Chapter 33: Convenience Not Love

  It was around 10pm that Sunday evening when Miyeon finally arrived home. Funnily, the sparsely decorated apartment seemed more inviting after the impromptu Tokyo trip. 'It's truly a blessing having a place to relax and be oneself,' she thought. After a quick shower, Miyeon logged on to her Netflix account to catch up on the kdrama Vincenzo. She thoroughly enjoyed these types of dramas where the villains get their just desserts. Of course, Miyeon also sympathised with that character who underwent a redemption arc only to perish in the process of his atonement. Eventually, Miyeon got so engrossed with the show that she didn't notice several messages from adoptive mother, Qin Anzhi, until midnight.

**text message**

[Auntie Qin]: Miyeon-ah, it's your Aunt Siqing's birthday this Saturday.

[Auntie Qin]: There is a dinner celebration at her house. Please make time to come.

[Auntie Qin]: Xiao Ning will also be there with Song Yu. 

[Auntie Qin]: Mom just wants to remind you to refer to Xiao Ning as 'cousin'.

Upon reading the texts, Miyeon's heart was already jaded and she didn't feel any impetus to respond until the morning. 

**text message**

[IamIrene]: Alright.

Qin Anzhi responded almost immediately as if she had been anxiously waiting for Miyeon's confirmation. 

**text message**

[Auntie Qin]: Miyeon-ah, mom is really grateful. Your sister will really appreciate this.

[Auntie Qin]: Xiao Ning and Song Yu are getting along well.

[Auntie Qin]: Once everything is settled, we can be a family again.

[IamIrene]: Okay

[Auntie Qin]: Miyeon-ah, are you angry at mom?

[IamIrene]: I'm not. Don't worry. I'll be there on Saturday. And I'll be careful around NingNing.

[Auntie Qin]: Thank you Miyeon-ah. Mom knows I could always count on you. 

'Angry? There's no anger since there is no feeling left,' thought Miyeon. If anything, Miyeon only wanted to make restitution for all the unrest she caused her adoptive family 10 years ago. Pushing these thoughts away, Miyeon began to go through her emails checking if she had received any interview invitations.

..................

Lu Corporation Headquarters, Executive Office

Since CEO Lu's return from his business trip in Tokyo, he has been in an exceptionally foul mood, causing Secretary Jin to be on edge for the entire week. 'What exactly happened in Tokyo?! He was in a good mood when he asked me to book a suite at Aman Hotel. Then the same night he asks me to book the next flight back to C Country,' Shi Jin thought to himself. He began to wonder if his boss had bipolar disorder as he watched CEO Lu's constantly changing expressions whilst reviewing the Whistler Project contract. 'If he wasn't so handsome and brilliantly business minded...he really could be mistaken for a mental patient.' Shi Jin secretly mused with a nod of his head.

"Secretary Jin, you look like you have a lot of time in your hands," Lu Minzhe commented looking up from his desk.

"Eh?! Not at all CEO Lu. I am quite occupied," Shi Jin answered with surprise. 

"Is that so? Then how is it that you've not touched your computer for the past 15 minutes? Hmm?" Lu Minzhe commented with a raised brow.

'This person is too scary. Does he have eyes on the top of his head!?' Shi Jin thought aghast.

"Err. I was merely thinking of how to reply to this email. I've determined a satisfactory response and will resume my tasks." Shi Jin answered nervously. If he had to do another overtime this week, his wife might really divorce him. Shi Jin lamented internally thinking of the nights he had spent sleeping on the couch.

In fact, Lu Minzhe had been having difficulty focusing on work which was indeed a rare occurrence. From a young age, Lu Minzhe had been trained to thoroughly distinguish between personal and business matters. This was one of the reasons why he was able to manage Lu Co so successfully. Right now, he should be reviewing a multimillion dollar contract. Instead, he found himself seriously considering Shu Li's words regarding the real meaning of his actions towards Miyeon. This past week he had refrained from contacting Miyeon until he sorted out his feelings. However, no matter how much he thought about it, the conclusion seems too unrealistic. 

How could he possibly harbor a romantic interest towards Miyeon? She was someone whom he was supposed to have a sibling-like relationship with. For God's sake, they first met when he was 19 and Miyeon was 13. When he was already a freshman in college, Miyeon was merely in middle school. To see her as a woman, that would be committing a crime. 

And though 10 years had already passed since then, they barely had any interactions until Shu Li's birthday. 'Is it truly possible for one's feelings to change so abruptly?' Lu Minzhe wondered. 

Perhaps another reason he had not considered Miyeon as a potential romantic partner was that he had known since childhood that his marriage partner was predetermined from the beginning. For people like him, marriage is done out of convenience not love. 

...................

A City Airport, Arrivals Terminal

An attractive and gorgeously dressed green-eyed brunette exited from the arrivals terminal with her LV luggage in tow. She sported a cheerful smile as turned on her phone which had been previously switched off during the 11 hour flight from Rome to A City. This was the young lady's first time in C Country but she could be hardly bothered by the hustle bustle around her. 'I finally get to see you again. You'll be so surprised at how much I've changed,' Elizabeth (Liz) Victoria Montgomery happily thought to herself as she gazed at Jesse's image on her phone's wallpaper. 

Liz dialed a string of numbers she knew by heart. And as soon as the person at the end of the line picked up, she spoke excitedly, "Jesse Evans! Guess who just arrived in C Country?!"