Chapter 301 Going to a Dinner Party
These words carried an obvious sense of humor and a subtle hint of ambiguity.
Lu You frowned slightly and said seriously, "Fu Mingyuan, don't make jokes like that."
Fu Mingyuan immediately raised his hands in surrender, his smile still gentle: "Okay, okay, no more joking, let's get serious. You seem to be in a bad mood. If you're free later, how about we have dinner together? I know a newly opened Japanese restaurant that's really good."
Lu You instinctively wanted to refuse. Having dinner alone with her ex, especially during this sensitive time, was really inappropriate.
"No, I..."
"Don't be so quick to refuse."
Fu Mingyuan interrupted her, his tone becoming more serious, "I remember your Yu family recently wanted to expand its overseas jewelry raw material channels, right? Coincidentally, I have a friend I'm meeting tonight who works in this field. Let's have dinner together, consider it introducing you to some connections, and help you relax. We won't talk about anything else, how about it?"
Expanding business...
This really struck a nerve with Lu You's ambition.
She is currently in charge of the Yu family's business, and finding stable raw material channels is one of her key tasks recently.
She hesitated.
On the one hand, she felt she should keep her distance from Fu Mingyuan; on the other hand, this was indeed a rare opportunity.
Seeing Lu You's hesitant expression, Fu Mingyuan pressed on, "Just treat it as a normal gathering of friends, a business social event. Don't you trust me?"
Lu You nodded: "Okay."
...
The Japanese restaurant had an elegant and secluded atmosphere. Fu Mingyuan was good at creating a lively atmosphere, and his friend, who was in the raw materials business, was also quite talkative.
During the meal, Lu You and the other party chatted about industry trends and felt as if they had known each other for a long time.
After a few cups of sake, Lu You felt as if the frustration that had been building up in her heart for days had finally found an outlet.
She temporarily set aside her troublesome family matters and immersed herself in the party.
Fu Mingyuan was considerate, witty, and humorous, offering just the right amount of flattery and concern.
Lu You had suffered cold treatment and conflict with Cheng Zhou, but now she felt a long-lost sense of relief at being valued.
She drank more than usual; her cheeks were flushed, and her eyes were somewhat glazed.
When intoxicated, a person's rationality easily slips away.
Somehow, the conversation circled back to our love lives.
Perhaps it was Fu Mingyuan's joking remark, "If only you had married me," that left a ripple in her heart, or perhaps the alcohol amplified her grievances.
Holding his wine glass, Lu You, slightly drunk, chuckled and uttered the angry words that had been bottled up in his heart for a long time.
"I really regret it. If I had known it would be like this, I would have been better off marrying you. At least I would have had some peace and quiet..."
Upon hearing this, a barely perceptible hint of joy flashed in Fu Mingyuan's eyes.
His friend gave him a knowing yet slightly embarrassed smile.
In the context of the time, these words sounded more like an ambiguous complaint.
There are no secrets that stay hidden forever, especially in this circle.
The drunken ramblings at the dinner party quickly reached the ears of one of Cheng Zhou's close childhood friends through Fu Mingyuan's friend.
Upon hearing this, the childhood friend was furious. He immediately called Cheng Zhou, his voice filled with indignation: "Cheng Zhou! Are you still heartbroken over that woman? She's having a blast! Last night, she had dinner with that Fu family kid and, after drinking too much, told him herself that she regrets marrying you and should have married Fu Mingyuan instead!"
On the other end of the phone, Cheng Zhou was staring blankly at the divorce application receipt.
Upon hearing his childhood friend's words, he seemed to freeze instantly, his knuckles turning white as he gripped his phone.
Cheng Zhou didn't say a word, silently listening to his childhood friend embellish his story before hanging up the phone.
The room was dark, with only the city lights outside the window filtering through the glass and casting flickering shadows on his face.
Cheng Zhou remained in the same position as when he answered the phone, sitting there for the entire night, his childhood friend's words echoing repeatedly in his mind.
And then there's Lu You's comment at the 100-day celebration: "Let me think about it some more."
It turns out that thinking about it again wasn't about figuring out a future with him, but about comparing him to other men to see who was better.
It turns out she had already regretted it.
In her eyes, were all his painful struggles just a ridiculous display of unrequited love?
As dawn broke, Cheng Zhou moved his stiff neck, his eyes filled with a deathly stillness.
He tugged at the corners of his mouth, revealing a smile that was more like a grimace.
That's fine, that's fine too.
At least, he no longer has to waver or harbor illusions.
Cheng Zhou picked up his phone and sent a message to his lawyer, asking when the earliest he could complete the formal divorce procedures after the cooling-off period ended.
Then, he got up and went into the bathroom, splashing his face with cold water, trying to wash away the fatigue of the night.
He made up his mind: this marriage had to end.
On the other side,
Lu You woke up in an unfamiliar room with a splitting headache.
She looked around blankly; the decor was simple and modern, neither her apartment nor a hotel.
Her heart skipped a beat, and she sat up abruptly.
"Awake?" Fu Mingyuan walked in carrying a glass of warm water, dressed in his pajamas, with a gentle smile. "You drank too much last night, and you couldn't give me your address, so I had to bring you back to my place first. Don't worry, you can sleep in the guest room, nothing happened between us."
Lu You breathed a sigh of relief, but was immediately overwhelmed with embarrassment and frustration.
How could she be so drunk she was unconscious and end up staying at Fu Mingyuan's house? If this gets out...
Lu You quickly got out of bed, took the water glass, and thanked her, her tone distant: "Thank you, I've troubled you, I should go now."
"No rush, I'll take you after you finish breakfast."
Fu Mingyuan smiled as he watched her hastily trying to distance herself from him, and casually brought it up, "But Youyou, do you remember what you said last night?"
Lu You paused, a bad feeling rising in her heart: "What did I say?"
“You said you regretted marrying Cheng Zhou, if only you had known…” Fu Mingyuan paused at just the right moment, looking at her with a meaningful gaze.
Lu You's face turned deathly pale instantly.
She vaguely remembered saying something drunk, but the details were unclear. When Fu Mingyuan reminded her, she felt a chill rise from the soles of her feet.
Lu You immediately interrupted him, her tone urgent and firm: "I'm drunk! I'm just talking nonsense, don't take it seriously! Fu Mingyuan, thank you for taking care of me last night, but I really have to go, I have things to do at the company."
She practically fled, refusing Fu Mingyuan's offer to give her a ride, and instead called a car and left on her own.
Sitting in the car, Lu You was in a state of utter confusion.
How could she say such a thing? Even if it was said in anger, what if someone with ulterior motives overheard it...?
She dared not think too deeply about it.
However, what you fear most is what happens.
When she dragged her tired and frustrated body back to her apartment building, she immediately saw the man leaning against the car.
Cheng Zhou.
He had come to retrieve some documents and personal belongings he had left behind. When he saw Lu You get out of the taxi, he straightened up, his face expressionless, his eyes like ice.
Lu You, feeling guilty, was even more furious upon seeing his demeanor and preemptively mocked, "What are you doing here? You're not welcome here."
Cheng Zhou twitched the corners of his mouth, his smile cold and sarcastic: "Take my things. Don't worry, I'll leave as soon as I'm done, I won't get in your way."
He paused, looking at Lu You's slightly disheveled hair and tired face from a hangover, his tone becoming even colder.
"Looks like you had a lot of fun last night? The hangover must have been great!"
Lu You was hurt by the sarcasm in his words, and feeling guilty because of what happened last night, she became angry and embarrassed: "What do you mean? What business is it of yours whether I'm happy or not? We're getting a divorce soon, so who I eat with and whether I have fun or not is none of your concern."
"It's none of my business." Cheng Zhou's voice suddenly rose, and the disappointment he had suppressed all night finally burst out. "So I deserve to be like an idiot, still thinking about how to win you back, how to apologize to you, and even thinking about whether to persuade my mother to accept the adoption!"
"And what about you? Miss Lu turned around and went drinking and complaining to her old flame, regretting marrying me? In his eyes, am I so worthless? So inferior to him, Fu Mingyuan?"
"What nonsense are you talking about!" Lu You retorted angrily, trembling all over. "Yes! I did have dinner with him! So what? At least he won't be like you, with a bunch of messy family issues and a mother who's always pressuring you to have children!"
"At least he knows how to respect people and won't let you down in crucial moments! So what if I think he's better than you?"
That last angry remark pierced Cheng Zhou's heart.
All his struggles were completely negated by his own words at this moment.
He looked at him, the light in his eyes gradually fading until only a deathly stillness remained.
Fu Mingyuan nodded, took a step back as if to completely distance himself from her, his voice low and weary, carrying a sense of utter despair.
"Okay, Lu You, you're amazing."
He took a deep breath, as if using his last bit of strength, and said, word by word, "One month from now, the cooling-off period for divorce will end. I will be there on time. I wish you happiness."
After saying that, he didn't look at her again, turned around and opened the car door.
The car sped away without a trace of regret.
Lu You stood frozen in place, watching the direction he had disappeared in. The anger and reckless words she had spoken during the argument quickly faded, replaced by a surge of panic and regret.
That's not what she meant.
She was just furious; how could she say something like that?
Lu You's tears welled up unexpectedly, and she squatted down, sobbing uncontrollably in the empty parking lot below the apartment building.
This time, she clearly felt that some things had truly been shattered by her own hands and could never be put back together.
...
Fu Mingyuan doesn't seem to intend to give up easily.
After that dinner, he contacted Lu You several times, asking to meet her, his tone still gentle and considerate.
But after the previous embarrassment and the devastating argument with Cheng Zhou, Lu You now avoids this topic at all costs.
She either doesn't answer the phone or simply cancels it using work as an excuse.
That day, Fu Mingyuan even went directly to Lu You's company building.
Lu You saw him leaning against the car through the office window, rubbed her temples in annoyance, and was about to ask her assistant to go down and send him away.
Shang Wu happened to be there to discuss a new collaborative project with her, and bumped into Fu Mingyuan at the door.
When Fu Mingyuan saw Shang Wu, he greeted her very politely: "Madam Lu, it's been a long time."
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