Chapter 236 Should He Tell Song Jingmo That He’s Flying to H City?

At twelve noon, on a flight bound for H City.

Lu Er sat by the window, holding his phone. On the screen was his chat with Song Jingmo.

The latest message at the top was sent by Song Jingmo at 7:30 that morning:

“I have meetings all day today, so I’ll be pretty busy. Make sure you eat on time—don’t go hungry.”

The tone was the same as always—his usual style.

Concise, direct, without unnecessary sweet talk, yet every word carried concern.

Lu Er only saw the message after finishing a call with Leng Qinghua. At the time, his mind was still in a daze, and he had simply replied, “Mm, got it.”

Now it was already noon, and Song Jingmo still hadn’t replied.

He remembered what people online said—if someone truly cared about you, they’d reply even while in the bathroom.

Lu Er chuckled softly. When had he become this childish?

At their age, everyone had their own responsibilities.

Often, after finishing work, one would be so exhausted they wouldn’t even want to move a finger—let alone reply to messages.

Staring at Song Jingmo’s profile picture for a while, Lu Er’s finger hovered over the screen for a long time.

The flight attendant’s gentle voice sounded over the intercom:

“Dear passengers, our plane is about to take off. Please turn off all electronic devices and fasten your seatbelts…”

Lu Er lifted his head and looked out through the window.

The airport runway shimmered gray-white under the winter sunlight, and planes taxied in the distance.

Should he tell Song Jingmo that he was flying to H City?

After hesitating for a few seconds, Lu Er finally pressed the power button.

The screen went dark, reflecting a blurry image of himself.

Wearing a mask and a cap, only his eyes were visible.

There was faint exhaustion in them—and a trace of unease he didn’t even want to admit.

The plane began to taxi, accelerate, and then suddenly lifted off.

The feeling of weightlessness made Lu Er instinctively grip the armrest. Watching the city grow smaller outside the window, his thoughts became a mess.

He wanted to trust Song Jingmo.

Since they had been together, the sense of security Song Jingmo gave him was more than he had felt in the past twenty years combined.

Song Jingmo was calm, restrained—even somewhat rigid—but he had never broken a promise he made.

Yet Leng Qinghua’s sudden behavior was just too abnormal.

She had always been firmly against Lu Er being with Song Jingmo.

Every time they met, it was either sarcasm or outright coldness.

Although her attitude had softened recently, it was only to the extent of not driving him away.

Calling him out of nowhere and telling him to go to H City to catch someone cheating—this was definitely not a joke she would make, nor could it be baseless.

She must have heard something.

Lu Er closed his eyes and leaned back in his seat.

The plane pierced through the clouds, the slight turbulence mirroring his unsettled emotions.

Two hours later, the plane landed at H City International Airport.

As Lu Er walked out of the airport, the winter wind hit him head-on.

There was a damp chill in the air that seeped into his bones.

Standing by the roadside, watching the crowd come and go, Lu Er suddenly felt the urge to turn back.

But just then, his phone vibrated in his pocket.

It was a message from Leng Qinghua—a hotel address and room number.

Attached was a voice message. When he tapped it, her familiar, stern voice came through:

“This is the hotel where Song Jingmo’s meeting is being held. Go there directly when you arrive. If he really has an improper relationship with Zhao Lishan, cut things off immediately!”

After listening, Lu Er suddenly felt like laughing.

A few months ago, Leng Qinghua had been doing everything she could to break them apart—even using a hundred-billion debt to force him into submission.

And now, she sounded like a worried mother urging him to catch a cheating partner.

Lu Er replied: “Mom, what if Song Jingmo and Zhao Lishan are completely innocent? What if nothing happened?”

After a few minutes of silence, Leng Qinghua responded: “Go find out first.”

Lu Er stared at that sentence for a long time, then dialed Song Jingmo’s number.

The ringtone rang for a long time—until it disconnected automatically.

No answer.

He called again.

Still no answer.

Putting down his phone, Lu Er hailed a taxi and gave the driver the hotel address Leng Qinghua had sent.

The driver was a talkative middle-aged man. As he drove, he chatted:

“Young man, here in H City for business?”

“Mm.”

“That hotel is quite high-end. Usually hosts corporate annual meetings or academic conferences.”

“You here for a meeting?”

“No.”

Lu Er paused. “Looking for someone.”

“Oh, looking for someone.”

The driver glanced at him through the rearview mirror. Seeing the mask and cap, and his low-key appearance, he didn’t ask further.

The car moved slowly through traffic.

H City’s streets were beautiful, lined with skyscrapers.

Leaning against the window, Lu Er watched the scenery rush by, his mind blank.

He didn’t know what he was doing, nor what he would say when he saw Song Jingmo.

After thinking for a long time, he still couldn’t come up with a suitable reason.

Half an hour later, the taxi stopped at the hotel entrance.

Lu Er paid and got out.

The hotel was luxurious—golden revolving doors, uniformed doormen, and dazzling crystal chandeliers in the lobby.

As he walked in, warm air instantly enveloped him.

According to Leng Qinghua, the meeting was in a conference hall on the 23rd floor.

Instead of going up immediately, Lu Er first sat in the lounge area.

Taking out his phone, he called Song Jingmo again.

Still no answer.

He glanced at the time—3:40 PM.

The meeting was probably still ongoing.

After hesitating for a few minutes, Lu Er finally stood up and walked toward the elevator.

He was dressed in a black cashmere sweater with a white windbreaker over it.

Dark outdoor pants and a pair of white sneakers.

A mask and cap covered most of his face, leaving only his eyes visible.

The elevator rose slowly, the numbers jumping from 1 to 23.

Ding.

The doors opened.

The 23rd floor was quiet, carpeted with thick flooring.

At the end of the corridor stood a pair of double wooden doors, with a sign reading “Academic Exchange Conference.”

Lu Er walked over. The door was slightly ajar.

Muffled voices came from inside. Through the gap, part of the conference room was visible.

He didn’t enter, only peered through the crack.

The hall was large, accommodating two to three hundred people—packed to capacity.

In the front rows sat experts and scholars in formal attire; in the back were younger doctors and staff.

On stage, a gray-haired professor was giving a report, with dense medical charts projected on the screen.

Lu Er scanned the room and quickly found Song Jingmo.

Seated in the middle of the front row, wearing a dark gray suit, sitting upright.

A pen in hand, he was taking notes in a notebook.

Under the conference lighting, his well-defined features were clear, his expression focused and serious.

And behind him stood a tall woman.

Zhao Lishan.

Today, she wore an off-white professional suit, the skirt falling just above the knees, paired with high heels.

Her hair was tied into a neat ponytail, her makeup light—giving her the appearance of a high-level corporate secretary.

Holding a tablet in her fair, slender hand, she leaned slightly forward, close to Song Jingmo’s ear, whispering something softly.