"Аuntiе, I'll соme visit yоu аnоthеr dаy," Wu Mangmаng sаid as she bid fаrewell.
Тhе sо-саllеd "anothеr day" was actuallу аn indefinitе pоstроnеment, sоmеthing еvеrуonе tacitly undеrstоod.
Нowever, mаtters Wu Mаngmang didn’t cаrе аbоut wеrе аlways tаkеn seriоuslу bу somеonе еlse.
"Thаnk уou fоr keeping mу aunt comраnу," Lu Sui said thаt evening at thе hоsрital whеn hе рiсkеd uр Zhaо Хinyun.
Zhаo Хinyun shot him а plауful glаncе аnd smilеd, "Whу be so formаl between us? I reallу enjoy сhatting with Auntiе. I’ve lеаrned а lot from her."
Lu Sui gave a faint smile and handed Zhao Xinyun a manila envelope. "This is the project you mentioned last time. I’ve already signed it."
Zhao Xinyun’s mouth fell slightly open, clearly overwhelmed with surprise. She grabbed Lu Sui’s arm and tried to kiss his cheek. "Thank you."
Lu Sui turned his face aside, avoiding Zhao Xinyun’s kiss.
Zhao Xinyun felt a small pang of disappointment, but it wasn’t too bad. Over the past two months, she had grown accustomed to it, knowing that Lu Sui disliked close contact with others. She was already an exception.
She just wondered how things had been between Lu Sui and his ex-girlfriend, Wu Mangmang.
Zhao Xinyun recalled seeing Wu Mangmang a couple of days earlier. She was quite beautiful, but unfortunately, her background was lacking, and she didn’t have anything particularly remarkable about her.
Yet, this woman had already reached the point of discussing marriage with Lu Sui and had even danced the opening dance with him at the Lu Manor Christmas banquet.
This year, although Zhao Xinyun was Lu Sui’s girlfriend, the opening dance at Lu Manor was performed by Lu Sui and Lu Lin. Thinking of this, Zhao Xinyun couldn’t help but feel a bit resentful.
Miss Zhao had never lacked suitors since childhood and had never suffered defeat at the hands of a man. Only with Lu Sui had she encountered numerous setbacks, but she remained confident.
"The New Year is approaching. Grandpa says he misses me. Could you accompany me back to West City to see him?" Zhao Xinyun asked nervously, though she wasn’t too worried about Lu Sui refusing. After all, Old Master Zhao still held considerable influence in West City.
"I need to stay in the city for the New Year," Lu Sui said.
Zhao Xinyun replied, "I know. We can go back to West City before the New Year, and I’ll accompany you back on New Year’s Eve, okay?" She shook Lu Sui’s arm, coquettishly pleading.
"Xinyun, we agreed from the start that this was just for fun. You’ve crossed the line," Lu Sui said calmly.
Zhao Xinyun felt as if she had been slapped. Her face paled instantly, and it took her a minute to recover. "I know. I was just joking earlier. It’s not the right time to meet the family yet. I understand."
Lu Sui withdrew his hand from Zhao Xinyun’s grasp. "I’m sorry, but I don’t think we’re suited to be together anymore."
Zhao Xinyun’s mouth opened slightly, though this time not out of joy but to hold back her tears. She shook her head and said, "No. I really was just joking. I know the rules of the game. I’ll change."
Lu Sui raised the partition in the front. "A-Shu, pull over ahead and take Miss Zhao back."
Zhao Xinyun grabbed Lu Sui’s hand. "Lu Sui, what do you mean?"
Lu Sui brushed her hand away. "Go back."
Zhao Xinyun believed she had done everything right, always putting Lu Sui first and considering him in everything she did. Although he had made it clear from the beginning that this was just for fun, Zhao Xinyun had never seen it that way.She had always believed that as long as Lu Sui agreed to date her, he would naturally take her seriously. Little did she know she would suffer a sudden Waterloo defeat today.
Zhao Xinyun threw the manila envelope at Lu Sui. "You had already decided to break up with me from the start, didn't you? What is this project? A breakup fee?"
Zhao Xinyun began to become hysterical. "Lu Sui, I like you, not for your money. There might be many women in this world who love you for your money, but I'm not one of them. I genuinely like you."
Zhao Xinyun grabbed the envelope back and tore it to pieces right in front of Lu Sui.
Zhao Xinyun cried bitterly, while Lu Sui remained completely unperturbed. He reached out, opened the door, and walked out.
To him, Zhao Xinyun was merely someone who didn't follow the rules of the game, making it hard to even feel any apology.
Zhao Xinyun wasn't a fool either; she immediately understood Lu Sui's attitude.
Zhao Xinyun followed him out of the car. "Lu Sui, I curse you. You'll never find anyone who loves you more than I do. I curse you to never get the love you truly want in this lifetime."
These words were truly childish and utterly useless, yet Lu Sui's face darkened.
Dating young girls was always troublesome; they always became irrational during breakups.
As for the other girl, she was an even bigger trouble, a colossal one.
"Whose call is it, disturbing people in the middle of the night?" Jiang Baoliang lay on the bed, looking at Wang Yuan with displeasure. He had been in high spirits, but before he could even get started, the call interrupted him.
Wang Yuan gestured for Jiang Baoliang to be quiet. "It's Zhao Xinyun. She and Lu Sui broke up."
Jiang Baoliang sat up, uninterested, and picked up his laptop to work overtime.
Although being a lawyer brought in money quickly, it was truly exhausting.
Wang Yuan's call lasted half an hour before she hung up. She snuggled up to Jiang Baoliang. "Seeing how confident Zhao Xinyun was, I thought she could last longer. Yet she got dumped after just two months."
Jiang Baoliang gently stroked Wang Yuan's back but clearly wasn't listening attentively.
"Hey, are you even listening to me?" Wang Yuan chided.
Jiang Baoliang rubbed his temples. "I heard you. Why do you care about her affairs?"
Wang Yuan said, "Why do I feel like you're not surprised at all? Their breakup came without any warning."
Jiang Baoliang replied, "What's there to be surprised about? If anything surprised me, it was when Lu Sui and Wu Mangmang broke up." Wang Yuan glanced at Jiang Baoliang and pursed her lips. "What's so surprising about that? Isn't it normal for them to break up?"
Jiang Baoliang looked at Wang Yuan, but there were some things he couldn't tell her.
Jiang Baoliang still remembered when he joked with Lu Sui, asking if he wanted to draft a prenuptial agreement.
Lu Sui replied, "No need."
Jiang Baoliang said, "Didn't I hear you were preparing for marriage? What, you weren't planning to get married after all?"
Lu Sui glanced at Jiang Baoliang. "I am getting married. I just haven't thought about the prenuptial agreement yet."
Jiang Baoliang was shocked at the time. What was there to think about? A prenuptial agreement was a must. He never expected Lu Sui would even consider not signing one.
That was why, when news of Lu Sui and Wu Mangmang's breakup finally came out, Jiang Baoliang was so surprised.Wang Yuan reached out to shake Jiang Baoliang. "Say something."
Jiang Baoliang had nothing to say. He put down his laptop, flipped over, and pinned Wang Yuan beneath him. "Why do you care so much about other people's business?"
Lying under Jiang Baoliang, Wang Yuan’s mind drifted. Honestly, hearing that Zhao Xinyun and Lu Sui had broken up—why did it feel so satisfying?
Was it lingering feelings for Lu Sui? Maybe a little, but not much. What did it matter how handsome the campus crush was? In the end, he couldn’t compare to the warmth and care from the deadweight on top of her.
Wang Yuan thought it was probably her pride acting up. If a man she hadn’t successfully conquered ended up with Zhao Xinyun, wouldn’t that prove she was far inferior to Zhao Xinyun?
So, it was better that they broke up.
Now, back to Wu Mangmang’s side. After Wu Song’s injury and hospitalization, Wu Mangmang realized that her character was actually quite good.
Following Lu Lin and Lu Sui, Lu Qingqing and Long Xiujuan personally visited Wu Song in the hospital. Even Ning Zheng came.
Liu Lewei was very surprised to see Ning Zheng.
Although Ning Zheng was no longer part of the Ning family, he was still the eldest grandson of the Ning family. Moreover, he had started his own company and was thriving. The news Liu Lewei heard was that the Ning family’s patriarch was already regretting pushing Ning Zheng too far.
So, Ning Zheng was like a starved camel still bigger than a horse—his status remained intact.
"Sorry, I just returned to the country and heard Uncle was injured." Ning Zheng regretted not making an appearance sooner to assert his presence.
"Thank you for coming to see my dad," Wu Mangmang said in a very formal tone.
After Ning Zheng left, Liu Lewei looked at Wu Mangmang and said, "Why did Ning Zheng come here? You and him..."
Ning Zheng had a notorious reputation for being a playboy, appealing to all ages. Liu Lewei couldn’t help but say, "You haven’t lost your mind, have you? Don’t you know what kind of person Ning Zheng is?"
Wu Mangmang shrugged. "I know very well. But if he wants to come, I can’t exactly break his legs, can I?"
Liu Lewei tapped Wu Mangmang’s forehead. "Don’t court disaster. What’s his relationship with Lu Sui? He’s definitely just toying with you."
Wu Mangmang gave a couple of vague "mm-hmms" in response.
That was one thing, but then that same afternoon, Shen Ting also appeared in Wu Song’s hospital room.
"I only found out Uncle was hospitalized from your Weibo. Since I knew, I couldn’t not come to visit," Shen Ting explained.
Wu Mangmang thought to herself, thankfully Ms. Liu wasn’t there, or she’d have to listen to another lecture.
Fortunately, when Ms. Liu later learned about Shen Ting’s visit, she didn’t make a big deal out of it. After all, she was close with Shen Ting’s aunt, and Shen Ting’s demeanor made it hard to associate him romantically with Wu Mangmang.
Truthfully, Wu Mangmang didn’t understand Shen Ting’s intentions either—keeping her at arm’s length, with no clear direction.
And how did he even find her Weibo account?
Wu Song stayed in the hospital for nearly a month before returning home to recuperate.
Since they were back in the city and Boss Wu was bedridden, they couldn’t go abroad for the New Year holiday. Wu Mangmang had to follow Ms. Liu around, running errands, serving tea, and fetching water.
Ms. Liu seemed to have gone a bit crazy. Wu Mangmang, wearing three-inch heels, accompanied her to social events and nearly exhausted herself.
The more she thought about it, the more it felt like Ms. Liu was trying to sell off leftover stock.
As for Du Yuntao, whom Ms. Liu had originally favored, there was a minor hiccup.That day, Wu Mangmang went out for afternoon tea with Ms. Liu and happened to run into Du Yuntao on a blind date with another woman.
Wu Mangmang felt nothing upon seeing this—it was perfectly normal. Since Du Yuntao hadn’t received a definite answer from her, it was only natural for him to explore other options.
Everyone looks out for themselves; it’s always wise to have a Plan A and a Plan B.
But Ms. Liu couldn’t quite stomach it. What mother wouldn’t worry about her daughter? She immediately criticized Du Yuntao a few times.
In the end, Wu Mangmang had no choice but to change Du Yuntao’s Weibo username from “Five Red Apricots” to “Withered Red Apricot (Five).”
Because of this incident with Du Yuntao, Ms. Liu’s attitude toward Wu Mangmang grew even harsher. Every time she looked at her, it was with an expression of frustration—as if she couldn’t even keep a man or was simply wasting resources.
Wu Mangmang went on two more blind dates afterward, but one was too overweight and the other too old—neither was suitable.
Ms. Liu had originally planned to arrange more blind dates for her, one after another, but fortunately, Lu Lin came to her rescue.
It was the twentieth-anniversary celebration of Lu Lin’s brand, and Wu Mangmang couldn’t miss showing her support.
As a devoted fan of the double-L brand, Ms. Liu naturally received an invitation as well, so Wu Mangmang accompanied her. However, once inside the banquet hall, Ms. Liu fully showcased her “social butterfly” skills, leaving Wu Mangmang trailing behind like a little maid.
Perhaps because she had been in school for too long, Wu Mangmang felt quite out of place in such settings. She could only linger around the food area, pretending to be too busy eating to socialize.
Still, there were plenty of curious onlookers interested in her as Lu Sui’s ex-girlfriend.
A hand holding a champagne glass extended toward her. Wu Mangmang turned and saw Ning Zheng. She took the glass and took a small sip, not particularly fond of the taste, but holding something in her hands helped ease her discomfort.
“There’s something I’d like to ask for your help with,” Ning Zheng said.
“Oh,” Wu Mangmang replied indifferently.
“For next year’s new series, I’m thinking of using blue-and-white porcelain for the packaging. Do you have any recommendations for porcelain factories? The design is the most important part,” Ning Zheng explained.
This was something Wu Mangmang was quite familiar with. Discussing a topic she excelled in quickly bridged the gap between them.
By the end, Wu Mangmang and Ning Zheng were walking and chatting together. Without even realizing it, others began to see her as Ning Zheng’s companion.
“Mangmang,” Lu Lin approached with a smile, glancing between Wu Mangmang and Ning Zheng. “I’ve been looking for you. Where have you been hiding?”
“I was a bit hungry earlier, so I went to grab something to eat,” Wu Mangmang replied with a smile.
Lu Lin swirled the red wine in her glass. “Come, let me introduce you. Your favorite designer is here today.”
The evening banquet was of a high caliber, with many internationally renowned designers in attendance. Wu Mangmang’s favorite was a French designer’s brand, and she was naturally thrilled to hear she could meet the person in the flesh.
In moments like these, the benefits of being forced to learn French in the past became apparent. The designer was delighted that Wu Mangmang could speak French, though unfortunately, she hadn’t studied diligently or for long enough, so she could only manage a few basic phrases.
Watching Lu Lin, with her fluent and impeccable French, was honestly quite enviable. For a moment, Wu Mangmang wished she could speak just as effortlessly.Wu Mangmang then recalled her aborted trip to France. If she had gone, she might have been able to practice her spoken language.
Running through the balance in her bank account in her mind, she thought she must really butter up Ms. Liu during the New Year to get a big red envelope, then aim for a trip to France during the low season in April or May next year.
Just as she was thinking about France, the person who had originally planned to go to France with her appeared.
Adhering to the principle of avoiding trouble, Wu Mangmang was about to turn and retreat when she felt her hand being grasped.
Turning her head, Wu Mangmang nearly cursed Ning Zheng’s ancestors eight generations over in her heart—this was definitely an act of setting her up.
Wu Mangmang struggled briefly, but Ning Zheng held on too tightly. Wearing an evening gown, it would be too embarrassing to put up a full-on fight, so she smiled gently (through gritted teeth) and said, “What are you doing?”
“I want to become official,” Ning Zheng replied with a smile.
Wu Mangmang curled her lips, ready to give Ning Zheng a good verbal thrashing, but before she could fire off, she saw Lu Sui approaching.
Wu Mangmang was momentarily distracted, mainly because she was a little curious not to see Lu Sui with a female companion.
Then Lu Sui’s gaze fell on her and Ning Zheng’s clasped hands.
Ning Zheng practically dragged Wu Mangmang over to Lu Sui.
“Came straight from the airport?” Ning Zheng asked Lu Sui.
Lu Sui gave an “mm” in response.
“How about hanging out during the New Year? Let’s arrange a mahjong game another day,” Ning Zheng added.
Lu Sui glanced at Wu Mangmang and again responded with an “mm.”
To be honest, that glance from Lu Sui made Wu Mangmang’s scalp tingle.
But since he and Zhao Xinyun could hug in public, it meant that whatever was between him and her was already over. So, her holding hands with Ning Zheng shouldn’t be a big deal either, Wu Mangmang comforted herself.
Still, the fact that Ning Zheng was Lu Sui’s brother was a bit of a sticking point.
After Lu Sui left to mingle with others, Wu Mangmang immediately dug her nails into Ning Zheng’s palm and said, “Don’t play with fire.”
Enduring the pain, Ning Zheng grinned cheekily. “I’m serious. Look, Lu Sui saw us like this and didn’t react. He won’t mind—Jiang Baoliang and Wang Yuan have even gotten their marriage certificate.”
But I mind! Wu Mangmang screamed inwardly.
Every time she saw Lu Sui, Wu Mangmang felt extremely uncomfortable and awkward, so it was better to see him less.
However, with a playboy like Ning Zheng, when he had time, chasing women was like a sticky plaster; when he was busy, women were like air.
Young Master Ning clearly had free time now during the New Year holiday. Wu Mangmang sneered inwardly, unable to hide the mockery on her face. “If you want to pursue me, follow my rules. Next time you lay a hand on me, I’ll beat you so badly even your parents won’t recognize you.”
After delivering this threat, Wu Mangmang walked away. Nowadays, she really couldn’t stand domineering men—gentle, fresh-faced young men were much more appealing.
Such banquets usually had a lounge. Wu Mangmang found a hidden spot behind the curtains in the restroom, sat down, took off her high heels, and rubbed her feet.
Back in her student days, she wore canvas shoes or snow boots every day, so wearing high heels now was a bit unbearable.
Her phone vibrated with a message notification. Wu Mangmang swiped open the screen to look—it was actually “Zhen Wo Fengcai,” who had been missing for a long time.
This person really had some skills, even knowing her new Weibo account."Are you and Ning Zheng together?"
Wu Mangmang narrowed her eyes. To be honest, she had always thought Zhen Wo Fengcai might be Ning Zheng, because his speech was rather lewd. But seeing him ask this today, Wu Mangmang had clearly guessed wrong.
If it wasn't Ning Zheng, and he was present today, Wu Mangmang directly set her sights on Shen Ting.
But if it was Shen Ting, wouldn't that be too disillusioning?
Could it really be that the colder the surface, the more unrestrained the heart?
"Not yet," Wu Mangmang replied directly.
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