She deliberately piqued Qiao Yu's interest, pausing here for a moment.
Although Qiao Yu was looking forward to it, she knew even with her toes that it probably wouldn't be anything good, so she didn't dare to ask.
Her stiff expression clearly pleased Lu Shangyi, who showed a hint of satisfaction and finally released her. Qiao Yu's palms were sweaty with excitement, but the moment Lu Shangyi left, a wave of disappointment and regret washed over her.
If she weren't worried about Lu Shangyi's health, she would have loved to do a 360-degree Thomas spin and kneel down to beg her to pamper her.
Regretfully wiping the sweat from her palms, Qiao Yu caught up with Lu Shangyi. "Sister Lu, you and Sister Song..." she cautiously inquired, "Don't you get along well?"
Lu Shangyi turned around, his deep, dark eyes fixed on her without a trace of emotion, and even his tone was devoid of feeling. "What do you think?"
Although Lu Shangyi no longer exuded the intense pressure she had just felt, Qiao Yu still shrank back fearfully, not daring to mention Song Wanzi in front of her again. Qiao Yu never expected that Song Wanzi and Lu Shangyi had a grudge; she thought her cheap old father must know something.
Since this afternoon, Qiao Jinghuai's phone has been ringing off the hook. Most people are subtly trying to find out about the relationship between Qiao Yu and Lu Shangyi, a small number are eager to express their willingness to surrender, and the rest are just jealous people who can't stand seeing the Qiao family doing well.
Qiao Jinghuai has been working in the business world for many years and he always likes to smile at everyone. Although he has offended quite a few people, his reputation is still quite good compared to others.
He never took sides, and no matter how fiercely the other major families tore each other apart, he never intervened, always maintaining a neutral stance. Therefore, everyone was willing to give him some face. However, that was all before today. Since the news about Qiao Yu and Lu Shangyi broke, the whole situation has been turbulent and has never been calm again.
The Lu family is an old and powerful family in the capital. Many people are eager to climb the social ladder by joining the Lu family. Although Lu Shangyi has not taken a liking to anyone since she came of age, it does not stop people from flocking to the Lu family's door.
Even though Lu Shangyi is a delicate and frail omega, she still has the Lu family's backing. Even though Lu Shenghui has stripped her of her power, when she gets married, Madam Lu, who cherishes her like a treasure, will still prepare a generous dowry for her. In the eyes of some small wealthy families, Lu Shangyi is a highly sought-after catch, and no one can resist such a tempting offer.
Just like their Qiao family, even though they have already established themselves in the capital, Qiao Jinghuai asked himself honestly, if it were him, he would not be able to remain unmoved by a daughter-in-law like Lu Shangyi.
Who wouldn't be envious if Lu Shangyi married into a family that would save them at least fifty years of hard work?
However, he also knew that dealing with a powerful and influential family like the Lu family could lead to utter ruin if one wasn't careful, especially since Lu Shenghui was about to become the head of the Lu family. Lu Shenghui was notoriously ruthless in the business world, showing no mercy whatsoever. If the Lu and Qiao families were to form a marriage alliance, the Lu family would simply be swallowed up by Lu Shenghui, with no chance of survival.
Qiao Jinghuai is polite to everyone in his personal life and business dealings. He has worked hard to stabilize the Qiao family's foundation, so naturally he is not willing to be an appendage of the Lu family.
Qiao Jinghuai was so anxious that he was practically bald that afternoon. However, he didn't expect that before he could resolve his entanglement with the Lu family, the Song family in Jingnan would also be dragged into it. The moment he saw Song Wanzi standing up for her daughter, Qiao Jinghuai felt a wave of dizziness and almost died on the spot.
When did his usually obedient and well-behaved daughter become so attractive to men?!
Moreover, one wasn't enough; they directly recruited two powerful figures that were not easy to offend.
Qiao Jinghuai thought he might as well have a stroke and go to the hospital for oxygen. But before he could even think about it, his phone was ringing off the hook again, with everyone cheerfully congratulating him, "Miss Qiao is as beautiful as a flower and as well-behaved as a child. Mr. Qiao is so lucky."
Qiao Jinghuai ignored the sarcastic tone in the other person's words. He calmly dealt with all the probing questions on the surface, but in reality, he was panicking inside.
It's said that the first generation is in engineering, the second in finance, and the third in art. The ancestor of the Song family in Jingnan even designed that thing for the country! Qiao Jinghuai's hand trembled slightly as he lit his cigarette. He had dealt with the Song couple before. They were outstanding individuals, so they had a daughter like Song Wanzi, who was exceptionally talented.
Song Wanzi is a woman of impeccable character and has never been involved in any scandals, so her actions today made Qiao Jinghuai think twice.
Qiao Jinghuai asked himself honestly, and he still couldn't help but be moved by such an outstanding daughter-in-law as Song Wanzi.
The problem is, he never even dreamed of a marriage alliance with the Lu and Song families!
The phone kept ringing, and Qiao Jinghuai almost dropped his cigarette, so he had to put his phone on airplane mode. After calming down for a while, he muttered to his secretary, "It must be because I give Yuyu too much pocket money."
“I heard that she gave Song Wanzi a full two million yuan a couple of days ago.”
Who the hell can withstand this?
Qiao Jinghuai took a deep drag on his cigarette. "Does she really think she's a spendthrift?" The thought that Qiao Yu was spending his hard-earned money suddenly made Qiao Jinghuai lose his appetite for smoking. He stubbed out the cigarette and instructed his secretary, "Go and cancel all of her bank cards. Don't leave her with a single one."
Qiao Jinghuai thought that since Qiao Yu was broke, she wouldn't be tempted to have affairs with other women.
Bar?
The secretary nodded slightly. "Yes, I'll take care of it right away."
Qiao Yu was still immersed in the regret of missing out on Lu Shangyi, and even lying on the sofa, she had no interest in playing games. Finally, she simply put down her phone and stared blankly at the huge crystal chandelier. As soon as the phone screen went black, the phone's melodious ringtone rang out, which was particularly jarring in the quiet room and almost scared Qiao Yu out of her wits.
He quickly picked up the phone. "What is it?"
The call was from Jiang Mei's roommate. "Qiao Yu, Jiang Mei's aunt just came to the dorm. It seems she found out Jiang Mei was doing part-time work outside." The roommate said cautiously, "She came to ask Jiang Mei for money..."
Before she could finish speaking, a voice came from the phone, "Thank you, I'm coming right away." Her roommate breathed a sigh of relief. Judging from Qiao Yu's reaction, she was definitely going to come and stand up for Jiang Mei.
My roommate put down her phone and sighed, "Jiang Mei is so pitiful. She's only just turned 18 and can't even support herself yet, but her relatives are already sucking her dry and demanding money from her. The other day I saw her cousin dressed up like a proper man, wearing sneakers that cost several thousand yuan."
“Normally, Jiang Mei wouldn’t even spend five yuan on a meat dish at the school cafeteria. If it weren’t for Qiao Yu trying her best to feed her, how could she have grown up so well?”
Jiang Mei's aunt, Jiang Jinfeng, has maintained herself quite well over the years, looking more radiant and beautiful than most housewives. In addition, she is also quite pretty. At first, everyone thought she was a good person. It wasn't until she made a big fuss after not getting the money that everyone finally saw through her disguise.
Jiang Mei didn't want any entanglement with Jiang Jinfeng, especially at school, but Jiang Jinfeng was like a leech, and she couldn't escape her no matter what.
Her face was slightly pale, her expression stiff, her fingers clenched involuntarily, and Jiang Mei's throat was dry. "I have no money."
"How could you possibly not have money?!" Jiang Jinfeng sneered. "Don't think I don't know you've been secretly doing part-time jobs behind our backs. Your cousin saw it with his own eyes! Do you want me to upload the photos to your school forum before you'll hand over the money?"
“I raised you with my own hands and feet, and if I had known you would be so heartless, I should have just left you to fend for yourself.”
A soft murmur arose around her. Jiang Mei's pale lips gradually pressed into a straight line. Her face, pale in the dim light, was almost bloodless, and her body trembled slightly, making her appear as if she were about to collapse. She couldn't refute Jiang Jinfeng's words. If Jiang Jinfeng hadn't taken her in as an infant, she would probably have frozen to death in the snow long ago.
Even if the woman in front of her is greedy and treats her badly, she cannot deny the kindness of raising her.
But……
Jiang Mei's fine eyelashes drooped slightly, her throat tightening, "I really have no money left."
How much money could a student who had just come of age have? No matter how much that part-time job paid, she could only work it for two days on weekends.
Qiao Yu arrived to find this scene before her. The girl she had cherished and protected for two whole years was now so humble, her face filled with a pitiful and helpless look. Qiao Yu's fist hardened. "What are you doing?"
Qiao Yu shielded Jiang Mei behind her like a mother hen protecting her chicks, her brows furrowed tightly. "Do you want to go to the police station with me again?"
Jiang Jinfeng was determined to squeeze some money out of Jiang Mei today; no matter how much, Jiang Mei had to give her some. Just as she was plotting, she suddenly heard a clear, crisp voice. Jiang Jinfeng looked up and instinctively took two steps back. "Why are you here?"
Qiao Yu narrowed her eyes. "That's the question I should be asking you. How did you, a nobody, get into our school?"
Then she raised her voice and shouted, "Uncle Security Guard!"
Jiang Jinfeng immediately felt guilty. She had already experienced twice how troublesome this wealthy girl next to Jiang Mei was. The first time, this seemingly harmless girl had someone dump her on the main road, almost causing her to be hit by a car and killed. The second time, this girl directly took her to the police station and detained her for a full ten days before releasing her. Jiang Jinfeng was terrified of this girl to the core.
Seeing the security guards rushing over, Jiang Jinfeng immediately lost her composure and could only glare fiercely at Jiang Mei, saying, "I'll settle the score with you properly when you get home this weekend!"
His words were laced with threat.
Jiang Mei's dark eyes revealed no emotion. She stood motionless behind Qiao Yu, her heart feeling as if it were being torn apart again and again. She least wanted Qiao Yu to see her in her most wretched state, but it seemed that from the day Qiao Yu appeared, all her unbearable aspects had been seen by her.
All her feigned self-esteem crumbled before her eyes.
Qiao Yu gritted her teeth. If it weren't for taking care of Jiang Mei's feelings, she would have given Jiang Jinfeng a good lesson today. What kind of aggressive aunt was she? Qiao Yu turned around with heartache and looked into Jiang Mei's depressed eyes. "It's okay. I've already chased the bad guy away for you."
“If she dares to come again, I will beat her every time I see her, until she dares not bother you again.”
Qiao Yu touched Jiang Mei's eye with her hand and, finding no water stains, quickly breathed a sigh of relief. Gently putting her arm around Jiang Mei's waist, Qiao Yu whispered, "Don't be afraid, even if the sky falls, I'll hold it up."
A strange, indescribable feeling slowly rose in my heart, which had been cut by a knife. Qiao Yu's words were like a good medicine, slowly healing the wound.
After a long while, Jiang Mei finally managed to utter a sore and hoarse "Thank you."
"You're still being so polite with me." Qiao Yu let go of her, finally remembering Lu Shangyi who had been left out. She guiltily pulled Lu Shangyi over, "Oh right, I haven't had a chance to introduce you yet. This is Lu Shangyi, Sister Lu."
"She was very worried about your safety just now."
Jiang Mei looked up. The woman before her stood tall and graceful, exuding a noble and refined air. Unlike the equally radiant Song Wanzi, Jiang Mei felt as insignificant and humble as dust in front of Lu Shangyi.
Lu Shangyi stared at Jiang Mei with his dark eyes and said, "You look familiar."
"Have we met somewhere before?"
Qiao Yu looked around blankly: "?" I've been cheated on?
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