Chapter 7: Tear His Mouth Apart

“The yacht turned back before reaching the island. Those who could leave did so, and Little Qiao Butler arranged hotels for those who couldn’t.”

“Who’s stirring up trouble?”

“His name is Hu Zhuo, a friend Fourth Young Master made after starting university. But it seems they had a falling out during this trip. He was directly kicked off the boat after disembarking.”

Lu Jinzhi maintained his original posture without any change. After a few seconds, he asked nonchalantly, “What about Lu Yingchi?”

“Fourth Young Master went back with Little Qiao Butler. He looked a bit disheveled.”

“Hmm.”

After hanging up the phone, Lu Jinzhi’s indifferent gaze fell on the distant coastline.

Disheveled.

He couldn’t associate that word with Lu Yingchi. In his impression, Lu Yingchi was like a wild dog that refused to be tamed, biting anyone in sight. Even when he broke his leg to avoid studying, he never lowered his head.

Would he willingly let someone like Qiao Wu take him away?

After a moment, Lu Jinzhi lowered his eyes, his fingers hooking open one of the drawers in his desk. He took out a phone and unlocked it.

On the WeChat interface, the top chat box only had messages sent by the other party.

“Second Young Master, I will help you get anything you want, including the entire Lu Family.”

“Second Young Master, I’ll do anything you ask. I’ll always be yours.”

“Second Young Master, please let me stay by your side. I don’t need any status.”

“Second Young Master, I’m returning to the country soon. Can we meet?”

Now, the person who sent these messages had taken his boat and led another wild dog home.

Lu Jinzhi suddenly chuckled.

–

The same news naturally reached Lu Jiang’s ears as well. This time, he truly began to see this young woman in a new light. It seemed the information in the documents wasn’t entirely accurate. After all, they had grown up together, and there was no generation gap between the young people.

That evening, he called Qiao Wu to fulfill his promise. To make his unruly sons believe it, he even had his secretary give her a document.

From now on, as long as Qiao Wu could keep these troublemakers in the family under control, he would not interfere.

The next morning, the Lu Residence witnessed the most harmonious yet surreal scene in years.

The Fourth Young Master and Young Miss, who usually stayed at home, actually got up early and sat at the same table for breakfast.

Lu Ning had heard that Qiao Wu personally went to Tsujima to bring Lu Yingchi back, which made her feel deeply uncomfortable and betrayed. She decided to keep an eye on her.

As for Lu Yingchi, he felt a bit guilty about what had happened the previous night. Plus, he didn’t know what new ideas Qiao Wu might come up with to torment him. It was better to get up early, finish breakfast, and leave as soon as possible.

The two of them sat in the dining room as if separated by an invisible boundary, ignoring each other.

Until a servant wheeled in a mobile TV.

They looked over in confusion, only to see CCTV’s Legal Channel playing on the screen. A blurred-out suspect was tearfully confessing, every word heartfelt and sincere.

“???”

Lu Ning asked, puzzled, “Why are you showing this?”

The dining room was too large, so Qiao Wu turned up the volume with the remote to ensure both could hear. “To help you plan your future life, or to familiarize yourselves with the process. You might need it when visiting relatives or friends in prison.”

Lu Yingchi, feeling indirectly targeted: “…”

Damn, is she really going this far?!

 Not wanting to let Lu Ning continue to laugh at him, he could only turn his head and glare at the instigator, threatening with his eyes: Are you crazy?

Qiao Wu pretended not to see it and instead distributed the documents sent by the Old Master to both the older and younger ones.

After reading them, Lu Ning and Lu Yingchi’s faces turned dark.

What was going on? Was this about letting Qiao Wu take complete control over them?

“If you have any objections, you can raise them,” Qiao Wu said very accommodatingly. “If not, I will start imposing some restrictions on your daily lives.”

Restrictions?

Like waking up at 6:30 AM for breakfast, being forced by bodyguards to attend early morning classes, and sitting here watching that ridiculous Legal Channel?

Lu Yingchi slammed his chopsticks down: “I object to everything!”

“Then you can take it up with the Old Master. I’ll consider making adjustments.”

Mentioning the Old Man made both of them wilt.

Because the Old Man was even more unreasonable and harder to communicate with than Qiao Wu.

“I want to apply to live on campus,” Lu Yingchi said.

“Sure,” Qiao Wu replied. She knew that waking up early during school days was tough. She only wanted to get Lu Yingchi back on track, to instill the right values in him, not to treat him like an elementary school student.

Before Lu Yingchi could express his surprise at her being so agreeable, she added, “But the condition is that you can’t miss a single class this semester, submit all your assignments on time, and pass every exam. If you do that, you can apply to live on campus next semester.”

“…”

“Is it too hard?” Qiao Wu smiled. “I haven’t even mentioned your GPA yet.”

Lu Yingchi sneered, “Why don’t you try it yourself?”

Anticipating his response, Qiao Wu handed him her pre-prepared transcript: “I’ve always been the top of my class at the end of every semester.”

Lu Yingchi choked. He had always known she was a good student, but he hadn’t expected her to be this good even in university.

“Lu Yingchi, the prerequisite for your freedom is that you have the ability to earn trust, right? If the Lu Family collapses, and you have no money or family backing, what consequences will your so-called freedom bring? Suspect Lu?”

Lu Yingchi instinctively retorted that the Lu Family could never collapse—even a starved camel is bigger than a horse.

But as the words reached his lips, seeing Qiao Wu’s serious expression, he couldn’t help but imagine such a day.

“Don’t worry,” Qiao Wu didn’t want to push him too hard. “You’ll still have your own life. As long as it’s reasonable and legal, you can enjoy healthy social interactions and freedom in university. I won’t interfere. I just hope you keep your eyes open so you don’t end up visiting me in prison. Of course, I won’t visit you either.”

“Who cares if you visit me!” Lu Yingchi stormed out of the dining room in anger. “I’m not a criminal!”

Qiao Wu followed him out and suddenly blocked the car door just as he was about to get in.

Lu Yingchi paused, “Faking an injury to extort money?”

“Do you have classes this afternoon?”

Lu Yingchi’s face darkened, “Didn’t you say you wouldn’t interfere with my freedom?”

Qiao Wu nodded, “Yes, but I need your help with something.”

Hearing this, Lu Yingchi perked up, feeling quite smug, “There’s something you need my help with?”

“Lu Ning has a parent-teacher meeting coming up.”

“What’s that got to do with me?”

He and Lu Ning had never gotten along. He thought the kid was rude and ill-tempered, and since she didn’t like him, he couldn’t be bothered with her either.

“The Old Master is in the hospital, the Second Young Master and the Third Young Master are both working. Right now, you’re the only one in the family who can act as her guardian. Plus, if you go, you can use your authority as an elder to manage her.”

It must be said that the thought of being able to openly teach Lu Ning a lesson made Lu Yingchi somewhat tempted. After all, that little thing had laughed at him before.

But upon further reflection, he realized that even if he intervened, it would likely end in a big argument between the two of them, so he dismissed the idea.

“Who wants to bother with her?” Lu Yingchi sneered, pushing her hand off the car door. “She doesn’t see me as a guardian anyway. If you care so much, you go deal with her.”

“I’m just a housekeeper; I don’t have the authority. Besides, I’m too busy with household matters to go,” Qiao Wu shrugged indifferently. “If you don’t want to go, forget it. It’s not like anyone ever attended her parent-teacher meetings before. The teachers know about her parents’ situation; they’ll understand.”

Lu Yingchi’s grip on the steering wheel tightened.

“Last time, I also dealt with those classmates who bullied her. It shouldn’t be a big deal,” Qiao Wu sighed. “Speaking of which, when she was born, she was so tiny. You used to wrap her in your clothes and secretly carry her to your room. Who would have thought she’d grow up so fast and start getting into fights?”

Just as Lu Yingchi was about to speak, he saw Lu Ning, dressed in her school uniform and carrying her backpack, walk out the door. She glanced in their direction, her face stern, and got into her own car.

Bullied? Fights?

Lu Yingchi had never heard of such things. With those skinny arms, who could Lu Ning possibly fight?

She insisted on going to a regular school, and now look what happened! Even the smallest troublemakers could step all over her.

“She brought this on herself,” he muttered, slamming the car door shut and driving off.

Qiao Wu smiled slightly, then opened her phone and sent him a message: “2 PM, Zhongbei Experimental Middle School, Class 3, Grade 8.”

Meanwhile, Lu Ning, who had been waiting for Qiao Wu to say goodbye, slapped the car door in frustration. “Hey!”

“Hmm?”

Lu Ning clenched her fist and warned, “You better not get too close to Lu Yingchi!”

“Why not?”

“You’re on my side,” Lu Ning frowned. “He’s the enemy.”

“He’s your uncle, not the enemy.”

Lu Ning was incredulous. “Qiao Wu, you went to pick him up late at night, spent so long saying goodbye just now, and now you’re defending him! Whose side are you on? Did you even feed him?”

Feed him? What was there to feed a grown man like Lu Yingchi?

Qiao Wu was puzzled but spoke gently, “I’m the housekeeper; I’m on everyone’s side.”

“No, you’re not!” Lu Ning’s eyes reddened, unable to understand how Qiao Wu had been swayed by Lu Yingchi in just a few days.

No, it must have happened behind her back! They must have been colluding all along!

She had originally wanted Qiao Wu to attend her parent-teacher meeting, but now she was so angry she couldn’t think straight. She didn’t want to say anything.

Qiao Wu was just a fence-sitter, unworthy of attending her parent-teacher meeting!

Lu Ning refused to look at her anymore and told the driver to leave immediately.

The young girl bit her lip stubbornly, staring out the window.

Sure enough, she was just an unwanted little weed, ooo-ooo.

A few minutes later, her phone vibrated. It was a call from Qiao Wu.

Lu Ning rejected it but then received a message from her.

Qiao Wu: Trust me, I’ll always be on your side. I put your favorite snacks in your backpack. What do you want for dinner tonight? I’ll have the kitchen prepare it.

She opened her backpack and found a new pink water bottle and some snacks inside—things she had never had before.

Lu Ning pursed her lips but still didn’t mention the parent-teacher meeting.

Forget it, she thought as she bit into a biscuit. No one had ever come before, and she was already used to it.

After finishing his morning classes, Lu Yingchi was about to find a place to eat when he ran into Hu Zhuo, who looked utterly exhausted.

After being brainwashed by the morning’s Legal Channel, Lu Yingchi now saw every one of his former troublemaker friends as if their faces were pixelated, separated from him by iron bars.

“Lu Shao!” Hu Zhuo, who had been kicked aside the day before, had been lying in wait. As soon as he saw Lu Yingchi, he hurried over. “I was drunk yesterday, don’t be mad.”

Lu Yingchi’s gaze involuntarily drifted, and for some reason, he saw a few words appear next to Hu Zhuo’s head—Suspect Hu.

Great, his brain was fried.

“Lu Shao?”

“Spit it out if you’ve got something to say.”

“I’m here to apologize,” Hu Zhuo said with a forced smile. “Let me treat you to lunch. Who was that woman driving the boat yesterday? Let me apologize to her too.”

Lu Yingchi absentmindedly brushed him off. “She’s my housekeeper.”

“H-housekeeper?”

A housekeeper dared to act so arrogantly?

Lu Shao had been so angry recently, saying the servants at home were disobedient. Could it be…

“The one who upset you?” Hu Zhuo breathed a sigh of relief, thinking the woman must have been brought in to annoy Lu Yingchi, so he fawned, “You should’ve said so earlier. I’ll take care of her for you. People like that are the easiest to bully.”

At the word “bully,” Lu Yingchi’s brow twitched, and a surge of frustration welled up inside him.

“Didn’t I tell you to stay out of my sight? I don’t have the patience for visiting hours, nor do I have the time to deal with your nonsense.” Lu Yingchi grabbed him by the collar and said darkly, “Watch your mouth. If you bother me again, I’ll skin you alive.”

“!!!”

Hu Zhuo shivered in fear.

It wasn’t until Lu Yingchi drove away that he finally managed to pull himself together.

Damn it, it’s all that housekeeper’s fault!

He took out his phone and made a call. “Find out what’s going on with Lu Yingchi’s housekeeper. If she’s causing trouble, I’ll make sure she’s dealt with.”

And it’ll be a way to vent Lu Yingchi’s anger. Everything will be fine then.

Meanwhile, a black BMW was parked at the entrance of Third Middle School. Qiao Wu glanced at the time, which was almost two o’clock, and was about to get out of the car when Lu Yingchi suddenly called. After three unanswered calls, she once again waited for the call to end automatically.

Qiao Wu retracted her movement to get out of the car, rolled down the window, and leisurely sipped her coffee until a familiar car drove in.

She smiled. It seemed her presence wasn’t needed after all.

It was the peak of lunchtime, and Lu Yingchi, stuck in traffic, had lost all patience. He had called Qiao Wu several times, but no one answered.

By the time he arrived at Third Middle School, it was already past two.

Young Master Lu had never set foot in such a modest school before. With a scowl, he walked through the entrance, muttering to himself as he searched for the classroom. The school’s gate was so small it was hard to find. What on earth had possessed Lu Ning to come here and suffer, even getting bullied?

He was definitely going to mock her for this!

The school was small, and it didn’t take long for him to find the building for the second-year students. Today was the parent-teacher meeting, and all the kids were waiting outside their classrooms.

The Lu family’s children were all good-looking, and Lu Yingchi spotted Lu Ning standing alone in a corner before he even got close.

Just as he was about to approach, he overheard a group of kids nearby gossiping.

“So what if she’s rich? Lu Ning doesn’t have parents. No one’s coming to her parent-teacher meeting today.”

“No wonder she’s so mean.”

“Keep your voice down, or they might hear you and send a lawyer to sue you.”

“Anyway, don’t play with her anymore. She’s always last in exams. I’d be embarrassed to be around her.”

Lu Yingchi’s footsteps halted.

Young Master Lu had always been the center of attention since childhood, attending a private school where no one dared to speak such disrespectful words behind his back.

He clicked his tongue lightly, gripping the shoulders of those brats: “What, will your mouths rot if you don’t gossip?”

The kids were startled. Looking up, they saw a handsome guy with blond hair who didn’t seem easy to mess with. They immediately struggled: “Who are you?!”

“Your grandfather!”

Hearing the commotion, Lu Ning also looked up. When she saw Lu Yingchi, her eyes widened, and she ran over: “Lu Yingchi?!”

“Let me go!” The kids, realizing Lu Yingchi was here for Lu Ning and noticing his blond hair, shouted, “Lu Ning, you really are a delinquent… Ah!!!”

Lu Ning hadn’t even processed what was happening.

“What’s wrong with you?” Lu Yingchi covered the kid’s mouth, visibly angry. “You’re so fierce at home, but here you just let people bully you?!”

He grabbed the kid’s hair and said coldly to Lu Ning, “Come here now and tear his mouth apart.”

Lu Ning: “?!”

Qiao Wu, who was waiting at the school gate to pick up the uncle and niece to go home for dinner, unexpectedly received a call from the Class Teacher. She was puzzled: “Hello?”

“Is this Lu Ning’s guardian?” The Class Teacher’s tone was awkward. “Your child got into another fight with a classmate.”

“What?” Qiao Wu was stunned. “Didn’t her uncle go to the parent-teacher meeting?”

“Yes,” the Class Teacher seemed to choke on her words. “It was her uncle who started it.”

Qiao Wu: “…”