Chapter 133 - Stressed
The next day, the family of three ate their breakfast with an awkward atmosphere. Lu Qiang, being an intelligent child that he is, noticed the tension between his parents. He observed them with a concerned look while eating his breakfast.
What is it this time? Why are his parents fighting again? They just made up a few days ago, isn’t it?
"I’ll go to the company first. I have a lot of urgent stuff to do this morning. Thanks for the food." Xiu Mei declared after putting down her utensils. She gave a quick forehead kiss to Lu Qiang before leaving, completely ignoring Lu Chen.
Lu Qiang glanced at the barely eaten food of his mother and to his father whose movements stopped after his mother left the dining table.
Seeing his father’s grave expression, he bowed down his head and continued eating. While eating, he wondered if he should call his grandmother to help his parents make up.
On the other hand, Xiu Mei’s arrival alone at the office sparked gossip throughout the building. Ever since she and Lu Chen have gone public with their ’dating’ relationship, the two of them would arrive together at the office unless one of them is on a business trip. The employees were already used to seeing them together arriving and leaving the office.
Xiu Mei ignored all the hard gazes on her and nonchalantly went straight to the top floor. This was the first time in a while that she arrived early at the office ever since she got married. Dumping all her things on the side of the table, she started working on the doc.u.ments due for the day. She kept distracting herself with work that she didn’t even notice Lu Chen arriving at the office.
Lu Chen stopped on his tracks and stood a few meters away on Xiu Mei’s table. He stared at her figure who looks so focused on whatever work she was doing just like how she usually looks like every day.
Seeing that familiar figure feels as if they were back to the past where they were just simply a boss and his secretary. It felt like Xiu Mei would turn and flash a courteous smile to him as she normally does then she would serve him a warm and relaxing cup of tea in his office.
Somehow, thinking about that felt like someone was squeezing his heart. It felt like something heavy was pressing on his heart. It was very unbearable.
"Goodmorning, Mr.Lu." It was her assistant that first noticed him arriving. Xiu Mei spun her head to his direction after hearing that making their eyes meet for the first time since last night.
Xiu Mei immediately avoided his gaze before standing up and greeting him indifferently.
"Goodmorning." He started walking and greeted back to the assistant. Then he stopped in front of Xiu Mei’s table and awkwardly greeted her back.
"Goodmorning... wife." He weakly whispered the last word. It was just loud enough for his wife to hear.
However, Xiu Mei still didn’t look at him even after doing that. She didn’t even scold or glare at him like she usually does when he does that.
His heart was gripped with fear. Did she really make up her mind to divorce him? Does she really not care anymore?
He hid his clenching fist inside his pocket as he tried reading Xiu Mei’s expression. But she looked indifferent, with no emotions on her face at all. In the end, he looked away and entered his office looking very downcast.
Both of them wasn’t aware of what is running to each other’s mind right at that moment.
While Lu Chen thought that Xiu Mei’s resolve in divorcing him is already set, Xiu Mei, on the other hand, was feeling very guilty and torn instead.
She realized that she was too overwhelmed by her emotions last night and impulsively declared about the divorce. She didn’t even let Lu Chen defend himself and just walked out after doing that.
At the same time, she was torn in between apologizing for last night and ignoring him to express her stance with the fact that he’’s resolute on not telling her anything at all.
At this rate, the problem won’t get resolved at all.
She felt like pulling her hair out in frustration. Why is this so complicated?!
The stiff and awkward atmosphere between the two of them could be felt by everyone at work. Especially during the meeting when all Lu Chen did was emit a scary aura scaring the other people in the room while Xiu Mei nonchalantly ignored him. With Lu Shao’s absence, the people in the meeting room felt even more helpless.
Why did they have to get caught in between their bosses’ love quarrels?! They cried out in their minds.
By the time afternoon came, Xiu Mei didn’t know whether her headache is because of work or thinking about so many problems. She couldn’t even count how many times she would glance at the direction of the president’s office.
This was the first time she hadn’t even stepped inside that room for a day.
"Ms.Xiu, just go inside if you really want to go. It’s better if you two talk it out, isn’t it?" Her assistant uttered while she busily marked some files.
"It’s not that easy." She replied in distress.
"Just take it from a person who’s been in a lot of relationsh.i.p.s before. If you two really want to work it out, it’s best if you don’t let a fight last for a day."
"But it’s quite complicated."
"No matter how complicated it is, the two of you would have to talk one way or another. It can be either a talk about resolving whatever your fighting about or a talk about your break up."
"..."
Okay, she really can’t retort on that. That hit home and it seriously hurts. Her assistant was really rubbing the reality in her face so hard. She was right.
The two of them are just prolonging the agony and misunderstanding the more they avoid each other.
Xiu Mei held her forehead, massaging her temples. She put down the files she was working on and sighed. No matter how hard she tried to focus, her mind will always fly back to their conversation last night.
She glanced at Lu Chen’s office again and deeply sighed.
"I’ll just go grab something sweet downstairs." She uttered, looking so lifeless while grabbing her wallet in her purse. "I think I need some sugar to survive this day or else I’ll go crazy."
She dragged her feet to the elevator and visited the company cafeteria and salon on the third floor. She scanned the different bars of chocolate and bought some dark chocolate. She was about to pay with her card when a different card got in between the scanner and her hand. In turn, it was that person’s card that was credited for her chocolate purchase.
"Wha--" Xiu Mei turned and paused.
"You look awfully stressed today, Ms.Xiu." Albert pointed out, putting his finger in between her unconsciously scrunched up eyebrows and smoothened them out.
She was too tired to react swiftly so she wasn’t able to avoid his touch this time. She ignored his statement and opened her wallet, grabbing a couple of coins inside.
"I’ll pay for the chocolate."
"Keep it. It’s my treat." He insisted.
"I don’t ne--"
"It’s not even that much so just keep it."
"...Fine." She was too tired to argue with him right now.
"Then, I’ll go first." She bid goodbye to Albert, planning to return to the top floor immediately. She wasn’t in the mood to chat with anyone, at least right now.
But Albert being Albert, followed him like a chick following his mother hen. Xiu Mei glanced at his empty hands. Raising her eyebrow, she wondered why did this guy even go to the cafeteria if he didn’t buy anything.
"Are you alright? Is the boss bullying or what?" Albert probed while both of them waited for the elevator.
Xiu Mei felt slightly annoyed but still answered him. "No, I’m fine.’
"For some who’s fine, you sure don’t look fine." Albert remarked in a sarcastic tone, stepping inside the elevator. He pressed the hold button for her like a gentleman, waiting for her to get on the elevator.
"Are you asking to be hit? Tsk."
"See, you’re clicking your tongue already. You’re too stressed right now."
"And how does me clicking my tongue connected with me being stressed?"
"Plus you’re temper today is very short. Before, you won’t even get fazed by my teasings, but right now, I can totally see in your face that you want to whack me on the head."
"So you’ve been deliberately teasing me all this time?!"
"Wow Ms.Xiu, did you really just notice that now?"
"Do you keep forgetting I’m your superior?"
"But Ms.Xiu isn’t the type to abuse her power to punish an employee just because he teased her, right?"
"That’ll change from today onwards. Come here and let me hit you once."
Xiu Mei stepped forward and cornered Albert. She grabbed him by his sleeve to keep him from running away and was just about to pinch his ears when the elevator dinged open.
She instantly halted and looked at view outside the elevator.
"..."
"..."
"..."
Shit.
Xiu Mei quickly freed Albert and distanced herself from him. She awkwardly stood inside the elevator while trying to avoid eye contact with Lu Chen, who was glaring hard at her at this very moment.