Chapter 30 (Second Update)

"You...you..." Lu Yingchi almost jumped up, his whole body tense, on the verge of a mental breakdown, "Why are you telling me this kind of thing!"

Throughout his life, the fourth young master of the Lu family has never touched a girl other than Qiao Wu when he was a child.

The only time he was provoked on a yacht into inviting a girl for drinks was when he was rejected. Not only that, Qiao Wu pressed his knee against the boat and poured wine all over his head.

How could he possibly listen to such words!

Not getting the reaction she expected, Lu Ning's eyebrows flattened: "Aren't you happy for me?"

"I'll do it for you..."

Lu Yingchi is really something else.

Why should he be happy for someone else?

Seeing Lu Ning clutching her schoolbag and frowning, he took a deep breath: "Happy? I'm happy, okay? Want me to go buy you two strings of firecrackers to set off?"

"There's no need to be so formal." Lu Ning hesitated for a moment, then asked shyly, "Can we set off firecrackers at home?"

She can buy it with her allowance.

Lu Yingchi, unable to contain himself any longer, said, "Don't cause trouble."

"Fine, never mind." Lu Ning calmed down a bit more. "I need to do my homework, are you coming?"

Lu Yingchi frowned and looked her up and down: "You can still do your homework?"

Lu Ning: "?"

Why not?

According to Lu Yingchi's limited understanding, his former cronies had said that if a girl had these few days, she would often feel restless, depressed, have backaches, and no energy to do anything.

Even more extreme cases include those who fainted from the pain.

But Lu Ning still looked radiant and even offered to do her homework.

Could it be that different people have different symptoms?

But there was one thing he remembered very clearly—"Just go with the flow."

Otherwise, others will suffer.

He was never one to be trifled with; if he were even more difficult to manage, he would cause even more trouble.

He reluctantly agreed.

On the way to the library, Lu Ning skipped and hopped.

Lu Yingchi couldn't understand how she could be happy about something that was supposedly so painful and unbearable: "What are you so excited about?"

“You don’t understand.” Lu Ning said calmly, “Qiao Wu said I’ve grown up. Growing up means being able to do what you want to do.”

Although she doesn't know what she wants to do yet, the idea of ​​growing up is very appealing to her.

Lu Yingchi imagined the scene of the little girl jumping up to Qiao Wu and excitedly telling him "I'm on my period," and felt dizzy.

"Did you tell Qiao Wu?"

"She came to see me." After Qiao Wu's explanation, Lu Ning no longer felt that this was something that couldn't be said; even the doctor said it was normal!

"She taught me..."

"Stop!" Lu Yingchi covered her mouth, still shaken, and felt a headache coming on. "Did she also tell you to go around shouting about it?"

Lu Ning struggled: "Ugh! Ugh! Ugh!"

Lu Yingchi spread his fingers apart, giving her a space to speak while preventing her from spouting nonsense again.

“She said she could share happy things with you.” Lu Ning blinked, pursed her lips, and added, “Anyway, you’re my uncle.”

Lu Yingchi was slightly taken aback.

He had never heard Lu Ning call him "little uncle".

This might be due to the family tradition of the Lu family, where there is no concept of seniority; the old man is the old man, and Lu Jinzhi is Lu Jinzhi.

Therefore, he never felt that there was anything wrong with Lu Ning not calling him "little uncle".

"What did you call me?" he asked.

Lu Ning's ears turned red: "Lu Yingchi!"

"I can't be bothered to argue with you." Lu Yingchi let go of her hand, grabbed her ponytail, and snorted, "Don't blurt things out. Get your facts straight, you're a girl."

She might not have figured out what Qiao Wu meant by "sharing," or perhaps she had never shared with anyone before and therefore lacked experience.

Lu Yingchi forgave her.

But at that moment he suddenly realized something: Lu Ning was a girl, and her upbringing was different from that of the men. The old man hadn't realized this, and instead raised Lu Ning the way he used to raise them.

What would happen to Lu Ning if Qiao Wu weren't here today?

Anyway, I won't come and share it with him.

For the first time, Lu Yingchi realized that there was a growing child in the family, a child that no one had ever paid attention to.

He glanced at Lu Ning, and for the first time since arriving at the library, he didn't deliberately try to crack walnuts for her.

Instead, she took out her phone and started searching for parenting manuals.

After thinking about it, I realized that Lu Ning was no longer old enough to raise children, so I started searching for information on adolescent mental health management.

While searching his mind, Lu Yingchi kept muttering to himself.

I've never been this meticulous when I was raising myself!

Lu Ning diligently finished her homework throughout the weekend in the library. Since she was going to a banquet the next day, she wouldn't have time to do her homework then.

During lunch, Lu Yingchi, who was sitting next to Qiao Wu, lowered his voice and said, "Next time, tell her to say less nonsense that makes people panic."

What did she say to you?

“Say it…” Lu Yingchi gritted his teeth, “I can’t say it.”

Qiao Wu glanced at Lu Ning, who was busy eating, and vaguely guessed what was going on.

She doesn't have many friends, but she's very obedient. If she spends the morning with Lu Yingchi, she might not be able to resist sharing about her new phase in life.

"Lu Ning," she called out.

Lu Ning looked up from the bowl: "Hmm?"

Qiao Wu said with a smile, "Let's go shopping this afternoon."

"!!!"

Although they had agreed to go shopping over the weekend, there was a family banquet on Sunday, and Lu Ning thought Qiao Wu would be very busy, so she consciously didn't bring it up again.

She still had some sense of importance compared to Lu Jinzhi.

She didn't even bother to finish her meal; she put down her chopsticks and ran upstairs, saying, "I'm going to change my clothes!"

Lu Yingchi was completely bewildered.

“I told you to talk to her, not to take her out,” he complained. “I want to go too.”

Qiao Wu: "This is a reward for her; it's not your turn yet."

"I tutored her tirelessly, cracking open over ten pounds of walnuts," Lu Yingchi said with a laugh. "And all I got to do was listen to her spouting nonsense all day. Shouldn't I at least get some compensation for her emotional distress, if not a reward?"

"Isn't that what you should do as an uncle?" Qiao Wu took a piece of watermelon from his plate and handed it to him. "I'll take you next time."

"Heh, I'm full from eating all the pancakes."

Lu Yingchi said one thing but did another, angrily lowering his head and biting off the watermelon from her hand, then swaggeringly biting the fork and refusing to let go.

Qiao Wu: "..."

Fortunately, she hadn't used the fork before.

"Are you a dog?" she asked helplessly. "Hold it in your hand."

Why do you always like to eat from other people's hands?

Lu Yingchi grunted twice, took the fork from her hand, and then forked a lot of fruit from her plate to eat.

Qiao Wu had no choice but to place the whole plate in front of him, only to find that the plate in front of him hadn't been touched at all.

Noticing her gaze, Lu Yingchi quickly protected his plate, his eyes darting around: "What are you looking at? I'm tall and still growing, I eat a lot."

"Okay." Qiao Wu raised an eyebrow. "Eat more, I'll wait for you to grow another ten centimeters."

She needed to change her clothes before leaving, so she didn't stay in the restaurant for long.

After everyone left, Lu Yingchi quickly finished the fruit on her plate, but when it was his turn to eat, he was much slower.

Why does mine not taste as good as hers?

He bit his fork, his throat bobbing slightly, but more than the tempting slice of watermelon, what he saw first was her hand.

Compared to when she was a child, her hands had lost their fleshiness and become slender and long. Even her nails were carefully maintained and had a pinkish hue, as if a touch would leave a mark.

They weren't the same hands anymore, but he still wanted those hands to feed him.

Even more so than when I was a child.

Lu Yingchi was confused, but since he had already said it, he still forced himself to eat the rest of the fruit despite feeling full.

-

Lu Ning changed her clothes and went downstairs. Not long after, she saw Qiao Wu drive up. She quickly climbed into the passenger seat, clutching her bag to her chest: "Where are we going?"

"Let's go to the mall first."

Qiao Wu had thought about it in the morning. Lu Ning's first time wasn't just about menstruation; there were many other firsts that no one had guided her through. So, he planned to set aside some time to teach her slowly.

That way, she won't suddenly say anything that would frighten Lu Yingchi in the future.

Upon arriving at the mall, she first took Lu Ning to a lingerie store.

Lu Ning blushed and hid behind her to go inside, never expecting that shopping would be like this.

She wasn't unaware of the changes in herself, but because she often wore school uniforms, and because many brands would consider her age and send her suitable clothes each time they delivered them.

But this was the first time she had ever gone out to buy something.

"What are you shy about?" Qiao Wu pulled her out. "Everyone has to wear them, and these are all older sisters here, see?"

Lu Ning whispered, "We have some at home."

"Even if you have clothes at home, when the brand comes to deliver clothes to your home, won't they need to know your size?"

Qiao Wu said gently, "What will you do then?"

The salespeople who had been waiting to serve them exclaimed, "!!!"

What kind of family is this, that brands deliver clothes to their home?!

“Every stage is different. The ladies here are all professionals; they'll tell you what clothes you need to wear at what time.” Qiao Wu took her bag from her own hand. “You need to know yourself well, you know?”

Lu Ning pursed her lips.

"I will stay with you."

Lu Ning nodded gently.

Seeing the young girl's reserved demeanor, the saleswoman immediately understood why and stepped forward with a smile: "Little sister, let me introduce you? Your age is suitable..."

Lu Ning was pushed around and picked out a lot of pink and tender little clothes. On the way to the fitting room, she looked back while carrying a bunch of clothes.

Qiao Wu did indeed stay quietly by her side the whole time, nodding and smiling at her.

Only at this moment did Lu Ning truly feel at ease.

Finally, she walked out of the lingerie store carrying many bags: "I never want anyone to deliver clothes to my home again."

"Why?"

"Buying clothes seems more interesting." Lu Ning looked up. "I'll also try my best to report... no, I mean, study hard in the future. Will you still come with me then?"

Qiao Wu chuckled: "If I have time."

Okay.

"If," Lu Ning pressed on, "if I do well on my final exams, will you go on a trip with me?"

"travel?"

"Um."

It's embarrassing to admit, but although Lu Ning has plenty of food and clothing and lots of pocket money, she has never traveled far from home.

No one restricted her movements, but no one accompanied her out.

So she has never traveled. Her classmates, both past and present, always say that their parents take them on trips during winter and summer vacations. During these times, she is more likely to get into fights with her classmates.

"If you don't have time, that's fine," Lu Ning said, trying to justify herself. "I know you're busy."

"It's not that busy." Qiao Wu also thought of the child's experience. She leaned down and looked at the child who was trying to appear less concerned. "No matter how well you do on the exam, I'll take you on a trip."

Lu Ning's pupils widened slightly: "Really?"

"Hmm." Qiao Wu nodded. "Have you forgotten what I told you when you transferred schools? Have fun first, then think about studying."

Lu Ning immediately straightened her back and snatched all the bags and packages that Qiao Wu was carrying into her own hands: "I've saved up a lot of pocket money. Don't worry, you're on paid leave."

Qiao Wu couldn't stop laughing at the child's serious expression.

It was still early, and considering the child had been looking forward to it for a long time, she didn't rush to take Lu Ning back. Instead, she strolled around the mall: "We're going out to eat today. What would you like to eat?"

Lu Ning didn't hesitate: "Hot pot!"

The Lu family's dining table was too big, so if they wanted to eat hot pot, they had to move to a smaller table. In the past, no one would have wanted to sit so close together and cook food in the same pot.

Even if someone is craving something, they still eat it themselves.

Therefore, Lu Ning has always been full of fantasies about hot pot, or rather, she has fantasies about any food that can be eaten while sitting closely with people.

"Okay, I'll take you out for hot pot today."

Lu Ning loves shopping. Even if the clothes, shoes and bags sold in the stores don't suit her, she will still go into each store and browse around.

Then every now and then he would turn around, point to something and say, "This is for you."

Shopping is a girl's nature. When Qiao Wu sees something she likes, she will take a second look. She is also happy to buy herself some pretty things to make up for the regrets of the past few years.

So she tried on quite a few, and every time she came out of the fitting room, Lu Ning would sit on the sofa outside and carefully examine her, just like when she was choosing glasses for her.

Then he pulled out his card and said generously, "Buy it!"

Qiao Wu: "..."

As expected of someone from the Lu family, his domineering CEO aura was cultivated from a young age.

Qiao Wu pressed her hand back: "What are you going to buy for me?"

Lu Ning would never admit that she had heard Lu Xuan say that Qiao Wu's clothes and jewelry were not cheap, so she had high standards.

Raising a cypress tree costs a lot of money.

She just happens to be rich!

"I'll buy it for you if you like it," Lu Ning insisted. "If they don't amount to anything, I'll support you."

Several sales assistants were so envious they were practically grinding their teeth in envy.

“I’m not so poor that I need a child to spend money on me.” Qiao Wu stuffed her card back into her bag. “Keep it for now. Aren’t you going to take me on a trip? Give it to me then.”

Does traveling cost a lot of money?

Lu Ning hadn't calculated it yet; she planned to go back and calculate it again.

It seems Lu Yingchi's yacht is quite expensive. Yes, she wants to buy another yacht.

Oh no, it seems like I'll have to inherit the family fortune from now on.

At such a young age, Lu Ning has begun to make her first steps in planning her future work and life.

You must be rich, and able to support Qiao Wu.

It took a lot of energy to walk through the entire mall, and the two of them were too tired to walk anymore, so they found a hot pot restaurant nearby and sat down.

Lu Ning carefully tugged at her skirt and sat down.

She just bought this at the store. Qiao Wu said it looked good, and she liked it too, so she put it on right there.

At this point, Lu Ning hesitated a little. The hot pot restaurant smelled so strong that she might not be able to wear the clothes when she got back. She wished she hadn't come here.

She glanced around and whispered, "I want an apron."

Qiao Wu was sitting opposite her, wiping the tableware. Hearing this, he looked up and asked, "Who are you talking to?"

"Waitress?" Lu Ning asked, puzzled.

Qiao Wu placed the cleaned tableware in front of her, his expression calm: "They are not servants or family members. Everyone has their own job title. Politeness is the foundation, isn't it?"

The servants at home were used to doing everything for Lu Ning, and she was also used to arguing with Lu Yingchi and the others. Sometimes she would habitually bring those problems from home to outside.

Therefore, Qiao Wu did not want her to continue like this, where even saying "thank you" made the people in the family feel uncomfortable.

Lu Ning pursed her lips and raised her hand, just like her teacher would say in school: "Waiter, I'd like an apron."

"Hello, is this an apron?" The waiter brought over the items, and after noticing her white dress and exposed arms, asked, "Would you like some sleeves as well?"

"Yes, I'll take it." Lu Ning took the item, glanced at the person opposite her subconsciously, and then said stiffly, "Thank you."

"You're welcome." The waiter had already noticed the people at this table.

Both the older and younger sisters are so beautiful that they would shine in a crowd.

"You two are so beautiful," the waiter couldn't help but exclaim. "Are you sisters?"

Lu Ning was stunned for a moment.

sisters?

"She is..." She suddenly found it hard to say the word "butler," because she seemed to have found a more appropriate way to address Qiao Wu than "butler."

It better reflects intimacy and uniqueness.

“Yes,” Lu Ning interjected before the person opposite her could speak, “That’s right!”

"As expected of a family with such good looks," the waiter said with a smile. "Enjoy your meal."

Lu Ning stared at the broth in the pot with her head down, not daring to look up at Qiao Wu.

If she doesn't agree with this form of address, wouldn't that be incredibly embarrassing?

Qiao Wu watched as she lowered her head further and further: "Do you want to bury your head in the water and rinse it off?"

Lu Ning sat up straight, awkwardly tied on her apron, and put on her sleeves. After calming herself down a little, she looked up and said, "Do we look alike? She said we're sisters."

Qiao Wu: "It doesn't seem like it."

"oh."

She knew it.

Qiao Wu could easily see her disappointment; a thirteen-year-old was too easy to understand. She smiled and said, "You're much cuter than I was when I was little."

Lu Ning's face turned bright red instantly.

She received a lot of kindness outside today; she realized what the outside world is like.

Young people always have so much energy. After finishing her meal, Lu Ning felt like she was back to normal. She didn't want to go home so early. Luckily, there was a plaza outside the mall where a large-scale national trend parade was being held during the weekend when there were many people. After putting her things back in the car, she dragged Qiao Wu to the scene.

Qiao Wu, from the previous generation, didn't have much time to experience life outside of hard work, and she has been trapped for a long time in this life, so she is not opposed to these activities, except that they are a little crowded.

The parade features giant floats decorated with lights in a traditional Chinese style. Each float has a band performing, and lucky audience members are occasionally invited to go up and interact with the floats.

Worried that Lu Ning would be separated from him by the crowd, Qiao Wu held her hand tightly the whole time.

However, because there were too many people, her glasses slipped from her grasp and fell to the ground. Bending down to pick them up at that moment wasn't a good idea, so she just glanced at them and didn't bother with them anymore, planning to get a new pair another day.

Suddenly, the noise around her grew louder, and the people around her seemed to disperse and form a circle around her.

Suddenly, a pair of hands appeared in front of Qiao Wu. She looked up and saw that the lead vehicle of the parade had stopped in front of her, and the person sitting next to it extended his hand to her, inviting her to get on the vehicle and interact with him.

Qiao Wu smiled and shook his head, raising the hand that was holding Lu Ning's to indicate that he had a companion.

But the man still didn't give up, and instead gestured for the two of them to come up together.

Lu Ning had never experienced anything like this before, and excitedly grabbed Qiao Wu's hand, eager to try it out.

Seeing this, Qiao Wu had no choice but to lead her onto the float, and the surrounding noise instantly grew even louder.

Not far from here, in a private Chinese restaurant, Lu Jinzhi heard a noisy phone coming from the person sitting opposite him as he returned from the restroom.

Upon seeing him arrive, Xu Chao instinctively reached for his phone, but upon seeing a certain face, he suddenly exclaimed in surprise.

"Butler Qiao?"

Lu Jinzhi looked up at him and said, "It seems you have a deep impression of her."

"No, no, no." Xu Chao hurriedly shook his head, then realized that his words were not quite right, and quickly said, "Yes, I have a deep impression of her."

Xu Chao felt a chill run down his spine as he realized the smile on his boss's face deepened the more he talked.

The last time the boss laughed like that, the third young master of the Lu family had his credit card suspended.

He hasn't received his salary yet!

Before his own salary was in jeopardy, Xu Chao hurriedly turned the phone around and handed it over: "I mean, this looks like Butler Qiao."

Lu Jinzhi glanced at it.

Amidst the noisy and flashy live stream, there were two familiar faces, one of which he had seen before leaving home.

The live stream page was filled with a dense barrage of comments.

[This isn't just a random passerby, it must be someone their team hired! They can just grab any random passerby and they'll look this good? I don't believe it!]

I need this address within a minute; I'll fly there.

[Ahhh, my wife whom I've never met before! Zoom in on the camera!]

As if knowing what the audience liked to see, the camera zoomed in and zoomed in, directly onto that exquisite face, and lingered there for a long time.

Lu Jinzhi looked away: "It's her."

Although she is a housekeeper, she doesn't actually have fixed working hours. As long as she finishes her work, she can go wherever she wants and do whatever she wants.

Lu Jinzhi did not consider himself to be such a heartless capitalist.

"Did you arrange this? It seems like this is an event being held at Qingwan Plaza," Xu Chao said.

The Lu family recently acquired the company that owns Qingwan Plaza, so the shopping malls under its umbrella are now frequently holding various events to attract customers.

He expressed his approval: "The image of Butler Joe is indeed very fitting."

Lu Jinzhi took a sip of tea and glanced at him gently: "If your standards have deteriorated to the point where you can compare this cheap lens to her value, then you can submit your resignation tomorrow."

Xu Chao was instantly drenched in sweat.

I gleaned four key words from the boss's words.

Salary card, in danger!

But if he understood correctly, the boss meant...

Is the traffic generated by this event cheap compared to Qiao Guanjia?

He glanced down at the viewership of the live stream; since some internet celebrities were also there, there were several million viewers.

Is Butler Qiao really that amazing? To be recognized by someone as discerning as President Lu.

He quickly tried to salvage the situation: "She must have gone out to have fun. It's always lively over there. And rightly so, with such a beautiful housekeeper like Qiao, anyone who sees her will be impressed. It's normal to invite her."

This time, Lu Jinzhi didn't say anything.

Xu Chao felt that money was hard to earn and life was unbearable, as if he couldn't figure out what the other person was thinking no matter what he said.

He shouldn't have been so greedy for that meal; wouldn't it have been better for him to just stay home and be paralyzed?

It was already 9 p.m. when Lu Jinzhi finished eating and came out. The private restaurant was not far from Qingwan Square, and he had to pass by it on his way back to the Lu residence. When he drove here, it was still crowded with people inside and out. He could only see the floats slowly moving out of the crowd.

It should be over soon.

Seeing the unprecedented popularity in the live broadcast room and on-site, the team in charge of this event couldn't bear to let the two good-looking people off the lead vehicle. They warmly invited them to stay on the vehicle until the end and even gave them the trendy cyberpunk eyelights from the event.

The staff on the lead vehicle were very considerate: "It's not safe to get off here because there are too many people. Let us take you to a less crowded area."

Qiao Wu was also a little worried about Lu Ning, so he nodded.

As the float slowly moved away, a staff member said, "We have a closing ceremony here. Would you be willing to help us participate?"

Qiao Wu had seen the acquisition plan of the company that owned Qingwan Plaza in the documents Xie Yi gave him, so he understood the purpose of this event to attract traffic.

She figured it was just for fun, and it would also help the Lu family make more money, so she didn't mind and asked, "What kind of ceremony?"

"When the lead vehicle stops, there will be a poster that hasn't been taken down hanging at the front. We have a bow here; you can take the bow and shoot in that direction. The staff will arrange it." There was an arrow on the bow. Qiao Wu looked at it; the arrow had been modified and posed no danger.

It's possible that it was designed for adults, so it's a bit big and Lu Ning can't carry it.

Qiao Wu took the bow: "Okay."

There weren't many people on the lead bus side because of the distance and direction.

She wasn't wearing glasses, and the poster was quite far away, so she had to squint slightly.

Surrounded by loud music and the deafening countdown from the staff, Qiao Wu raised her hand and aimed her bow and arrow at the poster. The mall's large screen behind her was broadcasting the final moments.

Those who couldn't see the front of the float turned to look at the big screen.

The person in the video raises her arm, which forms a beautiful and powerful arc. Her chin is slightly tucked in, and her posture is very standard. The eye light she is wearing gives her face a cool and aloof look.

When the countdown reached 1, the arrow was released instantly.

With a bang, it burst into a firework very close to the poster, and the promotional poster fell to the ground, causing a commotion.

At the same time, fireworks burst around, and colorful ribbons gradually floated down from the sky.

Qiao Wu smiled slightly, lowered her hand, and her gaze inadvertently swept across the camera, freezing on that spot. Then, the advertisement for this event was shown.

But that last look in his eyes was etched into the hearts of countless people at the scene and watching the live broadcast, and the cheers around him were deafening.

No one cares if she's just an ordinary passerby; at this moment, this woman is a goddess in their hearts.

Everyone wanted to go up and see the person's face again, just in case it really was a celebrity! Taking a look and getting an autograph first would be worthwhile later!

As the crowd grew denser, Qiao Wu got off the float, grabbed Lu Ning, and quickly walked away.

It's a bit far to get to the parking lot from here, she planned the route in her mind, but then a familiar car stopped by the roadside, and she paused slightly.

The driver got out of the car and opened the door for her: "Miss, this is Butler Qiao."

Without hesitation, Qiao Wu pulled Lu Ning forward and shoved her into the car.

Lu Ning met the eyes of the person in the car. The light from the glasses reflected on the other person's handsome face, flashing in various colors, making her feel flustered, afraid that Lu Jinzhi would say to her again, "a prostitute who can dance at a disco."

She shrank back: "Second Uncle."

Unexpectedly, Lu Jinzhi simply responded with a light laugh and asked, "Afraid of me?"

Lu Ning quickly climbed to the furthest point from him: "No!"

Lu Jinzhi: "..."

He didn't say anything more, but instead smiled slightly at the people getting on the bus behind him.

You can't blame him for this, can you?

Qiao Wu was also quite helpless.

The driver had already closed the car door, cutting off the noise and crowds outside. Qiao Wu breathed a sigh of relief: "What are you doing here?"

They should have left a long time ago.

But the moment Lu Jinzhi was about to leave, he saw another person on the big screen, and the cheapness of the scene was diminished at that moment.

He suddenly remembered that he still had things to do today, so he asked the driver to stop.

"Just letting you know I'm safe," he said.