Chapter 167 The Worried Old Father
Lu Jin didn't want to pay any attention to Lu Qi.
Lu Qi, the emotionally fragile old father, was hurt by Lu Jin's comment about age.
Xia Zhen had no choice but to break the deadlock. She smiled and asked, "Uncle Lu, what brings you here?"
Although Lu Qi was emotionally fragile, he was still a grown man, and he adjusted his mood quickly. The hurt look on his face disappeared, and he said with a smile, "Xiao Yu suddenly received a call and had an urgent job to deal with, so I told him that I was going to pick up Lu Jin to go home anyway, so I might as well pick you up with me."
Was it really just a coincidence?
He seems to have come just to see a good show.
Xia Zhen said politely, "Thank you, Uncle Lu."
Lu Qi smiled, "We're all family, no need to thank me."
Thankfully, Xia Yu isn't here. If he were, he would definitely have a serious talk with Lu Qi about what it means to be family.
Lu Qi looked at Lu Jin and subtly raised an eyebrow, as if to say that he was a good father.
Lu Jin didn't look at Lu Qi. He picked up Xia Zhen's bag from the chair with one hand and held Xia Zhen's hand with the other. "Zhenzhen, let's go."
Lu Qi's car was parked in a roadside parking space, so it was easy to find.
Lu Qi was the last person to get on the bus. He glanced at the boy and girl sitting in the back and sighed sadly, "I drove all this way to pick them up, and all I heard was Zhenzhen say thank you."
Lu Jin looked up and said, "Thank you."
Those are truly two words devoid of any emotion.
Before Lu Qi could even begin to act, Lu Jin added, "I will try my best to get my driver's license this semester."
Lu Qi was surprised. "You want to take a driving test?"
Lu Jin: "Mm."
Lu Jin has always been a very organized person. Since he said he wanted to get a driver's license, he would definitely do it. Even if he doesn't have enough savings to buy a car now, he will buy one for himself someday.
Lu Qi thought to himself, "This son really doesn't intend to give his old father a chance to watch the show."
Xia Zhen tugged at Lu Jin's hand.
He lowered his eyes and asked softly, "What's wrong?"
Xia Zhen whispered, "Don't push yourself too hard."
He chuckled, "I know, don't worry, it won't happen."
Lu Qi sighed inwardly. He was so gentle and loving towards his girlfriend, but so cold and heartless towards his own father. He truly lived up to his family name.
The journey was quite long, and they were only halfway there when Xia Zhen leaned back in her seat and yawned repeatedly. She had stayed up too late reading novels last night and had gotten up early today. Because of Lu Qi, an elder, and because she and Lu Jin couldn't tell dirty jokes to stay awake, she inevitably felt sleepy.
Lu Jin glanced at the time and said, "There's about an hour left. You can lean on me and sleep for a while."
Xia Zhen nodded.
He bent down, unbuckled her sandals, took them off, and placed them aside. Xia Zhen curled up on the back seat, resting her head on his lap and closing her eyes.
Lu Jin took off his coat and covered her with it. After a while, her breathing gradually became long and steady.
He looked down at her, gently stroking her cheek with one hand. The car jolted, and he looked up.
Lu Qi glanced at the person in the rearview mirror. "This isn't my fault, that's just how the road is."
Lu Jin withdrew his gaze and said softly, "Be careful."
Lu Qi found it somewhat amusing. Usually, there were plenty of people willing to drive for him, so how did he end up being the one driving for someone else and being looked down upon?
He really does seem like a driver.
Lu Qi thought about it carefully and realized that something was wrong. He used to think that teasing Xia Yu was a piece of cake, since he always had the upper hand.
However, Lu Jin has fallen in love with Xia Yu's daughter. Now, Lu Jin constantly complains about his father, Lu Qi, because of his girlfriend. So, if we think about it this way, wouldn't Lu Qi be the one at a disadvantage in front of Xia Yu?
Lu Qi thought to himself that having Lu Jin as a son was a real loss for him.
Lu Jin suddenly asked, "Did you release the news about the engagement?"
Lu Qi immediately knew what Lu Jin was talking about. He smiled smugly and said, "To be precise, it was Xiao Yu himself who said that you and Zhenzhen were getting engaged. I just accidentally mentioned it to someone at the business meeting. I told him not to spread it around, but he couldn't keep his mouth shut and it became common knowledge."
Although these rumors have been circulating in the industry, no one dares to mention it to Xia Yu, so even now, Xia Yu is unaware of it.
Lu Jin said, "I don't need you to interfere."
Lu Qi was heartbroken, "I did all this for you, how can it be considered meddling?"
Lu Jin: "You're just doing this for your own twisted sense of humor, no need to make it sound so nice."
It must be said that Lu Jin did know Lu Qi to some extent.
Lu Qi asked, "Are you unhappy?"
Lu Jin lowered his eyes, his gaze falling on the girl's sleeping face. He said in a calm tone, "I don't want to ruin her reputation."
Just as they were about to stop at a red light, Lu Qi stepped on the brakes and looked back at the white-haired boy. "If the rumors from outsiders aren't true, then of course they're damaging her reputation. Do you think it's unrealistic for you to get engaged to Zhenzhen? Or do you not intend to be with her in the end?"
Lu Qi added with a smile, "To be more precise, is it that you lack the confidence to be with her in the end?"
Lu Jin raised his eyes. "No."
In the past, he would indeed have felt anxious and uneasy. His past experiences, or perhaps his innate unsociable personality, determined that he would be in a passive and inferior position in a romantic relationship.
However, during this time, she has given him too much favoritism and too much security. To this day, he cannot say for sure that he no longer has that inferiority complex, but he is certain that no matter what happens, he will not give her up.
Lu Jin said, "I will earn Zhenzhen's family's approval through my own efforts, rather than using such petty tricks to force them to acknowledge me."
Lu Qi gave a listless, uninteresting twitch of his lips. "How boring."
He might say it's boring, perhaps because he didn't manage to do it back then.
Lu Qi had never learned how to like someone, or perhaps the Lu family members simply lacked talent in this area. His thinking was simple: if he disliked someone, he would prevent them from ever appearing in front of him; but if he met someone he liked, regardless of whether she liked someone else or was married, he would have to have her.
In fact, that's exactly what he did.
Lin Ruo was already engaged to her boyfriend from college, and they were about to get married. Both sets of parents were very satisfied with the two young people, but Lu Qi appeared at the last minute and ruined the happy occasion.
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