Chapter 57 Fishing and Baiting
Lu Ning had initially doubted whether her second uncle truly liked Qiao Wu.
But now that two more people have suddenly joined, she has dispelled many of her doubts, and she also keeps Qiao Wu's photo herself.
It's impossible for everyone to like Qiao Wu, hahaha.
She continued flipping through the photos, and then saw the group photo of five people. Her gaze swept over it and settled on her second uncle, who was smiling but not looking at the camera.
Second Uncle was looking at Qiao Wu and smiling.
My second uncle's smile is definitely hiding a lot of bad ideas; it's terrifying!
We must remind Qiao Wu to be careful!
But if she earns so much money in one night, and her card is suspended again, she'll have her own little nest egg!
With that in mind, she didn't put down her camera the next day when she went downstairs. She wanted to take pictures of everything and followed Qiao Wu wherever she went.
She perfectly became Qiao Wu's fan site manager.
Hmph, Qiao Wu's photos are much more expensive than the limited edition photocards of her classmates.
Qiao Wu, realizing that even when he went to throw out the trash, he had a little tail following him, finally noticed something was wrong: "Why are you always following me?"
Lu Ning's eyes darted around: "The teacher assigned homework, we have to write a weekly journal, and I'm collecting materials."
The child did have a lot of homework, but Qiao Wu didn't take it seriously and let her come along.
Lu Ning is different from the other members of the Lu family. She is still young and needs to be taken care of. There is no problem with her relying on adults.
Seeing that Qiao Wu didn't ask any more questions, Lu Ning became even bolder and followed suit: "You're prettier than any celebrity."
She's prettier than the people in the photo.
Qiao Wu rarely wears makeup at home, but she has a regular schedule and no bad habits, so she has a good complexion and pink lips.
"Thank you for the compliment." Qiao Wu turned around, carrying the bucket. "I'll definitely sign an autograph for you when I debut someday."
"Then let's forget about it."
Lu Ning shook her head, "You'll get a lot of criticism when you debut. You didn't see how badly Lu Xuan was criticized."
Recently, Lu Ning and Lu Yingchi have become huge fans of the actor training camp. They even infiltrated Lu Xuan's anti-fan supertopic and instantly opened up a whole new world for them.
So many people actually dislike Lu Xuan.
Every time I click in with a smile, I come out in a huff.
Although she wasn't close to her third uncle, Lu Ning was still quite sincere in some ways: "He's not that bad, is he?"
So every time she and Lu Yingchi left the anti-fans' super topic, they would go back to the fans' super topic to dig out some biased comments and criticize them vehemently.
Qiao Wu tapped her forehead: "Just take what you read on the internet with a grain of salt. Don't be misled. Don't you know what your third uncle is like?"
Lu Ning shook her head honestly: "I don't know. He spends more time in front of the camera than at home, although he didn't end up producing anything good."
That's true. I haven't been home for over a year, and even when I am home, I often go out.
"If you don't know, ask him." Qiao Wu said gently. "Don't try to understand someone based on what others say, especially since he's your third uncle. You're closer to him, and he's more capable than you think."
Lu Ning said "oh" but still followed her out the door.
After the two left, Lu Xuan turned out from the stairs and couldn't help but smile as he looked at their retreating figures.
Stepping outside, Lu Ning peered curiously into the bucket: "What's this?"
"Bait," Qiao Wu said, "for baiting the fishing spot."
She drank some wine last night and went to bed early, so she didn't get to spend time with her father. Therefore, she plans to spend some time with him by the lake today to fish and chat. She usually doesn't have this opportunity because she's too busy.
Lu Ning was surprised: "How come you can do everything?"
“These aren’t difficult.” Speaking of this, Qiao Wu suddenly remembered something, “Is there anything you’d like to learn?”
In the past, Lu Ning was forced to go to school every day, and the rest of her time was either looking for trouble or on her way to being looked for by trouble. She never thought about learning any special skills or anything she liked.
But she is still young and has plenty of time to squander her teenage years.
Lu Ning, holding up her camera, asked, "Does taking photos count?"
"Yes, everything."
"Then I want to learn this."
Qiao Wu nodded: "How about we find a teacher to teach you?"
Lu Ning was both surprised and delighted: "This works too?"
"Why not?" Qiao Wu rubbed her head. "You can learn whatever you want."
Lu Ning didn't care about anything else, she buried her head in front of Qiao Wu and rolled around in front of him: "Qiao Wu, you're so great! Lu Jinzhi doesn't like you, but I do!"
Upon hearing this term for the first time, Qiao Wu didn't quite react: "What?"
"Second Uncle," Lu Ning didn't dare to tell anyone about selling the photos, but she remembered to remind Qiao Wu, so she added fuel to the fire, "He wouldn't let me write on the notes you and he made, so I asked Zhong Shixia. Zhong Shixia said he likes you, so he gave you special privileges."
Qiao Wu raised an eyebrow.
"Then I went to ask him, and he said he didn't like it," Lu Ning said indignantly. "He only gave you special privileges because he approves of you."
He doesn't know anything.
How can someone who's so good not like you!
After hearing the whole story, Qiao Wu couldn't stop laughing.
However, this fits her stereotype of Lu Jinzhi. Unlike Lu Xuan and Lu Yingchi, he doesn't distinguish between different kinds of feelings and isn't confused.
This also prevents her from feeling pressured, allowing her to be comfortable with him.
But the thought that such a thing had happened without her knowledge still made her a little embarrassed, so she instructed, "Don't ask adults about things they like."
"Why?"
"Because you are still young, you don't know many kinds of things you like, but adults know a lot. You'll understand when you reach adult age."
"Isn't it possible now?"
"It's a process, and you won't understand it even if I tell you now. You need to experience it for yourself."
"oh."
You adults have quite a lot on your plate.
Lu Ning had originally wanted to take the opportunity to ask her second uncle, but now that she heard about it, she was too afraid to go.
What if I ask the wrong question and my second uncle gets angry?
"Just be careful anyway," Lu Ning said in a low voice. "My second uncle's smile is never a good sign."
For example, her ten yuan bus fare.
She added her own opinion: "The happier he smiles at you, the worse you'll be. Don't believe it."
Qiao Wu chuckled: "You seem to know him quite well?"
"This is the result of my discussion with Lu Yingchi," Lu Ning said. "He's learned his lesson the hard way."
"Okay, I understand."
Not far away, Lu Jiang and Qiao Zhiyi were sitting on small chairs by the lake, fiddling with their fishing rods. Hearing the faint sounds behind them, Lu Jiang turned around and sighed, "It's still better to have a daughter."
They can communicate well and also spend time with their elders.
Unfortunately, he was destined to be without daughters.
Qiao Zhiyi felt embarrassed, but he smiled and acquiesced. Qiao Wu approached and placed the bait between the two of them: "Dad, sir."
"Don't call me 'old man'," Lu Jiang said. "I'm the same generation as your father, just call me 'uncle' like before. I'm not working at the company anymore."
Qiao Wu readily changed his address to "Uncle".
There were several small chairs nearby, so she pulled one over for Lu Ning and gestured for her to sit down.
The latter glanced at her grandfather, somewhat hesitant.
Although they have been eating together frequently recently, she still remembers the time when her grandfather hit Lu Yingchi.
Seeing that she hadn't moved, Lu Jiang said coldly, "What are you still standing there for?"
Lu Ning sat down with a thud, not even daring to take a picture.
Qiao Wu, who was packaging bait, looked up and reminded him, "Uncle, this is the seventh rule of the family."
Verbal violence against family members is prohibited.
Lu Jiang: "..."
He hasn't even said anything yet.
Qiao Wu handed one of the small buckets to Lu Ning: "Give some to Grandpa."
The latter cautiously looked up, but upon meeting his grandfather's cold gaze, he immediately shrank back, put on his gloves, and began rummaging through the small bucket.
Lu Jiang is used to sitting in a high position, and he is also used to giving orders and commands when he speaks to people. Sometimes, the temperament and expression he carries are the result of his gradual development over the years.
“The theory that you have less patience for the people you are closest to is wrong. It will only wear down the relationship.” Qiao Wu looked at Lu Jiang and smiled. “But Uncle, you don’t have much affection for your family to begin with. You can’t withstand this kind of weariness.”
Qiao Zhiyi was so startled by these words that he almost dropped his fishing rod: "Xiao Wu, what are you saying?"
Upon hearing this, Qiao Wu obediently moved closer to her father and innocently said, "Honest advice is hard to swallow."
Then, she patted the spot next to Lu Ning, who was shoveling bait for her grandfather, and said, "If you're worried about Grandpa, move your chair over here."
Without any hesitation, Lu Ning put down the small bucket next to her grandfather, took off her gloves, carried a chair and ran to sit on the other side, then used Qiao Zhiyi's body to block her.
Lu Jiang, whose surroundings had suddenly become deserted, stared coldly at Qiao Zhiyi, who was sitting opposite him with two little girls on either side of him.
The latter, a completely honest man, scratched his head sheepishly: "Look at this..."
I don't want to watch it, I don't like watching it.
Lu Jiang lifted the small bucket in front of him and slammed it down heavily to express his dissatisfaction.
But Qiao Wu didn't let him off the hook. Instead, he leaned over to Lu Ning and said, "Next time Grandpa talks to you like that, you'd better move your chair to the other side."
Lu Ning didn't dare to speak, but she secretly gave Qiao Wu an OK sign.
Lu Jiang, so angry that he glanced at them out of the corner of his eye, almost threw the fishing rod out of his hand.
Then a person behind me exclaimed, "Holy crap! Something flew over here!"
Upon hearing that it was Lu Yingchi, Lu Jiang's expression softened slightly.
Although it's infuriating, having a son willing to come over means he's grown up.
"Put that..."
Bring me the ones that slipped through the net.
Before Lu Jiang could even finish speaking, the thought hadn't faded, and a gust of wind had already rushed past him from behind.
"Qiao Wu," Lu Yingchi said, leading the horse, "would you like to ride the princess?"
"No, thank you." Qiao Wu looked at the lake without moving and deliberately said, "You'll be riding it back to the Lu residence later, don't make it work so hard."
Having offended Lu Jinzhi yesterday, it's a problem how he'll get home today. If he goes directly from Jing Shui Villa to school, he'll have to get up at five o'clock.
Lu Yingchi: "..."
He turned his head to look at the princess's strong legs, and was really afraid that the princess would be crippled before the horse was even delivered.
He pulled up a chair and sat down next to Qiao Wu: "Then I won't ride it either."
"Uncle Qiao, are you fishing?" He volunteered, "I can do it too. I can bait the spot perfectly every time. Let me try."
Qiao Zhiyi was flattered: "No, no, no, Fourth Young Master, you can do your own thing."
“I’m tired of playing, time to rest for a bit.” Lu Yingchi said, fiddling with the small bucket. His body language betrayed his thoughts; he unconsciously moved closer to Qiao Wu and whispered in her ear, “If I catch a fish, tell Lu Jinzhi to return my car keys. We’ll go to Zero Ring next week…”
The ear with the black hair pulled back suddenly moved much further away from him.
Lu Yingchi's voice abruptly stopped.
Seeing Qiao Wu lean forward, remove a stone from in front of her father, and then look back at him at that distance, she said, "I'll be very busy lately."
There was nothing unusual about his voice, but Lu Yingchi still felt uncomfortable.
"Then we'll go when you have time," he added.
“If you want the car keys, you can just talk to your brother,” Qiao Wu said softly. “You haven’t done anything wrong, he won’t make things too difficult for you. You’re his brother, so his words definitely carry more weight than mine.”
She was certain that Lu Jinzhi did these things just to see these people break down for a moment, and that he wouldn't take it to heart. He wasn't the kind of person who would keep bringing up things that made him angry and causing him distress.
"How can that be the same? You're his friend."
Qiao Wu was amused: "In your opinion, friends are closer than family?"
Lu Yingchi didn't say anything more, but instead buried his head in the bait, kneading it like he was playing with clay.
He had a feeling he couldn't quite put his finger on, but he had no proof.
Before he could even come up with a solution, there was another thud.
Lu Yingchi was kicked so hard he almost lost his balance. He steadied himself on the chair and turned around: "Are you sick?"
With a hoodie covering his head and sunglasses on, Lu Xuan carried a small chair in one hand and a fishing rod and a small bucket in the other. His tone was casual: "This isn't the place to eat horse feed. Make way."
Lu Yingchi sized him up, his tone shifting dramatically: "You know how to fish?"
"He can even fish for dragons." Lu Xuan clicked his tongue lightly. "Get out of the way."
There's no way Lu Yingchi would let him have his way. Dressed like that for fishing, anyone who didn't know better would think he was there to steal fish. He sat down hard on the bottom and said, "This lake is so big, why do you have to squeeze in here? Wearing sunglasses and pretending to be blind, do you even know how tall I am?"
Lu Xuan: "I need to ask Uncle Qiao how to fish. Do you have any questions?"
Qiao Zhiyi was caught in a dilemma and said modestly, "Oh dear, I'm not very good at it either."
Lu Jiang, who was completely ignored on the far side: "..."
Is he really that insignificant?
hello?
Your old man is still sitting here with his fishing rod!
"Go find Lu Ning." Lu Yingchi buried himself in his work.
"No." Lu Ning poked her head out. "I'm here to take pictures. I've already found the right spot and angle, and I can't change it."
Qiao Wu, who was almost pushed into the lake, couldn't understand what was inside those huge heads on their necks.
She clapped her hands and stood up: "Since you're so eager to learn, come sit here with me."
The other three turned around in unison: "And what about you?"
"I'll sit over there with Lu Ning."
Without saying a word, Lu Yingchi picked up his small bucket, stood up, and followed him: "Okay, I'll give you my seat."
He raised an eyebrow at Lu Xuan: "You should ask him for advice here."
Lu Xuan: "Tsk."
The other side was completely full, so he could only sit down at this end. He didn't actually intend to fish; he just wanted to find something to do. He was about to join Jiang Qi's film crew for shooting, and he didn't know how long he would be gone.
Lu Yingchi, that clueless bastard.
I'm going to shave all of his princess's hair tonight!
Lu Xuan used the fishing rod like a magic staff, poking several holes in the ground.
Naïve as Qiao Zhiyi was, he genuinely believed that the Third Young Master had come to learn how to fish, and said with great enthusiasm: "Third Young Master, you can't play with the fishing rod like that."
This was the first time in all these years that he had been so warmly surrounded by the young master and young lady.
That's truly gratifying.
He smiled and said, "Sir, actually having many children is quite good; it's more lively."
Lu Jiang, who was all alone beside him: "?"
Over the years, he has recently noticed that his old housekeeper has become increasingly charming and eloquent.
He gave a forced smile: "Really?"
Actually, Qiao Wu initially felt it was quite inappropriate, but she occasionally wanted to teach Lu Jiang a lesson.
She stood next to Qiao Zhiyi, helping him put on his hat as she said, "Uncle, it's actually alright."
Lu Jiang: "What do you mean, 'alright'?"
Qiao Wu chuckled: "At least they haven't sat down across from each other yet."
Lu Jiang's face turned green.
So this means they're targeting him too.
No, who's really in charge of this family?
Seeing that he didn't react, Qiao Wu patted Lu Yingchi on the shoulder and said, "I'll take care of things here."
"I said I would build a nest for Uncle Qiao."
"Is he my dad or your dad?" Qiao Wu's expression turned cold. "I finally get a weekend to spend with my dad, what's with you sitting here? Don't you have a dad of your own?"
Yes, there are.
But it's about the same.
Lu Yingchi had never experienced a warm family dynamic, but he couldn't stop Qiao Wu from getting close to her father, so he had no choice but to stand up.
Seeing this, Lu Jiang said in a cold voice, "What, do I not need to bait the fishing spot?"
"You can't walk because of your legs, but you're not..." Before he could finish speaking, he was kicked in the calf.
Looking down, I saw that Qiao Wu had just pulled his leg back.
“If you can’t learn to speak properly, I can really make you ride back home on horseback,” she said with a smile.
Lu Yingchi swallowed the rebellious words that were on his throat.
Oh well, it doesn't matter where I sit.
He carried a chair and sat down heavily next to Lu Jiang. With his large size, Lu Jiang felt a jolt.
Lu Jiang glanced at him: "I'm fishing, not blasting fish."
"Anyway, you can't catch any fish. These cheap fish are no match for your precious contract handler." Lu Yingchi said sarcastically, "I'll fry a couple for you to play with."
Lu Jiang: "You're very unwilling?"
"So subtle?"
"..." Lu Jiang's expression suddenly softened. "Then I'll agree. You're not allowed to go back until you've finished using this bucket of bait, or I'll take your precious horse too."
He makes whoever makes him uncomfortable, and he makes them uncomfortable in return.
Damn!
"Holy crap."
Lu Yingchi almost dumped the whole bucket of fish bait on his father's head.
Qiao Wu watched with amusement, making no attempt to stop it.
As long as we can sit down and communicate, even if there are some stumbles and bumps along the way, it's still progress.
The group of people, each in a fit of pique, sat by the lake for two or three hours without moving.
When Lu Jin came downstairs, he saw that they were all wilting from the sun and were still sitting there. Qiao Wu, on the other hand, had an umbrella over the three of them.
The princess knew to seek refuge from the sun in the woods when the other three were in the sun.
Lu Jinzhi's gaze froze for a moment. What exactly was missing from the Lu family's genes?
Out of sight, out of mind, he walked over and called out, "Qiao Wu."
Upon hearing the second brother's voice, Lu Jiang's ears immediately perked up.
Qiao Wu, Qiao Wu, it's Qiao Wu again!
What was originally a one-sixth probability has now been changed to one hundred percent.
Qiao Wu, who was holding an umbrella, looked up: "You're here to fish too?"
"Also?" Lu Jinzhi glanced at the person next to him who was as hard as a tortoise shell and said calmly, "I don't have such a hobby of self-harm."
Qiao Wu handed the umbrella to Lu Ning and stood up: "What's wrong?"
"There's been a collision involving an imported cargo ship at Tsushima Port, so I need to go on a business trip," Lu Jinzhi asked. "Are there any other plans for the next few days?"
Tsushima Port is a privately owned port and also belongs to the Luk Group.
"No." Qiao Wu asked instinctively, "Should I go to the company?"
If Lu Jinzhi and Xu Chao go on a business trip together, she can temporarily take over the work of communicating between the two sides.
“You’re coming with me,” Lu Jinzhi said. “Xu Chao will stay behind.”
It's not that they don't trust each other, but Xu Chao needs an opportunity to grow, while Qiao Wu isn't very familiar with some of the work details yet, so this is the best choice.
"when?"
"The driver will pick you up in an hour."
Lu Jinzhi looked at the person in front of him. Even with an umbrella, his face was red from sitting in the sun for a long time. He looked a little softer than his usual slightly cold demeanor.
Because he had been working on the bait and had some marks on his face, he stared at those marks as if he had an obsessive-compulsive disorder.
"Um?"
"His face was covered in bait."
"Oh, I didn't notice." Qiao Wu raised his hand to wipe it, but ended up making the stain even bigger.
Lu Jinzhi frowned slightly.
After a few seconds, he took out a handkerchief he always carried with him, raised his hand and wiped the marks off her face, then casually put his hand down: "You still have time to wash yourself."
With only an hour left, Qiao Wu didn't have time to think about anything else. He answered and hurriedly turned to walk towards the villa.
Lu Jinzhi glanced down at the marks on the handkerchief, somewhat puzzled. The last time she touched him, it didn't feel like this.
My hands were cold, but my face was burning hot.
He twitched his fingertips, closed the fishy-smelling handkerchief, and casually glanced at the group of people sitting there.
But he found that each of them was staring at him with an extremely strange look. It was so quiet that even the wind seemed to be still. He didn't even realize that the fish he had finally caught had escaped.
Lu Jinzhi felt that even looking at his own genes would mutate if he looked at them for too long, so he said indifferently, "I'm leaving."
After everyone left, the others finally realized what had happened.
Lu Yingchi: "Why did he wipe Qiao Wu's face!"
“Exactly!” Lu Ning chimed in, “He clearly said he didn’t like Qiao Wu!”
Lu Yingchi: "He doesn't like it?"
"Yes, he said it himself."
"Then why does he keep making phone calls in the middle of the night?!" Lu Yingchi exploded.
Lu Xuan also found it very strange. Lu Jinzhi's attitude towards Qiao Wu was too strange. He called in the middle of the night, mentioned the foundation, offered to stay on the same floor, and even wiped her face, but then said he didn't like her.
Lu Jinzhi never lies, so...
He pondered for a long time before suddenly realizing what was happening, and took off his sunglasses: "To flatter to death."
As expected, business people are all heartless!
Lu Jiang listened to their back-and-forth conversation, completely bewildered.
But he knew that the second brother was definitely not that kind of person; he wouldn't flatter him to death, he would only drive him to his doom.
If the third and fourth brothers' faces were also dirty, he would definitely kick them into the lake and solve the problem physically.
Something's not right.
"Should we remind Qiao Wu?" Lu Ning asked, bewildered. "What if Lu Jinzhi takes advantage of her and leaves her alone?"
“When we get back, I’ll slap a Chinese dictionary on your forehead.” Lu Yingchi raised the bait in his hand, threatening menacingly, “If you keep talking nonsense, I’ll feed this thing to you.”
Lu Jiang had given up all hope for these children. He took out his phone and sent a message to Xie Yi, asking him to pay more attention to the second child's condition.
"I'm leaving now." Lu Ning draped the umbrella over the pole behind her, making sure it was blocking Grandpa Qiao's view, and said, "You guys have fun."
Qiao Wu is gone, and so are her materials.
Lu Xuan was too lazy to keep sunbathing; he was already soaked through.
Qiao Wu just brought an umbrella over, but only for the three of them.
As a result, they all got incredibly hot in the sun, but he still asked Lu Yingchi and the old man to hold umbrellas for them.
Don't even think about it.
The other two obviously thought the same way, so the three of them spent the whole afternoon in the sun.
Lu Xuan put away his fishing rod: "I'm leaving too."
Lu Yingchi glanced at the half-bucket of bait that was still left, thought for a moment, then rolled it all into a lump and shoved it in front of Lu Jiang: "Here, catch a big one yourself."
"..."
Lu Jiang was so angry he almost fainted.
He even said something about a second brother, implying that all of them were after Qiao Wu!
You're still using bait? Other fishermen don't even need to use bait or fishing rods. A bunch of good-for-nothings will roll onto the shore belly by themselves!
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