Chapter Thirty-Six
early morning.
A sliver of light rising from the eastern horizon cautiously bathed the pale blue sky.
The dim, soft light fell gently on the antique bedside table, like a light veil.
In a pale blue vase, a vibrant white camellia is quietly displayed, its snow-white petals layered together like a meticulously crafted work of art.
At the heart of the flower, pale yellow stamens peek out from behind, emitting a faint fragrance that permeates the entire room.
A snow-white, jade-like wrist suddenly slipped out from under the gray-toned blanket. Upon contact with the cold air, its long eyelashes trembled slightly before it quickly retracted.
The person on the bed glanced out the window and then closed their eyes again. The next second, a sudden ringtone sounded, and Xing Bei reluctantly opened her eyes.
After staying up all night for two consecutive nights to draw, Xing Bei was extremely sleep-deprived and didn't want to pay any attention to her ringing phone.
She pulled the blanket up and huddled completely under it, but her phone kept ringing, so she got up in frustration.
"We can talk about it at noon. I need to sleep now."
Just as she was about to hang up, a sharp voice came from the phone, instantly waking Xing Bei up.
"My dear lady, how can you still be sleeping? Your house is about to be robbed."
Xing Bei glanced at the contact name; it was Yi Zesu, her best friend whom she only saw a few times a year.
As Xing Bei got out of bed, she said, "What? My house was robbed?"
"I knew you hadn't seen the trending topics. Everyone's saying that Shang Ruixing is Mrs. Lu, and the most important thing is that neither of them has come out to deny it."
Previously, Xing Bei had covered for Ms. Shi, and then told Yi Zesu about her marriage to Lu Runxu.
Xing Bei went downstairs, drank some warm water, and slowly opened Weibo. The most popular topic was "A popular celebrity is actually Mrs. Lu".
Xing Bei didn't care at all about celebrities trying to ride the coattails of trending topics in the entertainment industry, but as she scrolled down, she suddenly felt something was off.
This seems to be more than just riding the trending topic. She remembered that Shang Ruixing was Shang Yichen's younger sister. Logically speaking, Shang Ruixing and Lu Runxu were childhood sweethearts.
She also noticed the expensive earrings on Shang Ruixing's ears, which matched the necklace Lu Runxu had sent her.
The screen's light reflected off a pair of peach blossom eyes. The slightly narrowed, somewhat lazy eyebrows and eyes now seemed to be covered with a layer of frost, exuding a faint chill.
Xing Bei's face naturally possesses a unique, aggressive beauty, and her narrow eyes are like a bottomless, icy pool.
She rarely fusses over things, always has a smile on her face, and always gives people a bright and generous impression. She is a very beautiful older sister.
At this moment, the beautiful face was devoid of any smile, replaced by an icy indifference that sent chills down one's spine.
Xing Bei has always had a strong obsession with cleanliness when it comes to her belongings. Everything must be unique, and she will never accept anything that is the same as someone else's.
Without hesitation, she pressed the hang-up button, her fingers quickly swiping across the phone screen to find Lu Runxu's number and tap to dial.
However, no familiar voice came from the other end of the phone; only the monotonous and long beeping sound echoed continuously.
She dialed again, but still no one answered. Xing Bei looked at her phone and snorted coldly.
Could she really have been cheated on? That scoundrel is really good at playing games, keeping it so well hidden.
That's really great.
The thought that Lu Runxu might be with his childhood sweetheart made her feel very irritable.
Although she knew Lu Runxu wouldn't betray her, his childhood sweetheart had liked him since she was little, and now she dared to see him so openly and even gave him such expensive earrings.
How could she not overthink things?
Xing Bei became increasingly angry and locked all of Lu Runxu's contact information in a dark room.
Tangyuan, who was playing in its little nest, seemed to sense that she was unhappy. It took small steps and ran over to the sofa. It first turned its head slightly to observe its owner sitting on the sofa, and then jumped directly onto the sofa.
It gently nuzzles its soft little head against its owner's hand, rubbing it affectionately. The warm and gentle touch seems to be silently comforting its owner's wounded heart.
Xing Bei lowered her eyes to look at the fluffy glutinous rice ball beside her, curved her lips into a smile, and hugged the glutinous rice ball and kissed it.
Suddenly, she thought of something, took out her phone, and handed Lu Runxu's photo to Tangyuan: "Tangyuan, this is your heartless father. When he comes back, you can teach him a lesson."
Tangyuan stared intently at her phone screen, then turned to look at her mother and called out softly, as if in response to Xing Bei's words.
He then climbed onto Xing Bei's shoulder and kissed her on the cheek, instantly improving Xing Bei's mood.
Secretary Lin came out of the conference room, drinking water and preparing to check what was happening online. She was so shocked when she clicked on the link that she almost spat out her water.
Oh no, my year-end bonus that I just received is gone.
What's wrong with Miss Shang Er? Why doesn't she come out to clarify the rumors?
Lu Runxu shut down his computer, noticed the suspicious person by the door, and glanced at him indifferently: "Secretary Lin, what are you doing at the door?"
Secretary Lin, who was lingering at the door, gave a helpless bitter smile, took a deep breath, and walked towards Lu Runxu.
He handed over a screenshot of important information he had just taken from Weibo: "Mr. Lu, you and Ms. Shang were photographed by paparazzi. Now many people believe that Ms. Shang is Mrs. Lu."
Secretary Lin clicked on the "evidence" that had been discussed extensively by netizens: "Miss Shang's earrings and the necklace you photographed are indeed a set, and many netizens have concluded that these jewels were given to Miss Shang."
Lu Runxu glanced at the emerald earrings; they were a birthday gift he gave to Shang Ruixing for her eighteenth birthday.
Shang Ruixing is simple-minded and may seem unforgiving on the surface, but she is actually a pampered young lady from her family. This incident was most likely unintentional.
Lu Runxu asked calmly, "Has Shang Ruixing not clarified things yet?"
Secretary Lin shook his head: "Not yet. As far as I know, Miss Shang's resources have been very poor recently. Miss Shang's agent probably wants to take advantage of this popularity."
After saying this, Secretary Lin felt a chill run down her spine and lowered her head, not daring to look at Lu Runxu's expression.
This Ms. Shang, although she didn't say anything on the surface, not clarifying is also a form of guidance.
Lu Runxu chuckled: "Tell the PR department to remove the trending topic and tell Shang Ruixing's brother about her situation."
Lu Runxu looked away from the tablet, picked up the phone on the table, and immediately saw seven or eight missed calls. He randomly tapped one and dialed it.
After a few rings, a female voice notification sounded. Lu Runxu's fingertips twitched slightly, and he opened WeChat to send a message to Xing Bei.
As soon as I clicked send, a very obvious red exclamation mark appeared on the screen.
After contacting the public relations department, Secretary Lin turned around and saw that red figure. His heart sank. In that instant, he felt as if he had seen the end of his career.
Lu Runxu didn't expect Xing Bei to block him directly. He remembered that he had only been out of the dark room for less than a month.
"Mr. Lu, I've already had the trending topic removed. Should I explain this to your wife personally?" Secretary Lin's voice was noticeably lower than before.
Lu Runxu's thin lips curled into a faint smile, his voice as cold as ever: "Secretary Lin, buy the next available flight back to Chanjing."
Outside the window, sunlight streamed through the glass and fell on the ground.
The soft light reflected off her cool profile. Despite her icy expression, she possessed a pair of fox-like eyes that always seemed to hold a hint of affection when she looked at people.
Cold yet alluring, with such stunning beauty, it's no wonder netizens call her the 'cold and beautiful fox'.
Hearing this, Secretary Lin silently breathed a sigh of relief: "Okay."
Mr. Lu needs to go back and appease his wife. Great, his year-end bonus is guaranteed.
Netizens who were following the story online were stunned when the trending topic was removed.
—Why did it suddenly disappear?
—Could it be to protect Shang Ruixing? After all, she's in the entertainment industry and has some influence.
Is it possible that Mrs. Lu is not Shang Ruixing at all?
—One is as indifferent as a snow-capped mountain that never melts, the other is as lively and cheerful as the sun. Look how well-matched they are.
—Both of them are from the same circle, and there's an 80% chance that Shang Ruixing is Mrs. Lu.
—Not necessarily. What if Mrs. Lu saw it and got angry, and Mr. Lu only made it trend on social media to appease her?
That night, Xing Bei didn't stay up late drawing. Instead, she idly scrolled through Weibo. When she learned that Lu Runxu had removed the trending topic, she wasn't particularly happy.
Before long, Xing Bei's heavy eyelids began to droop uncontrollably, and a strong sense of weariness washed over her like a tide.
She tossed her phone aside carelessly, hugged her blanket, and fell asleep shortly afterward.
Perhaps because of the trending topics during the day, Xing Bei didn't sleep well that night, having several nightmares on and off.
In the middle of the night, Xing Bei felt a ball of fire enveloping her from behind, making her feel unbearably hot. She pushed it away with her hand. She groggily opened her eyes and found that there was someone beside her.
Lu Runxu? When did he get back?
Thinking about all the mess that happened during the day, Xing Bei got angry and kicked the other person. The other person seemed to have anticipated this and intercepted her calf, pulling her down.
The next second.
Xing Bei was caught off guard and pinned down by Lu Runxu. She stared blankly at the person in front of her.
The room was very dark, with only slivers of moonlight filtering in from the window.
The person in front of me slightly raised the corners of their lips, their fox-like eyes extremely alluring, like a bewitching enchantress luring people into a trap in the darkness.
Xing Bei came to her senses and tried to break free from his control, but the difference in strength between men and women was too great, and her hands were held on the bed by Lu Runxu's ten fingers.
Seeing that her resistance was futile, Xing Bei relented, a faint, mocking smile curving her lips: "Boss Lu, why aren't you spending time with your childhood sweetheart tonight?"
Lu Runxu's smile deepened, and his long, slender fingers gently brushed across Xing Bei's cheek: "My little green plum is no match for my pearl."
"Mingzhu, I miss you so much."
A clear, deep voice echoed in the quiet room, like a bewitching fairy luring mortals step by step into a trap.
The air inside grew increasingly hot, and Xing Bei's nostrils were filled with a faint sandalwood scent, along with a delicate camellia fragrance. Xing Bei's mind was already feeling somewhat drowsy.
The next second, slender fingertips gently touched the petals of the white camellia. Xing Bei instantly woke up, and before she could stop them, the icy fingertips traveled straight to the center of the flower.
Xing Bei's eyes instantly welled up with tears, and to make matters worse, the person in front of her was breathing into her ear.
Her lips curled into a teasing smile: "Sister, do you like camellias?"
The other party didn't seem to want her to answer at all, and before long, a thin layer of sweat appeared on Xing Bei's forehead.
...
The moonlight outside the window grew stronger and stronger. Because of Lu Runxu's sudden action, she was restless all night and had many strange dreams that couldn't be fully put together.
—
The next day, a red sun slowly sank into the west, its rays casting countless beams of light that shone brilliantly on the calm lake surface.
Xing Bei suddenly sat up in bed, looked at the orange-yellow sunset outside the window, and rubbed her temples.
That bastard attacked me again last night.
She took her phone out from under her pillow and immediately saw a message from an unknown number pop up.
It was an itinerary and work schedule, filled with details of what Lu Runxu did on his business trips.
—Mrs. Lu, this is Mr. Lu's work schedule. Those things online are all rumors. Please don't believe them.
Xing Bei glanced at the screen briefly and realized that Lu Runxu was in a meeting because he hadn't answered her call.
Hmph, even if it's a meeting, you can't just pretend you didn't say anything when you met Shang Ruixing.
Xing Bei turned off her phone and walked towards the changing room. The moment she pushed open the door, she saw more than a dozen black safes.
She stood at the door for a moment, then randomly picked a box and opened it. To her surprise, the first thing she saw was the emerald necklace she hated the most.
A hint of mockery curved her captivating peach blossom eyes. Xing Bei snorted coldly and kicked the box to the other side.
Out of sight, out of mind.
Xing Bei was very satisfied with the rest. Looking at these beautiful little babies, Xing Bei instantly felt refreshed and decided not to hold a grudge about Lu Runxu going to see Shang Ruixing.
When Lu Runxu came upstairs, he saw Xing Bei happily playing with her little baby, while the clear and transparent emerald necklace was neglected to the side.
He glanced at her indifferently: "Mrs. Lu, are you satisfied?"
Xing Bei glanced at him before her gaze returned to the pair of conch pearl earrings in her hand. These were her favorite things right now, so she didn't have time to bother with the 'heartless man'.
Standing by the door, Lu Runxu thought she was still angry, so he went over and took the exquisite earrings from her hand. As he put them on her, he explained earnestly, "Shang Ruixing's earrings were a gift I gave her a long time ago for her eighteenth birthday. I didn't know they were a set."
Xing Bei glanced at the necklace lying quietly in the safe by the door, and smiled slightly: "What does this have to do with me? Give it to whomever you want."
Lu Runxu led her towards the full-length mirror: "Shang Ruixing likes me, but her brother forgot to tell her that I'm already married. I agreed to meet her to make things clear, but I didn't expect to be photographed by paparazzi. The trending topic has been removed now."
Hearing his explanation, Xing Bei's last bit of anger dissipated. Looking at her bright and elegant face in the mirror, a faint smile appeared on her lips, making even the pink flamingo conch earrings on her ears pale in comparison.
Xing Bei withdrew her gaze and looked at the person beside her with a serious expression: "For the sake of these jewels, I'll forgive you this time."
Lu Runxu smiled and didn't intend to expose her little scheme: "Thank you for your magnanimity, Mrs. Lu."
Xing Bei slightly raised her chin and let out a soft, cold snort. Although the sound was not loud, it carried a hint of smugness and arrogance.
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