Chapter 9

Luckily, just then, the car window was tapped three times in a rhythmic pattern. Lu Zhi gave Bai Lu a warning look, then released her grip and sat back in her seat, rolling down the window.

It was the designated driver from the club, respectfully handing in her handbag.

Lu Zhi took the bag and thanked him.

As she closed the window, she glanced sideways at Bai Lu beside her. Because of the earlier tussle, her short skirt had ridden up, exposing a pair of pale, long, beautiful legs without any cover. The black leather skirt barely covered a sliver of her thighs—a full view of spring scenery.

“Your skirt,” Lu Zhi reminded.

Distracted, Bai Lu’s earlier heartbreak and sadness over unrequited love had now completely transformed into anger towards Lu Zhi. She was currently suppressing her grievances and sobbing when she heard Lu Zhi’s voice, looked down hastily, and quickly pulled her skirt down a bit.

The driver had just walked around the front of the car and opened the driver’s door. Lu Zhi reached up and turned off the overhead light in the back, instantly plunging the back seat into darkness.

With an outsider present, the two stopped talking. Lu Zhi opened her phone, about to message Secretary Li, when she received a call.

“Hello.”

“Zirui?”

“Sorry, I didn’t save your number.” Lu Zhi glanced at Bai Lu, who had instantly turned to look at her upon hearing that name.

Even though Bai Lu didn’t involve herself in family business at home, she knew about the generations-long feud between the Bai and Xu families. They built each other up but also viewed each other as enemies. So upon hearing this name, she reflexively became alert.

“Xu Zirui? You were out with him today?” Bai Lu asked her as soon as Lu Zhi hung up. Her voice was muffled and nasal after her heavy crying.

Lu Zhi nodded.

“What does he want with you?”

“Guess.”

“Hmph, it’s definitely nothing good.”

“Mm.”

“Mm?” Bai Lu’s voice grew louder, her tear-moistened eyes glaring at her.

Lu Zhi turned her head. “The company’s share transfer registration was just publicly announced yesterday. He came looking for me today. What do you think he’s after?”

“I knew it!” Bai Lu slapped the leather seat, saying hatefully, “That heartless, ungrateful bastard! Does he not see who helped his family rise up back then? Ungrateful wretch!”

Lu Zhi laughed. “What? Is the Bai family an imperial dynasty now? Do you want to be emperor for a day, emperor forever, lording over others for generations?”

“The Xu family did rise thanks to my grandfather!” Bai Lu protested loudly, leaning closer warily, questioning her. “Shen Qing, why are you speaking up for them? What’s your relationship with Xu Zirui?”

Lu Zhi looked at her. “Miss Bai Lu, could you please use your brain before you speak, alright?”

Scanned by Lu Zhi’s sharp look, Bai Lu pursed her lips and reluctantly retreated a bit, leaning against the car door.

“Although the Bai and Xu families have been fighting for years, your eldest brother and Xu Zirui are still good brothers. And the relationship between your father and Uncle Xu can even be described as a bond forged through life-and-death situations.” The phone screen flickered in the dim environment. Lu Zhi tapped it open and continued, “Bai Lu, you should know that things in the business world aren’t simply black and white. The Xu family has never been our true enemy.”

Lu Zhi’s voice was calm, but Bai Lu hated being lectured the most. She secretly rolled her eyes in the darkness and muttered discontentedly, “I know, I know. No eternal enemies or friends, only eternal interests. That same old line…”

Lu Zhi was reading Secretary Li’s reply and chuckled to herself upon hearing this mutter.

So the young girl wasn’t completely clueless after all.

Lu Zhi asked Secretary Li to compile some information on Zhou Ying.

She remembered that in the plot, Zhou Ying’s connection with Bai Lu stemmed from a heroic rescue. At the time, Bai Lu was a middle schooler. She came from a good family, was beautiful, and grew up showered with admiration. Her personality had been spoiled by those around her into something both willful and arrogant. She was also used to throwing her weight around at school, easily getting into conflicts with others. The other party was also a child from a wealthy family. In a moment of impulse, they paid some street thugs to corner her. It just so happened that Zhou Ying was nearby on business.

The Bai and Zhou families had a good private relationship. When Zhou Ying saw Bai Lu being surrounded by strangers, saving her was just a small favor.

But according to Bai Lu’s description in the plot, at the age of fifteen or sixteen, Zhou Ying’s sudden, heaven-sent appearance made her see the destined Prince Charming of her life. From then on, she fell hopelessly in love with this man six years her senior, secretly vowing that she would marry no one else but him in this life.

Lu Zhi didn’t doubt Bai Lu’s feelings, but this was destined to be a fruitless one-woman show.

No matter how sincerely Bai Lu poured out her heart, Zhou Ying never fell in love with her. In the male lead’s world, one could even say Bai Lu was just a clingy, noisy clown, her only use being proof of his own charm.

Naturally, Lu Zhi wouldn’t hold a grudge against Zhou Ying for his coldness either. She knew that in this world, feelings were never mutually felt by default. If Bai Lu’s affection received no response, then it was just her own personal matter.

When the car drove back home, it was still Aunt Wang on night duty at the mansion today. She came up to greet them and immediately noticed something was wrong with Bai Lu’s face.

Although the tear tracks on her face had been wiped completely clean, her red eyes and nose tip still clearly showed she had been crying.

“Get her some chrysanthemum tea or honey water,” Lu Zhi said.

Bai Lu halted her steps, then heard Lu Zhi add, “Drink it before you go up.”

This sentence was clearly directed at her.

Bai Lu had the temperament of an Eldest Miss. Even though she hadn’t gotten the upper hand in their last few encounters, she wouldn’t obediently listen to her. Hearing this, she lifted her foot to leave.

“Sit there.” Lu Zhi’s voice was calm, her gaze fixed straight on her. She tossed her coat onto the back of the sofa, producing a soft ‘poof’ sound.

Being looked at by Lu Zhi’s eyes, Bai Lu suddenly felt a jolt in her heart for some unknown reason. Unconsciously, she began to go against her initial will, following the direction Lu Zhi pointed with her chin towards the sofa. It wasn’t until she sat down that she reacted, and could only look at Lu Zhi awkwardly.

Aunt Wang saw the tension between the two, quickly mixed a glass of honey water, and placed it on the coffee table in front of Bai Lu.

“I’ve asked Secretary Li to compile the investment cases Zhou Ying has publicly announced over the past few years. He’ll send them to you tomorrow. Take a good look at the gap between you and him. Think about how to stand as his equal,” Lu Zhi sat down and said flatly.

Bai Lu was stunned.

“Bai Lu, liking someone isn’t about offering a sincere heart and expecting the other party to accept it joyfully.” Lu Zhi looked at the young girl opposite her, her voice straightforward. “Zhou Ying doesn’t like you. He likes career-oriented, sophisticated women. A delicate little flower like you is synonymous with ‘unaccomplished and uneducated’ in his eyes. Instead of trailing behind him every day, why not think about how to stand before him as an equal?”

“Shen Qing, what do you mean?!” Bai Lu was infuriated and embarrassed by her words.

“Nothing much. Just seeing you’re too pitiful, pointing out a clear path for you.” Lu Zhi tapped the table. “Conveniently, the group also has a financial subsidiary, which is connected to Zhou Ying’s industry. You’re a junior this year; you can join as an intern first, get a position, and also learn more about the company’s business to confirm whether you’re even interested in taking over the Bai family business.”

Join the company?

Bai Lu thought of the other things the other party had said to her last time.

If liking Zhou Ying was something that happened naturally, then inheriting the Bai family business was a mountain falling from the sky, crushing Bai Lu’s heart and lungs, making it impossible to focus on Zhou Ying anymore.

Bai Lu bit her lip. “Are you serious?”

Lu Zhi nodded. “Of course.”

Bai Lu clutched the glass and took a sip of honey water, her gaze falling back on Lu Zhi’s face. After a moment, she asked, “You… you supporting me in inheriting the company… what benefit do you want from it?”

“I’ve already received the benefit. Now it’s just fulfilling an obligation.”

Bai Lu looked at her suspiciously, clearly unsure if she was telling the truth.

But Lu Zhi’s words matched her heart; she truly thought so.

She was using Shen Qing’s body, inheriting her deceased husband’s assets, and had gained Father Bai’s trust. Doing what she could in return was only right and proper.

And as for that little fool Bai Lu, Lu Zhi really did want to see how far she could go with someone guiding her.

Bai Lu clutched her glass, looking at the translucent pattern on the table. Suddenly she looked up again: “Didn’t you say before that the company had financial problems?”

“Yes, that’s why your father came anxiously to entrust you to me.” Lu Zhi paused, looking into the questioning, fawn-like eyes opposite her, and said, “That’s you, the Bai family’s orphan.”

Bai Lu curled her lip, but didn’t bristle like before. She just scrunched up her little face. “The company is in trouble and you still want me to fight for it. I… I can’t do it…”

Her voice grew quieter, clearly very aware of her own limitations.

“Then learn.” Lu Zhi’s voice was matter-of-fact. “Besides, you’ve lived in the Bai family for over twenty years. Apart from eating and drinking, you should do something.”

Bai Lu didn’t speak upon hearing this. She picked at her fingers, thinking for a long time before finally raising her head and looking at Lu Zhi with solemn determination, like a martyr going to her execution, and said, “Fine then, I’ll try!”

As if Lu Zhi was forcing her.

Lu Zhi smiled slightly, but didn’t let her off the hook immediately. Instead, she leaned forward slightly, her gaze directly meeting Bai Lu’s eyes, and said, “Bai Lu, this is voluntary. If I find out you give up halfway, or if you’re at the company just idling around working in fits and starts, I won’t let you off easy.”

Bai Lu reflexively shrank back her head, feeling only that the woman sitting opposite her had a shocking aura, oppressing her so much she hardly dared to breathe.

But she didn’t stubbornly talk back either. She wasn’t really a fool. Even though they had clashed swords several times and seemed at odds on the surface, deep down she knew the other party meant well for her.