Three years after our breakup, you came back to China, and I'm just giving up. Why are you cryi

Xiao Xiyue frowned slightly after hearing this.

She put down her chopsticks, her expression remaining largely unchanged, and asked in a flat tone, "Are you worried about Lin Ran?"

"A little." Lu Hao didn't deny it, meeting her gaze and admitting it frankly, but then immediately emphasized again, "I have nothing to do with her, I just don't want to involve her. She... is innocent."

Xiao Xiyue didn't speak, but picked up the soup bowl beside her and stirred it gently with a spoon, as if she was thinking about something.

Lu Hao's heart pounded with the spoon.

After a few seconds, she spoke again: "So, you're planning to see Fang Ruoyun?"

"No!" Lu Hao blurted out.

This decisive denial made Xiao Xiyue stop stirring the soup.

Lu Hao looked at her earnestly, "If I really intended to see her, there would be no need for me to tell you this. Xi Yue, I need your help to come up with an idea."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Xiyue's furrowed brows relaxed, curving into a beautiful crescent moon.

She put down the soup bowl and winked at him playfully.

"You have a high level of awareness, Mr. Lu."

"What?" Lu Hao didn't react for a moment.

"The fact that you're willing to discuss this with me and let me help you make a decision is commendable in itself," Xiao Xiyue said with a smile as she stood up.

She was wearing a light pink silk nightgown, the hem of which swayed gently with her movements.

Xiao Xiyue walked around the dining table, stood in front of Lu Hao, leaned down, hooked her arms around his neck, and sat sideways on his lap.

"We're boyfriend and girlfriend. This involves another woman, and you have the right to know." Lu Hao put his arm around her slender waist, his tone incredibly sincere. "There are no secrets in this world. If I hide this from you, it might become a barrier between us in the future."

Xiao Xiyue nodded with relief, reached out her finger and gently tapped his chest, saying softly, "If you had been this honest back then, we wouldn't have had so many problems later on."

Lu Hao tightened his grip on her arm and fell silent.

He knew what Xiao Xiyue was talking about.

If he hadn't gone to the bar during those seven days, he wouldn't have so many troubles now, and he would be living a wonderful life.

Unfortunately, there are no "what ifs" in life.

If you take the wrong path, you have to bear the hardships and risks along the way yourself.

Fortunately, things aren't too difficult yet.

"Then... what choice do you give me?" Lu Hao pulled her closer to him, resting his chin on the top of her head.

Xiao Xiyue tilted her head back and kissed him on the cheek before her smile faded and her eyes became serious.

"I won't give you a choice; ultimately, the choice is yours."

She paused, looked directly into his eyes, and said, word by word, "However... as your girlfriend, I naturally don't want you to have anything to do with any other woman. But precisely because I'm your girlfriend, I know even more clearly that when you decided to tell me this, you already had the answer in your heart, didn't you?"

Before Lu Hao could answer, she asked another question softly.

"Lin Ran, he's been very good to you, hasn't he?"

This question struck a chord with Lu Hao.

He nodded slightly, without any attempt to hide anything: "During the two years I was traveling, she took great care of me... a lot."

"In that case," Xiao Xiyue said firmly, "follow your heart. Whatever decision you make, I will support you."

After she finished speaking, as if she was still worried, she reached out her little finger and hooked it around his finger, and said, "But... I hope you can keep a good eye on the boundaries between 'friends'."

Lu Hao felt a surge of warmth in his heart, and the tension that had gripped him all night eased.

He smiled and tightened his arms around the person in his embrace.

This woman could always easily see through his pretense, yet she could always give him the trust and support he needed most.

He did have a moment of hesitation, thinking of going to see Fang Ruoyun and asking her not to cause trouble for Lin Ran.

But one compromise will only lead to countless more attempts to take advantage.

Just like the incompetent husband in the movie.

He cannot protect another woman by bowing down to one woman.

Since Fang Ruoyun wants to make an example of Lin Ran, then I'll accept it.

You can't have your cake and eat it too; there's no perfect choice.

The worst outcome would be that Lin Ran would be impeached by Vice President Li and lose his manager position.

What I need to do is not to compromise with Fang Ruoyun, but to do everything I can to make up for Lin Ran's losses.

Even... help her get something better!

……

Two days passed quietly.

Lu Hao was so engrossed in planning the ancient style project that he had long forgotten about Lin Ran and Fang Ruoyun.

On the computer screen, he scrolled through page after page of PowerPoint slides, eventually settling back on the initial draft.

He felt like he was in a dead end.

No matter how much I optimize the finished product I conceive in my mind, it always has a "common" feel to it, lacking the kind of originality that can catch people's eye.

Nowadays, there are all sorts of traditional Chinese style clothing on the market. If he were to bring his current plan into the market, it wouldn't even make a ripple, let alone cause a stir.

Leaning back in his office chair, Lu Hao rubbed his temples, feeling utterly exhausted.

Just then, there was a knock on the office door, and Li Xu's excited face peeked in.

"Brother Lu, my plan is all done!"

Lu Hao's tense nerves relaxed slightly. He turned to Li Xu and said, "Send it over, I'll check it."

"Okay!"

Li Xu returned to his workstation and immediately sent the proposal to Lu Hao's email address.

Lu Hao opened the document and carefully reviewed it page by page.

It has to be said that Li Xu has made rapid progress and is doing things quite well.

He looked up at Li Xu, who was looking at him expectantly: "You're doing well, kid. You're getting more and more skilled now."

Li Xu's face lit up with a smile. He scratched his head and chuckled, "Didn't I learn this from you, Brother Lu?"

Seeing his smug look of having gotten a good deal while pretending to be innocent, Lu Hao also laughed.

"Alright, stop joking. As agreed, you've got this plan sorted out, so I'm giving you a day off. Go have some fun by yourself."

"Thank you, Brother Lu!" Li Xu cheered, but did not leave immediately.

He stopped smiling, moved closer to Lu Hao mysteriously, and lowered his voice, "Brother Lu, are you... stuck? Lacking inspiration?"

"Hmm." Lu Hao didn't deny it, and said frankly, "I feel like it's missing something amazing."

"How about... we go out for some fun tonight?"

"Huh?!" Lu Hao stared at him suspiciously.

Li Xu quickly explained, "Brother Lu, don't misunderstand! I'm not going out partying! I heard that the 'Dream Lover' bar is having a traditional Chinese style themed night tonight. I was thinking you should check it out; maybe you'll find some inspiration?"

Upon hearing this, Lu Hao frowned slightly, thinking that this was something worth trying.

"Okay, see you tonight then."

Lu Hao agreed, but he didn't plan to go by himself.

He took out his phone and sent a message to Xiao Xiyue.

"There's a traditional Chinese style night at Dream Lover Bar tonight, I'm thinking of checking it out, wanna come?"

Less than two seconds later, Xiao Xiyue replied with a message.

It only has two words, and it also comes with a playful emoji.

"Okay~"

Immediately afterwards, a second message popped up.

"Come pick me up."