Chapter Thirty-Four has built up the atmosphere enough; it would be impolite to ask any more questions.
Luo Yan eventually turned herself into a heartless work machine.
After returning home on Valentine's Day, she remained listless for several days. She knew this wasn't good, but she still couldn't muster the energy for days. She poured all her energy into her work, trying to numb herself with endless reports and on-site inspections. She would find excuses to ask Liu Su to attend unnecessary meetings, or at worst, bribe her with a cup of milk tea. When she had to coordinate with Fei Yang, she remained completely focused, diligently playing the role of a responsible and dedicated messenger.
To everyone else, Luo Yan did nothing wrong; in fact, she seemed even more professional.
But only she knew that the tiny flame in her heart, which had just begun to ignite but was extinguished, left a bittersweet aftereffect, burning her insides and making her feel uncomfortable.
She kept telling herself: Wake up! Haven't the lessons of history been painful enough? Getting involved in this drama of exes and current partners will only lead to your downfall! Isn't a stable government job better? Isn't being beautiful and happy on your own? Wise people don't fall in love; let's build a beautiful China!
She understood the reasoning, but when she encountered Jiang Sui and there was no way to avoid him, she forced herself to keep her eyes straight ahead, even though her heart was still aching slightly, and even though what followed was an even more overwhelming sense of frustration.
It's okay, just think of it as seasonal allergies. It will get better naturally after this season.
Just as Luo Yan was diligently cultivating the "Forget Love and Abandon Emotions" technique, Luo Muyang called, his voice as cheerful as if he had just signed a big contract.
"Yanyan, Saturday night is free. It's Feiyang's 25th anniversary celebration. I've ordered the best dress for you!"
Luo Yan refused without hesitation: "No way. It's a team-building event for you capitalists. What would a civil servant like me do there?"
"You are my daughter, Luo Muyang's daughter, how can you not come? You must come!" Luo Muyang brooked no refusal. "Jiang Sui is here, how can you bear not to come?"
"I said I'm not going! I'm not going no matter who's there!" Upon hearing Jiang Sui's name, Luo Yan reacted like a cat in a state of shock, instantly bristling. "Aren't you annoying?!"
"Feifei is coming too, she already promised me!"
"Ms. Xu is going too?" Luo Yan was even more shocked. "What benefits did you give her?"
"What are you saying? This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! The three of us will finally be in the same frame! You have to come and support Dad!" Luo Muyang said proudly. "It can also promote family harmony and mend broken relationships!"
Luo Yan: "..."
You have such a beautiful dream.
Just after hanging up with Luo Muyang, Zeng Rong called again: "Yanyan, just come! It's such a big event, how could President Luo lose face if you didn't come? Plus, there's a free feast. Besides... don't you want to see what it'll be like to see Ms. Xu and President Luo on stage together? It's the biggest show of the year!"
Ultimately, under the dual temptation (coercion) of "family harmony" and "the grand finale of the year," Luo Yan reluctantly agreed.
There will probably be a lot of people at the anniversary celebration, and Jiang Sui will be busy with social engagements. She will eat and then slip away, so she probably won't run into him face to face.
On Saturday evening, the hotel banquet hall was filled with the clinking of glasses and dazzling lights.
Luo Yan felt extremely uncomfortable wearing the seasonal dress from a certain brand that Zeng Rong had given her.
Xu Jingfei, on the other hand, exuded confidence and charm. Dressed in a velvet dress, she was arm in arm with the seemingly elegant Luo Muyang, and her acting skills were comparable to those of an award-winning actress.
There were indeed many guests. Companies of all sizes in the industry gave Feiyang some face. Even Jiang Qiming, the chairman of Mingsheng who was at odds with Luo Muyang, dressed up and attended the event, becoming the focus of the entire event.
Luo Yan had no interest in any of this and just wanted to minimize her presence. She wished she was holding a rice bowl instead of a champagne glass so she could bury her head in her food and avoid socializing.
Wu Yuzhou, representing Zhengwang Law Firm, was dressed in a suit and looked very respectable. Yang Xin, holding his arm, was wearing a dazzling little dress and smiling smugly.
Luo Yan cursed inwardly and turned to slip away to the terrace for some fresh air, but was precisely intercepted by the sharp-eyed Yang Xin.
"Yanyan, you're here too? It's been so long! How have you been?" Yang Xin's insincerely sweet voice was sickeningly sweet. "Why are you alone? Didn't President Jiang keep you company?"
Though late, it has arrived.
If Luo Yan had known those two would be showing up today, she would never have come.
Yang Xin leaned closer, lowered her voice, and smiled smugly, "I went out to dinner with Yu Zhou on Valentine's Day and saw Jiang Sui with a really beautiful woman. Their relationship seems pretty close... You didn't know?"
Every word felt like a needle piercing Luo Yan's heart, and the image of Jiang Sui and Lu Xingyao together that night resurfaced vividly in her mind. She gripped her wine glass tightly, unable to utter a single word in rebuttal.
Yang Xin was even more smug, "Even the best man needs a woman who can keep him! My Yuzhou is the best, he only has me in his heart..." As she spoke, she called out coquettishly to Wu Yuzhou, who was walking over, "Yuzhou, look how lonely Yanyan is, let's keep her company and chat with her?"
Wu Yuzhou put his arm around Yang Xin's waist. "Xin'er, say less. Yan Yan, it's been a long time."
Yang Xin immediately took Wu Yuzhou's arm affectionately and said in a sweet voice, "I'm just worried about Yanyan. I'm afraid she'll get hurt like before, acting impulsively. We also hope our old friend is doing well!"
Wu Yuzhou looked somewhat embarrassed.
Looking at the "loving" couple in front of her, Luo Yan felt nauseous and suffocated.
If you can't afford to offend them, it's better to stay away. Being mocked a few times is better than losing your temper and going crazy in public.
Just as she turned to leave, a hand suddenly grabbed her wrist.
She was startled, turned around, and saw Jiang Sui?!
Wasn't he chatting with someone over there? Did he teleport over here?
Jiang Sui's gaze swept over Wu Yuzhou and Yang Xin in front of him. "Excuse me, gentlemen, please excuse me for a moment..." He turned to Luo Yan and said in a low voice, "Come with me." After saying that, he pulled her and walked towards the emergency exit on the side of the banquet hall.
"What are you doing? Let me go!" Luo Yan tried to break free, but Jiang Sui's strength made her struggles seem ridiculous.
The emergency exit door slammed shut, shutting out the noise from outside.
Jiang Sui trapped Luo Yan between the wall and himself, staring at her: "What am I doing? I'd like to ask you what you want to do? Why are you avoiding me?"
Luo Yan's heart pounded like a drum, and she turned her head away, not daring to look at him: "I didn't, you're overthinking it."
"Really?" Jiang Sui took a step closer. "Then why did you ask me out to dinner and then stand me up? And then send me a rare, limited-edition cufflink?"
Luo Yan lowered her head even further and remained silent.
"Why aren't you saying anything? Aren't you usually like an ETC (Electronic Toll Collection) system?"
"..."
"Luo Yan, I really don't understand you. First, you made a lot of nonsense and belittled me to the point of being worthless. Then you disappeared after agreeing on a time and place. Now you're even buying me something that you can't afford at all as compensation? What, is it fun to play me?"
"I didn't!" Luo Yan was both anxious and angry from his barrage of questions, her eyes reddening. "I lost the cufflinks, so I should pay for them. I invited you to dinner to apologize! I didn't go because... because I saw you with your ex-girlfriend, and I didn't want to make a fool of myself, okay!"
Jiang Sui was stunned for a moment, seemingly not understanding Luo Yan's words: "What?"
"Still pretending? I saw it all on Valentine's Day!" Luo Yanxin gritted her teeth and, with a "what the heck" attitude, yelled at Jiang Sui, "Your white moonlight has returned home, and you've reconciled—how wonderful! I wish you happiness! Don't worry, I'll handle things normally at work, and I won't bother you again in private!"
Jiang Sui stared at her for a few seconds with a complicated expression, then suddenly tugged at the corner of her mouth, released her, and said, "You were here, saw me and Xingyao, and ran away?"
Luo Yan retorted, "Otherwise what? I'm not that tactless."
“Then I’ll tell you the truth, that cufflink…” Jiang Sui slowly began, each word striking Luo Yan’s heart, “It wasn’t lost at all, I was lying to you.”
Now it was Luo Yan's turn to be stunned: "What?"
“I was upset by what you said, so I put away the cufflinks and made up a lie to see what you would do.” Jiang Sui’s gaze fell on her slightly parted lips, which were trembling with shock. “I didn’t expect you to take it seriously and even go and buy the exact same one. Are you really stupid, or…”
He didn't say anything more, but his gaze instantly ignited Luo Yan's anger. Without thinking, she raised her hand to hit him, but Jiang Sui easily grabbed her wrist.
"Damn it! I actually believed it, and like an idiot, I went around pulling strings to buy those lousy cufflinks to compensate you! Do you know how expensive those things are? I owe Luo Muyang a mountain of debt!"
“I’m an idiot…” Jiang Sui wasn’t angry, and moved closer to her again, “And what about you? You just made up your own stories based on what you saw, and hid away like an ostrich without asking a single question?”
"Bastard! Liar! Scumbag!" Luo Yan was both angry and heartbroken, and finally broke down, tears streaming down her face uncontrollably. "Am I stupid? Stupid enough to still have fantasies about you! Give me back my cufflinks, you don't deserve them!"
The two began to struggle in the narrow stairwell.
In the chaos, someone tripped over something, and Luo Yan cried out in surprise, losing her balance and falling backward. Jiang Sui instinctively tightened his arms to pull her back, but unexpectedly lost his balance, and the two of them fell down the stairs together.
The voice-activated light snapped off perfectly.
In the darkness, their bodies pressed tightly together, their breaths mingling, and the air was thick with an ambiguous tension that seemed ready to erupt at any moment.
Luo Yan lay on Jiang Sui, clearly feeling the rise and fall of his chest. She completely forgot that she was angry, and her heart was pounding so hard it felt like it was going to explode.
Jiang Sui's arms were tightly wrapped around her waist, their noses almost touching. He looked down at her, his eyes swirling with emotions she couldn't understand, his wandering gaze seemingly tracing the shape of her lips.
The lights came on again, and the atmosphere was eerily quiet, with only faint noises coming from inside the banquet hall.
Jiang Sui's gaze drifted away, her voice hoarse: "The bra strap... fell off."
These words were like a bucket of cold water, suddenly waking Luo Yan up.
She pushed him away forcefully, hurriedly straightened her clothes, and said in a trembling voice, "Take me to get my cufflinks." Then, she stumbled and rushed towards the elevator.
Jiang Sui stood up, wiped her face, and let out a long sigh of relief.
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