"I heard your sister-in-law isn't one to back down. You wouldn't want her to scratch your face in public at the hospital, would you?"
Qian's face turned even uglier.
"What do you mean? Are you going to tell my family about your mess?"
"I have no relation to you, so I naturally don't need to tell her. But if I were to have a relation with you..."
Xiang Wan's tone was unhurried. "Director Qian, you're middle-aged. It wasn't easy for you to climb to this position. I advise you to be content with what you have."
"Fine, Xiang. You're impressive. I must have been blind to misjudge you."
Director Qian pointed viciously at Xiang Wan's nose with his left index finger.
"Don't get cocky. If I can't have you, I'll definitely find a way to ruin you. Sooner or later, you'll die a terrible death. Just you wait."
After speaking, the old man wiped the greasy sweat from his forehead and stomped down the stairs, leaving in displeasure.
Xiang Wan watched his plump back recede step by step, thinking about what he had just done to her and his threats.
She felt disgusted and annoyed. With a frustrated spit, she pulled out a cigarette, intending to smoke one to change her mood before returning to the private room.
Unexpectedly, as she placed the cigarette in her mouth and looked down to search her pockets for a lighter.
A pair of shiny black leather shoes entered her field of vision.
Although she only saw the tips of the shoes and a straight trouser leg, Xiang Wan's heart began to pound uncontrollably.
She was too familiar with the aura around him.
She was too familiar with the sense of power emanating from his gaze.
She couldn't believe that he would come here, at this time, in this place.
Suddenly intruding into her world again, she was completely unprepared.
However, disbelief was useless.
Lu Mingzhe directly reached out, took the cigarette from her mouth, and then used a finger to lift her chin.
Forcing her to meet his gaze.
They were both as they were before, except they were both thinner. Otherwise, there were hardly any changes.
But even so, they stared at each other for a long time.
From the tips of their hair to every corner of their faces, with a familiar strangeness, a strange familiarity.
Again and again, they greedily sketched each other, unable to speak for a long time.
It wasn't until Xiang Wan's neck began to stiffen and ache that she averted her gaze and moved her chin away from his fingertips.
"Why are you here?"
Why are you here?
In the days when he couldn't find her, Lu Mingzhe had many dreams, dreaming of countless reunion scenarios.
Some were tragic and painful, some romantic and passionate, some calm and serene, some dreamlike.
But none of them were like this.
In a restaurant, he was with his wife, and she had just finished dealing with a greasy middle-aged man.
The first words she spoke were, "Why are you here?"
Lu Mingzhe felt her strong unwelcomeness, and it felt as if countless knives were piercing his heart.
"It seems you don't welcome me at all."
Xiang Wan didn't know how to answer his question.
She knew that life was long, and as long as they were still on Earth, they would eventually meet again.
However, she thought it would be a long, long time from now.
Long enough for both of them to have found someone else, and forgotten their brief time together.
At that time, they would pretend not to know each other and pass by indifferently.
Clearly, this was beyond her imagination.
Looking at his resolute and handsome face, Xiang Wan also had questions in her heart.
She wanted to know why he was here, if he had come for her?
But she knew she couldn't ask.
Once certain words were spoken, the implications would be revealed.
At that point, she would go back with him without any principles, repeating the mistakes of the past.
Then what was the point of hiding and evading for a year, and making the child suffer so much?
"Hangcheng isn't mine alone. Whether you're welcome or not, you're already here."
She turned her face, lowered her eyes, not looking at Lu Mingzhe.
Lu Mingzhe looked at her thick, curled eyelashes, her small, high nose, and her beautiful, red lips.
Even though they were so close, he still missed her so much, wanting to pull her over and hold her in his arms.
"I didn't come here to argue with you. I miss you terribly, Xiang Wan. Have you been well this past year?"
Xiang Wan didn't know if she had been well.
Lu Mingzhe's gentle reaction was completely unexpected.
In her memory, he was always reckless and impulsive, with passionate and unrestrained emotions.
When they had looked at each other just now, she had almost expected him to do something crazy.
She hadn't expected him to be so gentle and composed, maintaining his gentlemanly demeanor.
Her heart ached. Xiang Wan clearly felt his maturity.
To be honest, she missed him terribly too.
Lu Mingzhe wasn't the most outstanding person in the world, and she was well aware of his flaws.
But no one else could compare to him.
Her rationality crumbled in an instant.
Even though she had prepared herself mentally many times, reminding herself repeatedly that they were not suited for each other, that being together would only lead to repeating the past, and that they would face all sorts of difficulties in the future.
But seeing his gentle eyes and hearing his soft words, all her mental preparations turned to dust.
Xiang Wan instantly went crazy.
She told herself not to dwell on the past, to forget that he was the eldest young master of the Lu family. As long as they loved each other, they could wander the world!
So, after Lu Mingzhe finished speaking, she looked into his eyes with emotion.
The words, "Not well, I miss you too," almost slipped out.
But at this moment, a young and beautiful woman appeared behind Lu Mingzhe.
"Honey, I couldn't find you after looking for so long. Why did you come here? Who are you talking to?"
Honey?
Lu Mingzhe saw the light in Xiang Wan's eyes dim inch by inch.
Fang Shuya walked between them with a look of confusion. "Met an old acquaintance? Is this your friend? Aren't you going to introduce me?"
"Excuse me, sir. I accidentally stepped on your foot just now. I'm sorry."
Xiang Wan quickly nodded at Lu Mingzhe and turned to run towards the private room.
Fang Shuya looked enlightened.
"Oh, so I stepped on you. I thought you two knew each other."
"Our private room is over there, not here. Did you take the wrong direction? What are you doing? You've been distracted all day."
Lu Mingzhe watched Xiang Wan enter the private room, and he knew very well.
If he didn't chase after her now, he might miss her again.
He didn't have time to explain to Fang Shuya.
"Ya Ya, you go back to the private room first. I have something to resolve. I'll explain it to you when I'm done. Wait for me there for a while."
Fang Shuya, not understanding, asked, "What's wrong? Can't I go with you?"
"Be good and go back first. I promise to give you a reasonable explanation tonight. Be good!"
Fang Shuya walked back with a belly full of questions, while he rushed into the private room Xiang Wan had booked.
As Xiang Wan sat down, everyone was gathering around her, joking about how the toad Qian wanted to eat swan meat. The door to the private room opened again.
Tang Haichao looked up, and his smile froze on his face when he recognized the person who entered.