Chapter 32 (Second Update)

The woman in front of him spoke in a soft, even melodious voice.

But the words he uttered sounded particularly harsh to everyone's ears.

Isn't this clearly an insult to Qin Tianrui for not being able to distinguish between primary and secondary matters?

The young masters and ladies who came with Qin Tianrui were so intimidated by this scene that they were speechless for a long time.

For a moment, they were completely unsure whether Qin Tianrui or the butler had the upper hand in terms of imposing manner. This was Qin Tianrui, after all, not some nobody. He usually acted with an air of superiority, yet now he was being lectured by a mere butler.

Not only them, but even Qin Tianrui himself was stunned with anger.

He has a butler, but the butler always addresses him as "Young Master" as if he's afraid he might displease him and get kicked out of the house. What right does this woman have?!

He had originally intended to get to know the other person, but now he was so embarrassed by the nonchalant attitude in the other person's eyes that he felt ashamed.

A nameless fire welled up inside him, and he was furious and embarrassed: "You..."

Before he could finish speaking, a deep male voice interrupted him from behind: "Qin Tianrui."

Qin Tianrui, who was tense, almost bit his tongue and swallowed the rest of his words.

The sound of steady footsteps came from behind, and Qiao Wu was somewhat surprised to see who it was.

Because in addition to the people she specifically invited, there were a few more.

"So you're here." Zhong Hejing walked naturally to her side as if she hadn't noticed how tense the atmosphere was. "I was just about to say hello, but I couldn't find you anywhere."

Qiao Wu joked, "I'm behind the scenes."

Zhong Min, who was standing next to Zhong Hejing, glanced around and called out, "Miss Qiao."

The younger generation watched in surprise as Zhong Hejing and her brother became familiar with this woman.

Even though the Zhong family is weakened, they are still a force to be reckoned with. After all, when Zhong Hejing was in good health, she was a prominent figure, so many people would give her face.

This woman is just a housekeeper, yet the Zhong siblings had to go out of their way to greet her?

Qiao Wu nodded to Zhong Min, then his gaze fell on another tall man in a black suit: "President Qin."

The man's cold, sharp eyes swept over everyone present, and several of the younger generation lowered their heads in unison, not daring to utter another word.

Qin Tianrui reluctantly uttered, "Brother."

The man ignored him, his gaze fixed on the strange woman in front of him: "The message you sent me?"

Few people know his private number, so I was a little suspicious when I received the message from the unknown number, until I walked into the banquet hall and saw that there were indeed quite a few people standing on the second floor.

The woman in the message claimed to be the Lu family's housekeeper.

"Qiao Wu?" Qin Lian read out the name she left in the message.

Qiao Wu: "It's me."

Among the information she obtained, there were private contact details for some key figures, and Qiao Wu had already saved these numbers.

As the saying goes, you don't know the cost of firewood and rice until you're in charge of the household. Qin Tianrui, a spoiled rich kid, always stood high and thought that power and money were everything, but he didn't know that proper social skills and dignity were also the most important things in the circle.

But it doesn't matter. What Qin Tianrui doesn't know, others do, and that person can definitely keep him in check.

Therefore, Qiao Wu sent a message to Qin Lian before coming to this teahouse. As the current head of the Qin family, Qin Lian naturally knew whether his younger brother's actions were right or wrong. No matter how high and mighty he was, he had to bow his head for the sake of his family's reputation at this time.

The fact that Qin Lian didn't immediately side with her younger brother shows that her prediction was correct.

She laughed and said, "The party hasn't even started yet, and Mr. Qin's brother is already a little drunk."

Having navigated the business world for so many years, Qin Lian naturally hadn't overlooked the glance Qiao Wu gave him as he walked upstairs.

The phrase "host and guest" was not only meant for Qin Tianrui, but also for him.

He and Zhong Hejing had known each other since childhood. They exchanged a few words when they met at the entrance and walked into the banquet hall together.

When he saw the situation on the second floor, he heard Zhong Hejing call out "Qiao Wu".

He asked, "Do you know each other?"

Qin Lian recognized the old butler of the Lu family; he was quite old.

But as he expected, no matter how many times he changed the housekeeper, it wouldn't be someone young or even someone who looked more like a young lady from a noble family.

"She's a very amazing person." That's how Zhong Hejing described her at the time. "Just when you think she's one way, she'll suddenly show you an even more surprising side. I haven't figured out what she's really like yet, but there's no doubt that no matter what she is, she's very clear-headed and rational."

Qin Lian neither confirmed nor denied this.

But based on his understanding of Zhong Hejing, he knew that she had always prioritized profit and was very decisive in her actions, so the person she had her eye on couldn't be too bad.

As it turned out, when Qin Lian came up and saw Qiao Wu's true appearance and demeanor, he really had the urge to kick his stupid younger brother down the stairs.

What a useless piece of trash; he can't even be controlled by a butler.

Knowing his foolish younger brother as he did, it wasn't hard for him to guess what had happened. There were too many people around, and with so many people watching, who knew what they might make up.

Qin Lian knew that Qiao Wu's drunken remark was meant to give Qin Tianrui a way out, so he glanced at Qin Tianrui and said, "Do you need someone to teach you how to do things? You're so shameless, aren't you?"

Qin Tianrui gritted his teeth and said to Guo Liyan reluctantly, "I'm sorry."

His brother is the kind of person who would actually take action in front of others.

If you don't apologize now, things will get complicated later.

Lu Ning chimed in from the side, "He also said that my Qiao Wu has no manners!"

Qin Lian's expression darkened further.

Seeing this, Qin Tianrui could only squeeze out a few more words through gritted teeth: "I misspoke."

Qiao Wu, who was standing leisurely, then chuckled softly, "What are you saying, Mr. Qin? If you're drunk, please go upstairs to rest. Do you need me to have someone take you up?"

Each guest has their own lounge, and the invitation will indicate the corresponding room number.

Qin Tianrui was too ashamed to stay there any longer, and he didn't want to see anyone from the Lu family again. So he said "No need" harshly and turned to leave in a hurry, not even bothering to see his brother.

Seeing this, his friends quickly said goodbye and ran away.

"Are you going upstairs too?" Qiao Wu looked at Guo Liyan. "I've already called the family doctor over. He'll come to your room in a bit to treat your wound."

Guo Liyan's hand was burning from the heat, and even the breeze from a passing person made him shiver. But what he couldn't ignore was the light, cool touch that had just touched his elbow. He almost reflexively raised his hand after that touch, so much so that he hadn't come to his senses even after the other person put his hand down. He hadn't even properly listened to Qin Tianrui's apology.

In fact, people like him are used to being treated this way. He can even face it without changing his expression. Whether or not he apologizes is no longer the most important thing.

There are just occasional moments when I feel really embarrassed.

"Thank you." He lowered his eyes and spoke quickly, "I'll go upstairs now."

No one stopped him. After he left, Qiao Wu said to Lu Ning beside him, "Send a message to your uncle and tell him to take good care of his friend."

Lu Ning took out her phone: "Oh!"

After making the arrangements, Qiao Wu said to Qin Lian in front of him, "Excuse me, Mr. Qin, for making this trip."

I'm sorry, Qin Lian thinks she's quite embarrassed.

After all, we left him hanging until the very end.

But it was so thoughtful that no one could find fault with it, and Qin Lian couldn't help but think of what Zhong Hejing had said: "rational and clear-headed".

Although the person in front of her was young, her gaze remained largely unchanged, neither humble nor arrogant, regardless of who stood before her.

"It's my good-for-nothing younger brother who should apologize," Qin Lian said.

Qiao Wu didn't deny it, but asked, "Would you like a cup of tea?"

This attitude...

Qin Lian smiled.

She doesn't even bother with politeness; she really doesn't hold back her little schemes at all.

"I won't have any tea," he said. "The banquet is about to begin."

What's more, there's Zhong Hejing watching him intently from the side.

Qin Lian knew that Zhong Hejing had come along under the pretense of saying hello, but in her heart she was just worried that he would make things difficult for this so-called housekeeper.

However, she was overthinking it.

Qin Lian recalled the faint glance Qiao Wu had given him as he walked over.

He thought to himself, if anyone were to actually make things difficult for such a person, they might end up getting bitten back by the other party.

She knows exactly who to say what to.

If he hadn't been there when she said those words, Qin Tianrui would definitely have been enraged and caused a scene at the Lu family banquet. So Qiao Wu timed it perfectly, leaving Qin Tianrui with no way out when he also heard those words.

Zhong Hejing glanced at the time and asked Qiao Wu, "Are you going downstairs?"

Qiao Wu shook his head: "No."

It doesn't matter whether she shows up or not in this kind of situation; she doesn't like to show off in front of others.

“Okay.” Zhong Hejing turned to Zhong Shixia and said, “There are a lot of people downstairs, so why don’t you stay here and have some peace and quiet?”

She's been cleaning out the people around her lately; she didn't keep any housekeepers, and she's learning to cook for herself.

It's the weekend, so Zhong Shixia doesn't have to go to school. I brought him along.

After all, Zhong Min is now learning how to manage a company. Now that he's in this industry, Zhong Shixia should also broaden his horizons.

Zhong Shixia nodded.

He had no interest in these strangers and didn't mind being there.

"Oh, right." Zhong Hejing remembered something and asked Lu Ning next to her, "Lu Ning, you and Shi Xia are classmates, have there been any misunderstandings recently?"

She thought that since the two children were classmates, if there was any misunderstanding, they could talk it out; if not, that would be even better.

Lu Ning: "No."

Don't even mention misunderstandings. She barely spoke to Zhong Shixia at school because she couldn't figure out his thought process and was worried that he might do something wrong and start a fight with her.

She is now a diligent and ambitious young woman who studies hard.

Zhong Hejing felt relieved: "If you're all bored, you can play together."

Zhong Shixia didn't speak, but he didn't refuse either; in any case, he didn't have any hostility towards Lu Ning.

Lu Ning was initially unwilling, but then she thought that Zhong Hejing wanted to poach Qiao Wu, so she could take this opportunity to gather intelligence.

So she simply agreed: "Okay."

After everyone left, Qiao Wu patted Lu Ning's head and walked towards the tea table where he had been sitting: "You guys have fun, I'm going to work."

“Oh!” Lu Ning responded.

Then she beckoned to Zhong Shixia with her finger: "Come here, I'll play with you."

Zhong Shixia quietly followed behind her to the teahouse next door.

The table was piled high with cakes and toys, exuding a girlish vibe that was nothing like what you'd expect at a banquet.

“Let’s play truth or dare,” Lu Ning said. “I’ll ask you a question, and if you answer correctly, I’ll give you a piece of cake.”

Zhong Shixia glanced at her.

He hummed in agreement after a few seconds.

Lu Ning didn't quite understand how to calculate the value of a company; she figured it was probably based on who had the most money.

So she lowered her voice: "Have you seen your sister's safe? How much assets does she actually have? How much money does she usually give to her most valued employees?"

“…” Zhong Shixia.

Realizing he could no longer remain silent, he asked, "Do I look like an idiot?"

Lu Ning asked in surprise, "Aren't you one?"

Zhong Shixia corrected her: "Last semester, I was first in the whole grade."

Lu Ning: "..."

"What's so great about that?" She sat back down and snorted. "I was last in my grade for seven and a half years straight from elementary to middle school. Do you know how awesome that is?"

Zhong Shixia thought about it seriously for a moment: "I don't understand."

Lu Ning was so angry that she pushed all the cakes in front of her: "You're not allowed to eat them."

Before she could finish speaking, a glass of juice in front of her was carried away.

"You're not allowed to eat it either."

Lu Ning looked up angrily, and frowned when she saw it was Lu Yingchi: "What are you doing!"

"Don't you know your own condition?" Lu Yingchi downed the glass of juice in one gulp and placed the empty glass in front of her. "You drink everything indiscriminately."

Lu Ning had only asked the maid to bring up the juice, and hadn't noticed that ice had been added to it.

Seeing the remaining ice at the bottom of the glass, her arrogant attitude immediately subsided. Noticing Guo Liyan standing behind Lu Yingchi, she leaned forward and asked, "Is it ready?"

Because it was a burn, Guo Liyan didn't bandage her hand, but instead applied medicine. Fortunately, it wasn't too serious.

"It's nothing," Guo Liyan smiled at him. "Thank you."

"Oh." Lu Ning pulled her head back. "I only did it because of these gifts."

Guo Liyan thought to himself, that's enough.

He never imagined that a small gift that cost so little would be of such great help to him today.

Lu Yingchi didn't want to play with the children, so he took Guo Liyan to sit at Qiao Wu's teahouse next door.

"He insists on coming to apologize to you." Lu Yingchi didn't understand.

Weren't we just apart? Why are you only now thinking of apologizing?

Qiao Wu raised an eyebrow: "Apologize?"

Guo Liyan nodded: "I'm so sorry for causing you trouble today."

"If you were to bump into me and force me to intervene, then it would indeed be causing me trouble," Qiao Wu said with a smile.

Guo Liyan's eyelashes fluttered slightly.

The next second, Qiao Wu said, "But this is something we took the initiative to manage. What's it to you? Sorry is not a good word. Don't keep saying it."

Guo Liyan couldn't help but look up, only to meet the other person's smiling eyes, and her throat tightened involuntarily.

Actually, he hadn't initially planned to come down. He originally thought that was it for him tonight, and that he would come down to take a look at Lu Jinzhi once the banquet started so he could leave quietly.

But Lu Yingchi went to the room where he was resting.

He thanked Lu Yingchi for the opportunity to visit the Lu family.

Lu Yingchi just looked at the back of his hand and muttered, "Does going to Rome have to be done this way?"

Rome?

Guo Liyan never thought that someone like him could reach Rome; at most, he was just a sedan chair carrier hired by someone else on their way to Rome.

But why would Lu Yingchi say that?

Later he found out why Lu Yingchi had agreed to give him this opportunity.

This was the first time he had heard someone say that his humble journey was due to his methods and efforts.

It turns out that he was so transparent in that person's eyes, yet so insignificant.

But this was also a great satisfaction for him, at least in the other person's eyes, he was a normal person.

So even though he was trampled on so badly in front of her tonight, he was unwilling to give up this opportunity to look into her eyes and say sorry and thank you to her in person.

This was to make up for his timidity in the previous instances.

Guo Liyan sat up straight and said again, "Besides apologizing, I also want to say thank you."

Thank you for protecting his dignity without his knowledge.

This time, Qiao Wu didn't refuse and nodded, "Okay."

Just then, another person slipped in from behind the screen. Upon seeing the scene inside, Lu Xuan frowned and sat down without any politeness: "Why are you all here?"

He searched for a long time after returning from the company but couldn't find anyone. Luckily, he asked around.

Want to be treated differently?

No way!

"I have something to tell you." He closed the documents in front of Qiao Wu.

"What?"

“The banquet is over today, so you should be able to free up some time.” Lu Xuan tidied his hair. “There’s a segment in that show where someone needs to accompany you during the recording of the entrance and the first performance.”

The program's format actually mentions the accompaniment of family and friends, and these people are asked to record some blessings and encouragement for the actors participating in the program; these are usually family members.

But Lu Xuan thought about his family.

Forget it, I'd better not think about it anymore.

After much thought, he realized that only one person could barely meet the requirements.

It was that employee next to him whom he didn't care about.

Oh no, now it has another identity: sugar daddy.

The patron goes to see his... canary? Acting, isn't that perfectly normal?

“You’re going on a business trip.” Lu Xuan struggled with the decision, but finally placed the only card he had in front of her, maintaining the last bit of face he had in front of Lu Yingchi. “All the money here is yours.”

He really has none left!

Qiao Wu: "..."

So in the end, he didn't leave himself a single penny?

"What a generous gesture, Young Master Lu." Lu Yingchi said sarcastically from the side, "Give it to me, I can go and I guarantee I'll arrange a full-service suona service for you, playing it all the way to the stage."

He sneered, mimicking Lu Xuan's tone from back then: "'I don't care where she goes,' don't care?"

Lu Xuan didn't speak, but instead took out his phone and played a recording.

Lu Yingchi's voice inside was powerful and resonant.

"It's just Lu Jinzhi, I'll give you a chance to watch the monkeys."

"It's just Lu Jinzhi, I'll give you a chance to watch the monkeys."

"It's just Lu Jinzhi, I'll give you a chance to watch the monkeys."

...

Playing it on a loop over and over again.

Lu Yingchi's eyes widened: "Lu Xuan, do you want to fight?!"

Lu Xuan scoffed: "What if you bark like a dog again?"

Qiao Wu gently pressed his throbbing brow.

Sitting in an inconspicuous spot, Guo Liyan watched this scene. Seeing the smiling yet helpless looks in the eyes of the two young masters, Qiao Wuwang, a sudden impulse welled up in his heart.

He wanted to stand taller, at least to have the confidence to make her laugh, a position where he wouldn't have to rack his brains to appear before her.

Instead of being timid and hesitant to even glance at her, as he had in the past.

There was a commotion here, and the orderly sounds downstairs suddenly stopped for a moment.

Qiao Wu seemed to sense something and turned to look downstairs.

Sure enough, Lu Jinzhi, who hadn't shown up all day, appeared at the entrance of the banquet hall.

Lu Ning leaned on the railing and poked her head out: "Stop making noise, monkey monkey monkey!"

Lu Yingchi and Lu Xuan stopped what they were doing, got up and walked to the railing. Although they didn't really want to see Lu Jinzhi, they were already here.

Going to the zoo usually costs money, so why not go for the free one?

Lu Xuan looked Lu Jinzhi up and down and commented: "Golden monkey."

Qiao Wu: "..."

Her gaze lingered on the person at the door.

He wore a custom-made early autumn suit with a champagne-colored silk shirt underneath, which was elegant and noble. Today, the stylist combed his hair back, leaving only a few strands loose, which made him look mature and somewhat lazy and casual. Without anyone deliberately guiding or instructing him, he had already become the focus of attention.

Xu Chao stood behind him and handed him a glass of wine.

But instead of standing in the middle in a high-profile manner, he stood still and accepted the wine.

The entire room fell silent, everyone staring at him.

This young man, who had made a name for himself in the industry more than a decade ago, simply stood there, raised his glass, and announced to everyone without saying a word.

He's back.

Just as everyone raised their glasses, they suddenly saw Lu Jinzhi change the direction of his glass and point it in that direction.

Following his gaze, everyone saw several people standing by the railing outside the corner tea table on the second floor.

Two strikingly handsome young men stood side by side, their hands resting on something behind their backs, gently twisting together.

Beside them, a little girl in a white dress was leaning on the railing, and next to her was a woman leaning against the wall, seemingly holding a cup of tea, gazing at the man in the center of the crowd across the crowd.

So that drink was... a toast to that woman?

Someone whispered, "Those are Lu Yingchi and Lu Xuan."

"What about the other one?"

"It seems to be Lu Ning, their eldest brother's daughter."

"I meant the one against the wall."

A clear, low male voice interrupted: "That..."

The two people who were speaking trembled and cautiously turned around, only to find that Lu Jinzhi had somehow appeared behind them.

The man was much taller than them, his dark eyebrows slightly lowered. He withdrew his gaze, took a sip of wine, and smiled: "My butler."