A Little Pitiful

The old madam was the first to set down her chopsticks. The moment she did, Lu Heng's mother hurriedly followed, then his father, then Lu Heng, and finally Lu Kuo.

Only Xia Zhi still had her chopsticks out, reaching for food, but halfway through picking it up, she sensed something was wrong with the atmosphere.

She looked up to find everyone staring at her.

For a moment, Xia Zhi had no idea whether to take the piece of meat or put it back.

After three seconds of struggling, Xia Zhi silently put it back.

Lu Heng: "..."

He picked up the chopsticks he had already set down and put that piece of meat straight into Xia Zhi's bowl. "You already touched it, and you're putting it back? Where are your manners?"

His tone was exactly that of an elder scolding a junior.

Xia Zhi drooped her head, feeling a little wronged, and defended herself in a small voice. "I used the serving chopsticks."

It wasn't as if I got my saliva on it. Did he have to criticize me so loudly?

What kind of taste did the original owner have?

How could she fall for this damn pervert?

The male lead was clearly so much better than him. She must have been blind.

Lu Heng was furious. "You still think you did nothing wrong?"

This woman kept thinking about Lu Kuo every day. Was she planning to cheat on me?

The old madam studied Lu Heng's expression and gave a meaningful smile. This boy had never bothered with his wife before. Though his attitude was a little harsh now, the two were clearly closer.

It seemed she could finally put one of her worries to rest.

"Kuo, your younger brother has been married for five years, and you're two years older than him. Have you given any thought to marriage?"

Lu Kuo smiled. "I'll leave it entirely up to you, Grandma."

He had little interest in romance, and even less time to date.

That was exactly what the old madam had been waiting to hear. "You said it?"

Lu Kuo nodded. "Of course. I trust your judgment, Grandma."

Just then, a maid brought over ginseng tea, one cup for each person.

Xia Zhi did not dare drink it. She remembered a scene from Dream of the Red Chamber. What if it was meant for rinsing their mouths?

Wouldn't she utterly embarrass herself?

Xia Zhi took care to keep her eyes on the old madam. Only after seeing her swallow the ginseng tea did Xia Zhi take a sip herself.

It was a little sweet.

Not bad.

The old madam was a woman of action. She had Wu Ma, her personal attendant, bring over a little booklet, then even put on her reading glasses to leaf through it page by page.

"There are a few nice girls here."

"Let's start with the Ji family's second daughter. She's three years younger than you, studied in France, and now teaches art at a university. I hear she has a pleasant personality. You young people should get along."

"Keep Saturday evening free. I'll make the arrangements."

"Pfft!"

Xia Zhi had been drinking her ginseng tea and could not help sputtering.

Once again, she successfully drew everyone's attention.

Fortunately, the original owner had been quite a handful herself, so Xia Zhi's odd behavior did not surprise the others too much.

Seeing the old madam staring at her, Xia Zhi quickly coughed twice. "Grandma, aren't you rushing things a little?"

She really acted the instant something came to mind.

"Perhaps the right person for Lu Kuo is just around the corner."

She felt that, with the old madam's lightning-fast methods, the male lead might already be married by the time the female lead appeared three months later. Wouldn't that make the female lead the other woman?

Xia Zhi's head buzzed.

But then she reconsidered. If the male lead was married by then, would that mean the damn pervert had a chance to win the female lead?

And I could escape this hellhole too...

Hmm?

Suddenly, she thought this sounded like a good direction after all.

Maybe I should support it?

The old madam said, "He's twenty-nine. Shouldn't I be in a hurry?"

Xia Zhi was just about to speak when Lu Heng interrupted mildly. "I also think we shouldn't rush my brother's marriage."

"Didn't you say you were going abroad for further studies next year?"

"Wouldn't settling things in such a hurry now just hold the girl up?"

Xia Zhi gave Lu Heng a puzzled look. Huh? Why was this guy suddenly on my side?

That didn't seem right.

Perhaps she was staring too intently, because the man who had been ignoring her finally turned and met her gaze.

He still looked icy and rather unfriendly.

Xia Zhi pursed her lips. Apparently, he was not on her side.

Seeing his normally taciturn younger brother give such an "outstanding" performance today, Lu Kuo studied the long-married couple with considerable interest.

"Little brother, it's easy for someone who's well fed to forget how hunger feels. You have a beautiful wife keeping you company every day. Your big brother gets envious too, you know."

Xia Zhi: "..."

Huh?

I thought the male lead was a serious man.

I was wrong.

Wasn't that a little too shameless to say in front of Grandma and his parents?

Even someone as thick-skinned as Xia Zhi could not help blushing.

Lu Heng was well fed?

Well, he'd never been fed by me. Maybe he'd had his fill plenty of times elsewhere.

As she muttered inwardly, Xia Zhi felt a sharp gaze land on her forehead as if it had physical substance. She looked up and met Lu Heng's deep eyes.

They were utterly dark and fathomless.

Xia Zhi's heart suddenly began to pound, and her little face turned as red as a monkey's bottom at a visible speed.

She hastily lowered her head under the pretense of drinking tea.

Lu Heng's parents joined the discussion as well. Both favored being cautious about Lu Kuo's marriage.

Though Lu Kuo was the eldest son, he had been obsessed with medicine since childhood and had no intention of inheriting the family business. Just as the Lu family was losing hope, a twist of fate led them to their second son, who had gone missing as a child.

Moreover, this second son was quick-thinking and an exceptionally fast learner, a business talent worth cultivating.

The facts proved that their assessment had indeed been correct.

Lu Heng was outstanding, even more so than they had imagined.

In the three years since Lu Heng had officially taken over, the Lu Group had advanced by leaps and bounds, all but becoming an industry leader. The business empire he had built left his peers far behind.

However, because Lu Heng had not grown up by their side, his parents treated him much more coldly than they did their eldest son.

Soon, they reached an agreement. They would arrange to meet Miss Ji this Saturday without rushing things further, then look at a few more families and compare.

Lu Heng's mother said, "After all, this is Kuo's marriage. We can't be careless. It has to be a girl our Kuo likes."

Xia Zhi frowned slightly at that.

A girl Lu Kuo liked?

She instinctively looked at the silent Lu Heng beside her, feeling unsettled. When he had married the original owner, who had asked whether he liked her?

Even an onlooker like her found such unequal treatment chilling, let alone the person subjected to it.

Hearing Xia Zhi's thoughts, the frost on Lu Heng's face gradually thawed.

The old madam suggested, "It's still early. Come play a few rounds of mahjong with me."

Lu Heng's mother said with a smile, "Getting the itch to play again, Mom?"

The old madam's eyes crinkled with her smile. "Yes. It's rare for both Kuo and Heng to have time to come home and eat with an old woman like me. I'm happy. I might as well lose a little pocket money to them."

Lu Kuo said, "Since you put it that way, Grandma, I won't hold back."

The old madam beamed. "You little rascal, you're just like you were as a child. You're a grown man now. You should be more composed."

They walked ahead, laughing, while Xia Zhi and Lu Heng followed behind.

Watching the cheerful group ahead, Xia Zhi felt that they were what a family looked like, while they treated Lu Heng like a guest-polite and courteous, but without any closeness.

It had been five years.

Lu Heng was their son and grandson too.

Looking at the man's tall, lonely figure from behind, Xia Zhi suddenly felt he was a little pitiful.