Chapter 2 Go to School
The symphony overhead seemed determined to fight to the death, and the sound grew louder and louder.
After a three-second pause on the bed, their dazed and confused faces turned deathly pale. Without even washing their faces, they rushed out barefoot. The whole-house alarm system, which had never been used since the Lu residence was built, was suddenly in use today… Could it be…?
The two bumped into each other in the elevator, stared at each other, and said in unison.
"Is the old man dying?"
"Grandpa is dying?"
"..."
Tsk.
It's like asking a pointless question.
Lu Yingchi picked up his phone to see if he had received any special messages, but all he found were expense records and WeChat messages from someone he didn't know he had added last night, all calling him "brother." He couldn't tell who was who at all, so he simply didn't bother to reply.
Seeing the pinned chat box, he paused for a moment, but still chose to open it. The message on it was from last night when he sent a message saying he wanted to go out for drinks, and the other party replied: "University students should go out and enjoy themselves with friends. Don't worry, Fourth Young Master, I'll talk to the old man."
His conversations with the other party now usually consist of him venting and the other party flattering him, and that's it.
Lu Yingchi frowned. Just as he dialed the number, the elevator doors opened, and a WeChat call rang not far in front of him.
He subconsciously raised his head, but his impatient gaze froze on one spot, and his feet also stopped in place, no longer moving forward.
The young woman standing next to the sofa was talking to the maid beside her, her face turned to the side. She wore a white suit that accentuated her figure, and her straight black hair was half-tied behind her ear, making her look neat and beautiful. The morning light shone on her unmade-up face, giving her an almost transparent and unreal appearance.
This is what she used to look like?
So much time had passed that Lu Yingchi couldn't even remember what Qiao Wu looked like in the past; he certainly wasn't this good-looking.
"Damn it." Lu Ning, who was blocked behind by the tall guy, shoved him forward. "Lu Yingchi, are you still drunk? I almost got caught in the elevator door!"
She walked past her fourth uncle, but was also stunned by the woman's gaze. She blinked and asked, "Qiao...Wu?"
Qiao Wu hung up the WeChat call from Lu Yingchi, instructed the person next to him to prepare breakfast, and then walked towards the uncle and nephew with the family doctor who had been waiting. He looked them over as he walked.
In her memory, Lu Yingchi was still the chubby little boy who was four years younger than her and would cry every day when he went to kindergarten, wanting to stuff her into his schoolbag and take him with him. She once brought him to the elementary school classroom to attend a few classes because she couldn't shake off the little tagalong.
Lu Yingchi was very well-behaved when he was a child, but now he has long since lost his baby fat. He is tall and has long legs. His features are bright and full of youthful energy. His permed hair is dyed yellow and reaches his chin. When he wakes up from a nap, his hair is all frizzy like a little lion dog, and his eyes are full of ferocity.
As for the eldest young master's daughter, Lu Ning, Qiao Wu only held her a few times when she was a child. Lu Ning's parents passed away early, and the first word she learned to say was "wuwu". After that, Qiao Wu never had any close contact with her again, and just watched helplessly as she became so rebellious and unruly.
Standing in front of the two people who were in a daze, Qiao Wu said to the family doctor, "Could you please take a look and see where the young lady is feeling unwell?"
"OK."
Before the family doctor could even get close, Lu Ning dodged away with a look of disgust: "Don't touch me, I'm not feeling unwell!"
Qiao Wu already knew the answer, but she asked knowingly, "Aren't you sick and need to take leave?"
Lu Ning glared at her: "Don't you know whether I'm sick or not?"
"I don't know." Qiao Wu chuckled and shook his head. "I'm not a doctor."
"you……"
Lu Ning was speechless.
"Are you feeling unwell?" Qiao Wu then looked at Lu Yingchi, who looked tired and dejected.
The latter, who had a hangover from yesterday, was woken up after only a short nap and was now furious. The slight discomfort in his stomach was nothing to him: "What are you babbling about? Just spit it out."
Qiao Wu tapped the watch face lightly with his fingertip: "I've had breakfast packed for you to eat on the way. The car is ready. You have ten minutes to wash up and change your clothes."
It seems it really is the old man's problem. Lu Yingchi casually ran his hand through his hair and said, "The old man is already in such a serious condition, so let's not worry about the details. Let's talk about it after we see him one last time."
"..."
What a filial son!
Qiao Wu composed himself and said, "The old gentleman is very well."
Lu Yingchi suppressed his irritation: "Then why did you make such a fuss so early in the morning?"
Over the years, Qiao Wu had always been obedient to him. Whenever his older brothers and the old man forbade him to do something, Qiao Wu was always the first to agree and approve. This greatly satisfied his ego, so now he finds it unbearable whenever he is dissatisfied or unhappy.
"It's getting late. Since you're all feeling alright, you should go to school now."
Lu Yingchi: "???"
Going to school—such niche writing.
Two years ago, Qiao Wu went abroad to study. His father and the old housekeeper kept him under strict control for two years and hired a tutor to discipline him. He barely managed to get into a top-tier university. Now that he's finally free, he doesn't want to live that kind of hard life anymore.
Before he could react, Lu Ning, who had relaxed, yawned and turned to leave: "Don't ring the bell for no reason, it's so annoying and disturbs people's sleep."
Clearly, they didn't take that statement seriously.
But she was unable to move.
Qiao Wu grabbed her pajamas collar from behind, his tone calm: "You have eight minutes to wash up and change. If you don't do anything, I don't mind having the security guards just stuff you into the car and take you to school."
"School?" Lu Ning finally woke up. "Qiao Wu, are you crazy?!"
"It's Monday today, is it wrong for eighth graders to go to school?"
"I'm not going!" Lu Ning frowned. "Call the teacher and tell her I have a stomachache, a headache, or any pain anywhere."
"I'm sorry, my job is to plan the normal and healthy daily life of each family member, which does not include lying to ask for leave without a valid reason."
Coming to his senses, Lu Yingchi, who had been watching the show with his arms crossed, couldn't help but laugh: "Pfft."
Although Qiao Wu's behavior today was strange, Lu Ning was usually rude to him and had never called him "uncle," so he was happy to see the little girl get her comeuppance.
The next second, that calm gaze fell on him: "You have six minutes left."
"?"
Lu Yingchi's smile vanished: "I didn't go to sleep until almost five yesterday. Even if I go now, I won't make it to eight in the morning. Are you alright?"
The Lu residence is so far from the university that it would be too late to catch the bus at 8 a.m.
Qiao Wu: "Being late and skipping class are two different things. I will ask the driver to plan the route and drive faster."
"You're crazy." Lu Yingchi rolled his eyes, turned around, and pressed the elevator button to go back to his room.
Qiao Wu wasn't surprised by his reaction; these two had developed their current habits over the years. She calmly called out, "Lu Yingchi."
Lu Yingchi, who had already stepped into the elevator, abruptly stopped.
Qiao Wu was good-looking from a young age, so he loved to stay by her side as long as he could remember. She would save the best food and toys for him, teach him what he should and shouldn't do, and call him Lu Yingchi with a smile. He also admitted his dependence on her back then.
But he didn't know when it started, Qiao Wu's gaze towards him changed, and she would only call him Fourth Young Master. Every kind thing she did for him seemed calculated, making him uncomfortable. He always felt that he was drifting further and further away from her.
So he gradually forgot those old stories, and he went with the flow, no longer thinking about the changes in this person. Now that she had returned to take over as housekeeper, all she had to do was be obedient and make him happy.
Lu Yingchi had forgotten how many years it had been since he last heard Qiao Wu call him that. So long that when a corner of those long-overlooked old stories was suddenly lifted, it felt like a lifetime had passed.
Suddenly, his arm was covered by a cold palm, which pulled him backward, and the elevator doors closed and then popped open at the same time.
Qiao Wu released his hand: "What are you staring at?"
Realizing his earlier loss of composure, Lu Yingchi frowned and took a step back from her, trying to ignore the lingering sensation on his arm, and said sternly, "Don't touch me."
"It's too late." Qiao Wu was too lazy to bother with his fussy little quirks. "There are disposable toiletries in the bathroom on the first floor. Go wash your face. I had someone bring spare clothes to the car. You can change in the car yourselves."
The other two finally realized she wasn't joking.
"Let whoever wants to go go, don't you dare interfere with us." Lu Yingchi rarely stood on the same side as Lu Ning, and sneered, "Qiao Wu, don't take yourself too seriously, or I'll fire you."
Qiao Wu didn't say anything.
The maid who brought the breakfast box didn't dare to approach when she saw this. The fourth young master and the young lady had the worst tempers in the family. What if they got unhappy and fired them too?
But Butler Qiao looked over calmly and said, "Take the breakfast to the car and call security in."
The family members usually didn't interfere with each other, and when had they ever really used security guards? Lu Ning was startled and hid behind Lu Yingchi.
Lu Yingchi clenched his fist: "Qiao Wu!"
"I'm here." Qiao Wu smiled slightly. "If you don't want to, you can fire me at any time, but as long as I'm still working here for one minute, I will do my job well, or..."
She glanced calmly at his fist: "You can hit me too."
Lu Yingchi was startled by that gaze and instinctively loosened his fist.
Qiao Wu turned to the side, looked at the two people who were furious, and smiled slightly: "Since you're not going to do anything, then leave on your own, or should I have someone invite you to leave?"
Five minutes later, the two, who had only just washed up, got into their respective cars with dark faces, surrounded by security guards. Lu Yingchi wanted to drive himself, but he was hungover and had only slept for less than two hours, so Qiao Wu confiscated his car keys.
Qiao Wu stood outside the car and waved gently: "Be careful and study hard."
The only response she received was the relentlessly rolling car window. Lu Yingchi stared at the lunchbox beside him, gritting his teeth. What had gotten into her? Did she really think he wouldn't fire her?!
His stomach rumbled loudly, and he felt a dull ache; he was getting his comeuppance for drinking so much on an empty stomach last night.
He opened the breakfast box with a long face, and his expression froze after seeing what was inside.
It was so simple and plain that it was unlike his usual breakfast. No, he hadn't eaten breakfast at home for many years. The box contained steaming millet porridge, boiled eggs, cut fruit, wrapped sandwiches, stomach medicine, and a thermos.
There was a note in the lunchbox: Drink millet porridge and eat eggs first. Eat other things when your stomach feels better. You can take medicine if you feel unwell. Drink more hot water.
Lu Yingchi could tell whose handwriting it was.
She loved learning from a young age and had beautiful handwriting. When he first started learning to write, she held his hand and helped him write each stroke.
Lu Yingchi crumpled the paper into a ball.
Oh no, there really is something dirty inside.
On the other side, Lu Ning looked at the breakfast in her hand with mixed feelings. She had no parents, and when she did something wrong, her grandfather would only scold her. Everything else was left to the old housekeeper. Later, Qiao Wu told her that she had to learn to be independent, otherwise she would make the adults unhappy, especially a child like her with a sensitive identity.
So she got used to not bothering others, never ate breakfast, and told Qiao Wu everything. Qiao Wu never complained about her, never scolded her, and never interfered in her affairs; he would only help her clean up the mess.
But in the past two years, Qiao Wu has been abroad and there's no one else around her. She dislikes going to school even more. Qiao Wu has been turning a blind eye to this, but he never expected that he would force her to go to school today.
They even prepared breakfast for her.
It was her favorite sweet milk and vegetable dumplings.
Even the maids at home didn't know. How did she find out after being abroad for so long?
Lu Ning pursed her lips, unable to vent the resentment she had felt from waking up early.
-
As the head housekeeper of the Lu residence, Qiao Wu didn't need to do many things herself; she just needed to coordinate and arrange them. After checking all the procedures every day, she sat down to rest for a while. Thinking of Lu Yingchi and Lu Ning's frustrated expressions before they left, she couldn't help but laugh.
Their current state is partly due to "her".
She knew in her heart that if the family was truly beyond saving, she wouldn't force them to stay.
It seems things are going quite well now.
Before the thought had even faded, her phone rang. The caller ID showed Lu Ning's homeroom teacher.
Qiao Wu's smile faded slightly.
"Hello, Lu Ning's parents." After the call was connected, the person on the other end said anxiously, "She said you've returned from abroad. Do you have time to come to the school? Lu Ning had another conflict with the school staff, and she's in the infirmary right now."
Qiao Wu: "...Again?"
At this moment, in the affiliated high school's infirmary, Lu Ning sat on a stool by the window, her eyes lowered and saying nothing.
She only looked up after hearing the teacher finish the phone call.
The homeroom teacher was really having a headache with this troublemaker. Not only was he sick and absent every few days, but he also skipped classes from time to time, and his grades were at the bottom of the class.
She didn't know much about the student's family situation. Every time something happened, she would call and say she was abroad. When she arranged for someone to come and solve the problem, she would just use money to settle it without asking why. No wonder the child developed such a personality.
But today, when I heard his voice on the phone, he didn't sound as arrogant as before. He was gentle and polite. I wonder what kind of person he really is.
Lu Ning looked out the window: "What did she say?"
She said she'd be right there.
"oh."
Lu Ning responded indifferently.
Anyway, Qiao Wu has never blamed her, so he'll help her clean up the mess this time... right?
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