“You can’t do it?”
In the dim hotel room.
Lou Qiyun calmly watched the man who had suddenly stopped before her.
She slowly glanced downward to confirm he wasn’t actually having issues before speaking leisurely.
“Want to watch a video tutorial first? What style do you prefer?”
Lu Lingchuan’s brow tightened, veins faintly pulsing at his temples as sweat trickled down his neck, burning hot as if about to ignite.
“What, you’re an expert?”
Lou Qiyun tilted her head, the corner of her lips lifting slightly, “Passable. Doing it or not? If not, I’m leaving.”
The room was unlit. In the darkness, she was already standing barefoot on the floor, bending to pick up the scattered clothes.
Her long hair cascaded over her shoulders, her waist astonishingly slender.
Lu Lingchuan’s breath hitched as he pulled her back into his embrace, pressing her onto his lap.
“Where do you think you’re going? It’s too late to escape now!”
After the fourth round ended, he stared at her impossibly beautiful face: “Tell me, what’s your name?”
Lou Qiyun licked her lips: “Focus. Names aren’t important.”
The next day.
Lu Lingchuan stared at the empty bed, his expression gradually turning cold.
“Where is she?”
Nan Yi pushed the door open, clothes in hand, looking confused: “Who?”
Lu Lingchuan’s eyes darkened: “The woman you arranged for me last night.”
Nan Yi froze, his face instantly paling: “Last night… everyone joked about finding you a local beauty, but it was just talk. Who would dare actually arrange something like that…”
The room fell silent.
Lu Lingchuan’s gaze fell on the red stain in the corner of the bedsheet, a cold smile tugging at his lips.
Interesting.
Daring to deceive him twice about the same matter.
“Search every corner of Qi City. We’re finding her.”
…
Lou Family Residence.
“You’re done for! Mom and Dad know you went to a hotel with a man!”
The moment Lou Qiyun stepped through the door, Lou Tinglan rushed up, pointing at her nose and shouting.
“Oh.” Lou Qiyun smiled, her eyes mocking.
“You’re still smiling? Have you lost your mind!”
Lou Tinglan stomped her feet in rage.
Every time she made that expression, Lou Tinglan couldn’t help wanting to go mad.
She was the true young lady of the Lou Family, while Lou Qiyun was just an impostor who had long fallen out of favor. How dare she still act so arrogantly!
Lou Qiyun sighed: “Sister, you’re really so foolish.”
“Who are you calling foolish! Watch your mouth!”
Lou Tinglan roared.
She grabbed the vase from the table and threw it at her.
Lou Qiyun lightly sidestepped, and the ornament shattered on the floor.
Right at the feet of Lou Tingwen who had just entered.
The air instantly froze.
Lou Tingwen stood still, rotating prayer beads in his hand, his gaze terrifyingly cold.
“Have you returned all the etiquette you learned to your teachers? Double your lessons this week.”
Lou Tinglan’s face shifted through several expressions.
“What about Lou Qiyun? She stayed out all night, ruining our family reputation! Isn’t she disgracing our Lou Family name!”
Lou Tingwen turned to Lou Qiyun: “Explain. What really happened?”
Lou Qiyun stood straight, her voice obedient: “I’m not sure either. Sister told me to go to the banquet, so I went. She handed me a drink, so I drank it. Later I felt dizzy and unwell, so I went to the hospital for examination. Here’s the report.”
Lou Tingwen took the report, carefully flipping through several pages.
After a moment, he suddenly raised his hand and slapped Lou Tinglan across the face.
“Dad! The banquet was attended by respectable young ladies from Qi City! I drank too, so why was she the only one affected? She must have sneaked out to have fun!”
Lou Tinglan was furious, tears welling in her eyes.
Wasn’t he supposed to teach Lou Qiyun a lesson? How did he end up getting beaten up first instead!
Lou Qiyun stood to the side, her expression calm.
She had long understood that Lou Tingwen only cared about benefits, not emotions.
The entire Lou Family, including her, were merely pawns in his hands.
Lou Tingwen turned and left.
Halfway there, he suddenly stopped and glanced back at her.
“You prepared so thoroughly—must have taken quite some effort, didn’t it?”
“After finishing your investigation, why didn’t you come back directly?”
“There were some aftereffects. The doctor advised me to stay in the hospital overnight for observation.”
Lou Tingwen narrowed his eyes, the Buddhist prayer beads in his hand pausing slightly.
“That excuse is flawless, but you forgot—this hospital is run by the Wei Family.”
“Lou Qiyun, I will go ask the Wei Family and get to the bottom of this. You’d better not have lied to me. Otherwise…”
“Suit yourself.”
Back in her room, the smile instantly vanished from her face.
She took out her phone and unlocked a hidden system using facial recognition.
Wei Junyi had sent a message ten minutes ago: “Sis Lou, are you okay?”
She flexed her stiff fingers and dialed his number.
“I’m fine, but he clearly didn’t believe everything.”
There was a brief silence on the other end of the line.
“I expected as much. That old man is extremely paranoid. Before he knew you weren’t his biological child, he treated you decently enough. Ever since that fool Lou Tinglan was brought back, he’s been getting more and more neurotic. But don’t worry, the hospital won’t be a problem.”
He paused and suggested, “How about I have my father propose to the Lou Family? We could fake an engagement—it might help you get out sooner.”
Lou Qiyun silently weighed the feasibility of the idea.
The conclusion was impossible.
The Wei Family focused solely on medicine and had no overlap with the Lou Family’s business. If Lou Tingwen hadn’t gotten what he wanted, he would never let her go easily.
“He must not find out that we know each other.”
“Then what do we do? You can’t stay in that household forever, can you?”
Footsteps sounded outside the door. Lou Qiyun quickly lowered her head and restored her phone to the home screen.
“Who were you talking to?”
The person who entered was Lou Tingwen.
He scanned the room, his gaze landing on her phone.
Without hesitation, Lou Qiyun handed the phone over. “Go ahead and check it if you want.”
She immediately spoke, without a moment’s delay: “Dad.”
Two icy words.
Lou Tingwen fell silent for a moment.
“Turn around.”
Lou Qiyun stood motionless, as if all the blood in her body had frozen instantly.
Thud!
She was forcefully pressed down and flipped over.
A leather whip lashed harshly across her back.
“Why?”
Lou Tingwen sneered, “You should be glad I don’t have proof yet. Lou Qiyun, you were raised by the Lou Family since childhood—everything about you belongs to me. Don’t even think about playing tricks.”
After ten lashes, he resumed his refined demeanor, smiling as he tossed a bottle of medicine at her.
“A grown daughter is like spilled water. In a few days, I’ll host a banquet. Remember—be on your best behavior.”
Lou Qiyun endured the burning pain on her back and spoke slowly.
“Only a worthless man uses his daughter as a bargaining chip.”
Before the words fully left her mouth, several more lashes of the whip fell, until her straight spine was completely bent. Only then did Lou Tingwen leave satisfied.
As soon as the door closed, Lou Tinglan approached with an ice pack pressed to her face, gloating with delight.
“I asked around—that thing has no antidote! Even if you went to the hospital, it was useless. Last night, you must have been fooling around with a man!”
Lou Qiyun looked up at her and suddenly smiled. “Oh, really? Then did you know your mother is on the verge of death?”
Those few lashes were far from enough to satisfy Lou Tingwen.
He would definitely need to find a scapegoat.
Lou Tinglan turned pale and immediately ran toward the basement.
The next day.
The Butler entered carrying a jade flute, followed by several servants holding measuring tapes and tailoring tools.
“The banquet is in three days. This is the piece you are to perform. The master has instructed you to practice diligently and master it quickly.”
Lou Qiyun took the sheet music and tore it in half without hesitation.