This restaurant was quite famous in Hangzhou, and as the dinner hour arrived, the lobby was already full.
Lu Mingzhe led Fang Shuya inside, and a waiter immediately approached them to explain that only private rooms were available.
For others, dining in a private room for just two people might seem unnecessary, but Fang Shuya found it perfect. Accustomed to a life of luxury from childhood, she disliked the noisy atmosphere of the main dining hall.
"It's fine, then we'll go to a private room."
"Very well, please follow me."
The waiter led them inside, and they walked upstairs.
Coincidentally, Xiang Wan received a call from Director Qian and was coming down to meet him, talking on the phone as she descended the stairs.
"Okay, I'm coming down. I'll meet you at the entrance. Just stay put."
Hearing a familiar voice, Lu Mingzhe turned his gaze in surprise.
Then he saw again the delicate, slender figure from yesterday, amidst the rain.
So, he hadn't been mistaken yesterday; that figure was indeed Xiang Wan.
Xiang Wan, focused on what was in front of her, moved quickly, and just like yesterday, she brushed past him in an instant.
Fang Shuya, still walking forward with the waiter, was oblivious, but Lu Mingzhe stopped.
Watching her graceful back recede, he was lost in thought for two seconds, and his first instinct was to follow her!
So she was in Hangzhou!
After so long without seeing her, Xiang Wan had apparently come to hide in Hangzhou!
How interesting.
He had once spared no effort, using all his connections, searching high and low for her, but couldn't find her.
Now, he had stopped looking, given up, and just by coming to Hangzhou for business, he could encounter her so easily.
She looked so young.
Her skin and overall appearance were excellent.
Her fashion and demeanor seemed even more alluring, more sexy, and more captivating than when she was with him...
Lu Mingzhe's nose stung. A thousand complex emotions surged into his brain cortex the moment he confirmed seeing her, gathering at the tip of his nose and the corners of his eyes.
It made him want to cry.
He hadn't heard from her for a full year.
He thought he had completely given up on Xiang Wan.
He thought his heart was as still as water.
He thought that with a new person, he could start a brand-new life.
But now, just seeing her profile and her back had toppled everything he had painstakingly built.
His pounding heart, his throbbing nerves, his boiling blood – everything was telling him—
You haven't forgotten her. You can't forget her. Don't deceive yourself, Lu Mingzhe.
He felt so miserable, heartbroken to the point of tears, realizing his own pathetic state, and experiencing unprecedented defeat.
He had thought that in the time since she left him, Xiang Wan must have also suffered.
After all, their love had been so sweet, and Xiang Wan had seemed so invested.
But now, look at her. Xiang Wan was Xiang Wan.
She was different from ordinary women.
Her will was made of iron, her heart of steel, reinforced concrete.
He was half-dead, but she seemed completely unharmed.
Nothing and no one could hurt her.
And, wasn't she pregnant?
When she left him, she was over three months pregnant. Based on the timing...
Lu Mingzhe had so many questions he wanted to ask her.
He once thought these questions would remain buried in his heart forever.
But now that he had encountered her, he couldn't wait another second!
Thinking this, he started to rush downstairs, but Fang Shuya called out to him.
"Honey, what are you spacing out about? Why aren't you walking?"
Lu Mingzhe stopped again.
Fang Shuya's voice instantly pulled him back to reality.
What right or face did he have to question Xiang Wan?
Although she had left him without a word first, Lu Mingzhe understood deeply that it was his mother's doing.
Now, he had a marital relationship with another woman, a legitimate marriage, a relationship he had never given Xiang Wan.
He had even brought this woman openly before Xiang Wan. What position did he have to question her?
The seeds of regret sprouted at this moment.
Lu Mingzhe wished he could grab a sharp knife and stab his past self from six months ago.
Why couldn't he have persevered?
Why couldn't he have waited a few more months?
Your mother drove Xiang Wan away, you actively abandoned your feelings for each other, and now you still want to question her. Lu Mingzhe, where do you get off?
He withdrew his steps, letting Fang Shuya link her arm through his, and be pulled forward.
Upstairs was a corridor shaped like the Chinese character '回'. Only one private room, named Cui Song Ge, was available. The waiter led them in and was about to close the door.
Lu Mingzhe felt stifled and uneasy. He slumped into a chair and unbuttoned his shirt.
"No need, leave the door and windows open."
The waiter, thinking he was feeling warm, quickly pushed open the window.
"The weather in Hangzhou has been quite humid lately. It's good to open them for some ventilation. What kind of tea would you like to drink?"
Lu Mingzhe couldn't speak.
Because through the open door and window, he saw Xiang Wan at the entrance of the private room across the corridor, smiling charmingly and accompanying a middle-aged man with a beer belly, walking in intimately.
As soon as they entered, Xiang Wan closed the private room door.
He couldn't see or hear anything.
But the thought that the person he yearned for day and night was right before his eyes, and with such a man, made him unable to breathe.
An unnamed anger surged within him, making him restless and irritable, finding fault with everything.
"Get a pot of Longjing, isn't Hangzhou's Longjing the most famous?"
Fang Shuya gave instructions to the waiter. Seeing Lu Mingzhe's unwell state, she thought he was worried about Lu Qingxu's situation. She thoughtfully ordered a few dishes and asked the waiter to leave.
She moved her chair closer to Lu Mingzhe, linked her arm through his, and softly asked.
"What's wrong? Are you still thinking about what the doctor said today? I know you're upset about what happened to Qingxu, but you're not a doctor, and there's no use thinking so much. Can't you spare some energy for me?"
"I'm supposed to be on honeymoon with you, but look at you."
Fang Shuya was gentle, beautiful, and sensible, with no fault to be found.
By rights, marrying such a lovely wife should be the dream of many men.
But at this moment, with her arm linked through his, Lu Mingzhe felt like a sticky earthworm in damp weather.
His whole body recoiled.
If he didn't create distance soon, he would feel nauseous, and he hastily pulled his arm away, leaning back.
"Don't do that, Ya Ya, I feel a bit unwell."
Fang Shuya then noticed his pale, unhealthy complexion.
"What's wrong? Where do you feel unwell? You were fine when we were driving. Did you catch a cold?"
He hadn't caught a cold.
Lu Mingzhe's stomach felt unwell, his head felt unwell, his heart felt unwell...
He suddenly thought of Zhan Bei Jue.
When Jiang Nan Fang left, Zhan Bei Jue remained single for many years.
Everyone sent countless women his way, and each time he pushed them away with a strong reaction.
He didn't understand it then, attributing it to some trauma or after-effect. But now, it seemed...