Chapter 26 (Second Update)

Just as Lu Xuan was feeling happy, he suddenly realized something very important.

Lu Jinzhi blocked him and hasn't removed him from the blacklist yet.

Damn it!

It deserves to be called a monkey.

He was considering whether to send it via email when he hesitated again.

Currently, all his money comes from Qiao Wu. If his card is also suspended, Qiao Wu might try to make a deal with Lu Yingchi as well.

Lu Xuan looked Lu Yingchi over with a very complicated and strange gaze.

To be honest, he's just average-looking. He's the kind of person who uses hand sanitizer as body wash from head to toe. He's definitely no match for me. He's just a big, immature, brainless, blond idiot.

But naivety equals youth.

Being brainless equals being easily fooled.

"Big and clumsy" is the same as "tall and well-built".

Are this type of male college student quite popular now?

If Qiao Wu really made a deal with him, what could Lu Yingchi give her?

After careful consideration, Lu Xuan finally made the difficult decision to give up this hard-won opportunity. Lu Yingchi could spend money, but he absolutely could not let Qiao Wu become Lu Yingchi's sugar daddy!

In a secluded corner where no one knew, Lu Xuan, who had been secretly excited and silently going through an internal struggle, reluctantly put his phone away.

After Lu Yingchi sent the message, Guo Liyan on the other end was instantly overwhelmed with joy. He hadn't expected it to be so easy!

Unlike before, you no longer have to go to their circle to drink or do a lot of things that make people uncomfortable.

So he was truly grateful to Lu Yingchi, even if it was just a casual act of charity.

He typed carefully: "I'll treat you to dinner instead. You can choose any place you like, and I definitely won't bring anyone else."

Lu Yingchi quickly replied, "I don't need your meal. If you want to thank someone, thank Qiao Wu."

Immediately afterwards, Lu Yingchi sent a second message: "Forget it, she doesn't need your food. Just stay away from her."

Guo Liyan: "..."

He stared blankly at the words on the screen.

So that housekeeper Qiao's name is Qiao Wu? Did she speak up for me?

Or did she draft this list?

From the moment he first saw that person, Guo Liyan never dared to imagine what kind of impression he would leave on her.

He stared at the name on his phone, pursed his lips tightly, parked the car, and went inside.

His family members sat at the dining table, and frowned as soon as they saw him: "Why are you back at this hour? Didn't you have dinner with Young Master Lu?"

Guo Liyan lowered his eyes: "No, Wang Ziming got drunk today and caused trouble at the Lu residence, so he was kicked out."

Guo Yangzhou put down his chopsticks and said unhappily, "So you were kicked out too?"

Guo's mother immediately stepped in to smooth things over: "Didn't Liyan say it was because of other people, so it's not his fault?"

"Isn't it his fault? He should be more discerning! He doesn't even know who he's hanging out with! He wasted such a good opportunity to join the Lu family." Guo Yangzhou didn't take his stepmother seriously at all and said sternly, "You're still defending him? That's why he has no skills at all. Is that something to be proud of!"

Guo's mother's face was not pleasant: "Yangzhou..."

"You're really useless."

"Alright." After remaining silent for a while, Guo's father finally spoke up. "Since you've offended them, don't just stand there. Think of a way to apologize to them. What are you doing standing there like an idiot?"

Guo Liyan walked into the restaurant, first looked at his mother, then at his father and brother, and then said, "Lu Yingchi said I can go to the dinner."

The entire dining table fell silent instantly.

A moment later, Guo's mother stood up in surprise: "What did you say?"

“He said I could go, he gave me this opportunity,” Guo Liyan repeated.

Mr. Guo's expression immediately brightened, and a smile spread across his face: "Sit down and talk. He agreed? Is it really that dinner party?"

Guo Liyan nodded: "See Lu Jinzhi's dinner party."

"Good, good, good!" Guo's father slammed his hand on the table, pointed at Guo Yangzhou and said, "You'd better drive out in the best car in the house, and hurry up and order the dress, or we'll run out of time!"

Guo Yangzhou picked up his chopsticks again: "Okay."

The two of them were talking back and forth, which made Guo Liyan feel nauseous. He said softly, "Lu Yingchi said that only I can go alone."

Guo Yangzhou dropped his chopsticks on the table and said in a gloomy voice, "What do you mean by 'only you can go'? What can you do there?"

“Maybe it’s because he invited me,” Guo Liyan said calmly. “He only knows me, so he specifically said that I was the only one allowed to go.”

"Are you doing this on purpose...?"

"Alright!" Father Guo pressed down on his eldest son, and after a few seconds of silence, his voice softened a bit, "Since it was the young master who said it, then go ahead and do it, but you must remember that you absolutely cannot make a mistake."

Guo Liyan nodded.

"Have your mother take you to buy some decent clothes. You can drive that car too, so you don't lose face." Mr. Guo raised his chin and asked the maid to add another bowl and chopsticks for him. "Didn't you say you came back without eating? Eat up."

Under Guo Yangzhou's furious expression, Guo Liyan picked up his chopsticks.

In that instant, a strange, exhilarating sensation suddenly rose from the soles of his feet.

So this is what it feels like to be at the top of the power structure and manipulate others.

So when Qiao Wu talked to Lu Yingchi about this, did he also consider these things?

He recalled the figure standing in front of the table, looking back at him, and his chest felt like it was boiling water, unable to calm down.

On the Lu family's side.

It was rare for the group to sit so close together for a meal. After hastily finishing their food, Lu Yingchi pushed over a whiteboard, which he had bought specifically to help Lu Ning with her homework.

Lu Ning was still enjoying dessert after dinner when she saw this and exclaimed, "Can you please not bring such unappetizing things to the restaurant?"

Lu Yingchi: "Shut your mouth, little mouth."

Lu Ning: "..."

Lu Xuan: "...Idiot."

He stood up to leave, but Lu Yingchi stopped him, saying, "I have something important to say while everyone is here."

Qiao Wu was somewhat interested: "What did you say?"

“I have a plan, and the first step is to establish some family rules.” Lu Yingchi banged the whiteboard loudly. “You can raise any objections, but I have a veto right.”

Lu Xuan slapped his hand away: "Veto invalid, what kind of idiot is this?"

Lu Yingchi leaned close to his ear and said in a sinister tone, "I call this plan the 'Striving for Pride' Plan. What are your thoughts on it?"

God's the God of Motivation Plan.

So, it seems like you're about to usher in your own era of "making a name for yourself"?

But then again...

Lu Xuan sat back down: "Listening to it is fine too."

Upon hearing the "Striving for Excellence" plan, Qiao Wu couldn't help but want to laugh, but the serious expressions of the others made her too embarrassed to laugh out loud.

“First, everyone should set a small goal for themselves,” Lu Yingchi said.

"Lu Ning, you just... don't get last place in the final exam."

Lu Ning slammed her hand on the table in anger: "Who do you think you are!"

"I'm giving you a way out, in case you fail to do so." Lu Yingchi's gaze drifted to Qiao Wu, "Do you know what the consequences will be?"

At this moment, Lu Ning miraculously found herself on the same wavelength as Lu Yingchi: "But then again, knowledge can't be learned in a day or two."

Don't set goals too far ahead of time, or you'll embarrass yourself if you fail to achieve them!

We can't afford the consequences.

The way these two were openly plotting was too hard to ignore. Qiao Wu crossed his arms and said, "Do you think I'm that easy to fool?"

“Then…” Lu Yingchi hesitated for a moment, “Let’s change the target, Lu Xuan, you…”

He pointed at Lu Xuan and said, "Go to the film festival and win the Best Actor award first."

Lu Xuan: "..."

Such blatant discrimination, and he still says he wasn't ostracized?!

He rolled his eyes: "Why don't you just start your own film festival and wholesale Best Actor awards?"

Lu Yingchi exclaimed in surprise, "You can do that?"

Lu Xuan felt that wasting time with them here was purely an impulsive decision made because he was dizzy from eating too much earlier.

Perhaps realizing that his thoughts were too extreme, Lu Yingchi had no choice but to lower his standards a bit: "Then Lu Ning, you just need to finish your homework every day, not skip classes, not cause trouble, and not get your parents called in, is that okay?"

"That's exactly how I am now!" Lu Ning said proudly. "I've done it!"

You guys are the ones who are so disappointing!

Lu Yingchi was relieved; this was something that would be easy to do.

"Me too, just like Lu Ning, I'll try not to fail any courses at the end of the semester and try to get a better GPA."

"Lu Xuan, what other awards are there in the entertainment industry besides Best Actor?"

He really didn't know that.

Lu Xuan glanced at Qiao Wu, and seeing that she was genuinely interested in this ridiculous plan, he had no choice but to speak up: "I'll follow the company's plan, okay?"

The plan was made by Qiao Wu, so she shouldn't have any objections.

Although Lu Yingchi didn't understand, he knew that Qiao Wu had accompanied Lu Xuan to the company. Before Qiao Wu could back out, he immediately made the decision: "Then it's settled. Next is the family rules. I'll start!"

He had been preparing for this moment for a long time, so he held a grudge and quickly wrote a name on the whiteboard, shouting, "From now on, Zhong Hejing is forbidden from entering our house!"

Lu Ning raised her hand: "I agree!"

Qiao Wu: "..."

How many elementary school chickens are there in this house?

“I’ll veto this,” she said. “Zhong Hejing is my friend and also a guest of the Lu family this time. You can’t bring your own agenda.”

Lu Xuan, feeling ostracized once again, clicked his tongue lightly: "What ulterior motives do you have that I don't know about?"

Qiao Wu: "It's okay if you don't know."

If Lu Xuan finds out, Zhong Hejing will be truly hated whenever she comes to the Zhong family again.

She shouldn't have expected these people to do anything worthwhile, so she got up and walked to the whiteboard: "Since this is a plan to help people improve, it shouldn't be a problem for me to set the family rules, right? After all, I'm the housekeeper."

Lu Yingchi asked cautiously, "Do I still have a veto right?"

Qiao Wu smiled and said, "What do you think?"

"..."

Ignoring Lu Yingchi's reaction, she took the pen from his hand, took out her phone, created a group chat for the group, and then sent the file she had prepared on her phone to the group.

“Apart from Lu Ning, you two had better read and memorize these two documents thoroughly. I can guarantee that you can avoid at least five years of detours.”

The three little chicks looked down.

The two files in the group clearly state this.

A Guide to Avoiding the Pitfalls of a Messy, High-Fashion Family Romance

How are traditional domineering CEOs formed?

"This last document is too pointed," Lu Xuan asked. "Are you sure it's not insulting Lu Jinzhi?"

He pointed at Lu Ning: "Elementary school kid."

He also referred to Lu Yingchi as "a big, dumb idiot."

Then, referring to himself: "Handsome guy, future superstar, the king of looks in the entertainment industry."

Then he shrugged: "It has nothing to do with the domineering CEO."

Lu Yingchi wanted nothing more than to smash his soup bowl over Lu Xuan's head: "If I were to organize a film festival, the first award, 'King of Shamelessness,' would definitely be given to you!"

Qiao Wu hadn't expected such a meeting to be held today, so he hadn't prepared in advance. He just sent them the document he had given to Lu Jinzhi: "It's just a difference in name, but you can use the clauses inside."

“In addition, there are a few family rules specifically for you.”

She wrote a number on the whiteboard: "I will have someone press the morning bell according to your different wake-up times. No one is allowed to damage public facilities. If you have any objections to the morning bell music, you are welcome to provide new music materials."

This was exactly what Lu Xuan wanted to do. He planned to change the recording of Lu Yingchi scolding Lu Jinzhi into his alarm clock the next day.

"Secondly, in my collaboration with Lu Xuan, you need to maintain your artist image, so you must do morning exercises every day before going to the company. As for Lu Ning and Lu Yingchi, you can decide whether or not to go based on your own physical needs."

"Third, the mobile TV I placed in the restaurant plays the news and legal channels every day. Everyone has to watch it, memorize the commonly used laws and regulations, and take notes. I will check and assess them regularly."

"Fourth: Lu Ning is prohibited from drinking alcohol. Lu Xuan and Lu Yingchi, you can socialize and socialize normally, but drink in moderation. I will keep an alcohol tester at home. If you need to drink a lot in specific circumstances, you need to report it and there must be someone of your own with you. You are prohibited from getting drunk at other times."

"Fifth: Given that everyone's social circle is different, but not returning home late will cause concern, you should report your late return in advance. I will inform the security office. Under normal circumstances, the curfew at home is 11 p.m., and you should not stay out overnight unless there are special circumstances. If you return home after the curfew, the door will not be opened."

"Sixth, you are prohibited from speaking or acting inappropriately towards any family member or any servant in the household, especially the old gentleman. During the old gentleman's illness, you must set aside time each week to visit him, and the visit time must not be less than half an hour."

"That's all." Qiao Wu tapped the whiteboard. "Please keep each other in check; there will be a reward for reporting violations."

Lu Ning asked, "What award?"

"The mystery prize varies from person to person." Qiao Wu hadn't actually decided yet. "We'll see when the time comes."

Lu Ning immediately raised her hand: "Then I'm reporting Lu Xuan for making an inappropriate personal attack just now!"

"What's wrong with you?" Lu Xuan stared at her. "Can't you even listen to the truth?"

"He even threatened me!"

"Alright." Qiao Wu didn't have time to listen to their bickering. "If there are no objections, then that's settled. I'll compile all of these and send them to you. Get some rest. Tomorrow, several brands will be delivering clothes. Pick the ones you like."

The seasonal clothes have already been delivered, so at this point, the only clothes that can be delivered are formal dresses.

Lu Xuan didn't want to appear in the same frame as Lu Jinzhi at all; he was worried that he might actually assassinate him.

So he had no intention of attending the banquet at all: "What does Lu Jinzhi's homecoming banquet have to do with us?"

"Seventh," Qiao Wu raised an eyebrow, "no one can be absent from any family gathering, big or small, without a valid reason."

Everyone: "..."

-

According to the flight information sent by Lu Jinzhi, Qiao Wu was waiting in the exclusive channel half an hour in advance.

If she had some contact with a few other people over the past ten years or so, she was practically a stranger to Lu Jinzhi. So to be honest, she didn't know what Lu Jinzhi had become, since he used to not even reply to her messages.

During this time, she would occasionally recall the look in Lu Jinzhi's eyes when she had free time, a look that was completely different from the one she saw in the conference room that day.

So how will he look at me in a moment?

After thinking for a while and still not figuring it out, she simply stopped thinking about it.

In order to allow Lu Jinzhi time to adjust to his time difference after returning to China, the banquet was scheduled for two days later, with some minor changes each day, which she needed to confirm constantly.

She didn't know how much time had passed when she heard her phone chime; it was the alarm she had set going off.

Qiao Wu looked up, just as the driver opened the car door.

She packed her things and prepared to get off the car, but when she looked up, she saw three people walking into the VIP lounge. She was stunned for a moment.

The man, surrounded by two assistants, one Chinese and one foreign, dressed in suits, had a cold and handsome appearance. He wasn't wearing a very formal suit; he was wearing a simple dark green shirt with the cuffs rolled up, two buttons undone at the collar, and a men's jacquard scarf around his neck, with a sapphire jewelry clipped to it.

Even though the other person's expression wasn't particularly cold, they still seemed far more intimidating than the man in the video.

Clearly, the other party did not give her time to get out of the car. When their gaze swept over her, they did not stop walking but went straight to the front of the car.

Although Lu Xuan always said that Lu Yingchi was a big, clumsy guy, Lu Jinzhi was actually no shorter than Lu Yingchi. On the contrary, he was taller and more imposing than Lu Yingchi.

He rested one hand on his wristwatch, his eyes lowered, a hint of amusement hidden beneath his gaze: "You won't allow it?"

Unlike the deep voices of traditional domineering CEOs, Lu Jinzhi's speech often rises at the end, giving people the illusion that he is very gentle and clean.

To make it easier to get off the bus, Qiao Wu had been sitting on the side by the door. Now that Lu Jinzhi wasn't giving her a chance to get off, she had no choice but to get up and move to the side.

Lu Jinzhi put his hand down, glanced back at his two assistants, and the two of them went to the luggage cart at the back.

After Lu Jin got into the car, the driver closed the door.

With the outside noise shut out, the quiet inside the car suddenly felt somewhat deliberate.

Qiao Wu couldn't appeal to Lu Jinzhi's emotions, so she asked, "Do you want to rest first or talk about work?"

Lu Jinzhi sat in the seat where Qiao Wu had sat before. He didn't know if it was because the car's air conditioning wasn't at the right temperature, or if it was just his imagination, but he felt that her warmth and a faint, familiar scent still lingered there.

There's no such thing as not getting enough rest. He eats and sleeps as usual on the plane and never deprives himself of anything, so he's in pretty good spirits right now.

But he didn't want to talk about anything.

He recalled the moment he walked out of the VIP lounge and saw the car door open. The woman in the car looked up at him. Because she was sitting, the first thing that caught his attention was her face. Even someone as picky as him, who thought Lu Xuan was so proud of her appearance, was just a pretty but stupid dog in his eyes. Yet, he couldn't find a single flaw in her features at that moment.

And his habitually observant eyes, even through thin lenses, could be seen through her tranquil yet gentle and firm gaze.

For a fleeting moment, Lu Jinzhi seemed to see a shadow of the past.

It's strange. Even he is no longer the Lu Jinzhi he used to be, so why is there someone who hasn't changed at all?

Or perhaps... it turned back.

He curved his lips slightly: "The third option."

Qiao Wu glanced in his direction, seemingly puzzled: "The third one?"

Lu Jinzhi hummed in agreement: "For example, who were those messages originally intended for?"

Qiao Wu: "..."

This isn't over yet?!