Hear this life
Chapter 30 Chapter 30
That night, Wen Tingli slept soundly.
When I woke up the next morning, I felt relaxed all over.
The final exams were over, and the leisurely summer vacation officially began. From now on, she didn't have to go to school or review her lessons. She just had to wait patiently for the scores to be announced. After breakfast that morning, she happily took Xiao Taozi to the park near the hospital to play for the whole morning. She also had a very leisurely time for the next few days.
But Wen Tingli still couldn't calm down. The Qiao family's cheating made the medical expenses fall on her shoulders like a mountain. The crew of Huang Yuanshan's "Southern Beauty" would not be ready until next month, and the salary would not be paid to her until after the filming was completed. As the saying goes, distant water cannot quench a nearby fire. Recently, the first thought in her mind when she woke up every day was to make money.
She originally didn't want to participate in the beauty pageant, but this time she didn't hesitate. One day, she saw in the newspaper that Xinxin Department Store and Yifeilin Department Store had put the competition back on the agenda, so she rushed to Xinxin Department Store to sign up.
However, Huang Yuanshan strongly opposed Wen Tingli's participation in the beauty pageant because he was afraid that it would conflict with the filming of a new drama.
"Sister Huang, this is not an ordinary competition." Wen Tingli piled up the recent newspapers in front of Huang Yuanshan. "The two people competing are Dong Qinfang, the daughter of an old department store, and the eldest son of the Gao family, who has just entered the department store industry. Now half of the people in the street are waiting to see the excitement of these two families. If I can stand out in this highly anticipated competition, it will definitely attract more people to pay attention to the movie I star in in the future. Isn't this easier than spending a lot of money on promotion in the future?"
Huang Yuanshan blinked. This did make some sense. Besides, she knew that Wen Tingli was busy making money right now. As she was preparing to shoot two movies at the same time and had invested a lot of money, she couldn't help much. After thinking for a long time, she couldn't think of a better reason to stop Wen Tingli, so she had to let her go.
After being busy for several days, Wen Tingli went to the telephone office to call Principal Zou and Li Chengying as soon as she got up on the weekend.
She had to return the franc to Principal Zou. In addition, if Li Chengying hadn't been behind the scenes, Huang Yuanshan wouldn't have thought of helping her connect with Shuguang Law Firm. Huang Yuanshan was able to find lawyer Liu Yaqiao so quickly that night, and Li Chengying's secret help was indispensable. For this, she had to thank Li Chengying in person. Moreover, she was also deeply concerned about Dean Deng's recent situation.
When the first call was made, Principal Zou was not at home. The school worker told Wen Tingli on the phone that the principal was busy entertaining an old friend from Tianjin and would not be back until after dinner.
Wen Tingli hurriedly contacted Li Chengying again, but a strange woman answered the phone. When she heard Wen Tingli speak, she said coldly: "I said I don't order milk, don't call me again!" Then she hung up the phone.
Wen Tingli was shocked. She sat in the telephone office for a moment, then hurried back to the ward to ask Head Nurse Liu about the situation.
Unexpectedly, Head Nurse Liu took sick leave early in the morning. Wen Tingli was very nervous, thinking that she must have encountered some emergency, otherwise both of them would not have been unable to contact each other.
She hurriedly called Shuguang Law Firm.
"Lawyer Bao is out of town on business and won't be back for a few days." Liu Yaqiao said on the phone, "Tingli, do you have any urgent business?"
Wen Tingli held the microphone in a daze. After all, she couldn't tell Liu Yaqiao the truth because she couldn't be sure whether she knew about Li Chengying's existence. She just smiled and said, "Nothing, I just want to ask Lawyer Bao about something about the contract. Sister Yaqiao, you go ahead."
After hanging up the phone, Wen Tingli felt more and more confused. She didn't feel this way before, but at this moment, because she couldn't contact Li Chengying, she felt for the first time like a kite with a broken string, swaying and unable to find direction.
Walking out of the telephone office, she looked at the street blankly. She must not go looking for Li Chengying now. If something happened there, doing so would only expose herself. All she could do now was to wait for them to contact her.
She stayed in the hospital with a heavy heart for the whole morning. After lunch, Zhao Qingluo and Yan Zhenzhen came to see her. They brought a lot of food to the Wen family and played with Xiao Taozi in the ward for a while. Seeing that it was still early, they suggested going out shopping and buying books.
This was the first date for the friends since the summer vacation. Wen Tingli happily agreed. Xiao Taozi pestered her sister to go, and the three of them took Xiao Taozi to take a ride to Hujiang University. There was not only a Daye Bookstore with a rich collection of books nearby, but also a coffee shop with delicious food.
It was already past four in the afternoon when they finished choosing books. They sat down in a coffee shop, eating snacks while looking out the window. Across the street was Hujiang University.
"I really hope the scores come out tomorrow." Zhao Qingluo let out a long sigh of relief. "I won't be picky. Whether it's Hujiang or St. John's, I'll go to whichever one is willing to admit me."
"Yes, yes, you are really not picky. You just open your mouth and say Hujiang St. John." Yan Zhenzhen was busy helping Xiao Taozi squeeze the soda. "Hey, Wen Tingli, what are you looking at?"
Wen Tingli was worried about Li Chengying. She flipped through the newspaper for a while and was glad that she didn't see any news about assassinations. Hearing this, she said absentmindedly, "Let me see if there are any job ads for hourly workers or tutors."
"You want to find a job? Isn't the beauty pageant about to start?"
"The prize money won't be distributed until the end of the competition. Besides, I can't guarantee that I'll win a place. My family's savings won't last long. I have to save some money for college tuition."
Zhao Qingluo was stunned: "Look at you, you are so stubborn even though you are in such a difficult situation. We wanted to lend you money, but you refused no matter what."
Suddenly someone laughed out loud and said, "Miss Wen, why are you doing this?"
When I looked up, I saw two well-dressed men and women walking in. The man was Gao Tingxin, the tall and handsome young man from Yifeilin Department Store, and the other was Gao Xiaowen.
"Last time at Lu Mansion, I strongly invited Miss Wen to participate in our Yifeilin beauty pageant, but Miss Wen refused. I thought Dong Qinfang had promised you a high price, but it seems that's not the case." Gao Tingxin sat down at the next table. "I have always been more straightforward than others. As long as Miss Wen is willing to come to Yifeilin to participate, I will pay you a large sum of money in advance. How about that?"
Gao Xiaowen sneered, "It was me who didn't let Wen Tingli report to your side. Sister Qinfang's 'Flower of Shanghai' competition not only advocates improving the status of women, but also promises to donate a large sum of money to charity after the competition. You are nothing like me, brother, who only cares about 'beauty' and 'beauty'. Besides, there are so many beautiful girls in Shanghai, why do you always keep staring at Wen Tingli?"
"How about her reputation as the 'beauty of the pragmatic girls' high school'?" Gao Tingxin glanced at his sister with disdain. "If a competition can recruit beauties from all the famous schools in Shanghai to participate, it will surely attract a large number of rich men to come and support. You don't understand men's minds."
"I don't understand." Gao Xiaowen smiled and winked at Wen Tingli and the others, "We don't bother to understand. I only know that in these two games, most of the female students went to Xinxin. This morning I saw on the news that the vanishing cream companies, dairy factories, and garment companies in Shanghai are all preparing to advertise in Xinxin. Brother, you've already lost before the battle even started."
Gao Tingxin was not annoyed. He just snorted and tapped his sister's forehead with a smile: "You are angry that father did not give you a share of Yifeilin's shares, and you just want your big brother to lose. Unfortunately, I already have a ready-made contestant. The new beauty alone is enough to overwhelm a lot of school beauties. The competition hasn't even started yet, so we'll see."
Everyone was just wondering who this "beauty" he was talking about was. Gao Tingxin suddenly seemed to have seen someone, and stood up and said, "Excuse me, ladies. This meal is on my table."
He took out a bill from his pocket, threw it on the table, and hurried out.
A group of people walked out of the gate of Hujiang University, and Wen Tingli spotted Lu Shicheng in the crowd. He seemed to be here to do something, and there were many elders around him.
Yan Zhenzhen asked in surprise: "What is Mr. Lu doing in Hujiang?"
"Don't you know? Hujiang is half of Lu Shicheng's alma mater." Gao Xiaowen met the surprised looks of several people, "Oh, even if you are deaf to the outside world, you should at least know the resume of the chief trustee. Lu Shicheng studied economics in Hujiang in his last year of college."
Wen Tingli drank her soda in silence. As students, they didn't dare to ask about the school directors' affairs.
"Each one is more timid than the other. If you want to know something, just ask me. I am fearless. As for why he came to Hujiang to study, I will tell you a story. When Lu Shicheng was four years old--"
That year, the Lu family had several guests, one of whom was a professor of economics at Nanyang University named Wu Xingyun. He was very famous in the local academic and financial circles. He had heard that Lu Shicheng was very smart and thought that the locals said so to flatter the Lu family. However, one time at the Lu family, little Lu Shicheng came to him with a small chessboard to play chess. At first, Wu Xingyun was perfunctory, but he didn't expect that Lu Shicheng played chess very well, and he almost lost the upper hand.
He thought Lu Shicheng was a promising talent and expressed his willingness to accept him as his disciple. This was a rare opportunity in the eyes of others. After all, Wu Xingyun's knowledge was what countless people dreamed of. However, Lu Shicheng shook his head and said, "No, no, no."
Mrs. Lu asked her son the reason. As soon as Lu Shicheng opened his mouth, all the guests laughed. It turned out that Lu Shicheng was still angry that Wu Xingyun looked down on him at the beginning.
"This was a very famous anecdote of the Lu family back then." Gao Xiaowen drank his coffee slowly. "If you ask around in Nanyang now, I guess there are still many people who remember it. It's a pity that Old Master Lu is not very close to the eldest branch of the family. On the day when Lu Shicheng became his apprentice, Old Master Lu did not show up, otherwise the scene would have been even more lively."
"Why not get close? Is it because of that Nanyang concubine?"
"That's one reason." Gao Xiaowen whispered, "Another reason is that Old Master Lu didn't like Lu Shicheng's mother very much. He felt that this eldest daughter-in-law was too strong-willed and restless. She had already married into the Lu family, but she was still thinking about returning to China to run a pharmaceutical factory. Later, the family of three was kidnapped in Grobaport, a Dutch colony. Old Master Lu also insisted that it was Mrs. Lu's insistence on visiting and learning at a foreign pharmaceutical factory in the Netherlands that caused this tragedy. He hated his eldest daughter-in-law so much that he almost refused to let her coffin be buried in the Lu family cemetery. Also, do you think Lu Shicheng is more handsome than most men? This is because he looks very much like his mother. It is said that when Old Master Lu sees his eldest grandson, he thinks of the daughter-in-law he hates, and the relationship between the grandfather and grandson is lukewarm."
No, that's not right. Wen Tingli secretly recalled what Aunt Liu said at the Lu Mansion that day. The instigation of Master Lu Er and Master Lu San must have been involved. After all, with the death of Master Lu, the only one in the eldest house who was qualified to seize the huge family fortune was Lu Shicheng. If Lu Shicheng had not become a "mute", it would be hard to say whether he could live to adulthood.
"After the accident, Professor Wu Xingyun often came to the Lu family to visit Lu Shicheng as a teacher. A few years later, he began to teach Lu Shicheng mathematics. All of his students were able to enter university in advance, and Lu Shicheng was no exception. At the age of fifteen, he was admitted to the Economics Department of Nanyang Public University. I heard that he was among the top students in the department. After three years of study, Lu Shicheng came to Shanghai for "some reasons". Wu Xingyun helped him contact his alma mater, Hujiang University, and Lu Shicheng transferred here to study. While studying, he was in charge of the business here. He officially graduated a year ago."
At last, Gao Xiaowen said slowly, "My eldest brother and his friends often joked that Lu Shicheng's ability to employ people was commendable - Wu Xingyun from Nanyang and Kuang Zhilin from Shanghai, both of whom were rare business geniuses. Kuang Zhilin was fine, as he was Mr. Lu's confidant during his lifetime. Wu Xingyun was recruited by Lu Shicheng himself. How old was he at the time? He could actually use such a genius to work for himself. Then it's no wonder that he was able to quietly take back the power of the Lu family two years ago - eh?"
She stared out the window in amazement. "Look, Lu Shicheng won't agree to have dinner with my eldest brother, right? No, no, I have to go out and listen to what they are talking about. You still remember that night at Cirrus when I said I wanted to start a perfume powder company. I have prepared all the paperwork, but I still need to attract some shareholders. You guys wait here for my good news."
"Wait, what exactly does your brother want to do with Mr. Lu?"
"It's because of the plan to open a new amusement park under the name of Yifeilin. He has already persuaded Meng Qiguang to invest, and tried to persuade Lu Shicheng to invest, but he failed because Lu Shicheng disagreed that he only had two shares. Strangely enough, the White Dragon Gang also seems to be very interested in the amusement park plan. A while ago, Gang Leader Cao suddenly approached my eldest brother and said he wanted to invest. In the past, when the White Dragon Gang intervened in other people's business, they always signed blank checks. This time, Gang Leader Cao took the initiative to bring a large box of cash. My eldest brother didn't want to get involved with the White Dragon Gang, so he refused to accept the money, but he was afraid that the White Dragon Gang would covet the remaining shares, so he hurried to lobby Lu Shicheng."
Wen Tingli's heart moved. When Qiu Lingyun brought people to Xianlesi to cause trouble that day, he claimed that their gang leader wanted to entertain a distinguished guest from Peking.
Could this distinguished guest from Peking be the investor this time? Who is this person, and why can he come up with so much money at once, and why is he so mysterious?
While speaking, Gao Xiaowen was already walking out in a hurry. Because she walked too fast, she accidentally bumped into an old lady who was entering the store.
It's strange to say, but the customers of Western-style coffee shops have always been mostly young people, and it's rare to see elderly people visiting. The old lady walked slowly with her head bent, as if she was looking for someone.
When passing by the table, Wen Tingli felt something touching her ankle. When she lowered her head, she saw an inconspicuous candy wrapper ball lying under her feet. Knowing something was wrong, she picked up the candy wrapper when no one was paying attention.
【3895-893, level.】
Wen Tingli's chest was beating wildly. "Ping" was Li Chengying's codeword. When she looked up again, the old lady had already turned around and left the store.
Wen Tingli looked around and saw that there was a phone call from the front desk asking Yan Zhenzhen and Zhao Qingluo to help look after Xiao Taozi. She got up and went to make the call.
I called and it went through: "Hello, this is——"
"Xiao Wen, don't say anything. Listen to me." That was Li Chengying's voice. "Master Lu San came to Shanghai. Two days ago, he and the White Dragon Gang sent someone to stab two of our companions."
Wen Tingli's heart suddenly jumped into her throat.
"The White Dragon Gang has always wanted to do business in Nanyang with the Lu family, but the Lu family strictly prohibits their own children from getting involved with gangs. Lu Kejian probably wants to regain the power of the Lu family, so he violated the ancestral teachings and joined forces with Cao Zhenyuan. If the two of them join forces, our situation will be extremely unfavorable. Right now, there is only one person who can break this situation, and that is Lu Shicheng. The game between Xinxin Department Store and Yifeilin is the best opportunity."
Wen Tingli resisted the urge to ask questions.
"Lu Shicheng knows his uncle's weaknesses better than anyone else. Instead of guarding against the White Dragon Gang and Lu Kejian day and night, we should use Lu Shicheng's hand to dismantle their alliance."
Next, Li Chengying told his plan.
Since Mr. Lu Sanye and Cao Zhenyuan have set their sights on the Gao family's business, they will certainly try to curry favor with Gao Tingxin by supporting Yi Feilin's competition. Gao Tingxin may not be willing to be bound by the White Dragon Gang, so he is in a hurry to find Lu Shicheng.
When Lu Shicheng learns that his third uncle is involved, he will definitely find a way to alienate Cao Zhenyuan and Lu Kejian. Cao Zhenyuan is a sinister and suspicious person. Once a rift arises, he will never wholeheartedly allow Third Master Lu to order him around.
In this way, the so-called "alliance" between the White Dragon Gang and Lu Sanye would naturally collapse, and Li Chengying could take the opportunity to arrange ambushes on both Lu Kejian and the White Dragon Gang.
The problem now is that Li Chengying cannot predict what Lu Shicheng will do. And based on Mr. Lu's past style, he will withdraw from Shanghai as soon as the plan fails. His forces are all in Beiping. Once he withdraws, it will be difficult for them to make plans. Therefore, Li Chengying has little time and opportunity...
After hearing the entire plan, Wen Tingli subconsciously turned her head to look at the figure across the street. She had understood: on this matter, her position was actually the same as Lu Shicheng's.
It's just that he is in the light and she is in the dark.
The common enemies of both sides are Mr. Lu San and the White Dragon Gang.
This made her feel less conflicted than last time.
Moreover, when Li Chengying came to find her, he didn't even dare to reveal his true identity. She guessed that she was either injured or had to use this method to get rid of the spies behind her.
But Li Chengying didn't say a word about his situation, which showed that he didn't want these things to influence her decision.
To this day, Wen Tingli has long understood why Dean Deng regards Li Chengying as his confidant, and also knows why even a well-known lawyer like Bao Yaming is willing to be Li Chengying's "subordinate". Li Chengying is not only extremely capable, but also has a broad mind that cares for others.
But such an outstanding successor is now facing the same dilemma as Dean Deng. Wen Tingli's heart tightened, and she said without hesitation: "Yes."
She held the microphone tightly, as if doing so would make Li Chengying feel her determination.
Li Chengying was silent for a long time. "There is one more thing you need to be alert to. According to his companions in Tianjin, Cao Zhenyuan suddenly went to Tianjin a few days ago. I guess he has some plans. Combined with the beauty pageant that Yifeilin has been promoting recently, you'd better pay more attention to the women who came from Tianjin recently. The White Dragon Gang has its own way of coercing people. Based on Cao Zhenyuan's past behavior, he is likely to send someone to approach Lu Shicheng."
"Are you saying that this woman will also participate in the beauty pageant?" Wen Tingli said in a low voice, covering the microphone.
"We haven't found out the specific situation yet. You can remind Lu Shicheng to be careful without exposing your position. Don't say more. If you have any questions, call this number..."
Wen Tingli returned to the table anxiously, and Gao Xiaowen came back wearing high heels.
"Lu Shicheng agreed to have dinner with my eldest brother, so I have to take this opportunity to recommend my perfume powder company. Do you want to join us?"
Wen Tingli said hurriedly, "Okay. I think Mr. Lu graduated from Hujiang University and is a well-known alumnus. If he is in a good mood later, I wonder if he can help us write a few letters of recommendation?"
Yan Zhenzhen was busy fighting with Xiao Taozi for a round chocolate ball. Upon hearing this, she slammed the table and said, "You're really smart! What if our scores are just barely enough to pass the entrance exam? A recommendation letter from a famous alumnus can more or less increase our impression points. I wonder if Mr. Lu is willing to help."
Several people went out excitedly. Gao Xiaowen pulled Wen Tingli and the others forward to greet them, "This is my classmate, Mr. Lu should have seen him."
Lu Shicheng looked at Wen Tingli for a long time without reacting.
He was wondering why he always met Wen Tingli.
Wen Tingli looked very happy: "What a coincidence, Mr. Lu, we meet again."
Lu Shicheng lowered his eyes and noticed that she was holding a little girl in her hand.
This child is no more than three years old, and looks like a little winter melon.
"Oh, I forgot to introduce you. This is my sister Xiao Taozi. Xiao Taozi, please say: Hello Mr. Lu, hello Mr. Gao." Wen Tingli said.
Xiao Taozi hid behind her sister, looking at Gao Tingxin with a wary face, then at Lu Shicheng. She probably thought Lu Shicheng looked friendlier, so she bowed to him politely: "Hello, Mr. Lu."
Gao Tingxin screamed: "Hey, little friend, why don't you call me? Do I have one less eye or one less ear than him?"
Everyone laughed.
Lu Shicheng squatted down, shook hands with Xiao Taozi solemnly, and then stood up again.
Xiao Taozi rarely met someone who greeted her like an adult, so she looked up at her sister excitedly and pointed at Lu Shicheng.
Wen Tingli smiled and pushed her sister's hand back: "Mr. Lu is very polite. We Xiao Taozi should also be polite to others. Come on, say hello to Mr. Gao."
"Hello, Mr. Dao." Xiao Taozi childishly pronounced "Gao" as "Dao", and the group of people laughed again.
"Since the ladies are interested in going together, let's set off now." Gao Tingxin said enthusiastically, "The place is not far away, it's at the Fuchun Hotel."
Suddenly he was stunned: "Xiao Wen, where is your car?"
"No, I came out in your car today."
"This..." Gao Ting was in trouble. Xiaowen brought three classmates in total, no, including Xiao Taozi, there were four ladies in total. One car could not hold so many people. He had to temporarily transfer a car from the car dealership, which might delay him for half an hour. Lu Shicheng was a distinguished guest he had invited with great difficulty, and he couldn't let him wait on the roadside for half an hour.
If you leave the two ladies on the roadside waiting for a taxi - the problem will be solved, but it would be too ungentlemanly.
Gao Xiaowen had been eager to make a move, and hurriedly grabbed Wen Tingli's hand: "Why don't we take Mr. Lu's car? I wonder if it will disturb Mr. Lu?" She asked Lu Shicheng in a reserved and ladylike tone.
Lu Shicheng was about to get on the car when he turned around and saw this scene and nodded without hesitation.
"I knew it. I've never met anyone more easy-going than Mr. Lu." Gao Xiaowen happily pulled Wen Tingli over to get in the car. Gao Tingxin knew at a glance what his sister and her classmates were planning. They just wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to be alone together to lobby Lu Shicheng to invest in her own powder company.
Wen Tingli was quite capable of creating opportunities for his sister. He stepped in front of her and said, "Hey, take my brother's car. I have something to tell you on the way."
He dragged Gao Xiaowen to his car without saying anything, and then came over to "invite" Wen Tingli by force. He didn't expect to see Xiao Taozi's hands full of chocolate sauce, so he immediately retracted his hands.
He had just bought that car, and its brand new apricot-white leather couldn't stand being rubbed like that by a child.
But he couldn't openly show his disgust, so he had to pretend that his targets were Yan Zhenzhen and Zhao Qingluo, and invited them to get in the car instead.
Wen Tingli tactfully stayed by the roadside: "Mr. Gao, you guys go first. Xiao Taozi and I will wait here for the car from the car rental company." As she spoke, she bent down and wiped her sister's hands with a handkerchief.
Seeing this, Lu Shicheng got out of the car, opened the door on this side, and motioned Wen Tingli to get in.
Wen Tingli waved her hands and said, "Thank you, Mr. Lu. We just need to wait a while. I'm afraid that the snacks on Xiao Taozi's body will dirty Mr. Lu's car."
After saying this, she deliberately waited for a while, but there was no response from Lu Shicheng for a long time. When she raised her eyes, she saw him looking at her calmly, with a hint of inquiry in his eyes. This was the first time that Lu Shicheng showed such an expression.
Wen Tingli's heart trembled. Just now, in order to avoid getting on Gao Tingxin's car, she deliberately crushed Xiao Taozi's chocolate candy balls, thinking that Lu Shicheng would never notice her little actions. But he clearly saw everything she did, but he did not expose her in public, but tried his best to maintain her face in front of others.
She bit her lip and lowered her head, but a smile appeared on her lips. When she looked up again, Lu Shicheng had returned to his usual indifferent expression, as if everything was just her illusion.
He looked at her seriously and pointed to the car dealership advertisement on the side of the road. If she didn't want to take his car, he could help her call a taxi.
Wen Tingli took Xiao Taozi into the car without hesitation: "Thank you, Mr. Lu."
Now it was Gao Tingxin's turn to feel embarrassed. Lu Shicheng seemed to be even more mysophobic than him and didn't care about these little things at all. He rubbed his hands and said, "Okay, now we can set off."
After getting in the car, Wen Tingli seemed to be busy helping Xiao Taozi tidy up, but her attention was all on Lu Shicheng in the front seat.
The first task that Li Chengying gave her was to "inadvertently" reveal to Lu Shicheng the news that Mr. Lu San had sneaked back to Shanghai. Mr. Lu San was clearly well prepared, and this time the White Dragon Gang helped him to conceal the truth. It seemed that they did it very successfully, and Lu Shicheng didn't seem to have heard anything at all.
In fact, if Li Chengying and his team had not planted spies in Beiping a month in advance, they would not have been able to learn about this incident by chance. The longer this news was kept secret, the more difficult it would be for them to use Lu Shicheng to deal with Mr. Lu Sanye, so someone had to "leak the news" to Lu Shicheng as soon as possible.
However, Lu Shicheng has always been very vigilant about his third uncle's affairs. How could he be considered "inadvertent"?
Occasionally, there were two sounds of shuffling papers coming from the front seat. The driver was driving while Lu Shicheng was flipping through a document. Wen Tingli sat up straight and took a look. It was the construction plan of the Yifeilin Amusement Park that Gao Tingxin had just handed to him.
She held up her chin with an unhappy look and looked at Lu Shicheng's profile.
He was watching so seriously that no matter how thick-skinned she was, she couldn't rashly interrupt him.
Unexpectedly, the sound of flipping the book attracted the attention of another person in the car. Xiao Taozi silently observed Lu Shicheng in the back seat for a while, raised her little face and asked: "Sister, Mr. Lu... is he going to college?"
Wen Tingli was delighted and hurriedly pretended to cover Xiao Taozi's mouth: "Mr. Lu doesn't need to take the college entrance examination, he has already graduated from college."
Xiao Taozi suddenly opened her eyes wide, turned her head and stared at the back of Lu Shicheng's head, and uttered a name with a puzzled look on her face: "Doctor Tang Sheng!"
Wen Tingli almost laughed her belly off. Xiao Taozi knew several college students whom she met at Ci Xin Hospital. For example, Dr. Thompson, whom she called "Tang Sheng", had just graduated the year before last. Xiao Taozi was probably wondering why Dr. Thompson looked so much older than Lu Shicheng when they were both college graduates.
She smiled softly and said, "They are in different disciplines. Dr. Thompson is a medical student, so he inevitably looks older, while Mr. Lu is studying economics. Besides, Mr. Lu went to college at the age of fifteen."
Lu Shicheng turned his head slightly, as if he was a little surprised that Wen Tingli knew his resume so well.
Wen Tingli said embarrassedly, "Mr. Lu, don't misunderstand me. I also accidentally heard several teachers from the school talking about Mr. Lu's resume at Xianles that night. I remember it was... a classmate was going to take the economics exam at Hujiang University, and happened to mention that Mr. Lu also graduated from Hujiang. Unfortunately, before they could say a few words, that guy named Qiu and a group of hooligans broke in and caused trouble."
She sighed angrily, "I get angry every time I talk about this. We finally invited Principal Zou to celebrate his birthday that night, but this group of people almost ruined the fun. Boss Zhu repeatedly said that someone had reserved the place, but Qiu Lingyun said that their boss Cao wanted to entertain some distinguished guest from Peking, so he kept barging in. But I know he was bragging, because when he heard that it was Mr. Lu who reserved the place, he left in disgrace. It shows that this so-called distinguished guest from Peking is completely fictitious."
As he spoke, he secretly observed Lu Shicheng's reaction. As expected, Lu Shicheng paid close attention to the word "Beiping" because the movement of turning the pages of the book stopped almost immediately.
At this point, Wen Tingli knew that if she continued to talk, it would seem deliberate, so she stopped talking at the right time. But at this time, Xiao Taozi suddenly said crisply: "Why don't you say anything?"
Wen Tingli's scalp exploded. Xiao Taozi pointed at her throat again and turned to ask her sister, "Does it hurt?"
Lu Shicheng turned his head and looked at Xiao Taozi, his face showing no anger. Wen Tingli was so scared that she tried to cover her sister's mouth, and this time she really did it.
Xiao Taozi had already taken something out of her front pocket and handed it to Lu Shicheng.
"Candy, Mrs. Zhou will feel better if she eats candy."
Wen Tingli looked closely and saw that it was the monk fruit candy she had bought for Xiao Taozi. A while ago, because Zhou Sao had a cold, she asked Dr. Thompson to help prescribe some western medicine. Zhou Sao took the medicine and soon recovered, but her throat was a little itchy from time to time. When head nurse Liu heard Zhou Sao clearing her throat during her rounds, she took out a bag of monk fruit candy for her.
Little Taozi thought that Mrs. Zhou’s cold was cured by eating the candy, so she also asked for some.
Wen Tingli asked Head Nurse Liu and found out that it was okay to eat the candy daily, so she took Xiao Taozi to the nearby Wuzhou Pharmacy to buy a box, but stipulated that Xiao Taozi could only eat one pill a day.
Although Wen Tingli covered her sister's mouth in time, she failed to stop her sister from stretching out her hand. A round brown candy rolled to Lu Shicheng's hand, then rolled to his septum, and was about to roll onto his trouser leg. Fortunately, Lu Shicheng grabbed it in time.
Wen Tingli couldn't take the candy from Lu Shicheng again, so she could only laugh and said, "Mr. Lu, please don't be offended. This is Luo Han Guo candy for soothing the throat. I usually eat peaches as candy. You can put it on my handkerchief, but be careful not to get your hands sticky."
She quickly lowered her head to warn her sister not to talk nonsense anymore, and at the same time took out her handkerchief to take the candy.
Lu Shicheng did not do as he was told, but he did not throw away the candy in front of the two sisters either. Instead, he took out a handkerchief from his pocket, wrapped the candy, and put it in his chest pocket.
Then he nodded solemnly to Xiao Taozi to express his gratitude.
Although Xiao Taozi's mouth was covered by her sister, she had been paying attention to Lu Shicheng's actions. Seeing this, she looked up at her sister and clapped her two little chubby hands happily.
Wen Tingli breathed a sigh of relief. At least, Lu Shicheng did not belittle Xiao Taozi's good intentions in front of her. At this moment, the car arrived in front of Fuchun Hotel. She smiled and said, "Xiao Taozi usually treats this candy as a treasure. She won't give it to anyone in the ward who wants it."
Lu Shicheng got out of the car and drove for the two sisters, then walked straight into the hotel. Wen Tingli thanked him and looked around, but did not see the Gao siblings' car. She was not familiar with the hotel, so she had to hold Xiao Taozi's hand and follow Lu Shicheng inside.
As they walked, he whispered to his sister, "This is a restaurant. Our Xiao Taozi is a lady. Please pay attention to etiquette when you eat."
Xiao Taozi said "hmm" expectantly.
"If you behave well tonight, I will take you to the amusement park in a few days."
"Be good, little Taozi. I'll go tomorrow!" Little Taozi refused.
Then I heard Tingli patiently explain in a low voice: "Sister is short of money recently. I will take you there as soon as I have money, okay?"
Lu Shicheng originally wanted to avoid these private conversations, but they kept drifting into his ears. Suddenly, there was no movement behind him for a while, and he turned around in confusion. It turned out that Xiao Taozi's shoelaces had come undone. Wen Tingli squatted down to help her sister tie her shoelaces. She was very patient with her sister and she didn't even notice a strand of curly hair falling on her cheek.
Looking at her this way, it turns out that she was smiling even when she wasn't talking, and she had a unique widow's peak on her forehead.
After tying her shoelaces, Wen Tingli stood up and tucked her hair behind her ears. When she looked up, she found Lu Shicheng standing in front of her. Although he seemed to be looking in another direction, he was obviously waiting for them.
Wen Tingli suddenly felt a little embarrassed, and hurriedly took Xiao Taozi over and said with a smile: "Are you waiting for us? Sorry to waste Mr. Lu's time."
Lu Shicheng continued walking forward in silence. Wen Tingli was about to speak awkwardly when she suddenly heard the voices of the Gao brothers and sisters.
"Look, sister. This is the beautiful Miss Zhu Zihe that I told you about today. Principal Zou, you know Miss Zhu?"
Wen Tingli followed Lu Shicheng's gaze and saw a girl in a pink dress standing on the steps.
At first sight, she could hardly take her eyes away. The girl's beauty was almost beyond description. Not to mention the men coming and going in the hotel who stared at her with their eyes wide open, even she, a girl, felt moved when she saw her.
"She is the daughter of one of my classmates. Her mother went to Tianjin to teach, while I stayed in Shanghai. My classmate has not been in good health in recent years, and Zihe has rarely come to Shanghai to accompany her mother." Principal Zou introduced enthusiastically, "Fortunately, Zihe has made her mother proud. She was admitted to Nanwang University and is now the deputy director of Tianjin Wei Art Museum. Recently, the museum was under renovation, so she came to Shanghai to play for a few days."
Tianjin!
"This is no coincidence." Gao Tingxin smiled, "One of Miss Zhu's classmates happens to be my friend. My friend saw me inviting people to participate in the competition, so he recommended Miss Zhu to me. Miss Zhu is a straightforward person and agreed on the spot. I have heard of Miss Zhu's name for a long time. She is good at poetry and painting. When she was studying, she was named the school belle of Nanwang University. Such a brilliant painter joining our Yifeilin competition will surely cause a sensation. Xiaowen, is Big Brother right? Miss Zhu alone is enough to surpass a bunch of school beauties in Shanghai."
Gao Xiaowen changed the subject in a muffled voice: "Hey, why haven't Wen Tingli and Mr. Lu arrived yet?"
Principal Zou noticed Wen Tingli and Lu Shicheng in the back and waved to Lu Shicheng, "Come here, this is Zhu Zihe, her mother was a classmate of your mother and I."
Zhu Zihe stood there very dignifiedly, lowered her eyelashes and smiled, saying, "I have met Mr. Lu."
Lu Shicheng looked at her in surprise. Zhu Zihe held Principal Zou's arm with regret on her face and said, "It seems that Mr. Lu doesn't remember me at all."
After hearing this, Lu Shicheng had to look at her carefully again. Principal Zou asked curiously, "Where have you and Shicheng met before?"
Over there, Gao Xiaowen drew a line in front of Wen Tingli's eyes: "What are you daydreaming about?"
Wen Tingli was indeed in a daze. The words "Tianjin" and "beauty pageant" had already captured all her attention. Could there be such a coincidence in the world? She stared at Zhu Zihe, unable to connect this dignified and beautiful young woman with the White Dragon Gang's spy, but the news from Li Chengying seemed to have never been wrong.
"Come to think of it, I have only met you once from a distance. No wonder Mr. Lu has no impression of you. Two years ago, you and I..." Zhu Zihe seemed to be adept at socializing and soon started talking.
Wen Tingli decisively went over to greet Principal Zou: "Hello, Principal."
Principal Zou held Wen Tingli's hand and said, "I was just about to ask you, did you call me this morning?"
"Well, I have something to return to you. Xiao Taozi, say hello to Principal Zou."
Just like that, Wen Tingli calmly interrupted Zhu Zihe's words. Zhu Zihe was not annoyed. She turned around and looked at Wen Tingli, and asked cheerfully, "Who is this?"
"The school belle of our school is Miss Wen Tingli." Gao Xiaowen said with a smile, "She was also the school belle of Xiude Girls' Middle School. Miss Zhu, don't be fooled by what my eldest brother said. You see, the school belle in Shanghai is not that bad."
Gao Tingxin was so angry that he laughed: "You really want the world to be in chaos! How should Miss Zhu answer this?"
Zhu Zihe said calmly, "I came here to join in the fun at the request of a friend. I would never take Mr. Gao's joke seriously. When I saw Miss Wen just now, I was so ashamed that I didn't dare to take the initiative to greet her. And Miss Gao, don't you know that you are also very beautiful? Which competition did you sign up for? These two beautiful girls are--"
Wen Tingli raised her eyebrows slightly. Everyone likes to hear flattery. Zhu Zihe was modest while praising her opponent. The key point was that her tone was so sincere that Gao Xiaowen's hostility was reduced a little.
No wonder Gao Tingxin is so confident about this competition. This Miss Zhu Zihe is not only beautiful in appearance, but also intelligent in heart.
When she spoke again, Gao Xiaowen's tone was indeed much kinder: "Her name is Yan Zhenzhen, this is Zhao Qingluo, she is my cousin. The four of us are all studying in Shishi. If Miss Zhu feels bored while in Shanghai, she can come and play with us. Have you and Principal Zou also booked a table here? Why not come together?"
Zhu Zihe answered while walking inside holding Principal Zou's arm. On the surface, she was talking to the girls, but she always kept a distance from Lu Shicheng.
Wen Tingli's heart was filled with alarm. She hoped that this Miss Zhu was not a spy sent by the White Dragon Gang, otherwise it would be difficult to deal with her.
When they sat down, Principal Zou took the main seat, Lu Shicheng sat on his right, and Principal Zou pulled Zhu Zihe to sit on the other side.
As a result, Wen Tingli and the others could only sit on the other side of the round table.
During the dinner, Zhu Zihe served Principal Zou as a junior, and Principal Zou also treated Zhu Zihe differently from others.
Perhaps because Lu Shicheng was so difficult to invite, the Gao siblings cherished the opportunity to have dinner together very much. Not long after they sat down, they rushed to lobby Lu Shicheng for their projects.
"I'm not bragging, but there are countless people who want to invest in the amusement park project. It goes without saying how good the land in Hongkou is, and the scale of the facilities is unprecedented... If Mr. Lu insists on taking a 40% stake, I'm afraid I'll be in a bit of a pickle... White Dragon Gang? That's right, they're also very interested, and they're taking cash."
There were papers and pens on the table. Lu Shicheng occasionally picked up the pen to ask a few questions. It seemed casual, but every time he asked, he hit Gao Tingxin's weak spot. After just a few rounds, Gao Tingxin was defeated. And it seemed that Wen Tingli's words in the car had worked. Not long after the start of the game, Lu Shicheng unnoticeably changed the topic to the White Dragon Gang.
"Where did Boss Cao get so much cash? Of course I found out everything. Half a month ago, Boss Cao went to Tianjin. The White Dragon Gang has shares in the Taolin Company and the Jiaer Milk Powder Factory in Tianjin. Most of this money was transferred from the accounts of these two companies."
Wen Tingli shook her head vigorously in her heart, no, no, no, these were all smoke screens released by the White Dragon Gang, the real manipulator behind the scenes was Master Lu San!
However, I don't know if Lu Shicheng believed this, he just lowered his eyes and thought about something. Wen Tingli couldn't help but secretly anxious, how can she bring the topic back to Beiping? I got it!
Perhaps because she was always staring at Lu Shicheng, someone on the opposite side glared at her twice.
"Ms. Wen, I heard that you are planning to make a movie? I wonder what role you are going to play?" Someone asked her with a smile. It was Zhu Zihe.
Wen Tingli winked at Zhu Zihe playfully: "Our director said that everything must be kept secret before filming begins, but I can reveal in advance that this is a script written by Ms. Yue Zhaoyun, a well-known playwright in Peking. The plot is definitely exciting enough."
She deliberately emphasized the word "Peking".
"The Moon Shining on the Clouds?" Zhu Zihe suddenly became interested. "That must be very exciting. When your film is officially released, I will definitely buy a few more tickets to show my support."
After these two sentences, Zhu Zihe diverted everyone's attention elsewhere and everyone started talking about movies.
Lu Shicheng was not so easy to deal with. He stopped asking questions about the amusement park and just sat there drinking tea. Gao Tingxin was not willing to give up. "What else is there to worry about, Mr. Lu? When Gang Leader Cao came to see me, he also brought a major shareholder of an underground bank in Peking. This person had received favors from Gang Leader Cao in the past and was one of the investors this time. However, the money from their bank came from an unknown source, so he didn't dare to make a big fuss after coming to Shanghai. I didn't mention it just now because I was afraid of causing trouble.
"Of course I'm sure of this! Mr. Lu should know that our Gao family started out as a bank. If you want to find out the ins and outs of a sum of money, no one is better than us."
It sounds like Mr. Lu Sanye's plan this time is flawless, and the people and money have all been arranged in advance.
I don't know whether Lu Shicheng dispelled his doubts at this point, or thought that he couldn't get anything out of Gao Tingxin, so he only asked about the details of the amusement park facilities and didn't ask anything else.
Wen Tingli was just standing there anxiously. When the banquet was over, Principal Zou said to Zhu Zihe, "Go and cancel the room you booked at the Aimee Hotel. You can stay at my place for the time being."
Zhu Zihe looked helpless as if she couldn't get over her elders. She smiled and said, "Okay, okay, I'll do as you say. But I have too much luggage, so I'll have to hire a car later."
She glanced at Lu Shicheng, and Principal Zou understood something and pointed behind Lu Shicheng: "Shicheng is driving, isn't he? Shicheng, would it be convenient for you to give us a ride?"
Zhu Zihe lowered her eyes and waited. Without hesitation, Lu Shicheng waved to his driver to drive the car over. However, as soon as the car stopped, he pointed at his watch to Principal Zou apologetically.
This is his habitual action, indicating that he has something else to do.
Principal Zou sighed regretfully: "You have been too busy these days. It is simply impossible for me to have a few private words with you."
Lu Shicheng just smiled. Principal Zou pulled Zhu Zihe into the car and said after they sat down, "Can you come to my house on Sunday? I have some plans for school development that I want to discuss with you in advance."
Lu Shicheng nodded. Principal Zou was satisfied. The driver had finished his phone call and came over to Lu Shicheng and said, "Butler Chen, send a car over right away."
Principal Zou suddenly remembered something and asked through the car window: "Xiao Wen, didn't you say you had something for me?"
Wen Tingli's mind was full of the fact that Zhu Zihe would be living permanently at Principal Zou's house. When she heard this, she lowered her head and searched in her school bag for a long time. The franc note was right next to her, but she pretended to be annoyed and said, "Oh no, I forgot to bring it when I went out this afternoon. How about I bring it to you later when you are free?"
Principal Zou smiled helplessly and said, "This kid."
Wen Tingli stood beside Lu Shicheng naturally, holding Xiao Taozi in her right hand, and waved and said, "Goodbye, Principal, and goodbye, Miss Zhu."
Zhu Zihe looked at Wen Tingli meaningfully, but could only wave goodbye to them in the car.
Gao Tingxin saw this from behind, and lazily put his arm on the car door, and whispered to his sister: "So Miss Wen likes Lu Shicheng?"
He smiled puzzledly and said, "Strange, how could someone as smart as Lu Shicheng not see through Miss Wen's little tricks and actually indulge her."
Gao Xiaowen put down the makeup mirror in her hand in confusion: "Ah? Who is pampering who?"
Gao Tingxin coughed twice and said in a loud voice: "Qingluo, ladies, I will take you back."
(End of this chapter)
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