Chapter 86 Missed Call
After everyone left, Wen Chu finally dropped her pretense and sat back down on the sofa.
A dull ache throbbed in her calves. She stared blankly at her phone on the table, lost in thought, before letting out a bitter laugh: "I just said so many out-of-character things, and you didn't even warn me. What exactly is your purpose? And why did you make me agree to Qi Siyan's confession in the first place? I feel like my mission has failed. When the two-month deadline is up and Lu Ming is reset again, the situation will only get worse."
Wen Chu had never been so dejected. The light in her eyes dimmed considerably, and she gradually lost the initial drive to fight. She even gave up on herself and thought she should just let things take their course and see how much worse things could get.
It had only been a month, yet she was already starting to doubt her own memory. Was the person who had drunkenly confessed his love for her just a figment of her imagination, or had never actually existed?
Success seemed a distant dream for her. More importantly, she was truly exhausted and couldn't keep fighting.
She can work hard in her career, but matters of the heart cannot be changed by effort alone.
Moreover, as long as Wen Xue exists, there will always be a barrier in her heart, an insurmountable chasm between her and Lu Ming.
The most heartbreaking thing is not suffering or setbacks yourself, but seeing someone else easily get what you want while you are suffering.
"Actually, I could stay in this world, right?" She began to soften. "I'm still in Baiyue, doing the same job, and more importantly, my dad is still by my side. I can forget everything that happened before and simply treat Lu Ming as my boss, rebuilding a simple colleague relationship like in real life. Or, I can leave, go to Keming, go to Xierui—anywhere is fine as long as I can continue working in the industry I love. There's no need for me to have any further contact with Lu Ming."
"Here, I don't have to worry about money, my quality of life has improved dramatically, and even if I give up on completing a task, I can try to make new friends and build the same social circle as before. What's wrong with that?"
That way, this farce can end right now.
When Wen Chu returned home that evening, Wen Xue was not there. Wen Shiyang and Yang Lan were chatting with Wen Heng at the dinner table. When they saw her, they said softly, "You're back."
She hadn't been back to her old place for a while; only when she was with her family could she barely get a moment's respite.
Although she said she didn't care, subconsciously she was probably still worried that after a long day at work, she would accidentally see Wen Xue next door again. She really didn't want to know what Wen Xue and Lu Ming were doing when she couldn't see them.
Wen Chu glanced at the dining table; it was full of her favorite dishes. Her mood improved considerably, and she gave a light "hmm." Seeing her like this, Wen Heng teased, "You've only been working for a few days, and you already smell like a factory worker. I've almost forgotten what you used to be like."
"You fixed your watch?" Wen Chu tilted her head to look at his wrist, subtly threatening him to shut up.
Wen Heng quickly covered his precious watch and glared at her: "If you dare to take my watch apart again, I'll really have to find a way to fight back. You know that if even one part is missing, the whole watch is ruined!"
Wen Chu snorted, pulled out a chair and sat down, saying disdainfully, "Come on, do you think I'm afraid of you? I don't have anything I particularly like. Let's see how you retaliate." After she finished speaking, she picked up her chopsticks and took a piece of rib. She found that it didn't taste like the one her aunt cooked. She was stunned for a moment, then tasted it carefully. It was too salty, and there was too much soy sauce. It wasn't as tender as the one her aunt made, but it awakened a long-dormant memory on her taste buds.
She looked up at Wen Shiyang in surprise, "The sun must have risen in the west, you actually cooked!"
"You could taste the difference?" Wen Heng stared in disbelief. "How did you know it was Dad who made it?"
Wen Shiyang may not cook often here, but in reality, Wen Chu grew up eating this flavor. Originally, this flavor was far removed from her, and she could hardly remember it anymore. But she never expected to have the chance to taste it again. It felt like a lifetime ago.
Suppressing the turmoil in her heart, she replied to Wen Heng with disdain, "This tastes like something your auntie made, something your mother made, something your father made—you kitchen killer?"
Wen Heng scoffed, "You talk as if you're not a kitchen disaster."
Everyone started eating, and Yang Lan said with a smile, "This whole table of dishes was made by your dad. He was busy in the kitchen all day. He even learned a few new dishes. Don't say they're not good, or he won't be able to sleep tonight!"
“It is what it is! Am I that intolerant of criticism?” Wen Shiyang said. “I haven’t cooked for over ten years, so it’s normal to be rusty.”
"Of course it's delicious, absolutely delicious." Wen Chu finished one piece and picked up another, proving with her actions that she was telling the truth. "But how come you have the leisure to cook?"
Yang Lan downplayed the issue, saying, "It's just because I saw you've been working too hard lately, so I wanted to show you some concern!"
"This is nothing, I've only been here a short while," Wen Chu said with a smile. "But thank you anyway, Dad, I feel like my body and mind have been healed! Really!"
“Your mom said I have no talent for cooking, but I said I can! Her cooking is truly awful, mine is clearly good!” Wen Shiyang’s expression was full of pride. He picked up a piece of food and ate it, not wanting to get too sentimental, so he changed the subject and asked, “How is Siyan?”
"You'll be better soon, and you should be able to be discharged in a couple of days."
Wen Shiyang and Yang Lan were terrified for days after hearing about what happened on the yacht, and their goodwill towards Qi Siyan skyrocketed. Not only did they personally visit her at the hospital the next day, but they also brought several bottles of precious wine and rare items to Chairman Qi's home. In front of her, they spared no effort in praising her and expressing their hope that their relationship could develop further.
“You need to pay more attention to him. I’ve asked around, and although Siyan has been living abroad, he’s not a bad person in private. He risked his life to protect you this time, so I think he’s a good guy. Once he’s discharged from the hospital and can drink again, invite him over to my house. I’ll try to get his opinion first.”
Here we go again.
Her dad really uses the same methods on everyone. If she gets more boyfriends, how many times will she have to drink?
Wen Chu tilted her head helplessly and rolled her eyes slightly: "Please stop making things difficult. I'm just friends with him right now, I'm not thinking anything else."
"Then who else are you thinking about? Let me tell you, once this project is over, you'll go back to work at Kemin. Which direction do you want to develop in? Research another robot, or work on some large-scale model? Just have your brother talk to you! Nothing outside is as reliable as using something from your own company!"
Wen Heng interjected, "Exactly!"
"Oh dear, I didn't think of anyone! I'll come back as soon as I finish this, okay? From now on, it'll be just a routine of going to work and coming back to have tea with you!"
"Then let's not, you'll ruin all my tea!" Wen Shiyang grumbled, but his expression relaxed considerably.
They then engaged in a fierce debate over her love life at the dinner table, with the situation shifting every few minutes – sometimes heated, sometimes in a truce to eat calmly, and sometimes in a relaxed conversation about other everyday matters.
She completely swept up all the dishes on the table, which made Wen Shiyang even more smug, and he kept bragging to Yang Lan about it.
Wen Chu went upstairs to take a shower and lay back in bed. Although she was still a little tired and had wasted a lot of breath, her family was indeed the best source of energy and recharge, because she could continuously feel love and be loved, as well as warmth, here.
They were so vivid, exactly as she remembered them.
Actually, there's nothing wrong with this, right? As long as she doesn't think about this damn strategy mission, she can still live a very optimistic life.
Here, I have enough money to spend, I can do whatever I want, my family is all around me, and I'm very happy.
Unfortunately, things never go as planned.
The next day, she went to work as usual. At noon, she went to the hospital to help Qi Siyan with her discharge procedures—Qi Siyan was recovering faster than she had expected. They had lunch together, chatted about their recent situations, and then she went back to the company to handle her work.
Her current job isn't complicated, as she's already done it before and knows the process and key milestones inside and out. She's only responsible for overseeing the overall progress and making minor adjustments; the actual work is done by her subordinates. She even knows what the final result will be. Therefore, her effortless handling of the job has made her almost a legendary figure in the eyes of her employees.
It's as if it can anticipate where problems will arise and provide timely solutions, like a reliable mountain.
As she passed the intersection in front of Baiyue, she saw that niche dessert shop again, and saw that cat paw ice cream cake.
Wen Chu bought the green grape flavor; she preferred green grapes to strawberries. She pressed the elevator button, carrying the cake. The elevator came up from the basement and stopped on the first floor. She stepped inside, her eyes catching sight of a pair of shiny black leather shoes. Her heart skipped a beat. Looking up, she saw Lu Ming with one hand in his pocket, not even glancing at her.
Wen Chu paused, her outstretched foot suddenly wanting to retract. She hesitated for a moment before choosing the elevator next to her. In the end, she went in and stood in the corner furthest from people and closest to the exit. She pressed the button for the seventh floor and stared silently at the increasing number.
She felt the man's gaze linger on the cake box in her hand for a moment. Unfortunately, this time she had bought it for herself, and it had nothing to do with him. Thinking of this, she felt a little better.
She thought things would be peaceful once the elevator doors opened again, but the man started picking on her again: "Did you go peel apples for Qi Siyan again?"
Wen Chu wanted to roll her eyes at these words. How could this person want her to be miserable? It was as if she was being mocked for being so subservient no matter who she was with.
He was so saintly before, saying he wished her happiness and would be happy for her if she found someone else she liked. But in reality, that's not true at all.
She really misjudged him.
“He doesn’t really like apples, so I bought him grapes today,” Wen Chu replied casually.
After she finished speaking, the man's tone seemed even more sarcastic: "Really? You really do know all about everyone's hobbies."
They arrived at the seventh floor. Wen Chu held her breath, ignored him, and stepped out of the elevator.
As a result, Lu Ming gave her another last-minute notice that there was a meeting. Before she could even settle in, she got up from her chair and took the elevator to the eighth floor.
The man sat in the main seat with his arms crossed, looking at his phone with a cold expression. Wen Chu, who held the highest position, sat down next to Lu Ming and waited for everyone to take their seats one after another.
The other person's presence was too strong. Wen Chu stared at the black screen of her phone without saying a word, turning the phone around in her hand, looking straight at herself on the screen, without any intention of starting a conversation.
As she was fidgeting, she suddenly received a message from Qi Siyan, saying that she saw a huge pile of documents at the company and her headache was starting again. Wen Chu smiled slightly and replied that he was really busy.
The person next to her immediately cast a disapproving look. Wen Chu sensed it, ignored him, and silently put her phone on silent mode, as if she didn't want to have a conflict with him. Then she chatted for a few more minutes.
Unexpectedly, the next second I heard someone say to the group of people in front of me, "It's a basic company rule that you can't use your phone during meetings."
"..." It's obvious he's pointing her out.
Upon hearing this, Wen Chu sped up her reply, quickly finished the text message, said she had to go to a meeting, pressed the send button, and then put her phone away in airplane mode.
She sensed that the person next to her had become even more gloomy during the few seconds it took for her to reply to the text message despite her defiance of the rules.
Not everyone has arrived yet, is it really necessary for her to reply to a text message like that? Is she afraid others will think he's giving her special treatment? How sarcastic and mean.
Once everyone had arrived, they began their meeting as usual. Wen Chu, fearing repercussions, didn't glance at her phone again. Lu Ming's phone, on the other hand, kept lighting up and going out. Wen Chu glanced at it subconsciously the first time it lit up, and after seeing it was Wen Xue calling, she didn't look at it again.
Lu Ming probably felt embarrassed to answer the phone when his beloved "white moonlight" called him, since he had just said that he couldn't use his phone during the meeting. So he simply turned off his phone.
The meeting lasted for an hour and a half before it ended.
After the meeting, Lu Ming still pretended not to return Wen Xue's call immediately. Wen Chu didn't want to deal with these things anymore and got up to leave first. Only then did she realize that there were many missed calls on her phone.
Yang Lan and Wen Heng have both fought.
She frowned, a sudden, ominous premonition gripping her. Just as she was about to turn around, the person behind her called out anxiously, "Wen Chu..."
Wen Chu turned her head. Lu Ming was still holding his phone, but his face was extremely pale. His eyes were full of complicated emotions and hesitation, which made her heart sink again.
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