Chapter 1 Chapter 1 Qingyuan School Anniversary
As the sun sets and the lights come on, the darkness is instantly illuminated by prosperity.
Ye Anyu sat at the table with a drawing in front of him, or to be more precise, a returned drawing. This drawing had been revised four or five times, but the client was still not satisfied. When he was about to leave work, he still asked Ye Anyu to revise it again.
Ye Anyu looked at the drawing in front of him and felt a little annoyed.
Since today is Friday, there is more laughter and noise in the office than usual. Everyone is cleaning up their desks, preparing to rush out as soon as the working time comes.
Others rushed home because they had someone to accompany them at home. Ye Anyu played with the paintbrush in his hand, thought of his cold and lifeless home, sighed, and decided to stay in the company to revise the drawing.
There were still five minutes left before the end of the workday. Seeing Ye Anyu still motionless, a colleague who was ready to go jokingly said, "Anyu, it's Friday already. Why don't you stop being so aggressive?"
As everyone knows, Ye Anyu is a workaholic. She always works overtime in the company until very late on weekdays. Even on the day before the holiday, she can sit steadily at her workstation and do the work at hand without changing her expression.
Ye Anyu just chuckled softly and said helplessly: "There's nothing we can do. The client asked us to change the drawing at the last minute."
"Ring, ring, ring..."
A crisp alarm clock rang, and colleagues in the office filed out one after another. In a moment, the whole office became deserted.
During this time, Ye Anyu stared at the drawing on the computer without raising his head, waving the paintbrush in his hand on the drawing tablet.
"Anyu, why haven't you gotten off work yet?" A clear voice with a hint of hoarseness sounded in Ye Anyu's ears.
Ye Anyu then looked up and said, "Boss Shi, I'll be off work after I finish revising this drawing."
The man who was called the boss took a look at Ye Anyu's computer, nodded, and said jokingly: "If you don't know, you would think you are the boss of the company."
Ye Anyu knew that the man in front of her was joking, so she smiled and said, "Mr. Shi, you're joking."
The man in front of her looked at her with a smile, and suddenly changed the subject: "An Yu, Qingyuan University is celebrating its centennial. Are you going there tomorrow?"
Ye Anyu paused and looked at the calendar next to her. Then she remembered that tomorrow was the centenary celebration of Qingyuan University. She had received the school's invitation two weeks ago, and it had arrived in the blink of an eye.
However, Ye Anyu did not plan to attend because her husband Lu Mingzhou was also invited.
Ye Anyu shook his head and made up an excuse: "I have other things to do tomorrow."
The man in front of him stared at Ye Anyu and shook his head helplessly. She was still so bad at lying, but no one exposed Ye Anyu. He said, "I will go there tomorrow. I can take some photos of the school and send them to you."
Ye Anyu's eyes dodged, and he said dryly, "Thank you, Mr. Shi."
After saying this, the man in front of him left. As the footsteps became farther and farther away, Ye Anyu was finally the only one left in the office.
Thunder suddenly sounded and the autumn rain came very quickly.
Ye Anyu was startled by the sudden thunder. She put down the paintbrush in her hand, walked to the window, and looked out with an expressionless face.
The dazzling lights became mottled after being washed by the heavy rain. The crimson maple leaves hung tall on the branches, and the pedestrians on the road hurriedly hid from the rain.
Ye Anyu took out his cell phone, turned on the camera, and took a photo of a couple's backs on the street.
It’s so beautiful.
Ye Anyu looked at the tilted umbrella in the photo and a smile appeared on his face. They were a couple with a very good relationship, or... a husband and wife.
Just as Ye Anyu was lost in thought, beautiful music suddenly rang out in the quiet office. Ye Anyu was startled and almost dropped his phone.
It turned out that someone had called her. As soon as Ye Anyu pressed the answer button, a chattering voice came from the microphone: "Anyu, will you go to Qingyuan University's centennial celebration tomorrow?"
Before Ye Anyu could open his mouth to refute, the other end started to speak again: "Please, you must go. I made a bet with others that you will go, right?"
"Ayao, I..."
The other end of the phone interrupted Ye Anyu again: "Okay, Anyu, I'll wait for you at Qingyuan University tomorrow!"
"Beep..." The person on the other end hung up the phone.
This person named A Yao, whose real name is Wu Yao, is Ye Anyu's college roommate and also her best friend during college. After graduation, although their contact is not as frequent as when they were studying, Wu Yao can definitely be regarded as Ye Anyu's good friend.
It's just meeting a good friend, so it's no big deal... If I really run into Lu Mingzhou, I'll just treat him as a stranger...
Ye Anyu revised the drawing and sent the latest version to the client. She picked up her mobile phone to check the time and found that it was already nine o'clock. She packed up her things, turned off the computer, and carefully checked the office before leaving. Then she turned off the lights and went home.
Friday night was different from the previous nights. The wide road was jammed with cars, and it was impossible to get through. A journey that should have taken less than half an hour took Ye Anyu a full hour to drive.
Ye Anyu drove to the downstairs of the residential complex and took a look at the floor. It was pitch black.
With a "click", Ye Anyu pushed open the door and turned on the light. However, the light did not make the room warmer, and it was still as cold as before.
Ye Anyu walked into the deserted room. The huge villa seemed even emptier. Just like usual, Lu Mingzhou, her nominal husband and the head of the Ye Group, had not returned yet.
After three years of marriage, the two treated each other with respect, just like real guests. Ye Anyu slept in the master bedroom and Lu Mingzhou slept in the guest room.
Ye Anyu felt a little ridiculous. What was she expecting? Even when Lu Mingzhou was at home, the two of them kept to themselves and looked at each other in silence.
Ye Anyu made some food to fill her stomach. Just when she finished eating and was about to wash the dishes, the door suddenly made a "click" sound, and then a man pushed the door open and walked in.
The man was tall, with deep eyebrows and a high nose bridge. He was her husband Lu Mingzhou. To be more precise, he was her husband in name only, because their marriage was just a transaction.
Lu Mingzhou walked up to her, untied his tie, and glanced at the leftovers she had eaten.
I thought he would go back to his room without saying a word as usual.
Unexpectedly, Lu Mingzhou shifted his gaze to her and spoke coldly: "Tomorrow is Qingyuan University's centennial celebration. Will you go too?"
Hearing Lu Mingzhou's voice, Ye Anyu paused, nodded subconsciously, and then thought of Lu Mingzhou's worry, and hurriedly explained: "Don't worry, I will definitely hide our relationship and won't let outsiders know."
Qingyuan University is the top university in China, and Lu Mingzhou also graduated from this university. As a technology upstart who supports half of Ming'an Group, Lu Mingzhou is undoubtedly the best student of Qingyuan University. On the occasion of Qingyuan University's centenary celebration, the school specially invited Lu Mingzhou to give a speech.
The invitation was placed on the table in the living room that day, and Ye Anyu saw it by chance.
Hearing this, Lu Mingzhou did not speak again and went straight back to his room.
It was a quiet night. When Ye Anyu woke up from her sleep, the house was still quiet. Ye Anyu looked at the time and found that it was already eleven o'clock. She jumped out of bed suddenly.
Wu Yao sent several WeChat messages on her phone: [An Yu, am I already at school?]
【Have you arrived yet?】
Seeing that Ye Anyu hadn't replied yet, Wu Yao sent another message after a while: [Let me know when you arrive, I'll pick you up at the school gate.]
Ye Anyu replied: [Sorry, I forgot to set the alarm. I just woke up. I'll tell you when I get there.]
As soon as I sent this WeChat message, the other party replied immediately: [It’s okay, I’ll wait for you~]
Wu Yao is still as considerate as she was in college.
In fact, it wasn't that Ye Anyu intentionally didn't set the alarm clock. She really forgot. On weekdays and weekends, she could sleep in as late as she wanted.
After a night's sleep, Ye Anyu's throat felt a little dry. He dragged his still unconscious body to the refrigerator and took out a bottle of ice-cold water.
"Drink this." Ye Anyu was startled by the sudden voice and the water in his hand almost fell to the ground.
She turned around and saw Lu Mingzhou, dressed in a suit and tie, with an expressionless face, handing her a glass of water with his right hand.
Ye Anyu hesitated for a moment before taking the cup. The cup was still hot and contained warm water. She stared at Lu Mingzhou in surprise. Normally, he should have gone out by now.
"Would you like some noodles?" Lu Mingzhou's voice came suddenly, interrupting Ye Anyu's thoughts.
"Ah?" Ye Anyu looked over in the direction of the voice and found that Lu Mingzhou was cooking noodles.
"I cooked too much." Lu Mingzhou looked at Ye Anyu and spread his hands.
Dining with Lu Mingzhou? This was something Ye Anyu had never thought about. It would only be awkward for them to sit together. Ye Anyu was ready to refuse: "No need..."
"Gugu~"
Her belly betrayed her at this moment, and Ye Anyu stopped herself from speaking.
"We can't waste food." Lu Mingzhou glanced at her expressionlessly.
Ye Anyu knew that Lu Mingzhou could not be so nice to her. His repeated reminders said it all: it was just that he cooked too much and food should not be wasted.
The two of them looked at each other in silence as they finished their noodles.
Ye Anyu glanced at Lu Mingzhou and thought about the question he had just asked. Shouldn't he have gone out by now? Why was he still at home?
Lu Mingzhou seemed to sense her doubts and asked, "Do you want to go to Qingyuan University together?"
Ye Anyu then remembered that Lu Mingzhou was also going to Qingyuan University to attend the school anniversary today. But didn't he want everyone to know about their relationship? Why did he invite her to go to school with him? Ye Anyu didn't understand.
"When we get to the destination, get off the car early." Lu Mingzhou's next sentence answered her doubts.
Sure enough, she was overthinking it...
"An Yu! An Yu!"
As soon as Ye Anyu got out of Lu Mingzhou's car, she heard a familiar voice: "Ayao."
"Anyu, you are finally here. I have been waiting for you here for a long time." Wu Yao smiled and took Ye Anyu's arm, just like they did in college.
Ye Anyu was a little uncomfortable. She was stunned for a moment and said, "Long time no see, A Yao."
Wu Yao's tone was filled with some complaints: "Every time I ask you out, you can't refuse. After a while, will you forget about me, your good friend?"
Ye Anyu did not refute. Since she got married, she has been deliberately distancing herself from her friends, fearing that she would accidentally reveal the secret in her heart.
"Hey, I was just kidding! I know you're not that kind of person!" Wu Yao has always been sincere to others.
"Yes, I just saw you getting out of a luxury car. Who was that person?" Ye Anyu smiled helplessly. Wu Yao's gossipy personality remained unchanged.
Ye Anyu lied: "I took a taxi."
"You're lucky as always, An Yu, to be able to get such an expensive car." Wu Yao exclaimed.
Good luck? Ye Anyu disagreed.
Ye Anyu was pulled into the school by Wu Yao. It was already late autumn. The ginkgo trees on the campus were golden and brilliant, and under the sunlight, the autumn atmosphere was even more intense.
Ye Anyu followed Wu Yao to the department building of the School of Computer Science. As soon as they arrived, they were surrounded by a group of people.
"An Yu, long time no see!"
"haven't seen you for a long time!"
"You're beautiful again!"
…
With a loud "Mr. Shi", everyone's attention was focused on one person.
The man was wearing casual clothes, with sharp eyebrows and bright eyes, and walked towards everyone with a smile on his face.
"Long time no see, everyone." As he said this, his eyes looked at Ye Anyu in the crowd with a playful look.
Ye Anyu suddenly felt guilty. After being forced to agree to come to the school anniversary yesterday, she forgot to notify Mr. Shi. She forced a smile on her face awkwardly.
"Mr. Shi, what you said is not right. We often see you online."
"That's just us seeing Mr. Shi, but Mr. Shi didn't see us."
"That's true."
“…”
Everyone was talking at once and there was a lot of noise all around, but Ye Anyu's attention was not here at all. From a while ago, her eyes had been fixed on one place.
"Anyu, what kind of job are you doing after graduation?" asked a classmate who was once familiar with Ye Anyu.
"An Yu? An Yu!"
"ah?!"
"What are you looking at?" Seeing Ye Anyu absent-minded, Wu Yao followed her gaze and saw a tall billboard.
Wu Yao immediately became excited after seeing the content on the billboard: "It's Senior Lu Mingzhou! He is coming to the school today to give a speech as an outstanding student."
Wu Yao stared at the billboard with a fascinated look and said, "Senior Lu Mingzhou is not only tall and handsome, but also a technological genius. In just a few years, he can make Ming'an Group a leader in the industry."
"Yeah, how can the gap between people be so big?" said another classmate.
"I just don't know if the senior is married."
"Don't even think about it. Didn't you see the wedding ring on the ring finger of the senior's left hand?"
"Yes, he saw it, but his wife has never appeared in public, and he has never admitted that he is married, so I guess he is just trying to fend off some romantic interests."
“…”
Hearing these words, Ye Anyu felt a little heavy-hearted. As everyone said, Lu Mingzhou had indeed never publicly acknowledged her existence, let alone brought her in front of the public.
Although he knew that their marriage was just a transaction, Ye Anyu still felt uncomfortable when he heard this.
As they were talking, a group of people passed by, making a lot of noise, and everyone was attracted by the sound.
"Wow! It's Mr. Lu!"
"Which Mr. Lu?"
"Senior Lu Mingzhou!"
Ye Anyu moved at the sound and turned his head. Not far away, Lu Mingzhou's tall figure stood out among the crowd. The people next to him were talking about something, but a smile appeared on Lu Mingzhou's face.
Perhaps it was because the shout just now was too loud, Lu Mingzhou's head suddenly tilted to the side.
As they walked through the crowd, their eyes met.
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