"President Lu... I have worked for you for seven years as your secretary. I can't believe you are allowing your wife to insult and bully me like this," Jin Mu choked out, tears finally spilling down her cheeks.
"You were kept on as one of my secretaries for seven years because I thought you were sensible," Lu Zhenyu replied, his voice devoid of any warmth. "It appears I was gravely mistaken."
"You keep crying about how I am targeting a mere secretary," Gu Anran cut in, her tone dripping with sarcasm. "Tell me, does a mere secretary answer her boss's personal phone? Does she tell the boss's wife that her husband is currently taking a bath in a hotel room, and offer to pass along a message?"
The temperature in the room plummeted. Lu Zhenyu slowly turned his gaze toward Jin Mu, his eyes swirling with pure, unadulterated killing intent.
In the background, Fu Qingshen leaned over to the others. "No wonder Sister-in-law was so furious," he whispered.
"This little secretary sure knows how to court death," Xie Niangli whispered back, his eyes gleaming with excitement.
"M-Mrs. Lu... I don't understand what you're saying," Jin Mu stuttered, her face draining of color. She hadn't expected Gu Anran to blatantly expose the exact conversation right in front of Lu Zhenyu.
"Miss Jin, you know very well in your heart whether I am lying or not," Gu Anran sneered. Without warning, she leaned forward and roughly grabbed Jin Mu's chin, forcing the woman to look her in the eye. "Now, listen to me very carefully."
Her voice turned dangerously domineering. "Lu Zhenyu is off the market. He belongs to me now. No one can snatch him away—especially not a mere secretary like you. You had better stay far, far away from my husband. He is mine. All of him. And in this lifetime, there is no one who can take what belongs to me."
Releasing her grip with a disdainful flick, Gu Anran calmly pulled a wet wipe from her purse and cleaned her fingers, acting as if she had just touched something utterly filthy.
Sitting beside her, Lu Zhenyu's dark eyes lit up. Watching his wife assert her absolute dominance, his heart raced. He only had one thought: This is my woman.
Jin Mu slumped on the floor, so humiliated she wished the ground would open up and swallow her whole. Pushed past the brink of rationality, her face twisted into a fierce, ugly sneer.
"Do you really think your position as Mrs. Lu will last forever?!" Jin Mu shrieked, losing her mind completely. "The only reason you are sitting there is because President Lu has a special condition you know nothing about! He can't touch or get close to any other woman but you! Just wait and see, he will divorce you as soon as you're useless. You are nothing but a tool to bear his child!"
The killing intent radiating from Lu Zhenyu instantly became suffocating. This was his ultimate taboo.
Gu Anran's heart violently skipped a beat. A tool? She was completely stunned, but she forced her expression to remain perfectly stoic. She refused to let this pathetic woman achieve her goal.
"If my husband truly has a special condition like the one you mentioned, then thank God," Gu Anran replied flawlessly. "It means disgusting women like you will never be able to get close to him."
She smoothly reached over, deliberately intertwining her fingers with Lu Zhenyu's.
"And regarding him divorcing me? I'm afraid I have to disappoint you. Nothing like that will ever happen."
Despite her confident words and the warmth of his hand in hers, deep down, a heavy seed of doubt had been planted. Her heart wasn't nearly as firm as her facade.
"Lin Feng," Lu Zhenyu ordered, his voice echoing like a death sentence. "Drag her out. I never want to see her in my company again. In fact, ensure she cannot find employment in any company in this entire country."
Jin Mu's face went ghastly pale. Before she could even open her mouth to beg for mercy, Lin Feng had already clamped a hand on her arm and forcefully dragged her out of the private room.
"Finally, the farce has ended," Fu Qingshen said, clicking his tongue in amusement.
Nearby, Ming Lan looked at Gu Anran with deep admiration. Her composure, her quick wit, and her ability to adapt to such a vicious attack were truly exceptional.
"Man, if Sister-in-law hadn't shown up, we would have just been watching that sly secretary's boring one-woman show!" Xie Niangli exclaimed excitedly, completely forgetting that Lu Zhenyu and Gu Anran were sitting right there. "As expected, Sister-in-law spices everything up!"
"Young Master Xie seems to have had a lot of fun watching a free show," Gu Anran said smoothly, her eyes darting over to him.
Cough! Cough!
Xie Niangli instantly choked on his drink, coughing violently as his face flushed. "Sister-in-law! It's nothing like that, I swear! Second Brother was sitting here sulking because he couldn't figure out why you were angry with him. Since I heard you were downstairs, I just told my manager to bring you up so you guys could sort it out!"
"And you honestly think a loud bar is the ideal place for a couple to sort out their marital problems?" Gu Anran asked, her tone dripping with sarcasm.
Xie Niangli awkwardly scratched his head, completely silenced by her sharp tongue. He had absolutely no idea how to reply.
"Well, you're lucky my husband was present," Gu Anran continued, tilting her head. "Because as a helpless, vulnerable pregnant woman, I would have been forced to use these on you. And that's on top of the fact that I actually know martial arts."
With a smooth motion, she reached into her bag and lined up her hidden defenses on the table: a heavy-duty canister of pepper spray and a high-voltage taser.
Xie Niangli visibly shrank back into his seat when he saw the tactical equipment.
Lu Zhenyu, however, didn't look angry at all. Instead, he gazed at her with pure, unadulterated adoration. "Don't worry, wife. I'll have Lin Feng procure the latest, most advanced models for you tomorrow."
"Hello, Sister-in-law. I am Ming Lan, Ah Zhen's childhood friend," Ming Lan introduced himself formally. He extended a hand, offering her a polite, cultured smile.
"I'm Gu Anran. Nice to meet you," she replied, shaking his hand with a warm smile.
Looking at Ming Lan, she instantly developed a good impression of him. His calm, outstanding aura was almost on par with her husband's.
"Sister-in-law, I'm Fu Qingshen. We finally get to meet!" the third man said cheerfully, stretching his hand out across the table as well.
"Hi, I'm Gu Anran," she replied, shaking his hand.
But as the name Fu Qingshen left her lips, a sudden jolt went through her mind. The name felt hauntingly familiar.
Memory after memory from her previous life began to flash before her eyes. Fu Qingshen...
Her eyes widened slightly as the tragic truth clicked. In her past life, this vibrant young man sitting right in front of her had been involved in a horrific accident—one that left him completely paralyzed.