Wen? Is that a relative from Xiao Qiao’s adoptive parents’ side?
The Lu family had excellent upbringing, and Lu Minglang felt it wasn’t appropriate to answer the phone for Xiao Qiao.
Just as he hesitated, the call ended.
But soon, another number called.
[Ms. Xu]
Lu Minglang’s eyes darkened. He remembered from the records that Xiao Qiao’s adoptive mother’s surname was Xu…
He got up and went to a corner without surveillance cameras, lightly tapping the answer button.
After the call connected, Lu Minglang didn’t rush to speak.
A sharp, harsh woman’s voice came through the receiver: “You little brat, are you busy reincarnating? Taking so long to answer the phone!”
Lu Minglang replied calmly: “Hello, who is this? I’m Xiao Qiao’s friend.”
The person on the other end paused, cleared her throat: “Hello, hello, I’m Wen Ruqiao’s mother. I need to talk to her. Give her the phone.”
So she really is Xiao Qiao’s adoptive mother…
Suppressing his emotions, Lu Minglang said coolly: “She’s not available to take the phone right now. You can tell me what you need, and I’ll pass it on to her.”
“Is she doing experiments again? I’ve told her, what’s the point of a girl being so accomplished? She’ll just get married sooner or later…” Ms. Xu muttered a few sentences before stating her purpose: “Tell her her sister wants to take the postgraduate entrance exam. Have her arrange for her to get into Jingda University!”
Lu Minglang frowned: “I’m afraid Xiao Qiao can’t help with that.”
Ms. Xu’s voice suddenly rose: “She can’t even handle such a small thing?! I think she’s getting too bold without a beating. Raising her is worse than raising a dog…”
Perhaps realizing she needed to maintain some image in front of an outsider, Ms. Xu’s voice gradually softened. She didn’t continue cursing but spoke impatiently: “Anyway, just tell her she must do this! Otherwise, she can forget about coming back to this family!!”
A young boy’s voice then came through the receiver: “Hey, tell my sister to transfer me twenty thousand yuan. I want to buy a game console…”
Ms. Xu scolded in frustration: “What sister?! Is she worthy of being your sister? Only Nainai is your sister!”
The boy mumbled a few more things, but Lu Minglang couldn’t make out what he said.
Rage surged, making his head throb faintly. He couldn’t believe the Wen family treated Xiao Qiao like this!
What did they even see her as?
A yes-man? A cash machine?!
They didn’t even bother hiding it in front of an outsider. One could only imagine how much worse they were to Xiao Qiao’s face!
Lu Minglang’s chest heaved violently. Using all his restraint, he refrained from cursing back and simply hung up.
He wasn’t yet sure about Xiao Qiao’s attitude toward her adoptive parents’ family, so he couldn’t act rashly.
The phone screen went dark. Lu Minglang took a long time to calm down and regain his composure.
He made a call on his own phone, instructing someone to thoroughly investigate Xiao Qiao’s adoptive family.
Airport.
In the first-class cabin of a certain flight.
There was still some time before takeoff. Xiang Wanli cautiously glanced at the seat next to him. The man in a black shirt was watching the “Island Survival” livestream on his phone, his fingers long and pale, his legs casually crossed. Just sitting there, he looked as pleasing to the eye as a magazine cover model.
Xiang Wanli breathed a sigh of relief.
Good, good. As long as Yue Yuan didn’t show up, it was fine.
“Would you like something to drink?” he asked Fu Yuchuan. “Water? Coffee? Or I can have a drink with you?”
Fu Yuchuan’s voice was low and indifferent. “No need.”
Xiang Wanli, having made an unwelcome advance, awkwardly rubbed his nose in disappointment.
An Aquarius with such a cleanliness obsession?
Hmph, maybe going to “Island Survival” would be good for him. He refused to believe that Fu Yuchuan wouldn’t break this bad habit when he was starving!
“The livestream is still on. Is there any footage of Miss Wen?” Xiang Wanli leaned over to look at Fu Yuchuan’s screen. “She’s a newcomer; I wonder if she’ll get bullied…”
Just then, the scene showed Lu Minglang sweeping Wen Ruqiao off her feet in a bridal carry. Xiang Wanli, the top-tier agent, nearly choked on the spot!
Holy crap! Miss Wen works fast, doesn’t she? It’s only been a few days since she dumped Fu Yuchuan, and she’s already landed a top-tier celebrity??
His expression twisted like a pained mask as he cautiously glanced at Fu Yuchuan’s face, fearing a personality switch at any moment.
—Only a handful of people knew about Fu Yuchuan’s condition.
Fortunately, Fu Yuchuan appeared calm as usual, though the sharp, cold lines of his profile and his aloof, ascetic aura made him seem untouchable.
Xiang Wanli: ??
He can tolerate being dumped, but can he tolerate being cheated on??
Has Fu Yuchuan gone even crazier?!
The camera followed Lu Minglang, tracking him from the pavilion all the way to the bedroom.
When Lu Minglang placed Wen Ruqiao on the bed, the camera even zoomed in for a close-up.
A handsome man and a beautiful woman, bathed in gentle lamplight—the scene was so perfect it could have been straight out of an idol drama.
Xiang Wanli swallowed hard and silently tightened his seatbelt.
“Hello, the plane is about to take off. Please turn off your electronic devices,” a flight attendant’s sweet, polite voice announced.
“Sure, sure.” Xiang Wanli pulled out his phone and switched it to airplane mode.
What he missed was the moment when Wen Ruqiao kicked off the blanket, lifting the hem of her skirt slightly.
Her calves were pale and slender, her skin flawless like milk…
When he turned to remind Fu Yuchuan, he found that Fu Yuchuan had already turned off his phone screen.
The man’s eyes were shockingly dark, and the chill surrounding him seemed to have grown even colder.
Even the flight attendant who had wanted to ask for an autograph didn’t dare to speak up.
Xiang Wanli was utterly bewildered. What on earth had happened in those few seconds?
Why did he sense an overwhelmingly oppressive and intimidating aura emanating from Fu Yuchuan??
And a faint, almost imperceptible hostility—stubborn and erratic—a trait that only appeared when Yue Yuan, Fu Yuchuan’s most dangerous personality, emerged…
Xiang Wanli: shivering.jpg
Night passed, morning arrived.
When Wen Ruqiao woke up, her head throbbed with pain—a classic hangover symptom.
She couldn’t hold her liquor well but still craved it, a classic case of “all talk, no tolerance.”
An Ruosu happened to walk in with a glass of water. Seeing Wen Ruqiao sitting up in bed, hugging the blanket, she greeted her, “Morning. Here, have some honey water.”
Wen Ruqiao’s cherry lips moved slightly, her voice dry and hoarse. “Thank you.”
“If you want to thank someone, thank Lu Minglang. He made this for you.”
The way he carefully adjusted the water temperature made her green with envy.
The country owes her a brother like that!
Wen Ruqiao gulped down most of the glass, finally feeling a bit better.
She hopped out of bed and headed to the bathroom for a shower.
The water flow was a bit weak, but Wen Ruqiao didn’t pay it much mind. Just as she lathered shampoo into her hair, covering it in foam, the trickle of water turned into sporadic drips… and then stopped completely.
From outside the door, An Ruosu’s voice called out, “Ru Qiao, are you done? Aunt Liu said the water will be cut off for two hours this morning!”
Wen Ruqiao: ??
She had no choice but to wrap her hair in a towel, change her clothes, and step outside, looking innocent. “I haven’t finished washing my hair yet…”
An Ruosu laughed heartily. “Wait in the yard for a bit. I’ll go check if there’s any water left in the kitchen.”
Wen Ruqiao obediently sat on a small stool in the yard and yawned. Out of habit, she raised her hand to rub her eyes, accidentally smearing leftover shampoo into them. Instantly, the stinging sensation made it impossible for her to open her eyes, and her little face scrunched up in discomfort.
Vaguely, she heard the sound of steady, powerful footsteps approaching her step by step…
Then, they stopped right in front of her.