CHAPTER 656: CHAPTER 143: HE’S PREPARING TO RETURN TO HIS COUNTRY, ISN’T HE?

Zuo Yuqing looked somewhat distressed as she turned to Song Qiao, sitting beside Lu Jingchen. Clenching her teeth, she spoke, "Can I talk to you in private?"

Song Qiao frowned subconsciously upon hearing her request, but still, with an unchanged expression, she turned her head and glanced at Zuo Yuqing across from her, her lips curving into a thin, cold smile.

However, before she could say anything, Lu Jingchen had already directly refused her suggestion, "Qiaoqiao is my wife, there’s no issue with her listening in. Go ahead, what is it that you wanted to discuss with me?"

"I..." Upon hearing Lu Jingchen’s words, Zuo Yuqing’s complexion turned slightly pale, her eyes filled with hurt and pain, even carrying a hint of disbelief.

At that moment, Chen’s mom arrived with the flower tea and pastries, walking up to Lu Jingchen and Song Qiao, smiling as she said, "Sir, the pastries and flower tea you had me prepare for the lady are ready."

Lu Jingchen’s expression remained the same; he leaned a bit against the couch, with a posture of slight disdain, and hummed softly, his gaze fixated on Zuo Yuqing across from him, his lips curling into a subtle sneer.

As Lu Jingchen spoke those words, Song Qiao had already started looking at him sideways, suddenly unsure of what was going on with him.

It seemed that today, upon seeing Zuo Yuqing, Lu Jingchen was inexplicably in a bad mood, and even quite annoyed.

Subconsciously, Song Qiao assumed there must have been some incident between Zuo Yuqing and Lu Jingchen, but she didn’t know the specifics—just confident of one thing, that Zuo Yuqing must have done something to greatly dissatisfy and upset Lu Jingchen.

"Madam, would you like to have these here?"

As Song Qiao was momentarily dazed, the voice of Chen’s mom suddenly rang in her ear. She quickly snapped back to reality and looked at Chen’s mom with a slight smile, "Chen’s mom, just set it down here; it’s fine. You can go rest for a while, I can manage on my own."

"Alright, madam!" Chen’s mom nodded, placed the tray in front of Song Qiao, and then retreated.

Zuo Yuqing’s face could not have turned any whiter, her gaze somewhat vacant as it fell on Song Qiao and Chen’s mom. She lightly bit her lip, her hands resting on her knees clenched into fists, gripping the fabric of her skirt.

Back when she was with Lu Jingchen, Chen’s mom was quite kind to her, but she had never treated her quite like how she treated Song Qiao.

Moreover, Chen’s mom naturally addressed Song Qiao as the lady of the house, completely guardless and very pleasant towards her.

Even though Chen’s mom was nice to her in the past, there was still a measure of caution. Although polite and pleasant, compared with her current attitude towards Song Qiao, it made Zuo Yuqing suddenly understand what ’heaven and earth apart’ truly meant.

Lu Jingchen had been watching Zuo Yuqing all along, not missing a single subtlety of her facial expressions, his brows involuntarily knitting together, only to return to his usual indifference the next second.

Song Qiao glanced at the flower tea and pastries in front of her, then stood up and squatted by the coffee table to pour the tea. Thinking of something, she turned her head towards Lu Jingchen, a charming smile on her lips, "I remember you don’t drink flower tea. Would you like some?"

Lu Jingchen withdrew his gaze from Zuo Yuqing and looked towards Song Qiao, his eyes filled with ambiguous depths, his voice deep and pleasant, "Pour me a cup, I’ll see if it tastes as good as you make it seem, since you enjoy drinking flower tea so much."

Song Qiao’s fondness for flower tea was well-known among everyone in the villa; whether she was reading in the study or basking in the sun in the backyard garden, she would always have someone prepare flower tea and pastries.

For this reason, Lu Jingchen even went out of his way to procure for her some rare flower teas not available on the market.

Song Qiao pursed her lips, suppressing her urge to roll her eyes. She had tried to get him to drink it many times to no avail, yet now he suddenly wanted to try it.

Feeling resigned, she obediently poured him a cup and handed it over to him, "There you go! Would you like some pastries as well?"

Lu Jingchen took the flower tea and frowned slightly as he looked at the pastries but remained silent.

Knowing that Lu Jingchen wasn’t fond of sweets, Song Qiao didn’t press further; instead, she couldn’t help but smile, then suddenly remembered Zuo Yuqing across from them, turning her head to her with a smile still on her face, her voice coy and pleasant, "Miss Zuo, would you like some flower tea?"

Zuo Yuqing’s complexion had never been good throughout the whole encounter, particularly when she saw the natural interaction between Lu Jingchen and Song Qiao, her face grew even more unsightly, her hands tightly clenched into fists, her nails digging into her palms.

Hearing Song Qiao’s offer, she appeared a little pale, struggling to maintain her smile as she replied, "No need, I don’t care for flower tea."

After speaking, she glanced at Lu Jingchen, who was still sitting there. Her lips moved as if she wanted to say something, but in the end, she said nothing, just letting her gaze drop in defeat.

At this moment, Zuo Yuqing’s heart was filled with bitterness, and her heart even ached, nearly leaving her gasping for breath.

Actually, she did not like drinking flower tea, mostly because when she and Lu Jingchen were together, he did not like it, and so she followed suit.

But now, Lu Jingchen was willing to touch something he disliked for the sake of another woman.

Song Qiao gave a nonchalant "oh," did not bother with anything else, and directly poured a cup of flower tea. She seemed to think of something, turned her head to Lu Jingchen, and said with a smile, "Miss Zuo came to see you for something, right? It looks like she has something important to tell you. I won’t disturb the two of you."

With that, she picked up the tray from the coffee table, ready to leave.

But before she could take a step, Lu Jingchen already furrowed his brows and suddenly grabbed her arm. His voice was low and somewhat displeased, "Where do you think you’re taking that?"

Song Qiao turned to look at him, still smiling. Because she was holding the tray with both hands, when Lu Jingchen pulled her, the tray shook, causing some flower tea to spill out. "Don’t you dislike it? I’m taking it to the backyard to enjoy by myself, since you don’t have a sweet tooth anyway." After a thought, she continued with a smile, "By the way, I’ll also check if the flowers I planted a while ago have survived. After all, I have nothing to do here. Miss Zuo seems to really have something important to discuss with you, and she doesn’t like me eavesdropping, does she?"

Lu Jingchen still frowned, his gaze indifferent as he looked at Zuo Yuqing across from him, his lips pursed lightly.

Zuo Yuqing was somewhat stunned as she looked at Song Qiao, feeling Lu Jingchen’s gaze on her, she turned back to him, with a pale smile on her face, "Jingchen, I really have something important to discuss with you."

Lu Jingchen knit his brows and then let go of Song Qiao’s hand, humming lightly before speaking, "Come back early later; I’ll have Mrs. Chen prepare the dishes you like."

Song Qiao smiled faintly and nodded, "Okay!"

Once Song Qiao left the garden, the smile on her face instantly retreated, and she looked down at the tray in her hands, revealing a trace of mocking amusement.

For Lu Jingchen, Zuo Yuqing still held a place in his heart. As for Song Qiao, she definitely would not continue to invest her feelings in Lu Jingchen; otherwise, she would be the one at a loss.

After Song Qiao left the living room, the room was left with only Lu Jingchen and Zuo Yuqing.

Zuo Yuqing raised her eyes to look at the man opposite her, handsome yet with a cold and indifferent expression. She bit her lip and carefully called his name, "Jingchen."

Lu Jingchen took a sip of the flower tea that Song Qiao had poured for him, slightly furrowing his brows due to the sweet taste, which he did not find particularly enjoyable. Hearing Zuo Yuqing’s voice, his expression unchanged, he placed the cup on the coffee table. His eyes and expression remained as chilly as ever, as he spoke indifferently, "You said you had something to discuss with me? Go ahead, what is it?"

Zuo Yuqing had always known that Lu Jingchen was extremely callous and unfeeling, but being treated so ruthlessly by him felt as though she was being tortured, causing her so much pain she felt like she couldn’t breathe.

She bit her lip, feeling a twinge of pain, and after taking a deep breath, her face bitter, she finally said, "I know you hate me now, but Jingchen, there’s no need for you to use Song Qiao to take revenge on me. Back then I..."

"Yuqing." Before Zuo Yuqing could finish speaking, Lu Jingchen coldly interrupted her words. His brows were slightly furrowed, and if one looked closely, they could see the mockery in his eyes. His voice was cool and almost devoid of emotion, "Explaining so much to me now is useless, Yuqing. What you should be worried about is your own affairs. If the information I’ve received is correct, he is planning to return to the country, right?"

Zuo Yuqing’s face turned white, her eyes widening as she stared at the man opposite her, her eyes filled with fear.

Lu Jingchen did not continue speaking; he sat lazily on the sofa, and except for his slightly clenched fists that betrayed his emotions, he kept everything else well-masked.

After a long while, Zuo Yuqing forced a bitter smile, "I know he’s about to return to the country. Jingchen, only you can save me now. For the sake of our past relationship, can you... help me?"

That man was truly a terrifying existence.

In this world, only Lu Jingchen, only he could help her.

Lu Jingchen’s eyes narrowed, his gaze fixed on Zuo Yuqing across from him. Memories of her younger face, filled with a touch of naivety, always by his side, flashed across his mind. His Adam’s apple moved slightly, and after a long pause, his lips parted to speak in a deep, slightly husky voice that was tinged with a hint of sexiness, "Yuqing, you should know that I am a businessman. I never engage in losing deals."