Chapter 269: Kneel And Call Me Mommy – 1
It was Sat.u.r.day, and the end of the month was nearing.
The weather was getting colder.
The day Madam Lu was discharged from the hospital, Lu Jingqing brought his family to visit her at the Lu Household.
Fu Zhi was wearing a red knit sweater that set off her fair skin perfectly and a pair of blue cropped jeans.
It was a good thing that the old lady had been discharged from the hospital, and Xu Wei was happy about it as well. She was wearing a pink dress today.
However, since Madam Lu was used to thinking the worst of other people, she was not delighted about Xu Wei and Fu Zhi’s attire. She was not dead yet, yet they dressed so flamboyantly. What if she died? Would they wear lavish clothes to her funeral? The more Madam Lu thought about it, the darker her expression became.
She was sitting in the center of the living room right now. After a short while, Lu Zhiwen and Bai Yao arrived with their son, Lu Chuliang.
This was the first time Fu Zhi met Lu Zhiwen and Lu Chuliang.
Lu Zhiwen looked like a nice guy, but Fu Zhi sensed a dark vibe from him. As for Lu Chuliang, he was walking in a swaggering manner behind his parents.
“I take it that you are Zhizhi? Well, as the rumors said, you are indeed prettier than Wanwan.” Lu Zhiwen greeted her, offering Fu Zhi a smile.
Fu Zhi gave him a look but did not return the greeting.
On the other side, Madam Lu’s eyes began to fill with tears when she thought of her granddaughter. “Zhiwen, it’s my fault for not taking good care of Wanwan.”
Lu Zhiwen poured a cup of tea for his mother and replied, “She’s the one who did something wrong. It has nothing to do with you.”
Madam Lu wiped the tears off her eyes. “It’s only a year. She won’t suffer too much if we grease those people’s palms. By the way, how long are you staying this time?”
“If I can get that business deal from the Xu Family, I’ll stay in Yu City and take care of you,” Lu Zhiwen said. Then, he suddenly lowered his head as a mysterious light entered his eyes. Letting out a sigh, he added, “But Mrs. Xu is in poor health, so Mr. Xu thought of taking a break from his business this year and getting his wife treated abroad.”
“Just take it easy. If you can’t make it, just pa.s.s the job to Jingqing. He’ll take care of it. After all, he’s your brother, and he should offer you his help.”
Lu Yumo threw his chopsticks away when he heard what Madam Lu had said.
Madam Lu’s face turned dark. “What are you doing?”
“He’s frightened of a mama’s boy,” Fu Zhi said calmly, pressing her lips as she pushed the mangoes on her plate away. “What a poor boy.”
Lu Yumo said, “Yes!”
Then, he threw himself into Fu Zhi’s embrace and went along with it. “It scared the h.e.l.l out of me. I almost thought that I’d never see you again.”
Madam Lu was speechless. ‘He’s such a drama king!’
The topic came to a halt.
Lu Zhiwen turned to look at Fu Zhi, his gaze laced with hatred and resentment.
Fu Zhi noticed it, but she paid him no mind.
Very soon, all the dishes were served.
Fu Zhi was sitting beside Bai Yao, while Lu Yushen was staying in the house to carry out the psychological treatment plan Gu Yan had set for him.
Lu Zhiwen continued to stare at Fu Zhi.
Lu Chuwan was not having a good time in the reformatory and could only lift her spirits by writing songs.
The dining room was quiet. n.o.body was talking, and the only sound that could be heard was the sound of their own breathing.
‘I can’t let this matter end like this,’ Lu Zhiwen told himself inwardly. Fu Zhi and Lu Chuwan were the same age, and her background was not as good as his daughter’s. He reckoned that she had been able to join the national research inst.i.tute as a member probably due to her ability to grow the Valley Orchid.
He did not believe that she had an apt.i.tude for the field of medicine, nor did he believe everything Ye Tian and his son had said. They must have either been bribed by someone, or they were somehow connected to Fu Zhi, which was why they exaggerated her ability.
Lu Zhiwen had nearly died when he’d saved Lu Jingqing back when they were kids. This was his bargaining chip.
A daring idea was taking shape in his head.
A doctor without a medical license would be sentenced to jail if his or her patient died.
He put down the chopsticks and told Madam Lu, “It’s okay, mom. I think I can handle it. However, I might need Zhizhi’s a.s.sistance.”
Then, he turned to Fu Zhi and said, “I heard that your art of healing is remarkable, so can you do me a favor?”
Fu Zhi replied, “Nope. I’m not free. Find someone else.”
From the moment Lu Zhiwen had appeared, Fu Zhi could sense that he did not like her, and she reckoned that the reason had to be his daughter.
She lowered her head after she answered Lu Zhiwen. She set her eyebrows in a relaxed frown as she proceeded to pick a sweet and sour pork rib and put it on her plate.
Bai Yao’s face turned dark at Fu Zhi’s response, but Lu Zhiwen stopped her from lashing out at Fu Zhi. Keeping his cool while maintaining the genial smile on his face, he explained, “Don’t worry, I also invited the elder of the Chu Family in the capital. Besides, Mr. Xu and your father are friends, so perhaps you can consider this paying a visit to your father’s friends.”
The Chu Family was one of the few aristocratic families in China with nearly 500 years of Chinese medicine heritage. Therefore, they still adopted the old-school address system.
“Zhizhi still needs to go to school,” Lu Jingqing chimed in. “She’s a student, so she should focus on her studies. Besides, there are more specialized doctors out there to treat the sick and save lives.”
Lu Jingqing knew his brother very well. Thus, he knew he must be up to no good.
Lu Chuliang, who was sitting opposite Fu Zhi, rolled his eyes and said, “Hah. What a pretentious leech. We didn’t say anything about what you did to my sister, and right now, we just want you to come with us and meet some people. How hard could it be? Do you really think you’re a princess after joining the Lu Family? We don’t need any more mouths to feed. If you... Ouch, why are you pinching me, mom?”
Bai Yao shot a glare at her son before turning back to Fu Zhi. Putting on a fake smile, she said, “Please don’t mind your cousin. He’s just speaking nonsense. Anyway, we’ll just go and check on her. Mrs. Xu has always wanted to have a daughter. Perhaps she might get better once she sees you.”
Truth be told, Mrs. Xu loved music. Bai Yao had previously wanted to make Lu Chuwan Mrs. Xu’s G.o.ddaughter, but Mrs. Xu had turned down her offer.
However, it did not matter now, as Mrs. Xu was dying.
“Alright then. I’ll go with you guys,” Fu Zhi said, a smile tugging at the corner of her lips.
‘The elder of the Chu Family? Interesting.’
Lu Jingqing trusted his daughter’s skill, but he did not trust Lu Zhiwen. However, since Fu Zhi had already agreed to help, there was nothing he could do about it.
Lu Zhiwen informed Fu Zhi that he would be coming to pick her up next Friday.
After they finished their meal, Lu Chuliang reluctantly led Fu Zhi out of the door.
Everyone was walking ahead, while Fu Zhi was walking slowly in the back.
“I wonder what got into Uncle Jingqing’s brain and made him bring you into our family. You’re such a slowpoke.”
Fu Zhi glanced at him and realized that he was quite good-looking for a young man his age. His lips were rosy, and his teeth were white. Well, of course, he would look much better if he did not have that impatient expression on his face.
Standing next to her, Lu Chuliang put his leg on the edge of the door and hissed, “Vixen.”
Upon hearing what he said, Fu Zhi shot a glance at him, a surge of displeasure rising from the depths of her eyes, and the atmosphere around her suddenly turned cold.
Lu Chuliang felt a shiver down his spine as his legs went numb.
“Mind your mouth,” Fu Zhi said in an intimidating voice, causing gooseb.u.mps to pebble across Lu Chuliang’s skin. After saying that, Fu Zhi paused for a while as if she’d remembered something before adding, “If possible, don’t walk alone at night.”
Lu Chuliang took a step back, and Fu Zhi got in the car. It took him quite a long while to realize that he was intimidated by a little girl, and he kicked the door out of frustration.
‘Don’t walk alone at night, huh? Alright then. I will go for a night walk tonight!’
Lu Chuliang went back to his house.
“We don’t know much about Fu Zhi, and Ye Tian didn’t seem to be lying when he called her his sister. She might really be able to cure Mrs. Xu,” Bai Yao said with a frown of concern on her face.
Lu Zhiwen scoffed, “No matter how smart she is, she’s just a kid. Even the doctors at the hospital in the capital can’t do anything about Mrs. Xu’s illness, so I’m certain that she’s all bark and no bite as well. What you should do is keep goading her into healing Mrs. Xu. After all, young people nowadays are the same. Only when they fall down will they know what it means to mind their own business.”