Chapter 30

Chapter Thirty

On wrap day, the set was buzzing, and even Chen Jing was smiling all day.

After Yun Anqing went public with his relationship, he stayed on set for a whole week. Today, he showed up early with a big cake, saying it was to celebrate the wrap.

Shi Qing said, "You’ve been here every day, don’t you have a job?"

Yun Anqing replied, "I’ve just been updating Weibo lately, I have work next month."

"No job and yet you keep sending stuff here, are you just throwing money away?"

Chen Jing took the cake from Yun Anqing's hands and said, "Xiao Qing, you’re the only one who can handle her temper, you’ve got your hands full."

Yun Anqing scratched his head and laughed, "It’s fine, I like her the way she is."

Shi Qing: "..."

The supporting actors had already left two days ago, leaving just the two leads to film some extra scenes.

After they finished the final scene, everyone gathered, eager to cut the cake.

Lu Yan got a large piece with several fruits on it. He sat aside, snapped a photo with his phone, and sent it to Gu Xu.

The reply came quickly: "In a meeting. Too sweet, don’t eat too much."

Shi Qing suddenly leaned over, "What are you smiling at your phone for?"

Lu Yan: "Nothing..."

Before Lu Yan could finish, Shi Qing smeared cream all over his face.

She shoved the whole piece of cake into his face and twisted it around for good measure.

Lu Yan threw the fork from the cake fiercely, "You started it, don’t blame me for fighting back."

Shi Qing darted to the other side, "Catch me if you can, I..."

Lu Yan grabbed a piece of cake and hurled it at Yun Anqing’s face.

Yun Anqing: "...???"

Shi Qing angrily said, "Are you even a man? Take it up with me! Picking on my man, what kind of move is that?"

Lu Yan immediately picked up another piece of cake, "If you’re not happy, go pick on my man."

Shi Qing kicked it off, and soon cakes were flying everywhere. Most of the staff had issues with Chen Jing before, and today they finally got their payback. By now, his face was a mess.

"Bro Yan! Someone’s looking for you!"

Lu Yan and Shi Qing were ganging up on Chen Jing when he heard the call and glanced towards the door.

An unfamiliar woman stood there, petite with a large pair of sunglasses on her face.

Seeing him approach, the woman quickly took off her sunglasses.

Liu Mingyi.

Lu Yan walked to the side of the corridor, wiping cream off himself, and asked, "What’s up?"

"I came to thank you," Liu Mingyi said softly, "Thanks."

She thought it was over for her, but suddenly a flood of online supporters came to her defense, and several influencers also backed her up. The tide had turned on Weibo, and she quickly created a small Weibo account, posting several sob stories, which then 'leaked' online, helping her bounce back.

Later, she found out that Lu Yan had hired a PR team to help her, spending a considerable amount of money.

Lu Yan didn't explain his reasons for helping her: "You're welcome."

Liu Mingyi didn't ask further, "Do you have time for dinner?"

Lu Yan: "Not likely."

"There's something I need to talk to you about, it won't take much of your time."

Lu Yan said, "Go ahead, say it here."

Liu Mingyi lowered her head and took out a file from her bag.

Lu Yan took it, opened it, and glanced through it.

It contained printed call logs and transaction records.

"Zhou Ming has been looking for you recently. The wedding was ruined, and I was exposed in a scandal. He's absolutely humiliated," Liu Mingyi said with a self-deprecating smile, "He's all about saving face, you know."

"After the media reported that you were filming here, he hired some local thugs to... rough you up. These are the transaction records between him and those thugs. Think of it as my thank-you gift."

Lu Yan closed the file and handed it back: "I don't need this."

Liu Mingyi was puzzled, "Why? Those thugs' testimonies alone won't be enough to nail Zhou Ming."

She continued, "After what he did to you, you're not just gonna let him off the hook, are you?"

"I'll take care of my own business," Lu Yan glanced at her, "If you're trying to use me, you picked the wrong guy." After saying this, he turned and left.

Liu Mingyi bit her lip, saying nothing as he walked away.

When Lu Yan returned to City B, it was already dinner time. The moment he stepped off the plane, he received a call from Gu Xu.

"Arrived?"

Lu Yan: "Just landed."

He could hear papers shuffling on the other end: "I still have a meeting, I'll swing by your place later."

He added, "Eat well."

After hanging up, Yun Anqing beside him asked, "Bro Yan, wanna grab some food?"

Before Lu Yan could answer, Shi Qing stepped forward and took Yun Anqing's hand: "It's our date night, no third wheels."

Lu Yan waved his hand: "Have fun, catch you later."

After the two left sweetly, Xiao Liu pulled the luggage from the conveyor belt and asked, "Bro Yan, shall I take you home?"

Lu Yan shook his head: "Take the luggage back, I still have some things to do."

At the restaurant, the owner greeted him warmly as soon as she saw him, "Here you are!"

Then she looked behind him, "Isn't Xiao Xu with you?"

"You still remember me," Lu Yan smiled, "He's swamped with work."

"After all these years, Xiao Xu has only ever brought you here, of course I remember. And I remember your mask with a big cross on it, very cool," the proprietress pulled him to a corner seat, "What would you like to eat? Today's chicken soup is especially flavorful, I'll bring you a bowl later, on the house!"

Lu Yan said sweetly, "Thank you, sister."

The proprietress chuckled, "I'm too old to be called sister, just call me auntie."

"Auntie," Lu Yan corrected himself, "Please pack two roast meat platters for me."

Worried it might not be enough, he picked up the menu on the table and looked again, "And also pack an order of soy sauce spare ribs."

The proprietress's expression changed slightly, and she suddenly said, "Auntie is being a bit nosy, are you bringing food to Xiao Xu?"

Lu Yan nodded, "Yes, why?"

Upon hearing this, she lowered her head and crossed off the soy sauce spare ribs from the order, "Then skip this, Xiao Xu doesn't like it."

Does Gu Xu also have food preferences?

Lu Yan's lips curled slightly, "It's fine, I'll eat it all."

"No!" The proprietress said, then realized she had raised her voice, "...How about the shredded duck? It's our specialty."

Lu Yan sensed something was off and asked, "What's wrong with this dish?"

"...Nothing, it's just that Xiao Xu isn't a fan." The proprietress didn't say more, quickly finished the order and hurried into the kitchen.

When she returned, she handed Lu Yan four large bags, "I packed a few bowls of chicken soup for you, make sure to heat them up before eating, or they might get too rich."

After that, as if worried Lu Yan would bring up the soy sauce spare ribs again, she ushered him out, "Hurry up, or Xiao Xu will go hungry."

Lu Yan stood at the door, laden with bags, both amused and at a loss.

*

When the meeting ended, Gu Xu stood up, rubbing his temples.

Xu Fei, "Mr. Gu, would you like me to get dinner ready for you?"

"No need, just organize the meeting notes, I'll take them home."

Xu Fei, who had grown accustomed to burning the midnight oil with the boss lately, nodded quickly, "I'll organize them right away."

After saying that, he grabbed the materials by the table and went out, afraid Gu Xu might change his mind.

Gu Xu took out his phone, ready to call Lu Yan.

I wonder if the little one has gone home yet.

The secretary sitting outside the office saw him and promptly stood up, "Mr. Gu, there's a Mr. Lu who wants to see you, said he's here to have dinner with you."

Gu Xu stopped, "Where is he?"

"Since he didn't have an appointment, I had him wait in the reception room."

Gu Xu said, "He doesn't need an appointment, next time let him directly into the office."

The secretary quickly nodded, "Yes, I'll go invite Mr. Lu over now."

"No need." Gu Xu said, then turned around and walked straight to the reception room.

When the door opened, the smell of food hit me.

Lu Yan was holding his phone sideways, absorbed in something, but he closed the app when he saw him and smiled, asking, "Done for the day?"

Gu Xu replied, "Just wrapped up the meeting. What brings you here?"

"I wanted to see you, so I came," Lu Yan answered naturally, picking up the food and walking over to him. "The reception room reeks of food. Take these to the office. I’ll open the window."

Gu Xu leaned in and, as he took the bags, gave Lu Yan a quick peck on the corner of his mouth: "Let’s go together. Andy can handle the window."

Lu Yan chuckled: "It’s no big deal."

They waited for Lu Yan to close the window, then headed to the office together.

The headquarters office didn’t have a kitchen, but luckily, the landlady’s packaging kept the food warm, and the food was still steaming when they opened it.

After they finished eating, Gu Xu grabbed his coat and said, "Let’s head back."

Xu Fei knocked on the door just then, holding a stack of documents, greeted Lu Yan, and said, "Mr. Gu, everything’s been sorted out."

"Mm," Gu Xu took them over, "Tell all departments to clock out. Employees who’ve been working overtime can take the next two days off."

After saying that, he added: "I won’t be in the office for the next couple of days. If there’s anything, call me directly."

Xu Fei: "...Alright! Mr. Gu!"

The news came as a pleasant surprise. The overworked employees quickly packed up their things, and within five minutes, the elevator was packed.

"Ding." The elevator arrived.

The elevator doors opened, revealing two men. One man was wearing a mask, his face was obscured, but his eyes were striking.

The other was their boss.

Their boss was smiling.

A soft smile that felt like a breath of fresh air—this kind of smile they hadn’t seen for nearly a week.

But these were not the key points. The key point was that their boss and that man were hand in hand!

...And fingers interlocked.

???

Ten seconds of silence. The atmosphere was awkward.

The elevator door slowly moved, and it was about to close. The employees quietly sighed in relief.

Who knew the man wearing a mask suddenly reached out and pressed the open button.

He asked: "Why don’t you come in?"

Employees: Thank you, we can wait for the next one.

Gu Xu frowned, his smile disappearing quickly: "What are you all standing for?"

...

In the end, eight fearless employees silently squeezed into the elevator.

The man wearing a mask spoke again, "Has everyone eaten yet?"

"...We have, we've had takeout."

"Oh," the man's eyes curved, "You've all been working hard."

Classic boss's wife talk!

Employee: "No, not at all..."

Once they got to the parking lot, as soon as the elevator doors opened, the employees rushed out.

"Goodbye, boss!"

"Goodbye, sir!"

They didn’t even look back.

Once in the car, Lu Yan chuckled, "Your employees seem pretty scared of you."

Gu Xu started the car, turned his head to ask him, "Do I seem that scary?"

Lu Yan propped his head with his hand, lazily saying, "Hmm... not scary."

Pleased with the response, Gu Xu smirked again and pulled out of the parking lot.