Chapter 88 (End of Main Text)

Fortunately, everyone took safety precautions and no one was seriously injured.

Lu Xuan was terribly cold, and the rain and hail in the extreme weather triggered allergic reactions. Coupled with his emotional ups and downs, he developed a fever upon returning home. After the doctor treated him, he stayed in the hospital sleeping.

He stayed in a VIP ward, and a room was also prepared for his family members who were accompanying him to rest.

Qiao Wu sat on the sofa outside. With the doctor's instructions, she was no longer worried about Lu Xuan's health. She just kept thinking about what he said before he got into the ambulance.

Suddenly, someone pulled my hand and touched the warm glass.

Lu Jinzhi sat down next to her: "Drink some warm water."

Qiao Wu raised her head and took a sip. Even though she hadn't been in the rain, her body had been ice-cold. Only after drinking this glass of water did she feel her breathing become much calmer.

I couldn't help but go to see him again.

The latter gently patted her head, then softly enveloped her cold hand: "What are you afraid of?"

Qiao Wu held the cup and said softly, "I think I also did something wrong."

She's a bit too arrogant.

I thought that many things didn't need to be said, and that I could bear them alone.

However, the twelve-year time span was particularly overlooked.

If she really can't come back, then she's not just an old friend, but an old acquaintance.

She has a God's-eye view, believing that the past doesn't need to be mentioned and that she always moves ahead of others.

But Lu Xuan and the others knew nothing about it; they were genuinely waiting for her.

Even a genius like Lu Jinzhi couldn't have predicted whether she would return, and there was nothing he could do about it, let alone Lu Xuan and the others.

Lu Jinzhi looked at her for a few seconds, then asked with a smile, "Are you a deity?"

"What?"

“Even gods have their own duties; they are not omnipotent. Besides, you are not a god; you are just a sob.” Lu Jinzhi said softly, “Not everything can be simply judged as right or wrong. You did nothing wrong.”

He paused, then added, "He didn't either."

To be honest, he felt that Lu Xuan's IQ was relatively low and he was not mature enough.

But in this matter, he couldn't find fault with Lu Xuan.

All I can say is that their thought processes are equivalent to Lu Xuan's.

Lu Jinzhi said slowly, "If anyone is at fault, it's me."

"you?"

"Um."

As the elder brother, he was the first to discover this, but he didn't tell anyone.

He initially thought it didn't matter, but later, out of his own selfish motives...

So that's his fault.

But he was an egoist and didn't think that such concealment was a heinous crime. It was something he had rationally considered, his private property, and it was only right not to share it.

He smiled and said, "You feel sorry for him."

Qiao Wu did not deny it.

Anyone who saw Lu Xuan like that would feel sorry for him.

He is the type who can't stand hardship.

Lu Jinzhi said with some regret, "I've been taking too good care of myself."

"..."

Seeing that she was no longer as gloomy as before, Lu Jinzhi leaned down and hugged her lightly, without any lust, patting her back twice like he was patting a child: "Take care of yourself."

Qiao Wu rested his chin on his shoulder, understanding what he meant.

Actually, the biggest victim should be herself.

She blinked and said honestly, "I'm fine."

She hadn't been overly sentimental in the past, but the twelve years she spent trapped and witnessing the changes in others firsthand was what made her feel sorry for them.

Lu Jinzhi went along with her: "Yes, it's my fault."

The jumbled thoughts gradually subsided in that embrace. Qiao Wu closed her eyes and stopped thinking about it, so as not to let these negative emotions affect her.

A while later, Lu Jiang, who had seen the news, called.

Lu Jinzhi got up to answer the phone, and Qiao Wu put the cup on the table and went to Lu Xuan's room to see if his allergy symptoms had subsided.

It was so red and swollen at the time, it was heartbreaking to see.

When she pushed the door open, Lu Xuan was still asleep.

Qiao Wu originally just wanted to look at his arm, but as soon as he pulled up his sleeve a little, he felt the man shrink back.

She paused, then looked up.

The person on the bed still didn't open their eyes. She chuckled, pulled over a chair, and sat down: "Still itchy?"

Unable to keep up the act any longer, Lu Xuan finally opened her eyes.

My body is very itchy.

But he ignored it for the time being.

He just stared at her intently.

If she hadn't appeared at that time, he could have held on for a few more days.

But once he saw her, he couldn't care about anything else.

He had so much to say, but at this moment, it was stuck in his chest and he couldn't say anything. In the end, he simply sat up.

"Are you hurt?" he asked in rapid succession. "Were you bullied? Did you suffer a lot? Did you come all this way alone...?"

Qiao Wu interrupted him: "Lu Xuan."

Lu Xuan was speechless.

He lowered his eyes, blinked a few times to suppress the feeling of moisture, and said in a sore throat, "Twelve years."

He seemed to be having trouble breathing, and let out a heavy sigh: "Even the princess has grown up."

I originally thought it would only take a blink of an eye.

Looking back now, every detail and every step of the way we've taken clearly proves that twelve years is indeed a long time.

So long that when he realized it, he didn't dare to think about it carefully.

Thinking about what she went through.

Qiao Wu asked gently, "Are you worried about me?"

Lu Xuan nodded silently.

“I wasn’t hurt, I wasn’t bullied, I didn’t suffer, and I didn’t get through this alone.” Qiao Wu patiently answered his questions one by one. “Don’t worry about me, I’ve actually been fine.”

He added, "I don't blame you."

“Of course you won’t blame me,” Lu Xuan murmured. “You will never blame me.”

He was blaming himself.

Qiao Wu took the remote control and opened the curtains, waiting for the light to gradually illuminate the room, then asked him, "And what about you?"

Lu Xuan hadn't yet recovered from her emotions and subconsciously replied, "Me?"

"How are you doing? Have you been hurt, suffered, or bullied all these years?"

Lu Xuan suddenly looked up.

Looking into the shallow eyes of the person sitting in front of her, just like countless times in the past, no matter how she became 22-year-old Qiao Wu, her gaze never changed.

"What hardship can I endure?" he said.

No one dared to make him suffer, and no one dared to bully him.

But he wasn't doing well.

"So, like you, neither of us needs to blame each other for what happened in the past," Qiao Wu said. "Anyway, we'll both be doing well from now on, right?"

On the surface, no one seemed to have suffered.

But in reality, some suffering is not physical, and no one can escape it.

Therefore, although Lu Jinzhi has difficulty empathizing with other people's feelings, he is more able to see things clearly and rationally in these matters.

He's right; we can't judge him based on whether he's right or wrong.

"Is there anything else that's bothering you?" Qiao Wu asked. "The film crew has given us a week off. We'll go back together once you've rested."

Going home used to be Lu Xuan's most anticipated event.

Qiao Wu coming to pick him up was something he had been eagerly anticipating.

But things are different now than before.

He looked at Qiao Wu: "I ran into Cui Sitong at the airport that day. He said you were consulting about the studio. Yesterday, I heard from Lin Tiao that you are an investor in the production team."

He wanted to ask, why did you do that?

But I also think this question is stupid.

So he changed his question: "Qiao Wu, am I important to you?"

Qiao Wu did not hesitate at all.

He would find out about these things sooner or later, so she wouldn't deny her own bias towards him.

“You are all very important to me,” she said with a smile. “You’ve forgotten, we are family, and I have a bias towards all of you.”

“We.” Lu Xuan repeated it again, then gently repeated it several times, and then nodded. “Yes, you said I am your brother.”

After saying that, he chuckled to himself: "Hasn't the hierarchy gotten messed up?"

"What?"

Lu Xuan said, "Lu Jinzhi should also call me brother."

Qiao Wu was stunned for a moment.

Seeing her surprise, Lu Xuan didn't look into her eyes any longer: "He treats me like a stupid dog, and you do too?"

He sat up, then fell back down, pulling the blanket over half his face.

"I'll sleep a little longer," he said. "I'm fine now."

Since that was the case, Qiao Wu didn't say anything more.

She then drew the curtains for him and went outside.

Lu Jinzhi had finished his call. He stood at the door and glanced inside, meeting Lu Xuan's gaze as she lay on the bed.

The latter glared at him fiercely, then turned her back to him.

Lu Jinzhi calmly withdrew his gaze and closed the door.

"Finished talking?"

"Hmm." Qiao Wu finally relaxed a little, sat back down on the sofa, and seeing that he must have finished his call long ago, asked, "It should be alright now, aren't you going to go in and check?"

Lu Jinzhi put down his phone: "I'm not going."

He didn't sit down.

Qiao Wu looked up in confusion.

Then Lu Jinzhi took off her glasses and gently hooked her chin with the temple of the glasses.

Without saying a word, he bent down and kissed her forehead.

He then kissed her lips.

In a very short time, he bit her lower lip hard.

He didn't say a word, and after the kiss, he acted as if nothing had happened, and then slowly put her glasses back on.

Qiao Wu: "?"

After Lu Jinzhi finished kissing her, he sat down again, picked up the glass of water she had placed on the table, and drank it all in one gulp. She was completely bewildered the whole time.

"What did Uncle say again?"

It must be Lu Jiang who made him angry.

Seeing that she seemed determined to go back and lecture Lu Jiang, Lu Jinzhi couldn't help but smile and tap her forehead: "It's okay."

I was a little jealous because the puppy was so affectionate.

He had seen Guo Liyan's subtle gaze and Shen Yan's blatant covetousness, and he understood his own desire to possess her from beginning to end. Therefore, he didn't take Lu Xuan and Lu Yingchi's petty squabbles too seriously.

But that doesn't mean we're completely indifferent.

There is no doubt that, given enough time, the two puppies will develop the same emotions as other people.

That's why he gradually guided them to see through the intimacy between himself and Qiao Wu, nipping their naivety in the bud.

They may be a bit slow, but their bottom line is clear.

These are his insights on raising dogs over the years.

So, being stupid has its advantages.

In the room, Lu Xuan, who had said he was going to sleep, was not asleep.

The sounds outside gradually became blurred, until finally he could no longer hear what Lu Jinzhi and Qiao Wu were saying.

He sniffed.

He knew perfectly well that there was no need for him to ask any more questions or to question anything further.

It wasn't just because he didn't recognize Qiao Wu.

It was because of him.

Everyone has come through those twelve years, but Lu Jinzhi has made it to where he is today.

However, he and Lu Yingchi lived in a daze, acting impulsively in the past, their basic sense of right and wrong blurred.

It was his mistake not to recognize Qiao Wu.

But it's also his fault for turning himself into this way.

He still longed for a close relationship with Qiao Wu.

She's back.

That's just like he always thought, just like twelve years ago, to be the brother who can protect her.

He can do it.

Lu Ning is no good, Lu Yingchi is no good, and Lu Jinzhi is even worse.

He is the only one.

Lu Jinzhi will have to call him "brother" then.

Awesome Plus.

Yes, that's it.

He closed his eyes.

-

The next day, the three of them returned to the north of the city together.

Lu Xuan's allergy symptoms had subsided, but some red marks remained. He wrapped himself up tightly and rushed into the car with his head down as soon as he got out.

I absolutely cannot let Lu Yingchi and Lu Ning see me like this.

Otherwise, his haters' supertopic would definitely have one more piece of information revealed.

Unexpectedly, as soon as he entered the door, two figures rushed out from the side and lashed him with something in the blink of an eye.

It took Lu Xuan a moment to realize that Lu Ning and Lu Yingchi were holding two large bunches of green leaves.

The two of them were chanting incantations like shamans performing a ritual.

"Damn it!" Lu Xuan's exposed hand stung from the slap, and he grabbed Lu Ning's hand. "What are you doing!"

"A pomelo leaf." Lu Ning, who had been caught, still held a leaf and covered the back of his hand, which was red from being slapped, and said guiltily, "I'm giving it to you to ward off bad luck."

Lu Xuan's forehead twitched: "It's a good thing you still recognize pomelo leaves."

"I specifically looked that up." Lu Ning struggled a bit. "Let go of me. We even prepared handwashing facilities for you."

Is it childish or not?

Lu Xuan finally let her go.

Lu Yingchi slammed a basin down in front of him, plucked off all the remaining pomelo leaves and threw them into the basin: "Hurry up, while it's hot."

Lu Xuan stepped forward and took a look.

The color of the full basin of honey made him think it looked like a basin of sulfuric acid.

He reached out and touched it symbolically.

Then the flying block retracts.

He grabbed the vine that Lu Yingchi had just plucked the leaves from and started whipping it at him.

"..." He couldn't take it anymore. "You rotten thing, this is boiling water!"

Lu Ning hid to the side: "The book says that only boiling water can bring good luck!"

"Didn't the book tell you not to wash your hands with boiling water?!" Lu Xuan didn't let her off the hook either, giving her a slap on the butt. "I'll put you in and boil you, see if that can get rid of the bad luck of being a slacker on you?" "Hmph."

They don't recognize a kind heart.

Lu Ning took the basin away, using the opportunity to destroy the evidence.

Qiao Wu was afraid that she would burn herself if she carried another basin, and he didn't know what other "ingenious ideas" the two children inside were up to, so he hurriedly followed to see.

Only the three brothers remained outside the door.

Lu Yingchi glanced at Lu Jinzhi, whose expression was indifferent, and was about to remind him that the internet was full of rumors about him and Qiao Wu.

Then they saw Lu Jinzhi walk to the place in the house where the family rules were hung.

Everything written here was originally intended to restrain everyone except Lu Jinzhi, including the so-called goals, which are still based on the information up to the end of last semester.

“I passed them all,” Lu Yingchi said with a straight face. “Not only did I pass, but my GPA was also the highest in my major.”

He was sitting in the first row, listening to the lecture and laughing.

You can't find fault with me!

Lu Xuan also said, holding the twig, "Anyway, I go to work every day."

He even stretched out his hand: "See? These are all work-related injuries!"

The two men were eyeing him menacingly, ready to strike him with the branch if Lu Jinzhi were to utter another sarcastic remark today.

Then report it to the central government.

They waited and waited, but nothing came of it.

Lu Jinzhi didn't even glance at them.

He simply picked up the black pen that had been placed there to tutor Lu Ning and wrote three words in the lower right corner of the first sheet of paper with the family rules printed on it.

Lu Jinzhi.

After finishing writing, he put down his pen, glanced back at the two eager puppies, and smiled: "Well done."

"?"

"??"

It wasn't until Lu Jinzhi had walked quite a distance that Lu Xuan and Lu Yingchi, who were still stunned, finally came to their senses.

The two of them shivered in unison.

Lu Xuan shook off the goosebumps: "He's the one who needs to get rid of bad luck! He's been tainted by something dirty."

Lu Yingchi remained silent, only sweeping himself with pomelo leaves.

Get rid of bad luck.

Qiao Wu was relieved after supervising Lu Ning to make sure the water was properly treated.

The path was littered with the scattered leaves left by Lu Ning and Lu Yingchi. Lu Ning knew she had to clean it up, so she tactfully went to call the servants.

Qiao Wu bent down and picked up two of the pieces, keeping one for himself and handing the other to Lu Jinzhi who had come over: "Let's scan them too."

Lu Jinzhi smiled.

He gently tucked his piece between the first and second buttons of Qiao Wu's coat.

"I'll give you Lu Jinzhi's too," he said. "Waaah, may you be safe and sound from now on."

Qiao Wu looked down at the green and smiled.

She walked out with Lu Jinzhi, but Lu Yingchi and Lu Xuan were no longer visible on the first floor.

Where are they?

Lu Jinzhi stood a step behind her: "Let loose."

Qiao Wu turned around.

This time, however, their gaze did not fall on Lu Jinzhi, but instead followed his line of sight to the family rules on the wall.

What she told Lu Jiang back then was just a little game to fool people.

At this point, three more names appeared on it.

Lu Jinzhi.

Lu Xuan.

Lu Yingchi.

Everyone's handwriting was different, some were bold and unrestrained, yet they were all neatly arranged next to that sycamore leaf.

Qiao Wu raised an eyebrow.

Immediately afterwards, a tiny hand holding a pen emerged from below.

Lu Ning, who had already run back, tried to tiptoe and leave her name on it as well, stubbornly saying, "Don't even think about isolating me."

But just as she was about to put pen to paper, she remembered something and turned back.

"Second Uncle," she pouted, "I can write here, right?"

She practiced calligraphy for a whole semester.

I can write my own name well.

Lu Jinzhi didn't say anything, but simply pulled over a chair for her.

Lu Ning was immediately delighted and climbed onto the chair, carefully adding her own name under the three names.

Upon seeing this, Qiao Wu knew why Lu Xuan and Lu Yingchi were nowhere to be seen.

I'm ashamed to stay here doing something so childish.

Lu Jinzhi's name was written at the very top.

It goes without saying who started it.

She smiled, turned around and looked up at Lu Jinzhi, asking knowingly, "Why did you suddenly think of writing this?"

Lu Jinzhi also laughed: "Why you do it, I will do it too."

Qiao Wu looked at those names again.

Now Lu Ning has been added.

Lu Jinzhi was not a naive person; he wrote his name without any other intention.

He just wanted to tell everyone that he would always stand here, just like Lu Jiang or his older brother in the past, and would always stand by her side.

As for Lu Xuan and Lu Yingchi, they probably understood what he meant.

That's why I wasn't so competitive the first time, and instead secretly wrote my name down below.

She whispered, "Lu Jinzhi, I had a dream."

"Um?"

“I dreamt about it.” A faint light shone in Qiao Wu’s eyes as he emerged from the darkness of his dream. “I dreamt that we all grew up well and that everyone was doing very well.”

Lu Jinzhi stopped beside her and gently stroked her brow: "Are you awake now?"

"Hmm." Qiao Wu smiled. "So it wasn't a dream after all."