“Walk ten steps forward. There’s a restroom with a mirror. Go take a good look at your own face.”
Qiao Xi said coldly.
“Ask yourself honestly whether you’re even worthy of what you’re saying. Why should I wait for you? And I’m already married.”
Lu Jinghao panicked. He grabbed her arm tightly.
“How can you be so heartless? I’ve done so much for you—can’t you even make a small sacrifice for me?!”
“So all those times you said you loved me—were they all fake?!”
Qiao Xi almost felt like all these people shared the same shameless face and took turns coming to disgust her.
For a split second, seeing Lu Jinghao did stir a faint ripple in her heart—but thinking of his involvement in everything made her feel instantly sick.
She yanked her hand free and sneered.
“You’re right. I acted like I liked you for years. Now I feel sick just thinking about it—I can’t keep pretending anymore.”
“And now I’ve realized there’s someone like Nan Gong He—handsomer, richer, and better than you. Why would I hang myself on a crooked tree like you?”
A man’s pride shattered in that instant.
Lu Jinghao’s face turned pale with rage.
He grabbed her wrist again, almost crazed.
“No—this isn’t who you were before. Someone must have taught you to say these things, right?!”
“If I hadn’t married Qiao Ying’er, I wouldn’t even be able to stay in the Lu family!”
“I don’t even care that you have a child from an unknown man! But you never cared about my feelings—you only care about yourself! Why can’t you give me a little more time?!”
The implication was obvious—despite her explanation about Xiao Ze’s origin, he had never truly believed her. Deep down, he thought the child was illegitimate.
Qiao Xi slapped him hard across the face.
“If you cared about me even a little, you wouldn’t have stood by and watched them send me to that pig-like man’s bed! And you wouldn’t doubt Xiao Ze’s identity!”
“Don’t copy my father’s emotional manipulation tactics—they don’t work on me. Now get lost!”
Her entire body felt cold.
She was already disgusted beyond endurance by these people. Not a shred of sympathy remained.
Lu Jinghao touched his instantly swollen cheek, his beautiful peach-blossom eyes filled with disbelief.
“Xi’er… you weren’t like this before… you never—”
Qiao Xi couldn’t be bothered to waste another word on him. She shoved his arm away and turned to leave.
But Lu Jinghao still refused to give up, following behind her with a mix of grievance and stubborn affection.
“You once said you’d rather die than be with someone you don’t love. I know you don’t truly love him…”
At that moment—
A tall, slender figure stepped directly between them, blocking Lu Jinghao’s path and separating him from Qiao Xi.
He stood there as if he had descended from nowhere. Calm, still, and overwhelmingly imposing.
“The stage isn’t even set yet, and someone’s already performing. Quite the show.”
“Should I applaud, or pay you?”
Nan Gong He’s low, icy voice cut through the air like a blade, making Lu Jinghao shiver.
He forced himself to look up and meet his gaze.
“Mr. Nan Gong, isn’t that a bit harsh? Xiao Xi and I have been friends for years—can’t we even talk?”
“Friends? Or ex-boyfriend?”
Nan Gong He turned slightly to Qiao Xi.
His tone carried faint mockery.
“You don’t even dare admit her identity, yet you still try to dig into my territory? That’s the courage of the Lu Second Young Master?”
Qiao Xi almost wanted to laugh—he really knew how to hit where it hurt most.
Then she heard him continue, calm and unhurried:
“Now she’s my Nan Gong family’s person. My legal wife. You’d better stay away from her.”
His tone was steady and emotionless, his expression unchanged.
Like a snow lotus atop a frozen peak—noble, untouchable, impossible to approach.
Lu Jinghao clenched his teeth in frustration, but he knew he couldn’t afford to provoke Nan Gong He.
In the end, he let out a reluctant snort and left in defeat.