Chapter 17: The Original Male Lead

After Lu Jinzhi finished speaking, his gaze slowly fell on Qiao Wu beside him.

Contrary to his expectations, Qiao Wu, aside from her initial surprise, had now regained her composure. She simply nodded slightly at him, revealing no trace of any unpleasant or ulterior motives in her eyes.

Lu Jinzhi couldn’t help but recall how she had been sitting there earlier. There was no sign of the panic one might expect from someone handling such matters for the first time, nor any hint of arrogance. From start to finish, she had been methodical and confident.

Her emotional fluctuations weren’t even as pronounced as when he had seen those two fools trying to break into the safe at the Lu Residence.

Suddenly, a familiar and inexplicable sense of competitiveness welled up inside him.

Over a decade ago, he had also wanted to uncover the secrets hidden behind those calm eyes.

With that thought, Lu Jinzhi said no more and didn’t even glance at Lu Xuan again. “That’s it,” he said, then promptly ended the video call.

Just as Lu Xuan had said, Lu Jinzhi showed no awareness of eavesdropping on others’ conversations here. Instead, he acted as if he were the master of this place.

That’s it?

Qiao Wu, hearing his tone, wondered if he hadn’t objected to what she had just done. Was he tacitly agreeing?

“I was originally discussing President Lu’s return to the country with him,” Xu Zhao quickly said, picking up his computer, afraid of being caught in the crossfire of the brothers’ feud. “If there’s nothing else, I’ll take my leave now.”

“Wait a moment,” Qiao Wu called out to him. “Tell President Lu that I want to dismiss someone.”

Xie Yi was somewhat surprised.

Although she was assisting President Lu, no one in the company knew her yet, and she had no real authority. Was she already planning to dismiss someone?

Moreover, she said “want,” not “consider.”

“Who?” Xu Zhao asked.

“Marketing Specialist, Xue Weihua.”

That employee who had been gossiping in the lobby?

Lu Xuan had specifically noted the person’s name tag, so he remembered it clearly.

Xie Yi, who hadn’t gone downstairs, asked curiously, “What happened?”

Lu Xuan casually explained a few things, then raised an eyebrow at Qiao Wu. “Didn’t you say you wouldn’t stoop to the level of such people?”

“That was my personal opinion,” Qiao Wu said calmly. “As an employee of a publicly listed company, if you can’t control your tongue in public, regardless of who you’re talking about or whether what you’re saying is true or false, it’s wrong if anyone hears it. This time it was us, but what if next time it’s a client? How smart can an employee who doesn’t even know how to gossip discreetly be? It’s better to give more opportunities to those who are more capable.”

Lu Jinzhi was the biggest antagonist in the story, and part of that was due to the many dim-witted “Sleeping Dragons and Young Phoenixes” around him. Who knew what bigger messes they might cause in the future?

In the plot, the male lead later came to the company to discuss a partnership, but some tactless, sycophantic employees treated him differently based on his status, which only deepened the rift between him and Lu Jinzhi.

Sometimes Qiao Wu found it quite absurd. Why were these brainless people always placed around Lu Jinzhi and his associates, and why did they have to bear the consequences of their mistakes?

What if the roles were reversed? Who would have the last laugh was truly uncertain.

“Understood,” Xie Yi nodded. “There’s no need to go through President Lu for this matter. I’ll have the HR department handle it shortly.”

After saying this, Xie Yi gestured to Qiao Wu and then left as well.

When only the two of them remained in the meeting room, Lu Xuan turned his chair around and sat down, throwing his sunglasses on the table: “Did you hear what Lu Jinzhi said?”

As everyone knew, the money he earned from acting wasn’t even enough to buy a bottle of wine.

And now Lu Jinzhi wanted to freeze his card?!

How dare he!

Although Lu Jinzhi had started handling the group’s affairs during his university years after skipping grades, he had never interfered with family matters, let alone their finances. What on earth was he thinking now?

Back when he had argued with the old man and left home over his decision to enter the entertainment industry, Lu Jinzhi hadn’t even bothered to ask about it while he was abroad. Was he trying to get back at him now over a few words?

Impossible.

Lu Xuan didn’t believe it.

After a long silence, he suddenly turned his head and asked, “Do you know the password to Lu Jinzhi’s safe?”

Recalling the past, it seemed that Qiao Wu was the one who had spoken the most with Lu Jinzhi at home.

Qiao Wu: “…”

She shook her head helplessly, “Even if I knew, he wouldn’t keep bank cards or money in the safe.”

“He probably isn’t that idle,” Lu Xuan reassured himself.

Qiao Wu neither confirmed nor denied.

From what she knew of Lu Jinzhi, he never joked around and always kept his word.

However, if Lu Xuan’s card was frozen, at least he wouldn’t have the means to support young celebrities as he did in the plot. That wouldn’t be a bad thing.

So Qiao Wu had no intention of reminding him to prepare in advance.

The surveillance footage from the company’s meeting room quickly reached Lu Jiang’s hands. Although he had intended to test her, Qiao Wu’s performance was actually better than he had expected.

When he had first decided to nurture Qiao Wu, he had hoped that one day she would grow into someone like this.

Especially after seeing that Lu Jinzhi had listened to the entire meeting without expressing any objections, he felt even more convinced that he had done the right thing. After all, his second son had always been very picky.

Only now did he truly begin to ponder Qiao Wu’s words.

But in reality, ever since their disagreement and the second son’s calm departure abroad, the father and son had never been in contact again. He had to rely on his secretary to get any news about his second son.

Even when he had asked him to return this time, it was Xie Yi who had informed him. At the time, the second son had simply replied with a “Yes” and nothing more.

Lu Jiang had a headache but couldn’t bring himself to swallow his pride.

After a long while, he came up with a brilliant idea and, without any hesitation, made a phone call.

Fortunately, he hadn’t been blocked.

As soon as the call connected, he didn’t wait for the other person to speak and immediately said, “Xiao Wu asked me to ask you if you’d like to host a banquet while you’re back in the country, so everyone can get to know you.”

Lu Jinzhi: “…”

Sometimes he wondered if the Lu family’s bloodline had been cursed.

Lu Xuan had turned out the way he was today, and Lu Jiang’s genes had certainly played a part.

If the people in the country who had dealings with the Lu family hadn’t gotten to know him yet, then all these years would have been for nothing. What was the point of a banquet?

But just as he was about to refuse, he suddenly remembered the other name in the question.

Qiao Wu.

He wrote this name on a blank piece of paper, looked at it for a few seconds, and then softly responded.

“Alright.”

–

The next day, the Lu family servants watched as the two young masters and the young miss sat down in the dining room early in the morning, all of them keeping their eyes down and not daring to make a sound.

Little Qiao Butler had only been back in the country for two weeks, yet he had managed to tame these unruly Devil Kings so well. They were all up so early without a single complaint, even their faces glowing with a healthy flush. What kind of methods had he used?! Truly remarkable.

It was strange.

When the group finished breakfast and left the house with Qiao Wu, they all felt a peculiar sensation.

It was like when they were younger and used to hold hands walking to school together every day, except now there was an additional little one.

In any case, their mood was quite pleasant.

Qiao Wu was going to take Lu Ning to her new school, but she didn’t neglect the other two who were also heading to “school.” She turned and reminded them, “Be careful on the road. If you encounter any trouble, don’t act impulsively. Calm down and think things through first. If you don’t want to eat out for lunch, call home two hours in advance and have them deliver food to you. As for you…”

She looked at Lu Xuan, “Don’t drink too much outside.”

Otherwise, you’ll be at the mercy of others.

Lu Xuan clicked his tongue in annoyance, rolled up the car window, honked the horn, and drove off.

Lu Yingchi followed closely behind, but after driving a short distance, he reversed back and pointed at Lu Ning’s nose, “If I find out you’re being such a pushover again, I’ll beat you up next time too.”

Lu Ning: “?”

She was hit with a faceful of exhaust fumes and looked up, asking, “Was he encouraging me to fight?”

“He’s worried you might get bullied,” Qiao Wu acted as an automatic translator. “You know how his mouth is, don’t you? Otherwise, why would he get beaten up by a Robot?”

Lu Ning hummed, “Then I forgive him.”

She was curious about what kind of school Qiao Wu had chosen for her. Would it be like the ones in the past where the school gate wasn’t even as big as Lu Yingchi’s car? To her surprise, it turned out to be the same elite private school Lu Yingchi had attended.

“Didn’t you say the students at these schools are all hypocrites?” she asked, puzzled. “And that it’s all about who your father is?”

“If you have the ability to leverage it, why not?” Qiao Wu said matter-of-factly. “It’s yours by right anyway.”

Private schools also have their hierarchies.

Schools like these, catering to the children of the elite, boast top-notch faculty. The people you meet and the horizons you can reach far exceed those of ordinary schools. Lu Ning wasn’t from an ordinary family, so of course, she had the right and ability to study here.

But Lu Ning had been brainwashed by the idea of self-reliance for too long and frowned, “Then can this still be called independence?”

“You’ll have plenty of time to prove your independence when you grow up,” Qiao Wu gave her a gentle push. “Although the threshold to enter this school is because of your family, whether you deserve this education or not depends on you. Having money isn’t something to be ashamed of.”

Lu Ning looked at her strangely, “Do you have a split personality?”

What you say changes every day.

“Just assume I do.”

Lu Ning carried her backpack into the school, but after a few steps, she realized something was off. She turned back, “Why are you still following me? I’m not a three-year-old; I can find my way.”

Qiao Wu chuckled, leaned down to straighten her collar, and said softly, “What kind of family lets their child find their teacher on the first day of transferring to a new school? It’s not like we don’t have anyone at home.”

The faint scent of books wafted from the woman.

This was originally the smell Lu Ning hated the most. She despised anything related to knowledge and disliked the pungent ink smell of books. So why did Qiao Wu’s scent seem so pleasant?

It was like opening a brand-new picture book filled with vibrant flowers and lush greenery, captivating and enchanting.

The Lu Family had people, but it was practically the same as having no one at all.

Back at her previous school, on the first day of seventh grade, she had gone alone, navigating the twists and turns and ending up late. On that very first day, she had gotten into a conflict with someone.

When she returned home after school, the vast Lu Residence was empty except for the servants. There wasn’t a single person who made her feel safe.

She could only retreat to her room, using several band-aids to patch up her wounds before quietly going to sleep.

Unlike today, where someone had accompanied her, and before leaving, had told her to take good care of herself.

Lu Ning suddenly fell silent, her hands gripping the straps of her backpack tightly as she followed Qiao Wu, her gaze fixed on Qiao Wu’s slender yet upright back as they walked to the office together.

Just as the two of them reached the doorway, they saw a tall boy leaning against the wall outside, his head hanging low. The straps of his backpack were broken, and the entire bag lay discarded at his feet. The half-open backpack loosely spilled out a corner of a book, but he clearly had no intention of picking it up.

Lu Ning couldn’t help but glance at him a few more times because this spot was usually where she had stood in the past.

She hadn’t expected that, as an outsider, it would feel like this.

Wait a minute, he looked familiar.

A sense of foreboding suddenly rose in her heart. Why did this guy look so much like that arrogant jerk she had fought with on the first day of seventh grade?

Suddenly, the office door was opened from the inside.

A pair of long legs, clad in tailored suit pants, stepped out. The young man was dressed in a handmade suit, his hair meticulously groomed, though his tie was crooked and askew. As he opened the door, he was unbuttoning his shirt, not expecting anyone to be standing outside. His movements paused for a moment, and he slightly raised his eyes.

When he saw the person standing at the door, his gaze froze for an instant.

The woman’s eyes were calm and composed, her graceful figure casting a faint glow over everything she looked at.

Qiao Wu hadn’t expected to run into Zhong Min, the male lead from the original story, here. But after the initial surprise, she didn’t pay much attention, politely nodding and saying, “Excuse me.”

Zhong Min snapped out of it and stepped aside to let her pass.

Seizing the opportunity, Lu Ning quickly moved to the other side, using Qiao Wu’s body to shield her face.

It wasn’t that she was afraid of that jerk, but she was worried that if something happened on the first day of school, Qiao Wu might not agree to go shopping with her later.

The teacher inside had been waiting for them. As they entered, the teacher walked over with a smile, closing the door behind them. “You must be Lu Ning, right? And you are?”

Just as the door closed, Zhong Min heard the woman’s clear, composed voice from inside, “Qiao Wu.”

He couldn’t help but glance back again.

But all he saw was the cold, dark door panel—nothing else.

He pulled a cigarette from his pocket and bit down on it, but remembering that this was a school, he resisted the urge to light it. His irritation only grew.

Especially when he thought about having to face those slick-talking, hypocritical old men later, it made him even more annoyed.

He still couldn’t get used to this life bound by a tie. Someone like him was just a bug living in the gutter, and no matter how he dressed up, he could never be like…

Like that person just now.

From the very core of their being, they exuded a confidence and pride he could never achieve.

He kicked the boy leaning against the wall. “Pick up your stuff, let’s go.”

The boy slowly picked up his backpack and suddenly said, “It’s her.”

“Who?”

“Lu Ning.”

Zhong Min frowned, “That kid who just went in?”

“Yes.”

Zhong Min suddenly chuckled.

Of course, he remembered who this Lu Ning was. On the very first day Zhong Shixia started school, she had a conflict with her. At that time, Lu Ning’s parents didn’t even show up, but Lu Ning directly threw ten thousand yuan in his face.

Lu Ning was wealthy and influential, so the school couldn’t do much to her, but Zhong Shixia ended up dropping out.

Thinking of this, Zhong Min took a hard drag on his cigarette and patted his brother’s shoulder, “I’ll pick you up after school later.”

After leaving the office, Lu Ning didn’t see that person again.

She breathed a sigh of relief and grabbed Qiao Wu, who was about to leave, “You should finish what you start.”

Qiao Wu asked, “What do you mean?”

“Pick me up after school this afternoon,” Lu Ning was very good at pushing her luck, “You drive Lu Xuan to and from the company, aren’t you going to pick me up on my first day of school?”

Qiao Wu wasn’t very busy today, so she nodded, “Alright.”

Back at the Lu Residence, Qiao Wu was surprised to learn that Lu Jinzhi had actually agreed to host a welcome banquet upon his return.

However, she still went through the list that Father and Xie Yi had given her earlier. Not everyone needed to be invited to the house.

She had a general impression of the companies and families listed.

But when she saw the Zhong Family, her eyebrows slightly raised, thinking of Zhong Min, whom she had encountered at school today, the male lead in the original story.

Strictly speaking, Zhong Min wasn’t originally a child of the Zhong Family; he was an illegitimate child.

The Zhong Family’s structure was quite complex. The CEO of Zhong Corporation was Zhong Ru, a strong-willed woman. Her husband had married into the Zhong Family, and their relationship had deteriorated a few years after marriage, leaving them only with a daughter, Zhong Hejing, from their early years.

Zhong Ru had always groomed Zhong Hejing as her successor, but she hadn’t expected her daughter’s health to decline day by day, making it impossible for her to continue high-intensity work.

So, Zhong Ru had no choice but to bring Zhong Min back to the Zhong Family.

Zhong Min was the child Zhong Ru had with someone else during the period when her relationship with her husband was falling apart.

But her husband was unwilling to divorce, and their behind-the-scenes disputes were quite ugly.

Zhong Ru had originally prepared to secretly give birth to the child and then sue the other party, but she discovered that her lover was only with her for her money and had been cheating on her for a long time.

By then, she couldn’t abort the child and had to give birth, after which she sent him to an orphanage. She considered this a shameful disgrace of her own folly, and the continuous anxiety during her pregnancy had left her unable to conceive again.

Now that Zhong Hejing was ill, she had no choice but to have someone find Zhong Min and bring him back to the Zhong Family to be groomed.

During the time Zhong Min was wandering outside, he had a non-blood-related brother who depended on him for survival. It was also because of this that Zhong Ru managed to control Zhong Min, agreeing to bring that child back as well.

At present, the Zhong Family and the Lu’s were not yet at loggerheads and were also on the invitation list.

So, the ones encountered at school today were Zhong Min and his brother Zhong Shixia.

Lu Ning had once had a conflict with Zhong Shixia, so after Zhong Min gained power in the Zhong Family, he always held a grudge against the Lu Family.

However, at that time, Lu Ning hadn’t transferred schools, so she didn’t have much interaction with Zhong Shixia later on. It was unexpected that they would now be in the same school.

The reason this book is a melodramatic novel is entirely due to the level of drama between the male and female leads.

Due to his background and upbringing, Zhong Min had grown up quite twisted, with a distorted set of values. Pressured by Zhong Ru, he had become deeply disillusioned with life. Before meeting the female lead, the only person who truly mattered in his life was his younger brother, Zhong Shixia.

Now, he was just in his early twenties, having not even finished college, and was at a point where he felt cornered by Zhong Ru with no way out.

Qiao Wu couldn’t help but frown. It seemed indeed necessary to go and pick up Lu Ning.

Meanwhile, at the school, Lu Ning had just experienced the most focused day of her life so far.

Although she hadn’t understood a single word the teacher said, she had at least kept her eyes on the multimedia screen the entire time and even pretended to jot down the day’s homework.

The teaching system at the private school was completely different from that of a regular school, and classes ended much earlier.

So, she had packed up her things early and was ready to wait for Qiao Wu at the school gate.

But as soon as she turned around, she saw someone leaning against the back door of the classroom.

She tightened her grip. “It’s really you.”

Zhong Shixia threw his bag on the ground. “You remember me?”

“What do you want from me?”

“To return the money,” Zhong Shixia said. “You gave me 10,000 yuan back then, which was too much. I never got the chance to return the rest.”

“Are you free?” he asked.