Chapter 237 Childish Tricks
Cheng Zhou kept a close distance, pressing the accelerator all the way, his heart feeling like it was being soaked in a vat of vinegar, unbearably sour.
He watched as Lu You's Ferrari finally stopped in front of a high-end Western restaurant with an elegant ambiance and exquisite dishes.
The doorman respectfully stepped forward to open the door for Lu You and the man.
The man got out of the car and gentlemanly protected Lu You's head.
The two smiled at each other and walked into the restaurant side by side.
The scene looked very harmonious, and the two people were a perfect match.
Cheng Zhou parked his car in the shadows on the opposite street corner and stared at the restaurant's glass window.
Although their expressions were not clearly visible, Lu You and the man could be seen chatting and laughing by the window, seemingly getting along very well.
Lu You even lowered her head shyly and chuckled softly.
Cheng Zhou clenched his fist tighter and tighter until his knuckles turned white.
He took out his phone, dialed a number, and said in a voice filled with suppressed anger: "Find out the man who had dinner with Lu You. He drives a Maybach and is currently at Panyun Restaurant. I need all his information within five minutes."
The information arrived in less than five minutes.
Fu Mingyuan, a 35-year-old PhD graduate from overseas, is the Asia-Pacific president of a multinational technology company.
She comes from a wealthy family, is exceptionally capable, and has a clean romantic history...
The more perfect the information, the more intense Cheng Zhou's jealousy burned.
These conditions are indeed impeccable, and they even better meet Lu You's criteria for choosing a spouse than he does.
He is younger than Lu You, so Lu You might not be so likely to be interested in him.
A strong sense of crisis suddenly surged up.
He couldn't wait any longer.
Cheng Zhou took a deep breath and walked towards the restaurant.
Coincidentally, he had invested in this restaurant, so he was practically a co-owner.
He didn't go directly to Lu You's table, but went straight to the kitchen.
The head chef recognized him and was quite surprised to see him: "Young Master Cheng? What brings you here?"
"Could you please use the kitchen to cook something?" Cheng Zhou said expressionlessly, his tone leaving no room for refusal.
Although the head chef was baffled, he dared not stop them.
He stared in disbelief as this pampered young master wasted top-quality ingredients in a fit of almost rage.
A filet mignon that should have been tender and juicy was fried to a crispy exterior and raw interior, turning as black as charcoal.
He deliberately added an excessive amount of strange spices to the cream of mushroom soup, making it have a pungent smell.
Even for the dessert tiramisu, he thoughtfully sprinkled a thick layer of salt instead of powdered sugar.
What are you trying to do?
Is it an act of revenge against society or a smear campaign against his reputation?
The chef's lips twitched slightly.
"Alright, take these dishes to Mr. Fu and Miss Lu at the table by the window."
With a gloomy face, Cheng Zhou instructed a trembling waiter, "Just say it's the chef's new creation, and ask them to try it."
The waiter turned pale when he saw the dishes that looked like biological weapons, but under Cheng Zhou's cold gaze, he had no choice but to bite the bullet and take them over.
Cheng Zhou found a secluded corner seat where he could clearly observe the other table, ordered a drink, and watched coldly.
Over there, Fu Mingyuan and Lu You were having a pleasant conversation when they were both taken aback when the waiter brought out these local specialties that looked terrible and smelled rather strange.
"It seems we didn't order these?" Fu Mingyuan gently reminded him.
Following Cheng Zhou's instructions, the waiter stammered, "Yes, it's the chef's new idea, and we'd like Mr. Fu and Ms. Lu to try it."
Fu Mingyuan was very well-mannered. Although he was puzzled, he still politely picked up his knife and fork, cut a small piece of the dark steak, and put it in his mouth.
The next second, his expression turned extremely strange. He barely managed to hold back from vomiting on the spot, quickly grabbed a water glass and gulped down a few mouthfuls. His ability to control his facial expressions was almost completely ruined.
Lu You also sensed that something was wrong.
She glanced at the appalling steak, then at Fu Mingyuan's grim expression, and then looked around.
Not far away, Cheng Zhou was watching them leisurely, a wicked smile playing on his lips.
Lu You understood everything instantly.
A surge of speechlessness and anger welled up inside him.
She put down her knife and fork and gave Fu Mingyuan, who looked embarrassed and pained, an apologetic smile.
"Mr. Fu, I'm sorry, it seems there's a small problem in the kitchen today. Shall we go somewhere else?"
Fu Mingyuan nodded quickly.
Lu You stood up, but did not leave immediately. Instead, she went straight to Cheng Zhou's table.
When Cheng Zhou saw her coming, he felt a little smug, thinking that she had come to interrogate him, which would be a good opportunity to provoke that guy surnamed Fu.
To his surprise, when Lu You walked up to him, there was no anger in her eyes, only a deep sense of mockery and exhaustion.
"Cheng Zhou, how old are you? Don't you feel ashamed to play such childish tricks?"
Cheng Zhou's smile froze.
Lu You's gaze swept over his handsome face, her tone calm but every word piercing.
"Besides, do you think this is meaningful? Even if it weren't for Fu Mingyuan, there would be Li Mingyuan or Wang Mingyuan. I've said it before, the state of your Cheng family..."
She emphasized the last sentence, looking at Cheng Zhou's noticeably pale face.
"How could I possibly have any contact with you? I don't want to spend my future dealing with these disgusting problems every day."
Cheng Zhou's face turned deathly pale instantly.
He suddenly stood up: "Is it because of Coco? I can send her away, send her abroad, and I guarantee she won't come back to bother you again."
Lu You chuckled softly, as if she had heard something amusing.
"Send Cheng Keke away, and then what? Does that solve the problems at the root of your Cheng family? Cheng Zhou, don't be naive, we're not on the same side at all."
Looking at Cheng Zhou's anxious and hurt expression, she suddenly had a thought: to completely sever his feelings for her.
Shang Wu deliberately began, "Unless..."
Cheng Zhou's eyes lit up: "Unless what? Tell me! As long as I can do it!"
Lu You smiled slightly, her red lips parted, but the conditions she uttered were cruel.
"Unless you unconditionally transfer 51% of the shares of the Cheng Group to me, allowing your Cheng family to undergo a complete overhaul and be under my control, can you do that?"
Cheng Zhou was completely stunned, staring at Lu You in disbelief.
The Cheng Group is the foundation of the Cheng family and the culmination of his father's life's work.
Seeing his sudden silence, Lu You's faint hope vanished.
Just as I expected.
She tugged at the corners of her mouth, revealing a knowing yet distant smile.
"See? You can't bear to part with it, so stop doing these pointless things, Young Master Cheng. You're really degrading yourself."
After saying that, she stopped looking at Cheng Zhou's gloomy face, turned around and left gracefully, heading towards Fu Mingyuan who was waiting for her at the door.
Cheng Zhou stood frozen in place, watching her slender figure disappear through the doorway with that man. His fists clenched so tightly that his nails dug deep into his palms, yet he felt no pain whatsoever.
Fifty-one percent of the shares.
She actually made such a condition, was she teasing him, or did she really want it?
Cheng Zhou clenched his fists, lost in thought.
A few days later, Lu You visited Shang Wu at the hospital and mentioned the incident during their casual conversation.
"Do you think he's sick?" Lu You said, peeling an apple with a hint of sarcasm. "He actually went to the restaurant's kitchen to make some terrible food, trying to embarrass them, but Mr. Fu was so well-mannered that he didn't even get angry on the spot."
Shang Wu was both amused and exasperated: "Cheng Zhou can be quite childish sometimes."
She paused, then asked cautiously, "And you and that Mr. Fu..."
"He's alright. From our initial contact, he seems quite steady and mature. At least he wouldn't play these childish tricks."
Lu You handed the apple to Shang Wu and sighed, "I just used him as a shield, and also to make Cheng Zhou give up on me completely. Guess what I said to him?"
"What did you say?"
“I told him to give me 51% of the Cheng Group’s shares,” Lu You shrugged.
Shang Wu's eyes widened in surprise: "Huh? He definitely won't agree."
"Yes, he was speechless on the spot and couldn't say a word."
Lu You smiled, but there was a hint of sadness in her eyes. "So you see, all that talk about liking someone, about doing anything for me, when it comes to core interests, don't they all back down? In the end, what men love most is power and money."
Shang Wu paused for a moment, then gently grasped Lu You's hand: "Maybe he just didn't realize it, or he thought you were joking?"
"He knows whether he's joking or not." Lu You patted her hand. "That's good. This way everyone can have some peace and quiet. I don't want to get involved in the mess that Cheng family is making anymore. You should focus on recovering and don't worry about me."
However, Lu You's heart was not entirely unmoved.
When she made that outrageous condition, she certainly wanted to discourage Cheng Zhou, but deep down, wasn't there also a tiny, unadulterated test in her heart?
Cheng Zhou's silence, though expected, still made her feel somewhat uncomfortable.
Lu You exhaled, quickly shaking off this mood, and started chatting with Shang Wu about other things.
But what they didn't know was that Cheng Zhou hadn't truly given up after leaving the restaurant in a daze that day.
Transferring the group's shares was absolutely impossible, but he kept in mind the words "send Cheng Keke away" and "guarantee she won't come back to bother you again."
A few days later, a fierce argument broke out in the Cheng family.
Despite her parents' objections and Cheng Keke's crying and screaming, Cheng Zhou forcefully began processing the paperwork to send Cheng Keke to an overseas boarding school known for its strict management. He also cut off her supplementary credit card and strictly limited her spending.
"Brother! You can't do this to me! I'm your own sister!" Cheng Keke cried out.
Cheng Zhou's face was cold and hard: "I spoiled you too much because I treated you like my own sister! Go out and reflect on your actions! You can come back when you've learned your lesson!"
This time, he was unusually resolute.
Lu You is currently unaware of all of this.
Cheng Zhou's decision to back down seemed to have temporarily restored peace to her life.
The next day, Cheng Zhou called.
Lu You hung up.
I called again, but they hung up again.
Then a dozen or so text messages started appearing on my phone, all from Cheng Zhou saying he was taking care of Cheng Keke's problem.
Looking at Lu You's seemingly carefree profile, Shang Wu finally couldn't suppress her curiosity and asked softly, "Sister You, do you really have no feelings for Cheng Zhou at all?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com