Chapter 78 Civilized Use of Monkeys

In the end, Lu Xuan still spent his meager remaining salary to treat Lu Jinzhi, that monkey, to a meal for the first time in his life.

On the way home, he sat in the back seat, staring at the back of the two heads in front of him with a sense of existential unease.

Although they hadn't spoken a word the whole way, he had a strange intuition that Lu Jinzhi was talking about quitting, yet his relationship with Qiao Wu was getting better and better.

What dream does Lu Jinzhi need to pursue? To become the world's richest man?

He racked his brains.

Then it dawned on me, that's very possible!

Qiao Wu once said that if she didn't live up to expectations, she would find another job. Given that Lu Jinzhi had been secretly having an affair with her in the library for a long time, he might not be harboring any ill intentions.

He wouldn't allow anyone to touch his things when he was a child, and he certainly wouldn't let anyone touch Qiao Wu's things either.

So he must want to become the world's richest man to keep Qiao Wu here!

Tsk.

Compared to Lu Jinzhi's dream, Lu Xuan felt that his dream seemed more realistic, at least he could reach it soon.

ha.

Let him try his best.

Lu Xuan made himself happy, and the heavy mood he had felt for the past few days was swept away. Now he felt that sitting in the back seat of Lu Jinzhi was acceptable, and he hummed in a very good mood.

The car stopped in front of his house, and Qiao Wu got out first.

Then Lu Xuan walked around to Lu Jinzhi and patted him on the shoulder meaningfully: "I wish you success."

Lu Jinzhi raised an eyebrow almost imperceptibly.

Qiao Wu: "..."

Lu Xuan, with a profound and insightful demeanor, carried the script back home.

She asked, looking completely bewildered, "What did he say?"

Worried that Lu Xuan might notice something, she barely paid any attention to Lu Jinzhi the whole way, and didn't let him do anything out of line, which ended up making Lu Xuan happy.

Lu Jinzhi handed the car keys to the driver and, upon hearing this, smiled and said, "Wish me success? What do you think he wished me for?"

"If he really knew, you two could have a fight right here."

Lu Jinzhi neither confirmed nor denied this. Although he didn't mind his family knowing about these things, it was indeed difficult to control these puppies that hadn't grown up yet.

“He’ll find his own logic to convince himself.” He didn’t seem worried about what Lu Xuan might think, and casually added, “Don’t try to empathize with different species.”

Qiao Wu felt that he actually made some sense.

“Who says you don’t understand them?” she said. “You understand them quite well, don’t you?”

"I'm used to it." Lu Jinzhi walked with her towards the door.

Just before entering, Qiao Wu suddenly remembered something: "I promised Lu Ning that I would take her on a trip after her final exams. We need to go to Heqian Village again after the New Year, so the trip is a plan before the New Year. We will probably have about five days. Is there any work you need me to do in advance?"

Even when she's doing so many jobs at the same time, she manages to balance her work hours and doesn't neglect any of them.

Qin Tianrui is temporarily overseeing things at the entertainment company, and the two of them hold daily video conferences, so there aren't any major problems.

However, she mainly keeps the foundation's official seal, and unless there is a special need, she lets Guo Liyan manage it on her behalf.

Lu Jinzhi was unusually quiet for a few seconds, then chuckled at her businesslike attitude: "I thought you should have asked me if I wanted to come along?"

"Didn't the company only give us a holiday before the Lunar New Year?"

“But I’m the boss.” Lu Jinzhi looked at her with interest. “Now it’s up to you whether you want to invite me to come along.”

In the past, Qiao Wu would have been more polite to him, but now she felt that Lu Jinzhi would fill in the logical gaps on his own without her having to say anything, which was why they were family.

She chuckled, "If I didn't invite you, would you not go?"

“No,” Lu Jinzhi said frankly, “but the meaning is different.”

“Same.” Qiao Wu didn’t tolerate his bad temper. “This is a family trip, and Lu Yingchi will be going too.”

Not getting the answer he expected, Lu Jinzhi had already accepted it well. He said lazily, "Is this a trip or a herding trip?"

Qiao Wu gave him a meaningful look: "Let's herd the livestock."

The teasing in his eyes was so obvious that Lu Jinzhi couldn't ignore it even if he wanted to. He smiled and said, "I guess I'm really hopeless."

Lu Ning said something to him, and he rode his four-wheeled vehicle for many days in a row.

But when Qiao Wu said something to him, he actually thought it was a sign of intimacy and found it cute.

Sensing his unspoken meaning and to prevent him from saying anything more suggestive, Qiao Wu turned and left: "Take some traditional Chinese medicine to regulate your body."

In order to finish his work before everyone finished their exams, Qiao Wu worked overtime for several days in a row before he could find time to fly on a business trip with Qin Tianrui and attend a dinner party.

"It shouldn't cost that much, right?" Qin Tianrui flipped through the project proposal on the way to the hotel. "It's just a small production. What capitalist would give people so much money like you do?"

Qiao Wu: "The extra portion is my personal donation."

Qin Tianrui turned his head to look at her and scoffed, "You really treat him like a son."

The dinner party was for a production team comprised of several recent college graduates—the same production crew that Lu Xuan had just auditioned for as the lead actor in—and Qiao Wu had long planned to invest in these newcomers.

Qin Tianrui, who was exploited by Qin Lian every day, found it hard to understand how Qiao Wu, who had no blood relation to him, would so diligently hand over all his trump cards and remain unknown behind the scenes.

Therefore, Qin Tianrui felt that it was completely reasonable for him to be jealous of the Lu brothers, since they seemed to have all the good things in life.

He closed the proposal, out of sight, out of mind: "He chose it himself, what does it matter if he eats coarse food?"

"If you were to go to the mountains to conduct geological surveys and had no money, what would you do?"

"Let her die there." Qin Tianrui said with a dark face. "How could she possibly be short of money, and are these two cases the same?"

“Same,” Qiao Wu said with a smile. “You allow her to travel all over the world because you’ve given her a sense of security beforehand, and it’s the same for me.”

In Qiao Wu's view, some hardships are worth enduring, while others are unnecessary.

Lu Xuan can rely on his own efforts to improve his acting skills, earn an opportunity on his own, and bear all the effects brought about by this project. That's enough.

As for adding an extra dish to the crew's boxed lunches, adding an extra diamond to the hotel, and making the props more elaborate and safer, these are secondary.

So she doesn't mind adding a finishing touch.

There was no need for Lu Xuan to know; she was merely an outsider investor.

Soon the two arrived at the hotel arranged by the film crew, where the private room was already filled with the entire main cast and crew.

Upon seeing Qiao Wu and Qin Tianrui arrive, everyone became somewhat reserved: "President Qiao, President Qin."

"Please sit down." Qiao Wu looked at the person in the middle. "Director Lin Tiao?"

Lin Tiao couldn't contain her excitement; she'd actually been called a director!

"It's me." Lin Tiao shook hands with her, her face still showing some naivety from just entering society. "President Qiao, I didn't expect you to remember me."

The last time she sneaked into the dinner party, she actually wanted to find an investor for herself.

But to her surprise, no one paid her any attention. Everyone's focus was on the drunken young master of the Lu family on the sofa and the young woman next to him.

Lin Tiao wouldn't even dare to dream of getting close to someone like that.

To her surprise, Qiao Wu managed to deal with all the people with ulterior motives all by himself. He sat calmly on the sofa, flipping through the scripts and plans he had received, and he was reading them very seriously.

So she hesitated for a long time, then stepped forward with a do-or-die mentality and handed over her own plan among many others.

Having received no news, she assumed the plan would also fall through.

Until recently, I received a call from Qiao Wu, who was willing to invest.

This is already incredibly lucky for their small team.

After Qiao Wu sat down, noticing that everyone seemed a bit awkward, he said, "Can I see Lu Xuan's audition video?"

Lin Tiao and the others had already prepared everything. They immediately took out the computer and handed it to Qiao Wu. Lin Tiao was quite embarrassed: "Teacher Lu's acting skills have improved a lot, and... his image is quite suitable. Why did you only give one requirement for the audition?"

Although they are newcomers, they have certain requirements because they put a lot of effort into writing the script themselves.

When we were looking for investors, we were just looking for investment opportunities. We didn't mean to ask people to spend money to put us in the cast as the lead actors. At most, we would put us in a minor supporting role, which is why many people rejected us.

But they are all very stubborn and persistent young people who are chasing their dreams. They refuse to turn back and have started spending their days squatting at the film academy looking for suitable students.

Unexpectedly, Qiao Wu's only requirement for the investment was to give Lu Xuan an audition opportunity, just an opportunity, and whether he succeeded or not was entirely up to them.

"I don't invest in things that don't go well," Qiao Wu said with a smile, watching the video. "If his acting were really bad and you still chose him, I would have fired him too."

Everyone: "..."

For a moment, I didn't know whose side you were on.

The last time Qiao Wu saw Lu Xuan act was when he was on a variety show. Even though he received an improvement award, his acting was still a bit raw.

But after spending time training alongside Jiang Qi, he improved even more.

Even without a costume, you can tell what the play is about just by looking into his eyes.

Lin Tiao's small production team can't afford to hire many big names, and most of those who audition are newcomers or internet celebrities. So, considering both appearance and acting skills, Lu Xuan is indeed a very suitable candidate.

Qiao Wu was relieved: "I hope we can have a pleasant cooperation."

“Besides your contract, I’ve drafted an extra one, which is my personal one.” She took the contract that had been worn out for a long time from Qin Tianrui’s hand. “This is my personal sponsorship for the living expenses of your entire crew.”

Everyone was immediately taken aback.

College graduates who have just entered the workforce have very clear eyes and minds.

“President Qiao!” Lin Tiao hurriedly said, “You must have misunderstood. Our original contract already included the living expenses of the crew and actors.”

“No.” Qiao Wu handed the contract to her. “The agreement we reached with you before was the biggest concession we made from a business perspective, which was to participate in profit sharing, but we will not participate in this one.”

Lin Tiao flipped through the contract, reading it line by line.

But actually, the most eye-catching ones are the very first few.

"First, ensure that actor Lu Xuan is treated fairly during his time on set;"

Second, ensure that actor Lu Xuan's living and dietary conditions during his time on set are within reasonable standards...

They are all related to Lu Xuan.

It's like giving someone special treatment, but it's not quite like that.

Because so-called fair treatment means that those who should suffer should suffer, and those who should enjoy life should enjoy life.

So this money was practically given away for free.

They would never have dared to imagine this before; they had to be careful with costumes and props, for fear that the investors would think they were asking for too much money.

Half a year has passed, and no one is willing to invest in them. They have spent almost all their savings on this project, and even today's meal was paid for by the group. They are determined to give the investors a decent dinner.

Lin Tiao was so excited she couldn't speak, and she held the contract for a long time without remembering to sign it.

Finally, he picked up the full decanter and blew into it, saying, "Mr. Qiao, I'll drink this in one go, you can drink as you like!"

Qiao Wu doesn't like to get too drunk, but Qin Tianrui lost himself in calling himself "President Qin" over and over again. Since they were all around the same age, they ended up putting their arms around each other and calling each other brothers.

No one could persuade him otherwise.

"You know what I mean?" Qin Tianrui hiccuped, pointing at Qiao Wu, "I'm so happy today. I personally signed the contract in front of her, and I accomplished something worthwhile! I've finally redeemed myself!"

Qiao Wu was both amused and exasperated.

She just felt that Qin Tianrui had made more appearances, so she gave him the opportunity. How did that make him feel superior?

And why is he still thinking about doing serious business in front of her?

“Don’t try to persuade me,” he said. “I can only drink when she’s around, otherwise my brother will beat me. My brother’s belt… is so wide and so long.”

He paused, then turned to Qiao Wu with a mournful expression: "Have you ever been hit by a belt worth hundreds of thousands? I can now tell how much a belt costs just by its material, thickness, and the sound it makes when it hits me. My dream used to be to make a lot of money and then buy all the belts in the world!"

Everyone was stunned, and they praised him, saying, "President Qin, what a great ambition!"

Qiao Wu felt that if she stayed any longer, she would be assimilated by these people, and she was also afraid that Qin Tianrui would come and hug her legs and cry out about Qin Lian's ten major crimes.

She excused herself from the private room, intending to call Qin Tianrui's driver, who was waiting downstairs, and ask him to come and pick her up at the appointed time.

Whenever the two travel together on business, Qin Tianrui acts as his assistant, so he no longer brings any extra people with him and can only call a driver.

The call had barely ended when Lu Jinzhi made a video call.

He must have just returned home. The background is a dimly lit room. Wuwu, who has been basically weaned but is still being raised in his room, is very active and keeps climbing on him.

He glanced down at the fluffy thing, leaned back slightly, letting it climb onto his shoulder, and skillfully pushed away the cat's mouth that was trying to lick his face.

Qiao Wu looked on with envy. She also wanted Wuwu to crawl, but unfortunately, Lu Jinzhi now treated the cat like a hostage, and she could only enjoy it for a while by going to his room every time.

She said sourly, "Can't you cherish the days when it's still willing to stay with you?"

"It stinks." Lu Jinzhi made no attempt to hide his disgust. "It doesn't have to be there."

"Then you can leave it in the room and put it in my room."

Lu Jinzhi rejected the suggestion without even thinking, and slowly said, "Then we won't be able to get it, Wuwu."

Perhaps other people's "woo-woo" sounds have some ambiguity, but Lu Jinzhi's doesn't.

He only called the cat "cat," and the name "Woo-woo" seemed to have unlocked some kind of secret in him, becoming his exclusive nickname for her.

Only two people could understand it.

The sound came through the receiver, clearer in the quiet environment. Qiao Wu felt the effects of the alcohol she had just drunk rising again. She looked away from Lu Jinzhi and looked at the cat: "Does Lu Ning know that what you said so grandly was actually what you were planning?"

"Didn't you tell me not to tell?"

He could interpret something perfectly fine in two different ways. Qiao Wu glared at him, annoyed, and said, "You should go teach Lu Ning Chinese."

"It's quite mentally taxing," Lu Jinzhi said truthfully.

Seeing her ears turn red, his eyes darkened, and he asked, "Isn't it over yet?"

"Soon, nothing's wrong, I'll go upstairs and head straight to my room in a bit." Qiao Wu's ears burned from being stared at, and he unconsciously rubbed them, adding, "Today has been truly peaceful."

Lu Jinzhi laughed: "I didn't come to confirm your safety."

What is that?

Lu Jinzhi gently rubbed the kitten's head with his large, broad hand, completely covering the kitten's head. However, he slightly bent his fingers and gently kneaded the kitten's ears with his fingertips.

He said softly, "It's an excuse to see Wuwu."

Qiao Wu felt that the gaze fixed in his dark eyes was more irritating than the lingering smell of alcohol on his body, so he quickly changed the subject: "Guo Liyan told me that things have been quite unsettled in his family lately. Was it you who did it?"

Lu Jinzhi's expression was indifferent; his silence signified acquiescence. He didn't want to mention this family, nor did he need to lift a finger; it was a matter of a few simple words.

Why didn't you tell me?

"There's no need."

Normally, Lu Jinzhi wouldn't pay attention to Guo Liyan's family. That day, he was waiting in the parking lot, so he must have overheard something.

But he wouldn't act for Guo Liyan, so it can only be her.

“I didn’t take them seriously,” Qiao Wu said. “I already handled this matter that day, you don’t need to…”

Knowing what she was going to say, Lu Jinzhi interrupted her for the first time: "I didn't mean to hold your hand."

Qiao Wu: "Hmm?"

“I know you can handle it, and I don’t need to.” Lu Jinzhi released the kitten and put on a serious expression. “But, waah, you broke your promise.”

Qiao Wu was dumbfounded: "Me?"

Breaking one's word?

She didn't agree to anything from Lu Jinzhi, did she?

“You said we’d move forward together,” Lu Jinzhi said, looking at her, “but you’re always alone.”

Qiao Wu was stunned.

"You said the Lu family is a giant ship that can't just have an engine; it also needs a captain, first mate, and pilot. What about you?"

He moved forward a bit, closer to the camera: "You can't think that just because you're driving a speedboat, you can go off alone."

The slight intoxication seemed to be getting stronger, and Qiao Wu's mind was a little foggy. He just stared quietly at the people in the camera, unable to make a sound.

On the other end of the line, Lu Jinzhi was bathed in warm orange light, which added an indescribable allure to his face.

He tilted his head: "I thought walking together meant supporting each other, not each other alone bearing the weight of the world and weathering the storms."

“I’ve always recognized your abilities and never interfered with your work.” He paused gently for a moment, then said, “But, you said you’re not omnipotent.”

He originally thought it was a trivial matter, so there was no need to mention it or bring it up again.

He never believed that letting her grow into a great roc and facing the storms together were conflicting things.

But Qiao Wu always habitually sees herself as an individual, and she always has to shoulder everything herself. The only time she showed weakness was when she was so scared that she couldn't speak when she came down from the brink of death.

Lu Jinzhi felt that some things couldn't be let go.

His gaze, though seen through the screen, seemed to fall directly on Qiao Wu's face: "Rather than you only need me when you're feeling wronged, I'd rather you didn't have to be afraid in the first place."

After a moment, he smiled faintly and said, "So you have to tolerate me secretly caring about you."

Qiao Wu felt that she might have really drunk a bit too much, because after hearing these words, she felt quite full and swollen, and she also remembered the silent hug that Lu Jinzhi gave her after he was angry in the port hospital.

She never mentioned her needs, but now people keep remembering to give them to her.

She had always felt that her goals were very clear: who to protect, what to do, and what direction to take. She had planned everything out clearly and thoroughly. But now she felt that it wasn't quite like that.

She went too high and too far.

At that moment, she seemed to suddenly understand Lu Jinzhi's previous situation.

Because I am different from ordinary people, there are some feelings that I cannot tell outsiders and can only bear on my own.

But if someone can understand, that would be a very happy thing.

"Thank you..." Knowing that Lu Jinzhi didn't like her saying thank you, she smiled. "Goodnight, Lu Jinzhi."

Seeing that she had taken his words to heart, Lu Jinzhi smiled gently and said, "Good night."

After hanging up the video call, Qiao Wu leaned against the wall with his handrail and let out a long breath.

After calming down, she was just about to go back when she suddenly heard a familiar name.

"Lu Yingchi, are you alright?"

"Over here! The toilet's over here!"

Qiao Wu frowned slightly.

Lu Yingchi finished his final exams earlier than Lu Ning. Their school-level career planning competition had already ended, and the next one would be to participate in the provincial competition. The reward for this school-level competition was that they would have the opportunity to study at one of the companies for two weeks.

Several freshmen, even if they want to start a business, have no experience. They can only accumulate experience through these methods, which is also to prepare for the next provincial competition.

It's the weekend, and he said today that the company has a team-building activity, so he won't be going home this weekend.

We've arrived here?

She had just rounded the wall pillar when a gust of wind swept past her. Ye Liang helped Lu Yingchi rush to the restroom, carrying a strong smell of alcohol.

There was someone following closely behind.

Qiao Wu stopped Fei Jingming: "What's wrong with Lu Yingchi?"

"Sister?!" Fei Jingming was surprised at first, then quickly explained, "Lu Yingchi was forced to drink a lot of alcohol by several senior colleagues from the company."

They originally thought that winning the school competition and getting the opportunity to learn would be a happy thing, but they didn't expect to find that the people in the company looked down on them at all after they arrived.

Their school is just an ordinary first-tier university. Now, there are tons of undergraduate graduates every year, not to mention people like them who are only freshmen and have no experience.

Those senior colleagues thought they were just people who got their rankings by writing fancy theories, so they always treated them as temporary workers, doing things like serving tea and water.

Especially Lu Yingchi.

Lu Yingchi is tall and handsome, and he is a young male college student. His every move and dressing style exudes the air of someone who is very rich.

So as soon as he joined the company, he was very popular with his female colleagues, which aroused the envy of the other senior colleagues, who were very harsh on Lu Yingchi.

They said they were having a team-building event today, but in reality they were just bullying a few newbies and making Lu Yingchi drink all the drinks by himself.

"He drank it all without saying a word." Fei Jingming explained briefly, still a little worried. "Ye Liang took him to throw up. Sis, wait a minute, I'll go check on him first."

He had barely finished speaking and turned to take a few steps when a man's voice came from behind him: "Fei Jingming!"

"Hey!" Fei Jingming immediately turned around, "Manager Wang."

The so-called Manager Wang stepped forward, his face showing obvious impatience: "Where is Lu Yingchi?"

Fei Jingming: "He drank too much and is in the toilet."

Manager Wang, with her large pregnant belly, sneered: "You young people have no shrewdness at all, and you don't know any better."

He patted Fei Jingming on the shoulder: "Don't say I didn't remind you, go and settle the bill later, it will be good for you guys in the future."

Fei Jingming's eyes widened slightly.

So many people came for team building, to such a high-end place, are we supposed to make them pay the bill?

Nobody's money grows on trees; they still rely on their family's living expenses to eat!

"That Lu Yingchi, isn't he very rich?" Manager Wang said. "Look, one of his clothes costs tens of thousands."

That's because we really don't have any money.

Fei Jingming thought to himself that they knew Lu Yingchi's allowance had been strictly controlled recently, and he had taken the subway to school several times. He wondered what kind of management style his family had.

He glanced at Qiao Wu subconsciously.

Qiao Wu didn't speak and remained standing behind the pillar.

"Hurry up," Manager Wang said with a smile before heading back.

At this moment, Lu Yingchi, who had finished vomiting, returned with Ye Liang's help. Lu Yingchi walked relatively steadily, probably because he had sobered up a bit after vomiting. He even washed his face, and his hair was wet. He was counting the floorboards with his eyes downcast.

"Brother, let's not drink anymore," Ye Liang told him. "When we get back, you'll be passed out. I'll tell you you're unconscious, it's okay."

"Then you guys have to drink?" Lu Yingchi's voice was filled with hostility. "Never mind that, you bunch of old geezers, let's see who drinks themselves to death."

"Brother..." Ye Liang paused slightly, then exclaimed in surprise, "Sister?!"

"What sister? I'm talking about those bald guys!"

"Lu Yingchi, your sister is here!"

"I don't have a sister!" Lu Yingchi's head ached from being shaken. He looked up impatiently, but his somewhat confused gaze suddenly fixed on the white figure.

He suddenly stopped walking, let go of his hands and rubbed his face. "Did you see Qiao Wu? Am I hallucinating from drinking?"

Ye Liang: "...I saw it before you did."

"We're doomed." After saying that, Lu Yingchi hesitated for a second, then turned and ran away.

Ye Liang: "???"

Lu Yingchi, who had run a few steps, heard Qiao Wu calmly call his name from behind, and immediately ran even faster.

But he had drunk too much today, and before long he tripped over something and fell to the hotel floor, hurting his knees.

Before he could even get up, he heard the sound of high heels stop above him, and a familiar scent filled his nostrils. Qiao Wu knelt down in front of him to help him up: "Why are you running?"

Lu Yingchi ignored the pain and simply dodged her hand, burying his head in his elbow: "You've mistaken me for someone else."

Qiao Wu: "..."

She chuckled, "Really? I came to pick up Lu Yingchi for our trip, but I mistook him for someone else, so let it go."

After saying that, he was about to stand up.

But before she could actually do anything, the big head lifted up again, his tone slightly sluggish from drinking: "Travel?"

Qiao Wu didn't speak, but raised an eyebrow slightly as he looked at him.

“Then I am Lu Yingchi,” Lu Yingchi said in a muffled voice.

Fei Jingming and Ye Liang looked at each other, completely bewildered.

Qiao Wu: "Then can Lu Yingchi get up?"

"…Um."

Lu Yingchi slowly got up. Compared to losing face in front of Qiao Wu, this little bit of pain was nothing to him.

Qiao Wu glanced at his knee and touched it: "Did you hurt yourself?"

"No." Lu Yingchi stood straight, unsure if he had drunk too much, his mind was stiff. He looked at Qiao Wu straightening up and saw the face he hadn't seen for a week, and was a little stunned.

"I..." His dry throat itched, but he had to find an excuse for himself, "I have someone with me, so..."

That's why I drank so much.

He doesn't drink alone, and he won't get drunk and cause any trouble.

He tried asking, "You're not angry, are you?"

Qiao Wu didn't answer him, but said to Fei Jingming and Ye Liang, "You two go back first, I'll bring him over in a bit."

He added, "None of you should drink."

Qiao Wu had heard everything that had just been said, so Fei Jingming was not too keen on her going: "Sis, are you going too?"

Qiao Wu laughed and said, "Didn't we say you guys would pay the bill? If I didn't come, how were you going to pay? Strip Lu Yingchi naked?"

Believe it or not, that brat Lu Yingchi actually did it.

Qiao Wu didn't expect that the kind of determination he was talking about was like this. Every night when he reported that he was safe, he would remain silent and casually ask Lu Ning how her final exam preparations were going, so as not to embarrass him.

"Go ahead, don't drink anymore, I'll be there in a bit."

The two were very obedient and quickly ran back.

Once only Qiao Wu and Lu Yingchi were left in the corridor, she pulled Lu Yingchi to sit down beside her. After confirming that his knee was really alright, she said, "Why didn't you tell your family?"

Lu Yingchi remained silent.

He said he was going out to endure hardship and start his own business, but after only the first week, he went back to complain about this little thing. Doesn't he have any shame?

“Don’t go,” he said.

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

Lu Yingchi's face hardened: "Whoever drinks whom to death."

Thinking of who was sitting next to him, he immediately lowered his head: "I didn't start this, they're obviously targeting me."

That certainly fits his usual way of thinking. Qiao Wu chuckled, "What's your purpose in coming to this company?"

"study."

"What did you learn?" Qiao Wu pointed at his knees. "How to drink someone to death?"

“…” Lu Yingchi immediately deflated, “You’re angry.”

That's why he didn't tell Qiao Wu that he went out drinking today. There are rewards and punishments; if he doesn't do well, Qiao Wu won't want him anymore.

He panicked so much when he saw Qiao Wu appear.

Qiao Wu gave a very soft "hmm".

Lu Yingchi wanted to explain, but couldn't. He grabbed a handful of hair, not knowing what to do. After a long while, he said dryly, "Then I won't drink it."

“It’s not about drinking.” Qiao Wu tidied his messy hair. “It’s about the things you’ve been through outside that you haven’t told your family.”

"How can you say that? Does that mean you have no ambition?" Lu Yingchi raised his head, bumping it against her hand, then pulled it back. "I can handle it myself."

At that moment, Qiao Wu suddenly understood what Lu Jinzhi meant by what he had said to her.

She approves of Lu Yingchi going out to make his way in the world, but she doesn't think he should take it for granted that he should handle things on his own and suffer unnecessary hardships.

It's clear that Lu Yingchi could have drunk himself into a stomach hemorrhage with those people today, and he could have used his valuables to pay for the meal or done something else, but there was obviously no need for that.

"That's not how you learn."

Lu Yingchi bent over, his hands resting on his knees, feeling utterly disgusted with his own incompetence.

I thought winning first place would be a very impressive thing, but I never expected to end up in such a pathetic situation, and that I would even be seen doing it.

He can't even do this little thing right.

Seeing that he was curling up into a ball, Qiao Wu chuckled: "Do you think I'm that great?"

"Um."

That's incredibly impressive.

"Is your second brother powerful?"

“…” Lu Yingchi was very reluctant. “He is very rich.”

"Have you seen your brother go through anything you've gone through?"

No.

But Lu Jinzhi still had a brain.

All I have left is my brain.

"Whether it's your second brother or me, we've gotten to where we are today not only because of our own efforts but also because of the resources and support our families have provided," Qiao Wu said gently. "You can go out and experience things for yourself, but first you need to know how to utilize all that you have, instead of just suffering and taking detours. What you need to learn is the work processes and abilities of those who start from the bottom, not to experience this messy workplace bullying. Do you want to become that kind of boss in the future?"

Lu Yingchi objected: "You are not allowed to impose unfounded charges on me."

"That settles it then." Qiao Wu gently patted his back, helping him straighten up. "So complaining isn't cowardly; it's the most convenient way out of your current predicament. If this path allows you to learn from experience more quickly, instead of wasting unnecessary time here, why not use it?"

Qiao Wu didn't want him to fall into the dead end of his own logic.

Learning and growth is a process of making yourself better, not letting that once arrogant dog cower here, unable to speak up when wronged, and only daring to turn around and run away after getting drunk like this.

How could someone who was so confident when they stood up for Lu Ning become so pathetic?

Lu Yingchi's brain, which was fuzzy from drinking, was spinning rapidly. He understood a little, but not quite.

He just stared blankly at Qiao Wu.

Qiao Wu put it in a simpler way: "What did you do when Lu Ning was being ostracized?"

Lu Yingchi couldn't help but feel embarrassed when this was mentioned.

Qiao Wu didn't expose him, but laughed and said, "You can stand up for her, so what? If we stand up for you, you're considered spineless?"

That made Lu Yingchi's mind work.

He is neither Lu Jinzhi nor Qiao Wu, so he doesn't know how to use power just because he has it.

Qiao Wu used to say that he was born in Rome, but he knew that once he left Rome, he would become a useless piece of trash.

So he wanted to see how others got to Rome, at least to give himself some confidence.

But he didn't know that there were many people on the road to Rome who weren't there to get there, but to cause trouble along the way. He wasted a lot of time on those people, which led him astray.

"Don't be discouraged, you can still walk." Qiao Wu decided to give him a carrot to dangle in his mouth, "Do you know what opportunities there are in the national competition?"

"What?"

"An internship offer from the foundation," she asked with a smile. "Would you like to come and learn from me?"

The foundation is under the Lu family's control. For first- and second-year students, the Lu family is a highly coveted opportunity, and even just learning within the foundation's company is a dream come true.

Lu Yingchi still has several years before graduating from university. If he studies with her for a year or two, he will have enough ability and qualifications to start a business with his classmates when he is about to graduate.

Lu Yingchi's eyes widened slightly.

He longed for her so much; he had wanted to catch up with her since he was a child, and it had become his obsession.

Seeing the gleam in his eyes, Qiao Wu raised an eyebrow: "If you win first prize in the national competition, I will personally send you an offer."

"real?"

"Yes, really."

Lu Yingchi straightened up and nodded very formally: "Then I think..."

"If you want to, you have to work hard."

Qiao Wu stood up. "Do you want me to back you up now?"

"No need." Lu Yingchi also stood up, stretched his knee which was a little sore from falling to the ground, and gritted his teeth as he thought about the humiliation he had suffered this past week.

He pulled his hair back and then arrogantly took out his phone and opened Lu Jinzhi's chat window.

Oh right, he was blocked by Lu Jinzhi.

Depend on.

"Can I borrow your phone?"

Qiao Wu didn't understand, but still unlocked it and handed it to him.

Then she saw that Lu Yingchi had transferred 50 yuan to her.

He then took her phone and opened her chat with Lu Jinzhi.

He didn't pay much attention to the pinned posts, but he was taken aback when he opened the chat boxes with Qiao Wu and Lu Jinzhi.

How come both of these are recorded on video?

But he didn't have time to care about that now, and quickly transferred 50 yuan to Lu Jinzhi using Qiao Wu's account.

This is the money he saved by taking the subway with great effort.

Before Qiao Wu could stop her, she heard Lu Yingchi send a voice message to Lu Jinzhi using her account, arrogantly saying, "Here's 50 yuan, I'll use the monkey in a civilized way."

We've been oppressed by monkeys for a thousand days, but we'll only need to use them for a moment.

Since he's going to use it, he'll use that monkey's name to scare those shameless bald men to death!

Qiao Wu, who watched the whole thing: "..."

Are you not planning to go home?

Are we just fed up with life?

Lu Yingchi threw the phone back into her arms and turned away aggressively.

Qiao Wu held his phone and took a deep breath.

Within ten seconds, her phone rang.

She had to answer it.

Lu Jinzhi knew who was on the other end of the phone as soon as he heard Lu Yingchi shouting.

"Waaah." His tone was indifferent, carrying a feigned question. "Goodnight?"