Chapter 8: The Person Who Gave Me the Bracelet Is Very Important

He tucked the dresses from the other shopping bags on the bed into the closet, and at the very bottom of a bag, he spotted a bracelet with a star charm.

Was it hers?

He hadn't given her this bracelet. It looked like platinum, and the clasp seemed broken. Xu Si'an casually slipped it into his suit pocket.

Back in her office, Qiao Xu packed her bag. While applying lipstick, she noticed her left wrist was bare.

"Where is my bracelet?"

Qiao Xu searched her office in a panic, dumping the contents of her neatly packed bag onto the table. It had been there when she left this morning.

"Where is it? Where could it have fallen?"

Under the desk, on the carpet, in the corners—it was nowhere to be found. Qiao Xu’s eyes grew red, and she picked at the back of her hand in distress.

When Xu Si'an walked over, he found the office door open and Qiao Xu crouching on the floor… She was looking for the bracelet.

He touched his pocket. "What are you doing?"

Qiao Xu looked up, her reddened eyes stinging Xu Si'an. "Looking for something."

"Mr. Xu, I’ve lost my bracelet. May I check your lounge?"

Xu Si'an was silent for two seconds, then turned sideways. "You may."

Qiao Xu stood up and hurried to his office next door.

"A bracelet is more important than me."

He gathered the things from his desk, put them into her bag, and walked out of the office. Only then did he realize what he had done. Should he turn back?

"Damn it, Xu Si'an, you’re sick."

Some things were just done out of habit; habits were truly terrifying. Carrying the bag that felt burning hot in his hand, he felt that throwing it away would be wrong, but keeping it was incredibly awkward.

When Xu Si'an returned to his office, he saw Qiao Xu with her head down. "Why isn't it here? It was clearly here this morning."

"You..."

Seeing him walk in holding her bag, Qiao Xu was startled and surprised. She reached out and took it. "Thank you."

"Mr. Xu, did you see a platinum bracelet with a star charm when you were changing your clothes earlier?"

Xu Si'an replied calmly, "No."

Seeing the redness at the corners of her eyes, his heart softened slightly. "Was that bracelet very expensive?"

"Not expensive."

"Then..."

Qiao Xu adjusted her hair. "The person who gave it to me is very important."

Xu Si'an gripped the bracelet inside his pocket, suddenly feeling irritable. "How important?"

Qiao Xu paused for a few seconds and replied emotionlessly, "I love them very much."

Love? She said she loved the person who gave her the bracelet very much. Then what was he? A nobody?

"A man?" he insisted on asking.

"Yes."

Qiao Xu had no energy to cater to his mood right now, but accompanying her boss to meet with business partners was her job. "Mr. Xu, we’re running late for the dinner meeting, aren't we?"

Xu Si'an swept a cold glance at her and walked out. Qiao Xu followed behind him with her bag. She had assumed that going out to eat would require her to drive his luxury car. After all, he was her boss; she couldn't very well let him drive her.

When the elevator reached the underground parking garage, Qiao Xu noticed a black Mercedes business van parked in the spot closest to the elevator. The driver’s side door was open, and the driver was not the one who had been in the accident yesterday.

Xu Si'an stepped into the car, but Qiao Xu stood still. Where should she sit? Logically, she should sit in the back with her boss to facilitate work communication. However, she didn't want to be that close to him.

"What are you standing there for? Do you need me to invite you in?"

Qiao Xu opened the passenger door, sat down, and buckled her seatbelt. "Hello, I am Qiao Xu, Mr. Xu’s new assistant."

The driver looked at the man in the back seat.

"Why are you looking at me? Assistant Qiao is greeting you, not me."

A new assistant—she certainly had a clear sense of her position and adapted well to her new identity.

The driver: "..." *Did he eat gunpowder today?*

"Hello, Assistant Qiao. I’m Mr. Xu’s driver, Song Jia. You can just call me Little Song."

"You’re Mr. Xu’s driver, then what about the gentleman from yesterday?"

Xu Si'an: "???" *Are they chatting now?* Maybe he should drive for them so they could sit in the back and chat properly.

"That’s my uncle. He went to get Mr. Xu’s car repaired."

A cold, clipped voice came from inside the car: "Are we going to drive or not?"

Little Song quickly pressed the door-close button. "My apologies, Mr. Xu."

In the car, Qiao Xu kept trying to recall where her bracelet could have fallen. It was there when she left in the morning, and it was there when she arrived at the office. At lunch...

She asked the other two people she had lunch with in their group chat: [Xinxin, Xiaorou, did you notice if I was wearing a bracelet during lunch?]

Ye Yurou: [No, we were both wearing long sleeves, we didn't pay attention.]

Fang Kexin: [Lost your bracelet? Have you checked the office?]

[I checked, it’s not there.]

Xu Si'an’s line of sight was directed exactly at Qiao Xu, and he could see her phone screen. He had purposely sat in the back seat when he got in, but he hadn't expected someone to be so oblivious.

"Assistant Qiao, did you also play on your phone when accompanying previous bosses to meet clients?"

Qiao Xu paused and put her phone away. "My apologies, Mr. Xu."

"I rarely accompanied Mr. Zhou to meet clients in the past."

The car stopped at the hotel. Little Song asked, "Mr. Xu, do you need me to accompany you inside?" Song Jia was not only Xu Si'an’s driver but also his personal assistant; he usually accompanied him to dinner meetings.

"No need. Go grab something to eat, and come back in two hours."

Qiao Xu got out of the car with her bag, and before leaving, she exchanged WeChat contacts with Song Jia. Watching this, Xu Si'an grew jealous again. As her direct superior, he had tried to add her on WeChat, and she had delayed responding, yet she was very enthusiastic about adding someone else.

In the private dining room, there were six people from the partner company, two of whom had brought female companions. As Xu Si'an stopped, a flash of disgust crossed his eyes. "My apologies, I am late."

One of the partners with a companion spoke up, "Not late at all, we arrived early."

"Hurry up, pour a drink for Mr. Xu."

As the woman beside him stood up, Xu Si'an raised a hand to stop her. "No need, Mr. Liu. I have my own companion."

Qiao Xu understood and picked up the decanter to pour half a glass of red wine for both Xu Si'an and herself. She had pre-ordered the meal, and the conversation at the table focused on the current project.

Qiao Xu felt a sense of revulsion as she watched the partners getting handsy with their companions. Combined with the loss of her bracelet, she was in a bad mood. Throughout the meal, Qiao Xu drank four half-glasses of red wine. She had attended many such dinners over the past few years, and she often had a few drinks at bars, so her tolerance was quite decent. Besides, when partners offered toasts, her boss, Xu Si'an, had to drink, and as a "workhorse" assistant, she was no exception.

Qiao Xu couldn't stand the wandering hands of the men, but they were business partners. She whispered to Xu Si'an, "Mr. Xu, I’m going to the restroom."

Xu Si'an gave a faint, expressionless, "Mm."

As Qiao Xu turned to leave with her phone, one of the slightly overweight men kept staring at her backside. Xu Si'an caught the greedy, lecherous gaze. The air around him grew even colder.

"Mr. Xu, your companion is truly beautiful. May I ask who she is?"

Xu Si'an stood up with a cold face. "My girlfriend."

"Excuse me, I have to go to the restroom."