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Along the way, all kinds of happy associations kept emerging in Wen Tingli's mind. When she passed by a wine store, she stopped the car and bought two bottles of fine red wine. She also bought some flowers, silver lamps and candles in preparation for the housewarming party on Thursday.

On Wednesday at noon, Huang Yuanshan sent someone to the school to find Wen Tingli. It turned out that Huang Yuanshan had stayed up all night to write the last part of the script of "Fair Detective 2". In the morning, he excitedly went to the company to discuss it with Liu Menglin. Unfortunately, Liu Menglin went to Suzhou to discuss business with a local cinema. Huang Yuanshan urged Wen Tingli to go to her house as soon as possible to revise the script.

When Wen Tingli arrived at the Huang family, Gao Xiaowen and Dong Qinfang happened to be there too. The two of them were discussing in the living room how mysterious Miss Ge's birthday party was today.

Dong Qinfang's social circle is one of the best in Shanghai, but this time not a single friend of hers accepted Miss Ge's invitation.

Gao Xiaowen said that Miss Ge had called the Jindong Hotel this morning to book an exquisite banquet. In addition to ordering wine and food, Miss Ge also asked the hotel to prepare two sets of wine utensils and deliver them to her residence at 7 o'clock in the evening.

Originally, no one else knew about this matter, but Gao Xiaowen happened to know the female owner of Jindong Hotel, and happened to go to the hotel to find this person for business that day, so she happened to overhear the phone call.

It doesn't make sense for one person to use two sets of wine utensils when dining alone. It can be seen that Miss Ge has invited guests. Both of them are wondering who has such a great face.

Wen Tingli resisted the urge to reply. After staying at Huang's house for more than an hour, Huang Yuanshan was busy discussing with Dong Qinfang about helping to shoot the Xinxin Department Store commercial. Wen Tingli saw that she could not get a word in, so she simply made an appointment with Huang Yuanshan to go to her house to talk at 7:30 in the evening.

She did not ask Gao Xiaowen about the phone call. She was quite satisfied with her own self-control.

But some people just wouldn't let her go.

At six o'clock in the evening, Meng Qiguang suddenly had someone deliver a letter. The letter said nothing, only an address and a phone number.

Wen Tingli closed her eyes and took a deep breath. No need to ask, this must be Miss Ge's address and phone number.

Meng Qiguang did not forget the bet between them, and he reminded her: the game has begun.

Wen Tingli seemed to be able to see through the letter paper and see Meng Qiguang's smiling face.

This villain is the same as he seems! She crumpled up the paper and threw it into the wastebasket.

But she underestimated Meng Qiguang's grasp of human nature and overestimated her own willpower. The letter was thrown into the trash can, but the number was like a nail driven into her brain.

No matter what she did afterwards, she was a little absent-minded. As the hands of the wall clock pointed to seven o'clock, her mind became more and more confused. Now that she had the number, she just had to pick up the phone and call, and she would immediately know whether Miss Ge was with Lu Shicheng.

Xiao Taozi had noticed that her sister was not quite right tonight. After thinking about it, she volunteered to climb onto the sofa and pick up the microphone: "Xiao Taozi will help her sister."

Wen Tingli was so scared that she quickly picked up Xiao Taozi and said, "Sister, don't call me. Let's go out and buy something."

The two sisters went out to buy some fruits and cakes. When they came back it was already seven forty. Huang Yuanshan was a very punctual person and should have arrived long ago, but he heard a knock on the door.

"Sorry, sorry I'm late." Huang Yuanshan handed the newly bought toy to Mrs. Zhou as soon as he entered the house, and then squatted down to touch Xiao Taozi's head. "Tsk tsk, Xiao Taozi is growing more and more like a real peach."

Xiao Taozi was a little unhappy: "My full name is Kuang Weihang."

Huang Yuanshan slapped his forehead and said, "I'm sorry, Sister Huang forgot. We should say that our little classmate Kuang Weihang is becoming more and more like a real peach."

Wen Tingli went into the kitchen to make tea and came out: "From the company?"

"I came out from home." Huang Yuanshan took a sip of the tea. "Before I left, I was delayed for some time because of a call from Boss Liu in Suzhou. I finally got out, but I didn't expect the car to break down halfway through the journey."

She then breathed a sigh of relief: "Luckily I met Kuang Zhilin halfway. He said one of his followers knew a lot about cars, so I asked him to help me check the front trunk. In just two moves, the car was able to start again."

"Where did you meet Kuang Zhilin?" Wen Tingli asked curiously.

"Petain Road."

Wen Tingli asked calmly, "Is it Building 70 on Petain Road?"

"I didn't notice. Why are you asking this? Did you read today's Hujiang Evening News? That's all nonsense from the tabloids. Why do you take it seriously?"

Wen Tingli was stunned. Huang Yuanshan realized that he had said the wrong thing. He knew that Wen Tingli would keep asking questions, so he had to bite the bullet and continue: "The newspaper said that the old man of the Lu family came back from Southeast Asia. It just so happened that the Ge family of Guangdong was also in Shanghai. People outside were speculating that Mr. Lu came back specially for the purpose of arranging a marriage for his eldest grandson. No wonder Lu Shicheng went to Suzhou today.

"What?" Wen Tingli stared at Huang Yuanshan's face.

"Mr. Lu is back from Southeast Asia..."

"Not this one, but the last one."

Huang Yuanshan scratched his head and thought: "I said Lu Shicheng ran away to Suzhou."

"He went to Suzhou? How did you know?"

"I heard Liu Menglin say that on the phone. Hey, don't hold on so tightly. In the evening, he went to the Grand View Tower for dinner with the owner of Suzhou Guangmeng Cinema, and by chance, he saw Lu Shicheng in front of the restaurant. Lu Shicheng seemed to be here to discuss something, and was surrounded by several local spinning mill owners. It sounded like Lu Shicheng had come early in the morning. Liu Menglin was very surprised to see him in Suzhou, so he went up to greet him. There was a foreign company next to the restaurant, and they had been inside for a long time. Lu Shicheng was still standing in front of the glass window of the foreign company looking at the things inside, as if he was going to buy a gift for someone."

Wen Tingli smiled knowingly.

He took her words to heart and went to Suzhou. He didn't want her to feel uncomfortable at all. He never played ambiguous games in relationships.

"Why are you grinning like an idiot? Have you seen Lu Shicheng recently?" Huang Yuanshan nudged Wen Tingli with his elbow.

Wen Tingli smiled but did not answer. She got up and went to the kitchen to cut fruit.

"Have you met the old man from the Lu family? Does he know about you two?"

Wen Tingli shrugged nonchalantly. All she needed to know was that Lu Shicheng was not in Shanghai today. As for the attitude of Old Master Lu towards the Ge family and towards her, she had never cared.

***
The next morning, Wen Tingli called to find someone to help with the moving. The movers had been hired in advance and their wages had been paid. After arranging everything, she drove to the company. She was in a particularly good mood and hummed a dozen songs along the way. When she passed a department store, she unexpectedly saw a man on the side of the road - Manager Xu from Lu Mansion.

Manager Xu seemed to be waiting there for her to pass by, but he clearly saw her car but did not wave to her.

Wen Tingli took the initiative to step on the brakes: "Manager Xu."

Manager Xu walked to the car window with a smile on his face. "I saw this car coming from a long distance away. I never expected that the driver would be Miss Wen. You drive so proudly. Are you going to the film company so early?"

"Yes." Wen Tingli said with a smile. She felt that Manager Xu's smile was a little unnatural today. "What are you doing here?"

Manager Xu raised a gift box in his hand and showed it to her.

"Master Cheng is entertaining guests at home tonight, so he asked me to go to the wine cellar of the Lu Family Trading Company to get a few bottles of wine that young ladies like to drink for the decoration."

Wen Tingli's smile faltered: "Mr. Lu is going to have dinner at home tonight?"

Manager Xu nodded without hesitation: "Our old master has returned from Southeast Asia. He and Master Cheng will entertain several distinguished guests from the Guangdong Ge family tonight. He hasn't personally entertained guests for a long time. I was afraid that others might not be careful enough, so I drove out specially."

Wen Tingli nodded reluctantly and drove forward.

Manager Xu must be lying, she told herself.

But she did not forget that Manager Xu was Lu Shicheng's confidant. Without Lu Shicheng's consent, who would have the ability to force Manager Xu to lie?
Is it possible that the note was never delivered to Lu Shicheng?

She really regretted not having confirmed it with her own eyes that night before leaving.

Then she remembered that the servant nodded to her after delivering the things. They were used to doing this kind of thing, so how could such a small thing go wrong?

No, there must be something wrong in some link. Given Lu Shicheng's personality, if he didn't come, he would definitely tell her in person.

She was full of doubts, so as soon as she arrived at the company, she wrote a letter and asked someone to deliver it to Kuang Zhilin.

When she got home in the evening, she saw Mrs. Zhou putting a plate of ribs into the pot as soon as she entered the kitchen. She hurriedly said, "I'll do it."

After busying around in the kitchen for an hour, Wen Tingli officially announced that she was not good at cooking.

"My hair is about to be singed. Even if I'm entertaining guests, there's no need to cook for me, right?"

She spoke with confidence and made up her mind never to step into the kitchen again in her life.

Mrs. Zhou didn't know whether to laugh or cry. As soon as Wen Tingli came out of the kitchen, she looked for the number of Guangyaju and called the boss to make some hot dishes and send them over as soon as possible.

"Mrs. Zhou, I'm going upstairs to take a shower and change clothes. Please listen for the doorbell." However, until Wen Tingli finished taking a shower and putting on makeup, Lu Shicheng did not show up. Finally, the doorbell rang, and it was Guangyaju delivering hot dishes.

"Sister..." Xiao Taozi hugged Wen Tingli's legs and looked up and asked, "Baby is hungry. When will your important guest come?"

"It's almost there." Suddenly, a ring sounded. Wen Tingli ran towards the door without thinking. Suddenly she realized that it was the phone ringing, so she turned back to answer it.

"Miss Wen." It was Kuang Zhilin, who seemed a little embarrassed. "As soon as Master Cheng came back from Suzhou, he was called to the Lu Mansion by the old master. I never had the chance to hand the letter to Master Cheng."

***
Lu Shicheng adjusted his tie in front of the mirror, opened the door and went out.

As soon as he went out, Old Master Lu just came upstairs. Lu Shicheng nodded indifferently: "Grandfather."

Seeing that his eldest grandson was about to pass by him, Old Master Lu shouted in a low voice: "Stop!"

Lu Shicheng stopped, but he didn't look back.

"I think I've already informed you in advance: someone is coming to the Ge family tonight. Now that the guests are about to arrive, where are you going?"

Lu Shicheng looked straight ahead: "I thought we had reached a consensus last time: you have no right to ask about my affairs."

Old Master Lu suppressed his anger and said, "Don't think that you can make all the decisions just because you have been in charge for two years! You are too young and don't understand what marriage means to a man. The Ge family is a rare and good match. I hope you don't make a mistake!"

Lu Shicheng ignored him and walked down the stairs.

"I haven't finished speaking yet, stop right there!" Old Master Lu said sternly, but this time, Lu Shicheng had no intention of stopping.

Old Master Lu narrowed his eyes and said, "Even if you rush over now, she may not still be waiting for you."

Lu Shicheng's expression changed slightly, and he looked at Old Master Lu fiercely: "Have you sent someone to look for her?"

Old Master Lu was used to being cold and strong. Facing his eldest grandson's questioning, he snorted without any guilt: "I'll ask Manager Xu to tell her that you have to entertain Miss Ge at home tonight, so that she won't have any unrealistic fantasies! Let me remind you: you are the head of the Lu family. You should know who you should approach and who you should ignore."

Lu Shicheng stared at Old Master Lu and said calmly, affirmatively, and slowly: "Then I hope you will remember one thing: if you don't want me to touch Lu Kejian, you'd better not touch my people, especially her!"

Old Master Lu narrowed his eyes. Lu Shicheng's eyes were so sharp that they seemed to emit a cold light. He had to suppress the anger in his chest and said in a negotiating tone: "Grandfather might have ignored it in the past, but it's different now. You know why you suddenly separated from her last year. This girl's background is not simple. Grandfather can't watch you make a fool of yourself."

Lu Shicheng had already turned around and walked down quickly.

Old Master Lu was so angry that he shouted, "You should know who she is after being fooled once. Aren't you afraid of falling into the trap she sets for you again?! I know that she will use all kinds of tricks on you. You are her way to climb up, so of course she will hold on to you! Do you believe that you will die in her hands one day?!"

Lu Shicheng still looked ahead, but laughed sarcastically: "I think Grandfather is not qualified to say these words to me!"

"You--" Old Master Lu's face turned dark. In desperation, he was about to scold loudly, but unexpectedly, his chest suddenly felt stuffy. He covered his chest with his hands and started coughing rapidly. The attendant next to him hurriedly came up to support Old Master Lu.

***
Wen Tingli sat at the table with her chin in her hands.

The dishes on the table had been reheated twice, but Lu Shicheng was still nowhere to be seen. Xiao Taozi in front was shouting that she was hungry. While Mrs. Zhou was feeding Xiao Taozi biscuits, she looked over here from time to time with a flickering and hesitant look.

It’s past seven o’clock now. We should arrive eventually no matter how late we are.

It’s not that I haven’t thought about calling Kuang Zhilin again, but if Lu Shicheng himself doesn’t make any move, it seems pointless to repeatedly ask outsiders for information.

I heard Mrs. Zhou say on the other end: "Xiao Taozi can't sit still anymore, I'll take her for a walk on the street."

After they left, the room became even quieter. Wen Tingli was bored and fiddling with the flowers in the vase on the table. Suddenly, she heard footsteps coming from the front garden. She glanced out the window and then happily walked towards the door. Because she walked too fast, she almost tripped over the hem of her skirt.

Finally reaching the door, she stopped and waited for the other party to ring the doorbell. "Ding Dong," "Ding Dong," she had never thought the ringing sound was so beautiful. She opened the door and stared at the tall figure in front of her.
"You're here." She wanted to keep a straight face, but she couldn't stop her eyes from shining like stars, nor could she stop the most joyful smile from overflowing from the corners of her mouth.

Lu Shicheng probably didn't expect her to open the door so quickly, and withdrew his hand from the doorbell in surprise.

His attitude was still a little reserved. He looked at her deeply and handed her the gift box in his hand.

"Sorry, I was delayed a little on the way."

Wen Tingli pulled him into the house and said, "Yes, you are a little late, but I don't mind at all. Is this a gift for my new house? What a beautiful crystal cup!"

She had seen this kind of handmade crystal cup at Dong Qinfang's home. It was very valuable, and it was said that the pattern on each cup was unique.

She smiled sweetly, "How do you know I like this? When did you buy it? I just happened to have two bottles of wine ready. Can I use it to pour the wine right away? Mrs. Zhou and Xiao Taozi just went out. Did you meet them outside? I'll show you around our new house first."

Before Lu Shicheng could respond, she pulled him forward without saying a word.

"Look, this is the living room." She gestured to him to look at the room on the left with great interest. "The window faces the back garden. I plan to entertain friends here in the future. What do you think?"

She was so happy when she said this. He looked forward as she pointed and nodded calmly: "Very good."

Wen Tingli was indeed even happier and pulled him to another room.

"This is the study, but you see, my collection of books cannot fill such a tall bookcase for the time being, and many compartments are empty... That's Mrs. Zhou's bedroom. There are two large French windows in the room. You can open the windows and walk directly into the garden. Don't you think the scenery here is beautiful?"

He nodded again: "Yeah."

She was extremely happy and pulled him upstairs: "Xiao Taozi and I have our rooms upstairs."

After going upstairs, she boldly opened her bedroom door and let him see.

"This is my room." But she didn't invite him in. She just said at the door, "There's a big closet inside and a big terrace outside. I asked someone to change the wallpaper in the room. What do you think?"

Lu Shicheng had already noticed the rose-colored silk wallpaper. She always liked this bright color, and she was indeed very suitable for this kind of color.

Suddenly he saw her looking at him expectantly, so he could only say, "Very good."

Wen Tingli couldn't help laughing: "Are you just going to say 'very good' tonight? This is Xiao Taozi's room, but she doesn't want to sleep by herself yet, so there are only some of her picture books and toys piled up in the room for the time being."

Lu Shicheng was thinking that she took good care of everyone around her just like before, the difference was that this house was much more spacious and comfortable than her previous apartment.

She had worked hard to earn it all, and she had every right to be proud of it.

"What are you thinking about?" Wen Tingli put her face close to him.

Lu Shicheng restrained his expression and said, "I was thinking, your new home is very beautiful, but - I'm a little hungry, when can I eat?"

Wen Tingli was surprised, then smiled and said, "I'm sorry, I got carried away when I was happy. I'll eat right away."

When the two went downstairs, Mrs. Zhou and Xiao Taozi happened to come back from outside. Mrs. Zhou probably saw Lu Shicheng's car in front of the door. The moment she opened the door, cheerful laughter came in.

"Mr. Lu is here."

Little Peach jumped up and down: "Great, Mr. Lu is finally here. Sister finally doesn't have to look like a giraffe anymore—"

"Little Peach!" Wen Tingli stamped her feet, "Don't talk nonsense."

She secretly glanced around, and Lu Shicheng calmed himself down, solemnly took out two small boxes from his pocket, squatted down and handed one to Xiao Taozi, and stood up to give the other one to Zhou Sao.

When I opened them, I saw that one box contained a children's handkerchief and the other contained a pair of soft sheepskin gloves. Both were small yet exquisite.

Mrs. Zhou smiled from ear to ear: "Mr. Lu, you are so polite every time you come."

Wen Tingli was happy in her heart but pretended nothing had happened. She led Lu Shicheng into the dining room and formally pulled away a chair at the top of the table.

"Please take a seat."

(End of this chapter)