Chapter 576: Chapter 576

In the midst of conversation, Lu Jingchen had already directly taken a piece of pastry and put it into his mouth. It tasted quite good, certainly better than those from outside, probably because it was made by Song Qiao.

After eating two pieces, when Lu Jingchen looked up at Song Qiao, he saw her sitting in front of him, seemingly lost in thought.

The handsome brows slightly furrowed, Chu Muchen took another piece and put it in his mouth, his deep voice somewhat hoarse, "Get me a bottle of water from the fridge!"

Because the interior of the car was spacious, it was usually equipped with a built-in fridge, stocked with drinks and such.

Hearing Lu Jingchen’s words, Song Qiao immediately snapped back to reality, uttered an "Oh," and quickly turned to open the car’s built-in fridge. She took out an unopened bottle of mineral water and twisted the cap before handing it to him.

But just as Song Qiao looked up at Lu Jingchen, she was suddenly fed a piece of pastry.

Luckily, the pastries weren’t too big and could be eaten in one bite. Chewing subconsciously, Song Qiao glared at Lu Jingchen across from her, "Can you not ambush me like that next time? What if I had swallowed it whole and choked?"

Compared to before, Song Qiao was now bold enough to tease Lu Jingchen, lacking the guarded and distant demeanor she previously held.

Lu Jingchen glanced at her, his hand reaching out to take the bottle of mineral water from her mouth. But instead of drinking it himself, he passed it back to her, his voice tender and pampering, "Drink some water, be careful not to choke!"

Song Qiao looked at the water now brought to her lips and then at the genteel man opposite her. She hesitated for a moment, but after swallowing the pastry, she opened her mouth and drank following his gesture, the illusion of the pastry sticking to her mouth instantly dissipating.

After ensuring Song Qiao drank the water, Lu Jingchen took a couple of sips from the bottle himself, not at all minding that Song Qiao had drunk from it before.

What mattered most to Song Qiao was that she noticed the man had turned the bottle around to drink from the exact spot where she had just sipped.

Song Qiao, "...I’ve drunk from this bottle. If you want, I can get you another one!" She didn’t feel it was unsanitary, but did this man really have to do this?

Somehow, Song Qiao couldn’t help feeling her face heating up, her ears too, now probably turning red.

Lu Jingchen, with an indifferent glance and a refined smile, said lightly, "We’re husband and wife, we’ve kissed so many times. It’s just water, nothing to fuss about!"

Kissed so many times, they’ve tasted each other’s saliva countless times; drinking from the same bottle is the most normal thing between a married couple.

Song Qiao, "..." Is this the difference between having a thin skin and a thick one?

On the way, Lu Jingchen ate quite a lot of pastries made by Song Qiao, leaving only a few. Song Qiao snatched those away, as it was now time for lunch, and eating too many of these pastries wasn’t good, even though she hadn’t added much sugar when making them.

Moreover, she initially made them for two, including some for Wanwan to eat.

It wasn’t far from CK Corporation to Mingdian Restaurant, just a ten-minute drive. On the car ride there, as per Lu Jingchen’s instructions, Song Qiao had already sent a message to Ning Wan, telling her they would eat at Mingdian Restaurant. They had planned to have Uncle Chen pick her up, but Ning Wan flatly refused.

Ning Wan’s reason for refusal was very justified; it would take Uncle Chen almost forty minutes to make the round trip, whereas she could arrive in about twenty minutes by taxi.

If it had been the old Wanwan, she probably wouldn’t have refused, but today she seemed different from usual, acting out of character.

If it were before, she would certainly have the mindset that riding in a chauffeured car and not taking it was foolish, and would have insisted on Uncle Chen picking her up.

Without thinking too much about it, Song Qiao was led by Lu Jingchen into the Mingdian Restaurant.

Mingdian Restaurant was located in the most luxurious and bustling commercial street in the city center, where every inch of land was worth a fortune. It was surrounded by more than half of An City’s prestigious big companies and foreign enterprises, with many high-level white-collars and company executives opting to eat in this area after work. Hence, anyone opening an upscale restaurant or shop here was sure to make a hefty profit.

Furthermore, many high society ladies and wealthy women also favored this area because of the numerous clothing boutiques and private custom shops around.

Song Qiao looked at the Mingdian Restaurant in front of her, and immediately liked the place upon entering. However, the thought that even a cup of coffee here cost about a week’s wages made her heart, liver, and lungs ache.

It’s like she can see a huge amount of money flowing away rapidly.

Mingdian Restaurant is even more luxurious than the one Lu Jingchen took her to before, with even higher expenses. She guessed that even Song Xi, the beloved second young miss of the Song Family, pampered in the palm of her so-called ’father,’ had never been here!

Because a few times when she ran into Song Xi, she also heard them mention Mingdian Restaurant. However, at that time, Song Xi’s face showed not bragging but longing.

No wonder that man, although he adores his daughter Song Xi, would never let her spend money like water. Despite having a substantial allowance each month, given Song Xi’s passion for cosmetics and branded bags and clothes, she probably doesn’t have much money left over to come to Mingdian.

"What are you thinking about, hmm?" While Song Qiao was lost in thought, Lu Jingchen had already lovingly brought his handsome face close to hers. Though his face was expressionless, or perhaps he always looked gentle and refined in front of others, she wasn’t sure if it was her eyesight or something else, but the usual hint of tenderness and indulgence in his eyes seemed to be gone.

Maybe it’s a woman’s intuition, but Song Qiao subconsciously felt that Lu Jingchen was not in a good mood, and was certain that it had nothing to do with herself. It was very likely because of Zuo Yuqing.

She blinked her eyes, still keeping the smile from before, her voice still gentle, "I’m not thinking about much. Just considering how to tell Wanwan that you only left three pastries for her!"

Lu Jingchen frowned slightly, a faint smile spilling from his thin lips. He leaned down and kissed her cheek, his tone all the more tender, "Didn’t you say earlier they were made for me? Why are you leaving them for Ning Wan now?"

Song Qiao smiled slightly, "I thought you didn’t like these kind of pastries. I made so many, so I just thought I’d give some to Wanwan as well. It’s been a long time since I’ve made them for her!"

Back when she was still in university, she used to make them frequently, but later when she started working, she didn’t have as much time. Plus, with the Mu Family’s bankruptcy and her grandfather’s hospitalization, she was always running between work and the hospital, busy working to pay medical bills. She still cooked often, but pastries were a bit troublesome to make, so she didn’t do that much. Now thinking about it, it’s been almost half a year since she last made some for Wanwan.

"Hmm, then don’t give any of it to her. Save them for myself later!" Lu Jingchen, with his arm wrapped around Song Qiao, walked into the restaurant. His face was a bit reserved, but he didn’t hide the faint smile that appeared, "After all, three pieces aren’t even enough to fill the gaps between her teeth. Perhaps later she’ll say you’re stingy!"

Song Qiao, "..." She found herself without any retort to his words.

Song Qiao felt that her intelligence was completely suppressed in front of this man. It’s like she was... losing IQ every day.

Perhaps it was because people had already notified the manager of Mingdian Restaurant as soon as Lu Jingchen walked in. Just a few words after the two entered, a man clad in a suit and tie approached Lu Jingchen and Song Qiao with a flattering smile.

"President Lu, Madam Lu, the private room is ready for you. Would you like to go now?" The restaurant manager was a middle-aged man in his thirties or forties, dressed in a well-ironed suit, wearing a respectful smile, and his voice held a hint of awe and flattery.

In An City, who doesn’t know the Lu Family? In An City, who doesn’t know Lu Jingchen of the Lu Family?

In their circle, who doesn’t want to cozy up to Lu Jingchen? Google seaʀᴄh 𝗻𝗼𝘷𝗲𝗹•𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮•𝕟𝕖𝕥

Even though Mingdian Restaurant is the most luxurious and famous restaurant in An City, and its owner behind the scenes has an extraordinary identity, even his boss has to show respect towards Lu Jingchen.

Lu Jingchen just glanced indifferently at the manager and grunted in acknowledgment.

The manager immediately personally led Lu Jingchen and Song Qiao towards the private room.

Song Qiao was a bit stunned since being called Madam Lu by the manager. It felt like a secret of hers had suddenly been exposed.

She tugged at Lu Jingchen’s sleeve and lifted her face to ask, "How does he know I’m Madam Lu?" Not many people were aware of their marriage, but now Song Qiao felt it wasn’t so.

Lu Jingchen gave her an indifferent look, his demeanor calm, exuding an air of elegance and nobility, "Hmm, probably more than half of the people in An City know you’re my wife, Lu Jingchen!"

This morning’s magazines in An City had already reported it, although they didn’t cover last night’s incident in Night City, but did report his marriage to Song Qiao.

This was naturally his intention.

It’s just that Song Qiao probably doesn’t have the habit of reading magazines in the morning, so she naturally didn’t see the magazine cover underneath the coffee table at home. So, she probably doesn’t know by now.

Song Qiao was astonished. When had their marriage news been leaked? Why didn’t she know?

Seeing Song Qiao’s astonishment, Lu Jingchen was indifferent, "As the wife of Lu Jingchen, you have nothing to be ashamed of. It’s just right to announce now that you’re a married woman, to avoid you flirting around outside later. Don’t you agree, Madam Lu?"