Chapter 79 Mutual Bottom Lines

Qiao Wu continued on the phone and walked towards Lu Yingchi's private room, saying helplessly, "I was going to go back, but he ran into some trouble. I'll talk to you later."

“No need,” Lu Jinzhi said. “Just turn on the video.”

"What?"

"Look at how he uses monkeys in a civilized way."

"..."

Before Qiao Wu could turn on the video call after hanging up the phone, he saw that Lu Jinzhi had actually accepted the 50 yuan.

To be honest, she didn't find it strange at all that this family was like this.

The door to the private room wasn't closed properly; she pushed it open gently. At that moment, Lu Yingchi was standing with one hand supporting himself on the back of a chair, holding an empty decanter in the other. Sitting in front of him was... indeed a bald, middle-aged man.

At this moment, the man's head and clothes were covered in alcohol.

It's very clear where the wine is in the decanter.

No one knew what Lu Yingchi had just said, but the expressions on everyone's faces in the private room were quite interesting—a mixture of surprise, doubt, anger, and fear.

Qiao Wu glanced at the banquet again. Sure enough, he was determined to get Lu Yingchi to pay. So they booked a large private room, with two tables full of people. The dishes on the table were not cheap either. At a glance, they were more expensive than the dishes served to Lin Tiao and her group. Each table also ordered several bottles of wine.

Upon seeing her enter, several children who recognized her immediately stood up properly and greeted her in unison, "Sister."

He then very attentively made way for Qiao Wu to sit down.

Qiao Wu did not sit in the middle, but instead pulled his chair back and sat behind Lu Yingchi.

Lu Yingchi threw the wine dispenser onto the table, causing the dishes to clatter. He turned around and said, "I told you you didn't need to come."

"We're just killing time anyway," Qiao Wu gestured for him to continue.

The remaining people who were in a daze were all confused. When did another "sister" appear?

How come she knows Lu Yingchi? Whose sister is she anyway?!

Although he looked about the same age as the group of college students, the person who came in later was much more composed and had a strong presence than the other students who lacked composure. He was clearly not an ordinary person.

The pregnant manager, Mr. Wang, immediately stood up: "And you are?"

“I am Lu Yingchi’s older sister,” Qiao Wu said with a smile. “I just heard that you asked him to pay the bill. Unfortunately, my family is quite strict about his allowance, and he doesn’t have much money on him, so I’m here to settle the bill for him. I apologize for any inconvenience caused, please continue.”

A few simple words caused everyone's expression to change slightly.

They were indeed trying to bully Lu Yingchi by having him pay the bill, after all, there are many rich people in the world, but there is a gap between rich people. Wearing luxury goods doesn't make you a real rich person.

Because Lu Yingchi had been so tolerant before, they thought he was just an ordinary rich kid who had never suffered any losses, which is why he became more and more unreasonable.

But to everyone's surprise, when Lu Yingchi returned from vomiting, he kicked open the door to the private room.

They dragged a manager, chair and all, in front of Chen Caiwen and said, "Come on, I'll drink with you."

Then they poured all the wine from the dispensing machine onto the manager's head.

Before anyone could react, this young woman entered, clearly there to stand up for Lu Yingchi.

"You're his sister, right?" The manager who had been splashed with wine was a bit agitated. She seemed young and didn't take it seriously, and said angrily, "Look what your brother has done! Is this the attitude of someone who came here to learn? He doesn't deserve this. Take him home today!"

He was about to stand up after he finished speaking.

But Lu Yingchi held him down so he couldn't move.

"Lu Yingchi!" the manager said angrily, "I'm your boss!"

“I’m your father.” Lu Yingchi slapped his bald head. “How dare you talk to her like that? I don’t even dare to say a harsh word to her. Who do you think you are?”

Manager Wang stared at him in disbelief: "Lu Yingchi, are you crazy?"

Was he drunk and acting crazy?

He stood up and tried to pull Lu Yingchi away.

But Lu Yingchi kicked the back of the chair, pinning the manager in front of him against the table.

He was tall and had a short temper; he was no pushover. Now that he had received the imperial decree, he became even more arrogant: "Anyone who dares to touch him, just try it."

Seeing his expression, no one dared to actually make a move.

They looked at each other in bewilderment.

"I've put up with you for too long." Lu Yingchi picked up an opened bottle of wine and slammed it on the table. "Since you want to drink, drink it all today. If anyone doesn't, I'll have someone force-feed them."

Then he looked down at the person in front of him, lifted his chin with one hand, and stuffed it into his mouth like Qiao Wu had done to him: "You're just taking advantage of your age and bullying others. You didn't even know where you were during my rebellious years. You dare to talk back to me?"

Fei Jingming and the others huddled obediently beside Qiao Wu like bodyguards, and were a little frightened by the sight.

He asked in a low voice, "Sis, are you alright?"

"It's alright." Qiao Wu was adjusting the camera to focus on Lu Yingchi so that Lu Jinzhi could see him more clearly. "It's a bit lighter than when I dealt with him."

The others: "..."

To be honest, since they met Lu Yingchi, they haven't seen him really lose his temper. He doesn't seem like a rich young master; he's just simple and easily angered.

Even if it was during a school trip or when he was provoked by that rich kid, he should have called the police. He radiates the light of righteousness.

But in a situation like today, to be honest, calling the police really won't get you anywhere.

Now, it's clear that someone else wants to call the police.

Now everyone realized that Lu Yingchi had really toned down a lot in front of them. Although he was easily angered, he was still quite responsible. He drank almost all the alcohol by himself today.

Even the manager who was forced to drink alcohol did so because he wanted to bully Chen Caiwen.

If this kind of spoiled brat behavior is only shown to outsiders, then it's really quite enjoyable.

It turns out he learned it from Qiao Wu.

None of them dared to imagine how someone like Qiao Wu could do such a thing, or what he might be like.

They secretly watched Qiao Wu's reaction, and then saw the video call on Qiao Wu's phone. They recognized the person on it even if he turned to ashes—Lu Jinzhi, the one who had taken Qiao Wu away from them at the Lu residence last time.

Depend on.

Lu Yingchi, your brother is here!

Lu Yingchi continued to spout off: "You want me to pay the bill? Too bad my brother has frozen all my cards. If you want me to pay, you can call him. Come on, take out your phone and I'll call for you."

Fei Jingming tried to remind him: "Lu Yingchi, your brother is..."

Here it is!

“Hmm.” Lu Yingchi became even more arrogant. “But he has a lot of rules and hates rude people, so you should at least know who he is before you talk to him.”

He lowered his head and patted the face of the manager, whose face had turned pale with fright: "Lu Jinzhi, have you heard of him?"

The moment the name Lu Jinzhi was uttered, those who were secretly preparing to call the police were so frightened that they almost dropped their phones.

Lu, Lu Jinzhi?

Their company wasn't very big, so they naturally didn't have contact with people of that social class. They might not know Lu Yingchi, but they would certainly know Lu Jinzhi.

Even people who don't watch financial news channels often can easily remember this name.

Seeing the empty, fearful expressions on these people's faces, Lu Yingchi scoffed, "Now do you know whose surname I share?"

"Lu..." Manager Wang stammered, no longer daring to call Lu Yingchi by his name, even wondering if he had misheard due to being drunk: "Lu Jinzhi is your brother?"

Lu Yingchi had seen far too many people like this. He threw his phone on the table and said, "If you had any brains at all, you would have looked up my name online when I brought you tea and water."

Although he was in school, he rarely appeared in the same frame as Lu Jinzhi in the past.

But once you come down from Lujiang, you can easily find out the names and relationships of several generations of his family.

Some people are just narrow-minded and only see what they want to see.

As soon as Lu Yingchi said this, no one dared to touch his phone. Instead, they hurriedly took out their phones to check.

Clicking on the relevant link will clearly show the family tree of the Lu family—Lu Yingchi, the fourth son of the Lu family.

This is really going to be a disaster.

Why would the youngest son of a wealthy family come to this godforsaken, run-down company to learn? Is your family's listed conglomerate too small for you?

“Young Master,” Manager Wang immediately changed his expression, “we were blind to your greatness, please forgive our ignorance…”

Lu Yingchi interrupted him impatiently: "Shut up."

He hates hearing apologies from these people the most.

He didn't actually pour the wine into the manager's mouth; he just put the bottle in his mouth.

If he causes any problems while drinking it, he will definitely fail this assessment.

So he took out the bottle and asked, "So you want me to pay the bill?"

"No, no, no!" The manager shook his head frantically, tears welling in his eyes. "Let's get married! Consider it a welcome dinner for you!"

He can pay for everything, even if he sells his underwear!

"Alright." Lu Yingchi pulled up a chair, sat down, and crossed his legs. "Don't waste any, drink up. Anyone who walks out of here today will be considered to have only apologized insincerely."

The original intention was to rip off Lu Yingchi, so all the wines were expensive.

Now that they had to pay their own bill, each of them was heartbroken and tearfully forced down all the drinks, feeling as if their brains and bodies were about to separate.

After enduring so much humiliation for so long, Lu Yingchi finally felt better.

After showing off in front of others, she tugged at Qiao Wu's sleeve, raising an eyebrow: "What..."

Before he could finish speaking, he saw the video call on Qiao Wu's phone.

Depend on.

So that's how you got your video recordings!

He didn't care about anything else. Just thinking that Lu Jinzhi had overheard everything he said made him blush. He was worried that Lu Jinzhi might say something else entirely.

"I transferred the money to you," he stubbornly insisted. "I only used it once."

In the footage, Lu Jinzhi keeps looking at the other side.

For so long, Qiao Wu has always avoided working with Lu Jinzhi. Even when the two are discussing work-related matters together, he has never been cold to her.

But just now, if she had simply looked down, she could have seen what kind of expression Lu Jinzhi had when facing outsiders.

There wasn't much of an emotional change; he even seemed somewhat nonchalant, yet he still exuded an air of arrogance that looked down on everyone.

She switched the camera back so that Lu Jinzhi and Lu Yingchi could have a conversation.

Lu Yingchi looked away almost instantly.

Over the years, he and Lu Jinzhi had never sat down for a proper conversation, nor had he ever thought of asking Lu Jinzhi to back him up.

Usually, the conversation would end unhappily after less than three sentences, and Lu Jinzhi rarely wanted to talk to him.

Not to mention that he actually called Lu Jinzhi "brother".

So he's really not used to it right now, and he doesn't know what to say.

Qiao Wu didn't say anything, but pointed the camera at the two of them. The private room was a bit noisy, so she turned on speakerphone and watched with great interest.

On the other end of the phone, Lu Jinzhi called out calmly, "Lu Yingchi."

"What are you doing!" Lu Yingchi rarely heard Lu Jinzhi call him by his name so seriously, and he got a little angry. "I really have no money!"

"I have ten minutes left before my bedtime."

Lu Yingchi rolled his eyes at him: "What, should I sing you a lullaby?"

“That’ll cost more,” he said arrogantly, emboldened by his drunkenness. “My appearance fee is higher than Lu Xuan’s.”

Lu Jinzhi unusually refrained from mocking or empathizing with the idiot's thought process.

"So you only have ten minutes to send me these people's messages," he said casually. "Use your own phone."

Lu Yingchi was stunned for a moment.

Before he could react, Lu Jinzhi glanced at him again.

"In addition," Lu Jinzhi smiled, "in terms of hourly wage, Qiao Wu's wages for today will be deducted from your allowance."

"?" Lu Yingchi snatched the phone away. "Lu Jinzhi, who do you think you are!"

Qiao Wu thought he was just being stingy with his money, but then he heard Lu Yingchi say in an even angrier tone than when he was dealing with those people: "You give me 30 yuan a day for pocket money, and even if I crawled to school to save it up, I still couldn't afford to pay her salary!"

Qiao Wu: "..."

It's hopeless.

Lu Yingchi: "Answer me! Look in my eyes! I'll let it go, but you're not allowed to give her 30 yuan!"

Lu Jinzhi on the screen remained silent for a few seconds, unwilling to look at him any longer: "It's hard to imagine that you are an evolved, advanced species."

Lu Yingchi frowned: "Is he cursing at me again?"

Qiao Wu couldn't stand it anymore and took the phone back: "You have six minutes left."

“He’s talking nonsense.” Lu Yingchi said as he reached for his phone, which he had tossed on the table. “He couldn’t possibly fall asleep in ten minutes.”

Qiao Wu glanced at the person on the screen and inexplicably understood what Lu Jinzhi meant: "Your brother probably means that you will only be off his blacklist for ten minutes."

Lu Yingchi: "..."

"Um..." The few pot-bellied, bald men who were engrossed in drinking had already lowered their voices, but they heard the man's voice on the other end of the phone. Now, they asked cautiously and fearfully, "Is this Mr. Lu? Can we say a few words?"

They say they want their information, what's the difference between that and the saying "the weather's getting cold and the king's downfall"?

Lu Yingchi's expression turned fierce the moment he typed: "No!"

"Don't you know he'll have to pay you?"

As long as I can talk to Lu Jinzhi and keep my job, what's a little money!

"We can give it to you!"

“No way.” Lu Yingchi had his bottom line. Friends could pay 50 yuan to see it once, but others couldn’t. He snorted, “Go download the pictures online yourself. He’s a germaphobe and can’t stand dirty things.”

The managers were getting anxious.

Then, they immediately turned their attention to the young woman who had said she was there to pay the bill, but in fact, she had been sitting quietly in the back, surrounded by several children.

Lu Yingchi's sister!

Although the information found didn't show that he had a sister, they must have a very good relationship, since he could even call Lu Jinzhi.

They didn't care who was older or younger, and just grabbed anyone they could find and called out, "Miss Lu! Sister Lu! Please talk to President Lu, we have elderly parents and young children to support, we really can't lose this job. We know we were wrong, we will definitely teach Young Master Lu a lesson!"

Qiao Wu didn't change his sitting posture at all: "My surname is Qiao."

"Miss Qiao!"

"I'm sorry." Qiao Wu shrugged, smiling helplessly, "I'm even more protective of my own than Lu Jinzhi."

Seeing that things had gone far enough, she had no intention of lingering any longer and called out to Lu Yingchi, "Are you going home?"

When are you going on vacation?

Lu Yingchi is now a little more sober and knows that Qiao Wu has no chance of picking him up for the trip.

She always arranges everything in a way that is convenient. Knowing that he is still studying in another city, she will not come to interrupt him. Besides, if they really want to go on a trip, they will have to wait until he finishes his studies. Moreover, she will not come to pick him up; at most, she will buy him a plane ticket and let him fly there by himself.

For some reason, Lu Yingchi seems to have gotten used to Qiao Wu not treating him with meticulous care, and he even finds it acceptable.

This at least proves that she no longer sees him as a child who needs constant care.

Qiao Wu replied truthfully, "One week later."

really.

Lu Yingchi gave himself a thumbs up for his brilliant calculation.

"Then I'll go back in a week."

Qiao Wu wasn't surprised, nor did he immediately respond; instead, he waited for him to finish speaking.

Sure enough, Lu Yingchi said, "A whole week wasted, and we didn't see anything."

Once Lu Jinzhi has dealt with these people, the people in the company definitely won't make things difficult for them anymore. He has a feeling that he can learn something in the next week.

"I can't let 50 yuan go to waste."

Qiao Wu glanced at his phone screen. Lu Jinzhi was still there. He didn't react after hearing this. He was probably used to Lu Jinzhi's outrageous behavior, or perhaps he didn't want to stoop to his level.

"Okay." Qiao Wu nodded. "Then I'll have the driver take you back."

No one really wanted to watch those people drink. Lu Yingchi, being very petty, opened all the bottles of alcohol, so the bald guys couldn't back out even if they wanted to. Only then was he satisfied and led a few classmates back to their hotel.

After seeing the person off, Qiao Wu lowered his head. The person who had said he would go to sleep in ten minutes was still sitting on the other side of the camera.

He put his phone aside and was leaning against the edge of the bed, his eyes downcast, sending messages on his backup phone. He was probably dealing with Lu Yingchi's matter.

She wasn't surprised that Lu Jinzhi didn't hang up, nor did she doubt that if she allowed it, Lu Jinzhi would stay on the video call with her until dawn.

She stared at Lu Jinzhi for a long time, vaguely recognizing some resemblance to the teenage boy she once knew.

What was Lu Jinzhi thinking when he chose to learn company management from Uncle Lu?

Hearing no other voices from the other end, Lu Jinzhi slowed his movements and looked up at his phone.

He noticed that Qiao Wu kept staring at him, seemingly lost in thought.

He reminded them, "It's cold outside."

Qiao Wu had only come out to make a phone call, and then went to another private room, so he didn't bring a coat.

After hearing what he said, she belatedly realized she was feeling a bit cold. She turned around and walked back to the hotel, jokingly saying, "So Mr. Lu's hourly wage for overtime is 50, which is quite worthwhile."

Lu Jinzhi smiled and said, "It's worth it. Want to try it?"

"Try what?"

“All my private time is yours,” Lu Jinzhi said. “It’s only 50 yuan, want to buy one?”

"No need," Qiao Wu said lazily. "My hourly rate is higher than yours."

But there was another reason why she didn't hang up the phone.

Lu Jinzhi offered her a new idea, and she asked, "How about I add another family rule?"

Lu Jinzhi put down the backup phone for the moment: "Go ahead."

“Aside from household matters, let’s calculate my salary separately.” Qiao Wu had been thinking about this for a while. “Excluding Uncle Lu, the three of you brothers and Lu Ning, whoever’s problem I solve will be paid my salary for that period of time.”

She chuckled softly, "They seem to always want to prove themselves."

Actually, this amount of money is nothing to any of them. She doesn't really want that money. Even if Lu Yingchi gave her 50 yuan today like he did to Lu Jinzhi, she would accept it. But this would make them feel more responsible and let them know that they have value.

Lu Jinzhi's original intention was to make Lu Yingchi stop being the one who drags things down, to think before he acts and not always bother others. Deducting his salary from his allowance was meant to teach him a lesson.

Now that he had considered the feasibility of this, he scoffed, "They'll only try to buy you out."

"Do you think I'm so easy to buy?" Qiao Wu said. "They've actually changed a lot now."

Lu Jinzhi was silent for a few seconds, then gave a very soft "hmm".

He rarely showed any approval for the behavior of his dogs.

Sometimes Qiao Wu couldn't clearly understand what everyone was thinking, but she suddenly became curious.

Lu Jinzhi had said that she could ask him anything she wanted to know, so she did.

"Lu Jinzhi, you care about them quite a bit, don't you?"

Unexpectedly, she asked this question. Lu Jinzhi smiled and asked, "What counts as caring?"

"For example, showing them care."

Lu Jinzhi said frankly, "I'm not that concerned."

For him, his two younger brothers with underdeveloped cerebellum and his silly niece are simply a family member and one of his responsibilities.

If they were more obedient, he would say a few more words.

If he doesn't listen, then go play by yourself and don't bother him.

He said calmly, "In a sense, they also have privileges."

Qiao Wu asked, "Is this why you decided to take over the company after your older brother?"

Throughout the entire family, Qiao Wu would only call his deceased eldest brother "brother".

Lu Jinzhi would not have any objection to this.

"Um."

Qiao Wu understood.

At fifteen, Lu Jinzhi probably hadn't figured out what he wanted to do in the future, and he treated his family with a normal attitude, simply believing that it was what he should do.

He doesn't need to do anything; just sitting in that position is enough for the Lu family to remain stable as long as he doesn't fall from power.

So during the time she was away, Lu Xuan and Lu Yingchi were free to do whatever they wanted.

This was their privilege with Lu Jinzhi.

But Lu Jinzhi has lived in his own world for too long. At such a young age, he has shouldered too much on his own, and there is no one around him to talk to, which makes his personality seem strange and difficult to communicate with in the eyes of outsiders.

Lu Jinzhi is only intelligent; he also has flaws in other areas, even more so than others. When no one can guide him, the scales in his mind will tip towards reason rather than emotion.

Therefore, the relationship between the three Lu brothers has always been very delicate.

In fact, not only Lu Yingchi and Lu Xuan, but also Lu Jinzhi are easy to coax.

If Lu Yingchi and the others show him a little more closeness and dependence, he will openly and honestly support them as he does today.

This is a privilege unique to the Lu family.

But Qiao Wu felt that they were both thinking of each other unconsciously.

Lu Jinzhi has taken so much money from them, both openly and secretly, and scolded them so many times. They can't stand the slightest grievance outside, but after being bullied by Lu Jinzhi for so many years, they never really want to settle accounts with him when they go home. They are all spoiled young masters and misses, but they can still swallow their anger and ride their bicycles so far every day to take the subway and bus to make a living.

No matter how much they misbehaved, they never dragged anyone in their family into their mess, nor did they ever trip anyone up.

Just like Lu Xuan and Lu Yingchi wouldn't break into a stranger's safe.

Lu Yingchi wouldn't transfer 50 yuan to Qin Lian just because he felt Qin Lian could become his support.

Similarly, someone like Lu Jinzhi, who clearly understands his own and others' value, wouldn't make himself work overtime for a stranger's 50 yuan.

Would he tolerate being called a monkey?

They were both fearless in their dealings with each other.

Qiao Wu looked at him and suddenly smiled, "You two are each other's bottom line."

Lu Jinzhi also laughed.

He does not deny that "family" is never a derogatory term for him.

But he still corrected her: "It's us."

"Waaah, you're my bottom line too."