For the next three months, Meng Jingwei and Qing Muye had no contact, which gradually led Lu Yanming to realize that the two of them had truly broken up.
But…
Interacting with his brother’s ex-girlfriend was inevitably awkward.
Lu Yanming was incredibly timid, possessing the desire but lacking the courage.
“Grandma, what you said makes sense, but…”
Lu Yanming wanted to politely refuse, but Madam Qing gave him no chance to finish, interrupting him directly, “It makes sense, which means you agree.”
“Grandma, I meant…”
Lu Yanming hastily interjected, but the jovial Madam Qing didn’t pause, “Great, great. Jingwei is my god-granddaughter, and you are Muye’s friend. If you two get together, it will be like family ties becoming even closer. Hahaha…”
“Haha, yes, Grandma is right.”
Meng Jingwei quickly agreed.
To see the act through, Meng Jingwei even stood up and placed a braised duck leg into Lu Yanming’s bowl, “Brother Yanming, have some braised duck leg. This is made with the old house chef’s private recipe; the taste is exceptional.”
“Heh, this… Thank you, thank you.”
Lu Yanming forced a thank you, but hesitated to touch the food.
“Oh, why aren’t you eating? How about I feed you?”
Seeing Lu Yanming’s lack of cooperation, Meng Jingwei pulled out her trump card, reaching out as if to feed Lu Yanming the duck leg.
The gesture startled Lu Yanming into immediately picking up the duck leg and taking a bite, “Heh, it’s better to do it yourself. But, honestly, it tastes really good.”
“I’m glad you like it.”
Madam Qing nodded, “You’re awake, hurry and eat, or it will get cold.”
She said this, and everyone else lowered their heads to eat.
Afterward, the dining table was remarkably quiet.
When Madam Qing said something, the others would chime in briefly, and then silence would fall again.
The old lady would then start another topic, but it would only last for two or three sentences before the conversation ended, and they would lapse back into silence.
With their own thoughts, the meal was hastily finished in less than half an hour.
Feeling extremely uncomfortable, Lu Yanming immediately said, “Grandma, I just remembered I have some urgent matters at home, and I need to get back quickly. I’ll come visit you again another day.”
Phew~
This was too damn agonizing.
Especially since Qing Muye remained silent, his expression cold and unruffled. But as his brother, he knew Qing Muye wouldn’t let him off the hook.
“Brother Yanming, you’re leaving? That’s perfect, you can give me a ride back. I also have things to get back to.”
Meng Jingwei stood up and said to Lu Yanming with a smile.
Madam Qing, seeing that the two of them were chatting quite well, was rather pleased, “Alright. Yanming, you’ll be responsible for taking Jingwei back. Muye will stay at the old house today; I have something to discuss with him.”
“Grandma, the company has some important matters to handle tonight. If anything comes up, I’ll return tomorrow.”
Qing Muye directly refused.
He didn’t want to give Lu Yanming and Meng Jingwei any opportunity to be alone together.
“Alright. You young people are busy. If you want to leave, do so quickly.” Madam Qing stood up and beckoned to the housekeeper, Aunt Chen, “Old Chen, come, you accompany me to the back garden for a stroll to aid digestion.”
“Yes, okay.”
Aunt Chen nodded.
She gave a slight nod to Meng Jingwei, Lu Yanming, and Qing Muye, “Young Master, Young Master Lu, Miss Meng, I’ll be leaving now.”
The three acknowledged her, and Aunt Chen left with the old lady.
In the dining room, only the three of them remained.
Meng Jingwei deliberately ignored Qing Muye and went directly to Lu Yanming, “Brother Yanming, didn’t you need to leave in a hurry? Let’s go, let’s leave quickly.”
She genuinely didn’t want to spend another moment with Qing Muye.
Hearing Meng Jingwei call him ‘Brother Yanming,’ he felt a chill down his spine. Especially when he met Qing Muye’s cold gaze, he immediately said, “If you’re in a hurry, let the old house driver take you back. Muye and I have something to discuss.”
“Then I’ll keep you company.”
How could Meng Jingwei not know Lu Yanming’s intention?
“What, you’re already so clingy before even confirming a relationship? Are you going to die if you don’t see him?” Qing Muye’s suppressed emotions finally erupted, and he couldn’t help but retort.
Meng Jingwei’s goal was to make Qing Muye angry.
So, seeing him furious, the young woman laughed instead of getting angry, “What can I do? In love, isn’t a day apart like three autumns?”
She provocatively raised her eyebrows, “Fine, since you insist on keeping Brother Yanming here, you guys chat. I’ll wait for you in Brother Yanming’s car.”
Meng Jingwei spread her hands, “Brother Yanming, give me the car keys first.”
“I…”
Lu Yanming felt like a sandwich between the two of them, caught in the middle with no way to advance or retreat.
Helpless, he handed the keys to Meng Jingwei.
“Thanks. Brother Yanming, I’ll wait for you in the car, bye.”
She said thank you with a smile, not forgetting to blow him a kiss, and then skipped out of the dining room.
Her evident joy made Qing Muye clench his jaw in anger.
He swore that he had never felt such anger before.
At the same time, he regretted it.
If he had known that after breaking up with Meng Jingwei, seeing her so close to another man would make him so jealous and furious, he shouldn't have agreed to Master Shen’s suggestion.
He lamented inwardly: The agreed-upon year and a half had only just passed the three-month mark.
There were still fifteen months to endure.
“Muye? Muye?”
Lu Yanming, standing in front of him, had been speaking to Qing Muye for a while, but without any response, he was lost in thought.
Lu Yanming reached out and patted his shoulder, finally bringing the sky-gazing Qing Muye back to clarity.
“Hmm? What is it?” he asked.
“I was just asking you, what should I do now?” Lu Yanming desperately needed Qing Muye’s advice.
“There’s a path at the back door. Get lost through there.”
Qing Muye said heartlessly.
“So, you still love Meng Jingwei, don’t you?” Lu Yanming sniffed out a hint of intrigue.
“I don’t like her.”
The man refused without hesitation.
“Don’t like her? If you don’t like her, why are you so angry? Besides, Meng Jingwei is good-looking, skilled, and intelligent. Such a girl is one in a thousand. Grandma is right, it’s a pity to miss out. Since you two aren’t suitable, why don’t I consider…”
“You dare, try me!”
The four words were almost squeezed from between Qing Muye’s teeth.
Lu Yanming, intimidated by his cold and terrifying gaze, took a few steps back, and with strong survival instincts, he immediately smiled to break the tension, “I was just kidding, don’t be angry. Besides, you broke up with Meng Jingwei, so why are you interfering with her finding someone else?”
He was deliberately testing Qing Muye’s reaction.
Because Lu Yanming understood Qing Muye too well, he was a man who wasn't good at expressing 'love,' and also a person of deep affection. He wouldn't have broken up with Meng Jingwei so easily.