car. He sat inside, thinking for a while, before finally calling Qiao Xun's number.Joe refused to listen.Lu Ze stopped calling. He leaned against the leather seat and calmly lit a cigarette.He though...Joe ran back to the house he was renting.
Far away, Shen Qing was anxiously waiting under the building with an umbrella.
Joe Xun slowed his pace: "Aunt Shen, why are you back"
When she got home, Shen Qing took a towel to wipe her hair and said, "I wasn't at ease coming back without checking on you. Such heavy rain... why didn't you take a car"
Joe smoked lightly, "It's not good to fight in the rain."
Shen Qing urged her to take a bath, and when she came out, he warmed up some soup for her.
When Qiao Xun was drinking soup, Shen Qing hesitated for a moment before asking: "How is it going with you and Lu Ze"
Joe sighed.
Then she continued to sip her soup, only murmuring, "He won't divorce! I can't seem to find anyone willing to take on this divorce case right now, but I applied for separation. At most, two years... Even if he refuses, we'll still be able to get divorced."
Shen Qing didn't say anything more.
She silently applied medicine to Qiao Xun's wound, and as she looked at the injury on his fingertip, Shen Qing's nose ached.
Back then, Qiao Xuan was a prodigy at the Music Academy. Many renowned musicians wanted her as their student, including that musical genius surnamed Wei who visited her several times.
But now...he was playing the piano in that very place.
Joe saw through her thoughts.
She comforted Shen Qing: “When Dad gets better and my brother comes out, I will continue my studies!”
Then Shen Qing smiled: "Auntie believes in you! Then we can be musicians too."
Joe followed with a smile.
She hadn't smiled like that in a long time. When she smiled, two small tiger teeth peeked out, it was actually very cute.
Back to the room.
She sat by the bed, carefully wiping the violin, very cherish it.
At this moment, the phone rang. It was the manager of the performance company calling. He said there was a high-end French restaurant opening tomorrow and they needed a program with a higher standard.
The manager chuckled, "I immediately thought of you, Qiao Xun! Making 5,000 yuan in just four hours, it's like money falling from the sky! I know you need money... this is a win-win for us, split 50/50! How about that"
$4 for 2.5 hours...
Joe Xun stood up all of a sudden. She wasn't usually sociable, but this time she even uttered a few sweet words.
The manager specially instructed: "Wear something nice tomorrow!"
Joe hummed softly.
Hanging up the phone, she couldn't help but pick up her violin and caress it.
After a moment of joy, she went to pick out a suitable outfit.
After searching for a long time, she saw that set of white silk blouse and black dress... Qiao Xun looked at it while touching it, feeling a little dazed. This set of clothes was what she wore when she was Mrs. Lu.
It has been a long time since she wore it again.
......
The following night, a high-end French restaurant on the bustling Central Avenue in City B was brightly lit.
The waiter, bearing a tray, went back and forth.
Qiao Xuan wore a silk gown, her black hair styled behind her delicate neck with a pair of pearl earrings, looking exceptionally beautiful.
Under the crystal chandelier, her playing the violin was graceful and beautiful.
Across the floor-to-ceiling glass....
A black Bentley was parked outside. Lu Ze leaned against the car, smoking. He wore a black shirt and black casual pants, looking more casual than his usual business attire.
Gray smoke billowed out, only to be shredded by the night wind.
Lu Ze saw Qiao Xun playing the piano for the first time.
His gaze upon her carried a hint of the male's base desires for women, and a possessiveness he himself wasn't aware of.
He didn't go into the restaurant, he just stood outside and waited.
He saw that from time to time, men would be amazed by Qiao Xun and hand her their business cards, but Qiao Xun would politely refuse with a smile. She only pulled out her violin... Lu Ze was quite satisfied.
He thought, as long as Qiao Xun went home with him, he could pretend none of her rebellion had happened this past while.
The restaurant closes at 10:30 pm.
Joe-xuan put the guitar away and said goodbye to the restaurant manager. The manager was quite satisfied with her performance and cheerfully paid her, saying that he would call her for more gigs next time.
Joe again expressed his gratitude.
She walked out of the restaurant. Lu Ze saw her come out and leaned sideways, slowly snuffing out his cigarette. Just as he was about to call her, someone beat him to it.
"Xiaoxun!"
Qiao Xun followed the sound and looked.
It took He Jiatang several steps to park his car before he rolled down the window and beckoned her, "Get in! I'll send you back."
Joe thought it was too intimate.
Just as I was about to refuse, He Jiatang took out a lunch box from the passenger seat: “My mom made homemade dumplings, your favorite celery filling. Let me bring them over for you.”
Joe blushed a little: “Auntie, you remember!”
Ge Jiatang smiled gently, leaning over to open the passenger car door: "Get in, I'm going your way anyway."
Joe reluctantly agreed.
She got into the car and fastened her seatbelt: "Thanks for that."
He Jiatang supported both hands on the steering wheel and looked at her holding the insulated food box, his eyes warm: "Eat if you're hungry, it's still hot."
Qiao Xun didn't want to seem too intimate, and besides, she was afraid of soiling his car. She shook her head and said, "I want to go home for dinner."
Ge Jiatang didn't force her, gently stepped on the accelerator. After a moment, he cheerfully said, "It's good to go home and eat slowly!"
The white BMW drove away slowly...
About ten meters away, Lu Ze looked in the direction the car had left, his face so dark it could drip water.
He took his phone out of the car and made a call. He received a reply very soon.
As he thought.
The behind-the-scenes owner of this restaurant is He Jitai.
......
Probably too tired, Qiao Xun actually fell asleep in the car.
The car stopped, but she was still asleep.
He looked at her sideways, at her delicate yet somewhat haggard features, at her soft body hidden under the silk gown... He had never looked at a woman so openly before.
Before, in his eyes, Qiao Xun was just a little girl.
But after many years, she grew into a mature woman, and it was Lu Ze who trained her to be as alluring as she is today.
He Jiatang's mood was a bit complicated.
He couldn't help but lean in, gently touching her fair and soft cheek. His voice was husky: "It was me who met you first."
Joe woke up.
She opened her eyes and looked around: "It's here so soon"
When she met He Jiatang's gaze, she froze for a moment, her hand instinctively tightening around the lunchbox.
Joe is a mature woman.
She is not slow-witted.
A two million dollar check, and hand-made dumplings given as a gift... saying it's just old feelings is too much of a stretch.
Qiao Xun pondered for a moment before softly speaking, "Brother Ji Tang, I can handle matters at home. Please don't worry about it anymore!"
He Jia Tang quietly stared at her.
They are all adults, how could they not hear the meaning behind these words Qiao Xun guessed his intentions and refused. She probably had reservations about Lu Ze and was afraid it would affect him.
He didn't make things difficult for her.
He lightly tapped the lunch box in her hand and gave a faint smile: “Alright! If you need anything, just find me!”
It would be impossible to say that Qiao Xun wasn't touched. The kindness of helping someone in need is something everyone would be grateful for.
However, the adult world is always filled with too many considerations.
Later, Qiao Xun stood in the night wind, watching the white BMW slowly drive away. When the car was gone, she slowly walked towards the old stairway.
The lights in the hallway have been out for days. There's no property management, so repairs are taking a while. It's pitch black everywhere!
Joe was about to turn on his phone flashlight when he was suddenly held by a solid, masculine arm.
After a few stumbles,
She was pinned against the hallway wall by a man.
Through a sliver of moonlight filtering through the windowpane, Qiao Xun saw Lu Ze's furious face, as if he were catching someone in the act.
She reached out and pushed him: "Lu Ze, let me go!"
Lu Ze stared at her, his black eyes cold enough to freeze. His masculine, rigid body pressed against the woman's softness, his entire posture shamelessly...
The lunch box slipped from Qiao Xun's hand.
Her two slender wrists were grasped and held high, firmly pinned above her head.
The faint scent of aftershave lingered on his skin, spraying softly behind her delicate earlobes: "Because of him, you want a divorce"
Qiao Xun shook his head, just about to speak.
Suddenly, she let out a soft, long scream......voice soft and gentle: "Actually, I used to be the same way! It's just that you, Lu Ze, have never noticed."Over the course of their three-year marriage, most of their meetings were in bed.The rest of...