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6 – Autumn Night
◎ That Slap ◎

Lu Shiyin felt this day had been busy enough. She moved in the morning, visited her mother in the afternoon, and now, in the evening, was rushing over to the Lu family home.

Although she never liked returning there—especially after getting scolded by Lu Zhengguo the day before—her project still required his approval, so she had to take the lecture if necessary.

By the time she arrived, it was already 8 PM. The Lu family villa was brightly lit, but oddly silent despite its vastness.

Housekeeper Xu greeted her, saying the chairman was in the study, almost as if he had known she was coming.

Just as she was about to head upstairs, Xu added that Xiao Cheng had visited earlier that day.

This “Xiao Cheng” was undoubtedly Cheng Jinghe. In the early days of their marriage, Xu used to call him “son-in-law,” which Lu Shiyin corrected several times before Xu settled on “Xiao Cheng.”

Lu Shiyin asked instinctively, “Why did he come?”

“Young Master invited him. I think they went fishing together.”

“I see.” She didn’t probe further and headed upstairs.

At the door to the study, she knocked lightly twice and entered after hearing permission.

The moment she opened the door, something flew toward her from a diagonal angle. Before she could dodge, a teacup struck her squarely on the forehead. She instinctively held her breath.

Tea spilled across her face, dripping along her facial contours.

Drops clung to her eyelashes and stung her eyes. She blinked hard and rubbed them with her fingers.

In front of her sat an enraged old man—Lu Zhengguo, lean and authoritative, a presence that demanded respect.

Lu Shiyin ultimately caved, her voice soft as a mosquito’s: “Grandpa…”

Lu Zhengguo snorted coldly, “President Lu is getting quite lofty these days—doesn’t answer when called, ignores phone calls.”

She stayed silent. Lu Zhengguo continued: “Who gave you the nerve to walk out on an entire conference room full of people?”

“I covered for you in that board meeting, and this is how you repay me? Do I not even exist to you anymore? You’ve utterly disgraced me!”

“Tell me—what have you even learned recently? Qian Mu can’t manage you properly anymore. If that’s the case, we’ll replace him!”

Finally, Lu Shiyin raised her head: “No, Assistant Qian is great. It’s my own fault.”

“Oh, so you do know it’s your fault, but still act like this?” Lu Zhengguo stood up in anger.

He always wore a Zhongshan suit, hands often clasped behind his back, with a permanently furrowed brow as if the world’s burdens were his to carry.

She didn’t know how to respond. This was a complicated issue, tangled with a lack of trust—so she chose silence again.

After venting his frustration, Lu Zhengguo sat down and began catching his breath, as if yelling at her had drained his energy.

Then he asked, “I heard you’ve assembled a team to pursue a new partnership?” He reached for his tea only to remember the cup was on the floor near the bookshelf. After fumbling in the air, he withdrew his hand and rubbed his head.

“How’s the discussion going? What kind of partnership is this? Your uncle told me you’ve been serious about business lately, said you’ve been diligently learning management. He spoils you… No idea how he raised you into this. You’re nothing like your—”

He swallowed his next words, clearly trying to avoid a certain comparison.

“So, what’s the status of this project of yours?”

---

Meanwhile, that afternoon, Cheng Jinghe and Lu Qisheng went fishing at the mountain villa. After enjoying the fresh catch, they returned in the same car.

In the car, Lu Qisheng talked about the large fish he caught. Despite being in his fifties, he exuded elegance and still carried himself with poise thanks to years of regular exercise.

People often said that the Lu family had good genes—none of the kids turned out poorly. Cheng Jinghe agreed with that.

After the fishing talk, Lu Qisheng shifted topics to the newlyweds:

“Yinyin hasn’t caused you trouble, has she? Don’t let her age fool you…” He paused, forgetting their age gap.

“Four years,” Cheng Jinghe helped.

“Yes, four.” Lu Qisheng smiled warmly. “She’s still very childish. You’re actually more composed than she is. She tends to act first, think later. Back in the day, she…”

He sighed. “Never mind, it’s all in the past.”

Cheng Jinghe smiled, devoid of warmth. “I know it all.”

Lu Qisheng was surprised. “Oh? How did you find out? I thought everything was handled quietly, no leaks.”

“I know everything about her,” Cheng Jinghe said.

“Ah right, your sister and Yinyin are close. Your sister’s a kind person, and even after Yinyin returned from studying abroad, their bond hasn’t changed. It’s a blessing to have a true friend in life.”

Cheng Jinghe didn’t respond, just sat quietly.

Lu Qisheng continued: “If Yinyin causes any trouble, don’t take it to heart. Her dad passed away early, her mom’s uninvolved, and her grandfather was ill back then. I raised her for much of her childhood…”

Before he could finish, Cheng Jinghe cut in, “She hasn’t caused any trouble.”

“That’s good.” Lu Qisheng looked relieved. “Yinyin just started managing the company, so she might not be as experienced. If you can, help her a bit.”

Cheng Jinghe rubbed his ring and said, “Uncle, you should trust her. She’s more than capable—I believe she’ll do even better than I can.”

Lu Qisheng turned to him, visibly pleased: “It’s great that you two get along. Makes us elders feel at ease.”

Cheng Jinghe nodded. “Yes, we’ll do our best not to worry the family.”

---

Lu Shiyin hadn’t planned to pitch her idea to Grandpa tonight, so she didn’t bring a full proposal. The version she had was still a rough draft.

She knew how to persuade Lu Zhengguo, and she was fully committed to succeeding with this. But she didn’t expect the timing to come so suddenly.

She outlined the core concept from memory, adding spontaneous ideas as she went.

After she finished, Lu Zhengguo was silent. Then he asked, “You spent this whole week on this?”

“Yes.”

“You only talked about the strengths, not the weaknesses.”

“The weaknesses are obvious, Grandpa. You’d know better than I do. But the potential social benefits are enormous.”

She wasn’t fantasizing. If it succeeded, the impact would be tremendous. Of course, failure was also possible—but that’s true of any ambitious endeavor.

Lu Zhengguo thought for a while, then chuckled and asked, “This nursing robot idea of yours—is it for Zhong Jijia?”

Before she could respond, he concluded, “Abusing your position for personal gain.”

Lu Shiyin couldn’t argue, the words stuck in her throat.

Suddenly, he changed the topic—asked about her married life.

She answered truthfully, “It’s fine. We’re living in South Shore Residence now, close to both our offices.” She was slightly more confident on this topic.

Lu Zhengguo responded with a low “Hmm.” At least something pleased him tonight.

Just then, they heard Xu downstairs: “Young Master and Son-in-law are back! Oh my, so many fish!”

Lu Shiyin realized belatedly that Xu had lied to her—calling Cheng Jinghe “Xiao Cheng” to her face, but “son-in-law” behind her back.

Lu Zhengguo stood up, slapping the table: “Come on, let’s see the catch.”

Just like that, her project pitch was brushed aside.

Unwilling to let it drop, she asked as they headed out, “Grandpa, about the project I mentioned…”

He opened the door, pretended not to hear, and strode out.

Frustrated, she blamed their untimely return. As she walked downstairs, she heard the cheerful commotion below—Xu’s voice now sounded shrill and irritating to her.

She saw Cheng Jinghe had ditched his usual suits for an outdoor jacket, looking more youthful than usual.

He was smiling, chatting with the elders. Lu Zhengguo looked pleased, patting Cheng’s back and praising the younger generation.

Hearing footsteps, Cheng turned. Their eyes met. His smile faded. He walked toward her, reached out, and touched her forehead:

“What happened?”

His hand was warm. She winced at the touch.

“It hurts. What are you doing?”

“It’s bruised.”

Only then did she remember being hit earlier—she had been too caught up arguing to notice.

“It’s fine,” she shook her head.

Cheng picked a tea leaf from her hair. “Grandpa scolded you?”

She didn’t like sharing personal matters with him and shook her head again.

He didn’t press. “Go wash your face.”

In the bathroom, she realized how messy she looked—tea stains dried on her face, her white shirt collar discolored.

She washed up and collected herself with deep breaths.

When she returned, Lu Zhengguo, Lu Qisheng, and Cheng Jinghe were chatting on the sofa. They invited her over.

Lu Qisheng resumed earlier talk: “I think it’s time to plan the wedding. This delay doesn’t look good.”

Lu Zhengguo agreed: “Exactly.”

Lu Shiyin understood—they wanted a proper wedding. But she had already discussed with the family that they’d skip it. Why change now?

She said gently, “We both don’t want a wedding. The certificate is enough—weddings are such a hassle.”

Lu Qisheng interrupted sternly: “That won’t do! Both the Cheng and Lu families are public companies. A union like this needs a wedding. There’s no reason not to have one.”

Confused, she looked at Lu Zhengguo.

He nodded in agreement.

She became anxious: “Grandpa, didn’t we already agree? Why—”

“Agree to what?” he interrupted. “I said that to your face, but the board disagrees. You have to understand, this marriage isn’t just for yourselves.”

She was stunned. She remembered being forced into this engagement when she returned to China. When she resisted, Lu Zhengguo offered her the position of Mingchen’s GM in exchange.

It was fair—a trade.

But now, he’d gone back on his word as if flipping a switch. She lost control and stood up: “That’s not what you said! Grandpa! I don’t want a wedding!”

Lu Zhengguo’s expression turned dark. He didn’t get up, just gave her a sharp look.

Fear crept in, but she held her ground. The arranged marriage had already been her biggest compromise. Now she couldn’t even decide on the wedding?

“Lu Shiyin, did you forget your place after a few years abroad? Do you not even understand basic respect for elders anymore?” His voice was eerily calm.

She had been suppressing her frustration, but those words nearly made her cry.

She shouted, “You were the ones who forced me to go abroad! There were other ways—”

Lu Zhengguo was done. He slapped her.

She staggered and fell into a warm, pine-scented embrace—safe and comforting.

Cheng Jinghe shielded her with his back to Lu Zhengguo.

Lu Qisheng stood up to intervene: “Dad, she’s still young, no need to get so worked up. Talk to her calmly, she’ll understand…”

“Young?!” Lu Zhengguo shouted. Small but full of power, his voice was thunderous: “She thinks she’s so important—everyone has to pamper her?!”

Lu Shiyin glared over Cheng Jinghe’s shoulder, biting her lip to hold back tears.

But the more she looked, the angrier she felt. The fire inside her was burning uncontrollably.

Noticing her breaking point, Cheng Jinghe gently shook his head—telling her to hold on.