Suddenly hearing Zhou Sao open the door and come back in outside, Wen Tingli immediately sprang up from her bed like a spring.

“Has Mr. Lu left?”

“Mm-hm.”

Wen Tingli walked over to help Zhou Sao put away the lantern, asking shyly: “Did Mr. Lu say anything else when he left?”

Zhou Sao laughed: “Even if he had something to say, would Mr. Lu say it to me?”

Wen Tingli said nothing and returned to her room, then heard the parlor telephone ring and rushed back out.

Zhou Sao had already picked up the receiver: “The Lu residence? Looking for our young miss? Alright, alright, I’ll get her to the phone right away.”

Wen Tingli’s heart leapt with warmth, and she hurriedly snatched the receiver. Kuang Zhilin’s voice came through.

“Good evening, Miss Wen.”

Wen Tingli let out an involuntary laugh at herself—how had she thought for a moment it might be Lu Shicheng calling? He’d only just left, hadn’t he.

“Good evening, Mr. Kuang.” she said warmly. “Is there something you need from me?”

“Forgive my presumption in asking—is young master Lu still with Miss Wen?”

“He’s already left!” Wen Tingli said quickly, then paused and emphasized, “He walked me home and then left.”

“I thought as much.” Kuang Zhilin immediately replied, his tone showing no doubt at all, then added with an apologetic laugh, “It’s just that something urgent has come up that needs reporting to young master Lu, so I had no choice but to call around asking—I hope I haven’t offended Miss Wen.”

Wen Tingli felt a bit self-conscious, and said softly: “It’s alright.”

Kuang Zhilin changed the subject: “Actually, it’s Old Master Lu who wants to see young master Cheng.”

Wen Tingli’s heart skipped a beat.

Kuang Zhilin laughed wryly: “Things have reached this point, so there are some matters that really shouldn’t be kept from Miss Wen any longer. I know Miss Wen has had some misunderstandings about recent events. In truth, you saw for yourself tonight how things stand—our old master is… extremely forceful, and extremely stubborn. If he were to learn just how much young master Lu has done for Miss Wen these past days, he would certainly develop considerable prejudice against Miss Wen. The old master has many ways of secretly investigating and dealing with a person, so the day he returned to Shanghai, young master Lu did everything he could to avoid seeing Miss Wen, because until he was certain of Miss Wen’s feelings, he didn’t want to bring unnecessary trouble upon you.”

As he spoke, Kuang Zhilin couldn’t see the smile now on Wen Tingli’s face, so he could only judge from her responses whether she understood the meaning behind his words. He paused deliberately, and then heard Wen Tingli give a soft “Mm,” a very certain sound, without any hesitation or awkwardness in it.

He understood at once—Miss Wen’s perceptiveness truly was rare, and he couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief: “Fortunately, after tonight, young master Lu no longer has this concern to worry about—Miss Wen doesn’t know how much preparation young master Lu put into tonight beforehand.”

Wen Tingli’s smile deepened further, but she still only said “Mm.”

She thought back to the scene in the study, of Lu Shicheng solemnly writing “Forgive me” for her.

If tonight she had said “yes” to Lu Shicheng at the Lu residence, he would have taken on everything that followed on her behalf. And if tonight she had said “no” to him instead, Lu Shicheng would never have let her be troubled by Old Master Lu either way. Even accounting for the possibility of being rejected, he had already planned everything out for her in advance.

With Lu Shicheng, one would never see the words “irresponsible.”

So really, none of this needed Kuang Zhilin to specially call and explain—she’d already understood it back in the Lu family study, the moment she’d seen Old Master Lu’s attitude.

Kuang Zhilin still carried a trace of worry: “During Old Master’s time in Shanghai, there will inevitably be some moves on his part—he’s… quite formidable, but whatever happens, Miss Wen needn’t panic, young master Lu will handle everything. Let me give Miss Wen two numbers to note down: one is young master Lu’s private line in his room, the other is the office line at Lixin Bank… if anything comes up, just… good, good, I won’t disturb Miss Wen’s rest any further then.”

Kuang Zhilin said good night to her with a broad smile.

Yet the moment he set down the receiver, his brow furrowed deeply.

“Mr. Kuang, when do you think young master Cheng might be back?” Steward Xu hurried to find him in the study. “The old master’s expression is… getting worse and worse.”

Kuang Zhilin took out his cigar case from his pocket without a word.

Steward Xu seemed to sense a coming storm, anxiously loosening his collar, sighing low: “No telling how bad it’ll get tonight. The old master has never approved of the Lu family’s younger generation choosing girlfriends against his wishes. Back in Nanyang, I personally witnessed how the old master went after the former First Madam… after all that turmoil, it ended in ruin for both sides. And what was the First Madam’s background? Not to mention this Miss Wen, who comes from such humble origins. I really worry young master Cheng won’t be able to handle this—the old master may have stepped back from managing affairs, but he still has plenty of loyal old hands in the banks and factories…”

Kuang Zhilin shot Steward Xu a sharp glance, quick as lightning.

Steward Xu immediately fell silent.

The room grew unnaturally quiet, the oppressive tension in the air thickening bit by bit. Only the ticking of the Western clock could be heard, and in the depths of this Lu residence night, everything, top to bottom, was shrouded in an invisible pall—only that mechanical timepiece remained unaffected in the slightest. When the cold hands slid to the one o’clock mark, Kuang Zhilin suddenly spoke.

“It won’t happen. This child is even tougher and more independent than the elder young master was back then. The same tragedy won’t repeat itself in the Lu family.”

As he said this, an odd trace of sorrow crossed Kuang Zhilin’s face. Holding a cigar, he gazed out the window, seemingly lost in thought.

Just then, a servant outside called: “Young master Cheng is back.”

The two of them hurried out to meet him.

Lu Shicheng strode into the front hall, and the moment he entered, handed his coat off to someone beside him, then lifted his own arm to examine it, gravely asking someone to bring him ice.

Steward Xu couldn’t help but be taken aback—usually, even with an injury far worse than this, young master Cheng would never make such a fuss if he could help it.

Just from this one glance, he could tell Lu Shicheng was in an excellent mood—his brow relaxed, his eyes soft as water. Such subtle emotional shifts were only visible to those who knew Lu Shicheng well. Steward Xu couldn’t help but break into a cold sweat—young master Cheng seemed utterly unaware that a raging storm awaited him. He hastily reminded him in a low voice: “Young master Cheng, the old master is still waiting for you in the back building’s lounge.”

Before he’d even finished speaking, several more figures appeared on the front steps behind Lu Shicheng.

At the very front was a wheelchair, in which sat a mangled, bloodied figure—Third Master Lu, not a single spot of unbroken flesh left on his entire body, curled up in the wheelchair, gasping in broken breaths.

But the men beside the wheelchair weren’t Third Master Lu’s own men—they were Lu Shicheng’s trusted aides, Zhou Wei and the others.

Once wheeled into the hall, Third Master Lu suddenly gave a violent shudder, weakly crying out upward: “Father! He’s going to kill me!”

But the moment he opened his mouth, a great gush of blood poured out, cutting off the rest of his words entirely.

Lu Shicheng paid him no mind whatsoever, calmly taking the ice pack a servant brought him and pressing it to his wound, walking on through the front hall toward the back building as if nothing were amiss. No one dared delay, and the group hurriedly wheeled Third Master Lu’s chair after him.

At the same time, Wen Tingli lay with her head pillowed on her arm, contentedly gazing at the two phone numbers in her hand—meaning that from now on, she could reach Lu Shicheng directly without going through anyone else.

She happily rolled over. By now, Lu Shicheng had probably already reached home. Had he taken his wound seriously? Would he call her the moment he got home?

With this thought, she gazed expectantly at the closed door, then couldn’t help but laugh at herself—it was already past one in the morning; knowing Lu Shicheng’s character, he would never disturb her this late.

Just then, someone knocked at her door.

“Miss.”

Wen Tingli was baffled. “Why aren’t you asleep yet?”

“I can’t sleep.” Zhou Sao entered the room, her eyes first fixing on Wen Tingli’s expression, then landing squarely on the jewelry box by the dressing table.

The beautiful enamel and pearl-shell box glowed with a gentle pink light under the moonlight.

“I meant to ask earlier—was that from Mr. Lu? That necklace must be quite valuable.”

Wen Tingli, without a word, moved to push Zhou Sao out the door, but Zhou Sao got there first, clutching the footboard of the bed.

“Miss, miss, just one question and I’ll go—are you and Mr. Lu… courting?” Zhou Sao stamped her foot anxiously. “I’m not trying to pry, but I’m truly scared inside. Do the Lu family elders know about you and Mr. Lu? Why else would they call so late? What’s their attitude? My heart is racing! Have you forgotten how frightening that Mrs. Qiao was!”

Wen Tingli still refused to respond. Worried, Zhou Sao pulled Wen Tingli back to sit on the edge of the bed, stammering: “I heard people talking at the hospital before—the Lu family’s standing makes ten Qiao families look like nothing. If the Lu family elders are truly determined to obstruct this, it’ll only be worse than the Qiao family, harder to withstand… and you’re on your own here with no backing! What does Mr. Lu himself say about it? Please don’t be like that young man surnamed Qiao, who just shrank away and washed his hands of everything—he made you suffer terribly back then!”

“Zhou Sao!” Wen Tingli cut her off firmly.

“Go to sleep. I have it all figured out in my heart.” Her voice softened, her eyes holding a clear, bright light.

Zhou Sao opened her mouth to speak, but stopped. In that moment, she realized clearly that the person before her was no longer a child—that quiet, unshakeable resolve immediately silenced her.

In the end, Zhou Sao left carrying a mixture of worry and comfort.

After Zhou Sao left, Wen Tingli lay wide-eyed, staring at the ceiling, utterly without sleepiness.

Zhou Sao’s worries were exactly what she herself had feared earlier, but ever since the moment tonight when Lu Shicheng had shielded her from that scalding cup of tea in the study, she’d decided to set these worries aside for the time being.

This wasn’t just a moment’s impulse—her experiences these past months had taught her that Lu Shicheng and Qiao Xingchu were entirely different kinds of people.

She still remembered how hypocritical Qiao Xingchu had been when prying into her mother’s past, while Lu Shicheng had never once commented on her mother’s history as a dancer in Nanjing, even though she knew he was well aware of it.

He had never even obliquely inquired about the details of her relationship with Qiao Xingchu, even though he could easily have used jealousy as cover to do so.

At his core he was upright and noble; with every interaction, her admiration for him grew a little more, and from that admiration, affection had slowly begun to bloom.

Throughout their time together, no matter what state their relationship had been in, he had never once let her down.

She believed this time would be no different.

But Zhou Sao’s words made her think again of the look Old Master Lu had given her tonight—a coldness entirely different from Mrs. Qiao’s hysteria.

Merciless, autocratic, capable of crushing anything. Her instincts told her Old Master Lu would never simply let this go, that his methods were far beyond anything Mrs. Qiao could compare to.

Indeed—however strong, reliable, and resourceful Lu Shicheng might be, this time he faced the true patriarch of the entire Lu family.

“Miss, you’re on your own here with no backing…”

Zhou Sao’s words kept echoing in her ears.

She suddenly sat up. She admitted that tonight’s dreamlike, wonderful experience had left her feeling as if soaked in honey, but no matter how deep the sweetness, it couldn’t erase these real, practical problems—they were like cold blades planted in the ground beneath her feet, impossible to pull out, impossible to smooth over.

Unless Lu Shicheng himself bent down and personally pulled out every one of these thorns for her, in the end, she alone would be the one left wounded.

But would he really go that far for her? Was she getting a little carried away?

No—she could never fully entrust her back to any man, no matter the time, no matter who—even if that man was Lu Shicheng.

Startled into alertness, she resolutely flipped out of bed, and dragged out a small, locked, half-worn leather suitcase from underneath.

Inside, besides the admission letter from Hujiang University that had arrived just two days ago, were some scattered banknotes, jewelry, and a contract.

The banknotes were what she’d painstakingly saved up over this period—enough to support her whole family’s living expenses for a year or two.

As for the contract, it was the one she’d signed with the prominent lawyer Bao Yaming, back when Dean Deng had first been attacked, and Li Chengying and the others, suspecting the Lu family might be connected to the incident, had asked her to secretly investigate Lu Shicheng.

Out of her deep devotion and gratitude toward Dean Deng, she had resolutely agreed to the task. To ensure she carried it out without distraction, Bao Yaming had specially set aside two thousand silver dollars and signed this contract with her—a substantial fortune. With this money, she had the means to walk away clean if needed.

After completing the task, she had meant to find Lawyer Bao right away to cash it in, but during that period, Lawyer Bao had been busy protecting the severely injured Dean Deng, and at such a critical time, she couldn’t bring herself to bother him over this. Later, Lawyer Bao seemed to have taken on an even more demanding assignment, and had been away from Shanghai for the past two months. On top of that, she’d earned some money herself from the pageant and the advertisement, so she hadn’t felt any urgency to seek out Lawyer Bao.

Besides, pressing him constantly for the money would make it seem as though she’d only helped investigate Dean Deng’s case for the money in the first place.

But now she could no longer afford such scruples. Once Lawyer Bao returned to Shanghai, she would find him and cash in this sum.

Having accounted for all her assets, Wen Tingli felt considerably more settled. Whatever happened tomorrow, at least she had money in hand—money she’d earned entirely with her own hands, belonging to her alone!

Before going to bed, she took out the script for Southern Beauty from her drawer. These past two days her mind had been too unsettled to properly study her lines for the shoot, so she decided to settle her heart and read through it carefully once more.

Perhaps because she’d found her footing again inside, she fell asleep while reading. But her sleep wasn’t restful—at one point she dreamed of Mrs. Qiao viciously charging at her, forcing her to flee Shanghai that very night.

Then she saw Old Master Lu standing in a hazy black mist, watching her with cold indifference.

Suddenly Qiu Lingyun grabbed her fiercely by the throat. “So it was you who fired that shot in the dark that night? Do you know you crippled my leg? Don’t even think about running! You’ll pay with your life!”

His two hands were like iron pincers, choking the breath out of her.

She woke up just past five, feeling utterly drained, as if all her strength had left her.

The moment she stepped out of her room, Zhou Sao rushed up to her, looking anxious.

“There’s a strange car parked outside for no reason.”

Wen Tingli looked out the window in alarm. Ever since Lu Shicheng had recuperated here, Kuang Zhilin had stationed some men in the area to protect her family’s safety, but they knew their place well, usually keeping their distance in the nearby streets and never approaching the house carelessly.

But this black car was parked brazenly right on the path in front of the house. Strangely, though Kuang Zhilin’s men had clearly spotted the car, they made no move to drive it off.

Wen Tingli sensed at once that this must be someone Old Master Lu had sent—after all, only the old master’s men could make Kuang Zhilin’s people hesitate like this.

A chill began creeping through her heart.

Zhou Sao said, pale-faced: “I heard a car at two in the morning when I got up to use the toilet. I was afraid of scaring you, so I didn’t dare come find you.”

Wen Tingli watched at the window for a while, then turned and said decisively to Zhou Sao: “I don’t think they’ll act right away, but it’s better to be safe. Zhou Sao, go pack your things and Xiao Taozi’s right now. In a bit, pretend you’re going out to buy groceries and take Xiao Taozi with you first. I’ll see how things develop.”

With that, she slipped back into her room, and soon hurried back out to call Lu Shicheng.

The other end picked up quickly: “This is the Lu residence. May I ask who’s calling?”

Wen Tingli’s face flushed inexplicably, but her tone was firm: “Hello, my surname is Wen, I have an urgent matter to discuss with young master Lu.”

The voice on the other end grew even more courteous, yet still only said: “I’m sorry, Miss Wen, young master Lu went out early this morning.”

Wen Tingli could only try Lixin Bank instead.

“Mr. Lu isn’t here.”

“Do you know where he might be?”

The voice on the other end was entirely businesslike: “Sorry, we don’t know his whereabouts either. May I ask who’s calling?”

Wen Tingli hurriedly set down the receiver.

She stood by the sofa for a moment, then steeled herself again and went into her room, packing two bags before long—handing one to Zhou Sao and keeping the other with herself.

This was practically jumping at shadows.

But having been through one bitter lesson already, she never again wanted to let a moment’s carelessness plunge her whole family into danger. If this Old Master Lu’s methods turned out to be even more ruthless, her family would face nothing but even more merciless harm.

Just then, Xiao Taozi began to stir on the bed in the inner room. Wen Tingli hastily had Zhou Sao go help her sister get dressed.

She herself stayed in the parlor, pacing anxiously back and forth, glancing at the telephone stand on the wall, and, unable to help herself, picked up the receiver once more.

This time she called Kuang Zhilin, only to find he wasn’t home either—the person who answered was the middle-aged steward from before.

Wen Tingli peeked out the window on tiptoe, gripping the receiver tightly: “My surname is Wen. When Mr. Kuang returns, please let him know: I’ve run into a bit of trouble, and would appreciate a call back.”

Right at that moment, someone knocked at the door.

The sound was soft, yet it struck like thunder, sending a jolt straight through her heart.

Wen Tingli felt a flash of fear, then suddenly steadied herself, pushing Zhou Sao into the inner room: “Don’t be afraid, I’ll handle them.”

She took a deep breath and opened the door with an air of composure.

Only to find Kuang Zhilin standing outside, all smiles.

“Good morning, Miss Wen.” Kuang Zhilin held up the food box in his hand. “Young master Lu asked me to come check on Miss Wen. On the way I picked up some rice cakes and soy milk—I recall Miss Wen is quite fond of these.”

Wen Tingli stared at Kuang Zhilin, speechless.

Kuang Zhilin smiled and asked: “Would it be convenient for me to come in and have a word?”

Wen Tingli came to her senses as if waking from a dream: “Of course, please, come in.”

Kuang Zhilin entered, set the food box on the table, and said with a smile: “Old Master Lu is setting off for Singapore today. Young master Lu is currently at the docks seeing him off, so he can’t get away just at the moment.”

Wen Tingli stared at Kuang Zhilin blankly, unable to process the meaning of his words for a few seconds.

Kuang Zhilin couldn’t help but repeat himself with a smile: “Old Master Lu is boarding the Lu family’s own liner, the Yuanxin. It departs at eight o’clock.”

Wen Tingli was utterly stunned: “But Old Master Lu was still here just last night—”

“Yes.” Kuang Zhilin smiled. “He was here all last night, and only decided to leave this morning. I came specifically to reassure Miss Wen: from now on, Old Master Lu will no longer interfere in young master Cheng’s personal affairs. Miss Wen need not worry about the old master causing you any trouble.”

Wen Tingli immediately turned to look out the window—the car that had been there was nowhere to be seen now.

She was both startled and delighted.

“How could this happen so suddenly?” she pressed. “Did young master Lu… negotiate with his grandfather last night?”

Her voice dropped somewhat as she asked this last question—somehow, asking such a thing in front of Kuang Zhilin felt hard to voice aloud.

Kuang Zhilin’s smile turned complicated, and he said nothing.

It had indeed been a negotiation—and where there’s negotiation, there’s a price paid.

If the old master hadn’t sent people to the rescue in time last night, Third Master Lu would certainly not have lived to see dawn—five or six of his ribs broken, barely a breath left in his throat. Yet Third Master still hadn’t stopped trying to accuse others first; the old master, in a fury, had slapped him across the face in front of everyone.

Uncle and nephew had crossed swords so many times, and Third Master had already lost every round completely. Last night, he hadn’t even managed to maintain the most basic dignity: he’d been dragged out of his own bed by young master Cheng. This meant he could lose his life in his sleep at any moment, the blade hanging over his neck held firmly in young master Cheng’s hand.

Not only had Old Master Lu understood this, Third Master Lu himself knew it perfectly well too. When he was brought to the Lu residence, on the surface he’d cursed and railed, but in truth his nerve had already been utterly broken.

What followed was an entire night of negotiation.

The old master knew his youngest son no longer held any weighty leverage, and could only rely on his grandfatherly authority to step in and mediate, promising that as long as young master Cheng agreed to let the matter drop, he would agree to any condition.

Young master Cheng had simply smiled at his grandfather then—a smile chilling to the bone.

Exactly what grandfather and grandson discussed in the end, Kuang Zhilin had no way of knowing. He only knew that around four or five in the morning, young master Cheng had finally agreed to have his men spare Third Master Lu’s life. Third Master Lu had to hand over all the factories in Peiping to the clan, and from then on, could only draw a fixed dividend from the family account each month.

Without the Lu family’s vast enterprise behind him, Third Master no longer had any leverage to join forces with outsiders against his own family.

The old master, on one hand resenting the loss of his own power, on the other resenting his youngest son for failing to make something of himself, nearly wanted to take up a whip and thrash him with his own hands—had it not been for the fact that his son was already covered in wounds. In the end, the old master had his trusted aides escort Third Master back to Peiping’s Union Hospital overnight for treatment.

Kuang Zhilin, happening to be stationed at the door, heard the old master say coldly to Lu Shicheng as the group filed out: “That girl is no simple thing. Grandfather only hopes you haven’t misjudged.”

Young master Cheng, hands in his pockets, walked calmly down the stairs, not a ripple of emotion in his eyes.

At that, Kuang Zhilin understood everything. Had young master Cheng insisted on eliminating Third Master last night, given how much the old master doted on his youngest son, he certainly wouldn’t have spared Miss Wen either. However frail the old master’s health, he still had many capable old hands at his disposal—if he wanted to, there were plenty of ways to make Miss Wen’s family suffer, and even round-the-clock protection couldn’t guard against every possibility.

How could young master Cheng possibly allow Miss Wen to be dragged into the Lu family’s internal conflicts?

Of course, there was no need for Miss Wen to know any of this.

He merely said vaguely with a smile: “Young master Lu has always handled matters as quickly as possible, and this was certainly no exception. Anyway, I came over first thing this morning just to tell Miss Wen not to worry about this any longer. Oh, and I just noticed Miss Wen is all dressed and ready—were you about to head out?”

Wen Tingli looked a little sheepish—she’d been about to do far more than just head out; she’d been prepared to abandon this relationship and flee the city overnight.

She hastily coughed to cover herself: “I’ve been filming lately, and I’m quite new to this, so I wanted to get to the studio early—might learn something.”

Kuang Zhilin nodded: “Then I won’t keep Miss Wen from heading out. I have matters to attend to as well.”

Then, seeming to remember something, he gestured outside: “I hear Miss Wen has never once troubled them all this time. There’s really no need to be so formal—they’re only here because young master Lu assigned them to protect Miss Wen against the White Dragon Gang. If you ever need a car, just let them know.”

Wen Tingli smiled without responding. Kuang Zhilin, ever perceptive and worldly, understood this touched on the girl’s pride, and tactfully let the matter drop.

As she saw Kuang Zhilin out, Wen Tingli asked, somewhat reservedly: “I didn’t get to properly thank young master Lu last night—I wonder if he’s busy today?”

Kuang Zhilin neither said “busy” nor “not busy,” only replying with a smile: “Young master Lu will return to Lixin Bank to meet with the various factory managers after seeing Old Master Lu off at the docks. If Miss Wen wishes to reach young master Lu, you’re welcome to call his office directly.”

After seeing Kuang Zhilin off, Wen Tingli went back inside, just as Zhou Sao came out from the inner room carrying Xiao Taozi. Zhou Sao’s previously anxious face was now full of joy.

“Thank heavens! Really didn’t misjudge young master Lu.”

Wen Tingli noticed Xiao Taozi had a cloth bag slung across her, and upon checking, found it stuffed full of toys and chocolate. She couldn’t help but laugh—despite how urgent things had seemed just now, Zhou Sao hadn’t forgotten to bring along Xiao Taozi’s treasures.

“Fleeing like refugees first thing in the morning.” Wen Tingli pressed her forehead against Xiao Taozi’s, making a funny face at her sister.

Xiao Taozi had no idea what kind of inner “upheaval” her sister had just been through, and only clapped her hands excitedly: “Sister’s taking Xiao Taozi to Nanjing to play.”

“Who wants to flee like refugees.” Zhou Sao sighed wistfully beside them. “Once bitten, twice shy, as they say—all because the Qiao family was so crazy. But miss, people really can’t be compared—Mr. Lu and that Mr. Qiao are around the same age, yet one’s like that, and the other’s like this.”

Wen Tingli said nothing and went back to her room in silence.

The moment she entered, she flopped face-down onto her bed just like the night before, the sound of “thump thump thump” seeming to echo in her ears, the stirring in her chest fresh and intense beyond measure. Feeling a little at a loss, she rolled over to look up at the ceiling instead, her eyes shining bright.

She heard Zhou Sao quietly bring in the two pieces of luggage but didn’t move.

Then she heard a “tap tap tap” sound approaching her ear, and turned to find herself face to face with Xiao Taozi’s round, dark grape-like eyes.

Xiao Taozi tilted her head, studying her sister’s face, and Wen Tingli couldn’t help but laugh. She took Xiao Taozi’s hand, got out of bed, and opened the suitcase to put her clothes back in the wardrobe. As she went to tuck Lawyer Bao’s contract back into the depths of the suitcase, Xiao Taozi suddenly snatched it away.

“Sister’s script.”

“That’s not a script, let go quickly, Xiao Taozi, this isn’t something to play with—this is money, a great deal of money.”

Xiao Taozi looked puzzled—she already knew what money was by now, but this was clearly just a stack of paper.

“When has Sister ever lied to Xiao Taozi? In a few days, Sister will use this to exchange for a huge, huge amount of money. If you tear it up, it’ll all be gone for nothing—no money, and how will Sister buy you new clothes and new shoes in a couple of days?”

She coaxed and persuaded until she got the contract back, and, not fully at ease, added three locks to the outside of the small suitcase to make absolutely sure, before sliding it back under the bed.

Lixin Bank.

Lu Shicheng sat behind his office desk, across from him sat Boss Liu of Shuguang Textile Mill. Boss Liu had come today to arrange a loan, and upon arrival had launched eloquently into his plans to purchase new machinery and expand production.

By the count, this was already the fourth client Lu Shicheng had received this morning. Aside from Boss Liu himself, the two managers of Lixin Bank could clearly sense that Lu Shicheng seemed somewhat distracted.

Whenever the phone on the desk rang, Lu Shicheng would immediately turn his gaze toward it. Once, seeing them answer a bit too slowly, he’d even risen and picked up the receiver himself, only to say a single word before falling silent and handing the phone back to them to answer.

The two of them had always liked this even-tempered young master, but faced with this highly unusual behavior, neither dared to ask too many questions.

Boss Liu, entirely oblivious to all this, went on talking animatedly for a good ten minutes before finally pausing, his face glistening with an oily sheen of sweat as he waited expectantly.

In his view, this young Master Lu was as easy to deal with as could be. He’d heard that last year, a few university professors had resigned their teaching posts to start a lightbulb factory, and lacking capital, had impulsively gone to Lixin Bank to seek Lu Shicheng’s help—to everyone’s astonishment, Lu Shicheng had actually extended these doctors a substantial loan.

At the time, Boss Liu had mocked Lu Shicheng as a foolish spendthrift with no business sense.

This market had long been monopolized by Japanese, German, and American firms—what chance did Chinese manufacturers have against them? Yet it took only a year for this new lightbulb factory to produce good-quality, affordably priced lightbulbs, branded “The Common People’s Light,” which sold well the moment it launched.

This outcome had caught Boss Liu completely off guard, and gave him tremendous confidence. Compared to that idealistic but empty enterprise, his own Shuguang Silk Mill had both sales channels and machinery already in place—there was no reason Lu Shicheng wouldn’t extend him a loan too.

After talking on and on, Lu Shicheng suddenly closed the documents and stood up to shake Boss Liu’s hand. Just as Boss Liu was secretly delighted, Lu Shicheng signaled with his eyes for Manager Liu to see the guest out.

Manager Liu wasted no time seeing him off: “Boss Liu, this way please.”

None of them found it strange that Lu Shicheng had declined the loan. This Boss Liu of Shuguang Textile Mill had taken advantage of the chaos caused by Sichuan warlords the year before, hoarding large quantities of cloth. When the textile market slumped, he’d held out for higher prices, refusing to help stabilize the market—and now that the market had recovered, he was dumping large quantities of stock again to disrupt cloth prices.

Toward such a “parasite” who cared only for himself with no regard for the greater good, the young master never showed any mercy. His hesitation earlier had likely been him weighing whether to simply set a trap to bring down this useless mill entirely.

“If this Boss Liu has any sense, he should count himself lucky the young master let him off in the end.”

Manager Wang, remaining behind, remarked to Lu Shicheng with a sigh and a smile.

Lu Shicheng nodded, but showed no interest in discussing Boss Liu further. He efficiently signed a few documents and handed them to Manager Wang, glanced at his watch, and once again turned his attention to the telephone.

Perhaps because he’d been watching so intently, the phone obediently rang “jingle jingle.” Manager Wang, without thinking, reached to answer it.

On the other end was a girl, speaking in a reserved tone: “Hello, I’m looking for Mr. Lu.”

Just as Manager Wang was about to respond, the receiver was snatched from him by Lu Shicheng, who then pointed toward the door.

【You go on and attend to your other work.】

Manager Wang hastily withdrew from the room.

On the other end, having received no response, the voice sounded a little puzzled. “Hello? Hello…”

Then, as though catching some sound from this end, she paused, then said happily: “Mr. Lu, is that you?!”

Lu Shicheng habitually reached for the pen and paper at hand, ready to answer her string of questions, only to suddenly remember that no matter what he wrote, Wen Tingli couldn’t see it. The smile on his face froze.

Sure enough, Wen Tingli began firing off questions one after another: “How’s your injury? Does it still hurt?”

Lu Shicheng gripped the pen in his hand, frustrated, several times, then let it go again and again.

Wen Tingli seemed to sense something was off, and quickly changed the subject, laughing: “What are you up to? I saw a newspaper ad for Nanyang Public University in the studio earlier and thought of you.”

Her voice gradually grew soft and gentle.

Lu Shicheng gripped the receiver silently in his hand. He knew what he ought to say to her right now, but to his frustration, the moment he opened his mouth, all that ever came was silence.

He felt anxious, a little dejected. Looking around, for a moment he even considered calling Manager Wang back in to help relay some words for him, but right now he didn’t want to hand the receiver to anyone else at all.

Yet he also didn’t want Wen Tingli to think he wasn’t listening attentively, so he gently pulled the chair beside him, letting her hear the sound of movement on his end.

Wen Tingli did indeed pause, then said with a soft laugh: “Your office is so quiet, are you all alone in there? That’s nice, our studio is noisy all day long. Oh right, I should be done filming by around six today. There are a lot of good restaurants near here—there’s a Ningbo place, a Cantonese place, and there’s a new Sichuan restaurant that opened recently that’s especially delicious, why don’t we—”

Lu Shicheng silently said “yes” to her a thousand times over in his heart, but had no way at all to say it aloud into the receiver. For the first time in his life, he deeply hated his muteness.

Wen Tingli’s mood, however, remained unaffected, and she said happily: “Let’s do the Sichuan place then. Six-thirty tonight, in front of the Sichuan restaurant near our studio—you’ll come, won’t you? I—I’ll be waiting for you.”

She said this softly, feeling a little shy herself, and hurriedly hung up the phone.

Lu Shicheng stood there for a good long while, then slowly set down the receiver.

His heart ached terribly. He sank back into his chair, dejected, and after a long moment of silence, called Manager Wang back in.

【Have Mr. Kuang and Dr. Louis come by as soon as possible, and also that Director Xie who specializes in throat conditions—if he can spare the time, please have him come as well. I have an urgent matter I need to consult them about.】