Chapter 614: 549 I’m not that fragile, but... neither am I that strong (seeking monthly passes)
"Thud!"
The chime struck his chest, and Zhongli Wuzhi’s heart skipped a beat, his eyes wide with astonishment.
"Ting-a-ling..."
The ring that Chinian held in her hand, about to try on her finger, had fallen onto the glass showcase with a clear, ringing collision sound.
In the exceptionally quiet luxury jewelry store, this "ting-a-ling" sound seemed all the more eye-catching.
Lu Xiaoer and Ah Xuan almost simultaneously turned their gaze toward Zhongli Wuzhi and Chinian.
"It’s okay, it’s okay."
Seeing the apologetic expression on Chinian’s face, the clerk hurriedly picked up the ring and then reassured Chinian.
At this moment, however, Chinian’s eyes had already shifted toward where Lu Xiaoer and Ah Xuan were standing, their eyes met...
"That one."
Zhongli Wuzhi pointed to the ring the clerk had picked up, "We’ll go with this design."
He didn’t turn around.
Chinian’s expression was the most astonished of all; she looked at Zhongli Wuzhi and saw that he seemed completely unfazed, as if the presence of Lu Xiaoer facing them didn’t matter to him at all.
"Mr. Zhongli...?"
Ah Xuan naturally recognized Zhongli Wuzhi and couldn’t help but blurt out his name.
The clerk attending to Miss Lu perked up her ears, thinking she had heard wrong.
While helping Lu Xiaoer with the return process, she couldn’t help but glance over at Zhongli Wuzhi and Chinian.
Chinian pursed her lips and then stood up, taking the initiative to walk over to Lu Xiaoer, giving her a slight nod in greeting.
Lu Xiaoer looked at Chinian, unable to smile, and after a long while, she finally said,
"Is Her Highness the Seventh Princess here to choose a wedding ring?"
Chinian lowered her head to type, but Lu Xiaoer didn’t wait for her to type, carrying on,
"The Seventh Princess finally got what she wanted."
Chinian was taken aback and looked up at Lu Xiaoer.
Lu Xiaoer’s face was devoid of any expression, not even sparing Chinian a perfunctory smile,
"I thought the Princess from the States had such high standards, but it turns out she’s set her sights on a man I don’t want."
"..."
Chinian’s expression turned even uglier in an instant, she hurriedly lowered her head to continue typing, while Lu Xiaoer looked at her with scorn, coldly saying,
"Since the Princess cannot speak, then please behave and be a mute."
"..."
Chinian’s hands froze as she was typing.
Lu Xiaoer slightly lifted her chin, casting a scornful glance at Chinian, then turned to the clerk,
"Sorry to trouble you, but could you please hurry? I have other matters to attend to."
"Sure, right away, Miss Lu."
If the clerk had any doubts at first, seeing the thick tension between Miss Lu and the foreign woman made it not hard to guess the relationships among these people.
This... was too much of a coincidence.
The two clerks exchanged glances, both sighing to themselves.
Lu Xiaoer sat in the chair, and the clerk handed her the forms to sign; Lu Xiaoer signed them swiftly and neatly.
"This is the refund slip, and this is the return form. Once the ring is returned, Miss Lu, it’s gone."
"Yeah."
Lu Xiaoer responded crisply.
She wanted it returned, clean and without a trace.
"Miss Lu, please have a safe journey home."
"Thank you."
After saying this to the clerk, Lu Xiaoer then left the custom jewelry store with Ah Xuan.
From beginning to end, Zhongli Wuzhi had not turned around.
Chinian was so embarrassed by Lu Xiaoer’s confrontation, and Zhongli Wuzhi had remained silent as well.
She took a deep breath; what was originally a happy occasion had been ruined by Lu Xiaoer’s presence...
"Sir, this is the order form, could you please sign it? Custom rings take about a month to be ready for collection."
"I understand," Zhongli Wuzhi responded indifferently as he signed his name and put down the pen.
A single, scalding tear dropped.
The shop clerk didn’t notice, but Chinian, who walked past Zhongli Wuzhi, happened to see it.
The tear fell so neatly; when Zhongli Wuzhi lifted his head again, there was no trace of crying on his face...
That made Chinian doubt herself—was that tear... did she see it wrong?
After paying the deposit, Zhongli Wuzhi turned to Chinian,
"Do you want to see if there’s any other jewelry you’d like?"
Zhongli Wuzhi asked.
Chinian shook her head, her spirits too dampened for indifference.
"Then let’s go."
Chinian nodded.
Zhongli Wuzhi packed up the custom ring order and got up to leave. As Chinian followed him, she tried to reach for his hand but couldn’t catch it—his pace was too quick... She felt her heart plummeting off a cliff...
"Miss..."
After leaving the jewelry store, Lu Xiaoer walked very quickly, as though fleeing from something.
Ah Xuan hurriedly jogged behind her until she finally caught up when Lu Xiaoer slowed down.
"Don’t tell my dad about their affair when we get back; it’ll only worry him with endless questions."
Lu Xiaoer told Ah Xuan, acting as if she completely disregarded the matter of Zhongli Wuzhi and Chinian choosing wedding rings together.
Of course, Ah Xuan hoped Lu Xiaoer would be unaffected, but...
"Come on, I want to pick out a couple of gifts for my father."
Lu Xiaoer said to Ah Xuan, then headed straight for the men’s clothing store.
"Choosing gifts for the master?"
Ah Xuan asked curiously.
"Yes. These days, my dad has been at my side taking care of me. It’s been especially hard on him, and I know it."
Lu Xiaoer said.
Ah Xuan smiled,
"Miss, do you know... although it’s been tough, the master has actually felt particularly at peace recently."
"How so?"
Lu Xiaoer glanced at Ah Xuan curiously.
"Because the first thing you did when you encountered a problem was turn to the master. He’s always felt guilty for not spending enough time and energy with you. The master truly loves you. In the past, the two of you didn’t communicate much, leading to misunderstandings—such a waste of time..."
"..."
Lu Xiaoer smiled faintly and then earnestly said, "It won’t be that way anymore."
"Of course, in the future, you can always be by the master’s side, and he couldn’t be happier!"
Lu Xiaoer pursed her lips, a clear thought in her eyes, but she said no more to Ah Xuan.
Instead, she seriously selected gifts for her father with Ah Xuan.
"What did you say?" Lu Yonghuai looked at Lu Xiaoer sitting across from him in surprise.
Lu Xiaoer smiled at Lu Yonghuai,
"I’ve resigned from Anlin Hospital. Now I just have to wait to complete the procedure. Once the court hearings are over, I’ll be going to the United States to further my studies."
"..."
"I have received an invitation from a medical college in the United States. I plan to work while continuing my studies."
"Xiaoer, you..."
"Dad, I’m not as fragile as you think, but... not as strong as you imagine either."
Lu Xiaoer smiled.