Chapter 210: The Royal Driver, Lu Liangting
So, dinners—let’s be honest, they’re just fancy social gatherings. For Lu Liangting, such occasions had little to no meaning, and definitely no fun. If it weren’t for his father being somewhat respectable and steering clear of any underworld shenanigans, these dinners would have taken a darker turn.
Because of that, he always had an arsenal of excuses ready to dodge these dinners, even if most of them happened right in their own home; he couldn’t be bothered to attend.
Another reason? He could never claim the lack of female company as an excuse. If he even dared to, his father and mother would whip out a candidate list, and he’d be forced to choose one of those girls.
So when his dad brought up “female companions,” red flags popped up everywhere for Lu Liangting; something felt off.
Then he spotted Zhao Mingyue in the backseat, and BAM! His brain nearly exploded, and he almost lost grip of the steering wheel.
Could his dad be hinting at Zhao Mingyue as his “female companion”!?
“Cough, cough, cough! About this dinner—I think I’ll sit this one out. I have something important in two weeks,” Lu Liangting rushed to blurt out.
Saying that in front of Bai Yu could be a d*ath sentence!
“No matter how important your thing is, it’s nothing compared to this dinner!” Lu Changlin frowned. “How many times have you skipped out before? This time is different. It’s not like before when it didn’t involve you. This time, you have to go. It’s your Uncle Fang’s second daughter’s coming-of-age ceremony!”
“Didn’t you just say it was our family event?”
“Please! How different can your Uncle Fang and our family be? Your dad and Fang Tiandi are like sworn brothers! If it weren’t for your sister, you’d be calling him ‘Godfather’ today, you little rascal!”
“What does that have to do with Nianqiu?”
“Of course it has to do with her! That old rascal Fang Tiandi has ulterior motives. He’s trying to use our close relationship to wed your sister to his son. I turned him down. I don’t want my future grandkids to look like big-headed frogs, okay?”
“Dad, what are you saying? If Uncle Fang finds out you’re talking like this behind his back, he’ll definitely come after you!” Lu Liangting sighed. His father was always like this.
“Pfft! Am I scared of him? Let him come!”
“Well then, I’m definitely not going!”
“You brat!”
“I really have something important!”
“Fine! Tell me what it is. If you can’t give me a good reason, I swear I’ll break your legs today!”
“I don’t know yet, but something will definitely come up!”
“You!”
“I’ve got it! I’m going to help you investigate who’s behind all this! Who’s the mastermind?” Lu Liangting jumped in.
“Do you really need to? I’m not dead yet!”
The father-son duo bickered all the way for over half an hour until they arrived at the Sunshine Apartment. Zhao Mingyue, wanting to avoid ruining their vibe, quickly said her goodbyes, hopped out with her backpack, and dashed into the building. Because of this, Lu Liangting got a good whack on the head from Lu Changlin.
Once it was confirmed that Zhao Mingyue was inside, Lu Changlin shot daggers at Lu Liangting. “You pretending to be clueless? That girl is so great, and you don’t even get it. Didn’t you see how hard it’s raining? You couldn’t have just swung open the passenger door, grabbed your umbrella, and played the gentleman? Escort her upstairs like a proper gentleman, huh?”
“Why sit here like a turtle, watching her get drenched? Are you really that dense?”
“I don’t have an umbrella in the car!” Lu Liangting couldn’t help but laugh.
“No umbrella? Can’t you use your coat? Throw it over her for protection or something!?”
“Come on, Dad! Isn’t that a bit much? I’m not that into Mingyue! We’re just friends, and that’s all we’ll ever be.”
He was careful not to say that last part out loud, though.
While he genuinely thought of Zhao Mingyue as a friend with no ulterior motives, he was still terrified that someone, or worse, some female ghost would misunderstand—now that would be disastrous!
“Alright, suit yourself! You’re young; it’s different from my time. I couldn’t control my marriage; I had no real chance at love—everything was arranged by Grandpa. No perks at all! Just business partnerships!”
Lu Changlin leaned back in his seat, brows knitted. “What kind of car is this? No massage seats? We need to get you a better ride; what a hunk of junk!”
“Back to the point—I didn’t go through it, and that’s why I want you to experience free love, got it?”
“But free love needs to consider the other person’s looks! It matters! A pretty face, good character—got to have it all! That girl we just saw? Not bad!”
Then, in a hush, Lu Changlin muttered, “Your Uncle An’s daughter? Not a chance. No looks, no soul, total madwoman. She’s like a female version of the Joker, always chasing your Uncle An, insisting she’ll only marry you!”
“I let you take Zhao Mingyue to the dinner so Uncle An’s daughter can see for herself! If she realizes she can’t compete, she’ll back off! Right?”
Lu Liangting thought about arguing but realized his dad had a point.
But still, his Uncle An’s kid was just like every recently released movie about crazy women. If she saw Zhao Mingyue, she wouldn’t withdraw; she’d march right up and stir up trouble for her!
“Let’s change the subject. Dad, it’s not that I’m having any weird thoughts, nor do I have a thing for Mingyue. I just want her to get what she deserves.”
“She saved you, remember? I hardly lifted a finger! If you knew anything about her, you’d see she easily scared off a murderer in front of the whole school recently. That guy wasn’t a slouch either.”
“She was the one who dragged me to that abandoned factory and fought with the bad guys to save you. Uncle Hu and the gang? They’d have offed you as soon as they saw a crowd. They’re only relaxed when it’s just a few people!”
Lu Changlin met Lu Liangting’s gaze and understood, “Spit it out—how much?”
“Three hundred, plus an apartment.”
“That’s not much, but you’re giving a house and money? She won’t misunderstand, will she?”
“No way! I know her.”
Lu Changlin rummaged around, relieved these kidnappers had nothing to do with money. His wallet was untouched.
Pulling out a card, he said, “This card has over three hundred in it, and you know the password.”
“By the way, I was going to give this to your mom. Your uncle’s getting married, and he wants money from me. I really don’t want to give him squat.”
“Your uncle’s wedding is none of my business. I can help him throw a fancy wedding and give him a big red envelope, but no direct cash! That’s a hard pass!”
“Sigh, some things are complicated, and I can’t be bothered.”
“Why tell you this? Simple. To let you know that finding a partner means considering their family situation too. Some things, if you miss out, it’s just gone.”
“Don’t act on impulse; don’t give up easily. Your mother and I were a surprise.”
Taking the bank card, Lu Liangting’s expression changed, “You’ve been investigating her all along?”
“Duh! You’ve been close to her lately. Your mom and I have talked about it more times than I can count.”
“Get out of the car now! Go to that girl’s place and give her the card. I don’t care what you tell her! Don’t come back for half an hour, or else you’re coming with me to that dinner in two weeks.”
“Get out!”
Lu Liangting struggled with his expression, but under his father’s threats, he had no choice. He stepped out into the rain, trudging toward the Sunshine Apartment.
No wonder his dad was always trying to matchmake him with Zhao Mingyue; he must have investigated her ages ago.
With that tone earlier, he thought he’d genuinely been allowed to “free love”—looks like it was all a setup!
Rushing upstairs, he found Zhao Mingyue had already reached home. Clearing his throat, he mustered the courage to knock on her door. “Mingyue, it’s me, Lu Liangting.”
Inside, Zhao Mingyue was about to whip up a midnight snack when Bai Yu, now in her new body, stepped out of the bedroom.
Hearing the noise, they exchanged glances.
“Should I let him in?”
Bai Yu pondered for a moment. “Yeah, just let him come in.”
“Uh, why?”
“This mission isn’t just local; we have lots of places to go. You can’t drive, and there’s no car.”
“So you mean… we need a driver?”
“Yup.”
To Bai Yu, Lu Liangting was trustworthy, though the only hassle was that his male protagonist status attracted a bunch of crazy women.
After this mission, Lu Liangting was already half-in with the plan; any gatekeepers would first zero in on him as a suspicious target.
Coincidentally, Lu Liangting had been to the Eternal Life Village and lived to tell the tale.
What if he had some connection to the Thousand Eyes Godmother?
With that thought, everything started to make sense.
Zhao Mingyue showing face wouldn’t be an issue. She had also gone to the Eternal Life Village.
This way, even if they did go to the mission location, they wouldn’t need to be sneaky about hiding their identities.
The most important part was what Zhao Mingyue just said.
At least they had a driver now, which would save them a lot of hassle.
As soon as Lu Liangting saw the door open, before he could say a word, a bl**d thread yanked him right into the apartment.
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Votes, please! Whee!
