Chapter 14: Sent to the Wrong Person

Lu Yingchi felt like he was being driven to the brink of collapse by Qiao Wu’s constant back-and-forth. Hadn’t she just said she believed in him? Why was she still thinking about leaving?

He had already gotten into university—wasn’t that proof enough of his efforts?

By the time Qiao Wu returned from washing her hands, Lu Yingchi had already stormed upstairs with a dark expression.

“Where’s your uncle?” Qiao Wu asked.

Lu Ning, fiddling with her doll, replied confidently, “Probably realized how useless he is and went upstairs out of shame.”

Qiao Wu: “?”

Was today’s incident really that big of a blow to him?

“Don’t mind him. Accepting the truth about oneself takes time,” Lu Ning said with an innocent expression.

In any case, Qiao Wu wasn’t wrong—no one in the Lu Family was particularly impressive.

Including herself. Lu Ning was well aware of her own shortcomings.

So what? She was young and not the sharpest tool in the shed. Even washing dishes outside would result in breaking most of them, and the money she earned wouldn’t even be enough to buy Qiao Wu a new pair of glasses.

So she felt perfectly justified in lying low.

The less capable you are, the less responsibility you have.

At least she wasn’t crazy enough to try breaking into Grandfather’s safe.

“Qiao Wu,” she tugged at the doll’s little bowtie and called out awkwardly.

“Yes?”

“When am I transferring schools?”

Hearing this, Qiao Wu smiled. “Didn’t you say you felt sick all over just thinking about school? Why are you so eager today?”

Lu Ning’s face burned as she mumbled, “I was just asking casually, wondering when my good days would come to an end.”

Truthfully, she found it strange herself. In the past, just the thought of going to school, the monotonous studying, and facing classmates she didn’t like would make her feel physically repulsed.

But she couldn’t help recalling Qiao Wu’s words.

The world is so big—surely there’s someone out there who’d be willing to be her friend. What if she really did meet someone like that?

Qiao Wu didn’t call her out on it. “The school’s been arranged. I’ll take you there to register next Monday.”

“Oh.”

After getting her answer, Lu Ning fell silent but didn’t leave immediately.

Qiao Wu knew that in the past, Lu Ning would never have stayed in a public area for so long, let alone sat beside her for this long. She probably had something to say.

But not just Lu Ning—the entire Lu Family was like a bunch of tight-lipped gourds, each more stubborn than the last, nothing like the sincerity they had as children.

Though Qiao Wu had initially brought in a robot to cure them of this habit, by now everyone pretty much knew what the robot was for, and they weren’t so easily fooled anymore.

After some thought, Qiao Wu moved a little closer to Lu Ning.

The latter was startled and immediately turned her head, on guard. “What are you doing?”

“I have something to say to you.”

“Then say it. Why get so close?”

Lu Ning shifted her butt slightly, but the distance remained negligible.

Qiao Wu lowered her eyes and smiled, then stood up and moved to the farthest sofa in the living room. The room was already large, making the two of them seem worlds apart.

“Is this better?” Qiao Wu asked.

“…”

Lu Ning glared, thinking to herself, *Why are you being so obedient this time?*

Now she felt that Qiao Wu was too far away. Her voice sounded hollow and distant, making her uncomfortable. But once the words were out, there was no taking them back. After a long pause, she could only nod stiffly.

“From now on, I’ll keep my distance from you,” Qiao Wu continued.

Lu Ning bit her lip and stayed silent.

Qiao Wu: “That’s what you want, right?”

Feeling even more provoked and angry, Lu Ning suddenly realized that coming downstairs to find her at night was a mistake. She cooled her expression and said, “If you have something to say, just say it. I don’t have time to play the messenger game with you.”

“I’m not playing games with you; I’m being serious.”

The sudden shift to a serious and cold tone from the other side left Lu Ning momentarily stunned.

She instinctively looked up and saw Qiao Wu, who had been smiling warmly just moments ago, now leaning back on the sofa. The warmth in her eyes had faded, replaced by a distant, indifferent gaze, as if she were looking at a stranger—just like how she would look at the little bully at school.

Lu Ning suddenly felt at a loss.

She had seen Qiao Wu being ingratiating and flattering, and she had also seen her gentle and magnanimous side. But she had never seen Qiao Wu look at her with such eyes.

Even on the day when Qiao Wu had her bodyguards escort her to school, she had been smiling.

Though Lu Ning knew she shouldn’t feel this way, she couldn’t help but feel panicked.

“Now I’ll listen to whatever you say,” Qiao Wu said. “So, as long as you nod, I’ll keep my distance from now on, just like this. Do you want that?”

At that moment, Lu Ning suddenly became sharp and sensed something was off: “Are you trying to scare me?”

“Scare you?” Qiao Wu asked innocently. “Why would I be scaring you? I’m not a lie detector robot in a restaurant. I don’t know your true thoughts, so of course, I have to act based on what you say. What’s wrong with that?”

Lu Ning had no retort.

Qiao Wu’s gaze shifted downward, landing on the doll that was almost being torn apart. She sighed, “If I weren’t so smart, if I couldn’t guess that you like dolls, or that you’re being bullied at school, what would you do?”

“Putting me aside, if you go to a new school and meet someone you want to be friends with, will you also make them guess?”

Finally, she stood up and slowly walked over to Lu Ning. She bent down slightly, rescued the doll from Lu Ning’s hands, straightened its clothes, and handed it back. “So, I’m not trying to scare you. I’m just preparing you for what might happen in the future. You need to be mentally ready.”

So, she really was trying to scare her!

Lu Ning snatched her doll back and rubbed her eyes, which had turned red from being frightened.

Qiao Wu did feel a pang of heartache, but children needed guidance and education. She had to let Lu Ning know that not everyone would always stand by her side like she did.

Seeing that the child was genuinely upset, she softened her voice, “Do you have anything else to say to me now? If not, then goodnight? It’s time for you to rest.”

It was only then that Lu Ning realized that Qiao Wu’s words about “making an effort” had another layer of meaning, one that also applied to her, albeit in a different context.

Though she despised this tactic of slapping someone and then offering a sweet, she couldn’t help but fall into the trap, and she even ended up crying.

Just like Lu Xuan, it was utterly embarrassing.

The shame that spread from the soles of her feet made her stand up and walk straight to the elevator without looking back. Behind her, all she heard was Qiao Wu’s simple “Goodnight.”

Lu Ning paused in her steps, then turned around and marched back to stand in front of Qiao Wu.

Qiao Wu raised an eyebrow.

Lu Ning tilted her head up and declared with full force, “When I go to the new school, I’ll go to class on time every day by myself. But I want you to take me shopping on weekends! That’s an order!”

Without waiting for Qiao Wu’s response, she turned around and stormed off again, not even bothering to press the elevator button until the doors closed.

Qiao Wu was caught off guard by how adorable Lu Ning was and stood frozen for three seconds before she could react.

I never expected Lu Ning to grow up with such a personality, so adorable.

After returning to her room, Lu Ning quickly closed the door, thought for a moment, and then locked it from the inside. She then plopped down on the floor, patting her chest.

She held up her doll and proudly said, “That’s right, Lu Ning! You did great! You can’t let Qiao Wu think she has you under her thumb!”

Just as she finished speaking, a new message popped up on her phone. She glanced at the screen.

Qiao Wu: “As you wish.”

Lu Ning blinked, then suddenly buried her face in the doll’s belly, rubbing it vigorously.

Heh!

–

The next day was the weekend. Qiao Wu wasn’t so heartless as to make people get up at 6:30 on a weekend, so after arranging the day’s affairs at the main residence, she returned to the small villa.

The Lu Residence had many and varied tasks, but those miscellaneous chores didn’t require her personal attention. If there was nothing pressing, she would stroll around the estate to inspect things.

The morning was the perfect time for this, allowing her to combine her rounds with her morning exercise, killing two birds with one stone.

Moreover, Qiao Zhiyi had worked hard all his life and still couldn’t sleep in, always preferring to move around. She took this opportunity to walk with him, lest her father remain so distant from her.

Little did she know, when she arrived, both residents of the main house had gotten up on time without being called.

Lu Yingchi subtly scanned the area, not seeing the face he had grown accustomed to lately, and his heart tightened: “Where’s Qiao Wu?”

Could she really have run off, thinking him useless?

A servant replied, “Little Qiao Butler has gone on her rounds.”

Only then did Lu Yingchi sit down: “What’s there to inspect so early in the morning?”

Without the usual atmosphere, Lu Ning and Lu Yingchi found their appetites diminished as they looked at each other. So, Lu Yingchi picked a few of his favorite dishes and headed out with his plate.

Seeing this, Lu Ning quickly grabbed her plate and followed.

Lu Yingchi turned back and glared at her: “Why are you following me?”

Lu Ning: “I’m worried you’re scared.”

“…”

Lu Yingchi stopped and threatened ominously, “Are you done? Believe me, I’ll smash this plate on your head.”

“Someone still has my recording in their morning alarm playlist, how shameless!”

The two stared each other down, realizing neither could convince the other, and neither was willing to back down, so they simply stopped looking at each other.

Lu Ning didn’t actually want to follow Lu Yingchi, but she subconsciously felt he was going to look for Qiao Wu, so she had to keep an eye on him.

She didn’t trust Lu Yingchi; what if he really upset Qiao Wu to the point of resigning? Who would go shopping with her then?

One wanted to follow, the other didn’t want to be followed.

Lu Yingchi, with his long legs, walked swiftly, while Lu Ning, behind him, didn’t even have time to eat her breakfast, huffing and puffing as she tried to keep up.

So when Qiao Wu and her father arrived in their small electric cart, they saw a large and small figure, one after the other, in slippers, carrying plates, chasing each other down the path, faces red with exertion.

What kind of scene was this?

She stopped the cart: “What are you two doing?”

Lu Ning was the first to reach the cart and sit down, panting too hard to speak, only able to glare at Lu Yingchi with wide eyes.

The latter, seeing her discomfort, was quite pleased, smugly saying, “Who told you to follow me?”

Qiao Wu handed Lu Ning a tissue to wipe her sweat, saying helplessly, “She’s probably just bored at home and wanted to play with her uncle, right?”

Lu Ning hurriedly explained, “I didn’t! Cough, cough, cough!”

After such intense exercise, she couldn’t manage to get a complete sentence out.

For Lu Yingchi, the effect of these words was akin to being told there was a ghost in his room. He shivered, about to speak, when he saw Lu Ning, drenched in sweat and flushed, looking at him with a mix of shock and urgency.

Could she really want to play with him?

Just because of that one parent-teacher meeting fight? Do children develop attachments this quickly?

Although he loved to play, it wasn’t suitable for her!

On the verge of saying, “Who wants to play with her?” he swallowed the words, stepped into the car with his long legs, and glanced at Lu Ning. With a stern face, he said, “We have a generation gap, you know? Rounding up, it’s six years—two generation gaps. We can’t play together. Kids should play with kids. You’d better drop this idea.”

The more anxious Lu Ning became, the harder it was for her to speak. She frantically patted her chest, tears welling up in her eyes.

Slander! Absolute slander!

“Damn it!” Lu Yingchi was so startled by her frenzied state that he retreated to the farthest corner, shielding his chest with his arms. “Alright, calm down. I won’t blame you, just this once.”

Qiao Zhiyi, sitting in the front, found the scene quite peculiar.

Having been with the Lu Family for so many years, he had watched both children grow up, but he had never seen them so lively before.

He chuckled, “This is the first time I’ve seen the Young Master and Young Miss so happy.”

Qiao Wu: “…”

How deeply has Father been corrupted by those melodramatic novels?

Lu Yingchi and Lu Ning, who had finally found her voice, both bristled simultaneously, “What happiness?!”

Wasn’t this happiness?

At least it was better than being strangers under the same roof.

Seeing that she had teased them enough, Qiao Wu took a bottle of water from the car and handed it to Lu Ning. “So, what made you both so naturally get into my car? Do you even know where I’m going?”

The two of them froze, then turned their heads away, mumbling, “Just… wandering around.”

Seeing their guilty expressions, Qiao Wu could guess a bit.

In the vast household, they couldn’t find a sense of security or belonging, so they had always muddled through life. Now, perhaps they had found some of that in her, and instinctively wanted to cling tightly.

Well, let them be.

She shifted her attention back to work, chatting with her father, “Dad, let’s continue.”

She had come with her father to understand the details of every corner. After all, the “her” of the past had spent meaningless time on the young masters and misses, and wasn’t too clear about household matters.

Qiao Zhiyi nodded, his gaze distant. “The golf course maintenance was delayed this winter due to the Old Master’s hospitalization. His intention is to separate the private and commercial areas. You’ll oversee the division.”

The troublemakers in the family were no easy bunch. Lu Jiang worried that they might disrupt business discussions, so he decided to renovate and allocate a separate area for them to play in.

Qiao Wu nodded.

“There’s a list I left for you earlier, containing people whose access to the household can be controlled. You have the authority to turn them away. Your job is different from mine, so you’ll need to weigh the pros and cons of some collaborations in advance and give the Old Master a rough answer…”

Lu Jiang was a businessman with selfish interests. In the past, he hadn’t had the time or energy to care for the children, so the household’s focus had been handed over to Qiao Zhiyi. Later, seeing how each child relied on Qiao Wu, and how intelligent and precocious she was, he naturally decided to cultivate her.

No one would feel more at ease than someone who has watched a child grow up with their own eyes.

Thinking that merely being an ordinary housekeeper would be a waste of her talent, he had once suggested to Qiao Zhiyi that she receive the same education as the other children, giving her the vision and capability to assist the future leader of the Lu family, not just as a housekeeper.

If she wasn’t willing, it didn’t matter. The family had no shortage of money or resources to raise one more child. It could be seen as a reward for Qiao Wu accompanying the children and a way to ensure Qiao Zhiyi’s unwavering loyalty.

It was a win-win situation.

Now that Qiao Wu had taken over as housekeeper, as Lu Jiang had wished, her responsibilities naturally exceeded those of Qiao Zhiyi.

He was just a housekeeper, while she was to become the right-hand man of the future leader.

As Qiao Wu and Qiao Zhiyi chatted in front, Lu Yingchi and Lu Ning, sitting in the back, were like chickens with their necks wrung, not making a sound while eating breakfast.

When was the golf course renovated? What cooperation was being considered? What about domestic and international matters?

Lu Yingchi grabbed his hair in frustration, realizing he knew nothing about these things.

At 6:30 in the morning, when they were grumbling about having to wake up so early for school, Qiao Wu had already been up and taken care of all the household matters, full of energy.

Wait, this was all because Qiao Wu had indulged them before!

What happened to us being worthless sons of rich families together? Now she’s secretly working hard behind my back and ends up blaming me for not being ambitious?!

Does she have two faces or something?

Lu Yingchi was fuming.

“By the way,” Qiao Zhiyi asked after finishing the main topics, “has the Second Young Master been in contact with you?”

At the mention of Lu Jinzhi, Qiao Wu felt a chill run down her spine.

She thought to herself that in the plot, Lu Jinzhi had endured such news for so long, and now he was supposed to contact her?

“No,” she shook her head.

“You know about the Old Master’s health,” Qiao Zhiyi said. “There was a conflict between father and son before, which is why the Second Young Master went abroad to develop his career. Now that things are stable there, the domestic group can’t be without a leader for too long, so he should be returning soon. You’ll need to help him with some matters.”

Before Qiao Wu could react, the two in the back almost jumped up: “Lu Jinzhi is coming back?!”

Qiao Zhiyi smiled kindly, “Yes, it’s been so long. I’m sure you two must miss him.”

Lu Yingchi: “?”

Lu Ning: “…”

Isn’t this scarier than a ghost?

In this household, Lu Yingchi dared to openly team up with Lu Xuan to break into the Old Man’s safe, but he had never once stepped foot into Lu Jinzhi’s room.

After all, the Old Man would argue with you and lose his temper, but Lu Jinzhi never would. If he could act, he would never waste words.

There were two oddballs in the family: one was Qiao Wu, who was unnaturally intelligent from a young age; the other was Lu Jinzhi, who had an exceptionally high IQ and a ruthless approach to everything.

When the Eldest Brother passed away, Lu Yingchi was only six years old. He would have nightmares about ghosts and would often cry while holding his little niece. Lu Xuan also became withdrawn and stopped communicating with others.

But Lu Jinzhi, who was not even 14 at the time, seemed to grow up overnight. Skipping grades was like child’s play to him, and he followed the Old Man with a calm and composed demeanor, handling everything with ease.

Lu Jinzhi had never been beaten by the Old Man.

Every time Lu Yingchi and Lu Xuan were being thrashed by the Old Man, jumping around in pain, even if blood splattered on him, Lu Jinzhi would remain unfazed, simply moving to another spot and continuing with his work.

From then on, Lu Yingchi felt that this person was inscrutable, terrifying, and heartless.

After all, people in business tend to have dirty hearts.

So, Lu Jinzhi’s heart was probably as black as dripping ink.

As for Lu Ning, she didn’t have a deep impression of this uncle since she hadn’t seen him much.

But she just didn’t dare to call Lu Jinzhi by his full name. Every time he looked at her, it felt like being scanned by a machine, making her nervous. Hearing that Second Uncle was once a genius who skipped grades, she was even more afraid to show off in front of him.

Lu Yingchi had a look on his face as if he had swallowed a fly: “Is he also going to live at home?”

Lu Jinzhi probably didn’t have any worries about grades, right?

Wouldn’t it be more convenient for him, a workaholic, to live in the penthouse above the company?

“Not yet asked.” Qiao Wu didn’t want to be the only one feeling awkward, so she said maliciously, “If you’re so curious, I’ll let you know first thing.”

“Duck no need.” Lu Yingchi clicked his tongue, “Suddenly, passing the final exam doesn’t seem so difficult.”

Lu Ning also fell silent for a moment and asked, “Does my new school have boarding students?”

If it were true, she would also like to apply and just come to Qiao Wu for shopping on weekends.

Qiao Wu dismissed her idea: “No, but it’s close to home, so you can sleep in an extra ten minutes.”

Lu Ning was still young, and the past had affected her too much. Qiao Wu was very worried about her and needed to keep an eye on her, so she couldn’t let her go to boarding school.

Seeing everyone with a cloud of worry over their heads, Qiao Wu suddenly felt relaxed.

After all, it wasn’t her who sent the message, so what did it matter!

After sending the dejected Lu Yingchi and Lu Ning back, she mentally prepared herself, opened WeChat, and then calmly deleted all those unsightly messages one by one, giving herself some psychological comfort.

Out of sight, out of mind.

This way, she could completely say goodbye to the past without any psychological burden.

She wasn’t afraid of Lu Jinzhi. After all, when Lu Xuan tried to stuff her into his backpack to take her to the big class, it was always Lu Jinzhi who pulled her out.

At that time, Lu Ning hadn’t been born yet, and she was the only girl in the family. Worried that she might cry, Lu Jinzhi would even snatch Lu Xuan’s snacks and toys to give to her.

Qiao Wu could understand the changes in Lu Jinzhi later on.

With the eldest brother down and Father no longer as young as before, the teenage Lu Jinzhi had to learn to grow up quickly to shield his younger brother and toddling niece from worry, providing them with shelter from the storm.

Compared to others who had turned bad under “her” deliberate guidance, Lu Jinzhi was the only exception.

He stood alone at a height too great, with an unnaturally strong ability to learn. At a young age, he had navigated among various people, observing and learning from so many hearts. Over time, he had internalized much, and once that line broke, he would be beyond redemption.

Many overbearing presidents are like this—crazy, dark, and stubborn.

Too traditional.

So at that time, Qiao Wu thought to herself that if she had the chance, she would also like to do something for this family, to help them escape the fate written in the plot.

When it came to deleting the “bed-climbing” message, Qiao Wu hesitated. Lu Jinzhi was not like those naive and simple-minded people; he wouldn’t be easily fooled. Fortunately, there was only one such message about bed-climbing; the others had been sent to different people by “her.”

So Qiao Wu buried herself in typing on her computer for a while, finally producing a document.

She opened the chat box with Lu Jinzhi and began editing.

–

Lu Jinzhi had actually been waiting for quite some time.

He couldn’t figure out why Qiao Wu had changed recently, just as he couldn’t understand why she had suddenly changed before.

But the old Qiao Wu had been foolishly transparent, and he couldn’t be bothered to guess. The current one, however, was worth observing.

He was waiting for an explanation.

An explanation for why, after sending those messages, she still dared to come to him for help so blatantly, yet completely ignored him, diligently hovering around Lu Yingchi and the others.

But ever since that day’s phone call, when he deliberately led her to see those messages, she hadn’t responded at all.

He was losing patience.

But now, he had finally received it.

Seeing the familiar name with a red dot appear again, he clicked in.

Skipping the two files at the end, he first read the green text box.

Qiao Wu: “Sorry, things were urgent and busy before, and I forgot to reply. I need to explain something.”

Qiao Wu: “‘I don’t need a title…’ That was sent by mistake. I was drunk at the time, and sending it to you was not my intention.”

Lu Jinzhi meticulously scanned every word, his dark eyes showing a hint of confusion for the first time.

It wasn’t because of those two feeble excuses, but rather the two files he had initially ignored.

Qiao Wu: “These are what I meant to send you. Attachments: ‘Dog-Blood Rich Family Anti-Pitfalls Guide,’ ‘How Traditional Overbearing Presidents Are Phased Out’—Build a healthy wealthy family, enjoy a prosperous life.”

Having reviewed countless contracts full of traps and played mind games with innumerable businessmen, Lu Jinzhi felt for the first time that he was suffering from a form of text recognition disorder.

Otherwise, how could he not understand?