Chapter 144: Simply Just to Have a Meal with Bai Lu!

Mei Mei’s worry vanished the moment she saw Gu Pianran.

Lu Yiting, the esteemed actor, was fiercely protective of his privacy. Even after more than a decade as his manager, she knew very little about his personal life.

But Gu Pianran—she knew him intimately.

He was his brother, more like family than anything else.

With a professional smile, Mei Mei quickened her pace and extended her hand. “President Gu, long time no see.”

Gu Pianran’s smile was elegant and warm. “Indeed, it’s been a while. Yiting had some matters to attend to, so I thought I’d come down first to greet you. I really appreciate your hard work this time—running around non-stop without rest and already rushing back.”

“It’s just me worrying unnecessarily and coming back on my own. I hope I’m not disturbing you and Lu Yiting,” Mei Mei said, glancing instinctively at the stairs, her expression suddenly darkening.

Gu Pianran’s keen observation caught the subtle shift in her gaze. When he looked back, he saw Lu Yiting descending the stairs.

Raising an eyebrow, Lu Yiting asked, “What are you two staring at? Is there something on my face?”

Mei Mei quickly regained her composure and pulled a mask and sunglasses from her backpack, handing them to him. “You look tired. Don’t let the reporters catch you like this.”

Lu Yiting was indeed exhausted.

He had risen at five in the morning to film a charity documentary, shooting nonstop. After finally resting for half an hour, he’d just learned that Huo Peicun had bullied his daughter.

He immediately booked a flight back to the capital. The journey from the mountains to the airport took several hours by bus, and he’d been on the move relentlessly—his body aching.

Once on the bus, Lu Yiting put on his sunglasses, ready to catch some sleep.

Mei Mei opened her mouth several times to speak but, seeing his weary face, couldn’t bear to disturb him and swallowed all her questions.

Earlier, she had glanced up and caught a reflection in the glass—him embracing a young woman.

The girl’s face was buried against his chest, and he gently caressed the back of her head.

The intimacy between them was unmistakable; their relationship was anything but ordinary.

Though she hadn’t seen the girl’s face clearly, no woman had appeared in his life for over ten years.

Recently, only one woman had grown close enough to gain his favor.

And she perfectly matched the size and height.

Mei Mei held her silence until the plane landed and she was on the bus back to the mountains, but the image of him holding that young woman filled her mind, driving her nearly mad.

“Yiting, you rushed back to the capital in such a hurry—is it really to discuss something with President Gu?” she finally asked.

Lu Yiting frowned. He never liked Mei Mei being so familiar in addressing him.

She used to call him ‘Lu Actor,’ then ‘Boss Lu.’ At some point, she began using his first name.

Only family and close friends called him that. But after consideration, he thought, she’s been my manager for years; a name is just a name—no need to fuss. Let her call me whatever she wants.

Still, his displeasure was clear even behind his sunglasses. “The first rule of working by my side is not to pry into my personal affairs. You’ve done well all these years; don’t cross the line.”

Mei Mei felt suffocated.

After all these years, she was still just a staff member to him?

Still only a staff member?

Lowering her eyelids, she suppressed the emotions in her eyes. “Yiting, I’m not prying. I just thought if you really have something urgent, I could reschedule and let you finish before coming back to shoot. Running back and forth like this will wear you down and might delay the work.”

His tone softened slightly. “It’s all settled.”

Mei Mei forced a smile. “Then rest a bit more. I’ll call you when we arrive.”

The mountain roads were rough, and the bus jolted violently. Unable to sleep, Lu Yiting took out his phone and put on headphones to watch his daughter’s variety show.

His schedule had been packed these past days, leaving no time to watch his little girl on TV.

Mei Mei’s expression shifted again when she saw the screen.

Sure enough, it was the nation’s darling, Bai Lu.

Yet, a flicker of disbelief lingered in her heart. How could a man who had seen every kind of woman fall for a barely adult girl?

Reality was cruel, and the slap of truth woke her sharply.

On the video, Bai Lu was filming a variety show in Seoul. The girl in the reflection earlier—her clothes, pants, and pale pink snow boots with pom-poms—were exactly the same.

Mei Mei could no longer deceive herself.

He had dropped everything, leaving behind his work and team, rushing back to the capital just to have lunch with Bai Lu?

Just to have lunch with Bai Lu!

And Gu Pianran—he had already brought Bai Lu to meet his best brother. Their relationship was confirmed.

He was genuinely smitten with Bai Lu, truly invested!

Mei Mei looked at his perfect profile, then at the profound tenderness and adoration on his face, tears involuntarily welled up.

Years of companionship couldn’t compete with a girl who had appeared only a few months ago.

Indeed, Bai Lu was young and beautiful, charming and cute, able to act and flirt with ease. She was a strong contender for Best Actress this year, with an endless bright future.

While Mei Mei was already forty—old in the industry. If she had married early, she could have been Bai Lu’s mother.

Anyone would choose Bai Lu over her.

Thinking of this, Mei Mei’s tears fell uncontrollably. She covered her mouth and stood, intending to move to the front seat.

On the bumpy mountain road, she lost her balance, first lunging forward then jerking backward, falling right at Lu Yiting’s feet.

“Ouch!”

Her sharp cry startled the driver, who slammed on the brakes. “Sister Mei, are you alright?”

The bus was specially rented for Lu Yiting by the organizers. The driver, Ma Liang, was his longtime assistant.

Seeing Mei Mei fall, he panicked and quickly unbuckled his seatbelt to help her up.

Lu Yiting, focused on his daughter’s show through his headphones, hadn’t noticed or heard the commotion. Only when the sudden brake made him stagger did he look up from his phone.

Ma Liang had already helped Mei Mei back into her seat. “Sister Mei, be careful. Are you hurt badly? Your tears… Should we take you to the hospital?”

Mei Mei wiped her tears. “I’m fine. Just lost my balance and fell. No need for the hospital.”

“Really?” Ma Liang asked.

“Yes, just a little bump on the rear, nothing serious.”

Hearing her reassurance and seeing Ma Liang fasten her seatbelt, Lu Yiting returned to his show, casually reminding, “The mountain roads are sharp. Drive slowly. No need to rush and save a few minutes.”

Mei Mei bit her lip as tears welled again.

Not a single word of concern from him—not even out of courtesy!

Did he love Bai Lu that much?

So much that he wouldn’t waste a second, wanting to watch her show!

The bitterness was unbearable.

Why Bai Lu?

Why her?