Wu Маngmаng рreferrеd dоing things with а сrоwd; something like Lu Sui drinking роrridge alоne was аbsоlutеlу nоt sоmething she wоuld do.
That wasn't porridgе hе was drinking—it wаs lonеlinеss.
"Yеs," Lu Sui rеpliеd, роuring himsеlf а cuр of tea bеfоre glаncing at the еmpty sеat besidе Wu Маngmаng.
"I'm nоt аlоne; I cаmе with a friеnd," Wu Маngmang еxрlаined.
"Hmm," Lu Sui rеsрondеd dismissively.
In truth, the tаbleware wаs аlrеadу set out, so thеrе wаs no nееd fоr аn ехplаnаtion. It wаs an unnеcessаry mоvе thаt onlу highlightеd Wu Маngmang's deliberаte effort.
Just then, Dr. Lin, who hаd gone to thе restroоm, returnеd tо his seаt, and Wu Mangmang was more than happy to chat with the doctor first.
The cold aura around Lu Sui and his dismissive replies like "yes" and "hmm" made talking to him feel like a chore for Wu Mangmang.
Even conversing with a robot would be better than this.
"Miss Wu, I've been thinking—there's no need to rush the issue of children. People's thoughts change over time, and no one knows what the future holds. Why don't we set this topic aside for now?" Lin Letao suggested.
Wu Mangmang wholeheartedly agreed, though she found it curious that Dr. Lin, who had been quite firm about having a son and a daughter earlier, had suddenly changed his mind.
Still, she appreciated Lin Letao's open-minded approach to resolving issues.
Seeing Wu Mangmang nod, Lin Letao breathed a sigh of relief internally.
Although he had some reservations about Wu Mangmang's many flaws, her long, curled eyelashes had caught his attention. When he returned from the restroom and saw her quietly pouring tea with her head bowed and eyes lowered, those fluttering lashes like butterfly wings inexplicably made his heart skip a beat.
Moreover, Wu Mangmang's teeth were truly beautiful and healthy, indicating good habits—at least when it came to brushing.
"However, my work keeps me extremely busy. I hope Miss Wu doesn't mind?" Lin Letao asked.
Wu Mangmang shook her head—of course she didn't mind.
Lin Letao nodded in satisfaction. "But Miss Wu is so exceptionally beautiful that whoever marries you would likely worry about leaving you at home."
Wu Mangmang stared at Lin Letao with wide, unblinking eyes, wondering whether he was insulting or complimenting her.
A soft chuckle came from beside them. Wu Mangmang hadn't expected to be able to amuse Mr. Lu—what a noble contribution.
But she couldn't find it funny at the moment. She thought that if she didn't end up having an affair in the future, she'd be letting down Dentist Lin's words today.
"Don't be upset, Miss Wu. It's not your fault—it's just that you're so beautiful that even if you don't intend to, others will still approach you."
That was a much better way to put it, and Wu Mangmang's opinion of Lin Letao rose a little higher.
"So, would Miss Wu consider working at my dental clinic?" Lin Letao asked.
A dental clinic? Wu Mangmang couldn't help but think of nurse uniforms—not exactly a pleasant memory.
Just as she was about to shake her head, Lin Letao added, "I know it's not your field, but you could work at the front desk, handling appointments and answering calls. It's quite simple."
He even wanted to manage her work—how meddlesome."In that case, not only can I see you every day, but Miss Wu can also see me daily, putting both our minds at ease."
Wu Mangmang leaned back in her chair, picked up the already cooled tea, took a sip, and said calmly, "Actually, if I wanted to be unfaithful, even working as a receptionist at your clinic wouldn’t stop me from keeping it a secret."
Lin Letao knew he had likely wounded the young lady’s pride, though he was merely speaking the truth.
Wu Mangmang suddenly linked arms with Lu Sui beside her and said to Lin Letao, "Look, my dear here watches over me at home every day without working, yet today he still caught me out on a blind date with you. But my dear is gracious—he knows I was forced into this. Thank you for trusting me, darling."
Wu Mangmang tilted her head slightly and planted a loud kiss on Lu Sui’s cheek.
"I’m sorry, Dr. Lin," Wu Mangmang’s expression immediately turned somber. "My parents disapprove of my dear because his family is poor. They won’t allow us to marry and insist on tearing us apart. I had no choice."
Lin Letao’s gaze naturally shifted to the composed Lu Sui, easily landing on his wristwatch.
Wu Mangmang pouted at Lu Sui and said, "Darling, didn’t I tell you not to wear knockoffs like this? Anyone can tell it’s fake at a glance."
At this point, even Lu Sui couldn’t help but twitch the corner of his mouth, slowly picking up a tissue to wipe his cheek.
Wu Mangmang quickly pulled out a makeup-removing wipe from her bag. "Darling, let me help you wipe it."
Uncle Lu was unexpectedly cooperative today, so much so that Wu Mangmang began to feel uneasy. She hadn’t been able to restrain herself again.
Watching the intimacy between the two, Lin Letao felt like an extra. He left two hundred-yuan bills on the table and walked away.
Dr. Lin’s manners were actually quite decent—even in such a situation, he remembered to pay the bill.
As Wu Mangmang wiped Lu Sui’s cheek, she felt a pang of regret. It was a shame; if only Dr. Lin hadn’t insisted she work as a receptionist or attacked her moral principles.
As soon as Lin Letao left, Lu Sui shook off Wu Mangmang’s hand.
The young couple across the round table had thoroughly enjoyed the show and were still staring wide-eyed at Wu Mangmang and Lu Sui. The girl looked excited, clearly waiting for the two lovebirds to start fighting.
The worst part about acting is when there’s an audience eager to watch—once they’re hooked, you can’t stop.
Tears welled up in Wu Mangmang’s eyes, falling one after another like glistening pearls, making the bespectacled young man across the table ache for Lu Sui.
"Don’t be like this," Wu Mangmang sobbed pitifully, using her fingers to wipe the tears beneath her eyes. "I had no choice. My parents threatened to cut off my allowance if I didn’t come on this blind date. How else would we survive?"
The young man and woman across the table collectively let out a mental "oh" of realization—so he was a kept man living off a woman.
Just as Lu Sui was about to speak, Wu Mangmang covered his mouth with her palm.
Crying, Wu Mangmang said, "I won’t let you go back to your old job. Those older women are all perverts."The girl opposite gasped in shock—this man with such top-tier charm was actually a former gigolo! But he really did have the assets to back it up.
Lu Sui pulled Wu Mangmang’s hand away. “Are you getting addicted to acting?”
Instantly snapped out of character.
Wu Mangmang felt truly regretful. The couple opposite were such rare, excellent audience members—their expressions were so vivid, just seeing them got her excited.
But Uncle Lu was not someone to be trifled with. Wu Mangmang’s rationality finally returned a little, and she couldn’t help but regret once again infringing upon her uncle’s reputation.
This time, though, she hoped Jiang Baoliang would go easy on her.
Wu Mangmang stole a glance at Lu Sui. Why was Uncle Lu so calm? Was he not planning to sue her this time? This slander seemed even worse than the last.
It seemed that once you got familiar with someone, it was harder to take action.
Wu Mangmang chuckled inwardly, feeling a twisted sense of satisfaction.
When Wu Yong heard Wu Mangmang recount this scene, he carefully observed her expression—the intoxication on her face was like she was on drugs.
“You’re really happy to belittle him like this,” Wu Yong said.
Wu Mangmang was taken aback at first, then decisively nodded. “Yes. I don’t know why, but just thinking that in some parallel universe, Lu Sui might be a gigolo makes me really happy.”
“Am I just resentful of the rich, Dr. Wu?” Wu Mangmang asked.
Wu Yong shook his head. “Does this Mr. Lu usually treat you very coldly?”
Cold? Of course—almost to the point of ignoring her.
So was she actively trying to get his attention?
Just because he was like Boss Wu and Ms. Liu back then?
Ignoring her.
Thinking about it was truly sad.
But there were plenty of other people in the world who ignored her—why didn’t she care about their attitudes?
The answer was so obvious that Wu Mangmang had to admit, with a touch of conscience, that Uncle Lu’s charm had still dazzled her eyes.
There were many ways to solve this kind of problem.
The first was to restrain herself and ignore it, but that was self-deception, and her condition might even worsen.
The second was to fight poison with poison. The allure between the sexes often diminishes with proximity or fades over time.
But there was another solution: let nature take its course. Being too deliberate would only make it seem like she cared too much.
Wu Mangmang felt that caring about a successful, mature man like Lu Sui was just self-torture.
She preferred finding a simple, fresh-faced young man with abs and a V-line, but Ms. Liu and Boss Wu probably really wouldn’t approve of the other party’s financial status.
“What happened next?” Wu Yong’s voice snapped Wu Mangmang out of her thoughts.
Next? Wu Mangmang didn’t react at first, but after a moment, she realized Wu Yong was asking about Lu Sui—the one who had sent her a lawyer’s letter last time.
But Wu Mangmang had no intention of satisfying Wu Yong’s curiosity. She raised her wrist to check the time. “Oh, time’s up, Dr. Wu.”
In the past, Wu Mangmang would linger in Wu Yong’s office, unwilling to leave, trying to stretch out the psychologist’s paid time. But this time, she ran faster than a rabbit.
As for what happened later that night?
Lu Sui’s food had just been served, but he clearly had no intention of inviting Wu Mangmang to dinner.
Wu Mangmang waited for a long time, but Lu Sui showed no other signs of acknowledgment. In the end, she had no choice but to use the money Dr. Lin had left to pay the bill.
But when Wu Mangmang walked out of the congee shop, her heart felt as if it were being scratched by a cat.Why would Lu Sui be so cooperative in acting along with her?
He seemed interested, yet she couldn't quite sense it—he didn’t even know to seize the opportunity and invite her to join him for dinner.
So, she couldn’t figure it out.
It was dinner time, the peak traffic hour in the city. Hailing a taxi was out of the question; even ride-hailing apps were useless at this point.
The narrow alley made it impossible to even turn a car around. Once you entered, you were essentially "stuck." No one was foolish enough to come here.
Wu Mangmang glanced at her three-inch high heels and sighed, then headed toward the nearest bus stop.
But what kind of place was this neighborhood anyway? The buses actually stopped running at 8 p.m. Wu Mangmang checked her watch and began weighing her options: wait for the last bus, which might or might not come, or keep walking.
Just as Wu Mangmang was hesitating, her feet aching, she saw Lu Sui riding a super cool motorcycle speeding toward the bus stop.
"Lu Sui!" Wu Mangmang cupped her hands around her mouth like a megaphone and shouted at the top of her lungs.
Forget ladylike manners and poise—Wu Mangmang was driven to madness by her high heels.
She didn’t know why, every time she went into a shoe store, she always chose these expensive, torturous high heels over comfortable flats.
Perhaps gentlemen face a similar dilemma when choosing between a plain but durable woman and a delicate, high-maintenance beauty.
The motorcycle couldn’t go too fast in the narrow alley, so Lu Sui stopped about ten meters ahead of Wu Mangmang.
Without hesitation, Wu Mangmang took off her high heels, held them in her hand, and ran barefoot to Lu Sui.
"Mr. Lu, could you give me a ride to the nearest subway station?"
When she was acting like a normal person, Wu Mangmang was quite polite.
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