She could only let out a soft "Mwah" into the phone, "Satisfied?"
"Very. What do you want for dinner? I'll message Xiangyang in advance to get the ingredients ready."
"I don't want to eat anything. I just want to see you quickly. To have you hold me."
Lu Mingzhe's heart melted.
"I wasn't focused on work anyway. Now that you say that, I wish I could ditch work and come find you right now."
"What should I do? I love you so much, I think of you every moment, I feel like I can't be without you for a second~"
She heard staff calling in the background and turned to look.
"I miss you too. Then finish up early and come pick me up. It's really busy here, I can't talk anymore."
After their lingering farewells, Xiang Wan went back to her other tasks.
Unexpectedly, her phone rang again an hour later.
It was only four in the afternoon, and Lu Mingzhe called again.
She answered with a smile, "What is it? Can't you work properly? This is endless!"
"The client only booked for an hour, and I'm already off work. I'm coming to pick you up now. What's wrong, don't you welcome me?"
How could she not welcome him?
It was perfect, as she felt insecure today, and he was bringing her security. Xiang Wan felt incredibly happy.
"But I haven't finished my work. If you come now, you'll probably have to wait a while."
"It's okay. As long as I can see you and be by your side, that's enough. Are you hungry? What do you want to eat? I can buy it for you on the way."
"I don't want anything. I'm not hungry."
Lu Mingzhe insisted.
"No. Don't pregnant women always say they're hungry, eating four, five, six, seven, or eight meals a day? And you're dieting? You're really not afraid of starving the baby!"
"That's later on. We're just starting..."
"No. I don't care if you're hungry or not, I'm buying it anyway. Quick, tell me what you want."
Xiang Wan thought for a moment.
"Then buy me a matcha cake from Longyuezhai. I've been craving sweets lately."
"Do you want me to get one for anyone else?"
The cakes from this brand were quite expensive, and they only made them once a day, making them hard to get.
Xiang Wan was a thrifty person.
No matter how much money she had, she wouldn't treat others to food every day and waste it.
So she said,
"No need. Just buy one. Keep it in your car and don't bring it up. I want to sneak it home and eat it myself."
"Little greedy cat. You said you weren't hungry, but you're already guarding your food. Wait for me, I'll be there soon."
Xiang Wan hung up with a smile, turned back, and her colleagues teased her.
"Looks like Sister Wan is going to leave work early again today. That's so nice, this relationship is so sweet we can feel it just watching."
"Even though I'm leaving early, you all still have to work hard, okay? We're counting on Double Eleven to get big bonuses at the end of the year."
Everyone said, "We know, we know! Whether we can buy a house and a car depends on this Double Eleven, we're all working hard."
Xiang Wan didn't have Lu Mingzhe come up. She went downstairs to wait for him first.
Lu Mingzhe drove, and she sat in the passenger seat eating cake.
The sun was bright, and there wasn't much traffic on the streets.
As they drove slowly, watching the person he loved eat something that made her happy bite by bite, Lu Mingzhe felt like a winner in life.
"I really wish I could marry you right now. How about we go get our marriage certificate?"
In fact, Lu Mingzhe had asked her to accompany him on the day they got their divorce certificates.
He said they could get their marriage certificate right after their divorce papers.
Xiang Wan felt that it wasn't right.
After all, they had transitioned from an improper relationship. Getting divorced and married at the same time felt rather hurtful.
Besides, she would be very busy during the lead-up to Double Eleven, and she wouldn't have time for a wedding.
It would probably be until the end of the year, or early next year, before they could completely settle down.
"You've got your child in me, and I'm not running away. What are you in such a hurry for?"
"It's all your fault for being too charming. Even though we have a child, I always worry you'll be snatched away."
Lu Mingzhe touched her belly.
"I really wish this little one was nine months old already and could be born in a couple of days. With one more person to tie me down, I'll feel more at ease."
The two of them were enjoying a peaceful, sweet time, chatting as they drove.
They didn't notice that not too far behind them, a car had been following them all along.
The car followed them into the underground garage, observed which floor the elevator stopped at, and then left.
Now, Lu Mingzhe had become Xiang Wan's personal chauffeur, dropping her off in the morning and picking her up in the evening.
Pregnancy made it seem like she had forgotten how to drive. He absolutely refused to let her touch the steering wheel.
The next morning, they kissed goodbye downstairs at the studio.
After watching Lu Mingzhe walk away, Xiang Wan's phone rang.
Her friend's crying voice suddenly reached her ears.
It was the friend who had taken Xiang Wan to the beauty salon before, Mai Wenhui.
Xiang Wan had met her when she was working as a fitting model in the clothing market.
They were of similar age and had similar life experiences. They had worked together for a few years. Although they weren't extremely close, they were considered friends.
The girl was beautiful and had a good figure. She had gone through many boyfriends.
And it was said that the one she was dating this year was quite wealthy, so she had quit her job to focus on being supported by him.
Her social media was filled with either exquisite food photos or travel pictures every day.
Xiang Wan thought she was living quite well. Why was she crying so early in the morning?
"What's wrong, Xiaohui?"
Mai Wenhui was crying uncontrollably.
"Xiang Wan, where are you now? Can you drive over and pick me up? I had a fight with him."
Xiang Wan was a thrifty person. All the money she earned over the years was saved up to buy a house and a car.
Mai Wenhui had a similar income to her, but to maintain her glamorous appearance, she had spent almost everything.
At a crucial moment, she realized how inconvenient it was to not have a car.
"What happened? Is it very serious?"
Actually, Xiang Wan didn't want to go.
She was too busy.
She had many things scheduled for today, otherwise, she wouldn't have come to the studio so early.
"It's very serious. He hit me. This isn't the first time. I've tolerated it before."
Mai Wenhui looked utterly pitiful.
"He drank a lot again yesterday and hit me badly. I ran out while he was still asleep."
"My face is too disfigured to be seen, so I'm too ashamed to take a taxi. Otherwise, I wouldn't have bothered you."
She had encountered such a serious situation!
It would be too unfeeling to ignore it.
Xiang Wan had to agree.
"Find a safe place to hide first, and I'll be right there."
When they met, although Xiang Wan had prepared herself mentally, she was still startled.
Her face was bruised and swollen, and her neck was covered in hickey marks...
She couldn't even imagine what she had gone through.
"Since he hit you before, why didn't you break up earlier?"
"Look at you, your face is so messed up. What if it leaves a scar later..."
Mai Wenhui sat in the passenger seat, crying inconsolably.
"I already regret it so much, stop scolding me. He was so good at the beginning, who knew..."
"Do you think I don't want to break up? We took a lot of those videos when things were good. He threatens me with them all the time. I'm scared."