Chapter 73
The moment I saw Lu Weize at the elevator door, my heart skipped a beat.
As our eyes met, I felt an indescribable tension.
Qiao Qiran cleared his throat, breaking the awkwardness: "What a coincidence, you’re here for dinner too?"
Lu Weize nodded slightly, but his gaze remained fixed on my face.
Qiao Qiran looked at me, and I lowered my head to avoid Lu Weize's gaze.
"Lin Chu, why do you look so pale?" Lu Weize asked, his brow furrowed with concern.
I bit my lip and whispered, "I feel a bit unwell."
"Where do you feel unwell?" Lu Weize pressed on.
I didn't know what to say and could only keep my head down.
Seeing this, Qiao Qiran quickly pulled me away: "We have something to do, we’ll be leaving now."
"Okay." Lu Weize nodded, watching as I was led away by Qiao Qiran.
Just as the elevator doors were closing, Lu Weize suddenly called out: "Lin Chu."
I stopped in my tracks and turned to look at him.
Lu Weize's deep eyes were fixed on me: "If Qiao Qiran bullies you, remember to come find me."
A warmth spread through my heart, and I gently nodded: "Okay."
Qiao Qiran pulled me out of the restaurant, and the cold wind dispersed the heat on my cheeks.
Qiao Qiran comforted me: "Don't be upset. I'll take you to Happy Valley."
I nodded slightly and said, "Thank you, Brother."
...
Qiao Qiran took me to enjoy all the attractions at Happy Valley, and we didn't leave until nine in the evening.
Qiao Qiran drove around aimlessly with me until eleven before heading home.
As soon as we entered the courtyard, I spotted a familiar figure—Old Madam Qiao.
Old Madam Qiao is Qiao Qiran's grandmother and the head of the Qiao Family.
She has always disliked me and even forbade Qiao Qiran from associating with me.
Upon seeing Old Madam Qiao, Qiao Qiran frowned immediately and asked, "Grandma, what are you doing here?"
"What am I doing here?" Old Madam Qiao snorted coldly. "I heard that your sister ruined your blind date with Miss Zhao, so of course I had to come and see for myself."
Chapter 74
Old Madam Qiao specifically came to Luzhou, waiting for me downstairs at Qiao Qiran's building to confront me face to face.
"Lin Chu, the girl Qiao Qiran was supposed to meet for a blind date, was it you who chased her away?" Old Madam Qiao asked aggressively.
I met her gaze fearlessly and replied, "Yes."
"On what grounds are you driving her away?" Old Madam Qiao exclaimed angrily. "Just because she is Qiao Qiran's romantic interest?"
"Because she doesn't actually like my brother," I replied calmly. "She is only after the Qiao family's wealth."
"Hmph, that's easy for you to say. Aren't you also eyeing the Qiao family's fortune?" Old Madam Qiao scoffed.
I shook my head. "I'm different. I'm not interested in the Qiao family's wealth. If you don't believe me, I can have it notarized."
"I don't care whether you're interested or not; in any case, Qiao Qiran cannot be with you," Old Madam Qiao insisted firmly.
Qiao Qiran could no longer hold back: "Grandma, can you please stop making a scene?"
"Qiao Qiran, what kind of attitude is that?" Old Madam Qiao glared at him. "Are you trying to give me a heart attack?"
"I didn't mean it that way," Qiao Qiran frowned. "I have chosen Lin Chu, and that won't change for the rest of my life."
"You..." Old Madam Qiao was so furious she nearly fainted.
"Old Madam, may I ask where you intend to take my girlfriend?" Lu Weize suddenly spoke up.
Old Madam Qiao was taken aback. "What did you say?"
Lu Weize pulled me into his arms, his expression cold and proud. "Lin Chu is my girlfriend. Where do you plan to take her?"
"You..." Old Madam Qiao trembled with anger. "Lu Weize, how dare you threaten me?"
"I'm just protecting my girlfriend," Lu Weize said calmly.
Qiao Qiran also stepped forward, standing in front of me. "Grandma, please don't force me."
Old Madam Qiao closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Fine, you’ve grown wings. I can’t control you anymore. Do as you wish."
With that, she turned and walked toward the elevator.
Lu Weize held me close as we silently exited the building.
Qiao Qiran chased after us. "Lin Chu..."
"Brother, you should go back," I said to him. "I'm fine."
"Okay, take care of yourself," Qiao Qiran said, gently ruffling my hair before turning to leave.
I watched his retreating figure, my eyes gradually filling with tears.
Lu Weize gently patted my shoulder. "Let's go. I'll take you home."
"Okay." I nodded and followed him to the car.
In the carriage, the two of us exchanged silent glances.
I recalled how Lu Weize had just claimed in front of Old Madam Qiao that I was his girlfriend, and my cheeks flushed slightly.
I turned to look out the window, trying to hide my embarrassment.
Lu Weize seemed to notice my unease and said with a smile, "What I said earlier was just to shut the old lady up; don't take it to heart."
"Oh." I replied softly, feeling unexpectedly disappointed.
Lu Weize gazed at my delicate profile, his eyes flickering slightly.
The car stopped downstairs at my home.
I unbuckled my seatbelt and said, "Thank you for bringing me back."
"Mm." Lu Weize nodded. "Get some rest early."
"Mm." I got out of the car and walked toward the stairs.
Lu Weize lowered the car window. "Lin Chu."
I paused and turned back to look at him. "What is it?"
"Are you planning to change your name?" Lu Weize asked.
I was taken aback for a moment. "Yes."
"How about changing your surname to Lu?" Lu Weize suggested.
I: "......"
Chapter 75
In the evening, Qiao Qiran called me as soon as he got off work.
"Lin Chu, you didn't change your name, did you?"
At that moment, I was on the balcony painting against the sunset. I replied lightly, "No, I didn't."
"Why not?" Qiao Qiran asked. "Is it because you can't bear to part with your brother?"
I said, "Mainly because I think the name Lu Chu doesn't sound nice."
Qiao Qiran: "......"
He let out a sigh of relief. "It's good that you didn't change it, it's good."
"Brother, what do you want to eat?" I asked. "I can go to the market to buy groceries."
"No need, I've already bought everything," Qiao Qiran said. "Just tell me what you want to eat, and I'll cook it for you when I get back."
"Stir-fried chives with eggs, fish-flavored shredded pork, and a steamed fish for soup," I said.
"Okay, I'll head back now," Qiao Qiran readily agreed.
I smiled and continued painting.
An hour later, Qiao Qiran returned. Upon opening the door and seeing an extra pair of men's shoes by the shoe cabinet, he froze for a moment before realizing that there was a strange man in the house.
He cautiously approached the bedroom door and peeked inside through the crack.
He saw Lu Weize and me sitting on the bed, our heads close together as we flipped through a book.
Lu Weize leaned in and whispered something in my ear, causing my cheeks to flush slightly as I nodded.
Qiao Qiran's eyes widened in disbelief. What were these two doing?
"What are you doing?" Qiao Qiran burst in, shouting angrily.
I was startled and looked up at him. "Bro, what's wrong?"
"What are you... doing?" Qiao Qiran pointed at Lu Weize. "Why is he in our house?"
"We're learning English," I replied. "Lu Weize is teaching me speaking skills."
"Learning English?" Qiao Qiran looked at Lu Weize skeptically.
Lu Weize nodded. "Yeah, Qiao Bro, you should go cook. We're both hungry."
"You..." Qiao Qiran glared at him through gritted teeth but felt helpless and could only walk out reluctantly.
I couldn't help but laugh.
Lu Weize ruffled my hair. "Continue."
"Okay."
Qiao Qiran was cooking in the kitchen, but he was still filled with doubts. He occasionally stepped out to eavesdrop on what Lu Weize and I were discussing, but all he could catch were fragmented snippets of conversation.
"This word is incorrect."
"It should be in the present perfect tense here."
"This part..."
Qiao Qiran thought to himself, "..."
His feelings were complicated; he was worried about me, disliked Lu Weize, yet he couldn't just kick him out.
Finally, he walked over and knocked on the door.
"Knock knock knock."
"Come in."
Qiao Qiran pushed the door open and said, "Lu Weize, come out and help with the cooking."
Lu Weize looked up at me and said, "Qiao Ge, I can't cook."
"I'll teach you," Qiao Qiran replied.
"Sure!" Lu Weize agreed readily.
He came into the kitchen, put on an apron, and started washing vegetables.
Qiao Qiran stood by watching me and asked, "You and Lin Chu..."
"I'm pursuing her," Lu Weize admitted.
"What?" Qiao Qiran looked at me in surprise. "You... you're pursuing her?"
"Yeah," Lu Weize nodded. "I'm still trying."
Qiao Qiran frowned. "But didn't you break up?"
"Who told you we broke up?" Lu Weize retorted.
"..." Qiao Qiran was at a loss for words.
Lu Weize explained, "We just took a temporary break, not a breakup."
"A temporary break?" Qiao Qiran looked at me in confusion. "What does that mean?"
"It means..." Lu Weize paused, "it means we're just temporarily apart. Once we sort out some things, we'll get back together."
"What things?" Qiao Qiran pressed.
Lu Weize glanced at him. "I can't tell you that."
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