In that small courtyard in the north of Haicheng, even though Tang Ning had made things so clear to Lu Chen, she only managed to keep him quiet for two days.
Sure enough, after getting her hair and makeup done, Tang Ning stepped onto the stage of Lidu Metropolis and, with a slight bow of her head, made eye contact with Lu Chen, who was sitting in the audience chatting and laughing with Qin Zhao, the CEO of Lidu Metropolis.
Almost as soon as he came into Tang Ning's sight, Lu Chen smiled and nodded at her.
This made Tang Ning frown slightly; Lu Chen was even more persistent than she had imagined.
Perhaps it's human nature to want things that much more than we can't have them. Especially now that Lu Chen has become a young marshal, there are even fewer things he can't have. Tang Ning, who once abandoned him, has become an obsession in his heart. Especially when this obsession refuses to comply with his wishes, he spends even more time, energy, and thought on it.
Tang Ning was certain that because of her lack of cooperation, since arriving in Haicheng, Lu Chen's mind had been completely occupied by her.
That's exactly what she wanted.
As long as Lu Chen refuses to let go, Tang Ning has a way to make him never be able to let go.
Thinking of this, Tang Ning, who was singing, lowered her long, thick eyelashes slightly. The light from above cast a shadow directly on her eyelids.
However, now is not the time to get entangled with this person. On the one hand, Xu Sinian's favorability has not yet reached the level she expects, and on the other hand, Lu Chen has not given enough and has not suffered enough setbacks.
Moreover, his unrestrained arrogance and recklessness annoyed Tang Ning.
Public opinion is like a knife; she didn't want to be drowned in the spittle of the people of Haicheng before she could even finish building up her goodwill.
So, as soon as she finished singing today, with makeup still on, Tang Ning went to Manager Huang's office at Lidu, completely ignoring his utterly miserable face. Tang Ning left the office humming a song.
As soon as she left, Manager Huang immediately went to find Boss Qin of Lidu. When Boss Qin brought a large group of people to Tang Ning's private dressing room to beg for help, Tang Ning was nowhere to be found. Boss Qin could only sigh and slap his fat thigh hard.
The next day, after having breakfast with Xu Sinian, he went to his study to handle some matters for a while. Ah Sheng, who had been following behind him, quickly leaned close to his ear and whispered something to him.
When he pushed the wheelchair out of the study, he saw Tang Ning lying on a rocking chair in the garden, basking in the warm sun, with a book covering her face, rocking back and forth while cracking sunflower seeds, looking far from comfortable.
Upon seeing this, Xu Sinian's lips curled up. He stepped forward and lifted the book covering Tang Ning's face, meeting her sleepy eyes.
Today, Tang Ning wore no makeup, but her cheeks were rosy from the sun. When she looked over, her eyes were filled with confusion and bewilderment, which made Xu Sinian's heart flutter.
For him, whether it was the radiant Tang Ning on stage or the clean and refreshing her in everyday life, every part of her seemed to perfectly fit his heart, and he loved every aspect of her.
Xu Sinian's fingers twitched slightly as he held the book, but his expression remained calm and gentle. "Why didn't you go out today? You'd usually be out by now."
Upon hearing this, Tang Ning sat up straight, rested her right hand on the armrest of the rocking chair, propped her chin on her hand, and looked at Xu Sinian. "I suddenly don't want to sing anymore, so I won't go..."
Hearing her say that, Xu Sinian's lips tightened instantly. "Is it not today, or later..."
What are you thinking about?
Tang Ning suddenly laughed out loud, "I was thinking that since it's almost Chinese New Year, singing from the beginning to the end of the year is really tiring, so Li Hui and I asked for leave to rest for a month and not sing for the time being..."
As she spoke, she suddenly looked at Xu Sinian with a smile, "I want to stay home and keep you company, what do you say?"
When Tang Ning's voice softened, which carried a slight Haicheng accent, it was like a proud little white cat suddenly meowing and acting cute.
Xu Sinian himself probably didn't realize that he was actually more responsive to gentle persuasion than force. The moment Tang Ning softened her stance, his mind went blank, and he even lost his composure. His lips moved for a long time, but he couldn't utter a single word. Tang Ning had to wait quite a while before she finally heard him say "okay" softly.
Hearing him say yes, Tang Ning's eyes narrowed with a smile.
Have you finished your work?
"Not yet, what's wrong?"
"Nothing much, I'll stay with you. I don't need to sing for the next month, and the Tang family probably... won't welcome me back, so I'll just find something to do!"
Tang Ning got up from the rocking chair and pushed Xu Sinian's wheelchair toward the study.
Even Xu Sinian didn't expect that Tang Ning's so-called "finding something to do" would actually be embroidery.
Sitting at his desk, he looked at Tang Ning by the window not far away, holding an embroidery needle, her brows furrowed, and couldn't help but smile.
Although he was eager to know what Tang Ning had embroidered, she simply refused to let him see, saying she wanted to give him a surprise. So Xu Sinian could only suppress his curiosity and try to focus his attention on the task at hand.
But with Tang Ning standing there like a grown man, even if Xu Sinian wanted to concentrate, he couldn't stay focused for long. Every now and then, he would look up at Tang Ning under the window.
Watching the warm sunlight fall on her slightly wavy long hair, on her porcelain-white face, and on her slender, white hands, her nails were pink and translucent.
He remembered that at night, when the two were passionate in bed, he had gently rubbed his teeth against hers more than once. The slightly stinging sensation would always make Tang Ning, whose cheeks would turn crimson, open her mouth and bite back...
Just as he thought of this, he noticed that Tang Ning suddenly raised her head, and Xu Sinian immediately shifted his gaze to the booklet in front of him, his expression serious and solemn.
"Ah, I've finally finished embroidering one!"
Tang Ning exclaimed in surprise, then jumped down from the soft couch by the window, holding a piece of cloth in her hand, and came to Xu Sinian as if she wanted to share it with him.
"How is it? Does it look good?"
Tang Ning's eyes brightened slightly.
Xu Sinian, however, stared blankly at the crookedly embroidered little hen on the cloth. After pondering for a while, he mumbled, "Not bad, this hen is embroidered very lifelike..."
Before he could even finish speaking, he was met with a furious glare from Tang Ning. "What chicken? This is a mandarin duck! A mandarin duck! Have you ever seen such a beautiful and appetizing chicken? Humph!"
Because her hard work was not recognized, Tang Ning was about to turn around and leave in a huff, but in her haste, Xu Sinian grabbed her arm and pulled her into his embrace.
Feeling humiliated by her embroidery skills, Tang Ning tried to struggle, but Xu Sinian had already reached out and pressed the struggling Tang Ning directly into his arms.
"Don't move."
The man's voice was somewhat hoarse. Tang Ning, noticing the unusual sound, immediately froze. She then looked up in disbelief and met his deep eyes.
Perhaps it was the sheer astonishment in Tang Ning's eyes that caused Xu Sinian to press her little head directly against his chest.
A moment later, Tang Ning's low laughter drifted over, making Xu Sinian's face flush slightly.
Xu Sinian, who didn't know how long he had waited before his strange feeling subsided, perhaps to change the subject, asked directly, "Why did you suddenly not want to go singing?"
Although Xu Sinian already knew that Lu Chen had gone to Lidu, he still wanted to hear Tang Ning's reasons.
"If I don't want to go, I don't want to go. I'm tired and weary, I want to rest, I want to be with you, is that not allowed? What? You don't even want to see me at home? It's been five years, is Master Xu starting to get tired of me? Or have other young and beautiful girls appeared, and you're getting fickle?"
Tang Ning suddenly looked up and saw Xu Sinian frowning. Just as he was about to say something, she suddenly reached out and pinched his cheek.
"Don't say it, or I'll be unhappy."
Yes, because of the time they spent soaking her feet together these past few days, Tang Ning seemed to suddenly realize that Xu Sinian's bottom line for her was that there was no bottom line. As a result, she became more and more unrestrained and bolder in her interactions, as if she was constantly and tentatively jumping around on the edge of the boundary that Xu Sinian could tolerate.
Sensing Tang Ning's movement, Xu Sinian was startled for a moment, then narrowed his eyes slightly, raised his hand and placed it on the back of Tang Ning's hand, gently grasping it.
Have I been too lenient with you lately?
Xu Sinian's voice was very soft, and it was impossible to tell whether he was happy or not. A smile flashed in Tang Ning's eyes, and then she looked at him defiantly.
"yes!"
She said.
At this moment, Tang Ning's eyes were filled with a gentle yet slightly arrogant smile, which made Xu Sinian unable to help but laugh as well. Then, he wrapped one arm around her slender waist and gently lifted Tang Ning's chin with the other, lowering his head to kiss her.
Tang Ning closed her eyes.
The sunlight streamed directly into the room through the glass, filling it with warmth.
Xu Sinian's current favorability rating: 80.
Meanwhile, at Li Du Hui, Lu Chen, who had decided to take further action, appeared at the entrance of Li Du Hui that evening carrying a bouquet of roses.
After getting off the rickshaw, he saw that the entrance of Li Du Hui was full of rickshaw pullers chatting loudly. The man stood there for a long time before letting out a soft laugh and walking into Li Du Hui.
But to his surprise, even after the woman in the red dress on stage had sung three songs, he still hadn't seen Tang Ning appear, and the people below began to protest.
Seeing that things were about to get out of control if they weren't notified soon, Boss Qin stepped forward and said that Miss Tang Ning would not be performing tonight due to family matters, and might not be performing for the next month. However, during this month, all drinks at Li Du Hui would be discounted.
Upon hearing Boss Qin's announcement that Tang Ning would not be appearing, many customers chose to leave. However, nearly half of them remained. Seeing this, Boss Qin breathed a sigh of relief and then took out a handkerchief to wipe non-existent beads of sweat from his forehead.
Unlike the others who were unaware of the truth, Lu Chen understood almost instantly, upon learning the news, that Tang Ning was simply avoiding him.
Does he now seem like a monster to Tang Ning?
Lu Chen gripped the bouquet of roses tightly in his hand. Sharp thorns pierced through the wrapping paper and embedded themselves deeply in his palm. Instantly, a damp patch spread across his hand, and drops of blood dripped down...
Lu Chen seemed completely oblivious, his eyes turning crimson.
"Oh dear, your hand is injured!"
Just then, a loud shouting voice suddenly rang out beside him.
Lu Chen mechanically looked in the direction of the sound and met Tang Yin's concerned gaze. Then he saw a different kind of joy appear in the girl's eyes.
"It's you?"
She exclaimed in surprise, then quickly grabbed the camera in her arms and rushed to Lu Chen, "It's me! Don't you remember me?"
Lu Chen's expression remained largely unchanged. Although he recognized her, he had no desire to get entangled with Tang Ning's sister. Just looking at her reminded him of all the heartless things Tang Ning had done to him.
He couldn't understand why Tang Ning would treat him like this.
It was Xu Sinian who did wrong, not Lu Chen, wasn't it?
Why would Tang Ningning continue to entangle with Xu Sinian rather than return to his side?
Thinking this, an indescribable sense of grievance suddenly welled up in Lu Chen's heart.
He turned to walk out of Lidu, but just then, a drunken man suddenly crashed into Tangyin.
Seeing the size of the drunk man, Lu Chen instinctively grabbed Tang Yin's arm, preventing her from being bumped. The girl's nose bumped into his hard chest, and the unfamiliar male scent made Tang Yin's face turn bright red.
All I could hear was her hesitant voice, "Th...thank you..."
Hearing Tang Yin's thanks, Lu Chen's brows furrowed immediately. He had just released her arm when Tang Yin was pulled over by another person. Then, a short man with a buzz cut and wearing a white shirt immediately stood in front of her, glaring angrily at Lu Chen, "What are you doing!"
Seeing this, Lu Chen frowned even more. Tang Yin quickly stepped forward to explain, "Oh dear, Brother Du, what are you doing? I was almost bumped into by a drunkard, and this gentleman pulled me back. I'm sorry, sir, Brother Du works at the same newspaper as me. We came out tonight to conduct an interview at Lihui..."
Despite Tang Yin's explanation, the hostility in the eyes of the short man standing next to her remained.
"I'm not interested in what you're going to do. May I leave now?"
Before Tang Yin could finish speaking, Lu Chen interrupted her.
He was already beginning to regret helping her out. He had already settled things with her by pulling strings to get her a job at the newspaper, and he didn't want to have any further dealings with Tang Ning's sister.
After all, she's a woman who's been entangled with boys in school before even graduating, a woman he recently saw having dinner with another man at a Western restaurant and accepting a gift from him, a woman who's accompanied by another chauvinist today, a woman who blushes like crazy at his unintentional actions...
He wasn't very interested.
Lu Chen's rude attitude caused a fleeting moment of embarrassment to cross Tang Yin's face, but before she could say anything, her protector standing beside her objected, "What's wrong with you? Don't you even know what manners are..."
"Brother Du, what are you doing... This gentleman, Brother Du, didn't actually mean that..."
Tang Yin was about to turn around and explain when she found that Lu Chen had already walked far away. Where he had been standing, only a bunch of roses that had been trampled to pieces remained.
Hearing Du Wen still yelling beside her, Tang Yin felt a flash of annoyance. She regretted it; she should have known better than to come out with this idiot today.
She suppressed her annoyance and let him continue the interview, while she went to the other side to inquire about who the gentleman had come for.
Although she already knew the answer when she saw the red roses, she still wanted to ask again. Upon hearing the name Tang Ning, a shadow crossed the girl's eyes.
Tang Ning, Tang Ning, Tang Ning.
Why is Tang Ning everywhere?!
Why does everyone like her, admire her, and care about her?
What's so good about her?
Judging from their first encounter, that gentleman must be extremely wealthy and handsome. Add to that the young Taoist priest who wants to repay Tang Ning's debt of gratitude, capable of scaling walls and leaping across rooftops, and Xu Sinian, who has always protected and doted on her…
She just couldn't understand it. She was just a singer from Lidu who hadn't gone to university, so why...?
In contrast, what about her?
She's surrounded by either penniless bastards who would spend several months' salary just to treat her to a Western meal, or complete idiots who can't even read between the lines.
At this moment, Tang Yin did not realize that after suffering setback after setback in front of Tang Ning, her thoughts had long since gone astray.
Perhaps it was her instinct to be a bully at home, or perhaps it was the original owner's indulgence and pampering of her, but she blamed almost all her recent misfortunes on Tang Ning.
It can only be said that the original owner left too deep an impression of stubbornness. From childhood to adulthood, whatever she wanted or liked, the original owner never went against her wishes. Now, she has suddenly changed and is even turning around to annoy her, provoke her, and wrong her. This made Tang Yin feel an involuntary surge of anger and embarrassment.
As the saying goes, "A small favor is appreciated, but a large one breeds resentment," and that's exactly how it is.
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