Chapter 76 Recalling the Past Between the Two of Them
It was late at night.
There were only stars in the night sky, no fireworks.
Outside the Lu Family Manor, a hot air balloon landed on the ground.
The lights were on in the old house.
Lu Junyan had just finished showering and came out wearing a bathrobe.
On the highway leading to City C, a white BMW 3 Series sped along, leaving the streetlights and trees behind.
Jiang Ning is driving.
There's no time left.
She used a Bluetooth headset to call someone at AOD.
"I want that rough stone. I'm on my way and will be there soon."
"I'm sorry, Ms. Jiang, we've already sold that rough stone."
"What?!"
Jiang Ning almost slammed on the brakes.
"Didn't you promise to keep it for me until today?"
“Your husband bought it, saying it was a gift for you.”
Jiang Ning's mind drifted to Lu Junyan, who was acting unusually tonight.
She didn't know if Lu Junyan had suddenly had a change of heart after taking the wrong medicine, or if he was under pressure from his grandfather.
In short, Lu Junyan treated her very well tonight.
Gentlemanly, considerate, and romantic.
When Lu Junyan asked her to stay overnight at the old house, she thought that everything Lu Junyan had done that day was for this reason.
Lu Junyan had indeed not touched her for a while.
But Lu Junyan has no shortage of targets for his venting, especially since he is living with Chu Qingxue.
Jiang Ning wasn't sure if Lu Junyan really wanted to sleep with her that much, and that's why he went to so much trouble for it.
She ultimately did not agree to Lu Junyan's request.
Given Lu Junyan's temperament and methods, she thought he would force her, and she remained vigilant until the hot air balloon landed.
However, Lu Junyan did not.
Lu Junyan didn't say anything more than telling her to drive carefully and be safe.
After exiting the highway at Jiangning, I parked the car on the side of the road.
Her heart was in turmoil.
She didn't understand what Lu Junyan was trying to do.
Could it be that... Lu Junyan remembered her?
Thinking back to her time in the juvenile detention center...
Jiang Ning took out the gift box that Lu Junyan had given her and carefully opened it.
Although Lu Junyan's behavior didn't seem like he was recalling the past, if we follow AOD's account, then the birthday gift Lu Junyan gave her should be the ruby with the heart-shaped crack that she had her eye on.
Jiang Ning felt his breathing become trembling.
If... Lu Junyan really remembers her, remembers the promise they made back then...
The packaging was opened, and inside was indeed a jewelry box, about the size of a palm, just big enough to hold a rough stone.
Jiang Ning's anticipation reached its peak.
She opened the jewelry box.
Inside is a raw stone.
But not the ruby rough with the heart-shaped crack.
Jiang Ning was stunned.
She sensed something was wrong, so before contacting AOD, she called Lu Junyan first.
The phone rang for a while before being answered.
"Hey, Lu Junyan..."
"What, you've changed your mind?"
Lu Junyan's voice on the other end of the phone was wide awake, showing no signs of sleepiness.
"It's not too late for you to come back now."
These words annoyed Jiang Ning, but she didn't want to change the subject.
“I heard from people at AOD that you bought the rough stone I ordered…”
"right."
Lu Junyan only answered with this one word.
Jiang Ning panicked.
"They said you bought it as a gift for me."
There was a long silence on the other end of the line before Jiang Ning finally heard Lu Junyan's voice.
It was laughter.
"Qingxue also took a liking to that rough stone."
When Jiang Ning heard Lu Junyan say those words, it was as if he had been struck by lightning.
"I was the one who saw it first..."
"But you didn't buy it."
"But I've already made up my mind."
"So what?"
Lu Junyan's retort left Jiang Ning speechless.
In the old house, he lay on the bed, talking to Jiang Ning while glancing at the antique clock on the bedroom wall.
It's past midnight.
It's no longer Jiangning's birthday.
“Jiang Ning, now that you’ve opened a studio, you’re the boss. Consider this rough stone a lesson for you. In the business world, there’s no first come, first served, no fairness, no reason, only cutthroat competition. Don’t be so naive.”
Lu Junyan's voice returned to its usual coldness.
Jiang Ning sat in the car with the windows closed, his fingers gripping his phone icy cold.
"Furthermore, I have also given you compensation."
After Lu Junyan finished speaking, he hung up the phone.
The final word "compensation" brought Jiang Ning to his senses in an instant—
It turns out that Lu Junyan went to so much trouble to celebrate her birthday not because of pressure from his grandfather, nor because he remembered the past between the two of them.
It was because Lu Junyan stole the raw stone she had her eye on.
It was given to Chu Qingxue.
"compensate……"
Jiang Ning gripped the steering wheel tightly with both hands, the veins on the back of his hands clearly visible.
City A, a street lined with bars.
When Yuan Pei came out of the private room, he never expected to see Jiang Ning there.
Jiang Ning looked like he had drunk a lot and was already unconscious.
He wouldn't have noticed her at all if she had been lying on the table instead of on the sofa.
The thought of calling Lu Junyan flashed through his mind.
"Am I crazy?"
He couldn't help but berate himself.
Even if Jiang Ning is Lu Junyan's legal wife, so what?
Lu Junyan doesn't like her.
It's possible that Lu Junyan and Chu Qingxue are currently having a passionate affair!
Yuan Pei shook his head, trying to pretend he hadn't seen it.
Anyway, Jiang Ning got drunk on his own, not because he was forced to get drunk, so he has no responsibility.
Yuan Pei strode past the drunk Jiang Ning.
They came back again.
With a sour face, he helped Jiang Ning up.
Jiang Ning was lighter than he had imagined, and it wasn't difficult for him to support her.
"You're so lucky to have met me, honestly... why am I so nosy!"
Yuan Pei muttered to himself as he helped Jiang Ning out of the bar.
His attention was entirely focused on Jiang Ning, and he didn't notice that in the dimly lit corner of the bar, Xiao Zhang had already stood up while Jiang Ning was passed out.
Watching helplessly as Yuan Pei took Jiang Ning away, Xiao Zhang took out his phone and reported to Lu Junyan.
"Follow them."
Lu Junyan gave Xiao Zhang these instructions.
Yuan Pei drove here, but he had been drinking, so he called a designated driver for the return trip.
He knew where Jiang Ning was staying, so he asked a designated driver to take the car to Sanhu Street.
While supporting Jiang Ning, Yuan Pei took the keys from Jiang Ning's bag, opened the door, and went inside.
He originally intended to throw Jiang Ning on the bed and leave.
Yuan Pei turned on the bedroom light and had Jiang Ning lie flat on the bed.
After a slight hesitation, I helped Jiang Ning take off his shoes.
This bedroom is not large, and most of the space is filled with books.
Yuan Pei was quite surprised that people still loved reading physical books these days.
I flipped through them casually, and they were all related to design.
"Is it really necessary to work this hard..."
Yuan Pei muttered to himself.
He knew that Jiang Ning had now opened his own jewelry design studio.
However, he thought Jiang Ning was just putting on an act, trying to show Lu Junyan that he was just as good as Chu Qingxue, and was trying to imitate Chu Qingxue in a bad way.
However……
Yuan Pei sat down at Jiang Ning's desk.
There are many drawings here, all hand-drawn designs.
Yuan Pei recognized several of the designs; they looked like some of Lu's newly launched best-selling products. He had even praised Chu Qingxue before, saying that Chu Qingxue had saved the performance of Lu's golden product line.
"Could all of these have been painted by Jiang Ning?"
Yuan Pei thought it was impossible.
It's likely that Jiang Ning plagiarized Chu Qingxue's design.
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