Chapter 52
The short hand pointed to 3, and it was just past three o’clock in the afternoon. The window in the room was open, and the spring breeze fluttered the curtains. The sunlight poured through the cracks in the window and spread a thin layer of golden light on the floor.
The air was filled with a pleasant warmth.
Jiang Ci woke up from a deep sleep, but Lu Xingxue was not by her side. She lazily turned over and lay on the pillow. The blanket couldn’t cover up her delicate body, and fine kiss marks could be seen almost everywhere on her white skin.
The door was blown open halfway by the wind, and the sound of Lu Xingxue faintly drifted in from outside.
Jiang Ci listened for a moment, then put on her pajamas and went out quietly.
In the studio, Lu Xingxue was in a video conference, and Jiang Ci peeked in quietly.
Lu Xingxue noticed the head outside the door from the corner of her eye. Her calm expression softened, and she turned her head and asked with her lips, “Are you awake?”
A man in a pink shirt, presenting the project plan for the new season in the meeting suddenly burst into laughter.
Lu Xingxue glanced at the screen, slid her chair away from the camera’s range and said, “Just wait a moment.”
As she walked towards the door, her long skirt outlined her exquisite body curves. Her smile never faded from her face since she saw Jiang Ci, “Looking for me?”
Jiang Ci shook her head, “Just wanted to see you.”
Jiang Ci’s eyes were clear, her features delicate. She had just woken up, her cheeks were rosy, her hair was messy and tousled, and she exuded a lazy and delicate beauty. Lu Xingxue helped her smooth out her hair and said, “Wait for me for a moment, and I’ll take you out for dinner after the meeting.”
Jiang Ci replied, “Okay.”
Jiang Ci turned and headed back to her room. After taking only two steps, Lu Xingxue chased after her and grabbed her wrist, pulling her into her arms, “Good afternoon kiss, baby.”
Jiang Ci was waiting for Lu Xingxue while applying a face mask, and Huo Zhenzhen came in excitedly, “Have you been following Xu Lai’s drama? The plot twists are so dizzying!”
Jiang Ci asked, “What drama?”
Huo Zhenzhen remained silent for three seconds, “Don’t tell me you don’t know.”
“I’m not a fan… What drama is so exciting?” Jiang Ci replied.
“You haven’t been online since last night?” Huo Zhenzhen asked incredulously, before Jiang Ci could answer, she continued in a detached tone, “Oh, I see. You’re busy. You finish work and rush back to cuddle with Lu Xingxue.”
Jiang Ci: “…”
Jiang Ci exclaimed, “What is it? Tell me.”
Huo Zhenzhen clicked her tongue and said, “It’s about Xu Lai. We all guess she got screwed over by the capitalists. Look at the hot search, there are several related keywords.”
Jiang Ci hid the call and switched to another screen to check.
The cause of the incident was a photo taken by a paparazzi during the Chinese New Year, which showed Xu Lai, wearing a hat and mask, carrying a child to the hospital. The photo raised suspicion that Xu Lai had given birth to a child several years ago.
This caused a huge uproar, as Xu Lai, who debuted through a talent show, would be considered a failure as an idol if she had given birth before the show. Fans who had supported her were stunned and some even turned against her.
Xu Lai’s management company issued a statement at 9 am this morning, claiming that the child in the photo was Xu Lai’s younger brother, and released a family photo of Xu Lai, her parents, and the child, highlighting their harmonious relationship.
In the end, a long list of rumor-spreading accounts were listed for prosecution.
The paparazzi who leaked the news and various marketing accounts immediately came under attack by Xu Lai’s fans across the internet. A fierce battle ensued until noon, when a new account named “It’s My Child” registered and posted many intimate photos of Xu Lai from the past with the caption: “Please give me a reason why you secretly had a child behind my back!”
The two people in the photos looked young, especially Xu Lai, who still had a youthful appearance and was likely still a minor.
Meanwhile, the so-called “little brother” of the economic company and this “It’s My Child” person who had surfaced had almost identical facial features.
For a while, all the battling fans fell silent, and a storm of peace settled over the internet.
No one mentioned Four Seasons again. All eyes were on Xu Lai, waiting for her to come forward, either to deny or admit the rumors.
“You see, they look exactly alike, don’t they?” Huo Zhenzhen shared her thoughts with Jiang Ci.
Jiang Ci had met Xu Lai before and had a good impression of her. Seeing her caught up in another storm, she couldn’t be as indifferent as Huo Zhenzhen.
Peeling off her face mask, Jiang Ci asked Huo Zhenzhen, “Didn’t you say that Xu Lai is from Z City?”
“Yeah.” Huo Zhenzhen replied. “If she admits that the child is hers, oh my god, that would definitely violate her endorsement contract! If this kind of news break out during the endorsement period, and she had a child while still a minor, Four Seasons will definitely sue her and terminate her contract… I don’t know who is handling PR for Four Seasons, but it’s weird that no one is behind the scenes pushing this explosion of popularity! Xu Lai’s career could be ruined…”
Jiang Ci thought of Wen Nian and didn’t want to delve any further into her thoughts.
She may have only scratched the surface of her understanding of Wen Nian.
“Now?” Lu Xingxue ended the meeting and listened to the phone call looking for Jiang Ci.
“Okay… does Ah-Ci want to come too?”
Jiang Ci was applying lipstick when she heard Lu Xingxue’s question and looked at her with a questioning gaze.
Lu Xingxue hung up the phone and told Jiang Ci, “Auntie Yun called, Grandpa wants us to come over now.”
“Did Auntie Yun say what it was about?” Jiang Ci asked Lu Xingxue.
“No, she didn’t. Maybe it’s not convenient for her to talk,” Lu Xingxue replied.
“Oh, then let’s go,” Jiang Ci said.
Lu Xingxue turned her head and looked at Jiang Ci’s soft and plump red lips, like ripe cherries.
“This shade suits you very well,” Lu Xingxue said.
“Really?” Jiang Ci asked happily. “Do you want to try it?”
“Sure,” Lu Xingxue said.
“…”
Jiang Ci laughed and patted her. “What are you doing? You’re ruining my lipstick!”
As the car drove into the old mansion of the Lu family, they saw someone standing with their back facing the parking lot, making a phone call. She was fashionable, with a scarf wrapped around her head. When the car passed by, Jiang Ci recognized her as Mrs. Wang, Lu’s aunt.
Mrs. Wang heard the sound of the car wheels and turned her head to see them. She immediately put away her phone, put on her sunglasses, and got into the car without saying a word.
“…” Jiang Ci had a bad feeling. She worried, “Grandpa has heart problems. She couldn’t have come to tell him…”
Lu Xingxue also had a rare serious expression.
Grandpa Lu was standing in the main hall, and Auntie Yun was waiting for them outside. As soon as they appeared, Auntie Yun stepped forward.
“Auntie Yun,” Lu Xingxue asked her, “What did Grandpa call us here for?”
Auntie Yun looked towards Grandpa Lu and said, “Mrs. Wang came to vent. I don’t know if you saw her just now. Her niece, Wang Yuanyuan, cried for several days and nights because the company sent her abroad for further studies, which is tantamount to urging her to resign. She’s now on a hunger strike at home.”
Just this matter alone wouldn’t have caused Grandpa Lu to call both of them back. Jiang Ci almost confirmed her suspicion when Auntie Yun mentioned Wang Yuanyuan. Lu Xingxue directly asked Auntie Yun, “Is there something else?”
Auntie Yun hesitated for a moment, but Grandpa Lu banged his cane on the ground and said, “Xiao Bai, Ah-Ci, come in.”
Auntie Yun quickly said, “The old man knows everything!”
Jiang Ci and Lu Xingxue looked at each other and saw helplessness in each other’s eyes.
The two of them entered the room and called out “Grandpa” in unison. Grandpa Lu turned around and looked them up and down.
He had difficulty walking and didn’t move much. Now he held onto his cane and was floating in mid-air. Lu Xingxue went to help him and said, “Grandpa, sit down first.”
“Let go!” Grandpa Lu banged his cane on the ground, not appreciating it at all.
Jiang Ci saw the situation and went to help him from the other side, saying, “Grandpa, please sit down…”
She hung her head like a well-behaved child who had been scolded. Grandpa Lu’s heart softened, and reluctantly let them help him sit down. “I want to ask you, is everything your aunt said true? Did you two sign an agreement before getting married? Five years!?”
Grandpa Lu held his chest when he spoke, and after finishing his words, he clutched his shirt tightly and breathed heavily in pain. Lu Xingxue and Jiang Ci said in unison, “Grandpa!”
Grandpa Lu tremblingly took out a medicine bottle from his coat pocket. Lu Xingxue quickly opened the bottle cap, and Jiang Ci handed him water. By the time Grandpa Lu took the medicine, they were already sweating profusely in fear.
After lying back on the chair for ten minutes, Grandpa Lu’s breathing gradually became stable.
“Forget it.” He let out a sigh, “How many five years does one have in a lifetime? I made you two suffer just to fulfill my wish. If Old Jiang knew I forced you like this, he would probably crawl out of his coffin in anger. …Forget it, forget it, let’s part on good terms.”
He waved to them and changed his tone, “Ah-Ci, even if you divorce Xiao Bai and are no longer the daughter-in-law of the Lu family, you are still welcome here anytime. With the relationship between me and Old Jiang, I will treat you as my own granddaughter in the future.”
“Grandpa, whether it’s five years or fifty years, we won’t get divorced.” Lu Xingxue leaned on her grandfather’s knee, her voice gentle but full of determination. “Ah-Ci and I did sign a contract at the beginning, but the agreement is just a cold piece of paper that cannot restrict the feelings between us.”
Grandpa Lu was confused and looked at her with suspicion, then turned to Jiang Ci. “Ah-Ci, you are a good girl. I don’t believe her, but I trust you. Tell me the truth, what’s going on between you two? What she said just now, is it a lie?”
Jiang Ci held Grandpa Lu’s hand and hesitated. Grandpa Lu was waiting for her to speak.
“Grandpa, our contract has been cancelled.” Jiang Ci’s face turned from white to red. “I am preparing for pregnancy now.”
Lu Xingxue, who was defined by Grandpa Lu as a bad girl without any reason, remained silent all the way back to the car with her numerous bags of supplements.
She mentioned the pregnancy to reassure her grandfather, and Lu Xingxue understood that. However, when Jiang Ci saw her reaction, she was embarrassed and a little confused. “Did I not consult with you before saying this? I made the decision on my own, are you upset?”
Lu Xingxue sealed her lips and smiled, “You little liar.”
It had been a long time since she had heard that name, and Jiang Ci’s heart was warmed by it. She whispered, “I thought you didn’t like it.”
Lu Xingxue said, “Of course I love our child. You don’t know how touched I am to hear you say that.”
Jiang Ci leaned against Lu Xingxue’s forehead and said, “Hmm… but I still want more time alone with you.”
“Private time for just the two of us?” Lu Xingxue asked.
“Hmm…” Jiang Ci replied.
Lu Xingxue gently kissed her, “Me too.”
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