Lu Mingzhe didn't answer her.
Instead, he challenged her.
"So concerned about my love life?"
"Always asking about it, what's up? Fallen for me? Want to be a real couple?"
"Don't flatter yourself."
Chen Jiaojiao rolled her eyes at him again.
"You know, the annoying thing about you is your mouth."
"You look so proper, and your work is proper too, but what you say is completely lacking in class. It drags down the standard."
Lu Mingzhe retorted.
"Knowing my standard is low, but I never begged you to marry me. You had the chance to leave but didn't."
"I just didn't leave."
Chen Jiaojiao said with feigned pride.
"Anyway, I don't plan to get married again. I've settled my lifelong affairs at such a young age, and no one can control me anymore. How great is that."
Lu Mingzhe didn't believe her for a second and sneered.
"You're only 20, Chen Jiaojiao. Don't speak too soon, you might end up eating your words."
"How would I eat my words? You think I can't live without a man? That I have to find someone to remarry?"
"Yes. Everyone has physical needs. I don't believe you can be as pure and abstinent as a nun for decades. Stop bragging."
Chen Jiaojiao was hit where it hurt and started to argue nonsensically.
"What is it? You're so eager to get rid of me, to make me divorce you? Are the people outside impatient, rushing for me to make space for them?"
Lu Mingzhe glanced at her sideways.
"Don't call me foul-mouthed. We're in the same boat."
"If there is, there is. I don't care about you anyway. You're still embarrassed to admit it."
"Fine, I admit it. There is, and they can't wait. Let's get divorced, make space for them."
Chen Jiaojiao suddenly smiled.
"I don't believe you. If there really was someone, you wouldn't have forced me to marry you back then."
"Men, when they want to satisfy their physical needs, they flirt around. Having a woman or two, I understand."
"I won't take it seriously. Don't worry, I won't tell your mother either. Just don't come back with any messy diseases and embarrass me."
"You can't get ivory out of a dog's mouth."
As they spoke, Chen Jiaojiao had already placed an order on her phone.
Soon, the takeout arrived.
The two of them, like buddies, suddenly got along well.
They ate together, drank together.
Chen Jiaojiao asked him.
"You hated me so much just a while ago, why do you seem to not hate me anymore? How did you come to this realization?"
Lu Mingzhe told the truth.
"Seeing that you two broke up, and you looked so pitiful, my objective was achieved, so I stopped hating you."
"Then can we be friends in the future?"
"No. You don't want to get married, but I do. You're not having children for me. The Lu family can't be without heirs, can it?"
"...Then how about this, let's make an agreement."
Chen Jiaojiao said seriously.
"You go find someone properly outside, search diligently, find someone you truly like, someone suitable for you, and your parents will approve. I sincerely wish you well."
"Then we'll divorce. Until then, let's just be like this. It's not like I'm hindering you."
After all, it was her own insistence that she marry into this family.
He hadn't hindered her in any way.
Lu Mingzhe's eagerness to get rid of her felt a bit too much like a bad person.
He clinked his bottle with hers.
"Alright. If you find someone first, you can tell me too."
After drinking a bit, he slept soundly.
He hadn't checked his phone all night. He expected to see a reply from Xiang Wan when he woke up in the morning.
However, it was completely empty.
Xiang Wan hadn't even replied with a punctuation mark.
This felt a bit unusual.
They were fine before she left, so why such a sudden change in attitude?
Could something have happened?
Coincidentally, he had seen news reports about a plane crash a few days prior.
Lu Mingzhe felt uneasy and called Xiang Wan.
Xiang Wan had just woken up.
Sitting by the beautiful floor-to-ceiling window, looking at the clear, vast sea before her, her heart was as still as water.
At that moment, Lu Mingzhe's name appeared on her phone.
After a moment's thought, she decided some things had to be clarified sooner or later, and picked up.
"Xiang Wan, is that you?"
"Mm."
"Why did you suddenly go to Sanya? You didn't even say goodbye. I messaged you yesterday and you didn't reply. I thought something had happened."
Hearing his concerned voice from the other end of the phone.
Her heart, which had finally calmed down after struggling all night, rippled again.
Xiang Wan told herself to stay calm. Now that she had figured things out, she should go for it and clarify everything.
Suddenly, a woman's voice came from Lu Mingzhe's end of the line.
"I didn't drive my car back yesterday. Can you give me a ride?"
"What breakfast do you want to eat? There's a pretty good breakfast place on the way to my studio..."
The voice was so young, so pleasant.
It must be the woman she saw yesterday.
Early in the morning, he was with that woman.
He must have gone home last night.
Unable to utter a word, her heart aching as if being gouged out, Xiang Wan hung up.
Lu Mingzhe had just turned to look at Chen Jiaojiao when the call was disconnected.
He thought he had accidentally touched the screen and didn't think much of it.
He sent Xiang Wan a message on WeChat, saying: It's good that you're okay. Have fun there.
Then he went out with Chen Jiaojiao.
After working all day, Xiang Wan still hadn't replied.
He figured that with so many people, all the chatter, it was normal she wouldn't be looking at her phone.
He still didn't think much of it.
This continued for three days.
He missed her terribly, but Xiang Wan still refused to reply.
Lu Mingzhe couldn't help himself and called her again.
He didn't know until he called that he had been blocked.
When he tried to message her on WeChat again, he was blocked there too.
Damn it!
He didn't even know when he had been blocked!
He didn't know when he had offended her!
Lu Mingzhe was instantly dumbfounded.
A woman's heart is as unfathomable as the bottom of the sea.
What exactly was wrong with Xiang Wan?
Fortunately, he had his brother Xiang Yang's WeChat.
He messaged Xiang Yang, who replied quickly.
He asked: Are you having fun?
Xiang Yang replied: Very happy. It's my first time in Sanya, and it lives up to its reputation. The scenery is really nice, just a bit too sunny.
Lu Mingzhe: Did you take any photos? Why isn't your sister posting on her Moments?
Xiang Yang: She did. Didn't you see? Or perhaps my sister photoshopped them too much and was afraid you'd laugh, so she blocked you?
Lu Mingzhe: Speechless... Has your sister been having fun these past few days?
Xiang Yang: Yes, she's been having a great time. Every day, a large group of people eating, drinking, taking photos, and sightseeing.
Lu Mingzhe: Did she say anything like she missed me?
Xiang Yang: I don't know. How would she tell me?
Lu Mingzhe: Are there any men around her? Are there any people who have feelings for her accompanying her?
Xiang Yang: The men in the studio are all younger than her, and they see her as their boss. Why would they pursue her?
Xiang Yang: Besides, everyone knows about you. Who would dare to pursue her?
If that's the case, Xiang Wan isn't upset with him because she suddenly found a new love.
Then what is it?
Lu Mingzhe couldn't figure it out and asked Xiang Yang for her address.
"I'm going to surprise her. Don't tell her. Keep in touch."