Chapter 293: Look Clearly at Who I Am (3)

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 slammed shut. He then took large 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 blanked out for a bit before finally climbing into the driver seat and heading back to Mian Xiu Garden.

Lu Jinnian flagged 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 took large strides towards the elevator.

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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 place, he realized that the lights were still on. There were also murmurs coming 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 office lamp. She slouched on the sofa lazily with a twelve inch cake placed 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 glass.

She seemed to have drank quite abit as her pupils were slightly dilated. 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 a late hour?”

Lu Jinnian glanced 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 glass elegantly as she tilted her head, downing the wine. She placed the wine glass back down on the coffee table and replied, “It’s a friend’s birthday.”

Song Xiangsi retrieved another wine glass 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)

Lu Jinnian swept a glance over the wine glass 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 glass over. Taking the wine bottle, she poured herself more She held the stem of the glass and raised it slightly to touch his glass before downing the whole thing.

Lu Jinnian held the stem of his glass 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 glasses 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 glass 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 glass and finished the last 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 playful. “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 glare 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 relax 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 relaxing slightly as she reminisced the taste. As she smoked, she started recalling the last time she smoked, realizing that it had been many many years…Chapter 295: Look Clearly at Who I Am (5)

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, would come 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 blankly 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. She laughed 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 popular.

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 getting late, 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 alarm sounded. Through the open glass 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)

That was two months after the day Qiao Anhao had spent the night at his Hangzhou apartment.

That was the night their relationship had taken a turn for the worst, resulting in them becoming 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 black 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 applauding 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 plane 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)

 Paperplane  Editor: DarkGemIt 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 place – a bouquet of fresh flowers and an unopened cake with the Black 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 slapped 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 Jinnian composed 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 enlarged 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)

 Paperplane  Editor: DarkGemHe 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 the large 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 have 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 become 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 Jinnian completely 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 class from the third class, 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 before completely waking up.

Chapter 299: Look Clearly at Who I Am (9)

 Paperplane  Editor: DarkGemThat 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 before completely waking up.

His phone had many missed calls, mostly from the media. One of the messages he received was from Qiao Anhao, congratulating 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-black 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 playing 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 play.

Lu Jinnian didn’t hear what Xu Jiamu said, but he nodded awkwardly.Chapter 300: Look Clearly at Who I Am (10)

 Paperplane  Editor: DarkGemThe next day, when Lu Jinnian received Xu Jiamu’s call, he blanked 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. He laid 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 particularly 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 year later, one year, and then finally, not meeting at all…

Later, he met her again after Xu Jiamu’s car accident. 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 relationship 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 him lay 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 flashed 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)

 Paperplane  Editor: DarkGemNo 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 relationship 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 pen landed 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-black. Even the lights outside weren’t turned on.

Qiao Anhao turned on the lights and glanced at the empty living room. She dragged her heavy body to the second floor, pushed open the bedroom door, and glanced 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 blankly 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)

 Paperplane  Editor: DarkGemAfter 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 glanced 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 was composed, 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 second later, 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 recently come 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, she later 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’t come back.

Qiao Anhao hugged the covers and sat there for a while. Then she heard sounds of something unlocking coming 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 carrying large 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 to come over early to pick her up to go to the set, when she arrived, it was already late. The time was almost eleven in the afternoon.

Chapter 303: Xu Jiamu is Responsive (3)

 Paperplane  Editor: DarkGemThough Qiao Anhao asked Zhao Meng to come over early to pick her up to go to the set, when she arrived, it was already late. 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-black 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 they completely disappeared, Lu Jinnian was still standing, blanked 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. According 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.