Her suit sleeves were pushed up to her elbows, revealing her fair and slender arms and a wristwatch with a red leather strap at her wrist.

  Bai Xiaonian was dressed very professionally today, her mildly wavy long hair bunched up behind her, and her posture tall and straight…… Under the sunshine, her beauty reminded one of a vibrant flower blossoming in the morning.

  She pulled the minivan door shut and walked towards Lu Jinnan.

  A gust of wind blew over, messing up Bai Xiaonian’s stray hair. Brows furrowed, she tucked her hair behind her ear and asked as she neared Lu Jinnan, “What’s the matter?”


  It wasn’t a particularly warm day today. Lu Jinnan’s vision fell upon Bai Xiaonian’s fair and bare legs, and then he removed his suit jacket with a frown. He walked to her and bent over to cover Bai Xiaonian’s legs with his jacket, shielding her from the cold.

  Bai Xiaonian didn’t pretentiously refuse his jacket. After all, it wasn’t as warm outdoors as it was inside the embassy. She pressed the suit jacket with her hand and asked Lu Jinnan, “Is there an urgent matter?”


  “If you’re done working, get into the car, and I’ll tell you in the car. It’s too cold outside, you’re going to catch a cold!”


  “I still need to sort out today’s interview scripts and submit the article. It’s urgent……” Bai Xiaonian said.

  Lu Jinnan asked, “Especially urgent?”


  Actually, it wasn’t very urgent.

  “What exactly is the matter?” Bai Xiaonian sounded displeased.

  “If it’s not urgent, get into the car. Let’s talk over lunch! You haven’t had lunch, right?”


  Bai Xiaonian frowned.

  “You need to eat lunch when you get back anyway!” Lu Jinnan said nicely, sounding as if he was coaxing a kid. “I’ll take you to an extra delicious hotpot.”


  Bai Xiaonian turned around and looked towards the minivan. Her assistant came running from the car and bounced over with Bai Xiaonian’s bag, looking eager to claim credit as she handed it to Bai Xiaonian. “Sister Xiaonian, your bag!”


  Bai Xiaonian was rendered speechless.

  Thank you very much!

  Lu Jinnan, though, very happily took the bag from Bai Xiaonian’s assistant and smiled gently at her. “Thanks……”


  Bai Xiaonian’s assistant nearly fainted from Lu Jinnan’s smile. She couldn’t help it…… It was a superficial world. Who asked Lu Jinnan to be so good looking?

  “You’re welcome! You’re welcome! Bye, President Lu and Sister Xiaonian!”


  Bai Xiaonian tucked her hair behind her ear and glowered at her eager assistant before following Lu Jinnan to his car.

  Lu Jinnan carefully shielded Bai Xiaonian’s slim waist, and when they got to the car, he helped Bai Xiaonian open the car door. After Bai Xiaonian got into the car and he placed her bag in the backseat, he walked around the front of the car and climbed in himself.

  On the way, Bai Xiaonian was seated in the front passenger seat, listening to the recordings as she sorted out her interview scripts.

  Lu Jinnan took Bai Xiaonian to a newly-opened hotpot shop that she had never heard of.

  This was a hotpot shop Lu Jinnan opened himself. After all, Bai Xiaonian was so fond of hotpots.

  The two of them sat in the suite, and Lu Jinnan ordered the dishes according to Bai Xiaonian’s preferences. The soup base was brought to them first. The fragrance of the butter spicy soup base was alluring.

  “What did you want to talk about?” Bai Xiaonian leaned on the table, arranging her scripts and speaking without looking up.

  Inside the suite, there was a momentary silence, so silent one could only hear the hotpot soup base bubbling.

  Through the hot air, Lu Jinnan said, “Today, I went to your house to replace a lightbulb. Your dad said to me…… that your attitude is firm and he’s afraid of holding me up. He suggested I forget about the two of us!”


  Bai Xiaonian was rather surprised to hear this. She looked up, nodding. “You should listen to my dad! Else, once the two years are up, I’ll file a divorce lawsuit.”


  Lu Jinnan smiled as he picked up the pot of lemon water before Bai Xiaonian and poured her water. He placed it by her hands. “So, I told Dad about our baby!”


  Bai Xiaonian’s face dimmed slightly.

  Bai Xiaonian didn’t tell her father about this because he was in poor health, and she didn’t want to agitate him……

  “I told Dad that I’d only love you, Bai Xiaonian, in this lifetime. While I can’t remedy the mistake of the child…… I’m trying my best to tell you that nothing of this sort will ever happen again. I won’t act out of spite with you again, regardless of what happens!” Lu Jinnan halted before continuing, “So…… I won’t give up on you! Never!”


  Lu Jinnan said every word seriously.

  He revealed a smile at Bai Xiaonian. “I might lose Dad’s support going forward.”


  Bai Xiaonian said nothing, merely staring at Lu Jinnan. The hot air between them…… carried with it an alluring fragrance, blurring their outlines.

  Bai Xiaonian crossed her legs and retrieved a pack of ladies’ cigarettes from her bag. She had just taken one out when Lu Jinnan said, “You said…… you only smoke when you miss me. I’m standing right before you now. Regardless of whether you’re thinking of my good or bad, you can tell me. Forget about the cigarettes.”


  Bai Xiaonian couldn’t find her lighter in her bag, so she could only forget about it.

  With the unlit cigarette in her hand, she remained frozen with her brows knitted for a moment before asking, “After telling my dad, what was his reaction?”


  “Dad remained silent. He said nothing,” Lu Jinnan answered honestly.

  Bai Xiaonian nodded. She put the unlit cigarette in the ashtray and picked up her bag to leave.

  “Xiaonian……”


  “I’m going back to visit my dad! Carry on eating by yourself!”


  How could Bai Xiaonian eat after hearing that her dad found out she lost her baby?

  “Let me send you!” Lu Jinnan got up and picked up his suit jacket from the back of the chair.

  Bai Xiaonian nodded.

  Lu Jinnan drove the car to a fast-food restaurant and bought her a meal to fill up her stomach a little. She had gastric issues and couldn’t afford to go hungry.

  When they arrived, Lu Jinnan didn’t follow her inside. He merely stood at the door and said to Bai Xiaonian, “I’ll wait in the car!”


  “Don’t bother!” Bai Xiaonian said before running inside anxiously.

  Lu Jinnan stood next to the car in his thin shirt.

  He lit up a cigarette, feeling kind of nervous……

  Bai Xiaonian opened the door but didn’t call out for her dad.

  The house was very quiet, and only her dad’s room was half open.

  Bai Xiaonian’s father was used to opening all the doors and windows in the house during the day, and he very rarely closed his room’s door like this.

  She lowered her bag and changed into slippers, but before she even got to his room, she heard her father crying.

  Bai Xiaonian felt like her heart was being clutched by something. She stood rooted to the ground, hands clenched by her sides before releasing them.

  She adjusted her emotions and imagined calling out “Old Bai” like she usually did.

  But when she saw that her father was holding her mother’s photo from the door crack, his wrinkled hand caressing the photo, she was unable to feign casualness.