Chapter 477 - 476: A Beautiful Misunderstanding

The movie lasted nearly two hours. By the time they walked out, Yun Zijin’s eyes were red and puffy—it was obvious she had been crying.

Lu Yunque, on the other hand, looked perfectly normal, with no signs that he’d been crying. He just kept a tissue at the ready, poised to wipe away Yun Zijin’s tears the moment they fell.

"You can’t keep crying. Otherwise, your eyes will be swollen tomorrow, and you’ll only end up crying again."

Lu Yunque dabbed away a fresh tear with the tissue, but his words nearly made Yun Zijin lose her composure completely.

"I... I can’t help it if they won’t listen to me."

That’s just how it is sometimes. Even when you don’t want to cry, the tears just keep STREAMING down, completely beyond your control.

"Okay, okay, my mistake. How about we get in the car and head home?"

Faced with this side of Yun Zijin, Lu Yunque was at a loss and could only try to soothe her.

Completely focused on comforting her, Lu Yunque didn’t notice the girl who’d hit on him at the popcorn stand emerging from the same exit behind them.

The girl’s eyes lit up when she saw Lu Yunque, but a moment later, her expression darkened as she watched him gently placating his girlfriend.

She desperately wanted to march over and pull them apart, but in such a public place, she couldn’t do anything—especially not with the ring of bodyguards constantly surrounding them.

’Bringing bodyguards just to see a movie? Talk about paranoid!’

When the girl saw Lu Yunque lead Yun Zijin out of the theater, she quickly followed them.

’So what if he has a girlfriend? She believed there wasn’t a man alive who couldn’t be tempted. No matter how strong a relationship seemed, it could always be undermined with the right tools and tactics.’

’And the first step to poaching him was finding out where he lived. That would give her the opportunity to orchestrate a "chance" encounter.’

’As the saying goes, all things that unite must eventually part. A man who sees the same woman day in and day out is bound to get bored eventually. When that happens, a new woman on the scene would spark his interest and give him a sense of novelty.’

’All she had to do was appear at the right moment—right after problems inevitably arose in their relationship—and become the beautiful, understanding woman he could confide in.’

’This was a long process that required patience.’

’And as it happened, patience was the one thing she never lacked when pursuing a man.’

’After all... a prize meticulously plotted for and snatched away is always so much sweeter—and brings a greater sense of accomplishment—than one that simply falls into your lap.’

Yun Zijin and Lu Yunque could never have imagined that their spontaneous decision to see a movie would attract such a troublesome admirer.

Since the next day was Friday and Yun Zijin had classes, Lu Yunque had the driver take them back to Jade Lake.

When the woman following them saw their car turn into Jade Lake, she became even more determined to have Lu Yunque for herself.

’Jade Lake was a prime school district residence. With Dijing’s property prices, a single apartment there would cost tens of millions; anything less was out of the question.’

’Even with a mortgage, the down payment alone would likely be five million, with monthly payments of twenty to thirty thousand.’

’In any case, anyone who could afford a home in Jade Lake had to have a net worth of no less than a hundred million.’

’A hundred-million-yuan net worth might not be much in the grand scheme of Dijing, but for most people, it was more money than they could earn in a lifetime.’

’Initially, she hadn’t wanted to give up simply because he was handsome. But now, believing that Lu Yunque was wealthy enough to own property in Jade Lake, she was even more determined not to let him go.’

’A rich man with a pot belly versus a rich man with a handsome face and a great physique—even a fool would know who to choose.’

Now that she knew Lu Yunque lived in Jade Lake, the woman stopped lying in wait.

’She hadn’t left a good impression today. She would have to wait a while, let his memory of the encounter fade, and then reappear with a brand-new image to overwrite the unfavorable one she’d made.’

Meanwhile, Lu Yunque had driven Yun Zijin back to the underground parking garage at Jade Lake. Just as she was about to get out and head home, he pulled her back, demanding a few more favors inside the car before he finally, and reluctantly, let her go.

"I’m going. I have to get up early for class tomorrow."

With that, Yun Zijin threw open the car door and bolted for the elevator in the underground garage, not even remembering to close the door behind her.

’That someone had gone way too far just now. Yun Zijin felt completely flushed.’

Watching Yun Zijin scramble away, her steps unsteady in her haste, Lu Yunque was stunned for a second before letting out a small laugh.

’Then again... he probably had been a bit excessive. He just couldn’t resist...’

Lu Yunque resignedly leaned over to close the car door himself, then said, "Let’s go. Back to Jing Garden."

Jing Garden was a high-end residential complex developed by the Lu Group, a tranquil oasis in a bustling neighborhood. For Lu Yunque, its greatest advantage was its proximity to the Lu Group headquarters, which made for an easy commute.

Aside from Lu Yunque, many other Lu Group employees lived in the complex, though most of them—barring a few senior executives—were just renters.

After all, property near the Lu Group headquarters was never going to be cheap. It was located in one of the most astronomically expensive areas in all of Dijing.

"Yes, President."

The driver was not Mo Bin. He hadn’t uttered a single superfluous word the entire time. When he wasn’t speaking, he was as unnoticeable as a ghost—practically invisible.

Meanwhile, Yun Zijin hurried back to her room, her hand on her still-hot cheek. She flopped onto the sofa and stayed there for a while until her racing heart finally settled. Only then did she get up to wash her face and prepare for bed.

’Decision made. I’m not going to the Lu Group tomorrow to see that beast Lu Yunque. After class, I’ll go to the sanatorium first for Big Brother Lu Yunzhou’s acupuncture treatment. Then I’ll find Qin Sitong to check on the branch store renovations, and finally, I’ll head to the South Suburb to see Mei Lin.’

A certain someone was still blissfully unaware that his momentary lack of self-control had just earned him a temporary "wifeless" sentence.

「At 7:00 AM on Friday,」

Yun Zijin got up on schedule to wash and get ready. By the time she stepped out of her room, breakfast was already laid out in the dining room, ready for her to eat.

She had an 8 AM class that day, so after breakfast, she had Zero One drive her to campus.

As was their routine for early morning classes, Yun Zijin brought breakfast for Qin Sitong, and in return, Qin Sitong brought Yun Zijin’s books.

For every 8 AM class, the seats around Qin Sitong were the most sought-after, so much so that Ren Hui and Li Cui no longer even had a chance of squeezing in.

"Classmate Yun is here! Classmate Yun is here!"

The moment Yun Zijin appeared at the classroom door, a wave of excitement went through the students.

When they saw the breakfast she was carrying, the students clustered around Qin Sitong stared as if their eyes were equipped with X-ray vision, trying to see through the insulated food container in her hand.

"Zijin, over here!"

Qin Sitong was also looking forward to her early-morning breakfast. While she wasn’t as outwardly ecstatic as the others, the anticipation on her face was unmistakable.

"Hurry, hurry, let’s see what delicious thing Classmate Yun brought today!"

Even if they only managed to snag a small bite, that alone was pure bliss.

It was on a completely different level from the food they could get in the cafeteria or at an outside breakfast stand.

It just goes to show, you can’t become a private chef for a rich family unless you have some serious skills.

Not wanting to keep them in suspense, Qin Sitong deftly opened the insulated container. Her eyes lit up at the sight of the crystal shrimp dumplings inside.