Chapter 223 Seeking refuge
Shang Wu knew nothing at all.
Afternoon sunlight streamed through the spacious floor-to-ceiling windows, illuminating the design table in the villa's second-floor studio.
She was intently sketching a ring, the pen scratching softly as inspiration flowed freely.
The new series is themed around "love and protection".
Shang Wu was very interested in creating this series.
Thinking about it carefully, even in Cheng Zhou, she did not design any jewelry with her own feelings as the theme.
Suddenly, the doorbell rang downstairs, interrupting her thoughts.
Shang Wu was somewhat puzzled. Who could it be at this time?
She put down her pen, went downstairs, and opened the door, only to find Lu You standing there with just a simple suitcase and a backpack beside her.
Lu You's face showed signs of travel fatigue, but her eyes were unusually bright, even showing a sense of relief and ease.
"Sister You?" Shang Wu's eyes widened in surprise. "How come you... are back so soon? And with luggage?"
She subconsciously looked behind Lu You, but did not see Cheng Zhou or anyone else.
Lu You smiled, her smile more genuine and relaxed than usual.
"What, you don't welcome me coming to stay with you and my brother?"
"Of course you're welcome, come in quickly!" Shang Wu quickly stepped aside to let her in and took the suitcase from her hands.
Her heart was filled with questions and worries. "Has something happened? Is it related to Cheng Zhou?"
Shang Wu immediately thought of Cheng Zhou's feat of closing the restaurant and crashing the wedding at the Yu family's house.
Lu You walked into the living room, sat down naturally, and poured herself a glass of water.
She calmly and slowly told Shang Wu about what had happened at the Yu family's old house and how she ultimately decided to leave.
"So, that's how it is." Lu You shrugged, her tone deliberately light, but Shang Wu could hear the turmoil beneath her calm surface.
"Cheng Zhou barged in without a care, which inadvertently gave me an excuse and the courage to leave. I've figured it out. I can't be a puppet and let the old man control me anymore. From now on, I want to live for myself."
Shang Wu was filled with mixed emotions.
She admired Lu You's courage to break free from her shackles, but also worried about her future.
Shang Wu sat down next to Lu You, held her hand tightly, and said sincerely, "Sister You, I'm so happy for you that you think and act this way. You should have done this a long time ago. You don't need to rely on marriage to maintain the family business. You are already excellent enough. Cheng Zhou... although his methods were a bit reckless, he really cares about you."
Lu You grasped Shang Wu's hand in return, a fleeting hint of tenderness flashing in her eyes, but she quickly regained her carefree demeanor.
"Alright, stop praising him. If you keep praising him, he'll get all cocky. I'm homeless now, sister-in-law, can you take me in for a few days?"
"What are you saying! This is your home, you can stay as long as you want!"
Shang Wu immediately stood up. "Come on, I'll take you to the law firm to find A-Rang and tell him the news. He'll definitely be happy for you too."
"Besides, there are many vacant offices at the law firm, and the environment is good. See if there's one that catches your eye; you can use it as your temporary studio."
Shang Wu thought that Lu You had just become independent and needed a career focus. The environment of the law firm was relatively quiet and professional, which was very suitable for her.
When the two arrived at Lu Rang's law firm, before they even entered, they heard a sharp female voice coming from inside, mixed with crying and accusations.
"Attorney Lu! How could you do this! I trusted you so much! How could you... how could you lay a hand on me! I'm going to sue you! I'll ruin your reputation!"
Shang Wu and Lu You exchanged a glance, their hearts sinking at the same time, and quickly walked inside.
Several employees were gathered in the law firm's reception area, all looking embarrassed and helpless.
In the middle, a sexy woman with exquisite makeup was crying her eyes out, pointing her finger at Lu Rang's nose and accusing him.
Lu Rang stood opposite him, his expression cold, his brows furrowed, his hands clenched into fists, clearly furious.
Because of his upbringing and status, he couldn't bring himself to lash out at a woman, and remained frozen there, not moving for a long time.
“Ms. Li, please have some self-respect. I have never done anything out of line. If you continue to slander me like this, I reserve the right to pursue legal action against you.” Lu Rang suppressed his anger and remained expressionless.
"Slander? Who slandered you! It was you! There were only the two of us in the office just now! You took the opportunity of handing over documents to touch my hand!"
The woman persisted, her voice growing louder, "Everyone, come and see! This is the so-called top lawyer! Hypocritical! A beast in human clothing!"
Lu Rang really wanted to throw this unreasonable woman out.
This was the first time he had ever encountered such mudslinging in his career.
You can't hit them or scold them, and they won't listen to reason with you at all.
Just then, Shang Wu walked over quickly with a cold face, stood directly in front of Lu Rang, and protected him behind her.
Her gaze was icy as she stared directly at the woman throwing a tantrum, her voice clear and forceful.
"Madam, are you sure you want to continue slandering my fiancé? Do you even know what he does for a living?"
"Lawyers excel at gathering evidence and litigating. Every word you say here could become evidence in court. Defamation is a serious offense, and it's not as simple as just an apology. Are you sure you want to try?"
Shang Wu's words were like a bucket of cold water, instantly extinguishing some of the woman's arrogance.
Her eyes flickered, seemingly a little scared, but she still tried to sound tough: "Who are you?! You say he's your fiancé, so he's your fiancé? Who knows if they're in cahoots!"
At this moment, Lu You also strolled over slowly.
She crossed her arms and sized the woman up and down with a disdainful look in her eyes.
The woman became alert and glared back with a similarly menacing look.
"What are you looking at? What's so interesting about it!"
Lu You snorted coldly, her red lips parted slightly, her tone lazy yet incredibly lethal.
"I thought you were some kind of celestial being descended to earth. With your appearance and makeup that looks like you've been thrown into a flour jar, what could have driven my brother to abandon his celestial fiancée at home and come here to molest you?"
"Is he blind or has his taste suddenly plummeted? Touching you? Does he think disinfectant isn't expensive enough?"
"You! You all..."
The woman was so enraged by Lu You's extremely insulting words that she trembled all over, her face turning red and white in turns, and her finger pointing at them was shaking.
Several employees nearby couldn't help but chuckle softly.
Lu You and Shang Wu, one offering a legal warning and the other a sharp tongue attack, worked together seamlessly to instantly defuse the other party's arrogance.
Seeing that she couldn't gain any advantage and would only become a laughingstock, and fearing she would actually be sued, the woman could only stomp her foot angrily, throw down the words "You just wait!", grab her bag, and slink away.
The farce has finally come to an end.
Wow! The boss lady is awesome! Sister You is so powerful!
Several young employees couldn't help but cheer and applaud quietly.
Lu Rang smiled slightly, reached out and pulled Shang Wu back to his side, looking down at her with tender eyes.
"A-Wu, how are you so amazing?"
Shang Wu blushed and glared at him: "Tch, you should be more careful. You look like you attract all sorts of attention, no wonder people are bothering you."
Lu You shook her head with a smile: "Alright, alright, stop showing off your love. A-Rang, the feng shui of your law firm is terrible, it keeps attracting weirdos."
Lu Rang smiled helplessly before looking at Lu You and the suitcase next to her.
He asked in confusion, "Sister, what's wrong?"
Shang Wu then told him about Lu You leaving the Yu family.
Lu Rang wasn't particularly surprised after hearing this.
"Sister, you did the right thing. You should have left a long time ago."
He paused, looked around the law firm, and said, "What are your plans for the future? If you don't have anywhere to go for the time being, why don't you stay here? There are a few empty offices upstairs in the law firm. They have good lighting and soundproofing. I can set one up for you to use as a temporary studio and lounge. It will be convenient for your daily life."
However, as soon as Lu Rang finished speaking, another voice hurriedly interrupted.
"No need, no need! Why stay at the law firm? Sister You, come with me! I have a big villa in the west of the city, it's just sitting empty anyway, the environment is nice and quiet, it's definitely a hundred times more comfortable than the law firm!"
Cheng Zhou arrived at some point, clearly having learned that Lu You was there.
He was a little out of breath from running, his face filled with eagerness and anticipation as he looked at Lu You expectantly.
In an instant, everyone's eyes were focused on Lu You.
Lu You looked at the two people in front of her who both wanted to help her.
She was silent for a few seconds, then, under everyone's gaze, she elegantly rolled her eyes.
She looked at Lu Rang and said decisively, "Thanks, but I appreciate your kind offer. I might consider borrowing your office for a while, but I don't want to stay here. You just caused a scene here, and I don't want to cause you any more trouble."
Then, she turned to Cheng Zhou, who was looking at her expectantly, her eyes filled with obvious disdain and warning.
"And you, Cheng Zhou, give up your idea of keeping a mistress in a gilded cage. I won't live in anyone else's villa."
She straightened her back, her gaze swept over them, and finally landed on Shang Wu. Her tone was firm and clear, with an unquestionable independent stance.
“I, Lu You, left the Yu family not to jump from one cage to another, nor to live off any man. I have hands, feet, and brains; I can earn money and find my own place to live.”
She took Shang Wu's arm, reverting to her usual carefree demeanor.
"Let's go, Awu, come with me to look at some houses. We can also check out the market and see what side hustles I can do next."
After saying that, she didn't give the two men a chance to speak again, and pulled Shang Wu, who couldn't help but chuckle, away from the law firm.
Lu Rang and Cheng Zhou looked at each other, one helpless and the other dejected.
Well, it seems this woman is serious about her path to independence.
Outside, Shang Wu frequently glanced at Lu You.
"Are you really not going to date Cheng Zhou? I thought you two would confess your feelings and get together."
Lu You pouted: "I've liked a lot of people, and I can't just settle down with every one I meet. Cheng Zhou is indeed different from other people, but I don't want to date him."
"Why? At least you like him now." Shang Wu asked, puzzled.
Lu You thought of Cheng Zhou's age.
"He's six years younger than me, does he even know what true love is?"
"I estimate he'll come to his senses in a while. I don't want to make any decisions while he's acting impulsively, otherwise we'll grow to hate each other and it will be too late to regret it."
Shang Wu was taken aback, feeling that Lu You's words made sense, but something about them didn't quite seem right.
This is way too much like the behavior of a businessman.
If we have to weigh the pros and cons like this, then there is no emotion in the world worth investing in.
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