Chapter 38 (Second Update)

There was a coffee shop downstairs in the hotel, and five minutes later the two were sitting facing each other.

"We didn't get to have tea together last time," Qin Lian said naturally and politely. "Let's make up for it this time. What would you like to drink?"

"Orange juice will do."

Qiao Wu rarely drinks coffee. Firstly, she doesn't like the taste of coffee, and secondly, her daily routine is always very stable, so she doesn't need coffee to stay awake. Drinking coffee would easily disrupt her current life order. She prefers refreshing drinks.

Since Qin Lian had invited her, he must have something to say, so she wouldn't stand on ceremony.

Qin Lian gave a look to the waiter waiting nearby, and the waiter left.

Qiao Wu finally spoke up: "President Qin, is there something you want to say?"

"Let's just chat about everyday things."

To be honest, Qin Lian really admired Qiao Wu.

Putting aside her work ability, her measured attitude towards others and her quick wit in handling situations—she was neither reckless nor competitive—made a very good first impression of her.

He watched the clips of Qiao Wu recorded on the show in advance under the guise of being the boss. The original footage hadn't been edited yet, so every frame was very clear. Whether she was dealing with Lu Xuan or Liao Liao, her actions were very targeted, and her actions varied depending on the person, indicating that she had considered things carefully.

"How long have you been working for the Lu family?" he asked.

"About a month."

Qin Lian: "?"

His composed expression cracked for a moment. A month?

On average, each member of the Lu family spent less than ten days with the family; even training a dog wouldn't be that fast.

Lu Jinzhi hadn't even returned from abroad a month ago, and she already trusted her so much?

This person is incredibly powerful!

That's alright, though, the feelings probably aren't that deep yet.

“I have a younger brother, you’ve met him,” Qin Lian said.

"Um."

Based on Qin Lian's brief understanding of Qiao Wu, the other party should not be the kind of person who needs to communicate in a roundabout way. Smart people have smart ways of communicating, so he said directly: "Besides him, I also have a younger sister at home. To be honest, my parents have always been quite indulgent towards their children. In addition, I am busy with work, so when no one is watching them, they become a bit willful, and no one can control them."

Qiao Wu silently raised an eyebrow.

“In our recent meetings, I’ve noticed that you have a lot of experience in discipline,” Qin Lian continued. “I wonder if you have any experience you could share.”

Where does he see that he has experience?

“You may have misunderstood something,” Qiao Wu explained. “I’m not an educator, so I don’t have much experience to share.”

She is not a kindergarten teacher.

"But you seem to get along quite well with Lu Xuan and the others?"

"That's true, but my situation with them might be a little different from what you imagine."

"What's different?" Qin Lian didn't come on impulse. He had already checked. A little over a month ago, Lu Xuan and Lu Yingchi were still brainless rich kids in the industry.

To be honest, he had been prepared for this for a long time.

The Lu family is a disorganized mess, held together only by Lu Jinzhi. Sooner or later, they will be dragged down by the other brothers who are only superficially united. He is just waiting to reap the benefits when the time comes.

But to everyone's surprise, the Lu brothers turned over a new leaf.

Qin Lian felt a little disappointed.

However, there are many ways to make money in this world, and there would be other rich people even without Lu Jinzhi.

He wasn't in a hurry; what if Lu Jinzhi died before him?

It's the same.

"Actually, it might be a bit easier at my family's than at the Lu family's," Qin Lian said directly. "I don't have too many demanding requirements. As long as my younger siblings don't go astray, that's fine. As long as I can do that, the compensation is negotiable. How much does the Lu family pay you per year?"

He spoke the truth in every word, and he was very sincere.

Bosses like Lu Jinzhi are sharp-tongued, profit-driven, picky, and fussy.

Working under him requires immense pressure.

He has a better temper than Lu Jinzhi, which is common knowledge in the industry.

"Didn't you only work for them for a month?"

“President Qin, it seems impolite to inquire about the salary of a competitor.” Qiao Wu chuckled. “However, you have misunderstood. Although I have only worked for the Lu family for a month, I grew up in the Lu family. My father was the previous housekeeper.”

Although they both share the surname Qiao, Qin Lian didn't connect the two.

He had never heard of a hereditary position as a butler.

And I never expected that a young girl would choose to become a housekeeper.

Is there any difference?

“The difference is that I can control Lu Xuan and the others not only because of my personal abilities, but also because of our childhood friendship.” Qiao Wu did not hide anything. “So my situation with them does not apply to your family.”

"Wait a minute..." Qin Lian realized something was wrong. "You said you grew up with them?"

How could he have overlooked the fact that Qiao Wu mentioned in the interview that they had known each other since childhood!

broken.

No wonder Lu Jinzhi hung up on him yesterday.

That petty person!

"Hmm." Qiao Wu had no idea what kind of storm was raging inside the person in front of him, and continued, "If President Qin wants to manage his own family, it would be more appropriate for him to do it himself, because you have a different status in their hearts and you also have this power. I think your brother is quite afraid of you."

“He’s not afraid of me,” Qin Lian said. “He’s afraid of my belt.”

Qiao Wu: "..."

Qin Lian knew that everyone has their own nature, and that every pot has a corresponding lid.

The reason his parents doted on his younger siblings so much was because they had been too harsh on him in the past.

As the eldest son in the family, his parents raised him to be their heir. However, they were surprised to find that he was too calm and mature for his age. He was very resourceful from a young age and was not close to his parents at all.

So Qin Lian's parents opened a new account and began to spoil their child.

This resulted in them not teaching the older children well, nor the younger ones well.

Qin Lian has always valued results. He always disciplined his younger siblings using the same methods his parents used to discipline him. By the time he grew up and realized his methods were wrong, it was too late. That was his nature, and even if he wanted to change, he didn't know how. He rarely hit his sister, but she couldn't stand his constant running around, so now he could only use a belt to keep his younger brother in check.

He originally thought he could recruit someone to manage things for him, since Qiao Wu is a housekeeper and she's very professional in this area.

But unexpectedly, they dug up Lu Jinzhi's major artery.

Qin Lian felt uneasy just thinking about the consequences of digging up someone who had grown up with Lu Jinzhi and was even recognized by him.

"The matter I'm looking for you about..." He hesitated, which was rare for him, "...don't tell Lu Jinzhi."

Even without him saying it, Qiao Wu wouldn't reveal it.

With Zhong Hejing already having a family that's about to be turned upside down, and now another one has even started digging, it seems like Qin Lian and the surname Lu will clash from now on.

She nodded: "Okay."

Chatting with Qiao Wu was quite relaxing, mainly because his tone and attitude were very appropriate.

Qin Lian looked at it for a while and felt a little unwilling. He took out his phone and said, "Before I knew about your relationship, I still approved of your way of handling things."

Without Lu Yingchi and Lu Xuan, as a housekeeper, being able to distinguish who had the right to speak at the banquet and to seize the key points was indeed a testament to her own ability to judge right and wrong.

"Would you mind if I gave you your contact information?" Qin Lian said. "I won't be my housekeeper, but I'd still like to ask you for advice. It's not a free service; I'd like to be paid per visit or by the hour."

It seems that family matters are indeed giving Qin Lian a headache.

Why not take money that's offered to you?

Qiao Wu added his contact information and said, "But it depends on the time. The Lu family is my first choice."

"certainly."

Qin Lian was genuinely a little jealous. He became serious and asked, "Do you have any suggestions on disciplining your younger siblings?"

To be honest, I've cut off his allowance before, and I've tried everything – beating him and scolding him.

But he's just rebellious; he acts one way in front of him and another behind his back.

"If it's really beyond repair, calling the police is the simplest solution."

Qin Lian: "...It's not that bad."

Qiao Wu was just trying to scare him, because she didn't really have a good impression of Qin Tianrui.

"Then you need to know him well enough so you know what he needs."

"Then give him what he needs?"

Qiao Wu laughed and said, "No, it's about thoroughly controlling him."

Seeing the sly, even malicious, smile in the other person's eyes, Qin Lian raised an eyebrow slightly.

No wonder Zhong Hejing speaks so highly of Qiao Wu.

She certainly has many facets.

-

The plane landed at 8 p.m.

Lu Xuan was originally supposed to stay for four days, but Qiao Wu returned a day early without telling anyone. Everyone had their own things to do, and her return wasn't a big deal. Her car had been parked at the airport, so she drove back to the Lu residence herself.

She went back to her own home to change her clothes before coming to the main house.

The main house is very quiet.

"Butler Qiao," the servants reported without her even asking, "the fourth young master and the young lady are still doing their homework in the library. Should we tell them you're back?"

"No need." Qiao Wu arrived at the restaurant. "Tell the kitchen that the food is ready to be served."

She instructed the kitchen to prepare her dinner as soon as she landed, so she could eat it as soon as she got home.

She's now finding that Lu Jinzhi's habit is actually quite good.

Not only did she have to prepare daily reports for Lu Jinzhi, but everyone else also had to prepare daily reports for her. During this time, she took out her tablet to browse through them.

Less than a minute later, the restaurant door was opened.

Without looking up, she said, "Just put it here, thank you."

The next second, the stool next to her was pulled out and someone sat down.

Out of the corner of his eye were long legs encased in dress pants. Qiao Wu turned his head and asked, "Lu Jinzhi?"

"Um."

Lu Jinzhi was also holding a tablet. He didn't try to hide it, so Qiao Wu, who was standing very close to him, immediately saw that he was looking at the career plan and daily report that she had posted last night.

Are you looking at it so intently?

"I haven't had time to write today's yet," Qiao Wu said. "I'll send it to you after I finish my work."

"No rush, let's eat first." Lu Jinzhi put down his tablet. "We'll have a meeting after we finish eating."

A meeting?

Seeing the kitchen bring out two dinner dishes, Qiao Wu finally realized, "You haven't eaten either?"

Lu Jinzhi picked up a hot towel from another plate and wiped his hands with his eyes downcast: "Not obvious?"

"You just got back?" Qiao Wu put down what he was holding; it was past dinner time at home.

“No.” Lu Jinzhi was quite straightforward. “It’s noisy.”

Recently, Lu Yingchi and Lu Ning have been getting close, and they don't seem to be as afraid of him as before. Taking advantage of Qiao Wu's absence, they make a lot of noise during meals, spitting out their food and not stopping, which is too much of a problem for him to bear. He just doesn't want to see them.

"Let's add a rule," he said calmly, "No spitting out food."

Qiao Wu couldn't help but burst out laughing.

Lu Jinzhi, who was eating his meal slowly, suddenly glanced at her and saw the undisguised smile on her face. He also smiled and said, "It seems that this business trip was quite enjoyable."

Thinking that Lu Xuan had changed after this experience and at least knew how to get along with others in a normal way, Qiao Wu felt that the business trip was worthwhile.

She nodded happily: "Yes."

"Why?"

“The Daily News told you that,” Qiao Wu said, looking intently at his plate. “Lu Xuan has changed a lot.”

Lu Jinzhi's smile deepened: "I see."

He didn't say anything more.

After finishing his meal, Lu Jinzhi picked up the tablet on the table: "Come with me."

Is a meeting about to start?

Qiao Wu followed him upstairs, a question lingering in his mind.

This is so formal, could it be that something happened at the company?

That shouldn't be the case.

Her phone is on 24/7; if anything happened, Xu Chao would have called her long ago.

Following Lu Jinzhi into the elevator, Qiao Wu realized that he had pressed the button for the fourth floor, which was the only room on that floor.

She was stunned.

Of all the people in the Lu family, she knew where Lu Yingchi's room key was and the combination to Lu Xuan's safe, but she knew nothing about anything related to Lu Jinzhi.

Lu Jinzhi, who was a child prodigy from a young age, has many quirks. For example, he doesn't like to talk or communicate because people who are above him treat him like a child, while he thinks people who are below him are childish. No one can penetrate his mental world, so he prefers to be alone.

However, he doesn't have high emotional needs. When Lu Xuan cried for his parents to hug him, Lu Jinzhi could no longer understand his younger brother's emotional needs. He slept in his own room independently from a young age and never cried to his parents in the middle of the night. He always stayed quietly in his own room and did not allow anyone to enter his world. He had a strong sense of territory and naturally did not allow others to enter his room.

Other children didn't understand, but Qiao Wu did, so she was always very well-behaved.

But some people are not honest.

She accidentally entered Lu Jinzhi's room once when she was very young.

Lu Xuan was a year older than her and could walk earlier, so during that time she practically became Lu Xuan's toy, being carried and dragged around by him.

One time, Lu Xuan insisted on playing hide-and-seek with Lu Jinzhi before she got home from school, and then secretly slipped her into Lu Jinzhi's room when the nanny wasn't looking.

Qiao Wu tried to climb out, but when he got to the door, he realized he was too short to reach the doorknob.

While she was still pressed against the door, it suddenly opened with a bang, and she was squeezed behind it.

Lu Jinzhi, who was walking home from kindergarten with his little schoolbag on his back, heard the sound and went around to see her sitting on the ground. His little face was cold.

But he only looked at her for a moment, and after hearing Lu Xuan's voice outside, he slammed the door shut.

The shock made Qiao Wu's heart tremble.

Despite Lu Xuan's loud crying and commotion outside the door, Lu Jinzhi didn't open it. He simply reached out, picked her up, and placed her on the sofa, then said, "He's noisy, isn't he?"

Unfortunately, Qiao Wu couldn't speak at that time, so he had to pretend to be stupid.

Fortunately, Lu Jinzhi didn't expect her to answer. Instead, he took out a book from his schoolbag, sat down next to her and started reading. He even put the book in the middle for her to read together, regardless of the fact that she was still a child who couldn't speak or walk at that time.

The matter of reading was also due to Lu Xuan.

Lu Jinzhi was always forced to play with her and Lu Xuan, but usually the result was that Lu Xuan would hug her and cry, while Lu Jinzhi would sit on the side reading a book.

Once Lu Xuan cried herself to sleep, she was finally free. Worried that Lu Jinzhi would bother her, she sat quietly.

The elders couldn't bear to watch and asked Lu Jinzhi to play with her, so Lu Jinzhi moved his little bottom and moved next to her to read a book.

Only then could Qiao Wu take the opportunity to see what this little genius was reading, and then she discovered that Lu Jinzhi, who was only five years older than her, was already reading literary classics.

Gradually, Lu Jinzhi probably noticed that she was also very quiet, so he would always sit closer to her, and when reading, he would move the book towards her. Occasionally, he would also rescue her from Lu Xuan's grasp.

So he kept her in the room just to get away from Lu Xuan.

Qiao Wu had seen the layout of his room at that time. Apart from some facilities installed for the child's safety, there was nothing else related to children, and there were no toys, because Lu Jinzhi didn't like toys. There were just a lot of books.

The elevator has arrived.

Lu Jinzhi opened his room door without turning his head.

Qiao Wu stood at the door, asking uncertainly, "Should I come in too?"

Lu Jinzhi, inside the door, turned around and chuckled, "You want to stand here and talk to me?"

So Qiao Wu went in without any psychological burden.

Unlike the other people's rooms, which are separated into different areas, Lu Jinzhi's room, except for the bathroom and dressing room, is all open-plan, so you can see the whole room at a glance.

The cluttered facilities from his childhood have been removed, making the room simpler and tidier. Perhaps because of the library, his room has fewer books and feels quite empty.

A large bed, a large desk, and a chair.

That's all.

This also fits his personality of not letting anyone in, since there's nowhere for anyone to sit down except for the bed.

But he picked out each and every item himself, and their designs were all unique and exquisite.

Lu Jinzhi clearly hadn't considered the issue of sitting down. He leaned back against the desk, lowered his head slightly, and tapped on her career plan on the tablet. His tone was gentle: "I have no plans to change careers within the next five years."

"right."

Qiao Wu gave herself five years. By then, Lu Xuan's career should be stable, Lu Yingchi should have graduated from university and have his own goals, and Lu Ning should have been admitted to university. Everyone's situation would be basically settled, and she would feel at ease.

Lu Jinzhi nodded and opened the next daily newspaper, yesterday's.

"Yesterday I was only busy with Lu Xuan's matter." He didn't look up, his fingertips lightly tracing the words. "And today?"

"Today too," Qiao Wu said. "The show is finished recording, so I came back early."

Lu Jinzhi smiled and asked, "Didn't you run into anyone else?"

"Hmm?" Qiao Wu didn't think it necessary to include other people unrelated to work in the daily report. "No, that's all."

The room was silent for a few seconds.

Lu Jinzhi finally raised his head, and he threw the tablet on the table with a very soft sound.

Although those dark eyes held a smile, it wasn't a deep one.

A thought popped into Qiao Wu's mind.

He was unhappy.

“Someone called me yesterday who was very rude.” Lu Jinzhi, who was about the same height as her and leaning against the desk, looked at her directly. He said with a smile, “He asked me where I found my housekeeper. Didn’t he ask you?”

Qiao Wu: "..."

No, didn't we agree that no one would tell?

Backstabbing her?!

"Why did you lie?" Lu Jinzhi stood up and walked up to her. "I have never lied to you, and I don't want you to lie to me."

"I'm not lying," Qiao Wu chuckled. "I didn't agree to it."

"I know."

If he had agreed, Qin Lian would have come to him to act like a fool long ago.

“I’m just unhappy.” Lu Jinzhi lowered his eyes to meet her gaze: “The resume you gave me only stated your plans to leave, and you even tried to hide the fact that others wanted to leave you.”

Why would they try to hide it?

Qiao Wu felt it was necessary to defend himself: "I was afraid you would care."

“That will make you care more.” The smile in Lu Jinzhi’s eyes finally faded, making him look more genuine. “Qiao Wu, I don’t understand you now.”

He reached out and gently tapped the middle of Qiao Wu's glasses.

"Don't lie to me, I don't want to talk to you like everyone else."

He withdrew his hand, gently pressing his brows, his gaze almost stubbornly earnest, "I also don't want to have to take off your glasses to talk to you next time."