Translator: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem
“Actually, it’s fine to be on the headlines, it’s common for celebrities to have scandals once in a while,” Qiao Anhao reassured, attempting to make it sound like nothing.
She then repeated the conversation she had seen of Lin Shiyi on weibo.
After listening to her description, Lu Jinnian’s originally darkened face fell more, turning almost menacing.
Even though Qiao Anhao knew that he wasn’t angry at her, she still didn’t have the courage to face him, muttering softly, “Because her words were too hurtful… and she had even posted it on her weibo…”
Even though she was describing the incident, she couldn’t hold back the bitterness she felt. “Basically, she was insulting me and I didn’t feel good about it.
“While we were eating, Zhao Meng realized that there were paparazzi, so she suddenly had an inspiration… She wanted them to take photos of us shopping together…”
Even though she didn’t finish her sentence, Lu Jinnian understood.
Back when they were in the shop, Zhao Meng had continuously harped on about which bags to buy while she had remained silent the whole time… The two of them must have discussed it before?
Qiao Anhao kept on rambling on, trying to clarify the situation before finally lifting her head to look at him. In a soft, apologetic tone, she said, “Lu Jinnian, I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have made you shop with me.
“As soon as new entertainment news comes out, the scandal will go down. No one will care for it anymore, and as for Lin Shiyi, I’ll just ignore her. I wasn’t in the right mind just now when I wanted to spite her. Besides, I won’t be able to finish using all those bags, and there are even some that I don’t really like anyways. We shouldn’t waste money like that.
“You haven’t even rested after such a long flight back from America. You must be tired, let’s go home now, can we?”
Qiao Anhao lifted one eye to sneak a peek, but before she could see Lu Jinnian, his head had already lowered. Slowly, tenderness covered her lips.
After being on the road for such a long time, he was indeed exhausted, but once he took in her all her words, his fatigue seemed to have been chased away.
Ever since he returned, he had wanted to kiss her just like this. But when he came back and saw her, his assistant and Zhao Meng were still around, so he could only hold it in.
He had been holding it in till now, and even though they were still outside and he knew that there were paparazzi around, he didn’t mind… They were already entangled in a scandal, so he didn’t mind taking it up a notch, besides… She was the woman he loved, the woman he had been using his entire life to cherish and care for. How then could he let others insult her so easily?
Qiao Anhao legs turned to jelly, and she suddenly remembered the paparazzi. Her eyes went wide as she saw someone sneakily taking photos of them. Hurriedly, she tried to dodge Lu Jinnian’s lips, breathlessly, she said, “Someone is taking photos…”
Before she could finish her sentence, Lu Jinnian muttered hoarsely, “Let them.”
Once more, the tenderness descended onto her lips.
Translator: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem
This time, the kiss was deeper and much more impatient.
Qiao Anhao inhaled, taking in Lu Jinnian’s distinctive scent.
Her mind started buzzing and an unidentifiable stream of passion rushed through the tip of his tongue to the tenderness in her chest.
Gradually, Qiao Anhao forgot the paparazzi hiding in the corner, returning his kiss instinctively.
Her minute actions seemed to further excite him, and he pressed his entire body onto her, using all his strength to kiss her, seemingly trying to suck her soul out, leaving her breathless.
The kiss lasted for a very very long time…
When Qiao Anhao thought that she was about to suffocate, his lips gently left hers. She continued to keep her eyes shut as she felt as though her heart was about to jump out of her chest and her breathing was about to stop.
Lu Jinnian lowered his head lightly, staring at her with a blazing gaze; it was as if he wanted to finish her off the next moment. His breath was unstable. Slowly, he reached out to caress her messy hair, tugging a strand behind her ear as he spoke softly. “I wanted to kiss you like that the moment I saw you.”
Even though the content was sensual, he had used a nonchalant tone, tainting the words a unique taste. Qiao Anhao’s long lashes fluttered, and realizing that she was feeling uncomfortable from holding her breath for too long, she anxiously inhaled. Lu Jinnian continued to stare at her with a deep gaze. Instinctively, she darted her eyes elsewhere, not daring to meet his gaze.
They were pressed together tightly, and Qiao Anhao could feel Lu Jinnian’s arousal. Her face flushed a deep shade of red and she hurriedly buried her face in his chest before complaining softly. “You’re so hateful~”
She had unknowingly lengthened the last word, tugging at Lu Jinnian’s heart. He let out a murmur, his breath on her face turning fiery as he tightened his embrace.
After a long while, he took a long steadying breath and pulled Qiao Anhao upwards, straightening her before tidying her messy clothes and hair. Taking a step back, he placed some distance between the both of them.
Qiao Anhao’s face was flushed when she lifted her eyes to carefully glance at Lu Jinnian who was smoothing out his shirt elegantly. “Let’s go.”
Grabbing onto her tiny hand, he led them back to the shop.
Lu Jinnian’s assistant and Zhao Meng were both seated on the sofa drinking coffee while the shop assistant stood at the side with a smile on her face.
Lu Jinnian’s assistant was the first person to notice their entrance. He quickly stood up and asked, “Mr Lu, are you still returning the bags?”
Qiao Anhao had wanted to say “Return it”, but before she could voice anything, Lu Jinnian had already spoken. “No.”
“Lu Jinnian…”
Just calling his name was enough for Lu Jinnian to understand her intentions. Leisurely, he interrupted her, “Didn’t you want to hurry back home? Returning the bags would take too much time, we’ll just leave it.”
He just didn’t want to return the gifts that he gave her… was there a need to come up with such a ridiculous reason.
Translator: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem
He just didn’t want to return the gifts that he gave her… was there a need to come up with such a ridiculous reason.
His assistant hurriedly picked up the bags and complained silently while he trailed behind
–
Lu Jinnian turned into another store the moment they exited the bag store even though he had said that they would head home soon.
Qiao Anhao stopped at the entrance of the store and tugged at his arm. “Lu Jinnian, didn’t you say we were going back?”
Lu Jinnian nodded lightly before replying quietly, “Yea, but I’m a little stuffed from lunch. Let’s shop for a while to walk it off before going back.”
–
When they were really done, Qiao Anhao realized that ‘shop for a while’ meant that he wanted to scour through every shop in ACR.
Initially, he would still seek Qiao Anhao’s opinion, asking if she liked the item. Whenever she hesitated before shaking her head, he would signal for his assistant to get the item. She would try to reason with him or stop his assistant him from buying the item but the assistant would only listen to Lu Jinnian’s instructions, ignoring her objections.
Gradually, she started to brighten up. Whenever Lu Jinnian asked for her opinion, she would shake her head resolutely. In the beginning, Lu Jinnian would believe that she truly didn’t like the item but after she continuously shook her head for less than ten minutes, he detected her little act, buying everything he wanted without asking her. It was much more decisive and domineering that Zhao Meng had been in the bag store.
Even Zhao Meng who had suggested the idea initially was left stunned by his actions, she couldn’t help leaning over to whisper to Qiao Anhao, “Qiao Qiao, what did you tell Mr. Lu? Is he trying to empty the entire ACR?”
Just then, Lu Jinnian pointed to a dress. He turned to ask which color she preferred but when she didn’t respond, he got his assistant to buy every color the dress came in.
Zhao Meng stared on anxiously. “Wa! Mr. Lu is going crazy!”
But so dashing at the same time!
–
As their shopping spree neared the end, there were too many things for them to carry. A shop assistant had to get the security guards to push two trolleys up so that they could get everything down.
Even at that moment Lu Jinnian was still unsatisfied, he held onto Qiao Anhao and headed into another store. She tugged onto his hand, stopping him from entering the store with all her might as she threatened to burst into tears. “Lu Jinnian, stop buying…”
Even though he heard what she had said, he turned to glance at her. His face was tainted with worry. “Why? Are you tired? Is your leg sore?”
“I said stop buying…”
Before she could finish her sentence, Lu Jinnian bent down to carry her in his arms.
Translator: Kingbao Editor: DarkGem
“Lu Jinnian, what are you doing?” Qiao Anhao circled her arms around his neck instinctively.
Lu Jinnian remained silent, taking in the surroundings with her in his arms. When he spotted a rest area not far away, he took large strides over and placed her on a bench.
The moment Qiao Anhao tried to stand, Lu Jinnian pulled her back down. He casually knelt down in front of her, removed her shoes, and grabbed onto her slim and tender legs.
Qiao Anhao couldn’t understand his actions. She tried to squiggle her feet out of his palms, but Lu Jinnian tightened his grip and started to softly massage the balls of her feet.
Even though she had bathed before coming out and didn’t have any feet problems, they were still dirty after walking for such a long while. How could he just start massaging her feet… Besides, she was prepared to walk for long hours before coming out hence she chose a comfortable pair of shoes. Her feet weren’t in any pain…
Regardless of whether there were outsiders around, Qiao Anhao wasn’t used to having Lu Jinnian massage her feet. But now, they were actually in the middle of the mall!
Lu Jinnian was exerting too much strength for to be able to escape, so she reached over to grab his hands.
He lifted his head to glance at her before removing her arm. “Sit there and stop moving.”
His words were calming but had a forceful aura, and before she knew it, Qiao Anhao had loosened her grip. Lu Jinnian glanced back down, resuming the feet massage.
His strength was well balanced and comfortable.
Qiao Anhao sat stiffly as she watched Lu Jinnian. She opened her mouth but nothing came out.
On the other hand, Lu Jinnian looked completely at ease as if he was doing something perfectly normal.
Qiao Anhao looked for a while more before looking away. Just then, she saw someone in a cap hiding behind a wall taking photos of them.
The person was focusing the camera on Lu Jinnian’s hands as he massaged her feet. He didn’t seem to realize that Qiao Anhao had spotted him as he continued to snap shots.
At that moment, she finally understood Lu Jinnian’s actions.
Her heart tightened as gratitude drowned her.
Lu Jinnian’s splurge and leg massage was to let the paparazzi snap shots of them, to clear her name.
Her throat tightened and she forced down a ball in her throat. “Lu Jinnian, I’m tired, let’s go home.”
“Sure,” Lu Jinnian replied but continued to massage her feet, after a while more, he stood up. Instead of helping her put on her shoes though, he turned with his back to her and pulled at her arm. “I’ll carry you.”
Picking up her shoes, he stood up. He pushed her upwards lightly to secure her into position before heading to the elevator.
His assistant and Zhao Meng followed behind quickly. The trolley was so packed with bags that it kept flowing out, and both the assistant and Zhao Meng had to continuously stop to pick the items that fell out from crowded trolley.
Translator: Paperplane Editor: DarkGem
With the help from the assistant and Zhao Meng, Lu Jinnian shoved the things into her car, then they said their goodbyes to the two of them. He started up the car and drove Qiao Anhao back to Mian Xiu Garden.
When Qiao Anhao got into the car, she saw a bouquet of fresh flowers in the back seat. Just as she was going to ask where Lu Jinnian had gotten them from, she saw there was a card between the beautiful and delicate flowers. She grabbed it and saw the three simple words Lu Jinnian had written, “For Qiao Qiao.”
A lovely smile blossomed on her face, and she pulled out her phone. She hugged the fresh flowers up to take a selfie with the peace sign, a pout, a puppy dog eyes look, and a joyful smile.
Lu Jinnian, who was focused on driving at the time, saw her small motions in the rear view mirror. His expression was cold as usual, yet there was an obvious hint of a smile in his eyes.
–
The previous night at the bar, Xu Jiamu had drank until he passed out. When he opened his eyes, he got this feeling like he didn’t know what day or year it was. He drunkenly lay on the sofa in deep asleep. He remembered that people couldn’t find a number to call to take him away last night, so all they could do was leave him there in a private room.
Xu Jiamu’s head hurt like crazy from his hangover. He lay there dizzily for a while before searching through his pockets. After rummaging for a really long time, he couldn’t find his phone. Then he remembered that he had thrown it in the car, upset with Han Ruchu’s constant calls.
He rubbed his slightly painful head and got up from the sofa. He slept in a poor position, so his entire body was exhausted and in pain. The bartender was fast asleep, so Xu Jiamu didn’t disturb him. Instead, he pulled out a wad of cash, placed it by his ear, and left.
When Xu Jiamu went outside, he realized that it was already nightfall. Though he was sober again, he was still a little dazed. He went round the row of cars parked outside to find his own and got in. He grabbed his phone to find that it had turned itself off because there was no more battery left.
Xu Jiamu plugged it into the car charger and lay down against the steering wheel with squinted eyes for a while. When he heard the phone ring as it turned on, he turned his head and glanced over to find a series of text messages and missed calls.
The calls and texts mostly came from Han Ruchu’s number. As Xu Jiamu saw several pages of the screen fill up with her messages, he felt even more down. He only felt slightly better after he deleted all of them. With that, he started up the car.
He drove around aimlessly, before finally heading for Mian Xiu Garden. He stopped the car in the courtyard of his own villa, pulled down the car window, and lit up a cigarette. He stared at Lu Jinnian’s courtyard behind the fence in a daze.
Xu Jiamu wasn’t even sure how long he’d been staring, when suddenly he heard the sound of a car door opening up. He snapped back to reality, and looked over at the courtyard next door. Qiao Anhao was hugging a bouquet of flowers with a warm smile on her face as she got out of the car. Soon after, the driver’s door opened and Lu Jinnian also strode out.
The very moment Xu Jiamu saw Lu Jinnian’s side profile, he didn’t quite know why he was in such a panic, but he suddenly pulled his hand away from the car window. Then he pressed the button to pull it up.
Because he moved far too suddenly, he accidentally flicked the cigarette butt in his hand right onto the photocopy on the front passenger seat.
It was like Xu Jiamu had been shocked by electricity, and he couldn’t feel the burn or pain. He stretched his arm straight out and extinguished the fire from the cigarette.
Translator: Paperplane Editor: DarkGem
Although Xu Jiamu was quick, the fire still managed to burn a hole in the paper.
With a turn of his head, Xu Jiamu saw Qiao Anhao and Lu Jinnian through the car window walk into the villa one after the other. When Lu Jinnian entered the passcode, he didn’t know what Qiao Anhao said, but it pursed her lips into a light smile, prompting Lu Jinnian to stretch his arm out. He stroked her hair and pulled open the door to the villa.
The door didn’t shut immediately, so Xu Jiamu could clearly see the two of them standing at the entrance. Lu Jinnian bent down to help Qiao Anhao take off her shoes, and he even put a pair of slippers in front of her. When Qiao Anhao changed her shoes, she tiptoed and pecked Lu Jinnian on the cheek. Lu Jinnian very clearly froze for a moment, then reached his arm out and brought her in front of him with a tug of her arm like he was going to kiss her. In the end, Qiao Anhao held the bouquet of flowers to her face and ran into the house.
Lu Jinnian looked like he was in an excellent mood. He stood at the entrance for a few seconds staring at Qiao Anhao as she ran off. He then changed his shoes and casually closed the door shut.
In the car, Xu Jiamu secretly let out a sigh.
He lowered his head, his eyes falling to the signature on the will in his hands.
Though the words on the photocopy weren’t very clear, he could still recognize the two cursive words as Lu Jinnian’s name.
Whilst holding the several sheets of paper, his hand started to tremble. Though it had all happened a day ago, he still felt like it was a dream. How could things suddenly turn out like this?
He used to smile and call him ‘bro’ whenever he bumped into Lu Jinnian.
Every time Qiao Qiao saw him, she used to give him a warm smile and call him Brother Jiamu.
How did it suddenly… suddenly be that he couldn’t face the two of them?
In the car, Xu Jiamu stared at the sheets of paper for a long time before he started the car up. Slowly, he drove out of Mian Xiu Garden.
Coincidentally, it was the time for people to get off from work, so there were a lot of cars on the streets of Beijing. He hit the accelerator for one second, then the next, he hit the breaks. Xu Jiamu blindly followed the flow of the traffic, starting and stopping. Eventually, he blanked out for a moment and hit the tail of someone’s car.
Thankfully, it wasn’t too serious, and the other vehicle was a taxi. The taxi driver was afraid of being late for work so they spoke privately and the other man asked for a thousand yuan. Xu Jiamu paid it without negotiating. After that, he continued to drive aimlessly with a broken headlight.
Night had slowly fallen when Xu Jiamu snapped to his senses and realized that he had driven all the way to Suyuan apartments.
He dazed out for a while but eventually stepped on the breaks. He stopped the car, stared at the apartments’ entrance, looking deep in thought.
This was Song Xiangsi’s home… In total, the two of them hadn’t been in contact for five to six months now… She was probably doing well. At a dinner a while back, he heard that she got a job as a judge for a variety show on some television station. The job offered as much as a billion!
Xu Jiamu pushed open the car door, got out, and leaned against the car, staring up at Song Xiangsi’s apartment for a moment. He heard a minivan pull up beside him, and had a strange feeling about it. He abruptly turned his head to really see Song Xiangsi get out of the vehicle. She didn’t even notice him, as she kept the usual arrogant look on her face, repeatedly ordering her manager in the car, and waving her arm around in annoyance. Then she stomped towards the apartment entrance in her high heels.
