Xiang Wan saw him and also ran over.
The two held each other tightly, feeling each other's warmth and heartbeats for a while, before Lu Mingzhe let her go.
He cupped her face, looked at her again and again, and without a word, kissed her.
Chen Jiaojiao sat in the car, watching the heartbreaking scene before her, her nose stinging uncontrollably.
She took out her phone and took photos of the two repeatedly until she could no longer see their figures.
Meanwhile, Lu Mingzhe was immersed in a world of tenderness, accompanying Xiang Wan in eating late-night snacks and holding each other while confiding their feelings.
This made Chen Jiaojiao, who was left alone, feel exceptionally lonely.
She couldn't sleep, her jealousy burning, so she zoomed in on Xiang Wan's photos, screenshotted them, and looked at them again and again.
She wanted to figure out who he was.
Heaven rewards the persistent; after looking many times, she remembered.
She seemed to have seen her somewhere before.
Because her face was so beautiful, she had some impression, and it seemed she was also a customer at her store.
Unable to wait for dawn, she was eager to find out who he was.
So she sent Xiang Wan's photos to the group, asking her employees to confirm who it was.
Soon, a night owl employee replied.
"This lady visited our store not long ago. Her friend also signed up for a membership here. Why is the boss looking for her?"
So she had indeed been to her store.
Chen Jiaojiao, afraid of appearing too curious and making a fool of herself, suppressed the urge to investigate her thoroughly.
She didn't reply to the message.
The next day, she went to the store, personally found that employee, and using a casual excuse, obtained the contact information left by her friend when she signed up, and added her on WeChat.
The other party quickly accepted Chen Jiaojiao's friend request.
She used the excuse that she was a lucky customer of the store and asked her to top up within a week for a significant discount.
If she could recommend a friend to sign up, she would even give her a free annual card, and asked if she was interested.
Upon hearing such good news, the friend was naturally interested.
Moreover, the boss herself contacted her, which made her feel extremely honored.
The two chatted for a bit, and Chen Jiaojiao asked what she did for a living.
"You're so beautiful and have such a good temperament, you must work for a major corporation."
"Not at all, I'm just a streamer. You are as beautiful as a celestial being, how dare I call myself beautiful in front of you?"
"Even our boss says you are a first-class beauty."
"Your boss? Your boss knows me?"
The friend said, "It's the one who went with us that day, young and successful like you. Didn't you notice much?"
Chen Jiaojiao: "Oh, I really didn't pay much attention. Did she also sign up for a membership here? When you come next time, I'll personally attend to you."
"And I'll also give you some of our newly launched products."
The friend became even happier.
"She didn't sign up because she's busy with work and needs to travel. When she has more time later, I'll definitely bring her here again."
"Alright, I'll be waiting. Can you tell me your livestream account? I'd like to follow you."
Gaining a follower for free and potentially making a purchase, the friend was very happy and told her the livestream account.
Soon, Chen Jiaojiao found the videos Xiang Wan had posted.
She mainly dealt with women's clothing.
All the videos she posted were about styling.
Various outfit changes, or street shots.
Whether it was animated, static, or video, she was flawlessly beautiful.
Although the quality of the clothes was average and the styles were common, clearly targeting a lower-end demographic,
Xiang Wan's inherent heroic spirit and natural洒脱气质 could not be concealed by the clothes.
It had to be said that Lu Mingzhe did have some discerning taste.
After watching a few videos, Chen Jiaojiao's mood worsened.
She had initially thought Lu Mingzhe was just playing around, but now it seemed she had indeed met a formidable opponent.
That evening, using the excuse of feeling unwell, Xiang Wan refused Lu Mingzhe's advances, which frustrated him immensely.
Early the next morning, restless, he woke up early.
Xiang Wan knew what he wanted and held his hand.
"It's really not possible, I'm not feeling well. Let's just talk."
Lu Mingzhe's interest waned: "What do you want to talk about? Say it, I'm listening."
"How is the processing of your affairs going? Didn't you say you planned to divorce?"
"What? Are you in a hurry to marry me? Want to propose to me instead?"
Xiang Wan found it rather uninteresting.
Proposing was something that a man should do.
Just because she was pregnant, it seemed like she was using it as leverage to force him to make a commitment.
"Who wants to marry you? I just want to see if you keep your word."
"Of course, I will. I'll go talk to her today. I'll bring you the paperwork tomorrow."
Lu Mingzhe looked up at her.
"Didn't you have something to tell me a couple of days ago? What were you going to say?"
Xiang Wan thought for a moment.
Since he could get the divorce certificate tomorrow, she might as well say it then.
Double happiness. It wouldn't seem like she was forcing him.
"It's nothing. Our studio's first Double 11 is coming up. We need to pick fabrics, visit factories, approve designs, finalize samples, there are many, many things to do. I might be very busy."
"I understand. You focus on your work. Just call me if you need anything."
When she arrived at the studio, the staff told Xiang Wan that the samples in the warehouse were increasing, and the warehouse they had rented before was already full.
With Double 11 approaching, they definitely needed to rent a larger one.
They needed to see which location was more suitable.
Xiang Wan had already considered renting a studio and warehouse.
If she continued to develop in e-commerce, at this pace, in less than two years, this place would no longer be suitable for them.
People strive for progress, and renting houses indefinitely was not a solution.
Since she had some spare money now, and housing prices were still reasonable, it would be wise to prepare early and buy a larger house.
To become her own landlord.
She hadn't told anyone about her plan to buy a house.
Firstly, her spare cash wasn't enough to buy it.
Secondly, she didn't have many close confidantes, and who knew if people would be more jealous or congratulatory when they heard about it.
She was a person who preferred stability, and it wasn't her style to publicize things before they were done.
Since she had to rent a warehouse anyway, she might as well look at houses at the same time.
She settled things at the studio and contacted the real estate agent who had been calling her frequently.
Soon, Xiang Wan appeared at a high-end villa complex in the city called Bingshui Huating.
The villa had four floors, each covering an area of over 200 square meters.
The model unit was beautiful and luxurious, exactly the kind of home she dreamed of.
Unfortunately, the price was a bit too high.
If she didn't need to maintain daily operations and prepare for the upcoming Double 11, she could have managed the down payment.
But now, she could only admire it.
A person's appreciation for something could not be hidden.
The sales agent could tell she really liked the house and kept trying to persuade her.
"Housing prices have been rising sharply across the country in recent years, especially in our South City. As a first-tier major city, prices change by the minute."