Zhu Xingye didn't waste any more words with her: "I'm right at the mall entrance. Come downstairs and see me within five minutes."

After saying that, he hung up the phone.

"!!!!" Alarm bells rang in Zhu Jinzhao's mind, and he realized the danger of the situation.

"Oh no, my brother's here to get me! Jiang Jiang, let's go! I'll treat you to hot pot another day!" She turned around, grabbed Jiang Jingwen's arm, and hurriedly pulled her downstairs.

"...Huh? How did your older brother know you were here? And why did he arrest you?" The incident happened so suddenly that Jiang Jingwen was completely caught off guard.

As Zhu Jinchao ran, she said, "I don't know either, but he's already downstairs waiting for me! You absolutely have to keep my part-time job a secret from him, don't let him hear a word of it!"

Jiang Jingwen nodded repeatedly: "Oh, don't worry."

Fortunately, the shopping mall wasn't very big, and Zhu Jinzhao ran non-stop and successfully appeared in front of Zhu Xingye within five minutes.

Zhu Xingye's car was parked on the side of the road at the main entrance of the mall. Zhu Jinzhao saw him as soon as he came out of the mall.

He was dressed in a pure black, high-end custom-made suit, and was leaning casually against the car door. The moment Zhu Jinzhao appeared at the door, his gaze locked onto her as if she were his prey.

Zhu Jinchao looked at him from afar, and was intimidated by his extremely oppressive aura before she even got close.

"Your brother looks so fierce..." Jiang Jingwen swallowed nervously, her movements stiffening from Zhu Xingye's imposing aura. Even though Zhu Xingye only glanced at her lightly.

Zhu Jinchao wore a bitter face and only dared to mutter under his breath, "If you take away the 'looks like,' he's just really fierce!"

"5, 4, 3, 2, 1!" Zhu Jinzhao ran to Zhu Xingye with perfect timing, and before he could even catch his breath, he quickly greeted him, "Big Brother!"

"Hmm." Zhu Xingye responded with satisfaction, his gaze shifting slightly upwards to scan around behind Zhu Jinzhao, making sure there was no one who shouldn't be there before he smiled gently.

"It's getting late, come home with me for dinner. If you want hot pot, I'll bring you next time, it'll be on me."

"Okay, okay." Zhu Jinzhao agreed obediently on the surface, but in his heart he had already knelt down and cried "no".

"Get in the car." Zhu Xingye personally opened the back door for her. "We'll take Xiao Jiang home first."

"No need!" Jiang Jingwen politely declined Zhu Xingye's offer. "My home is very close to here. I can just take a taxi back myself. Big brother and Chaochao, don't worry about me. I'll be going now. Goodbye, big brother. Goodbye, Chaochao."

Zhu Xingye smiled and said, "Goodbye."

Zhu Jinzhao: "..."

Well, they didn't even give her a chance to express her opinion.

"Get in the car." Zhu Xingye reached out and took the backpack off Zhu Jinzhao's shoulder, then tossed it onto the seat for her.

"Okay." Zhu Jinzhao lowered his head and obediently did as he was told.

"Bang!"

Zhu Xingye slammed the car door shut, and a moment later, the black Bentley drove away from the mall, heading smoothly towards the Zhu family villa.

"Is Xiao Jiang the only person you go shopping with?" Zhu Xingye looked at Zhu Jinzhao in the rearview mirror and suddenly asked.

Zhu Jinzhao turned her head to look out the window and answered somewhat lazily, "Yes."

Zhu Xingye: "You two only spent the whole afternoon shopping?"

Zhu Jinzhao nodded: "Mm."

Zhu Xingye raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything more. Zhu Jinzhao thought he would stay silent, but unexpectedly, he heard him ask again a moment later.

"Where's your boyfriend? I haven't heard you mention him lately."

"What's so great about him..." Zhu Jinzhao secretly rolled her eyes, her tone revealing her disgust.

"Huh?" Zhu Xingye was taken aback by her words and couldn't help but glance at her again in the rearview mirror. "Why are you suddenly saying this? Did you have a fight?"

Zhu Jinchao truthfully said, "We didn't argue, but it was no different from arguing."

"What does this mean?" Zhu Xingye didn't understand.

Zhu Jinzhao didn't really want to say much, so she vaguely replied, "It's nothing. He has a lot of things to do and doesn't have time for me. I also have my own things to do and don't have time to revolve around him. Let's all be busy and live our own lives without disturbing each other."

Zhu Xingye: "Oh..."

Zhu Jinzhao's words seem reasonable at first glance, but upon closer examination, one can discern that something is amiss.

Zhu Jinzhao and Lu Yuzhou have been dating for three years, and their relationship has always been good. Lu Yuzhou is a good student, popular, and patient and attentive to Zhu Jinzhao. Zhu Jinzhao is deeply in love with him.

She has always been a generous person and never hesitates to share her happiness. Ever since she got together with Lu Yuzhou, she mentions her boyfriend to her brothers every few days.

You should mention it when you receive flowers, when you receive a necklace, and even when you have a date.

But now, Zhu Jinzhao not only doesn't mention it anymore, but also says such misleading things to Lu Yuzhou.

Zhu Xingye didn't need to ask any more questions; just from these words, he could tell that Zhu Jinzhao and Lu Yuzhou's relationship was probably coming to an end.

This conclusion put Zhu Xingye in a great mood. He smiled arrogantly, his eyes crinkling.

"Love is just a spice in life, not your whole life. You should always put your own affairs before love, understand?"

Zhu Jinzhao obediently replied, "Understood."

"Hmm." Taking advantage of the fact that she couldn't see, Zhu Xingye's smile deepened.

"By the way, Chaochao, from now on, whether you're eating or going out to play at school, try to remember to bring Mingyue along. Mingyue has just arrived in the capital and is not familiar with the place, nor does she have any friends. Please try to spend more time with her."

"...Huh?" The topic changed a bit suddenly, and Zhu Jinzhao didn't react for a moment.

She stared blankly for a few seconds, then, after understanding what Zhu Xingye meant, asked, "Big brother, are you blaming me? Blaming me for not bringing Mingyue out to play this afternoon?"

The question was so direct that Zhu Xingye was at a loss for words.

He frowned slightly, paused for a moment, and then said, "Chaochao, don't overthink it. I'm not blaming you. Mingyue just came home, and everything and everyone around her is unfamiliar to her. Your brothers are all busy with their own work and can't be with Mingyue every day. You and Mingyue are classmates, so you spend more time together than your brothers. That's why I'm asking you to take the initiative to bring Mingyue along, whether it's at school or when you go out, so that she can better integrate into our family."

"I took the initiative!"

I wish you a straightforward mind; you say what's on your mind and don't like to hide things or cause unnecessary misunderstandings.

Especially now.

Even if she were stupid, she could guess that Zhu Mingyue had said something behind her back that made Zhu Xingye misunderstand.

Zhu Mingyue was cunning, and she knew she couldn't win. Nevertheless, she still tried her best to defend herself.