After realizing he had been played, Lu Qingxu decided to cut his losses.
He pushed the male attendant's WeChat to Melody, resolving to have no further contact with her.
He sent over his business card, expecting Melody to quickly message him to ask what was going on.
He was prepared to explain.
However, after sending the message, there was a long delay in her response.
He couldn't quite place the feeling in his heart – a mix of anticipation, anxiety, and disappointment.
He couldn't sleep, anxiously waiting from morning to afternoon, and Melody still hadn't replied.
What was going on?
Generally, women believed they were the disadvantaged party in intimate relationships.
They would eagerly seek responsibility from men or demand more emotional investment from them.
Why was she so indifferent?
It was his first time, and the experience had been good; Lu Qingxu couldn't simply act as if nothing had happened.
In fact, Melody's "entrapment" tactics were something he couldn't forget, something that deeply captivated him.
When night fell and Melody still hadn't responded, he became thoroughly unsettled.
He wanted to understand what was on her mind.
He tentatively found an excuse to send her another message.
Well, another half-hour passed, and still no response.
Lu Qingxu was driven to distraction.
Could it be that he hadn't performed well last night? Was this woman not satisfied with him?
Or perhaps she had many, many other partners, and he was just one of them, someone she didn't care about at all?
After guarding his chastity for so many years, this was his first major stumble, something that could almost kill Lu Qingxu.
He lost focus even at work that evening. After patrolling the bar, he returned to his private room at the club and couldn't help but directly message Melody.
Did she want to meet again tonight?
After two cigarettes, there was still no response.
He was going mad.
He had never encountered anyone who treated someone with such disregard!
Was I, Lu Qingxu, that bad?
He decided to go see her in person and demand an explanation!
Grabbing his car keys, he drove to her villa.
"Are you home? I'm at your doorstep."
After waiting for a few minutes, there was still no response in the chat window.
Furious, he directly called her via voice message.
Melody didn't pick up.
He got out of the car and stomped over to ring the doorbell.
He had even fantasized about how he would show off his muscles and his strong physique when she opened the door.
However, after ringing it several times, no one opened the door.
The house was silent and dark; she clearly wasn't there.
Not only did she not reply to his messages, but she disappeared after sleeping with him! Excellent! Zhan Beijue, this is the good client you introduced me to!
Lu Qingxu, filled with a belly full of rage, drove back to his car and called Zhan Beijue.
Of course, he didn't dare to question him directly; he only dared to probe indirectly.
Zhan Beijue felt a bit guilty about taking his mother to North City without telling Jiang Nan Fang.
Jiang Nan Fang was too smart, and he was afraid of leaving any traces that might cause a rift between them.
To avoid revealing Melody's whereabouts, he had even booked only one suite when checking into the hotel.
Melody stayed in the inner room, and he in the outer.
When Lu Qingxu called, he was working in the common area.
Lu Qingxu suppressed his anger and mixed personal business with work, asking for clear instructions on how to proceed after signing the contract.
Calling so late just to discuss this?
Zhan Beijue was unenthusiastic.
"Got it. You don't need to worry about it anymore. They'll contact you when they need to."
That was it?
He had spent the entire day mulling over his situation, and finally managed to ask, only to be brushed off like this?
Lu Qingxu felt both disappointed and unwilling to accept it. "What do you mean?"
"What do I mean? I said, they will contact your people when there's a need. Don't bother her when there's no need; isn't that clear enough?"
"..." Lu Qingxu grew even more depressed.
After speaking, Zhan Beijue saw that Lu Qingxu had no objections and was about to hang up.
But Lu Qingxu's true intention hadn't even been expressed yet. He didn't know how to say it, only that he was unwilling and didn't want to hang up.
"Are you that busy? Don't you have time to say a few more words?"
"My brother is going through a critical period of heartbreak. He's been miserable these past two days, spending all his time drinking at the club. As his friend, aren't you going to show some concern?"
Zhan Beijue was aware of Lu Mingzhe's state.
However, he was powerless to help.
"I'm in North City now and might not be back for a while. Besides, I'm not a woman; what good will it do to accompany him all day?"
"Heartbreak is something one has to get over on their own. You're experienced and have time, so put in some effort."
He went to North City?
After letting that irresponsible woman toy with him, he was now running off to North City feeling relaxed?
What kind of situation was this!
A Zhong finally woke up around ten in the morning.
He tried to turn over and found his head nestled in Zhou Jinbei's embrace.
Startled, he immediately stopped moving and looked up at her sleeping face.
Zhou Jinbei was so young, her skin was firm and smooth, her features three-dimensional and exquisite, and she was impossibly beautiful.
Looking at their positions and recalling last night's events, A Zhong felt his face burn.
Although it wasn't the first time they had been in this situation, it had been confused before, and he hadn't even seen her face after waking up...
It felt like a dream, unreal, to be able to see her sleeping face so openly for the first time.
As his mind was filled with emotion, Zhou Jinbei also opened her eyes.
Seeing him awake, her eyes, clear as a spring, were fixed on him. She curved her lips into a smile and touched her forehead to his.
"Awake?"
A wave of warm affection instantly surged through his entire body.
This wasn't a dream; this was real.
It seemed he and Zhou Jinbei had truly and openly crossed a certain boundary. A Zhong was overjoyed.
But at the same time, he felt a subtle worry.
Was this another impulsive act on her part this time? Would it be the same as before later?
They stayed close for a few seconds. He suppressed the urge to embrace her and asked softly.
"Do you remember what happened last night?"
Of course, she remembered; she hadn't been drinking last night.
Zhou Jinbei's expression changed. She separated from him and looked at him seriously.
"Why are you asking? You don't remember, do you? Are you trying to renege?"
A Zhong couldn't help but laugh.
He placed her on his shoulder and gently caressed his face with her slender, white fingers.
"How could I not? Do you know how long I've waited for this day..."
That's good.
Zhou Jinbei breathed a sigh of relief.
"So, are we boyfriend and girlfriend now?"
Although A Zhong really wanted them to develop into that kind of relationship, he couldn't help but think of her family situation, her parents.
Many concerns surfaced again.
"Beibei, I'm so much older than you, and... I advise you to think carefully."
"What do you mean?"
"I've learned a little about your family situation from President Zhan, and your parents might look down on my age and family background..."
Zhou Jinbei pulled her hand from his, sat up abruptly, and looked at him with a serious expression.