Chapter 408: Goodbye My Youth, Goodbye My Love (18)

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.

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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, placed 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 placed 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 placed 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 place.”

Lu Jinnian remained paralyzed.

The dinning area was silent, the mood frosting up.

Chapter 409: Goodbye My Youth, Goodbye My Love (19)

Qiao Anhao remained silent, the two of them staring at each other. After a long while, Lu Jinnian’s lashes 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 to come 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 relationship.

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)

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 porcelain doll from Lu Jinnian.

–

When Qiao Anhao pulled the suitcase from the bedroom, it was already late 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 one last 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 placed 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)

Qiao Anhao walked down the stairs to Lu Jinnian. She took a glance 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 slammed 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 slam 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 placed them in a compartment 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 one last 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 blame 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)

 Paperplane  Editor: DarkGemWhen 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 particularly 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 flared 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 now completely 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 cabinets 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 more comfortable.

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 hours later, 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 placed the chrysanthemums in front of it and knelt down. Looking at the black 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 black 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)

 Paperplane  Editor: DarkGemAs 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 replayed 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 Palace, 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 porcelain doll he gave her, the song “What a Pity” he sang for her…

The memories that accompanied him… They were like a hand that ruthlessly grasped tightly onto his heart. The pain made his entire body shiver, causing uncontrollable 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 accept….”

Lu Jinnian’s throat rumbled up and down a few times. He slowly stepped on the accelerator, 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 Milan with Zhao Meng, she shot the cosmetics commercial that Lu Jinnian had previously helped her get.

The commercial was just over ten seconds long, but the shoot was quite demanding. It needed to be shot in five locations; Milan, 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)

 Paperplane  Editor: DarkGemParis is a shopping haven. Since the first day Zhao Meng landed 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 and complained that she was impulsive when she had money. In the end, whilst shopping, Qiao Anhao, who hadn’t originally planned 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 earlier complaints 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 necklaces, heard Zhao Meng’s words, and the necklace 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 necklaces she had her eye on for the sales staff to wrap up.

The last 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 internet. 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 relaxation, it made her realize that the feeling of missing someone was deep-rooted in her blood and bones.Chapter 415: Silent Companionship (3)

 Paperplane  Editor: DarkGemZhao 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 flared 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 was completely 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 filming company 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 uncomfortable 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 blankly at the contract.

Chapter 416: Silent Companionship (4)

 Paperplane  Editor: DarkGemAfter 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 become 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 the company also noticed him acting strange. Some said that Mr. Lu had become 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 eyes landed 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 getting late, 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, flat 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.