The next morning, Lu Jiaying was woken up by her biological clock. As she got up to wash her face in the bathroom and looked in the mirror, she saw her disheveled clothes and messy hair, and then remembered what had happened last night.
She seemed to have been sent back by Jiang Jingyu.
This guy, at an age where vanity was paramount, actually didn't put on airs of being from a rich family.
Not only was he obedient to her, but he also knew how to accompany her to dinner parties as a driver. That was good.
She just didn't know if she had said anything nonsensical while drunk last night; her behavior when drunk wasn't very good.
Thinking this, she felt a little guilty, as if she owed Jiang Jingyu a favor. When buying breakfast, she deliberately bought an extra portion, thinking of repaying him quickly.
She arrived a little late today. Upon entering the marketing department, she found Jiang Jingyu had already arrived and was chatting with everyone at someone else's desk.
As she entered the office, he followed shortly after.
"General Manager Lu, good morning."
Lu Jiaying put down the breakfast and turned on her computer. After hesitating, she called him a bit awkwardly.
"Xiao Jiang, come here for a moment."
Jiang Jingyu behaved no differently than usual and obediently walked up to her.
"Have you eaten breakfast?"
She figured it was a pointless question.
The Zhan family had a nanny and a housekeeper; it was impossible for him to go out without eating breakfast.
Jiang Jingyu's gaze fell on the food bag she had packed. The packaging was quite cute, and he couldn't help but lie, "No, I haven't."
"That's perfect. The boss gave me an extra portion and I couldn't be bothered to return it, so I'm giving it to you."
Lu Jiaying handed him the breakfast.
Their meals were identical. Jiang Jingyu, inexplicably happy, took it. "Thank you, General Manager Lu."
They each sat at their own desks, eating sushi and drinking milk. After eating half of it, Lu Jiaying couldn't help but ask him.
"What time did you go back last night?"
Knowing she had been too drunk to remember anything, Jiang Jingyu told the truth.
"A little past eleven."
"Did I cause you a lot of trouble?"
Thinking of her cute, dazed appearance last night, and then looking at her now, with her hair tied up, looking capable and serious, Jiang Jingyu felt an inexplicable urge to laugh.
Seeing his expression, Lu Jiaying inwardly cursed herself for being finished.
She must have made some embarrassing mistake. He couldn't say it, and she was mortified.
"You know, when people drink too much, their words and actions are beyond their control. It's not really me. If I said or did anything, please don't take it seriously. And don't dwell on it."
Aside from taking off her jacket, she actually had pretty good behavior when drunk; she hadn't done anything out of the ordinary.
Seeing her guilty conscience, Jiang Jingyu couldn't help but want to tease her.
"Is that so?"
"..." It seemed she had truly embarrassed herself last night.
She decided not to drink anymore when she had nothing to do. Alcohol was truly harmful.
With a slight sense of awkwardness, Lu Jiaying began her new day of work.
Around nine o'clock in the morning, her phone rang. She casually picked it up; it was her best friend, Mo Xiaoqi.
"There's a gathering tonight, full of rich and handsome men. Old Qin asked me to help find ten girls to go. Many people were breaking their heads to sign up, and I managed to save a spot for you. No overtime today. I'll send you the address later. Dress up nicely, and I'll see you after work."
Mo Xiaoqi was Lu Jiaying's college classmate. Because she was very beautiful, she had a rich second-generation boyfriend.
After graduation, she didn't work properly, spending her days eating, drinking, and having fun with her boyfriend.
She would occasionally organize gatherings with unknown purposes for Lu Jiaying to attend, always trying to help her find a partner.
Lu Jiaying, who was once naive and innocent, had attended twice, but each time it had been a disappointment.
It was just a group of young men and women with no life pressures, holding wine glasses, chatting and laughing. Although the average appearance was very high, Lu Jiaying felt she couldn't resonate with them on a spiritual level and vowed never to go again.
Unexpectedly, Mo Xiaoqi called her again today.
"Don't you know my personality? You're asking me to go to that kind of place again; it's not suitable."
Mo Xiaoqi hated hearing her refuse.
"Oh, this time it's different from before. All the attendees are quality men from the finance and legal sectors. Otherwise, why would others be so eager to squeeze in? Why are you so unconcerned? Do you know how old you are this year?"
"A woman's prime is only a few years. You spend your prime years working overtime and don't even have anyone to talk to. What's the point of earning so much money?"
"When your advantages are gone, looking back, you'll be filled with regret."
Mo Xiaoqi would often feed her this kind of "chicken soup." Lu Jiaying didn't ignore it, but how to put it, everyone had their own aspirations.
Her background was different from theirs. Her parents and brother had passed away early, and she was supported by kind older siblings through university. She couldn't possibly think of eating, drinking, and having fun as the first thing after graduation, could she?
Melody and Lu Qingxu were both successful people, and the people around them were also successful. She didn't want to shame them.
Even if she couldn't repay them the money they spent, she at least wanted everyone who knew them to know that accepting her, Lu Jiaying, was the right choice.
"Regrets or not, we'll talk about it later. I really don't have time today."
Mo Xiaoqi insisted, "Come on, I know you'll say that, so I called you early. I don't believe you're so busy that you can't arrange your time in advance."
"I don't care, you have to participate today no matter what. You're so beautiful, with such good education and work, people who don't know would think you've had many boyfriends. But you're a 26-year-old virgin, it's laughable if word gets out."
"It's settled then. I'll call you again after work."
Mo Xiaoqi genuinely cared about her.
After four years of college, she had only made this one friend. Lu Jiaying, engrossed in her work, didn't contact her much.
It wasn't right for her to always refuse when the other person took the initiative to contact her.
So, after thinking about it, she told Jiang Jingyu.
She would rush through the work at hand and finish and send her business by five o'clock.
Jiang Jingyu, who had overheard her phone call clearly, could guess what it was about with his eyes closed.
She was going out to find a boyfriend.
He wondered what kind of man would like a workaholic like her.
Closing time arrived quickly. Lu Jiaying met her best friend on time, changed into a formal dress, tidied herself up, and went to the party.
The night passed without incident. The next day, when Jiang Jingyu came to work, he found Lu Jiaying, who should have been drunk again last night, looking energetic and already working.
He was a little surprised. "Why are you here so early?"
"I had some work left unfinished yesterday, so I came to catch up. You're also quite early; have you eaten?"
Jiang Jingyu took a detour and asked instead, "Have you eaten?"
Lu Jiaying took out two more sushi and milk, pushing one towards him.
"I was just about to eat. The boss said sushi is on promotion these two days, buy one get one free. This one is for you."
Jiang Jingyu sat by the coffee table, eating sushi and secretly observing her.
Seeing that her expression was normal, without the joy of meeting new people, nor the listlessness of a hangover,
He thought: Did she even go yesterday?