Hua Rui hadn’t actually noticed anything unusual about Lu Xiaolu’s attitude toward Hua Wuque.
After sending the two away, she quietly took out the desserts Hua Wuque had packed for her. The soufflé inside was exactly what she had been craving.
She simply wanted to savor the cake alone!
If Lu Xiaolu had been there, he would have definitely stopped her…
Upon arriving in Italy, Lu Jianshen was greeted by a grand welcome from the politicians of the provincial government as soon as he stepped off the plane.
The investment he was there to finalize was closely tied to local infrastructure development and urban improvement projects, which the provincial government took extremely seriously.
That very evening, accompanied by local politicians, he attended tours, negotiations, and social engagements, keeping him busy until late into the night…
This was indeed a romantic country brimming with Italian charm!
An elegant and beautiful concert showcased the region’s unique classical romanticism.
Sitting in the VIP section, Lu Jianshen suddenly thought of that young girl!
With her strong artistic sensibility, the refined art being performed on stage would surely capture her interest!
She was already eighteen years old. No matter how much the Hua family doted on her, it was time to let her venture out into the world!
After all, her identity was no longer just that of the Hua family’s daughter—she was also Lu Jianshen’s fiancée!
He had already resisted the urge to message her nine times.
It was just past 8 p.m. in Italy, but in Beijing, it was already past 2 a.m. the next day.
This was precisely why he had held back from disturbing her!
For the tenth time, he decided he didn’t want to hold back any longer!
He took out his phone, opened the chat window, and with his slender fingers, lightly typed a few letters:
Buonanotte, Angelo!
After sending it, he felt completely at ease!
In Beijing, in Hua Rui’s room.
It was a typical girl’s room, yet not adorned with the usual pink hues or excessive decorations.
The overall tone of the room was white and gray—simple, elegant, yet lively and spirited.
All the liveliness came from the color accents of the furniture, blending warm and cool tones in a stylish and unique way.
The only thing that reflected the girlish aura was the neatly arranged Monchhichi dolls of varying sizes on the bay window.
The young girl Hua Rui was a Monchhichi enthusiast! She owned Monchhichi dolls in all sorts of designs at home.
She had even privately commissioned a custom Monchhichi series exclusively for herself from the doll company.
The sleeping beauty stirred slightly, feeling a bit thirsty.
She pressed the pink bell by her bedside, her eyes half-open and half-closed:
“Auntie, I’m thirsty. I’d like some 37-degree soda water.”
Within ten seconds, a maid opened the door and brought her water.
Hua Rui drank half a glass: “Thank you, Auntie!”
The maid smiled gently: “Miss, it’s only a little past 2 a.m. Please go back to sleep!”
“Oh!” She obediently lay back down and pulled the silk quilt over herself.
In the air, there was a faint, sweet floral fragrance—the blooming pure white roses her mother had placed in her room that evening.
Her deer-like eyes blinked in the darkness, and she noticed a faint light appearing.
She had always been a clever girl.
At this hour, the most likely possibility was that Lu Jianshen, far away in Italy, had sent her a message.
Feeling a subtle emotion in her heart, she picked up her phone, opened it, and saw the message.
Not having studied Italian, she had to search for the translation on her phone.
What he had sent was: Good night, angel!
Those four words made her heart skip a beat.
Without hesitation, she pressed the voice message button and spoke in a soft, sweet tone:
“Uncle, could you please say it in Italian? It would show more sincerity!”
Lu Jianshen hadn’t expected her to reply.
When he saw the message on his phone, he was clinking glasses with a certain mayor.
The man noticed his expression, smiled, and asked in Italian, roughly meaning:
“Mr. Lu, is it Mrs. Lu?”
Lu Jianshen looked up, a hint of tenderness flickering in his hawk-like eyes:
“Yes, please wait a moment. I’ll wish her goodnight in Italian.”
He found a quiet spot and quickly sent a voice message to Hua Rui, adding: “Go to sleep right away, no more than ten minutes!”
Upon receiving the voice message, Hua Rui listened to the pronunciation of the words several times, then opened the voice message and replied with a goodnight wish in Italian.
A small interlude in the middle of the night!
That man had told her to fall asleep within ten minutes. Truly the style of a strict teacher!
Hua Rui obediently closed her eyes and soon drifted off to sleep.
For Hua Rui, this was just a simple exchange between friends.
For Lu Jianshen, however, even a simple exchange could easily stir his emotions.
He had long understood how much he cared for this young girl!
Perhaps as early as when she was born, when he began selecting betrothal gifts for her.
Or perhaps when he was eighteen, during his coming-of-age ceremony, when he spotted that eight-year-old “runaway princess” in the crowd at first glance.
He just hadn’t expected that his care for her would make him—someone hardened by years in the business world, with a heart as tough as iron—suddenly soften so completely in her presence!
Hua Rui soon received a custom invitation from a French luxury brand.
The brand invited her to attend their fashion show in person and discuss integrating China’s intangible cultural heritage of sugar figurine art with the brand’s newly launched clothing, shoes, and bags.
Sugar figurine art? The young girl smiled faintly, a light frown on her brow.
While creating the Tang Palace Beauty series of sugar figurines, she had already planned to reach out to the high-end luxury brands she collaborated with.
She hadn’t expected it to come so soon!
Could it be simply because of that unintentional act—taking a certain 1.9-meter-tall iceberg to visit a sugar figurine shop?
The young girl’s bright, deer-like eyes sparkled with a mischievous glint.
She was eager to accept the brand’s invitation right away.
At 85 years old, she had always been pampered and sheltered, never once stepping outside of China!
But…
She went directly to her father, Zaitian Hua.
The headquarters of Huatian Group was located in a prime spot in Beijing’s CBD.
The 50-story standalone office building stood in harmony with the 55-story Jinguang Building across the street.
That 55-story standalone building belonged to the Lu family.
The third of China’s three major conglomerates was the Cheng family, based in Haishi. The Cheng family had one son, Cheng Qian, and one daughter, Cheng Yun.
It was said that Cheng Qian, the son of the Cheng family, was the marriage partner Lu Yuanting had in mind for Lu Xiaolu.
Zaitian Hua was in a meeting when, during a break, his senior secretary approached:
“Chairman Hua, Miss Hua Rui is here to see you!”
A flicker of tenderness crossed Zaitian Hua’s stern face as he thought to himself:
“Why is the little one here at this hour? Did she skip class?”
In the lounge, when he saw the little angel, Zaitian Hua’s expression softened completely: “Ruìruì!”
“Dad!”
Hua Rui bounced over, craning her neck to look up at Zaitian Hua, her small hands clutching the hem of his suit jacket and gently swaying it.
Zaitian Hua smiled. Such obedient and well-behaved behavior surely meant she had something to ask of him!
“Go on, what is it?” he asked gently, patting her little head.
“Dad, do you think China’s intangible cultural heritage should go international?”
“Absolutely!” Zaitian Hua replied without hesitation.
“When this honorable task falls upon your daughter, are you not happy?”
Zaitian Hua furrowed his brow: “And then?”
“I want to blend the art of sugar figurines with a brand’s new season collection!”
“Fine, it’s a global village—just do it at home!”
Hua Rui’s deer-like eyes darted around:
“But to go international, just staying at home and working behind closed doors will never produce designs with soul!”
“Where do you want to go?” Zaitian Hua stared into her eyes.
“France!”
Zaitian Hua said nothing.
After a long while, Hua Rui finally heard two words from the stern Chairman Hua’s lips:
“Not allowed!”