Chapter 74 Just leave me alone.

What kind of nonsense is this? I wonder how long they've been watching from behind.

Qiao Wu pulled his hand away, asked the waiter for some hangover medicine, and then turned to look at Lu Xuan, who was huddled in a corner of the sofa after being pushed away: "Why haven't I seen you?"

"I don't own any designer brands."

Actually, Lu Xuan isn't popular among fans, but many people in higher circles know him as a sucker.

Even if he doesn't have a designer brand and can't get a front-row seat at dinner, plenty of people will make room for him if he wants.

So Qiao Wu was somewhat surprised that he hadn't seen him after being there for so long.

"Can't you show your face without a designer label?" she asked.

Drunk, Lu Xuan could only act and answer based on his intuition. He frowned and muttered, "What if people say I'm being arrogant?"

He's been in a complete film crew twice now, and he's met all sorts of people. Aside from those poorly made and cringe-worthy web dramas, he knows how actors are categorized in a film crew and that there are only one or two main characters in a production.

He came in as an actor, not as Young Master Lu, so he knows where he belongs.

If he gets pulled to sit in the front row and is photographed, people will say he's a big shot and used connections.

Thanks to Meng Xingxing, he now knows exactly what his online haters are saying about him every day.

He used to not care about these comments.

But things are different now. His first appearance on a satellite TV channel was with Qiao Wu, and Qiao Wu's name always followed his entry on the list.

What will Qiao Wu do if he gets smeared again?

He also didn't want to encounter those people who treated him like a fool and coaxed him into buying things, so he sat in a corner where no one noticed him until the photo session started.

As a result, they were forced to witness Qiao Wu spending a huge sum of money to please people.

He couldn't believe that Qiao Wu had lived in the Lu family since childhood.

Even if he's not home often and they don't get to see handsome guys like him, Lu Jinzhi and Lu Yingchi are still passable. How could they be so easily swayed by an actor they've only met once to buy so many luxury goods?

Oh, they haven't coaxed her yet.

Lu Xuan looked down at himself. Although he was not a big star now, his fashion sense had always been impeccable.

Damn it, I still admire my own handsomeness.

Oh, but why doesn't she like it?

When Qiao Wu turned around, he saw Lu Xuan lost in thought. The more he thought, the redder his eyes became. He looked very stubborn as he silently shed tears in the corner of the sofa, which made him feel extremely wronged.

"Why are you crying?" She took the honey water brought by the waiter and sat down next to Lu Xuan. "When you get an endorsement in the future, I'll pay for it too, and the whole family will come along."

Who cares about those commissions?

Lu Xuan took the honey water and drank it all in one gulp, then persistently asked, "What do you like about him?"

"Who said I like him?" Qiao Wu chuckled. "I just need his help with some work-related matters."

She knew that if she told Lu Xuan about the studio now, he would definitely terminate his contract with GS without hesitation and leave with her, so she couldn't tell him yet.

Lu Xuan responded with an "Oh".

He held the cup and remained silent.

He actually had a lot to say, but his mind was a mess.

"Is there anything I can do to help you with at work?" he asked.

"No." Seeing that he was in a better mood, Qiao Wu sat up straight and spoke to him while looking at the people he had brought with him, "Just mind your own business."

Lu Xuan lowered his head.

So Meng Xingxing was right; he still accomplished nothing.

"You're so busy, do you even read my messages?" he muttered. "I didn't lose my temper. Jiang Qi praised me for my great progress and even introduced me to other crews. I've been back for a few days, and now I have to go back to filming."

He had sent these words to Qiao Wu on WeChat, but he didn't know if she had read them carefully, so he could only tell her them in person.

But Qiao Wu read every single one carefully. Not only did he read them, he even got more detailed work progress arrangements from Meng Xingxing.

She knew when he would finish and when he would land, and where his next job would be, but she still listened attentively until Lu Xuan finished speaking before replying, "I know."

"Hmm." Lu Xuan said in a low voice, "You know everything. In fact, you knew all this before I did."

Meng Xingxing said that every job he was assigned was reviewed by Qiao Wu before being given to him.

He paused for a moment, then said, "You've been taking care of me the whole time."

Qiao Wu was about to ask him what was wrong with him today, but it didn't seem like he was sulking because she didn't pick him up. If that were the case, he would have said so already.

Before she could ask, someone walked up to her: "President Qiao."

It was an advertising production team they had just greeted. Qiao Wu stood up and said, "Hello."

"There were too many people earlier, so I didn't get a chance to speak with you alone," the man said with a smile. After speaking, he glanced at Lu Xuan, who was slightly drunk, and said, "Teacher Lu."

Lu Xuan put down his cup and stood up: "Hello."

In fact, he didn't remember who this person was at all.

"Long time no see." After saying that, the man looked at Qiao Wu and said, "Mr. Qiao, if you're not busy right now, would you like to chat for a bit?"

Qiao Wu glanced at Lu Xuan.

This was the first time Lu Xuan had been ignored in such a setting, but because Qiao Wu was beside him, he wasn't unhappy at all.

"You all say it." He picked up the empty cup again, and also picked up the bottle of mineral water that Qiao Wu had opened earlier, then turned around and went back to his little corner.

Seeing this, Qiao Wu felt relieved and sat down to chat about work with the person.

Sitting on the small balcony, Lu Xuan felt a little clearer head from the cold wind. He poured mineral water into a glass and sipped it slowly, like drinking wine.

But his gaze remained fixed on Qiao Wu inside.

He wasn't actually that drunk, but if he wasn't a little tipsy, he wouldn't be able to talk to her so closely.

He was terrified of Qiao Wu's estrangement from him.

The last time he was in such an occasion, everyone fawned over him, but it was Qiao Wu who was there to screen and judge for him, and he still had the energy to protect others.

This time, only a few months had passed, but Qiao Wu became the main character, while he became an unnecessary presence in their conversations.

When he received 100,000 yuan from Qiao Wu, he boasted that with 100,000 yuan, no one could even afford to have a meal with him.

But now Qiao Wu spends millions on other people, and the things she buys are not even enough for the minor supporting actor he just finished filming.

He's really only worth 50,000 yuan.

As the banquet drew to a close, Qiao Wu finally managed to extricate himself from the crowd, retrieve the footage he had taken that day, and have his driver safely take the artists home before turning back to find Lu Xuan.

Now that she's back and appearing in the same place, she won't deliberately try to quit anything; she'll just continue on her usual path.

When she found Lu Xuan, he was standing on the terrace and had closed the door connecting to the banquet hall.

Qiao Wu opened the door, frowning, and said, "What kind of body can withstand this cold?"

"I'm drunk," Lu Xuan said. "I need to blow on myself to sober up, otherwise I'll have to break into the old man's safe again when we get back."

"Are you done playing?" Qiao Wu gestured for him to come in. "Let's go home."

Lu Xuan remained silent. The lights on the terrace contrasted sharply with the brightness of the banquet hall, casting shadows on his face.

After a while, he suddenly called out, "Qiao Wu."

"Um?"

Lu Xuan slightly raised his eyes. His face was pale from the cold wind, but his eyes were still red. He smiled and said, "Don't worry about me."

Qiao Wu was stunned for a moment: "What?"

"I said, just leave me alone."

Realizing he had something to say, Qiao Wu smiled and said, "Are you going to talk to me like this? Aren't you going to join the crew in a few days? What if you get sick?"

Lu Xuan pursed her lips and finally walked back from the terrace.

There weren't many people left in the hall, so Qiao Wu sat down near the window: "So, what have you realized?"

Lu Xuan was still holding the empty cup and the mineral water bottle. He looked down at the rim of the cup and said, "I can't live without you."

No matter how hard he tries to quit, as long as Qiao Wu is by his side, he will never want to leave her.

That was true when I was a child, and it is true now.

This has become his habit.

He had vowed to be the one to protect Qiao Wu, but she still took care of him in every way. This realization that he could see her strength when he looked back made him realize that he couldn't do it.

He didn't want to say he would take care of her on one hand, but on the other hand, he couldn't help but show weakness in front of her, letting her see that he had accomplished nothing, and that he would always be the superfluous one in her life.

At least next time, let him become someone as useful as Cui Sitong, someone Qiao Wu would spend lavishly on.

So he didn't want Qiao Wu to interfere with him anymore; he could manage on his own without Qiao Wu's help.

Let him walk forward on his own for a while, and see if he can stand steadily before we talk about it.

Qiao Wu understood his meaning in just a few words. Her eyes softened, and she felt a little sorry for him.

Of all the members of the Lu family, Lu Xuan was the most dependent on her.

The two grew up together almost inseparable. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call them childhood sweethearts. After all, they even kept their baby bottles together, kept their toys together, and learned to write and draw together. Lu Xuan even wanted to take her to school. She was more like family to Lu Xuan than anyone else.

After their eldest brother passed away, the entire Lu family was in a flurry of activity.

Lu Jinzhi's thinking has matured to the point where he can process things on his own, while Lu Yingchi is still clueless and immature, and there is also a toddler named Lu Ning at home who needs to be taken care of.

Because of her advanced mental age, she was able to learn quickly. Lu Xuan, on the other hand, was in a limbo, sensible but not mature enough, sensitive but no one cared about his feelings. Only she was always by his side, so he placed almost all his emotional attachment on her, wanting to study with her and even wanting to repeat a grade to stay by her side.

Even when he was only a few years old, his goal was always to do whatever she did and go wherever she went.

He gave her everything he considered important and tried to please her.

That's why she knew all of Lu Xuan's passwords, including the door locks and safes.

When she left, Lu Xuan was only a teenager, and she didn't have time to tell him what he should and shouldn't do at this age when he was changing.

To this day, she can still recall Lu Xuan's disappointed expression each time he came to "her" wanting to say something to "her".

When he first realized that "she" had changed, he burst into tears unexpectedly.

But at that time, "she" only asked the Third Young Master if there was anything that made him unhappy, and if there was anything she could do for him.

But Lu Xuan had no idea what he wanted; he just felt that he could never get what he wanted again.

He never cried in front of outsiders again after that.

Until the day she returned and accompanied him to the banquet again, he got drunk and instinctively recognized her from his memories, and he cried uncontrollably in her arms.

People change, and that change is permanent. So he probably really didn't know she would come back one day. He wasn't prepared for anything. But what could Lu Xuan have at that time? The best thing he could think of, the thing that could keep her, was all his money.

Just as he had given her his treasures before, he gave her all his money as well.

Therefore, Qiao Wu felt sorry for everyone in the Lu family.

She had no idea how many times this crybaby had cried under the covers over the years.

Therefore, Qiao Wu always knew that among all the members of the Lu family, Lu Xuan's withdrawal symptoms would be the most severe, and she would have to be more patient.

She had actually been waiting for these words for quite a while.

She asked softly, "What if the housekeeper is someone else?"

Lu Xuan didn't react: "What?"

“If the butler is someone else,” Qiao Wu listed the possibilities for him, “whether it’s my father or anyone else, anyone in my position would remove any obstacles you might encounter. That’s the butler’s duty. So even if I don’t take care of you, someone else will.”

"It's not that I can just ignore you, but you need to know that you are an independent individual. You can actually move forward on your own. Everyone else is just a guest in your life and has nothing to do with where you are going. Don't put your future in my hands."

How could Lu Xuan not know? But he just felt that he wouldn't have done that to anyone else.

"Others are not you."

None of the others are called Qiao Wu.

As long as this name exists, it can be an exception to everything.

He looked at Qiao Wu and said, "I'm afraid I won't be able to control myself."

I couldn't resist stuffing the person into my suitcase and taking them with me.

If he wants to stay by Qiao Wu's side for a long time, he can't stay in the current state, being pushed along step by step.

At least, let him become Lu Xuan.

Instead of Qiao Wu's Lu Xuan.

These are the basic conditions for standing by her side.

“I will be standing on the podium,” he said. “On that day, you will be sitting here, listening to me call your name from up there.”

Then you spend money on me.

Qiao Wu was amused by him: "Forget it, I don't want to be on the trending topics."

"Lu Xuan," she asked gently, "did you receive that bouquet of flowers?"

Lu Xuan subconsciously touched his pocket: "Hmm."

"Besides the cards I wrote, you've seen everyone else's, haven't you?"

"……Um."

“You must think I made them write it.” Qiao Wu raised an eyebrow.

Lu Xuan frowned slightly.

What else?

He even saw Lu Yingchi and Lu Ning's alternate accounts in his own anti-fan supertopic.

Don't think he doesn't know!

These two are pointing too far!

“They wrote it themselves,” Qiao Wu chuckled.

Qiao Wu did initially intend for everyone to write together, but she didn't say it at the beginning. Instead, she wrote the card at the breakfast table that morning in front of everyone.

"How pretentious!" Lu Yingchi glanced at him and scoffed, "He's only playing a minor role that you can barely count on your fingers, and you're giving him a wrap-up gift?"

Qiao Wu said nonchalantly, "After all, this is the first time we've officially wrapped up filming. You've watched his domineering CEO roles so many times, why would you care if he plays a supporting role?"

“It’s okay,” she said. “When he gradually becomes a leading actor, he can say in his award acceptance interview, ‘Thank you, Qiao Wu. The first bouquet of flowers I received after filming wrapped up was from you.’”

The others remained silent.

But right after the meal, Lu Ning suddenly handed her a note: "I wrote it three times, stroke by stroke. This one is the best. Please add it to my notebook."

Lu Yingchi leaned against the doorway, his face dark: "I knew you were a traitor."

Then he walked over, grabbed a piece of paper, snatched Qiao Wu's pen, and scribbled a few words down, proudly saying, "I'm very responsible."

After a while, the two felt it wasn't enough: "Why don't we just send him a whole truckload?"

"Do you have money?" Lu Ning asked, "Waaah, her uncle."

Lu Yingchi: "..."

He glanced sideways at Lu Jinzhi, who was leisurely eating his breakfast and seemed indifferent to the situation, then let out a heavy snort and a final, defiant shout: "AA!"

As for Lu Jinzhi.

This was purely because he thought he didn't want to hear Lu Xuan mention her name separately in the so-called interview.

But we can leave that out.

Qiao Wu looked at Lu Xuan, who seemed somewhat stunned, and said, "You may not be home often and rarely spend time with them, but if you look around you, you'll find..."

She paused, then said softly with a smile, "No one else is me, but anyone can be me."

She was someone who appeared and disappeared at a certain time, a rather special person to them.

But in fact, other people would do the same things.

“I don’t care about you because the old man planned a long time ago that he would need someone like me to help you in the future,” she said. “You always dislike Lu Jinzhi, but in fact, he has never made you suffer or suffer in the past. Even if you, Lu Yingchi, and Lu Ning don’t like each other, in the end, you don’t see each other as mortal enemies, do you? We can still sit at the same table to eat, watch your works together in the media room, and you will also look at Lu Ning’s assignments.”

"Everything is reciprocal."

She looked at Lu Xuan, who was in a daze, and said, "I just showed you what everyone else didn't tell you and the emotions they showed you."

Lu Xuan held the thing in his arms tightly and stared at her in a daze.

It seems like he's drunk again.

Qiao Wu didn't urge him, but instead took out his phone to call the driver and ask him to come to the door to pick him up.

“I can’t argue with you.” Lu Xuan spoke up at this moment, as if his bones had been removed. His usual lazy demeanor turned into a somewhat dejected look. He sank into the sofa, lowered his eyes, and said, “You’ve always been better at studying than me. I can’t keep up with your brain.”

Qiao Wu smiled and asked, "So, what are you going to do?"

Lu Xuan raised his eyes and stared at her for a few seconds.

Then, with a slight smirk, he said, "I want you to stand in front of me next time, shake my hand, and call me Teacher Lu."

This person was already beautiful, and the smell of alcohol made him even more attractive.

"I'm really looking forward to it." Qiao Wu took out her phone, took a picture of him, and sent it to his phone. "Here, I'll post it on Weibo for you later. Teacher Lu looks really handsome today."

Lu Xuan took out his vibrating phone and glanced at it.

He has taken many magazine photos, in various styles and looks, and has also taken many stills on set, but he has hardly ever taken any photos of himself.

When was the last time?

In the photo taken at the Still Water Villa, he was angry because Qiao Wu wasn't sitting next to him, so he wasn't looking at the camera.

The person in this photo looks somewhat unfamiliar.

It was a version of himself he had never seen before; even though his eyes were still red, he looked better than in any of his previous photos.

After watching for a while, he exclaimed, "The King of Looks in the Entertainment Industry truly lives up to his name."

Qiao Wu smiled gently: "Alright, Your Highness, if we don't go back soon, curfew will be up."

Lu Xuan hummed in agreement and slowly stood up.

Qiao Wu didn't send the message just now, so he's going to make a phone call now.

Before I could find the driver's phone number, a name suddenly popped up on the screen.

She glanced at the person next to her subconsciously, walked a little further away, and answered the phone, saying to the other end, "I'll be right back."

"Yes." The man on the other end of the line said in a low voice, "I'm at the hotel entrance."

Qiao Wu: "???"

What are you doing here?

After a few seconds of silence, the voice on the other end rose slightly: "Have you forgotten that I'm still pursuing you?"

"..."

Lu Jinzhi chuckled: "Come down, the one you like."

Qiao Wu was now incredibly glad that she had answered the phone a little further away. After hanging up, she turned around and looked back.

As expected, Lu Xuan looked at her with some suspicion: "Whose call was that?"

"Your brother."

The term "brother" was too unfamiliar to Lu Xuan, but he swallowed the impolite words that were about to come out when he thought of what Qiao Wu had just said.

He asked suspiciously, "Did you always do this secretly when you called him before?"

This wasn't the case before.

But your brother's situation is a bit too special now.

I can't do it without carrying someone on my back.

Qiao Wu had a firm grasp of Lu Jinzhi's tendency to confess his feelings at any time, so she was very careful.

"He's here," she changed the subject. "Let's go downstairs."

Lu Xuan's expression became even more complicated.

Where did you come from?

As he followed Qiao Wu downstairs, he immediately spotted Lu Jinzhi's car.

Lu Jinzhi is a very picky person. He only drives limited edition cars and pays a lot of money for license plates, so he can be easily recognized anywhere.

Lu Xuan thought to himself, "That's normal."

He also went to and from get off work with Qiao Wu and went home together.

Then he saw the car window roll down, and he would recognize the driver even if he were reduced to ashes.

Wait a minute, this monkey is driving the car himself?!

Lu Xuan was so shocked that he stood there for a moment, unable to react.

Qiao Wu stood in front of the passenger seat and saw Lu Jinzhi unbuckle his seatbelt, looking like he was about to get out and open the car door for her. She quickly leaned down and warned, "Behave yourself!"

Lu Jinzhi stopped what he was doing, seemingly puzzled: "Hmm?"

Qiao Wu was afraid that he would be exposed, so he lowered his voice and said, "Either I sit in the back, or you go back by yourself."

Knowing what she was thinking, Lu Jinzhi didn't care, but instead unbuckled his seatbelt and got out of the car.

He walked over to Qiao Wu, gently grabbed her arm and pulled her away, then personally opened the car door for her.

Qiao Wu's back stiffened: "Is there no one in this world you care about?"

“How could that be?” Lu Jinzhi raised an eyebrow. “There’s one right in front of us.”

"What if you say one more flirtatious thing?"

Seeing that she was about to explode, Lu Jinzhi chuckled and decided to stop while she was ahead, then glanced indifferently behind her and said, "He won't sit here."

But since he was already standing there, he naturally had to give himself a little treat; if no one gave it to him, he would take it himself.

So he leaned down slightly in that position and whispered in her ear, "Don't worry, he won't notice."

What did you find?

What did we find?!

Don't talk as if I'm any different from you!

Qiao Wu glared at him, covered his mouth, and pushed him away.

How did you know?

Lu Jinzhi smiled and said, "Because puppies generally only have the intelligence of a seven-year-old."

"..."

Qiao Wu was too lazy to argue with him. He turned around to look at Lu Xuan, but the other person opened the back door like a gust of wind, got in, slammed the door shut, and even fastened his seatbelt.

Just kidding, sitting in the passenger seat of Lu Jinzhi, with Lu Jinzhi driving, he's not crazy.

It's better not to fight for the passenger seat.

Lu Jinzhi gently tapped the back of Qiao Wu's hand with the hand that was resting beside her, indicating: See?

OK.

Qiao Wu then got into the passenger seat.

She quickly fastened her seatbelt, afraid that Lu Jinzhi would find another excuse to harass her, catching her off guard.

Sure enough, after getting into the car, Lu Jinzhi saw her actions and clearly felt a pang of regret.

Qiao Wu silently mouthed to him, "Behave yourself."

Then she saw Lu Jinzhi staring at her mouth and smiling softly.

A chill ran down her spine, and she had no choice but to turn back to look at Lu Xuan.

But Lu Xuan rolled down the car window and stuck his head out, completely unaware of what was happening inside.

"You're leaving, what are you doing?" Qiao Wu asked.

"Blow it again." Lu Xuan's voice drifted in from outside the window, trembling with a hint of doubt about the reality of life and the collapse of his worldview. "I might not be awake yet, but Monkey himself drove to pick me up."

Lu Jinzhi let out a cold laugh: "No..."

Qiao Wu quickly covered his mouth: "That's right, brotherly love and respect."

She threatened with her eyes: "Drive."

Lu Jinzhi lowered his dark eyes, his gaze lingering on the back of her fair hand.

Qiao Wu felt as if he was smiling, because he could feel the faint touch of his lips on his palm.

Her eyelids twitched, and just as she was about to pull her hand back, Lu Jinzhi grabbed her wrist.

As he removed his hand, he slowly said, "Yes, you're right."

As he spoke, his slightly warm lips brushed lightly against her fingertips for a fleeting moment.