Chapter 24: Second Update

The news of Lu Jinzhi’s return to the country had already spread far and wide, with media outlets even starting to report on it in advance. However, not everyone had received an invitation to the Lu Family’s banquet. As a result, many people were racking their brains to find alternative ways to crash the event.

Apart from Lu Jinzhi, the schedules of the other members of the Lu Family were almost entirely public, making it incredibly easy to “accidentally” run into them.

As Lu Yingchi walked to the parking lot after school, he noticed several cars gathered around his own.

Most college students lived on campus, and very few drove to school, let alone someone like Lu Yingchi, who never bothered to hide his identity as a young master.

Almost everyone at the university knew him, and it was easy to find out where he parked his car with just a simple inquiry. However, most people were sensible enough not to constantly hover around him.

As he approached, the cars flashed their lights at him several times and honked their horns.

Someone stuck their head out of a car window and called out, “Lu Shao, you’ve been hard to find lately!”

Lu Yingchi leaned against his car door and pointed at the car’s headlights. “Knock it off.”

Almost instantly, the lights of the other cars turned off, and everyone got out of their vehicles and walked toward him.

Lu Yingchi knew quite a few people, and while some, like Hu Zhuo, were trash, it had indeed been a long time since he had hung out with his friends.

In the past, he would feel restless if he didn’t go out drinking for even a single day. But now, after so much time had passed, he didn’t seem to feel any discomfort.

He glanced around at the group, not seeing any pixelated faces from the Legal Channel, and clicked his tongue. “Spit it out. I still have to go home.”

“What, do you have a curfew or something?” The man who had greeted him earlier laughed heartily. “Why the rush?”

Lu Yingchi replied, “I have to check Lu Ning’s homework.”

“?”

Everyone knew who Lu Ning was.

But Lu Yingchi, checking someone’s homework?

“If you’re joking, I’ll take it seriously.”

“You have one minute to waste my time.”

“Hey, hey!” The man immediately stopped him, slinging an arm over his shoulder. “No other meaning, really. I just heard that you had a falling out with that bastard Hu Zhuo on the Zero Loop Line last time. I’ve been wanting to ask you about it, but you haven’t been around for a while. I tried to invite you out, but you never came, so I had to come here to catch you.”

The mention of Hu Zhuo’s name made Lu Yingchi feel nauseous, and he said impatiently, “If you bring him up again, you can all leave.”

“Who wants to talk about him? That guy’s no good,” Guo Liyan said. “We just wanted to hang out with you. If you don’t want to go to the Zero Loop Line, how about just grabbing a meal?”

Most people in their circle didn’t think much of Hu Zhuo. He was a nouveau riche with no brains, flaunting his money and acting like he was something special. He played around without any boundaries, and his greed and scheming nature were impossible to hide. If it weren’t for the fact that he went to the same school as Lu Yingchi, he would never have been able to squeeze into this circle.

Now that Lu Yingchi had fallen out with Hu Zhuo, the others were more than happy about it.

But Lu Yingchi still didn’t agree. He pushed the man’s hand away. “Another day.”

Qiao Wu had said she wouldn’t interfere with his normal social life, as long as he kept his eyes open.

The main reason was that Lu Ning had homework due the next day, and he couldn’t back out at the last minute—that would be irresponsible.

“Still thinking about your niece?” Guo Liyan withdrew his hand. “Well, how about we go to your place? Your dad’s not home anyway, and I heard your golf course has been renovated. Let’s go check it out.”

Seeing Lu Yingchi about to refuse, he continued, “You’re on good terms with your niece now, right? We can hang out with her too. It’s just helping her with homework. We all have college degrees, and we can buy her some small gifts.”

Lu Yingchi didn’t like golf; he found it utterly boring, so he hadn’t paid any attention to the renovation.

But Guo Liyan did make a valid point.

He had many friends, but Lu Ning didn’t seem to have many. Since she transferred to a new school, she hadn’t mentioned anything about it. He wondered if she had anyone to play with.

She was already hard to manage. If not guided properly, would she end up with psychological issues?

Like Lu Jinzhi.

Lu Yingchi didn’t respond. Instead, he took out his phone and made a call.

Guo Liyan didn’t understand what he was doing, but then he heard Lu Yingchi say to the person on the other end, “Can I bring a few friends over to the house?”

Guo Liyan: “???”

Wasn’t Old President Lu in the hospital?

The person on the other end said something, and Lu Yingchi’s gaze suddenly turned sharp, scanning Guo Liyan and the others from head to toe.

“Do you guys usually watch the Legal Channel?” he asked.

Guo Liyan: “…”

“Is watching the Legal Channel a mandatory requirement to visit your house?” he asked uncertainly. “I haven’t watched it, but I can recite the Core Socialist Values.”

Lu Yingchi’s eyes instantly filled with approval: “He says he can recite the Core Socialist Values and that he wants to buy Lu Ning some gifts.”

“Six of them.”

After saying that, Lu Yingchi hung up the phone: “Get in the car.”

“Wait, is your dad home?” Guo Liyan asked, still unsure.

If Old President Lu was home, they couldn’t just show up casually. They’d have to dress more formally.

“No.”

“Then who were you just calling? Isn’t your brother still abroad?”

Lu Yingchi’s tone was completely matter-of-fact: “The Housekeeper.”

There was a collective intake of breath around them.

“Huh???”

You talk to the Housekeeper like that?

What do you mean, ‘Can I bring friends over?’ It’s your own house, man!

Under Lu Yingchi’s urging, everyone got into the car in a daze.

Someone walking behind Guo Liyan suddenly asked, “That Housekeeper Lu Yingchi mentioned, isn’t that the one Hu Zhuo tried to mess with last time?”

Since it happened on the Zero Loop Line, where many people liked to go for fun, their social circles overlapped. Even those who weren’t there that day had heard about it later.

Word spread quickly, and the incident became quite bizarre.

At first, it was said that an unfamiliar beauty had arrived in an off-road vehicle to run laps and had taken Hong Cheng away from the scene.

But people at the entrance of the club said the beauty had arrived with Lu Yingchi.

A disheveled Hong Cheng was dragged out of the car by Lu Yingchi and taken upstairs. Soon after, Hu Zhuo and Hong Cheng, both beaten black and blue, were dragged down by security, even alarming the club owner.

In the end, Lu Yingchi left with the beauty.

And that beauty, it was said, was the Housekeeper.

“Last time Lu Yingchi took people out on a yacht in Tsujima, it also caused quite a stir. They hadn’t even reached the shore before turning back midway,” the man said. “It was said that when they got off the yacht, Lu Yingchi was drenched in alcohol from head to toe. Who on that boat dared to touch Lu Yingchi? Only a beauty who chased after them in a speedboat. She boarded the yacht, and within minutes, Lu Yingchi got furious and broke up with Hu Zhuo. Then everyone returned.”

Guo Liyan raised his eyebrows: “There was such a thing?”

He only knew about the Zero Loop Line, not the yacht incident.

Everyone knew that Lu Yingchi played around a lot, but who had the guts to climb over his head?

“That housekeeper of his family is quite impressive,” Guo Liyan said sincerely.

He didn’t know much else, but anyone who could tame Lu Yingchi must have some serious skills.

“If that’s really the case, then let’s go and see,” the other man’s eyes lit up. “It’s the first time I’ve heard of such a housekeeper.”

Guo Liyan glanced at him: “What does it matter to you whether it’s true or not? That’s the Lu Family’s business. We all have our own purposes here today, Wang Ziming. Don’t be stupid and ruin my plans.”

The man named Wang Ziming pursed his lips, thinking to himself, why get so worked up over a housekeeper?

If you’re even afraid of a housekeeper, no wonder the Lu Family looks down on you.

As they spoke, Lu Yingchi drove over. Seeing the two still standing there, he asked irritably, “Where are we going?”

“Aren’t we going to your house?”

Lu Yingchi looked at him for a few seconds, then asked coldly, “Weren’t you supposed to buy a gift for Lu Ning?”

“Oh, oh, oh!” Guo Liyan had almost forgotten about that. Mainly because Lu Yingchi had always made it clear that he didn’t like the Lu Family, let alone buying gifts.

“I know there’s a mall near your school. By the way, what does she like?”

Lu Yingchi didn’t hesitate: “Brain supplements.”

Everyone: “…”

Realizing that his words might have been misunderstood, Lu Yingchi reluctantly tried to recall. He really didn’t know what Lu Ning liked.

But last time… didn’t she come downstairs holding a doll to mock him?

“Dolls,” he added.

So the group detoured to a nearby mall and bought a trunk full of dolls, making the shop owner’s face light up with joy.

Although they had known each other for many years, Guo Liyan had never been to the Lu Residence as Lu Yingchi’s friend.

In the past, Lu Yingchi only played outside and never mentioned a word about his family. Moreover, with the Old President Lu at home, no one dared to make a fuss, especially since there was also Lu Jinzhi earlier.

Guo Liyan had come with a mission this time. His brother wanted him to get an invitation from Lu Yingchi.

The Lu Family’s banquet this time wasn’t purely commercial, nor was it open to the media, so not just anyone could attend. It wasn’t just about having money.

Those who came were either large enterprises closely related to the Lu Family or friends with some official connections. These people were all from highly prestigious families.

Other ordinary enterprises didn’t have much of a chance, as they didn’t have any friendly relations, and even cooperation required begging and pleading.

If he could get the invitation, this trip could significantly boost his status in the circle.

Guo Liyan had always had little say in his family, mainly because his mother’s status wasn’t very honorable, and even his father and his half-brother looked at him with disdain.

His only use was that he was around the same age as Lu Yingchi, so they tried every means to arrange for him to get close to Lu Yingchi.

Because of this, he was forced to visit the Zero Loop Line several times, trying to blend in with their kind, but each time he returned dejected, unable to fit into that circle. This time, he didn’t know how it would turn out, but thankfully, it was just golf.

–

“Lu Yingchi’s friends want to buy me a gift?”

Lu Ning, who was still reading in the Repository of Books, couldn’t help but feel this was some kind of scheme.

She heard six people had come. Please don’t let it be six carts of walnuts.

Lu Yingchi was definitely capable of doing something like that.

“I’m not going out,” she buried her head in the books. “Let them play by themselves.”

Reading here was much more interesting.

It was quiet, and she had already picked out a few books Qiao Wu had recommended, planning to finish them when she had time.

Moreover, she had discovered something even more intriguing—reading the notes left by Qiao Wu and Lu Jinzhi.

She had never imagined there would be such an intersection between these two people. It was fascinating.

It was like discovering another mysterious fairy-tale castle within the pages of a book.

Lu Ning was more than ten years younger than Lu Jinzhi, and since she became sensible, she had hardly communicated with this Second Uncle.

In her eyes, Lu Jinzhi was like an unapproachable robot, inscrutable and unfathomable.

But for some reason, through these notes, she seemed to see a different side of both Lu Jinzhi and Qiao Wu.

Qiao Wu didn’t insist that she go out. After all, the people Lu Yingchi brought back could be good or bad, and whether she interacted with them or not didn’t matter much to Lu Ning.

“Then stay here and read. You can also finish your homework. Your uncle probably won’t be able to check it until later today. I’ll call you when it’s time for dinner.”

Lu Ning nodded, “Okay.”

The Lu Residence had its own security system. Without Qiao Wu’s permission, the guests’ cars were parked in the visitor parking lot. Lu Yingchi hadn’t thought to bring them inside either, so he parked his car outside and had the security guard drive the residence’s shuttle cart to bring in the gifts. He and the others walked in.

Mainly, everyone wanted to take a stroll and see just how big the Lu Residence was.

“Holy…” Wang Ziming’s jaw practically dropped. “You can’t get such a large plot of land for private construction these days, can you? How old is this residence?”

Lu Yingchi: “Not sure. I heard my grandfather lived here back in the day, and later the old man expanded it.”

Only you would dare to call your father “old man” so casually.

Guo Liyan: “What about your niece? Should we give her the gifts first?”

“She’s reading, apparently?” Lu Yingchi found the term quite novel. He hadn’t been inside the Repository of Books more than a few times himself. As a kid, he only went in there to look for Qiao Wu.

He wasn’t interested in those books, but since Lu Ning was there, he decided not to disturb her for now, lest she blame him later.

Besides, Lu Yingchi wasn’t keen on bringing outsiders into the Repository of Books.

That was Qiao Wu’s favorite place. She said it was quiet, and too many people would ruin the atmosphere.

Seeing that the group had wandered around enough, he waved for the security guard to bring the cart over. “Never mind her. Weren’t you all going to the golf course? Let’s go.”

The golf course was still some distance away, and walking would take too much time.

Once again, everyone couldn’t help but marvel at the family’s immense wealth.

As they made their way from the main gate, passing by the Lu Family’s Chinese-style garden, equestrian field, massive outdoor swimming pool, and the numerous buildings whose purposes were unclear, even the family’s shuttle vehicles bore the emblem of the Lu Group, symbolizing their family crest. It was then that everyone understood why their families had gone to such lengths to secure that invitation.

When the group arrived at the newly renovated golf course, they spotted several people standing in the distance, one of whom was particularly tall.

Since every area of the Lu Family estate was meticulously guarded, they initially assumed the tall figure was one of the family’s servants. However, as they drew closer, they realized something was amiss.

The tall woman stood slightly apart, tilting her head as she spoke to the people in front of her.

She wore a sleeveless Chinese-style blouse, a stunning jade bead necklace around her neck, and a black Horse Face Skirt. The sunlight glinted off the exquisite gold-thread embroidery, creating a dazzling effect.

Her height was accentuated by the high heels she wore, making her appear even more elegant and graceful. Her hair was tied up with a simple wooden hairpin, revealing her slender neck.

Just from her silhouette, everyone instinctively held their breath.

Hearing the approaching vehicles behind her, Qiao Wu temporarily paused her instructions to the servants and turned to greet the guests.

Finally, everyone got a clear look at her face, and they were all stunned.

Her face was more radiant than the jade she wore, more refined than the intricate embroidery on her skirt. Her smiling eyes behind her glasses seemed to contain all the brilliance in the world.

Lu Yingchi, highly perceptive, immediately noticed the change in the group’s demeanor. He glanced back and saw them all staring at Qiao Wu, dumbfounded, which irked him greatly.

He jumped out of the car and stepped in front of the group, blocking their view. “I’ll take it from here. What are you doing here?”

“Since you haven’t been here since the area was divided, I came to give some instructions,” Qiao Wu replied gently. “I’ll be done soon and head back.”

Lu Yingchi: “Oh.”

“Are you staying here to play? I’ll have someone bring you some fruits and snacks. Dinner will be served in the guest dining room tonight?”

The family’s dining room was different from the one used for guests.

Lu Yingchi thought to himself, *These people are already full just from looking at her. What’s the point of eating?*

No one’s allowed to eat. After a while, I’ll kick them all out!

“They’ve already eaten,” he said without batting an eye.

The group, who had just gotten out of the car: “???”

“No, we haven’t! What do you mean we’ve eaten?” Wang Ziming quickly stepped forward from the back. “We came straight to find you. What did we eat?”

Lu Yingchi shot him a fierce glare.

Qiao Wu chuckled softly and gently patted Lu Yingchi’s shoulder. “You should be more considerate when bringing friends over.”

She then turned to the others. “Do any of you have dietary restrictions?”

The group answered in unison: “No!”

“Alright, then I’ll excuse myself for now.” She raised an eyebrow at Lu Yingchi. “See you later.”

Qiao Wu got into her car and left.

The group immediately erupted into chatter, surrounding Lu Yingchi and bombarding him with questions: “Lu Yingchi, who was that? Who was that?”

Lu Yingchi didn’t want to answer and turned to walk toward the golf course. “None of your business. Are we playing or not?”

“That’s definitely the Housekeeper!” Wang Ziming grabbed Guo Liyan’s arm. “Who else could be such a beauty? Damn, Lu Yingchi, how do you get to have someone like that around? I’d let her pour me drinks—hell, I’d let her pickle me in alcohol!”

Guo Liyan, dizzy from being shaken, pulled his arm away. “Aren’t we here to play golf?”

What game? Wang Ziming never had any intention of playing a game when he came here, and now that he saw the Housekeeper, he had even less desire. His mind had already wandered off to who knows where.

Seeing that everyone had gone inside, he reluctantly followed them in.

Guo Liyan took a few steps but couldn’t help looking back. The woman from earlier was nowhere to be seen on the road.

He didn’t know how to describe it, but he felt that if Lu Yingchi was being managed by someone like her, he wouldn’t find it strange at all. It was said that she was just a Housekeeper, but when he stood in front of her and met her light-colored eyes, he didn’t even have the courage to speak.

They said they were going to play a game, but in reality, once they entered the court, no one’s mind was on the game. Everyone was distracted.

Lu Yingchi himself wasn’t fond of such things either. He quickly lost interest and leaned to the side, finding it less interesting than correcting Lu Ning’s homework.

Wang Ziming seized the opportunity to approach him: “Tired? Let’s take a break.”

“Have you even been here for twenty minutes and you’re already tired?” Guo Liyan said.

“I don’t have the same stamina as you guys. How about we go somewhere else?” Wang Ziming asked Lu Yingchi, “You have a wine cellar at your place, right? Let’s go have a drink.”

Usually, when they went out, they just drank. Although Lu Yingchi didn’t feel like drinking now, Qiao Wu had told him to entertain the guests properly.

Moreover, Qiao Wu never liked drinking, so he rarely went to the wine cellar.

Outside the wine cellar was a large living room with a huge curved bar and sofas arranged around it.

Normally, if they just wanted to have a drink with friends, they would stay here, avoiding the need to walk around too much.

Lu Yingchi thought it would be better to stay there, saving them from running around. He would just drink a little, so he led the group to the wine cellar.

He had someone bring out some wine and accompanied them for a while before putting down his glass.

Guo Liyan glanced at him: “Not drinking anymore?”

Lu Yingchi leaned back on the sofa and played cards with them: “I still have to check Lu Ning’s homework later. You guys drink as much as you want.”

It would be best if they got drunk, so they wouldn’t keep thinking about going out to eat.

Guo Liyan had heard him mention Lu Ning many times and felt that she must be very important to Lu Yingchi now, so he decided to cater to his interests: “How about we go check her homework first?”

Lu Yingchi waved his hand: “What kind of impression would it give if I left you guys here?”

Guo Liyan laughed: “Can’t we tell what’s more important? We can drink anytime, but kids should go to bed early. It wouldn’t be good to go over there reeking of alcohol later. Besides, I really want to see her too. I’ve already bought her a gift. What kind of person would I be if I stayed here drinking instead of playing with her as promised?”

Lu Yingchi paused for a moment.

“It’s too noisy with so many people,” he said.

“They might not all go,” Guo Liyan kicked Wang Ziming, “Are you guys staying here to drink or going to play with Lu Ning?”

Wang Ziming had no interest in playing with a little kid.

Moreover, the Lu brothers had always been at odds, and Lu Ning’s parents had passed away early. No matter how you looked at it, it wasn’t her place as a child to take charge of the Lu Family. It was Guo Liyan who had offered to accompany Lu Ning, not him, so he shook his head: “I won’t go. Just deliver the gift for me.”

The others also excused themselves, claiming they had drunk too much.

Seeing this, Lu Yingchi felt somewhat relieved. He put down his cards and stood up: “You guys keep drinking. We’ll be back soon.”

Guo Liyan also stood up and left with him.

As their figures disappeared, Wang Ziming sneered: “They’re really shameless, even going after a child.”

The person next to him chuckled and scolded: “And what kind of good person are you?”

Wang Ziming took a sip of his drink: “I never said I was a good person. By the way, did you see that housekeeper earlier? What’s her name? I want a housekeeper like that too. I’d come home every day.”

“Give it a rest. You’re not a Lu. Do you think they’d even look at you?”

“It’s all about money,” Wang Ziming said. “You think I can’t afford a housekeeper?”

But the Lu Family’s housekeeper seemed to be on a whole different level.

With no one to keep them in check, they drank without restraint, only remembering that Lu Yingchi had said to drink freely.

After some time, a few people came in with some items.

The servants placed some of the items on the table: “Little Qiao Butler sent some food over, worried that you might feel uncomfortable drinking on an empty stomach.”

The rest were taken to the bar. Some fruits might not be suitable if cut beforehand, so half of them were brought over to be prepared here.

With Lu Yingchi gone, the slightly tipsy group became bolder.

“Little Qiao Butler?” Wang Ziming sat down at the bar with his glass, watching the person cutting the fruit, and asked, “What’s your Little Qiao Butler’s name?”

“Qiao Wu.”

“Qiao Wu…” Wang Ziming chuckled to himself. “Do you know how much she earns a month?”

The servant was startled: “We don’t know that.”

“Then what exactly does she do?”

“A lot.”

Wang Ziming grew impatient: “Be specific.”

“We’re not too sure either.”

“You don’t know anything,” Wang Ziming snapped, frustrated at getting no answers. He glared at the servant, increasingly annoyed. “Why are all of you men? Can you even handle delicate tasks like cutting fruit properly?”

The servant looked at the fruit he had cut and didn’t see anything wrong.

Actually, there were other female servants in the house, but Little Qiao Butler had said that since the guests today were all men and were drinking, it was better not to have women around.

Now it seemed Little Qiao Butler’s concerns were justified.

“Please point out what’s wrong, and I’ll correct it,” the servant said calmly.

“Everything’s wrong,” Wang Ziming put his glass down. “Here’s what you do: call your Little Qiao Butler over to cut the fruit. I want to see how someone as skilled as her does it.”

Hearing the commotion, the others stood up and approached, laughing: “Do you have the money to make her do that?”

Provoked, Wang Ziming slammed a card on the bar: “Is a million enough to cut some fruit?”

The servant shook his head gently: “I’m sorry, but that won’t be possible. Our Little Qiao Butler doesn’t handle such trivial matters.”

Then, a hand quietly reached under the counter, ready to press the alarm at any moment.

“Was making a phone call too much for you?” Wang Ziming reached out and patted his face, lowering his voice to threaten, “Five thousand for a call, how long would that take you to earn?”

“Please don’t touch me.”

“You’re challenging me?” Wang Ziming was amused and grabbed his collar, “Don’t push your luck.”

The servant took a deep breath, about to follow Little Qiao Butler’s advice to press the alarm in case of trouble.

Before he could press it, the sound of high heels suddenly came from the doorway.

Everyone turned around.

The figure they had been worried about for two hours appeared at the door, her expression unclear under the warm-toned lighting.

Qiao Wu couldn’t get through to Lu Yingchi on the phone, so she came in person to check. She didn’t expect to stumble upon this scene. She slowly approached, her gaze fixed on Wang Ziming’s hand, “Let go.”

As she got closer, everyone realized how strong this woman’s presence was. Wang Ziming instinctively loosened his grip.

“Little Qiao Butler,” he flexed his fingers, his gaze blatantly fixed on Qiao Wu, “Sorry, I didn’t mean anything, just chatting with your servant. He’s not very cooperative.”

“What did he say?” Qiao Wu asked.

Wang Ziming: “He said…”

Qiao Wu glanced at him indifferently, “I wasn’t asking you.”

Wang Ziming’s alcohol-addled brain actually felt a surge of excitement at her gaze.

She’s really something, he thought.

The servant straightened his clothes and frowned, “He offered me fifty thousand to call you, and said he’d pay a million for you to cut fruit for him.”

Qiao Wu chuckled, “Is that so.”

“What’s your name?” she looked at Wang Ziming.

Wang Ziming quickly picked up the card and approached, “Miss Qiao, I’m Wang Ziming.”

Just as the card was about to touch Qiao Wu’s face, she suddenly stepped back.

Wang Ziming stumbled and almost fell, “What are you doing!”

Qiao Wu didn’t respond. Instead, she walked past them to the bar, picked up the largest watermelon knife, and gently ran her finger along the blade, her eyes slightly raised.

The move made the drunkards’ eyes widen.

The next second, the alarm sounded throughout the living room.

The wine cellar wasn’t far from the Repository of Books, so the sound was heard in the quiet room there.

Almost instantly, Lu Yingchi recognized where the sound was coming from. He cursed and rushed out.

Lu Ning, who was focused on her studies, was startled, “What’s happening?”

Guo Liyan also wanted to curse. He reassured Lu Ning, “It’s nothing, I’ll take you to find the security guards.”

“No, I want to go!”

What if someone drunk tried to break into her safe again?

These people aren’t Lu Xuan, how dare they!

Guo Liyan couldn’t stop her and had to follow anxiously.

Back in the wine cellar living room, the alarm made Wang Ziming panic, “What are you doing? Isn’t this about cutting fruit?”

“Cut.”

Seeing the security guards enter, Qiao Wu walked out with the knife, “Xiao Lin, bring out the fruit.”

The servant quickly carried the fruit out behind her.

The security guards were confused, “Little Qiao Butler?”

Qiao Wu hummed and walked to the sofa, instructing Xiao Lin to place the fruit on the table. She glanced at Wang Ziming casually and said to the guards, “Hold him down.”

The security guards didn’t care who this person was. Even the young masters of the household didn’t dare to raise their voices at Little Qiao Butler, so of course, they only listened to her. At her command, they immediately restrained Wang Ziming.

Before Wang Ziming could react, he was forcefully pressed onto the table by two security guards, his face against the cold surface. In his struggle, a wine glass was knocked to the floor, and the card in his hand fell as well.

By the time Lu Yingchi and Lu Ning rushed into the room, the grand living room had already fallen silent, except for Wang Ziming, who was pinned to the table and yelling.

Lu Yingchi was furious: “You’re causing trouble for me again, I’ll kill you.”

Qiao Wu stood with her back to him, but upon hearing his voice, she glanced sideways: “Stop.”

When Lu Yingchi saw the watermelon Saber in her hand, the memory of being threatened by Qiao Wu with a Saber instantly flashed before his eyes. He nearly jumped: “It wasn’t me! I didn’t drink much either, I went to check Lu Ning’s homework!”

Guo Liyan couldn’t help but find Lu Yingchi’s eager defense amusing, though he forced himself to hold back his laughter.

Seeing that the situation wasn’t as bad as he had feared, he relaxed slightly and stood protectively in front of Lu Ning.

“I know it wasn’t you,” Qiao Wu, standing at the center of the crowd, bent down to pick up the card from the floor. She twirled it between her fingers, a smile playing on her lips: “A million to cut some fruit? Young Master Wang, you’re truly generous. I won’t disappoint you.”

Lu Yingchi’s eyes widened: “What million?”

He grabbed a bottle of wine and was about to smash it over Wang Ziming’s head: “Wang, you bastard! Who do you think you are to insult her with a million? You think you can make her cut fruit for you? I’ve never even asked her to cut fruit for me! You like cutting, huh? I’ll cut your head off!”

Wang Ziming was so terrified his eyes nearly popped out: “No, no, no!”

“Bang!”

A loud noise interrupted Lu Yingchi’s advance.

Everyone’s eyes turned to Qiao Wu, who stood by the wooden table. The Saber she had been holding was now firmly embedded in the tabletop.

Wang Ziming, still pressed against the table, had gone completely numb in both face and heart when he saw the silver blade descend. He couldn’t make a sound, utterly stunned.

Where did she get such strength?!

Qiao Wu silently looked at Lu Yingchi.

Lu Yingchi was completely intimidated by the Saber. When he met Qiao Wu’s gaze, he swallowed hard and quietly stepped back, still clutching the wine bottle.

Qiao Wu withdrew her gaze, her slender fingers lightly tapping the Saber’s hilt. She ignored the others’ stares and smiled down at Wang Ziming.

“Tell me, which one do you want to eat?”