Lu Tao raised an eyebrow. “So Qiao Zhixing is coming back to the Lu family tomorrow?”
“She’s not coming back.”
“Then why did you make so many of her favorite dishes? Sorry, but from the food you’ve made, I don’t feel an ounce of respect. I’m not coming back!”
It was actually Gu Xingzhi who wouldn’t let her return, but Lu Tao casually found an excuse to shift the blame off herself.
Lu Cen froze for a moment, then his face twitched with anger as the words “Are you messing with me?” nearly slipped out—but he forced them back down.
He enjoyed investing and couldn’t stand his father’s old-fashioned conservative ways.
The bigger the waves, the more valuable the fish; opportunity always went hand in hand with risk.
After he became general manager of the Lu Corporation, he’d invested everywhere, but luck had never been on his side—he was always missing that little bit of fortune.
Lu Tao had been funneling money to him one after another before. If Lu Tao had President Gu’s backing and continued to support him, he was sure he’d have his day in the sun!
But the problem now was that if Lu Tao didn’t keep secretly investing in him, the Lu family would have no choice but to sell off some of their properties—otherwise, their capital chain would snap.
No way! He absolutely couldn’t let his father discover the hole in his investments. He had to wait until he’d made money before giving him a pleasant surprise.
“Ha…” Lu Tao had just taken a sip of tea—of course she knew exactly what Lu Cen was scheming.
She had a bird’s-eye view, after all.
Six months from now, the Lu Corporation would go bankrupt, and everything would fall apart!
Father Lu would discover all of Lu Cen’s secret investments and give him a thorough beating, but in the end, he’d protect his son and pin the entire deficit on Lu Tao instead.
He’d say Lu Tao couldn’t adapt to a more frugal lifestyle and spent money like water.
Everyone around would call Lu Tao a jinx.
When Qiao Zhixing was in the Lu family, the Lu Corporation was thriving and booming. The moment Qiao Zhixing left, the Lu family’s fortunes cooled along with their tea.
But in truth, even before Qiao Zhixing left, the Lu family was already an empty shell.
By then, Chi Yuan would also be glad he hadn’t been held back by old feelings—he’d picked the right side in time, choosing the even more powerful Qiao family.
When Lu Tao had read this book before, she’d been furious because of the same-name-same-person immersion, wishing she could charge into the book and clear the original soul’s name.
And now, these very things were about to happen directly to her.
Dumping such a huge blame on her head?
No way!
Lu Cen thought it over, and putting the bigger picture first, he softened his tone to coax her. “If you’re unhappy with the food, just tell your brother directly in the future. I’ll make it right for you—I’ll dock Tang Sao’s wages! Tang Sao and Zhixing are close, but she’s also been with the Lu family for over a decade. I never thought she’d pull something like this.”
He put on a show of defending Lu Tao, which only earned him a cold laugh from her.
Lu Cen furrowed his brow, increasingly feeling that the current Lu Tao was impossible to read.
He knew Lu Tao hadn’t been treated well at the Qiao family before.
According to the psychology books he’d read—give a little reward, then a sharp blow—the same principle applied to training people or dogs.
So he hardened his tone again. “Lu Tao, you and Mr. Gu never came back for the return visit. You’ve been a daughter of the Lu family for so many years—you barely fulfilled any filial duties before marrying off. I don’t mind these things myself, but I’m afraid others will see it and start gossiping.”
Lu Tao wasn’t buying into moral blackmail. She kept eating the little snacks someone had prepared in her room, cheeks puffed out as she spoke indistinctly, “I’m busy lately. I’ll come back in a couple of days.”
“A couple of days?” Lu Cen panicked, sweat beading on his forehead. His house was on fire and he couldn’t keep it hidden much longer. “Aren’t you on summer break? How can you be busy?”
Lu Tao: “Heh, you have a problem with that? If you have a problem, go tell Gu Xingzhi. Or should I tell him right now?”
“N-No… that’s not it. Please don’t.” More sweat poured out, trickling down and soaking his shirt.
Lu Cen wouldn’t dare verify anything with Gu Xingzhi—he wouldn’t dare even with ten times the courage. So he forced a stiff smile. “This little matter isn’t worth troubling President Gu. Fine, we’ll do as you say—come back in a couple of days.”
…
Late at night, all was quiet.
To make things convenient for the young master and mistress to have their fights, Butler Wan had made major adjustments to the room—the display cabinets were moved out, the young master’s childhood trophies and medals were moved out…
So now the room was empty, with nothing but a bed.
Oh, right—to prevent any major accidents, he’d also cleared away all the knives, crossbows, and other weapons from the room.
For the sake of this family, he’d truly worn himself thin.
He’d called his old friend Old Song today. That household’s lady was quiet and gentle, like a peach, calling out “Grandpa Song” in the sweetest, loveliest voice.
Even though Old Song just had premature gray hair and she was making him sound older, he could tell from that proud, tsundere tone that Old Song was secretly delighted.
Butler Wan couldn’t have been more envious.
Butler Song only smiled a hollow smile. “Then how about we swap?”
Butler Wan quickly said, “No swap, no swap, no swap!”
Important things must be said three times!
His young master was only hard to please because of his eye condition.
But Mr. Gu—he was the truly unfathomable one. No matter how you reasoned forward or backward, you could never guess his intentions.
Especially… after what happened to the Gu family before…
At the thought, Butler Wan’s gaze turned somewhat profound.
At this moment, Bai Yu was wearing a dark ink-green silk pajama set, with a strip of black cloth covering his eyes.
Though his eyes were merely for show, and whether or not they were covered made no real difference.
But he didn’t want to see—not even a glimpse!
The lesson from last night’s failure had taught him that even the slightest oversight could lead to his downfall!
He leaned against the edge of the bed, holding a book printed in Braille, flipping through it at lightning speed, his body radiating a subtle tension.
He had just taken a drink of water. Though he couldn’t see, he stubbornly insisted on drinking by himself. A few droplets had slipped, leaving one or two crystalline beads clinging to his Adam’s apple—making him look like a celibate monk.
When Fu Zhi strode in with an air of ease, this was the scene she beheld.
She curled her lips. This kid wasn’t bad-looking after all. If Lu Tao couldn’t win over Gu Xingzhi, she might consider stealing a seed from him instead.
The soft bed beside her dipped as she sat down. Bai Yu gritted his teeth—this was his room, yet she made herself as comfortable as if it were her own home.
Fu Zhi pulled the blanket over herself in one fluid motion. “I’ll be home very late tomorrow night, and I might not come back at all. You can stop guarding against me.”
Bai Yu’s expression froze. “Where are you going?”
Fu Zhi closed her eyes. Having slept well these past few days, she was in an unusually good mood. “To a concert.”
“A concert?” Bai Yu sneered. “I didn’t think you had such leisure.”
“You know the person too.” Fu Zhi opened her eyes, turned onto her side, propped her head on her hand, and regarded him with unhurried amusement.
“Who?”
“Yu Xi.”
“What?” Bai Yu immediately lost his composure. “Going to see Yu Xi’s concert?”
Though their marriage had been a twist of fate, he had recently taken the approach of knowing his enemy to ensure victory in every battle—and had inadvertently learned a thing or two about her pre-marital situation.
She was a die-hard fan of Yu Xi, crazy for him, wild for him, willing to slam herself against a wall for him.
She had spared no expense in supporting him. Being a wealthy fan, she had bought one thousand three hundred and fourteen copies of his magazine outright, followed his every schedule, and stayed up all night crunching data for him.
Bai Yu didn’t know much about fan culture, only having heard bits and pieces.
He wondered if she called him “hubby” like other fangirls did.
At the thought, Bai Yu’s face flushed crimson, and his fists clenched tightly. “You’re not allowed to go!”