The Water Had Been Spilled, After All

After saying that, Fu Jingyan turned and returned to Lu Mingyu's office.

Lu Mingyu was somewhat surprised to see him back so quickly. He raised an eyebrow. "What? You're back already?"

Fu Jingyan leaned closer to Lu Mingyu and nervously asked, "I just heard Assistant Song say that a lot of bad things happened to Tang Ruan while she was around you?"

Lu Mingyu nodded. "A few things did happen."

Fu Jingyan's throat bobbed a few times as he awkwardly asked, "Is it really that creepy?"

Lu Mingyu smiled. "At first, I thought she'd been sent by a rival to assassinate me, so I had someone investigate her. Nothing unusual came up. She simply clashes with me. Is that why you turned around and came back?"

Fu Jingyan moved over to the sofa and sat down, pressing his palms together as he sincerely murmured, "Amitabha."

Only after finishing did he look up at Lu Mingyu with a serious expression. "You know my family believes in Buddhism. I'd better not get too involved with this kind of mutual attraction and conflict."

"Wasn't she your true love?" Lu Mingyu chuckled.

Fu Jingyan said, "That doesn't matter."

Lu Mingyu asked, "Wasn't she your lifesaver?"

Fu Jingyan said, "A group of people saved me back then. She was only the younger sister."

Lu Mingyu understood. "So you fell for her looks and have been pining after her all this time?"

Fu Jingyan leaned back. After learning just how ominous Tang Ruan was, the filter he had placed over his white moonlight shattered instantly.

Seeing Fu Jingyan like this, it seemed he would not be doing anything like stabbing himself in the waist for Tang Ruan in the future.

Song Shi'an stood outside the president's office with an expression like he was constipated.

Why had the supporting male character, who in the original novel had charged into battle and gone through fire and water for the female lead, become so protective of his own life?

Great. The male lead was no longer following the plot, and now the supporting male character was abandoning it too.

He should not have said that extra bit just now.

After the two men in the office finished plotting, Fu Jingyan finally came out.

Seeing Song Shi'an at the door, he thought for a moment before saying, "Assistant Song, take me to see her after all."

"To see Miss Tang?" Song Shi'an asked.

Fu Jingyan nodded. "Yeah. Just let me take one look at her from the doorway."

She was his lifesaver, after all. He should at least recognize her face, so he could lend a hand if something happened in the future.

Song Shi'an led Fu Jingyan toward the secretarial department of the Executive Office.

Nearly everyone in the secretarial department was busy. Fu Jingyan craned his neck, trying to get a good look at Tang Ruan.

Before he could locate her, someone suddenly crashed into him head-on.

"Ah!"

That familiar scream.

That familiar falling posture.

But this time, Fu Jingyan was hopping around and shouting.

"Damn, damn, damn! Hot, hot, hot, hot! Ah!"

He shook out his clothes as he spoke, his voice trembling from the burn.

Although the two had collided, every last drop of the hot tea in Tang Ruan's hand had splashed onto Fu Jingyan.

He was wearing a suit with two layers, both extremely absorbent. The scalding water soaked into his clothes, burning him until his face turned red.

Song Shi'an quickly dragged him to the nearby restroom and rinsed him with cold water.

Fu Jingyan simply took off his shirt.

As expected of a domineering CEO's friend, his physique was impeccable.

But the large patch of red spreading from his chest down to his abs was especially conspicuous.

It was over. Tomorrow, Fu Jingyan would be the one wearing underwear.

Seeing that the redness seemed to be spreading downward, Song Shi'an kindly asked, "President Fu, did you get burned anywhere else?"

Noticing Song Shi'an's gaze, Fu Jingyan's face immediately darkened. He denied it, "No!"

Fu Jingyan looked utterly miserable from the burns. Even after they were treated, his body still stung fiercely.

After he put his shirt back on, Tang Ruan came over again with a miserable expression, apologizing over and over.

Fu Jingyan had previously harbored some doubts about Tang Ruan's words, but now every last bit of doubt was gone.

"I'm sorry, President Fu. I was carrying water and didn't see you... Are you all right...?"

She still looked like a delicate little white flower, gazing at Fu Jingyan pitifully.

But Fu Jingyan was in no mood to watch her performance after being scalded. He waved a hand. "I'm fine. Go."

Tang Ruan did not move. She bit her lip and looked at Fu Jingyan. "President Fu, how about I take you to the hospital?"

As she spoke, she stepped forward, only for Fu Jingyan to hurriedly stop her. "No need!"

"President Fu..." Tang Ruan wanted to say more, but Fu Jingyan's tone had already become impatient. "Get lost!"

Tang Ruan halted mid-step. With tears in her eyes, she left while looking back every few steps.

Lu Mingyu heard the commotion outside and came out to take a look, only to see this scene.

He could not hold it in and burst out laughing.

Fu Jingyan's face darkened. "Was there any need to gloat like that?"

"Sorry, I couldn't hold it back. Still planning to repay her kindness?" Lu Mingyu asked.

Fu Jingyan said, "I had doubts before, but now I think I must have had something wrong with my brain."

Seeing that he had been badly burned, Lu Mingyu said, "Go to the hospital and get checked out. I'll cover the medical expenses."

"No need. I was just unlucky today." Fu Jingyan did not want to stay here for another second. The place felt cursed.

After saying that, he hurriedly left.

Lu Mingyu returned with Song Shi'an, only to find Tang Ruan standing at the office door. She looked aggrieved, lowered her head, and apologized. "President Lu, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to..."

"That's enough. Go handle your resignation." Lu Mingyu waved a hand.

He had figured it out now. Tang Ruan did not just clash with him—she clashed with everyone.

He valued his life and had no intention of keeping such a huge problem by his side.

"President Lu, I..." Tang Ruan panicked and stepped forward to explain, only for Lu Mingyu to shut the door in her face.

That afternoon, Lu Mingyu received a call from his grandmother.

"Mingyu, come back to the old residence tonight and have dinner with me," Old Madam Lu said.

He had only just decided to fire Tang Ruan when Old Madam Lu called. He did not need to think twice to know who it was for.

Still, Lu Mingyu obediently agreed. "All right, I understand, Grandma."

When it was time to get off work, Lu Mingyu brought Song Shi'an along with him.

Song Shi'an was completely confused. Sitting in the car, he still looked baffled. "President Lu, where are we going?"

"To the old residence," Lu Mingyu explained.

Song Shi'an was full of question marks. "What are we going to the old residence for?"

"Grandma asked me to go back for dinner today," Lu Mingyu continued.

Song Shi'an fell even more silent, but it was not appropriate for him to keep asking.

[Wait, why is the domineering CEO suddenly taking me back to the old residence for dinner? Is he taking me to meet the family?]

[Holy shit, nothing has even happened between us yet! Isn't this moving way too fast?]

Hearing the anxious, chattering voice beside him, Lu Mingyu was afraid Song Shi'an would keep thinking and come up with something unspeakable.

He lightly cleared his throat and explained, "Tang Ruan is at the old residence too. There are some things I may not be able to say conveniently, so I'm bringing you along."

Song Shi'an immediately relaxed and revealed a perfect smile. "Rest assured, President Lu. I'll handle it properly."

Wasn't it just speaking on his behalf? When it came to arguing, he had never lost.