The phone screen was empty. There was no message, no call from Lu Qianzhou. Nothing at all.
He must have really cast her aside.
When it was time to get off work, Yan Xia scanned the crowd for Wen Liang's figure, but unexpectedly spotted a very familiar car.
Lu Qianzhou?
The rush hour traffic was heavy at dusk. Her figure was lost in the crowd. Perhaps due to exhaustion, there was a tinge of dejection between her brows.
While she was still standing there in a daze, Lu Qianzhou had already gotten out of the car. He strode towards her and stopped right in front of her.
"What are you standing there for? Get in the car and come with me."
Yan Xia didn't move. He grabbed her arm.
"Are you crazy? This is right downstairs of Shengshi. What if Fang Jiangyi or someone with ulterior motives sees us..."
Lu Qianzhou said firmly, "I'll take care of any problems. Come with me."
He dragged her forward without a care in the world.
Someone nearby recognized Lu Qianzhou and took out their phone to take pictures of them. But he kept his eyes straight ahead and insisted on stuffing her into the car. Then he got into the back seat himself.
People surrounded the car outside to take pictures. The car quickly drove away from downstairs of Shengshi. Yan Xia didn't breathe a sigh of relief until they were out of those people's sight.
Looking down, she saw Lu Qianzhou's hand resting beside her. It was very close. Yan Xia quietly shifted her body to keep a greater distance from him.
"What do you want from me?"
"Are you in a bad mood?" Lu Qianzhou glanced at her and said, "You haven't reported your work progress to me for a long time. What are your chances of getting the position of vice president at the Shengshi board meeting?"
So that's what this was about.
Yan Xia let out a sigh of relief.
"Fifty percent chance."
Lu Qianzhou squinted slightly. "Only half?"
Yan Xia said, "The real power of Shengshi is now in Fang Jiangyi's hands. There are only a few sensible senior executives left in the company. Most of the others are Fang Jiangyi's puppets. If he wants me to be the vice president, then I can succeed. But if he doesn't, I'm afraid I won't be able to."
So for now, the chance was only half.
Lu Qianzhou asked, "Do you have the confidence to win him over?"
Perhaps out of resentment towards Lu Qianzhou, Yan Xia replied coldly.
"For now, I don't have much confidence."
Lu Qianzhou raised his eyebrows slightly. "Are you angry with me?"
Yan Xia took a few deep breaths, then suddenly turned to look at him, smiling brightly. "How dare I be angry with Mr. Lu? I'm telling the truth. For now, I really don't have absolute confidence to get the position of vice president."
Lu Qianzhou curled his lips. "Cheng Yan Xia, you should be clear about how important this matter is to both of us. Whether you can become the vice president determines our control over Shengshi. If you still remember what you need to do, please be more sensible."
Yan Xia said, "I won't forget my purpose. Don't worry."
She had indeed been carried away by her sudden emotions these days, but fortunately, she had figured it out now.
The car wasn't heading in the direction of her home.
"Where are we going?"
"My place."
"I have my own place to live now. I don't need to go to yours. And we should keep our distance from now on. Don't come looking for me so openly and casually..."
"Cheng Yan Xia, are you avoiding me?" He scrutinized every expression on her face, looking confused. "Why are you avoiding me?"
Yan Xia refused to look at him. "I'm not avoiding you. I just..."
Lu Qianzhou interrupted her. "Then stop resisting and come with me obediently."
Yan Xia fell silent.
When the car finally stopped outside Lu Qianzhou's villa, she suddenly understood what he meant. She snorted coldly in her heart.
He had brought her here just to use her as a ready-made cook.
Did he think of her as a servant he could summon and dismiss at will, or a plaything?
Filled with resentment, she followed Lu Qianzhou's instructions and cooked him some porridge. She stir-fried a few delicate side dishes. Finally, she put all the food on the table and took off her apron.
When Lu Qianzhou came to the dining room, she reported like she was at work. "Your dinner is ready. I'll go back first."
Lu Qianzhou blocked her way and looked down at her.
"Your pout is so big you could hang an oil bottle on it." He couldn't help laughing. "If you don't want to do it, then don't. Why are you so resentful?"
She stubbornly raised her head and retorted, "I'm not resentful. I've already done what you asked. What else do you want?"
The smile on Lu Qianzhou's lips deepened. "What's really wrong with you?"
Her voice was a bit low. "It's nothing."
"If you don't tell me, I won't let you go."
Yan Xia tried to walk around him, but he moved to block her again. She tried to go the other way, but he still blocked her path tightly.
This domineering and ambiguous move made her feel extremely annoyed and embarrassed. She simply looked up and glared at him angrily.
"Fine! I won't go!"
She served herself a bowl of porridge and sat down at the dining table. Then she lowered her head and started eating.
Lu Qianzhou watched her for a while, then finally sat down opposite her and ate with her.
The two of them didn't say a word during the whole process. From time to time, there was a soft sound of chopsticks and bowls colliding.
The servants minded their own business and stood not far from the door, with their backs to the dining room, pretending not to see anything. They were waiting for orders at any time.
At the end of the meal, Lu Qianzhou's phone kept ringing. The caller ID on the screen showed a single character 'Yue'.
What an intimate name.
Yan Xia lowered her head and continued eating. She served herself another bowl of porridge.
She had a bad habit. When she was in a bad mood or nervous, she liked to stuff food into her stomach.
She listened to Lu Qianzhou's call with Jiang Yue the whole time. She didn't know what was said on the other end, but she could only hear Lu Qianzhou's replies.
"I know."
"Yeah, you don't need to worry about it."
"Okay, see you next time."
The call lasted less than a minute, but Yan Xia had already eaten another bowl of porridge. She was holding a napkin to wipe her mouth, feeling extremely full.
Lu Qianzhou looked at her with interest. "I didn't know you had such a big appetite. Where does all that meat go?"
Yan Xia glared at him. "I made it myself. I like to eat it. It's none of your business!"
Lu Qianzhou said, "You're eating my food. Why can't I care?"
Humph.
She rolled her eyes. "Don't worry. I'll pay you back with interest in the future."
She stood up to leave again, but Lu Qianzhou firmly grabbed her arm. Yan Xia was really annoyed. She had already decided not to provoke him, but why did he keep making these ambiguous moves?
"Mr. Lu, what on earth do you want?"
Lu Qianzhou said seriously, "You still haven't told me what's wrong with you."
He was really oblivious.
Yan Xia said, "Lu Qianzhou, don't you really know what you've done?"
He smiled. "What did I do?"
Since the conversation had reached this point, she might as well make it clear.
Yan Xia turned to face him. "Fine. Then let me ask you. Are you and Jiang Yue in a relationship?"
He raised his eyebrows. "What kind of relationship?"
"A romantic relationship!"
He was very decisive. "No."
Yan Xia despised him even more. If you're not in a relationship, then why are you flirting with two women at the same time? You're such a playboy!