Jiang Qiuyi paid no mind to the curious stares around her.

She remained composed, her gaze fixed on the band’s performance, as if Lu Mingcheng’s departure had absolutely nothing to do with her.

She didn’t even bother to get up and see him off.

After a moment of silence, Li Miao was the first to laugh.

She nudged Jiang Qiuyi’s arm lightly and winked at her. “Not bad at all.”

Jiang Qiuyi, resting her chin on her hand, glanced downstairs and raised an eyebrow. “I genuinely want to finish watching the band perform.”

The reason she had agreed to come tonight, aside from catching up with Li Miao, was mainly because she adored the resident band at this bar. Opportunities to hear them live were rare.

Ever since marrying Lu Mingcheng, she had lost the freedom to visit such places.

Even when she did go out, it was always to accompany Lu Mingcheng. Rarely did she have time or space to enjoy herself alone.

Li Miao gave her a knowing smile and said softly. “That’s exactly how it should be—let those useless men know we can be perfectly happy without them.”

Jiang Qiuyi nodded in agreement.

…

Meanwhile, on the other side, the two hapless men, Huo Xun and Lu Mingcheng, made their way to the lobby on the first floor.

Huo Xun glanced at Lu Mingcheng, who was unusually quiet. After some thought, he asked. “Another drink?”

Lu Mingcheng declined. “No.”

Huo Xun hesitated briefly, then raised an eyebrow. “You’re really leaving now?”

Lu Mingcheng, unfazed, countered with a question of his own. “Is there something else?”

Caught off guard, Huo Xun paused before asking casually. “Aren’t you waiting for your wife?”

“No.” Lu Mingcheng’s expression remained indifferent as he replied. “I still have work to handle.”

Huo Xun: “…”

He stared at Lu Mingcheng for a while and realized that the man was merely stating a calm and unbothered truth.

Huo Xun mulled over the conversation he’d just witnessed in the private room, then cast a sympathetic glance at Lu Mingcheng.

“Don’t you think your wife seemed a little off?” Huo Xun ventured cautiously.

Lu Mingcheng nodded, pulling out his phone to call the driver. “Yes,” he replied flatly.

Huo Xun: “???”

He froze for a moment, utterly bewildered. “And then?”

Lu Mingcheng looked at him impassively. “What ‘and then’?”

Huo Xun was dumbfounded. “She’s in a bad mood. What else could there be?”

Lu Mingcheng’s indifference remained unchanged.

Huo Xun: “…”

“Shouldn’t you at least try to comfort her?” Huo Xun asked, his tone laced with disbelief.

She’s upset and he just leaves on his own? Could he be any more clueless?

Hearing this, Lu Mingcheng gave Huo Xun a serious look and asked thoughtfully. “You mean like how you comfort Li Miao?”

Huo Xun: “?”

Before he could respond, Lu Mingcheng gave him a quick, slightly disdainful glance. “Didn’t Li Miao just completely ignore you earlier?”

“…”

Huo Xun was momentarily speechless, then scrambled to defend himself. “That’s because Li Miao is still mad at me.”

Lu Mingcheng let out an indifferent “Oh,” his tone devoid of any concern. “I noticed.”

Seeing Lu Mingcheng’s total lack of interest, Huo Xun gave up trying to reason with him.

He patted Lu Mingcheng on the shoulder and said with a tone of deep sincerity, “You’ll regret this.”

Lu Mingcheng: “?”

He cast a sidelong glance at him and asked coldly. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Nothing.”

Huo Xun shook his head, looking as if he’d just had a profound epiphany. “You just don’t understand women.”

Lu Mingcheng: “…”

He didn’t bother responding to Huo Xun anymore. Once the other driver arrived, he left the bar without hesitation.

He was busy and didn’t have the time to analyze a woman’s emotions.

In Lu Mingcheng’s mind, Jiang Qiuyi had always been a reasonable and gracious wife. Her recent unusual behavior was merely a bout of bad mood.

Spend some money, and things would go back to normal in a few days.

By the time Jiang Qiuyi returned home after watching the band’s performance, it was already past midnight.

The pathway lights in the yard lit up automatically. She glanced up and noticed that the lights in her and Lu Mingcheng’s bedroom were off, but a faint glow from the study window was still visible.

She wasn’t surprised, Lu Mingcheng was a workaholic. It was normal for him to work until one or two in the morning, even at home.

After all, even bosses have their own troubles.

Once inside, Jiang Qiuyi headed straight to the kitchen.

She had drunk a little earlier and was now feeling slightly uncomfortable.

Just as Jiang Qiuyi finished pouring herself a glass of water, Lu Mingcheng came downstairs.

Hearing the movement, Jiang Qiuyi looked up.

Their eyes met briefly before Jiang Qiuyi, calm and collected, asked. “Still awake?”

Lu Mingcheng responded with a soft “Mm,” his gaze settling on her.

She was still wearing her coat, though it couldn’t fully conceal her graceful figure.

The coat was unbuttoned, revealing her delicate collarbones and flawless skin.

Fair and refined, it stood out vividly under the bright light.

At the center of her collarbones, a sapphire necklace sparkled, accentuating her elegance and drawing attention to the area.

Lu Mingcheng observed her quietly, his mind flashing back to the image of her without the coat in the private room earlier.

He paused briefly before speaking in a steady tone. “How was the performance?”

“It was great,” she replied simply.

Jiang Qiuyi’s eyes curved slightly with amusement as she took a sip of water and said. “The lead singer and drummer are especially handsome.”

Lu Mingcheng: “…”

That was definitely not the kind of comment he was expecting to hear.

Jiang Qiuyi, oblivious to his subtle change in mood, finished her water and said casually. “I’m heading back to wash up. Don’t stay up too late.”

Lu Mingcheng responded with a curt “Mm.”

He didn’t shift his gaze until her figure disappeared from view upstairs.

Looking down at the empty glass in his hand, he fell into a moment of thought.

It was already late.

Jiang Qiuyi hadn’t planned on soaking in the tub tonight. After removing her makeup and taking a quick shower, she found herself thinking back to her brief encounter with Lu Mingcheng near the kitchen.

If she wasn’t mistaken, he had probably come down for a drink of water.

And maybe, just maybe, he’d been expecting her to pour it for him.

In the past, whenever Lu Mingcheng appeared, Jiang Qiuyi would immediately ask what he needed, then promptly pour him a glass of water and hand it to him.

Thinking about it now, Jiang Qiuyi found it amusing.

She wondered if Lu Mingcheng had noticed the change.

Of course, even if he had, she wasn’t worried that he’d be upset or hold it against her.

Lu Mingcheng wasn’t the type to waste time on such trivial matters. To him, work and making money were the real priorities—everything else was secondary.

After finishing her skincare routine, Jiang Qiuyi walked over to the bed.

She was feeling drowsy. Normally, she would be asleep by midnight, but now it was nearly 2 a.m.

As soon as she lay down and reached to turn off the light, the bedroom door suddenly opened.

Jiang Qiuyi paused, glancing over to see Lu Mingcheng.

He looked at her and asked in a calm voice. “Did I wake you?”

“No.”

Jiang Qiuyi replied after a brief pause. “I just finished tidying up.”

Lu Mingcheng knew her habits well. Jiang Qiuyi was frugal in most aspects of her life, but when it came to skincare, she didn’t hold back. She was willing to spend both time and money on it.

Of course, it also helped that every year, various luxury brands sent an abundance of products to the Lu family. Zhen Ping would allocate some of them to their household.

He gave a soft acknowledgment and glanced at her. “Alright, go ahead and sleep.”

Jiang Qiuyi responded with a quiet “Mm,” pulling the blanket over herself as she lay down.

Lu Mingcheng had already showered earlier, so he only needed a quick wash-up.

Although Jiang Qiuyi felt quite tired, the sound of running water from the bathroom made it difficult for her to fall asleep.

Her thoughts wandered.

^_^