Huo Xun sensed Lu Mingcheng’s silence and asked with a smile, “So, what do you think? Want to have a drink tonight?”

Lu Mingcheng: “Sure.”

Huo Xun raised an eyebrow. “Alright, same place.”

Just as Lu Mingcheng put his phone down, Liu Dong knocked and entered.

“Mr. Lu,” Liu Dong said, placing some documents on the desk. He lowered his voice. “Here is the new resort building proposal from Manager Qin. Please take a look.”

Lu Mingcheng reached out and took the papers.

He lowered his gaze and flipped through a few pages before asking calmly, “Is this the revised version?”

Liu Dong: “Yes.”

Lu Mingcheng hummed in acknowledgment, setting the papers aside. “I’ll review it later. If there are any issues, I’ll let you know.”

Liu Dong nodded in understanding.

He stood there, contemplating for a moment, unsure whether he should mention the encounter with Jiang Qiuyi at the hot spring hotel.

As he was hesitating, Lu Mingcheng looked up at him and asked, “Is there something else?”

Liu Dong remained silent for a moment, then quietly said, “At lunch today, I ran into the madam with Manager Qin and the others.”

Upon hearing this, Lu Mingcheng paused for a moment. “At the hotel?”

“Yes.”

Lu Mingcheng thought for a second before asking calmly, “What did my wife say?”

“She didn’t say much.”

Liu Dong replied honestly, “She just greeted us briefly.”

Lu Mingcheng didn’t respond.

Liu Dong recalled for a moment and then quietly added, “But Miss Xu did exchange a few words with Madam.”

Lu Mingcheng raised an eyebrow slightly. “Miss Xu?”

Liu Dong replied, “An architect from Guangdiao Architecture, Xu Wanbai.”

Lu Mingcheng asked nonchalantly, “Do they know each other?”

Liu Dong hesitated for a moment before uncertainly replying, “They probably don’t.”

Lu Mingcheng: “…”

He nodded, not giving the matter much thought. “You can go now.”

Once Liu Dong left, Lu Mingcheng finished the tasks at hand before turning his attention to the architectural proposal.

The Lu family’s resort project had been in planning for quite some time, but the architectural proposal still hadn’t been finalized and was still undergoing revisions.

Guangdiao was an architecture firm they had worked with before—familiar and reliable.

While he was reviewing the documents, the internal phone line rang. It was Liu Dong.

“Mr. Lu,”

Liu Dong quickly said, “Manager Qin mentioned that if there are any issues with the proposal, you can contact Miss Xu for revisions. She is the lead designer for this plan. I’ve already sent her contact information to your email.”

Lu Mingcheng replied, “Got it.”

After briefly reviewing the proposal, Lu Mingcheng grabbed the jacket draped over the back of his chair when the second call from Huo Xun came in and left the office.

Meanwhile, Jiang Qiuyi and Li Miao had finished their meal and were heading to a bar and club for some fun.

There was a live band performing tonight, and a gathering with some friends, so it was bound to be lively.

“Did you tell Mr. Lu about your plans?” Li Miao glanced over at Jiang Qiuyi.

Jiang Qiuyi replied, “No.”

Li Miao chuckled at her calm expression. “Are you sure that’s fine?”

“Mm.” Jiang Qiuyi thought for a moment before speaking softly, “I don’t think he’ll be bothered by it.”

The relationship between Jiang Qiuyi and Lu Mingcheng had always been one of mutual respect, maintaining a polite distance.

She rarely inquired about his schedule, and he never asked about hers. Of course, this could also be because she was usually at home, and whenever he returned, she was there, so there was no need to ask.

Hearing this, Li Miao muttered, “Damn man.”

Jiang Qiuyi laughed and raised an eyebrow in agreement.

When they arrived at the bar’s private room, there were already quite a few people inside.

This bar club was members-only, and most of the people there were well-connected and influential within their circles.

Even if they weren’t familiar with each other, they had likely heard of one another.

Jiang Qiuyi and Li Miao didn’t linger in the first-floor lobby; they went straight upstairs to the private room.

As soon as they entered, the people inside greeted them warmly, smiling.

“Miao Miao is here!”

“You’re a rare guest.”

“Li Miao, you’re looking more and more beautiful. Is that bag new?”

“…”

Jiang Qiuyi listened, a slight smile tugging at her lips.

She was about to move to another side when Li Miao called out, “Hey, where are you going?”

“I’m going to sit over there for a bit. These high heels are hurting my feet.”

At this point, people finally noticed her.

“Qiuyi, you’re here too?”

Jiang Qiuyi simply hummed in response, not bothered by their earlier disregard.

In their eyes, her marriage to Lu Mingcheng was just a lucky stroke of fate, as if she had stumbled upon it by chance.

It wasn’t just them— even the Lu family had never truly regarded her as Lu Mingcheng’s wife.

However, today might be a bit different.

Jiang Qiuyi was just guessing when someone spoke first.

“Qiuyi, long time no see.”

A sweet, high-pitched voice entered her ears, and the person immediately rushed toward Jiang Qiuyi, smiling brightly. “Your dress is so beautiful today, and that necklace on your neck—was it the one Mr. Lu bought at the auction?”

In an instant, all eyes were drawn to the necklace on Jiang Qiuyi’s neck.

Apart from the sparkling Bling dress, the sapphire necklace on her neck was even more eye-catching.

“Is it true?”

Someone voiced their doubt. “The necklace Mr. Lu bought at the auction last time, wasn’t it 30 million?”

Was that a gift for Jiang Qiuyi? That seems unlikely.

They all knew the kind of treatment Jiang Qiuyi received in the Lu family.

Would Lu Mingcheng really give her such an expensive necklace?

Jiang Qiuyi was well aware of everyone’s skepticism. She exchanged a glance with Li Miao, smiled, and said, “I suppose so.”

She grinned shamelessly and added, “There are a few similar necklaces at home, so I just grabbed one to match the dress without paying much attention.”

Everyone: “…”

For a moment, their expressions varied.

Jiang Qiuyi must be a little too confident to say something like that.

Suddenly, Li Miao laughed. “Let me take a look.”

She walked over and, in front of everyone, picked up the necklace from Jiang Qiuyi’s neck, examining it closely. “It really is that one. No wonder it’s a collectible—the color and clarity are exceptional. Mr. Lu has great taste.”

Jiang Qiuyi smiled slightly.

“Not bad,” she replied, not wanting to spend too much time on this. “Let’s go sit over there.”

Li Miao nodded.

Jiang Qiuyi and Li Miao chose a window-side table in the private room. It had a great view, and they could see the performance stage in the lobby downstairs.

As the two of them walked away, the group of girls who had been surprised earlier huddled together, whispering quietly.

“Is that necklace really the one Mr. Lu bought at the auction?”

“Li Miao says it is. Do you dare question her?”

“Is Mr. Lu really so good to Jiang Qiuyi? I heard her life in the Lu family is worse than that of a servant.”

“Maybe Li Miao is just playing along with her, tricking us into thinking she’s something special. She probably wants us to see her in a new light.”

“That makes sense. She’s out here for the first time in a while, so she has to make her presence known in our circle.”

“…”

Sun Xi had just entered and overheard their discussion.

She rolled her eyes subtly and scanned the room, looking for Jiang Qiuyi.

She paused for a moment, then raised her voice and called, “Sister-in-law!”

Hearing the voice, Jiang Qiuyi turned her head in confusion.

“Huh?”

Under the gaze of the crowd, Sun Xi stomped her foot and walked toward her, grumbling, “Didn’t you check your phone tonight?”

Jiang Qiuyi was about to ask what was going on when Sun Xi spoke up first, “I think I left my driver’s license in the car you bought this afternoon. Did you find it?”

“?”

Jiang Qiuyi was momentarily confused, still processing, when Sun Xi added, “If it’s not in the car, maybe I left it at the Van family’s? Didn’t we go there this afternoon to order the jewelry? Could you call their manager and ask?”

“…”

Jiang Qiuyi watched as Sun Xi winked at her repeatedly, suddenly realizing what was going on.

She paused for a moment, then replied without changing her expression, “I’ll ask them tomorrow. They must be resting by now.”

Sun Xi sighed. “Alright, fine.”

She pouted, reluctantly saying, “If nothing else works, just call their manager. You just ordered millions of dollars worth of jewelry from them; even if it’s late at night, they’ll be more than happy to assist you.”

Jiang Qiuyi responded, “Then I’ll ask on WeChat first.”

“Mm-hmm.”

After hearing their conversation, the group was stunned.

^_^