Chapter 40 [40]

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Lu Mingxiao cradled Luo Qingyue's head with one hand and wrapped the other around her waist.

The moment the man's lips touched hers, Luo Qingyue's pupils dilated, and her brain nearly shut down.

Unlike the way he carried her out of the house, Lu Mingxiao's kiss was soft and light.

It's as if I'm wandering in the long river of time, letting love flow slowly, and wrapping her in the tenderness of the whole world.

Lu Mingxiao had a pleasant, fresh scent of fir wood on him.

Luo Qingyue wrapped her arms around his neck, closed her eyes, and pressed herself tightly against him in rhythm with the kiss.

The foyer is completely enclosed and feels stuffy due to the lack of ventilation.

The cramped and confined stool felt like a prison, and the restless energy quickly spread through the air.

The voice-activated lights went out, plunging everything into darkness. The kiss, as if a deeper switch had been flipped, intensified.

Luo Qingyue's forehead was slightly sweaty, and her thoughts were drifting uncontrollably. However, she was reluctant to leave the trap set by Lu Mingxiao. Her senses were immersed, she was confused and infatuated, and her breathing became rapid and overlapping, gradually becoming the same frequency...

Lu Mingxiao showed no intention of stopping.

Feeling completely drained, Luo Qingyue was the first to call a halt, resting her chin on Lu Mingxiao's shoulder, looking utterly dejected.

In the darkness, a man's mocking voice rang in my ears: "Only half an hour, and you're already done?"

After she finished speaking, the voice-activated light turned on, and Luo Qingyue turned her head to look at Lu Mingxiao, her voice full of confidence and self-assurance.

"You work out and have good lung capacity, but I'd rather lie down than sit, and sit than stand. Is there any comparison?"

How dare he look down on her? Luo Qingyue punched Lu Mingxiao hard in the chest.

Lu Mingxiao picked her up and carried her back into the house. Luo Qingyue sat down on the sofa, and Lu Mingxiao poured her a glass of water and handed it to her.

"I was afraid of disturbing your rest, so I kept my composure. But you, on the contrary, practically said that you wanted to take me to the hospital for a full checkup."

"If you were afraid of bothering me, you shouldn't have come to Guanjiangyue."

Luo Qingyue finished her water in one gulp. "You could have left right in the parking garage, but you insisted on coming all the way to my doorstep. Isn't that sending me the signal that you're going to do something to me?"

"So you girls don't like being too restrained."

Lu Mingxiao seemed to have learned something new. "This is my first time in a relationship, so it's inevitable that I haven't thought things through. I'll pay attention in the future and act in the direction you want."

"That cannot be generalized."

Luo Qingyue corrected, "It depends on the time, place, and occasion; we need to analyze it specifically."

"There's definitely no need for analysis now."

Lu Mingxiao pulled Luo Qingyue into his arms. "I know you didn't kiss enough just now. Do you want to kiss for another half hour? I can teach you how to breathe properly and maximize your lung capacity."

As soon as his face came close, Luo Qingyue, who was half-lying on the sofa, quickly pushed him away.

"No more kissing, no more kissing! You'd better leave now and not disturb my rest!"

Lu Mingxiao leaned down, his face grim: "Will you still say I'm not a man in the future?"

In her first relationship, she underestimated men's desire for revenge and their determination to prove themselves.

Luo Qingyue, who prided herself on being flexible and adaptable, cupped Lu Mingxiao's face and said with a smile, "Some words are tailor-made for you, such as tall and mighty, handsome and majestic, and dashing. You are the fighter jet among men, and I am willing to follow you forever."

...

Luo Qingyue also spent Sunday with Lu Mingxiao.

They had lunch at Lu Mingxiao's house at noon, which was cooked by Chef Lu himself. In the afternoon, they went to the amusement park together.

As the Ferris wheel reached its highest point, they embraced tenderly, just like in a shoujo manga. Lu Mingxiao took out his phone and snapped a photo of them together.

On Monday morning, after Lu Mingxiao finished processing the documents in his hand, Cheng Wang came to his office.

Separated by the desk, Cheng Wang sat down in a chair, unscrewed the thermos, took a sip of water, and looked at Lu Mingxiao.

"Did you see the group message? Luo Hanzhou invited us to play basketball tonight."

Lu Mingxiao was busy all morning and didn't even have time to touch his phone.

Upon opening WeChat, Luo Hanzhou's message received responses from many people.

I bet you won't go.

Cheng Wang said with certainty, "Luo Hanzhou trusted you so much, yet you stole his sister. After all, during the honeymoon phase, the probability of letting something slip was quite high. With a brother like Luo Hanzhou who dotes on his sister, if he knew you had betrayed him, he would be ashamed of his reputation as someone who wouldn't throw you into the sea to feed the sharks."

"You seem quite gloating."

Lu Mingxiao put down his phone. "It's not that I'm afraid to go, but that something really comes up and I can't go."

After a pause, he told Cheng Wang, "Yao Wenbo organized a gathering and invited me to attend, saying he wanted to apologize to me in person."

Looking at the automotive industry, the biggest competitor of the Mingyue is called "Extreme Domain".

Yao Wenbo is the vice president of Jiyu. The most despicable thing he did was poach Lu Mingxiao's girlfriend.

"The CEO of Extreme Domain is retiring in October, and those vice presidents are eyeing his position covetously."

Cheng Wang said, "What is Yao Wenbai trying to do? You don't have any shares in Extreme Domain. Does he think that by getting on your good side, he can successfully take over?"

Lu Mingxiao picked up his coffee cup, finished his latte, and then replied, "I only found out last night that Jiyu also participated in the layout project that we discussed with the government in Yuanjiang. No wonder they haven't given me a reply yet. To be honest, Jiyu's chances of winning are slim. Yao Bowen probably wants me to back down and give the project to him, so that his promotion path will be much smoother."

"Based on what you've said, it should be pretty close to the truth."

Cheng Wang opened his phone's photo album and handed it to Lu Mingxiao. "Yesterday, I took Nuomi to the pet store for a bath, and on the way back, I discovered an incredible secret."

In the photo, a woman wearing sunglasses gets into a black JAC sedan with license plate number 828.

Lu Mingxiao recognized both the car and the people: "Yao Wenbai and Lin Qian."

"That's what I came here to tell you."

Cheng Wang shook his head helplessly, "Yao Wenbai really can't change his ways. But Lin Qian is really beyond my expectations. I took care of her in Longhua back then and watched her grow up. She became the marketing director of Mingyue. She doesn't care about our old relationship at all."

"The same goes for boxwood."

Lu Mingxiao's voice was calm and even as he handed the phone back to Cheng Wang, saying, "Keep a close eye on the marketing center."

Cheng Wangchao gave him an "OK" sign: "I can do it even if you don't tell me, and besides, Luo Qingyue is here."

——

"Huang Yang, a former key member of the R&D center, usually seemed quite honest, but he actually stole company secrets and colluded with Jiyu. Fortunately, he was discovered in time by President Lu, and a major disaster was averted."

"He was someone that President Lu had personally mentored, bringing him from Longhua to Mingyue. Perhaps out of consideration for their past relationship, President Lu simply fired him without taking any further action. However, once this incident spread throughout the automotive industry, no company dared to hire him again."

After lunch break, Luo Qingyue and Song Tao went to the tea room together to listen to her tell this gossip.

Feeling extremely sorry for Lu Mingxiao, who had been raised by a thankless wretch, Luo Qingyue returned to her workstation and sent him a WeChat message.

Of course, she wouldn't rub salt into Lu Mingxiao's wounds. She didn't mention Huang Yang, but instead shared the newly opened blind box with him and sent him photos.

【Crescent Moon】: I was especially lucky today. I opened six boxes and got the hidden item right away.

【Crescent Moon】: Blind Box Family Photo.jpg

Lu Mingxiao's message came quickly, telling her that her lunch break was over and she had slept very well.

[Lu Mingxiao]: What a coincidence, you just opened six boxes in my dream.

[Lu Mingxiao]: But there were no hidden models, so I said I would go and get one for you. You said no, no, it's too expensive. I said it's okay, as long as you're willing to be my wife in the future.

A 31-year-old man having such pure and innocent dreams.

Luo Qingyue felt ashamed because she had touched Lu Mingxiao's chest muscles in her dream last night.

Luo Qingyue sent a cute emoji.

【Crescent Moon】: You haven't seen my workstation yet, I've decorated it beautifully.

Luo Qingyue stood up, stepped back, and placed the entire desk into the camera lens of her phone. She pressed the shutter to freeze the moment and sent the photo to Lu Mingxiao.

[Lu Mingxiao]: I forgot to mention, I once secretly went to your office late at night.

[Lu Mingxiao]: I've sat in your chair, admired your blind boxes, and even though your monitor was on, I turned it off.

【月儿弯弯】：When did this happen?

[Lu Mingxiao]: The night before my race with Li Heng, I was thinking of drawing some energy from you.

【Crescent Moon】: So your victory is all thanks to me.

[Lu Mingxiao]: That's for sure, you bring me good luck.

Lu Mingxiao went out to run some errands at noon, so Luo Qingyue didn't have lunch with him.

She glanced at the time; there were still ten minutes before her afternoon work session began. She wanted to hurry and chat a little longer, so she typed rapidly on her phone, her mind racing with so many things to say.

【Crescent Moon】: After I was officially hired, my brother was so happy that he reopened my financial lifeline.

[Lu Mingxiao]: It's okay if he doesn't open it. Just tell me what you want and I'll buy it for you.

【Crescent Moon】: I'm going to take the flowers you sent to the florist and have the lady there make them into dried flowers so they can last longer.

【Crescent Moon】: I should be able to do quite a bit. I'll share some with you and decorate your office too.

Lu Mingxiao replied with an "okay," and apologized, saying he had a dinner engagement that evening and couldn't accompany her.

【Crescent Moon】: It's okay, I'm busy too.

【Crescent Moon】: Director Lin asked me to make a few spreadsheets, and I'll have to work overtime unless something unexpected happens.

[Lu Mingxiao]: Then you stay at the company and I'll pick you up after the dinner.

【Crescent Moon】: It's not impossible, but you can't drink alcohol, and you can't have other women sitting next to you either.

[Lu Mingxiao]: Yeah, it's not a gathering worth drinking at. I'll just watch it for fun.

——

The following morning, Lu Mingxiao told Cheng Wang about the dinner.

"Just as I expected, Yao Wenbo is after the Yuanjiang project."

"However, what I didn't expect was that he also called Huang Yang."

Sitting on the sofa in Lu Mingxiao's office, Cheng Wang was furious.

"When his parents were hospitalized, you paid for all their medical expenses. Now you're betraying him. How dare Huang Yang show his face in front of you? Are you going to put on a show of kneeling down and begging for forgiveness?"

"You were right."

Lu Mingxiao placed the cup of iced mocha in front of Cheng Wang and sat down next to him. "Huang Yang said that her sister hit someone with her car and urgently needed compensation. I told her that if she needed money, she could have told me, but she chose the method I hate the most. She's been with me for so long and she's still so stupid. She really thought that Jiyu would protect her. She's just a pawn. Yao Wenbai is also quite ruthless. He kicked her in the face and knocked out two of her teeth."

Cheng Wang joked, "Why don't you punch Yao Wenbo a couple of times to make him laugh? Maybe then you can get a share of the profits in the project."

Lu Mingxiao took a sip of hot Americano: "Actually, taking this project would be icing on the cake, but not taking it wouldn't cost Mingyue anything. Compared to his eagerness to claim credit, we can completely hold back."

Cheng Wang opened his phone's photo album and shared the latest information with Lu Mingxiao.

“Last night I had Xiao Yao follow Lin Qian. Her last stop was the Caxia Hotel. Yao Wenbo also went there. It happened after the dinner with you. We confirmed that she was in the same room.”

Xiao Yao is Cheng Wang's assistant. Lu Mingxiao examined the photos and fell into deep thought: "This concerns private life. If it's just a simple date, it doesn't prove anything."

Cheng Wang thought for a moment and said, "Although Yao Wenbai likes to use underhanded tricks, I've never heard any scandalous news about him."

Lu Mingxiao: "Go talk to Lin Qian and try to find out what she thinks."

Cheng Wang shrugged: "Lin Qian took the day off today."

At the same time, in a king-size bed room at the Caxia Hotel.

A few hours ago, a moment of pleasure took place here; clothes lay scattered on the floor, and the lingering fragrance of the moment had not yet dissipated.

Yao Wenbai opened his eyes first, looked at the sleeping person in his arms, and dared not make any move, not wanting to wake her.

As if sensing his presence, Lin Qian raised her hand to wrap around his waist, rubbed her face against his chest, and hummed softly twice.

She and Yao Wenbo were university alumni, in the same year, and from the same hometown. He took special care of her when they were in school.

After graduation, the two pursued their own careers and had little contact with each other. They met again at an alumni reunion during the Spring Festival holiday this year.

After that, Yao Wenbo pursued Lin Qian for more than half a year. Originally, Lin Qian did not agree because of the competition between the two companies.

However, Yao Wenbo is an exceptionally good listener. Whenever she encounters any troubles at work, she shares them with him, and he vents along with her. Over time, Lin Qian fell for him and became infatuated. Two weeks ago, they officially became a couple.

"Once I become the president, you can come to Extreme Domain. You can go to whichever department you want, and you can choose any position you want, so you won't have to suffer Lu Mingxiao's incompetence at Mingyue."

After being reprimanded by Lu Mingxiao for her handling of the self-media platform, Lin Qian considered leaving.

Yao Wenbo naturally supported her and made a promise to her, so Lin Qian always looked forward to this day.

However, judging from the negotiations between Yao Wenbo and Lu Mingxiao last night, the outcome was not optimistic.

This is the only major project that Yao Wenbo is in charge of and can be proud of. If he can win it, he will have a chance to be promoted to president.

Yao Wenbo placed a kiss on Lin Qian's forehead.

Lin Qian murmured softly, then suddenly remembered something and told him, "Everyone has armor and weaknesses, and our CEO Lu is no exception."

Yao Wenbai couldn't help but curse: "I think Lu Mingxiao has an indestructible body, he's made of stone. I even brought his former confidants to him and beat them up to prove their loyalty, but it was no use at all. He was unmoved and just watched like it was a show."

Lin Qian opened her eyes and asked in confusion, "Why do you act like an idiot whenever you're around our CEO Lu?"

Yao Wenbo bit her ear, his hands wandering restlessly: "Who are you calling an idiot? Believe me or not, I'll make you beg for mercy again."

Lin Qian whimpered and moved his hand away: "I'm talking to you about serious matters, stop fooling around."

She paused, then continued, "Put yourself in his shoes. If you were betrayed, would you still think about saving him? Our boss Lu was already more than generous by not sending Huang Yang to the police station."

"What is Lu Mingxiao's weakness?" Yao Wenbai asked.

Lin Qian blurted out: "Woman."

"You must be kidding."

Yao Wenbo was shocked. "That guy never gets close to women. I suspect he likes men. Yesterday, when I was with him, I was afraid he would hit me. Luckily, he didn't do anything rash. My person and my body belong only to you."

Lin Qian placed a kiss on his neck and then continued, "A young woman joined our department. I thought she was Cheng Wang's woman, but she's actually Lu Mingxiao's. Lu Mingxiao broke the ironclad rule of not exposing his private life to the public for her and often spends time alone with her. If I'm not mistaken, the bouquets of flowers the young woman received before were all from him."

Yao Wenbo praised, "Wow, Lu Mingxiao is quite romantic."

"Now is not the time to talk about romance."

Lin Qian emphasized, "What I mean is, if we can't touch Lu Mingxiao, we can start with this young girl."

"What's her name?" Yao Wenbai asked.

Lin Qian blurted out, "Luo Qingyue."

[Author's Note]

Xiao: Who dares to touch my wife?! [Sprinkling flowers][Sprinkling flowers][Sprinkling flowers]

Moon: Come protect me! [shy][shy][shy]

Director Lin: Am I also contributing in another way? [Eating popcorn][Eating popcorn][Eating popcorn]

Yao Wenbo: I've already done it, but some people haven't yet [winking emoji][winking emoji][winking emoji]

I successfully earned the last little red flower for July!