This wait lasted about ten days. On this day, it seemed Lu Shicheng had finally found some free time, and the school notified Wen Tingli that she should go to the Lu residence next Friday after school to collect her award.

Wen Tingli happily agreed.

That evening, back at Cixin Hospital, the caretaker said: “Dean Deng came by to check in this afternoon. Oh, and there’s also a Mr. Bao who asked you to call him back.”

Wen Tingli’s face lit up with delight: “Has Dean Deng returned from her trip?”

Dean Deng had gone to Nanjing for a conference the previous week — it had been several days since she’d last seen her. A Mr. Bao? That must be Bao Yaoming — it seemed Dean Deng had already arranged contact with the lawyer as soon as she’d returned.

She called the law office, and a woman with a brisk voice answered on the other end.

“This Wednesday evening at six o’clock, Lawyer Bao has an hour free. Miss Wen should bring the contract and come directly to the office — please make sure not to be late.”

Wen Tingli carefully noted down the time. That evening, when no one was looking, she quietly went up to the fourth floor to find Dean Deng.

Dean Deng was indeed in her office.

“You’re back from Nanjing?!” Wen Tingli said happily, setting a bag of fruit and a late-night snack down beside Dean Deng.

Deng Yi was infected by Wen Tingli’s smile, and a warm smile spread across her own face in turn.

“Has Bao Yaoming already had someone contact you?”

“Mm.” Just mentioning this made Wen Tingli a little nervous — this was, after all, the first time in her life she’d be dealing with such a famous lawyer. “I actually wanted to ask you about this — what kind of temperament does this Lawyer Bao have? Is there anything I should be mindful of when dealing with him?”

“What time did he arrange with you?”

“Wednesday afternoon at six.”

Deng Yi held her teacup, thinking for a moment: “That afternoon at five, I happen to be meeting someone at Astor House, which isn’t far from Bao Yaoming’s office. Why don’t you come find me at Astor House at five-thirty, and I’ll go with you to see Bao Yaoming.”

Wen Tingli was overjoyed: “With you personally taking me, I won’t have to worry about embarrassing myself.”

“I never worried about you embarrassing yourself in the first place.” Dean Deng shook her head, smiling. “You — you’re the most generous, big-hearted child I’ve ever met.”

The phone on the desk rang, and she picked it up: “Hello, this is Deng Yi.”

Whatever the other party said, Deng Yi immediately covered the mouthpiece and glanced at Wen Tingli, who tactfully took her leave.

On Wednesday, Wen Tingli arrived at Astor House right on time, having agreed to meet at five-thirty, but it was already five-forty and Dean Deng still hadn’t come out of the hotel.

Wen Tingli felt a little puzzled — Dean Deng was a careful and punctual person; surely she hadn’t been held up by something urgent.

Waiting any longer would make her late to meet Lawyer Bao, so she had no choice but to leave Astor House first. This change of plans meant she’d set off ten minutes earlier than originally planned, and worried about being late, she hailed a rickshaw at random along the roadside.

Not long after getting in, she heard a strange “bang” from the street corner behind her — at first hearing, it sounded like New Year’s firecrackers, but reaching Wen Tingli’s ears, it made her whole body stiffen.

Gunfire!

There was no mistaking it — not long ago, she’d heard that exact sound up close in the back rooms of Golden Theater.

She grabbed the canopy of the rickshaw nervously: “Sir, did you hear that?”

“What?” The rickshaw puller looked utterly confused. Just then, a car sped past them with a roar.

Wen Tingli, already on edge like a startled bird, instinctively turned to look, and just then, the car’s window happened to be open — sitting in the back seat was none other than Kuang Zhilin.

Mr. Kuang was also turned, looking toward the direction the gunshot had come from, eyebrows raised slightly, wearing a look of great shock.

Before she could get a clearer look, the car had already sped off, vanishing down the street.

“What happened over there?” The rickshaw puller craned his neck to look for a moment, growing increasingly alarmed, and lifted the shafts to pull away — but Wen Tingli suddenly jumped down from the rickshaw and, ignoring the puller’s bewildered stare, turned and ran toward where the commotion had come from.

The street had already fallen into chaos, people scattering and screaming in every direction, though a small handful of the fearless, like Wen Tingli, ran straight toward Astor House.

“It’s terrifying — the floor of Astor House’s lobby is covered in blood,” Wen Tingli heard someone say, her heart pounding even harder as she pushed against the fleeing crowd with all her strength, scanning anxiously along the roadside as she ran, but she couldn’t spot Dean Deng anywhere in the crowd.

Finally squeezing her way to the entrance of Astor House, she saw the lobby packed with black-uniformed police. Suddenly hearing a low shout, the police carried someone out on a stretcher: “Make way! Out of the way!”

The crowd automatically parted, and Wen Tingli desperately stood on tiptoe to look ahead, but the person on the stretcher was covered head to toe with a black coat, revealing nothing. As the stretcher jolted, a hand wearing a wristwatch slipped out from beneath it.

Wen Tingli’s temple throbbed.

That was Dean Deng’s watch!

The police quickly loaded the person onto a car. She pressed forward in a panic, but was shoved hard in the shoulder by a stiff object.

“Move back! This area is under search!”

Wen Tingli stumbled from the blow of the police baton, but her eyes remained fixed on the direction the car had disappeared. Even in the height of summer, her teeth chattered uncontrollably, as she overheard the crowd murmuring around her.

“Was the person shot a man or a woman?”

“I heard from the hotel’s Indian doorman — it was an old lady, apparently quite dignified-looking.”

Wen Tingli snapped back to her senses — the nearest hospital in this area was St. Mary’s Hospital. If she hailed a rickshaw right now and headed to St. Mary’s, she might be able to find something out. Just as she was about to look for a rickshaw, she suddenly spotted someone in the crowd.

It was a middle-aged woman, short-haired, with sharp, clear eyes, standing tall and straight, carrying a bearing like bamboo or pine amid the crowd.

Because of this distinctive presence, Wen Tingli recognized her at a glance — not long ago, she’d seen this woman in Dean Deng’s office, and had heard Dean Deng call her “Chengying.”

Chengying stared fixedly at the direction the car had disappeared, her deathly pale complexion revealing she too was in the grip of tremendous shock and rage, but Chengying was clearly highly alert — before the police could reach her to question her, she calmly slipped away from the crowd, blending in with another group of pedestrians and walking briskly across the street.

But just then, her gaze met Wen Tingli’s — she started for a moment, then looked her up and down carefully, and it appeared she too recognized Wen Tingli.

Wen Tingli’s mind was as chaotic as her heart, but instinct told her that Chengying’s relationship with Dean Deng was no ordinary one. Yet in this extraordinary situation, she had no way of judging whether Chengying was friend or foe, and out of a self-protective instinct, she casually looked away.

When she glanced back again, Chengying’s figure had already vanished into the crowd.

Across the street, the police had already begun questioning pedestrians. Wen Tingli retreated to another street corner, and it took her considerable effort, given how crowded the streets were, to finally hail a rickshaw.

Arriving at St. Mary’s Hospital, the emergency room was unusually quiet. She ran up and down several times, finding no sign of the police, nor any sign of journalists who might have caught wind of the news.

Wen Tingli came away with nothing, and had no choice but to head back to Cixin Hospital. On ordinary days, to avoid drawing attention, she always waited until after nine to go find Dean Deng, but this time, the moment she got back, she went straight to the fourth floor.

The door to the dean’s office was locked. Wen Tingli knocked, “knock knock knock.”

How she wished the door would answer, as it always did, with that gentle “come in.”

Tonight, however, only dead silence came from within.

She stood rooted at the door, her chest heavy as lead, and suddenly remembered Dr. Thompson, hurrying downstairs to find him in his office.

But she was met with disappointment again — the nurse said Thompson had left two hours ago, and the night-shift doctor taking over, yawning as he wrote up his case notes, showed no sign whatsoever of anything unusual.

Wen Tingli began to console herself — perhaps it hadn’t been Dean Deng who’d been shot after all, otherwise the staff at Cixin Hospital surely would have been in an uproar by now.

That night, she slept as usual on the cot in her father’s hospital room, but in her half-sleep, she was suddenly gently shaken awake. Startled, she saw it was a nurse she recognized — surnamed Liu, the head nurse of the internal medicine ward, a kind woman who was usually all smiles.

But right now, Head Nurse Liu’s face was full of worry. Seeing she was awake, she said quietly: “Xiao Wen, come with me, there’s someone outside looking for you.”

Coming outside, Wen Tingli froze — it was Chengying. Chengying, carrying a briefcase, smiled and came toward her: “Miss Wen, do you remember me? We met in Dean Deng’s office. An elder has been injured, and she specifically asked me to bring you to see her.”

Wen Tingli’s heart pounded wildly, because she recognized at a glance that the briefcase in Chengying’s hand was precisely the one Dean Deng always carried — the bag was already quite old and worn, yet Dean Deng could never bear to part with it.

An elder? Could she mean Dean Deng? Head Nurse Liu made the introduction from the side: “Miss Li is a surgeon at Jishi Private Hospital — she and Dean Deng are old friends, many of us at the hospital know her. Go with her, it’ll be fine.”

So her surname was Li — no wait, Li Chengying it was called.

“Forgive me, I forgot to introduce myself properly. My surname is Li, full name Li Chengying.”

Wen Tingli immediately decided to set aside her guard for the moment — not for any other reason, but because she had personally heard Dean Deng refer to Li Chengying as an “extraordinary woman,” and because Head Nurse Liu, if she hadn’t also had a deep bond of trust with Li Chengying, would never have brought this person into the ward so late at night. Having lived in the internal medicine ward for so long, she knew Head Nurse Liu’s character well — anyone trusted by both Dean Deng and Head Nurse Liu couldn’t possibly be a bad person.

She hurriedly nodded to Li Chengying, went back to the room to hastily inform the caretaker, and came out to get into a car with Li Chengying.

On the way, Li Chengying frowned in silent thought. Wen Tingli’s heart was in turmoil too, with no mind for conversation.

The car stopped, but they weren’t outside any hospital — instead, it was a somewhat aged three-story Western-style building.

Li Chengying got out and rang the doorbell, and the door opened immediately.

It was too dark to see the surroundings clearly. Passing through the front garden, she saw a figure pacing back and forth in the brightly lit living room — a man about forty or fifty years old, with graying hair, full sideburns, and gold-rimmed glasses on his nose.

Wen Tingli recognized him instantly as the renowned Lawyer Bao Yaoming — she’d seen his photograph in the newspapers more than once. Besides him, a tall, middle-aged woman stood by the window.

Hearing the door, the two of them turned their heads warily.

Li Chengying led Wen Tingli inside: “This is Lawyer Bao Yaoming — Dean Deng must have already introduced him to you before. And that is Editor Chen from Liming Publishing House — you may call her Miss Chen.”

“Hello.” Miss Chen came over to shake Wen Tingli’s hand. “I hear Dean Deng mention you often.”

Bao Yaoming, however, stayed where he was, warily studying Wen Tingli, his eyes sharp as a hawk’s, seemingly able to see straight through a person: “Miss Wen, this afternoon you had an appointment to meet me at the law office — why, at six o’clock, were you not there, but instead appeared outside Astor House?”

“Old Bao, this isn’t a courtroom right now — you’ll frighten Xiao Wen this way. Xiao Wen, sit down first and have some water.”

Wen Tingli anxiously looked around: “Where’s Dean Deng?”

Li Chengying pulled Wen Tingli down to sit on the sofa, bowing her head in silence for a long moment before saying hoarsely: “Dean Deng is currently in emergency surgery at Renji Hospital. She hasn’t yet passed the critical stage.”

Wen Tingli’s whole body shook: “Was it truly her who was shot this afternoon?!”

Li Chengying’s face turned ashen: “Yes. But the assailant who shot Dean Deng hasn’t yet been caught. We brought you here because we want to ask you about this afternoon’s events.”

Wen Tingli suppressed her surging tears, trying to keep her voice steady: “Monday night, I went to see Dean Deng, and she told me to wait for her at Astor House this afternoon first, so she could take me to see Lawyer Bao together. But I waited until five-forty and still didn’t see her, and worried about being late, I left first. I hadn’t gone far when I heard the gunshot—”

“That street by Astor House is always noisy,” Bao Yaoming interrupted abruptly. “Miss Wen is just a student — surely you’ve never encountered firearms before. How could you tell so quickly it was gunfire?”

Wen Tingli opened her mouth. If it weren’t for that incident with Lu Shicheng that night, she never would have made the connection to gunfire so quickly — this point was indeed rather suspicious, but she’d already promised the Lu family she would never reveal what happened that night, so she couldn’t explain the real reason. She had no choice but to steel herself and say: “I once witnessed a gang fight between members of the Bailong Gang at the docks, so I can recognize the sound of gunfire.”

Li Chengying handed Wen Tingli a glass of water: “No rush, go on.”

“After that, I saw the police carry out someone covered with a black coat… I recognized Dean Deng’s wristwatch, and worried the person on the stretcher was her, I chased after them all the way to St. Mary’s Hospital, but it turned out Dean Deng wasn’t there at all, so I rushed back to Cixin.”

“When it happened, did you see anyone suspicious on the street? Or any familiar faces?”

Wen Tingli looked toward Li Chengying: “I only saw you across the street.”

Li Chengying was extremely patient: “Think carefully again — besides me, was there anyone else on the street at the time who left an impression on you?”

Wen Tingli was about to shake her head, when suddenly a flash of white light went off in her mind — that’s right, she had also spotted a familiar face at the time.

But — however she looked at it, Kuang Zhilin didn’t seem like he could have had anything to do with this.

After only a second’s hesitation, she answered decisively: “I also saw Mr. Kuang Zhilin, from the Lu family of Nanyang Hongye. His car happened to be passing by — I saw him sitting in the back seat, and he was also looking toward the direction of the gunshot, seeming quite shocked himself.”

Miss Chen interjected from the side: “Last time, we already suspected that incident was connected to the Lu family — could this really be them behind it again?”

Bao Yaoming’s expression grew complicated, and he said gravely: “Chengying, what do you think?”

From the way the three of them spoke to one another, it was clear Li Chengying was the anchor of this group.

Li Chengying pondered for a moment, then looked up at Wen Tingli: “Since you recognized it as gunfire, weren’t you afraid of the danger? Why didn’t you run far away, instead of turning back to look for Dean Deng?”

“I didn’t have time to think about any of that.” Wen Tingli’s heart ached, and the words burst out of her. “All I knew was that Dean Deng was still at Astor House at that moment, and I was terrified something had happened to her—”

She covered her face, tears streaming from between her fingers.

“To me, Dean Deng is like family. Not long ago, if it weren’t for her selflessly helping us, my father might already have died, and my sister and I would have already been driven out of Shanghai. In my heart, there’s no one I respect more than her. In that moment, all I could think about was making sure she was safe.”

Miss Chen and Bao Yaoming fell silent, heads bowed. Li Chengying, eyes reddening, turned to look out the window. For a moment, the room held only the sound of Wen Tingli’s sobbing. None of the three tried to comfort her — they simply sat with her, sharing in her grief with understanding. After a long while, Li Chengying composed herself with effort and handed Wen Tingli a handkerchief, asking hoarsely: “Xiao Wen, do you want to catch the person who shot Dean Deng?”

Without bothering to wipe her tears, Wen Tingli looked up urgently: “Of course I want to!”

The three exchanged a glance. Li Chengying said thoughtfully: “As for the assailant, we currently have several fairly clear suspects. For the most likely candidates, we’ve already arranged appropriate investigators. The Lu family is a less likely possibility, but it can’t be entirely ruled out either. Given that you saw Kuang Zhilin at the scene that day, we’d like to ask for your help investigating the Lu family.”

Her tone was deeply earnest.

Wen Tingli was momentarily stunned: “Me? I can’t do that, I’ve never done anything like this before.”

“Answer me one question first — besides the three of us, does anyone currently know about your close private relationship with Dean Deng?”

“No, I didn’t want to cause her any trouble, so every time I went to see her I made sure to avoid being noticed.”

Li Chengying smiled wryly: “Good. To be honest, we thought carefully before bringing you here too. This assassination succeeded precisely because those people had thoroughly studied Dean Deng’s schedule in advance — which tells us her network of contacts is now extremely compromised. You, however, as an ‘outsider’ with no apparent stake in this, wouldn’t arouse suspicion even if you participated in the investigation — this protects both you and Dean Deng. Furthermore, you study at Wushi, and the Lu family is precisely Wushi’s major board sponsor, which means you have more opportunities than most to come into contact with Lu Shicheng and Kuang Zhilin.”

Wen Tingli kept shaking her head like a rattle drum — this request was too sudden, and she had absolutely no mental preparation for it right now. All she wanted was to get into university, and she had no wish to be dragged into such a dangerous investigation.

Yet, thinking of Dean Deng being the one shot, her heart felt as though pierced by a blade, blood seeping out with every thought.

She took a deep breath: “May I ask boldly — why do you suspect the Lu family is involved in this? That Mr. Kuang was indeed at the scene, but from what I observed, he seemed genuinely startled by the gunshot too — it’s very difficult for a person to fake such a reaction in an emergency.”

Li Chengying said: “The reason Dean Deng was targeted this time is very likely connected to a batch of medicine we privately transported from Nanyang to the front lines not long ago. There are large numbers of wounded soldiers at the front urgently needing treatment, and Dean Deng was precisely the main liaison for this transport. If that shipment of medicine had instead been sold inland, it would have generated enormous profit — but because we repeatedly intercepted portions of it meant for the front, it inevitably damaged the interests of certain Nanyang merchants. Combined with another incident not long ago, it’s hard not to suspect someone from the Lu family had a hand in this assassination — though we can’t yet determine for certain whether it was people under Lu Shicheng, or those sent by Third Master Lu.”

Wen Tingli listened uneasily — all of this was completely new to her, so dangerous, yet someone was risking their life to do it, and of all people, that someone was Dean Deng, whom she’d always respected most. It felt as though she’d been living comfortably on some warm little island, only to have a sudden tidal wave sweep in, revealing to her, unexpectedly, a glimpse of something magnificent and tragic… her heart trembled, yet couldn’t help yearning toward it too.

She hesitated, then gathered all her courage to ask: “Why… why would you trust me?”

Li Chengying smiled: “Dean Deng has always had discerning eyes — anyone she vouches for could never be lacking. She’s mentioned you to us more than once before. And crucially, today when Dean Deng was attacked, you rushed back to Astor House despite the danger — that resolve and courage moved everyone here deeply.”

Wen Tingli’s eyes reddened again. Bao Yaoming said from the side: “Don’t worry, Chengying and I will oversee and protect you throughout this operation. If at any point during the execution you find yourself in danger, you may withdraw at any time — your personal safety comes above all else.”

Wen Tingli still hesitated. Li Chengying said: “No pressure — think it over carefully before you answer us. Whether or not you agree, this matter won’t affect you in any way. Dean Deng cared for your family selflessly before any of this happened, and as her companions, we equally don’t want you to feel we’re using her kindness to pressure you into this.”

Her gaze was so clear and upright that it eased the tightness in Wen Tingli’s chest. “Can I go see Dean Deng?”

Bao Yaoming tapped his pipe: “It’s chaotic over there right now — even Chengying and Xiao Chen don’t dare go visit. But fortunately, everyone knows I’m an old friend of Deng Yi’s — this way, tomorrow you can disguise yourself as my assistant, and I’ll find a way to get you in.”

Wen Tingli hurriedly bowed to Bao Yaoming, saying with embarrassment: “Lawyer Bao, I still haven’t apologized to you for missing our appointment.”

Bao Yaoming, pipe still in his mouth, snorted: “If you had shown up on time, I’d have had to seriously reconsider whether Deng Yi’s judgment had gone bad!”

The next morning, all the major newspapers ran the story of Dean Deng’s shooting, though the reported reasons behind the attack varied widely. That evening, as previously arranged, Wen Tingli, wearing a wig and a qipao, disguised herself as a middle-aged woman and went with Bao Yaoming to visit Deng Yi.

Seeing Dean Deng lying unconscious in the hospital bed, Wen Tingli nearly lost control of her emotions.

The assailant had fired two shots in total — one struck Dean Deng directly in the chest, causing massive bleeding in her lungs; the other hit her wrist, likely because the assailant, worried Dean Deng might be armed, fired first to disable her ability to fight back.

Coming out afterward, Wen Tingli, immersed in overwhelming grief and rage, walked numbly down the steps, then suddenly stopped, looked up, and said to Bao Yaoming: “I want to see Miss Li.”

That night, Wen Tingli met Li Chengying again at a somewhat run-down shikumen house.

This time, she got straight to the point: “I’m willing to help investigate this matter.”

All her hesitation and fear had shattered the moment she’d seen Dean Deng’s condition with her own eyes. This woman lay between life and death, while the assailant still walked free! She couldn’t wait any longer to help find whoever had shot Dean Deng — not even a moment!

Li Chengying was visibly moved: “You’ve decided?”

Wen Tingli nodded without hesitation. All three of them let out a breath of relief at once. Bao Yaoming pulled a contract out of his briefcase.

“Stepping up in a crisis — commendable courage. This task will test your willpower severely, and will put you in constant danger. Xiao Wen, to encourage your act of righteousness, I’ll personally provide you with a compensation of two thousand silver dollars. Once you complete the task successfully, this sum will be deposited into your account under the name of Dawn Law Office.”

“No, I’m not doing this for the money!”

Bao Yaoming’s expression grew complicated: “I know you’re not doing this for the money, but this task carries great risk — with this money on hand, no matter what happens, you’ll be able to walk away safely.”

Wen Tingli suddenly understood Bao Yaoming’s true intention — how she’d managed to identify the gunshot so quickly the day before had, all along, been a point of suspicion for him.

He needed to do something to protect Dean Deng and his companions. This contract, ostensibly compensation, was in truth a way to obtain concrete proof of her involvement in the investigation.

With her signature on this contract, Bao Yaoming needn’t worry about her leaking this matter in the future, nor worry that she might betray them, because she was now bound to them as a shared stakeholder.

“Old Bao.” Li Chengying couldn’t help but speak up.

But Wen Tingli, without hesitation, took the pen and swiftly signed her name across the contract.

She didn’t blame Bao Yaoming for testing her this way — this matter involved too much at stake, and in his position, she wouldn’t want her own companions exposed to danger either. Besides, she’d volunteered for this investigation of her own accord — back when Dean Deng had used her own connections to help her, she hadn’t stopped to consider whether doing so might offend the Qiao family or the Bailong Gang. Now that it was her turn to repay Dean Deng, how could she possibly hold back?

Bao Yaoming paused for a moment, but quickly regained his composed expression, guiding Wen Tingli through signing all three copies of the contract, then handed one of the remaining copies back to her.

“Keep one for yourself,” he said, his manner noticeably more sincere, and much gentler than before.

Li Chengying fell silent for a moment: “Xiao Wen, the purpose of this investigation is to prevent further loss of life. Your personal safety always comes above everything else. If you have any concerns at all, please stop the investigation immediately. If you were to come to any harm because of this, not only would we feel guilty, but Dean Deng, once she wakes, would be uneasy too.”

“Thank you, Sister Li, I’ll be extra careful. Time is of the essence, please tell me what I should do next.”

The next day, the moment Wen Tingli entered the classroom, she heard her classmates discussing Dean Deng’s shooting from the day before yesterday — though unlike the shock and confusion of the first reports, this time the students’ accounts had grown considerably more accurate.

“She was just sitting there having coffee at Astor House, and suddenly got shot.”

Zhao Qingluo said furiously: “Dean Deng has always been so kind to everyone — who would want to hurt an old woman like her?”

“Has the assailant still not been caught?” Wen Tingli asked, trying her best to appear as though she were joining the conversation casually.

At lunch in the cafeteria, Michelle personally came over to remind Wen Tingli.

“Don’t forget, after school today you’re going to the Lu residence to collect your Yuying Award. A car will be waiting outside at five-thirty — don’t be late, and mind your manners.”

Zhao Qingluo and Yan Zhenzhen exchanged looks with Wen Tingli from across the table. Wen Tingli put on a pleased expression and stood to respond: “Yes, Principal Michelle.”

The moment Michelle left, Yan Zhenzhen and Zhao Qingluo clapped their hands together: “You said it yourself last time — once you get the money, you’re treating us to cake. Don’t you dare go back on it.”

“Don’t worry, don’t worry.”

The moment class ended, Wen Tingli hurried to the washroom.

She didn’t believe for a moment that this had anything to do with Mr. Kuang. Compared to Kuang Zhilin and Lu Shicheng, she was far more inclined to suspect Third Master Lu — but her suspicion needed evidence to back it up. If it turned out in the end that they really were behind it, that would mean her instincts had been wrong.

If not, then with the leads she provided, Li Chengying and the others wouldn’t miss their best chance to find the culprit.

Last night, Li Chengying had told her that to investigate, she needed to pay close attention to whether the Lu family had any recent purchase orders for Nanyang medicine — and such things would typically only be kept in the Lu family’s study.

She decided she would look for an opportunity once she arrived at the Lu residence.

The key thing was, one single reconnaissance visit likely wouldn’t reveal much, but for the sake of having future opportunities to see Lu Shicheng again, she had to leave an excellent impression on him during this award ceremony.

She couldn’t act too eager or overly warm — that would only make him suspicious.

But she also couldn’t do nothing at all, because Lu Shicheng would simply forget about her the moment she turned her back.

She mulled over this all day.

Once dressed and ready, Wen Tingli forced a smile at herself in the washroom mirror, but perhaps because she felt a bit anxious, the smile didn’t come out as bright as usual. She had to adjust it several times before her smile regained its usual charm.

Walking out of the school gate, the Lu family’s driver was already waiting outside.