Chapter 51 (The principle of "not touching hands with others")

Look, the stars?

"Isn't today Monday?" Qiao Wu didn't quite react. "So sudden?"

“It’s not sudden,” Lu Jinzhi said. “I finished my work and came over this afternoon.”

Dust billowed up all the way, and his car was covered in dust, but he simply leaned back gently against it.

Qiao Wu reminded him, "It's dirty."

Lu Jinzhi didn't move, looking at her with a puzzled expression: "I've already come all this way, why would I be dirty?"

He couldn't stand dirt and disorder and had high standards, but he wasn't brainless. He knew exactly what to do in what kind of environment. He was already exhausted after a long day of travel and didn't want to stand and talk anymore. At that moment, dirt was no excuse to stop him from resting.

Qiao Wu was taken aback.

Come to think of it, she hadn't been very clean all day climbing up and down, so she sat down next to Lu Jinzhi and said, "You said there's been a lot going on at the company lately, I thought you'd be very busy."

"Work keeps coming." Lu Jinzhi tilted his head slightly, looking at the starry sky, "but you can only see the stars once."

While she was trying to share the starry sky with him but failed, he started checking flight tickets and quickly planned out his work schedule and itinerary for the next two days.

He never wanted to wrong himself, nor was he willing to make difficult choices; he did whatever he wanted.

"How can you say it can only be viewed once?" Qiao Wu thought he was exaggerating. "Don't you have a telescope in your room?"

Lu Jinzhi smiled and raised his hand.

A pale, white wrist was presented to Qiao Wu. The sharp contrast between his well-defined hand and the black wristwatch created a strange sense of asceticism.

"The star at 21:42 on October 25, 2025, will appear only once."

Qiao Wu was amused by his inexplicable seriousness and persistence: "So you came all this way for this?"

Lu Jinzhi withdrew his hand and said nonchalantly, "As long as it's a place I can get to, it's not far in my eyes."

He certainly has the confidence to say such things.

Perhaps because Lu Jinzhi's trip was private and he was simply there to see the stars, Qiao Wu didn't tell him about work and instead chatted with him casually.

She said softly, "You've become more talkative as you've grown up."

Before she got caught up in the plot, Lu Jinzhi was a boy who hated noise and preferred to be alone. Even when the two of them were in the library together, he could read books for a whole day without saying a word. Qiao Wu could only find the labels he left on the books after he left. He could talk to her as soon as he looked up.

Lu Jinzhi: "Language is the most intuitive way of expression."

After joining the company, he realized that there were many people whose minds were complicated and who would never know what to do unless things were explained clearly.

“That’s true.” Qiao Wu nodded in agreement. “After all, very few people can understand you.”

"The same to you?"

"Me?" Qiao Wu didn't dare say she knew Lu Jinzhi very well, because she was just an ordinary person with a normal mind. "I probably don't know him very well."

Lu Jinzhi turned his head to the side: "Why didn't you ask?"

"Will you answer if I ask you?"

"meeting."

To be honest, this was the first time Qiao Wu had ever had a face-to-face conversation with someone like Lu Jinzhi, and he really didn't know where to start. The lie detector robot at home would probably never be needed on Lu Jinzhi.

Lu Jinzhi smiled and said, "But you already know me better than most people."

"Anyone who spends time with you every day would understand."

Lu Jinzhi neither confirmed nor denied this: "For example, those few at home?"

"..."

The quantifier "条" is quite clever.

Qiao Wu laughed so hard her shoulders were shaking. How come she never noticed before that Lu Jinzhi's true nature was so interesting?

"How was it? You saw the stars with your own eyes."

This time, it was Lu Jinzhi's turn to laugh: "Do I look like a very artistic person?"

Qiao Wu: "What else?"

Are you just bored and have nothing better to do?

“No.” Lu Jinzhi crossed his long legs casually and said, “All stars look the same to the naked eye.”

The telescope at home is just something I bought because I was curious about the universe in that area after reading about it in books; I don't actually enjoy watching it.

Just like the starry sky above, it doesn't look the same from anywhere.

He might glance up when he leaves the company, but he would never spend hours traveling to the mountains to see it.

“But you’re the only friend who’s ever invited me to stargaze.” He gently patted the hood of the car beneath his hand. “So I’m paying for it for you.”

The invitation put him in a good mood.

Lu Jinzhi's words also put Qiao Wu in a good mood. She felt honored to have a friend who trusted her so much and would travel a long distance to see her just because of a casual remark.

"What a pity, it would be nice to have a drink right now."

Although I don't like drinking, this setting is perfect for clinking glasses.

"It will happen."

As it approached ten o'clock, Qiao Wu's phone rang again; it was Lu Ning calling.

At this time, people usually can't rush home to report before curfew, Qiao Wu answered the call.

Unexpectedly, the voice on the other end was unusually excited.

"Qiao Wu, I'm going to report this!!!" Without even looking, you could tell Lu Ning's eyes were practically gleaming. "Second Uncle still hasn't come home!"

Someone nearby chimed in quietly, "I heard he didn't go to the company this afternoon either."

Lu Yingchi had just returned to the Lu residence and discovered that he had lost all his car keys.

Qiao Wu: "..."

She slowly turned her head and looked at Lu Jinzhi, whose expression was inscrutable.

Three seconds later, he placed his phone in Lu Jinzhi's hand.

Unfortunately, Lu Ning and Lu Yingchi were unaware of the impending danger, and each of them became even more eager than the other.

Lu Ning: "He doesn't eat with us when you're not home. He's two-faced."

Lu Yingchi: "I think he's not very convinced. He hasn't even set a small goal. He lacks ambition."

Lu Ning: "Yes, this family can't be held together by us alone; he's a part of it too."

Lu Yingchi: "You were feeding insects in the mountains, and he still dared to skip work."

Qiao Wu raised an eyebrow at Lu Jinzhi.

Aren't you going to interrupt?

Lu Jinzhi listened quietly as his family's dogs listed all seven deadly sins of his, and then they asked, "If we report each other, can we all get the reward?"

Not receiving a reply, Lu Ning shook her phone in confusion: "Hello? Qiao Wu, are you listening?"

Before Qiao Wu could speak, Lu Jinzhi said leisurely, "I'm listening."

For a moment, the person on the other end of the phone was completely silent, like a chicken being strangled.

After a long while, Lu Yingchi said suspiciously, "I think I heard the monkey's voice."

Lu Ning asked softly, "Did I hear wrong? Is there a voice changer?"

Lu Jinzhi's voice was gentle and smiling: "You heard me right, I'm Uncle Monkey."

"..."

"What kind of reward do you want?" Lu Jinzhi asked patiently. "Since we're in the countryside, I'll burn it all for you."

"…………"

There was a series of ringing sounds on the other end of the phone, and then the call was abruptly disconnected.

"Holy crap?" Lu Yingchi nearly hit his hand with the hammer. "How could he be with Qiao Wu?!"

We were video chatting last night, and I met him in person today?!

“You two are right behind me.” Lu Ningsheng slumped onto the table, utterly dejected. “I’m finished, I’m really finished.”

Once you're called Uncle Monkey, you'll be Uncle Monkey for life.

She's going to assassinate Zhong Shixia tomorrow!

"Your card has also been frozen?"

The minor hurriedly took out his phone, only to find that thankfully, nothing was happening.

Lu Yingchi's expression was not good: "Where are your car keys?"

"car?"

Although Lu Yingchi and Lu Xuan had already bought a car and had it in their garage before they had driver's licenses, she wasn't interested in such things and had never dared to ask anyone to buy her one before, so to this day her small garage only has...

Lu Ning asked earnestly, "Can he lock the four-wheeled bicycle?"

The two looked at each other and realized they were worried they wouldn't see the sun rise tomorrow.

“I don’t think that will work,” Lu Yingchi said. “We can’t let him act so recklessly and do whatever he wants.”

"How about we steal his eggs?"

"..." Lu Yingchi grabbed a handful of walnuts and stuffed them into her mouth. "What the hell did you get on your Chinese test this time?!"

Qiao Wu could already imagine the chaotic scene on the other side.

She pressed her temples: "Do you really have to scare them like that?"

We must wait until they have finished speaking and laid the groundwork before delivering the fatal blow.

“If others don’t give me anything in return, I’ll have to take it myself.” Lu Jinzhi handed the phone back to her, his voice calmer. “I’m the one who was complained about.”

"I won't do anything to you."

That sounded intriguing, and Lu Jinzhi stared at her with interest: "What else do you want to do to me?"

"Not so great." Qiao Wu took his phone, beaming. "My friend is coming over today, I'm overjoyed."

Upon hearing this, Lu Jinzhi's previously somewhat teasing expression subsided slightly. He stared into her eyes for a few seconds with his dark eyes and suddenly said, "That's better."

"Um?"

“It’s too dark.” Lu Jinzhi looked away. “If you don’t tell me, I can’t sense your emotions.”

Even though I came here of my own volition, I still want to get something in return.

Qiao Wu instantly felt a sense of empathy for him. Perhaps he had always lived alone in his own world, just like her, who came from another world.

Judging from Lu Yingchi and the others' words, all he could intuitively sense was their dislike. Therefore, if he didn't say anything more to observe their reaction, he wouldn't be able to properly obtain other information from their words.

Qiao Wu asked him, "Will it be very hard for you?"

"Not really." Lu Jinzhi just felt lonely sometimes.

So during the twelve years that Qiao Wu was away, he was always very lonely.

"If I asked you where you were for the past twelve years, would you tell me?"

"If I said I've always been here, but there are some reasons why I haven't been able to communicate with you, would you believe me?"

"I believe you." Lu Jinzhi said without the slightest hesitation, "You are someone I approve of."

At that moment, he suddenly no longer felt lonely, and even felt a rare empathy for the other person's loneliness.

Having received this approval, Qiao Wu suddenly gained a lot of courage and asked, "Can I ask you a question?"

"Um."

"What would you do if I never came back?"

She always recalls the word "get out" in her dream and Lu Jinzhi's lonely figure in the rainy night, which has haunted her until now and she still can't let go of it.

Lu Jinzhi frowned slightly.

He rarely gets confused by anything, but this is one thing he has never been able to answer.

"I don't know," he answered truthfully. "I did consider firing him."

But he wasn't sure if he would change his mind at the last minute.

"But it's possible that it will just be set aside."

"Put it aside?"

Given Lu Jinzhi's meticulous and deliberate nature, is his past self so important that he can tolerate the continued existence of the original "her"?

Qiao Wu couldn't help but press further: "Was that ten years really that important?"

It is so important that it may even take more than twelve years.

"I don't know either," Lu Jinzhi smiled. "But if we could have foreseen this outcome, then it would have been very important."

Realizing that Qiao Wu had misunderstood him, he chuckled and said, "I'm just a little smarter than others, not a god. I only know how to choose when the time comes."

To put it another way, aside from being a little smarter than the average person, he's not even as good as an average person in other aspects.

Ordinary people can at least intuitively feel joy and anger; that's basic human nature.

But he won't.

Lu Jinzhi has always had a very clear understanding of himself.

Qiao Wu understood what he hadn't finished saying and realized that his dream wasn't the original ending of the story, but rather a premonition.

If it weren't for those ten years, Lu Jinzhi would have driven "her" away without hesitation.

But because of those ten years, Lu Jinzhi chose to put her aside. Perhaps he was waiting, or perhaps he couldn't bring himself to do it. In the end, he only said "Get out," which was his unique tolerance towards her and the last way out he left her.

She couldn't help but be moved: "Thank you."

Lu Jinzhi straightened up slightly, his gaze falling on her eyes, and suddenly said, "You never cried when you were little."

Of course! She's an adult, why is she crying? Living in that kind of environment, she couldn't even keep up a smile.

Qiao Wu wiped the corner of her eye, suppressing the bitterness in her eyes: "I'm happy now."

"Um."

There's something Lu Jinzhi might not have had an answer to in the past, but now he does.

If Qiao Wu disappears again, in ten or twelve years...

This time he was certain he would wait.

Because he was certain that such a person would never appear in his life again.

So it's worth it.

The autumn night grew deeper and colder, and the village chief had already sent a message to inquire about the situation with concern. Qiao Wu didn't want to disturb their rest, so he took Lu Jinzhi back with him. Unexpectedly, everyone was still there when they entered the courtyard.

As soon as they saw Lu Jinzhi, everyone stood up abruptly.

Several bewildered village officials also stood up, asking blankly, "What's wrong?"

This is like welcoming the emperor.

“This is my friend, Lu Jinzhi,” Qiao Wu introduced. “He came to visit me.”

Zhong Min and Guo Liyan's expressions were somewhat distorted, and they swallowed the words "President Lu" that they were about to say.

Who should I hang out with?

Although everyone knew that Qiao Wu was the chairman of the Lu Foundation, since a young master surnamed Lu had arrived the day before, they assumed that this person was the same as the previous one.

“We were worried you wouldn’t come back so late.” The village chief quickly brought over a stool. “Friend, please sit down.”

Lu Jinzhi didn't have the same problems as Lu Yingchi; his problems varied from person to person.

Moreover, he had done charity work in rural areas before going abroad, so he was quite used to these environments and sat down naturally.

Qiao Wu sat down next to him: "I was busy talking to my friends, sorry."

"It's nothing, it's nothing." After saying that, the village chief realized the atmosphere was a bit off. "Why aren't you saying anything?"

Of all the people, Guo Liyan was a subordinate of a subordinate, who didn't even dare to speak to Lu Jinzhi at the banquet; Zhong Min was a newcomer with no real power; and the other geologists had only seen this legendary figure on television news.

Not to mention Cong Yi, who had bullied Qiao Wu that morning.

After meeting Lu Jinzhi, they all became more and more obedient.

Lu Jinzhi also asked gently, "Why aren't you saying anything?"

Zhong Min always remembered what his sister had said: no matter what people said behind his back, Lu Jinzhi was someone you couldn't mess with, so he stood up and said in a completely flat tone, "I'll get you some water."

Guo Liyan realized what was happening and said, "Let me massage your legs."

Lu Jinzhi: "..."

Others: "???"

He pulled his stool a little further away from the two men.

Qiao Wu stopped Guo Liyan's movement and turned to introduce Lu Jinzhi: "These are the village cadres, and you've met Zhong Min before, Zhong Hejing's younger brother. The other two are geologists, Professor Sun Ye and Professor Cai Hongda. This is Cong Yi, their student."

Cong Yi had already prepared herself for Lu Jinzhi to come and avenge Qiao Wu, but she didn't expect that Qiao Wu wouldn't mention her identity at all.

She looked at Qiao Wu in surprise.

But the latter remained calm, completely ignoring her astonishment.

"This is Guo Liyan, my new assistant." Qiao Wu hadn't forgotten why Guo Liyan had come to her side, and she didn't mind being someone else's stepping stone, so she introduced him naturally, "Liyan, don't be too nervous."

Lu Jinzhi, who had been silent until now, took a sip of water and repeated her words as if he hadn't understood: "Liyan?"

"My surname is Guo."

Lu Jinzhi hummed in agreement: "You two are very familiar?"

"We've been working together for several days now," Qiao Wu said, puzzled. "How could we not be familiar with each other?"

“That makes sense.” Lu Jinzhi nodded calmly. “How long have we known each other?”

"..."

Qiao Wu was taken aback for a moment, then realized what he meant: "No, you're going to take this so seriously?"

"Shouldn't he?" Lu Jinzhi put down his cup and looked back quietly. "Is he also your friend?"

Before they knew it, the people around them fell silent again.

Several village officials who were already married and had children looked at each other in bewilderment.

This doesn't sound like a friendship.

If they're friends, doesn't that seem like overstepping a line?

Do wealthy people call this kind of relationship "friendship"?

Even Guo Liyan forgot what he was supposed to do. He stared blankly at Lu Jinzhi, his hand hanging down unnaturally.

Everyone in the Lu family had a possessive desire for Qiao Wu, but Lu Jinzhi's was clearly different.

He was too frank and direct, and he was both equal and sensitive in rejecting those close to Qiao Wu, including his friends. He could also openly and blatantly claim territory to prove his status.

Lu Jinzhi was not like Lu Yingchi, who hadn't yet stepped out of the ivory tower. He was calm and intelligent, and naturally knew what he was doing.

he……

Guo Liyan's heart pounded wildly because he realized that there was a very, very long chasm between him and Lu Jinzhi.

However, he couldn't bring himself to admit to Lu Jinzhi that he was merely Qiao Wu's subordinate.

So he remained silent.

Qiao Wu imagined herself calling Jin Zhi by her full name, and found it hard to accept, so she honestly said, "We're all friends."

"You'll invite him too..."

"No." Qiao Wu quickly grabbed his arm. "Drink water, please drink water."

Inviting others to stargaze, and traveling so far, is normal for a genius like Lu Jinzhi who suffers from emotional deprivation, but it's really strange for ordinary people.

Lu Jinzhi lowered his eyes and said nothing more.

A few seconds later, he pulled his arm out from under her hand.

He is not one of those two dogs without a sense of boundaries.

Men and women should not touch each other.