Hear this life

Further down is the basement, the layout and furnishings are similar to those upstairs, but it is much quieter than the first and second floors.

There was a room with its door open next to the corridor, but Lu Shicheng didn't go in. He just stood at the door and looked at Wen Tingli.

Wen Tingli followed and stood still, glancing at the room on her left and found that it was a billiard room.

"Mr. Lu, do you have something to talk to me about?"

Lu Shicheng's expression was calm, but Wen Tingli felt a chill on the back of her neck again. She just wanted to find an excuse to talk to Lu Shicheng, but she didn't think of really angering him. She hurriedly pretended to be suddenly enlightened. "Mr. Lu, are you asking about the dress? Look, last time I wanted to return the dress to you, you ignored me. That day when I met Mr. Kuang, I asked him again, but Mr. Kuang still didn't give me a definite answer. I can't bear to leave such an expensive dress there to gather dust."

As he spoke, he looked at Lu Shicheng's expression.

"It just so happened that Miss Duan Miaoqing, the queen of Golden Pictures, couldn't come to the auction because of a cold, so Sister Huang gave me Miss Duan's ticket. I thought since it was a charity auction, I might as well take this opportunity to donate those dresses. But after all, you bought the clothes with your own money, and I can't shamelessly use your money to earn a reputation for charity. That's why I specifically asked the clerk at the registration office to write your name. I also had good intentions. You're not angry about this, are you?"

These words sounded reasonable, but Lu Shicheng laughed again, this time with a hint of anger. Wen Tingli almost nailed the words "making trouble without reason" onto his forehead.

He held his breath and looked around, blaming him for not bringing even a single follower with him in order to save face for Wen Tingli. It was inconvenient to reason with her at this moment.

There was no paper or pen in the billiard room. He glanced at Wen Tingli and took out a fountain pen and banknotes from his suit pocket. Wen Tingli realized what Lu Shicheng was going to do and hurriedly pressed the banknote in his hand: "Are you going to write on this again? Don't you have a business card? Wouldn't it be better to write on the business card?"

Lu Shicheng took the banknote out of her hand without saying anything. Wen Tingli bit her lip and said, "Banknotes are for spending, not for writing. Here, this is for you. If Mr. Lu wants to teach me something, just write it down here."

She took out a small notebook from her handbag and handed it to Lu Shicheng with both hands.

Lu Shicheng was silent for a moment, then took the notebook from Wen Tingli.

As soon as he opened it, he saw lines of handwritten English homework on it. He patiently continued to flip through the pages.

"You can write here." Wen Tingli leaned over to help Lu Shicheng turn to the blank space at the back, and then returned to her original position. She cut this out of an unused account book in the store, and deliberately cut it very small so that she could hold it in her hand and memorize words when she took the tram.

He quickly returned the book to her, with a few more lines of writing written in a flamboyant style:

【Thanks to Miss Wen Tingli, now everyone in Shanghai knows that I have a quirk of collecting women's dresses.

I hope Miss Wen can say hello to Lu before doing this next time. 】

Wen Tingli looked guilty, lowered her head and stammered, "I did say hello to Mr. Lu in advance, but I don't have your phone number, and I can't contact Mr. Kuang. When I saw Mr. Lu at the door tonight, I wanted to discuss something with you, but there were too many people around you so I couldn't speak."

Lu Shicheng took the notebook back again.

[There won't be a next time. Miss Wen, I caused you to get hurt last time because of my personal reasons. I sincerely apologize to you for this matter. If Miss Wen has any other dissatisfaction, you can bring it up all at once, just like you did when Principal Michelle targeted you last time, but I don't want Miss Wen to do anything in the name of the Lu family next time. ]

After writing this paragraph, Lu Shicheng returned the notebook to Wen Tingli, without looking at her again, and walked past her towards the stairs. It seemed that he had finished what he wanted to say.

After taking two steps, I heard a very faint sobbing sound behind me. Turning back, I saw Wen Tingli holding a small notebook and crying sadly.

Tears were falling down her cheeks as she cried and said aggrievedly, "So Mr. Lu knew that I was almost expelled from school last time. He had the nerve to say 'if you are dissatisfied, you can ask'. Oh, Mr. Lu is just talking big! If I hadn't found a way out myself, I would have been kicked out of school long ago."

Lu Shicheng stood there motionless, staring at her. There was no disguise in Wen Tingli's crying, and she looked really sad.

"Who should I ask?" Wen Tingli sobbed. "Yes! Last time, I wanted to take the opportunity of receiving the award to make myself familiar to Mr. Lu, but I did so because I was afraid that Principal Michel would cause trouble for me again. But that day, I just discussed with Mr. Lu about returning the dress, and you refused to pay attention to me. It shows that you are afraid that I am hiding something evil! How dare I ask you for anything else? If I really ask you, I don't know what Mr. Lu thinks of me behind my back."

Lu Shicheng moved and retreated back to her side again.

Wen Tingli kept complaining, but she didn't want Lu Shicheng to see her in such a state of disgrace with her red nose and swollen eyes, so she quickly turned her head to the other side. Suddenly, her hands were empty, as Lu Shicheng had taken her notebook away again.

When the notebook was returned to her, there was an extra sentence on it.

When will you graduate?

Wen Tingli didn't understand what was going on. She looked at him warily with tears in her eyes and said, "I'll take the joint entrance exam at the end of August."

[Before graduation, if anyone at school gives you trouble again, you can call this number directly.]

He took out a thin card from his jacket pocket and handed it to Wen Tingli.

Wen Tingli's chest began to beat rapidly.

That was Kuang Zhilin’s business card—something that half of the businessmen in Shanghai’s industrial circles dreamed of!

However, in front of Lu Shicheng, the happier she was, the more she couldn't show it on her face, so she reluctantly took the business card and continued crying, but she didn't forget to hold the business card tightly in her hand.

Lu Shicheng thought she would stop crying this time, but unexpectedly her tears fell even harder. He could not help but turn his head away, and after a while, he pointed at the ground under Wen Tingli's feet. Although Wen Tingli was busy crying, she paid attention to Lu Shicheng's expression and behavior out of the corner of her eye. She lowered her head out of curiosity, but there was nothing under her feet. When she looked up again, Lu Shicheng had gone upstairs.

After thinking about it, Wen Tingli finally understood the meaning of the gesture.

【Miss Wen, please cry slowly here. 】

Wen Tingli looked in the direction where Lu Shicheng disappeared, laughed with tears in her eyes, raised the business card in her hand, and muttered softly, "I really hope I will never have the chance to find you, because I don't want to encounter any trouble again."

I don’t know whether Lu Shicheng heard what was said, but the footsteps soon faded away.

Wen Tingli wiped her tears with a handkerchief and went upstairs in a happy mood.

Anyway, the purpose of this trip was finally achieved.

The upstairs was still bustling, no, even busier than before. A group of uninvited guests came to the front door.

Cao Zhenyuan, the old leader of the White Dragon Gang, came uninvited.

Among the guests, half were busy stepping forward to say hello and show goodwill, while the other half were keeping away. Unless necessary, no one wanted to have anything to do with such a local tyrant.

Boss Cao did not come empty-handed. He actually brought a pair of antique vases to donate. This move was clearly an active gesture to the Lu family. If it were another family, they would have to accept this favor, whether they were willing or not.

But Kuang Zhilin, who was in charge of entertaining Boss Cao, just sat there and signed the check with a smile. He was willing to buy the vases on behalf of the Nanyang Business Alliance, but he refused to let Boss Cao join the alliance. Once the White Dragon Gang was accepted, at least half of the other old members of the alliance would quit.

Cao Zhenyuan was quite calm, holding his pipe and strode slowly in the hall. Wherever he went, the guests there would show some fear. Finally, Cao Zhenyuan stood in front of the French window, stroked his long white beard, and said in surprise: "Why don't you see Mr. Lu? I have something good that I would like to ask Mr. Lu to take a look at."

Kuang Zhilin smiled and said, "Kuang is also looking for our young master."

Wen Tingli squeezed into the crowd and watched all this. She heard the guests behind her whispering, "Look, Lu Shicheng doesn't buy into the White Dragon Gang at all. The Lu family's roots are in Southeast Asia, and the White Dragon Gang's methods are useless in front of the Lu family. I heard that the White Dragon Gang dreams of establishing a relationship with the Lu family to do some business, but they just regret that they don't have the means. In the end, the old gang leader had to lose face and come out in person."

At this time, a man came out from behind Cao Zhenyuan and whispered something to Boss Cao, as if he was trying to give him some advice. Wen Tingli's eyes tightened, Qiu Dapeng!
Qiu Dapeng has gained a lot of weight compared to before, with a sweet smile, slicked-back hair and powdered face. The suit he wears is obviously custom-made, and he stands out more than others in the crowd.

Judging from Gang Leader Cao's attitude towards him, Qiu Dapeng seems to have become a small leader of the White Dragon Gang.

Wen Tingli unconsciously clenched her fists. Qiu Dapeng turned his head and saw Wen Tingli in the crowd. Unexpectedly, he smiled at Wen Tingli. The smile was still restrained, but it made Wen Tingli's hair stand on end.

Soon, the director of the Nanyang Federation of Trade Unions came over to invite the guests to the garden to enjoy the show. Wen Tingli had no intention of staying any longer. Just as she was about to leave, the young man surnamed Wang came up to her again: "Miss Wen, are you leaving now? You haven't accepted my invitation yet."

Wen Tingli had no intention of dealing with this person at the moment, so she just lowered her head and walked out. The young man surnamed Wang was a little embarrassed: "Miss Wen, please tell me something. By the way, where did you go just now? I couldn't find you anywhere."

Someone asked, "Does it need to report to you where they went?"

At a glance, Qiao Baoxin was there holding Meng Qiguang's arm.

The young master surnamed Wang said angrily, "Mr. Meng, what does it have to do with you if I talk to Miss Wen? I want to talk to her, Miss Wen, and I haven't even asked where your father is working."

Wen Tingli and Meng Qiguang were about to speak at the same time, but someone interrupted them with a smile: "Miss Wen's father? Qiu knows him very well."

Wen Tingli's face darkened. People from the White Dragon Gang came over. Dozens of them rushed towards the center of the garden like a dark cloud. The night sky above seemed to darken a little.

"This is Miss Wen whom I told you about last time." Qiu Dapeng was busy clearing the way for Cao Zhenyuan, while looking at Wen Tingli with a smile.

Cao Zhenyuan narrowed his eyes and said, "What a clever little girl."

"Indeed, such a beautiful child is rare. No wonder my brat is always thinking about her." Qiu Dapeng sighed, "It's a pity that Miss Wen doesn't like Ling Yun."

Cao Zhenyuan was slightly surprised: "Even Ling Yun looks down on you?"

Qiu Dapeng smiled bitterly: "Miss Wen is very proud. Don't blame her, blame Ling Yun for not living up to her expectations."

Cao Zhenyuan shook his head kindly: "That was in the past. Recently, Ling Yun has also been learning to manage things in the gang. Both his knowledge and skills are no longer what they used to be. You can ask the girl for her opinion. Maybe she will agree again."

Qiu Dapeng smiled and said, "You are still a wise old man. Well, I will personally send this child home later. Tingli, there is a misunderstanding between you and Lingyun. Uncle Qiu can have a good chat with you on the way--"

Meng Qiguang interrupted Qiu Dapeng coldly: "Boss Cao——"

Cao Zhenyuan walked over to Meng Qiguang and patted his shoulder: "Qiguang, I haven't seen you for a long time."

As he was talking, several more people surrounded Wen Tingli. Qiao Baoxin felt a little helpless and tried to protect Wen Tingli behind him: "You - cousin."

Meng Qiguang was about to walk over here with a gloomy face, but Gang Leader Cao grabbed his shoulder tightly and said, "It's rare tonight is so lively. Sit down with an old man like me and reminisce about the past. Come, let's go over there."

Wen Tingli was instantly surrounded by a group of people and couldn't help but clench her fists.

But the more urgent the situation, the faster her mind worked. Suddenly, she saw Kuang Zhilin walking through the garden in front of her, and hurriedly said, "Mr. Kuang, didn't you just say that the school would send a car to take the students back to school? Where is the car?"

Kuang Zhilin was stunned.

Wen Tingli took the opportunity to push everyone aside and walked in front of Kuang Zhilin. Behind everyone's back, she secretly showed a corner of the business card in her hand to Kuang Zhilin.

"Mr. Kuang," she whispered, holding her breath, "please help me find someone to take me home."

Kuang Zhilin looked even more surprised. That was his business card. Apart from himself, only Lu Shicheng could pass his business card to other people.

When did Master Cheng——

He stared at Wen Tingli in doubt, then looked at the White Dragon Gang behind her who were eyeing her covetously. He hesitated for only a second before responding with a smile: "Yes, Shiwu has a school bus that can take Miss Wen home. I was just about to send someone to look for Miss Wen. Let's go, the bus is over there."

Wen Tingli breathed a sigh of relief and turned around to give Qiao Baoxin a comforting look. Qiao Baoxin was worried and hurried to Wen Tingli's ear and whispered a few words.

Wen Tingli nodded: "Well, I know, don't worry, I'm leaving."

Boss Cao and Qiu Dapeng looked at each other, but they didn't dare to act rashly in front of Kuang Zhilin. They could only watch Wen Tingli leave the garden.

(End of this chapter)