Chapter 24

Bai Lu had indeed been putting more effort and diligence into her studies and work recently. She knew that Lu Zhi had always wanted her to become stronger and support the Bai Family. Although she had harbored this idea when she first joined the company, she hadn’t been entirely certain about it most of the time and would occasionally doubt herself. It wasn’t until now that this idea had truly taken root and transformed into a powerful conviction.

In her heart, Lu Zhi was perfect in every way, considerate beyond measure, and she naturally wanted to become a better version of herself.

Bai Lu didn’t know how two women were supposed to be in a romantic relationship. She figured it was probably like being best friends, but even more soul-stirring. This was the first serious romance of her brief twenty-two years of life—innocent, sincere, and filled with an unyielding tenderness. She just wanted to become Lu Zhi’s little shadow, connected at every moment, visible and touchable at all times. Sometimes, even she felt her clingy nature was terribly annoying.

Zhao Fei’er said this was a normal phenomenon in the heat of passion and that things would cool down once the hormones subsided.

Bai Lu didn’t feel things would ever cool down. She felt like she was constantly burning up. Whenever she was with Lu Zhi, the other’s casual touches, caresses, and kisses made her blood surge with excitement without fail.

Perhaps she was originally a snowman, and spring had arrived, so she was melting every single day.

Bai Lu’s transformation was so obvious. A girl nourished by love always radiates, like a blooming spring flower—sweet, shy, and her already beautiful face becoming increasingly captivating. It was only now that she understood why that saying was so enduring.

There are only three things in this world that cannot be hidden: a cough, poverty, and love.

You try to conceal them, but the cover-up only makes them more obvious.

Even Father Bai noticed her joyful mood each day and asked her if she was in a relationship.

Bai Lu jumped in fright, her heart leaping into her throat, her voice stuttering, “N-no, I’m not…”

Father Bai was a battle-hardened old fox; there was no way such a small trick could fool him. He simply assumed his daughter was being shy and didn’t probe further, even feeling relieved that Bai Lu could shift her gaze away from that Zhou Ying and have a normal relationship.

Seeing that her father wasn’t going to press the issue, Bai Lu breathed a sigh of relief and slipped out of the house.

Leaving home naturally meant going to find Lu Zhi. Her fingerprint was now a key to unlock Lu Zhi’s apartment door. If it weren’t for not wanting to arouse her father’s suspicion, Bai Lu would have wanted to live at Lu Zhi’s place permanently.

Lu Zhi had just finished showering when Bai Lu arrived.

“I was scared to death. I thought Dad had found out.” Bai Lu cried out to Lu Zhi the moment she entered.

Lu Zhi peeled off the thin facial mask, leaving a bit of gelatinous essence on her face. Her skin, moisturized and hydrated, was as crystal clear as lychee flesh. Her expression didn’t change much upon hearing the news; she simply smiled and asked Bai Lu what had happened.

Bai Lu, like a little chatterbox, followed Lu Zhi step by step. She even followed Lu Zhi to the bathroom to wash her face, recounting the whole story as they went.

Lu Zhi turned off the tap but didn’t reach directly for the facial tissue on the black marble countertop. Instead, she turned her head slightly and asked Bai Lu, “What would happen if your father found out?”

Bai Lu froze, looking at her blankly, as if she didn’t understand why Lu Zhi was asking such a simple question.

Lu Zhi straightened up, clear droplets of water sliding down her face to her chin, her gaze landing lightly on Bai Lu’s face.

So earnestly that Bai Lu felt a bit flustered.

Bai Lu suddenly realized that Lu Zhi didn’t seem to think their relationship was something that needed to be hidden, nor was she afraid of Father Bai finding out.

But she…

She dared to tell Zhao Fei’er about this matter, but she had hardly ever thought that one day she would need to tell her father.

Under such a candid gaze, Bai Lu began to feel a numbness in her fingertips.

Lu Zhi didn’t insistently wait for her answer. She lowered her head and captured her lips in a kiss.

It carried a soothing flavor.

After the kiss, the corners of Bai Lu’s eyes were slightly red, like cinnabar blurred by a watercolor wash. The droplets from Lu Zhi’s face fell onto hers, cool against her skin.

“Should we… tell Dad?” Bai Lu pulled out a snow-white facial tissue and gently helped Lu Zhi wipe the damp mist from her face, her voice doubtful, her expression lost.

“What do you think?” Lu Zhi asked her calmly in return.

Bai Lu bit her lip. Only after a long moment did she lift her head and say tentatively, “Let’s… let’s wait until later to let him know, okay?”

Lu Zhi smiled and said, “When would that be?”

“By… by next year, okay?” Bai Lu looked at her cautiously. “I’ll have graduated from university by next year. If Dad disowns me and stops giving me money, I’ll start my own business to earn money and support… support you, okay?”

She stumbled over the words “support you,” clearly a bit uncertain if she could actually do it.

Lu Zhi looked at the pitiful, hopeful little person before her, her heart stirring slightly. She found this girl utterly delicious and felt a strong urge to devour her right then and there.

Holding back a smile, Lu Zhi asked her, “Why do you need to support me? I can support myself.”

Bai Lu sighed upon hearing this, her brows furrowing with worry.

Clearly, in her mind, even though Lu Zhi was very capable, she couldn’t compare to her own father, who could cover the sky with one hand. If their romance was exposed, and Father Bai wouldn’t even want his own daughter, how could he possibly let the other culprit off the hook? Lu Zhi, a painter, having offended a business magnate—how would she be able to earn money in the future?

By the time Lu Zhi had finished applying her lotion, Bai Lu still hadn’t come up with a better solution. She was intensely self-reproachful, feeling that since Lu Zhi loved her so much and could completely disregard the opinions of outsiders, her own hesitation and timidity made her terribly cowardly.

So, like a meek little wife, Bai Lu hovered around Lu Zhi offering her services. “Let me help you dry it.”

Lu Zhi handed the hairdryer to Bai Lu.

Bai Lu pressed Lu Zhi onto the sofa, holding the hairdryer in her right hand, while gently inserting the fingers of her left hand into Lu Zhi’s hair, then lifting and tousling it. The moistened strands were cool, and the warm air whooshed out. Soon, a fresh fragrance wafted around them—the scent of Lu Zhi’s usual shampoo, a sweet, fruity aroma, mingled with Lu Zhi’s unique personal scent.

However, Bai Lu wasn’t very good at serving others. Lu Zhi’s hair was on the soft side but very thick. She blew it left and right, afraid to dry it too long for fear of damaging it, resulting in Lu Zhi’s hair becoming incredibly fluffy and messy.

Lu Zhi was somewhat helpless and had to interrupt her actions. “Forget it, just leave it. Let the rest air dry.”

Bai Lu pouted her lips, kneeling on the sofa. After a long, sullen silence, she apologized to Lu Zhi: “I’m sorry.”

Lu Zhi gathered her hair, letting the curls weave through her slender fingers, quickly taming them to cascade over her shoulders. She reached out a hand to stroke Bai Lu’s face, the lingering fragrance on her fingertips, and comforted her: “It’s okay.”

Bai Lu sighed again, feeling as if she were worried to death.

Thus, when it was time for work, she was even more diligent, almost to the point of forgetting to eat or sleep.

No matter how composed Lu Zhi was, the current Bai Lu couldn’t calmly face the day in the future when their love affair would be revealed to the world.

In Bai Lu’s view, this was a ticking time bomb, bound to explode one day. Even if her father had always doted on her, he definitely wouldn’t be able to accept the two of them being together. She always had to prepare for the worst-case scenario of a future rupture. The best solution now seemed to be to quickly become powerful herself, ideally helping her father solve the company’s problems, so she would have the leverage to negotiate with him.

Because of Bai Lu’s sudden drive at the company, along with the exchange meeting she had held with the bank previously, Bai Lu instantly stood out within the Chairman’s Secretariat.

Although everyone knew Bai Lu was the Eldest Miss of the Bai Family, they had all always thought she was just there to have fun and make her presence known. Therefore, they treated her with an attitude of “let her eat well, drink well, and have fun.” Now, seeing her so serious, they dared not treat her like a child to be placated anymore.

Even Father Bai was greatly surprised. He and Secretary Li analyzed the situation for a long time before they unanimously confirmed that the child seemed to have finally gained some sense.

Father Bai was both happy and conflicted.

He had always believed he knew his daughter like the back of his hand and had long ago concluded that she was a delicate flower, a dodder vine, so he had never entertained the idea of her inheriting the family business. Now that Bai Lu was starting to apply herself, he was naturally very pleased, but at the same time, he was also deeply conflicted. Bai Lu was certainly his most beloved child, but the Yifang Group was the fruit of generations of the Bai Family’s blood, sweat, and tears. Could she shoulder such a heavy burden? Facing the long, treacherous path of future intrigue and deceit, Father Bai couldn’t bear to let Bai Lu, a girl, face the dangers of the human realm alone.

If Lu Zhi knew Father Bai’s thoughts, she would certainly disagree.

She had always believed that the best love in this world was to empower the beloved, not simple material gifts. Unilateral giving, even without limits, is fragile and thin, like duckweed without roots. If the initiative isn’t in one’s own hands, everything is futile. Only by mastering one’s own power is the foundation of true strength.

Lu Zhi demanded this of herself, and she likewise wouldn’t weave a beautiful but fragile fairytale to deceive her lover.

But overall, things were developing in a positive direction. Bai Lu was, after all, truly young. With Lu Zhi’s intervention in the Yifang Group, although it wouldn’t immediately recover, it certainly wouldn’t suffer a complete collapse as in the plot. As long as Father Bai remained alive and well, he would always give Bai Lu time to grow.

A company’s demise isn’t a simple, swift collapse; it’s often a step-by-step vicious cycle, slowly spiraling into utter ruin. Similarly, a company won’t suddenly be reborn after a crisis is resolved. Lu Zhi might have other methods to make the Yifang Group rise from the ashes instantly, but that would be a thankless task. If Bai Lu weren’t around, it wouldn’t matter, but since Bai Lu was here, Lu Zhi wanted to leave these challenges as whetstones for her future.

As summer was approaching, Lu Zhi decided to organize an art exhibition for Shen Qing. It was held at the art museum where she held the nominal position of Deputy Curator, and she invited many of Shen Qing’s old friends and teachers.

Shen Qing’s last exhibition was four years ago. She was a highly prolific painter who devoted much of her time to painting. In recent years, it wasn’t that she hadn’t thought about holding another one, but various unexpected situations had prevented it, until Lu Zhi arrived.

The first day of the exhibition was a sunny day, with bright sunshine and a cloudless sky.

Since it was the weekend, Bai Lu came over early in the morning, full of enthusiasm, and eagerly helped Lu Zhi receive the art buyers and media reporters.

As Shen Qing was the museum’s Deputy Curator, the museum generously allocated an entire hall for her exhibition. Lu Zhi followed her teacher in carefully selecting paintings from Shen Qing’s past works, eventually choosing fifty-two. When going downstairs, the teacher noticed the painting “Sleeping Woman” on the studio staircase and suggested it could also be put in the exhibition.

Lu Zhi looked at it and asked, “Didn’t you think this one was merely technically proficient?”

Teacher Wang smiled with a hint of teasing. “Although it is somewhat superficial showing off of skill, those art buyers might like this kind of thing. It looks good at first glance—luxurious.”

Lu Zhi smiled without any offense but still refused, saying, “Let’s just go with those.”

Most of the paintings Lu Zhi brought out were oil paintings, with a small portion being watercolors and simple pencil sketches.

Shen Qing favored cool tones and was adept at using large expanses of blue. But even with the same blue, one could see that Shen Qing’s style had become increasingly gloomy over the past few years.

Teacher Wang was somewhat surprised while helping organize, clearly not expecting Shen Qing’s psychological journey to have undergone such changes. Lu Zhi didn’t cover it up, explaining to her teacher that there had indeed been a period a couple of years ago when her mood wasn’t good, but she had seen a doctor and had since recovered.

At the exhibition, Lu Zhi deliberately jumbled the chronological order of these paintings from different periods, making the progression less obvious.