Chapter 29: Something to Be Happy About

The day after Lu Jinzhi returned was a weekend. Except for Lu Xuan, who had to go to the company, everyone else naturally didn’t get up early, unwilling to run into Lu Jinzhi.

In the past, they didn’t know what to say when they met, let alone now, after two years, when they had even less in common.

Qiao Wu didn’t wake Lu Jinzhi up either. He only planned to rest before Monday and had no intention of going to the company.

So, at the breakfast table, only Lu Xuan and she were present.

Qiao Wu took out a card and placed it in front of Lu Xuan.

The latter raised an eyebrow: “What’s this?”

“Aren’t you going to participate in a variety show next week?”

The manager would send Lu Xuan’s work schedule and itinerary to her email every day. Last night, Qiao Wu saw that he was recently going to another city to attend the Actor Training Camp, where the variety show would be recorded in a closed environment for a month. So, she left some money in this card for Lu Xuan to use in case of emergencies.

“There’s 100,000 in it,” Qiao Wu said. “Enough for your living expenses for a month.”

Recently, he had been eating and staying at home and hadn’t gone out to fool around, so he hadn’t received any money from his financial backer yet.

Unexpectedly, the first time, it was only 100,000.

“100,000?” Lu Xuan was incredulous. “What can 100,000 do?”

“100,000 is a year’s expenses for an ordinary family. What do you think it can do? You’ll be eating and staying with the program team, and your round-trip airfare will be reimbursed. You won’t need to spend much,” Qiao Wu said without even looking up. “Or do you think it’s too much?”

“…”

Lu Xuan quickly picked up the card.

100,000, thirty days, averaging over 3,000 a day…

His hand holding the card trembled slightly.

“Even worse than the male escorts outside.”

What nonsense.

Qiao Wu put down the spoon in her hand and asked softly, “How do you know how much the male escouts outside cost?”

“Many people hire…” Lu Xuan stopped halfway through his sentence.

He turned his head and saw Qiao Wu’s half-smiling expression. Suddenly, his feet felt cold, and he quickly added, “Of course, I haven’t. I’ve just heard about it.”

The entertainment industry is a big dye vat, with an invisible food chain. Although his status wasn’t at the top yet, his wealth had already reached that level. So, ever since he entered the entertainment industry, many people had tried to send people to him.

He paused slightly in his breath and said lazily, “None of them are as good-looking as me. Why would I spend money to hire someone to sleep with me?”

Although there were indeed some who came forward without asking for money.

But he wasn’t a rotten cucumber. His standards were very high, okay?

Qiao Wu raised an eyebrow: “So, as long as they’re good-looking?”

“Can ordinary people be as good-looking as me? Do you know the value of being the Face King in the entertainment industry?” Lu Xuan waved the card in his hand and clicked his tongue. “Someone like me, 100,000 isn’t even enough to meet me once. Only you.”

Realizing that his words could be misinterpreted, he frowned: “I’m not saying I’m a male escort.”

“Yeah, you said you’re looking for someone good-looking.”

Too lazy to continue this boring conversation, Qiao Wu wiped her hands and stood up: “I’m done eating.”

Seeing that she had really left, Lu Xuan sat there in a daze.

Was she angry?

Why? He hadn’t actually done anything like that!

He frowned for several seconds, then clenched the card and followed her out.

Seeing her sitting at the table talking to the maid, Lu Xuan walked over and leaned against the edge of the table: “100,000 is fine. I didn’t say I wouldn’t take it.”

Qiao Wu glanced at him, waved the maid away, and continued with her own business.

“Moreover, it’s not just about being good-looking,” Lu Xuan wanted to grab the other person’s attention, so he leaned forward slightly, unsure, “Are you angry?”

Qiao Wu sighed silently and looked up, “Why would I be angry?”

“Because…” Lu Xuan couldn’t articulate a reason; he just instinctively felt that Qiao Wu would dislike such things.

He thought for a moment, but his gaze inadvertently drifted into her light-colored eyes.

Suddenly, Lu Xuan found these eyes incredibly beautiful, more so than any he had seen in the entertainment industry, especially when they were solely focused on him, which made him happy.

His gaze shifted slightly, landing on Qiao Wu’s face.

He had never looked at her so closely and attentively before. When had she suddenly grown into an adult, and such a beautiful one at that?

At this moment, Lu Xuan wasn’t so sure anymore about how he would react if someone like her appeared before him.

Startled by his own thoughts, Lu Xuan averted his eyes and sat up straight, “How would I know?”

“You think I’m angry because you realize you’ve done something wrong,” Qiao Wu, unaware of his thoughts, said indifferently, “Asking me is pointless.”

“I didn’t do anything,” Lu Xuan frowned, “I’ve been very disciplined.”

“Then I hope you stay that way,” Qiao Wu propped her chin on her hand and looked towards the door, “You’re going to be late.”

Reluctantly, Lu Xuan stood up straight, but just as he was about to turn around, he hesitated and turned back, walking around to face Qiao Wu, leaning over the table with his hands on it, “I thought about it, closed training doesn’t cost much, just give me fifty thousand.”

Qiao Wu was somewhat surprised and couldn’t help but tease, “Wasn’t it a hundred thousand just to see you once?”

“That’s for others, fifty thousand is enough for you,” Lu Xuan threw the card in front of her, his peach blossom eyes slightly raised, “Not only can you see me, but I’ll also bring back first place. Does that satisfy the financial backer?”

No wonder he always called himself the Face King of the entertainment industry; he was indeed quite alluring.

But Qiao Wu didn’t go easy on him, “If you don’t bring back first place, next month’s allowance is twenty-five thousand.”

Lu Xuan: “…”

The Face King’s life had once again met its Waterloo.

However, it was clear that Qiao Wu wasn’t angry anymore. Lu Xuan pocketed the card with the remaining fifty thousand and, as he turned around, noticed someone standing by the elevator door, pausing slightly.

It had been two years since they last met, and Lu Jinzhi had grown even more detestable, dressing so provocatively even at home.

He put on his sunglasses, “So fond of eavesdropping on others’ conversations?”

Those who have nothing are fearless.

Lu Jinzhi couldn’t stop Qiao Wu’s card anyway.

Lu Jinzhi said calmly, “With a mouth like a loudspeaker, are you afraid of being heard?”

Not only was his appearance annoying, but his mouth was even more so.

“Someone who uses arsenic as lipstick has no right to criticize me.”

Lu Jinzhi chuckled, hinting, “Looks like you’re planning to walk out of the Lu Family’s gate today.”

Thinking of the cars in the garage, many of which were bought when he was underage, Lu Xuan’s expression changed, and he quickly walked out the door.

Qiao Wu didn’t get involved in the brothers’ conversation and only spoke up now, “Shall I have the kitchen prepare breakfast?”

“Yes,” although he said so, Lu Jinzhi remained seated.

The two had been so engrossed in their conversation that they didn’t even hear the elevator door open.

Or perhaps they were too focused on each other.

“Did you give him money?” he asked.

Qiao Wu didn’t deny it: “He never thought about keeping money on himself before.”

The card stopped too abruptly, or else he’d really be left to drink the northwest wind.

“So you spent fifty thousand and became his…” Lu Jinzhi didn’t quite understand the term, but he had heard it before, “Financial backer?”

It was a term used for those who kept mistresses.

If he hadn’t misheard, Lu Xuan had indeed been trying to please Qiao Wu earlier, even emphasizing his own chastity.

Fifty thousand…

“You’ve misunderstood,” Qiao Wu inexplicably felt that the other’s gaze had become somewhat inscrutable. “It was just a joke. I merely gave him a bit of living expenses and took the opportunity to restrain his behavior. You know how it is, he’s always been easy to coax.”

“No misunderstanding,” Lu Jinzhi said calmly. “Although he is indeed cheap, you wouldn’t be so indiscriminate.”

It was just that he hadn’t immediately realized that between the two of them, whose conversations had always been about snacks and toys, there would now be an ambiguous term.

Hearing this, Qiao Wu wasn’t sure whether to thank Lu Jinzhi for his trust in her or to feel sorry for Lu Xuan’s standing in his brother’s eyes.

“Does restraining his behavior require spending money?” Lu Jinzhi asked.

Qiao Wu thought of something and chuckled, “After all, in his eyes, I’m just an insignificant worker. My words carry no weight, so I had to exchange something for it.”

Back then, wasn’t it because she coaxed and tricked him that Lu Xuan was willing to come home?

“Insignificant?”

Lu Jinzhi repeated the word and also laughed.

“Good.”

Even a fool has his uses.

After Lu Jinzhi went to the dining room for breakfast, Qiao Wu made another round of the banquet venue.

The main residence of the Lu Residence was a private living area and wouldn’t be open to outsiders, so there was a dedicated banquet hall.

By the time she returned, Lu Jinzhi was no longer downstairs. Lu Yingchi, not wanting to see Lu Jinzhi, had the servants bring his breakfast to his room.

Only Lu Ning was still quiet.

Recently, Lu Ning had been the most regular with her schedule at home. Even on weekends without classes, she would get up to have breakfast before going back. Qiao Wu called her, but the call was instantly hung up.

What’s going on?

She carried the breakfast to Lu Ning’s floor and knocked on the door, “Lu Ning?”

There was no sound from inside.

The call being hung up instantly meant she was awake. Qiao Wu frowned, “If you don’t respond, I’ll worry. Should I call security?”

This time, there was finally a sound from inside. Lu Ning must have run to the door, “No!”

“What’s wrong?” Qiao Wu asked.

“Nothing, I’ll be down in a bit,” Lu Ning’s voice sounded off. “Don’t come in.”

“Do you need help?”

“No! Just go away!”

The child hadn’t been this reactive in a long time, so Qiao Wu didn’t push too hard, “I’ll leave the breakfast by the door. Remember to take it, along with the reward for reporting your Second Uncle.”

Lu Ning, who was crouching behind the door, waited several minutes after hearing no sound outside before gently opening the door.

Seeing a tray at the doorway, she opened the door a bit wider and lay on the carpet, hooking her fingers around the edge of the tray, slowly pulling it inside.

But the tray was a bit large, and she could only see the breakfast, not the so-called reward. So she had to stretch her head out a bit more, trying to find what she wanted.

Instead of the reward, she saw a pair of long legs.

Her body stiffened, and she followed the legs upward to see Qiao Wu leaning against the opposite wall, looking down at her.

She gently rested her arm, smiling as she watched her sneaky movements.

Qiao Wu breathed a sigh of relief. The fact that she was still thinking about the reward meant nothing serious had happened.

Lu Ning was startled and quickly crawled back, trying to close the door.

Qiao Wu didn’t stop her, leaning against the wall and speaking leisurely, “If you close it now, you won’t get the reward.”

“You’re lying to me,” Lu Ning hid behind the door, “There’s no reward.”

She had already seen the tray; there was nothing on it except breakfast.

“Weren’t you the one who lied to me first?” Qiao Wu stepped forward and crouched by the door, picking up the tray. “Liars don’t get rewards.”

Seeing that Lu Ning was still huddled behind the door but showed no intention of closing it, Qiao Wu asked softly, “Can I come in?”

“If I say no, will you not come in?” Lu Ning asked in a muffled voice.

“Probably not,” Qiao Wu answered honestly, “Because I’m worried about you.”

After that, there was no sound from behind the door.

Qiao Wu gently pushed the door forward, and Lu Ning didn’t resist, only moving aside slightly.

The door opened smoothly, but the room was pitch dark with the curtains tightly drawn. The lights were off, and only a few small Night Lights around the room faintly illuminated the outlines of people.

This room used to belong to Lu Ning’s parents. When she was born, they didn’t want to sleep separately because she was still young, so the room was gradually converted into a dual-purpose children’s room.

After her parents passed away, she continued to live here, but she was quite solitary and didn’t allow anyone into her room. As a result, the furnishings remained unchanged, and several Night Lights had broken without anyone fixing them.

Qiao Wu didn’t turn on the lights but placed the tray on the table, then turned to look at the small figure huddled behind the door.

Lu Ning had indeed developed late, and even now, she wasn’t very tall—a thin, small figure that looked particularly pitiful in such a large room.

The bed was a mess, cluttered and lumpy. Qiao Wu glanced over it and softened her voice, “Can you tell me what happened?”

“Nothing,” Lu Ning muttered.

“Then why were you crying?” Qiao Wu walked over and crouched in front of her, gently ruffling her hair. “Does it hurt?”

This sentence instantly brought Lu Ning back to when Qiao Wu had just returned to the country and visited her at school. Back then, Qiao Wu had looked at her wound and smiled, saying, “How could a wound not hurt?”

The tears she had been holding back for so long finally spilled over, unstoppable. She opened her mouth, gasping for air, trying not to cry too loudly.

Qiao Wu didn’t rush her. She leaned forward and hugged the child, slowly stroking the back of her head.

The darkness amplified Lu Ning’s tension and fear. She clung tightly to Qiao Wu’s clothes, crying for a while before finally sobbing, “I was bleeding… a lot of blood.”

“What?”

“I thought I was going to die,” Lu Ning buried her head. “I looked it up online, but there were all kinds of answers. I spent 4,000 yuan consulting a doctor online, and the doctor said it was my period.”

Because it was in a strange place, she didn’t want anyone to see or call the family doctor, so she had to look it up online.

Later, she searched for what a period was, but before she could finish reading, Qiao Wu arrived.

Qiao Wu: “…”

She was unusually stunned for a long time, feeling both absurd and heartbroken.

“And then?” she asked softly, “Why were you crying?”

“I don’t know,” Lu Ning wiped her eyes and pointed to the messy bed. “I wanted to wash the clothes and bedsheets first.”

But she had never washed clothes by herself, let alone bedsheets.

There were no laundry tools in the bathroom, so she didn’t know what to do and didn’t want to tell anyone about it.

“It’s okay, this is normal. It means you’re growing up,” Qiao Wu said gently. “I was the same as you.”

Lu Ning whispered, “The doctor already told me.”

The doctor she found for 4,000 yuan was quite reliable. He used a lot of professional terms, which made her understand amidst her confusion that she didn’t have cancer.

But she was still lost, not knowing what to do.

The only thing she could think of was to clean herself and wash the soiled items so no one would see them.

“I’ll wash them with you later,” Qiao Wu said. “Shall I turn on the light?”

Perhaps having someone to share her fears with made Lu Ning feel much calmer now, and she wasn’t as panicked anymore. She nodded.

Qiao Wu turned on the light, but not all of it, to leave Lu Ning with a sense of security.

When she turned back, she saw Lu Ning wrapped tightly in a towel around her lower body, her hair wet, clearly having just taken a shower.

The household was all male, and their relationship had always been strained. Now that she was grown up, she still didn’t realize these things, so naturally, no one would prepare these items for her.

Qiao Wu didn’t leave but called the maid to bring the necessary items.

The Lu Residence was quite far from the city center, so many things were stored in the warehouse for emergencies.

Hearing the maid coming upstairs, Lu Ning hid in the bathroom again.

Qiao Wu didn’t let the maid in but carried the items herself. She then noticed that Lu Ning had been struggling for a long time. Unable to find a basin, she had thrown all the bedsheets into the bathtub, leaving the bathroom in a mess.

Noticing her gaze, Lu Ning, hiding behind the door, whispered, “I haven’t had time to wash them yet.”

“It’s okay,” Qiao Wu opened the package in her hand. “Come, let me teach you how to use this first.”

Lu Ning had searched online, but she was too embarrassed to look and even more so to show Qiao Wu by undressing.

But she didn’t expect that the next second, Qiao Wu would actually take off her clothes in front of her.

Lu Ning’s eyes widened.

How… how could she do that!

“Don’t be afraid,” Qiao Wu chuckled, seeing her stunned. “Didn’t I say we’re the same?”

Shocked by Qiao Wu’s boldness, Lu Ning even forgot what she was worried about earlier and instinctively took a few steps forward. Her wrist was gently covered by that slightly cool hand.

“Sorry,” she heard Qiao Wu say.

Lu Ning’s mind was a bit hazy: “What?”

“I overlooked it.”

Qiao Wu had just returned not long ago, and her energy was divided into several parts every day, so she hadn’t noticed that a special child was going through a special period.

“Making you so scared all by yourself.”

Lu Ning lowered her head and blinked: “It’s not your fault. I didn’t study well.”

In the first year of middle school, they had a hygiene class, but the school environment was poor, and there was no separation between genders, so the teacher didn’t go into much detail. She wasn’t a diligent student and was annoyed by the chatter, so she didn’t hear what the teacher said.

The next ten minutes were the most difficult of Lu Ning’s life.

After cleaning herself thoroughly and putting on fresh clothes, the flush on her face still hadn’t subsided.

Qiao Wu, already fully dressed, stood before her again with an unchanged expression.

“Didn’t I tell you the truth?” Qiao Wu pinched her cheek, “It’s actually not something strange or difficult, and there’s no need to be afraid or shy.”

“…Mhm.”

Considering that the child hadn’t fully recovered yet, Qiao Wu indeed kept her promise and didn’t hand her clothes over to the servants for washing.

In fact, the servants working at the Lu Residence had undergone professional training. Each person’s clothes were handled by different individuals, and they were washed separately based on their level of privacy.

Moreover, the clothes of the family members were generally not cheap. Except for special fabrics, most of the washable clothes were hand-washed.

Even so, Qiao Wu had previously asked the servants to bring up a new basin and squatted in the bathroom to teach Lu Ning how to wash her personal clothes.

Lu Ning found this experience quite novel.

It wasn’t the act of washing clothes that felt new to her, but having someone accompany her to talk and step into her private space.

Watching Qiao Wu’s skilled movements, she couldn’t imagine that Qiao Wu had once been like her.

“Didn’t you grow up in the Lu Family too?” Lu Ning asked curiously, “I haven’t seen your mother, so who taught you?”

Although she hadn’t taken any health education classes, she had known since childhood that there were differences between boys and girls. It couldn’t have been the Old Butler who taught her, could it?

Of course not. By the time her body in this world entered puberty, her relationship with Qiao Zhiyi had already become very strained.

“Same as you,” Qiao Wu smiled, “I looked it up myself.”

Lu Ning nodded, “But you definitely wouldn’t cry.”

She admitted that Qiao Wu was indeed very capable.

Such a capable person would do everything well, remain calm, not be afraid or ashamed, and certainly wouldn’t cry helplessly on the carpet like she did.

“Why wouldn’t I?” Qiao Wu said softly, “I was a child back then too.”

She wasn’t always this capable. Before coming to this world, she had also learned how to grow up on her own, imitating others’ actions, and moving forward step by step, sometimes faltering.

When she was wronged, she wanted to cry. When she was hurt, she felt the pain.

She just didn’t tell anyone.

Perhaps it was just a bit more clarity about the future compared to Lu Ning, knowing what she wanted to do later, so she studied diligently, and thus wasn’t too frightened when encountering this matter.

She would still feel flustered, uneasy, and at a loss, clumsily trying to figure out how to handle it.

She smiled softly: “The first time I came here, I felt like I forgot how to walk.”

Lu Ning nodded in agreement: “Right? I felt the same way.”

“Mm, but it also makes me happy.”

“Why?”

Qiao Wu paused her movements for a second, then lowered her gaze and said, “Maybe because it means I’ve grown up, and growing up allows me to do more of what I want.”

It could comfort her into believing she was no longer a child, giving her the courage to take on more responsibilities, hardships, and the future.

Lu Ning muttered, “That’s why I said you’re better than me.”

She wouldn’t think so much about it anyway.

“It’s different.”

“How is it different?”

“Because there are many people around you who will help you.” Qiao Wu looked up. “I’ve told you, besides me, you have family—Uncle, Grandfather. If there’s anything you’re worried or scared about, you can tell them. They will definitely stand by your side; it’s your right.”

She added, “If there’s something happy, you can also try sharing it with them. They’ll be happy to listen.”

“You don’t have to struggle so hard.” Qiao Wu’s eyes softened with a gentle smile. “So next time, don’t cry alone in your room.”

If it were before, Lu Ning might have argued that her family wouldn’t stand by her side.

But recently, she wasn’t so sure anymore.

Because over this period, Lu Yingchi and the others hadn’t done anything to her?

Even with so many mistakes in her homework, she wasn’t scolded—just forced to eat a lot of walnuts.

So maybe Qiao Wu’s words could be trusted.

Lu Ning nodded, “Oh.”

Qiao Wu stayed with Lu Ning while she washed the clothes, then sat in front of the computer with her, going through all the little tips Lu Ning had searched for one by one. Finally, she decided to take the bedsheets and pillowcases downstairs for the maid to wash, as they were simply too big.

Before leaving, she said, “I’ll have someone replace the broken Night Light for you.”

Lu Ning was lying on the bed, adjusting to her new phase, and was momentarily stunned when she heard this. Only then did she remember that the Night Light in her room had been broken for a long time.

After Qiao Wu left, she quickly got up and opened all the curtains in the room, instantly filling the space with bright, comforting light.

Lu Ning dressed her doll in the Doll Clothes Qiao Wu had given her, hugged the doll, and ran around the spacious room before returning to the window.

She couldn’t help but bounce a couple of times.

Hehe!

Suddenly, she saw Lu Yingchi returning from the horse stables through the window. She immediately turned back to grab her schoolbag.

She was in such a good mood now, good enough to write two more test papers.

And since Qiao Wu said she could turn to her family, she immediately set off with her schoolbag. Today, she could reluctantly eat another bowl of walnuts that Lu Yingchi cracked for her.

Meanwhile, Lu Yingchi had only come downstairs after hearing that Lu Jinzhi wasn’t home. With nothing else to do, he had taken Princess for a stroll around the horse stables.

He had just walked into the main house with his hands in his pockets when he saw Lu Ning rushing out of the elevator, clutching her schoolbag.

As soon as she saw him, Lu Ning raised her hand high, her face beaming: “Lu Yingchi, I want to share something happy with you.”

Who wants to hear about your happy things?

I might be more willing to listen if you were unhappy.

But the words on his lips changed as he half-sat on the sofa: “Go on.”

Lu Ning walked up to him and said triumphantly, “I got my period today!”

Lu Yingchi: “…”