Chapter 28

Not long after the school summer break began, it was Bai Lu’s 22nd birthday.

Bai Lu had originally planned to travel with Lu Zhi, but she hadn’t expected her father to insist on throwing a grand celebration for her. Bai Lu had no choice but to postpone their flights by two days.

The company’s urgent crisis had come to an end, and many close business partners took this opportunity to express their support. Many prominent families, friends for generations, also sent people to attend the banquet.

Bai Lu, holding her father’s arm, moved through the crowd. Under the brilliant lights, everyone looked wealthy, noble, and amiable.

Lu Zhi was quietly leaning against an empty table at the side of the banquet hall. She did not step forward to steal the spotlight, only gently raising her glass when her gaze occasionally met Bai Lu’s involuntary glances. The rest of the time, she almost boredly scanned this so-called high society social scene, her expression calm and detached, standing out like an outsider who didn’t belong.

Naturally, very few people took the initiative to greet her. After all, she now held the awkward title of the Eldest Young Master of the Bai family’s widow. Some people might even feel a trace of surprise and disdain at her presence here, but they didn’t show it, hidden behind the mask of the so-called upper class.

Bai Lu was also wearing a mask, a standard smile plastered on her face as she politely and cordially greeted everyone, thanking them for their birthday wishes. In truth, she was already incredibly annoyed and just wanted to run over and talk to Lu Zhi.

As if oblivious to her little thoughts, Father Bai wore a gentle smile. “Lulu, you and Le Yi are both young people. We old folks won’t interfere. You two chat slowly.”

Before Bai Lu could react, the others around her had tactfully moved away, leaving her standing opposite a man in a light gray suit.

To be fair, the man was good-looking. His face was mature and handsome, his figure tall and straight, and his every move was polite and refined. From the earlier conversation, he was twenty-seven this year, had already finished his studies, and had begun inheriting the family business. There were no unpleasant rumors about him. In terms of family background, talent, appearance, and character, he stood out among the wealthy heirs.

But what does any of this have to do with me?

Bai Lu grumbled internally, but her face betrayed nothing. She patiently engaged in verbal sparring with him.

It wasn’t until the music started and the gentleman opposite cordially invited her to dance that Bai Lu was momentarily stunned. She reflexively glanced back—the table beside the banquet area was empty.

By the time Lu Zhi finished dealing with a minor kitchen issue and returned to the banquet, a small climax had already passed. She heard many people discussing the dance just now, and that perfectly matched young couple.

Today’s protagonist, Bai Lu, and the eldest son of the Le family, Le Yi.

Lu Zhi didn’t first look at Bai Lu, the center of attention surrounded by the crowd. Instead, her gaze fell upon Father Bai outside the crowd. He was chatting happily with a man around his age, his expression amiable.

But soon, Father Bai turned his head. His originally calm eyes changed drastically when they met Lu Zhi’s, suddenly shooting two sharp arrows straight at her. Having held a high position for years, this man in his fifties looked imposing and oppressive enough in this moment.

As expected, he knows.

Lu Zhi had already noticed that the atmosphere of this banquet wasn’t simply a celebration for Bai Lu’s birthday. It had more of a matchmaking social event feeling.

The company had been operating normally recently, and Father Bai’s health hadn’t visibly deteriorated. His sudden arrangement for this matchmaking event for his young daughter could only mean he knew about Bai Lu and her.

Father Bai was an old fox, after all. He didn’t directly expose this relationship, nor did he come to question Lu Zhi. Instead, he forcefully suppressed this seemingly scandalous piece of family gossip, choosing to silently try and arrange an engagement for Bai Lu.

Lu Zhi watched the suited Father Bai from afar. A flash of icy coldness exploded on her face, but it was fleeting, almost instantly disappearing.

Father Bai glanced at her with a silent warning, then looked away.

Lu Zhi curved her lips into a smile that held no warmth whatsoever.

After much difficulty, Bai Lu found a gap to escape from the social pleasantries. She looked at Lu Zhi, on the verge of tears, and said, “I… I didn’t want to dance with him. Everyone else kept egging us on. It was so annoying!”

Lu Zhi touched her hair, carefully styled into a playful bun. Her expression was as calm as if nothing had happened. She even comforted her, “It’s okay. I know you only want to dance with me.”

Bai Lu had been worried she would misunderstand. Hearing this, she felt relieved and nodded vigorously.

“Bai Lu, come here.”

But Father Bai soon appeared and called Bai Lu away.

Bai Lu sighed.

Lu Zhi let her go, very compliantly releasing her hand. “Go ahead.”

After the banquet ended, Father Bai asked Bai Lu to personally see Le Yi out. Bai Lu pursed her lips, secretly glanced at Lu Zhi, whose expression remained unruffled, and agreed.

Then, having just walked less than fifty meters, Bai Lu turned her head and said, without much emotion, “I already have someone I like.”

Le Yi raised an eyebrow, not very surprised. After all, the girl had her emotions written all over her face; whether she was happy or troubled was clear at a glance. He naturally felt no sadness or embarrassment. This was a purely social interaction without any romance. By speaking privately, Bai Lu had already saved face for both of them.

“Shen Qing, what do you think of Le Yi?”

Watching the two figures walk away, Father Bai deliberately asked Lu Zhi this question.

Lu Zhi smiled. “He has a fine appearance and is a talented young man.”

Father Bai nodded and asked again, “Then what do you think of having him engaged to Lulu?”

“Not great.” Lu Zhi didn’t bother with pretense; her voice was calm.

Her four words were utterly blunt. Hearing this, Father Bai abruptly turned to face Lu Zhi, completely caught off guard by her sudden readiness to tear off all pretense. He stared fiercely at Lu Zhi, his suppressed anger about to erupt. If not for the inappropriate setting, he almost couldn’t resist interrogating her on the spot.

But in the end, Father Bai only looked at her coldly, his voice enigmatic and menacing. “Shen Qing, my Bai family has treated you well!”

“I’m afraid the scholarly Shen family wouldn’t want a daughter who is so deviant and scorned by others, either!”

Such an obvious threat.

Lu Zhi remained silent, her gaze flitting lightly over Father Bai’s face. She didn’t continue to provoke this nearly furious old man.

The next day, Father Bai took Bai Lu on a business trip.

Until the entire summer vacation ended, Bai Lu’s time was fully scheduled by her father. Every day, she was constantly busy, spinning through various documents, projects, and even construction sites. Even on weekends, a dedicated assistant followed her, driving her to tears several times.

The only free time she had was that brief moment when she rested at the hotel every night. Many times, she fell asleep while chatting with Lu Zhi.

Lu Zhi did feel some heartache for her.

So, the various unfinished building projects Yifang Group had been involved in over the past five years were suddenly exposed en masse. Mingled with the banner-hanging incident from the end of last year and the lending crisis from the beginning of this year, it was as if the media had suddenly dug up all of Yifang Group’s dirty laundry. The company, already struggling under a heavy load, was instantly overwhelmed by all sorts of negative news, unable to manage the fallout.

Less than a week after the news broke, several banks that had been negotiating well for loan extensions sent account managers to demand repayment. Even newly approached banks signaled they would reassess Yifang Group’s assets.

The favorable situation Father Bai had painstakingly maintained for half a year collapsed in an instant.

Supporting a company’s recovery isn’t easy, but mutually assured destruction, crushing a company with an unstable foundation—was that so difficult?

Father Bai was immediately stretched thin, no longer able to focus his attention on Bai Lu.

Displaying a distinct lack of conscience, Bai Lu seized the opportunity, hopped on a flight, and ran off to New York to find Lu Zhi.

Meanwhile, Lu Zhi, Wang Lin, Chen Yongsheng, and others were popping champagne in an office on the 36th floor of a Wall Street building. The spraying foam was accompanied by screams that nearly lifted the roof. On everyone’s face was an ecstatic joy bordering on madness. The immense stimulation brought by money was no less than the instant thrill of a hormonal rush, even for those who had never lacked material comforts since childhood.

On the massive electronic screen, red and green line graphs continued to jump back and forth in various trends. Even several blond, blue-eyed traders couldn’t help but join this financial battlefield, akin to a massacre, ultimately reaping profits multiplied dozens of times over.

“Let’s celebrate our resounding victory in this gamble.” Lu Zhi raised her glass in a toast before downing the chilled liquid in one gulp.

There were only seven or eight people in the entire office, but whistles still rose and fell continuously.

After finishing her drink, Lu Zhi casually picked up her coat from the chair.

Chen Yongsheng grabbed her arm. His excited nerves had kept him awake for several nights; his eyes were bloodshot, but his mood remained sky-high. “Of course, we’re having a celebration banquet tonight! Where are you going?”

Lu Zhi used a subtle skill to free her wrist, smiling. “I’m going on a date.”

Then she added, “I’ll leave the rest to you. My money is meant to be spent back home.”

Chen Yongsheng snapped his fingers and patted his chest. “No problem, leave it to me.”

He had only invested twenty million this time, but the returns were so massive that such a windfall might only come once in a lifetime. Not to mention Lu Zhi, who had invested hundreds of millions, plus leveraged it tenfold.

He came from a financial family lineage, but this kind of Midas-touch operation, aside from textbooks, was his first encounter. It was as if she could foresee the future, precisely timing the lowest and highest points, going long and short, buying and selling, simply without any need for hesitation or struggle. Making money flowed as smoothly as a massacre.

Moreover, he was fortunate enough to participate, competing against international market financial giants, snatching food from the tiger’s mouth. In the end, money became just numbers, and every trade felt like a grand, bloodless killing game. This exhilaration went beyond mere financial stimulation; it made his very soul tremble.

He believed everyone else in this office felt the same way.

Lu Zhi didn’t share the others’ unrestrained exhilaration, like gamblers who had won big after three days and nights. Having transmigrated through many lives, though not world-weary, she felt that money and power only needed to be sufficient for her needs.

But this thought wavered a bit when she saw Bai Lu running towards her. She wrapped her arms around the girl’s slender waist and kissed her deeply in public. People came and went around them, but they were utterly uninhibited.

Even Bai Lu was infected by her inexplicable mood. Although she didn’t fully understand what Lu Zhi had done, she was a sweet and endearing girl. She loved Lu Zhi, body and soul. Lu Zhi’s sorrows were her sorrows, Lu Zhi’s madness her madness, without bottom line or principle.