"Heard your sister-in-law isn't a pushover. You don't want her to scratch your face in public at the hospital, do you?"
The man surnamed Qian's face immediately turned even uglier.
"What do you mean? Are you going to tell my family about your mess?"
"I have nothing to do with you, so naturally, I don't need to tell her. But if I do have a relationship with you..."
Xiang Wan spoke calmly, "Director Qian, you're middle-aged. It wasn't easy to climb to this position. I advise you to be content with what you have."
"Fine, Xiang. You're good. It's my bad luck to have misjudged you."
Director Qian pointed fiercely at Xiang Wan's nose with his left index finger.
"Don't get cocky. If I can't have you, I will definitely find a way to ruin you. Sooner or later, you'll have a very miserable end. Just wait for it."
With that, the old man wiped the greasy sweat from his forehead and stomped down the stairs, leaving in annoyance.
Xiang Wan watched his thick, receding back, thinking about what he had just done to her and his threat.
She felt disgusted and annoyed. With a frustrated spit, she took out a cigarette, preparing to light it to change her mood before returning to the private room.
Unexpectedly, as she bit the cigarette into her mouth and looked down to search her pockets for a lighter.
Her vision was met by a pair of gleaming black leather shoes.
Though only the tips of the shoes and a straight trouser leg were visible, Xiang Wan's heart couldn't help but pound wildly.
She was too familiar with the atmosphere around her.
She was too familiar with the sense of power radiating from his gaze.
She couldn't believe that at this time, at this place, he would be here.
Suddenly barging back into her world, she was completely unprepared.
But disbelief was useless.
Lu Mingzhe directly reached out, took the cigarette from her mouth, and then used a finger to lift her chin.
Forcing her to meet his gaze.
Both of them looked the same as before, except they were thinner. Essentially, nothing had changed.
Yet, even so, they stared at each other for a long time.
From their hair to every inch of their faces, with a familiar strangeness, a strange familiarity.
Again and again, they greedily traced each other, speechless for a long time.
It wasn't until Xiang Wan's neck began to stiffen and ache that she finally averted her gaze, moving her chin from his fingertips.
"Why are you here?"
Why are you here.
In the days she couldn't find her, Lu Mingzhe had had many dreams, dreaming of countless reunion scenarios.
Some were tragic and painful, some romantic and passionate, some calm and serene, some dreamlike and illusory.
But none of them were like this.
In a restaurant, with his wife present, she had just finished dealing with a greasy middle-aged man.
And her first words were, "Why are you here?"
Lu Mingzhe felt her strong lack of welcome, as if countless knives were piercing his heart.
"It seems you don't welcome me at all."
Xiang Wan didn't know how to answer him.
She knew that life was long, and as long as they were still on Earth, they would eventually meet again.
Only, she thought that would be much, much later.
So long that they would both have found other people, and forgotten their brief time together.
At that time, they would pretend not to know each other and pass by indifferently.
Clearly, this was beyond her expectations.
Looking at his strong, handsome face, Xiang Wan also had questions.
She wanted to know why he was here, if he had come for her.
But she knew she couldn't ask.
Once certain words were spoken, their implications would be revealed.
Then she would go back to him without any principles, repeating the old mistakes.
Then what was the point of hiding and evading for this past year, and letting their child suffer so much?
"Hangcheng isn't just mine. Whether you welcome me or not, I'm already here."
She turned her face sideways, lowered her eyes, not looking at Lu Mingzhe.
Lu Mingzhe looked at her thick, curly eyelashes, her small, high-bridged nose, and her vibrant, beautiful lips.
Though so close, he still missed her so much, wanting to pull her towards him and hold her in his arms.
"I didn't come to argue with you. I miss you so much, Xiang Wan. Have you been well this past year?"
Xiang Wan didn't know if she had been well.
Lu Mingzhe's gentle reaction was completely unexpected.
In her memory, he was always reckless and impulsive, with passionate and unrestrained emotions.
When they had looked at each other just now, she had almost expected him to do something crazy.
She hadn't expected him to be so gentle and calm, maintaining his gentlemanly demeanor.
Her heart ached. Xiang Wan clearly felt his maturity.
To be honest, she missed him terribly too.
Lu Mingzhe wasn't the most outstanding person in the world. She knew his flaws very well.
But somehow, no one else could compare to him.
Her rational mind disintegrated in an instant.
Even though she had prepared herself mentally countless times, reminding herself repeatedly that they were not compatible, that being together would only lead to repeating past mistakes, and that they would face all sorts of difficulties in the future.
But seeing his gentle eyes and hearing his soft words, all her mental preparations turned to dust.
Xiang Wan instantly went mad.
She told herself not to dwell on the past, to forget that he was the eldest young master of the Lu family. As long as they loved each other, they could wander the world together!
So, after Lu Mingzhe spoke, she looked into his eyes emotionally.
The words "Not well, I miss you too," almost slipped out.
But at that moment, a young and beautiful woman appeared behind Lu Mingzhe.
"Husband, I looked everywhere for you. Why did you come here? Who are you talking to?"
Husband?
Lu Mingzhe saw the light in Xiang Wan's eyes dim inch by inch.
Fang Shuya walked between them with a puzzled expression.
"Ran into an old acquaintance? Is this your friend? Aren't you going to introduce me?"
"Excuse me, sir. I accidentally stepped on your foot. I'm sorry."
Xiang Wan quickly nodded at Lu Mingzhe, turned around, and ran towards the private room.
Fang Shuya looked enlightened.
"Oh, I stepped on you. I thought you two knew each other."
"Our private room is that way, not here. Did you take the wrong direction? What are you doing? You've been distracted all day."
Lu Mingzhe watched Xiang Wan enter the private room, knowing very well.
If he didn't go after her now, he might miss her again.
He didn't have time to explain to Fang Shuya.
"Ya Ya, you go back to the private room first. I have something to resolve. I'll explain it to you when I'm done. Wait for me there."
Fang Shuya, not understanding, asked, "What's wrong? Can't I follow you?"
"Be good, go back first. I promise to give you a reasonable explanation tonight. Listen to me!"
Fang Shuya walked back with a stomach full of confusion, while he rushed into the private room Xiang Wan had booked.
As Xiang Wan sat down, everyone gathered around her, joking about how Director Qian, like a toad wanting to eat swan meat, had tried to take advantage of her. Just then, the door to the private room opened again.
Tang Haichao looked up, recognized the person, and his smile froze on his face.