Chapter 26 Chapter 26
26.
As the banquet drew to a close, cars began arriving one after another, waiting quietly at the mansion's back door. There were few luxury models, mostly understated basic BBA models or substantial Volvos, all painted in dark colors. In this industry, thrust into the spotlight, those who knew the times wisely chose to remain understated.
After Lu Ye exchanged greetings with several bosses, he retrieved his suitcase that had been stored at the front desk and reached out to hail a taxi.
A striking Bordeaux red Panamera forced its way past the parked taxi and drove up to his side. The window slowly rolled down, revealing a handsome face with a sullen look.
Shen Xingyu called him lazily: "Let's go, I'll take you to the airport."
The man with a cold face didn't bother to be polite with him. He gestured to the innocent taxi driver waiting in front, then gracefully slipped into the extended back seat of the Panamera.
"Are you still mad at me?" Shen Xingyu had been glaring at him for no reason, feeling aggrieved to this day. "I gave you my chance to be in love with you to help build hype for the newly launched fund, and you pinched me like this for just a few jokes. You're so heartless!"
As he spoke, he rubbed his leg, still feeling the pain.
He was the first person the production team of "The Last Days Lovers" approached. He didn't want to participate, but the person who contacted him was introduced by a friend of his family's business, and he didn't want to refuse the person, so he had to put it aside on the pretext of reporting to his superiors.
When the leader heard this, he approved it without hesitation and specifically asked Lu Ye, who had just joined Company Z, to replace him. The reason was that Lu Ye was going to be in charge of the next fund and needed exposure.
Shen Xingyu didn't mind Lu Ye taking over. He'd always been a womanizer, and he was afraid that appearing on this show would ruin his popularity with women.
He and Lu Ye had been in contact for a long time and had a good relationship. In today's financial world, fund managers are becoming more and more popular, and Lu Ye's calm and decisive personality is the most popular. His cool face like ink is a killer.
Naturally, Lu Ye's personality wasn't entirely suited to a variety show requiring high-performance performances, and there were rumors that he was obsessed with work and averse to women. But unexpectedly, soon after the program materials were sent to him, he actually agreed.
From then on, he had to take time out of his sleepless weekends to fly to P City to participate in the recording, without missing a single episode.
It was late at night, Shen Xingyu's eyes were blurry with drunkenness, while Lu Ye, who was looking down at messages on his phone, had eyes like piercing stars, and the curve of his sharp brows seemed to be softened a lot.
"Hey, you're not really in love, are you? You've been looking like this a lot lately."
Shen Xingyu came forward drunkenly, but was met with only a dark screen, reflecting his own affectionate peach blossom eyes.
Lu Ye nudged him and said casually, "With the supervision so strict, Mr. Shen, you should keep a low profile. If you drive a car like this, won't you get scolded when you get home?"
The Shen family's hydrogen energy business is booming, so it's no surprise that Master Shen drives a luxury car. However, instead of inheriting the family business, he plunges into the world of fame and fortune in the financial circle. This industry has been tightening in recent years, and his food, clothing, and daily expenses are inevitably restricted.
Shen Xingyu didn't respond. His hazy peach blossom eyes squinted at him, as if sensing some hidden secret. "Do you think I'm like that group of people at the table? I'm not going to be led around by the nose by you. If there's something wrong, just tell me the truth. This program was originally planned to establish you as a lean and unyielding enterprise. If you create some kind of scandal, how am I going to explain it to my boss?"
The man, as calm as ink, turned his head to look out the window, and with his back to him, he smiled a rare, relaxed smile, with a happy arc on his lips.
"Don't worry, I will stay single until the end of this show."
There are usually not many passengers on red-eye flights. Lu Ye easily found a secluded place in the terminal hall to sit down, and unlocked his phone again within half a minute while waiting for his laptop to start up.
The pinned chat box remained silent for a week, and his unilateral chatter received no response.
But he subconsciously always felt that the other party had not missed any of his messages, and he continued to send them happily.
An Jiuyue was curled up on the sofa, her fair face covered with a brown-green mud film, her almond-shaped eyes were blankly in thought.
The only red dot prompt in the chat box can be seen at a glance without clicking it. It contains four short and powerful words: I'm on board.
When she clicked on it, she saw a diary-like news feed: breakfast meetings, roadshows, late-night cocoa milk, evenly distributed throughout the 24 hours. She suspected that Lu Ye didn't sleep at all.
The most important thing is that she never replied. And the other party seemed to treat her as a broken AI robot and didn't mind at all.
Yue Hui had an appointment tonight, and Liang Sinan also had a rare appointment. With the window open, the north-south breeze whistled softly, making the large room feel surprisingly empty.
She snuggled alone in a corner of the sofa, wrapped in a cashmere blanket, idly pondering Lu Ye's news, piecing together his week from the fragments. She waited for the fifteen-minute alarm to ring before leisurely going to the sink to wash her face and skincare.
"Yue'er, I'm almost done here. Come and pick me up if it's convenient. There's an old guy who keeps pestering me."
Yue Hui's disgust was clearly expressed over the phone. An Jiyue didn't hesitate. She casually put on a windbreaker over her suspender skirt, took the car keys and hurried out.
She was not too worried about Yue Hui being taken advantage of. When someone crossed his limit, Yue Hui would kick the person to the ground without mercy.
Last year, Yue Hui took her to a drinking party where a wealthy second-generation partner, after a few drinks, started swearing at her. Before An Jiyue could even react, Yue Hui blocked her from behind and kicked him, knocking him off his back.
The cooperation they had just agreed on was ruined. Not only that, the playboy's mother rushed over, pointed at their noses and scolded them, and even called the police.
Although she was right, the whole thing was quite a hassle to deal with. An Jiyue stepped on the accelerator and increased the speed. She didn't want to go through this again.
The red light at the intersection happened to turn red, and the sleek tourmaline gray BMW slowed to a stop, and another call came in.
"Yue'er, Brother Nan happened to be discussing something nearby and picked me up now. If you hadn't gone out, you wouldn't have to run."
An Jiyue drove past the intersection and parked by the roadside. She felt it would be a waste of gas to drive for nothing. She glanced at the clock. It was almost midnight. She thought it would be best to go to a late-night restaurant and order some grilled chicken.
When her inspiration dried up, her hair tangled and she couldn't write, she'd always go to this late-night eatery, open until 4 a.m. Their roasted chicken cartilage was the best; ordering a handful of yakitori and washing it down with a glass of fruity sake would always inspire some brilliant ideas.
"Would you like something to drink?" The familiar boss asked casually after skillfully taking her order.
"No, I'm driving today." She shook her head and smiled, paused, and took out a box of cocoa milk from her bag. "Excuse me, can you heat this up for me?"
Today she came empty-handed, with no computer and no job.
Even though Li Li reassured her, she still hadn't received any notification at this moment, less than ten hours before this week's recording.
The sizzling grilled skewers were served on a long plate with a blue and white floral background. She chewed and savored them intently, the fragrant juice overflowing between her teeth and on the tip of her tongue, and she finished the plate in no time.
The shop was unusually quiet, with An Jiuyue sitting alone waiting for the next dish, feeling a little awkward with nothing to do.
She found a topic to chat: "Boss, didn't you see your wife today?"
"My son is coming home tonight, and my wife went to the airport to pick him up, leaving me to run the shop," the owner said with a cheerful and hopeful air. "Actually, my son is already grown up, there's no need to pick him up. It's just that my wife wanted to see him as soon as possible. After all, we only see him a few times a year, so every extra second is a blessing."
Oh. She nodded, chewing the chicken cartilage carefully.
The phone screen beside me lit up at the perfect moment, displaying the weather forecast for tomorrow. It would be windy tonight, but clear and cloudless during the day.
She looked at the cotton curtain that was lifted up at the door of the store. The wind was trying to squeeze in and say hello to her.
Could there be someone coming with the wind, always looking forward to seeing her?
At P City Airport, a tourmaline-gray BMW blended in with a sea of online-hailing taxis, moving at a snail's pace toward the arrivals hall.
The man in the passenger seat hung up the phone and thanked An Jiuyue again, with an expression of uncontrollable joy on his brows.
"Ms. An, thank you so much. I can get off here. My wife has already picked him up and will be out soon."
"Boss, you're welcome. How about I just take you home?"
"No, no, why would I trouble you? You still have friends to pick up, right?"
An Jiyue smiled awkwardly and let the man out of the car. She didn't know where to go next, so she just followed the flow of traffic and continued forward in silence.
After all, the friend she was going to pick up didn't even know about her whim.
She was mentally prepared for the possibility of only wasting half a tank of gas. However, as she passed the arrival hall entrance, she couldn't help but check out the crowd of people waiting at the door with their suitcases.
Some dozed against the wall, others stared blankly at the license plates of passing cars. Unlike the elite men and women who hurried to and fro during the day, few at the airport at this moment had the energy to conceal the fatigue of a late-night journey.
Just twenty meters ahead, the noise gradually subsided. The last glass door at the end, a place rarely frequented by passengers, suddenly opened. A neatly dressed man walked briskly, one hand on his Bluetooth headset, whispering something, the other hand behind his back, his bony fingers clasped on the handle of his carry-on luggage.
His hair was as black as ink, with a few strands of hair lightly resting on his brow bones. His face had a stern expression, as if he was listening to a serious piece of news.
After a while, he must have finally finished his business. He looked around and found the car he had arranged. It was the one in front of her.
An Jiyue's heart beat wildly with his steps. Suddenly, as if possessed by some unknown force, she poked her head out and shouted crisply, as if she was afraid it would be too late: "Lu Ye!"
The man's hand, which had just pressed down the trunk, stopped where it was, and his back suddenly stiffened. His tall body turned halfway, his cold and noble face facing the headlights, staring intently at the person in the car.
Lu Ye's breath was choked, and his heart surged in an instant. The raging waves leaped over the embankment, climbing from the depths of his heart to the corners of his eyes, slightly red with sorrow.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
