Bringing the nation's husband home (10)

"Mr. Lu, the plane will depart in two hours, we need to check in..."

Before the assistant could finish his sentence, Lu Jinnian cut him off, "You can leave at the nearest taxi stand."  

"Huh?" the assistant asked in shock. He was just about to continue, but Lu Jinnian added, "I'm not going to Rome today, change it to tomorrow morning."

Once his assistant left, Lu Jinnian moved to the drivers seat. Grabbing the steering wheel, he started tapping it lightly. Finally, seemingly having given up, he turned the keys irritably, driving decisively towards the city center.

---

After 'To the End of Time' celebratory dinner, Zhao Meng drove Qiao Anhao back to Mian Xiu Garden.

It was a prestigious district in Beijing surrounded by mountains. Every inch of land was highly valued and costly. This was where Lu Jinnian and Qiao Anhao's marital house resided.

Zhao Meng stopped her car steadily in front of the villa. The rain had stopped after washing off the dirt from the sidewalks. As the warm yellow street light hit the puddles, rays of light reflected in all directions.

After saying goodbye, Qiao Anhao waited for Zhao Meng to leave her sight before reaching into her bag for the key to the main door.

After the rain earlier, the flowers that were blooming in the front yard had all fallen, emitting a mixture of flower aroma and the smell of rain.

Even though the villa was not far from the main gate, Qiao Anhao deliberately strolled towards it slowly.

Lu Jinnian was back from Rome, would he be back tonight? Or was he already in the villa? 

After the incident three months ago, Qiao Anhao was not able to face him. The very thought of meeting him would cause her to shudder in fear and anxiety.

Qiao Anhao stood at the door of the villa, eyes closed. She took several deep breathes before retrieving her keys to open the door.

Other than two part-time cleaners, there were no other long term helpers in the villa, causing it to seem extremely quiet.

She stood at the entrance, scanning the living room. Confirming that there was no one, she slipped into her house slippers and slowly started upstairs. Only after making sure that the upstairs were also empty did she sigh inwardly, finally relaxing.

He was not in the villa... but would he come back tonight?

These past three months aside, after they got married, Lu Jinnian would occasionally drop by Mian Xiu Garden with no particular schedule but never later than 1 am.

It was 12 am night right now, so if he was not back in another hour, it was highly likely that he would not be coming back tonight.

Time gradually crawled past Qiao Anhao's uneasy heart. When the clock hit 1 am, she finally relaxed her tensed body. She had been stressed the entire day, and now that she was able to relax, she collapsed onto the sofa in exhaustion.

It was 1 am, he definitely wouldn't be coming back tonight.