LHKE Ch12

“Mr. Lu, a busy man like you actually found time to invite me to dinner.” Fan Jingling lounged casually at the table, sipping his drink leisurely. “Just say what you need to say. I’m very busy and don’t have time for idle chit-chat.”

Lu Changting knew that Fan Jingling had a peculiar personality, so he didn’t find his bluntness rude. Since they weren’t close, getting straight to the point could save a lot of time and trouble.

“Young Master Fan, you should probably take some time to deal with the little rats in your own house,” Lu Changting said. “If you’re too busy, I can handle it for you.”

“Oh, you mean that.” Fan Jingling slowly picked some fish and removed the bones without haste. “Third Master Lu already spoke to my father about it.”

“My father was on a business trip to M Country a few days ago and just got back last night.”

“The woman and her son got greedy and ended up losing out.” Fan Jingling sneered. “After Third Master Lu called him last night, the old man was so angry that he smashed a tea set he liked and sent my second brother to the Lu family and ‘Gu Jiu’ to apologize.”

Fan Jingsheng had been trying to compete for the family inheritance and had previously approached Lu Changge’s father. Marriage alliances are always the first choice to gain power, and when open methods don’t work, they turn to underhanded ones. If Shen Li hadn’t intervened, who would’ve known what was added to the drinks, even if later they claimed that everyone was just drunk and couldn’t control themselves?

The little rats at home were always eyeing his belongings, constantly trying to take a bite. Fan Jingling didn’t care about their minor schemes, but that didn’t mean he would allow them to involve the Lu family.

Fan Jingling’s lips curled in a mocking smile. “But it’s true that my useless younger brother needs to be dealt with.”

“There’s another matter,” Lu Changting said, raising his glass. “Thank you for looking after Changyin when she was on the set.”

Lu Changyin had fallen ill due to acclimatization issues during the filming of a show, but she stubbornly kept going without telling the family. Since the show was produced by Fan’s entertainment company, Fan Jingling noticed her discomfort when visiting his lover on set. He mentioned it to the director, who then gave Lu Changyin a few days off and some special treatment.

Regardless of whether Fan Jingling did it for the Lu family’s sake or had other intentions towards Lu Changyin, Lu Changting took this dinner as a way to repay the favor.

“Don’t thank me.” Fan Jingling smiled oddly. “I wasn’t the one who looked after her.”

Lu Changting was a bit surprised by this and slowly furrowed his brow.

“I don’t have any interest in girls,” Fan Jingling said. “And I’m even less interested in the Lu family’s girls.”

Though he was known for being heartless, unscrupulous, and with a bad reputation, he liked men and had never considered harming a woman.

“Someone wanted to give Lu Changyin some time off and special treatment but was afraid of being accused of favoritism, so they borrowed my name.”

Although Fan Jingling didn’t directly name the person, his words clearly pointed to someone.

Lu Changting frowned and said, “I see.”

It seemed he needed to look into the director of Lu Changyin’s last project.

After the meal, Lu Changting and Fan Jingling headed downstairs together.

As they passed through the lobby, they saw a couple arguing. The middle-aged man raised his hand high, seemingly about to strike the woman in front of him.

The waitstaff hadn’t noticed the situation yet, but Lu Changting quickly stepped forward and blocked the man’s hand.

“Sir, please don’t cause a scene at Wangjiang Tower.”

“Shen Zhengqing, you’ve really outdone yourself, raising your hand to hit a woman.” The woman smiled, picked up her bag, and stood to leave.

Only then did Lu Changting see her face, and his frown deepened. “Aunt Cheng?”

“Who are you?” Shen Zhengqing shook off Lu Changting’s hand, stumbled back a few steps from the momentum, and knocked over a chair.

Several waiters gathered around, and the lobby manager approached as well. When they saw Lu Changting, they respectfully stood behind him.

“So lively,” Fan Jingling remarked with an amused tone.

“Young Master Fan,” Lu Changting said coldly, “I won’t see you off.”

Fan Jingling clicked his tongue but didn’t insist on staying to watch the drama. He played with a piece of jade in his hand and leisurely strolled away.

After the spectacle-loving Fan Jingling left, Lu Changting turned his attention back to Shen Zhengqing.

Shen Li’s father seemed even more shameless than he had imagined.

“Mr. Shen, if I recall correctly, you and Aunt Cheng have been divorced for many years.”

“Who are you, and what business do you have interfering in my family matters?” Shen Zhengqing didn’t expect the well-dressed man before him to speak so directly, hitting him right where it hurt.

Cheng Zhao smiled and linked arms with Lu Changting. Honestly, she was tempted to claim that Lu Changting was her boyfriend, but she didn’t want to scare him off, so she settled for saying with a smile, “Didn’t I tell you? Xiao Li’s boyfriend—tall, handsome, and from a wealthy family.”

Lu Changting glanced at her and sighed inwardly.

Well, he had already played the role once over the phone; doing it again wouldn’t hurt.

Behind Lu Changting stood a line of waitstaff, all well-trained, with their heads bowed, not daring to listen or watch too closely. The lobby manager, who was closest and couldn’t avoid hearing the conversation, nervously wiped the sweat from his forehead.

Shen Zhengqing was completely stunned. He wasn’t stupid; though he hadn’t reacted initially, he quickly realized the young man before him must have an extraordinary background. The way the waitstaff at Wangjiang Tower treated him with such respect indicated that he was someone from the Lu family.

His emotions were mixed with anger and delight—angry at Cheng Zhao for humiliating him, but pleased that Shen Li had apparently connected with the Lu family. His expression changed instantly, his old face breaking into a fawning smile as he said obsequiously, “It’s all just a misunderstanding, really.”

Lu Changting raised an eyebrow. He hadn’t even mentioned his identity, yet Shen Zhengqing had already changed his attitude so quickly.

Cheng Zhao was in a great mood, her eyes gleaming with genuine joy, feeling vindicated. “Shen Zhengqing, I’ll cover the cost of today’s meal.”

“Shen Li won’t be helping you with company matters, and as for the marriage alliance, don’t even think about it. Who Shen Li likes is his own business, and I will always protect his right to that freedom.”

“Put it on my tab,” Lu Changting said, turning to the lobby manager. “Bring me a black card.”

Ignoring Shen Zhengqing, who was still trying to strike up a conversation, Lu Changting personally escorted Cheng Zhao to the door and handed her the black card. “This is an SVIP card for Wangjiang Tower. You can book a private room here anytime without a reservation, and all food and drinks are at a 30% discount.”

“Oh, I can’t possibly accept this,” Cheng Zhao hesitated, feeling it was too much. Any resentment she had toward Lu Changting had vanished. After all, her son’s feelings were one-sided, and Lu Changting hadn’t known anything about it. Now, they were just friends, and the way he was looking after her was more than enough.

“You’ve helped me so much today; I don’t even know how to thank you. And for the meal today,” she joked half-seriously, “should I offer Shen Li to you to repay the favor?”

For a moment, Lu Changting was almost tempted by the idea.

Trading a black card for Shen Li, the owner of “Gu Jiu,” seemed like a good deal for him.

He chuckled at his own absurd thought and decided not to insist. He took back the black card. “Shall I drive you home?”

“Would that be too much trouble for you?”

“Not at all,” Lu Changting thought. Shen Li had taken good care of Lu Changge, and in return, he should look after Shen Li’s mother. “Are you going home or to school? I can take you.”

“Home,” Cheng Zhao decided on a whim. “Let me show you around, and if you’re free, how about coming over for a meal? Consider it my way of thanking you for helping out today. Let me host and treat you properly.”

“You’re too kind,” Lu Changting said, not good at refusing such warm hospitality. Inwardly, he didn’t really want to refuse either. After a moment’s thought, he took a business card from his wallet and handed it to her. “This is my personal card.”

The unspoken message was almost clear: “Whenever you’re free, I’m available.” Cheng Zhao, catching the implication, smiled knowingly as she accepted the card.

After dropping Cheng Zhao off at her home and politely declining her invitation to come upstairs, Lu Changting drove back home. After a day full of socializing, he finally had a moment to relax.

When his phone rang, he felt a bit reluctant to answer it, especially when he saw that it was from Lu Changxu. Since Lu Changxu managed the business at Wangjiang Tower, he had likely already heard about what happened earlier, and it wasn’t hard to guess what this call was about.

After letting the phone ring for a while, Lu Changting finally answered, his tone indifferent as he asked, “What is it?”

“Hey, Changting,” came Lu Changxu’s voice from the other end, laced with teasing. “I heard you have a boyfriend now, and you’ve even met the parents?”

“…That was Boss Shen’s mother.”

“Oh? Since when did Boss Shen become your boyfriend? How come I didn’t know about this?”

Lu Changting rubbed his temples. “That was just to deal with Boss Shen’s father.”

“You keep calling him ‘Boss Shen, Boss Shen,'” Lu Changxu clicked his tongue lightly. “Are you trying to fool me, or fool yourself?”

Then Lu Changxu asked, “So why did you invite Fan Jingling to dinner? Our family’s business doesn’t need to interact with the Fan family, and you aren’t even close to him. Why the sudden dinner invitation?”

Although the Third Master Lu had called Fan’s father to have him discipline his son, everyone in S City knew about Fan’s father’s favoritism. This matter was mostly just a show for the Lu family. But Lu Changting had gone further, directly seeking out Fan Jingling. It seemed that Fan Jingling would need to be careful for a long time.

After a brief silence, Lu Changting replied, “‘Gu Jiu’s’ situation started because of Changge…”

“Is it so hard to admit that you did it for Boss Shen?” Lu Changxu interrupted him. “Changting, be honest with me—do you actually like Boss Shen? If you do, I’ll block any arranged dates from the family.”

Like him?

Not like him?

Lu Changting himself was very confused. It seemed that ever since they first met, he had been unconsciously paying attention to Shen Li. The feeling was very subtle; he couldn’t quite explain why, but being with Shen Li felt comfortable, natural. Sometimes, it even felt like he had known Shen Li for many years.

The phrase “Meeting you for the first time is like the return of an old friend” came to mind.

He wasn’t sure if this feeling was love, or if he had somehow turned gay, so he couldn’t give Lu Changxu a definite answer.

“…I don’t know.”

Lu Changxu laughed, exasperated. “Fine, then go on your arranged dates.”

With that, Lu Changxu hung up the phone, leaving Lu Changting holding the phone, sighing.

Whoever invented blind dates must have been a source of misery.

Just thinking about it gave him a headache.