At night, Wu Mangmang dreamed of a large wolfhound chasing her relentlessly through the forest. Suddenly, it leaped and pinned her down, its sharp teeth drawing a circle on her lower abdomen. Then she felt herself being scared into urinating.
The dream was too terrifying. Wu Mangmang jolted upright in bed, pushed off her eye mask, and discovered that dawn had already broken. The urgent need to urinate was overwhelming—that’s what had triggered the nightmare. Fortunately, her bladder sphincter was healthy and strong, holding fast at the crucial moment and preventing her from wetting the bed.
As soon as she went downstairs, Wu Mangmang caught the aroma of bread wafting from the dining room. She took a deep breath of the fragrance—bread always smelled better than it tasted.
Lu Sui was already seated, elegantly cutting his maple pancakes. The dining table was set with a Jun porcelain flower vase containing three blooming yellow peonies that looked quite beautiful. Wu Mangmang had no expertise in this area and didn’t know what variety they were.
But thinking with her toes, she estimated they must be the king of peonies—what else could match the God of Wealth’s expensive taste?
The maple pancakes were golden-brown on both sides, lying on a Yongle sweet white porcelain plate, their surface drizzled with honey air-shipped from New Zealand. The accompanying fruits—raspberries, strawberries, rose grapes, and others—were arranged in a famille rose grape-patterned bowl.
Lu Sui lightly tapped with his finger, and Wu Mangmang saw C-3PO set a place setting across from him.
Wu Mangmang sat down silently, keeping her head low as she began evenly spreading three millimeters of butter on freshly baked toast.
While buttering her toast, she observed Lu Sui’s expression from across the table. He seemed to have returned to normal, but Wu Mangmang absolutely would not repeat her mistake of showing concern for Lu Sui’s condition.
“I’ve already examined the bottle—it’s been beautifully restored. The helicopter is ready, and Miss Wu can leave at any time.” Lu Sui dabbed his mouth with a napkin, then placed it beside his hand, having finished his meal.
By this time, the toast had gone down, and Wu Mangmang’s breakfast was essentially over. She had no particular fondness for Western breakfasts, preferring Chinese fare like fried dough sticks, soy milk, wontons, dan dan noodles, and douhua—varieties that could last half a month without repetition, fragrant or spicy, light or rich.
The Wu family’s decades-long pretentious Western breakfast routine had made her sick of it.
“My luggage is already packed. If possible, I’d like to leave this morning—I still have unfinished work at the museum,” Wu Mangmang said.
“Fine.” Lu Sui stood up and made a phone call, then said to Wu Mangmang, who was preparing to return to her room, “Miss Wu, let’s talk.”
Wu Mangmang couldn’t read anything about the upcoming conversation from Lu Sui’s consistently cold, handsome face. Thinking about last night’s events, she felt inevitably uncomfortable.
But since he had already spoken, she could only follow him to the side hall, where robots served tea.
Wu Mangmang warned herself not to touch that cup, no matter what—even though there was carpet underfoot, she shouldn’t take any unnecessary risks.
Lu Sui, seated in the single armchair, had already begun speaking: “I’m very sorry about last night’s incident.”
Uh, was this about bringing up sensitive topics?
Wu Mangmang politely started to wave her hand to indicate “it’s fine,” but then suddenly remembered that being forcibly licked on the navel was like having someone forcibly pick your nose—neither could possibly be “fine.”
So Wu Mangmang continued her silence, maintaining a face that could compete with Lu Sui’s in coldness.
“Yesterday, Miss Wu showed me such warm concern and enthusiastically helped me back to my bedroom, which led me to misunderstand that Miss Wu had ulterior motives toward me. My self-control weakened during my illness, so I offended Miss Wu. I hope you can forgive me.”
These words were altogether too polished, weren’t they? The cause and effect actually made it seem like she had caused his misunderstanding.
Of course, someone like Lu Sui—handsome and wealthy—was accustomed to women having “ulterior motives” toward him, making him prone to narcissistic overconfidence.
However, fire was already flickering in Wu Mangmang’s large eyes. She didn’t mind correcting his mistaken values—did he think that having some stinking money made him as universally beloved as dollar bills?
“Mr. Lu has indeed misunderstood. My help last night was purely humanitarian, based on a normal person’s compassion.”
Wu Mangmang adjusted her sitting posture and continued: “Mr. Lu’s words just now acknowledged that last night’s actions were intentional, and I indeed felt greatly offended, even having nightmares all night.”
Everyone knew how to put on airs and sing high-pitched moral songs. This young lady had even played Imperial Concubine Hua!
After speaking, Wu Mangmang felt extremely pleased with herself, nearly wanting to applaud. This socialite manner with its Hong Kong-Taiwan accent was truly satisfying.
However, after hearing this, not only did the other party show no embarrassment, but Lu Sui’s face actually showed a faint smile.
“I can offer compensation for last night’s incident.” Lu Sui picked up a checkbook from the nearby tea table, spread it open, and looked at Wu Mangmang as he prepared to write.
He seemed to be asking what price range would be appropriate.
If Wu Mangmang had a fiery temperament, she should have jumped three feet high, slapped the check onto Lu Sui’s face, and told him: “Wealth cannot corrupt—don’t think that having some stinking money means you can randomly lick people’s navels!”
But what good would that do? It would only provide momentary satisfaction, and the next second might provoke his anger, which wouldn’t be worth it.
On this island villa, everyone was his people—calling to heaven wouldn’t work, calling to earth wouldn’t help.
He could even imprison her for eight to ten years.
From childhood, watching TV dramas, Wu Mangmang most hated these hot-tempered fools who harmed others and themselves. Although their spirit was very admirable, whenever she observed their pitiful outcomes, she found them detestable.
So Wu Mangmang took a breath and told herself she was a sophisticated, knowledgeable young woman of the new era who could hold up half the sky.
She couldn’t overpower him with volume, but she could crush him with intelligence.
Since the other party had plenty of money and liked throwing money at people, she had no need to oppose money itself. So Wu Mangmang raised her eyebrows provocatively: “Twenty thousand can’t be less than that, right?”
For just licking a navel, this was absolutely asking for an astronomical price.
“I’ll give you two hundred and fifty thousand.” Lu Sui lowered his head and began writing swiftly.
Wu Mangmang was momentarily stunned as she accepted the check from Lu Sui’s hand. Besides Lu Sui’s flamboyant signature, there was that number with many more zeros than 250, though it still had insulting implications.
Wu Mangmang carefully folded the check and tucked it into her pants pocket, muttering to herself: “Is this someone being stupid with too much money, which is why people call him the God of Wealth? When Lu Sui was young, his nickname must have been ‘Money-Scattering Boy.'”
As if someone had shouted “Action” in the void, Wu Mangmang’s face had already switched to a coquettish smile: “Sir, you’re truly generous with your spending. A few more licks would be enough for this servant’s redemption fee.”
Wu Mangmang was angry that Lu Sui treated her like a prostitute, so she could only mock herself sarcastically, but her face still beamed with smiles as she leaned closer to him: “However, I’m not very hygienic—I never wash my navel when bathing. I wonder what flavor Mr. Lu tasted last night?”
As soon as she finished speaking, she successfully saw Lu Sui frown. Wu Mangmang felt triumphant—serves you right for randomly licking people!
But Lu Sui’s cultivation was truly excellent. Even so, she saw no anger, just the disappearance of that faint smile from the corner of his mouth.
Wu Mangmang felt like punching cotton. She also found this verbal sparring meaningless—they were both adults, yet still so childish. The advantage taken couldn’t be recovered anyway.
Besides, when squeezing onto buses and subways, it was inevitable to be bumped in the chest by neighboring uncles and aunties with their elbows. Really, it wasn’t such a big deal.
Moreover, she had concerns about Lu Sui’s identity.
Better to quit while ahead. Wu Mangmang straightened up and leaned back slightly.
“I’ve already apologized for my offense. Now can we discuss you taking advantage of me?” Lu Sui also adjusted his posture, instantly switching from perpetrator to victim’s perspective.
That sense of occupying the moral high ground could be read from his lazy yet arrogant demeanor.
Wu Mangmang immediately remembered how she had squeezed his face into a pig’s snout, and couldn’t help wanting to laugh, but didn’t dare show it on her face, only pretending to be confused with a blank expression.
Lu Sui pressed the remote control, and surveillance video from last night was projected onto the wall.
The image quality was absolutely high-definition, the sound CD-quality, so Wu Mangmang’s singing of “Good baby, go to sleep, sleeping makes you grow tall” flowed into the side hall’s atmosphere.
Lu Sui commented: “With your sense of rhythm, you’d better sing less in the future.”
People can’t be perfect. Wu Mangmang was beautiful with good proportions, and when speaking properly, she had a bit of that naturally coquettish and soft quality like Sister Chiling, but her musical sense was indeed regrettable, which made her particularly fond of being a microphone hog.
How could she improve without practice?
At this moment, her sore spot was suddenly trampled by Lu Sui, but Wu Mangmang didn’t dare even fart.
After Lu Sui fast-forwarded the video, the phrase “Mama’s good boy” came through the air. Wu Mangmang shrank back, wishing she could become invisible.
She heard Lu Sui sneer: “How did I not know that old man down there still had the ability to find me such a stepmother?”
One of the main reasons Uncle Lu was pursued by so many young women and housewives was that both his parents were dead—no wealthy lady would slap a check at you telling you to leave her son.
Wu Mangmang could only “hehe” and play dumb.
Lu Sui’s expression changed, immediately darkening, his voice cold enough to freeze: “In all my years, no one has ever dared take such advantage of me.”
Wu Mangmang seemed to have stepped into another of Lu Sui’s landmines.
No one knows where another person’s hidden pain might be, just as Wu Mangmang hadn’t known that Lu Sui’s hidden pain was Dong Keke’s aborted child.
But the God of Wealth Uncle had rather too many hidden pains, didn’t he?
Wu Mangmang lowered her head: “I’m sorry, I was just joking.”
“Miss Wu seems to enjoy making inappropriate jokes regardless of time and place?” Lu Sui said mockingly.
“It seems last time’s lesson wasn’t deep enough?”
How could it not be deep? But Wu Mangmang felt this time was different from before—it couldn’t constitute defamation, and it wasn’t in a public place. Unless Lu Sui voluntarily uploaded the video online, but that wouldn’t be Wu Mangmang’s concern—she wouldn’t be the one spreading it.
Thinking of this, Wu Mangmang couldn’t help raising her eyelids: “Are you going to send me another lawyer’s letter?”
“I have more effective means than lawyer’s letters.” Lu Sui spoke bluntly, watching Wu Mangmang with interest.
Wu Mangmang’s fuse was completely lit.
She stood up huffily: “It was just a joke calling you ‘good son’—what’s the big deal? You’re going to use your power to oppress people. At worst, I’ll call you ‘daddy’ once, and we’ll be even!”
“Or I can call you ‘grandpa’ too!” She had even resorted to the “thick-skinned” ultimate killing move.
For Wu Mangmang, this “actress,” such things truly weren’t much. Even if she felt disgusted inside, she could turn around and call a dog “mom” to vent her anger.
Her Boss Wu she usually called “dad” anyway, and as for Ms. Liu, she mostly called her “Ms. Liu” most of the time—it wouldn’t hurt them.
Seeing Lu Sui unmoved, Wu Mangmang decided to create a fait accompli first.
Her eyes immediately became teary as she plopped down on the armrest next to Lu Sui: “Dad, I was wrong. Won’t you forgive your daughter just this once?”
Lu Sui chuckled: “Good daughter, this is the first time I’ve seen someone as thick-skinned as you.”
Laughter was good.
When people grow up, it really becomes difficult—too many concerns and worries, no longer able to act freely. The big tree that sheltered you from wind and rain in childhood now needs your devoted care.
In this situation, without self-consolation and self-entertainment, one might only go mad.
Wu Mangmang said: “You’re Qingqing’s uncle, the same generation as my father. I’m not really losing out.”
Praising on the surface while criticizing underneath—who couldn’t hear that she was mocking him?
A cold smile floated at the corner of Lu Sui’s lips, very much with a “hehe” meaning.
Wu Mangmang quickly added: “But you’re much better at maintenance than my father.”
The helicopter’s roar sounded outside the window. Wu Mangmang felt a great relief in her heart—she just had a loose mouth and easily caused trouble.
“You can go now.” Lu Sui said.
Wu Mangmang returned to her room for her luggage. Lu Sui escorted her to the door, seeming to suddenly remember something: “Oh, right, that check just now was from Lu Lin for you and Dr. Xiao.”
So it wasn’t compensation money after all?
“I’m not stupid with too much money.” Lu Sui said.
“So you weren’t sincerely apologizing either?” Wu Mangmang suddenly understood.
Lu Sui pressed his lips together without speaking, his eyes showing glimmers of amusement, clearly not believing Wu Mangmang had no ulterior motives toward him.
“You’ve even carried my child—what misunderstanding could I have?” Lu Sui retorted.
Really shooting herself in the foot.
When Wu Mangmang reached the steps, Lu Sui stood on the stairs, leaning down toward her: “If you don’t want men to misunderstand, don’t enter other people’s rooms next time.”
Wu Mangmang bit her lower lip hard to vent her anger.
“Also, you’d better change your psychological counselor. I’m afraid if you get too into your act, next time you’ll be acting out my mother breastfeeding me.”
Wu Mangmang was directly choked by her own saliva and coughed until tears came out.