Lu Jiaying's car drove ahead, with Xu Lei following behind. On the road, she called several close colleagues at the company to arrange a dinner together.
They entered the Japanese restaurant one after another. Seeing the two of them enter a private room together, Xu Lei took many photos of their backs.
However, they couldn't overhear much because the Japanese restaurant had good privacy.
During dinner, everyone discussed Lu Jiaying's affairs. Xu Lei shared her speculations with the others, and they all agreed.
"Yes, it's been rumored in the company lately that Lu Jiaying seems to have an unusual relationship with President Hu. This isn't the first time he's protected her like this."
"It's our own fault for being too naive. Why didn't we notice anything unusual before? At her age, to become a department deputy manager and earn such a high annual salary, without connections, how could she have achieved it?"
The more they talked, the more outrageous it became. Some even claimed to have seen her entering and exiting a hotel with President Hu.
"If that's the case, can President Hu tolerate her openly doing this with her assistant now?"
"Who knows. President Hu is so busy and has his own family. She's probably doing this under the guise of work, so he wouldn't notice. If he found out, he definitely wouldn't stand for it. Men are inherently possessive, and President Hu is so young, handsome, and successful. How could he possibly be willing to be cuckolded?"
As they spoke, the group exchanged glances, seemingly understanding the purpose of this dinner.
Lu Jiaying and Jiang Jingyu simply had a meal. In less than an hour, they were full and satisfied, discussing work matters as they left.
Someone from Xu Lei's group saw them and quickly went to pay the bill.
Lu Jiaying's car was quite comfortable to drive. Jiang Jingyu had a craving to drive again and asked if he could.
Lu Jiaying, being lazy, said, "Go ahead."
They set off on the road, with Xu Lei and the others following behind, taking more photos of them getting into the car.
"Where do you think they're going next?"
"Do you even need to ask? It must be Lu Jiaying's home. Her salary is so high, and she's already bought a car and a house in Nancheng. Isn't that what a kept man would want?"
"If the kept man stays at her place tonight and President Hu finds out, will the marketing department undergo a major reshuffle?"
The group followed with malicious intent, gossiping in the car. Just as they were chatting excitedly, the car suddenly stopped.
"What's wrong?"
Everyone looked ahead and realized that Lu Jiaying's car had also stopped in the middle of the road.
Xu Lei, being the clearest observer, narrated the scene to them.
"It looks like the kept man hit someone with the car."
Indeed, someone had been hit, but it wasn't Jiang Jingyu's fault.
A burly middle-aged man on an electric bike suddenly darted out from the opposite side of the road. If Jiang Jingyu hadn't braked in time, at his speed, he would have definitely sent the man flying.
The electric bike lay tilted on the ground. Jiang Jingyu was about to get out to check, but Lu Jiaying stopped him.
"Don't move. It's probably a deliberate scam. I'll go check."
She opened the car door, turned on the video recording function on her phone, and got out.
The man lay on the ground, with cars coming and going around him. Onlookers stopped to watch, and the blare of horns echoed through the street.
"Sir, are you alright? Have you been drinking? Why are you riding an electric bike on the main road in broad daylight?"
Instead of helping him up, Lu Jiaying spoke while recording him with her phone. The man instantly became furious.
"Is it great to have a car? You hit me with your car, and instead of offering comfort or helping me up, you're just filming with your phone. What's so good about filming? Put that down!"
Lu Jiaying did not comply. "Sir, please don't speak like that. I can't bear it. You violated the road rules and crossed the street. We didn't hit you. Our car was still a few centimeters away from your electric bike. You can't just say whatever you want."
"You didn't hit me? Are you saying I deliberately came here to scam you? Is it great to drive a broken car? Do you think I care about your paltry money? What kind of person are you!"
The man said this, got up from the ground, and rushed in front of Lu Jiaying, gritting his teeth.
"I can't stand women like you who act so arrogantly. Don't you know how to speak properly? If you don't, brother will teach you!"
He was only a few centimeters away from Lu Jiaying, tall and imposing, looking as if he would devour her.
Jiang Jingyu put the car in park and immediately opened the door and rushed out.
Before the man could unleash more harsh words, he grabbed Lu Jiaying's arm, pulled her back a couple of steps, and shielded her behind him, blocking the man.
"Stop the nonsense. You think you're in the right? Fine, I'll call the police to handle it. The dashcam recorded everything clearly. You won't be able to drive a car or ride a motorcycle for the rest of your life, just you wait."
After saying this, he took out his phone and was about to dial.
Seeing that Jiang Jingyu was a head taller than him, and his attire, appearance, and demeanor were all extraordinary, the man's arrogance immediately deflated.
"I wasn't trying to extort anything from you. Besides, we didn't even touch, and your car wasn't damaged. What's the point of calling the police? Look at the traffic jam behind us. I don't want to waste my breath with you. Alright, alright, I'm leaving."
Saying this, he dejectedly turned to push his electric bike.
Jiang Jingyu turned back and looked down at Lu Jiaying. "Are you alright?"
Lu Jiaying turned off her phone. "I'm fine."
"Do you want to call the police?"
"No. There was no substantial damage, and the police would just do the same, plus it would waste time. I can't be bothered to argue with someone like him. Let him go."
Fearing that the man might change his mind and rush back, Jiang Jingyu put his arm around her shoulders and escorted her back to the car as if he were a bodyguard.
To outsiders, they looked like a loving couple, arm in arm, showing affection on the street.
Xu Lei and the others excitedly took more photos with their phones.
The group followed them all the way to the entrance of the residential complex, planning to stake out for several hours to see if the assistant would stay overnight at her place.
However, less than ten minutes later, Jiang Jingyu came out walking.
Although they didn't capture any substantial evidence, the photos were enough to make Lu Jiaying infamous.
Upon returning home, everyone posted the photos they had taken into the administrative group chat.
News of Lu Jiaying and her assistant's ambiguous relationship spread throughout the company. The next morning, everyone was still discussing it when they arrived at work.
"I ran into Lu Jiaying on the way in this morning. She came up from the underground parking lot, but I didn't see her assistant. Do you think they deliberately separated their routes?"
"Tsk, so what if they deliberately separated? It's just the two of them in the entire company. The manager and assistant share an office, so what's the point of separating?"
"Wow, that's really convenient. Do you think they might get busy during working hours?"
"Very likely. To facilitate the managers' lunch breaks, the director's office has a small lounge with beds and bedding, fully equipped. It couldn't be more convenient."