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墨書 Inktalez
When it comes to the favor owed to Qin Yi, I spent a long time convincing myself that this time, facing Lu Ming, I just wanted to completely sever any ties between myself, Lu Ming, and Qin Yi. With Wang Nan and Miao Miao about to go abroad, I would simply act as an employee of Gu Xiang. Without the burden of this favor, I could then live my life without any further interactions.
Therefore, I had never considered others; every time it was for my own sake, for my own well-being.
Before meeting Lu Ming, I took a leave from Gu Xiang. Gu Xiang looked at me meaningfully: "Have you made up your mind? Are you sure about your decision?"
I nodded: "Of course. If I don't handle this properly this time, there will be even bigger troubles later on. I don't want to complicate things."
Gu Xiang sighed: "Actually, you still feel reluctant, right? Deep down, you don't want it to be this way."
After being called out, I could only smile bitterly: "What can I do, Gu Xiang? If I could really avoid it, I would find a way to do so. If I had known it would turn out like this, I wouldn't have agreed to help Qin Yi in the first place. Maybe if I had taken it all on myself back then, it would have been different."
Having received help from Qin Yi, I couldn't just avoid helping her now that I no longer wanted to. Some things had to be faced; she hadn't pressured me specifically; it was just me putting pressure on myself.
"Alright then," Gu Xiang said. "Since you've thought this through, I'll respect your decision. Go ahead, but you must promise me not to let this process affect your mood too much. You're already managing better; you'll get through this slowly. Don't let it worsen again."
After saying goodbye to Gu Xiang, I arrived at the café a bit earlier than our agreed time and found a corner seat. With an hour to spare, I watched the crowd outside the window and kept thinking about what the scene would be like when I met Lu Ming. Would I really be able to control my anger towards him? Or would I change my mind and persuade him to stick with what he has always believed in? After all, he deserved whatever came his way.
Less than half an hour later, Lu Ming arrived. He showed up thirty minutes early. Surprised, I watched him sit down in front of me, looking somewhat worn out. He seemed unchanged compared to before; there was no sign of despair—perhaps he was just putting on a brave face.
"Hello," he said. "I came because Qin Yi asked me to meet you. She wants to persuade you to go see her father so that you can continue taking over the business your father entrusted to you."
My feelings were more numb than I had anticipated. I knew very well that persuading Lu Ming to reclaim what he had lost was based on the foundation of his past actions that had hurt me.
Lu Ming raised an eyebrow with a detached expression: "Do you think I'd be willing to accept help from a woman?"
I shook my head: "Of course not."
As his expression remained unchanged, I added, "But you've already gone through this once, so what does a second time matter?"
Lu Ming's pupils suddenly tightened, filled with anger as he glared at me, and I felt a rush of satisfaction.
My coming over to help Qin Yi persuade Lu Ming did not mean that I agreed she could successfully convince him, nor did I genuinely intend to play matchmaker for them. Therefore, whatever I said now was entirely up to me; I could choose to persuade or to mock.
"Do you feel satisfied?" Lu Ming retorted.
"Of course, it's even more satisfying than I imagined. But perhaps it’s slightly less satisfying than when you were harming others for your own benefit. Still, I'm content; at least I haven't hurt anyone."
It was an unexpected satisfaction. I had been avoiding any possibility of contact with Lu Ming, yet I desperately wanted to voice my grievances. If I didn’t speak up, would the real culprit remain unaware? Just because he hadn’t experienced it himself, did he think I wasn’t suffering anymore?
"If you still have more to say, you can continue. If you're done, you can leave; you can report back to Qin Yi." It was hard to read Lu Ming's emotions; he certainly wasn't happy, but he wasn't angry either.
I chuckled lightly, "Lu Zong really thinks of everything for me; thank you so much. However, this is an agreement between Qin Yi and me. How I proceed is my decision. If Lu Zong wants to leave, I won’t stop you."
Little did I know that after saying this, Lu Ming suddenly stood up and started walking out. As he passed by me, I was so surprised that it took my brain a moment to catch up; my face flushed as I shouted, "You!"
Lu Ming then stopped in his tracks, glancing back at me and leisurely said, "What? Do you want to stop me now?"
My ears burned hotter as I composed myself and pretended to be calm in response, "That's not the case; if you want to go, then go ahead."
Lu Ming really left, grabbing my arm and pulling me out of the coffee shop despite the curious gazes of the sparse customers and my quiet protests. He brought me straight to his car, efficiently tossing me into the passenger seat before circling around to sit beside me. He closed the door and fastened his seatbelt in one smooth motion.
I angrily yelled at him, "Lu Ming, are you out of your mind?"
Lu Ming glanced at me and said, "Now you're willing to call me by my name instead of Mr. Lu?"
The anger in my chest was about to overflow. I couldn't control my emotions as Gu Xiang had asked me to. Just thinking about all the complicated things that had happened made me feel wronged, and I started to cry: "Are you crazy? If you want to lose your mind, go ahead, but why drag me into it? Why burden me?"
It felt utterly unfair. I hadn't done anything wrong, yet I was caught in a disaster that ruined my family, my future, and everything else. And here I was, trying to persuade this person to continue pursuing what he should have—why should I have to bend like this?
To my surprise, tears that hadn't come out during the divorce suddenly flowed now. It had been a long time since I had cried so freely, without caring about others' gazes or criticisms, just doing what I wanted.
That was all.
I cried for an unknown amount of time; I couldn't even estimate it. All I knew was that the car had brought us to an unfamiliar mountaintop. Looking around at the desolate surroundings, if he really wanted to kill me here, the police would probably take a long time to investigate before reaching any conclusions.
"You..." My voice was a bit hoarse from crying too long as I sniffled.
"Have you cried enough?"
I glared at him. "Don't mind me. Why did you bring me here? Take me back. I've said what I needed to say; how you think is your business."
I had already done my best. Even if Qin Yi came looking for me again, I could say I had repaid my debt. Right now, all I wanted was to stay away from Lu Ming.
"What can I do to help you calm down?"
"What?"
"The past has already happened, and I've helped you recover some of your losses. We're both adults; moving forward, what do you need from me to make things easier for you?"
I hesitated for a moment. "Don't even think about it. Since it has already happened, it has caused me harm. How can you possibly make up for the damage that has been done? Let me tell you, it's impossible."
Are all businessmen like this, treating people as if they were just business transactions? Can the losses be compensated for the pain that has already been inflicted? People have feelings; they are not cold, unfeeling entities.
I wasn't sure if I misheard, but Lu Ming let out a short sigh. I stood my ground, opposing him. Perhaps subconsciously, this argument was what I truly wanted. I needed Lu Ming to understand that his previous actions had left me with a sense of debt.
Strangely enough, I didn't want him to do anything to repay me; I just wanted him to remember his mistakes. I was simply dissatisfied with his always superior demeanor.
"I apologize for what I've done before."
"…"
"But I don't have the ability to travel back in time and bring you to the past. All I can do is offer compensation in the present."
I scoffed, "Compensation? You have no power now; everything has been taken back by your father. What can you possibly offer me? Do you really think you're still the same as before?"
My sarcasm was unreserved. I expected Lu Ming to get angry, but he seemed unfazed, lost in thought about what I had said. He countered, "Then what do you want when I regain my abilities?"
Surprised, I blurted out, "Are you crazy? Oh, are you planning to remarry Qin Yi?"
Only then did Lu Ming show a different expression. He smirked mockingly, though I couldn't tell if he was laughing at himself or at me.
"Business matters don't have to involve emotions. Let's set that aside. What do you want?"
Lu Ming asked me again what kind of compensation I desired, but my mind was still in chaos. How could I possibly know what I wanted? All I could do was shake my head and say that I wasn't sure yet.
"Don't worry, take your time to think it over. I need some time too. Call me when you've made up your mind," Lu Ming said firmly.
"Do you really think that what you do later can make up for everything? Or do you believe you can fulfill the wishes I've expressed?" I showed my deep distrust, but Lu Ming in front of me seemed to grow more confident.
"Feel free to ask. Just choose the compensation you want the most; there's no rush to answer me."
After Lu Ming finished speaking, he tried to drive away, but I suddenly stopped him. "No need, I've already thought of something."
Lu Ming halted his movements and looked at me.
I slowly said, "I want Deng Xiaomei, my ex-husband, and his mother, who destroyed my family, to receive their due retribution. Is that possible?"
Without any hesitation or pause, Lu Ming nodded. "Sure."
I was surprised. "Really? You agreed without knowing anything yet. Can you really do it?"
After getting in the car, Lu Ming answered me seriously, "Since it's your wish, I'll do my best. Don't worry; you won't find anyone else to help with this."
I didn't expect Lu Ming would throw a bit of sarcasm at me in the end. I glared at him through gritted teeth. Fine, let's see what kind of help he claims to provide.
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