An event concluded, and the woman went to the restroom.
Returning, she wrapped herself in a comfortable bathrobe, sat on the bed, lit a cigarette, took a drag, and then offered it to Lu Mingzhe’s lips.
To maintain his refined image, Lu Mingzhe rarely smoked.
But he always broke his habit at her place.
As they both exhaled smoke, Lu Mingzhe paused for a few seconds before opening his eyes.
“What time is it?”
The woman didn’t answer. She picked up the phone on the bedside table and turned on the screen for him.
It was absurd; he had slept from noon until past nine in the evening.
“It’s late, you should go.”
She tossed the phone back and showed him the door.
Lu Mingzhe liked this about her – she kept the two matters distinct.
No matter how synchronized they were while sleeping, once awake, it was as if nothing had happened.
This was the advantage of an older woman.
So much better than young, naive girls who didn’t understand things.
Financially independent, intellectually independent, treating men as fast food.
It wasn't just Lu Mingzhe; many men probably liked her this way.
In the past, without her prompting, Lu Mingzhe would have left on his own.
But today, he was feeling unhappy.
“Why are you in such a hurry to send me away? Got a date?”
The woman didn’t answer him, instead giving him a faint, knowing look, a half-smile playing on her lips.
“It seems you’ve truly been dumped.
“There’s actually someone in this world you, Dr. Lu, can’t handle. Quite impressive. Your friend has made us women proud.”
Lu Mingzhe: “…You’re happy I’m heartbroken?”
“Of course. Every villain meets their match. You can’t always be the one playing others; someone has to play you. What goes around comes around.”
Lu Mingzhe closed his eyes again, annoyed.
“I didn’t realize you hated me so much.”
“It’s not worth it.”
The woman smiled, slowly standing up, tapping ash into the ashtray.
“I’m not an eighteen-year-old girl anymore, whose mind is filled with nothing but love or hate, especially towards men. I can’t afford to waste time like that.”
Normally, if she said something like this, Lu Mingzhe would admire her attitude.
And be proud to have found such a companion.
But at this moment, it sounded somewhat ironic.
Was he that unappealing?
Rebuffed by one woman, then another, and still hitting a wall.
Was I, Lu Mingzhe, that bad?
Where did things go wrong?
But he wouldn’t directly ask such self-esteem-damaging questions.
He shifted into a more comfortable position, watching the woman’s graceful back.
“How long has it been since we last contacted each other?”
The woman didn’t turn around, continuing to tap ash into the ashtray.
“I don’t know. A few months, perhaps.”
“They say in the world of women, not contacting each other for more than three days means a breakup. I didn’t expect you to still let me come over.”
“Breakup?”
She turned back as if finding it amusing.
“We’ve never even held hands, so how can there be a breakup?”
“…” Lu Mingzhe felt a bit bored. “You know that’s not what I meant.”
“I understand what you mean, Dr. Lu. You’re talking a lot today, and you’re not up to your usual standard.”
The woman interrupted him.
“We meet because we both want to; it’s a product of loneliness, and we both know it. Talking too much spoils the mood.”
It truly spoiled the mood.
But Lu Mingzhe didn’t want to go home alone and be lonely; he just wanted to ask.
“Have you been single all this time, not seeing anyone else?”
“Do you really want to hear me say those words?”
The woman exposed him without mercy.
“I’ve fallen in love with you, hopelessly, irretrievably.
“For you, I can abandon all principles, all boundaries, and wait for you to return. You can come whenever you want, and I’ll always open my door for you?”
“…”
Subconsciously, he did want to hear such words, but having her say them so bluntly made it feel anticlimactic.
The woman let out a cold laugh.
“You men, you gain psychological satisfaction by putting women down, and then you need women’s flattery to further boost your ego.
“You can’t do without women, yet you look down on them. What a contradiction.
“I don’t like this verbose version of you. Get up quickly and get dressed to leave.”
“If you can return to your usual suave and carefree self, we might see each other again. If you continue like this, I’m sorry, but I might have to block you.”
Because of Chen Jiaojiao’s blow, Lu Mingzhe suddenly felt an emptiness in his heart.
He didn’t want to go home alone. Lu Mingzhe stayed in his car for a long time, then decided to call Chen Jiaojiao.
He wasn’t the type to hide things.
If he didn’t get to the bottom of this, he would never feel at peace.
Fortunately, Chen Jiaojiao answered.
“What is it?”
Lu Mingzhe got straight to the point.
“I’ll send you an address, come meet me.”
“Are you crazy, Lu Mingzhe? So late, I…”
“You’re in Nancheng right now, I know. I saw you today. Coming out of the hotel.”
“…”
“Chen Jiaojiao, let’s be direct. I’ve sent you the address. Face reality, don’t make me look down on you.”
He drove to the coffee shop first.
Soon, Chen Jiaojiao arrived.
She had changed into a little black strapless dress, wore a pearl necklace, her hair tied up high, and her makeup was beautiful.
She looked as stunning as Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany’s.
It was a pity, though, that such a beautiful person’s heart didn’t belong to him.
The most painful thing in the world is when something that was once within reach suddenly becomes someone else’s.
Especially when it comes to a man’s possessiveness over a woman.
Lu Mingzhe was extremely, extremely unhappy.
Chen Jiaojiao sat down, and seeing his displeased expression, she had already guessed most of it.
She confessed.
“How did you see me? Were you at the hotel today too?”
“But I was meeting a friend.”
Chen Jiaojiao lowered her eyelids.
“I’m sorry, I really should have been upfront with you beforehand, but…”
“But what? You couldn’t bear to hurt me seeing how desperately I was chasing you?”
She raised her eyelids again.
“Don’t put it so harshly.”
“It’s the truth. You’ve made yourself look so pathetic, are you afraid of me saying something harsh?”
Chen Jiaojiao fell silent.
He stared at her and asked again.
“How long have you two been together?”
“Whether it’s one day or a hundred days, the outcome is the same for you. I don’t want to talk about it.”
Chen Jiaojiao avoided his gaze.
“Let’s just talk about what you want to do now.”
Her evasive attitude told him that the duration was definitely not short, otherwise, she wouldn’t have trouble speaking.
Lu Mingzhe scoffed.
Was he that bad?
He had given her money and his heart, almost digging it out for her, and yet she had secretly been with someone else for so long!
“Whether it was one day or a hundred days, it means a great deal to me, and I need to know. Tell me the truth.”
Chen Jiaojiao knew this would hurt him deeply, but she hadn’t expected it to hurt this much.
Lu Mingzhe was, in her eyes, a successful, suave, and dashing man.
He didn’t have much love for her.
It was simply that he thought her family background was acceptable, and she was pretty, so marrying him would bring him prestige.