◎ Blinding oneself ◎

One word from those at the top, and the people below run their legs off^[1]It’s an idiom-like expression meaning: The higher-ups give a single order, and the subordinates have to scramble frantically to carry it out..

After Ren Lu used the tiger’s might to give her orders, she no longer paid any attention.

Instead, Vicky kept in constant contact with the public relations department, with hardly a moment’s rest, and the trending topics were constantly changing.

At first, many people rushed to scold Lu Sinian, thinking he took himself too seriously. It was just briefly wearing an outfit. Ren Lu had also worn Xu Shiqing’s qipao, and Peng Hongyu had not minded.

But once the Lu family’s public relations department stepped in, the direction of the wind immediately changed.

— No, even without mysophobia, I could not stand it. Those qipaos and dresses are worn next to the skin. If someone else had worn them, I would not want them either.

——Ren Lu and Xu Shiqing did not know each other before; they were just two strangers. Normally, no one can accept exchanging intimate clothing, right?

——You all say you cannot accept it, but this is a special situation, isn’t it? Why could Xu Shiqing wear it? Is only Ren Lu precious?

——Stop talking nonsense here. Who exactly caused this so-called special situation? If it were not for Xu Shiqing being such a stubborn one, refusing to choose the qipao no matter what, would the two of them have worn the wrong clothes? Whoever’s fault it is should bear it. She should be the one to wear it!

——Isn’t Lu Sinian a big CEO? The jewelry being the program team’s fault is one thing, but if he chose this dress, why is it not haute couture? Where did he pick it up from? I have never even heard of it!

Soon, the other side’s hired commenters also responded, beginning to question whether the dress Lu Sinian chose was even haute couture at all.

Of course, the Lu family’s public relations department was not to be underestimated—or rather, they had been waiting for this wave of questioning. They immediately contacted the dress’s designer to come forward and claim it.

[Shao Xiang: The fringe dress was designed and tailored at President Lu’s request. Mrs. Lu wore it beautifully, which gave me new inspiration.]

Once this designer posted on Weibo, public opinion instantly boiled over.

——Is this the Master Shao I know? Back then, foreign designers were extremely popular and almost suppressed domestic designers into the mud. It was only because Master Shao turned the tide with stunning skill that domestic characteristics did not die out.

——Master Shao’s design? Wasn’t he said to be retired?

——Stop saying President Lu is just showing off. The fact that he could get a retired great designer to come out means he truly has skill.

——Master Shao now has disciples everywhere and has long stopped making designs himself. One can only say, a master is still a master. Those two dresses are truly stunning.

——Master Shao, Shiqing also had the honor to wear a dress you designed. I hope next time there will be a chance to truly work together.

——Tsk, can the couple bloggers stop trying to stick gold on their own faces? Master Shao did not even mention Xu Shiqing, so do not bring trouble to yourself.

——Ahhh, actually, I have wanted to say this for a long time. Although the two wives wore different dresses, both had fringe hems. Obviously, Ren Lu’s performance was better. The one Xu Shiqing wore, although lively and agile in her walk, did not have good body rhythm; the fringe was all tangled together. But when Ren Lu walked, she looked relaxed, yet her waist and hips swayed just right, forming a special rhythm, making all the fringe swing in the same direction in parallel.

——Ren Lu definitely practiced before. The way she walked on the runway was the standard model walk. It looked relaxed and natural, but in fact striking the pose is very difficult.

#Master ShaoDesignsFringeDress#

#Master ShaoPraisesMrsLu#

#ShaoXiangReturns#

#RenLuModelWalk#

Soon, all the related trending searches were completely refreshed. The ones originally criticizing Ren Lu and her husband turned into recommendation posts praising the designer and Ren Lu.

“Madam, the PR department has handled it. Now it is other people’s turn to have headaches.” Vicky finally completed her mission and came to report.

“Well done. When the variety show ends, arrange a vacation for yourself. I will cover all the expenses.” Ren Lu nodded, generously indicating.

Vicky immediately expressed her joy and thanks.

The first workplace rule Ren Lu learned from Lu Sinian: if you want the horse to run, you must first feed it well.

So she was never stingy with money.

Ren Lu opened her phone, browsed the internet freely, and carefully enjoyed the online compliments, feeling quite pleased.

Facing the malice of the plot, she was definitely not some Buddhist-style bystander, nor did she think about staying far away from the male and female leads. On the contrary, since the plot could not be avoided, she would face it head-on. Who was the real control group? Well, that was not necessarily certain.

“Madam, the directing team just sent a message, saying they hope to record at the Lu family’s old residence. If members of the Lu family appear, that would be even better.” Vicky directly pulled up the message interface.

Ren Lu could not help but frown. The program team really knew how to make demands. After only one episode had aired, they were already opening the lion’s mouth wide.

The Lu family was known as an old-money family, with a strong background and extreme mystery, which made everyone very curious.

Especially the Lu family’s old residence. When the ranking list of rich people’s houses was revealed before, the Lu family’s mansion was directly ranked number one. However, there were only a few exterior photos; no one knew what the internal structure was like.

“Shall I go refuse them?” Vicky tentatively asked.

As Ren Lu’s personal assistant, she had naturally followed her to the Lu family’s old residence. That place was low-key yet luxurious; even an inconspicuous stone by the roadside had a story behind it.

But she herself greatly disliked the place. Although the atmosphere was not exactly oppressive, it always gave her the urge to escape.

“No need to refuse. Tell the director to be patient. The Lu family’s old residence will definitely be filmed, but wait for my notice.” After pondering briefly, Ren Lu made the decision. Clearly, she already had a plan in mind.

“Old Wu, change course to the old residence,” she instructed the driver.

The car slowly turned around and headed toward the old residence.

Ren Lu disliked that place, as it was not her territory. With her parents-in-law and sister-in-law there, there were too many people and too many rules. In fact, even Lu Sinian did not like it; every time he returned to the old residence, he was lifeless in appearance.

As soon as she stepped into the living room, an aunt came up, took her bag, and hung it on the coat rack.

“Where’s Mom?” she asked casually.

“Madam is in the kitchen making soup. Chairman Lu is coming home tonight.”

Upon hearing this, Ren Lu immediately stopped in her tracks, almost wanting to turn around and leave. Unfortunately, heaven did not follow her wishes—someone had already gone to inform Madam Lu.

“You came back just in time. Come, follow me into the kitchen!” Madam Lu came out wearing an apron, her brows and eyes gentle, beckoning her over.

Ren Lu felt speechless inside, but still kept a smile on her face, softly saying, “Mom, Sinian is busy with work and will not be coming back tonight.”

“He is not coming back?” Jiang Xiu looked slightly disappointed but still did not give up: “It does not matter if he is not coming back. Come with me into the kitchen and make the tomato pork rib soup I taught you last time. I want to see if it is up to standard. Sinian likes drinking this soup the most.”

After speaking, she pulled Ren Lu into the kitchen without giving her any chance to refuse.

By the time Ren Lu came back to her senses, she was already in slippers, wearing an apron, and standing in front of the stove.

Holding a kitchen knife, she could not help but take a deep breath.

Heaven have mercy—she had clearly already married into a wealthy family, yet she still had to go into the kitchen to make soup. It was truly suffering for no reason.

And her mother-in-law happened to be an ardent advocate of this.

“Lulu, do not be unhappy. Although the food made by the family’s chef suits our taste, it does not have the taste of home. A man must first have his stomach pleased before his heart can be pleased. The reason he comes home every night instead of going out is precisely for this bite of food. Your father loves eating what I make…”

Jiang Xiu spoke softly, just like a real mother chatting with her daughter.

Ren Lu responded with an “Mm” and resigned herself to making soup.

Her mother-in-law, Madam Jiang Xiu, was beautiful and generous, dignified and graceful, with a well-off family background—a true wealthy beauty. Even at her current age, she maintained herself well, showing little trace of time.

When Jiang Xiu was young, her temper was lively and fiery. She was called a “spicy little chili pepper.” In the business world, she met Ren Lu’s father-in-law, Lu Hui, when they were competing over a plot of land, neither willing to yield. In the end, they went from fighting to working together.

Originally, she should have been a strong woman dominating the business world. But she was born into a male-oriented story and experienced the classic fate of a female lead in such a story—turning from a vivid, outstanding character into an accessory who could cook.

Jiang Xiu rarely appeared in the business world; instead, she appeared at all kinds of celebration banquets.

When Lu Hui led a group of brothers to defeat a business giant and held a grand celebration banquet in a hotel, Jiang Xiu busied herself with hosting the guests, ensuring everyone ate and drank well, and in return received a few words of praise from the younger brothers.

During the New Year and holidays, Lu Hui would bring back a group of relatives whom he had disciplined into obedience, and Jiang Xiu would personally cook a large table of dishes, earning praise from the whole family for her virtue.

And she accepted it willingly, even happily, and carried it forward.

When Ren Lu had read this novel before, she was just looking for the thrill of the male lead dominating the business world. But after finishing, she felt regret when thinking of Jiang Xiu.

It was as if a living person suddenly became a stereotype, dimming in color.

Watching Jiang Xiu skillfully pick vegetables, cut them, caramelize sugar, and even flip the wok with ease, Ren Lu closed her eyes. Then, gritting her teeth while cutting vegetables, she deliberately let the knife slip and cut her index finger. Instantly, bright red blood welled up.

She did not like cooking, nor did she have noble sentiments. She sought enjoyment, was lazy, and only wanted to inherit Lu Sinian’s inheritance, not be a virtuous wife and good mother to him.

“Aiya.” Ren Lu cried out and immediately dropped the knife.

“What happened? You are bleeding? How could you be so careless? Quick, quick, Aunt Liu, get the first-aid kit.” Jiang Xiu dropped the wok in her hands and hurried over.

The kitchen became chaotic, and Ren Lu took the chance to step back. Naturally, the soup was handed over to someone else to make.

She knew that as long as she made this soup well, the rest of her life would be filled with endless soup-making and endless new dishes to learn.

Ren Lu returned to the living room and sat on the sofa, letting Aunt Liu bandage her wound.

“Hiss—”

Although Aunt Liu was extremely careful, Ren Lu kept baring her teeth and showing an expression of pain.

“Madam, please bear with it. The wound is not deep.”

Seeing her like this, Aunt Liu hesitated to move, still trying to comfort her. Of course, she also felt contempt in her heart.

Such a small wound and she was already making a fuss. Just a couple more breaths and it would heal. Truly, so delicate.

“Aunt Liu, let me do it. I used to work at the health clinic.” A young girl came over, speaking with a slight rural accent.

“Meihua, can you do it?” Aunt Liu was a bit hesitant.

“I can.”

Aunt Liu immediately handed over the first-aid kit, as if tossing away a hot potato.

“And this is?” Ren Lu looked at the unfamiliar young girl in front of her.

“Oh, her name is Meihua. She is the gardener responsible for tending the flowers.”

Aunt Liu explained in one sentence. Seeing that Meihua’s movements were quick and efficient, Ren Lu stopped crying out in pain and turned around to go back to the kitchen.

Ren Lu lowered her head and looked at the young girl in front of her. Meihua was very pretty, with two braids, and even though she was wearing the uniform of the Lu family’s hired staff, it could not hide her outstanding looks.

“I have never seen you before. How long have you been here?”

“I have been here for three months. I stayed in the garden before, and only when I deliver fresh flowers do I enter the house. Madam, the bandaging is done. Do not get the wound wet tonight.”

“Alright, thank you.” Ren Lu nodded in thanks, watching her leave.

It was not that she was sensitive about pretty girls, but her father-in-law’s reputation was too terrible. Almost anyone she encountered in the Lu family’s old residence was related to him in eight or nine out of ten cases.

Just at that moment, Lu Hui finally arrived home.

Jiang Xiu hurried out, flustered as she took off her apron.

“Look at you, walking so fast. Be careful not to fall, or you’ll almost let our daughter-in-law laugh at you.” Lu Hui raised his hand and smoothed her messy hair.

“I wanted to come meet you,” Jiang Xiu said with some embarrassment.

“Dad, you’ve worked hard.” Ren Lu stood up, politely speaking a sentence, but did not step forward.

When facing the male lead of a stallion novel, she had better keep her distance. Lu Hui had no restraint whatsoever regarding women, and she did not want to have any entanglement with him, lest she end up appearing in that book.

That night, only the three of them ate at home. Jiang Xiu thoughtfully urged Ren Lu to eat more and was thoroughly enjoying herself.

“I do not like the flowers displayed today. Have the gardener replace them with fresh ones.”

After the meal, Lu Hui suddenly mentioned the flowers.

Fresh flowers were replaced daily in the old residence. Jiang Xiu hesitated. “It’s already night. How about replacing them tomorrow morning?”

“I feel uncomfortable looking at them.”

When Jiang Xiu heard him say this, she immediately had someone call the gardener to replace them.

“My wife is still the best. I feel like eating mango pomelo sago.”

“Alright, I will go make it right now.” Jiang Xiu went into the kitchen beaming.

Originally, Ren Lu had been acting as part of the background, but when she saw that only she and her father-in-law were left in the living room, she instantly shivered. She immediately stood up and rushed toward the kitchen.

“Mom, let me learn from you. Sinian also likes to eat sweets.”

She never thought she was making a fuss. Lu Hui was just an old pervert full of filthy thoughts.

As it turned out, she was not overthinking. While she was preparing the dessert bowls, a series of words suddenly appeared in her mind.

[His wife and daughter-in-law were in the kitchen, and he had driven the servants away. In the huge living room, only he and Meihua were left.

Meihua was dressed in simple clothes, but he imagined her beautiful naked body.

She stood in the corner arranging flowers, and he, taking advantage of the sofa’s cover, reached out and touched her butt…]

Ren Lu shuddered. With a crisp “pa,” the bowl in her hand shattered.

My eyes, ahhh, she wanted to gouge them out herself!