Chapter 470: Video Call（1）

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 in law, 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.

–

𝔫oѵ𝑒𝙡.com

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 of company documents, with the seemingly untouched lunch at his side.

His assistant frowned, placing 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 a large chunk of work, he placed 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）

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 to comment, 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 of last 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. He laughed 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 glance 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 can compete fairly with Mr. Xu.”

“Compete fairly?” Lu Jinnian repeated the words, his gaze glazed. 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 to compete 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）

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 glance at him, only Xu Jiamu didn’t despise him and chose to accept his aloofness, treating him kindly and even trying to be friendly with him.

When the midnight alarm 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 nonchalant 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 accept 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 successfully 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 flashing 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 of last 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 mother laid on the other bed to sleep.

Chapter 473: Video Call（4）

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 play games on Xu Jiamu’s phone. Soon, she felt bored though and placed 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 replacement … 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 glancing 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 glanced 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 accidentally 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）

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 relaxed 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 placed 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 blanket 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 indeed come 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 glanced 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）

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 uncontrollably 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 street lamp, 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 Jinnian laughed 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 relaxed 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 plaster 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 occasional 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）

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 to laugh 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 was complicated, 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 accidentally 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 placed his plane ticket.

Qiao Anhao swept a glance, 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, glanced 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）

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 accompany 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 Jinnian laughed, explaining, “There were a lot of people.”

Reaching for the tissue in her hands, he wiped his hands gracefully before placing 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 plane 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 the lane, 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.

The last 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 relationship with Qiao Anhao.

Oh, more accurately said, it was an underground friendship.

Even though friendship was the most upright relationship 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）

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 a large 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 personally come 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 and laughed lightly while teasing, “Qiao Qiao, ever since we were young, when have i disappointed you? Your hurry seems like you really hate me.”

Qiao Anhao laughed. “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 glass, 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 glass, she saw him sweep a glance 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）

Before Qiao Anhao could smile at Lu Jinnian, he diverted his gaze away. With a layer of glass 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 blamed him, “How can you come 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 you come to the office?”

“I passed by so I came up for a look.” Her lashes 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 glanced 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, glancing 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.”