Chapter 28: Lu Jinzhi is Here

Lu Jinzhi left quickly.

Only Lu Ning remained, sitting at the table, carefully putting her sticky notes back in place. She stared at her handwriting for a long time.

It’s not like it’s unreadable, why does he have to be so demanding?

And why did Lu Jinzhi suddenly decide to flip through her homework? Was it just to humiliate her? That despicable genius! She was just playing the fool to hide her wisdom!

During dinner, Lu Ning looked around and, noticing that Lu Jinzhi wasn’t there, immediately rushed to Qiao Wu: “I want to report something.”

Qiao Wu: “What is it?”

“Second Uncle Lu… he verbally attacked me today.”

So Lu Jinzhi had gone to the Repository of Books today?

Qiao Wu smiled and asked, “What did he attack you about?”

“He said what I wrote was worse than a chicken’s scribbles,” Lu Ning whispered, tattling.

Lu Yingchi: “That’s not really an attack.”

He was being somewhat sincere this time: “In Lu Jinzhi’s eyes, everyone except himself is not human.”

Because he had also been unabashedly called a stupid dog before.

So he could also call Lu Jinzhi a Monkey without any guilt.

“He’s back?” Lu Xuan frowned. “So where is he?”

Qiao Wu: “At the hospital. He’ll be back later.”

Everyone silently thought the same thing.

Later is good. It’d be best if he didn’t come back at all.

“So, is my report valid?” Lu Ning asked, unwilling to let it go.

Qiao Wu nodded: “I’ll talk to him.”

Meanwhile, at the hospital.

Lu Jiang was half-leaning on the hospital bed, having been staring at his second son for a long time. Since entering the room and greeting him, Lu Jinzhi had been flipping through documents without looking up.

He had always thought that two years ago, when the second son went abroad, it was because he was angry with him. That’s why their communication had been sparse over the past two years.

But when he asked the second son to return to the country, the latter agreed without hesitation. On the very first day back, he came to the hospital to see him. Even though he barely acknowledged him, it was still much better than the other two sons, who would drive him half-crazy within a minute of entering the room.

So, regarding the incident two years ago, Lu Jiang felt he could be the first to soften his stance. Thus, he broke the silence: “How’s it going?”

Lu Jinzhi didn’t stop flipping through the documents and replied indifferently, “Not great.”

Lu Jiang: “?”

Lu Jinzhi didn’t look up, so he didn’t see his father’s expression turn blank. He continued, “The facts prove that your decisions not only yielded low returns but also caused the group’s development to stagnate.”

Lu Jiang: “??”

Lu Jinzhi closed the file: “So, do you now know who was right?”

Lu Jiang: “???”

Lu Jiang’s expression completely cracked, his face darkening: “Did you come to the hospital just to say this?”

“Yes.”

Placing the file on the table, Lu Jinzhi calmly asked, “If there’s nothing else, I’ll be leaving.”

Lu Jiang felt his vision darken repeatedly. After two years apart, his son’s ability to infuriate him had only grown stronger.

“If you’re still mad at me, why did you come back?” he asked, clutching his chest.

“Mad?” Lu Jinzhi’s expression showed no trace of negativity. He smiled, “I was never mad. I just thought arguing with you was a waste of time and meaningless. Time would prove you wrong.”

Although unwilling to admit it, times are always changing. Lu Jiang knew that at his age, there were many things he couldn’t handle as well as he used to. Compared to his second son, some of his decisions were indeed flawed, but he didn’t approve of his second son’s impulsive behavior of leaving without a second thought.

“So you can just walk away like that? If it weren’t for this accident, you wouldn’t have come back?”

Lu Jinzhi: “It wasn’t an accident.”

Lu Jiang frowned: “Are you saying…”

Someone is plotting against me?

“You’re getting old, it’s inevitable,” Lu Jinzhi stated matter-of-factly. “So my original plan was to come back in about two years.”

Father wouldn’t change for anyone, so his plan was to wait until he was no longer able to argue before returning.

No matter how much the Lu Family’s business developed or declined, he could always save it, but Father’s mindset was harder to salvage than the company.

So his mind automatically made the best choice.

Now that the time had come, he naturally didn’t resist returning, and he wanted to prove to Father that his decision was the right one.

He raised an eyebrow: “Don’t you evaluate your own health during your regular check-ups?”

Lu Jiang: “…”

He grabbed Xie Yi beside him, tightly closing his eyes: “Call, call the doctor.”

Out of his three sons, two were eyeing his inheritance, and one was already calculating exactly when he would die.

What a sin, truly a sin!

Lu Jinzhi sat on the sofa the entire time, observing. His gaze swept over Lu Jiang’s hand clutching Xie Yi’s before he lightly withdrew it, stood up, and said, “I’m leaving.”

“Wait,” Lu Jiang frowned. “Have you seen Xiao Wu?”

Xiao Wu?

This somewhat affectionate nickname made Lu Jinzhi pay more attention to his father. As far as he knew, Lu Jiang didn’t like Qiao Wu in the past.

“Yes.”

Lu Jiang asked: “How is she?”

No matter how much he currently affirmed Qiao Wu’s work abilities, in the future, Qiao Wu would always be working alongside Lu Jinzhi. Lu Jiang didn’t want mistakes to happen from the very beginning.

To his surprise, his second son, who was usually confident and rarely hesitated about anything, remained silent for several seconds this time.

Lu Jiang couldn’t help but look up.

For a moment, Lu Jinzhi remembered the handwriting on the note in “Sophie’s World,” which hadn’t changed even after many years.

He hummed: “Not bad.”

This time, Lu Jiang was truly stunned.

It was the first time he had heard his son describe someone as “not bad.”

“Are you talking about her work abilities or…?”

Lu Jinzhi smiled: “Weren’t you asking about her?”

In work, no one is irreplaceable. As long as you have money, you can pick from all the talents in the world.

Only the uniqueness of the person themselves can be a condition worth comparing with others.

Clearly, Lu Jinzhi was very candid, completely unaware of the weight of his words.

Lu Jiang wanted to ask more, but the doctor, who had been called by Xie Yi, entered the room. Seeing Lu Jinzhi standing in the ward, the doctor’s tone shifted: “President Lu.”

Lu Jinzhi nodded. Only then did the doctor walk in and ask: “Old President Lu, where are you feeling unwell?”

As he reached the door of the ward, Lu Jinzhi glanced back and said indifferently: “It’s incurable, advanced stage of fastidiousness cancer.”

The doctor: “…”

He didn’t dare to say a word because every time the Lu Family had their regular check-ups, a complete report would be sent to Lu Jinzhi.

Lu Jiang was so angry he jumped up from the bed: “You unfilial son!”

Unfortunately, Lu Jinzhi didn’t give him the chance to vent his temper. Before closing the door without looking back, he left one final remark: “Don’t abuse medical resources.”

While chaos erupted inside the hospital room, Lu Jinzhi had already walked far away outside.

Apart from the medical report being his basis for assessing Lu Jiang’s health, the hospital report had also arrived the moment news of Lu Jiang’s illness reached his ears.

Admittedly, Lu Jiang’s illness this time was sudden, but it was merely due to overexertion during that period, compounded by long-standing psychological issues.

The reason he had stayed in the hospital for so many days was simply to find an excuse to force him to return to the country.

Lu Jinzhi couldn’t be bothered to play these roundabout games with him.

By the time he returned to the Lu Residence from the hospital, the night was already deep.

The moment he saw the gates of the Lu Residence, Lu Jinzhi finally felt a sense of fatigue. As soon as he entered, a servant approached him: “Second Young Master, would you like us to prepare something for you to eat?”

This was the routine question asked every time he returned. Although Lu Jinzhi was quite particular about what he consumed, his appetite wasn’t particularly strong. As long as he wasn’t hungry, he wouldn’t eat.

So, as usual, he declined: “No need.”

But this time, the servants didn’t leave. Instead, they continued, “Little Qiao Butler said that even if you don’t eat, you shouldn’t go on an empty stomach—it’s bad for your stomach. So the kitchen has been preparing something for you to have when you return.”

For some reason, Lu Jinzhi suddenly recalled one of the points from that “Traditional Overbearing President” document.

One of the common illnesses of an overbearing president: stomach problems.

It’s truly toxic.

Since he had returned quite late, he lowered his gaze when he heard the kitchen was still waiting for him: “Make it quick.”

The servant was slightly surprised because Little Qiao Butler had already instructed them to prepare some porridge first. If the Second Young Master didn’t specify what he wanted to eat, they were to serve porridge, as it wouldn’t be too filling and would be quick.

“Understood.”

When Lu Jinzhi arrived at the dining room, he noticed it had changed.

There was a portable TV and an ugly-looking robot.

“What’s this?” he asked.

“This is a toy Little Qiao Butler bought,” the servant replied. “It seems to require two people to play.”

Lu Jinzhi was surprised.

Could there actually be an activity in this household that required two people? He had always thought everyone in this family was a lone wolf.

As soon as he sat down, out of habit, the servant naturally turned on the portable TV.

The late-night Legal Channel greeted him with a double kill right from the start.

Lu Jinzhi, who already had little appetite, felt his eyelid twitch slightly: “You’re making me watch this while I eat?”

The servant hurriedly explained, “This was instructed by Little Qiao Butler. Third Young Master and the others have to watch it every day and even take notes.”

Lu Jinzhi: “?”

He suddenly remembered the two conspicuous behavior guidelines on the wall in the main hall. The third rule indeed stated something like that.

So those elementary school-level behavior guidelines applied to him as well?

“Where is she?” he asked.

“Little Qiao Butler?”

“Yes.”

“When we called her earlier to report your safe return, she was still in the Repository of Books. Should we call again to confirm?”

Lu Jinzhi raised an eyebrow: “Report my safety?”

“There’s a curfew at home. In principle, if someone hasn’t returned by the curfew time, they need to inform Little Qiao Butler in advance. We’re not sure why she asked us to report to her this time.”

“Do the others report themselves?”

“Presumably, but so far, Third Young Master, Fourth Young Master, and Young Miss have never returned after curfew.”

The kitchen quickly brought up the porridge that had been simmering for a while.

It looked decent in color. Lu Jinzhi picked up a spoon and tasted it, his phoenix eyes slightly narrowing. “What is this?”

“Green bean and lily porridge.”

Lu Jinzhi hummed in acknowledgment. He didn’t particularly like savory porridge, nor did he have a sweet tooth, but this bowl of porridge happened to suit his taste perfectly.

After finishing the bowl, he asked, “Did she have it prepared too?”

Though phrased as a question, he was already quite certain of the answer.

“Yes.”

Lu Jinzhi didn’t say anything more. After wiping his mouth, he stood up and left the dining room.

However, he wasn’t in a hurry to go upstairs. Instead, he once again headed to the Repository of Books.

To ensure silence inside, the doors here were sliding and soundless, and the floors were carpeted.

Just as Lu Ning hadn’t noticed him that afternoon, Qiao Wu in the Repository this time didn’t notice him either.

Qiao Wu was sitting on the wooden stairs on the second floor, her feet resting unevenly as she focused intently on the book in her hands. In the quiet space, the occasional sound of her turning the pages could be heard.

Lu Jinzhi leaned against the doorway, needing to tilt his head slightly to see her. However, the light from the hanging lamp was a bit too bright, making it difficult to see her face clearly.

In his limited memories, he rarely encountered Qiao Wu in the Repository of Books. Even when they did cross paths, the place was large enough that they each stayed in their own areas, quietly reading their own books.

As he had said, Qiao Wu had always been quiet.

But when she was younger, Qiao Wu had developed later and was always a bit shorter. Back then, she couldn’t even push the wooden ladder by herself, so she would occasionally come to him and softly ask if he could help her.

The children in the family, even Lu Xuan and Lu Yingchi, who were now in their rebellious phase, used to call him “Second Brother” when they were young.

Only Qiao Wu didn’t.

Lu Xuan was a year older than Qiao Wu. While he was still babbling “Second Brother” every day, which was annoying, Qiao Wu had just learned to speak and would call him “Lu Jinzhi” word by word.

Each syllable was clear.

Back then, he thought to himself that not all children’s voices were noisy and unpleasant.

He didn’t have a strong sense of respecting seniority; he simply followed his own preferences. If Qiao Wu calling him “Lu Jinzhi” sounded good, then she didn’t need to call him “brother” or “young master.”

So from the very beginning, Qiao Wu, who was five years younger than him, only called him “Lu Jinzhi.”

He was the exception in the Lu Family, the prodigy in everyone’s eyes. Even their strict Father would show him some favor. As he grew older, he became more aware of his uniqueness.

At the same time, he couldn’t understand why some people would praise him for being outstanding yet keep their distance, afraid of him.

Only Qiao Wu remained the same.

“Lu Jinzhi, could you please help me get that book?”

“Lu Jinzhi, could you please help me push this ladder?”

“Lu Jinzhi, I told Dad that you don’t like sweet things.”

“Lu Jinzhi…”

Until one day twelve years ago, when that person suddenly smiled and called him “Second Young Master.”

When Lu Jinzhi turned to look, he felt for a moment that the person before him was a stranger—so unfamiliar that he didn’t want to look at her again.

From that day on, his life gained another voice that he despised.

If he disliked it, then he would simply ignore it.

And that’s exactly what he did. He ignored many of Qiao Wu’s messages and attempts to please him. He never hesitated once he had weighed the pros and cons of a situation—except for the first time he received Qiao Wu’s inappropriate probing.

His rationality clearly told him that this person could not stay.

Yet he did not make a choice immediately.

Was it because he was considering the years of care from the Old Butler, or because of the name Lu Jinzhi that he hadn’t heard in so long?

He found himself with yet another unsolvable question about this person.

After waiting for a long time, when he had lost patience and could no longer find reasons to convince himself, he received a phone call.

The caller seemed lost in thought, remaining silent for a long time.

Then he heard the words, “Lu Jinzhi.”

Lu Jinzhi felt his mind was like a precise instrument, something he had always prided himself on. But at that moment, he didn’t immediately process all the information from that sentence.

Instead, he lingered on the first three words.

It wasn’t until his mental instrument sounded an alarm that he snapped back to reality and remembered the rest of the sentence.

She wanted to borrow the speedboat.

Then let her borrow it, he thought.

It was only after the sudden call had ended for a while that he remembered to patch up his mistake.

The second time he received a call.

For some reason, before answering, he asked again who it was.

The person on the other end still said, “Lu Jinzhi.”

Lu Jinzhi found it difficult to understand others’ emotions, just as he struggled to understand his own.

The number of times he could immediately detect a change in his own emotions was few and far between.

Once, he felt sadness—on the day he chose to take on the responsibilities of the Eldest Brother, watching Qiao Wu talk to others from afar.

Once, he felt joy—on the day Qiao Wu answered his call, saying he was Lu Jinzhi.

He had never particularly liked his name because the character “Jin” did not carry a good meaning.

But someone had made it sound pleasant, so he reluctantly accepted it.

Later, he worried that if he changed his name, no one would ever call him by it again.

“Lu Jinzhi?”

A soft call pulled Lu Jinzhi out of his memories. His gaze focused, but he still couldn’t clearly see the figure on the stairs. Yet, he couldn’t help but feel that this person overlapped with a small figure from his memory.

The Repository of Books housed 734,871 volumes, covering everything from astronomy to geography, science, ethics, and tales of gods and ghosts. Countless manuscripts and rare editions filled its shelves. Though he hadn’t read them all, he had read many.

Lu Jinzhi didn’t believe anything was impossible.

Just as someone could disappear for twelve years and suddenly return.

Why not?

He took a few steps forward, emerging from the dimness at the entrance, circling around the hanging lamp in the center, and finally got a clear view of the person on the wooden stairs.

“Hmm.”

As he spoke, he had already climbed the stairs.

Qiao Wu had been a bit busy lately, and only after finishing her tasks at night could she find some time to come here and continue reading. But today was a bit late, and her eyes were tired, so she took off her glasses, placed the book and pen on her lap, and planned to massage her eyes.

But as she looked down, she noticed someone standing at the entrance.

She didn’t know how long he had been there, silent and unnoticed.

“Not asleep yet?”

“You can assume I’m sleepwalking.”

“…”

No wonder Lu Ning had reported him.

Seeing that it was getting late, Qiao Wu didn’t continue reading. She stood up, returned the book to its place, and planned to come back another time.

Lu Jinzhi stood at the bottom of the wooden stairs. This time, he didn’t need to look up. As the other person raised their hand, the faint glimpse of their waistline unexpectedly caught his eye.

His eyelashes lowered.

The overlapping figure from earlier now separated completely.

The child could now push the wooden ladder on her own and reach the upper shelves by herself. She had grown up and no longer needed him.

“Lu Jinzhi, I’m coming down.”

Lu Jinzhi looked up and, before he could react, had already extended his hand.

Qiao Wu was momentarily stunned.

Realizing what he had done, Lu Jinzhi was also taken aback.

He quickly withdrew his hand and took a step back to give her space to descend the ladder.

“I saw it,” he said.

“Saw what?”

“Sophie’s boat.”

Qiao Wu chuckled as she pushed the ladder to the corner, saying, “So that’s why you personally attacked Lu Ning?”

Lu Jinzhi didn’t agree with the term “attack” and instead objectively stated, “I was merely correcting your mistaken evaluation of her.”

With Lu Ning’s level, not to mention at twenty-seven.

Even at two hundred and seventy, she could never catch up.

Qiao Wu retrieved her glasses from the ladder and put them on: “Not everyone is called Lu Jinzhi. Why not show a bit more tolerance for ordinary people?”

Lu Jinzhi, who had been told “at this age” in the afternoon, suddenly felt soothed by this remark.

He leaned against the bookshelf, this time having to lower his gaze slightly to meet her eyes. He liked looking at this spot because it revealed the person’s most genuine thoughts at that moment.

“I didn’t tear up her homework,” Lu Jinzhi felt he had done his utmost, “Isn’t that tolerant enough?”

Hearing this, Qiao Wu realized that Lu Jinzhi indeed had a bit more patience with Lu Ning.

If it had been the former Lu Yingchi and Lu Xuan, anything that displeased him usually wouldn’t last until the next day.

No wonder Lu Yingchi called him a Monkey; the shadow he cast was indeed significant.

“She’s quite afraid of you,” Qiao Wu said.

Lu Jinzhi commented indifferently, “Is that something to be proud of?”

Just standing there and being feared is quite useless.

Forget it, playing the emotional card with Lu Jinzhi was a mistake.

Qiao Wu changed to a more straightforward approach: “You remember that code of conduct, right? They all follow the rules on it now, so I don’t want it ruined because of you.”

Lu Jinzhi tilted his head and smiled, “So you had someone call you to report my safety?”

“Is it not allowed?” Qiao Wu retorted.

“You didn’t inform me when setting the rules, so why should I abide by them?”

“Therefore, I didn’t force you.”

Since Lu Jinzhi was unaware, she didn’t demand that he return or call before curfew; she only asked the servant to call her back.

Lu Jinzhi didn’t continue with the previous question but instead asked, “You’re still here so late, are you waiting for a call?”

Qiao Wu didn’t deny it.

It was Lu Jinzhi’s first day back in the country, and he had gone to the hospital. She was worried he might have some conflict with the Old Master.

Otherwise, no matter how much she loved reading, she wouldn’t have stayed up so late when she had to wake up early the next day.

“Why did you have the porridge prepared in advance? Are you sure I would eat it?”

The porridge’s softness wasn’t something that could be achieved quickly.

Lu Jinzhi was the type of person who wanted to understand things immediately when he had questions, so Qiao Wu didn’t plan to hide it from him.

“Because overtime requires overtime pay, and you didn’t give them overtime pay.”

On the scale unique to Lu Jinzhi, he had his own way of measuring things.

He had high standards, didn’t eat just anything, and didn’t like to waste time waiting. So, if he came home late and wanted to eat, he would have the kitchen prepare according to his requirements in advance and then separately pay the chef for overtime.

In his view, effort should be equal to reward.

Therefore, if he didn’t call in advance, and then was told the kitchen was waiting for him, he wouldn’t casually refuse.

At the very least, he would ensure that the time wasted by the other party was compensated.

As for whether to pay overtime after eating, that was his own way of measuring.

Just like how he treated Lu Yingchi and Lu Xuan so harshly because he felt they had previously annoyed him and consumed his emotions, so in return, he could bully them without guilt.

But Lu Ning wasn’t that annoying to him, so he really was a bit more tolerant towards her.

Although it was a bit underhanded, Qiao Wu indeed used his special habit to morally bind him to eat the porridge.

In Qiao Wu’s assumption, whether Lu Jinzhi ate the porridge or not, he should have gone to rest afterward. She didn’t expect him to appear here, so she wasn’t sure if he came to hold her accountable or for something else.

She asked, “So did you pay them later?”

Lu Jinzhi looked at her quietly for a few seconds, then suddenly smiled and answered off-topic, “Father asked me about you today.”

“What?”

“I said you were fine.”

Qiao Wu didn’t understand.

“I misjudged,” Lu Jinzhi continued, “You understand me better than I thought.”

Even more than himself.

“There’s another question.”

Qiao Wu was a bit unable to keep up with the genius’s train of thought and unconsciously looked up, “Hmm?”

Lu Jinzhi, who was leaning against the bookshelf, stood straight, leaned slightly forward to meet her gaze, and softly asked her, “Who am I?”

Qiao Wu: “Lu Jinzhi.”

“Mm,” Lu Jinzhi smiled, “Lu Jinzhi paid.”

Because the porridge was made to his liking, he paid the chef overtime.

“Next time you need to report safety, come directly to me,” he said.

“You agreed?”

This was simpler than Qiao Wu had imagined. She thought she would need to analyze the pros and cons with him and let his scale make the measurement.

“Why?” she asked.

“Because the Second Young Master is not within your rules,” Lu Jinzhi’s dark eyes filled with a faint smile, “but Lu Jinzhi is.”