Chapter Fifty-Four: Repeatedly Testing the Brink of Death
On Monday morning, Luo Yan deliberately rummaged through the bedside table drawer and found the puppy necklace that Jiang Sui had given her.
She looked in the mirror again and again. The silver puppy head looked adorable. She smiled and put it on with satisfaction and seriousness.
Yes, as expected of the top-tier man Luo Yan has her eye for, his taste is first-rate. Simple yet stylish, it matches her business attire quite well today.
Sure enough, he was spotted by the sharp-eyed Liu Su as soon as he entered the office.
"Wow! Sister Yan, the necklace is so pretty! This brand... is so expensive!" Liu Su leaned closer, winking mischievously. "Could it be... a gift from Jiaqi's brother? A token of love?"
Zhou Jiaqi, who was pouring water, trembled and almost spilled the hot water. He quickly waved his hand and said, "It wasn't me, Sister Su, don't talk nonsense. I've already explained it to the administration department. I went home and stayed at the hotel on the day I went on the business trip."
Luo Yan originally wanted to make a joke, but seeing that Zhou Jiaqi's ears were red with nervousness, she decided to play the good guy: "Alright, stop guessing, it was a gift from my boyfriend."
"Really?! When did this happen?" Liu Su's eyes widened, then she suddenly remembered something, let out an exaggerated "Oh," and covered her mouth: "I saw your WeChat Moments post yesterday, your boyfriend... who is he? He didn't even appear in the photos, you're keeping him so secret, could it be President Jiang?"
"Hehe, guess?"
Luo Yan feigned a profound and inscrutable expression, smiled, and turned to Zhou Jiaqi, whispering, "I'm sorry to have dragged you into this."
Zhou Jiaqi pushed up his glasses and smiled shyly: "It's alright, Sister Luo, the innocent will clear themselves."
During lunch break, Luo Yan specially treated Zhou Jiaqi to a cup of coffee as an apology.
The two sat in a corner of the cafeteria. Zhou Jiaqi, biting his straw, suddenly said, "Sister Luo, I actually understand those who spread rumors. Some things are easy to misunderstand if they are not explained clearly, and then rumors spread like wildfire."
"Comrade Xiao Zhou is so kind-hearted, even the Leshan Giant Buddha would stand up to give you its seat..." Luo Yan said, biting her straw, "and she even understands the spread of rumors."
“No.” Zhou Jiaqi lowered his head and stirred the pearls in his milk tea. “I was also slandered in high school. There was a senior who helped me. It was because she happened to be passing by and stood up to stop the people who were bullying me. Then those people started spreading rumors about us, saying all sorts of hurtful things. But the senior was very generous and comforted me instead, telling me not to take it to heart and to focus on my studies.”
Luo Yan was stunned: "Bullying? Then... what happened next?"
Zhou Jiaqi smiled calmly. "Later, my senior got into a very good university, and I also worked hard to get into the same university as her. Just when I was about to go to see her, I heard that she already had a very good boyfriend who treated her very well. The two of them were a model couple on campus. Although I was a little regretful, I was also genuinely happy for her. As long as she is happy, I am satisfied."
Luo Yan was at a loss for words. She sighed and patted his shoulder with emotion, saying, "Comrade Xiao Zhou, you have such high awareness! You're a modern-day goddess of pure love! If anyone dares to bully you again, tell me, and I'll crush them with real civil service exam essay questions!"
Zhou Jiaqi laughed heartily, his eyes becoming even clearer.
"Sister Luo, Sister Su is right, you are a fiery and chivalrous woman."
"You flatter me, you flatter me..."
"I heard you almost knocked Director Zhao away with a shovel while you were sweeping fallen leaves last year, is that true?"
Luo Yan: "..."
Liu Su has been corrupted by Director Zheng; she keeps telling everyone everything.
It was time to leave work. Luo Yan shut down her computer, stretched, and saw a WeChat message from Jiang Sui that she had sent two minutes earlier:
-Waiting for you on the other side.
She grabbed her bag and ran out the door. Sure enough, the familiar black SUV was parked across the street. She quickly ran over, opened the passenger door, and got in.
"How long have you been waiting?" Luo Yan adjusted her hair in front of the rearview mirror. "Didn't you work overtime today?"
"I arrived just ten minutes ago. I had a meeting this afternoon, and when it was almost time, I came to pick you up from get off work."
Jiang Sui handed her a cup of packaged milk tea, looked her over, and immediately noticed the necklace. He smiled slightly.
"I think this necklace goes best with your white slip dress."
"Mr. Jiang, your girlfriend is a civil servant. She has her own professional style of dress within the system. Don't say anything."
Luo Yan took the milk tea, inserted a straw, and handed it to Jiang Sui first. "It's rare for my workaholic boyfriend to be so well-behaved today, taking the initiative to pick me up. Here, as a reward, you can have the first sip."
Jiang Sui took a sip, looked at her and smiled, "Is that all you're going to do to me?"
"What else do you want? At most..." Luo Yan blushed, "I'll let you stay at my place a little longer tonight."
“Sigh…” Jiang Sui suddenly sighed, “My girlfriend won’t go public with my relationship, and she won’t let me stay overnight at her house. She comes to my house to sleep whenever she feels like it, and then she just pulls up her pants and leaves. I’m just a cold concubine waiting to be chosen by the cold palace.”
"Don't do that!"
Jiang Sui couldn't help but laugh, her shoulders shaking with laughter.
"Those within the system have their own ways of making empty promises, and P's U is better than the average person's A."
"Not emo anymore?"
"What's so emo about it? As long as you don't fall in love with someone else, I'm fine with anything."
Luo Yan recklessly probed, "What if... I fall in love with someone else?"
Jiang Sui revealed a sinister smile.
"Two choices: either find a good lawyer or choose a prime location."
"It can't be that bad, can it?"
"As for... I can only feel happy when I'm with you."
"......."
Luo Yan was suddenly touched, because Jiang Sui Cong had never said anything like liking or loving her before.
Okay, so this can be considered... the first sweet nothings this jerk ever said.
The car turned through the congested intersection during the evening rush hour and sped away through the traffic.
As she approached home, Luo Yan saw a person standing at the entrance of the residential area in the distance, who looked somewhat familiar.
"Wu Yuzhou?"
At this moment, Wu Yuzhou, whom we haven't seen for a long time, was standing on the street in a disheveled state, dragging his suitcase. His suit was wrinkled, and he had completely lost the demeanor of his former elite lawyer.
"What's he doing here?" Jiang Sui immediately switched to alert mode. "Is he looking for you?"
"How should I know? I've blocked you for ages!"
Luo Yan's good mood vanished completely. "Go buy some food first. I'll go downstairs and meet him. What kind of behavior is it to stand here with people coming and going like this?"
Jiang nodded and stopped the car.
Luo Yan got out of the car and walked quickly toward Wu Yuzhou.
"Attorney Wu, it's been a long time. What happened? I didn't hear that Zhengwang went bankrupt."
The address "Attorney Wu" was like a bucket of cold water poured over him. Wu Yuzhou's eyes instantly dimmed. He opened his mouth, but in the end, he could only say dryly, "Just passing by."
"Then take your time." Luo Yan turned and walked into the residential area. "Remember to watch where you're going, and don't keep staring at other people's doors."
"Xiao Yan!" Wu Yuzhou called out to her in a hoarse voice, his eyes bloodshot, "Can we talk?"
Luo Yan didn't turn around. "No."
“Yang Xin kicked me out…” Wu Yuzhou grabbed a handful of hair in anguish. “That woman somehow found her, and I don’t know what they talked about, but then she went to the law firm and caused a huge scene. Now the whole firm knows I cheated on her.”
"Don't you have one?"
"Yes, I cheated on you!" Wu Yuzhou suddenly became agitated. "But do you know what my life has been like since we got married? Yang Xin is always comparing herself to others, never satisfied. She only buys limited edition bags. We already had a car, but she forced me to take out a loan to buy a car worth over 500,000 yuan just to outdo others. She's always talking about how so-and-so's husband got a promotion or made a lot of money. She also constantly compares me to Jiang Sui, saying that I make her feel inferior in front of you, and that I suffocate her..."
"What does this have to do with me?" Luo Yan sneered. "Wu Yuzhou, you chose this person yourself, you wanted to get married yourself, and now you're coming to me to play the victim. Don't you find that ridiculous?"
Wu Yuzhou stared blankly at her, his eyes unfocused: "I just... remembered the past, how you would stay up all night to cook porridge and deliver it to the law firm just because I said 'I want some,' how you would run all over the city to buy a tie just because I casually complimented it... Xiaoyan, I regret it, I really regret it! How could I have been so blind? I didn't realize how good you were... I know you hate me, you can hit me or yell at me, it's all fine, but..."
"Stop!" Luo Yan took a step back and made a stop gesture. "It would have been better if you hadn't brought up the past. Now that you've mentioned it, I regret not seeing through you sooner! Wu Yuzhou, I don't want to curse you or hate you. If you have even a shred of shame left, please don't bother me again. Consider it compensation for the ten years I've sacrificed for you."
She turned to leave after she finished speaking, but Wu Yuzhou grabbed her wrist: "Don't go! Just ten minutes, give me a chance, let's talk properly..."
"She said she wouldn't talk about it."
A cold voice came from behind. Jiang Sui was standing there at some point, her gaze fixed on Wu Yuzhou's hand holding Luo Yan's.
“Attorney Wu, you’ve already forgotten after such a short time? Don’t be so possessive of other people’s girlfriends, it’s not very respectable.”
"I……"
Wu Yuzhou was startled and let go of his hand as if he had been burned.
Jiang Sui walked over and naturally put his arm around Luo Yan's shoulder, his tone indifferent: "Are you done talking? Let's go back."
Luo Yan smiled at him, hummed in agreement, and turned to follow Jiang Sui.
Wu Yuzhou clenched his fists tightly. The girl who used to have his heart and eyes full of him now wouldn't even give him a second glance. And now, the way she looked at Jiang Sui was the same way she used to look at him alone!
The streetlights cast long shadows, making the scene appear particularly desolate.
He wants a divorce.
That's right, as long as he regains his freedom, he will have a chance to win Luo Yan back.
After all, they grew up together and had so many wonderful memories. Jiang Sui had only been with her for a few months. How could that compare to their ten years together?
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