Lu Xinyi tilted her head on one side and placed her cheek on her palm.

“We’re even, Mr. Gong, but why give my father’s recipes to the An family?”

“I have to repay their kindness somehow,” he replied. “I only gave them the recipes I remembered from the first book.”

Lu Xinyi’s eyes narrowed on him. She refused to fall on his lies easily.

“I assure you, I didn’t reproduce or copied its contents.” Gong Yijun insisted, “Your husband is free to check my belongings back at home and investigate me. Just please, this time, would you let the An family off? They didn’t do anything to offend you. It was me who gave them your father’s recipes.”

“Begging for someone else’s safety? That’s so unlike you, Gong Yijun.” Her eyes darted toward An Liuqin who was busy wiping the counters clean.

“You like her…” She smiled amusedly, but Gong Yijun didn’t say a word to confirm or deny what she’d said.

“It’s my fault. Please tell President Shen not to drag An Liuqin and her family into this…”

“They’re already involved, Gong Yijun. The moment they used my father’s recipes, they already jumped into it.” She reminded him.

“Then, tell me, what should I do for you to let them go? Lu Xinyi, I know I did wrong to you, but An Liuqin and her family are innocent.”

“You don’t want them to get implicated, but you’ve given them the recipes?” Lu Xinyi scoffed, “How stupid of you, Gong Yijun? Didn’t you think that we wouldn’t have found out about it?”

Indeed, Gong Yijun hadn’t thought that he’d be meeting Shen Yi and Lu Xinyi again. He thought that keeping a low profile in this busy area wouldn’t get the couple’s attention. Yet, the fate was being an ass to him and brought the devil in his front door.

“Like I said, it isn’t their fault, Xinyi. I’m willing to pay the price as long as you would let them use those recipes.”

“Pay?” Lu Xinyi wanted to smack his head at that moment. Her father’s recipes were valuable for her. No amount of money could ever cease its worth. “I’m sorry to disappoint you, Mr. Gong, but we don’t sell rights to use our family recipes.” She sneered at him.

However, the man didn’t even flinch on her words as if he’d already expected that she’d decline.

Lu Xinyi gave the cafe a good look. It felt a bit empty with its bland white walls and old wooden chairs, but the ambiance was good and wasn’t suffocating.

“You found yourself a good home. Does your mother know you’re here?”

“No. We haven’t talked since she left the capital.”

Lu Xinyi chuckled. Ah, so after their business shut down, Xuan Shu left without taking her son with her? Wow, Gong Yijun got a shameless mother.

“I don’t have any request aside from this, Xinyi. I already learned my lesson the hard way. Although I’m not sure if there would be a day I could still walk again, I want to do my best to repay the kindness of their family.”

Since the opening of the cafe, he was the one who checked the cash flow of the business, making sure that their loss was at a bare minimum.

Lu Xinyi stared at him for a long time, thinking if he really had a change of heart. Was it really possible for someone like him to change in such a short span of time? ρꪖꪕᦔꪖꪕꪫꪣꫀ​ꪶ​

Well, there were so many things that could happen in three months. After seeing him again crippled and stuck in a wheelchair, this Gong Yijun was strangely different from the man she’d known from the past.

“Xinyi, I know you understand what I feel for An Liuqin. I’ll do anything for her sake just as you would do anything for President Shen. I know now that I cannot force love. I thought before that by giving you enough time, you’ll come to learn to love me. That never happened…”

Lu Xinyi kept her silence and let him talk. It was rare to see him this level-headed, unlike those previous times she’d talk to him, which were filled with screams and arguments.

“I hope you learn something from the seven years of being together. Xinyi, you are a wife now. You should know by now how to treat your man properly. Don’t immerse yourself with your studies and commitments, making you forget your responsibility as a wife.”

After being with her for years, Gong Yijun knew how persistent Lu Xinyi could be if she focused on something. She would spend sleepless nights and will do all-nighters if she had to just to reach her goal.

“You don’t have to remind me of that!” Lu Xinyi hissed. “I’m aware of what I need to do.”

“If you say so…”

Silence ensued once again.

“Are you willing to do anything in return?”

Lu Xinyi’s question had made Gong Yijun jaw dropped. Did this mean she’s willing to let the An family go?

“If there’s something else I can do, then I’ll accept your condition,” he replied.

“Didn’t the last company you worked on collaborated with Redux Entertainment? I want all the details you can gather about their financial transactions and investments they were in. If you know something about their skeletons in the closet, then that would be much better.”

There was a fierceness in her eyes that made Gong Yijun uncomfortable. It was like he was staring at a demoness planning to strike at any given time. He’d only seen this side of her twice before when they were on a trip, and someone insulted Meng Jiao in her presence.

However, the woman sitting across him was deadlier than ever.

Redux Entertainment? Did the Xi family offend Lu Xinyi or the Shen family in any way?

“We worked with Redux Entertainment before. I still have connections with my co-workers. You only need to tell me what kind of info you needed about them. I can’t go back to work at this rate.” He pointed down on his crippled legs. Even if he found a job, he’d most likely be a consultant.

“I can ask my husband to remove your blacklist status on the capital, but that wouldn’t guarantee that you’ll land a job easily in the future.”

“I’m not asking to be not blacklisted anymore, Xinyi. My only concern is that you wouldn’t sue An Liuqin over your father’s recipes or bring trouble to her family.”

“Gong Yijun, when did I bring trouble to others? It was them who constantly throw themselves in my way and repeatedly tested my patience,” she countered. “As for An Liuqin and her family, I’ll assure you that I wouldn’t make a move against them if you could gather the documents I needed. Your way of taking it is none of my concern.”

Lu Xinyi stood up and adjusted her black jacket. Shen Yi had paid their orders before going outside so she didn’t need to pay this time.

“I’ll send someone here to check on the progress next week. You better keep your word this time, Yijun. My patience is running thin. You better not break your word this time.” She warned him before leaving the cafe to meet with her husband outside.

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