A myriad of thoughts flashed through her mind, none of them good.
Chen Jiaojiao felt empty. She sprawled onto the office sofa and asked Lu Mingzhe, "What do you want me to do next?"
When Lu Mingzhe heard about her and Xiang Yang, he was both shocked and angry, and rushed over in a fit of pique.
On the way, all he thought about was breaking them up.
But now, seeing that Chen Jiaojiao hadn't done it intentionally, and she seemed quite dejected, as if he were meddling and breaking up a happy couple, he felt a pang of guilt.
"How long have you two been together? Do you really like Xiang Yang?"
Chen Jiaojiao huffed at him impatiently.
Knowing that Lu Mingzhe didn't have a good impression of her, she figured he must be thinking all sorts of slanderous things about her upon hearing she was with Xiang Yang. She didn't want to embarrass herself in front of him.
"We haven't known each other long. I was just with him because he's young and handsome, something to do when I was free. If it's not a good fit, then we'll break up."
"Don't worry, I won't contact him again. You can leave now."
Fine, Chen Jiaojiao was heartless and didn't understand sadness. He had worried for nothing.
Lu Mingzhe didn't leave immediately but spoke to her.
"I'll find someone to arrange for Xiang Yang to go back to school. To avoid awkwardness, I'll pretend I don't know about you two. You can sort it out yourselves."
"But you must see him return to campus before you break up."
After leaving Chen Jiaojiao's place, he used his father's name to invite someone from the Education Department.
After a meal and drinks, and leveraging his connections, he finally managed to sort out Xiang Yang's return to school.
The next day, he used the excuse of a business trip and, with his card, arrived in Hangcheng again.
It was already past 11 AM when his plane landed. Thinking it was lunchtime, he hoped he might be able to have a meal with Xiang Wan if they met.
So, he called Xiang Wan.
As it turned out, Xiang Wan said she was busy.
There had been problems during the acceptance inspection of a project she had contracted, and it was being redone.
"I'm on-site with clients. I'm busy all day today."
Lu Mingzhe knew she wasn't lying, as he had heard about this matter from that old guy himself.
The project had no issues; he was clearly intentionally finding fault.
He thought that by barging in and teaching him a lesson, the latter would restrain himself upon knowing Xiang Wan had support. He hadn't expected him to be so bold.
"Does this kind of thing still require you to handle it personally? Where is Tang Haichao? How much salary does he pay you that you have to manage everything?"
Xiang Wan's side was noisy, with workers constructing and people finding fault. Her child was still at home being monitored for a fever. She was extremely vexed.
"Are you done? I'm hanging up if you are. Don't call me if there's nothing important. I'm not as idle as you are."
"I told you I'm not leaving Hangcheng, so why are you treating me like a thief?"
"Okay, okay, I'm sorry."
Lu Mingzhe knew he had said a bit too much and quickly apologized to her.
"Is Nian Nian feeling any better? Can I go see her?"
"No. Grandma is at home looking after her. What if she sees you..."
He knew very well how much his grandmother had liked Lu Mingzhe back then.
After all the trouble, giving birth, raising a child, and his absence at crucial moments, he wondered what his grandmother must be thinking of him now. Alas.
Since he had no time to see Xiang Wan in the afternoon and she wouldn't let him see the child privately, he would have to surprise her.
"Alright then, you go ahead and be busy. I'm hanging up."
After hanging up the phone, Lu Mingzhe took a taxi directly to the tumor hospital.
He still remembered exactly where Director Qian's office was and went directly to push open his office door.
Perhaps the old guy had learned his lesson after being lectured last time, as he now knew to lock his door.
He pushed, but it wouldn't open, so Lu Mingzhe knocked on the door from the outside.
Director Qian soon came out and met his gaze through the glass.
Seeing him, his expression changed.
"Why are you here? Is there something you need?"
"Yes, there is. But if you don't open the door, how can I tell you?"
Director Qian acted tough through the door, "I didn't make a fuss about what happened last time. Don't keep pestering me."
"Your business with Xiang Wan has nothing to do with me. If you need to handle it, handle it yourself. Why do you keep coming to me?"
"The enemy of my enemy is my friend. Since we both hate Xiang Wan, wouldn't it be good to join forces and cooperate?"
Oh? So he hated Xiang Wan too? He was here to seek his cooperation!
Director Qian hesitated for a moment, then opened the door.
Xiang Wan ate a boxed lunch and stayed on-site until past three in the afternoon. The two details were finally corrected.
The supervisor called Director Qian to report the situation, and Director Qian asked Xiang Wan to take the call.
"Little Xiang, I'll give you another chance. Regarding what happened a couple of days ago, if your attitude is good, maybe your project can still earn some profit."
"But if you continue to be stubborn, we'll just keep dragging this out..."
Xiang Wan understood.
The acceptance of this project was in his hands. As long as he didn't declare it satisfactory, she wouldn't receive the final payment.
Furthermore, they would keep finding people to redo the work and provide after-sales service, delaying the handover, not to mention seriously damaging the company's reputation and interests.
Last time, she hadn't expected him to be so despicable and had impulsively made harsh remarks, leading to the current situation.
Xiang Wan knew she had to bear some responsibility. Since he was now offering a way out, she had no choice but to go along with it.
"I'm sorry, Brother Qian. I drank too much last time and my mind went blank, and I said some offensive things."
"I've wanted to apologize to you, but as you know, there have been many family matters recently."
"You are magnanimous. If you have time today, could we have dinner together? I promise to apologize properly. How about it, Brother Qian?"
She was secretly calculating: as long as he signed the project confirmation, even if she got drunk until she threw up, or even died, or he took liberties with her, she would accept it!
As long as she got the signature and the money, who would remember who he was later?
Director Qian glanced at Lu Mingzhe, who was sitting there swaying, and agreed with a smile.
"We've known each other for more than a day or two, and we've dealt with each other more than once. Although what you said last time wasn't nice, brother is still willing to give you a chance."
"Then it's settled. I'll see you after work. But I have a condition."
"We'll meet alone tonight. Don't bring any of those messy people."
This old guy had decided to take advantage of her, wanting them to meet privately.
Although she felt uneasy, knowing what she would face, for the sake of the entire company and the substantial commission, Xiang Wan had to grit her teeth and play along.
"No problem. I'll book a restaurant now. I'll send you the address later."
After hanging up Director Qian's call, Xiang Wan received a WeChat friend request.
It was from Lu Mingzhe.
The verification message stated: I'm in Director Qian's office now.
This instantly made her accept the friend request.
Xiang Wan sent him a question mark, asking what he meant and how he knew Director Qian. Lu Mingzhe didn't explain, only saying.
Tonight, she should act according to his cues. He would be there with Director Qian and would help Xiang Wan completely get rid of this scumbag today.