Chapter 92

A whole day has passed since the argument.

Jiang Mei sat properly at her desk, her back ramrod straight. She hadn't finished her studies for the day, but she couldn't concentrate on her writing. Every time she was about to put pen to paper, Lu Shangyi's overly calm expression when he responded to her request would involuntarily flash through her mind.

There was no emotion whatsoever, and one could not even discern the slightest agreement or joy in the other person's request.

At that moment, she suddenly had a strange temper and started talking, catching even herself completely off guard.

She raised her voice uncontrollably, and even questioned Lu Shangyi in a harsh tone in front of others.

The moment she opened her mouth, Jiang Mei regretted it. She regretted being so rude in front of others and treating them with such an unfriendly attitude. She was extremely annoyed, but when she looked up, she still couldn't see the slightest emotion on Lu Shangyi's face.

It was as if she had anticipated this outcome and was therefore mentally prepared.

In that instant, Jiang Mei couldn't describe the panic she felt. She vaguely sensed that her expression had changed slightly, and even her lips trembled involuntarily. It took all her strength to keep herself from losing her composure and looking too disheveled.

The things she had previously refused to face were laid bare before her, a complete and cruel truth presented, leaving her with no way to escape.

She had to admit that she had been deceiving herself all along.

It's because I'm afraid to face the truth, so I keep hypnotizing myself, suggesting to myself, and deceiving myself.

Frustrated, Jiang Mei put down her pen and picked up a news article: "The battle between the legitimate heiress and the illegitimate daughter: Who will ultimately win the Lu family fortune?"

His lips instantly pursed into a pursed shape.

Even so, it forced her and Lu Shangyi to stand on opposite sides and compete with each other.

Jiang Mei closed her eyes, not understanding why Heaven had granted her this one and only wish in life.

She would be willing to give up everything to be with the person she loves.

She couldn't help but smile bitterly; she couldn't give her the better life that others could provide.

Jiang Mei gently bit her lip, lowering her eyes.

The Lu family has been in the spotlight lately, and any slight movement they make quickly attracts attention from all sides. Lu Shangyi sat at his desk, and after his assistant nervously finished his work report, he hesitated before saying, "Mr. Lu, you and Miss Jiang..."

She wasn't sure if she should continue, but seeing that Lu Shangyi hadn't even raised an eyebrow, she thought, "?"

"No need." Lu Shangyi put the signed contract aside, finally raising her eyes. "You can go now."

The assistant glanced at the woman's slightly tired expression and the faint bluish-gray under her eyes, and nodded subconsciously. After taking a couple of steps, the assistant suddenly remembered something and quickly turned back to report, "Mr. Lu, Miss Chu is currently waiting for you in the conference room."

Lu Shangyi finally put down her pen. "I understand."

Just as Chu Mi took out her small mirror to touch up her makeup, the meeting room door was opened from the outside. She put the mirror back in her bag with a grin and casually propped her cheek up with her hand. "Look at you, you're so tired and ugly. If you don't take care of yourself, the little one might run off with someone else."

Lu Shangyi glanced at her and asked, "What is it?"

The other party completely ignored her advances, and Chu Mi immediately felt bored. She listlessly shifted her posture, saying in a low voice, "I've done everything you asked." She also covered her mouth with her hand, thinking, "It'll definitely be a year and a half before I get out."

Seeing that Lu Shangyi didn't seem to care, Chu Mi touched the tip of her nose and said, "I've done everything you asked me to do."

"I'm really looking forward to their final expressions."

Chu Mi seemed to enjoy watching the drama unfold. Lu Shangyi pulled out a chair and sat down, but simply said, "I heard you were throwing your weight around on set again last week?"

Chu Mi shrugged. "If they knew this, they would have suspected my true intentions, wouldn't they?"

Lu Shangyi did not refute her, and Chu Milian smiled, "I heard that you have quite a few notebooks."

"We'll film after the New Year," Lu Shangyi said casually. Chu Mi found Lu Shangyi's half-smiling expression creepy and immediately tried to slip away, but was stopped by him: "You'll be busy after the New Year."

"No way?!" Chu Mi: "What a useless, pathetic vase!"

Lu Shangyi gazed at her silently, and Chu Mi felt even more desperate. Her voice trembled as she asked, "Do you really want me to focus on my career? No way, no way, absolutely not! If I become popular again, wouldn't that drag you down with me?"

After a moment of silence, Lu Shangyi gestured for her to sit down. The woman placed her hands on the conference table, her tone tinged with doubt: "What are you thinking about?"

"What I mean is, I want you to be even more arrogant and do more promotion for the company's new drama."

Chu Mi was speechless. Even the Wolf of Wall Street would be moved to tears. This woman is so heartless, so cold-blooded, and so unreasonable.

After Chu Mi left, Lu Shangyi pinched the space between her eyebrows. Her eyes were a little sore, and she could see some obvious redness. Even without looking in the mirror, she could imagine what she looked like. She got up, made an appointment with a stylist, and then went back to her office to take a shower and change into a brand new suit.

There's an event I need to attend later. It's not important, but I do need to participate.

For example, making someone nervous, or making someone stop worrying.

Qiao Yu was so shocked she almost couldn't read anymore. She read it over and over again, and then, with a question mark on her face, she called Jiang Mei.

The call was answered quickly, and a slightly hesitant voice came through, "Yuyu, have you finished your exams?"

"Yes, it just finished today." Qiao Yu asked politely, "How did your exam go?"

"It's alright," Jiang Mei said softly. "I don't know if it's because this set of questions was too easy, but I feel like I got every single one right. How about you? How do you feel?"

Qiao Yu: "..." I don't feel very good.

"It's about the same as my usual test performance," she said quickly, changing the subject with a hint of probing, "You're still living at home, right? I'll come find you."

Jiang Mei fell silent, unsure whether the other person had seen the information online.

The exam had just finished, and perhaps the other party hadn't even had a chance to go online yet. But... Meng'e was well-informed; if there was any news circulating online, she would inform Qiao Yu immediately.

Jiang Mei suppressed the bittersweet feeling in her heart and said, "No."

She explained calmly, "I bought an apartment near the school so it would be easier to review my studies."

After speaking, she held her breath, anxiously awaiting the other person's reply. Those few seconds felt like centuries. Unable to contain herself, she asked, "Did you see the message online?"

She asked directly, and Qiao Yu laughed, "Yes."

"But they must have written that on purpose to boost their sales and grab attention. You and Sister Lu have such a good relationship, how could something like that happen? Right?"

Her tone was as if she were asking Jiang Mei, or as if she were trying to convince herself.

Jiang Mei lowered her head and chuckled, "That's not right."

A faint voice came from the phone, "What they said is true."

Jiang Mei said with certainty, "I did have a fight with my aunt."

Qiao Yu couldn't help but ask, "Why? Shouldn't you and Sister Lu be more united at this time? Aren't you two very close? You..."

Jiang Mei couldn't stand listening to the rest, and she interrupted Qiao Yu with a slightly impatient tone, "Because of you."

"Because I begged her to let me marry you."

"But she doesn't agree." The voice on the other end of the phone carried a hint of pain, and Qiao Yu could clearly sense that the other person was trying hard to hold back, not wanting her to see through her pretense and weakness. After a long while, Jiang Mei took a deep breath to calm herself down, "But I won't give up."

She is one.

"You were the one who approached me first, like the warm spring sun, and tantalized me, making me unable to extricate myself."

“Back then, I had nothing, no family, no friends. You made me feel warmth and made me realize the most beautiful feelings in the world. Yu Yu, no matter how the world changes, I will never let go.”

Jiang Mei's voice grew calmer and calmer, and by the end, it carried a similar air of composure to Lu Shangyi: "Yu Yu, I can't bring myself to like anyone else but you."

The more Qiao Yu listened, the more uneasy she felt, realizing that things seemed to be developing in a direction she couldn't have predicted.

Before Jiang Mei could finish speaking, she said, "Yuyu, in three months, I will have the highest score in the history of Peking University. I won't compete with my aunt for anything now. I will rely on my own abilities to make a name for myself and make everyone look at me with new eyes."

She has always been a person in the abyss, and she has never forgotten her identity and situation.

"Yuyu," she called softly, her voice full of longing and restraint, "Do you believe me?"

It took Qiao Yu several seconds to process what Jiang Mei had said. When she heard Jiang Mei ask a question, she reflexively replied, "I believe you."

Even without any deliberate attempts to be warm, the female protagonist in the original story achieved her dreams and goals step by step through her own efforts. That girl was aloof yet warm, stubborn yet patient. Qiao Yu paused for a moment, then said, "I believe in you."

She chuckled softly, "See you at Peking University then."

Jiang Mei was stunned for a moment, then an overwhelming surge of joy welled up within her. She tried to suppress her excitement, and asked with a hint of grievance in her voice, "Then...we can't see each other again before we go to Peking University?"

It's only March or April now, and university registration isn't until September. If she can't see him for the next five or six months, she'll go crazy.

Qiao Yu couldn't help but chuckle. "Of course we can, but," she thought for a moment, "let's each work hard before the college entrance exam is over."

This result was clearly much better than before. Jiang Mei's eyebrows curved into smiles, her eyes and brows brimming with joy. "Good."

"Then you are not allowed to have a relationship before the college entrance examination is over."

"If I find out you're secretly dating, I'll immediately drop my exam paper and run over to find you."

"...Okay." Qiao Yu twitched her lips twice, then put down her phone with a look of utter despair. "They've brought the ruthless knife to me again."

The system glanced sideways. "Host, don't you have special dodging skills? It's just a Heartless Blade. You dodged even the Great Scythe of Fate, so you can't dodge this little fruit knife?"

Qiao Yu thought about it carefully, "That makes sense."

"But I should focus on my studies first," she muttered. "If I can't go back in this lifetime, I have to take responsibility for my life."

Upon hearing her bring it up again, the system immediately went silent and pretended to be dead.

Fortunately, Qiao Yu didn't intend to cause it any trouble; instead, she was completely engrossed in watching the drama unfold.

The Lu family has been making headlines lately. Besides the conflict between Lu Shangyi and Jiang Mei, many people are also concerned about Lu Shenghui's situation. Meanwhile, Lu Shenghui is enjoying a comfortable life in the police station, with plenty of time to read and play with his cat, living a more comfortable life than he did outside.

Lu Yi had already informed the people, so he was not mistreated at all. In fact, after a few days, he even started to like this slow-paced life.

The only point is that he always felt a subtle displeasure watching his hard-earned wealth fall into Lu Shangyi's hands.

However, after realizing that Lu Shangyi's methods weren't particularly sophisticated, and that she was easily manipulated by the board members, his tense nerves finally relaxed. Initially, he had suspected that Lu Shangyi was deliberately putting on an act for him, but now a whole month had passed; even if it were genuine acting, she should have shown some signs by now, but she hadn't.

Every mistake he made was exactly as Lu Shenghui predicted, without any deviation.

Lu Shenghui has managed the company for so many years that he knows it inside and out, but Lu Shangyi is unaware of some of the inside information.

If it's not acting, then there's only one possibility left.

During the years that Lu Shangyi was recuperating, she truly turned a deaf ear to everything happening around her and was completely oblivious to the intricacies of the industry.

This conclusion surprisingly made Lu Shenghui lower his guard, and he began to take Lu Shangyi less seriously. It wasn't a bad idea to hand the company over to Lu Shangyi first; after four or five months, or even half a year, when he left, all these things that belonged to him would still have to be returned to their rightful owner.

Lu Shangyi worked tirelessly for half a year, but in the end, she still ended up making a wedding dress for herself.

You leisurely open the door, don't you think?

He used to be wary of Lu Shangyi and even secretly regretted not doing things properly back then, but now he realizes he was overthinking it.

Not everyone who excels academically is suited for the battlefield.

It's just a showy fist.

Qiao Yu's rise to fame was astonishing, leaving those who had previously looked down on her speechless. But as she watched, she frowned. What kind of "cup" was this? With Lu Shangyi's skill and intelligence, she shouldn't have made such a mistake.

Hesitantly scratching her nose, Qiao Yu patiently continued reading, but the more she read, the more confused she became. "Sister Lu's pathetic appearance is almost making me think she's acting..."

The voice suddenly stopped, and Qiao Yu's eyes widened slightly. "No way? No way?"

After arguing with the system for a while, Qiao Yu clasped her hands in a gesture of surrender, "I declare that Sister Lu is the most cunning character in this book."

If she hadn't known some inside information, she probably would have been fooled too.

I couldn't help but sigh, "Why didn't Sister Lu have a name in the book back then?"

If Lu Shangyi were also mentioned, how exciting would that be?

The system scoffed, "Isn't it there now? Thanks to you, host, I see Lu Shangyi's name in the background every day."

Qiao Yu: "..." Shut up.

Just as Qiao Yu was ordering the system to change the backend permissions, Madam Qiao strode in through the front door with an air of authority, her high heels clicking on the floor. Casually setting her bag aside, she didn't hold back her praise, "You did well on the exam this time."

Teachers aren't usually this efficient at grading papers, but given Mrs. Qiao's methods and status, knowing the scores in advance wasn't difficult for her. Actually, Mrs. Qiao wasn't exactly a benevolent mother, so her statement indicated that she was quite satisfied with the result.

Qiao Yu silently relaxed her grip; "However..."

Slowly drawing out her words, Madam Qiao squinted and smiled as she looked at her, "She's still a bit behind the Lu family's child."

"What difference?" Qiao Yu asked instinctively.

"Your exam scores are not different."

Qiao Yu: "?" Isn't this a good thing?

Based on the female lead's abilities, she ranks first in her grade.

“But,” Mrs. Qiao smiled innocently, “your father and I have never slacked off in your education. In fact, we even put aside our work to teach you ourselves during your early childhood education.”

Mrs. Qiao's tone was so gentle it could melt your bones, "What do you think?"

"..."

Seeing her aggrieved expression, Mrs. Qiao leaned back gently on the leather sofa and said, "Don't let things outside affect you."

Her gaze drifted over to me, "No matter how anxious you are, you can't help them."

"Why don't you study hard first and talk about it after the college entrance exam? I won't care what you do then."

The system will definitely regret what you just said.

Because of her mother's words, Qiao Yu became highly motivated, studying diligently day and night as if she were on steroids. Tang Shu found her diligence incredible and even subtly probed several times whether she had been traumatized. She had many guesses in her mind, including but not limited to: being heartbroken, being deceived by a scumbag, or discovering that the person she liked liked someone who liked her, etc.

However, considering recent events, Tang Shu is more inclined to believe that

Qiao Yu belatedly realized her feelings for Meng E.

Unrequited love and the regret of missing out left her heartbroken and devastated. That's why she channeled her grief and anger into strength, using studying to numb herself.

This assumption made Tang Shu very nervous, fearing that her girlfriend might be stolen away by Qiao Yu one day. So, she had to keep up with Qiao Yu's pace while studying, carrying books and test papers with her every day until 2 a.m. before daring to put down her workbook when she felt dizzy and lightheaded.

Qiao Yu stared at Tang Shu's listless appearance and couldn't help but ask Meng E, "What's wrong with her?"

Just as Meng E was about to speak, Qiao Yu patted her shoulder and, with an expression of "I understand," earnestly advised, "Although she is still young, she is still a pampered young lady, so you shouldn't drain her too much on a daily basis."

"Otherwise, how would she have the energy to study?"

Looking at Tang Shu with disappointment, he shook his head. "It's true, she's so young and her health is already so poor."

Tang Shu paused, “…?!” You think I’m in poor health? You really are eyeing my girlfriend!

"Bang!" he blurted out, revealing all the information. "Qiao Junhao has already successfully secured the government project. Once he finishes this project, your family will be bullied and humiliated by them!"

Qiao Yu looked blank for a moment, "Huh?"

Tang Shu: "??" What? Is this person so focused on stealing her boyfriend that they're oblivious to everything else?

"You'd better think of a way to intercept her, otherwise I won't help you." She snorted, and seeing Qiao Yu looking at Meng E, she quickly pulled Meng E away without a second thought. These days, even dating requires you to be wary of Qiao Yu from all sides; it's really difficult.

"Oh, right." Tang Shu suddenly stopped in her tracks. "I heard that Lu Shangyi is involved as well."

She hesitated for a moment, then asked, "Shouldn't you remind her?"

After staring at her from afar for a while, Qiao Yu couldn't help but laugh, "I know."

Tang Shu was baffled by her laughter and couldn't help but lower her head. "Do you think she has a bit of a problem?"

Meng E glared at her irritably, "I think you're the one who looks like it."

Tang Shu immediately lowered her head in grievance, "What do you mean? And even if I have some problems, you're the only one in my heart. We study and practice together, and you spend more time with her than I do."

"If this keeps up, she'll steal you away."

Tang Shu was really annoying. Meng E blushed slightly as she recalled Qiao Yu's earnest advice. "Then let's go out and book a room tonight."

Tang Shu: "?!?!"

She just smiled foolishly and didn't answer. Meng'e couldn't help but glare at her, "Are you going or not?"

"Yes, yes, of course I'm going."

Qiao Yu could smell the sour smell of romance wafting over from afar. She turned her head away, like a sour grapes, saying, "What's so good about being in a relationship? It'll only slow down my problem-solving speed."

After muttering to herself, she pulled out her phone. "Sister Lu, you're working with Young Master An too?"

Lu Shangyi stared at the screen, a slight smile finally appearing on her tense face. "Hmm, that project looks pretty good."

Qiao Yu was immediately anxious. What did she mean by "looks alright"? It was clearly a huge trap! Whoever invested would be ruined, not even a saint could save them! She scratched her brow anxiously, "But, my brother is also involved..."

Although he had hinted very subtly, Lu Shangyi was certainly smart enough to understand what he was saying.

“I know,” Lu Shangyi said. “I invested in the company precisely because of him.”

Qiao Yu: "?!"

“He has performed very well in the past two years, and he has also received your family’s full support this time.”

Full support? Impossible, Mom and Dad would never agree to such a thing. After typing half a word, Qiao Yu suddenly realized that it must have been the old lady's idea on her own, and she might have even secretly given all the family's money to Qiao Junhao for the project.

I just don't know if my second aunt was involved.

Delete the text in the dialog box: "But I don't think highly of him."

There was a few seconds of silence on the other end, before a message came through: "Okay, I will withdraw my investment."

The corners of her lips unconsciously turned up. This feeling of being trusted was just so wonderful. Qiao Yu sent a big-eyed cat emoji with a beaming smile, "Hurry up." So that she wouldn't be trapped and unable to escape later.

“Mm,” Lu Shangyi replied.

There was a few seconds of silence on the phone screen. Just as Qiao Yu was about to find a new emoji to break the silence, a sentence popped up unexpectedly on the screen: "Whatever you say."

Qiao Yu's gaze was like a zither.

Those four short words seemed to possess a deadly magic, instantly gripping her heart so tightly that she almost forgot to breathe.

Author's Note: