As she passed by, Xia An muttered softly, "Lu Qicheng, you're not me—I won't cheat on my husband. You disgust yourself enough without imagining everyone else as disgusting!"
Seeing Xia An's cold expression, Lu Qicheng realized he had been too hasty.
Yet he couldn’t control himself; he couldn't bear to see her with another man.
Duan Boyang and Xia An left the restaurant for Yún Màn Advertising. The atmosphere in the car was awkward until they reached the company building. Xia An was about to get out when Duan Boyang said, "Xia An, I..."
"Mr. Duan, you don't need to say anything. I understand and thank you," Xia An smiled as if nothing had happened.
Duan Boyang simply nodded without speaking.
After she went up, Xia An received Lu Qicheng’s text message.
"An, I was too hasty. I thought you were with Duan Boyang. Sorry." But Xia An didn't react to the message at all. The incident from before brought back memories of Zhang Lu's naked scene, making her realize that even a minor issue could hurt deeply when it hit home.
Ignoring the text, she got down to work.
At Jingyuan, Zhang Lu was checking the time constantly while walking in the garden with Shěn Qīng. She asked, "Lu Lu, is there something urgent you need to do?"
"Oh, Auntie Qing, no!" Zhang Lu replied quickly but soon regretted it as she scratched her head and said, "Actually, I have a small matter. There's still an issue at the lingerie store that needs handling!"
Zhang Lu hesitated, looking at Shěn Qīng.
Shěn Qīng thought something big might be up and asked, "Is it nothing serious?"
"Of course not. Don't worry, Auntie Qing. I just need to go out for a moment," Zhang Lu said, knowing the importance of her current role.
"Go ahead and handle your business," Shěn Qīng waved her off casually as if she didn’t have a care in the world.
"I'll be back soon, Auntie Qing," Zhang Lu said gently.
"Just go!" Shěn Qīng urged.
Zhang Lu left feeling reassured.
After leaving Jingyuan, Zhang Lu went straight to the nearest café. The day before, she had made plans with Ye Ziwen.
Now, she was eager to see Ye Ziwen and find out if there were any other ways to get rid of Xia An.
Half an hour later, Zhang Lu arrived at the cafe, where Ye Ziwen was already waiting impatiently. "We agreed on 3 PM; it's late. Do you think my time isn’t important?" she said irritably.
"I could have waited if I didn't want to," Zhang Lu retorted.
Seeing this, Ye Ziwen ceased her provocation and pushed a cup of coffee towards Zhang Lu before asking anxiously: "Did your plan work?"