After lunch, Lu Zhe drove Xia Xiaobing and her secretary to the airport. Of course, he did it by car.
Lu Zhe sometimes drives the company's van these days. Although he got his driver's license less than a month ago, Xia Xiaobing feels quite at ease riding in his car.
Those who drive are always more nervous than those who are passengers.
Even as Lu Zhe drove home alone today, he still couldn't relax.
Upon encountering the car, Lu Zhe stopped. He instinctively glanced at the passenger seat.
There was a small velvet box on the seat. Inside the box was his ring.
Engagement ring.
When the red light turned green, Lu Zhe also looked away, looked ahead, and stepped on the gas.
While driving, he kept thinking about the plan—a few hours earlier, before he put the diamond ring on Xia Xiaobing's finger, he had already come up with a plan, and he was still pondering and refining it.
Further ahead, turning left would lead back to the company. But instead of turning left, he turned the steering wheel to the right and drove the car into the mall's parking level.
After getting off the bus, Lu Zhe took the elevator upstairs and found a jewelry store.
"Hello sir, what can I do for you?"
When the shop assistant approached him, Lu Zhe took out his new ring and asked, "Do you have a matching diamond ring in your store?"
The saleswoman was a young woman, probably in her early twenties, with a pretty face. She took the ring and examined it carefully, then said with some surprise, "This is a men's ring, and it's not cheap, is it... The diamond ring that goes with it must be at least 80 points or more, and the quality must be excellent."
Lu Zhe: "Is 80 the scoring standard?"
The salesperson smiled and explained, "No, it's a unit of measurement for diamond weight. One carat is one hundred points, and eighty points is 0.8 carats."
Lu Zhe: "Oh, it's paired with two hundred points."
The sales clerk paused for a moment: "A two-carat diamond ring?"
Lu Zhe: "Are two-carat diamonds rare?"
The sales clerk quickly shook his head: "It's not exactly rare, it's just... a bit pricey. Normally, a two-carat ring would be in the six figures, and as long as the quality is fine, it's never under 100,000."
Hearing her say that, Lu Zhe understood that Xia Xiaobing's "less than 300,000" must be a diamond ring of good quality. After all, the returns from stocks alone far exceeded that amount, by more than an order of magnitude, so buying a diamond was nothing to her.
However, this put Lu Zhe under some pressure.
He added, "But if I were to buy a matching diamond ring, it probably wouldn't need to be two carats, would it?"
The sales clerk hesitated and said, "Of course not, but... why would you buy a matching diamond ring? Every diamond ring is unique, and if you're going to buy one, you should buy a new pair."
Lu Zhe said seriously, "I'm not buying it for myself, I'm buying it for my mother. My parents bought a diamond ring for their wedding anniversary, but my mother lost it and didn't want my father to know, so she gave me this task."
The shop assistant suddenly realized, "Oh, I see."
Lu Zhe nodded: "Yes, that's it."
He might have some psychological burden about telling other lies, but he had no burden at all about this one, after all, he was an orphan.
In reality, if he weren't an orphan, he would have found it difficult to commit to such a three-way relationship. After all, long-term relationships between men and women inevitably involve meeting each other's parents. He could meet three sets of parents, but he couldn't possibly introduce three different girls to his own parents. Even if his parents had no moral obligation and were willing to help their wayward son conceal the truth, his acting skills would likely crumble over time.
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Lu Zhe went to two jewelry stores and bought two diamond rings for the same reason.
These two diamond rings are almost identical in design to the one Xia Xiaobing is wearing. After all, the styles of diamond rings are quite similar, and they also need to match the men's ring he's wearing, making them even more alike.
He drove back to the parking lot below the company, parked in his designated spot, pulled down the sun visor, and looked at himself in the small mirror that came with it.
Lu Zhe saw a lingering weariness in his eyes.
He didn't open the car door and get out, but instead sat quietly in the driver's seat. The windows on all sides were thin and transparent, but being inside the car felt like being in a small space that was all his own.
Lu Zhe had originally planned to buy his own car next month. It didn't need to be expensive, nor did he need to show off; he just wanted something that could get him around and provide him with a safe, enclosed space to move around in at any time. But now, at least for the next year, that's basically impossible.
His savings from the past few days have turned into two rings. He's also borrowed some money on Alipay.
Both rings he bought were one carat, much cheaper than Xia Xiaobing's. Of course, he could have chosen the cheaper ones, but Lu Zhe felt really bad about it.
After all, the two girls he was going to give those two diamond rings to held no less importance in his heart than Xia Xiaobing.
Lu Zhe suddenly took out his phone and called Xue Xiaodie.
After the other party answered, he said, "Xiaodie, are you busy? If you have time, could you come out for a bit? There's something I want to talk to you about."
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In a coffee shop near the software park, Lu Zhe and Xue Xiaodie sat facing each other.
The shop was already quiet, and the two of them chose a small private room that was separated from other customers and staff, making it even quieter.
After Lu Zhe finished recounting the events in a low voice, Xue Xiaodie stared silently at the steaming coffee cup in front of her. Besides the cappuccino, there was also a small box containing a ring in front of her.
The girl opened the box, took out the ring inside, and gently stroked it.
Lu Zhe said, "Actually, I've thought about whether I should keep this a secret from you and only give you the ring. You would definitely be happier that way..."
Before she could finish speaking, Xue Xiaodie waved her hand.
She interrupted, "Don't think about this kind of thing anymore. We agreed not to hide things from each other. I want to help you solve your problems, not become your problems."
Lu Zhe let out a silent sigh.
Xue Xiaodie pondered for a moment and said, "Actually, you handled it perfectly, and I can't find any fault with it. Fortunately, President Xia didn't push you too hard or drag you to get a marriage certificate. However, there is still a problem."
Lu Zhe: "What's the problem?"
Xue Xiaodie stared at him and asked, "Those two diamond rings must have cost you a lot of money, right? Can your bank account handle it?"
Lu Zhe: "It did cost quite a bit, but it's not a big problem. My salary is 30,000 a month now."
Xue Xiaodie hesitated and said, "That's a recent raise. Two one-carat diamond rings at once... How about I transfer some to you?"
However, Lu Zhe firmly shook his head: "No, don't think about this kind of thing in the future."
Xue Xiaodie paused for a moment, then smiled sweetly: "Okay, since you're so capable, I'm sure it'll be fine."
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