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After getting in the car, Wen Tingli suddenly had an idea and said to Master Li with a smile: "Wait, let's go to Ruisheng Clothing Store first. I want to buy some clothes."

***
Kuang Zhilin knocked on the study door, and Lu Shicheng answered from inside: "Come in."

"Old Li has been sent to Xiufeng Company. I guess Miss Wen has already used the car by now."

After saying this, Kuang Zhilin sat down on the sofa.

He noticed that Master Cheng closed the file as soon as he heard the words "Miss Wen". Later, Master Cheng simply pushed his chair away and stood up, and went to the coffee table to make him a cup of tea.

Kuang Zhilin took the teacup with a smile on his face. Whether in front of others or behind others, the child always treated him with respect.

He felt extremely warmed in the heart and slowly savoured the aroma of the tea.

Lu Shicheng asked, "Have you made an appointment for me with Director Wang from Huiqun Hospital?"

"He will come over tomorrow morning. By the way, Director Wang wants to know why we are looking for him. He is best at treating nutrition and digestive problems, but I have never heard of anyone in the Lu Mansion having problems in this area."

Lu Shicheng paused and said, "If a person has to go on a diet for a period of time for some reason, I wonder if Director Wang has any way to help him ensure his nutrition?"

Why is there such a strange request? If you want nutrition, isn't it enough to just eat well?
But Master Cheng didn't seem to be joking at all, so Kuang Zhilin tactfully stopped asking, "Okay, I'll convey Master Cheng's request to Director Wang."

There was a suspicious silence for a few seconds in the air. Lu Shicheng glanced at Kuang Zhilin, picked up a newspaper and began to read it calmly. However, he was obviously a little absent-minded. After a while, he threw the newspaper aside and walked over to make a phone call.

When the call was connected, he said, "Please reserve a private room on the third floor for me tonight. No, please make a few light but nutritious dishes. Send the menu to me and I will prepare it myself."

It can be seen that the call was to Hong Yuan. Hong Yuan is the Lu family's own private restaurant. It is only responsible for entertaining the Lu family's own guests and rarely opens to the public. That would have been fine, but what Kuang Zhilin did not expect was that Young Master Cheng actually asked him to draw up the menu. It can be seen that his previous guess was correct. Young Master Cheng went to see Director Wang just because of Miss Wen.

He sighed and shook his head. Master Cheng would probably call Miss Wen next, so it was time for him to say goodbye.

Lu Shicheng suddenly seemed to see something. He put down the microphone and walked to the floor-to-ceiling window to look outside.

There were two strange craftsmen working on the grass.

Kuang Zhilin hurriedly asked someone to call Manager Xu, but the one who came was a young manager named Feng.

"Why is it you, where is Manager Xu?"

"Butler Xu is ill. Master Cheng just asked Doctor Louis to come and see him this morning. He is still resting. I will be on duty all day today."

Lu Shicheng pointed out the window and asked: "Where did you hire those two craftsmen from?"

"This morning, Aunt Liu said the antenna rack at the northwest corner of the garden had collapsed and urged me to find someone to fix it. So I went to a nearby shop and hired two people temporarily."

"Stupid!" Kuang Zhilin shouted, "Don't you know that the Lu Mansion never hires people with unknown backgrounds?"

Manager Feng wiped his sweat and said, "Manager Xu has always been in charge of this. I see that he is very sick and groggy, so it is not a good idea to disturb him. Aunt Liu is in a hurry, so I think this kind of work can be done quickly and there shouldn't be any problems, so..."

Lu Shicheng was silent for a moment: "Pay them the wages and send them away immediately."

Kuang Zhilin looked at Manager Feng's hurriedly leaving back and said angrily: "This Feng Da is Liu Ma's nephew. He grew up in the Lu family. I didn't expect him to be so useless."

He sighed again, "In order to clean up the spies that Third Master had planted in the mansion, a group of people had already been cleared out. A while ago, the old master fell ill, and a few more capable old people were sent to Southeast Asia. There are not many people who are really needed in the mansion now, otherwise Xiao Feng would not have been sent to take over temporarily."

Lu Shicheng's face was as gloomy as water. "Check whether he has had any contact with people in Peking recently. If you find any clues, send him away immediately. Even if he has not, such a person is not suitable to be retained. Send him back to Nanyang overnight and transfer the two managers Chen and Zhao back to Shanghai."

Kuang Zhilin nodded with satisfaction. This kid never dragged his feet when dealing with problems. "I'll call Zhou Wei in right now, and by the way, check the details of those two craftsmen."

***
As soon as she came back from Hujiang University, Wen Tingli asked Master Li to help her deliver the things she bought at Ruisheng back home. There were people coming and going in the office, and she was worried that her things would be lost.

As soon as Master Li left, Tian Ling came in with two lunches. Her plate had vegetables, meat, and rice, but Wen Tingli's plate only had a few cucumbers and a piece of dry bread, which was disgusting at first glance.

Tian Ling advised her: "At least eat something, otherwise it will be even harder to endure when you go into the studio to film in the afternoon."

Wen Tingli made up her mind to pick up a piece of cucumber and was about to put it into her mouth when Huang Yuanshan suddenly came in with a middle-aged man.

"This is Director Wang from the Gastroenterology Department of Huiqun Hospital. He's here to help you regulate your body. Did you make an appointment yesterday?" Huang Yuanshan looked a little confused.

Wen Tingli was also stunned. Huiqun Hospital... Could it be Lu Shicheng? ? She had heard him mention it when they were having dinner together the night before, but she didn't expect him to be serious. She hurriedly stood up and greeted Director Wang: "Hello."

After the examination, Director Wang said to Wen Tingli, "Start taking vitamin pills right away, and make adjustments to your diet immediately. Be sure to add some high-energy nutritious foods such as chicken and beef to your morning and lunch meals. I'll give you a menu, please follow my doctor's advice strictly. Don't worry, eating this way will not only not ruin your previous efforts, but will also help you maintain basic nutrition. Would you mind telling me how long it will take for your work to be completed?"

After listening to Director Wang's explanation, Huang Yuanshan patted her chest with joy. She was worried that Wen Tingli's body could not cope with it, so she deliberately stopped the filming of "Double Pearls" recently and focused on catching up with the progress of "Spring Breeze Blows Again".

"I was really worried that she would starve to death. Now I can rest assured. Thank you for taking care of her during this period of time."

Wen Tingli smiled on her face but was deeply moved in her heart. Director Wang wrote another prescription for Wen Tingli and asked her to go to Huiqun Hospital in the afternoon to buy nutritional medicine according to the prescription. Huang Yuanshan took the prescription without hesitation and personally sent Director Wang out.

***
In the evening, Wen Tingli and Lu Shicheng had just come out of Hongyuan after dinner when they didn't expect it to start raining.

Wen Tingli smiled and snuggled into Lu Shicheng's arms, while covering her head with her hands. However, the rain was like pouring down from the sky, catching people off guard.

Lu Shicheng simply took off his suit jacket and covered their heads with it, then dragged her forward. "Get in the car first."

The two of them quickly got into the car and sat down. Wen Tingli was still laughing: "Really? How can it rain when you say it's going to rain?"

She looked down at herself, luckily Lu Shicheng's coat covered her in time, so in such heavy rain, only her head and feet were wet. She turned to look at Lu Shicheng and unexpectedly found that he was soaked all over, with raindrops dripping down.

"Why don't you take care of yourself!" Wen Tingli hurriedly took out her handkerchief to wipe the rain off him.

The gurgling rain flowed down Lu Shicheng's forehead, making it difficult for him to open his eyes. He took the handkerchief from her hand and wiped the water droplets on his eyelids. Wen Tingli's hands were empty, so she had to take out his handkerchief from his trouser pocket to wipe other places for him.

But the water in the clothes cannot be wiped away by a towel. The more you wipe, the deeper the water stain becomes.

"No, we have to go home and change clothes. It's already autumn, be careful not to catch a cold."

"It's not that easy to catch a cold." Lu Shicheng quickly wiped the rain off his face, and then shook his head like a drowned puppy, splashing water on his short hair.
Wen Tingli dodged while laughing: "Hate it! The water splashed into my eyes."

Lu Shicheng searched through several pockets of his body, and finally found a clean handkerchief, and held her face. "Don't move, I'll help you wipe it."

His eyes fell on her lips for a while, and then swept across her forehead, and Wen Tingli's heart itched. As he wiped, the handkerchief stopped moving, and he suddenly kissed her lips.

This kiss was like the coolness of rain, yet it was exceptionally sweet. As they kissed, she couldn't help but put her arms around his neck and kissed him back.

When we arrived at Wen's house, the rain not only had not stopped, but was getting heavier.

The two ran to the door hand in hand, but were still soaked.

After entering the entrance hall, Wen Tingli said, "I'll go upstairs to get towels and clothes first."

Lu Shicheng wiped the raindrops from his face and stood in the entrance hall watching Wen Tingli run upstairs.

Looking around, there was no place to sit. No matter where he sat, he would get wet. He could only shake his trouser legs on the spot and raised his hand to pat the rain off his shoulders.

Wen Tingli had been upstairs for a long time and hadn't come down yet. He was just thinking of going to the bathroom to find a towel to wipe himself when he saw her coming downstairs holding a box of things.

She had already changed her clothes, with a towel around her neck, and went downstairs and pushed the box in front of him: "Go and change."

"What is this?" Lu Shicheng opened the lid of the box curiously.

Inside was a stack of men's ready-made clothes.

Earlier, when they were outside Hongyuan, she had told him to "go home and change clothes", and he thought she was referring to herself.

Wen Tingli said a little shyly: "See if it fits."

Lu Shicheng was still a little dazed. He was pushed forward a few steps by her and turned around and asked her with a smile: "Do you know what size coat I wear?"

"You forgot that my family used to run a dress store, and my eyes are the ruler." Wen Tingli pointed to her eyes.

Fortunately, Lu Shicheng turned around, otherwise he would have seen the blush on her face. Not to mention that she had hugged him so many times, even if she hadn't hugged him, she would have known how wide his shoulders and waist were. Last time when he was recuperating at her house due to an injury, she bought him a set of pajamas that fit him perfectly.

Not long after, Lu Shicheng came out after changing his clothes.

This kind of ready-made clothes, of course, cannot be compared with the ones he usually has tailor-made, but Ruisheng is one of the best dress shops in the local area. As long as the size is chosen well, there will be no mistake at all. Besides, he looks good in anything. She especially likes the feeling of him wearing the things she gave him next to his skin, but she is embarrassed to say this to him.

Lu Shicheng adjusted the buttons on his sleeves, and while she was helping him tie his collar, he quickly whispered in her ear, "Thank you."

His tone was very serious, but his smile was very sweet. Wen Tingli really liked seeing him smile like this, he looked very happy.

Before leaving, Lu Shicheng gave her the pocket gun he had brought back last time.

"Give it to me again? It's not like you don't know I have a gun."

"This gun is smaller after all." Lu Shicheng poured out the bullets, carefully checked the magazine and the chamber, and helped her put the bullets back one by one. "Usually I carry it with me, it's less noticeable. Take it, I'll feel more at ease."

Wen Tingli solemnly put away the gun.

Seeing that Lu Shicheng seemed to be in a trance, he asked, "What's wrong?"

"I was thinking, why not let Zhou Wei and the others follow you starting tomorrow, and send someone to pick up Xiao Taozi and Mrs. Zhou every day." He asked in a consulting tone.

Wen Tingli's face darkened: "Is there any movement from Lu Kejian again?"

He nodded and helped her put the hair on her cheek behind her ear: "Let them stay with you for a while, okay?"

His tone was gentle, but he had a strong murderous intent in his heart. Lu Kejian must not be kept alive any longer. In order to prevent him from harming Lu Kejian, his grandfather sent almost all his confidants to control him. He wanted to kill Lu Kejian, but he could not be too hasty. It was not worth it to bear the cold-blooded reputation of slaughtering elders just to get rid of a scum.

He bent down and whispered a few words in Wen Tingli's ear, and Wen Tingli nodded solemnly.

The two of them sat at the dining table and each drank a bowl of hot ginger soup. Only then did she feel willing to let Lu Shicheng go. Before leaving, she gave him the largest umbrella in the house. She watched him get into the car at the door reluctantly, turned around and went back to the house. Suddenly, she saw a figure in the kitchen. It was Mrs. Zhou.

"Why are you up?"

"I heard you two whispering in the kitchen in the middle of the night. I was really worried that you might have burned the stove, so I had to come out to see what was going on."

Mrs. Zhou was busy checking the contents of the pot. Ginger soup? The ginger was cut so neatly, it was impossible for Da Nan to have done it. Usually, Da Nan would get upset whenever she entered the kitchen, let alone cut vegetables with a knife.

"Don't tell me that this ginger soup was made by Mr. Lu?"

Wen Tingli did not deny it.

"He also cut the ginger, right?"

Wen Tingli turned around and went upstairs.

Mrs. Zhou clasped her hands together, raised her head and muttered to the ceiling: "Madam, you see, our eldest daughter is so lucky to have found such a good man."

Wen Tingli did not go far. After hearing this, she poked her head out from the top of the stairs and said, "Why don't you say that Lu Shicheng is lucky to have found a good woman like me?"

"Yes, yes, he is more fortunate than you. Next time when you two discuss what to eat, can you ask me to get up and cook? It doesn't make sense to let the guests do it, but Mr. Lu is always so polite."

"He is not a stranger..." He had cooked a bowl of noodles for her last time, although he didn't put any salt in it. Wen Tingli chuckled and turned back to her room.

The next day at noon, Wen Tingli ordered a bowl of Lu Shicheng's favorite crab roe and shark fin soup from Jindong Hotel and sent it to him. She specifically asked the hotel not to name the person who sent it, since he could guess it was from her anyway.

After arranging all this, she sat happily by the phone with her chin on her hand, waiting for his call. After a while, the phone rang.

Wen Tingli deliberately stretched out her tone: "Excuse me, who are you looking for?"

"Wen Tingli?" Someone on the other end laughed, "Why do you pretend to speak like that? Do you think I can't tell it's you?"

"Bao Xin!" Wen Tingli said in surprise.

The two chatted for a few minutes on the phone, and Qiao Baoxin said, "I plan to go back to Shanghai next week. Let's meet somewhere then."

Wen Tingli lowered her voice: "Why did you come back so suddenly? Did something happen?"

"No, no, nothing happened. You forgot that my mother's birthday is next week. I have been with her every year in the past. I have to come back to see her this year. Otherwise, I don't know how sad she will be."

"Does the rest of the family know you're coming back?"

"Only my cousin and mother know." Qiao Baoxin whispered, "In fact, my mother has agreed to let me go to college in Peking, but my father is extremely stubborn. He keeps saying that I have brought shame to the Qiao family. He also said that if he sees me, he will beat me to death with his own hands and pretend that I don't exist in the Qiao family."

Wen Tingli had long experienced the suffocating atmosphere of the Qiao family. She really didn't know what to say, so she could only comfort Qiao Baoxin, "Now that you've already walked out, don't take his words seriously anymore. Be sure to protect yourself outside."

"Don't worry, he can't scare me anymore." Qiao Baoxin said calmly.

She changed her name when she arrived in Beijing last year. She is no longer surnamed Qiao! She doesn't want to be forced into a marriage she doesn't like like her brother, and become a puppet who lives only for the interests of the Qiao family.

She said to Wen Tingli, "After graduating from college, I will continue my studies. Sooner or later, I will make achievements in society and let them see them... By the way, Tingli, I have good news for you. A few days ago, a professor from Mary College in the United States came to our college to give a speech. I went up to her and talked to her for a long time. The professor admired my English level very much. Later, she looked at my professional course transcript and accepted my self-introduction book on the spot. There are so many people in the college, but she only accepted the information of three students. I will seize this rare opportunity."

Wen Tingli was sincerely happy for Qiao Baoxin: "Studying abroad requires a large sum of money. Do you have enough money? If not, I will pay for it."

"No, no." Qiao Baoxin was so grateful that he didn't know what to say. "Tingli, you are always so righteous. I saw it in the newspaper. You and Sister Huang's film company are doing very well. I really admire you. When I think about your situation, which was ten times more difficult than mine, I feel endless courage in my heart... Don't worry, my mother secretly sent me some money a while ago, and most of it was from my brother. He asked my mother to tell me: Go out, go far away, and never come back."

Wen Tingli was silent for a while.

"My brother..." Qiao Bao sighed worriedly, "Forget it, let's not talk about this. My cousin also sends me some money from time to time. He said that if I can really get into Mary Women's College, he will fully support me, but he asked me to write him an IOU, saying that he lent me the money and I will pay him back when I have a foothold in society in the future."

This is completely Meng Qiguang's style. Wen Tingli asked with a smile: "By the way, where is your lawyer Tong Zhaohui?"

Qiao Baoxin was silent for a moment: "I broke up with him."

Wen Tingli was secretly surprised. When Qiao Baoxin left Shanghai, she was still in love with Tong Zhaohui.

"It's a long story... When I come to Shanghai, we can talk about it in person."

***
Two days later, Huang Yuanshan received the invitation from the Qiao family as expected. Mrs. Qiao's birthday was on Tuesday, and the Qiao family planned to hold a big banquet for the guests.

Wen Tingli was sure that the Qiao family would not invite her, but when she returned to the office, she found an identical invitation on the table.

[Dear Ms. Wen Tingli].

Huang Yuanshan was surprised: "Hasn't Mrs. Qiao always been against you? Could it be that she herself feels that she went too far in the beginning and is finally willing to lower herself and show you kindness? What do you think, do you want to go?"

"Don't go."

Huang Yuanshan breathed a sigh of relief: "That's good, it saves me from the embarrassment of running into Qiao Xingchu."

"Embarrassed?" Wen Tingli sneered. "After thousands of years, the past is the past. Back then, the Qiao family ganged up on me, an orphan girl, so even if there was something embarrassing, it should be Qiao Xingchu who should be embarrassed. Why should I be embarrassed?"

She didn't care about them on the surface, but that didn't mean she had completely let it go. She would never forget how they humiliated her mother! She was waiting for the Qiao family's fate.

On the other hand, she always had to consider Lu Shicheng's feelings. So many people knew that she had a relationship with Qiao Xingchu. Now that Qiao Xingchu's mother was having a birthday, it was nothing for her to go to the Qiao family to celebrate.

Without saying a word, she tore up the Qiao family's invitation and threw it into the trash can.

Less than an hour later, the Gao family also sent over two invitations.

It turned out that Old Master Gao's birthday was the day after Mrs. Qiao's birthday, and the Gao family also planned to hold a grand celebration. Coincidentally, the Gao brothers and sisters both regarded Wen Tingli as their first guest, so they sent two invitations.

Wen Tingli called Gao Xiaowen back with joy.

On Tuesday, Wen Tingli did not go to the Qiao family for the banquet, and Lu Shicheng did not respond to the Qiao family's invitation. The two of them studied the new menu given by Director Wang at Wen Tingli's house.

In front of Wen Tingli was a large bowl of beef brisket stewed with tomatoes. The soup was very clear in color and did not seem to have any oil or water at all.

After taking two sips of soup, tears suddenly flashed in Wen Tingli's eyes.

"Is it unpalatable?" He looked puzzled. "How about I ask them to adjust the taste tomorrow?"

"No, it's really delicious." Wen Tingli took a deep breath with tears in her eyes, "It's much better than cucumber slices and dry bread."

Lu Shicheng smiled as he watched her eat half a bowl of rice. He turned his head and continued to study the recipe carefully. He pushed the plate of cilantro and snow peas in front of her and said seriously, "It's time to eat this next."

"It's your turn to eat next." Wen Tingli scooped a spoonful of vegetables into his bowl.

These days, Lu Shicheng ate whatever she ate. Fortunately, he didn't find it boring. The day before yesterday, Wen Tingli finally couldn't help it and came to him: "Aren't you hungry?"

"Hungry." Lu Shicheng nodded honestly.

"So you still eat the same thing as me?"

"You can't eat these while I eat chicken legs and braised pork next to you."

"But it's too cruel to let someone who doesn't need to diet eat these. Please eat something else, otherwise I can't stand it. I agree to let you eat something else."

She was cuddling with him, and when they were so close, her right arm happened to rest on his left chest.

There seemed to be some small, brittle and hard object hidden in his breast pocket. If you touched it, that place would make a "crunching" sound.

Wen Tingli curiously touched his chest, and suddenly stopped to sniff, "What smells so good?"

Lu Shicheng smiled and touched her nose bridge. Without saying anything, she reached her hand into his shirt pocket and took out a few cookies.

"Great, Lu Shicheng! I feel bad for you eating the same thing as me every day, but it turns out you have hidden so many delicious foods on yourself. Do you often eat delicious foods when I'm not paying attention?"

He was laughing, but his tone was quite frank. "You said it too, I don't need to go on a diet. At least I didn't eat in front of you."

"Stop quibbling! Today I just realized how shameless you are. I want to see if you have any other good stuff hidden on you. Give them all to me."

He let her search through everything, and when she stopped, he lowered his head, grabbed her hand and kissed it: "How pitiful, how could you be so greedy, I'll ask Director Wang to find a way to get you some snacks to satisfy your craving, okay?"

"No..." She leaned her head against his shoulder. "Then I really won't be able to lose weight. I haven't forgotten what I'm doing. I have to finish filming this drama with high quality first."

……

Wen Tingli recalled the situation of that day, smiling to herself, and in the blink of an eye, she ate everything on the table. Director Wang stipulated the portion of each meal, not too much or too little, and even the salt and oil were limited. She felt that the food was not satisfying at all, but at least she didn't feel dizzy as she did in the past few days, and everyone said that her complexion was much better than before. The two of them made tea in the kitchen and came out. The phone in the living room rang. "Tingli, I'm back in Shanghai." It was Qiao Baoxin.

"Where are you?!" Wen Tingli asked hurriedly, but she did not lower her voice deliberately. Lu Shicheng was already accustomed to her mysterious calls. He leaned over to pick up a newspaper from the coffee table, walked over to the restaurant and sat down.

Wen Tingli comforted him with her eyes, but he just pretended not to see it. This stubborn guy.

Qiao Baoxin said, "I just went to see my mother secretly. Luckily my father didn't find me. Can you come out and see me tomorrow? I have a lot to say to you."

"Okay, I'm going to the Gao family's party tomorrow night. There's a Dream Cafe near the Gao family's house. It's open until two o'clock every night. How about we meet there at eleven o'clock tomorrow night? I'll probably be wearing a hat and sunglasses, so you won't fail to recognize me."

"I understand."

After finishing the call, Wen Tingli walked up to Lu Shicheng. His eyes were still on the newspaper and he didn't turn around to look at her. She took his hand from the newspaper and put it aside.

"Why run so far?"

"I'm afraid I might accidentally hear your secret."

Wen Tingli pinched his cheek: "What secret? That's a female classmate of mine——"

Lu Shicheng, like a hunter waiting for his prey to approach him, turned around and kissed her lips, blocking her from saying anything.

***
On Wednesday night, Wen Tingli and Lu Shicheng arrived at Gao's house about ten minutes apart, but as soon as they entered, a lot of people still surrounded them.

"Boss Wen, I heard that your company's first play will be successfully completed by the end of this month?"

"Some people say that you took a year off from school just to start a company? If the company doesn't work out, wouldn't both your studies and career be in vain? Or do you have absolute confidence that you can lead Xiufeng to achieve something? Miss Wen, please talk to everyone."

Not far away, someone looked at Wen Tingli, who was the center of attention, with an unfriendly look.

"She has brought such harm to our Qiao family, but she herself has become more and more prosperous day by day. If Boss Liu hadn't come back from Peking the other day and told me something, I would never have thought that Bao Xin's departure was actually caused by the instigation of this Wen!"

"I've said before that she is the nemesis of our Qiao family." Mrs. Qiao angrily took over her husband's words, "Fortunately, we separated her and Xingchu in time, otherwise I don't know what trouble she would have caused in our Qiao family. But Master, no matter how angry you are, you don't have to teach her a lesson in this occasion. There are so many people here tonight, aren't you afraid of causing trouble?"

"The more people, the better. She escaped a disaster by not coming to the Qiao family's banquet the day before yesterday, but we can't let her go today. Our Qiao family's daughter has been unable to return home and has a father she refuses to acknowledge, while this Wen family has gained both fame and fortune. How can I swallow this anger if I don't ruin her reputation!"

When talking about her daughter, Mrs. Qiao couldn't help but be a little absent-minded. Last night, Baoxin came to her quietly, and the mother and daughter hugged each other and cried bitterly.

In the past, she wanted her daughter to come back wholeheartedly. She firmly believed that sooner or later her daughter would understand her painstaking efforts, accept the family's arrangement, and marry a suitable young man from a wealthy family. However, this meeting between mother and daughter completely shook Mrs. Qiao's belief.

Qi Guang was right. Bao Xin's entire temperament had changed. She became more cheerful, mature, and thoughtful than before. Whatever she said made sense.

The daughter also showed her her report card, which showed that she had excellent grades in every subject.

How could this still be the same wooden girl who was always timid and submissive in front of her elders?
At that moment, Mrs. Qiao felt that something in her heart was quietly collapsing.

In her daughter, she vaguely saw herself when she first entered the women's college. At that time, she was as young and vigorous as Baoxin and full of confidence in life. Unfortunately, she only studied in college for two years and was arranged by her family to marry into the then prosperous Qiao family.

In the blink of an eye, more than 20 years have passed. The girl with bright eyes has long gone, leaving only a haggard middle-aged woman with cloudy eyes and a heart full of calculations.

During these years in the Qiao family, she was exhausted.

Do you really want your daughter to walk the same path you have walked before?

Could it be that she was the one who had the wrong idea? In today's world, it might not be unsuitable for women to go out and try their luck.

Looking at the woman in front of her who was shining in the crowd, Mrs. Qiao admitted that in addition to hatred, she also felt a little envy and admiration.

Suddenly, she heard her husband snort in her ear: "Look, we don't have to do anything, she actually came to Qi Guang on her own. I heard that this Wen has always had something unclear with the young master of the Lu family, and now she is openly showing her affection to Qi Guang. I think she is clearly a socialite. Why are you hesitating? This time she asked for it."

***
As soon as Meng Qiguang came in, Wen Tingli hesitated whether to go up and talk to him alone.

Before going out this evening, Bao Xin suddenly called her and said that she was worried that her family would find her walking around outside, so she made an appointment with Wen Tingli to meet at the Dahua Hotel where she was staying.

Although Wen Tingli agreed immediately, she began to hesitate afterwards.

It's not that she is suspicious, she just suddenly remembered that when she talked to Qiao Baoxin on the phone last month, Baoxin had told her in person that she would not consider returning to Shanghai before the winter vacation, so why did she come back this time?

She immediately told Lu Shicheng about her doubts, but did not mention Baoxin's boyfriend. She only said that her good friend's return this time was very strange, and she was worried that Baoxin was being controlled by someone.

She also thought that Bao Xin's return this time, besides for her mother's birthday, seemed to have something to do with Tong Zhaohui. Tong Zhaohui was Sister Li's subordinate and had a very complicated identity and background. She remembered that he had to hide in Peiping because his identity was exposed.

Regarding this aspect, her first reaction was for Head Nurse Liu to send someone to the hotel where Qiao Baoxin was staying to take a look, but what if that person was not Qiao Baoxin, wouldn't Head Nurse Liu and others fall into a trap?
Then she thought of another person. If Qiao Baoxin was impersonated by someone else, or was abducted back to Shanghai, she would definitely not be able to hide the truth from this person. Seeing Meng Qiguang walking into the Gao family's hall, Wen Tingli decided to go up and ask.

"Mr. Meng." She greeted him openly in front of everyone.

Meng Qiguang didn't react at first, until Wen Tingli called out to him again from behind, then he calmly turned around and looked at her.

Wen Tingli was a little unsure of his next attitude. For someone like Meng Qiguang, the experience that night could be regarded as a lifelong shame. He was almost shot in the chest by her.

He may not remember this grudge for the rest of his life, but he will never pretend nothing happened.

Unexpectedly, when Meng Qiguang saw that it was her, he spoke calmly: "Miss Wen, what can I do for you?"

Wen Tingli checked around again. There were people everywhere, but it was relatively quiet here. Someone was watching them from afar, but at the same time they were kept at a certain distance. This way, she didn't have to worry about causing any misunderstandings, and she could still communicate with Meng Qiguang about Bao Xin's matters with peace of mind.

She whispered, "I want to confirm one thing with Mr. Meng: Has Baoxin returned to Shanghai? She said she contacted you."

Meng Qiguang was silent for a moment. "She came to see you?"

"Ah."

“Why should I tell you whether she has returned to Shanghai?”

"Because she made an appointment with me on the phone."

"Then why don't you just go and see her?" He sneered, not intending to answer her question directly. Suddenly, he seemed to see something and turned around and left.

Wen Tingli subconsciously took a step forward and said, "Mr. Meng, I'm worried that Baoxin is in danger. You don't want anything to happen to Baoxin, do you?"

Meng Qiguang suddenly turned around, and Wen Tingli hurriedly took a step back, but she didn't expect that there was a sofa stool behind her calves, and as she stepped back, she fell onto the sofa involuntarily.

The sofa stool was knocked over by her foot, making a "thump" sound on the smooth marble floor.

People around were looking at them.

Meng Qiguang subconsciously stepped forward to help Wen Tingli, but Wen Tingli dodged his hand. Meng Qiguang glanced at her, bent down to put the sofa stool beside her feet, and said sarcastically: "What do you think of me, Meng Qiguang? With me here, who dares to make a move on you?"

Wen Tingli breathed a sigh of relief and stood up in front of the sofa again: "So she really went back to Shanghai?"

"Yes, I went to the Majestic Hotel and met her yesterday."

"That's good. Nothing else. I won't disturb Mr. Meng anymore." She said sincerely.

Meng Qiguang didn't look at her, but glanced over there. Wen Tingli followed his gaze and saw Lu Shicheng, Gao Tingxin and others passing by. Lu Shicheng looked straight ahead, as if he didn't notice her at all.

But they made such a loud noise just now that it was impossible for Lu Shicheng not to hear it.

"What are you looking at? Are you afraid that he will misunderstand?" Meng Qiguang laughed softly, "Doesn't the person you chose have even this little trust in you?
Wen Tingli glanced at him. Meng Qiguang's tone was teasing or seductive: "No, maybe you don't care about being misunderstood, Wen Tingli, has Lu Shicheng really conquered you? I doubt that there is any man in the world who can completely conquer your heart."

She didn't respond and turned to walk towards Mrs. Pan and others.

The smile on Meng Qiguang's face slowly faded.

"Xiao Wen, come here quickly. There are several ladies from Nanjing who want to meet you. They are all your fans." Mrs. Pan also saw Wen Tingli.

Wen Tingli went over to talk to them for a while, and Mrs. Pan complained that she was hot, so a waiter came over with some fruit and iced soda. Wen Tingli was still on a diet, so she didn't dare drink those sweet things. There happened to be a cup of freshly brewed vegetarian tea on the plate, which suited her appetite, so she quickly picked it up.

"Wow, these oranges look so fresh." Mrs. Pan said, looking at another tray.

"These are fresh oranges sent from Yunnan. They are sweeter than those sold on the market." Mrs. Gao smiled and said, "Mrs. Pan, Miss Wen, Mrs. Li, you all try them."

Wen Tingli has loved eating oranges since she was a child, so she joined in the fun and took two. After chatting for a while, she found an excuse to go find Lu Shicheng.

Lu Shicheng was nowhere to be found, so I went all the way to the bridge room on the second floor, where I suddenly heard someone talking.

"Why are you so absent-minded, Shouqian? Take a closer look. This is definitely a business that is sure to make money."

"I've seen it. I'm sorry, I'm really not interested." The man spoke calmly and confidently. It was indeed Lu Shicheng's voice.

Wen Tingli thought about it and decided to leave for a while, when suddenly a gust of wind blew from behind her. She was startled and without thinking, she turned her elbow and pushed back hard. Unexpectedly, there was more than one person coming. One on the left and one on the right held her down, making her unable to move in an instant, and at the same time covered her mouth tightly with something like a handkerchief.

At this moment, Lu Shicheng and Gao Tingxin seemed to be coming out. Wen Tingli tried desperately to make a noise over there, but was held back by the people around her.

It turns out there is a room for storing miscellaneous items behind it.

Everything was planned in advance, every step was calculated, she didn't even have the chance to draw her gun, she couldn't escape even if she had wings!
The more critical the moment, the calmer one has to be. Wen Tingli's mind was racing, and she suddenly remembered that she had just taken two small oranges from the fruit plate, and they were still in her hands.

Before the door of the utility room was closed, she opened her palms without hesitation and threw the two small oranges far away.

The little oranges rolled all the way outside on the mirror-smooth marble floor. One of them stopped right at Lu Shicheng's feet, and the other was almost crushed by Gao Tingxin.

"What is it? Oranges?" Gao Tingxin retracted his foot in astonishment.

Lu Shicheng bent down to pick up the orange and looked around.

Gao Tingxin didn't take it seriously: "It was probably left here by a kid. Let's go."

Lu Shicheng didn't seem to notice anything unusual. He threw the orange into an empty fruit bowl on the side and left.

The people in the utility room couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

"I didn't expect this little girl to be so difficult to deal with. Didn't she drink the drug? How did she still have the energy to throw things out?"

"Maybe the drug hasn't fully taken effect yet. Never mind. That Lu guy didn't take it seriously. Quick, get her in and tell the master that we've succeeded."

***
Downstairs, Meng Qiguang had just sat down to talk to Mr. Xin from Dachang Shipping Company when a waiter came over with a tray and bowed to Mr. Xin. Mr. Xin waved his hand and said, "Thank you. I don't like these foreign drinks."

Meng Qiguang smiled, picked up a glass of champagne and was about to drink it, but suddenly he seemed to realize something, his eyes turned cold, and he looked up at the waiter in front of him.

The waiter looked at his nose with his eyes and his nose at his heart, and did not look back at Meng Qiguang.

After looking at it for a while, Meng Qiguang's expression became relaxed again. He raised his glass and took a sip casually in front of the waiter.

The waiter's expression relaxed, he tucked the empty tray under his armpit, and walked away.

***
Wen Tingli felt like someone had put her on a bed. Judging from the conversation between the two people just now, someone had put a drug in her drink tonight. In her opinion, it was most likely the cup of hot tea.

Unfortunately, these people probably didn't expect that, although the tea was served, she only smelled the tea in the cup. Firstly, she never ate or drank outside recently, and secondly, she felt that there was something wrong with the waiter's eyes when he looked at her. It was a kind of panic that was pretending to be calm, which others might not be able to see through at a glance, but she was an actor who was good at acting. At first, she wondered if she was neurotic, but to be on the safe side, she poured the cup of tea into the spittoon under the stairs when no one was paying attention. Perhaps because of this, she has not lost consciousness until now, but is quite sober.

She didn't know where these people took her. She wanted to quietly open her eyes to check the surroundings, but she heard a chaotic sound of footsteps coming towards the bed, as if someone was carrying something heavy. She quickly closed her eyes and pretended to faint. Then, the quilt beside her sank and something was placed next to her.

That was clearly another person! Wen Tingli's whole body tensed up. The situation seemed to be getting weirder and weirder. What on earth were these people going to do? There seemed to be a lot of people surrounding the bed. If she jumped up and ran away at this moment, she might be attacked more violently. No, she couldn't act rashly for the time being.

I only heard several people beside the bed say in unison: "Master, Madam."

Another person came in, and walked straight to the bed. The next moment, Wen Tingli felt that the other person was leaning over to look at her carefully. She was always confident in her acting skills, and she was sure that the other person could not tell that she was pretending to sleep.

As expected, the other party hummed with satisfaction: "Have you notified all the reporters downstairs?"

Hey, why does this person's voice sound so familiar?

"Don't worry, sir. Everything has been arranged."

Another person said hesitantly: "Master, isn't this a bit too impulsive? We want to take revenge on Wen Tingli, so why should we involve Qi Guang in this?"

Wen Tingli was shocked. It was indeed Mrs. Qiao and her husband!
"What we want is to get Qi Guang involved in this, so that the outside world will not suspect our Qiao family. Do you have any better way? I will explain it to Qi Guang later. He is a man, and it is harmless even if he is in the newspaper with a woman. Besides, didn't you see that he likes Wen Tingli? After this incident, I'm sure Lu Shicheng will no longer want this Wen, which can be regarded as indirectly helping Qi Guang."

"But--"

"Stop talking nonsense! When I think about how she instigated Baoxin to run away from home, I want to tear her into pieces. Now, just taking a few photos and publishing a few news reports is already a bargain for her! If I didn't want our Qiao family to be tainted by the scandal, I really want to throw her into the Huangpu River to feed the fish. Why don't you quickly strip this bitch naked, help her over a little, and let her stick to Qiguang."

Someone started to tease Wen Tingli. Wen Tingli secretly gathered her strength and was about to punch the other person when he was not prepared. But at this moment, the door was kicked open from the outside.

The people in the room were in a panic. Some tried to run away, but the attackers were all very agile and quickly subdued them.

In the chaos, someone walked quickly to the bedside, took off his coat, leaned over and covered Wen Tingli tightly with a piece of clothing, confirmed that she had no external injuries, and quickly picked her up and put her on the sofa beside her. Wen Tingli closed her eyes and smelled the familiar breath coming from this person, and her clenched fists slowly relaxed.

She heard Lu Shicheng's heart beating violently in his chest, and she didn't know whether it was out of anger or fear.

"Mr. Lu, this is a misunderstanding." Mrs. Qiao stammered over there.

Lu Shicheng stood up suddenly, grabbed Mr. Qiao by the collar and knocked him to the ground.

"Master!" Mrs. Qiao screamed.

Lu Shicheng grabbed Master Qiao and punched him again. After two punches, Master Qiao's face was covered with blood. Lu Shicheng wanted to attack again, but Gao Tingxin hurriedly pulled him back: "Shicheng, calm down, that's enough! If you keep fighting, someone will die!"

Lu Shicheng grabbed the Qiao family uncle's chest and lifted him up from the ground, saying in a low and slow voice: "Listen to me, I didn't care in the past, but if you dare to touch her again in the future, I will make your Qiao family have no peace forever-"

His tone was neither high nor low, but every word he said was so sharp, cold and embarrassing.

Soon, Mrs. Qiao was greatly stimulated and burst into tears in anger and impotence. The old man of the Qiao family was so angry that his voice trembled: "You, you kid, don't take advantage of the Lu family's current power and act lawless! Are you threatening me? Let me tell you, we in the Qiao family are not afraid of you!"

"You can give it a try." Lu Shicheng's tone was so calm, but it made the old man of the Qiao family shudder uncontrollably. He tried to defend himself: "I, Qiao Libang, never do anything against my will. Why don't you ask her what she did——"

"Dad." Someone else broke in.

Mrs. Qiao was like she had found a savior. "Xingchu... you came at the right time."

Lu Shicheng waited there expressionlessly, as if he was provoking her, but also as if he was waiting. Qiao Xingchu was frightened by the sharp coldness in his eyes, and could not help but retract her gaze and asked her mother, "What is going on?"

"It's all because of Wen Tingli." Mrs. Qiao cried, "We only recently found out that Baoxin ran away from home at her instigation. Your father was so angry that he wanted to teach Wen Tingli a lesson, but he didn't expect..."

Qiao Xingchu interrupted Mrs. Qiao in a harsh voice: "Dad, Mom, don't you know what's going on now? The one who forced Baoxin to run away was none other than the Qiao family themselves! If you hadn't forced her to marry the young master of the Zhou family, would she have run away from home in a rage? If there was a little bit of freedom in our family, would Baoxin be willing to go far away? Wen Tingli was just fulfilling her responsibilities as a friend. Baoxin herself said that when she was in the most difficult time, Wen Tingli had repeatedly sent her money--"

The old man of the Qiao family raised his hand and slapped his son in the face. Qiao Xingchu stiffened his neck and looked at his father.

"So you know everything!"

Lu Shicheng was not interested in the dispute between the father and son of the Qiao family, and turned around and walked towards the sofa.

The Qiao family's uncle had nowhere to vent his resentment. He smiled coldly at Lu Shicheng's back and said, "Do you think you won't be fooled by her? At the beginning, this Wen took the initiative to seduce our Xingchu. The students of Xiude Girls' Middle School can all testify to this.

"Later, because we didn't agree with her relationship with Xingchu, she flirted with Qiguang again, causing Qiguang to still be obsessed with her. But when she saw you, she pushed Qiguang away without saying a word!"

He coughed loudly, and said while coughing: "I have asked people to investigate her background. Liu Menglin of the Gold Company was very kind to her, but she changed jobs as soon as she said so. She also knows how to win people's hearts. Mrs. Pan, Dong Qinfang, Miss Gao, everyone is willing to serve her... Recently, in order to attract investment for her new film, she hooked up with Miss Ge! Don't you think such an ambitious woman is scary? Men, friends, old employers, and even rivals in love are all ladders for her to climb up. Your Lu family is so big and powerful, but in her eyes, you, Mr. Lu, are probably just a step under her feet."

Wen Tingli was so angry that she wanted to jump out of Lu Shicheng's arms and have a debate with Qiao. At this moment, Lu Shicheng's voice sounded above her head.

"How are you superior to her? What qualifications do you have to judge her life?!"

Uncle Qiao just stood there in a daze.

"Ambition?" Lu Shicheng sneered, "Why can't she be ambitious? I think in your mind, Uncle Qiao, people in the world are roughly divided into several levels. You call yourself a 'superior person', so you look down on 'inferior people'. If the inferior people are smarter and work harder, you will denounce them as ambitious. In the final analysis, it is just because such people will make you see your own weakness and incompetence. Unfortunately, she is getting higher and higher, and you have no choice but to use the most vicious language to slander her character. If you don't do this, you can't protect your fragile self-esteem. I really pity you."

Uncle and Mrs. Qiao were shaking like sieves. The unprecedented anger and humiliation made them unable to utter a word.

"Has no one told you the truth? You have always been just the dirt under her feet." Lu Shicheng's eyes were full of contempt and ridicule. While speaking, he glanced at Meng Qiguang on the bed, "No one in this room can compare to her in the slightest! As long as she wants, the whole world can be a stepping stone for her."

There was silence in the room.

Wen Tingli felt so sweet in her heart that she couldn't help but quietly open her eyelids a little to look at Lu Shicheng.

When Lu Shicheng said the last sentence, Meng Qiguang, who had been unconscious on the bed, suddenly retracted his fingers slightly. She thought she had seen it wrong. She also noticed that Qiao Xingchu had been looking at Lu Shicheng with extremely complicated eyes.

Just like that, she took in everyone's situation one by one, and closed her eyes again with a strange feeling of pride.

Lu Shicheng wrapped Wen Tingli's head with his coat, and carried her out of the house. Gao Tingxin chased after him: "Shouqian, go this way. We have cleared all the reporters away as you said. No one will see us if we go downstairs. I'm really sorry that you two busy people came to our Gao family to celebrate the birthday, but such an unpleasant thing happened..."

***
Just as Gao Tingxin said, there was no one on the path to the back door. She could faintly hear some laughter coming from the front yard. As she walked, she heard him say above her head, "Can you open your eyes now?"

She quickly stuck her head out.

"How did you know I was awake?"

"While you were moving around and eavesdropping."

Wen Tingli stopped talking and just stared at him silently. Her eyes seemed to be filled with stars, sparkling with love. But she was only honest for a moment before she retracted her head into her coat and hid it again. Her hands were carefully exploring his body. Lu Shicheng asked, "What are you looking for?"

"Cookie, I'm hungry, give me one."

"Not today."

"I do not believe."

"Not really."

She searched more and more vigorously, and Lu Shicheng couldn't spare an extra hand to stop her: "Don't touch it, it's in your trouser pocket."

She chuckled and reached into his trouser pocket. After a while, there was a "creaking" sound from under his coat. Lu Shicheng listened to the movement, and his heart was like a cat's claws. His eyes were still vigilantly looking forward, but the corners of his mouth couldn't help but bend: "It's really like a big cat."

(End of this chapter)