Thinking that Lu Yao's closet was still empty, Ms. Li wanted to take Lu Yao shopping and buy him some clothes.
When Lu Qi heard that Lu Yao and Ms. Li were going shopping, he ignored his own overflowing closet and shamelessly claimed that he needed new clothes too, so he could go out with them.
Although it was National Day, Taigu Mall, which housed countless luxury brands, was still quiet and deserted. The stylish male and female sales associates were not worried about their sales at all. After all, what mattered most in their line of work was the average order value. As long as they closed a few deals a month, the commissions alone were enough for them to live very comfortably.
Anyone even remotely connected to the fashion world knew the famous fashion queen, Ms. Li, much less these sales associates. Thus, when they saw Ms. Li enter their store with Lu Yao and Lu Qi, their formerly aloof expressions vanished as they immediately gathered around them.
Ms. Li had an excellent eye for fashion, and Lu Yao was a striking, well-proportioned clothes hanger. So when Lu Yao put on the clothes Ms. Li had chosen and stepped out of the fitting room on his long legs, even the saleswomen, who were used to seeing handsome men and beautiful women, lit up.
Lu Yao thought the salespeople's endless praise was merely an attempt to sell merchandise, so he did not take their words seriously.
Ms. Li and Lu Qi, on the other hand, could not help smiling with shared pride when they heard the compliments.
Thinking of Father Lu still pitifully working overtime at the company, Ms. Li secretly snapped a photo of Lu Yao's back while he turned to return to the fitting room and change out of the clothes. She wanted to send it to Father Lu.
Lu Qi leaned over to look at the photo Ms. Li had taken, curled his lip, and said bluntly, "Mom, your photography skills are terrible."
Ms. Li had been about to glare at Lu Qi, but when she saw him pull out a candid shot he had just taken of Lu Yao's back, she righteously said, "Send me that photo first. Bundle up all the others and send them to me later too."
Ms. Li did not believe he had taken only one candid photo of Lu Yao.
After sending the photo Lu Qi had taken of Lu Yao's back to Father Lu, Ms. Li also posted it to her personal Weibo account, adding the caption, "My handsome young man," as she subtly showed off Lu Yao.
When she saw Lu Yao emerge after changing his clothes, Ms. Li put away her phone.
Although Ms. Li might not post on Weibo even once a year, quite a few people followed her verified account. Most of them were prominent figures, including currently popular idols, actors, designers, and all sorts of people in the fashion industry.
She had suddenly posted something today, and it happened to be the National Day holiday, so many people were idly scrolling through Weibo. The moment they saw Ms. Li's post in their special-follow list, regardless of their motives, they liked it immediately. Some who were closer to her even left a few comments below.
Ms. Li, who was busy choosing clothes for Lu Yao, had no idea how lively her Weibo comments had become.
This was the first time in all these years that she had personally bought clothes for this child, so whenever Ms. Li saw something suitable, she could not help wanting to buy it all for Lu Yao.
Lu Yao looked at the heaps of clothing carried by the saleswomen around him. None of the garments had price tags, but they were obviously expensive.
Lu Yao had very little material desire. As long as he had enough clothes to wear, that was enough for him. He never paid attention to coordinating outfits either. If not for his naturally good looks, his plain and unremarkable style would have made him blend into the crowd in minutes.
He wanted to tell Ms. Li not to buy so much, but she happened to turn around with a smile, holding up a coat against him. "Yaoyao, this one seems to suit you too. The seasons will be changing soon, so you can wear it then. Pair it with that white shirt from earlier, maybe mix and match a little. It should look really good on you."
Seeing the happy, expectant expression on Ms. Li's face, Lu Yao swallowed the words that had reached his lips. He obediently became an emotionless model and let Ms. Li dress him up.
Luckily, they offered home delivery. Otherwise, Lu Yao felt that even with both him and Lu Qi, they probably would not have been able to bring all these clothes home intact.
After shopping for clothes, and seeing that it was nearly time to eat, Ms. Li took Lu Yao and Lu Qi—the "fansite master" who had been secretly taking photos of Lu Yao—to a restaurant in the mall.
"Li Guigu, isn't that your aunt and Lu Qi over there?"
Li Guigu was the son of Ms. Li's second older brother. His parents had died in a car accident when he was young, and he had been raised by the old madam of the Li family. Over the years, as the old madam's health gradually declined, the power in her hands had slowly shifted to her eldest son. Unfortunately, that eldest son was unequal to the task. The Li family's development had worsened year by year, and they had now fallen to the bottom tier of Sea City's second-rate families.
Li Guigu was in the same class as Lu Qi. If not for the marriage alliance between the Li family and the Lu family, as well as the considerable influence of Ms. Li's fashion group, their schoolmates would not have bothered giving Li Guigu any face. As a result, several followers from comparatively ordinary families had gathered around him. Today, he had happened to come here with those followers to hang out.
Hearing the person beside him say that, Li Guigu looked in the direction he pointed. When he spotted Lu Qi and Ms. Li, he assumed an intimate tone and said, "That's my aunt and Lu Qi. I'll go say hello to them. You guys wait here for me."
His lips uncontrollably curved upward as he said this.
Li Guigu would never give up an opportunity to ingratiate himself with Ms. Li and build connections.
With that, he walked straight toward Ms. Li and the others, leaving his followers behind even though they also wanted to greet her.
Thinking of the envious looks his classmates had given him after seeing his aunt, Li Guigu could not help feeling smug. Once he became his aunt's son, they would have even more to envy. But by then, with their family backgrounds, they probably would no longer be worthy of being his friends.
Back when Ms. Li gave birth to Lu Yao, perhaps because she had become a mother, her relationship with the Li family had gradually eased somewhat. But when Ms. Li was devastated over Lu Yao's unknown whereabouts, the old madam of the Li family suddenly came to her door with Li Guigu. She said that Li Guigu's parents had both died, so he could conveniently be adopted as Ms. Li's son. That way, when it came time to divide the inheritance, Ms. Li would not suffer a loss for having no son.
Lu Yao had merely gone missing, yet in the Li family's mouths, he seemed to have already become a corpse.
Because of this matter, Ms. Li had cut off all contact with the Li family over the years. Yet whenever the Li family mentioned Ms. Li in public, they always acted as though they were extremely close. Some people who did not know the truth actually believed them.
The Li family still did not know that Lu Yao had been brought back to the Lu family. They were still foolishly dreaming of inviting Ms. Li's family to the old madam's birthday banquet after some time, when the old madam planned to raise the matter of adoption with Ms. Li again.
In their eyes, Lu Yao had long since died in some unknown corner. And Ms. Li and Father Lu were a blended family. If Father Lu and Ms. Li both died someday, their enormous fortune would be inherited solely by Lu Qi. To the Li family, that meant they were suffering a huge loss. When it came to inheritance, should not the Li family get a share too?
Nurtured by the Li family's bizarre way of thinking, Li Guigu had long regarded Father Lu and Ms. Li's assets as his own.
To Li Guigu, being adopted as Ms. Li's son was the perfect arrangement for everyone.
In terms of blood ties, he was certainly closer to Ms. Li than Lu Qi, her stepson, was. Although Ms. Li had no biological son, once she adopted him, he and Lu Qi would both be heirs to the Lu family when the inheritance was divided. The share of assets the Li family received would naturally not be small.
Moreover, since his parents had died in a car accident when he was very young, Ms. Li would not need to worry that he would favor his biological parents' side. When Ms. Li grew old, he could even look after her in her later years, considering that she had adopted him.
But all of these delusions were built on the premise that Lu Yao's whereabouts remained unknown.
Li Guigu obediently greeted Ms. Li and Lu Qi. Ms. Li merely nodded coldly.
Lu Yao had been blocked by a stone pillar earlier, so Li Guigu had not noticed him. When Li Guigu approached and saw Ms. Li speaking gently to an unfamiliar boy, he curiously asked about Lu Yao's identity.
Although she had cut ties with the Li family, Ms. Li still answered his question for the sake of Li Guigu being a junior.
When Ms. Li introduced the boy before him as the Lu Yao from childhood, Li Guigu's expression twisted for an instant, but he quickly returned to his usual obedient and gentle appearance.
Although Li Guigu wished from the bottom of his heart that Lu Yao had long since died without even a body left behind, he spoke gently at that moment and greeted Lu Yao with a smile. "Hello, Lu Yao. I'm your cousin, Li Guigu. Just call me Brother."
Although Li Guigu had immediately concealed his expression, Lu Yao had been highly sensitive to people's emotions since childhood. He easily sensed Li Guigu's rejection and even disgust toward him.
Lu Yao nodded coolly in response, but ignored his request to call him Brother.
Lu Qi had not reacted much when Li Guigu came over. Though they were classmates, they were extremely distant, the sort who might not even greet each other when they met. But when he heard Li Guigu tell Lu Yao to call him Brother, displeasure instantly appeared in Lu Qi's eyes. He had not even heard this brat call him that yet! Who the hell did that two-faced creep Li Guigu think he was?
Fortunately, Lu Yao ignored Li Guigu's words. Otherwise, Lu Qi's jealousy might have overwhelmed even the mall's perfume scent.
Seeing that Ms. Li and the others had no interest in talking further, and that remaining there would only make him unwelcome, Li Guigu sensibly ended the conversation.
As he watched the three of them leave together in intimate harmony, Li Guigu's smiling face instantly darkened.
He had already been missing for so many years. Why did he still have to show up now?!
After thinking grimly for a long while, he finally took out his phone and called the old madam of the Li family, informing the Li family of the situation. The Li family was thrown into utter chaos at the news. Had this child not died long ago? Why had he suddenly appeared?
Li Guigu no longer had the mood to continue shopping with his followers. After calling them to say that he had something to do, he hurried back to the Li family home.