Chapter 258 Returning to the Yu Family
Shang Wu left home and went to the design studio to stay, where she could find some peace of mind.
Soon, Lu Zheng's car suddenly stopped downstairs at the studio.
Qianjue respectfully opened the car door.
Lu Zheng looked at Shang Wu and said in an unquestionable tone, "Come back to the Yu family with me. You need to take good care of your health."
Shang Wu froze, instinctively taking a half-step back: "Mr. Lu, what do you mean?"
The Lu Zheng who had always been indifferent to her in her memory now had a hint of concern in his eyes, which made her feel a little uncomfortable.
Lu Zheng stepped forward, his gaze sweeping over her pale face.
His voice softened a bit: "Don't overthink it. I'm not suddenly being nice to you. If you really leave, that kid Lu Rang will cause a huge uproar with me. Besides, I still want to hold my grandson in my arms someday."
Shang Wu's heart sank, but a smile crept onto her lips.
“If it’s for the sake of future generations, you can simply let Lu Rang find someone else.”
Lu Zheng stopped and stared at her, his eyes showing a hint of understanding.
Do you think Lu Rang would ever truly fall in love with anyone other than you?
Shang Wu opened her mouth, but couldn't utter a single word. In the end, she could only sigh softly and bend down to get into the car.
It's better to leave here.
First, create some distance; this can help calm your emotions.
at the same time.
Lu Rang drove incredibly fast, dialing Shang Wu's number dozens of times without getting an answer.
His hands gripped the steering wheel, veins bulging, as he repeatedly replayed in his mind the unconcealed loneliness in her eyes as she left with her suitcase.
"Do you even know where A-Wu is? Hasn't she contacted you?"
The call finally connected, and Lu Rang's voice was filled with suppressed urgency.
“I’ve searched all the studios she frequents and the apartments she used to live in, but there’s not a trace of her.”
Lu You sighed on the other end of the phone and softened her tone.
"Don't panic. I just got the news from the old house. A-Wu is with her father, at the Yu family's main residence."
Lu Rang slammed on the brakes, panic instantly filling his eyes.
"Why would Lu Zheng take A-Wu away? He didn't say anything nasty to A-Wu, did he?"
He and Lu Zheng were already estranged, and he worried that Lu Zheng would take out his resentment over losing his child on A Wu.
"What are you thinking?" Lu You quickly interrupted his guess. "Father is acting very strangely this time. He specially had a sunny guest room with a small garden prepared. Qianjue just said that he was watching the koi with Awu in the yard. He even personally supervised the cooking of the fish maw in the kitchen. He cares about you ten times more than he does about you."
Lu Rang froze, his grip on the phone loosened, and his tone was full of disbelief.
"Why did he suddenly... Should I go find A-Wu now?"
"Don't make things worse!" Lu You raised her voice anxiously. "The most important thing right now is to let you two calm down. Lu Zheng also said that A Wu should stay at the old house to rest until she calms down before we talk about it."
If you go there now, and we end up arguing about the children again, won't that just push them further away?
Lu Rang leaned back in his chair, his brows furrowed, his fingertips unconsciously stroking his phone.
His tone softened: "We can't keep dragging this out; we need to find a way to ease the situation."
There was a few seconds of silence on the other end of the phone, followed by Lu You's confident voice.
“I’ve already discussed the plan with Lu Zheng. Isn’t Yujia Wharf going to expand into new businesses? We’ve been lacking a person in charge who understands overall planning and can focus on getting things done. I think it’s perfect to hand it over to A-Wu.”
Lu Rang frowned: "Give it to A-Wu? She's not familiar with the dock business, and she's just been through all this. How can she have the energy to manage this?"
“That’s exactly why we have to submit it.” Lu You’s voice carried a hint of slyness. “Awu is meticulous and good at dealing with people, which is perfect for her. More importantly, this business is Father’s key project this year.”
"Giving her the work is like binding the two of you together. She's at the Yu family's house, so you'll inevitably see each other. You won't have to worry about not having a proper conversation, and keeping her busy will help her think less about those unpleasant things."
Lu Rang stared at the road ahead, and the anxiety in his heart slowly subsided.
He tapped his fingertips on the steering wheel and finally relented: "Okay, we'll do it your way. Keep an eye on things for me. If A-Wu has any questions about the dock business, just let me know and I'll handle it."
"Don't worry, I'm here." Lu You replied readily, and added before hanging up, "By the way, my father specifically instructed that if you dare to sneak back to the old house to bother A-Wu, he will make sure you never see her again. You'd better think it over."
Lu Rang gave a helpless smile, hung up the phone, and started the car again.
His direction was no longer aimless searching, but rather law firms.
He had to resolve Lin Ruan's matter thoroughly first, and he absolutely couldn't let anyone affect their relationship.
…
In the study of the Yu family's old house.
Sunlight streamed through the carved window and fell onto the table.
Lu Zheng pushed a thick folder, as thick as a brick, in front of Shang Wu, and paused: "This is the Yu family's main event this year. Take a look."
Shang Wu reached out and took it. Her gaze swept over the list of partners without the slightest hesitation, and when she looked up, her eyes held a hint of understanding.
"Mr. Lu wants me to take charge of this area?"
She had already heard rumors from Lu You, so she wasn't too surprised at the moment.
"You're quite perceptive." Lu Zheng rarely showed a hint of approval. "This business requires coordinating route packaging and negotiating details with shipping companies. You need to be good at both overall planning and dealing with people. You're the most suitable."
“I’ve never been in the dock business, but the rules and logic are the same.”
Shang Wu opened the folder and lightly tapped a spot on a near-shore shipping route. "The stops here could be optimized further. It would be more convenient to be closer to the ancient town scenic area."
With just a few words, he accurately pointed out the blank spaces in the plan, without the slightest bit of timidity.
Looking at her confident expression, Lu Zheng's satisfaction deepened: "If you need anything, just ask Lu You, or have Lu Rang lend you a hand."
Shang Wu paused, her hand holding the paper still, but she didn't reply. She just looked down and continued reading the documents.
She is not ready to face Lu Rang yet.
At the same time.
Law firm.
Lin Ruan was slowly and methodically packing her personal belongings.
She ignored the sympathetic or curious glances from her colleagues, and even touched up her lipstick in front of the mirror, a smile she couldn't hide curving her lips.
"Lin Ruan, is Lawyer Lu really not going to keep you this time?" A familiar receptionist came over and asked.
Lin Ruan picked up the tablet computer on the table and swiped her finger across a photo on the screen.
In the picture, Shang Wu and Shen Chunzhi are standing at the entrance of the gallery. The angle is so tricky that it makes the distance between the two look particularly intimate.
“There’s nothing to regret.” Her voice was light and airy. As she stuffed the tablet into her bag, a ruthless glint flashed in her eyes. “You can find another job, but some people’s debts have to be repaid.”
She walked out of the law firm with her bag, and just as she got into her car, her phone rang.
The voice on the other end was deep and urgent: "Lu Rangzhen fired you? What's going to happen next?"
"It would be better if he resigned."
Lin Ruan started the car and looked in the direction of the Yu family's old house. "I took photos. When Shang Wu takes over the dock business, I will release the photos. At that time, everyone will say that she is having an affair with Shen Chunzhi while also having an affair with Lu Rang. Even if Lu Rang wants to protect her, he will not be able to stop the gossip."
The person on the other end of the phone breathed a sigh of relief: "You've thought of everything."
"Just wait, the best is yet to come."
Lin Ruan hung up the phone, her smile widening.
What she wanted was never a position at the law firm, but to ruin Shang Wu's reputation and seek justice for her cousin.
On the other side.
Lu Rang had just finished processing Lin Ruan's handover procedures and was holding supplementary data on the dock operations in his hand. After hesitating for a moment, he dialed Lu You's number.
"Sister, I've compiled a quote from a shipping company. Could you please give it to Awu for me?"
"Why don't you deliver it yourself?" Lu You's voice was teasing.
Lu Rang leaned back in his office chair, his gaze fixed on the view outside the window, his tone tinged with helplessness: "Lu Zheng won't let me go to the old house to bother her."
“Alright, I’ll take it over for you.” Lu You sighed. “But A-Wu’s head is full of flight route planning right now, so don’t expect her to reply to you right away.”
After hanging up the phone, Lu Rang's knuckles turned slightly white as he gripped the phone.
He always felt that Lin Ruan's confident demeanor when she left was strange, as if some hidden danger was lurking in the shadows.
He took out his phone, found Shang Wu's number, and hovered his finger over the dial button for a long time before finally putting it down.
He needs to clear away any potential troubles Lin Ruan might cause before he can properly explain things to A Wu.
Meanwhile, in the Yu family's old residence, Shang Wu was annotating the flight path chart with suggestions for modification.
The wind outside the window ruffled her hair, but her eyes were only focused on her work.
...
Three days after Lin Ruan left, she completely disappeared without a trace.
The people Lu sent only found out that she had bought a high-speed rail ticket to a neighboring city, and then disappeared without a trace, like a drop of water merging into the ocean.
The sense of crisis lurking in the shadows had not dissipated, and Lu Rang was restless.
He hadn't seen Shang Wu for five whole days.
Halfway through the law firm's meeting, he stared at the dock freight cooperation plan on the projection screen, but his mind was filled with the image of Shang Wu looking at documents in the old courtyard.
In the photo Lu You sent yesterday, she was wearing a light gray knitted sweater, her hair loosely tied back, holding a pen in her hand, and frowning as she looked at the flight route map.
"Lu Rang, what are you daydreaming about?"
Lu You's voice came from the side, and she nudged him lightly with her elbow, "This plan is for A-Wu's reference. If you want to know her thoughts, you might as well ask her yourself."
Lu Rang snapped out of his daze, his fingertip tracing a mark on the document, his tone carrying a hint of barely perceptible grievance: "Lu Zheng won't let me go to the old house."
"That's because you haven't come up with the right reason."
Lu You rolled her eyes and pushed a quote for the renovation of the dock parking lot in front of him. "A-Wu asked me for information on reliable construction teams yesterday. Don't you have information on a few that you've worked with? Use that as an excuse. Lu Zheng can't stop you from talking about work, can he?"
These words seemed to awaken Lu Rang.
After the meeting, he left Yecheng without even having time to put on his suit jacket.
Five hours later, he arrived at the Yu family's house and saw the housekeeper pruning potted plants in the yard. He quickly got out of the car and asked, "Uncle Zhang, is A-Wu inside?"
"Miss Shang is looking at the dock blueprints in the study."
The butler put down the scissors, a hint of a smile in his eyes. "However, Mr. Lu is having tea in the living room, so you'd better be careful when you go in."
Lu Rang's heart tightened, and he pushed open the door.
The aroma of tea wafted from the living room. Lu Zheng was sitting on the mahogany sofa, flipping through a newspaper. Hearing the noise, he looked up, his gaze falling on the documents in Lu Zheng's arms. His tone was cold: "What are you doing here again?"
"Deliver the renovation documents for the dock parking lot to Awu." Lu Rang handed over the documents.
“She needs to find a construction team. The ones I know have all done similar projects and are more reliable than those from outside.”
Lu Zheng glanced at the document cover, didn't take it, but simply gestured with his chin towards the study: "Go in, don't mention any useless things to her, it will only delay her work, just leave."
Lu Rang loosened his grip on the documents and walked quietly towards the study.
The door was ajar, and he could see Shang Wu's back as she sat at her desk. Sunlight streamed in through the window cracks, casting a pale gold glow on her hair.
He knocked gently on the door, and only after hearing a "Come in" from inside did he push the door open and go in.
The moment Shang Wu looked up, he felt his heart skip a beat.
Her eyes held a hint of weariness from having just finished reviewing the blueprints, and there were faint dark circles under her eyes, but she looked more energetic than she had five days ago.
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