The people queuing behind him got angry when they saw that he didn't have an invitation and was standing still at the door.

Seeing that he didn't have an invitation and his car wasn't a high-end brand, the security guard assumed he was one of those trying to sneak in. His attitude wasn't bad, just less enthusiastic than before.

"Sir, if you don't have an invitation, please drive over to the side first."

Lu Zheng didn't make things difficult for the security guards, and turned the steering wheel to look to the side.

When the others saw that he didn't go in, they cursed from inside the car, "Don't come if you don't have an invitation."

The person following behind Lu Zheng was Jiang Qing, a friend of Qiao Zhen's father.

Lu Zheng heard him cursing from inside the car and glanced at him.

Upon seeing his appearance, his eyes narrowed slightly, and a cold smile suddenly appeared on his face.

"Sir, what brings you out here?" The security guard saw a portly man and a beautiful woman walking out and quickly went to greet them.

"Where's Mr. Lu?" The man glanced towards the door, but didn't see anyone, so he asked the security guard.

"What, Mr. Lu?" The security guard scratched his head, somewhat puzzled, upon hearing the man's words.

"Someone just didn't have an invitation." The man frowned, looking at the security guard with some annoyance.

I told you they weren't good enough; they couldn't even guard a door properly!

"Oh, that guy? He's waiting outside." Seeing the man come out to greet him, the security guard couldn't help but feel uneasy.

Who is that man? He actually sent their master!

Upon hearing the security guard's words, the man hurriedly went out to look for Lu Zheng.

"Sir, please slow down, there's no rush." ​​The woman watched the man rush out and quickly chased after him, telling him to slow down.

The security guard, seeing this, felt like he had gotten himself into trouble.

Meanwhile, Qiao Zhen followed Gu Xijue, watching him greet others, while she acted as a smiling robot, only needing to show a kind smile.

Those people all looked very wealthy, and their clothes and manners were quite impressive.

Qiao Zhen felt that this kind of occasion was not suitable for her. Business galas require her to face all kinds of people, put on a fake smile, and say things she didn't mean. She didn't feel tired at all.

She found these parties hosted by friends tiring, and as she looked at all sorts of people, she wore a polite smile.

She made an excuse to leave the hall and went to the back garden alone.

At night, the streetlights cast a dim, yellowish glow. Perhaps because no one had lived there for so long, the garden looked somewhat dilapidated.

The road had only been roughly repaired, and the flowerbeds were messy and showed no signs of trimming.

As Qiao Zhen looked at the flowers, she suddenly thought of her old home.

She was afraid to see the house that held so many memories; she hadn't been back since it was auctioned off.

I don't know who bought their house, or what's become of it now.

She sat on the swing, listening to the cheerful conversations coming from inside and the chirping of insects in the garden, and felt an overwhelming longing for her old home.

"What's wrong? Is Gu Xijue ignoring you? You're sitting here all alone."

Lost in her memories, Qiao Zhen heard a familiar voice and immediately pulled herself back to reality.

Seeing Lu Zheng appear here, she frowned slightly and looked at him with a puzzled expression.

"What are you doing here?" Gu Xijue said that the owner of this place was a friend he met while studying abroad, so why is Lu Zheng here too?

"Don't you want to see me?" Lu Zheng looked at her with amusement and stepped closer to her.

Even though he was smiling, for some reason Qiao Zhen felt that he looked dangerous.

"How could that be?" She forced a smile, got up from the swing, and tried to distance herself from Lu Zheng.

Lu Zheng sensed her intention, grabbed Qianqiu with one hand, and blocked her in the middle.

"Want to play a little longer?" he said, gesturing for Qiao Zhen to sit down.

Qiao Zhen could tell that he had no intention of staying any longer; she just wanted to leave as soon as possible.

"No, I want to go in." She reached out to pull Lu Zheng's hand away, but Lu Zheng grabbed it instead.

He grabbed Qiao Zhen's hand and forced her to sit on the swing.

Left with no other choice, Qiao Zhen could only let Lu Zheng do as he pleased. After she sat down, Lu Zheng pulled up the iron chain and swung her around on the swing.

Qiao Zhen's heart gradually calmed down amidst the swaying. When she took off, she could see the bright moon in the sky, and when she came down, she could see Lu Zheng's face.

All he could hear was the sound of wind and insects chirping, and his nostrils smelled of grass and a faint tobacco scent from Lu Zheng.

Perhaps it was because the atmosphere was so good at that moment, but Qiao Zhen once again felt that Lu Zheng was a good person.

"Zhenzhen, you're here! I heard from President Gu that you were here, but I didn't believe it. I didn't expect you to actually be here."

Just then, Jiang Qing's voice came from the doorway.

Qiao Zhen looked up and saw him holding a wine glass, smiling at her.

The moment Qiao Zhen saw Jiang Qing, she immediately snapped out of her daze.

Their attitude towards Lu Zheng changed immediately.

Seeing someone approaching, Lu Zheng pulled on the iron chain to stop Qianqiu.

"Uncle Jiang, what a coincidence, you're here too." She was a little surprised to see Jiang Qing.

Gu Xijue said it was organized by his friend abroad, but that friend doesn't know anyone in China. Could he be lying to her?

First it was Lu Zheng, and now it's Jiang Qing.

"Unfortunately, if it weren't for President Gu's introduction, I wouldn't be here."

Jiang Qing listened to Qiao Zhen's words and chuckled as she spoke frankly.

So it was Gu Xijue who brought it. She thought Jiang Qing also knew the owner of this place.

Seeing Qiao Zhen's expression, Lu Zheng roughly knew what methods Gu Xijue had used to summon her.

She wouldn't be so naive as to think he wouldn't recognize people from abroad, would she?

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!