Bringing the Nation’s Husband Home - Chapter 600-624
Qiao Anhao cried for a long time, before she randomly wiped her tears away with her hand. She glanced over at the door to the Qiao family estate, but turned to walk straight out towards the neighborhood.
Qiao Anxia didn’t even know what was wrong with her. When Qiao Anhao walked past the doors, she ran to a side and hid in a panic. Because she hid so quickly, she accidentally cut her wrist on the thorns of a dried out rose. She drew her breath in pain, but subconsciously covered her cut until she saw the figure of Qiao Anhao walk away from the doors. Then she stepped out and watched her sister’s back with a complicated expression.
“Xia Xia?” When Qiao Anxia heard the sound of Chen Yang’s voice and felt arms wrap around her shoulders, only then did she snap back to reality.
“What are you looking at?” Chen Yang asked in a gentle voice and followed her eyes towards the area under a lamp post on an empty street. He furrowed his brows. “Where’s Qiao Qiao?”
“She’s gone.” Qiao Anxia smiled at Chen Yang with a pale face.
“What’s wrong? Are you not well?” Chen Yang grabbed onto Qiao Anxia, all worried. He saw her tightly covering her wrist, and with his brows furrowed, he asked, “Are you hurt? How did this happen?”
Support our WebNovelGo(com)
“It’s nothing, I just accidentally cut it.” Qiao Anxia suddenly felt a little tired after she spoke, so she wriggled her way into Chen Yang’s arms and rested her head on his shoulder.
“How could you be so clumsy?” complained Chen Yang, as he hugged her back, feeling a little pained to see her hurt.
Qiao Anxia didn’t say a thing, but as she rested her head on his shoulder, tears started to roll from the corners of her eyes.
–
Qiao Anhao came out of the neighborhood and randomly chose a route, continuing to slowly walk onward.
The streets were empty on New Year’s Eve. There was practically no one around and no cars about.
At this time, the usually bustling shops on both sides of the road were closed, and occasionally, you could hear the sound of crackers from somewhere close or in the distance.
Qiao Anhao walked for a long time before coming to a stop. It was late at night on New Year’s Eve, so there were practically no taxis on the road. All she could do was walk over to the bus stop sign and take a seat below it.
After waiting for about ten minutes, she decided to no longer wait for the bus. It was also when she saw an old lady cross the street.
The elderly lady looked to be quite old from her snowy white hair, but she was able to walk well, and steadily.
Just as the old lady was about to reach Qiao Anhao’s side, a motorbike suddenly curved in at an alarming speed. The motorbike didn’t hit the old lady, but it flew right past her.
The old lady was so frightened that she lost her balance and fell to the ground.
The motorbike didn’t look like it had any intention of stopping. Instead, it sped up and disappeared without a sight.
The old lady sat there for quite some time and didn’t get up. Qiao Anhao had seen many news reports of kindhearted people who help fallen elderly only to find themselves being hit, so she was a little worried about meddling in other people’s business for fear of getting herself in trouble.
However, when she remembered it was New Year’s Eve, and how the elderly person was just like her—alone on the streets without any family members to accompany her—she begun to pity her.
Qiao Anhao hesitated for a moment, but eventually stood up and walked over. Before she could ask if the old lady was okay, the woman suddenly called out in surprise upon seeing her.
“Jinnian?”
Jinnian… such a familiar name. The words at the tip of Qiao Anhao’s tongue, suddenly paused.
But then, the old lady’s expression grew erratic, as though she had seen her own family. She cheerfully reached her hand out and grabbed Qiao Anhao’s hand. “Where’s Jinnian? Why hasn’t he come to visit me for so long?”
Qiao Anhao crouched down and took hold of the old lady to help her to the bench at the bus stop. “Grandma… which Jinnian do you mean?”
“Jinnian is Jinnian.” The old lady, who originally looked delighted, suddenly became upset, as she desperately grabbed onto Qiao Anhao. “Tell me, where’s Jinnian? Why doesn’t he come to visit me?”
The old lady’s response was like she hadn’t heard anything. As Qiao Anhao escorted her to a seat under the bus stop, she glanced over at the promotional poster of Lu Jinnian behind them. She pointed at it and said, “Grandma, the Jinnian you mentioned, is that him?”
The old lady looked over at where Qiao Anhao’s fingers were for a while, then stood up. She got up closer and took a good hard look for moment, then raised her hands to touch the photo. “Jinnian, why haven’t you come to visit grandma? You said you would come visit grandma once a week! Count for yourself, just how long has it been! You heartless man!”
The old lady muttered non-stop, but from her reactions, Qiao Anhao could tell that the Jinnian she was talking about was the Lu Jinnian she had been looking for!
Was she Lu Jinnian’s grandma?
Qiao Anhao suddenly got excited and switched from ‘grandma’ to ‘granny’. “Granny, do you know where Lu Jinnian is? Please, tell me! I’ve been looking for him everywhere but I can’t find him. Where is he?”
“Nonsense!” The old lady suddenly turned around and scowled at Qiao Anhao angrily. “You say you can’t find Jinnian? How could you not find him! You’re Jinnian’s little wife, you definitely know.”
Little wife?
Qiao Anhao froze at the old lady’s words. “Granny, I’m not Lu Jinnian’s little wife…”
The old lady didn’t wait for Qiao Anhao to finish explaining herself, as she grew angry with tears rolling down her face. “Are you trying to bully me because I’m old?! Don’t think that I don’t recognize our Jinnian’s little wife!”
With the old lady crying, Qiao Anhao felt at a loss for what to do. “Granny, please don’t cry. I…”
The old lady didn’t listen to what Qiao Anhao said, but then her face suddenly transformed from a clearly angry to a one with beaming smile. She grabbed Qiao Anhao’s hand and said, “You little brat. With you, I’ll be able to see Jinnian. Take me to find him!”
Qiao Anhao was so confused by the old lady’s erratic words that she didn’t dare say something to make her cry again.
Just as she racked her brain over what to do, she saw a sign wrapped around the old lady’s chest. There was a number written on top of it. Out of curiosity, Qiao Anhao reached her arm out and grabbed it. The sign had a contact number written on it in case the old lady ever got lost.
Qiao Anhao quickly pulled out her phone and called the number. The call was answered very quickly by a woman who sounded like she was meant to take care of the old lady. The woman on the phone didn’t wait for Qiao Anhao to speak first, asking, “Excuse me, did you find my contact details on an elderly woman?”
Qiao Anhao gave a quick response to the woman who asked for their whereabouts.
Half an hour after she hung up the phone, a car stopped in front of them.
The driver’s door opened, and a middle-aged woman stepped out. Seeing Qiao Anhao and the old lady, she immediately ran out and said to the old lady, “Madam, you almost scared me to death! Why did you run out on your own in a blink of an eye?”
“I want to find Jinnian,” replied the old lady with a face full of grievance.
“Didn’t Mr. Lu say that he was going on a long trip, and he’ll be back later to see you?” The middle-aged woman acted sweet and calmly tried to cheer up the old lady.
Mr. Lu? He’ll be back later to see you?
Qiao Anhao looked like she had found hope and instinctively said, “Will Lu Jinnian come to visit granny in a while?”
When the middle-aged woman heard Qiao Anhao’s words, she looked like she had suddenly remembered something, and hastily pulled out an envelope from her pocket. She extended it over and said, “Miss, thank you so much. If the old lady really got lost, I wouldn’t know what to tell Mr. Lu.”
Qiao Anhao didn’t reach out to take the envelope but asked again, “Did you just say that Lu Jinnian would come to visit granny? When will he visit?”
The middle-aged woman was stunned by Qiao Anhao’s words. But instead of answering her question, she asked in return, “Miss, do you know Mr. Lu?”
Qiao Anhao frantically nodded. “I’m Lu Jinnian’s…”
Before Qiao Anhao’s following word “friend” could escape her mouth, the old lady suddenly interrupted, “She’s Jinnian’s little wife!”
Then, as though she was showing off a piece of treasure, the old lady said to the middle-aged woman, “See, our Jinnian has such great taste! The wife he found is so beautiful!”
Even though Qiao Anhao really wanted to marry Lu Jinnian, she wasn’t really his wife, so she could only awkwardly smile at the middle-aged woman and say, “I’m just a friend. I don’t know what happened. Granny has been saying that I’m Lu Jinnian’s wife…”
“You’re clearly Jinnian’s wife!” The old lady was angered again by Qiao Anhao’s explanation. Without saying another word, she dragged Qiao Anhao over to the car, pulled the door open, and ushered her inside.
Qiao Anhao looked at the middle-aged woman helplessly, to which she apologized with a smile and softly tried to persuade the old lady, “Madam, you’ve got the wrong person. Mr. Lu doesn’t have a wife. Mr. Lu hasn’t married yet!”
“She’s Jinnian’s wife. She is!” exclaimed the old lady time and time again until she started to cry. She pointed at Qiao Anhao extremely angrily and then said, “Come with me. I’ll prove it to you!”
With that, the old lady started to sob loudly.
“I’ll come with you. I’ll come with you. Please don’t cry granny.”
–
When Qiao Anhao got into the car, the old lady was just like a child. She stopped crying and smiled, whilst talking to herself over and over again, calling Qiao Anhao, Lu Jinnian’s little wife.
As the middle-aged woman drove, she apologized to Qiao Anhao. Then, from her explanation, she understood that the old lady wasn’t actually related to Lu Jinnian by blood; she was his neighbor.
After Lu Jinnian’s mother passed away when he wasn’t even ten, there was nobody to look after him. The neighbor lady had lost her husband and daughter to an earthquake and was living alone at the time, so seeing how pitiful Lu Jinnian was for having lost his mother, she would invite him over for dinner every day, wash his clothes, and tidy his room.
The old lady looked after Lu Jinnian till he graduated high school. Then, when he went to Hangzhou, he couldn’t afford to keep the house, so whenever he came back to Beijing during the university holidays, he would live at the old lady’s house.
Later on, his life got better, so the old lady also lived a better lifestyle. In the last two years, the old lady had aged: she became a little muddle-headed, and her words were a little incoherent.
Lu Jinnian was busy at work, so he couldn’t take care of her all the time. She was healthy, so living in a nursing home and hospital would probably create more problems, so Lu Jinnian hired the middle-aged woman to take care of her year in, year out.
–
Qiao Anhao accompanied the old lady back to her home. The woman couldn’t wait to go in and then immediately started to flip through boxes and cupboards. After searching for a long time, she found a very small two inch photo and brought in front of Qiao Anhao and said, “Look, you say you’re not Jinnian’s little wife, but look! That’s clearly you!”
The old lady held up a rather old-looking piece of photo of Qiao Anhao with two pigtails. She wore her school uniform and smiled sweetly. Her face looked a little young, but it was still easy to recognize that it was her.
The middle-aged woman saw the photo and cried in surprise, “Yiiiii, Miss. It really is you.”
“See, how could I mistakenly recognize our Jinnian’s wife? Jinnian told me before that the person in the photo is the person he was going to marry.” The old lady hugged the photo to her chest like it was her baby, then glared at Qiao Anhao angrily. “Now how are you going to get out of this one?”
From the old lady’s unexpected words, Qiao Anhao and the middle-aged woman understood what she meant. Lu Jinnian had kept this photo and must’ve told her that he really liked the person in the photo. Seeing Qiao Anhao tonight, the old lady recognized her from the photo and stood by her word, that she was, in fact, Lu Jinnian’s wife.
It was late at the time and the old lady was a little groggy. Even if they continued to argue, there wouldn’t be much of a result, so the middle-aged woman went with the old lady’s story. She tried to coax her like a child by submissively saying, “Yes, yes, yes, Madam. This is Mr. Lu’s wife. However, it’s getting late. Madam, we have to get some rest now.”
With that, the old lady followed the middle-aged woman happily into the bedroom.
But before she got into bed, the old lady placed the treasured photo of Qiao Anhao safely inside a cupboard.
The middle-aged woman didn’t stop the old lady, letting her be. She turned around and apologized for what she just said to Qiao Anhao. “Sorry, Miss. It was the only way to cheer up the old lady.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Qiao Anhao said with a smile. She then went straight to the point and asked, “What time does Lu Jinnian usually visit granny?”
“In the past, Mr. Lu would come every Wednesday, but now it’s been four months without to visit. The old lady misses him so much. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have ran out on her own like that.”
Qiao Anhao thought that she might have found a way to catch Lu Jinnian, but she never imagined to get this kind of answer. In that instant, she felt a little disappointed. “Oh, is that so…”
“You two idiots! Today is New Year’s Eve. Jinnian would definitely be at his mother’s,” mumbled the old lady while closing the cupboard. “The cemetery by the western suburbs, he’s there every year to spend the New Year’s with his mother…”
Before the old lady could finish, Qiao Anhao suddenly turned around and ran out the door. She was out the house when she realized that she hadn’t driven over here, so she went back in and grabbed the car keys on the table. “I’m borrowing this. I’ll bring it back tomorrow,” she said and then disappeared without even waiting for the middle-aged woman to speak.
Qiao Anhao got in the car and entered the destination into the navigation system. She then headed straight for the cemetery in the western suburbs. She didn’t actually know where Lu Jinnian’s mother’s grave was, and so she stopped at the foot of the mountain and searched every gravestone.
The cemetery was still. The icy wind blew by, cooling the bottom of her heart.
Qiao Anhao was so frightened that her entire body was shivering, but she summoned her courage and continued walking up.
When she had reached half-way up the mountain, she finally saw a person standing in front of a gravestone.
With the light in front of it, Qiao Anhao was able to clearly make out that it was Lu Jinnian.
With the light in front of it, Qiao Anhao was able to clearly make out that it was Lu Jinnian.
Her rapid footsteps came to an abrupt halt when her eyes locked onto him.
In that instant, the world froze into a picture for her.
With the cold winter breeze, whistling from half-way up the mountain, her body shivered from the cold. It was so bad, her fingers started to tremble, yet she felt like there was a fire burning inside her.
She should of clearly been happy and excited, yet she didn’t know why, but she couldn’t control the tears that rolled down her face.
For four months, for one hundred and thirty something days, for a thousand million heartbeats… she’d missed this person. Now, she finally saw him.
In her mind, she had ceaselessly imagined the day that she would finally see him again and what she would do. However, in that precise moment, she realized that she’d lost all her power to move. All she wanted to do was to quietly stare at him for a while to make up for the lost time of those four long months.
Qiao Anhao’s tears fell even more swiftly, and yet the corner of her lips started to curve upwards. Her eyes had become soft. Still, she was afraid that everything before her eyes was an illusion, and so she gently lifted her feet and very slowly walked over, drawing closer to Lu Jinnian little by little.
As she drew closer, she could smell the light scent of his body that she was etched in her memory. The familiar clarity of it made Qiao Anhao’s tears fall like rain.
It was really him… She wasn’t dreaming. She finally… finally found him…
Qiao Anhao’s lips started to quiver. It was like she used up all the strength and feelings in her body when she opened her mouth to call his name. “Lu Jinnian?”
With his back turned against Qiao Anhao, he stood there as though he was deep in thought and hadn’t realized that there was someone behind him.
It was not until he heard a familiar voice calling his name from behind him that he furrowed his brows. As he pulled his eyes away from afar, he thought to himself that it was just another hallucination.
“Lu Jinnian… is that really you?”
Before Lu Jinnian’s thoughts had settled, he heard the sound of Qiao Anhao behind him again. His whole body trembled for a moment, but he didn’t have any intention of turning his head.
He could clearly feel that there was someone drawing closer to him from behind. His mind struggled for a long while, but in the end, he couldn’t wipe away the memory of the light aroma.
Lu Jinnian’s hands subconsciously balled up into fists, and his body tensed up.
“Lu Jinnian, where have you been all this time?”
When Qiao Anhao asked that question, she reached her arm out to pull on Lu Jinnian’s arm, but the moment her fingertips touched his coat, it was as if he was electrocuted. His reaction was overly dramatic; he avoided her arm with a swift turn away.
Qiao Anhao’s fingertips felt nothing but air. A little bewildered, she lifted her head and stared at the man’s side profile. Though he was still as stunningly handsome as before, he appeared to be skinnier, and his cold gaze looked soulless.
In the past, when Qiao Anhao saw Lu Jinnian like this, she’d feel timid. Even now, she was still a little scared. With a gulp, she secretly summoned her courage to reach her arm out again. However, this time, she didn’t even touch his clothes. Then, without even looking at her, he casually took a step and strode quickly away from her sight.
Qiao Anhao had never expected that Lu Jinnian would stay mad at her for such a long time, but she was determined to apologize and explain herself when she met him.
Never had she foreseen though that the next time they met, he would disregard her, treating her as though she was a stranger. He didn’t even bother to glance at her…
After he had left coldly, Qiao Anhao stood in front of his mother’s grave for exactly a minute before regaining her senses, running after him.
She was in heels which hindered her speed, and the cemetery was situated on a hill with a long stretch of stairs down to the first floor. By the time she was halfway down, he was already a distance away, and regardless of how fast she went, she wasn’t able to reduce the distance.
But she wasn’t about to give up, especially not after waiting for such a long time!
Qiao Anhao bit her lip, as though she had just made a decision, and removed her heels, picked them up, and ran down the cold frosted stairs with only a pair of socks.
Lu Jinnian was walking at a fast pace. Qiao Anhao continued to run down without giving herself any time to rest, but despite that, his silhouette gradually disappeared into the distance. Full of anxiety, she ignored the pain in her feet and increased her speed.
There were tiny gravels all over the stairs, and in her hurry, she stepped right on a big one. “Ah!” she groaned in pain, but clenching her teeth, she continued to run forward, ignoring the pain. When she reached the bottom, she couldn’t see him anywhere and despair started to sink in. She knew that he would definitely be at the foot of the hill to get his car, so she continued to move forward stubbornly, refusing to give up.
When she was finally at the foot of the hill, she was already panting heavily, her whole body soaked in sweat. She threw her heels to the ground and was preparing to put them on when she suddenly spotted the headlights of a car. Lifting her head upwards abruptly, she saw his car and a faint smile touched her lips.
He was so far ahead but he hadn’t driven away yet? Was he worried about her?
She was indeed still in his heart!
Qiao Anhao abandoned her half worn heels, running towards Lu Jinnian’s car.
When she was about five meters from his car, he suddenly slammed onto the accelerator, speeding out the cemetery entrance.
Qiao Anhao jumped into her own car and drove out of the cemetery. She saw him entering the city, so she turned the steering wheel and hit the accelerator, going after him.
The entire journey from the cemetry to the city centre, Qiao Anhao sped but Lu Jinnian managed to speed faster than her, regardless of how fast she went, there was still a significant difference between the two cars.
The two cars entered Beijing one after the other. When they reached the main road, Lu Jinnian didn’t give Qiao Anhao any opportunity to react and suddenly sped up. By the time Qiao Anhao finally made the turn, the road ahead was already empty.
Qiao Anhao slowed the car gradually, stopping at the side. She looked at the road ahead in a daze, not knowing which lane to take.
In the end, she had still lost him…
She sat in her car for a long while before reaching for her phone to look at the time —it was already midnight. The New Year had arrived, and she first called the middle-aged helper that was taking care of the old granny to ask if it was convenient for her to go over now to return the car. The woman assured her that it was fine to return it the next day.
After hanging up, Qiao Anhao headed to her newly bought apartment unhappily.
When she reached it, she sat down on the sofa lethargically. Only then did the heartache slowly start to creep in.
She lowered her head to look at the faint bloodstains on her socks, pouting sadly. She carefully removed the socks from her feet to inspect the wounds – many tiny abrasions covered her white, flawless skin.
Qiao Anhao took out a box of antiseptic wipes from under the coffee table and removed a packet to clean her wounds. The stinging sensation sent her face into a crumpled frown.
After ensuring that the wound was clean, she lost all her energy. Hugging a pillow, she lay on the sofa.
After so much difficulty, she had finally found Lu Jinnian, but he didn’t seem to want to see her.
In the past, she had always believed that when they reunited, it would be the start of her happiness, but as how things were now, she had clearly been naive.
But she could understand his behavior.
In the beginning, he had waited the entire night for her, something that must have been an extremely great torment for him.
Lowering her head, she saw the box of cigarettes and a piece of paper. She reached out and pick the paper, seemingly making up her mind. She stared at it with a determined gaze.
–
Qiao Anhao indeed didn’t give up, she didn’t intend to hide either. Even though she had lost him the night before, it didn’t mean that she was never going to find him again.
The next morning, before the sun had risen, she climbed out of bed and headed to the Qiao house to celebrate the New Year’s. After greeting her aunt and uncle, she accompanied them for breakfast before leaving with a random excuse. She then drove the car back to the old granny.
Once she returned the car, she didn’t rush off but instead stayed behind to keep the granny company.
The old woman was one of the few people that Lu Jinnian held deep in his heart. After disappearing for such a long time, he didn’t contact anyone, but on the night before New Year’s, he had appeared at his mother’s tomb. It meant that he would definitely visit the granny.
Hence, Qiao Anhao decided to wait it out.
Every morning, she would visit the granny and stay till it was late at night.
On the fourth night of the new year, just as she had predicted, Lu Jinnian appeared.
The old granny was just like a child, needing to be pampered constantly. Qiao Anhao remained patient and accommodating throughout the conversations, and from them, she learned a lot more about Lu Jinnian.
The afternoon Lu Jinnian appeared, the old granny repeated the tale from his childhood. She spoke of how the entire neighborhood he stayed in knew that his mother worked in a night club, for which she was despised. Since she was pretty, many guys in the neighborhood would often sneak glances at her, at the displeasure of the other women. Gradually, those women gathered to blame her for bewitching the men, even warning their children to stay away from Lu Jinnian.
Initially, when he was still young, he remained oblivious and had no clue that the other children hated him. Hence, he would often join in when he saw them playing, but every single time, they would look at him with disgust. Soon after, he stopped joining in. His mother slept during the day and worked at night, so many times, he could be seen alone in a corner of the neighborhood, playing by himself.
There was one time when the most notorious little boy came to seek trouble. He must have mocked Lu Jinnian’s mother, which led to a brawl. Lu Jinnian grabbed a brick and smashed it against his head. Without even finding out the truth, the people in the neighborhood insisted on finding Lu Jinnian’s mother, blaming the both of them.
From then on, Lu Jinnian rarely went out in the morning.
The old granny sighed deeply.
At the same time, Qiao Anhao’s heart clenched violently.
She had never known that Lu Jinnian had such a dark past.
So not everyone was born into the world with an aloof personality… It was just a pretense from the lack of acceptance. He used it to keep the most basic form of dignity.
Before Qiao Anhao could probe deeper, the doorbell rang. The nanny that took care of the granny headed to the door. She seemed surprised to find Lu Jinnian there. “Mr. Lu, you’re here?”
The moment Qiao Anhao heard his name, she hurriedly walked out of the bedroom. She saw him walk through the door with a few big bags.
This time, she could see him much more clearly.
Other than him having lost weight, there didn’t seem to be much difference. He still had the same aristocratic and distant vibe.
Lu Jinnian didn’t seem to have noticed Qiao Anhao, for he passed the bags to the nanny before changing his shoes. Faintly, he asked, “Where’s granny?”
“In the bedroom,” the nanny replied.
Lu Jinnian nodded, but just as he was about to walk towards the bedroom, he saw Qiao Anhao by the door.
He frowned deeply, a hint of confusion flashing past his eyes. In an instant, he returned back to his usual cold self and spoke to her as though speaking to a stranger. “What are you doing here?”
Lu Jinnian, after asking, felt as though he was caring too much, so before Qiao Anhao could reply, he added, “You’re not needed here, you can go.”
Qiao Anhao paled, hurt by his words.
The nanny anxiously helped out. “Mr. Lu, Miss Qiao is here to visit granny. On the night before New Year’s, granny got lost while trying to find you, it was Miss Qiao who brought her back…”
Lu Jinnian didn’t seem interested in what she was saying. When she finished her sentence, he stated authoritatively, “Send her out.”
It was clear that he didn’t want her here, it was as though another second with her was a torture to him. Qiao Anhao lowered her lashes in embarrassment, her hands gripping onto her skirt helplessly.
“Mr. Lu…” The nanny wanted to persuade Lu Jinnian, but he was clearly not interested, walking toward the bedroom with large steps.
When he was about to pass Qiao Anhao, she called his name, “Lu Jinnian.”
He hesitated slightly but didn’t stop, brushing past her and entering the bedroom. Before he shut the door, he glanced at the nanny. “Stop dreaming, send Miss Qiao out.”
Miss Qiao… This was the first time she hated these two words.
She turned her head to look at him instinctively, but without giving her another glance, he shut the door.
The atmosphere in the room turned awkward.
The nanny smiled in embarrassment before attempting to comfort her. “Miss Qiao, don’t take it personally, Mr. Lu always had a bad temper.”
Qiao Anhao lowered her lashes, replying softly, “I’m fine.” Afraid to implicate the nanny anymore, she smiled. “I’ll go now.”
The nanny sent her all the way to the door, repeatedly apologizing on the way out.
After sending Qiao Anhao to the elevator, she returned to pack the things that Lu Jinnian had bought. Heading to the kitchen, she poured a cup of water, then headed to the bedroom and knocked on the door.
The old granny was already asleep, so Lu Jinnian sat by the bed, staring out the window in deep thought.
The nanny came forward to pass him the water. Softly, without disturbing the granny, she whispered, “Mr. Lu, have some water.”
Lu Jinnian reached for the cup and thanked her faintly.
After he took the cup, she added softly, “I have sent Miss Qiao out.”
Lu Jinnian paused slightly, his face impassive as he forced the water down his throat. Gracefully, he removed the cup from his lips and passed it over to her. He then nodded, acknowledging her words.
The nanny grabbed the cup and left the room.
Lu Jinnian sat in a daze for a while, before pulling the window open. Walking into the balcony, he lit up a cigarette.
The smoke surrounded him, and he stood there with a dazed expression.
Lu Jinnian accompanied the granny for dinner, and after an episode of an old historical drama, the nanny brought her upstairs to shower before sleeping. Only then did he leave.
When Lu Jinnian came out of the elevator, it was already 10 pm.
Once he was out of the apartment, he realized that it had been snowing – there was a thin layer of snow covering the area.
As he walked down the staircase, the snow produced a crunching sound.
When he came to the road, he reached for his car keys and unlocked his car. Just then, he saw a car not far away light up.
When he was about to enter his car, he suddenly heard someone call for him. “Mr Lu.”
Lu Jinnian paused. He turned and saw that his assistant was at the other side of the road. He seemed to have been there for some time, a layer of snow covering the top of his hat.
Lu Jinnian stopped moving.
His assistant took large steps through the snow. Looking up into his eyes, he asked with agitation, “Mr. Lu, when did you come back? Why didn’t you contact me?”
“What are you doing here?” Lu Jinnian asked instead.
“I’m visiting my wife’s distant relative who stays in the neighborhood behind. She’s still playing mahjong upstairs, but I came to get cigarettes and ended up spotting you!” the assistant replied honestly, but inside he was thinking of how all his wife’s relatives were in Suzhou… The only reason he was here was because of Miss Qiao’s phone call!
Even though the assistant had been with Lu Jinnian for so many years, this was the first time that he had lied to him. And even though his lie wasn’t exposed, he still felt guilty. Afraid that Lu Jinnian would find some loophole, he hurriedly asked, “Mr. Lu, are you free later? Want to go for drinks?”
Lu Jinnian didn’t object. He nodded and pointed to his car, heading for the drivers seat.
After working with Lu Jinnian for so many years, even if they hadn’t met for four months, the assistant still couldn’t change his habits. When he realized what his superior meant, he hurriedly rushed in front of him to open the back door. “Mr. Lu, please.”
Lu Jinnian was just about to enter the drivers seat, but when he heard his assistant’s words, he paused slightly, then released the door handle, and went to the back seat.
The assistant entered the front seat and started the car. “Mr. Lu, where do you want to go?”
“Anywhere.”
The assistant thought for a moment, then suggested, “Golden Luxury?”
Lu Jinnian agreed with a light “Yea.”
In the past four months, Jin Bi Hui Huang had been renovated, so it looked much more extravagant and lavish than before.
In the private room, the drinks that the assistant had ordered were delivered quickly. After the staff left, he turned and looked over. Lu Jinnian had on a calm expression as he leaned on the sofa, smoking.
The assistant poured two glass of wine and pushed one over to Lu Jinnian. “Mr. Lu, are you intending to leave again?”
Lu Jinnian averted his gaze from the ceiling, straightened, and finished the entire glass. With a nod, he replied, “Leaving.”
“What about the company?”
“Isn’t the company doing fine?”
The assistant paused, recalling the conversation with Qiao Anhao. “Mr. Lu, when do you intend to leave?”
Lu Jinnian hesitated. “I have not decided.”
“Mr. Lu, I have already carried out your orders regarding Qiao Anhao…”
Lu Jinnian remained silent, but his hand tightened on the glass of wine upon hearing her name.
When the assistant remembered that Lu Jinnian had emphasized not to let Qiao Anhao know about his actions but yet he had betrayed him, he started to feel guilty and immediately changed the topic. “Mr Lu, did you leave without saying anything because of Miss Qiao?”
Lu Jinnian stiffened. His lips tightly clenched and various emotions seeped into his eyes. After a short while, he downed another glass of wine and relaxed his temples back to his usual cold expression. He then replied faintly, “Stop mentioning what has already passed.”
“But Miss Qiao…”
The assistant had wanted to say she had been looking for him for four whole months, but the moment he mentioned her name, Lu Jinnian smashed the glass of wine violently onto the table, before he could continue with his sentence. Snarling, he said, “I told you not to mention anything about her to me! ”
The assistant became silent instantly.
The entire room fell into a deep silence.
Shortly after, the assistant changed the topic. Lu Jinnian remained silent the entire time, his face dark as he continuously smoked his cigarette.
When the cigarette was reaching its end, he pressed it into the ashtray and stood up. “It’s getting late, I’m going back to the hotel.”
The assistant started to panic.
Initially he was just trying to have justice for Mr. Lu when he told Miss Qiao about what he had done. Yet when he found out that she still cared about Mr. Lu, even going as far as calling his assistant every single day for four months to ask if there was any news, he started to feel a bit guilty for his previous actions.
Tonight, when Miss Qiao called, she had pleaded for him to help relieve tension between her and Lu Jinnian, but the moment he mentioned her, his boss got mad.
When he asked him where he had been gone for the four months and when he was returning to Beijing, he was not able to get a response… Was he driving him away instead?
Despite the disappointment, the assistant was determined to help Miss Qiao…
Because of this, he anxiously asked, “Mr. Lu, which hotel do you stay in?”
Lu Jinnian turned, glancing over. “What’s wrong?”
His gaze caused a wave of anxiety and guilt to surge in the assistants heart, fear that he would be seen through. Quickly, he said, “I just wanted to send you there, besides, I did not drive today.”
Lu Jinnian stared at him for about two seconds, and just when his assistant thought that he was exposed, he suddenly replied, “Four Seasons Hotel.”
Without waiting for a reply, Lu Jinnian opened the door and left.
The assistant paused, and when he snapped back to his senses, he hurriedly took out his phone to text Qiao Anhao. [Miss Qiao, Mr. Lu stays in Four Seasons Hotel. From my understanding of his personality, his room will definitely be 1001. If you tell the staff his identity number, they will open the door for you, the number is…]
After successfully sending out the message, he seemed to have recalled something and sent another text over. [Oh right, Miss Qiao, Mr. Lu mentioned that he would be leaving soon. You can use his identity number to inquire about his flight number, but I can only help you this much; the rest is up to you.]
When he made sure the text went through, he hurriedly left the room to chase after Lu Jinnian.
Seemingly guilty for the second betrayal, he could not look straight into his boss’ eyes.
Lu Jinnian held Miss Qiao so deeply in his heart, there was no way he would stop loving her. The more he tried to avoid her, the more the assistant was certain that he still cared… Even though, he was not sure what had happened to cause Lu Jinnian to give her up.
But she was the only solution. The only one that could make Mr. Lu upset was Miss Qiao, and at the same time, she was the only one that could make him happy, too.
So his betrayal was justified, right? He just wanted to help Mr. Lu … Help him regain the happiness he had lost for so many years.
Yes, right, he was helping him find happiness! When they finally came to be together and the betrayal came to light, he could seek help from Miss Qiao.
Knowing that Miss Qiao would be a strong backing, the assistant seemed to calm down somewhat. Through the rear view mirror, he glanced at Lu Jinnian.
–
The assistant didn’t send Lu Jinnian upstairs, he stopped at the entrance of the hotel before driving off.
Since it was a couple days after New Year’s, there weren’t many occupants, and now that it was late into the night, there was only one man at the counter and two security guard in the main hall.
The elevator was at the top floor, so Lu Jinnian pressed the button and waited. After about two minutes, a light bell sounded and the doors opened. Lu Jinnian walked in and pressed for top floor.
When the elevator reached his floor, he walked out and followed the long stretch down to the end. In front of room “1001”, he stopped, reaching for his card to open the door.
The room was in pitch darkness.
Lu Jinnian used the faint glow from the corridor to find the electricity slot. He placed his room card in, lighting up the room.
He turned and closed the door. Strolling back into the room, he removed his jacket and loosened his collar before heading towards the bedroom.
With one hand, he pushed open the bedroom door, and with the other, he pulled out his tie, tossing it onto the bed beside him. He started to unbutton his shirt while turning to close the door. Just before he entered the bathroom to shower, he caught sight of something, and his whole body froze. After about three seconds, he turned back.
Qiao Anhao sat on the sofa in front of the floor to ceiling window.
Lu Jinnian was not prepared, he had never expected to see Qiao Anhao sitting in his room. He froze, his fingers no longer unbuttoning his shirt.
This was the first time Qiao Anhao had dared to enter someone else’s room without permission. She was jittery and anxious. With her clear black eyes wide-open, she stared straight at Lu Jinnian for a while before heading towards him. “Lu Jinnian, I’m sorry for disturbing you. ”
Lu Jinnian remained silent, his gaze never leaving Qiao Anhao as she approached, his mind in a daze. It was as if he was dreaming.
When she was about half a meter away from him, she lifted her head. Her heart thumped frantically, as though it was about to jump out of her throat. “Lu Jinnian, can we talk?”
Her words seemed to be a dagger, striking deep into his heart. His face paled.
Once he had sent a text to her with a similar meaning, [Lets have a good talk during dinner.]
But that day, he waited the entire night. He had even humbled himself and thrown his pride, but only to be met with disappointment.
Lets have a talk … She did not give him an opportunity to do so, sentencing him to death instantly.
His hands started to tremble, and due to the intensity, the button on his shirt was yanked off, falling onto the ground with a clear “ding”. Lu Jinnian snapped back to his senses, a distant look clouding his eyes as he stared at her coldly, sucking all the warmth from the room. After about half a minute, he spoke in an emotionless voice. “I think there’s nothing to talk about between the two of us.”
Without any emotion, he diverted his gaze away from her face. Moving his hands down to the next button, he continued to unfasten his shirt as he walked casually to the bathroom. Just when he was about to enter it, he turned abruptly to look at Qiao Anhao. He stiffened slightly before adding coldly, “I don’t care how you entered today, but I hope that I won’t see you when I’m out, or I won’t hesitate to call the police.”
Turning, he entered the bathroom.
Anxiously, Qiao Anhao reached out for his shirt.
Lu Jinnian tensed, and his lips clenched tightly. He lowered his head to stare at her white, slender hands. Confusion and a mixture of other emotions clouded his eyes, but he still commanded her in a sharp tone, “Let go!”
Qiao Anhao lowered her head instantly, her fingers trembling. She was visibly frightened by his tone. But she tightened her grip on his shirt, even if from anxiety, her palms were starting to sweat. “Lu Jinnian, I know that you’re angry, but could you give me some time? Let me finish what I want to say…”
“I’m not interested!” he interrupted irritably. With the other hand, he took hold of her wrist and pulled her hands off.
Qiao Anhao could feel him pry her hands off, and she started to panic. In her anxiety, she started to blurt out what she wanted to say today. “Lu Jinnian, on the night of Valentines Day…”
She couldn’t finish her sentence. The words “Valentines Day” seemed to be a curse, turning Lu Jinnian into a madman. The originally calm man turned aggressive, pressing her against the wall. His hands wrapped around her neck as though he was going to strangle her if she continued.
Qiao Anhao could distinctly feel the anger emitting from him as he tightened his grip on her neck. She started to feel breathless, and her face turned red.
When Lu Jinnian glanced down at her face, his gaze remained murderous, as though he could kill her at any moment. “You want to talk? Or are you here to mock me?”
Lu Jinnian remained silent for a second, and when he spoke again, his voice was much calmer and resolute, without any room for objections. “If you are here tonight to talk about the past, it’s not necessary. Whatever happened was in the past and is no longer important to me.”
He loosened his grip on her neck, and after grabbing her wrist, he pulled her to the door without waiting allowing her to react. Opening the door, he violently pushed her out and slammed the door behind her.
Without her presence, Lu Jinnian’s tensed body was finally able to relax.
He stood behind the door for a while before heading to the bedroom. He had originally wanted to shower, but now, he reached for the cigarettes in his luggage and lighted a stick.
Dangling the stick in his mouth, he caught sight of the phone that was lying silently in the corner of his luggage.
He stared at the phone for a long while before reaching for it.
The SIM card in the phone had already been thrown away. When he switched it on, it indicated that the battery was low. He stared at the photo of the conversation he had had with Qiao Anhao for a long while before enlarging one.
The first text was between the two of them and it was dated four months ago.
He paused for a long while before reading the words in it.
[Don’t wait for me, I won’t go.]
He clearly remembered that the message was sent by her after he had waited three whole day outside the Qiao mansion. When he had received it, he was about to faint from fatigue.
That was after he had taken over Xu Enterprise and had waited the entire night on Valentines day. It was the first thing she had sent to him.
Even today, he could still remember how agitated he had been at that time.
When he read the message, he had found out that she knew that he had been waiting… She just didn’t want to see him.
Despair engulfed him, but he didn’t want to give up. In order to touch her, he replied, [Qiao Qiao, I love you.]
[I have loved you for thirteen years.]
The two texts seemed to have sunk into the sea, for it was only after two hours that he received a reply.
[Are you even worthy?]
[I would never accept you who hurt brother Jiamu.]
I would never forgive you for harming Brother Jiamu.
So all this while, he could never match up to Xu Jiamu, and once he harmed him, he instantly became worthless.
Are you worthy?
Yes, was he worthy?
The first time he had met her, just her bag was worth a few months of his part-time job pay.
When she had period cramps and had to rest in the hospital, the thirty dollar medical fee he had paid was sixty percent of his entire fortune, but the moment she opened her Chanel wallet, inside lay a thick wad of cash.
In Hangzhou, when she, Xu Jiamu, and Qiao Anxia went out shopping, they didn’t hesitate to buy items costing up to five digits. But what about him? He had just felt ashamed, since he wasn’t even able to afford the cheapest item in the mall.
So was he worthy?
He knew that he wasn’t and it was the motivation behind his hard work and determination.
He thought that with money, he would have the right to love her, but in the end, she was still an unattainable dream.
On Valentines day, she didn’t turn up, but he didn’t mind.
He waited three whole days for her, and still he didn’t mind.
When she was implicated and got entangled in a drug scandal, everyone was blaming her, but at that time, he had come out to stand by her.
He knew that if he were to be involved in a scandal, it would definitely bring about trouble.
But he just wanted her to be all right.
From the moment he fell in love with her, he was determined to protect her.
He had given her love, but yet, she had repaid him with “Are you worthy?”.
Yes, he was not worthy. Even if she had lost her parents, she was still leading a glamorous and luxurious life.
And what about him? He was the son of a mistress, a prostitute, an illegitimate son… The moment he arrived in this world, he was engulfed in such negativity.
At that time, the rumors about him went viral, his past, and even his mother’s past were dug out and exposed one by one.
He sat silently in his car late one night, staring at the text [Are you worthy?], and he felt as though his world was collapsing.
In order to love her, he had driven himself to such lengths, to the point of mistreating himself. At that time, he had felt that his actions were lowly, past lowly for her to ask him if he was worthy. So he pleaded, [Qiao Qiao, I’ll return Xu Enterprise to Xu Jiamu, can we go back to the past?]
Instead, she had placed him on her blacklist.
At that time, he felt as though his heart had died.
The love that had persevered for thirteen years… He no longer had any excuse to continue this love, instead, reasons to not love kept appearing one after the other.
But in the end, when he was determined to leave her, he still left his assistant with a long list of things regarding her.
As he typed out each word, he realized that all these years, she was his entire world.
Lu Jinnian’s fingers started to hurt, snapping him back to his senses. It was when he realized that his cigarette had reached its end and had burnt his fingers.
He tossed the cigarette into the ashtray and put away his phone before entering the bathroom to wash his burn.
He had intended to forget everything, so why would he suddenly reminisce about the sealed past?
It was probably because of her sudden reappearance.
He wanted to know why she would find him now when she was so ruthless back then…
He shook his head violently at that thought, closing the tap.
This was bad. He had used such a long time to forget her and had been trying to convince himself to cut off all ties, but just her reappearance was able to cause a stir in his heart.
If this went on, he would definitely make the same mistake… But such heartache and despair was too much to go through for a second time.
Lu Jinnian gripped the basin. He lowered his head and fell into deep thought. When he seemingly made up his mind, he pulled out a towel to wipe his hands before going back to the bedroom. He removed the shirt that was missing a button and changed into a new one before placing his few belongings back into his luggage. Reaching for the hotel phone, he dialed the counter. “Help me order the earliest flight to America, and I want to check out.”
After hanging up, he scanned the room. When he was sure that there wasn’t anything left, he closed his luggage and headed for the door.
–
After meeting Lu Jinnian that day, Qiao Anhao had sent up a new chat group with her, Zhao Meng, and Lu Jinnian’s assistant.
The day she was chased out of Lu Jinnian’s room, her first thought was to send a crying emoticon to the chat.
Zhao Meng’s first reaction was [Qiao Qiao, what’s wrong? You didn’t succeed?]
Qiao Anhao raised her head to look at the tightly shut door before replying sadly, [No]
[Ah?] Lu Jinnian’s assistant sent a shocked emoticon, then asked, [Miss Qiao, didn’t you have a talk with Mr. Lu?]
[I wanted to, but the moment I mentioned Valentines Day, he became infuriated and even took hold of my neck in a strangling motion. He then threw me out of the room]
Zhao Meng who was a big fan of romance novels seemed to have forgotten the motive for the chat and sent a love emoticon. [Wa, best screen actor Lu is so cool, drools]
Lu Jinnian’s assistant remained calm. [Oh, previously, when I mentioned Miss Qiao, Lu Jinnian was also immediately enraged! I was so scared that I couldn’t continue.]
He then added quickly, [Miss Qiao, he’s defending against you]
[I’ll just wait at the entrance till he comes out…]
The assistant then wrote, [By my understanding of his personality, he probably won’t give you an opportunity to speak.]
[Are you here to help me?]
[I’m, but I’m just stating the truth…]
After fan girling for a while, Zhao Meng suddenly sent out an emoticon showing disgust. [You two dummies! If he doesn’t want to talk about the past, then don’t! The more you try to bring it up, the more he will avoid you, and what if he suddenly goes missing again? I say the easiest method would be to sleep with him!]
Qiao Anhao: […]
Lu Jinnian’s assistant: […]
Zhao Meng: [Hey, what do you guys mean, are you disgusted by my idea? You guys are really dumb! Think about it, if he was really upset that Qiao Qiao didn’t turn up for Valentines day, would he have gone to Qiao house to find her?]
Zhao Meng: [That day, he waited for such a long time before giving up. He must have been in despair to leave without a word, must have been certain that Qiao Qiao didn’t like him, so right now, the thing that he cares most about is whether Qiao Qiao likes him and not the reasons why she didn’t turn up!]
Lu Jinnian’s assistant: [It seems to make sense.]
Zhao Meng: [What do you mean by seems? It’s definitely like that!]
Zhao Meng: [Qiao Qiao, for the last time, are you certain that you want to be with him?]
Qiao Anhao: [Yes]
Zhao Meng: [Then it’s set! Even if you guys aren’t a couple yet, there is mutual love, so you will definitely conquer everything. From what you’ve mentioned, he must be quite determined not to get back with Qiao Qiao, so even if you were to tell him that you like him, he might not believe you. So forget about explaining, why don’t you go the more direct way and just ‘sleep’ with him. When the time comes, his resolve will certainly weaken!]
Zhao Meng sent over a large chunk of text, but she didn’t seem to be reassured, so she added: [Qiao Qiao, remember to ‘sleep’ with him a few more times that night. If his resolve doesn’t weaken, there would be a high chance that you at least would get pregnant! You can then use the child against him!]
Lu Jinnian’s assistant added: [Miss Qiao, when you get pregnant, remember to send me a photo so that I can gloat about it to Mr. Lu!]
After that, the chat was flooded with their plans after Qiao Anhao became pregnant, everyone forgetting the current situation.
Qiao Anhao read their conversation and sent a sweating emoticon, then got them back to reality. [The problem is that he doesn’t even care about me right now! How am I supposed to ‘sleep’ with him?]
Before she could read their replies, the tightly shut door flew open.
She saw Lu Jinnian leaving the room fully dressed, with his luggage in tow.
She froze in shock momentarily before hurriedly straightening, “Lu Jinnian, where are you going?”
He ignored her, heading towards the elevator with his luggage.
Qiao Anhao followed behind hurriedly, but was not able to catch up. When she finally reached the elevator, he had already left.
She hurriedly pressed for another elevator, and in the meantime took out her phone and sent a text to the group chat. [What do I do? Lu Jinnian left with his luggage, is he leaving?]
The assistant who had followed him through multiple crisis remained unusually calm. [Miss Qiao, calm down, I’ll check which flight he is on.]
When Qiao Anhao reached the main hall, Lu Jinnian was already at the counter, paying for his room. He then headed towards the entrance with his luggage.
Qiao Anhao focused her gaze on him, not daring to relax. Hurriedly, she followed after him. When she reached the entrance, he had already hailed for a cab.
She ran down the steps, but when she was about to hail for a cab, her phone vibrated. [Mr. Lu booked a ticket to America. Miss Qiao, head directly to the airport now. I have already booked a seat on the same flight. As for Miss Zhao, please bring Miss Qiao’s passport and a few set of clothes to the airport for her.]
After ensuring that everything was in order, he added, [Miss Qiao, you must follow Mr. Lu closely once you reach America. If you were to lose trace of him there, it will be the end.]
When the second message arrived, Qiao Anhao had already hailed a cab. She glanced down at the message before hurriedly getting the driver to send her to the airport.
After less than ten minutes, she received a reminder for the flight that was just booked.
When she reached the airport, Zhao Meng was already at the entrance, waiting for her.
Qiao Anhao paid the cab before following the instructions to the international gate 3. Before she could even spot her friend, she had already pulled open the car door to shout for her. Zhao Meng slammed the door shut and ran towards her, passing the passport over. “Qiao Qiao, here’s your passport, but I didn’t pack your clothes. If Mr. Lu were to see that you don’t have anything, it would help to weaken his resolve.”
Qiao Anhao nodded her head aggressively, thanking her. When she was just about to leave, Zhao Meng pulled her hand over and placed a small box in her palm. “Qiao Qiao, this is for you.”
Qiao Anhao opened the tiny box to see a white pill lying inside. She raised her head and asked, “What’s this?”
Zhao Meng’s face turned slightly red. She scanned the surroundings before coughing lightly. Slowly, she lowered her head to Qiao Anhao’s ears and whispered softly, “Sex enhancement pills. They melt in water and doesn’t harm the body. If you can catch him in America, you can count on this!”
She moved away from her ear, then winked and smiled brightly. “You can go now.”
–
From the clearing for emigration, all the way till she boarded the plane was she not able to see Lu Jinnian.
When she finally caught sight of him, he seemed to be exhausted as he leaned against the backrest with his eyes shut.
The moment she saw him, she paused slightly. He seemed to have sensed something, for his lids flew open. The moment he saw her, he frowned slightly and shut back his eyes.
“Excuse me, what’s your seat number?” An air stewardess asked when she realized that Qiao Anhao wasn’t moving.
Qiao Anhao smiled apologetically to her before heading to the economy seat.
Shortly after she was seated, the doors to the plane were shut and the safety instructions started to play.
Qiao Anhao took out her phone to send one last message. [The plane is about to take off.]
Zhao Meng: [Qiao Qiao, I wish you success!]
Lu Jinnian’s assistant: [Miss Qiao, press on!]
Zhao Meng: [Qiao Qiao, I really hope that when you’re back, it will be with Mr. Lu!]
Lu Jinnian’s assistant: [+1]
As Qiao Anhao scrolled through their responses, she felt touched. [Thank you], she replied with one last message and switched off her phone.
She shut her eyes while leaning against the backrest. She raised her arm and clenched the box in her pocket, her heart strengthening slightly. Silently, she promised herself that she would definitely return with Lu Jinnian.
–
After fifteen hours of flight, the plane finally touched down in America, Los Angeles.
Besides phone, wallet, and passport, Qiao Anhao didn’t have anything else with her, so she didn’t have to wait for her luggage. Instead, she hurriedly walked down the economy section towards the door.
When Lu Jinnian’s assistant had booked the tickets, there weren’t anymore seats in the business class left, so she could only sit in the economy class. When she reached the gap that linked the economy and business class, the air stewardess stopped her. “Sorry, Miss, you will have to wait a moment. You can only pass through when the business class passengers in front have all alighted.”
Even though the air stewardess had spoken softly, the words still reached Lu Jinnian who was in the midst of packing. He glanced over briefly. When he caught sight of her gaze, he didn’t react, as though it didn’t concern him, and continued to pull his luggage out of the plane.
When the business class passengers alighted, the air stewardess smiled at Qiao Anhao, signaling her forward. “Miss, you can go now.”
Qiao Anhao disregarded the air stewardess and ran out to the doors. The moment she entered the airport, she hurriedly looked around. Just then, Lu Jinnian was preparing to make a turn on the left isle. Hurriedly, she followed behind.
Seemingly out of coincidence or maybe it was fate, every time Qiao Anhao was about to lose him, she would always catch a glimpse of him somewhere – Just after he hailed a cab, she got one as well!
Qiao Anhao had no clue where she needed to go, so she simply got the cab to follow Lu Jinnian’s cab.
It was currently daybreak in Los Angeles, so there weren’t many cars on the road. The cabs went one after the other as they streamed towards a hotel in the city center.
When Qiao Anhao alighted, Lu Jinnian was still retrieving his luggage from the cab’s boot. She footed the bill before following after him into the hotel.
Lu Jinnian checked into the presidential suite, so Qiao Anhao used her identity card to order another suite.
Both of them paid using their cards, so when they were required to sign the receipt, both Qiao Anhao and Lu Jinnian looked towards the pen placed on the front desk. Accidentally, their hands touched when they both reached for it at the same time.
Qiao Anhao widened her eyes, turning to gaze at Lu Jinnian, but he didn’t bother to look at her. Instead, he moved his hand away without any emotion and asked the front desk staff for another pen in fluent English. After signing the receipt and making payment, he pulled his luggage towards the elevator.
Qiao Anhao followed suit, hurrying after him.
Lu Jinnian and Qiao Anhao took the same elevator up to the top floor. The entire journey up was silent. Other than two staff members, there weren’t other people in the elevator.
Lu Jinnian stood in the corner silently, with one hand on his luggage, while Qiao Anhao stood beside him, her gaze on him. He disregarded her then entire journey up, not even giving her a tiny glance.
Qiao Anhao was slightly affected by his coldness. From the moment she saw him, she had wanted to explain herself but at the cemetery, he left the moment he saw her; at the granny’s house, he sent her out instantly; when she mentioned Valentines Day in the hotel, he got unusually infuriated and threw her out. Right at this moment, they were both in the same elevator, why couldn’t he talk to her….
Just then, Qiao Anhao broke the silence.
She was afraid that he would start to strangle her before she could finish her sentence, so she spoke the gist quickly. “I was in the hospital.”
The two staff members were Caucasians who didn’t seem to know Chinese, but they thought that Qiao Anhao was speaking to them, so they turned to smile at her, only to realize that she was staring at Lu Jinnian. Turning back, they stopped the words that were already on their lips.
The words that had been suppressed inside Qiao Anhao were finally let out, allowing her to relax a little. She continued, “On the night of Valentines Day, I didn’t come because I was in the hospital…”
Lu Jinnian’s fist tightened on his luggage, taking a deep breath before a self deprecating look entered his face.
When he had heard that she had been in the hospital, he couldn’t help feeling a hint of heartache.
He was indeed hopeless, even after she had hurt him so much, he could still feel something for her.
When he saw her coming to America alone, he instantly knew that she was following him and had deliberately slowed down to wait for her several times.
“I told you I don’t want to talk about that!” Lu Jinnian wasn’t clear it he was getting mad at himself or her, but his tone was angry when he interrupted her. “I don’t care if it’s real or just an excuse, I don’t care and I don’t want to know about it! I’m sure we both know that it wasn’t your absence that’s the problem…”
Lu Jinnian stopped.
Lu Jinnian, how much longer are you going to torment yourself?
You have already promised to forget, so why bother saying so much?
Unless you intend to make the same mistake again?
Lu Jinnian shut his eyes, swallowing the next half of the sentence back before snapping, “Forget it!”
When he reopened his eyes, he was much calmer and back to his usual cold demeanor. “Miss Qiao, I don’t care why you are here, but let me make this clear, I don’t want to have anything to do with you.”
The elevator sunk into silence that lasted till the top floor.
Lu Jinnian stood still in the elevator seemingly deep in thought. After a moment, he said in a low voice, “If possible, I hope that you will never appear in front of me again.”
Without waiting for any response, he left with his luggage.
Qiao Anhao stood in a daze, watching alone in the elevator as he disappeared.
She had already told him that she was in the hospital, so that’s why she couldn’t turn up, but he hadn’t believed… He had even said that he didn’t want to have anything to do with her and wanted her never to appear before him again… In that instance, her enthusiasm faded.
Her eyes darkened, and she hung her head low, her lips in a straight line.
Only when the elevator doors were about to shut did she finally snap out of her thoughts and slowly left the elevator. When she walked past a corner, she saw Lu Jinnian talking on the phone at the end of the corridor.
She glanced at her room number on the hotel card, walking along the corridor towards the number. When she approached him, she realized that her room was directly in front of his.
He glanced over, his gaze cold. In fluent English, he said into the phone, “See you tonight.” He then hung up and entered his room without acknowledging her.
–
Qiao Anhao had slept on the plane, but she was still sleepy from the poor quality rest. After taking a bath, she laid down on the bed, her mind filled with the conversation with Lu Jinnian.
He seemed to be determined, as though he really didn’t want to have anything to do with her anymore.
When it was just the two of them, it wasn’t impossible to get close to him.. Was Zhao Meng’s solution the only way?
Qiao Anhao climbed out of the bed and walked towards the pill box that Zhao Meng had stuffed into her hands. She stared at it for a moment more before making up her mind.
Regardless, she would definitely find an opportunity to ‘sleep’ with him.
Just as what Zhao Meng had said, even if he didn’t forgive her afterwards, she could still use the baby as a weapon.
After making the decision, she didn’t sleep the entire night, leaning against the door while waiting for any movement in the opposite room.
Lu Jinnian was probably getting rid of his jet lag, for he stayed inside the entire morning, but at 1 pm, a waiter entered his room with food.
When he left the room, it was 5 pm. He was in a fresh suit and looked dashing as usual. Before he left, he glanced over at her door, seemingly noticing her spying.
Qiao Anhao hurriedly ran back to her room to grab her wallet, her phone, and the pill box before leaving as well.
She slammed the door on her way out, attracting Lu Jinnian’s, who glanced over, attention.
As she thought about her scheme, she lowered her head guiltily.
When they entered the elevator, there was another couple inside who seemed to be French.
Qiao Anhao had never studied french, and so she didn’t understand what the two of them were chatting about. However, as they both wore smiles on their faces, and every now and then, they’d kiss when no one was looking, you could make out that they were definitely telling sweet nothings to one another.
On the way down from the top floor, Lu Jinnian and Qiao Anhao didn’t make any contact. Qiao Anhao secretly glanced over at him a few times, but he still had that look on his face as though she didn’t exist.
When the elevator doors opened on the first floor, Lu Jinnian’s phone rang. He accepted the call. Qiao Anhao, who stood behind him, heard him say in English, “I’ll be right out.”
Qiao Anhao then trailed behind him out of the hotel. He held his phone up and scanned the area around him. When he noticed a beautiful blonde woman standing in front of a red Ferrari, he hung up and strode up to her.
The woman seemed really happy to see Lu Jinnian. So much so, she rushed over and gave him a hug. The two of them stood by the side of the road, whispering about something, then got into the car.
Qiao Anhao’s mind didn’t quite register what had happened until the car slowly drove away. She blinked, snapping suddenly back to her senses. She then hastily ran over to an empty taxi by the roadside. She pulled open the door, and told the driver to follow Lu Jinnian’s car.
Eventually, the red Ferrari stopped in front of a restaurant. Lu Jinnian and that blonde woman stepped out of the car and walked inside. Qiao Anhao paid the taxi fare and followed them in. By then, the two of them were already sitting at a table by the window.
The woman was holding the menu, telling her order to a waitress. It looked like she was asking Lu Jinnian for his thoughts. She even said a few words to him with a bright smile. Lu Jinnian calmly gave a nod and inadvertently turned his head to see that Qiao Anhao had walked into the restaurant. It was just a quick glance, and he pulled his eyes away from her.
Qiao Anhao found a spot to sit that was near Lu Jinnian and the woman. Despite having not eaten all day, she wasn’t hungry, yet she ordered a steak meal anyway.
Lu Jinnian and the blonde woman sat opposite each other. Qiao Anhao didn’t know what they were chatting so cheerfully about, but every now and then, the blonde woman would let out a candid laugh.
Qiao Anhao may have been quite a distance from them, but she could still hear the sound of the woman’s laughter, which fell indescribably hard on the ears.
Though Lu Jinnian’s expression hadn’t changed much from the start, as Qiao Anhao had known him for so long, she could tell that his and that woman’s relationship had to be pretty good.
Qiao Anhao and the blonde woman had ordered the same meal. The waiter served their dishes at the same time.
When Qiao Anhao grabbed the fork to cut her steak, Lu Jinnian coincidentally elegantly cut the woman’s steak with his knife and fork.
Qiao Anhao stared at Lu Jinnian’s hand for a while, and couldn’t resist pouting. With a fuming sense of jealousy burning in her heart, she forcefully stabbed the steak on her plate.
What kind of relationship did Lu Jinnian have with that woman?
Lu Jinnian hadn’t believed her explanation and even said that he never wanted to see her again. Could it be that the real reason had something to do with this woman?
At that thought, Qiao Anhao’s hand with the knife trembled, and she accidentally cut her other hand. The sharp pain in the finger made Qiao Anhao shudder. The knife in her hand hit hard against the plate, releasing a crisp scraping sound, and fell to the ground. The sound turned quite a few heads toward her.
When a waiter who stood at the side saw this, he hurried over and bent down to help Qiao Anhao pick up her fork. Just as he gave her a new one in replacement, he saw that a trickle of blood had escaped her finger, and couldn’t help but ask, “Miss, are you okay? Your finger is hurt.”
Only after hearing the question did Qiao Anhao lower her head to see that her finger was indeed bleeding. Luckily, the cut was shallow. She lifted her head, about to shake her head at the waiter, when she saw Lu Jinnian, who hadn’t once looked her way, staring straight at her finger.
For just a moment, she stared firmly right back at him. For that instant, she had the feeling that he wanted to get up and come over, but after about ten seconds, he turned his head and continued to chat away with the blonde woman in front of him.
The waiter brought over a plaster and placed it on Qiao Anhao’s table. “Miss, here’s a plaster.”
Qiao Anhao forced a smile and thanked the waiter. “Thank you.”
After the waiter left, Qiao Anhao picked the plaster and ripped it open. Very slowly, she stuck it on her finger. As she lifted her head, she sneaked a glance at where Lu Jinnian was seated. He holding a bottle of red wine and pouring the blonde another glass. The woman had her phone in her hand, and brought the screen up in front of Lu Jinnian. Who knew what she was showing him.
In that instant, Qiao Anhao was overcome by disappointment and devastation. Forget getting hurt, in the past, when she was tired from their strolls, he would crouch down and piggy back her without hesitation. But now, he was so cold towards her that he didn’t even look at her.
After she put the plaster on, she lost her appetite. She sat in her seat for a while, then eventually got up, called the waiter for the bill and left.
–
After sitting at the hotel lobby for almost two hours, it was not until around nine something in the evening that Qiao Anhao saw the red Ferrari slowly come to a stop by the side of the road.
She thought that only Lu Jinnian would be getting out of the car, but as it turned out, the blonde woman stepped out as well. With a “Weng”, Qiao Anhao’s mind suddenly exploded.
Did that woman want to join Lu Jinnian in his room? Foreign women were so open! A single man and woman alone in a room…
Qiao Anhao abruptly got up from the sofa, disturbing a foreign man reading a newspaper. He looked up in puzzlement and shot Qiao Anhao a questioning look.
Lu Jinnian couldn’t of really fallen for the blonde woman, right? Then what was she going to do? She still wanted to have a start over with him!
The more Qiao Anhao thought about it, the more confused she felt. She didn’t know where she got the courage from, but eventually, she stomped out of the hotel abruptly. In the heat of the moment, when she rushed over in front of Lu Jinnian and the woman, she didn’t think twice to cry in a sickly sweet voice, “Hubby!”
The blonde woman was Lucy, the wife of a director Lu Jinnian had met while filming in Hollywood, and a psychologist. After learning that he was back in America tonight, she personally invited him to have dinner together.
When the car stopped at the hotel’s doors, Lu Jinnian said “Thanks” to Lucy, then pushed open the car doors and got out. Who knew that Lucy would actually get out of the car and called for him to stop.
Lu Jinnian turned his head towards Lucy, who said with a beaming smile, “Jinnian, I think you’ve been a little restless tonight. You just seemed so distracted. Is something troubling you? Tell me, perhaps, I can help you.”
“I’m fine,” Lu Jinnian said flatly.
“Jinnian, you can’t lie to me. Don’t forget what I do for a living. Even if you tried hard to pretend to look calm tonight, I could still feel that you were acting strange. For example, during dinner tonight, you looked over at the window nineteen times. When I started the car up, you stared at the rear view mirror in a daze. Also while we were chatting tonight, there were four occasions when you didn’t even reply to me…”
Just as Lucy spoke enthusiastically, they suddenly heard a delicate voice by their side.
“Hubby!”
When Lu Jinnian heard that voice, his whole body trembled.
Lucy, who had been speaking at that time, furrowed her brows at his abrupt reaction and asked worriedly, “Jinnian, what’s wrong?”
Lu Jinnian didn’t even have time to shake his head at Lucy before a small frame suddenly rushed over and into his arms. “Hubby, where were you? I’ve been here waiting for you for so long.”
Lucy jumped in shock at Qiao Anhao’s sudden appearance. Though she didn’t understand Chinese, she at least knew a few words, and “Hubby” was one of them. She creased her brows while staring at Lu Jinnian, and asked in English, “Jinnian, you’re not married, right? Why is she calling you hubby?”
Qiao Anhao understood English, so as soon as she heard Lucy’s questions, she was certain that her and Lu Jinnian’s relationship was abnormal.
No matter if Lu Jinnian really liked this foreign woman, or if he faked his affection for her, she was definitely going to find a way to make her back off and never disturb him ever again.
Qiao Anhao’s eyes turned. Then, as though to show off her power, she tiptoed, and pecked Lu Jinnian on the cheek twice. Lu Jinnian, who had only just come to terms with had just happened, fell for it again, and he froze once more.
Qiao Anhao, on the other hand, seemed practically addicted to her act. She continuously called him her husband in a playful way. “Hubby, I came all the way from Beijing to find you. Hubby, I’m so tired from the flight. Hubby, I have something to tell you…”
Qiao Anhao casually said the last word without thinking about what news she had for him, so after a short pause, she blinked and said, “Hubby, I’m pregnant!”
Right right right! If she was pregnant, then the foreign woman would definitely back off!
After she said that, Qiao Anhao realized that she spoke in Chinese. What if that blonde woman couldn’t understand?
Qiao Anhao suddenly blinked her big eyes. She turned to look at Lucy, then shifted her gaze back at Lu Jinnian and repeated her sentence in English. “Hubby, I’m pregnant! Aren’t you happy?!”
Lucy, who had only understood the word “Hubby”, looked over at Lu Jinnian once again with startled eyes, and asked, “Jinnian? Pregnant?”
Lucy’s astonishment fell on Qiao Anhao’s eyes. In her mind, it looked like the woman had just realized that her boyfriend had a wife and she was looking for his confirmation.
How could she ask for confirmation?
Since the blonde woman still wasn’t backing off, then she couldn’t blame her for going overboard!
Qiao Anhao then hugged Lu Jinnian’s neck and repeated her words in English in the sweetest voice she could muster while wearing a dazzling smile. “Hubby, I came all the way from Beijing to find you. Hubby, I’m so tired from the flight. Hubby, I haven’t eaten dinner yet, I’m so hungry, so hungryyyy…”
After a long time, Lu Jinnian who needed a lot of time to snap back from Qiao Anhao’s actions that were without rhyme or reason finally came back to his senses.
Who could tell him, just what was Qiao Anhao playing at? What kind of scene was she acting out?
He gave Lucy an apologetic look and said, “Sorry…”
As his words fell on Qiao Anhao’s ears, she thought he was clearly trying to keep the beautiful blonde woman around. How could she give him that chance?
Under such extreme circumstances, Qiao Anhao didn’t even think twice about it. She tiptoed and forcefully pulled Lu Jinnian’s head down. On a busy street on foreign soil, Lu Jinnian swallowed the words “Excuse me” when her lips covered his.
The long-awaited softness and warmth made the blood in Lu Jinnian’s entire body run against its flow. It was as if the pressure points on his whole body had been pressed; there was no way could raise his arms and push Qiao Anhao away.
When Lu Jinnian had said “Sorry”, Lucy instinctively thought that he would excuse himself, so she had never imagined that the pretty, little black-haired woman would suddenly kiss him on the lips. Lucy couldn’t help but gasp in surprise at her actions. Then, shaking her head with a smile on her face, she stepped back and got into the car. She started it up and left.
When Qiao Anhao heard the sound of the car driving away, she thought that she’d successfully warded off the foreign woman. With that, her heart couldn’t help but feel unbelievably satisfied. She tore her lips away from Lu Jinnian with the expression of content on her face.
There were foreign men all around who couldn’t help but whistle at the startled Lu Jinnian. With this, he finally responded to the fact that Qiao Anhao had actually forced him into a kiss just now. A silent smear of red crept up his cold and distant face, and his expression changed a number of times. Then he abruptly pulled Qiao Anhao away from his neck and arms, turned around, and took big strides in a rush to get into the hotel.
After Lu Jinnian threw Qiao Anhao aside, her footsteps staggered for a moment. Then, dun-dun-dun, she stamped her high heels, chasing after him. She reached her arm out and grabbed his wrist.
Lu Jinnian’s muscles suddenly tightened up. He didn’t turn around to face Qiao Anhao behind him but forcefully struggled to pull his wrist free. This only triggered Qiao Anhao to raise her other hand and hug his arm even tighter in hers.
Lu Jinnian furrowed his brows for a moment, then continued to struggle out of her grip. When he realized he couldn’t break free, he said in a cold voice, “Let go!”
Qiao Anhao’s body gently shivered, but she hugged his arms even tighter.
Eventually, Lu Jinnian couldn’t take it anymore. He turned his head and stared into Qiao Anhao’s eyes in rage. “What the hell are you doing?”
