On Monday, Jiang Ci got out of Lu Yudong's car at the entrance of New East Group.

She ran into Han Lan in the company lobby.

"You're all smiles today, looking so radiant. Had a good time last night?" Han Lan teased Jiang Ci.

"Don't talk nonsense," Jiang Ci replied, glancing back. Lu Yudong was parking the car and hadn't come in with her.

Whenever Jiang Ci couldn't see Lu Yudong, she felt a sense of emptiness.

She knew this marriage had an expiration date, so she might as well enjoy the present.

After a busy morning, Jiang Ci stretched and was about to go for lunch when she heard some rustling at the door.

Several people entered the office, pushing carts filled with beautifully packaged gift bags.

"Everyone's been working hard. Miss Yin is treating everyone," the staff announced.

Jiang Ci's hand was still in mid-stretch as she thought, Miss Yin? Yin Xuemo?

Everyone's eyes turned to Jiang Ci.

Jiang Ci thought, Why are they all looking at me just because Yin Xuemo sent these?

When the gift bag reached Jiang Ci, she took out a portion of bibimbap. The dish was exquisite, with various mushrooms, seasonal fruits and vegetables, half a sliced egg, and yogurt—all included.

"Miss Yin is so generous."

"Yeah, she seems to be treating the whole company. That must cost a fortune; there are thousands of people in this building."

"Must be tens of thousands. What's on this bag?"

It seemed like these people were deliberately praising Yin Xuemo to provoke Jiang Ci.

Jiang Ci glanced at the bag, which read "Dear Dr. Luo" and featured a large promotional image with Yin Xuemo prominently in the center, her lips a striking red, looking alluring.

So it was to promote her new drama, probably the one filmed at her mother's hospital.

Since Jiang Ci didn't eat egg yolks, she picked it out to throw it away. Although she felt it was wasteful, she couldn't find anyone who wanted it.

Just as she tossed the yolk into the trash, she heard someone nearby say, "The real competition has begun."

Jiang Ci was momentarily taken aback, then understood: they thought she threw the yolk away as a challenge to Yin Xuemo.

Jiang Ci didn't dwell on it and started eating heartily; she disliked such gossip.

...

Yin Xuemo went to Lu Yudong's office.

Earlier, the staff had also delivered a meal to Lu Yudong, but his was more luxurious, an upgraded version of what the regular employees received.

If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

"My new workplace drama, Yudong, help me promote it," Yin Xuemo said with a smile.

"I'm neither a PR company nor a marketing department. What you're doing will have minimal effect," Lu Yudong replied bluntly.

Yin Xuemo said, "I'm just doing my part. Is it good?"

"I've already ordered my meal and am eating it," Lu Yudong said. "Your effort is wasted. The show looks good. Where was it filmed?"

Lu Yudong asked casually and then called his secretary to send his meal to Jiang Ci in the finance department.

Yin Xuemo bit her lip tightly; Lu Yudong was deliberately embarrassing her.

The secretary came and took the meal away.

"At Jiangzhou First People's Hospital," Yin Xuemo said, watching as the secretary delivered her carefully prepared meal to the finance department.

Lu Yudong frowned slightly, "Oh? Really?"

"Oh, by the way, I saw Jiang Ci at the hospital on Saturday," Yin Xuemo said. "She seemed to be chatting with a man outside for quite a while."

"It was her brother."

"Does she have two brothers?" Yin Xuemo seemed to have a sudden realization. "I see, if it was her brother, then it's not surprising he was holding her hand. I was just about to tell you to keep an eye on your little wife."

Lu Yudong's face darkened.

Jiang Ci hadn't mentioned anything about her time at the hospital, only thanked him for arranging a caregiver for her mother and willingly went to his bed.

The two men were likely Jiang Yi and Chu Shuo. Jiang Yi was the Chu family's driver, so it wasn't surprising he was with Chu Shuo.

Lu Yudong guessed that Jiang Yi, having failed to get a favorable outcome from him, wanted to introduce Jiang Ci to Chu Shuo.

"Oh, Yudong, I have to go now. I have an appointment this afternoon. You didn't like the meal I ordered for you, so it was a waste of my effort."

With that, Yin Xuemo left.

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?

Hi everyone, if you like this novel and want to read more in advance, please support me on PawRead.

Discord:https://discord.com/invite/ua2A852bws