Bringing the Nation's Husband Home

On the afternoon of the fourth day of Qiao Anhao’s break, she could feel a slight discomfort in her stomach, a pain similar to period cramps.

Ever since young, she had always experienced period cramps. It was also not regular and would skip a few months, but the doctors had assured her that everything was fine. She had taken Chinese medicine to correct the problem and for half a year, everything had become normal. But soon after, it returned back to the irregular pattern. Too much medication was bad after all, so she went to visit another doctor who assured her once again that everything was fine.

Qiao Anhao had mild discomfort in her stomach, but later that afternoon, it was fine.

After having dinner, Madam Chen asked, ”Mrs. Lu, is Mr. Lu working overseas? Why hasn’t he been back?”

The question left Qiao Anhao startled, and after a while, she murmured an inaudible ”Yea”, then continued to eat her meal.

After dinner, Madam Chen specifically heated up a bottle of swallow’s nest that Han Ruchu had given her. Qiao Anhao finished eating it and curled up on the sofa to watch television. Just then, she could feel discomfort in her stomach, she took a blanket to cover herself, afraid that she would get a cold. Gradually, she fell asleep.

-

These few days, Lu Jinnian had been back to Mian Xiu Garden, but he didn’t leave his car.

He had a dinner meeting earlier today, but when it ended, it was still early. The host had invited everyone to another location for some games, but Lu Jinnian refused, feeling uneasy the entire time.

After his assistant drove the car up from the underground car park, he came out to open the door, but Lu Jinnian didn’t enter. He stood for a while longer, then said, ”Pass me the keys, you can leave first.”

He waited for his assistant to leave with the cab before entering the car, his heart beating rapidly. He tried to calm himself, but he couldn’t stop a rush of anxiety from drowning him. He wind down the window, waiting for his breathing to calm, but the heaviness in his heart was still lingering. He started the car and slammed into the accelerator.

After about ten minutes, he still felt the same heaviness in his heart, hence, he took out his phone and called Mian Xiu Garden.

Madam Chen saw his number and picked up instantly, greeting him. ”Mr. Lu.”

Lu Jinnian replied with a faint ”Yea” before asking impatiently, ”How’s Qiao Qiao?” 　

Madam Chen felt that the phone call was abrupt, so she paused for a bit, replying in confusion, ”Mrs. Lu is fine, she’s watching television upstairs.”

Lu Jinnian’s anxious heart finally calmed down. He took a deep sigh before replying with a faint ”Oh.”. He hung up after it.

Lu Jinnian had wanted to work overtime, but when he reached the crossroad, he seemed to feel uneasy, even though Madam Chen had assured him that Qiao Anhao was fine. Hence, he turned back to Mian Xiu Garden.

When he reached the front yard, it was just 10.30 pm. Madam Chen was not asleep yet. When she heard his car enter, she came out to greet him.

After alighting from the car, he didn’t bother with greetings, brushing past her while he pressed the lock button on the car keys. Without even removing his shoes, he ran up the stairs into the bedroom, slamming the door open.