On the way, "Lu Yan" went to the restroom. At the dinner table sat "Ning Anmiao" and Lin Chuluo.
With the two of them alone, Lin Chuluo didn't feel the slightest bit uncomfortable. The corners of his lips curved slightly. "Miaomiao, you've grown up."
"Ning Anmiao" averted her gaze. She hardly had any desire to chat with Lin Chuluo. "People will grow up. There's nothing remarkable about that."
He had noticed since just now that Lin Chuluo's expression seemed off.
Especially when it came to things about Miaomiao, his attitude would change completely.
Lu Yan wasn't sure if it was just his illusion.
The other man was taken aback, seemingly not expecting her to be so polite and distant in her reply. After a moment, he smiled faintly. "I didn't expect that you'd really marry Lu Yan."
"I thought, with his personality, he wouldn't make such a hasty decision."
As Lin Chuluo spoke, he lowered his eyes. The emotions in his eyes were unclear, but he quickly composed himself. The smile on his face remained extremely gentlemanly.
"Do you want anything else to eat? You can order more. Don't worry about saving money for me."
"I remember that you really liked the cream soup from that shop near the school gate during college. This restaurant happens to have it too. Do you want to try it?"
His voice was gentle as he carefully cared about "Ning Anmiao".
A few girls at the next table cast envious glances at "Ning Anmiao".
Who wouldn't want to be cared for by such a handsome and gentlemanly man?
"Ning Anmiao" didn't.
At first, "Ning Anmiao" still maintained a basic smile, but as time went on, her expression gradually faded. "Thank you. I don't have much of an appetite."
Humph, cream soup?
Lin Chuluo lowered his eyes, staring at "Ning Anmiao"'s face. He pursed his lips. Just as he was about to say something, he ultimately held it back.
"Forget it." A smile reappeared on his face. "As long as you're happy."
Lu Yan's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Thank you for your concern. I've always been very happy."
"Especially after I married Lu Yan." Lu Yan almost enunciated each word in the last sentence, emphasizing every syllable.
Unexpectedly, "Ning Anmiao" would specifically mention her marriage to Lu Yan. Lin Chuluo raised his eyebrows slightly. "Really?"
Based on the inside information he had, the two of them weren't in a loving relationship.
"Yes, really."
Lu Yan's response was concise, but it was enough to show her attitude.
Seeing that "Ning Anmiao" answered so straightforwardly, Lin Chuluo didn't say anything more. He just nodded. "Well, that's enough."
It seemed a bit perfunctory.
Just then, "Lu Yan" returned from the restroom and sat down again.
With "Lu Yan"'s reappearance, their conversation just now came to an abrupt end. Lin Chuluo began to casually chat with "Lu Yan" about some work-related matters.
Fortunately, Ning Anmiao had recently brushed up on some important cooperation projects of Xinghe, so she was able to chat with Lin Chuluo quite smoothly.
During the conversation, Ning Anmiao had been secretly observing Lin Chuluo.
Lin Chuluo was still the gentle male god of the whole department from back then. He was elegant and his words and deeds were appropriate.
He was no different from before.
However, Lu Yan had told her that not long ago, Lin Chuluo had just hired someone to kill that worker in order to put Xinghe in an unfavorable public opinion crisis and make it lose to Yanyun in the venue auction next month.
This Lin Chuluo was strange and cold-blooded.
The dinner was tasteless. When they finally said goodbye, Lin Chuluo casually slipped a business card to "Ning Anmiao".
"We haven't been in touch since graduation. After all, the three of us were friends back then. If you ever need help in the future, you can come to me."
Lin Chuluo's tone was serious, and he didn't seem overly intimate. He kept a proper distance.
It was hard to refuse.
Lu Yan squinted his eyes and tightened his palm, squeezing the business card in his hand.
He could tell that Lin Chuluo was an excellent hunter.
An excellent hunter who wanted to capture Miaomiao.
The "Lu Yan" beside them didn't notice anything amiss. He just nodded slightly, said goodbye to Lin Chuluo, and then turned around and walked towards their car.
"Finally it's over. Such occasions are so nerve-wracking." Ning Anmiao let out a long sigh of relief. Her tense nerves finally relaxed. "Thank goodness he didn't ask any difficult questions."
"By the way, you drive later. I had some wine just now." After saying this matter-of-factly, she sat in the passenger seat.
At this moment, she finally felt exhausted. She raised her hand to rub the space between her eyebrows and closed her eyes to rest.
Seeing this, Lu Yan silently started the car.
After a while, Lu Yan heard the even breathing sound from beside him. Taking advantage of a red light, he turned his head and glanced at the passenger seat.
Miaomiao was asleep.
The tense look on Lu Yan's face softened when he saw her sleeping unguarded in his car.
Of course he would protect Miaomiao well.
---
Lu Yan drove the car extremely steadily. Coupled with the fact that there were few cars on the road at night, Ning Anmiao was hardly affected and had a good sleep in the car.
When she opened her eyes, the car had already stopped.
Ning Anmiao looked down at the blanket on her body and was stunned for a few seconds. "When... did we get here?"
"Twenty minutes ago."
Seeing that she was awake, Lu Yan said indifferently, "Are you very tired recently? You were sleeping soundly."
Being asked this, Ning Anmiao first shook her head, then seemed to remember something and nodded.
"Sort of. There's a designer in Shanghai. She said she's going to hold an event and invited me to design some items for auction."
"A friend?" Lu Yan caught the meaning in her words and casually asked, "Be more careful. Don't be like last time and rush to be someone else's stepping stone."
Ning Anmiao knew that he was referring to the time when she had stupidly regarded Jiang Qiwei as a friend and even boasted about trying to match Jiang Qiwei and Lu Yan up.
A look of embarrassment flashed across her face, but she loudly retorted, "No way. I know this designer. We're good friends."
After saying that, she added, "She's a very talented fashion designer. We got to know each other online."
Lu Yan didn't really doubt her friend and didn't want to interfere too much in her social life, so he just said, "Well, as long as you're sure about her character."
Seeing that she had been awake for a while and they had talked for so long, he thought her body temperature should have risen, so he tilted his chin. "Let's go. Let's go home."
After sleeping for a while, Ning Anmiao felt much better. After washing up, she became even more awake. She decided to go to the study and work for a while.
Lu Yan tried to persuade her but to no avail. He watched her walk into the study with a deep look in his eyes.
...
Ning Anmiao turned on the light in the study, slowly turned on the computer, and skillfully logged into her designer account. The icon in the bottom right corner immediately started flashing.