Rebirth to Save Myself

Lu Jingnian quickly arrived downstairs and saw Su Xia sitting in the waiting area as soon as he passed through the turnstile. She was taking pictures of the surroundings with her phone and talking to herself, clearly filming a vlog.

"Baby, you're here!" Lu Jingnian walked over quickly and said.

Hearing the shout, Su Xia turned off her phone that was recording video and looked up at Lu Jingnian: "You came down so quickly."

"Yes, let's go. I'll take you upstairs, and we can take a stroll around while we're at it."

"Uh-huh."

Lu Jingnian swiped his card at the gate and led Su Xia directly to his office floor. Standing in the elevator, Su Xia looked around curiously and then asked, "Is your office super luxurious, with a nap room, a private bathroom, and a shower? Does your secretary wear a business suit every day and have a curvaceous figure? Are you the kind of person who can fire someone on a whim without having to pay compensation?"

"Haha, you've become obsessed with writing novels." Lu Jingnian couldn't help but reach out and ruffle Su Xia's hair, and he was happy after she said that.

"Is that so?" Su Xia slapped Lu Jingnian's head away in annoyance, her words carrying a hint of coquetry.

"Of course not. My office only has a desk, chair, and a sofa for guests. My secretary is also a man, and well, he's not exactly curvy. I can't just fire someone whenever I'm unhappy; if I do, I have to compensate them. Otherwise, I could easily file a complaint with the labor bureau." Lu Jingnian patiently explained her question.

"Okay, then I'll write a fictional story. At least I can let my female lead fire people whenever she wants." Su Xia nodded.

The elevator quickly arrived at the floor where Lu Jingnian's office was located. As soon as Su Xia stepped out, she saw a group of people sitting at their workstations in the lobby. Some were working diligently, while others were frantically typing, looking quite resentful. Some who had been slacking off quickly ran away like mice before a cat when they saw Lu Jingnian.

"Hey, doesn't your office have its own floor? Like those domineering CEOs in TV dramas, with their own floor and the secretary's office outside. People have to take the CEO's private elevator to get to you, and you need a card to get there, otherwise you can't even get there." Su Xia followed Lu Jingnian, asking questions as they walked.

“Didn’t you just ask if my office wasn’t that luxurious? If it’s not that luxurious, it definitely won’t be on a separate floor. Besides, the other floors are for other departments,” Lu Jingnian said, taking Su Xia’s hand and her bag in his other hand as he led her toward his office.

The moment the door closed, the quiet office erupted in chatter, with everyone whispering amongst themselves:

"The manager brought a woman in. Is she his girlfriend?"

"She's quite pretty. Do you guys remember what Secretary Wang said before, that the manager had a girlfriend?"

"I remember, I remember, it seems like the manager mentioned it as soon as he arrived."

"Then isn't that person just being delusional?"

"She's not just being presumptuous; she's a complete clown. She doesn't even look at how the manager treats her, yet she's still trying to seduce him."

"Yeah, last time I saw her fall right into the manager's arms in the bathroom."

"Really? It worked?"

"No, Secretary Wang stopped me."

"Hahaha, where did she go? Did she go to the bathroom to cry?"

"No, they're shameless, they're still pursuing him."

"Breaking news: the receptionist even stopped the manager's girlfriend. Otherwise, the manager wouldn't have gone down to pick her up."

"So arrogant, aren't you afraid of getting retaliated against?"

"I guess Secretary Wang went to talk to him."

"Too."

Inside the office, Su Xia looked around and then stood by the window, glancing outside. She exclaimed, "This is where you see the office buildings across the street!"

“Yeah, there’s nothing much to see. Besides, having the window open causes glare on the screen, so I usually keep the blinds closed.” Lu Jingnian sat down at his desk, smiling gently as he watched Su Xia looking around.

"Dong dong dong dong."

"Come in."

Su Xia looked over and saw a young man dressed simply, carrying a milk tea bag. He said to Lu Jingnian, "Manager Lu, the milk tea has arrived."

"Okay." Lu Jingnian nodded, indicating to his secretary that it could be placed on the coffee table.

Su Xia curiously sized up the male secretary. He was fairly good-looking, and his clothes were clean. He didn't peek at her when he came in; he simply placed the milk tea bag on the coffee table and left.

"I ordered you milk tea. Drink it while I get off work." Lu Jingnian smiled. He still had work to finish, and he ordered milk tea for Su Xia because he was afraid she would be bored.

"Okay." Su Xia obediently opened the milk tea bag and immediately saw two cups of milk tea. She looked up and asked Lu Jingnian, "Which one do you want?"

"They're all yours. Didn't you say you wanted to try the new product?"

"Then I'll have two drinks and I won't be able to eat dinner later."

"You can try it; if you don't like it, just give it to me."

"it is good."

Su Xia sat on the sofa in Lu Jingnian's office, intently staring at the tablet screen, her fingers rapidly swiping across it as she edited a video. Today, she had deliberately worn an elegant, modernized Hanfu, her makeup exquisite, making her appear both poised and confident. She knew that being here today wasn't just about accompanying Lu Jingnian, but also about asserting her dominance and deterring those who harbored improper thoughts towards him.

During this time, several colleagues came in to report on their work. When they saw Su Xia sitting on the sofa, they were initially taken aback, but then nodded politely. Su Xia responded with a smile, behaving very naturally. If the other party needed to sit on the sofa to discuss matters, she would proactively get up, take her belongings, and sit in Lu Jingnian's seat to make room for them.

As Lu Jingnian worked, he would occasionally glance up at Su Xia, his eyes filled with tenderness and satisfaction. He was very pleased that Su Xia had come today; the previous advances from those other women had been incredibly annoying. Although he had already made it clear to Secretary Wang that he had a girlfriend, some people still clung to the hope that as long as he wasn't married, anything was possible, and some even tried various means to get close to him.

Lu Jingnian felt helpless and annoyed by these people, and had to be on high alert every day at work, afraid of falling into their trap. Su Xia's appearance today was undoubtedly the best "shield." She not only declared her ownership with her actions, but also used her elegance and confidence to make those who coveted him back down.

Su Xia understood Lu Jingnian's intentions, which was why she made a point of dressing up beautifully today. She knew that although Lu Jingnian was devoted to her, there were too many temptations outside, especially from women who lacked discernment and always rushed in with unrealistic fantasies. She couldn't stand idly by; she had to show them with her actions that Lu Jingnian was hers, and no one could take him away.

Time ticked by. Su Xia finished editing a video, glanced at the time, and saw that Lu Jingnian had less than half an hour before he got off work. She stretched, put down her tablet, walked over to Lu Jingnian, and said softly, "It's almost time to get off work. What do you want to eat tonight? Go home or eat out?"

Lu Jingnian looked up at her, his eyes full of smiles: "You decide, I'll listen to you."

Su Xia thought for a moment, then smiled and said, "Let's go eat at that newly opened restaurant. I heard the ambiance is nice."

Lu Jingnian nodded: "Okay, I'll listen to you."

The two smiled at each other, and the air was filled with sweetness.

It was time to leave work. Lu Jingnian packed up his documents, stood up, and took Su Xia's hand: "Let's go eat."

Su Xia smiled and nodded, taking his arm as they walked out of the office together. In the corridor, many colleagues cast envious glances at them. Su Xia held her head high, a confident smile on her face, silently thinking: Lu Jingnian is hers, and no one can take him away.

Lu Jingnian thoughtfully took Su Xia's bag, pressed the elevator button, and the two walked in together. Su Xia looked at the person standing outside the elevator and said, "Come in together, otherwise we'll have to wait for the next one."

"come in."

As soon as Lu Jingnian spoke, several people stepped into the elevator, which remained open until it was full and the doors closed. Inside, everyone stood quietly without speaking. Su Xia scrolled through the web on her phone, showing Lu Jingnian anything that caught her interest.

"Do you want to go out and have fun during the National Day holiday?" Lu Jingnian suddenly asked.

Su Xia hesitated for a moment before saying, "I want to go, but there are too many people."

"You're not going to stay home for seven days, are you?" Lu Jingnian was planning to ask her out during the National Day holiday, but if they were both staying home, he might as well not go back at all.

"I have this idea. I've finalized an outline and plan to write some of it during the National Day holiday." Su Xia is a bit of a homebody, and she enjoys spending holidays at home.

"Then you're not updating your videos anymore?" Lu Jingnian knew that Su Xia was also making videos in addition to writing novels, so he asked her.

"That's true, we'll see then. We can do some local tours, but we won't go too far." Su Xia really dislikes crowded tourist attractions; she feels she can't see much scenery there, and the waits are always so long. Plus, during holidays, food and accommodation prices skyrocket, and she doesn't want to be ripped off.

"Okay, you can see when the time comes." Lu Jingnian didn't force Su Xia to make a decision. Anyway, there are seven days of National Day, so if it doesn't work out, they can go out on a date during the day.

"Okay." Su Xia nodded and didn't say anything more.

After everyone got off the elevator, the two went to the basement to get their car. The company's group chat, where no one was in charge, exploded with activity:

A: Oh my god, they look so sweet together! [Shouts]

B: That's right, that's right, it looks so natural, you can tell they've been together for a long time!

C: Really?! Secretary Wang, please come out and explain this to everyone!

D: Yes, Secretary Wang must know something.

Secretary Wang: I told you guys before, the manager has a girlfriend, but you wouldn't believe me. [Rolls eyes]

A: How long have they been together? How did they meet? Will they get married in the future?

Secretary Wang: The manager didn't say much, but he really dotes on his girlfriend.

D: Just now in the elevator, his girlfriend said that it seemed like he had written some kind of article.

F: Yes, yes, and there are videos too. Could it be a short video blogger?

Secretary Wang: This is accurate information; his girlfriend is a student at Xiamen University.

B: Student!!! The manager is eating way too well.

Secretary Wang: She's a graduate student. The manager only came to work at the branch office because of her; otherwise, she would have gone directly to headquarters.

A: Shocking!!!

B: Shocking!!!

E: My manager is such a pure-hearted god of war! He's so handsome and so devoted. How come I never met a man like him?!

F: +1

C: +1

D: Any other news? Tell us all at once! @SecretaryWang

Secretary Wang: That's all the manager told me; I don't know anything else.

D: Okay

…………

Secretary Wang glanced at the group chat, then opened Lu Jingnian's chat window and briefly explained the situation. Seeing that he had achieved his goal for the day, Lu Jingnian was even happier and went to dinner with Su Xia.

After finishing dinner, the two went to the supermarket on the basement floor to buy some snacks, drinks, and fruit before leisurely returning home. After portioning some ingredients into the refrigerator, Su Xia took a sliced ​​mango and went to Lu Jingnian's room, knocking on the door.

Su Xia poked her head out and asked, "Are you done with your work?"

Lu Jingnian turned his chair around, took the fruit plate from her, and said, "Alright, organize the documents. Are we leaving tomorrow night?"

Su Xia nodded, thinking about what to bring to eat on the way and what to bring home. She then sat down on the edge of Lu Jingnian's bed and said, "Okay, I'll come over tomorrow afternoon to pack my things."

"You don't need to bring too much; the journey is only two hours." Lu Jingnian was worried that Su Xia would pack too much and bring it all back, which would be too much trouble. Besides, many things can be bought back home, so there's no need to bring them all the way there.

"I know, I can just bring it home to eat." Su Xia replied, but in her heart she was thinking about the time she went out with Lu Jingnian and brought back a ton of food. The two of them tried their best to eat it, but they still brought back a huge bag. After that, Lu Jingnian would control what she brought and would tell her not to buy too much when they went to the supermarket.

"By the way, any updates from the studio?" Lu Jingnian asked while eating fruit. The group chat he'd created earlier hadn't been active for the past couple of days. If there was no progress, he'd have to remind Lin Xiuyuan.

"They said they'd arranged to meet me at the studio on the 4th to see the design drawings, and they'd be off for the first three days," Su Xia said. After that day, Cheng Yang added her on WeChat and asked for the apartment's password.

"Then I'll go with you and introduce you to Lin Xiuyuan." Lu Jingnian nodded, as long as there was progress.

"Okay, is he your classmate?" Su Xia was a little curious. He probably wasn't a high school classmate, since they were classmates for three years in high school. There was no such person as him.

Lu Jingnian shook his head and then said, "His family used to live next to my grandfather's house. We used to play together a lot when we were kids. He started this studio when he was in college, and the people working there are his classmates and juniors from his major."

"Is Cheng Yang one too?" Su Xia asked curiously. Cheng Yang had a rather cold personality; their previous conversations had been purely business-like, with no other communication whatsoever. Su Xia wasn't the type to enjoy chatting with people either, so she quite liked someone who got straight to the point.

Lu Jingnian shook his head again, and then shared their story with Su Xia in a very gossipy way: "Oh, that's someone he likes, but she doesn't like him. She only works at his studio because he offers a high price."

"Pfft, hahahahaha." Su Xia couldn't help but laugh. She hadn't expected that if he couldn't keep her heart, he would use money to keep her body.

"You'll see when you meet her. Cheng Yang is quite pretty, but not as pretty as you," Lu Jingnian said to Su Xia very seriously.

"Really? I saw that her WeChat Moments are all about work." Su Xia had previously browsed Cheng Yang's WeChat Moments, and they were full of real-life construction site photos, with no personal pictures at all.

“That’s her work number; she also has a personal number, they’re separate,” Lu Jingnian explained.

"Oh, I'm really looking forward to it." Su Xia was quite curious. From their conversation and Lu Jingnian's description, he was aloof and beautiful—wasn't he a stunningly beautiful woman? Maybe he could provide some material for her novel; she currently has some ideas but hasn't made progress.