Chapter 9 The Third Young Master of the Lu Family

Lu Yingchi actually recorded Lu Ning's "thank you" and meticulously uploaded the audio to Chenling's music library.

Qiao Wu did not refuse.

So the next day, she didn't need to call them a second time. In less than three minutes, the two of them came running downstairs, looking very energetic.

Qiao Wu thought that he could change Chen Ling's playlist more often in the future.

Last night, she told the old man about wanting to change Lu Ning's schools. The old man's opinion was that she could make the decision, so Qiao Wu didn't force Lu Ning to go to school these past few days and planned to take her to the hospital.

Upon hearing that she was going to visit her grandfather, Lu Ning's face clearly showed her refusal.

Although they lived under the same roof, she had rarely seen her grandfather over the years. Without her parents as intermediaries, she always felt like an outsider in the family. Moreover, her grandfather was always busy with work, and during the few times they met, he was mostly scolding her uncles, making the house a mess. Therefore, Lu Ning was very wary of her grandfather and knew that it would be difficult to communicate with him.

She couldn't imagine what she would say if they actually met.

"If Lu Yingchi was driven to jump off a building, wouldn't I be driven to jump into the sea if I got the lowest score?"

Qiao Wu found it amusing: "If he really forces you to jump into the sea, can't I jump first before you?"

"How romantic." Lu Yingchi, always eager for a good show, said, "Go ahead, don't say I'm heartless, I'll personally drive my yacht to pick up the body."

"If I die, you'll be the first person I come looking for," Lu Ning provocatively said. "Don't you dare tremble like that day and make a fool of yourself."

The two, who had been gossiping behind each other's backs, parted on bad terms again after breakfast.

Qiao Wu was used to it; arguing was better than ignoring each other. She went to pick up Qiao Zhiyi from home first. She had been thinking of taking Qiao Zhiyi for a full check-up so that it would be easier for him to take care of his health in the future. She finally had some free time these past two days.

Qiao Zhiyi was a little unaccustomed to sitting in his daughter's car. In the past, Xiao Wu never wanted to drive herself, let alone let others drive.

The car was quiet.

Lu Ning wasn't familiar with the old housekeeper, so she didn't speak.

Qiao Wu, on the other hand, felt close to his father but somewhat estranged because he hadn't communicated with him for many years.

Seeing that her father was sitting very upright, which seemed a bit unnatural, she took the initiative to start a conversation: "If you're really bored staying at home, you can spend more time with the old gentleman."

Qiao Zhiyi knew he was not worthy: "How could this be my turn?"

"Dad, you've worked alongside the old man for many years. Now, setting aside the employer-employee relationship, don't you even have the simplest friendship?"

Qiao Zhiyi hadn't considered these things at all: "This is against the rules."

"What's wrong with it? You're not after anything," Qiao Wu said with a smile. "It's just a chat, don't be so tense. You have your own life after work, try not to treat him like your boss."

When his father was the housekeeper, he was either with the young masters or by Lu Jiang's side. He had no private time and naturally didn't have many friends. Now that he's retired, he often stays at home and doesn't know what to do.

The Lu residence is different from ordinary communities. It doesn't have a community square or much activity, so Qiao Wu felt quite sorry for his father being all alone.

"Or we could move out and find a place with lots of people, or a community square."

"Then it will be very inconvenient for you to work." Qiao Zhiyi shook his head without thinking. "Don't worry so much. I have my own fun and I will consider your words. You should take care of yourself first."

He added, "Since you're free today, shall I take you to get your glasses fitted later? Wearing these all the time isn't comfortable."

Qiao Wu nodded: "Okay."

As the host, Lu Ning, sitting in the back, felt very uncomfortable listening to the two people in front of her talking so gently and intimately.

She had no parents. Her grandfather only verbally controlled her before leaving her with the housekeeper. Her uncles hoped she would die so they could collect her body.

She had never experienced a conversation like the one Qiao Wu had with her father before.

She stared at Qiao Wu's smiling profile, and suddenly remembered the time when this person patted her head, and was momentarily lost in thought.

Why does she find Qiao Wu so attractive now, and so approachable?

That's infuriating.

She doesn't like having her head patted!

At that moment, Lu Jiang was sitting on the balcony of the hospital, basking in the sun. When he heard his secretary say that Qiao Wu was going to bring Lu Ning over, he remained silent for a long time.

"I've been in the hospital for almost half a month now." He sighed deeply. "None of these unfilial sons have come to help me. They probably wish I would die sooner."

“The young masters all have their own things to do, and you are in good health.”

"Have something to do? Do you mean the one who gets drunk late at night, taking a bunch of men and women on a yacht to an island? Or the one who's always messing around in the entertainment industry and not doing anything productive?"

The secretary didn't dare to speak.

Lu Jiang's eyes darkened: "Am I that bad to them?"

So badly that Qiao Wu had to tell him in advance before bringing his men, worried that he wouldn't be able to control his emotions.

There was a knock on the ward door, and the secretary went to open it.

Lu Jiang looked up and first saw the elegant and noble Qiao Wu, then he saw Lu Ning half-hidden behind her.

Lu Jiang narrowed his eyes slightly.

The environment shapes the people; his children were all raised in luxury, and no matter how unruly they were, they still possessed the air of aristocratic families.

But Qiao Wu is different.

Although Qiao Wu also grew up in the Lu family, Lu Jiang knew very well how her back had bent under the influence of worldly values ​​over the past few years. She always had some of the unsavory and petty traits of a person who couldn't be presented in public.

But at this moment, in his eyes, Qiao Wu's steps were unhurried and his whole demeanor was elegant and noble.

Compared to her rebellious granddaughter, she was even more unreliable.

It seems that Qiao Wu is the child who was truly nurtured by upbringing and money.

Lu Jiang's eyes revealed a hint of doubt and dissatisfaction.

He didn't want the Lu family's children to be so incompetent and hopeless.

"What kind of timid and hesitant manner is this?" Lu Jiang frowned. "Come here, tell me which school you want to go to."

Lu Ning had no choice but to step out from behind Qiao Wu. Feeling uneasy under his gaze, she dared not say a word and whispered, "Grandpa."

She wasn't exaggerating at all. Being last in the class was absolutely unacceptable in her grandfather's eyes. In fact, among all the Lu family members, only her second uncle, Lu Jinzhi, was scolded less often.

So what exactly are we doing here?

She said she didn't want to change schools.

Suddenly, she heard a soft laugh behind her: "It's me."

Lu Ning turned around and saw Qiao Wu casually place the insulated box he brought on the table. She took the initiative to change the subject: "Sir, I feel that school is not suitable for the young lady, and her classmates are not worth being friends with, so I would like to ask you to change her school."

Lu Jiang's tone softened a bit, but it wasn't much better: "Wasn't it her own fault for insisting on going there in the first place?"

“She was so young back then, she couldn’t have predicted what kind of people she would meet in the future.” Qiao Wu served the soup to Lu Jiang. “You don’t know how angry the Fourth Young Master was when he went to her parent-teacher conference yesterday and heard that she was being ostracized by her classmates.”

It's a short sentence, but it contains a lot of information.

Lu Jiang's attention was indeed diverted: "Did your uncle go to your parent-teacher conference?"

The discord among his children was his biggest worry, but now his fourth son is actually showing concern for his niece?

Lu Ning nodded.

"What did he say?"

What did you say?

After thinking it over, Lu Ning suddenly realized that apart from the time they were fighting, Lu Yingchi hadn't said a single kind word.

But she still had some conscience, and couldn't say that Lu Yingchi had been fighting.

So she muttered, "They said I'm not very bright and told me to eat more walnuts to improve my brain function."

"He even has the nerve to say you're not very bright," Lu Jiang sneered. "But he did eat a lot of walnuts."

After a pause, feeling that it was important to say something nice to maintain family harmony, she said stiffly, "How can this not be considered caring for you?"

Lu Ning: "..."

She swallowed her anger and chose to vent her frustration in a small way: "Then Grandpa, you should drink more hot... soup."

As Lu Jiang sipped his soup, he felt a surge of relief, completely oblivious to his granddaughter's sarcasm.

He had been alone in the hospital for too long, and his mentality had become somewhat flat. He remembered that Qiao Wu had mentioned that these children had many private problems and had been isolated at school for so long that they had to resort to lawyers. It was rare for him to have a little more patience.

"Tell me, what's going on with your classmates?"

Lu Ning glanced at Qiao Wu subconsciously, only to see him looking at her with a smile, as if to encourage her.

This was the first time she had ever seen that look in someone's eyes.

You can tell your grandfather or uncle what you want.

This is what Qiao Wu said.

Lu Ning pursed her lips, hesitated, and then nodded gently.

Seeing that there wouldn't be any major conflict here, Qiao Wu took his father to get a medical check-up first.

The procedure took quite a while, so while waiting for the results, she asked her father to go back to the ward first. Firstly, so he could rest and talk to the old man, and secondly, so that the atmosphere wouldn't be too strange if her father was there.

The test results came back quickly; there were no serious problems, just some old ailments from overworking, which I just need to take better care of in the future.

Qiao Wu breathed a sigh of relief; at least his father wouldn't die of depression like in his dream.

She took the report back, only to find Lu Ning, who should have been in the ward, wandering around the doorway.

She walked over: "Did you two have a fight?"

Lu Ning shook her head. Not only did they not argue, but today could even be considered the most harmonious day she had spent with her grandfather.

but……

"When are we going home?" she asked softly.

"I'll be back in a bit, what's wrong?"

Lu Ning said with a straight face, "Lu Xuan is here."

Compared to Lu Yingchi, she disliked this third uncle even more.

Lu Yingchi may not be the brightest, but at least he can hold his own in an argument.

But Lu Xuan seems to be very cunning.

Qiao Wu was taken aback.

Lu Xuan?

Lu Xuan was a year older than her, and the person who truly grew up with her was the third young master of the Lu family.

However, in order to make Lu Xuan give up his right to inherit the group, the former "Qiao Wu" secretly encouraged him to enter the entertainment industry and bravely pursue his dream, which made Lu Jiang very angry, and the father and son did not speak to each other for nearly a year.

According to the plot of the dream, after entering the entertainment industry, Lu Xuan was tainted by that cesspool of colors. Under "her" indulgence, he played all sorts of games, eventually turning himself into a hated figure on the internet and being kicked out of Lu Jiang's house.

Lu Xuan has been in the entertainment industry for over a year now.

Qiao Wu pressed his temples, stepped forward and knocked on the door. After a short while, the secretary opened the door, and the ward was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

She immediately spotted the man sitting on the sofa directly opposite the door.

People in the entertainment industry are meticulously groomed from head to toe. He wore a burgundy V-neck shirt with sunglasses, a single dark blue earring, and slightly lipstick-colored lips. He was slumped in the sofa as if boneless, and looked up when he heard a noise.

Upon seeing the newcomer, Lu Xuan's dark eyes flickered slightly, and after a moment, he found a sense of familiarity in the initial amazement.

He raised an eyebrow slightly, enunciating each word with a flourish: "Qiao, Wu?"

The people in the ward all looked over, and Lu Jiang's expression was not good: "You've come at the right time. Tell the doctor to get ready."

Qiao Zhiyi hurriedly asked, "Are you feeling unwell?"

Lu Jiang glanced at the young man on the sofa: "Not now, but it's hard to say later."

Lu Xuan chuckled briefly, then straightened up with his long legs bent: "What are you saying? I just came to see you."

"You've come to see if I'm dead yet, haven't you?"

Lu Xuan shrugged lazily: "There's nothing I can do if that's how you think."

After he finished speaking, he stood up, walked to Qiao Wu, leaned down slightly, and looked him up and down again: "Why do I feel like you had plastic surgery when you went abroad?"

Otherwise, how could everything look so pleasing to the eye?

Before Qiao Wu could speak, the man pressed his sunglasses against his forehead: "Perfect timing, I have something for you to do."

It's definitely not a good thing.

Qiao Wu pushed his hand away and asked calmly, "Didn't you come to see your father?"

"Oh." Lu Xuan's eyes crinkled into a wicked smile. "I've finished reading it."

Lu Jiang, furious, yelled from behind him, "Have you been sitting here for a minute?"

"Can't you understand after just one glance?" Lu Xuan didn't even turn his head, walked out the door and slammed it shut. "I won't look at it again."

Qiao Wu: "..."

Lu Xuan put on his sunglasses: "Come with me."

"You're not allowed to go!" Lu Ning, who was guarding the door, grabbed Qiao Wu's hand. "You brought me here, and you're also responsible for bringing me home!"

"Don't worry." Qiao Wu grasped her hand in return, gently patting the back of her hand to comfort her, then looked at Lu Xuan, "What's wrong?"

Maintain a humble yet assertive attitude.

Lu Xuan seemed to only then notice the little one beside him. He glanced down at the two tightly clasped hands, still smiling, but there was no smile in his eyes: "Your attitude towards me today is very interesting."

His eyes, hidden behind his sunglasses, were indistinct: "If I'm not mistaken, you're doing this because of this little brat..."

"A blatant betrayal of me?"