Chapter 38

At this moment, the woman's voice was inexplicably husky and pleasant, with the alluring scent of Lu Shangyi's wild roses lingering around her nose, faint yet present, sweet and cool, carrying an ambiguous flavor. A jolt seemed to run down her scalp, and Qiao Yu's fair face flushed slightly. "I understand."

She should have spoken softly, but the two were very close, and she thought Lu Shangyi must have heard her.

The person who had maintained a proper distance behind her indeed left. Feeling their presence gradually fade into the distance, Qiao Yu breathed a sigh of relief, but a subtle, strange emotion stirred within her. However, before she could dwell on it further, her phone rang several more times.

Even with her back to Lu Shangyi, Qiao Yu could still sense the fleeting glance he gave her.

Her fingertips trembled uncontrollably twice. Qiao Yu hurriedly silenced her phone, then turned around with a guilty smile, "It must be Meng E calling me."

After saying that, she quickly opened the settings and turned off all WeChat notifications, completely eliminating any possibility of being caught red-handed by Lu Shangyi in the future. Lu Shangyi was tall and, unlike her sitting down, naturally saw Qiao Yu's little actions clearly.

Without exposing the other party, Lu Shangyi took her phone outside and made several calls in a low voice. Qiao Yu strained her ears and vaguely heard some unpleasant words such as "company," "useless," and "intolerant."

Qiao Yu held her phone, puzzled, while Lu Shangyi quickly ended the call and came in, saying, "You should rest first. I'll come see you again in a couple of days."

"Where are you going now?" She instinctively called out to him, noticing Lu Shangyi's unusually serious face and a vague guess forming in her mind. It must be that crazy man, Lu Shenghui, going on another rampage. "Do you need my help?"

A faint smile curved his lips, and Lu Shangyi gently rubbed her head twice. "No need."

The woman left decisively, her back still standing straight as when they first met, exuding arrogance. One couldn't help but imagine how radiant and spirited she would be today if she hadn't suffered that bizarre car accident.

Qiao Yu sat back down in her chair and called Meng E's name softly several times, but there was no response. She scratched her cheek and walked to the door in confusion. She had just been outside; could Meng E have abandoned her so quickly?

She peered through the doorway several times, but couldn't see a soul, let alone Meng'e. She initially planned to call Meng'e to ask, but after thinking it over, Qiao Yu put her phone down. She knew Meng'e's personality; she wasn't the type to disappear without a word. The fact that she hadn't even had time to send a message meant something more urgent than putting out a fire must have happened.

Meanwhile, Meng E and Tang Shu were sitting obediently in a row, and Lu Shangyi and Song Wanzi's casual gazes fell on them, which was rather frightening.

Tang Shu frowned and glared at the two alphas, raising her voice defiantly, "We are protected ega! If you two dare to cause trouble today, I will make sure you are utterly disgraced when I get out!" She had an imposing air, but her voice was actually trembling, "Be careful, or I'll call my dad to arrest you right now."

Ye Yunjian laughed without giving him any face, "Your father?"

She shook her head slowly, as if she had heard a funny joke. "Arrest me." Ye Yunjian shifted to an extremely languid posture, and the words that came out of his red lips instantly extinguished all of Tang Shu's hopes. "Even your grandfather has to call me President Ye politely when he sees me. His son dares to arrest me?"

Tang Shu was speechless for a moment, and could only bite her lip and silently curse her in her heart as shameless and a beast in human clothing.

Meng E had met Ye Yunjian a few times and knew that Ye Yunjian would not stoop to argue with young girls like her and Tang Shu. So she tried her best to suppress her fear and asked softly, "Aunt Ye, Sister Song, didn't you have something you wanted to ask me?"

This girl is much smarter than that big-breasted, brainless heiress from the Tang family. Ye Yunjian crossed his legs, his eyes revealing satisfaction. "You and Qiao Yu have a good relationship?"

"Yes." Meng E guessed Ye Yunjian's thoughts and couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief when she saw that Ye Yunjian had indeed asked about Qiao Yu. "She and I were deskmates. We were practically inseparable at school."

Before Ye Yunjian could make a move, Tang Shu turned to look at her with displeasure, "Why are you so close to her? She's such a cunning person, be careful she doesn't sell you out one day."

She genuinely cared about the other person, but they didn't appreciate it at all, not even blinking an eye in response. Tang Shu was furious. "She's already differentiated into an EVA, she won't really be with you."

The person beside her kept chattering incessantly, and Meng E, unable to bear it any longer, turned to Tang Shu's face, her expression cold and unfriendly. Tang Shu pursed her lips, her anger instantly vanishing. "I'm only thinking of you."

Her response was a cold, indifferent three words from Meng E: "No need."

Turning her face back to the present, Meng E took out her phone. "If you aunties and sisters don't mind, I'll create a group chat right now. If Yu Yu gets close to anyone in the future, I'll let you know in the group as soon as possible."

Tang Shu stared at her with wide eyes in disbelief, “?”

When the three let her through, Tang Shu was still in a daze, unable to believe it. Whether it was Ye Yunjian, Song Wanzi, or Bai Yiyu, weren't they all aloof, cold, and difficult to approach in public? But now…

Staring blankly at the newly created group chat, Tang Shu felt that all her positive feelings towards them had shattered.

However, thinking that all of this was because of Qiao Yu, Tang Shu's face darkened with displeasure. She gritted her teeth, wanting to leave the group chat immediately, but remembering Ye Yunjian's threatening look before she left, she ultimately didn't dare to do it. She was quite familiar with Aunt Bai Yiyu, so the other party naturally wouldn't do anything to her. Although she wasn't familiar with Song Wanzi, she had, after all, endorsed the other party's family, so the other party wouldn't repay kindness with enmity.

But Ye Yunjian is different. There are already rumors in the capital that she is ruthless. Who knows if she will suddenly go crazy and do something to me?

After struggling with the decision for a while, Tang Shu could only suppress her desire to leave the group.

She comforted herself: the three alphas in the group are so powerful, complaining about Qiao Yu to them in the future might be a good way to get revenge on Qiao Yu.

Qiao Yu suddenly sneezed, wrinkled her delicate nose, and blurted out without thinking, "It must be Tang Shu talking about me behind my back."

It's impossible for anyone else to care about you as much as she does.

The system's eyelids twitched. "Host, she is, after all, your nominal best friend. You should be careful when you bully her in the future." Qiao Yu was about to say something to the system when she heard the system, with a strong survival instinct, chime in: "If you fall out with her, you won't be able to use her to draw the fire of the two aunts and the older sister."

Qiao Yu's expression changed from gloomy to sunny. "You understand me."

Qiao Yu had just differentiated and needed to be hospitalized for a few days for observation. Her mother arranged for her to attend classes for half a week, including the weekend, giving her a full five days to rest and recuperate. However, she was not idle at all during these five days. First, a beautiful older sister came to talk to her, and then a gentle aunt who spoke softly explained various EGA self-protection tips to her. If Qiao Yu hadn't strongly objected, she could have even had a teacher from an after-school program teach her flower arranging and tea brewing.

Because EVAs are very delicate and protected by law, society doesn't encourage them to work. Therefore, most EVAs in this world are well-protected and can simply live according to their own interests. Someone like Mrs. Joe, a purely accidental case, is extremely rare, which is why she was able to catch everyone off guard recently with her husband.

Qiao Yu certainly didn't want to stay at home every day. What was the point of staying at home if she couldn't even see an alpha?

Many alphas had initially added her as a friend, and after accepting all their requests, Qiao Yu gradually lost touch with them. Perhaps realizing this, the other party immediately stopped replying, and now Qiao Yu can no longer contact any of the alphas on her contact list.

She pouted unhappily, "Aren't young people these days so bad at handling stress?"

It's not her fault that the conversation went astray because there were too many people around.

Just as she was about to toss her phone aside to watch TV, Aunt Qiao suddenly messaged her privately, "Yuyu, several of my alpha juniors back home really want to get to know you after you differentiated. Here are their photos, take a look and see which one catches your eye, and I'll immediately have them add you to keep you company."

Worried that Qiao Yu would refuse, Aunt Qiao pretended to be kind and said, "I'm only doing this for your own good, so please don't be polite with me."

The people introduced by Aunt Qiao were all quite good-looking. Qiao Yu was bored, so she replied, "Then please send me all their business cards, Aunt Qiao."

Aunt Qiao was taken aback, then smiled broadly, "Alright, alright, Yu Yu, wait for your aunt, I'll go and call a few little rascals to come and join you."

These were people she had carefully selected over several days, and she had even hired a highly intelligent emotional intelligence tutor to teach them several tricks at the last minute. Aunt Qiao didn't believe that so many people wouldn't be able to win over Qiao Yu. She couldn't help but fantasize that if even one of them succeeded, her status in the Qiao family would rise accordingly, and she would no longer be someone that arrogant woman from the third branch of the family could look down on at will.

Worried that Qiao Yu was two-faced, Aunt Qiao Er made a point of constantly inquiring about the latest situation from the younger generation.

One person replied instantly: "It's approved. But she's too proactive, like she's never met an alpha before. She's definitely not a decent girl with a clean background."

Soon another person replied, "She even got my name wrong. I'm definitely not the only fish in her pond. I don't want a woman like that."

Two minutes later, another person came to her. "She mistakenly sent the message I was supposed to send to my friend to me, and she won't admit it. She's obviously not a devoted and good person. If I were with her, I wouldn't even know when she started cheating on me. I'm sorry, Auntie, I can't afford to be with a woman like that."

In less than half an hour, three people gave up and quit. Aunt Qiao rolled her eyes in exasperation.

Can't you grown men just put up with it?!

She was furious about the money she'd wasted when Qiao Yu came running to her, looking all wronged. "Second Aunt, why are they all ignoring me? Did I accidentally say something wrong?"

Aunt Qiao: "..."

There was no reason to let the duck that was already in her mouth fly away. Despite her anger, Aunt Qiao still patiently comforted Qiao Yu, saying, "No, no, how could Yu Yu be wrong? If anyone is wrong, it's their fault. Don't worry, give Aunt Qiao a few more days, and Aunt Qiao will go and find you some obedient ones."

"We don't want a man who doesn't listen to us."

Qiao Yu pursed her lips and replied very understandingly, "Okay then, Second Aunt, you must hurry up."

Qiao Yu's eagerness made Aunt Qiao both happy and worried. With such a tight schedule, where could she find so many handsome and obedient alphas for Qiao Yu? But if she was too slow, someone else might beat her to it.

She was so upset that she lost several strands of hair that day.

Qiao Yu picked up an EGA self-defense manual out of boredom, flipped through a couple of pages, and suddenly remembered something, "System, has it been since I differentiated myself that I haven't seen the female lead?"

She couldn't leave the hospital, but Jiang Mei was free to move around. Logically, she should have come to visit her. Puzzled, she called Jiang Mei, only to be told the number was out of service. Startled, Qiao Yu quickly asked Meng E, "Have you seen Jiang Mei recently?"

Meng E was equally bewildered, "No."

"However, she hasn't come to class since Monday. When I contacted her, she told me that she had something to do at home and needed to ask for two days off."

Something's wrong at home? Even if something really serious happens at home, there's no need to change your phone number.

She tried sending Jiang Mei a WeChat message again, but it was like throwing a stone into the sea—no response. Just as she was about to send someone to the Jiang family to inquire about the situation, a news article suddenly popped up on her phone screen: "Breaking! Lu Shenghui, the young master of the Lu family, has secretly had a child!"

"..." What kind of title is this? Anyone who didn't know better would think that Lu Shenghui gave birth to this child himself.

She casually clicked on the news, and when Qiao Yu saw the photo of Lu Shenghui's so-called child, she immediately stopped. Wasn't that the female lead?

She's actually Lu Shenghui's daughter?!

Without thinking about what kind of relationship Jiang Mei and Lu Shangyi had, Qiao Yu unconsciously tightened her grip on her phone. Lu Shenghui had so publicly acknowledged his daughter who had been living away from home, so wouldn't Lu Shangyi's situation at home be even more difficult in the future?

Lu Shenghui was already wary of Lu Shangyi, and now he has an adult alpha daughter with excellent genes. Qiao Yu hardly dares to think about Lu Shangyi's future situation at home.

Moreover, Qiao Yu had previously heard that Lu Shangyi's father was extremely patriarchal. If it weren't for Madam Lu's firm stance and insistence on treating their daughter after the car accident, Lu's father would have almost signed Lu Shangyi's consent form to forgo treatment on the spot.

Now that the Lu family has a successor, they are even less able to see Lu Shangyi's existence.

Qiao Yu held her phone, wanting to call and comfort Lu Shangyi, but after dialing, she didn't know what to say and hurriedly hung up. Lu Shangyi stared at the two-second call log, her calm face revealing no emotion.

Chu Mi craned her neck from the side, "Who is it?"

The icy look in Lu Shangyi's eyes melted away, and she replied with a barely perceptible smile, "A little guy."

"Little one?" Chu Mi frowned as she stared at Lu Shangyi. The sudden use of such a cheesy term of endearment from her—could it be that she'd fallen in love in such a pressing situation? Clearing her throat, Chu Mi couldn't help but pull out a chair and sit down. "Sister, what time is it? You still have the mind to think about dating?"

"Your old nest is about to be taken over by someone."

Lu Shangyi glanced at her sideways, but did not refute her. She simply spoke in a low voice, "Continue."

Qiao Yu gripped her phone, conflicted. Although there was no longer any possibility between her and Lu Shangyi, they had loved each other after all. Seeing him struggling so much, she couldn't just stand by and do nothing. She crossed her arms and shook her legs, but it seemed there was nothing she could do to help.

Finally, she had no choice but to swallow her pride and call her elderly mother. As soon as the call connected, she called out affectionately, "Mom!"

Madam Qiao gave a curt "hmm," immediately seeing through her little scheme, "You came for Lu Shangyi?"

Scratching her cheek, Qiao Yu didn't deny it, "Mom, Sister Lu used to be so good to me..."

“It’s not that I don’t want to help her,” Madam Qiao interrupted her daughter coldly. “This is a family matter of the Lu family. I have no right or reason to interfere. Besides, isn’t Lu Shenghui’s daughter a very good friend of yours? Are you going to turn against your friend for Lu Shangyi?”

Qiao Yu was speechless; she felt torn between Lu Shangyi and Qiao Yu. However, she couldn't just stand by and watch Lu Shangyi be driven to a dead end.

Mrs. Qiao's voice came through the phone again, "Unless you're willing to marry her. If you marry her, I'll naturally have a reason to help her."

Qiao Yu fell silent again. She wasn't an alpha and couldn't give Lu Shangyi happiness. If she married her, that would be truly wicked, ruining her life.

Given Lu Shangyi's circumstances, she could easily find an alpha who is also very eligible and loves her.

Qiao Yu lowered her head dejectedly, wondering how Jiang Mei was doing.

On the same day the paternity test results came out, Jiang Mei was picked up by Lu Shenghui and taken home. First, she was formally recognized as part of the family, and then she paid her respects to her grandparents. The young matriarch of the Lu family was suddenly blessed with a granddaughter. Although her feelings at that moment were indescribably complex, Jiang Mei was exceptionally beautiful. Both her appearance and genes were outstanding, making her one of the best in the capital. Therefore, she did not object.

Their twin children are both in their thirties, but there's absolutely no sign of them dating. Lu Shenghui is alright; at least he had a lot of wild adventures in his youth and probably had his share of affairs with women. But Lu Shangyi is different. She's been disciplined since childhood and is very strict with herself, so let alone dating, Mrs. Lu even doubts whether she's ever touched a woman's hand in her life.

These two were certainly not short of admirers; their suitors in the capital city could probably circle the Forbidden City several times over. Yet, they remained bachelors for many years, each more so than the other, causing the couple great distress, fearing that the Lu family line would end with their generation.

Therefore, although Jiang Mei's arrival was inexplicable and her mother's identity was unclear, the couple finally breathed a sigh of relief, at least the Lu family line was preserved.

Now that Lu Shenghui is in charge of the Lu family, Jiang Mei, as his biological daughter, has naturally not been mistreated.

The statement, which took up an entire page of the newspaper and became a headline on major social media platforms, showed Lu Shenghui giving Jiang Mei the utmost respect, both offline and online. Jiang Mei gently knocked on the study door; she wasn't quite used to calling someone "father," but fortunately, Lu Shenghui didn't seem to mind at all, and said in a low, husky voice, "Come in."

Jiang Mei stepped inside, and the man working at his computer didn't even lift his eyelids. "Tomorrow, pack your things and go to Jinggao to report for duty."

Jiang Mei was taken aback. "My current school is pretty good..."

Before she could finish speaking, Lu Shenghui interrupted her, "What's so good about it? You're my daughter, how can you go to that kind of lousy school?" Lu Shenghui lifted his eyelids and stared at her coldly, "Are you trying to make others laugh at my Lu family, to let others say that I, Lu Shenghui, abuse my own daughter?"

Her light-colored lips were pressed tightly into a straight line. Jiang Mei denied it, "No."

"No? So you can't let go of that little girl from the Qiao family?"

The man stood up, exuding an oppressive aura. Jiang Mei subconsciously took a half step back, her face slightly pale. Her lips hesitated for a few moments, but she ultimately couldn't utter a "no." Lowering her eyelashes, Jiang Mei stubbornly said, "She is the light in my life."

Before meeting Qiao Yu, she never knew that the world could be so warm.

I never knew there were such wonderful girls in the world.

The moth's pursuit of light is the most primal aspiration of all living things, and humans are no exception. Even if it means certain death, it is better than being alone in the sea of ​​people.

Lu Shenghui just looked at her and sneered, "You don't need to think about this. I'll take you to see Song Wanzi this weekend. Although she's still filming in the entertainment industry, she'll eventually have to go home and inherit the Song family business. She's the only daughter in the Song family."

"Song Wanzi?" Jiang Mei asked hesitantly, "I don't like her."

Lu Shenghui smiled at her with an ambiguous expression, without refuting her, "You can go now, remember to report to the new school tomorrow."

Dejected, Jiang Mei walked out of the study, the joy of finding her family completely gone. She returned to the Lu family, becoming Lu Shenghui's pampered daughter. Her status rose dramatically, and she was no longer afraid of being bullied by her aunt and cousin. But now, she had lost the person she cherished most.

The capital city is vast, and the crowds are endless. When will I see Qiao Yu again?

With her tongue gently pressed against her back teeth, Jiang Mei tried to pull herself together. The situation was beyond repair; she could only hope that the next time she met Qiao Yu, she would shine brightly in the crowd, just like Lu Shangyi and the others, instantly catching Qiao Yu's attention.

The news of Jiang Mei's transfer to another school quickly reached Qiao Yu's ears through Meng E's mouth. Qiao Yu, resting her chin on her hand, couldn't wait any longer. After forcibly completing the discharge procedures, Qiao Yu drove to Lu Shangyi's address only to find that she wasn't home.

Song Wanzi was off today. Hearing the car, she opened the door, walked out of the yard, and said to Qiao Yu, "She hasn't come to stay for several days."

Qiao Yu turned around, "Sister Song, you don't have any plans today?"

"Yes, I do," Song Wanzi said with a smile in her eyes, "but I declined because I was worried that you wouldn't have anyone to talk to when you come back."

Pulling Qiao Yu to her side, Song Wanzi looked at her and said, "Don't worry too much. Your sister Lu is a tough person. She survived such a serious car accident back then. How could she be defeated by such a little bit of gossip?"

"She might be secretly plotting against her own brother right now."

Qiao Yu wanted to laugh, but couldn't. Song Wanzi pinched her cheek. "Come on, let's go to my room to watch a movie and have some snacks. Maybe your sister Lu will be back when it gets dark."

Qiao Yu looked up at her and said, "Sister Song, you are so kind."

“I’m not good at that.” She pulled Qiao Yu and said, “If you don’t put on the suppression patch properly and leak your pheromones, I will take you by force and mark you without respecting your wishes.”

She pretended to be fierce, which scared Qiao Yu so much that she quickly touched the back of her neck and breathed a sigh of relief after confirming that the patch was on properly.

Song Wanzi noticed her little gesture and just smiled, "Are you that afraid to be with me?"

"No, it's not that." Qiao Yu blinked innocently. "It's just that I'm still young. If I were to be marked by you so quickly, wouldn't you be scolded by haters until you quit the entertainment industry and go home to inherit the family fortune?"

After thinking about it carefully, Song Wanzi said, "Leaving the entertainment industry isn't bad. Although I've lost my empire, at least I have a boyfriend now."

The conversation gradually became ambiguous, so Qiao Yu quickly stopped talking. Song Wanzi didn't pay much attention and prepared snacks that EGA loved to eat, as well as lighthearted romantic movies that EGA liked to watch. It was as if she already regarded her as a delicate girl who needed to be protected.

Although she was still not quite used to a woman being so gentle, Qiao Yu still preferred Song Wanzi's gentle demeanor compared to how she used to glare at her at the drop of a hat.

Qiao Yu kept a close eye on the commotion outside, but Lu Shangyi never returned.

After watching the movie, she habitually picked up her phone to check messages. Lu Shangyi still hadn't replied, but her mother sent a message: "Are you home yet?"

After a long while, Madam Qiao finally received a reply: "Yes." With one day left before Qiao Yu's vacation ended, Madam Qiao thought for a moment and then asked her assistant to notify a psychologist to come and provide counseling for Qiao Yu. Just as she gave the instructions, she saw Aunt Qiao looking dazed and talking to herself on her phone.

With a slight furrow of her brow, Mrs. Qiao walked over and asked, "What are you doing?"

Aunt Qiao immediately launched into a tirade upon seeing her, "Oh, sister-in-law, do you think Yu Yu is just born with bad luck in love? I've introduced her to all the alphas in my hometown, but not a single one has worked out. I've introduced her to at least twenty men in the last few days, but every single one of them who added her as a friend came to me within ten minutes saying they couldn't get along with a woman like Yu Yu."

"Is this Yuyu's problem or the people I introduced her to?"

"If this continues, Yu Yu's reputation will be ruined. How can she even think about getting married then?"

With each word Aunt Qiao spoke, Madam Qiao's face darkened further. By the time Aunt Qiao left with a worried expression, Madam Qiao's face was beyond just looking grim. Silently calling back her assistant, Madam Qiao said expressionlessly, "Don't let the psychologist go to Qiao Yu's place for counseling tomorrow."

"Let her come and take a look at me."

Author's Note: