Chapter 27 Are you saying I'm old?
Qiao Wu was caught off guard by the question. She hadn't expected someone like Lu Jinzhi to care about something so meaningless, leaving her completely unprepared.
After a moment of surprise, she quickly found an excuse: "It's just... a friend you don't know."
“I didn’t know you before you told me,” Lu Jinzhi said.
What happens after that is uncertain.
"..." Qiao Wu remained expressionless. "This is just a misunderstanding. Do you really have to embarrass me like this?"
Lu Jinzhi leaned back in the car seat, his hands casually folded in front of him. Hearing this, he turned his head slightly to look at her, then chuckled and simply admitted, "Mm."
really.
Qiao Wu thought to himself, "No matter how much some people change, their inherent traits can never be changed."
Perhaps because Lu Jinzhi is smarter than ordinary people, he has never been able to empathize with others since childhood. He likes to observe other people's emotions through their obvious emotional expressions, so he often has some wicked tastes. He was even worse when he was a child, often taking things that Lu Xuan and Lu Yingchi liked, and it seems that he is still like that now.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have suspended Lu Xuan's card just because of one sentence.
"That was sent to you." Qiao Wu followed up on his words, "What are your thoughts now?"
Lu Jinzhi actually thought about it seriously for a second.
Then he said, "I don't dare to think about it, it's terrifying."
“Then don’t ask,” Qiao Wu said. “Otherwise, I’ll ask you once a day from now on.”
Faced with this unexpected threat, Lu Jinzhi paused for a second before bursting into laughter.
Strangely, upon hearing this threat, he wasn't as averse to it as he had been to previous messages. Perhaps it was because Qiao Wu had seen through his scheme, or perhaps it was because the other party's tone was completely indifferent.
In short, he found it quite useful.
Actually, he didn't really care about her clumsy excuse before. Whether it was true or false, whether she sent it to him or someone else, he generally didn't look back on his decisions once he made them.
But the moment he saw Qiao Wu, he suddenly wanted to hear what expression and tone of voice the man would have when he said those words.
Thankfully, it's not true.
After all, the last time she had a proper conversation with Qiao Wu was more than ten years ago, when she was just a child of about ten years old.
"I won't ask anymore."
He was unwilling to waste his energy on such meaningless questions.
The two were not in a relationship where they could reminisce about the past, and Lu Jinzhi did not want to listen to work reports during his rare moment of leisure, so he closed his eyes to rest after his wicked pleasures were not satisfied.
When she opened her eyes again, she was already at the Lu residence.
For Lu Jinzhi, home was just a place where he could sleep comfortably and where life was relatively convenient. That was all. So even though he hadn’t been back for two years, he wasn’t interested in any changes. It was just a different place to work.
So after getting off the car, he lowered his eyes and went straight upstairs with little interest. Although he didn't take big steps, he walked very fast because of his long legs.
Qiao Wu followed behind him, saying, "When is a convenient time to pick out a dress? I'll have someone bring it over."
The person in front of her suddenly braked, and Qiao Wu almost bumped into his shoulder. Fortunately, she reacted quickly and turned to the side, her arm barely grazing Lu Jinzhi's elbow.
In the sweltering summer, everyone will subconsciously pay more attention to things that are cool.
Lu Jinzhi glanced to his side and saw the other person's slender white arm leave, the coolness vanishing in an instant.
He looked away: "Whatever."
Seeing that he was in good spirits, Qiao Wu said, "Let's do it now, so we can have more options to choose from."
Lu Jinzhi did not answer. He was looking at the code of conduct and short-term goals hanging on the wall of the first-floor living room, his eyes showing a hint of confusion.
He had only seen this kind of thing in his elementary school classroom, but very few people followed it. Why would this kind of thing appear here?
For the first time in all these years, Lu Jinzhi realized that the Lu family was different.
He walked over and read through all the rules, finding that each one was very specific and could even be applied to specific people. In the lower right corner of the rules, there was a familiar sycamore leaf.
He came to the conclusion that it was Qiao Wu who did it.
Since twelve years ago, every member of the Lu family has gone down a different path, so Lu Jinzhi once thought that in the end everyone was destined to become strangers under the same roof, sharing the same blood.
But now that these names are appearing so closely together in the same frame, it gives him a different, more unfamiliar feeling.
After a long pause, his eyes shifted slightly: "Did I go to the wrong house?"
"Hmm?" After contacting the person who delivered the dress, Qiao Wu followed his gaze and suddenly realized, "These are the family rules they set before. Take a look and see if there's anything unreasonable about them, or if there's anything that needs to be changed."
Lu Jinzhi said simply and directly: "Its existence is inherently unreasonable."
“They’re quite proactive,” Qiao Wu said.
"Even more unreasonable."
Lu Jinzhi turned around and asked with a smile, "You seem to know them very well."
"Having lived under the same roof for so many years, shouldn't we get to know them?"
“But you are Qiao Wu,” Lu Jinzhi said.
"so what?"
Lu Jinzhi stopped looking at that childish stuff, as if even glancing at it was a waste of his time. He found it somewhat amusing when Qiao Wu asked "So what?" as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
He turned around, his gaze gently falling on her eyes, and asked softly, "You mean, you're telling me that while you're only paying attention to me, you're also paying attention to others, and that you already know them very well?"
Qiao Wu: "...subtle influence."
"So how much do you know about me through subtle influence?" Lu Jinzhi asked patiently.
No, not really.
Based on her reaction, Lu Jinzhi chuckled and concluded, "So, as someone who assists me, you know the least about me."
Based on Qiao Wu's limited understanding of Lu Jinzhi over the past ten years, he would not show obvious possessiveness toward any person or thing, because he would calculate the value of the matter immediately.
He will stop at nothing to get what he wants, and he will not hesitate to abandon those whose hearts are not with him.
So his current words and actions are nothing more than wanting to see her astonishment and panic, in order to satisfy his purpose of wanting to peek into her true emotions.
So she calmly replied, "That's not necessarily true."
"Um?"
“The old gentleman once told me that he needed to assist the future leader of the Lu family.” Qiao Wu raised his eyes slightly and smiled, “But it is still unknown. After all, you didn’t give me a chance to understand you in the past, so I could only try to understand others. Besides, there are other people in the Lu family besides you. Didn’t Lu Xuan also say that he wanted to replace you? Who said that you are definitely the future leader?”
Lu Jinzhi's brow twitched slightly.
"Not to mention Lu Xuan, Lu Yingchi is only eighteen years old. He is young, energetic, and has a promising future." Qiao Wu pointed to the people who wrote down their goals. "If all else fails, there is Lu Ning. She is smart, lively, and ambitious. When she reaches your age, she may even be more successful than you."
Lu Jinzhi: "..."
He quickly organized all the information and arrived at the final answer: "Are you saying I'm old?"
She was only eighteen years old.
At your age.
How old is he? Isn't he only twenty-seven?
Lu Jinzhi was used to hearing people say that he was young and promising, a child prodigy, but this was the first time he had heard someone say "at this age".
Qiao Wu: "?"
What kind of strange thought process is this?
She said gently, "No, I was just reminding you that newcomers can surpass those who came before, and you still need to work hard."
He then asked, "Didn't you read the file I sent you?"
What file?
That weird CEO avoidance guide?
"Do I need to see that kind of thing?" The thought made Lu Jinzhi feel his eyes were dirty.
"One of the common flaws of traditional domineering CEOs is arrogance, conceit, and complacency, which is not good," Qiao Wu kindly reminded him. "It can easily lead to disaster, in every sense of the word."
Lu Jinzhi was amused.
Now they not only say he's old, but also that he's arrogant.
"You're really interesting."
"It caught your attention?" Qiao Wu asked cautiously. "Any normal person would think that way, so be careful not to have such thoughts, it's even more dangerous."
What a load of nonsense.
Lu Jinzhi completely gave up the idea of finding pleasure from her, his expression finally became indifferent, and he turned around and went out the door again.
"Weren't you looking at clothes? Where are you going?"
Lu Jinzhi didn't even turn his head: "Have the model take the pictures and send them over."
In most cases, they don't try on clothes themselves. Brands update their databases in real time, so the clothes they receive won't be the wrong size. They only look at the style, and if they like it, they keep it.
If it's a custom-made dress, you can try it on if you want, or there will be models to show it to you even if you don't.
Qiao Wu's job did not involve following anyone around in real time, so he did not interfere too much with Lu Jinzhi's schedule.
After leaving the main house, Lu Jinzhi didn't go anywhere. Instead, he remembered his previous plans after seeing the leaf on the code of conduct.
He was going to the library.
His brain was working at lightning speed on the way.
His misjudgment once again involved Qiao Wu; she hadn't remained unchanged, but had become even more difficult to deal with.
When she was little, she would never say such harsh words to him. Most of the time, she would just stand quietly and obediently, and occasionally she would show him some admiration.
Being envied by those idiots like Lu Xuan and Lu Yingchi is nothing to be proud of.
However, being admired by a smart and well-behaved child like Qiao Wu would indeed make him feel happy during his teenage years, and it was also a source of his confidence.
But now that person is calling him arrogant.
care.
She wasn't wrong; she had indeed caught his attention.
The library was empty, but some books and stationery were placed on a table in the middle of the first floor.
Lu Jinzhi spotted a few familiar books and paused slightly in his tracks.
The servants of the Lu family would not allow these books to be scattered on the table unless someone specifically instructed them to do so, but who else from the Lu family would come here besides him?
He stepped forward and opened the top book, "Sophie's World".
The presence of a reading bookmark indicates that someone is currently reading it.
Then he saw the familiar handwriting, the handwriting Qiao Wu had left on it more than ten years ago, which he had seen before he left.
In addition, there were one or two new sticky notes, but they only had the marks of chicken feet on them, crooked and messy.
Lu Jinzhi felt inexplicably displeased that his private territory had been violated, but he would not wrong himself.
So he took out the two chicken claw prints without hesitation.
Yes, that feels much better.
Continue flipping through the pages.
But no new sticky notes appeared inside. Lu Jinzhi's expectations of so many days were dashed, and his expression gradually faded. Just as he was about to close the book, a sticky note fell out.
His gaze fell, then suddenly froze.
Unlike in the past when new notes appeared, this time familiar handwriting appeared under his old notes.
"She will cross the sea of freedom and go wherever she wants to go."
He has always been very confident in his memory, especially the things he has remembered.
Therefore, this latest sentence was written after he went abroad.
When he went abroad, Qiao Wu also went abroad, so the reply on this note was correct.
It arrived belatedly twelve years later.
The questions that have been lingering for some time now seem to have found their answers.
The soft sound from the doorway interrupted Lu Jinzhi's thoughts. He turned around, clutching the note, and saw Lu Ning walking in with her schoolbag.
Lu Ning didn't expect there to be anyone in the library. Wasn't Lu Yingchi supposed to be back later today?
She pulled out her homework: "I wrote my homework at school today... Yay!"
Upon seeing the person standing in front of the table, she slammed on the brakes and pressed herself firmly against the wall, holding her schoolbag in front of her chest, and stared at the tall man in a panic.
Lu Jinzhi never does things the way of the world, and no one can fathom his thoughts. So when he left two years ago, he did so quietly. If his grandfather hadn't returned and been furious, no one would have known.
She never dared to get close to Lu Jinzhi. Even when they occasionally ate at the same table, she would only sit in the farthest place and run away as soon as she finished eating. He didn't seem to care about her either and hardly interacted with her.
So after Lu Jinzhi left, she felt as if the mountain that had been pressing down on her head had suddenly disappeared, and she breathed a sigh of relief.
At this moment, the mountain returned silently, and two years had not broken through the barrier around him. In fact, his aura was even stronger, and the lights seemed to shine specifically on him, casting a shadow on his indifferent face that obscured his eyes.
He... how did he come back?!
Oh right, he was supposed to come back.
Lu Ning instinctively wanted to run away.
But Lu Jinzhi's gaze froze her in place, and after the initial shock, she dared not speak.
Hearing a string of grandfathers, Lu Jinzhi inexplicably thought of Qiao Wu's words, "Your age."
He looked away and said calmly, "Don't call me that again in front of your grandfather next time."
Lu Ning: "..."
She thought Lu Jinzhi would ignore her as before, but to her surprise, this time he picked up a note and asked, "Did you write this?"
Lu Ning discovered that it was the one she had left in the book.
"Um... I tried to fit in," she said timidly.
“You didn’t integrate well at all. There won’t be a next time.” Lu Jinzhi threw the paper on the table. “Anyone who didn’t know better would think the servants were raising chickens here.”
Lu Ning felt humiliated, but she didn't dare to argue back. She just silently walked forward, picked up her note, and planned to put it back when Lu Jinzhi was not around.
"Are they all yours?" Lu Jinzhi picked up another workbook from the top.
Lu Ning has been doing her homework in the library lately. It's quiet and she can read there, so she left a lot of things there, including some workbooks.
She nodded.
Lu Jinzhi's slender fingertips moved gently.
Lu Ning shrank her neck, her heart tightening with his movements.
Having Lu Yingchi look at your homework and having Lu Jinzhi look at your homework are completely different experiences.
Sure enough, a few seconds later, a light, emotionless sneer came from above Lu Ning's head: "You might as well raise a chicken."
Lu Jinzhi closed the workbook.
Throughout the entire piece, there is nothing good about it except for its ambition.
Lu Ning swallowed her anger.
The verbal attacks she had been hiding from for thirteen years finally landed on her.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
