Outside the bar.
Amid a lineup of flashy, eye-catching supercars in every color imaginable, a low-key black Maybach slowly pulled in.
The car came to a smooth stop in front of Lu Hesheng.
Uncle Tang quickly got out, walked around to the back seat, and respectfully opened the door, raising his hand in invitation.
“Young Master, please.”
Watching the familiar routine, Lu Hesheng let out a vague, amused chuckle.
“Uncle Tang,” he said, his tone tinged with mockery,
“the old man’s taste really hasn’t changed in ten years—still as rigid as ever.”
“You’ve stayed by his side for so long. You must be pretty sick of him too, right?”
Uncle Tang stiffened, lowered his head further, and didn’t dare respond.
The Maybach drove straight into a private club in the city center.
Staff members in cheongsams were already waiting at the entrance.
Seeing Lu Hesheng step out, they immediately greeted him with professional smiles and guided him into a tea room.
Lu Hesheng chose a huanghuali wooden chair and sat down.
He picked up the delicate teacup on the table, idly turning it between his fingers, impatience flickering in his eyes.
About ten minutes later, Lu Huaishan pushed the door open and walked in.
Dressed in a well-tailored suit, with no obvious signs of middle-aged weight gain, a faint scent of alcohol still lingered around him—clearly, he’d just slipped away from another drinking engagement.
His sharp, hawk-like gaze swept over the son seated before him.
Secretary Yao followed closely behind and sat down, skillfully preparing and pouring tea for both of them.
Lu Hesheng lifted his eyes, looking at him coldly.
Lu Huaishan spoke evenly, betraying little emotion.
“I heard you finished your studies in the U.S. ahead of schedule. And that startup investment firm you founded performed quite well.”
“Not bad.”
Four dry words of praise—it was rare enough that he’d even say them.
Lu Hesheng scoffed.
“Yeah. No matter how much I toss things around, it still can’t compare to you—your taste in women just keeps getting worse.”
Secretary Yao’s hand trembled as she poured the tea, nearly spilling it.
Lu Huaishan’s expression darkened slightly, but he didn’t flare up right away.
He knew exactly why his son had been rebellious for decades.
“Hesheng, I know you’ve had a knot in your heart ever since what happened nine years ago. But the situation back then was urgent. I had no choice.”
“No choice?” Lu Hesheng looked at him with naked sarcasm.
So when faced with enormous利益, family bonds could be discarded just like that?
All the pain and suffering he and his mother endured could be brushed aside with a single no choice from his biological father.
Ignoring his pointed question, Lu Huaishan changed the subject, returning to his usual authoritative tone.
“I’m getting old. Sooner or later, the Lu family business will be handed over to you.”
“Now that you’re back, it’s perfect timing. I’ll arrange for people to help you familiarize yourself with the group’s core operations as soon as possible.”
Lu Hesheng cut him off directly.
“Inheriting the family business?”
It sounded noble enough, but really it was just another way to keep him tightly bound, under constant surveillance and control.
“Why bother with all that trouble?”
His contemptuous gaze landed on the woman beside him, who looked eager yet uneasy.
“In my opinion, you might as well put in a bit more effort yourself—have another son and raise him properly from childhood. Wouldn’t that suit you better?”
“I think Secretary Yao would be more than happy to help.”
“Bang—!”
Secretary Yao finally lost her composure, slamming the teapot heavily onto the tray with a dull thud.
Lu Hesheng casually added,
“Oh right, I forgot. You can’t have children anymore.”
Then, unhurriedly, he looked at the woman whose face had gone pale.
“Secretary Yao, you should go get checked at the hospital. Your hands are shaking so badly—could be some kind of illness?”
Lu Huaishan was furious, veins bulging at his temples as he slammed the table.
“You unfilial brat!”
Staring at his only son, who opposed him at every turn, he threatened coldly,
“Lu Hesheng! Do you really think the trouble you caused in America was resolved by you alone?”
“If I hadn’t pulled strings behind the scenes to clean up after you, that person would’ve come looking for you a long time ago.”
The atmosphere in the tea room plunged to freezing point.
Unwilling to listen to more of Lu Huaishan’s condescending fatherly rhetoric, Lu Hesheng stood up and strode out, slamming the door behind him without looking back.
Uncle Tang was still waiting respectfully by the car.
Having served as Lu Huaishan’s driver for many years, he knew all too well that the family head liked everyone to obey and fear him.
Watching Lu Hesheng’s tense, hurried silhouette, Uncle Tang felt a pang of sympathy.
Unable to hold back, he stepped forward and lowered his voice, speaking with genuine concern and caution.
“Young Master, no matter what, everything the Sir does is ultimately for your good—and for the good of the Lu family.”
“Don’t always go against him. In the end, you’ll be the one who suffers.”
Lu Hesheng’s hand paused on the car door.
Uncle Tang’s heart stirred.
“Young Master, even if not for yourself, you should at least think of Madam… and the girl you like.”
In the blink of an eye, the weekend arrived.
At four in the afternoon, Ji Yunzhen’s driver arrived punctually at the gate of Jing University.
The gown had been delivered two days earlier by Ji Yunzhen’s assistant.
It was a pink, strapless aurora-satin mermaid dress, slightly cinched at the waist, with pleated detailing at the hips.
Lin Ting wore her hair in a neat bun, revealing her slender, fair swan-like neck. Her makeup was light, giving her a naturally unadorned beauty.
When she opened the car door, Ji Yunzhen was already seated in the back.
He looked up at the sound, his gaze lingering on her for two seconds before he spoke in his usual calm tone.
“You look beautiful today.”
Lin Ting replied softly, “Thank you.”
Ji Yunzhen lowered his gaze back to his laptop. On the way to the hotel, he spent most of the time handling work messages.
Occasionally, he asked about Lin Ting’s studies and future plans.
His tone was formal and detached—just like a senior-year academic advisor asking about a student’s post-graduation direction.
Thankfully, the drive wasn’t long. The tension weighing on Lin Ting’s heart finally eased when they got out of the car.
At the entrance, Ji Yunzhen naturally bent his arm in invitation.
Lin Ting hesitated for a moment. Seeing couples entering arm in arm around them, she followed suit and lightly looped her arm through his.
She rarely attended this kind of so-called high-society event—most of the time, she came with a task-oriented mindset.
A charity gala, on the surface for philanthropy, was at its core more about entertainment and resource exchanges among the elite.
Ji Yunzhen quickly blended in, smoothly conversing with people from all circles.
Lin Ting maintained a gracious, appropriate smile, responding to the greetings and scrutiny from unfamiliar faces all around.
Ji Yunzhen introduced her,
“This is my fiancée, Lin Ting.”
Those around them immediately showed knowing, understanding expressions.
Suddenly, a stir broke out at the entrance of the banquet hall.
Curious, Lin Ting followed the noise with her eyes—and in that instant, her heart skipped a beat without warning.
It was Lu Hesheng.
Dressed in formal wear, he strode in with long steps, surrounded by an enthusiastic crowd, his face carrying a faint, bored indifference.
The hall was filled with dazzling lights and elegant figures. As an illegitimate daughter of the Lin family with no real power, Lin Ting was someone no one would normally pay attention to.
Yet the moment his figure entered her line of sight, she instinctively wanted to pull her hand back.
Ji Yunzhen sensed the subtle change beside him and quietly tightened his arm.
He lowered his head and asked,
“What’s wrong?”