Chapter 68
Before he knew it, winter vacation had begun. As agreed with his parents, Jiang Huaiyu did not return to China, nor did he plan to. Sometimes he would stay in the library until very late.
I don't know if it's a matter of his constitution, but every time he catches a cold, it lasts for about a month on and off. It's not too serious, though he occasionally coughs.
Lu Mingxiao wouldn't be like that. Sometimes, before Lu Mingxiao even realizes he has a cold, his immune system has already defeated the cold virus. By the time he realizes he has a fever, it may already be breaking.
He's as strong as an ox, which is enviable.
Jiang Huaiyu's eyes curved slightly, and she seemed a little distracted.
Lu Mingxiao went to Shanghai during the winter break to work alongside Song Jingliang, doing some trivial tasks—they didn't dare entrust important matters to a college freshman like him.
The main thing is to watch and listen more.
Aside from the top management, most employees only knew Jiang Huaiyu. Lu Mingxiao had neither the surname Song nor Jiang, yet he was kept by Song Jingliang's side, and the two looked so alike...
Thus, the news that Lu Mingxiao was Song Jingliang's illegitimate son spread like wildfire.
Feeling wronged, Song Jingliang went home and complained to his wife for a while. He was comforted by Jiang Lan's gentle words and went to work with a smile on his face the next day.
Lu Mingxiao told him all of this. Later, when he video-chatted with Jiang Lan, Jiang Lan repeated it again. Jiang Huaiyu had no choice but to put on an act, pretending it was the first time he had heard it, and laughed along with Jiang Lan again.
A while ago, Song Jingliang and Jiang Lan came to visit Jiang Huaiyu. The family of three strolled around the Independence Palace and the Art Museum. The parents tacitly avoided mentioning Lu Mingxiao, but Song Jingliang knew from the bracelet on his son's wrist that the two boys had never been apart.
After returning, Song Jingliang found Lu Mingxiao particularly displeasing, but Lu Mingxiao hadn't managed to find fault with him at work. Song Jingliang felt he couldn't just vent his anger without any purpose, so he closed the door, hugged his wife, and started sobbing again.
However, since Lu Mingxiao was interning under Song Jingliang, he had less time to play games. Once, during lunch break, Song Jingliang saw him playing games, and his father even made him go to sleep.
“It’s definitely Old Song’s conspiracy.” Lu Mingxiao lay on his pillow, manipulating his game character to circle around Jiang Huaiyu’s character. “Not only does he not pay me, but he also said it’s good enough that he doesn’t ask me for training fees. He’s also putting us on opposite sides of the world, farther apart than the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl. Is he the new Fahai? But I’ve certainly learned something new…”
Jiang Huaiyu had just finished a video conference with her classmates from the same group. Before she could relax, she was amused by him and glanced at the time on her phone.
"I'm sorry, Lu Xian, regardless of whether Lao Song is Fahai or not, you need to go to sleep now, you have to go to work tomorrow."
“Okay…” Lu Mingxiao sighed, then said, “Jiang Xiaoyu, Christmas is coming soon. What present do you want from Santa Claus?”
“I hung a giant sock by my bedside, waiting for it to refresh and give me the gift I want.” Jiang Huaiyu said softly, “Listen to me, you really need to sleep, it’s almost one o’clock on your end.”
His words went unanswered.
The sound of soft breathing fell beside her ear. Jiang Huaiyu smiled and lowered her voice, "Good night, Brother Xiao."
He logged off, took the delivery box from the doorway into the house, and unpacked it.
It was a new rug, and a large stocking in Christmas colors.
...
The school also had Christmas celebrations, and many international students who didn't go home gathered together, following local customs, and even roasted a turkey.
Jiang Huaiyu simply couldn't enjoy the taste of turkey; it was like chewing on a piece of softened wood and then stretching his neck to swallow it. So he didn't attend the final dinner party and instead went to the library to borrow some materials.
He stayed in the library for two hours. When he left the school, the students' gathering had already ended. Outside the school, there were quite a few pedestrians on the street. After all, it was Christmas, and most of the people who hadn't gone home yet were couples.
Jiang Huaiyu walked along the street towards her small apartment, greeting her classmates as she passed by.
His school's accommodation was actually quite good. Students lived in suites, similar to two bedrooms and a living room, with two students living in one room. In short, it was much better than Lu Mingxiao and his classmates' bunk beds.
The school food isn't bad; it definitely wouldn't make it onto the list of things students complain about.
Actually, he didn't necessarily want to move out. It's just that before he went abroad to study, his family found out that he was in a relationship with Lu Mingxiao and was gay. Under these circumstances, being sent abroad made Song Jingliang feel like he was exiling his child.
Therefore, he and Jiang Lan wanted to make up for it materially, and the small apartment and the Chinese-American nanny were considered part of the compensation.
Accepting the compensation would ease her parents' worries, so Jiang Huaiyu didn't mention staying in the dormitory.
The apartment is very close to the school, about a ten-minute walk, but for the past two days, Jiang Huaiyu has felt that someone is following him.
In this country, even drug possession and smoking weed are legal. Jiang Huaiyu never doubted how bad the security was. Just a short distance away was the infamous "Zombie Street," but the area near the school was relatively safe.
That's only relatively speaking.
Jiang Huaiyu silently quickened her pace, and the other person also quickened their pace.
He remained calm, having mentally prepared himself. If the other party only wanted money, there was no need for conflict. However, if they were a drug addict or had other motives, things could get a bit complicated.
But the footsteps abruptly disappeared.
Turning the corner, Jiang Huaiyu looked back in surprise. The crowd was sparse, with people laughing or hurrying by, and there was no one with a suspicious expression.
...
In the alley, a tall young man was gripping a white man by the back of the neck, pinning him against the wall, while another man was groaning and muttering "Chinese Kung Fu" under his foot, his voice sounding somewhat neurotic.
A Chinese woman stood to the side, her face full of panic, repeatedly questioning the tall young man in accented English, yet she dared not reach out to pull him away.
She watched with her own eyes as the man took a punch, kicked one person to the ground, knocked down another with a punch, and then slammed him against the wall. Neither of them even had a chance to pull out a knife. His ruthlessness was terrifying.
The man turned his head and wiped the bloodstain from the corner of his lips with his thumb. In the shadows, his handsome features carried a hint of sinister intent.
There was also lingering fear.
Lu Mingxiao asked for leave for Christmas. Song Jingliang knew perfectly well what the brat was up to. He dragged him to his office, and the father and son faced off with their similar faces.
Song Jingliang: "You promised me that you wouldn't see each other before I graduated from university."
Lu Mingxiao: "If I don't let him see me, then it doesn't count as a meeting."
Song Jingliang was so angry he laughed: "You're trying to find a loophole here? Fine, you want to take leave? I'll give you a project. Once you've completed it, I'll approve your leave. You can leave for Haicheng tomorrow. Have Assistant Lin add someone to the travel list."
Although he didn't grow up with Song Jingliang, Lu Mingxiao felt that he understood Song Jingliang quite well, after all, they were essentially father and son, sharing the same blood.
With a wave of his hand, Song Jingliang handed the project over to him, which was like setting him up for a trap. Even if the project succeeded, it would be impossible to finish it before Christmas. Sure enough, as soon as he entered the project team, everyone was gloomy.
He's too young, and he might even be the chairman's illegitimate son, getting the job through his father's connections. Everyone flatters him to his face, but they gossip about him behind his back.
Lu Mingxiao ignored everyone else and spent the whole night reading through the documents. After going to Haicheng with the team, he worked on smoothing things over, attending meetings, and going to the site...
He had practically worn out the project proposal. When discussing various issues in team meetings, he could offer insightful and meaningful explanations. Coupled with his high emotional intelligence and discerning tongue, he quickly gained the approval of his team members.
Regarding the project, everyone was in a good mood, thinking that if they could reach an agreement within six months, they would be considered to have won. This inevitably led to a lack of focus. But Lu Mingxiao was anxious, as his vacation was so short.
The turning point came a week before Christmas. Lu Mingxiao saw a business partner post a set of pictures of root carvings on his other WeChat Moments. Judging from the background, the pictures were obviously taken at home. This person was a collector of root carvings. Lu Mingxiao quickly liked the post and then called Li Qing.
At the foot of Dayelu Mountain, where the legend of "hiding dragons among gourds" is told, there is also an inheritor of the intangible cultural heritage of wood carving—Third Uncle.
Lu Mingxiao not only gave a gift, but also learned about the craft in detail from his third uncle, so that he would have something to talk about next time he had a meal with him.
When Song Jingliang heard about this, he only said one sentence: "In the business world, it's all about interests; sincerity isn't always useful."
But it's not necessarily useless.
On the day the project was finalized, Song Jingliang couldn't suppress a smile, and he had no choice but to approve the sick leave he had been holding back.
Lu Mingxiao overcame numerous obstacles and finally arrived on the other side of the ocean, where he waited outside Jiang Huaiyu's apartment, hoping to catch a glimpse of his young master.
Who knew he wasn't the only one lurking around the young master?
Lu Mingxiao didn't know the Chinese nanny that Jiang Huaiyu had hired, but since they were both black-haired and black-eyed, he couldn't help but take a second look. Moreover, nannies always had a special quality about them, such as being clean, simple, and looking kind.
He watched as the Chinese woman furtively led those two obviously suspicious-looking things into the apartment elevator. He didn't follow her up; he stayed on the first floor, watching the numbers above the elevator, and it stopped on the third floor.
He knew that Jiang Huaiyu lived on the third floor.
When these people came out again, they had two backpacks in their hands, bulging with contents. One of the backpacks was the same model that Lu Mingxiao had, and it was bought by Li Qing.
What's there to not understand? It's hard to guard against a thief within your own family.
Lu Mingxiao was thinking the same thing as Jiang Huaiyu. He didn't know if the other party was being sarcastic, so it was best not to make any rash moves. He planned to pick up Jiang Huaiyu and then call the police together. Money was just an external thing; Jiang Huaiyu's safety was the most important thing.
However, after whispering among themselves for a while, the three of them dropped off the bag at a roadside coffee shop and headed back towards the school.
Lu Mingxiao wanted to call Jiang Huaiyu, but thanks to the high monk Fahai, he didn't have Jiang Huaiyu's current contact information.
God knows, when he saw one of them pull out a knife and point it at Jiang Huaiyu's back, his heart almost jumped out of his throat. He didn't have time to think, it was all instinctive reaction. Fortunately, the one at his feet was probably a poisoner, and the one he was holding down was no threat.
Only after confirming that they weren't choking did Lu Mingxiao's heartbeat gradually calm down. He pressed down hard on the back of one of the thieves, while the one in his hand was still trying to resist. He simply slammed his elbow into the back of the guy's head, and the guy's body went limp and he slipped to the ground.
They all behaved themselves now.
The woman screamed and instinctively shouted in Chinese, "Murder! Oh my god! Murder—!!"
Lu Mingxiao hasn't used his English much except for asking for directions; he still has to speak Chinese for now.
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