“But they say that you're quite close to the woman. How is it possible that you don't know?”
With a flick of Ruan Anxi's hand, a slit appeared on Li Xiaolong's pants.
“Do you want to know how eunuchs were castrated in the past? I happen to master the art of castration. Would you
like to try it?” Ruan Anxi asked.
Beads of nervous sweat dotted Li Xiaolong's forehead. “No, no. Please, I don't want to be a eunuch. Let me think. I'll
recite all the names of the women I know with the surname Lu!”
“Go ahead.”
Then, Li Xiaolong uttered over a dozen of names with the surname Lu.
The problem was, Ruan Anxi wouldn't recognize the name of the woman that he was looking for.
“Among these women with the surname Lu, who has two children?” Ruan Anxi couldn't think of any other way to
ask him.
“Let me think. I think none of them have children,” Li Xiaolong said weakly.
“I'm looking for someone with children. A pretty woman with children, and she had gone missing a few days ago,”
Ruan Anxi explained.
“Missing? None of the women I mentioned are missing. Some of them even had fun with me just last night,” Li
Xiaolong said.
“Think harder. This woman is no ordinary woman. She's really special. Among those Lu women you know, who is
the most extraordinary?”
Li Xiaolong was forced to reconsider and finally said, “Well, if I really have to mention one, it'll have to be Lu
Jingyuan. She's really one of a kind. I heard that she's really rich, and she's quite pretty as well. Right, I also heard
rumors of her having children, but I don't know for sure, because I've never seen them.”
“Lu Jingyuan? Does she have a mansion?”
Ruan Anxi reckoned that she was the woman whom he was looking for.
“Yes. She has a mansion. I've had a few exchanges with her, and I unluckily got the shorter end of the stick,” Li
Xiaolong lamented.
“Give me her address,” Ruan Anxi snapped.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtThe next day, Ning Ran, who was just done filming a scene, went back to the lounge area to take a rest, when
Cheng Xiangyun approached her.
“Ms. Lu called you. Would you like to call her?”
“Did she mention anything?” Ning Ran asked.
“She said it's something minor and didn't elaborate further,” Chen Xiangyun replied.
Ning Ran took over the phone and called Lu Jingyuan.
The call went through and Lu Jingyuan's voice could be heard saying, “Hi, pretty.”
Ning Ran smiled. “Hey, beautiful. What's up?”
“I left in a rush and left a bag in my house at Livingsfill. It's in the second drawer in my study room. Could you
retrieve it and send it to me?” Lu Jingyuan asked.
“Hmm, I don't think I can enter the house though. I don't even have the keys to your place,” Ning Ran muttered.
“I've mailed you the keys. Just help me get them when you're free.”
“You might as well order me to go since you've taken the liberty to mail the keys here.” Ning Ran chuckled.
“I don't intend to order you around. It's fine if you're busy. I'm not in a rush to get the bag either,” Lu Jingyuan
explained.
“I thought you'd sold your place here. Don't worry. I'll help you get it later.”
“I'm planning to sell it, but the place is not worth a lot. So, I've decided to just keep it for the time being. Don't worry
about getting the bag if you're busy. Just go retrieve it at your convenience,” Lu Jingyuan said.
“I'm getting off work early today. So, I'll get your bag later and mail it to you tomorrow.”
“Why don't you send it here yourself and bring along my godson while you're at it?” Lu Jingyuan suggested with a
smile.
“I'm afraid I can't make it. You have to make a trip here if you miss him that much. After all, you're the one with
more time to spare.”
Lu Jingyuan let out a sigh and said, “I can't leave at the moment. My brother doesn't let me go wherever I please
now. We'll have to see how it goes.”
“All right, then. Remember to come and pay a visit to your godson when you're free.”
Ning Ran continued filming after she was done chatting with Lu Jingyuan.
After getting off work, Ning Ran went back to Mountview Inn and took the keys that Lu Jingyuan mailed her so that
she could go take the latter's bag later.
These were precarious times, and Ning Ran had to have someone protect her while she was out and about.
Qiao Zhan insisted on following her to Lu Jingyuan's villa when he knew about it. He wanted to see what Lu
Jingyuan's villa looked like.
Ever since Lu Jingyuan went back to the capital, Qiao Zhan felt empty, as if there was a void in his heart.
Being a reserved man, he told no one about it. These days, he was always spotted standing alone in a corner,
staring blankly at Livingsfill's blue sky.
For some people, a city was never the same without the presence of the people they cared about.
Ning Ran realized the oddity in Qiao Zhan's demeanor. However, she didn't know how to comfort him. There wasn't
always a happy ending to relationships. Some were destined to end even before they started.
She wanted to let Qiao Zhan know that he could only gaze upon some people from afar and that no amount of
sincerity or waiting could bring the possibility of fruition.
Though there was the saying that perseverance was the key to overcoming any obstacles, there were times when it
just wouldn't work.
This was especially true when it came to relationships. It was futile to force these feelings, foolish even, to think that
hard work alone was enough to make someone fall for you.
Why waste the effort to pursue the impossible? If fate had it that Qiao Zhan was not destined to end up with Lu
Jingyuan, Ning Ran reckoned that it was best that he refrained from grasping at the wind.
On the way to Lu Jingyuan's villa, Qiao Zhan drove in silence, perhaps in contemplation of his unrequited love.
In the end, Ning Ran could no longer rein herself in and said, “Qiao Zhan, do you have a girl you like?”
Still in a daze, Qiao Zhan blurted out, “Yes.”
It was already too late when he realized that he had made a blunder.
He quickly added, “Oh, that's not what I meant. I'm a rough man, and I don't understand anything about romance,
and I don't wish to understand it either.”
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmNing Ran smiled. “Oh, come on. How could you go back on your words like that? I've always thought you're an
honest man and didn't think you'd lie.”
“Madam, I've always been honest, and I really don't have someone I like,” Qiao Zhan replied bitterly.
It was apparent that he had a lot on his mind.
To be honest, Ning Ran pitied the man. A dense man like Qiao Zhan wouldn't know how to deal with relationship
matters. Stubborn as he was, he wouldn't know when to give up his futile feelings either.
It was impossible between him and the woman he fell for. Not only was there a wide gap in the socioeconomic
statuses of their two families, but they were also incompatible with each other in every other aspect.
Having nothing in common, they were like two parallel lines that would never cross paths with each other.
“If you don't have someone you like, why don't I introduce a girlfriend to you? You're not getting any younger. It's
time for you to look for a partner and settle down,” Ning Ran suggested with a smile.
“Who are you planning to introduce me to, Madam?” Qiao Zhan asked.
“I haven't thought about that. I need to ask what kind of woman you like and see if I know anyone you might like,”
Ning Ran replied.
Qiao Zhan fell silent for a moment and said gloomily, “I don't know.”
“What do you think about a woman like Lu Jingyuan?” Ning Ran asked.
Qiao Zhan stiffened in response.
Before he could answer, Ning Ran replied, “I don't think you should fall for a woman like that though, because a
woman like her is not for you. I'm not saying that you're not good enough. It's just that a woman like her comes
from an influential and wealthy family. Besides, she's the adventurous type and enjoys traveling. She's not the type
to stay at home. I don't think she's wife material.”
“You're right, Madam. Someone like Ms. Lu should be together with a rich man, someone like Sir Chen. That way,
she won't have to worry about money and will be free to do as she pleases.”
Realizing that his metaphor was inappropriate, Qiao Zhan explained, “What I'm trying to say is that they're both
elites, and people like them are a match made in heaven. Having common interests is the key to living a happy and
blissful life together.
Right then, Ning Ran knew that she had underestimated Qiao Zhan. He understands it all.