinnian, how could he hang up on her twice! - Lu Jinnian tossed the phone onto the bed once again. His soul seemed to have left him as he stood in the room in a daze for a long while. Gradually, happiness started to engulf him bit by bit, drowning him in an endless stream of joy. He thought - this was the first time in his entire life that he felt so excited, agitated, and overjoyed. That night when he felt like death and that text "Are you even worthy?" that still brought pain to his chest was not from her... Then who sent it. The question was quickly dismissed. To him, the scheme and pain were inconsequential. The scariest thought was to be despised by the woman he loved so deeply. But now, she told him that she never once despised him. He felt as though a heavy weight had been lifted, leaving him weightless and in a daze. The joy left Lu Jinnian in a daze for about ten minutes before he finally was able to collect his thoughts. He hurriedly picked up his phone to inform Lucy that he didn¡¯t need a doctor anymore. After hanging up, he clenched onto the phone, repeating the conversation he had had with Qiao Anhao. His lips curled upwards as a bright smile spread across his face. Qiao Qiao had never despised him... An unexinable joy and satisfaction settled, sending his heart thumping rapidly once more. Only when a call came in did Lu Jinnian get back to his senses and nced at the phone. His assistant was calling. Due to his good mood, Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t wait for the man to greet him before asking, "What is it?" The assistant had only gotten his number a few days ago, but even though he was back, he hadn¡¯t gone to Huan Ying Entertainment for work yet so there wasn¡¯t much interaction between the two of them. Even though they didn¡¯t talk much, the assistant could still remember that every time he called Lu Jinnian would remain silent, quietly listening to him without saying a single word, so the "What is it?" caught him off guard. He paused, startled for a moment, before diving to the main point. "Mr Lu, I¡¯m calling to tell you that you were amazing tonight! You finally took revenge on Han Ruchu!" The name "Han Ruchu" ced a bad taste in Lu Jinnian¡¯s mouth and he frowned. But the unhappiness was quickly overshadowed by the joy from Qiao Anhao¡¯s conversation, so he didn¡¯t hang up, instead he asked, "What revenge?" "Mr. Lu, why are you asking me when you did it?" Lu Jinnian frowned. "Stop being ridiculous, I¡¯m in America." "Uh?" the assistant eximed before adding in a daze, "Mr. Lu, you¡¯re in America? You didn¡¯t n the scheme in the charity g?" Chapter 703: Explanation (12) Chapter 703: Exnation (12) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem "What charity g?" The assistant¡¯s random words made Lu Jinnian a little annoyed, and his voice turned cold. "Can you exin what you said?" The assistant finally understood that Lu Jinnian really wasn¡¯t behind the charity g incident. He could feel Lu Jinnian¡¯s annoyance, and hastily exined the ins and outs of what happened. "It¡¯s like this Mr. Lu... I heard about it from my wife. Her course mate from university married Chief Liang of Wanhe two years ago. Tonight, she attended the annual charity ball in Beijing, where the Xu family won the fierce bid for the final item, but when Madam Xu went up on stage to ept it, the background music stopped. Then a recording with Madam Xu and a man¡¯s voice was broadcasted. The recording was about Madam Xu killing Miss Qiao¡¯s child..." When the assistant said this, Lu Jinnian¡¯s brows gradually started to crease. "I asked my wife what she roughly heard on the recording. Though it wasn¡¯t theplete story, but I can be certain that it was a conversation between you and Han Ruchu. About your phone call... I recorded it on the recording pen. Wasn¡¯t it in your possession? I thought you were the one who did it tonight..." With that, Lu Jinnianpletely understood the ins and outs of what happened. "Mr. Lu, for someone to unveil the proud Mrs. Han Ruchu¡¯s true self, her expression at the time must of been rich! What a shame we weren¡¯t there,"mented the assistant in utter regret. After silently listening to the assistant for so long, Lu Jinnian suddenly asked, "About the recording pen, besides you and I, who else would know?" The assistant was stunned by his question, then casually said, "Miss Qiao." Following the assistant¡¯s voice, Lu Jinnian said the same name, "Qiao Qiao." That¡¯s right. It must of been her. What his assistant said was right. There was only one recording pen, and it was in the cab of Mian Xiu Garden. That was where Qiao Anhao lived, so she was most likely to find the pen, and what¡¯s more, she attended the charity g tonight. No wonder tonight... she suddenly said so much to exin herself about Valentine¡¯s dayst year. She even told him that she wasn¡¯t the one who sent those messages. He was so happy, he forgot to ask the key question; she was unconscious, so how would she have known about the texts between them? Unless she learned about what happened after looking through the phone... She actually unveiled Han Ruchu¡¯s true self in front of the entire circle of Beijing¡¯s wealthiest! Han Ruchu was Xu Jiamu¡¯s biological mother, and didn¡¯t she like Xu Jiamu for a really really long time? Even till now, she still saw Xu Jiamu as the most important person in her life. But she chose to give up on Xu Jiamu for their child... to stand up for their marriage... That woman called Qiao Anhao... just how much did she want to surprise and move him before she gave up? "Mr. Lu? Mr. Lu?" The assistant couldn¡¯t help but remind Lu Jinnian about them still being on the call when the silence stretched. Lu Jinnian snapped back to his senses and didn¡¯t hesitate to say, "Book me a ticket for the earliest flight back home this instant." When Lu Jinnian finished speaking, he hung up and started to pack his suitcase. Chapter 704: Scandal (1) Chapter 704: Scandal (1) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem The important three o¡¯clock meeting was no longer important. Nothing was important. He now only wanted to go back to his country... to go back to her, who took the opportunity to secretly do so much for him, to give him such a big surprise. - Qiao Anhao was hung up on twice by Lu Jinnian, so she was a little down, especially since it was the second time she felt so emotional, the atmosphere was so good, and she was softhearted, ready to confess her many years of love for him. In the end, Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t read the mood and spoiled everything with a "kacha" hang of the call. So those words were left stuck in Qiao Anhao¡¯s throat, not moving up nor down. With that thought, she felt a little distressed. Especially since she thought that Lu Jinnian would have realized his own mistake and called her back. Who knew that from twelve in the afternoon till three in the morning, she never got a text back, let alone a call. Later, her brief sadness and distress really made her sulky. The sulky Qiao Anhao eventually couldn¡¯t take it anymore and gave Lu Jinnian a call. His phone was off? Was he in a meeting? Qiao Anhaoy spread out on the bed, drained. Shey there waiting for Lu Jinnian to finish his meeting, but after waiting and waiting, she fell asleep. Because she slept sote, she also woke upte the next day. The first thing she did when she opened her eyes was check her phone to see if Lu Jinnian had tried to contact her. She realized that besides receiving a message from 10086 and advertising notifications from a few apps, there was nothing! She calcted the time difference for a moment. It was only ten at night where Lu Jinnian was, so she gave him another call. His phone was still turned off. Qiao Anhao¡¯s heart felt even more crushed. So crushed in fact, she¡¯d sigh even whilst brushing her teeth and going to the toilet. As she came out from the bathroom, her phone alert went off. Although she secretly swore that she¡¯d ignore Lu Jinnian¡¯s messages, she still ran over to the bed and picked up her phone. It was Zhao Meng... She had sent her a message on Weibo. It was a link. Qiao Anhao clicked on it to see that there were rumors going around about her. The topic even made it to the top searched: [Qiao Anhao, Man Chaser] She clicked onto the topic to find two rumors on weibo about herself. The first post read, "Qiao Anhao harasses Mr. Lu. Unsessful in her attempts, she cries in the airport like a shrew. No care for her image in the slightest." There was also a video attachment. Qiao Anhao clicked y, and saw her crying whilst hugging Mr. Lu from behind. From that video clip, Mr. Lu deliberately tried to hide her from the cameras, but they still caught her beautiful, tear-stained face. It looked like she was pitifully begging Lu Jinnian for something. Qiao Anhao wasn¡¯t previously considered a popr neer, but currently, she had consecutively taken up roles on a few major dramas, which had already caught people¡¯s attention. On top of this, after "Alluring Times" released, she had used her outstanding acting skills and good storylines in her dramas to gain poprity. Then,test year, she and Lu Jinnian were voted as the best screen couple online, so she was a hot topic by now. This video was uploaded at five in the morning, which was just five short hours ago. The view count had already reached several thousand million views, and it had already exceeded six figures in shares andments. Another weibo post read, "Qiao Anhao ims Lu Jinnian is her husband, but she doesn¡¯t wear a wedding ring?" Chapter 705: Scandal (2) Chapter 705: Scandal (2) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Another weibo post read, "Qiao Anhao ims Lu Jinnian is her husband, but she doesn¡¯t wear a wedding ring?" There was another video, which Qiao Anhao recognized was taken from the make up room of "Love at First Sight". She didn¡¯t know who secretly shot it, but it was taken of her whilst a young girl was asking her if Lu Jinnian really was her boyfriend. She replied, no, Lu Jinnian was her husband. Beneath the topic [Qiao Anhao, Man Chaser], there were already a dozen million posts. Qiao Anhao roughly swept through them. From the replies, there were barely anyone who stood on her side and helped her. Lu Jinnian¡¯s fans were always tough. Now that people had seen her hug him and cry, and then im he was her husband, it attracted a flood of crazed rants. Of course, every public figure had some haters, who without doubt ranted even more seriously. Apart from this, the other replies either called her shameless or a man chaser, and there were arguments which sounded better. There was ¡¯chicken soup for the soul¡¯ 1 kind of words for example, women mustn¡¯t be without dignity and integrity, or others would look down on you. But ultimately behind these tactful words, they were still secretly suggesting that she was harassing Lu Jinnian. Qiao Anhao couldn¡¯tpletely ignore these headlines, and in her heart, she felt a little ufortable. After all, so many people were ranting about her. If it were anyone else, they couldn¡¯t really be in good spirits and pretend as though nothing had happened either. To stop herself from being alone and paying attention to such meaningless scandals, Qiao Anhao figured she may as well meet up with Zhao Meng for lunch at ACR. ACR was a first-ss department store in Beijing with restaurants. The cheapest items up for sale there started from five figures and up. Qiao Anhao originally wanted to have lunch with Zhao Meng, then casually go shopping, so they found a Japanese restaurant. After making their order and before the dishes arrived on the table, Zhao Meng, who sat opposite her, sent her a few screenshots thatpletely made her lose her appetite. Those few screenshots were sent by a second-rate actress who Zhao Meng was friendly with. Those pictures were from a Wechat group chat. There weren¡¯t many people in it, perhaps a dozen, all from within the entertainment industry. It was someone in the group who brought up the headline of her harassing Lu Jinnian. That person asked if she and Mr. Lu were really married. As a result, it brought on Lin Shiyi¡¯s sarcasm and nastyments. [What do you think? If Mr. Lu really married her, would he not even give her a ring?] [Besides... if a man really loves a woman, would he be willing to part with her at the airport in front of so many people whilst she hugged and cried so miserably?] [In my opinion, Mr. Lu must¡¯ve been harassed by her so bad he had no choice and forced himself to be with her. Most importantly, if she really was Mr. Lu¡¯s wife, wouldn¡¯t he bring her on dinner parties and such?] Even though Lu Jinnian¡¯s personality wasn¡¯t that great, but he was good looking and rich. He was indeed many women¡¯s dream man. When Lin Shiyi said things like that, a lot of people went along with her. Further in the screenshot, Lin Shiyi threw the words, [If you don¡¯t sleep with those women who throw themselves at men, then it¡¯s a waste. She really thought that she could just go around and tell people that Mr. Lu is her husband, as though she could ever marry him!] Chapter 706: Scandal (3) Chapter 706: Scandal (3) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem What did she mean by she¡¯s a woman who throws herself out there? Qiao Anhao felt like she was so angry she had a throat full of blood clots. She felt horrible. After that, there were a fewments supporting Lin Shiyi¡¯s. [Say... Do you think she watched far too many idol dramas? Does she really take herself for a princess in a fairytale?], [This is called delusional. She needs to go see a doctor and take meds.], [Usually, she looks like a delicate and weakdy, whose shy and reserved. I never imagined she was way more open than us behind our backs!], [Right now, everyone on the inte is calling her a man chaser and shameless. tsk-tsk-tsk... All in all, I¡¯m embarrassed for her.] Then Lin Shiyi sent another message, [These kind of rich girls from wealthy families im that theye from great backgrounds and upbringings, but they¡¯re bad to the bone. They haven¡¯t a clue what self-love is!] The screenshot stopped there. Lin Shiyi actually said that she didn¡¯t love herself? So when she was a side chick and slept with men for money, that was ¡¯self-love¡¯? Qiao Anhao held her phone and looked at the few screenshots Zhao Meng had sent her. All she could feel was a strong sense of rage rushing to her head. She was so angry, she couldn¡¯t speak and her fingers started to tremble. Man chaser, shameless, delusional, throwing herself at him, doesn¡¯t understand how to love herself... How has it been less than seven hours, and yet she¡¯s been associated with so many nasty tags? "Qiao Qiao, there¡¯s also this one. It¡¯s clearly a dig at you!" Zhao Meng looked even angrier than Qiao Anhao was as she shoved the phone in front of her. "Lin Shiyi is just so shameless! Her group was obviously targeting you." Qiao Anhao lowered her head and nced at Lin Shiyi¡¯s group. After her scandal was exposed, there were three topics. The first one was a blog she shared from a well-known author of emotional intelligence books telling women to understand self-love. She even added ament to say women who chase men are worth nothing! The second was a photo of a man with his back facing the mirror, kneeling in front of Lin Shiyi and outing a ring on her finger. Lin Shiyi¡¯s smile was so dazzling, as though all the happiness in the world was concentrated on her. The third was a photo with ACR in the background. She carried many shopping bags in her hands and beneath were the words ¡¯My boyfriend says that if you love a woman, you give her the world¡¯s best. ACR only sells luxury items for ssiest of people like me¡¯. Qiao Anhao didn¡¯t need Zhao Meng to rify it, she understood why Lin Shiyi sent those three messages to her friends circle. She wanted to show off her happiness and emphasize her tough situation. Still angry, Zhao Meng said, "Most people in this world can¡¯t bare to see people happy. Now... even a dog can curse you out to make itself feel better." In Lin Shiyi¡¯s group, there were quite a few people who were friends with Zhao Meng. Qiao Anhao saw that they eitherplimented Lin Shiyi or liked what she wrote. So it turned out that the world really was as Zhao Meng described... Everyone was making fun of her. Most importantly, the man that made the world ridicule her hung up on her twice and still hadn¡¯t left a voice message or text. This morning, Qiao Anhao felt a little crushed when she saw people cursing her out in the morning, so she dragged Zhao Meng out for a big meal to make her feel better, but now... at this very moment, she felt really down. Chapter 707: Scandal (4) Chapter 707: Scandal (4) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Zhao Meng was furious, while Qiao Anhao, the actual person involved, was inevitably devastated, so Zhao Meng could only hold her anger in andfort her friend. "Qiao Qiao... a few days back on the set of "Love at First Sight", Lin Shiyi must¡¯ve felt terrible after Mr. Lu treated her like that. Can¡¯t you jump two steps back and let her say what she wants to make herself feel better?" Sometimes, Zhao Meng liked to stray from the topic. The first half of what she said started to make Qiao Anhao feel a bit better, so she nodded in agreement, and picked up her chopsticks, ready to start eating a table full of food. In the end, she had eaten just two pieces of fish when Zhao Meng digressed. "Qiao Qiao, don¡¯t even talk about... Lin Shiyi¡¯s boyfriend looks pretty rich to propose to her with a ring the size of a dove egg..." Qiao Anhao, who didn¡¯t have a wedding ring, feltpletely down in the dumps. Don¡¯t even mention a diamond the size of a dove egg. Qiao Anhao didn¡¯t even have a little hundred RMB silver ring... She nced over at her bare two fingers, hung her head, and put her chopsticks down. That was when Zhao Meng realized that she said something wrong. She quickly shut her mouth, and carefully sneaked a few nces over at her friend. Just as she was about to say something else to cheer her up, Qiao Anhao¡¯s phone suddenly rang. "Who¡¯s calling?" asked Zhao Meng. Seeing as Qiao Anhao didn¡¯t even react, she lifted her chin in curiosity, and saw the words "Lu Jinnian"e up on the screen, so she reminded Qiao Anhao in a surprised voice, "Mr. Lu is calling. Didn¡¯t you wait all afternoon?" Qiao Anhao rested both hands on her chin, turning her head over in no hurry. She nced at it, then reached her hand out to pick up the phone. Zhao Meng thought that Qiao Anhao would take the call and return to how she was before; chatting, picking up her chopsticks to grab and drool over the sea urchin. But before Zhao Meng could put the sea urchin into her mouth, she saw Qiao Anhao¡¯s fingers casually swipe the screen. She didn¡¯t pick up the call, but hung up! Zhao Meng¡¯s hand shook, and the sea urchin in her chopsticks fell to the table. As she called the waiter over for a new cup of tea, she asked, "Qiao Qiao, why didn¡¯t you pick up?" Before thest word fell, Lu Jinnian called again. This time, it rang for about five rings before Qiao Anhao hung up on him again. "You¡¯ve obviously been waiting for his call. Now that you¡¯ve waited so long for it, you clearly want to pick it up, and yet you¡¯re acting all proud... what do you call this?" In the midst of Zhao Meng¡¯s speech, Qiao Anhao hung up another one of Lu Jinnian¡¯s calls. "I remember... it¡¯s that... your body is more honest than your words..." With Zhao Meng¡¯s words, Lu Jinnian called again. Before the phone could ring, Qiao Anhao ruthlessly cut it off. - On the ne home, Lu Jinnian who hadn¡¯t rested well in a long long time was so excited that he didn¡¯t sleep for the entire fifteen hour journey. Instead, he sat there in a daze. When he reached Beijing International Airport, he got his suitcase and immediately walked over to the car park without any stops, and drove his car back to Mian Xiu Garden. It was just eleven in the afternoon at the time. ording to his understanding of Qiao Anhao, she probably would have just woken up or might even still be asleep, as she slepttest night. Chapter 708: Scandal (5) Chapter 708: Scandal (5) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem On the flight, Lu Jinnian hadn¡¯t really thought about what he¡¯d do when he got home. If Qiao Anhao was awake, then he¡¯d sneak up on her and give her a hug from behind. If she was asleep, then he¡¯d kiss her awake, then he¡¯d... mmm... wild things. On his drive back to Mian Xiu Garden, Lu Jinnian deliberately turned into a flower shop and bought a fresh bouquet of flowers for delivery. Half an hourter he arrived home. Lu Jinnian thought that he timed it well. From the airport to Mian Xiu Garden, it took about an hour by car. Even with buying flowers, it took him only forty minutes. The car stopped in the the courtyard of Mian Xiu Garden. He got out of the car and nced at the red roof, white wall vi bathed in the golden rays of sunshine. Eventually, his line of sightnded on the second floor master bedroom window. An unspeakable sense offort overcame his heart when he saw the leaves of the green nt stuck onto the ss of the window sill. He couldn¡¯t wait to get in. As he dragged his suitcase hurriedly through the doors, he hastily changed his shoes and threw his suitcase in the living room of the first floor. Then he tookrge leaps up the stairs. Just as he reached the bedroom door, Lu Jinnian shut his eyes for a moment, and deliberately slowed down his movements like a thief. He slowly pushed the door open and lightly stepped into the room. The bedroom was very quiet. You could hear the warm breeze gentlye in. Lu Jinnian imagined that Qiao Anhao, that little pig, was still asleep, so his footsteps became even lighter. When he passed the changing room, he carelessly took a peak. His whole body jumped in shock. His suit, shirt, tie, and her dress, jacket, hat, and sses were thrown everywhere on the floor. Before the thought settled, Lu Jinnian was shocked speechless by the chaos in the bedroom. He raised his hand and rubbed his temple where his head hurt. He thought about getting someone to clean this all up, then he tiptoed over to the bed. After just two steps, his feet stopped on the spot to find that half the covers had fallen to the floor and there was an open pack of crisps by the pillow. Where was Qiao Anhao? Lu Jinnian instinctively walked closer and circled the room. Eventually, when he reached the study room, he saw that it was just as messy as the bedroom, as though it had been ransacked. Documents were all on the floor, there were unopened packs of cigarettes in the bin, and even the cab that was usually locked had been opened. The recording pen, phone, and other documents were thrown chaotically inside. Qiao Anhao wasn¡¯t at home, and the house was so messy, like it was ransacked by burrs... Lu Jinnian shivered for a moment at first, but then rxed when he realized that nothing valuable in the house was taken. Who could tell him what in the hell Qiao Anhao did whilst he was gone for two days and nights? How did the house end up like this? Lu Jinnian quickly pulled out his phone and gave Qiao Anhao a call. It rang for a long while without anyone picking it up. Lu Jinnian furrowed his brows slightly, then the call was hung up. He furrowed his brows even tighter as he continued to call and got continuously get hung up on... In the end, before he got through to the doot-doot-doot sound of a connected signal, it went to busy tone and he was hung up on again. What was the woman up to? Not even picking up her phone? Lu Jinnian raised a hand and pulled on his tie. He kicked the documents to one side, then pulled his phone and called his assistant. Chapter 709: Scandal (6) Chapter 709: Scandal (6) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Lu Jinnian raised a hand and pulled on his tie. He kicked the documents to one side, then pulled his phone and called his assistant. "Mr. Lu?" came the assistant¡¯s voice through the phone. As if on a conditioned reflex, Lu Jinnian asked, "Do you know where Qiao Qiao is?" After he asked that question, Lu Jinnian came to his senses and realized, why would his assistant know where Qiao Anhao was? Just as Lu Jinnian was about to hang up and call Zhao Meng instead, his assistant said, "Miss Qiao? She¡¯s with Zhao Meng at ACR right now, eating Japanese food." At that instant, Lu Jinnian felt like something wasn¡¯t quite right, since he thought that his assistant shouldn¡¯t be aware of Qiao Anhao¡¯s whereabouts. His face immediately dropped. "How do you know where Qiao Qiao is?" The assistant who knew Lu Jinnian very well felt the jealousy seep through the phone, so he quickly exined himself. "Mr. Lu, ten minutes ago, I saw Zhao Meng send a message on her friends¡¯ circle. That¡¯s how I found out. I even gave it a ¡¯like¡¯." Lu Jinnian snorted, as though he was ready to hang the call. The assistant thought about how Qiao Anhao was hounded by the inte right now, and said, "Mr. Lu..." Yet how could he see their friends¡¯ circle, and Lu Jinnian couldn¡¯t? He then remembered that he hadn¡¯t been on WeChat sincest year when he and Qiao Anhao parted ways on Chinese Valentine¡¯s day. Then his eyes fell onto the phone in the drawer. With that, Lu Jinnian halted the finger he was going to use to cut the call and interrupted the assistant. "Oh, that¡¯s right. Go to a branch for China Mobile, get them to make a new SIM for my old number, and take it to ACR." "Yes, Mr. Lu," replied the assistant. Then he wanted to continue with what he was just going to say. "Mr. Lu, Miss Qiao was..." "Doot-doot-doot..." The call was bluntly cut off by Lu Jinnian. - Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t even change his clothes, heading straight back to his car in the same attire. Just as he got ready to drive off, the flowers coincidentally arrived. He lowered the car window, and the delivery boy handed him a card. "Sir, please sign for this." Sign for what... the person who¡¯s meant to sign it isn¡¯t at home... and she trashed the house... Lu Jinnian secretly wanted to swear, but he grabbed the pen and signed his name. Then he took the flowers and threw them to the back seat. - When Lu Jinnian sped over to ACR, his assistant was already waiting at the department store entrance. As soon as he saw Lu Jinnian, he immediately handed him his new SIM card. Lu Jinnian put it into his phone and turned it on, whilst rushing into ACR. He stood on the first floor in front of the map and found the Japanese restaurant. Then rushed over to the esctors. His assistant followed behind him and said, "Mr. Lu, I have something to report to you, it¡¯s about..." "If there¡¯s something, let¡¯s talk about itter." Lu Jinnianpletely wasn¡¯t in the mood to talk about business. Right now, all he could think about was that woman and why did she hang up on him. "Mr. Lu, what I wanted to talk to you about was..." Inside, his assistant had already started to cry. Could he just finish what he had to say? He wanted to talk about Miss Qiao¡¯s issues. "Do you want me to repeat what I just said?" Lu Jinnian casually asked in response as he entered his WeChat password without even a nce at his assistant. Chapter 710: Scandal (7) Chapter 710: Scandal (7) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem The assistant tightly sealed his lips. He had a temper too... Mr. Lu, you don¡¯t want to hear it? Well, I don¡¯t want to tell you! In any case, you¡¯re the one who¡¯s going to be hurt in the end, not me. Although the assistant thought this way, his expression was still evidently a little embarrassed. He clearly had good intentions, and yet Lu Jinnian was so ungrateful! Lu Jinnian, who stood beside his assistant, opened the friends¡¯ circle and searched for Zhao Meng¡¯s message and clicked ¡¯like¡¯ after the many ¡¯likes¡¯ she received! Mmm... his heart was finally at peace. - In front of the man they like, women, more or less, are a little unruly. As Zhao Meng said, slightly unruly women show off dependence on men, but men also show an indulgence for women. Qiao Anhao had hung up on Lu Jinnian seven or eight times now. Having pent up anger for all the things that had happened for such a long time now, she wanted to pick up the next iing call from him. In the end, who knew... her phone actually was quiet. Lu Jinnian stopped calling. Qiao Anhao started to feel uneasy again. Even though she thought that she was right for hanging up on Lu Jinnian, but now, she couldn¡¯t help but question herself. Had she gone too far? Did she hang up on him for too many times? Zhao Meng and her had started hanging out together in middle-high, so she knew every move she was going to make. As she chewed on a scallop, she stared at Qiao Anhao with an expression that said ¡¯you deserve it¡¯, then said, "That prick. Didn¡¯t pick up your call, and made you feel ashamed, this time he can feel ashamed..." As Zhao Meng said this, her line of sight suddenly focused in on one ce, and she stayed there in a daze. Qiao Anhao furrowed her brows. "What¡¯s wrong?" Seing as Zhao Meng stared on with no reaction, Qiao Anhao followed her line of sight and turned her head. Zhao Meng was staring at the entrance where there was nothing out of the ordinary... Just as Qiao Anhao wanted to turn her head and ask Zhao Meng "Are you nuts?" she saw Lu Jinnian in a blue suit stepping into the Japanese restaurant. Qiao Anhao, who was just going to call Zhao Meng nuts, was trulypletely nuts. Shouldn¡¯t Lu Jinnian be in America? He had an important meeting yesterday at three in the afternoon, and then he said he had to sign some kind of contract today... How was he here, now, in front of her? Qiao Anhao repeatedly blinked her eyes. She saw Lu Jinnian politely asking the waiter something, then his assistant behind him found her and Zhao Meng. He mentioned it to Lu Jinnian, who only shot him a fierce re, as if annoyed he wasn¡¯t the first to see her. The assistant was so scared he took a step back. Qiao Anhao raised her hand and rubbed her eyes. It really was Lu Jinnian... He was actually back from America? Which meant that yesterday when he hung up her call he was rushing relentlessly back? An unspeakable feeling came charging into Qiao Anhao¡¯s soft heart, instantly dissipating the sorrow she had felt because he hung up on her, because he didn¡¯t contact her, because of getting cursed out online, because of Lin Shiyi¡¯s fired shots... It was all reced with an indescribable feeling of satisfaction and happiness. In truth, Zhao Meng wasn¡¯t even looking at Lu Jinnian. She was looking at a man in a peaked cap who continuously took secret photos of her and Qiao Anhao. At first, she had thought she was seeing things. Chapter 711: Scandal (8) Chapter 711: Scandal (8) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Zhao Meng then purposefully paid attention to that man, but he managed to quickly hide away, which is why her eyes stared at the door like she was nking out. When in reality she was focusing on the photographer from the corner of her eyes. After about five minutes, she finally caught him dead on! This morning, Qiao Anhao¡¯s scandal broke out. Now, there was someone following her and taking photos. If they took a photo of something bad, then she was afraid that it would cause a waterfall effect of bad news. Suddenly, Zhao Meng drew her eyes back, ready to warn Qiao Anhao when she suddenly stood up from her seat opposite Zhao Meng and turned around. Her eyes were transfixed ahead of her and her expression looked shocked with a hint of a feminine shyness. "Qiao Anhao, are you out of your mind..." Midway through Zhao Meng¡¯s sentence, Lu Jinnian jumped into her field of view. He stood there in front of Qiao Anhao, ignoring the many people around them taking photos with their phones. He lowered his head, and said in his clear and gorgeous voice, "Qiao Qiao." Lu Jinnian looked into her eyes with boiling passion, which gave people the impression that if there weren¡¯t so many people around then he¡¯d hold her in his arms and give her a good hug. "Mr. Lu?" Zhao Meng couldn¡¯t help but let slip. Then she realized that there were loads of people staring at them, so she quickly shut her mouth. She stared at Lu Jinnian¡¯s assistant behind him and used her eyes to ask him ¡¯What¡¯s going on?¡¯. The assistant looked at Zhao Meng like he understood what she meant. In turn, he shrugged his shoulders with uncertainty. Time stopped for about a minute. Zhao Meng hastily shifted in her seat and signaled for the assistant to sit. She then looked at Lu Jinnian and reminded Qiao Anhao, who was still in a daze, "Qiao Qiao, Mr. Lu just came back from as far as America, he mustn¡¯t have eaten yet." Only then did Qiao Anhao snap back to her senses and realized that she was just staring at Lu Jinnian nkly for a long time. With a slightly red face, she shifted she moved to the side, giving Lu Jinnian her original seat. Qiao Anhao and Zhao Meng practically hadn¡¯t touched a dish on the table, but Zhao Meng still called a waiter for a two menus and handed one to Lu Jinnian and another to his assistant. The waiter also brought two pairs of chopsticks. The assistant had already had lunch, so he only ordered a pot of sake. Lu Jinnian simply flipped through the menu, only ordering some sushi. The waiter took the menu and left. Zhao Meng opened her mouth and said, "Mr. Lu, Qiao Qiao was just unhappy..." Qiao Anhao knew exactly what Zhao Meng was going to talk about: Lin Shiyi¡¯s taunts, so she abruptly lifted her leg and kicked her friend under the table. Then secretly shot her a look. Zhao Meng immediately swallowed her words. But Lu Jinnian heard the key words, unhappy? He furrowed his brows and turned his head to look at Qiao Anhao. "What happened?" All the grievances she had in her heart disappeared when he dropped his work and rushed back to the country to find her. He rushed back after a short fifty plus hours, practically without taking any breaks. He had to be exhausted. Since he made it here, Qiao Anhao really didn¡¯t want to trouble him even more withments from people she didn¡¯t know online and Lin Shiyi¡¯s insignificant taunts. Chapter 712: The Lu Qiao Couple (1) Chapter 712: The Lu Qiao Couple (1) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Qiao Anhao was afraid Zhao Meng and the assistant would say some vexing things, so she immediately turned her head around first and whispered into Lu Jinnian¡¯s ear. "Nothing. It¡¯s just because you hung upon me twicest night, so I was a little unhappy." Well it was the truth. Her voice sounded like it carried a little anger, but he didn¡¯t know why,ing from Qiao Anhao¡¯s mouth, it sounded like she was just acting like a spoiled child. Lu Jinnian was in a slight daze for a while, then he suddenly realized that it really did happen. So when he called today and she constantly hung up on him, it was about that... Lu Jinnian turned his head and looked over at Qiao Anhao¡¯s side profile. The contour lines on her face were soft, her skin was delicate, and she practically had no pores in sight. What she said to himst night, slowly rang in his ears line-after-line again. His heart thumped, and Lu Jinnian slowly and gently said, "Qiao Qiao, I¡¯m really happy. "Really happy about what you said to mest night." This restaurant in the department store didn¡¯t have private rooms, so they were surrounded by buzzing voices. However, after Lu Jinnian said those few words, the world instantly became silent. Qiao Anhao felt like her heart was filled with something warm inside and her chest shook unrealistically. "So you rushed back from America overnight because you were too happy?" "Uh huh," Lu Jinnian responded without the slightest hint of wanting to cover it up. "I wanted to give you a surprise but when I went home, I realized that not only were you not there, the house was turned upside down. It was so messy, I didn¡¯t even have anywhere to stand." When Qiao Anhao heard this, she let out an "Ah!", thinking back to her cluttered home. Her face turned red in an instant. She originally nned to restore the house to how it was before Friday, when Lu Jinnian was due back. Who knew he¡¯d suddenlye back early... Which went to say, he knew that she had searched through his study room? Qiao Anhao let out another low gasp. She turned her head and looked into Lu Jinnian with a little avoidance. "Then... Then, you know that I stole something of yours?" "I found outst night." Lu Jinnian stared into Qiao Anhao¡¯s eyes with a blindingly bright glow in his eyes. "Eh?" How could he have found outst night? She never told him, and he was in America... Lu Jinnian used his chin to point over at his assistant that sat opposite him. "He called mest night." So news of the incident atst night¡¯s charity g had already traveled outside the circle of wealthy families. "Oh," responded Qiao Anhao in a quiet voice. Lu Jinnian couldn¡¯t help but raise his hand and rub her hair, making Qiao Anhao¡¯s ears redder. He let out a low, gentle chuckle. "Qiao Qiao, thank you." Qiao Anhao¡¯s fingers couldn¡¯t help but tighten on her chopsticks. After a while, she said in an extremely gentle voice, "You don¡¯t need to thank me. Who let her bully you..." What a joke. How could Han Ruchu ever bully him? Although Lu Jinnian felt that Qiao Anhao¡¯s words hurt his ego a little, but he was unusually happy with the pain. "Qiao Qiao, are you trying to cover something up?" With Lu Jinnian¡¯s reminder, Qiao Anhao suddenly realized she had said her thoughts out loud. Her face reddened, and her eyes wandered everywhere, then she said with little confidence in her voice, "No, I was just saying... who let her bully our child..." Chapter 713: The Lu Qiao Couple (2) Chapter 713: The Lu Qiao Couple (2) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Under Qiao Anhao¡¯s evasion and hypocrisy, Lu Jinnian let out a gentle chuckle and slowly threaded his fingers through a string of her hair. "To protect our child is to protect me..." Qiao Anhao didn¡¯t fight back and lifted her eyes to stare at Lu Jinnian with a pursed smile. "Kekeke," coughed the assistant suddenly. Zhao Meng also went along and cleared her throat. "With you guys like this... Do you really think it¡¯s good for you both to show your affection for us to see?" The assistant added, "Yeah, I¡¯m with Zhao Meng. Perhaps you both haven¡¯t heard of something called ¡¯Those who show off their love, die sooner?¡¯..." As the assistant said this, he hurriedly stopped and caught sight of Lu Jinnian¡¯s chilling re. He immediately lowered his head and pretended to not have said anything. He raised his sake and downed it. He even poured Lu Jinnian a cup, handed it to him with a smile, and said to kiss up to him. "Mr. Lu, the sake here tastes the best." Lu Jinnian stared at the cup of sake in front of him for a while, before finally picking it up. Only then did the assistant let out a sigh of relief. However, his anger hadn¡¯tpletely subsided, for he suddenly lifted his eyes and swept him a look. "What do you mean ¡¯Those who show off their love, die sooner?" The assistant swiftly shook his head. "Qiao Qiao and I were always affectionate, do you think we needn¡¯t show it?" The assistant¡¯s head shook even more frantically. - After the meal, Lu Jinnian paid the bill. He was a little exhausted and wanted to go home with Qiao Anhao and sleep, but in the end, Zhao Meng rushed ahead to say with a beaming smile, "Mr. Lu, Qiao Qiao and I went window shopping before we came to eat at ACR. Qiao Qiao had her eye on a lot of things she wanted to buy. She said she¡¯d go buy them after lunch." Qiao Anhao abruptly lifted her head and stared at Zhao Meng. When she went window shopping with her? They clearly made ns to go shoppingter that afternoon! And... when did she have her eye on many things to buy? After hearing what Zhao Meng had to say, Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t even question if what she said was real or fake, he immediately stood up and picked up his jacket from behind his chair. He looked over at Qiao Anhao and said, "Then let¡¯s go." "I..." Qiao Anhao instinctively wanted to deny it. Yet Zhao Meng cheerfully stood up from her seat and dragged her up too. "Qiao Qiao, do you want to buy handbags or clothes first? Or jewelry?" "I..." Though Zhao Meng had asked Qiao Anhao, she obviously had no intention of letting her friend get a word in. "From what I saw, you loved the new model of Chanel handbag so much you have to have it. Let¡¯s first go to Chanel on the first floor." After she said this, Zhao Meng looked over at Lu Jinnian. "Mr. Lu, can we?" Lu Jinnian nodded without any objections. Just as Qiao Anhao was about to speak out, Zhao Meng quickly whispered into her ear at a volume only the two of them could hear. "Qiao Qiao, let me tell you... you¡¯re being followed by a reporter who¡¯s been taking photos for as long as that entire meal. Now that Mr. Lu is here, that reporter will definitely follow us. Wasn¡¯t everyone online cursing you? Wasn¡¯t Lin Shiyi so pleased with herself? Now that Mr. Lu is here shopping with you, buy everything you could possible want! Once that reporter let the news out, it¡¯ll just kill her! "Also, Qiao Qiao, I¡¯m just helping you let off some steam. Don¡¯t go running away and betraying me. What¡¯s more, Mr. Lu is your husband, so why should we just let so many people curse you out on the inte." Chapter 714: The Lu Qiao Couple (3) Chapter 714: The Lu Qiao Couple (3) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Actually, Zhao Meng was right. Why did she have to be cursed out by so many people online? She owed them nothing. And then there was those hard-to-hear things Lin Shiyi had said about her... If she could, then she really wanted to viciously fight Lin Shiyi back! When Qiao Anhao heard Zhao Meng¡¯s words, it wasn¡¯t like she wasn¡¯t tempted... After all, she wasn¡¯t a saint, she was just the same as the myriad other women in the world. She was a little vain and would secretly feel down under everyone¡¯s criticism. "Qiao Qiao, don¡¯t tell me, you want to be a push over!" Zhao Meng¡¯s voice sounded slightly resentful and impatient. Who wants to be a pushover?! Qiao Anhao red at Zhao Meng with a bad feeling. Though she called Lu Jinnian overst time during the shoot of "Love at First Sight", she still felt a little apprehensive. But eventually she nodded and said, "Got it." Zhao Meng abruptly smiled and blinked at Qiao Anhao enthusiastically, saying, "Tonight the entertainment news are going to blow up!" - Though Qiao Anhao agreed to Zhao Meng¡¯s suggestion, when she really did step foot into the store, she felt a little sorry when it came time to choosing what to buy. She wasn¡¯t trying to act pretentious. Perhaps every woman who truly loves a man doesn¡¯t want to give off the impression that they are with them for the money. And so Qiao Anhao kept her n in mind under Lu Jinnian¡¯s patientpany. In the end, she spent half a day to finally choose just the one bag. Zhao Meng looked over at the reporter, who would hide and take a photo of them every now and then. Seeing Qiao Anhao¡¯s contorted expression on her face, a random concerned feeling like "a child who cannot learn is a hopeless case" came over Zhao Meng. Eventually, she calcted something in her mind for a moment, then suddenly pointed over at the most expensive bag beside them and said, "Qiao Qiao, did you say that you liked this one earlier?" After hearing what Zhao Meng said, Lu Jinnian, who had originally pulled out his card ready to pay, put it back into his wallet. He looked over at the shop assistant and made a hand gesture as though to ask her to wait for a moment. Qiao Anhao slowly lowered her head, and looked at the t shoes she wore today. Lu Jinnian asked her, who just about reached his shoulder, in a gentle voice, "Which one do you like?". Qiao Anhao didn¡¯t nod nor shook her head. But Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t care too much for her opinion. Instead, he just shot his assistant following behind a look, who immediately told the shop assistant, "Could you please wrap up this bag also?" "Is there anything else you¡¯d like?"Lu Jinnian asked again. This time, without any rush to pay. Zhao Meng rushed to answer first. "Yeah, that one, that one, and that one..." Not to mention good-looking bags, Zhao Meng practically pointed at every single bag in her sight. She was so fast, Qiao Anhao couldn¡¯t even get a word out. "... and that one. Oh! That¡¯s right, Qiao Qiao also likes that one..." When Zhao Meng finished, she realized that thest bag looked like the same model as the one Qiao Anhao carried today. She then calmly exined, "Oh, Qiao Qiao especially likes that bag. The one she has is a little old, she wants a new one." Lu Jinnian calmly let out an "Uh huh", then nced at the assistant to tell him, "Could you please wrap up all of the bags thedy pointed at?" Lu Jinnian went to the front counter to pay the bill while the assistant inspected the items with the shop assistant. Chapter 715: The Lu Qiao Couple (4) Chapter 715: The Lu Qiao Couple (4) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Qiao Anhao grabbed Zhao Meng in a swoop and said in a low voice, "Zhao Meng, are you crazy? You¡¯re about to clear out the store." "Qiao Qiao, you¡¯ve stripped naked in front of each other, what¡¯s there to be embarrassed about now?" Zhao Meng nced at Qiao Anhao. "What¡¯s more, we aren¡¯t spending your money. Why are you so hurt?" "What do you mean it¡¯s not my money." They were already married. Lu Jinnian¡¯s money was her money. "Alright, even if it was your money, but with so much money, even if you tried your hardest to spend it, you can¡¯t possibly spend it in a short amount of time." As Zhao Meng said this, she red at Qiao Anhao. Then Qiao Anhao heard Lu Jinnian¡¯s beautiful voice from behind her. "What are you two chatting about?" Before Qiao Anhao said a word, Zhao Meng said whilst snickering, "Mr. Lu, your wife is reviewing herself for wasting the family fortune." As Zhao Meng¡¯s words fell, she felt Qiao Anhao forcefully pinching the side of her hip. Your wife... Those three words sounded so good to hear... It felt like a gust of spring breeze had brushed over Lu Jinnian¡¯s iparibly handsome face. He couldn¡¯t help but reach his arm out with a slightly weak touch and rub Qiao Anhao¡¯s head. Then instead of shoving his wallet back into his pocket, he handed it to her. "Don¡¯t worry about it. You can go spend it all." It wasn¡¯t that he was generous or didn¡¯t care about money. But because he was once so poor he only had two hundred RMB on him yet still didn¡¯t hesitate to spend it all on her. Let alone now? No matter how time flew by... no matter how rich he was now... no matter what they¡¯d gone through or how they¡¯ve changed in thest thousands of years... From his very bones, he knew she was the woman he loved throughout his entire youth. Even when was really poor, he was willing to exhaust his wallet to pay her bills. Although it was Zhao Meng¡¯s idea and Lu Jinnian hadn¡¯t a clue what was going on and didn¡¯t have the intention to show off, he followed right along. He simply wanted to buy the things he thought she liked... to buy all of them for her! So much so, he was willing to give her his wallet. Qiao Anhao had forgotten when she saw the phrase online, but now it came flying back. It isn¡¯t important how much money a man has. What¡¯s important is whether he is willing to give it to you. At the time, a lot of people said that it was a ssic quote. At the time, she was young and didn¡¯t understand the real meaning behind it. Now that she was all grown, she understood the importance of life¡¯s daily necessities... she understood how exhausting running around a city to get to work was... she understood that even though you didn¡¯t like money, you couldn¡¯t exist without it, and that¡¯s when she understood that most of the time, money didn¡¯t equal love but was a way to express it. Qiao Anhao pinched Lu Jinnian¡¯s wallet, raised her head, and stared straight at him. He probably hadn¡¯t rested for several days now. Hisplexion still looked shockingly handsome, but there was an obvious hint of exhaustion between his brows. His eyes were drooped and he had seriously dark circles under them. He wore a slightly unbuttoned white shirt and who knows where he ripped his tie off... Qiao Anhao could see that the cor was ruffled up, and it was slightly dirty. He probably hadn¡¯t changed out of it for a long time. Did he rush back from America yesterday, got home without even taking the time to shower, and then ran over to see her? He was obviously really tired, and yet he still forced himself to hold up and go shopping with her. Chapter 716: The Lu Qiao Couple(5) Chapter 716: The Lu Qiao Couple£¨5£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem What about her? She didn¡¯t try to understand him and had instead gone head on with the curses online and with Lin Shiyi who would do her no good. Qiao Anhao felt guilt engulf her, she felt as though the weight of Lu Jinnian¡¯s wallet was too heavy for her, it was as if she wasn¡¯t appreciative of his care. She lowered her eyes in shame. Lu Jinnian¡¯s assistant and the shop assistant walked over with handful of bags. "Mr Lu, everything is checked, there isn¡¯t any problem." Lu Jinnian nodded and reached out to tug at Qiao Anhao¡¯s elbow. "Let¡¯s go, didn¡¯t you want to look at clothes?" Qiao Anhao remained stationary as the guilt piled on. Lu Jinnian frowned and turned to look at her with confusion. "What¡¯s wrong?" She bit down on her lip and turned to look at Zhao Meng instead. "I¡¯m sorry." The confusion thickened in his eyes. Qiao Anhao didn¡¯t dare to look at Lu Jinnian. She turned towards the shop assistant."Can I return all those bags." "Ah? Ms. Qiao, don¡¯t you like these?" Lu Jinnian¡¯s assistant eximed. Lu Jinnian¡¯s frown deepened, but he stared at Qiao Anhao silently. Qiao Anhao nced at the pile of beautifully packaged bags before pointing to the first bag she had picked out. "I only want this one, please help me return the rest." Pausing slightly, she asked, "Can I return them?" The shop assistant smiled. "Yes, I¡¯ll process it for you now." "Give us a moment." After a moment of silence, Lu Jinnian spoke. He signaled for Zhao Meng and his assistant to give them some time. He held onto Qiao Anhao¡¯s hand and let her out of the store to an emergency exit nearby that was empty. Turning to stare into her face, he said, "Tell me what¡¯s wrong." Qiao Anhao forced her lips into a tight line, avoiding his gaze in silence. Lu Jinnian pressed her against the wall and reached out to lift her jaws. Slowly, he lowered his body to stare straight into her clear eyes. "Qiao Qiao, I know you¡¯re hiding something from me." Qiao Anhao knew that the moment she requested to return the bags, he would definitely sense that something was amiss. She also knew that Lu Jinnian would now definitely catch on that the scandal was zing all over the web. She had wanted to let him rest beforeining about the scandal but after being directed by Zhao Meng, she felt that she could no longer keep it from him, so she confessed honestly, "Today when I woke up, I realized that I was entangled in a scandal... and was on the headlines." Lu Jinnian froze. He grabbed for his phone and entered weibo, the words [Qiao Anhao, Man Chaser] came into sight. He quickly clicked the bold words and saw the video, all the captions andments. Gradually, his face darkened and his frown deepened. "Actually, it¡¯s fine to be on the headlines, it¡¯smon for celebrities to have scandals once in a while," Qiao Anhao reassured, attempting to make it sound like nothing. Chapter 717: The Lu Qiao Couple(6) Chapter 717: The Lu Qiao Couple£¨6£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem "Actually, it¡¯s fine to be on the headlines, it¡¯smon for celebrities to have scandals once in a while," Qiao Anhao reassured, attempting to make it sound like nothing. She then repeated the conversation she had seen of Lin Shiyi on weibo. After listening to her description, Lu Jinnian¡¯s originally darkened face fell more, turning almost menacing. Even though Qiao Anhao knew that he wasn¡¯t angry at her, she still didn¡¯t have the courage to face him, muttering softly, "Because her words were too hurtful... and she had even posted it on her weibo..." Even though she was describing the incident, she couldn¡¯t hold back the bitterness she felt. "Basically, she was insulting me and I didn¡¯t feel good about it. "While we were eating, Zhao Meng realized that there were paparazzi, so she suddenly had an inspiration... She wanted them to take photos of us shopping together..." Even though she didn¡¯t finish her sentence, Lu Jinnian understood. Back when they were in the shop, Zhao Meng had continuously harped on about which bags to buy while she had remained silent the whole time... The two of them must have discussed it before? Qiao Anhao kept on rambling on, trying to rify the situation before finally lifting her head to look at him. In a soft, apologetic tone, she said, "Lu Jinnian, I¡¯m sorry, I shouldn¡¯t have made you shop with me. "As soon as new entertainment newses out, the scandal will go down. No one will care for it anymore, and as for Lin Shiyi, I¡¯ll just ignore her. I wasn¡¯t in the right mind just now when I wanted to spite her. Besides, I won¡¯t be able to finish using all those bags, and there are even some that I don¡¯t really like anyways. We shouldn¡¯t waste money like that. "You haven¡¯t even rested after such a long flight back from America. You must be tired, let¡¯s go home now, can we?" Qiao Anhao lifted one eye to sneak a peek, but before she could see Lu Jinnian, his head had already lowered. Slowly, tenderness covered her lips. After being on the road for such a long time, he was indeed exhausted, but once he took in her all her words, his fatigue seemed to have been chased away. Ever since he returned, he had wanted to kiss her just like this. But when he came back and saw her, his assistant and Zhao Meng were still around, so he could only hold it in. He had been holding it in till now, and even though they were still outside and he knew that there were paparazzi around, he didn¡¯t mind... They were already entangled in a scandal, so he didn¡¯t mind taking it up a notch, besides... She was the woman he loved, the woman he had been using his entire life to cherish and care for. How then could he let others insult her so easily? Qiao Anhao legs turned to jelly, and she suddenly remembered the paparazzi. Her eyes went wide as she saw someone sneakily taking photos of them. Hurriedly, she tried to dodge Lu Jinnian¡¯s lips, breathlessly, she said, "Someone is taking photos..." Before she could finish her sentence, Lu Jinnian muttered hoarsely, "Let them." Once more, the tenderness descended onto her lips. Chapter 718: The Lu Qiao Couple(7) Chapter 718: The Lu Qiao Couple£¨7£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem This time, the kiss was deeper and much more impatient. Qiao Anhao inhaled, taking in Lu Jinnian¡¯s distinctive scent. Her mind started buzzing and an unidentifiable stream of passion rushed through the tip of his tongue to the tenderness in her chest. Gradually, Qiao Anhao forgot the paparazzi hiding in the corner, returning his kiss instinctively. Her minute actions seemed to further excite him, and he pressed his entire body onto her, using all his strength to kiss her, seemingly trying to suck her soul out, leaving her breathless. The kisssted for a very very long time... When Qiao Anhao thought that she was about to suffocate, his lips gently left hers. She continued to keep her eyes shut as she felt as though her heart was about to jump out of her chest and her breathing was about to stop. Lu Jinnian lowered his head lightly, staring at her with a zing gaze; it was as if he wanted to finish her off the next moment. His breath was unstable. Slowly, he reached out to caress her messy hair, tugging a strand behind her ear as he spoke softly. "I wanted to kiss you like that the moment I saw you." Even though the content was sensual, he had used a nonchnt tone, tainting the words a unique taste. Qiao Anhao¡¯s longshes fluttered, and realizing that she was feeling ufortable from holding her breath for too long, she anxiously inhaled. Lu Jinnian continued to stare at her with a deep gaze. Instinctively, she darted her eyes elsewhere, not daring to meet his gaze. They were pressed together tightly, and Qiao Anhao could feel Lu Jinnian¡¯s arousal. Her face flushed a deep shade of red and she hurriedly buried her face in his chest beforeining softly. "You¡¯re so hateful~" She had unknowingly lengthened thest word, tugging at Lu Jinnian¡¯s heart. He let out a murmur, his breath on her face turning fiery as he tightened his embrace. After a long while, he took a long steadying breath and pulled Qiao Anhao upwards, straightening her before tidying her messy clothes and hair. Taking a step back, he ced some distance between the both of them. Qiao Anhao¡¯s face was flushed when she lifted her eyes to carefully nce at Lu Jinnian who was smoothing out his shirt elegantly. "Let¡¯s go." Grabbing onto her tiny hand, he led them back to the shop. Lu Jinnian¡¯s assistant and Zhao Meng were both seated on the sofa drinking coffee while the shop assistant stood at the side with a smile on her face. Lu Jinnian¡¯s assistant was the first person to notice their entrance. He quickly stood up and asked, "Mr Lu, are you still returning the bags?" Qiao Anhao had wanted to say "Return it", but before she could voice anything, Lu Jinnian had already spoken. "No." "Lu Jinnian..." Just calling his name was enough for Lu Jinnian to understand her intentions. Leisurely, he interrupted her, "Didn¡¯t you want to hurry back home? Returning the bags would take too much time, we¡¯ll just leave it." He just didn¡¯t want to return the gifts that he gave her... was there a need toe up with such a ridiculous reason. Chapter 719: The Lu Qiao Couple(8) Chapter 719: The Lu Qiao Couple£¨8£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem He just didn¡¯t want to return the gifts that he gave her... was there a need toe up with such a ridiculous reason. His assistant hurriedly picked up the bags andined silently while he trailed behind - Lu Jinnian turned into another store the moment they exited the bag store even though he had said that they would head home soon. Qiao Anhao stopped at the entrance of the store and tugged at his arm. "Lu Jinnian, didn¡¯t you say we were going back?" Lu Jinnian nodded lightly before replying quietly, "Yea, but I¡¯m a little stuffed from lunch. Let¡¯s shop for a while to walk it off before going back." - When they were really done, Qiao Anhao realized that ¡¯shop for a while¡¯ meant that he wanted to scour through every shop in ACR. Initially, he would still seek Qiao Anhao¡¯s opinion, asking if she liked the item. Whenever she hesitated before shaking her head, he would signal for his assistant to get the item. She would try to reason with him or stop his assistant him from buying the item but the assistant would only listen to Lu Jinnian¡¯s instructions, ignoring her objections. Gradually, she started to brighten up. Whenever Lu Jinnian asked for her opinion, she would shake her head resolutely. In the beginning, Lu Jinnian would believe that she truly didn¡¯t like the item but after she continuously shook her head for less than ten minutes, he detected her little act, buying everything he wanted without asking her. It was much more decisive and domineering that Zhao Meng had been in the bag store. Even Zhao Meng who had suggested the idea initially was left stunned by his actions, she couldn¡¯t help leaning over to whisper to Qiao Anhao, "Qiao Qiao, what did you tell Mr. Lu? Is he trying to empty the entire ACR?" Just then, Lu Jinnian pointed to a dress. He turned to ask which color she preferred but when she didn¡¯t respond, he got his assistant to buy every color the dress came in. Zhao Meng stared on anxiously. "Wa! Mr. Lu is going crazy!" But so dashing at the same time! - As their shopping spree neared the end, there were too many things for them to carry. A shop assistant had to get the security guards to push two trolleys up so that they could get everything down. Even at that moment Lu Jinnian was still unsatisfied, he held onto Qiao Anhao and headed into another store. She tugged onto his hand, stopping him from entering the store with all her might as she threatened to burst into tears. "Lu Jinnian, stop buying..." Even though he heard what she had said, he turned to nce at her. His face was tainted with worry. "Why? Are you tired? Is your leg sore?" "I said stop buying..." Before she could finish her sentence, Lu Jinnian bent down to carry her in his arms. Chapter 720: The Lu Qiao Couple(9) Chapter 720: The Lu Qiao Couple£¨9£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem "Lu Jinnian, what are you doing?" Qiao Anhao circled her arms around his neck instinctively. Lu Jinnian remained silent, taking in the surroundings with her in his arms. When he spotted a rest area not far away, he tookrge strides over and ced her on a bench. The moment Qiao Anhao tried to stand, Lu Jinnian pulled her back down. He casually knelt down in front of her, removed her shoes, and grabbed onto her slim and tender legs. Qiao Anhao couldn¡¯t understand his actions. She tried to squiggle her feet out of his palms, but Lu Jinnian tightened his grip and started to softly massage the balls of her feet. Even though she had bathed beforeing out and didn¡¯t have any feet problems, they were still dirty after walking for such a long while. How could he just start massaging her feet... Besides, she was prepared to walk for long hours beforeing out hence she chose afortable pair of shoes. Her feet weren¡¯t in any pain... Regardless of whether there were outsiders around, Qiao Anhao wasn¡¯t used to having Lu Jinnian massage her feet. But now, they were actually in the middle of the mall! Lu Jinnian was exerting too much strength for to be able to escape, so she reached over to grab his hands. He lifted his head to nce at her before removing her arm. "Sit there and stop moving." His words were calming but had a forceful aura, and before she knew it, Qiao Anhao had loosened her grip. Lu Jinnian nced back down, resuming the feet massage. His strength was well bnced andfortable. Qiao Anhao sat stiffly as she watched Lu Jinnian. She opened her mouth but nothing came out. On the other hand, Lu Jinnian lookedpletely at ease as if he was doing something perfectly normal. Qiao Anhao looked for a while more before looking away. Just then, she saw someone in a cap hiding behind a wall taking photos of them. The person was focusing the camera on Lu Jinnian¡¯s hands as he massaged her feet. He didn¡¯t seem to realize that Qiao Anhao had spotted him as he continued to snap shots. At that moment, she finally understood Lu Jinnian¡¯s actions. Her heart tightened as gratitude drowned her. Lu Jinnian¡¯s splurge and leg massage was to let the paparazzi snap shots of them, to clear her name. Her throat tightened and she forced down a ball in her throat. "Lu Jinnian, I¡¯m tired, let¡¯s go home." "Sure," Lu Jinnian replied but continued to massage her feet, after a while more, he stood up. Instead of helping her put on her shoes though, he turned with his back to her and pulled at her arm. "I¡¯ll carry you." Picking up her shoes, he stood up. He pushed her upwards lightly to secure her into position before heading to the elevator. His assistant and Zhao Meng followed behind quickly. The trolley was so packed with bags that it kept flowing out, and both the assistant and Zhao Meng had to continuously stop to pick the items that fell out from crowded trolley. Chapter 721: The Lu Qiao Couple (10) Chapter 721: The Lu Qiao Couple (10) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem With the help from the assistant and Zhao Meng, Lu Jinnian shoved the things into her car, then they said their goodbyes to the two of them. He started up the car and drove Qiao Anhao back to Mian Xiu Garden. When Qiao Anhao got into the car, she saw a bouquet of fresh flowers in the back seat. Just as she was going to ask where Lu Jinnian had gotten them from, she saw there was a card between the beautiful and delicate flowers. She grabbed it and saw the three simple words Lu Jinnian had written, "For Qiao Qiao." A lovely smile blossomed on her face, and she pulled out her phone. She hugged the fresh flowers up to take a selfie with the peace sign, a pout, a puppy dog eyes look, and a joyful smile. Lu Jinnian, who was focused on driving at the time, saw her small motions in the rear view mirror. His expression was cold as usual, yet there was an obvious hint of a smile in his eyes. - The previous night at the bar, Xu Jiamu had drank until he passed out. When he opened his eyes, he got this feeling like he didn¡¯t know what day or year it was. He drunkenlyy on the sofa in deep asleep. He remembered that people couldn¡¯t find a number to call to take him awayst night, so all they could do was leave him there in a private room. Xu Jiamu¡¯s head hurt like crazy from his hangover. Hey there dizzily for a while before searching through his pockets. After rummaging for a really long time, he couldn¡¯t find his phone. Then he remembered that he had thrown it in the car, upset with Han Ruchu¡¯s constant calls. He rubbed his slightly painful head and got up from the sofa. He slept in a poor position, so his entire body was exhausted and in pain. The bartender was fast asleep, so Xu Jiamu didn¡¯t disturb him. Instead, he pulled out a wad of cash, ced it by his ear, and left. When Xu Jiamu went outside, he realized that it was already nightfall. Though he was sober again, he was still a little dazed. He went round the row of cars parked outside to find his own and got in. He grabbed his phone to find that it had turned itself off because there was no more battery left. Xu Jiamu plugged it into the car charger andy down against the steering wheel with squinted eyes for a while. When he heard the phone ring as it turned on, he turned his head and nced over to find a series of text messages and missed calls. The calls and texts mostly came from Han Ruchu¡¯s number. As Xu Jiamu saw several pages of the screen fill up with her messages, he felt even more down. He only felt slightly better after he deleted all of them. With that, he started up the car. He drove around aimlessly, before finally heading for Mian Xiu Garden. He stopped the car in the courtyard of his own vi, pulled down the car window, and lit up a cigarette. He stared at Lu Jinnian¡¯s courtyard behind the fence in a daze. Xu Jiamu wasn¡¯t even sure how long he¡¯d been staring, when suddenly he heard the sound of a car door opening up. He snapped back to reality, and looked over at the courtyard next door. Qiao Anhao was hugging a bouquet of flowers with a warm smile on her face as she got out of the car. Soon after, the driver¡¯s door opened and Lu Jinnian also strode out. The very moment Xu Jiamu saw Lu Jinnian¡¯s side profile, he didn¡¯t quite know why he was in such a panic, but he suddenly pulled his hand away from the car window. Then he pressed the button to pull it up. Because he moved far too suddenly, he identally flicked the cigarette butt in his hand right onto the photocopy on the front passenger seat. It was like Xu Jiamu had been shocked by electricity, and he couldn¡¯t feel the burn or pain. He stretched his arm straight out and extinguished the fire from the cigarette. Chapter 722: The Lu Qiao Couple (11) Chapter 722: The Lu Qiao Couple (11) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Although Xu Jiamu was quick, the fire still managed to burn a hole in the paper. With a turn of his head, Xu Jiamu saw Qiao Anhao and Lu Jinnian through the car window walk into the vi one after the other. When Lu Jinnian entered the passcode, he didn¡¯t know what Qiao Anhao said, but it pursed her lips into a light smile, prompting Lu Jinnian to stretch his arm out. He stroked her hair and pulled open the door to the vi. The door didn¡¯t shut immediately, so Xu Jiamu could clearly see the two of them standing at the entrance. Lu Jinnian bent down to help Qiao Anhao take off her shoes, and he even put a pair of slippers in front of her. When Qiao Anhao changed her shoes, she tiptoed and pecked Lu Jinnian on the cheek. Lu Jinnian very clearly froze for a moment, then reached his arm out and brought her in front of him with a tug of her arm like he was going to kiss her. In the end, Qiao Anhao held the bouquet of flowers to her face and ran into the house. Lu Jinnian looked like he was in an excellent mood. He stood at the entrance for a few seconds staring at Qiao Anhao as she ran off. He then changed his shoes and casually closed the door shut. In the car, Xu Jiamu secretly let out a sigh. He lowered his head, his eyes falling to the signature on the will in his hands. Though the words on the photocopy weren¡¯t very clear, he could still recognize the two cursive words as Lu Jinnian¡¯s name. Whilst holding the several sheets of paper, his hand started to tremble. Though it had all happened a day ago, he still felt like it was a dream. How could things suddenly turn out like this? He used to smile and call him ¡®bro¡¯ whenever he bumped into Lu Jinnian. Every time Qiao Qiao saw him, she used to give him a warm smile and call him Brother Jiamu. How did it suddenly... suddenly be that he couldn¡¯t face the two of them? In the car, Xu Jiamu stared at the sheets of paper for a long time before he started the car up. Slowly, he drove out of Mian Xiu Garden. Coincidentally, it was the time for people to get off from work, so there were a lot of cars on the streets of Beijing. He hit the elerator for one second, then the next, he hit the breaks. Xu Jiamu blindly followed the flow of the traffic, starting and stopping. Eventually, he nked out for a moment and hit the tail of someone¡¯s car. Thankfully, it wasn¡¯t too serious, and the other vehicle was a taxi. The taxi driver was afraid of beingte for work so they spoke privately and the other man asked for a thousand yuan. Xu Jiamu paid it without negotiating. After that, he continued to drive aimlessly with a broken headlight. Night had slowly fallen when Xu Jiamu snapped to his senses and realized that he had driven all the way to Suyuan apartments. He dazed out for a while but eventually stepped on the breaks. He stopped the car, stared at the apartments¡¯ entrance, looking deep in thought. This was Song Xiangsi¡¯s home... In total, the two of them hadn¡¯t been in contact for five to six months now... She was probably doing well. At a dinner a while back, he heard that she got a job as a judge for a variety show on some television station. The job offered as much as a billion! Xu Jiamu pushed open the car door, got out, and leaned against the car, staring up at Song Xiangsi¡¯s apartment for a moment. He heard a minivan pull up beside him, and had a strange feeling about it. He abruptly turned his head to really see Song Xiangsi get out of the vehicle. She didn¡¯t even notice him, as she kept the usual arrogant look on her face, repeatedly ordering her manager in the car, and waving her arm around in annoyance. Then she stomped towards the apartment entrance in her high heels. Chapter 723: The Lu Qiao Couple (12) Chapter 723: The Lu Qiao Couple (12) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem After taking two steps, Song Xiangsi suddenly stopped, like she felt something. With her back against Xu Jiamu, she stood there for a while before slowly turning around. Her eyes were a little cold when she stared directly at Xu Jiamu. Reuniting after not seeing one another for a really long time, it seemed like he lost his carefree elegance. His clothes were so creased he looked like he had worn them for quite some time now. His hair was messy and hisplexion looked exhausted. But all this had nothing to do with her... He wasn¡¯t her man. She didn¡¯t want to spend any more of her time on him. Song Xiangsi thought about it, then drew her eyes back, as though Xu Jiamu was aplete stranger. She continued on her way, but before she could take two steps, the sound of a familiar voice came. "Xiangsi." Song Xiangsi halted for just a moment, but she never stopped. Instead, she continued to walk arrogantly onward. Xu Jiamu didn¡¯t know what he was doing either. Because of the horrible things his mother did, he didn¡¯t want to go home. He couldn¡¯t face his brother and his best friend either. He felt like he became alone in this world. He really wanted to be with someone for a little while, just for a little while... With that thought, Xu Jiamu suddenly caught up to her and fiercely grabbed her wrist. He pulled her back a step, making her face him. Song Xiangsi tried to swing her wrist from his grip, but failed. She let out a chuckle, and calmly raised her head to look back at Xu Jiamu. "Young master Xu, I don¡¯t remember our rtionship being so close you can casually drag me back on the street..." After Song Xiangsi said this, she was suddenly dragged tightly into Xu Jiamu¡¯s arms. "Xiangsi, stay with me for a moment, a moment..." Xu Jiamu¡¯s voice was pitiful and weak, stopping Song Xiangsi¡¯s taunting words in her throat before she could speak them. Xu Jiamu didn¡¯t say a thing, but hugged her tighter in his arms. Song Xiangsi could clearly feel a teardrop roll down her ear and into her clothes. She pursed her lips, and balled up her hands by her side into tight fists. Eventually, she raised her arms and hugged Xu Jiamu¡¯s waist. Xu Jiamu dug his head deeper into her neck, and another teardrop rolled down the same tear-stained path on her neck. - Back in Mian Xiu Garden, Qiao Anhao turned the shower on for Lu Jinnian. Taking the opportunity whilst he was showering, she gave the room a quick clean. She also put the bouquet of flowers Lu Jinnian gave her into a vase, so as to prevent the flowers from withering too swiftly. She even added some flower food into the water. When Lu Jinnian finished taking a shower, he came out of the bathroom to find Qiao Anhao taking photos of the bouquet she put in a vase. Qiao Anhao heard noises from the bathroom door, but before she could turn her head to nce over, someone suddenly hugged her waist. She fell into Lu Jinnian¡¯s arms, as he leaned his head forward and stretched past her neck, covering her lips. As he kissed her, his hands snaked under her clothes. Qiao Anhao knew what Lu Jinnian meant by his movements. She slightly avoided his lips, and said with an unsteady breath, "You¡¯ve been rushing around for so long, aren¡¯t you tired?" Chapter 724: The Lu Qiao Couple (13) Chapter 724: The Lu Qiao Couple (13) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem "Even if I¡¯m tired, I¡¯ll leave it for after I finish making love to you," said Lu Jinnian before covering her lips again. His kiss was serious and lingered with emotion. Eventually, he carried her to the bed and pushed her down with his body. As he unbuttoned her top, his searing kisses explored her entire form. Before he entered her, he deliberately stopped and drew closer to her ear. His voice was t, yet burned with a flirtatious tone. "Qiao Qiao,st night in America, I already wanted to do this..." Suddenly, he vigorously thrust in with force. As the saying goes, distance makes the heart grow fonder. Yet Qiao Anhao still assumed that Lu Jinnian was unbelievably exhausted, so he wouldn¡¯t have enough strength left in him. However, in the end he proved herpletely wrong. After his long voyage, Lu Jinnian wasn¡¯t tired enough to yield. In fact, Qiao Anhao was the first to copse weakly into a puddle with no strength to move. - When Qiao Anhao woke up again, Lu Jinnian was already awake. He hugged her with one hand whilst she was fast asleep, and with the other, he was tapping away on his phone. Qiao Anhao only slightly moved her head, but Lu Jinnian felt it and lowered his head to nce over at her. He asked "Awake?", then looked back over at his phone. He swiped it twice and asked, "Are you hungry?" She shook her head and lifted her chin a little in curiosity, moving closer to Lu Jinnian¡¯s phone. "What are you looking at?" After Qiao Anhao said this, her phone rang twice. She furrowed her brows and pulled out her own phone to find Lu Jinnian¡¯s WeChat notification. It was two photos. As Qiao Anhao tapped them open, she turned her head and stared oddly at Lu Jinnian¡¯s perfect side profile. "What is it?" "Give me the phone," Lu Jinnian said but didn¡¯t wait for an answer as he grabbed her phone from her hands without her consent. He opened WeChat, then opened and saved the two photos he¡¯d just sent her to her photo album. Qiao Anhao curiously stretched her neck out to take a look. She saw that Lu Jinnian actually sent her two photos of their spoils of war from the afternoon shopping; the first was a photo of thepletely packed trunk, and the other was the full car seat. Qiao Anhao asked in bewilderment, "Why did you send me those two photos?" Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t even say a word as he clicked open the WeChat group for "Alluring Times". In the group, he found Lin Shiyi¡¯s WeChat and immediately added her as a friend. Qiao Anhao suddenly exploded with anger. "Why did you add her? What if she rejects me, that¡¯s so embarrassing for..." Before Qiao Anhao could say the final word "me", a notification popped up on her phone: The other party has added you as a friend. Although Lu Jinnian added Lin Shiyi as a friend, he didn¡¯t bother with her. Instead, he went straight to the friends¡¯ circle. After half a minute had passed, Lin Shiyi sent her a message. Even though it was a WeChat message and she couldn¡¯t see the other person¡¯s expression, Qiao Anhao could imagine Lin Shiyi¡¯s arrogance with just a few words. [Why did you go out of your way to add me?] Lu Jinnian had no intention of replying, and tapped the camera icon above the friends¡¯ circle and selected the two photos he¡¯d just sent to Qiao Anhao. He casually added the line: Today after lunch at ACR, hubby took me out shopping to digest the food, and then... Chapter 725: The Lu Qiao Couple (14) owered to nce at Qiao Anhao in his hold. She reached her hand out and yanked the phone from his hand, then added two words to Lu Jinnian¡¯s original message, Today after lunch at ACR, hubby Lu Jinnian took me out shopping to digest the food, and then... With that, Qiao Anhao raised her head. "Don¡¯t you think this is better?" "Is there a difference?" asked Lu Jinnian as he stared at those three words "Hubby Lu Jinnian". The more he stared at them, the more pleased he felt. With his face against Qiao Anhao¡¯s back of the head, he curved his lips into a smile. It hadn¡¯t even been a minute since Qiao Anhao had sent the message when Lin Shiyi wrote to her. [Qiao Anhao, are you stupid?] Followed by another message, [What¡¯s the meaning of this?] Just as Qiao Anhao was considering whether or not to reply, Lu Jinnian stole her phone again. He tapped it a few times, and Qiao Anhao saw the words, [Isn¡¯t it obvious? It¡¯s a p in the face.] Those words were pretty direct... Before Qiao Anhao could cry out for him to stop, Lu Jinnian had already sent the message. Then he tapped onto Lin Shiyi¡¯s profile pic again, immediately blocking her from the friends¡¯ circle. "Why don¡¯t you just straight up delete her? Perhaps she¡¯s already cklisted me and blocked my friends¡¯ circle..." said Qiao Anhao. "When a personpetes with another, they will pay attention to them all the time. They won¡¯t block them. So I blocked her in case she decides to say something to piss you off." Lu Jinnian handed Qiao Anhao her phone back. She thought about his words for a moment, and felt that what he said was right. This was absolutely how most people would normally react. Honestly speaking, she was really happy that Lu Jinnian helped her stand up like that. However, although she was happy, Qiao Anhao still said unreasonably, "Lu Jinnian, you are really petty to stoop down to a woman¡¯s level. Don¡¯t you know the saying ¡¯good men don¡¯t fight with women¡¯?" Having just been called "petty", Lu Jinnian wasn¡¯t the slightest bit annoyed. In fact, his tone of voice sounded quite assured and arrogant. "So what? As long as it¡¯s about you, I don¡¯t mind being even more petty." How could he let others make life difficult for the woman he had always wanted to hold in his hands and protect? In the past, when he couldn¡¯t get her, he would always think of ways to best look after her behind her back. Now that she was his wife, how could he allow for something like gentrification to make her suffer? Trantor¡¯s Thoughts Paperne Paperne hm... Chapter 726: The Lu Qiao Couple (15) Chapter 726: The Lu Qiao Couple (15) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Today, to be able to take her as my wife, I have no regrets in life. My only wish is for her years to be bright and peaceful. - In five short minutes after the message being sent to Qiao Anhao¡¯s friends¡¯ circle, Lu Jinnian already received over a hundred notifications. This was the first time Qiao Anhao had ever had so many people react to her friends¡¯ circle, so when she saw those three figures in red, she leaped in shock. She thought that there was something wrong with her eyes, so she blinked before hurriedly tapping it open. There she saw a series of replies from people both within and outside the entertainment industry, both familiar and unfamiliar. Iwanabecuteeveryday(Zhao Meng): Mrs. Lu, your Mr. Lu is awesome! Goodmanthatsme(assistant): 32 likes. ... Below were a series of replies, [Xiao Qiao, you also sent this to a friends¡¯ circle?], [Why don¡¯t you show off your marriage certificate?], [Qiao Qiao, to be able to marry Mr. Lu, you win in life!], [Congrattions, congrattions. Remember to pass out wedding sweets!], [Requesting red envelopes]. Until finally, Song Xiangsi¡¯s message sent a second ago came up. [Oh! One posts on Weibo, the other posts on WeChat friends¡¯ circle. Mr. and Mrs. Lu Qiao have quite the connection!] When Qiao Anhao saw this, her finger that was swiping down stopped abruptly. She then realized that there were quite a few people who leftments with the words, "also announces their marriage". As though having discovered something, she quickly exited WeChat and opened Weibo to find millions of notifications. The top three hot topics were all about her and Lu Jinnian. Weibo even released an advert saying Lu Jinnian announced his marriage tonight, exposing his marriage certificate. As Qiao Anhao saw this, she made a vague assumption about something, then hastily tapped onto Lu Jinnian¡¯s Weibo. He had updated it after over five months of inactivity! The post was just like him - straightforward and direct; a heart emoji with a photo beneath it of their marriage certificate that included a photo of the two of them, their names, and a stamp from the civil affairs bureau. Not long after Lu Jinnian posted on Weibo, he received millions of likes and fifty millionments. What¡¯s more, it was obvious that the numbers were still on a mad rise. Lu Jinnian actually took the opportunity whilst she was sleeping to silently announce their marriage? Qiao Anhao turned her head to nce at him. Seeing as he was also staring at his phone, Qiao Anhao stretched her neck out to sneak a peek at his screen to see that he was looking at some news on Weibo. She only roughly swept through Weibo without even looking at the main stories, so she went back to the entertainment news page and closely studied it for a moment. She realized that as she was staring at Lu Jinnian¡¯s screen for a while, Weibo released more news. It was aption of over a dozen photos of her and Lu Jinnian. They were photos secretly taken of them in ACR in the afternoon. From her meal at the Japanese restaurant to Lu Jinnian¡¯s arrival after being so worn out from his travels, and again when Lu Jinnian pulled her into a kiss in a quiet corridor. Then, more of when Lu Jinnian bought bought bought and swiped swiped swiped... till Lu Jinnian finally carried her, massaged her feet, and left with her... She practically flipped through all those photos. Following the explosive photo post, the topic [The Nation¡¯s Good Husband] quickly shot up the headlines on Weibo. Qiao Anhao tapped it open. She discovered that theizens who had cursed her earlier for being a man chaser had nowpletely switched sides. Trantor¡¯s Thoughts Paperne Paperne Shout out to Renarasu! Chapter 727: The Lu Qiao Couple (16) Chapter 727: The Lu Qiao Couple (16) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Qiao Anhao tapped the topic open. She discovered that theizens who had cursed her earlier for being a man chaser had nowpletely switched sides. She saw their collective performance of jealousy, envy, and hatred in their messages¡¯ tones¡¯ [Oh god! Qiao Anhao actually got married to my dream guy.] [Senior Qiao Anhao must¡¯ve saved the gxy to be able to marry my husband in this lifetime!] [Where the fuck did your husbande from? Hers is a real husband to sleep with, to touch, to massage her feet and buy handbags...] [How could my husband be so hot? Did he clean out the whole of ACR?] - Earlier everyone was calling Qiao Anhao "man chaser", "shameless", "worthless"... How did it be "Senior saved the gxy", "won in life", and "Mrs. Lu"ter? The story turned around a little too quickly. Qiao Anhao felt like it was all a dream,pletely surreal. Her Weibo had endless new followers, and so many peoplementing and shared that her phone vibrated non-stop. After a while, she snapped back to her senses and opened Lu Jinnian¡¯s Weibo. After some time, hisment section skyrocketed from fifty million to eighty million. Qiao Anhao opened it to find onement with the most likes: [You are my dream guy. Even though I really wanted to marry you, but as long you¡¯re happy, I¡¯m happy]. Ament with the second most liked read: [Dream guy, why did you only show one marriage certificate? Other celebrities have two.] When Qiao Anhao saw this, she couldn¡¯t help but curve one side of her mouth upwards as she thought back to her ripped up marriage certificate. She had the sudden impulse to tease Lu Jinnian, so she took a screenshot of thements and sent it to Lu Jinnian in a private message. [Yeah... Mr. Lu, why did you only show one marriage certificate?] With the sending of the message, she heard Lu Jinnian¡¯s phone ring ¡¯ding dong¡¯. Knowing that it was her own private message, she bit her bottom lip and sneakily lifted her eyes to check Lu Jinnian up and down. His expression was calm, with no reaction at all. After half a minute, her phone was still quiet. He didn¡¯t reply to her. So Qiao Anhao sent him another message. [Mr. Lu, why did you only show one marriage certificate?] There was still no answer, so Qiao Anhao started to flip through the forum. Not long after, their private chat filled her screen with the words: [Mr. Lu, why did you only show one marriage certificate?] Lu Jinnian had a lighthearted expression on his face. Just when Qiao Anhao couldn¡¯t help but say something to him, her phone suddenly vibrated. There was a new notification on Weibo. Qiao Anhao tapped to open it and found that Lu Jinnian had @¡¯d her. She clicked on it and discovered that he had shared the screenshot she had just sent him with message [Dream guy, why did you only show one marriage certificate? Other celebrities have two.]. He had then added ament underneath it, [Excuse me, Mrs. Lu, did the marriage certificate taste good? @Qiao Anhao] With Lu Jinnian¡¯s share, Qiao Anhao¡¯s Weibo discussion ran like flowing water with messages one after another. [Mrs. Lu ate the other marriage certificate?!] [Mrs. Lu, please reply, what does the marriage certificate taste like?] [Tomorrow, I want to spend nine cents to buy a marriage certificate and see if it tastes good.] [Woo woo woo, request to eat...] Chapter 728: The Lu Qiao Couple(17) Chapter 728: The Lu Qiao Couple£¨17£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem [One day, I want to try my marriage certificate as well!] [Wait no more, try it today! I¡¯ll be waiting...] Qiao Anhao burst outughing at thatment. Arge portion of fans that saw thements couldn¡¯t help teasing Qiao Anhao after seeing the repost from Lu Jinnian¡¯s Weibo. In just a short half an hour, the topic [Qiao Anhao ate her marriage certificate] became the top hit. One of the fans had even made a meme with a photo that Qiao Anhao had posted previously, but the bread that she was eating was edited into a marriage certificate. The moment the photo was posted, it caused a stir. Just a second ago, the fans were jealous and in envy but the next it all became a joke. But even if she was the subject of the tease, she felt warm and sweet inside, her eyes curved into crescents as she nced at Lu Jinnian. She used a slightlyining tone to express her displeasure, "It¡¯s all your fault... Lu Jinnian, apologize to me!" Her words turned into a whine, and his face softened as a faint smile reached his eyes. He ced his phone down before leaning over to her ears, and in a low sensual tone he said, "How do you want me to apologize? Kneeling?" A shiver ran through Qiao Anhao, sending her heart trembling. Even though she appeared calm andposed, her voice was shaky, exposing her facade. "Sure, kneel down and apologize..." "Sure." Turning, Qiao Anhao was once again below him... - Qiao Anhao panted, trying to catch her breath, her entire body limp as she begged. When he finally released her, he pulled her into his arms and leaned down to her ear. "Qiao Qiao, I¡¯ve been kneeling in apology the entire time, I haven¡¯t skived. " Kneeling in apology.... Qiao Anhao paused, stunned as she processed his words, the image of Lu Jinnian a moment ago floating into her mind. He was indeed kneeling on her the entire time... Gradually, she finally understood what he meant. Ah! Lu Jinnian meant that... he was kneeling on her, using his body to apologize..... - At 9 pm, Qiao Anxia alighted from the flight from Japan back to Beijing. While she waited for Cheng Yang in the airport lounge, she scrolled through Weibo, looking at the scandal about Qiao Anhao. A me started burning in her heart, but when she clicked onto the header and saw Lu Jinnian¡¯s name, she froze. The person Qiao Anhao was chasing after is him... The person that had disappeared for five months. Before Qiao Anxia could fully process the information, Cheng Yang called to inform her that he was here. Qiao Anxia hurriedly put away her phone, leaving the lounge with her luggage. The moment she left the airport, she caught sight of Cheng Yang¡¯s car. When she approached, she bent and saw him focusing on his phone. Chapter 729: The Lu Qiao Couple(18) Chapter 729: The Lu Qiao Couple£¨18£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Qiao Anxia raised her hand to tap on the window and Cheng Yang turned. When he saw her outside, he hurriedly ced down his phone. He reached for her luggage and ced it in the boot of his car. "Hurry into the car, you aren¡¯t dressed warm enough for the cold." Qiao Anxia stood up on the tip of her toes to nt a kiss on his face before entering the car. After cing the luggage in the boot, Cheng Yang sat back on the drivers seat. Just when he was about to start the car, he realized that Qiao Anxia hadn¡¯t fastened her seatbelt. Bending over, he reached out to do it for her. Qiao Anxia circled her arms around his neck. "Did you miss me?" Amusement clouded Chen Yang¡¯s gaze, and lowering his head, he lightly kissed her lips. "Yea." "How much did you miss me?" she asked with a pout. Cheng Yang nted another kiss before leaning to her ear, suggesting out rightly, "I¡¯ll you let know when we reach home." "Hate you!" Qiao Anxia chuckled, pushing Cheng Yang away. Heughed softly as he started the car. "What do you want to eat?" "Hmm, steamboat?" "Sure," Cheng Yang replied. "The one near the small road?" She nodded, and he applied more pressure on the elerator. When they entered the highway, Cheng Yang turned to gaze at Qiao Anxia. "Xiaxia, when shall we get our marriage certificates?" "Didn¡¯t we agree to get them in May? Are you in a hurry?" Qiao Anxia smiled brightly as she gazed at him sideways. "Yea, I¡¯m in a hurry," Cheng Yang admitted, "Even Qiao Qiao got hers, as the elder sister, you can¡¯t be left behind, right?" "Qiao Qiao? Are you kidding?"Qiao Anxia spoke resolutely. "How can I not know about it?" "You don¡¯t believe me?" Cheng Yang chuckled lightly. "You should check out Brother Lu¡¯s weibo." Lu Jinnian had been actively promoting Cheng Yang, so even though Cheng Yang have made a name for himself, he would still call him "Brother Lu" respectfully. "You must be kidding." Qiao Anxia remained unconvinced as she reached for her phone. "Just wait, if i find out that you¡¯re lying, I won¡¯t let you off..." Before she could finish her sentence, she had already entered Lu Jinnian¡¯s weibo. The moment she saw thetest post at the very top, the words got stuck in her throat. Qiao Anxia froze as she stared at the small post. She erged the image and saw the photo of Lu Jinnian and Qiao Anhao on the marriage certificate that he had posted. They lookedpatible, Qiao Anhao had a gentle expression and genuine smile that came from within while Lu Jinnian had a faint hint of tenderness on his usual frosty expression. Cheng Yang wasn¡¯t lying, Lu Jinnian was married to Qiao Anhao. And it had been over twenty days. This meant that Qiao Anhao was aware that Lu Jinnian had gone to find her when she was unconscious and that she didn¡¯t inform him about it.... Did she also already know that she had pushed her into marrying Xu Jiamu in order to get out of it? Two days ago, her mother had been furious when talking about how Han Ruchu had murdered Qiao Anhao¡¯s child. Chapter 730: The Lu Qiao Couple(19) Chapter 730: The Lu Qiao Couple£¨19£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Qiao Anxia had kept silent as her mother continuouslyined about Han Ruchu. That night, she couldn¡¯t fall asleep. Qiao Anhao must have loved Lu Jinnian.... She only found outst Christmas, two months after Lu Jinnian had disappeared. That night, Qiao Anhao was drunk, and she kept chanting his name the entire time. On the night before New Year, she had knelt outside Qiao mansion, crying alone as she whispered his name. They had been in love. It wasn¡¯t just Lu Jinnian¡¯s one-sided affection. Ifst year when Lu Jinnian had asked her about Qiao Anhao¡¯s whereabouts she had told him, would they have not missed out on each other? A short while after Lu Jinnian had posted on Weibo, his post reached headlines. The entire webmunity¡¯s attention was ced on him and Qiao Anhao. After exiting the webpage, Qiao Anxia entered Wechat, wanting to ask Qiao Anhao if she was really married. But the moment she entered Wechat, the first thing that caught her eye was the post that Qiao Anhao had shared on her newsfeed, [Today after lunch at ACR, hubby Lu Jinnian took me out shopping to digest the food, and then...] Below the post was two photos, the entire car boot was packed with designer bags, even the backseats were overflowing. They seemed to be doing well, and Qiao Anhao seemed to be happy... But Qiao Anxia couldn¡¯t understand what she was feeling as she stared at "Hubby Lu Jinnian". She felt anxious, and at the same time somehow bitter. "Hey, why are you dreaming? I¡¯ve been calling you for such a long time!" Qiao Anxia felt a light tap on her head before processing Cheng Yang¡¯s words. She hurriedly snapped back to her senses and locked her phone before shaking her head. Shortly after, the car stopped. "We¡¯re here, you can grab a seat while I park the car." Qiao Anxia turned to nce at the steamboat shop, and felt herself lose all appetite. "I¡¯m a little tired, I don¡¯t feel like eating anymore. Let¡¯s go back to rest." Cheng yang paused for a while before nodding. "I¡¯ll send you back first before getting food for you." Qiao Anxia nodded silently. She turned and stared out the window at the night skies, her expression dazed. After sending her home, Chen Yang took his wallet and left the house. Qiao Anxia slouched on the sofa staring up at the ceiling in a daze. Moments after she reached for her phone, unable to stop looking at Lu Jinnian¡¯s weibo. When she clicked in, their marriage certificate was in full view once more. She stared in a daze, and didn¡¯t even notice when Cheng Yang came back with the food. He poured it into tes and ced on the dining table. "Xia Xia, lets eat." Qiao Anxia was still in a daze, motionless as she stared at the phone. "Xia Xia?" Cheng Yang frowned slightly. He ced the tes down before walking towards her. He reached out to feel her forehead worryingly when he saw her pale face. Qiao Anxia was startled back to her senses and hurriedly locked her phone. But despite her swift actions, Cheng Yang was still able to get a nce at the screen. It was Lu Jinnian¡¯s weibo. Chapter 731: The Lu Qiao Couple (20) Chapter 731: The Lu Qiao Couple (20) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Chen Yang was slightly stunned for a moment, then he asked with a caring tone, "What¡¯s the matter? Do you not feel well?" "I¡¯m fine." Qiao Anxia smiled and shook her head. Chen Yang let out an "oh", then held her hand. "Let¡¯s go have dinner." She looked at the table of dishes he had alreadyid out, and pulled her arm away. "I¡¯m not hungry. I really want to sleep. You eat." Chen Yang pursed his lips and stared at Qiao Anxia with bright eyes for a while. Eventually, he nodded and said in his usually warm voice, "Okay, then I¡¯ll go turn the shower on for you." "That¡¯s alright. I¡¯ll do it myself," Qiao Anxia said in a gentle voice. Cheng Yang moved his lips and nodded. "Alright, you go sleep for a bit first, I¡¯ll keep your food warm for you to eat when you get up." Qiao Anxia let out an "Uh huh". Chen Yang instinctively lowered his head and nted a kiss between her brows. Just as his lips left her skin, she pulled her hand away, turned around and left. Cheng Yang, who had waited for Qiao Anxia¡¯s ne, hadn¡¯t eaten, so he was actually pretty hungry. It was now nine o¡¯clock, but at that moment, he lost his appetite. He chose not to rush back to the bedroom, but instead sat at the table for over half an hour before getting up. He wrapped the dishes in cling film, put them in the thermal food box, and then walked back into the bedroom. He pushed open the door and saw Qiao Anxia on the bed all of a sudden shove her phone under the duvet and shut her eyes. He stopped there at the door for a moment, then lightly walked over to the side of the bed. He knew that she was obviously not asleep, but he pretended not to know. After attentively pulling her covers up, he went into the bathroom. Aftering out of the shower, Chen Yang turned the lights off andy down by Qiao Anxia¡¯s side without disturbing her. He shut his eyes but wasn¡¯t at all sleepy. He didn¡¯t know how long had passed when he felt her slightly shift around beside him, turning her phone on. Although he had his eyes shut, he could still sense it light up. After a long while had passed, the phone screen darkened, and in the still of the night, he could clearly hear the on and off muffled cries of the woman by his side. Chen Yang¡¯s eyshes flickered twice, but he still didn¡¯t move an inch, pretending to be in deep sleep. The sound of crying continued for a long time before it disappeared. After who knows how long had passed again, Qiao Anxia¡¯s breathing became soft and long, as though she had fallen asleep. Only then did Chen Yang opened his eyes and turned his head. Under the pale yellow lights in the bedroom, he saw that her eyes were swollen from crying. He gulped and his eyes fell on her phone. He hesitated for a moment before picking it up. He entered the passcode and went to Weibo to see Lu Jinnian¡¯s page open. About four hours ago, Lu Jinnian had sent out a new post, [Excuse me, Mrs. Lu, did the marriage certificate taste good? @Qiao Anhao] No matter how one saw it, such a short phrase made people feel like the couple was covertly showing off its happiness. However, as Qiao Anhao¡¯s older sister, Qiao Anxia actually cried for most of the night over her happiness... In his heart, Chen Yang felt like he understood something. He always gave Qiao Anxia her personal space, but for the first time, he opened her phone contacts. After looking through them for a long while, he eventually found the name "My Love". He tapped it to find that his number wasn¡¯t saved under that name, but another number he was very familiar with. Chapter 732: The Lu Qiao Couple (21) Chapter 732: The Lu Qiao Couple (21) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Lu Jinnian¡¯s phone number.. Eleven digits confirmed his suspicions. So his girlfriend who he had announced he was dating for over half a year now... the girlfriend he was about to propose to in a few days time on the fourteenth of February... the girlfriend who he had been dating for eight months now... the person who she actually loved, wasn¡¯t him. - After Qiao Anhao and Lu Jinnian publicly announced their marriage, this news dominated the headlines for a full week. In that week, people didn¡¯t fail to secretly take photos of Qiao Anhao and Lu Jinnian out on the streets or eating a meal. With those very candid photos of the week, another topic rose to the Weibo top searches: [Unconventionally Warm Man Lu Jinnian]. The reason for this was simple - the Lu Jinnian in the photos appeared cold and distant, but he would always do something thoughtless that would reveal his true inner feelings. For example, there was a video of Qiao Anhao choosing towels where Lu Jinnian wore a dull look on his face and stood far away, swiping his phone screen as though he wasn¡¯t concerned. However, in just forty short seconds of the video, he sneaked a nce over at Qiao Anhao twelve times. ording to people online, the shortest ncested under a second, and the longest was over five seconds. For another example, there was a photo taken by a fan of Qiao Anhao and Lu Jinnian in an elevator. When the elevator got a little unbearably full of people, Lu Jinnian stood with a cold look on his face, but his eyes never looked towards Qiao Anhao¡¯s smiling face. No one knew what Qiao Anhao was jabbering on about but he never once opened his mouth to speak. Instead, throughout the elevator journey, he kept his hand raised around Qiao Anhao¡¯s head. His gesture could be seen as him being afraid that someone might identally bump into her head in the crowded elevator. In the topic [Unconventionally Warm Man Lu Jinnian], there was one particrment that got over three hundred likes: [He¡¯s not a cold person, you¡¯re just not the person he wants to be warm with.] - Eventually, the headliner that overshadowed Lu Jinnian and Qiao Anhao¡¯s news was the polls. This year, Hollywood¡¯s major picture needed to cast a female celebrity from China, and the character was going to be chosen with the poll method. There were some things Qiao Anhao might¡¯ve casually said... yet Lu Jinnian clearly remembered that her dream was to be the queen of the silver screen. If a celebrity wanted to make it big, to be a queen of the silver screen, then they needed to have determination and a portfolio of works. It was impossible to do so without several years under their belt. This time, Hollywood¡¯s poll was the chance for a female celebrity to undoubtedly propel their career. Since Qiao Anhao had alreadypleted a few projects, if she got this role, she wouldn¡¯t be far off from bing the queen of the silver screen. So Lu Jinnian signed her up for it. Qiao Anhao didn¡¯t know about it until she was sent a letter to Mian Xiu Garden informing her that she¡¯d been shortlisted. In truth, Qiao Anhao didn¡¯t really want to be the queen of the silver screen when she entered the entertainment industry, all she wanted was to be the best screen couple with Lu Jinnian. Now that they were husband and wife, she had achieved more than she¡¯d ever dreamed. She was considering to stop filming, but then Lu Jinnian had already signed her up and she also got shortlisted. If she was to outright reject it, then she¡¯d be taking Lu Jinnian¡¯s wishes for granted. What¡¯s more, after he stopped production for "Love at First Sight", Qiao Anhao had been quite free, and so she decided to give this Hollywood casting poll her all. Chapter 733: The Lu Qiao Couple (22) Chapter 733: The Lu Qiao Couple (22) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem After all, Qiao Anhao right now didn¡¯t represent just herself. She was also Mrs. Lu, and she couldn¡¯t embarrass Lu Jinnian. The Hollywood casting selection was no different from most of China¡¯s variety showpetitions. There were three stages; the selection process, the top eight, and the finals. There were many people participating, and so there was very little time for each contestant. You had to make the judges see your brightest talent in the shortest amount of time to keep you. There wasn¡¯t a dress rehearsal for the selection, it was all live. Contestants were lined up in an alphabetical order ording to their surnames. Qiao Anhao¡¯s surname began with a ¡¯Q¡¯, which was neither close to the start or end of the twenty six letters of the alphabet. Among over a hundred contestants, Qiao Anhao¡¯s name was forty-ninth. The female celebrities shortlisted for selection did have some acting skills and they weren¡¯t bad looking. Thepetition looked extremely fierce. As the thirtieth person went up on stage, Qiao Anhao started to feel a little nervous. When contestant number thirty-eight was called, Qiao Anhao started to prepare. As the number kepting closer to hers, she wasn¡¯t nervous, on the contrary, she gradually started to calm down. As she was taking deep breaths in front of a mirror to calm herself, she couldn¡¯t help but turn her head when the presenter called contestant number forty¡¯s name. There she saw a well-dressed Lin Shiyi step onto the stage in her high heels. Although Qiao Anhao was backstage, she could still see the broadcast of Lin Shiyi on the televisions backstage. Lin Shiyi sang an English song. Although she came from an acting background, she had a good set of pipes. The moment she hit a high note, the audience and the judges started to p their hands. Four out of five judges put Lin Shiyi through to the next round, the top eight. Lin Shiyi returned from the stage with far more confidence on her face than when she got on. So much so, she nced over at Qiao Anhao with an extremely provoking expression in her eyes. Qiao Anhao pretended as though she didn¡¯t see it and turned her head with a calm expression. She ran through the lyrics she¡¯d memorized in her mind again, straightened her waist and back, and raised her chin high up. She remembered well the words that Lu Jinnian had told her. The more Lin Shiyi wanted topete with her, the more she had to pretend as if nothing had happened. Because it¡¯s just as Edison Chen said, "Pretending as if nothing happened is the cruelest revenge." When number forty-seven finished performing, Qiao Anhao received Lu Jinnian¡¯s text. It was just two simple words "Good luck!", but they filled her with boundless confidence. When the presenter said "Wee number forty-eight Qiao Anhao on to the stage", She handed her phone to Zhao Meng and stepped onto the stage. Qiao Anhao had chosen to sing a song. But what was different from other actors was that she didn¡¯t dance, y the piano, the guitar, and couldn¡¯t hit a high note. She just stood at the center of the stage and calmly and clearly sang every word of the song she had chosen, "So What". This was a song she had identally stumbled upon in the carst year. At the time, she didn¡¯t know where Lu Jinnian was and had searched for him for a long time. When she heard the song, she just felt like the lyrics mirrored the thoughts in her heart, so she listened to it repeatedly and learned it by heart. Chapter 734: The Lu Qiao Couple (23) Chapter 734: The Lu Qiao Couple (23) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem "It¡¯s just hiding alone to be sad, "It¡¯s just not having anyone to talk to when you¡¯re hurting, "It¡¯s just that this time I¡¯ve been hurt too badly, "I¡¯m not afraid to love but I¡¯m afraid to love so deeply." The memories of her and Lu Jinnian came to mind one frame at a time like in a slow motion video whilst Qiao Anhao sang. At that very instant, she wasn¡¯t singing for thepetition but simply for their romantic journey together. She remembered the good times when she secretly had a crush on him, and how difficult it was because she didn¡¯t dare to tell him. Happiness is to be able to turn around and smile. Every time they thought they were getting closer, they ended up farther away. They were clearly too timid to dare love, yet it was so deep-rooted in their bones. "It¡¯s just spending the dark nights alone, "It¡¯s just a kitchen without you and I, "It¡¯s just not having a song to y before sleep, "I can still live on my own..." They were now married and she wasn¡¯t in pain like before, so she felt like she was quite fortunate whilst she sang this song again. She was fortunate to receive blessings from heaven... to be able to find him, and hold hands with him again. It was this kind of fortune that gave the song a very special feeling when she sang. It started to sound really emotional and it gave people a feeling of underlying hope. It was like sadness, but it wasn¡¯t really sad. The moment Qiao Anhao¡¯s singing came to an end, the entire audience fell silent. Half a minute passed. She didn¡¯t know who started to p, but like aing tide, the apuse from below the stage came rushing in. The judges snapped to their senses and also started to p along. After waiting for the apuse to stop, Qiao Anhao receivedpliments from all five judges and all five votes to go through to the next stage - Lately, Han Ruchu¡¯s mental condition wasn¡¯t that great. Since Qiao Anhao released the recording of her and Lu Jinnian at the charity g, it shrouded the Xu family in ashes. Xu Wanli had been ignoring her recently, and he¡¯d often didn¡¯te home to sleep. Sometimes he woulde homete. At times, he wouldn¡¯t sleep in the master bedroom but head straight for the guest bedroom to go sleep. The year Xu Jiamu turned three, Han Ruchu learned that her husband had another child with someone else. It was at that very moment when she poured her entire life into Xu Jiamu. In those years, she and Xu Wanli appeared courteous with one another, but that was just a show for outsiders. In reality, when they closed the bedroom door, the two of them didn¡¯t talk much. So much so, it had been almost ten years since she and Xu Wanli had lived a regr life as a married couple. So when Xu Wanli treated her coldly, she didn¡¯t really feel much. She only cared about her son, Xu Jiamu. Since that night when he drove off from the entrance of Beijing Club, it had been over a week. He never returned her texts and when she went to thepany to see him, his assistant would just give her excuses. At six o¡¯clock tonight, Han Ruchu tried to call Xu Jiamu several times again. As usual, no one picked up. The housekeeper got the dinner ready, but she wasn¡¯t the slightest bit hungry. She got angry and went upstairs. She shut herself in her room and nked out for four hours. When she went downstairs to get some water, the two servants in the house were watching TV. It looked like they were watching some kind of variety show, so she didn¡¯t pay much attention to it. After she waited for a servant to pour her a cup of water, she heard Qiao Anhao¡¯s name from the TV as she was just about to take her cup upstairs with her. Chapter 735: The Lu Qiao Couple (24) Chapter 735: The Lu Qiao Couple (24) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Han Ruchu subconsciously halted. She turned her head and looked over at the television screen that was asrge as half the wall. There was Qiao Anhao holding a microphone and giving a self-introduction in front of everyone. Then she quietly stood at the center of the stage and started to sing. Her voice was pure and soft. She sounded beautiful and pleasant to listen to. Not to mention the live audience and the judges, even the two servants watching the TV were transfixed by her song. When Qiao Anhao finished singing, the judges were obviously surprised and excited. They were always picky, but this time they surprisingly couldn¡¯t stopplimenting Qiao Anhao. The woman herself stood at the center of the stage,posed and graceful, with a smile that made her eyes curve. That smile pierced Han Ruchu¡¯s eyes. If it weren¡¯t for her, how could her son, Xu Jiamu, ignore her, his mother? If it weren¡¯t for her, how could she lose her reputation in Beijing¡¯s business industry? And have her good rtionships with herdy friends ruined to the point they all alienated her. If it weren¡¯t for her... how could she, Han Ruchu, be in such an embarrassing state today? So she was participating in a selection show? So her performance was shocking? So she wanted to be famous online? So she wanted to look perfect in everyone¡¯s eyes? Alright... Since you now gained a name and garnered enough attention on yourself, I¡¯ll use what you won and ruin your reputation. I¡¯ll make you carry the name of a fickle woman! With that thought, Han Ruchu curved her lips into a cold smirk. She suddenly cried the housekeeper¡¯s name, "Aunt Yun." She didn¡¯t know what the woman was doing in her bedroom when she heard an "Ai", and she waste toe out. Han Ruchu then screamed with a higher pitch, "Aunt Yun!" "Madam..." The housekeeper ran out of her room in a hurry. "Madam, I was just on the toilet." Han Ruchu didn¡¯t even say a word. She only shot a look towards her room, then strode up the stairs. The housekeeper immediately followed. After they went into the bedroom, the housekeeper closed the door. "Madam, you were looking for me?" Han Ruchu gave a cold nod of the head, then made a hand gesture at the housekeeper and whispered a few words into her ear. "You got it?" The housekeeper nodded frantically. "Got it, madam. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll go do as you ask now." - This time, the organizers for Hollywood¡¯s casting selection set up a poll on Weibo to add points for the next round of top eight contestants. Qiao Anhao knew that her performancest night really stood out, but she never imagined that the day after thepetition, she¡¯d casually go on Weibo to find that her name was in top ce among those in the poll, leading with almost ten million votes over the holder of the second ce. After breakfast, Lu Jinnian was busy, so he had to leave the house. After thepetition for the top eight contestants was set for Monday, Qiao Anhao spread out in front of theputer and racked her brain over what she could do in the nextpetition to make the show more outstanding. She thought about it for the whole afternoon, and before it finally reached four o¡¯clock, she thought of the most spectacr idea. Just as she gleefully picked up her phone, ready to call Lu Jinnian and tell him the results, she suddenly received a call. The iing call was from an anonymous number. Qiao Anhao paused for a moment before taking the call and politely said, "Hello." "Hello, am I speaking to Miss Qiao Anhao?" a woman said quickly over the phone. Chapter 736: Decision (1) Chapter 736: Decision (1) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem "Hello, am I speaking to Miss Qiao Anhao?" a woman said quickly over the phone. It was someone Qiao Anhao didn¡¯t recognize. She hesitated for a moment, but still retained her manners. "Uh huh, that¡¯s me. May I ask, you are..." Before she could finish speaking, the woman on the phone rushed to get the first word in. "Miss Qiao Anhao, I am a reporter for HF. I¡¯m calling to interview you for a moment..." The reporter didn¡¯t ask for Qiao Anhao¡¯s opinion, but continued with another question. "Is it true that you and the current CEO of Xu Enterprise Xu Jiamu were once married?" As Qiao Anhao held the phone and heard those sudden words, she couldn¡¯t quite register what the woman had just said. Very few people knew that she and Xu Jiamu were married, so how would a reporter suddenly bring this up to her? In the midst of Qiao Anhao¡¯s suspicions, the reporter asked a series of questions over the phone. "Miss Qiao Anhao, for what reason did you and Mr. Xu Jiamu get a divorce? Did it have something to do with Lu Jinnian? Did you really have an affair with him while being married? Did you really, as the online news says, fool around with both brothers at the same time? Miss Qiao Anhao, why are you so silent? Does your silence suggest you admit to the ims?" Towards the end, the reporter¡¯s tone of voice had clearly be pressing and demanding. At that very moment, Qiao Anhao finally understood what was happening. She used her mostposed tone of voice and hastily told the reporter on the phone, "Apologies, I don¡¯t ept interviews." Then she didn¡¯t wait for the reporter to ask any more prating questions and hung up. Qiao Anhaopletely forgot that she had picked up her phone to call Lu Jinnian before. She rushed over in front of theputer and opened Weibo. As expected, her name was in the headlines. She clicked onto it and saw the wedding photo of her and Lu Jinnian as Xu Jiamu at a small wedding venue. Then there was another photo of her walking with linked arms with ¡®Xu Jiamu¡¯, and other photos from the reception. Later, there were a few photos of her and Lu Jinnian having a meal together. Lu Jinnian was on the phone as she fed him a shrimp. Qiao Anhao remembered... those photos were taken by who knows who not long after Xu Jiamu woke up but before they had gotten a divorce. At the time, those photos were sent to Han Ruchu. Because of them, that woman even went and caused a scene at the Qiao family estate. The final photo was a rtionship chart which read that Lu Jinnian was Xu Jiamu¡¯s step brother from a different mother, and Qiao Anhao was thetter¡¯s ex-wife and the former¡¯s current wife. There was also a note that said that before she and Xu Jiamu got divorced, she was already fooling around with Lu Jinnian... Just as Qiao Anhao read the news about this, the doorbell suddenly rang on the first floor. She hurriedly let go of the mouse and rushed downstairs. Before she opened the door, she raised her head to look over at the surveince cameras on the wall out of habit. It was hard to say when they came, but now there were several parked cars and a flurry of reporters gathered outside the door. Everyone carried their own cameras and microphones, some of which shed endlessly. There were even some reporters who had already started exining into their cameras that this was her and Lu Jinnian¡¯s home. Chapter 737: Decision (2) Chapter 737: Decision (2) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem So it turned out to be reporters barricading the door... Qiao Anhao immediately pulled her raised hand back. She was the only one in Mian Xiu Garden. If she opened the door, she would definitely be surrounded to death by those savage reporters! The doorbell rang incessantly. It went to the point that the reporters started to shake the iron gate of the courtyard. The sound of banging from the surveince monitor traveled through Qiao Anhao¡¯s ears, scaring her witless. She instinctively took a step back, then ran upstairs. She pushed open the study room door, and heard her phone ring. From the ringtone, she recognized that it was Lu Jinnian calling. - Today, the person Lu Jinnian had a meeting with was Chief Wei of Wei Enterprise, who was mainly responsible for precious gems and pearls and jewelry. Lu Jinnian and Chief Wei had only met once at a dinner party, over twenty days ago. At the time, Huan Ying Entertainment was making preparations for a new TV drama. The drama required a few gems, and so Chief Wei gave him his business card in hopes of a cooperation. For the past few years, Huan Ying Entertainment¡¯s productions have had a set of brands in charge of the essories and clothes, so at first Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t think too much about his words. After he got into the car, he threw his business card into a box and didn¡¯t bother with it. Actually, Chief Wei didn¡¯t think he had a shot at working with Huan Ying Entertainment, when suddenly Lu Jinnian personally called him one nightst week to invite him for tea. At the time, Chief Wei was in Africa, so the two of them scheduled a meeting a weekter. Chief Wei had already caught wind of how swift and decisive Lu Jinnian was and how he never acted unprofessionally. So Chief Wei expected that when he met Lu Jinnian, he would go straight to the fun and breakdown their coboration without waiting for him to reply, and put a contract in front of him. He would give Chief Wei three days to consider the offer, and if he agreed then he¡¯d go and find Lu Jinnian with signed contract. However, Chief Wei never imagined that Lu Jinnian would meet him to leisurely drink tea for two hours, and chat a few words about their private lives and history, but not about a coboration. Then, in the afternoon, Lu Jinnian would treat him to dinner in good spirits and invite him for a round of golf. Chief Wei was a golf enthusiast who was quite the professional. They even yed a friendly match. In the end, Chief Wei won, but he knew that Lu Jinnian had deliberately let him win. Otherwise, he believed that he would have wiped the floor with him. When thepetition ended, Lu Jinnian and Chief Wei sat in the break room. The winter sunshine in the afternoon shone brightly through the ss and onto the table, giving people an evesting feeling of tranquility. The waiter served them two cups of coffee, then smiled, hugged the tray, gave a bow, and left. Lu Jinnian slowly raised his coffee and took a sip. Then, he lifted his wrist and nced over at the time. It was already two in the afternoon, and so he finally started the topic Chief Wei had waited half a day for. "Huan Ying Entertainment¡¯stest drama on production is about a story surrounding theunch of a jewelrypany. I believe Mr. Wei is already aware about it, right?" Lu Jinnian paused for a moment, then said, "Regarding our partnership, I¡¯ve thought of a great proposal. Would Mr. Wei be interested in hearing it?" Chapter 738: Decision(3) Chapter 738: Decision£¨3£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Mr. Wei nodded. "Mr Lu, please." Lu Jinnian took a sip of his coffee, and leisurely, he ced the cup back down on the te with a soft crisp sound . In the quiet lounge area, the sound was unusually sharp. "I would like the main lead¡¯spany to be called Wei Enterprise." Mr. Wei¡¯s eyes brightened instantly. Wei Enterprise... That would be an enticing advertisement for hispany. Lu Jinnian continued, "I would also change the main lead¡¯s surname to Wei." Mr. Wei became visibly excited. With such a background, Wei Enterprise¡¯s name would have a stronger influence on the audience¡¯s mind, and this would definitely be beneficial to Wei Enterprise¡¯s jewelry. This was definitely an enticing condition. But what was the price... "I have noints about the conditions you are offering, but I would like to know, what¡¯s the minimum price you¡¯re asking for? If it¡¯s within the capability of thepany, we can sign the contract now, if not, I would have to discuss this with the board." Lu Jinnian remained silent, raising one finger up. "One billion?" Mr. Wei asked in astonishment, one billion wasn¡¯t a small sum but the conditions that he was offering were indeed enticing... but no one could predict the poprity of the drama, hence this advertisement fee was too much. "Mr. Lu, I understand that Huan Ying Entertainment¡¯s production would definitely garner arge following but we haven¡¯t seen the drama yet so I would only be able to offer fifty million right now. After we have signed the contract, we can add on a use stating that Wei Enterprise would be liable for the additional fifty million if there is a visible increase in the sales. If we both were to work at it, I¡¯m sure the profits would be more than fifty million..." "Mr. Wei, you¡¯re mistaken, I¡¯m not talking about one billion but ten billion," Lu Jinnian interrupted faintly. Mr. Wei trembled, clearly shaken by his words. "Ten billion? How is that possible? I¡¯m afraid..." "I¡¯ll give you ten billion," Lu Jinnian added. Mr. Wei froze, staring at Lu Jinnian incredulously. The coffee in his hands shook, sending burning droplets onto his fingers. The heat from the coffee seemed to have snapped him back to senses, and he smiled. "Mr. Lu, are you kidding?" Lu Jinnian shook his head, staring straight into his eyes. "I¡¯m serious." Mr. Wei froze, staring at Lu Jinnian for a long while before realizing that he was indeed being serious. Confused, he asked, " Mr. Lu, why are you giving me money when you¡¯re already helping me advertise? Won¡¯t this be a disadvantages business on your part?" Lu Jinnian remained impassive. Silently, he retrieved a check from his pocket and pushed it over. Mr. Wei stared at the long string of zeros on the check, he counted carefully and realized that it was indeed ten billion. As a businessman, he knew that there was definitely something up. He hesitated slightly. "Mr. Lu, do you n on taking over Wei Enterprise?" "No." Lu Jinnian shook his head. He picked up his coffee and took another sip before continuing, "But for such an enticing condition, I¡¯m indeed looking for a return." Chapter 739: Decision(4) Chapter 739: Decision£¨4£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Mr. Wei remained silent, waiting patiently for Lu Jinnian to continue. "The return I am looking for is something that Mr. Wei has." Mr. Wei seemed to have thought of something. "Mr. Lu, you mean..." Without waiting for him to finish his sentence, Lu Jinnian nodded. "You¡¯re right, I want Eternal Heart." Eternal Heart is one of the ten top diamonds in the world. Thirty years ago, Mr. Wei¡¯s grandfather bought it for one billion RMB in an auction in Ennd. Ever since, it has been ced in Wei Enterprise. During the years, many people havee forward to ask for the Eternal Heart but not one of them had offered such an astonishing sum as he had. Mr. Wei smiled. " Mr. Lu, you seem like you want it at any cost?" Lu Jinnian remained calm, a decisive glint shing in his distant eyes. "Yea, at any cost!" Regardless of what conditions the other wanted, he was determined to get the Eternal Heart! "Mr. Lu, I¡¯m sure you know that Eternal Heart is not for sale." "If you think the conditions aren¡¯t enough, then let me add on something else." Lu Jinnian retrieved a contract from the folder he carried around and pushed it over. Mr. Wei opened the contract and realized that it was nk, with only Lu Jinnian¡¯s signature at the bottom of the page. Startled, he eximed, "Mr. Lu, you¡¯re giving me an empty contract? Which means I can add on my own conditions?" Lu Jinnian nodded, continuing without hesitation, "Mr. Wei, I¡¯m sure this contract will be enough to move you so why don¡¯t we juste to a conclusion, and as for the conditions, you can take your time to think and I¡¯ll try my best to fulfill them." Mr. Wei stilled, he knew that Lu Jinnian was determined to get the Eternal Heart, but he never expected him to go so far. He sunk into silence for a moment. "Mr. Lu, can you tell me the reasons behind your desire?" Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t try to beat about the bush, in a faint tone that was filled with emotion, he said, "Because my wife likes it." Yes, Qiao Anhao liked it. It was high school when he found out that she liked the Eternal Heart. At that time, the school had organized a dinner, and Qiao Anhao, Qiao Anxia and Xu Jiamu had nned an event, but they were missing an actor hence they approached him. He had never been into these activities, but through it he would be able to practice with her so he agreed. Qiao Anhao was the scriptwriter for the event and she named it "Eternal Heart". In the script, she acted alongside Lu Jinnian. That night, after they had practiced their lines, it started to rain heavily. They both waited inside the ssroom since they didn¡¯t bring their umbres. Lu Jinnian was always a person with few words, especially now that he was with someone who he had loved for so long. She sat at the desk in front of him with a crayon in her hands, doodling. He stared at her back. She had a slender waist that fit perfectly in her uniform, her hair was tied into a high ponytail, the ends lightly brushing against her graceful neck. As she doodled, the sound of the crayon merged with the rain, bringing about a calming atmosphere. Chapter 740: Decision(5) Chapter 740: Decision£¨5£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Lu Jinnian thought for a topic to talk to her. "Eternal heart" was one of the top ten diamonds in the world but it wasn¡¯t the best or the most expensive. At that time, he asked her why she didn¡¯t choose a more well known one such as "Ocean¡¯s Heart" or "Africa¡¯s Heart". She seemed nervous when she heard his voice, and after hesitating for about half a minute, she turned. She didn¡¯t respond immediately, instead, her lips curled into a tender smile that made her look adorable. He had even blushed, hurriedly turning away, only allowing her to see half his face. That¡¯s when he heard her say " I like ¡¯Eternal Heart¡¯." She then added that it was too expensive so it was just a fantasy. At that time, he was still a poor student, but since he knew that she liked it, he went online to search it up. He then soon found out that the sum was too much for him. Now he had married her in a rush, without confessing, dating, proposing, an engagement ceremony, or even a wedding. Even though she had never mentioned anything to him, but how could he allow her to be deprived off something so essential? Besides, after he had contacted Mr. Wei and entered the bedroom, he clearly saw envy and a slight dim in her eyes when she saw a scene where a main lead proposed to a female lead. - "Because my wife likes it." Mr. Wei was left speechless by Lu Jinnian¡¯s simple answer. Because my wife likes it... That meant that he can just spend such arge sum for a diamond? This was indeed a rich man¡¯s world... Mr. Wei flipped the empty document before pushing it back to Lu Jinnian. Lu Jinnian frowned. "You are not satisfied?" "No." Mr. Wei picked the check from the table. "I think this is enough, as for the additional conditions, I don¡¯t need them." Lu Jinnian indeed had a talent for negotiation, even though he always kept a low profile, Mr. Wei was aware that he had close ties with people from Hollywood. Rather than ending their ties on a deal, Mr. Wei would much rather have a friend like Lu Jinnian by his side which could be useful in sending Wei Enterprise to a global scale. A good businessman would always think further. Mr. Wei nced at Lu Jinnian, who was sitting gracefully in front or him. "I¡¯ll sell the "Eternal Heart" to you, if you¡¯re free now, you can head over to Wei mansion with me to get it." The unexpectedpliance seemed to have caught Lu Jinnian off guard, but he quickly understood Mr. Wei¡¯s intentions. He was clearly trying to sell a favor to deepen their cooperation. Lu Jinnian never liked taking favors but he agreed, signaling to a waiter for the bill. After they left the golf course and prepared to enter the car, Lu Jinnian¡¯s phone rang, it was a call from his assistant. He excused himself before walking a distance to answer. "Mr. Lu, there¡¯s trouble! Miss Qiao¡¯s past marriage with Mr. Xu has been exposed, the entire web is in a frenzy. Someone has even exposed the location of your house, Mian Xiu Garden is now flooded with reporters." Chapter 741: Xu Jiamus Decision (1) Chapter 741: Xu Jiamu¡¯s Decision (1) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Lu Jinnian tightly furrowed his brows at the thought of Qiao Anhao alone in the vi at Mian Xiu Garden. After working in the entertainment industry for so many years, he fully understood just how crazy the reporters could get. He didn¡¯t wait for his assistant to exin every detail of what happened before saying in lightning speed, "Got it, I¡¯m on my way back right now." With that, he hung up and looked over at Chief Wei. He pulled open the car door. "Apologies, Mr. Wei. I have some urgent matters to attend to which require me to step away for a moment. I¡¯lle back for ¡¯Eternal Heart¡¯." Seeing as Lu Jinnian got off the phone with a rushed expression, Chief Wei wanted to offer him a few words, but in the end, the man had already gotten into the car. With a "Pa!", he mmed the car door shut hard. The car window scrolled down and Lu Jinnian very politely and majestically said "Goodbye". Then he brutally stepped on the elerator. Not long after, the car jumped and he sped out of sight. Lu Jinnian ceaselessly stepped on the elerator with one hand on the steering wheel and the other on his phone. He tapped onto Weibo. With his mind on the road ahead, he stared at the headlines to find the earth-shattering reality of the entire inte practically cursing Qiao Anhao. His lips twitched, and he hastily dialed her. After it rang for a long time without anyone picking it up, Lu Jinnian grew anxious. Just as he was ready to hang up and call the home phone, Qiao Anhao finally picked up the call. Her voice sounded soft, as though she was in shock. "Lu Jinnian, there are loads of reporters outside our house." Lu Jinnian looked straight at the road ahead and used his calmest tone of voice to say, "I¡¯m on my way home. I¡¯ll call the property management in a minute to drive the reporters away. Before I get there, no matter what, do not go outside and remember to shut all the windows..." He gave detailed instructions for Qiao Anhao to pay attention to, then hung up. With both hands on the steering wheel, he sped even harder. - After Qiao Anhao finished her call, she purposefully ran down to check the doors and windows. When she confirmed that they were all locked, she then nced over at the floor-to-ceiling windows to see that there were more reporters than before. This was a scene she had seen before on TV and in entertainment news magazines. In the past, she had also heard of reporters barricading quite a few celebrity homes for days after a scandal broke out. She had never imagined though that there would be a day when this would ever happen to her. After looking for quite some time, she went upstairs. Just now, because someone had pressed the doorbell, she only looked at the news reports, but she never saw the responses from people online. From how crazy the reporters were acting, she had an inkling that the inte discussions must be even more unbearable. Rationality told her that what the eye doesn¡¯t see, the heart doesn¡¯t grieve over. However, her emotional side couldn¡¯t help but take a seat in front of theputer. People online were certain that she had yed both guys; during her marriage with Xu Jiamu, she was fooling around with Lu Jinnian, seducing both brothers. They said that her innocent face had done the worst thing on earth. It was so bad, some people directly called her a bitch, a whore... All in all, the words were as nasty as nasty could get. Chapter 742: Xu Jiamus Decision (2) Chapter 742: Xu Jiamu¡¯s Decision (2) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Eventually, everyone named her Pan Jinlian 1 . They said she was his modern version. When she woke this morning, she wasplimented byizens for her rendition of "So What" duringst night¡¯s Hollywood casting selection. So much so, thatizens voted her out as number one. In eight short hours, her name was in tatters. She¡¯d be the representative for despised, fickle women. Qiao Anhao knew that this time the scandal was far more serious than when she was called out for pestering Lu Jinnian and being named a man-chaser. There was a high possibility that because of this she would probably never get any moremercial deals or movies. Every time someone thought of her, they would probably call her easy to get. Most importantly, this would also drag Lu Jinnian down. Because ording toizens, she was fooling around whilst married, so Lu Jinnian was the third wheel. In an instant, the Lu Qiao couple had be the trash guy and cheap woman. However, Lu Jinnian¡¯s fans were too strong. At this moment, everyone thought about ways to protect their revered dream guy, and so discussions created to curse Lu Jinnian quickly turned to discussions to save him. Some fans who were overly in love with him inevitably focused their anger on Qiao Anhao. They thought that she was dragging their idol down, and so ceaselessly leftments on her Weibo: [You¡¯re not worthy of my husband] ,[Please leave our dream guy alone], [We won¡¯t allow you to trample all over the man we deeply love]. These type of messages were also sent privately to Qiao Anhao. There were also some Lu Jinnian¡¯s fans who wrote lengthy discussions pleading for her to leave and stop ruining him like this. One of Lu Jinnian¡¯s fan posted the line, [It¡¯s you every time. You taint our god! Please leave our dream guy.] on Weibo and umted millions of likes. Actually, it was just the innocent thoughts of a fan, but they pierced Qiao Anhao¡¯s eyes. The fan wasn¡¯t wrong. Since Lu Jinnian broke into the industry ten long and glorious years ago to now, he had never had anyone expose such terrible news about him. With every step she took to get to today¡¯s sess, he was attacked several times. The biggest time wasst year when everyone tried to say she smoked drugs and he used the truth about him being an illegitimate son to cover up the scandal. Qiao Anhao shut theputer in a somber mood. Sheid on theputer desk with her eyes shut and a heart washed over by a tide of guilt and pain for carrying him down with her. In many people¡¯s eyes, Lu Jinnian was the perfect god, but she had to drag him down to the dirt and sully his name. She loved him, but she brought upon him so many disasters. At that thought, Qiao Anhao¡¯s eyes started to water a little. Through the window, she could still hear the faint sound of chattering from the reporters outside and the endless ringing from the doorbell. - Lu Jinnian must of called the property management to action. After an hour, the reporters outside the courtyard were all ushered away by the security. The whole world fell silent. Qiao Anhao let out a sigh of relief, stood up, and then walked over to the window. She saw that it waspletely empty outside the gates. All that was left were some leftover rubbish on the ground. Lu Jinnian was rushing home from the golf course in the western suburbs, so he wasn¡¯t going to be home for over half an hour. Now that the scandal had be so big, it wouldn¡¯t be easy to go out at night anymore. To stop herself from thinking about the things online, Qiao Anhao went downstairs to cook dinner. Chapter 743: Xu Jiamus Decision (3) Chapter 743: Xu Jiamu¡¯s Decision (3) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Just as Qiao Anhao walked into the dining room, before she could open the fridge, she heard the doorbell ring. She got so used to ignoring the incessant ringing just now, that only after a while did she remember that the reporters had been ushered away by the property management. After shutting the fridge door, she walked over to the entrance and nced over at the security monitor. There, she saw someone dressed in a delivery person¡¯s uniform, wearing a baseball cap, so Qiao Anhao pressed the speak button. A voice came from the monitor, "Delivery." Qiao Anhao had actually bought some things online a few days ago, and the delivery person was all on their own, so she opened the door and stepped out. She walked along the long courtyard of pebbles, pulled the door gate open, and casually reached her arm out to take her package. Suddenly, a surge of several people came from behind the wall beside her. Microphones were shoved in front of her face and lights shed endlessly in front of her face. The reporters also questioned her without stop. "Miss Qiao Anhao, are the photos online real?" "Miss Qiao Anhao, did Mr. Xu Jiamu divorce you because you and Mr. Lu Jinnian betrayed him?" Qiao Anhao was about to take two steps back and reach her arm out to shut the door when those reporters rushed past the iron gates, one step ahead of her. She was surrounded, with microphones practically stuck to her face. "Miss Qiao Anhao, we all know that Mr. Lu Jinnian and Mr. Xu Jiamu are stepbrothers on their father¡¯s side. I want to ask you, out of the two of them, who do you love most?" Qiao Anhao was so suffocated by the crowd of reporters, she couldn¡¯t quite make out what they were saying. With all her strength, she tried to break free from the mass of reporters, but because it was so chaotic, someone ended up tripping her over. Without any warning at all, she stumbled to the ground. Not one of the reporters went over to help her up. Instead, they frantically took photos of her embarrassing position on the floor. Qiao Anhao instinctively raised her arm to cover her face while hearing ceaseless questions being asked by the reporters. "Miss Qiao Anhao, did Mr. Lu Jinnian and Mr. Xu Jiamu¡¯s rtionship break down because of you?" "Miss Qiao Anhao..." Just as the scene reached its most uncontroble point, a reporter suddenly shrieked. "Who dragged me so hard?" Closely following this, someone crouched down at Qiao Anhao¡¯s side and reached their arm out to pull her up from the ground. They hugged her shoulders and asked, "Qiao Qiao, are you alright?" Qiao Anhao shook her head, still in a state of shock. She turned her head to find Xu Jiamu¡¯s furious face. "Ah, isn¡¯t this the CEO of Xu Enterprise, Mr. Xu Jiamu?" With that reminder, the reporters immediately grew interested. They raised the microphone and flocked over to Xu Jiamu and Qiao Anhao. "Mr. Xu Jiamu, how are you suddenly here?" "Mr. Xu Jiamu, is this to say that you still love your ex-wife, Miss Qiao Anhao?" "Mr. Xu Jiamu, after Qiao Anhao betrayed you, do you not bear any grudges against her?" Without thinking twice, Xu Jiamu didn¡¯t bother with the reporter¡¯s questions, and walked Qiao Anhao into the house with her protected in his arms. Chapter 744: Xu Jiamus Decision (4) Chapter 744: Xu Jiamu¡¯s Decision (4) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem The reporters would not stop pestering them. As the crowd followed them, they continued to ask questions. With the same impassive attitude, Xu Jiamu embraced Qiao Anhao¡¯s shoulder and hastened his pace whilst protecting her from falling over in the tight squeeze. When they were about to reach the center of the courtyard, the reporters, following right beside Qiao Anhao and Xu Jiamu, suddenly barged forward, creating a domino effect of people falling forward. One of the reporters staggered from the sheer force from behind, which resulted in him loosening his hand that supported the camera on his shoulder. The camera slipped forward, surging right towards Qiao Anhao¡¯s shoulder. Xu Jiamu, who was stood beside her, was first to see what happened from the corner of his eyes. He subconsciously let out the word "Careful!". Then, he raised his arm and covered Qiao Anhao¡¯s shoulder. The camera smashed onto Xu Jiamu¡¯s arm, then fell hard to the ground, the lens shattering. The camera was extremely heavy, so the immediate pain as it crashed into Xu Jiamu¡¯s arm had stopped him in his tracks. He held that blocking position for a whole minute, before gritting his teeth and dropping his arm. Qiao Anhao and Xu Jiamu were surrounded once again by the reporters. They came flocking with questions once more. Xu Jiamu endured the pain in his arm, and brushed the reporters blocking the way in front of him. He dragged Qiao Anhao back to his side to protect her, and pushing the reporters in front of him aside, he continued to rush into the vi. Having seen Xu Jiamu protect Qiao Anhao like that time and time again, the reporters couldn¡¯t help but raise a microphone in front of her. "Miss Qiao Anhao, you¡¯re already divorced with Xu Jiamu, why does he treat you so well? Do you and Mr. Xu Jiamu secretly have some kind of shady rtionship right now? Which goes to say, are you still lingering around both men, and ying with their feelings?" Xu Jiamu was already annoyed with those pestering reporters. Now, hearing them say such nonsense, he suddenly erupted in rage. He didn¡¯t hesitate to grab the reporter¡¯s microphone and throw it brutally to the ground. "What the f*ck did you just say? With which eye did you see us having a shady rtionship?" With an angry roar, he erupted in a slew of swear words. Xu Jiamu¡¯s reaction was so intense, it shocked the reporters into a momentary silence. No one could say who it was, but someone in the crowd abruptly cried, "How could you hit someone?" With those words, the reporters slowly snapped back to their senses, and grew increasingly more erratic. "Yeah, how can you just casually shout at people?" "Even if you¡¯re mad from being embarrassed, you can¡¯t hit people!" "Please apologize to us." "Who the f*ck hit anyone? Who did I hit?" Xu Jiamu felt that the reporters were being unreasonable. He looked to his left and right with a red face full of anger, then realized that in the midst of the chaos, the reporters had charged their way into Lu Jinnian¡¯s courtyard. Suddenly, without thinking twice about it, he pulled out his phone and made a call. "Hello, is this 110? I¡¯m at Second Ring Road, Mian Xiu Garden, Unit 106. There are people trespassing on private property." As Xu Jiamu said this, the reporters realized just where they were. Xu Jiamu put his phone away and said in the same outraged tone, "Go ahead and cause trouble. I¡¯ve already called the police." Chapter 745: Xu Jiamus Decision (5) Chapter 745: Xu Jiamu¡¯s Decision (5) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Xu Jiamu put his phone away and said in the same outraged tone, "Go ahead and cause trouble. I¡¯ve already called the police." The reporters cowered from Xu Jiamu¡¯s roar, and they clearly slowed down their rushed footsteps. Taking advantage of this, Xu Jiamu dragged on Qiao Anhao¡¯s wrist and rushed into the house and viciously threw the door shut. - Because of all themotion in the courtyard just now, Xu Jiamu didn¡¯t think too much about it, but now that it was just the two of them in the room, he suddenly thought back to the night of the charity g. The thought of it instantly made him feel so ashamed that he couldn¡¯t quite face his friend. Qiao Anhao stood at the door, still in a state of shock. She took two deep breaths before she could calm down. As she took a nce over at Xu Jiamu beside her, she said, "Brother Jiamu, thank you." Those words "Brother Jiamu" made Xu Jiamu feel increasingly more guilty. Not daring to look into her eyes, he lowered his head and gave a nod. Qiao Anhao bent over and helped him grab a pair of slippers from the shoe cab. "Come in and sit for a while. The reporters outside haven¡¯t left yet." Then, she turned around and walked into the house. Only then did Xu Jiamu rx his tensed up body and leaned against the door. He looked like he was in a daze. Qiao Anhao came out of the kitchen with two cups of water. When she saw Xu Jiamu still nkly standing at the door, she called, "Brother Jiamu?" Xu Jiamu snapped back to reality with a little dy, and nced over at Qiao Anhao. When his eyes met her pitch-ck yet clear line of sight, he immediately turned his head away. He slowly changed his shoes and stepped into the house. "Sit." Qiao Anhao pointed at the sofa. Xu Jiamu said "Thanks" in a low voice, and took a seat. Qiao Anhao put a cup of water in front of him. He said "Thanks" again in a slightly hard to understand voice. With that, his eyes gazed directly at the cup of water. After a long silence, he spoke up. "I saw the news online that you two got married. Is it true?" "Uh huh," Qiao Anhao. gently responded Xu Jiamu instinctively wanted to ask "My brother... is he alright?", but when he opened his mouth, the words got caught in his throat. In the end, he focused on his cup of water and lowered his head. The room fell silent again, but this time Qiao Anhao was the first to speak. "Brother Jiamu, there weren¡¯t many people who knew that we were married, how did news of it break out?" Xu Jiamu suddenly tightened the grip on his cup. "Also, Brother Jiamu, that photo of Lu Jinnian and I having dinner together... only both our families have it. How did it get leaked online?" Qiao Anhao¡¯s voice was clearly just as innocent and soft as before, but Xu Jiamu felt like her two questions were like two ruthless ps to his face. He found out about the news half an hour ago from Song Xiangsi. The moment he saw it, he was in aplete daze. In his heart, he knew who was behind this. Coincidentally, he was staying at Mian Xiu Gardenst night, and because he felt so down about the news, he went out to the balcony for a smoke. That¡¯s when he saw Qiao Anhao open the gates and get surrounded by reporters. Without a second thought, he put out the cigarette, ran down, jumped over the fence between their vis, and rushed over. Chapter 746: Xu Jiamus Decision (6) Chapter 746: Xu Jiamu¡¯s Decision (6) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Now that Qiao Anhao asked him, how could the photos have been leaked online when there were so few people who knew about them? How should he respond to that? That night at the charity g, the truth about his mother killing her child was already made clear. Now that this happened, it was clear who did it. Yet, he didn¡¯t know how to tell her... that it was probably his mother¡¯s doing. Xu Jiamu subconsciously wanted to change the topic. Then he remembered that he had helped Qiao Anhao up from her fall and asked, "Qiao Qiao, where are you hurt?" As he said this, he raised his head and saw that her arm was grazed and bleeding. He hurriedly put his cup down, stood up, and took out the first aid kit from underneath the coffee table. "You¡¯re hurt. Let me take care of the wound." Qiao Anhao had known that Han Ruchu would never leave the matter at that. She would definitely do something. But she never imagined that it would alle so quickly. Even if Han Ruchu wanted to ruin her reputation, she could forget about being able to calmly watch her suffer in agony. Qiao Anhao knew that she was too harsh. Xu Jiamu had just thoughtlesslye to help her with no concern for his own personal safety, and yet she was now using him to attack Han Ruchu. But then again, she had no other options. Han Ruchu used Lu Jinnian¡¯s weakness to defeat him, so all she could do was do the very same; use the woman¡¯s weakness to retaliate. Qiao Anhao silently stared at Xu Jiamu taking a cotton bud from the first aid kit with lowered brows. She was conflicted for a moment but finally opened her mouth to say, "Brother Jiamu, you obviously knew that the only reason why I agreed to your mother¡¯s suggestion was because you¡¯re my friend. At the time, you got into a car ident and fell unconscious, so I wanted to help you." Xu Jiamu suddenly stopped moving with the iodine in his hands. That¡¯s right. At first Qiao Qiao wanted to help him, but her kindness ended up bing her downfall. "But, Brother Jiamu, I really didn¡¯t think things would turn out like this..." With those words, her eyes became a little wet and a single tear rolled down from the corner of her eyes. "Brother Jiamu, did you know? Everyone online is shouting at me. I¡¯m finished. For the rest of my life, I¡¯m finished... At first it was to help you, but in the end I ruined the rest of my life. Not only did I ruin mine, but I also dragged Lu Jinnian down..." Qiao Anhao was just venting to Xu Jiamu... but Xu Jiamu felt like she waspletely ming him, making him unable to lift his head up in front of her. He tightly clutched onto the iodine with enormous strength, and finally opened his mouth to say, "Sorry." "Brother Jiamu, what are you apologizing for? You didn¡¯t do anything wrong." At that very moment, Xu Jiamu really hoped that she would stand up, rant at him in rage, get mad at him for having such a mother, and call him an ingrate. He felt like that would make him feel better somehow. He clearly knew that the word "Sorry" was so nd and useless inparison to the colossal disturbance Qiao Anhao and Lu Jinnian now had to face. But as he thought about it, all he could do was say that word. "Sorry, Qiao Qiao. I¡¯m so sorry. Sorry." Then, at that moment, the door burst open. Lu Jinnian¡¯s cold voice had a hint of anxiousness when he called, "Qiao Qiao?" Chapter 747: Xu Jiamus Decision (7) Chapter 747: Xu Jiamu¡¯s Decision (7) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem The moment Xu Jiamu heard that voice, his entire body trembled. He distinctly heard the sound of Lu Jinnian¡¯s voice behind him draw closer, then stop on the spot. He figured Lu Jinnian must¡¯ve seen him by now. Xu Jiamu was crouched down in front of the coffee table with his back towards the entrance. He didn¡¯t dare turn his head to nce at the person behind him. Lu Jinnian¡¯s face looked distinctly anxious, but he was seemingly frozen the very instant he saw Xu Jiamu. As he stared at his back for quite a long time, he then turned his line of sight down to Qiao Anhao. His lips moved but he didn¡¯t say a word. This was the first time the two brothers saw each other since Lu Jinnian acquired Xu Enterprise. Qiao Anhao clearly felt that the atmosphere in the room was a little off. She put the cup in her hands down and stood up. "I was stopped by reporters just now. It was Brother Jiamu who helped me." Lu Jinnian slightly nodded, but didn¡¯t say a word. The house slipped into silence. Qiao Anhao stared at Lu Jinnian, and then at Xu Jiamu. "How about you both sit down?" "That¡¯s alright," said Xu Jiamu, as though he¡¯d snapped back to reality. He pulled a smile and looked over at Qiao Anhao. "There¡¯s no reason for me to stick around, so I¡¯ll be off." As he said this, he put the iodine in his hands down on the table. Without turning around to see Lu Jinnian, he spoke again. "Qiao Qiao fell over just now." Even though Xu Jiamu didn¡¯t say his name, but the people in the room knew who he was talking to Lu Jinnian stood on the spot for a long while with a calm expression and let out an "uh huh". Xu Jiamu didn¡¯t speak again, but stood up from his crouched position. As he got up, he furrowed his brows and felt the immense pain in his arm where the camera had crashed into it. Without a single grunt, he acted as though it was nothing, then said "Goodbye." Before Lu Jinnian said anything, Qiao Anhao opened her mouth to say, "Goodbye." Xu Jiamu turned around and walked right out the door. When he walked past Lu Jinnian¡¯s side, he wanted to raise his head to nce over at him, but in the end, his footsteps never stopped, and he sped out of the vi. After Xu Jiamu left, the room was silent for a whole minute before Lu Jinnian suddenly strode over to Qiao Anhao. "Are you alright? Qiao Qiao?" As he said this, he scanned Qiao Anhao up and down to find that she had grazed her palms. He furrowed his brows, then helped her take a seat. He picked up the cotton bud and iodine Xu Jiamu had put on the table, and helped Qiao Anhao clean the wound. "Didn¡¯t I tell you you not to go outside? Why didn¡¯t you listen and still went out there?" "The reporters left. Then a delivery came to the door, which is why I went out. I never imagined that the delivery person was a reporter in disguise. As soon as I opened the door, reporters came rushing in and surrounded me." "Apart from the graze on your wrist, are you hurt anywhere else?" "Nope," said Qiao Anhao in a delicately sweet voice, then burrowed herself into Lu Jinnian¡¯s arms. He reached his arm out to hug her, then lowered his head and kissed her hair. With a slight hesitation, he asked, "What about Jiamu? Why was he here?" "I don¡¯t know either... I was squashed between the reporters on the floor. They surrounded me and no matter how I tried, I couldn¡¯t get up. Then Brother Jiamu appeared..." Chapter 748: Xu Jiamus Decision (8) Chapter 748: Xu Jiamu¡¯s Decision (8) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Qiao Anhao paused for a moment and made a guess. "Brother Jiamu probably saw what happened from the courtyard next door and rushed over here." So that¡¯s what happened... Lu Jinnian assumed that because she liked Xu Jiamu in the past, she naturally turned to him for help in a dire situation. It seemed like he was too nervous and over-thought things. "This time, it¡¯s all thanks to Jiamu." Qiao Anhao didn¡¯t notice how strange it was for Lu Jinnian to question her about what happened. She nestled herself into his arms, and obediently nodded her head. - When Xu Jiamu returned to his vi, he didn¡¯t even enter the house. Instead, he got straight into the car, started the engine up, and left. There were quite a few cars on the road, so his car stopped frequently en route. In the end, he turned into the neighborhood of the Xu family estate. Just as he turned into the road of his house, Xu Jiamu saw the housekeeper in the courtyard sending a person out. He didn¡¯t know what they were saying, but in the end, he saw the housekeeper hand that person an envelope. As he was quite a distance away, Xu Jiamu couldn¡¯t quite make out what it was. But whatever it was, that person seemed delighted. He wasn¡¯t sure what he said to the housekeeper, but the man then walked in the direction of this car when finished. The housekeeper stood at the gate for a while before heading back into the courtyard. Xu Jiamu instinctively slowed the car down, paying close attention to the person with the envelope. The person looked quite familiar to him, as if he he¡¯d seen him somewhere before, but he couldn¡¯t quite remember. The person walked up to a tree by the road, and stopped under it with his back against the road. He opened the envelope. Xu Jiamu was slightly closer to the stranger now, and he clearly saw him take out a thick wad of cash and swiftly count the notes. What did this person do? Why did the housekeeper give him so much money? With a heart filled with suspicion, Xu Jiamu parked the car and stared at the person counting cash for a while. The longer he stared, the more certain he was that he¡¯d seen him before. After thinking back carefully about it for a long while, he thought back to the delivery man he¡¯d seen just then at Lu Jinnian¡¯s vi. Xu Jiamu furrowed his brows in sudden realization... He was the guy dressed as the delivery man! In that instant, Xu Jiamu pushed open the car door in a rage and rushed over to him. "Why did Auntie Yun give you money?" The person sheepishly counting his money jumped in shock from Xu Jiamu¡¯s sudden move. When he heard what was said, he realized that the person before him was no other than the young master Xu. Xu Jiamu¡¯s patience was extremely awful. Seeing the man take so long to speak up, he suddenly snatched the envelope from his hands, took out a lighter and aimed it at the thick wad of cash. "You going to talk? If you don¡¯t talk, believe me I¡¯ll take all this money now and burn it for you!" "Young master Xu, Auntie Yun called me over to fix something in the house..." Xu Jiamu wasn¡¯t having it. With a flick of the lighter, the me jumped out, immediately scaring the guy to change his tone. "I¡¯ll talk! I¡¯ll talk!! Young master Xu, Madam Xu gave me the money." With that, Xu Jiamu loosened his grip of the lighter. He looked at the guy, as though he was was waiting for him to continue. Chapter 749: Xu Jiamus Decision (9) Chapter 749: Xu Jiamu¡¯s Decision (9) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem With that, Xu Jiamu loosened his grip of the lighter. He looked at the guy, as though he was was waiting for him to continue. The guy stared at the wad of cash in Xu Jiamu¡¯s hands and hesitated for quite a long time. Without so much as an utter of a word, Xu Jiamu flicked the lighter again, which promptly made the man speak up. "Young master Xu, no matter what, please don¡¯t make any sudden moves. I earned that money for gathering a bunch of reporters to Mian Xiu Garden and tricking Miss Qiao on Madam Xu¡¯s request..." Xu Jiamu halted. His face instantly froze over. "And then?" The guy said just two words, "That¡¯s all...". Without batting an eyelid, Xu Jiamu pulled out a single red note, flicked the lighter, and set it alight. The guy shrieked "No!" with a regretful expression. The burning note fell from Xu Jiamu¡¯s hands and instantly turned to ashes as it fluttered to the ground. Xu Jiamu didn¡¯t even give the guy a chance to react before pulling out more money. This time, it wasn¡¯t just one note but a thin wad. At that moment, the guy couldn¡¯t care anymore, andid it all out without a second thought. "Madam Xu had me leak Miss Qiao¡¯s home address. Just as Miss Qiao was surrounded by reporters, Madam Xu wanted me to take that chance to trip her up. Then, in the midst of the chaos, she asked me to crush her with the camera. The camera is so heavy, it alone would definitely crush Miss Qiao half to death... Madam Xu said that after it was done, she¡¯d give me fifty million as a reward, but in the end, you, young master Xu appeared, so I ended up with just this much. Please... I beg you give it to me..." "So you tripped Qiao Qiao? When the reporters chased us down, the only reason why everyone pushed forward was because you did it?" Xu Jiamu¡¯s gaze instantly reached a freezing point. The guy was so frightened by Xu Jiamu¡¯s expression, he backed up against the tree. With a trembling voice, he said, "Young master Xu, it wasn¡¯t me. It was Madam Xu... Madam Xu¡¯s idea... I recently lost money to gambling and have been hounded down like crazy by some people. Auntie Yun and I are from the same hometown, so she came to find me. Fifty million... I¡¯ve never seen that kind of money in my whole life, so I agreed to do it. Young master Xu, I won¡¯t ever dare to do such a thing again. I really didn¡¯t want to do those kind of things. I was just listening to Madam Xu and Auntie Yun¡¯s orders..." "After taking their orders, you could do those things? Fifty million? Fifty million is what it takes for you to kill someone? Do you fucking know that this is illegal? If I hadn¡¯t seen you this afternoon, and you really crushed someone to death in that chaos. It¡¯s not just the two of them, but you too! All of you would have to go to prison... to prison! Do you understand?!" Xu Jiamu boiled with a demonic rage from his anger, making the guy¡¯s legs start to tremble in fear. But just as Xu Jiamu wasn¡¯t paying attention, the man didn¡¯t think twice and grabbed for the envelope in his hands. Some money scattered to the ground. The guy bent over and frantically picked up a few notes. As though he was afraid Xu Jiamu would chase him down, he eventually legged it like he was running for his life. Xu Jiamu didn¡¯t chase him down. Instead, he awkwardly stood on the spot for quite some time, then raised his hand and rubbed his face. He thought... His mother was just upset, so she leaked the information. He even had a slither of hope to go home and try to convince her to let go. Chapter 750: Xu Jiamus Decision (10) Chapter 750: Xu Jiamu¡¯s Decision (10) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem But now, Xu Jiamu knew. Because of the things his mother had done in the past, the two of them were now at such an arctic stage, and yet she still had no intention of backing down a little bit. So much so, she was just as vicious and merciless as before. With every move, she tried to take someone¡¯s life. Xu Jiamu staggered back two steps and leaned against the fence of the vi. The branches from the roses that grew over the wall pricked him in the neck, but he stood there as though he didn¡¯t feel a thing. So in the afternoon... someone deliberately tripped Qiao Qiao up whilst she was surrounded by reporters. So in the afternoon... someone deliberately arranged for the camera to fall... the same camera he swiftly pulled his arm forward to keep off. If he hadn¡¯t been there this afternoon at Mian Xiu garden and seen Qiao Qiao, perhaps, Qiao Qiao would end up in a hospital in aa, just as she did when she fell down the stairsst year on Chinese Valentine¡¯s day. ident... Some incidents appear as though they¡¯re idents, but who would of figured that behind the curtain, they were really one attempt of murder after the other. Xu Jiamu didn¡¯t know just how long he stayed there in a daze, but he didn¡¯t snap back to reality until someone pulled onto the sleeve of his shirt. He lowered his head and saw a five or six year old boy with a wad of notes in his hand. The boy raised his head and blinked when he looked at Xu Jiamu. "Uncle? Is this your money? I¡¯ve helped you pick it up! Returning it to you." Xu Jiamu said in a muffled voice, "Thank you". Then he raised his hand and stroked the boy¡¯s head, but he didn¡¯t take the money. Instead, he feebly walked towards his car. When he got inside it, he saw the little boy with the money walk over to another boy. The other boy was about the same age and hade out from another courtyard, crying. "Brother, I picked up money. Here, this is for you." When Xu Jiamu saw this, it was like he¡¯d suffered a shock to the system. His entire body trembled. Je stepped on the elerator, but he didn¡¯t go back to the Xu family estate. He turned the car around and sped off. As he held onto the steering wheel with his eyes on the road ahead, he remembered back when he was young and had picked up a wallet. He didn¡¯t hand it to the teacher, nor did he give it to the policemen, but instead, just like the little boy, he cheerfully handed it to Lu Jinnian. Lu Jinnian had asked him where he got it from, so Xu Jiamu took him back to where he found it. They waited until it was dark, until the owner came back for it. He and Lu Jinnian weren¡¯t the same. He was pampered since he was young. At the time, he waspletely weak from hunger and refused to walk. In the end, Lu Jinnian had to carry him on his back. They got on a bus, and he took him back to the Xu family estate. Xu Jiamu drove to Su Yuan Apartments. Song Xiangsi was watching TV. When he opened the door, the sound of singing came ring out. Song Xiangsi could tell that Xu Jiamu didn¡¯t look so well. She didn¡¯t ask him what he was doing here as she did before, but went straight up to the door, grabbed him a pair of slippers, and made way. When he entered, she poured him a cup of water and handed it over. She looked out the window to see that it was already dark out, and asked, "Have you eaten?" Xu Jiamu shook his head, and drank a sip of water, then handed her the cup back. He pointed to the bedroom and walked in there on his own first. Song Xiangsi stood still and stared at the door Xu Jiamu had closed for a while. Eventually, she let out a sigh, put the cup down, and walked towards the bedroom. Even after he told her that he absolutely wouldn¡¯t marry her, causing her to break off their rtionship, he was, after all was said and done... the man she was in-love with. Chapter 751: Xu Jiamus Decision(11) Chapter 751: Xu Jiamu¡¯s Decision£¨11£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem A couple days ago when Xu Jiamu appeared in by Song Xiangsi¡¯s home, it was clear to her that they would never have a happy ending. She had given him seven years of her youth, the most beautiful years of her life had been dedicated to him, and she wasn¡¯t about to let herself waste anymore of her time. But despite how rational she was, when he held onto her tightly, the tears streaming onto her neck, she felt a hard to exin helplessness. When he weakly pleaded for her to apany him for a while, just a little while, all her logic copsed, surrendering to him once more. She wasn¡¯t sure if this time, their rtionship would end in bliss or tragedy. But it was clear that she still cared about him. Song Xiangsi pushed open the door lightly. Xu Jiamu was sitting on the sofa, staring at his phone intently, seemingly in a daze. In front of him was a stack of papers. He seemed to have sensed her presence, reaching towards the paper in front of him, he stuffed it into his pocket before turning around to look at her wordlessly. Song Xiangsi sat beside him, ncing at his phone screen - Qiao Anhao¡¯s weibo was there, a bunch of insults in thement section of her post. "Stop looking at those, you can¡¯t trust whatever is on the inte." Xu Jiamu remained silent, nodding his head lightly. He tossed his phone to the side of the coffee table before slouching on the back of the sofa. He had removed his jacket, and was only wearing a simple blue shirt. He had rolled the sleeves up high to his elbow since the temperature on in the room was a little high. Song Xiangsi nced over, spotting an rming bruise on his arm. She frowned, instantly reaching over to grab his arm. "What¡¯s this? How did you get bruised so badly? Have you seen a doctor?" Xu Jiamu took a sharp intake of breath when she touched his wound, and she hurriedly loosened her grip. With a shaky voice, he exined, "I¡¯m fine, I was just hit by a video camera, I don¡¯t need to see a doctor." "It looks serious, the area is dark purple, isn¡¯t that bad enough?" shemented. Standing, she headed to a cab to grab a first aid kit before sitting beside him once more. "Let me apply some medicine." Xu Jiamu allowed her to tend to his wound. "Hmm." As she applied medicine, she couldn¡¯t help nagging, "But if you got hit by a camera, why didn¡¯t you getpensation from him? "Xu Jiamu, if it gets worst tomorrow, you must go to the hospital. What if your bone got hurt?" "Video cameras are so heavy, they shouldn¡¯t use it if they can¡¯t carry them! This is such a dangerous world, you should be d that it hit your arm and not your head, if might have caused a concussion!" Xu Jiamu froze at thest part of her sentence. "What¡¯s wrong? Does it hurt? I¡¯ll try to be softer, endure a little more..." "Xiangsi," he called out in a solemn tone. "Hmm?" In a loud voice, she added, "What¡¯s wrong?" "Qiao Qiao and my brother... What¡¯s the worst oue for them?" Chapter 752: Xu Jiamus Decision(12) Chapter 752: Xu Jiamu¡¯s Decision£¨12£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Song Xiangsi rolled her eyes as though Xu Jiamu had just asked a dumb question. "The entire country is calling Qiao Anhao a slut, don¡¯t you think it¡¯s bad enough?" Xu Jiamu paled. Song Xiangsi realized that she might have been too blunt, so quickly she added, "Are you sure you want to know?" Xu Jiamu nodded. She hesitated slightly before continuing in a gravely voice, " Let me put it simply, Qiao Qiao had an affair during her marriage, this means that her reputation is ruined for life. She probably won¡¯t be able to continue her career as an artist and will be insulted and gossiped about. But this is just the pressure on the outside, her career woulde to a standstill, no one would approach her for endorsements or films. Isn¡¯t she participating in apetition for the female lead role in a Hollywood film? There was initially a good response and a lot of potential for her, but after the scandal, I doubt that will work out. "As for your brother, Lu Jinnian... He would be slightly better than Qiao Qiao, but for the rest of his life, he would be living under the shadow of a third party, just like his mother. "The scandal has escted to the point that no public exnation or any amount of PR would be able salvage it. Besides, no one would believe them if they were to stand out and say that they were acting as a fake couple and that Lu Jinnian was acting as you." Song Xiangsi shook her head before adding solemnly, "I wonder who was able to obtain such an insider news. The person didn¡¯t use it to threaten Lu Jinnian but instead exposed the news, it¡¯s the best way to ruin their lives..." Xu Jiamu¡¯s throat tightened. He held up his hand, indicating for her to stop before standing. "I¡¯m tired, I¡¯ll go rest." Without waiting for her to react, he climbed into the bed, yanking the nket over his head. Song Xiangsi had wanted to say more but when she nced over at him, she swallowed her words before leaving the room silently. - Qiao Anhao curled up in Lu Jinnian¡¯s arms. He promised her that he would think of a way to appease the situation, and so she nodded her headpliantly. "I believe you." She truly believed that Lu Jinnian would think of a solution, but she also knew that it was a tricky situation that he might not be able to handle. The "wedding" photo that Han Ruchu had exposed had ced Qiao Qiao and Lu Jinnian at a disadvantage, besides, before she had officially divorced Xu Jiamu, she had already been together with Lu Jinnian. Qiao Anhao fully trusted Lu Jinnian, and she knew that he was definitely upset over the scandal, so she didn¡¯t want to appear vulnerable and add to his stress. That night, she prepared dinner with him before enjoying the meal together. Afterwards, they even went for a stroll in their backyard. She maintained a bright expression the entire time, as though all her troubles had already been settled. Chapter 753: Xu Jiamus Decision (13) Chapter 753: Xu Jiamu¡¯s Decision (13) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem However, Qiao Anhao eventually couldn¡¯t help but pick her phone up, when Lu Jinnian took a shower that night. The tip of her fingers tapped onto Weibo to find page after page of nastyments about her. What¡¯s more, the news lingered there for twelve whole hours, and it was only growing more ferocious. Lu Jinnian¡¯s fans onlymented under her name, begging her to let him go. Now they had managed to skyrocket [Let our dream man go] to the most searched topic. She tapped onto it to and looked at the dozen millionments, unable to find any that supported her... Oh, no, there wasn¡¯t even a neutralment. The screen was filled with words like [You¡¯re not worthy of our dream man!], [You vile woman], [Leave the entertainment industry], [I hope you get thrown away by my hubby!]. "What are you looking at?" Suddenly, behind Qiao Anhao, the bed sank, and Lu Jinnian¡¯s usual voice reached her ears. She swiftly locked the phone screen and turned around, pushing herself into Lu Jinnian¡¯s arms. "Nothing... I was just bored, so I was browsing Taobao 1 ." Even though Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t see for himself what Qiao Anhao was looking at, but he knew she was lying. His eyes flickered for a moment, but he went along with her lie and asked, "So did you see anything you want to buy?" "Nah." Qiao Anhao shook her head andid her little head on Lu Jinnian¡¯s chest. Then, she slightly looked up at his beautiful jawline and curved her brows. "I thought I saw something I wanted to buy, but as I was shopping, I remembered how we went crazy shopping not too long ago, like we were going to take the whole ACR back with us. Then I thought that I really didn¡¯t need it... ai... it left me so disappointed..." Qiao Anhao wore a beaming smile as she said this. Just when she finished, she even put on a troubled look on her face and let out a sigh. Yet, though it was just for a second, Lu Jinnian clearly caught the look of helplessness and sadness the instant she lowered her eyelids. Yet she pulled her lips and continued to wear a bright smile. Lu Jinnian stared at her forced smile, and pain weighed on his heart. With a gulp, he reached his arm out and stroked her hair. "Qiao Qiao, if you¡¯re unhappy, you don¡¯t have to smile." Qiao Anhao was stunned by Lu Jinnian¡¯s words. So he could tell? It was just for a second, but Qiao Anhao¡¯s smile bloomed like a flower once again. "Oh it¡¯s nothing... What¡¯s there for me to be unhappy about? It¡¯s just being shouted at, right? It¡¯s not like I haven¡¯t been shouted at whilst growing up. It¡¯s just that this time there are lots more people shouting at me. Whatever, they¡¯re just words, they can¡¯t hurt me. They basically can¡¯t touch me, so why would I be unhappy..." The more Qiao Anhao spoke so care-freely, the more Lu Jinnian¡¯s heart hurt. Eventually, he couldn¡¯t take it anymore. He sat up and pulled her into a tight hug. Qiao Anhao suddenly stopped her words. After a while, she tried her best to rx her voice, and asked half-jokingly, "Why did you suddenly hug me out of nowhere?" Lu Jinnian tightened his arms around her, and said in a dull voice, "Qiao Qiao, I know that you¡¯re upset." The rigid smile on Qiao Anhao¡¯s face gently froze. Lu Jinnian spoke again in a quiet voice. "If you¡¯re sad, just say it. You don¡¯t have to hold back in front of me." Chapter 754: Xu Jiamus Decision (14) Chapter 754: Xu Jiamu¡¯s Decision (14) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Qiao Anhao originally wanted to continue to casually answer Lu Jinnian with "You¡¯ve got it all wrong. What¡¯s there for me to be sad about?". However, when she heard his words, it felt like there was something stuck in her throat... It was as though that very feeling of not wanting to reveal her emotions, which she tried so hard to suppress in her heart, had been drawn out. "Qiao Qiao, after going through something like this, who wouldn¡¯t be sad... For you to put on a happy face like this, it only makes my heart ache even more. "I¡¯m your husband... someone you absolutely can rely on and trust without holding back. I don¡¯t want to only share your happiness, I also want to share your sadness too." Qiao Anhao wanted to suppress that gushing feeling of sadness, but with Lu Jinnian¡¯s words, she just couldn¡¯t hold her tears back any longer and they came pouring down her face. He was right. After going through something like this, how could she not be sad? Although most of the time, they say you should walk your own path and let others walk theirs, that was just something logical you say tofort someone else. When it really happens to you, only then you¡¯ll understand how scary gossip can be. Who didn¡¯t want to appear bright and beautiful, open and candid in front of others? And who would be willing to have their clean reputation appear sullied with dirt, and have people shout at them the moment theye out? What¡¯s more, the truth was nothing like what they said on the inte. However, right now, she couldn¡¯t exin it all even if she tried. Yeah, she felt wronged. Ever since the scandal broke out, ever since the reporters blocked her front door, ever since the people online started scolding her, ever since the reporters shoved and tripped her up... She felt wronged. She just didn¡¯t want to upset Lu Jinnian, so she endured it. She thought that she could be strong and hold herself together, but his simple words shattered her disguise. The more Qiao Anhao¡¯s tears fell, the more wronged she felt. In the end, she just cried aloud. Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t say a word, but hugged her in silence and let her cry. As he heard the sound of her cries, his heart felt wave after wave of difort. Qiao Anhao cried for a very long time, until eventually, her body started to twitch and the sound of her cries gradually shriveled. It was like she¡¯d just received the greatest shock, and she lifted her head. As she sobbed, she stared at Lu Jinnian with watery eyes, and started toment over it pitifully. "They don¡¯t even know... Those people are so harsh. They don¡¯t even know anything... How could they scold me so ruthlessly? "What¡¯s more, even if those things were true, what right do they have to me me? Maybe, in real life, those people are even crueler than I supposedly am! "And those reporters! I didn¡¯t ept their interviews, so how could they continue to ask and ask and ask? Alright, they barricaded the front door, but then they continued to call as well, so annoying! What¡¯s even more cruel was that they pushed me over. Look! I got hurt. It really hurts." Qiao Anhao went on and on. Eventually, she remembered how she had dragged Lu Jinnian into it online, and how they said she was unworthy of him. Her eyes couldn¡¯t help but turn a little darker at that. Her lips quivered, and her voice lost the angry, unjustly hurt tone of voice for a restless and uneasy one. "Lu Jinnian, if it weren¡¯t for me, you wouldn¡¯t have to be dragged into this mess." Chapter 755: Xu Jiamus Decision (15) Chapter 755: Xu Jiamu¡¯s Decision (15) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Lu Jinnian raised his hand and followed the curve of her hair. "Qiao Qiao, as long as I can be with you, even the greatest of problems is a happy surprise to me." You don¡¯t even know, how much I love that the name ¡¯Lu Jinnian¡¯ can follow the two words ¡¯Qiao Anhao¡¯. In my eyes, any sentences made with the four words "Lu Jinnian" and "Qiao Anhao", no matter if good or bad, are just so touching. Qiao Anhao¡¯s unbearably wronged heart, warmed up with Lu Jinnian¡¯s words. She pouted at him, still a little grieved, and said, "But the people online say I¡¯m not worthy of you." "That¡¯s right..." said Lu Jinnian with all seriousness, causing Qiao Anhao¡¯s heart, that had started to cheer up after much difficulty, to instantly fall again. With that, Lu Jinnian patted himself. "I¡¯m indeed..." He pointed at Qiao Anhao. "... not worthy of you." Ah so annoying... she clearly said she wasn¡¯t worthy of him, but he changed it so that he was not worthy of her. To be yed like that by Lu Jinnian, not only was Qiao Anhao mad, she smiled through her tears. "Lu Jinnian, you¡¯re clearly acting dumb!" Lu Jinnian stared with a calm expression at Qiao Anhao¡¯s still wet from the tears, yet smiling and honest face. After being tensed, he could finally loosen up. After trying to cheer her up for so long, she was finally happy. He lightened up, and he couldn¡¯t help but pinch Qiao Anhao¡¯s tall nose. "Are you not ashamed of yourself? One moment you¡¯re crying, and the other you¡¯re smiling. You¡¯re just like a child." "I was always a child... Three and a half years old..." With that, Qiao Anhao pouted at Lu Jinnian and made a cute pose. "Is that right?" asked Lu Jinnian in return. Suddenly, he flipped his body and pressed her beneath him. His hands reached into her clothes, and he squeezed her breast. "How can three and a half year olds mature so well?" "Lu Jinnian, you dirty thug!" Qiao Anhao cried Lu Jinnian¡¯s name in anger. Soon after, he covered her lips and let out a short "Mmm..." Then she heard the clear sound of Lu Jinnian¡¯s seductive voice in her ear. "I can be even dirtier." After that, Qiao Anhao really was picked clean by the thug Lu Jinnian. - After Lu Jinnian finished, he wasn¡¯t in a rush to pull out of Qiao Anhao¡¯s body. Instead, he hugged her tightly, lowered his head, and stared into her eyes without so much as a blink. An iparable solemn glow emted from within his eyes when he spoke in a deep voice. An orgasmic expression came over his face, and a seductive expression came to his face. "Qiao Qiao, don¡¯t worry about what outsiders say. You dragged me down, you¡¯re not worthy of me... those are just things said by unknown voices. "There are thousands of women out there in the world that are prettier than you, smarter than you, and more outstanding than you, but you have to understand that, I Lu Jinnian never wanted the world¡¯s best. I wanted the the best one in my heart. "And that one will only be you, can only be you. "That has never changed, and it will never do so in the future. "So don¡¯t think too much and don¡¯t be too upset. I promise you, I will think of a way to calm the situation down and get us out of it. I will definitely think of a way." After Lu Jinnian said that, Qiao Anhao blinked and let a single tear quietly fall. Chapter 756: Xu Jiamus Decision (16) Chapter 756: Xu Jiamu¡¯s Decision (16) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem After Lu Jinnian said that, Qiao Anhao blinked and let a single tear quietly fall. At that instant, she felt like the opinions and abuse from the outside world had be insignificant. Even if her name was run through the mud, and scolded by others... so what? She had Lu Jinnian who deeply loved her, Lu Jinnian who every woman in the world may try their hardest to meet but may never encounter. Lu Jinnian, who even if the world cast her aside, would treat her as treasure in his hands. It was enough... She was content. Her life was already full. Even if there were a few obstacles now, and even if there were a few pitfalls in the future, what did it matter? Qiao Anhao was so moved, she didn¡¯t know how to express her emotions. In the end, she immediately hugged his neck, lifted her head, and spontaneously kissed his lips. Her spontaneity and passion made Lu Jinnian¡¯s body tremble slightly. Then, he pulled her head into his, kissing her deeper. Obviously, they just had sex and obviously they were both exhausted, yet they wanted to use the most basic way to express their inner thoughts. The room was very quiet. The only sound was that of their intimacy. Lu Jinnian flipped around, hugging Qiao Anhao to his body, then changed positions. Just as they were about to finish, he swapped them so he was on top and she on the bottom. Then, with all the strength in his body, he rode her to the clouds above. A long while after they finished, Lu Jinnian was still affectionately stuck to Qiao Anhao¡¯s body, unwilling to leave her. Her eyes were shut, and her body was outstretched, too exhausted to move an inch. From time to time, Lu Jinnian would kiss her brow, her neck, her earlobe... Eventually, he drew closer to her ear and whispered, "Qiao Qiao, I love you." His words made Qiao Anhao¡¯s feet curl. Her body slumped into his arms in exhaustion and she muttered, "I love you too." The very instant she said this, Lu Jinnian hastily covered her lips. - With an entire afternoon of stress and a further night of exercise, Qiao Anhao¡¯s body was so exhausted, it didn¡¯t take long for her to use Lu Jinnian¡¯s arm as a pillow and fall deep asleep. Tonight¡¯s sex really tired out Lu Jinnian as well, but he wasn¡¯t really sleepy. He waited until her breathing became soft and long, before he opened his eyes and looked up at the ceiling. He quietly pulled out his arm from under her head, then tiptoed out of bed. He grabbed his phone and walked out of the bedroom. Lu Jinnian walked into the study room. He had the urge to smoke, but he decided against it as he had to return to the bedroomter and was afraid the smell of cigarettes would wake Qiao Anhao up. In the end, he put the cigarette back into it¡¯s pack, then called his assistant. Despite it already being quitete, after a while, the call was still picked up. The first thing heard over the phone wasn¡¯t the assistant¡¯s voice, but the crisp sound of the door shutting. Then the man¡¯s voice was heard through the phone. "Mr. Lu." "En..." responded Lu Jinnian. Without waiting for his assistant to ask questions, he said, "Didn¡¯t XX station get in contact with me a few times for an interview, but I rejected them? Tomorrow, get in touch with their people and set up the earliest possible time for an interview." Chapter 757: Xu Jiamus Decision (17) Chapter 757: Xu Jiamu¡¯s Decision (17) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem After Lu Jinnian hung up, he walked over to the balcony and stood there for a while with his phone in his hands. He then stealthily retreated back into the room and climbed into the bed. When he reached his arm underneath Qiao Anhao¡¯s neck, it prompted her to turn around and move her body into his arms. In her sleep, she found afortable position and continued to rest soundly. - Last night, Qiao Anhao¡¯s painful cries released all the pent up anguish and haziness inside her. The next day when she woke, she was a lot more rxed inparison to yesterday¡¯s dreadful heaviness. Life is never able to run smooth. When some difficult situations befall, one first feels the earth shattering and the pressure climbing up... so much so that a gentle voice starts to emerge, whispering to give up. But once you¡¯ve endured the hardest, the darkest times, you¡¯ll actually realize that they were no big deal. Qiao Anhao had already prepared herself for the worst. If worst came to worst, then she¡¯d just be known as an example for what not to do. It¡¯s not that she didn¡¯t care, but no matter how much she cared... even if she cared so much she could die... she couldn¡¯t change reality. Everyone in the world was making life difficult for her, so why shouldn¡¯t she make herself happier? What¡¯s more, even if her reputation was ruined, so what? She still had Lu Jinnian who she loved the most and who loved her back just as much, by her side. She was over it, and she wasn¡¯t so upset anymore. Because the scandal had gotten so big, Lu Jinnian brought all his work back home with him, so he spent twenty-four hours everyday with Qiao Anhao. She assumed that because of her scandal, it would reflect poorly on the Hollywood¡¯s castingpetition and she would be kicked out of the running. However, she never imagined that after waiting for two days, she wouldn¡¯t receive a call from the show¡¯s organizers to say she was kicked out. Since thepetition would run during the weekend and she was bored at home, Qiao Anhao figured she might as well prepare for it. Lu Jinnian was with her through it all and gave some suggestions. In her second round in thepetition she was to act as "Empress Wu Zetian". She looked up the empresses¡¯ famous quotes, and then in five short minutes, without saying any lines, she had to act a young Empress Wu Zetian. For an actor, this was a major challenge. There were very few people who had such an acting range. Regardless, Qiao Anhao worked her hardest for three days before the show to get it right. On the day of thepetition, she woke Lu Jinnian up just as it was light out. In her pajamas, she wore a professional expression on her face and ran through her lines with him for tonight¡¯spetition. After hearing three days worth of Empress Wu Zetian¡¯s lines, Lu Jinnian¡¯s ears were about to form a cocoon. At that very moment, he just wanted to hug Qiao Anhao and go back to sleep, but seeing how serious she was, he got it together and yed audience to her hundred and thirty-fourth take. After three days of enthusiastic hard work, Qiao Anhao grasped well every emotion and grandeur from her initial naive impression of Empress Wu Zetian to her final domineering finesse. Thatst was especially clear when Qiao Anhao said Empress Wu Zetian¡¯s final words, "In my next life, I will no longer be an empress, but the daughter-inw of the Lee family". Right then, she had practically captured the vivid legendary feeling of the Empress of China. Chapter 758: Xu Jiamus Decision (18) Chapter 758: Xu Jiamu¡¯s Decision (18) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Lu Jinnian, who was despondent at first, became utterly stunned by the end. After Qiao Anhao finished performing, she took a deep breath and immediately recovered her usual cute-self. She abruptly jumped onto the bed like a kid begging for sweets, and looked at Lu Jinnian with hopeful eyes. "How was it?" That¡¯s when Lu Jinnian finally snapped out of it, reached his arms, out and pulled her into a hug. "Good." "How good?" "Very very good." "If you were a judge, how many points would you give me?" "A hundred points." "Really?" "More authentic than gold." As Qiao Anhao nestled in Lu Jinnian¡¯s arms, she giggled with a bright smile on her face. A ray of sunshine from outside the window entuated her charming looks. She turned around and ced her shoulder against Lu Jinnian¡¯s shoulder and said with a conceited and proud tone, "Actually, I think so too!" "Conceited." Lu Jinnian chuckled. "Have you no shame?" Qiao Anhao put on a vicious expression and opened her mouth as if ready to bite Lu Jinnian, but eventually touched his face with her lips, giving him a gentle peck. "Alright, to reward you for your honesty just now, mydy shall go and prepare breakfast for you." Lu Jinnian hugged her waist, preventing her from leaving, then took advantage of the opportunity to kiss her deeper. "I¡¯d rather eat you than have breakfast..." With that, his hand reached deep into Qiao Anhao¡¯s pajamas. Afterst night¡¯s long session, she hadn¡¯t bounced back, but they were at it again? Qiao Anhao didn¡¯t think twice about it and reached her hand out and pinched the meat between Lu Jinnian¡¯s waist. Just as he felt the pain creep up on him, she pushed him to one side of the bed and bolted off into the bathroom. As Qiao Anhao shut the bathroom door with a thud, Lu Jinnian chuckled in pain. He pulled the covers and closed his eyes. - Qiao Anhao first visited the toilet. When she squeezed out toothpaste and brushed her teeth, she thought about what she was going to wear for thepetition tonight. That was when she saw the uneven hickey Lu Jinnian had given her on the neck, and couldn¡¯t help but pout in dismay. She gargled a mouthful of mouthwash, bent over a little, and spat out her toothpaste. Perhaps it was because she identally swallowed some toothpaste, she felt a little puke spew up. She couldn¡¯t help but vomit a little in the sink. The sickly feeling disappeared as soon as it came. Qiao Anhao washed her face and put on a quickyer of moisturizer. After getting changed into her lounge clothes, she went downstairs. She finished making breakfast when Lu Jinnian slowly came downstairs after freshening up. The two of them sat face-to-face. Qiao Anhao first grabbed a slice of bread and shoved it into her mouth. It tasted a little nd so she pointed at the apple jam for Lu Jinnian to pass it over to her. She casually picked up a fried egg and bit into it, but before she even swallowed it, her stomach felt ufortable. She thought she was going to vomit, but the feeling was fleeting, and she felt fine a secondter. Lu Jinnian opened the apple jam jar and pushed it over to Qiao Anhao. Seeing as she picked up the chopsticks but didn¡¯t move for quite a long time, he couldn¡¯t help but ask, "What¡¯s wrong?" She shook her head, and carefully rubbed her stomach to find that everything was normal. "Nothing... I just felt a little strange." Chapter 759: Xu Jiamus Decision (19) Chapter 759: Xu Jiamu¡¯s Decision (19) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem "Strange?" Lu Jinnian furrowed his brows, and reached his arm out. He rubbed Qiao Anhao¡¯s forehead to find that her temperature was normal, but he was still a little worried. "Do you want to go to the hospital to check it out?" "Nah..." she said. She took a bite off the fried egg and realized that she didn¡¯t feel unwell like before. It seemed like she hadpletely recovered. "I¡¯m fine right now." "..." Lu Jinnian paused for a moment, then sat back down on the dining chair. When he picked up a slice of bread, he spoke again. "If you¡¯re not feeling well, don¡¯t force yourself and go to the hospital." - In the evening, when Qiao Anhao went to participate in thepetition, the entrance was crowded with reporters. Thankfully, the organizers had made preparations in advance to employ more security guards. Although the lights shed incessantly, Qiao Anhao was able to enter straight into the studio without any trouble. Qiao Anhao wasn¡¯t very confident in thispetition due to the scandal. She had originally held the top ce on the online polls, but now had fallen below tenth ce. Perhaps the show¡¯s production crew didn¡¯t disqualify her from thepetition to show how forgiving and generous they were. Perhaps they¡¯ll kick her out naturally through the selection process during thepetition between the top eight. Well, no matter how it was going to be, Qiao Anhao tried her best to be calm and perform what she¡¯d practiced at home. She had prepared something original and truly stunning for the show. Despite her skills being on disy, because of the scandal, she didn¡¯t receive a big response, and in the end, the sound of the fifty invited members of the audience was clearly halfhearted and cold. The judges were probably afraid to give Qiao Anhao a high score, since they would be affected by the bacsh online, so they all gave quite conservative scores besides the eldest judge. Having starred as the female lead in fifty percent of the movies of her era, that particr judge was an influential and prestigious character in the entertainment industry. She was the only one who gave Qiao Anhao full marks without any qualms about it. The evaluation she received at the time was, "I want to choose a female lead with outstanding acting, so I judge by only your skills. As for your performance just now, I give it full marks." With the elderly actress¡¯ full marks, Qiao Anhao, who originally had no hopes of getting through to the finals, actually received the scores needed for eight ce, barely making it to the finals. The finals were scheduled for next weekend Because of tonight¡¯spetition, the heated scandal from a few days ago was raised again by everyone. The mes of earth-shattering abuse were fanned once more. Qiao Anhao, who had already been scolded once, was seemingly numbed to having to face another wave of scolding. So much so that on the night, she celebrated reaching the finals with a candlelit dinner with Lu Jinnian. After that she started to prepare. Under Lu Jinnian¡¯s suggestion and after some time of consideration, she eventually decided to perform Zhao Feiyan¡¯s drum dance. To make sure the dance was phenomenal, Lu Jinnian especially asked a dancer he knew for many years to their home to help Qiao Anhao with the choreography. Qiao Anhao had all the foundations. Although she hadn¡¯t practiced in the past few years, with the help of the dancer, she used just half a day¡¯s time to forcibly dance through the routine. As she wanted the dance to be stunning, she needed to practice hard for the next few days. Chapter 760: Xu Jiamus Decision (20) Chapter 760: Xu Jiamu¡¯s Decision (20) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem For the first two days, Qiao Anhao danced spectacrly. Lu Jinnian even started to join her in the dancing studio. He saw her turn and turn but not feel dizzy, her moves increasingly more agile and enchanting. On the other hand, those movements did make Lu Jinnian a little dizzy. Eventually, as Qiao Anhao danced, he went over to his study room to work. In the blink of an eye, it was already Wednesday. There was just two more days left before thepetition. After Qiao Anhao finished her meal, she went for a walk around the courtyard of Mian Xiu Garden with Lu Jinnian. Later, as expected, she put on some melodic Chinese folk music, and continued to turn and turn as Lu Jinnian stood at the door with both arms crossed. After a minute, he couldn¡¯t help but feel dizzy, so he closed the door and went to his study room next door. When he turned theputer on, he coincidentally received an email. Clicking it open, he saw that Chief Wei had sent him a ring design with the following message, [Mr. Lu, this is the sample design ording to your initial design. Please take a look and let me know if there is anything you would like to amend.] Lu Jinnian erged the design to see a white gold ring with blue diamonds. It looked majestic and morous, but Lu Jinnian still felt like it was missing something. He thought about it for a long time, then replied with [Could you please engrave the words "Lu Qiao" on it? Then, on the woman¡¯s ring, could you please add the word, ¡¯Shmily¡¯?] See. How. Much. I. Love. You. See how much I love you. For the past few years, this was his most beautiful confession to her. Each gift he gave her had those words on it. How could it possibly not be on the ring? - Qiao Anhao finished dancing the drum dance in one breath. She danced so energetically just now, she stood in front of the mirror drenched in sweat. Hastily fanning herself with her hand, she gulped some water and grabbed her phone. She randomly nced through Wechat, and exchanged a few words with Zhao Meng before continuing with the dance again. Just as she reached the most spectacr part and the very peak of the routine, she suddenly stopped, clutching her stomach, and crouched on the ground. Why did her stomach suddenly hurt... Qiao Anhao creased her brows tightly, and after thirty seconds, she still felt the pain. She instinctively wanted to scream at the top of her lungs to call Lu Jinnian over from the study room next door, when suddenly, the very moment she opened her mouth, the pain was gone. The pain that had emerged so abruptly just disappeared. Qiao Anhao pouted, and slowly got up. Pressing her stomach, she didn¡¯t feel any pain at all. It was as though it was all an illusion just now. She made another turn on the spot. Her stomach still felt normal, so she stamped her feet and held a crab move, followed by a backflip... there were still no problems, but Qiao Anhao couldn¡¯t quite say why she felt so flustered. Since she felt uneasy, she couldn¡¯t dance well. After working hard for a few days, it was fine to have the night off. She simply shut the music off, headed straight for the bathroom and took a shower, then climbed into bed. She drilled her way under the covers and grabbed her phone to find a missed call. Chapter 761: Xu Jiamus Decision (21) Chapter 761: Xu Jiamu¡¯s Decision (21) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Qiao Anhao recognized the phone number, it was from thepany she had especially asked to make her costume for the drum dance. Seeing as she missed the call, they sent her a text message to say that her costume was ready and asked her if she was free tomorrow so they could send someone to deliver it to her. Qiao Anhao casually sent a text back with a single word "Yes". Soon after, she received their reply. [Ok. It will be delivered to you at around one o¡¯clock tomorrow afternoon.] This time Qiao Anhao didn¡¯t reply. Instinctively, she wanted to click on Weibo, but then she figured that there¡¯d only be upsetting things on there, so she chucked her phone aside. She turned on the TV and randomly found a variety show . As she watched on, eventually the show put her to sleep. - Lu Jinnian was busy until nine o¡¯clock, when he shut hisptop and stretched out his body. He stood up and walked out of the study room to find that the corridor was particrly quiet. There wasn¡¯t the sound of the same Chinese folk music he¡¯d heard for these past two days, so he pushed open the door to the dance studio in curiosity. It was empty. Qiao Anhao had long disappeared. For the past two nights, he couldn¡¯t get her to go to bed. Every time he would have to forcefully carry her out. Howe today she stopped dancing before it got to nine o¡¯clock? When Lu Jinnian pushed open the door to the bedroom, he heard the sound ofughter from the TV. He instinctively turned his head, assuming he¡¯d find a little face enthusiastically watching the screen, but who would have thought that he¡¯d see the tilted, sleeping face on the pillow. She must¡¯ve tired herself out dancing these past few days to actually sleep so earlier... Lu Jinnian walked over to the bedside, feeling helpless yet wanting to spoil her. He grabbed the pillow from behind Qiao Anhao and ced it under her head, then pulled the covers over her. He shut the TV and turned the lights off, then stood by the bed staring at her sleeping face for a while. He lowered his head to nt a kiss between her brows, then walked into the bathroom. After he came out of the shower, Lu Jinnian slipped into bed. He was used to hugging Qiao Anhao to sleep. At the thought of how they¡¯ve been spending every night so intimate as husband and wife, but tonight... He didn¡¯t know if it was because he didn¡¯t want to wake her up and couldn¡¯t do bad things, at that very moment, Lu Jinnian actually felt unusually impulsive. In the end, he figured he may as well shut his eyes. Only when his count reached a thousand sheep did he finally fall asleep. Deep asleep, Qiao Anhao had a dream. In it, a chubby, pale baby was smiling right at her affectionately. As the baby smiled and smiled, it suddenly jumped into her belly. On a reflex, Qiao Anhao woke up shocked with a pain in her stomach. She opened her eyes to see the dim yellow lights from the nightlight in the room, and Lu Jinnian deep asleep beside her. Her stomach felt at ease, not a single hint of pain, which went to prove that she was just having a dream. But no matter what, Qiao Anhao couldn¡¯t sleep. Her mind wandered around the baby who suddenly jumped into her womb. The flustered feeling she had during tonight¡¯s dance practice crept into her heart again. Her eyes were wide open, and wild thoughts ran through her mind for quite some time. Then, all of a sudden, she realized what was wrong... She pulled out her phone and opened her period tracker to find that she was over half a monthte. But then again, her period had never been on time so that didn¡¯t mean anything. Chapter 762: Xu Jiamus Decision (22) Chapter 762: Xu Jiamu¡¯s Decision (22) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem But this time, whilst Qiao Anhao¡¯s period camete, her and Lu Jinnian did it quite a lot. She counted how many times she and Lu Jinnian had had sex after they got together. It had been over a month since that first time, which went to say she could really be pregnant. Having beenpletely clueless during herst pregnancy, and having experienced someone murdering her child, Qiao Anhao was a lot more careful this time. She immediately clicked onto Jingdong on her phone and into the drug store to buy a few sticks of pregnancy test. Even though she wasn¡¯t absolutely certain that she was pregnant, the thought that she might be made her feel inexplicably eager, excited, and a slightest bit timid and nervous. She wasn¡¯t a mother before aiii... This was her first... What¡¯s more, it was her and Lu Jinnian¡¯s baby... Qiao Anhao wasn¡¯t even sure if she was pregnant, but she couldn¡¯t help but raise her hand and rub her t stomach. She bit her bottom lip as she started to have wild thoughts quietly deep in the night, imagining her baby¡¯s future. She would definitely be there for her baby growing up, and make record of every little detail of his life. She¡¯d wait till the day he was all grown up to gift them to him. She was so pretty, Lu Jinnian was... Qiao Anhao turned her head and looked at her man¡¯s face. Being with him day in and day out for such a long time, at that very moment, she carefully looked him up and down in a trance. After a long while, she blinked, and continued with her train of thought... Lu Jinnian was so handsome. If their baby was a girl, she¡¯d definitely be stunningly beautiful. If their baby was a boy, he¡¯d definitely be charming and handsome... With that thought, Qiao Anhao couldn¡¯t help but feel foolishly happy. She imagined a multitude of situations that could happen to the baby. Eventually, she started to feel a little upset. Everyone now knew she was scolded online for supposedly seducing two men. When their baby grew up, went to university and made friends, what would happen if other people brought up her scandal? Qiao Anhao then remembered what granny had told her about Lu Jinnian¡¯s childhood. Would her baby be isted and ridiculed by everyone too? Even though it was all in her head, her heart still started to hurt. Those situations may not even happen but if they did, then they would definitely affect the baby. She couldn¡¯t let her baby experience those violent rumors. Even though Lu Jinnian said he would handle the situation and it will all be settled, but without any evidence, how could he silence these ludicrous rumors? The more Qiao Anhao thought about it, the more serious her expression grew. Eventually, she came to a decision. If she really was pregnant... She had to emigrate with Lu Jinnian as soon as possible. Since she had such a horrible reputation in this country, and she would have to live a life with an infamous name, for the sake of their child, they¡¯d better leave to give the child a clean te, and let him grow up healthy. - At night, Qiao Anhao thought about many things. By the time she fell asleep again, it was already morning. Recently, Lu Jinnian had asked his assistant to set up an interview. It was scheduled for Thursday at three in the afternoon. Chapter 763: Xu Jiamus Decision (23) Chapter 763: Xu Jiamu¡¯s Decision (23) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Although Lu Jinnian needed to leave the house at twelve. At eleven o¡¯clock, when he went to take a shower, he called Qiao Anhao to get up. After he freshened up, got dressed, and came out of the bathroom, she was still asleep. Lu Jinnian walked to the side of the bed, and pulled her out from the covers. Qiao Anhao squinted her eyes open and said with some early morning anger, "Whaaat." "I have business to attend to. Eat the food I left you in the thermal container. You haven¡¯t eaten breakfast and lunch, so remember to eat in a while." Qiao Anhao¡¯s eyes looked like they were about to fight when she nodded frantically at Lu Jinnian. He looked at her face with the impulse to wake her up, but then rubbed her head instead. He put her back onto the bed and gave her a kiss between the brows. As he fixed his clothes up, he made his way out. - It hadn¡¯t been five minutes since Lu Jinnian left when the doorbell started to ring. Having been continuously woken up, Qiao Anhao ripped the sheets off a little angrily. When she went to open the door, she realized that it was the delivery for the dance costume. She signed for it and saw the delivery person out. She tossed the dance costume on the sofa on the first floor, then let out a yawn, wanting to go back upstairs, but the doorbell rang again. She frantically turned around towards the delivery person. As she yawned, she signed for her package, then casually chucked it on the shelf at the entrance and groggily walked up the stairs. After taking just a few steps, she suddenly remembered what was in that package. Her footsteps halted for a moment, then she darted back and rushed over to the entrance. She hugged the package, ran up the stairs and found a pair of scissors. The moment she cut the package open, she pulled out several pregnancy tests. She casually ripped one of them open, nced over the instruction manual, and rushed into the bathroom. Qiao Anhao used all seven pregnancy tests in one go. Then sat on the toilet, staring squarely at the row of pregnancy tests on the floorboard. About five minutes passed. The first pregnancy test had two red lines. Three seconds hadn¡¯t even passed when the second pregnancy test had two red lines. At the same time, two red lines appeared on the third and fourth pregnancy tests. Following those, the results for the fifth, sixth, and seventh came out. The fifth and seventh tests had two bright red lines like the first four tests, while the sixth had just one red line and another faint line. Qiao Anhao didn¡¯t dare believe the results in her mind, so shepared the pregnancy tests with the manual. Then, her mind slowly drifted over the word: Pregnant... Six of the seven sticks of pregnancy test had two red lines, which went to say... She really was pregnant! Qiao Anhao stood up from the toilet seat excitedly. She stayed there in shock for a moment before hastily pulling her underwear up. She rushed out the bathroom to find her phone and call Lu Jinnian. He was probably busy right now, so he didn¡¯t pick up her call. Qiao Anhao hung up in regret, but soon enough, her joy eradicated any hints of leftover regret. But then, Qiao Anhao¡¯s smile quickly froze. Last night, whilst dancing, her stomach hurt. What did this mean? Was there something wrong with the baby? Perhaps it was because she¡¯d lost herst child, Qiao Anhao suddenly grew restless. Nah... She had to go to the hospital, now! If there were any problems, they could find out early and think of a n. Chapter 764: Xu Jiamus Decision (24) Chapter 764: Xu Jiamu¡¯s Decision (24) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Lu Jinnian was busy so he definitely couldn¡¯t be with her now. But if he was here, it would be easier for her to go out then alone... But if she leftter, then what if there was something wrong with the baby? Qiao Anhao paced around the house restlessly. She thought for a moment, then finally pulled her phone and called Zhao Meng. It had been almost ten days since the scandal broke out. During that time, besides the day of the top eightpetition, Qiao Anhao had practically never left the house. Though the heat of the scandal was almost over, Qiao Anhao still didn¡¯t have the courage to leave the house without any measures to disguise herself. She was afraid that if anyone spotted her in a crowd, she¡¯d be surrounded by people with no way to escape. What¡¯s more, now she had a baby in her belly. In the midst of the shoving and pushing, if she tripped up, the situation would undoubtedly be horrible. So before stepping out the door, she got cloaked from head to toe, so much so that when Zhao Meng drove into Mian Xiu Garden¡¯s courtyard, she jumped in fright when she got into the car looking like that. - Before Zhao Meng arrived, she had already helped Qiao Anhao contact a gynecologist. When they arrived at the hospital, they parked the car in the underground lot, where a nurse immediately escorted them to an elevator. Even though Qiao Anhao had already had pregnancy tests at home, now that she was at the hospital, the gynecologist still had to get a urine sample and take her blood to run tests. Her being pregnant was already an irond truth, but as Qiao Anhao waited for her checkup results in her private room, she was still a little nervous. After about fifteen minutes had passed, the gynecologist brought a few forms back. She handed them to Qiao Anhao. The forms had technicalnguage on them, which she couldn¡¯t understand, so she took a quick nce and raised her head to look at the doctor. "Miss Qiao, congrattions! You are pregnant for a month now." A month... Then wasn¡¯t it that night she drugged Lu Jinnian in America? She said it, she had a baby in her belly at the time, and Lu Jinnian just gave her a look of disbelief... Qiao Anhao secretly let out an ¡¯ah¡¯. She then hastily asked the doctor about more serious matters. "Last night whilst I was dancing, my stomach hurt. Is the baby okay?" "Miss Qiao, don¡¯t worry. The baby¡¯s just fine." The doctor gave Qiao Anhao a reassuring smile. "The pain you feltst night was probably because you were dancing too vigorously. It must¡¯ve upset the fetus. As long as you don¡¯t bleed, it¡¯s nothing major. However, the first three months of pregnancy are rather dangerous. I rmend Miss Qiao that you rest well. Of course, resting well doesn¡¯t suggest you stay in bed. Taking walks is good for the body." Qiao Anhao listened intently, paying close attention to every word the doctor said, trying to take it all in. "Also, please remember to visit the hospital for a B-scan in a month to check the baby¡¯s heartbeat." After the doctor finished, she thought for a moment, then added, "Oh, right... Miss Qiao, I prescribed you some folic acid . Please have Miss Zhao pay and collect it, and please do remember to take them on time every day." "Thank you, doctor." Qiao Anhao wore a light smile and looked over at Zhao Meng. Her friend immediately knew what to do, she grabbed her purse and walked out. Soon enough, Zhao Meng returned with two boxes of folic acid. As per the gynecologist¡¯s orders, the nurse escorted them downstairs to the parking lot. When they got in the car, Zhao Meng couldn¡¯t wait to take her phone out. She turned to Qiao Anhao and said, "Qiao Qiao, when I went downstairs to pay, I saw a broadcast about you and Lu Jinnian, and it¡¯s an interview!" Chapter 765: Xu Jiamus Decision (25) Chapter 765: Xu Jiamu¡¯s Decision (25) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem As per the gynecologist¡¯s orders, the nurse escorted them downstairs to the parking lot. When they got in the car, Zhao Meng couldn¡¯t wait to take her phone out. She turned to Qiao Anhao and said, "Qiao Qiao, when I went downstairs to pay, I saw a broadcast about you and Lu Jinnian, and it¡¯s an interview!" Qiao Anhao furrowed her brows. "Interview? What interview?" "It¡¯s that ¡¯Appointment with the Great God¡¯..." As Zhao Meng said this, she clicked into the website with the live broadcast. Because the parking lot was underground, the signal was cutting in and out, and the streaming speed was terrible. Zhao Meng put her phone to one side and started the car up straight away. When she drove above ground, she found an area to stop at with fewer cars. Then, she brought her phone up again and started the stream. About half a minute passed, then the presenter¡¯s voice came out of Zhao Meng¡¯s phone. "Just now, we talked about Mr. Lu¡¯s thoughts on the future of Huan Ying Entertainment, so our next question for Mr. Lu is about himself. Mr. Lu, have you recently had any ns to star in a new project?" Zhao Meng put her phone on the car¡¯s phone stand. On the screen, Qiao Anhao saw Lu Jinnian wearing a slim, ck, tailored suit. He sat on the left looking strikingly good, his long legs crossed in the armchair. He looked majestic and graceful. Between his brows, he emted his usual distant and cold aura, making him entirely mysterious but not overly elusive. Faced with the presenter¡¯s question, he deliberately paused for two seconds, as though seriously considering something, then said, "I have no ns at the moment." "Ah, that¡¯s a real shame. I trust many of our viewers tuning in now are definitely disappointed. After all, everyone still wants to see our Mr. Lu appear often on our screens." The presenter¡¯s tone of voice was very fitting, there was even a slither of regret, but quickly after, he changed the question. "We know sincest year, for about half a year now, Mr. Lu has left thepany for others to operate. In this past half a year, has Mr. Lu been enjoying your time off or are you working on a new project?" "Not a new project, but investing and ying the stock market." Lu Jinnian¡¯s voice was as in as usual. "Stock market? Recently, the stock market is really bleak. I know quite a few friends who have performed poorly. I wonder if Mr. Lu is winning or losing?" Lu Jinnian¡¯s reply was really modest. "I¡¯m lucky. For the time being, I haven¡¯t lost yet." "So Mr. Lu, can you reveal just how much you won?" "I think I doubled it." "Doubled?" the presenter shrieked. "Then Mr. Lu, can you divulge just how much did you doubled?" Lu Jinnian had a good demeanor, but he lowered his eyes and didn¡¯t say a word. The presenter really had a way with words, as he immediately switched topics. "Alright, it¡¯s better if we not ask this personal question. However, I still want to shoot my mouth off and say, Mr. Lu, how do you n to spend all that money you¡¯re raking in?!" The presenter was justmenting his feelings. He didn¡¯t actually think Lu Jinnian would respond, so after he finished that line, they put the microphone down and flipped to the next cue card to see how they would continue with the interview. Who knew, Lu Jinnian, who was sitting to a side, would pause for a second, then calmly say the four words, "To support Qiao Qiao." Chapter 766: Xu Jiamus Decision (26) Chapter 766: Xu Jiamu¡¯s Decision (26) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem The moment the presenter asked Lu Jinnian how much profit he gained through the stock market, Zhao Meng nosily asked Qiao Anhao, "Qiao Qiao, how much has your husband invested into the stock market?" Qiao Anhao shook her head at a loss. She really didn¡¯t know how much Lu Jinnian had invested. Even though they were married, after bingwfully husband and wife, she was like everyone else when it came to Lu Jinnian¡¯s finances. She knew he was loaded but she hadn¡¯t a clue how rich. "Qiao Qiao, you¡¯re not really doing a great job at being a wife are ya... you don¡¯t even know how much money your husband has..." Zhao Meng hadn¡¯t finishedining when Lu Jinnian¡¯s elegant voice said "To support Qiao Qiao" through the phone. Zhao Meng¡¯s mouth gaped, as though she¡¯d just forgotten what she was saying, then her words changed instantly. "Qiao Qiao, you can¡¯t find another wife as fortunate as you in this world!" "..." Without saying a word, Qiao Anhao rolled her eyes at Zhao Meng, then turned back to Lu Jinnian on the phone. No matter howposed she appeared, her brows still shot up at the two words Lu Jinnian. - The presenter was left stunned by Lu Jinnian¡¯s sudden four words, and stared at him in a daze. "Mr. Lu, you earn so much money just to support your wife?" It was obvious how interested the presenter was about Lu Jinnian¡¯s private life. Seeing how he had actively brought the topic up, the organizers put some cue cards with questions prepared in advance. The presenter looked at Lu Jinnian and asked, "Mr. Lu, do you care to share with us your and Miss Qiao¡¯s story?" Lu Jinnian spoke calmly and politely. "I¡¯d be delighted to." "Mr. Lu, when did you meet Miss Qiao? How did you meet?" Even though those glorious times had passed many years ago, he remembered everything clearly in his mind, like it had happened yesterday. Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t think too much about it when he spoke. "During the first half of my third year in junior middle school, I would often see her pushing her bike past the football field I yed in after school with friends. That¡¯s when I noticed her." Perhaps it was because he was reminiscing his past, but Lu Jinnian¡¯s eyes grew softer. "But I actually met her in my first year of high school." "First year of high school?" The presenter was evidently shocked. "Yes, first year of high school," repeated Lu Jinnian calmly. "But then, that year when I graduated from my third year of junior middle school to high school, we once had a close encounter with one another." "A close encounter?" The presenter looked engrossed. "It was on a rainy day that we found shelter under a roof together for the first time." "Oh that sounds so romantic... There¡¯s lyrics by Jay Chou... How they go again?" As the presenter said this, she tilted her head in thought, but eventually couldn¡¯t remember what they were. Lu Jinnian, who sat to a side and was always not very talkative, eventually spoke up himself. "Rainy days aren¡¯t the most beautiful thing, it¡¯s to find shelter under a roof with you that is." "Yeah, that line. So Mr, Lu remembers that line in the song. That must mean it really resonated with you." The presenter smiled, then asked, "So Mr. Lu, did you fall in love with rainy days after that time finding cover from the rain?" Chapter 767: Xu Jiamus Decision (27) Chapter 767: Xu Jiamu¡¯s Decision (27) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem "Yes." - "Qiao Qiao, so as it turns out, Lu Jinnian has liked you since the third year of junior middle school?" said Zhao Meng, since she couldn¡¯t resist toment. Qiao Anhao didn¡¯t even bother with Zhao Meng, but stared at Lu Jinnian on the phone. She thought back to when she filmed "Alluring Times" and when his assistant asked her to go to his room. At the time, she even brought him dinner. It was raining that night. She enthusiastically ran over to the window and stared at the falling raindrops. Back then, he even asked her, "Do you like rainy days?" She remembered it clearly... the tone of his voice and hints of surprise when he said it. But she didn¡¯t understand what he was surprised about exactly. She said "Yeah", and even asked him in return, "Do you also like rainy days?". It was around the time they reunited, and when they spoke the most to each other. That night, he told her that he fell in love with rainy days because of someone. Deep inside, she was a little excited because she also fell in love with rainy days because of a person. Till now, she hadn¡¯t realized just how many things they both loved because of one another. - "Mr. Lu, you mentioned that you¡¯ve known Miss Qiao since the first year of high school. Does that mean Mr. Lu has had a secret crush on Miss Qiao for as long as a year?" Lu Jinnian lowered his eyes. His voice was just as t as usual, but there was also a hint of hidden sadness. "Not one year, thirteen years." "Thirteen years?" The presenter waspletely shocked by Lu Jinnian¡¯s words. "Thirteen years isn¡¯t a short amount of time. Many people have had someone they¡¯ve secretly had a crush on, but eventually they¡¯d lose to the reality of it all. Mr. Lu, how did you persist for so long?" "It¡¯s not that I wanted to persist, but I couldn¡¯t not persist, because at first, I gave her all my emotions. From that moment on, I didn¡¯t have any emotions left for anyone else." As Lu Jinnian said this, he had a distant expression on his face, but the words from his mouth were actually iparably emotional. The presenter sat beside Lu Jinnian astonished by his reply. After a pause, she then asked, "Mr. Lu, why didn¡¯t you confess to Miss. Qiao?" Lu Jinnian, who never once discussed his personal life to the media, for the first time, didn¡¯t hold back or mask anything. He spoke frankly. "At first, I had to work through the scorching heat on weekends handing out leaflets to be able to give her a birthday gift, let alone talk about giving her a good life. Even the simplest daily things in life, I couldn¡¯t provide them for her." "Mr. Lu, were you afraid the girl you liked would live a hard life, so you never confessed?" Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t say anything this time, but gave a gentle nod. "But if I remember correctly, Mr. Lu, you won the award for best supporting actor six years ago. At the time, your pay must¡¯ve been high, right? You could definitely give Miss Qiao a good life. Why didn¡¯t you confess then?" "I wanted to confess..." He thought back to the night he received the award. He had rushed over from Changsha back to Beijing overnight, just to catch her by the end of her birthday and tell her ¡¯Happy Birthday¡¯ and ¡¯I love you¡¯. In the end, what actually happened was different. "But before I could even confess, I learned that she was engaged to someone else." "Someone else?" The rumors about Qiao Anhao were buzzing, and the presenter had caught wind of them too. "Was it Mr. Xu Jiamu?" Chapter 768: Xu Jiamus Decision (28) Chapter 768: Xu Jiamu¡¯s Decision (28) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem "Someone else?" The rumors about Qiao Anhao were buzzing, and the presenter had caught wind of them too. "Was it Mr. Xu Jiamu?" Lu Jinnian let out a "Yeah" in confirmation. "On this topic, I think we can¡¯t not mention the recent scandal that has caused a frenzy online." The presenter¡¯s attitude became instantly serious. "I believe, Mr. Lu must¡¯ve seen the photos publicized online. Furthermore, Mr. Lu just said that Miss Qiao and Mr. Xu were engaged, so... Pardon me Mr. Lu, is it true that Miss Qiao and Mr. Xu got divorced because of you and the scandals online?" Perhaps because Lu Jinnian was live on set, the presenter¡¯s words were far from sharp and direct, unlike those of the reporters in Mian Xiu Garden. In fact, she was extremely cunning with her words. But the implications were all the same. She was asking Lu Jinnian if the online scandal was true... that Qiao Anhao really had an affair during her marriage, and because of Lu Jinnian, she really did abandon Xu Jiamu. When Lu Jinnian was asked this question, his demeanor seemed utterly calm andposed, as though the person being cursed online wasn¡¯t Qiao Anhao. The tone of his voice was dull as when he discussed Huan Ying Entertainment¡¯s progress. "Since everybody thinks those photos are real, do you think there¡¯s any reason for me to answer the question?" The presenter was left stunned for a while at Lu Jinnian¡¯s question, then smiled and said, "Mr. Lu, by that, are you suggesting that the situation isn¡¯t as everyone thinks it is?" Lu Jinnian was just as he was before. He didn¡¯t directly answer the question, but as usual, he asked a question back in response. "If I said no, who would believe me?" This time, the presenter was so stifled, she didn¡¯t quite know what to say. Lu Jinnian inhaled gently and continued to say, "If a man really loves a woman, I believe he wouldn¡¯t want to ruin her reputation. "If I really wanted to steal someone¡¯s woman, I could of made a move five years ago when they were engaged. I didn¡¯t have to let the woman I deeply love be my forbidden love. I didn¡¯t have to watch as we lost five whole years. "Myself, I only wanted to see her happy. I never hoped for her to be my wife. "Of course, I¡¯ve said all this, but everyone may not believe me. After all, they¡¯re just words without any evidence. Those photos are real. "I also know that there¡¯s no use for me to stand out and say all this, and it can¡¯t change anything, but I still want to let it out. Most importantly, I want to say it for her to hear. "Because I want her to know that even if everyone in the world abandons her, I would stand by her side without hesitation and fight against the world." As Lu Jinnian said this, the presenter, sitting beside him, never made a sound to interrupt him. The interview had clearly gone awry, yet everyone filming live on set didn¡¯t ry a single prompt. Lu Jinnian stayed silent for a moment, then opened his mouth to speak again. His voice wasn¡¯t as dull as before, but full with intense emotions. "Qiao Qiao, no matter how many people say that you¡¯re no good... no matter how many lies or how much gossip surrounds you, I will always see you as my beloved princess. "I¡¯m so sorry that I can¡¯t share the nders targeted at you, but I will try my very best to shield you." Chapter 769: Xu Jiamus Decision (29) Chapter 769: Xu Jiamu¡¯s Decision (29) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Everyone in the entertainment industry knew that Lu Jinnian never epted interviews, nor did he answer personal questions, but today... Since he sat down, answering each and every question the presenter asked him, till the very the end, where the topic turned to Qiao Anhao, he was very cooperative in the face of the presenter¡¯s nosy questions. Right then, his aim was for the presenter to ask him about the online scandals buzzing about these past few days. From the very start, it looked like a regr interview, but nobody knew that it was a trap he had actually set up, one step at a time. He didn¡¯t have any evidence that he was the ¡¯Xu Jiamu¡¯ Qiao Anhao married, so he could only use this method to clear matters up. Of course, this rification wasn¡¯t very persuasive... He couldn¡¯t persuade every single person to believe it, but he still wanted to do it. Not only did he do it, but in front of everyone in the world, he wanted to openly swear to treat her well. Even if the people weren¡¯t fine with his honesty, what did that matter? He just wanted her to be happy. - Qiao Anhao frozepletely the moment Lu Jinnian said, "I confessed...". He confessed to her? How did shepletely not know about it? When was this? Yet before she coulde up with an answer for all the doubts she had in her mind, he spoke again with all seriousness. Zhao Meng, who was watching the broadcast andmenting, miraculously quietened down. All that could be heard in the car was the echo of Lu Jinnian¡¯s voice. "Because I want her to know that even if everyone in the world abandons her, I would stand by her side without hesitation and fight against the world." His tone of voice was clearly t, yet he gave people a feeling of shock. Having received Lu Jinnian¡¯s feelings, the stunned Qiao Anhao couldn¡¯t help but raise her hand and cover her mouth at that one line. "Qiao Qiao, no matter how many people say that you¡¯re no good... no matter how many lies or how much gossip surrounds you, I will always see you as my beloved princess. "I¡¯m so sorry that I can¡¯t share the nders targeted at you, but I will try my very best to shield you." His voice was slow and gentle. When he said romantic things, his expression was just as cold his usual reclusive nature, but the words still warmed her heart. She didn¡¯t know if her pregnancy was amplifying her emotions, but tears started to suddenly fall from her eyes. Before he left the house, he told her that he¡¯d be busy dealing with work. When she knew she was pregnant, she tried calling him but he didn¡¯t pick up. At the time, she felt a little sorry for not being able to immediately share the surprise with him. In fact, she was so worried for the baby in her womb that the first thing she did was go to the hospital for a check up, asking Zhao Meng to apany her. She had been in low spirits. However, she never imagined that this man, who left her on her own whilst she was in the midst of the scathing online attacks, had actually stood up to protect her. A while back, she had reassured herself ¡¯so what if the whole world was scolding her¡¯. But in the end, she was a Qiao Anhao who had Lu Jinnian. At that very moment, she felt content for having someone like him, even if her reputation was ruined. Good men don¡¯t charm you till you¡¯re disoriented, but steadily spoil you little by little. Chapter 770: Xu Jiamus Decision (30) Chapter 770: Xu Jiamu¡¯s Decision (30) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem They say deep love is not as good as longpanionship, and profound love needn¡¯t an exchange of many words. Yet Qiao Anhao had clearly also loved him for thirteen years, but why did she feel like her love was so insignificant and not worth a mention in the face of his love. That man... always wore an icy cold expression and wasn¡¯t talkative. If you jabbered on and on, he would only reply with responses like "Mm" or "Good". Sometimes, it would also make you feel uninterested, and involuntarily want tosh out. But the moment this reclusive man opened his mouth to speak, his words would touch the heart. How was Qiao Anhao so lucky, to actually be able to find a person who was willing to stop the world for her? - When the interview finished, Lu Jinnian went back to the break room and grabbed his phone to see Qiao Anhao¡¯s missed calls. Without thinking twice, he immediately called back. The phone rang a few times, and then it was picked yet it wasn¡¯t her usual gentle voice but the wailing sound of sobbing. Lu Jinnian¡¯s entire body tightened up. "Qiao Qiao? What¡¯s wrong?" "I..." As Qiao Anhao had been crying for so long, she could only say one word before abruptly huping. At that instant, Lu Jinnian¡¯s heart became suddenly anxious. Without a second thought, he turned around and apologized to the chief of the TV station, who he had made ns to treat for dinner, and said, "Sorry, Chief Fang, my wife is in a bit of trouble. I have to go back home. I¡¯ll have to treat you to dinner on another day." "Don¡¯t worry, Chief Lu. Go ahead, let¡¯s reschedule for another day." Lu Jinnian apologized again, then turned around and said to the assistant, "Hurry, get the car ready. Back to Mian Xiu Garden." It had taken a lot for Qiao Anhao to calm herself over the phone, but when she overheard him through the still open call, she was moved to even more unrelenting tears. After Lu Jinnian heard her cries, he darted out of the TV station so fast he almost started to fly. Just as he got into the car, he started to urge the assistant to go faster... faster.. and faster. In the midst of hismands, he would say a fewforting words to Qiao Anhao in a low voice every so often. The TV station was located in the center of the most flourishing part of the city. On top of this, it was also rush hour at the time, so the traffic was crazy. Every now and then, the car would stop. Every once in a while, Qiao Anhao would hear Lu Jinnian¡¯s violent outbursts towards his assistant. "Didn¡¯t I say hurry?!" "Can you drive?!" "Why didn¡¯t you push through?!" "Stop the car! Get out! I¡¯m driving!" Even though he wasn¡¯t screaming at Qiao Anhao, she shivered for a moment at his roar. Instinctively, she stroked her belly. As she snorted, she said feebly, "Lu Jinnian..." Lu Jinnian had nned to push the car door open, when, all of a sudden, he heard Qiao Anhao¡¯s voice. It brought him to an abrupt halt. His voice was careful yet impatient. "What¡¯s wrong? Qiao Qiao, I¡¯m here." "I... I, I¡¯m fine..." Because Qiao Anhao couldn¡¯t stop sobbing, her words were choppy. At the thought of how exaggeratedly she was crying just now, she couldn¡¯t help but smile through her tears. As she wiped them away, she angrily spoke to Lu Jinnian on the phone. "It¡¯s all your fault... If it weren¡¯t for you, why else would I cry?" "Me?" Lu Jinnian was totally scared half to death by her words. What did he do to make her cry like this? Chapter 771: Xu Jiamus Decision (31) Chapter 771: Xu Jiamu¡¯s Decision (31) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Lu Jinnian hesitated just for a split-second, wanting to say "Sorry", but then he heard Qiao Anhao say a little choked up over the phone, "Lu Jinnian, thank you." With those words, he finally understood just why she was crying. The anxiousness in his heart calmed down and his tensed up body loosened up, and he leaned back into his seat. He waved his hand over at his assistant, who had stopped the car by the side of the road and got out, to continue driving. Then he said sluggishly, "You¡¯ve seen the broadcast?" "En." Qiao Anhao was still sobbing, but inparison to just then, she sounded significantly calmer. "Where are you right now?" "On the way home." "Oh," responded Qiao Anhao. She then subconsciously cried, "Lu Jinnian, I..." She wanted to say "I¡¯m pregnant". But as the words reached her mouth, she figured that since he missed the chance to be the first to find out, it wouldn¡¯t hurt to know a day and nightte. Tomorrow night were the finals of thepetition. She couldn¡¯t take the role in that Hollywood movie anymore, nor could she perform Zhao Feiyan¡¯s drum dance. At most, she could wear the costume up on stage and look pretty for a moment. However, she would take the advantage of the stage to copy what he did today and give him a surprise. But she didn¡¯t know how he would react the instant he heard her say that she was pregnant. "What¡¯s wrong?" asked Lu Jinnian, after having not heard her for quite some time over the phone. "I¡¯m fine, it¡¯s just that I suddenly really want to eat nuts." Qiao Anhao hurriedly put the assumptions in her mind away and casually changed the subject. "Alright, I¡¯ll bring some back home for you," Lu Jinnian replied. "Is there anything else you¡¯d like to eat?" "En..." Qiao Anhao thought back for a moment to the many things the doctor had rmended she eat during her pregnancy, and listed them in detail, "Apples, bananas, strawberries, grapes, fish, eggs, milk... Oh, and pig trotters." "Pig trotters?" Lu Jinnian was surprised. "Don¡¯t you hate eating pig trotters?" Qiao Anhao acted like a spoiled child. "I want to eat them now..." Lu Jinnian instantly knew what to do. "Alright, I¡¯ll buy some back for you." "En, then I¡¯ll wait for you at home." - Xu Jiamu left a contract in Mian Xiu Garden. When he went over at night to get it, he received a shared video on WeChat from Song Xiangsi. In response, he asked, "What?" Song Xiangsi arrogantly and coolly replied with "Can¡¯t take a look for yourself?", then ignored him. And so, all he could do was click it for himself and watch. Xu Jiamu thought that Song Xiangsi had sent him a video about herself. He never imagined that when he clicked on it, the video would be of Lu Jinnian¡¯s interview. At the very start, they spoke about Huan Ying Entertainment¡¯s future ns, which Xu Jiamu watched a little restlessly. As he looked at his phone, he parked the car at the entrance of the courtyard. With the key in his hands, he was getting ready to push the car door open and step out when the presenter in the phone asked a nosy question. "Mr. Lu, do you care to share with us your and Miss Qiao¡¯s story?" Xu Jiamu, who knew Lu Jinnian well, couldn¡¯t help but let out a chuckle. Was the presenter eager to get snubbed? Since when did his brother ever divulge anything about his private life to the public? In the end, he was caught off guard by the fact that Lu Jinnian actually replied with "I¡¯d be delighted to." Chapter 772: Xu Jiamus Decision (32) Chapter 772: Xu Jiamu¡¯s Decision (32) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Xu Jiamu couldn¡¯t help but stare at the phone screen, as he stood still by the side of the car. In the video, Lu Jinnian appeared stylish and calm throughout, but when he spoke about Qiao Anhao, there was clearly a hint of gentleness between his brows. Xu Jiamu had always known that Lu Jinnian had a girl he liked. He only knew because his brother had let it slip one time when he was drunk. He revealed just a little and then was knocked out. He was always curious to find out just who that woman was. But he never imagined that the woman Lu Jinnian loved was actually Qiao Anhao. As Lu Jinnian spoke, Xu Jiamu thought back to when he had helped him order a cake for Qiao Anhao from ck Swan. The cake cost five figures. At the time, he gave Lu Jinnian his credit card, to have it returned to him without a cent spent. Xu Jiamu had especially asked him worriedly, "Bro, where did you get the money to buy the cake?" Lu Jinnian flipped through the physics book and said tly, "I have it." Xu Jiamu had actually wanted to give him the money but he didn¡¯t want it, so he dropped it, afraid to hurt his pride. But thenter, there was a long period of time where he would reject his invitations to y ball. After a considerably long amount of time, he went to a bar, and incidentally heard from a bartender that he worked there for a few months. At the time, he didn¡¯t think much of it, not really seeing a point to it. Now that Lu Jinnian was saying all this, he finally understood. He bought the cake with the money he earned working those nights. Later, when he had money, he didn¡¯t confess because he knew that Qiao Anhao was engaged. He remembered... there was a time, at a party, where he casually asked if he really had an engagement with the Qiao family. He said yes. He even asked, Da Qiao or Xiao Qiao? He said Xiao Qiao. Because of his single reply, did he give up on the girl he had had a crush on for so many years? Because he was his little brother... was he trying to say that he absolutely wouldn¡¯t touch his brother¡¯s fiance? The rims of Xu Jiamu¡¯s eyes became a little red. Time goes by... In the blink of an eye, so many years had passed. He thought he knew some things, but now, he realized that he¡¯d known nothing. That icy arrogant older brother who always treated him as his closest rtive had forced himself to let go of his love. In truth... he just didn¡¯t know it was like that... He didn¡¯t have to marry Qiao Qiao, but out of the many women he could of been engaged to, he liked her the most. If he knew that he liked Qiao Qiao, he definitely, definitely, definitely wouldn¡¯t have said he¡¯d choose Qiao Qiao. He definitely, definitely, definitely would have helped him get Qiao Qiao. Even to this very moment, whilst everyone abandoned the woman he loved, Lu Jinnian stood up to protect and guard her. He never wanted to uncover the truth that he had actually pretended to be his brother. Xu Jiamu put his phone into his pocket, then slightly turned his head and took a deep breath. He was trying to force his tears back when he saw a car park at the entrance of the vi in front of him. Qiao Anhao got out of it with a stack of papers. She waved goodbye at the person in the car. After she waited for the car to leave, she turned to open the door and identally dropped the papers. Chapter 773: Xu Jiamus Decision (33) Chapter 773: Xu Jiamu¡¯s Decision (33) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Qiao Anhao stopped entering the passcode to bend down and pick up the sheets of paper. Thete winter wind was quite strong, and the southern one was blowing through the road. Qiao Anhao picked up just three or four sheets when a gust of wind blew the rest in the direction of where Xu Jiamu was standing. Qiao Anhao chased after them and bent down to pick them up. As she chased after thest two sheets of paper, she walked over to the front of the car, where the papers finallynded. Before she could pick them up, someone bent down to help her get them. With a word of "Thanks", Qiao Anhao raised her head to see a stiff face, then cried, "Brother Jiamu!" Xu Jiamu gave a slight nod. Just as he was bout to hand Qiao Anhao the two sheets of paper he picked up, his eyes were drawn to several words on them. He furrowed his brows, then brought the papers towards himself. He looked over them with all seriousness and his hand slightly tightened on the sheet. He raised his head in excitement and then asked in disbelief, "Qiao Qiao, you¡¯re pregnant?" "En." QIao Anhao gave a gentle nod. "How long has it been?" Xu Jiamu¡¯s line of sight fell to Qiao Anhao¡¯s stomach. It was still quite t, as though no difference from usual. Qiao Anhao said, "Only a month." "I..." Xu Jiamu paused for a moment, then finally followed with, "Bro... does he know?" Qiao Anhao shook her head. "He still doesn¡¯t know yet. I only just found out this afternoon." "En." Xu Jiamu gave a nod, then stared at the pregnancy examination results again. He thought back to how his own mother had killed Qiao Anhao¡¯sst child, and lowered his head in shame. After a long while, he said, "So from today onward, you have to take good care of yourself." Qiao Anhao understood the meaning behind those words. The first child was lost. And it was her neglect and carelessness that caused it. As for the second child, she definitely wouldn¡¯t allow anything bad to happen. Qiao Anhao gave an "En". "Thank you, Brother Jiamu. I¡¯ll make sure to be careful." "That¡¯s good, that¡¯s good." Xu Jiamu repeated it twice. Then he fell silent, not quite knowing what else to say. Qiao Anhao saw his quietness, and followed suit. After standing there for quite some time, she finally broke the silence. "Brother Jiamu, if there¡¯s nothing else, I¡¯d better be off." "Yeah, Yeah," he repeated. "The wind is strong and cold. Don¡¯t catch a cold. Pregnant women can¡¯t eat medicine, so you¡¯d better hurry back." "En." Qiao Anhao stood on the spot without flinching. Her eyes stared straight at the two sheets of paper in Xu Jiamu¡¯s hands. She didn¡¯t know what he was thinking about, but he seemed a little distracted. All Qiao Anhao could do was speak up to remind him. "Brother Jiamu, my check up results." "Oh!" he suddenly responded. He hurriedly handed the papers back to Qiao Anhao. For some reason, he seemed to be a little flustered. "Brother Jiamu, are you alright?" "I¡¯m fine." Xu Jiamu shook his head and then said, "You¡¯d better hurry back now." "Okay, bye." "Bye." Qiao Anhao smiled at Xu Jiamu then turned around and walked back towards the entrance of Lu Jinnian¡¯s vi. Xu Jiamu stood on the spot until she entered the house. He stayed in his original position without moving so much as an inch. Chapter 774: Xu Jiamus Decision (34) Chapter 774: Xu Jiamu¡¯s Decision (34) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Back home, Qiao Anhao first went into the bathroom to pick up the pregnancy tests she¡¯d left on the floor and chucked them into a ck trash bag. She then grabbed the test results from the hospital and circled the bedroom for a ce to hide them. In the end, she crawled over the fluffy rug and shoved the sheets under the bed. That¡¯s when she saw a familiar looking metal box. She froze for a moment, then pulled it out. She opened it to find an aged RMB note, a ne ticket, a train ticket, and a light blue envelope covered in pink hearts. She had nned to give it to Lu Jinnian on his birthday. But to hide the surprise gift she had bought for him that day, she needed to hide the box under the bed. Later, because all she could think about was how he aborted their child, so much so she left him, she just assumed that she had put the metal box in her suitcase. If she hadn¡¯t stumbled upon it under the bed today, who knows how long it would¡¯ve stayed there for? Qiao Anhao stared at the things in the metal box for a while, then slightly curved her lips. She put the pregnancy sticks and check up results inside, closed the lid, and put it back under the bed. - When Xu Jiamu arrived back at Su Yuan apartments, Song Xiangsi was wearing an apron and cooking in the kitchen. It was an open kitchen, so when he removed his shoes at the entrance, he instantly saw her holding a knife like an expert, yetpletely unregted and ungraceful, as she sliced a cucumber. The vent was clearly on, but for some reason Song Xiangsi managed to fill the room with smoke. When she heard the sound of the door opening, she covered her mouth and let out a cough. Turning her head, she bluntly said to him, "You¡¯re back? Wash your hands for dinner." Without waiting for Xu Jiamu to answer, she turned her head right back around. Holding the knife with two hands, she randomly chopped the cucumber on the chopping board as though she was going to kill someone. Then, she picked it up and divided the slices into two bowls. She picked them, one in each hand, and then nted them hard onto the dinning table with a "PA!". She furrowed her brows at Xu Jiamu who stood in the living with raised eyebrows. "What are you doing nking out? Are you not going to eat?" "En," Xu Jiamu responded, going to the bathroom to wash his hands. He then sat down in front of Song Xiangsi. Just as he picked up his chopsticks, he looked at the dark mess in his bowl and dropped them down in shock with a "PALA!". "Song Xiangsi, can you tell me what the hell is this?" She calmly lifted her eyes, a matter-of-fact expression on her face. "Fried sauce noodles. What? You¡¯ve never had it before?" "Fried sauce noodles? Fried sauce noodles at your house looks like this?" Xu Jiamu picked up his chopsticks again and lifted the knotted mess of noodles, the unevenly thick and thin excuse for cucumber strips, and the pitch-ck sauce. He let out an evil chuckle. "Hehe, I couldn¡¯t tell." As his words dropped, Song Xiangsi grabbed his bowl in a swoop and without saying a word was ready to pour it into the bin. Xu Jiamu grabbed the bowl back with his sharp reflexes. He stirred the noodles with his chopsticks for a long time, forcibly picked up a string of them and put into his mouth. The next second, Xu Jiamu grabbed for the cup beside him and gulped the water down in an instant. "Song Xiangsi, just how much salt did you add?" Chapter 775: Xu Jiamus Decision (35) Chapter 775: Xu Jiamu¡¯s Decision (35) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem "Not much." Song Xiangsi picked up a jar of water and poured Xu Jiamu a cup. She stirred the noodles with her chopsticks, added water, and then poured it into the bin before serving it to Xu Jiamu again. "I suppose this will dilute the saltiness." He peeked into the bowl, which looked even scarier than the "fried sauce noodles" just now, and pulled a face. Even though his expression looked forced, he still lifted his chopsticks and started eating. The corner of Song Xiangsi¡¯s lips curved into a meager smile. She lowered her head and continued to eat the awful fried sauce noodles. After eating about half the bowl, Xu Jiamu finally couldn¡¯t help but put his chopsticks down. "Song Xiangsi, look at yourself... you can¡¯t even cook fried sauce noodles... in the future, who would want to marry you?" The chopsticks in Song Xiangsi¡¯s hand tensed up, and the smile at the corner of her lips instantly disappeared. In the future, who would want to marry you... Did this mean that deep down he didn¡¯t want to marry her? It was only for a second but Song Xiangsi wore a charmingly sweet smile on her face. She then raised her head and looked over at Xu Jiamu. Without a hint of holding back, she stated, "None of your fucking business, I won¡¯t marry you anyway!" In the past, every time Song Xiangsi swore, she would always get scolded by Xu Jiamu. But this time, he was actually so stunned by her words he didn¡¯t even notice that she swore. He stared at her for about five seconds. The hand she used to pick up the chopsticks, tapped the table rhythmically. "I just pity your future husband, that¡¯s all." "On his behalf, I thank your whole family!" replied Song Xiangsi with a cold smile. She abruptly got up and carried both bowls from the table and chucked the contents into the bin. Then, with reddened eyes, she walked into the kitchen with her back turned to Xu Jiamu at the dining table. As Song Xiangsi washed the dishes, her tears came crashing down. Coincidentally, the sound of the water running was loud, masking the sound of her feeble sobs. It was just two big bowls, but it took her ten whole minutes to wash them. In the end, she went to go wash her face before cing the bowls into the disinfection cab. She then turned around and saw Xu Jiamu, who had already left the dining table and was standing at the balcony by the living room, smoking. Dinner was so terrible, she supposed he wasn¡¯t full. Song Xiangsi opened the fridge and took out a pack of instant noodles. She poured hot water into it. After a minute, she walked over to the balcony and put the noodles on the round table on the balcony. "Here, this is for you." Xu Jiamu turned his head to see a bowl of steaming instant noodles. He gave a nod, then took two drags of his cigarette before putting it out. He pulled out the chair from under the round table and sat down. Song Xiangsi didn¡¯t leave, instead she leaned against the sliding ss doors. "What were you thinking about just now?" Xu Jiamu stopped eating noodles for a moment. Then, after a while, he said, "Qiao Qiao¡¯s pregnant." "She is? That¡¯s a good thing." Song Xiangsi wore a beaming smile for a moment, sincerely happy for Lu Jinnian and Qiao Anhao. "Mr. Lu must be so happy." After feeling happy for them, Song Xiangsi couldn¡¯t help but shake her head at the thought of how Qiao Anhao¡¯s scandal has been buzzingtely. "But it¡¯s sad that the baby¡¯s mother is being scolded by people like this. I¡¯m afraid that when the baby grows up, people will be pointing fingers at him. Worse yet, he might end up the same as Mr. Lu, traumatized by his childhood and have a lifetime of misfortune..." All of a sudden, the phone rang in the other room. Song Xiangsi stopped speaking and walked leisurely to pick it up. Chapter 776: Xu Jiamus Decision (36) Chapter 776: Xu Jiamu¡¯s Decision (36) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Just as Xu Jiamu was about to pick up some noodles and stuff them into his mouth, he paused for a moment, then put his chopsticks down. The faint sound of Song Xiangsi¡¯s arrogance andints came from the other room, it sounded like her manager had epted another job she didn¡¯t want. Xu Jiamu stared at Song Xiangsi for some time before he got up and walked over to the window. He red at the millions of lights outside, and lit up a cigarette. As the taste of nicotine filled his lungs, he thought back to her words: traumatized by his childhood and have a lifetime of misfortune. - Lu Jinnian¡¯s interview was more or less useful. At the very least, those fans who adored him were moved by his words. Especially his line "If I really wanted to steal someone¡¯s woman, I could of made a move five years ago when they were engaged. I didn¡¯t have to let the woman I deeply love be my forbidden love. I didn¡¯t have to watch as we lost five whole years." It caused quite themotion. Quite a few people felt like the media was just making groundless usations and misleading its audience. However, just as Lu Jinnian said, his words were merely words without evidence. There were only a few people who really believed him. But because some believed him and others didn¡¯t, it stirred up quite the war of words online. It¡¯s just a shame that Qiao Anhao stumbled upon two surprises at this time. She simply didn¡¯t bother with the things online, so she had no idea thatizens were going wild. - After dinner, Lu Jinnian went into the study room to tend to work. When he walked back into the bedroom, he saw Qiao Anhao nestled in bed, looking at her phone. He couldn¡¯t help but ask curiously, "Tomorrow is thepetition, you¡¯re not practicing?" Qiao Anhao quickly clicked out of the site of things pregnant mothers should look out for, and put her phone down. She turned to Lu Jinnian and said without being shy about it at all, "I¡¯ve already memorized the steps by heart. I don¡¯t need to practice anymore." "Hehe, Qiao Qiao, you sure can find excuses for yourziness." Lu Jinnian chuckled as he climbed into the bed and hugged Qiao Anhao. His hands wanted to explore underneath her pajamas, however, with the doctor¡¯s orders in mind, Qiao Anhao rashly grabbed his hand. "Lu Jinnian, tomorrow I have to take part in thepetition. You have to let me maintain my body strength." He looked at her with all seriousness, then negotiated, "All right, tomorrow I¡¯ll be back." Qiao Anhao gave him a wide smile and said, "Okay." Deep down inside, she secretly thought, would he want toe back tomorrow night? She was afraid tomorrow someone wouldn¡¯t be able to get it up! - It was still early. As the two of them weren¡¯t sleepy, but they couldn¡¯t do anything x-rated, all they could do was have a casual chat. At first, Lu Jinnian wasn¡¯t really satisfied and wasn¡¯t the slightest bit interested, but eventually, he seemed to calm down. Just like that, he quietly hugged his sweet wife in bed, and innocently had a chat. Actually, he was kind of blissfully happy... After their chat, Qiao Anhao thought back to the idea she had, when she woke up in the middle of the nightst night, of relocating if she was pregnant. She slightly raised her head, looked at Lu Jinnian, and said, "Lu Jinnian, let¡¯s get out of the country?" At the thought of all the upsetting things online recently, Lu Jinnian assumed that she wanted to go on a holiday, so he said without any objections, "Alright, what country do you want to go to? I¡¯ll arrange it with my assistant tomorrow." Chapter 777: Xu Jiamus Decision (37) Chapter 777: Xu Jiamu¡¯s Decision (37) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem "I don¡¯t want to go on holiday." Qiao Anhao knew that Lu Jinnian would misunderstand. She shook her head. "I want to emigrate." "How did you suddenlye to the idea?" Lu Jinnian furrowed his brows, then as though something had clicked, he asked, "Because of what happened online?" Lu Jinnian asked two consecutive questions, then lowered his eyes. "Qiao Qiao, sorry, I couldn¡¯t protect you." If he could, he really wanted to grow old with her in the same city she grew up in, where she had created so many memories, and where her family and friends lived. But he never imagined that in the end, she would mind, deep down inside. So much so that she wanted to leave the country. Because of Lu Jinnian¡¯sst words, Qiao Anhao was so moved that she tightlytched onto his waist, then said in a low voice, "Actually, it¡¯s not that I care about those rumors, but if we have a child, I don¡¯t want the baby to be born under those lies and nder. "Lu Jinnian, you know... living under the finger pointing is far too harsh for a child. Let¡¯s relocate. Even if we won¡¯t know many people, that¡¯s alright. We can make new friends. What¡¯s most important is that we¡¯re together, right?" Yeah. What was most important was that they were together. No matter what city, what country, what corner of the world they were, Lu Jinnian and Qiao Anhao together would be the most perfect ending. How did the saying go? Home is where the heart is. Wherever Qiao Anhao went, that would be Lu Jinnian¡¯s home. And wherever he went, she would follow. At that thought, Lu Jinnian gave a gentle nod and said, "Alright, we¡¯ll emigrate. Let¡¯s go with your idea." Qiao Anhao snickered. Even though she was a little sad deep down, leaving the city she was born and raised in for over twenty years, but for her child, it was worth it. After all, nothing is absolutely perfect in this world and after all is said and done there¡¯s still regret left behind. But luckily they could be together. As though she was afraid he could see the regret in her heart, Qiao Anhao curved her brows and started to tell him wonderful things, fairy tale like stories that would happen after they emigrated. "We can buy a beautiful house and build a swing in the courtyard. When summeres round, we can drink coffee in the courtyard when night falls... "We have to have two dogs. I like Labradors, because they¡¯re the smartest dogs in the world, and they could y with our baby... "And Lu Jinnian... when the baby¡¯s naughty, you have to discipline him and I¡¯ll cheer him up, so in the baby¡¯s heart, I¡¯m the good guy... "When the baby grows up a little, we can travel around the world..." - When Song Xiangsi woke up at night, she realized that Xu Jiamu wasn¡¯t lying beside her. She picked up her phone to check the time. It was already one in the morning. There was an unread Wechat message from Qiao Anhao sent around eleven o¡¯clock: [Sister Xiangsi, I¡¯ve discussed it with Mr. Lu... We¡¯re going to get ready to leave the country soon. If you have time, we¡¯d like to treat you to a meal.] Leave the country? Was it because of what happened online? Now that she was pregnant, it would definitely be troublesome to stay in China. It wouldn¡¯t be easy to be pregnant here, let alone raise a baby. Because it waste, Song Xiangsi didn¡¯t reply to Qiao Anhao¡¯s Wechat message. Chapter 778: Xu Jiamus Decision (38) Chapter 778: Xu Jiamu¡¯s Decision (38) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Because it waste, Song Xiangsi didn¡¯t reply Qiao Anhao¡¯s WeChat message. She grabbed her phone and climbed out of bed, then put on a cardigan and walked out of the bedroom to find Xu Jiamu standing on the balcony alone, smoking as he stared out the window. She didn¡¯t know how long he¡¯d stood there or how much he smoked, but the smoke from the balcony traveled though the house, making it a little suffocating. She turned the vent on, then slowly walked over to him. With a cigarette in one hand, Xu Jiamu lowered his head as he looked transfixed at his phone. He didn¡¯t even notice when Song Xiangsi walked over next to him. Lu Jinnian¡¯s voice came from his phone, and she could tell that it was from his interview yesterday afternoon. In the cold, zero degrees temperature on the balcony, Xu Jiamu wore just a thin set of pajamas. Song Xiangsi turned back to the bedroom, grabbed a nket, and went back to cover him. Xu Jiamu turned his head and nced at her, then exited the video. He took another drag of his cigarette and asked, "You¡¯re awake?" Song Xiangsi looked at the smoke surrounding him, and furrowed her brows. She wanted to ask why he smoked so much, but in the end, she stopped herself. She knew that he had been in a bad mood these days. She also knew that he was hesitating about something. On one side, it was his older brother and best friend, but on the other side was his own mother. It certainly was a little difficult to choose. Throughout history, the names of those who punished their own family for justice have long been remembered throughout the ages. But who actually knew just how much pain and struggle they had to endure when they betrayed their rtives. To them, songs of praise exposed the scary times again and again. Song Xiangsi blinked, and replied, "I saw that you weren¡¯t there when I got up to go to the toilet, so I came out here." After a pause, she spoke again. "It¡¯s such a cold night, why aren¡¯t you wearing more clothes? What will you do if you catch a cold?" Before Xu Jiamu got into a car ident and before she broke it off with him, Song Xiangsi was an arrogant queen. But in front of him, she was always sensible and gentle. Perhaps it was because she was obedient, he stayed with her for seven years and never thought to leave. Now, she used the same caring and gentle look as she spoke to him, leaving him a little startled... even a little dazed. Song Xiangsi felt a little ufortable under Xu Jiamu¡¯s gaze, so she turned away. Her fingers unintentionally touched the phone in her pocket. Then, as though she¡¯d remembered something, she pulled it out and clicked open Qiao Anhao¡¯s WeChat message. She showed it to Xu Jiamu. "You brother and Qiao Qiao are getting ready to leave the country." "Leave the country?" asked Xu Jiamu curiously. He lowered his head and carefully looked at Qiao Anhao¡¯s message again. His expression instantly turned pale. Did she mean that they were emigrating? Did that mean they would nevere back? His mother pushed them so far that in the end they were left with the lone option to leave their home? "I believe it¡¯s because of the baby. I guess they don¡¯t want their child to have to face all the rumors as soon as he¡¯s born." Xu Jiamu didn¡¯t answer, but slowly turned his head to stare out towards the night view in silence. Song Xiangsi didn¡¯t disturb him. In the still of the night, she quietly kept himpany. Chapter 779: Xu Jiamus Decision (39) Chapter 779: Xu Jiamu¡¯s Decision (39) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem After over ten minutes, Xu Jiamu suddenly spoke up. "Xiangsi." He often called her Song Xiangsi, but she very rarely heard Xiangsi alone. With the night view in the backdrop, his voice was gentle and slowly stumbled straight into her heart. With a glint in her eye, she turned her head. "Hm?" "Didn¡¯t they ask you to to be a guest at tomorrow night¡¯s Hollywood castingpetition?" "Yeah." At the mention of it, Song Xiangsi started to get angry. She couldn¡¯t help but say, "That manager of mine really is something... Just can¡¯t give me a break. I¡¯m on holiday, holiday, holiday! In the middle of my holiday, she set up for some guest appearance nonsense. It¡¯s just several hundred million to appear? Do I even care for it? I... Also, can those contestant¡¯s acting skills evenpare to mine? Do I even want to go see them perform? I... She really pisses me off!" In the face of Song Xiangsi¡¯s rage, Xu Jiamu was calm. "Then do me a favor tomorrow." "What?" she instantly fell silent. "Before Qiao Qiao gets on stage tomorrow, find a way for me to go up first. Give me ten minutes. Ten minutes will be enough." This was a difficult request, yet Song Xiangsi was quite enthusiastic. "Are you suggesting that I won¡¯t be bored tomorrow when I make a guest appearance?" "..." Xu Jiamu thought that Song Xiangsi really didn¡¯t think the same way as other people. He asked as though he was looking for something, "Is there a problem?" "What problem could there be?" Song Xiangsi pulled a face and said disapprovingly, "Let me tell you, if the queen, I, open my golden mouth, let¡¯s not mention ten minutes, they¡¯d give me ten hours! If they don¡¯t give it to me, then I¡¯ll just walk out on being a guest!" As she said this, Song Xiangsi raised her hand and patted Xu Jiamu¡¯s shoulder. "If I walk out tomorrow and they don¡¯t give me ten minutes, remember to pay me back for breaching the contract!" "..." - On the day of thepetition at five in the afternoon, the assistant drove to Mian Xiu Garden to pick up Qiao Anhao and Lu Jinnian. When they reached thepetition ce, they bumped into Zhao Meng, from whom Qiao Anhao learned about a new rumor having just hit the inte. There were several photos of Lu Jinnian with the director and producer in charge of the Hollywood casting together at dinner. An insider revealed that Lu Jinnian had paid thirty percent of the investment in this movie. Another insider revealed that no matter if Qiao Anhao performed well or not in the finals, she would definitelynd the role. Qiao Anhao was already the focal point of recent rumors. With this news, a bunch of people wouldunch an attack on her. They¡¯d say she has poor moral standing and that the only reason she got into the finals was because she had a backer. Another group of people wouldunch an attack on thepetition and Lu Jinnian. Qiao Anhao roughly nced over it, then handed the phone back to Zhao Meng. At this very moment, she could not be bothered with this kind of rumor. No matter how they scolded her online, it didn¡¯t matter. Later on, she had a counterattack! - Before Xu Jiamu went to thepetition, he first stopped by the Xu family estate. When Han Ruchu saw him, she was so shocked, she threw herself at him and hugged him. Chapter 780: Im Pregnant (1) Chapter 780: I¡¯m Pregnant (1) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem When Han Ruchu saw Xu Jiamu, she was so shocked, she threw herself at him and hugged him.Then she cried whilst mumbling, "Jiamu, you finally came to visit mama? You forgive mama, right?" Xu Jiamu didn¡¯t say a word, but stood there on the spot and let Han Ruchu hug him. Later, seeing that he was short of time, he said he had to leave. Before he left, he casually stole a document from the Xu family estate¡¯s study room. - Qiao Anhao was in eighth ce, so she wasst to perform on stage. There were only four make up artists, so when Qiao Anhao reached the make up room. She waited with Zhao Meng for a while for a make up artist to be free. She sat down in front of the dresser. Just as she was about to tell the make up artist what she was going to wear that night and what kind of look she was going for, she saw Lin Shiyi, the second ce contender,e out of the dressing room. As Qiao Anhao¡¯s eyes were drawn towards her, the words stuck in her mouth. She wore a rose-colored ancient Chinese dance costume, with her hair and make up also done up in a manner of an ancient beauty. This wasn¡¯t the main point, the main point was... the dance costume she wore was exactly the same as the one Qiao Anhao had ordered. "Qiao Qiao, why does Lin Shiyi have the same costume? She¡¯s up on stage before you, so what are we going to do? We got here in such a hurry, and we didn¡¯t bring a change of clothes. In apetition like this, you¡¯d lose points for shing costumes." Qiao Anhao heard Zhao Meng¡¯s whisper in her ears. That¡¯s when she turned away from Lin Shiyi, and gave her friend aforting expression. Then she told the make up artist, "Give me a natural look to suit what I¡¯m wearing now." Actually... she never wanted to perform Zhao Feiyan¡¯s drum dance, but seeing as she wore matching outfits with Lin Shiyi, she still felt a little crushed. What a coincidence, for the two of them to wear matching outfits? To choose the same outfit? When Lin Shiyi got up on stage, Qiao Anhao coincidentally finished her make up and sat in the break room with Zhao Meng. She wasn¡¯t at all interested in Lin Shiyi¡¯s performance, but when the woman said what her topic was her brows tightened. Zhao Feiyan¡¯s drum dance. As if wearing matching outfits wasn¡¯t enough, their performances also shed? Most importantly, this performance was an idea she and Lu Jinnian hade up with together. Not even Zhao Meng and his assistant knew, so how did Lin Shiyi learn of it? Even if Qiao Anhao couldn¡¯t immediately guess how the woman found out, she knew that Lin Shiyi did all this to perform her dance before her, thus carefully nning to sabotage her performance. Qiao Anhao, who felt a little down, was nowpletely crushed. Lin Shiyi¡¯s drum routine was choreographed differently. Even though Qiao Anhao¡¯s one was spectacr, to be able to even perform such a highly difficult dance, it won Lin Shiyi everyone¡¯s appraisal. So much so that the judges gave her high scores. The moment she had stepped on stage and back down, she intentionally shot Qiao Anhao a provoking look. The performances from the five people after her were absolutely wonderful. After seven people had finished their performances, Qiao Anhao walked up to the entrance of the stage. Through the long corridor, she could hear the judges on stage talk and give their scores. At the very end, just as the presenter was about to call out the final contestant, tonight¡¯s guest, Song Xiangsi suddenly said, "Sorry to interrupt for a moment." Chapter 781: Im Pregnant (2) Chapter 781: I¡¯m Pregnant (2) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem The presenter swallowed his words, and said with a smile, "Please, Xiangsi, go ahead." Song Xiangsi brought the microphone towards her mouth, and cleared her throat, "I¡¯m delighted to be given this opportunity to be a guest on thispetition, so I¡¯ve especially prepared a surprise for everyone. Now that thepetition is drawing to a close and there¡¯s only one actress left, I want to take up just ten minutes of the show to show everyone the surprise. I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s possible?" The presenter was left dumbfounded by Song Xiangsi¡¯s request. He instinctively turned his head and looked over towards the leaders sitting in the sidelines. It was obvious that they hadn¡¯t been informed in advance, so the leaders were just as puzzled by Song Xiangsi¡¯s sudden request. The best actress didn¡¯t even give them a chance to react, before she grabbed the microphone and stood up. She waved at the audience sitting behind her and said, "To everyone who came out tonight, I¡¯ve prepared a surprise for you all. Are you excited?" At first, the audience gave a mixed cry of the word "yeah", but in the end, the cries turned to a certain "yeah". Those cries were crisp and orderly, and they practically wiped out the entire set. The few group leaders, who had got together to quietly discuss what was going on, saw that the audience was reacting so wildly and figured that if they didn¡¯t give Song Xiangsi ten minutes of their time, then it would cause everyone to protest. The leaders all nodded their heads. A staff member handed the leader in the center a microphone, to which he cleared his throat and said, "Okay." The presenter immediately put the cards in his hands away, and improvising said beautifully, "Before our final contestantes on stage, let us take a look at the surprise our guest, the dream woman Song Xiangsi has prepared for us." The presenter raised his hand, and made a hand gesture to wee Song Xiangsi. Song Xiangsi gave a generous word of "Thanks", but she stayed at her guest appearance¡¯s spot and didn¡¯t walk up on stage. Instead, she looked from left to right, then cried "Please" in one direction. The audience below the stage were left bewildered by Song Xiangsi¡¯s actions. There was an absolute silence on set. About ten seconds had passed when everyone saw a tall person stand up from a seat on the first row on the far left. He strode slowly round to the far right side of the stage and up the steps. A handsome face appeared on therge screen on stage. He wore a blue suit with a pretty tie. He stood at the center of the stage. Because he didn¡¯t have a microphone in his hands, he looked to his left and right. The presenter beside him suddenly snapped out of his daze and handed his own microphone over. The man nodded politely to the presenter to express his thanks. He turned back around and gave the audience below the stage a deep, ny degree bow. Then he straightened up his body and broke the puzzled atmosphere on set. "Hello everybody, I am the current chairman of Xu Enterprise, Xu Jiamu." Xu Jiamu... The moment those two words were thrown out there, the sound of chattering started to fill the silent set. Louder and louder it got, until eventually, the atmosphere grew chaotic. "Xu Jiamu? Isn¡¯t that Qiao Anhao¡¯s ex-husband?" "Yeah, why is he here today?" Chapter 782: Im Pregnant(3) Chapter 782: I¡¯m Pregnant£¨3£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem "I still have no idea what Song Xiangsi is trying to do, didn¡¯t she say there was a surprise?" "Yes, I thought that she wanted to sing live for us!" - Xu Jiamu remained calm among the buzzing crowd, and looked straight ahead firmly. Raising the microphone, he started to speak once more, "I¡¯m deeply grateful to Miss Song Xiangsi for allowing me to have ten minutes of air time, and I¡¯m also grateful to the program team for allowing me to have these ten minutes. Today, I¡¯m not here to perform, instead, I would like to rify something." Hisst sentence silenced the audience and it looked at him expectantly. - Qiao Anhao stood backstage in confusion with her eyes glued to the screen. Why did Xu Jiamu suddenly go on stage? And what exnation? Why did he need to exin anything? - Today were the finals for thepetition hence, so Lu Jinnian was prohibited backstage. He specifically brought his assistant to the first row of the VIP seats to watch her performance. To be exact, this was the first time he was watching her as a live audience. The past three times he had been watching the live stream in his car while waiting for her to end. Afraid that the crowd might recognize him, Lu Jinnian deliberately wore a cap. He had even lifted the cors for his coat so that half of his face was shielded. He was there specifically to watch Qiao Anhao¡¯s performance and wasn¡¯t interested in the other performances, so he¡¯d been ying with his phone the entire time. His assistant had been agitated through all the performances, leaning over to whisper hisments or using his elbow to nudge him. "Mr. Lu, look at her, don¡¯t you think she¡¯s pretty?" "Mr. Lu, the performance was amazing!" Lu Jinnian ignored him multiple times, asionally lifting his head in annoyance to nce at the stage. At such moments, his assistant would add in a cating manner, "But I believe that Miss Qiao is the best!" Hehe... Bootlicker! Lu Jinnian would mock inwardly before turning back to y with his phone, but there would always be a blissful and smug smile on his face. Before Qiao Anhao was up, Lu Jinnian had lifted his head twice. The first time, it was to the familiar background music. He instinctively assumed that it was Qiao Anhao dancing, but on the stage that was a distance away from him he could see that Lin Shiyi was dressed in the exact same red dress that Qiao Anhao had. He was the one who had helped his wife pick out the dance and the costume, and he didn¡¯t tell anyone about it, so howe she found out? What about Qiao Qiao¡¯s program? If someone had already danced it, she would definitely be at a disadvantage. Lu Jinnian red at Lin Shiyi, his gaze turning cold. The second time he lifted his head, it was after Song Xiangsi had fought for ten minutes and someone walked up on stage. His assistant had leaned over to exim, "Mr. Lu, its Mr. Xu." Before he could process which Mr. Xu it was, he heard Xu Jiamu¡¯s voice. He instinctively clenched onto his phone, lifting his head to stare straight at his stepbrother. - There was a slight smile on Xu Jiamu¡¯s face. "I believe that most of you here and in front of the television already know my name, and that¡¯s because of the scandal surrounding me and Qiao Anhao." Chapter 783: Im Pregnant (4) Chapter 783: I¡¯m Pregnant (4) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem "That¡¯s right, I was in fact married to Miss Qiao, but besides our marriage, we have no feelings for each other. Simply speaking, Miss Qiao has always been a good friend of mine. "If the low key wedding ceremony Qiao Anhao and I had was considered a wedding, then yes we were married. But in reality Qiao Anhao and I weren¡¯t awfully wedded couple. Up until now, I am single and unmarried, not single and divorced. In simple terms, we have never gotten a marriage certificate." Xu Jiamu¡¯s tone of voice was calm, but the words from his mouth were like andmine exploding with a rumble on set, leaving behind chaos and disorder. Through it all, Xu Jiamu kept the same expression on his face. As he held the microphone up, he sluggishly said, "Also, the Xu Jiamu in the wedding photo everyone has seen online isn¡¯t me." Before all the aftermath of thendmine could settle down, here was another explosion. Not only was the audience stunned, the judges grew just as rattled. So much so, one of them couldn¡¯t resist but to let the question slip, "Could there possibly be two Xu Jiamu¡¯s in the world?" "That¡¯s right, there were in fact two Xu Jiamus," confirmed Xu Jiamu, leaving the audience in an uproar. Because one judge spoke out, another judge couldn¡¯t help but speak up as well. "Two Xu Jiamus? Mr. Xu, this means that the Xu family has a set of twins?" "The other Xu Jiamu is my older brother." Xu Jiamu paused for a moment, then continued to say a name, one word at a time. "Lu Jinnian." The entire set was stedpletely open. The judges rambled on, talking over each other. "Mr. Lu? Mr. Lu and you look a tiny bit simr, but not entirely so." "From the photo, it clearly looks like you Mr. Xu, but with an added scar." "Let¡¯s not talk about this for now. Let me show everyone something." As Xu Jiamu said this, he pulled a document from his pocket and handed it to the presenter beside him. "Could I please trouble you to erge this document onto the big screen?" "Alright." "Thank you," Xu Jiamu said politely and elegantly. "You¡¯re wee." The presenter immediately ran down the stage with the document. About five minutester, photographs from the documents were disyed clearly on the big screen. Everyone¡¯s attention was drawn to those photographs. Without so much as a peep from a crow, a silent slideshow was disyed with twenty seconds between photos. Xu Jiamu waited for the final photo to be disyed before he said, "This is my medical record from the hospital. From these photos, I believe everyone can clearly see the time from which I was officially conscious. It¡¯sst year¡¯s September, notst February. "However, I believe that many people must have a lot of questions, becausest February Mrs. Han Ruchu definitely held a press conference to announce that the sessor to Xu Enterprise, Mr. Xu Jiamu had woken up from aa. Not only that but at the time the news media took photos of his discharge. After that, there were also many photos released of him attending various events. "So the question then is whetherst year¡¯s news are true, or what I¡¯m currently saying is the real thing." Chapter 784: Im Pregnant (5) Chapter 784: I¡¯m Pregnant (5) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem After Xu Jiamu threw the question out there, he fell into a long silence where he looked straight in the eyes in front of him. Then he lowered his eyelids. Although he looked calm, there was still a hint of struggle on his face shown on the big screen, like he was fighting to make a decision. Just when everyone thought that he didn¡¯t have anything else to say, he suddenly pulled out a USB stick from his pocket and handed it to the presenter beside him, then said, "Could I trouble you to y the audio file on here." The presenter said curiously, "Alright." The moment he reached his arm out to take the USB, Xu Jiamu suddenly forcefully grabbed it back. The expression on his face was a little pale and his lips were pursed tightly, but after a long moment, he finally let the USB fall into the presenter¡¯s hands. Soon enough, the sound of a conversation broke out on set. "Ma, can I ask you a question?" "Jiamu, ask." "Did you or did you not know that my brother likes Qiao Qiao?" "Jiamu, why do you suddenly ask?" "Ma... Back then, when I was in aa in the hospital, the doctors had no way of knowing when I¡¯ll wake up, and Xu Enterprise was in danger, so you asked my brother and Qiao Qiao to see to Xu Enterprise. Actually... I¡¯ve been thinking that with my brother¡¯s personality, how would he suddenly agree to y me. Only now, I realize that it was because of Qiao Qiao." "Jiamu..." "Ma, you knew my brother liked Qiao Qiao for a long time now, didn¡¯t you? Back then, you used her as bait to get him to agree to y me, and pretend to be a fake married couple with her, am I right?" "Jiamu, it¡¯s been so long since you¡¯vee back to visit mama... It¡¯s rare that you¡¯re back, can you not mention that bas... them." "Ma, you leaked the news online didn¡¯t you? You disclosed my brother and Qiao Qiao¡¯s address to the reporters, didn¡¯t you? And the two photos of Qiao Qiao and my brother having dinner together, didn¡¯t I tell you to rip them up? Why didn¡¯t you rip them up but released them behind my back? Ma, my brother and Qiao Qiao, they¡¯re helping us. Why are you using the fact that they helped us to now ruin them?" "Jiamu, don¡¯t be mad... Mama promises, mama promises this is thest time..." With that, the conversation came to a spontaneous end. What they said next, nobody would know... Just then, an odd silence filled the set. Xu Jiamu stood at the center of the stage, and quietly raised the microphone. "I believe I needn¡¯t say much else, right? The recorded conversation just now exins it all." His mother did so many terrible things. He was angry with her, he resented her, but he never imagined that there would be a day where he¡¯d stand against his own mother. He knew that she hoped for him to go home. The person his mother cared for most in this world was her son. When he went back today, his mother was so happy, but she didn¡¯t know that he had a motive behind being there. He purposefully said those things to her. Deep down inside, he knew that after they yed that conversation, the online abuse would be redirected from Qiao Anhao and Lu Jinnian to his mother. Chapter 785: Im Pregnant (6) Chapter 785: I¡¯m Pregnant (6) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Lu Jinnian and Qiao Anhao were innocent... The person in the wrong was his mother, and he wanted to be a well-behaved son, but after having struggled with it for a few days, he finally couldn¡¯t watch as his stepbrother and his good friend, the two people in his life who were equally important, eventually were forced to leave their home country. If he had to betray one of the two sides, he could only choose to betray the side that was in the wrong. At that very moment, Xu Jiamu¡¯s face lost all itsposure, reced with a serious look. "I hope that by me stepping out to exin and clear the situation up, everyone can stop attacking Qiao Anhao, Mrs. Lu. Thank you everybody." Xu Jiamu gave a deep bow with the microphone in both hands. Then he lowered his head and said, "Sorry." There was no prefix to his apology. People who know knew him knew that his apology was for Lu Jinnian and Qiao Anhao. People who didn¡¯t know, thought that he was apologizing to his mother. He kept his bow for a full half a minute, before he straightened up and handed the microphone back to the presenter standing beside him. He turned around and walked backstage and down the corridor. - Qiao Anhao saw Xu Jiamu get off the stage on the monitor. Subconsciously, she turned her head to see him push the door open and walk towards her. Hisplexion looked terrible, and he was speeding out. When he walked past Qiao Anhao, she cried out, "Brother Jiamu!" Xu Jiamu¡¯s footsteps slightly paused. He gave her a nod without saying a word, then brushed past, and strode through the break room and out. - Because of Xu Jiamu¡¯s sudden entrance, thepetition was interrupted and the atmosphere was off-beat. The presenter deliberately begun a five minutemercial break for everyone to settle down. The show was live, and so a video of Xu Jiamu¡¯s appearance was immediately cut, posted online, and made the headlines. Those people online who hated Qiao Anhao to the bone turned their hateful messages elsewhere. However, there were still a few people who continued to curse her for having someone to back her through thepetition. Yet most people came out to express their utter shock at the truth, and quite a few of those who scolded her in the past posted apologies on her Weibo. - Five minutes flew by. At the center of the stage, the presenter said a few words from the show¡¯s sponsors, then gave a warm wee to the final contestant. - "Mr. Lu, Miss Qiao is about to get up on stage. Should I give you one?" Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t know when, but the assistant beside him had managed to get his hands on two glow sticks. He brought a pink one up in front of Lu Jinnian. ¡¯Immature!¡¯ cursed Lu Jinnian inside. Without taking the glow stick, he stared directly at the entrance of the stage. ¡¯Whatever!¡¯ replied the assistant inside. He waved the glowsticks with one hand, and cried, "Miss Qiao, Good luck!" When the music started to y, the revolving doors slowly turned around. After having to wait all night for her turn to be the main lead, there she was. The seven contestants before her all had impressive outfits. Qiao Anhao was the only one who wore a simple, long, pink, and knitted dress. Her long hair gently draped behind her face. On screen, you practically couldn¡¯t tell that she had put on a natural look with make up. Chapter 786: Im Pregnant (7) Chapter 786: I¡¯m Pregnant (7) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Wasn¡¯t she going to perform the drum dance? Why wasn¡¯t she wearing her costume? Or her makeup? Could it be that she was going to dance like that? Lu Jinnian furrowed his brows, then he heard the presenter ask, "Qiao Anhao, yourst two performances were spectacr, what will you perform for us this time?" "Well, actually, I originally prepared something special for everyone, but because of a few reasons, I changed it thest minute." Up on the stage, Qiao Anhao looked slim and elegant. Changed thest minute? Was it because Lin Shiyi? Lu Jinnian suddenly froze. The presenter asked, "What has Qiao Anhao changed her performance to in thest minute?" She looked into a camera. "A story." "A story?" the presenter put on a face as though he was really interested. "Alright, then the stage is yours. We¡¯re all looking forward to hearing your story." Qiao Anhao was the only person left on stage. She stood there in silence for ten seconds before raising the microphone and saying the lines she memorized backstage. "He said he waited for me for thirteen years. Thirteen years. It¡¯s easy to say those two words, but behind those words are almost five thousand long nights. But he has no idea that the most memorable of those nights was the night he waited for me for sixteen hours. That night, we made ns to have dinner together, but I stood him up. It was raining that night, but he still stubbornly wouldn¡¯t leave. He sent me a lot of texts to reiterate that he was still waiting for me there, and he wouldn¡¯t leave." When Lu Jinnian heard this, his expression instantly stopped still. He stared straight at Qiao Anhao on the stage. The assistant whispered into his ear, "Mr. Lu, it seems like Miss Qiao is talking about you." Qiao Anhao smiled. "At school, I would often see him through the window, sketching in ss. At the time, I was really curious to know what he was drawing, but I never had the opportunity to ask him. After so many years, I went to go find him one day. In one of the rooms in his house, I saw a stack of papers with sketches of the same girl. They were all different. One of them were of her pushing a bike, another of her sleeping spread out on a desk, another of her biting a pen thinking about how to answer a question... That girl was me, when I was young." So, she saw those sketches of her in Mount Yi vi. Lu Jinnian couldn¡¯t help but follow Qiao Anhao¡¯s lead and curve the corners of his lips into a smile. "There was one time during filming when I got into an ident. I fell from a cliff and rolled down into a river, then in the blink of an eye, I floated really far away. Back then, I really thought I was going to die, but I didn¡¯t want to do die, so I worked hard to fight back. In the end, I fell unconscious. When I opened my eyes, I saw he waspletely drenched, and in that very moment, I felt like I was the happiest woman in the world, because even whilst dying, I had someone by my side." When she said this, Qiao Anhao¡¯s tone of voice was gentle. She forced a smile from to her lips, but her eyes were filled with tears. "Last spring, two friends took drugs. Coincidentally, I was quite close with one of them, so I innocently got dragged into the chaos. He was so hurt that I was being cursed out by everyone, he stood out and leaked the fact that he was an illegitimate child. It subsequently exposed all the ws and dark secrets of his life to everyone, just to protect me." Chapter 787: Im Pregnant (8) Chapter 787: I¡¯m Pregnant (8) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem At this point, Qiao Anhao¡¯s tears had already started to fall. Below the stage, the expression on the judges and the audiences¡¯ faces became a little tense. Qiao Anhao tried hard to curve the corner of her lips, as she slowly continued, "There was a time when he left me. Before he left, he sent his friend an email. The email was really long, and it took up four pages of a five inch phone screen. Besides the first page, where he had to rify some matters, every other word of the three pages after were about a woman. Even the veryst sentence had my name in it." Qiao Anhao couldn¡¯t help but snort as she continued to speak in a wailing voice. "After a long time, I learned that he went to America. When we were there, we ate at a Chinese restaurant. Because I was the only one eating, I only nned to order one dish, but when he got his hands on the menu, he didn¡¯t even look at it and chose a few dishes. The moment the dishes were served, I realized that they were all my favorite ones. "At that moment, I really wanted to ask him the question I never got round to asking - just how many times did you eat in this Chinese restaurant on your own? And how many times did you order my favorite dishes to be able to order them without looking at the menu? "Whilst filming "Heavenly Sword", the filming conditions were a little tough. There was one night when a thief sneaked into my room. At the time, the thief was really flustered, so he tried to smother me to death with a pillow. He appeared then, but quickly left. At the time, him and I were separated. That was the second time he saved my life. If we were in ancient times, after being saved once, you¡¯re meant to devote your life to them. He saved me twice, so I owe him this life and my next one." - As Qiao Anhao said this, most people below the stage were either crying or the rim of their eyes had be red. "I¡¯m not showing off, nor am I showing off how happy I am, though I am really happy. Even if it¡¯s showing off, it won¡¯t kill me. I just wanted to get up on stage and say what he¡¯s done for me. Now that I¡¯ve said it, I want to tell him that although I¡¯ve never said it out loud before, my heart remembers. "To conclude the story, I want to tell him something." With that, Qiao Anhao reached an empty hand out. "I." Her hand made a ¡¯paper¡¯ gesture. "Love." The paper turned into scissors. "You." The scissors turned into rock. "Mr. Lu, Miss Qiao is confessing to you in front of the whole world!" whispered the assistant into Lu Jinnian¡¯s ear. Lu Jinnian stared at Qiao Anhao on stage with eyes full of excitement. He was just feeling regret over her not performing the drum dance, when... He never imagined that she¡¯d turn around and give him such a big surprise. Paper, scissors, rock. It was the most beautiful confession with hand signs that he had once tried to tell her. Things change over time. She stood under the spotlight and turned the confession with hand signs into a narrated confession with hand signs. At this very moment, Qiao Anhao was really impulsive. In the end, she even wanted to add the words, "I¡¯ve loved you for thirteen years". However, she thought back to the love letter she had written and kept for so many years but never gave him. With that, she felt a little regretful, and took a deep breath. She suppressed the words that were ceaselessly trying to jump out, then gave a bow and said, "My story is finished. Thank you everybody." The entire set was silent. In the end, it was the assistant who was the first to apud, which prompted others to start apuding as well. Eventually, everyone in thepetition was apuding and cheering. Trantor¡¯s Thoughts Paperne Paperne Shout out to Creative Name!! Chapter 788: Im Pregnant (9) Chapter 788: I¡¯m Pregnant (9) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem The assistant saw Lu Jinnian sitting beside him transfixed by Qiao Anhao on stage. Other people all around them apuded enthusiastically, and the assistant couldn¡¯t help but nudge him with his arm. "Mr. Lu why aren¡¯t you apuding Miss Qiao? Are you suggesting that her performance just now wasn¡¯t great?" ¡®Lunatic...¡¯ Lu Jinnian gave his assistant a dirty look, then continued to stare at Qiao Anhao intensely. He raised his hands and apuded her. ¡®Hehe... If I didn¡¯t remind you, would you have known to apud?¡¯ The assistant turned his head, and waved the glowsticks in his hand. "Qiao Anhao, I support you the most!" - The presenter walked up on stage and stood next to Qiao Anhao. "Qiao Anhao¡¯s story just now was really touching. Up next, let¡¯s see how many points our judges will give your performance!" The presenter made a hand gesture at the judges. From left to right, the judges spoke one after the other. "The story was so touching, your storytelling was so vivid. If we judge the performance alone, it was fantastic, I give you full points." "For the story alone, I give it full points." "After hearing your story, I think this is the most beautiful love story I¡¯ve ever heard. I wish you both happiness. Full points." - The final person to speak was tonight¡¯s guest, Song Xiangsi. She tilted her head and shot Qiao Anhao a beaming smile. She lifted her head. "In my eyes, she is the best candidate for the leading female Hollywood actress." "Wow, full points! On this asion, Miss Qiao Anhao has convinced our entire judging panel. Now, up next, we¡¯ll move on to our live audience¡¯s score." The moment the presenter¡¯s voice dropped, the audience held up their controllers to give their scores. "Currently, Qiao Anhao is ranked fourth." "Third." "Oh, second." "The numbers are on the rise." "We¡¯re about to start the countdown." "Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one!" The instant the presenter screamed ¡¯one¡¯, Qiao Anhao coincidentally surpassed the first ce contestant in scores. Having overturned the game like that in the final seconds, the presenter was enthralled by it. "Congrattions, Qiao Anhao for being crowned the female lead in our Hollywood castingpetition. Up next, we have to proceed with the ceremony - the live signing ceremony. We must wee the director of the movie, who personally traveled from America, and our master of ceremonies." As the music yed, the assistant grinned from ear to ear. He stared at Lu Jinnian and said, "Mr. Lu, congrattions. Miss Qiao came in first ce." "Thanks." After being confessed to in front of everyone, it was so obvious that Lu Jinnian was in an exceedingly good mood. For the first time, he replied to his assistant who had been chattering non-stop all night. "Mr. Lu, Miss Qiao received first ce, aren¡¯t you going to treat us to a meal?" ¡®You¡¯re not the one who got first ce, if someone has to be treated, it should be Qiao Anhao...¡¯ Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t think twice to answer, "Not interested." "Then I¡¯ll go find Miss Qiao to treat me. She¡¯ll definitely agree." The assistant turned his head, and silently cursed, ¡¯Stingy!¡¯ Lu Jinnian¡¯s gave his assistant the side-eye. All of a sudden, as though he¡¯d just remembered something, he said, "Shen Mingzhe, if I remember correctly, Qiao Qiao mentioned that I wrote an email to a friend. Did she mean you? Didn¡¯t I make it clear for you not to tell her?" ¡®Crap! He was so moved by Miss Qiao¡¯s story and so excited for her to get the prize that he forgot that he betrayed Mr. Lu!¡¯ Chapter 789: Im Pregnant (10) Chapter 789: I¡¯m Pregnant (10) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem The assistant¡¯s face froze, and he didn¡¯t dare to look at Lu Jinnian. "Also, can you exin how Qiao Qiao found out that I leaked the rumors myself?" The assistant gritted his teeth. This time, he was really dead. "How would she know that I waited sixteen hours for her on Valentine¡¯s day?" The assistant¡¯s heart stopped beating. At that very moment, on the stage, Qiao Anhao suddenly raised the microphone and said, "I¡¯m so sorry, there¡¯s no way I can sign this contract." The assistant was scared witless by Qiao Anhao¡¯s words, and as though clutching onto hisst hope, he immediately turned his head. "Mr. Lu, Miss Qiao received first ce but she¡¯s not signing the contract." Lu Jinnian was also suddenly stunned by Qiao Anhao¡¯s words, so much so he couldn¡¯t be bothered to be angry with his assistant right now. He immediately raised his head and looked at center stage. It was obvious that the entire set was startled by Qiao Anhao¡¯s words. The presenter raised the microphone, and asked in disbelief, "Qiao Anhao, what did you just say? Did you say that you can¡¯t sign this contract?" "Yes." Qiao Anhao calmly gave a nod. Seeing as she affirmed her decision for the second time, the atmosphere on set became restless once again. To take part in thepetition and get first ce but not sign the contract? What did this mean? It was evident that the team leaders and judges on set were rattled. "Mr. Lu, why isn¡¯t Miss Qiao going to sign it? Such a great opportunity to go to Hollywood ande back having secured the spot of the screen queen!" said the assistant wit a tone full of regret. The joy Lu Jinnian felt from her confession had disappeared. She was the reason he invested in the movie. Was she rejecting the role because people online were saying that he was using money to toy with people? With that very thought, the judge asked, "Qiao Anhao, I¡¯d like to know why aren¡¯t you signing this contract? Are you rejecting the offer because you don¡¯t want people to assume you¡¯ve used connections to get the role, considering that the CEO of Huan Ying Entertainment, Lu Jinnian, Mr. Lu has invested in the movie?" Another judge spoke out. "This is apetition. The winner of thepetition must take the role as the female lead of the movie. We¡¯re not ying house here. You can¡¯t just do what you want, Miss Qiao. Could you please respect the show, respect the judges, and respect the millions of viewers in front of the TV!" "I¡¯m sorry, as for my decision, I can only say that I¡¯m terribly sorry." Qiao Anhao gave a sincere bow, then raised the microphone, and said, "At first I didn¡¯t know that my husband Lu Jinnian had invested in this movie, and he was the one who signed me up for thispetition. I worked very hard and did my best for each round of thispetition just to make him proud. "I know that no matter if we are cheating or not, he did invest in the movie, so there¡¯s no possible way for me to clear this up. However, I can guarantee that I would never give up signing for this role over arguments online. Not only would I have not given up, I would of did my best to prove to everybody that the female lead is mine... that I am the female lead of the movie. "But I regret to say that yesterday I went to the hospital, and it made me give up my carefully prepared performance for the show and change it into a story at thest minute." Qiao Anhao paused for a moment, then said, "I¡¯m pregnant." Chapter 790: The Love Letter from the Past (1) Chapter 790: The Love Letter from the Past (1) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Qiao Anhao paused for a moment, then said, "I¡¯m pregnant." - Lu Jinnian furrowed his brows when he heard that Qiao Anhao went to a hospital yesterday. Hospital? Qiao Qiao went to a hospital yesterday? How did he not know? His assistant thought about how Qiao Anhao had called him yesterday in the afternoon, then became just as nervous. "Mr. Lu, did her trip have anything to do with her crying like crazy over the phone yesterday? Could it be that she has some kind of incurable disease..." Before the assistant could finish, he received Lu Jinnian¡¯s chilly gaze and immediately covered his mouth with his hand. After a while, he carefully said, "Mr. Lu, I spoke out of turn just now... spoke out of turn..." Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t even bother with his assistant, turning his head to Qiao Anhao standing up on the stage. Deep down inside, his assistant¡¯s spection just now made him feel a little uneasy. Could it be that she really got some kind of incurable disease... His spections hadn¡¯t yetpletely formed when he heard Qiao Anhao¡¯s gentle voice. "I¡¯m pregnant." Lu Jinnian calmly sat in the soft guest¡¯s seat, staring at Qiao Anhao on stage. He blinked lightly with a tranquil expression on his face, as though she hadn¡¯t said a thing. Sitting beside him, the assistant was filled with astonishment by Qiao Anhao¡¯s words. The judging panel and the audience on set were stunned by her two words as well. - "I want to keep the baby, so before it¡¯s born I won¡¯t be epting any jobs. As for the sudden circumstances, I can only say that I¡¯m terribly, terribly sorry. I¡¯m really sorry." Qiao Anhao gave another deep bow. Her exnation left everyone speechless. They couldn¡¯t make the winner of thepetition abort her child for a movie. After all, it was a living being. But, if the winner of thispetition and female lead to the movie wasn¡¯t Qiao Anhao, would they have to then give it to the runner up? Just as the team leaders of the show got together to make a n, the interpreter tranted what Qiao Anhao had just said to the American director. He gave a nod, then reached his hand out towards Qiao Anhao and said a kind "Congrattions." Qiao Anhao hastily reached her hand out and shook the director¡¯s hand. With that, the director raised the microphone and said, "This is something definitely worth being happy over. I will speak with the people in charge of the movie, to convince them to start it after the baby is born." - When Qiao Anhao mentioned the baby for the second time, Lu Jinnian still remainedposed, staring at her standing elegantly on stage. He blinked again, then when the director spoke, he realized exactly what she had said. He gawked at her as though there was something wrong. He blinked over and over again, then turned his head in slight disbelief. With a calm expression on his face, he asked his assistant, "What did Qiao Qiao say just now?" The expression on his assistant¡¯s face was full of shock, and he said in excitement, "Mr. Lu, Miss Qiao said she¡¯s pregnant." Chapter 791: The Love Letter from the Past(2) Chapter 791: The Love Letter from the Past£¨2£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem "Mmmh, I understand." Lu Jinnian nodded his head calmly in acknowledgment as though he was listening to a report. But when he finally processed the words, he froze. A hard to exin happiness exploded within him, spreading across his entire body. He raised his hands abruptly, grabbing onto his assistant¡¯s arm. Full of agitation, he eximed in a shaking voice, "Qiao Qiao is pregnant?" His assistant endured the pain in his arm, nodding his head violently. "Mr. Lu, congrattions! You¡¯re going to be a dad now!" The signing ceremony concluded, and the emcee was closing up thepetition. Lu Jinnian bolted upwards, startling his assistant. When the man realized that a huge crowd was staring at Lu Jinnian, he hurriedly raised his hand to tug at his sleeve. "Mr. Lu, you should sit first." Lu Jinnian ignored his assistant, he flicked his hand away and walked out of the VIP section towards the stairs up the stage. Ignoring the restrains from the crew members, he tookrge strides onto the stage. At that moment, the emcee was already done with his closing speech. Just as the audience was about to leave the grounds and the filming crew about to retrieve their equipment, they caught sight of a figure rushing onto the stage. The crowd directed their gazes back, and those that had already made their way to the door stopped in their tracks, turning over. Even Qiao Anhao was intrigued, ncing over to the side of the stage. The man had on a cap that shielded more than half of his face, and he was takingrge strides through the stage heading towards her. He was walking against the light, which hid his features. Qiao Anhao could feel a strong force heading towards her but before she could react, he grabbed onto her elbow. Just as she was about to struggle out of his grip, she heard a familiar voice, "You¡¯re pregnant?" It was Lu Jinnian! But shouldn¡¯t he be in the car waiting for her? Why was he here? Qiao Anhao nce at him in confusion, and nodded her head. "Mmh, I found out yesterday, the baby is one month old." Lu Jinnian felt his heart race, it was as though it was about to jump out of his throat. He stared at her with a fiery gaze. "Does that mean that I¡¯m going to be a father?" "Yea." Qiao Anhao nodded her head continuously, bliss spreading across her face. "Why didn¡¯t you tell me yesterday!" he exploded. Qiao Anhao¡¯s smile faltered from his outburst, it was just that she wanted to give him a surprise today. She lowered her eyes in disappointment, but just when she was about to struggle out of his embrace, he bent down to carry her. Qiao Anhao circled her arms around his neck instinctively, knocking over his cap. The front row had a clear view of Lu Jinnian¡¯s face, and they quickly fished for their phones to snap a couple shots. Two girls who had been sitting behind Lu Jinnian shouted out in excitement. "He was sitting in front of us just now!" Chapter 792: The Love Letter from the Past(3) Chapter 792: The Love Letter from the Past£¨3£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem "Yes, why did we not notice him, we could have gotten his autograph!" "What a pity..." - Lu Jinnian carried Qiao Anhao out of thepetition ground to his car. He opened the passenger seat before carefully cing her inside. He then adjusted the seat so she would have more leg room and a morefortable position. At the same time, he did not ask her which position felt better for her. Qiao Anhao was just a month pregnant therefore there was not much difference yet, she was not bothered by the position of the seat. Initially, she told him patiently that the position was fine, he didn¡¯t need to adjust it anymore. But Lu Jinnian was not convinced, he would continuously fiddle with the buttons. "What about now? Aspared to the previous position, which is better? ... What about this angle? Would you feel better? ... What about this angle?" Halfway through, Qiao Anhao gave up. She rolled her eyes in exasperation and begun ignoring his questions. When he sensed her annoyance, he stopped fiddling with the control. "Qiao Qiao, are you sure you feel okay with the current position?" "Lu Jinnian..." Even someone with the mildest temper would blow up at him right now, but just after she said his name in agitation, he released her safety belt to continue adjusting her seat. "No, the seatbelt will crush your belly in this position, it can¡¯t be good for the baby. " Qiao Anhao tilted her head to the side and took a calming breath to suppress the me rising within her. She struggled to keep a smile on her face as she nced at him. "The doctor said that the baby has not formed yet, it¡¯s still the size of a bean so my seating position will not affect it. " "Which doctor said that? He must be a quack, how can my child be a bean?" Lu Jinnian retorted as he continued to fiddle with the seat. He would pull the seatbelt to test the length, then keep finding that it was never right. Turning to his assistant who was carrying Qiao Anhao¡¯s bag, he instructed, "You can drive, I¡¯ll sit behind with Qiao Qiao." "Yes, Mr. Lu." His assistant hurriedly open the back door, and Lu Jinnian ced Qiao Anhao into the seat cautiously to make sure she wasfortable and secure, then scooted in beside her. The backseat could not be adjusted like the front, so Lu Jinnian was afraid that she would not be able to rest so he ced a pillow behind her. "Qiao Qiao, how does that feel? Is it morefortable?" He then reced the pillow with a bigger one. "Is this one better? Or is the previous one better? "What about if you use two of them together?" He was at it again... Even though it was care and concern, too much was infuriating! Qiao Anhao decided to stop replying to him and grabbed the two pillows and tossed them at him. Without even looking at him, she turned to his assistant. "Mian Xiu Garden!" Chapter 793: The Love Letter from the Past(4) Chapter 793: The Love Letter from the Past£¨4£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Lu Jinnian remained unperturbed by Qiao Anhao¡¯s annoyance. Reaching out, he grabbed onto her palm with one hand and used the other to shield her belly in the event that she fell forward when the car jerked. Throughout the entire car ride, he nagged at his assistant relentlessly. "Slow down, lower the speed! Why are you going so fast? There¡¯s a pregnant woman in the car, slow down! Stop the car, it¡¯s the stop sign! Slower!" Initially, Qiao Anhao wouldin that even walking was faster than the car but she gave up when Lu Jinnian lifted his hands to caress her back, emphasizing the importance of safety. His assistant obliged hismands, reducing the speed of the car. In the end, Qiao Anhao closed her eyes, shutting him out. Just like that, the car drove at 20km/hr all the way back to Mian Xiu Garden. Once the car reached home, Qiao Anhao pushed open the door. Lu Jinnian hurriedly shut it, holding her in ce. After making sure that his assistant had extinguished the engine, he went over to her side of the car to help her out. Qiao Anhao pushed him aside, takingrge strides towards the house. Lu Jinnian grabbed her bag from his assistant before running after her. No more than two stepster, he remembered his assistant¡¯s betrayal. He stopped abruptly and turned around. "Shen Mingzhe, I¡¯ll get back to you again." Turning back , he ran towards Qiao Anhao. "Qiao Qiao, let¡¯s take our time. We should be careful not to fall." She stopped, shifting to face him, and gazed at him solemnly. "Lu Jinnian, it¡¯s only one month, there¡¯s no need to be so worked up." "Mmh Mmh." Lu Jinnian nodded in agreement before reminding once more, "Qiao Qiao, be careful, there¡¯s a step ahead..." Qiao Anhao took in a deep breath, giving up. Once they entered, Lu Jinnian hurriedly bent down to ce a pair of slippers in front of her before kneeling to help her change her shoes out. In the bedroom, Qiao Anhao switched on the television out of habit. She grabbed onto a pillow, huddling in a corner of the sofa watching the rerun of the finale just now. Lu Jinnian continued to buzz around her, bringing her water and cutting her fruits. When he was done, he settled down beside her with hisptop, choosing pregnancy books. asionally, he would turn around to ask for her opinion. But it was clear that he disregarded her opinions since all the books she rejected still ended up in the cart. After making payment, Lu Jinnian ced hisptop away. He sat back down beside her and started to feed her from the bowl of fruits. "Qiao Qiao, am I really going to be a father?" It was the eighth time that he had asked her this exact question and just like the previous seven times, Qiao Anhao patiently nodded her head. "Mmh." Lu Jinnian first ced an apple in her mouth, and when she was done, he ced a grape with its skin removed. "Qiao Qiao, it¡¯s already a month old, right?" Chapter 794: The Love Letter from the Past(5) Chapter 794: The Love Letter from the Past£¨5£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Qiao Anhao didn¡¯t even bother to make a sound, she nodded her head biting onto the grape as she stared at the television. Lu Jinnian used a toothpick to grab a melon. "Qiao Qiao, how did I be a father?" Qiao Anhao reached up to massage her aching temples. He hurriedly ced the toothpick down and raised his hands to help her massage her temples. "Qiao Qiao, are you not feeling well? Do you need to see a doctor? You should know that you¡¯re no longer one person..." She yanked his hands away violently. "Lu Jinnian, ever since you found out about my pregnancy, you haven¡¯t stopped mentioning it!" She red at him angrily before leaving to the bathroom. Lu Jinnian stood up anxiously. "Qiao Qiao..." "Stop talking to me!" Qiao Anhao turned to cut him off. Lifting her arm, she pointed at him, infuriated. "Lu Jinnian, if you continue to show the baby so much concern and neglect me, I¡¯ll tell him that the night after he was made you got me contraceptives. You tried to kill him!" Lu Jinnian¡¯s mouth fell open, and he started to do the calctions... It was really that night in America... At that instant, his soul left him, he turned around wanting to coax her but she had already closed the bathroom door. - After taking a shower, Qiao Anhao continued to ignore Lu Jinnian. She climbed under the nkets and shut her eyes. Lu Jinnian rushed into the bathroom to take a quick shower before climbing into the bed beside her. Using the faint glow from the nightmp, he nced over at her and reached out his hand to feel for hers, but the moment he grabbed onto her, she flicked him away violently. Reaching over once more, he tightened his grip on her hands. He lightly massaged her slender hands. "Qiao Qiao, I was just overjoyed... Don¡¯t be angry." Qiao Anhao wasn¡¯t really angry. She knew that he would be ecstatic after finding out about her pregnancy, however, she never expected that his joy would be centered around the child the entire time, neglecting her. She started to feel a hint of jealousy but was fine after her shower. But just as every woman would with the man she loved, she started to act coy. Even though she really wanted to forgive him, she still waited for him to give in before begrudgingly letting him go. Inside, she was overjoyed, but she remained impassive on the outside, murmuring, "Mmh." Lu Jinnian leaned over slightly. When she didn¡¯t move away from his closeness, he reached out to pull her into his embrace, promising her seriously as though making an oath, "Qiao Qiao, I will be a good father, but before that, I will be a good husband." Was he trying to hint that even after the baby is born, she would still be his priority? Qiao Anhao wriggled closer towards him. "I know that you¡¯re worried because of the first baby, I was wrong in getting mad." Chapter 795: The Love Letter from the Past(6) Chapter 795: The Love Letter from the Past£¨6£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Lu Jinnian tightened his arms around Qiao Anhao. After a very long time, he lowered his head towards her ear and spoke in a low, maic tone. "Qiao Qiao, thank you. I¡¯ll use my entire life to treat you well." Thank you for loving me. Thank you for being my wife. Thank you for bearing my child. No amount of words is able to express my gratitude, I will use the rest of my life to pamper you. For the rest of my life. Such an extravagant promation but when it came from Lu Jinnian, Qiao Anhao could trust it. She circled her arms around his waist. The night surrounded them as they embraced in silence. After a seemingly long time, Lu Jinnian broke the serenity. "Qiao Qiao, you mustn¡¯t tell our baby that I once wanted to make you eat contraceptives..." Before he could finish his sentence, he felt her re and quickly diverted the topic. "Qiao Qiao, your performance today was amazing." Qiao Anhao never knew that the lofty Lu Jinnian would have such a side. A suppressed chuckle escaped her lips as she recalled the scandal that had erupted before the finale. Curiously, she asked, "Lu Jinnian, did you really invest in that Hollywood movie." "Yea, Lucy¡¯s husband is one of the directors. We pushed it together through the initial stages." Lu Jinnian borated before adding, "It was the main reason I went to America." Qiao Anhao remembered the email he had written to his assistant before leaving, he had instructed him to help her be the screen queen. "Lu Jinnian, did you tamper with the results? There was after all a scandal in the midst of thepetition." "I didn¡¯t," Lu Jinnian assured. He then added warmly, "I promise you that all your results are because of your own performances." He paused for a while before confessing, "Qiao Qiao, I had wanted to give you a hand but only for the finale. I fully believed that with your abilities, you could easily go pass the preliminary rounds, but I never expected you to do so well in the finale. Your performance won over all the judges and left the audience in awe." It was the first time Lu Jinnian had praised her so sincerely, and she could feel herself flush red. She buried her face into his embrace. Without shame, she proimed "Lu Jinnian, I¡¯m so amazing!" - When Cheng Yang woke up at 1am, he realized that Qiao Anxia was awake. She had on her earphones and had her back towards him as she stared at her phone. The screen was bright, the rays spilling onto her white skin, making it appear brighter than usual. "Xia Xia," Cheng Yang called out but since she had on her earphones, she didn¡¯t hear him. He sat up and turned towards her. Cheng Yang had excellent vision, so even though he was a distance away from her screen, he could clearly see that she was watching Lu Jinnian¡¯s interview from the afternoon before. His face fell, turning cold. Chapter 796: The Love Letter from the Past(7) Chapter 796: The Love Letter from the Past£¨7£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Chen Yang¡¯s face fell, turning cold. Today was the finale for the Hollywood movie¡¯s female leadpetition, and Lu Jinnian had ran onto the stage in agitation after Qiao Anhao said she was pregnant. Qiao Anxia was smiling happily then, and she even eximed, "Qiao Qiao is pregnant, I¡¯m going to be an aunt." But her face fell slightly afterwards as she stared straight at the screen. He tried to call her several times but she was clearly in a daze. In the end, he left the apartment and walked off his frustration before returning. There were some things that he had already witnessed and was well aware of but because of his love for her, he could only act ignorant as though he didn¡¯t know anything. But he could only endure it for that many times, he could no longer keep track of the number of times she was kept awake by the knowledge of Qiao Anhao and Lu Jinnian¡¯s marriage. Qiao Anxia watched the video until the end. She covered her mouth, unable to keep her tears from flowing. Cheng Yang sat at the side, watching her every move. After a long while, Qiao Anxia finally calmed down. She ced the phone on the pillow, removed her earphones, and was prepared to leave the bed. Just then, she caught sight of a figure. Startled, she trembled slightly before turning to get a closer look. When she saw that it was Cheng Yang, she froze slightly, forcing a smile. "Cheng Yang, why are you awake?" He continued to stare at her in silence. This was the first time ever since they got together that he looked at her in such a way. Worry and fear slowly crept into her heart, and her gaze darted around nervously, avoiding his eyes. She reached forward to grab onto his arms. The moment he felt her sharp nails, he yanked her away violently. Tossing the nket aside, he quickly put on his clothes and headed out. Qiao Anxia hurriedly followed behind. She reached out and grabbed onto his elbow once more. "Cheng Yang, are you angry?" "What do you think?" He had wanted to control his temper but the suppressed fury within him finally erupted. "Qiao Anxia, I had enough, if you can¡¯t let go of him, let¡¯s break up." Break up? Qiao Anxia¡¯s eyes went wide from shock. Even Cheng Yang himself was surprised by what he said. He only processed the meaning after the words left him. He lowered his eyes and his mouth moved sightly¡ªhe wanted to apologize¡ªbut in the end, nothing came out. He pulled his arm from her hands and turned to leave. Qiao Anxia only snapped back to her senses when she heard the m of the door. Blinking, she raised her hand to caress her heart. Gradually, she started to process what had happened, and she actually felt terrified and worried from Cheng Yang¡¯s words. In the past, whenever her boyfriend initiated a breakup, it didn¡¯t affect her, but now, it was different.... What was wrong with her? Chapter 797: The Love Letter from the Past(8) Chapter 797: The Love Letter from the Past£¨8£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem The next day was Huan Ying Entertainment¡¯s annual general meeting. Even though the meeting was at ten in the morning, Lu Jinnian woke up at seven. The first thing he did was head to the kitchen to make a pot of porridge. The assistant arrived at his house at 8.30 am to ensure that Lu Jinnian would be on time for the meeting. When he reached, Lu Jinnian was still upstairs serving Qiao Anhao. He waited for about fifteen minutes before seeing him helping her down the staircase as though she was an empress dowager. Just when the assistant thought that he was ready, Lu Jinnian followed Qiao Anhao over to the dinning area. He fully disregarded the time as he watched her finish a bowl of porridge, a cup of milk, and an egg before heading upstairs to change into a suit. While he was wearing his pants, Qiao Anhao took his jacket to the living room for a quick iron. She then stuffed the love letter she had hid under the bed into his pocket along with his wallet. Holding onto the jacket, she headed back to the changing room. Lu Jinnian wore the jacket elegantly. As he buttoned it, he said, "I¡¯ll be eating lunch with the board members so I won¡¯t be back. I¡¯ll get someone to deliver food for you." Qiao Anhao smiled lightly as she nodded. She then ced his tie around his neck and fastened it for him before patting his chest. "I ced your wallet here." "Mmh." Lu Jinnian lowered his head to nt a kiss on her cheek. As he headed out, he added, "It¡¯s best if you stay home now that you¡¯re pregnant but if you want to go out, I¡¯ll go with you after I¡¯m done." "Okay," Qiao Anhao agreed following him down to the entrance. Once they were at the door, the assistant anxiously rushed them. "Mr. Lu, it¡¯s about forty minutes before from the meeting!" Lu Jinnian nodded. As he put on his shoes, he continuously nagged on. "Oh, there are fruits in the fridge, I¡¯ve already washed them. You can just take them out if you want to eat some." "Mmh." Qiao Anhao smiled happily. Lu Jinnian lowered his head to kiss her once more before entering the car. She stood by the door, waving him goodbye. Before the car left, Lu Jinnian lowered the window. "Remember to call me if you don¡¯t feel well, understand?" - The first half of the meeting ended at twelve o¡¯clock. The lunch gathering after was held at Beijing hotel. Halfway through it, Lu Jinnian excused himself to check on Qiao Anhao, and only after he made sure that everything was okay on her side did he return back to the lunch. After his meal, he prepared to pay for the bill. He nced over at a waiter, signaling for the bill. Reaching for his pocket, he fished out his wallet and passed his card over. When he was stuffing his wallet back, he felt something hard in his pocket. He frowned and took the wallet out. He then reached back in to feel the inside of his pocket and found a blue letter. Chapter 798: The Love Letter from the Past(9) Chapter 798: The Love Letter from the Past£¨9£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Lu Jinnian frowned and took the wallet out. He then reached back in to feel the inside of his pocket and found a blue letter. The letter was slightly worn and there were creases at the side. In the middle, there was a faded pink heart. It seemed like the kind of thing that school girls would y with... Did Qiao Anhao put it in his pocket? Lu Jinnian hesitated slightly, but before he could open the letter, his assistant leaned over with curiosity. "Mr. Lu, what is it? Doesn¡¯t it look like a love letter?" The moment Lu Jinnianid eyes on the letter, he sort of guessed that it was a love letter... Back when he was still in school, he would often find such letters in his drawer but since there was already someone in his heart, they never interested him. He would toss them all out, unopened. But before he read the contents, he couldn¡¯t be sure that this was a love letter as well. A faint red glow stained his cheeks, and he quickly stuffed it back into his pocket with his wallet before replying faintly, "Let¡¯s go back to the office." The entire car ride back, Lu Jinnian¡¯s mind was filled with the letter. Was that why Qiao Qiao ironed his jacket for him? What was it that she couldn¡¯t just tell him face to face? The second half of the meeting was at 3 pm, and when they arrived at thepany, it was already two thirty. Lu Jinnian locked the door after entering his office, then settled down behind his desk and pulled the letter out. A hard to exin emotion started to creep in, and he was actually feeling anxious. It was the same feeling as when they had a close encounter for the first time. Lu Jinnian stared at the letter for a long while. He took in a deep breath before nervously opening the envelope. Inside was a pink letter folded into a heart shape. Lu Jinnian¡¯s heart sped up; heart-shaped letters like this one were a trend when he was younger. As a solemn child, it was hard for him to get someone to teach him things so he would secretly stare at the girls in his ss when they were folding such letters. At that time, he had indeed to learn how to fold it, but his stare caused one of the girls in his ss to misunderstand. One day after ss she had stopped to ask him for a movie date. Lu Jinnian trembled as he opened up the heart then used his palms to tten the paper. His palms was soaked with sweat, and he swallowed his saliva before lowering his head to look at what was written inside. The handwriting looked young, it was simr to Qiao Anhao¡¯s current handwriting but was a little childish, just like it was back in high school. The letter started of with Lu Jinnian and ama beside it. Lu Jinnian, This letter may seem very sudden but I hope you won¡¯t feel disturbed. There was a cheeky smile beside the word ¡¯disturbed¡¯ which brought a faint smile to his lips. Chapter 799: The Love Letter from the Past(10) Chapter 799: The Love Letter from the Past£¨10£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Lu Jinnian, This letter may seem very sudden but I hope you won¡¯t feel disturbed. There was a cheeky smile beside the word ¡¯disturbed¡¯ which brought a faint smile to his lips. There¡¯s a saying whereby everyone is on earth to await their other half, I believe that mine has appeared and that¡¯s you. Lu Jinnian¡¯s expression turned zed. This sentence seemed very familiar, it wasn¡¯t the first time he¡¯d heard it, but he wasn¡¯t sure where it was from. He frowned and continued to read the letter. I don¡¯t have big dreams, I just wish for us to be together. I¡¯m also not that good with words, but I wish to let you know that in the next fifty years I will still love you as much as I do right now. I believe that in this life, there won¡¯t be anyone else I can love as much as I love you. Lu Jinnian stared at the letter, clearly startled. He had definitely heard these words before. You might not know this but since the day I met you, everything I did was to be near you. I have many dreams but all of them are about you. I have many desires and they all are to be with you. I have made many wishes and all of them are for you to love me. Lu Jinnian finally remembered where he had heard these lines. They were simr to the ones in the voice recording that Qiao Anxia had once given to him. What happened? How did her confession to Xu Jiamu be a letter for him? To this world, you might be just an ordinary human, but to me you are my entire world. For the rest of my life, I will only love you. At the bottom of the letter were two lines in light blue fluorescence ink: Rainy days aren¡¯t the most beautiful / It¡¯s the house we hid to shelter from the rain that is... Qiao Anhao At the back of the letter was a date from five years ago. This meant that this letter was written to him by Qiao Anhao five years ago? At that time, he was filming in Hangzhou while she attended university in Beijing and they were both about to graduate... Even though the date it was written wasn¡¯t familiar, the date ten days before was deeply engraved in his heart. That day, she had gone over to Hangzhou by herself and had even lost her wallet. When she called him, he was still in Hengdian filming. Enduring the heavy downpour, he had rushed over to get her... That day was the first time they had shared a room together... That night, he had even secretly kissed her. He even made an oath to be responsible for that kiss... That was also the night he made the decision to confess to her after filming the current drama as his career was starting to take off... She had written this letter ten days after that night.... His eyes darted over to the words on the letter, a gleam lighting in up his eyes as he brought the letter closer to him. He remembered that when Qiao Anxia had given him the voice recorder, Qiao Anhao had said "For the rest of my life, I will love you the most." Xu Jiamu then had replied with "For the rest of my life, I will only love you." Why would she write the words he had told her? What went wrong? Chapter 800: Reminiscing about the Good Times (1) Chapter 800: Reminiscing about the Good Times (1) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Or could Lu Jinnian possibly take it as... Qiao Anhao had started to like him many years ago? This exnation made him feel like someone had hit his pressure points. He held the letter, frozen in his office chair. His ears heard no sound and he could feel his own heart racing especially quick - dong dong dong - like thunder had striking violently. That ain¡¯t right. He had to figure out what was going on. Lu Jinnian pulled out his phone and tapped Qiao Anhao¡¯s name. Just as he was about to call her, he remembered the recording pen Qiao Anxia had given him. If he told her... then wouldn¡¯t she know that Qiao Anxia had been meddling behind her back? He knew just how much she cared for her big sister Qiao Anxia... If she learned about this, she¡¯d feel terrible. Moreover, right now, she was pregnant. Lu Jinnian paused for a moment, before eventually returning to his contacts. He never saved Qiao Anxia¡¯s number, but even if he did ask her about what happened with the recording pen, she perhaps might not tell him... just like how she didn¡¯t tell him where Qiao Anhao was. So he could only find Xu Jiamu. Xu Jiamu... Lu Jinnian paused for a moment and thought back to how Xu Jiamu had went up on stage to clear Qiao Anhao and his name without any hesitation at yesterday¡¯spetition. If it weren¡¯t for him, then perhaps it would be difficult for Qiao Anhao to ever clear her name. If it weren¡¯t for him stepping in at the most important moment, he and Qiao Anhao would have really gone through with the emigration idea. Even if there was resentment between him and Han Ruchu, Xu Jiamu had never treated him poorly. What¡¯s more, during lunch he overheard a shareholder saying that Han Ruchu had been taken to a hospital at night after coughing up blood from rage due to her own son¡¯s betrayal. Her condition had only stabilized this morning. No matter how evil Han Ruchu was... she was still Xu Jiamu¡¯s mother. After his mother has been angered to this extent, he must be feeling the most upset now, right? Lu Jinnian thought deeply about it for a moment, before finally tapping Xu Jiamu¡¯s name and making the call. - After leaving thepetition, Xu Jiamu received a call from the Xu family estate which said that Han Ruchu was admitted into a hospital for coughing up blood from anger. He hurriedly drove over there and kept watch all night, until her condition stabilized and she woke up. However, when his mother opened her eyes, the instant she saw him she went crazy. She sat up,unched herself at him, and pped him in the face without a second thought. She was as bitter with resentment as one could be. "From today onward, you¡¯re no son of mine! You¡¯re so high and mighty, so selfless, and I¡¯m a despicable, lowly person. Get out of here!" Xu Jiamu tried tofort his mother, but how could she cope with the fact that her own son made a fool of her in front of the whole word? How could she calm down? In the end, she pointed straight at the open door for him to leave, as she suddenly spat a mouthful of blood. Eventually, the housekeeper hastily pushed Xu Jiamu out. "Young master, I¡¯m not trying to tell you off but how could you help outsiders and treat madam like that? She gave birth to you, and suffered bitter hardships to raise you so big. How can you live it up to her?" Xu Jiamu stood at the door. He could still hear his mother wailing inside. Her cries pierced his bones and went straight into his heart. Whilst being med by the housekeeper, he gradually lowered his eyes. Trantor¡¯s Thoughts Paperne Paperne Shout out to BunnyCatWitch and alikhemi101! Chapter 801: Reminiscing about the Good Times (2) Chapter 801: Reminiscing about the Good Times (2) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem "Young master, madam doesn¡¯t want to see you right now. It¡¯d be better if you weren¡¯t here. It¡¯d save us from making her condition worse." Xu Jiamu said, "Aunt Yun, take good care of her for me. I¡¯ll wait for her condition to stabilize before Ie back another day to see her." He left the hospital, but he wasn¡¯t in a hurry to get in the car. He leaned against the car¡¯s door and lit up a cigarette. He raised his head and looked over at Han Ruchu in the patient¡¯s room. The wind in Beijing during early spring was cold as usual. It brought a bone-chilling cold with it. Xu Jiamu¡¯s fingers were freezing when he finished his cigarette. He threw its butt into the bin beside him, and rubbed his hands. He was just about to open the car door when the phone in his pocket rang. He paused for a moment, then pulled his phone out to see the name shing on the screen. Suddenly, he dazed out. The phone vibrated in his hand for a long time before Xu Jiamu epted the call. He held his breath, as he put the phone to his ear, and licked his lips. "What¡¯s up?" The other side was silent for a moment, then came Lu Jinnian¡¯s voice. "Do you have time at six?" "Yeah." "Want to have dinner together?" "Alright," responded Xu Jiamu. He then asked, "The old spot?" "En," Lu Jinnian replied quietly. The two of them instantly fell silent. Then after a while, Xu Jiamu heard two knocks at the door through the phone, followed by an assistant¡¯s reminder, "Mr. Lu, the meeting¡¯s about to start." "Busy?" asked Xu Jiamu first. With that, he raised his foot and kicked the car tire. "You¡¯re busy. Let¡¯s talk tonight." "Alright," Lu Jinnian replied with one word. Moments after, he hung up Xu Jiamu put his phone away and stood by his car for some time, before eventually pulling the car door open. He got in and drove away. - Lu Jinnian was terribly absent-minded in the afternoon¡¯s meeting. Every now and then, his mind drifted off to the love letter. When it came time for him to speak up, he stumbled a few times, his mind nking out. The meeting was over by five. Lu Jinnian let his assistant off early, before he went to the office and gave Qiao Anhao a call to report back to her. He then went into the washroom in the office to change into a set of sports clothes. He grabbed his car keys and went downstairs. They were meant to meet at six, but Lu Jinnian arrived at their meeting point at 5.50 pm. It was a privately-owned restaurant by the national stadium. Thedy boss was really friendly. Though there weren¡¯t many customers, the restaurant had returning ones. The only reason Lu Jinnian knew about it was because Xu Jiamu had taken him there. He parked the car. When he pushed open the door to the restaurant, there wasn¡¯t a single customer. Thedy boss, who stood at the front desk, immediately put down the calctor, raised her head and shot a dazzling smile at him. "Mr. Lu, you¡¯re here? Mr. Xu has already arrived. He¡¯s been waiting for you at your favorite table." Lu Jinnian gave a nod. Thedy boss walked around the front desk and escorted him inside, saying, "Mr. Lu, you haven¡¯te to eat here for quite some time now, yet Mr. Xues often. But every time hees, hees alone. I even asked him why you¡¯re not here, but he always just repeats you¡¯re busy." Lu Jinnian let out an "En", as his eyes fell to where Xu Jiamu was sitting. He must of waited for a while, considering that there were two empty bottles of alcohol in front of him. "Mr. Xu, Mr. Lu has arrived." With thedy boss¡¯ words, Lu Jinnian elegantly removed his thick jacket and pulled out the chair in front of Xu Jiamu. Chapter 802: Reminiscing about the Good Times (3) Chapter 802: Reminiscing about the Good Times (3) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Xu Jiamu raised his head and looked at Lu Jinnian. His hands suddenly shivered for a moment holding pint of beer. Then he nodded at the boss. Thedy boss grabbed the menu and asked, "Mr. Lu and Mr. Xu, this time, are we ordering the same dishes as before?" "En. responded Xu Jiamu. He pointed at the beer on the table. "Bring a few more bottles." - Besides touching sses every now and then, Xu Jiamu and Lu Jinnian practically didn¡¯t have any interaction with one another throughout dinner. Business at this privately-owned restaurant was extremely terrible. So much so that there were a total of only three upied tables at the restaurant up until they paid for their meal. A woman sitting at a table not too far from Lu Jinnian and Xu Jiamu recognized them. She started taking photos of the two of them with her phone, turning her head from time to time to say a few words excitedly to the person beside her. The moment Lu Jinnian got up to leave, that woman brought her man and ran over to Lu Jinnian, begging him for an autograph. - Outside the privately-owned restaurant, there was a narrow alley. Lu Jinnian and Xu Jiamu walked out, neither one of them pulling out their car keys. Lu Jinnian grabbed his sunsses and put them on his face, then said, "Basketball?" "Alright." Xu Jiamu had no objections. From the restaurant, they had to walk no more than two hundred meters through the alley and past the back gates to the stadium. It was already nightfall, and there were practically no one in the alley. After a long while, there was amp post that shone dimly. The two of them didn¡¯t really interact with one another as they walked side by side for about ten minutes. When they reached the entrance to the stadium and walked in, Xu Jiamu pulled out some money and bought a couple of bottles of water. Besides the two of them, there was no one else in the empty stadium. Xu Jiamu took off his winter jacket and grabbed the basketball with one hand. He started to effortlessly dribble the ball for a while, then made a shot. As he caught the ball, he continued to dribble and looked over at Lu Jinnian. "Let¡¯s y a game?" Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t say a word, but removed his jacket and walked over. Without a referee and audience, it was just the two of them sweating freely. Besides the sound of shoes brushing against the wooden floors and the dong-dong-dong sound of the ball hitting the ground, the empty stadium was silent. Neither of them knew how long they yed with the ball. The two of them used up all their strength until they eventually sat down next to each other on the ground. Xu Jiamu picked up a bottle of water and threw it at Lu Jinnian. Then he grabbed another and gulped down some water. He raised his hand to wipe a couple droplets from the corner of his mouth and said, "Since you left, I didn¡¯t have such a good time ying ball." Lu Jinnian stopped drinking for a moment, then took another gulp. He put the bottle of mineral water away and said, "I haven¡¯t yed basketball for a long time either." Xu Jiamu turned his head, nced over at his brother, theny t onto the wooden floorboards and stared up at the ss ceiling of the stadium. Lu Jinnian put the lid back onto the bottle andid down as well. The two of them were heaving from the intense exercise. The stadium fell silent the moment they stopped ying ball Xu Jiamu stared up at the ceiling for who knows how long... He blinked, and without looking at Lu Jinnian, and gently said, "Bro, I¡¯m sorry. Chapter 803: Reminiscing about the Good Times (4) Chapter 803: Reminiscing about the Good Times (4) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem When Lu Jinnian heard those two words, his eyes flickered and he stayed silent for quite some time before speaking up. "Actually, I never med you." One simple sentence made the rims of Xu Jiamu¡¯s eyes turn red. His Adam¡¯s apple rolled up and down, and he said, "I know." He really did know that his brother never med him. If he did me him, then why would he leave Xu Enterprise for him to manage. If he med him, then why would he write his name among the beneficiaries on his will. Actually, Xu Jiamu never med Lu Jinnian either. Even if he did acquire Xu Enterprise, and he had angrily went over to find him and said some terribly irresponsible words, he only did it on impulse, because his mother had fainted out of anger. If he really did me him, then he wouldn¡¯t have gotten so agitated when he overheard his mother and Aunt Yun cursing his brother continuously. If he really did me him, then he wouldn¡¯t always think about how great he was. Even though the two of them only exchanged a few words, the atmosphere in the stadium became a little emotional. After a long while, Xu Jiamu raised his hand and covered his eyes. He wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes, then said with his usual yful tone of voice, "I say... what are we doing? Why are the two great masters arguing?" Who made the atmosphere like this? Lu Jinnian let out a "Hehe", then gave Xu Jiamu a side nce and didn¡¯t bother with him after. Having been given the side eye, Xu Jiamu wasn¡¯t at all angry, but rather, he felt himself rx. In actuality, between men, this was how they resolved their issues. Unlike women who had long speeches. A few words and an apology was all that was needed. As they lightheartedly worked out drenched in sweat, all misunderstandings would easily be cleared up just like that. "Let me ask you something," Lu Jinnian said after about five minutes. "En?" Xu Jiamu turned his head to see Lu Jinnian¡¯s sweating side profile, then added, "What?" His brother¡¯s tone of voice was t when he spoke, the question casual. "Qiao Qiao... Back then, she wrote a love letter. Did you know?" "Love letter?" Xu Jiamu furrowed his brows, as though he was trying to recollect something. After some time passed, he suddenly remembered. "What you¡¯re talking about happened many years ago, right? At the time, we hadn¡¯t even graduated university yet. If you didn¡¯t mention it, I wouldn¡¯t have even remembered it happened. Her love letter was cheesy as hell. Something about... I¡¯ve dreamed so many dreams, and you were in every single one..." Because such a long time had passed, Xu Jiamu couldn¡¯t remember clearly what was said at the time. He just said a sentence and then continued, "And something like, ¡¯you are the whole world to me¡¯... All in all, it was so incredibly cheesy." Even though Xu Jiamu didn¡¯t quite connect the sentences in Qiao Anhao¡¯s love letter, Lu Jinnian could still tell that it was from her letter that he read in the afternoon. With that, he continued to calmly ask, "How do you know what was in the love letter?" "She read it out for me to hear. She wanted me to check if it was all right. At the time, I practically had goosebumps. She was an artistic young woman, and so she wrote something so poetic." Xu Jiamu shook his head, then as though he had suddenly remembered something, he said, "Back then, I even helped her change a line in her love letter." Chapter 804: Reminiscing about the Good Times (5) Chapter 804: Reminiscing about the Good Times (5) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem The moment Lu Jinnian heard this, he had an inkling inside about what Xu Jiamu was going to say next. Yet he pretended as though he hadn¡¯t a clue, and asked in response, "What line?" "The sentence she wrote was..." Xu Jiamu furrowed his brows and contemted for a moment, then said, "¡¯In this lifetime, I will love you the most.¡¯ I changed it to ¡¯In this lifetime, I will only love you.¡¯ Doesn¡¯t it sound much better? ¡¯Only¡¯ means ¡¯one¡¯ whereas ¡¯most¡¯ means that she has fallen in love a lot... tsk tsk tsk... So? My suggestion wasn¡¯t bad, right?" Xu Jiamu couldn¡¯t help but feel immeasurably self-satisfied over his single adjustment. Beside him, Lu Jinnian¡¯s heart was swelling up. So, back then, Qiao Anhao and Xu Jiamu weren¡¯t actually expressing their love for each other... She just found him to check over her love letter. Qiao Anhao may have given him the love letter today, but she actually wrote it many years ago, which goes to say, his initial spections were correct... When she wrote this love letter, she already liked him? Then did that suggest, in all these years, he wasn¡¯t the only one who tried his utmost to love the other. The two of them had actually used all their strength to love one another, but neither of them had the courage to say "I love you"? Xu Jiamu was there on his own, admiring himself for a while, when he suddenly turned around to Lu Jinnian and said in curiosity. "Bro, do you know who Qiao Qiao wrote that love letter for? Back then, I asked her so many times, but she wouldn¡¯t tell me no matter what." Lu Jinnian, who was deep in thought, didn¡¯t even hear what Xu Jiamu was asking. For a long time now, his chest had been overwhelmed by shock and excitement. Throughout all his life, he thought that the most heart-rending thing was to suddenly learn that the person you have had a crush on for so many years coincidentally was crushing on you as well. Xu Jiamu was long used to how silent Lu Jinnian was. After he spoke, he continued, "Forget it. It doesn¡¯t matter who she liked back then, Qiao Qiao is already married to you. However, bro, why didn¡¯t you tell me earlier that you liked Qiao Qiao?" Lu Jinnian still didn¡¯t bother with him. Xu Jiamu said pitifully, "If I had known you liked Qiao Qiao, I¡¯d have definitely not had any rtions with her. That way, you guys could¡¯ve gotten together ages ago." He bumped Lu Jinnian¡¯s arm. "Oi, you say that you and Qiao Qiao are already married, shouldn¡¯t you treat me for a meal?" After he was nudged by Xu Jiamu, Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t think much of what he had to say next, and gave him a halfhearted "En" in response. "Also, you guys never had a wedding ceremony?" "En." "You proposed?" "En." "And the ring? A while back, I saw someone online say that Qiao Qiao wasn¡¯t wearing a ring after she got married to you. Isn¡¯t that too shabby?" "Oh." "Oi, Lu Jinnian, are you even listening to what I¡¯m saying?" Xu Jiamu couldn¡¯t help but get angry at how Lu Jinnian gave single syble answers. "En?" This time, Lu Jinnian finally spoke with emotion. But then, after he said this, his phone, left on the sidelines, suddenly started to ring. Lu Jinnian grabbed it to see that Qiao Anhao was calling. He hastily took the call. "Qiao Qiao? What¡¯s up? ... En, I¡¯m ying basketball with Jiamu..." Chapter 805: Reminiscing about the Good Times (6) Chapter 805: Reminiscing about the Good Times (6) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem "I¡¯ve finished ying now. I¡¯ll be on my way home right away. If you¡¯re tired, rest early, don¡¯t wait for me. ... En, milk? I got it. I¡¯ll drop by the supermarket. Is there something else you want to eat or want me to bring back with me? Fruit? And? Nothing, alright..." Xu Jiamu looked at Lu Jinnian. There wasn¡¯t a single hint of annoyance on him as he chatted on the phone with a gentle look on his face. Xu Jiamu stared dumbstruck for a long while, before he blinked. Jeez... Why was he using full sentences when he was just gave him five "Ens" and "Ohs" just now. Qiao Anhao hadn¡¯t said ten words while she casually checked up on him, and yet he actually responded with twice as many words? He and Qiao Anhao were both talking to Lu Jinnian, and yet how was the special treatment so obviously different? It was like heaven and hell... Xu Jiamu couldn¡¯t resist but make fun of himself in a sad voice. "The whole special treatment thing is enough as it is, now I have to call her ¡¯sister-inw¡¯ when she was the one who used to call me ¡¯brother¡¯ when she saw me..." When Lu Jinnian hung up , he coincidentally heard these words and couldn¡¯t help but curve the corners of his lips. Then he got up off of the ground and casually patted the dirt off himself. He looked at Xu Jiamu and reached his arm out. His brother raised his arm and clutched his hand. With a forceful tug, Lu Jinnian lifted Xu Jiamu from the ground. He immediately let go of him and grabbed his clothes from the sidelines, then headed right out of the stadium. Xu Jiamu hurriedly picked up his own clothes, cleared the floor of rubbish, and caught up to him. "Must you go home now? Want to find somewhere to get a drink?" As Lu Jinnian zipped up his jacket, he shook his head with a distressed yet infinitely boastful look on his face. "A family person isn¡¯t as free as you are. I have to head back." Hmpf... He spoke as if before he had a family he was free everyday. Like it was ever easy to drag him out at night. Xu Jiamu couldn¡¯t resist but let out a disdainful chuckle. Lu Jinnian wasn¡¯t the least bit offended. He reached his arm out and patted Xu Jiamu¡¯s shoulders. "There¡¯s nothing I can do... your sister-inw is pregnant now. I¡¯m worried that she¡¯s home alone." "Let¡¯s go. I have to go home early." As he said this, Lu Jinnian pulled open the car door and got in It wasn¡¯t until after he had started the car up and left that Xu Jiamu blinked and snapped back to his senses. Sister-inw... Sister-inw... Lu Jinnian definitely heard his taunt just now and purposefully said that! Having been hit on the inside, Xu Jiamu got into his own car. His phone¡¯s alert went off twice. He picked it up to find that Lu Jinnian had sent him two text messages. The first message had two simple words: Thank you. The second message had a few more words: Throughout history, mothers never bore deep grudges. Xu Jiamu looked at both texts and instantly felt a strangely warm sensation tightly enveloping him. He knew that Lu Jinnian was thanking him for clearing things up yesterday. He also knew that the second message was tofort him. That cold and detached man was always like that. His words were able to prod the softest part of his heart with no difficulty. Xu Jiamu didn¡¯t reply the texts. Instead he leaned back into the car seat and closed his eyes. At that moment, he realized that he was now the calmest he¡¯d ever been in thest six months. It was as though he had unloaded a heavy backpack and an unprecedented sensation of freedom surfaced from the deepest part of his heart. It wasn¡¯t like he wasn¡¯t worried over his mother¡¯s poor health, but he just didn¡¯t regret the decision he made yesterday. His mothermitted far too many, and far too severe, injustices. So much so, she took a life. Chapter 806: Reminiscing about the Good Times (7) Chapter 806: Reminiscing about the Good Times (7) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Actually, if it was possible, Xu Jiamu really hoped that no matter if it were his mother or Lu Jinnian and Qiao Anhao, they could all live happily. But most of the time, it was difficult to satisfy both sides. At that thought, he couldn¡¯t help but let out a long sigh. - Even though Qiao Anhao went to the hospital with Zhao Meng once before, Lu Jinnian was still worried, so he especially asked someone to find the best gynecologist in the whole of Beijing and booked an appointment. On a bright and sunny afternoon, he took Qiao Anhao to see that person. After about two hours of performing a series of physical examinations, the results came out. The mother and child were both very healthy. They left the hospital at three in the afternoon. A few days ago, the weather was so cold it was no different from a severe winter. Yet, fromst weekend, the weather seemed to have slowly picked up. With each passing day, it grew warmer. In one night, the winter jasmine flowers bloomed on the streets of Beijing, willow trees started to sprout, and people on the streets had removed their thick jackets. Today, the weather was exceedingly good. The blue skies looked like they had just been painted. There wasn¡¯t a single cloud in thousands of miles. There wasn¡¯t the slightest hint of wind, and the bright rays of sunshine warmed the body. When they got into the car, Lu Jinnian helped Qiao Anhao put on her seatbelt, then looked out the window. Seeing as the weather was so good, he asked, "Let me take you somewhere?" "Where?" Qiao Anhao turned her head. Her pitch-ck pupils were filled with curiosity. "You¡¯ll know when you get there." Lu Jinnian wore an iprehensible expression. Qiao Anhao pursed her lips and stopped asking questions. He started the engine and drove slowly for about over half an hour. Qiao Anhao discovered that her surroundings seemed to be growing more and more familiar. Just when she recognized where he was taking her, the car came to a stop. "The road ahead leads to the school, but they don¡¯t let cars park there so let¡¯s walk over." Afraid that they¡¯ll be recognized, Lu Jinnian had prepared two hats in the car in advance. He wore one, then put the other on Qiao Anhao¡¯s head. He took her to their high school. Because it had been almost ten years, the school had made many refurbishments since then, but the fundamental structure hadn¡¯t changed. Especially the two inte cafes opposite the school, which were still in business to this day. It was the weekend, so the school was really quiet. Facing the giant gates was a block of ssrooms, and in front of that was a water fountain, which looked like it never spewed any water. Lu Jinnian held Qiao Anhao¡¯s hand and cut directly through the block of ssrooms, around the back, and through a long pathway. Eventually, he took her to the third floor of the Qinghua Building. It was the same floor where he and Qiao Anhao¡¯s ssrooms were in their third year of high school. The first ssroom on the left up the stairs was the room for ss Three. The ssroom ahead of that belonged to ss Two, and further ahead was ss One. That year they attended, the education bureau approved the school funds, and so that year, theypletely reced the desks and chairs with new ones. Now, after ten years had passed, it looked like they were still using the same set from back in the day. Because it was the weekend, the doors to the ssrooms were locked. However, ss Three had an open window. Lu Jinnian let go of Qiao Anhao¡¯s hand and swiftly climbed in, stood on a table, and jumped to the ground. He walked to the front door and opened the ssroom from the inside. Qiao Anhao walked in, and he shut the door behind her. He held her hand and walked her around the ssroom, as he examined the desks. After he had practically checked each one, he suddenly pointed at one, and said, "This desk is the one youid on back then in ss Three." Chapter 807: Reminiscing about the Good Times (8) Chapter 807: Reminiscing about the Good Times (8) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem The desks in the ssroom were the same as they were ten years ago. She could remember well the one she used to lie on. But that had happened ten years ago... Lu Jinnian pointed at a desk that was peeling off, then told her with absolute certainty that it was hers. She didn¡¯t believe him at all, and thought that he was talking nonsense. She pursed her lips and said, "You¡¯re making it up." Lu Jinnian raised his brows, but didn¡¯t argue. Instead, he released her hand and pulled the chair from under the desk. He sat there, half-crouched at the desk, then reached his arm out and rubbed the table for quite some time. All of a sudden, he said, "En, it¡¯s here." "What¡¯s there?" asked Qiao Anhao curiously in return, as she had no idea what he meant by that. Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t say a word, but guided her hand under the table and against the left side of the drawer. She felt the bumpy wooden table with the tip of her finger, and turned her head to look over at Lu Jinnian in bewilderment. He still didn¡¯t utter a word. He just pressed down and slid her fingertips across the table, slowly following the grooves. The feel of English letters against her fingertips registered in her brain, and she looked at Lu Jinnian in realization. Then, in a questioning tone, she said, "S?" Lu Jinnian gave a nod, then continued to lead her along another English letter. With each one, Qiao Anhao would spell it out. "H?" "M?" "I?" "L?" "Y?" That was the final letter, and Qiao Anhao tilted her head in deep thought for a moment, then formed a word from those letters. She couldn¡¯t resist but let it slip. "Shmily?" "Shmily means ¡¯See,how,much,I,love,you¡¯..." As she said this to herself, she wondered how Lu Jinnian could of carved the letters there. She gazed into his eyes, and as if a light was set free, she asked, "Did you carve them here?" "En,¡¯ Lu Jinnian whispered gently as he slowly got up. Deep down inside, Qiao Anhao did actually know the answer, but she felt more assured after she asked. Now that she heard his answer, her mind made a daring assumption. "After you were transferred from ss One to ss Three, you deliberately chose to sit at the desk Iid on?" Lu Jinnian gently pushed the chair back to it¡¯s original spot, then let his eyes fall on her face. Just then she thought that he would say she was over-thinking things, but she heard him slowly say, "Not just the desk, but also the same chair you sat on. However, I believe it¡¯s been scrapped by now. I was looking around but couldn¡¯t find it." As he said this, Lu Jinnian searched the ssroom again, before finally allowing his eyes to fall on the fifth seat by the window. He raised his finger and pointed. "Back then, you sat there, right?" This, Qiao Anhao remembered well. She did in fact sit on the fifth row against the window. Well, actually she sat against the wall at first and Qiao Anxia sat against the window. She had then used two months worth of allowance and a lot of pleading before she agreed to swap seats. Trantor¡¯s Thoughts Paperne Paperne Shout out to Jinjin and Aln! Chapter 808: Reminiscing about the Good Times (9) Chapter 808: Reminiscing about the Good Times (9) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Because through the window she could see the school¡¯s basketball court. Every Wednesday afternoon, during the third period, she would watch as Lu Jinnian yed basketball during ss One¡¯s P.E. ss. He stared at her seat for a long while before turning his head to gaze back into Qiao Anhao¡¯s eyes. His tone of voice sounded quite lonely. "Back then, I thought that we could be ssmates." Qiao Anhao felt a hint of sadness and was unspeakably moved by what Lu Jinnian said at the same time. When he was young, he deliberately left half the test empty just to be able to get into ss Three, yet she fought her way into ss One for him. With that, the two of them missed one another by pure chance. It was like something was stuck in her throat... something that ached, something that was warm. Qiao Anhao curved the corners of her lips and spoke up in a slightly trembling voice. "What a coincidence, at the time, I also thought that we could be ssmates." Lu Jinnian stared at Qiao Anhao in astonishment, the feeling of being pleasantly surprised filling him. "You passed the test to get into ss One just so that we could be ssmates?" "Yeah." Qiao Anhao nodded as she casually leaned up against the desk. She seemed to be reminiscing about that year when she tilted her head for a long while. After some time, she said, "Now that I think about it, those were some nightmarish six months of studying just to get into ss One. I practically didn¡¯t sleep before 1 am..." Before Qiao Anhao could finish, Lu Jinnian suddenly pulled her tightly into his arms. As they hugged, he said in a neutral voice, "So you also studied to get into A University because of me?" "En," responded Qiao Anhao gently before covering his lips. As they kissed, Lu Jinnian suddenly parted from her lips and said in an unsteady breath, "Qiao Qiao, I¡¯m really happy." ¡¯Truly, really happy.¡¯ In those naive years of their youth, he wasn¡¯t the only one who worked hard, she was also fighting for the same thing. ¡¯I am truly grateful to have fallen in love with you when I was young.¡¯ Lu Jinnian covered Qiao Anhao¡¯s lips once again. The ssroom was extremely silent, and the sunshine quietly shone through the windows and onto theyer of dust on the desks. It was truly great. That year, he met her, and that same year they started their story. And thirteen yearster, they were finally together. Even though their bodies had changed, he was the same young man in his bones, and she was still the youthful her deep in her blood. After kissing for a long time, the two of them finally parted. In the quiet ssroom, the sound of their heaving breaths was the only thing that could be heard. Even though Qiao Anhao was now someone¡¯s wife, and she was pregnant at that, the kiss made her face flush. She slightly lowered her head while standing in front of Lu Jinnian. He looked down at her for a long while, before finally reaching his arm out to brush her hair behind her ears. He held her hand and said, "Come on, let¡¯s continue our walk." They left the ssroom hand-in-hand, walking in the direction of ss One. The two of them didn¡¯t actually go in, but when they passed the window, they still halted and peaked inside. The ckboard wasn¡¯t erased. There were a few graphs drawn on it with aplicated array of forms. Trantor¡¯s Thoughts Paperne Paperne Shout out to Aln! Chapter 809: Reminiscing about the Good Times (10) Chapter 809: Reminiscing about the Good Times (10) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem "I hated studying maths in school. It was difficult as hell," said Qiao Anhao, unable to help feeling regret whilst looking at the forms she had no clue about now whatsoever. She then suddenly thought about something little that had happened in school, and she couldn¡¯t help but excitedly share it with Lu Jinnian. "Speaking of maths, I remember a magical thing that happened to me." Lu Jinnian ced a single hand elegantly on the window sill, and turned his head to ask her, "What?" "It was during the first half of the second year of high school. Didn¡¯t ss One and ss Three have the same teacher for maths? You should know, that teacher had a special thing. After every other month, he liked to set a test. I may not have understood everything in maths, but at least I knew most of it... All besides the parab. It gave me a headache just looking at it. "When it came to the test on parab, ss Three was the first to take the test, so I told Qiao Anxia to secretly copy the answers for me in advance. Then, in the evening, I could go find Brother Jiamu and get the right ones, so the next morning during the test I could just write down the answers. In the end, guess what happened?" As Qiao Anhao said this, she wore a hint of disbelief on her own face. "At the time, I was in P.E. and when I went back to the ssroom, school had coincidentally ended. I didn¡¯t even have a chance to find Qiao Anxia for the answers when I saw a test paper in my desk drawer! Ay... The paper was full of answers... Say, who do you think would have had the foresight to put their test paper into my drawer...." Qiao Anhao tilted her head and thought for a moment before saying, "Perhaps someone in ss Three had a crush on me? But if you have a crush, wouldn¡¯t you give a love letter? You shouldn¡¯t give a test paper... If they put it in the wrong drawer... Aiya... Anyways, no matter what, Lu Jinnian... Let me tell you, that was the only time I ever got a perfect score in maths!" Even though Qiao Anhao cheated, she couldn¡¯t help but cheerfully bring up her perfect score. Lu Jinnian looked at her proud little face, and couldn¡¯t help but let out a chuckle. "What a coincidence, that was the only time I ever got zero at maths." "Eh?" Qiao Anhao was left dazed for a while, having no idea what he meant. Lu Jinnian reached his hand out and patted her head, then exined, "That test paper... The ssroom was empty, as you all were at P.E., so I put it in your drawer.." "Ah?" With a light shriek of surprise, Qiao Anhao asked in response, "You put it there?" "En," responded Lu Jinnian gently. "How did you know that I needed the answers to the test?" As they headed towards the stairs hand-in-hand, they reminisced about what had happened back then. After a while, he replied, "I overheard what you said to Qiao Anxia." That afternoon, before the two girls had walked into the ssroom, Qiao Anhao had pulled her sister¡¯s clothes and said, "Remember to write down the answers of this afternoon¡¯s maths test." Coincidentally, it had been Lu Jinnian¡¯s turn to wipe the ckboard, so he overheard that conversation. At the time, he had the top grades in maths in ss Three. After every test, he was the one to collect all the tests. So, that time, he didn¡¯t submit his own. When everyone had left the ssroom for P.E., he shoved his test into her drawer. Chapter 810: Reminiscing about the Good Times (11) Chapter 810: Reminiscing about the Good Times (11) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Lu Jinnian held Qiao Anhao¡¯s hand as they walked out of the Qinghua Building and went round to the back. Right in the center of the school, there was a pretty garden and a man-madeke. When they passed it, Qiao Anhao suddenly pointed at a stone bench on the side and said, "I saw a girl give you a love letter over there once." "Did you?" asked Lu Jinnian in response. As he held her hand, they walked on for quite some distance before he pointed at the tree beside the rock garden opposite theke, then said, "What a coincidence, I saw a guy give you a box of choctes over there." "You did?" With a strange look on her face, Qiao Anhao stared at the spot he had pointed to for a while. She vaguely remembered that something like that had happened, then she said, "But I never ate the choctes, I gave them to Anxia." "Same, I threw the love letter straight in the bin without even taking a look." Qiao Anhao couldn¡¯t help but shoot him a smile as they continued to walk slowly down the road. Some timeter, she said, "I used to often walk down this path because I¡¯d bump into you every time." This path took them through the block of ssrooms to the library. Back then, Lu Jinnian was aplete bookworm. Qiao Anhao shed a smile. "Back then, every time I said ¡¯Hi¡¯ to you, you were eithering out of the library or about to go into it." Actually, he never really wanted to go to the library, it was just that he often saw her take this path, so he liked to take it too. The library was but an excuse for him to be there. Thinking back to things that had happened in their youth... even though they were young and inexperienced, the memories were beautiful. Lu Jinnian couldn¡¯t resist but let out a chuckle. "What a coincidence, the only reason I liked to walk this way was because I could bump into you." The two of them walked hand-in-hand around the entire school. When they reached some spots, they remembered brief moments of how they had secretly longed for one another. She cried so many tears over him in the little forest behind the school. He fought a boy in an isted area behind the block of ssrooms because that boy had said horrible things about her. Just to be able to act as though they had coincidentally bumped into one another, he bought lollipops that he would never eat from the supermarket by the canteen, and she bought Mai Dongs that she didn¡¯t like to drink. There were some things that had happened long ago that they had thought long forgotten. But as they reminisced about the good times, they realized that since their youthful days till today, they remembered every little detail about each other as clear as day. - Having walked around each and every corner of the school, Qiao Anhao and Lu Jinnian finally went to the library. It was Qiao Anhao¡¯s suggestion. During her school days, she always fantasized that the two of them would be like other female ssmates in love, reading books in the library, shoulder to shoulder. Because it was the weekend, there were very few people inside. Besides the staff on duty, there were only two or three students in uniform, sitting by the window as they concentrated on reading. As the two walked through the rows of bookshelves, Lu Jinnian casually picked up a chemistry textbook, and Qiao Anhao picked up a teen novel. They then found an empty spot and sat down. The two of them sat side by side, obediently following the library rules. Neither of them spoke as they quietly flipped through the books in their hands. Chapter 811: Reminiscing about the Good Times (12) Chapter 811: Reminiscing about the Good Times (12) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Lu Jinnian had paper and pen on him. Even after having not touched the textbook for so many years, he pulled his note book and proceeded tofortably answer a chemistry question. He had only casually flipped through two pages of the chemistry textbook when he pulled out a lc envelope from his pocket. He gently pushed it in front of Qiao Anhao and nudged her arm. The teen novel was so gripping, Qiao Anhao was a little captivated by the story. All of a sudden, she felt Lu Jinnian nudging her arm. She swiftly turned her head to see a blue envelope beside her. Instinctively, she looked over at Lu Jinnian with a pen in hand, slowly writing in his notebook, effortlessly answering the chemistry questions. Qiao Anhao blinked in confusion, then picked up the purple envelope. She opened it to find a folded piece of paper. She pulled the warm yellow colored paper and unfolded it. There, was Lu Jinnian¡¯s elegant cursive handwriting. ssmate Qiao Anhao, I was delighted to receive your letter. If you don¡¯t mind, can I ask you out tonight at half seven? ssmate Lu Jinnian. Below, the letter was dated to five years ago. With that, Qiao Anhao suddenly realized that this letter was a response to the one she had put in his suit jacket a few days ago. The corner of her lips couldn¡¯t help but rise. She stared at the letter for a moment, then pulled her arm out and stole Lu Jinnian¡¯s pen from his hands. On the other side of the letter she received, she wrote a passage. ssmate Lu Jinnian, Tonight, see you there! ssmate Qiao Anhao. Then she folded the letter and ced it into the envelope, pushing it back in front of Lu Jinnian. He saw her message and let out a gentleugh. He picked up the paper she¡¯d left to one side, the quickly scribbled a few words. Without folding it up and cing it into the envelope, he directly handed it to her. Qiao Anhao saw that Lu Jinnian had written five simple words on it: See you at half seven. Unable to contain herself, she let out a giggle but quickly managed to stop. She didn¡¯t know why but deep down inside, she felt a tinge of sadness. If Lu Jinnian had told her that he liked her earlier, then perhaps she would have summoned the courage to tell him that she liked him as well. If that happened, then they would of been just as happy as they are now but earlier? She took the pen from his hands and bit it out of habit, deep in thought. After a while, she wrote on the letter paper. What a pity that we missed out on so many years together. When Lu Jinnian saw these words, his rxedplexion stiffened for a moment. Before he could write a word though, Qiao Anhao pulled the letter paper back and wrote, At first, did you constantly treat me hot and cold because of Brother Jiamu? As Qiao Anhao wrote this, she thought back to the time when they pretended to be husband and wife. There was one time when she stayed over at his vi in Mount Yi and they spoke for a long time about the woman he loved. At the time, he told her she was married. She never imagined that the woman he spoke of was her, but now that she thought about it... To him, she was married at the time. Then there was also that one time when he was drunk back in Mian Xiu Garden. He had hugged her and said, ¡¯Why am I not the one you love?¡¯. Chapter 812: Reminiscing about the Good Times (13) Chapter 812: Reminiscing about the Good Times (13) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem At the time, she thought that he had the wrong person... At that thought, Qiao Anhao couldn¡¯t help but let out a faint sigh. "As long as you gave me the tiniest hint, we wouldn¡¯t have had so many near-misses." After her sigh, she suddenly thought of something. She wrote another message on the paper. Since you liked me so much, why didn¡¯t you try to fight for me? Were you really willing to see me with someone else? If Brother Jiamu and I didn¡¯t get a divorce, for the rest of our lives, would we have never had a chance to be together?" Qiao Anhao pushed the paper to Lu Jinnian, but then she suddenly started to feel a lingering sense of fear. Luckily Brother Jiamu didn¡¯t like her and luckily her and Jiamu got a smooth divorce, otherwise, they would have really missed out on being with one another forever. Lu Jinnian saw Qiao Anhao¡¯s three questions, but remained silent for a long while, before he picked the pen up and started writing. He spent a long time, pausing between his writing. When he finally finished, he folded the paper and put it in front of Qiao Anhao. She unfolded it to find that he had written over half a page. Not willing... But there was nothing I could of done because I thought that Jiamu was the one you loved. I really wanted to fight for you, but I was afraid to trouble you. In my heart, Jiamu is a hundred times better than I am. He is more suited to be with you than I am. Even until now, I still think that I¡¯m not worthy of you. I thought that if I didn¡¯t see you, then I could forget you, but there there wasn¡¯t a single night or day where I didn¡¯t miss you. If my sense of longing could make a sound, it¡¯d deafen your world. When Qiao Anhao saw this, the rims of her eyes became red. Every time you turned around to leave, in my heart, I really wanted to beg you not to leave me. However, there are two types of love; one is possessive, the other is epting. I really want to possess you, but I couldn¡¯t be selfish, so I chose to ept. To me, your happiness was my greatest happiness. If I knew earlier that besides me, nobody could ever make you happy, then I¡¯d have definitely held your hand tightly and never let go. If you and Jiamu hadn¡¯t gotten a divorce, I¡¯d have rather swallowed all the pain than ever let you know what I had done for you. Because not burdening you was the only thing I could do for you back then. I had no other option but to do my best. At first, she thought that he was cold, distant, and hated her a lot. Only at this moment did she finally understand that behind his cold and reclusive exterior there was a heart far more emotional than that of anyone else. Her tears crashed uncontrobly onto the letter. She grabbed the pen and raised her trembling hand, then wrote, If I had really did ended up with someone else, what would you have done? As she penned those words, anotherrge teardrop came crashing down, creating a ring of ck ink. Lu Jinnian replied with the most fitting words, I¡¯d have never married. Would have been alone my whole life." - At seven, Lu Jinnian found an excuse to go to the bathroom and leave the library. Qiao Anhao waited over ten minutes on her own, but he never came back. She pulled her phone out. Just when she was about to call him, she received his text. [Aren¡¯t we going on a date tonight? School yground at half seven, see you there.] Chapter 813: Reminiscing about the Good Times (14) Chapter 813: Reminiscing about the Good Times (14) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Qiao Anhao, who was just moved to a mess of tears by Lu Jinnian, couldn¡¯t help but giggle out loud. She then hastily covered her mouth with her hands when she realized that she was still in the library. Lu Jinnian was so childish... he got carried away with the whole love letter game! Whilst Qiao Anhao called him out for being immature, she replied to him even more childishly, "Got it, ssmate Lu." - When Qiao Anhao came out of the library, the skies were already dark. The sports field was a little far from where she was. Back in middle high, it took twenty minutes to get there after school. Though Qiao Anhao may have been impatient, she didn¡¯t dare to walk too quickly because she was pregnant. On top of this, it was the weekend, so there weren¡¯t many street lights lit up. When she reached the basketball court, it was already twenty to eight. The entrance to the sports field was through the basketball court. There were lights over the tform in the sports field. When they were on, they could turn the dark sports field into a field of white. Yet, today, the sports field was only lit up by a few ordinarymp posts. The rays of light were pale yellow, and they only gave light to the path for pedestrians. Qiao Anhao just reached the racing track when she received Lu Jinnian¡¯s text: [From your current position, walk straight ahead.] When shepliantly strode over to the front of the tform, he sent another text message. [Turn your back to the tform and walk to the center.] Qiao Anhao stood on the spot for a moment, doubtful. In the end though, she still turned around and headed over to the center of the sports field. The closer she got, the dimmer the lights shone. She didn¡¯t know how far she had walked, but seeing as Lu Jinnian wasn¡¯t in sight, she pulled out her phone, wanting to give him a call. All of a sudden, all themp posts in the sports field went out. Tonight, there was no light from the sky, it was new moon. The entire sports field was instantly pitch-ck. When Qiao Anhao lifted her head, she saw the faint glimmer of stars. She stood helpless and confused. She quickly turned her phone on and searched for Lu Jinnian¡¯s number. Before she could call him, she suddenly heard the eruption of firecrackers popping off. She lifted her head up in curiosity to see a load of fireworks. Infinite glowing multicolored lights fell all around her, lighting up the pitch-ck night sky. Qiao Anhao gaped in shock. Then another series of sts went off. Clusters of fire shot into the sky, and erupted into an overwhelming disy of giant rings of light. In the end, the sky above the entire sports field was shrouded in fireworks. It was just a shame that they hade and ended so quickly. In just five short minutes, they disappeared . Qiao Anhao suddenly snapped back to her senses. She pulled her phone out and dialed Lu Jinnian¡¯s number. Before she could hear the sound of the call connecting, it was answered. She brought the phone to her ear, obviously excited. "You set off the fireworks?" "Did you like them?" She heard those words twice. Once by her ear, and another from her phone. She was stunned for about three seconds, then responded. She abruptly turned her head to find Lu Jinnian standing silently to her left. With one hand in his pocket, and one hand holding up the phone to his ear, he stood poised. He had his head raised slightly up to the sky, staring at thest fireworks. Trantor¡¯s Thoughts Paperne Paperne Shout out to Jinjin! Chapter 814: Reminiscing about the Good Times (15) Chapter 814: Reminiscing about the Good Times (15) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Qiao Anhao hung up and put her phone away. "When did you get here?" "About thirty seconds ago." Lu Jinnian also put his phone away. The entire sports field faded back into darkness when the fireworkspletely disappeared. He then gradually turned his head and looked over at Qiao Anhao. Even if the only light in the sports fields came for the neon lights of a town block far away, she could see the intense burning glow in his eyes. "Qiao Qiao, do you still remember this ce?" asked Lu Jinnian very gently and calmly. He didn¡¯t wait for her to respond and continued regardless. "That year we entered first year of high school and had to report to the sports field as new students. That was when you and I first officially met. It was right in front of the tform, just about the center of the sports field..." "I remember," Qiao Anhao said. "Anxia and I came over to find Brother Jiamu, and you were coincidentally with him at the time, talking about something." "En, Xu Jiamu introduced us. You hid behind Qiao Anxia with a shy smile and said timidly, ¡¯Hello, I¡¯m Qiao Anhao.¡¯" Lu Jinnian thought back to the time when they first met, and couldn¡¯t help but curve the corner of his lips up. "That was the first time you spoke to me." "You were rather reserved when you replied with a t "en" to my introduction. In the end, Brother Jiamu had to tell me your name,"ined Qiao Anhao, as she remembered the scene of how they first officially met as well. "I remember at the time, it wasn¡¯t an ¡¯en¡¯ it was ¡¯hi¡¯," corrected Lu Jinnian. Having been nitpicked, Qiao Anhao puffed up her cheeks and pursed her lips, a little annoyed. Lu Jinnian let out a chuckle, reached his hand out, and stroked her long hair. Under the wandering night lights, he said in a simple and elegant manner, "Qiao Qiao, don¡¯t I owe you a few words?" "En?" Qiao Anhao turned her head in confusion, then looked at him. "What?" Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t look at her, but instead stared right ahead. He slowly blinked, then said, "Qiao Qiao, can I go after you?" Qiao Anhao never imagined that he would say something like that, so she couldn¡¯t help but gape at him. He fell silent for about a minute, then said, "After I got your attention, I would still have to say, ¡¯Qiao Qiao, will you be my girlfriend?¡¯" Lu Jinnian suddenly turned around when he said this. As the light was quite dim, Qiao Anhao couldn¡¯t see his face clearly, but she could feel how intense the atmosphere was. She stared at him in a daze. Deep down inside, she guessed what he was going to say next, which made her feel nervous. Her hand subconsciously gripped her sleeves. All of a sudden, a warm yellow light lit up behind Lu Jinnian. She was stunned, as warm yellow lights started to light up on her left, right, and behind her. All the way down to the very end of the sports field. Then those lights started to flicker. Qiao Anhao scanned her surroundings in astonishment. There, in the center of the sports field, were colorful lights hidden in a man-made field of grass. Under them, she saw that the grass field was adorned with scattered Lisianthus petals. Chapter 815: Reminiscing about the Good Times (16) Chapter 815: Reminiscing about the Good Times (16) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem When Qiao Anhao arrived, there were only a fewmps on the sides. When she stepped onto the grass of hidden dim multicolored lights, she didn¡¯t feel a thing. In fact, she didn¡¯t even notice that there were decorations on thewn in the center of the race track. This was the surprise Lu Jinnian had prepared for her? When did he start to n this behind her back? She scanned her surroundings. It practically looked like a stunning, magical scene from the Grimm¡¯s fairy tales. Dumbfounded, she turned her head to look over at Lu Jinnian with hints of confusion in her eyes. The multicolored lights shone with every color under the sun on his face, entuating his rugged handsome good looks. He gazed deeply and intensely into her eyes, before he spoke with a voice like the most melodic song in the world. His rxing, soothing voice tore open the sky. "Qiao Qiao, you know? You were once the warmth I tried my hardest to get close to." She couldn¡¯t help but curve her lips and let out a giggle, as she wasn¡¯t used to his suddenly cheesy words. She felt something warm crash into her heart, which made her eyes a little wet. Lu Jinnian quietly stared into her eyes with a look that made people unable to resist drowning within his infinite and inescapable charms. "It¡¯s not like you didn¡¯t know that your one casual smile could warm my entire world." A gust of wind lightly blew by in the night. A few scattered petals were blown up into the air and swirled around before falling back down to the grass. The numerous shing multicolored lights suddenly turned light pink. One after the other, they lit up and then went out again. The surrounding area was a romantic pink for a moment, then returned to a still darkness. "Even though I¡¯ve said things to express my feeling, and I¡¯ve said many deeply emotional things, but at this very moment... I still want to tell you in all seriousness..." With that, Lu Jinnian slightly paused for a moment. The pink lights turned to blue. He looked into her eyes with extreme intensity, as though he was was saying a pledge. "Qiao Anhao, I love you." Qiao Anhao couldn¡¯t smile anymore. She raised her hand and covered her mouth as tears filled her eyes. "Since I just said those words, I love you even more." In actuality, Lu Jinnian had prepared those words in advance. The moment he wrote them down, he thought it was pretentious and cheesy, but a proposal was a once in a lifetime thing. Other men proposed lovingly and affectionately, so he couldn¡¯t not do it. Not only did he want to do it, he wanted it to be grand. He wanted to make up for his missing confession, and all the things they missed when they could of been dating. "Right now, I love you more than a second ago... "And I love you deeper with each passing minute... "It continues to deepen... Due to Lu Jinnian¡¯s words, Qiao Anhao couldn¡¯t help but let out another giggle, tears now flowing down her face. The surrounding multicolored lights suddenly all went out, leaving the scene inplete darkness. Lu Jinnian stood before her, silently staring at her for about half a minute. He reached his hand out and pulled out a square object, then without any hesitation, he slowly went down on one knee. Chapter 816: Reminiscing about the Good Times (17) Chapter 816: Reminiscing about the Good Times (17) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Qiao Anhao took a step back in shock. With her clouded vision, she heard what sounded like a box being opened. Then she saw the unlit multicolored lights around her sh on one after the other around her and Lu Jinnian. Under the glow of thousands of them, she clearly saw the dark purple box in Lu Jinnian¡¯s hands. Within it there was a ring with a deep blue diamond that shimmered in the dark night. In the midst of the bright lights, Lu Jinnian looked up to see Qiao Anhao¡¯s face. After about ten seconds, he said in a serious tone, "The third year of middle school, you listened to "Common Jasmine Orange", so I bought an album of Jay Chou. "The first year of high school, you saw "Flowers in Never Dream", so I bought a novel of Guo Jingming. "The second year of high school, you fell in love with the hot spicy soup restaurant opposite the school, so I ate there many times on my own. "The third year of high school, you fell in love with QQ, so I signed up on QQ. "In university, we were in two different ces. I would follow your QQ every day, listen to the songs you listened to, read the books you read, and space out seeing photos that you posted. "After graduation, you and I were estranged. I kept thousands of unsent messages to you on my phone." Qiao Anhao was stunned to tears by Lu Jinnian¡¯s grand n. "There were still several hundreds of scattered posts. I followed your Weibo and WeChat Moments activity, and messages I wrote them to you. "But, Qiao Anhao, I don¡¯t want to silently follow you anymore. I want to listen to your favorite songs together with you, read your favorite books by your side, go to your favorite ces and eat your favorite foods alongside you. "I also want to be able to look at your face every night, say ¡¯Goodnight¡¯ and ¡¯Good morning¡¯ to you as soon as you wake up. "In future years toe, I wish to spend New Years with you, everyone¡¯s birthdays, and Valentine¡¯s day. "So..." Lu Jinnian took a breath and stared into her eyes, notably more focused now. "Qiao Anhao, will you marry me?" Large teardrops fell from the corners of Qiao Anhao¡¯s eyes. She tried hard to raise the corner of her lips as she hastily nodded at him. With a tearful voice, she said, "Yes." Today, he said he was casually going to take her for a walk, was it all just to propose to her? They got married quite suddenly, so they didn¡¯t have wedding bands, not to mention a wedding proposal and wedding ceremony. Nor did he ever buy a ring for her. Even though she never mentioned it to him, but she thought about it asionally and got quite disappointed over it. Now that she was pregnant, it was clear that she and Lu Jinnian were going to be together for the rest of their lives, and so she had had the urge to go and buy a set of rings toplete their marriage. That very idea pained her heart though. Yet she never imagined that he¡¯d actually propose to her sovishly where they first officially met. Even though there wasn¡¯t an audience, apuse, or someone taking photos, it was still intensely emotional and pleasantly happy. At that thought, Qiao Anhao couldn¡¯t help but burst outughing with a face full of tears. She gave a reaffirming nod and repeated again, "Yes." Chapter 817: Reminiscing about the Good Times(18) Chapter 817: Reminiscing about the Good Times£¨18£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Lu Jinnian took the ring out of the box and reached for Qiao Anhao¡¯s left hand. He slowly ced the ring on her ring finger. "Qiao Qiao, do you believe me?" Even though Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t specify what he meant, she understood that he was asking if she believed that he could bring her happiness. She could feel the coolness from her fingertips all the way up to her heart, which shook a little. Nodding furiously, she eximed, "I do, I believe you." Overjoyed with happiness, she grabbed onto his hand, pulling him up from the floor. Standing on the tip of her toes, she nted a kiss on his lips. Once wasn¡¯t enough so she went at it again but she still couldn¡¯t express her joy. Leaning forward again, she nted yet another kiss on his lips... Qiao Anhao continuously nted kisses on his lips until Lu Jinnian could finally no longer suppress his desires. He suddenly tightened his grip around her waist and deepened the kiss. "Qiao Qiao, do you believe me?" "I do, I believe you." There was no one else in this world that was able to make her feel loved and there was no one else in this world that could make her feel blessed. They met and fell in love with each other in the most beautiful years of their life, but they only got together at the end of those beautiful years. In between were thirteen long years that were soaked with tears and pain, only the both of them able to understand the extent of how long they had actually been. So if she didn¡¯t believe him, who would she believe in? The colorful lights flickered back to their original glory. The night breeze blew, sending the grass and flowers flying, a few of themnding in Qiao Anhao¡¯s long hair. The kiss went on for a very long time. They enjoyed each others embrace for a while more before finally separating. Qiao Anhao lowered her head to nce at the ring Lu Jinnian had gotten for her. The diamond was huge, it was even bigger than her finger. It was dazzling but why did it look so familiar? Qiao Anhao titled her head to the side as she continued to stare. "Ehh... Why does it look like the Heart of Eternity?" The moment the words left her, she grew even more confident of her conjecture. She took out her phone to take a quick look at the photo of the Heart of Eternity that she had saved in her gallery. "It¡¯s the same..." Lu Jinnian¡¯s face lit up when she recognized the diamond. In a warm voice, he asked," Like..." Before he could finish his question, Qiao Anhao suddenly widened her tear-stained eyes to stare at him. She eximed, "Lu Jinnian, how did you do it? You got such a good imitation of the Heart of Eternity!" Imitation? What a joke... He had spent so much time and money just to get the diamond ring but she treated it as an imitation? Lu Jinnian¡¯s breathing stilled. "Even the color and shape exactly the same! Lu Jinnian, how did you do it?" Chapter 818: Reminiscing about the Good Times (19) Chapter 818: Reminiscing about the Good Times (19) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem When Qiao Anhao asked this, there were clearly hints of admiration in her voice, but Lu Jinnian wasn¡¯t the least bit conceited. Instead, his heart felt even more stifled. Qiao Anhaopletely didn¡¯t notice that the person beside her looked extremely poor. She just looked the diamond ring up and down, then gleefullyplimented her husband, "Lu Jinnian, you¡¯re just awesome!" Thepliments sounded like ridicule to his ears. He finally couldn¡¯t help but grit his teeth and cried out, "Qiao-An-Hao!" Qiao Anhao felt his anger and shivered in fright. She raised her head and secretly nced at him, then quickly turned away. Her eyes quivered non-stop as she racked her brain over why he could possibly be mad. Government reports all said that the whereabouts of Heart of Eternity were unknown. What¡¯s more, it was so expensive... Qiao Anhao thought that it couldn¡¯t be real, so she thought about it more. Eventually, she figured that even if the diamond was an imitation, she couldn¡¯t say it aloud, because Lu Jinnian would lose face... Then she instinctively shot her hand out, grabbed his cuff-link, and started to act cute. "Sorry, I was wrong. Don¡¯t be mad..." Lu Jinnian¡¯s brows instantly smoothed over. He was just about to tell Qiao Anhao that it was the real Heart of Eternity, but she begun to pout, trying to y up to him. "Even if I know it¡¯s an imitation of Heart of Eternity, I still love it the most!" Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t think twice and threw Qiao Anhao¡¯s hand away, turned around, and walked away from the sports field. He hadn¡¯t walked five meters away when he turned back and stared at Qiao Anhao with anger in his eyes."It¡¯s real!" Then he took hold of her hand and left. He held her hand for quite a distance, before she had a dyed response. "Lu Jinnian, you¡¯re saying that this diamond really is the Heart of Eternity?" He didn¡¯t say a word but gave her a side-eye that said "What do you think?". "It really is the real Heart of Eternity!" Qiao Anhao raised the hand with the ring. As she admired it, she couldn¡¯t help but gasp in admiration. "Lu Jinnian, you¡¯re truly awesome! You even got the Heart of Eternity!" This time, herpliment made Lu Jinnian feel happy and a lot more at ease. "You must¡¯ve spent a lot of money..." she then added with a trace of pity in her voice. Perhaps it was because he said so many genuinely romantic words at tonight¡¯s proposal, Lu Jinnian hadn¡¯t pulled himself out of the moment just yet. He couldn¡¯t help but pinch Qiao Anhao¡¯s hand, wanting to tell her "It doesn¡¯t matter how much it costs, as long as you like it". But then, the woman he was holding didn¡¯t even wait for him to speak before she started to mumble to herself beside him. "I actually own such a valuable diamond ring. If one day we get a divorce, then I¡¯ll still be a rich woman... Ah... Lu Jinnian, why did you hit my butt..." - When Lu Jinnian and Qiao Anhao finished dinner, they returned to Mian Xiu Garden at eleven at night. The two of them took their separate showers, then Lu Jinnian watched as Qiao Anhao took her folic acid, and they got into the bed together. Having been proposed to, Qiao Anhao was so happy she couldn¡¯t sleep. Every now and then, she nced at the Heart of Eternity on her hand. In the end, Lu Jinnian¡¯s one warning "Look at it again and I¡¯ll take the ring back" frightened her so much that she hurriedly shut her eyes and squeezed herself into his arms. She then obediently stayed still. Trantor¡¯s Thoughts Paperne Paperne Shout out to BunnyCatWitch! Chapter 819: Reminiscing about the Good Times (20) Chapter 819: Reminiscing about the Good Times (20) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem The night was still, yet Qiao Anhao couldn¡¯t sleep no matter what. Even though they didn¡¯t speak, Lu Jinnian could feel that every now and then the pregnant woman by his side gently shifted. He knew she hadn¡¯t fallen sleep yet, so he slowly said, "Qiao Qiao, we should take advantage of the fact that your stomach isn¡¯t big yet, we should prepare for our wedding ceremony." Without opening her eyes, Qiao Anhao gave a nod and softly said, "Alright." After a moment of silent, she spoke again. "Lu Jinnian, find some time ande back with me to the Qiao family estate." When she got married, she didn¡¯t even tell her uncle and aunt. In the end, they saw it on entertainment news and had to call her for the truth. Even though her aunt wasn¡¯t angry with her at the time, she could still feel that she was a little disappointed. Now that she was pregnant, Lu Jinnian had proposed to her, and they were even preparing for their wedding ceremony, she should bring him to pay her uncle and aunt a visit. "Alright," Lu Jinnian agreed readily. After a bout of silence, he spoke once more. "But before we pay uncle and aunt a visit, I think we should visit your parents first." Deep down, Qiao Anhao couldn¡¯t help up but warm up inside, pressing closer against him. She let out an "En¡¯, then added, "And we have to visit your mother." Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t say a word, but tightened his arms around her. There was another moment of silence. Suddenly, he asked, "Qiao Qiao, what does your uncle and aunt like?" Qiao Anhao thought about it for a moment, then listed a few things. Lu Jinnian repeatedly let out an "En", and memorized each and every thing she mentioned. He waited until she finished before he asked in hesitation, "Also, what about Qiao Anxia? What does she like?" As soon as Lu Jinnian mentioned her sister, Qiao Anhao couldn¡¯t help but feel a little heavy inside. Qiao Anxia had tried to go after Lu Jinnian twice. Even though she was rejected, she still liked him. What¡¯s more, he had once went to Qiao Anxia to ask where she was, and Qiao Anxia hadn¡¯t told him. Perhaps she still cared about him rejecting her in the past. Since the news came out that she and Lu Jinnian got married, Qiao Anxia, who would call her to go out shopping or eat out every now and then, stopped contacting her. Qiao Anhao wanted to call her sister several times, but she didn¡¯t have the courage. She was afraid that when she saw her, then so many years of sisterhood would be gone just like that. However, what¡¯s meant to be will be. Even if she was avoiding her, she had to face the facts eventually. Qiao Anhao tried to push down her uneasiness. She told Lu Jinnian her sister¡¯s favorite brand of jewelry, clothes, and bags etc. In the end, she added, "Forget it, if you¡¯re going to go shopping, I¡¯ll go with you. You might not choose what Anxia likes." "En, alright." Even though Qiao Anhao didn¡¯t say anything, Lu Jinnian could still feel that she was still troubled by her sister. He stayed silent for a moment, then finally pulled her into his arms. He stared into her eyes and said, "Qiao Qiao, don¡¯t think too much about it. No matter what happens, I¡¯ll be by your side." The world¡¯s happiest thing is to have someone care for you when you¡¯re worried. Lu Jinnian¡¯s words had a magical power that made Qiao Anhao instantly rx. Chapter 820: Meeting the Parents (1) Chapter 820: Meeting the Parents (1) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Qiao Anhao couldn¡¯t help but fall into Lu Jinnian¡¯s arms. After a while, she said, "Lu Jinnian, do you know what is the most touching word in the world?" He smoothed out her long hair and asked, "What?" She slightly lifted her head and whispered into his ear, "Husband." Lu Jinnian¡¯s body clearly tensed up. He frozepletely for about a minute, before suddenly pushing her onto the bed, then kissing her deeply. If he could, he really wanted to love her right now Unfortunately... he could only just think about it. Lu Jinnian made out with Qiao Anhao for a long time, then he finally let go of her whilst panting and spoke in a stifled voice. "Qiao Qiao, do you know what¡¯s the most touching word in the world?" He whispered into her ear, "Wife." He copied her... Qiao Anhao¡¯s face flushed, and she let out a giggle. After it, she drew closer to his ear and said, "Lu Jinnian, there is something I didn¡¯t tell you." "En?" "Actually, I fell in love with you at first sight... En..." Qiao Anhao paused for a moment, then said, "Which goes to say, I fell for you that day I found shelter from the rain. I¡¯ve liked you for thirteen whole years." Since he read the love letter, he had thought that she liked him for five years. Then, after they went to the school, he realized that she studied to get into ss One for him. That¡¯s when he thought that she must¡¯ve liked him since the first year of high school, but now... she just told him that she fell in love with him at first sight. That was thirteen years ago. At that moment, Lu Jinnian heard his blood run. He stared at her for a long long time, then said, "What a coincidence, I¡¯ve also liked you for thirteen years." - Because Father and Mother Qiao had to go work, Qiao Anhao had to call to arrange a time to visit in advance. They agreed for it to be on the weekend. Early that morning, Lu Jinnian and Qiao Anhao woke up, got ready, and drove to the cemetery. Qiao Anhao¡¯s parents and Lu Jinnian¡¯s mother¡¯s graves weren¡¯t in the same cemetery, and they were a little far apart. After they finished paying their respects, they returned to the city at around eleven in the afternoon. They drove to the Qiao family estate and tried to make it in time for their scheduled visit. Father Qiao opened the door. Qiao Anhao greeted first, then turned her head to introduce Lu Jinnian. When he gave his regards to father Qiao, he appeared calm and courteous. Qiao Anhao had assumed that since Lu Jinnian asked what Father and Mother Qiao liked, then he¡¯d buy something from the list of things she mentioned. Yet, she never considered that he might buy each and every item. The various wrapped boxes filled a big corner of the Qiao family¡¯s living room. Mother Qiao was in the kitchen watching as a servant was cooking. When she heard Father Qiao¡¯s voice, she walked into the living room and offered Lu Jinnian a seat. She even personally cut some fruit and brought it to him. Qiao Anhao scanned the living room but didn¡¯t see Qiao Anxia. She waited for Lu Jinnian to answer a few of Father Qiao¡¯s questions before asking, "Where¡¯s sis? Not at home?" "Xia Xia is upstairs, I¡¯ll call her..." Mother Qiao answered with a smile. Just as she stood up, Qiao Anhao saw her sister in a light blue, long sleeved knitted dress walk down the stairs. Chapter 821: Meeting the Parents (2) Chapter 821: Meeting the Parents (2) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Qiao Anhao subconsciously balled her hands into a fist, until Qiao Anxia walked in. Then she shouted out, "Sis!" When Qiao Anxia heard her sister¡¯s voice, she slightly lowered her eyes. After a while, she turned her head, and her eyes fell on Lu Jinnian. She stared at him for quite a long time, before she moved her eyes to Qiao Anhao. Then, she slightly lifted her chin, and sat in an empty seat next to Father Qiao without saying a word. Even though Qiao Anxia only shot her a look, Qiao Anhao could clearly feel the cold and distant aura within her eyes. Her body involuntarily stiffened. Mother Qiao didn¡¯t know that Qiao Anxia tried to go out with Lu Jinnian, so when she saw her take a seat, she also sat down and said with a beaming smile, "I was just about to go upstairs to call you, when you came down. Also, Xia Xia, Lu Jinnian especially bought you those gifts over there. He¡¯s so considerate. He bought you all your favorites and they¡¯re all items from the new season." Lu Jinnian was so busy talking to Father Qiao about business, he didn¡¯t notice what was going on. As he was sitting next to Qiao Anhao, he clearly felt her body tense up. Deep down inside, he understood that it must¡¯ve have something to do with Qiao Anxia. Now that he heard Mother Qiao¡¯s words, he immediately politely and gently said, "Auntie, how would I know what Miss Qiao likes. Qiao Qiao personally chose them in the shopping mall. That Chanel bag... Qiao Qiao said Miss Qiao likes it in blue, and that she likes it in rose too. In the end, she even told me to just buy them both." In truth, Lu Jinnian was the one who wanted to buy both Chanel bags. At the time, Qiao Anhao was confused why he did that but now that he said this, she finally understood. Lu Jinnian did this so that Qiao Anxia would know just how much her sister cared about her. Lu Jinnian¡¯s attentiveness warmed Qiao Anhao¡¯s heart for a moment, and she instinctively turned to look at Qiao Anxia. Her sister acted as though she didn¡¯t hear what Mother Qiao and Lu Jinnian said. She didn¡¯t even bother sweeping a nce at the shopping bags in the corner, but stared straight at an advert on TV. The atmosphere in the room instantly grew awkward. Thankfully, Mother and Father Qiao were experts at pretending that all is well. Father Qiao scolded Qiao Anxia until she smiled apologetically at Lu Jinnian. They changed the subject, and Mother Qiao continued their conversation. Lu Jinnian acted as thought nothing had happened just now, and continued to chat with them. In a spot people couldn¡¯t see, he secretly covered Qiao Anhao¡¯s hand. Even though the two of them didn¡¯t say a thing, she understood he was trying tofort her. Qiao Anxia¡¯s cold attitude made her feel a little upset inside, but after Lu Jinnian¡¯s silent actions, she loosened up. The servants finished preparing lunch, so everybody walked over to the dinning table. Mother Qiao knew Qiao Anhao was pregnant so she especially asked them to cook light meals. She waited till after everyone were in their seats before she brought over a bowl of chicken soup for her. "Thanks auntie." Qiao Anhao received the bowl with both hands. Her eyes couldn¡¯t help but look over at Qiao Anxia sitting next to her. She hesitated for a moment, but brought the bowl over to her in the end and said, "Sis, you drink first." Chapter 822: Meeting the Parents(3) Chapter 822: Meeting the Parents£¨3£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Qiao Anxia continued to sit silently with a stoic expression. After about half a minute, she lifted her head to nce over. Qiao Anhao looked expectant, assuming that she was going to take the bowl of soup but instead, Qiao Anxia grabbed onto Mother Qiao¡¯s bowl. Without a word, she lowered her head and started sipping the soup. The atmosphere stilled. Qiao Anhao froze. Lu Jinnian¡¯s face fell, his displeasure apparent. He struggled to suppress his frustration before reaching out to remove the bowl of soup from Qiao Anhao. Standing up, he pressed her back into the chair. "Enough, you¡¯re pregnant right now, you should be more concerned about yourself." Lightly, he stirred the soup, clearing theyer of oil at the top before feeding her a spoonful. Father Qiao turned to re at his daughter, but the blissful scene appeased him instantly. "Qiao Qiao, you¡¯ve been blessed with a good husband." "No, I¡¯m the one that is blessed for being able to marry Qiao Qiao," Lu Jinnian replied warmly before cing one of her favorite dishes into her mouth. After she finished it, he brought another of her favorites. "Jinnian, you really know Qiao Qiao well, you¡¯re aware of all the dishes that she likes," Mother Qiaomended warmly. His lips curled into a faint smile. Without replying, he took a side nce over at Qiao Anxia. It was obvious that her face had darkened. Qiao Anhao cared about her sister hence he wanted to protect her too. But that was only to make Qiao Anhao happy. Ever since the beginning, Qiao Anxia was the one who had wronged Qiao Anhao. Even if she felt upset, it was Lu Jinnian¡¯s fault, how could he let her vent her frustrations on Qiao Anhao? He wasn¡¯t able to disregard Qiao Anxia¡¯s feelings but that didn¡¯t mean that he couldn¡¯t make her feel worse off than Qiao Anhao! Lu Jinnian reached for the fish, ensured that it was clear of bones, then ced it into Qiao Anhao¡¯s bowl. When he caught her sister peeking at them, he continued his act, using a piece of tissue to wipe her lips. Qiao Anhao had informed both her aunt and uncle beforehand that they were in the midst of their wedding preparations. Even though she wasn¡¯t their biological daughter, they still treated her as one, since they had brought her up for so many years, after all. While they ate, they discussed the details of the wedding. Towards the end, mother Qiao turned to grin at Qiao Anxia. "Xia Xia, when are you and Cheng Yang going to hold yours? If it¡¯s after Qiao Qiao and Lu Jinnian¡¯s, the two of you can be their bridesmaid and groomsman, but if yours is first, they can be yours!" Qiao Anxia was already upset because of Lu Jinnian and now that she heard Cheng Yang¡¯s name, she was reminded that it has been half a month since their breakup. Throughout this entire period, he hadn¡¯t called her at all. *THUD!* Qiao Anxia could no longer suppress her emotions, mming her chopsticks onto the table. Chapter 823: Meeting the Parents(4) Chapter 823: Meeting the Parents£¨4£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem "Xia Xia!" Mother Qiao eximed in shock. Qiao Anxia stood up nonchntly. "I¡¯m full." Without waiting for anyone to respond, she turned to leave. An awkward atmosphere yet again overtook the room. Father Qiao who was always indulgent of her tantrums could no longer suppress his fury. "Qiao Anxia, get back here!" he shouted. Without hesitation, Qiao Anxia left the dinning room, mming the door behind her. Father Qiao¡¯s chest swelled, and he vented breathlessly, "This is outrageous, she is getting out of hand!" Mother Qiao couldn¡¯t bear to see her daughter being embarrassed so she quickly exined, "Xia Xia has been moody for the past few days and Cheng Yang hasn¡¯t contacted her, they must be having a fight. She must have been triggered when I mentioned him just now." Father Qiao hesitated, calming down slightly. Mother Qiao anxiously ced meat into his bowl before addressing Lu Jinnian and Qiao Anhao. "Don¡¯t mind her, she has always had a bad temper. Let¡¯s eat." Even though Father Qiao wasn¡¯t pleased, he suppressed his anger and forced on a smile, resuming the conversation. "Has the hotel and photoshoot been booked yet?" "We have just started looking through our options," Lu Jinnian replied respectfully, seemingly unaffected by Qiao Anxia¡¯s behavior. "Since Qiao Qiao is pregnant, she won¡¯t have much energy, you can definitely approach your aunt if you need any help. She has been waiting to prepare for Xia Xia¡¯s and Qiao Qiao¡¯s weddings since years ago." Mother Qiao was truly happy, a huge smile never once leaving her face. "We should hurry, Qiao Qiao won¡¯t look good in a dress when her belly starts to show, we¡¯ll be running on a tight schedule. "But it¡¯ll be fine, having a tight schedule would make it more festive." Mother Qiao paused before turning to look at Father Qiao. "We should find an auspicious date soon." - The atmosphere remained cheery as they continued discussing the wedding details. Father Qiao allowed himself to enjoy some wine in Lu Jinnian¡¯s presence, though due to his age he no longer possessed a high tolerance. Even though he didn¡¯t have much to drink, he started to get emotional, his eyes reddening. "Qiao Qiao has been with us ever since she was ten. Even though she isn¡¯t my biological daughter, in my heart, she is though. I have even given her half of my inheritance. I don¡¯t ask for much, I just hope that you will treat her well." Qiao Anhao was originally affected by Qiao Anxia¡¯s behavior but now after hearing what Father Qiao said, her heart tightened, and the sorrow was drowned away by a warm embrace. Chapter 824: Meeting the Parents (5) Chapter 824: Meeting the Parents (5) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Though Mother and Father Qiao weren¡¯t her biological parents, at that very instant, she felt like they were her real family. She didn¡¯t think much of it when Lu Jinnian mentioned having a wedding ceremony that night. It was just a ceremony to her, but now, her heart was full of anticipation. - Throughout the wedding preparations, Qiao Anhao didn¡¯t lift a finger. Mother Qiao, Lu Jinnian, Zhao Meng, and the assistant did all the work. But if there was anything important, everyone would still go to ask for her opinion. They followed her every preference from everything as big as choosing the hotel to the smallest detail such as the box of wedding sweets. Her only regret was that Qiao Anxia hadn¡¯t contacted her since she and Lu Jinnian went to visit Mother and Father Qiao and spoke about the wedding. asionally, Qiao Anhao would send her a text or call, but she¡¯d never receive a reply. There was still a week left till the wedding, and Lu Jinnian went to the hospital with Qiao Anhao for another check up. He had made an appointment with thest doctor they¡¯d visited, Beijing¡¯s best gynecologist. Even though there were some areas of the department of gynecology where men were forbidden to go in, Lu Jinnian tried his best to be there for Qiao Anhao, to not leave her sight and take care of her. He could only walk her down the corridors. When he took her to take the B-scan, he carefully left her with a few words. Qiao Anhao sat in her seat and waited for about ten minutes. When she finally heard them call her name and walked in, there was someone getting out of the bed after taking their B-scan. When Qiao Anhao saw the person¡¯s back, she thought that it looked familiar, so she couldn¡¯t resist but sneak a few more nces, until that person turned her head. Only then did she say, "Sister Xiangsi?" Song Xiangsi had been feeling unwelltely, so she especially went to the hospital for a checkup. She was afraid that the paparazzi would recklessly write about her so she deliberately chose the best doctors to keep her medical records at utmost secrecy. Yet, she still managed to get recognized by someone. By instinct, she jumped in surprise, then turned her head to see that it was Qiao Anhao. As she saw her, she let out a sigh of relief and raised her lips into a smile. "Xiao Qiao is here for a prenatal examination?" "En, what a coincidence." Qiao Anhao arched her lips into a smile. At the thought of her B-scan, she couldn¡¯t help but ask in curiosity, "Sister, are you also...". Qiao Anhao pointed at her lower abdomen, suggesting that she was pregnant. "No." Song Xiangsi let out a chuckle and shook her head. "I haven¡¯t had a body check for a long time, so I¡¯m here to get a check up." "Oh," replied Qiao Anhao without a second thought to it. She looked at Song Xiangsi¡¯s ten centimeter heels and instantly thought that she was overthinking things, so she asked with a smile, "How are you?" "Very good." Song Xiangsi fixed up her clothes, then nced at Qiao Anhao¡¯s t stomach. "How¡¯s the baby?" Qiao Anhao nodded. "The baby¡¯s good too." Song Xiangsi curved her red lips into a smile. She put on her face mask and sunsses. "I have some things to deal with, so I¡¯ll be off first. Go ahead with your check up. See you at the wedding." "En, goodbye." The moment Qiao Anhao¡¯s voice dropped, Song Xiangsi gave a nod and picked up her bag and left. She first went to see the doctor. After a while, she came out and headed straight for the elevator. She went downstairs to the underground parking, and got into her car. After a while, she took off her sunsses. Chapter 825: Meeting the Parents (6) Chapter 825: Meeting the Parents (6) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Song Xiangsi didn¡¯t start the car, but stared calmly ahead for a long while. She pulled open her bag and took out her test results. She saw two boxes of folic acid inside her unzipped bag. Her period was always on time. Now it was a weekte and still hadn¡¯te. Deep down inside, she had a bad feeling about it. Since she had no work this afternoon and Xu Jiamu was at the office, she took the opportunity to secretly go to the hospital for a check up. But in the end, she never imagined that her spections were right¡ªshe was pregnant. One month pregnant... that¡¯s one month after Qiao Anhao got pregnant. Xu Jiamu¡¯s baby was, so to speak, the baby in her belly. This baby would have to call Qiao Anhao¡¯s baby ¡¯big brother¡¯ or ¡¯big sister¡¯. She and Xu Jiamu always used contraception when they did it. Even though they say that condoms aren¡¯t a hundred percent effective, but they had been entangled together for seven years and she never once was sessful with him. But who knew that she would now get into an ident. Honestly speaking, she didn¡¯t mind the arrival of the baby, after all, she wasn¡¯t young. She used to fight so hard just to break out of poverty, but now she wasn¡¯t poor anymore, and she didn¡¯t want to be alone anymore in Beijing. She really wanted to start a family here, have a pretty baby, and be with him as he grew up. She wanted to be a normal woman and live out her days warmly andfortably. But the baby¡¯s father had bought her for five million RMB seven years ago. After a week, it¡¯ll be eight years, and yet in the end, he didn¡¯t have the slightest interest in marrying her. At that thought, Song Xiangsi¡¯s head slightly ached. Her eyes were filled with a touch of sadness as they stared at the pregnancy test report. For someone who has always beenpetent and striving for self-improvement, a touch of helplessness surfaced beneath her eyes. After a long while, Song Xiangsi shoved the array of reports she was holding onto the backseat. She started the car up and slowly drove off. She aimlessly followed the flow of the traffic. When the car in front of her stopped, she also stopped. When the car in front of her moved, she moved. On the road, a lot of thoughts went through her mind. Should she call Xu Jiamu to tell him that she was pregnant and see if he wanted to take responsibility for the baby. He had never wanted to marry her, but if he wanted to marry her now because of the baby, then what? She loved him and wanted to marry him, but she wanted him to willingly marry her. What¡¯s more, she didn¡¯t want the baby in her belly to be used as a bargaining chip to force him to marry her. Song Xiangsi let out a long sigh and realized that she had subconsciously drove to the entrance of Xu Enterprise. She slowly let the care to a stop. Through the window, she stared at the tall office block, and hesitated for a long time, before finally parking her car in the underground parking lot. Then, she shoved the check up report into her bag, picked it up, and got out of the car. She took the elevator up to the top floor. Song Xiangsi had went to Xu Enterprise with Xu Jiamu a few times, so she knew where his office was. Perhaps there was an event going on in the afternoon because the secretary¡¯s office waspletely empty, so she simply walked straight up to Xu Jiamu¡¯s office. The office doors were shut. Song Xiangsi pushed the doors open to find a deste office with no one in sight. She was just about to sit on the sofa inside to wait for Xu Jiamu when she heard the faint sound of a voice behind the office. Chapter 826: Meeting the parents (7) Chapter 826: Meeting the parents (7) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Song Xiangsi furrowed her brows. Was there someone in the break room? She picked her bag up again from the sofa, walked across the shaggy rug, and headed towards the break room. As she drew closer, she could clearly hear a female voiceing from inside. "Jiamu gege 1 , you promised me that you¡¯d take me to the cinema today after work. How could you suddenly change your mind?" Song Xiangsi stopped abruptly on the spot. The hand she used to carry her bag involuntarily tensed up. The door to the break room was left half open. Even though she was quite a distance from it, she could still clearly see that there was a young and pretty girl lying spread out on the bed. She clutched Xu Jiamu¡¯s arm, rocking it constantly side-to-side. Xu Jiamu looked tired. He shut his eyes and didn¡¯t bother with her. The young girl pouted at him. "Jiamu gege, I came all the way over here to see you, but you haven¡¯t spoken to me up until now, ah ah ah ah..." As the girl whined on, she shook Xu Jiamu¡¯s arm more aggressively. Xu Jiamu was hassled to the point where he couldn¡¯t sleep. He opened his eyes. "Qian Qian, quit messing around. I¡¯m really tired. Isn¡¯t there apany event downstairs? How about you go over and have some fun there first?" "No!" Without even a second thought, the girl called Qian Qian shook her head in refusal. Then sheid her body over Xu Jiamu and tightly hugged his neck, saying, "Jiamu gege, Lu Jinnian and Sis Qiao Qiao are already getting married. When will we get married?" When Song Xiangsi heard this, she felt a coldness creep up from the bottom of her heart and eventually envelop her entire body. Her burning heart froze shut. She couldn¡¯t take her eyes off of the two of them, and she stayed like that inplete silence for about half a minute, until she heard Xu Jiamu¡¯s low voice. "Let¡¯s talk about it after you¡¯ve graduated university. Be good now, let me sleep for a bit." "Jiamu gege, I want the ceremony to be held in a church. What¡¯s more, I¡¯ve seen Sis Qiao Qiao¡¯s wedding ceremony, it was so pretty. When the timees, you have to give me the same wedding..." When Song Xiangsi heard this, she finally reacted. At first, she lowered her eyes, then swiftly turned around. With light steps, she flew out. Song Xiangsi didn¡¯t know how she managed to get downstairs, but when she snapped out of it, she was already sitting in the car. The lights in the underground car park were dim. It was silent in the car. Her whole body was frozen. Her mind was filled with Xu Jiamu and that girl¡¯s conversation just now. So, Xu Jiamu had a new fiance... So, when he first came to find her, he truly never had the slightest desire to marry her... She was too softhearted. In his arms, she was ovee by the sincerity of the holy mother, as he hugged her and said pitifully ¡¯I¡¯m so tired¡¯. She let her better judgment go, she let him live in her own home, and stayed with him through trying times. To him, it didn¡¯t matter if it was now or seven years ago, she was always a product that could be bought with money. She thought too highly of herself. She assumed her charm was unbound. She assumed that he would fall in love with her. Song Xiangsi¡¯s chest started to heave. The next second, she suddenly pulled out her phone, and dialed the number for the gynecologist she had a check up with in the afternoon. "Dr. Jiang? It¡¯s Xiangsi, book me an appointment. I want an abortion!" Trantor¡¯s Thoughts Paperne Paperne Shout out to Jinjin! Chapter 827: Meeting the Parents (8) Chapter 827: Meeting the Parents (8) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem "As soon as possible. ... Next Wednesday? I can¡¯t make it that day. It¡¯s my friend¡¯s wedding, I have to be there. ... Alright, next Friday. ... Goodbye." The moment Song Xiangsi hung up, she could no longer hold back her tears. Like a broken thread of pearls, they came crashing down, one drop after the other. Seven years. From her naivety back then, to her maturity now, she gave him her very best. And yet, she never had a good ending. In one¡¯s lifetime, one can be foolish, one can be lowly, but they can¡¯t be repeatedly foolish and lowly. She came from a poor background, a small mountain vige. Even if she did sell her body to save her father, she was, after all, a woman who had sold herself... So how could she possibly be worthy of young master Xu, who was brought up by a rich and powerful family? She could only me herself for such an ending. She indulged in her own wild fantasies. It was all wishful thinking. Song Xiangsi¡¯splexion turned pale white, and her whole body shook furiously. All of sudden, she grabbed the pregnancy test report and tore it to pieces. In the end, she even pulled out the folic acid from her bag, pushed the car door open, got out and walked over to the bin. Without so much as a blink of an eye, she threw it in there and went back into her car. She fastened her seat belt, then started the car up and sped off. - Qiao Anxia had a business dinner with a customer at China World Hotel tonight, and she never imagined that she would actually bump into Chen Yang, who she hadn¡¯t spoken to in a month. The customer was a little hard to deal with, as he constantly urged her to drink. Qiao Anxia could hold her liquor quite well, but she couldn¡¯t withstand drinking non-stop from the moment they sat down. Mid-dinner, she really couldn¡¯t take it anymore. She instructed her secretary to stay with the customer while she found an excuse to leave the private room. When Qiao Anxia shut the doors, the door to the private room opposite coincidentally opened. She instinctively lifted her head and took a nce. She saw a dapper Chen Yang dressed in an electric blue shirt with a smile on his face as he said "I¡¯ll be right back" into his private room and casually shut the door. Chen Yang turned around to see Qiao Anxia in front of him in the corridors. His expression froze for a moment, and he stood there still, staring at her intently. Qiao Anxia stood calm andposed at the door. She looked back at Chen Yang for about a minute and noticed that he had no intention whatsoever to speak. She nonchntly turned around and headed right for the restrooms. Chen Yang stood at the door staring at Qiao Anxia¡¯s back with darkness in his eyes. To her, he was nothing at all... It wasn¡¯t like they hadn¡¯t argued or butted heads in the past, but every time, he would lower his head to her. All but this time, he always restrained himself. After a month of doing so, she never called him or even sent him a text. Now that they saw each other, she treated him like aplete stranger just like that... At that thought, Chen Yang couldn¡¯t help but shake his head. He wore a bitter smile for a moment, then followed behind her to the restrooms. Qiao Anxia didn¡¯t know if it was because she had a lot to drink, or if it was because Chen Yang was following behind her, just as she almost reached the restroom doors, her foot identally slipped, almost making her fall to the ground. Luckily, Chen Yang, behind her was just a meter away, and his reflexes were fast. He reached his arm out and caught her. He asked with a worried tone in his voice, "Did you sprain your ankle?" Qiao Anxia couldn¡¯t quite say why, but after hearing Chen Yang¡¯s voice, the tension that had built up inside her miraculously rxed. Chapter 828: Meeting the Parents (9) Chapter 828: Meeting the Parents (9) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem She was just as arrogant as usual, but her eyes couldn¡¯t help but linger on Chen Yang for a little longer. Seeing as she didn¡¯t say a word, Chen Yang furrowed his brows and crouched down without a second thought, wanting to check her ankle. When suddenly, just as he was about to touch her shoeces, he heard her coldly say, "Mr. Chen, I remember that we¡¯ve broken up, do you think what you¡¯re about to do is appropriate?" Chen Yang¡¯s hand stopped where he was crouched by Qiao Anxia¡¯s feet. After about five seconds of silence, he suddenly got up, and stared deeply at her. Eventually, he gave her a nod, then said politely, yet in a removed tone of voice, "Apologies, Miss Qiao, for disturbing you." With that, Chen Yang shot Qiao Anxia a perfectly polite smile, then walked into the male restroom, leaving her standing dumbstruck. Chen Yang actually left just like that? In the past, whenever they butted heads, he would apologize to her every time, talk to her sweetly, and try to cheer her up, while she would put on a cold front. He obviously cared about her just now, so why did he suddenly walk off with a cold expression on his face? Qiao Anxia stood there without moving an inch until Chen Yang came out of the restroom. Only then did she blink and call his name. "Chen Yang?" He halted his footsteps, then looked over at her with nothing but an icy expression. "Is something the matter, Miss Qiao?" Chen Yang deliberately emphasized those two words "Miss Qiao". His tone of voice was so cold, it was like they were two people who had nothing to do with one another. Qiao Anxia gaped in bewilderment, not quite knowing what to say next. Chen Yang seemed to have started to lose his patience. After a while, seeing as she didn¡¯t speak, he politely and tly said, "Apologies, Miss Qiao, but I have business to attend to. Excuse me." This time, Chen Yang didn¡¯t bother waiting for her to react. He brushed right past and strode off. Qiao Anxia suddenly turned her head to stare at Chen Yang¡¯s back and realized that she was now even more panic-stricken than the night he broke up with her and left. This time, he was different from before. He seemed to really be mad. Speaking precisely, it was like they had absolutely no rtionship between them. How strange... So what if they had nothing to do with each other, why was she so sad? So much so her heart ached? Qiao Anxia walked into the restroom, feeling a little flustered. She went to the toilet, then walked over towards the sink, all while thinking about Chen Yang. - In truth, sometimes, reality is far more mystical than fiction. Tonight, not only was Qiao Anxia and Chen Yang at the China World Hotel, Lin Shiyi was also there. What¡¯s more, she and Chen Yang were at the same dinner party. Lin Shiyi got out from a cubicle and walked over to the sink. As she touched up her make up in front of the mirror, she noticed that the person next to her was running her hands under the tap in a daze. She didn¡¯t move for an awfully long time. Lin Shiyi couldn¡¯t resist her curiosity and sneaked two nces. When she realized that the person next to her looked a little familiar, she furrowed her brows and thought for a moment until catching on. Wasn¡¯t this Qiao Anhao¡¯s older sister, Qiao Anxia? Back then, she was almost disfigured by this woman! She never imagined that it was such a small world, that they¡¯d actually bump into each other today! Chapter 829: Meeting the Parents (10) Chapter 829: Meeting the Parents (10) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem At that thought, Lin Shiyi curved her lips into a smirk, and shut herpact with a sweet and charming smile. Then said, "Oh, isn¡¯t this Miss Qiao Anxia? Truly long time no see." Deep in thought, Qiao Anxia didn¡¯t hear a thing the person said beside her. She didn¡¯t react at all. - On the contrary, the moment Qiao Anhao, who was also at the China World Hotel tonight, heard the three words "Qiao Anxia", she was stunned for a moment. Then, she put her phone away. Was that Lin Shiyi¡¯s voice? Which went to say, Sis and Lin Shiyi were outside? Qiao Anhao instinctively pulled out some tissue by her side, then heard Lin Shiyi¡¯s voice again. "Ah, Miss Qiao can¡¯t be too high and mighty to forget who I am, right?" - Lin Shiyi had to speak out twice, before Qiao Anxia snapped back to her senses. She gently rolled her eyes, and swept the other woman a neutral nce. She squeezed some soap out, rubbed her hands, and ran her hands under the tap. She wiped her hands dry, and looked like she was ready to leave. How would Lin Shiyi let Qiao Anxia leave. She didn¡¯t even have to think twice before running in front of her to block her way. "Miss Qiao, why are you in such a hurry to leave? I still have things I want to say to you!" Qiao Anxia crossed her arms. Her entire posture seemed far more arrogant than Lin Shiyi¡¯s, as she wore a slight smirk on her face without any care for hiding the disdain on her face. "... say to me? Are you even worthy?" In the cubicle, Qiao Anhao couldn¡¯t help but burst out into silentughter at Qiao Anxia¡¯s words. One could probably beat Qiao Anxia at anything, but when it came toparing arrogance... she was clearly kindhearted, but her mouth was as hard as a rock. Those words instantly angered Lin Shiyi. "Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s about time you stop pretending to be all miss high and mighty? Others have no idea, but I know that the man you love is married to your own sister. That feeling must really suck, right?" Qiao Anxia¡¯s face instantly ran ice cold. In the cubicle, Qiao Anhao, who wore a cheerful expression on her face from what Qiao Anxia had just said, instantly froze over. "Oh, isn¡¯t that right? I hear Chen Yang also broke up with you?" Lin Shiyi¡¯s words were riddled with pure bliss. "Didn¡¯t he just throw you aside? Wasn¡¯t that why you looked like you were in a daze just now? Let me tell you, don¡¯t indulge in your wild fantasies, you can¡¯t get Mr. Lu and you can¡¯t get Chen Yang, either. To think about it, Miss Qiao you¡¯re really quite pitiful. But, I think that perhaps Miss Qiao, you just think too highly of yourself. Don¡¯t go thinking that because you¡¯re the eldest daughter of a wealthy family that you have people wrapped around your finger..." When Qiao Anhao heard this, a me ignited within her. Without even thinking about it, she shot up from the toilet and pushed open the cubicle door. Right then, she smacked Lin Shiyi¡¯s head over with her phone. "Lin Shiyi, shut your damn mouth. If you don¡¯t say a thing, nobody will know how dumb you are!" When the phone hit Lin Shiyi¡¯s head, she yelped in pain. At the same time, Qiao Anxia turned her head towards Qiao Anhao. She met eyes with her for just a second, before she turned away with a guilty conscience. Then she walked up to Lin Shiyi. "Lin Shiyi, why don¡¯t you just grow up! Every time you do this, you never win a thing, and you still keep popping up in front of people! I¡¯ve truly never seen someone as cheap as you!" Chapter 830: Peril (1) Chapter 830: Peril (1) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem "Also, you deliberately giarized my idea to perform the Zhao Feiyan¡¯s drum dance for the Hollywood leading actress castingpetition!" "Qiao Anhao, save your nder! What evidence do you have to prove that I giarized your idea!" Under Qiao Anhao¡¯s fire, Lin Shiyi looked particrly bad and her voice sounded extremely angry. "Because I don¡¯t believe that there are so many coincidences in the world, for you to coincidentally have the same idea, and to even coincidentally have an identical dance costume! At the time, I really couldn¡¯t figure out how, but now I know. I¡¯m afraid the problem is with the costume shop!" Back then, Qiao Anhao had racked her brain over it. After a long while, she still couldn¡¯t figure out where the problem was, but as she spoke with Lu Jinnian about it, she thought back to the costume tailors. They knew she was performing something rted to Zhao Feiyan for the show. Though they didn¡¯t know it was the drum dance, once Lin Shiyi identally caught wind of it, she could easily guess it was the drum dance. After all, it was the ssic dance of Zhao Feiyan¡¯s life. "But don¡¯t worry, Lin Shiyi. You don¡¯t have to admit it, because in any case, in the end you still couldn¡¯t get first ce." With that, Qiao Anhao paused for a moment. She then copied Lin Shiyi¡¯s gloating tone of voice towards Qiao Anxia and calmly said, "Yet, it must¡¯ve been so hard for someone like who has never been good at dancing to practice just to try and hinder me. I trust those few days of practice must¡¯ve been like hell, am I right? If you think about it, you¡¯re truly pitiful... But then again, Lin Shiyi, I guess your skills in bed must be slightly better than your dancing skills, considering that you have to make all your ass kissing boyfriends happy..." Since Lin Shiyi dared to pick at Qiao Anxia¡¯s scars, then she couldn¡¯t me others for not being polite about things and unveiling her true face! Since Lin Shiyi had already felt stifled by being beaten by Qiao Anhao every time, the blood drained from her face, as she was mocked so directly. Then, it was like she¡¯dpletely forgotten that Qiao Anhao was pregnant, and she didn¡¯t think twice to bring her arm back and push it directly towards her face. "Qiao Anhao, you bitch! Shut your damn mouth!" Lin Shiyi¡¯s single p on the face would of definitely knocked her over to the sink. That sink was just about level with her abdomen. If Lin Shiyi used too much force, Qiao Anhao would definitely lose her baby... Qiao Anhao was startled, but she didn¡¯t dare fight back in fear that she would lose out, so she instinctively raised her hand to protect her belly. She saw as Lin Shiyi¡¯s hand drew closer. She heard the sound of the wind, and subconsciously shut her eyes. Then, she heard the smack of a hand by her ear. Her whole body shuddered uncontrobly for a moment, and yet she didn¡¯t feel any pain on her face. Instead, she heard two ps by her ear, which prompted her to open her eyes in curiosity. That¡¯s when she saw an unbelievable sight. Qiao Anxia had tightly sped onto Lin Shiyi¡¯s hurling hand, and standing in front of Qiao Anhao, she had an angry expression on her face. Without so much as a blink of an eye, she thrust a ruthless and heavy hand at Lin Shiyi¡¯s face, pping her a few times! Chapter 831: Peril (2) Chapter 831: Peril (2) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Lin Shiyi was gifted ten solid ps before they finally stopped. She was practically pped silly, able only to stare at Qiao Anxia in astonishment, without any reaction at all. Her face swelled up considerably with imprints of fingers. Her delicately white skin looked noticeably hideous. It was not until she felt the scorching pain on her face that she finally realized what had happened. She instinctively covered her face with her hand and stared at Qiao Anxia with eyes filled with tears. Full of hatred, she said, "Is there anyone like you? Dumped by Chen Yang, you take your shit mood out on me?" "Pa¡ª" Before Lin Shiyi could finish, Qiao Anxia raised her hand again and pped her across the face. This time, the force she used was quite stronger than before, for Lin Shiyi mmed hard against the wall. With a muffled thud, her head knocked against it. Qiao Anxia didn¡¯t even wait for Lin Shiyi to respond, before she trotted over in her high heels and pushed her up against the wall by her neck. She then forced her head up high, and staring right into her eyes said oppressively, "I remember telling youst time that it¡¯d be best if you turned the other way when you saw either me or Qiao Anhao." Qiao Anhao, who stood about a meter behind them, heard her own name and instantly came back to her senses after seeing Qiao Anxia¡¯s aggressive and rude response. She stared at her with uncertainty. Did Qiao Anxia step in to stop Lin Shiyi because she was afraid the baby inside her was in danger? "Let me tell you, that was just a warning. If you dare do this next time..." With that, Qiao Anxia paused for a moment, and an extrayer of coldness filled her eyes. "Oh, that¡¯s not right. Not that if you have a next time, but what I mean to say is that from now on, you¡¯d better hide far away if you ever see me or Qiao Anhao. If you ever bump into me on a good day, then perhaps I¡¯ll let you off, but if it happens to be that I¡¯m in a terrible mood, then I¡¯ll take it out on you. And what will you do about it?" As Qiao Anxia said this, she shot Lin Shiyi a deadly look. "Don¡¯t look at me like that. Let me tell you, I Qiao Anxia fear nothing. If I say it, I will go through with it. If you don¡¯t believe me, you can test it out next time!" When she finished speaking, Qiao Anxia wanted to let go of Lin Shiyi¡¯s neck, turn around, and leave, but from the corner of her eyes she saw Qiao Anhao behind her staring wholeheartedly at her through the reflection on the mirror. Qiao Anxia¡¯s heart suddenly skipped a beat. If she left, then Lin Shiyi might just go crazy on Qiao Anhao. She couldn¡¯t say for sure what would happen to her baby then... Anxia tightly pursed her lips, then turned her head. The hand she used to throttle Lin Shiyi suddenly clutched the woman¡¯s hair, and she dragged her arrogantly over to one of the cubicles. The entire restroom was filled with Lin Shiyi¡¯s painful cries. Qiao Anxia pretended to not hear a thing as she walked past the cleaning area and casually pulled out a mop. With a swing, she opened the cubicle, hastily shoved Lin Shiyi in, and shut the door. She pressed the mop tightly against it and let out a cold snort, then turned around and walked right out of the restroom. Chapter 832: Peril(3) Chapter 832: Peril£¨3£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem When Qiao Anxia was about to brush past, Qiao Anhao called out, "Sis?" She paused. Without turning back to look at her, she waited for about three seconds, then continued on her way out. Behind them, Lin Shiyi¡¯s aggressive shouting could be heard as she violently smashed against the door. "Sis!" Qiao Anhao called out once more. She hurriedly ran after her, grabbing onto her elbow. "Sis, thank you for just now, if it wasn¡¯t for you, I might have..." "Why are you thanking me?" Qiao Anxia interrupted angrily, her voice icy cold. "I only did that because that slut was being rude to me, it had nothing to do with you!" Qiao Anxia tried to pry Qiao Anhao¡¯s hands off her elbow but her cousin only tightened her grip. Worried that she might hurt Qiao Anhao, she used another hand to pry off her fingers one by one. Qiao Anhao wasn¡¯t that strong. When Qiao Anxia was about to free herself, she quickly asked, "Sis, are you angry because of Lu Jinnian?" Qiao Anxia paled instantly, and even her breathing started to speed up. She took a deep calming breath before tossing Qiao Anhao¡¯s hand away. Hurriedly, she escaped out of the restroom. Qiao Anhao bent down to grab the phone before running out after her. - After waiting for a long while, Lu Jinnian decided to call Qiao Anhao, but the call wouldn¡¯t go through. With a worried heart, he headed to the restroom to find her. Just then, Qiao Anxia came rushing out. Instinctively, Lu Jinnian stopped, letting her brush past him. Moments after, there came a familiar voice calling out, "Sis!" Lu Jinnian reached out to hug Qiao Anhao¡¯s waist, afraid that she would fall. "What¡¯s wrong?" Ignoring him, she continued to shout "Sis!" but Qiao Anxia entered the lift without acknowledging her. Qiao Anhao chewed on her lip and lowered her eyes as sorrow seeped onto her face. Even though Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t know what happened, he knew that she was definitely upset because of Qiao Anxia. Silently, he held her in his arms,forting her. After everything that happened, Qiao Anhao no longer had any appetite, so Lu Jinnian called for the bill and brought her out. When they were alone in the lift, she quietly exined everything that had happened in the restroom. Lu Jinnian listened patiently, processing the details. After she finished exining everything, she quietly added, "Anxia hit Lin Shiyi because of me." He nodded, silently, and reached out to caress her long hair affectionately. Chapter 833: Peril(4) Chapter 833: Peril£¨4£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Lu Jinnian lowered his eyes, heartache and displeasure apparent in them. Ever since the beginning, he hadn¡¯tmented on the issue with Qiao Anxia. When they were home and Qiao Anhao was bathing, he reached for his phone to send her sister a text. He never liked Qiao Anxia and had even once hated her, but because Qiao Anhao was so fond of her, he was willing to look past her ws to protect their rtionship. It was just like back when she had identallye across his will, from there, she realized that he valued Xu Jiamu a lot and had spent a great deal of effort to repair their rtionship. Their wedding would be held in a week, and even though she didn¡¯t mention anything, he knew that she wanted Qiao Anxia to be her bridesmaid, to be there to give her blessings. Lu Jinnian was ready to use all of his abilities to fulfill every wish she had. - Only after exiting the lift did Qiao Anxia realize that she forgot to take her wallet, coat, and car keys. She paused for a while before deciding not to go back up. She reached for her phone and texted her secretary to bring her things to the office tomorrow. cing the phone back in her pocket, she left the hotel. The night was chilly, leaving her trembling in only a thin dress. Without any cash, she used a phone app to call for a private car. Just then, she caught sight of Cheng Yang¡¯s car. Her expression turned dazed, her gaze following it. As the car approached, a hard to exin anxiousness crept into her heart. Through the window, their eyes collided. There was aplex emotion in his gaze, something she wasn¡¯t able to decipher for the first time. When the car was about to reach her, she started to feel expectant, hoping that he would stop his car. Instead, he drove right past mercilessly, without a seconds hesitation. Instinctively, she turned around - the car was already far ahead, only its boot in sight. Her heart throbbed with an unfamiliar tearing pain. It was as though someone had dug right into her chest, ripping it out. Qiao Anxia stood stationary until the private car she had ordered came. After boarding it, she fell into a daze once more. The apartment was pitch dark. Qiao Anxia turned up the lights and scanned the surroundings. When she saw Cheng Yang¡¯s things, the unfamiliar tearing pain returned. Even though she hadn¡¯t done much the entire day, she felt as though it was one of the most tiresome day of the past few years. Exhausted, she slouched onto the sofa, staring nkly up at the ceiling. Just then, her phone rang twice, indicating a text. After a moment, she turned to nce at her screen, the words "My Love" obvious there. My Love... Qiao Anxia froze, it took a while for her to process who it was... Even though she was the one who saved the name, why did she feel so ufortable about it? Without looking at the contents, she first changed his name to "Lu Jinnian", hesitated slightly, then after a moment changed it to "Brother-inw". Chapter 834: Peril(5) Chapter 834: Peril£¨5£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem After Qiao Anxia confirmed the change, the phone rang another few times¡ªall the texts were from Lu Jinnian. When she saw the name "Brother-inw" pop up several times, she felt a strange sense offort. The first text was a photo. It was a sky blue dress that was hanging in a closet, and below it were a pair of heels from the same collection. Qiao Anxia stilled slightly before scanning the next message. [ I am Lu Jinnian, even though you never agreed to attend my and Qiao Qiao¡¯s wedding, and even though she knew that you didn¡¯t want to be part of it, she still specifically ordered a gown for you. Qiao Qiao is not aware of the incident with the voice recorder and rest assured, she will never know about it.] Even though the text was short, Lu Jinnian¡¯s straight forward nature could clearly be felt. She slouched back and stared at the photo intently. After about three minutes, wetness started to collect in her eyes. Gradually, she could no longer hold it in, bursting into tears. Three years ago, when she and Qiao Anhao were watching television, she had specificallymented on a particr bridesmaids dress. At that time, she had said that she was definitely going to be Qiao Anhao¡¯s bridesmaid in that exact dress. And even added that she she was going to look so dazzling she would be able to suppress the bride. A that time, she had treated it as a joke, never expecting that one day Qiao Anhao would actually order that specific dress to be made for her. Back then, the TV scene was fleeting... She had watched a rerun the next day, was it to get a better picture of that dress? And what did Lu Jinnian¡¯sst sentence mean? Qiao Anhao had been in love with him for thirteen years and he too had been in love with her for thirteen years, but because of her selfishness, she had caused a willing couple to be entangled in misunderstandings and hardships for such a long time. Han Ruchu was wrong, but if she hadn¡¯t misled her into believing that Xu Jiamu liked Qiao Anhao, the tragedy wouldn¡¯t have happened... Qiao Anhao hadn¡¯t done Qiao Anxia any wrong, it was Qiao Anxia who had wronged her so why did they buy so many of her favorite things when they came over to the Qiao house? Why did Qiao Anhao continuously offer up her goodness? Why did she disregard her own pregnancy to save her when Lin Shiyi bad mouthed her? Why did she prepare a gown for her even though she knew that she wasn¡¯t going to attend? She would have felt much better if Qiao Anhao had gotten angry and questioned her. In the end, she started to cry out loud. Subconsciously, she wanted to seek out Cheng Yang but the moment she held onto her phone, she remembered that they were no longer a couple. It wasn¡¯t that she didn¡¯t want to see him, but when they met earlier, she realized how much she had missed him. Deep inside, she felt the same heart wrenching pain again. Chapter 835: Peril(6) Chapter 835: Peril£¨6£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem In Qiao Anxia¡¯s entire life, Lu Jinnian was the only man who had truly moved her, but Cheng Yang was able to give her an entirely different feeling. When she was rejected by Lu Jinnian, she had been deeply unaffected, her pride stopping her from lowering herself to ept it. But earlier on, when she saw Cheng Yang¡¯s coldness and disregard, she felt anxious and slightly vulnerable. For an instance, this pampered princess had actually wanted to run after him to apologize and ask for forgiveness. The thought startled her, distracting her from her tears. She shut her eyes and started reying the emotions and impulses she had felt. The room was silent, the atmosphere suitable for her to look through her inner thoughts. When they first met, he had pursued her. At that time, she had agreed since he was a ravishing star and she feltpetitive after Lu Jinnian¡¯s rejection. He treated her really well, forever coaxing her and giving into her tantrums. There was one night when she had intense period cramps from drinking too much alcohol. That night, he had anxiously sent her to the hospital, and it was only after she received medicine that he realized that he had forgotten to wear his shoes out. When she watched videos of couples, she was drowned by envy, forgetting that she already had someone that treated her simrly... Didn¡¯t she? At this moment she concluded that she wasn¡¯t able to leave Cheng Yang. She had no clue when she had first fallen for him but she knew that she really loved him and it was entirely different from the love for Lu Jinnian. One was a desire to ovee and the other was the decision to stand by someone. - The next day, both the bridesmaids and groomsmen were due for fitting. Lu Jinnian had ordered the clothes from a high end private wedding club, a famous designer was specifically sent over from overseas. Both the bride¡¯s wedding gown and the bridemaids¡¯ gowns were unique and specially made. The wedding club had a traditional name, "Bliss for a Hundred Years". That day, they had a meeting at 11pm. When Lu Jinnian and Qiao Anhao arrived, Zhao Meng, Song Xiangsi, Xu Jiamu, and Cheng Yang were already there. Lu Jinnian¡¯s assistant was already married hence he was arranged to be the emcee but he was still around to join in the fun and try out the suit that Lu Jinnian had ordered for him. Before he came, he predicted that some of them would have skipped breakfast so he took a turn to grab some takeaways before going over. The designer and his assistants were already arranging the clothes when the assistant came over with takeaways. He called out for everyone before setting the food on the table. Aware of Song Xiangsi¡¯s preferences, Xu Jiamu pushed a bowl of century egg with lean meat porridge over to her. He stirred the bowl several times and took a sip. When he was assured of the taste, he sent a spoonful over to her mouth. Song Xiangsi looked at him sideways, then just as she was about to ept the porridge, she suddenly felt repulsed. Turning her head to the side, she stood up and headed to the restroom, disregarding Xu Jiamu. Chapter 836: Peril(7) Chapter 836: Peril£¨7£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Xu Jiamu frowned, his gaze following Song Xiangsi¡¯s back. Ever since yesterday night, there seemed to be something amiss... First, she came home soaked in the smell of alcohol. When he had asked her what happened, she remained silent. After she took her shower, she fell asleep right away, and when he tried to touch her, she kicked him off the bed. Before he could get angry at her, she left the room with her pillow in hand, entering the guest room beside, and even locking the door. This morning, he thought that they were going to "Bliss for a Hundred Years" together, but after he took his shower and was about to call for her, she had grabbed her bag and headed to the entrance, disregarding his presence. She had left her car outside so he grabbed her car keys before leaving the apartment. He hurriedly rushed down thinking that she would wait for him but his car was no longer in sight. That aside, when he reached "Bliss for a Hundred Years", he saw his car parked outside with a police ticket... Song Xiangsi had parked illegally! There was so much empty space in the underground car park but she had deliberately parked in the middle of a busy road! After entering "Bliss for a Hundred Years", he sat down beside her and tried to engage her in conversation, but yet again she ignored him. He had never been so amodating towards her so why was she still ignoring him! When he had brought a spoonful of porridge to her, his mood took a change, thinking that she was going to ept it, but the next moment she left with a crestfallen expression. This woman was too much! Xu Jiamuughed once, cing the spoonful of porridge into his own mouth, but before he could taste it, he hesitated, then tossed it away. Slouching back on the sofa, he fell into a daze for a short while before heading to the restroom worriedly. There was a huge hall filled neat rows of cabs with every kind of ring in existence between the changing room and the restroom. When he passed by, one of the cabs caught his attention. He bent down and stared at one of the rings with a pink diamond. "Sir, would you prefer a proposal ring or a wedding ring?" the staff asked when he saw Xu Jiamu staring. Xu Jiamu snapped out of his daze, and seeing Song Xiangsi heading back to the changing room, he shook his head and tookrge strides to the restroom. Leaning against the wall beside it, he lit a cigarette. A moment ago, he had actually felt an impulse to buy a ring for Song Xiangsi.... Ever since he was young, the meaning of marriage had been engraved into him¡ªhe was going to marry a woman of equal status. When he had broken off the marriage with Qiao Anhao and Xu Enterprise had ended up with Lu Jinnian, he wasn¡¯t aware of his mother¡¯s evil doings. Hence, he had epted when Lin Qianqian had requested for marriage since she was of a good background which his mother was so fond of. At that time, he wasn¡¯t in contact with Song Xiangsi, and even though he didn¡¯t really like Lin Qianqian¡¯s needy behavior, he had epted her. But that wasn¡¯t an official marriage, it was just a promise, they hadn¡¯t even held the engagement ceremony yet. Besides, there were times when he would go a month without seeing her as well... Chapter 837: Peril(8) Chapter 837: Peril£¨8£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Thinking back, he had stopped talking to Lin Qianqian ever since he got back with Song Xiangsi. Yesterday, after he had overworked himself the night before and had a long meeting, he decided to take a nap in his lounge area at work. At that moment, Lin Qianqian hade over, pouncing onto him and demanding to know when they were going to hold a wedding. The moment he had heard the question, Song Xiangsi¡¯s image popped into his mind. He hesitated for a long while before randomly throwing out an excuse - after she graduated. Lin Qianqian continued to ramble on afterwards about the wedding details, and weirdly, he felt strangely pressured. After enduring it for a short while, he pushed her off violently, heading to the restroom. After that incident, his heart started to waver. Was marriage betweenpanies really that beneficial? Didn¡¯t his parents end up in a tragedy? What about Lu Jinnian and Qiao Anhao? They didn¡¯t quarrel and lived their lives in happiness, even if they bickered, it was overflowing with joy and love. Their love seemed to be infectious, causing him to desire more... "Xu Jiamu? What are you doing here?" Lu Jinnian asked when he saw him outside the restroom. Xu Jiamu extinguished the cigarette silently, washed his hands and headed out. Just when he was about to enter the changing room, the female changing room opened and Song Xiangsi walked out in a whitece gown, her hair done up into a tight bun. He stopped in his tracks, staring at her as Zhao Meng continuously sang praises to her beauty. Even though it was just a bridesmaid¡¯s gown, it was still beautiful enough to shake him, leaving him mesmerized and in awe. The image of Song Xiangsi as a bride flowed into his mind uncontrobly, how pretty would that be? Song Xiangsi as a bride... Who would the groom be? Xu Jiamu¡¯s heart fell. He honestly had no idea why he had helped Song Xiangsi seven years ago, and even maliciously kept her by his side for so many years. He had always thought that he would end up in a corporate wedding during those seven years, and so he had disregarded the happy memories. Not once had he thought of marrying her and never once thought that she could marry someone else. But now, the moment he imagined her being someone else¡¯s ravishing bride, he couldn¡¯t help feeling empty and cold. It felt as though someone had dug out his heart. "Brother Jiamu, why are you in a daze?" Qiao Anhao¡¯s clear voice sounded, snapping him out of his daze. Xu Jiamu struggled to move his gaze away from Song Xiangsi. "What¡¯s up?" Lu Jinnian pointed to the designer who had pushed a few male suits into the room. "Try the clothes." "Oh." Acknowledging his tasks, he entered the changing room. - Qiao Anxia knew that Lu Jinnian and Qiao Anhao were having a fitting at "Bliss for a Hundred Years" tonight. Her mother had informed her two days ago, reminding her to try the clothes that she had ordered for her. After crying for half the night, Qiao Anxia¡¯s eyes were terribly swollen the next day. Even though she had never intended to attend the fitting, she hesitated, finally deciding to drive over. Chapter 838: Peril(9) Chapter 838: Peril£¨9£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem While Qiao Anxia was looking for a space in the underground car park of "Bliss for a Hundred Years", she caught sight of Cheng Yang¡¯s car. At that instant, she became terrified, not daring to go up. After parking her car, she sat and stared at Cheng Yang¡¯s car for a long while, and in the end, she still wasn¡¯t brave enough to go up. She sat alone in the car for a long while, until she saw someone alight from a ck sedan. Judging from the physique, the person seemed to be female and was not young. The person had on a cap and mask, shielding almost half of her face. Even though Qiao Anxia couldn¡¯t tell who she was, the figure was oddly familiar. Just as she was trying to decipher who that woman was, she saw the person pull out an object from her bag, stuffing it into her pocket. Even though the person had moved swiftly, Qiao Anxia was still able to catch sight of a dagger. She frowned. Why would someone dress like that and have a dagger early in the morning? The person waited in front of the elevator. When she lifted her hand to press for the elevator, a jade bangle was exposed. Qiao Anxia straightened, focusing on it. That jade bangle seemed familiar... she had definitely seen it several times. But where exactly did she see it? The more she tried to remember, the more anxious she got, but nothing seemed to match. Annoyed and frustrated, she hit the steering wheel violently. Just then, the elevator doors closed, and Qiao Anxia¡¯s eyes widened in shock as she took a good look at the person. Han Ruchu! She knew, that person was Han Ruchu! That¡¯s why her physique and jade bangle seemed so familiar! Ever since she was young, Han Ruchu wore the bangle every time she saw her! But why would she be here? Qiao Anhao and the others were all upstairs, so she probably wouldn¡¯t be able to make a big fuss with so many people around... But she brought a dagger... The more Qiao Anxia thought about it, the more worried she got, and in the end she could no longer keep it in, jumping out of the car and into the elevator. When she entered the restroom, Han Ruchu had just entered a cubicle. Afraid to be found out, Qiao Anxia followed behind stealthy, hurriedly entering another cubicle. She peeked through a tiny opening in the door and saw Han Ruchu locking the door. Why was Han Ruchu hiding here? Qiao Anxia¡¯s mind was filled with questions, but since Xu Jiamu¡¯s mother didn¡¯te out, she decided to kneel on the toilet bowl, peeking through the opening once in a while. When she alighted the car, she was in a rush, forgetting to grab her phone. Out of boredom, she started to tear the toilet paper. Just when she was about to finish tearing all the toilet paper in her cubicle, the restroom door was pushed open once again. Qiao Anhao¡¯s voice reached her. "Zhao Meng, pass me the wet tissue." The moment she said that, a cubicle door closed. Zhao Meng seemed to have followed Qiao Anhao in, but she didn¡¯t enter a cubicle. After passing over a wet tissue, she went to wait outside. Chapter 839: Peril(10) Chapter 839: Peril£¨10£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem In less than two minutes, Qiao Anhao flushed the toilet. "Kiak!" There was the sound of the door unlocking and Qiao Anxia peeked through the small door opening. She could see Qiao Anhao¡¯s ts heading towards her direction. They stopped in front of a basin, and there was the sound of water gushing out. Just then, Qiao Anxia heard the faint unlocking of a cubicle door. Was Han Ruchu finallying out? Qiao Anxia tensed, an ominous premonition creeping up her spine. Slowly, she unlocked her cubicle, observing Han Ruchu stealthily. After about ten seconds, the woman opened her door, stepping out. Qiao Anxia could clearly see her reach for the dagger, moving cautiously, afraid to rm Qiao Anhao. At that instant, Qiao Anxia clearly understood her intentions, she had been waiting in the toilet for Qiao Anhao this entire time! The fitting was a few hours long so Qiao Anhao would definitely visit the restroom. The moment she came in, Han Ruchu was prepared to stab her while she was upied. The sound of running water from the tap drowned out Han Ruchu¡¯s footsteps perfectly. If Qiao Anhao didn¡¯t turn her head, she would never learn of her predicament. If Han Ruchu were to seed, even if Qiao Anhao was fine, her child probably wouldn¡¯t be able to make it... Qiao Anxia abruptly pushed open the cubicle door. Running towards Qiao Anhao, she shouted, "Qiao Qiao, be careful!" Han Ruchu never expected someone else to be in the restroom. When she realized that she was exposed, a murderous glint shed in her eyes. Today, she never expected to leave scot-free. She wasn¡¯t on good terms with her son, her husband no longer bothered with her, and the pride and glory she had spent her entire life struggling for was ruined. Now, she was a scorned women. How would she be able to live that down? How is the son of a mistress able to get married and have kids, even obtaining her son¡¯s protection? That bastard was never supposed to be born, how did he manage to be sessful? What about her? Her life was filled with treason. Her whole soul was screaming in fury at how unjust it all was, and even her dreams were filled with the image of her killing them. Wasn¡¯t Qiao Anhao the most important existence in his world? Today, she won¡¯t just kill his most important presence, she would also get rid of his child! She wanted all of them dead! Now that she didn¡¯t have anything, she wanted to drag him with her! They would perish together! Han Ruchu¡¯s lips curled into an evil smirk, and a shriekingugh escaped her lips. It was as though she had gone crazy. Five seconds after Qiao Anxia spoke, Han Ruchu tightened her grip on the dagger and ran towards Qiao Anhao, the dagger directed at her belly. - Qiao Anhao froze when she heard someone calling her name. When she realized it was Qiao Anxia, she instinctively turned and saw, just a short two meters away, a masked women heading towards her with a dagger. Chapter 840: Ending(1) Chapter 840: Ending£¨1£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Everything happened too fast. Before Qiao Anhao had time to process the situation, someone flew in from the side, shielding her. Due to the force, she stumbled backwards, her waist bumping into the basin. She frowned as a sharp pain spread through her. Just then, she heard the piercing of flesh and the drop of blood on the floor. At that instant, the world stopped. Qiao Anhao didn¡¯t turn to look at the person in front of her, but she could recognize the familiar scent. She looked past Qiao Anxia¡¯s shoulder to stare at Han Ruchu. Fresh blood sttered everywhere, staining the white mask she wore with big blotches of blood. It was a frightening sight. Qiao Anhao¡¯s eyes widened, and her lips trembled. Slowly, she turned to look at Qiao Anxia, her face pale, breathing unstable. She opened her mouth several times, before forcing out a single word, "Sis..." In the silent environment, Qiao Anhao could distinctively hear blood dropping onto the ground. She lowered her head, realizing that there was a puddle of blood by her feet. The next moment, she seemed to have gone crazy, shouting at the top of her lungs, "Lu Jinnian, Lu Jinnian, Lu Jinnian..." The more she shouted, the hoarser her voice became, breaking slightly towards the end. Zhao Meng who was outside hurried in first. "What¡¯s wrong, Qiao..." The sight in the restroom startled her, her face paled and she swallowed her question, "Big, big Qiao... What happ....." " Qiao Anxia, Qiao Anxia.... Don¡¯t scare me like that, don¡¯t do this..." Qiao Anhao hurriedly reached over to cover her wound, stopping the blood from oozing out, but still, the blood continued to flow relentlessly. Anxious tears started to stream down Qiao Anhao¡¯s face, and even though she knew that she shouldn¡¯t vent her frustration elsewhere, she shouted at Zhao Meng, "Zhao Meng, are you dumb? Stop dreaming, why are you still in a daze? Hurry call for the ambnce and get Lu Jinnian..." Her harsh tone seemed to have startled Zhao Meng out of her daze. Without thinking, she ran out shouting loudly, "Murder murder! The dagger was already in Qiao Anxia¡¯s abdomen. When it was piercing through, Qiao Anxia had tried to struggle, holding onto it while Han Ruchu tried to pry it off her hands but gave up in the end. When she heard Qiao Anhao¡¯s scream, she came back to her senses,ughing loudly as she stumbled backwards. Even though she had stabbed Qiao Anxia, she didn¡¯t seem to have realized it, mumbling continuously, "She¡¯s dead, she¡¯s dead! I finally killed that little slut, hahahaha..." Han Ruchu threw her head backwards,ughing maniacally. The restroom door flew open, and Lu Jinnian stood there. He first shouted out "Qiao Qiao" before taking in the frightening scene. Chapter 841: Ending(2) Chapter 841: Ending£¨2£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem "What happe...." Cheng Yang had followed behind. But before he could finish his sentence, he saw Qiao Anxia¡¯s blood soaked body. He swayed slightly, then rushed over. "Xiaxia, Xiaxia?" Xu Jiamu stopped in his tracks. Before he could even begin to say anything, his gaze fell on the person with an audacious smirk. Song Xiangsi nced over when she sensed him stopping. Following his gaze, she instantly recognized the person he was looking at. A deep sense of worry flowed into her eyes. After less than a minute, he rushed towards Han Ruchu, pping her face violently without hesitation. "Shut up!" Han Ruchu stilled, bursting intoughter the next moment while pointing at Xu Jiamu. "You¡¯re my son but you hit me... My son just hit me, hahaha... My son actually hit me for someone else..." Gradually, tears started to stream down her face. She stared at Xu Jiamu, feeling aggrieved and wronged. "You¡¯re my son, how can you not side with me?" Xu Jiamu shut his eyes, then took a deep breath before grabbing onto her arm. "We¡¯re going to the police station now." "Police station? You¡¯re sending your mother to jail?" Han Ruchu shook her head, confused betweenughter and crying. "Xu Jiamu, you silly boy, you actually want to send your mother to jail!" Xu Jiamu had no intention to continue the conversation. He tightened his grip on her wrist and dragged her out of the washroom. "I¡¯m not going, I¡¯m not going!" Han Ruchu screamed at the top of her lungs. He ignored her screams, dragging her all the way out. When they were out of the restroom, Song Xiangsi came forward. "I¡¯ll go with you." Xu Jiamu hesitated slightly before nodding lightly. Song Xiangsi turned towards the crowd in the restroom. "We¡¯ll go to the police station first, the ambnce should be here soon. After we give our statements at the station, we¡¯ll head over to the hospital for evidence." Cheng Yang and Qiao Anhao didn¡¯t react, it was as though they hadn¡¯t heard her speak. Lu Jinnian had focused all his attention on Qiao Anhao and didn¡¯t react either. In the end, his assistant and Zhao Meng nodded, acknowledging her words. Song Xiangsi left. Without Han Ruchu, the restroom was much quieter. Qiao Anxia was so pale she was almost transparent. She could feel Qiao Anhao¡¯s tears falling onto her face. Hershes trembled, and, struggling, she lifted her eyes to nce at her sister and curled her lips into a smile. That smile just made Qiao Anhao¡¯s tears flow even more rapidly. "Sis, sis..." Qiao Anxia struggled to wipe off the tears. After pausing slightly, she said, "Why are you crying? You¡¯re going to be a mother soon, don¡¯t scare the baby like that. He might be a crybaby!" Qiao Anxia has been pampered since young, and her pride was tougher than of anyone else. That why¡¯s her words were often merciless, and even if she regretted them afterwards, her pride never allowed her to admit her mistake. Chapter 842: Ending(3) Chapter 842: Ending£¨3£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem But at this moment, she felt as though there wasn¡¯t any time left, and the pride she had fought to protect no longer seemed important. She blurted the question she had been dying to find out. "Is it a boy or a girl?" "We don¡¯t know yet." Qiao Anhao shook her head, two drops of tears falling onto her sister¡¯s hair. "Is the baby healthy?" Qiao Anhao nodded furiously, her throat tightening. Qiao Anxia smiled, and after a moment, she spoke again. "Qiao Qiao, I¡¯m sorry." The apology waste by five years. Many times she had been awaken by a nightmare, leaving her with insomnia, but she had never garnered enough courage. Many times she wanted to apologize, but the words never seemed toe out. Now though, after she said them, she felt much calmer and at ease. "If it wasn¡¯t for me, you would have been with Lu Jinnian much earlier..." Qiao Anxia started coughing, her breathing turning weak. At this moment, Qiao Anhao was willing to forgive whatever wrong her sister had done, her safety was of utmost priority. She shook her head, silencing Qiao Anxia¡¯s words. "Stop, I don¡¯t me you, just stop, the ambnce will be here soon..." Qiao Anxia had a coughing fit once more, blood gushing out of her wound violently. Cheng Yang applied pressure right away, preventing too much blood loss. Qiao Anxia inhaled sharply from the pain and slowly opened her eyes. As she endured the pain, her teeth trembled when she continued. "Qiao Qiao, listen to me, you don¡¯t know anything. At that time, when I was using the bathroom in your room, I identally heard the contents of your conversation with Xu Jiamu. I recorded it and gave it to Han Ruchu...." Qiao Anxia summarized the story due tock of time, but Qiao Anhao understood it clearly. "Qiao Qiao, I didn¡¯t mean to harm you, I just didn¡¯t want to marry Xu Jiamu. At that time, my parents were forcing me to marry him..." Her voice turned softer. "I didn¡¯t know you were in love with Lu Jinnian, if I knew, I would have never done that. I thought that you fell for Xu Jiamu after marrying him, I had even approached Lu Jinnian, warning him to stay away from you... "Qiao Qiao, I¡¯m sorry. I really am sorry, I never knew that my selfish act would bring you so much trouble." Qiao Anxia inhaled once more. She gripped onto Qiao Anhao¡¯s wrist and continued, "I always thought that I really loved him, but now I realized that it wasn¡¯t love, it was because I couldn¡¯t ept his rejection. I¡¯m such a perfect women, why would he do that to me... " I didn¡¯t mean to throw a tantrum at you, I just didn¡¯t know how to face you. There were multiple times I had wanted to apologize but I just couldn¡¯t bring myself to do it, I was afraid that you would hate me... As time passed, I started to realize the damage of my behavior, but by then, I didn¡¯t have any courage left to apologize..." Chapter 843: Ending(4) Chapter 843: Ending£¨4£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem There were too many coincidences in between. At the start, she had misled Han Ruchu purely because she didn¡¯t want to marry Xu Jiamu. She had never expected so many consequences though. Subsequently, she thought that Qiao Anhao had fallen for Xu Jiamu and had desperately tried to keep Lu Jinnian away. At that time, she thought that she was doing Qiao Anhao a favor, but in reality, she wasn¡¯t. At the start it was just a simple mistake, but it escted to a hideous crime. Even she wasn¡¯t able to forgive herself, so how could she be able to garner enough courage to ask for forgiveness? "Qiao Qiao, you don¡¯t have to be sad, even if something were to happen today, it¡¯s an ident...and I owe it to you." "No..." Qiao Anhao forced back her tears. "Nothing will happen to you, even if you really did me wrong, I know that you definitely feel guilty about it. Ever since we were young, you have been there to protect me, every time someone bullied me in school, you would stand up for me... So you must be well again, you need to continue to protect me..." Some mistakes were not done on purpose. Some mistakes weren¡¯t. Even though Qiao Anxia had indeed done bad things, Qiao Anhao was certain that deep inside, her cousin had always treated her as her own sister. Or she would never have shielded her from the dagger. Protecting someone from a dagger can potentially require one¡¯s life... Only when someone believes you to be kin would they go to such an extent. Qiao Anhao burst into tears. She couldn¡¯t help lifting her head to nce at Lu Jinnian and asking helplessly, "Where¡¯s the ambnce? Why isn¡¯t it here yet? Where¡¯s the ambnce?" Lu Jinnian knelt down, bringing Qiao Anhao into his arms ,forting her. Using his eyes, he signaled his assistant. The man hurriedly took his phone to rush the ambnce. Before Qiao Anxia had apologized, there was a huge burden on her chest, but now, she was finally able to rx, energy seeping away from her body bit by bit, her senses starting to fade. Her other hand was embraced by a familiar touch, a steady stream of warmth. When she had seen his car in the underground car park, she didn¡¯t even dare toe up, and now, she still didn¡¯t have enough courage to look at him. Qiao Anxia¡¯s breathing weakened. She felt the warmth leaving her body, and she was no longer able to think clearly. Very slowly, she shifted her gaze towards Cheng Yang without a conscious thought. His eyes were red and swollen. He was crying for her... Did that mean that he still couldn¡¯t let go of her? Qiao Anxia couldn¡¯t help squinting at him. She opened her mouth slightly and struggled to force out "Cheng Yang..." Even though it was soft, he was still able to decipher what she was saying. Cheng Yang lowered his head, leaning his ear over to her mouth. "I¡¯m sorry, I know where I was wrong. "I have already changed the name in my phone.... "And... even though we¡¯ve known each other for such a long time, I¡¯ve never seriously told you before but I like you." Qiao Anxia hesitated before continuing. "I don¡¯t just like you, I love you." Chapter 844: Ending(5) Chapter 844: Ending£¨5£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem How many people in their youths haven¡¯t been impulsive at least once? Real true love isn¡¯t capable of being selfish, it¡¯s epting. In the beginning, Qiao Anxia could only see the good in Lu Jinnian. It wasn¡¯t because she loved him though, or because she was jealous of Qiao Anhao, but rather she feltpetitive and couldn¡¯t take the rejection lying down. In the end, it wasn¡¯t love. If she really loved him, how could she allow him to be conflicted for even a bit? Because his sadness would make her feel much worse... It was a pity that she only understood this right now. Tears formed at the edges of her eyes but she forced a slight smile for Cheng Yang. It wasn¡¯t her usual bright stunning smile, it was softer, warmer, and more pure, just like that of a harmless child. "Cheng Yang, if I knew that... in this life time I would meet you... I would have never allowed myself... to date to many..." Qiao Anxia coughed abruptly, blood oozing out of her mouth, and her eyes grew visibly more clouded. She struggled to keep her eyes open, to look at him for a while longer, but she was never able to force out thest word "boyfriends" before they fell shut. All her words now were the truth... She had once thought that Lu Jinnian was her one true love and since she wasn¡¯t able to obtain him, it didn¡¯t matter who she was with. She just wanted to use this method to tell him she could have anyone she wanted. The ignorance of her youth... In the end, she regretted it only after finally finding the person she wanted to spend her life with. If she could relive her life... If they could turn back time... If she knew that she¡¯ll find her one true love, she would have definitely, definitely been a good girl. But sometimes, one can only truly understand the meaning of something once they experience it themselves. Qiao Anxia wanted to look at Cheng Yang once more but her eyelids were too heavy, regardless of how hard she tried, she wasn¡¯t able to lift them. At that instant, she started to feel afraid. Would she die just like that? Will she never be able to see Cheng Yang and Qiao Qiao again? She... was already regretting it and feeling guilty. Today, she hade to "Bliss for a Hundred Years" to apologize, but how did it turn out like that? Qiao Anxia struggled to open her eyes once more. It wasn¡¯t working, so she gave up and moved her lips, wanting to call his name. Yet before the words could be formed, her entire world sunk into darkness. A teardrop streamed down her face, falling onto Cheng Yang¡¯s arm. He trembled, tightening his arms around her limp form, and his forehead pressed onto hers. Even though he didn¡¯t cry out, his shoulders were trembling uncontrobly. Yes... This was the women he loved. Her name was Qiao Anxia. She wasn¡¯t the best and didn¡¯t have a good reputation. The woman he loved had had numerous boyfriends, and she had given them her most beautiful youth. Chapter 845: Ending(6) Chapter 845: Ending£¨6£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem But so what? Cheng Yang was never bothered by her past, he only wanted to think of their future. Recently, even though he hadn¡¯t contacted her, he would still think of her and care for her. He just wanted to find out if he existed in her heart... But who knew that this was going to happen? "Xiaxia..." Cheng Yang murmured, his voice choked up. Qiao Anhao knelt beside him, sobbing on Lu Jinnian¡¯s chest. Her hands clenched onto his shirt, scrunching it into a crumpled mess. After a long while, her stomach started to hurt, the pain causing her to shiver uncontrobly in Lu Jinnian¡¯s arms. Outside "Bliss for a Hundred Years", the ambnce could be heard. - When Xu Jiamu and Song Xiangsi left the police station, it was already 5 pm. The sun had set and the streets were basked in a warm shade of red. In the police station they were preupied, but now that they were out, they saw the text from Lu Jinnian informing them that Qiao Anxia was out of danger but was still asleep. Cheng Yang was there guarding her but the dagger had shed deep into her ovaries, hence, she might never be able to get pregnant. There were still remnants of bloodstains on Xu Jiamu¡¯s face which stood out when his face paled. Han Ruchu had gone crazy in the interrogation room, shing him maniacally. Xu Jiamu drove the car with the parking ticket to the police station. When they were close to it, Song Xiangsi nced over at him, noticing that he didn¡¯t seem alright. "I¡¯ll drive." Xu Jiamu hesitated, turning to look at her, then pulled over and went to the passenger seat. Song Xiangsi started the car and headed into the road, ncing at Xu Jiamu at the turn. He was lying against the seat, his eyes shut, a calm expression on his face. She never once disrupted his rest. When they reached Su Yuan apartment¡¯s underground car park, he had already opened his eyes. Calmly, he asked, "Have we reached?" Song Xiangsi nodded her head and he pushed open the door and alighted. When they were back in the apartment, Xu Jiamu copsed straight onto the sofa and shielded his eyes with a hand. Silently, Song Xiangsi looked at him for a while before pouring him a cup of water. She set it on the coffee table gently before getting a first aid kid. Just when she was about to reach for his arm to treat it, she saw tears flowing down his face. Song Xiangsi stilled. Silence engulfed the room, and after about half a minute, Xu Jiamu started to cry softly. Each sob he took pierced deep into Song Xiangsi¡¯s heart, sending a deep pulse of heartache. Lifting her hands, she lightly held onto his arm, reassuring him. "It¡¯s alright, I¡¯ll be here for you." She had wanted to say that she would always be there for him. But she knew that she couldn¡¯t, she could only be there at his most vulnerable. Once it was fine, she had to leave. Because, by then, she would no longer be needed. Chapter 846: Ending (7) Chapter 846: Ending (7) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem For over seven years now, even though Xu Jiamu and Song Xiangsi had physically been with each other countless times, neither of them had ever said anything flirtatious. At that very moment, Song Xiangsi¡¯s words "I¡¯ll be here for you" touched the deepest part of Xu Jiamu¡¯s heart, and left him frozen for good five minutes. Without so much as moving an inch, he suddenly got up and pulled her into a tight embrace. Song Xiangsi was left dumbfounded for a few seconds by Xu Jiamu¡¯s sudden deep embrace. She lifted her arms and hugged him back. As far as she could recall, this was the first time he had hugged her like this. The room was silent. The two of them quietly hugged like that for a long long time, so long in fact, that Xu Jiamu felt his heaving heart finally be peaceful. He shut his eyes, his breath permeated with the light aroma of Song Xiangsi¡¯s body. For a moment there, he suddenly remembered the impulse to buy her a ring earlier this afternoon at "Bliss for a Hundred Years". He wanted to marry her and spend an ordinary lifetime of simplicity... He didn¡¯t want to shop for good prospects any longer, nor did he want to be a strong shopper... - The ambnce came just in time. Qiao Anxia lost quite a lot of blood, but they were able to save her life. It was just how Lu Jinnian had described it in his text to Xu Jiamu: the knife had happened to stab Qiao Anxia in the uterus, tearing a big wound. Even though it was stitched up, her chances of getting pregnant were practically non-existent. When news came out, the person most devastated wasn¡¯t actually Chen Yang, nor Mother and Father Qiao, but Qiao Anhao. Because the incident upset her pregnancy, sheid in the hospital bed with her eyes swollen to peaches from crying and a heart as guilty as it could be. Naturally, Lu Jinnian couldn¡¯t bare to see just how hurt she was, and so he especially called Lucy to track down the best overseas gynecologist to see if there was any way of turning Qiao Anxia¡¯s diagnosis around. Eventually, the overseas doctors had a video call with Qiao Anhao to say that they would try their very best to think of a n. They even told her that they had a simr case in the past, where the patient waster on able to be a mother, and that she should believe that miracles exist in this world. When Qiao Anhao heard this, she finally calmed down and fell asleep with a peaceful mind. Lu Jinnian waited for her to fall deep asleep before pulling the covers over her and tip-toeing out of the patient¡¯s room. He stopped in the corridor and gave Lucy a call. "Thank you for helping me with the act today." It was in fact all an act. When the overseas doctors heard Lu Jinnian¡¯s story, they all shook their heads. With a damaged uterus, how could she ever get pregnant? Actually, before he had even contacted Lucy, he knew in his heart that Qiao Anxia would never be a mother in this lifetime. But he still wanted everyone to y along with this act. All Qiao Anhao wanted was a single ray of hope, so he was going to give it to her. Not only her, but also the unconscious Qiao Anxia. Time is the world¡¯s most effective medicine. One day, their hearts would heal. - Qiao Anxia had the world¡¯s best medical team, took the best medicine, and after passing the first three days in critical conditional, her rehabilitation was exceedingly fast. She stayed in bed to heal her wounds. Even though Mother Qiao and Chen Yang were by her side twenty-four hours, Qiao Anhao would stille to visit her everyday. Chapter 847: Ending (8) Chapter 847: Ending (8) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem The two sisters knew well not to bring up anything sad. Just like how it was before, they chatted and joked around like they were the old loving sisters again. So much so that despite having only seen them once, the nurse secretlyplimented Mother Qiao that their sisterhood was great. Actually, most of the time, there¡¯s no way of judging what is right or wrong. In this world, there¡¯s no such thing as absolute kindness, nor absolute evil. Most of the time, the only reason one is willing to forgive is because they care. - Time flew by. In the blink of an eye, the day of Qiao Anhao and Lu Jinnian¡¯s wedding came. Originally, Qiao Anhao wanted to dy the date until Qiao Anxia was officially discharged, but at the time, she was already over two months pregnant. Her belly was starting to show, and if they pushed the date back, then she was afraid that her belly would grow even more. Not only would she not be able to fit into her dress, she was afraid that she¡¯d have to wait till after the baby was born and another full month after the birth to be able to hold the wedding. What¡¯s more, the wedding invitations were already sent out. If they changed the date at thest minute, they¡¯d have to notify each and every guest. And so, after much deliberation, they decided to keep the original date. Qiao Anxia couldn¡¯t leave the bed or walk, so she definitely couldn¡¯t be a bridesmaid, but she still wanted to attend the wedding. In the end, Chen Yang thought of a n to find a doctor that woulde with them to the wedding. If something were to really happen, they could find a solution in time. - There were staff on shift at the police station. Xu Jiamu handed them a pack of cigarettes, and one of the people escorted him to the interrogation room. Inside, there was just onemp on. Its light was obscured and there was an unspeakably rancid smell in the room. The person who sat behind the metal bars was Han Ruchu. When she heard a muffled thud, she slightly raised her head. It had been just a few days since Xu Jiamu hadst seen her, but she looked like she had aged a lot. Many strands of dark hair had turned white. Han Ruchu shot Xu Jiamu a nce, then turned her head around. Her eyes were as cold as ice, like she had seen an enemy. He lowered his eyes and said to the person behind him, "Can I get a few moments alone with her?" That person nodded, then shut the door behind him. The interrogation room was silent. Xu Jiamu stood on the spot for a while before walking over to the metal bars. Without any warning, he crouched down in front of Han Ruchu with a "badonk". When she heard this, she slightly turned her head to stared at him crouched on the ground with a cold expression. "Ma, I know that you really don¡¯t want to see me right now, but I still came to visit. "Xia Xia will probably never be able to have children because of that stab you took. "You asked Aunt Yun to find you awyer, but I¡¯ve stopped her. I¡¯ve also sent Aunt Yun back to her hometown. Father is out of the country. He can¡¯te home at such short notice. I¡¯ve put the Xu family estate up for sale. I predict that in the next two days, the authorities will raise an appeal in court and request a verdict for your case." When Xu Jiamu said this, his voice trembled slightly. "Time in prison must of been difficult. At your old age, you¡¯re not very healthy, so you must take care of yourself in there. "Every so often, I wille to visit you... Even though you aren¡¯t willing to see me. "I hope that you can really think about what you did in there. If... If twenty years from now you step out having left all hatred of the past behind, then you will still be a good mother to me." Chapter 848: Ending (9) Chapter 848: Ending (9) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Han Ruchu¡¯s lips moved, as thought she wanted to say something, but in the end she didn¡¯t. Disappointment rose beneath Xu Jiamu¡¯s eyes. Heavily, he bowed his head to the ground. "Sorry, Ma." Those words, he said them simply from the standpoint of a son. After all is said and done, to Han Ruchu, he was a disobedient son. The interrogation room was silent. Xu Jiamu stayed like that in a daze, his head braced against the cold wooden floors for a long time, before he slowly got up. He nced deeply at Han Ruchu and whispered, "Take care". After waiting for a long period of time, he still didn¡¯t get a response from her. In the end, he turned around and left feeling dejected. Han Ruchu starred at his back with aplex look in her eye. The very moment he pulled open the door, she finally couldn¡¯t hold back anymore, and said, "Jiamu, take good care of yourself." Though it was just a simple sentence, the rims of Xu Jiamu¡¯s eyes abruptly became red. He turned his head and looked at Han Ruchu with a slight smile on his face. "Ma, I¡¯ll wait for you to get out." When he said this, he sincerely hoped that after twenty years, Han Ruchu woulde out of prison. By then, she would have white hair, and he would take care of her till the end of her life. But in the end, he never imagined that she would not give him the opportunity to wait for her to get out. - Whilst making wedding arrangements, everyone participated and put in their own ideas, but on the day of the actual wedding, they realized that the venue was decorated far more dreamily and breathtakingly than they had ever imagined. It was practically a scene from a fairy tale. There were glistening crystal lights, special effects of infinite falling petals, ss flooring, glossy, beautiful tables, a nine-tiered cake as tall as a person... and a big screen that endlessly yed wedding photos of Qiao Anhao and Lu Jinnian. There was also a constant background of music. At 12 pm, all the guests arrived. At 12.15 pm, Lu Jinnian¡¯s assistant entered the stage and started his speech. The entire audience fell silent. At 12.25 pm, the assistant weed the groom to the stage. There was a wave of apuse. The astrologically lucky time for them to get married was 12.33 pm, and so there were still eight minutes before the bride would enter. Because the master of ceremonies job was given to the assistant, he casually interviewed Lu Jinnian for eight minutes. By the end, there were two questions left, which touched on the rumors he was curious about. "I heard that, at first, when the bride and groom were fake married, it was the bride who didn¡¯t want their rtionship to be exposed. May I ask, how was the bride able to achieve that?" The assistant was obviously using this opportunity to satisfy his own curiosity... Lu Jinnian secretly cursed the assistant inside. However, since it was his wedding day today, he allowed him to be rebellious just this one time. Lu Jinnian raised his microphone and without holding back, he said, "The night of our fake marriage, she gave me three rules." The assistant became more interested. "What three rules? Does the the groom happen to remember what they were?" Remember? How could he forget? Every word she said, be it good or bad, he remembered them all. Yet, those words were once obviously very hard to hear, but now, he felt quite fond of them. Clearly and coherently, Lu Jinnian said into the microphone, "You are not allowed to touch me in public. "You are not allowed to tell anyone that I¡¯m your wife. "You are not allowed to tell anyone that we stay together." Chapter 849: Ending (10) Chapter 849: Ending (10) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem After many years of knowing Lu Jinnian, the assistant had never heard anyone speak to him like that. He couldn¡¯t help but admire Qiao Anhao deep down. "The bride sure is domineering..." Before the assistant could finish, he saw the way Lu Jinnian was looking at him. To people around them, his eyes looked normal, but to him... they were undoubtedly menacing. The assistant hastily let out augh and cheerfully changed the topic. "However, I¡¯m rather curious. If the bride gave the groom those three rules now, how would the groom deal with it? Would he still choose to hide their marriage?" If it were now... Lu Jinnian thought about it for a moment, then calmly said, "If I¡¯m not allowed to touch in public, then I can grope." The entire audience erupted inughter. The assistant secretly scolded him, evil, then raised his mic and proceeded to ask, "Then what about the second rule?" Lu Jinnian¡¯s expression didn¡¯t change. "If I¡¯m not allowed to tell anyone that she¡¯s my wife, then I can say that I¡¯m her husband." With such a witty answer, the entire audience gave him a round of apuse. ¡¯He¡¯s basically an evil pervert...¡¯ said the assistant secretly inside. Then, he loudly asked, "And the third rule?" The third? To not let anyone know that they live together? Lu Jinnian contemted it for about five seconds. When the assistant happily thought that he¡¯d finally caught him, Lu Jinnian all of a sudden replied calmly, "I can say that every night, Qiao Anhao and I sleep in the same bed." The audience below the stage started to cheer in unison. The assistant apuded with them too, but deep down inside he added another adjective. ¡¯More than a evil? An evil pervert? Practically... a shameless evil pervert!¡¯ At 12.28 pm, the wedding ceremony officially started. The entire audience fell silent, and the wedding march song started to y from every corner of the venue. Tall wooden doors opened at the very end of a long crystal corridor connected to the stage, and the bright and beautiful lights shone in. Dressed in a white wedding dress, the bride held Father Qiao¡¯s arm, and slowly walked against the lights and into the wedding ceremony. Lu Jinnian was already waiting in the center of the long corridor. There were ten meters from the door to his position and Qiao Anhao¡¯s footsteps were not fast. The guests around them all wore joyous smiles on their faces. She stared straight at the majestic Lu Jinnian, as she drew closer to him one step at a time. His eyes gazed deeply into hers. As Father Qiao handed Qiao Anhao over to Lu Jinnian, she turned to nce at her uncle. She saw that beneath his smiling eyes, there was a tinge of tears, which made the rims of Qiao Anhao¡¯s eyes turn a little red as well. She held onto Lu Jinnian¡¯s arms, and he pressed her hand. As everyone gazed and wished well to the couple, the people following behind them also slowly walked to the center of the stage. The groom was stunningly handsome and the bride was strikingly beautiful. Up on that magnificent stage, it gave people the illusion that they had burst from pce. For a a full minute, the assistant stood beside them and read the ceremonial speech with all seriousness and deep adoration. He then closed the red book in his hands and said, "Mr. Lu Jinnian, do you take Miss Qiao Anhao to be yourwfully wedded wife? Do you promise to be faithful to her in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health, to love her and to honor her in all the days of your life?" Lu Jinnian turned his head and stared at Qiao Anhao with serious eyes. "I do." Chapter 850: Ending (11) Chapter 850: Ending (11) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem "Miss Qiao Anhao, do you take Mr. Lu Jinnian to be yourwfully wedded husband? Do you promise to be faithful to him in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health, to love him, and to honor him all the days of your life?" Qiao Anhao returned Lu Jinnian¡¯s gaze. Her eyes were smiling and the corner of her lips arched upwards. She was brimming with happiness. "I do." Amid the thundering apuse from the entire audience, the assistant reminded them to exchange rings. Beside them, Xu Jiamu hurriedly brought over the rings. Lu Jinnian picked up the female wedding ring and helped Qiao Anhao put it on, after which she picked up the male wedding ring and put it on him. Infinite apuse rose again. Amid it, the assistant spurred the bride and groom to kiss. Lu Jinnian stared transfixed at Qiao Anhao. The moment he was just about to lean into the kiss, the assistant suddenly said, "Sorry to interrupt but we all know that the groom has secretly had a crush on the bride for many years, and the bride has liked the groom for a really long time as well, yet the two of you stubbornly didn¡¯t tell each other. On behalf of everyone, I want to ask who was first to break the ice? I mean, who was the first to confess?" Who was first to confess? This question left Qiao Anhao dumbfounded... She identally broke the porcin doll and saw the note inside, then found out that Lu Jinnian was in love with her. That was why she chased him to America and harassed him... did that count? Just as Qiao Anhao racked her brain over how to answer, Lu Jinnian all of a sudden said out loud, "She confessed first." The entire audience burst into an incrediblemotion. Qiao Anhao¡¯s face turned a little red from everyone¡¯s cheering. She turned her head and shot Lu Jinnian a scolding nce, muttering, "I wonder who gave me the porcin doll with the love letter inside." There was a microphone on Qiao Anhao¡¯s wedding dress, and so although she spoke quietly, everyone present heard it. The noise rose again. Lu Jinnian copied Qiao Anhao¡¯s tone of voice and calmly said, "I wonder who chased me to America, hugged me in the airport, crying, threw a tantrum, and said she loves me." Qiao Anhao was so instantly stifled by his words, she was left gaping and speechless. When she heard the sound ofughter below the stage, her face flushed, her cheeks puffed up, and she secretly cursed him, he was being so annoying! In a wheelchair below the stage, Qiao Anxia heard Lu Jinnian¡¯s words and shot Qiao Anhao a look as though to call her ¡¯worthless¡¯. Then she casuallyughed along with the crowd at her difort. Due to that steady gaze and smile, Qiao Anhao became more disgruntled. She pursed her lips and retaliated in anger, "Then I wonder who yed ¡¯Paper, Scissors, Rock¡¯ every time to confess, 520 1 !" "Wa..." When Qiao Anhao said this, there were quite a lot of women in the audience who made the hand gesture for "Paper, Scissors, Rock". As they realized that it was really 520, they couldn¡¯t help but shriek with admiration. Lu Jinnian said, "I wonder who wrote a me a love letter in the fourth year of university with the words ¡¯In this lifetime, I will only love you¡¯." So annoying... why couldn¡¯t he just let her have this? He was the first to confess! Qiao Anhao wrinkled her nose in dissatisfaction. "Hm... I wonder who went and engraved the word ¡¯Shmily¡¯ onto each gift he gave me, including the wedding ring!" Chapter 851: Ending (12) Chapter 851: Ending (12) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Shmily... Everyone knew this brand and they knew the secret message behind the letters... See-how-much-I-love-you... Actually, it wasn¡¯t like Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t want to let Qiao Anhao win. At first, he just wanted to tease her, but he never imagined that she¡¯de back with so many retorts. With that, he continued on. "I wonder who studied hard for over half a year to get into ss One just to be my ssmate." "I wonder who left half the maths test paper empty just to be my ssmate, and got switched over to ss Three!" retaliated Qiao Anhao, unwilling to submit. Later, she added, "So much so he especially tracked down my desk to use!" "I wonder who got into A University for me in the end!" "I wonder who went to Hangzhou just for me!" In case one might not be enough, Qiao Anhao added, "Also, when everyone hung out together in middle high, I wonder who stayed up and secretly drove the mosquitoes away!" In actuality, she didn¡¯t know about it at first but she found out after secretly talking to Qiao Anxia these past few days. Naturally, her sister also told her something else, so Qiao Anhao continued by adding, "Also, who was the one who asked around for my whereabouts during the five years we didn¡¯t keep in contact!" Hehe... Qiao Anxia told her? Well she had told him something too... Lu Jinnian calmly said, "Then I wonder who would run off to Shanghai every other day to hang out with her sister, but was actuallying to find me in Hangzhou!" With that, Lu Jinnian also quietly added, "Oh, and I wonder who kept those airne and train tickets, and the couple hundred bucks I gave to her back then until now." Qiao Anhao¡¯s eyes suddenly shot wide open, and she then stared at Qiao Anxia below the stage! Traitor! In the past few days, Qiao Anhao had told her sister all her little secrets when she asked her about the moment she fell in love with Lu Jinnian. And in the end, that Qiao Anxia actually told everything to Lu Jinnian? As Qiao Anxia met Qiao Anhao¡¯s eyes, she let out a gentle chuckle and lookedpletely not bothered by the hate-filled gaze Instead, she slightly raised her chin, and even gave her a look as if to say ¡¯what can you do about it?¡¯. They say sisterhood runs deep! So it¡¯s all just a lie! Qiao Anhao secretly gritted her teeth, she turned her head and stared into Lu Jinnian¡¯s rxed eyes, and said while fuming, "I wonder who stalked me in the middle of the night a few times, just to sneak a nce from afar back then!" She said this in the spur of the moment, but when she said it out loud, she felt intensely touched in her heart. The two of them only now realized just how many wonderful memories they shared, once they took the time to actually run through what had happened. At that moment, Lu Jinnian, who was just ying around at first, looked over with a serious and intense gaze. His tone of voice was no longer calm and emotionless but filled with passion. "I wonder who saw that we were voted the best screen couple at the New Years and crouched down outside of the Qiao vi to cry alone." Chapter 852: Ending (13) Chapter 852: Ending (13) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Did Qiao Anxia tell him this too? But at that moment, Qiao Anhao¡¯s heart still lingered with unwillingness to lose. Obviously every one was just making jokes and messing around, but in the end, their chests were brimming with a warm sensation. It was meant to be time to start the reception dinner, but as the master of ceremonies, the assistant didn¡¯t go and interrupt their conversation to remind them. Instead, he secretly walked off stage, said a few words to the staff below, and walked back up. Qiao Anhao¡¯s eyes started to heat up, as she stared transfixed at Lu Jinnian¡¯s handsomeplexion. Her voice started to evidently tremble. "I wonder who was the one who went to school during the day and worked nights in middle high just to be able to buy me a cake from ck Swan." As she said this, the "Wedding march song" that was ying stopped. Another song started ying. That song was the official soundtrack from a recently popr movie. Many people had heard it before. As the song yed on, it turned out that it wasn¡¯t the original singer¡¯s voice, but instead Qiao Anhao¡¯s! "Often I¡¯d think back to the speckled desk... when I dazed out, I would stare at your silhouette... Perhaps you didn¡¯t know that little ol¡¯ me back then... Secrets in my youth were buried in the far corners of my heart..." Did Xu Jiamu tell her? Lu Jinnian shot Xu Jiamu a nce. His brother turned his head, and looked over at Song Xiangsi beside him. When the female verse was over, it was time for the male verse. Every single person present could tell that the voice was Lu Jinnian¡¯s. "Waited for you at the crossing with my bike... You stayed with me through chilly nights... No matter how beautiful the sunset may be, it doesn¡¯tpare to the color of your eyes... Never said goodbye and farewell, but stayed silent..." This time, Qiao Anhao didn¡¯t wait for Lu Jinnian to speak. Whilst the song yed, she continued to list one incident after the other. "Also, I wonder who took me to the nurse¡¯s room when I was sick, then stayed with me all afternoon, causing the teacher to punish him to stand for the whole day for skipping ss." In the background, her voice yed again. "Did you also think of me every now and then? Like how I often softly recounted the past... In the spring wind and autumn rain, we didn¡¯t say a word... Yet, the spring goes and autumnes, contact is lost in between." Lu Jinnian¡¯s facial expression turned solemn. "And I wonder who entered the entertainment industry just to be the best screen couple with me." Qiao Anhao lightly blinked her long eyshes and said in a low voice, "I wonder who started liking me during the third year of senior high." Lu Jinnian gently replied with a question, "I wonder who also fell in love at first sight when we found shelter from the rain in the third year of senior high?" Qiao Anhao¡¯s tears finally fell. She curved the corner of her lips and said, "Me." "Me," said Lu Jinnian at practically the same time. The two of them looked at one another and smiled. The song in the background yed on. "Did you think of me every now and then? Or are you living a life with nothing to do with me... Luckily, we didn¡¯t miss out on our youth... My youth had you, and yours had me." After just about a minute, the two of them opened their mouths. The words they said were exactly the same, "I¡¯ve loved you for thirteen years." They clearly hadn¡¯t rehearsed this, and yet they were so in sync. This time, the audience was quiet. The faces of everyone who hadughed at their bickering had an emotional glow about them. Chapter 853: Ending (14) Chapter 853: Ending (14) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Lu Jinnian shot Qiao Anhao a gentle smile, then finally reached his arms out and pulled her into his embrace. He lowered his head and deeply kissed her lips. Under everyone¡¯s watchful eyes, he gave her a deep kiss. Qiao Anhao raised her arms, hugged his neck, and clumsily kissed him back. The glistening crystal lights turned endlessly, and the special effects of falling petals floated without end. The man and woman at center stage kissed deeper, as though there was no one around them. The bad about youth yed on an infinite loop. On the final line of the song, after who knows how many reys, the two of them still couldn¡¯t bear to part "Luckily, we didn¡¯t miss out on our youth... My youth had you, and yours had me." The whole audience remained inplete silence. Lu Jinnian slightly lowered his body and pressed his forehead to Qiao Anhao¡¯s, and followed along with the lyrics, "My youth had you." "And mine you," followed Qiao Anhao, slightly changing the lyrics. Hard to say who was the first to p, but what followed was a wave of apuse. Lu Jinnian hugged Qiao Anhao tightly in his arms. My youth had you, and yours had me. She was the most beautiful memory of his youth, and he was the most magnificent dream of her adolescence. - Lu Jinnian and Qiao Anhao didn¡¯t invite any press to their wedding ceremony, but an unknown guest had recorded a clip and uploaded it online. In two short hours, there were two headline topics. [The Big Lu Qiao Wedding] and [Lu Qiao Extravagantly Profess Their Love]. [The Big Lu Qiao Wedding] This thread had quite a few high quality photos of Qiao Anhao and Lu Jinnian¡¯s wedding. The entire scene looked like a dream, and the image touched everyone¡¯s inner romantic. [Lu Qiao Extravagantly Profess Their Love] contained the video of Qiao Anhao and Lu Jinnian bickering on stage. At first everyone saw the video as a joke, but then it made a lot of viewers cry. Not only did they cry over the touching thirteen year long love, but they also cried for the simr incidents in their own youth. Who hasn¡¯t ever gone through adolescence, or had their first awakening of love, or loved anyone in their wild and rebellious youth... Yet, who has relentlessly pursued that love to the very end? The most touching thing wasn¡¯t love, but that Lu Jinnian and Qiao Anhao had fulfilled the dreams of others who had given up on their love, eventually defeated by reality andck of trust in themselves. Because of the scandal, everyone had previously attacked Qiao Anhao. Even after Xu Jiamu came out to clear things up, there were still people who persistently smeared the Lu Qiao couple. However, on this day, they finally received everyone¡¯s honest blessings. They wished the Lu Qiao to live to a ripe old age together in conjugal bliss. - At three in the afternoon, Lu Jinnian took Qiao Anhao to their hotel room to get some rest. She was pregnant, so after rushing around, she must be tired. Lu Jinnian helped her get out of her difficult dress and intofortable clothes. He hugged her and asked, "Are you tired?" Qiao Anhao was actually was a little tired, but tired in a happy way. She shook her head, and gently kissed him on the lips. Lu Jinnian took the chance to kiss her deeper. Then, at the right time, he pulled away and stayed with her for a while, until his assistant called him toe down and continue entertaining the guests. Chapter 854: Ending (15) Chapter 854: Ending (15) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Qiao Anxia hadn¡¯tpletely recovered from her wound. After the ceremony ended and they finished with the reception dinner, she headed back to the hospital. With her gone, all Mother and Father Qiao could do was stay behind to support Qiao Anhao on her big day as a family. Chen Yang was also going to leave with Qiao Anxia, but eventually she stopped him by saying that she was just going to sleep in the hospital anyway so he may as well stay there and have fun for a while. It¡¯d never be toote toe overter that night. Chen Yang followed her wishes and agreed to stay, but not without personally carrying her into the car first. He fastened her seat belt and gave her a kiss on the lips. As Qiao Anxia hugged his neck, she whined for another kiss before she finally let go of him. The car had driven only for a bit when Qiao Anxia turned back to look at Chen Yang¡¯s figure through the front view mirror. He still stood at the hotel doors. Her face lit up with a beaming smile. After everything, the heavens didn¡¯t treat her all too bad. She didn¡¯t die, and she and Chen Yang had set a date for May Day to get married. When she fully recovered and was discharged from the hospital, then they could really n their wedding. By then, she imagined that she¡¯ll definitely be as happy as Qiao Anhao. She had to get better now so that she could be like her sister and have a baby with Chen Yang. The only thing she regretted as a sister was that her child would have to call Qiao Anhao¡¯s child ¡®Big Brother¡¯ or ¡®Big Sister¡¯! Back in the hospital, Qiao Anxia felt weak with exhaustion. The doctor gave her a check up to find that her wound showed signs of opening up again but it wasn¡¯t serious. After the staff fixed her up, it became no big deal. On an IV drip, Qiao Anxia didn¡¯t take long to fall into deep sleep. She didn¡¯t know if it was because of Qiao Anhao¡¯s wedding, but she had a dream. She dreamed of her and Chen Yang¡¯s wedding, until she eventually woke up with a radiant smile. The sun had set outside, the drip had been removed by the nurse, and there were already two sters stuck on her arm. She groggily shifted around as she felt around for her phone under her pillow. She wanted to call Chen Yang to ask him how things were at the wedding, but before she could find his number, she heard the sound of nurses outside chatting quietly outside her room. "Your patient really got stabbed in the uterus? Can¡¯t get pregnant?" Qiao Anxia was stunned. Her fingers were about to make the call when they suddenly froze. Then, she heard the nurse taking care of her say "shhh". "Don¡¯t say those things in my room. You¡¯re lucky she¡¯s asleep right now, if she wakes up and hears you, then I¡¯m in deep shit!" "Isn¡¯t she asleep?" asked another nurse. The nurse taking care of Qiao Anxia whispered, "I¡¯m afraid she can¡¯t get pregnant, but the family¡¯s keeping it from her. Let¡¯s talk about it outside..." With that, the door closed shut and silence returned to the room. Qiao Anxiaid dumbfounded in bed for ten whole minutes without the slightest movement, as though someone had pushed her pressure points. Until a single tear finally rolled down from the corner of her eyes. Only then did she blink, causing even more tears toe crashing down. What did they say... She damaged her uterus and won¡¯t be able to get pregnant? What did they mean by ¡¯can¡¯t get pregnant¡¯? Did that mean she would never be able to be a mother? Which went to say that the image she had had that afternoon of a cute little baby calling the baby in Qiao Anhao¡¯s belly ¡¯Big Brother¡¯ or ¡®Big Sister¡¯ would nevere into existence? Chapter 855: Ending (16) Chapter 855: Ending (16) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Qiao Anxia¡¯s eyes became hollow. Her pitch-ck pupils quivered with helplessness and loss. How could this be... She wasn¡¯t even qualified to be a mother... Was this punishment for her wrongs from the heavens? All of a sudden, Qiao Anxia broke into a sob. How long did she cry for? She didn¡¯t know. It was not until she head a knock at the door that she stopped crying, burying her head into the covers. It was the nurse. She walked up to the bed and maybe because she assumed that the patient was still asleep, she left soon after. After the door closed, Qiao Anxia popped her head out from the covers to reveal her falling tears. Her eyes stared at the snowy white ceiling in a daze, as her head went nk. The nurse returned to the room at seven in the evening. The tears on Qiao Anxia¡¯s face had dried, but the rims of her eyes were still red. Looking carefully, it wasn¡¯t hard to tell that she was just crying. "Miss Qiao, you¡¯re awake?" The nurse shot Qiao Anxia a warm smile, as she carried some food over to the table in front of her. "What a coincidence Miss Qiao, dinner¡¯s ready. I¡¯lle back to take the tray awayter." Qiao Anxia silently gave a gentle nod but didn¡¯t reach her arm out to grab her chopsticks. After an hour passed, the nurse came back to take the tray. Seeing that Qiao Anxia hadn¡¯t touched her food, she couldn¡¯t help but ask worriedly, "Miss Qiao, why haven¡¯t you touched your food? Are you not feeling well?" Qiao Anxia appeared exhausted when she shook her head. She was about to signal for the nurse to take the food away, when suddenly the door swung open. Chen Yang walked in, dressed in the best man¡¯s suit. "Mr. Chen, you¡¯re back?" The nurse turned her head and greeted Chen Yang, then said, "We don¡¯t know what¡¯s wrong... Miss Qiao didn¡¯t really eat dinner." Chen Yang furrowed his brows. He walked over to the front of the bed, reached his hand out to touch the tray and realized that the food was a little cold. He asked the nurse to get a new one, then took a seat by the bed. He felt Qiao Anxia¡¯s forehead and rxed when he felt that her temperature was normal. His voice was tender when he spoke. "Why aren¡¯t you eating dinner? Is the food not to your liking or are you not feeling well?" Chen Yang¡¯s series of movements made Qiao Anxia¡¯s heart ache, causing tears to surge again. She quickly lowered them, trying her best to control her emotions, and attempted to sound as normal as possible. "No, perhaps I ate too much at Qiao Qiao¡¯s reception. I¡¯m not really hungry right now." "But you have to eat a little or how will you recover." Qiao Anxia silently gave a gentle nod and buried herself into his arms. The nurse swiftly brought over a new tray of food. Chen Yang could tell that Qiao Anxia didn¡¯t really have an appetite, so he fed her one spoonful after another. When she finished eating, he even helped her wipe the corner of her lips. After half an hour, he watched as she took her medicine and helped her brush her teeth, before he put her back in bed. He knew that she loved her face. Even if she didn¡¯t put on any make up, she had to wash her face every night, so he carefully wiped it with a cleansing facial wipe. Since Qiao Anxia woke up, Chen Yang would do these things for her every single day. Before, her heart was filled with happiness, but now it just ached deeply. It wasn¡¯t like he didn¡¯t know... She couldn¡¯t give birth now, she was disabled, and would never be able to give him aplete family. Why was he treating her so well? Chapter 856: Ending(17) Chapter 856: Ending£¨17£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Just as Cheng Yang was tossing the makeup wipes in the bin, he saw Qiao Anxia staring at him. Bending forward, he patted her face and lightly asked, "What are you thinking about?" Qiao Anxia snapped out of her daze and shook her head, her eyes still focused on him. He chuckled as he stood up, then walked to the sofa that was piled full of things. Qiao Anxia knew that he was finding her makeup bag. She stared at his back for a while more before asking, "Cheng Yang, would you prefer a boy or a girl?" She could clearly see him still, but the next moment, he turned, ncing at her. "Why the sudden question?" Qiao Anxia could sense his nervousness, it was as though he was worried about something. "Even Qiao Qiao is pregnant, I think it¡¯s time we consider this issue. So, do you prefer a boy or a girl?" Cheng Yang calmed slightly upon her response. "You want to hear the truth?" "Hmm," she replied. Then added, "Obviously." Cheng Yang headed over to the bed with her makeup bag. He removed a cream, squeezing a bit onto his palm before applying it lightly onto her face. Staring straight into her eyes, he replied seriously, "Children are too troublesome, I would much prefer just the two of us." Did he say that because he knew she couldn¡¯t get pregnant? He once told her that if she gave birth to a boy, he could protect her, but if she gave birth to a girl, he would protect the both of them... Qiao Anxia stared into his eyes, starting to get emotional. Cheng Yang ced the bottle of cream onto the table. Reaching for her hands, he continued, "Xia Xia, once you¡¯re discharged, let¡¯s get our wedding certificate." Her eyes started to sting, and she lowered her them, nodding lightly. A bright smile tainted Cheng Yang¡¯s lips. Bending, he nted a kiss on her forehead. "Alright, it¡¯s gettingte, you should rest now." Qiao Anxia struggled to keep a smile, her lips trembling. "Mmh, goodnight." "Night." Cheng Yang caressed her hair and tucked her in before heading to the bathroom. Only when she heard the sound of running water did she finally copse. Hiding under the nket, she started to cry. He said he wanted to marry her... But how could the Qiao Anxia now be his bride? She didn¡¯t regret saving Qiao Anhao. Even if she hadn¡¯t done her any wrong and the same incident were to repeat, she would still protect her selflessly... Hence, she never once med anyone for the consequences. But she couldn¡¯t let Cheng Yang shoulder the burden with her.... - Today, Lu Jinnian was joyous from deep within, and he never rejected anyone when they came forward to toast him. Towards the end, he started to sway slightly from the alcohol. Before all the guests had left, he was already dead drunk. Xu Jiamu and the assistant had to carry him all the way up. Xu Jiamu remained downstairs with Mother and Father Qiao all the way till 7 pm. When the guests were finally gone and he was going to rest, his phone started to ring. Chapter 857: Ending(18) Chapter 857: Ending£¨18£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Xu Jiamu stopped and reached for his phone. It was an unknown number. After hesitating slightly, he answered the call. - Song Xiangsi wasn¡¯t far from Xu Jiamu when his phone rang. Instinctively, she turned.The instance he picked up the call, his face fell, and the next instance he dashed out of the hotel. Something must have happened. Song Xiangsi hesitated for a heartbeat before finally following right after him. When his car started, she pulled open the passenger seat and nted herself down. Xu Jiamu took a quick nce, and without chasing her out he mmed into the elerator, turning the steering wheel. The car was silent the entire journey. Xu Jiamu drove over the speed limit, and Song Xiangsi could distinctively feel his hands trembling as he held onto the steering wheel. The car stopped at the entrance of People¡¯s Hospital. Xu Jiamu didn¡¯t head to the emergency building but instead continued on to the remote mortuary. There was a policeman standing outside it. He seemed to recognize Xu Jiamu, for he brought him in when he arrived. Song Xiangsi stood at the entrance, absorbing the eeriness that the ce was emitting. She stilled, hesitated, but in the end, she still wasn¡¯t able to enter. The policeman led Xu Jiamu to one of the beds. There was a corpse lying there, its face covered with a piece of white cloth. Xu Jiamu stared at the white cloth for a long while, trembling. In time, he pulled it downwards, revealing Han Ruchu¡¯s pale but peaceful face. "She bit her tongue and choked to death on the blood." Song Xiangsi turned to nce at Xu Jiamu. He had on a solemn expression. Not once did he open his mouth as he gazed at Han Ruchu. The room was silent. After about five minutes, Xu Jiamu released the white cloth and took a step back. "Contact the crematorium." His voice was calm but Song Xiangsi could see moisture welling up in his eyes. - Han Ruchu was an only child. When she married Xu Wanli, the Han family¡¯s business went under Xu family¡¯s business. After her parents passed away, Han Ruchu rarely contacted the rtives from her side of the family. Originally, she had some close friends within the circle, but after so many things happened, her reputation was in tatters. No one was willing to be in contact with her, and since she didn¡¯t contact others much, gradually she was left all by herself. When she was still alive, there weren¡¯t many people she was close to and now that she was dead, why would anyone be willing to send her off? Even her husband Xu Wanli was currently impossible to contact overseas. In the end, on her deathbed, the only one there was the son who she believed had betrayed and abandoned her. Xu Jiamu didn¡¯t hold a funeral for her. Funerals were meant for people to mourn but his mother¡¯s life had been surrounded by schemes and menace, even if he held one, it would end up as a joke. Throughout the entire cremation and burial, Song Xiangsi stayed by his side. Chapter 858: Ending(19) Chapter 858: Ending£¨19£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Xu Jiamu personally chose the photo for the tombstone. It was taken by Xu Wanli when they were on their honeymoon. In the photo, Han Ruchu had on a dazzling smile, her face emitting vigor and confidence. In Xu Jiamu¡¯s memory, his mother had never smiled like that. In front of him, she was always caring and motherly. When she was with Xu Wanli, they were always a loving couple, but behind close doors, they were strangers that didn¡¯t meddle in each other¡¯s business. When Xu Jiamu received the call informing him about her suicide, he was on the brink of copse. Even while he was driving, all he could think about was the previous night when she was finally willing to speak to him. At that time, he told her that he would wait for her toe out... Why would she kill herself? But when her body was finally cremated, he felt unusually calm. His mother had indeed forgiven him but she didn¡¯t want to live anymore. She told him, "Jiamu, take good care of yourself." At that time, she must have alreadye to the decision. Maybe when she said that, she had already regretting how she¡¯d led her life to this tragedy. But it was all toote, she could no longer turn back after spending her entire life in hatred. When she was suddenly asked to put down the hate, she was probably confused as to how to continue, choosing the easy way out. Death was able to rid her off her torment. What about her? She was finally able to free herself. Xu Jiamu understood that to Han Ruchu, death was much better than living. . When she was alive, the immense amount of hatred and sorrow she felt had driven her to be a demon. When she was finally buried, Xu Jiamu could no longer hold it in. He knelt in front of the tombstone, tears streaming down his face. Regardless of her misdoings, she was after all his mother. She was the one who had suffered in pregnancy for ten long months and had brought him up giving him all the best. In her entire life, even if she never treated others sincerely, he couldn¡¯t deny that she had treated him wholeheartedly. After Xu Jiamu and Song Xiangsi left, it was already 5 am the next morning. From the dark skies, there was a tiny drizzle. Now that it was still early spring, the night rain had them trembling in cold. Xu Jiamu removed his jacket, cing it on Song Xiangsi¡¯s shoulders. He took her hand and they carefully tread down the wet staircase. They didn¡¯t talk, silently taking in each other¡¯s presence. Sometimes, a silentpanion could triumph over a thousand words. It was 11 am when they returned to the city, the skies already bright. While Xu Jiamu bathed, Song Xiangsi headed downstairs to grab breakfast. When she returned, sheid the breakfast on the table. Walking over to the dishwasher, she grabbed a few tes over. Just as she was about to put them down, the bedroom door open. Xu Jiamu held up her phone with soaking wet hair. "Phone." It was ringing repeatedly. Song Xiangsi reached over for the phone. After ncing at the screen, she answered the call. "Xiangsi, what time will you be in the hospital?" She instinctively turned to nce at Xu Jiamu¡ªhe was using a towel to dry his hair. "I¡¯m a little busy now, can I contact you in a few days?" Chapter 859: Ending(20) Chapter 859: Ending£¨20£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem After Song Xiangsi hung up, Xu Jiamu causally asked, "Who called?" In her memory, he had never asked about her personal life so she was startled by his sudden interest. Randomly, she found an excuse, "It¡¯s from an advertiser but since I¡¯m a little busy recently, I didn¡¯t want to take on anything." "Oh." "Lets have breakfast," she said, casually changing the topic. Xu Jiamu nodded and walked towards the dinning table. With chopsticks, he picked up a bun and stuffed it into his mouth. Lifting his head, he nced at Song Xiangsi. "If you¡¯re tired, you should just retire. Haven¡¯t you been mentioning quitting for quite some time?" Song Xiangsi swept a nce at him and joked, "Where am I going to get my ie then? Are you going to feed me?" "I can," Xu Jiamu replied without hesitation. Song Xiangsi froze, ncing at him before adding jokingly, "I don¡¯t want to just be a bimbo." Xu Jiamu¡¯s lips went up. Song Xiangsi¡¯s eyes darkened. Bending, she continued to eat the porridge. Xu Jiamu stared at her, repeating the conversation just now. Are you going to feed me? I can. As he pondered over it, he seemed to have figured things out. - Lu Jinnian and Qiao Anhao only found out about Han Ruchu¡¯s death three days after the wedding. At that time, Qiao Anhao had just visited Qiao Anxia at the hospital, and since it was still early, they decided to shop around the mall for baby products. While they were looking at baby cots, the sales attendant came forward to introduce the products enthusiastically before asking, "Which one would Mr. and Mrs. Lu prefer?" Lu Jinnian pointed to a cot made from solid wood. "This." Qiao Anhao pointed to a cot with a prettier design. "This" Together, they replied at the same time. ncing at each other, they pointed to the cot the other party had chosen before speaking at the same time yet again. "This one then!" Both of them wanted to choose the cot the other one preferred but after three tries, they still weren¡¯t able toe to a conclusion. Irritated, Qiao Anhao could no longer hold it in. "Lu Jinnian, stop being so fickle. Which one do you want?" ¡®But you¡¯re fickle too...¡¯ Lu Jinnian retorted silently. Looking towards the sales attendant, he said, "We want both." Just as he was about to reach for his card, his phone rang, it was a call from his assistant. Lu Jinnian listened as he made payment, his face darkening with each second. Qiao Anhao nced at his expression, starting to get nervous as well. "I understand." With just two words, Lu Jinnian hung up. After leaving the delivery address, he left the baby shop with Qiao Anhao. When they were out, he turned to look at her. "Qiao Qiao, Han Ruchu is dead." Dead? Qiao Anhao¡¯s mouth went wide in shock as she nced at Lu Jinnian in disbelief. Chapter 860: Ending(21) Chapter 860: Ending£¨21£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Qiao Anhao¡¯s mouth went wide in shock as she nced at Lu Jinnian in disbelief. After a moment, she asked, "How did she die?" "She bit her tongue,mitting suicide." After a short pause, he added, "She died yesterday and the burial was done that night." It was actually the day before, on their wedding, but Xu Jiamu had pushed the date forward by one day. Qiao Anhao remained silent. Han Ruchu had done many bad things - she had killed their child, caused Qiao Anxia to never have children, made Lu Jinnianmit suicide... The more she had thought about it, the more she had wanted to murder her... But now that she was really dead, she couldn¡¯t help feeling sympathetic. Regardless of circumstances, death is never a good news. Qiao Anhao lost the mood to shop, heading back to Mian Xiu Garden with Lu Jinnian. On the way back, she sighed. "I never expected her to die just like that, even though in the past I really wished she would just drop dead." Lu Jinnian remained silent, focusing on the road ahead. - After the wedding, Qiao Anhao only had one job - have a smooth pregnancy. Qiao Anxia also had one job - rest until she was alright. Lu Jinnian moved the majority of his work home, and ever since Qiao Anhao became pregnant, he specifically employed Madam Chen, who had served them previously when they were acting as a couple. As for Xu Jiamu, he resumed his work three days after his mother passed away. Everyone seemed to be living peacefully, putting everything behind them. Seven days after Han Ruchu passed away, Xu Jiamu headed over to the cemetery to buy her some incense and to ce a bouquet of flowers. When he was back to Su Yuan apartment, it was already 9 pm. When he opened the apartment door, he heard sounds from the television. Lifting his head, he nced over at the living room. Song Xiangsi was huddled on the sofa with a light nket covering her. The image wasforting, so with his lips lifting into smile, he ced his car keys on the cab before walking over. "Have you eaten?" Only after he asked did he realize she was already asleep. ¡®Isn¡¯t it still early... How can she have fallen asleep?¡¯ Xu Jiamu mumbled internally. Subconsciously, he knelt down to stare at her face. After a long while, he stood up and carried her to the bedroom gingerly. After cing her on the bed, he tucked her in. Just then, she opened her zed eyes and asked sleepily, "You¡¯re back?" "Mmh." Song Xiangsi sat up. "Have you eaten?" Xu Jiamu shook his head. "I left you dinner, it¡¯s in the sk." Song Xiangsi turned, preparing to get up. Xu Jiamu reached out to stop her. "I¡¯ll do it, you should sleep." "It¡¯s okay, I slept enough." Due to her pregnancy, she was often asleep so it didn¡¯t matter whether or not she slept now. Xu Jiamu followed her out of the bedroom. He leaned against the dinning table, staring as she heated the food. Unknowingly, his lips curled upwards into a smile. Even though Song Xiangsi had already eaten, she sat with him as he ate. Chapter 861: Ending(22) Chapter 861: Ending£¨22£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Just then, themercial break ended and a new variety show "Where are we going, dad?" started airing. The little boy inside the program was exceptionally cute, his words novel and refreshing, delighting Song Xiangsi. "He¡¯s adorable!" shemented. Towards the end of the show, she eximed, "I hope my child would be this cute!" Xu Jiamu had always been careful about anti-pregnancy measures so he wasn¡¯t bothered by her words. As he chewed on the rice, he casually replied, "Our child would definitely be much cuter." Our child... Those two words caused her heart to tremble, a wave of emotions gushing through her. Was it just a casual remark or did he really want a child with her? Song Xiangsi was confused. After a long while, she turned to nce at Xu Jiamu. "Jiamu..." "Mmh?" He lifted his head towards her. "What¡¯s is it?" Song Xiangsi lowered her eyes while smiling brightly. Just as she was about to continue, his phone started to ring. She swallowed the words that she was about to say and using her chin pointed towards the phone. Even though it was just a nce, she could clearly see the name on his phone screen: Lin Qianqian. Xu Jiamu swept a nce at the screen. Slowly, he picked up the phone but didn¡¯t rush to answer it, instead, he looked over at Song Xiangsi. "What is it?" Song Xiangsi shook her head, indicating him to to answer his call. Xu Jiamu swiped the phone screen and ced the phone by his ear. "Princess Lin, what can I do for you?" "Brother Jiamu, my father will be back from Beijing tomorrow afternoon, as my fiance, you shoulde over for a meal..." Ever since the start of the year after they had verbally initiated the engagement, Lin Qianqian had been calling him her fiance. Even though he was already used to the term, he suddenly felt anxious in front of Song Xiangsi. Instinctively, he raised his palm to cover the speaker. Turning to her, he pointed to the balcony. Song Xiangsi sat alone at the dinning table, looking at him as he walked to the balcony. After entering, he had even closed the doors... With a door in between, Song Xiangsi wasn¡¯t able to hear a word he said. But just now when he was beside her, she had clearly heard what the girl Lin Qianqian had said. "Brother Jiamu, my father will be back from Beijing tomorrow afternoon, as my fiance, you shoulde over for a meal..." Was Xu Jiamu going to visit his father-inw tomorrow? Just a moment ago, she had naively wanted to ask what if she was pregnant? Were they going to marry or would she have to get an abortion? There must be something wrong with her. After just a few days of care and concern, she thought that he had fallen for her. Song Xiangsi stared at the balcony, her expression turning zed. Chapter 862: Ending(23) Chapter 862: Ending£¨23£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Xu Jiamu had been nning to speak with Lin Qianqian for the past two days. Now that she called, he agreed without hesitation. They arranged to meet the next day at noon, and while she rambled on as usual, Xu Jiamu took a puff of a cigarette impatiently. ncing into the room, he could see Song Xiangsi staring at him, and his heart skipped a beat. Hurriedly, he ended the call. "I¡¯m busy right now, we can talk tomorrow." Without waiting for her to respond, he decisively hung up. Lifting his cigarette up to his mouth, he took two swift puffs before heading back to the living room. After settling back in, he turned his phone to silent, afraid of Lin Qianqian¡¯s constant harassment. Turning over to Song Xiangsi, he asked again, "What did you want to say just now?" "Remember to get some fruits before youe home," she lied perfectly. "Oh." Xu Jiamu lowered his head and continued to eat, but just then, he seemed to have thought of something. "What fruit do you want?" he mumbled through a mouthful of food. "Anything is fine," Song Xiangsi replied casually while watching the television. "Mmh." - The next day, Xu Jiamu got up early, as usual for work. Song Xiangsi was already awake when he prepared but only when he left did she open her eyes. Sitting up, she stared out the window at the brightening skies before heading to the bathroom. When she was done preparing, she didn¡¯t get breakfast. Instead, she went to theptop in the study room to browse for flights. Closing theptop after, she walked to the safe at the corner. She retrieved her passport, stuffed it in her bag, and left the apartment. Song Xiangsi first drove to Xu Enterprise. After about half an hour, she saw Xu Jiamu¡¯s car drive out of the underground car park. Once his car was a distance away, she started her car and followed behind, ending up at Jade Wave Garden. The moment he left the car, the girl grabbed onto his elbow, hugging it while bringing him into Jade Wave Garden animatedly. Song Xiangsi stared at his figure until it disappeared. Forcing her gaze away, she sat in silence for a long while before reaching for her phone to make a call. "It¡¯s me, Xiangsi. ... Mmh, yes, the surgery. ... Is today afternoon okay? Great. ... I¡¯ll go over now. " Tears started to stream down her face, and she reached up to brush her face haphazardly. Reaching for the steering wheel after, she started the car. Song Xiangsi was really afraid that she would regret her decision. The moment she reached the hospital, she registered, paid, took a check up, and filled up the forms efficiently. The gynecologist looked through the forms carefully, then turned to her and asked, "Xiangsi, let me ask you onest time, do you really want to abort this child?" Chapter 863: Ending (24) Chapter 863: Ending (24) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem The gynecologist looked through the forms carefully, then turned to her and asked, "Xiangsi, let me ask you onest time, do you really want to abort this child?" Song Xiangsi wore a calm expression on her face, which gave off a ruthless and apathetic feeling. Then, she said in a bone-chillingly cold voice, "Yes." "You really don¡¯t want to think about it some more?" asked the gynecologist again. Seeing as Song Xiangsi turned her head and looked out of the window in annoyance, the doctor handed over the check up results, then returned to her professional voice. "Results show that there are no problems. Please prepare yourself. In half an hour¡¯s time, I will personally perform the operation." - Soon after Xu Jiamu and Lin Qianqian entered the private dining room, Father Lin also arrived. Lin Qianqian hugged Father Lin¡¯s arm for a good while. Seeing this, Xu Jiamu, who sat in his seat beside them, only just gave them a gentle smile and lowered his eyes. The waiter brought over the menu. Father Lin ordered two healthy dishes, then passed the menu back to the waiter to hand it to Lin Qianqian and Xu Jiamu. Lin Qianqian flipped through the menu. With every dish, she would turn her head and ask Xu Jiamu, "Big Brother Jiamu, do you like to eat this?" Once she finished flipping to the final page of the menu, Xu Jiamu told Lin Qianqian in a t tone, "I came here today to talk, not eat, so order what you like." "Oh." Lin Qianqian pouted, and casually ordered some dishes. After the waiter confirmed her order and left, she tilted her head, looked over at him, and asked, "Big Brother Jiamu, did you have something to talk to my dad about? Go ahead, my dad will definitely promise you." Xu Jiamu smiled. "Today, what I want to talk about isn¡¯t business rted, but private." With that, he paused for a moment before speaking again. "Let¡¯s eat first, and we¡¯ll talk about it after." Father Lin remained calm and earnestly gave a nod. Lin Qianqian¡¯s pitch ck eyes turned. Every now and then, she¡¯d sneak a nce at Xu Jiamu. The waiter quickly wheeled in a cart of beautiful dishes. There weren¡¯t many dishes but they looked so exquisite, it worked up people¡¯s appetite. The three of them silently started to eat, but Xu Jiamu didn¡¯t have much of an appetite. When Lin Qianqian put her chopsticks down, she realized that there wasn¡¯t a single trace of oil on his te. "Big Brother Jiamu are you not feeling well? Why aren¡¯t you eating?" she asked. Instead of replying to her, Xu Jiamu¡¯s gaze fell on Father Lin¡¯s face. "Uncle, the question you just asked is exactly what I wanted to speak to you about today." Lin Qianqian wore a face of joy. "Big Brother Jiamu, daddy just asked you when you¡¯ll marry me. Just when do you n to marry me?" Xu Jiamu nced over at the smiling girl before unhurriedly meeting Father Lin¡¯s eyes again. "This marriage, I won¡¯t go through with it." The expression on Lin Qianqian¡¯s face instantly froze. A slither of a surprised smile still lingered on the corners of her lips. Father Lin stared into Xu Jiamu¡¯s eyes with a sh of confusion. Both father and daughter didn¡¯t say a word. The private room fell silent. Xu Jiamu sat calmly in his seat. After about a minute, he repeated the words he¡¯d just said once more. "My sincere apologies, I can¡¯t go through with this wedding." Chapter 864: Ending (25) Chapter 864: Ending (25) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Xu Jiamu didn¡¯t know how to do it the first time, couldn¡¯t do it the second time... Then, he gained a lot more determination. So much so that at that very moment, the expression on his face was unusually serious and dignified. It was as though he practically had a duty to do what he was going to do. Sitting beside him, Lin Qianqian blinked, and finally snapped to her senses. Tears rolled down her face. "Big Brother Jiamu, are you joking..." Xu Jiamu was silent. Tears poured down the girl¡¯s face. "Big Brother Jiamu, don¡¯t forget that my daddy promised that if you marry me, then that piece ofnd, Dongyuan, will be yours... and that coboration with Chengsi..." Xu Jiamu remained silent. The expression on his face didn¡¯t have a trace of warmth. Lin Qianqian suddenly stood up in anger from Xu Jiamu¡¯s indifference. "Big Brother Jiamu, Dongyuan and Chengsi, you¡¯ve had your eye on them for a long time. Could it be that you don¡¯t want them anymore?" "I don¡¯t want them." Xu Jiamu finally spoke up. Inparison to Lin Qianqian¡¯s emotional disy, he was evidently calm, as though this was something in which he had put some serious consideration. "I thought about it deeply for a long while. I don¡¯t want any of it." Father Lin, who had remained quiet from the very start, asked, "Why?" Xu Jiamu turned away from the sobbing Lin Qianqian beside him and stared at Father Lin, and said in a heavy tone, "Because there¡¯s something I treasure more." "A woman?" asked Father Lin. "A woman," repeated Xu Jiamu, with a firm tone. "Is it worth it?" asked Father Lin in response as though he had heard a funny joke. "For a woman, you can give up such a bright future? Don¡¯t you forget, once you get Dongyuan and Chengsi, the entire business scene of Beijing will be yours to rule..." "The world is an unworthy exchange for her." It was obvious that Xu Jiamu didn¡¯t want to talk about it. With that reply, he stood right up, grabbed his jacket, and politely said "Goodbye", as he walked out of the private dining room. When he pulled the doors open, he stopped outside and called for the waiter, "Check, please." He then shut the doors, silencing the faint, heart-wrenching cries of Lin Qianqian. - It was three in the afternoon when Xu Jiamu left Jade Wave Garden, the time when the sun was fiercest. He stood at the entrance with his head up high, staring at the bright sun in the sky. He suddenly felt the most rxed and peaceful he had felt in a long time. Ever since he were little till now, he felt that men ought to rule the business world, like the heroes in ancient history who fought on the battlefields in high spirits. He thought that all that romantic, lovey-dovey stuff waspletely unimportant. So he never thought about love or marriage whilst he was with Song Xiangsi for seven years. But sometimes, even if you don¡¯t think about it, that doesn¡¯t mean that love won¡¯te. There were many times when he was really confused. At first, when he and Song Xiangsi broke up, he wondered why he was so angry. He was the one who obviously left the apartment in anger, and yet why did he linger outside the door, not wanting to really leave? Then, he waited three whole hours for her but she didn¡¯te out. He had felt a ball of fire in his heart burn, intensifying as time went by. Eventually, he stormed downstairs to his car and sped off. And because of how emotional he was, he got into an ident. After he woke up, he was even more annoyed when she didn¡¯te to see him. Chapter 865: Ending (26) Chapter 865: Ending (26) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem When he bumped into her at the Royal Pce, and saw just how nonchnt she was, he got so angry he dragged her back home and pped her. He never understood... Why was he so angry? He didn¡¯t understand for several months. It was not until recently, when she randomly showed her colors, that he stopped fighting her. Instead, he wanted to cheer her up. That¡¯s when he realized that something was wrong with him. He even wanted to buy her a ring... Later on, his mother was imprisoned for murder, thenmitted suicide and was buried. She loyally stayed by his side through it all, and that¡¯s when he finally understood. At first, he bought her for five million bucks in the spur of a moment. Why did he stay with her for almost eight years after that? Although he looked good, his background was good, and so many women woulde flocking towards him, during those seven years, why did he not touch any other woman besides her? All this... How could he have not realized it after so many years... It was like he never understood that he¡¯d long ago unwittingly fallen in love with that woman, Song Xiangsi. When exactly did he fall in love, he did not know, but it silently cultivated it¡¯s strength over the years. It let him love her deeper and deeper, till the point where... he had to have her, or nothing would matter. - Xu Jiamu started the car and drove into the crowded road. He didn¡¯t go back to the office but to "Bliss for a Hundred Years". Inside, there were a few couples picking out rings. The women¡¯s faces would glow with happiness when they tried on the rings. Xu Jiamu couldn¡¯t help but curve the corners of his lips as he walked over to the disy and stopped in front of a pink diamond ring he had been staring at before. "Sir, how may I help you?" asked the sale assistantdy with a wholehearted smile. Xu Jiamu gave a light nod, then pointed at the pink diamond ring to signal for her to take it out for him to see. He brought the ring in front of him. It was far more breathtaking up close than on disy. Xu Jiamu took a good look at it in satisfaction, then gave the sales assistant Song Xiangsi¡¯s finger measurements. He had secretly gotten themst night after she fell asleep. "Apologies sir, we don¡¯t have the right size. May I ask, do you urgently need it? If not, we can get one of our specialists to help you adjust it." "Alright." Xu Jiamu gave a nod, then pulled out his card to settle the bill. It was five in the afternoon when he received the adjusted ring. He checked it twice to confirm that there weren¡¯t any problems, then put it into the ring box and left with the box in his inner pocket. On the way home, he gave China World Hotel a call, booked a room, and told them to prepare a bouquet of flowers. Just as the car was about to reach Su Yuan apartments, he remembered thatst night Song Xiangsi had asked him to buy some fruit for today, so he turned his car back to the supermarket. Song Xiangsi told him to decided himself, and so he just picked some of each fruit. In the end, he realized it was too much and left the supermarket with their address and asked them to deliver it to his doorstep. Then, he drove home. He opened the door. The apartment was silent, and the room glowed half red from the setting sun outside the windows. Xu Jiamu scanned the living room but didn¡¯t see Song Xiangsi, so he called her name. No answer. He changed into slippers and walked over to the bedroom. When he pushed open the doors, he saw that it was empty. Chapter 866: Ending (27) Chapter 866: Ending (27) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Not at home? Xu Jiamu furrowed his brows, pulled out his phone, then called Song Xiangsi. When the call just went through, he heard the faint ringing of someone¡¯s phone behind. He turned around, pushed open the living room door, and immediately put his phone away. He rushed over to Song Xiangsi and asked, "Where did you go?" Song Xiangsi didn¡¯t look too good. Her hair was draped loosely in a mess bun. When she heard his voice, she raised her head, shot him a nce, and let her head fall down again to change into her slippers. Xu Jiamu spoke again. "I booked a table at the China World Hotel. Don¡¯t change your shoes, let¡¯s go straight there to eat." It was like Song Xiangsi hadn¡¯t hear him at all. Without warning, she walked over to the dining room, poured herself a cup of water, and started to take a drink. After being ignored twice, Xu Jiamu furrowed his brows again. "What¡¯s wrong? You¡¯re in a bad mood?" After she downed the cup of water, and put the cup down, she didn¡¯t go tot he living room, but leaned against the dining table behind her. She turned her head and stared at Xu Jiamu, then said, "I went to the hospital this afternoon." Hospital? Xu Jiamu¡¯s face was instantly filled with anxiety, and he didn¡¯t think twice to rush over to her side. "What¡¯s wrong? Where are you sick? Why did you go to the hospital and not tell me? I could of gone with you..." Song Xiangsi didn¡¯t wait for him to finish, interrupting him without warning. "I¡¯m pregnant." A sense of disbelief rose within Xu Jiamu¡¯s eyes and an hard to exin sense of happiness overcame his heart. He was instantly left stunned, and his lips started to curl upward. "Really..." Before he could finish though, Song Xiangsi turned around and pulled out a few pieces of paper and handed them to him. "Pregnancy check up report?" Xu Jiamu asked happily in response. He took the papers, lowered his head, and read on. After just two lines of words his expression ran cold. The hand clutching the papers started to tremble frantically. He stared for a good long time before he raised his head with bloodshot eyes and asked Song Xiangsi, "What is this?". She shot him a gentle smile as she heartlessly said, "It¡¯s there in ck and white. Can you not clearly read it, young master Xu?" Xu Jiamu stared at Song Xiangsi, his breath bing unsteady. Song Xiangsi continued to smile as she grabbed the paper from Xu Jiamu¡¯s hand and used an incredibly rxed tone to read it aloud for him. "Song Xiangsi, female, surgical abortion..." "Shut your mouth!" Xu Jiamu roared suddenly. Song Xiangsi continued to read like she didn¡¯t hear a word he had just said. He abruptly snatched the papers from her and threw them hard across her face. "Shut your fucking mouth! You hear me!" Song Xiangsi really shut her mouth. She looked back into Xu Jiamu¡¯s eyes with a dark yet serene and tranquil expression. At that very moment, Xu Jiamu felt like Song Xiangsi¡¯s eyes were unusually frightening. He pointed to the piece of paper and said in a trembling voice, "You really aborted my child?" "Yes..." Song Xiangsi nodded. "It¡¯s gone. If you need it, I can read the abortion papers again for you..." With that, she bent down to pick up the papers Xu Jiamu had thrown to the ground. Her fingertips didn¡¯t manage to touch the papers before Xu Jiamu suddenly reached his arm out and grabbed her arm. He mercilessly dragged her and pushed her down onto the table. "I¡¯ll ask you onest time, did you really abort my child?" Chapter 867: Ending (28) Chapter 867: Ending (28) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem "How many times do I need to repeat it for you to believe it?" Song Xiangsi stared back into Xu Jiamu¡¯s eyes. After a pause, she spoke again. "Yes, I aborted your child..." Xu Jiamu¡¯s expression instantly turned sinister. He aggressively grabbed her shoulder and violently shook her. Her head mmed into the dining table with a loud thud. The pain drilled right into Song Xiangsi¡¯s heart, but besides her paleplexion, she appearedpletely calm and emotionless. Her stillness sessfully defeated Xu Jiamu¡¯s heart, making himpletely lose his sense. Without so much as a second thought, he raised his arms to strangle her. "Give me back my child! Give me back my child! I¡¯ll strangle you to death! Strangle you to death!" Song Xiangsi just shut her eyes,pletelyposed, as she let him strangle her. She didn¡¯t struggle, fight back, or beg for mercy. Her breathing gradually became unsteady, and just when she thought she was really going to die of suffocation, he suddenly let go of her neck. He brutally seized her from the dining table and shoved her hard onto the sofa by the side. Song Xiangsi was dizzy from being thrown around. She instinctively covered her abdomen, as she heard the deafening crash of something being smashed. She turned her head to see Xu Jiamu like an all-out crazy person, hurling any object that could be lifted to the ground. He even carried the dining chair and threw it all over the ce, smashing all the ss lights. As they came scattering down, some crashed onto his head and cut his own face, but he didn¡¯t react to it at all. The sound of breaking ss rang for over an hour before it came to a stop. The entire living room was in tatters and there was practically nowhere to stand. At that moment, Xu Jiamu had used up all his strength. He stared at her, heaving, for a long long time, before he staggered over. He stooped down, grabbed her chin and stared directly into her eyes. With curled lips, he started to chuckle. "Song Xiangsi, you¡¯re something... You¡¯re really something... "You¡¯re far more ruthless than I imagined... They say no matter how vicious, a tiger would never eat their own... You¡¯re so fucking heartless, you even killed your own child! "What fucking right do you have to abort my child? Did you ever ask me?" "Huh huh..." As Xu Jiamu spoke, he started tough on his own. His eyes became wet, and he wouldn¡¯t stop nodding at her. Then, all of a sudden, he opened his eyes, and stared out into the dark skies out the window. "Eight years... After today, we¡¯d have known each other for eight years..." Eight years... such a long long time... all of a sudden, he felt a little bewildered. He wanted to propose to her tonight, but that beautiful ideapletely shattered with her abortion papers. She didn¡¯t want his child, so why would she care for him? That¡¯s right... He always thought that he loved her, but he never considered whether she ever liked him after their whole deal. Xu Jiamu let out another chuckle. He stared into her pretty, teary, red eyes, and after much thought, said, "Song Xiangsi, from today onwards we have absolutely nothing to do with each other!" Chapter 868: Ending (29) Chapter 868: Ending (29) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Over a year ago, she wanted to break up with him. After he woke up from hisa, he came to find her a few times. Each and every time, she would fight him measure for measure, so he stopped disturbing her. Thinking back, at that time, they were kind of on a break. If he hadn¡¯t gone to Su Yuan apartments, bumped into her, or hugged her, then perhaps they would of truly ended... Actually, in the eight years they had been together, he never mentioned a thing about marriage, nor did she talk to him about love. Even when she would get into scandals with other men in the entertainment industry, he would never question her and she would never have to exin herself to him. The two of them had a mutual understanding to not concern themselves with or reveal their private lives to the other person. In actuality, it was a business deal. A deal which eventually moved him. Eight years, eight years hade to such an ending. It¡¯s just a shame that in the end, he wasn¡¯t Lu Jinnian and she wasn¡¯t Qiao Anhao. Even if they went on like this for much longer, they would never be able to have such a beautiful story like those two. Xu Jiamu slowly released Song Xiangsi¡¯s chin, and took two steps back. He then turned around, tears rolling down his face. There was no hesitation in his step when he strode out of the apartment. - The very moment the door closed, Song Xiangsi couldn¡¯t contain her tears any longer, and they came crashing down in the end. It was over... It was finally over. Eight years. After being together for as long as eight years, at this very moment, they finally ended it. Since the moment she knew him, she knew that they didn¡¯t belong to the same world. She was Cindere, and he was the prince, but they didn¡¯t live in a fairy tale. In reality, she had always told herself not to love him, but... she let herself down. In the end, she still fell in love with him. She had clearly tried to force herself to give up on him a few times, but she failed on every attempt. In the end, she had no other choice but to force herself into a dead end with her own hands. She killed his child, and let himpletely and utterly hate her. Just as she¡¯d wished, he said ¡¯Song Xiangsi, from this day forth, we have absolutely nothing to do with each other!¡¯. She had no other way out... For over half a year, she had wanted topletely cut off all ties between them, and now she finally did it. She couldn¡¯t get angry with anyone else. With her ow hands, she forced herself into a dead end. She didn¡¯t even have ce to regret what she did. In this lifetime, the two of them would never be able to be together. She didn¡¯t even have a chance at being his secretly ashamed lover. This road was clearly the one she chose herself... She knew that she was too softhearted when it came to him, so she had to be decisive. Yet, why was she this hurt after she got what she wished for? Eight years! Eight years! She personally killed all ties between her and the person she had loved for eight years. From here on out, for the rest of their lives, they parted ways, never to have any rtion with one another. Song Xiangsi finally couldn¡¯t help but cry out loud. Eventually, she cried till her entire body trembled. She covered her abdomen and let out a tragic and helpless sob. At nine o¡¯clock, she dragged her suitcase from Su Yuan apartments, hailed a taxi, and headed straight for the airport. At eleven o¡¯clock, she boarded a ne. When she entered the airport, she chucked her mobile phone into a bin. At half past eleven, the ne took off. Song Xiangsi stared out into the glistening night view of Beijing through the window with a cold expression on her face. Love gradually grows deeper. Coffee slowly turns cold. Stories gradually draw to an end. From no love, to a deep love, to eventually letting go of love, a person will never be able to see hope. Farewell, my lover. Farewell, you who stayed by me for eight years. Chapter 869: Ending (30) Chapter 869: Ending (30) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem The ne ascended, and eventually Song Xiangsi couldn¡¯t see the lights of Beijing. Tears rolled down her face again. Through them, she vaguely saw the Song Xiangsi from eight years ago, in a white dress and braided pigtails. In front of the bright and handsome Xu Jiamu, she stared at the credit card in his hands. She bit the corner of her lips helplessly and ufortably for a long while before she eventually shut her eyes and gave a gentle nod. "Alright, I¡¯m with you." - The day Qiao Anxia was discharged from the hospital, the city of Beijing had be warm. Early in the morning, Chen Yang and Mother Qiao had started to help pack. The two sisters had said they¡¯d meet that day at the Qiao family home, but seeing as how big Qiao Anhao¡¯s belly had gotten, Lu Jinnian decided it¡¯d be better if he apanied her, so he went to the hospital to pick her up. It was already twelve in the afternoon when they returned to the Qiao family home. The servants had just finished preparing lunch. Since Qiao Anxia was injured and Qiao Anhao was pregnant, the dishes were particrly light and nutritious. After lunch, Chen Yang and Lu Jinnian followed Father Qiao into the study room, leaving the three of women to watch television in the living room. Qiao Anhao, who was three months pregnant, liked to nap and was quitezy. As she watched TV up against Qiao Anxia¡¯s shoulder, she dozed off. When she felt her shoulder be heavier, Qiao Anxia couldn¡¯t help but turn her head. When she saw that her sister had fallen deep asleep, she immediately nudged Mother Qiao and pointed at the nket not too far away. She whispered softly, "Give me the nket." As she caught the nket, she gently pulled it over Qiao Anhao. Just when she tried to slip the covers under her arm, she coincidentally saw her sister¡¯s little bump. Her gaze involuntarily froze, and her hand subconsciously reach out to stroke Qiao Anhao¡¯s belly. A tinge of envy instantly crept into her heart. Then, like an electric shock, her hand swiftly shrank back, and her eyes darkened as she lowered them. It was already six in the evening when Qiao Anhao woke up. Mother Qiao had prepared dinner, so everyone decided to stay for dinner before parting. Qiao Anhao and Lu Jinnian went back to Mian Xiu Garden and Chen Yang drove Qiao Anxia straight to his apartment. Perhaps it was because she was tired, she had shut her eyes and didn¡¯t say a word through the whole journey. When they reached the apartment, Chen Yang opened the door and blocked Qiao Anxia¡¯s way. "First, shut your eyes." She lifted her head in confusion and nced over at him. "What?" "Shut your eyes," Chen Yang repeated. Taking in how unimpressed Qiao Anxia looked, he figured he may as well go around and behind her. He raised his hands and covered her eyes, then kicked the door open. He nudged her into house after that. "Chen Yang, what are you doing?" Qiao Anxia shifted her head, wanting to pry Chen Yang¡¯s hands apart. He lowered his head and gently whispered "shhh" into her ear. He casually closed the door, and continued to push her onward until they stopped in the center of the living room. Then, he slowly took his hands from Qiao Anxia¡¯s eyes. "Chen Yang, what the hell are you..." As Qiao Anxia said this, she opened her eyes to find that there were a lot of fireflies flying all around her. The warm balls of glowing yellow light lit up the dark room. Chapter 870: Ending (31) Chapter 870: Ending (31) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem With the glow of the fireflies, Qiao Anxia saw that there were light pink rose petals scattered across the apartment floor. In front of her was a mannequin with a beautiful white dress. Originally, Mother and Father Qiao hoped that she and Chen Yang could stay over at the family home, but he told them that he¡¯d take her to his ce. At the time, she thought that it was because the two of them hadn¡¯t been intimate for a long time, and since it wasn¡¯t exactly convenient for them to do so at the family home, she didn¡¯t think much of his request. Who could of imagined that he had prepared a surprise for her there. Fireflies... it was a dream she had had as a child. She learned from books and cartoons that these things existed in the world. When she was young, she¡¯d used to badger Father Qiao for fireflies, but it¡¯s a shame that they were difficult to find in Beijing. Since then, fireflies had been a dream of hers. When she and Chen Yang first got together, she mentioned these childhood fancies to him, but just as a joke. She never imagined that he would make up for the dream she had never fulfilled. Qiao Anxia stared at the fireflies dancing endlessly around her and Chen Yang, a beaming smile on her face. Her head subconsciously turned towards him. Under the glow of the numerous fireflies, Chen Yang stared back at her, and gave a warm smile. Then, without any warning at all, he crouched down in front of her. He pulled a red jewelry box from his pocket, opened it, and raised it up to Qiao Anxia. "Xia xia, will you marry me?" Qiao Anxia lowered her head, and saw the dazzling diamond ring in the box. She opened her mouth, wanting to let out a "Yes", but then her mind shed to the thought of her never being able to get pregnant. It felt like she just downed glue, her single ¡¯yes¡¯ got stuck in her throat. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn¡¯t spit it out. Chen Yang stayed steadily on one knee in front of Qiao Anxia, and waited with a warm and extremely patient expression. She subconsciously balled her hands up into a fist. In her mind, two voices were caught in a vicious duel. One was telling her not to bother Chen Yang, and the other nodded in response to his proposal. After struggling with the idea for a long long time, she suddenly took a step back and gently shook her head at Chen Yang. "Chen Yang, I can¡¯t marry you." Chen Yang slightly furrowed his brows, a confused looking to his face . Tears welled up beneath Qiao Anxia¡¯s eyes, and her lips quivered wildly. "Chen Yang, you know that I can¡¯t have babies, why do you still want to marry me?" Recently, she¡¯d been wanting to pretend to act stupid, like she didn¡¯t know that she could never be a mother. She thought by doing so, she could peacefully be with Chen Yang, but after waking up from her afternoon nap, she couldn¡¯t sleep right. With her eyes wide open, she looked at Chen Yang sleeping on the sofa, and felt unusually somber and guilty. "Do you even know that I¡¯m useless right now? I will never be able to give you a family! "I truly want to be with you forever, but I can¡¯t be selfish and bring you down. This isn¡¯t fair to you..." Qiao Anxia finally couldn¡¯t hold her tears in any longer. "So Chen Yang, don¡¯t marry me, okay? Don¡¯t marry me..." Chapter 871: Ending (32) Chapter 871: Ending (32) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Chen Yang put the ring away and stood up. He raised his arm, and wiped Qiao Anxia¡¯s ceaseless tears. "Xia Xia... What I want isn¡¯t fairness. What I want is you." Qiao Anxia¡¯s tears fell so violently that no matter how hard he tried to wipe her them away, they never ended. Eventually, he held her face up and stared right into her eyes. "If you don¡¯t want to get married now, that¡¯s fine. We can continue to be girlfriend and boyfriend. If you don¡¯t want to ever marry because you¡¯re worried about being a nuisance, then we can be girlfriend and boyfriend forever. Besides, if you don¡¯t want to ever get married, then I don¡¯t..." Qiao Anxia let out a "Wahhh!", then hugged Chen Yang¡¯s neck, as she wailed like a child. Chen Yang took her in his arms and patted her back. With a gentle voice, heforted her softly, "Alright, don¡¯t cry..." The cries didn¡¯t cease in the slightest. The fireflies tirelessly circled the two of them, their warm yellow glow shing incessantly. - Time flew by. In the blink of an eye, spring had gone and summer hade, the summer was over and autumn arrived, autumn left and winter came. On a heavily snowy night, one week before Qiao Anhao¡¯s due date, she was suddenly woken up by a sharp pain. She instinctively reached her arm out and pushed Lu Jinnian beside her. He quickly woke up and asked, "What¡¯s wrong?" Right after, he was instantly wide awake, for he heard Qiao Anhao¡¯s painful groans. He swiftly turned the lights on to see Qiao Anhao¡¯s pale face and the drenched sheets below. Her water had broke! Because Lu Jinnian hadn¡¯t a clue about giving birth, he took enough preparation sses in advance to wee Little Rice Cake into the world. Despite practically being half a gynecologist, he was still evidently lost in fear at such a predicament. He practically jumped out of the bed andnded on the ground. He first called the doctor, then without even bothering to get changed, he carried Qiao Anhao, and ran down the stairs. Qiao Anhao was in so much pain, her entire body curled up. Seeing her like that, Lu Jinnian was even more shaken. It took him two tries to start up the car engine. It snowed heavily. The streets were covered in white, and the temperature was so low that the falling snow turned to ice. Lu Jinnian drove so fast that every now and then, when he would make a turn, Qiao Anhao could hear the tires screech. She endured the pain, and instinctively said, "Lu Jinnian, don¡¯t be so worried..." Don¡¯t worry? How could he not be worried? He was truly happy that she was pregnant. They finally were having a baby, and their family was finally going to beplete. But now, seeing in just how much pain she was, the immense happiness he felt was reced with fear. When they reached the hospital, Lu Jinnian practically jumped out of the car once he had barely turned the car engine off. Without any grace at all, he barged into the maternity ward. - The moment Qiao Anhao entered the delivery room, Lu Jinnian was left all alone in the corridor outside. Every now and then, Qiao Anhao¡¯s heart wrenching screams could be heard from the delivery room. Her cries left Lu Jinnian scared witless. For someone who was always mentally strong, he actually felt flustered as to what to do next. Eventually, when he reached the very end of his wits, he couldn¡¯t care too much any more. He pulled out his phone and called Xu Jiamu, Chen Yang, Qiao Anxia, his assistant, Zhao Meng, all of them toe over. Xu Jiamu was the first to arrive. Just as he came out of the elevator, he heard Lu Jinnian¡¯s voice traveling through the corridor. Chapter 872: Ending (33) Chapter 872: Ending (33) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Xu Jiamu was the first to arrive. Just as he came out of the elevator, he heard Lu Jinnian¡¯s voice traveling through the corridor. "What¡¯s going on? It¡¯s been almost an hour now. Why is she still in so much pain?" As Lu Jinnian said this, Qiao Anhao¡¯s screams came from the delivery room, causing him to cry in distress. "Qiao Qiao! Qiao Qiao! How are you doing?" Then there were a series of frantic ¡¯dong-dong-dong¡¯ kicking sounds against the door. Xu Jiamu rushed over to Lu Jinnian, grabbed his arm, and dragged him back by a good meter. Just then, Qiao Anhao let out a harrowing scream from the delivery room, causing Lu Jinnian to abruptly jumped for the delivery room doors again. Thankfully Xu Jiamu had quick reflexes. He reached his arm out, hugged his waist, and viciously dragged him back. "Lu Jinnian, can you calm down?" "Can¡¯t you hear her scream my name? She¡¯s been screaming for an hour now!" Lu Jinnian¡¯s arms and legs iled about as he attempted to escape Xu Jiamu¡¯s grip. "I have to go in... go in!". "Go in my back foot!" Just as Xu Jiamu couldn¡¯t hold Lu Jinnian, who had alreadypletely lost his mind, back any longer, Qiao Anxia bustled into the scene in her high heels. Behind her was Chen Yang, who carried her bag. Qiao Anxia didn¡¯t think twice, lifted her leg, and mercilessly kicked Lu Jinnian in the leg. "Why are you screaming? I heard you screaming before I even got out of the elevator. Qiao Anhao was in the right frame of mind to give birth, but after your hollering, she¡¯s probably going into a difficultbor!" "Qiao Anxia, who the fuck are you saying is having a difficultbor?" Lu Jinnian red at Qiao Anxia with bloodshot eyes. Qiao Anxia let out a tut, before turning her head without so much as a nce back at him. She reached her arm out and pulled Xu Jiamu¡¯s hands right off Lu Jinnian stumbled forward and almost bumped his head into the delivery room doors. As he found his bnce, he raised his leg, ready to kick the doors again. But before his foot touched the delivery room door, Qiao Anxia crisp voice spoke again. "Go on, kick it. You¡¯d better open it with one kick, so everyone can go in. After all, seeing a bunch of people rush in will surely affect the doctor... And no matter what, Qiao Anhao will certainly be the person affected the most... If it¡¯s serious, then she and the child will end up dead... Now wouldn¡¯t that be the perfect way to get the mother and child murdered..." It was like someone had pressed the pressure points on Lu Jinnian¡¯s body, all of a sudden he stopped kicking. His leg stayed suspended in midair for about half a minute, then he finally lowered it, turned around, and stepped away from the delivery room doors with a cold expression on his face. In the delivery room, Qiao Anhao cried ceaselessly in pain. The assistant and Zhao Meng also rushed in, one after the other. The few people in the corridor fell silent. Lu Jinnian paced incessantly up and down. Every time he heard Qiao Anhao¡¯s excruciating cries, his body would quiver. His face turned unusually pale and eventually, he was dripping in sweat. Time ticked by. In the end, the delivery room fellpletely silent. "Is it over?" asked Qiao Anxia in relief. No one replied. Everybody listened intently for any movement. One second, ten seconds, one minute, two minutes... The delivery room was still silent as ever. There weren¡¯t any painful cries from adults nor from babies. This type of silence felt far more horrifying than Qiao Anhao¡¯s piercing screams. Chapter 873: Ending (34) Chapter 873: Ending (34) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem "Why is it so quiet?" Qiao Anxia asked again, then shot Chen Yang a look for constion. Having never experienced such a thing, he wore a grave expression on his face and shook his head to say he had no idea. Lu Jinnian held his pose. He didn¡¯t move an inch, but his heart had already shot up to his throat. "Nothing bad could¡¯ve happened, right?" said Zhao Meng. "Nah it can¡¯t be, right?" said Chen Yang. Xu Jiamu anxiously also spoke up. "But why hasn¡¯t there been any sound in there for so long?" The assistantpletely unintentionally said, "I heard in the news recently that there was a doctor who secretly ran out of the delivery room because the pregnant woman and child died..." After having calmed down with much difficulty due to Qiao Anxia¡¯s chatter, Lu Jinnian¡¯s entire body suddenly trembled. Like a crazy person, he hurled himself at the delivery room door and kicked it incredibly hard. The door shook so hard, the ss vibrated with a ng. Just as Lu Jinnian was close to losing itpletely, a sudden "Waaaaah" came from inside. The cry was crisp and powerful, striking every single person¡¯s eardrum. "It¡¯s born! It¡¯s born!" Qiao Anxia abruptly reached her hand out and grabbed the assistant beside her into a hug. She jumped twice happily on the spot before Chen Yang dragged her into his arms. The assistant¡¯s smiling face was instantly filled with joy. "Mr. Lu, Miss Xiao Qiao has given birth..." Zhao Meng excitedly cried, "Qiao Qiao finally gave birth!" Xu Jiamu¡¯s body visibly rxed. "I¡¯m an uncle!" Lu Jinnian was the only one who stood on the spot, with no reaction at all, like he was in a daze. Just as they were going to pull the door open, a nurse came out hugging a cleaned baby, and said with a happy smile, "Congrattions Mr. Lu, it¡¯s a boy." "Let me see, let me see!" A group of them huddled together in a mess around him. "Ahhh, so cute!" "Yeah, so soft and smooth..." "Ahhh, he¡¯s smiling at me!" All of a sudden, Lu Jinnian snapped back to reality. Without even taking a nce at Little Rice Cake, who was surrounded by everyone, he legged it towards the delivery room and hurled himself towards the bed and crouched down. Qiao Anhaoy there drenched in sweat. Her face was pale white, her eyes slightly closed, and her breathing unstable. She looked so weak. Lu Jinnian stared at her like that for a long time, before he abruptly grabbed her hand. "Qiao Qiao...". When Qiao Anhao heard his voice, she slightly lifted her eyelids. Instantly she saw that Lu Jinnian had an awful expression. She started to feel a warm sensation from the bottom of her heart. As she pursed the corner of her lips, she said in sweet and aggrieved voice, "Really hurts." Lu Jinnian squeezed her hand hard, and nodded his head frantically, then said, "Sorry". He put her hand to his lips and kissed it, as tears crashed heavily down. "Let¡¯s never have another baby, no more." When he said this, Qiao Anhao clearly felt his hand tremble. After holding her hand for a short minute, his palms were soaked. So he was more nervous than she was whilst giving birth to their child. In an instant, all the pain she¡¯d gone through just now felt like it was all worth the happiness. Chapter 874: Ending(35) Chapter 874: Ending£¨35£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem The skies were already bright by the time Qiao Anhao was finally out ofbor. Exhausted, she fell asleep while being wheeled back to the ward. After ensuring that both the mother and baby were well, the people who had waited the entire night gradually started to leave. Xu Jiamu was thest one to go. Before he left, he walked to the baby cot to take onest look at Little Rice Cake. The baby had just been fed and was fast asleep. Little Rice Cake seemed to have sensed that someone was looking at him, he shook his tiny head lightly and even pouted before breaking into a faint smile. Xu Jiamu was delighted by the gesture, a bright smile engulfing his face. Gradually, his expression turned slightly zed. He stared at Little Rice Cake for a long while before finally leaving with a heavy heart. It had been snowing in Beijing since the previous night, turning the city into a winter wondend. Xu Jiamu reached for a cigarette from his pocket and lit it. Leaning against his car, he took a puff as the snow fell on him mercilessly, Little Rice Cakes was born, he was now an uncle... He should be ecstatic, and he was... But somehow, the happiness seemed to be drowned out by sorrow. As he stared at Little Rice Cake¡¯s innocent expression, he couldn¡¯t help but be reminded of the child that Song Xiangsi had aborted... If that child was still alive, Song Xiangsi would be about eight months into the pregnancy... In just another month, the child would be born just like Little Rice Cake... At that time, they would be able to grow up together and he could bring the both of them to amusement parks... As he thought of the endless possibilities, his eyes started to sting, turning red. What was he thinking about? The child was dead and his dream woman had left. The both of them were now just as he had said that day - strangers. - Qiao Anxia had informed Father and Mother Qiao early in the morning. When they found out that Qiao Anhao had went intobor the previous night, Mother Qiao personally cooked a pot of ginger soup before heading to the hospital. That afternoon, Qiao Anxia, Zhao Meng, and Lu Jinnian¡¯s assistant came over again, staying till evening. After they left, peace settled in the ward. Qiao Anhao used the short gap after she finished feeding Little Rice Cake to snap a photo onto Weibo. Soon, the photo leaked onto the inte and the news spread like wildfire, quickly gaining the most hits. - In Seattle, it was currently 8 am in the morning. The bright rays entered through tiny openings, spilling onto an European style bed, a single ray coincidentally covering Song Xiangsi¡¯s eyes. She frowned slightly, her longshes trembling. She opened her eyes instinctively and reached out to shield them from the light before sitting upzily. Song Xiangsi reached for the iPad she had tossed at the side. The first notification that popped up was from Weibo: Lu Qiao couple Wees a Son. Her lips moved slightly. When she clicked onto the notification, a photo showed up: A big hand holding onto a tiny one. The big hand was slender and elegant, with the Heart of Eternity glistening on the ring finger. Song Xiangsi skimmed through the article. When she learned that both the mother and child were healthy and well, her lips curled slightly. Yanking the nket aside, she climbed down from the bed carefully. She still possessed a slender figure, even though her belly was protruding. Chapter 875: Ending(36) Chapter 875: Ending£¨36£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Song Xiangsi slowly strolled to the bathroom, afraid to fall. Maybe due to herrge belly, her waist felt sore. She reached a hand over to support her protruding belly as she continued to the basin. As she brushed her teeth, she suddenly stopped, clenching onto her belly. The cheeky baby moved aggressively in her belly, sending pains through her. She gripped onto the basin, and only after a long while did the pain start to subside. Initially, she was bent on aborting the baby. She didn¡¯t want the child to be born without a father and she didn¡¯t want her child to end up like Lu Jinnian - an illegitimate child despised by others. But the moment sheid down on the cold and hard surgical table, she started to question her decision and the moment the doctor was preparing to inject her with the anesthesia, she started to tear up. This was her child after all... The baby was two months old... Even though it wasn¡¯t born yet, it was still already a life. So even if she knew that being a single mother would be tough. Even if she knew that she wasn¡¯t the princess of a fairy tale and that there was no chance of getting back with the prince even if she gave birth to the child. Even then, she still couldn¡¯t help herself. In reality, her life as a pregnant women in a foreign country hadn¡¯t been easy. Besides, as a public figure, she was afraid that someone would take photos of her predicament so she had to keep on her toes constantly. Even though she tried to keep strong, there were still nights when she could no longer hold back her tears Regardless of how her days were, whenever she looked at her growing tummy, everything was worth it. - Qiao Anhao had a smoothbor, but even though she could be discharged after four days, Lu Jinnian only allowed her to go back after a whole month so that she could have professional care. On the day she was discharged, Little Rice Cake was a month old. Father and Mother Qiao specifically held a banquet for this celebration. Qiao Anxia and Cheng Yang were in charge of the guest list, and they invited several business partners that were close to the Qiao family and several actors that had good ties with Qiao Anhao. While they were preparing the invitation cards, it didn¡¯t seem like a lot but at the time of the celebration, the guests filled the entire house. Even though Little Rice Cake was just a month old, there was a hint of future stunning looks in him. His eyes were dark and had a gleam, and were covered by a curtain of longshes. Every time someone came to him, he would stare at them with his wide round eyes. As a pretty baby, Little Rice Cake was in high demand, everyone couldn¡¯t resisting forward to give him a hug or to touch him, but every time a female came forward, Little Rice Cake¡¯s little face would scrunch up into a wrinkle as though he was about to burst into tears. However, when a male touched him, he would stare at them mesmerized. Even though Mother Qiao was looking after Little Rice Cake, Qiao Anhao still focused her attention on him. When she took note of his abnormal actions, she couldn¡¯t hep but to lean over to Lu Jinnian. "Look at Little Rice Cake, whenever a female touches him, he¡¯s about to burst into tears, but whenever a male touches him, he seems to be all smiles. Did you realize?" Did he? Lu Jinnian turned to nce at Little Rice Cake. At that moment, several males came over to carry him, and Qiao Anhao seemed to have another discovery. "Lu Jinnian, ah, whenever Little Rice Cake is carried by an older man, he will seek someone else soon after..." Chapter 876: Ending(37) Chapter 876: Ending£¨37£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem "Whenever he sees a better looking man, he¡¯ll stay a little longer, take a look... Now that Cheng Yang is carrying him, he¡¯s smiling..." At that moment, Xu Jiamu reached a hand out to grab Little Rice Cake from Cheng Yang¡¯s arm. The baby stuck out both his stubby arms, clenching onto Xu Jiamu¡¯s face with a bright toothless smile. Qiao Anxia stood beside him, waiting for her turn, but the moment she reached out her hand towards Little Rice Cake, he tilted his head to the side, continuing to smile at Xu Jiamu. Qiao Anhao started to worry. "Lu Jinnian, do you think there¡¯s something going on with his sexual preference..." "Mmh." He was still a baby, why would he have a particr preference... Before Lu Jinnian could disagree though, Qiao Anhao grabbed onto his sleeve, turning to look at him with seriousness. "Lu Jinnian, tell me honestly, deep inside, do you prefer guys more? Especially the younger ones? "Was that why you supported Cheng Yang? "Lu Jinnian, do you perhaps have feelings for him..." Lu Jinnian felt his heart choke up, what was she saying! He inhaled deeply, allowing himself to calm down before leaning over to her ear. "Qiao Qiao, I¡¯m starting to worry about Little Rice Cake¡¯s intelligence." "Why?" Qiao Anhao red over, seemingly upset that he was insulting her son. "Little Rice Cake is just a month old, how can you judge his intelligence level?" "The inte wrote that a baby¡¯s intelligencees from the mother." Lu Jinnian leaned over to leave one more sentence before turning to smile formally at an iing guest. Qiao Anhao stared at Little Rice Cake for a while more before processing Lu Jinnian¡¯s words. Turning, she rushed over to his side in agitation, and tugging at his sleeve, whined, "Lu Jinnian, were you calling me dumb just now?" - Little Rice Cake seemed to really like Xu Jiamu, clinging onto his arms, not allowing anyone else toe near. Xu Jiamu didn¡¯t seem to mind at all as he gazed at the baby indulgently. Throughout the celebration, Little Rice Cake remained cuddled inside his arms. Halfway through, the baby wet himself. When Qiao Anhao got the nurse over to handle it, he started to cry, refusing to leave Xu Jiamu¡¯s arms. In the end, Xu Jiamu had to change his diapers clumsily, even helping him wipe his tiny butt. It was Xu Jiamu¡¯s first time, his actions were clumsy and cluttered. When he removed the diapers, several drops flowed onto his pants, but, still, he didn¡¯t seem to mind. After using a wet tissue to wipe himself clean, he continued to tend to Little Rice Cake. Later on, there was only one table fit for ten people upied. Only a couple of the closest friends were left - a few business partners and Cheng Yang¡¯s friends from the industry. Not all of his friends were actors, one of them was a famous videographer that specifically took photos for the A-listers. As they chatted, the conversation turned towards Song Xiangsi. "Song Xiangsi is the most charismatic woman I know." Chapter 877: Ending(38) Chapter 877: Ending£¨38£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem "Indeed, Song Xiangsi is the most charismatic woman I¡¯ve met, she¡¯s one in a million." The videographer seemed to have a high regard for Song Xiangsi, singing praise as though she was his female goddess. "As long as there was a feeling I mentioned, she could portray it instantly. Among all the stars that I¡¯ve worked with, she was indeed the best and most efficient... It¡¯s a pity that she retired recently." Instinctively, Qiao Anhao continued, "Sister Xiangsi has always treated me well, previously, she had also helped me out a lot. But why would she leave the industry so abruptly? She had to pay up two billion for the movie she had epted earlier." "Sister Xiangsi is... decisive indeed." Everyone who knew Song Xiangsi only had praises. From the very beginning, Xu Jiamu kept a faint smile on his face as though they were talking about a stranger he hadn¡¯t heard about. There were several times he raised Little Rice Cake into the air, delighting him tremendously. "But Song Xiangsi seems to have disappeared entirely..." Cheng Yang added as he sipped his wine. "Thest time I met her..." Cheng Yang¡¯s friend tilted his head sideways to ponder before adding, "It was about six months ago in Los Angeles. She was shopping with a man, and when I greeted her, she greeted me faintly as usual before leaving on the man¡¯s arms." Xu Jiamu listened to the conversation, but there wasn¡¯t much change in his expression. His gaze was focused on Little Rice Cake¡¯s tiny face. The baby reached one stubby arm out to caress his chin, garnering a bright smile from him. Xu Jiamu appeared normal, so no one realized that once Song Xiangsi was mentioned, he stopped being part of the conversation and diverted all his attention to Little Rice Cake. In the end, the baby even fell asleep in his arms. When Qiao Anhao signaled for him to pass him over, he just shook his head, staring at Little Rice Cake as he snoozed. - The day of Little Rice Cake¡¯s celebration was also Christmas. Ever since Qiao Anhao got pregnant, she hadn¡¯t been out enjoying herself, so once the crowd dissipated, Mother Qiao hinted at the younger generation to go and have some fun. Even though they all met often, they barely had any gatherings. Lu Jinnian instructed his assistant to book a private room at a club for everyone to have some fun. Qiao Anhao was still undergoing herctation period, hence she couldn¡¯t touch alcohol and sipped on fresh orange juice. When they were younger, they would always have gatherings like this, since Xu Jiamu had a yful nature. But as time went by, he seemed to mature, yfulness reced by solemness and maturity. Qiao Anxia remained the same, overflowing with vigor and enthusiasm. Under the influence of alcohol, she once again made everyone y truth or dare. As everyone started to y, Qiao Anhao could feel herself returning back to the past. Chapter 878: Ending(39) Chapter 878: Ending£¨39£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem It was as though Qiao Anhao had returned back to the days she filmed ¡¯Alluring Times¡¯. At that time, Cheng Yang had treated and Qiao Anxia had just agreed to be his girlfriend. Even though the entire room wasn¡¯t close, they heated up to each other instantly and, just like today, they started to y truth or dare. That night, Lu Jinnian had blocked away all her alcohol and was willing to lose to her many times. At that night, he had even sang "It¡¯s a pity". That night, he had used hand signals to confess to her multiple times - paper, scissors, and stone. But she was clueless. This time, both Qiao Anhao and Lu Jinnian sat in the middle. Just like that day, he continued to throw paper, scissors, and stone whenever he yed with Qiao Anhao, but whenever he yed with others, he would always win. Xu Jiamu was actually good at the game, but for some reason he wasn¡¯t in the best condition, continuously on a losing streak. Just like old times, the loser would have to choose between truth or dare before downing three cups of beer. Xu Jiamu epted the punishment readily, downing all the beer. He chose truth, and in the beginning, the questions were of a joking nature. For instance: Are you still a virgin? Which hand do use use for your pleasure? How long will you take in bed? But as he continued to lose, the ridiculous questions began to run out, and in the end, it went towards his love life. Question: "Xu Jiamu, after you canceled the engagement with Lin Qianqian, you haven¡¯t had any girlfriends. Is it because you already like someone? Xu Jiamu replied honestly, "Yes." Question: "Did you cancel the engagement because of her then?" Xu Jiamu¡¯s eyes flickered, he nodded. "Yes." Question: "Then why didn¡¯t you get together with her?" Xu Jiamu sunk into a heavy silence, his expression calm, but somehow the entire room seemed under pressure. It was as though everyone could see the loneliness radiating off him. But quickly, his lips curled into a smile and he replied casually, "We broke up." Question: "Who initiated the break up?" This question seemed to have stumped him. He pondered it for a long while before replying, "She didn¡¯t want me." She was the one who didn¡¯t want him, for that entire year, she had been trying to leave him. In the end, she had even aborted his child. Question: "Do you still like her?" "I do." This time, he replied without hesitation. Question: "Who is she?" Until now, Xu Jiamu had downed almost forty eight cups of beer, and even though he had a high tolerance, he was starting to get drunk. But even then, his eyes remained bright. When he heard the question, he sunk into silence once more. After a long while, he staggered towards the karaoke machine and picked a song. A familiar tune started to y. After about five seconds, Xu Jiamu picked up the microphone and began to sing. "In the end, I finally learned to love, but you¡¯ve already left, far into the horizon." Qiao Anxia was visibly drunk, slouchingzily in Cheng Yang¡¯s arms. She raised her hand to shout inaudibly, "It¡¯s off key!" Xu Jiamu continued to sing, ignoring herment. "In the end, I finally realized among my tears that once you¡¯re gone..." He stopped, unable to continue on. Chapter 879: Ending(40) Chapter 879: Ending£¨40£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Xu Jiamu stopped, unable to continue on. He felt his throat close up, his breathing bing uneven. The background tune continued to y, and without Xu Jiamu¡¯s voice, the original singer¡¯s voice could be heard faintly. "Why was love at that time so easy. When I was young, why did I allow my deepest love to be hurt..." "Ah, why aren¡¯t you singing anymore?" Zhao Meng asked foolishly before grabbing onto a beer bottle, treating it as a microphone. Shutting her eyes, she continued indulgently along with the background music. "In this deep night, will you feel the same? Are you silently reliving everything in pain and sorrow..." Zhao Meng seemed to have influenced the rest for they then sang in unison, "If we had been stronger, there might be no need for regret..." Xu Jiamu froze, clenching onto the microphone tightly. "How do you remember me, is it in sorrow or happiness... It¡¯s a pity you left, into the depths of the sea. Only through the blur of my tears do I understand the mistake that can never be righted..." Xu Jiamu closed the door silently, but he could still hear the music being yed. "It¡¯s never to be repeated, a man loving a woman." When he left, he realized that it was yet again snowing heavily, the big snowkes pelting down on thend. It was almost 10 pm, but since it was Christmas, the roads were still bustling. asional fireworks could also be seen brightening the corners of the sky. Xu Jiamu stood still, suddenly clueless about where to go. He lifted his head to nce at the snow, and after a short while, he headed to the car park about two hundred meters away. On his way, he passed a mall. The movie theater on the first floor was still open and the screens were showing the newest Christmas movie produced by Huan Ying Entertainment. The posters showed a strong and familiar cast. He remembered many years ago, there was once he celebrated Christmas with Song Xiangsi. That day, they watched a midnight movie. Song Xiangsi back then hadn¡¯t entered the entertainment industry yet, and she always had on a clean face, her eyes curving into crescents whenever she smiled. That day, there was an unusual crowd and it was snowing heavily just like today. There were couples walking hand in hand everywhere, only the both of them walked shoulder to shoulder. When they were crossing a road, a car sped past. Xu Jiamu quickly reached out to grab her hand, and ever since, he never let go. Diverting his gaze, he lowered his head to nce at his palm. Even though he was holding onto her hand, how did he let go? Chapter 880: Ending(41) Chapter 880: Ending£¨41£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Xu Jiamu had wanted to propose, to make her his wife, to hold onto her hand forever, how did they end up as strangers then? Was she doing well? During the celebration this afternoon, he heard that she seemed to be doing well. What about him? He was doing well too... Even though he didn¡¯t marry, Xu Enterprise was thriving. This few months, they had secured several big projects, multiplying the profits several times. They were both doing well... But they weren¡¯t together. Xu Jiamu stood still for a long while, a thickyer of snow covering his shoulders. Just then, a cute little girl ran past him, identally bumping into his leg. The little girl fell backwards, bursting into tears. Xu Jiamu snapped out of his daze and quickly bent down to lift her up. The little girl¡¯s mother hurriedly came forward. After thanking him, she carried the little girl and left. Xu Jiamu remained in the same bent position for a long while before straightening. He then headed straight for his car. After entering it, he started to drive aimlessly without a destination in mind. In the end, he ended up in a flower shop that was still open. After stopping the car, he entered the shop to buy a beautiful bouquet of Baby¡¯s Breath. Carefully, he ced the bouquet onto the passenger seat before heading out of the city. The snow was heavy and the winds were strong, so Xu Jiamu drove cautiously. A two hour car ride took him almost three hours. He arrived at a cemetery that was covered by a thickyer of snow. He knelt down in front of a tomb. With bare hands, he gently wiped off the snow. Some of it had already frozen over, and he exerted more strength to swipe it off, cutting his hand. Xu Jiamu ced the Baby¡¯s Breath he¡¯d bought in front of the tomb. There wasn¡¯t a photo, so he stared for a really long time at the stone before using his hands to caress it. "Daddy doesn¡¯t know what flowers you like so I tried to change them up every time I came. There¡¯s a wide variety in the flower shop but I seem to have exhausted my options. So next time, dad will get you toys instead, alright? "Today is Christmas... If you were still alive, you would probably have been born and this might be your first Christmas. Maybe at this time, daddy would be fretting about what to get you... "You have a brother, he¡¯s called Little Rice Cake. Little Rice Cake is really adorable, today, when he held onto my fingers, I could feel his soft tender skin. If you were born and were to grab onto my fingers, would the feeling be the same? "And... daddy really misses your mommy... but she doesn¡¯t want daddy anymore..." Xu Jiamu¡¯s eyes started to sting, and he stopped mumbling. After a long while, a smile broke onto his face. "Daddy is going to leave now, daddy will visit you in a few days." He lowered his body to the icy cold tomb before turning to descend from the mountain. It was already 2 am in the morning when he came back to the car. Instead of heading back to the city, he leaned against the steering wheel. Somehow, the lyrics of the song kept repeating in his mind. "If we had been stronger, there might be no need for regret..." Chapter 881: Ending(42) Chapter 881: Ending£¨42£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem "How do you remember me, is it in sorrow or happiness... During all these years, was there anyone who could take away your loneliness..." Just then, he started to remember a conversation she had had with him. "Jiamu, I will stay by your side." "Jiamu, I¡¯m pregnant." "Jiamu, let¡¯s breakup..." Xu Jiamu clenched onto the steering wheel, bursting into tears, an inaudible murmur among his sobs. "Xiangsi, Xiangsi..." "How do you remember me, is it in sorrow or happiness... During all these years, was there anyone who could take away your loneliness... "In the end, I finally learned to love, but it¡¯s a pity that you¡¯re no longer around. "In the end, I finally realized among my tears that once you¡¯re gone, you¡¯re nevering back." - In Seattle, the moment the clock struck twelve, the delivery room burst open. A fatigued Song Xiangsi was wheeled out. In less than a minute, a blonde nurse walked over with a baby that was bundled up tightly. She nced towards the pale Song Xiangsi with a bright smile and said in English, "Congrattions, it¡¯s a little princess." "Thank you." Song Xiangsi smiled towards the nurse who carried the bundle in her embrace. The little baby had pinkish skin. When she saw Song Xiangsi staring, she broke into a big smile. Even though she was exhausted, the bright smile on her tiny face brought her unimaginable warmth. Song Xiangsi lowered her head to kiss the little baby, her face glowing from motherly love and tenderness. In just a short while, the little baby fell asleep in her arms. Song Xiangsi stared at the baby¡¯s features, while outside she could hear the sound of fireworks from the Christmas celebrations. After a long time, she lifted her head to nce out the window to the east. Even though she knew it was a few million miles away, she still couldn¡¯t help staring that way. What was Christmas like in Beijing? And what was he like right now? Song Xiangsi stopped her wandering thoughts, hurriedly diverting her gaze back to the sleeping baby, a warm smile once again tainting her lips. But despite her smile, there was an impossible to conceal sorrow in her eyes. In just nine months, their promise to be strangers had reallye true... - At 12 am, Lu Jinnian left the private room. Everyone was dead drunk, staggering out. At 12 am, there was arge fireworks disy outside. Qiao Anxia seemed unusually excited, jumping and running around, regardless of Cheng Yang efforts to calm her down. When she was the most hyped, she raised both arms and shouted, "Cheng Yang, I love you!" Lu Jinnian¡¯s assistant and Zhao Meng could barely stand straight, bursting intoughter at Qiao Anxia¡¯s confession. Qiao Anhao held onto Lu Jinnian¡¯s hand, standing at the furthest and highest staircase, observing everyone. Happiness and bliss was apparent on her face. After the fireworks disy, everyone left. Qiao Anhao didn¡¯t drink and could drive, so both she and Lu Jinnian headed to the car park. Lu Jinnian drank a lot but he was still sober. The snow was heavy and the car park was a distance away. He ced his jacket onto Qiao Anhao before bending to carry her. Chapter 882: Ending(43) Chapter 882: Ending£¨43£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Qiao Anhao leaned against Lu Jinnian¡¯s back as she thought about the memories from a year ago - At that time, due to road construction, cars couldn¡¯t enter Mian Xiu Garden. On a night with a heavy downpour, Lu Jinnian had carried her just like this. Uncontrobly, the memories from their past came gushing out. Their meeting from thirteen years ago, their life as high schoolers, being far apart in college, bing strangers after graduation, their reunion about a year ago to finally their wedding at the beginning of the year... The memories from the past floated through her mind one after another. At that moment, she suddenly felt at ease. It was as though the bustling memories had finallye to a happy ending. Today, she was finally discharged, she held a one month celebration for Little Rice Cake and had a gathering with her loved ones... After hustling the entire day, her body felt unusually tired, especially since she had spent her pregnancyzing around. But even so, her spirits were high. She hugged onto Lu Jinnian¡¯s neck, and among the strong winds, she continued to ramble on continuously in a calm tone. She talked about their past, their future, and even when they would be old, and how she was going to die before him. Unknowingly, she broke into a slight smile when she leaned over to Lu Jinnian¡¯s ear. "In the future, what if a man that is more handsome and richer than you loves me more... Hmm... No, not one loves me more than you, but the kind that is willing to die for me. If at that time, I also fall for him, what will you do?" The car was getting closer. Lu Jinnian slowed down, as though trying to lengthen the journey. The wind grew and the snow pelted down mercilessly, the bushes lining the road engulfed entirely by a sea of white. Every step he took produced a crunching sound that was delightful to the ears. Lu Jinnian pushed Qiao Anhao upwards before replying to her. "I¡¯ll let him die." "Mmh?" Qiao Anhao asked softly. Lu Jinnian took strong and stable steps forward. "Didn¡¯t you say he was willing to die for you? Then why not just let him die... Besides, I will be there to love you, he doesn¡¯t need to be alive." Qiao Anhao burst intoughter. She tightened her grip on his neck, ncing at the road ahead, suddenly feeling satisfied with her life. When they were about to reach the car, Lu Jinnian asked, "Qiao Qiao, do you know? I have a wish, a really tiny one, and it¡¯s only four words." "What is it?" Qiao Anhao leaned against his back, tilting her head to the side to gaze at his dashing profile. She had born him a son and had spent so many nights sleeping beside him, so how could she still be mesmerized every time she saw him? Lu Jinnian stopped near the car. He helped her from his back before turning to stare into her eyes, his lips widening slightly. The wind was rushing past them and the snow was strong, and due to Lu Jinnian¡¯s voice being very quiet, it was quickly drowned out. But Qiao Anhao had still caught it clearly. Her lips curled into a dazzling smile when she opened her mouth to reply with two words. Chapter 883: Ending(44) Chapter 883: Ending£¨44£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Lu Jinnian let out a chuckle. He held onto her face and leaned his face downwards... Not far away, someone was ying a song familiar to the Lu Qiao couple. "Rainy days aren¡¯t the most beautiful / It¡¯s the house we hid to shelter from the rain that is..." The kiss deepened. The wind bellowed, the snow flew. He said four words: A lifetime with you. She said three: For me too. I have a wish, a tiny wish, it only consists of four words: A lifetime with you. - [Xu Jiamu, I really wish I could show you my past self, to let you know how much you¡¯ve changed me since you entered my life.] - Two and a half yearster. Three years ago, Qiao Anhao had entered apetition for the female lead role in a Hollywood movie, today, the filming was finally over. Lu Jinnian abandoned all his work, ced Little Rice Cake in the care of Qiao Anxia and Xu Jiamu before personally heading over to America to bring Qiao Anhao back. The movie had gone on for five whole months. In between, the longest Qiao Anhao had stayed with Little Rice Cake was less than a week. Even though she would talk with him everyday online, but the moment she alighted, she continuously rushed Lu Jinnian to bring her back. Once the car stopped, she pushed the doors open impatiently, rushing into the house, shouting out for Little Rice Cake. The moment she reached the living area, she scanned it before heading upstairs in search of him. Finally, she found him in the toy room with Qiao Anxia lying in front of him as he yed with Lego. Little Rice Cake was the one piecing it together while Qiao Anxia acted as an assistant, passing him the pieces ording to his orders. "Aunt, I want the pale U shape one." "Yellow L shape." "Purple S shape." "Aunt, it¡¯s purple, not orange!" Qiao Anhao chuckled. "Little rice cake!" Rushing forward, she caught him into her embrace. Little Rice Cake kissed her face obediently before greeting her, "Mommy." Wriggling out of her embrace, he grabbed her arm, indicating for her to y Lego with him. In a much softer and gentler tone, he asked, "Mommy, could you pass me the blue E shaped one?" "Mommy, please pass me..." "Mommy, thank you, could you pass me..." When Qiao Anxia saw the obvious preferential treatment, she burst intoughter. "Hey, Qiao Qiao, look at Lu Jinnian, being a hen-pecked husband isn¡¯t enough, he¡¯s going to have his son a mommy¡¯s boy..." Qiao Anhao nced at her sideways, a faint smile on her lips as she passed a ck piece to the boy. Just then, she seemed to have thought of something. She lifted her eyes to nce at Qiao Anxia. "Oh right, next week I¡¯m going to send Little Rice Cake to school, do you have time tomorrow? Let¡¯s go shopping." "Sure." Qiao Anxiaid down on the mat, raising the toy gun high up. "Did Xu Jiamu get this for Little Rice Cake?" "Mmh." Qiao Anhao lowered her head to pass Little Rice Cake another piece. Chapter 884: After (1) Chapter 884: After (1) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem "Aye, I don¡¯t know what¡¯s with Xu Jiamu. I feel like he¡¯s changed a lot thesest few years. In the past, he used to love going out. Whenever he was bored, he would ask us to go out, but now, even if you called him out, he wouldn¡¯t move. What¡¯s more, have you not noticed how distant he is around everyone now. He truly is Mr. Lu¡¯s biological brother. He seems a little like how Mr. Lu was back then... "But then again, Xu Jiamu is quite close to Little Rice Cake. He looks at him like he¡¯s his own son. It¡¯s called spoiling him with love. He must¡¯ve bought the majority of toys in this room right? In the past, I didn¡¯t figure that Xu Jiamu liked children. Howes after one of us got one, he turned out to be the one who spoils the kid the most! "He¡¯s thirty already and unmarried. Say, as his older brother and sister-inw, why can¡¯t you two go talk to him... He walks around by himself all day. He looks so pitiful..." Qiao Anxia let out sigh after sigh, then threw the gun in her hands to one side. "It¡¯s time for Little Rice Cake to drink milk now. I¡¯ll go down to heat it up." After hearing Qiao Anxia moan for so long, Qiao Anhao finally said, "I¡¯ll go, you stay here with Little Rice Cake." When he heard her say this, the boy softly said "Thank you mama" whilst ying with the toys beside him. Qiao Anhao shot Little Rice Cake a warm smile, reached her arm out and rubbed his head, then stood up and left. The far west side of Little Rice Cake¡¯s yroom was coincidentally next to the far east side of Xu Jiamu¡¯s vi. There was a window in the corridor. Before Qiao Anhao went downstairs, she couldn¡¯t help but nce over towards her west side. Through the matching windows, she saw Xu Jiamu leaning against the wall of his corridor, looking depressed, smoking. Suddenly, Qiao Anhao thought back to what Qiao Anxia had said about him. She couldn¡¯t help but sneak a few nces at him. In the end, she didn¡¯t call out to him, but let out a gentle sigh, and turned to walk down the stairs. - In the bedroom, Lu Jinnian put Qiao Anhao¡¯s suitcase away and went to the yroom. Just as he pushed the door up, he coincidentally heard Qiao Anxia teasing Little Rice Cake. "Little Rice Cake, be good and answer a question for auntie. Tomorrow, auntie will buy your favorite Ultraman egg for you!" Little Rice Cake immediately let go of the wooden blocks in front of him. He blinked his big pitch-ck eyes and stared at Qiao Anxia. "Auntie, ask." She let out an "En", then asked with a beaming smile, "Who¡¯s better papa or mama?" When Qiao Anxia finished asking, she added, "Remember, you have to choose one, or no Ultraman egg." Ever since Little Rice Cake stopped drinking milk, Lu Jinnian practically fed him and changed his diapers. He loved Qiao Anhao dearly, and couldn¡¯t bare to see her tired. But being just two and half, Little Rice Cake didn¡¯t understand Lu Jinnian¡¯s thoughts. He only understand that papa looked after him a little more, so he answered honestly for the Ultraman egg. "Papa." Right when he said that, Lu Jinnian let out a cough where he stood behind the door. When Little Rice Cake heard the sound, he looked over at Lu Jinnian with a little anticipation. He thought papa wouldpliment him, but who knew he would actually stare threateningly at him. "Who did you just say?" Chapter 885: After (2) Chapter 885: After (2) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Little Rice Cake blinked twice at Lu Jinnian and instinctively realised that his dad wasn¡¯t happy. However, though he was just two and half years old, he was really clever. Immediately, he turned his head towards Qiao Anxia and changed his answer. "Mama is better." With that, Little Rice Cake sneakily nced at Lu Jinnian. Seeing how his face rxed, he rxed also. Qiao Anxia rolled her eyes at Lu Jinnian, that lunatic... just how far will he y ve to his wife? Then, she turned her head and smiled sweetly at Little Rice Cake and said, "Then auntie will ask you another, do you love Baba more or Mama more? Remember! Just like before, you have to choose just one." Qiao Anxia even raised one finger to Little Rice Cake, to suggest that he could only choose one. Love papa more or love mama more? Little Rice Cake¡¯s pupils quivered, and he thought about how papa had yed games with him these past five months, so he innocently said again, "Papa." After he said this, he nced over to where Lu Jinnian was, and saw that he started to look annoyed. This time, he didn¡¯t wait for him to speak. He immediately said, "But I love mama more." Although he was young, he understood how to read faces... Who could know just how ck-bellied he might be when he grew up! As Qiao Anxia secretly moaned inside, she felt that Little Rice Cake was even cuter, and so she stroked his head. "Then if papa and mama were no longer together..." "Qiao Anxia!" As soon as Lu Jinnian heard the words "no longer together", hisplexion immediately fell. "Lu Jinnian, if you don¡¯t like to hear it, then get out! We¡¯re just ying around!" Qiao Anxia didn¡¯t back down, as she turned her head and angrily shouted at Lu Jinnian. Then, her expression softened again, and she continued to ask Little Rice Cake, "Would you go with papa or mama?" Little Rice Cake didn¡¯t actually understand what being ¡¯no longer together¡¯ meant, but seeing that Lu Jinnian was unhappy, he asked innocently, "Can they be together?" "No." Qiao Anxia shook her head, then said enticingly, "Ultraman egg, oh..." Little Rice Cake couldn¡¯t bear the temptation, so he innocently said, "Papa..." As he said this, he nced over at Lu Jinnian, who he realized was shooting him a frightening stare. His little face fell, and he looked like he was about to cry when he said, "Mama, I choose mama." Qiao Anxia couldn¡¯t help but burst outughing whilst teasing Little Rice Cake. "Auntie will ask you again..." Little Rice Cake suddenly let out a cry, instinctively shaking his head and saying, "Auntie, I don¡¯t want the Ultraman egg anymore. I beg you, auntie, don¡¯t ask me anymore. Mama is good and papa is bad, I beg you..." Just as Qiao Anhao came back upstairs after boiling milk, she heard Little Rice Cake¡¯s cries. She immediately ran over to the yroom and hugged the little boy. As she tried to cheer him up, she stared at Qiao Anxia. She immediately waved her hands. "Don¡¯t me me. It was your Mr. Lu who scared Little Rice Cake to tears." Qiao Anhao turned her head and looked at Lu Jinnian. He furrowed his brows, a little afraid that his sweet wife would be mad at him, so he exined, "Qiao Anxia made your son cry." "You were the one who teased Little Rice Cake!" said Qiao Anxia boldly and confidently. "Was that teasing?" scoffed Lu Jinnian. Chapter 886: Ending(3) Chapter 886: Ending£¨3£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Without hesitation, Qiao Anhao grabbed a couple Lego pieces and tossed them towards the two of them. "The two of you, get out!" - That weekend, Qiao Anhao went shopping with Qiao Anxia. She bought Little Rice Cake a pretty bag , skipped out on pens, and bought a twoyered fruit container, while Qiao Anxia got him a bunch of random toys. That Monday, Huan Ying Entertainment held a morning meeting so Lu Jinnian headed to work very early. When Qiao Anhao woke up, she helped Little Rice Cake change and have his meal with the guidance of Madam Chen. Holding onto his stubby little arms, she was prepared to send him off to kindergarten. The moment she opened the door, she saw Xu Jiamu¡¯s car enter her yard. Today was Little Rice Cake¡¯s first day of school, so how could Xu Jiamu, who was his biggest fan, miss out on such a special day? In the car, Qiao Anhao turned towards Little Rice Cake and instructed him about many things, but before he got out of the car, Xu Jiamu repeated all of them once more before carrying him into the kindergarten. Xu Jiamu and Qiao Anhao both didn¡¯t notice the red car stopped behind them. The car door was originally pushed open but the next moment, it was hurriedly pulled close. Xu Jiamu waited outside the entrance until Little Rice Cake entered the ssroom with the teacher before heading back to the car with Qiao Anhao. Only when his car leave did the red car door finally open, and a woman wearing shades and a cap pushed stepped out. She carried a little girl wearing a princess-like dress. Her hair was pinned into two braids and she looked very adorable. In English, she asked, "Mommy, why did you close the door just now?" "Mommy forgot something," the woman replied warmly. After a moment, she spoke again. "Little Red Bean, listen to mommy, remember to y well with the kids, and if someone asks you about your mom¡¯s name, do not mention Song Xiangsi, you must say Song Yao, understand?" "Yes, mom, you¡¯ve repeated it enough times." "Mmh, good girl. Once your grandpa recovers, mommy will bring you back to America so that you can y with your brother Qiao En again." Once they were at the entrance, she bent down to ce the little girl in her arms down. The little girl nted a kiss on her face before waving at her. "Mommy, goodbye." "Goodbye." She caressed the little girl¡¯s head before gazing in her direction until she entered the kindergarten. The woman returned to the drivers seat but didn¡¯t rush to head out, instead, she fell into a daze. Yesterday, she had a dream... She dreamed about him, but she never expected to see him this morning. Song Xiangsi reached out to her chest, her heart racing, its speed sending unease through her. - On the first day of school, Little Rice Cake scanned the surroundings before finally settling on Little Red Bean. He lugged his bag over to her and pointed towards the little yellow table beside her. "Can I sit beside you?" Little Red Bean wanted to sit with a pretty little girl just like herself so she shook her head. "No." Little Rice Cake blinked before asking, "What did I say just now?" Little Red Bean tilted her head to the side before repeating his question,"Can I sit beside you?" Little Rice Cake nodded. "Sure." cing his bag on the yellow table, he sat down. Chapter 887: After(4) Chapter 887: After£¨4£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Little Red Bean widened her dark innocent eyes, staring at Little Rice Cake nkly. After a long while, she realized that she just got tricked. She pouted, tears starting to cloud her eyes. "I don¡¯t wish to sit with you." Is she going to cry? Little Rice Cake stared at theyer of moisture gleaming in her eyes. Hurriedly, he tried to think of the times when he wanted to cry. At that time, his mommy would try to coax him while his dad would remind her to divert his attention. Little Rice Cake rotated his eyeballs before asking randomly, "Do you have apples?" Weren¡¯t they arguing about the seating arrangement? Why did he suddenly ask about the apples? Little Red Bean pouted again, thought for a moment, but still couldn¡¯t understand his motives so she stared at the droplets at the corners of her eyes, shaking her head. As she moved, the two long braids at the corners of her head flew sideways. Little Rice Cake grabbed his bag and unzipped it. He reached in and pulled out a fruit container. Forcefully, he opened the lid and passed a red and round apple over. "I can give you one." Little Red Bean nced at Little Rice Cake. She then lowered her head to look at the apple in his hands. Swallowing the saliva that had formed unknowingly, her short arms clenched onto her pretty dress. In the end, she restrained her desires, shaking her head once more. "My mommy told me not to take things from strangers." Strangers? Little Rice Cake blinked once more before correcting her seriously. "I¡¯m not a stranger, I¡¯m Little Rice Cake." After which, he stuffed the apple into her palm. Little Red Bean held onto the apple. She loosened her grip on it, wanting to give it back, yet, she couldn¡¯t bear to. After a short internal struggle, she finally tightened her grip once more before asking, "Are you really going to give it to me?" As she asked, she seemed to worry that Little Rice Cake would regret, and without waiting for him to reply, she moved the apple towards her mouth, taking a bite. A child¡¯s world was such, innocent and simple. Because of just an apple, Little Red Bean changed her attitude towards Little Rice Cake entirely, the two of them bing friends. Before Little Rice Cake had entered kindergarten, Qiao Anhao and Lu Jinnian had brought him to sses for toddlers, but every time, he would sit alone and y by himself while the other children clustered together. Qiao Anhao was worried that he had mild autism, but afterwards, she realized that she was simply thinking too much. Little Rice Cake felt that the children were too childish and would much rather y by himself. Little Red Bean was the first friend that he had taken the initiative to make. The girl was shy so she didn¡¯t say much. While the other children yed, she would often sit by herself. When Little Rice Cake wanted her to join in, she would refuse, so he started to look for other ways. "Do you know what¡¯s one plus one?" Little Red Bean tilted her head. After a couple seconds, she lifted two fingers. "Two." Chapter 888: After(5) Chapter 888: After£¨5£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem "Then do you know what is two plus two?" Little Rice Cake asked again. At two and a half years old, Little Red Bean only knew the answer because brother Qiao An had made her memorize it back when she was in America. As for two plus two, she couldn¡¯t reply. Shaking her head, she looked at Little Rice Cake in confusion. He had wanted to y with Little Red Bean, but when she didn¡¯t reply, he bit his lip and asked once more, "You don¡¯t know? It¡¯s okay, let me teach you. "Two plus two equals four," he said as he reached out to count for her with fingers. "Four," he emphasized once more. Little Red Bean stared at the four fingers he lifted up and repeated after him, "Four." Little Rice Cake continued to teach her. " Four plus four equals eight." He then counted four of her with his fingers. She nodded and repeated, "Eight." "Eight plus eight equals..." Little Red Bean lifted all her fingers but it wasn¡¯t enough so Little Rice Cake moved his fingers over to count for her. "Sixteen." She stared at her ten fingers and his six fingers. It was a pity that she could only count till ten, so she stopped and repeated continuously, "Ten, ten, ten.." Little Rice Cake hurriedly helped her out. "Eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen, fifteen, sixteen." Once they were done, he continued, "Sixteen plus sixteen..." Little Red Bean nced at him in anticipation. Little Rice Cake¡¯s tiny face blushed. He stammered for a while before saying excitedly, "Sixteen plus sixteen equals two sixteen." - Originally, Qiao Anhao thought that Little Rice Cake would end up crying and throwing a tantrum on his first day, but unexpectedly, the next day at just 5 am, he came knocking on her and Lu Jinnian¡¯s bedroom door, rushing them to get ready so that he could go to school. What¡¯s more surprising was that he who had never liked apples, actually requested for some to bring to school. - Xu Jiamu had a dinner meeting. After the meal, Mr. Zhang suggested for them to y mahjong. Xu Jiamu didn¡¯t want to go but right before he left the hotel, gray clouds covered the skies. A heaviness filled him at the thought of heading back to the empty office so he returned to the room. Everyone was ying excitedly, heating up the atmosphere. Xu Jiamu had fairly good luck, winning about three to four rounds, but even so, he remained nonchnt, a faint smile on his face. A middle-aged man sat in front of him. His surname was Luo and he was in the makeup industry. Hispany had a renowned brand name, for they only employed A list celebrities. Xu Jiamu had acquired about 30% shares for their newest product. When Mr. Zhang was touching his tile, he seemed to have remembered something. "Mr. Luo, are you nning to change the endorsement model for your brand this year?" Chapter 889: After(6) Chapter 889: After£¨6£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Mr. Luo arranged the tiles in front of him. "Yea, we¡¯re nning to change her, but we haven¡¯t found anyone suitable yet." "What about Qiao Anhao? She just came back from filming a Hollywood film, very soon her name will be known globally. I¡¯m sure her worth will increase in no time, so I suggest you strike soon. Besides, Qiao Anhao is Mr. Xu¡¯s sister inw and the both of you are partners so there¡¯ll be many opportunities." Mr. Zhang turned over to nce at Xu Jiamu. "Right? Mr. Xu?" Xu Jiamu lifted his head. He nced at Mr. Zhang and tugged his lips up. "You¡¯ve got to ask my brother about that." The moment he mentioned Lu Jinnian... The group shook their heads, sighing. "There¡¯s no hope then, Mr. Lu¡¯s business has grown so much recently. With so much money, I¡¯m pretty sure Mrs. Lu would have already retired if not for the contract she signed two years ago." Xu Jiamu chuckled lightly. Reaching out, he grabbed another tile swiftly and urately. "Eh... Besides Mrs. Lu, there¡¯s one other choice." Mr. Zhang seemed to have thought of someone, so Mr. Luo turned to ask, "Who?" "Song Xiangsi," he replied without hesitation. Those familiar two words that were engraved deeply into Xu Jiamu¡¯s heart. He tightened his grip on the tile visibly, then lowered his eyes to stare at it motionlessly. "From what I know, when Song Xiangsi left the industry, she had several contracts on hand. She willingly breached all of them, paying up to six billion RMB... As a star, she was indeed at the top, but after struggling for so many years, she probably spent it all. The Song Xiangsi now probably doesn¡¯t have much left so her pay would surely be lower than the crazily steep one from three years ago." Mr. Zhang took a breath and continued, "Besides, three years ago, she left the industry without a word, even till today, many are still curious about what happened. If you seed in getting her to endorse your brand, it¡¯ll definitely be a hit!" Xu Jiamu clenched the tile in his fist, the faint smile on his face vanishing. All these years, he had heard about her, but it wasn¡¯t much and every single time, it would be about the funds she had to pay for breaching her contracts. They weren¡¯t wrong, after struggling for three years, Song Xiangsi wouldn¡¯t have much in her hands. Whenever he thought about her in the middle of the night, he would subconsciously wonder about her life now that she didn¡¯t have much money... After all, she had been living quite pampered before. "This is indeed an excellent suggestion!" Mr. Luo eximed excitedly, but quickly, it was reced by disappointment. "But Song Xiangsi hasn¡¯t been on the radar for such a long time, where am I going to find her?" Mr. Zhang was in a hurry to respond, instead, he tapped Xu Jiamu¡¯s elbow. "Mr. Xu, why are you in a daze? It¡¯s your turn." Xu Jiamu nodded, keeping his gaze on the tiles. He randomly tossed one before listening to Mr. Zhang¡¯s next words. "From what I heard, Song Xiangsi came backst month." Chapter 890: After(7) Chapter 890: After£¨7£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Xu Jiamu felt as though something smashed hard into his heart, sending pulses of pain through him. All these years, he hadn¡¯t gone to find her and she hadn¡¯t came back to find him, just like that, they cut off all contact. But every time someone mentioned her name, he would subconsciously take note. All these years, he had heard many things about her, there was even a rumor about her getting married in Los Angeles. She married a divorced man with two children, the older one eight years old while the younger was three. As for the uracy, he wasn¡¯t sure and never did dared to verify. He knew that he was afraid, afraid that the rumors were true... Mr. Luo and Mr. Zhang continued to discuss the endorsement model, asionally mentioning Song Xiangsi. But Xu Jiamu no longer listened to their conversation, only when Mr. Luo asked him about his views on getting Song Xiangsi did he snap back from his daze. After a long moment of silence, he replied, "Anyone is fine." Right after, he used a random excuse to leave. It was currently summer. The afternoon sun zed, sending unbearable heat waves through the air. Xu Jiamu was dressed in leather, so the moment he left the air-conditioned hotel, he started to sweat. But he continued to stand under the scorching sun, smoking, as though he couldn¡¯t feel the heat, only when he choked on the smoke did he snap out of his daze, heading for the car park. Xu Jiamu drove aimlessly, and in the end, he only took note of where he was when he once again reached Su Yuan apartment building. He was here once again. In this three years, he had been here countless times, every single time he drove aimlessly, he would end up here. He stared at the apartment nkly for a long while before leaving nkly like a fool. The sun was bright outside his window. When the rays became too blinding, Xu Jiamu restarted the engine. But before he could hit the elerator, he caught sight of a familiar figure from the corner of his eyes. His heartbeat sped up. It was as though someone had pulled him aggressively, sending a tremble through him. mming onto the brakes, he turned his head violently to look straight at that familiar figure. Even though she was wearing a cap and shades that covered most of her face, he could still easily recognize her. There wasn¡¯t much change to her figure, but she was thinner. She wore matching red shirt and skirt thatplemented her pale skin, exposing her long slender legs. Her feet were put into a pair of ts. She seemed to be talking on the phone. Her head was lowered, her red lips curled upwards. It was the samezy smile she previously wore so often, exactly like he remembered. When he finally snapped back to reality, Song Xiangsi had already boarded a car. Instinctively, he mmed onto the elerator to chase after her, but when he remembered how they had separated three years ago, the impulse dissipated. Exhausted, Xu Jiamu slouched onto the seat weakly. The car remained in silence for five minutes until his phone rang. Xu Jiamu hesitated before turning to look at the screen. Without waiting, he picked it up. "Bro?" Chapter 891: After(8) Chapter 891: After£¨8£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem "Are you busyter?" Lu Jinnian asked. There were hushed voices at the back as though he was in a meeting. Xu Jiamu shook his head lightly, clearing his mind. When he finally calmed down, he replied, "No, what¡¯s up?" "If you¡¯re not busy, help me get Little Rice Cake. I have a client right now and Qiao family just called saying that Father Qiao isn¡¯t well so Qiao Qiao went over." While Lu Jinnian exined the situation, he continued to instruct his employees. "This idea won¡¯t work, redo it." "Is there any problem?" Xu Jiamu replied, "No." After hanging up, he nced at the time; he was alreadyte. Hurriedly, he started his car and drove off. The traffic was bad, by the time Xu Jiamu reached the kindergarten, only the principal and a teacher was left to look after Little Rice Cake and a pretty little girl. Xu Jiamu hade to fetch Little Rice Cake several times so the principal recognized him. When he saw him walking in, he called out to the boy, "Little Rice Cake, your uncle is here to get you." The boy lifted his head, greeting in his childlike voice, "Uncle." He then continued to sit on the mat, ying with the little girl with braids with no intention of leaving. Xu Jiamu was indulgent of Little Rice Cake so he didn¡¯t angry. Walking towards the kid¡¯s bag, he stuffed his things inside before walking over to him. Kneeling down, he called out to Little Rice Cake, who was ying with sand, "Hey, let¡¯s go home." Little Rice Cake grabbed a handful of sand, turned to Little Red Bean before, then back to Xu Jiamu. In a calm voice, he asked, "Uncle, can we leave after a while?" Xu Jiamu nced at Little Rice Cake, waiting patiently for the reason. "Uncle, Little Red Bean¡¯s mommy isn¡¯t here yet. If I go, she¡¯ll be the only one left in the kindergarten. Can we wait for her mommy toe before we leave?" Little Red Bean... That was a special name... It automatically reminded him of a poem called "Xiangsi": Beautiful Red berries grow in the South / When springes, I don¡¯t know how many branches there will be / But I hope you can gather more for these¡¯re a symbol of love. Maybe due to her name, Xu Jiamu took more notice of Little Red Bean. The little girl looked almost the same age as Little Rice Cake, with a round face and pale skin. From a single look, he was attracted. When the principal saw Xu Jiamu¡¯s silence, he couldn¡¯t help adding, "Little Red Bean¡¯s mother could be busy. I tried to call her but she isn¡¯t picking up. Little Rice Cake and Little Red Bean have a close rtionship so he wanted to apany her." Xu Jiamu came back to his senses. His gaze continued to focus on Little Red Bean for a while longer before he turned to nod at the principal. "Is it okay if I wait a little longer?" "It¡¯s okay." The principal smiled. "If you¡¯re busy, you can go ahead, I¡¯ll look after them." The principal smiled, then after staying for a while more, he left. The two little kids yed harmoniously, putting Xu Jiamu at ease. Time trickled by. Even when sunset came, Little Red Bean¡¯s mother still didn¡¯t arrive. Chapter 892: After(9) Chapter 892: After£¨9£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem The two children were tired and hungry so the principal specially prepared healthy kids meal for them. Little Rice Cake and Little Red Bean sat beside each other as they ate the food. Xu Jiamu sat opposite them, staring with a warm expression. Little Rice Cake started to eat by himself six months ago, so right now he was quite skilled with the spoon. Little Red Bean, though, clenched onto the spoon and every time the rice would spill out, even the vegetables falling over. She must have been starving, for in the end she put down the spoon to use her hands. Xu Jiamu hurriedly stopped her. He grabbed her spoon and started to feed her. Little Red Bean widened her dark eyes, staring up at him before opening her mouth to eat the spoonful of food. As she chewed, she smiled at him brightly. The moment she smiled at him, his heart started to ache and a hard to exin impulse to pamper her seeped into his heart. He stared at her in a daze. Little Red Bean swallowed the food in her mouth before widening her mouth once more. When he didn¡¯t notice, she produced an adorable squeaky sound, "Ah." Xu Jiamu hurriedly ced another spoonful in her mouth. When he removed it, he caught sight of her beautiful dark eyes, and his heart squeezed again. Diverting his gaze, he scooped another spoonful of rice. "Little Red Bean, how old are you this year?" The girl replied inaudibly, then raised three fingers up for Xu Jiamu. Three years old... That¡¯s half a year older than Little Rice Cake.. But why did she seem younger than him. Xu Jiamu smiled faintly. "Three years old... That means you¡¯re Little Rice Cake¡¯s Big Sister." Little Rice Cake raised his head in displeasure. "I want to be her Big Brother." Little Red Bean had wanted to eat the rice, but instead, she turned her head towards him. "But uncle said I¡¯m your Big Sister." "I¡¯m your Big Brother." "I¡¯m your Big Sister." "Big Brother." "Big Sister." "Big Brother" ... The two kids bickered endlessly. In end, Little Red Bean got confused and called out "Big Brother." Without hesitation, Little Rice Cake acknowledged her call. "Yea!" Little Red Bean¡¯s eyes grew damp. Filled with sorrow and helplessness, she turned towards Xu Jiamu. "Uncle, Little Rice Cake bullied me." Xu Jiamu felt his hart melt into a puddle. Without giving it a thought, he reached out to hug her in his arms. "Good girl..." The moment he hugged her, Little Red Bean naturally reached out her two stubby arms, circling his neck. Just like that, his throat tightened, and he swallowed theforting words back down. He felt his heart clench, softening. Curling his lips upwards, he smiled at her warmly. The principal¡¯s voice sounded right then. "We¡¯ve been waiting for a long time, you¡¯re finally here." Chapter 893: After (10) Chapter 893: After (10) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Then the faint sound of a woman¡¯s voice spoke up. "Sorry, I was held up." Xu Jiamu was all too familiar with that voice. He wanted to go hold Little Red Bean¡¯s hand, but he stopped mid-air. He could clearly feel his heart skip a beat. He held his breath and summoned all his strength to slowly turn around. There, at the door, the ssroom door was pushed open. With a bright smile, the principal smiled and said, "Little Red Bean, your mommy is here to pick you up." When the principal said this, the first person to enter was a man. He looked like he was around thirty-eight years old, and he had a safe, stable, and reserved feeling about him. Little Red Bean nced at the man, and her eyes immediately brightened. She rushed over to his open arms and cried, "Daddy!" The second she spoke, a woman in a red dress walked into the ssroom. She had a pair of sunsses and a hat in her hands while wearing a warm smile on her face. "Little Red Bean..." Right then, she saw Xu Jiamu hugging the little girl. Her face instantly tensed up and her words were immediately cut short. She stopped walking and stood there on the spot without so much as a twitch. Xu Jiamu could clearly feel the blood in his body starting to flow in the opposite direction. His eyes fell on Song Xiangsi. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn¡¯t draw them away from her. He didn¡¯t even know when the man walked in front of him and carried Little Red Bean away. All he knew was that when he snapped back to reality, the girl was happily kissing he man on the face twice, then saying cheerfully, "I missed daddy so so soooo much." The man¡¯s eyes smiled at Little Red Bean¡¯s words. He couldn¡¯t resist but kiss her on her soft cheeks. "Daddy missed Little Red Bean too, so so sooo much." Having been yfully teased, the girl smiled and rested on the man¡¯s shoulder. She cried "Mommy" at Song Xiangsi, who still stood at the door. Daddy... Mommy... Those two words turned Xu Jiamu instantly pale white. He thought back to the rumor he heard that Song Xiangsi got married in America to a divorced man who was eight years older. That man had two kids from his previous wife; the older one was an eight year old boy and the little one a three year old girl. The person who had told him this rumor had sighed and added that it was such a shame. Song Xiangsi was like China¡¯s dream woman, yet she married a normal man, who wasn¡¯t exactly well-off, and became a stepmother to two kids. The only reason Xu Jiamu always called these talks rumors was because that way he could tell himself that they weren¡¯t true. This afternoon, he heard about the rumors again whilst ying cards with people at the Royal Pce. He even thought how he was afraid to confirm them, but in less than five hours, they were confirmed anyway. Xu Jiamu felt his whole body tremble. He stared straight at Song Xiangsi, as she stood frozen on the spot. He figured that he must look awful at that very instant. He snapped back to reality the moment Little Red Bean called Song Xiangsi "Mommy". She lowered her head first, then raised it again to reveal her usual nonchnt expression. As she walked elegantly and leisurely in her high heels, she reached her hand out to stroke Little Red Bean¡¯s head and shot her an affectionate smile. Chapter 894: After (11) Chapter 894: After (11) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem The principal assumed that Little Red Bean¡¯s parents hadn¡¯t met Little Rice Cake¡¯s parents, and so he introduced them to each other. "Hello Miss Song, this is Little Rice Cake¡¯s uncle, Mr. Xu, Xu Jiamu." When the principal said Xu Jiamu¡¯s name, the man carrying Little Red Bean looked confused for a moment, before quickly reverting back to normal. He continued to y with Little Red Bean, but from the corner of his eyes, he shot Xu Jiamu a few nces. The principal shot Xu Jiamu a gentle smile and continued, "Mr. Xu, I¡¯m sure you know the big star, Miss Song, Song Xiangsi. This here is her husband, Jiang Licheng, Mr. Jiang." She aborted his child... Then married someone else, and became his children¡¯s stepmother... As the principal introduced them to Xu Jiamu, he balled up his hands into fists so hard that they started to bleed when nails dug into his palms. After Jiang Licheng listened to the principal¡¯s introduction, he held Little Red Bean with one hand, then turned around. He shot Xu Jiamu a frank smile and reached his hand out. "Mr. Xu." Like a robot, Xu Jiamu reached his hand out as well and spoke softly. "Hello, Mr. Jiang." When the two let go, Song Xiangsi, standing next to Jiang Licheng, naturally reached her hand out and shot Xu Jiamu a casual smile. Politely, she said, "Mr. Xu, thank you for looking after Little Red Bean just now." She called him Mr. Xu. Her voice was so calm and emotionless, as though they¡¯d never met and this was their very first exchange. Xu Jiamu stared straight at Song Xiangsi for a while, before he raised his hand out to shake hers. Just like before, even if it were summer, her hands had a hint of coldness, and they still felt soft to the touch. He couldn¡¯t contain the trembling in his heart. Xu Jiamu summoned a lot of strength to calmly say, "You¡¯re wee, Mrs. Song." Song Xiangsi smiled at him, calm and collected. She didn¡¯t say anything unnecessary, but pulled her own hand back, then turned to apologize to the principal. "I¡¯m so sorry about today. It took me so long to get off work. It¡¯s gettingte, we have to get going now." The principal smiled and said, "Goodbye." Song Xiangsi returned the smile, then gave one look at Jiang Licheng. He shot Xu Jiamu a "Goodbye", then carrying Little Red Bean left with Song Xiangsi side by side. Xu Jiamu stayed on the spot for a long time after she left. The lights in the room made his figure look slightly elongated. When Little Rice Cake finished eating, he looked at Xu Jiamu, who hadn¡¯t moved at all. He climbed out of his chair and walked over to him. He pulled at Xu Jiamu¡¯s trousers. "Uncle, let¡¯s go home too." Xu Jiamu¡¯s expression looked cold, as though something had just happened. He bent down and picked up Little Rice Cake, bringing his book bag as well. He then said goodbye to the principal and left the kindergarten. Back in Mian Xiu Garden, Lu Jinnian and Qiao Anhao had arrived back home and Madam Chen had just prepared dinner. When Qiao Anhao opened the door, she shot Xu Jiamu a smile, but then instantly realized that there was something wrong with him. His face was unusually white, so she couldn¡¯t help but ask worriedly, "What¡¯s wrong? Are you feeling alright?" Xu Jiamu shook his head and put Little Rice Cake down. He handed Qiao Anhao the book bag, then didn¡¯t even wait for her to respond before turning around with the words "I¡¯ve got to go" and leaving. Chapter 895: After (12) Chapter 895: After (12) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Xu Jiamu didn¡¯t hear Qiao Anhao following behind him and asking questions. He simply pulled open the door and got into the car. With a troubled heart, he stepped on the elerator, turned the steering wheel, and drove off. The phone on the passenger¡¯s seat rang. It was Lu Jinnian calling. Qiao Anhao must¡¯ve told him something. Xu Jiamu nced over at his phone screen, and reached his hand out to decline the call. After a pause, he switched his phone off. Two hourster, his car came to a stop. The world outside was already dark. Xu Jiamu got out of the car and stood at the door, staring at the pitch-ck mountain in front of him. He swiftly shut the door, and walked up half the mountain. He did so with a muddled head. Like a robot, he came to a stop in front of a grave without a photo. After standing there for quite some time, he blinked, still in a daze, and the rims of his eyes suddenly became red. "Baby... Daddy saw your mommy today..." From just a few simple words, Xu Jiamu¡¯s voice instantly became choked up. If he hadn¡¯t seen it with his own eyes... if he hadn¡¯t felt the sharp pain in his heart on the left of his chest, he really would think that everything that happened this afternoon was all just a nightmare. Even though he said that there was no longer anything between them, he had still fantasized about the circumstances of how they would reunite. He thought of countless ways, but he never imagined that when they met again, she would be married, be someone else¡¯s wife. "Baby, your mommy is skinnier than before. Did she not eat well in America? But, she¡¯s still beautiful... It¡¯s just that..." As Xu Jiamu said that, he paused for a moment. "Your mommy really doesn¡¯t want your daddy anymore. "Baby, did you know? At first... Daddy didn¡¯t mean to treat your mommy like that, daddy just heard that Baby was gone, so I go really mad... You don¡¯t know just how happy papa was to find out about you, but how could mommy be so merciless as to not want you? "Actually, when daddy left, he really regretted it. Daddy came back to find mommy, but mommy had already left..." Xu Jiamu became a little distracted. That day, he was so mad, he really lost it. After he left, he headed straight downstairs, and threw the ring he prepared into the bin without a second thought. Then he went to a bar, and drank for most of the night. He was so drunk he couldn¡¯t walk straight, yet his mind was terrifyingly clear. She aborted his child, so how could he still hate part with her? He staggered out of the bar, and hailed a taxi back to Su Yuan apartments. He scoured the dirty bins for a long long time before finally fishing out the ring. Then, he staggered up the stairs, punched in the passcode a few times before opening the door. The messy room told him just how just how much he had fallen. When wind blew in from an open window, it brought a piece of paper in front of him with the words ¡¯Painless surgical abortion¡¯ written on it. Clearly, he should hate her, but he was there to talk things through with her, and yet, she left. She left so swiftly, so easily, just as ruthlessly and cold as the surgical abortion papers. At that thought, a single tear fell from Xu Jiamu eyes. "Baby, mommy actually didn¡¯t want daddy from the beginning, right?" Chapter 896: After(13) Chapter 896: After£¨13£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem She didn¡¯t want him three years ago... No... It was four years ago... At that time, she had already mentioned leaving him. He understood everything but he chose to be ignorant to let himself feel better. But now, she is married... "Baby, daddy needs to stop lying to himself..." "Baby, don¡¯t me mommy for being heartless, it wasn¡¯t that she didn¡¯t love you, she did it because of daddy. If you want to me someone, me daddy..." Xu Jiamu could no longer suppress his tears and allowed them to fall freely. Reaching out, he caressed the cold tombstone, his back trembling. - Jiang Licheng ced Little Red Bean, who was fast asleep, on the bed softly, while Song Xiangsi tenderly tucked her in. After turning off the lights, they softly exited the room. Song Xiangsi headed to the kitchen to get two cups of water. When she passed one over to Jiang Licheng, she said, "Thank you." He epted the cup, ncing over at her before taking a sip. "Are you thanking me for bringing my mentor over from America to treat your father or for acting alongside you at the kindergarten yesterday?" Song Xiangsi was aware that the emphasis was on the second half of the sentence. She smiled lightly, and, without a word, took a sip of water. Jiang Licheng slouched on the sofa. He turned the cup in his hands. "Xu Jiamu, the CEO of Xu Enterprise, Little Red Bean¡¯s biological father...You ced her under my and Song Yao¡¯s name, and even increased her age by half a month, was it all to prevent him from finding out?" Song Xiangsi lowered her eyes helplessly. Three years ago when she reached Seattle, she was a pregnant women who was clueless and ignorant. At that time, she used arge sum to employ a private gynecologist, Jiang Licheng. His wife had the same first name identical to Song Xiangsi¡¯s - Song Yao. Just like she, the woman originated from Su Zhou, and at that time, she was pregnant as well. With amon topic, they got along harmoniously. Song Yao was on her second child and was due three months earlier. However, on her eighth month, she went into a suddenbor. The baby wasn¡¯t in the right position, causing a difficultbor, killing both the mother and the child. When Song Xiangsi gave birth to Little Red Bean, she ced her under Jiang Licheng¡¯s name. Just as he mentioned, she was afraid that Little Red Bean would be photographed by paparazzi, alerting Xu Jiamu and bringing unwanted trouble. After having three years of understanding, Jiang Licheng could tell that she agreed on the matter. He ced the cup of water down before continuing in a calm tone, "Xiangsi, I can tell that after you met Mr. Xu, you¡¯ve been in a daze. I believe that there is something you haven¡¯t gotten over..." "Licheng..." Song Xiangsi knew what he was going to say. Smiling, she interrupted him faintly, "This afternoon, a makeuppany contacted me. They would like to invite me to be their endorsement model and I n on epting it." "Xiangsi..." Song Xiangsi didn¡¯t give him any opportunity to continue, shutting him off. "You should know that with payments for breaching contracts, I didn¡¯t have much left. My living expenses in America depleted arge chunk of the remaining money, and now that my dad is hospitalized, I need a huge sum." Chapter 897: After (14) Chapter 897: After (14) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Jiang Licheng opened his mouth again to speak but the words never came. Without messing around, Song Xiangsi continued to speak. "From now on, if Little Red Bean needs any money, we have more than enough. Although the endorsement fees that the other party offered me are a lot less than before, it¡¯s quite a sum of money for me right now. It¡¯ll be enough for Little Red Bean and I to live frugally for the rest of our lives. Afterall, I don¡¯t know when my father will get well, so we should take the advantage of this time. I want to film thatmercial." "Song Xiangsi, you obviously know what I want to talk to you about." Having been unable to let out a single word, Jiang Licheng finally couldn¡¯t hold back the anger in his voice. "After a while, if I get busy with filming and can¡¯t take care of Little Red Bean, please help me look after her. Thank you." As Song Xiangsi said this, she calmly got up, dragged Jiang Licheng by the arm to the entrance, and opened the front door. "Alright, Licheng, it¡¯s gettingte now. You¡¯d better be off, I also need to get some rest." "Song Xiangsi, you..." Jiang Licheng hadn¡¯t finished when Song Xiangsi pushed him right out the door. Without a second word, the door shut with a bang. On the other side of the door, Song Xiangsi clearly heard Jiang Licheng swearing in anger, followed by the ¡¯ding dong¡¯ of the elevator. In the end, the room fell silent . Song Xiangsi stood at the entrance for a while, before walking softly over to the bedroom. She looked at Little Red Bean fast asleep on the bed, and then walked over to the balcony. She pulled therge doors open, and leaned against the railings. Song Xiangsi stared down at the million lights, as her mind involuntarily wandered to the image of Xu Jiamu in the afternoon. He looked a lot more mature than he did three years ago. His hair was cut short, revealing his handsome forehead. He wasn¡¯t wearing thetest fashion like he did before, but a suit, which made him look taller. His gaze was far more reserved than before. His every move seemed understated, but stable. In three short years, he had actually be a more tranquil person. He practically seemed to have lost the upbeat, unorganized, and the do-as-he-pleases attitude. Jiamu, Xu Jiamu. As Song Xiangsi thought about it, she couldn¡¯t suppress the pain. It felt like someone had sliced her with a knife, drenching her in blood. The sight of it was tragically gory. - The person in charge of negotiating with Song Xiangsi¡¯s cosmeticsmercial was Chief Luo, but when Xu Jiamu learned that she was interested in shooting the ad, he suddenly requested to personally discuss it with her. When Chief Luo heard this, he was quite astonished, but seeing as Xu Jiamu was Lu Jinnian¡¯s own brother, he imagined that he could negotiate for lower endorsement fees, so he agreed with noments. Xu Jiamu didn¡¯t directly meet up with Song Xiangsi but arranged for his secretary to first contact her. Once they discussed the details, then the terms had to be finalized. Xu Jiamu waited for the signing of the contract face-to-face to show up. His secretary and Song Xiangsi¡¯s manager set up a meeting for Wednesday afternoon at The Capital Club. At first, the secretary thought Xu Jiamu would go together with him, but just as the clock turned twelve in the afternoon, Xu Jiamu grabbed the documents from him, and set off on his own. Chapter 898: After (15) Chapter 898: After (15) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem It was one o¡¯clock when Xu Jiamu arrived at The Capital Club, two hours before their meeting time. He sent the waiter away and sat alone in the quiet room. He brought the contract out and stared at the writing. In truth, he didn¡¯t pay attention to a word of the terms, but flipped through the pages like a robot. After he went through over a hundred pages, the sound of high heels came from outside the room. With that, the door opened and the waiter¡¯s polite and gentle voice was heard. "Pleasee in." Xu Jiamu instinctively looked up from the contract to see Song Xiangsi elegantly walk into the room like an arrogant queen, as she did in the past. She took just a few steps forward when she suddenly stopped in her tracks upon seeing him. Behind her, her manager also came to a stop. When she saw Xu Jiamu, she was dazed for a moment, beforeing back to her sense. She greeted him, "Hello, Chief Xu." When Song Xiangsi heard her manager¡¯s voice, she snapped back to reality. She continued to walk as swiftly as she had done before, then she pulled out the chair opposite Xu Jiamu¡¯s and calmly took her seat. The waiter walked forward and handed them a drinks menu. Xu Jiamu didn¡¯t ask for Song Xiangsi¡¯s opinions, but flipped through two pages and ordered a pot of Biluochun tea. Soon enough, the waiter brought the tea forward. Xu Jiamu waved his hand, to signal for the attendant to leave, then he personally poured three cups of tea, and brought a cup for Song Xiangsi and her assistant. Song Xiangsi didn¡¯t utter a word, but her assistant gave a soft, "Thank you." The sweet aroma of Biluochun filled the room. Neither Xu Jiamu nor Song Xiangsi spoke a word. Her manager looked at him, then back again at Song Xiangsi. After struggling for a while, all she could do was put on a bold face and break the silence. "Chief Xu, the contract... have you read it?" Xu Jiamu gave a nod. "Yes, I have." The manager continued to ask, "I wonder if Chief Xu perhaps has any objections to the terms Song Xiangsi has proposed?" Xu Jiamu said straightforwardly in a t tone, "No." "Then about the endorsementmission, Chief Luo offered five millions at first. Even though our Song Xiangsi has disappeared from the scene for three years and her poprity isn¡¯t as it was before, she can still cause quite the stir by suddenly taking thismercial. And so, after some consideration, we believe themission should be no less that six million." "No problem." Xu Jiamu had no interest in negotiating, so he agreed without a second thought. "Then, Chief Xu, can you please amend the offer and sign now?" As the manager asked, she flipped the pages of the contract. Xu Jiamu raised a hand, and stared at Song Xiangsi without blinking for a long while. His next words were directed at the manager. "Could you please step outside for a moment?" "Chief Xu, that err..." said the manager, feeling a little awkward. After some hesitation, she turned her head towards Song Xiangsi. The woman¡¯s expression was cold. After about half a minute, she softly gave a nod, after which the manager then nodded at Xu Jiamu and said, "Alright." When the manager left, she instinctively shut the door behind her. Chapter 899: After (16) Chapter 899: After (16) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Xu Jiamu didn¡¯t speak for a long time. But Song Xiangsi was in no hurry. She sat there calmly, and looked even moreposed than him. The room was silent. Who knows how long had passed before Xu Jiamu cleared his throat. For a brief moment, he let out an "En", then shifted and said, "How have you been all these years in America?" Those few simple words suddenly softened Song Xiangsi¡¯s heart. The calm and collected attitude she tried so hard to uphold almost shattered to nothing just like that. She tightly balled up her fists and tried her hardest to not show any emotions on her face, but her heart was already turbulent. She silently gazed at Xu Jiamu for a long time, before she pulled a polite smile. "Thank you Mr. Xu for caring, I¡¯m good." Song Xiangsi¡¯s cold and distant demeanor caught Xu Jiamu off guard. He lowered his eyes, flustered, and said after another pause, "I hear that you got married in America?" Actually, Song Xiangsi wanted to lie by saying ¡¯yes¡¯, but no matter what, she couldn¡¯t let it out. In the end, she thought she may as well choose to stay quiet. Xu Jiamu waited for a while, but she didn¡¯t speak. He raised his eyes and gazed at her for a while, then said, "Yesterday, that gentleman... was your husband?" What was the point in talking to her about all this? To reminisce about the past? Three years ago, she used all the strength in her body to force herself to cut all ties between them. At first, she left her home country and had so many sleepless nights dreaming about him. It was not until she gave birth to Little Red Bean that she turned her attention towards her, and gradually stopped hurting. Nobody knew what she endured every single day for three whole years trying to forget and let him go. Eventually, she managed to hold out and shake off her initial feeling as though life is no better than death. If it was possible, she really didn¡¯t want to get herself mixed up with him again, because she didn¡¯t want to see herself repeat the same mistakes. At that thought, Song Xiangsi secretly took a deep breath. She stared at Xu Jiamu and spoke elegantly. "Mr. Xu, about the contract, my manager just now was very clear about it. If you have no opinions on the matter, then can I sign it now?" When she said this, she reached her arm out and picked up the contract on the table, then flipped through to the page that required the signature. Just as she was about to pick up the pen, Xu Jiamu suddenly held her hand. His palms were hot, so hot in fact, they made Song Xiangsi¡¯s entire body tremble. Then she heard him say in a gentle voice, "Xiangsi". The tone of his voice was exactly the same as how he used to speak in the middle of the night. She suddenly pulled her arm back, as though she was frightened by something. Then she picked up her bag beside her, stood up, and forced herself to sound poised, but her voice still trembled a little. "Sorry, Mr. Xu, about the contract, talk to my manager. I¡¯ll be going now." After she said this, she turned around to leave, but after taking just two stops, Xu Jiamu grabbed her wrist again. Before she could slowlye back to her senses, he pushed her back into her chair with a shove. Chapter 900: After (16) Chapter 900: After (16) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Then Xu Jiamu¡¯s arms, which were resting on both arms of his chair, flung around Song Xiangsi, trapping her in his embrace. He lowered his head and stared into her eyes. "Xiangsi, can you not be like this? Let¡¯s talk it out. Please?" When had the old Xu Jiamu ever spoke to Song Xiangsi like that? When she used to act arrogant, the old him would of only arrogantly got angry. But the him right now was actually speaking in a polite and negotiating kind of tone of voice. Just what did he mean by this... Could it be that he wanted to... Song Xiangsi stopped her thoughts there, as her heart couldn¡¯t help but feel mocked. Why was she always so unrepentant? At first, she was softhearted with him, time and time again. In the end, he canceled their deal and got engaged with someone else. It was because she had hoped so many times now, so she ended up with despair. So, Song XIangsi, I beg you, don¡¯t be such a pushover. This time, you didn¡¯te back to the country to start over again with Xu Jiamu. You¡¯re here for your father. When your father is well again, you have to go back to America. Your life is good right now. Even though every now and then you get sad thinking about him, you¡¯re at peace. Don¡¯t hurt yourself time and time again... Song Xiangsi tightened her grip, then shot Xu Jiamu a smirk and an emotionless smile. "Mr. Xu, what is the meaning of this? You want to relight the fire? If I remember correctly, you said it with your own mouth three years ago that you and I have nothing to do with each other! "So, Mr. Xu, I believe there¡¯s nothing we really need to say to each other. After all, I¡¯m no one to you and you¡¯re no one to me." Xu Jiamu grabbed both arms of the chair. His knuckles turned white, protruding under his sheer force. "Oh, that¡¯s not right." Song Xiangsi looked at the man as though he was weird and chuckled. "For three years, I wasn¡¯t your anything, nor you mine! It was just a business deal between us before. A deal settled with money, one after which we owed nothing to the other party." "In your heart, is that what you¡¯ve always thought?" Xu Jiamu held his breath, pausing with each word of his question. "Or what?" asked Song Xiangsi bemused. She lifted her head and stared into Xu Jiamu¡¯s eyes. "Or else, why would I have aborted your child..." Before she could finish, Xu Jiamu suddenly turned away. His breathing hastened, viciousness creeping up into his face. Just as Song Xiangsi thought that he would get angry like he did three years ago, he suddenly loosened his grip on the chair. He took a step back, then turned around and stared out the window, and said tly, "Leave. About your contract, tell your manager toe in and discuss the details." Song Xiangsi sat in her chair with a cold expression on her face for a while, then without making a sound, she stood up, picked up her bag, and walked out the door. Xu Jiamu stood still on the spot without moving. It was not until he heard Song Xiangsi shut the door that his whole body trembled gently. Soon enough, the door was pushed open and he heard the voice of her manager. "Chief Xu, the contract..." "I¡¯ll ask someone to send the contract to youter," he said without even waiting for the manager to finish talking. "Okay," replied the woman."Then goodbye, Chief Xu." Chapter 901: After (18) Chapter 901: After (18) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Xu Jiamu didn¡¯t say another thing. Song Xiangsi¡¯s manager paused for a moment, then shut the door. Only then did Xu Jiamu take two steps back into his seat. His ears rang with the words Song Xiangsi had just said. "For three years, I wasn¡¯t your anything, nor you mine! It was just a business deal between us before. A deal settled with money, one after which we owed nothing to the other party. "Or else, why would I have aborted your child..." Xu Jiamu thought about it, then hooked his lips into a smile, and let out a chuckle. I¡¯m nobody to you, and you¡¯re nobody to me... So, all this time, this was what she thought. Xu Jiamu... May I ask, can you now give it up? That woman, she never loved you. That woman, she always thought about distancing herself from you. Actually, you knew inside but you clearly looked forward to seeing her, and in the end? In the end, someone just trampled on you and left you with no self esteem at all. - After Song Xiangsi left The Capital Club, she went straight back to Su Yuan apartments. She stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows, stared at the golden sunlight with a muddled mind. She knew that she would eventually be affected by Xu Jiamu. But, no matter how he affected her, she knew in her heart that she and him would never be able to be together. She wasn¡¯t the same Song Xiangsi from eleven years ago. When she was young, she had plenty of time to fall in love, to wait, and to be free. The Song Xiangsi now was already thirty years old with a two and a half year old daughter, and she¡¯d long lost her money and courage. Nobody knew how she had felt waking up to his phone call to hear "How could I marry her". Nor did anybody know how she had struggled for a long time since she heard those words till the first time she broke up with him. At the time, she forced herself to smile, and be gentle and considerate. While behind his back, she would often cry and slip into a trance. Song Xiangsi realized that she was thinking too much about the past. She hastily shook her head, and pulled back her thoughts. Just as she was about to turn around to the living room, the phone in her pocket started to ring. She pulled it out and saw that it was an unknown number. She hesitated for a moment and picked it up. "Excuse me, is this Song Xiangsi, Miss Song?" Song Xiangsi hesitated for a moment, then said, "Yes." "Hello, this is the District One Hospital. There was a car ident at the Ring South Road. The license te read 643. There was an adult and a three year old little girl in the vehicle. Both of them have been sent to the hospital. The adult is in aa with no major injuries, but the little girl is in a severe condition..." When Song Xiangsi heard this, her phone fell crashing to the ground with a "Pa!" without any warning. Car crash. Little girl. The situation was catastrophic... was Little Red Bean in an ident? Song Xiangsi felt her world spin. But soon enough, she quickly stabilized herself, swiftly picked up her bag, and ran out the door. - Xu Jiamu sat in The Capital Club till four before he paid and left. At night, he had a meeting, so he quickly drove back to thepany entrance. Eventually, he pulled out his phone and called his secretary to postpone the meeting to two dayster. Then he turned the car around and headed back to Mian Xiu Garden. When he reached it, he saw Lu Jinnian¡¯s car drive in behind him. Xu Jiamu didn¡¯t turn into the courtyard but stopped directly at the vi¡¯s entrance. Chapter 902: After (19) Chapter 902: After (19) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem After just two minutes, Lu Jinnian parked his car. The doors opened and Qiao Anhao stepped out. Xu Jiamu also got out of the car. He walked over and carried Little Rice Cake out of the infants car seat. "Missed uncle?" "Yeah," answered the boy softly. He handed Xu Jiamu a piece of candy he had brought back from kindergarten. "Uncle, for you." The candy was already unwrapped and there was ayer of dust. Who could know just how long Little Rice Cake had held onto it. When he handed it to Xu Jiamu, he wasn¡¯t the least bit disgusted and hesitant, opened his mouth and sucked on it. "Brother Jiamu, the candy¡¯s dirty. Little Rice Cake has been ying with it all the way here. He refused to give it to us." Qiao Anhao couldn¡¯t help but say something. "Don¡¯t worry. It won¡¯t kill anyone," said Xu Jiamu, as he couldn¡¯t care less. Then he teased Little Rice Cake into a hug. Lu Jinnian didn¡¯t get out of the car. In a t tone, he said to Xu Jiamu through the window, "Jiamu, Huan Ying Entertainment is holding a dinner party next Wednesday. Drop by." "Isn¡¯t it enough that you¡¯re going? What¡¯s the point in me being there?" Xu Jiamu¡¯splete attention was on Little Rice Cake. "The party will be quite big. Lots of young wealthy women will be there. What if someone catches your eye..." added Qiao Anhao. "Hm..." Xu Jiamu chuckled. "I¡¯m not going to find a date. The two of you don¡¯t have to waste your efforts." "If you found someone on your own, then your brother and I wouldn¡¯t have to bother." Qiao Anhao reached her hand out and pulled Little Rice Cake into her arms. "You¡¯re already thirty-one years old, yet you¡¯re still alone. That¡¯s not right. What¡¯s more, if you have someone you like, then just marry them. And if not, why don¡¯t you let your brother have an arranged marriage for Xu Enterprise?" Someone I like... Xu Jiamu¡¯s eyes slightly turned dark. He continued to smile and said, "Let¡¯s talk about itter". He pulled the car door open and got into his car. As he lowered the window down, he said "Bye bye", then turned into his own vi. Xu Jiamu changed his shoes and went right up to the second floor. Heid on the bed for no more than two minutes, before he heard the doorbell ring. Xu Jiamu thought that Qiao Anhao had ran over to ask him to go to the party, and so he didn¡¯t think much of it. He pulled the covers over his head and continued to lie with his eyes closed. The doorbell rang ceaselessly, Xu Jiamu couldn¡¯t help but let out a distressed sigh. He then climbed out of bed and made his way downstairs. "Qiao Anhao, are you done?" he asked as he opened the door. There, standing at the door, was Song Xiangsi. He froze for a second, before saying tly, "What are you doing here?" Song Xiangsi¡¯s face was pale white and her eyes looked flustered. She apparently couldn¡¯t hear the restraint in his words, as she hastily grabbed his sleeve. "Mr. Xu, could you do me a favor?" From what Xu Jiamu remembered, this was the first time her saw her this flustered. His brows gently furrowed, and the next second he opened the door wider and said, "Come and let¡¯s talk". He turned around and stepped into the room. Without hesitation, Song Xiangsi walked right in. When she walked into the living room, Xu Jiamu didn¡¯t even nce back at her. He just pointed at the sofa and signaled for her to take a seat, after which he went over in front of the drinks dispenser and got a cup of water. Chapter 903: After (20) Chapter 903: After (20) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem When she walked into the living room, Xu Jiamu didn¡¯t even nce back at her. He just pointed at the sofa and signaled for her to take a seat, after which he went over in front of the drinks dispenser and got a cup of water. Holding onto his cup, Xu Jiamu turned around and looked at Song Xiangsi, who stood stunned in the center of the living room. His brows furrowed, but he didn¡¯t offer her a seat again, walking up to her instead and offering her the cup. "What do you need me to help you with?" Song Xiangsi didn¡¯t take the cup from his hand, but raised her pale face to stare up into his eyes. Without hesitation, she let slip, "I need your blood." Because of her words, Xu Jiamu¡¯s hand abruptly trembled, causing the warm water from the cup in his hand to stter onto his sleeves, leaving rings of watermarks. In just a second, he got himself together and his brows twitched. "Need my blood?" "Yes." Song Xiangsi nodded vigorously, and her expression grew increasingly panicked. She didn¡¯t wait for him to ask on, but continued on her own tangent. "Please,e with me to the district hospital, okay? Today at Ring South Road, Jiang Licheng was driving and he got into an car ident..." "So you¡¯vee here to save your husband?" Xu Jiamu suddenly interrupted. His stare became a little intense. Song Xiangsi was stunned, as she realized that she almost let slip that Xu Jiamu had the same blood type as Little Red Bean, which was why she was begging him to save her. When she rushed to the hospital, Little Red Bean was being resuscitated. The doctor told her that the girl had lost a lot of blood. The hospital¡¯s reserve wasn¡¯t enough, and that she should consider finding someone with the same blood type otherwise she could die. At the time, when she heard the words ¡¯she could die¡¯, she was instantly stunned. The only person who came to mind with the same blood type as Little Red Bean was Xu Jiamu, so without a second thought, she rushed over to him. If Xu Jiamu hadn¡¯t just suddenly interrupted, she might¡¯ve actually let the truth out... Song Xiangsi paused for over a minute before finally lowering her eyes. Without any exnation, she softly cried, "I beg you to drop by the hospital. Please?" Xu Jiamu silently stared at her for a long time. He thought back to just how arrogant her attitude was a few hours ago at The Capital Club. So heartless, so cold. Compared to how flustered she was now, she was practically two different people. So it wasn¡¯t that she didn¡¯t have a heart, it was just that her heart wasn¡¯t with him... Xu Jiamu¡¯s grip on his cup started to tighten little by little. His gaze upon her became dark and emotionless. Song Xiangsi couldn¡¯t figure out what he was thinking. The room was silent for about half a minute. Song Xiangsi, who missed Little Red Bean dearly, couldn¡¯t help but cry out, "Jiamu, pleasee with me, okay?" As she said this, she lunged forward and grabbed his wrist. But before she could touch his sleeve, he suddenly jerked back. He turned his head, and without so much as a nce at her, he slowly put his cup of water on the coffee table. His voice was t and calm. "Sorry, I¡¯m not interested." When he finished speaking, he pointed at the door, as though to see a guest out. "Mrs. Song, please find someone else to help you." Chapter 904: After (21) Chapter 904: After (21) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Xu Jiamu paused, then added, "Sorry to trouble your Mrs. Song, but could you please close the door behind you on your way out." He turned around and headed for the stairs without the slightest hint of wanting topromise. Song Xiangsi hurriedly reached her hand out and pulled his arm. That familiar warm sensation made Xu Jiamu¡¯s entire body numb. After two seconds, he flung her hand away. This time, Song Xiangsi tightly grabbed onto him with both hands. She didn¡¯t know if it was because she was scared or worried, but her hand started to shiver. "I don¡¯t have time to find someone else to help. The doctor says that they don¡¯t have enough in their blood bank and that the situation is dire. Someone could die at any time! Please, I¡¯m begging you! Please, help me just this once, okay?" All of a sudden, Xu Jiamu chuckled as though he had just heard the funniest joke. He turned his head and looked right at Song Xiangsi, mocking her, "Mrs. Song, if I remember correctly, three hours ago you told me that there was nothing for us to talk about. Since there¡¯s nothing to say, Mrs. Song, what reason is there for me to save someone who I have nothing to do with?" Perhaps it was because Xu Jiamu¡¯s voice was so determined, Song Xiangsi really felt that he wasn¡¯t going to help her. Tears rolled down her face, and she tightened her grip onto his hand. Her eyes turned erratically, as though she couldn¡¯t find any words to convince him. In the end, she sounded barely coherent when she said, "Can you please... Can you please do it for me because of the eight years we spent together..." "Eight years?" In the afternoon, he was the first to mention their past, but she didn¡¯t care at all for their old love. Now, she was bringing it up again for another man... Xu Jiamu scoffed again, but there was an unrestrained tinge of sadness beneath his eyes. Soon enough, his gaze turned sharp and overbearing. He turned his head and stared at Song Xiangsi, then paused with each word as he said, "Those eight years were just a business deal, wasn¡¯t it? You said, ¡¯a deal settled with money, after which we owed nothing to the other party.¡¯ Mrs. Song you¡¯re now looking for tips?" As Xu Jiamu said this with a little haste, he suddenly shut his eyes and took a deep breath. His hands balled up into tight fists. After two seconds, he opened his eyes and stared into Song Xiangsi¡¯s eyes with a freezing re. "What¡¯s more... Mrs. Song, I¡¯d like to ask you, why exactly should I help a woman who ruthlessly aborted my child to leave me?" As he said this, he forcefully pulled his arm away and said with a cold and hardened voice, "Mrs. Song, I won¡¯t bother to see you out." With that, he made his way up the stairs. "Xu Jiamu!" Song Xiangsi suddenly cried his name. She stared at his back as he walked up the steps. "It¡¯s just a promise to donate blood at the hospital. I¡¯ll do anything for you!" Xu Jiamu¡¯s footsteps came to a sudden stop. "I won¡¯t help you for free. Make a deal with me. I promise to do one thing for you. It doesn¡¯t matter what you request, I¡¯ll do my best to fulfill it. How about that?" Eleven years ago, she sold herself for her father. Eleven yearster, she would make a deal for her husband. Song Xiangsi was really a passionate person, but her love was never reserved for him. Xu Jiamu had no idea where his anger came from. He suddenly turned around and walked back down the stairs. Chapter 905: After (22) Chapter 905: After (22) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Xu Jiamu stopped in front of Song Xiangsi, then suddenly clutched her delicate chin. He lifted her face up high, looked right into her eyes, and asked, "You¡¯ll agree to anything?" A burst of viciousness had ovee him. This was the Xu Jiamu that Song Xiangsi had known for so many years. Seeing him like this for the first time in a long while left her trembling in fear. After much effort, she finally calmed herself down and gave him a light nod. Xu Jiamu tightened his clutch on her chin, making her cry out in pain. He gazed straight at her. "If I ask you to spend three days and three nights? You promise?" Song Xiangsi froze. Just as Xu Jiamu thought that she¡¯d decline, he heard her crisp voice say, "I promise you." Xu Jiamu¡¯s heart practically exploded in embarrassment and anger. He tightened his clutch on her chin, then all of a sudden loosened his grip and flung her aside. He brushed past and made his way out the door. Song Xiangsi found her footing, after she stumbled from his sweep, and chased after him. Xu Jiamu didn¡¯t even nce at her when he pulled the car door open for her to get in. He waited for her to take a seat, then just before she could put on her seat belt, he stepped on the elerator, causing the car to jump. All the way to the hospital, neither of them said a thing. Xu Jiamu¡¯s eyes were focused on the road, but every now and then, his anger would re up. The car stopped downstairs of the hospital¡¯s emergency unit. Without even bothering with Song Xiangsi, he made his way to the blood center, rolled up his sleeve, and took a seat. The nurse was stunned by Xu Jiamu¡¯s actions. Thankfully, Song Xiangsi followed closely behind and exined everything. "The patient is in poor condition. Perhaps 800 ml will do, but one person can only give 400ml..." Before the nurse could finish, Xu Jiamu suddenly interrupted her. "Don¡¯t worry, you can just take it." The nurse looked over at Song Xiangsi. Her lips twitched. "Jiamu..." "Since it¡¯s a deal, let¡¯s be fair. Right?" teased Xu Jiamu, as he turned his head. In amanding tone, he told the nurse, "Take it!" - Xu Jiamu¡¯s eyes were shut and he was evidently dizzy when he stood up after they drew his blood. After about half a minute of silence, he started to make his way out of the emergency ward. Song Xiangsi caught up to him in a jog. "Let me take you home." "There¡¯s no need," he declined tly. Standing at the hospital entrance, he lifted his arm out to hail for a taxi. "You don¡¯t look too good. You have to eat something to help restore you blood. Also..." "Mrs. Song, don¡¯t you think that talking about such things between a buyer and seller is a bit over the line?" Song Xiangsi was so chocked up, she couldn¡¯t speak. Her mouth moved, but in the end, she sealed her lips. Xu Jiamu didn¡¯t look at her, but stared right at the car in front of him. When the taxi he waited for finally came around, he slightly swayed as he walked up to it. Song Xiangsi hurriedly put her arm out to support his arm. "Are you alright?" Ignoring her, Xu Jiamu pulled his arm away, and pulled the taxi¡¯s door open. Chapter 906: After (23) Chapter 906: After (23) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Before Xu Jiamu got into the car, he stopped as though having realized something. With his head slightly lowered, he said to Song Xiangsi, "I changed my mind. I don¡¯t need you to spend three days and nights with me. I just need two hours at eight on Sunday at the Four Seasons hotel." After he said this, he bent down and got into the taxi. The taxi drove off before Song Xiangsi could snap back to her senses. - The next day after after blood donation, Xu Jiamuy groggily in bed with a fever all day. It was not until nightfall that his temperature fell. He was still a little weak after he ate some food, but he wasn¡¯t the least bit sleepy. He was the only one in the vi, and the silence left him a little flustered. When Song Xiangsi was back in America, he would often feel lonely, but now that she was back and he was in the same city, he felt even more lonely. Xu Jiamu smoked two cigarettes, then walked into the study room. Since he hadn¡¯t been in the office for a day, there were dozens of emails in his inbox. He sat in front of his desk and looked through them one by one. When he finished working, it was already 5 am in the morning. He took a shower, and then drove to a random breakfast cafe for some food, then went to the office. There was a tall pile of documents on his desk. He sat down and started to read through them, as though he didn¡¯t know what tiredness meant. He waited for people toe to work one after the other. He signed all the documents. Next, the secretary had to give him a run down of the day¡¯s schedule. Then, he had a meeting, and lunch... All in all, he was so busy the entire day, he had no time for a breather. Xu Jiamu and Song Xiangsi didn¡¯t see each other after the day he donated his blood, nor did either of them take the initiative to contact the other. That weekend, Xu Jiamu was alone in the office, working overtime for two days. It was not until six o¡¯clock in the evening on Sunday that his phone reminder rm started to ring. He saw the three words: Evening, 8 PM. Xu Jiamu stared at those words for a long time, but eventually flipped his phone over and continued to work on hisputer, all the way until twenty past seven. He then shut down hisputer and cleaned up his things, then walked out the door. It was twenty to eight when he reached the Four Seasons hotel. He booked a room, yet he wasn¡¯t in a hurry to go up. Instead, he waited in the lobby for about twenty minutes. At six past eight, he finally saw Song Xiangsi¡¯s car parked at the entrance of the hotel. She stepped into the hotel lobby. Xu Jiamu waited until she noticed him before he got up and silently walked up to the elevators. Song Xiangsi kept to about five meter distance behind him. The elevator doors opened. Without even bothering with her, Xu Jiamu headed right towards his room. He swiped his card, pushed open the door, and walked in. Secondster, Song Xiangsi followed him in. She stood at the door for a while, before gently closing it. Xu Jiamu sat sluggishly down on the sofa, then casually turned on the TV. After a while, he saw Song Xiangsi still standing at the entrance. He then turned the TV¡¯s volume down. Without thinking before he spoke, he suddenly asked, "Does your husband know that you¡¯re in a room with another man?" When she heard his taunt, her usual arrogant eyes turned dark and she slightly lowered her head. Xu Jiamu¡¯s mood grew increasingly more annoyed when he saw that look on her face. He turned his head and wouldn¡¯t stop clicking the remote control, changing the channels. In his head, he thought back to how simr this scene was to the first night they¡¯d spent together many years ago. Chapter 907: After (24) Chapter 907: After (24) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem The same Four Seasons hotel, the same room. It was just decorated differently. Today was the same as that day. He was walked in the front, and she followed behind. He escorted her into the hotel room. He sat on the sofa watching TV, and she stood ufortably at the door like before. Though he had dated a few girls here and there, but that was the first time he¡¯d ever stayed in the same room with a woman. Despite looking very calm, only the heavens knew that he was probably more nervous than she deep down inside. That time, the two of them also arrived at the hotel at eight, but he didn¡¯t let her sleep until twelve. That day, she didn¡¯t dare nce at him when he said his first words to her. She stood at the door with her head lowered and nodded without so much as a twitch of a muscle. Later, he went to take a shower. After the shower, he climbed onto the bed and called her to take a shower. She was more hesitant than he was when she walked into the bathroom. When she came out, her clothes were neat and tidy, as she practically shuffled one step at a time to the side of the bed. He didn¡¯t know if it was because he was impatient or anxious, but he suddenly sat up and dragged her onto the bed. Her body trembled ferociously and her eyes blinked incessantly; she didn¡¯t dare nce at him. At the time, he didn¡¯t do anything but hug her to sleep until the next morning. When he opened his eyes, she was using his arm as a pillow. She was fast asleep, and the sunlight cut through the floor-to-ceiling window to fall onto her white and youthful face. He looked at her eyes and couldn¡¯t help but kiss her lips. She woke up in a fright, and timidly raised her hand to push him away, but just when she touched his shoulder, she lost all her strength. He stripped her, one item of clothing at a time. He remembered that day well. He had moved so stiffly, without any techniques. It was also his first time, so after thrusting for a long time, he wasn¡¯t sessful. In the end, he was drenched entirely in sweat, and he felt truly embarrassed, as he ground for almost four hours. She was finally his woman. Xu Jiamu gulped, then put memory in the back of his mind. Without turning around to look at Song Xiangsi, he asked in a t voice, "Have you had dinner?" She didn¡¯t speak until a long time had passed. "Yeah, I have." Xu Jiamu didn¡¯t say a word, watching the TV in a daze. Did she just have dinner with her husband? He hadn¡¯t even eaten lunch today... The room was quiet again for a while. Suddenly, Xu Jiamu shut the TV off and nced over at Song Xiangsi, still standing at the door. He didn¡¯t say a word, but walked over to the bedroom. Soon enough, Song Xiangsi heard the faint sound of running watering from inside. After taking a quick shower, Xu Jiamu stepped out of the bathroom in a bath robe and shot her a nce. He pointed to the bedroom behind him. Though he hadn¡¯t said a word, Song Xiangsi understood what he meant. She tightly pursed her lips, then brushed past him and walked towards the bathroom. Xu Jiamu waited to hear the sound of running water in the bathroom, before walking over to the floor-to-ceiling windows in the living room. He lit up a cigarette. When he finished smoking, the sound of running water came to a stop. He put out his cigarette, stared for a bit at the waning lights outside the window, then went back into the bedroom. Chapter 908: After (25) Chapter 908: After (25) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Song Xiangsi was drying her hair when she saw him enter. She stopped what she was doing, then continued to lower her head. Xu Jiamu stood still at the bedroom door, waiting for her to finish drying her hair. Then, he pointed at the bed. Song Xiangsi knew that he was signaling for her to get on it. They had been together for eight years now, but at that very moment, she felt an unspeakable sense of nervousness. She balled her fists into a tight fist, then, slowly, walked over to the side of the bed and sat down. That¡¯s when Xu Jiamu walked into the room. He stopped in front of her and shot her a look. All of sudden, he leaned forward and pushed her down on the bed. In that instant, he clearly felt her body stiffen. Having been together for eight years, the two of them had had a lot of sex, and they were so familiar with each others bodies that they could have sex with their eyes closed. Later on in their rtionship, she even initiated it. But on her first time, she was was stiff as a rock underneath him. She shut her eyes. Her eyshes were quivering fiercer than the first time they did it. Her hands tightly gabbed onto the sheets beneath her. Xu Jiamu stared at Song Xiangsi like that for a while, before he reached his arm out and undid her bath robe. He could clearly feel how her body trembled violently, and how her breathing started to grow unsteady. He slowly untied the band around her robe to unveil her snowy white skin. By simply looking at her like this, he felt his body transform.. In the past three years, he knew that he missed her... he knew that his body missed her. Xu Jiamu slowly tore the robe off her body, gently lowered his head, and kissed her skin. He realized that her whole body shivered from his action. He lifted his head to see that she shut her eyes tightly and bit her lip. Her reaction just now... He couldn¡¯t tell if it was because she was nervous or if she was fighting back. Xu Jiamu looked at her for a while, then continued to kiss her skin. He kissed and kissed, then suddenly he came to an abrupt stop. Though she had suggested to make a deal, and she was willing to do anything tonight... But what about him? He really wanted her, but... but he couldn¡¯t go on. She was already married. She was only in bed with him to save another man. Even if something were to happen between them now, she still wouldn¡¯t be his. Earlier, when he first saw her at the kindergarten, they were alreadypletely over. He was just unwilling give up. Xu Jiamu lowered his eyes, and remained silent for a while. Then, he reached out with his arm and wrapped her bathrobe around he. Song Xiangsi¡¯s brows twitched, and she opened her eyes to see Xu Jiamu with his head lowered, tying her bathrobe around her. A sh of confusion crossed her eyes. Xu Jiamu still didn¡¯t look at her. He slowly left her body and took a step back. "I¡¯ll pay for the roomter. You can leave tomorrow if you want, or you can leave in a while. It¡¯s up to you." He reached out to pick up the clothes beside him and walked out of the bedroom. That¡¯s when he nced over at Song Xiangsi, and said after some thought, "Also... that blood... let¡¯s just say I did a good deed. You don¡¯t have to repay me." Chapter 909: After (26) Chapter 909: After (26) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem "After all, even if it was aplete stranger, I¡¯d help them in their time of need if they came to find me." When Xu Jiamu finished, he stood there for while. Certain he had nothing more to say, he shut the bedroom door. He quickly put on a shirt in the living room. Then, without any hesitation or pause, he grabbed the car keys and left. When he paid the bill at the front desk, and walked out of the Four Seasons hotel, it was noter than nine o¡¯clock. The streets were busy... so busy in fact, the main road was full of traffic. Xu Jiamu plunged both hands into his pockets, and looked up at the tall skyscraper of a hotel, as though he was looking at Song Xiangsi in the room above. He stared for a long time, before he lowered his head and pulled out the car keys. He opened the car doors, got in, started up the car, and drove off. For some people, once they¡¯ve missed out, they truly have missed out for good. For example, him and her. In Beijing, he deeply worried about her for three years, started to pretend for his own sake, and now... the truth wasid out in front of him. He finally came to realization that she would never be his. It was so sad... He didn¡¯t even have a reason to pretend to himself anymore. However, from now on... He believed that he truly had learned how to forget her. - Xu Jiamu really didn¡¯t contact Song Xiangsi after leaving that night. He even returned hermercial endorsement project back for Chief Luo to handle. As usual, he went to work and finished work, had meetings for future cooperation projects, did overtime on his own, ate on his own, slept on his own, and lost sleep on his own. He seemed to be no different from how he used to be, but somehow, he gave people the impression that he was a whole different person. After a few days, everyone slowly realized that no matter who it was, Xu Jiamu had the same warm attitude towards everyone. He simply didn¡¯t have have a bad attitude, nor did he show happiness, anger, or sadness... In the end, Chief Luo signed Song Xiangsi as their spokesperson without any hitches. When he found Xu Jiamu to sign and validate the contract, he didn¡¯t have much of a reaction. He flipped through it and signed his name in the space next to Song Xiangsi¡¯s signature with no emotion at all. After signing the contract, everyone on the endorsement project got together for a conference. That day, Song Xiangsi was also present. She sat opposite Xu Jiamu. There was a meter¡¯s distance between them. If they looked up, their eyes could meet. Despite that, Xu Jiamu never once nced at her. He rarely spoke, and he had just the one expression on his face. After the conference ended, Chief Luo suggested that everyone should go out for a meal. In a t tone, Xu Jiamu refused, "I have a meeting to attend toter", then picked the documents and went back to his office with his secretary. That afternoon, he met with a client who had quite demanding terms. Yet Xu Jiamu was extremely well-mannered, as he analyzed his project for a whole two hours. Eventually, they couldn¡¯te to an agreement, but he kindly personally sent the client off at the elevators. Back in the office, he received a call from Lu Jinnian. "Tonight¡¯s party is at China World Hotel..." Lu Jinnian hadn¡¯t finished when Xu Jiamu said, "I¡¯m going." On the other end, his brother was stunned for a moment. "Why are you suddenly interested in going?" Xu Jiamu turned his head, with the phone to his ear, and stared out at the bright sunshine outside for a long while, before slowly telling Lu Jinnian, "I want to get married." Chapter 910: After (27) Chapter 910: After (27) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Xu Jiamu turned his head, with the phone to his ear, and stared out at the bright sunshine outside for a long while, before slowly telling Lu Jinnian, "I want to get married." Like still water, he sounded poised when he said this, without a hint of emotion. On the other hand, when those words fell in Lu Jinnian¡¯s ears, he felt like an unexpected, and iparably violent, thunder had struck. He paused for about three whole minutes, then asked, "Get married to who? I¡¯ve tried urging you so many times in the past, but you always avoided the topic. Why are you now suddenly thinking about marriage? Did something happen..." "Nothing happened." Though Lu Jinnian¡¯s tone of voice was as t and cold as usual, it made Xu Jiamu clearly feel worried. He couldn¡¯t say why, but he became a little upset. With a deep breath, heposed himself and continued, "I don¡¯t know who... but I don¡¯t want to continue to live like this on my own." The phone went silent again. This time, Xu Jiamu didn¡¯t wait for Lu Jinnian to speak again, and secretly took another breath. He rxed slightly. "Alright, I have some things to attend to. See you tonight." Then he hurriedly hung up. His fingertips trembled. He tightly gripped onto his phone, and sat there on the office chair in a daze for a long time. Then, as though he had lost all the strength in his body, he spread himself out on the desk. He shut his eyes for about a minute and let a single tear run down his face. - The party started at half past eight. Xu Jiamu especially took a trip back to Mian Xiu Garden at seven. As he was choosing what to wear in his changing room, he picked up his blue suit by habit. Then, stood there stunned. He thought back to how he didn¡¯t use to like wearing blue. Two years ago, when Song Xiangsi just started off her career and received a nomination for best female lead, she deliberately gave him a guest ticket to that evening¡¯s award ceremony. She purposefully went to a tailor to order a tailored gown. At the time, he apanied her to the shop and was made to pick an outfit for himself. Out of habit, he chose a white outfit, but then she rmended he wear blue, as it made him look more handsome. Actually, thinking back, from then onward, every time he attended an event, he may wear different outfits, but they were all blue. Xu Jiamu paused for a moment, then hung the blue suit back in the wardrobe and picked out an all-ck suit. Starting from today, he was going to try hard to break all his habits that had anything to do with her. At half past eight, Xu Jiamu arrived on time at the entrance of China World Hotel. He didn¡¯t wait for the car attendant to open his door, getting out on his own. Just as he nted his feet steadily on the ground, he caught the silhouette of a familiar person at the corner of his eye. He abruptly turned his head in the direction of amp post not too far away from where he was standing. There, he saw Little Red Bean in Song Xiangsi¡¯s arms, as she hailed a taxi by the side of the road The car door was touch-activated. Because Xu Jiamu had barely opened it, his hand was crushed between it. Yet he continued to stare at Song Xiangsi carrying Little Red Bean, as their taxi drove off, like he couldn¡¯t feel pain at all. That¡¯s when he heard the bellboy politely ask, "Mr. Xu? May I help you with something?". Chapter 911: After (28) Chapter 911: After (28) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Xu Jiamu didn¡¯t make a sound, but silently pulled his hand trapped between the door, and tly handed the bellboy his keys. "May I trouble you to please park the car. Thank you." When the bellboy took the keys, Xu Jiamu turned around and walked into the China World Hotel. He stood in the elevator with a dull expression on his face, and his eyes looking dead ahead. With his good hand, he silently rubbed his other mped hand that was covered in dark purple bruises. He felt an excruciating pain from a single touch, but no matter how much it hurt, it was just an incredibly small fraction of the pain he felt in his heart. He clearly was dead set on forgetting about her, and wanted to break any habits he developed that had anything to do with her... However, whenever he saw her, he couldn¡¯t help but stare at her in a trance. Now, he didn¡¯t even have any right to say a simple ¡¯hello¡¯. One day, he¡¯ll get rid of the habit of staring at her transfixed, too. - At the party, Xu Jiamu was elegant and courteous. No matter if he knew the person or not, if anyone approached him, he would smile at them and patiently have a casual conversation with them for a while. He appeared perfect and untouchable. There was indeed quite a few rich women who actively came up to talk to him. Among them, there were one or two young women, who put their whole attention on him and managed to create opportunities for themselves to bump into him a few times at the party. In the past, Xu Jiamu never bothered with girls like these, but tonight, when those girls greeted him, he smiled back or clinked sses like a gentleman. Halfway through the party, he pulled away and walked over to a quiet balcony. He lit up a cigarette, but when he had smoked half of it, someone suddenly opened the ss doors behind him and stepped in. Xu Jiamu turned his head instinctively to find a young woman. She was slightly stunned to find that there was someone on the balcony, and so she smiled apologetically. "Sorry, I didn¡¯t know there was someone here." Xu Jiamu didn¡¯t say a word, but he put out the cigarette in his hand, and then walked towards the hall, giving the balcony away to this woman who was looking for some fresh air. He reached his arm out to pull the door, when suddenly the woman took a nce at his fingers and cried out, "Sir, your hand looks serious, have you applied ointment on it?" Xu Jiamu nced at his own fingers that were swollen from being caught between the doors. His brows were calm when he turned his head towards to the girl and gave her a gentle nod. He thanked her for her concern and was about to close the doors. But the woman pulled out some ointment from her handbag and handed it to him. "This ointment is useful for getting rid of bruises. Take it." Xu Jiamu didn¡¯t take but looked up again to take another look at the woman. She wasn¡¯t exactly pretty, and even if she had applied some make up, she was still quite ordinary-looking. Under his gaze, she felt a little embarrassed, figuring she might¡¯ve been a little overenthusiastic. With a shy smile, she said in a quiet voice, "Sorry, I¡¯m a doctor. When I see someone hurt, I¡¯m conditioned to react like that." With that, the woman retracted her hand back. Chapter 912: After (29) Chapter 912: After (29) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Just as the woman was about to put the ointment back into her handbag, Xu Jiamu suddenly asked, "What¡¯s your name?" "Me?" The woman lifted her head and shot him a smile. "Sisi. My name is Yang Sisi." Sisi... Xu Jiamu looked stunned for a moment, as he let slip, "Si, from Xiangsi?" "Yeah, ¡¯Si¡¯ from ¡¯Sinian¡¯." The woman seemed to like to smile. Without a word, she revealed a row of straight teeth, and held up the ointment to Xu Jiamu¡¯s face. "You¡¯d better take this ointment... it¡¯s really good... otherwise your fingers will swell up so crazy tomorrow, you won¡¯t be able to hold your pen." Xu Jiamu remained quiet for a while, then eventually reached his arm out to take the ointment and said in a gentle tone, "Thank you." Then, he didn¡¯t go back to the living room of the party, but stayed to chat with Yang Sisi for a long time. She was quite bubbly, simr to the old Xu Jiamu. She enjoyed talking with her hands and feet, while Xu Jiamu leaned against the balcony railing and quietly listened to her. From how she described it, she didn¡¯te from a rich family. She was born in a small town in Hebei, she got into a medical school, and after graduation, she went to be a doctor at a hospital in Beijing. She earned just eight thousand bucks a month, so the only reason she had ended up in this party tonight was because her friend had invited her. When the party ended, Xu Jiamu personally ced Yang Sisi in a taxi, sending her home to a shared room in the suburbs of Beijing. The moment she got out the car, the two of them shared their numbers. After the party, Xu Jiamu and Yang Sisi didn¡¯t see each other again. The two of them just texted each other. Xu Jiamu saved her number as "Sisi" in his contacts. From then on, no matter what he did, no matter if he was in a meeting or taking care of clients, as long as "Sisi" sent him a message, he would reply. In reality, Xu Jiamu and Yang Sisi started to get together a weekter on her birthday. She invited a few friends for dinner, and also called him over. That night, she got drunk. Xu Jiamu asked where she lived, but she incoherently slurred her words. In the end, he had to book a room at a nearby hotel for her. When he had to go through a check in and register Yang Sisi¡¯s details, he pulled out her ID from her bag, and handed it to the front desk to check in. When it came to write a name, he wrote without thinking "Song Xiangsi". The tip of his pen stopped abruptly. After about ten seconds, he messed it up so the words were unreadable. In the space next to it, he carefully and neatly rewrote the words, "Yang Sisi". Xu Jiamu escorted her into the hotel room, and then went back to Mian Xiu Garden. After he took a shower, heid in bed, but couldn¡¯t sleep all night. He clearly told himself that he was going to start a new life, but... of all the women he could of gotten close to, why did he have to choose a woman called "Sisi". He sent messages to "Sisi" everyday. Though he called Yang Sisi, "Sisi", but who was he really sending these text messages to and who was he really calling? Chapter 913: After (30) Chapter 913: After (30) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem The next day, Xu Jiamu got a call from Yang Sisi to thank him and treat him for a meal. He knew that she was a little interested in him, which is why she always found excuses to get closer to him. He didn¡¯t reject her advances. In fact, he really did try his best to get to know her. He wanted to get married, then have kids, and... live out a normal life. Eventually, he agreed to have lunch with her. After that lunch, though neither of them put abel to their rtionship, it was a little more official. Yang Sisi had more chances to meet up with Xu Jiamu, and he treated her well. Like most good men in the world, he took her shopping, bought her favorite clothes and bags, took her on outings in the weekends, and he even allowed her toe over to the office when he had to do overtime. Sometimes, when he had to work ratherte, he saw her sleeping on the sofa, and pulled a nket over her. He was so good, when Yang Sisi suggested that he quit smoking, he couldn¡¯t quit but stopped smoking in front of her. All in all, he was truly perfect. Perhaps it was because Xu Jiamu wasn¡¯t quite at peace with himself, and as ofte, his days have been remotely uneventful, but he often found himself in a daze. Could he really let go of Song Xiangsi? One weekend, he took Yang Sisi to the hot springs in the suburbs. He booked two rooms. It was ten in the evening when they came back from the hot springs. Yang Sisi took a shower, got changed into thin pajamas, and went to his room to watch a movie together. Xu Jiamu didn¡¯t decline. They were adults. It wasn¡¯t like he didn¡¯t understand what she secretly meant. The movie Yang Sisi chose coincidentally had a sex scene. Perhaps it was because he was too calm, and he didn¡¯t look like he was going to make a move, Yang Sisi¡¯s cheeks flushed, for she moved her hand over to his with her eyes glued to the TV. The second her fingertips touched Xu Jiamu¡¯s, he instinctively pulled his arm away. His reaction was so fierce, and his rejection so obvious, it made the bold woman feel awkward and embarrassed. The atmosphere in the room instantly froze. Yang Sisi¡¯s eyes started to well up, and there was a hint of panic and helplessness. She admitted that she liked this man, but she also knew that she wasn¡¯t worthy of him. But then again, this was the man who asked her what her name was, he asked for her contact information, and though she admitted that she was the one who made the first move after that, he never rejected her... They¡¯ve known each other for almost a month now, but he never once touched her. Every now and then, even if he was afraid she¡¯d get hit by a car when they crossed the road, he would never hold her hand. At most, he would pull on her arm. Xu Jiamu didn¡¯t look at Yang Sisi beside him, though he knew that her expression looked awful. Just when he thought he should say something to her, his phone suddenly rang. The ringtone cut through the atmosphere in the stifling room. Xu Jiamu let out a sigh of relief, hurriedly reached for the phone, and picked up the call. It was Chief Luo calling to talk about a problem with themercial shoot. When Xu Jiamu got off the phone, Yang Sisi switched the TV off. Chapter 914: After (31) Chapter 914: After (31) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Xu Jiamu took the call with Yang Sisi sitting next to him. Without the slightest intention of holding back, he talked about work. His voice was low and t. It sounded so beautiful, she thought it was like a sweet luby. Yang Sisi couldn¡¯t help but turn and look at the man on the phone. He was so handsome and dashing. Even now, she still doubted if being with him was just a dream. Deep down inside, she knew full well that he might not be interested in her, otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t have avoided her touch. Yet, she liked him, and so she was willing to wait for him to ept her. When Xu Jiamu hung up, Yang Sisi pretended as though nothing had happened just now. She wore a beaming smile and asked him, "Is Song Xiangsi the spokesperson for the cosmetics brand you invested in?" Xu Jiamu¡¯s heart trembled violently at the mention of her name, but the expression on his face was wless. He was exceptionally calm when he gave a gentle nod and let out a "Yeah". "I really like her. After she¡¯s finished shooting themercial, can you take me to visit her on set? Back in university, I¡¯ve always dreamed about seeing her and taking a photo with her." Xu Jiamu didn¡¯t say a word. This was the first time he didn¡¯t swiftly agree to something since the two of them had started going out. "It¡¯s my dream. Even though she disappeared for three years, you don¡¯t even know... Of the many female celebrities, I still liked her the most, so can you please take me to visit her. Please?" There was a sweet, spoiled tone to Yang Sisi¡¯s voice. Xu Jiamu lowered his head, remained silent for a while, then said, "Alright." - Xu Jiamu really did take Yang Sisi to visit on set, but when he arrived, he just whispered a few words to the director responsible for the shoot. Then he signaled for Yang Sisi to follow the director, and he himself made an excuse to leave the set. He saw Song Xiangsi the moment he arrived on set. She was surrounded by several make up artists working on her make up. When she saw him, she gently lifted her eyes and nced over at him, then continued to look at the mirror in front of her. After Song Xiangsi finished applying make up, the director brought Yang Sisi over to see her. "Xiangsi, Mr. Xu brought her. She says she¡¯s your fan who wants to take a photo and get your signature." Song Xiangsi looked at this average-looking woman who looked familiar. She¡¯d seen her with Xu Jiamu together a few times. But she¡¯d only seen them from afar. Song Xiangsi took a closer look at Yang Sisi for a while. Just as the director thought she would decline, she curved her lips into a smile to say she would to take a photo and give Yang Sisi her signature. The woman wasn¡¯t in a hurry to leave the set, as she watched Song Xiangsi shoot themercial up close. Xu Jiamu smoked quite a few cigarettes outside. Seeing as Yang Sisi didn¡¯te out, he made his way back on set. The moment he entered, he saw the image of Song Xiangsi smiling. His feet couldn¡¯t help but stop still, and he started to stare at her. The camera shot was perfect, but the director felt that Song Xiangsi could of done better. He signaled for them to take a rest, and to go againter. Song Xiangsi retouched her make up, and even shot Xu Jiamu a nce. Coincidentally, she saw him open a bottle of water and hand it to Yang Sisi to drink. Chapter 915: After (32) Chapter 915: After (32) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Yang Sisi drank a little hastily. A trickle of water fell from the corner of her lips and onto her shirt. Standing next to her, Xu Jiamu wasn¡¯t the least bit annoyed or bothered by her clumsy and inelegant actions. Instead, he even pulled out a tissue from his pocket and carefully wiped away the drops of water on her face and shirt. Yang Sisi held her bottle of water with an embarrassed look. She bit the corner of her lips and smiled at Xu Jiamu. Then, she reached her hand out to take the tissue from his hand and said a few words. Song Xiangsi couldn¡¯t catch what she was saying because they were quite far away. After that, she saw Xu Jiamu shake his head at Yang Sisi, turn around to walk over to the bin, and throw the tissue into the bin. Perhaps that woman, Yang Sisi, wanted to throw it into the bin herself. Xu Jiamu had done particrly well in the past year. Every now and then, many business news outlets would report on his activity. Song Xiangsi deliberately didn¡¯t pay attention to news about him, she tried hard to control herself from following his activity. Yet perhaps because she crossed paths with him a few times now, she couldn¡¯t fight her inner desires any longer, for she¡¯d always find herself reading about him on the news. She knew that he treated that woman, Yang Sisi, really well. So well, in fact, he waspletely obedient. When she read about it, she thought that perhaps the news was just exaggerating things, but now that she saw it today, she finally realized that the news articles weren¡¯t making things up. Xu Jiamu treated Yang Sisi well, so well in fact, it was far from what she imagined. After that, no matter if it was during the retouching of her make up or shooting up on stage, Song Xiangsi didn¡¯t even nce over at Xu Jiamu and Yang Sisi. Midway through production, she needed to shoot a video up on stage in her sixteen centimeter heels. She had been wearing tall high heels before, but not since Little Red Bean was born, so now she was having a little trouble. She noticed it was particrly difficult getting up on stage. Her steps were unsteady, and she almost slipped off stage. Luckily, her assistant and staff members standing beside her had quick reflexes, and were able to catch her. Sitting not too far away, the moment he saw Song Xiangsi buckle, Xu Jiamu bolted up and instinctively moved away from his seat. When he saw someone support her up, he stopped in his tracks. "Jiamu, what¡¯s wrong?" asked Yang Sisi, turning to him in confusion. Xu Jiamu shook his head, then calmly sat back in his seat. "That was close just now..." Yang Sisi let out a long sigh of relief from the fright. She held the photo of her and Song Xiangsi up to Xu Jiamu, and continued to say, "Jiamu, look! My wishes finally came true, I took a photo with the star I liked for so many years. She¡¯s so pretty..." Xu Jiamu let out a gentle "Yeah", then shot a quick nce over at Yang Sisi¡¯s phone, before looking at Song Xiangsi nearby, surrounded by people. Everyone was checking to see if she was injured. In the end, she waved them away and made her way back on the steps. That¡¯s when everybody dispersed and went back to their ces to continue the shoot. Chapter 916: After (33) Chapter 916: After (33) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem "She¡¯s probably thirty years old, right... She¡¯s older than me by five years, and yet she¡¯s looked after her skin better than I have! What¡¯s more, look at this photo, I obviously look older than her..." Xu Jiamu just turned his head and gave her a smile, as she rambled on. "I¡¯m going to the restroom. Wait for me here." Yang Sisi nodded obediently. Xu Jiamu didn¡¯t say anything, as he slowly stood up. He turned, and on his way out of the set, he shot a nce at Song Xiangsi up on stage making different poses and faces under the cameraman¡¯s instructions. - After Song Xiangsi finished one set of photos, she needed to remove her make up and wash her face. There were restrooms on either side of the set. She was used to going to the one on the right, but on her way there, she saw Xu Jiamu smoking by the entrance. She came to a halt, and hesitantly considered whether or not to turn around to the restrooms on the left. Xu Jiamu must have felt something in the air when he took a drag. He turned his head and stared at her face with a puzzled look in his eyes. Song Xiangsi instinctively tightened the grasp on her cleansing lotion, lowered her eyes, and calmly walked forward. As she brushed past him, she clearly felt his gaze upon the side of her face. Just when she thought he was going to call for her, he suddenly lowered his head and put out his cigarette in the ashtray beside him. When Song Xiangsi finished washing her face, she heard Xu Jiamu¡¯s quiet voice from outside the restroom, "Okay, I¡¯ll be right there. ... Just wait for me at the entrance of the set. ... Mmm..." With that, Xu Jiamu hung up. After a good minute, Song Xiangsi heard the increasingly faint sound of his footsteps. She waited until they disappeared, before she came out of the restroom. Her line of sight was drawn to where he¡¯d been standing. There was an ash tray filled with a small mountain of cigarette heads of the same brand... So... Xu Jiamu stood there and just smoked all that? She had always known that he smoked, but his addiction wasn¡¯t too serious. Whenever he was in a bad mood, he would light up a few cigarettes. From what she remembered, Xu Jiamu smoked the hardest when Qiao Anhao leaked the scandal and when she sent his mother to the police station. But, no matter how hard he smoked back then, it wasn¡¯t as hard as how he smoked today. Did something upset him today? "Sis Xiangsi, why are you just standing there? Everyone¡¯s waiting for you!" Song Xiangsi¡¯s assistant waited for a long time, but she didn¡¯te out, so she hurriedly ran over to go find her. Song Xiangsi pulled her gaze from the ashtray, then handed her the cleansing lotion, and walked back into the set. - As the investor of themercial, Xu Jiamu treated all the members of staff to a meal in the evening. The private dining room wasrge. Inside, there was a round table that sat dozens of people. Song Xiangsi and Xu Jiamu weren¡¯t too far from one another. The director and the staff members probably had read about Xu Jiamu on the news. Now that they saw him take Yang Sisi on set, they were certain she was his girlfriend, and so they were really polite to her. At the dining table, people would not stop asking her questions about Xu Jiamu. Chapter 917: After (34) Chapter 917: After (34) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Of course, they had to toast Yang Sisi with every question as well. Yang Sisi had never been in a situation like this before, so she was a little nervous. Every time someone asked her a question, she would first sneak a nce at Xu Jiamu, mumble a short answer, naively clink sses with someone, and down the drink. Xu Jiamu could tell she was a bit ufortable, so he said, "Guys, quit teasing her." Though he spoke in a t voice, to everyone¡¯s ears he sounded a little protective. With that, Xu Jiamu called the waiter and switched the ss of rice wine in front of Yang Sisi for a warm cup of corn juice. Then, he picked up some food and put it into her bowl. Having seen this, everyone smiled understandingly. Song Xiangsi also smiled, but when everyone asked her to drink with them, she didn¡¯t bother to find an excuse and downed her drink without messing around. Xu Jiamu didn¡¯t have much to say, nor did he really drink. Every now and then, he would shoot a nce in Song Xiangsi¡¯s direction. Seeing as she didn¡¯t refuse anyone¡¯s drinks, downing one ss after another, he couldn¡¯t help but furrow his brows. "Jiamu... Song Xiangsi can really drink," softly whispered Yang Sisi, who also paid attention to Song Xiangsi. Xu Jiamu turned his head and smirked at Yang Sisi. Then, picked up more food and put it into her bowl. "Jiamu, did you forget? I hate eating mushrooms." Yang Sisi picked up her chopsticks, and put the food back into his bowl. Xu Jiamu was stunned for a moment, then picked up his own chopsticks and courteously put a piece of fish into her bowl.. Only then did Yang Sisi smile at Xu Jiamu with curved eyes, and lowered her head to eat. He turned his head and stared at the te of mushrooms. Then, he held the chopsticks and slowly put the food into his mouth. It was Song Xiangsi who liked to eat mushrooms. There was a private restaurant that served mushroom hot pots on Beijing¡¯s second Ring Road. It was Song Xiangsi¡¯s favorite. He took Yang Sisi there for their first meal out. That was when he learned that she didn¡¯t like to eat mushrooms, so whenever they ate out together, he would always be weary of ordering them. However, tonight... eighty percent of the dishes on the table had mushrooms. - Since Yang Sisi was being protected by Xu Jiamu, everyone else tried their best to get Song Xiangsi, who was pretty, to drink. No matter how well she could take her alcohol, after downing one ss after another, she couldn¡¯t stomach it. It was quite obvious, for she was a little sluggish when she downed her next drink. Xu Jiamu looked calm and serene, yet his hand silently gripped his chopsticks tighter. That woman... was about to finish a liter of rice wine... Ever since he sat down, she hadn¡¯t eaten a thing. Did she want to die? All of a sudden, Song Xiangsi couldn¡¯t take it anymore, so she jumped up and left the room. Xu Jiamu, who appeared calm throughout, pursed his lips, like he was struggling with something. Eventually, he put his chopsticks down on the table, and walked out of the room with "Off for a smoke". He hastily walked over to the restroom. Without even entering, he heard the sound of Song Xiangsi vomiting. Chapter 918: After (35) Chapter 918: After (35) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Xu Jiamu footsteps paused for a moment. Then he turned to leave. - Song Xiangsi vomited until there was nothing left in her stomach, then she rinsed her mouth. Just when she was about to wash her face with some water, a bottle of sour milk with a straw suddenly appeared in front of her. She was stunned for a moment, then slowly looked up at the mirror in front of her to see Xu Jiamu standing behind her, on her right. His lips twitched, but he just lowered his head and didn¡¯t say a word. She washed her face, turned the tap off, and pulled a tissue from beside her. She wiped her face dry, then threw the tissue into the bin. Without even ncing at the sour milk on the sink, she turned right around, like Xu Jiamu didn¡¯t exist at all, and brushed past him. Perhaps it was because she had too much to drink, her legs wobbled as she walked. Xu Jiamu couldn¡¯t help but reach his arm out to hold her steady. Song Xiangsi¡¯s body trembled slightly, then she struggled to pull her arm away from his grasp. She stumbled, then continued on her way out. Just when she was about to leave the restroom, her phone suddenly rang. She leaned against the wall to steady herself, and pulled out her phone from her back with trembling fingers, and took the call. He wasn¡¯t sure what was said on the phone, but her face suddenly dropped. The next second, she blurted, "I¡¯ming." Then she frantically shoved her phone back into her pocket, and staggered over to the elevators. Xu Jiamu furrowed his brows, and without thinking, he caught up with her. "What happened?" Song Xiangsi ignored what he said and tried her hardest to push the elevator button. As soon as the elevator doors opened, she rushed in. She rushed in so quickly, she almost crashed into the wall. Luckily, Xu Jiamu had quick reflexes, so he pulled her back. "What in the hell happened?" The color had drained from her face. As though she hadn¡¯t heard what he said, she stared straight at the red numbers in the elevator, until she first floor, then dashed out. Once Song Xiangsi left the restaurant, she walked to the side of the road and tried to hail a taxi. Xu Jiamu continued to ask her her two more times, but seeing as she didn¡¯t reply and was too drunk, he eventually dragged her by force to the car park beside them. "I¡¯ll take you." "No, I¡¯ll get a taxi..." Before Song Xiangsi could reject him, she suddenly bent over and gagged. Xu Jiamu waited to one side for her to finish. Then, without saying a word, he lifted her up and strode over to his car. He put her in the passenger¡¯s seat, and quickly got in the car. As he started it, he asked, "Where do you want to go?" Song Xiangsi held her stomach, which was in pain from drinking so much alcohol. She shook her head, and said, "Drop me off at the subway station up front." Xu Jiamu didn¡¯t even bother with what she said. Instead, he stepped on the elerator. In the blink of an eye, the car drove past the subway. Then he repeated his question. "Where do you want to go?" Song Xiangsi opened her mouth, but not sound came out. Xu Jiamu said again, "I don¡¯t mind taking you in circles around Beijing." Her lips twitched. Eventually, she lowered her eyes and said in a weak voice, "District Three Hospital." Chapter 919: After(36) Chapter 919: After£¨36£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Xu Jiamu frowned, taking a turn. "Hospital?" Song Xiangsi ignored his question, turning to nce out the window. Traffic was smooth, in less than twenty minutes, they reached the City Hospital. Song Xiangsi pushed open the door, thanking him haphazardly before rushing into the hospital. Xu Jiamu nced at her, and after a moment¡¯s hesitation, he parked his car at the side and followed behind. Song Xiangsi ran straight for the operating room in the emergency building on the third floor. There was a nurse dressed in a pale pink uniform sitting outside. When she saw her rushing woman, she stood up immediately. As Song Xiangsi approached, the alcohol smell on her was easy to smell. Frowning, the nurse asked, "Mrs. Song, you drank?" Song Xiangsi nodded, turning to nce at the tightly shut operating doors. "What happened? When I visited in the afternoon, wasn¡¯t he alright? Why did he suddenly faint?" The nurse shook her head, repeating the events in detail. "Mr. Song was still alright during dinner and he was in a good mood as well, he even specifically got me to y a movie you acted in before. But after the movie, when I was about to help him to the bed, he suddenly fainted." "I¡¯ll wait here, you can go now." "Goodbye, Mrs. Song." "Mmh." After the nurse left, Song Xiangsi held onto the wall and sat down on the chair slowly, as she stared at the "In operation" sign nkly. - Xu Jiamu took in the conversation. He waited by the elevator for a while before deciding to head over. Song Xiangsi tilted her head when she heard footsteps. When she saw him, he clenched her lips, turning back. Xu Jiamu leaned against the wall in front of her, staring at her pale face. Hesitating slightly, he asked, "Your father hasn¡¯t been cured yet?" "Mmh," Song Xiangsi replied before the corridor once again sunk into silence. After a long while, she turned towards him. "After the surgery a few years ago, he got better, but it suddenly worsened this year." Xu Jiamu nodded. When his lowered his gaze and saw her feet, he frowned, and the next second, he headed over, knelt down in front of her, and grabbed onto her leg. Song Xiangsi trembled, startled by his sudden actions. Before she could react, Xhe had already removed her shoes. Frowning, he asked, "Why is your foot so swollen?" She lowered her head. "Did you sprain it this afternoon while filming?" Xu Jiamu recalled how she had fallen from quite a high ground. Song Xiangsi remained silent. "Why didn¡¯t you say anything when it¡¯s so serious," he chastised. Song Xiangsi hung her head. After a while, she raised it back up to smile at him nonchntly. "What¡¯s there to say?" Chapter 920: Continuation(1) Chapter 920: Continuation£¨1£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Song Xiangsi turned to stare at the operating doors, her gaze turning distant. After about half a minute, she continued in nonchnce, "That¡¯s how it always was, what¡¯s there to say?" Xu Jiamu felt an aching pain in his heart. They didn¡¯t spend a lot of time together, she had her job and he had to deal with Xu Enterprise, so they mostly met for a passionate night. In his memory, Song Xiangsi was always distant, as though the worldly problems couldn¡¯t affect her. This was the first time he saw her in so much pain, the first time she cried so much. But now, she was telling him that was how she had been living her life... She was trying to say that all those years, regardless of how upset she was, she had been enduring it by herself? Xu Jiamu stared at her feet silently. After a long while, he helped her back into her shoes before leaving. - When Xu Jiamu came back, he held a bag in his hands. He came to stand in front of Song Xiangsi, removed a bottle of yogurt, and after sticking the straw in, he passed it over. Song Xiangsi looked at him in confusion, wondering why he woulde back after leaving. She paused for a moment before reaching for the yogurt. Xu Jiamu knelt on one knee, then ced the bag by his side before removing her shoes once more. He poured some ointment onto his palm and started to massage her feet. Song Xiangsi nced at him. Her lips clenched into a tight line, and she chewed onto the straw to divert her attention. This was probably the first time in these years that someone had taken care of her. Maybe because her mother passed away when she was young, she had to learn to be independent. Afterwards, when her father got sick, she had to shoulder all the household matters. Without anyone to take care of her, she had to learn everything by herself, gradually, she was convinced that she was invincible. Regardless of whether she got sick or injured, she would clench her teeth, enduring everything, and when she was finally alone, she would silently cry to herself in pain. In the eight years she was with Xu Jiamu, there were countless times when she wanted to depend on him, but in the end, she realized he had no intention of being there for her. She wasn¡¯t a coward but she never had the courage to tell him her inner feelings. She may seem confident, but deep inside, she felt inferior, regardless of how hard she tried to appear stunning in public; she was, after all, just a mistress. Now that she had Little Red Bean, she had to be even stronger. In the past, when she was tired, she would cry in a corner, but now when she was alone, she didn¡¯t even dare to cry, worried that the moment a tear fell, she would copse. In the past, there were times when she considered getting an honest man to live her life with if Xu Jiamu didn¡¯t want to marry her, but now, with Little Red Bean, she didn¡¯t dare to marry, afraid that the man won¡¯t treat her well. At this moment, when someone treated her so well out of a sudden, she had an urge to cry. Chapter 921: Continuation(2) Chapter 921: Continuation£¨2£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem After Xu Jiamu finished massaging Song Xiangsi¡¯s feet, he covered them with her shoes. "Is it better?" His question snapped her back to reality. She hurriedly lowered her eyes to conceal the moisture within them and nodded lightly, while taking in arge mouthful of yogurt. The corridor was silent for a time. After a seemingly long while, Xu Jiamu¡¯s phone rang, piercing through the calm air. He reached for his phone. When he saw the name on the screen, he suddenly remembered that he had a dinner with Yang Sisi. He walked a distance away before picking up the call. Even though he deliberately lowered his voice, Song Xiangsi could still make out the words. "I¡¯m sorry, I forgot to inform you that something urgent came up. ... Where are you now? I¡¯ll get someone to send you home. ... Sure, mmh, no problem. I will definitely give you an apology, rest well." After he hung up, he walked back. When he was about two meters away from Song Xiangsi, she suddenly turned away. "Thank you for tonight. It¡¯s gettingte, you should go back to have some rest." "It¡¯s fine," Xu Jiamu replied faintly before returning to lean against the wall in front of her. Song Xiangsi moved her lips but remained silent. The corridor once again sunk into its original silence. After about five minutes, the operating doors burst open. Song Xiangsi stood up aggressively in front, and Xu Jiamu straightened. The principal doctor was the first to walk out. He removed his mask and shook his head gravely towards Song Xiangsi. Xu Jiamu turned to nce at her instinctively, with a hint of worry. Song Xiangsi bit onto her lip. "What do you mean?" "Mrs. Song, I¡¯m sorry." He lowered his head slightly before continuing. "Mr. Song¡¯s age caused his functions to deteriorate. If we were to operate on him again, the risk is too much, he might not be able to take it. If he were to remain in status quo, being fed medicine regrly, he could live a while more, but for exactly how long, it¡¯ll depend on him." Song Xiangsi faltered, and Xu Jiamu hurriedly rushed forward to support her. "Where¡¯s the dean, I would like to speak with him." "I¡¯m really sorry but it¡¯ll be futile even if you find the best doctor," the principal doctor said apologetically. "Mrs. Song, Mr. Song is still awake, he would like to have a few words with you. You can visit him for a short while." He then bowed down sincerely. - Song Xiangsi entered the ward alone, her father had the bed rest up and a drip in his arm. He looked reasonably alert. When he saw Song Xiangsi, he smiled before patting the space beside him. "Sisi, sit here." "Mmh." After she sat down, he grabbed onto her hand. "Sisi, daddy knows. There isn¡¯t much time left and I¡¯ve already told the doctors I¡¯m giving up on treatment." Chapter 922: Continuation(3) Chapter 922: Continuation£¨3£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem "Mmh." After she sat down, he grabbed onto her hand. "Sisi, daddy knows. There isn¡¯t much time left and I¡¯ve already told the doctors I¡¯m giving up on treatment." Song Xiangsi felt a wave of emotion hit her and tears threatened to fall. "I know you¡¯ll definitely be upset but everyone has to die, after all. I¡¯m not even happy due to being in the hospital all the time, but there¡¯s something I want to discuss with you. If you aren¡¯t busy, can you bring me home? I want to visit your mother..." Song Xiangsi could no longer hold her tears and let them fall freely. Without caring about the advertisement she was filming these few days, she lowered her eyes and nodded. "Sure, I¡¯ll go back with you, when do you want to go?" "If it¡¯s possible, I would like to go now." Song Xiangsi understood his intentions, he was afraid that if he didn¡¯t hurry, he was going to die in Beijing. She nodded once more. "Okay, I¡¯ll book the tickets in a moment." "Good child." Father Song smiled, just then, he suddenly spoke in a pleading tone. "Sisi, you have always told me that you have a boyfriend. Back when I needed surgery, he gave you the money, you also mentioned that he owns a bigpany, is very rich, and treats you well. You¡¯ve been together for almost ten years... He should be thirty now, have you considered marriage? Has he said anything about marrying you?" Song Xiangsi remained silent, unsure of how to respond. "Sisi, have you been lying to me..." Father Song looked worried. "Does he intend to marry you or... Has he been lying to you all this while?" "No." Song Xiangsi curled her lips into a smile and said conciliatory, " Late marriages aremon in the city, thirty isn¡¯t considered old, besides, he has been busy at work. He mentioned that after the peak period, he would marry me." "Really? That¡¯s great." Father Song smiled, adding expectantly, "Then can hee and see me? If he wants to marry you, he has to meet me anyways. I¡¯m worried that I won¡¯tst till then... I just want to see what kind of man you¡¯re going to marry before going to your mother." Song Xiangsi lowered her eyes, then after a moment of silence, she seemed to have made up her mind. She turned to nce out at Xu Jiamu, who was still waiting behind a wall, and smile to her father. "Daddy, he¡¯s outside, I¡¯ll go get him." Father Song nodded, repeating "Great! Great!" - The moment Song Xiangsi opened the door, Xu Jiamu immediately turned to focus on her. "Are you okay?" She nodded lightly without a word, then closed the door before pointing to a spot far away before heading over. She walked all the way to the washroom before stopping. There, she turned and hesitated for a long while before looking towards Xu Jiamu. "Can I ask for a favor?" "What is it?" "Can you... pretend to be my boyfriend?" Song Xiangsi lowered her head, saying weakly, "My dad isn¡¯t going to make it and he wants to meet my boyfriend, so, can you..." Chapter 923: Continuation(4) Chapter 923: Continuation£¨4£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Various motions shed past Xu Jiamu¡¯s eyes as he stared at her. After a few seconds, he replied coldly, "Aren¡¯t you married? Why don¡¯t you get your husband instead?" Song Xiangsi paled, and lowered her eyes in silence. Xu Jiamu couldn¡¯t exin his anger, his words incredibly harsh. "Why, you don¡¯t want him to know that you married a man much older than you are, or that you are now the step-mother of two children? Are you worried that he¡¯ll be so disappointed he won¡¯t rest in peace?" She bit her lips, she hung her head lower, and even her shoulders began to slouch. Xu Jiamu stared at the tip of her head, his eyes brightening slightly before he finally gave up. In a tone less cold than before, he said, "Let¡¯s go." She lifted her head in shock. Xu Jiamu remained silent. Grabbing her hand, he pulled her towards her father¡¯s ward. When they were about to reach it, he remembered about her swollen foot, and his strides slowed down. Just when he was about to push open the door, Song Xiangsi reached out to stop him. Xu Jiamu stilled, turning to nce at her coldly. She avoided his gaze and stammered out, "I told my father than I have a boyfriend and that we¡¯ve been together for eleven years... I also told him that he owns a bigpany and has a lot of money... and that he ns on marrying me in the next half of the year..." Xu Jiamu frowned. At this moment, she didn¡¯t dare to look at him, expecting to see disgust and mockery in his eyes. Her arrogant face started to look uneasy. "And, the fifty thousand dors back then... My father always always believed that it was from my boyfriend. "I also told my father that my boyfriend treats me well..." Song Xiangsi paused. After struggling for a bit, she said in a small and pitiful voice, "So, could you treat me a little betterter, in front of my father..." She seemed to have realized then the number of demands she had made, so she paused and changed her words. "Actually, you don¡¯t have to treat me well in front of him, you just have to sit with him for a while, at most ten minutes. Oh, no, five minutes will be fine. You don¡¯t have to say much, you just need to smile at him and agree with what he says..." Xu Jiamu couldn¡¯t exin his emotions, this was probably the first time she had pleaded with him so lowly. His heart clenched, and he could feel a sharp throbbing pain in his heart. He nodded and turned to knock on the door politely. When he heard a hoarse "Come in.", he pushed the door, with Song Xiangsi in his hand. "Daddy, let me introduce him, he¡¯s..." With Xu Jiamu by her side, she couldn¡¯t seem to continue. Pausing, she finally added, "Boyfriend, Xu Jiamu." "Hello, uncle," Xu Jiamu greeted politely, with a smile on his face, before bending low to bow down. Chapter 924: Continuation(5) Chapter 924: Continuation£¨5£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Father Song took a good look at Xu Jiamu - He was dressed smartly and was a dashing young man. Maybe because Song Xiangsi told him that Xu Jiamu owned a bigpany, Father Song started to feel conscious about his own humble lifestyle. His daughter wasn¡¯tpatible so he felt pressured and nervous. He nced at Xu Jiamu¡¯s sincere smile, and only when Song Xiangsi carried a chair over towards him did Father Song snap out of his daze. Hurriedly, he nodded, pointing to the chair. "Sit, sit." Xu Jiamu could sense Father Song¡¯s unease. After sitting down, he continued the conversation. "Uncle, how are you feeling?" Father Song replied hurriedly, "It¡¯s good, good." Xu Jiamu nced at Song Xiangsi, who stood by his side. Recalling the words she had said before they entered the room, he reached out to grab her hands. Song Xiangsi stilled. He then said, "Uncle, the doctor mentioned that as long as you keep a positive mentality, you will be able to live a long life, me and..." Xu Jiamu paused, remembering Song Xiangsi¡¯s nickname, then continued, "Sisi have made ns. We¡¯re going to have a wedding in October and we still hope that you¡¯ll be there to witness the ceremony." Even though Song Xiangsi had told him that, the moment the words came out of his mouth, she still couldn¡¯t help feeling as though it was a dream. No one knew how many times in the past eight years she had dreamed of him marrying her. But the dream would always shatter. Even in her sleep, she didn¡¯t dare to marry him. Father Song was pleased by his words. He knew that he would never be able to live till then, but he continued to beam, repeating, "Yes, yes." Xu Jiamu never let go of Song Xiangsi¡¯s hand. "Uncle, I¡¯m really sorry that I haven¡¯t visited you after being with Sisi for such a long time." "It¡¯s okay, no worries, I heard from Sisi that you¡¯re very busy..." Father Song hurriedly shook his head. ... Xu Jiamu¡¯s actions was better than Song Xiangsi had expected, he spoke to her father respectfully. Father Song was clearly satisfied, a bright smile on his face. Towards the end, he beamed at her. "Sisi, now that I¡¯ve seen your boyfriend, I can die without regrets." Song Xiangsi curved her lips into a faint smile, while Xu Jiamu continued, "Uncle, what are you saying, I would rather get the best medical team to treat you." Father Song smiled, but instead of replying Xu Jiamu, he looked towards Song Xiangsi. "Sisi, have you booked the tickets?" "No, I¡¯ll do it now," Song Xiangsi replied, reaching for her phone. "What tickets?" Xu Jiamu asked. "We¡¯re nning on going back home," Father Song exined. "When?" he asked again "Right now." Xu Jiamu frowned, ncing at Song Xiangsi who was looking at air fares. He reached out and grabbed her phone before reaching for his own to make a call. "Book three tickets for me... I¡¯ll send the identification number and location to you in a moment..." After hanging up, he returned the phone back to Song Xiangsi. "Write down your and your father¡¯s identification numbers." Chapter 925: Continuation(6) Chapter 925: Continuation£¨6£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Song Xiangsi didn¡¯t instantly take his phone, she nced at him with a questioning gaze. Xu Jiamu knew what she was thinking, but he didn¡¯t say anything. Instead, he turned towards Father Song. "Coincidentally, I¡¯m free the next few days so I can apany you and Sisi back." Father Song was ttered. Instinctively, he nced at Song Xiangsi. "Will it be too troublesome..." "Definitely not, I¡¯ve always wanted to visit Sisi¡¯s hometown." Xu Jiamu paused before adding, "Besides, I¡¯ll be worried if only the two of you were to travel to such a far away ce." Xu Jiamu waved the phone in front of Song Xiangsi. She clenched her lips and reached for it, swiftly typing for a moment before returning the phone back to him. He nced at the details, checking for errors before sending it to his secretary. - Xu Jiamu settled the discharge procedures, using his card to pay for the hospital bills. Father Song was extremely weak. He stumbled forward unstably, so in the end Xu Jiamu pushed him down in a wheelchair brought over by a nurse. - A short while after the ne took off, Father Song shut his eyes in difort. The ne was a little cold, so Xu Jiamu asked for two nkets, passing one to Song Xiangsi. She turned to nce at him, thanking him softly. She reached over and when she covered herself with the nket, she caught sight of him covering Father Song with the other nket he asked for. Instinctively, she turned and nced at him. When he finished covering Father Song, she was worried that he might spot something and shut her eyes tightly. After a short while, she felt his light actions - Xu Jiamu grabbed the nket from her thighs, spreading it across her body. Song Xiangsi¡¯sshes trembled, and she couldn¡¯t help opening her eyes. At that moment, Xu Jiamu¡¯s features came into sight close to her face. Only after he ensured that she was protected from the cold did he notice her stare. Softly, he said, "I postponed the filming for the advertisement. They¡¯ll continue when you¡¯re free." Song Xiangsi grabbed onto the nket, struggling to keep her cool. "Thank you." Xu Jiamu remained warm, but didn¡¯t say anything, returning back to his own seat. She turned to look out the window, the moon was bright and the stars shimmered in the clear skies, the stunning view melting her heart. Three years ago, she had struggled to be resolute, but now his presence sent her into turmoil once again. - When they reached Jiangsu, it was already 12am. Song Xiangsi¡¯s hometown was a small town, and since it waste, there weren¡¯t anymore cars going there, so Xu Jiamu got two rooms in a hotel near the airport. Chapter 926: Continuation(7) Chapter 926: Continuation£¨7£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Xu Jiamu roomed with Father Song while Song Xiangsi stayed in the other room alone. There was a white wall separating both rooms. Song Xiangsi roused early the next morning, heading over to the other room. Father Song opened the door, but by then Xu Jiamu was no longer around. Father Song¡¯s condition wasn¡¯t good. He was sluggish, and even the few meters to the door sent him panting. Song Xiangsi held onto him, helping him to the sofa. Before she could speak, Father Song spoke. " Little Xu 1 barely slept the entire night. "Last night, my stomach wasn¡¯t feeling well and I had to go to the toilet countless times, and every time, he would carry me there. When I identally wet the bed in the middle of the night, he helped me change my clothes, clean me, and even gave up his bed for me to sleep while he guarded at the side. He even washed my soiled clothes..." Father Song raised his hands, pointing to the clothes by the window. "I can tell that he¡¯s really a good guy and treats you sincerely. I¡¯m really d that he¡¯ll be here to take care of you..." Father Song rambled on continuously, while Song Xiangsi continued to stare at the clothes Xu Jiamu had washed in a daze. - When he came back , he held onto a few bags. They didn¡¯t bring any clothes as they had left in a hurry the night before. That morning, Xu Jiamu specifically bought two sets of clothes for both Song Xiangsi and Father Song, rented a car, and bought breakfast. Father Song had difficulty moving, so Xu Jiamu sat beside him, patiently feeding him porridge scoop by scoop. Song Xiangsi sat in front of them, moisture welling up in her eyes as she took in the sight. She lowered her head, not daring to look any longer, afraid that her resolution would waver. In her memory, Xu Jiamu was always pampered and took things for granted, but somehow, he had changed at some point. Now, he was sensitive and knew how to take care of others, emitting safety and reliability that warmed her heart. If in the eight years that they were together, there was even an instance she had experienced this side of him, maybe she wouldn¡¯t have been so determined to leave him. The Xu Jiamu now had finally met her expectations, bing a man that was trustworthy and reliable, but they were strangers now. - At 11am, Xu Jiamu paid for the hotel and drove the car he had rented all the way to Song Xiangsi¡¯s hometown. The airport was about 400 km away from her hometown, so after about five hours on the road, they finally reached it. Ever since Father Song left for Beijing to treat his illness, no one had been at their old home, so the house was a little dirty. Xu Jiamu remained patient without anyints even after a bad sleep and a whole day of driving. He rolled up his sleeves and helped with the home before heading out to buy some ingredients to make dinner. However, that night, Father Song didn¡¯t have much appetite. After picking on the food in his bowl, he took his medicine and headed to bed. Chapter 927: Continuation(8) Chapter 927: Continuation£¨8£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem After dinner, Xu Jiamu washed the dishes. When he came out of the kitchen, Song Xiangsi was on the sofa, setting the nkets. Hearing footsteps, she turned to look at him. She tossed the pillow back onto the sofa before walking towards the room that she had slept in when she was young. After pushing open the door, she turned to Xu Jiamu. "You can sleep in this room, I¡¯ve changed the sheets." Xu Jiamu straightened. He nced at the room then back at the sofa, understanding what she meant. Without hesitation, he said, "I¡¯ll sleep on the sofa." "You must be tired from driving the entire day..." Song Xiangsi tried to argue but he tookrge strides to the sofa and lied down. She stared at him for a long while. "Thank you." Xu Jiamu nodded. "You¡¯re wee." She stood at the entrance of her room for a long while. "Goodnight," she said before closing the door lightly. - The next morning, when Song Xiangsi and Father Song woke up, Xu Jiamu had already made breakfast. Father Song seemed to have had a good night¡¯s rest, for his condition was better than usual. After breakfast, he suggested on visiting Mother Song¡¯s grave. Before they left, Father Song instructed Song Xiangsi to find the Chinese tunic suit that Mother Song had personally made for him. Mother Song was buried in Song family¡¯s ancestral field, cars could only reach the road so they had to walk in. Even though Father Song was feeling better, he still wasn¡¯t able to walk much. In the end, Xu Jiamu carried him up. Summer in the south was much hotter than in Beijing and it was currently afternoon, the hottest time of the day. The scorching sun zed, and in less than two hundred meters, Xu Jiamu¡¯s clothes were soaked in sweat, his short stylish hairstyle drenched. Song Xiangsi tightened her grip on the umbre. - After Father Song had fallen gravely ill, the Song family¡¯s fields had went unattended and was now filled with weeds, drowning Mother Song¡¯s tomb. Father Song came down from Xu Jiamu¡¯s back. He held onto Song Xiangsi¡¯s hand and walked slowly towards the tombstone. Struggling, he bent down to pull the weeds, but regardless of how much strength he exerted, he couldn¡¯t seem to pull them out. Xu Jiamu walked forward. He instructed Song Xiangsi to take care of Father Song before bending down to pull out the weeds. The weeds were deeply rooted - the leavesrge and high while the roots had grown deep into the soil. Xu Jiamu was drenched in sweat, and in the end, Song Xiangsi could no longer just look. She walked forward and grabbed his arm, signaling for him to rest before passing him a bottle of water. Xu Jiamu took arge gulp and sat down beside Father Song for a while before heading towards Mother Song¡¯s tomb again. After about an hour, he finished clearing the weeds. Father Song struggled to stand, and with Song Xiangsi¡¯s help, he walked towards Mother Song¡¯s tomb. Reaching out, he caressed it, signaling for Xu Jiamu and Song Xiangsi to leave before he started to chat with his wife. Chapter 928: Continuation(9) Chapter 928: Continuation£¨9£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Only after 4pm did Father Song finally decide to head back. After saying so much to Mother Song, he was unusually happy, his lips were curled upwards the entire journey back. When they reached home, Father Song suddenly spoke. "Sisi, daddy wants to eat the chicken from Qiaoxi, can you get some for me?" Xu Jiamu turned to look at Song Xiangsi. "Give me a moment, I¡¯ll go with you." "Sisi can go alone, it isn¡¯t far." Father Song then said,, "Little Xu, apany me at the park for a while." - Father Song walked into the park slowly with the help of Xu Jiamu. He stopped often, pointing out ces, telling him more about Song Xiangsi. "That tree.. should be about thirty to forty years old. When Sisi was young, she loved to y jump rope with the other children." "In the past... that man-madeke wasn¡¯t there. When Sisi was younger, it was just a pit, she would y there with a bunch of boys. Every time she came back covered in mud, shed get a scolding from Mother Song." "Oh, that cypress forest should be over ten years as well. Back then, these cypress trees were just young seedlings,I never expected them to grow to such heights. Whenever Sisi was upset, she would cry inside this tiny forest." "Sisi has a tiny scar on her forehead. When she was young, she would often y with the kids in the neighborhood. There was once when she identally fell, hitting her head, causing that scar to form. But it¡¯s barely visible now that she¡¯s grown out her hair." After circling the entire park, Xu Jiamu carried him back home. Even though Father Song was exhausted, he refused to rest. He pulled Xu Jiamu into his room and pointed towards an aged table, signaling for him to open a drawer. Xu Jiamu went over and pulled it open, seeing inside a worn metal tin. Under Father Song¡¯s instructions, he brought it over. Father Song tapped the empty space beside him, waving him over. Xu Jiamu brought the tin over and pried it open, finding inside a huge stash of photos - some of them were ck and white, some were colored , some looked worn, and some looked new. Amid the stash of photos were entertainment news that had been carefully cut out. They were all about Song Xiangsi. Father Song¡¯s wrinkled hands caressed the photos before finally pulling a ck and white one out. "This is Sisi when she was a hundred days old. Look at her, she used to be so chubby, unlike now. She¡¯s so thin I¡¯m sure the wind can tumble her over. "This is when she was one year old, her mother brought her to the photo studio in the city to take this photo. Look, wasn¡¯t she already pretty then? "This is when she was three... The first year of elementary school... This was the third year of elementary school when she won an award... This was with her grandparents... This was the first year of middle school... And this is her during high school. At that time, she was already popr among the boys and would often receive love letters... This was her during the second year of high school, this was also the year her mother passed away. That year, she barely smiled, hence the sour face in the photo." Chapter 929: Continuation(10) Chapter 929: Continuation£¨10£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem "That year, her eyes were red almost every day, and at night, she would always cry by herself. "That was also the year she grew up. In the past, when she dirtied her clothes, she would always get scolded by her mother, but her mother would still always be there to wash them for her. Once she left, there were several times I caught my girl washing her own clothes in the public tap nearby secretly... She was probably afraid to cause me trouble... "Even though I admired her maturity, it made my heart ache. "This is the photo she took after her high school exams for the university in Beijing. I personally sent her over there, look, there¡¯s a photo of both of us at Tiananmen Square..." Father Song sighed deeply. "This was the year I fell ill and needed a huge sum for surgery. At that time, I had some savings that I wanted to leave for Sisi, but in the end, she managed to get enough money for the surgery. "At that time, we were very poor. Sisi quit school to be a sales attendant at a mall. Every month, she would earn three thousand dors which she would spend on my medicines." Xu Jiamu frowned. At that time, he was already with her, but after he had given her the fifty thousand dors, she never asked him for another cent. She was attending A college and sometimes, when she received calls from him, she would head over for the night, but would often leave early in the morning for lessons. Many times when he had scheduled a meeting with her, he would fetch her at the entrance of A college, hence he always assumed she was still attending A college, not knowing that she had quit school. "Afterwards, she became an actress. There was once I visited her at set. The conditions were harsh, and it was winter at that time. She caught a cold and was running a high fever, but she still persisted on continuing with filming. It really broke my heart... There was also once when she seemed to have angered someone, enduring two ps, her face was swollen and her clothes were tattered. She ran home and when she saw me, she just broke down..." Father Song started to tear up. "At that time, she must have been devastated and helpless. She must have not been able to find anyone, so she came back, but I wasn¡¯t capable enough to help her. She stayed at home for about half a month before returning back to set. Afterwards, she seemed to realize thating back would worry me so she neverined about anything anymore, but I knew that she must have struggled during those few years. On hindsight, I was really a useless father.." Xu Jiamu suddenly remembered how at the door of City Hospital he had asked her why she continued to film even when her feet was swollen. At that time, she had said that she had endured the pain all the time... When he heard that, his heart broke, and now it hurt even more. It was as if someone had stabbed a dagger deep into his heart, sending a sharp piercing pain throughout him. They had been together for eight years... She had been lying beside him for eight years... That was about three thousand nights, but he¡¯d had no idea that she was in pain, had been beaten, that she was sick, upset, happy, or had quit school... Chapter 930: Continuation(11) Chapter 930: Continuation£¨11£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Song Xiangsi had always been mild and cid in front of him. When he was hungry, she would get him food, when he was thirsty, she would pour him water, when he wanted to bath, she would help him run the water... She had never had any demands. Other than the gifts he got her, she never asked for anything else... She had never once shed a tear in front of him, acted yful, or evenined about pains that she¡¯d had. He had always thought that in the eight years that they had been together, he understood her, but only now did he realize how foreign she was to him. The past few years, he kept wondering why she didn¡¯t want his child, why she tried so hard to leave him, but he could never understand her intentions. It was only today that he realized that in those years, the first one to give up wasn¡¯t her but him. From the very beginning, he never once treated her well. "Afterwards, Sisi started to get popr, there were times when she couldn¡¯te back to celebrate New Year¡¯s with me. "There was a year where she couldn¡¯te back on New Year¡¯s Eve to receive an award, but when it struck midnight, she called. The background was silent and there was only her. At that time, I knew that she was outside, as I could hear the wind blowing. "She sounded exuberant, telling me that she got the best female lead award and that she was paid a lot. She said that she could earn aplenty now and that she could let me enjoy my old age, she said many many things, but I could sense that she wasn¡¯t happy. "That night, we talked for a very long time before hanging up. Even though I didn¡¯t expose her, I knew that she was definitely spending New Year¡¯s Eve alone and that¡¯s why she decided to call me." Xu Jiamu remained silent, but his eyes started to sting. On the night Song Xiangsi received the award, he knew that she had called, but at that time, he was having fun with his friends so he didn¡¯t hear when her call came in. Only the next day did he finally return her call to ask her what was wrong. By then, she said it was nothing. When he asked her where she was, she said that she was back in her hometown. He believed her, not thinking much of it. But now, he knew that she had been alone in Beijing at that time. She was probably feeling vulnerable without any support, and yet he wasn¡¯t there to give it to her. Yes, he never once offered her support, so why would she dare to depend on him? Father Song looked through all the news about Song Xiangsi that he treasured. When he was finally done, he wiped the tears by his eyes before asking, "Is my Sisi pretty?" Xu Jiamu nodded. "Very." "So, was her beauty the reason you picked her and was willing to give her the fifty thousand dors?" Xu Jiamu stilled, staring at Father Song in silence. "You don¡¯t have to hide it from me, I know that my daughter doesn¡¯t have a boyfriend." The guilt in his eyes was apparent. "Initially, she must have agreed to be with you for the surgery fee. I already knew it when she paid for the hospital bills. She¡¯s my daughter, I know her well, I know when she¡¯s lying. I could tell back then but chose not to expose her, for I knew that she must be feeling horrible inside and I didn¡¯t want to be a burden to her. The reason I got her to get you is because I have something for you." Chapter 931: Continuation (12) Chapter 931: Continuation (12) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem As father Song spoke, his fingers trembled, and he pulled out a bank card from under his pillow. Then he handed it to Xu Jiamu. "There¡¯s ten million RMB on this card. It¡¯s not Sisi¡¯s money. It¡¯s money I¡¯ve saved up over the years from working. It¡¯s for you." Xu Jiamu furrowed his brows, but didn¡¯t take it. Father Song shoved it into his hands. "When you be a father one day, you¡¯ll understand why. A father would rather die than let his daughter suffer, so you must take this money. There¡¯s no other reason tp do it. I just want to give it to my daughter. I want to earn back her dignity. If you respect my daughter, then you should take this money." Even though Father Song didn¡¯t me Xu Jiamu, but he still felt like he couldn¡¯t hold his head up. "You¡¯ve known Sisi for eleven years now, right..." With that, Father Song¡¯s tone of voice drifted away. "Eleven years isn¡¯t a short amount of time. One doesn¡¯t have many eleven years in a lifetime. The best years of a woman¡¯s like were practically spent on you." When Xu Jiamu heard Father Song¡¯s words, he curled up his hand, clutching the bank card he¡¯d taken. Father Song paused for a moment, then turned his head and smiled at Xu Jiamu. "Even though we¡¯ve only known each other for three days, I can tell that you care about Sisi, otherwise you wouldn¡¯t havee all the way here with her, and bothered to fuss around someone who¡¯s about to die. "The only reason why I sent Sisi away is because I have a request for you." With this, Father Song hesitated for a slight moment. "No matter if Sisi is really with you or someone else, I hope that you can take care for her a little. "I know that my request is a little much, but if she doesn¡¯t get together with you, you really don¡¯t have to look after her. However, I really am worried for her... When I¡¯m gone, she won¡¯t have any family at all. If she has to suffer, she won¡¯t even have anywhere to cry. You don¡¯t understand. My biggest regret in life is that I will never be able to see her go to a good family... "At that thought, my heart aches... but besides you, I don¡¯t know who I can say these things to. Take is as me begging you... Could you please promise that no matter if you and Sisi get together or not, if one day she is in pain, you will take good care of her for me. Be someone she can rely on..." Without any hesitation, Xu Jiamu nodded. "I promise you. Don¡¯t worry, I will definitely take good care of her." When Father Song heard him say this, he finally smiled in relief. "We¡¯ve been chatting for so long, I¡¯m tired. I have to take a rest. Go check on Sisi and see what¡¯s holding her up." Xu Jiamu nodded, and carefully helped Father Song back to bed. He pulled the thin covers over him and went out. - As Xu Jiamu waited for Song Xiangsi at the entrance of the neighborhood, he lit up a cigarette and took a few consecutive drags. Father Song¡¯s words rang in his mind. Thinking about it, he didn¡¯t know why, but he thought back to what she whispered just before she took him into the patient¡¯s room, "Could you please treat me a little better in front of my dad?". At the time, she quickly shook her head and denied she even said it, and just told him to just stay with her dad for a little while. Chapter 932: Continuation (13) Chapter 932: Continuation (13) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem By that, did Song Xiangsi mean that she once hoped that he would treat her well? But, he had never truly treated her well. If at first, when they got together eight years ago, he had paid more attention to her and cared more, then would they would have never ended up like this? Furthermore, if from the beginning he knew he was interested and filled with love at first sight, then would he have been so condescending as to pay her five million RMB to be with him without a title for so many years? The bank card Father Song gave to him was stuck in his chest pocket, heavily pressing against his aching heart. It was not until this day that he finally understood how to be a good man and how to be a good husband... Yet, she was already married to someone else, and didn¡¯t need him to treat her well. Xu Jiamu took a deep drag of his cigarette, but ended up coughing from the harshness. He couldn¡¯t help but bend over and cough violently. As he coughed, the rims of his eyes turned red. - Xu Jiamu cooked dinner as usual. He cut up the chicken Song Xiangsi had bought and ced it on a te. When dinner was ready, she walked in to call Father Song out. His mood and spirits were good, so his appetite was also good. He actually ate a whole chicken leg. After dinner, Father Song went back into the room to get some rest, and called Song Xiangsi. The father daughter pair shut the door closed. Who knew what they were talking about, but Song Xiangsi didn¡¯t leave the bedroom until it was past nine in the evening. Seeing her walking out, Xu Jiamu, who was sitting on the sofa, immediately got up and made her a hot cup of milk. Song Xiangsi quietly said, "Thank you", and reached her arm out to take it. When she finished drinking her milk, Xu Jiamu spoke again. "It¡¯s gettingte, you¡¯d better get some rest." "Mmm." Song Xiangsi gently nodded, and was about to walk into the kitchen to clean the cup in her hand, when, all of a sudden, Xu Jiamu reached his hand out and grabbed the cup from her hand. "I¡¯ll wash the cup, you go take a shower. "Thank you". Xu Jiamu didn¡¯t say anything, but stared at Song Xiangsi for a while, before turning around and walking into the kitchen. She stood on the spot. Her eyes were in a daze when she heard the sound of the water running. - At three in the morning, Song Xiangsi suddenly woke from deep sleep. She didn¡¯t have a nightmare, but she suddenly woke up just like that. Air conditioner was on in the room, but she was drenched in sweat. She tightly held onto the covers, and her breathing was unsteady. The blood in her body pulsed, and her heart was in a state of panic. Her whole body felt ufortable from head to toe. She stayed in a daze with furrowed brows for a while, then had a faint feeling of something happened. She suddenly threw the covers off of herself, got out of bed, and sprinted out. In the living room, Xu Jiamu¡¯s eyes shot wide open when he heard her. Under the light from the windows, he saw her silhouette going by him. He swiftly cried out, "Xiangsi?" He then got up and turned the lights on beside him. At that time, he saw her push open Father Song¡¯s door and barge in. Xu Jiamu quickly caught up. Just as he reached the door, he saw Song Xiangsi, shivering, lightly touch under Father Song¡¯s nose. All of a sudden, she fell to the ground and wailed. Chapter 933: Continuation (14) Chapter 933: Continuation (14) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Xu Jiamu was stunned at first, but then he realized what was happening... and instantly wasn¡¯t sleepy anymore. His legs were a little weak, as he stared at Song Xiangsi crying with her trembling body for a long time. Only after a time did he force himself to walk steadily over to her side. Father Songy poised with both hands intertwined on his stomach, and he had a serene expression on his face. With his lips shut tight and a faint smile, he looked like he was having a great dream. Xu Jiamu reached over and gently touched Father Song¡¯s hand. It was ice cold to the touch. His fingertips shivered for a moment, then he turned his head over to Song Xiangsi. He felt a cutting pain in his heart, as he watched her cry despairingly. He summoned the strength in himself to press onto her shoulder, and say a few weak words offort. "Sisi, don¡¯t be too sad." Song Xiangsi¡¯s tears continued to fall on their own ord, as though she hadn¡¯t heart a word. She knew that death was only natural, and that her dad didn¡¯t have many days left, but she never imagined that he would pass away so suddenly. It was difficult for her to ept. She was hoping to bring him back to Beijing in a few days¡¯ time to see Little Red Bean. She wanted to tell him that he had a granddaughter, and hoped that once he the little girl, he would feel better and live a little longer. A few hours ago, he had just been holding her hand and telling her about the past. He looked like he was in high spirits, and his words didn¡¯t seem to be as sluggish as before. So... how could he just die? The more she thought about it, the fiercer she cried. Xu Jiamu slowly knelt down and pulled her into his arms. Soon after, his shirt was soaked through. - For the next few days, Song Xiangsi couldn¡¯t quitee to terms with her father¡¯s passing. She had her head in the clouds, and she barely left an inch from his photo. So, Xu Jiamu practically made the funeral preparations for Father Song. On the day of the funeral, all of Father Song¡¯s friends were in attendance. Song Xiangsi seemed to be out of it, so Xu Jiamu took care of everything. Father Song was buried next to Mother Song¡¯s grave. It was raining heavily on the day of the funeral. As the coffin lowered, Song Xiangsi knelt on the ground and let out a heart-wrenching cry. Xu Jiamu stood over her with an umbre. The umbre was mostly over Song Xiangsi¡¯s body, so Xu Jiamu himself was absolutely drenched. At three in the afternoon, all the attendees left one after the other. The house was only left with Xu Jiamu and Song Xiangsi. In the past three days, Song Xiangsi had barely eaten and looked visibly thinner. Xu Jiamu cooked some congee in the kitchen, and carried a bowl to the bedroom. Song Xiangsiy still in bed with her back turned to him. He ced the bowl down on the table beside her, and carried her right out of bed. Just as he tried to feed her the congee, she suddenly swung her arms and sttered the scalding hot congee away. It fell on Xu Jiamu¡¯s hand, causing his fingers to instantly burn red. Song Xiangsi paused for a moment, and eventually turned her head in silence. Xu Jiamu was extremely well mannered. He wasn¡¯t the least bit annoyed. He merely bent down, tidied up her mess, and walked out the bedroom. Not long after, he brought over another bowl of congee. Chapter 934: Continuation (15) Chapter 934: Continuation (15) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Song Xiangsi still didn¡¯t eat. Perhaps Xu Jiamu was pestering her too much, because she got out of the bed and silently walked into Father Song¡¯s room and locked it. He knocked for a really long time, but couldn¡¯t convince her to open the door. In the end, he started to search the whole ce for another key. When he finally found one, he opened the door to see Song Xiangsi on the ground, folding Father Song¡¯s clothes. Xu Jiamu didn¡¯t say anything to disturb her. He softly walked over to her side, quietly crouched down and joined her in folding the clothes. Song Xiangsi lifted her eyes, but only shot him a quick nce, as though she thinking to say something to persuade him to leave. But then, she saw the swollen red back of his hand, and sealed her lips, as well as lowered her eyes. She silently continued to fold the clothes. In Father Song¡¯s wardrobe, Song Xiangsi found an old tattered cardboard box. It was so heavy, she couldn¡¯t pick it up. Eventually, Xu Jiamu had to go over and help her carry it. When she opened the cardboard box, there was a bunch of photos inside of her from kindergarten till she graduated on her third year of high school. There were also all different kinds of textbooks, notebooks, sketchbooks, and awards... As she looked at all these things, her tears came crashing down again. The only person she could rely on and the person who loved her the most in this world was gone. From here on out, she could only truly rely on herself. - At dinner, Song Xiangsi still didn¡¯t eat a thing. With her not eating, Xu Jiamu didn¡¯t really have an appetite either. In the end, the table full of food was left untouched. Xu Jiamu covered the dishes in cling film and stored them in the freezer. At night, Song Xiangsi slept in Father Song¡¯s room, and Xu Jiamu slept in her room. At almost eleven o¡¯clock, a storm erupted, with thunder. Xu Jiamu, who had just fallen asleep, woke up in shock. He thought back to what Father Song had said that afternoon before he passed away. He told him that though Sisi may look like a strong woman, at her very bones, she was actually really fragile. She feared thunder at night the most. Xu Jiamu abruptly sat up, removed the covers and got out of bed. She hurriedly headed for Father Song¡¯s bedroom, and pushed it open to find an empty bed. Song Xiangsi was nowhere in sight. Startled, he quickly ran inside to check the room. He couldn¡¯t find her, so he then pulled out his phone and called her. Eventually, he heard the sound of her phone ringing in the bedroom. He didn¡¯t even stop to change his clothes, as he ran outside in his pajamas. The rain poured down. Drenched, he jumped into his car. The first thing on his mind was to go find Father Song¡¯s grave. In the end, he didn¡¯t see Song Xiangsi there, and relentlessly rushed back. Just as he was ready to go upstairs to see if Song Xiangsi hade back home yet, he suddenly realized something. Then, he rushed over to the park in the Baishulin district. The rain hadn¡¯t stopped, and it was growing heavier. Light from the street lights became thin, making it hard for people to see. Xu Jiamu used the torch app on his phone and circled the district. Eventually, he saw a person in the far corner, crouched down with their head in between their knees. From the person¡¯s pajamas, he could tell it was Song Xiangsi. He let out a long sigh of relief, and his racing heart fell back to it¡¯s original position. With that, he drew closer, and heard the sound of Song Xiangsi¡¯s cries among the rain and thunder. Chapter 935: Continuation (16) Chapter 935: Continuation (16) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Xu Jiamu felt a dull pain creep into his heart. His footsteps gradually stopped for a moment, then slowly he walked in front of Song Xiangsi. When she heard something, she lifted her head to reveal her puzzled, and swollen from crying, eyes. She wondered how Xu Jiamu could of possibly found her. He didn¡¯t say a word, but reached his arm out and grabbed her hand. He dragged her hard up from the ground and into his arm, and embraced her deeply, whispering, "Go on, cry." As he said this, he hugged her tighter. "If you want to cry in my arms, I¡¯m here for you." Song Xiangsi had been crying on her own for two hours. Her tears were long dried out, but after she heard Xu Jiamu¡¯s words whilst in his arms, the rims of her eyes grew wet again. Her tears fell like strings of pearls, and never stopped like an ever-flowing river. In the end, she finally cried out loud. The pouring rain grew heavier, and the sound of the wind, rain, thunder, and Song Xiangsi¡¯s cries could be heard by all. From start to end, Xu Jiamu didn¡¯t say anything unnecessary, but chose to quietly hug her. He remembered that years back, that night when his mother passed away, she also quietly stayed by his side. That night, her presence eased his pained heart quite a bit. Now, it was his turn to be there for her. After a long while, Song Xiangsi stopped crying. Xu Jiamu wasn¡¯t in a hurry to pull her out of his embrace, so he stayed there, nestling her quietly for over ten whole minutes. Then, he gently lowered his head and raised his hands to wipe the tears from her face. He held her hands in silence, and walked out of the forest. The usual arrogant queen, Song Xiangsi, was as obedient as ever. Without being obstinate or struggling, she let Xu Jiamu bring her along. She blindly followed behind him. Back home, Xu Jiamu ran some hot water for Song Xiangsi to take a shower, then went over to the kitchen to cook some ginger soup. Song Xiangsi, who hadn¡¯t eaten for a whole day, softly slurped it without fighting back She soon finished her ginger soup, and then Xu Jiamu asked, "Do you want to eat something?" She gave a light nod. Xu Jiamu immediately smiled. "What do you want to eat?" "Sweet and sour fish..." When Song Xiangsi said this, she contemted it for a while and wanted to change her mind, but Xu Jiamu immediately nodded like he¡¯d heard the peaceful sound of nature and said, "Alright, I¡¯ll cook it for you." Song Xiangsi sat in the living room, and stared at Xu Jiamu in a trance, as he rushed back and forth in his rain soaked clothes. - Xu Jiamu quickly served the sweet and sour fish, and handed her a pair of chopsticks and bowl. Every now and then, he warned her to be careful of fish bones. From start to finish, Song Xiangsi silently ate the fish with her head down. When he picked up his chopsticks and picked out the fish bones from her bowl, she finally looked up at him and said, "Go take a shower." "Alright." Xu Jiamu gave a nod, stared at Song Xiangsi sitting in front of him for a moment as she ate her fish, then, got up and walked into the bathroom. When Xu Jiamu came out of the shower, Song Xiangsi wasn¡¯t in the living room anymore. There was still over half a fish on the table and a pair of chopsticks thrown awry. Chapter 936: Continuation (17) Chapter 936: Continuation (17) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Xu Jiamu figured that Song Xiangsi had ran out on her own again, so he rushed over to Father Song¡¯s room, and pushed open the door. Song Xiangsi jumped in fright from the sudden entrance. As she abruptly sat up, she looked at him and asked, a little puzzled, "What¡¯s wrong?" Xu Jiamu let out a sigh of relief. "Nothing." Then he closed the door and quickly tidied up the dining table. When he went back into Song Xiangsi¡¯s room, a deafening roar of thunder came through the windows. He paused for a moment in the living room, then eventually turned to Father Song¡¯s bedroom. He pushed open the door and saw Song Xiangsi shivering, curled up in bed. He felt a sharp pain at the bottom of his heart. He closed the doors and walked swiftly over to her bedside. "Xiangsi?" Xu Jiamu called her name a few times, before she popped her head out from under the covers. She looked over at him for a few seconds, before her lifted head gently moved. "Stay with me for while, okay?" Xu Jiamu felt even more hurt. Without thinking about it, he nodded, and said just one word, "Alright." Song Xiangsi hadn¡¯t been able to rest well previously, but now¡ªmaybe because of Xu Jiamu¡ªshe quickly fell asleep. The next day, she woke up to a bright sunny day and beautiful clear skies, without a single trace of bad weather. Song Xiangsi had slept well and for a long time, before she sluggishly turned around and climbed out of bed. That¡¯s when she saw Xu Jiamu up against the wall, sleeping next to the wardrobe. That¡¯s when she remembered everything that had happenedst night. In truth, she never liked appearing weak in front of other people. Yesterday was her father¡¯s funeral, and so she was incredibly devastated, which was why she said those things. She thought that he would leave after she fell asleep, never imagining that he¡¯d sit there guarding throughout the night like that. Xu Jiamu looked pale white, and his eyelids were dark. Recently, he had been far more exhausted than she. He had done everything after her father passed away by himself. No matter how exhausted he was, she never saw a hint of annoyance on his face or heard a singleint from his mouth. Perhaps it was because Xu Jiamu was now asleep, Song Xiangsi could take a good look at him for the first time after they were reunited. His profile was just as handsome as before. There wasn¡¯t any change there, but he did emte a feeling of maturity and stability. He looked really exhausted. These past feel days must¡¯ve taken their toll on him. Song Xiangsi couldn¡¯t help but move to caress Xu Jiamu¡¯s furrowed brows. Just when her fingertips touched his skin, his phone suddenly rang. Song Xiangsi¡¯s fingers trembled, before she hurriedly pulled them back. She looked over towards the sound of the phone on the shelf near the bedhead. The screen shone with the word: Sisi. Sisi... it had the same two sybles as her nickname. Was it that woman, Yang Sisi calling? Song Xiangsi lowered her eyes, swiftly turned her head, stood up, and walked out of the room. When she closed the door, she heard Xu Jiamu from inside the bedroom. He woke up from the sound of the ringtone and groggily picked up the phone. "Hello? What¡¯s wrong?" "Mmm. ... I¡¯m not in Beijing, I¡¯m in the suburbs. ... I don¡¯t know when I¡¯ll be back... Okay. ... A little sleepy. Mmm. Okay. Bye bye. See you back in Beijing." Chapter 937: Continuation (18) Chapter 937: Continuation (18) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Xu Jiamu and Song Xiangsi returned to Beijing seven days after Father Song¡¯s passing. They had an early flight that day, and arrived at Beijing at one in the afternoon. Xu Jiamu¡¯s car was parked at Beijing Airport, so he drove Song Xiangsi back to Su Yuan apartments. On their way there, the roads were clear, and they reached their destination in no less than forty minutes. Before they got out of the car, Song Xiangsi turned her head and shot Xu Jiamu a rare gentle smile. Even the words from her mouth sounded sweet and gentle. "Jiamu, thank you for your time." He unlocked the car door and smiled back at her. He stared at her for a while, then said, "If anything happens, you can contact me at any time. My phone number hasn¡¯t changed." After a pause, he also added, "Do you still remember my phone number? If you can¡¯t remember..." Xu Jiamu searched around in car, then pulled out a business card, and handed it to Song Xiangsi. "This has all my contact details on it." Song Xiangsi didn¡¯t reach out to take it, but continued to smile at Xu Jiamu. He blinked twice at her, then looked down at his own business card. After a while, he added, "Xiangsi, I promised your father that I¡¯d take good care of you. Keep my contact details. If there¡¯s anything you need, anytime..." "Jiamu," she interrupted suddenly. "I called the director. We¡¯ll continue shooting themercial tomorrow." "Didn¡¯t I say? Take a few days off when we get back to Beijing. There¡¯s no hurry..." Xu Jiamu furrowed his brows. "Jiamu," Song Xiangsi interrupted him again. "Jiamu, themercial will be finished in about a week. Next Wednesday I have to go back to America.." Xu Jiamu stared at her expression, suddenly stunned. After a long while, he finally asked, "Back to America?" "Yeah," she softly replied, then didn¡¯t say anything. This time, she came back just for her father¡¯s illness. Now that he had passed away, she should be going. She was really thankful to him being here for her, helping her, and taking care of her all this time, but they had broken up after all. It was silent in the car. Xu Jiamu didn¡¯t say a word for a long time now, so Song Xiangsi spoke again. "If there¡¯s nothing else, I¡¯ll be off." Xu Jiamu stared straight ahead at the road, as though he may or may not have heard what she said. Then gave a gentle nod. "Goodbye." Song Xiangsi pushed open the door and got out the car. She closed the door behind her, turned around, and went into the Su Yuan residential district. Xu Jiamu stayed in the car without moving a muscle. His hand trembled violently, as he clutched onto his business card. - The day after they returned to Beijing, Xu Jiamu went to the Xu Enterprise. With him being away for about ten days, work had piled up. He had three consecutive top management meetings in one day, and his hand was sore from signing urgent documents. In the evening, he had to do overtime, and ended up sleeping in the office. Work was hectic for four days straight, before he could finally finish it all. It was the weekend, and yet eighty percent of his time was taken from him. When things get busy, you deliberately stop thinking about unrted stuff and feeling sad, but when you¡¯re free, the more you think about it, the more crushed you feel. To find something to do, Xu Jiamu went to meet up with a client in the evening. He was at Xiangyuan seafood stall when he bumped into Song Xiangsi, who he hadn¡¯t seen for a few days. Chapter 938: Continuation (19) Chapter 938: Continuation (19) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Whilst Little Red Bean was eating, she grabbed for the soy sauce, and got her hand all dirty. Song Xiangsi carried her to the restroom to wash her hands. Little Red Bean was really happy when she saw water. As she sshed the running water from the taps, she pped and pped, causing the water to spray everywhere. When some sprayed onto Song Xiangsi¡¯s face, she said with a serious voice, "Red Bean, stop it! Mommy¡¯s going to get mad!" Her words didn¡¯t scare Little Red Bean at all. She grinned from ear to ear and yed around even more cheerfully. Song Xiangsi simply put the girl on the sink, and pretended to turn around to leave, due to which Little Red Bean gaped in fear. She pitifully cried, "Mommy, I was wrong!" "So are you going to properly wash your hands?" Song Xiangsi opened both hands in front of Little Red Bean, and stood still on the spot. "Yeah." Little Red Bean nodded like a chick pecking for rice. Then Song Xiangsi walked up to her, brought her up, and helped her to carefully wash her hands. As she grabbed some tissues to dry Little Red Bean¡¯s hands, she heard a voice next to her. "Xiangsi." When she heard Xu Jiamu¡¯s voice, she was stunned for a while, then turned her head to find him standing calmly nearby. With her big ck eyes, Little Red Bean stared at him without blinking, as he looked a little familiar. Xu Jiamu¡¯s heart melted a little when he saw the little girl. He walked over and asked her in a soft voice, "Little Red Bean, do you still remember uncle?" The little girl shook her head, then sweetly cried "Uncle" with curved brows. Actually, Xu Jiamu had only met her once, but seeing her again, he realized he felt just as shaken up as the first time they met. He couldn¡¯t help but reach his arms out towards the girl. "Can uncle get a hug?" Little Red Bean didn¡¯t reject Xu Jiamu. She took a quick nce at Song Xiangsi first, then seeing that her mum didn¡¯t shoot her a strange look, she turned her head and said "Ok" in a crisp voice, and rushed in his arms. Xu Jiamu lifted Little Red Bean up. She was just as little and soft as before, quickly melting his heart. He stared at Little Red Bean¡¯s little face about a foot away from his own. The more he stared, the more familiar she looked. He thought about it for a moment, then turned to Song Xiangsi next to him and said, "Little Red Bean has been with you for so long now, she¡¯s starting to look a little like you." "Really?" asked Song Xiangsi jokingly in return. Her eyes never left Xu Jiamu and Little Red Bean¡¯s faces. If you counted it, this was the second time the two of them, father and daughter, had met. When she used to look after Little Bean on her own, she thought that she looked like Xu Jiamu. But now, that shepared them side by side, she realized that Little Red Bean¡¯s nose really looked extremely simr to his. Song Xiangsi wasn¡¯t in a hurry to carry Little Red Bean away, so she just stood aside and watched as Xu Jiamu kept on teasing the little girl. Perhaps it was because they were rted by blood, Little Red Bean, who was always shy around strangers, seemed to be especially friendly with him, as she smiled with her eyes in his arms. Xu Jiamu was very good at holding children. Little Red Bean wiggled around in his arms, and yet he was able to easily take care of her. After all, they were biological father and daughter. The picture of them together looked absolutely perfect. It looked far morefortable than when Jiang Licheng held Little Red Bean. Chapter 939: Continuation (20) Chapter 939: Continuation (20) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem After about ten minutes, Xu Jiamu finally diverted his attention from Little Red Bean to Song Xiangsi, and asked her, "You leave the day after tomorrow, right?" "Yeah." Song Xiangsi shot a smile, and then reached her hand out at Little Red Bean. "What time is your flight?" he asked again. Little Red Bean wasn¡¯t in a hurry to jump back into Song Xiangsi¡¯s arms. Instead, she turned her head and gave Xu Jiamu a sweet peck on the cheek. His heart raced and his body tensed up at the girl¡¯s sudden action. With that, Little Red Bean turned around, and stretched towards Song Xiangsi. She picked her daughter up. "Three in the afternoon." "So it¡¯ll be about five in the afternoon when you reach America." Song Xiangsi let out a "Yeah". After a while, she spoke again. "Red Bean and I should head back to our room now." "Alright." "Goodbye then." "Bye." Song Xiangsi lowered her head, and said to Little Red Bean in her arms. "Say goodbye to uncle." Little Red Bean obediently waved her chubby little hand at Xu Jiamu. "Bye bye, uncle." "Bye." Xu Jiamu wore a warm smile on his face. Just when Song Xiangsi silently carried Little Red Bean, turned around, and walked out of the restroom, he suddenly called her name. "Xiangsi." Song Xiangsi halted. She had her back turned to him for a while, before she turned around and let out a single sound, "Mm?" "I put my card in Little Red Bean¡¯s pocket. If you¡¯re tired or unhappy abroad, you can call me anytime. I¡¯ll take you back here." Song Xiangsi opened her mouth, but in the end, she didn¡¯t say a word. She turned around, and left with the girl in her arms. Xu Jiamu stared at the retreating back, as his vision became blurred. The furthest distance in the world isn¡¯t the distance between you and me, standing there unknowing that I love you. It¡¯s the distance between how I want to treat you and how you don¡¯t need it anymore. The most painful separation in the world isn¡¯t when we both love each other yet miss the chance to be together. It¡¯s the pain of you not physically being by my side, yet still residing in my heart. - That night, Xu Jiamu had a little too much to drink. How exactly did he get back to Mian Xiu Garden? He really had a clue. He only remembered that when he stumbled out of the car, someone threw themselves into his arms. They creased their nose, and said pitifully, "Jiamu, I¡¯ve waited so long for you. Why are you back sote?" That voice sounded familiar, but no matter how long he thought about it, he couldn¡¯t figure out whose voice it was. He tried hard to lift his eyes and stare at the person in his arms. After staring for a long while, all he could see was the image of Song Xiangsi¡¯s face swaying in front of him. He pushed the person away, and staggered over to his front door. He entered the passcode a few times incorrectly. "Jiamu, tell me the passcode, so I can help you open the door." Yang Sisi walked up and reached her hand out to support the staggering Xu Jiamu. "0513," he told her the four digits. After the door opened, Yang Sisi held him up and walked into the vi. She carried him all the way upstairs and into the bedroom. She used all her strength to put him onto the bed. Then, she went back downstairs to pour a cup of hot water for him. When she came back, she heard him vomiting without end in the bathroom. Yang Sisi hurriedly put the cup down, and walked into the bathroom. She crouched down next to Xu Jiamu and patted his back. When his vomiting had calmed down a little, she handed him a cup of water to rinse his mouth. Chapter 940: Continuation(21) Chapter 940: Continuation£¨21£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Xu Jiamu gurgled and returned the cup back to Yang Sisi, while stumbling out of the bathroom. When she caught up with him, he was already lying on the bed. She held up the nket, but just as she was going to tuck him in, she heard him murmuring, "Sisi... Where can I find another you? "Sisi.. Don¡¯t go, stay.. "Sisi... You promised to stay with me, don¡¯t leave me... "Sisi...Sisi..." Yang Sisi tightened her grip on the nket. Even though he was calling her name, Sisi, why did it seem as though it wasn¡¯t her he was calling? - The next day, Xu Jiamu woke up with a splitting headache. He was still dressed in the same set of clothes from the day before, but now it was crumpled and reeked of alcohol and cigarettes. He frowned, entering the bathroom to take a shower. When he came down to find food, he saw Yang Sisi setting out the tes in the dinning area. Xu Jiamu stilled, slowly remembering that Yang Sisi was at the door when he came back the night before. "You¡¯re awake? Come have some food." She smiled at him brightly. Xu Jiamu entered the dinning area silently, pulling a chair for himself. The television in the dinning area was airing a variety show about historical poems. Yang Sisi waited a while, but when Xu Jiamu continued to sit in silence, she couldn¡¯t help asking. "Jiamu, what¡¯s your favorite poem?" Xu Jiamu chewed on his food slowly. When he swallowed it, he replied, "Xiangsi." "Huh?" Yang Sisi stilled. "Red berries grow in the South, when Springes, I hope that my love would bring more branches, for it is a symbol of love." Xu Jiamu hated poetry and literature, the only poems that he knew were the ones he was forced to learn in elementary school and "Xiangsi". Yang Sisi smiled. "I like that poem from Wang Wei too." Xu Jiamu continued his meal in silence. - After breakfast, Xu Jiamu received a call and headed to the study room. Yang Sisi remained in the kitchen, clearing up and brewing coffee. When she brought the coffee up, Xu Jiamu was still on the phone while he typed on hisptop. She ced the coffee on the table, but instead of leaving, she stared at him for a while before catching sight of his signature on a document. It was shy but elegant at the same time. - After Xu Jiamu hung up, he saw Yang Sisi writing on the sofa while sipping on her coffee. He asked, "What are you writing?" "I¡¯m writing my name." She raised the white paper. "When I saw your elegant signature, I decided to practice mine as well, but I can¡¯t seem to make it look good. Could you help me design one to make it look better?" Xu Jiamu nodded, agreeing to her request. Yang Sisi stood up, bringing the paper and pen over to the table. He picked up the pen and started to write on the paper. After writing "Yang Sisi" several times, he still couldn¡¯t find a way to make it look good. As he wrote, she suddenly spoke up. "Jiamu, I¡¯m not called Song Xiangsi." Chapter 941: Continuation(22) Chapter 941: Continuation£¨22£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Xu Jiamu¡¯s fingers trembled, a curved line forming on the paper. He sat down nkly, and after a long while, he nced at the paper, his gaze changing. Xiangsi, Xiangsi. Song Xiangsi. The entire paper was filled with names, but none was Yang Sisi. They were all different variations of "Song Xiangsi". Xu Jiamu stared at the paper, his fingers trembling. Yang Sisi stared at him with a steady gaze, the room engulfed in silence. After about five minutes, she seemed to have thought of something. She typed the name in a search engine and found the birthday on wikipedia. She was right... 3rd of May... 0513... Xu Jiamu used Song Xiangsi¡¯s birthday as the passcode for the mansion. Yang Sisi lowered her eyes, her gaze falling on his phone. Without asking for permission, she reached over and grabbed his phone, keying in the numbers "0513" for the passcode. Just as expected, it unlocked. She shut her eyes and walked over to his side to key in the numbers into hisptop¡¯s passcode. Simrly, it went straight to the desktop. At that instant, she understood everything. That was why there was always something off with their interactions. He treated her well - he was patient, he would indulge in her demands, and give the illusion that he loved her, but whenever they walked on the streets, he would never hold her hand, bring her out, or show affectionate behavior. And whenever she took the initiative, he would avoid her. At those time, she had always wondered if she was really in his heart, but his impable care would chase away her doubts. She would just convince herself then that he was slow in showing affection and that she should be patient. Only now did she realize that it wasn¡¯t about him, but rather the fact that she was the wrong person. Yang Sisi nced at him. His features were as ravishing as ever, but he now looked like someone distant, a person she did not know. She took a deep breath before asking, "Jiamu, you have someone you like, don¡¯t you?" Xu Jiamu was still. When he heard her question, he blinked. cing the pen in his hand down slowly, he turned to look at her. Instead of replying to her question, he apologized. "I¡¯m sorry." Yang Sisi suddenly remembered. Back then, that night when they met, Xu Jiamu had been cold towards her, but the moment she told him her name, his attitude changed. He started to chat with her and had even sent her home afterwards. "You only sent me back that night and asked for my contact because I¡¯m called Sisi, isn¡¯t it?" She couldn¡¯t helpughing. She tossed her head back while forcing her tears not to fall. "So... all this while, when you called me Sisi, you¡¯ve always been thinking of someone else... All this while, I was just a substitute, right?" Chapter 942: Continuation(23) Chapter 942: Continuation£¨23£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem "No," Xu Jiamu replied calmly. He paused for about five seconds before adding, "Do you remember what you said on the first night we met? "You said that I looked like someone with a story." He gave a self-deprecatingugh. "If you consider someone that hurt a woman for eight years a person with a story, I could be considered one." He stood up and grabbed the phone and car keys on the table. "Haven¡¯t you always wanted to hear my story? Let¡¯s go, I¡¯ll let you take a look at it." - Xu Jiamu brought Yang Sisi to the cemetery and pointed to the tombstone without any photo. "This is my story." Yang Sisi was clearly startled but she didn¡¯t speak, she knew that he was going to continue. "This is my child, the child that left this world before I could find out the gender," he said after a long pause. He stared at the tomb with tenderness, but his entire body seemed to be emitting sorrow and pain. "Is this your and Song Xiangsi¡¯s child?" This was the first time she had mentioned her name. "Yes," Xu Jiamu admitted without hesitation. Yang Sisi then asked again, "Did it die in the womb?" "It wasn¡¯t a miscarriage," Xu Jiamu replied casually, but inside, sorrow engulfed his soul. He reached out and caressed the tomb softly, with tenderness. Turning over to face her, he said, "She aborted the child." Once again, Yang Sisi was startled by his words. He had never spoken about this story, it was buried deep in his heart. Now that he spoke about it, it seemed more like he was trying to calm his soul than share it with her. "Before she aborted the child, we had been together for eight years. "When we met, she was still in college, it was before she became an actress, before she became famous. Back then, she was still just a simple, pretty young girl. "Ever since I was young, I knew that I was going to have a corporate wedding. I also knew that I would never be with a girl of humble beginnings so I never dated anyone. "We didn¡¯t date, to put it specifically, during those eight years, we were never lovers. "I bought her for fifty thousand dors, it was all a transaction. I thought that we¡¯ll separate easily without any kind ofplications. "But who would have expected such a rtionship tost for seven years. "On the seventh year, she wanted to break up. "How should I put it, during the years that we were together, she had always been obedient and that was probably the first time she had defied me. I was furious, but at that time, I couldn¡¯t understand my anger, I thought that it was because of my pride. "So when she wanted to break up, I told her ¡®Fine, like I care.¡¯ " Chapter 943: Continuation(24) Chapter 943: Continuation£¨24£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem "I thought I would have the upper hand at that time, I assumed that she would chase after me if I left, but she didn¡¯t. I waited at the door for a very long time, and in the end, I left in anger. By the time I reached my car downstairs, I was furious, which led to a car ident... "I was in aa for about seven months. When I finally woke up, the first thing I did was check my phone, but there wasn¡¯t anything from her. "My life or death had nothing to do with her. "When I was discharged, I bumped into her but it ended badly. "Onlyter, because of family problems, did we get back together. "That was probably the darkest moment of my life, but during that time, she stayed by my side silently. "The past few years, I¡¯ve always been thinking, if it wasn¡¯t for her, how would I have endured that harsh period? "Do you know? Ever since that period, I didn¡¯t want a corporate marriage or to be the best in the industry, I just wanted to marry her, to live my life simply. I had even gotten a ring for her to propose, but all she gave me in return was the abortion letter." Xu Jiamu told all the minor details of his rtionship with Song Xiangsi. Yang Sisi remained silent, never once interrupting him. She gazed at him steadily, taking in his loneliness, pain and sorrow... At this moment, she realized that behind his warm smile was so much pent up emotion. "Our story ended at that time, we separated for three years, neither of us approaching or contacting the other. It was a time of zero interactions. "From the story, it seems like she¡¯s the heartless one, right?" Xu Jiamu chuckled. "That was what I thought all this while, I saw her as cold-blooded and heartless. When we identally bumped into each other in Beijing afterwards, her nonchnce thoroughly broke my heart. "At that time, I felt as though she didn¡¯t have a heart and that I shouldn¡¯t waste my emotions on her. "I was devastated. "I wanted to marry, to be with a simple girl, to have a child, and to live my life peacefully." Yang Sisi seemed to have understood everything. "Was that why you asked for my number that night?" Xu Jiamu nodded. "I admit that it was your name that made me want to interact with you, but I never treated you as a substitute, because... my subconsciousness kept reminding me that you weren¡¯t her... I wasn¡¯t able to hold your hand, kiss, or do any other act of affection... "But, I was really hoping to spend the rest of my life with you. "At that time, I struggled to change the influence she had on my life. I stopped wearing blue suits, stopped eating from the mushroom ce, stopped eating her favorite cake... I struggled to adapt to your lifestyle, to remember your likes... "I really wanted to let you into my life, but... I realized that I couldn¡¯t." Xu Jiamu pressed onto his chest softly, smiling helplessly. "Because over here it¡¯s filled up, and there¡¯s no more space for anyone else." Chapter 944: Continuation(25) Chapter 944: Continuation£¨25£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem "A while back, I apanied her back to her hometown, ever since then, it became harder for me to ept you." Yang Sisi widened her mouth. "You... Previously, when you weren¡¯t in Beijing, it¡¯s because you went to her hometown?" "Yes." "So that night when you canceled dinner all of a sudden, it was because of her?" "Mmh." Xu Jiamu knew that his honesty was hurtful, but he wasn¡¯t willing to deceive her. From the moment he had asked for her number, he had already hurt her. The only thing he could do now was to be truthful, it was the only form of respect he could offer. "When you called me and agreed to meet in Beijng, it was to break up with me?" "Yes." Xu Jiamu nodded lightly. Yang Sisi couldn¡¯t suppress her tears. "Didn¡¯t you end things with her? Weren¡¯t you prepared for a new life? What changed your mind? Did things work out between the two of you?" "No." Xu Jiamu shook his head, the scene of Father Song at his deathbed shing past his mind. His gaze turned zed. "It was because I realized that after so many years, the first one who inflicted harm wasn¡¯t her but me." Yang Sisi blinked her tear-stained eyes, looking up at him wordlessly, waiting for him to continue. "She was with me for eight years, from when she was neen to twenty-seven. It was the most beautiful period of her life, and during those eight years I didn¡¯t know when she fell ill, I didn¡¯t know when she quit school, when she was injured, when she was bullied, when she spent her New Year¡¯s alone, when she called from loneliness.... "Eight years, three thousand nights and I didn¡¯t know anything about her. "The most hurtful thing wasn¡¯t my harsh words or the child that was aborted, but the negligence. "And I had neglected her for eight years. "She gave me eight years worth of time and opportunities, waiting for the day I would cherish her, but never once was she rewarded. "During those eight years, I didn¡¯t give her any care, warmth, or the slightest bit of happiness... "Can you imagine something? I helped you carry your bag, grabbed onto your shoulder to protect you from traffic, shielded you in my embrace when it was crowded, gave you a hot cup of ginger tea when you were on your period, endured the scorching heat to get you the drink you wanted, bought you whatever you desired... But imagine, I¡¯ve never done any of these in the eight years I was together with her. "Everything I¡¯m now is all because of her. "If it wasn¡¯t for her, I would never be the sensitive Xu Jiamu I¡¯m now. "She used eight precious years to change me..." Xu Jiamu¡¯s eyes turned red. "How can I use the things she taught me on another women? "So..." Xu Jiamu¡¯s voice weakened. "I¡¯m really sorry, I really can¡¯t continue this..." Because... She made me better, so I can only use everything I learned for her. Yang Sisi stared at him for a long while in silence. Chapter 945: Continuation(26) Chapter 945: Continuation£¨26£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Honestly, when Yang Sisi saw Xu Jiamu write "Song Xiangsi" on the paper, she had wanted to break down. She didn¡¯t dare to say how much she loved him, or rather, that no woman would be able to be unmoved by such a remarkable guy. Hence, when she saw the different styles of "Song Xiangsi" on the paper, it deeply cut into her heart. When she knew all of his passcodes were Song Xiangsi¡¯s birthday, she was furious. She was infuriated for being a substitute. But after she heard his story, all the anger gradually dissipated. She wasn¡¯t moved by their story, she knew ones that were more moving, just like Lu Jinnian and Qiao Anhao¡¯s, the shy crush from youth developing into a deep love that emitted bliss and warmth. She was moved by his honesty, however. Even though his words were hurtful, they were better than a sugar coated lie. Besides, he didn¡¯t humiliate her like how rich people did - giving her money, a house, or cars. Even though he hurt her, he was still able to give her respect. Was she sad? A little. But Yang Sisi blinked, then broke into a faint smile. She took a deep breath, struggling to keep the mood light. "Jiamu, even though I¡¯m a little sad and disappointed that we can¡¯t be together, I¡¯m d that you didn¡¯t just use a random excuse to brush me off but rather exined the situation honestly. "Wasn¡¯t there a saying ¡¯easye easy go¡¯? Before we part, can we have onest meal together?" - Xu Jiamu didn¡¯t object to her request, driving her to the city to find the best club for lunch. After they ate, it was already 3pm. Once they came out of the club, he asked, "Where are you going? I¡¯ll drive." "It¡¯s fine." Yang Sisiughed. Xu Jiamu didn¡¯t force her, hailing a cab for her. Just before she entered it, she asked, "Have you considered getting back with Song Xiangsi? Isn¡¯t it a pity to just let her go?" He chuckled warmly before his lips curled into a faint smile. "She¡¯s going back to America tomorrow." There wasn¡¯t much emotion on his face, but Yang Sisi caught a glimpse of sorrow in his lowered eyes. "You already rejected me, why not get her back?" After a moment of silence, he replied hoarsely, "...She¡¯s married." So, even though he knew he could no longer be with her, he still wasn¡¯t willing to find someone else to live out the rest of his life? He was just thirty, a long way from death, to live alone for such a long journey... Just the thought brought a wave of heartache. "What do you intend to do in the future?" Xu Jiamu lifted his head to nce up at the sky. Even he himself didn¡¯t know what he nned to do... - Even though Yang Sisi broke up with him easily, her heart was still hung up on him. The moment she boarded the cab, tears started to stream down her face. What¡¯s weird was that she only knew him for a month, why would she be so upset? Chapter 946: Continuation(27) Chapter 946: Continuation£¨27£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem How deep did her feelings had to be that she would feel such an immense pain in her heart? Tears streamed down Yang Sisi¡¯s face, and in the end, she started to sob. The cab driver sped on under the zing sun. Through the rear mirror, he caught sight of her, and passed a tissue over. "Broke up?" "Mmh. Yea, I broke up." "Waaa," she sobbed out loud. As she cried, she rambled to the driver, "He was the one who hurt me, but somehow I don¡¯t fault him at all, my heart is even aching for him. "I¡¯m no Mother Theresa, when people bully me, I would curse them, but surprisingly, this time I hope he would find happiness. Every time I think of how alone he¡¯ll be, I feel unbearable pain..." Yang Sisi wiped her red nose with a tissue, turning to look at the driver. "Sir, let me ask you, if you love someone, won¡¯t you want them to live a better life? "I always believed that these were hypocritical words, only found in books, but now I really hope that he would live a better life. "Sir, don¡¯t you find me quite dumb? "Sir, in what way am I not good enough? "Sir, he will definitely regret not being with me, right? "Sir, I¡¯m called Yang Sisi, not Song Xiangsi. "Ahahahah... Sir, I¡¯m not going to the hospital anymore, bring me to EX building." - Today afternoon was Song Xiangsi¡¯sst shoot. It ended a littlete, hence when she came out of the EX building, it was already 8 pm. Jiang Licheng was home with Little Red Bean. When he had fetched the kid from kindergarten, he had driven the car away, so she stood by the street waiting for a cab. EX building was in a deserted area. After a long while, she finally managed to hail a cab but the minute she entered it, before she could say her destination, the cab door opened once again. Someone entered and interrupted her, "Sir, the cemetery in the Western Suburbs." "Sir, I would like to go to Su Yuan apartment..." Before Song Xiangsi could finish her sentence, she took in the person beside her. Yang Sisi. Xu Jiamu¡¯s girlfriend. What was she doing here? Song Xiangsi frowned. The driver didn¡¯t drive off, instead he asked, "Are you two together?" "Yes," Yang Sisi replied. She then added, "The cemetery in the Western Suburbs." - EX building was close to the cemetery. In about an hour, they reached their destination. Yang Sisi told the driver to wait for them at the entrance before ncing at Song Xiangsi, who was still in the car. "Aren¡¯t youing out?" After about a second¡¯s hesitation, she asked, "Miss Yang, why did you bring me here?" "I didn¡¯t want to bring you here, but at the same time, I wanted to bring you here, henceI decided to bring you over," Yang Sisi blurted out. Chapter 947: Continuation(28) Chapter 947: Continuation£¨28£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Yang Sisi and Song Xiangsi walked into the cemetery in silence. On the way up, Yang Sisi spoke. "Me and Xu Jiamu aren¡¯t together anymore." Song Xiangsi stilled, remaining silent. Yang Sisi kept her gaze forward, walking up the stairs step by step. "It was today." Song Xiangsi followed behind her, keeping silent. "I got him to design my signature, but he ended up filing the paper with ¡®Song Xiangsi¡¯, afterwards, he initiated the break up." Song Xiangsi¡¯s throat tightened. "Yesterday, he was dead drunk when he came home. When I helped him in, he kept pressing the wrong passcode. When I asked what it was, he told me it was 0513. When I tried to unlock his phone andptop, the passcode was 0513 as well." As she spoke, she continued up the steps. She could feel her voice turning shaky, it was as though she was about to burst into tears at any moment. "If I didn¡¯t remember wrongly, Miss Song, your birthday is 05.13, right?" Song Xiangsi froze, her steps stilling. Yang Sisi didn¡¯t stop, continuing up the mountain as she rambled. "The first time I met Xu Jiamu, he brought me to Mushroom private kitchen saying that it was his favorite shop." Song Xiangsi continued forward after her, but inside, her heart was faltering. She was the one who had introduced him to the shop, the very first time he was there, he found the food weird and had despised everything... When did it be his favorite?" "Yesterday night when heid on bed drunk, he kept babbling. He said ¡®Sisi... Where can I find another you?" "Sisi... Don¡¯t go, stay... "Sisi... You promised to stay with me, don¡¯t leave me..." Yang Sisi turned abruply to nce at the five meter distance between the both of them. "I thought that he was calling me, but afterwards, I realized he was referring to Song Xiangsi..." Yang Sisi turned to head up once more, pausing, she pointed to a tomb. "We¡¯re here, it¡¯s here." Song Xiangsi nced at her with confusion. She pointed to the tombstone again. "Go, take a look and you¡¯ll understand." Song Xiangsi hesitated before walking forward. It waste and the cemetery wasn¡¯t lit up, so she couldn¡¯t read the words. Reaching for her phone, she switched on its shlight. When she couldn¡¯t find a photo on the tomb, she frowned. She turned to look at Yang Sisi, only to find her face drenched in tears. Silently, she turned back to the tomb. Using the shlight, she searched the tomb. At the bottom right hand corner, she found three words : Father Xu Jiamu. At that instant, her heart clenched, sending her world in circles. Her mind went nk and her heart seemed to stop. After three full minutes, she finally processed the meaning of the words. Father Xu Jiamu. Father Xu Jiamu. Father Xu Jiamu. Was this the tombstone he had made for the child he thought she aborted? Chapter 948: Continuation(29) Chapter 948: Continuation£¨29£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Song Xiangsi remembered how when she had shown him the abortion document, he flew into a rage, smashing the furniture. At that moment, he looked as though he wanted to strangle her. He also said that from that moment onward, they would be strangers with nothing between them. At that time, she thought that everything was over... She always thought that the both of them would just end like that. But the date on the tombstone was from three years ago. Did that mean that in the past three years, Xu Jiamu had never once forgotten about the child he thought she aborted? Even thought the child wasn¡¯t aborted, the sight of the tombstone sent tears streaming down her face. Even though Jiang Licheng loved Little Red Bean, he was, after all, not her biological father, so Little Red Bean wasn¡¯t able to feel genuine fatherly love even after two and a half years. Deep into the night, the thought would always sadden Song Xiangsi. But now she knew... Little Red Bean never oncecked fatherly love, Xu Jiamu has always kept her in his thoughts... "He said, he really wanted you to see the Xu Jiamu from the past, as it would be the only way you could see your influence. "He also said that you used eight years to change him into the Xu Jiamu now, so he wasn¡¯t able to use everything you taught him on another woman." Yang Sisi had already cried the entire day, so why did she feel so much worse now? It was bad... She must really love Xu Jiamu... Even though it was just a short month, even though he struggled and failed to let her into his life, she never expected him to sink so deep into her life... "There¡¯s more, he also said that when he bought a ring to propose to you, you ended up giving him an abortion letter..." Did Xu Jiamu really love her? The man that she had been in-love with for so many years loved her... At that instant, she burst into tears. "I¡¯ll wait for you at the foot of the mountain." Yang Sisi took two steps back before running downhill. Only when Song Xiangsi could no longer hear her footsteps did she start crying. It was a windless night, the cemetery was dead silent, so only Song Xiangsi¡¯s sobbing could be heard. The cemetery caretaker came down from the mountaintop when he heard cries, but when he saw Song Xiangsi kneeling in front of the tomb without any photo, he unknowingly blurted out, "Oh, it¡¯s the empty grave." Song Xiangsi lifted her head, drying away the tears on her face haphazardly before turning. The caretaker was an elderly man. "This is an empty grave, a man woulde by often. You¡¯re the only other person that has visited this grave. Every time that man came, he would stay for a really long time, talking to himself, on and on... Oh, I¡¯ve also seen him crying by the tomb... He said something along the lines of - I miss your mother... Hah, I¡¯m getting old now, my ears aren¡¯t that good now, I can¡¯t hear that clearly anymore..." He shook his head and headed down the mountain. Chapter 949: Continuation (30) Chapter 949: Continuation (30) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem That night, Song Xiangsi stayed in front of the gravestone on her own for a long while, before making her way down the mountain. Yang Sisi was chatting with the driver in the taxi whilst waiting for her. Seeing her emerge from the cemetery, she helped her open the car door. Throughout the taxi drive back to the city, Yang Sisi and Song Xiangsi didn¡¯t talk to each other. The taxi ride was extremely quiet. All that could be heard was the never ending thrum of the car. When the taxi reached Fifth Ring Road, Yang Sisi told the driver to stop by the side of the road. When the car came to a stop, Yang Sisi opened her purse. Just when she was about to pay, Song Xiangsi, who sat next to her without moving an inch since she got in, said with a raspy voice, "Let me." Yang Sisi didn¡¯t fight to be polite with her. She shut her purse and shoved it back into her bag. With a "Thank you", she pushed the door open. After she shut the door, Yang Sisi hesitantly told Song Xiangsi, who was still in the car, "I shouldn¡¯t have said all this, but since Xu Jiamu told me you were married, I thought about how he knew he couldn¡¯t be with you but wasn¡¯t willing to spend the rest of his life with someone else... It just made me feel sad..." With that, the rims of Yang Sisi¡¯s eyes turned red. She imagined that this was the first and only time in her life where she wanted to help someone who had hurt her with no regret at all. She curved her lips into a smile at Song Xiangsi, and said in a soft voice, "Goodbye". She quickly closed the car door, and turned around to leave with tears rolling down her face from the corners of her eyes. Song Xiangsi originally wanted to have the taxi driver take her back to Su Yuan Apartments, but they ended up in an old neighborhood by Second Ring Road. The mushroom restaurant wasn¡¯t closed for the night just yet. There was only one customer having dinner in there. That person had quite a bit to drink and was speaking quite loudly. The owner remembered Song Xiangsi. When she saw her, she excitedly escorted her to an extremely quiet corner table. Song Xiangsi wasn¡¯t really hungry but still ordered a few dishes. When the owner took her order, she couldn¡¯t help but say, "After all these years, you and Mr. Xu have not changed your tastes. Every time hees here, he always chooses these dishes." Of course Song Xiangsi knew that Mr. Xu was Xu Jiamu. Her expression changed slightly, and she kept quiet for a moment before asking, "Does hee here often to eat?" "Yeah." When the owner finished taking her order, she smiled and said, "He usuallyes once a week, and every time hees, he¡¯s always alone, yet he loves to have two sets of tableware in front of him. He would always put food into the other bowl as well." "Oh." Song Xiangsi curved her lips into a smile, but didn¡¯t say a thing. The owner handed her the menu, then turned to leave. Food was served quickly because there were so few people in the restaurant. The dishes tasted just as they always had, nothing having changed. However, Song Xiangsi found it difficult to swallow. In the end, she barely touched the food, paid the bill, and left. It was already ten in the evening. Yet she didn¡¯t hail a taxi back home, but randomly followed the road. The mushroom restaurant was quite close to the shopping district. Just when Song Xiangsi was a little tired out, she realized that on the road opposite her was the Xu Enterprise tower. She looked up for a long time, counting the windows to Xu Jiamu¡¯s office. The lights were on, but because it was too high up, she couldn¡¯t see inside. Chapter 950: Conclusion (1) Chapter 950: Conclusion (1) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Song Xiangsi stood silently. After having waited for who knows how long, she finally saw the lights of Xu Jiamu¡¯s office turn off. Then after about five minutes, she saw hime out of Xu Enterprise tower. Security handed him the keys to his car, and helped him open his car door. He lowered into the seat, quickly started the car up, and left. Xu Jiamu¡¯s car was nowhere in sight, yet Song Xiangsi still foolishly stood a distance away. Suddenly, she came back to her senses when the phone in her pocket rang. It was Jiang Licheng calling to check up why she wasn¡¯t home yet. When Song Xiangsi hung up, she nced over at the time. It was a quarter past midnight. She had stood there, unexpectedly, for two hours, and in that time, she only saw the silhouette of him for merely ten seconds. There was still thirteen hours before she had to go back to America. Before then, she at least got to see him. Even though it was just a nce from afar, it was still something worth being happy about, wasn¡¯t it? - Song Xiangsi returned to Su Yuan apartments at almost one in the morning. Jiang Licheng was dozing off on the sofa. When he heard the sound of the doorbell, he immediately woke up. He furrowed his brows when he saw an exhausted looking Song Xiangsi. "Why are you back sote?" "No reason." Song Xiangsi calmly shook her head, then headed for the bedroom. She opened the door, and nced at Little Red Bean sleeping soundly on the bed, then quietly closed the door. "I¡¯m really sorry to make you stay with Little Red Bean for so long today." "It¡¯s no problem." Jiang Licheng picked up his jacket, got up, and just as he walked over to the entrance to change his shoes, ready to leave, he added, "Are you all packed?" "Yeah." Song Xiangsi nodded tly. "Then I¡¯lle over and pick you both up tomorrow at eleven." After Song Xiangsi saw him out, she copsed onto the sofa. She stared at the glistening lights outside the window, and felt stifled by her heavy heart. - Song Xiangsi barely slept that night. Little Red Bean woke up before seven, so she ate breakfast with her and yed with her for a while before she started to pack her suitcase. She had lived back in China for no more than over a month, and yet she seemed to have bought so many things. She shoved all of it into three full suitcases before she was finally done. At eleven, Jiang Licheng knocked on the door right on time. He first took the suitcases down, then went back up to carry Little Red Bean. The road to the airport was clear. They reached the airport at twenty to twelve, then went through check-in and baggage check. Just before security check, Song Xiangsi received her ne ticket. She nced behind her, looking like she was contemting something. "Xiangsi? Xiangsi?" Having already passed the safety check, Jiang Licheng saw her frozen in her ce and couldn¡¯t help but prompt her, "What¡¯s on your mind?" Song Xiangsi snapped back to her senses and shook her head at him. She handed her passport, ID card, and ne ticket. - Little Rice Cake had been sulking ever since he came home yesterday. He didn¡¯t really eat dinner, and had been sitting in the yroom since the early morning. No matter how Qiao Anhao and Madam Chen tried to cheer him up, he would just silently y with his wooden blocks. The next day, Little Rice Cake was as he usually was. He woke up early, knocked on Qiao Anhao and Lu Jinnian¡¯s room, then cried for them to get up and take him to kindergarten. Chapter 951: Conclusion (2) Chapter 951: Conclusion (2) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem In the morning, it was Xu Jiamu who took Little Rice Cake to kindergarten. The boy sulked the whole way there. If it were before, Xu Jiamu would¡¯ve definitely teased Little Rice Cake, but Song Xiangsi was going back to America today. Every now and then he was a little agitated, let alone in the mood to tease the kid. When they reached the entrance to the kindergarten, Little Rice Cake dragged his book bag, and said "Bye bye, uncle", then pushed the car door open by himself. Xu Jiamu went over to him, and saw a fruit box on the car seat. Inside, there was a big red apple. He prompted the kid, "Don¡¯t forget your apple." Little Rice Cake starred at him, and with a lifeless voice said, "Uncle, I left this apple in the car on purpose." "Why?" Little Rice Cake¡¯s shoulders instantly fell, and with a deeply bitter expression on his face, he said, "Because I bought this apple for Little Red Bean, but she has to go back to America with her mom and dad today..." Xu Jiamu¡¯s face turned pale when he heard Little Rice Cake¡¯sst words. He tightened his grip onto his keys. Little Rice Cake didn¡¯t even notice something off about him, and shook his head distraught, then let out a glum sigh. He dragged his book bag and walked over to the kindergarten. Xu Jiamu sat in his car numbed for half an hour, before he started the car up and headed for the office. In the early afternoon, he looked no different from usual. He had meetings and handled paperwork. When he came to the end of his busy period, the secretary suddenly said, "Chief Xu, it¡¯s already twelve in the afternoon. What would you like to have for lunch?" "Half past twelve?" muttered Xu Jiamu, then fell silent. The secretary waited for a long while, but he didn¡¯t make a sound. She left the lunch menu on his desk and silently left. It was like someone had pressed Xu Jiamu¡¯s pressure points. He didn¡¯t move an inch from his seat for a long long time. Then, he looked over to the upper left corner of theputer screen. It was one o¡¯clock. Song Xiangsi¡¯s ne had taken off by now. Xu Jiamu turned his head, and stared out at the skies through the window with deste eyes. After a long while had passed, he slowly closed them, andid on the table. - In the blink of an eye, Song Xiangsi had been back in America for half a year now. Everything was going well for her, and her days were no different from before she went back for her father. However, her month in China seemed like one long dream. In the weekend, Jiang Licheng¡¯s son, Qiao En missed school. Jiang Licheng took the two kids out. Song Xiangsi wanted to go too, but unluckily for her, she found out that she was on her period in the morning. Perhaps it was because she rushed around China and America, she had period pains, and so she stayed at home on her own. After Little Red Bean left with Jiang Licheng and Qiao En, she went back to the bedroom, and took a nap. When she woke up again, it was almost noon. Song Xiangsi quickly whipped up some food to calm her stomach, then started to tidy up the toys Little Red Bean had thrown in the living room. When she was almost finished cleaning up, she pulled out a card from underneath the sofa. It was a gleaming gold business card made of excellent material. Threerge characters in calligraphy came to view: Xu Jiamu. Chapter 952: Conclusion (3) Chapter 952: Conclusion (3) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem "I put my card in Little Red Bean¡¯s pocket. If you¡¯re tired or unhappy abroad, you can call me anytime. I¡¯ll take you back here." The words Xu Jiamu said to her, when she was in the restroom at the Aroma Garden food stall instantly rang in Song Xiangsi¡¯s ear. She had forgotten about the business card because she had pushed everything to the back of her mind since she returned home. Little Red Bean must¡¯ve pulled it out of her pocket, yed around with it, and threw it to the ground, since the corners were torn up. Song Xiangsi randomly felt stifled. She sat on the floorboards, against the sofa, staring at the business card. She was in a trance for a really long time, before she threw the card onto the coffee table and continued to tidy up the toys. Later, she seemed to be deliberately finding things to do in the house. She knelt down, grabbed a rag, and started to wipe the floor. She rubbed really hard. After wiping just a third of the living room, she was already spent. She wasn¡¯t sure if it was because her rag wasn¡¯t squeezed dry, but the floorboards were far too wet. She got up, about to head towards the bathroom to wash the rag again, when she slipped. With no warning at all, she fell to the ground, and hit her head on the coffee table. It hurt so much that it forced out tears. Sheid on the floor for a while, before she stabilized and forced herself to sit up. She saw that her arm and knee were grazed, and blood was trickling out. The spot where she had hit her head burned in pain. Since she was little, who knows how much she had suffered. A little pain like this was truly nothing, but for some reason, she felt a random sense of grievance. She couldn¡¯t help but cover her mouth, as she softly started to sob. The more she cried, the more heartbroken she felt. Then, she thought back to how she suffered during her ten month pregnancy, and that night she gave birth to Little Red Bean. She had endured twelve whole hours of pain. At the time, she had no more strength left in her, and truly felt like she was going to suffer like that to death. But then, as soon as that feeling took her, she thought of how if she died Little Red Bean would be on her own. She endured it all. During the first month after giving birth, she had no one to look after her, and she had to take care of Little Red Bean. At the time, she had no experience taking care of babies, so she practically didn¡¯t sleep well for a full month. Other people would get fatter whilst pregnant, yet she lost almost ten pounds. Later, Little Red Bean gradually got older. She was well-behaved and smart, but even so, being a single woman with a child, she still had a tough time. She had no one to rely on for everything, just herself. Even if she identally fell down and got hurt, she could only suffer alone. Sometimes, even she felt like she could crumble at any time. The rim of Song Xiangsi¡¯s eyes were red, as she forcefully lifted herself with the help of the coffee table. She stood up and sat down on the sofa, staring at the business card in front of her. She stared at it for a long while, and eventually couldn¡¯t help but pick it up. His phone number hadn¡¯t changed. Eleven digits. Even after so many years, she still remembered them. She stared at Xu Jiamu¡¯s number and thought back to how he took care of her and helped her when her father had passed away. Then, she thought back to what Yang Sisi had said to her, which incited an inner struggle in her heart. Chapter 953: Conclusion (4) Chapter 953: Conclusion (4) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Back then, she was so ruthless, and never thought of leaving any leeway between them. If they started again now, she would be the first to turn her back on him. In Beijing, she was actually tempted a few times. Perhaps because she was old now, she had lost a little of her impulsiveness and courage. Just like now, she really wanted to give him a call, and yet she... At that thought, Song Xiangsi suddenly heard the doot-doot sound from the phone, and snapped back to her senses. Then, she heard a familiar voice. "Hello?" Her eyes quivered when she realized that she had unthinkingly called Xu Jiamu¡¯s number. "May I ask who¡¯s calling?" The sound of Xu Jiamu came from the phone again. Song Xiangsi involuntarily wanted to hang up, but that¡¯s when she heard him speak again. This time, his voice sounded a little gloomy. "Xiangsi?" Her heart suddenly skipped a beat, as she held her phone, not knowing what to do. "Xiangsi, it¡¯s you, right?" As Xu Jiamu spoke again, she heard the sound of him getting up from his bed. She raised her head and nced over at the clock on the wall. At three in the afternoon in America, it was deep in the night in China. Did she wake him up? Xu Jiamu was very patient. He wasn¡¯t the least bit annoyed that she called but didn¡¯t want to say a thing. Over the phone, it sounded like he lit a cigarette and blew faint rings of smoke. Then he spoke again with his captivating voice. "Why did you call and now aren¡¯t saying anything? "Did something happen? "Are you listening? Xiangsi?" With great difficulty, Song Xiangsi held back her tears from falling. She tried hard to control her emotions, but she still managed to crack a sob. She was afraid that Xu Jiamu would find out something was wrong. Without a second thought, she quickly hung up. Repeatedly, her phone rang. It was Xu Jiamu calling, but she didn¡¯t pick up the call. She just shrank into the sofa, and stared at her shing phone screen. Xu Jiamu called about a dozen times, before he finally stopped. The room fell particrly quiet. Song Xiangsi helplessly put her head between her knees. - At nine in the evening, her eyes started to swell up. She gave Jiang Licheng a call and told him not to bring Little Red Bean back today. At night, she nestled in bed on her own, watching TV to almost one in the morning, before she groggily fell asleep. The next day, when it was light out, she was woken up by a knock at the door. When she climbed out of bed, she stretched yesterday¡¯s graze. The pain abruptly woke her up. She thought Little Red Bean might¡¯ve started to cry and had a tantrum for being away from her for too long, so Jiang Licheng sent her back. With that, she hurriedly ran out, quickly opened the door, and cried out "Little Red Bean", but saw a worn out Xu Jiamu at the door. A sh of disbelief came into her eyes. Slightly gaping, and stared at the man beyond the door. After a long while, she forced herself to say, "How are you here?" Xu Jiamu didn¡¯t answer her questions but looked her up and down. "Did something happen to you?" Chapter 954: Conclusion (5) Chapter 954: Conclusion (5) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem When Xu Jiamu finished asking, he didn¡¯t wait for Song Xiangsi¡¯ response, and shot a nce at the wound on her arm. He suddenly grabbed her arm, taking note of a ghastly graze. He furrowed his brows, then looked down at the wound on her leg, which creased his brows even tighter. "How did you fall like this, and not to take care of it?" Song Xiangsi lowered her head, but didn¡¯t make a peep and pulled her arm from his grip. "Where¡¯s your husband? Could he possibly not care about you?" There was a tinge of anger in Xu Jiamu¡¯s words. She still didn¡¯t say a word. Xu Jiamu stared at her for a while, then suddenly swept her off her feet, and walked towards the elevator. He took her to a nearby hospital, whilst she still hadn¡¯t registered how he suddenly turned up at her home in Seattle. The doctor soon finished giving her a check up. ording to Xu Jiamu¡¯s orders, the doctor prescribed an ointment, then he carried her back to her home. When they opened the door, Xu Jiamu entered the house without Song Xiangsi¡¯s permission. He carried her straight in, then put her down on the sofa in the living room. He didn¡¯t wait for her to react and pulled out the bottles from the stic bag onto the floor. He skimmed through the English on the packaging, then grabbed a cotton swab, and took care of her wound. From start to finish, the two of them didn¡¯t exchange any words. Song Xiangsi stared at Xu Jiamu without blinking. He didn¡¯t look up into her eyes until he finished applying medicine to her wound. "It¡¯s best if you apply this ointment two times a day, so there won¡¯t be any scarring." As he said this, Xu Jiamu lowered his head again, he pointed at the bottles. "Apply this bottle first. It¡¯s to kill bacteria. Then, apply this one. Got it?" Xu Jiamu nced at Song Xiangsi, and saw that she still had the same expression on her face. His brows creased, and he then grabbed a pen from the coffee table and marked the medical box. He also said in a t voice, "I¡¯ve clearly marked the instructions in order." He put the pen down, and nced over at the clock on the wall. It was already eight o¡¯clock, then he asked, "Have you had breakfast?" This time, Song Xiangsi finally had some kind of reaction. She shook her head gently at him. Xu Jiamu didn¡¯t say a word, but stood up and walked into the kitchen. Song Xiangsi quietly sat on the living room sofa and listened to the sound of the kitchen vent . She stared outside the window. Even though Song Xiangsi couldn¡¯t cook, she had Little Red Bean, and so her kitchen was well prepared. Xu Jiamu was always good at cooking. He used just forty minutes to make a well-bnced and nutritious breakfast table for Song Xiangsi. He stood in front of the breakfast table, and served her a bowl of porridge. Then he nced over at her sitting on the sofa and asked, "Can you walk over here?" Song Xiangsi hurriedly nodded, quickly got up, and walked over to the breakfast table. She randomly pulled out a chair and sat down. Xu Jiamu pushed the porridge in front of her. The aroma wafted in, tempting her appetite. Song Xiangsi dazed out for a moment, then raised her eyes. She looked over to where Xu Jiamu was standing. "You want to eat together?" Xu Jiamu replied in three seconds in a t voice. "No." Chapter 955: Conclusion (6) Chapter 955: Conclusion (6) Trantor: Paperne Editor: DarkGem Song Xiangsi was clearly right next to Xu Jiamu, and yet he couldn¡¯t have her. To him, that was the cruelest form of torture. Recently, he hadn¡¯t been sleeping well. Last night, with great difficulty, he fell asleep, when suddenly he was woken up by his phone. Deep down inside, he was actually a little annoyed, so when he took the call, his tone of voice was cold at first, but then there was no reply from the other line. He didn¡¯t know why but at that moment, he felt like it was her calling. He asked her a few times, but there was no answer. Eventually, he heard the ear piercing sound of a sob. Even though it was faint and brief, he could clearly tell that it was her voice. She was crying... She was crying on her own in a foreign country, away from home. Without even thinking twice, he started to call her back, but she never answered. The sound of her sob echoed in his ears. How could he fall asleep? He walked around the room twice, then changed his clothes, and flew straight to America. He didn¡¯t know where she lived, but he knew that if he called, she may not tell her. He held her photo, and asked from house to house in Seattle. Thankfully, he was lucky to have bumped into someone she knew, who told her where she lived. He was hurt that she was injured, but luckily it wasn¡¯t serious. Seeing her now, back to normal, he should leave. Xu Jiamu softly blinked, then said, "I have something to do so I should head out now." He paused for a moment, then added, "Goodbye." He walked to the door, but just as he passed through the living room, he saw the bottle of medicine on the floor, and reminded her, "Remember to apply the medicine. If it¡¯s difficult for you, then you can find your husband to help you." Song Xiangsi¡¯s heart ached, as she tightly clutched her spoon. Then, just as Xu Jiamu reached with his hand to turn the door handle, she finally couldn¡¯t hold it in. "Jiamu." "...Hm?" He paused with his back turned to Song Xiangsi. "When I called you yesterday, were you in Beijing?" Xu Jiamu still didn¡¯t turn around to look at Song Xiangsi. After some time had passed, he let out another "Mm". "At the time, I woke you up?" This time, he didn¡¯t reply. "You couldn¡¯t get through to me, so you came to America? Just to give me medicine, cook me a meal, and then go back to China?" She asked again, "Why did you do it?" The room fell silent, and there was an indescribable emotion that fluttered about. Xu Jiamu stood still for long time, with his back turned to Song Xiangsi, before he slowly turned his head. He stared at her gentle expression for a long time, then slightly curved the corner of his lips into a warm smile. "I told you before, as long as you give me a call, I¡¯ll be there. "There¡¯s no meaning to it, I just want you to be well." This is the only thing I can do for you right now. I will never forget what your father told me before he passed away. I owe you too much warmth from those eight years we were together. Now, I don¡¯t want to have you, but just to see you well. Xu Jiamu continued to smile at Song Xiangsi, then with a t expression he said, "Eat breakfast, it¡¯s no good cold. I¡¯m off now." Chapter 956: Conclusion(7) Chapter 956: Conclusion£¨7£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Xu Jiamu lightly bid his goodbye, then silently opened the door and headed out, after closing the door with cautiousness. Song Xiangsi was the only one left in the room. She sat in front of the dining table, staring at the table full of food. Grabbing onto the spoon, she ate a mouthful of porridge. It was sweet and just the right temperature, warming her throat. She could no longer hold her tears and allowed them to stream down her face. Just like in a movie yback, images shed past her mind, scene by scene. He held onto the cash, making a deal with her, but when they entered the hotel room he didn¡¯t do anything. He waited with her when her father was in surgery, he knelt down in front of her to massage her ankle. He promised to act as her boyfriend and had then delighted her father. He didn¡¯t mind the dirt, helping her father wash his soiled clothes. He had always been pampered but willingly slept on the sofa in her house. He willingly made her meals and had even pulled the weeds from her mother¡¯s grave. He tended to all the necessary arrangements when her father passed away, stayed by her, knowing that she was upset. Late into the night, when she ran out in tears, he was the one who found her, bringing her back home. He guarded her by the side the entire night. Knowing she was afraid of thunder, he had called her countless times to find her. He had even prepared a tombstone for the child he thought was dead... What should she do... The more she thought about it, the more tempted she was to give in. The huge wall that she had struggled to build was starting to crumble. Song Xiangsi ate the porridge in tears. Then, the next moment, she ced the spoon abruptly and bolted up. Kicking the chair aside, she ran out the door to chase after him without even changing her shoes. She wanted to go back, she wanted to put Little Red Bean under their two names, she wanted to find a support, she didn¡¯t want to go stay in America, she didn¡¯t want to be alone anymore... The moment she reached the streets, she saw Xu Jiamu leaving in a cab. Without hesitation, she ran after the cab. There was a speed limit on the road so the cab drove slowly, but it still widened the distance between them steadily. - The moment Xu Jiamu entered the cab, he shut his eyes. He always knew he missed her, but only when he met her did he realize how much. This time, he could only see her because she called, he didn¡¯t know when he would meet her again. Maybe never in this lifetime. An entire lifetime... Xu Jiamu lowered his head, staring at his palms. Once, he had held onto her hand... But in the end, he managed to lose her. Sorrow clouded his eyes, and he couldn¡¯t help turning to look into the rear view mirror. At that moment, his gaze froze. He stared at the rear mirror for a long moment before seemingly confirming something. He suddenly turned towards the driver. "Stop the car!" In a hurry, he realized that he had blurted it out in Chinese, so he repeated it in English once more. The driver mmed into the brakes, and before the cab had even fully stopped, Xu Jiamu tossed some money and jumped out. Chapter 957: Conclusion(8) Chapter 957: Conclusion£¨8£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem In a hurry, he realized that he had blurted it out in Chinese, so he repeated it in English once more. The driver mmed into the brakes, and before the cab had even fully stopped, Xu Jiamu tossed some money and jumped out. Turning, he ran towards Song Xiangsi. - In a rush, Song Xiangsi had ran out in a pair of slippers, but she had lost one while running. Despite that, she continued to run on the road, the rough ground bruising her foot with each step. Just then, her elbow was tugged by someone, pulling her into a warm embrace. "Are you crazy? How can you run on the road barefooted?" Song Xiangsi trembled from Xu Jiamu¡¯s words. She lifted her head, looking into a pair of bright eyes that zed with fury. After a second, she suddenly asked, "Xu Jiamu, do you love me?" Her abrupt question caused his mind to nk out. "Jiamu, do you love me?" she repeated. Xu Jiamu came back to his senses. Frowning, he replied in a deep voice, "Is that important? You¡¯re already married, aren¡¯t you..." Before he could finish his sentence, she interrupted with a resolute "It¡¯s important." She stared at him seriously, her eyes gleaming fervently. Trying to convince him, she added, "It¡¯s very important, so tell me, do you love me or not?" Song Xiangsi¡¯s seriousness seemed to have affected him, causing him to turn solemn as well. He looked at her for a bit more before finally replying, "I love you." At that instant, the loud, chaotic street fell into silence. She could hear only her heart racing swiftly and violently. Her fingers started to tremble, her breathing bing unstable. Xu Jiamu nced at her eyes. After a moment of silence, he continued, "I really love you... To the point that even after using up all I had to forget you, I still failed." When she was still with him, he never realized he was in love with her, so he had never told her. After they broke up, were separated for three years and then reunited, she was already someone else¡¯s wife, so he wasn¡¯t able to say it anymore. "After you left me, I struggled to give you up, and in the end, I did. "But it wasn¡¯t you but myself that I gave up. "I tried a thousand different ways and struggled a thousand times, but in the end you were still rooted in my heart, so I gave up trying to forget you." Tears streamed down Song Xiangsi¡¯s eyes. Her lips curled upwards and, abruptly, she stood up on her toes and kissed him on the lips. She desperately tried to control herself. If it had already ended, she shouldn¡¯t start it. She chose her own road, she didn¡¯t want to walk that path again, but in the end, she gave in, gave in to her better judgment, gave in to his influence. He loved her, he didn¡¯t marry anyone, he did so much for her; she could no longer find a reason to break off all ties. So she didn¡¯t care anymore. Chapter 958: Conclusion(9) Chapter 958: Conclusion£¨9£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Song Xiangsi didn¡¯t want to be rational, she wanted to give in to her impulse for once. She deepened the kiss, indulging in the moment. Her lips tasted the same as in Xu Jiamu¡¯s memory. Blood gushed into his brain, and after freezing for three whole minutes, he finally returned her kiss. She tighten her grip on his neck, pressing herself deeper into his embrace. Surrounded by passers-by, they continued to be immersed in their passionate kiss. After a long while, Song Xiangsi slightly desperate her lips from his. Staring into his eyes, she said, "Jiamu, I¡¯m not married." Xu Jiamu stilled, excitement slowly spreading within him, what did not married mean? The next moment, a hard to exin sense of joy drowned out the excitement. Before he could confirm what she meant, she continued, "And, Little Red Bean isn¡¯t three, she¡¯s two and a half years old." Xu Jiamu went nk, unable to process the meaning of her words. "Jiamu, you told me that if I ever get tired of America or if I can¡¯t go on anymore, I could call you and you would bring me back..." Song Xiangsi gripped onto his shoulder. Due to nervousness, she exerted more strength that was necessary. She calmed her breathing before blurting out, "...So can you bring me back now?" - Xu Jiamu left America ording to his original n. Before he left, he brought Song Xiangsi back to her home. He remained calm towards her words, not giving a response. His overly calm behavior caused Song Xiangsi to feel nervous and uneasy, she couldn¡¯t figure out what he was thinking. After Xu Jiamu returned to China, he didn¡¯t contact her. And she didn¡¯t contact him. Every day, she continued to take care of Little Red Bean, but once in a while, she couldn¡¯t help falling into a daze. On the afternoon of the seventh day Xu Jiamu let, the doorbell rang after she had sent Little Red Bean for her afternoon nap. Song Xiangsi hurriedly opened the door, worried the doorbell would wake the girl. Outside stood Xu Jiamu. Surprise shed past her eyes. Her mouth fell open, but before she could say anything, Xu Jiamu spoke gently. "I removed the tombstone... I used the past few days to add a toys room in Mian Xiu Garden.. I have also contacted a wedding nning team and have filled up the guest list... Everything isplete, I just need a bride..." On that day, he left without a word to do all this? Song Xiangsi could feel a stinging sensation in her eyes Xu Jiamu passed two boarding passes over. "Didn¡¯t you say you wanted to return back? I came to bring you back..." Song Xiangsi lowered her head to stare at the names on the boarding pass, one was Song Xiangsi and the other Little Red Bean. She gazed at the passes for a long while before lifting her head to look at him, a wide smile brightening her face. Xu Jiamu stood in front silently, taking in her stunning smile. After a long while, his lips curled upwards into a faint smile, as well. -Bookpleted- Chapter 959: The Two Three Blissful Things(1) Chapter 959: The Two Three Blissful Things£¨1£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem [Uncle, please divorce] The first thing Xu Jiamu did after bringing both Song Xiangsi and Little Red Bean back was to prepare for the wedding. It was only then that Lu Jinnian and Qiao Anhao found out that the person in Xu Jiamu¡¯s heart was actually someone they were both familiar with. After being kept in the dark for such a long time, Qiao Anhao couldn¡¯t help feeling slightly annoyed andining about Xu Jiamu. Lu Jinnian had always been indulgent towards her, so when he saw that she was annoyed by his brother, he couldn¡¯t help feeling the same way. Even though they were annoyed, as the elder brother and sister-inw, both Lu Jinnian and Qiao Anhao were happy to help him prepare for his wedding and send them their blessings. But no one could be happier than Little Red Bean and Little Rice Cake. To Little Rice Cake, Xu Jiamu now became a god like idol for bringing Little Red Bean to his house and allowing them to go back to the same kindergarten. Several days before the wedding, the two kids didn¡¯t attend school, and since the adults were busy at work, they yed by themselves. They seemed to be having too much fun and refused to go to school. On the second day after the wedding, Little Rice Cake identally overheard Qiao Anhao¡¯s conversation with Lu Jinnian. She mentioned that Xu Jiamu and Song Xiangsi were nning to go on a honeymoon - Paris, Provenance, Aegean Sea, Rome... But they didn¡¯t want to bring Little Red Bean along so they needed to take care of her for a month. Little Rice Cake had always been smart but he didn¡¯t understand the meaning of honeymoon, yet he knew that they could enjoy themselves for a month if this came to be so he ran to the toy room. Little Red Bean was lying on the mat, piecing arge map. She lifted her head to look at the boy expectantly. "Where¡¯s my yogurt?" Just then, Little Rice Cake remembered that he had went downstairs to bring Little Red Bean yogurt. He turned around then and headed down once more, returning with two bottles of yogurt, one for each of them. Little Rice Cake turned to look at Little Red Bean. "You don¡¯t want to go to kindergarten tomorrow, right?" "Mmh." Little Red Bean nodded as she drank the yogurt. Little Rice Cake removed the yogurt from his mouth and spoke to her with gleaming eyes. "Then let¡¯s get married, after we are married, we can go on a honeymoon." The girl tilted her head and asked, "What¡¯s a honeymoon?" The boy shook his head. "I don¡¯t know, but you get to y for a month." One month... Little Red Bean¡¯s eyes sparkled, and she agreed instantly. The two little children continued to piece the puzzle, figuring their route. The puzzle was a map of China. Little Red Bean didn¡¯t know as many words as Little Rice Cake so she pointed to the ones that she could read. "Beijing." "We¡¯re in Beijing though," Little Rice Cake said. "Xian." "Sure," he agreed. "Dalian." Little Rice Cake agreed once more. "Suzhou, Lijiang..." Little Red Bean looked around, pointing to thest location she could read. "Xinjiang." Even though Little Rice Cake didn¡¯t watch the news, he would asionally hear reports while watching television with Lu Jinnian. Because of this, he shook his head immediately. "No, Little Red Bean, we can¡¯t go to Xinjiang, it¡¯s chaotic!" Chapter 960: The Two Three Blissful Things(2) Chapter 960: The Two Three Blissful Things£¨2£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Little Red Bean nced at the scrambled Xinjiang puzzle piece before turning to pout at Little Rice Cake. "It¡¯s okay, I was the one who messed it up just now." She hurriedly pieced it back together, smiling up at her friend. "See, it¡¯s no longer messy, we can go now!" "..." Regardless of what they talked about, they would alwayse to a harmonious conclusion. In order to avoid attending kindergarten, they decided to get married. The next day, when Xu Jiamu came over to send them to school, Little Rice Cake said, "Uncle, I¡¯m going to marry Little Red Bean." "Yes, daddy, I¡¯m going to marry Little Rice Cake," Little Red Bean agreed immediately. A shiver went through Xu Jiamu¡¯s spine. He was so startled he mmed onto the brakes, stopping by the side of the road. After taking a moment to calm himself, he exined patiently the reasons why they couldn¡¯t get married, "I¡¯m Lu Jinnian¡¯s biological brother, we¡¯re family byw so you guys can¡¯t get married. ording to thew, both of you are cousins so you can¡¯t get married..." Yet even though he exined in detail, in the end, he still couldn¡¯t figure out how to make them fully understand it. After driving for a little while, he was about to continue with another form of exnation, when Little Rice Cake spoke up. "Uncle, could you divorce please." The car stopped abruptly once more. "Uncle, divorce auntie, then me and Little Red Bean will be able to get married." Xu Jiamu had always been indulgent and patient towards the two kids, but this time, he couldn¡¯t help snarling. "I will never divorce, and even if I did, the two of you still wouldn¡¯t be able to be together! You¡¯re blood rted!" Little Red Bean, who had always been silent, blinked her eyes in confusion before saying, "Daddy, I decided that from now onward I want to break off my blood rtionship with Little Rice Cake." Being intelligent, the little boy immediately added after her, "Then we can get married!" Xu Jiamu took a deep breath, deciding to shut his mouth. He mmed onto the elerator, heading to the kindergarten. When they were in ce, he brought out the two little kids, pushing them to the teacher before leaving without a second nce. - [How do you take care of the kids!] Initially, when Little Red Bean just came back from America, she was still shy in front of Lu Jinnian and Qiao Anhao. Little Red Bean was a precious surprise for Xu Jiamu, and since she was a girl she became the apple of his eye instantly. So he pampered her endlessly, his patience towards her endless... Simply put, he pampered her to no end, and right now, the girl was no longer afraid of him anymore. Maybe due to their blood rtion, after Little Red Bean epted Xu Jiamu, she seemed to act out more in front of him, but regardless of how pampered she behaved, he would be indulgent and loving. Just today, Song Xiangsi had to go out for a moment. Little Red Bean stayed in the y room to y the slide. When she was craving for milk, she turned to request it from Xu Jiamu. It was less than five minutes before he came back with the milk, but in that short time span, Little Red Bean had identally fallen from the slide. There was a thick carpet cushioning her fall so she didn¡¯t feel any pain, but just as she was about to stand up to continue ying, the door opened. At that moment, Little Red Bean opened her mouth andid back down on the floor, breaking into tears. Xu Jiamu hurriedly tossed the milk bottle aside, running forward to carry her while coaxing her tenderly. With a few drops of tears etched to her face, she tapped onto his head, mimicking Song Xiangsi¡¯s tone when she scolded her, "You dummy, how do you take care of the kids!" Chapter 961: The Two Three Blissful Things(3) Chapter 961: The Two Three Blissful Things£¨3£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem [The Lu Qiao couple unting their love. Part 1] Qiao Anhao was born with a silver spoon and had been pampered her entire life. In the six months that Lu Jinnian had left her, she had to stay by herself, pay her own bills, clean , change the light bulbs, and do all the daily household chores. After she married him, he spoiled her endlessly, not allowing her to do anything, causing her to grow dependent on him. After Qiao Anxia became impotent, Little Rice Cake became the Qiao parents¡¯ precious treasure. Mother Qiao would often find random excuses to bring him to the Qiao mansion. On one day, Beijing was unusually cold. When Lu Jinnian was back home, he sneezed continuously. Mother Qiao, who was over to see Little Rice Cake, decided to bring him back home, as she was worried that Lu Jinnian would infect him. Initially, Lu Jinnian was fine but somehow at 9pm that night, he started burning with a fever. He was not willing to visit the hospital and since Madam Chen was busy, Qiao Anhao had to take care of him. There was backup medication at home, but ever since they married, Lu Jinnian was the only one who touched it. Qiao Anhao circled the room in search for the first aid kit. "Hubby, where¡¯s the first aid kit?" Lu Jinnian replied weakly, "In the cupboard under the television." After she found it, she didn¡¯t bother reading the manual. Instead, out of habit, she asked him, "Which medicine do you need for flu? Do you need anti-inmmatory drugs? How many do you need?" Lu Jinnian was visibly unwell, but he patiently replied to her endless questions while pushing his fatigued body upwards. "Bring it over." She brought the kit over obediently, and Lu Jinnian looked at the medication, taking two different types out. Qiao Anhao didn¡¯t prepare any water, so she hurriedly rushed downstairs without closing the bedroom door. Lu Jinnian remained tucked in bed. After a moment, he heard the sound of ss shatteringing from downstairs, and ignoring the difort of his body he rushed downstairs. The moment he was out, he saw Qiao Anhao kneeling on the floor, picking up the shattered ss shards. He anxiously went forward, grabbing onto her arms. "Let me do it, help me get the rubber gloves." Qiao Anhao brought the gloves quickly. When she saw his pale face, she decided to wear the gloves and clean up herself, but before she could put them on, Lu Jinnian snatched them from her, stuffing his hands in before kneeling down to clean up her mess. When he was done, he poured himself a cup of water and brought Qiao Anhao back upstairs. After he took his medication, he curled up in bed. Qiao Anhao reached out to touch his forehead, realizing that his temperature had increased. She recalled how even though she was supposed to be taking care of him, instead, she had brought him so much trouble... After they married, she had been pampered by him so much she had no idea where things were at home. She shut her eyes, guilt clouding them as she asked softly, "Lu Jinnian, am I a horrible wife?" "Mmh?" Lu Jinnian opened his eyes slightly, looking at her questioningly. Chapter 962: The Two Three Blissful Things(4) Chapter 962: The Two Three Blissful Things£¨4£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem "In the three years we¡¯ve been married, you¡¯ve always treated me well, but now that you¡¯re sick, I¡¯m not even able to take care of you. I¡¯m horrible, aren¡¯t I?" "Now that you say it, you really are horrible." Lu Jinnian nodded in agreement. Qiao Anhao knew that she had been pampered by him and was willing to reflect on herself but she couldn¡¯t feel feeling infuriated when he agreed to it. After a moment¡¯s wait, she turned to re at him. Lu Jinnian nced at her re. Chuckling lightly, he reached out to caress her cheek before pulling her into his embrace, tightening his grip. "But I like the horrible you, it gives me a blissful feeling that you won¡¯t leave me." In that instance, Qiao Anhao¡¯s guilty heart was filled with emotion. Lu Jinnian rubbed her head. He shut his eyes, taking in the scent of her hair. After a short while, he continued, "I never expected you to treat me well, as long as you allow me to pamper you, it¡¯s enough." Qiao Anhao stretched out her arms, returning his hug. It was said that love has an expiry date and that after some time, troubles will arise among couples, but after such a long time, she and Lu Jinnian just continued on getting sweeter and morepatible. Regardless of whether it was three years ago or three yearster, everything remained sweet and blissful. What more could they ask for? "Lu Jinnian, how can I love you so much." "Really?" Just that simple line smoothed his tensed temples. "Qiao Anhao, I¡¯m quite confused as well, how can I love you so much!" - [The Lu Qiao couple unting their love. Part 2] Qiao Anhao had a date with Zhao Meng. After their meeting, it was 6 pm, Lu Jinnian had already ended work so he went to get her before heading home. Qiao Anhao walked across the road. He stood by the side of the street, waiting for her. Just when she was about to reach him, her phone rang and she reached for it, taking it out. At that moment, she almost got hit by an iing motorcycle. Thankfully, Lu Jinnian pulled her into his embrace in time. The frightening incident sent him into a fury. "Qiao Anhao, how can you take out your phone on the road? Do you know how dangerous it is! What if you got hit?" Qiao Anhao knew she was wrong. She bit her lip, reaching out to grab onto his hand, but he tossed her grip aside. She reached out to grab him once more, only to get flicked aside again. After several attempts, she said softly, "I would only be so careless by your side." Just a simple line was able to extinguish the me in Lu Jinnian. His brow straightened out, and he reached out to grab her hand before entering the car. I would only be so careless by your side. Because I trust that you can protect me. Sixteen years ago, I loved you and you loved me but neither of us dared to confess, leaving the other as a sad little secret. Sixteen yearster, we¡¯re married. Every morning when the first ray of light hits the house and I widen my eyes, you¡¯re the first thing I see. And I believe you. This was probably the most beautiful and touching fairy tale. Chapter 963: The Two Three Blissful Things(5) Chapter 963: The Two Three Blissful Things£¨5£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem [Even as the days goes by, I will still only want you] Time trickles by and, just like that, eight years had flown past. Both Little Rice Cake and Little Red Bean were at the age for elementary school. Mid-Autumn festival fell on the day before first of September. Together, everyone gathered at Qiao family house. Lu Jinnian and Qiao Anhao had brought Little Rice Cake, Xu Jiamu and Song Xiangsi had brought Little Red Bean, while Cheng Yang and Qiao Anxia came by themselves. Even though there were past feuds with Han Ruchu, and Lu Jinnian and Qiao Anhao and Mother Qiao had publicly broken ties with her, it was, after all, just one person¡¯s misdoings. And since the Qiao parents had seen Xu Jiamu since he was young, that hatred wasn¡¯t brought over to him. There was only two kids among the group of adults so everyone couldn¡¯t help pampering them. Xu Jiamu only got to know of his daughter when she was two and a half years old, so he couldn¡¯t help showering her with all the love he could give, but somehow his love was still not as great as that of Cheng Yang and Qiao Anxia who were still childless. Together as a big family, they celebrated Mid-Autumn festival harmoniously. When it was 8 pm, the two kids were exhausted from a whole day of y. One of them fell asleep in Cheng Yang¡¯s arms while the other curled up in Qiao Anxia¡¯s embrace. Mother Qiao specifically prepared a room for the both of them. Both Lu Jinnian and Xu Jiamu had wanted to carry their children up to sleep, but that task was snatched by Cheng Yang and Qiao Anxia. Qiao Anxia ced Little Rice Cake down before heading to the bathroom to get a wet towel. When she was out, Cheng Yang was lying on the bedside, staring at the two little kids, his gaze tender and filled with love. Unknowingly, there was also a hint of envy etched onto his face. Qiao Anxia stood by the door for a long while. It was only when Qiao Anhao came in that Cheng Yang finally snapped out of his daze. Qiao Anxia smiled brightly, bringing the wet towel over to the bed to wipe their tiny faces. When the three of them came down, Mother Qiao was hugging Song Xiangsi¡¯s arm, gossiping about thetest entertainment news. In the past, Mother Qiao had no interest in the entertainment industry, but ever since Qiao Anxia married Cheng Yang, she started to chase after idols as if she was one of the teenage girls. In the end, their gossip ended with one of the directors. Mother Qiao curiously asked if he really had seven children. Song Xiangsi nodded. At that moment, Qiao Anxia who was walking down heard her mother say, "It¡¯s a blessing to be able to have so many children, even if it can be expensive." Song Xiangsi always had a high EQ, knowing that Qiao Anxia was impotent, she quickly diverted the conversation. Qiao Anxia knew of her intentions, so she pretended as though she hadn¡¯t heard anything. "Mom." The atmosphere remained harmonious all the way till 12 pm when the three couples left the Qiao house. On the way home, Cheng Yang received a call, it seemed to be from a good friend from his university. He invited him to a celebration as his wife had just born him a pair of twins. Cheng Yang gave his blessings and promised to be there before hanging up. Qiao Anxia was about to doze off at that moment but the conversation left her wide awake. Chapter 964: The Two Three Blissful Things(6) Chapter 964: The Two Three Blissful Things£¨6£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Eight years ago, when Qiao Anxia had protected Qiao Anhao from a stab, she lost her chance at being a mother. Almost... That one word from the doctor shone a glimpse of light into her despair, even if the possibility was slight, she never once gave up. Initially, Cheng Yang would still apany her to the doctor, but when he saw her taking endless amounts of herbal medicines for three whole years, he suggested giving up. At that time, Cheng Yang who had always been patient and understanding towards her flew into a rage because she insisted on taking the medication. Ever since then, she started to take the medication secretly, but after so many years, she still wasn¡¯t able to conceive a child. Qiao Anxia¡¯s mood fell instantly. - Cheng Yang had to discuss a contract the next day. When he came back, he brought a bunch of things. Qiao Anxia went forward to take a look, realizing that they were all toys. Cheng Yang sensed her confusion so he exined that it was for a friend that just gave birth to twins. Among the bags of toys were two pretty bags, one for a boy and one for a girl. Needless to say, it was definitely for Little Rice Cake and Little Red Bean. If Qiao Anxia were to recall, in the past eight years, he had often bought stuff for the both of them. Several times when she apanied him, he would have on a serious expression and, every once in a while, he would suggest heading to Mian Xiu Garden. Even though he didn¡¯t specify the reason, she knew it was to visit the kids. Deep in his heart, he must really want a child, right? "What are you thinking about?" Cheng Yang asked when he saw her staring intently at the two bags. Reaching out, he caressed her hair lightly. Qiao Anxia snapped back to her senses. She shook her head and diverted the conversation. "What are we having tonight?" "What do you want to eat?" "Spicy food?" "Sure," Cheng Yang agreed without hesitation. "Let me change before bringing you out." Qiao Anxia nodded obediently. He nted a kiss on her forehead before entering the bedroom. After the meal, Cheng Yang and Qiao Anxia went to catch a newly released movie with Lu Jinnian as the main lead. It was high in box office and the ratings were good. A after they watched the movie, they agreed that it was indeed as thements had mentioned. When they returned home, it was already 11 pm at night. Cheng Yang started the water for the bath after his shower. He even ced Qiao Anxia¡¯s pajamas on the chair beside the bathtub. When she was done with her bath, he was no longer in the bedroom. Curious, she walked out in search of him. The study room was lit up and there was a soft mumbling from the room. "Mom, I already told you, I¡¯m the one that doesn¡¯t want kids, not Xia Xia." "Xia Xia has always wanted kids, but I find them troublesome so I didn¡¯t let her conceive." "I¡¯m not lying to you, you¡¯re my mother, why would I lie to you? I¡¯m not trying to protect Xia Xia by saying that." "Please don¡¯t call Xia Xia, I¡¯m the one they doesn¡¯t want kids. If you call her, it¡¯ll seem like I¡¯m ming her for not having kids." "I already said I¡¯m the one that doesn¡¯t want kids!" Cheng Yang spoke in a visibly irritated tone. Qiao Anxia lowered her eyes. Her expression darkening, she headed back to the bedroom on light feet. Chapter 965: The Two Three Blissful Things(7) Chapter 965: The Two Three Blissful Things£¨7£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Qiao Anxia returned back to the bedroom, staring nkly at the wedding photo of her and Cheng Yang. After about two minutes, he pushed the bedroom door open. When he caught sight of her wet hair, he frowned. "Why are you in a daze when you haven¡¯t dried your hair yet?" Qiao Anxia was pulled back to reality. She hurriedly averted her gaze, turning to smile at Cheng Yang. She pointed to the photo. "I realized I look quite pretty." "Hehe." Cheng Yang chuckled. He then brought her onto hisp and started to blow dry her hair. The whooshing of the blow dryer was a steady noise. Qiao Anxia could feel him caress her hair tenderly, warming her heart. After drying her hair, they climbed onto bed, one after the other. Cheng Yang stretched out his arm to pull her into his embrace out of habit. This was their sign, she knew that he wanted to engage in more intimate acts. Maybe because she had been exposed to the issue of children, she wasn¡¯t in the best mood, and when he was preparing to untie her sash she hurriedly held onto his arm. "Cheng Yang, I¡¯m a little tired." He pressed his lips to her ear. "I¡¯ll be quick." His hot breath spilled onto her ear, it was ticklish and sent a tinkling sensation through her. Qiao Anxia moved her head further away before saying coaxingly, "How about tomorrow? I¡¯m really tired today." Cheng Yang stopped, staring at her for a while. When he saw the persistence on her face, he gave up. He helped her arranged her pajamas before pulling her back into his embrace. "Okay." - As the night trickled by, Qiao Anxia remained wide awake. Beside her, Cheng Yang¡¯s breathing deepened as he fell into a deep sleep. Qiao Anxia¡¯s headid on his chest, she could hear his stable and strong heartbeat. Raising her head, she couldn¡¯t help ncing at his face, it was still as dashing. Gradually, her eyes started to sting. She really wished, really really wished she could bear him a child... Regardless of whether it was a girl or a boy... He would definitely love it, he would shower the child with endless love and, most importantly, it would be the fruit of their love. In a world full of people, she fell in love with a man but yet she wasn¡¯t able to bear him a child. Tears streamed down her face. She moved her head further away, turning her back towards Cheng Yang before allowing herself to cry silently. - During the celebration for the twins¡¯ 100th day, many people came forward to ask Cheng Yang when he nned to have kids. When Qiao Anxia heard the question, her heart clenched, aching, but she still struggled to keep a warm smile on her face. Cheng Yang hugged her shoulders beside her. With a winess in his other hand, he replied swiftly, "I don¡¯t have much interest in children, I would much rather have a few dogs." "Hmph, when we were in college, I wonder who said when he was drunk that having a son and a daughter would make him a winner in life?" Cheng Yang¡¯s friend eximed. Chapter 966: The Two Three Blissful Things(8) Chapter 966: The Two Three Blissful Things£¨8£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem "All of us have kids already, you¡¯re the only one left, you better hurry up and catch up..." A ssmate one year younger than Cheng Yang downed a cup of beer before turning to Qiao Anxia. "Sis, you¡¯re pretty and Cheng Yang is handsome, you guys would certainly have superior genes. If you were to have children, I¡¯m sure the child would look stunning. If you pick up, next year, we¡¯ll be drinking at your child¡¯s one month celebration." Qiao Anxia¡¯s hand tightened silently, her newly done nails pushing into her palm, sending a sharp piercing pain through her, but on her face she struggled to maintain a slight smile. Cheng Yang, who was hugging onto her shoulders sensed her tenseness. He immediately spoke up, interrupting the rambling ssmate. "Enough, why don¡¯t you talk about your wife? Weren¡¯t youining on Wechat a while ago?" The ssmate shook his head, sighing. "What can I do? Maybe it¡¯s the seven year curse¡ª we quarrel whenever we see each other, but thinking about separation, makes my heart feel empty..." Everyone present was married, the earliest to marry already had a child in elementary school. The conversation seemed to strike a cord in many of those present, and Qiao Anxia managed to escape the ufortable conversation. She sighed inwardly, lowering her head to stare at the winess, her gaze turning blurry. Initially, Cheng Yang would always tell others he was the one that didn¡¯t want children and not that she was impotent so that others wouldn¡¯t look at her differently. But as time went, and despite the countless methods she tried, she still remained unable to get pregnant. The tiny glimmer of hope in her heart started to fade, turning into despair. At the celebration, when others asked why she didn¡¯t want kids, she felt as if she was struck, starting to feel a hard to exin sense of anxiety, as though she had done something wrong. - When they came back from the celebration, it was already 4 am. Since Cheng Yang had a lot of alcohol, Qiao Anxia was the one who drove. He seemed to be in a good mood. When he entered the bedroom, he continuously shouted, "Wifey, Xia Xia." After repeating it a few times, he started to kiss her and they sessfullypleted the intimate act she had refused the night before. When everything was over, Cheng Yang fell asleep. Even though Qiao Anxia knew the chances of pregnancy were low, she still followed the position she found online that aided pregnancy. After about half an hour, Cheng Yang¡¯s phone rang, the screen reflecting the name "Lin Wei". Qiao Anxia knew who she was, she was a newly signed artist under Huan Ying Entertainment and had once acted alongside Cheng Yang in a movie. Even though she didn¡¯t have much lines, it was a memorable role. Qiao Anxia also knew that Lin Wei had a thing for Cheng Yang, always trying to get close to him. It wasn¡¯t that she was confident that he won¡¯t waver but rather she was confident he won¡¯t betray her. Hence, she lowered the volume before dismissing the call. She seemed to have been influenced by Cheng Yang¡¯s drowsiness, so she decided to take a short nap. By the time she woke up, it was 6 pm but Cheng Yang remained fast asleep. Qiao Anxia headed to the kitchen to prepare dinner. At that moment, she received a call. Chapter 967: The Two Three Blissful Things(9) Chapter 967: The Two Three Blissful Things£¨9£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem It was a call from Cheng Yang¡¯s mother, Qiao Anxia¡¯s mother-inw. When the phone started ringing, she was kneeling by the trash bin peeling onions, so she lifted her head slightly to peer at the screen on the chair by the side. When she saw the name, her heart sank. After a long while, she stood up to pick up the call. "Mom." "Xia Xia, are you busy? Why did you take such a long time to pick up?" Cheng Yang mother¡¯s warm voice came through. "No..." Qiao Anxia lowered her eyes before adding simply. "I¡¯m cooking..." "Where¡¯s Cheng Yang? He isn¡¯t helping you?" "He drank a bit so he¡¯s sleeping." "This child... drinking again? Why is he always like this..." his mother chastised. "He didn¡¯t drink a lot..." Qiao Anxia exined hurriedly before diverting the topic. "Mom, why did you call?" "It¡¯s nothing much, just that..." Cheng Yang mother paused for a while before continuing, "Xia Xia, you¡¯ve been married to Cheng Yang for eight years, are you nning to have kids?" "Mom..." Qiao Anxia didn¡¯t know how to continue. Mother Cheng knew that the topic was abrupt, chuckling, she added, "Xia Xia, this phone call isn¡¯t to force you to have children now, I just wanted to ask when are you nning to have a child? You and Cheng Yang aren¡¯t young anymore, you¡¯re already considered among high risk pregnancy women. In a few years, you won¡¯t be able to have kids anymore... "Xia Xia, I¡¯ve called Cheng Yang as well. I know that you guys don¡¯t have ns to have children and the problem lies with Cheng Yang, he said that he didn¡¯t want kids and wanted to enjoy life with you. But this mentality is wrong, in a few years, you¡¯ll understand the importance of children in a family... "Cheng Yang is confused, but you shouldn¡¯t be like him, besides, he is the only son in the Cheng family. His grandfather has been hoping for a grandson for a really long time, that¡¯s his only wish... "Xia Xia... If you¡¯re really busy, I can help bring the child up... Xia Xia, you¡¯ve been married to Cheng Yang for such a long time. I don¡¯t ask much from you, just could you talk to him about this issue..." Qiao Anxia leaned against the dinning table as she listened to Mother Cheng¡¯s warm coaxing tone. Her face was paling to the color of a paper sheet, and she clenched onto the onion, her lips trembling. After a long while, she forced out, "Mom, I understand, I¡¯ll talk to him about it." Mother Cheng instructed her to definitely talk to Cheng Yang about it before expressing her concerns and hanging up. The kitchen was silent. Qiao Anxia stared into space nkly for about ten minutes before kneeling back in front of the bin, continuing to peel the onion as though the phone call hadn¡¯t happened. Just then, a big droplet fell, together with the onion skin, another one followed into the bin... - A day after she received the call from Cheng Yang¡¯s mother, Qiao Anxia waited till he left for work before she drove to the hospital. She was going to seek out the specialist that¡¯s been treating her all these years. Chapter 968: The Two Three Blissful Things(10) Chapter 968: The Two Three Blissful Things£¨10£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem The specialist was tending to a patient. After about half an hour, it was Qiao Anxia¡¯s turn. It was the familiar routine checkup, and at the end she sat in front of the specialist, as she looked through the report in silence. When she was finally on thest page, Qiao Anxia didn¡¯t ask the usual "How¡¯s my condition?" but rather "Is there really no hope in getting pregnant?" The specialist stared at the report for a long while before looking up at her. "Miss Qiao, ording to your current condition..." "There¡¯s a chance of me getting pregnant?" Qiao Anxia interrupted her words, her expression calm. "But this chance is very very slim to the point it¡¯s negligible, right?" The room fell into a silence for a long while. Just when she was suspecting that the specialist was just going to ignore her, the woman replied warmly, "Initially, the cut had prated quite deeply, it damaged your uterus, causing your ovaries to be damaged as well, that¡¯s why the chance of ovtion was quite slim. After so many years of treatment, there isn¡¯t any improvement and as your age increases, the chance of getting pregnant starts to fall..." The specialist realized that she seemed to have been a little too harsh so she paused slightly before adding, "But if you really want a child, I suggest you consider adopting. It really isn¡¯t necessary for children to be biological or have blood rtion. After spending time with them, your feelings will naturally deepen, forming an enviable family..." - It was lunch time by the time Qiao Anxia was done, but she didn¡¯t have any appetite. She sat in the park nearby for a long while before driving back homete into the evening. Cheng Yang was already back. After spending the entire day to sort out her feelings, she walked to the bedroom. Cheng Yang was still in the shower, his phone casually tossed onto the bed. Qiao Anxia picked it up and saw a text from Lin Wei. "Brother Yang, it¡¯s my birthday this Sunday. I¡¯ll be treating everyone to dinner at Golden Magnificence, would youe?" Qiao Anxia was quite familiar with Lin Wei, she was pretty and had a mild temperament, and unlike the pampered rich girls, she didn¡¯t pursue Cheng Yang outright. Several times when she visited him at work, Lin Wei would secretly get him drinks or snacks, cing them on his chair without letting him know. She must really like him to be able to approach him without attempting to be a homewrecker. Qiao Anxia nced at the screen for a while before sending Lin Wei a text. Almost the instant she replied, she heard the water stop running. She didn¡¯t write anything else, deleting the evidence. - That Sunday, the weather was great. Cheng Yang had originally nned on bringing her out to y but she was busy, leaving the house. Qiao Anxia went to the quiet coffee house in Sanlitun .Since it waste afternoon, the coffee house was rather empty, without only a few customers. She stood at the entrance, scanning the surroundings, but when no staff came forward to serve her, she walked to the innermost seat in front of Lin Wei. Chapter 969: The Two Three Blissful Things(11) Chapter 969: The Two Three Blissful Things£¨11£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Qiao Anxia had used Cheng Yang¡¯s phone to reply to Lin Wei, so she had specially dolled herself up thinking that it was him. The moment she saw her mistake, her expression turned confused. Even though there wasn¡¯t anything between her and Cheng Yang, she started to feel unease as though caught red handed. She gripped onto the strap on her bag, forcing out a smile. "Miss Qiao." Qiao Anxia smiled at her warmly before signaling for the waiter to order a cup of coffee. Turning to Lin Wei, she asked, "You like Cheng Yang, don¡¯t you?" Lin Wei started to feel uneasy, assuming that she was trying to assert her authority as the wife. Qiao Anxia smiled at the waiter when they put the coffee on the table. Reaching for the spoon, she stirred the coffee leisurely before taking a sip. "You don¡¯t have to be nervous, I know you like him, that¡¯s why I asked you out today. I just wanted to know if you love him?" "I..." Lin Wei nced at her expression. She didn¡¯t seem like she was here to catch a mistress, but she couldn¡¯t understand her intentions. After a moment¡¯s hesitation, she remained silent, unable to reply to her question. Lin Wei hung her head low, biting onto her lip. After struggling for a long while, she apologized softly, "I¡¯m sorry Miss Qiao, I indeed like Cheng Yang but I¡¯ve never had any intention to break up his marriage, I just wanted to be friends with him and see that he¡¯s happy... I¡¯m really very sorry for any unease that I may have brought about, I¡¯ll avoid him from now on, treating him as a stranger..." "You don¡¯t have to," Qiao Anxia interrupted. Lin Wei lifted her head to look at her questioningly. Qiao Anxia tightened her grip on the cup. After a long moment of silence, she downed the entire cup. Curling her lips into a bright smile, she said, "I came to find you today to seek your help." - After nearly three hours of conversation, they were finally done. Qiao Anxia remained calm while Lin Wei was in a daze, unable to process her words. Qiao Anxia waved for the waiter for another coffee. After downing half a cup, she nced at Lin Wei, who was regaining her senses. "Miss Lin, I¡¯m sure you understand what I said. Are you agreeable?" Lin Wei remained silent. "If you agree, I¡¯ll arrange everything else." Lin Wei lowered her eyes in contemtion. "Miss Lin, it¡¯s a great opportunity for you, are you sure you don¡¯t want it?" Lin Wei moved her lips, lifting her head to return Qiao Anxia¡¯s gaze. She stared for a while before finally nodding. "I¡¯ll do it." Moisture welled up in Qiao Anxia¡¯s eyes, but she forced a smile on her face. With her whole soul, she replied softly, "Thank you." Chapter 970: The Two Three Blissful Things(12) Chapter 970: The Two Three Blissful Things£¨12£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Mid May was Qiao Anxia and Cheng Yang¡¯s wedding anniversary. On the first day of it, Cheng Yang made a booking at the Rotating Restaurant. Even though he had a tight schedule to finish a film, he still managed to squeeze some time out to head back to Beijing. Before he went home to get Qiao Anxia, he specifically headed to the nearby mall and spent almost two hours to get her a gift. He called to notify her early in the morning so she was ready by the time he came back. At 6 pm, Cheng Yang, not having ns to stay at home, drove Qiao Anxia to the restaurant immediately. After they ordered, he reached into his pocket and handed her the gift he¡¯d gotten. "Happy anniversary." Qiao Anxia broke into a bright smile. "What¡¯s that?" Cheng Yang remained silent. Reaching over for the gift, he helped her open it up. Inside the boxid a dazzling and intricately designed diamond bracelet from Tiffany¡¯s newest collection. Qiao Anxia had been eyeing this bracelet even before the collection wasunched. She had even mentioned it to Cheng Yang once when they were on the online site. "Do you like it?" "I like it." Qiao Anxia held the bracelet against her wrist to make aparison, it was better than she had expected. Cheng Yang smiled warmly. She ced the bracelet back into the box carefully, before reaching into her bag for a metal tin and pushing it to him. "Here¡¯s my anniversary gift for you." It was a limited edition watch from an international brand. Cheng Yang ced it in his chest pocket carefully, securing it. The dishes were served quickly. They chatted leisurely as they ate, the atmosphere warm and blissful. After their meal, Cheng Yang ordered Pu¡¯er tea. Qiao Anxia brewed it, her actions elegant and graceful. It waste into the night, the street lights glistering outside. Qiao Anxia sipped the tea, staring steadily at Cheng Yang before blurting abruptly, "Cheng Yang... I only have one wish in this lifetime, and that¡¯s for you to have a perfect life." His eyes brightened, glistering. "With you, it¡¯s perfect." Qiao Anxia lowered her head to smile shyly, turning to nce out at the night view, her gaze turning distant. From Cheng Yang¡¯s angle, she seemed to be smiling with her slightly upturned lips. After a long while, she blinked, turning back to stare at him. "Cheng Yang, you¡¯ll be happy in the future." "You will too." My happiness originates from you and yours from me, if I¡¯m happy, won¡¯t you be, too? Qiao Anxia smiled, changing the topic. "It¡¯s gettingte, let¡¯s foot the bill." Cheng Yang nodded, signaling the waiter. When he turned to swipe his card, Qiao Anxia poured another two cups of tea, throwing a tiny pill into one of them. When he was done, she was was still staring at the cup of tea. By then, the pill had already dissolved, leaving the cup of tea no different from before. "Finish the tea before we leave." Qiao Anxia nced up, bringing the cup towards him. Cheng Yang didn¡¯t object, lowering his head to finish tea. Chapter 971: The Two Three Blissful Things(13) Chapter 971: The Two Three Blissful Things£¨13£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem When they came out of the Rotating Restaurant, someone had already driven Cheng Yang¡¯s car to the entrance. Out of habit, he reached over for the keys but Qiao Anxia snatched them before him. "I¡¯ll drive." He nced at her, then, without a word, he nodded in agreement. Even though they stayed in Beijing, Qiao Anxia and Cheng Yang would stay over at hotels on special asions. He had already booked a room in Four Seasons Hotel. After giving her the address, she drove over. Cheng Yang was exhausted from rushing back to celebrate their anniversary. After shutting his eyes for a while, he fell into deep sleep. When they reached the hotel, Qiao Anxia called him softly. When he opened his eyes, his gaze was blurry. He nced up at her, pausing slightly before following her out of the car into the hotel. Without taking a shower, he curled up in bed. Qiao Anxia went to the kitchen to pour a cup of water. When she entered the bedroom, Cheng Yang was already fast asleep, a hint of red showing on his white wless skin. She called him several times but he still didn¡¯t react. She stared at him silently for a while before reaching out to caress his face. When she finally reached his lips, the tears in her eyes started to stream down her face. She stood up abruptly, grabbed onto the room card and left the room in a hurry. When she reached the hotel entrance, she saw a familiar car te number. As she walked forward, the window screen scrolled down, and inside was Lin Wei in a simple white dress. Qiao Anxia struggled to keep her tears from falling. Lowering her eyes, she passed the room card over without looking at her in detail. When Lin Wei took the card, she froze slightly, instructing her to "Take good care of him" before takingrge strides away. - There are many types of love in this world, but among everyone deep in love there is one simrity, they would always wish the other would live a better life. They would often selfishly assume that by giving the other party whatever theyck would be for the best, but they often forget that in life nothing is perfect, and regret is also beautiful. By filling up what the othercks, you somehow deprive them of more. - Qiao Anxia hailed a cab back to the apartment. Back home, she threw herself on the sofa, bursting into tears. Ever since she was young, she had always been a strong person, whenever something caught her eye, she would use her entire soul to obtain it. Other than Lu Jinnian, her obsession from youth, what had she not been able to get? She never expected that there woulde a day when she would give up what she really wanted. She wanted him to have a beautiful family, to have a wife that treated him well and an adorable child. She couldn¡¯t give it to him so she wished that a girl that truly loved him would. She knew that if they were to separate, they would both feel horrible, but time was the best medicine. When he finally nursed his broken heart back together, he would finally be free of the pain, just like she had been when she finally gave up on Lu Jinnian. She really liked Cheng Yang. She couldn¡¯t bear to leave him. She couldn¡¯t allow him to have an imperfect life because of her. Chapter 972: The Two Three Blissful Things(14) Chapter 972: The Two Three Blissful Things£¨14£© Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem Lin Wei nced over at Cheng Yang, her gaze gentle and tender. This was the man she fell in love with at first sight, it was a pity that he was married to a stunning woman. She secretly stowed that love deep in her heart. It wasn¡¯t that she never dreamed of being with him but she never dared to be greedy, to seek after him. Lin Wei felt as though it was a dream, a beautiful one. After a long while, she reached out to caress his face. The touch seemed to have shocked him, sending his entire body trembling. A tingling sensation flowed through her fingertips all the way to her chest, forcing her finger back. Lin Wei held onto her finger until that heat dissipated and she had the courage to make another move. Slowly, she lowered her head towards his lips. Yes, it required courage. Even though she knew that this man had been drugged by his wife and the slightest temptation would sessfully conquer him, she still needed courage. When their lips were inches apart, Lin Wei¡¯s heart raced. She clenched onto the sheets at the side, shutting her eyes. Hershes trembled rapidly as she lowered her head gradually, bit by bit. When their lips were close to each other, Lin Wei could feel his body heat. But just when her lips were about to touch his, Cheng Yang, who was very weak, suddenly reached out to push her aside. With an immense amount of strength. Without any prior notice, she fell off the bed, falling t on her bum. Cheng Yang struggled to stand up, then stumbled towards the bathroom. He locked the door and soon the sound of running water could be heard. After about two hours, the bathroom door reopened. Lin Wei, who was still kneeling on the floor, lifted her head. Cheng Yang came out totally drenched in cold water, his body emitting cold air. He stood a distance away from her, staring at her wordlessly, his gaze questioning what exactly had happened? Even though Lin Wei wasn¡¯t the nner, she seemed like a culprit caught red handed, uneasy and anxious. Under Cheng Yang¡¯s pressuring gaze, she couldn¡¯t help breaking into tears. He remained silent, patiently waiting for her to exin the situation. Lin Wei broke under the pressure, bursting out loud, "Brother Cheng Yang, I¡¯m sorry... Miss Qiao got me here... She previously met up with me..." After drenching himself in cold water, Cheng Yang came to his senses. He had an idea what might have happened, and after getting confirmation from Lin Wei, he knew. He couldn¡¯t help the anger igniting within him. He was her husband and had been deeply in love with her for over eight ears, and she sent him to another woman! "So she drugged me and got you over? And you came?" Cheng Yang spoke in a ferocious tone, sending chills up Lin Wei¡¯s spine. She hung her head lower, tears streaming continuously as she sobbed out loud. He turned to look out the window. After a moment, he realized that the issue wasn¡¯t entirely with her, so he took a deep breath before turning back to look at her. "What else did she say?" Lin Wei sobbed, "She instructed me to treat you well, she said that she wasn¡¯t able to give you aplete family and wished that I would to do it on her behalf." Ever since the day Qiao Anxia had asked her out, she had been feeling anxious and uneasy, but suddenly, at that moment, she felt calm and peaceful. Cheng Yang clenched his lips. He knew that she did it because of children but he still couldn¡¯t control his anger, in order to let him have kids, she was going to abandon him? "She told me a lot about your daily habits, she mentioned that you didn¡¯t like milk, oily food at night, that you like Dongpo meat... "She said that in one¡¯s life, love isn¡¯t everything, even if love is a person¡¯s everything, it won¡¯t just be one experience. She said that you deserve to have a perfect family and marriage, she had already wasted so many of your years, she didn¡¯t want to disrupt you any longer." Just then, she seemed to have thought of something, lifting her head, she said, "Miss Qiao might be leaving tonight..." Before she could finish her sentence, Cheng Yang frowned. ncing up at the wall instinctively, he rushed out of the hotel. - Qiao Anxia cried for a really long time. When she was finally done, she nced up at the clock. It was about two hours since she left the hotel, Cheng Yang and Lin Wei must have... Her heart started to ache once more. The most painful experience in life is probably to send the man you love deeply to someone else. She had always been a selfish woman, but for him she was willing to suffer. Qiao Anxia rubbed her swollen eyes. She walked into the bedroom and started to pack up. As she packed, the tears started to stream down her face once more. When she was finally done, she ced the divorce papers she had prepared beforehand onto the table. Holding onto a pen, she hesitated slightly before hurriedly signing her name. At that moment, the tears that she had somehow managed to suppress fell down once more. She hurriedly covered the pen, but just as she was about to put the pen back down, the bedroom door flew open violently. She turned her head instinctively, finding a soaking wet Cheng Yang at the door. She froze, and before she could say anything, he walked forward, taking in the signed divorce papers. His anger ignited once more, without a second¡¯s thought he ripped the papers into pieces before tossing them at Qiao Anxia¡¯s face. Even though the papers were light, the strength exerted caused them to sting her. Cheng Yang flew into a rage. He pointed at Qiao Anxia but nothing came out. In the end, he crossed his arm, circling the bedroom. When he saw the luggage she had packed, another wave of fury overtook him. He kicked the luggage violently, with a resounding thud. "Qiao Anxia, you..." Cheng Yang swallowed the harsh words in his mouth, forcing his mouth shut. He continued to circle the house. When he reached the coffee table, he saw arge ck bag filled with different types of bottles. He frowned, lowering his head to look through the bag. Inside were different types of medicines: Chinese medicine, western ... all of them were to help the ovaries and aid pregnancy. He had forced her to stop taking this medicine a long time ago, even tossing all of it away, why was there still so many... Cheng Yang instantly understood, all these years, she had been taking the medication behind his back? He had already gotten over not having kids. Even though he loved kids, he didn¡¯t mind not having any. But he had never expected not having kids to be such an issue with her, almost to the point of an obsession. Cheng Yang stared at the medicine for a long while, suddenly, he stood up and walked towards her. He reached out with his arms and brought her into his embrace. "Xia Xia, don¡¯t ever do it again, all right?" Qiao Anxia started to cry once again, tears falling down. "Cheng Yang, I don¡¯t want to leave you, but at the same time I didn¡¯t want..." "I know, I know..." Cheng Yang tightened his embrace. "But I don¡¯t mind. Compared to having children, I would much rather have you." - Half a yearter, on Christmas day. "Cheng Yang, aren¡¯t we going to watch fireworks? Why are we here?" Qiao Anxia asked as she nced at a dpidated house in the countryside. Cheng Yang remained silent, smiling warmly at her. He unbuckled his seat belt and opened the door for her. Holding onto her tiny hands, he brought her into the house. The house was old and had an old smell about it. Qiao Anxia tilted her head to nce at him, but he remained silent, bringing her into the room. Inside, there was a boy of about eight years old - he had pale skin and exquisite feminine features. "Cheng Yang..." Qiao Anxia called out softly. He waved for the little boy, who walked over obediently, bowing down respectfully. Cheng Yang bent his body to take hold of the little boy¡¯s shoulder, and he pointed to Qiao Anxia at his side. "Are you willing to go home with us? I¡¯ll be your father and she¡¯ll be your mother." Chapter 973: Extra Chapter 973: Extra Trantor: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem [Every book has a gem] When Little Rice Cake was three, Qiao Anhao bought him many y cards for him to learn new words. The boy was obsessed with toys, having no interest in the y cards. Qiao Anhao was worried that he won¡¯t like learning in the future so she changed her teaching method, but regardless of what she tried, he remained uninterested in the y cards. One day, she told him, "Lu Qiaochen, do you know that every book is a gem?" Little Rice Cake didn¡¯t understand her intentions, but he understood the word "gem", so he tilted his head to ask, "Mommy, how do I get the gem?" Qiao Anhao thought for a moment. "Reading till the book breaks down, tearing up." Little Rice Cake¡¯s ck irises rotated a round, he seemed to understand what she had said, for he nodded lightly. After sending Little Rice Cake to his afternoon nap, Qiao Anhao went for a nap as well. When she woke up, he was no longer asleep. She searched the entire second floor until finally finding him in the study room. He sat on the floor, ripping Lu Jinnian¡¯s precious books. "Mommy is a liar, after tearing so many books, why haven¡¯t I found any gems?" - [Regarding dreams] Qiao Anhao slouched on the bed, browsing through Taobao on her phone. Just then, she caught sight of a line by Ma Yun, "Everyone needs dreams, in case theye true." She brought her phone over to the sofa, towards Lu Jinnian who was working. "This statement is so true, everyone needs dreams in case theye true, just like how mine did." Lu Jinnian nced over from hisptop screen. "What¡¯s your dream?" Qiao Anhao replied straightforwardly, "You!" He smiled, continuing with his work. Qiao Anhao moved her phone to the side before ncing up at him. "Lu Jinnian, do you know, you¡¯re a lot of people¡¯s dream." "I know," he replied nonchntly. She pouted, was this considered showing off? The next second he added, "But so what? Qiao Anhao¡¯s dreams are the only ones I want to helpe true." The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!