Volume 1 Chapter 2: Dumplings Should Be Eaten Piping Hot, Men Should Be Loved When They’re Strong!
At six-thirty in the morning.
The sky had not yet brightened, and only a handful of people were coming and going through the entrance of the inpatient building.
Jiang Zhiwan happened to be among them.
As the biting, bone-chilling wind swept over them, the stranger who had stepped out just behind Jiang Zhiwan couldn’t help rubbing his arms and muttering under his breath, “What kind of god-awful weather is this? Way too cold.”
Cold?
Jiang Zhiwan didn’t really feel it.
Taking the bus from here back to Jingda University would take about an hour, which was just enough time for Jiang Zhiwan to return to the dormitory to freshen up and wash up.
The hospital bus stop wasn’t far away either.
Fortunately, just as Jiang Zhiwan arrived at the bus stop, the bus she needed came pulling in slowly.
After boarding, Jiang Zhiwan walked straight to the back corner and took a seat by the window.
Once seated, she leaned against the window without hesitation and closed her eyes, sinking into a deep slumber.
It was precisely because of this that Jiang Zhiwan missed the low-key, understated black luxury car parked across the street.
Only after the bus carrying Jiang Zhiwan had completely disappeared into the flow of traffic did the window of that black luxury car slowly roll up.
One night had been more than enough time for Lu Yanshu to have thoroughly investigated everything he wanted to know.
Lu Yanshu casually flipped open the thin dossier resting on his lap.
The middle-aged driver in the front, who had been driving with utmost focus, secretly glanced at the rearview mirror, a hint of unease flickering across his face.
This was the seventh time today that Lu Yanshu had opened the dossier on Miss Jiang Zhiwan.
For a moment, the only sound in the small space was the rustling of paper being turned.
The car’s interior lights were bright.
The light shone down from above, casting a shadow across Lu Yanshu’s face, lending him a somewhat sinister air…
In Jing City, where every inch of land was worth its weight in gold, a sprawling villa estate stood in the most prime location.
The car carrying Lu Yanshu drove in without any obstruction. The middle-aged driver continued forward for a stretch before finally stopping at the entrance of a two-story Western-style building.
Ever since learning that Lu Yanshu would be returning this morning, Mother Lu had been so overjoyed she’d barely slept a wink, dragging Father Lu to wait in the living room well in advance.
Lu Yanshu stepped out of the car with an expressionless face. The moment he looked up, he saw a woman in a cheongsam with her hair pinned up, standing there with tears in her eyes, eagerly awaiting his arrival.
As he drew closer, Lu Yanshu addressed her coldly, “Mother.”
Then he shifted his gaze past Mother Lu to Father Lu inside the house. “Father.”
By now, Mother Lu was already weeping profusely, her expression highly agitated. Though she had so much she wanted to say, all that came out in the end was: “The journey home was long and tiring—you should get some rest first.”
Since five years ago, when the previous head of the Lu family—Lu Yanshu’s grandfather—had passed away and Lu Yanshu had successfully taken over the Lu Group before going abroad, this was the first time Lu Yanshu had returned from overseas.
Lu Yanshu’s emotions showed not the slightest ripple. He responded with a cold grunt of acknowledgment before heading straight upstairs.
Mother Lu, who had watched Lu Yanshu’s retreating figure ascend the stairs without blinking an eye the entire time, wore an expression filled with desolation and grief.
Father Lu silently wrapped his arm around her waist from behind, offering her support.
“He still hates us,” Mother Lu said through her tears.
Father Lu was silent for a moment, then consoled her in a low voice, “There’s still so much time ahead. There will be chances to make it up to him.”
But Mother Lu knew there wouldn’t be.
The Lu family, with its deep-rooted heritage and vast wealth, had suffered from thin progeny ever since Grandfather Lu’s generation.
Unfortunately, Lu Yanshu’s father, the sole heir, had neither the talent nor the interest in managing the conglomerate.
In his youth, he had fallen in love with Mother Lu at first sight, but Grandfather Lu—who prioritized interests above all else and had an extremely strong need for control—refused to approve of the match.
First, Grandfather Lu had already selected a marriage alliance partner.
Second, Grandfather Lu, who had meticulously planned out every aspect of his son’s life, disliked the feeling of losing control over things he governed.
And so, at that time, both the career and the romance that Father Lu held dear suffered devastating blows.
In the end, the conflict between the two concluded when Father Lu sent the four-year-old Lu Yanshu to live with Grandfather Lu.
Father Lu and Mother Lu went on to live a happy life, free from Grandfather Lu’s interference.
Grandfather Lu obtained a new heir upon whom he could continue exercising his need for control.
This outcome seemed perfectly satisfactory for all parties.
Ring ring ring—
The bell for the end of class rang. Having finished her first two classes of the morning, Jiang Zhiwan followed the flow of students out of the teaching building.
Despite her exhaustion, she didn’t rush back to the dormitory to rest. Instead, she turned and headed to the cafeteria.
Only after packing up two portions of breakfast did Jiang Zhiwan make her way back toward the dormitory.
The dormitory was pitch black inside.
After entering, Jiang Zhiwan turned on only the desk lamp at her own study area, set down the breakfast, and then turned to walk toward the bed nearest the door.
“Fu Baozhu, time to get up and eat breakfast.”
No response at all.
Jiang Zhiwan called out a few more times, but the person lying in bed still showed no reaction.
As if a thought had occurred to her, Jiang Zhiwan curved her eyes and a sly, mischievous smile appeared in them.
“The teacher took attendance this morning.”
At this, the person on the bed immediately sat up like a corpse rising from the dead, eyes wide, exclaiming, “It’s over, it’s over—”
This was already the third time she had been called on in class without answering.
At the start of the semester, the teacher of this course had cheerfully told them that each student would be given two chances to skip class, and on the third, they would directly fail the course without needing to take the final exam.
“Chi Chen is definitely going to kill me.”
In an instant, Fu Baozhu’s drowsiness vanished completely. How was it that every time she skipped class, this teacher just happened to take attendance?
Just as she was feeling miserable, Fu Baozhu caught the sly glint of amusement in Jiang Zhiwan’s round eyes.
At that, Fu Baozhu understood everything. She snapped angrily, “You might as well just scare me to death.”
Jiang Zhiwan casually flipped on the dorm’s main light, then turned and headed toward her desk, urging, “Hurry up and get washed up. Breakfast will get cold soon.”
Fu Baozhu, still in her fluffy pajamas, climbed down from the bunk ladder and headed straight to the balcony to wash up.
By the time Fu Baozhu leisurely returned from washing up, Jiang Zhiwan had already finished her breakfast.
Both breakfasts were identical—a steamer basket of dumplings and a cup of soy milk.
The moment the dumpling container was opened, a puff of steam rose up.
Fu Baozhu picked one up and tossed it into her mouth. When she bit into it, the hot meat juices scalded her mouth.
Jiang Zhiwan, who was tidying up the clothes she had changed out of this morning, glanced over at her. Seeing that she was fine, she continued with what she was doing.
After having a glass of red wine dumped over her head, the white short dress she had been wearing was completely ruined and only fit for the trash.
Fortunately, all the dresses prepared were provided by the Jiang family, so even if they were ruined and thrown away, Jiang Zhiwan didn’t feel a pang of regret.
What did give Jiang Zhiwan a headache was the coat that had been kindly gifted by a stranger.
“Ugh, this coat…”
Fu Baozhu, holding her dumplings, sidled over and gave the coat, which Jiang Zhiwan had hung up, a thorough once-over.
Jiang Zhiwan asked, puzzled, “What’s wrong?”
Fu Baozhu’s eyes sparkled. “Judging by the look of it, the owner of this coat is at least 185 centimeters tall…”
She rattled off a bunch of observations, occasionally lifting the coat to inspect it more closely.
“Broad shoulders, long legs…”
“This chest measurement, this arm span… wow, they must have an amazing build.”
Fu Baozhu stuffed the last dumpling from the container into her mouth and grinned. “As they say, dumplings are best eaten hot, and men are best loved big and strong!”