Chapter 144: No News

Lu Xiangdong's assistant gestured for Su Mianmian to get in and then opened the car door for her.

Su Mianmian nodded and sat in the car.

The assistant looked back at her and explained that CEO Lu was very busy at the moment and couldn't have picked her up personally.

She remained calm, even though she knew the real reason was that he didn't want to see her.

Lu Xiangdong must blame her for Qi Chuyan's death.

"It's fine. It's impossible that there's no one to look after the funeral home."

The assistant nodded and continued, "The chairman is also there. He seems to be very sad."

Of course Lu Wenzhong was sad; he had always treated Qi Chuyan like his own daughter. Now that she had passed away, how could he be happy?

She kept quiet and looked out of the window.

In less than half an hour, they had arrived at the funeral home. The assistant got out of the car and ran over to open the door for her.

"There's no need. You go. I'll go in alone."

The assistant nodded and entered the funeral parlor before her.

Su Mianmian's mood suddenly became heavy. How should she act around Lu Xiangdong later? She looked inside and saw a dense crowd of people. It seemed that Lu Wenzhong must have known many people who wanted to be here.

Her gaze passed through the crowd and settled on Lu Xiangdong, who was standing in front of Qi Chuyan's portrait. Lu Xiangdong was wearing a black suit with flowers pinned in the pocket of his chest. He pursed his thin lips tightly and clasped his hands in front of him. His eyes revealed a deep sadness. Lu Wenzhong was standing beside him, wearing the same clothes. People came to salute him, and he returned a bitter smile.

Su Mianmian stood at the entrance of the funeral parlor with no intention of entering. If she went in, she would only be an annoying presence to Lu Xiangdong.

Lu Xiangdong noticed her. He suddenly raised his head and looked in the direction of the door. Their eyes met, and they could see the faint worry in each other's eyes. He let go of his hands and moved his lips, but she suddenly turned around and left.

When Lu Xiangdong chased after her, she was long gone.

Su Mianmian hid behind a car. When he entered the funeral parlor again, she stood up.

She did not know how to face him, so she walked away.

Just as she was about to leave, she noticed someone arrive. The car stopped in front of her, and the door opened. A man got out of the car, closed the door behind him, and turned around.

Su Mianmian looked at Liao Xing in surprise. Was he here to attend Qi Chuyan's funeral?

Liao Xing walked over to Su Mianmian.

"Miss Su."

"Are you here to attend Qi Chuyan's funeral?" She curled her lips.

"No, I'm here to see the murderer of my daughter." His expression was filled with grief. Su Mianmian knew that he had suffered more than anyone else. Losing two important people at once: his daughter and the woman he liked. What could be more painful than this?

When he turned around, Su Mianmian suddenly shouted, "Director Liao, you're actually very reluctant to part with her, aren't you? Otherwise, you wouldn't be here."

Liao Xing's body clearly tensed up. He left without looking back.

Su Mianmian raised her head. Tears rolled down from the corners of her eyes.

Early in the morning, when Su Mianmian came downstairs, she saw the servant preparing luggage. She felt uneasy and asked the servant nervously, "Whose luggage is this?"

The servant was startled by her. He turned around and answered respectfully, "Young Madam, the housekeeper asked me to prepare this for young master."

"What does young master want to do with this?" Su Mianmian asked her in a trembling voice.

"I heard from the housekeeper that young master is going on a business trip. Didn't you know?"

The servant wondered if the young mistress and young master were going to separate because of Miss Qi's death.

Su Mianmian felt her pride shatter. Lu Xiangdong was going on a business trip to avoid her. Was he going to avoid her for the rest of his life because of Qi Chuyan's death?

Under the suspicious gaze of the servants, she turned around and went upstairs. She was going to call Lu Xiangdong to ask what he wanted.

After the call connected, Lu Xiangdong's assistant answered. As if he had expected her to call, he told her exactly what Lu Xiangdong had said.

"Young Madam, President Lu does not blame you for Miss Qi's death. He just wants to go away and be quiet for a while. Maybe he will come back soon, maybe he will be away for a long time, but please live well and protect your child. He loves you." The assistant hoped that she would understand the president's feelings.

Su Mianmian hung up the phone, empty eyed.

He didn't blame her, but he was going to abandon her? She didn't understand.

Su Mianmian buried her face in the pillow and began to cry.

Lu Xiangdong had been gone for four months. During this time, there had been no news of him. She refused to ask Lu Wenzhong or anyone else related to him.

The hot summer days had already ended, and soon it would be autumn. Su Mianmian's stomach was becoming more and more pronounced. She spent a lot of time knitting with the servants in the villa.

She had just put down the sweater when Lu Wenzhong's men suddenly came to the door, saying that Lu Wenzhong wanted to see her.

Su Mianmian got into the car on account of the fact that he was her child's grandfather.

Ever since Lu Xiangdong left, Lu Wenzhong had been very concerned about her. He often sent her supplements and asked the doctor to see her to ensure both her child and her own good health.

"Chengwu Su, do you know why I asked you to come here today?" Lu Wenzhong looked at her and asked with a smile.

She shook her head.

"Firstly, I wanted to see how you were doing. Secondly, I wanted to talk to you about Xiangdong." He stubbed his cigarette into the ashtray and walked towards her.

She held her stomach. She was a little afraid of hearing about Lu Xiangdong.

"The baby is getting bigger and bigger. In the next few months, it will definitely become an inconvenience. Why don't you move here and let me take care of you and your son?" He stared at her belly and felt a sense of happiness. He was about to become a grandfather.

Su Mianmian smiled. "I won't trouble you. I have a servant to look after me. I think I'll be fine."

He nodded. "Also, about Xiangdong..."

A bitter smile appeared on her face. "What do you have to say?"

"The reason he hasn't returned yet is because he's still working on a project. It'll take him at least a year to complete it. Can you wait for him for another six months or more?"

Could she still wait? She was afraid that even she didn't know. Ever since Qi Chuyan's death, they had been apart. Their child was about to be born, but he didn't seem to be coming back. Did she still have a glimmer of hope, or should she continue to hold onto the pain she felt. Should she wait for him to return?

Seeing her sadness, Lu Wenzhong patted the back of her hand and sighed. "Chengwu Su, you have to believe that he has always loved you. It's just that he can't leave."

"Thank you for your comfort, but I don't want to talk about this now. I'm looking forward to the birth of the child. If I'm fated to be with him, no matter how many storms we go through, we will always be together." Su Mianmian's only hope now was the child in her belly. This child gave her the motivation to live on.

He sighed. "God will not mistreat you. Live well. He will definitely come back."

She smiled faintly.

Lu Wenzhong called the butler over and asked him to drive her back. He had to ensure her safety.

After Su Mianmian said goodbye to him, she went downstairs and got into the car.

She left the Lu family's villa with a heavy heart. She leaned her head against the window and looked at the scenery outside.

When the car passed by a bar, she saw Ouyang Que, whom she had not seen for a long time. She hurriedly asked the butler to stop the car.

The butler asked, "Young Madam, why are you stopping the car?"

"You can go back. I saw an acquaintance and want to catch up with him. When you go back, tell the chairman that I am home." Su Mianmian pushed the car door open and got out.

The butler nodded and watched her leave.

Su Mianmian called out, "Ouyang Que!"

Ouyang Que looked at her in surprise. "Mianmian, your stomach!"

"I'm about to give birth. What are you doing?"

He twirled his hair and said with some annoyance, "My big brother has contracted a strange disease. He's lying on the bed, unable to move most days. He's the pillar of our family and now, suddenly, this pillar has fallen down. I'm temporarily filling in for him by coming out to discuss business."

Su Mianmian roughly understood what he meant; he was now back at the company to work. No wonder he had not seen her for a long time, he had been busy with the company.

"Ouyang Que, don't think that I'm being harsh, but let me be frank. I think that you have more talent than your big brother to manage a company. You shouldn't be so unconfident." After having spent so much time with Ouyang Que, she knew what he was capable of.

"I like to hear this, but why are you out alone? It's so dangerous. Where's Lu Xiangdong?" He helped her to a chair so that she would not get tired.

Su Mianmian smiled. "He went on a business trip."

"A business trip?" He widened his eyes in disbelief. "At this point in the pregnancy, he's still going on business trips? What if you give birth prematurely?"

This was something Su Mianmian worried about. It had been four months, and there was no news of him at all. She was more nervous than anyone else.

Every day, before she went to bed, her imagination ran wild. She wondered if he had a new lover, and would never come back.

Ouyang Que immediately noticed her strange behavior. He grabbed her hand. "Mianmian, did you two have a fight?"

Su Mianmian looked at him and shook her head.

"It's okay. I can still live my life without him." She often would comfort herself by telling herself this. What else could she do?

"But, it's usually better to have a man to help out." Ouyang Que frowned.

"Aren't you a man?" she teased.

His eyes lit up and he smiled. "Why don't you move to my place and let me take care of you and the baby?"

Su Mianmian's mouth twitched. There were servants in the villa looking after her. Nothing bad could happen to her.

"What do you think?"

"Nothing much. I have hands and feet. It's not like I've lost my ability to take care of myself. Why would I move to your place?"

In reality, she was worried about him. He was no longer the former Ouyang Que but the executive of the entire Global Group. If there was any news, the media would find out about it.

"Move to my place. I can take care of you."

"Come on, you have to manage such a big company. Will you have time to take care of me?" She waved her hand disapprovingly.

He thought about it and she made sense. He was usually at the company and only rested on weekends.

"I don't have much time during the week, but I have plenty of time on the weekends."

"Then take me out for a walk on weekends. I usually stay in the villa and knit sweaters and read books. I don't know how to kill time." Su Mianmian rested her hands on the chair and pouted.

He smiled. "What are your plans after giving birth? To continue being your stewardess?"

She had thought about this a lot. She thought that she could do more meaningful things. She knew that she could take care of the child and earn money to support herself and the child some other way.

"We'll talk about the future later. Maybe the plans can't keep up with the changes." She seemed to be bothered by something, and her eyes went red.

He tilted his head and saw her misty eyes. His heart tightened. He pursed his lips and remained standing. He just watched her in a daze.