Lixiang Villa, under the Tangli tree.
A dozen or so fruit farmers were busy picking pears and placing them in a row of baskets in front of the gate.
When Lu Yu entered the villa, Jiao Yuyin and his assistant Qin were making arrangements.
"Half of the fruit will be pickled into jam, and the other half will be set aside to be packaged into gift boxes."
Lu Yu had been in a good mood all day, but after listening to everyone's inner thoughts, she just wanted to enjoy the quiet. As if no one else was around, she sat down next to Jiao Yuyin and picked a crabapple from the fruit plate, putting it in her mouth.
The crabapples must have been washed recently, as each one was still covered in water droplets. Lu Yu ate one, then popped another into her mouth, getting some water on her hands as well.
Lu Yu touched Jiao Yuyin's wrist, which was holding the investigation documents, and the scattered water stains blurred the boundary of their skin.
"Smack..."
The black folder in Jiao Yuyin's hand fell onto the sofa, followed by a disdainful voice. "Don't touch me if it's wet."
Lu Yu's chewing motion abruptly stopped. After bluffing for over twenty years, Lu Yu was now being disliked every day, and he was deeply resentful.
They think she's weird, they think she's short, they think she doesn't know how to dress, and now they even think she's dirty!
"The water on the fruit isn't dirty..."
Jiao Yuyin frowned and sighed. "Can't you be a little more refined like a girl?"
"Does being a woman mean you have to be refined? What, are you trying to impress me with your refinement? You brat."
Lu Yu can hear people's thoughts, so he is always in a state of not being interested in arguing with others, just like once you know the ending of a story, you lose interest in carefully appreciating the words in the story.
Now, facing someone whose thoughts are so self-limiting, her competitive and pretentious nature is amplified to the extreme, and she is determined to outdo this man.
“I remember… I’m three years older than you…” Although Jiao Yuyin was sharp-tongued, he didn’t actually lay a hand on Lu Yu. He suppressed his discomfort and let Lu Yu lead him.
"You're older than me, but you're more immature than me..."
"puff."
Assistant Qin's laughter rang out, and he clearly looked like he was struggling to hold back his laughter.
Lu Yu won a round of verbal sparring and felt even better. She glanced at the documents lying on the sofa and realized they were investigation reports about the Wen family's bankruptcy years ago.
"You're really quick." Lu Yu picked up the document with one hand, glanced at it, and continued, "I've figured it out. You're just lazy because you're not interested in the Jiao family. But when it comes to someone you care about, you're faster than a leopard."
"Don't make sarcastic remarks."
This person has no sense of humor; even compliments are unacceptable.
Lu Yu moved closer to Jiao Yuyin and asked, "This document is too long to read. Just tell me, do you have any leads?"
Jiao Yuyin sighed again. "No, the information we can find now is all superficial. The Wen family's downfall started with the stock market; the company was suspected of manipulating the stock market, and my grandfather died suddenly in prison. Investigating these old stories now only yields scattered fragments."
"When are we going to the old house? I'll listen for you."
Jiao Yuyin did not mention when he would go to the old house, saying, "Not going to the old house before getting married would only bring trouble."
Lu Yu gestured towards the crabapples on the coffee table. "You've gathered so many fruits, aren't you preparing them for the old house?"
"Preparing for the wedding."
“.….”
Lu Yu sat frozen on the sofa, her expression conveying only three words: "Are you kidding me?"
Jiao Yuyin, like a leader, didn't consult or discuss it, but directly gave a notice: "My dad gave me a few dates to choose from. If we miss September 8th, we'll have to wait until December, which is too long. There are still two weeks until the wedding. We'll get the marriage certificate tomorrow afternoon, which will take an hour. I'll come pick you up."
Lu Yu weighed the competition schedule and training plan, groaning incessantly. But there was nothing he could do; the agreement was made, and he couldn't break it. "This is too rushed..."
"You have an important mission. Over the next two days, I will be sending crabapple fruits to the Jiao family and related people as wedding favors, in order to gradually evoke memories of the past."
Jiao Yuyin looked at Lu Yu with an inscrutable expression. "On the wedding day, there will be a lot of pear jam on site. You never know, someone might be reminded of the past. Listen carefully on the day, any clues are fine, we'll see if they're true or false later, and I'll verify them one by one."
Lu Yu looked at Jiao Yuyin. His eyes were just like the ones she had when she first found him as her lifeline.
Lu Yu took a deep breath and said softly, "I'll do my best."
*
Lu Yu finished her morning training.
Upon arriving at the Civil Affairs Bureau in the afternoon, she exclaimed that the training base and the Civil Affairs Bureau were truly two different worlds. Compared to the diverse crowd at the Civil Affairs Bureau, the sentiments near the training base were much milder.
Don't be fooled by the small number of people at the Civil Affairs Bureau; they have plenty of strong ideas.
Lu Yu frowned as her wedding certificate photo was taken, and the photographer reminded her several times, "Bride, cheer up and smile."
Jiao Yuyin did not say a word, but signaled to the photographer to take a fourth shot.
Lu Yu suddenly felt her fingers being drawn into the palm of another large hand...
As her inner turmoil subsided, Lu Yu naturally relaxed her expression. Although her smile wasn't exactly sunny and cheerful, it was at least presentable, and she didn't look like someone forced into marriage or a substitute bride.
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