Inside the luxurious private room, crystal chandeliers cast dappled light. Xu Ming picked up his wine glass, his smile carrying a hint of deeper meaning.

"Haifeng, you've been living abroad for so many years, you must be tired. Welcome home."

As Lu Haifeng stood up, the cuff of his suit jacket lightly swept across the table. His brow bone profile bore a slight resemblance to Lu Yanting's, but his eyes held a completely different sharpness.

"If it weren't for Uncle Xu's help, I probably would have frozen to death on the streets of London back then. This glass of wine should be for you!" His knuckles turned white as he raised his glass, but a faint smile lingered at the end of his words.

Xu Ming smiled and said, "Haifeng, you're being too polite. Your grandfather used to take care of me a lot in my younger days. Now that he's gone, it's only natural that I should take care of his grandson!"

As Xu Ming spoke, he suddenly turned to look at the woman who was cutting steak with her head down. "Haifeng, this is my daughter, Jingyan. I thought you young people would have common topics, so I brought her along so that you wouldn't have nothing to say to this old man like me."

Lu Haifeng wasn't stupid, so he naturally understood what Xu Ming meant. He glanced at Xu Jingyan, trying to find something to talk about.

The clinking of the knife and fork against the porcelain plate was soft. Xu Jingyan lowered her eyes and stirred the black truffle sauce with a silver spoon. Her eyelashes cast butterfly-wing-like shadows under her eyes. She didn't raise her head, as if the man opposite her was just air.

Lu Haifeng opened his mouth but said nothing, and the atmosphere became somewhat awkward.

Xu Ming pursed his lips and hurriedly kicked Xu Jingyan under the table. Only then did Xu Jingyan reluctantly put down the silver spoon, raise her head, and say in a very flat tone, "Hello, Mr. Lu."

Lu Haifeng laughed and said, "I've long heard that Miss Xu is beautiful and has an excellent temperament. Seeing her today, I can confirm that her reputation is well-deserved."

Xu Ming chuckled and patted his daughter's shoulder. "Jingyan, Haifeng just came back from abroad and doesn't know many people. You two exchange contact information. If you have time, take him around Guangcheng."

Xu Jingyan raised an eyebrow and asked, feigning surprise, "Oh? You don't know anyone? Wasn't Mr. Lu supposed to be the son of the second branch of the Lu family? How come you don't know anyone? I remember Uncle Lu seems to have two daughters. Why, can't Mr. Lu have his sister show him around?"

Upon hearing this, Lu Haifeng's face turned extremely ugly. He pursed his lips and remained silent, but his hands, hanging at his sides, were clenched tightly.

Xu Ming glared at Xu Jingyan immediately, "Jingyan! You've gone too far!"

Xu Jingyan raised her chin and said, "Am I wrong? Since you're a child of the Lu family, go back to the Lu family! What kind of person are you to follow us?"

Lu Haifeng's dark eyes were turbulent, but he had to hold back, knowing that his abilities were limited and he still had to rely on Xu Ming.

He forced a smile, his tone sincere yet firm, "Yes, Miss Xu, my position is indeed somewhat awkward, but rest assured, as long as I successfully take over the Lu family, in the future, I will only have you as my Mrs. Lu, and I will never be like Lu Yanting, fickle and unfaithful!"

"you……"

Hearing others speak ill of Lu Yanting, Xu Jingyan instinctively wanted to retort.

But as soon as she looked up, she met the man's burning gaze. Xu Jingyan saw her own reflection in the man's eyes.

Throughout her life, she never paid attention to other men and always revolved around Lu Yanting, so naturally no one dared to get too close to her.

So, when she met the man's eyes, she felt for the first time that he had made a firm choice for her.

Coupled with the fact that this face bore a resemblance to Lu Yanting's, a hint of panic flashed in Xu Jingyan's eyes.

Seeing this, Lu Haifeng continued, "Ms. Xu, when I was abroad, I saw the advertisements you filmed. You were elegant, confident, gentle, and beautiful in the advertisements, which perfectly matched my image of a wife. At that time, I decided that I must win you over in this lifetime!"

Xu Ming only wanted the two to get to know each other; he didn't intend to marry off his daughter immediately. What if he couldn't compete with Lu Yanting? Wouldn't that ruin the Xu family?

He looked at Lu Haifeng and said, "Haifeng, let's talk about these things later. Today is mainly to welcome you back. Come on, have some food!"

...

After finishing their meal, the Xu father and daughter left the restaurant by car.

Lu Haifeng stood at the restaurant entrance, watching the direction the two had left, his hand still waving goodbye.

"Brother Feng..."

Lu Haifeng turned his head and saw a man in a black leather jacket standing respectfully behind him.

"Qiu Hui, do you think I can take over the Lu family business this time I'm back?"

Qiu Hui said respectfully, "Brother Feng, I can't say for sure. We definitely can't do it on our own, but if we can bring Xu Ming over..."

Lu Haifeng nodded. "I know that Xu Ming had close ties with a criminal organization in his early years. I have always suspected that the kidnapping of Lu Yanting many years ago was orchestrated by him."

Qiu Hui's expression was grave. "Very likely!"

Lu Haifeng raised his hand, clenched his fist, and coughed a few times.

"Brother Feng, are you alright?" Qiu Hui asked with a worried expression.

Lu Haifeng waved his hand, "It's an old ailment, nothing serious... cough cough cough cough..."

Seeing that Lu Haifeng was coughing up his lungs, Qiu Hui quickly handed him a bottle of water.

Lu Haifeng took the water and drank a big gulp, then coughed a few times before finally recovering.

He raised his hand to wipe the corner of his mouth. "Xu Ming, that old fox, likes to leave himself a backup plan. On one hand, he's trying to curry favor with Lu Yanting, and on the other hand, he wants to help me rise to power. I don't think he'll be wholeheartedly on our side."

A glint of light suddenly flashed across Qiu Hui's usually calm face. "Brother Feng, doesn't he have a daughter? If we can get our hands on her, I don't believe he'll abandon us."

Lu Haifeng raised his eyes and looked in the direction where the Xu family father and daughter had just driven away, his gaze darkening.

...

A few days later, inside the Xu family building.

The assistant ran into the office, panting, carrying a large bouquet of roses that almost covered her entire face. She looked even more excited than Xu Jingyan.

"Mr. Xu, it's been like this for several days in a row. Why are you getting flowers every day? Is it from Mr. Lu? Tell me! Is it because your wedding with Mr. Lu is just around the corner?"

The assistant raised an eyebrow and looked at Xu Jingyan with a gossipy expression.

"Just put it there!"

Xu Jingyan looked at the large bouquet of roses and casually pointed to the table.

The assistant looked in the direction Xu Jingyan was pointing and saw that the table was already covered with flowers, all of them large, identical bouquets of roses.

Clearly, these flowers had not been well cared for; some had withered, and petals had fallen to the ground.

The assistant was somewhat surprised, "Mr. Xu, don't you like any of these flowers? They're a gift from Mr. Lu!"

"Take them if you like!" Xu Jingyan looked at the flowers absentmindedly, her tone flat and indifferent.