Bringing the Nation's Husband Home

Madam Chen had prepared breakfast a long time ago. After seeing Qiao Anhao come down, she immediately stopped cleaning the china and asked with a smile, ”Madame, would you like some breakfast?”

Qiao Anhao shook her head and walked towards the entrance. As she changed her shoes, she realized something. Lifting her head, she rushed to ask Madam Chen, ”What time did Mr. Lu leave in the morning?”

”It wasn’t even 6 am. Not long after I had woken up.”

Qiao Anhao nodded and asked again, ”Did he look a bit off?”

Madam Chen thought back and said, ”Nothing off in particular... However, Mr. Lu’s complexion wasn’t great. His lips were a little pale.”

Qiao Anhao slightly crossed her hands, pursed her lips, but didn’t say another word.

After a while, Madam Chen asked, ”Madame, did something happen?”

Qiao Anhao shook her head and pushed the door open to leave, smiling at Madam Chen.

Zhao Meng was already at the entrance of the villa’s courtyard, waiting for her. Qiao Anhao opened the car door and sat in. Zhao Meng started up the car, jabbering relentlessly about just how late she woke up. Mid-sentence, she saw the red kiss marks all over Qiao Anhao’s collar and said with a ”tut tut tut”, ”No wonder you got up so late... so someone exerted themselves last night!”

Qiao Anhao’s mind was filled with the blood on her hand and bedsheets. She wasn’t at all in the mood to bother with Zhao Meng’s teasing. She just raised an arm to pull on her collar, then turned her head and looked out the window.

Zhao Meng looked at Qiao Anhao’s eyes and asked, ”What’s wrong? In a bad mood?”

Qiao Anhao still didn’t say a word, and so Zhao Meng didn’t bother talking either, turning on the music in the car.

There was slight traffic on the city roads, so the car started and stopped. Just when they finally were gaining speed, Qiao Anhao saw a twenty four hour pharmacy and hurriedly said, ”Stop the car.”

”What?” Shocked, Zhao Meng quickly stepped on the throttle.

Qiao Anhao grabbed her bag. ”I want to drop by the pharmacy.”

”Pharmacy? Where are you hurt?” Zhao Meng asked in concern.

”I’m not, I’m just going to drop by.” Qiao Anhao didn’t say anymore to Zhao Meng, just pushed open the car door and jogged over to the pharmacy.

-

It was already twelve in the afternoon when they reached the set. Qiao Anhao and Zhao Meng grabbed a bite to eat at the hotel restaurant and rushed over.

The make-up artist was already on set waiting. When they finished make up, it was almost time to start filming. Qiao Anhao and Zhao Meng hurried over to the set and saw that that the director and Lu Jinnian’s assistant stood by each other. The assistant was on the phone.

The director waved when he saw Qiao Anhao. She walked over and was just about to call, ”Director”, when Lu Jinnian’s assistant put his phone down and rushed over to her.

He greeted her, ”Miss Qiao”, then turned to the director with an upset expression. ”Still no answer.”

”How about the office? Home? Other residences or his favorite places to go... Have you searched there?” asked the director with furrowed brows.

”I’ve looked all over,” said Lu Jinnian’s assistant.

Qiao Anhao asked aloud, ”Did something happen?”

”We can’t find Mr. Lu,”the director replied . After a while, he decisively said to Lu Jinnian’s assistant, ”How about this... Perhaps Mr. Lu is really busy, so I’ll shoot this scene some other time. I’ll wait for news on Mr. Lu, you can go now, and we’ll reschedule the scenes later.”