Lu Bochuan paused for a moment and let go of his hand. "Sorry."
He thought Shu Qingqing would be angry.
To his surprise, she blinked and gave a sly smile. "Lu Bochuan, didn't you say you were going to pursue me again?"
"Who tries to kiss someone before they've even won them over?"
"But seeing as your performance hasn't been too bad..."
Lu Bochuan's head snapped up, a hint of anticipation in his eyes.
Shu Qingqing raised her slender, delicate hand. "Then I'll allow you to hold my hand for now."
A smile instantly touched the corners of Lu Bochuan's eyes. He took Shu Qingqing's hand, brought it to his lips, and placed a kiss on it.
It was a very light kiss, yet it sent an electric jolt through Shu Qingqing.
She felt like she was doomed. Did she actually like Lu Bochuan this much?
It was just a kiss on the back of her hand, but her heart wouldn't stop pounding.
She pulled her hand back and turned around to hide her reaction. "Lu Bochuan, you're breaking the rules."
"I'm sorry. Then punish me, okay?" Lu Bochuan crouched down in front of her, looking up at her.
His passionate gaze was impossible to avoid. Shu Qingqing stood up abruptly. "Forget it, I'm not that petty. Get up, I'm going to change clothes."
But Lu Bochuan held her back. "You only have one good hand, how are you going to change?"
True.
Shu Qingqing pulled her bath towel up a bit. "You're so annoying. Why did you send Nanny Li away?"
"It's my fault. Let me blow-dry your hair first, and then I'll have Nanny Li come over, alright?" Lu Bochuan said, taking another towel from the rack and draping it over her shoulders.
Feeling a bit more secure, Shu Qingqing went back to the chair and sat down.
The whirring of the hair dryer sounded for a few minutes before finally stopping.
Shu Qingqing looked at her fairly smooth hair and turned her head, about to praise him, but then she saw the bottle sitting untouched on the side. "Lu Bochuan... you didn't apply my hair oil."
"Sorry... can I put it on now?"
It was rare for Shu Qingqing to see him look so flustered, and she couldn't help but laugh. "Alright. Pump out a few drops, rub them in your palms to warm them up, and then apply it to the ends of my hair. Make sure you don't get it on the roots."
Lu Bochuan did as he was told.
The scent of the essential oil blended with the shampoo, making Shu Qingqing radiate a fresh camellia fragrance.
Lu Bochuan couldn't hold back and pressed a kiss to the top of her head.
Shu Qingqing stared at him through the mirror. "Now I know, Lu Bochuan. You're just taking advantage of me on purpose."
Lu Bochuan met her gaze in the mirror. "Then I'll let you take advantage of me in return, how about that?"
Shu Qingqing: !!!
How did this old, conservative man suddenly become such a smooth talker after one trip to Country F!
After Nanny Li came over and helped Shu Qingqing change her clothes, Lu Bochuan entered the room again.
"Qingqing, do you want me to take you for a walk?"
Remembering her weight from yesterday, Shu Qingqing nodded. She had been eating and not moving much lately, so she really needed a walk.
In the living room, Lu Yu was playing with Legos with Lu Xun.
Seeing the two dressed to go out, they both followed.
"Mom, where are you going?" Lu Xun hugged her leg.
"Going for a walk. Do you guys want to come along?"
Lu Xun happily agreed and dragged Lu Yu to the entryway to change their shoes.
It was too late for Lu Bochuan to stop them.
After all these days, he hadn't had any chance to be alone with Shu Qingqing.
He had originally thought...
Sometimes, he really felt that kids were just third wheels.
It was supposed to be a walk, but when Shu Qingqing reached the entryway, she saw Lu Yu pushing the wheelchair again.
Shu Qingqing: "I really don't need it this time."
Lu Yu replied with his usual phrase: "You shouldn't overexert yourself."
Shu Qingqing just let him be.
However, she had indeed overestimated herself. Not long into the walk, she actually got tired and sat in the wheelchair without any guilt.
Lu Xun was curious about the contraption. One moment he wanted to sit in the wheelchair, and the next he wanted to take turns pushing it with Lu Yu. He tired himself out before long.
The family of four had to accompany him to sit in a small pavilion for a while.
The neighborhood environment was very nice, and the early autumn weather was quite cool, so recently there were many more people going out for evening walks.
Not long after they sat down, they saw a few women walking over by the bushes in front of the pavilion.
"Hey, did you guys know? Shu Qingqing got slashed by someone a while ago!"
It was Li Jinbao's mother's voice.
Lu Bochuan frowned and was about to speak up, but Shu Qingqing stopped him.
"Go cover Lu Xun's ears," Shu Qingqing instructed in a low voice. Her intuition told her that Li Jinbao's mother wouldn't say anything nice.
Sure enough, the women continued discussing—
Lady A: "Really? Someone actually dared to touch Lu Bochuan's wife?"
"Would I lie to you? Our nanny saw it with her own eyes today. Shu Qingqing had a huge bandage wrapped around her arm."
Li Jinbao's mother had a look of schadenfreude on her face. During the neighborhood flower arrangement event last time, Shu Qingqing had made her lose face completely. So, upon hearing this news, she was so happy she couldn't stop grinning, and hurriedly called a few ladies out to gossip: "She was slashed at the school gate. I heard some thugs were trying to bully Lu Yu, and she helped block a knife for him."
Lady B: "Shu Qingqing is actually that good to her stepson? Risking her life to take a knife for him?"
Li Jinbao's mother scoffed, "What do you know? Maybe she arranged for those thugs herself, just to put on an act in front of Lu Yu so her stepson would think she treats him well."
Lady A: "No way, would she joke around with her own life?"
Li Jinbao's mother's voice carried disdain: "That's what you don't understand. There are hardly any good-hearted stepmothers to begin with. By pulling a stunt like this, Lu Yu will definitely be moved to tears. It's a life-saving grace, after all. When the time comes, Lu Yu will listen to whatever she says. He might even hand over the Lu Group to the little one she gave birth to."
Shu Qingqing's frown deepened. Before she could speak, Lu Yu stood up abruptly and walked straight out of the pavilion.
"Do you know what a busybody is?" Lu Yu looked at the women coldly.
Seeing him suddenly appear, Li Jinbao's mother was startled. "You... why are you here?"
Lu Yu approached her step by step: "In seventeenth-century Europe, a busybody would typically be forced to wear an iron framework mask. There was a spiked strip near the mouth, and if the busybody dared to utter a single word, she could kiss her tongue goodbye."
"Of course, our country is a society ruled by law, so there wouldn't be such a cruel punishment. However, my dad and I have other methods..." Lu Yu suddenly curled his lips into a smile. "For example, making the Li Group go bankrupt. What do you think about that?"
Even though Lu Yu was only a seventeen-year-old boy, Li Jinbao's mother saw in him an aura that belonged exclusively to top-tier elites. She subconsciously tried to make excuses: "Young Master Lu, please listen to my explanation. I was just..."
Before she could finish, Shu Qingqing walked over.
Since Lu Yu had already laid down the harsh words, she might as well play the weak and fragile one.
Shu Qingqing walked up to Lu Yu and pretentiously wiped away non-existent tears. "Boo-hoo, Lu Yu, I always said being a stepmother is hard. To think these people would talk about me like this behind my back. I simply don't want to live anymore~"
"Stop crying." Lu Bochuan also walked over, pulling Shu Qingqing into his arms and coaxing her in a low voice: "The ones who should be crying are them."
As he spoke, Lu Bochuan looked at the wealthy ladies. "Mrs. Sun, I heard your family's company has been selling a mix of fake and genuine products. Mrs. Wang, I recall your influencer daughter has been evading taxes this whole time. As for you, Mrs. Li."
Lu Bochuan's voice was incredibly cold. "Tell your husband that Baichuan Bank will officially terminate its loan business with his company starting tomorrow."
Despite his seemingly gentle tone, the wealthy ladies were left trembling in fear.
Li Jinbao's mother had an even more dramatic reaction. Her legs gave out, and she flopped heavily onto the ground.
