“Xu Zhengyang.”
Lu Rao looked at the boy, her gaze slowly turning cold.
She had just been planning to find him—didn’t expect him to show up on his own.
At that moment, Xu Zhengyang was looking down at the weak girl in front of him. She was plainly dressed, holding a handkerchief over her face, her eyes red and teary. Even his tone softened unconsciously.
“Don’t worry. I just happen to be going to the Lu residence. I’ll take you there.”
【Hmph, what face does he have saying that? Take her where?】
【Does he even know what his uncle did to the host’s father? How does he still have the nerve to go to the Lu family?!】
The system was furious, practically screaming.
Lu Rao also felt disgusted, but she took it calmly.
After all, these were the male and female leads of the book—fate always made sure they met.
The Lu residence was currently in full chaos. Lu Rao glanced around and found a good vantage point, leaning against a wall to watch while speaking to the system.
“Eat your melon in peace.”
【Yes, host! Your viewing spot is perfect!】
Lu Rao curved her lips slightly.
She was standing at the corner of an alley opposite the Lu mansion, where she could clearly see both the chaos inside the courtyard and the surrounding streets.
Soon, Xu Zhengyang arrived with Qiao Shuxin.
Qiao Shuxin, for some reason, didn’t walk beside him. Instead, she followed half a step behind, like a meek little wife. Xu Zhengyang even had to keep turning his head when speaking to her.
“Maybe that angle makes her face look slimmer?” Lu Rao guessed.
The system immediately agreed.
【Scheming white lotus.】
【And that walking position… doesn’t it make her look especially pitiful and lovable?】
Lu Rao: ???
The young miss could not understand.
The young miss always walked in front. She did not suffer that kind of “little wife” treatment.
At that moment, Qiao Shuxin followed Xu Zhengyang around a corner. The road ahead was familiar—she had just left from here this morning.
As she turned, her gaze accidentally swept across the alley opposite—and froze.
A woman leaned there.
The first thing she saw was a pair of straight, long legs in military-green cargo pants.
For a split second, she thought of the girl she had seen earlier riding a motorcycle in leather—those legs looked exactly the same.
“No… the clothes are different.”
She immediately denied it in her mind, but when her eyes moved upward—
Her entire body stiffened.
“Lu Rao?! That’s Lu Rao!”
Her gaze instinctively dropped again to Lu Rao’s legs. Then her eyes shifted to her fair, delicate face—and something inside her twisted uncomfortably.
“Why did she stop?” Xu Zhengyang turned back.
Qiao Shuxin reacted faster than she thought, instinctively stepping sideways to block Lu Rao from his view.
Lu Rao raised an eyebrow.
Interesting.
Xu Zhengyang had no time to pay attention to anything else. He pointed ahead at the Lu residence.
“Your family seems to have a lot of people there. Did something happen? Go back and take a look.”
“Your family…”
Lu Rao’s eyes turned cold at that phrase.
Looks like Qiao Shuxin had already told him everything—and Xu Zhengyang had fully accepted her identity as the new Lu family miss.
【Disgusting. Didn’t he forget he was chasing our host yesterday?】
Lu Rao let out a cold laugh.
At the Lu mansion—
Gu Yucheng was being pressured by furious relatives when he suddenly spotted Qiao Shuxin. Like a man seeing a lifeline, he rushed over immediately.
“Where the hell have you been?!”
The moment Qiao Shuxin stepped into the gate, Gu Yucheng grabbed her arm.
She shuddered instinctively and immediately hid behind Xu Zhengyang.
“Help me!”
Xu Zhengyang’s sense of justice flared instantly. He stepped in front of her and grabbed Gu Yucheng’s wrist.
“What are you doing to a girl… Uncle Gu?”
Only after a second glance did he realize the disheveled man in a tattered cotton coat was Gu Yucheng himself—and he froze.
“Xu Jia’s nephew?” Gu Yucheng clearly recognized him too, and his expression turned ugly. He shook off Xu Zhengyang’s hand.
“I’m handling family matters. Don’t interfere.”
“Uncle?” Qiao Shuxin also recognized him now and widened her eyes.
Just a few hours ago, how had he turned into this state?
But outwardly, she quickly suppressed her disdain and put on a well-behaved expression.
Gu Yucheng gritted his teeth. He was already furious, but since Qiao Shuxin was now publicly recognized as the Lu family’s “miss,” he forced himself to endure.
He pulled her forward and shoved her toward the relatives.
“The young miss is here. Talk to her.”
The relatives immediately swarmed Qiao Shuxin like drowning people grabbing a rope.
“You’re the heir now?”
“Miss, our families were robbed! You must stand up for us!”
“All our grain is gone—we haven’t even eaten breakfast!”
“Your grandfather promised to support us forever! You can’t deny us!”
…
Qiao Shuxin’s mind went completely blank.
What?
Support all of them?
Feed dozens of households? Take care of everything?
She had just arrived at the Lu family and hadn’t even seen a single coin, let alone held any authority. Now they wanted her to support an entire clan?
“Are you all crazy?!” she snapped, nearly breaking down.
She was here to inherit wealth.
Not to fill holes!
Seeing her attitude, the relatives’ faces immediately darkened.
Warm smiles disappeared. Kindness vanished. They surrounded her coldly.
“So a country girl like you really thinks she’s the young miss?”
“In the Lu family, we call you miss only if we accept you. Otherwise—you’re nothing.”
“You…”
Qiao Shuxin had never faced such pressure before. Even in her previous life, being abused by Gu Yucheng, she had never been surrounded by so many hostile people at once.
Her confidence cracked instantly.