In the evening, when Jiang Ci returned home, she went to sleep in the bedroom next door as usual.

Lu Yudong didn't ask Jiang Ci to return to his bedroom.

The next day was Saturday, and when Jiang Ci got up, it was already past ten.

She walked down the stairs, still sleepy, and saw Lu Yudong and Grandpa sitting at the dining table chatting.

She had no idea when they had eaten or how long they had been talking.

Jiang Ci's stomach growled with hunger.

Lu Yudong glanced at her and then continued chatting with Grandpa.

"Madam, are you planning to have breakfast or lunch?" Aunt Fang teased Jiang Ci when she saw her coming down.

"Just make me something simple, please, Aunt Fang." Having been self-sufficient since childhood, Jiang Ci wasn't used to having everything done for her and felt guilty about troubling others, often expressing her gratitude.

"Alright, I've made some braised pork rice for you. It’ll be ready soon."

"What are your plans for today, Little Ci?" Grandpa asked Jiang Ci.

The way Grandpa spoke to Jiang Ci was different from how he spoke to Lu Yudong, automatically switching to a tone used with children.

Jiang Ci looked at Lu Yudong, "I visit my mom every Saturday, and I want to go this week too. Do you agree?"

Last time, Jiang Yi had come to threaten Lu Yudong, making him aware of everything happening at home, so she decided to be straightforward about it instead of making excuses every time she visited her mom.

"Go ahead," Lu Yudong said.

"Is Little Ci's mother ill? And you, as the son-in-law, aren't going?" Grandpa seemed a bit surprised, "That's not the way of the Lu Family."

Jiang Ci was very surprised. It was enough that Lu Yudong agreed to let her go; she had never hoped for him to go. Deep down, she always knew her relationship with Lu Yudong was fake and never considered asking him to visit her mom.

"Alright," Lu Yudong agreed readily.

Jiang Ci felt uneasy, though she couldn't pinpoint why. It certainly wasn't joy.

Aunt Fang brought the braised pork rice, snapping Jiang Ci out of her thoughts. She noticed the side dishes: a bowl of rice with braised pork, stir-fried cabbage and shredded wood ear mushrooms, and half a boiled egg, including both the white and yolk.

Jiang Ci never ate egg yolks; she had been allergic to them since childhood and would vomit if she ate them.

Eggs were usually eaten for breakfast, and since she always had breakfast with Lu Yudong and Grandpa, no one noticed when she didn't take eggs. She had never told Aunt Fang about her egg yolk allergy, feeling that, like Aunt Fang, she was a working person and didn't want to seem picky and be disliked.

Jiang Ci started eating, finishing all the braised pork and vegetables, leaving a little rice and the half egg looking out of place in the bowl.

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She planned to discreetly throw away the egg while washing the dishes, knowing that wasting food wasn't a good habit, but she would vomit if she ate it.

"Not eating the yolk? Give it to me," Lu Yudong's voice came.

"Hmm?" Jiang Ci looked up as if seeing a savior, blankly.

"You don't eat yolks, right? Eat the white and give me the yolk," Lu Yudong reiterated expressionlessly.

It took Jiang Ci a while to realize: it was Shao Zheng's diary that betrayed her.

In one entry, Shao Zheng mentioned that Jiang Ci once accidentally ate the yolk of a tiger skin egg and ended up vomiting and having diarrhea, and Shao Zheng had to take care of her for a long time.

It seemed he had read not only about Shao Zheng's request for a computer but also this.

Jiang Ci couldn't tell if Lu Yudong's gaze was kind or mocking, whether he genuinely cared or was just being sarcastic.

"Where should I put it?" Jiang Ci asked.

He had already finished breakfast and had no bowl or chopsticks in front of him.

"Pass it to me," he said naturally.

Jiang Ci's hand hesitated a bit; she was familiar with him in bed, but this kind of intimacy was new.

Holding the yolk with one hand and carefully catching it with the other, afraid it would fall, she passed it to Lu Yudong's mouth.

Then, she lowered her head and continued eating, her heart pounding. She heard Lu Yudong say, "Grandpa, let's continue."

Whatever they talked about was automatically filtered out by Jiang Ci, her mind filled with the intimacy she had just shared with Lu Yudong.

After finalizing the deal, Jiang Ci was very happy and excited. It was her first time handling a transaction over a hundred thousand yuan, and she felt a bit anxious. Worried about encountering scammers or criminals, she asked Han Lan to accompany her.

Han Lan, no longer needing to keep a low profile, was quite pleased and readily agreed to Jiang Ci's request.

"For something like this, it's best to have a guy with us. If Mr. Lu goes with you, who would dare to cheat him? They wouldn't dare even with ten times the courage," Han Lan said while munching on snacks.

"It's not that easy. We're having a bit of a spat. Besides, this matter involves my ex-boyfriend. Would I be out of my mind to ask him to come along?" Jiang Ci replied.

"Why are you making such a fuss? You can see how just a casual nod from him changes everything for us. People can't wait to flatter him, and here you are, picking a fight," Han Lan said, a bit exasperated.

"Don't mention it. I've been flattering him all along." To this day, Jiang Ci still didn't understand why Lu Yudong suddenly asked her to move out.

How could she cater to his whims without knowing the reason?

"Why not try to appease him? Mr. Lu is into that," Han Lan suggested.

"How do you know? Have you tried it before?" Jiang Ci asked, her tone slightly jealous.

"No, no, I haven't even met Mr. Lu," Han Lan said, trying to act coy. "But seriously, my sister is bringing me some food this afternoon."

"Your sister? Isn't she about to give birth? How can you let her bring you food with that big belly?"

"She's not coming herself; she's sending her brother-in-law. I heard he's quite a catch," Han Lan said dreamily.

"You haven't met him?"

Han Lan rolled her eyes at Jiang Ci. "No, he didn't attend my sister's wedding; he was out of town."

"I'll check him out for you this afternoon."

At six in the evening, the dormitory doorbell rang, and Jiang Ci went to answer it. As soon as she opened the door, she widened her eyes in surprise and said, "Deng Yue?"

"Jiang Ci?"

"Who are you looking for? Me?"

Deng Yue raised the food container in his hand. "I'm delivering food for my sister-in-law to her sister. I didn't expect you two to be roommates. What a small world."

When Han Lan came out and saw that Deng Yue was quite handsome, her eyes sparkled.

"How about I treat you two lovely ladies to dinner tonight?" Deng Yue offered.

"What about the food my sister sent?" Jiang Ci asked with a slight frown.

But Han Lan was already tempted. After all, who wouldn't want to dine with a handsome guy?

"We can put it in the fridge and eat it later. It won't spoil. Let's go, I'll treat you to hot pot," Deng Yue said enthusiastically.

Recently, Jiang Ci and Han Lan had been under a lot of pressure, so they were eager for some relaxation and quickly agreed. Besides, Jiang Ci loved spicy food—the spicier, the better.

During dinner, Deng Yue asked Jiang Ci, "Since we added each other on WeChat, we haven't chatted. I didn't know you worked at New East Group. That's promising."

"I'm just a low-level employee; there's no future in that. Han Lan has more potential; she's the New East Star, a future executive," Jiang Ci said, not forgetting to praise Han Lan.

Jiang Ci could tell that Han Lan had a good impression of Deng Yue. Han Lan and Deng Yue also exchanged WeChat contacts.

"Oh, by the way, Jiang Ci is going to the suburbs on Sunday to inspect a computer factory. We've never been there and are afraid of encountering scammers, so we want a guy to come with us. Why don't you join us?" Han Lan invited Deng Yue. "My sister told me her brother-in-law runs a gaming company, so you're perfect for evaluating computers."

"Visiting a computer factory? No problem. I'll drive you two ladies there. Planning to buy computers? Why not just go to the electronics market instead of the source?"

"Two hundred units. We're donating them to children in the mountains. It's the same school we visited together," Jiang Ci explained easily, as she and Deng Yue had visited the charity school together before.

"Two hundred units, impressive. You must have some money."

"Not really. I sold my dad's house in the countryside," Jiang Ci deflected, fearing Deng Yue would ask about the money's origin, putting her in an awkward position.

She hadn't even mentioned her contractual marriage with Lu Yudong to Han Lan, nor did Han Lan know the source of the money.

Her father's old house was in the countryside, and Jiang Ci had never been there. Besides, you can't sell a homestead.

Fortunately, Deng Yue didn't press further.

What could Jiang Ci say? That she sold herself for it?

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