Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
After a few rounds of drinks, the atmosphere gradually cooled down but remained lively. As the event was nearing its end, I told Miao Miao that I was going to the restroom and casually closed the booth door behind me, blocking out the noise to regain some quiet.
I took small steps outside the booth to get some fresh air, trying to sober up a bit so my parents wouldn't notice when I got home and scold me. I splashed some cool water on my face to wash away some of the alcohol's effects. After drying my face, I stepped out of the restroom and unexpectedly found an uninvited guest at the door.
Fortunately, the hallway was spacious, and logically, I should have been able to easily walk around him. However, Lu Ming stepped right into my path, making it slightly difficult for me to get past him.
I had no choice but to be on guard and said seriously, "Mr. Lu, please let me through."
You suddenly barged into my life and blocked my way.
"Are you hurt?" Lu Ming asked abruptly.
"What?"
Following his gaze down to my left index finger, I slightly pulled my hand back. There was a small cut that had been noticed unexpectedly, like a private thought being exposed. I pulled my hand back again to ensure he couldn't see it anymore.
"Thank you for your concern, Mr. Lu."
"Mr. Lu? I remember you're still employed at my company; I'm still your boss," Lu Ming said with a frown, looking displeased.
"Lu Zong, we're both adults here. You know I'm definitely leaving; your temple is dedicated to revered deities, so I won't meddle with it."
"Oh?" Lu Ming replied with a question: "So where do you plan to go? To Zhang Ju's place?"
Facing Lu Ming's obvious question, I didn't dodge: "Yes, Miao Miao said Zhang Ju's place is quite good; I'm planning to work hard there."
My sarcasm made Lu Ming laugh; he actually laughed.
"Then I'll ask for you."
"What do you want to ask me?" A bad premonition surged in my heart.
"I'll just ask." Lu Ming paused slightly, "Is Zhang Ju someone who dares to take anyone without looking?"
After saying this, he gave me a deep look, turned around first, and walked toward the private room. His inexplicable words and attitude made me anxious, so I had no choice but to follow. He entered before me, and as I stumbled in after him, the noise in the room quieted down as people turned their attention toward us.
"Hey, Lu Zong, you two coming in one after the other—if someone didn't know better, they might think you were up to something," joked a boss next to Zhang Ju. The people around chimed in with playful banter; it was all in good fun and no one should have taken it seriously.
But I was different. I froze in place, thinking about how this matter concerned me, especially since it involved Lu Ming. Just the thought of it made me uncomfortable. Miao Miao glanced at me and quickly shifted the topic back to herself, giving me a subtle signal to sit down quickly.
Once I returned to Miao Miao's side, I quietly shared what had just happened. Miao Miao lightly hummed, "He wouldn't dare!"
With Miao Miao saying that, I felt reassured. Whatever came my way, we would face it together. Since she was prepared, she would know how to handle it; it was just that the opponent was Lu Ming, which might make things tricky.
Sure enough, not long after, Lu Ming took the initiative and began asking Zhang Ju a series of indirect questions. Zhang Ju was sharp but didn’t know the full story. As Lu Ming threw question after question at him, he fell right into Lu Ming's trap and inadvertently mentioned me.
"Speaking of Lu Zong needing people, Wang Zong and Lu Zong are good brothers. Miao Miao didn't pull good resources toward Lu Zong but instead brought them over here—interesting."
Zhang Ju had also drunk quite a bit and spoke with a slurred tongue, but his logic was clear. In just a few exchanges, he exposed my situation completely. I felt like I was sitting on pins and needles while Miao Miao remained calm. She smiled lightly and said without hesitation, "Zhang Ju, you're joking! I admit I've thought about it, but you don't know how few people there are like you in this world. Are you laughing at me or bragging? Because I can tell the difference."
"Haha, good one, Miao Miao! But I'm actually curious about that question you asked earlier. Little girl, you're impressive! Wang Nan, come on, let's drink! If only my family had someone as useful as Miao Miao—ah, forget it! Let’s drink!"
Wang Nan didn’t shy away and drank cup after cup with Zhang Ju. Lu Ming sat diagonally across from me with a consistently grim expression. Miao Miao must have noticed again but didn’t take it seriously; instead, she provocatively teased him: "Lu Zong seems lost in thought—are you thinking about some beauty? Why didn’t you bring that sister from last time? You’ve changed your outfit pretty quickly."
"Hey, Miao Miao, you have no idea. It's not that Lu Zong has changed into new clothes; it's that the new clothes have actively clung to Lu Zong, and he can't get rid of them. Since Lu Zong can't refuse, he might as well keep them all," said the man beside Lu Ming, who had hardly spoken all night. Hearing Miao Miao mention Lu Ming seemed to energize him.
Lu Ming appeared indifferent to the image being described about him.
"Well, maybe. All we can do is pray that Lu Zong takes a good look at what's in the wardrobe. Perhaps there’s one or two pieces that would suit him. Don’t set your sights too far; some clothes are already being worn by others. If Lu Zong likes them, he can’t just snatch them away. No matter how influential Lu Zong is, he still needs to consider whether the other person is willing," Miao Miao sharply criticized Lu Ming. I was sitting next to her and enjoyed the moment, feeling a bit emboldened by her energy. I chuckled quietly, but just then, Lu Ming suddenly glared at me, freezing my smile in place—neither able to withdraw nor laugh.
"Who is Lu Zong looking at? The clothes here already have their owners," Miao Miao hinted at our identities.
At this point, Lu Ming's expression changed slightly; he smiled lightly, but there was no warmth in it. He continued to focus on Miao Miao before finally speaking.
"Clothes? When did Miss Mu become a businesswoman?"
Miao Miao's face turned sour with anger. It took me a few seconds to recall that she had compared women to clothes, including me. Earlier, she had recommended me to Lu Ming, and now he was mocking her for being a "clothes seller."
"Why can't I be a businesswoman? If it were up to me alone without anyone reliable by my side, I wouldn't even know how I’d starve to death." After saying this, Miao Miao shot a glare at Wang Nan beside her. Wang Nan looked helpless and innocent as he quietly replied, "Why am I being dragged into this?"
Wang Nan and I were sitting on either side of Miao Miao. Watching her engage in a battle of wits with Lu Ming was entertaining for us since we knew both of them well enough to understand they held no fondness for each other. Meanwhile, those around us were getting increasingly drunk and mistakenly thought that something was brewing between Lu Ming and Miao Miao, like they were playful rivals.
The man next to Lu Ming started teasing: "Wang Nan! Aren't you going to keep an eye on your wife? She's got her eyes glued to another man! You better pamper her more; otherwise, when Miao Miao runs away, you’ll regret it too late."
Wang Nan pulled Miao Miao closer with a doting gaze: "Run? If she runs, she better run far; if I catch her, I'll break her legs and won't let her go."
Miao Miao playfully hit Wang Nan twice, and this little war slowly came to an end under the sweet chemistry between Wang Nan and Miao Miao.
As I was about to leave, I didn't forget my responsibilities for the future. I stood next to the drunken Zhang Ju, helping him into the car and reminding him a few things about safety for the designated driver. Leaning against the car door, Zhang Ju suddenly seemed to remember something and looked at me with renewed energy.
"Phone, leave a phone number."
I was overjoyed and was about to write a note for Zhang Ju when Lu Ming suddenly appeared beside me, handing a business card to Zhang Ju in the car.
Zhang Ju took it in his hand, peering at it several times. After waiting for a few minutes, he burst into laughter: "Lu Zong, you’re so funny! Why did you give me your own business card? Silly, really silly."
Lu Heng calmly adjusted his collar and replied lightly, "Zhang Ju is looking for my employee; I should have the right to know."
"Alright, alright." Zhang Ju nodded vigorously with a flushed face. "I'll look for Lu Zong tomorrow; I'll definitely look for him tomorrow."
The designated driver drove away with Zhang Ju, and I angrily called out to Lu Ming as he was about to leave: "Stop right there!"
He turned around, more composed than I was. "What’s wrong?"
"You did that on purpose, didn’t you?" I questioned him in a hushed voice.
Lu Ming's intention and my feigned ignorance were both glaringly obvious.
"Yes, it was intentional."
He suddenly admitted it, leaving me momentarily speechless. Anger surged in my chest; it was always like this.
For marriage, I needed Wang Xu's approval. For work, I had to get Lu Ming's permission to resign. In terms of relationships, I couldn't make any decisions at all. Did I no longer have any room for choice?
Wang Xu was the man I chose to love. I accepted that he squandered my feelings, but the key issue was Lu Ming. How dare he shamelessly interfere in my life? What qualifications did he have?
“Lu Ming, Zhuang Jun?”
Wang Nan walked over, probably having just taken care of Miao Miao. He looked at Lu Ming and then at me, asking, “Zhuang Jun, let me take you home.”
Wang Nan didn’t ask what had just happened between Lu Ming and me; he wasn’t a gossiping person. More importantly, his attention was solely on one person.
“Okay.”
I nodded and got into the car with Wang Nan. I watched him briefly say goodbye to Lu Ming before asking for my address. He added one more thing.
“Zhuang Jun, Lu Ming wasn’t like this before; it’s just that…”
“Wang Nan, I’d prefer to go back to that place from last time. Please take me home; I’m a bit tired.”
I was tired enough that I didn’t want to know about other people’s matters or get involved. I just wanted to recharge and deal with my own mess, nothing more.
“Alright.” Respecting my choice, Wang Nan didn’t bring up anything about Lu Ming again. Perhaps there were enough exciting stories behind it that could make me laugh and applaud, but that was not something I wanted to know, not even a little bit.
Comment 0 Comment Count