Chapter 1223 - Marry Me

Lu Lian was silent during the dinner, and Jiang Yuyan observed her. At the dinner table, all the talk was about the new baby and everyone was happy. 

"You went to the hospital today, Lian?" Elder Lu asked. 

"Yes, Grandpa," she replied, trying to put out a nice conversation so she could shift her attention from what was going on in her mind.

She looked at her mother, "I was planning to buy gifts for our little Baobao, but can't seem to think what I should buy."

"We can go out together, and I will help you," Ning Jiahui replied. 

"Today, we have bought so many gifts for her," Su Hui said. 

"They are so cute that I wish to buy more," Qin Xiu replied, smiling brightly. 

"When are they discharging her?" Grandma asked. 

"After four more days," Su Hui replied. 

After dinner, Jiang Yuyan asked Lu Lian to come to her room. 

Lu Lian followed Jiang Yuyan to her room, knowing what it was about. 

"Once the two entered the room, Jiang Yuyan instructed, "Have a seat," and sat in the chair opposite the couch. 

Lu Lian sat and looked at Jiang Yuyan, who asked, "How was your day in the office?"

"It ended up being my last day there," Lu Lian replied, trying to look cool about it.

"Did you not talk to him?" Jiang Yuyan asked. 

"I did. I cleared everything that I am not angry at him, and I wish to forget what happened between us both, and we can be at peace from now on."

"Then why are you leaving work?" Jiang Yuyan asked. 

"I forgave him, but it doesn't include us going back together," Lu Lian added. 

It surprised Jiang Yuyan, "Are you sure about it?"

"Hmm," she nodded. 

"I think both of you are taking the wrong step again."

"That I am not sure about, Yuyan, but for now, I know we can't be together. Even if we get together, that resentment will always be buried somewhere in my heart. We might be good in the start, but one day it will be bound to come out and I might end up hurting him more. Better to go through some pain now and be apart."

"Just remember, in the end, nothing matters but the love between two people. It's not better to let that resentment take over what you truly feel for him," Jiang Yuyan suggested.

"Right now, I don't know what to think as I know I can't be with him. I think I just need some more time."

"Take your time but don't be so late," Jiang Yuyan suggested. 

"I will try," she assured. 

After talking for a while, Lu Lian left while Jiang Yuyan had to finish some work. 

Just as she opened her laptop, there were work-related emails that Xiao Min had forwarded to her what he received from Lu Lijun. 

"Don't these people have to sleep at all?" she mumbled and checked the emails. There were various reports from all the sites that Lu Lijun visited for his project, the one he achieved on his own and supposed to be the biggest project one could grab and marked his presence in the entire business world. 

She went through some reports, which should have taken two to three days, but she got it the same day. "This kid, is he even resting or not? Is he in a hurry to finish all the work in his life in just a few days?" She frowned and picked up her cellphone. 

"Xiao Min, don't you have to sleep?" she frowned. 

"Boss, I had free time, so…"

"You can use that with assistant Li," she said coldly. 

Xiao Min turned silent, and she asked again, "And why is Lu Lijun still working. I just checked the recent emails and those reports…." she sighed. 

"I used to have the same questions about my boss. It's just that now that workaholism has been shifted to another person."

Jiang Yuyan knew what he meant and said, "Ask him to rest."

"I doubt anyone here listened to me," Xiao Min said to mock her again and suggested, "Boss should try talking to him personally."

Jiang Yuyan hung up the call and didn't know what to do. 

"Talking to him?"

After what he said and did with her before leaving, there was no way she would talk to him. "Or maybe tomorrow," she mumbled and continued her work.

------

After four days, Lu Bao returned home with her baby, and the entire Lu Mansion was happy after so long. Lu Lian didn't go to the office, Lu Lijun was busy working, Jiang Yuyan still didn't call him to say not to work more, Ming Rusheng was busy with new projects, and there were interviews going on to hire new people in place of Lu Lian. 

There was still no news of Jake, and An Tian assured Lu Lijun and Noah that he would be back when he felt like to and not to worry about him. Xiao Min and Shen Li worked on the same project, but Xiao Min preferred to work from a distance, and Shen Li frequently going out of the city was a relief for him as they could contact each other through official emails only.

Ming Lan was just home spending time with her mother and meeting her old friends after so long. When she went out to meet her friend and was about to return home in the evening, she came across Wen Zac, who came to the same restaurant that evening. 

As they faced each other while leaving the restaurant, Ming Lan awkwardly greeted him, "Good evening, brother Wen Zac."

"Good evening," he replied and asked, "How is Rusheng?"

"Why don't brother Wen ask him by himself?" Ming Lan asked, her words were soft-spoken but carried the resentment- resentment towards the person who had hurt her brother being his best friend.

Wen Zac smirked, "Don't worry, my friend is a strong man. You must know your brother well."

"I know him well; that's why I can say he is not fine," she countered. 

"Then what do you wish me to do? He is the one to bring this on himself," Wen Zac commented. 

"Marry me instead of Lu Lian," she said. 

He smirked again, "I wonder if I am that good to make you desperate to marry me when you never cared for anything."

"I care for my brother…."

"And for him, you are ready to marry a man who you don't even love or think that way about him," he interrupted her. 

"Yes, I can," she replied. She looked angry at Wen Zac. 

"Things won't end up with just marrying me, you know?" he asked, and the underlying meaning was clear to her. 

"I know," she replied. 

He stepped towards her in that empty corridor going towards the exit parking lot and stared closely at her, to which she stepped back, and Wen Zac leaned down to match her height and to face her.

"So, you don't mind giving yourself to me who you must hate the most at this moment just because I have hurt the person precious to you. That person is more important than your own life?"

Ming Lan felt intimidated by his cold and different behavior, opposite to what he looked like all the time. To her, he was a cool and easy-going man opposite to her cold brother, but these days he was up to change her opinion about him.

"It's fine...Anyways I have to marry someone soon," she said while staring back at his closer face. 

"But why to have that someone who you hate?"

"As long as I can make it right for everyone."

"It won't be right for me if my wife won't love me but only hates me."

"I will try not to."

He chuckled and moved back, "So you admitted you hate me?"

"Am I not allowed to show my true feelings even if it's hate?"

"Of course you can, but it makes it not so good idea to marry the woman who hates me," he countered. 

"I said I will try not to."

"If you insist so much on marrying me, I will just think you are obsessed with me and came to me just because you can't see me with other women and when that other woman happened to be your best friend."

"Nonsense!" she mumbled. 

"It's getting late; just go home," he said and turned to leave.

Ming Lan frowned and felt like to kick somewhere as she looked at the retreating back of this stubborn man. 

Ming Lan reached her car and saw Wen Zac was talking to a man while standing next to his car. Frowning at him with her narrowed eyes, she sat in her car. Just as she turned the key, her car made a sound but stopped the next moment. She tried again but the same result. 

"What the heck!" already angry woman got even angrier, "Seems like my day is bad today." Knowing her car wouldn't start, she stepped out of the car so she could leave her car there and get a cab to go back home. But she saw Wen Zac coming towards her and stopped in front of her car.

"What's the matter?" he asked. 

"Doesn't concern you," she replied, ready to leave. 

She was angry at him, not just for hurting her brother but for how he acted with her. Not even once in her entire life, she paid attention to any man other than having a distant crush on someone when she was so young, but she ended up asking this man to marry him, and he took it lightly. Her pride was hurt. He was the one to suggest marrying him, and when she was ready, why was he acting up?

"Don't be stubborn like your brother. If there is an issue with the car, let me drop you home," he countered. 

"I can go on my own. I travel the entire world and in secluded places. I know how to go alone."

"I know that very well," he said and thought, 'I know about you more than you know about yourself.'

"If you know, then please don't bother me," saying she turned to leave, but he grabbed her hand. "You are coming with me."

"You...You don't even want to marry me. What right do you have to care for me."

"Right? I have, but that doesn't concern you," he said and took her towards his car while holding her hand tightly. 

He opened the car door for her and instructed, "Sit, or I will lift you and stuff you on the back seat."

Ming Lan sat on the front passenger seat quietly, and Wen Zac closed the door. The car left the parking lot to go to the Ming Mansion. The entire journey, both didn't talk a single word. When they reached Ming Mansion, Ming Lan stepped out of the car, not saying a word.

'He was the one to force me to go with him, so I don't need to say thank you.'

She left, and Wen Zac turned his car.