Chapter 575: Chapter 575

Lu Jingchen tightly clasped Song Qiao’s waist, imprisoning her in his embrace. His face bore a distant smile as he glanced down at the woman in his arms before turning his gaze toward Zuo Yuqing across from him, "This is my wife, Song Qiao!"

"You got married?" Zuo Yuqing’s eyes widened upon hearing Lu Jingchen’s words. The color drained from her face as she asked in surprise, with a hint of accusation.

"Yes, I did get married!" The man’s eyes were gentle and calm as he stared at her and responded directly.

Song Qiao, held fast by Lu Jingchen, couldn’t move. Watching the changing expressions on Zuo Yuqing’s face, she knit her brows but remained silent.

She had to admit, she sensed a whiff of jealousy between the two.

Zuo Yuqing quickly regained her composure, though her smile betrayed an uncontrollable sadness. She looked at the man opposite her and spoke in a low, gentle voice tinted with indifference, "When did you get married? Why didn’t you tell us? You used to say that you’d invite us when you got married—we didn’t expect you to hide it so well!"

"We’ve got the marriage certificate; the wedding ceremony is still being planned. We’ll invite a few of you when it happens!" replied Lu Jingchen, looking at her with a light smile, his tone cool.

"How about you two catch up? I’ll wait for you in the car," said Song Qiao, feeling uneasy watching the two and subconsciously wanting to escape.

"No need, there’s nothing much for us to talk about," Lu Jingchen lowered his gaze to the woman in his arms and said gently, then looking over to Zuo Yuqing, he continued, "Yuqing, your assistant should be around. Why don’t you call and have her pick you up? We have other matters to attend to!"

"Going out for a meal?" Zuo Yuqing did not immediately heed his words. Clutching her purse, she looked at the man not far from her, enfolding another woman, her heart suffused with an indescribable feeling. She then turned to Song Qiao with a smile, asking, "I didn’t eat on the plane, so I wonder if you might invite me along as well? After all, you two... got married without inviting me, Miss Song?"

Zuo Yuqing didn’t address Song Qiao as Mrs. Lu, but simply as Miss Song. This form of address made Song Qiao pause for a moment.

Song Qiao wasn’t sure what Zuo Yuqing meant. Her lips parted as she was about to speak, but the man beside her pinched her waist, and she looked up at him, puzzled. He, however, bent his head down to give her an affectionate smile.

Then, Lu Jingchen said to Zuo Yuqing in a mild tone, "No need for today, we have things to do!" ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ 𝓷𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓵※𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮※𝓷𝓮𝓽

Zuo Yuqing looked at him, bit her lip slightly, and then laughed. She said calmly, "If that’s the case, then I’ll take my leave. I am quite tired from the flight!"

With that, she turned on her high heels and left. Her Chanel outfit looked extremely elegant on her. However, Song Qiao, perhaps being very perceptive, thought she saw on Zuo Yuqing an aura of loneliness.

"What are you looking at, huh? Your husband is right here!" Before Song Qiao could shift her gaze, Lu Jingchen caught her chin and forced her to meet his eyes.

The man wore a soft smile on his handsome face, revealing no flaws, seemingly no different from usual. But Song Qiao felt something was off.

Or perhaps, was it just her imagination?

Running her fingers through her hair, Song Qiao smiled coyly, her voice gentle and teasing, "You’re allowed to look at beautiful women, but you won’t let me look?"

"Do you want me to find you a mirror to carry around every day?"

Song Qiao was surprised, "Why would I carry a mirror every day?"

The man pinched her cheek, chuckling, "Didn’t you say you wanted to look at beautiful women? It’s so you can look at yourself every day!"

Her smile bloomed, her mood lifting, and a suspicious pink tinted her ears, "Since when have you started to sweet-talk?"

Zuo Yuqing, who hadn’t gone far, stopped and looked back at the two standing there. She gripped the strap of her purse tightly, her face pale, her eyes brimming with hurt.

Lu Jingchen looked down at the delicate face in his arms, and gently kissed her forehead, full of tenderness, "For the woman I like, of course I would learn. After you’ve been with me for a while, you’ll know how good I am. Let’s go, we’ll head to the restaurant first!"

"Okay!" Song Qiao complied and let him wrap his arm around her waist as they walked away.

As they turned to leave, Lu Jingchen glanced back at Zuo Yuqing’s retreating figure. His lips pursed slightly, his gaze dark and unclear, lingering for a few seconds before he turned away.

After getting into the car, the man’s long hands reached for the lunch box that Uncle Chen had placed there. Opening it to find several exquisite pastries, he smiled and asked the young woman beside him, "Did you make these for me? Did you make them yourself?"

Song Qiao glanced at the pastries in the lunch box and hummed in acknowledgment, her mood not particularly high, "You didn’t eat much for breakfast, so I thought of preparing some pastries for you to snack on. I’m not sure what flavors you like, so I just made a few. If you don’t like pastries, feel free not to eat them!"

In the past, when she used to work part-time, she spent time in a pastry shop and learned from the pastry chefs there for most of a summer break. Naturally, she could make some pastries, although not many, and they tasted pretty good. She often made them as afternoon treats for herself and Wanwan.