Chapter 175 A Dilemma
“Last time I opened a French teaching institution, she signed up for my class, but for some reason, she suddenly didn’t want to continue. I didn’t even have time to get her phone number.”
"But I know you have a wide network of connections, and the Zuo family isn't from Lincheng, so I was wondering if you could introduce me to them?"
Shang Yunshen explained his purpose in detail.
Lu Rang stopped in his tracks and coldly questioned, "Am I here to play matchmaker for you? Or am I your nanny or your assistant? Why should I arrange something like this for you?"
"I just wanted to ask if you could give me her contact information, maybe I could get her a business card or something. You shouldn't be so rude."
Shang Yunshen already felt uneasy about asking Lu Rang about this kind of thing.
Hearing the other person's tone made him even more embarrassed.
In a moment of impulsiveness, Shang Yunshen blurted out, "Although Awu has severed ties with the Shang family, as you know, our relationship has never broken down. I went to jail because of her, and she has never been able to let go of me."
"Otherwise, she wouldn't have wanted to sponsor my opening of a teaching institution after I left the company. She might not want other people to be happy, but Awu would definitely want me, her older brother, to be happy."
Shang Yun Shen said these words without batting an eye.
He suddenly realized that sometimes enjoying certain conveniences can be addictive.
Even though he was fully aware that he was trying to soften Lu Rang's heart by using Shang Wu, and that Lu Rang would never give him that face, and that everything he did was for Shang Wu's benefit.
But he just couldn't control himself and wanted to take advantage of this resource.
Just as he had to treat his mother's illness, he was deeply captivated by Zuo Xueqing the moment he saw her photo.
Having never been in a relationship since childhood, he wanted to start his first love, so he approached Lu Rang almost without hesitation.
There was a long silence on the phone.
Unable to hear a response from Lu Rang, Shang Yun Shen remained unhurried.
He continued to persuade Lu Rang: "Awu is still entangled with the merchants, unable to let go, because she's worried about my business and settling down. If you could..."
"Stop talking." Lu Rang interrupted him coldly, and after a moment of silence, said, "I'll think it over and give you an answer."
After hanging up the phone, he put it back in his pocket, closed his eyes, and finally managed to suppress all his emotions before returning home.
"Are these my favorite butter-flavored potato chips?"
Shang Wu had already taken a shower and changed into her pajamas, and was sitting cross-legged on the sofa watching TV.
Seeing Lu Rang come in carrying snacks, she felt as if she had returned to her high school days, waiting for Shang Yun Shen to bring her snacks. She ran over to take the snacks and checked the flavors of the potato chips.
Shang Wu chuckled and said, "It's the kind I like to eat."
She tiptoed and kissed Lu Rang on the cheek: "Great! Here's a reward."
Lu Rang, preoccupied, supported her waist and urged her to put on her shoes.
Watching her retreating figure, Lu Rang fell into deep thought.
He asked, seemingly casually, "Now, are you only still in contact with Shang Yun Shen? He should be the person you dislike the least in the Shang family."
Shang Wu paused in her action of unpacking potato chips, then sat on the sofa and looked at him with a puzzled expression.
"Why are you suddenly asking this?" She became wary, frowning. "Did my brother bother you?"
Lu Rang denied it: "No, I was just asking what your attitude is towards business people now."
Shang Wu thought about it seriously.
“I don’t have any attitude. I just treat them like strangers, as if they have nothing to do with me. Maybe in their eyes I’m unfilial, a madman, having abandoned my parents and refusing to talk to my brother. But I can’t accept many things, so I have to stay away from them.”
She couldn't accept that her comfortable life over the years was something she had inherited from her parents.
She also couldn't accept that her loving and affectionate parents, who were always perceived as kind, hardworking, and capable by outsiders, were actually completely different from what she thought.
What Shang Wu found even more intolerable was that, despite Ruan Yuzhi's guilty conscience for doing something wrong, she was afraid that the truth of what happened back then would be discovered, so she prevented Ruan Yuzhi from getting close to Lu Rang and even forced her to break up with Lu Rang in order to cover up the truth.
Ruan Yuzhi chose to sever ties with her family. In her most desperate situation, no one came to her aid. This matter troubled her deeply and she would never be able to get over it.
Shang Wu snapped out of her daze, pulled Lu Rang to sit down, and stuffed potato chips into his mouth.
"Anyway, don't think too much about it. I really don't have any feelings for the Shang family. At most, I have a little bit of feelings for Shang Yun Shen, since he's been my best friend since we were kids."
“He always pampers and protects me, and I still cherish those feelings for him. As long as he lives a quiet life and doesn’t bother me, I won’t dislike him.”
Speaking of this, Shang Wu hesitated for a moment, glancing at Lu Rang, wondering if this would make him feel better.
Lu Rang listened attentively, nodding slightly as if deep in thought.
"Okay, I understand what you mean..."
"Don't say these things, it'll affect our mood." Shang Wu cupped his face, her index finger, which had been holding a potato chip, curled up to avoid getting it dirty.
"I'm going to wash my hands. You wait here for a bit, I have something to tell you."
Lu Rang nodded slightly, watched her leave, and then took out his phone to find information about the Zuo family.
With his fingertip hovering over the screen, Lu Rang took a screenshot of the Zuo family's daughter's business card and sent it to Shang Yunshen's mobile phone number in just one second.
Shang Yun Shen replied very quickly.
Without even looking, I knew they were just polite words of thanks.
Lu Rang didn't even look at what was in the chat box; he simply deleted the text message sent by Shang Yunshen with one click.
Includes historical records.
He leaned back on the sofa, his face showing an undeniable weariness.
Until her cool, soft fingertips landed on his forehead.
Shang Wu had somehow gotten behind him and was gently massaging his temples.
A gentle voice came from above his head.
Is this comfortable?
Lu Rang's anxiety subsided, and he opened his eyes to look at Shang Wu, gazing into her beautiful, round eyes.
Suddenly, he grabbed Shang Wu's hand and sat up straight.
"I'm going upstairs to take a shower first. We can talk about what you want to tell me later."
"But..." Shang Wu was about to call out to her when Lu Rang had already strode towards the stairs.
She subconsciously raised her hand, touched the corner of her eye, sighed helplessly, turned around and sat on the sofa. She picked up the potato chips that Lu Rang had carefully sealed for her, and then put them down again.
fine.
At least since returning to China, this was the first time Lu Rang had thought of the past because of her appearance.
The frequency will only decrease in the future.
This was originally a psychological trauma inflicted on Lu Rang by the merchants, and she would accompany Lu Rang through it no matter what.
What she didn't expect was that Lu Rang had been holding back and hadn't taken any action against the Shang family.
Given Lu Rang's attitude and temperament, the fact that he didn't harm Ruan Yuzhi is clearly because she is her biological mother.
Shang Wu repeatedly said that she didn't care about her mother at all.
But Lu Rang's mother was unaware that Ruan Yuzhi was the root of her depression, and the contents of her suicide note stipulated that no one should be allowed to harm the business.
Lu Rang could never bring himself to do it, even though he wanted to.
Shang Wu sighed softly, her mood also sinking a bit.
...
late at night.
In the middle of the night, Shang Wu woke up because of thirst. When she got up, she found that no one was beside her.
He went outside and saw Lu Rang sitting on the sofa in the living room, with only the faint light of his laptop in front of him.
His fingers tapped incessantly on the keyboard, his expression serious, typical of someone working at an office; he was clearly dealing with work-related matters.
Shang Wu turned on the light in surprise. "Why are you still busy so late? Is the work at the Yu family's place very busy? If you can't get away, I can help you."
"It's okay, you take care of your company's affairs. Isn't the new product design going to be released soon?" Lu Rang pinched the corner of his eye and closed his laptop. "I just had a bit of insomnia, so I'm working here to pass the time. You don't need to worry."
Upon hearing this, Shang Wu pursed her lips and went down the stairs, holding onto the handrail.
What's causing your insomnia? Can you tell me?
Lu Rang's eyes flickered.
He had a nightmare after falling asleep, in which he dreamt that his mother had a wound on her head from being hit by a rock when she jumped into the lake.
His mother, her face covered in blood, stared coldly at him and asked, "Why are you with the daughter of your enemy? Don't you know that I was driven to depression by Shang Wu's mother and eventually committed suicide by jumping into the lake? Do you still consider me your mother? Tell me!"
She questioned him sternly, unlike her mother's usual gentleness.
When Lu Rang opened his eyes, he was covered in sweat. He was suppressing many indescribable emotions and could only go downstairs to distract himself with work.
Facing Shang Wu at this moment, he couldn't say anything, he just smiled.
"It's that kind of physiological insomnia, without any reason, maybe it's because I drank too much coffee today."
Shang Wu walked over and sat on his lap.
Lu Rang then held her in his arms.
Shang Wu put her arms around his neck and gave him earnest instructions.
"If you have any psychological pressure or worries, just tell me, okay? I'll be there for you and try to understand you."
Lu Rang avoided her gaze and tightened his grip on her wrist.
"I know, you go upstairs and rest first. I'll come find you after I finish this."
Shang Wu could only kiss him on the cheek.
"Then hurry up, I can't sleep without you."
She got up and left, going upstairs to wait.
Watching her leave, Lu Rang turned on his computer, finished his work, and then stood up.
Suddenly, the wristwatch came loose and fell to the ground.
Bang!
The watch face shattered.
Lu Rang paused, staring intently at the watch, which had a very business-like feel but a slightly outdated design.
It was a gift from his mother when he was a child.
He always dreamed of becoming like Lu Zheng, the heir to the family, living a life of glory and being treated with utmost respect wherever he went.
Especially Lu Zheng's watch, which usually has a simple black dial, but shines brightly when the sun shines on it.
At the time, he was only 11 years old and could only secretly look at such a watch and secretly envy it.
But somehow his mother figured out what he wanted, and on his birthday, he suddenly received a similar watch.
Lu Rang recently found the watch and started wearing it again.
But now it suddenly shattered.
This can be considered the last gift his mother gave him before she passed away.
Lu Rang slowly picked up the watch, looked at the shattered dial, and muttered to himself.
Is it a sign?
His mother disapproved of his current behavior and was blaming him.
Lu Rang suddenly felt a splitting headache and his heart felt so heavy that he couldn't breathe.
He gripped his watch tightly, his eyes gradually becoming unnatural.
Until the sound of a door slamming came from downstairs.
Shang Wu took two seconds to react before suddenly sitting up, then rolled out of bed in surprise and went outside to look.
There was no one left in the living room.
Lu Rang's shoes were also gone.
She immediately went to the second-floor balcony and saw Lu Rang drive away through the floor-to-ceiling windows.
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