Chapter 501-550 - Bringing The Nation's Husband Home

Chapter 501: If No One Wants You, I'll Marry You（2）
The moment Qiao Anhao left Qiao Anxia's house, it started to rain.
Qiao Anxia stayed in an area where it was difficult to get a cab, and now that it
rained, Qiao Anhao had to wait a long while before a one finally arrived.
When the cab reached Mian Xiu Garden, the rain had escalated to a huge
downpour. After paying the cab driver, Qiao Anhao rushed towards Xu
Jiamu's mansion. In less than five minutes, she was thoroughly drenched.
She ran into the house and stopped on the carpet by the entrance, ignoring
her dripping clothes, as she fished for her phone in her bag. On the screen,
there were multiple missed calls, all from Lu Jinnian.
The earliest one was three hours ago when she was still in Royal Palace,
accompanying the hysterical Qiao Anxia. The room was filled with loud
sounds back then, drowning out the sound of her phone, and afterwards she
was preoccupied with chasing after Qiao Anxia, neglecting her phone.
Without hesitating, she called Lu Jinnian, but was met with an off phone.
Initially when Qiao Anhao had seen the missed calls, she had been ecstatic,
but when he didn’t answer, it dampened her mood in an instant, and she
wondered if they were about to miss each other once again.
She placed the phone on the closet at the side, wringing her dripping her wet
hair onto the water absorbing mat.
The dirty rainwater flowed onto her face while she was wringing her hair dry, a
few droplets falling into her eyes.
Qiao Anhao had naturally sensitive eyes, every time she filmed, it was easy
for her to tear up, causing a hard time for her makeup artist. Now that the rain
water entered them, they turned red instantly.
She pulled out a tissue, and just when she was about to dry her eyes, the
door bell rang.
Qiao Anhao was still in front of the door, so she turned, and without even
asking who it was, she pulled the door open. Not bothering to look at who was
outside, she lifted the tissue to dry her wet eyes.
Lu Jinnian reached out, prepared to press the door bell once more, but before
he could do so, the door was pulled open. He looked into the house
instinctively, and inside, Qiao Anhao was thoroughly drenched, holding on a
tissue, dabbing her eyes. His heart yanked, and he fell into a frenzy.
Had she found out about Xu Jiamu's incident..?
"Qiao Qiao..." Lu Jinnian was about to coax her but he paused, not knowing
how to continue after calling her name.
Ever since he was young, he had never spoken much, and in the face of the
only girl he loved crying, his mind turned blank. How was he supposed to coax
her?
The moment Qiao Anhao heard his voice, she froze, lifting her head to look at
him. She blinked incredulously, and in that moment, two tears streamed down
her face.
Lu Jinnian started to panic. His mind slowed down, and he opened his mouth,
but nothing came out. His mind was in a mess and an impulse to beat Xu
Jiamu begun to form.
He tensed, his hands clenching into fists, while he desperately tried to

suppress his heartache.
In the end, Lu Jinnian still wasn't able to think of how to comfort Qiao Anhao,
so he decided to pull her into a silent embrace. Before his hand could even
reach out though, Qiao Anhao, who was still tearing, broke into a wide smile.
In a clear voice with obvious surprise, she asked, "Lu Jinnian, why are you
here?"
Qiao Anhao's sudden smile seemed to have shocked his brain into a daze,
and his hand paused in mid air. His gaze focused on her face, taking in the
moisture in her eyes.
Why was she crying and smiling... Did Xu Jiamu’s abandonment agitate her
so much?
Lu Jinnian's heart started to ache once more, but his mind was still blank, he
was still unable to find words to comfort her. With the door open, the cold
breeze blew in continuously, sending a shiver through her soaked body.
In that instance, Lu Jinnian seemed to have come back to his senses. He

picked her up and walked up the stairs to the bathroom on the second floor,
placing her in the bathtub. Opening the tap, he adjusted the temperature
before placing the hose in her hands. "Take a hot shower, it'll keep the cold
away."
Turning, he left the bathroom.
Before he left though, he didn't forget to switch on the bathroom heater.
The moment Qiao Anhao left the shower, she saw Lu Jinnian carrying a cup
of ginger tea up.
He passed it over to her, then after picking up a hairdryer, he started to blow

dry her hair.
The buzz from the hairdryer was loud, so they didn't speak, the atmosphere
returning back to when they were still living together as a couple.
Qiao Anhao took a sip of the ginger tea, and warmth spread from her chest to
all over her body.
When Lu Jinnian was done, he arranged the cord before placing the hairdryer
back on the shelf.
Without the buzz the room sank into silence, only the sound of soft rain fall
entering from outside.
Lu Jinnian stood in front of Qiao Anhao, watching as she sipped the ginger tea
slowly. Only then did a phrase to show his concern spring into his blank mind.
"Qiao Qiao, are you all right?"
"I'm good..."
Qiao Anhao treated his question as a casual greeting. After finishing the cup,
she placed it back on the table and lifted her face to smile at him.
Before she had been carried to the bathroom by Lu Jinnian, she had wanted
to ask him, "Lu Jinnian, aren't you in Hong Kong? Don't you have a meeting
tomorrow? Why are you suddenly back here?"
After the initial shock and the long string of questions, Lu Jinnian sensed that
Qiao Anhao wasn't upset... But he thought back to her teary eyes and
drenched body, and without answering her questions, he asked, "Where did
you go just now? Why didn't you bring an umbrella when it's raining?"
Qiao Anhao replied honestly, "Qiao Anxia drank too much so I went to get her.
I didn't bring an umbrella out with me so I got drenched in the rain."
Lu Jinnian studied Qiao Anhao for a long while before finally confirming that
he had been too anxious just now, she didn't seem to know about Xu Jiamu's
incident just yet.
He was relieved, and took a long, deep breath.
Qiao Anhao noticed Lu Jinnian's weird behavior. She lifted her head up to look
at him with a curious gaze. "What's wrong? You seem to be nervous."
"Nothing." Lu Jinnian was back to his usual demeanor with just that word. He
turned to look at the clock on the wall. It was almost 1 am, so he bent to pick
up Qiao Anhao and then gently placed her on the bed before thoughtfully
tucking her in. Switching off the lights, he said, "It's late, get some rest."
That was when Qiao Anhao realized that his hair and clothes were still wet.
They were both caught in the rain, but he had only thought about her.
Touched and warmed, she curled under the blanket, saying softly, "Lu Jinnian,
hurry and take a shower, you're going to get a cold."
"Yea," Lu Jinnian replied softly but remained stationary, his gaze on her. "I'll
shower later, you should sleep first."
Qiao Anhao didn't argue, shutting her eyes obediently. Deep inside, she could
sense something weird about him but, she couldn't seem to pinpoint what was
it.
The next morning, after she woke up, she received a call from Lu Jinnian,
saying that he would take her for a trip.
Even thought they had been interacting often, they didn't travel around much.
She wondered about his sudden change, but instead of voicing it out, she
happily agreed, randomly packing a few clothes with her.
She had assumed that he meant traveling somewhere near Beijing for a short
while, but she had never expected that he meant to travel around half of
China!
From Luoyang to Xian to Shanghai to Hainan before heading to Hangzhou

and ending off at Nanjing.
Qiao Anhao managed to see the terracotta warriors and even climb Mount
Hua. The latter had a difficult and narrow path, in her heels, she could barely
walk there, so in the end, it was Lu Jinnian who carried her down.
Qiao Anhao had been to Shanghai several times, and it was a bustling
metropolis similar to Beijing, well suited for shopping. They stayed for three
days, buying a ton of things, heading to the courier at least five times.
They reached Hainan in the afternoon. After checking in, Qiao Anhao ran to
the hotel boutique to get a beach dress and beach hat. Once she made sure
she was pretty, she dragged Lu Jinnian to the beach to sit on the banana
boat.
While they were on the boat, she was accidentally swung into the sea.
Without hesitation, Lu Jinnian jumped into the sea faster than the workers,
catching her. The both of them had on life jackets, so Qiao Anhao didn't seem
afraid at all, spitting the salty water she had ingested all over Lu Jinnian's
face.
Besides Beijing, Hangzhou was the next state that housed a bulk of their
memories, many of its sights had been visited when Qiao Anhao had visited
when they were still in university. They strolled through the memory lane,
cycling to the Xitang and Song cities. In the old town of Xitang, they entered a
clay shop. With the guidance of the owner, they gave a try at making pottery.
While in school, Lu Jinnian was already one of the best while Qiao Anhao was
just mediocre, but this mediocre devoted all her heart to her studies and
eventually made it into the A university.
After just one simple demonstration by the shop owner, Lu Jinnian could do it
perfectly while Qiao Anhao was still struggling, missing out on many steps
after several demonstrations.
When new customers came in, the shop owner left, leaving Lu Jinnian and
Qiao Anhao to mold the clay by themselves.
The warm rays from the sun spilled across Xitang, the sound of streaming
water billowing with the wind, different faces contentiously passed by the
window. The mood was peaceful and the pair was at ease. The pottery that Lu
Jinnian had made looked great while Qiao Anhao's piece was an utter
disaster.
When the shop owner came back again to look at their work, Qiao Anhao
reached over for the cup in front of Lu Jinnian. With a bright smile, she lied
naturally, "What do you think, I'm impressive, right?"
With just a glance, the shop keeper knew that the cup she held was Lu
Jinnian's, but he didn't intend to expose her lie. Yet before he could praise
her, Lu Jinnian, who sat beside her, smiled indulgently and commented
sincerely, "Impressive."
A sweet smile crossed her face instantly. Turning to look at the cup she had
forced into his hands, she widened her eyes and with an incredulity in her
voice, she remarked, "Lu Jinnian, hurry and teach me how you can make such
an ugly cup!"
She then added, "Hurry and hide it, stop embarrassing yourself!"
Lu Jinnian chuckled in amusement, a hint of tenderness and warmth crossing

his usual frosty expression as he carefully placed the horrendous looking cup
into a box.
When they reached Nanjing, they had even went to Orchid theater to watch
"The Peony Pavilion". Even though they could barely understand the songs,
the tunes were delightful.
Afterwards, they went for a scrumptious meal consisting of Mei Ling porridge
and duck blood vermicelli... After about two days, they took an afternoon flight
back to Jingcheng.
Lu Jinnian's car was parked in Beijing airport’s carpark, so once they entered
the city, it was already 5 pm, dinner time. When the car passed by Beijing
Hotel, Lu Jinnian slowed, asking, "Dinner here?"
"Sure." Qiao Anhao lifted her lids to look at the hotel before nodding her head
without any comments.
The private rooms in Beijing hotel were always packed, but since they arrived
early, they managed to get the last room.
Lu Jinnian ordered a pot of pu'er tea, the aroma from the tea diffusing in the
air, lifting their spirits.
After ensuring that Qiao Anhao had been well fed, Lu Jinnian placed his
chopsticks down, pushing the cup of tea that he had brewed in advance over
to her. "Have some tea, it's good for your gut. I'll go down to pay the bill."
Qiao Anhao sipped the tea, nodding towards Lu Jinnian.
He reached for his wallet and left the room.
After footing the bill, when he was about to head back to the room, he caught
sight of a familiar figure in the seat near the window.

Ever since the start of filming of "Heaven's Sword" when Song Xiangsi had
infuriated Xu Jiamu, they hadn't interacted once.
Just as the rumors said, Xu Jiamu was indeed getting closer to Lin Qianqian.
They first met when the girl was eleven. At that time, she had followed him
everywhere, affectionately calling him "Brother Jiamu". He had been annoyed
by her constant harassment until the day she emigrated with her parents.
The day that Xu Jiamu had been infuriated by Song Xiangsi, he had headed
straight for a bar to get a drink, that was where he reunited with Lin Qianqian.
Intoxicated from the alcohol, she had ran to him calling him "Brother Jiamu",
just like before. In a daze, he had stared at her for a long while but still
couldn't figure out who she was. In the end, he was only able to remember
who she was after she had told him her name.
Lin Qianqian had snatched over his phone to call herself, saving his number.
She then returned to the dance floor to play with her classmates.
The next day, he received a call from her. At that time, he was still confused
as to how she had gotten his number.
When they were young, he had hated how she acted like a princess. If not for
his parents, he would never have been willing to play with her. He randomly
threw her a few excuses after receiving her call, but when he was prepared to
hang up, a notification came in, reminding him to settle the divorce with Qiao
Anhao.
Just then, a thought flashed past, and he returned back to the call and chatted
a while more. Soon after, he accompanied her to the mall and even had a
meal with her.
But today, it was purely fate that led them to have a meal together in Beijing
Hotel.
Lin Qianqian had somehow gotten his location and had gone to his office to
find him. He had originally wanted to send her back to school but had bumped
into Song Xiangsi having a meal with Hua Yao Enterprise's vice president.
That’s why he decided to bring Lin Qianqian ,who was insisting on watching a
movie, for a meal.
Song Xiangsi and the vice president of Hua Yao Enterprise sat in the main
dining area, so Xu Jiamu deliberately chose a spot nearby.
The vice president of Hua Yao Enterprise recognized him instantly, standing
up to greet him enthusiastically.
In contrast, Song Xiangsi remained emotionless in his presence, treating him

as a stranger. Only after the vice president of Hua Yang Enterprise finished
his greetings did she acknowledge his presence out of courtesy. "Nice to meet
you, Mr. Xu."
She was indeed the best female screen actress. After sharing a bed with him
for the past seven years, she could still act as though it was the first time they
met...
Xu Jiamu acted even more distant than her, lightly shaking the hand she had
reached out before pulling Lin Qianqian's chair out gentlemanly. He even
handed her a napkin thoughtfully.
It was probably the first time that Xu Jiamu had treated her so well, causing
her to feel flattered.
Xu Jiamu sneaked a glance at Song Xiangsi; she was smiling happily as she
conversed with the vice president of Hua Yao Enterprise, oblivious to Xu
Jiamu and Lin Qianqian.
At that moment, an unspeakable fury ignited in Xu Jiamu.

Lin Qianqian started treating Xu Jiamu intimately, reciprocating his thoughtful
acts.
In the past, Xu Jiamu would have definitely pushed her away, but this time, he
didn't and even cooperated with her. He didn't keep his eyes on Song Xiangsi,
but all his attention was on her.
Ever since the start, she remained oblivious to him. When he opened his
mouth to accept the plum that Lin Qianqian had personally brought over, he
started to feel an unexplained sense of helplessness. In an instance, he felt
that everything he was doing was meaningless. When he was about to foot
the bill, a figure suddenly approached him.
Xu Jiamu lifted his head instinctively, and his lips curled upwards instantly.
"Bro…"
Before he could finish his greeting, Lu Jinnian had already yanked his collar
upwards. His actions were violent and abrupt, catching Xu Jiamu off guard.
Lin Qianqian bolted up from the seat in shock. "What are you..."
Before she could finish her sentence, Lu Jinnian turned to send her a
menacing glare, it looked as though she was a family enemy. Furiously, he
spat out, "Don't speak to me, it'll taint my ears."
A shiver ran through her spine, and she swallowed her question, standing
frozen in shock.
Lu Jinnian didn't mince his words at all, so to Lin Qianqian who had been
pampered ever since young, it was a huge shock. As she stared at this
infuriated celestial looking man, she was too afraid to speak, biting down on
her lip, tears beginning to well up in her eyes.
"Bro, what are you doing?" Xu Jiamu asked in a low voice. Even though Xu
Jiamu didn't like Lin Qianqian, he still found such actions repulsive.
Lu Jinnian ignored his question, with a cold expression that was emitting frost,
he dragged Xu Jiamu to a restroom.
After Qiao Anhao finished the cup of tea that Lu Jinnian had poured for her,
she waited a while longer but when he was still not back, she took out her
phone to give him a call. The phone started to ring beside her.
She turned and found that Lu Jinnian had left his phone on the chair beside
him.
After waiting a while more, she started to feel bored. Grabbing her things, she
walked out the room to find Lu Jinnian.
The moment she came out of the elevator, she caught a glimpse of Lu
Jinnian. He was standing at the front desk, his expression infuriated as he
glared behind him.
Qiao Anhao had wanted to run over but stopped instinctively, turning towards
his line of sight. There, she saw Xu Jiamu, who was sitting by a window. In
front of him was a young and pretty girl that looked familiar, but in that
instance, she wasn't able to decipher who she was.
Xu Jiamu and the girl were behaving intimately, occasionally feeding each
other food. There was even once when he leaned over to whisper in her ear,
sparking a smile on her face.
The next moment, Lu Jinnian, who was staring in a fury, stomped over under
the scrutiny of the crowd to yank Xu Jiamu to the restroom.
Chapter 507: If No One Wants You, I'll Marry You (8）

Qiao Anhao stood in a daze, the moment she got back her senses, she
rushed to the restroom as well.
The restrooms in Beijing hotel came with individual compartments.
Lu Jinnian found a random compartment, and after pushing the door open,
aggressively stuffed Xu Jiamu in, then came in himself and shut the door.
"Bro, what did I do wrong? Even if you are angry, you could have talked to me
back at home, there's so many people here... You're humiliating me!" Xu
Jiamu spat out in a mixture of confusion and anger.
"Humiliate?" Lu Jinnian repeated coldly as he recalled the image of him in the

dining room and then Qiao Anhao, who had been in love with him all this
while. A flame erupted in him, and he raised his arm and punched Xu Jiamu
right in the face.
That punch landed straight on Xu Jiamu's handsome face.He was caught off
guard and fell onto the basin. "Bro, why did you beat..."
Before he could finish his sentence, Lu Jinnian had locked his arm.
He exerted strength, and Xu Jiamu screamed in pain.
"Why don’t you talk about how you humiliated Qiao Anhao!" Lu Jinnian's voice
was cold and frosty. His breath started to become unstable from anger, and in
a menacing voice, he mocked, "Xu Jiamu, your taste sure hasn't gotten better.
How is that woman better than Qiao Anhao!"
"Bro, it's not… Argh!" Before Xu Jiamu could finish his sentence, he started to
shout in pain, taking in several deep breaths.
If he could, Lu Jinnian would have crushed his bones. He pressed hard

against Xu Jiamu's shoulder, snarling in fury, "That woman can never
compare to Qiao Anhao, you must be blind!"
Lu Jinnian looked to his left then right. Suddenly he turned Xu Jiamu over,
reaching towards his belt.
"F*ck, bro, what are you doing?" Xu Jiamu shouted anxiously, instinctively
covering his crotch.
Lu Jinnian lifted his eyes to glare at him coldly before pulling his belt violently.
He used it to motion violently, scaring Xu Jiamu into backing away, and then
swiftly left the room.
Qiao Anhao stood outside the restroom, listening to the footsteps. She didn't
know why she was panicking, but at that moment, she found a free restroom
and hid inside.
Lu Jinnian slammed the restroom door before securing it with the belt. He
looped the handles a few times before tying a dead knot.
Xu Jiamu, who was inside, kept pulling at the door, but it didn't budge at all.
He shouted, "What are you doing? Why are you locking me? Lu Jinnian..."
"Pat Pat Pat!" Xu Jiamu continuously pounded against the door.
Lu Jinnian remained oblivious to the sound. He turned and reached into his
pocket to get his wallet. Pulling it outside, he passed a few red notes over to
he cleaner at the side. Pointing towards the door, he said, "Release the man
inside in about twelve minutes."
Twelve minutes.... In these twelve minutes, Lu Jinnian left the hotel with Qiao
Anhao.

Lu Jinnian knew that some secrets won't hold, but to witness Xu Jiamu
behaving intimately with another women had sent a hint of anxiousness
through his burning heart.
Even though he wasn't the one who was having an affair and the person that
was betrayed, Qiao Anhao, wasn't him, he couldn't help panicking.
He was the person that was most afraid to see sadness and heartache in the
eyes on that woman.
Lu Jinnian tidied his messy clothes, took in a few deep breaths, trying to
suppress his anger. When he finally calmed down, he walked out.
Qiao Anhao couldn't explain why she wanted to hide, but when she heard Lu
Jinnian walking inside the restroom, she instinctively hid herself.
She was the only one in the big luxurious restroom. Leaning against a cold
hard door, she could hear Lu Jinnian's voice, speaking with a hint of anger.
"Release the man inside after twelve minutes."
Subsequently, the sound of his footsteps gradually softened until they finally
disappeared. She raised her hand and looked at the reflection of herself in the
gold encrusted mirror. All she could feel was her thumping heart. Blood raced
across her body, and a strange feeling rushed through her.
She was confused about Lu Jinnian's action at first, but now that she had
heard his conversation, she understood that it was because of her.
"Xu Jiamu, your taste sure hasn't gotten better, how is that woman better than
Qiao Anhao!"
"That woman can never compare to Qiao Anhao, you must be blind!"
In her memory, Lu Jinnian had always been distant and arrogant. Even when
he was infuriated, he was still able to maintain his calm and elegant
demeanor, delivering the most hurtful words.
But today, he was visibly out of control .When he scolded Xu Jiamu, his voice
was trembling.
He thought that Xu Jiamu had a new lover and had abandoned her. It
infuriated him and he hurt the brother that he cared about a lot.
In order to end their marriage, Xu Jiamu had acted as though he had betrayed
her, and it was all to ensure that she won't get blamed by her family when they
divorced.
Lu Jinnian wasn't clear on the truth, so he had misunderstood him, causing
such a big mix-up.
But even if it was a misunderstanding, it was a beautiful misunderstanding.
Lu Jinnian had wanted to stand up for her after learning that she was
wronged, he had locked Xu Jiamu up in the restroom for twelve minutes,
afraid that she would see him with another woman...
Everything he was doing was because of her.
Even though he was aloof and distant and had never said anything touching
to her, but all his actions moved her.
How could she not love such a man?
Qiao Anhao's eyes turned red instantly.
After a long while, when she was finally able to calm herself down, she
washed her face and headed back up to the room.
When Lu Jinnian reached the room, he didn't see Qiao Anhao, but just when
he was about to call her, his assistant called.

Qiao Anhao headed to the room. She pushed the door open, but before she
entered, she heard Lu Jinnian's voice.
"What do you mean the things we heard in Hong Kong might not be true? I
just saw him eating with another woman..."
Qiao Anhao paused, taking in Lu Jinnian's frustrated voice.
"Didn't I tell you? I won't be going to the company these few days, if there's
anything, send it to my email, I will settle it tonight."
"Meeting tomorrow? I'm not free, I won't be able to make it. ... The other party
insists I make it? Then forget about the deal. ... Payment for breaching the
contract? Whatever."
Previously, Qiao Anhao had asked him why he was back from Hong Kong a
day early when there was a meeting the next day. He had assured her that
the matter was assigned to someone else and that Beijing office had
something important so he came back.
But from the conversation, she could tell that he probably heard about Xu
Jiamu's affair which provoked him in rushing back.
That night, he was drenched from the rain. When she had opened the door,
he just stood and stared silently. At that time, she had sensed his abnormality,
had even asked why he was so anxious, but he didn't explain himself. Now
she knew, she knew everything.
The very next day, he said that he was on leave and asked if she wanted to
have a vacation. At that time, she had agreed happily, naively believing that
she was accompanying him for his vacation, but now she knew that it was
never a vacation, he just wanted to clear her mind, knowing that she was
about to be abandoned.
It explained everything. When they were in Hainan, they stayed in a double

room apartment. When she walked to the restroom in the middle of the night,
she saw that his room's lights were still on and the doors weren't tightly shut.
Inside, she could hear someone typing.
When she returned from the restroom, she could even hear him talking to
someone on the phone in a low voice. At that time, she was too tired to
bother, heading back to her room in a daze to sleep, but he, he was actually
rushing his work...
How many things had he done for her that she never knew about?
Her heart clenched.
"That's it, I understand. I'll hang up now."
When Qiao Anhao heard the last sentence, she hurriedly released the door
handle, walking down the corridor. Raising her head, she took a deep breath
before turning around. Just then, Lu Jinnian anxiously exited the room with the
phone in his hand.
"Lu Jinnian?" Qiao Anhao shouted with a faint hint of tremble in her voice.
When he heard her voice, he heaved a sigh of relief and swiftly strode toward
her. "Where did you go? Didn't I tell you to wait for me in the room?"
"I went to the restroom," Qiao Anhao replied with a faint smile. "Have you
paid?"
"Yea."
"Why did you take so long?"
"The queue was a little long and the machine malfunctioned."
"Oh." Even though Qiao Anhao was clear about what had happened, she
acted clueless, not exposing his lie. With a warm smile on her face, she
asked, "Can we go now?"

When the car entered Mian Xiu Garden, it was just 9 pm.
The items that Qiao Anhao had shipped over from Shanghai were placed with
the estate security, and Lu Jinnian drove over to get her items before driving
to Xu Jiamu's mansion.
When they reached, he alighted to help her bring the items in.
After traveling for so many days, Qiao Anhao was probably worn out, so Lu
Jinnian was quick.
Before he left, Qiao Anhao stopped him. "Lu Jinnian."
He paused and turned to look at her questioningly.
In a pair of slippers, Qiao Anhao walked to the entrance of the house. "I have
to go to the Xu family house tomorrow."
Lu Jinnian nodded, acknowledging her words.
Smiling, she added, "Goodbye."
"Goodbye." Lu Jinnian lingered a while longer before leaving.

Even though Qiao Anhao wanted to spend every day with him, she didn't want
him to neglect his work because of her.
Besides, even if she was still married to Xu Jiamu, there was no love.
Even though she'll be the party that was pitied in the upcoming divorce, she
wasn't upset at all. Instead, she hoped to end this partnership as soon as
possible so that she would be able to advance to the next stage with Lu
Jinnian.
If she had known that she was betrothed to Xu Jiamu, she would have never
agreed to marry him, but before she became aware of it, he had gotten into a
car accident. At that time, she had wanted to get close to Lu Jinnian so she
accepted the request.
Lu Jinnian had no idea how silly she was at that time, willing to become
another's wife in name just so they could meet again. But that was her only
chance, if she hadn't done it, she would have never had the opportunity or
power to talk to him.
The next day, Qiao Anhao indeed headed to Xu mansion.
Inside, she was fretting over how the divorce might complicate things.
But she had never expected how smoothly it would go.
In the afternoon, Xu Jiamu specifically booked a room for both sides of the
family to gather.
His lips were still swollen from when Lu Jinnian had punched him yesterday.
When Han Ruchu saw it, she started to worry exaggeratedly, heartache
visible on her face.
When everyone was sitting, Xu Jiamu signaled towards the waiter to pour
everyone a cup of tea.
Han Ruchu was confused by the gathering, so she asked, "Jiamu, why did
you gather all of us?"
Xu Jiamu picked the last cup of tea, walking towards his seat casually. He
took a sip before placing the tea back down, and after looking at both sides,
he said, "I want to divorce Qiao Qiao."
Xu Wanli was just about to sip his tea, but right then, his hands trembled,
spilling the tea.
Han Ruchu and the Qiao family objected instantly.
"What?"
"Why?"
"Jiamu, what happened to you and Qiao Qiao?"
Xu Jiamu paused for a moment before repeating, "Today, I came to tell you
that I want to divorce."

The entire room fell silent.
Just then, the hot water boiled, bubbling sounds clouding the air.
Mother Qiao broke the silence. "Was it because of the photos? Jiamu, I told
you that Qiao Qiao and him are just friends..."
Xu Jiamu objected instantly, "No, it has nothing to do with my brother."
This time, Han Ruchu spoke. "Why then? Haven't you always liked Qiao
Qiao?"
"I do like Qiao Qiao, but I've always treated her as a sister. Recently, I found a
girl that I like more."
Xu Wanli violently placed the cup on the table, which resounded with a loud
thump. In a furious voice, he shouted, "Bastard!"
Seeing how the situation had escalated, Qiao Anhao anxiously added, "I
already agreed to the divorce."
Xu Wanli paused, swallowing his scolding.

Xu Jiamu continued, "The only reason we got together was to maximize the
profits between both corporations. We have already discussed and came to
the conclusion that we don't have any feelings for each other. After we
divorce, we can still be friends. For the corporation between both companies, I
would be willing to offer up 20% as compensation. "
"Jiamu..." 20% was worth a few million... Han Ruchu called out his name,
prepared to stop him.
Xu Jiamu continued, not giving her any chance to speak. "I also promise that
for any future corporations, I would definitely consider Qiao Enterprise first."
Qiao Anhao knew that it was time for her to make a stand, so she spoke as
well. "It'll be an amicable divorce and we will still be good friends even if we
divorce. I'm sure our divorce will definitely cause a stir within the business
circle, but that's only in the short term, besides, as long as we're still on good
terms, the gossip won't affect us."
Father Qiao and mother Qiao looked at each other. Even though they weren't
enthusiastic about the separation, a bad divorce in the future would be
disadvantageous for them. Father Qiao took a moment before nodding. "Qiao
Qiao can decide her matters on her own, we will respect her decision."
Han Ruchu was originally satisfied with this daughter in law, but ever since
she found out that she had slept with Lu Jinnian and had even had an
abortion, she hadn't been too pleased. But since her son loved her, she
decided to close one eye.
Now, when they wanted to separate, she was definitely willing. When Xu
Wanli was about to scold Xu Jiamu again, she discreetly kicked him under the
table, warning him off before looking at the Qiao parents apologetically. "I'm
really sorry for this to happen."
After the meal, it was 3 pm in the afternoon, Qiao Anhao left in Xu Jiamu's car.
Xu Jiamu turned and pointed to his lips that were still bruised. "Qiao Qiao, I've
done so much for you this time. My brother even punched me thinking that I
had an affair, and now I have to bear the title of an unfaithful man..."
Xu Jiamu suddenly paused. He lifted his head to look into the mirror before
turning to face Qiao Anhao. "Qiao Qiao, do you think i look good with the
scar?"
Yesterday, when he came out of the washroom, he had bumped into Song
Xiangsi. At that time, he was tending to his wound, so when he caught sight of
her, he turned, facing her with the unscarred side of his face. He thought that
she would brush past him, acting as a stranger, but she suddenly stopped,
before walking in front of him.
Lifting her hands, she straightened his face to study the side that was bruised
before chuckling. "Pssh! Hahaha! You look so much better like that!"
Releasing his face, she entered the washroom.
Qiao Anhao replied simply, "No."
"Not good?" Xu Jiamu asked persistently before staring into the mirror once
more. "I think I look good though..."
"..." Qiao Anhao lifted her eyes, ignoring Xu Jiamu, before adding shortly after,
"Brother Jiamu, thank you."
Xu Jiamu, who was still examining his scar, suddenly turned serious. "Qiao
Qiao, whatever I said just now was just a joke, I never took it to heart..."
"I know." Curling her lips into a smile, she continued, "But still, thank you."
Xu Jiamu was still busy, so he dropped her off at Mian Xiu Garden's entrance,
not following her in.
Qiao Anhao started to pack the moment she reached his house.
Even though she hadn't stayed for long, she had many things, a large chunk
bought when she went traveling with Lu Jinnian.
When she first came to Xu Jiamu's mansion, she had only brought one
luggage, so there wasn't enough room for her newly bought things. In the end,
she gave up, heading to the supermarket nearby to get a new suitcase.
-
Since Qiao Anhao didn't need company, Lu Jinnian headed to his office the
next day.
After being away for so long, there was an accumulated stack of documents
for him, even if he had been working every night. Lu Jinnian spent the entire
afternoon buried in documents. After having lunch, he barely had time to rest
before having to meet a client to sign a contract. Directly after, he had another
meeting.
By the time he returned to his office, it was already 6 pm. He sat in his chair,
finally able to calm down after the frantic day. Reaching for his phone out of
habit, he scrolled through the long list of notifications, realizing that there
weren't any news from Qiao Anhao.
After visiting the Xu family she didn't say anything?
Just when he was about to send her a text, an incoming call came in.
Qiao Anhao was calling.
Without hesitation, Lu Jinnian received the call. "Hello."
Before the call could even ring, Lu Jinnian had already picked up. There was
a moment of silence before Qiao Anhao asked, "Are you done with your
work?"
Without even glancing at the documents that had piled into a mini hill on his
desk, Lu Jinnian replied, "I'm done."

Without even glancing at the documents that had piled into a mini hill on his
desk, Lu Jinnian replied, "I'm done."
Not pausing, he asked, "What's wrong?"
"Nothing..." Qiao Anhao seemed to have something to say but held it in. She
hesitated before replying, "Lu Jinnian, if you aren't busy, you can come to the
restaurant on the top floor of Hua Yuan hotel. I'll treat you to dinner."
"Sure, I'll come right now."
After he hung up, he grabbed his jacket and rushed out the door, not even
bothering to turn off his computer.
Just then, Lu Jinnian's assistant came to look for him. Before he could knock
on the door, it was yanked open violently, scaring him backwards. He
hurriedly greeted, "Mr. Lu."
Lu Jinnian ignore him, taking large strides to the elevator.
His assistant trailed behind. "Mr. Lu, you have a dinner today..."
Lu Jinnian entered the elevator. Lifting his head, he interrupted, "I haven't
switched off my computer, help me do that and remember to close the
windows, it might rain."
Before giving his assistant any opportunity to speak, he closed the elevator
door, descending.
Since it was knock off time, the streets were littered with cars. In the end, Lu
Jinnian gave up, using the public bus lane.
Even so, it was 7 pm when he finally reached Hua Yuan hotel.
Lu Jinnian hurriedly parked his car before rushing to the main hall. He took the
elevator all the way to the top floor. Without waiting for the waitress to ask, he
reported the details, "Table 116, Miss Qiao."
Hua Yuan hotel's top floor restaurant was a rotating restaurant. In the middle
of the room was a stage and a girl dressed in a ball gown sat there in front of
a piano, playing a melodious tune. The surrounding tables were all facing the
window.
After Lu Jinnian walked around the stage, he saw Qiao Anhao sitting alone in
a two people table, her head titled sideways as she looked out the window. He
bypassed the waitress and headed straight to her. When he was about five
meters away, he paused.
He had spotted two large suitcases beside her.

The waitress who was left behind walked to Qiao Anhao's table. She turned to
look at Lu Jinnian who was three meters away before speaking politely,
"Mister, this is your seat."
Qiao Anhao turned in the direction of the waitress's voice. When she saw Lu
Jinnian, she waved at him. "Lu Jinnian."
Lu Jinnian's gaze moved from the suitcases, and he walked towards her with
uncertainty and confusion. He turned to look at her, trying to decipher her
mood.
Why did she bring two suitcase when she asked him out for dinner? Was she
in shock because of Xu Jiamu's affair? Was she preparing to leave Beijing?
Was this meal her farewell to him?
When Qiao Anhao saw Lu Jinnian's dazed expression, she raised her hand,
waving it in front of him. "Hey, Lu Jinnian, stop dreaming! Sit down!"
Lu Jinnian came back to his senses. He nodded lightly, his glance still focused
on Qiao Anhao. After about two seconds, he pulled his chair to sit down.

"I waited for half an hour! I'm starving, hurry and order something." Qiao
Anhao rested her jaw on one hand and pushed the menu to Lu Jinnian with
the other.
Lu Jinnian continued to stare at Qiao Anhao, not touching the menu.
Qiao Anhao waited a while longer before grabbing the menu back out of
hunger. She turned to the waitress at the side, ordering four dishes and one
soup.
The waitress repeated her order before asking, "Would you like anything to
drink?"
In the past, Qiao Anhao would either drink tea or freshly squeezed orange
juice, but this time, she tilted her head to the side to ponder. Without asking
Lu Jinnian, she said, "One bottle of red wine, Château Lafite Rothschild."
"Sure, give me a minute." The waitress left politely after recording their order.
She was actually drinking.... Her mood must be worse than it seemed...
Lu Jinnian licked his lips. Just when he was about to call her, the conversation
from the table behind them flitted over. "Have you heard? Qiao Anhao was
dumped by Xu Jiamu."
Lu Jinnian's heart fell. He scanned the surroundings, not daring to look at

Qiao Anhao, afraid to see tears or sorrow on her face.
Qiao Anhao heard the conversation as well. She turned to look at the table
behind, there were three ladies who were from the Beijing business circle.
Even though Qiao Anhao wasn't close to them, they had spoken several
times.
"I heard about it but I'm not sure of the details."
"Xu Jiamu hooked up with Lin Qian Qian, I heard that their relationship has
been going well. Recently when I met her, she had even claimed that Xu
Jiamu had gotten her two limited edition Chanel bags."
"But Qiao Anhao grew up with Xu Jiamu, it hasn't even been a year and she
was dumped?"
"Lin Qian Qian is younger than her and her family background is definitely
much better… It's quite normal she got dumped."
Lu Jinnian kicked the chair behind him abruptly, walking over to the table
ferociously. He glared at the three of them, then snarled, "Before discussing
about others, you should make sure the person isn't around."
The three ladies who were engrossed in their conversation froze in shock
before looking around. When they caught sight of Qiao Anhao behind them,
they paled instantly, embarrassment clouding their faces.
Qiao Anhao remained calm in her seat. She smiled faintly, greeting them.
The three ladies' face changed instantly, from white to green. They hurriedly
greeted Qiao Anhao and stood up to foot the bill. Without even having their
meal, they left.
Lu Jinnian returned back to his seat, his entire face black. After a while, he
raised his head to look at Qiao Anhao, saying carefully, "Qiao Qiao, don't
listen to their..."
Qiao Anhao knew that her divorce would definitely bring gossip, but her
conscience was clear and she didn't care what others thought.
Chapter 515: If No One Wants You, I'll Marry You (16）

Even when they were gossiping, she just listened with interest. She was
especially entertained when their faces changed upon hearing Lu Jinnian's
warning.
And in that instance, her lips were curled upwards into a smile.
But when Lu Jinnian returned to his seat, with an uneasy expression,

reassuring her, "Qiao Qiao, don't listen to their..." At that moment, she
paused, not able to continue smiling.
She remembered the night before, in Beijing hotel, when he had grabbed Xu
Jiamu by the collar, she recalled the conversation he had with his assistant
that she had overheard, in that moment, tears clouded her eyes.
Lu Jinnian started to panic, but luckily the server came over with the dishes.
Lu Jinnian clumsily pulled the chopsticks from the tissue, passing them over to
her. "Aren't you hungry? Have some food. What do you want to eat?"
Right after he asked, Qiao Anhao's gaze coincidentally stopped at the roast
chicken. Lu Jinnian immediately placed a piece in her bowl.
The tears in her eyes flooded, streaming down into the bowl.
Lu Jinnian's hand trembled, dropping the chopsticks onto the floor. He

hurriedly bent to pick them up, but the moment he touched the chopsticks, he
seemed to have remembered something. He tossed them back to the ground
and straightened, passing a tissue over to her.
Qiao Anhao, who was observing him, saw his hurried and messy actions. She
chuckled, reaching over to take the tissue. As she wiped her tears, she spoke
with a hint of a smile. "Lu Jinnian, why did you toss the chopsticks after
picking them up?"
It was only then that Lu Jinnian realized what he had done. His lips curled
upwards, breaking into a faint smile as he continued to focus his gaze on Qiao
Anhao worriedly.
Qiao Anhao took a deep breath, calming her overwhelming emotions. She
picked up the wine bottle and poured into both their glasses. Passing a glass
over to Lu Jinnian, she raised her own glass. "Cheers!"
Throwing her head back, she downed the glass.
Lu Jinnian swallowed his saliva before raising his glass to down the contents.
Qiao Anhao lifted the wine bottle to refill the glasses. This time, she didn't
down hers immediately. She gazed at Lu Jinnian before saying seriously, "Lu
Jinnian, that glass was to thank you for what you have done recently."
"This glass, is to celebrate my return to being single." With a bright smile on

her face, she gently touched her wine glass against the side of Lu Jinnian's
and threw her head back to down the contents.
The second glass was to celebrate her being single... What did she mean? Lu
Jinnian frowned, staring at her motionlessly.
Qiao Anhao placed the glass down and wiped her lips. When she saw that Lu
Jinnian hadn't drunk, she nudged her jaw towards his glass. "Why aren't you
drinking?"
Lu Jinnian blinked, ignoring her question. "What did your words mean?"
Qiao Anhao looked into his eyes for a few seconds before explaining, "It's as I
said, Jiamu and I divorced today."

Qiao Anhao looked into his eyes for a few seconds before explaining, "It's as I
said, Jiamu and I divorced today."
Lu Jinnian froze, disbelief clouding his eyes.
When she said that she was single again, the thought had crossed his mind,
but he wasn't sure, so he had asked her. Yet he never expected her to be so
open about it.
Lu Jinnian fell into a daze, seemingly shocked by her revelation. After staying
motionless for about half a minute, he revealed worry with a hint of heartache
on his face. Carefully, he said, "Qiao Qiao, don't be too sad...."
Recently, Lu Jinnian had been wondering, if the affair was exposed, how
would he console her. In the middle of the night, he had even secretly
searched online on what to say, memorizing the words. But now that he was
faced with the scenario, his mind went blank. He would rather be the one
experiencing her pain.
"I'm not sad.." Qiao Anhao was indeed not sad. She was even relieved and
ecstatic to be able to finally end the marriage, having only accepted the
marriage to approach him, not that she would ever dare to tell him that.
To clear the misunderstanding between him and Xu Jiamu, she paused and
explained, "I was actually the one who wanted a divorce. In order to help me,
he went to find Lin Qian Qian...."
Qiao Anhao was the one who initiated the divorce... Lu Jinnian froze once
more, trying to process what she had just said. When he finally understood
her words, a hard-to-explain happiness and excitement filled his heart.
She was the one that initiated the divorce, did that mean she didn't like Xu
Jiamu anymore?
"Basically, Brother Jiamu and I will still be good friends in the future... What
I'm trying to say is that I'm really not upset..." Qiao Anhao emphasized once
more before looking at Lu Jinnian seriously. "But Lu Jinnian, even if I'm not
upset, I still want to thank you for all your care and concern."
Lu Jinnian wanted to ask why she initiated the divorce when she had spent
her entire youth loving him, but he was afraid that it might stir up unhappy
memories.
He concluded that his worry was unfounded as not all couples have happy
endings. After spending a long time together, they might have found each
other unsuitable.
Why bother to ask so much?
The most important thing was that they were divorced. Now he was allowed to
love her, wasn't that the happiest part?
An unexplained happiness erupted, filling up his entire soul. He couldn't
contain the excitement any longer. Trembling, and with bright eyes, he said
with an undetectable trace of joy, "You're welcome."

"Hey, Lu Jinnian, shouldn't you down that second glass?" Qiao Anhao nudged
her jaw towards his glass forcefully again since Lu Jinnian remained
motionless.
"Yes, yes," Lu Jinnian replied in agitation before downing the entire glass
without flinching.
When he placed the glass down, he pinched himself violently in a spot she
couldn't see. Sharp burning pain ran through his body, and it brightened his
mood.
Lu Jinnian poured himself another glass, downing the contents to calm his
excitement. Glancing over at Qiao Anhao, he asked, "Now that you're single
again, do you have any plans?"
"Plans, hmm, not yet..." Qiao Anhao shook her head, reaching for a sweet
vinegar pork rib, but before she could reach the plate, Lu Jinnian had already
placed the biggest piece in her bowl.
Qiao Anhao bent her head to munch on the pork rib. Later, lifting her head,
she added, "But as for now, the most important thing would be to complete the
filming for "Heaven's sword"
Lu Jinnian seemed to be reminded then that when they acted as a couple, she
had climbed into his bed. Till today, he still wasn't clear about her reasons.
She didn't lack money, so why did she enter the industry?
He asked, "Qiao Qiao, I never asked you before, but why did you enter the
entertainment industry?"
"Because..."
Of you... Those words almost came out, but Qiao Anhao managed to stop
them in time. She munched on the pork rib a bit more before replying, "...I
want to be the best screen actress."
Best screen actress would definitely be part of the best screen couple.
Back when she couldn't get close to him and could never be a real couple with
him, her deepest wish was to settle for being a fake, on-screen couple.
Qiao Anhao bit on her chopsticks while lifting her eyes to glance at Lu Jinnian.
"Oh, right, didn't you ask me what I intend to do in the future? "Heaven's
Sword" is just a short term goal, in the future, I want to settle down with a
good man."
Hope flashed passed Lu Jinnian's eyes. He held onto her words, asking
sincerely, "What do you consider good?"
'Just like you…' Qiao Anhao thought inwardly. She continued to bite on her
chopsticks. After a short while, she spoke with a bright smile on her face.
"Someone who treats me well is considered good."
Even though Qiao Anhao wanted to treat him, Lu Jinnian still managed to pay
in the end.
They both pulled one suitcase when exiting Hua Yuan hotel. Lu Jinnian placed
both suitcases in his car boot, then opened the passenger seat for Qiao
Anhao. Only after making sure she was well seated did he move to the driver
seat.
After starting the car, Qiao Anhao said, "Lu Jinnian, you can drop me off at
Four Seasons hotel."
Lu Jinnian glanced at her doubtfully. She understood instantly, explaining, "I

moved out from Brother Jiamu's mansion, but I didn't want to return to Qiao
Mansion, and since everything had happened in such a rush, I didn't have
time to find accommodation yet."

"It's not safe for a girl to stay in a hotel." Lu Jinnian paused before suggesting,
"If you don't mind, do you want to stay with me?"
He was afraid that she would reject, so he added, "I have to work in the
morning and I have to go out for dinners sometimes, so I don't spend much
time there…"
Qiao Anhao thought that she would probably be the one disrupting him if she
stayed... She turned, and Lu Jinnian paused, his palms soaked in sweat from
anxiety. This was the first time he was so proactive towards a girl.
Their gazes collided, and after a moment, Qiao Anhao said, "If you don't mind,
I won't mind either."
Lu Jinnian went blank momentarily, before joy coated his eyes. "Do you want
to stay in the mansion or apartment?"
"They're both fine," she replied, reaching for her phone to cancel the hotel
reservation.
The mansion out of the city was a little far and the mansion in the city was
beside Xu Jiamu's mansion... After a moment's thought, he suggested, "How
about Ming Zhu Garden? It's quite high and in the heart of the city, it'll be
convenient if you need anything, and the view is pretty..."
Before he could finish his sentence, she interrupted. "Sure."
Lu Jinnian shut his mouth, heading towards Ming Zhu Garden.
When they passed a 24-hour supermarket, Lu Jinnian stopped to get some

daily necessities.
Even though Ming Zhu Garden was an apartment, it was two-story high and
its size was comparable to the house in Mian Xiu Garden
Lu Jinnian brought the keys up, entering the apartment first before bending to
grab a pair of male house slippers for her. "There's only male ones, tomorrow
I'll get a female pair for you."
After she was snug in the slippers, he brought her upstairs. He pushed open a
bedroom door on the North side. "Here's the main bedroom and there's a bed,
do you mind?"
Qiao Anhao shook her head.

Before she could react, Lu Jinnian passed the bag of daily necessities he had
bought and pointed to the bathroom. "You should have a hot shower."
He then pulled her two suitcases to the changing room.
After her shower, Lu Jinnian had already hung up all her clothes in the
changing room, even her makeup had been neatly arranged on the vanity.
Qiao Anhao wore a night gown with a low neck and hem line, exposing her
slender legs and seductive collar bones. After the hot shower, her skin had a
faint pink glow.
Lu Jinnian felt his throat go dry. Turning his head, he hurriedly said, "You
should rest."
He then walked out of the bedroom.
Qiao Anhao fell into a deep sleep. The next day, when she woke up, it was
close to 11 am.
The first thing she did was reach for her phone—she had fur unread texts
from Lu Jinnian.
[Breakfast is in the cooler box.]
[I placed the keys on the dining table.]
[If you need anything, you can call this number.]
This one also contained a string of numbers.

[If you can't find anything or don't know anything, you can ask me.]
Lu Jinnian didn't have much work the entire afternoon. When it was finally
time for a meeting, he had even fallen into a daze. The night before had
seemed like a dream, it was so surreal.
After enduring through the meeting, he returned to his office and reached for
his phone to write Qiao Anhao a text. [Are you awake?]
Qiao Anhao was prepared to have the breakfast he bought. There were dough
fritters in her hands, so she sent a voice message instead. She replied in a
murmur, "I'm awake."
[What are you doing?]
Qiao Anhao sent him a photo.
Lu Jinnian glanced at the familiar dining area and the breakfast he had bought
earlier, his heart finally assured.
He wasn't dreaming, Qiao Anhao and Xu Jiamu had really divorced. She was
single and living in his house....
In an instance, mixed emotions clouded his mind. He had never dared to think
of entering her heart, but now, he seemed to see the light to his long wait, but
he still couldn't help feeling insecure.
She was the woman he had been loving for thirteen years, one he gave up on
only when he realized that she was in love with Xu Jiamu. Now, that she no
longer had anything to do with his brother, Lu Jinnian finally had the
opportunity he had been waiting for. He was prepared to use his entire life to
get her.
No one could know how much courage was needed to advance friendship into
a relationship as any mistake would send one straight down to the dumps.
It was a gamble, and Lu Jinnian didn't have any confidence at all. Regardless,
he was not willing to easily give up on her.
He had been waiting for thirteen years... Only after thirteen long years did he
finally have this opportunity.
A lifetime was a long time. Even if he couldn't get her in a year, he could try
for another one, or even three, or four years... Or even the next thirteen
years...
-
Before the afternoon meeting, Lu Jinnian sent Qiao Anhao another text to ask
what she was doing again.
Halfway through the meeting, she replied with a voice message. He placed
the phone to his ear, gathering that she was watching television. He even
heard the faint advertisement being played in the background.
He placed his phone back down and asked, [What are you watching?]
Qiao Anhao sent yet another voice message back, but this time, when he
placed the phone to his ear, the marketing director had just finished his
presentation. He faced Lu Jinnian asking, "Mr. Lu, what do you think?"
Lu Jinnian's lack of response caught the attention of the entire room.

Everyone caught sight of him listening to his phone.
Even though he would faze out during meetings sometimes, this was the first
time that he had done it so openly. The directors looked around at each other
before finally the market research director asked again, "Mr. Lu?"
Lu Jinnian placed his phone down, and just when the directors were prepared
to hear his comment, he started typing on his phone.
His assistant, who was sitting beside him, couldn't help coughing to remind
him before discretely kicking him under the table.
But he seemed to have used too much strength, which startled Lu Jinnian,
and he accidentally clicked onto the voice message.

The assistant seemed to have used too much strength, which startled Lu
Jinnian, and he accidentally clicked onto the voice message.
At that moment, Qiao Anhao's soft and tender voice filled the meeting room.
"I'm watching the rerun of 'The Voice of China'."
In the voice message, the was a faint background noise. "The voice of china,
the most traditional herbal tea."
Silence fell in an instance. Mr. Lu was actually chatting with a girl and she
sounded familiar...
Even though no of the directors dared to speak, they started to give each
other weird glances.
Lu Jinnian lifted his lids, glancing at his assistant who was using his hands to
shield his face.
Just when everyone thought that he was going to burst in anger, he returned
his gaze back to his phone and started typing.
Everyone, even the assistant looked at him with disbelief.
The vice-president who sat on the other side of Lu Jinnian stuck his neck out
to glance at Lu Jinnian's phone—he was actually on Wechat, texting! There
was even a hint of a smile on his lips.
The company workers had never seen him smile like that before, so the vice-
president mustered up some courage to ask, "Mr. Lu, who are you talking to?"
"She's a girl."
"..." The meeting room went into silence, everyone digesting his words.
After Lu Jinnian had replied, he lifted his head to add, "I'm chasing her."
Best screen actor Lu who had never been in a scandal was actually chasing a
girl... The entire room went into a frenzy, losing the mood for a meeting in an
instance. The other directors continued to ask questions, encouraged by Lu
Jinnian's response.
"What kind of girl is she to be able to attract Mr Lu?"
"Mr. Lu, do you even need to chase her? I'm sure she's interested?"
Another female employee added enviously, "That girl must be pretty!"
Lu Jinnian's mood lifted, he had never expected such reactions from his staff.
He had wanted to avoid the topic to return back to business, but in that
instance, he seemed to have thought of something. "How do you chase a
girl?"
"When I chased my girlfriend, I spent a huge sum, spending a few thousands

per month."
"I chased my wife in university, we were classmates at that time. Just to get to
know her, I treated my entire class a month's worth of milk tea... After that, I
had to eat instant noodles for the next few months..."
"I gave mine a fresh flower every day. When I suddenly stopped, my wife
came after me..."
Lu Jinnian sat in his chair, taking in everyone's advice seriously. In the end, he
even knocked on his assistant's laptop, signaling him to make a record.
Just like that, a meeting on the new business deal became a reminisce of of
how everyone had chased girls.

Lu Jinnian knocked off work early that afternoon. It was the first time in so
many years, and it was also the first time that he yearned to return home, so
much so that he even ran past a red light.
When he finally reached Ming Zhu Garden, he held onto the keys to open the
door. As he changed into his house slippers, he shouted for Qiao Anhao, but
no one replied.
Lu Jinnian shouted her name once more, a frown denting his temples. With
only one slipper on, he rushed up the stairs into the changing room. Only
when he saw that her clothes were still inside did he finally heave a sigh of
relief, pulling out his phone to call her.
Qiao Anhao picked up instantly, but her background noise was very loud and
the phone signal was bad, her voice coming out in patches. Only after a while
did the background finally turn quiet. "What's wrong?"
"Where are you?"
"I'm in Cheng Jian building's supermarket."
The supermarket was near Ming Zhu Garden. Lu Jinnian walked there without
taking his car. Just when he reached the entrance of the supermarket, Qiao
Anhao walked out, carrying a huge bag of groceries.
Lu Jinnian hurriedly went forward.

Qiao Anhao reached for her phone. When she realized that it wasn't even 5
pm, she asked in confusion, "Why are you back so early?"
"There wasn't much work." Reaching for the bag, Lu Jinnian frowned, realizing
that it was filled with vegetables and condiments.
Qiao Anhao explained, "My appetite has been getting bad from eating out
everyday."
"Oh," he responded as they headed back, shoulder to shoulder.
The sun was about to set, the horizon a beautiful shade of red, brightening the
path as they strolled leisurely. There were many elderly couples strolling by as
well. Qiao Anhao turned to glance at Lu Jinnian's ridiculously handsome
features, and just then, she suddenly remembered a suitable phrase: My most
beautiful wish is to walk hand in hand with you under the sunset, enjoying the
cool breeze.
Qiao Anhao cooked while Lu Jinnian washed the dishes, their chemistry akin
to a newly married couple.
After their meal, the skies were still bright, so they decided to take a walk
outside. When they returned, Qiao Anhao held onto a box of strawberry
Häagen-Dazs, while Lu Jinnian held onto a bag filled with tidbits.
When they reached home, it was just 8 pm. Qiao Anhao curled up on the sofa,
watching television, a packet of chips in her arms.
Lu Jinnian came out of the study room with his laptop to sit beside her while
he attended to his work.
When the advertisement played, Lu Jinnian suddenly called for Qiao Anhao.
She turned with the chips in her hands. Lu Jinnian didn't look at her, his gaze
focused on the laptop screen, his fingers on the keypad. "Come over."
"Why?" she asked as she leaned over.
As she came close, a faint aroma flitted over, and Lu Jinnian's back tensed
instantly. Turning the laptop screen towards her, he spoke in his usual cold
voice.
"The company has a new modern movie where the male lead will be
confessing to the female lead. There have been a few ideas, but which one
would you prefer? Since you're part of the target audience, your suggestion
would be useful."

Qiao Anhao scanned the screen as she continued to munch on her chips.
When she realized that the venue was a prestigious hotel in Beijing, she
asked, "It's going to be filmed in Beijing?"
"Yea."
Qiao Anhao scanned through all the hotels before pointing to one of them.
"This one, you can see the palace through the window. If they were to eat
dinner here, the scenery would be beautiful and the scene would be amazing."
"Oh." Qiao Anhao tilted her head to continue scanning the description.
"Candle light dinner, girls prefer that... For flowers, you should use blue roses,
it'll look elegant, even though I prefer Chinese Bellflowers... For meals,
western... red wine..."
"Yea," Lu Jinnian repeated continuously, pretending to be seriously

considering her suggestions, but deep inside, he was silently memorizing
everything.
After Qiao Anhao was done with her suggestions, she curled back in her
corner to watch her show, while Lu Jinnian sat beside her, typing on his laptop
occasionally.
Qiao Anhao was watching a romance drama where the female lead was
dumped by her husband. She met with the rich male lead and the two of them
fell in love after their encounters, in the end. When they were prepared to get
married, the male lead's family strongly opposed her because of her past.
Before the advertisement, Qiao Anhao didn't think too much of the drama, but
after when she saw how resolutely the male lead's mother opposed the
female lead, she suddenly recalled that even though she didn't get a marriage
license, she was considered a divorcee to everyone... Would Lu Jinnian
despise her...
No matter how successful and confident a person was, in the face of their
deepest love, they would still magnify their own flaws, worried the other party
would mind.
Worry started to form in Qiao Anhao's mind, and the more she thought, the
more uneasy she became. In the end, she couldn't help lamenting to Lu
Jinnian, who sat beside her, "Oh god, I'm a divorcee just like the female lead,
so will I be despised like her as well? But I'm still young! Lu Jinnian, do you
think I won't be able to get married?"
When he heard her complain, he glanced at the screen to stare at the female
lead who was in tears as she broke up with the male lead. He lowered his
head to look back at his laptop, saying faintly, "If no one wants you, I'll marry
you."
Even though Qiao Anhao knew that he was just trying to comfort her, her
heart skipped a beat. Staring intently at the screen, she took a moment to
calm herself before smiling brightly. "Sure, when the time comes, I'm sure
everyone will be envious of me."
Lu Jinnian paused, his fingers turning stiff. He struggled to calm himself

before turning to look at Qiao Anhao.
Her profile shone under the light, her long lashes slightly curled, her dark eyes
staring straight at the screen, blinking occasionally.
When Qiao Anhao stopped hearing his typing, she turned over curiously,
colliding with his gaze.

Lu Jinnian's beautiful eyes were deep and bright, with a hint of a mysterious
glint. In just an instance, Qiao Anhao was mesmerized.
Just like that, the room narrowed in on them, and they could only see the
other in their eyes.
Lu Jinnian's eyes deepened. He stared for a long while before leaning closer.
Qiao Anhao had a tingling suspicion for what was to come, and her lashes
trembled, but she didn't try to hide.
Lu Jinnian's features magnified gradually, and just before his lips touched
hers, she shut her eyes. She could distinctively feel his warm breath on her
face, and her hands tightened on the sofa as she prepared for the kiss. But
just before he reached her lips, her phone rang.
Lu Jinnian stopped, staring at Qiao Anhao for a while longer before forcing
himself away.
Qiao Anhao flushed a deep shade of red. She glanced at her phone before
walking to the window to pick up. "Sis."
"Qiao Qiao, you moved out of Jiamu's mansion?"
"Yea."
"Then why didn't you come back to stay?"
"I intend to get an apartment in the city, didn't you get one for yourself as
well?"
"All right..." Qiao Anxia paused for a bit before adding, "If you see anything
you like, don't hesitate to get it."
Qiao Anhao hung up. When she turned, she saw Lu Jinnian walking out of the
bathroom.
In the past, they would use their deal as an excuse, but now that they decided
to be friends, their almost kiss seemed weird. Qiao Anhao averted her gaze,
while Lu Jinnian remained at ease. He glanced at the time. "It's getting late,
get some rest."
The words seemed to be Qiao Anhao's saviors. She nodded, hurriedly threw a
"Goodnight!", and ran up to her room.
Even though Lu Jinnian indeed wanted to do certain things, he was willing to

wait till after his confession, when she accepted him and they became an
official couple.
Yet even though that was his intention, that night at 1am, he was still
reminiscing about what almost happened on the sofa.
At night, Qiao Anhao was awakened by thirst, probably due to the ice cream
and chips that she had eaten earlier.
Using the glow from the staircase light, she ran down the stairs in her
nightgown. She poured herself a cup of water before throwing her head back
to down the water. Just then, the lights in the living room turned on.
Qiao Anhao jumped in shock, her hand trembling, spilling the contents onto
her chest. She turned, seeing Lu Jinnian walk out of the study room on the
first floor.
Qiao Anhao wore a white night gown, and now that it was wet, it was almost
transparent.
Lu Jinnian's gaze fell on the wet patch on her chest.
Qiao Anhao froze for an entire minute before snapping back to her senses.
She placed the cup down, and shielding herself with her hands, she ran
towards the stairs. As she brushed past Lu Jinnian, he suddenly reached out
to grab her hand, pressing her against the wall behind her. Lowering his head,
he covered her lips.

The bedroom was almost dark with only the faint, warm glow from the night
lamp in the corner of the bedroom. Lu Jinnian used his elbow to prop half his
body up as Qiao Anhao laid flat below him. His eyes brightened and dimmed
as he looked into her eyes, his breath unstable from the kiss.
His fiery gaze, or maybe the long absence of intimacy, caused Qiao Anhao to
feel increasingly more anxious, her face flushed as though it was their first
time.
Lu Jinnian stared at her, taking in her shy but mesmerizing expression. He

seemed to have been influenced as well, anxiety spreading across him. Even
though he had kissed her against the wall earlier on impulse, his senses had
already returned. His body was clearly aroused, and now that it had started,
he could no longer hold it in, but he still suppressed his inner desires to ask
her out of respect, "Qiao Qiao, can I continue?"
It wasn't a transaction, he wasn't a substitute - it was purely just the two of

them. Was it okay?
Lu Jinnian's voice was soft, with a hint of seduction, sending a shiver down
Qiao Anhao's spine. Her heart thumped rapidly, her lashes trembled, and
deep inside, she had already agreed. But how could she say it out and yet still
keep her dignity?
Lu Jinnian could no longer keep his desires. Impatient but not willing to force
her, he reached out his hand to pull her zipper slowly, as though seeking her
permission.
When his fingers brushed past her skin, a numbing sensation pulsed
throughout Qiao Anhao, sending desire down her spine. Instinctively, she
grabbed onto the bed sheets below her, and gradually, she shut her trembling
lashes.
Lu Jinnian had been focusing on her all this while. When he confirmed that
there wasn't disgust or unwillingness on her face, he mustered up his
courage, slowly pulling her nightgown off…
Even though it wasn't their first time, he was more careful than he had ever
been.
In the past, when it happened, it was either when they were drunk , he was
sick and unconscious, or when he wasn't willing to let her get close to other
guys, using the transaction as a reason. There was even once when he lost
control and raped her in the car out of jealousy for Xu Jiamu...
Truthfully, if a man really loves a woman, just looking at her is enough to stir
his desires. No matter the reason behind the act, the man would always feel
satisfied but every time it ended, he would feel lousy about himself if it was
under bad circumstances.
Tonight was the very first time that both Lu Jinnian's body and heart were able
to be satisfied and content.
Because this was the very first time he used only his own identity, that of Lu
Jinnian, to experience the most intimate act with her.
Maybe Qiao Anhao was too tired or maybe she was too sleepy, but when it
ended, she rested her head on his chest, falling into a deep sleep.
But Lu Jinnian was wide awake, his eyes open as he gazed at Qiao Anhao,
who was nestled in his arms, his heart agitated.
After a long while, he finally managed to fall asleep. The next morning, the
moment he opened his eyes, he looked down at Qiao Anhao, who was still in
his arms. Even though she was still fast asleep, everything felt surreal. He
reached out to caress her face, and it felt warm beneath his fingers. Only then
did he believe that the night before was not a dream.

In the past, when they acted as a couple, when he saw her in his arms still
asleep in the morning, it wasn't that he didn't feel happy or touched, but now,
everything was different. He felt a strong wave of emotion hit him, and he was
even a little moved.
Thirteen years, soon to be fourteen…. From the initial lack of capability to love
her to the forbidden deep love to finally being able to tell her he loved her. He
had to endure over five thousand nights... His net worth grew from below
three digits to over ten digits... He could finally love her.
Lu Jinnian was never an emotional person, but at that moment, moisture

started welling in his eyes.
Since he woke up, he had been staring at Qiao Anhao, as though he could
never get enough of her. Last night, she had fallen asleep on his arm, and
they remained in the same position through the night. Right now, his arms
were numb, but he didn't want to move an inch.
Only at 8 am did the alarm start to ring. Lu Jinnian carefully took Qiao Anhao's
head off his arm. Lowering his head, he placed a loving kiss on her forehead
before leaving the bed.
After preparing for work, he went to get breakfast for her and placed it in a
thermoflask. Only then did he finally head off to work, sending her a few texts
on his way to remind her to eat and that the gym card, the lounge card, and a
bank card were placed on the table. The gym and lounge cards could be used
in the mall nearby so that she could have some entertainment.
-
Qiao Anhao slept all the way till 10 am, her body weak and in pain. She
flipped to the side, hugging a blanket, and shut her eyes to continue resting.
Five seconds later, she seemed to have realized that she wasn't wearing
anything.
After a momentary freeze, her eyes flew open and she inspected her body - it
was covered in kiss marks. She turned and saw her nightgown peeping from
under the bed, that was when she recalled the events from the night before.
Without being under any form of transaction, they had made love...
A day ago, Qiao Anhao could still believe that they were still friends, but after
last night, they were no longer pure.
She hadn't seduced him the previous night. Regardless of how one saw it, it
was all Lu Jinnian. But he hadn't explained anything... What did he mean?
One night stand? Friends with benefits? Girlfriend? But Lu Jinnian hadn't even
confessed or officially asked her out...
Qiao Anhao's mind started to run. After a while, she still wasn't able to figure
out his intentions. Climbing off the bed, she went to wash up. When she
returned for her phone, she saw Lu Jinnian's text.
She came downstairs to the dinning table, taking in the cards that were on the
table. Behind the bank card, there was a small note with the password, Qiao
Anhao could tell that it was probably Lu Jinnian subsidiary card.
She stirred the porridge as she gazed at the cards, her mind in a mess.
As she ate in confusion, her phone suddenly rang. Glancing over, she saw
that it was from Lu Jinnian.

Qiao Anhao hesitated slightly before picking up the video call.
Lu Jinnian spoke without much emotion, but his voice wasn't as cold as usual.
"You're awake?"
Qiao Anhao swallowed the porridge in her mouth. "Mmh, why?"

"Nothing, I just wanted to know if you're awake." Lu Jinnian paused before
adding, "I'll be going to the western suburbs later on to play gold with Mr.
Zhang and Mr. Zhao."
Was he reporting his schedule? Why was he telling her about it?
Qiao Anhao secretly complained in her heart. Lifting her head, she looked out
the window at the bright sun. "The sun's really strong today, won't it be hot?"
"It's a indoor golf course."
"Oh," she replied before taking a bite of bread. Just then, she heard knocks on
the door coming from the phone. The next moment, Lu Jinnian responded,
"Come in." His face came back on the screen once again. "I'll get busy now."
"Mmh, bye."
When Qiao Anhao hung up, she pinched the bread as her mind wandered off.
After friends have sex, there are usually three scenarios—they pretend
nothing happened and continue being friends, they become a couple, or lastly,
they never meet again.
Qiao Anhao was quite sure that Lu Jinnian wouldn't choose the last option so
it was either the first or the second one...
But was it the friend or girlfriend one? Even though the two choices were only
a word apart, the status was worlds apart!
Qiao Anhao bit hard into the bread, remembering that Lu Jinnian had sought
her permission the night before. "Qiao Qiao, can I continue?"
He was seeking her permission... So why did he leave her a bank card and
why did he call to report his whereabouts...
Was he trying to test out being a couple?
Joy started to seep through her heart before it suddenly turned to worry... But
he had a girl he had been loving for thirteen years... Now that he was
interested in her, what if one day they grew apart?
While Qiao Anhao was fretting over her emotions, she finished her breakfast.
Just then, she seemed to have figured her status: semi-girlfriend, a little closer
than a friend but a little less than a real girlfriend.
Even though she always wanted to be with him, she had never dared to think
of hat actually happening, so now that he was her semi-boyfriend, she was
content... Maybe, if everything worked out, they would really get together...
The positiveness lifted Qiao Anhao's spirits instantly, and heading upstairs,
she changed into a pretty set of clothes. Grabbing the bank card from her
semi-boyfriend, she left for the mall nearby.
On her way, she received three calls from Lu Jinnian: one to tell her that he
had finished playing golf, another to inform her of his meeting at 3 pm, and the
last one to tell her not to wait for him as he would come back a little late
tonight.
It was four in the afternoon. Qiao Anhao was tired from all the walking, so she
found a cafe to take a rest. That was when she received her fourth call.
Chapter 527: If No One Wants You, I'll Marry You (28)

It was four in the afternoon. Qiao Anhao was tired from all the walking, so she
found a cafe to take a rest. That was when she received her fourth call.
At the time, Qiao Anhao had a straw in her mouth and had finished half of her
bubble milk tea that she bought from her semi-boyfriend's, Lu Jinnian's card.
In reality, the bubble milk tea tasted average, but because it was bought with
Lu Jinnian's money, Qiao Anhao felt like it tasted better than any she had
drank before.
By chance, there were two very fashionable young women sitting next to Qiao
Anhao. One of them raised her wrist and said to the other, "This is something
my boyfriend bought for me. He spent..." She made a hand gesture of the
number eight.
The other woman looked envious when she asked, "Eight million?"
"Eighty million!" The other woman showed off, revealing the price, causing a
glow of admiration to practically fall from the other woman's eyes.
At that sight, Qiao Anhao silently lowered her head and glanced at the
eighteen yuan bubble milk tea. She couldn't help but let out a long, sweet
sigh. As a semi-girlfriend, she sure was "cheap"...
Right after, her phone rang. Qiao Anhao thought it was Lu Jinnian at first, so
she pulled out her phone and picked up the call. When she was going to say
Lu Jinnian's name, she actually saw Qiao Anxia's name flash on the screen,
and awkwardly changed "Lu" for "Sis".
Qiao Anxia had no intention of talking nonsense. As soon as she opened her
mouth to speak, she was swift and decisive. "Qiao Qiao, did you see the news
just now?"
Qiao Anhao bit her straw, making noises as she sucked her milk tea. With a
blank expression on her face, she asked, "What news?"
"About Xu Enterprises," said Qiao Anxia, straight to the point. She took the
opportunity to lecture Qiao Anhao. "Qiao Qiao... In any case, you're a part of
the Qiao family. Could you please spend some time in your day to focus on
business news? Do you know what's happening with our Qiao Enterprise
stocks? Are you really planning to rely on the entertainment industry for the
rest of your life? Have you never thought about working at Qiao Enterprises..."
Qiao Anhao knew that there was no end to Qiao Anxia's topic, so she quickly
swallowed the tapioca in her mouth, and sweetly said, "Sis, Sis, I know. I'll put
things right, but first, get to the point. What happened with the Xu family?"
"The Xu family..." Qiao Anxia's tone instantly became serious. "The project
Aunt Xu recently spent several billions on fell through. They don't want to
cooperate with her anymore, and so that large sum of money was squandered
just like that.
"Then, there were problems with the food at the Xu Enterprises which led to a
dramatic fall in stock prices... In such a short afternoon, thirty percent of the
Xu Enterprise assets just dissipated in a puff of smoke... Not only that, but
now, someone bought a large amount of shares from the Xu Enterprise..."
"How could this happen?" A hint of anxiousness covered what was left of the
sweet expression on Qiao Anhao's face at the thought of being semi-
boyfriend/girlfriend with Lu Jinnian. "Hasn't business recently been going just
fine at Xu Enterprises?"
"Business was going great, but at the moment, someone must be trying to
sabotage the Xu family behind the scenes. Most importantly, nobody knows
who might be against them. All in all, things don't look good for the Xu family
right now."

"Sis... I scare easily, don't frighten me. What do you mean by 'things don't look
good'?"
"It means that Xu Enterprises might change its CEO."
"Change CEO?" Qiao Anhao pursed her bottom lip. "You mean to say that
there's a possibility Xu Enterprises might belong to someone else?"
Though Qiao Anhao didn't want it confirmed by Qiao Anxia, but most of the
time, things don't always turn out the way you want it.
Her sister stated, " Yes, and Qiao Qiao, though you and Xu Jiamu got a
divorce, our two families still have a good relationship. I just gave the Xu
family a call. I'm calling you now to tell you to give them a call."
Knowing that Xu Enterprises were in trouble, Qiao Anhao naturally would give
Xu Jiamu a call.
It took a long while for him to answer the phone. It seemed like he was very
busy. There were muted voices of people in a meeting, the sound of the door
opening and shutting, and finally Xu Jiamu's drained voice, "Qiao Qiao, what's
up?"
"Brother Jiamu, Anxia just called. She told me that somethings happened at
Xu Enterprises. How are you right now?"
"I'm all right." It seemed like Xu Jiamu had just lit up a cigarette, since Qiao
Anhao could hear the sound of him blowing out air through the phone. As she
was about to comfort him, a voice was came through. "Young Chief Xu, the
stocks have dropped again..."
"Qiao Qiao, I have to cut this short. I'm a little busy with something right now.
I'll give you a call back later," Xu Jiamu said incredibly fast and then
immediately hung up.
After listening to the beeping sounds from the phone for a long time, Qiao
Anhao pulled it from her ear and opened an internet browser. She entered Xu
Enterprises into the search engine to find news of their troubles and their
falling stock value. She also found a few articles by financial analysts
critiquing the Xu Enterprise.
Lu Jinnian's three o'clock meeting lasted until half four. His assistant later
gave him an important documents to sign. As Lu Jinnian flipped through it, his
assistant brewed him a cup of coffee.
When he came back with a cup, Lu Jinnian had just finished signing the
documents.
The assistant put the coffee on the desk. Lu Jinnian picked it up, took a sip,
but perhaps because it was too hot, he placed it back down on the desk. Then
he slid the signed documents in front of the assistant.
The assistant didn't grab for them. Instead, he pulled out his phone and put it
in front of Lu Jinnian. "Mr. Lu, this is the news that just came out." He paused,
then added, "About Xu Enterprises."
Lu Jinnian raised his hand and tapped the phone's screen to brighten it up a
little. He scanned through the contents of the news with no expression on his
face, then let out a gentle "mm". After a while, he asked, "How many of Xu
Enterprise's stocks have I bought?"
"Three percent short of fifty percent."
Lu Jinnian picked up the coffee on the table and took a gulp. Then he nodded
without a word and waved his hand to signal for the assistant to leave.
The assistant stood in front of the desk without moving.
Lu Jinnian pulled the coffee cup from his lips, lifted his eyes to glance at the
assistant to find that he looked rather hesitant. Lu Jinnian furrowed his brows
and asked, "Is there something else?"
"Mr. Lu, there's something I'm not sure if I should remind you..."

"Mr. Lu, there's something I'm not sure if I should remind you..."
"Remind me what?" replied Lu Jinnian callously. He casually grabbed the

notes he'd asked his assistant for that morning and flipped through them.
They were from yesterday's meeting about him going after a woman.
The assistant carefully said, "Mr. Lu, before I remind you, can I ask you a
personal question?"
Lu Jinnian's eyelids didn't raise when he said, "You may."
"Mr. Lu, in yesterday's meeting, the woman you said you were going to chase,
was it Miss Qiao?"
"Besides her, do you think I would have anyone else in mind?" Lu Jinnian
finally raised his eyes up and glanced over at his assistant with eyes full of
caution, as though to warn him not to test his limits.
The assistant was frightened by his look, and hurriedly shook his head. "No,
no one else."
The assistant was afraid Lu Jinnian would look deeper into it, and so hastily
cut to the point. "Mr. Lu, don't forget, when Miss Qiao's child died in the womb,
you kept that from her. She and the Xu family are very close. Xu Wanli and
Han Ruchu watched her grow up. If she finds out that you defeated the Xu
family... If she falls out with you, then what will happen?"
When Lu Jinnian heard about Qiao Anhao's miscarriage, he thought back to

the accident whilst filming "Heavenly Sword". At the thought of Qiao Anhao
already knowing that she had a miscarriage, his expression immediately fell.
The assistant was so scared, his legs shivered, as he thought it was because
he had insinuated that Miss Qiao would fall out with him. Afraid that Lu Jinnian
would get angry, and would get back at him, he hurriedly changed his words.
"Mr. Lu, I believe Miss Qiao would believe you. She'd definitely believe you.
She absolutely won't fall out with you!"
Lu Jinnian seemed like he was long used to his assistant's grovelling after
sharing his honest words of advice, so he just continued with no regards, "She
already knows about the child."
"Eh? Ah? Miss Qiao knows?" The assistant's eyes were practically going to
fall out, as he looked at Lu Jinnian in disbelief. "How did Miss. Qiao find out?"
The assistant remembered that only he and the doctor knew about Qiao
Anhao's miscarriage and swiftly cleared himself. "Mr. Lu, I promise you, I
didn't tell Miss. Qiao!"
"It was Han Ruchu," Lu Jinnian revealed, calm as ever.
The assistant secretly sighed in relief. Thankfully, Mr. Lu didn't doubt his
loyalty.
Lu Jinnian carried an auspicious air between his brows. "If Qiao Qiao hadn't
gotten into an accident during filming, I'd never have jumped down after her,
and she might've misunderstood me forever!"
"Han Ruchu is truly despicable!" The assistant firstly expressed his anger, but
then sill reiterated what he had just tried to remind him. "Mr. Lu, even if Miss
Qiao had a miscarriage, we don't have sufficient evidence to prove it. To
solely rely on the sleeping pills in the swallow's nest, it won't be enough to
convince her. If she doesn't believe Han Ruchu could really do it, then we
still..."
This time, the assistant learned well to leave some words be.
"I'll handle this." Indeed, Lu Jinnian had already though of a plan. When Qiao
Anhao and he were in danger, the only reason why he didn't tell her the whole
truth was because Han Ruchu was her future mother-in-law and her fiance's
mother. He didn't want to ruin the perfect imagine she had of her.
But now, things were different. Now, he had a chance to be with her.
Chapter 530: I've Loved You for Thirteen Years (1)

Lu Jinnian had to think of a plan to prove to Qiao Anhao that, back then, it was
Han Ruchu who had meddled with her pregnancy.
And he had already thought of one.
When the assistant heard Lu Jinnian's words, he completely relaxed. As he

hugged the documents, he compliantly said, "Mr. Lu, if there's nothing else, I'll
be on my way."
Lu Jinnian didn't say a word, and his expression reverted back to his usually
cold look. He went over his meeting notes from yesterday about getting a
girlfriend.
The assistant didn't disturb Lu Jinnian and silently turned around to leave. Just
as he opened the door, he was suddenly called to stop. "Wait."
"Mr. Lu, what are your orders?"
Lu Jinnian threw a document on the desk and said, "Based on these photos,
make the necessary preparations for me."
The assistant walked over and picked up the document. It looked like a
candlelit dinner with some kind of florescent lights. It was requested for the
lights to form the words: "Qiao Qiao, can I go after you?","Qiao Qiao, I've
loved you for thirteen years","Will you be my girlfriend, Qiao Qiao?".
As the assistant sneaked a glance, he couldn't help but compliment, "How

romantic! Mr. Lu..."
Then, he incidentally read the words on Lu Jinnian's mind, "I am only happy
when I'm with you... Qiao Qiao, will you..."
When Lu Jinnian wrote those words, they really came from his heart. He didn't
feel a certain way about them, but at that moment, when the assistant read
them out, he felt a little restless. It was the same feeling a young person would
have when he got close to the girl he liked.
Lu Jinnian's entire body felt agitated with embarrassment. His pale white face
had a layer of light red. He cleared his throat in annoyance, and said in an
extremely dark tone, "Get out!"
The assistant was so frightened, he swiftly stopped talking and didn't dare
take a deep breath. With the documents in his arms, he ran for the open door.
However, once again, before he could even reach it, Lu Jinnian asked with a
degree of uncertainty, "If I confess, what do you think the odds are that she'll
actually agree?"
With the documents in his arms, the assistant stopped walking, turned his
head to sneak a quick glance at Lu Jinnian. When he confirmed that there
wasn't a hint of anger, he turned his head and said in a flattering way, "Mr. Lu,
I think Miss Qiao will definitely agree!"
"Really?" asked Lu Jinnian in return. He then thought back to last night, when
he asked her if he could continue. She didn't reply, but when they had sex,
she didn't refuse either... so his chances of succeeding were quite high, right?
After reassuring himself, Lu Jinnian still didn't feel confident, and so he said to
his assistant, "What do you think of the confession plan?"
"Great! If I were a woman, I'd definitely be moved." Though the assistant was
flattering with his words, those were his true feelings. Mr. Lu had really put his
heart and soul into this confession plan. He felt that Mr. Lu must've planned it
for a really long time yesterday... What's more, he even chose a day to
confess - next Wednesday, on Chinese Valentine day... How romantic...
After being assured by his assistant, it was like Lu Jinnian had taken a chill
pill. His expression instantly became cold. "You can go now."
This time, the assistant didn't turn around when Lu Jinnian asked with little
confidence, "Are you sure my confession plan has no flaws? Take a good
look, is there something else that needs to be added? What about a gift? Do
you think it's all right?"
There were five days until the confession, and Lu Jinnian realized that he was
actually so nervous, he wasn't in the right mind.

"Mr. Lu, there really isn't a problem with it. It's already perfect." The assistant
expressed his honest opinion to Lu Jinnian. Seeing as he was still a little
anxious, he wanted to calm his nerves, so he looked all around him, and in
the end, grabbed a pile of documents from the table. He walked up to Lu
Jinnian, and said, "Mr. Lu, how about we play a game to see if the heavens
will allow your confession to succeed or not succeed?"
Lu Jinnian slightly nodded, then stared with rapt attention at the assistant's
test.
The assistant grabbed the first document and said. "Confession succeeds..."
He grabbed the second document. "Confession doesn't succeed..."
"Confession succeeds..."
"Confession doesn't succeed..."
When the assistant saw the last document, his expression instantly stiffened.
He didn't dare sneak a glance at Lu Jinnian.
How could the last document coincidentally be 'Confession doesn't succeed'!
In that split second, Lu Jinnian's expression froze over. With a light tone, he
helped the assistant reveal the answer, "Confession doesn't succeed?"
The assistant instantly felt a cold shiver crawl up his back. He quickly shook
his head and said, "Mr. Lu, it was a simple mistake. Let's go again now...
again... This time, I'll start with 'Confession doesn't succeed', then it'll end with
'Confession succeeds'..."
"Leave!" Before the assistant could finish, Lu Jinnian casually grabbed the
computer's mouse, and chucked it at the assistant. This time, the assistant
completely shut up, hugged the documents in his arm, and bolted out of the
office.
Lu Jinnian sat back in his office chair in rage. He raised his hand and
massaged his head. He stared at the documents his assistant counted just
now, then dawdled for a while, recounting, "Confession doesn't succeed...
Confession succeeds... Confession doesn't succeed... Confession
succeeds..."
"..."
"Confession succeeds!" Lu Jinnian looked at the last document, and slowly

said those two words. Then, he shut his eyes, and sat back into his chair. He
secretly thought that he'll definitely succeed. Definitely succeed!
Though Lu Jinnian called Qiao Anhao to say that he might be home late, and
for her not to wait for him to have dinner, he still managed to get out of his
dinner meeting and drive home early on his own.
On his way back, he gave Qiao Anhao a call, as he knew that she'd be eating
at the lower floor of the mall. And so, he drove directly to the parking lot of the
mall, and went to find her.
When Lu Jinnian arrived, Qiao Anhao had just finished eating. He casually
paid the bill, and seeing as it was early, he suggested that they go watch a
movie.
Qiao Anhao didn't mind.
As Lu Jinnian hadn't thought in advance what movie to watch, he chose the

one that was about to play.
When they sat down in their seats, the movie had already started. Lu Jinnian
froze as he realized that the female lead happened to be Lin Shiyi. He then
realized that Huan Ying Entertainment had invested in this movie half a year
ago, but it was only recently released in cinema.
He was so concerned with the time, that he completely didn't pay attention to
the cast. When this film was shot, Qiao Anhao hadn't entered the
entertainment industry yet, and Song Xiangsi was filming in Hollywood, so Lin
Shiyi was considered for the role of the female lead.
Lu Jinnian knew that Qiao Anhao and Lin Shiyi had never gotten along, yet
this was the movie he chose. He was a little afraid that she'd be unhappy, so
he turned to glance over at her, and whispered in her ear, "Who in the world
has such bad taste to cast such a crappy female lead?"

Lu Jinnian knew that Qiao Anhao and Lin Shiyi had never gotten along, yet
this was the movie he chose. He was a little afraid that she'd be unhappy, so
he turned to glance over at her, and whispered in her ear, "Who in the world
has such bad taste to cast such a crappy female lead?"
Of course, Qiao Anhao knew that Lu Jinnian was putting down Lin Shiyi to
make her happy.
Honestly speaking, Lin Shiyi was by far more strikingly beautiful on screen
than off. Though she wasn't exactly nicknamed the world's unrivaled beauty,
but her looks did stand out above the rest. All in all, she wasn't completely
terrible.
However, Qiao Anhao still disliked Lin Shiyi. She felt it especially after sitting
down to watch a film where she starred as the female lead. There was a hint
of discomfort in her heart at first, but after hearing Lu Jinnian's words, her
discomfort quickly turned to delight. She bit her straw and drank her hot
orange juice. With her eyes glued to Lin Shiyi, who had very fine make up on,
she said, "Is she that bad? I think she's all right..."
With those words, Qiao Anhao suddenly remembered that Lin Shiyi was a
signed actress under Huan Ying Entertainment. The only way she could have
gotten the female lead's role was through someone's ninety percent stake in
Huan Ying Entertainment. She then pulled out her phone and did a Baidu
search for this movie, to find that it was, in actual fact, a production by Huan
Ying Entertainment. The movie was targeted to celebrate Chinese Valentine's
day. What's more, the first name among the investors was: Lu Jinnian!
So he actually scolded himself for having bad taste... A sweetness spread

across Qiao Anhao's face, and a bright and touching smile took over her face.
She then tilted her head and forcibly asked, "So do you think I'm pretty?"
When Qiao Anhao left the house, she was afraid of being recognized, so she
wore a pair of black sunglasses. In that moment, whilst they sat in the cinema,
the screen was dark, and so she took the glasses off to watch the movie.
Without having applied any make up onto her brows, she looked clean and
energetic. The lights reflected off of the cinema screen and sent a sharp ray of
light into her eyes. She saw that Lu Jinnian's expression was blank when he
nodded and said without hesitation, "Pretty."
When Qiao Anhao heard his compliment, she handed her phone to him, and,
with a pout, said, "But you just said you had no taste! So you're saying I'm not
pretty enough?"
Lu Jinnian didn't think Qiao Anhao would actually use his own words against
him. He opened his mouth, but in that instant, he couldn't think of how to get
out of it. In the end, he decided to tightly shut his mouth.
Upon seeing Lu Jinnian's sunken expression, Qiao Anhao couldn't help but
smile. She turned her head and continued to look towards the screen. Who
knows if it was because of her good mood, but she no longer felt that Lin Shiyi
was that annoying.
Lu Jinnian, who sat beside her, focused every second on Qiao Anhao. Even
though he saw that she was really into the movie, he still felt like there was
something wrong in his heart. After a short while, he couldn't help but turn his
head to ask, "Qiao Qiao, do you want to go out for a walk?"
Qiao Anhao shook her head, and ignored him. She stared at the screen
without blinking, at the scene where the male and female leads were choosing
wedding dresses.
Lu Jinnian stayed quiet for about three minutes. He then pointed at Lin Shiyi's
crying face on the big screen, and, turning his head towards Qiao Anhao,
said, "Her acting skills are truly terrible. She's not even in character when she
cries!"
Qiao Anhao pretended she didn't hear and reached out for the popcorn beside
her. But, as she didn't look, she grabbed the air.

Lu Jinnian hastily grabbed a single popcorn and put it in Qiao Anhao's mouth.
Qiao Anhao glanced over at it and pulled her wandering hand back. She
snatched the popcorn away with her mouth, and continued to watch the
movie.
When Lu Jinnian noticed that Qiao Anhao had swallowed the popcorn in her
mouth, he immediately grabbed another and put it to her lips. Coincidentally,
that was when the screen showed a picture of Lin Shiyi in a wedding dress.
Then, with a helpless expression on his face, Lu Jinnian said, "They say,
women are the most beautiful when they wear a wedding dress. Now, who's
slapping themselves in the face? Here's an example of someone who's ugly in
a wedding dress."
Since the very start of the movie till now, every so often, Lu Jinnian would
nitpick something about Lin Shiyi. Finally, on her last nerves, Qiao Anhao
couldn't help but turn her head and look at him head on.
When Lu Jinnian met Qiao Anhao's eyes, he was about to act serious and
add, "Qiao Qiao, you'll definitely be the world's prettiest woman in a wedding
dress."
In the end, before he could speak, Qiao Anhao said in a slightly defeated tone
of voice, "Lu Jinnian, do you know that talking in the cinema is very rude?"
Lu Jinnian was so stunned, the words he wanted to stay got stuck in his
throat.
Qiao Anhao opened her mouth and munched the popcorn from his fingertips,
then continued to say, "Also, why are you paying so much attention to Lin
Shiyi? You're not into her, are you?"
Lu Jinnian promptly shook his head, about to explain himself to her, but Qiao
Anhao grabbed several kernels of popcorn and shoved them in his mouth.
She then made a "shhh" expression with her hands.
Lu Jinnian moved his lips, then shut them again. After a while, he whispered,
"Qiao Qiao, you know that's not what I meant."
Qiao Anhao didn't bother with Lu Jinnian and stared at the big screen with her
lips slanted. She opened her mouth, after having swallowed her popcorn, and
Lu Jinnian immediately grabbed another one and attentively put it in her
mouth. When he pulled his fingers away, he was intentionally or
unintentionally bit by Qiao Anhao. Though it wasn't strong, Lu Jinnian still felt
the numbness from fingertips travel to his heart.
He quickly pulled his fingertips away, and used his other hand to rub where
she'd just bit. He turned his head and looked at her, staring at the big screen
with a calm expression, though a layer of redness had clearly crept up her
ears. Lu Jinnian gulped, and completely calmed down.
It was ten in the evening when the movie ended. The supermarket on the
lower floor wasn't closed and Qiao Anhao wanted to eat watermelon, so the
two of them pushed a trolley into the supermarket.
After they chose a watermelon, they passed the snacks section. Lu Jinnian
casually grabbed a few bags of fruit puddings and nuts for Qiao Anhao to
snack on when she watched TV at night.
As they lined up in the queue, Lu Jinnian saw multicolored boxes on the shelf
by the counter, and thought back to last night. As there were no condoms in
the house when they had sex, at the final moment, he had to pull out, so as he
stood there in front of the shelf, he considered it for a moment. In the end, he
put a few boxes of extra thin condoms into the trolley.
When Qiao Anhao saw what Lu Jinnian was doing, her face started to burn
up. She turned her head to one side, pretending to have not seen what Lu
Jinnian was doing and pushed the trolley forward. She looked straight ahead,
not daring to look at what was in the trolley. Every now and then, her heart
would randomly pick up speed, when she saw several of those small boxes in
her peripheral vision.
Chapter 534: I've Loved You for Thirteen Years（5）

The supermarket was about to close, so it was very crowded. Lu Jinnian was
afraid that Qiao Anhao might get lost, so he held onto her throughout their
entire grocery trip.
The supermarket was near where they stayed, so instead of getting his car,
they decided to walk back.
The night breeze blew softly and the street lamps cast a warm glow. Lu
Jinnian held the grocery bag in one hand and held Qiao Anhao's hand in the
other. The walk was short, the endless cars zooming by, continuously honking
their horns. There were still people at the bus stop and there were others
below the bridge singing...
Qiao Anhao could feel her palm start to sweat in Lu Jinnian's hand, and she
turned over to gaze at the man that was much taller than she was, his
handsome looks shinning under the warm glow by the street lamp. She
counted the street lamps as she walked, and she suddenly wondered what
she was feeling now that they were a semi-couple... Was this semi-dating? It
was sweet, it was warm and there was a hint of agitation... It was the feeling
of bliss that she had never felt before.
Once they returned home, Qiao Anhao headed upstairs to take a shower.
When she came back down, Lu Jinnian had already showered in the
bathroom on the first floor. He wore a light colored lounge wear as he sat on
the sofa having a video call. In front of him was half a watermelon and a
spoon.
When Qiao Anhao walked over, Lu Jinnian lifted his head to glance at her.
When he realized that she was wearing a sling nightgown, he closed the video
and started to type instead.
Since he was busy working, Qiao Anhao didn't disrupt him. She sat in the
corner and switched on the television. Hugging the watermelon in front of her,
she dug the spoon in to take a bite. Halfway through his work, Lu Jinnian
turned to look at her curiously, he even reached out to wipe the watermelon
juice off the corners of her lips.
Qiao Anhao decided to be nice, she reached out to place a piece of

watermelon in his mouth. Lu Jinnian opened his mouth to accept the
watermelon. Raising his hands, he caressed her head indulgently before
continuing to work on his laptop.
After the first bite, she started to feed him more... Halfway through, she
glanced at his laptop screen, the screen was packed with complicated
statistics and information that she didn't understand. Without asking him, she
continued to feed him. In that moment, her spirits were high and she could
see herself as the free loader that Lu Jinnian kept at home. He would be in
charge of earning money to feed her while she was in charge of eating and
drinking.
She had finished a third of the watermelon and was feeding the rest to Lu
Jinnian.
He seemed to be engrossed in his work, but whenever her spoon

approached, he would automatically open his mouth to accept the
watermelon.
Just then, an advertisement started to play. Out of boredom, Qiao Anhao

decided to tease him just like before with the prawns.. She placed
watermelons seeds on the spoon and fed him as usual. Indeed, he swallowed
the entire spoon without even looking, causing her to burst into laughter.
Only when Lu Jinnian heard her laughter did he realize that something was
wrong... He bent his head to spit out the seeds before closing his laptop.
Turning, he pounced on Qiao Anhao.

Lu Jinnian grabbed Qiao Anhao's waist and started to tickle her. She tossed
and turned until finally tears streamed out. When Lu Jinnian saw the tears, his
expression turned serious instantly, as he gazed at her with bright eyes.
Qiao Anhao gradually stopped laughing. With her eyes wide, she collided with
his gaze. She could see a thick layer of desire in his glazed eyes. Biting onto
her lip, she lowered her lashes. Lu Jinnian lowered his head, covering her lips.
With one hand, he started to pull her nightgown away, and with the other, he
dug through the grocery bag for the bag of condoms he'd bought earlier.
Covering her mouth aggressively, he deepened the kiss until they were both
fully naked. With both hands, he tore the box open, puling out a condom...
The night was deep, the room was silent, the light buzzing from the air-
conditioner could be heard along with two people's breathing... After an
intense exercise, Qiao Anhao nestled in Lu Jinnian's arm like a lazy cat.
Lu Jinnian slouched on the pillow, his breathing unstable as he caressed her

hair softly.
The living room was filled with the scent of their love making, melting both
their bodies and their hearts.
After lying for a long while, Qiao Anhao finally regained some strength, and
turning, found a more comfortable position. In the past, she would pass out
after such an intense workout, but today, she felt unusually awake. She
listened to the powerful thump of Lu Jinnian's heart, basking in the beautiful
afterglow.
Lu Jinnian moved slightly and broke the silence. "What have you done
today?"
Qiao Anhao thought for a while before giving him a detailed rundown of her
day.
The details were boring and mundane: she shopped, ate, and bought some
stuff, she even reported how much she had spent... But Lu Jinnian listened
attentively. Qiao Anhao even reached over to her phone to show him the two
bracelets she had bought, asking his opinions on them. Truthfully, Lu Jinnian
felt that all pearl bracelets looked similar but he still reassured her that it
looked pretty.
Qiao Anhao even told him how she used the card on a cup of milk tea. Just
then, she remembered the call from Qiao Anxia. She lifted her head slightly.
His jaw was directly above her head, and the tiny stubble tickled her. She
raised her hand to caress it lightly before asking, "Lu Jinnian, do you know
that the Xu family is in trouble?"
Lu Jinnian never expected her sudden question, so he hesitated before
replying with a "Mmh".
"Anxia said that someone was behind it. But the Xu family didn't offend
anyone, I wonder who it is..."
Qiao Anhao nagged a bit before seemingly thinking of something. She

crawled out of his embrace to stare into his eyes. "Lu Jinnian, I called Brother
Jiamu this afternoon, and he didn't sound too good. You guys have always
been close, you should call him to show some care."

"Sure."
Lu Jinnian raised his hand to caress Qiao Anhao's back softly, sending a
tremble down her spine. Before she could continue the conversation, he
pressed her below him, sealing her lips.
The temperature in the room heated instantly, and Qiao Anhao's mind started
to wander. An uncontrollable, soft murmur escaped her lips...
After Lu Jinnian was finished with Qiao Anhao, she fell into a deep sleep.
He climbed out of bed, pulled out a piece of wet tissue to give her a quick
clean, and returned to hug her to sleep.
The next morning was a weekend, and Lu Jinnian didn't set an alarm as he
didn't need to work. Only when Qiao Anhao rouse did he finally open his
tightly shut eyes. Groggy and in a daze, he bit on her ears, softly murmuring
"Morning" before pressing her under him once again...
The next time they woke up, it was already noon. Lu Jinnian carried the
exhausted Qiao Anhao into the bathroom for a shower. When he was done,
he blow dried her hair before placing her back onto the bed. Quietly heading
downstairs, he ordered takeout for when she woke up.
Soon after, the food arrived. Lu Jinnian arranged it on the table before
heading upstairs to wake Qiao Anhao up.
After they had their meal, Lu Jinnian suggested going to the suburbs to enjoy
the hot spring since the weather was good.
There was a famous temple situated on top a tiny hill near the hot spring.
Since Qiao Anhao wanted to pray, Lu Jinnian willingly obliged, but after their
intense lovemaking the previous night and the consecutive morning, Qiao
Anhao was too weak for the climb. She started to pant before they had even
passed the foot of the hill, and turning to Lu Jinnian, she started to complain.
Lu Jinnian's hugged her waist, coaxingly suggesting to visit the next day,
saying they could enjoy the hot spring instead. Bending down, he picked her
up and carried her all the way back to the car, only then did her darkened face
start to clear.
At night, Lu Jinnian kept to his words and didn't touch her, silently hugging her
till daybreak. And on the very next day, he really brought her up to the temple.
But even after a good night's rest, she was exhausted after ascending and
descending the hill. Kneeling down on the ground, she wasn't willing to take
another step, and in the end, Lu Jinnian succumbed to his fate, carrying her
back to the car.
Qiao Anhao slept the entire ride back. When they finally reached home, she
quickly ate, showered, and climbed early into the bed.
While she slept, Lu Jinnian worked on his documents. When he finished, it

was already 11 pm. He silently entered the bedroom, carefully climbing onto
the bed. Pulling her into his embrace, he kissed her forehead lightly.
Just then, Qiao Anhao stirred. In a half-awake state, she rubbed her head
against his shoulder, humming lightly "Mmh Mmh". This night, yet again, Lu
Jinnian wasn't able to control his inner desires, pressing her under him for one
round before releasing her back to her sleep.
Just like that, their beautiful weekend ended, bringing about a busy week.
The next day, the moment Lu Jinnian sat down at his desk, he saw a post,
reminding him that Valentines day was on Wednesday.
There were only two days left...

His heart raced. He was anxious but at the same time excited for what was
about to come.
On Monday afternoon, Qiao Anhao carried a big bag of grocery home. While
she was preparing her meal, she received a text from Lu Jinnian. [Lets have
dinner on Wednesday at 8 pm]

Today was Monday, so there were still two more days to Wednesday.
Besides, why couldn't he tell at home if it was just dinner? Why send it through
a text? And why two days in advance...
Qiao Anhao replied with an [Oh.] as she continued to ponder.
Lu Jinnian exhaled, shutting his eyes as he repeated the confession that he

had prepared earlier. One word at a time, he pictured himself saying it. When
he was sure that everything was perfect, he straightened, continuing with his
work.
But the moment he started to read the documents, his mind started to wander.
In the end, he put away the documents and pressed onto a line on the
telephone. "Prepare the car, I'm going to Li Jing Xuan."
Due to Lu Jinnian's unending requests, the preparation for the venue for his
confession was already underway even though it was two days away.
Lu Jinnian's venue was set in the only open-air private room on the top floor of
Li Jing Xuan. The moment Qiao Anhao lifted her head, she would see a sky
full of stars. When she turned to the side, she would be able to see the night
view of the forbidden palace. The view was perfect from all angles, regardless
of where she decided to look.
When Lu Jinnian reached the place, there were a few workers on the balcony
hanging the colorful lights. Once one of the sides was fully decorated, the
manager switched on the lights to test the effects. The colorful lights sparkled,
but since it was still daytime, so it wasn't especially beautiful.
The last lights that were turned on were the red at the back with the words:
"With you this year, everything is good." Lu Jinnian's heart squeezed, he felt
emotional when he saw the words light up.
On the side of the balcony, there was a wooden table with a large, European
style vase nestled on top. The vase was empty, without any flowers, but there
was white lace covering it.
As the manager explained the details, he pointed to the stone table at the side
of the room. "Mr Lu, we would place a bunch of fresh Chinese Bellflowers over
there, and there would be candles surrounding them. Just as you requested,
we specifically invited a western chef from overseas to prepare your meal that
day, the red wine you requested for has also been prepared...
"In order to heat up the atmosphere, we would also decorate the edge of the
balcony with colorful flowers. When the night wind blows, their aroma would fill
up the place..."
While the manager explained the preparations, Lu Jinnian checked every

nook and cranny, ensuring that everything was perfect. Nodding, he instructed
uneasily, "All the flowers must be the freshest and sent by air... The theme is
pink and white, Qiao Qiao doesn't like bright red flowers...
"For the lilies, choose the milky yellow colored ones, in the past, she had
stared at those flowers in the magazine for a long while... There must be a lot
of Chinese Bellflowers, it's her favorite flower... Order every color... Oh, the
steak has to be fully cooked, Qiao Qiao doesn't like blood in her steak.. For
fruits, she likes..."
Lu Jinnian had wanted to just inform the manager of her favorite things, but in
the end, he repeated every single detail from his order.
On the way out of Li Jing Xuan, he saw a shop selling male clothes. Just then,
he seemed to have thought of something new. Facing his assistant, who was
driving, he said, "Oh, remember to choose a new set of clothes for me
tomorrow, everything from inside to outside must be new. Everything."

Only on Wednesday morning did Qiao Anhao realize it was Valentines day.
In the past, when Lu Jinnian woke up for work, he wouldn't wake her. Today
however, this Wednesday morning, before he got off the bed, he kissed her till
she woke up and whispered into her ear, "Qiao Qiao, don't forget, we have a
date tonight."
Sleep deprived, Qiao Anhao yawned. With half open eyes, she nodded. "I
know"
"Remember, at 6.30 pm, I'll get someone to drive you," Lu Jinnian added,
nagging and emphasizing the importance once more.
This time, Qiao Anhao didn't make a sound. She nodded while turning on her
other shoulder, trying to get back to sleep. Just then, he continued, "Qiao
Qiao, I'm going to work now, don't forget about dinner."
After getting 'tortured' by Lu Jinnian for almost the entire night, Qiao Anhao
was sleepy and exhausted, and now that he was nagging continuously, she
started to feel her morning grogginess. Grabbing a pillow, she smashed Lu
Jinnian's body violently, shoving his nag back into his stomach.
After he had showered, dressed, and prepared for the day, he walked back to
the room. Turning to look at the bed, he reminded Qiao Anhao once more,
"Qiao Qiao, I'm going now. Remember..."
Another pillow came flying over, and Lu Jinnian raised his hands to catch it
before tossing it onto the sofa at the side. Leaving the room, he carefully shut
the door behind him.
Silence finally returned to the bedroom. Qiao Anhao laid on the bed but
couldn't fall asleep anymore. Flipping over, she sat up and reached for her
phone out of habit, to look at the time. Just then, Lu Jinnian's text came in.
[Qiao Qiao, tonight, dinner.]
Qiao Anhao wanted to break down. She smashed her phone on the bed
before covering her head with the blanket in frustration.
What day was it today? Why did he emphasize the dinner so much and so
often?
She reached for her phone to look at the calender, but there wasn't anything
special. She then looked at the Chinese calender and instantly realized that it
was the seventh of July! Chinese Valentines day!
Valentines day....
The words repeated in Qiao Anhao's mind several times before she suddenly
processed the meaning of the day.
Lu Jinnian had asked her out for dinner on Valentines day... Was he inviting
her to celebrate Valentines day with him? But its a day for lovers... Did that
mean that she was about to be promoted to his girlfriend?
Having lost all her sleepiness, she headed to the mall nearby to first get a
facial done and then her hair set. After making sure that her hair was perfect,
she got her makeup done professionally. Only then was she satisfied with how
she looked.
When she came out of the beauty salon, she realized that the mall was filled
with Valentines day advertisements.

When she came out of the beauty salon, Qiao Anhao realized that the mall
was filled with Valentines day advertisements.
She glanced at the time, there were approximately six hours till their dinner
date. Since she was bored, she decided to shop around the male section to
find a Valentines day present for Lu Jinnian.
Regardless of how rich or poor someone was, the way they celebrated
Valentines day was similar - have a meal, watch a movie, and exchange gifts.
The only difference was that a richer person would spend much more.
The entire mall was flooded with females with the same mindset as Qiao
Anhao; they all were looking for gifts for their loves ones. Even thought the
mall was unusually crowded, all the customers seemed to be women.
Some came by themselves, just like Qiao Anhao, while others came in pairs.
When she passed by a glass window, she heard two ladies discussing which
outfit better suited one of theirs boyfriend. Qiao Anhao glanced over, seeing a
bright smile and blissful expressions on their faces. At that moment, she
started to wonder if she too had that look on her face.
After browsing through several stores, she settled on a tie.

The queue to the cashier was a little long, and, out of boredom, Qiao Anhao
lifted her head to look at the television hung above the cashier. The news was
currently airing, reporting random events. Just when it was about to be her
turn, she heard a familiar name in the conversation behind her.
"Oh god, I never expected that in less than a month, Xu Enterprise will be
about to change owners."
"How is it?"
"Look at the news! Xu Enterprise recently held a board meeting, and someone
had bought over 53% of their shares, becoming the largest shareholder in the
company. The first thing he did was fire Xu Wanli and Han Ruchu..."
"Who is it?"
"It's not stated.... Oh, its out... It's Huan Ying Entertainment's CEO Lu
Jinnian..."
"Oh god, my male god bought Xu Enterprise!"
...
Lu Jinnian bought Xu Enterprise?
Qiao Anhao's heart trembled. She instinctively turned over to look at two
speakers who were holding onto their phones as they spoke. She fished out
her own phone, and the moment she entered the news site, the newest
headline was out: Xu Enterprise mystery buyer, the largest shareholder
exposed!
Qiao Anhao stared at the headline, hesitating before clicking on it. Initially, she
didn't have the courage to look, but after taking a deep breath, she mustered
enough to move her eyes to the text.
'Xu Enterprise biggest shareholder is Lu Jinnian, who was awarded for six
consecutive years as the Best Screen Actor and who is also the CEO of Huan
Ying Entertainment. On the day of Xu Enterprise board meeting, using 53%
shares, he became the person with the biggest say…'
Qiao Anhao stared at the screen for a long while, repeatedly going over the
words "Lu Jinnian" before finally digesting the article.
Qiao Anhao stared at the screen for a long while, repeatedly going over the
words "Lu Jinnian" before finally digesting the article.
Why would he buy Xu Enterprise?
When did he start to plot the takeover?
Why didn't she realize anything in so long?
Qiao Anhao was in a mess. She stood motionless for a long while until the
person behind kindly reminded her, "Excuse me, it's you turn to pay." Only
then did she slowly get back to her senses, but even then, she couldn't seem
to react.
The cashier seemed irritated by Qiao Anhao. Impatiently, she knocked on the
table. "Miss? Hurry up."
She passed her item over, then suddenly realizing something. She reached
for her phone and dialed a number, but it didn't go through. Quickly, she
dialed for Lu Jinnian's assistant.
"Miss Qiao."
When she heard the assistant's polite voice, she shut her eyes to calm herself
before asking, "Where's Lu Jinnian?"
"Mr. Lu is in his office..." Before he could finish his sentence, Qiao Anhao
hung up. Ignoring the cashier in front of her, she left, running towards the
staircase.
Qiao Anhao ran all the way out of the mall. When she reached the road, she
jumped into a cab that someone else had hailed for. Turning to face the
person, she apologized multiple times before telling the driver the address,
"Huan Ying Entertainment, thank you."
Xu Jiamu was a good friend she had grown up with. If it wasn't for him, she
would have never been able to get together with Lu Jinnian. If it wasn't for
him, she would have never easily ended her marriage... Xu Jiamu was always
a brotherly figure, protecting her selflessly, but Lu Jinnian was the man she
was in love with for thirteen years.
The same blood flowed in their veins, and she wished that they would both be
happy. She didn't want anything to get between them, so she wanted to clarify
Lu Jinnian's motives.
After the news were exposed, Lu Jinnian's phone never stopped ringing.
Every time a call came in, he would briefly glance at the phone, never once
accepting. His calm demeanor seemed to show his confidence as he waited
for one specific call.
The call came in earlier than expected. When he saw the words "Han Ruchu"
on the screen, his lips curled into a smirk. Staring without a blink at the
screen, he slowly placed the document he was working on aside and
accepted the call. Casually, he strolled to the window, not saying a word. His
eyes seemed to turn to ice.
After a long moment of silence, Han Ruchu, who had always been strong in
the face of a crisis, finally broke down. "Why did you do it? You..."

"Will you even be able to look at Jiamu, who once saved your life? In all these
years, he has treated you so well, have you forgotten? Do you even have a
heart!"
Lu Jinnian, who had remained rather quiet all this time, didn't wait for Han
Ruchu to finish what she had to say. He suddenly, asked her mockingly, "Mrs.
Han, was this all you wanted to say?"
Before she could speak, someone else had said it all... In that moment, Han
Ruchu kept her silence on the phone.
This time, Lu Jinnian, didn't remain quiet like Han Ruchu. Instead, he
continued to speak in a calm voice, but there was a pressing tone in his voice.
"I can tell Xu Jiamu everything I did with a clear conscience! What about you?
Mrs. Han, could you do the same? As a mother, could you honestly say that
you've done things with a clear conscience?"
"What a joke! You stole what belongs to Jiamu. You're here talking to me
about having a clear conscience, but don't you forget you're an illegitimate
child that should have never been born onto this earth! You mother was a
shameful mistress. As Jiamu's birth mother, how could I have a guilty
conscience?"
Even if Lu Jinnian one day stole Xu Enterprise after she painstakingly built it
up for almost thirty years, Han Ruchu would still talk with the same confidence
in her tone. She continued to speak ill of Lu Jinnian and his mother. "Let me
tell you, even if Xu Enterprise becomes yours, you still can't change the fact
that you're an illegitimate child. Nor can you change the fact that your mother
was a prostitute!"
Lu Jinnian's brows flashed with a hint of malevolence. He tightened his grasp

on his phone and said, "Yes. That's right. My mother was a prostitute. My
mother was a mistress who gave birth to me, but she received her just
rewards. I've also received mine, but even if my mother was lackluster, in my
eyes, as her son, she was still a good mother, a great mother. Better than a
murderer like yourself!"
In that moment, Han Ruchu's confidence was clearly shaken. "What do you
mean by that?"
Lu Jinnian had no intention of letting Han Ruchu have a single word in, asking
rhetorically, "I wonder, if Jiamu knew that his own mother's hands were so
stained with blood, they didn't even show mercy to a two month old baby...
Just with what kind of eyes do you think he would look at this kind of mother
?"
Han Ruchu was somewhat clever. With Lu Jinnian's first sentence, she could
already guess what he meant. Now, under Lu Jinnian's questioning, she
instantly understood. "So you knew."
"Yes, of course I knew. Qiao Anhao's miscarriage was all thanks to your
sleeping pills in her swallow's nest. Mrs. Han, you made such careful
preparations, but what a shame, you slipped up and revealed a flaw in your
plan."
"When did you find out?" asked Han Ruchu.
Lu Jinnian didn't say a word.
After a while, Han Ruchu looked as though she had realized something and
said, "So, the only reason why my several dozen billion investment got
scrapped was because you were scheming behind it all? Was it also you who
added fuel to the fire when Xu enterprises stocks fell? Your purpose for all this
was to devour the Xu enterprise and leave Wanli and me with nothing! Am I
right?"

Lu Jinnian had no intention of hiding, so he admitted, "That's right."
"Just what will make you stop? I did this single-handedly. You can come at
me..."
Having gotten the evidence he wanted, Lu Jinnian had no intention of rattling

on with her nonsense... He didn't wait for Han Ruchu to speak again, saying in
an unsympathetic and arrogant voice, "Mrs. Han, if you called hoping that I'll
let you off, let me tell you this... don't even think about it!"
When Lu Jinnian finished speaking, he hung up the call. With a dark

expression on his face, he walked over to the office desk and pushed the
intercom. His assistant was quick to knock on the door and come in.
Lu Jinnian directly gave him the phone and said, "Take out the voice recording
and upload it onto a recording pen. I need it for tonight."
The Xu family.
When Han Ruchu heard "doot doot doot" sounds from the disconnected call,
she cried out a few times, before ruthlessly smashing the phone to the floor.
Because she was so angry and felt so done in, Han Ruchu's face was
particularly unwell looking, and her chest heaved non-stop.
"Madam, don't be so angry..." cried the housekeeper, trying to calm her.

Seeing as Han Ruchu had rushed over to the sofa and started to sway, the
housekeeper hurriedly went over to support her to a seat. "Madam, are you all
right?"
Han Ruchu tightly clenched her fists, fire burning deep in her eyes. The
flames burned bright, until after a while, she muttered, "He knows what
happened. He knows that I was the one who killed Qiao Qiao's baby."
A flash of panic crossed Han Ruchu's eyes. "If Jiamu finds out, then he'll
definitely blame me..."
At this point, Han Ruchu suddenly paused, as though she had thought of
something. She pointed at the home phone on the side and said, "Quickly,
give Jiamu a call, say that I'm..."
Then, Han Ruchu whispered something in the housekeeper's ear.
As the housekeeper listened, she replied in a quiet voice, "Yes, Madam."
When Han Ruchu finished speaking, she immediately went over to the home
phone and dialed Xu Jiamu's number. She waited for the call to go through,
then said with a panicked expression on her face, "Oh no, Young master! Just
now, Madam fainted out of anger... Not because of Xu enterprises, but from
your brother's call. He said something about meddling behind Madam's
several billion investment and causing Xu Enterprise stocks to fall.
"It was all because of how Sir and Madam treated his mother all those years
ago. So now he wants them to taste what it feels like. That's the gist of what
he said, but I'm not particularly clear on the details... Anyways, young master,
come home first to see Madam..."
Once the housekeeper was off the phone, Han Ruchu asked, "How was it?"
"The young master sounds very angry. He said that he's on his way home.
Madam, shall I go call the family doctor over? First, get some rest upstairs, so
that the young master doesn't see through your plan."
Han Ruchu gently nodded and stood up from the sofa. With the housekeeper
alongside her, they walked up the stairs.
As they walked up the stairs, the housekeeper said, "Madam, to be able to

come up with this, it's all thanks to your quick reaction. Young master is your
son, so your hearts are bound as mother and son. When he hears that the
bastard made you faint out of anger, he certainly won't bother with what the
bastard has to say."

Xu Jiamu's car stopped at Huan Ying Entertainment's entrance and he walked
through the lobby. There was a new woman at the front desk whom he didn't
know. She politely stopped him and asked who he was looking for.
Xu Jiamu was about to give her Lu Jinnian's name when the phone in his
pocket rang. He made a hand gesture at the woman at the front desk to wait,
then walked to one side to take the call.
From the housekeeper's words, Xu Jiamu's expression gradually grew

enraged. In the end, he didn't even think twice as he hung up the phone and
completely ignored the questions from woman at the front desk. He walked
over to the elevator with a livid look, pressed the button, and headed straight
for the top floor.
When the elevator doors opened, Xu Jiamu walked straight to Lu Jinnian's

office. On his way, he passed Lu Jinnian's elderly secretary whom he knew.
She hurriedly got up and politely greeted him, "Mr. Xu, are you're here to see
Chief Lu?"
Xu Jiamu didn't even bother with the secretary, pushing open the door of Lu
Jinnian's office and barging in.
Lu Jinnian was sitting at his desk, talking on the phone, when he heard the
loud bang of the door. He lifted his head to find Xu Jiamu's furious face. He
said "Apologies" into the phone and put it down. He stood up, walked around
his desk and over to the door, which Xu Jiamu had pushed open, and shut it.
"Lu Jinnian, why are you closing the door? Are you afraid that your staff
outside will hear about all the nasty things you've done?" Xu Jiamu didn't wait
for Lu Jinnian to close the doors before erupting in a fit of rage, and choked Lu
Jinnian's collar.
Ferocity flashed across his eyes as he spoke with a vicious expression. "Lu
Jinnian, you've done it! First, you lure my mother into a several dozen billion
investment, then use it to run the Xu Enterprise stock value to the ground and
buy a large amount for yourself! I really didn't know that you had this trick up
your sleeve. You really hid it well. After I treated you as a biological brother all
these years, in the end, this is how you treat me, right? I'm fucking telling you,
your mother was the lowly prostitute, not mine..."
Xu Jiamu's final words instantly made Lu Jinnian's expression run cold. His
eyes were frozen with anger when he said in a low voice, "Done talking?"
As his words dropped, he raised his hand and yanked Xu Jiamu's hands off of
his collar. Then said in a heavy tone, "I don't want to talk to you about
personal matters during business hours... Even if we were to discuss it, I won't
discuss it with how irrational you are right now. So, if you're done speaking,
leave now. I'll pretend as though I never heard what you just said!"
"Lu Jinnian, don't try to act all high and mighty with me. What fucking right do
you have to act all high and mighty in front of me..."
When Xu Jiamu finished speaking, Lu Jinnian suddenly pulled open the

meeting room door and pointed outside. "I'm going to say this again. I do not
handle private matters during business hours. I'm giving you two options,
either you leave on your own, or I will call security to make you leave!"
With his final word, Lu Jinnian glanced towards the open door and then at
Qiao Anhao's pale face standing on the other side of the door. He twitched his
lips but never pulled his eyes away from her.
"Lu Jinnian, you better pray that nothing happens to my mother. If anything
does happen, then I'll be sure to get you!"

With his final word, Lu Jinnian glanced towards the open door and then at
Qiao Anhao's pale face standing on the other side of the door. He twitched his
lips but never pulled his eyes away from her.
"Lu Jinnian, you better pray that nothing happens to my mother. If anything
does happen, then I'll be sure to get you!" Xu Jiamu gritted his teeth when he
finished speaking, turned, and walked, incredibly angry, out of the office.
When Xu Jiamu came in front of Qiao Anhao, her heart was a little panicked.
Lu Jinnian was the one who clearly did this, but she felt like she was the one
who particularly let Xu Jiamu down. She cried in a low voice, "Brother Jiamu."
When Xu Jiamu heard Qiao Anhao's voice, he slightly slowed down a little, but
didn't stop. He brushed her shoulders on his way out.
Qiao Anhao instinctively turned around, chased after Jiamu and grabbed his
sleeve. "Brother Jiamu, don't be so angry..."
Xu Jiamu's footsteps were firm and his lips were tightly pursed, face still filled
with rage. He wanted to say something to Qiao Anhao, but at that moment, he
was simply not in the mood to talk. In the end, he gave a gentle nod, then
forcibly pulled his sleeve from her grip. As he strode into the elevator, he
never turned his head, and left.
Lu Jinnian looked at the scene unfolding in front of him. The sight of it was
hard to watch, so he instinctively lowered his head. He straightened out his
clothes that Xu Jiamu had creased up. He only lifted his head when he heard
the sound of the elevator. Then he said to Qiao Anhao, who was not too far
away, "Come in."
Qiao Anhao stood at the spot for a long time before she turned around.
Without making a sound, she walked into Lu Jinnian's office.
Lu Jinnian shut the door and pointed at the sofa, offering her a seat. Then he
asked, "Do you want something to drink?"
Qiao Anhao shook her head as she sat on the sofa.
Lu Jinnian walked to his desk and picked up the desk phone with one hand. In
a low voice, he ordered, "A cup of coffee and another of milk tea."
Lu Jinnian hung up the phone and glanced over at Qiao Anhao, who sat
quietly on the sofa. He slowly walked over to her and sat down.
Qiao Anhao lifted her head, then looked into Lu Jinnian's eyes, as she asked,
"Aunt Xu's several dozen billion investment project that got scrapped in the
end... was that your doing?"
Lu Jinnian didn't speak. The office seemed quite silent.
About three minutes had passed when a knocking was heard from the door.
Lu Jinnian cleared his throat, then said, "Enter."
The door opened and Lu Jinnian's secretary entered, carrying a tray. She
walked over to the sofa and placed the coffee and milk on the table. Then she
left without a sound.
Lu Jinnian pushed the milk towards Qiao Anhao, then finally answered her
question. "I did it."
He answered with certainty, not a hint of hesitation. Qiao Anhao's fingers
shivered for a moment, as she stared at Lu Jinnian's blinking eyes, and
continued to ask, "The only reason why the Xu Enterprise's stocks dropped so
dramatically was because you did something behind the scenes?"
Lu Jinnian didn't dispute it. This time, his answer was far swifter than before.
"That's right."
"Then, when Xu Enterprise's stocks plummeted, you bought a large amount of

it just to take power from the Xu family?" Qiao Anhao asked her question
particularly slowly. She practically shot it out word-by-word. So much so that
when she finished asking, she felt her racing heart stop, as she started into
his eyes with her full attention.

This time, Lu Jinnian only said a single word. He didn't hold back or hesitate,
and gave a simple, "Yes."
Qiao Anhao really hoped that Lu Jinnian would reply negatively to her every
question. As long as he denied it, she would have disregarded everything she
had heard Xu Jiamu say at the door and believed him unconditionally. As long
as he denied it, even if all the news outlets reported that he bough up the Xu
Enterprise, she could still act ignorant. However, as things turned out, he
admitted to all three of her accusations. He even looked calm, as though the
things he'd done were right.
She knew that someone was working behind the scenes to sabotage the Xu
Enterprise, but she had never imagined it would be Lu Jinnian.
She didn't know a lot about him, only that he was an illegitimate son of the Xu
family, but he had never lived with them. He grew up with his own mother, and
Xu Wanli and Han Ruchu didn't seem to like him at all.
Though he was a child of the Xu family, she didn't know why he couldn't take
control of Xu Enterprise. He and Xu Jiamu were always close, and he
managed his own company quite well, so how could he suddenly steal Xu
Jiamu's assets without warning...
She still clearly remembered the night she found out about Xu Enterprise
being in trouble. She had even mentioned it to him. At the time, he was calm
and composed, so much so that when she asked him to show Xu Jiamu he
cared, and he didn't hesitate to said "All right".
At that instant, Qiao Anhao felt like she couldn't read Lu Jinnian. She
instinctively muttered her questions. "Why? Why did you do it?"
The office remained quiet for a long time. Lu Jinnian observed Qiao Anhao's
expression for a long time, and couldn't quite tell what she was thinking. Right
now, he didn't have the evidence with him. He wasn't absolutely sure that if he
explained it now, she would trust him, but he still opened his mouth, "Qiao
Qiao..."
When Lu Jinnian called Qiao Anhao's name, he took of the tone of her last
words, the way she was questioning him. He slightly lowered his eyelids to
mask the sorrow in his heart. Even though he already knew that she'd have
questions when she found out, but when the time came for her questions, it
still hurt him.
Lu Jinnian gulped. He forced himself to stop caring so much and continued to

speak in a deep voice. "I only did this because our..."
At the same time, Qiao Anhao had become agitated, and she said in a slightly
trembling, somber voice, "Lu Jinnian, for you to do these kind of things... If it
were brother Jiamu, he definitely wouldn't have treated you..."
When someone faces a situation that's difficult to accept or believe, it's hard
not to confuse themselves. In that moment, Qiao Anhao felt completely
defeated by Lu Jinnian's admittance. She had no idea that the words she
unknowingly just said... how she heartlessly compared the two, was practically
killing Lu Jinnian.
Lu Jinnian's following words seemed to completely disappear from his mouth.

His stare into Qiao Anhao's eyes became more complicated.
For Xu Jiamu to experience this, get angry and not believe him, that he could
understand.
For her to hear Xu Jiamu's words and not believe him, he could tolerate.
All because he knew in his heart that he had to back down to be able to
shatter the beautiful facade of Han Ruchu in their hearts.
But for her to compare him to Xu Jiamu and wholeheartedly believe that Xu
Jiamu would never do such a thing, without even considering that that he
might have had a good reason for everything he'd done...
So in her heart, all along, he was never as good as Xu Jiamu. After doing all
of this, how could he take that? How could he take that!

"Right, you're right..." Lu Jinnian suddenly curved his lips into a smile. He
stared into Qiao Anhao's eyes with a glimmer of self-mocking. "However, what
a shame... In the end, I'm not Xu Jiamu."
He thought back to that night when the Xu family was in trouble. He

remembered how she laid in his arms and asked him to take care of Xu
Jiamu.
He thought back to how she appeared at his office doors, and saw him and Xu
Jiamu at the same time but called his name first...
Even if Xu Jiamu and her were divorced... Even if he himself treated her so
well... In her heart, Xu Jiamu was still the most important!
"You must've always thought of how great it would be if I became Xu Jiamu,

am I right?" Lu Jinnian could distinctly feel a fit of jealousy spreading through
his body. He really wanted to control his temper, but his emotions were riled
up with Qiao Anhao's single comparison. Without waiting for her to react, his
tone instantly became cold and stern. "But, Qiao Anhao. Let me tell you... I'll
never become Xu Jiamu!
"Since you care about Xu Jiamu so much, go and look for him!" As Lu Jinnian
said this, he got up from the sofa, and dragged Qiao Anhao by the arm
towards the door. He pulled it open and ruthlessly threw her out.
Qiao Anhao stumbled under Lu Jinnian's sheer force. When she found her
balance, the door behind her was already slammed shut. She stared at the
tightly shut door, and realized what she'd just said to make Lu Jinnian this
angry.
She didn't really want to compare him to Xu Jiamu, but as she just suddenly
found out Lu Jinnian acquiring Xu enterprises, she couldn't accept that at all.
He and Xu Jiamu were clearly biological brothers, and had always got a long
so well, how could he make a move like that? How could he disregard all
sentiment like that?
Qiao Anhao saw the wandering eyes of those in the administration

department nearby. She slightly lowered her head, turned around, and walked
over to the office. As she tried to push open the door, she realized that it was
locked from the inside, so she knocked on the door.
Qiao Anhao waited for half a minute, but there was no response. She raised
her arm again, ready to knock, when suddenly, Lu Jinnian pulled the door
open.
"Lu Jinnian..." He bolted towards the elevator with big strides, brushing past
her like she wasn't even there.
Qiao Anhao tried her best to catch up. Subconsciously, she tried to explain to
Lu Jinnian in a low voice, "It's not what you think, I didn't compare you with
Brother Jiamu. I just..."
For tonight's dinner date, she had deliberately worn ten centimeter heels, and
so she simply couldn't catch up to Lu Jinnian. Before she could finish what
she had to say, he stepped into the elevator. When she finally reached the
doors, they had already shut, and the elevator slowly descended.
Qiao Anhao frantically pressed the elevator button to chase him down.
She stepped out from the elevator on the lower floor and saw Lu Jinnian get
into his car. She called his name and rushed towards him, but because she
ran so hastily, she buckled under the her tall, thin heels. Using the car beside
her to regain her balance, she heard the sound of Lu Jinnian's car engine start
up. Completely ignoring the pain in her ankles, she hobbled over as it sped
off.
Qiao Anhao watched as Lu Jinnian's car drove out of the parking lot for quite
some time, then turned around to the elevator. Just as she was about to press
the floor number for the elevator, the phone in her pocket started to ring...

When Lu Jinnian's assistant came back with his phone and voice recorder, he
realized that the office was empty, and there were two porcelain cups on the
table. The milk tea and coffee had already gone cold, so he went to ask the
secretary to find out what had happened. When he found out who had come
over, realization started to dawn on him. He hurriedly returned to his own
office to get Lu Jinnian's clothes before leaving.
The assistant has been following Lu Jinnian for many years, he knew all about
his habits that Qiao Anhao wasn't aware of.
Whenever he was upset, he would run, so he drove straight to the gym that Lu
Jinnian frequented.
The gym instructor recognized him when he saw him coming and immediately
led him to the private room that Lu Jinnian was in.
The instructor might have been able to tell that Lu Jinnian was in a bad state,
for he left after leading the assistant to the room.
He knocked on the door but there wasn't a sound. When he entered, he saw
Lu Jinnian running on a track with his headphones on.
The assistant didn't disrupt him. He placed the things that he had brought
along at the side before sitting down silently.
Lu Jinnian counted every step he took inwardly. When he reached ten

thousand, he finally stopped.
His entire body was soaked with sweat. His assistant stood up instantly to
pass him a bottle of water.
Lu Jinnian tossed his head back, sweat dripping down his hair, and downed
almost the entire bottle.
When he stopped, his assistant pulled out his phone and a voice recorder.
"Mr. Lu, here's the things you wanted."
Lu Jinnian tossed the bottle in the bin, then used a towel to dry the sweat
before reaching over to take the things.
"Mr. Lu, did you fight with Miss Qiao?"
Lu Jinnian ignored his question, silently raising the voice recorder to his ear to
listen to the contents. When he made sure that there wasn't a problem, he
placed it beside his phone and entered the shower.
As the hot water drizzled down his body, Lu Jinnian shut his eyes, replaying
the events that had happened in the afternoon.
The scene in the afternoon was not what he had expected.
In his worst scenario, he had expected Qiao Anhao to scold him furiously, and
because of that, he had prepared the recording of him and Han Ruchu.
But the mishap was in that he had gotten angry at her...
He took over Xu Enterprise only because Han Ruchu had killed their baby and
hurt her, but the moment she had compared him to Xu Jiamu, he was
infuriated.
But as he ran, using up all his energy, venting all his emotions, he clearly
understood that his anger probably arose because of Xu Jiamu's words.
Jiamu was his brother after all, and he wasn't able to disregard the emotions
his words brought out, even though he knew that he was speaking out of fury.
He just couldn't help feeling... angry. And Qiao Anhao's words just made his
anger erupt.
After he showered, he wrapped a towel around his waist. His assistant carried
his clothes to him. "Mr. Lu, here's the clothes you got me to order for tonight's
dinner."

After Lu Jinnian showered, he wrapped a towel around his waist. His assistant
carried his clothes to him. "Mr. Lu, here's the clothes you got me to order for
tonight's dinner."
The assistant emphasized on "tonight" and "dinner", and just then, Lu Jinnian
saw a faint glimmer of dilemma in his eyes.
His assistant had reminded him beforehand that Qiao Anhao would be
unhappy if she found out about the takeover, and at that time, he had
reassured him... Look what happened... He just left in frustration...
Lu Jinnian moved his lips, and before he took the clothes, he reached for the
phone on the chair. After finding Qiao Anhao's number, he was about to call
her, but after a short while, he decided to text her instead. [I'm sorry.]
I'm sorry for getting mad. I'm sorry for being impatient.
Just like that, his dampened spirits seemed to have lifted, his logic returning.
All these years, he had always been calm and collected, but whenever Qiao
Anhao was involved, he would become emotional and sensitive.
He tightened his grip on the phone, and after a long moment, he sent another
message.[Qiao Qiao, lets have a good talk during dinner tonight.]
Lu Jinnian glanced at the phone screen. When it indicated that the text was
successfully sent over, he placed it back down and stood up. Just before he
entered the changing room, he suddenly remembered that he hadn't sent her
the address, so he reached for the phone again to send one last text. [Li Jing
Xuan, I'll be waiting.]
After sending that six words, he exhaled, his dampened spirits brightening a
little, and entered the changing room.
Qiao Anhao received a call from Qiao Anxia when she was in the elevator.
Her sister told her that Han Ruchu was left bed-ridden from the shock.
Even though Qiao Anhao didn't have any blood relations with the Xu family,
they had always been close to the Qiao family, and all these years, Han
Ruchu had always treated her well. Now that she was ill, it was only fair for
Qiao Anhao to visit. When she finally reached the Xu family mansion, she
started to feel anxious, the guilt she felt when she stood outside Lu Jinnian's
office arising.
Even though Lu Jinnian was the culprit, because of her ambiguous

relationship with him, she already considered herself to be his... Now that he
had done such a thing, she felt as though it was partially her fault.
Qiao Anhao stood outside the Xu family house for a long while before taking a
deep breath and pressing the doorbell.
One of the maids came to open the door. She seemed to have expected her
as she came with a pair of slippers. Pointing upstairs, she said, "Mrs. Han is
upstairs."
Qiao Anhao nodded her head, carrying the bag of tonic she had bought
upstairs.
The bedroom door was half open. When she entered, she saw the Xu family
housekeeper inside with a tray filled with tonics. Someone must have visited
before her.
Han Ruchu lay on the bed with her face pale. The trauma must have been too
much for her, for she seemed to have aged in just one day. Xu Jiamu sat
beside her, massaging her temples.

The Xu family's housekeeper was the first to see Qiao Anhao enter. "Miss
Qiao, you're here?"
Qiao Anhao managed a smile and gently nodded. She placed some nutritional
products that she had bought on the way over by the housekeeper's well-
organized array of them.
Han Ruchu pushed Xu Jiamu's hand away from her forehead, as he was
massaging it for her. She sat up and patted the seat by her bedside and said,
"Come sit."
"Aunt Xu, Brother Jiamu." Qiao Anhao obediently walked over, greeted them,
and sat down.
Han Ruchu looked over at the nutritional products Qiao Anhao had bought for
her, and said in a weak but extremely charitable voice, "Qiao Qiao, if you're
coming over, just come. Why did you bring gifts?"
Xu Jiamu attentively grabbed a pillow and put it behind Han Ruchu. "Isn't it all
because Qiao Qiao cares about you..."
The housekeeper, who was organizing the products, then added, "Madam
watched Miss Qiao grow up, and has always loved Miss Qiao. Ever since her
parents passed away, Madam has treated her as her own daughter, so of
course Miss Qiao has Madam in her heart and cares about her."
After Qiao Anhao heard the housekeeper's words, her heart grew heavy with
guilt. She lowered her eyes and forced out a hint of a smile. Then she
thoughtfully asked, "Aunt Xu, how's your condition?"
Han Ruchu wore a smile. Perhaps it was because she was ill, her usual swift
and strict demeanor was faint. She spoke in a warm voice. "It's nothing
serious. At the time, I was a little agitated, and for some reason, I fainted."
The housekeeper bitterly said, "What do you mean 'nothing serious'? Anger
kills the heart. Thank goodness Madam is blessed, otherwise you'd have died
from the rage..."
"Don't talk nonsense in front of the children!" Han Ruchu suddenly sharply cut
the housekeeper's words short. Perhaps it was because she was agitated,
she suddenly started to cough.
"Mom!"
"Aunt Xu!"
At the same time, Qiao Anhao and Xu Jiamu reached out with their hands to
pat Han Ruchu on the back. She covered her chest with her hand, which
soothed her breathing for a moment. With her gentle tone of voice, she said,
"I'm fine. When you get older, it's inevitable that you'll get sick. Today was just
a coincidence."
The housekeeper said with a pained heart, "Madam, at a time like this, what is
there for you to hide? That bastard called to clearly piss you off. He has his
eye on the young master's inheritance. That ungrateful dog... Our young
master should never have saved that bastard's life!"
Qiao Anhao tightly creased her brows at the housekeeper's use of the word
'bastard', and asked a little astonished, "Save what life?"
"Miss Qiao, you probably didn't know, but the year that little bastard turned
three, he fell ill with leukemia. It was our young master who donated his bone
marrow to save him. If it weren't for our young master, he'd be dead! At the
time, they agreed that he would never inherit the Xu family's wealth and
assets. Nor could he show respect to his ancestors, or step foot into the Xu
family house. In the end, now that bastard actually stole it all!"
The year Lu Jinnian turned three, he had leukemia? It was Xu Jiamu who
donated his bone marrow to save his life?
No wonder, after so many years, Lu Jinnian never came back to the Xu family.
When Qiao Anhao was in school, she racked her brains over why Lu Jinnian
looked like he was quite poor when the Xu family business was so big.
Though she was close with Xu Jiamu, she had never asked him about private
family matters, and so she had had no idea.

Qiao Anhao had never known Lu Jinnian had such a past.
Her heart started to tremble slightly with an unspeakable pain.
The housekeeper seemed enraged, for she was still lashing out at Lu Jinnian
over and over again. "It's true how cheap whores give birth to cheap..."
Even though those scornful words were directed at Lu Jinnian, Qiao Anhao's
heart felt incredibly downcast. A bone-piercing pain had emerged within her,
as though countless needles had stabbed into her heart.
Qiao Anhao suddenly stood up, not wanting to hear them talk about Lu
Jinnian any longer. She made an excuse to go to the bathroom, but as she
walked out of the bedroom and was about to shut the door, she heard the
housekeeper say resentfully behind her, "The young master has wasted all
these years treating the bastard so well..."
Qiao Anhao went to the bathroom downstairs. Just before she entered, she
coincidentally overheard one of the female servants on the phone with her
husband. It sounded like they promised to go out tonight for Chinese
Valentines day. The man was preparing for dinner, so he asked her what she
wanted to eat. The woman, with the phone in her hand, listed dishes she
wanted to eat in a delicate, soft voice.
It was hard to say what got into Qiao Anhao, but she especially took notice of
that servant. She realized that the woman had two pigtails, had make-up on,
and her face seemed to be brimming with happiness, like she had everything
in the world.
Qiao Anhao walked into the restroom. When she finished in the toilet and
washed her hands in the sink, she looked at herself in the mirror. Her hair and
make-up were intricately well prepared, accentuating her perfect facial
features.
She remembered, the only reason why she was so well dressed tonight was
because she had a dinner with Lu Jinnian to celebrate Chinese Valentines
day.
She also remembered how the hairdresser had clearly told her she looked
perfect, but she still nitpicked at everything to be even more perfect. So much
so that before she left home, she flipped through all the clothes in her
wardrobe and tried them each on. She did this all so that she could look her
best for him on such a special day.
At the time, she felt all sorts of complicated emotions; unease, excitement,
anticipation, anxiousness mixed with a hint of sweetness...
Qiao Anhao's mind wandered as she washed her hands. When she went back
upstairs, before she pushed open the door, she could hear Han Ruchu's voice
from within the bedroom. "From the very beginning, I told you not to get close
to him, but you had to go and get closer. Now, look. You have nothing.
"The only reason he acted like a real brother to you was to hit you when you
were down. He has always waited for the day to laugh at you... This was
definitely something his whore mother taught him. That bitch couldn't steal
what was mine, and so she taught her son to steal my son's things..."
"Enough!" Xu Jiamu, who had remained quiet until now, suddenly violently
erupted. "Are the two of you done talking? Lu Jinnian's mother passed away
almost twenty years ago. How could she suddenly jump out of nowhere and
teach him these things? What's more, he's never gone that far, has he? I still
work there at Xu Enterprise!"
With Xu Jiamu's words, the bedroom door suddenly flung open.
Qiao Anhao felt a gust of wind towards her, then saw Xu Jiamu walking
towards her with a dark look on his face.
"Brother Jiamu..."
Xu Jiamu continued to stride without a waver in his step down the stairs and
out, without any response.
Qiao Anhao called his name again and instinctively wanted to follow him. He
stopped in his tracks then and leaned on the railings, turning his head toward
her to say bleakly, "Qiao Qiao, I'm feeling on edge right now. I want to go out
for a smoke on my own for a little while."
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Chapter 501-550 - Bringing The Nation's Husband Home

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Chapter 501-550 - Bringing The Nation's Husband Home

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Chapter 501: If No One Wants You, I'll Marry You（2）

Had she found out about Xu Jiamu's incident..?

He tensed, his hands clenching into fists, while he desperately tried to

Chapter 502: If No One Wants You, I'll Marry You（3）

In that instance, Lu Jinnian seemed to have come back to his senses. He

Turning, he left the bathroom.

Before he left though, he didn't forget to switch on the bathroom heater.

He passed it over to her, then after picking up a hairdryer, he started to blow

He was relieved, and took a long, deep breath.

Chapter 503: If No One Wants You, I'll Marry You（4）

From Luoyang to Xian to Shanghai to Hainan before heading to Hangzhou

Lu Jinnian chuckled in amusement, a hint of tenderness and warmth crossing

Qiao Anhao sipped the tea, nodding towards Lu Jinnian.

He reached for his wallet and left the room.

Chapter 505: If No One Wants You, I'll Marry You（6）

In contrast, Song Xiangsi remained emotionless in his presence, treating him

At that moment, an unspeakable fury ignited in Xu Jiamu.

Chapter 506: If No One Wants You, I'll Marry You（7）

Chapter 507: If No One Wants You, I'll Marry You (8）

The restrooms in Beijing hotel came with individual compartments.

"Humiliate?" Lu Jinnian repeated coldly as he recalled the image of him in the

He exerted strength, and Xu Jiamu screamed in pain.

If he could, Lu Jinnian would have crushed his bones. He pressed hard

"Pat Pat Pat!" Xu Jiamu continuously pounded against the door.

Chapter 508: If No One Wants You, I'll Marry You（9）

But even if it was a misunderstanding, it was a beautiful misunderstanding.

Everything he was doing was because of her.

How could she not love such a man?

Qiao Anhao's eyes turned red instantly.

Chapter 509: If No One Wants You, I'll Marry You（10）

Qiao Anhao paused, taking in Lu Jinnian's frustrated voice.

It explained everything. When they were in Hainan, they stayed in a double

Her heart clenched.

"That's it, I understand. I'll hang up now."

"Why did you take so long?"

"The queue was a little long and the machine malfunctioned."

Chapter 510: If No One Wants You, I'll Marry You（11）

Before he left, Qiao Anhao stopped him. "Lu Jinnian."

He paused and turned to look at her questioningly.

Lu Jinnian nodded, acknowledging her words.

Smiling, she added, "Goodbye."

"Goodbye." Lu Jinnian lingered a while longer before leaving.

The next day, Qiao Anhao indeed headed to Xu mansion.

But she had never expected how smoothly it would go.

Han Ruchu and the Qiao family objected instantly.

"Jiamu, what happened to you and Qiao Qiao?"

Chapter 511: If No One Wants You, I'll Marry You（12）

Xu Jiamu objected instantly, "No, it has nothing to do with my brother."

Xu Wanli paused, swallowing his scolding.

Qiao Anhao replied simply, "No."

After visiting the Xu family she didn't say anything?

Qiao Anhao was calling.

Without hesitation, Lu Jinnian received the call. "Hello."

Chapter 513: If No One Wants You, I'll Marry You（14）

Not pausing, he asked, "What's wrong?"

Lu Jinnian ignore him, taking large strides to the elevator.

Even so, it was 7 pm when he finally reached Hua Yuan hotel.

He had spotted two large suitcases beside her.

Chapter 514: If No One Wants You, I'll Marry You（15）

Lu Jinnian continued to stare at Qiao Anhao, not touching the menu.

Lu Jinnian's heart fell. He scanned the surroundings, not daring to look at

"I heard about it but I'm not sure of the details."

Chapter 515: If No One Wants You, I'll Marry You (16）