Bringing the Nation’s Husband Home

Chapter 550: I’ve Loved You for Thirteen Years (21)

Qiao Anhao had never known Lu Jinnian had such a past.

Her heart started to tremble slightly with an unspeakable pain.

The housekeeper seemed enraged, for she was still lashing out at Lu Jinnian over and over again. “It’s true how cheap whores give birth to cheap…”

Even though those scornful words were directed at Lu Jinnian, Qiao Anhao’s heart felt incredibly downcast. A bone-piercing pain had emerged within her, as though countless needles had stabbed into her heart.

Qiao Anhao suddenly stood up, not wanting to hear them talk about Lu Jinnian any longer. She made an excuse to go to the bathroom, but as she walked out of the bedroom and was about to shut the door, she heard the housekeeper say resentfully behind her, “The young master has wasted all these years treating the bastard so well…”

Qiao Anhao went to the bathroom downstairs. Just before she entered, she coincidentally overheard one of the female servants on the phone with her husband. It sounded like they promised to go out tonight for Chinese Valentines day. The man was preparing for dinner, so he asked her what she wanted to eat. The woman, with the phone in her hand, listed dishes she wanted to eat in a delicate, soft voice.

It was hard to say what got into Qiao Anhao, but she especially took notice of that servant. She realized that the woman had two pigtails, had make-up on, and her face seemed to be brimming with happiness, like she had everything in the world.

Qiao Anhao walked into the restroom. When she finished in the toilet and washed her hands in the sink, she looked at herself in the mirror. Her hair and make-up were intricately well prepared, accentuating her perfect facial features.

She remembered, the only reason why she was so well dressed tonight was because she had a dinner with Lu Jinnian to celebrate Chinese Valentines day.

She also remembered how the hairdresser had clearly told her she looked perfect, but she still nitpicked at everything to be even more perfect. So much so that before she left home, she flipped through all the clothes in her wardrobe and tried them each on. She did this all so that she could look her best for him on such a special day.

At the time, she felt all sorts of complicated emotions; unease, excitement, anticipation, anxiousness mixed with a hint of sweetness…

Qiao Anhao’s mind wandered as she washed her hands. When she went back upstairs, before she pushed open the door, she could hear Han Ruchu’s voice from within the bedroom. “From the very beginning, I told you not to get close to him, but you had to go and get closer. Now, look. You have nothing.

“The only reason he acted like a real brother to you was to hit you when you were down. He has always waited for the day to laugh at you… This was definitely something his whore mother taught him. That bitch couldn’t steal what was mine, and so she taught her son to steal my son’s things…”

“Enough!” Xu Jiamu, who had remained quiet until now, suddenly violently erupted. “Are the two of you done talking? Lu Jinnian’s mother passed away almost twenty years ago. How could she suddenly jump out of nowhere and teach him these things? What’s more, he’s never gone that far, has he? I still work there at Xu Enterprise!”

With Xu Jiamu’s words, the bedroom door suddenly flung open.

Qiao Anhao felt a gust of wind towards her, then saw Xu Jiamu walking towards her with a dark look on his face.

“Brother Jiamu…”

Xu Jiamu continued to stride without a waver in his step down the stairs and out, without any response.

Qiao Anhao called his name again and instinctively wanted to follow him. He stopped in his tracks then and leaned on the railings, turning his head toward her to say bleakly, “Qiao Qiao, I’m feeling on edge right now. I want to go out for a smoke on my own for a little while.”

Chapter 551: I’ve Loved You for Thirteen Years (22)

Regarding Lu Jinnian, Xu Jiamu had some conflicting feelings about him.

To some extent, men are impulsive and have their guards up. When he found out Xu Enterprise was acquired, he went over to ask him why he’d done it. However, when he reached Huan Ying Entertainment’s lobby, he received a call and found out Lu Jinnian was the one behind his mother’s failed investment and the fall of Xu Enterprise’s stocks.

On top of all this, his mother fainted out of anger. At the time, his blood boiled and he spoke incoherently out of rage. But even so and even if his and Lu Jinnian’s brotherly relationship had ended, he still felt angry when his mother and the housekeeper went back and forth saying such horrible things about him.

Xu Jiamu’s heart suddenly was overcome with sadness. Though Lu Jinnian treated him this way, he still hated to part with his half-brother… Xu Jiamu raised his hand and rubbed his face, then gulped. With hints of powerlessness, he said, “Qiao Qiao, go in and accompany my mom. What I just said was harsh, she’s definitely hurt right now.”

Qiao Anhao gently nodded her head.

Xu Jiamu took large strides down the stairs and out of the house. He walked over to the tree in the courtyard and leaned against it, then lit a cigarette. With clouds of smoke surrounding him, he thought back to when he was young and mischievous.

Under this same tree, he had let off fireworks which just about missed his eyes. It was his ever silent brother, who was as pretty as a girl, who suddenly reached his arm out to grab the firework stick.

At the time, Xu Jiamu was the Xu family’s little king. With a single cry, everyone surrounded him. Even after so many years had passed, he still remembered how everyone escorted him back into the house. When he turned his head, the image he saw was branded into his mind – Lu Jinnian stood all alone under the tree with his usual apathetic look. Perhaps because of the pain, the hand he had just used to hold the firework kept shivering uncontrollably.

At that thought, the corner of Xu Jiamu’s eyes started to water, and then he took the hardest drag of his cigarette.

–

Back in the bedroom, the housekeeper was consoling Han Ruchu. Qiao Anhao, who sat by her bedside, added a few words in a gentle and quiet voice, but every now and then, her mind would wander towards Lu Jinnian.

He got leukemia at three years old, and Xu Jiamu saved him… Xu Jiamu saved his life. Why would he treat the person who saved him like this? Furthermore, if he really wanted to go after the Xu family, why would he let Xu Jiamu stay in the company?

Honestly speaking, when she asked him those three questions about what happened, he very openly admitted it. It was far more hard-hitting than hearing about it from the news, as it gave her no room to think it through or respond. Now that Qiao Anhao had calmed down, and thought about what the housekeeper and Xu Jiamu had said, a slither of doubt took form within her and she felt more and more as though something wasn’t quite right.

In the afternoon, because one of the two people was someone who she grew up with, and the other was the man she was in love with for some many years, she subconsciously refused to face the scene. Because of this, her emotions were uncontrollable.

She was so emotional, she didn’t pay close attention to what she was saying. Nor did she pay attention to what he said at the time… Now that she thought about it, when she said “Xu Jiamu would never do something like that”, what did he say to her? Was he trying to explain it to her?

Chapter 552: I’ve Loved You for Thirteen Years (23)

At that thought, Qiao Anhao couldn’t help but pull her phone out. Seeing that she received no incoming calls or messages, her heart couldn’t help but grow dejected.

She really did unintentionally make a mistake, but he was so angry. She chased him all the way to the parking lot, but he wouldn’t listen to her explanation. Even until now, he hadn’t contacted her… was he still mad?

After thirteen years of being in love with him, it was so difficult to spend a Valentines day together. With one fit of anger, was tonight’s dinner plans thrown out the window?

At that though, Qiao Anhao suddenly became panic-stricken.

He may have been really angry in the afternoon, but she was the one who said the wrong thing. What if she was the first to apologize and clear the air… She would wait till dinner before she would calmly ask him why he did it. If it was really for revenge, she could try to persuade him to apologize to Xu Jiamu, then reconcile his relationship with his brother…

Otherwise, that’d really be a shame, and just like that, the dinner she had hoped for would no longer going to happen.

Qiao Anhao thought about it and instinctively turned her phone on. She found Lu Jinnian’s number and wrote a message. She firstly typed [Hey], then felt like it wasn’t sincere enough. She was afraid Lu Jinnian would ignore her message, so she deleted it. With a tilt of the head, she thought about it seriously and completely forgot about Han Ruchu beside her.

For about a good minute, Qiao Anhao collected her words together. When she lowered her head, she started to tap away at her phone. [I was too emotional this afternoon. I’m sorry, you said you’d meet up for dinner tonight. Can we talk about it then? I’m going home to wait for you…]

“Qiao Qiao.”

Before she could type “All right?”, Han Ruchu suddenly called her name.

Qiao Anhao replied absentmindedly. She tapped her phone screen twice, then came back to her senses when the housekeeper patted her on the arm. She looked over at Han Ruchu. “Aunt Xu, what’s wrong?”

“It’s nothing. I’m just thirsty. Could you please pour me a cup of water?” Han Ruchu smiled with a warm expression on her face. “But if you’re busy, don’t worry. I’ll call Auntie Yun to get it.”

“No, I’ll get it.” Qiao Anhao hurriedly locked her phone and shoved it back into her pocket. She grabbed the glass cup and quickly walked down the stairs.

She poured a cup of warm water. On her way back up to the room, her mind wandered to the incomplete message she hadn’t sent and if there were any problems with it.

There was a turning on the stairs at the Xu family house, which was blocked by a wall. As Qiao Anhao carried the cup of water up the stairs, she didn’t hold onto the railing. At the turn around that corner, the housekeeper suddenly popped out from behind the wall with large and small bags, squarely crashing into Qiao Anhao.

It all happened very suddenly. As Qiao Anhao held onto her cup, her mind preoccupied, she didn’t notice that there was someone around the wall. The housekeeper bumped into her quite forcefully, and at an alarming speed. As her foot was ready to take a step up, the push made her miss that step. Without any warning whatsoever, she rolled down the stairs.

Qiao Anhao shrieked in fear. She heard the faint voice of housekeeper crying “Miss Qiao!”, as her head hit the floorboards. The phone in her pocket fell out and dropped by her hands.

Qiao Anhao didn’t feel the pain. Her face was stuck to the floorboards , but she just felt a little light-headed and had fresh, sticky blood oozing out

Chapter 553: I’ve Loved You for Thirteen Years (24)

Qiao Anhao was still fully conscious and felt the strength in her body slowly depleting. She grew weaker and weaker, whilst panic loomed over her heart. The only thought in her mind was to send her incomplete message to Lu Jinnian.

She thought that this might be the last time she could speak to him.

Qiao Anhao tried her best to lift her hand. She wanted to grab her phone, but the moment she moved her fingers, she was struck by a bone-piercing pain which caused every part of her body to clamor. She endured the pain and used all her strength to finally reach her phone.

However, she didn’t even have the strength to lift the phone from the ground. In the end, she dragged it towards her. Just then, it lit up, yet everything before Qiao Anhao’s eyes faded to darkness and she completely lost consciousness.

After that, her phone rang with three consecutive messages – ding dong, ding dong, ding dong. The screen lit up with three messages from Lu Jinnian.

[Sorry.]

[Qiao Qiao, lets have a good talk during dinner tonight.]

[Li Jing Xuan, I’ll be waiting.]

–

There were two servants in the kitchen cooking when there was a shriek from outside. They hurriedly ran over and saw the housekeeper holding her ankle as she sat on the stairs. She gave a heart-wrenching scream, “Miss Qiao”, and they took notice of Qiao Anhao with a phone in her hand lying in a pool of blood in front of the stairs.

The white floor was covered in bright red. The entire scene looked horrific.

The two servants stood there blanked out for a good three minutes, until one of them snapped back to reality and stumbled out of the house in a hurry. They ran towards Xu Jiamu and cried hysterically, “Young master, young master! Miss Qiao fell down the stairs…”

Xu Jiamu’s fingers fiercely trembled for a moment, then he chucked his half-smoked cigarette to the ground. He rushed towards the servant who called for him. The servant stood blocking the door, so he shoved him away and found Qiao Anhao covered in red.

Xu Jiamu’s face instantly paled, and he roared like crazy at the servants who stood dumbfounded. “Ambulance! Hurry! Call an ambulance!”

Then he practically lunged himself in front of Qiao Anhao. With his trembling fingers, he lifted her up from the ground and thoughtlessly rushed out the door.

–

Han Ruchu glanced at the housekeeper, who immediately knew to raise her hand and push herself up from the ground then limp up the stairs.

Seeing the housekeeper limp up, Han Ruchu furrowed her brows. When the woman entered the bedroom, she asked, “I never told you to do it like that. You could pretend to be injured, how did you actually go and get yourself injured?”

“When I bumped into Miss Qiao, I used a little too much force and accidentally sprained my ankle.”

Han Ruchu nodded. Then, as she was about to open her mouth to speak, a knocking sound suddenly came from the door. “Madam.”

Han Ruchu sat on the bed, pretending to feel unwell and said, “Come in.”

The servant handed Han Ruchu a phone, and said in a quiet voice, “It seems like it could be Miss Qiao’s phone.”

Seeing that the phone was covered in blood, a hint of disgust crossed Han Ruchu’s brows. She pointed at the coffee table, so as to signal for the servant to place it there, then said, “Auntie Yun was in a hurry as she went down the stairs and accidentally bumped into Qiao Qiao. She also sprained her ankle, help her home to get some rest.”

Chapter 554: I’ve Loved You for Thirteen Years (25)

Han Ruchu waited for the housekeeper and the servant to leave the bedroom before she stopped pretending to look exhausted. She lifted her chin and stared out the window with eyes full of ruthlessness and ridicule.

If she hadn’t seen the message on Qiao Anhao’s phone whilst she was just chatting to her, she never would have pictured that this girl and Lu Jinnian would ever really have dinner together tonight. Or that they would pretend to be husband and wife.

Tonight was Chinese Valentines day… so they were a couple?

Since Lu Jinnian retaliated so mercilessly over his child, how could she just leave it at that? How could a bastard, who was never meant to exist in this world, ever live a peaceful life?

He didn’t let her be happy, nor did he let her son be happy, so he could forget about being happy himself as well!

Didn’t he like Qiao Anhao? All right… Then let him experience how it feels to be stood up by the woman he loves on Valentines day…

At that thought, the corner of Han Ruchu’s lips curved into a chilling smile, and her eyes flickered with the intention to vent her anger. She grabbed her home phone, dialed a number, and pretended to be in a state of panic as she spoke into the phone, “Anxia? It’s me, your Aunt Xu… Qiao Qiao’s been in an accident. When she came up the stairs just now, she bumped into Auntie Yun and fell down the stairs… Jiamu already took her to the hospital… mm… I’m really worried too. It looked really bad… I’m so sorry, for an accident like that to happen here…”

–

The assistant had bought Armani’s newest suit in sky blue.

Lu Jinnian was quite pale. With his suit on, he looked tall and handsome, like a prince leaving the castle.

It was only half to six. There was still an hour before Lu Jinnian and Qiao Anhao were due to meet, but his car had already stopped at the entrance of Lijing Pavilion.

To ensure that his confession was romantic and quiet, Lu Jinnian spent a lot of money to book the top floor. When the elevator reached it, the usually bustling Lijing Pavilion was particularly quiet.

The manager escorted Lu Jinnian towards the private room he had prepared for him in advance. As he pushed open the wooden door, he walked around the room and pulled open the curtains to reveal the shimmering night view through the floor-to-ceiling windows.

The weather on this year’s Chinese Valentines day was exceptionally good. The stars glistened in the skies, as the moon glowed brightly and the lights from the forbidden city burned splendidly nearby. With the swaying candle lights from the terrace, the scene all around radiated beauty. The aroma from the fresh flowers sent this morning filled the air.

The manager escorted Lu Jinnian in, then retreated. As Lu Jinnian walked up to the terrace, he obeyed common etiquette of the man being on the left and the woman on the right. He sat in the seat on the left, between the large European marble table, the delicate Chinese bellflowers, and the swaying candlelight. He stared at the empty seat in front of him, and his heart started to pound.

He raised his wrist and glanced at the time. It was already six forty three. There were forty seven minutes until Qiao Anhao was due to arrive.

Lu Jinnian shut his eyes and looked calm in his seat as he prepared his lines. He mulled over them once more, his hands intertwined in his lap. Because of the sheer force of his grip, his bulging knuckles revealed the nervousness he felt inside.

Seeing how nervous Lu Jinnian was, the assistant, who stood on the side side, wanted to help release some pressure and said, “Mr. Lu, the setting you planned is incredibly romantic.”

Chapter 555: I’ve Loved You for Thirteen Years (26)

Lu Jinnian ignored the assistant’s words.

The assistant then added, “Mr. Lu, in all the time I’ve known you, I never knew you had such a romantic side!”

Finally, Lu Jinnian lifted his head and admired the scene around him. Perhaps to relieve his nerves, he took a deep breath, and replied in a dull tone, “I’m only romantic for Qiao Qiao.”

“Mr. Lu, have you thought about what you’re going to do when Miss Qiao arrives?”

“I want to first apologize for this afternoon, then let her listen to the recording pen…” As he said that, Lu Jinnian pulled out the recording pen from his pocket and put it within reach on the table.

While going through the process, he actually became less nervous, and his tone of voice sounded a lot smoother and more composed, “After Qiao Qiao listens to the contents of the recording pen, she’ll probably be really hurt, as she probably never imagined that the elder she had respected for so many years would trat her in such a way. So I’ll comfort her for a while.

“Then, I’ll call the manager to serve the food. Qiao Qiao and I will have drinks to celebrate Valentines day…” When he said that, Lu Jinnian secretly envisioned the entire scene playing out.

Once she finished saying her wishes, the multicolored lights that he prepared all around them would light up the words he wanted to tell her.

After she read all his messages, he’ll earnestly stare into her eyes and convey how he felt about her.

If she accepted, he’d love her right. If she declined, he’d still love her right, until she was moved by his sentiment and accepted him.

At that thought, the corner of Lu Jinnian’s lips curved into a gentle smile, which made his handsome complexion grow seemingly softer.

The assistant by his side fantasized, saying, “After Miss Qiao accepts Mr. Lu’s confession, you’ll have to find a good date to propose to her. After the marriage, you could both have a beautiful baby…”

Though Lu Jinnian knew that he hadn’t even started his confession, when filled with the thought of something so far, his mind couldn’t help but imagine what was just mentioned. With just that one thought, the picture had already made him brim over with happiness.

After a long while had passed, Lu Jinnian lifted his wrist and glanced over at the time. It was already seven twenty five. He cleared his throat and said, “There’s five minutes until Qiao Qiao arrives.”

As his final syllable dropped, a hint of anticipation surfaced in his heart. Even the assistant standing on the side randomly grew anxious.

Time passed so slowly. It was just five minutes, but Lu Jinnian felt like it was as long as a century. Finally, the hand reached the half way point, but Qiao Anhao still hadn’t appeared.

It was just about the time they said they’d meet, so perhaps she was a little late. Lu Jinnian waited in his seat understandingly.

Tick tock. Tick tock. Time went by.

At seven forty, Lu Jinnian told himself, Qiao Anhao was stuck in traffic.

At seven fifty, he told himself, she was stuck in traffic.

At eight, the assistant told him that Miss Qiao was probably stuck in traffic, as it was Chinese Valentines day after all. There were a lot of people out and about.

The night view grew darker, the stars became clearer, and the lights of the forbidden city turned brighter, while the flames from the burning candles on the table danced higher.

Chapter 556: I’ve Loved You for Thirteen Years (27)

The night view grew darker, the stars became clearer, and the lights of the forbidden city turned brighter, while the flames from the burning candles on the table danced higher.

Time was everlasting while waiting, and Lu Jinnian started to throb with anxiety. Eventually, they gradually subsided to nothing, and those feelings were replaced with restlessness and worry.

Lu Jinnian sat under the romantically decorated scene with a notably majestic air about him. However, the expression on his face started to grow tense.

A hint of impatience emerged in the assistant’s heart, as he incessantly raised his wrist to check the time. At twenty past eight, he finally couldn’t help himself but break the tension in the air. “Mr. Lu, do you want to call Miss Qiao? Perhaps something has happened to keep her back.”

Lu Jinnian gave a gentle nod, then pulled out his phone and called Qiao Anhao.

The sound doot-doot-doot rang in his ear over and over again, until the voice of the customer service lady said, “I’m sorry, the person you are trying to reach is currently unavailable.”

“What’s wrong? Miss Qiao didn’t pick up?” Following his question, the assistant glanced over at Lu Jinnian, whose eyes had become colder, and so he hurriedly changed his tone. “Perhaps Miss Qiao didn’t hear it.”

Lu Jinnian forcefully pursed his lips, trying to call Qiao Anhao again. He didn’t know how many times he repeated this, but with every call, it would always end with the customer service lady’s automated response.

The atmosphere on the terrace grew increasingly more tense.

Under the shimmering multicolored lights, the assistant noticed that Lu Jinnian wore no expression on his face whatsoever. There wasn’t even the slightest hint of fear in his heart. The assistant, who stood to one side, didn’t dare take a deep breath, as he saw Lu Jinnian ceaselessly try to call her.

At nine o’clock, a sudden knock was heard from the doors of Lijing Pavilion.

Only then did the assistant secretly let out a sigh of relief. With hints of surprise, he first said to Lu Jinnian, “Miss Qiao has arrived”. He followed with a response to the knock, “Come in.”

As the doors opened, Lu Jinnian abruptly stood up from his seat and stared directly towards the door. But when he saw that it was just the Lijing Pavilion’s manager who had entered, his hand subconsciously grabbed the back of the chair.

“Mr. Lu, it’s already nine o’clock. Excuse me sir, but shall we start preparing the dinner you ordered?” the manager asked politely.

Lu Jinnian lowered his eyelids and turned his head, staring silently off towards the glistening lights of the forbidden city.

The assistant was afraid that the manager would set off Lu Jinnian by asking about the dinner, and so he hastily waved at him.

The manager seemingly felt that the energy was off, and so bowed and left the room.

After the manager shut the doors, the assistant distinctly felt that the atmosphere on the terrace had grown more stifling. So much so that he didn’t dare take a second glance at Lu Jinnian, who stood before the large dining table under the shimmering romantic backdrop.

Lu Jinnian stared at the lights nearby with an indescribable feeling.

Ever since the moment he fell in love with Qiao Anhao, he had waited for the day he could be worthy of her.

Later, when he finally managed it, he found out that she was engaged to Xu Jiamu, so he continued to wait. When he saw them split up, he allowed himself to love her.

He had waited for so many years that waiting had become a habit he no longer found painful.

However, waiting tonight made him feel a pain he had never felt before.

Chapter 557: I’ve Loved You for Thirteen Years (28)

It was almost half past nine. Two hours had passed since the time they had agreed to meet. Did this mean that she wasn’t coming?

Ah, thirteen years… Lu Jinnian had waited thirteen years for this day to finally come. He really didn’t want to miss his chance before he died. He wasn’t willing for them to come to such an end.

He pulled his eyes away from the shining lights from afar and picked up the phone from the table and called Qiao Anhao again. This time, the phone rang three times before it was picked up. A hint of surprise flashed across his eyes. Just as he cried a single word “Qiao”, the phone was hung up and the doot-doot-doot of the busy tone rang from the phone.

After Lu Jinnian tried to call again, he received no answer as before.

Why did she hang up the phone after picking it up just now? Was she still mad at him for acquiring Xu Enterprise? Was she still mad at him for how he had acted out in anger and left her in the afternoon?

But she picked the phone up, which meant she could check her phone… As though he suddenly saw a glimmer of hope, he hurriedly released his phone from his ear and sent her a message. [Qiao Qiao, I was in a bad mood this afternoon. I shouldn’t have thrown you aside and walked off. I’m sorry.]

As he sent that message, Lu Jinnian saw the words “Message sent” appear on his screen and knew that Qiao Anhao had already read it. So then, he quickly sent another. [Qiao Qiao, I know you can see my messages. I’m still waiting for you at Lijing Pavilion. Come and we’ll talk, okay?]

In the end, he never received a reply to the messages he sent. Lu Jinnian held his phone and waited for a while before trying to call Qiao Anhao again. Still no one answered, so he sent another message. [Qiao Qiao, I’ll wait here until you come.]

After waiting for an extensive amount of time, Lu Jinnian sent another message. [If you don’t come, I’ll still be waiting.]

With this message sent, Lu Jinnian raised his phone and rubbed it against his face. Then he straightened himself up and stood in front of the fence of the terrace, staring at the lights far away.

He didn’t know just how long he stood there for, but after some time, the phone in his palms vibrated for a moment. With hints of excitement, he brought the phone in front of him to find that it was just 10086 sending him the weather report.

Somewhat disappointed, Lu Jinnian let his arm hang loose.

At eleven o’clock, the manager of Lijing Pavilion came over to tell Lu Jinnian that it was time to turn off the lights.

The assistant glanced over at Lu Jinnian, who stood stubbornly in front of the terrace fence without moving an inch. He made a hand gesture at the manager and walked out of the room with him. Outside, he gave the manager a figure, and requested for them to wait with them a little longer.

Perhaps it was because tonight was Chinese Valentines day, but Beijing was still quite lively even at eleven o’clock. Although they were on the top floor of Lijing Pavilion, they could still hear the faint sounds of people standing on the Sky Bridge and singing.

“Do you know that I’m waiting for you? If you really care about me,

“How could you leave me to spend these never-ending nights alone…”

Waiting is the most torturous and draining thing to one’s patience. After the sound of the clock striking twelve at night, the initially bustling city of Beijing instantly fell silent.

The stillness allowed Lu Jinnian to hear the crisp sound of his heart beating in panic, unease, and fear.

He was really afraid to lose her just like that…

Chapter 558: I’ve Loved You for Thirteen Years?29?

If it was in the past and Qiao Anhao was a far away dream, Lu Jinnian might not be as anxious as he was feeling, but now that she was in reach and there was hope, the sudden despair… was too much. Lu Jinnian had no idea how to accept that reality.

In the end, she still forsook him for Xu Jiamu and the Xu family?

That’s right, he knew that since young, they were far more important to her than him, and now that they were in trouble, she would choose to stand by them without hesitation. She wasn’t even willing to hear his explanation…

Even if she didn’t trust him, he still kept convincing himself not to give up.

His entire life, from his humble beginnings to now, he had never requested anything from anyone, but at this moment, the fear of losing her allowed him to throw his pride and arrogance. He started to beg. [Qiao Qiao, I beg you, can you come?]

After sending the text, he seemingly quietened, returning back to his seat and placing both hands on the table as he waited silently.

As the night fell, the street lamps started to brighten and flicker, but just like a statue, Lu Jinnian sat motionlessly.

His assistant never once interrupted him, allowing him to sit silently by himself.

When it was 2 am, the originally clear skies suddenly started to darken more, and gradually, big fat droplets started falling down.

The assistant cleared his throat. “Mr. Lu, it’s raining, why don’t you wait inside.”

Lu Jinnian ignored him, sitting with his back straight, not leaving the seat at all.

Often, the late Beijing rain was brief and abrupt, but two minutes after the assistant had spoken, the amount of dark clouds started to increase and the rain got increasingly heavier.

The assistant hurriedly ran forward, trying to forcefully pull Lu Jinnian into the shelter.

Lu Jinnian reached out to yank his assistant away before replying forcefully, “I said that I would wait here. I’m not leaving, I will wait for her here.”

The rain grew so heavy that their vision was blurred, and the both of them became drenched instantly. Regardless of how hard the assistant tried, Lu Jinnian remained firm, and in the end, the assistant couldn’t hold back anymore. “Mr. Lu, it’s already 2 am, Miss Qiao might not come!”

Lu Jinnian clenched his lips together as sorrow clouded his eyes. Stubbornly, he clenched his teeth and forced out, “I will wait for her here.”

Giving up, the assistant sighed and ran indoors to get an umbrella to shelter Lu Jinnian.

After an hour of pouring, they were both drenched, even with the umbrella.

Lu Jinnian remained on the balcony all this while. Gradually, the skies began to brighten. When the sun was finally up in the skies, the quiet city was bustling once again, the forbidden palace was crowded with tourists, Lu Jinnian’s drenched clothes were already dry, and he continued to sit in his place without a moving.

Only at 10.30 am did the silent Lu Jinnian finally stand up.

Chapter 559: I’ve Loved You for Thirteen Years?30?

After accompanying Lu Jinnian for the entire night, the assistant started to doze off while standing against the wall. When he saw Lu Jinnian suddenly leave the balcony, he woke up instantly. “Mr. Lu, where are you going?”

Lu Jinnian ignored him, taking large strides towards the door to the staircase.

The assistant followed closely behind, asking once more, “Mr. Lu, what are you going to do?”

Lu Jinnian had waited sixteen hours for her, but she didn’t turn up, so now, he was going to find her.

If she wasn’t willing to forgive him, that was the end and they would become strangers again, but he wanted to fight one more time. If the outcome was disastrous, he would accept it.

His assistant hesitated slightly before asking, “But, Mr. Lu, do you know where Miss Qiao is right now?”

Lu Jinnian moved his lips but nothing came out. When the elevator reached the first floor, he walked out swiftly.

One he was out of Lijing Pavilion, Lu Jinnian walked to his car. His assistant reached for the back seat’s door out of habit, but Lu Jinnian said faintly, “I’ll drive.” Turning to the other side, he pulled open the car door to sit in the drivers seat.

The moment his assistant sat down, he slammed onto the accelerator, flying forward.

Lu Jinnian sped the entire ride, but just as his assistant had said, he had no idea where she was. Beijing was a big city filled with people, so how was he supposed to find her…

But even if he couldn’t find her, he was still bent on doing so. He first went back to Ming Zhu Garden then Huan Ying Entertainment, but Qiao Anhao was nowhere in sight. He then drove to the mall that she frequented, the coffee shop, the supermarket, the restaurant…

Ever since yesterday, Lu Jinnian hadn’t eaten or slept, but he couldn’t seem to feel his exhaustion as he went around Beijing, trying to finding her. In the end, he went to Zhao Meng’s house before going to a few other of Qiao Anhao’s friends houses. In an urgent and pleading tone, he had continuously nagged at them, to please inform him if they learned of where she was. After making them save his name, he had even given them his namecard.

In the end, he headed to Qiao Enterprise helplessly.

–

Qiao Anhao was in a critical condition after hitting her head. The Qiao parents, Qiao Anxia, and Xu Jiamu didn’t sleep the entire night, waiting anxiously outside the operating room.

Only at 1 pm in the afternoon did her condition finally stabilize, but she was still in a coma.

Qiao Anxia had a meeting at 3 pm, but since she didn’t sleep the entire night, her skin looked pale and sickly and she piled on a thick layer of makeup. Grabbing her documents, she was about to enter the meeting room when her office phone suddenly rang.

It was a call from the front desk. “Miss Qiao, there’s a Mr Lu here that wants to see you.”

Mr. Lu?

Qiao Anxia didn’t know many people with the “Lu” surname, the only one seemed to be Lu Jinnian.

But then moment she thought of him, she laughed self-deprecatingly, why would Lu Jinnian look for her?

Decisively, she replied, “I’m having a meeting now, get him to leave his contacts.”

Chapter 560: I’ve Loved You for Thirteen Years (31)

When Qiao Anxia finished speaking, she wanted to hang up, but then she heard a familiar voice from the other side, “Miss Da Qiao…”

Qiao Anxia suddenly paused what she was doing.

Lu Jinnian’s assistant? Could it be that Lu Jinnian was looking for her? Why was he looking for her?

An array of skeptic thoughts instantly flashed across Qiao Anxia’s mind. She paused for just ten seconds, then brought the phone back to her ear. “I’m on my way down.”

With that, she hung up. Qiao Anhao then threw the documents for the meeting onto the desk and turned to leave the office. She didn’t even wait for the secretary in the meeting room to speak before she throwing at her, “Push back the meeting by an hour”. Then she stomped over, swiftly and decisively, towards the elevators in her high heels.

As she stepped out of the elevator, Qiao Anxia glanced over at Lu Jinnian’s assistant, who stood at the entrance of the lobby.

At the sound of Qiao Anxia’s high heels striding over toward him, the assistant turned his head and immediately said, “Miss Da Qiao, Mr. Lu is looking for you.”

Qiao Anxia lifted her chin up slightly and scanned all around her. With Lu Jinnian nowhere to be seen, she furrowed her brows. “Where is he?”

“Mr. Lu is waiting for you in the car outside,” the assistant said.

Qiao Anxia gave a quick nod, then strode through the doors. After taking just two steps, she suddenly pointed at a nearby cafe. “If there’s something he has to say, let’s talk there.”

“All right, I’ll inform Mr. Lu.”

Qiao Anxia didn’t say a word, walking straight towards the cafe.

She found a quiet corner in the cafe and took a seat. Just as she ordered two cups of coffee with the baristas, she saw Lu Jinnian walk through the doors. A trace of shock instantly rose from her furrowed brows when her eyes fell on his body.

His clothes were creased up, and there were water stains from what seemed like the rain. There were circles of mud marks, his hair was a mess, and his face was pale white. He looked rather worse for wear.

In all the years Qiao Anxia had known Lu Jinnian, this was the first time she’d ever seen him like this.

From what she remembered, even during middle high, though the poor Lu Jinnian always wore his school uniform, he’d always looked clean and tidy.

What got into him? How did he end up looking so depressed?

Lu Jinnian pulled the chair opposite Qiao Anxia and sat down. He gave her a slight nod of greeting.

Qiao Anxia put away the skepticism in her heart and simply asked, “I ordered coffee, hope that’s alright?”

Lu Jinnian nodded once again, paused for a moment and added, “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” Qiao Anxia raised her hand and flicked her hair. Then stared at Lu Jinnian and asked, “You wanted to see me?”

“Qiao Qiao?” said Lu Jinnian the moment Qiao Anxia popped the question. With an unusually rushed voice, he then asked, “Where is Qiao Qiao? Tell me, I want to see her.”

So he was looking for her because of Qiao Qiao… That’s about right. She should have known… Lu Jinnian always had Qiao Anhao in his heart. In the past, he’d used to make the effort to talk to her only to find out more about Qiao Anhao.

If it weren’t for Qiao Anhao, why would he have made an effort to come see her?

Qiao Anxia pushed down the precarious feeling in her heart. “Why are you looking for Qiao Qiao?”

Chapter 561: I’ve Loved You for Thirteen Years (32)

“I have something I want to talk to her about.” Lu Jinnian paused for a moment and asked, “Do you know where she is right now?”

Being quick-witted, Qiao Anxia guessed that some kind of misunderstanding must have happened between Lu Jinnian and Qiao Anhao, based on the impatient look on Lu Jinnian’s face. Not only that but, he looked like he hadn’t slept all night. He also looked like he was caught up in the rain last night. He couldn’t have been looking for or waiting for Qiao Anhao all that time, could he?

And yet, he didn’t know that Qiao Anhao had fallen down the stairs, that she had only come out of a critical condition just two hours ago, or that she was under heavy watch after slipping into a coma…

With that, a thought flashed across Qiao Anxia’s mind. If she opened her mouth, Lu Jinnian would be able to find Qiao Anhao.

She didn’t directly answer his question, asking in a speculative way, “Did Qiao Qiao and you get into an argument because of what happened with Xu Enterprise?”

Lu Jinnian didn’t answer, but the tight pursing of his lips suggested that she had guessed right.

Qiao Anxia remained quiet for about half a minute. This time, when she opened her mouth to ask him something, her tone of voice had a certain conviction to it. “You don’t want to lose Qiao Qiao, so you came to find me and ask where she is. Am I right?”

Lu Jinnian still didn’t make a sound.

The waiter came over with two cups of coffee.

Qiao Anxia said “Thank you” in a low voice, and waited for the waiter to leave before she stirred the coffee a little and took a gulp. Then she went on her own tangent and said, “Lu Jinnian, I can tell you where Qiao Qiao is, but you have to answer me one question.”

Lu Jinnian didn’t touch the coffee in front of him. He quickly nodded and agreed without hesitation the very moment Qiao Anxia’s words were spoken. “Ask.”

Qiao Anxia took a deep breath and said in a calm and composed voice, “I know that Xu Jiamu woke up not too long ago and that the person who Qiao Qiao was pretending to be husband and wife with was you. I just want to ask… If I was the person Xu Jiamu was engaged to, and you and I pretended to be husband and wife would our relationship be closer right now?”

Just as Lu Jinnian was going to answer her question, Qiao Anxia beat him to it and said, “Lu Jinnian, you know the answer I want to hear. As long as you agree, I’ll tell you where Qiao Qiao is right now.”

Lu Jinnian knew exactly what Qiao Anxia meant by her words. Without a hint of hesitation on his face and bloodshot eyes, which hadn’t rested all night, he stared directly at Qiao Anxia, and said, “If you were the person Xu Jiamu was going to be married to, I would have never agreed to pretend to be Xu Jiamu.”

Qiao Anxia curved the corner of her lips into a gentle smile and lowered her eyelids. She glanced over at the cup, and after a while, she lifted her head and stared at Lu Jinnian. She asked him, “Lu Jinnian, if you just say you would, then I’ll immediately tell you where Qiao Qiao…”

Lu Jinnian didn’t wait for Qiao Anxia to finish before getting up from his chair and saying in a dull voice, “Sorry”. Then he placed two notes on the table and got ready to leave.

Seeing Lu Jinnian’s actions, Qiao Anxia jumped up with him. “Lu Jinnian, did you forget why you came to find me?”

When he turned to leave, his expression didn’t change.

Qiao Anxia hurriedly stretched her hand out and grabbed his arm. “All you have to do is lie to me, and you’ll know where Qiao Qiao is…”

Chapter 562: I’ve Loved You for Thirteen Years (33)

“If I had to say such flirtatious words to another woman to find out where she was, then I’ll pretend as though I never looked for you.” As usual, Lu Jinnian didn’t give Qiao Anxia the chance to continue speaking, straight up interrupting her. “Because I don’t want to become unworthy of her.”

With Lu Jinnian’s words, she raised her hand, and he pulled his own free from her grasp. Then, taking large strides, he walked out of the cafe.

Even if she didn’t meet with him because of the Xu Enterprise incident, and even if he couldn’t find her, he couldn’t sully his love for her.

He hadn’t cleared his name yet. If they were to get together, people who criticized him could also go and antagonize her. All he could do now was to continue loving her like before.

Even if that meant that all he could do now was to reject all the other advances in the name of her unconfirmed love.

–

Seeing Lu Jinnian emerge from the cafe, the assistant immediately opened the car door for him to sit inside. He hastily got in the car as well and asked with anticipation, “Mr. Lu, do you know where’s Miss Qiao is now?”

Lu Jinnian shook his head flatly, not saying a word.

In that instant, the anticipation in the assistant’s face turned to disappointment.

The car was silent for quite sometime, until Lu Jinnian suddenly said, “Go home first.”

“Then, Mr. Lu, you…”

“I’m fine, go on now.” Lu Jinnian’s tone sounded extremely dull, but there was a trace of insistence within it.

The assistant hesitated for a moment, but eventually nodded. He handed Lu Jinnian the keys, then got out of the car and left.

Alone in the car, Lu Jinnian sat there for a while before ultimately starting the car up and slowly driving off.

If he couldn’t find her, then he would choose the silliest way possible – to wait for the rabbit to come out of the hole. Even if she hadn’t forgiven him and didn’t want to see him for what happened to Xu Enterprise, she still had to go back home to the Qiao family, right?

He drove to the entrance of the Qiao family estate and waited for her. If she turned up in a day, then he’d wait that whole day. If she turned up in forever, then he’d wait forever.

–

This was the second time Qiao Anxia woke up in the middle of the night to find Lu Jinnian’s car outside the window.

That car has been parked at the entrance of the Qiao family estate for a day and two nights. It practically never left the spot.

When the car first parked there, the doors never opened, nor did the person inside come out. If you didn’t know better, you’d think it was an empty car.

If you stared at the car long enough, you’d realize that the car window would come down every so often, and a hand would stretch out, holding a cigarette.

The person in the car was just as silent as the car itself. He never disturbed anyone.

Qiao Anxia knew that the person in the car was waiting for Qiao Anhao, who was still unconscious.

In the middle of the night, Qiao Anxia had the urge to go out once or twice, to tell Lu Jinnian that Qiao Anhao was in the hospital.

But whenever she walked to the entrance, she would feel a little reluctant.

With him waiting there, her heart also felt just as tormented.

One morning, after the car had been parked outside the Qiao family entrance for fifty six hours, it finally left.

–

Qiao Anhao eventually woke up after being comatose for four days and four nights.

When she opened her eyes, she noticed from the light outside the window that night had just fallen. She suddenly scanned all corners of the hospital room, having some difficulty in turning her head.

She had laid in bed for quite a long time when she felt her head surge with excruciating pain.

Chapter 563: I’ve Loved You for Thirteen Years (34)

Qiao Anhao had laid in bed for quite a long time when she felt her head surge with excruciating pain.

She instinctively wanted to lift her arm and touch it, but soon realized that there was some kind of pull on her wrist. Her pupils turned towards her wrist to find that she actually had a tube in her.

Qiao Anhao felt slightly groggy. How did she end up on an IV drip?

Then, she scanned her surroundings, and realized that she was in a hospital.

Her brows furrowed at the thought of what the hell had happened, when suddenly, she heard someone’s erratic voice. “She’s awake! The patient in room 101 is finally awake!”

A woman wearing a pink nurse uniform came running to her beside. “Miss Qiao, you’ve finally woken up?”

As she said this, the hospital’s room doors were suddenly flung open.

“Qiao Qiao!”

“Qiao Qiao, you’re awake?”

Qiao Anhao heard two familiar shrieks of joy draw closer, and Aunt Qiao and Xu Jiamu’s faces appeared in front of her. Behind them were a few doctors, who surrounded her and started to perform all sorts of checks on her.

After quite a long time had passed, the lead doctor took off his face mask, pointed at Aunt Qiao, and asked Qiao Anhao, “Do you know who she is?”

How could she not recognize auntie… Qiao Anhao glanced at the doctor with an odd look, then cried, “Auntie”. That’s when she realized that her voice sounded a little weak.

“Who is he?” The doctor then pointed at Xu Jiamu.

“…Brother Jiamu.”

The doctor nodded in satisfaction, then turned to Aunt Qiao and Xu Jiamu, who stood behind him and said, “Miss Qiao’s memory is just fine, and her heart pressure is normal. Probably because she fell quite severely, her brain was seriously shaken, which is why she fell into a coma for quite some time. But, now that she’s awake, there aren’t any major problems. She’ll be well enough to go home after a few days.”

When the doctor left, Aunt Qiao came to Qiao Anhao’s beside and grabbed her hand. The rims of her eyes suddenly became red. “Qiao Qiao, you’re awake? You almost scared auntie to death.”

“I’m fine,” reassured Qiao Anhao in a quiet voice. Then she suddenly remembered that she had had a dinner date with Lu Jinnian, and so she turned her head to glanced out the window. Seeing as the skies had darkened, she impatiently asked, “What time is it?”

Xu Jiamu lifted his wrist to check the time. “It’s almost eight o’clock.”

So late? Qiao Anhao abruptly sat up, but because she’d gotten up so forcefully, she felt a little dizzy. Her vision darkened for a moment, and she almost fainted again.

Xu Jiamu hurriedly came to support her back onto the bed. “Qiao Qiao, you’ve only just woken up. You can’t be moving around.”

“No… I have plans to have dinner with someone.”

Aunt Qiao then answered, “You had dinner plans with someone that night? But you’ve been unconscious for four days and four nights.”

Four days and four nights? Qiao Anhao’s heart suddenly jumped, and she instinctively felt around her pillow. “Where’s my phone?”

“Your phone is probably at my house. Whatever it is, it can wait until you’re slightly better. Tomorrow, I’ll go get it from my house.”

Aunt Qiao went along with Xu Jiamu and also tried to persuade her. “That’s right. Qiao Qiao, you’ve only just woken up, don’t think of anything else. Hurry and get some rest.”

Qiao Anhao wanted to borrow Xu Jiamu’s phone for a second, but remembering what had happened between him and Lu Jinnian over the Xu Enterprise incident, she eventually didn’t say a word.

Chapter 564: I’ve Loved You for Thirteen Years (35)

It hadn’t been long since Qiao Anhao first woke, but she soon fell asleep. Perhaps it was because she’d been unconscious for quite some time, this time, she didn’t sleep for long. When she woke up again, it was already late at night.

The entire world sounded spectacularly silent. Xu Jiamu might’ve not slept well for a few days, and so when she finally woke up, he fell deep asleep in the other bed. Her wrist was still on a drip, which looked like an IV.

This time, when she woke, her head was a lot clearer than the first time. She remembered how she bumped into the Xu family’s housekeeper and fell down the stairs. They told her that she’d been unconscious for four days and four nights… four whole days and nights. Could Lu Jinnian have tried looking for her?

Before she fell unconscious, she got into an argument with him. She originally wanted to apologize to him. What if he tried to look for her these few days and she didn’t reply…

The more Qiao Anhao thought about it, the more confused her heart became. She turned her head and glanced over at Xu Jiamu, who was deep asleep. She bit her bottom lip, lifted her arm up, yanking the needle from her wrist. Then, she quietly removed her covers and climbed out of bed.

The moment her feet touched the ground, Qiao Anhao felt stars appear before her eyes. She used the bed to support her up and waited a moment to feel more comfortable. She then let go of the bed and slowly moved her feet. It didn’t feel entirely painful to walk, and so she tiptoed all the way to the door.

There were no other clothes in the hospital, and so she could only wear the hospital gown out. Just before she walked out the door, she realized that she didn’t have any money on her and so she went over to the wallet Xu Jiamu put on the table and pulled out two notes.

Luckily it was late in the night at the time, and so the nurses on the late shift were spread out on their desks, dosing off. She used that chance to casually slip out.

Qiao Anhao had only reached the entrance when she felt that her body was at it’s limit. She waited by the road for a while, and raised a hand to hail a taxi.

–

Qiao Anhao entered the passcode and opened the door to her apartment in Ming Zhu Garden. The apartment was pitch-black, with no lights coming through whatsoever.

She turned on the lights, then changed her shoes at the entrance, went upstairs to her bedroom, and saw that everything was just as it were on the day she left. Her changing room was a complete mess. After she had tried on every outfit, she had randomly thrown all her clothes in every direction.

Qiao Anhao walked to the bedside and collapsed there. She grabbed for the home phone on her bedside table and called Lu Jinnian.

“I’m sorry, the number you dialed cannot be reached within your service area.”

Qiao Anhao furrowed her brows. Not in the service area, was the phone out of battery?

She put the phone down and nestled there in bed for a while. Only when she regained her strength a little did she sit up. Seeing that the iPad was on the coffee table, she walked over and put in her WeChat ID and password.

After it took a long time for it load, she finally got into her account. A ton of messages popped up one after the other. So much so that one of her group chats had almost ten million unread messages.

Qiao Anhao searched for Lu Jinnian’s name, and was disappointed to find that he hadn’t sent her a single message. Nevertheless, she still sent him one, [I’m home at Ming Zhu Garden.]

After she sent the message, Qiao Anhao scrolled through her other unread messages. The first name she clicked on was Zhao Meng. She’d sent her a ton of messages, which mostly were “You here?” or emojis.

First, Qiao Anhao replied to Zhao Meng with a “Yeah”. Just as she was about to write more, Zhao Meng suddenly replied with an exclamation mark. Then she sent her a voice note. “Qiao Qiao, you’re still alive? Do you know that Mr. Lu has been looking for you like crazy?!”

Chapter 565: I’ve Loved You for Thirteen Years (36)

“Qiao Qiao, you’re still alive? Do you know that Mr. Lu has been looking for you like crazy?!”

Qiao Anhao originally wanted to ask Zhao Meng why she wasn’t asleep when it was so late, but when she heard those words “Mr. Lu has been looking for you like crazy”, her fingers on the iPad suddenly stopped.

Zhao Meng continued to send her endless amounts of voice notes. Before Qiao Anhao could even click on them, the other sent her a video chat request.

Qiao Anhao accepted the call. In her iPad, she saw Zhao Meng in a pair of large framed glasses, pajamas, and with an erratic expression on her face. She asked, “Qiao Qiao, I called you but you didn’t pick up. Just what the hell got into you?”

“I don’t have my phone on me…”

Qiao Anhao only got those few words in before Zhao Meng interrupted her, as though she had other important matters to tell her. “Forget it, forget it. I’ll deal with you for that later. Right now, I’ve got three important things to tell you. First, “Heaven’s Sword” is set to continue shooting from next Wednesday. Second, Mr. Lu has been looking for you. Third, yesterday morning, you’ve been caught in a scandal!”

It sounded like Zhao Meng wasn’t going to take a breath, nor give Qiao Anhao time to ask her the questions on her mind, as she jabbered on until everything was said. “Qiao Qiao, do you remember when you filmed “Alluring Times” with an actress called Wang Ying who played Cheng Yang’s secretary? She’s quite good looking and she has a great personality. She was in an incident that later dragged you into it…”

Qiao Anhao furrowed her brows for a moment. “How did it drag me into it?”

“Her boyfriend is a very popular singer in Hong Kong. The two of them were caught taking drugs the day before yesterday at eleven o’clock. News got out, and it reached the top of Weibo’s headlines.

“At first, everyone was hot on the two of them, but at twelve o’clock, someone released a photo of you and Wang Ying on the set of “Alluring Times”. There were some other photos from an outtake that made her look tired. Those photos look like drugs were taken.

“As you were the second female lead of the recently popular drama, “Alluring Times”, your followed count has increased But then, everyone thought that you were taking drugs too, and then someone found photos of you and Wang Ying together…

“You know what the people on the internet are like. They basically never go and find out the truth, they just follow the trends, and so the rumors started to spread everywhere in a moment’s notice. Everybody’s saying that you took the drugs, so you’re in the headlines.”

Qiao Anhao didn’t think that she’d fall down the stairs and be unconscious for several days, and when did wake up, colossal changes would have happened. She hastily clicked onto Weibo, but she didn’t search her name. Her brows couldn’t help but furrow when she thought that Zhao Meng was pulling a prank on her.

But then Zhao Meng said, “Headlines like these, about taking drugs, is a career killer for celebrities. On top of that, other celebrities would brutally stay far away from you. Then to top it all off, the nation is extremely strict on these things, so after these rumors came out, a lot of people didn’t dare speak out for you.

“Apart from Song Xiangsi, who came out to say something. But in the end, even she received backlash. They said that even she might be taking drugs! Finally, at around three in the morning, Mr. Lu saved you.”

Chapter 566: I’ve Loved You for Thirteen Years (37)

“Lu Jinnian?” Qiao Anhao whispered puzzled. As she checked the Weibo’s top ten headlines, she noticed that six of them were were all about Lu Jinnian. She instinctively asked, “How is he? Why does he have so many hit threads on the top searched?”

“Qiao Qiao, I really didn’t want to tell you.. you say you want to mingle in the entertainment circle, right? Yet you don’t even check the entertainment news!” said Zhao Meng, full of resentment. Then she continued to elaborate on how the whole situation unfolded.

“Just when your scandal reached its peak, suddenly, someone spread rumors about Mr. Lu. They said that he’s the illegitimate child of the Xu Enterprise that he just acquired!

“In recent years, Mr. Lu’s follower count was undefeated. On top of all this, he recently acquired Xu Enterprise, and so everyone were quick to draw their attention to something like that. As a result, the news instantly and completely killed your scandal, burying it deep away.”

“Qiao Qiao, honestly speaking, after knowing Mr. Lu for so many years… I mean, he and I are considered classmates from middle high school. I’ve always thought he was an orphan. I never imagined that he was actually Xu Jiamu’s step brother!

“But, Qiao Qiao, whoever’s behind all this against Mr. Lu, they actually went out and started talking about his mother.”

After Zhao Meng said that, Qiao Anhao had already clicked onto the top searched topics.

It was like the internet had exploded into chaos! Everyone’s discussions were far more sensational than what Zhao Meng had described. After so many years, Lu Jinnian had accumulated quite a lot of fans, but of course, the more popular a person is, the more people there are who hate them.

And so, when the fans, random netizens, and haters clamored together, their discussions were incredible. It was so chaotic that, in fact, marketeers and meme makers all started to jump on it, stretching out a day old piece of news. The more people talked about it, the more heated it got, and it didn’t seem like it was going to simmer down.

“Qiao Qiao, I really didn’t know that Mr. Lu’s mother used to also be a celebrity, who starred in a few pornos, and someone put those videos up on the internet, and… His mom seemed to also be an escort… Mr. Lu is quite pitiful.”

Zhao Meng was still talking on the video chat, making Qiao Anhao’s fingertips gently tremble with her words. She scrolled through the screen non-stop, looking at netizens trash, support, mock Lu Jinnian, and an unspeakable pain crept into her heart.

“Qiao Qiao, it’s late. I have to get off now, my boyfriend is calling me to go sleep. Oh right, get in touch with Mr. Lu. He couldn’t find you before, and came over to my place a few times.

“The first time he came, it looked like he hadn’t slept at all. His clothes were dirty and all crumpled up. His eyes were bloodshot, and he looked particularly worse for wear. Honestly speaking, in all the years I’ve known Lu Jinnian, in my heart, he had always represented perfection. I’ve never seen him like that.

“When he saw me, he grabbed my shoulders and asked where you were, wouldn’t I tell him where you were? His voice sounded… Even I felt pity for him. He was like a desperate child.”

With that, Zhao Meng snorted and said “Bye bye”. Just as she was going to end the video call, it seemed like she had just remembered something. She paused for a moment, then said, “Qiao Qiao, to be honest, the moment Mr. Lu came to find me, I really thought that he loved you. Like, that really really deep kind of love.”

This time, when Zhao Meng finished speaking, she didn’t pause at all and just hung up the video call.

Chapter 567: I’ve Loved You for Thirteen Years (38)

With the absence of Zhao Meng’s voice, the room became unusually silent.

Qiao Anhao sat extremely quietly on the sofa. Every now and then, her fingers would swipe the iPad screen. For the most part, people said that besides having a cold personality, Lu Jinnian didn’t know how to love or socialize with others. Actually, there weren’t many negative points said online about him, and so the majority of the hate was drawn from his mother’s scandals.

Photographs from old newspapers surfaced of her in a night club drinking with several men, and then there were also… those porn videos. Countless numbers of people shared them. It got so bad, they created memes out of some of his mother’s exaggerated expressions.

Some went as far as to post comments and arguments on the topic which were unbearable to read. Even though Lu Jinnian had a strong fanbase, who would always shout positive words like “no matter what male idols do, they’ll always be our male idols” and “we support you”, they seemed to pale against the slander.

She knew that he was Xu family’s illegitimate son, but had never known who his mother was. Nor did she know about her dark past.

Qiao Anhao thought back to the moment she went to visit Han Ruchu at her home. She remembered the insufferably repetitive and scornful things they said about Lu Jinnian’s mother. Now that so many people online were saying such horrid things, just how awful must he be feeling?

At that thought, Qiao Anhao wished she could hide herself somewhere nobody knew about and take the pain on her own. The pain was so unbearable, it felt like some had ruthlessly thrust a knife into her. She couldn’t help but grab the home phone and try to call Lu Jinnian again, but she was still unable to connect to him.

Qiao Anhao remembered that she saved her contacts onto a software, so she quickly tapped into the downloaded software on her iPad and looked for Lu Jinnian’s assistant’s number. She tried calling the number but his phone was off. She used to live in Mian Xiu Garden, so she had the number already saved on there. She tried calling but there was no answer.

Qiao Anhao was about to call another number when she glanced at the time on her iPad. It was half past three in the morning. With it being so late at night, everyone was probably asleep.

She put down the phone drearily. Having ran out of the hospital, she felt particularly unwell, yet she still wasn’t the least bit sleepy. Every now and then, she’d refresh Weibo on her iPad. The more she looked, the more stifled her heart felt. The feeling was far more unbearable than when she was harassed.

In the end, Qiao Anhao threw her iPad aside to stop the pain. However, she was so distracted that eventually, she angrily kicked her leg up, causing the iPad to fall off the bed. Then she hugged the pillow, and sat in a daze in a corner of the bed.

The rim of her eyes started to grow red for no reason, and she couldn’t help but raise her head and take a deep breath. Her eyes wandered onto the porcelain doll on the shelf that Lu Jinnian had gifted her this year on her birthday.

Qiao Anhao threw her pillow, climbed out of bed, and walked towards the shelf. She stretched her arm out and lightly rubbed the red lips and white teeth. The doll was a small, white porcelain doll with a tender smile, which only made her feel even more pained. She couldn’t help herself and reached with her hands towards the shelf and grabbed for the doll. She didn’t know if it was because her body was weak or if it was because she hadn’t gotten a good hold, but the porcelain doll accidentally fell from her fingertips.

Chapter 568: I’ve Loved You for Thirteen Years (39)

“Pa-la-“. The porcelain doll shattered onto the hard floor, breaking into tiny sharp pieces that spread far and wide.

Qiao Anhao froze on the spot for half a minute, with her hand suspended in the moment she grabbed for the doll, before she realized what she had done. Her long eyelashes flickered for a moment, and then she crouched on the ground. She stared at the big and small shards in a panic and at a loss.

Her fingertips trembled for a long while, before she hastily reached her hand out to pick the shards up one by one. She tried to piece the doll back to how it looked originally.

However, the shards of porcelain had shattered so bad, Qiao Anhao simply didn’t know where the pieces fit. With one careless move, she accidentally cut her finger on a sharp edge of a shard. As the blood gushed out, she didn’t feel any pain, nor did she stop picking up the pieces. When she picked up the largest piece, she saw a plastic tube with a roll of paper inside among the shattered pieces.

Qiao Anhao furrowed her brows and without conscious thought picked up the piece of paper.

It was a good quality paper and particularly thick. With one pull, the paper unfolded itself. Then, Qiao Anhao saw that the paper was heavily filled with words.

With just one look, she immediately recognized that it was Lu Jinnian’s bold and cursive handwriting that looked natural and fluid.

“First year. The first time we met, she wore a school uniform; a white shirt and blue skirt. In the height of autumn, she had a pink bike, and a blushing face.

Second year. Rainy days weren’t the most beautiful thing, finding shelter under the roof with her was.

Third year. I left half the maths test blank, so I could be her classmate.

Fourth year. I gave her a birthday present with the words ‘Shmily’ carved on the back. Who knows if she noticed…

Fifth year. I gave up on my dream of attending a prestigious university. I gave up all plans of living an ordinary life to go to Hangzhou for her.”

As Qiao Anhao read this part, her hands, which were still holding the paper, started to tremble as she faintly understood what she was reading. The fog beneath her eyes began to coalesce.

“Sixth year. With her single careless step closer, I smelled the soft smell of her hair. It made me stay up all night.

Seventh year. I gave up a monumental, career-changing opportunity for her.

Eighth year. I slept in the same room with her. It was the first time I kissed her and the same year I was awarded my first achievement award. I rushed to Beijing overnight to find that she was engaged to someone else.

Ninth year. I started smoking because of her. I smoked and drank the whole night, alone in my room. I cried for her all night.”

A single tear slowly fell onto the paper, smudging the dry, black ink.

“Tenth year. On many occasions, I secretly hid in a corner as I watched her back a few times.

Eleventh year. After having seen thousands of different women, I always subconsciously compare them to her, and she’s always the best of them all.

Twelfth year. All alone, I silently feel pain when she hurts, and happy when she is so.

Thirteenth year. I made the best decision of my life… to cross paths with her once again.”

Qiao Anhao forcefully bit onto her bottom lip, tears falling hysterically one after the other.

Chapter 569: I’ve Loved You for Thirteen Years (40)

“After we met again…

I secretly made countless confessions and signals that I didn’t dare let her know.

You like rainy days too?

Paper, Scissors, Rock.

I am only happy with you.

I actually didn’t want to love her… But… I couldn’t do it, I couldn’t convince myself to let go.”

Finally, Qiao Anhao couldn’t hold in her cry any longer and wailed with every image stitched back together in her mind.

His assistant went to her room to tell her that he hadn’t eaten dinner yet, and suggested she go over and bring him something to eat. That night was the very first time there was a good atmosphere between them. She stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows and said in a cheerful voice that it was raining. He asked her, do you like rainy days too?

At Chen Yang’s party, she didn’t want to be punished, and so knowing the flaw in his play, she beat him one game after the other in rock, paper, scissors. She never imagined that Paper, Scissors, Rock, 5,2,0, was the world’s most beautiful confession with hand signs.

When he shot scenes with her, the way he looked into her eyes when he said, ‘I am only happy when I’m with you’… She thought that he was saying ‘This year was only happy because it was spent with you’. She had never dared to hope those words were for her to hear.

At his villa in Mount Yi, they slept together one night. They’d slept innocently together, as she laid in the bed and he slept on the sofa, in poor health. That night, she was so upset when she asked if he’d continue to love the married woman, to which he replied, ‘I actually didn’t want to love her… But… I couldn’t do it, I couldn’t convince myself to let go.’

Qiao Anhao raised her hand and casually wiped away the tears, so she could continue reading.

“She has a beautiful name.

Qiao Anhao.

Every one calls her Xiao Qiao.”

At the very end, there was another line. “Qiao Qiao, I love you. I’ve loved you for thirteen years.”

It was like Qiao Anhao had lost all the strength in her body, falling limp on the ground. With a “waaaa”, she started wailing like a child.

In her previous dreams, she would wonder what she would do if Lu Jinnian fell in love with her one day. In her dreams, she was so sure she’d be in joyful bliss.

But now that her dream came true, she realized that the only way she could release the complicated emotions in her heart was to cry them all out.

She loved him too. She never knew that between the two of them, there were so many misunderstandings.

She liked rainy days, because of him.

She worked hard to go up a class, because of him.

She studied her hardest to get into a prestigious university, also because of him.

She joined the entertainment circle, also because of him.

She agreed to marry Xu Jiamu, also because of him…

There were so many missed chances between them. It looked like they weren’t fated for each other, but their mutual love was the strongest sign on earth.

They actually tried their best to love one another, but they didn’t have the courage to tell each other “I love you”.

Qiao Anhao gripped harder onto the paper, as she cried so hard her whole body shivered.

The only thing that could be heard in the silent room was the endless echoes of her cries.

Qiao Anhao didn’t know how long she cried for, but she cried and cried until she came to a sudden stop. Then, like an idiot, her crying face started to smile. She suddenly got up from the floor and rushed into the changing rooms. After changing her clothes, she fumbled for a bit and rushed out.

She had to go find him.

She had to go find him now.

She wanted to say to him “Lu Jinnian, what a coincidence… I’ve loved you for thirteen years too”.

Chapter 570: The Things She Didn’t Know (1)

Before dawn arrived upon the empty streets of Beijing, humidity levels were high and the weather was cool. There were long intervals between cars driving past. Qiao Anhao stood by the side of the road for an awfully long time before she could hail a taxi. Eventually, she hailed one, got in, and requested to be taken to Mian Xiu Garden.

When the car reached it, she paid the driver and ran out before even collecting her change.

The passcode to Mian Xiu Gardens hadn’t changed.

The place looked as if nobody had visited it in a long time. The fallen flowers on the courtyard floor had become muddy and tattered. As Qiao Anhao stepped on top of them, the leaves produced a crisp, crunching sound.

Qiao Anhao opened the doors and noticed two pairs of slippers placed silently on the shoe closet; one for men, the other for women. The women one was hers, from when she had used to live here, pretending to be husband and wife with Lu Jinnian. After she left, she had left them in a bag and asked him to throw it out, but now the pair was here, back in their original spot. It looked as though the two of them were still living in the house.

The villa was completely empty, no a soul in sight. Just like before, there was a layer of dust on the grandfather clock.

Qiao Anhao ran up the stairs and pushed open the bedroom doors. It was pitch-black inside, and she turned on the lights in disappointment. The first thing she saw was the adult-sized teddy bear she had bought at the center of the tidy bed. She had taken all of her cosmetics with her when she left, but there, in front of the dressing table, were brand new ones of the exact same brands. Even the eyeliner was the same.

That man… though he always had a cold expression on his face, as though he didn’t care about anything, when did he memorize everything she used so clearly?

Qiao Anhao had never known that something like this could make tears suddenly fall.

As though she had an inkling of something, she walked into the changing room. She saw half of the wardrobe filled with his clothes, and the other half with the clothes she’d asked him to throw out for her. Perhaps because the wardrobe wasn’t entirely filled up, or perhaps it was because he wanted to buy her clothes but had no excuse for it, there was a wall full of the latest collections from her favorite brands. The newly bought clothes still had the tags on them.

Qiao Anhao forcefully pursed her lips and moved away to step into the bathroom. The toothpaste, toothbrush, shower gel, cleansing lotion… The things she had used for over half a year whilst living there were all back in their original places.

With her gone, he couldn’t open his mouth to ask her to stay, and so like this, he stubbornly pretended that she was still here.

So it turned out that the person she loved, loved her this much as well. He was so foolish, to love her so foolishly.

—

When Qiao Anhao stepped out of Mian Xiu Garden, the skies were already a little bright. This time, she hailed a taxi to go directly to Huan Ying Entertainment.

On her arrival, nobody had come for work just yet. There was only the night shift’s security guard, who yawned and said “Good morning” to her.

Qiao Anhao sat waiting incredibly patiently in the lobby outside of Lu Jinnian’s office on the top floor.

Having been with him for over half a year, she knew that his lifestyle was very simple. He always spent long hours at the office.

From before seven in the morning to ten, everyone had come to work. All but Lu Jinnian.

Qiao Anhao asked Lu Jinnian’s secretary, but she could only tell her that Chief Lu hadn’t been in the office for a few days now.

Qiao Anhao blanked out for a moment, then suddenly remembered the villa in Mount Yi. She thanked the secretary and rushed downstairs to catch a taxi for Mount Yi.

Chapter 571: The Things She Didn’t Know (2)

From Huan Ying Entertainment, Qiao Anhao left for Mount Yi, which was located in the suburbs. When she arrived, it was already twelve in the afternoon.

Even though it was the middle of the day, the villa in Mount Yi looked like an utopia from another world. The tranquility made you feel at peace.

Since nobody answered the door when Qiao Anhao knocked on it, she entered the passcode that Lu Jinnian had once given her and entered the villa.

All four walls were made of floor-to-ceiling windows, which allowed for the natural sunlight to illuminate the villa with dots of light due to going through the surrounding forest.

Qiao Anhao went up the spiral staircase, straight for the bedroom door.

As before, when no one could find Lu Jinnian, she would always be able to find him here.

This time…

Qiao Anhao stood at the door with an indescribable sense of nervousness in her heart. She took a deep breath, then pushed open the door with trembling hands.

The bedroom was bright and clean. The bed was well made, without any signs of anyone having lain in it.

Surprisingly, Lu Jinnian wasn’t at Mount Yi villa either.

Qiao Anhao furrowed her brows as she rushed into the bedroom, scanning every detail in the changing room and bathroom. Eventually, she walked out in disappointment.

Mount Yi villa was huge, but there weren’t many rooms, which meant that each room was quite big. Qiao Anhao was afraid that Lu Jinnian might be in one of those rooms, so she scanned through every one of them on the second floor.

Apart from the bedroom, other rooms only had decorated walls. There weren’t even any cabinets or beds. However, the room on the far west side had a piano with a piano book on it, and a side table, which had a bunch of papers sprawled on top of it. Qiao Anhao randomly picked one up to find that it was a pencil drawing. Though there weren’t any colors, Qiao Anhao could clearly tell that it was a drawing of her.

A flash of astonishment crossed her eyes as she flipped through all of the sheets of paper. They looked quite old and as though someone had looked through them quite a few times, as they were rough around the edges.

From the clothes in the picture, you could tell they were of her in her middle school uniform. The drawings themselves were of her doing various stuff.

There were drawings of her back, of her side profile, of her immersed in a book, of her sprawled out on the table, asleep, of her dazing outside the classroom window, and there was also one of her smiling in front of her bike…

On the bottom right corner of all the sketches, there was a small line of words that was difficult to spot if one didn’t take a closer look at it. That line contained the date, the words, ‘Lu Jinnian’, and the title: “The Woman I Love”.

When did Lu Jinnian learn to draw? These drawings were all drawn whilst he was in middle school…

Qiao Anhao suddenly remembered that when she used to often pass by his classroom, she would see him with a pencil in hand, drawing something at an alarming speed. At the time, she thought that he was just like her, randomly doodling whilst bored in class. Now that she thought about it, was he drawing her back then?

In those fleeting years of their youth, his efforts had far exceeded her expectations.

Just how much exactly did he do without her knowing about it?

The rims of Qiao Anhao’s eyes started to burn as she stared at those drawings. After a long time had passed, she neatly placed each piece of paper back onto the table, and quietly left the room.

She stepped out of Mount Yi villa and stopped at the doorway. She lifted her head towards the sunshine and took a deep breath.

Lu Jinnian, just where the hell are you?

Chapter 572: The Things She Didn’t Know (3)

Since Qiao Anhao had ran out of the hospital yesterday, she practically hadn’t had any rest or food in her. She was already weak from her severe injury, but now, her face was pale and her entire body was drenched in sweat. She slowly sat down on the stairs in front of the villa, her head buried in her knees as she sat hugging them. Her breathing was unstable.

It was sunny in the midst of autumn. Though the sun wasn’t as blazing as it was in the summer, when it shined on the body, it still felt uncomfortably warm.

Not long after, Qiao Anhao’s white delicate skin tanned till her skin tinged with light red. She wanted to stand up, but her legs hadn’t the strength.

All Qiao Anhao could do was quietly sit on the stairs with her eyes shut, and stabilize her breathing. After a long while had passed, her breathing finally went back to normal. The sun had fallen in the east by that time.

Qiao Anhao pushed herself up with one hand on the stairs, then sluggishly walked out of Lu Jinnian’s villa.

She got here by hailing a taxi, but as Mount Yi was a secluded area, she could only get back to the city by taking the bus.

Qiao Anhao stepped out the gates of Mount Yi neighborhood and walked about two hundred meters east before reaching the bus stop.

The only thing on her mind right now was where Lu Jinnian could be. She was so lost in thought that when the bus stopped in front of her, she was in such a trance, she didn’t even react when the bus driver called her a few times. Then, as though Qiao Anhao had suddenly realized something, she waved over at the bus, but it had already slowly driven further and further away.

Qiao Anhao gloomily lowered her hand and patiently waited for another bus. At that time, she suddenly heard the sound of a car breaking in front of her. The person lowered the car window and cried out to her, “Miss Qiao!”

Qiao Anhao shot her head up to see Lu Jinnian’s assistant. A hint of surprised came across her eyes, and she power walked over to the front of the car.

“Lu Jinnian, where is he?” she asked as she stuck her face through the car window and looked inside. Her head dropped in disappointment when she saw that he wasn’t inside.

The assistant didn’t reply to her question about Lu Jinnian’s whereabouts, but got out of the car, and opened the passenger car door. “Miss Qiao, get in the car first. I’ll take you back to the city.”

Qiao Anhao gave a gentle nod and got into the car.

Seeing the rear view mirror that Qiao Anhao’s complexion looked like she’d been drained of blood, the assistant asked apprehensively, “Miss Qiao, are you not feeling well? You don’t look so well.”

“It’s fine.” Qiao Anhao forced a smile, shook her head, and asked, “Do you know where Lu Jinnian is? Take me to him, okay?”

The assistant ignored Qiao Anhao’s request again and handed her a bottle. “Drink some water.”

Qiao Anhao hesitated for a moment before taking the water, and then said in a low voice, “Thank you.”

The assistant first drove Qiao Anhao back to Lu Jinnian’s Mount Yi villa and closed all of the doors and windows. He even covered all the furniture in white sheets of fabric, and put the bamboo stool and table in the courtyard into the storage room in the villa.

The assistant’s actions indicated that no one was going to visit here ever again… Qiao Anhao’s heart suddenly jumped, and she couldn’t help but ask the assistant whilst he was closing the doors, “Lu Jinnian won’t he be living here anymore?”

Chapter 573: The Things She Didn’t Know (4)

The assistant pushed the door to the villa, and when he was sure it was locked, he turned his head and glanced over at Qiao Anhao. He moved his lips, but looked as though he was hesitant to say something. In the end, he just pulled open the car’s door, and said to Qiao Anhao, respectfully as always, “Miss Qiao, please get in.”

A terrible feeling shrouded Qiao Anhao’s heart as she stood there staring at the assistant with her shivering, colorless lips and pitch-black pupils.

The assistant turned his head and looked towards the lush trees in the distance with a distressed look on his face. After a while, he took a deep breath, and then looked over at Qiao Anhao once again and said, “Miss Qiao, it’s almost dinner time right now. If you don’t mind and you aren’t busy, can I treat you to dinner?”

“Why do you keep avoiding my questions?” Qiao Anhao’s intuition grew stronger. Panic surfaced in her eyes and her lips trembled. She asked, “Is Lu Jinnian mad at me? He doesn’t want to see me, am I right?”

Streams of tears fell from Qiao Anhao’s eyes. Not caring about the etiquette between men and women, she grabbed the assistant’s arm and pleaded, “Tell me, where is he, please? You definitely know where he is. Tell me, please?”

The assistant still felt resentful at heart for Qiao Anhao not turning up at ‘Lijing Pavilion’ and leaving Lu Jinnian to wait so long for her. Though he was always polite, the tone of his voice revealed a hint of ridicule that was difficult to detect. “It’d be great if Mr. Lu could really get angry at you.”

After the assistant said that, he saw Qiao Anhao’s crying face and instantly became softhearted. Eventually, he gave a deep sigh and said, “Miss Qiao, get in the car first. I’ll tell you everything over dinner, okay?”

Qiao Anhao gave a light nod, then lowered her head and got inside.

The assistant also got into the car and started it up.

Once there was some distance between the car and Mount Yi villa, the assistant pulled out two tissues and handed them to Qiao Anhao next to him.

—

When the assistant turned the car into the road where ‘Lijing Pavilion’ was, he asked, “Miss Qiao, do you mind if we go to Lijing Pavilion?”

Qiao Anhao shook her head.

After passing through the traffic lights ahead, the assistant didn’t say a word, just turned into Lijing Pavilion’s parking lot.

Because they hadn’t made a reservation, all the private rooms were booked. In the end, the assistant and Qiao Anhao sat in a secluded area of the lobby.

The waiter came over with the menu, and the assistant handed the it over to Qiao Anhao straight away. “Miss. Qiao, take a look. What would you like to order?”

Qiao Anhao didn’t flip through the menu. She simply told the assistant, “I’m fine with whatever.”

The assistant didn’t press her any further and brought menu back in front of himself and ordered a few light dishes.

They were all dishes Qiao Anhao liked to eat, and so she raised her head in astonishment and glanced over at him. He looked back at her, but pretended it was nothing. He handed the menu back to the waiter with a smile of his face, and added two bottles of beer and a pot of tea.

The tea and beer arrived quickly. The assistant personally poured a cup of tea and pushed it towards Qiao Anhao, then opened a bottle of beer for himself.

Qiao Anhao quietly said “Thank you” and lifted the cup and took a sip of tea.

The assistant didn’t reply, but took a hard gulp of beer.

Chapter 574: The Things She Didn’t Know (5)

The dishes at “Lijing Pavilion” arrived quickly on the table. The exquisite cutlery accompanied with the light dishes looked like it would give anyone an appetite.

The assistant personally pulled off the paper packaging from the chopsticks and passed them to Qiao Anhao. “These are all your favorite dishes. Finish up and we’ll talk.”

Qiao Anhao didn’t pick up the chopsticks. Her lips moved as though she was going to ask something but before she could, the assistant helped did it for her. “You must wonder how I know that these are your favorite dishes right?”

She pulled the corner of her lips, and swallowed the questions she wanted to ask him.

“Mr. Lu told me.” The assistant wore a gentle smile, and took another gulp of beer. He turned his head then and stared at Qiao Anhao. “Eat first, let’s talk after.”

When the assistant said this, he picked up his chopsticks and started to eat.

Qiao Anhao stared at the assistant for quite some time before also picking up the chopsticks, and silently starting to eat something.

These were the dishes she liked to eat, but she didn’t have an appetite. She practically had to force herself to eat.

After about half an hour passed, she finally couldn’t eat anymore and put her chopsticks down. She lifted her head and looked over at the assistant, who had put his chopsticks down earlier and stared out the window, thinking about who knows what. He had finished the two bottles of beer in front of him.

At the sound of Qiao Anhao putting her chopsticks down, he turned his head and asked, “Finished?”

Qiao Anhao gave a gentle nod.

The assistant raised his hand and called the waiter over. He asked for two more bottles of beer. After waiting for the beer to arrive, he poured a cup for himself and downed it. He then pulled out a phone from his pocket and handed it to Qiao Anhao.

A hint of confusion crossed her eyes.

“Didn’t you ask about where Mr. Lu was? You’ll know once you see what’s on the phone.” When the assistant finished speaking, he lowered his head, and poured himself another cup of beer. He took a big gulp.

The assistant’s phone screen lit up with Qiao Anhao’s single tap. She then saw that he meant for her to read an email.

Lu Jinnian had sent him that email.

The email started off by telling him who would be in charge of certain jobs at Huan Ying Entertainment. After that, Lu Jinnian told him vice president Wang would be temporarily in charge of business operations.

The email didn’t end at that. Below, there was a long section where Lu Jinnian wrote personal stuff to his assistant.

“Here are the foods Qiao Qiao likes to eat. When she’s back on set, please tell the crew to cook more of these dishes if they have time.

Her dream is to become the best female actress, so please make preparations for this during the year-end nominations.

The entertainment industry is a little chaotic. It’s not safe for a woman on her own, so please take care of her and don’t let her suffer.

I have a villa in Mount Yi. When you have time, please close the windows, especially the one in the room on the far west, just in case the rain falls through the window and onto the drawings of her on the table. Oh, right. Don’t close the floor-to-ceiling window by the back door of the first floor – Qiao Qiao likes to climb in from there.”

Lu Jinnian had written a lot to the assistant. Qiao Anhao flipped through quite a few pages until she finally reached the end.

Her mind was blank. She couldn’t quite understand what Lu Jinnian meant by sending his assistant this email. Or perhaps, she actually did understand but wasn’t willing to.