After breakfast, before Lu Muqian left for the company, he wanted to ask An Yin where she would go today—whether she would stay home or go out, and if she would be free tonight.
The words were on the tip of his tongue, but Lu Muqian just couldn’t bring himself to ask.
Forget it, where she went was her freedom. Between them, they hadn’t reached the point where they needed to know each other’s whereabouts so clearly.
In the car, Qiao Yi was deeply concerned about his boss’s love life.
“Boss, tonight’s cocktail party requires a female companion. Aren’t you planning to tell Madam?” Meaning, weren’t you planning to have An Yin accompany you?
“It’s fine, no need to tell her. If it can be declined, then decline it. If not, going alone is fine too.”
“Let’s go, to the company.”
Tonight’s cocktail party was hosted by a well-known business figure in Jiangcheng. Ostensibly a business cocktail party, it was actually a social gathering.
As the head of Rongcheng’s top conglomerate, Lu Muqian was naturally on the invitation list. He could refuse or go alone—he just refused to tell An Yin.
On the other hand, An Yin knew. She knew Lu Muqian had a cocktail party tonight that required a female companion, but he simply wouldn’t ask her.
In her previous life, An Yin had also known but hadn’t gone.
This time, she was determined to go, and to go secretly.
The call connected. “Brother, for tonight’s cocktail party, you don’t have a female companion yet, right?”
“How do you know I have a cocktail party tonight?”
“Just tell me, you don’t have a female companion, do you? Take me with you.”
“Why don’t you have your husband take you? He definitely doesn’t have a female companion either.”
He believed Lu Muqian would never choose any woman other than An Yin as his companion. Even if An Yin refused, he would remain faithful.
“I want to surprise my husband, don’t you get it?”
An Chen saw through it. “So you’re just using me as your ticket into the party, huh?”
In the end, he was the one without a female companion.
The cocktail party started at 7 p.m. An Chen picked up An Yin at 6 p.m. to get her hair and makeup done and change into an evening gown.
While getting ready, An Yin was a bit distracted. She kept thinking that if Lu Muqian sent her a message asking her to accompany him to the party, she would immediately ditch her brother.
But the whole day passed, and the party was about to start—the man remained unmoved.
It didn’t matter. If he wouldn’t ask her, she would offer herself willingly.
The party started on time. An Yin, wearing a light blue floor-length gown with her dark hair elegantly styled, stepped in wearing heels less than five centimeters high. A faint scent of gardenia perfume made her appear even more delicate and graceful. Holding her brother An Chen’s arm, she appeared at the entrance of the venue.
As soon as she entered, An Yin purposefully scanned the room, looking for her Lu Muqian.
The moment An Yin walked in, assistant Qiao Yi spotted her and immediately reported to Lu Muqian.
“Boss, isn’t that the young madam?” Qiao Yi pointed toward the entrance.
Lu Muqian’s gaze immediately caught that graceful figure. His first thought was, why is Yinyin here? Followed by, Yinyin isn’t my companion.
The champagne flute in Lu Muqian’s hand was nearly crushed by his grip. His eyes burned with jealousy toward An Chen—and at the slender arm An Yin had resting on his elbow, an arm he had rarely even held.
He wanted to ask her why she was here, but what right did he have to ask?
The man could only drink his sorrows away in an inconspicuous corner, downing one glass after another without caring whether the alcohol had been mixed with anything else.
Meanwhile,
As soon as An Chen entered, he immediately shooed his sister away. “Alright, you’re in now. Go find your husband quickly. I don’t want Muqian saying I’m stealing his wife.”
“Got it. Thanks, dear brother. He wouldn’t say that, but don’t bully him.”
An Chen sighed inwardly. He hadn’t even said anything, and she was already telling him not to bully the man.
An Yin released An Chen and went off to search for Lu Muqian. Given the man’s high status and influence, such banquets were always filled with people trying to curry favor with him. He was probably busy dealing with them somewhere.
An Yin scanned every cluster of chatting guests, hoping to spot him at a glance in the crowd.
The girl circled the venue once and even ran into her brother, An Chen, along the way.
“Didn’t find him?”
“Not yet.”
An Chen: “That’s odd. His assistant said he arrived a long time ago. He shouldn’t be this hard to find.”
“It’s fine. Maybe the venue is just too big. I’ll keep looking.”
Unable to find him indoors and feeling stifled, An Yin decided to step outside for some fresh air. If she still couldn’t locate him, she’d just call Lu Muqian.
As she mulled it over, she headed toward the entrance. But with just one glance, a familiar figure flashed before her eyes.
Lu Muqian?
She had finally found him, but… why was Lu Muqian being supported by Qiao Yi?
Had he drunk too much? Wearing high heels, An Yin couldn’t run too fast, so she hurried after them as best she could. Qiao Yi didn’t seem to notice her direction, focused solely on helping Lu Muqian quickly leave the banquet.
“Lu Muqian…”
An Yin stopped just five steps away from them, calling out the man’s name.
Hearing her, both men’s hearts sank in unison.
An Yin walked up to them. “Madam,” Qiao Yi greeted respectfully.
“Lu Muqian…”
An Yin called his name again, but he kept his head lowered, almost burying it in his neck. He didn’t dare look up and meet An Yin’s eyes.
He knew that his eyes were undoubtedly bloodshot and crimson, with a predatory glare that would frighten her. Moreover, he couldn’t guarantee that, in such a state, he wouldn’t harm An Yin.
“Lu Muqian, look at me. Are you drunk?”
Lu Muqian remained still. An Yin turned to Qiao Yi. “What’s going on?”
“Madam, the President just had too much to drink. There’s no need to worry. I’ll take him back to rest now.” Qiao Yi didn’t dare tell her the truth—Lu Muqian had warned him not to.
“Then take me back with you.”
“Young Madam, the President intends to rest at the company. How about I arrange another car to take you back to the villa?” Qiao Yi stammered, his evasive eyes raising An Yin’s suspicions.
“If he’s drunk, why isn’t he going home? What’s at the company?”
“Madam, please don’t ask. Just let us go.”
“Lu Muqian, say something…”
Taking him by surprise, An Yin cupped the man’s face in her hands. The moment he lifted his gaze, she was startled by the redness in his eyes, the flush on his cheeks, and the scorching heat radiating from his skin to her palms.
“What’s wrong with you? Why is your face so hot? Are you sick?”
“Madam, this isn’t an illness. President Lu has been drugged with Chinese Herbal Medicine.” Qiao Yi stopped hiding the truth and confessed to An Yin, hoping that since she and his president were husband and wife, and Lu Muqian had been so sincere with her, she would help him.