Chapter 14 (Wrong number)
Lu Yingchi felt like he was being driven to the brink of collapse by Qiao Wu's inconsistency. Didn't he just say he believed in him? Why does he want to leave again?
He's already been accepted into university, isn't that a sign of his hard work?
When Qiao Wu returned after washing his hands, Lu Yingchi had already gone upstairs with a dark expression on his face.
Where is your uncle?
Lu Ning fiddled with the doll and said confidently, "Maybe he realized he was too useless and went upstairs ashamed."
Qiao Wu: "?"
Did today's incident really hit him so hard?
"Never mind him, it takes time to accept your true self," Lu Ning said innocently.
Anyway, Qiao Wu was right about one thing: none of the people in the family are any good.
Lu Ning is very self-aware, including about herself.
So what? She's young and not very bright. Even when she goes out to wash dishes, she gets smashed to pieces, and the money she earns isn't enough to buy Qiao Wu a new pair of glasses.
So she lay down with a clear conscience.
The less ability one has, the less responsibility one bears.
At least she wouldn't be so heartless as to break into her grandfather's safe.
"Qiao Wu." She tugged at the doll's little bow tie and called out somewhat awkwardly.
"Um?"
When can I transfer schools?
Hearing this, Qiao Wu laughed: "Didn't you always feel pain when you first started school? Why are you being so proactive today?"
Lu Ning's face burned as she muttered, "I was just asking casually, to see when my good days will end."
Actually, she herself found it strange. Before, she would feel a physical aversion whenever she thought about going to school, studying every day, and facing classmates she didn't like at all.
But she couldn't help but think of Qiao Wu's words.
The world is so big, you're bound to meet someone who's willing to be your friend. What if you really do meet them?
Qiao Wu didn't expose her: "I've contacted the school, and I'll take you there to register next Monday."
"oh."
After receiving the answer, Lu Ning quieted down, but did not leave immediately.
Qiao Wu knew that in the past, Lu Ning would never have liked to stay in a public area, let alone sit next to her for so long. She probably had something to say.
But let alone Lu Ning, the entire Lu family is like a gourd with its mouth sawed off, each one more stubborn than the last, and none of them are as sincere as they were when they were children.
Although Qiao Wu initially brought in a robot specifically to cure their problem, now they basically all know what that robot does and it's not easy to fool them anymore.
After thinking for a moment, Qiao Wu moved a little closer to Lu Ning.
The latter was startled and immediately turned his head to look at him warily: "What are you doing?"
"I have something to tell you."
"Just say it, why are you standing so close?"
Lu Ning shifted her position slightly, but the distance between them was negligible.
Qiao Wu lowered her eyes and smiled, but stood up and sat on the sofa furthest away from her. The living room was large, making it seem as if the two of them were gazing at each other from a distance.
"Is this okay?" Qiao Wu asked.
"..."
Lu Ning stared wide-eyed, thinking to herself, "Why are you being so obedient this time?"
Now she felt that Qiao Wu was too far away, and his voice sounded hollow, which made her very uncomfortable. But once the words were spoken, how could she take them back? For a long time, she could only nod dryly.
"I'll stay away from you from now on," Qiao Wu continued.
Lu Ning bit her lip and remained silent.
Qiao Wu: "You want it this way, right?"
Enraged, Lu Ning suddenly realized that coming downstairs to find her that evening was a mistake. Her face turned cold: "Just say what you have to say. I don't have time to play telephone games with you."
"I wasn't playing games with you; I was serious."
The tone on the other end suddenly became serious and indifferent, leaving Lu Ning somewhat bewildered.
She subconsciously looked up, only to see Qiao Wu, who had been smiling warmly, now sitting on the sofa, his eyes devoid of warmth, looking at her as if she were a stranger, distant and indifferent, as if he were a chubby kid who had been extorted at school.
Lu Ning suddenly felt at a loss.
She had seen Qiao Wu fawn over her, and she had also seen her gentle and magnanimous nature, but she had never seen her look at her with such eyes.
Even when her bodyguards had to carry her to school, Qiao Wu was still smiling.
Even though she knew this mindset shouldn't exist, Lu Ning still felt flustered.
"I'll listen to whatever you say now," Qiao Wu said. "So as long as you agree, I'll keep my distance from now on, just like we are now, okay?"
At that moment, Lu Ning suddenly realized something was wrong: "Are you trying to scare me?"
"Scare me?" Qiao Wu asked innocently. "Why is it a scare? I'm not a lie detector robot in a restaurant. I don't know your true thoughts. Of course, I should act according to your considerations. What's wrong with that?"
Lu Ning had nothing to say.
Qiao Wu lowered his gaze to the doll that was almost torn to pieces, and sighed: "If I weren't so smart, if I hadn't guessed that you like dolls, if I hadn't guessed that you were being bullied by your classmates at school, what would you have done?"
"Putting myself aside, if you go to a new school and meet friends you want to make, do you want them to guess who you're talking to?"
She finally stood up, walked slowly to Lu Ning, bent down slightly to rescue the doll from her hands, straightened her clothes and stuffed them back: "So I wasn't trying to scare you, I was just giving you a preview of what might happen in the future, so you can be mentally prepared."
So it really was just a scare tactic!
Lu Ning snatched her doll away and rubbed her reddened eyes from fright.
Qiao Wu did feel sorry for her, but children need guidance and education. She needed to let her know that not everyone would always be on her side like she was.
Seeing that the child was really upset, she softened her voice: "Is there anything else you want to say to me now? If not, then goodnight. You should rest."
Lu Ning only then realized that Qiao Wu's words about striving for success had another layer of meaning, which was also directed at her, just in a different field.
Although she found this kind of behavior of slapping someone and then giving them a sweet treat disgusting, she still couldn't help but step into the trap, and she was crying and sobbing.
Like Lu Xuan, it's incredibly embarrassing.
A wave of shame washed over her from the soles of her feet, and she stood up and walked toward the elevator without looking back, leaving only a simple "goodnight" from Qiao Wu behind her.
Lu Ning paused, then strode back and stood in front of Qiao Wu with a fierce air.
Qiao Wu raised his eyebrows.
Lu Ning raised her head and said loudly and energetically, "I will go to class on time every day at the new school. I want you to go shopping with me on weekends! This is an order!"
Without waiting for Qiao Wu's reply, he stormed off again, not even turning back to press the floor button in the elevator until the doors closed.
Qiao Wu was caught off guard and was so cute that he stood there for three seconds before he came to his senses.
I never expected Lu Ning to have this kind of personality when she grew up; she's so adorable.
After returning to her room, Lu Ning quickly closed the door, then locked it again after a moment's thought, before plopping down on the floor and patting her chest.
She held up the doll and said proudly, "That's right, Lu Ning! You did a great job! Don't let Qiao Wu feel like you're being manipulated!"
She had just finished speaking when a new message popped up on her phone, and she glanced at the screen.
Qiao Wu: "Yes, sir."
Lu Ning blinked, then suddenly buried her face in the doll's belly and rubbed it hard.
Hey!
-
The next day was the weekend, and Qiao Wu wasn't so heartless as to make people get up at 6:30 on the weekend, so she went to the main house early to arrange things for the day before returning to the small villa.
There are many and varied things to do at the Lu residence, but she doesn't need to do those chores herself. When she has nothing to do, she will go to other parts of the residence to take a look and check.
The morning is the perfect time to go for a walk and do some morning exercise at the same time, killing two birds with one stone.
Moreover, Qiao Zhiyi worked hard all his life, but in the end he still couldn't sleep in and always liked to move around. She took this opportunity to walk with him so that her father wouldn't feel so unfamiliar with her.
When she left, she was surprised to find that the two people in the main house got up on time today without being woken up.
Lu Yingchi glanced around discreetly, but didn't see the face he'd seen so often lately. His heart tightened: "Where's Qiao Wu?"
They wouldn't really think he's useless and just run away, would they?
Maid: "Butler Xiao Qiao has gone on patrol."
Lu Yingchi then sat down: "What are you investigating so early in the morning?"
Without the atmosphere-creating team around, Lu Ning and Lu Yingchi didn't feel much of an appetite just looking at each other, so Lu Yingchi picked out a few of his favorite dishes and took them out.
Seeing this, Lu Ning quickly picked up the plate and followed.
Lu Yingchi turned around and glared at her: "Why are you following me?"
Lu Ning: "I was worried you'd be scared."
"..."
Lu Yingchi stopped and threatened menacingly, "Are you done yet? Believe me or not, I'll slam this plate on your head."
"Someone still has my recordings in the Morning Bell music library, how dare they?"
The two stared at each other, realizing that neither could convince the other, and neither was willing to give in, so they simply stopped looking at each other.
Lu Ning didn't intend to follow Lu Yingchi, but subconsciously she felt that he was going to find Qiao Wu, so she had to keep an eye on him.
She didn't trust Lu Yingchi. What if he really angered Qiao Wu to the point of quitting his job? Who would go shopping with her then?
One wants to follow, the other doesn't want to be followed.
Lu Yingchi walked very fast, taking advantage of his long legs. Lu Ning didn't even have time to eat breakfast and was chasing after him with all her might.
So when Qiao Wu and his father arrived in their small car, what they saw was a big boy and a small boy, one in front of the other, wearing slippers and carrying plates, chasing each other on the alley, their faces flushed.
What kind of design is this?
She stopped the car: "What are you doing?"
Lu Ning ran to the car and sat down first, panting and unable to say a word, only staring at Lu Yingchi with wide eyes.
The latter was delighted to see her humiliated and said smugly, "Who told you to follow me?"
Qiao Wu handed Lu Ning a tissue to wipe her sweat, and said helplessly, "She's bored at home alone, so she wants to play with her uncle, right?"
Lu Ning hurriedly explained, "I didn't! Cough cough cough cough!"
Having just finished strenuous exercise, she was unable to speak a complete sentence.
For Lu Yingchi, these words were tantamount to saying that his room was haunted. He shuddered and was about to speak when he saw Lu Ning sweating profusely and looking at him with a mixture of shock and anxiety.
Could it be that she really wants to play along with him?
Was it all because of that one parent-teacher meeting that they got into a fight? Children become dependent so quickly?
Although he's a playful person, he's not a good match for her!
He swallowed the words "Who wants to take her to play?" that were on the tip of his tongue, strode into the car, glanced at Lu Ning, and said with a stern face: "You know we have a generation gap, right? It's about six years. Two people with a generation gap can't play together. Kids should play with other kids. You'd better give up on that idea."
Lu Ning became increasingly anxious and unable to speak, frantically patting her chest until tears welled up in her eyes.
Slander! Absolutely slander!
"Holy crap!" Lu Yingchi was so frightened by her frenzied state that he scurried to the corner, covering his chest with his hands. "Alright, why are you so agitated? It's not your fault, just this once."
Qiao Zhiyi, sitting in front, found the scene quite unusual.
He had been with the Lu family for so many years and had watched the two children grow up, but he had never seen them so vibrant.
He laughed and said, "This is the first time I've seen the young master and young lady so happy."
Qiao Wu: "..."
How deeply has my father been poisoned by melodramatic novels?
Lu Yingchi and Lu Ning, who was finally able to speak, both bristled at the same time: "What's so happy about it!"
Aren't you happy yet?
It's better than being strangers under the same roof as before.
Seeing that he had amused her enough, Qiao Wu took out a bottle of purified water from the car and handed it to Lu Ning: "So, what made you get into my car so naturally? Do you know where I'm going?"
The two of them were both taken aback, turned their heads away, and mumbled, "We were just... just browsing around."
Seeing their guilty expressions, Qiao Wu could roughly guess what was going on.
They couldn't find a sense of security and belonging in their huge home, so they always drifted along aimlessly in the past. Now they may have found some in her, so they subconsciously want to stick close to her.
Let them be.
She turned her attention back to work and chatted with her father: "Dad, let's continue."
She came with her father to learn about the details of every corner, since the "she" of the past had spent a lot of meaningless time on the young masters and ladies, and didn't know much about the family affairs.
Qiao Zhiyi nodded, his gaze drifting further into the distance: "The golf course was under maintenance this winter, and with the old gentleman's hospitalization, progress has been a bit slow. The old gentleman's idea is to differentiate between the private and commercial areas; you can oversee the demarcation."
The family members were all troublemakers, and Lu Jiang was worried that they would disrupt his business negotiations, so he simply renovated the house and divided up an area for them to play in on their own.
Qiao Wu nodded.
"I left you a list beforehand, which lists the people whose visits to the house can be controlled. You have the right to refuse entry to them. Your job is different from mine, so you need to weigh the pros and cons of some collaborations in advance and give the old gentleman a general answer..."
Lu Jiang is a businessman with selfish motives and a desire for profit. He didn't have the time or energy to take care of his children before, so the focus of the family was on Qiao Zhiyi. Later, seeing how much each of his children depended on Qiao Wu, and how smart and precocious she was, he naturally decided to nurture her.
No one can be more at ease with a child than someone who has watched them grow up.
Thinking that it would be a waste of her talents to just be an ordinary housekeeper, he once mentioned to Qiao Zhiyi that he would give her the same education as the other children, so that she would have enough vision and strength to assist the future leader of the Lu family, and not just be a housekeeper.
It doesn't matter if they don't want to; the family has plenty of money and resources to raise another child. Consider it a reward for Qiao Wu spending time with the children, and a bargaining chip to make Qiao Zhiyi even more loyal.
You can't lose money no matter what.
Now that Qiao Wuru has taken over as housekeeper as Lu Jiang wished, he naturally has more to do than Qiao Zhiyi.
He was just a housekeeper, while she was destined to become the right-hand woman of the person in power.
Qiao Wu and Qiao Zhiyi were chatting in front, while Lu Yingchi and Lu Ning, sitting in the back, were like chickens with their necks being choked, eating their breakfast without making a sound.
When was the golf course renovated? What are the criteria for cooperation? What domestic and international aspects are involved?
Lu Yingchi grabbed a handful of hair in frustration, realizing he knew absolutely nothing about these things.
At 6:30 in the morning, while they were getting angry every day about getting up so early for school, Qiao Wu was already up and had arranged all the big and small things at home, looking radiant.
No, this is clearly something Qiao Wu used to indulge!
What? We agreed to be spoiled rich kids together, and now she's secretly rolling in money behind his back, and in the end she's complaining that he's not ambitious enough?!
Does this person have two faces?
Lu Yingchi was indignant.
"By the way," Qiao Zhiyi asked after explaining the general situation, "Do you have any connection with the second young master?"
Qiao Wu felt a chill run down his spine whenever Lu Jinzhi was mentioned.
Thinking to myself, Lu Jinzhi in the story was already quite tolerant of such news for so long, and he even contacted her?
"No." She shook her head.
“You know about the old man’s health,” Qiao Zhiyi said. “The father and son had a conflict before, which is why the second young master went abroad to develop his career. Now that things have stabilized there, the group in China can’t be left without someone to oversee things for a long time, so he should be back soon. There are some things you need to help him with.”
Before Qiao Wu could react, the two people behind him practically jumped up: "Lu Jinzhi is coming back?!"
Qiao Zhiyi said kindly, "Yes, you two must have missed him after not seeing him for so long."
Lu Yingchi: "?"
Lu Ning: "..."
Isn't this scarier than a ghost?
In this house, Lu Yingchi dared to openly break into the old man's safe with Lu Xuan, but he never stepped into Lu Jinzhi's room.
After all, the old man would argue with you and get angry, but Lu Jinzhi never would. He would never use words if he could take action.
There are two oddballs in the family, one of whom, Qiao Wu, is strangely intelligent at a young age.
Lu Jinzhi is a man with exceptionally high intelligence and ruthless actions.
When his older brother passed away, Lu Yingchi was only six years old. He dreamed of ghosts every night and cried while holding his little niece all day. Lu Xuan also became less talkative and less communicative.
But Lu Jinzhi, who was not even 14 years old at the time, seemed to have grown up overnight, skipping grades as if it were child's play, and following the old man with composure and eloquence.
Lu Jinzhi had never been beaten by the old man.
Every time he and Lu Xuan were beaten up by the old man and jumped around, even if they got splattered with blood from their noses, Lu Jinzhi could still calmly move to another place and continue doing what he was doing without changing his expression or moving as still as a mountain.
From then on, Lu Yingchi felt that this person was unfathomable, terrifying, and had no heart.
You should know that business people are often very cunning.
Therefore, Lu Jinzhi's heart is probably already as black as ink.
As for Lu Ning, she didn't really have a deep impression of this uncle, since she hadn't met him many times.
But she just didn't dare to call Lu Jinzhi by his full name. Every time he looked at her, it was like a scanner, making her feel uneasy. She had heard that her second uncle was a genius who skipped grades, so she dared not approach Lu Jinzhi at all.
Lu Yingchi looked like he'd swallowed a fly: "He wants to live at home too?"
Lu Jinzhi probably doesn't have any grade point worries.
Wouldn't it be more convenient for his workaholic to live in a large, single-level apartment above the company?
"I haven't asked yet." Not wanting to be embarrassed alone, Qiao Wu said mischievously, "If you're so curious, I'll tell you as soon as possible."
“No need for that.” Lu Yingchi clicked his tongue. “Suddenly, passing the final exam doesn’t seem so difficult anymore.”
Lu Ning was silent for a moment, then asked, "Does my new school have boarding students?"
If it's true, then she'd like to apply too, and come find Qiao Wu to go shopping again this weekend.
Qiao Wu dissuaded her from the idea: "No, but it's close to home, so you can sleep for another ten minutes."
Lu Ning is still young, and the past has had a heavy impact on her. Qiao Wu is very worried about her, so he needs to keep an eye on her and can't just let her go to boarding school.
Seeing everyone looking worried, Qiao Wu suddenly felt relieved.
Anyway, it wasn't her who sent the message, so what does it matter!
After sending the dejected Lu Yingchi and Lu Ning back, she mentally prepared herself, opened WeChat, and then calmly deleted all the offensive messages one by one, giving herself some psychological comfort.
Out of sight, out of mind.
In this way, she could say goodbye to the past completely without any psychological burden.
She wasn't afraid of Lu Jinzhi, after all, when Lu Xuan tried to put her in his schoolbag and take her to kindergarten, it was Lu Jinzhi who pulled her out.
Lu Ning wasn't born yet, and she was the only girl in the family. To prevent her from crying, Lu Jinzhi would take all of Lu Xuan's snacks and toys and give them to her.
Qiao Wu could understand the changes that followed Lu Jin.
The eldest brother in the family has passed away, and the father is no longer as young as before. He is only a teenager and has to learn to grow up so that his younger brother and toddler niece will not worry and he can protect them from the wind and rain.
While others turned bad under "her" deliberate guidance, Lu Jinzhi was the only exception.
He stood too high all by himself, and his learning ability was abnormally strong. At a young age, he learned and moved around with all kinds of people, and witnessed so many human natures. Subtly, he harbored many things in his heart. Once that line breaks, he will be doomed.
Many domineering CEOs are like this: crazy, dark, and stubborn.
That's too traditional.
So at that time, Qiao Wu thought that if she had the chance, she would like to do something for this family and help them escape the ending of the story.
When it came to deleting the message about climbing into bed, Qiao Wu hesitated for a moment. Lu Jinzhi was different from those naive and innocent girls; she wouldn't be so easily fooled. Fortunately, there was only one message about climbing into bed, and the other "she" had also sent messages to other people.
So Qiao Wu buried himself in typing on the computer for a while and finally typed out a document.
She opened her chat window with Lu Jinzhi and began editing.
-
Lu Jinzhi actually waited for quite a long time.
He couldn't figure out why Qiao Wu had changed recently, just as he couldn't figure out why she had suddenly changed before.
But Qiao Wu in the past was so obviously stupid that he couldn't be bothered to guess. The current one, however, is worth taking a look at.
He wanted to wait for an explanation.
This explains why she dared to so openly ask him for help after sending those messages, and why she completely ignored him, diligently circling around Lu Yingchi and the others.
But ever since that phone call, where I deliberately led her to see those messages, she hasn't responded at all.
He's losing patience.
But now he's finally here.
He saw the red dot appear next to that familiar name again and clicked on it.
Skipping over the next two files, he first looked at the green text box.
Qiao Wu: "I'm sorry, I was busy and things were urgent before, so I forgot to reply. I need to explain."
Qiao Wu: "'I don't need a title...' This was sent to the wrong person. I was drunk at the time and accidentally sent it to you. It wasn't my intention."
Lu Jinzhi carefully scanned every word, and for the first time, a hint of confusion appeared in his dark eyes.
It wasn't because of those two weak excuses, but because of the two documents he ignored immediately.
Qiao Wu: "This is what I sent you. Attachments: 'A Guide to Avoiding Pitfalls in a Dramatic Rich Family' and 'How Traditional Tyrants Are Eliminated' - Become a Healthy Rich Family and Enjoy a Life of Everlasting Wealth."
Having seen countless contracts riddled with traps and outmaneuvered countless businessmen, Lu Jinzhi felt for the first time that he had developed a reading comprehension disorder.
Otherwise, how could he not understand it?
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