Chapter 3 Give Me a Child

The meeting with the European Division lasted five hours. By the time the meeting ended, the sky had darkened. Mu Zhi had been waiting in the office the entire time for Lu Jinye to finish. Lu Jinye finally entered the office and the moment the door closed, Mu Zhi had her lips on his. She had sipped some water and held it in her mouth. She slowly pushed the water into his mouth. After Lu Jinye had drunk the water, he deepened the kiss. Mu Zhi was a willing participant. She felt like her bones had melted. The deeper she fell into Lu Jinye’s embrace, the softer and pliant she felt. Lu Jinye kissed Mu Zhi and subconsciously pushed her onto the couch he had in his office. His hand slipped into her blouse and unfastened her bra. Just as he was about to do the same to the rest of her undergarments, Mu Zhi stopped him. “Honey, we can’t… We don’t have any condoms and I’m not on the pill.” “Keep it.” Lu Jinye raised his eyebrow and stared deeply into Mu Zhi’s eyes. But Mu Zhi had already managed to wriggle her way out from under him. With one hand she fastened her bra and said, “Let’s go home. We have everything we need at home.” Mu Zhi made her way to the water dispenser and poured herself a cup of water while Lu Jinye stared at her back. “Mu Zhi, do you want to have my child?” Mu Zhi barely managed to swallow without choking and spitting out the water she had in her mouth before answering him, “Honey, if I give birth to your child, who’s going to look after it? It’s March now. Let’s say I get pregnant immediately. The soonest I’ll be able to give birth will be in December. I have no intention to be a single mother.” According to their agreement, they will divorce in five months. “That’s enough. Let’s go home.” Mu Zhi smiled slightly and leaned down to kiss Lu Jinye. She turned and headed for the door. Lu Jinye stared after her and contemplated. Other women would jump at the chance to have his children. If they gave birth to his child, they would be set for their lives. However, this woman. Not only did she not want to have his children, she did not seem disappointed with their inevitable separation. Ever since he suggested that they would not be extending the terms of their contract, Mu Zhi did not seem to act any differently towards him. She was still his perfect secretary, managing both his professional and personal life. Lu Jinye questioned his own attractiveness. Was she really with him just for money? “Honey, let’s go.” Mu Zhi returned to urge Lu Jinye as he was taking a while to come out. Just as she was about to reach his office, her phone rang. It was an unfamiliar number. It was a woman with a voice as clear as a bird. Mu Zhi imagined the owner of the voice to be a sophisticated, elegant woman. The woman said, “Hello? Are you Jinye’s secretary? I couldn’t get in touch with him all afternoon. Could you get him to call me back, please?” “Sure, let me note that down for you. May I have your name please?” Mu Zhi’s professionalism took over. “My name is Xiao Qingqing,” the woman gently replied. When Mu Zhi heard her name, her handing holding the phone tightened. She kept repeating the name in her head, Xiao… Xiao Qingqing… So much so that she had actually forgotten to respond. When the woman did not hear any response from Mu Zhi, she nudged her. “Hello…” Mu Zhi came back to her senses. “Yes. Okay, I’ve written that down. I will be sure to pass the message to Mr. Lu. Goodbye.” Mu Zhi hung up immediately, her emotions written on her face. She had known since the beginning of her relationship with Lu Jinye. She had gone into knowing that they would eventually divorce. She thought that she could stay unmoved and detached. But… When she heard Xiao Qingqing’s name, she could not remain calm. “What’s wrong? Let’s go home.” At that moment, Lu Jinye came out of his office and planted a kiss onto Mu Zhi’s lips. He put an arm around her and walker her out. Mu Zhi raised her face towards him, “Ye, did your phone die? A lady was looking for you and couldn’t reach you. She wants you to call her back.” “What lady? That’s not important. Right now, the only lady I have on my mind is you, Miss Mu.” Lu Jinye hugged Mu Zhi as they entered the elevator and descended to the underground garage. When they got onto the car and were about to leave, Mu Zhi gritted her teeth and forced a smile. She asked, “It was a lady called Xiao Qingqing. Honey, are you sure you don’t want to call her back?”