She walked to the booth and sat down, "Do you have your company's documents with you?" she inquired.
Qing Si Huai reached up and touched the stubble on his chin, smiling faintly, "I'm sorry, forgive me for lying to you." He sat down opposite Lan Shu, his deep, complex gaze fixed on her, "You..."
He paused, then spread his right hand, "You really don't remember me?"
Lan Shu frowned in confusion, "What do you mean?"
"Yaoyao!"
Qing Si Huai called her name with immense tenderness, grasping the hand she had placed on the table, "What happened in the past year or two? Why has your appearance changed so drastically, and why don't you recognize me anymore? I am your husband, Qing Si Huai."
"Hus...band?" Lan Shu was bewildered, staring blankly at the hand the man was holding, lost in thought.
"Do you know how hard I've been looking for you these past two years? I only found a recent photo of you by chance and wasn't sure if it was you, so I lied and asked you out. I never expected it to be you!"
As he spoke, he took a file bag from the booth, opened it, and spread a large stack of photos before her.
"Your original name was Shu Yao. This is how you looked before the plastic surgery, and this is a photo of us together. We first met at a ball, and I asked you for a dance; then this one is us..."
Qing Si Huai flipped through the photos, excitedly recounting his past with Lan Shu.
Listening to his words and looking at the intimate photos of them in the album, Lan Shu was convinced that he was telling the truth about her original name being Shu Yao.
Her heart filled with suspicion, she quietly withdrew her hand, her expression remaining indifferent, "I'm sorry, you have the wrong person."
With that, she stood up to leave.
Seeing that she was unmoved and even about to leave, Qing Si Huai stepped forward and hugged her from behind, "Wife, don't go. If you leave, how can I live? For over a year, I haven't eaten or slept, only hoping to see you. Now that you're back, I will never let you leave me again."
Qing Si Huai spoke with great emotion, appearing like a man who had tragically lost his beloved wife.
But for some reason, the moment Qing Si Huai held her, Lan Shu felt a physical repulsion. She even sharply struck backward with her elbow, pushing Qing Si Huai away.
She spun around, her face as cold as frost, filled with anger, "Stay away from me. If you dare touch me again, I'll call the police."
After delivering this harsh warning, Lan Shu pulled open the private room door, slammed it shut, and left.
Silence returned to the room. Qing Si Huai looked at the closed door, a cold smile playing on his lips. He raised his hand, sniffed the lingering warmth on his palm, and murmured, "Even though you've changed your name, you'll never escape my grasp in this lifetime."
Lan Shu left the Western restaurant and drove aimlessly on the road.
Finally, she parked her car by the roadside along the river and got out, sitting on a bench by the river to feel the breeze.
After a long hesitation, she picked up her phone and dialed Meng Jing Wei's number.
The call was answered after only two rings, "Shu... Lan Shu, what do you need?"
She habitually said her name, almost forgetting that she had changed it.
Lan Shu, with her keen perception, sensed what Meng Jing Wei was about to say, which further confirmed her suspicion that she had once been named Shu Yao.
"Are you free? I'd like to treat you to a meal," Lan Shu said.
After she finished speaking, there was a moment of silence on the other end of the line.
Meng Jing Wei, lying in bed resting, tilted her head towards Qing Mu Ye and lowered her voice, "Shu Yao wants to invite me out for a meal?"
The man held her, his fingers caressing her flawless skin, "If you want to go, then go."