Chapter 757: Dinner (part one)

Rain gave him a cunning smile. He didn't expect that Duke would get pissed off so easily. Apparently, Duke was not as indifferent as they said. 'Is he in a bad mood today? Why is he so irritable? Never mind. I'd better go upstairs first,' Rain thought to himself.

Come in, please." Edward was still buried in his papers when he heard the knock on his door. Undoubtedly, he looked handsome in the moment.

"Mr. Mu, here's your schedule for this afternoon. Please take a look. Do you want me to make any changes?" Anna asked as she handed her notebook to Edward. She wore a tight, well-cut suit that showed off her figure.

"Mr. Ouyang? What does he want to see me for?" Edward asked, taking a sip of his coffee as he saw an upcoming appointment with Leo mentioned in Anna's notebook.

"He said he wanted to talk about private matters with you. I told him I would ask you first, Mr. Mu. Do you want me to tell him you're busy?" Anna stole a glance at Edward, unsure about his answer. Leo was Edward's father-in-law, after all.

"No, tell him I'll see him. The schedule is fine by me." Edward shut the notebook, giving it back to Anna. He wondered what Leo was planning to say. Daisy had broken off with him and had asked Edward to ignore him too. However, Edward was unable to treat the father of his beloved wife with indifference.

"Sure! If you don't need me for anything else, sir, I'll take my leave," Anna said respectfully as she gazed at Edward. He was handsome and competent. Anna admired him very much, but she was a wise woman who didn't think unrealistically.

"Wait, C Financial Group faxed me a document. Fetch it for me." Rain should've been the person handling the case of C Financial Group, but he was reluctant to meet anyone from the firm because of Annie. So Edward had to take over the case.

"Of course, Mr. Mu." Anna turned around to walk toward the door. She reached out her hand to turn the knob, but the door bumped open from the outside. Luckily, she dodged the door in time to avoid getting hit.

"Hello! Anna, you look more and more beautiful each day." Rain was flirtatious with a lot of pretty ladies. For him, everything was just a game. That was his attitude toward life.

"Thank you, Mr. Xia." Anna smiled. She was accustomed to Rain's compliments and accepted them gracefully.

"No problem! I spare no efforts in praising beautiful women." Rain flashed her a brilliant smile. From his demeanor, nobody could tell he nursed a broken heart.

"How did it go?" Edward asked Rain, watching him tease Anna.

"You can be sure, that when a veteran goes into action, he can do the job of two." Rain tossed the document at him with a smug look. It fell on the table in front of Edward.

"Great! The construction will begin next week. We must ensure quality is maintained. If anything goes wrong, Daisy will be implicated." Edward perused the document and smiled satisfactorily.

"Don't worry. I know what you're fearing. Look at the previous projects; no one dared to cheat or cut down on materials. They don't brew plots when it comes to you," Rain stated with a smile. No one would dare to conspire when a military project was involved. It was a serious crime and the doer could be put to death.

"We'd better pay more attention to the construction. I know there is limited profit when a military project is concerned, but this is a serious matter. It should be handled with care." Edward put the document aside. He attached great importance to the project despite the low revenue. He didn't want to put Daisy in a difficult position.

"Edward, if you don't trust me, why don't you oversee the construction by yourself?" Rain teased as he sank into an armchair. He crossed his legs, looking rather lazy.

"I can oversee the construction as long as you take over the C Financial Group case. Are you fine with that?" Edward smiled slyly. He was pleased to take Rain down a notch.

"Forget it. I'd rather work with the soldiers," Rain said, feeling out of spirits at the mention of anything related to Annie.

"Come on, Rain. If you miss her so much, why don't you go find her?" Edward shook his head in resignation. If Rain was determined to find Annie, he had thousands of ways of doing it. But Rain's damned honor wouldn't allow him to do that.

"What would I do if I find her? Can I force her to fall in love with me? Don't forget, she left me without a single word."

Rain didn't believe Annie loved him, even though she had given up her valued virginity to him. He acted out his feelings of inferiority by passing himself off as a playboy. Rain might seem cheery and light-hearted to people, but inside, his heart was lonely and miserable. He was accustomed to taking on a new persona - that must have something to do with his family and upbringing.

How do you know she doesn't love you? Did you ask her in person? Lovers break up because of misunderstandings. You should find her and make everything clear." Edward leaned back in his chair. He wanted this discussion to be thorough.

Edward, just imagine. Would you ever vanish from Daisy's life without a word?" Rain always made countless excuses for Annie, but none of them were convincing enough. He couldn't figure out why she left. Maybe in her own way, she wanted to tell him she didn't love him.

"Has it ever occurred to you that she might have misunderstood you because of something you did?" Edward asked, rapping the table with his index finger. He didn't know women that well, but he knew that there was no smoke without fire. He believed Annie had her own reasons for leaving without an explanation.

"What did I do for her to misunderstand? When she was in S City, I wasn't seeing any other woman." Rain felt like he was wronged. His usually bright countenance had turned sad.

"Maybe it was your casual actions she misunderstood, that you don't take note of. I think you should seek her out and clear the air," Edward suggested. He was a man who had gone through similar experiences. Daisy and him had gone through many misunderstandings. Fortunately, they always emerged through them.

"If she truly loved me, she would have talked it out first instead of leaving without an explanation. She practically gave me a death sentence!" Rain raised his voice in frustration. He wanted to move on, but her smile kept flashing across his mind.

Come on! Don't you know, women are emotional beings? Maybe she was afraid about what you'd say. Do you think she'd have been able to swallow her pride and plead for your love?" Even a man like Edward had been unable to forgo his dignity to ask for Daisy's love in the past. Annie, on the other hand, was a shy woman.

"Damn it, Edward, since when have you become an expert in love? Is it because of Daisy?" Rain changed the subject, avoiding to answer the question. He was in the habit of evading any matters related to Annie.

"Fuck off, Rain. Don't try to sidetrack me. You really deserve to be alone." Edward knew him well. Rain obviously didn't want to continue the conversation, so he dropped the matter.