Marriage Seduction Addiction

Chapter 409 Secret
Two days later, Tang Xu saw Lu Xingyan again.

By then, the wound on his face had healed somewhat, and the large gauze that had been so conspicuous had shrunk to just cover the wound, but it couldn't hide his smug expression.

When he swaggered into Tang Xu's office, Tang Xu was already overwhelmed with problems with the company's system. As soon as he looked up and saw him, he shoved the computer in front of him and said, "Fix the bugs you left behind."

Lu Xingyan sat down opposite Tang Xu, turned to look at the computer, and gave Tang Xu a somewhat disgruntled glance. "Such a small problem, any programmer could handle it. Did I really need to do it myself?"

"Well, I don't know any programmers either. Who else can I ask if not you?" Tang Xu said. "I know your time is precious lately. If you get this done quickly, you can leave sooner, right?"

Lu Xingyan glanced at her again before lowering his head to operate the computer.

The problem was solved in less than ten minutes. Lu Xingyan turned the computer back to her, and Tang Xu immediately began to check it carefully. Seeing that there were no problems, she breathed a sigh of relief.

Lu Xingyan caught a glimpse of her operating the computer, and as if he had suddenly remembered something, he reached out and grabbed her, staring intently at her clean, white fingers.

"I vaguely remember that when I saw you at the hospital that day, you seemed to be wearing a diamond ring, right?"

Tang Xu abruptly pulled her hand back. "That's rare. You saw something two days ago, and you still remember it now?"

"Why aren't you wearing it anymore?" Lu Xingyan asked.

"Why would I wear something to work?" Tang Xu said. "With so many people coming and going, I don't want to make others guess."

Upon hearing this, Lu Xingyan raised an eyebrow slightly and said, "So, something really is going on. What does that ring mean?"

“How many meanings can a ring have?” Tang Xu said. “It has only one meaning.”

Lu Xingyan seemed somewhat taken aback. "When did this happen? How come I didn't know?"

"It's just an engagement ring," Tang Xu finally said. "I didn't tell you, how would you have known?"

Lu Xingyan was silent for a moment before asking again, "He's already proposed, so has he said when he'll get married? Does he have any plans?"

"Winter break," Tang Xu replied.

Lu Xingyan listened and slowly nodded, then suddenly looked at her more intently, "Did you originally plan to marry him?"

Upon hearing this question, Tang Xu's fingers paused slightly before she said, "You know the answer."

Lu Xingyan couldn't help but sigh before asking, "How... how has he been lately? Is he alright?"

Tang Xu slowly raised her head from behind the computer, met his gaze, and said, "You're really something. You don't care about your own friends, but you're quite concerned about him."

Lu Xingyan choked for a moment before saying, "Aren't you completely focused on him now? His situation is your situation. What's the use of just caring about you? You should care about him instead."

Hearing him say that, Tang Xu felt a little embarrassed and only muttered, "No way."

"You still say you don't? Right now, at least 90% of your mind is on him. Do you have time to think about anyone else or anything else?"

Upon hearing this, Tang Xu pursed her lips and remained silent for a moment before saying, "But you've devoted ninety percent of your attention to him, yet you still don't even know what he's thinking. Isn't that a failure?"

Hearing her say that, Lu Xingyan also composed herself slightly and asked, "Is there something wrong with him?"

Tang Xu remained silent for a while before answering, "No."

Lu Xingyan's eyes flickered slightly. "Isn't that a good thing?"

"Is it okay? I don't know either," Tang Xu said.

Since losing control of his emotions after meeting Ji Yan and Jiang Beiheng, Yan Shiyu's condition has indeed become much more stable.

On the one hand, he showed obvious indifference towards Ji Yan. Even though Tang Xu repeatedly tested him and he repeatedly agreed, he never went to see Ji Yan again.

On the other hand, he was extremely gentle and considerate towards her, almost as if he wanted to present her with the whole world—even though he had been very good to her from the beginning, he had never been this good to her recently.

Tang Xu didn't know whether his stability was due to deliberately eliminating the influence of Ji Yan or something else.

The only thing she knew was that this stability didn't give her the feeling that it was "pretty good".

"Didn't you say before that she wanted him to visit her? What about now? Don't you think so anymore?" Tang Xu suddenly asked again.

Lu Xingyan paused for a moment before saying, "How should I put it? If both people are stubborn and unwilling to move forward, it's hard to see a turning point. When there's no progress, perhaps the only option left is 'transfer of affection'."

Tang Xu quickly realized what he meant, "So for you, this stalemate between them is actually a good thing to some extent?"

“I can’t deny that,” Lu Xingyan said frankly.

“That’s why life is so contradictory,” Tang Xu said. “I want you all to be well, and I want them to be well, but unfortunately… things don’t always go as planned.”

Lu Xingyan suddenly leaned forward and changed her tone, saying, "You don't need to worry. As far as he is concerned, if you are well and Xingyang is well, then he is well, right? In short, if the two of you can get along well, maybe one day all these problems will disappear."

"Is that possible?" Tang Xu asked.

"Why not? Who can predict the future? So, put away your unnecessary worries. No matter how many problems there are, there will always be a way to solve them." Lu Xingyan leaned over and ruffled Tang Xu's hair, then said, "Alright, I'm going to the restroom. Let's go out for dinner together."

He turned and walked out. Tang Xu was in a daze for a while, and was about to organize the documents at hand when she suddenly heard her phone ring.

However, it wasn't her phone that rang, but Lu Xingyan's.

His phone was on the table. Tang Xu looked up at the sound and saw a familiar phone number.

Lu Xingyan hadn't saved the number, but Tang Xu recognized it at a glance—it was Yan Shiyu's phone number.

Tang Xu was momentarily stunned, staring at the number again and again until the call ended.

Lu Xingyan returned to the office quickly, and Tang Xu continued tidying up her things, saying, "Your phone rang."

Lu Xingyan glanced down at the caller ID, then looked up at her and said, "Don't tell me you don't know who's calling."

"Why did he call you?" Tang Xu asked, seeing that he wasn't trying to hide anything.

Lu Xingyan said, "What else could it be? It's for Xingyang."

"So you two had this connection behind the scenes," Tang Xu said. "Why didn't anyone tell me?"

"Who deliberately kept it from you? It's obvious, anyone could guess it. There was no reason to bring it up, so they didn't."

"The fact that he took the initiative to call you shows that he trusts you a lot." Tang Xu was a little sentimental for a moment, and then asked, "What did you talk about with him? What are his thoughts about Xingyang? Has he told you anything?"

“What else could I say? He asked me about Xingyang’s recent situation, and I just answered him a couple of times. You’re the person who knows him best in this world. You know his temper and what he’d say to me, can’t you guess?” Lu Xingyan said, reaching out to pull her along. “Alright, alright, stop packing. I’m starving. Let’s go eat first. After we eat, I still need to pick up the birthday present I ordered for Xingyang.” Mentioning the birthday present, Tang Xu’s interest returned. “What did you prepare for her?”

"None of your business!" Lu Xingyan said as she turned and walked away.

Tang Xu gave a soft hum and lingered for a while until Lu Xingyan came back in and pulled her. Only then did she pick up her handbag and walk out with him.

After having lunch together, Lu Xingyan left first. Tang Xu had nothing to do in the afternoon, so she simply didn't go back to the company, but went to the Jiang family to see Jiang Beiheng instead.

When her car pulled up in front of the building, Jiang Beiheng's driver was carrying things into the house. All sorts of bags were covered with big logos, making it look like they had just returned from a big shopping spree.

As Tang Xu passed by, she couldn't help but ask out of curiosity, "Did the master go shopping today? Did he buy all of these?"

The driver nodded. "Yes."

Tang Xu glanced at the pile of things that hadn't been unloaded from the trunk and couldn't help but wonder how much Jiang Beiheng had bought.

When she entered, Jiang Beiheng and his secretary were sitting on the sofa, studying something in front of a box.

"What are you researching?" Tang Xu asked.

Probably not expecting her sudden appearance, the two people on the sofa were both taken aback when they saw her. Secretary Chen quickly stood up and made way for her, while Jiang Beiheng smiled slightly and said, "Why are you here at this time?"

"I had nothing to do at the moment, and since I happened to be nearby, I came over to take a look." Tang Xu said as she stepped forward and quickly saw the contents of the box in Jiang Beiheng's hand.

It is a very exquisite brooch.

"Is this a gift you're giving someone?" Tang Xu couldn't help but ask.

“Yes,” Jiang Beiheng said, “It’s almost the end of the year, and we should start preparing some gifts.”

"These things can be handled by the public relations department. There's no need for you to do the purchasing yourself." Tang Xu sat down next to him and carefully examined the brooch in his hand. "Who is it for? Is he single?"

Jiang Beiheng glanced at her helplessly, "What kind of question is that?"

"This style is clearly meant for mature women," Tang Xu said. "You're giving a gift to another woman out of the blue, so it's not unreasonable for me to ask if she's single, is it?"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Beiheng glanced down at the brooch again and said, "Is it very mature?"

“Very elegant, suitable for mature ladies.” Tang Xu said, while casually opening a jewelry box next to her.

Tang Xu paused for a moment when she saw the necklace full of diamonds and rubies inside.

Given the brand and the condition of this necklace, its value far exceeds that of an ordinary gift.

"Are these gifts for the same person?" Tang Xu suddenly realized something. "Is it the lady you mentioned the other day? Didn't she pass away? Where are these gifts going?"

"No, that's not true," Jiang Beiheng said. "I just prepared something casually; it's not like I'm going to give everything away. This necklace suits you perfectly, doesn't it?"

Tang Xu immediately put down the box and said, "I can't afford it."

As the two talked, the driver kept putting things into the house. After several trips, he finally filled the house with twenty or thirty items.

Looking at the room full of luxury goods, Tang Xu let out a slight sigh and said, "These gifts you prepared are not comprehensive enough. Why are they all things that girls like? Aren't you going to prepare some for men? Are you going to specifically choose gifts for the ladies?"

Jiang Beiheng seemed a little stumped by her question. After a while, he sighed slightly and said, "Alright, just consider it as giving me some privacy. Don't ask anymore."

Tang Xu glanced at him and said, "You've even brought up privacy now, so this must be quite serious."

Jiang Beiheng chuckled helplessly and said, "You'll know when the time comes."

"Who knows what kind of stir such a lavish gift will cause? Maybe the media will find out first. If I find out from the media, it shouldn't be considered an invasion of your privacy, right?"

Jiang Beiheng couldn't help but shake his head and chuckle, saying, "Stop talking nonsense. Stay for dinner tonight. What would you like to eat? I'll tell the kitchen to prepare it right now."

"No need," Tang Xu said. "I have other things to do tonight, so I won't have dinner with you. Do you remember you're going to the hospital for a checkup tomorrow?"

Jiang Beiheng just smiled and said, "If you have to remind me of this yourself, then Xiao Chen should be fired."

"Why fire them? Just hire a few more. Anyway, Mr. Jiang, you're so generous, you can afford to keep twenty more secretaries," Tang Xu muttered.

After sitting with Jiang Beiheng for a while and looking at a few gifts, Tang Xu got up and left.

As the car drove away from the Jiang family mansion, Tang Xu seemed to have no idea where she was going. She drove for a long time based on her intuition and found that she was still circling around in the vicinity. So she simply found a roadside parking space and parked the car.

After parking the car, Tang Xu sat quietly in the car, looking blankly at the sky and green plants in the distance, while many things flashed through her mind uncontrollably.

Before this, she had been feeling lost for a long time.

She felt as if there was a thick fog ahead, and she didn't know where to go or where the answer was. She could only move forward step by step, relying on her instincts.

Only now did she vaguely realize that she seemed to have fallen into an opaque circle—

There are many people in this circle, and all of them are keeping something from her.

Lu Xingyan is right. She has indeed focused far too much attention on Yan Shiyu, to the point that she has never considered that she could actually step back and take a look.

If it weren't for the phone call from Yan Shiyu that Lu Xingyan received today, if he hadn't mentioned Ji Yan's birthday gift, if she hadn't suddenly decided to visit Jiang Beiheng, if she hadn't accidentally bumped into him buying 27 gifts...

27 is the exact number for Ji Yan's birthday this year.

Could it be a coincidence?
There can't possibly be such a coincidence, right?

Why did Yan Shiyu become so furious and lose control after Jiang Beiheng met Ji Yan? Why did Jiang Beiheng suddenly bring up old acquaintances and past events that day? Why did he prepare 27 gifts?

If the secret hidden in this is Ji Yan's background, then the reason Jiang Beiheng kept it from her is because he promised her that he would not involve Ji Yan in the conflict between the Yan and Jiang families.

But what about Yan Shiyu?

Judging from his later attitude towards Ji Yan and his interactions with Lu Xingyan, Tang Xu can be almost certain that Lu Xingyan also knew this secret.

But he also chose to keep it from her.

Admittedly, this matter doesn't concern her much. She has little connection with Ji Yan or the Jiang family now, and she doesn't necessarily need to know such a significant secret.

But what Tang Xu really wanted to know was, what else was there?

Aside from this incident, are there any other secrets between them that she doesn't know about?