Chapter 29

A café near the school.

Lu Yao looked coldly at Li Guigu and Chen Rong, who were seated across from him in the booth. His thin lips parted slightly. "So what exactly do you want after going to such lengths to stop me?"

Seeing Li Guigu sitting there like a quail without saying a word, Chen Rong had no choice but to break the stalemate herself. She smiled ingratiatingly.

"Lu Yao, calm down first. We're only worrying so much about you because we have your best interests at heart. We're just afraid you'll get the short end of the stick in the Lu family. Think about it—if the Lu family truly cared about you, why haven't they announced your identity to the public? Let me give you a perhaps inappropriate example. If they really valued you, you wouldn't have been mistaken for an illegitimate child at school for so long."

Because of the trouble Li Guigu had caused before, Chen Rong had learned about Lu Yao's situation at school.

Chen Rong did not notice that there was a hidden booth behind them. Several lush plants happened to block their view, and Lu Qi and Ye Muqing were seated there.

Hearing Chen Rong badmouth the Lu family, Lu Qi's face immediately darkened. He sprang up, only for Ye Muqing to hurriedly press down on his shoulder.

Ye Muqing said, "Brother Qi, if you go out now, you'll alert them. Let's see what kind of trick she's trying to pull first."

As voices sounded from the other booth again, the two carefully pricked up their ears.

No emotion could be heard in Lu Yao's deep voice. "So? Is that all you wanted to say?"

Seeing that Lu Yao seemed unmoved, Chen Rong put on a falsely earnest expression.

"Xiaoyao, your aunt is only doing this for your own good. Otherwise, why would we bother with such matters? What I'm about to say may not sound pleasant, and you might not like hearing it. But think about it. You were lost for so many years, so your mother must have long since favored Lu Qi. While you were suffering after being trafficked, what was Lu Qi doing? He was living in luxury as the young master of the Lu family, enjoying the boundless love of your mother and father."

Listening to the voices from the other booth, Lu Qi suddenly remembered how Lu Yao had been heartbroken when a twenty-yuan watch broke. His heart grew increasingly sour. Yes, while he had known nothing of life's everyday struggles, Lu Yao had already suffered through who knew how much hardship.

Seeing Lu Qi's bitter expression, Ye Muqing was startled. He said softly, "Brother Qi, don't tell me you've been brainwashed by that illogical bullshit?"

Just as Lu Qi wanted to speak, Lu Yao's voice came from the other booth.

Lu Qi nervously held his breath. Would Lu Yao think that way too? Would he feel that it was unfair too?

Rare disgust appeared in Lu Yao's eyes, and his voice was icy. "Don't call me that. I don't think we're close enough for that."

Hearing Lu Yao's words, even Li Guigu, who had been sitting off to the side as though the matter had nothing to do with him, showed a speechless expression.

So after all that, the only thing Lu Yao cared about was how she addressed him?

If she had not been trying to win this brat over to the Li family's side, Chen Rong would have wanted to flip the table and leave.

Was this guy an idiot? How could he not understand human speech? Was that the point of what she had said?!

Ye Muqing could not help laughing softly. "What do you call that? Throwing a punch into cotton?"

Lu Qi's lips curved upward as well.

Chen Rong forced down her surging anger and steadied herself, putting on an expression of concern for Lu Yao.

"They've lived together for so many years. The three of them are the real family. Now that you've returned to the Lu family, you might actually be an intruder to them. Think about it—Lu Qi has been the Lu family's heir for more than ten years. All of that should have belonged to you too, yet now you can only watch him receive everyone's praise while you still can't truly fit into our circle."

Seeing Lu Yao's indifferent expression and that he still seemed unmoved, Chen Rong paused before gathering her courage to stir things up. "Besides, even if you think that not targeting Lu Qi means he'll let you off, do you really think that's possible? No. He's being nice to you now only to lower your guard. Don't be so naïve. Our circle devours people whole without even spitting out the bones. By the time he bares his fangs and you realize what's happening, it'll already be too late. If we weren't your relatives, why would we go through all this trouble to tell you these things? If you come around, we'll help you get what you want."

Lu Yao gave a derisive laugh, his eyes utterly clear.

"There's no such thing as a free lunch. Since it's so thankless, why are you sticking your nose into our family's business? Don't you think you're worrying over nothing?"

This was simply ridiculous.

Chen Rong faltered. "I... I..."

Lu Yao stood up and cut her off.

"Enough. You don't need to say any more. I don't need your self-righteous concern. I hope you won't waste my time again in the future."

With that, he picked up his backpack and left the booth.

Thinking of how she had wasted all that effort, and how her words had seemed like preaching to a cow or speaking into thin air, Chen Rong's chest heaved with anger. Why was this brat so impossible to sway?!

At the booth on the other side, Lu Qi was grinning from ear to ear.

He smugly showed off to Ye Muqing. "Did you hear that? Lu Yao trusted me the entire time."

Ye Muqing hesitantly glanced at Lu Qi and stammered, "Brother Qi, wh-what she said wasn't entirely without reason."

They might joke around all day, but they had long understood what truly mattered.

For second-generation heirs like them, inheritance rights were of vital importance. The reason Ye Muqing acted so frivolously all day was undeniably to show his eldest brother, the heir, that he had no intention of fighting for the family fortune. He only wanted to loaf around and live as a spoiled rich kid.

Lu Yao's return had threatened Lu Qi's former status as the Lu family's sole heir. That was indeed an undeniable fact.

As soon as Ye Muqing finished speaking, the smile on Lu Qi's face gradually disappeared. He looked at Ye Muqing with a cold expression, his voice low. "Do you know what you're saying?"

Ye Muqing lowered his head, not daring to meet Lu Qi's icy gaze, but he continued softly, "What if he really wants to fight you for the Lu family in the future?"

The air suddenly fell silent.

"If he wants to inherit the Lu family, you can call me naïve, but I won't fight him for it."

As long as Lu Yao wanted it, he could have it.

Ye Muqing looked up at Lu Qi in shock. Did he know what he was saying?!

Lu Qi sighed. "Ye Muqing, I know you mean well, but I hope this is the last time I hear you say something like that. The Lu family doesn't belong to me alone. Lu Yao was only temporarily absent before. There has always been a place for him in the Lu family. He isn't an outsider forcing his way in—he's the one who filled the most important missing piece in our family. Only with him is the Lu family a complete family."

Seeing Lu Qi act so differently from usual, Ye Muqing realized that he seemed to have said something wrong.

Just as he opened his mouth to apologize, Lu Qi suddenly left the booth with a cold face and strode aggressively toward Chen Rong.

Chen Rong had her head lowered and was about to take her phone out of her bag when she caught sight of someone suddenly standing beside her table.

Thinking it was a server, she did not even raise her head. "We're leaving. There's no need to order anything else."

"Hey, auntie."

Hearing the newcomer address her so disrespectfully, Chen Rong angrily looked up.

A cup of water flew straight at her, splashing over her head. Water streamed down from the top of her head.

Chen Rong was soaked and disheveled like a drowned rat.

She wiped the water from her face in breakdown, so furious she was nearly going mad.

She snarled at Lu Qi, "Are you crazy? Where are the bodyguards? Where the hell did they go? Get over here and restrain this bastard!"

Lu Qi curled his lips maliciously. "Auntie, this is a complimentary cup of water for you. It'll help wake you up and wash that filthy brain of yours. No need to thank me. After all, your voice is so unpleasant it makes people want to have nightmares."

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Seeing the bodyguards from nearby booths approaching, Ye Muqing, who had followed behind Lu Qi, was afraid Lu Qi might suffer at their hands.

He walked up to Chen Rong's table and said loudly in a tone of great surprise, "No way, no way. Is there really someone who doesn't recognize Lu Qi?"

Hearing Ye Muqing's words, Chen Rong showed an expression of confusion mixed with shock.

Chen Rong said, "Lu Qi?"

She turned in surprise to look at Li Guigu beside her. Li Guigu nodded, confirming her guess.

Ye Muqing grinned at the approaching bodyguards. "Is your auntie really sure she wants to deal with our weak, pitiful, and helpless Brother Qi?"

The bodyguards were speechless. The Lu family's young master was weak, pitiful, and helpless? He might only be a lowly bodyguard, but there was no need to insult his intelligence like this.

Hearing Ye Muqing's words, Lu Qi curled his lips and slung an arm around his shoulders. "Let's go. Stop clowning around."

Watching the two leave, Chen Rong finally reacted. She looked at Li Guigu in panic.

"They didn't hear everything just now, did they?"

Li Guigu said, "Very likely."

Chen Rong said, "Th-then what I said just now..."

Thinking of her husband's and the old lady's repeated instructions before she came, Chen Rong suddenly began to panic. Had she messed things up?!

Thinking of how they would react if they found out she had ruined everything, Chen Rong suddenly lowered her voice sharply and threatened Li Guigu beside her. "Guigu, when we get back, if Grandma asks how things went, you know what to say, right?"

"Auntie, I'll be going abroad to study in a few days."

Every man for himself. He did not plan to return to the country anyway. He had already sold the stocks he inherited from his deceased parents to his cold grandmother at a high price. The Li family's future had nothing to do with him.

The Li family's old lady thought Li Guigu had embarrassed her in Sea City, so she bought his stocks at a high price in exchange for sending him abroad to study. It was more or less equivalent to exiling Li Guigu overseas.

The moment Chen Rong heard that, she understood what Li Guigu was after. She gritted her teeth. "How much do you want?"

"Five million."

Chen Rong's eyes widened in shock. "Dream on. You're asking for an outrageous price."

Li Guigu smiled faintly. "Uncle's secretary seems to have gotten pregnant recently. If Uncle finds out about what happened today, I'm afraid..."

Chen Rong and her husband only had one daughter, while the Li family strongly favored sons over daughters. Her husband had always wanted a son to inherit the family business. Now that the mistress was pregnant, if she learned about Chen Rong's mistake, there was no guarantee she would not urge Chen Rong's husband to divorce her.

Chen Rong gritted her teeth and said hatefully, "I'll transfer it to you tomorrow. When you go back, keep your mouth shut!"

After leaving the café, Ye Muqing thought about what had just happened and said to Lu Qi, "Brother Qi, are we really just letting this go? That so-called aunt of yours clearly seems to have ulterior motives toward your family."

Lu Qi said, "How could it be that simple? Lu Yao and I are still kids. Things like this should be left to adults like that old man to handle."

Ye Muqing was speechless.

Brother Qi could be even thicker-skinned. He had actually made tattling to a parent sound so righteous.

But thinking about it, that was true. Some matters might be troublesome for them, but for adults, they were nothing at all. Letting Uncle Lu handle it would indeed be faster.

That night, after returning home, Lu Qi quietly told Father Lu about the matter.

After hearing it, the pressure around Father Lu grew heavy. His gaze darkened as he said slowly, "I'll handle this."

A few days later, Chen Rong heard her husband talking to the old lady in the living room about how the company had recently lost several major contracts to its competitors. She was so guilty that she did not dare make a sound.

After handing the matter over to that old man, Lu Qi put it out of his mind. The only thing worrying him now was his bet with Lu Yao.

The monthly exam was only a couple of days away. Although he felt that victory was already in his grasp, Lu Qi could not shake his unease.

Looking at the girl blocking his path, Lu Qi frowned. He was in a hurry to get back to the classroom and do practice questions.

"Classmate, do you need something?"

The girl shyly looked up at Lu Qi and spoke softly. "Lu Qi, can I borrow a little of your time?"

"Does it have to be now? I have something to do right now. Can we do it another day?"

The girl said, "Then can I ask you a question?"

"Then hurry up and ask. I'm really in a rush."

He had not understood it back when he did not study, but now that he was taking it seriously, he realized there was never enough time to review. How had he barely reviewed anything before the exam was already right around the corner?

The girl asked, "Lu Qi, what kind of girl do you like?"

Lu Qi scratched his chin. Thinking of how painfully he had been studying lately, he immediately blurted out, "Girls who are good at studying."

That way, if he competed with Lu Yao in grades again in the future, it would be like having a support character.

Less than half a day after Lu Qi said that, the entire school knew he liked girls who were good at studying.

When Xia Yue heard the news in her classroom, she frowned.

Ever since she lost the Mary Sue Buff Aura from her previous life's beginner gift pack, winning Lu Qi over had become far more difficult than she had expected.

[Xia Yue: System, do you have any exam-answering tool I can borrow in advance?]

[System: Yes, but you don't have enough points.]

[I bought so many things from you before. Can't you just give me one for free?]

[Do you think it's easy for me to stea... buy these things?]

[Xia Yue felt that she had heard something. "Wait, did you just say 'steal'?"]

[The system insisted, "No, you heard wrong. But if you really need this tool, I can make an exception."]

[How?]

[The system's voice seemed to carry a magically alluring temptation. "Use your life force. This tool only requires you to overdraft one year of your life force, but you'll be able to use it in this world indefinitely. Once you successfully win over Lu Qi, you can exchange your reward points with me for nutrient solution and replenish your life force in time."]

Xia Yue considered it for a while.

[Fine.]

You couldn't catch a wolf without sacrificing a child!

Anyway, she could replenish that life force with nutrient solution later. She would treat it as temporarily depositing it with the system. Her top priority now was to make a stunning showing in this monthly exam.