Chapter 34 (Second Update)

On his first day back at work in China, Lu Jinzhi received a spam message.

He glanced at the person who sent the message and was about to block them.

The next second, however, a key word was extracted from that sentence—butler.

Lu Jinzhi paused for a few seconds, then lightly tapped his fingertips and typed out a sentence.

Qin Lian had just entered the room when he heard the notification sound.

Lu Jinzhi: "If the top leader's communication skills are so poor that he can't even speak a sentence clearly, the Qin family won't go far."

Qin Lian: "..."

So how could someone like Lu Jinzhi have friends?

He was too lazy to go back and forth with the other party, so he sent a message directly: "Your brother and your family's housekeeper must have a good relationship, after all, they live in the same house."

younger brother?

Lu Jinzhi didn't have a younger brother, but he did raise two stray dogs.

But that didn't prevent him from understanding the meaning of the initial message.

Lu Xuan and Qiao Wu are now sharing a room.

Qin Lian waited for a long time but didn't get a response from Lu Jinzhi. Just as he was about to ask again, the other side only sent five short words.

Lu Jinzhi: "Send work to my email."

Qin Lian: "?"

Then his message was rejected.

"..."

Qin Lianqi laughed. "Are you crazy, Lu Jinzhi?"

He was just telling the truth, did I step on his tail? So petty.

Lu Jinzhi, who had blocked Qin Lian, felt perfectly at ease. There were many ways to contact him, but it was impolite of Qin Lian to keep sending random messages to bother him.

A CEO of such stature spends his days doing the work of a paparazzi; it seems the Qin family really doesn't have much of a future.

He put down his phone. Lu Xuan and Qiao Wu used to sleep in the same bed when they were still in open-crotch pants, so what's the big deal about them sleeping in the same room now?

A few seconds later, his gaze returned to the phone screen on the table.

Even the most clingy person should have limits. Is Lu Xuan's mind still stuck in the age of wearing open-crotch pants? How could he do something so inappropriate?

I never imagined that I would have to pull Qiao Wu out of the dog pile when I was a child, and I still have to do it now.

He made an internal call: "Xu Chao."

"President Lu."

"Check Lu Xuan's hotel."

Sitting at his workstation, Xu Chao almost thought he had answered the wrong phone, but upon closer inspection, it was indeed President Lu's internal line.

Mr. Lu is actually meddling in his family affairs now?!

Meanwhile, Lu Xuan, who had already successfully entered Qiao Wu's room, was afraid that she might change her mind again. After opening the door and finding the guest room, he quickly pushed his suitcase in and took out all the clothes inside, throwing them on the bed.

Qiao Wu saw through his childish behavior but didn't stop him: "I won't help you fix your clothes if they're messy. I need to rest now, so don't bother me unless it's absolutely necessary."

She didn't sleep well because she was busy with the banquet last night and got up too early to catch her flight today. She's worried that she won't have enough energy for the recording tomorrow.

Lu Xuan looked at the clothes scattered on the bed and picked them up one by one, saying, "Oh."

The door to the master bedroom closed softly, and Lu Xuan's movements gradually slowed down. He made room for himself to lie down and then leaned back.

Cool.

He can't fold clothes properly! As long as Qiao Wu didn't kick him out, he didn't want to sleep in that double room.

He fell asleep while lying down, and woke up again because he was hungry.

Lu Xuan glanced at the time, got up to wash his face, and when he came out of the room, Qiao Wu's door was still closed, so it seemed that he hadn't woken up yet.

He skillfully called the hotel to have dinner delivered, then settled into the sofa to play mobile games.

Just as we were getting really into the game, I heard a soft click.

Then Qiao Wu's voice rang out: "Have you had dinner?"

Lu Xuan's hand trembled, and the character he was controlling was instantly beaten to death.

He looked up at the source of the sound. He hadn't turned on the lights when he came in during the day, and only a few lights were on when he woke up. He didn't want his eyes to be too uncomfortable since he had just woken up, so the lights were still dim. Only Qiao Wu was standing there with his back to the light in her room.

He couldn't see her face clearly, but it was the first time Lu Xuan had ever heard her voice like that.

It lacked the usual confident clarity, instead carrying a hoarse and languid quality of someone just woken up. It was also very light, so light it was almost soft, like a feather, instantly waking him from the fierce battle.

Qiao Wu didn't hear a reply, so she turned on the lights in the living room and saw Lu Xuan sitting on the sofa in a daze: "What are you staring at?"

Lu Xuan squinted for a moment from the sudden light, and when his vision cleared again, he saw Qiao Wu walking towards him. He unconsciously moved a little further in.

Qiao Wu, who had just woken up, wasn't dressed as elegantly as usual. She was just wearing a comfortable short-sleeved shirt and trousers, her lips were very light, and she wasn't wearing glasses. There was still some sleepiness and fatigue in her eyes.

After sitting down on the sofa not far from him, she casually raised her hand to tidy her slightly messy hair, took a hair tie from somewhere, and gently put it on. As she did so, she lifted her eyelids to look at Lu Xuan: "What's wrong with you?"

Lu Xuan suddenly snapped back to reality: "It's nothing."

He tossed his phone, which was playing a game, onto the sofa, stood up, and poured himself a glass of water: "I had the hotel send dinner up."

"Hmm." Qiao Wu rubbed his temples. "I overslept."

Luckily, she set an alarm and remembered to get up for dinner.

After drinking a glass of water, Lu Xuan felt much more awake. He sighed and leaned against the island counter, frowning: "Lu Jinzhi gave you so much work for such a paltry sum?"

Qiao Wu chuckled: "You paid me 50,000 yuan for four days, and he only paid a pittance?"

Lu Xuan said lazily, "If it were me, I wouldn't arrange too many things for you. You just need to listen to me."

“That makes sense.” Qiao Wu nodded. “If that’s what you’re thinking, then from now on I’ll just listen to your brother and you guys can just ignore him.”

"...Don't misunderstand me."

The doorbell rang; dinner had been delivered from the hotel.

Having carried her luggage all day, Lu Xuan now consciously went to open the door and didn't continue the previous topic.

Qiao Wu only ate breakfast today, so he ate very attentively without saying a word.

Lu Xuan, however, seemed somewhat distracted.

He felt uneasy, but couldn't quite put his finger on why.

He came to Qiao Wu's room today simply because he didn't want to endure the double room, so he didn't think about anything at the time. Anyway, it wasn't like he hadn't shared a room with Qiao Wu before.

But when he saw Qiao Wu come out just now, he suddenly felt that something was different, something was a little awkward.

He finished his meal without eating anything appealing, and when he heard his phone ring, he almost rushed to the sofa.

"Hello Mr. Lu, the hotel has upgraded your room. Would you like us to bring you the room key if you wish to check in?"

Lu Xuan: "You dialed the wrong number."

Where did he get the money to upgrade his apartment?

"No," the hotel manager said. "Mr. Lu Xuan, it was a gentleman named Xu Chao who upgraded you."

Xu Chao?

Lu Xuan remembered this person vividly. It was this guy who made a video call to Lu Jinzhi, causing him to have all his cards suspended.

But Xu Chao didn't know his identity information, so... it was Lu Jinzhi who did it.

What I fear most is sudden concern from others, especially from someone like Lu Jinzhi, who is utterly inhuman.

I blocked him, but upgraded his room?

"No need to deliver it." He slammed down the phone.

The rooms at Lu Jinzhisheng's place are sure to be haunted at night.

Less than a minute later, his phone received another text message notification.

One of his cards was unfrozen.

Lu Xuan: "???"

Is Lu Jinzhi possessed by something?

What bad luck!

Lu Xuan threw the phone away again, pretending he hadn't seen it.

Qiao Wu took in his reaction and asked, puzzled, "You're acting so easily today."

"I saw something unclean," Lu Xuan said casually. "You should rest after you finish eating, so it won't bother you later."

Qiao Wu: "..."

After finishing his meal, Qiao Wu returned to his room but did not go to sleep.

Although she had come to another city, she still had work to do, and she needed to see if there was any information that needed to be processed today.

By the time she finished her work again, it was already 10 p.m. Worried that she wouldn't be able to get up the next day, she decided to take a shower and go to bed.

While blow-drying her hair, she saw a call from Lu Jinzhi on her phone.

"Lu Jinzhi?"

Lu Jinzhi hummed in agreement and asked bluntly, "Where is Lu Xuan?"

"He should be resting," Qiao Wu asked. "What's wrong?"

“I upgraded his room,” Lu Jinzhi said succinctly. “I told him to get out.”

Qiao Wu was stunned for a moment.

So that unclean thing was Lu Jinzhi.

If Lu Jinzhi wanted to know Lu Xuan's whereabouts, there would be a million ways. Qiao Wu didn't dwell on the issue: "My guest room is empty, so it doesn't matter."

But Lu Jinzhi said, "The room has already been booked, let's not waste it."

That's true.

"I'll go check if he's asleep in a bit," Qiao Wu agreed. "Wouldn't it be faster if you just called him?"

He won't answer.

Lu Jinzhi didn't even add Lu Xuan to his blacklist, nor did he even consider calling that stupid dog. Since Lu Xuan refused the hotel, he wouldn't answer his calls, so there was no need to do such a futile effort.

“I’m looking for you,” he said.

Qiao Wu asked in confusion, "Looking for me?"

There was a few seconds of silence on the other end. Just when Qiao Wu thought he had hung up, he heard the other person's calm voice: "I have to work overtime today."

"Um?"

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

When Qiao Wu first formulated this rule, he never intended to include Lu Jinzhi.

First, he is rational and intelligent and wouldn't do anything that crosses the line. Second, he is not someone who would willingly be bound by anything, so the only suggestion she made to Lu Jinzhi was that he shouldn't affect the implementation of the rules.

But Qiao Wu didn't expect that Lu Jinzhi's meaning in the rules was that he would strictly follow each and every one of them.

He meant it when he said he was safe, and then hung up the phone.

Qiao Wu stood there stunned for a moment before remembering that he needed to go find Lu Xuan.

Lu Xuan had just finished showering when he heard someone knocking on the door. He then gathered his bath towel.

But just as he reached the bathroom door, he suddenly remembered Qiao Wu saying that even if he sold himself, no one would want him.

He walked to the mirror, wiped the fog off, and revealed a handsome face with alluring red lips that pleased him greatly.

"So it really is because she has no taste."

He muttered to himself, but his hand reached back to smooth his hair, picked up the earring that was originally placed beside him, put it on, paused, and then, trying to cover up his intentions, lightly tugged at the collar of his bathrobe, revealing a hint of his chest muscles.

That's all the money I can show her out of the 50,000 yuan!

After doing all that, he opened the door and was about to speak casually when he saw that Qiao Wu's hair was also wet.

Unlike him, she was dressed neatly, except for her hair, which hadn't been styled. Some strands of hair clung to her face, making her skin appear even whiter and giving her a slightly disheveled look.

Lu Xuan's palms were burning as he gripped the doorknob. He looked away and asked, "What's wrong?"

"Your brother upgraded your room," Qiao Wu said. "It's a waste to leave it empty, so you can go and sleep there."

Lu Xuan: "..."

Is Lu Jinzhi out of his mind?! Why is he making phone calls in the middle of the night?!

He sensed something was off: "He called you?"

"Okay." Qiao Wu's eyes were clear. "Let's go there sooner. You can sleep in the master bedroom over there."

Who the hell said they wanted to sleep in the master bedroom!

"I'm not going."

Qiao Wu thought for a moment. Lu Xuan's things were all here, and it would be troublesome to pack them up again. She had fewer things.

"I'll go then." She turned around. "You should get some rest."

Lu Xuan was splashed in the face by the wetness from the ends of her hair. He grabbed her clothes and forced out a sentence: "I'll go. You stay here."

Thinking he had changed his mind, Qiao Wu didn't insist.

"Then leave your things here for now," she said. "I'll pack them up for you tomorrow."

This calmed Lu Xuan down a bit. He hummed in agreement and turned to leave.

Qiao Wu stood behind him, and for some reason felt that Lu Xuan looked like a wet little dog. But she couldn't understand why he would be disappointed to sleep in the master bedroom. With a comforting heart, she gently reminded him, "Remember to take off your earrings before you sleep."

Lu Xuan's back stiffened for a moment, then he rushed into the bathroom without hesitation.

He stood back in front of the mirror, angrily took off his earring, and then pulled his bathrobe shut tightly.

Damn it, I'm so angry!

Qiao Wu has no taste! No vision!

What earrings! Those are his pectoral muscles!

He would make sure she knew one day just how charming he was, and how many people outside were screaming for him!

He called the hotel manager he had previously worked at to have the room key delivered, and stood in the elevator, sulking with his belongings in his arms.

After thinking about it for a long time, I got angrier and angrier, so I opened my phone and sent an email to the culprit.

He blocked my WeChat account, and now he can block my email address too?!

At 10:30 p.m., Lu Jinzhi received a new email notification.

The "King of Looks" in the entertainment industry: "Lu Jinzhi, if you can't sleep, can you take some sleeping pills, focus on yourself, and stay away from the life of a superstar, okay? Stop harassing others!!! You're a stalker!!!"

After reading the message several times, Lu Jinzhi gleaned the information he wanted from the man's hysteria.

They went out.

Mark as spam.

After sending numerous emails accusing Lu Jinzhi, Lu Xuan finally calmed down a bit.

But then I thought about it again and it still felt a little strange.

Lu Jinzhi suspended his card, which should have been enough to make him sleep on the streets without any concern. So why did he suddenly unfreeze it today, upgrade his room type, and even have Qiao Wu kick him out?

Are business owners really that free these days?

It can't just be about showing concern for him.

That's Qiao Wu. He used to steal things when he was a kid, and he still does it now.

The key question is, why did he steal Qiao Wu? Qiao Wu is already everyone's butler!

-

The acting training camp program has been running for several seasons. The participants are generally established artists, some who have faded from the spotlight, some who want to change careers, and some newcomers, so the participants cover a wide range of backgrounds.

There are 20 trainees in total, and each trainee has a self-introduction session before entering the training camp.

Before this period, there will be an interview with relatives and friends.

The production team booked the same hotel for all the trainees to facilitate their preparation for interviews.

Early in the morning, staff began going to each room to prepare for the interviews.

No one was surprised to learn that Lu Xuan had upgraded his room, since everyone in the industry knew that he was a very wealthy second-generation heir.

However, all the staff were surprised when they knocked on the door.

The person who opened the door was not Lu Xuan, but an extremely beautiful young woman. She wasn't even wearing makeup, yet she managed to withstand the close-up shots with her natural beauty, so stunning that the paparazzi forgot to come inside.

The assistant director of the program glanced down at the information in his hand, making sure there wasn't such a stunning beauty in the academy, and asked blankly, "Who are you?"

"Hello." Qiao Wu stepped aside. "Are you looking for Lu Xuan? He's changing clothes. Please come in."

Lu Xuan didn't bother to take her luggage last night, so she came early today to change clothes and let the production crew come here as well.

"Excuse me." The assistant director was so startled he almost dropped his script. "You live...with Lu Xuan? What's your relationship?"

If you look like this, don't tell me you're an assistant or agent. Are you going to reveal a rich second-generation's secret girlfriend before the show even airs?

“I’m his friend, we were preparing for the interview together.” Qiao Wu knew what they were thinking and explained gently, “He had too much luggage and didn’t take it with him last night, so he came here to change clothes. He’s in the guest room.”

"Oh!"

Whether it was true or false, the assistant director didn't care. He just wanted to get the answer; the audience would decide. He didn't dare say anything to Lu Xuan easily, after all, while Lu Xuan wasn't exactly famous, he was known in the industry as a troublesome and difficult person.

When the production team learned that he was coming to the show, they didn't expect him to make it to the end. They just wanted to grab some initial viewership. Lu Xuan couldn't handle hardship or criticism, he wasn't a big star but had a bad temper, and he didn't have much acting experience, so everyone assumed that the young master would quit on his own in a few days.

Sure enough, the first wave of viewership has already arrived even though the recording has only just begun.

"He can change slowly." The assistant director didn't dare to rush him. "It's the same if we interview you first."

Qiao Wu nodded: "Okay."

Lu Xuan, who was changing clothes, quickened his pace when he heard voices outside. By the time he opened the door, the production crew had already started interviewing Qiao Wu.

To ensure proper lighting for the camera, she sat by the window, the morning light casting a soft glow on her face. Even in front of the camera, she showed no discomfort, appearing as composed as if she herself were the focus.

The crew was so focused on filming her that they forgot he, the main character, had already appeared.

Some staff members with their backs to him whispered among themselves, "I thought he was a newcomer, he's so beautiful."

"She is so calm, more composed than many of the people I just interviewed, and her temperament is outstanding. I bet she will attract a lot of attention when the show airs."

"She's Lu Xuan's friend. If she debuts in the future, with her face and figure, she'll definitely become famous."

"Then you should hurry up and get her an autograph or a photo in advance, because if she becomes famous later, you might not get a chance."

"Stop talking, we're going to cut off the recording right away."

Lu Xuan leaned lazily against the doorway, listening to the discussions, his gaze fixed on Qiao Wu as if on a camera lens.

The assistant director followed the script: "When did you meet Lu Xuan?"

Qiao Wu: "We've known each other since birth."

"They were childhood sweethearts. What kind of person do you think he is? What are your thoughts on his career as an actor?"

Qiao Wu kept his gaze fixed on the camera, but Lu Xuan's lazy posture straightened slightly.

He stared intently at that face from the depths of his memory, his fingers clenching uncontrollably on his arm, awaiting her answer.

What would she say?

They say he has poor acting skills, a bad temper, is a spoiled brat, difficult to manage, and... has no charm whatsoever.

"Him..."

Qiao Wu's voice fell upon him along with the morning light.

The autumn sunlight has a very mild temperature, but it's just right to make people feel comfortable, just like her gentle voice now.

"He is a clumsy person."

Lu Xuan's eyes trembled slightly.

The person in his center of vision seemed to look at him through the camera lens. She smiled faintly: "Clumsy to the point of being naive, I can't comment on his abilities because as a friend I will always be biased towards him and I'm always looking forward to seeing how he shines in the future."

At that moment, Lu Xuan blinked somewhat slowly. The surrounding sounds faded away, and only Qiao Wu's words kept echoing in his ears.

She said she would always be biased towards him.