Chapter 4: A Week's Work for Nothing

Ning Deyuan considered it for a long while before looking up at Lin Han.

“There’s no rush. Let things take their course. We can’t be the ones to make the first move. We need to see what they want, or we’ll end up offending everyone.”

He was no fool. Years in business had taught him a good deal of calculation.

“Deyuan, do you mean…” A gleam flickered in her eyes.

“Nothing in particular. We’ll follow the Gu family’s lead. They’re trying to win favor with Lu Group. Lu has taken an interest in entertainment recently. I hear Ms. Shen is retiring and her eldest grandson is coming back to take over. Gu Mingliang and the others are doing everything they can to establish a connection with him.”

“Lu Group? Doesn’t Yixia work there? Could she find anything out?”

The mention of it irritated him.

“She never tells us anything about the company. She’s still just an ordinary employee. What use could she be?”

If she really had any ability, she would have brought Haisheng some benefits by now. Instead, she had achieved nothing and spent her time plotting against Momo, who devoted herself to the company.

Lu Group stood at the very top of Aocheng’s business world. Even the Gu family spoke of it with wary respect, let alone Ning Deyuan.

…

At the restaurant, Lu Siting’s phone kept ringing throughout dinner.

After everything that had happened, Ning Yixia was hardly in a good mood. Her father’s call had only made it worse. And neither Gu Ziyan nor his family had offered her the slightest explanation.

Not a phone call. Not even a message.

They had clearly known how today would turn out. They had simply chosen to ignore her and play her for a fool.

She wasn’t a saint. She couldn’t suffer all this without feeling anything. In truth, the pain had almost numbed her. She was afraid she might lose control and break down right there.

While Lu Siting was on another call, she went out to pay.

The bill gave her a shock: 19,850 yuan.

A single pot of tea was 5,888.

It certainly lived up to its reputation as the most expensive restaurant around. An ordinary person like her couldn’t afford this.

A whole week’s work, gone!

She put away the receipt. On her way back, she saw Ah Yi outside the room.

“Hello. Would you please tell Mr. Lu I’ve gone home? We’ll speak later.”

Then she turned and walked away, apparently forgetting that she was now Mrs. Lu.

Ah Yi couldn’t decide whether to follow her. Before he could make up his mind, she had disappeared around the corner.

He called the front desk and learned, to his surprise, that she had already settled the bill.

Once Lu Siting finished his call, Ah Yi went in.

“Sir, Ms. Ning… Mrs. Lu has gone home.”

Lu Siting looked up. Seeing that his expression remained calm, Ah Yi drew a breath and continued.

“She also… paid the bill.”

Paid?

Remembering her striking face and restrained composure, Lu Siting wasn’t especially surprised.

“Sir…” Ah Yi hesitated again.

“What is it?” His tone revealed nothing.

“She said just now… that she’d worked a whole week for nothing.”

A whole week for nothing?

Lu Siting was silent a moment, then understood.

“Get her a card. Charge any future visits to my account.”

It wasn’t difficult to understand. However calm she appeared, she kept a firm distance from him. She drew clear boundaries. She had a temper of her own, too.

“Yes, sir.”

Ah Yi was surprised. His employer rarely arranged privileges of this sort. He generally kept things strictly businesslike.

Did that mean Ms. Ning was a little special? Or did he simply dislike being treated to dinner by a woman?

And would the family accept her background so easily?

“Sir, your family called to ask about you and Ms. Jiang…” he ventured.

“I’m married, as they wished.”

Whom he married was his own decision. All his grandparents wanted was a granddaughter-in-law anyway.

Lu Siting rose, his expression indifferent.

“Yes, but how do we explain things to the Jiang family—”

Lu Siting cut him off, already bored. “Don’t consider any cooperation with them. And I don’t want any supposedly inside news suggesting a connection between me and the Jiang family.”

Ah Yi understood at once.

His employer had no intention of explaining anything.

Once again, he silently offered his condolences to the Jiang family.

They were wealthy and influential in Aocheng. But Lu Siting wouldn’t even have considered Ms. Jiang if her family hadn’t once done his grandfather a favor. They had used that debt, his grandfather’s poor health, and his eagerness for a great-grandchild to push her forward.

Unfortunately, Ms. Jiang had decided he couldn’t do without her. She had been parading around as his fiancée lately, something he had probably resented for some time.

This time she had gone further. A major project had prevented him from returning for a party she hosted. He had sent a gift afterward to make up for it.

She had responded by refusing his calls for three days, going off without a word, and demanding an apology. She wanted a drone display announcing to all Aocheng that she was his most treasured person.

A little petulance might pass for flirtation. This much would bring everything to an end.

…

Over the course of the evening, Ning Yixia barely managed to contain her feelings. She told herself to stay calm and think more about her own future. Work, too, kept pressing on her mind. She needed to keep busy.

Somehow, her sudden marriage slipped almost entirely out of her thoughts.

The next morning, she had barely sat down in her office when Lao Taifeng’s manager arrived in person with an exclusive membership card and an exquisitely prepared breakfast.

“Ms. Ning, please accept these,” Manager Zhang said respectfully.

She stared in bewilderment. “What’s this for?”

She couldn’t recall any personal or business connection with such an expensive restaurant.

“We’re following instructions. From now on, you won’t need a reservation. Just show this card.”

The manager left the envelope containing the card and the food container on her desk, then departed.

She was still staring at them when her assistant, Wang Mo, knocked and came in.

“Director Ning, Public Relations has sent your invitation.”

Wang Mo handed her an elegant red card.

She opened it and understood. A charity dinner was being held the evening after next. She and Manager Wei from Public Relations were to attend on Lu Group’s behalf. The instructions had already come down earlier.

Lu Group supported many charitable causes every year. She had attended plenty of such events.

“All right. Thank you.”

She soon immersed herself in work again.