As Lillian pondered, the shop owner's voice cut through her thoughts."Young lady, your eight-treasure porridge and custard buns are ready."Snapping back to reality at his words, Lillian saw the shop owner had already packed her items and reached out to take them."Thank you, I've already paid.""Alright, take care and welcome back anytime."Lillian turned and walked away, bag in hand.She felt the stare linger until she entered the company's doors, then it vanished. Was there really someone in that black car earlier?On her walk back, she contemplated checking the car. Whether it was occupied or empty, a quick look would reveal the truth. But the thought sent shivers down her spine, and she refrained. After all, a car parked in broad daylight was likely empty.Rubbing her eyes, Lillian dismissed the notion as overthinking.Ding—the elevator arrived.She stepped inside.The afternoon's flurry of activity soon pushed the midday incident to the back of her mind.As quitting time approa
During the uncomfortable silence in the room, a man with an unpleasant disposition spoke up."Why change venues, beautiful secretary? We're all friends with Chen here; is there something we're not allowed to see? Don't worry, even if there is, we'll shut our eyes, promise."Hearing this, Lillian's delicate brows knit together. Spending time with Oliver had lent her an intimidating aura.Just one sharp glance from Lillian silenced the man, who then shrank back into his seat. As Lillian's gaze moved away, he finally realized his own reaction.Damn, what was he so afraid of? A young woman had intimidated him – had he lost his mind?"Secretary Shen, it might be inconvenient to switch places. If you can't stand the smell, we can keep the door of the private room open to air it out, how about that?" Chen Chen proposed with a sly grin, like a tiger baring its teeth in a smile.One of his more agreeable friends took command, "Did you hear that? Put out your cigarettes, don't smoke. What if we
Upon seeing his pallid complexion, Lillian surmised he must have recalled his past indiscretions."How about it? Master Chen hasn't forgotten the words he once boasted, has he?"Curiosity arose among his companions, "Chen, what did you say back then?"Chen Chen was momentarily lost, long having thought that Lillian simply looked down on his lineage, preferring the attachment to someone more influential. He hadn't realized she had overheard his braggadocious statements, which might have cost him a chance with her. He wanted to smack himself for it."It wasn't like that!" Chen Chen explained, with reddened eyes and gritted teeth, "I was just blabbering for fun back then, I didn't mean any offense."If he had only been after a fling, he wouldn't have bothered to go all the way to the hot springs after hearing she would be there."For fun?" Lillian tilted her head slightly, as if pondering the phrase, then slowly spoke, "So, such words are amusing in Master Chen's eyes?""I didn't mean it
Lillian hadn't expected Yolanda to be so clever, dialing Oliver right after getting out. On a regular day, she would have commended Yolanda's wit. But lately, she and Oliver were in a cold war, and the thought of his praise didn't sit well with her. Besides, knowing Oliver, he'd probably scold her for the night's escapades. Just imagining his brotherly sternness made Lillian inwardly groan.Most men coddle the women they fancy, speaking in gentle whispers, fearful of frightening her away. But Oliver treated her harshly, like an older brother might. That was Lillian's clue that he probably didn't harbor romantic feelings for her.Lost in thought, the steady approach of footsteps from outside was accompanied by the guards' respectful greeting, "Mr. Mo."Mr. Mo?The surname caught Lillian off guard."Where is she?"A voice, unfamiliar yet vaguely recognizable, called out."Miss Shen is inside.""Alright, you may leave," spoke the
Even though he had mentally prepared himself for it, Mason hadn't expected Oliver to hit him so hard. After beating him, Oliver didn't even bother to look at his face. He dragged Lillian behind him, holding her delicate wrist tightly, and lowered his head to glare at her with a warning and cold gaze.Lillian: "..."His fierce expression seemed to question her: Were you paralyzed or just foolish? Couldn't you push him away when he hugged you?"Tsk." Mason wiped the blood from his lips, amusedly looking at Oliver, then spoke, "I just returned to the country, and you give me such a grand welcome, Oliver."Oliver, with a cold and composed expression, nodded, "You're back."Mason raised an eyebrow at Oliver's response and smiled, "Seems like someone doesn't welcome me."Oliver's lips tightened, his eyes exuding displeasure as he asked, "What were you doing just now?"Upon hearing this, Mason's gaze briefly swept over Lillian's fair face before returning to lock eyes with Oliver. He smiled
On the way back, both of them fell into silence.Oliver's face was gloomy, his hands tightly gripping the steering wheel as if he wanted to tear it apart.Thinking about what Lillian had said before getting in the car, a sense of unease built up within Oliver.While driving, he listened to Yolanda's account of what had happened today. As she spoke, she seemed hesitant, almost hesitating to continue.Oliver, ever astute, immediately pressed her for the rest of the story.Yolanda, seizing the opportunity, interjected, "Qin, you mustn't blame me for this, and don't tell Lillian that I told you."Oliver, with a furrowed brow, replied, "Quit the nonsense.""So, I'll tell you!" Yolanda took a deep breath and then loudly declared over the phone, "That guy Chen said that since you bring women into the company, Lillian will soon be abandoned and left with no one to care for her. Since the Shen family has gone bankrupt, people can mistreat her however they want, and you won't defend her."Olive
In the end, Lillian nodded and agreed.When she returned to her room, she found Oliver sitting on the couch.Thinking about Grandma's words, Lillian subconsciously glanced at his clothes.As Grandma had said, he was only wearing a black shirt. Sitting against the dark-colored couch, his somber aura almost merged with it.Lillian hadn't expected things to escalate to this point between them. Even if they weren't married, they had been good friends since childhood, just lacking the intimacy of a husband and wife.Looking back, he had helped her a lot.Lillian knew she should be the one to lower her head, but for some reason, she stood there and stared at Oliver for a while. Eventually, she decided not to say anything and silently went to freshen up in the bathroom.When she emerged, Oliver was nowhere to be seen in the bedroom.Instead, her phone had several new messages.Lillian checked it and found a message from an unfamiliar number."Little girl, this is my phone number. Remember to
The voice unexpectedly played from the phone, and even if Lillian wanted to press it to stop, it was too late.By the time she got hold of the phone, the voice message had already finished playing.Lillian: "..."What was going on? She thought Sophie had finished whatever she was doing and would come back to rant about some idiotic boss. Instead, she ended up talking about her own situation.Realizing something, Lillian's expression changed, and she stood up, opening the door.The area outside was empty, with no sign of anyone.She let out a sigh of relief.She had asked Yolanda to close the door when she went out, so she shouldn't have stayed. With that voice message, she probably didn't hear anything.But Lillian was still a bit worried. She took a few steps forward, exploring the area, and once she confirmed that no one was there, she went back inside.Then she deleted the voice message Sophie had sent, scolding her sternly.Seeing Lillian angry, Sophie quickly apologized, saying s
The room fell silent at Su Qiao's unexpected suggestion. Everyone stopped to consider the possibility—Duan Ziye was a thug and literally a desperado, making him the perfect candidate for some dirty work.Lestari was shocked by Su Qiao's words and quickly tried to dissuade Duan Ziye from considering it. However, Duan Ziye was resolute in his conviction, indicating that he had never done anything significant for Lestari in the past but had sworn never to let anyone hurt her. If anyone dared, they would have to answer to him.Lestari's friends did not want her to speak well of Kartika anymore, asking Lestari what she had done to deserve Kartika's visit or any concern. The consensus was that since Kartika had not shown up for Lestari nor shown any remorse, she did not deserve any kindness in return.Lestari lowered her eyes in sadness, "I was just..."However, the others wouldn't let her finish. They knew of her kind nature, but they were not willing to be as forgiving if they were treate
Su Qiao immediately stood up, ready to take action. "Is he still downstairs? I'll go send him away. What a toad lusting after a swan."Just as she was about to leave, Lestari stopped her. "Wait a second.""Let him come up," Lestari said quietly with an unexpected smile.The surprise in the room was palpable, voices raised in unison, "Lestari!?""Do you forget how he treated you before? Duan Ziye is a thug. If you let him come up, aren't you...""Su Qiao," Lestari's voice was gentle, "No matter how he treated me in the past, the fact that he found out I'm hurt and came to the hospital means he cares. Shouldn't I be touched by that? How can I send him away?"Others in the room were not convinced. "Lestari, he's not concerned about you; he's interested in you in that way. If you entertain him, he'll think he has a chance.""I know you're kind-hearted and think his visit is sincere, but if he had no ulterior motive, why would he come?""Don't be too soft-hearted. If he tries to do anythin
Only Mrs. Qin was allowed to go inside for the check-up, while everyone else had to wait outside the examination room. Farhan, leaning against the window, absentmindedly touched his pocket and remembered it had been a long time since he last smoked. Though he had hardly been a heavy smoker, he’d completely quit just over a year ago, shortly after he and Kartika slept together by accident. Since then, he’d become almost addicted to her scent and the touch of her skin, and he began to kiss her every chance he got, at various times and places.After enduring a particularly grueling several-hour-long meeting that had left Farhan in a foul mood, he returned to his office looking to smoke for some relief. He had just lit a cigarette when Kartika walked in with some documents and, upon seeing him smoke, asked with concern, "Why are you smoking now? Are you feeling upset?"He didn’t respond, only staring at her with brooding dark eyes. At that time, Kartika and Farhan were on good terms, and
Compared to Farhan's emotional upheaval, Kartika remained much more composed. "Just drive, we shouldn't delay Grandma's check-up."Without any outsiders around, Kartika didn’t feel the need to act, and her tone and expressions were genuine, no longer the performed warmth she'd held before. After asking him to drive, she noticed Farhan making no move to start the car, her brow slightly furrowing in impatience. She hadn't intended to confront Farhan so directly, but his words had been too aggravating, prompting her to snap...She scolded herself for losing composure especially when Grandma's check-up results were still unknown. Taking a deep breath to regain her calm, she was about to speak to Farhan when the car suddenly surged forward at high speed. Startled, Kartika turned towards Farhan and saw him driving furiously, his dark mood filling the car.Unexpectedly, Kartika felt a wave of immense grievance wash over her, and her nose tingled with the sensation of oncoming tears. Why, whe
Mrs. Qin's embrace carried a refreshing scent of lemon, creating a relaxing atmosphere that made Kartika reciprocate the hug with warmth. Female elders always held a special place in Kartika's heart.Mrs. Qin noticed Kartika's affection and playfully tapped her nose. "Are you missing your mom?"Kartika was momentarily stunned by the reference to "mom" but then nodded in acknowledgment after regaining her composure. "Yes, I have missed you all.""Ah, sweet girl, we've missed you too," Mrs. Qin said, then pinched Kartika’s cheek, marveling at her soft skin. She grasped it a few more times before turning to Mr. Qin, "Did you bring the gifts for Kartika that we talked about?"Mr. Qin rummaged through his pocket and pulled out two small boxes. "I did."Mrs. Qin took the boxes and handed them over to Kartika. "Here, these are gifts from us on this trip."Kartika had always received gifts from Mr. and Mrs. Qin, even before marrying Farhan, and they had always been quite valuable. Mrs. Qin wo
After Kartika fell asleep, her breathing gradually became even and deep. Farhan moved to the other side of the bed, where she lay turned away from him, and discovered she was indeed sound asleep—not just asleep, but in a peaceful, deep slumber.Touching the cheek that Kartika had slapped earlier, Farhan's expression was somewhere between reality and doubt—was it not for a faint soreness, he would have thought the previous uproar was a mere illusion. After all, who falls asleep in one moment, deeply and without care, straight after being furious?Kartika's recent changes were so significant that Farhan felt he barely knew her. His heart was unsettled, his emotions with no outlet, yet as he watched her serene sleep, he found himself rendered speechless. When he finally left the bedside, he did so with an almost lighter step.Settling on the sofa outside, Farhan couldn't deny the wakefulness of his mind despite the late hour; Ji Qingbei's parting words at the bar repeated themselves in h
With these thoughts, Kartika let out a mocking laugh, her eyes looking at him with a cold intensity. "If you have needs, go to Lestari."Farhan's eyes darkened with a shadow of anger as he bit down hard. "I want you, no one else."Despite Kartika slapping him and telling him to leave, Farhan’s grip on her wrist tightened as he raised his voice in frustration. "Angry? Weren't you playing the role of the dutiful wife quite well these past days? Why stop acting now?"Furiously struggling against his grasp, Kartika no longer had any desire to reason with Farhan, her sole focus was to free herself.As he watched Kartika's vehement resistance, Farhan felt both irritated and pity. Recalling the recent conversations with Ji Qingbei and Mrs. Qin, he gripped her wrist tighter. "These were your own words before, so why are you angry now? Shen Nuonuo, what are you angry about?"He was trying to confirm something with his intense gaze. "Are you upset because I said you’re just a physiological need
Gu Yanxi stormed off in a huff, leaving only Farhan and Ji Qingbei at the bar. Ji Qingbei glanced at Farhan, who seemed lost in thought, and thus refrained from initiating further conversation.After a short silence, Farhan asked in a low voice, "What did you mean by what you said just now?"Ji Qingbei's lips curved up slightly, "Don't you already know the answer?"Farhan looked up, his gaze heavy and dark, seeking clarification."What answer?""Farhan, do you remember the last time we were here I asked you if, after all these years, you still hadn't figured out what you really want?"Farhan paused, recalling that Ji Qingbei had indeed inquired the same. The question felt familiar from earlier in the evening with his grandmother. However, when Ji Qingbei had asked previously, Farhan didn't give it much thought and disregarded the remark.Observing Farhan's silence, Ji Qingbei sighed softly, "You've watched her grow up, you've seen her through every mood and phase, and you know her ins
The night was cool and calm as Gu Yanxi and Ji Qingbei made their way through the crowd towards the bar counter, following yet another call from Farhan in the dead of night.To their surprise, they expected to find a drunken Farhan but instead arrived to see him completely sober and immaculately dressed, sitting at the bar with a drink before him that had not been touched."What's going on? Didn't you call us here for a drink?" Gu Yanxi asked, puzzled.Approaching Farhan, Gu greeted him: "Farhan, what's up with you? Not a single sip yet?"Hearing the familiar voice, Farhan snapped back to reality, his eyes finding Gu Yanxi before turning questioningly towards Ji Qingbei as if to ask: Why did you bring him along?Ji Qingbei caught the look and quickly realized the situation. It seemed that Farhan had only summoned him, not Gu Yanxi, but by then it was too late to rectify the mistake. Both men, understanding the circumstance, chose not to comment any further.Gu Yanxi, ever the carefree