51-60

Sell this place?"

Lu Yaohua fell into deep thought, then frowned.

He seemed to have made up his mind.

…

"Boss, it's done."

"The money has been transferred to your bank account. Happy to be working together."

Master Liu removed the exquisite makeup on his face, revealing Zhou Feng's features!

This was obviously a trap specially designed for Lu Yaohua!

After knowing that Lu Yaohua had fallen into the trap, Lu Ming flashed an enigmatic smile. He thought about how Lu Yaohua had worked hard for most of his life but was repeatedly defeated by a junior like him. "If Lu Yaohua knows the truth, he might regret it so much that he wants to commit suicide."

"Boss is really quick-thinking as usual. I love working with people like you. You don't know how fearful Lu Yaohua was. When he left, his legs were trembling. Tsk, tsk, tsk. How interesting."

Zhou Feng paused for a moment before continuing, "Luckily, I made a lot of preparations in advance. Otherwise, I really wouldn't have been able to handle this person. In order to make me look more saintly, I even invited some extras to play along."

Lu Yaohua would never have thought that Lu Ming had everything under his control.

Zhou Feng continued, "Usually, Lu Yaohua would use his ability to do evil. I'm afraid he never dreamed that such a day would come, right? In a sense, you're punishing evil. Oh right, Big Boss, what do you plan to do next?"

Lu Ming rubbed his chin and said, "Of course, we should go over and take a look at how that piece of land should be developed. That is a good place."

Zhou Feng asked nosily, "But I heard that this piece of land has been abandoned for a long time. I'm afraid it doesn't have any future. Boss, could it be that you got hold of some information? Aren't you afraid that after going through so much trouble, you might end up suffering a loss?"

"I trust my foresight."

Lu Ming said confidently. His every move exuded a stable aura that made people trust him instinctively.

Even Zhou Feng was no exception. He smiled and said, "I'm already looking forward to seeing you show your capabilities."

As soon as he finished speaking, he removed the silicone hidden in his clothes. His middle-aged physique immediately deflated. Zhou Feng turned around and waved his hand casually. "Boss, if there's nothing else, I'll get going first. If something comes up, call me directly."

"Sure."

Not long after, Lu Ming left the company and took a leisurely drive to the vicinity of that piece of land. Just as he was about to approach it, a familiar figure entered his line of sight.

"The flower on the left is slanted. Hurry up and straighten it for me! This is not a simple event ceremony. Everyone, buck up! If you succeed today, I will definitely reward you fairly!"

Lu Ze, who was wearing a black suit, was instructing his subordinates to lay roses on the ground. A Ferrari was parked not far away. However, his slightly pale face still showed that he had just recovered from a serious illness.

"You're already so restless just after getting discharged from the hospital?" Lu Ming thought.

Lu Ming raised his eyebrows slightly. His half-brother was really a loafer who fooled around all day long. He stood in the shadows, looking like he was enjoying a good show.

Lu Ze, who was feeling perturbed, was only focused on the scene in front of him and did not notice that Lu Ming was there. He adjusted his clothes and touched the wax on his hair with satisfaction. Then he cleared his throat.

Initially, he had to stay in the hospital for a few days, but he really could not stand living without beautiful women. He did not know what was going on at the hospital, but be it the nurses or nursing aides, they were all middle-aged women.

Every time he saw their faces, he could not help retching.

It was horrible!

If not for the fact that he was not feeling well and had mobility issues, he would have run home to sleep over.

Fortunately, God was still looking out for him. In just a few days, he had unintentionally bumped into an exquisite beauty! She had a good figure and good looks. Just thinking about her made his heart itch.

"Young Master Lu, where should we put this board?"

The thin man held a light board carefully and asked. On it were three big words in bold cursive calligraphy—Chu Jinyu. It was obvious that he had specially hired a professional to write this.

Lu Ze looked left and right and said, "Place it in the middle of the roses."

"Okay."

The thin man hurriedly did as instructed.

Lu Ze felt that the car was a little too empty. He had specially borrowed this car from his father. It would not be right if he did not show off his wealth!

At the thought of this, he continued, "Put the flowers that I had flown in from overseas on the car bonnet!"

The few of them moved quickly. Soon the Ferrari was covered with fresh flowers. Lu Ze nodded and could not help feeling self-satisfied. He had put in so much effort to decorate this place. "Which woman would reject me?" he thought.

Moreover, he had specially checked. Every year, Chu Jinyu would go out for a walk alone at this time, as if she was going to pay her respects to someone. And she would pass by this place en route to going back!

She was, after all, the CEO of a company which was located in Binjiang's office building. In order to obtain this information about her, he had spent quite a bit of money, almost using up his pocket money for this month.

However…

"What is this amount of money compared to a beauty!?" he thought.

Money could be earned again, but if he missed the chance of wooing this beauty, it would be a lost opportunity indeed!

He felt that everything he did was worth it.

Just as he was consoling himself, the thin man ran over and said, "Young Master Lu, she's here!"

Lu Ze quickly came back to his senses. He looked at the beauty who was getting closer and closer. He took a deep breath, knelt on one knee, and handed the roses in his arms to her. "Ms. Chu, I've liked you for a long time! Please be my girlfriend! I, Lu Ze, will definitely give you happiness!"

At this moment, his going to such lengths had attracted a lot of onlookers.

"Is this a confession scene? How romantic! This person is not bad-looking either. He seems to be rich. If it were me, I would definitely agree immediately."

"If I'm not mistaken, that car is a Ferrari, right? And it's a new model that has been around only in the recent few years. Maybe he's a rich second-generation heir from Shanghai! This kind of scene is rare. We're lucky to have encountered it!"

"As expected, pretty girls are blown away by rich second-generation heirs. One is pretty and the other is rich. They can be considered a match. And it seems that this rich second-generation heir is serious. Seeing such a good person, I think it's better to agree quickly."

…

Lu Ze heard every word. When he heard all this, he became even more confident, and his eyes revealed his determination to win his girl!

A red-haired, cold-looking woman in a black lacy dress approached. Just as Lu Ze thought that she would accept him, she walked right past him without even looking at him!

It was as if Lu Ze was non-existent!

There was no time to think too much. He frantically tugged at the red-haired woman's sleeve.. "Ms. Chu, please be my girlfriend!"Chu Jinyu had no choice but to stop walking. She pulled back her sleeve and said coldly, "I don't know you, so naturally, I don't have to accept your confession. Besides, the people chasing me can form a line from here all the way to the Bund. Who do you think you are?"

She had never seen this person before. In addition, she was not in a good mood to begin with, so she sounded colder than usual.

Moreover, they did not even know each other, so how serious could his confession be? Needless to say, she knew that he only took a fancy to her face.

At the thought of this, she felt even more disgusted with Lu Ze. She had seen many people like him.

"Step aside."

"Ms. Chu, what I just said was not a joke at all. Please be my girlfriend!"

Lu Ze said affectionately.

"Why are you pretending to be affectionate here?" she thought.

Chu Jinyu almost wondered if this person had just escaped from a mental hospital. "We are strangers. Why do I have to agree?" she thought.

"Get lost."

She said impatiently, her eyes cold. She felt that if she had known this would happen, she would have brought a bodyguard with her no matter what!

"Who exactly leaked my schedule?!" she wondered.

Seeing that Lu Ze was about to grab her, she quickly slapped his hands away and said, "I hate people who harass me endlessly. Do you think that I won't call the police? I've never seen you before. You're simply unreasonable and crazy!"

Lu Ze had never been treated so rudely before. His face turned pale.

There were whisperings all around.

"What's going on? Is he rejected? Why? What a pity, that man is sincere! I think he should find someone else. Does this woman think that just because she's pretty, she can do as she pleases?"

"Didn't you hear it just now? That woman said that the two of them don't know each other. I thought they knew each other! Is this the first time they're meeting each other? Is this man crazy? Is he aroused by a beautiful face?"

"Is it that exciting? He looks so affectionate. I thought they've known each other for a long time! Now it's really awkward. The woman doesn't even know him. I think we should disperse. There's nothing left to see."

…

Their words pierced Lu Ze's heart directly!

Putting aside the fact that he had put in so much effort, it would have been fine if no one was around. But there were actually quite a number of people who saw what happened. This put him on the spot and he lost face in front of everyone. Moreover, if word got out, his reputation would be ruined!

He did not want to be a laughing stock!

Hence, his tone became a little unyielding as he said softly, "Ms. Chu, I'm the young master of the Lu family. Being together with me is a marriage of equal social standing. A strong alliance. Are you really not going to reconsider?"

Upon hearing this, Chu Jinyu simply glanced at him calmly. "Young Master Lu?"

She sneered inwardly. She had heard this name a lot. He was famous for being a playboy. She had thought that this person looked familiar. It turned out that she had met Lu Yaohua at a banquet previously. The father and son looked quite alike.

"A strong alliance?"

Lu Ze thought that there was room for discussion, so he nodded and said, "Yes, as long as our two families get connected through marriage…"

"My company is not yet at the stage where it needs to be supported by marriage. Even if it comes to that, I don't think I will choose you as my husband. After all, there are many people with better character than you."

Chu Jinyu interrupted him without hesitation. "I think my rejection is obvious enough. Can you get lost?"

"He wants to throw money at me without looking at himself?" she thought.

"Does he think I'm a commodity?"

Just as she was about to leave, Lu Ze suddenly stood up and grabbed her arm. He said loudly, "I know you're still angry at me, but I really know my mistake. In order to arrange these things, I didn't sleep well and got up at dawn. I shouldn't have been so busy with work. I'll definitely make time to go out on dates with you in the future!"

Chu Jinyu was stunned for a few seconds.

"What the heck!?" she wondered.

"Date?"

They did not even know each other. She wondered where this 'date' came from. "He even mentioned work. A notorious playboy actually knows how to work?" she was incredulous.

"If word gets out, people would probably laugh their heads off."

The onlookers were misled by Lu Ze and they chimed in fervently.

"So they're a couple? Those who don't know might even think that the two of them are strangers! This woman is really heartless! Isn't she just busy with work? If my boyfriend is so ambitious, I'm afraid I'll wake up laughing in my dreams!"

"That's right! Isn't it because of his own hard work that this man is so rich now? If he doesn't earn money, how can he have money for you to spend? This isn't a big deal. How can there be enmity between husband and wife? Let's just forget about this bedside quarrel."

"Such a capable boyfriend is hard to come by. You must not miss this opportunity or you'll regret it for the rest of your life! If you really break up, then who you find in the future will definitely not be as good as this man! Young lady, listen to our advice."

…

"Young lady, I think you should forgive this young man! I think he's quite sincere. It's typical of young people to make mistakes. Why don't you give him another chance? Who knows, he might change? Besides, it's fine for young people to be busy with their careers. That's what everyone has been through."

A middle-aged woman in a floral blouse stood in front and spoke with a look that said she was doing this for Chu Jinyu's good.

Chu Jinyu was so angry that her hands clenched tightly. "Who the f*ck is dating Lu Ze?!" she fumed.

"If Lu Ze is really as capable as these people claimed, would Lu Yaohua still not relinquish his authority?" she thought.

At this moment, Lu Ze gave his underlings a look. They understood immediately and, intentionally or otherwise, they attempted to squeeze Chu Jinyu into a dark corner.

She naturally realized that something was wrong. "Let go of me! Lu Ze, aren't you afraid of offending my Chu family?!"

Lu Ze did not take her words seriously at all. He shrugged and said, "As long as I have you first, do you think your mom won't marry you to me? Besides, when the time comes, your reputation will be ruined. No one in the social circle will want you except me! You'd better follow me obediently."

Chu Jinyu was disgusted. She raised her voice and said, "Call the police quickly! I don't know him!"

"I'm sorry, my girlfriend is really angry."

Lu Ze said calmly as he turned around. This dispelled any doubts that the onlookers might have. Even if Chu Jinyu was telling the truth, they could not afford to offend such a rich person.

So they would rather believe Lu Ze.

At this moment, the system said,

[Host, please make one of the following choices:

Option 1: Let him do as he pleases. Reward: Title 'Watching From The Side.'

Option 2: Sanction him with your iron fist. Reward: Hilton Hotel, a five-star hotel.

Option 3: Offer him kind advice.. Reward: A halo for showing great love.]Lu Ming chose the second option without hesitation. He did not mind beating Lu Ze up a few more times.

So Lu Ming walked out from the shadows. "You want to take someone away forcibly in broad daylight just because your confession didn't work? This is a society governed by law. Do you really think that the Lu family can rely on its power to deceive people in Shanghai?"

Lu Ze looked at him in disbelief. His body instinctively recalled the experience of getting beaten up and he was tongue-tied. "W-why are you here?!"

"No matter where I go, I bump into this devil!" he thought.

The corners of Lu Ming's lips curled up. "I also want to ask why you are here. This is really a coincidence. Perhaps… this is heaven's arrangement? After all, every time I see you, you seem to be doing bad things."

Before Lu Ze could say anything, the middle-aged woman in the floral blouse said indignantly, "They are in a couple's fight, so why are you meddling? Do you really think you're the messenger of justice? If you interfere with their reconciliation, can you bear the responsibility?"

She looked around at the people around and continued, "Do you guys think so?"

"Yeah! This is between the couple in the first place. Why bother to cause trouble for yourself? Let them handle their own family affair. It will be a sin to break them up."

"I just arrived. What happened here? Could it be that when he was confessing, he suddenly realized that the person he confessed to had a boyfriend? Coincidentally, the girlfriend's boyfriend happened to be here?"

"That's completely wrong. They're a couple who are having a squabble. That rich second-generation heir was apologizing. Another man thought that there was really a conflict between them, so he came out to stop them. I think he was just too impulsive. Maybe this couple won't appreciate it!"

"Are they really a couple?"

"Of course. Can't you see that the man in the black suit is so affectionate?"

…

Upon hearing the support from so many people, the initially timid Lu Ze puffed up his chest again and said, "They're right. This is a family matter between Ms. Chu and me. It has nothing to do with you!"

"Family matter?"

Lu Ming repeated the two words and said meaningfully, "Lu Ze, I don't know that you have a girlfriend. I remember that you were pursuing another person recently."

Lu Ze hid his guilty conscience and said, "It, it's none of your business!"

The next second, there was a loud slap and the right side of his face swelled up instantly. Caught off guard, he widened his eyes and tried to get his subordinates to retaliate. "Go!"

However, there was no reaction at all. Lu Ming pointed at a certain spot and said, "Your subordinates seem to be even more timid than you."

Lu Ze turned around and saw those people trembling in a corner.

"A bunch of trash!"

The thin man's smile was uglier than crying. He said, "Young, Young Master Lu, it's not that we're timid, but he's really too powerful. Even if there were 10 of us, we wouldn't be able to beat him."

"Young man, you have to calm down! You have nothing to do with them. It's a little problematic to attack them directly, right? They've already said that this has nothing to do with you. If you make another move, I'll call the police!"

Seeing this, the middle-aged woman quickly took out her phone and threatened Lu Ming.

Seeing that someone was still on his side, Lu Ze continued, "This is my girlfriend. Isn't it normal for me to do something to her?"

"That's right. And in my opinion, the fault is not entirely with this young man. Young lady, listen to my advice and accept his apology. I've seen him decorating this place earlier on. Don't let his good intentions go to waste."

Her words implied that Chu Jinyu did not know what was good for her.

Lu Ze added, "I specially got someone to ship these flowers from overseas. Jinyu, you…"

Another thud. This time it was the left side of his face.

Immediately after, the successive sounds of slapping rang out like raindrops falling on the ground. Lu Ze's face swelled like a pig's head and saliva flowed uncontrollably from the corner of his mouth. He looked extremely miserable.

Everyone gasped.

"Isn't this too heavy-handed? Is there a personal grudge? Look! You've beaten him silly! Isn't this lawless? This person is so scary!"

"Why don't we call the police quickly! Such a person is really too dangerous."

"That's right! Has anyone called the police? Also, call an ambulance. Let's go farther away so we don't get affected."

…

The woman in the floral blouse said with an ugly expression, "This is too much! I'll call the police now and get them to arrest you!"

Before she could dial, Lu Ming wiped his hands slowly and said, "This is my family matter. What has it got to do with you?"

"Family matter?"

Everyone was stunned.

"What is going on?" they wondered.

The woman in the floral blouse vocalized the question in their hearts. "What kind of family matter is this? Could it be that you have something to do with this woman?"

"Of course not."

Lu Ming answered calmly.

The auntie was a little angry. "Are you kidding us? Since you have nothing to do with this woman, how can you say it's a family matter?"

"I am this person's elder brother, Lu Ming. My brother has mental issues. He often nags a woman and begs to date her. So I sent him to the hospital. I only received the news today that he had run out on his own. Now I want to take him back to the hospital."

Lu Ming looked at her and paused for a moment. Then he said, "It's my family matter. What has it got to do with you?"

The sudden turn of events stunned the onlookers for a few seconds. "These two are actually brothers?" they thought.

They looked at Lu Ze and then at Lu Ming. They looked alike but not quite alike. Moreover, according to the other party, his younger brother was crazy.

Judging from his behavior just now, he seemed like a normal person. There was nothing wrong with him. But looking at him now, he did look a little silly.

"So how credible are this person's words?" they wondered.

The auntie sized Lu Ming up suspiciously and said, "Do you have evidence? Anyone can…"

"Is this alright?"

Lu Ming took out his identity card. The date of birth, name, and birthplace were clearly written on it.

The person beside him craned his head, trying to read the words.

"Did anyone see clearly? I was too far away to see clearly."

"I saw the first line clearly. He has the same surname as that rich second-generation heir. It's probably close to the mark. They should be brothers."

"In other words, is what this person said true? It's really not good to have such a crazy brother!"

…

The woman in the floral blouse looked at the identity card for a long time and said doubtfully. "Do you have any other proof?"Seeing that she was so cautious, Lu Ming rattled off a string of numbers from memory. It was Lu Yaohua's phone number.

Lu Ming used to believe in his father so much that he had memorized this phone number. However, the high and mighty CEO, Lu Yaohua, was never a part of their lives, even when his mother passed away. Only then did he stop longing for his father.

He pushed these thoughts aside and took out the phone in Lu Ze's pocket. "This is his biological father's phone number, and the caller ID is his father. Is that enough?"

He did not memorize any number wrongly.

In other words, he held his ground.

The woman in the floral blouse was still in disbelief. She looked at the few men who were trembling and asked, "Is this person really his brother?"

Lu Ming looked at them like the shadow of death was looming over them.

The thin man pretended to be calm and nodded. "He… He is indeed Young Master Lu's older brother."

"However, they have the same father but different mothers. He was abandoned by CEO Lu and his new wife many years ago."

The thin man added inwardly.

However, in terms of blood ties, he was not wrong. He looked carefully at Lu Ming. Seeing that he had retracted his gaze, he heaved a sigh of relief.

He did not want to be beaten up.

Especially when the other party's fists were so hard.

Only an idiot would go against him.

At the thought of this, he looked at the delirious Lu Ze and sighed inwardly. He was afraid that he would throw a fit when he got back. Why did he bump into Lu Ming every time?

"Could it really be an arrangement by the heavens?" he wondered.

He shivered and had goosebumps. The more he thought about it, the more terrible it seemed.

After receiving an affirmative answer, the woman in the floral blouse returned the identity card in her hand to Lu Ming with some embarrassment. She smiled awkwardly and said, "Sorry, sorry. So I misunderstood. I knew it. There was something wrong with your brother's expression just now."

Lu Ming did not say much in response to this.

"Don't talk too much next time."

He walked up to Lu Ze.

"And you? What do you have to say?"

"F*ck, crazy? I'm mentally sound, and you're the one who's f*cking crazy. What have you, the son of a lowly mother, got to do with me? You…"

Lu Ze shouted arrogantly.

Lu Ming would not tolerate others insulting his mother.

Lu Ze did not finish speaking.

Lu Ming delivered a hard punch on his nose bridge.

"Ahhh—"

Lu Ze fell to the ground in pain.

Lu Ming punched him again and again until Lu Ze could not even raise his head.

It was not until Lu Ze had formed a reflexive fear of Lu Ming that he said incoherently, "You… You want to… do, what to me… Brother… I was wrong. You are my brother… Please let me off…"

After so many times, he was really scared.

Initially, he was shielded by his family background.

However, the current Lu Ming was not easy to bully. Even if Lu Ze wanted to attack him, his parents had to consider the current situation.

Since he was no match for Lu Ming, he could only endure the beating at his hands.

His biggest wish now was to never see Lu Ming again in this lifetime.

Lu Ming looked at him coldly, as if he was looking at a corpse. This made him shudder all over. His legs turned weak and he knelt on the ground. "Don't, don't kill me… Big Brother… As long as you're willing to let me off… I, I'll do anything…"

"I don't need you to do anything."

Lu Ming looked down at him and said, "Take your men and scram. Scram as far away as you can."

As soon as he finished speaking, a few subordinates helped Lu Ze up as if they had been granted amnesty.

The mission was completed and Lu Ming was about to leave. However, he had only taken a few steps when he heard a clear female voice from behind. "… Brother Lu Ming?"

Brother Lu Ming.

It was as if the little girl in his memory was calling him.

It seemed that someone had once called him that, but he had forgotten who it was.

Lu Ming followed the voice. It was… Chu Jinyu.

The dispersed crowd looked at them again.

"Isn't this plot reversal going a little too fast? Why are the scenes coming one after another? This is much better than watching a soap opera at home. Speaking of which, does this beauty know him? Why doesn't he seem to know her?"

"Judging from the beauty's reaction, they should know each other. I can't even guess the plot. Could it be that the two of them used to date? Isn't this a little too melodramatic?"

"I'm starting to wonder if this is all an act. Do you see any cameras? Maybe we can get on camera!"

"Mindblowing twists and turns to devour. I feel like I've watched a soap opera about a wealthy family's feuds."

…

Lu Ze and his underlings were also dumbfounded. Why did the lofty Chu Jinyu who looked down on everyone address Lu Ming so sweetly?

"No way!" he thought.

He wondered if his new goddess was friends with Lu Ming.

Lu Ze clenched his fists and looked at Lu Ming's confused expression. "Am I thinking too much? Perhaps my goddess has gotten the wrong person," he thought.

"Miss Chu… Y-you know him? No… Could you be mistaken…"

He asked, feeling hopeful. He could not possibly let Lu Ming snatch the beauty who was associated with him.

A hint of annoyance flashed across Chu Jinyu's eyes. "How could I be mistaken?"

She looked at Lu Ming with an agitated expression. A faint blush appeared on her face. "Brother Lu Ming, have you forgotten me?"

Lu Ming did not think he knew her.

He wondered how he could have forgotten her if he had seen her before.

Looking at Chu Jinyu's face, Lu Ming felt that it was unfamiliar, yet familiar. He… Did he meet her somewhere?

But he could not think of anything.

Seeing that he still could not remember her, Chu Jinyu tied up her long hair and said with smiling eyes, "You used to call me Little Yu. You haven't forgotten the promise we made six years ago, right? Brother Lu Ming."

Looking at her exquisite face with the confident spirit between her brows, Lu Ming was momentarily stunned.

Speaking of Little Yu and the promise, memories suddenly flooded his mind.

Lu Ming did recall some things.

…

Back then, a new park was built near his house. After it was built, he could not wait to go out and play.

But he did not play for long before he saw a few older children bullying a 'boy' with close-cropped hair. The 'boy' was clearly not their match, and 'he' was crying softly, "It hurts, it hurts…"

Lu Ming felt agitated and said, "Stop!"

The older children looked at Lu Ming. The taller one in the lead said, "Why? Do you want to be beaten up too? If you know what's good for you, get lost! Otherwise, I will beat you up too!"

Lu Ming jumped off his seesaw. "You can only bully children who have yet to grow up, right? I want to see if you're beating me or I'm beating you up!"

With that, he charged at them.

As he often carried heavy objects, he was stronger than his peers.

Hence, it was a piece of cake to fight four of them at once. He beat them up, leaving them with light injuries and crying, "I want to go back to mom!"

Lu Ming clicked his tongue lightly. He looked down and saw the adoration in the eyes of the 'boy'. "As a boy, don't you know how to stand up to bullies? They bully the weak and fear the strong. If they dare to bully you again, you throw things at them. Understand?"

The 'boy' wiped 'his' tears and said weakly, "… Understood. May I know your name?"

"Lu Ming."

"My name is Chu Jinyu. Mom said that I was named after the Jinyu colored jade which emits an unusual brilliance. You can call me Little Yu. Can I call you Brother Lu Ming?"

The 'boy's' eyes lit up as 'he' nervously grabbed the edge of his own shirt.

Lu Ming said nonchalantly, "Whatever. However, your name sounds like a girl's."

"I—I'm a girl."

'He'—no, she—said suddenly and shyly.

Lu Ming stood rooted to the ground and blurted out, "Are you joking?"

The person in front of him clearly had the face of a boy.. Although 'he' was very delicate and pretty, 'he' did not look like a girl.Chu Jinyu hurriedly explained, "I'm really a girl. Mom said that I just look a little more 'heroic.' I'll definitely become a big beauty in the future!"

"No wonder. She does seem very small for a boy," he thought.

Lu Ming did not dwell on this for too long. He asked, "Do you get bullied often? Didn't you tell your parents?"

He saw the bruise on her arm. Clearly, it could not have been caused in a day or two. However, she was wearing branded goods and did not look like a child from a poor family.

"They're busy and rarely come home, so I'm alone."

Chu Jinyu did not deny the fact that she was often beaten up. "I'm already used to it…"

"You won't cry if you are used to it."

Lu Ming interrupted her and sighed. "You should learn to protect yourself. Alright, I should go."

She watched him go and asked, "Can I… Can I still come to the park to look for you?"

"Suit yourself."

Not long after, Lu Ming met Chu Jinyu again. Like the previous time, she was being bullied.

He looked at the older children and said coldly, "Do you remember being beaten up by me?"

Just that one sentence scared them away.

"Why didn't you do as I said?"

Chu Jinyu lowered her head and said, "… I, I threw things at them, but it wasn't enough to deter them. Am I very useless? I clearly did as you told me to. S-sorry."

Lu Ming did not know what to say. He scratched the back of his head.

"If you can't beat them next time, look for me."

When Chu Jinyu heard this, her emotions instantly soared. "Alright!"

After that, every time she was bullied, Lu Ming would step forward. She did not know when he had sneaked into her heart, but slowly, he became someone she cherished.

Six years ago, both their families moved.

So they promised to look for each other again when they grew up.

It was the same this time.

She did not expect that when they met again, Lu Ming would protect her like he did back then. Chu Jinyu's heart raced. This was the person she had been thinking about for many years. He was not just her childhood friend—he was someone she loved.

At this moment, Lu Ming remembered her. He looked enlightened and said, "I remember now. It has been a while, Little Yu."

He did not expect that before he could find her, she would reach him first.

More unexpectedly, by a freak combination of events, he actually protected Chu Jinyu again.

Seeing that he finally remembered, Chu Jinyu let down her hair. It fell casually to her waist. "Do I look completely different from when I was young? If I had a pixie cut, you would definitely have recognized me immediately."

"They look like two different people," he thought.

Lu Ming thought that she would grow up to be a tomboy.

Compared to back then, the person in front of him exuded an inexplicable charm. She was as radiant as the sun—no, a thorny red rose might be more suitable.

Chu Jinyu tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. Her ears were clearly pink. "Am I pretty?"

"Pretty, but you weren't bad when you were little."

Lu Ming said without hesitation.

His words made her heart beat faster involuntarily. She pretended to be calm and said, "Let's go have a meal then. I have a lot to tell you."

For example, how she had spent the past few years.

"Okay."

Lu Ming wanted to chat with her too.

Lu Ze could almost see the chemistry between the two of them. He could not believe that his goddess and his arch-enemy were actually childhood sweethearts! And that they were going to have lunch together!

This was something that he could never ask for!

At the thought of this, he spat out a mouthful of blood in exasperation, which gave the onlookers a shock!

"D*mn! What's going on?! Why is he coughing up blood? Should we call an ambulance? Is it caused by his anger? It seems very bad."

"This is the first time I've seen someone really vomit blood. I saw it on television previously. It was so exciting!"

"Why do I feel that there's something wrong with him? After all, he's a lunatic. So it's understandable for his health to be poor. Why don't we call someone?"

…

These words pierced Lu Ze's heart like needles. His eyes widened as he looked at Chu Jinyu's direction. "Why?! Why don't you choose me? We are a true alliance of the strong and powerful. I'm much richer than Lu Ming. My parents are also rich and powerful!"

Because of his facial movement, blood flowed from the red mark on his face. He looked like a devil that had crawled out of hell.

Chu Jinyu's gaze became cold as she looked at him. "Do you think I lack these things? Money, fame, power—perhaps these are capital you use to show off, but in my opinion, they're not worth mentioning. I never pay attention to these things when making friends, let alone choosing my future partner."

She paused for a moment and said nonchalantly, "Why do you think you're worthy of me? Up until now, I'm worth hundreds of millions and I'm one of the top 500 richest people in the world. What about you? You're just a playboy. I can earn tens of thousands of dollars every second. Why would I need to marry you? You think too highly of yourself. Are you worthy?"

He was dealt a heavy blow, but what the other party said was true.

As an entrepreneur, Chu Jinyu's starting point was higher than ordinary people's. After all, her starting salary was from her family.

Fortunately, she had lived up to expectations and was now no weaker than the Lu family in terms of financial ability.

She took out a stack of money from her purse and rained the red bills on Lu Ze. "Don't appear in front of me again. If you touch me again, I'll send you on a trip to hell.

The Lu family means nothing to me."

With that, she held Lu Ming's arm and left without looking back.

Looking at the red notes, Lu Ze's heart was filled with humiliation. He was so angry that he tore up a few notes. Then his eyes rolled and he fainted!

After witnessing his crazy behavior, the onlookers did not dare to approach him.

"Good lord! You're really crazy!"

They figured that if they were beaten up by the lunatic, they could only admit defeat and run.

"Brother Zhang, should we pick up this money?"

The thin man named Brother Zhang hesitated for a few seconds and said, "Pick it up. This is not a small sum."

"But if Young Master Lu finds out…"

"Who would know if we don't say anything? Pick up the money first. I'll go tell CEO Lu."

He stood up and took out his phone.

Lu Yaohua, who was dealing with things at home, slammed the table suddenly and stood up. "What?! He fainted again?"After Lu Yaohua received the call, he got someone to fetch his son quickly. He looked at Lu Ze, who was on the verge of death, and he was furious!

It was one thing for Lu Ze to borrow his car to chase after a girl, but it was quite another to end up losing the girl and getting a beating instead. Most importantly—the girl even ran away with his elder son! Wasn't this a slap to his own face in public?

He wondered how he could have raised such a useless son like Lu Ze!

Compared with Lu Ming, they were worlds apart. The former was so outstanding, but the latter was utterly useless.

They were both his sons!

He had never thought that it was his fault. After all, in his opinion, Lu Ze's environment was much better than Lu Ming's. His younger son should be better than Lu Ming, but in reality, it was the complete opposite.

If Lu Ming was still his son, he might be able to successfully establish ties with the Chu family and become a friend of countless elites. His business operations would not be limited to Shanghai.

He regretted it even more now.

He must have been out of his mind to sever ties with Lu Ming.

He looked at Lu Ze in exasperation. "It was all because of this good-for-nothing son!" he thought.

Tang Wenyi lay by the bed and sobbed softly. "My poor precious son! How did you end up like this just by going out for a while?! Lu Ming, that bastard! I won't let him off!"

After calming herself down, she said, "Yaohua, look at the child you had with that slut! He made Little Ze so angry time and time again. Sooner or later, he'll be lording it over us!"

"That's enough. If Lu Ze didn't try to take Ms. Chu by force, he might still be fine."

After Lu Yaohua found out the truth, he almost lost his breath. Lu Ze was really bold! He even dared to offend the Chu family! He actually dared to abduct her after his confession failed to win her heart. If he had succeeded, the Lu family would probably be blacklisted by the Chu family!

Tang Wenyi said nonchalantly, "If the daughter of the Chu family had obediently followed Little Ze, wouldn't this matter be easily resolved? Little Ze and she are a match made in heaven. What else is there to be dissatisfied about?"

In her opinion, Chu Jinyu was unworthy of her son.

Lu Yaohua was speechless.

"A match made in heaven?"

It would be fine if Chu Jinyu was a rich second-generation heir who only knew how to eat, drink, and have fun. However, the key was that she had a solid list of accomplishments to her name. How could someone like him be worthy of her?

He wondered how many layers of filters Tang Wenyi had applied.

She stood up unsteadily and said, "It's all your fault! If not for you, how would Little Ze have ended up like this?!"

"Alright, alright, alright. It's all my fault. He should lie low for now so that he doesn't have to be admitted to the hospital again."

Lu Yaohua did not bother to argue with his wife. In any case, he still had to rely on her to support the Lu Corporation. If the Tang family withdrew their investments, he would really be finished.

She reprimanded him a few more times but was still not appeased. She took out her phone and said in a ruthless tone, "I want to contact my family to get Grandpa to do something! Since he dared to provoke my precious son, Lu Ming must pay the price!"

The Tang family was not to be trifled with!

Meanwhile, on the rooftop of the Hilton Hotel.

Lu Ming was chatting happily with Chu Jinyu. He took a sip of red wine and said with a chuckle, "Why did you return to Shanghai? Are you here to discuss business, or will you stay here in the future?"

"I'd like to stay."

Initially, it was her secretary who came over. However, she could not forget the promise from six years ago. So she planned to look for Lu Ming personally. She did not expect to meet him so soon.

Chu Jinyu smiled and said, "I built a branch company here. Usually, I get someone to manage it, but because I have a big business deal to discuss, I've basically been in Shanghai for the past few months. What about you? How have you been these years? Is Auntie Zhang doing well?"

Lu Ming spread his hands and said, "My mom passed away two years ago. She's doing alright now. She doesn't have to worry about food and clothes."

"She passed away?"

Chu Jinyu was stunned at first, but then her expression changed slightly. She knew that it was very difficult for fresh university graduates to earn money. The so-called not having to worry about food and clothes was probably just a casual remark from Lu Ming.

She knew that Lu Ming was still saddled with various debts.

She wanted to help him settle his debts, but she knew that with his proud character, he would probably be unwilling to accept her help.

She seemed to have thought of something and said, "Why don't you come to my company to work? You can get any position you want. It's not bad being my assistant."

Lu Ming could not help but laugh. He knew that she had misunderstood his words and explained, "I'm living quite well now. No matter what, I'm better off than those white-collar workers."

Chu Jinyu still felt that he was covering up his true circumstances. She said seriously, "If ever you feel that the remuneration you're now getting is poor, come find me. I will definitely offer you a fair remuneration."

Seeing that she did not believe him, Lu Ming did not say anything else. "Alright, when I have difficulties, I will definitely look for you."

He was afraid that he would not have the chance to do so.

Unbeknownst to them, a certain someone was watching them from a corner. 'It seems that Ms. Chu and Lu Ming are very familiar with each other! If you want to attack Lu Ming, you will probably have to be wary of the Chu family.'

Brother Zhang frowned as he texted what he saw to Lu Ze. He had been with Lu Ze for so many years and knew his personality well. Since this mattered to Lu Ze, he had to come along to see what the relationship between the two was.

Lu Ze, who had received the text message, threw his phone onto the floor!

"Lu Ming! I f*cking cannot live under the same sky as you!"

He roared angrily, "Why!?"

He wondered why Lu Ming would snatch away everything that he took a fancy to!

He clenched his fists tightly. His nails pierced into his flesh but he did not react. His face was twisted like a devil from hell. He swore—even if it meant death for himself, he would drag Lu Ming down into the abyss!

The dark clouds were hovering here, but over at Hilton, the mood was romantic.

"Brother Lu Ming?"

Lu Ming came to his senses. He felt that she was gazing at him but wondered if it was his own imagination.

"What is it?"

Chu Jinyu smiled like a flower and said, "Brother Lu Ming, have you forgotten our previous agreement?"

They were supposed to look for each other…

At the thought of this, Lu Ming's breathing paused. If he remembered correctly, he even said something else at that time. However, he had long forgotten about it. "… What was it?"

Chu Jinyu did not pursue the topic but asked instead, "Are you single now?"

"Yeah."

"It's fine as long as I have a chance."

Both of them knew what she meant.. Lu Ming sighed helplessly in his heart.

She actually took my casual joke seriously?" he thought.

"Brother Lu Ming, when we meet again, shall we get married?"

When he heard this, he was stunned and asked blankly, "Why?"

The young Chu Jinyu blushed and said, "If we can meet again, doesn't that mean that it is heaven's will for us to be together? Shall we? Brother Lu Ming."

Lu Ming was so shocked by her reminder that he did not regain his senses for a long time.

Back then, seeing that the little girl was about to cry, he had no choice but to say, "Alright, it's settled then."

In reality, he did not take these words to heart. The only reason he agreed was because he did not want to make her cry. He had always been an older sibling to her.

Fortunately, Chu Jinyu did not pursue the matter.

She continued, "Brother Lu Ming, have you been living happily these past few years?"

"… I'm very happy now."

It would have been a lie to say that he was happy these past years. He was only happy now because he could avenge his mother and make Lu Yaohua and the rest get their just desserts.

Chu Jinyu tilted her head. "That's good. If you need help, feel free to look for me."

She stood up and said, "I'm going to the washroom. Wait for me for a moment."

Lu Ming watched her leave and raised his eyebrows slightly. "Does she need to bring her bag to the toilet?" he wondered.

Not surprisingly, Chu Jinyu turned a few corners to get to the cashier counter and handed her bank card to the waiter. "Table 23. Can I have the bill, please."

The Hilton Hotel was famous for being a top luxury hotel in Shanghai. Lu Ming had just graduated. How could he pay for a meal there? Even if he could, he would barely get by in the days to come.

So she might as well foot the bill secretly.

However, because of her good looks, she had attracted the attention of many people. When they saw her paying the bill, they muttered:

"I thought she is being kept by a rich second-generation heir. I didn't expect her to be keeping a pretty toy boy. Tsk, the ways of the world! If I were a little richer, I'd also be keeping a few pretty boys."

"That pretty boy is not easy to find either. He's really handsome! I thought he's a celebrity at first! This is what it means to rely on your looks to make a living. I saw the food they ordered. It must be at least 50 thousand yuan. They're really big spenders!"

"This rich lady is quite pretty. It's really good to be her gigolo! Her bag is the newest in the market. I'm afraid she not only has money but also influence."

…

A few waiters at the side glanced at the woman in front of them. She was donning branded goods from head to toe, which meant that she was extraordinarily rich. When they thought of the pretty boy who was with her, they could not help but feel envious. Who wouldn't want to be kept by a beautiful, rich, and powerful woman?

They did not want to work hard anymore.

If the rich lady could lower the gender barrier, they would definitely be the first to sign up.

"That man is really lucky to be kept by such a rich woman. I'm so envious!"

"It's useless to be envious. He's lucky and can work less for decades. It's something people like us can't attain in our entire lives."

"Sigh, if only the heavens would give me such a handsome man!"

…

After swiping her card, the cashier took out the red wine that she had prepared beforehand and smiled. "This is for you."

Usually, only honored guests received such treatment at high-end hotels. However, Chu Jinyu had only been here a few times, so she wondered why she was offered wine.

She took the red wine doubtfully and looked at it!

"It's… a 1982 Lafite?!"

She only had a meal worth tens of thousands of yuan. Why did the hotel pay out of its own pocket by giving her such expensive wine?

"Are you sure you didn't send it to the wrong person?"

The cashier nodded. "You're Ms. Chu from table 23, right?"

"Right."

"Then I'm giving it to you."

Chu Jinyu was even more puzzled. She had nothing to do with the Hilton Hotel. Why would they give her red wine?

So she asked, "I don't understand what you mean. Why is that?"

"This is an instruction from the boss. Just take it."

The cashier said respectfully.

"Boss's instruction?"

Chu Jinyu was at a loss. "What the heck?"

If she remembered correctly, the boss of the Hilton Hotel had always been mysterious. No one knew his identity or even his gender. Furthermore, he did not attend any social events, so how could she have had the chance to meet him?

She left with Lafite, her mind full of questions.

Looking at her departing figure, the cashier heaved a sigh of relief. She had finally given the wine. This was something that the manager had personally instructed her to do. If it was not done, she would probably be fired.

When Chu Jinyu returned, Lu Ming was texting and instructing his subordinates to acquire a place. He looked up instinctively and saw the bottle of Lafite. He immediately realized that she had gone to pay the bill.

Lu Ming smiled and pretended to be puzzled. "Why did you order another bottle of red wine?"

"I didn't order this. The cashier gave it to me for no reason. It's strange."

Since she couldn't figure it out, she decided not to think about it. She poured the 1982 Lafite into the goblets.

Lu Ming took a sip and said, "It tastes good indeed."

"Indeed. Oh right, your phone seems to be ringing non-stop?"

Chu Jinyu noticed the phone on the table. The sender of the message was… Assistant Wen? Then someone else appeared—Senior Ji?

She was surprised. "You have an assistant?"

"From the company."

This was not a lie because the company belonged to him.

Lu Ming picked up his phone and tapped on the message. It detailed the progress of his work. He tapped on Ji Yu's message. There were only a few words:

'Acquisition completed.'

The corners of his lips curled up slightly when he saw these words. The private house worth 1 billion yuan—Upper Forest Park, No. 1 Residence—was his now.

Chu Jinyu was initially a little worried that he was struggling. It seemed like she was overthinking.

Since he had an assistant, he should not be doing too badly. However… he had just graduated and the company was already giving him assistants. "Doesn't that prove that Lu Ming is outstanding?" she thought.

Her smile widened. He was indeed her childhood friend.

"Are you busy with work?"

Lu Ming closed the phone screen and said, "It's nothing. I just want to buy a house in Upper Forest Park."

"Just?!"

Chu Jinyu was stunned for a few seconds and thought that he was joking. "Are you drunk?"

"Alright, actually, our company has a collaboration project that we want to discuss with the boss of Upper Forest Park."

Lu Ming knew that he was just an ordinary person in her eyes. Perhaps even if he said that he had several companies under his name now, Chu Jinyu would only think that he was bragging.

She patted her chest and said, "You gave me a scare.. After all, that's Upper Forest Park."Is Upper Forest Park very amazing?"

Lu Ming was puzzled. He only knew that it was quite expensive. Before buying, he did not do any research. He just bought it as he pleased.

Chu Jinyu understood that he was from an ordinary family and was unaware of these things. So she explained, "Of course. As a top-notch park in Shanghai, it goes without saying that the location and the environment are excellent. It is zoned according to People-level, Earth-level, and Sky-level—in that order."

She paused for a moment before continuing, "Those who live in the People-level zone are basically local tycoons. Those who live in the Earth-level zone are mostly famous tycoons from the entire province. Those who live in the Sky-level zone are the top tycoons from the country and all over the world. If you can gain the favor of one of them when you're there, your career will advance rapidly."

"Oh, my!"

"So amazing?"

Lu Ming asked, "Is the No. 1 Residence amazing too?"

Chu Jinyu looked at him in astonishment and said, "How did you know about No. 1 Residence?"

"Because I am the new owner of that place—how could I not know?" Lu Ming thought to himself.

Lu Ming knew that she would not believe him. He answered, "Because the person who is going to discuss business with us is staying in No. 1 Residence."

"I see."

Chu Jinyu felt like her mood was taking a rollercoaster ride. "The No. 1 Residence in Upper Forest Park is famous among the wealthy. Not only is it expensive, but it's said to occupy more than half of the entire park. No one knows who lives there, but I think it should be someone from a wealthy family, right?

You might be able to see it if you go over. Oh right, what business are you discussing?"

Lu Ming said without changing his expression, "It's related to real estate."

To be honest, he was unwilling to lie to his childhood friend, but if she did not believe him, what could he do? He could only continue spinning his story.

Chu Jinyu nodded thoughtfully. "Then you have to perform well. This is a rare opportunity."

"Perform well in front of myself?" he thought.

Lu Ming chuckled. "I know."

After a while, the food on the table was almost finished. Chu Jinyu picked up her bag and said, "Shall I send you home?"

"No, send me to Upper Forest Park. The business partnership is more urgent."

"Okay."

A red Lamborghini sped through the city.

Upper Forest Park occupied the northernmost spot of Shanghai. As they drove into the park, it was as if they had entered a different world. It was so quiet that one could clearly hear the sounds of birds and even see squirrels and snow rabbits in the large forest. In the middle was a fountain paved with gold.

"What a tycoon."

It was the first time Lu Ming saw a structure made of gold.

Right after that, they came upon a sprawling lake with swans gliding on it. There were people fishing by the shore. All of this gave him an inexplicable feeling of tranquility.

There was silence all around.

Chu Jinyu stopped the car. Seeing that Lu Ming was still looking around, she smiled and said, "Isn't the environment very good?"

"It's indeed very good."

The two of them got out of the car, one after the other. The ancient courtyard in front of them looked extremely opulent, but… on the wall was a sign that had the number '3'.

In other words, compared with this, the first two residences were slightly bigger.

"What a coincidence. I'm currently living in No. 3. When I first came here, I almost didn't want to leave."

Chu Jinyu saw that Lu Ming was staring at the yard in front of him and her heart skipped a beat. Even though Lu Ming repeatedly emphasized that his life was very good now, no matter what, he was from an ordinary family.

It was his first time here and he would inevitably feel the discrepancy between them. She was afraid that Lu Ming would feel that there was an uncrossable barrier between the two of them. If there was a barrier between them, there would be a consequence.

The two of them had drifted further apart.

She liked Lu Ming. It had not been easy for her to find him. She did not want to let go of him so easily.

She wanted to give everything she had to help him achieve success in his career. Then the two of them would be equal, and at that time, he would naturally not have any misgivings.

"If you don't mind, why don't you move in with me?"

She blushed slightly.

Lu Ming laughed dryly and said, "No, no. I prefer my own place. Thank you for sending me here. I'll go in to discuss the cooperation."

He turned around and saw the gorgeous building beside him that made No. 3 pale in comparison.

The number tag on it read—'1!'

Chu Jinyu watched him leave and seemed to want to say something but she held back in the end. After six years of absence, there was an additional barrier between them.

They could not make up for the lost time.

"When can we return to the past?" she wondered.

She lowered her head and thought to herself, "We can't go back to where we were before."

On the other side.

A few four-sided pavilions greeted Lu Ming. There was a lotus pond in the middle of each pavilion. After passing through the courtyard, he came to a spacious hall. On the topmost board were written three big words—'Wind-Facing Chamber.' There were more than ten doors leading to it.

On the right, there were all sorts of flowers. Chrysanthemums, orchids, big flowers, blue moons, camellias, and so on. They were all colorful. It was a feast for the eyes! There were also patches of Xiangfei bamboo beside them, as well as tortoise-shell bamboo with spiral patterns. Close to them was a towering book chamber called the 'Tianwen Chamber!'

On the left were a few towering trees whose branches tapped the water surface from time to time. A bird that was perched on a branch let out crisp chirps, like a young girl showing her singing voice. It was pleasant to the ears. There was a sizable pavilion built on the lake, with a guzheng on a stone table.

It was called the 'Waterbird Residence.'

Lu Ming narrowed his eyes. He remembered that the guzheng had appeared on television previously—one of the Dunhuang Collection series. Not counting this or the flowers, just those sandalwood trees were worth millions of yuan!

Those who did not understand would only think that the environment here was good. However, in reality, even a blade of grass could probably fetch more than 10 thousand yuan!

He looked at the fish swimming in the lake and instantly gasped. There were wrought iron butterflyfish, seven-banded nine-thorn bass, bladefin basslet, and a red mint angelfish. If he sold them, he could buy several apartments!

No wonder this place was so expensive. It was all made of money!

He walked to the hall. There were antiques everywhere he looked. Any piece was enough to cover an ordinary person's annual expenses. Moreover, the furniture was made of yellow rosewood.

He had already sighed for the umpteenth time today. "How grand," he thought.

"Is this where the rich live?"

If it were in the past, he would never have dared to dream of such interior decoration. Now after seeing expensive things so often, he felt a little numb.

It was too stimulating!After Chu Jinyu walked into No. 3 Residence, she realized that things had been shifted from their original positions and that there was an unfamiliar fragrance. She frowned and instantly quickened her footsteps. "Who is it?!"

A wavy-haired woman in a black trench coat was sipping tea leisurely. She looked a little similar to Chu Jinyu. At a glance, the two of them looked like sisters, but she had the charms of a mature woman.

However, she exuded a cold and murderous aura that made people afraid to approach her.

"It's me."

Her voice was sweet, pleasant, and very captivating.

Chu Jinyu said in astonishment, "Mom? Why are you here?"

Clearly, the wavy-haired woman was over 40 years old, but she had maintained herself exceptionally well. Her skin was fair and delicate, and her slender hands resembled those of a pianist. Those who did not know better might think that she was a musician.

However, if one asked those people in the business world who had been tricked by her, they would definitely say, "Run quickly, she's a devil!"

Yes.

Her beautiful appearance could not hide her ruthlessness.

Her smart mind allowed her to make a name for herself in her career. She was unscrupulous in order to achieve her goals. Previously, there were people who wanted to take advantage of her, but in the end, she foiled their plans. Now, the graves of her enemies were stacking up.

She used her actions to tell those people that she was not a dough ball who liked to be pinched. She would return a hundredfold to whoever dared to touch her bottom line!

Her swift and decisive actions had allowed her to establish her own business empire. Now, not only was she on the Forbes list of the richest women, but she was also one of the top five richest tycoons in China—Han Qianjing!

She was given the nickname 'Iron Lady.'

Han Qianjing said calmly, "Why? Can't I come?"

"No, of course not!"

Chu Jinyu explained hastily, "I, I'm just a little surprised. After all, you're busy with work all day."

"I thought you have some little secret you don't want me to know."

These words made Chu Jinyu panic. She quickly suppressed her emotions and said, "Why would I? What secrets can I have?"

Han Qianjing lowered her eyes. Of course, she had not missed the anomaly just now. It seemed that her daughter was really hiding something from her. However, as long as it did not hinder her plans, she was not interested in any of the secrets.

She put down her teacup and said, "Who did you go out to lunch with?"

Chu Jinyu looked at her and felt that the atmosphere had become heavy. She wondered how her mother knew about her going out to eat.

It seemed to her that her mother had been like this since she was young. No matter what she did, she could tell her whereabouts with one look. To her, this was an extremely scary thing.

It was as if no matter what she did, she would always be under her mother's watch.

"… I went out to have a meal with my friend. Is there a problem?"

"Friend?"

Han Qianjing's lips twitched. "Why didn't I know you have friends in Shanghai?"

It was over.

Her secret was out.

Chu Jinyu's pupils constricted abruptly. "I, I just met him."

"Is that so?"

Han Qianjing did not comment on her flawed behavior and said, "Find a better reason next time. Otherwise, with your current mentality, it's very easy for others to read your thoughts. This is a big taboo in the business world."

"… Yes, I understand."

Chu Jinyu said softly. She was not resigned. "I don't understand. How could you tell?"

Han Qianjing raised her eyebrows slightly and said, "I think if one is not blind, one can see the yellow spot on your cuff, right? You're really not careful when you eat. Did I teach you this?"

"No."

Chu Jinyu placed her hand behind her back and thought to herself, "Her observation skills are really as amazing as ever. If things go as expected, she'll definitely start nagging again…"

"As my daughter, you're no longer a child. Look at you—do you look like a big missy now? I told you these rules since you were young, but have you forgotten? How many times do I have to tell you?"

Han Qianjing paused for a moment before continuing, "Write down the family rules five times. Give them to me within a week. If it's past the due date, double that. If there's any delay because something urgent comes up, report to me. Understand?"

"… Understood."

Chu Jinyu had been writing the family rules since she was young and was already familiar with them.

After all, every time her mother came to observe her, even if she prepared well, she would be picked on.

The two of them were silent for a while. Just as she thought that her mother was about to leave, she heard Han Qianjing say, "You came here this time to sign a contract and also to use this period of time to expand your branch company's business. I'm embarrassed to tell anyone the bit of income you earn every year ."

Chu Jinyu retorted, "But isn't my main company's revenue very high?"

She had always placed her energy on the main company and would only pay a little attention to the branch company occasionally. Hence, it was a lop-sided affair as far as revenues went. But although the branch company's revenue could not compare to the main company's, it was still above average.

"Since you've opened a branch company, do your job well. Otherwise, go back now!"

Han Qianjing said resentfully.

Chu Jinyu did not want to go back. She had yet to nurture her relationship with Lu Ming!

"I understand. I'll do my best. Oh right, why are you here?"

"Of course, I'm here to supervise you and see if you're being lazy. If you don't do well in a few months, I think we can forget about the branch company."

Chu Jinyu's eyes widened. "What bad news is this?" she thought.

"Then won't I have to slink off?"

Seeing her like this, Han Qianjing sighed lightly. Although the reason on the surface was to supervise the work, she actually wanted to find a suitable partner for her daughter. Chu Jinyu was not young anymore—she was in her early twenties. If she was in Beijing, she would probably be engaged by now.

She was not anxious previously because she felt that finding a partner would be easy.

However, she never would have thought that her daughter's standards were ridiculously high. If looks alone did not meet her requirements, the suitors would be eliminated. She was puzzled. Could someone like Chu Jinyu really find a suitable suitor?

"A grown woman should marry."

She wondered if her daughter wanted to grow old alone.

"Why is it so difficult?" she thought.

Chu Jinyu looked down on every suitor that Han Qianjing took a fancy to. She suspected that her daughter wanted to go against her, but she knew very well that she did not have the guts.

She wondered if there was something wrong with her taste.

But which one of the suitors she had chosen was not a phoenix among men? Good looks, good character, good family background—these were suitors that many women could only dream of meeting, but they were deemed as worthless by Chu Jinyu.

She leaned on the armrest and propped her face up as she asked, "Did you reject the blind date I introduced you to because there is someone you like?"

Other than that, she could not think of any other possibility.

When Chu Jinyu heard this question, her heart turned cold. Had her secret been discovered?

She had never told Han Qianjing about her childhood friend because they were not close. Most of the time, her mother was too busy for her.

She really admired her mother for being able to support such a big company. Her tactics left her speechless, but she was also very afraid of her. It was because her mother always looked at her expressionlessly, neither praising her nor drawing close to her. In the past she had often suspected if she was really her mother's child.

No mother and daughter interacted like this.

At least from what she could remember, she could count using one hand the number of times she had seen her mother. As a child, even if she had a fall, it would be the servants who helped her up and applied first aid.

She felt like a machine with a fixed program.

She tried to communicate with those people around her, but they were unwilling to say anything. It seemed like there was no one at home.

This resulted in her independent personality.

It was not that she had not told her mother about being bullied when she was young. However, Han Qianjing only stared at her with her emotionless eyes until she felt scared.

"Why don't you just hit them back? Since you don't know how to resist, then get beaten until you learn to retaliate. Whether it's pulling or biting, as long as you beat them until they're afraid, won't this matter be resolved? As for the medical fees, I'm not short of money."

"You really don't resemble me at all."

Han Qianjing looked at her daughter in disappointment. She even suspected that her company would be destroyed by her daughter.

There was no comfort or encouragement from her.

Chu Jinyu asked aggrievedly, "If it were Mom, what would you do?"

"Do whatever it takes to get them beaten up and sent to the hospital. And let a few parents know the meaning of education."

…

Her attitude towards her family was really too cold. So much so that until now, Chu Jinyu would rather be alone at home than have Han Qianjing visit her.

She took a deep breath. "If—I mean if—if there's someone I like, would you give your consent?"

It was an expected answer.

Han Qianjing played with the ring in her hand. It seemed that the reason her daughter insisted on coming to Shanghai was probably because of this person. Perhaps she had gone out to eat with the same person.

She said calmly, "It seems that you rejected the people I introduced because of him? I respect your wishes…"

Before Chu Jinyu could relax, she continued, "But other than personality and looks, I also look at family background. Let's talk. What do you think of the person you like?"

When she heard the words 'family background', Chu Jinyu's expression turned a little ugly. She moved her lips and said, "He comes from an ordinary family.

In addition, his parents have passed away, and he does not have any relatives.

But he has a good personality. He's helpful, gentle, and humble. He's like a hero. His looks match my standards. He has just graduated and has a bright future."

Han Qianjing looked at her and asked, "Are you joking?"

"You think he has a bright future just after graduation? Your filter is a little too thick. Who knows, he might just be an insignificant employee for the rest of his life. Becoming a senior executive might be his limit. It's rare for ordinary families to enter our circle. Only one in 10,000 people can do that.

Do you think you have such good taste? Besides, your birthplace determines your starting point, and your starting point is his endpoint. If your family background is not right, your future will not be good. Why waste your precious youth on trial and error?"

Chu Jinyu knew that this was reality, but she had fallen deeply in love with Lu Ming, so much so that she could not extricate herself.

"… I have faith in him."

Han Qianjing said calmly, "People's hearts will change. You're still too young. If you have time in the future, I'll take you to meet other outstanding young people…"

Before she could finish, Chu Jinyu interrupted her. "I like him. He's different from those people!"

Their eyes met, neither willing to back down.

"What I'm saying is based on what you said. He's from an ordinary family. How can you two be from the same world? Or perhaps, you want to defy me because of him?"

Han Qianjing's tone turned cold. "If you can do this, I'll only think that you've been bewitched by him and lost your soul. He's just an ordinary person. With just a few words, I can suppress him for the rest of his life! Think carefully before you talk to me."

She did not disguise her threat.

Chu Jinyu was no match for her. She dropped her arms weakly, her eyes pleading. "He… is really very good."

"Oh? Is that so? There are many people who are better than him in this world. Don't tell me you want to love every good person you meet? Love is the most unreliable thing."

Han Qianjing said coldly, "You'd better think carefully. I won't pursue this matter, but you know what to do. Go back to your room."

Chu Jinyu returned to her room in a daze. She lay on the bed, unable to get rid of the image of Lu Ming standing in front of her time and time again. How could this liking disappear just like that?

"Isn't it because I like him that I came back?" she reflected.

However, her liking would only bring disaster to Lu Ming. "What should I do?"

…

She did not sleep the entire night.

The next day.

Han Qianjing, who was wearing a white shirt and pants, sat quietly on a chair. She had her hair tied up in a high ponytail, making her look much more energetic. A woman in a business suit stood beside her. She looked to be in her early twenties.

"CEO Han, why did you call me over?"

"I want the branch company to make a name for itself in the Shanghai market. It's not my style to wait and do nothing. Now I want to acquire some businesses. Have you noticed any big moves in the real estate business recently, Secretary Xu?"

Although Xu Wei was helping Chu Jinyu with something, she was actually someone Han Qianjing had specially sent over.

"It's very calm, but recently, I heard that a house in Upper Forest Park has been sold."

Han Qianjing was puzzled. "What's the big deal? Isn't it a very normal thing?"

"It's not an ordinary house. The owner of No. 1 Residence has changed."

This news exploded in Han Qianjing's mind like a thunderclap. Before she could react, Xu Wei continued, "Moreover, according to some sources, it was rumored that a young man bought it."

"Young man?!"

This was serious!

To be able to buy No. 1 Residence at a young age, he had to be either powerful or have a strong family background. In any case, he could not be too bad in terms of wealth!

Han Qianjing immediately had an idea. Her daughter might become a couple with that mysterious young man.

Moreover, he was living next door.. It was a good opportunity for them since the timing, place, and people were right.