Chapter 42
Chu Mi had known Lu Shangyi for so many years and never realized that she was still a hopeless romantic.
The Lu Shangyi of the past was pure and abstinent, not to mention falling in love easily. When a girl was rejected and shed tears in front of her, she didn't soften her heart at all. That girl was extremely beautiful, and her eyes looked pitiful when they were glistening with tears, which even made Lu Shangyi, a beta, feel sorry for her.
Unfortunately, Lu Shangyi, the instigator, didn't even blink an eye to express her apology.
Chu Mi had always thought that Lu Shangyi was a simpleton, someone who would never be moved even when he was on his deathbed. She never imagined that such a rare occurrence would happen.
Staring intently at her phone, pondering Lu Shangyi's two sentences over and over for a long time, Chu Mi finally realized the truth: this time she was serious.
He shook his head in disbelief; it truly seemed like the sun had risen in the west.
Thinking of the legends she had recently heard about Qiao Yu, and recalling that fleeting glimpse of her that day, Chu Mi was unsure whether Lu Shangyi was Qiao Yu's nemesis or Qiao Yu was Lu Shangyi's nemesis. Although the young girl's reputation wasn't good, her eyes were unusually clear and pure, without a trace of impurity or ulterior motive, which was truly rare.
People like them, mired in the mire, yearn for and crave even a sliver of warm, clear sunlight.
Qiao Yu sat at the dining table as Aunt Zhang brought out a late-night snack—light and easily digestible dishes that would help her sleep. Qiao Yu turned on the TV and watched for a while; a campus drama was playing. After finishing her snack, Qiao Yu began to seriously consider her future.
She definitely wouldn't choose to go abroad now, and with her current grades, getting into a good university wouldn't be a problem.
After browsing WeChat official accounts on her phone for two minutes, Qiao Yu quickly set her college entrance exam goal: Peking University.
Beijing University boasts a strong faculty and profound academic heritage, attracting countless high school graduates every year who desperately try to gain admission, making the competition extremely fierce. However, she didn't care about any of that. Carefully scrolling up and down the page, Qiao Yu exclaimed repeatedly, "This female principal looks so beautiful... oh no." She quickly corrected herself, "This female principal seems to have a very high level of knowledge and cultivation."
The system twitched its eye. As expected of the host, its true nature was revealed so quickly.
After a quick glance at the previous years' admission scores, Qiao Yu wasn't worried at all about failing. She asked Aunt Zhang to clear the dishes away and was about to take out her exam paper to review when she suddenly heard the sound of high heels clicking on the floor behind her. Turning around, she saw Madam Qiao approaching with a gentle yet imposing air, her first words being, "Lu Shenghui called your father, wanting you to go on a blind date with Lu Shangyi."
Before Qiao Yu could speak, Madam Qiao continued, "First of all, I have to tell you that the Lu family is currently experiencing serious internal strife. Lu Shangyi may not be as gentle and harmless as she appears. So if you don't want to get involved, I'll help you avoid it."
“But even if I help you push it once or twice, Lu Shenghui won’t give up.”
There's nothing in the world that would make him feel more at ease than marrying Lu Shangyi to an EGA, especially since this EGA is the only daughter in her family.
Lu Shenghui's plan was very well done. The delicate EGA had no power to protect herself except by relying on her family and Alpha. So as long as he was patient enough to wait until he and Qiao Jinghuai closed their eyes and stepped into their coffins, he could take over the entire Qiao family.
Among the Ye, Song, and Qiao families, Lu Shenghui has already arranged for his daughter to win over the Song family. The Ye family is now in charge of Ye Yunjian, who is ruthless and not a kind person. With his intelligence and methods, he cannot be easily controlled. Therefore, the Qiao family has become Lu Shenghui's most desired prey.
Two ega together will definitely not have offspring, which has fundamentally solved Lu Shenghui's worries about the future.
Once he has secured his position, all he needs to do is get rid of Song Wanzi and find a new son-in-law to have an heir. Then, Lu Shenghui can rise to prominence by stepping on the Qiao and Song families and firmly sit at the top of the four major families.
Having swallowed up the Qiao and Song families, the Lu family will now be feared even by Ye Yunjian and Bai Yiyu.
Her mother's expression was more solemn than ever before. Qiao Yu remained silent for a moment, but quickly understood the situation. However, she said with certainty, "Based on my understanding of Sister Lu, she would never do anything to hurt me."
Mrs. Qiao paused for a moment when her daughter spoke with such certainty, and her gaze sharpened. "One shouldn't speak too confidently."
“But,” Qiao Yu frowned, “Sister Lu is really a good person, she’s not like that.”
Suddenly feeling embarrassed, Qiao Yu said somewhat guiltily, "Mom, you know that it was me who shamelessly pestered Sister Lu, not the other way around."
She's not good at business, but she has an excellent eye for people, and she's especially good at picking out women who are beautiful in both appearance and spirit from a crowd.
Mrs. Qiao seemed speechless for a moment. "Since you insist, then I agree." She stared at Qiao Yu without blinking. "From now on, stop flirting with other women outside. There are rumors that you are fickle and promiscuous. If your father hadn't always ignored these rumors, he would have broken your legs long ago."
Although Qiao Jinghuai always looked like he was going to beat her to death, he was just pretending to scare her and didn't really mean to hurt her. Qiao Yu blinked and shamelessly acted coquettishly, "I knew you two were the best to me, Mom and Dad."
Mrs. Qiao chuckled lightly, but her expression turned serious as she noticed the pile of test papers on the table. "Still studying?"
"Yes." He picked up his pen. "I plan to apply to Peking University."
Raising an eyebrow in surprise, the woman didn't say anything more, "Do you need me to transfer you to a better class?"
"No need, no need," Qiao Yu quickly refused. She was perfectly fine as she was. With Meng E and Tang Shu by her side, she was never lonely. Although she could meet new girls at the new school, getting into university was more important right now.
After Mrs. Qiao nodded and left Qiao Yu's house, she thought for a moment and made a phone call to the psychologist. "You don't need to come over tomorrow."
Having decided to apply to Peking University, Qiao Yu first posted on her WeChat Moments to announce it to the world.
After reading through all the likes and comments, Qiao Yu noticed that Meng E hadn't responded. She frowned and pondered for a moment, then assumed Meng E was diligently working on her practice problems and didn't think much of it.
Meng'e rushed to the hospital. Her mother, with red eyes, was sitting on a chair outside the emergency room. Her hurried steps suddenly stopped. Meng'e bit her lower lip, closed her eyes briefly, and then walked over again. "Is Dad alright?"
Hearing her daughter's strained voice, the middle-aged woman looked up, her anxious expression turning into a feigned nonchalant smile. "It's alright, your father will be out in a bit."
Gently touching her daughter's face, Meng's mother spoke with a hint of reproach, "Didn't I tell you to study hard? Your final exams are coming up soon, why are you here? And it's so late now, what if something happens to you on the way..."
"No, it won't." Meng E interrupted gently, forcing a smile. "My ranking in this exam has risen another place. My foundation is already very solid. Taking care of Dad won't affect my grades."
When her daughter tried to change the subject, Meng's mother sighed softly and stopped talking.
This time, her father escaped unharmed again, and Meng'e's tense nerves relaxed, her resolve to go to university strengthened. It was already midnight when she finished at the hospital. Her phone screen was flooded with messages, the first one from Tang Shu: "What are you doing?" "Why aren't you replying?" "Studying?" "Haven't you finished studying yet?" "Don't play hide-and-seek with me. If you don't reply to me again, I won't let you come home tomorrow."
Feeling somewhat annoyed, Meng'e replied in a less-than-friendly tone, "Aren't you annoying?"
Tang Shu quickly replied, "You actually find me annoying?!"
"Who was it that said they liked me and then pursued me relentlessly?!" After a pause, the other person sent another message, "You're already finding me annoying so quickly? Do you have another woman in your heart?!"
Meng E couldn't help but send a message saying, "My dad is in the hospital, and I've been busy at the hospital the whole time," which finally shut the girl up.
After a long pause, the person on the other end replied in an awkward tone, "I'm sorry."
Meng E put down her phone, not wanting to argue with her anymore, nor in the mood to. It was true that she had fallen in love with Tang Shu at first sight when she was young, so she shamelessly chased after her, but they had already broken up long ago.
Exhausted, Meng'e walked out of the ward and squatted in a corner of the corridor, her eyes feeling a little sore. She was lost in thought, not noticing two figures rapidly approaching. It wasn't until they were right in front of her and called her name that she came to her senses.
Qiao Yu squatted down. "Do you still consider me a friend? You didn't even tell me about something this big."
Meng'e's gaze shifted from a moment of surprise to a focused one, passing over the suddenly appearing Qiao Yu before settling on Tang Shu, who dared not look her in the eye. Her throat felt dry, and Meng'e heard her own voice hoarse as she spoke, "Why did you disturb Yu Yu's rest?"
"How dare you say that?" Qiao Yu took out her coat from her pocket and draped it over Meng E's shoulders, her face darkening with displeasure. "It's so cold, why didn't you bring more clothes? What if you catch a cold? Do you even want to get good grades?"
Meng'e couldn't describe her feelings at that moment. She only knew that if Yuyu gave her any orders in the future, she would be willing to go through fire and water for her.
Forcing herself to stay alert, Meng'e said softly, "You really don't need to worry about me, my father is safe now..." Before she could finish, Tang Shu interrupted her, "Do you think I'm worried about your father's safety right now?"
"I only did this because I was worried about you, so I swallowed my pride and rushed over from home in the middle of the night with Qiao Yu!"
She blurted out the words in her haste, and when the surroundings quieted down and she noticed that Qiao Yu and Meng E were staring at her in astonishment, her fair face immediately turned bright red. She hurriedly stood up and stammered, "You two talk, I need to go to the restroom first."
After saying that, she took off running. Meng E subconsciously called out to her, and Tang Shu stopped reflexively, her whole body stiffening, her back burning with tension.
But the next second, Meng E's serious voice came from behind her, "The toilet is this way, you've come to the wrong place."
Tang Shu: "..."
Qiao Yu laughed out loud, showing no mercy.
Tang Shu, her face flushed, pretended to be calm as she walked past the two of them, not forgetting to glare fiercely at Qiao Yu. Qiao Yu grinned innocently at her, and Tang Shu instantly became furious, wishing she could kick her out of the hospital immediately.
However, she failed to kick Qiao Yu out in the end. Instead, Meng E sent both Qiao Yu and Meng Yu back home. Meng E didn't like others worrying about her, and besides, her father was fine now, so there was no point in letting Qiao Yu and Tang Shu stay there any longer.
Looking back at her sleeping mother, Meng E pursed her lips into a straight line. As long as her parents were still alive, there was always hope in life.
However, early the next morning, a man claiming to be the hospital director came to her and told her that a large hospital could treat her father's illness. Meng E was very interested and hesitated before asking about the price, only to be told that someone would pay for the treatment on her behalf.
The name Qiao Yu immediately popped into her mind. She wanted to refuse, but she couldn't resist the temptation, so she nodded.
Upon arriving at the school, Meng'e was interrupted before she could even open her mouth. "I call this an investment," Qiao Yu said. "With your excellent grades, your medical skills will definitely be outstanding in the future. If you really want to thank me, then take charge of all my surgeries, big and small, from now on."
Meng E felt a warmth in her heart, but couldn't help glaring at her, "How can you curse yourself like that?"
She paused for a moment and then said, "Don't even mention your major or minor surgeries, I'll take care of you in your old age and see you off when you die."
"..." No need, really no need.
The weather has been getting colder lately. After a heavy rain, the temperature dropped almost vertically. Even the most arrogant alphas have to wear thick sweaters to ward off the cold air when they're outdoors. Egas like Qiao Yu, who have already differentiated and have a weaker constitution, were already wrapped in two layers of thick clothes.
This winter is colder than usual. Although there is no heavy snowfall, it can freeze a wolf into a dog on the spot.
Today she was going on a blind date with Lu Shangyi. Although the room was heated, Qiao Yu was still wrapped up from head to toe so much that even her own mother almost wouldn't recognize her. Qiao Jinghuai glanced at her speechlessly and said with exasperation, "It's just a few steps, is it really that big of a deal?"
"Look how beautifully your mother dresses. She looks like a girl in her early twenties every day."
Qiao Yu: "..." That's too much! You can praise me all you want, but there's no need to put others down, especially your own daughter!
She glared fiercely at Qiao Jinghuai, opened the car door, and got in, finally feeling a bit warmer. While flipping through her vocabulary book, she picked up her phone and asked, "Sister Lu, where are you?"
Lu Shangyi and Qiao Yu's agreed time wasn't early, but because she needed to accompany Jiang Mei and her parents and brother to meet Song Wanzi beforehand, she had already arrived at the agreed location. Just as they arrived at the hotel, Song Wanzi got out of her car. Her gaze casually swept over Lu Shangyi and Jiang Mei, her cold, beautiful face almost expressionless. "Good morning."
Jiang Mei looked somewhat uncomfortable and avoided looking into the other person's eyes.
Lu Shangyi's expression remained indifferent, offering only a slight nod as a greeting. Lu Shenghui, displeased by Jiang Mei's cold attitude, frowned. "How have I been teaching you? Why don't you even open your mouth when you see people?"
His words were too harsh, and Jiang Mei's face turned pale. She forced herself to remain calm and turned to Song Wanzi, saying, "Hello, sister."
Song Wanzi raised an eyebrow, and when she looked at Lu Shenghui, a smile curled her full red lips. "Alright, stop taking your anger out on the child." She didn't give Lu Shenghui any face at all. "When have you ever been polite to me before?"
Lu Shenghui was immediately humiliated, but Madam Lu stepped in to smooth things over and the matter was resolved.
Song Wanzi's parents had arrived ahead of time. The hotel manager personally came out to greet them and led them to the private room. He gently opened the door and said respectfully, "If you need anything else, please just call me."
Song Wanzi walked in lazily and casually chose a seat closest to the door. Lu Shenghui wanted to seat his daughter next to Song Wanzi but was stopped. Song Wanzi pointed to the chair and said to Lu Shangyi, "You sit here."
Lu Shenghui immediately looked at Lu Shangyi with suspicion.
Lu Shangyi remained calm, and before she could even utter a word of refusal, her mother pressed her down to sit beside her. Seeing this, Madam Song spoke up, "Why don't you sit next to me, sister? You'll be closer, so you can chat more and get to know each other better."
Seeing that Lu Shangyi had no intention of offering any help, Song Wanzi chuckled and said nothing more.
Jiang Mei felt extremely uncomfortable sitting next to Song Wanzi. They had nothing to say to each other, and she had no intention of chatting or getting to know Song Wanzi. Sitting stiffly next to the woman like a wooden doll, Jiang Mei felt increasingly agitated.
She couldn't help but wonder, if Yu Yu found out that she had gone on a blind date with someone else, would Yu Yu overthink it? Would she start to dislike her and refuse to see her anymore?
She didn't want that to happen, so she unconsciously moved away from Song Wanzi, leaving a space between them large enough for almost another person to sit down.
Song Wanzi watched the two families chatting happily, feeling increasingly bored. Slowly picking at her nails, she found it somewhat amusing and, unable to bear the thought of spending any more time at the dinner, pushed back her chair and stood up, saying, "I'm going to the restroom."
With her fine eyelashes falling straight down, Song Wanzi looked at Jiang Mei with a calm expression. "Come out with me."
Jiang Mei was slightly taken aback, but Lu Shenghui was already urging her impatiently, "What are you standing there for? Hurry up and follow us."
Startled back to her senses by the man's voice, Jiang Mei followed Song Wanzi in a state of utter confusion. The door to the private room closed again, and Song Wanzi led her to a secluded corner. "Being an alpha in a wealthy family isn't so easy, is it?"
She chuckled softly. "Now you have what you wanted?"
Jiang Mei raised her eyes, and with a surge of courage from who-knows-where, stared directly into the woman's smiling eyes and said, "I'm sorry." She bit her lip hard, her voice low, "I've always loved Yu Yu."
“If the person I marry through proper matchmaking is not her, I would rather remain unmarried for life.” After saying this, Jiang Mei felt much better. “My father insisted on this, and I, being of little influence, had no choice but to come. So I hope you will not misunderstand.”
Song Wanzi squinted at her for a long time, then lazily tossed a strand of hair behind her ear and asked casually, "But if you marry me, Lu Shenghui won't be able to control you so easily anymore." She leaned closer, "Aren't you tempted then?"
Jiang Mei suddenly raised her eyes, her face slightly flushed, "It's only a matter of time before I break free from his control!"
Realizing her tone had been too harsh, Jiang Mei took a half step back. "Sorry, what I meant was that I can try my best to do it myself."
Hearing this, Song Wanzi's smile widened even more. "In some ways, you and I are quite similar." She gently curled her red lips. "However, two similar people are destined not to be together."
He casually walked past Jiang Mei with his hands behind his back, saying, "Little girl, you should focus on your studies. I'll handle this."
Watching the alluring woman leave in astonishment, Jiang Mei couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
When she returned, both sets of parents had a very satisfactory conversation. Ignoring Mrs. Song's repeated attempts to curry favor, Song Wanzi didn't even lift her eyelids. After the dinner ended, she sent them a message saying, "I'm filming, not interested," and then completely blocked all of her parents' contact methods.
As she gripped the steering wheel, she thought to herself that after so many years in the entertainment industry, she had money and connections, and it wasn't like she couldn't survive without her family.
Isn't her hard work precisely to break free from their control and live the life she wants?
Qiao Yu, unaware that Lu Shangyi had arrived in time, enthusiastically handed her the menu. Lu Shangyi merely glanced at it indifferently, then lost all interest. Earlier, Lu Yi and his wife had been the talkative ones; this time, it was Lu Shenghui who was more vocal.
Neither of the two matriarchs wanted their daughters to marry an EGA, believing that marrying an EGA like Lu Shangyi or Qiao Yu offered little security, especially for someone like Qiao Yu who was already known for her womanizing ways at a young age. So the two women truly couldn't stand each other.
Qiao Jinghuai carefully observed his wife's expression, not daring to make any promises to Lu Shenghui.
Lu Shenghui noticed something was amiss, and seeing Qiao Yu still clinging to Lu Shangyi, he said, "Yu Yu's feelings for Shangyi are practically written all over her face."
Unfortunately, no one responded after he finished speaking. Finally, Qiao Yu sensed something was wrong and replied, "Thank you, brother. You have such a sweet tongue."
Lu Shenghui's face darkened, but since the other party was essentially praising him, he swallowed his anger.
Madam Qiao grew increasingly displeased with Lu Shenghui's overly eager manner. She thought, "Unsolicited kindness is always suspicious; I've never seen Lu Shenghui so polite to anyone before." She snorted inwardly, and then her gaze met Madam Lu's.
Madam Lu was a notorious doting mother; anyone who dared to say a bad word about Lu Shangyi in front of her would be subjected to her petty schemes, resulting in the loss of their family and home. With a well-maintained face, Madam Lu grew increasingly opposed to the marriage.
Of course, a scumbag like Qiao Yu would like her Shang Yi. Shang Yi is beautiful and smart. She is impeccable in both appearance and talent. It must be incredibly lucky for Qiao Yu to meet Shang Yi in this life.
With her eyes fixed on Madam Qiao, Madam Lu thought to herself: "He's putting on such a high and mighty act today, yet he still wants to marry her daughter?"
That's utterly delusional.
Qiao Yu didn't care about the undercurrents between the elders. She diligently peeled the shrimp shells for Lu Shangyi and then personally fed them to her mouth, "Sister, open your mouth."
Before Lu Shangyi could move, Madam Qiao and Madam Lu had already cast disapproving glances their way over.
Mrs. Qiao: Can't you be a little more sensible?
Madam Lu: You little scoundrel, don't even think about my son!
Qiao Yu blinked blankly, looking at her mother and then at Madam Lu, before slowly raising an eyebrow. "?"
Seeing that Lu Shangyi didn't move, Qiao Yu moved her hand and spoke again, "Is it too hot? Let me blow on it for you."
"No need." Lu Shangyi used her chopsticks to grab the meat from the claw, then fed it to Qiao Yu's mouth. "You eat it. I'm allergic to seafood and never eat these."
Startled, Qiao Yu opened her mouth and ate the food on her lips. "What else would you like to eat? I'll get it for you. Or shall we order some other dishes?"
Mrs. Qiao grew increasingly displeased with Qiao Yu's behavior and let her be. After all, it wasn't her own daughter being taken advantage of, so she wasn't heartbroken. Mrs. Lu, on the other hand, found Qiao Yu increasingly displeasing. Therefore, after the meal, Mrs. Lu suggested, "When we have time, let's each get our children's genetics matched."
"Two people who are 100% compatible are the right people to be together."
Mrs. Qiao smiled faintly upon hearing this: "That's exactly what I was thinking." With the genetic matching results in hand, Lu Shenghui, no matter how unwilling he was, would have no way to say anything.
Mrs. Qiao was always decisive and efficient; as soon as the dinner ended, she took Qiao Yu to the same testing facility as before. Qiao Yu was a regular there; before she even stepped inside, a nurse greeted her warmly, "You're here again?"
It was a perfectly normal statement, but for some reason it sounded a bit off after I heard it.
This time the procedure was obviously more complicated and rigorous than the last one, probably because the result last time was so outrageous that even Mrs. Qiao had a psychological trauma.
Although it wasn't the first time she'd done this kind of matching, Qiao Yu was even more nervous than the last time. She hoped that the people on the list wouldn't change, but she also fantasized about seeing some new names on the new list, like Lu Shangyi.
Even after differentiating into an ega, she still refused to believe that she and Lu Shangyi didn't even have a one percent chance of being together.
She has always trusted her judgment of people and her intuition, so there's no reason for her to make a mistake with Lu Shangyi this time.
This time, Qiao Yu even kept it from Meng E. Her mother valued the matching results highly and didn't open the file immediately, waiting until Qiao Yu came home from school so the whole family could sit together and find out the answer. Qiao Yu's heart raced uncontrollably, and her palms were sweaty with nervousness.
Mrs. Qiao handed the file folder to Qiao Jinghuai, who hesitated for a moment before taking it. "Should I read it?"
"Hurry up, hurry up!" Qiao Yu was so nervous that her mind went blank, and she almost fainted on the spot. He could do whatever he wanted with her, he just wanted her to have a quick death.
Qiao Jinghuai had no choice but to open the file folder and take out the test results. Qiao Yu picked up a glass of water to moisten her dry throat, but found that her fingers were trembling uncontrollably. She had to put the water down again. Qiao Yu held her breath and stared at Qiao Jinghuai, her heart pounding so hard it felt like it was going to jump out of her chest.
"The first one," Qiao Jinghuai read out without any interest, "Song Wanzi."
The first one? Qiao Yu made the same confused face as Max wearing a shower cap. Could it be that there are several more this time?!
Without giving her a chance to process what was happening, Qiao Jinghuai turned to the second page. This time, he finally showed some emotion. He was about to speak when Madam Qiao snatched the test report away. Madam Qiao quickly glanced at it. "Three this time too."
Before Qiao Jinghuai could even see clearly, he quickly leaned over and pressed his cheek against Madam Qiao's. "Good heavens! No wonder she's my daughter! She's really accomplished!" He cleared his throat and then loudly announced, "And this one is Ye Yunjian!"
Qiao Yu's head was buzzing. Good heavens, wasn't this exactly the same list as last time? She could almost guess that Qiao Jinghuai was about to say the female lead's name.
However, she saw her parents freeze when they saw the last person, and it took them a long time to come to their senses. Then, they looked at her with unreadable expressions and said softly, "Bai Yiyu."
Qiao Yu was shocked, "?!?!"
What kind of lousy world is this?! It even has an elimination tournament system!
What a load of bull!
Author's Note: Sister Lu: No one understands disguise better than me.
They won't be dealt with internally; each of the aunties and sisters has their own storyline.
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