But his guilt couldn’t turn into love, and he could see what Tan Shuya really thought of him, and how much she wanted to become the Young Mistress of the Lu Family. He couldn’t give her everything she wanted.

Because the place beside him, including the position of Young Mistress of the Lu Family, belonged to Song Qiao.

Earlier, he suspected that it might have been Tan Shuya who hired someone to kidnap Qiaoqiao and his mother, but because there was no evidence, he hadn’t found any information related to her until now, and Lu Jingchen couldn’t be certain.

Regarding Murong Rui’s visit to Tan Shuya, although he had discovered it, when he asked Murong Rui, she said she had met Tan Shuya a few times before. Tan Shuya had invited her for a chat, saying she was bored alone in the villa, and since Lu Jingchen never visited, Murong Rui had gone to chat with Tan Shuya.

Lu Jingchen naturally couldn’t find fault with Murong Rui’s explanation.

Tan Shuya’s eyes darkened upon hearing Lu Jingchen’s words, but when she thought of Song Qiao still in someone else’s hands, she knew that as long as she could gather the five million for them, Song Qiao would completely disappear from this world.

Thinking of this, Tan Shuya encouraged herself, walked straight to Lu Jingchen’s side, put the insulated lunch box on the table, and said with a smile, "I am really bored alone in the villa, and slept for several hours during the day. Now I can’t sleep at all, and since I haven’t cooked in a long time, I made some food and brought it over for you to try..."

Lu Jingchen’s eyes deepened, but he remained silent.

Tan Shuya continued speaking, "I know my cooking isn’t great, and you’ll probably dislike it, but I’ve really put in a lot of effort..."

"Leave it here, I’ll eat it later," Lu Jingchen said calmly, opening his laptop in front of him and interrupting her before she could finish speaking.

Obviously issuing her a gentle eviction order, Tan Shuya knew very well what he meant. Her face turned alternately pale and flushed; thick-skinned as she might be, she felt embarrassed staying after hearing such words from him.

Finally, she nodded a bit stiffly and spoke in a meek manner, "Then I’ll head back. The bottom of the insulated box contains fish soup I made for you. Have a sip later, and if there’s anything I need to improve, let me know."

After all, there was plenty of time ahead, and as Song Qiao’s safety was still in her hands, she figured that once Song Qiao was dead, she would take her time slowly to win Lu Jingchen’s heart.

Lu Jingchen responded with a faint "Mhm," acknowledging her.

Tan Shuya glanced at Lu Jingchen, who had already gotten back into work mode, said nothing further, and walked out in her high heels. Soon, Lu Jingchen was alone in the office.

Once Tan Shuya left, Lu Jingchen withdrew his gaze from the computer and fixed his eyes on the insulated box nearby. His eyes deepened further, but his lips pressed into a thin line.

He hoped this matter wouldn’t have anything to do with Tan Shuya; otherwise, even if it involved Tan Shuya and the Tan Family, he wouldn’t protect them anymore. But given Tan Shuya’s past benefaction, he would be a bit lenient. If his uncle decided to act, though, he wouldn’t try to stop him.

...

After leaving Lu Jingchen’s office, Tan Shuya quickly walked toward the elevator. Just as she entered the staff elevator, the adjacent elevator doors opened, and Assistant Xue stepped out. After taking a couple of steps, he heard the elevator doors next to him shutting, prompting him to instinctively look over. Just then, he caught a glimpse of Tan Shuya through the closing gap, causing him to rub his eyes in disbelief.

Could he be imagining things?

Standing in place for a few minutes, Assistant Xue then headed to the CEO’s office, knocked on the door, and heard Lu Jingchen’s voice inside before entering.

His eyes landed on the insulated box on the desk, confirming that Tan Shuya had indeed been there.

But he didn’t ask, hesitant since it was the CEO’s private matter.

Though... he was curious about why Miss Tan had come.

Lu Jingchen looked up at Assistant Xue, raised his eyebrows slightly, and asked, "Did you tell Tan Shuya I was at the company?"

Assistant Xue was slightly taken aback by the question and was on the verge of denying it when he suddenly recalled a previous phone call. Tan Shuya’s villa maid had asked him when their boss would visit, and he had casually mentioned that the boss was working overtime today.

He hadn’t anticipated Tan Shuya coming over directly.

Indeed, this was his mistake.

Thinking about it, he lightly bowed his head and admitted his mistake honestly, "I’m sorry, CEO, it was my fault."

"And what is your fault?" Lu Jingchen replied with his own question.

Although Assistant Xue couldn’t fathom his boss’s thoughts, he acknowledged, "I shouldn’t have told the maid at Shallow Bay that you were working overtime today."

Lu Jingchen furrowed his brows, "So you only told the maid at Shallow Bay I was working overtime?"

Assistant Xue explained, "I told the maid you were working overtime, but didn’t specify you were at the company."

Lu Jingchen fell silent, still frowning, his deep eyes lost in thought.

Since Lu Jingchen said nothing, Assistant Xue dared not utter another word, silently standing there.

After a while, Lu Jingchen spoke, "I’ll deduct half of your bonus this month. Any objections?"

Assistant Xue, "..."

He couldn’t help but internally sigh, yet outwardly, he dared not dissent, shaking his head directly, "No objections, as long as you’re happy, CEO."

Lu Jingchen let out a small "Hmm" before shifting topics, "Have you found out anything?"

He meant the case of Song Qiao’s kidnappers.

His mind was completely consumed with worry for Song Qiao and his mother’s safety, desperate for any news at the earliest moment.

Not only had he borrowed people from Xi Mohan, but Xu Yan had also handed him some of his men, making him well-staffed for now. The concern was if the other party was too well-hidden or capable, making investigation challenging—this posed a significant problem.

After all, certain areas were out of his reach, and he had some matters to consider carefully.