It's Not Like You're Cash Lying on the Ground

Gu Wenze stayed away for several days, and Qiao Hua relished the peace. She even felt more motivated at work.

Sure enough, nothing beat being rich and widowed.

Ideally, Gu Wenze would stay away for the rest of his life and never come back.

Even Yan Yu noticed Qiao Hua's good mood. As he handed her some documents, he looked at her with a smile. "You've been in a good mood these past few days?"

Qiao Hua paused, then couldn't help touching her face. "Is it that obvious?"

Yan Yu nodded and said with a straight face, "You might as well have 'I'm happy' written on your face."

When Qiao Hua blinked in disbelief, Yan Yu chuckled. "Did something good happen?"

Qiao Hua tilted her head and thought for a moment. "You could say that."

Yan Yu raised an eyebrow. "Care to share so I can enjoy it too?"

After spending the past few days working with Yan Yu, Qiao Hua had gotten a rough sense of his personality. Though he was serious about work, he was actually very approachable in private, and quite a few of the company's female employees had crushes on him.

Putting on a worldly air, Qiao Hua said, "Probably not. This topic isn't suitable for children."

It was only an offhand joke, but whatever it brought to Yan Yu's mind made his gaze darken a little.

By the time she left the CEO's office, it was nearly lunchtime. Qiao Hua couldn't get used to the cafeteria food, and a new healthy-eating place had just opened nearby that was very popular with women.

Qiao Hua had just ordered their signature dish when a familiar voice suddenly sounded behind her.

"Excuse me, is my signature dish ready?"

Don't tell me I'm that unlucky, Qiao Hua thought.

She turned around and saw Jiang Nan standing behind her, talking to the cashier.

Jiang Nan also froze for a moment when she saw Qiao Hua. "Qiao Hua?"

They hadn't seen each other since the unpleasant incident at the mall.

Just my luck. I can't even buy lunch without running into Jiang Nan.

Jiang Nan quickly composed herself and approached Qiao Hua with a smile. "What a coincidence. Are you here to buy lunch too?"

Qiao Hua noticed something odd about the way Jiang Nan walked. She glanced down at her right leg and saw gauze wrapped around her fair ankle.

Noticing Qiao Hua's gaze, Jiang Nan followed it and explained, "I accidentally sprained my ankle a few days ago."

"Oh," Qiao Hua said, looking away indifferently.

Jiang Nan sounded exasperated, yet her voice was full of sweetness. "Honestly, Wenze. I told him I was fine, but he insisted I rest. I was bored sitting around at home, so I came out to buy a few things today."

As she spoke, she kept watching Qiao Hua's reaction. She knew Qiao Hua couldn't stand hearing others mention Gu Wenze. Otherwise, she wouldn't have repeatedly caused ugly confrontations in the past.

If Qiao Hua really made a scene in public, she would humiliate herself without Jiang Nan having to lift a finger.

Yet Qiao Hua's expression didn't change at all. She even nodded in agreement. "You must be pretty bored, telling someone you barely know so much."

Jiang Nan's smile instantly froze.

She unconsciously clenched her hands and struggled to keep her expression composed. Pretending she hadn't heard Qiao Hua's dig, she continued to embellish the story. "By the way, Wenze hasn't gone home these past few days. He's been staying at my place to look after me. You don't mind, do you?"

Qiao Hua gave her a strange look. "What's there to mind?"

Jiang Nan sighed and forced a look of fake understanding onto her face. "Miss Qiao, if you're upset, you can say so. There's no need to bottle it up."

Qiao Hua had no idea what made Jiang Nan think she was upset. Just as Yan Yu had said, she practically had "I'm happy" written on her face.

"I really don't mind." Half joking, Qiao Hua added, "Miss Jiang, you do worry too much."

Jiang Nan didn't believe Qiao Hua could really be so generous. She was about to step forward when Qiao Hua abruptly took a wary step back.

"Miss Jiang, are you going to pull that same trick again, right here in public?"

At the mention of that incident, Jiang Nan's expression turned extremely ugly.

She hadn't forgotten the humiliation of being exposed on the spot that day, or Gu Wenze's warning in her ear.

Jiang Nan forced out a strained smile. "You're joking, Miss Qiao. Last time was just a misunderstanding."

Qiao Hua shrugged. "You know perfectly well whether it was a misunderstanding. Instead of wasting your time on me, why not put more effort into Gu Wenze? After all, as soon as he agrees, we can get divorced right away. Don't you think?"

How am I supposed to get the male and female leads moving through the plot if I don't give Jiang Nan a little push?

Sure enough, Jiang Nan's expression soured. She gritted her teeth and said nothing for a long while.

Only the cashier's voice broke the tense silence.

"Miss, your signature healthy meal is ready."

Jiang Nan shot Qiao Hua a cold look, took the takeaway box from the cashier, and strode off, looking nothing like someone with a serious injury.

Judging by Jiang Nan's behavior, Qiao Hua had thought Gu Wenze wouldn't return for several more days. But when she came home to the villa after work that evening as usual, her smile vanished the moment she saw him on the sofa.

Damn it, why is he back?

It's only been a few days. Shouldn't he still be staying away?

Reading documents all day at work is bad enough, and now I have to see Gu Wenze's face after work too. There goes my good mood.

Gu Wenze caught the change in Qiao Hua's expression. "What's that look supposed to mean? Aren't you happy I'm back?"

Qiao Hua muttered, "What's there to be happy about? It's not like you're cash lying on the ground."

As Gu Wenze watched disappointment appear on Qiao Hua's face, a hint of irritation crept into his slightly furrowed brow.

Because Jiang Nan had hurt her leg, Gu Wenze had spent the past few nights at her place looking after her. He had expected Qiao Hua to call and demand to know where he was, just as she used to. Yet all these days had passed without a single call from her-not even a text.

In the past, Qiao Hua would have made a scene long ago.

Gu Wenze narrowed his eyes. "Why haven't you asked where I've been these past few days?"

Does that even need asking? Obviously, you were with your first love.

Besides, whenever I used to call and ask where you were, didn't you complain that I was meddling? Now that I'm being so considerate, you should be pleased.

Gu Wenze's expression slowly darkened.

He used to wish Qiao Hua would stay as far away from him as possible. But now that she really had stopped clinging to him, an indescribable tangle of emotions stirred inside him.

Qiao Hua shrugged. "That's your business. It's not my place to interfere."

"It's not my place to interfere" pierced his skin like a barbed thorn, catching him off guard and abruptly igniting the frustration he had suppressed deep inside. A storm slowly gathered beneath his words. "Good, as long as you know your place. Stop screaming and making scenes like a shrew all day. You're disgracing the Gu Family."

With that, he turned and went into the kitchen. Somehow, Qiao Hua thought she could see barely restrained anger in his retreating figure.

I must be imagining it, right?

Now that I'm not pestering him, Gu Wenze should be setting off firecrackers to celebrate.

Gu Wenze entered the kitchen and glanced at the bland dishes on the table, his brows drawing together. "What's going on? Why is tonight's food so bland?"

Seeing his displeased expression, the housekeeper said cautiously, "Miss Qiao said you'd recently become a monk and couldn't eat meat, so she told me to make only vegetarian dishes from now on."