Chapter 677 Not Like Other Girls
“Uncle Xing? Where’s Uncle Xing?” queried Dabao. After a split second of hesitation, Qiao Zhan explained to the little boy, “Um… Master Xing came to Livingsfill to visit you guys, but you were all asleep. He didn’t want to wake you up but was also feeling bored, so he went for a stroll. He should be back soon.”
“Are you saying that Uncle Xing came to the inn? What did he do to Ms. Lu when he saw her, then? Did he anger her and make her leave?” Dabao analyzed the situation clearly.
The boy’s words scared Qiao Zhan out of his wits. He quickly waved his hands and denied, “I didn’t say that. In fact, I don’t know anything at all!”
“You were the one who said that! Are you trying to go back on your words?” Dabao glared at the man, unrelenting.
“Little Master, you’re putting me in a difficult spot. I can’t afford to anger Master Xing. If he were to hear about this, he’d flay me!” Qiao Zhan panicked.
The bit about Nan Xing flaying Qiao Zhan might have been an exaggeration, but it was definitely true that Nan Xing would never forgive the latter.
Dabao gave it some thought and nodded, appearing rather understanding. “Don’t worry. If you tell me the truth, I won’t let Uncle Xing find out it was you who snitched,” he said reassuringly.
Nonetheless, Qiao Zhan reiterated, “The truth is, I have no idea. I really don’t!”
“You know, yet you’re insisting that you don’t. Clearly, you’re deliberately hiding it from me. You’re not planning to talk, huh? In that case, I’ll give Daddy a call.” After threatening the man, Dabao turned around and was prepared to leave.
Qiao Zhan hurriedly grabbed him, asking, “What are you going to tell Sir Chen?”
“Of course, I’m going to tell him all about how you bullied Ms. Lu. You like her, so you did something bad to her while no one else was around, and she left out of anger!”
Hearing that, Qiao Zhan loudly professed his innocence, “Little Master, I’m innocent! I’m a stickler for rules. Even if I have the courage, I would never do such a thing!” “Then, tell me the truth about what happened.”
“I really don’t know what happened. Ms. Lu stormed out just as I came back. I asked her what was wrong, but she didn’t say a word to me. After that, I came inside and saw Master Xing, who was also in a bad mood. That’s why I deduced that there must’ve been a conflict between the two of them, but I have no proof of it at all. This is everything that I know, Little Master, so please don’t pressure me anymore. I’m really at my wit’s end,” said Qiao Zhan as a bitter expression hung on his face.
Dabao furrowed his brows and fell into deep thought. A moment later, he piped up, “Forget it. It mustn’t have been your fault. I just wanted you to tell me the truth, so don’t worry too much.”
Later in the day, Ning Ran had just gotten off work when she received a call from Lu Jingyuan, asking her to go out for a drink.
Ning Ran felt it was a little odd. She’d asked Lu Jingyuan to look after her children that day and thought she’d be able to meet the woman when she returned to the inn. As such, Ning Ran didn’t expect Lu Jingyuan to contact her first.
“Are you not at the inn? Aren’t we having a meal together later tonight?”
“I’m not at the inn anymore. I’ll send you my location, so come over and have a meal with me, just the two of us. I’d like to have a chat with you,” said Lu Jingyuan.
Ning Ran thought that Lu Jingyuan must have something important to say to her and readily agreed. If that wasn’t the case, the latter wouldn’t ask her out alone.
Lu Jingyuan requested to meet at a small and quaint restaurant. The atmosphere was extremely quiet, so it was the perfect place for a chat.
Lu Jingyuan ate very little at night, so the two women ordered a couple of snacks and a bottle of wine to enjoy as they talked.
Unexpectedly, after talking for a long while, Lu Jingyuan didn’t mention anything important. They had only been making small talk thus far.
Nevertheless, Ning Ran felt that Lu Jingyuan’s purpose in inviting her here was to tell her something.
Ning Ran had a straightforward character. She didn’t like going about things in a roundabout way, so she got straight to the point. “You must have something to say to me. No matter how troubling it is, I’m willing to listen, so there’s no need for you to be so courteous to me.”
Lu Jingyuan hesitated for a moment before asking, “Are you planning to marry Nan Chen?”
Coupled with the fact that she couldn’t figure out the other woman’s intention, Ning Ran felt her heart skip a beat at the sudden question about marriage. “What do you mean?”
In truth, Lu Jingyuan was gripped by hesitancy. If she were to tell Ning Ran how awful and frivolous Nan Chen was, she could potentially hurt Ning Ran’s dignity, no matter how tight-knit their friendship was.
But at the same time, she felt that she couldn’t keep this from Ning Ran. Caught in a dilemma, Lu Jingyuan couldn’t decide whether or not she should come clean to Ning Ran.
“We don’t have any plans to get married for now. We talked about it in the past, but nothing ever came of it. You probably know this, but there’s a huge difference between him and me. Some differences can’t be shortened just by getting close to one another. On the contrary, we might even drift further apart,” Ning Ran explained.
Lu Jingyuan said nothing and mulled over her options. If you’re not getting married to him, then just forget about it. It’s better if I don’t tell you so it wouldn’t affect your mood.
After coming to that decision, she said, “It’s all right, then.” Although Lu Jingyuan brushed the topic off, Ning Ran was still bothered by it.
Anyone would be hung up over something that had piqued their curiosity. “So it wouldn’t be all right if he and I were to get married?” Ning Ran riposted.
“Yes.” Lu Jingyuan’s response was direct. “Interesting. You’re afraid we’d get married?”
“Yes.” The woman’s response made Ning Ran even more nervous. Could it be that there’s really something going on between the two of them? Otherwise, why would she be afraid of Nan Chen marrying me?
“Why?” “I don’t think he’s suited for you,” said Lu Jingyuan matter-of-factly. She wasn’t one to be hesitant, and since everything had been laid out, there was no need to hide anything anymore.
“Why is that so? Perhaps you think I’m not worthy of him?” At that point, Ning Ran was rather infuriated, but she endured the rage surging within her and kept her composure.
She had long suspected the two of them but felt that both Lu Jingyuan and Nan Chen weren’t indecent people. Hence, she gradually tamped down her jealousy over time.
She’d thought her jealousy was almost gone at that point, yet Lu Jingyuan’s actions took her by surprise. At that point, Ning Ran didn’t just feel jealous but also hurt.
“It’s quite the opposite. I don’t think he’s worthy of you,” stated Lu Jingyuan, her tone firm and resolute.
Ning Ran sneered at that. “Is this sarcasm? I’m just an actress, while he’s a CEO, and yet you’re saying he’s not worthy of me?”
“That’s right, he isn’t. His personality is trash.”
Once again, Ning Ran was stunned to hear that remark about Nan Chen’s personality.
Now that’s just impressive! Lu Jingyuan is not like other girls at all. She has no qualms speaking about what’s on her mind.
Ning Ran forced herself to stay cool-headed and queried, “Why do you say so?”
“I didn’t want to tell you, but we’re friends, so there’s no need for me to hide it from you. If I kept this a secret from you, then it’d be a form of betrayal. Earlier today, Nan Chen acted as if he didn’t know me, said I was pretty, and even asked if I had a boyfriend—”
Before Lu Jingyuan could finish speaking, Ning Ran jumped out of her seat in shock. “What?”
Her intense reaction scared Lu Jingyuan a little.
“Calm down and don’t be like this. If you continue to act this way, I won’t dare to continue talking,” said Lu Jingyuan weakly.
“Nan Chen dared to flirt with you? Is that what you were saying? I didn’t misunderstand, right?” Ning Ran bellowed.
Helpless, Lu Jingyuan nodded. “Yes, that’s an apt description of what happened. Basically, he was hitting on me.”
“What a shameless, despicable, perverted, hypocritical jerk!”
Consumed by rage, Ning Ran hurled every insult she could think of off the top of her head.
Alas, that wasn’t enough to quell her hatred. She then kicked the chair but accidentally stubbed her toe in the process, causing intense pain to tear through her body.
