When Jiang Ci got home, she said, "I'm not hungry tonight, I won't eat."

Grandpa was concerned about Jiang Ci, "Why aren't you eating? Are you trying to lose weight?"

"No, Grandpa, I already ate at the office."

"Don't diet recklessly, health is the most important thing," Grandpa advised Jiang Ci earnestly.

After chatting with Grandpa for a bit, Jiang Ci went upstairs.

Around eight in the evening, Jiang Ci had a stomachache.

Sweat beaded on her forehead, her stomach cramped, and she curled up on the bed.

Lu Yudong came up and saw Jiang Ci in this state, frowning slightly, "Do you have a fever?"

"Doesn't seem like it." Jiang Ci's teeth were chattering as she spoke, her forehead covered in cold sweat.

Seeing Lu Yudong's expression, Jiang Ci always felt she couldn't grasp his moods. She seized the opportunity to grab Lu Yudong's wrists, "Did I offend you somehow? I can't figure out your moods."

Lu Yudong looked up at her, "Is this really the time to talk about that?"

He shot Jiang Ci a glare.

Jiang Ci was so scared she didn't dare speak.

"Let's go to the hospital." After saying that, Lu Yudong picked Jiang Ci up from the bed and carried her downstairs.

At the nearest private hospital, Lu Yudong carried Jiang Ci inside.

Jiang Ci, standing at about 1.7 meters tall and weighing around a hundred pounds, noticed the fine sweat on Lu Yudong's forehead once they were inside the hospital.

At that moment, Jiang Ci found his eyes even more endearing.

"You don't have to carry me, it's not a serious illness, I can manage on my own." Despite the worsening stomach pain, Jiang Ci still felt that a stomachache wasn't a big deal. Perhaps she was used to seeing more severe illnesses, so she didn't take this minor ailment to heart.

"What kind of illness do you consider serious?" Lu Yudong countered.

Jiang Ci had no response, unsure if a life-threatening illness or one that leaves you in a vegetative state counts as serious.

The doctor quickly conducted a thorough examination on Jiang Ci: gastritis.

Jiang Ci had been eating spicy food, sour and spicy noodles, hot pot, hot spicy soup—anything spicy, she wouldn't refuse. The cold meal she ate this afternoon directly triggered the gastritis.

Jiang Ci was soon admitted to a private room.

Lu Yudong stayed by her side.

Jiang Ci felt quite guilty.

"What cold thing did you eat?" Lu Yudong questioned Jiang Ci.

Jiang Ci recounted the day's events in detail.

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Recalling the office gossip, Jiang Ci felt the need to clarify, "I didn't scheme to frame Yin Xuemo, nor did I pretend to be sick to set her up. The food she gave you was fine, it was just that the office microwave was broken, so I had no choice but to eat cold food."

By the end, Jiang Ci's voice lowered, as if she knew she had done something wrong.

"Was it my fault? Did I burden you, the foodie?" Lu Yudong asked her with a slight frown.

"Oh, I absolutely didn't mean that. Whatever you say is right, whatever you do is right. I adhere to the 'Three Whatevers' principle with you." Jiang Ci, eyes wide and face pale, solemnly vowed to Lu Yudong.

Even in this state, she was still joking.

"You're not jealous?" Lu Yudong asked her.

"I... I don't even have the right to be jealous," Jiang Ci said, feeling wronged, her eyelids drooping.

Lu Yudong stopped talking to Jiang Ci and called the logistics department, instructing them to replace the finance department's microwave.

Then, Lu Yudong called Xing Baohua to request leave for Jiang Ci, without stating the reason.

There was no need to explain.

"How many days will I be in the hospital?" Jiang Ci asked Lu Yudong.

"Listen to the doctor, start with three days of IV drips."

"Three days? By the time it's over, it'll be the weekend again." Jiang Ci lowered her head and muttered.

Lu Yudong: ...

The next day, the entire company knew about Jiang Ci's leave because the logistics department replaced the finance department's microwave.

The microwave had been broken for a while without being replaced, but as soon as Jiang Ci got sick, it was changed.

It seemed Jiang Ci's guiding words were quite powerful.

"Look, just yesterday Yin Xuemo brought food to the company, and everyone was fine, except Jiang Ci got sick with a stomachache. It's obvious who Jiang Ci is targeting. Who would've thought Jiang Ci had such cunning?" The company was abuzz with gossip.

"Yin Xuemo has such feelings for Mr. Lu, how could Jiang Ci not use some tactics? Look, with this illness, she's erased all of Yin Xuemo's efforts, tsk tsk tsk."

The entire company was talking.

When it reached Han Lan's ears, she said, "Stop talking nonsense, Jiang Ci isn't like that."

Everyone fell silent, only gossiping behind backs. After all, Jiang Ci was quite shrewd, and after regaining favor, Mr. Lu listened to her so much.

If they kept gossiping, they might end up in trouble themselves.

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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