Hear this life

Suddenly, she heard Mrs. Zhou opening the door and coming back, and Wen Tingli immediately jumped up from the bed like a spring.

"Mr. Lu is gone?"

"Ah."

Wen Tingli walked over to help Mrs. Zhou put away the lanterns and asked boldly, "What did Mr. Lu say when he left?"

Mrs. Zhou smiled and said, "Even if there is anything to say, Mr. Lu won't tell me right there, right?"

Wen Tingli went back to the house without saying a word. Then she heard the phone ringing in the living room and hurried out.

Mrs. Zhou has already answered the phone: "Lu Mansion? Looking for our young lady? Okay, okay, I'll ask her to come over right away."

Wen Tingli's heart warmed and she quickly grabbed the microphone. She heard Kuang Zhilin's voice in her ears.

"Hello, Miss Wen."

Wen Tingli burst out laughing. How could she have mistakenly thought that it was Lu Shicheng who called? He had clearly just left.

"Hello, Mr. Kuang." She said kindly, "What can I do for you?"

"Excuse me, is Mr. Lu still with Miss Wen?"

"He's gone!" Wen Tingli said hurriedly, pausing and emphasizing, "He sent me home and then left."

"I think so." Kuang Zhilin immediately replied, his tone was full of no doubt, and then he smiled guiltily, "It's just that I have an urgent matter to report to Mr. Lu, so I had to call around and ask around. I hope I didn't offend Miss Wen."

Wen Tingli was a little reserved and said softly, "It's okay."

Kuang Zhilin changed the subject: "Actually, it was Old Master Lu who wanted to find the Young Master."

Wen Tingli's heart skipped a beat.

Kuang Zhilin smiled bitterly, "At this point, some facts really should not be hidden from Miss Wen. Kuang knows that Miss Wen has some misunderstandings about what happened a few days ago. In fact, you have seen the situation tonight. Our old man... is very strong and very stubborn. If he knew that Mr. Lu had done so many things for Miss Wen in recent days, he would definitely have a lot of prejudice against Miss Wen. He has many ways to secretly investigate and deal with a person. So when the old man returned to Shanghai that day, Mr. Lu tried his best to avoid meeting Miss Wen, because before confirming Miss Wen's feelings, he didn't want to cause you unnecessary trouble."

When saying this, Kuang Zhilin couldn't see the smile on Wen Tingli's face, so he could only guess from her response whether she understood the meaning of his words. He paused intentionally, and suddenly heard Wen Tingli say "hmm" softly, a very firm word, without any hesitation or awkwardness.

He understood instantly. It was rare for Miss Wen to be so insightful. He couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief: "Fortunately, after tonight, Mr. Lu no longer has this worry - Miss Wen doesn't know how much preparation Mr. Lu has made for tonight."

Wen Tingli's smile deepened, but she still just said "hmm".

She recalled the scene in which Lu Shicheng solemnly wrote "Forgive me" to her in the study.

If she said "yes" to Lu Shicheng at Lu's house tonight, he would take care of the rest for her, and if she said "no" to him tonight, Lu Shicheng would never let her be harassed by Old Master Lu. Even if he considered that he would be rejected, he had planned everything for her in advance.

The word "irresponsible" has never been seen in Lu Shicheng.

Therefore, there was no need for Kuang Zhilin to call and explain these things. She had already figured it out when she saw Old Master Lu's attitude in the Lu family study.

Kuang Zhilin still had some concerns: "During the days when the old man is in Shanghai, there will inevitably be some actions. He is... very difficult to deal with. But no matter what happens, Miss Wen does not need to panic. Mr. Lu will handle everything. Miss Wen, please remember these two numbers: one is the private line of Mr. Lu's room, and the other is the phone number of the Lixin Bank office... If there is anything, just call... Okay, then I won't disturb Miss Wen's rest."

Kuang Zhilin said good night to the other end with a smile on his face.

However, as soon as he put down the microphone, his brows furrowed deeply.

"Mr. Kuang, when will Young Master Cheng be able to come back?" Steward Xu hurried to the study. "The old man's face...is getting uglier and uglier."

Kuang Zhilin took out the cigar box from his pocket without saying anything.

Manager Xu seemed to feel a sense of suffocation as if a storm was about to come. He loosened his collar anxiously and sighed, "I don't know how far this night will go. The old master has always disliked the children of the Lu family not finding girlfriends according to his wishes. Back in Nanyang, I saw with my own eyes how the old master targeted the previous wife... After so much trouble, in the end, both sides suffered losses. What kind of background did the wife have? Not to mention this Miss Wen who came from the market. I'm really worried that Master Cheng can't handle it. Although the old man is no longer in charge of things, he still has many confidants in the silver shop and the factory..."

Kuang Zhilin glanced quickly at Manager Xu, his eyes as sharp as lightning.

Manager Xu immediately stopped talking.

The room was surprisingly quiet, but the stuffy feeling in the air was getting worse by the second. All that could be heard was the "ticking" sound of the hands of the western clock. In the middle of the night, the Lu Mansion was shrouded in an invisible haze from top to bottom. Only this mechanized time machine was not affected at all. When the cold hands slid to the one o'clock mark, Kuang Zhilin suddenly spoke.

"No, this child is stronger and more independent than the old man back then. The same tragedy will not happen again in the Lu family."

As he said this, Kuang Zhilin's face had an inexplicably sad look on it. He was looking out the window with a cigar in his hand, and no one knew what he was thinking.

Suddenly, I heard a servant outside say, "Master Cheng is back."

The two of them rushed out to meet them.

Lu Shicheng walked into the front hall in a flash. As soon as he came in, he handed his coat to the person next to him, raised his arm and looked at it, and seriously asked someone to get ice for him.

Manager Xu couldn't help but be stunned. In the past, let alone such a minor injury, even if the injury was serious, Young Master Cheng would never mobilize a large force if he could avoid it.

With just this one encounter, he could tell that Lu Shicheng was in a very good mood, his brows were relaxed, and his eyes were as soft as water. Only those who were familiar with Lu Shicheng could see this subtle difference in emotion at a glance. Manager Xu couldn't help but secretly sweat. Young Master Cheng seemed to be completely unaware that a violent storm was waiting for him. He hurriedly reminded him in a low voice: "Young Master Cheng, the old master is still waiting for you in the lounge on the back building."

Before he finished speaking, he saw a few more people appearing on the steps of the gate behind Lu Shicheng.

At the front was a wheelchair with a bloody body sitting on it - Mr. Lu San. There was not a single piece of healthy flesh on his body, and he was still curled up in the wheelchair, gasping for breath intermittently.

However, the people next to the wheelchair were not Mr. Lu Sanye's own men, but Lu Shicheng's confidants Zhou Wei and others.

After being pushed into the hall, Mr. Lu suddenly shuddered all over and shouted weakly to the top: "Dad! He wants to kill me!"

Unfortunately, as soon as he opened his mouth, a large amount of blood gushed out of it, and the rest of his words were blocked in an instant.

Lu Shicheng turned a deaf ear to him, took the ice pack brought by the servant and applied it to the wound calmly, then walked through the front hall to the back building. No one dared to delay and followed him, pushing Master Lu's wheelchair.

***
At the same time, Wen Tingli was resting her head on her arms, looking at the two phone numbers in her hands comfortably. This meant that in the future she would not have to go around anyone to find Lu Shicheng directly.

She turned over happily. Lu Shicheng must have arrived home by now. Did he take his wound seriously? Would he call her as soon as he got home?

Thinking of this, she looked at the closed door expectantly, and then laughed. It was already past one o'clock, and with Lu Shicheng's personality, he would never want to disturb her so late.

Just at this moment, someone suddenly knocked on the door from outside.

"Miss."

Wen Tingli was surprised. "Why haven't you slept yet?"

"I can't sleep." When Mrs. Zhou entered the room, the first thing she saw was Wen Tingli's expression. The second time she stared at the dressing box by the window.

The beautiful enamel pearl box glowed with a gentle pink glow in the moonlight.

"I wanted to ask you just now, is that a gift from Mr. Lu? This necklace is very valuable, right?"

Wen Tingli pushed Zhou Sao out without saying a word, but Zhou Sao quickly grabbed the partition at the end of the bed.

"Miss, Miss, I only have one question to ask before I leave. Are you and Mr. Lu... making friends?" Mrs. Zhou stamped her feet anxiously. "Mrs. Zhou doesn't mean to be nosy. I'm really scared. Do the elders of the Lu family know about you and Mr. Lu? Otherwise, why did they call so late? What's their attitude? Mrs. Zhou is really panicking! Have you forgotten how scary Mrs. Qiao was back then!"

Wen Tingli still refused to respond. Mrs. Zhou pulled Wen Tingli back to the bedside with a worried look, and stammered, "Last time I heard someone in the hospital say that the Lu family's status is better than ten Qiao families. If the elders of the Lu family deliberately obstruct, it will be even more difficult to resist than the Qiao family... You are alone, what did Mr. Lu say? Don't be like that young man named Qiao who shrinks his neck and doesn't care about anything. He hurt you badly in the beginning!"

"Mrs. Zhou!" Wen Tingli interrupted Mrs. Zhou flatly.

"You go to sleep, I know everything." Her voice was soft and there was a clear light in her eyes.

Mrs. Zhou opened her mouth. At this moment, she clearly realized that the person in front of her was no longer a child. The firmness in her expressionless expression immediately frightened her mind.

In the end, Mrs. Zhou left with a feeling half sad and half relieved.

After Mrs. Zhou left, Wen Tingli stared at the ceiling with her eyes wide open, unable to sleep.

Mrs. Zhou's concerns were exactly what she had worried about before, but from the moment Lu Shicheng blocked the cup of boiling hot tea for her in the study tonight, she decided to put these worries behind her for the time being.

This was not just a momentary impulse. The experiences of the past few months told her that Lu Shicheng and Qiao Xingchu were completely two different types of people.

She still remembered how hypocritical Qiao Xingchu was when she asked about her mother's situation, but Lu Shicheng never commented on her mother's experience as a dancer in Nanjing, even though she knew he knew it.

He never even tried to find out any details about her relationship with Qiao Xingchu, even though he could have covered it up with jealousy.

He was honest and noble in nature. Every time she came into contact with him, she appreciated him a little more, and admiration slowly grew into love.

So far, no matter what the relationship status of them was, he had never let her down.

She believed it would be the same this time.

But Mrs. Zhou's words reminded her again of the way Mr. Lu looked at her tonight, a cold attitude that was completely different from Mrs. Qiao's hysteria.

Ruthless, arbitrary, and able to crush everything. Her intuition told her that Mr. Lu would never give up, and his methods were far beyond what Mrs. Qiao could match.

Yes, no matter how powerful, reliable, and resourceful Lu Shicheng is, this time he is facing the head of the Lu family.

"Miss, you are all alone..."

Mrs. Zhou's words kept echoing in her ears.

She sat up suddenly, and she admitted that the dreamlike and wonderful experience tonight made her feel like she was soaked in honey. However, no matter how sweet the experience was, it could not erase the realistic problems. They were like cold knife tips stuck in the soil under her feet, which could not be pulled out or crushed.

Unless Lu Shicheng leaned over and helped her pull out all the thorns one by one, she would end up getting hurt.

But would he really do this for her? Was she a little confused?

No, you should never completely trust your back to a man, even if that man is Lu Shicheng!

She was startled and decisively got out of bed, dragging out a small locked, half-worn suitcase from under the bed.

In addition to the admission letter sent by Hujiang University two days ago, there were also some scattered silver bills and jewelry, as well as a contract.

The banknotes were the money she had saved up through hard work during this period of time, and were enough to support her family's food and expenses for one or two years.

As for the contract, it was signed by her and the barrister Bao Yaming. At that time, Dean Deng had just gotten into trouble. Li Chengying and others suspected that the Lu family was involved in the incident, so they asked her to help secretly investigate Lu Shicheng.

With love and gratitude towards President Deng, she resolutely agreed to this matter. In order to let her concentrate on the mission, Bao Yaming specially allocated two thousand oceans to sign this contract with her. This was a huge sum of money. With this money, it meant that she had the capital to get out of the situation safely.

After completing the task, she wanted to immediately find Lawyer Bao to cash the money, but at that time Lawyer Bao was busy protecting the seriously injured Dean Deng, and she couldn't disturb him for such a matter at such a critical moment. Later, Lawyer Bao seemed to have received a more difficult task and was not in Shanghai for the past two months. In addition, she made some money by participating in competitions and shooting commercials, so she was not in a hurry to find Lawyer Bao.

What's more, she kept asking for money, as if she was helping to investigate Dean Deng just for the money.

But she couldn't care less about all that now. As soon as Lawyer Bao returned to Shanghai, she would ask him to cash the money.

After counting her belongings, Wen Tingli felt relieved. No matter what happened tomorrow, at least she had money in her hands. This was all earned by her own hands and belonged to her!

Before going to bed, she took out the script of "Southern Beauty" from the drawer. Her mind had been wandering for the past two days and she hadn't thought carefully about the filming. Now she simply calmed down and read it carefully again.

Perhaps she had found her direction again, and she fell asleep while reading. However, her sleep was not sound, as she dreamed that Mrs. Qiao pounced on her fiercely and forced her to leave Shanghai that night.

After a while, she saw Mr. Lu standing in a blurry black mist, looking at her coldly.

Suddenly, Qiu Lingyun grabbed her throat fiercely. "So it was you who shot me that night? Do you know that you broke my leg? Don't even think about running away! You have to pay with your life!"

His hands were like iron clamps, strangling her so that she couldn't breathe.

It was just past five o'clock when she woke up, and Wen Tingli felt as if she had lost all her strength.

As soon as I walked out of the house, Mrs. Zhou came towards me nervously.

"There's a rickshaw outside for no reason."

Wen Tingli looked out the window in surprise. Ever since Lu Shicheng was recuperating here last time, Kuang Zhilin had stationed some people near her residence in order to protect the safety of her family. However, they were very knowledgeable about the rules and usually stayed far away in the nearby streets and alleys, never approaching the house easily.

However, this black car was parked unscrupulously on the path in front of the door. The strange thing was that Kuang Zhilin's men clearly saw the car, but did not come to drive it away.

Wen Tingli knew that this person was most likely sent by Old Master Lu. After all, only Old Master Lu's men would make Kuang Zhilin's men feel uneasy.

Her heart began to feel cold.

Mrs. Zhou said with a pale face, "I heard a car horn when I went to the toilet at two o'clock last night. I was afraid that the young lady would be scared, so I didn't dare to look for you again."

Wen Tingli looked out the window for a while, then turned around and said to Mrs. Zhou decisively, "I don't think they will take any action for the time being, but it's better to be cautious. Mrs. Zhou, pack your and Xiao Taozi's luggage immediately, and pretend to go out to buy groceries and take Xiao Taozi with you first. I'll see what happens first."

After saying that, he slipped into the house, and after a while he hurried out to call Lu Shicheng.

The other end quickly picked up the phone: "This is Lu Mansion. May I ask who you are?"

Wen Tingli's face suddenly turned red, but her tone was firm: "Hello, my last name is Wen, I have something urgent to discuss with Mr. Lu."

The other party's attitude became more friendly, but he still just said: "I'm sorry Miss Wen, Mr. Lu went out early in the morning."

Wen Tingli had no choice but to call Lixin Bank again.

"Mr. Lu is not here." "Excuse me, do you know where he went?"

The person on the other end spoke in a completely businesslike tone: "Sorry, we don't know where he is. Who are you?"

Wen Tingli hung up the phone in a hurry.

After standing by the sofa for a while, she regained her spirits and went into the house. After a while, she packed two bags, gave one to Mrs. Zhou and kept the other with her.

This is almost like seeing a snake in the cup.

But after experiencing a painful lesson, she no longer wanted to put her family in trouble because of a momentary carelessness. What if this Old Master Lu was even more cruel, what would await her family would only be more ruthless harm.

At this time, Xiao Taozi on the bed in the inner room also moved a little. Wen Tingli hurriedly asked Mrs. Zhou to go into the room to help her sister put on clothes.

She stayed in the living room, pacing anxiously, looking at the telephone stand on the wall, and picked up the phone again without giving up.

This time the call was made to Kuang Zhilin, but Kuang Zhilin was not at home. The person who answered the phone was the middle-aged manager from last time.

Wen Tingli stood on tiptoe to glance out the window, clutched the receiver and said, "My last name is Wen. When Mr. Kuang comes back later, please tell him that I'm in trouble and ask him to call me back."

Just at this moment, someone knocked on the door.

Although the sound was soft, it was like thunder and made people tremble.

Wen Tingli was frightened for a moment, but suddenly calmed down and calmly pushed Mrs. Zhou into the inner room: "Don't be afraid, I will deal with them."

She took a deep breath and opened the door calmly.

Unexpectedly, Kuang Zhilin was standing outside with a smile on his face.

"Good morning, Miss Wen." Kuang Zhilin raised the food box in his hand. "Mr. Lu asked me to come and see Miss Wen. I bought some rice cakes and soy milk on the way. I remember Miss Wen likes to eat these very much."

Wen Tingli looked at Kuang Zhilin in astonishment.

Kuang Zhilin asked with a smile: "Would it be convenient for Kuang to come in and talk for a few words?"

Wen Tingli woke up as if from a dream: "It's convenient, please come in."

Kuang Zhilin entered the room and put the lunch box on the table, then said with a smile, "Mr. Lu is leaving for Singapore today, and Mr. Lu is seeing him off at the pier, so he can't get away for the time being."

Wen Tingli stared at Kuang Zhilin blankly. For a few seconds, she was unable to digest the meaning of his words.

Kuang Zhilin had to repeat with a smile: "Mr. Lu is on the Lu family's own ship, the Yuanxin, and will depart at eight o'clock."

Wen Tingli was shocked: "But Mr. Lu was still last night——"

"Yes." Kuang Zhilin smiled, "I stayed here last night, but decided to leave this morning. I came here to reassure Miss Wen: Mr. Lu will no longer interfere in Master Cheng's private affairs from now on. Miss Wen doesn't have to worry about the old man causing trouble for you."

Wen Tingli immediately turned her head to look out the window, and the car outside had disappeared without a trace.

She was surprised and delighted.

"Why is it so sudden?" She asked, "Did Mr. Lu...negotiate with his grandfather last night?"

When he said the last sentence, his voice couldn't help but lower. It seemed a little difficult to ask these questions in front of Kuang Zhilin.

Kuang Zhilin's smile was a little complicated, but he said nothing.

It is a negotiation, and where there is a negotiation, there is a price.

If the old man hadn't sent someone to rescue him in time last night, Mr. Lu would have definitely not survived until dawn. Five or six of his ribs were broken, and he had only one breath left in his throat. But Mr. Lu didn't forget to complain first. The old man was so angry that he slapped Mr. Lu in the face in front of everyone.

The uncle and nephew had fought so many times, and the Third Master had already lost miserably. Last night, he couldn't even maintain the most basic dignity: he was dragged out of bed by Master Cheng. This meant that he could lose his life in his sleep at any time, and the sharp blade hanging on his neck was held in Master Cheng's hand.

Not only did Old Master Lu figure out the situation, but Third Master Lu himself was also well aware of it. When he was brought to the Lu Mansion, he appeared to be cursing fiercely, but in fact he had already been frightened out of his wits.

After that, there was a whole night of negotiations.

The old man knew that his youngest son no longer had any valuable bargaining chips in his hand, so he had to rely on his grandfather's authority to mediate. He promised that as long as Young Master Cheng agreed not to pursue the matter further, he would agree to any conditions.

Young Master Cheng smiled at his grandfather at that time, but that smile was chilling to the heart.

Kuang Zhilin had no idea what the grandfather and grandson talked about in the end. He only knew that at four or five o'clock in the morning, Master Cheng finally agreed to let his men let Master Lu go. Master Lu dejectedly handed over all his factories in Peking to the clan. From now on, he could only receive a fixed dividend from the public account every month.

Without the support of the Lu family's huge industry, the Third Master no longer has the bargaining chips to unite with outsiders to fight against his own people.

On the one hand, the old man hated himself for having no future, and on the other hand, he hated his youngest son for not living up to his promise. If he hadn't cared about his youngest son being covered in wounds, he would have wanted to whip him severely with his own hands. In the end, the old man asked his confidant to take the third master back to the Union Hospital in Peking to treat his injuries overnight.

Kuang Zhilin happened to be guarding the door. When the group came out, he heard the old man coldly say to Lu Shicheng: "This little girl is not simple. Grandfather just hopes that you don't make a mistake in her."

Young Master Cheng walked down the stairs calmly with his hands in his trouser pockets, without a trace of emotion in his eyes.

At this point, Kuang Zhilin understood everything. If Master Cheng had insisted on getting rid of the Third Master last night, given the old master's preference for his youngest son, he would certainly not let Miss Wen go. Although the old master was weak, he still had many useful old people under his command. As long as he wanted, there were plenty of ways to hurt Miss Wen's family. Even if he guarded them day and night, it would be hard to prevent them.

How could Master Cheng be willing to implicate Miss Wen because of the internal conflicts within the Lu family?

Of course, there is no need to let Miss Wen know these things.

He just smiled vaguely and said, "Mr. Lu has always dealt with problems as quickly as possible, and this time is no exception. Anyway, I came here early in the morning to tell Miss Wen that she doesn't need to worry about it anymore. By the way, I just noticed that Miss Wen is dressed neatly. Is she going out?"

Wen Tingli was a little embarrassed. Not only was she going out, she was also planning to give up this relationship and run away overnight.

She coughed to cover up, "I'm currently filming a movie. I'm a newbie in this field. I'll go to the studio earlier. Maybe I can learn something."

Kuang Zhilin nodded: "Then I won't disturb Miss Wen from going out. Kuang also has to go out to do some work."

Suddenly, he remembered something and pointed outside, saying, "I heard that Miss Wen has never troubled them once. In fact, there is no need for Miss Wen to be so polite. They were originally sent by Mr. Lu to protect Miss Wen from harassment by the White Dragon Gang. If you need a car, just tell them."

Wen Tingli smiled but said nothing. Kuang Zhilin was very smart and worldly-wise. He knew that this concerned the girl's self-esteem, so he stopped talking at the right time.

When seeing Kuang Zhilin off, Wen Tingli asked tactfully, "I didn't thank Mr. Lu properly last night. I wonder if he is busy today?"

Kuang Zhilin neither said "busy" nor "not busy", but just smiled and replied: "Mr. Lu will return to Lixin Bank to meet with managers of various factories after sending Mr. Lu to the ship. If Miss Wen wants to find Mr. Lu, she can call his office directly."

After seeing Kuang Zhilin off, Wen Tingli went home by herself. Coincidentally, Mrs. Zhou also came out from the inner room holding Xiao Taozi. Her confused face was now filled with joy.

"Thank God! I was right about Master Lu."

Wen Tingli saw Xiao Taozi carrying a cloth bag across her body. She pulled it over and saw that it was full of toys and chocolates. She couldn't help but chuckle. Even though the situation was so urgent just now, Mrs. Zhou had not forgotten to bring all of Xiao Taozi's treasures with her.

"You look like you're fleeing from famine so early in the morning." Wen Tingli pressed her forehead against Xiao Taozi's and made faces at her sister.

Little Taozi didn’t know what kind of mental “turmoil” her sister had just experienced. She just clapped her hands excitedly and said, “Sister, take Little Taozi to Nanjing for fun.”

"Who wants to look like a famine refugee?" Mrs. Zhou sighed quietly. "Once bitten, one becomes afraid of the rope for ten years. It's all because the Qiao family was too crazy. But Miss, people really can't be compared. Mr. Lu and Mr. Qiao are obviously about the same age, but one is like that and the other is like this."

Wen Tingli returned to her room in silence.

As soon as she entered the room, she threw herself on her bed like she did last night. She seemed to hear a "dong dong dong" sound in her ears, and the throbbing in her chest was so fresh and strong. She was a little at a loss, so she simply turned over and looked at the ceiling, her eyes shining.

When she heard Mrs. Zhou quietly bring in the two pieces of luggage, she didn't move.

She heard the "da da da" sound again, coming straight to her ears. She turned her head and met the round eyes like small peaches and black grapes.

Xiao Taozi tilted her head to observe her sister's face. Wen Tingli couldn't help laughing. She took Xiao Taozi's hand, got out of bed, opened the suitcase, put the clothes back into the closet one by one, and was about to hide the contract of Lawyer Bao back in the deep of the suitcase. However, Xiao Taozi snatched it away without her noticing.

"My sister's secret book."

"This is not a script. Let go, Xiao Taozi. You can't touch this thing. This is money. A lot of money."

Xiao Taozi looked confused. She could recognize money now, but this was clearly a stack of papers.

"When have I ever cheated Xiao Taozi? In a few days, I will be able to exchange it for a lot of money. If you tear it up, you will lose everything. Without money, how can I buy Xiao Taozi new clothes and new shoes in a few days?"

She tried every possible means to snatch the contract away. Because she was still worried, she added three locks to the outside of the suitcase to make sure it was safe. Then she stuffed the suitcase back under the bed.

***
Lixin Bank.

Lu Shicheng was sitting behind his desk. Opposite him sat Mr. Liu, the boss of Shuguang Weaving Factory. Mr. Liu came today to apply for a loan, and as soon as he arrived he started talking about his plan to buy new machines to expand production.

This was the fourth guest Lu Shicheng had received this morning. In addition to Boss Liu himself, the two managers of Lixin Bank could clearly feel that Lu Shicheng was a little absent-minded.

Whenever the phone rang on the table, Lu Shicheng would immediately shift his gaze over there. Once, when he saw that they were a little slow in answering the phone, he even stood up and picked up the receiver himself. After listening to just one sentence, he silently handed the phone to them and let them answer it.

The two of them have always liked this emotionally stable young master, but faced with this extremely unusual situation, they did not dare to ask any more questions.

Boss Liu was totally unaware of this and kept talking for about ten minutes with saliva flying all over his body before he stopped. Then he waited with a greasy face full of sweat.

In his opinion, this young Mr. Lu could not be easier to talk to. He heard that last year several university teachers resigned from their teaching positions in the school to set up a light bulb factory. As they had no funds, they suddenly had an idea to run to Lixin Bank to ask Lu Shicheng for help. What no one expected was that Lu Shicheng actually lent a large sum of money to these doctors.

At that time, he also mocked Lu Shicheng as a short-sighted prodigal son.

This market has always been monopolized by Japanese, German and American companies. How can Chinese compete with them? Unexpectedly, in just one year, this new light bulb factory produced a light bulb with good quality and low price, named "Light of the People", which became popular as soon as it was launched. ??
This outcome was unexpected for Boss Liu, but it gave him great confidence. Compared with those empty shell companies with only ideals, his Shuguang Silk Factory had both sales and machines, so Lu Shicheng had no reason not to lend him money.

After talking incessantly for a while, Lu Shicheng suddenly closed the document, stood up and shook hands with Boss Liu. Boss Liu was secretly rejoicing, but Lu Shicheng signaled to Manager Liu with his eyes to see the guest off.

Manager Liu asked him to leave without further ado: "Boss Liu, please come this way."

They were not at all surprised that Lu Shicheng refused to lend money. Manager Liu of the Shuguang Weaving Factory took advantage of the rebellion of Sichuan warlords to stockpile a large amount of cloth two years ago. When the cloth market was sluggish, he raised the price and refused to rescue the market. Now that the market has recovered, he is selling a large amount of goods again, disrupting the cloth price.

The young master would never show mercy to such "pests" who only cared about themselves and ignored the overall situation. The reason why he hesitated for a while just now was probably because he was thinking about whether he should just set up a trap to bring down this useless factory.

"If Boss Liu is smart, he should be thankful that the young master let him go in the end."

Manager Wang, who stayed behind, smiled and sighed at Lu Shicheng.

Lu Shicheng nodded, but he was not interested in discussing Boss Liu anymore. He efficiently signed several documents and handed them to Manager Wang. He raised his wrist to check the time and turned his attention to the phone again.

Maybe it was because he was paying too much attention, but the phone actually rang obediently. Manager Wang picked it up for her without thinking.

There was a girl on the other end, who said in a reserved tone: "Hello, I'm looking for Mr. Lu."

Manager Wang was about to answer when the microphone was snatched away by Lu Shicheng, who then pointed to the door.

【You go and get busy first. 】

Manager Wang hurriedly left the room.

There was no response from the other end, and the tone was a little confused. "Hello? Hello..."

Suddenly, as if he had caught some movement here, he was silent for a moment, then said happily: "Mr. Lu, it's you, right?!"

Lu Shicheng habitually picked up the pen and paper at hand, preparing to answer her series of questions, but suddenly remembered that Wen Tingli would not be able to see what he wrote, and the smile on his face froze.

Wen Tingli really started asking questions one after another: "How is your injury? Does it still hurt?"

Lu Shicheng spoke into the phone, gripping the pen in frustration several times, then letting go again and again.

Wen Tingli seemed to have sensed something and immediately changed the subject, saying with a smile, "What are you doing? I just saw a newspaper in the studio with a recruitment advertisement for Nanyang University, and I thought of you."

Her voice gradually softened.

Lu Shicheng silently clutched the microphone in his hand. He knew what he should say to her at this moment, but he hated that once he opened his mouth, he would always remain silent.

He felt anxious and frustrated. He looked around and for a moment he even wanted to call Manager Wang back to help him relay some words, but at this moment he didn't want to hand the microphone to anyone else at all.

But he didn't want Wen Tingli to think that he was not listening carefully, so he gently pulled the chair next to him so that she could hear what he was doing.

Wen Tingli paused, then smiled softly, "Your office is so quiet, are you alone? That's great, our studio is noisy all day. By the way, I can finish work around six o'clock today. There are many delicious restaurants near us, including Ningbo restaurants and Cantonese restaurants. The most difficult to open Sichuan restaurant is especially delicious. How about..."

Lu Shicheng immediately said "yes" to her a thousand times in his heart, but he had no way to say it into the microphone. For the first time in his life, he hated his muteness.

Wen Tingli's mood was not affected, and she said happily: "How about the Sichuan restaurant? Let's meet at the door of the Sichuan restaurant near our studio at 6:30 in the evening. You will come, right? I-I will wait for you."

She said softly that she was a little embarrassed and hung up the phone in a hurry.

Lu Shicheng stood there for a long time and slowly put down the microphone.

He felt extremely sad and slumped down in his chair. He was silent for a long time and then called Manager Wang back in.

[Ask Mr. Kuang and Dr. Lewis to come over as soon as possible. Also, Director Xie, who is good at treating throat diseases, if he can spare the time, please ask him to come over as well. I have something urgent to discuss with them.]

(End of this chapter)