Chapter 417

Lu Jinnian leaned back into his car seat with his eyes shut . His phone screen lit up with the post Qiao Anhao has just uploaded on Weibo .

He didn’t ask his assistant to drive in, but to stop at the entrance of Mian Xiu Garden’s neighborhood . He got out of the car, alone, and walked in .

The gates of the mansion were locked . He searched his pocket for ages before he pulled out a set of keys . They were the keys Qiao Anhao had left him in the car on the day she left . He still clearly remembered when he gave her the keys, when they weren’t that close . He had tried hard to appear distant, afraid that he would reveal the excitement he felt inside .

He unlocked it and pushed open the steel doors, stepping in . Without Madam Chen, the courtyard hadn’t been swept for half a month already . The day Qiao Anhao left, the entire courtyard was filled with blooming flowers, but now, they were all withered on the floor .

Lu Jinnian stood on the fallen flowers at the entrance of the mansion . He entered the passcode, pushed the door open, and walked in .

The mansion was empty inside, just like his heart . He walked up the stairs, towards the bedroom . It was the same as the day Qiao Anhao left . The windows were shut . A few days ago, there was a storm, which left strokes of mud marks from the rain .

The silent room stifled Lu Jinnian’s heart . He looked at the bag on the floor of the changing room, and thought of what Qiao Anhao had said to him before she left: Inside, there were clothes that she didn’t want .

Lu Jinnian paused for a moment, then walked over . He opened the bag and pulled out each item of clothing . He took the coat hangers from his clothes and hung her’s up .

In the bag, there were also Qiao Anhao’s cleaning products . He put them under the shower and washed them . Then, he placed them back in their original places .

Once he had tidied up everything, Lu Jinnian’s heart felt the slightest bit better . By putting the things she didn’t want back in their places, it felt like she was still living with him in the mansion .

–

After Xu Jiamu was discharged, he was stuck in the Xu family estate for the entire half a month without going outside . He wasn’t even allowed to take a walk in the courtyard, as the housekeeper or Han Ruchu would make a huge fuss and order the servants to follow behind him, afraid he would get into an accident .

Though he was clearly living an enviable life of luxury, Xu Jiamu felt like it was a prison . He felt incredibly oppressed . One day, he finally snapped and sneaked out of the house when Han Ruchu was at the company and the housekeeper was cooking .

Before sneaking out the front door, Xu Jiamu had called for a taxi in advance . Once he got in the car, he tried to call his close friends to come out with him .

As Xu Jiamu couldn’t drink, he thought about it again . In the end, he decided to hold the party at Mian Xiu Garden, where he promised everyone to cook a lavish dinner .

Before he went to Mian Xiu Garden, Xu Jiamu personally took a trip to the supermarket and bought a bunch of ingredients . He casually left the address and sent the food off for delivery .

The Xu family would send someone over to Mian Xiu Garden to clean the mansion . Within two minutes of Xu Jiamu’s arrival, Qiao Anxia and Chen Yang had already come over . Xu Jiamu called them over to sit anywhere . Before he could even pour them two cups of water, the doorbell rang . It was the supermarket food delivery .

Xu Jiamu pointed at the water dispenser as a signal for Qiao Anxia to help herself . He then pulled the door open, standing there to check his order with the delivery men . That was when he saw Lu Jinnian standing on the balcony of the mansion next door .