Chapter 25: Does He Seem to Have Other Intentions Toward You?

When Mu Xingyi asked that question, Li Qingqing instantly panicked, a cold sweat breaking out on her back.

What should she do? How was she supposed to explain this situation to Mu Xingyi?

Surely Lu Yan wouldn’t just blurt out that he was keeping her, right? Li Qingqing kept her head down, on the verge of tears from fear.

Lu Yan, however, remained calm. He glanced at Li Qingqing with a smug little smirk at the corner of his mouth, then looked up at Mu Xingyi and said lightly, “We ran into each other on the road, so I gave her a ride.”

Mu Xingyi nodded slightly, though not quite convincingly. “Oh? Is that so?”

To him, the excuse sounded flimsy. When had these two grown so close behind his back?

By now, Li Qingqing’s back was drenched in cold sweat. She forced a stiff smile at Mu Xingyi and said awkwardly, “Yes, that’s right. President Lu was just being kind since I’m your apprentice.”

Hearing her say the same thing made Mu Xingyi’s expression soften a little.

“Oh, that explains it. I thought you two were secretly much closer than I realized.”

He then turned his gaze to Lu Yan. “President Lu said it was on your way. What brings you to the hospital this early in the morning? Not feeling well?”

Lu Yan replied with a faintly amused smile, “I’m perfectly healthy. In fact, I’ve got so much energy I can hardly burn it off. Isn’t that right?” As he spoke, he glanced meaningfully at Li Qingqing.

Li Qingqing immediately picked up on the double entendre in his words. The tips of her ears turned crimson, and she stared down at the floor, not daring to look at either of them.

“Oh? Then why the hospital?” Mu Xingyi pressed with interest.

Lu Yan pursed his lips and said, “Can you traditional medicine doctors prescribe herbal formulas for boosting blood and energy?”

Mu Xingyi looked at Lu Yan, then at Li Qingqing, before replying, “President Lu wants it for someone else, I assume? Got your eye on a new girl and trying to win her over?”

Lu Yan didn’t deny it. He simply responded impatiently, “If you’ve got some, just write a few doses. I’m in a hurry.”

Mu Xingyi didn’t think too much of it and turned to Li Qingqing, who was still sitting in the car. He gestured to her, “Qingqing, get out. Let’s go grab the medicine for President Lu.”

Li Qingqing glanced at Lu Yan. Seeing that he didn’t object, she quickly opened the door and jogged after Mu Xingyi into the hospital.

Not long after, Mu Xingyi returned alone with the medicine. When Lu Yan saw that Li Qingqing wasn’t with him, his face darkened as he took the bag and tossed it onto the passenger seat before driving off without a word.

Mu Xingyi watched the departing Benz, a shadow passing over his eyes.

Back in his office, he called Li Qingqing over. “Qingqing, is it your time of the month right now?”

He didn’t care if the question made her uncomfortable—he just needed to confirm his suspicion.

Li Qingqing, recalling the awkward scene just now, assumed Mu Xingyi had misunderstood something and quickly explained, “No, Shifu. My period usually comes at the end of the month. It’s still about a week away.”

She had lied to Lu Yan that morning just to get a few days of peace. That man was too much—she really couldn’t handle him.

Mu Xingyi paused for a moment, then remembered Li Qingqing had once told him she suffered from severe menstrual cramps during her period. Thinking back to how she’d just been jogging, she really didn’t look like she was on it.

He could only chuckle awkwardly.

“Oh, then I must have misunderstood. Sorry, Qingqing. It’s just that Lu Yan bringing you to work out of the blue… I can’t help but feel like he might have other intentions toward you. Do you get that impression too?”

Mu Xingyi didn’t try to hide his thoughts—he was direct and forthright about his suspicions.

Ever since that day at the entertainment center when they ran into each other, Mu Xingyi had found Lu Yan’s remarks odd. For some reason, Lu Yan always seemed to bring up Li Qingqing intentionally or unintentionally. But they’d only met twice—they were practically strangers.

From what Mu Xingyi knew of his old classmate, Lu Yan wasn’t someone who paid much attention to women. But his attitude toward Li Qingqing seemed… different.

Li Qingqing was caught off guard by how directly he asked. Her heart skipped a beat, and panic began to rise in her chest.

“Ah—no… no, I don’t think so. I’ve only seen President Lu a few times. Besides… you were there every time, weren’t you, Shifu?” she replied nervously, her palms already damp with sweat.

To be honest, she hated lying to Mu Xingyi. It made her feel despicable. But whatever her relationship with Lu Yan was right now, it was something she absolutely couldn’t tell anyone.

Mu Xingyi scratched his head, chuckling a bit awkwardly. “Guess I was overthinking it. Don’t mind me, Qingqing—I just don’t want you to get tricked.”

Li Qingqing let out a quiet breath and forced a relaxed smile. “It’s fine, Shifu.”

After a short pause, Mu Xingyi added, “Still, Qingqing, if possible, you should try to keep your distance from him. Things like catching a ride might just be small tricks he’s using. You may have a clear conscience, but he might have other motives. It’s better to stay cautious. Guys like him, born into elite families, usually don’t have control over their own marriages. Even if they date, it rarely leads to anything serious. So don’t let yourself be fooled.”

Li Qingqing obediently nodded and said no more.

She had never paid attention to Lu Yan’s romantic life. Nor did she have the right to. At best, their relationship was that of employer and employee. At worst… it was something more akin to being kept. Whoever Lu Yan dated or married in the future had nothing to do with her. In fact, if he happened to fall in love with someone else during this year, it would mean she could be free sooner.

After leaving Mu Xingyi’s office, Li Qingqing went back to the herbal dispensary to continue learning how to prepare medicine.

As she looked at the various Chinese medicinal herbs, her mind drifted back to that morning—when Lu Yan had asked Mu Xingyi for those two packets of herbs to boost blood and energy.

Could he have bought those for her?

Recalling the way he’d pressed her down and tormented her the night before, she quickly shook her head and muttered inwardly: No way. There’s no way he’s that considerate.

But then again… if they weren’t for her, who were they for?

A sudden possibility dawned on her—something she’d never considered before.

What if she wasn’t the only woman in Lu Yan’s life?

That’s right. She’d never asked. Maybe she wasn’t the only one.

The thought made her feel incredibly uneasy, and she resolved to talk to him about it that night.

Later that afternoon, when Li Qingqing was delivering a document to Mu Xingyi, she happened to pass by the OB-GYN department and spotted a vaguely familiar face at the entrance.

She walked closer to take a better look and realized it was someone she’d gone to school with—Fang Yingqiu.

Li Qingqing remembered that she, like herself, had also come from a poor family. Back when she used to apply for financial aid at the academic office, she would often see Fang Yingqiu there too.

Li Qingqing walked up and patted her lightly on the shoulder, intending to say hi.

Fang Yingqiu turned around, clearly startled to see her. After a brief moment of surprise, her expression turned fearful, her gaze darting around nervously, and she looked visibly uncomfortable.

“Fang Yingqiu? It really is you!” Li Qingqing smiled, genuinely happy to run into an old classmate.

But then, when she noticed Fang Yingqiu’s belly… she froze.

She was pregnant.