Chapter 10

Xu Zirui invited Lu Zhi out twice more, once horseback riding and once fishing. Both were group outings, just superficial fun. Lu Zhi didn’t refuse, and even took the initiative to invite him once.

Then she proposed to Xu Zirui selling a few of the business lines that Bai Hao had developed back when he was at the company.

Bai Hao had served as president of Yifang Group for four years, investing in and holding shares of many leading companies in finance, jewelry, automotive, and other industries. Originally, these were good decisions. But the company’s development had long since stalled, and it indeed needed new blood to revitalize and update it.

Of course, even if these projects had great prospects, they couldn’t be cashed out immediately. So the old guard on the board had always remained on the fence about them. Bai Hao had been able to push them through back then simply because he carried the halo of the Bai family heir. Unfortunately, after Bai Hao died, no one in the company had the prestige to oversee and follow up on them, and these projects were gradually forced to a halt. Now they had become nothing but chicken ribs—tasteless to eat, yet a pity to discard.

“But these projects were all spearheaded by Bai Hao. Chairman Bai shouldn’t allow anyone to touch what his son left behind, right?” Xu Zirui sat across the round table, not agreeing immediately.

They had arranged to meet at Lu Zhi’s art studio. The coffee shop downstairs was doing good business, but the second-floor terrace was very quiet. Sun umbrellas blocked the October sunlight, and beside them was a wall of blooming roses. A gentle breeze blew, and the temperature was perfect.

Lu Zhi took a sip of coffee, the rich and mellow flavor gradually spreading across her palate.

In the original plot, Father Bai indeed let his sentimentality sway him and insisted on keeping those projects untouched. As a result, they turned into a drag on the company, accelerating its decline.

“There’s no need to worry about the Chairman. He’s a seasoned businessman; he won’t let sentiment get in the way of weighing pros and cons.” Lu Zhi set down her cup, the porcelain bottom lightly clinking against the saucer with a crisp sound. “If you negotiate a good price and present it directly to him, he’ll agree.”

Xu Zirui didn’t reply immediately. After a long moment, his expression relaxed. He looked at her with a touch of admiration and smiled, “I really didn’t expect you to be so savvy at business.”

“It’s just that I know the company’s current predicament and am a bit worried,” Lu Zhi said.

Xu Zirui raised an eyebrow, clearly not believing she was acting out of simple concern. But he didn’t argue, merely leaning back in his chair, his voice carrying a certain depth: “I also didn’t expect you to come to me with this.”

Lu Zhi smiled. “The Bai family aren’t tyrants. Do you really think you can dominate all of Yifang Group?”

Xu Zirui also smiled, a glint of shrewdness flashing in his eyes. “The founders are different, after all.”

Lu Zhi shook her head, getting straight to the point. “We both know that the company has reached a point where it’s hard for any single party to dominate like before. The Bai and Xu families hold half the shares together; they’re inextricably linked. Healthy competition is just normal business practice. If I went to someone else, I’d have to guard against them trying to take advantage of the chaos. But you?”

Lu Zhi paused, looked him up and down, and chuckled, “What do I need to guard against from you?”

Xu Zirui burst out laughing, his features animated and captivating.

Only after a long while did he stop laughing. He shifted his posture and looked at Lu Zhi as if casually asking, “And you? Now that you hold 5 percent of the company’s shares, do you want a slice of the pie too? Or are you treating Yifang as a long-term meal ticket?”

This meant he hadn’t given up on trying to get her shares.

Lu Zhi’s lips curved into a smile. She picked up a spoon and slowly stirred the liquid in her cup, her voice calm. “If it’s something good, it’s better to let it flow in a steady stream, isn’t it?”

Since Lu Zhi didn’t plan to hold a formal position at the company, she only made these suggestions without bothering about how things unfolded. She often stayed in the art studio to pick up a paintbrush and practice her skills.

In mid-October, Bai Lu told Father Bai that she wanted to order another sports car. First, to celebrate passing all her midterm exams; second, because she’d joined the company as an assistant to the general manager of Yifang Investment, so she wanted to treat herself in advance.

Father Bai was very pleased with her recent behavior. Her proactive suggestion to join the company also made him feel gratified, so he immediately agreed.

On the day she was supposed to pick up the car, Bai Lu had originally planned to go to the dealership with her hangers-on. But just as she was about to head out, Lu Zhi suddenly appeared and provoked her with a few words, and the two ended up heading to the tennis court instead. Three or four cars came roaring over, and when Bai Lu’s friends got out, they saw her fuming, practically itching for a life-or-death duel with Lu Zhi.

Of course, Lu Zhi wasn’t so bored as to deliberately provoke this little firecracker. It was just that according to the plot, Bai Lu would encounter the male lead, Zhou Ying, and the female lead, Lin Wei, at the dealership that very day.

In the plot, Bai Lu would persist in her unreasonable nonsense, constantly provoking and getting slapped in the face by reversals. Then that night, she’d go to a bar to drown her sorrows, and later, drunk driving her new car, she’d crash straight into a greenbelt and be taken directly to the hospital by ambulance.

A month later, Bai Lu would be discharged in good health, but Father Bai’s health would rapidly deteriorate, officially kicking off the bankruptcy of the Bai family.

Now that Lu Zhi was here, she naturally wouldn’t allow such a melodramatic scene to befall the Bai family.

In front of Bai Lu’s friends, Lu Zhi dominated her on the tennis court for nearly two hours, until the girl’s arm was so sore she couldn’t lift it, before finally putting down her racket with an air of casual ease.

Zhao Fei’er pulled Bai Lu to a chair in the rest area and whispered, “Lulu, I didn’t expect Shen Qing to be so formidable. You dare to go up against her—you’re really something.”

Genuine admiration.

Bai Lu’s arms felt like they didn’t belong to her. She glared fiercely at Zhao Fei’er and forced her arm up to swat her. “What kind of spineless shrimp did you bring? Not one of them could back me up. They’re all useless!”

Zhao Fei’er looked aggrieved. “Is that my fault? Everyone thought we were going to test-drive a car. Who knew Shen Qing would bring you here? If you’d said so, I would’ve rushed to bring a few professional tennis players.”

“Get lost, get lost, get lost.” Bai Lu was full of irritation.

Zhao Fei’er wasn’t angry. She bent down, took a bottle of mineral water from the water basket nearby, and just as she unscrewed it to hand it to Bai Lu, she saw Lu Zhi walking over.

Lu Zhi was wearing a blue and white tennis outfit, her hair all tied back. After the intense exercise, her entire face was veiled in a thin mist of sweat, her complexion almost crystal clear and translucent, but her eyes were very calm.

“Shen Qing—Sister,” Zhao Fei’er stuttered for some reason, hurriedly offering the water, “Sister, you play so well!”

Lu Zhi smiled, naturally taking the water and thanking her.

Watching the other’s slender neck revealed as she tilted her head back to drink, Zhao Fei’er awkwardly averted her gaze. Lu Zhi’s top was a white off-shoulder, close-fitting scoop-neck tee, her bare neck leading to smooth shoulder curves and two delicate collarbones. The sweat on her fair skin seemed to add a sheen, making her extremely eye-catching.

She was secretly amazed. So this was what a beauty dripping with sweat looked like?

Bai Lu, watching from behind as Zhao Fei’er fawned over Lu Zhi with a smile while handing her water, felt a surge of exasperation and smacked her friend again. What are you sucking up to her for?!?

Only then did Zhao Fei’er remember her friend and quickly handed her a bottle of water as well.

Bai Lu shot Zhao Fei’er a sharp look, squeezing the water bottle until it crackled.

Lu Zhi ignored the undercurrents between the two girls. Her gaze fell on Bai Lu, who was slumped limply in the chair, and she said with a soft voice, “Three requirements: study hard, work hard, and don’t cause trouble.”

Bai Lu looked at Lu Zhi standing before her. Backlit, and unwilling to look up, she could only focus below the other’s waist. Lu Zhi wore a pleated mini skirt; beneath the fitted fabric, her slender waist was a mere handspan. From beneath the hem extended a pair of long, straight legs, their creamy jade-like skin over well-proportioned muscles, disappearing into a pair of blue and white sneakers.

Her waist-to-hip ratio was simply perfect.

Bai Lu secretly glanced at her own legs, also long, but definitely not as long as hers.

Sigh!

“Got it…” she drawled out three words.

Lu Zhi was merely using this as an excuse to stop her, so she hadn’t expected Bai Lu to be very agreeable. Her expression unchanged, she nodded politely to the others and turned to enter the nearby lounge.

Once Lu Zhi was out of sight, Zhao Fei’er immediately tugged at Bai Lu’s hem and said incredulously, “Shen Qing played tennis with you for half a day just to say those three things?”

Bai Lu grunted irritably. She couldn’t quite voice her thoughts—being controlled was definitely unpleasant, but she didn’t really want to resist either. It was just that if that woman could be a bit nicer, preferably coaxing her a little like everyone else…

But that was definitely impossible!

Bai Lu thought of Lu Zhi’s delicate, pale face and chugged down most of the mineral water.

“Wow, incredible!” Zhao Fei’er exclaimed, only managing that one word after a long moment.

After a while, she leaned in again, teasing with a grin, “Lulu, don’t you think Shen Qing managing you feels like she’s managing her own daughter?”

“You can’t get ivory out of a dog’s mouth,” Bai Lu cursed, then clicked her tongue and frowned, “Zhao Fei’er, can you stop calling her ‘Sister’ all the time? It really grates on my nerves.”

Zhao Fei’er spread her hands, innocent. “Oh, I can also call her ‘Elder Sister’. Bai Lu, can I just call her ‘Elder Sister’?” she added.

Bai Lu found Zhao Fei’er’s annoying attitude today truly intolerable and wanted to smack her again. But after playing tennis all afternoon, her little arms that rarely got exercise were already sore and weak. She lifted a foot to kick, but Zhao Fei’er dodged.

“Alright, alright, Eldest Miss. We’ve been stuck here all afternoon. Are we still going to pick up the car or not?”

“Pick up my foot.” Bai Lu rolled her eyes. With her frail body, after such intense exercise today, she’d definitely be aching all over tomorrow. Whether she could even get out of bed was questionable. Drive? She’d need at least a week of rest to recover.

“Not picking up, huh? Alright then, I’ll go have a game too.” Zhao Fei’er said excitedly, walking to the equipment basket to pick a racket, her mouth still running. “You know, Lulu, I think Shen Qing’s playing is really cool. You have no idea, those guys like Li Fei were staring with their eyes fixed. If you hadn’t been there, they’d have been drooling and running up to her…”

“If he’s feeling randy, he should check where he is!” Before Zhao Fei’er could finish, Bai Lu cursed.

Bai Lu’s face went cold. She wasn’t particularly close to Li Fei and his group, but as fellow playboys, they often hung out eating, drinking, and having fun. Those people, male and female, were unrestrained in their appetites. In the past, she’d always watched from the sidelines without caring. But now, the thought of them looking at Shen Qing with that kind of lecherous, lewd gaze made her inexplicably nauseated.

Bai Lu saw Zhao Fei’er’s puzzled look and couldn’t help but vent her anger, her voice sharp. “What kind of low-life scumbags have you brought here? Have you no taste!”

Zhao Fei’er was stunned for a moment, then snapped back, also getting angry. “Bai Lu, what’s your problem? You’re defending the wrong person!”