Another day of work concluded.
Lu Qingxu called, asking Lu Mingzhe to return to their hometown that evening.
"It's Dad's birthday. I knew you'd forget. Telling you in advance. Don't forget to buy a gift."
Fortunately, Lu Qingxu was considerate enough to call. Otherwise, Lu Mingzhe truly would have forgotten.
After hanging up, he pondered, truly unsure of what to get his father. He called his mother.
"You heartless child. After being your father's son for so many years, you still don't know what he likes. You've never given him a gift that made him happy. I raised two useless sons."
"That's enough. Dinner is already prepared at home, so what's the need to buy anything? Your father won't fuss over it. Just come home directly."
It had been a long time since he last went home. It was the old man's 60th birthday, and he really couldn't show up empty-handed.
After much thought, he decided to give his family a grand gift.
He arrived home shortly after Lu Qingxu.
Lu Qingxu brought back two bottles of good wine from the bar for his father, which pleased him greatly.
Although Lu Qingxu's academic performance was poor during his studies, he had started his own business since university.
Moreover, his career had always been stable, and his business partner was Zhan Bei Jue.
Many colleagues frequented their club during their leisure time. Using his son's name, he could offer some conveniences to his friends, which greatly boosted the old man's reputation among his peers.
Therefore, the old man found Lu Qingxu more and more pleasing in recent years.
In contrast, Lu Mingzhe.
He had always been excellent in his studies from childhood to university, and during his master's degree, he pursued the currently popular field of psychology.
The family had always placed high hopes on him, but in the end, he only opened a psychological counseling office.
Although his income was considerable, it always felt that the higher the expectation, the greater the disappointment. His career seemed rather mediocre.
Furthermore, at his age, he wasn't in a hurry to get married, which began to cause his father to have some reservations about him.
After Lu Qingxu presented his gift and seized the moment while his father was in a good mood, Lu Mingzhe quickly went to present his own.
"You lack nothing in material possessions, so I won't give you anything of that sort. Let's talk about something else."
"Recently, I've been in frequent contact with Chen Jiaojiao from Jincheng, and we've reached the stage of discussing marriage."
"After all, we had an engagement since childhood, and both families know each other well. When you have time, please accompany me and Mom to Jincheng."
Lu Qingxu, standing nearby, almost dropped his eyeballs in shock.
His brother was making good progress. He had developed to the point of discussing marriage with Chen Jiaojiao, and he hadn't even told him!
As people age, achieve success in their careers, and are no longer lacking in wealth, the Lu family's greatest hope now is to enjoy the happiness of family life.
Hearing Lu Mingzhe's words, his joy was evident.
"That's wonderful. You're quite tight-lipped, aren't you? You knew that your mother and I were worried about your affairs, yet you didn't tell us in advance, making us worry for so long for nothing."
"Your Uncle Chen is not what he used to be. He has built a very successful career in Jincheng. I'm sure he has raised his daughter well. I am very pleased that you two have come this far."
"Naturally. Chen Jiaojiao is a top-notch beauty."
Lu Mingzhe opened Chen Jiaojiao's social media and showed them her photos.
The old man was immediately taken with her.
"Not bad. Looking at her appearance alone, this girl is someone you can proudly present. She's bold and speaks her mind. She's more than a match for you."
"Alright. Then your mother and I will have someone pick an auspicious date tomorrow. We'll all go together then."
Because of the impending good news, the dinner banquet was exceptionally harmonious.
Everyone chatted and laughed, and the gathering dispersed after nine o'clock.
"You still have to work tomorrow, so go back and rest early."
"Qingxu, you too. Leave all the work to your subordinates, and try not to stay up too late. You're still young, don't ruin your health by staying up late."
They were politely sent off by their parents.
Lu Qingxu had to go to the bar to check on the business.
Returning to his car alone, Lu Mingzhe felt an immense emptiness.
He had just told a colossal lie.
He and Chen Jiaojiao had not agreed on marriage at all. In fact, she had no intention of marrying him.
He had rashly gone to propose. He didn't know what would happen.
But Lu Mingzhe was driven by a force of revenge, determined to do this.
If things fell apart, and Chen Jiaojiao chose that other person over him, perhaps his parents would stop pressuring him to marry.
It was so annoying.
He hadn't expected Chen Jiaojiao to be his fortune, but rather his misfortune. The thought of it made him feel defeated.
He didn't want to go home alone.
When feeling lonely, one always wishes for someone to accompany them.
He didn't want to seek out those insincere and deceitful women.
Naturally, he thought of Xiang Wan again.
Uncharacteristically, he sent Xiang Wan a WeChat message.
"Are you home? Can I come over?"
One minute passed, no reply.
Five minutes passed, still no reply.
Lu Mingzhe couldn't help himself and called her directly.
As a result, Xiang Wan immediately hung up on him.
Then, she finally replied with a message.
Just two words: Busy.
Was she still not off work this late?
After returning that day, Lu Mingzhe had downloaded a short video app and followed Xiang Wan's live streaming account.
At that time, her account hadn't posted any content yet. By spending money, he had bought over ten thousand followers.
Looking again today, she already had two works posted.
Over 200,000 followers.
How impressive.
The live stream was in full swing.
Two streamers, a man and a woman, were enthusiastically showcasing clothes. Xiang Wan was nowhere to be seen.
But this was the beginning of her career, and it should be the time she was most concerned about.
She must surely be watching from the side.
Without thinking, Lu Mingzhe drove to her studio.
He bought twenty cups of coffee downstairs and took them up.
Indeed, in the bustling live stream, Xiang Wan was standing in the center of the crowd.
He didn't speak, holding the coffee and standing quietly to the side, waiting for others to notice him.
Everyone was busy working fervently. It took several minutes before a staff member turned around to get something and saw him.
"Huh, you're here?"
He tiptoed to Xiang Wan's side and patted her.
Xiang Wan turned and walked over.
"Why are you here?"
There was no surprise orζε¨ in her tone, but rather a hint of disbelief.
It felt as if, given their relationship, he shouldn't have come again.
Lu Mingzhe was not bothered by her attitude at all. In fact, he appreciated Xiang Wan for treating him this way.
The clearer she was, and the more she actively kept her distance from him, the more he admired her.
He waved the coffee in his hand.
"I guessed you hadn't finished work yet, and I was afraid you were tired, so I brought some coffee to help you stay alert."
"Are you crazy?"
Xiang Wan was completely unappreciative.
"You've been very strange lately. Even if you're heartbroken, you don't need to shift all your attention to me. It's so boring like this."
What she meant was:
Our relationship is purely platonic. If you suddenly start getting serious, I won't know what to do.
"Unless you currently have someone you like or a boyfriend, then I'm not really disturbing you, am I?"
Shamelessly, Lu Mingzhe took out a cup of coffee and stuffed it into her hand.
"Don't worry, I don't mean anything else. I'm just bored and came out to kill time. You do your thing, you don't need to accompany me."
After saying that, he walked past Xiang Wan.
He went around distributing coffee to everyone.