Chapter 71

Lu Chenyu was caught off guard when Xue Yi tied up her hair. She blinked, a little dazed.

Just as she was about to speak, she heard someone calling her from the private room behind her. “Lulu, come here.”

Lu Chenyu thanked Xue Yi, hurriedly took the bag from the assistant’s hands, and stepped into the office.

Xue Yi crossed her arms and peered inside.

In the room, two middle-aged men were chatting animatedly.

Lu Chenyu was left standing off to the side.

Zhu Wei said, “Lulu, you probably haven’t seen a place this fancy before, huh? A girl like you needs to get out more and see the world!”

The manager smiled and added, “My son’s about your age. Once he gets into college, you two should get to know each other.”

Xue Yi caught snippets of the conversation and quickly pieced together what was going on. She narrowed her eyes and walked away.

…

Lu Chenyu listened to her uncle and the manager’s endless prattle with a blank expression, feeling thoroughly annoyed deep down. No matter how they circled around the topic, she had no desire to chime in. She just wanted it to end as quickly as possible.

By the time she returned to the second-floor dining hall, all the dishes had already been served.

The spread included Kung Pao chicken, a simple soup, stir-fried vegetables, sweet-and-sour pork ribs—nothing but everyday home-style fare.

Everyone dug in silently. The clinking of cutlery punctuated the air now and then. Song Shu glanced at Lu Chenyu and said with a smile, “Girls really ought to be spoiled a bit, you know? Like our Yue Min—she comes to this hotel once a month.”

“That’s how you raise a girl with real sophistication,” Song Shu continued, deliberately eyeing the doll hanging from Lu Chenyu’s backpack. “That way, she won’t get swept off her feet by just any guy later on.” She gave a faint smile.

Ms. Song listened with her brows furrowed tightly.

Suddenly, a server approached carrying two large platters.

Lu Chenyu froze for a moment.

They were two lobsters.

Massive ones, with thick shells and a deep red hue. They were arranged on the platters beside slices of lemon, prepared as split-and-grilled, glistening with a thin layer of oil.

Zhu Wei stared at the lobsters and set down his chopsticks. “What’s this?”

The server replied, “Australian lobster.”

Zhu Wei said, “I don’t think we ordered this.”

They were enormous—clearly expensive. His heart sank.

One of those would cost a fortune, and he couldn’t afford it.

The server checked his order sheet, confirmed with the front desk, and returned with a professional smile. “This was sent over specifically by another customer.”

Song Shu frowned. “Who sent it?”

The server said, “Lady Xue from the Imperial Banquet Hall upstairs sent it for Little Sister Lu Chenyu.”

Everyone went still.

Seafood was priced by market rate, and Australian lobster this season ran into the thousands per lobster. Two of them cost more than the entire table’s worth of food.

Ms. Song turned to Lu Chenyu with concern. “Lulu, do you know who it is?”

Lu Chenyu hesitated. “…Yeah.” She nodded slowly.

“Send it back,” Song Shu said nervously. “What if we have to pay for it later?”

The server assured them, “Lady Xue has already settled the bill. Please enjoy.”

The table fell quiet once more.

Breaking open the tail revealed firm meat. She sliced off a piece and bit into it, feeling its satisfying bounce. The oil and lobster flavors melded perfectly, rich and delicious.

Everyone ate with bated breath until the end. Then the server brought two desserts.

Baked creme brulee.

Perhaps knowing there were two students still in school, the portions were sized for sharing between them.

Zhu Wei couldn’t hold back anymore. “Little Deer, who do you know?”

Ms. Song looked equally stunned.

Lu Chenyu had no choice but to explain, “It’s that mountaineering sister I met in Little Sea Trench.”

Ms. Song smacked her forehead. “Oh, right—her.”

“Good, good,” Ms. Song said smugly, shooting Song Shu a glance with a laugh in her voice. “What goes around comes around, doesn’t it?”

Ms. Song racked her brain for details about the woman and boasted to Song Shu, “She owns a company in Sea City—a real big shot. Not just some fancy car, either. Speaks so elegantly, and she’s a total beauty.”

Song Shu’s face darkened visibly.

The meal wrapped up quickly.

Zhu Wei stood, patted Lu Chenyu’s shoulder with patriarchal authority, and said, “Little Deer, let’s go upstairs and give our thanks.”

He felt a twinge of resentment inside.

He’d only ever dared order set menus at a swanky hotel like this.

And set menus sure didn’t include Australian lobster.

He had to see just who Little Deer knew—maybe he could make a connection himself.

They reached the third-floor private room and spotted Xue Yi holding her phone, standing by the floor-to-ceiling window in the public area, making a call.

The city nightscape gleamed clearly on the glass outside. She leaned one hand on the windowsill railing, her voice hushed.

The third floor was quiet, save for the distant rumble of a server’s cart wheels.

Hearing footsteps, Xue Yi turned. Seeing Lu Chenyu, she paused, then curved her eyes in a smile. “Was the lobster good?”

Lu Chenyu nodded. “Delicious. Thank you, Sister.”

“When are you heading back?” She paused before asking, “B-back to Sea City?”

Xue Yi glanced at her phone screen and thought for a moment. “I still have some business to handle in River City. Might be staying here for quite a while.”

Lu Chenyu’s eyes lit up.

Her gaze was so pure—her emotions plain as day. She looked at Xue Yi with pure fondness.

Xue Yi said, “You’re so pretty. Want me to take your picture?”

Xue Yi’s trip to Sea City wasn’t just for business; it was personal family matters too.

Lately, she’d been thinking of her daughter nonstop. She’d sent people to check on her, only to learn that Sui Sui had changed her name eight years ago and now went by the surname Wen. Heartache and anger warred within her, but Wen Yanxiu had protected the girl too well—Xue Yi couldn’t even see her.

Lu Chenyu was the same age as her daughter. Whenever Xue Yi looked at her, she couldn’t help imagining what Sui Sui looked like now.

Lu Chenyu’s lips curved up uncontrollably. She stared at the lens as Xue Yi snapped a photo.

Zhu Wei had been watching from the side for a while and finally stepped forward. “Hello…”

Only then did Xue Yi notice the man who’d been hovering like a ghost behind her.

“I’m Little Deer’s uncle. Was that Australian lobster from you during our meal? Thank you so much.”

Xue Yi smiled. “I really like Little Deer. She’s a smart kid. Those two lobsters were for her.”

Zhu Wei chuckled awkwardly and handed over a business card. “I handle software development at a certain company. If there’s ever a chance to collaborate, please feel free to reach out.”

Xue Yi eyed the card and had no intention of taking it, but with Little Deer standing there so obediently, she reconsidered—why make things awkward for the girl at home? She smiled and accepted it.

“I have some matters to attend to, so I’ll head out. If my little sister ever needs anything…” Xue Yi turned to Lu Chenyu with a beaming smile, held her hand to her ear like dialing a phone, and winked. “Just give me a call anytime, okay?”

Lu Chenyu said, “Mm-hm.”

Xue Yi summoned the elevator. As the doors closed, she raised her hand and waved at Lu Chenyu.

Lu Chenyu waved back.

The doors had just shut when the nearby private room door swung open.

A slightly rotund man emerged.

Lu Chenyu was still staring at the elevator in a daze when she heard Zhu Wei exclaim in surprise, “Boss?!”

She blinked and turned to look.

Was this the boss who’d lent her uncle the Maserati?

As the room door opened wider, laughter and chatter drifted into her ears. The “boss,” dressed in a suit with a receding hairline, waddled out like a penguin. He spotted Zhu Wei and seemed surprised but had no time to say more—just nodded curtly and looked away.

He held the door open, bowing and scraping to those inside. “President Wen, take care.”

Zhu Wei blinked in astonishment. He’d never seen his boss act so obsequious toward anyone.

Even bosses had their own bosses.

The watch suddenly vibrated.

Lu Chenyu tapped it open and was surprised to see the Break-time Friend Finder feature lit up.

【Closed Moon Shy Flower】 poked you. She’s super close! Say hi!

Wen Feixi’s distance had dropped from 15m to 3m.

Lu Chenyu stared blankly at the screen as the distance shrank instantly from 3m to 2m.

She looked up—and there was Wen Yanxiu stepping out of the room, faint laughter echoing from behind him.

Wen Yanxiu paused slightly upon seeing Lu Chenyu.

“Is that Little Deer?” he asked with a smile. “What brings you here?”

Lu Chenyu said, “…Hello, Uncle Wen.”

Wen Yanxiu nodded approvingly. “Little Deer, you did great on the last exam. Keep it up—don’t let Feixi beat you in the finals.”

Lu Chenyu nodded eagerly.

Wen Yanxiu patted her shoulder. “I’ve got to go. I’ll have Feixi bring you some stationery next time.”

Uncle Wen still seemed as approachable as ever.

Gazing at him now, Lu Chenyu felt like all those suspicions she’d harbored before were just her own overactive imagination.

Wen Yanxiu chatted with his companions as he strode ahead briskly.

Zhu Wei eyed the man’s suit and swallowed hard. He asked Lu Chenyu dryly, “Little Deer, you know him too…?”

That suit had to cost five figures at least.

The watch vibrated again.

Lu Chenyu glanced down. The distance to 【Closed Moon Shy Flower】 had plummeted to 1m.

<1m

A few more people emerged from the distant room. Lu Chenyu blinked, then looked up sharply to see Wen Feixi strolling out with her hands behind her back, a smile on her face. Those beautiful phoenix eyes lifted without evasion, meeting Lu Chenyu’s gaze directly.

This must have been Wen Feixi’s family gathering—the room door stood open as guests filed out one by one.

Chu Qing walked beside Wen Feixi in a deep-colored evening gown, lost in thought with an expressionless face.

Zhu Wei watched from the side, utterly stunned. These two girls couldn’t be older than eighteen, yet they exuded poise and elegance.

True young ladies of high society.

Anyone could see from the entourage that the group in the room was loaded—either rich or powerful. Zhu Wei’s heart skipped a beat, fearing he’d offend someone important. He hurriedly pulled Lu Chenyu aside to make way.

Lu Chenyu’s eyes fixed on Wen Feixi.

Her outfit was different from the volleyball game.

Tonight, Wen Feixi wore an ivory-white chiffon gown. The delicate fabric skimmed her figure, cinched lightly at the waist before flaring out softly. Pure ivory white without ornate embellishments, it tempered her aura just right. Her exposed shoulders and neck gleamed snow-white.

Chu Qing spotted Lu Chenyu and looked surprised, arching a brow. She shot Wen Feixi a knowing half-smile.

She carried a small box—its contents unknown. Passing Lu Chenyu, Chu Qing paused.

“Want some?” Chu Qing looked at her like an older sister to a younger one.

Zhu Wei’s eyes bulged in shock.

No one had expected this noble young miss to stop and speak to his niece.

Lu Chenyu froze too.

Wen Feixi laughed. “President, you’re scaring Little Deer.”

Chu Qing said nothing, her cool features impassive. She looked at Lu Chenyu again. “These are some pastries. Want them?”

Lu Chenyu nodded hesitantly.

Chu Qing handed her the Jinming Palace Banquet Hotel takeout box and walked on without a backward glance.

Zhu Wei swallowed dryly, about to speak—

“Little Deer Classmate, what a coincidence?” Wen Feixi stopped beside Lu Chenyu, gazing at her leisurely. “Did you know I was here and come to see me on purpose?”

It was like a kid dragged along to adult socializing who suddenly spotted a playmate.

Lu Chenyu caught the faint floral scent from Wen Feixi and couldn’t help smiling faintly. She was just about to reply—

When someone else emerged from the room.

A young man in his twenties, fair and delicate-looking, but with an odd gait and twisted features. Lu Chenyu blinked.

He limped along, eyes slanting sideways, staring right at her. When he realized she was looking back, he flinched nervously, averting his gaze as his steps faltered.

Two nannies flanked him, shielding him tightly as they whisked him toward the elevator.

The doors closed.

Zhu Wei’s eyes darted around, landing on Wen Feixi. He was about to ask, “Hello, miss, if I may—”

But Wen Feixi grabbed Lu Chenyu’s hand and led her forward.