Chapter 72

Jiang Mei only saw how close Lu Shenghui had gotten to Qiao Yu, the two of them almost touching. After being back at the Lu family for so many days, she knew Lu Shenghui's personality better than anyone else. This man was indifferent to women, and usually avoided them like the plague. He had never been so proactive in getting close to any woman before.

Moreover, there was no hint of impatience or disgust on his face, which made her think more deeply.

Lu Shenghui is a madman, so it's not impossible that he might fall for EGA, whom he likes.

Thinking of this, Jiang Mei's delicate face paled slightly, her lips involuntarily tightened, and her eyes stared intently at Lu Shenghui like a wolf cub. Her fingers unconsciously clenched into fists, and Jiang Mei used all her strength to restrain herself from losing control.

Taking a deep breath, Jiang Mei suppressed her emotions, adjusted her expression, and walked slowly towards the three people. "Aunt, Father." Her dark eyes lingered on Qiao Yu for a moment before she looked away. "You've arrived."

Although she concealed it well, the fleeting wariness in her eyes just now still bothered Lu Shenghui. His face darkened as he coldly stared at Jiang Mei, his pheromones surging over her with an almost unreasonable intensity. "Where did you go?"

Jiang Mei swayed slightly, barely managing to steady herself, and said calmly, "I'm going to identify people with Sister Chu."

Chu Mi? Lu Shenghui withdrew his imposing aura, sneered, "Don't associate with shady people." He strode past the pale-faced Jiang Mei, and the tall man threw out another sentence, "Go back to the Lu family tonight, I have something to tell you."

Jiang Mei glanced instinctively at Qiao Yu, who was unharmed, and couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. "Okay."

Qiao Yu stared blankly at the female lead, and after a moment, she finally realized something, "You're going to be busy again?"

What Lu Shenghui wanted to personally instruct her on was certainly no small matter. Perhaps for a long time to come, Qiao Yu would only be able to learn about him from newspapers and the news. After a moment of disappointment, Qiao Yu comforted her, "It's okay. Once we become family, we can see each other every day."

A look of astonishment instantly filled Jiang Mei's eyes. She stood frozen in place, as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over her. A family? She was going to marry into the Lu family?

But since she wasn't going to marry him, and his aunt already had someone she liked, that left only Lu Shenghui.

She's going to be her own stepmother?!

Jiang Mei felt a metallic taste rise in her throat from anger. She forced down the blood that welled up due to her emotional outburst, and without even saying goodbye to Qiao Yu and Lu Shangyi, she hurriedly left their sight. Qiao Yu, recalling the female lead's suddenly cold face, shrank back and cautiously stared at Lu Shangyi, "Sister Lu, she...she must have misunderstood something?"

I always felt that what the female lead was thinking was not what she was trying to express.

Upon hearing this, the woman raised her eyelids with a half-smile, "What do you think?"

With a slight smile, Lu Shangyi approached her, her smile becoming even gentler, almost as soft as spring water, making Qiao Yu's bones almost melt. "Family..." the dangerous undertone in her voice grew stronger, "Who do you want to be family with?"

Lu Shangyi's exquisite and beautiful face loomed large before her eyes, so close that she could almost feel the warmth of her breath.

She shivered involuntarily and tightly shut her mouth, not daring to answer. Although the woman smiled extremely gently, the smile did not reach her eyes and carried a chilling temperature that sent shivers down one's spine.

Qiao Yu had never seen Lu Shangyi like this before. He was like an enraged wild beast, with all the hair on his body standing on end dangerously, as if he was about to pounce on his enemy and bite him to death at any moment.

She didn't speak, so Lu Shangyi released her, narrowed his eyes and stared at her for several seconds with an ambiguous look before letting her go.

Seeing Lu Shangyi's face darken in an instant, Qiao Yu cautiously moved closer to the corner. "System, I feel like Sister Lu has also misunderstood something."

The system was speechless. "What do you think?" If the host hadn't looked completely innocent from beginning to end, the system would have suspected that she was deliberately causing trouble.

Qiao Yu blinked, then exclaimed in realization, "But that's not what I meant!"

System: "..." You old geezer, I don't believe you for a second.

Jiang Mei and Lu Shangyi left one after the other, and no one knew what they were doing. Qiao Yu picked up a glass, but after picking it up, she remembered that she had drunk too much while shielding Lu Shangyi from the drinks, so she lightly put the wine glass back on the table.

For a long time afterward, Qiao Yu didn't see Lu Shangyi. It was as if she had suddenly disappeared from the hotel, mysteriously vanishing without a trace. And not only Lu Shangyi, but Jiang Mei also disappeared without a trace. Only Chu Mi stood out conspicuously in the crowd.

Bai Yiyu rushed back after finishing her urgent business. Upon seeing the smiling girl among the EGAs, her eyes softened involuntarily. With one hand in her pocket, Bai Yiyu strode confidently towards them. The EGAs instinctively made way for her, and after a moment, noticing her deep eyes fixed on the charming and radiant girl, they quickly and discreetly left.

Seeing a group of EGAs walking towards them, Mu Siyan instinctively asked, "Why aren't you going over there?"

"How could we dare?" someone said in a gossipy tone. "If I stayed with Qiao Yu for even a few more seconds, I suspect I would be scared to death by President Bai's domineering and terrifying pheromones."

"But to be fair, we're all afraid of alpha pheromones, so why isn't Qiao Yu afraid?"

The listener shrugged and casually remarked, "Maybe it's because Qiao Yu has some special escape techniques under the alpha's command."

Otherwise, given her temperament, she would have been bitten to death by that hot-tempered alpha countless times already.

After the girls left, Bai Yiyu naturally took the seat next to Qiao Yu. Before even getting close, she could smell the strong scent of alcohol emanating from Qiao Yu. Her deep eyes were fixed on Qiao Yu's flushed face. Bai Yiyu frowned slightly. "You've been drinking?"

To be this drunk, one must have drunk at least half a bottle.

His gaze traveled slowly down the other person's delicate, upturned nose, until it landed on her soft, full, and glossy red lips. The girl's lips were beautifully shaped; even when she was expressionless, the slight upturn of her lips seemed to carry a smile. With her eyes half-closed in a slightly languid manner, she already possessed a captivating charm that was both alluring and coy.

Bai Yiyu moved her throat slightly and pulled her gaze away from the other person, but after a moment she couldn't help but look back at her, saying in a forceful tone, "I'll take you back to rest."

As night deepened, the alphas in the room, no longer able to control themselves, were already quite drunk. The air was filled with their intoxicating scents, which were repulsive to the same sex but irresistible to the opposite sex. Intoxication makes one prone to confusion and infatuation, and as an elder, she naturally didn't feel comfortable leaving such a delicate and beautiful young woman there alone.

Before Qiao Yu could react, Bai Yiyu's large, warm hand was already on the back of her hand, enveloping her entire fist in her palm. With a slight pull, she was gently lifted up, her feet involuntarily following her.

After taking a few steps, Qiao Yu stopped. "But Sister Lu, she..."

She hesitated, barely remembering why she had come here today.

The child refused to leave, her words filled with worry for Lu Shangyi. Bai Yiyu felt a subtle displeasure, but her good manners and upbringing prevented her from showing it. She simply asked Qiao Yu calmly, "She's over thirty years old. Are you worried she'll be eaten?"

Lu Shangyi is usually very careful about her safety. Moreover, she has bodyguards hired by Madam Lu to guard her around the clock. So even if the end of the world comes, no one would dare to hurt Lu Shangyi in the slightest.

Seeing Qiao Yu's still somewhat hesitant expression, Bai Yiyu felt a subtle displeasure, like a stone thrown into a calm lake, causing the ripples to spread more and more violently.

Her gaze momentarily relaxed, then quickly returned to normal. But after that, the woman's stare at Qiao Yu became even more unfathomable.

Qiao Yu was still a little worried. Although Lu Shangyi wouldn't be eaten, she was a cannibal!

Bai Yiyu waited quietly for her. Since the girl didn't leave on her own, Bai Yiyu continued to wait. After half a minute, she seemed to finally lose patience. No matter how much the girl in her arms struggled, she simply picked her up and quickly left the hotel.

Qiao Yu instinctively hooked her arm around the other person's neck, and involuntarily exclaimed in surprise the moment her body was lifted into the air, "Aunt Bai!"

As soon as she opened her mouth, Bai Yiyu's eyes, which held a hint of displeasure, looked over quietly, her usual gentle expression softening slightly. Her imposing manner diminished, and Qiao Yu wisely shut her mouth, obediently letting Bai Yiyu hug her without further resistance.

With her being so well-behaved, Bai Yiyu's sudden emotional outburst finally subsided.

Composing herself, Bai Yiyu placed the person in the car that happened to be parked in front of the hotel. She first looked at her calmly for two seconds before striding around to the other side and getting into the car. Suddenly, she leaned over and took the seatbelt from Qiao Yu's hand, silently fastening it for her. Then, she carefully and gently removed the fine hairs that had been pressed against Qiao Yu's chest. The woman didn't say a word throughout the entire process.

Qiao Yu stared at her with her dark eyes, the clear black and white of her eyes glistening slightly with a seductive luster in the light, making her look incredibly alluring.

Bai Yiyu placed one hand on the steering wheel, stared straight ahead for a moment, then turned her head and stared at her with an expression that clearly showed she wanted to devour her completely.

Qiao Yu tensed up alertly, her eyes widening slightly.

Fortunately, the other person quickly looked away and focused on driving. In the flickering light, the lines of his deep profile were sometimes soft and sometimes sharp. Qiao Yu's tense nerves slowly relaxed, and she sighed softly, the system unable to discern whether she was disappointed or not.

When Bai Yiyu saw Qiao Yu to the door, she happened to run into Aunt Qiao, who was returning from playing mahjong. The extravagantly dressed woman glanced at her, then secretly sized up Bai Yiyu a few more times. After Bai Yiyu got back into the car, she rushed over in alarm, "Yuyu, what happened?"

"Didn't I tell you to be a hero and save the damsel in distress? How did it turn into you being brought back by another alpha?" Aunt Qiao asked anxiously. "Where's Lu Shangyi? Are you just going to leave her like this?"

Qiao Yu's head was starting to ache from all the noise. She pinched the bridge of her nose with her finger, then turned and stepped through the door. "She can't get drunk."

"Why can't she get drunk?" Aunt Qiao followed her, chattering on and on. "Even if she really can't get drunk, you can still force her to drink and get drunk. I don't believe she can stay sober after a few bottles of liquor."

The more Qiao Yu listened, the more she felt something was wrong. She couldn't help but look at the other person with a probing gaze. When she met Qiao Ershen's dark eyes, she gave a guilty, dry laugh and said, "I was only thinking of you."

"So many people are pursuing Lu Shangyi. If you don't use some tricks, someone else might beat you to it." Aunt Qiao got more and more excited as she spoke. "You don't know how many schemes women outside use to get into bed these days."

“You’re too young to understand these things,” Aunt Qiao sighed, then said earnestly, “But don’t worry, I can teach you slowly.”

"I'll teach you all the tricks I've learned over the decades." She still didn't believe that Qiao Yu couldn't win over a mere Lu Shangyi.

Qiao Yu's eyelids twitched uncontrollably as she listened. Did she dare to play tricks in front of Lu Shangyi?

Perhaps the old man hanged himself, tired of living too long.

Qiao Yu stopped walking, her mind a jumble of emotions. Aunt Qiao, however, seemed oblivious, and was about to impart all her knowledge when Qiao Yu's phone rang. It was Lu Shangyi calling. Aunt Qiao's eyes immediately lit up, and she urged Qiao Yu, "Turn on the speakerphone! Turn on the speakerphone so I can hear it too!"

Seeing that Qiao Yu didn't move, Aunt Qiao quickly tempted her, saying, "If you turn on the speaker and let me hear it, I'll tell you a secret about Qiao Junhao."

A secret? Raising an eyebrow, Qiao Yu complied and pressed the screen. Lu Shangyi's calm voice quickly rang out, "You're home?"

Qiao Yu exchanged a glance with her second aunt and softly hummed in agreement, "Just arrived."

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone, then a cool tone came through the voice: "Did Bai Yiyu take you home?"

Before Qiao Yu could react, Aunt Qiao was already getting excited. "Look! She still cares about you!" She was even more agitated than Qiao Yu, the person involved. "She cares about you so much, and she's so bothered that you were sent home by another woman. What does that mean?"

She looked at Qiao Yu expectantly, and Qiao Yu blinked. "What does that mean?"

Aunt Qiao glared at her with a hint of disappointment, "Of course it means she likes you!"

She's interested in you!

Qiao Yu: "..." Whether she has feelings for me or not is another matter, but right now Lu Shangyi definitely doesn't mean what Aunt Qiao said.

She remained silent for a long time. Lu Shangyi glanced at her phone and asked, "Who are you with now?"

"No, I wasn't with anyone." After answering subconsciously, Aunt Qiao took the opportunity to speak, "It's me, Miss Lu, I'm Yu Yu's second aunt, we've talked before."

Qiao Yu glared at her immediately. After giving her a "Don't worry, leave it to me" look, Aunt Qiao asked very familiarly, "Miss Lu, are you busy right now?"

"Not too busy."

"Can you come over now?" Aunt Qiao said quickly into the phone, "Yuyu told me she missed you as soon as she got home." After a pause, she continued her boast without thinking, "And Yuyu seems to be feeling a little unwell, probably because she misses you."

Qiao Yu: "???"

Author's Note: