The Billionaire's New Wife in Chief

Chapter 706 - 185: How much money do you need to let Miss Zuo go?

Lu Jingchen did not continue speaking. Song Qiao wanted to leave, but due to this man’s threat, she eventually sat back down across from him, her displeasure clearly written on her face.

The waiter quickly brought over the dishes they had ordered. The service was fast, possibly influenced by Lu Jingchen’s presence.

Midway through the meal, Song Qiao couldn’t hold back anymore and looked up at Lu Jingchen across her, asking subconsciously, "You and Zuo Yuqing..."

Lu Jingchen was lifting his cup to drink water when he heard her words. He paused, raised his eyebrows slightly, and asked, "What?"

Song Qiao pushed her hair behind her ears, her gaze becoming a bit indifferent. However, her lips parted gently, her voice as soft as ever, "What did Zuo Yuqing mean earlier? Doesn’t she... like you?"

From the moment Zuo Yuqing returned to the country, everything highlighted her affection for Lu Jingchen, especially since she was Lu Jingchen’s first love and they had been together for many years during their youthful days. Even though many years had passed, there undoubtedly remained some affection.

Song Qiao knew she didn’t really have the right to meddle in their affairs, but Lu Jingchen had mentioned that their wedding was set for the 15th of next month, seemingly planning to publicly announce her status.

Even if she didn’t fully understand what Lu Jingchen truly felt for her, whether he was using their relationship merely to handle matters concerning the Lu Family or if it was genuine.

Song Qiao was unclear, and even more uncertain.

So often, she simply didn’t know how to stand in this position.

These questions had been lingering in her mind, and she had long wanted to ask Lu Jingchen about his relationship with Zuo Yuqing—of course, she meant the current situation, not the past.

After all, she was slowly falling for Lu Jingchen. If there was still a chance they might get back together as she hoped, she could withdraw before falling too deep.

"Song Qiao, remember one thing—you are now the Young Mistress of the Lu Family, my wife. As long as you’re here, I won’t be involved with other women, so you don’t need to overthink," Lu Jingchen said, lowering his eyes to cut the steak, looking up after he finished cutting to continue speaking. "You should know, I am a businessman; I never make a losing deal."

Song Qiao still didn’t understand, and was very confused. If that was the case, there was no need for them to create so many complications.

Even previously, during the incident at HuaYi Media, Lu Jingchen pushed her aside and rushed to the hospital with Zuo Yuqing, demonstrating a fondness for Zuo Yuqing.

Song Qiao played with the glass in her hand, smiled slightly, and said, "I understand."

Lu Jingchen looked at her deeply, hummed in response, and lowered his head to start eating his steak.

Throughout the meal, although she wasn’t much hungry, Song Qiao still made an effort to eat a few bites until she couldn’t eat anymore.

After leaving the restaurant, Lu Jingchen did not drive her to the hospital, but directly drove back to the villa. According to Lu Jingchen, it was almost getting dark and visiting hours at the hospital would soon end. Since they weren’t going there to stay overnight, they might as well head back to sleep since there were caretakers and nurses at the hospital.

Song Qiao had initially wanted to visit the hospital, but seeing the slightly gloomy expression on the man next to her, she didn’t speak up, her words stuck in her throat.

After dropping Song Qiao off, Lu Jingchen didn’t leave the car but spoke from the driver’s seat to the woman who was about to open the car door, "I have some business tonight and might return very late. If you’re tired, just go to sleep first, no need to wait for me."

Song Qiao paused as she was opening the car door but obediently nodded, closing the door after getting out. However, she stopped him, "Lu Jingchen."

Lu Jingchen raised his eyebrows, looking at her, "What is it?"

Song Qiao pulled the corners of her mouth into a faint smile, her voice soft and pleasant, "Lu Jingchen, if you plan to get back together with Zuo Yuqing, could you let me know in advance? I don’t want to be the villain breaking up a couple."

After speaking, without waiting for Lu Jingchen’s response, Song Qiao turned and walked toward the interior of the villa.

She didn’t see that, after her words, the man’s expression inexplicably darkened, becoming very unpleasing.

Only when she entered the villa and her figure disappeared from his sight did Lu Jingchen withdraw his gaze, start the car, and leave the villa.

Inside the villa, the maids had already left, and there were not many people in the living room, only Mrs. Chen.

Seeing Song Qiao come back, Mrs. Chen immediately went forward, took out a pair of slippers from the shoe cabinet and placed them at her feet, smiling kindly as she spoke, "Madam, you’re back? Shall I prepare dinner?"

Song Qiao’en made a sound and spoke casually while changing her shoes, "No need to prepare dinner, I’ve already eaten outside, Madam Chen, there’s nothing here for you, you can go rest."

"Okay, madam." Madam Chen did not say anything else, simply responded and retreated.

After changing her shoes, Song Qiao went straight towards the second floor bedroom, but she stopped at the stairs, turned her head, and directly called out to Madam Chen, "Madam Chen, wait a moment."

Madam Chen stopped and looked back at her, very respectfully, "Madam, what instructions do you have?"

"Is Jingchen allergic to cats and dogs?" Song Qiao thought for a moment, then explained, "A friend of mine is going abroad, and no one is adopting her cat and dog. I’m thinking of adopting them."

This villa sometimes is really quiet, it feels empty just with a servant, she had always loved small animals, especially cats and dogs as pets. When she and Ning Wan shared an apartment before, they had even adopted a husky, which brought them countless joys.

However, the husky was later stolen by dog thieves, and they searched for a long time but never found it. Gradually, they didn’t dare to adopt anymore.

After all, they loved the dog very much and really liked it. Suddenly having it stolen was somewhat painful, and they feared experiencing pet theft again, which they could hardly accept, so they did not continue adopting.

Some time ago, she met an old friend who reportedly was going abroad. She has a dog and two cats at home, all very sensible and obedient. She asked Song Qiao if she could take care of them, saying she wasn’t comfortable leaving them with anyone else. After Song Qiao saw them, she instantly liked them, especially since one of them was also a Husky, along with two Scottish Fold cats.

She had always thought that cats and dogs couldn’t get along and would fight, but seeing this dog and two cats, that wasn’t the case; they even slept together.

Madam Chen was momentarily stunned, then smiled and said, "Young Mistress, if you want to adopt them, you can bring them back. Sir is not allergic to these, and he likes them very much too. He once raised a Tibetan Mastiff, but it died of old age, and sir hasn’t continued keeping pets since then."

Tibetan Mastiff...

Images of an immensely large dog, heavier than a human and fierce looking, suddenly appeared in Song Qiao’s mind, making her shiver involuntarily.

Tibetan Mastiff...

Indeed, it suits a man like Lu Jingchen.

Madam Chen looked at Song Qiao and continued smiling, saying, "Nevertheless, Young Mistress, it might be better to speak to sir ahead of time. He hasn’t been in contact with pets in recent years and I’m not sure if he would still like them."

Song Qiao nodded, then smilingly said to Madam Chen, "Alright, Madam Chen, that’s all for now, you can go."

"Sure, madam. Have a good rest soon."

...

Inside a bar in An City, Lu Jingchen walked straight through the dance floor towards a certain private room.

As he passed the dance floor, several women dressed in provocative outfits saw Lu Jingchen, their eyes gleamed with interest, wishing to approach him. However, seeing the unpleasant look on the man’s face, they were scared off.

He went straight to one of the private rooms, pushed open the door, and was greeted by rock music similar to the atmosphere in the main dance area.

When the people inside saw Lu Jingchen, several middle-aged men who had been seated stood up immediately, warmly welcoming Lu Jingchen, "President Lu, you’re here, we thought you wouldn’t come."

Lu Jingchen glanced indifferently at everyone inside the room: four middle-aged men and a younger man who appeared quite young, each with one or two young ladies seated next to them.

Lu Jingchen was used to such scenes, as it was for business discussions that some bosses preferred this way.

However, Lu Jingchen disliked this mode of business negotiation. Usually, he would bring his secretary along, and having the secretary nearby naturally kept such sycophants at bay.

He glanced at his watch, then put his hand down. His facial expression unchanged throughout, he walked straight to the middle-aged man with a beer belly and after shaking hands, spoke in a cool, indifferent tone, "Director Zhao, long time no see."

Director Zhao’s face was full of smiles, one hand around a young lady’s shoulder, the other shaking hands with Lu Jingchen. He nodded, "President Lu, indeed it’s been a long time. We thought you had forgotten about us."

Hearing his words, Lu Jingchen’s eyes flashed a dark, indistinct emotion, but his face remained impassive, unchanging. He dove straight into the topic, "Director Zhao jests. How could I forget you? I’m here today, as you might know, for a specific matter. How about you tell me directly, Director Zhao, how much money do you want to let Miss Zuo go?"