Chapter 41 [41]
Complaint
On Thursday at noon, Luo Qingyue went to Lu Mingxiao's office to have lunch with him.
At his desk, Lu Mingxiao opened the insulated bag, took out the lunchbox, and saw Luo Qingyue resting her chin on her hand, looking worried. He asked her what was wrong.
Taking the chopsticks he offered, Luo Qingyue replied, "A couple of days ago, Director Lin asked me to make a spreadsheet. I made a silly mistake; I didn't lock the formula cells when analyzing the data, causing the data to be misaligned. The result was extremely absurd, and I was criticized."
Lu Mingxiao placed the tissue box next to her: "Did you check it again after you finished?"
Now she's not facing her boyfriend, but President Lu.
Luo Qingyue smiled at him apologetically: "I won't shirk responsibility for my own mistake. I'll make a new one this afternoon."
She frequently ate in the president's office, and to avoid suspicion, Luo Qingyue continued to order takeout without fail. Together with the food brought by Lu Mingxiao, it was enough for the two of them.
Luo Qingyue took a bite of the baked sweet potato with cheese and shared some departmental gossip with Lu Mingxiao.
"We're all guessing if Director Lin is in love. She never used to wear perfume, but lately she's been changing to a different scent every day. Also, she has roses on her desk, and the color is different every time I go there."
Lu Mingxiao picked up a floret of broccoli: "You guys find it strange that she's in a relationship?"
Luo Qingyue: "It's not that I find it strange, but rather that I'm curious. What kind of man would Director Lin, such a decisive and efficient person, like?"
Lu Mingxiao chuckled: "You can guess."
Luo Qingyue looked up at him: "You seem to know something."
"I just found out too."
Lu Mingxiao frankly stated, "Everyone has different standards for choosing a partner, so I can't make judgments based on my own subjective assumptions. If it's just about having a casual relationship, then there's nothing wrong with that, but if it involves Mingyue—"
Luo Qingyue was shocked: "Her boyfriend is your mortal enemy?"
Lu Mingxiao denied: "To be my arch-enemy, to have the ability and strength to be on par with me, Yao Wenbo is not qualified."
Yao Wenbo, Vice President of Extreme Domain.
Luo Qingyue heard Lu Mingxiao tell some stories about him.
He was an unlikable guy, but she didn't expect to meet him so soon.
That evening, Lu Mingxiao was invited to attend a charity gala hosted by the district government.
Luo Qingyue finished her work, shut down her computer, and was about to go home when her phone rang. It was Xu Jie calling her.
"Qingyue, are you still at the company?"
"A client urgently needs a document, and Tangyuan needs to undergo a check-up. I can't leave, could you please deliver it for me?"
Tangyuan is Xu Jie's daughter. She had a lot of small bumps on her skin, which were red and itchy. Xu Jie left work early and accompanied her to the hospital.
"Of course, no problem," Luo Qingyue agreed without hesitation. Xu Jie then said, "The documents are on Director Lin's desk. She has already signed them. Go and find them."
Luo Qingyue went to Director Lin's office and found the documents.
I glanced at the bouquet on her desk; it had changed from red roses to pink roses.
Luo Qingyue took the documents, and Xu Jie sent her the address on WeChat: a high-end restaurant called "Dome Taste Elephant".
She booked a ride on the app and had already set Lu Mingxiao as her emergency contact. He would receive text messages with the trip's location.
To prevent the text message from being blocked by the system, Luo Qingyue also told Lu Mingxiao on WeChat.
Lu Mingxiao didn't reply. Unfortunately, her phone ran out of battery and shut down automatically when they were almost at their destination.
There's no need to worry about the ride-hailing app automatically deducting the fare. Luo Qingyue plans to deliver the documents, borrow a shared power bank at the restaurant, and also have dinner while she's at it.
"Dome Flavor" features a purely Chinese-style interior design.
First, step into the courtyard decorated with small bridges, flowing water, pavilions, and terraces, then pass through the zigzag corridor, and the two-story building with blue bricks and white walls is the dining area.
All the private rooms here are named using traditional Chinese colors. Luo Qingyue went to call "Zhu Zhan," which is located at the end of the second-floor corridor.
Two tall, burly men in black suits stood at the door, looking like bodyguards. Before she could knock, the men in suits opened the door to its widest angle and gestured for her to enter.
Is the service really this attentive?
Luo Qingyue took two steps inside, and the door slammed shut with a "bang," startling her so much that she immediately hunched her shoulders.
A strange man sat at the round table, wearing a dark gray short-sleeved shirt and looking refined.
Luo Qingyue was a little annoyed that she had forgotten to ask Xu Jie how to address this person. Unexpectedly, the man put down his teacup and spoke first.
"Just leave the documents on the table."
Luo Qingyue responded, indicating that the mission was complete.
He was the only person in the private room; the round table was empty except for a small teapot in front of him.
Luo Qingyue said goodbye to him, "Then I'll be going now. You can start ordering."
The man remained silent, watching her with an ambiguous expression.
This place is not safe to stay in. Receiving this signal, Luo Qingyue turned around and went to push open the door.
I tried to push it a few times, but I couldn't open it. It must have been locked from the outside.
Luo Qingyue's breath hitched slightly as she turned to face the man.
The man smiled broadly: "How could I dare to arrive early if our distinguished guest hasn't come yet?"
After a pause, the man got up and walked to her side.
He pulled out the nearest chair and invited her to sit down: "Luo Qingyue, I've been waiting for you."
This person even knows her name.
Luo Qingyue immediately realized that sending the documents was a pretense, and that her real intention was to set a trap for her.
Her thoughts were a little jumbled, so she pursed her lips and told herself that she absolutely couldn't panic.
The other party's purpose was unclear. Luo Qingyue looked up at him and said, "Looking at Dongchuan, there are many people who like me. You are the first to attract my attention in this way. It's quite novel. Here's what we'll do. I'll give you a chance to introduce yourself—your name, how many people are in your family, what your parents do, where you went to school from childhood to adulthood, what jobs you do, and how much your annual salary is. I'll give you a score based on your answers. If it's below 9.9, you'll have to go back to school."
The other party didn't reply with a single word, but instead watched like it was a show: "The woman Lu Mingxiao likes is really interesting."
He knew Lu Mingxiao and was aware of his relationship with Lu Mingxiao.
Was she trying to use her to threaten Lu Mingxiao, or was there some other reason?
Luo Qingyue decided to continue exploring: "Yao Wenbai, you're not bad either, so we don't need to flatter each other."
I just heard Lu Mingxiao talk about his entanglement with Yao Wenbai at noon, and it was my intuition that led me to this.
If not, the other party would definitely refute it, but they didn't.
Yao Wenbai handed the menu to Luo Qingyue: "It seems that Lu Mingxiao has mentioned me to you quite a bit. Have you seen the photos? You recognized me so quickly."
Luo Qingyue sat down in the chair, took the menu and opened it: "Vice President Yao's glorious deeds are widely circulated on the Internet. Needless to say, they are already a household name and known to everyone."
"Didn't anyone in the workplace teach you to drop the 'vice' when addressing someone as vice president?"
Yao Wenbai stood beside Luo Qingyue, "But it's okay, I'll be promoted soon, as long as you're willing to lend a hand."
It turns out that the reason was the Yuanjiang project. Since they couldn't shake Lu Mingxiao's position, they used her as a breakthrough point.
Luo Qingyue feigned composure and took the initiative, saying, "You go back and sit down first. I'm actually a little hungry. Let's eat and chat."
Yao Wenbai responded, but instead of sitting in his original seat, he pulled out the chair next to Luo Qingyue.
He clapped his hands, and like a villain in countless movies, the door opened again, and a waiter came in.
Luo Qingyue turned her head and glanced at the tall, burly man in the black suit who was still there. After the waiter came in, they quickly closed the door again, showing their excellent training.
Yao Wenbai called the waiter to bring him his kettle and water cup.
The waitress was about the same age as Luo Qingyue, and had two braids.
Whether it was because she hadn't been working long or because of the atmosphere in the private room, they all looked extremely nervous. She brought over the kettle and cups, and Yao Wenbai coughed twice. Her hand suddenly trembled, and the tea in the kettle splashed, spilling onto Yao Wenbai's pants and shoes.
The waitress hurriedly pulled out tissues to wipe her face, but Yao Wenbo slapped her across the face.
A crisp sound rang out, quite forceful, and the waiter fell to the ground, cursing, "Useless thing."
Luo Qingyue quickly got up, squatted down next to the waitress, and hugged her tightly.
"Hey, what kind of skill is it to hit a woman!" Finally, she secretly slipped a crumpled piece of paper into the waiter's hand.
Yao Wenbo raised his villainous, wicked smile: "I couldn't control my hand. I'm sorry, Miss Luo, you must have seen this."
If I can't control myself, then I'll just chop it off. Luo Qingyue thought to herself.
Given the disparity in strength between her and Yao Wenbo, a direct confrontation was definitely out of the question.
She took the waitress's hand and helped her to her feet: "Come on, help us order."
With two people and eight dishes, Yao Wenbai was indeed planning to treat her well.
While waiting for the food, Luo Qingyue asked, "This restaurant has a nice ambiance, but its location is a bit out of the way. How did President Yao find it?"
Yao Wenbo poured tea into her cup: "The founder was a friend of mine, but unfortunately he went bankrupt due to poor management. I had some spare money, so I took over the business and made it a special place to entertain distinguished guests like you."
It's his own territory.
Then she wouldn't be able to boast that the land belonged to the Luo family.
Luo Qingyue continued to ponder a solution when she heard Yao Wenbai add, "Your boss, Mr. Lu, came by a couple of days ago, but unfortunately, our discussion didn't go very well, otherwise I wouldn't have bothered you."
Since Lu Mingxiao has been here and seen the address she sent earlier, he must know that she is in deep trouble.
Suddenly, he wasn't so worried anymore. Yao Wenbai turned his head and looked at him: "Luo Qingyue, I sincerely want to talk to you about cooperation."
The door to the private room opened, and the waitress with braided pigtails came in again, serving the dishes one by one.
Taking advantage of Yao Wenbai's inattention, she gave Luo Qingyue an "OK" sign, and Luo Qingyue gently shook her hand to express her gratitude.
After the waiter left, she didn't touch her chopsticks, but instead cupped her face in her hands and looked at Yao Wenbai.
"What benefits would I get from cooperating with you? Tell me first."
Yao Wenbo picked up a piece of squirrel-shaped mandarin fish: "What benefits do you want?"
Luo Qingyue said in a light voice, "Find me ten young and handsome men to serve me from morning till night."
Yao Wenbo suddenly worried: "Aren't you afraid Lu Mingxiao will beat you up?"
Luo Qingyue let out a long sigh: "I'm so tired of seeing Lu Mingxiao's poker face every day. He's so cold-blooded and has no human touch. I'm sick of it."
Yao Wenbo: "It seems you don't really like him that much either."
Luo Qingyue: "My parents are both scavenging garbage, and my brother works as a construction worker every day. My family is dirt poor. In order to transcend social class, I pretended to be the daughter of the richest man in Dongchuan and got close to Lu Mingxiao. I didn't expect him to actually believe me. Actually, I just wanted his money."
Even someone as shrewd as Lu Mingxiao can be manipulated by a woman.
"You're quite shrewd, young lady," Yao Wenbai said with admiration. "You're after Lu Mingxiao's money, and I'm after his projects. Our cooperation is a natural progression."
Luo Qingyue nodded, giving Yao Wenbai the illusion that "we are staunch allies".
“We strong women are meant to pamper young men. Even if Lu Mingxiao doesn’t find me one, you’ll definitely agree, right?”
If the alliance makes a request, it must be met.
"What kind of person are you looking for?" Yao Wenbai asked.
"Who could refuse a business elite as handsome, dashing, and exceptionally talented as President Yao?"
Luo Qingyue blurted out, "Just use you as a template, give me ten... Actually, I wouldn't mind twenty either, you can find as many as you like, the more the better."
"I have a girlfriend, which isn't good."
Yao Wenbo declined, but then came up with a solution: "After all, you're still Lu Mingxiao's man. I'll find you someone based on him, but younger and more handsome... You probably can't handle twenty at once. Let's do it in batches, ten at a time. When you get tired of this batch, we'll find the next one."
Lu Mingxiao is already at the pinnacle of good looks; I'll eat my hat if you can find him.
However, Luo Qingyue still pretended to be very expectant and excited, and replied with "Okay", and then asked, "When did you start dating? I really haven't heard about this."
"We've only been talking for a short time, and it hasn't been made public yet, so I'll tell you quietly first."
Yao Wenbo scooped up a spoonful of salted egg yolk tofu, his eyes sparkling. "I love her very much, and she loves me very much too. She is the best woman I have ever met."
Luo Qingyue hadn't expected that this person was so devoted.
What does she do for a living?
Yao Wenbo paused for two seconds before answering, "Elementary school teacher."
"You're quite the storyteller." Luo Qingyue pressed, "Which school? What grade do you teach? What subject?"
Yao Wenbo rebuked sternly: "You ordered so much food and didn't eat it, but you have a lot of problems. Do you think my money grows on trees?"
Luo Qingyue rested her chin on her hand and lightly tapped her cheek: "Put the bill in Lu Mingxiao's account. I can use his card as I please. With our relationship, talking about money is too vulgar."
"Too."
Yao Wenbo picked up a piece of roasted pigeon. "I took over this restaurant and bought my girlfriend a few bags. I'm not very well-off right now; I still have a mortgage to pay."
Luo Qingyue: "Then your girlfriend truly loves you. She's willing to date you even though you have a mortgage. If it were anyone else, they would have run away long ago."
Yao Wenbo: "She regards money as dirt. Even if I were penniless, she would still be with me."
Once the other party started talking, Luo Qingyue seized the opportunity and said, "So, you're being so despicable, setting me up like this, does your girlfriend know?"
The roasted pigeon was so delicious that Yao Wenbo blurted out, "Of course, it was her suggestion that made us get along so well, otherwise how would we have had the chance to chat so congenially?"
Your girlfriend's surname isn't Lin, and her name isn't Lin Qian, is it?
Luo Qingyue smiled slightly, but did not expose her.
Yao Wenbai suddenly thought of something, walked to the sofa, and took out a bundle of hemp rope.
"Stretch out your hand and cooperate with me to film a kidnapping video, which I will then send to Lu Mingxiao."
If you're going to put on an act, you have to go all the way, so Luo Qingyue reached out her hand to cooperate.
Yao Wenbai was bound twice, and the bindings were particularly tight, causing pain to spread instantly.
Yao Wenbo picked up his phone and turned on the camera mode.
Suddenly, police sirens blared outside the window.
Immediately afterwards, the door to the private room was kicked open with a deafening crash.
The appearance of Lu Mingxiao's tall figure undoubtedly gave Luo Qingyue a boost of confidence.
The note handed to the waiter had SOS written on it and Lu Mingxiao's mobile phone number.
The information was delivered accurately, thanks in large part to Lu Mingxiao's instruction for her to memorize his number, just in case.
The man in the black suit guarding the entrance was subdued by the police.
With a grim face, Lu Mingxiao kicked Yao Wenbai away, his hands clenched into fists, as if he wanted to devour him alive.
Yao Wenbai fell to the ground, and Lu Mingxiao untied the ropes binding Luo Qingyue's hands, leaving red marks on her fair arms.
His eyes seemed to be filled with a raging fire. Yao Wenbai saw that something was wrong and explained, "It's all a misunderstanding. I was having a great time chatting with your darling. I was just acting. It was just acting."
With her hand gripped tightly by Lu Mingxiao, Luo Qingyue sniffed, her voice trembling with tears, and pointed at Yao Wenbai.
"It's this guy. He said he wanted to introduce me to ten young, handsome men, younger and better than you, trying to break up our relationship. But don't worry, I didn't fall for his trick. I'm very clear-headed. You are the only one in my heart."
Yao Wenbo shrugged: "...Didn't you want it yourself?!"
Lu Mingxiao pulled Luo Qingyue into his arms, his gaze sharp: "You dare to touch my people?"
Yao Wenbo stood up, dusted himself off, and looked at the leading officer: "I really just wanted to treat her to a meal. I've already ordered the food. Please, officer, investigate thoroughly and don't slander an innocent person."
"You're no good person at all."
With a powerful backer, Luo Qingyue straightened her back. "When I first came in, the door was locked from the outside, and I couldn't get out at all. If I hadn't gone to great lengths to stall for time, who knows what you would have done to me! He kidnapped me and even filmed a video, which is on his phone."
Yao Wenbai's phone fell to the ground, and the video recording continued even after the police officer picked it up.
The police officer sealed the phone and took it away as evidence. Yao Wenbo panicked and put his arm around Lu Mingxiao's shoulder, saying, "Let's settle this privately. Why bother the police?"
Lu Mingxiao moved Yao Wenbai's hand away: "I don't think this is a small matter. Similarly, I will report the situation to your President Wang. If you have even the slightest chance of becoming the president of Jiyu, I will consider it a loss."
He looked at Yao Wenbo and said coldly, "Save your rest of the explanation for the police station."
[Author's Note]
Yue: Just the age where I love to tattle! [Laughing][Laughing][Laughing]
Xiao: I often wonder how Yao Wenbo became a vice president. [laughing and crying emoji]
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