Chapter 50 - Family shame must not be spread in public

“I’m still not done, don’t be anxious.” Qiao Dehao pressed one hand on her shoulder and felt a soft and tender touch with a fragrance from her hair burrowing into his nose while he was going to put the necklace on Lu Shimiao.

Lu Shimiao felt the tickling on her neck and disgust rose in her heart. She was dumbfounded for the moment since she never expected Qiao Dehao to be so bold. It was mostly her fault for putting up with his harassment in the past, which caused Qiao Dehao to be more daring.

Qiao Dehao traced his finger along her neck and moved towards her collarbone. Immediately, Lu Shimiao couldn’t stand it longer and walked several steps forth with panic on her face. “Father, I cannot accept this gift; it’s too expensive. I have some matters that I have to deal with, so I will take my leave now.”

Seeing that Lu Shimiao left, Qiao Dehao looked at the necklace in his hand and smacked his lips before he murmured, “She must have misunderstood me.”

Sitting in his office, Qiao Dehao knitted his brows and pondered for a long time before calling his son, Qiao Bo, “How are you and Miaomiao getting along lately? Are you still messing around again?”

Qiao Bo was currently in a café with a bewitching woman while smiling. “I have always been attentive. It’s just that work has been busy lately, so I have to go for social interaction often at night.”

Qiao Dehao knocked on his desk with his finger. “Miaomiao is a good lady. Take note of your conduct if you want to play outside, just don’t let her know about this.”

Qiao Bo smiled in embarrassment. “Dad, I know what to do. You don’t have to worry about her and me.”

“Right, I bought a gift when I went to Yanjing for a meeting the other time. Stop by later to collect it and give it to Miaomiao to ease the tension between you two.” Qiao Dehao snorted.

Qiao Bo was stunned before smiling. “Dad, you must have cudgelled your brains.”

Frowning his brows, Qiao Dehao replied, “Miaomiao is the Daughter-in-Law that I have introduced to you, so I have to take responsibility for the happiness of you two. You definitely can’t mess it up!”

When Qiao Bo hung up the phone, a sneer rose on the corner of his lips and the bewitching woman seated opposite to him looked at Qiao Bo in astonishment. “Who was it?”

“My dad!” Qiao Bo lowered his voice.

“Why do I feel that your relationship with your dad isn’t so good?” The woman was puzzled.

Qiao Bo faintly replied, “If you have such a dad, you will also be like me.”

“What happened?” The woman softly asked.

Qiao Bo retrieved a cigarette box and lit one up. “Family shame must not be spread in public.”

Disrupted by Qiao Dehao’s call, Qiao Bo no longer had the mood to chat with the woman. Exiting the café, he drove a Cadillac to the Jianghuai Hospital to pick up the gift from Qiao Dehao.

Qiao Bo did not speak much with Qiao Dehao and walked to the Paediatrics Department. Since Lu Shimiao wasn’t around for the time being, he waited on a chair.

Roughly half an hour later, Lu Shimiao returned. Seeing the smoke in the room and Qiao Bo shaking his legs as he played games on her laptop, she unhappily asked, “Why have you come?”

Qiao Bo extinguished the cigarette and smiled. “I came to check to see if my wife is flirting with other guys at work.”

Instantly, Lu Shimiao furrowed her brows. “What mental thing are you saying now?”

Qiao Bo coldly sneered. “From the surface, a hospital looks to be a holy place that helps the dying and heals the injured. But in fact, it is a dirty place with outrageous scandals every few years. Some time ago, a Psychiatrist even had an extramarital affair with the nurse, resulting in the nurse killing herself.”

“Qiao Bo, you have been messing around outside all the time. I have not bothered you about it, and yet here you are, accusing me.” Lu Shimiao replied in a stern voice.

Seeing Lu Shimiao’s fury and her face turning red, Qiao Bo rubbed his nose before he casually threw the gift on the table and sneered. “This is the gift that our dad bought for you, just take it. That old man has been pretty good to you, my mom stayed with him for her entire life, and I have never seen him so attentive to someone! What a considerate Father-in-Law.”

Finishing his words, Qiao Bo stood up and left the office.

Lu Shimiao was stunned on the spot with a complicated feeling rising in her heart. The meaning behind Qiao Bo’s words was evident. He was suspecting that she was having an affair with Qiao Dehao.

While her gaze fell on the present, her phone suddenly vibrated. Qiao Dehao had sent a message. “Miaomiao, I have gotten Qiao Bo to send you the gift. Please do not misunderstand me. I only wish for the two of you to live happily. You can come and look for me if anything is troubling you. Rest assured, Father will always be your strong support.”

Lu Shimiao’s body trembled as she furiously tossed the gift. Instantly, it flew and slid towards the corner of her office.

At 5.30 p.m., the giggling of her colleagues resounded in the corridor. Lu Shimiao locked her office and walked out with heavy feelings. When she passed a corner, she accidentally bumped into someone, and subconsciously, she frowned and heard the other party’s bitter laughter. “Department Head Lu, why are you always so distracted when you’re walking? This is the second time that you have bumped into me!”

Raising her head to see Su Tao, Lu Shimiao forced out a smile. “So it’s Department Head Su, I’m really sorry. I wasn’t paying attention!”

Su Tao sighed. At least compared to the first time, Lu Shimiao’s attitude was much better, so he smiled. “What’s troubling you? Do you need my help?”

“Nothing much, thanks for your goodwill.” Lu Shimiao shook her head.

Finishing her words, she walked towards the car park and headed towards a white BMW. Looking at the feeble silhouette, Su Tao sighed. She was just like she was in the past, cold. Shaking his head, he also left the hospital and came to the bus stop.

Very quickly, Lu Shimiao drove her BMW out of the hospital. When she passed by the bus stop, she suddenly slammed the breaks and wound down her window. “Come, I’ll give you a lift.”

Su Tao was stunned, and just when he was about to tactfully refuse, he saw the bus arriving. If he didn’t get on quick, then he would have to take public transport. So he had immediately entered the front passenger seat.

The car was blasting rock ‘n roll, which left Su Tao surprised. He never thought that the cold Lu Shimiao would have a habit of hearing such a genre.

“Are you free tonight?” Lu Shimiao asked as the BMW drove past a traffic junction.

Su Tao was caught by surprise before he smiled. “I’m free, are you trying to ask me out?”

Lu Shimiao faintly smiled. “Yeah, accompany me and relax, how about it?”

Shrugging his shoulders, Su Tao sighed, “I don’t think we’re that familiar with each other, right?”

Lowering the music volume, Lu Shimiao smiled. “If you’re unwilling, then I’ll throw you out in the next intersection.”

Su Tao scratched his head before he awkwardly smiled. “Forget it. Since I have already boarded the pirate ship, I’ll keep you company, then.”

Traffic was a little jammed due to the peak hour, but Lu Shimiao’s driving skills were steady. Roughly twenty minutes later, they arrived at the Meritin Plaza in the western region of the city. She chose a western cuisine buffet that cost ¥128 a person. In Hanzhou, it already belonged to middle-high class spending. But just when Su Tao was about to pay, Lu Shimiao snatched the opportunity from him and paid the bill.

“I have said that I will treat you.” Lu Shimiao said after seeing Su Tao’s awkward expression and paid the bills. “If you’re feeling guilty about it, you can treat me next time.”

Su Tao shrugged as he smiled. “I’ll help myself, then.”

There was a lot of choices in the buffet, with seafood as the main cuisine. The salmon, geoduck and sea cucumber were the most popular amongst the customers. As for the steak, baked fish, scallops, oysters and barbeque stalls, there wasn’t much of a queue to them.

In fact, Lu Shimiao wasn’t suited to eating at a buffet, since her choice was mostly fruits and salads.

Since they’re here, then he definitely had to make it worth it. Thus, Su Tao targeted those expensive dishes, and when Lu Shimiao saw him filling seven to eight plates full, she laughed out, “The waiters have all turned green from looking at you.”

“We’re here to eat, not to look at the faces of others.” Su Tao replied as he ate.

Seeing how well Su Tao ate, Lu Shimiao said, “You still have to accompany me to karaoke after eating.”

“Rest assured, for the favour of this meal, I will accompany you, even if a mountain of blades or an ocean of magma was before me.” Su Tao said as he waved the fork and knife, and gorged himself in the food.

Lu Shimiao smiled. “I never expected you to be so loyal.”

While chewing on his food, Su Tao replied, “I might have many flaws, but don’t categorise me with a lecher.”

“Aren’t you? Always looking at others lecherously.” Lu Shimiao laughed.

Su Tao shrugged and explained, “This is an occupational sickness of mine to look at the facial colour of others.”

Lu Shimiao continued to tease, “Anyway, you’re still vulgar to open your eyes wide and wander them around.”

With an awkward smile, Su Tao continued to heartedly eat.

Seeing Su Tao’s appetite, Lu Shimiao’s mood also raised. She went to pick up some meat and seafood. Finally, after eating for half an hour, Lu Shimiao smiled. “I’m full now.”

Seeing the chicken wing on Lu Shimiao's plate, Su Tao took it with his fork and placed it on his plate. “Don’t waste food, I’ll get rid of this chicken wing for you.”

Lu Shimiao’s heart slightly rippled, seeing that Su Tao wasn’t bothered by the food that was on her plate. After interacting with Su Tao for some time, she realised that he wasn’t as loathsome as before.

They went up to the fourth floor and Lu Shimiao booked a small room, before waiters brought in fruits and beers a short while later.

Su Tao had already noticed that something was bothering Lu Shimiao. He sat in the corner and drank beer while listening to her sing. It wasn’t the same as her normal speech. Her singing voice was sweet and melodious.

He walked to the wall and set the lights to slow mode. Lu Shimiao sat on the stage with a mic in her hand while wearing a yellow tight-fit dress and black stockings along with heels. A classical style of a young married woman that emanated a fatal temptation!