Hearing the anxious shouting behind her, Lu Shiman couldn’t help shaking her head.
So impatient.He’d already lost his composure after barely any time at all. She really wondered how he’d managed to endure for so many years.
She turned around and looked at Li Shichuan with an innocent expression.
“A key? What key?”
“I only took the money. I didn’t see anything else. Isn’t the wallet still on the ground? Look carefully—it should be inside. Or maybe it fell somewhere.”
She pulled out the cash in her hand and fanned it out, showing it to him bill by bill.
“But Dad, what kind of key is it anyway? Why are you so anxious?”
Cold sweat poured down Li Shichuan’s forehead.
He really had lost his head—blurting it out like that. That was his last trump card.
Had he grown stupid from spending too much time with Xiang Hongmei?
He forced a dry laugh. “It’s nothing—just the key to my room. Go eat. Come home early.”
He didn’t even feel the pain of losing the money anymore. Finding the key mattered far more. If he couldn’t find it, he’d have to pry open the secret room. And if he hired someone to do that, everything inside would be exposed.
Thinking of the gold inside, Li Shichuan hurriedly shook his head.
That was too terrifying.
If anyone found out about that gold, forget Hong Kong—he wouldn’t even make it across the river outside his own door.
Standing at the corner, Lu Shiman watched him crouch on the ground, searching inch by inch like a dog. She clutched her stomach and laughed silently.
Who would’ve thought that the once-lofty Li Shichuan would end up like this?
If only she had a phone—she would’ve recorded this scene and looped it outside for everyone to admire his “elegance.”
After watching for a bit, she grew bored. Turning away, she left without another glance.
With money and ration coupons in hand, eating out was easy. The state-run restaurant was surprisingly good.
She spent one yuan along with some grain and meat coupons and enjoyed three dishes and a soup. The braised pork was rich but not greasy, the minced-meat steamed egg was silky smooth, and the vegetables were cooked just right.
She wiped the table clean.
Once she cut ties with Li Shichuan, she wouldn’t be able to eat like this anymore.
Days of such extravagance were numbered. Even if Song Zhibai was willing to support her, she couldn’t be feasting like this every day—that was just asking to be reported.
After eating, she strolled around for a while before heading home.
At the entrance, she saw Li Shichuan sitting on a small stool, face dark and mood clearly foul.
Lu Shiman raised an eyebrow. Of course—anyone would be miserable after failing to find the key.
“Manman, you really didn’t see the key in the wallet?” Li Shichuan rushed up to her the moment he saw her.
He’d practically turned the house upside down, yet there was still no sign of it. He was certain the key had been in his wallet. It couldn’t have just vanished.
It had to be that troublesome little brat hiding it on purpose. It had to be.
“I was starving at the time. I was only thinking about eating—how would I notice any key?” she replied impatiently.
“What kind of key is so precious anyway? If it’s lost, it’s lost. I didn’t even panic when I lost the key to our family vault. You’re freaking out over some random house key.”
“That won’t do, Dad. A person’s composure matters. True successful people don’t wear their emotions on their faces.”
She lectured him with a straight face, making Li Shichuan itch to slap her.
When she lost a key, he had been the one to hit her. When she didn’t panic, it was because she was brainless. Was that what she called composure?
Only a fool like her could say something so foolish.
“Manman, that key is very important to me,” Li Shichuan said, pinching his thigh hard until tears welled up. “It contains your mother’s keepsakes…”
Lu Shiman sneered inwardly.
Keepsakes? Please. What Li Shichuan hated most was marrying into the Lu family like a kept man. He despised Lu Shiyin even more. Any trace of her in his room had long been wiped clean.
She lowered her eyes and forced some sadness into her voice.
“I miss Mom too. How about we go see Mom and Grandpa?”
“We can kneel at Mom’s grave and pray. She’ll definitely forgive you for losing the key.”
She spoke with utter sincerity, choking Li Shichuan mid-performance.
Was that what he meant?
Was Lu Shiyin really not pregnant with another man’s child behind his back? How could she give birth to such an idiot?!
It was already dark. Kneeling at the Lu family graves—was she not afraid?
He took a deep breath and glanced at Lu Shiman’s tearful, lowered gaze. Thinking carefully, someone this stupid probably couldn’t be lying. Could the key really be lost?
“Dad,” Lu Shiman whispered suddenly, “could someone in the house have stolen it?”
She lowered her voice conspiratorially. “After all, we do have two ‘relatives from the countryside’ living here.”
“Maybe those two nannies have bad intentions and stole our things.”
She planted the seed gently. Once doubt took root, all she had to do was wait.
“Impossible. They wouldn’t steal from me,” Li Shichuan said firmly.
Xiang Hongmei was his woman, and Li Weimian was his daughter. How could they steal from him?
“But besides us, there’s no one else,” Lu Shiman said softly, then sighed.“Forget it. No matter what I say, you won’t believe me. I’m going back to my room.”
She was tired of playing along. Acting was exhausting.
And Li Shichuan’s certainty meant nothing—sooner or later, suspicion would fall on that mother and daughter.
A faint smile curved her lips as she slowly went upstairs.
Li Weimian had been watching for a long time. She pressed her lips together, malice creeping into her gaze.
“Your heart is so rotten. You throw dirty water on us—no wonder nobody likes you. You’re a vicious, evil woman.”
Lu Shiman raised an eyebrow, arms crossed, and gave her a disdainful glance.
“Oh, so it’s you—the little sewer rat.”
“What did I say wrong? And as for nobody liking me—does that matter?”
This fearless little white-flower act was quite amusing. She really didn’t understand why someone like Li Weimian would transmigrate into a story like this. Weren’t rich Hong Kong tycoons supposed to like women who could grow and advance together with them?
Why would they like someone who only knew how to cry?
Or was it just because Li Weimian was pretty? But beauty couldn’t be eaten. There would always be fresh, lovely eighteen-year-olds—anyone would do.
Shaking her head, the contempt in her eyes deepened.
“You’re the sewer rat! People like you should be paraded through the streets and sent to the cowshed!”
“Tch. You’re spending my family’s money and still have the nerve to say that? If you’ve got guts, say it in front of my dad!”
With that, Lu Shiman raised her hand and delivered another crisp slap—perfectly symmetrical with the one from earlier.
Satisfied with her work, she called out downstairs loudly:
“The little nanny you brought in says we should be paraded through the streets and sent to the cowshed!”