Lemon: Half an hour later, when Lu Wanning returned to the private dining room…
Half an hour later, when Lu Wanning returned to the private dining room, there were several unfamiliar figures inside, and Xu Zhen was raising her glass for a drink.
Judging from her expression, her earlier irritation had been completely swept away. At this moment, even her eyes brimmed with smiles. “I’d like to toast everyone.”
The other party was gracious in return. “President Xu, you’re too kind. We’ve been slow to respond lately please forgive us, you and your team.”
Just as Xu Zhen was about to speak, she caught sight of the waiter opening the door for Lu Wanning out of the corner of her eye, and said with a smile, “Wanning, you’re back? Come, let me introduce you. These gentlemen are from Fucheng…”
Lu Wanning froze for a moment, then quickly followed behind Xu Zhen, nodding in greeting to the others.
Somewhat flustered, she hid her hands behind her back, hurriedly folding the few sheets of paper between her fingers in half, then in half again, so no one would see the words on them.
Lu Wanning ate the meal rather absentmindedly, but fortunately, as a newcomer, she wasn’t expected to do much just drink along with everyone at the appropriate moments.
They discussed quite a lot: where the difficulties in the project lay, what work remained to be done, and why progress had been slow recently though most of it was just pleasantries. What the real situation was, only those involved would know.
But at the very least, good progress had been made between the two sides tonight.
Xu Zhen, the person in overall charge, had drunk quite a bit. By the time she saw the Fucheng people out the door, her cheeks were flushed with two patches of red. Fortunately, she could hold her liquor well her gaze was a little unfocused, but overall her speech was still clear.
She handed her phone to Lu Wanning, gesturing for her to call a car. “Default address.”
“Okay.”
The Fucheng people may not have noticed such details, but Xu Zhen had naturally seen the extra item Lu Wanning had returned with, a stack of papers with unclear contents. But she chose not to ask, only saying, “Thank you for today.”
The driver would arrive in 3 minutes.
At those words, Lu Wanning recalled the scene from not long ago, standing face to face with that man in the Fucheng Building. She awkwardly averted her gaze. “There’s nothing to thank me for.”
Supporting Xu Zhen, the two of them left the restaurant and waited by the roadside for their cars.
The night wind in the capital was chilly, and drinking followed by a cold breeze easily made one dizzier. Xu Zhen signaled that Lu Wanning didn’t need to support her anymore. Squinting, she let out a sigh. “Really, thank you.”
She said, “I’ve been working on these projects for half a year. If I’d really died at this step, I wouldn’t have known how to face my team.”
“Mm.” Lu Wanning didn’t know what to say, and only gave a vague acknowledgment.
“Are you okay? If you’re not feeling well, go home and drink some honey water.”
“Mm, I’m fine.”
Soon, both of their cars arrived. She got into the back seat, paused for a moment, and only then took out the documents she had stuffed into her backpack.
The dim light inside the car illuminated the title on the top page.
Toy Contract.
Absurd and laughable words that held no validity on the level of personhood anyone who saw them would think it was children playing house. Yet they had been so seriously typeset and printed, giving Lu Wanning the momentary illusion that this was some gravely serious matter.
But it was clearly nothing but a farce.
Her fingers trembled slightly as they gripped the agreement, almost crushing the paper through. Writing such things as a clueless child was one thing, but now they were both adults any contract signed between them carried legal weight. So why was Han Yao still thinking in terms of all this…
Because five years couldn’t change a person.
Han Yao had many habits. Like the lace headband she always wore, the way she swept her hair into a side ponytail resting on the right whenever she worked. No matter how happy she was, her smile was nothing more than a faint press of the lips she would never show her teeth.
And her this toy of hers.
Lu Wanning had actually figured it out long ago. From the moment their eyes met at the company, she had known this day would come. She had simply clung to wishful thinking, hoping that even against ten-thousand-to-one odds, things might turn out the way she wanted.
But sadly, that wasn’t the case.
Han Yao had so many conditions she could have leveraged Lu Wanning’s current job, for instance, or Xu Zhen’s plea. Yet just now, she hadn’t forced Lu Wanning to do anything, hadn’t demanded any promises. She had simply handed her the document and said with a smile, “Take a look first.”
Then, without lifting a finger, she had effortlessly resolved Xu Zhen and the others’ urgent crisis.
By the last sliver of moonlight, Lu Wanning skimmed through those so-called clauses at lightning speed.
The paper from childhood had been handwritten by Han Yao; this one’s wording was far more polished and rigorous, looking formal and solemn at first glance.
Lu Wanning wasn’t a lawyer. She didn’t know whether these words actually carried legal force, or what rights, responsibilities, and obligations they entailed. But she knew that the most important part of any contract was the breach clause.
She flipped to the second-to-last page. The section she was looking for contained a single word.
“None.”
The alcohol was slowly creeping into her head. Lu Wanning wasn’t drunk, but her mind felt muddled she didn’t know how to think, didn’t even know what she was supposed to be feeling.
She had never once won against Han Yao. Han Yao simply knew too well how to make her compromise.
Lu Jiahui had once said this about her: “You look like a tough kid, but you’re soft-hearted to the core. You can’t help helping people when you see them suffer. That’s not good.”
“Why isn’t it good?”
“People like us, poor with no money kindness is all we have left.” Lu Jiahui had drawled lazily. “So when someone wants to use you, what do you think they’ll go for?”
“So, kindness equals stupidity?”
Lu Jiahui had sighed. “Not exactly. It’s got its good sides and bad.”
But later, as Lu Wanning grew up, she gradually came to understand her mother’s logic.
Soft-heartedness was a flaw she could never fix. That was why she would speak up for kitchen staff uncles and aunts she barely knew to the Miss Han she’d met only once, even though it had nothing to do with her.
That was why she couldn’t bear to see Xu Zhen, who had worked so hard on the project, disappointed, and would go so far as to face Han Yao head-on.
None of these things carried any “liability for breach.” Everything rested entirely on conscience. And that was precisely why she couldn’t refuse.
This contract in her hands was no different.
But could she really get close to Han Yao again?
“We’re here.” In a daze, she heard the driver in the front seat remind her, “Didn’t fall asleep, did you?”
Lu Wanning thanked him, folded the crumpled pages once more, and stuffed them into her bag.
As she stepped out of the elevator, Xu Zhen sent her a message, “Let me know when you’re home safe.”
Lu Wanning stood at her front door, typing out a reply. When she looked up after sending it, she saw a sticky note stuck to the door.
Again.
Once again, there was a small lemon drawn in pen.
Lu Wanning’s expression changed drastically. She tore it off with force and stuffed it into the pocket of her blazer.
In that moment, an impulse surged through her she was twenty-three years old, not thirteen. She refused to be jerked around by Han Yao like a dog any longer.
This time, she was going to take control.