“Sir, will you be good to me?”
This was a common conversation between ordinary unmarried men and women, but it didn’t quite suit him.
Mo Hanzhou’s fingers gently stroked the boy’s cheek, his mind drifting for a moment: Warm fragrance and soft jade this must be what they meant.
“Of course.”
Lu Qiao closed his eyes, satisfied.
Yes! My husband said he’ll be good to me!
It was already three in the afternoon. Mo Hanzhou hadn’t invited Lu Qiao to dinner, which meant the date was coming to an end.
Lu Qiao gazed reluctantly at Mo Hanzhou, who was just a few steps away, arranging for someone to take him home. Suddenly, Lu Qiao spoke up: “Can I go home with you?”
“Cough, cough, cough.”
Assistant Fang beside them choked on air.
Mo Hanzhou shot him a mild glance before turning back to Lu Qiao with a gentle smile. “Next time. I have work at the company and won’t be home for the next few days.”
“Is that so?” Lu Qiao’s expression turned regretful, but he quickly perked up again.
“Then, Mr. Mo, remember to come see me again. I’ll wait for you at home, obediently.”
Mo Hanzhou suddenly felt a sweet, almost overwhelming pressure. He smiled and replied, “Alright, I will.”
After seeing Lu Qiao off, Fang Zhongbai shook his head and couldn’t help but remark, “This young master Lu Qiao is really…”
Mo Hanzhou withdrew his gaze, a different smile appearing on his face.
“Isn’t he interesting?”
On the other end, as soon as Lu Qiao returned home, the first thing he did was teach his cheap older brother, Mr. Yu Jiadong, a lesson.
That evening, when Yu Jiadong came home, he was walking down the hallway when someone suddenly yanked him into a room. A familiar sense of danger surged within him. Just as Yu Jiadong was about to scream, a pale, soft hand slid around his neck and tightened around his throat the lifeline of his fate.
Yu Jiadong’s feet were lifted off the ground, leaving him struggling on tiptoe as cold sweat rapidly beaded on his forehead.
Lu Qiao watched him with a detached, unreadable expression, showing no trace of anger.
“I was going to let you off before, but since you’re so clueless, you can be my slave now.”
What? Yu Jiadong wondered if he’d misheard. But Lu Qiao’s teasing gaze held no hint of a joke.
“I’ll let go now. You know what to do, right?”
Yu Jiadong frantically nodded his chin. As soon as Lu Qiao released him, Yu Jiadong spun around and lunged for the door. His hand had barely touched the doorknob when a foot struck the back of his calf. Yu Jiadong involuntarily dropped to his knees, his kneecaps hitting the floor with a sharp, resounding crack.
*Thud *
“What’s the rush? It’s not like I’m keeping you overnight.”
Lu Qiao spoke leisurely, sizing up Yu Jiadong with ease.
“Now, will you listen to me?”
Yu Jiadong nodded wildly.
“I want you to be my eyes. Bring me the company reports.”
Yu Jiadong was about to refuse, but seeing the intimidating, though not cold, look in Lu Qiao’s eyes, his words changed at the last moment:
” I don’t have access to those yet.”
Lu Qiao gave him a look that clearly said, You’re useless.
“Then bring me whatever you can get now. Don’t tell me you can’t even do that.”
Yu Jiadong had a strong suspicion that saying no would get him assassinated. He now felt intensely that the Lu Qiao before him was truly different from before.
Swallowing hard, he nodded slowly.
“Good boy.”
Lu Qiao wanted to pat his head like he used to with his pets, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it. So, he settled for a verbal pat on the head.
“Alright, you can leave now. I want to see the report within five days.”
Yu Jiadong scrambled out of the room in a panic. Lu Qiao watched his retreating figure with a leisurely gaze before calmly closing the door.
He had no interest in managing the company or placating shareholders, but that didn’t mean he was willing to let others take what was rightfully his. From the very first day he arrived in this world, he knew that the old man intended to sell him off like a commodity to Mo Hanzhou let it be clear, he had nothing against Mo Hanzhou. In fact, he thought Mo Hanzhou was wonderful. Mo Hanzhou, my dear husband, I love you~
But what belonged to him should remain his, and what didn’t belong to him could also become his under the right circumstances.
No one could take anything away from him.
That being said, would Yu Jiadong really obey so obediently?
Of course not!
Yu Jiadong was never one to do good deeds in the first place. With the convenience of the Lu family, he had made connections both inside and outside their social circle. When there was nothing to do, they would hang out and indulge in idle pleasures. But when trouble arose, Yu Jiadong’s so-called brothers were always the first to step up.
On the very night Lu Qiao threatened him, Yu Jiadong gathered several of his brothers. The next day, they huddled together to discuss how to deal with Lu Qiao.
“Brother, just give the word, and we’ll do whatever it takes!”
Yu Jiadong crushed his cigarette butt into an ashtray and exhaled a cloud of smoke.
“He’s still the old man’s son, and we’re in the middle of the crucial marriage alliance with the Mo family. Let’s just teach him a lesson, make him understand who’s really in charge here.”
“Don’t cripple him, just rough him up enough to get the point across.”
“Got it, got it…”
Since Lu Qiao “returned,” none of his so-called friends had reached out to him. His contact list was sparse, mostly filled with former classmates. But they had graduated in June, and aside from occasional activity in the class group chat, almost no one messaged him privately.
One day, Lu Qiao suddenly received a call from a man claiming to be his friend, inviting him out for some fun.
Socializing was one of the essential skills humans needed to master, so Lu Qiao happily agreed mainly because he was bored at home and wanted to explore the map a bit.
He arrived at the café where they had agreed to meet at the appointed time. As soon as he entered, someone waved vigorously at him. This person, like Yu Jiadong, had a shifty, untrustworthy appearance. He repeatedly addressed Lu Qiao as “Young Master Lu” and led him toward a bar.
No matter which world you were in, one truth remained eternal: you could never trust the friends you made in a bar.
Lu Qiao had no tolerance for drugs in his current state, so he kept a close eye on his drink, never letting it out of his sight. The reason he hadn’t left yet was to see what this so-called “friend” was really up to.
After a few rounds of drinks, both of them were feeling a bit tipsy. Lu Qiao’s current body wasn’t used to drinking, so he eventually stopped touching his glass, no matter how much his friend tried to persuade him.
“Alright, alright, I’m going to the restroom, and then I’m heading back.”
His friend headed toward the restroom. A few minutes later, instead of returning, he called Lu Qiao.
“Lu, I just stepped out to the back door to sober up and get some air, but my wallet’s gone missing. Can you go check for me?”
Lu Qiao raised an eyebrow slightly. Such a clumsy excuse?
“Sure.”
Lu Qiao made his way through the crowded bar to the back door. The front entrance faced the main road, while the back door opened into a narrow alley paved with cobblestones. The nearest lit-up shops were far away, leaving only the faint glow of streetlights and the shadows of trees stretching into the distance.
Spotting a narrow alley a few steps away, Lu Qiao narrowed his eyes and deliberately walked inside. As soon as he entered, he sensed someone following him and blocking the entrance, while from the other end, another figure approached.
Lu Qiao stopped and glanced back and forth. After a moment, he said:
“Five of you? That’s it?”
The leader of the group pressed his cigarette against the wall to extinguish it.
“Kid, don’t talk so big.”
Lu Qiao smiled faintly. “I’ll return those words to you.”
Before the man could say anything more, his vision suddenly blurred. In the next instant, a heavy, scorching force slammed into his abdomen, piercing through skin and flesh. His stomach twisted in agony, and he doubled over, clutching his belly as he collapsed.
“Boss!”
“Big brother!”
The others rushed forward.
Startled by the sounds of the scuffle, passersby quickly distanced themselves from the scene. Lu Qiao placed one foot on the man beneath him while scrolling through his phone’s contacts. Sure enough, he found Yu Jiadong’s name. The transactions between them were substantial casual red packets amounted to thousands or even tens of thousands, all accompanied by affectionate terms like “brother.”
Why so disobedient?
A faint smile lingered on Lu Qiao’s face. Disobedient pets needed to be taught a lesson.
He lowered his gaze, fixing it on the man beneath him. “Done this kind of thing a lot before, haven’t you?”
The man pinned under Lu Qiao’s foot shook his head frantically. “No, never! At most, we’ve only seen you from a distance before. We’ve never laid a hand on you. We usually just help Brother Yu deal with his competitors.”
Yu Jiadong’s methods were dirty, and Lu Guoan, caring only about profit, turned a blind eye to his stepson’s tactics. This approach had persisted. In the past, Lu Qiao had been timid and submissive around Yu Jiadong, so Yu Jiadong had never felt the need to use his “brothers” to deal with someone like him.
“Enough, I can’t be bothered talking to you. I’ll have a word with your Brother Yu myself.”
Lu Qiao snapped a few photos as evidence and was about to stand up when he suddenly heard a familiar voice behind him.
“Young Master Lu Qiao?”
His extraordinary memory and keen hearing kicked in at that moment. The instant he recognized the newcomer, Lu Qiao sensed trouble. In a flash, he swiftly pulled up the man beneath his foot and hissed a fierce warning:
“Do as I say!”
The person outside the alley had already drawn closer. Lu Qiao turned around, his face now wearing an expression of fragile helplessness, his eyes wide with panic as he cried out:
“Assistant Fang!”
Fang Zhongbai frowned as he surveyed the scene of men sprawled on the ground inside the alley. “What happened? Are you hurt, Young Master Lu Qiao?”
” I’m fine,” Lu Qiao replied, clutching his chest as if still shaken. “Some people were causing trouble, but thankfully this kind stranger saved me.”
He gave a slight push to the man he had just warned, his hand still resting on the man’s back. The man froze for a moment before nodding frantically.
Fang Zhongbai sensed something off, but his primary concern was Lu Qiao’s safety. He quickly scanned the young man, relieved to see no obvious injuries.
“It’s good that you’re unharmed, Young Master Lu Qiao.”
“By the way, what are you doing here? This area isn’t safe.”
“A friend brought me here.”
Lu Qiao adopted the naive expression typical of a sheltered young master, speaking slowly and deliberately.
“Since graduating, no one has invited me out. He’s my only friend. He said he wanted to drink, so he brought me here.”
“Where is he now?”
“Ah, I don’t know.” A flicker of confusion passed through Lu Qiao’s eyes:
“He said he dropped his wallet near the back door and asked me to help him look for it. He’s probably still in the shop.”
Fang Zhongbai, being a sharp-witted man, instantly pieced things together. His gaze toward Lu Qiao was now filled with pity, and his tone grew even gentler:
“I understand, Young Master Lu Qiao. Please wait a moment.”
Lu Qiao nodded obediently.
Fang Zhongbai asked his two friends behind him to keep an eye on things while he stepped aside to make a phone call. After a while, he returned, his face having regained its usual composed, professional demeanor.
“Mr. Mo says this place isn’t safe. He happens to be nearby and is coming to pick you up.”
A trace of secret delight flashed across Lu Qiao’s brow. He tried to suppress it and cautiously asked:
“Pick me up?”
“To go back to Mr. Mo’s home?”
Fang Zhongbai nodded.
Lu Qiao took a sharp breath:
Yu Jiadong, I misjudged you.
You are the true god!