Chapter 280: Chapter 280 Give me your phone! Chapter 280: Chapter 280 Give me your phone! At the restroom entrance.

Before entering, she placed a “Maintenance in Progress” sign at the door.

Lu Xining had just stepped into the restroom when she suddenly felt a sharp sliver of light attacking her cheek.

She quickly leaned back and kicked the door behind her, moving gracefully like a swallow, her gaze fierce as it fell upon a woman clad in a white dress.

The attacker was none other than He Lele, who had just entered the restroom.

Contrary to her cute, doll-like face was the indifference in her eyes, resembling a soulless body wandering the mortal world. Even the most exquisite makeup couldn’t hide the weariness emanating from within her.

He Lele, agitated, raised the hairpin in her hand, an accessory from her hair.

She urgently said, “Give me your phone!”

Having just received her mother’s permission to leave temporarily, He Lele wanted to contact Rong Zian as soon as possible.

Sensing her unstable emotions and the nervous glances she kept shooting towards the door, Lu Xining took out her phone from her diamond-studded purse, asked no questions, unlocked it, and handed it over to her.

“The number you dialed is not in service…”
As the mechanical voice on the phone kept repeating, the panic in He Lele’s eyes grew. Her hands trembled uncontrollably as she clutched the phone, biting her lip hard as her eyes welled up with anxious tears.

Seeing her about to smash the phone, Lu Xining quickly stepped forward, grabbed her wrist with such force that she couldn’t break free, and lightly took the phone back, placing it in her purse.

She released the grip on her wrist and joked with a smile, “Miss He, I kindly lent you my phone, how could you repay kindness with ingratitude?”

He Lele’s pupils shrank, she whispered, “You know me?”

“I don’t, but I know Rong Zian, and he has mentioned his girlfriend.”

As Lu Xining spoke, she stared into the anxious eyes of the girl in front of her and saw a sudden flicker of joy emerge from deep within them.

Her voice trembling, she said, “You know Zian, where is he, why hasn’t he come to find me?”

Her heart fluttered like ants on a hot pan. He Lele had experienced the pain of a lover not showing up and the confinement by her relatives; at that moment, her body was filled with a proud and uneasy emotion, her eyes hopeful as she looked at Lu Xining.

“I’ve waited for him for so long, searched for him for so long, but I can’t find him anywhere, can you please take me to him, I really miss Zian so much!”

Lu Xining frowned slightly, shook her head and said, “Zian, he…”
It had been five or six minutes since her daughter had gone to the restroom, and Mrs. He, feeling uneasy, went to check on her. Seeing the “Maintenance in progress” sign tightened her focus, and she hurriedly pushed the door open.

“Lele!”

He Lele, who was touching up her makeup in front of the mirror, turned her head to look at her, surprised, “Mom, what’s wrong?”

Seeing that she was alright, Mrs. He sighed in relief.

Noticing Lu Xining in the restroom as well, she greeted her before walking over to her daughter to ask why she hadn’t come out yet.

He Lele shook the lipstick in her hand, smiling, “I just saw this lady’s lipstick color and it was beautiful, so I asked her for the shade, and she offered to let me try it, so I wiped mine off and tried hers.”

She pursed her lips as if nothing had happened and asked, “Mom, what do you think? Does it match my skin tone better than the previous shade?”

“Not bad.”

Mrs. He didn’t care much about the lipstick, but seeing that her daughter hadn’t sneaked away, her hanging heart was finally at ease.

“Miss Lu, thank you for the lipstick, I’ll buy one for myself later.”

Lu Xining accepted the lipstick returned by He Lele and smiled, “You’re welcome, Miss He. You’re naturally beautiful, any color suits you well.”

After exchanging a few courtesies, Lu Xining left the restroom ahead of the others.

She returned to the banquet hall and out of the corner of her eye, caught a fleeting glimpse of two figures on the second floor. Her mind settled, everything was going according to their plan.

Lu Xining scanned her surroundings but couldn’t find Jing Zheng; her calls to him also went unanswered.

She stopped a waiter and asked, “Hello, have you seen the gentleman who came in with me?”

Her beauty was never the type to be easily forgotten; instead, it imprinted on the memory.

The male waiter spoke nervously, stammering, “Was it the gentleman in the white clothes? I think I just saw him heading to the second-floor lounge.”

Lu Xining thanked him.

She saw Mu Suyu arm in arm with Jing Yi, chatting and laughing with the crowd, but Jing Zheng, who had previously been by the man’s side, was nowhere to be found in the banquet hall.

A few wealthy ladies noticed her urgency and asked her what had happened.

Lu Xining explained the situation.

“Miss Lu, don’t worry, I’ll accompany you to find Mrs. He. Let’s call a few more people to search; he might have just gone out for some fresh air.”

“Yes, I saw him drinking quite a bit earlier, it’s possible he went to the lounge to sober up and fell asleep.”

Mrs. He, who had just come out of the restroom with her daughter, heard Lu Xining mention that Jing Zheng was missing, and called the He Family butler to take a few waiters upstairs to look.

Lu Xining expressed her gratitude, “Thank you, Mrs. He.”

Mrs. He smiled and comforted her, “Don’t worry, Miss Lu. Nothing bad will happen in the He Family home.”

The butler, leading people, knocked on doors one by one on the second floor but saw no sign of Jing Zheng.

When he reached a lounge at the corner of the second floor, he heard the sound of something smashing inside. He knocked on the door to no response and found the door handle was locked from the inside.

He sent someone to inform Mrs. He while continuing to knock and inquire about the situation inside.

Worried about Jing Zheng, she sent messages to Monkey and Haozi and went to the second floor, knocking on doors one by one, but still saw no sign of him.

Lu Xining followed Mrs. He and several wealthy ladies upstairs.

Mrs. He had already sent someone to get the key to the lounge.

Even if the person inside didn’t open the door, it could be opened from the outside.

In front of everyone, Lu Xining continued to call Jing Zheng’s phone but heard the ringtone made by Lu Nuonuo for him from the room next door.

“It’s Jing Zheng’s ringtone!”

She anxiously knocked on the door, “Jing Zheng, are you in there?”

“Could he have drunk too much and fallen asleep without hearing the phone? Miss Lu, just wait; I’ve sent someone to get the keys. It’s going to be opened soon.”

This lounge was at the very end, quite hidden.

Mrs. He remembered, this room had been arranged for the Jing Family to rest, but why would Lu Xining’s male companion be inside and yet not opening the door?

She didn’t believe that with such knocking, the person inside couldn’t hear unless they deliberately didn’t want to open the door!

Mrs. He, fearing trouble, gave the butler a look, signaling him to find He Jinseng.

Lu Xining saw that almost everyone had arrived and continued knocking and calling, “Jing Zheng, are you in there?”

“Madam, the key has been brought over.”

Seeing how anxious Lu Xining was, Mrs. He told the waiter, “Hurry and open the door.”

Just as the key was inserted into the lock, a shrill scream from a man echoed from within, accompanied by the sound of something hitting the floor, which tightened everyone’s hearts outside.

The key turned, and the door opened in response.

Lu Xining rushed in first, followed by the shocked ladies looking at the scene inside.