Chapter 6

Lu Jiu couldn’t explain to her mother that it was just her nature. 

She could only smile and promise to follow all her mother’s requests, reassuring her not to worry too much about Li Ze, before driving off. 

— 

Her uncle lived in Haicheng’s countryside, about an hour and a half drive away. 

Before heading there, Lu Jiu needed to pick up her niece from her cousin’s house in the old district. 

The little girl was 17 years old and about to start her first year of high school.  

The two were only five years apart in age and had always been close. Knowing that Lu Jiu was going to visit her grandfather, the niece was excited and insisted on joining her. 

To give some context, Lu Pengfei had three siblings—two older sisters and an older brother.  

Since their parents passed away early, the siblings were very close. 

As the most successful child in the family, Lu Pengfei didn’t hesitate to support his relatives after making his fortune. 

 However, his siblings were simple and honest, only skilled in farming and uninterested in moving to the city or getting involved in business. 

So, Lu Pengfei paid for the construction of new houses, leased them a vineyard, and even let them raise free-range chickens and ducks in the orchard. When the grapes were ripe and the poultry ready for sale, Lu Jun would arrange for buyers to purchase the produce and sell it in their chain of supermarkets. 

It was truly a full-service arrangement. 

Over the years, life had been good for them. 

 At least all the children had moved to the city and secured decent jobs. 

“Wow! Auntie, you changed cars? Is this a convertible? So cool!” In the narrow, winding alleys of the old district, cars couldn’t get through, so Lu Xinxin had timed it perfectly and was waiting by the roadside at a familiar women’s clothing store. 

But what she hadn’t expected was for her usually gentle Aunt Peony to arrive in a flashy sports car. 

Haicheng wasn’t a first-tier city, and while private cars were common these days, sports cars were still a rare sight. 

Especially in the old district, weathered by time, it was quite the spectacle. 

Sure enough, the moment it appeared, it caught the attention of many passersby. 

“Your eldest aunt gave it to me.” Lu Jiu got out of the car, handed her niece an iced pearl milk tea, and then offered another cup to the store owner who had come out to see what the fuss was about. 

Circling the car, Lu Xinxin frowned, her baby-fat cheeks puffing up a bit. “I figured it out. But this color… isn’t it a bit too much?” 

Pink! 

“It is a bit much,” Lu Jiu agreed with a sigh. 

Her original form was a pink double-petaled Yingluo  flower, so she had always naturally preferred pink. But a pink car was pushing the limits of Lu Jiu’s embarrassment. 

Yet, if she let the car sit in the garage and gather dust, it would waste her sister’s efforts in having it repainted. So, she could only muster the courage to drive it. 

With that in mind, as she urged her niece to get in the car, Lu Jiu couldn’t help but push her sunglasses up a bit to hide her face. 

Good, no one recognized her. 

Seeing her aunt’s embarrassment, Lu Xinxin stopped stalling, suppressing her laughter as she climbed into the passenger seat. 

“Lu Xinxin (Lu Jiu’s Niece) , we’re off now,” Lu Jiu said goodbye to the store owner. 

Lu Xinxin , who had been enjoying her iced milk tea and couldn’t take her eyes off the beauty before her, waved with a smile. “Drive safely.” 

As the car drove away and disappeared from sight, Lu reluctantly withdrew her gaze. “Oh my, the second Miss of the Lu family just keeps getting more and more beautiful.” 

In the Car. 

Lu Xinxin curiously touched the black cloth on the car’s roof. “Can this be opened?” 

“Yes, I’ll show you when we’re somewhere less crowded.” 

“By the way… why is Auntie suddenly going to my grandfather’s house? And you’ve changed your look—is this a cheongsam? It looks really nice!” Lu Xinxin was a sharp girl. She wouldn’t have been suspicious if these two things weren’t happening at the same time. 

Lu Jiu was straightforward: “Because I broke off the engagement with Li Ze.” 

“Wha… cough cough… What? Broke off the engagement? Why? Didn’t you two just get engaged?” This was the last thing Lu Xinxin expected. Her curiosity about the car vanished, and she forgot about her milk tea, staring at her aunt in disbelief. 

Since there was no way to keep it a secret, Lu Jiu didn’t plan to hide it from her relatives and briefly explained the situation. 

The world was still simple and black-and-white for the high schooler, who immediately exploded with anger: “How… how could Li Ze do this? This is just shameless! And who’s the woman? Since she’s Li Ze’s secretary, she must’ve known he was engaged, right? Why didn’t you scratch her face? No, let me do it! I don’t care about making a scene—I’ll scratch those two to death!” 

Lu Jiu couldn’t help but laugh at her niece’s outburst. “You can’t blame the secretary entirely. If Li Ze didn’t have any interest, she wouldn’t have gotten close to him. It takes two to tango. And really, it’s not worth making a fuss over—it would only make it seem like I care too much.” 

Seeing that her niece was still angry, she teased her with a smile: “Come on, if I’m not upset, you shouldn’t be either. What, worried your aunt won’t find someone else?” 

“Of course not!” Lu Xinxin responded instinctively. Her aunt had top-notch looks, talent, family background, and character—every aspect was perfect! 

“Exactly! Who knows, the next one might be even better.” 

“Yeah!” Lu Xinxin’s eyes lit up, and she giggled. “Auntie, let’s take a detour. I’ll show you the next one.” 

Lu Jiu was amused. “You’re so spontaneous. Is it one of your classmates?” 

“Ugh, no way! None of the boys in my class are good-looking. It’s a police officer I know at the Public Security Bureau on Zhongxing Road. He’s super handsome! Super tall! Auntie, please, let’s go!” 

Public Security Bureau? A police officer? 

Lu Jiu’s heart skipped a beat. 

Could it possibly be… the officer who helped that day? 

“Let’s just go take a look, okay? He’s really cool and handsome, with such a strong masculine vibe. I think he’s even better looking than Daomingsi.” Lu Xinxin was still enthusiastically pitching her idea. 

Lu Jiu… 

“Okay, but if you want to go, I have a small request,” Lu Xinxin said, putting her hands together in a pleading gesture. 

Seeing her niece act so humble, Lu Jiu instinctively felt something was off, but she still played along: “Tell me first.” 

Lu Xinxin’s voice instantly became excited. “There’s a bookstore on the street behind the bureau. I want to check it out.” 

It sounded like she was looking for study materials, but having been her age once, Lu Jiu immediately saw through her. “You want to rent a novel, don’t you?” 

“Hehe, Auntie is so smart. Just one book, I promise! It won’t interfere with my studies!”