She could only make a sound by the phone: "Satisfied?"
"Satisfied. What do you want for dinner? I'll message Xiangyang in advance to have the dishes prepared."
"I don't want to eat anything. I just want to see you quickly and have you hold me."
Lu Mingzhe's heart melted.
"I didn't have any intention of working anyway. Now that you say that, I can't wait to ditch work and come find you."
"What should I do? I love you so much, I think of you every moment, and I feel like I can't leave you for a second~"
Someone behind her called out, and Xiang Wan turned to look.
"I miss you too. Then finish up early and come pick me up. It's busy here, I really can't talk anymore."
The two hung up after their tender conversation, and Xiang Wan went back to her other tasks.
Unexpectedly, an hour later, her phone rang again.
It was only four in the afternoon, and Lu Mingzhe called again.
She answered with a smile: "What is it? Can you focus on your work? You're being relentless."
"The client only booked for an hour, and I'm already off work. I'm coming to pick you up now. What's wrong, you don't sound like you welcome me?"
How could she not welcome him?
She felt insecure today, and him coming to provide security made Xiang Wan incredibly happy.
"But I haven't finished my work yet. You'll probably have to wait a while when you get here."
"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'll buy you something 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, eight meals a day? You're still dieting? Are you really not afraid of starving the baby!"
"That's in the later stages, we're just starting..."
"No. I don't care if you're hungry or not, I'm buying something anyway. Quickly tell me what you want to eat."
Xiang Wan thought for a moment.
"Then buy me the matcha cake from Longyue Zhai. I've been craving sweets lately."
"Do you want me to get a portion 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 couldn'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 go home and eat it all by myself."
"You little glutton. You said you weren't hungry, and now you're guarding your food. Wait for me, I'll be there soon."
Xiang Wan hung up the phone with a smile, turned around, and her colleagues teased her.
"It looks like Sister Wan is going to get off work early again today. That's great, this romance is so sweet even watching it from the side."
"Even though I'm getting off work early, you all still have to work hard. We're counting on Double 11 to give you big bonuses at the end of the year."
Everyone said: "We know, we know! Whether we can buy a house or a car depends on this Double 11. We're all working hard."
Xiang Wan didn't ask Lu Mingzhe to come up and instead went downstairs to wait for him.
Lu Mingzhe drove, and she sat in the passenger seat eating cake.
The sun was bright, and there weren't many cars on the street.
As they drove slowly, watching the person he loved sitting beside him eating 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 might as well get their marriage certificate right after getting their divorce certificate.
Xiang Wan felt it wasn't right.
After all, they had transitioned from an improper relationship. Getting divorced and married at the same time felt a bit too hurtful.
Moreover, she would be very busy during the period leading up to Double 11, and she wouldn't have time for a wedding.
It would probably be the end of the year, or early next year, before they could completely settle down.
"You already have your child in my belly, and I'm not going anywhere. What are you in such a hurry for?"
"It's all your fault for being too charming. Even though we have a child, I still worry about you being 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 help tie you down, I'll have more peace of mind."
The couple chatted warmly and peacefully as they drove, their time together serene and sweet.
They didn't notice that not far behind them, a car had been following them the entire time.
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 exclusive driver, dropping her off in the morning and picking her up in the evening.
She was so pregnant that it seemed like she couldn't even drive, and he absolutely forbade her from touching the steering wheel.
The next morning, the two kissed goodbye at the studio's entrance.
After watching Lu Mingzhe walk away, Xiang Wan's phone rang.
A friend's tearful 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 worked as a fitting model in a clothing market.
They were around the same age and had similar life experiences. They had worked together for several years. Although not extremely close, they were considered friends.
The girl was beautiful and had a good figure. She had gone through many boyfriends.
And it was rumored that the one she was dating this year was quite wealthy, so she quit her job and focused on being supported by the man.
Her social media was filled with pictures of exquisite food and various travel photos every day.
Xiang Wan thought she was living quite well, so why was she crying so early in the morning?
"What's wrong, Xiaohui?"
Mai Wenhui was crying so hard she couldn't catch her breath.
"Xiang Wan, where are you now? Can you drive over and pick me up? I had a fight with him."
Xiang Wan was a frugal person. She had saved all the money she earned over the years to buy a house and a car.
Mai Wenhui had a similar income to her, but to maintain her superficial appearance, she had spent almost everything.
At a critical moment, she realized how inconvenient it was to not have a car.
"What happened? Is it 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 endured it before."
Mai Wenhui looked pitiful.
"Yesterday he drank a lot again and beat me badly. I ran out while he was still asleep."
"My face is too ugly to show anyone, so I didn't dare to take a taxi. Otherwise, I wouldn't have bothered you."
She had encountered such a serious situation!
It would seem too heartless to ignore it.
Xiang Wan had to agree.
"Find a safe place to hide first, 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掐痕 (chāhén - finger marks/bruises from being choked or pinched).
She could hardly 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 scars later..."
Mai Wenhui sat in the passenger seat, crying inconsolably.
"I already regret it so much, don't scold me anymore. He was so good at first, who knew..."
"Do you think I didn't want to break up? When things were good, we took a lot of videos like that. He threatened me with them all the time. I was scared."