Chapter Two: After All, You Are Not My Subordinate!
Seven years ago…
The night was deep and fog thick.
The banquet hall glittered with brilliance.
Elegant violin music floated softly through the air. A young man, dressed in a tailor-made, well-fitted suit, stood with a handsome face and determined gaze, yet his slender shoulders betrayed his youth.
“Lu Zheng, look at me!”
A girl’s excited voice rang out as she raised a camera.
The young man turned his head and, upon seeing the camera, immediately grew a little uneasy.
“Oh, why hide? I won’t make you look ugly. My photography skills are quite good!”
The girl teased with a smile, showing him the camera’s screen.
In the image, the young man stood sideways, already over 1.8 meters tall, tall and long-legged. Though young, his noble aura was unmistakable.
Lu Zheng glanced at the camera and was about to say something when a man’s voice called from behind.
“Xiao Zheng, come here.”
He turned to see his father standing in the distance, his expression solemn as he waved him over. Hastily, Lu Zheng bid the girl a quick farewell and jogged toward his father.
The girl watched his retreating figure, raising an eyebrow, planning to give him the developed photo later.
She fiddled with the camera, her mood light and cheerful, as she made her way back to her room.
Passing by the restroom, voices inside caught her attention, causing her to slow and stop.
“I just don’t like her! Why should she stand on equal footing with us? Who does she think she is, always lurking around our circle!”
“Do you think Brother Lu Zheng likes her?”
“Ridiculous! How could Lu Shao ever like Gu Yao? She’s just a nanny’s daughter—rustic and poor, from the countryside. If her mother weren’t the housekeeper for the Lu family, she wouldn’t even have the chance to attend school with us.”
“Maybe her mother deliberately brought her here, hoping she could marry into a wealthy family?”
“Don’t be ridiculous. Uncle Lu and Aunt Lu aren’t fools. A nanny’s daughter marrying into the Lu family? She must think she’s Cinderella!”
“Hey, have you heard? Liu Yuan has been getting quite close with Lu Shao recently…”
Their voices gradually blurred.
Gu Yao stood frozen, her mind buzzing, her body growing cold.
Weren’t these people supposed to be her good friends at school?
Weren’t they always asking her to help deliver love letters and gifts to Lu Zheng?
Then why did they speak so maliciously about her and her mother behind their backs?
Dizzily, the scene before her eyes blurred for a moment.
A hot summer night, a dimly lit room, thick with the scent of alcohol. The floor was a mess.
A glass of liquor was suddenly forced into a young man’s mouth. He slumped to the floor, his face desolate, as if all his pride had been shattered!
Worried, the girl couldn’t help but rush forward to snatch the bottle away from the drunken youth and shout:
“Enough, stop drinking, Lu Zheng! You’ll ruin yourself!”
But just as she reached for the glass in his hand, the young man suddenly stood up and shoved her harshly to the ground!
His eyes were bloodshot, glaring at her fiercely.
“Gu Yao! Mind your own business! Who do you think you are to me? Stay out of it!”
“Gu Yao, what status do you have? Those old fools may look down on me, but who do you think you are? Why do you get to control me?”
“Mind your own business!”
“Mind your own business!”
……
A woman buried deep in soft bedding suddenly snapped her eyes open!
She gasped, staring at the white ceiling above her. After a long moment, she finally realized.
It was a dream!
But not entirely a dream.
The ridicule, the disdain, and the slanders against Han Yuncai—the malicious speculations—had all been painfully real!
And it all stemmed from her failure to recognize her place, presuming that growing up together meant she could share some youthful bond with the Lu family’s young master.
If the girls’ mockery was jealousy, then Lu Zheng’s disgust and those words proved that the wealthy ladies had been right all along!
Behind their backs, to these wealthy heirs, she was no different from a mere comic relief, a clown in the grand estate.
She had thought she could be friends with them, but in their eyes, she was just a joke to be entertained in their leisure.
Thankfully, she had seen the truth in time and stopped the damage.
After a while, Gu Yao’s expression calmed. She rose and left the room.
Han Yuncai was just about to go upstairs to the matriarch.
Seeing Gu Yao emerge, she paused and pointed to the food left on the small living room table.
“The meal's gotten a bit cold. Heat it up in the microwave before you eat.”
Gu Yao followed her finger and gave a soft “Oh,” scratching her tousled hair.
“I’m going to wash up first.”
Han Yuncai smiled lightly at her laziness. Thinking of something, she followed her to the bathroom door.
“After dinner, you’re leaving soon?”
“Mm,” Gu Yao replied while washing her face.
Han Yuncai continued:
“Alright, send me a message when you arrive. Remember, living alone means don’t open the door to strangers, don’t eat carelessly, order less takeout, cook when you can, and be home early at night. Come by once a month.”
Knowing young people dislike nagging, she stopped after a few words, but added:
“Your new car has been delivered by your Uncle Wang. The keys are on the table, the car is a black Jaguar in Parking Lot 2.”
At this, Gu Yao finally brightened.
She spat out the foam, looked at Han Yuncai, and smiled brightly.
“Thanks, dear mom~”
Han Yuncai puckered her nose affectionately before leaving.
Her work time had come.
Inside the room, Gu Yao reheated her breakfast, finished eating, grabbed her two suitcases and the brand-new car keys, and left the suite.
The lobby was empty. Carrying a suitcase in each hand, she stepped outside and stopped on the steps.
Just as she was about to extend the handle to pull her suitcase, a hand suddenly reached out from behind and lifted one case right from her grasp.
Her hand grasped only air.
Looking up, she saw a young stranger holding both suitcases.
The man carried the two bags, stepping around her to descend the stairs.
Two steps behind stood Lu Zheng in a suit, his presence cold and silent.
Gu Yao twitched her fingertips, withdrew her hand, and straightened her posture.
Seeing Lu Zheng remained silent, she spoke first: “Thank you, Mr. Lu!”
As soon as she finished, Ming Lang, standing at the foot of the steps, immediately felt the low pressure radiating from his boss.
He was puzzled by the relationship between the woman and the boss.
Mr. Lu had just asked him to help carry luggage, yet now it seemed the two weren’t on good terms.
Gu Yao finished her thanks and turned to leave.
She had only descended two steps when she felt the oppressive presence of the tall man behind her.
A deep voice sounded above her head as he followed closely:
“I heard from Auntie Han that you’re moving out?”
Gu Yao hadn’t expected the question. She paused briefly but kept walking, answering:
“Yes.”
Lu Zheng asked again, “Living over in the Golden Domain?”
She nodded again.
“How will you get there?”
Her impatience finally surfaced. She stopped and turned to look at him.
“I bought a car. I’ll drive. Mr. Lu, is there anything else? If not, I’m leaving!”
Her irritation didn’t come suddenly. Lu Zheng stood silently, watching her for a few seconds.
Just as Gu Yao expected anger, he maintained a neutral expression and motioned to Ming Lang beside him.
“Nothing. Let Assistant Ming help you carry the luggage over.”
Gu Yao immediately turned around.
She didn’t refuse, not wanting to argue further.
But before she could take a step, the man’s cold voice rang out behind her again:
“And one more thing!”
Gu Yao stopped, irritation plain on her face.
But thinking better of it, she took a deep breath, quickly masking her emotions, and turned back.
“Mr. Lu, is there something else?”
Lu Zheng took two steps toward her, his gaze lowered, emotions she couldn’t read shining in his eyes.
“Yes.”
He frowned slightly, speaking clearly and deliberately:
“Don’t call me Mr. Lu anymore… nor President Lu. After all, you’re not my subordinate.”
Gu Yao was speechless.
After a moment, she let out a light laugh.
It was her fault. The Lu family’s company was not easy to enter. To ordinary people, the relationship between them was just one of superior and subordinate within the Bolun Group—a valuable connection in Ning City and throughout Qing Province. How could she dare to pretend to share such ties?
She looked up at him, her eyes colder than before.
“All right, I understand, Mr. Lu.”