After the meal, Lu Mingcheng stayed to discuss business matters with Lu Rong, while Zhen Ping invited Jiang Qiuyi to take a walk in the garden to help with digestion.

Jiang Qiuyi guessed that Zhen Ping likely had something she wanted to talk to her about.

As she was pondering this, Zhen Ping’s voice broke the silence.

“Qiuyi, will you have time the day after tomorrow?”

Jiang Qiuyi was momentarily stunned. “Mom, is there something going on?”

Zhen Ping shook her head. “It’s not urgent, but the day after tomorrow is Mrs. Wang’s birthday. She’s always praised your desserts and would like you to make her a cake.”

After hearing this, Jiang Qiuyi thought for a moment before smiling and saying. “Mom, I think Mrs. Wang already has a pastry chef at her house, right?”

Zhen Ping hesitated, surprised by the question.

She paused, then nodded. “Yes, but Mrs. Wang really likes your skills.”

Jiang Qiuyi smiled. “Well, thank you for passing on her compliment, but I have something planned the day after tomorrow, so I won’t be able to make a cake for Mrs. Wang.”

“…”

Zhen Ping looked at her in surprise, not expecting a refusal.

In her impression, her daughter-in-law was the type to be obedient and go along with things. After a pause, she ventured. “Is this about Mingcheng?”

“No.”

Jiang Qiuyi lifted her eyes to meet Zhen Ping’s gaze. “I promised to go out with Miaomiao.”

Zhen Ping: “…”

After walking for more than half an hour, the two of them turned back toward home.

Lu Mingcheng and Lu Rong had nearly finished their conversation.

Just as he was about to head downstairs, Zhen Ping pulled him aside. “Come here, I need to ask you something.”

Lu Mingcheng sighed, then followed her.

Zhen Ping looked at him, her voice lowering as she asked. “Have you noticed any changes in Qiuyi these past few days?”

Lu Mingcheng: “What changes?”

Zhen Ping studied him for a moment, muttering. “You haven’t noticed?”

Lu Mingcheng: “No.”

Zhen Ping furrowed her brow, muttering to herself. “That can’t be.”

She looked directly at Lu Mingcheng and asked. “I just asked Qiuyi why she bought a car, and she said you told her to buy it. Is that true?”

Lu Mingcheng lowered his gaze, staring at Zhen Ping for a moment before speaking in a calm voice. “Mom.”

He paused for a moment before stating the facts. “Qiuyi is my wife. Whether I told her to buy something or she wanted to buy it herself, she doesn’t need anyone’s permission.”

Seeing his serious expression, Zhen Ping awkwardly replied. “I’m just worried that she might be getting too accustomed to spending freely, which might not be a good habit.”

Lu Mingcheng gave a faint smile and said. “It’s fine.”

Zhen Ping: “…”

Lu Mingcheng added. “In fact, she should spend more freely, so others won’t say our family treats her like a servant.”

Zhen Ping was left speechless.

Zhen Ping instantly swallowed the words she had on the tip of her tongue.

She could try to control Jiang Qiuyi, but when it came to her son, Lu Mingcheng, she felt she had little leverage.

Lu Mingcheng was too cold, so cold that, apart from calling her “Mom,” she couldn’t feel any mother-son affection between them.

By the time they left the Lu family’s old residence, it was nearly 9 PM.

The night was thick, and the evening breeze was chilly.

Jiang Qiuyi glanced at the person next to her, hesitating to speak.

Just as she was about to say something, a familiar voice came from beside her. “What do you want to ask?”

Jiang Qiuyi thought for a moment before quietly asking. “Did Mom say anything to you?”

She recalled how, just before they got into the car, Zhen Ping had held her hand in a way that felt oddly intimate.

It struck her as strange because, when she refused to make a cake for Mrs. Wang, Zhen Ping had already shown her displeasure.

Lu Mingcheng lowered his gaze and asked indifferently. “What do you think she would say?”

“I don’t know.” Jiang Qiuyi turned her eyes away and honestly replied. “I’m not a mind reader.”

Lu Mingcheng gave a faint smile and lowered his eyelids. “She didn’t say anything. It’s nothing important.”

“Oh…”

Jiang Qiuyi listened and didn’t ask any further questions.

The car fell into silence for a while.

Then, Jiang Qiuyi suddenly remembered something important. “By the way, I wanted to ask you something.”

Lu Mingcheng looked at her. “Go ahead.”

Jiang Qiuyi touched her nose and quietly asked. “Are there any vacant stores at Mingyu Plaza where the lease is expiring and not being renewed? Either on the first or second floor would work.”

Lu Mingcheng asked. “What do you need them for?”

Jiang Qiuyi didn’t hide anything from him and directly explained her plan to have the Nijin store move in.

If she needed Lu Mingcheng’s help, she couldn’t keep things from him.

After listening, Lu Mingcheng paused for a moment before replying. “Nijin isn’t a good fit for Mingyu’s positioning.”

Jiang Qiuyi: “…”

Her smile faltered as she looked at him. “What did you say?”

Lu Mingcheng glanced at her calmly and repeated. “Nijin’s overall factors aren’t strong enough. Mingyu won’t approve their move-in.”

Luxury malls have very precise positioning. Even if a brand was profitable, if it’s too low-end, it won’t be allowed to enter.

A mall’s external positioning needs to be clear; they can’t risk lowering their reputation because of one brand.

“…”

“Oh.” Jiang Qiuyi pursed her lips and said expressionlessl. “Got it.”

Although Jiang Qiuyi understood that Lu Mingcheng was thinking about his mall’s interests, the fact that he not only rejected her idea but also criticized the brand she was considering investing in was infuriating.

What made it worse was that she couldn’t argue back and had to swallow her frustration.

This suppressed anger lingered all the way home. When they arrived, Jiang Qiuyi didn’t even look at Lu Mingcheng and went upstairs to her room, locking the door behind her.

Lu Mingcheng had spent a lot of time accompanying her while shopping in the afternoon. Seeing her in a hurry, he assumed she was just going to freshen up.

He didn’t think much of it and turned to head for his study.

When Lu Mingcheng finished his work in the study and tried to return to his room, he found the door locked from the inside.

He twisted the doorknob, but it didn’t open.

Staring at the closed door, Lu Mingcheng suddenly smiled.

He raised a hand and rubbed his brow, feeling a bit of a headache.

The next morning, when Jiang Qiuyi woke up, she was no longer as angry.

She could actually understand Lu Mingcheng’s perspective—it was normal for him to want to protect Mingyu’s rules—but his comments still made her uncomfortable.

Jiang Qiuyi thought for a moment before calling Sheng Qingni to discuss whether they should consider other malls.

Aside from Mingyu, Ningcheng also had plenty of good locations.

Sheng Qingni understood perfectly. In fact, she knew that her brand wasn’t quite ready for Mingyu’s standards.

“You don’t have to feel too bad.” Sheng Qingni said with a smile. “We’ll look for other places.”

“Mm.”

Jiang Qiuyi opened her laptop and quietly said. “One day, I’m going to make Mingyu regret rejecting us!”

Sheng Qingni laughed. “That’s the spirit. Let’s work hard and make Mingyu beg us to move in one day.”

Jiang Qiuyi smiled. “Let’s keep looking at other malls, or even consider stores in the city center—it wouldn’t be a bad option.”

Sheng Qingni responded. “Let’s take our time. There’s no rush.”

After speaking with Sheng Qingni, Jiang Qiuyi felt a bit relieved.

She worked for a while before heading downstairs to grab something to eat.

“Madam.”

Hearing the sound, Xu Chen stood up and called out.

Jiang Qiuyi froze for a moment, a bit surprised. “What are you doing here? Didn’t Lu Mingcheng go to work yet?”

“No.”

Xu Chen paused before quietly adding. “Mr. Lu asked me to take you to check out a store.”

Jiang Qiuyi: “?”

She was momentarily confused. “What store?”

After hearing Xu Chen explain, Jiang Qiuyi walked toward the yard, taking out her phone to call Lu Mingcheng.

“Hello.”

Lu Mingcheng was still busy with a pile of documents stacked on his desk.

Jiang Qiuyi listened to the rustling noises on his side, thinking for a moment before asking. “When you asked Xu Chen to take me to see the store, did you mean what I think you meant?”

Lu Mingcheng responded with a simple “Mm,” his tone calm. “What do you think it meant?”

Jiang Qiuyi: “…”

She was about to speak, but Lu Mingcheng’s voice came again. “Mingyu isn’t suitable for Nijin. I had Xu Chen find a few good stores. You can go with him, and if you find one you like, he’ll take care of the paperwork.”

Hearing this, Jiang Qiuyi took a moment to process his words. “You mean… buy it?”

“Mm,” Lu Mingcheng said. “Didn’t you want to invest?”

Jiang Qiuyi: “Oh.”

But all she wanted was to rent a store.

Lu Mingcheng seemed to read her mind and directly said. “Owning the store gives you full control, and it will also reduce the pressure from all sides.”

Jiang Qiuyi paused for a moment, blinking before asking. “Aren’t you afraid I’ll fail in the investment and lose money?”

“Mm?”

Lu Mingcheng replied calmly. “Failure is normal. The Lu family has enough money to cover your losses, so don’t worry about it.”

Jiang Qiuyi: “…”

=^_^=

Author has something to say: Lu Mingcheng, the wealthy and powerful CEO: As long as my wife stops locking the door, I’m good.

Qiuyi: QAQ No promises