He thought Meng Jingwei wanted him to take her in.
"Um, is that okay?" Meng Jingwei nodded, staring at him eagerly, full of expectation.
"No, no, no, no, absolutely not, really not."
Lu Yanming waved his hands in refusal, his hands moving so fast they were a blur. "You should wait for Muye to come over."
"Okay, that works too."
Meng Jingwei nodded.
She looked at the time; it was already eleven thirty in the morning. Meng Jingwei immediately pouted at Lu Yanming, "Brother Yanming, could you order me takeout? I'm hungry."
The little woman pursed her lips, looking pitiful and evoking sympathy.
Lu Yanming was a soft-hearted person. Seeing Meng Jingwei so down and out, with no way out, he couldn't bear it and asked, "What do you want to eat? I'll order for you."
Up to this point, he still couldn't understand what secret lay between Qing Muye and Meng Jingwei.
Or rather, what was Qing Muye hiding from Meng Jingwei that he refused to tell her.
When would their love-hate relationship end?
"I don't know either."
Meng Jingwei drooped her head, sighing in dejection, "Anything edible will do. I've... I haven't eaten for a day or two."
Fortunately, Meng Jingwei was clever enough to set up an account abroad. The company's earnings were directly transferred to her foreign account, so Qing Muye wouldn't find out.
And she genuinely didn't have much money on her now, so her words weren't an exaggeration.
"Haven't eaten for a day or two?"
Lu Yanming's hand holding the phone paused slightly, his eyes filled with sympathy as he looked at her.
"Okay, I'll order something casual for you."
Lu Yanming contacted Yipinju and asked them to deliver two lunches, one of which was a nutritional meal, to Lumen Group.
Then he sat in the executive chair behind his desk and sent a message to Qing Muye.
【What's going on between you and Meng Jingwei?】
【I know you still have feelings for her. Can't you sort things out face to face?】
【Meng Jingwei can't find a job and hasn't eaten for a day or two.】
【She has no money and can't even afford food. What happened that made you treat her so harshly, disregarding everything?】
It was precisely because they were brothers that Lu Yanming felt Qing Muye's actions were a bit extreme and unacceptable.
He also knew that Qing Muye liked Meng Jingwei, and he just wanted to persuade Qing Muye that even if there were unspoken difficulties, he shouldn't treat her this way.
Lu Yanming sat at his desk, a considerable distance between him and Meng Jingwei.
Meng Jingwei felt Lu Yanming's distance but didn't mind. Instead, she leaned against the sofa and played a game.
After a game ended, the delivery person arrived, and with them, another person... Qing Muye!
The staff from Yipinju brought in the meals and placed them on the table one by one. "Mr. Lu, your meals are here. Please enjoy."
"Okay, thank you."
Lu Yanming nodded slightly and said to Meng Jingwei, "If you're hungry, eat quickly."
"Thank you, Brother Yanming." Meng Jingwei hadn't had much appetite for breakfast, and now she was indeed very hungry.
But as she picked up her chopsticks to eat, she heard Lu Yanming say, "Muye, you've finally arrived."
Qing Muye?
Hearing his name, Meng Jingwei's hand, holding chopsticks, paused slightly. She didn't look up but continued to eat heartily.
Qing Muye, dressed in a black shirt with his sleeves rolled up to his elbows, had his short hair slicked back immaculately. His deep, chiseled face exuded a chilling aura, giving him an imposing presence.
With a slight frown, he walked into the office and saw Meng Jingwei eating in the lounge area.
She was squatting by the low table, shoveling food into her mouth with her chopsticks, looking like someone who hadn't eaten in a long time.
In that instant, his heart tightened, and he couldn't help but feel a pang of concern for her.
But then, he recalled Lu Yanming's message on the way. If even Lu Yanming could tell he was just putting on an act, how could others believe his words and actions were genuine?
Therefore, he decided to remain cold.
"Why did you summon me here in such a hurry?"
Qing Muye walked to the table, pulled a cigarette from his pack, lit it, and glanced coldly at Meng Jingwei, who was sitting in the lounge. His sharp gaze then shifted to Lu Yanming. "Yanming, although we are brothers, you should know my character. What I say goes."
His seriousness confused Lu Yanming. He wasn't sure if Qing Muye was acting again or if he was genuinely angry.
"What do you mean?" he asked.
Qing Muye leaned against the desk, pointing at Meng Jingwei, who was eating. "A week ago, I announced publicly that anyone who dared to shelter Meng Jingwei would be my enemy. You..."
He deliberately paused, then tilted his head to look at Lu Yanming. "Don't you understand what I'm saying?"
His sharp, handsome face was filled with a gloomy aura. He clearly wasn't joking, and his sternness made Lu Yanming uneasy.
What the hell?
What's going on?
What should I do?
Meanwhile, Meng Jingwei in the lounge area was 'ignoring' Qing Muye's presence. She was holding chopsticks and eating fish tofu. However, as she took a bite of the fish tofu, she heard Qing Muye's heartless words.
In that moment, her heart ached, a pain like a knife twisting in her chest, making her limbs ache.
For the sake of Yun Shasha, was he really going to be this cruel?
"Muye, no matter what issues you have with Meng Jingwei. You must also realize that she is your god-sister. Does Old Mrs. Qing know about this?"
Lu Yanming felt helpless and decided to bring up Old Mrs. Qing.
"Hmph. A Cinderella who crawled out of the wilderness. Does she really think Grandma will take her seriously? Don't forget, in the Qing family, I have the final say."
Qing Muye raised his eyebrows, flicked the ash from his cigarette into the ashtray, his eyes filled with disdain.
"Heh heh."
Meng Jingwei chuckled.
She glanced sideways at Qing Muye and then said to Lu Yanming, "See, Brother Yanming? I told you I have nowhere else to go, so I came to seek refuge with you. Are you willing to take me in?"
To what extent did he love Yun Shasha that he could be so cruel, even cutting off her escape routes?
"This..." Lu Yanming looked troubled. He ran a hand through his hair. "I'll make a call to Old Mrs. Qing."
This time, Qing Muye didn't object.
Lu Yanming called Old Mrs. Qing. Once the call was connected, Lu Yanming exchanged pleasantries before getting to the point. "Grandma Qing, do you know about Meng Jingwei and Muye's situation?"
"Sigh, don't mention that brat to me. I lectured him after he returned, but he wouldn't listen. Alas, I'm old now, and my words carry no authority. But you, Yanming, you must support Jingwei. That girl is also pitiful."
On the phone, Old Mrs. Qing sighed, her disappointment in Qing Muye evident.