Lu Wanning was standing not far away and happened to hear what Zhou Qingyu said.
Suddenly, it dawned on her. Who said that Zhou Yanci and Zhou Qingyu didn't get along? These two were so much alike, both trying to take away her younger sister!
Lu Wanning turned around angrily. "Zhou Qingyu! My sister doesn't need you to raise her! Our Lu family can take care of her on our own!"
Unfortunately, Zhou Qingyu had already got into the car and didn't hear Lu Wanning's words.
Lu Beiyu comforted Lu Wanning. "Sister, don't be angry! Maybe the eldest miss was worried because of what happened to the second sister in the Lin family before. You see, the Lin family didn't treat the second sister well, and after they recognized Lin Ranran, they didn't treat her well either. So it's normal for the eldest miss to be worried..."
Lu Wanning paused.
She also knew about the things in the Lin family.
If the Lin family had cared about Lin Ranran a little bit, in the first few years when Lin Ranran returned to the Lin family, she wouldn't have been mocked by the upper - class society as a country bumpkin heiress.
In fact, it was normal for Yan Xi to be nervous. Not to mention the Lu family, even in an ordinary family, having one more child meant sharing the love. So children who returned to the family later were mostly not well - received.
If the Lu family only had Yan Xi as a child, it wouldn't matter. But unfortunately, there were many children in their family, and there might be more disputes.
"Take good care of Xi Xi when she gets home," Lu Wanning said to Lu Beiyu. "We're not very familiar with Xi Xi, but you recorded a variety show with her. You're the closest relative she has now."
Lu Beiyu stood up straight. "Understood!"
In the nanny car, Little Meng was driving, and Yan Xi and Zhou Qingyu were sitting in the back row.
Little Meng was even more excited than Yan Xi. She was just sending Zhou Qingyu to Hongrui Mall, but unexpectedly, she got to know such a big piece of gossip!
"Xi Xi, you're actually the youngest daughter of the Lu family!"
"My goodness! That's the Lu family! You were looked down upon in the first half of your life because of the false heiress identity. Later, you had a rich and beautiful best friend and a domineering CEO boyfriend. Now, even your biological parents are from a wealthy family! You've got a proper leading - lady script!"
Yan Xi: "..."
Sorry, it really wasn't. She had a walk - on role script.
"So what? Our Xi Xi is from a wealthy family herself!" Zhou Qingyu raised her eyebrows and called out to the back row. "Yao Chi, are you done? Why are you so slow?"
Yao Chi poked his head out from the back row.
Yan Xi was shocked. "Director Yao? Why are you here too?"
Yao Chi was sleepy - eyed. Only then did Yan Xi notice that, unlike his usual style, Yao Chi wasn't wearing his shiny and flamboyant sequined suit, but a very cartoonish green dinosaur pajamas, and he was still holding a laptop in his arms.
"I'm on a day - off today! Miss, you're so inhumane! You dragged me out of bed. Don't office workers have human rights?"
"Stop talking so much nonsense. I'll give you overtime pay anyway. Is it done?"
Under Zhou Qingyu's scolding, Yao Chi opened the laptop and showed it to Yan Xi.
"Done!"
Yan Xi took a closer look. On the computer screen was her appointment letter.
- An appointment letter for the CEO of Starlight.
Yan Xi looked at Zhou Qingyu in surprise. "You've promoted me again?"
"That's only right!" Zhou Qingyu said nonchalantly. "Starlight doesn't have a CEO at the moment, and you've been doing the work of a CEO. You should have been promoted long ago. Originally, seeing that you were busy with *SP*, I planned to wait until it was over, but it's okay to finalize it now."
The huge success of *The Bottom Line* had helped Jiang Tao regain his status as a top - tier director, and Shen Xinghe had leaped from an unknown extra to a popular rising star. Han Shu's OST for the drama was also very popular, which boosted her popularity.
Then there was the success of *SP*. Although the variety show hadn't ended yet, it was already the number - one trending show in the entertainment circle.
Under Yan Xi's leadership, Starlight was thriving, and the senior management of the Zhou Group had no objections to making her the CEO.
After the appointment letter was presented, Yao Chi made a click, and a share transfer agreement popped up on the screen.
The Zhou Group was gifting 10% of Starlight's shares to Yan Xi, including 5% held by the Zhou Group and another 5% held by Zhou Qingyu.
Zhou Qingyu said earnestly, "The position of CEO is what you deserve, and so are these 10% of the shares. Thanks to you, Starlight has turned from losses to profits. Currently, *The Bottom Line* has made a profit of over 200 million, and *SP* is also about the same. So this is the reward from the group for you."
It was a common incentive for a company to give shares to its CEO, and Zhou Qingyu truly believed that Yan Xi deserved it.
Even when Yu Xiao became the CEO of M and brought Meng's stock price back to normal, Zhou Qingyu had given him corresponding equity rewards.
It was just that the 10% equity reward for Starlight was originally planned to be given to Yan Xi after the Chinese New Year. But since Yan Xi was going back to the Lu family now, Zhou Qingyu thought it was better to give it to her right away.
Yan Xi was so surprised that she couldn't speak. Zhou Qingyu held her hand.
"Xixi, I'm really happy that you've found your biological parents. If the Lu family treats you well, that would be great. But I'm also worried. After all, you haven't seen each other for twenty years and haven't lived together. There might be some estrangement. So if the Lu family is a mess, I hope you'll have the ability to protect yourself."
Yan Xi looked at Zhou Qingyu with red - rimmed eyes.
She had a lot to say to Zhou Qingyu, but at this moment, she didn't know what to say. She just tightened her grip on Zhou Qingyu's hand.
The nanny car followed the Bentley of the Lu family towards the Lu residence.
The Lu residence was some distance away from the city center, even more suburban than the Zhou residence. It took the nanny car more than an hour to reach the entrance of the Lu residence.
The Lu family had enclosed a large area of land in the suburbs. The area was vast, and there weren't many buildings. The overall style was more in tune with nature.
Entering through the iron gate at the entrance, one could see an expansive lawn. The grass was a bit yellowish due to the early winter, but since Hai City was in the south, the lawn was mostly green. Not far away, there was a lake with swans floating on the water, and further away was an orchard.
Yaozu and the servants were playing frisbee on the lawn. The frisbee flew high up in the air. Without a leash, Yaozu ran around wildly. Just as he caught the falling frisbee, he saw the returning Bentley.
In an instant, the frisbee lost its appeal. The fluffy dog dropped the frisbee and ran after the Bentley and the nanny car.
Lu's Mother walked out of the villa supported by Lu's Father.
At noon, the sun was warm, and it wasn't that cold. However, Lu's Father still worried about Lu's Mother's health and draped an extra cashmere coat over her.
"Why don't you wait inside? It's windy outside."
Lu's Mother shook her head. She craned her neck and looked in the direction of the entrance of Lu Mansion.
Just now, Lu Beiyu called her and said that they were almost at Lu Mansion.
Originally, Lu's Mother also wanted to go to the coffee shop with Lu Wanning to meet Yan Xi today, but Lu's Father didn't allow it because he was worried about her health.
Fortunately, Yan Xi was willing to come to Lu Mansion to meet her.
A black Bentley slowly drove up and stopped at the villa entrance. Right behind it was Zhou Qingyu's nanny van.
- After Yao Chi completed the CEO appointment letter and the equity transfer agreement, Zhou Qingyu kicked him off the nanny van and told him to go home and rest by himself. So he wasn't on the nanny van at this moment.
Yan Xi and Zhou Qingyu got out of the nanny van.
Lu Wanning and Lu Beiyu had already gotten out of the car and were standing beside Lu's Father and Lu's Mother. At a glance, the four of them looked harmonious, quite like a family.
When the Lu family went to Zhou Mansion to look for Yan Xi before, Yan Xi had already met Lu's Father and Lu's Mother. At that time, she didn't have the awareness that they were her relatives and only regarded the two of them as strangers.
Now, taking a closer look, Lu's Father was a bit chubby, not as tall and slender as Zhou's Father. But his chubbiness was full of an air of prosperity. Wearing round glasses, he actually had a bit of a scholarly air.
Lu's Mother had kind eyes and an elegant and dignified posture. She was wearing a Chinese-style cheongsam and a cashmere shawl. Her round almond eyes were exactly the same as those of Lu Wanning and Yan Xi.
Yan Xi had had contacts with Lu Beiyu and Lu Wanning. After meeting, although they weren't very familiar with each other, they weren't too strange either. But she was completely unfamiliar with Lu's Father and Lu's Mother, which made Yan Xi a bit restrained.
"Xixi?" Lu's Mother called her softly.
Yan Xi opened her mouth, and the words "Mom" rolled around in her mouth, but she couldn't say them.
She had never called anyone "Mom" before.
Even for Madam Lin, she used to call her "Auntie".
"Mother." Yan Xi nodded to Lu's Mother.
Lu's Mother was so excited that tears welled up in her eyes. Lu's Father wanted to correct Yan Xi, but Lu's Mother stopped him. "It's okay. 'Mother' is also good. Xixi isn't familiar with us yet. There's no need to force her."
"Mother" was a written form of address.
"Mom" represented a closer mother - daughter relationship.
But Lu's Mother knew very well that she only had a blood - related bond with Yan Xi now, and there was no close mother - daughter relationship. It was normal that Yan Xi couldn't say it.
The Lu family led Yan Xi into the villa. Compared with the antique charm of Zhou Mansion, Lu Mansion was simple, grand, and had a new Chinese - style flavor.
Lu Wanning led Yan Xi to the third floor. "Mom and Dad live on the second floor. The three of us siblings are all on the third floor. Xixi, this is your room."
"My room?"
Lu Beiyu interjected, "We didn't live here before. We lived in the city center. But no matter where we lived, Mom and Dad always kept a room for you, Second Sister! And it even has a big south - facing balcony!"
Regarding this, Lu Beiyu used to complain, saying that it was meaningless to keep a room for someone who wasn't around. Even his own room didn't have a big balcony!
As a result, Lu Beiyu got a spanking from Lu's Mother.
Lu's Mother said earnestly, "What if it was you who was taken away back then? When you come back home and see our family living in harmony while you don't even have a room of your own, would you be sad? Would you feel like you couldn't fit in?"
At that time, Lu Beiyu was only eight years old. After imagining the situation, he burst into tears with a "wow".
So even though the Lu family hadn't found Yan Xi for all these years, the existence of the "second sister" had accompanied Lu Beiyu through his seventeen years.
There would always be a room for the "second sister" at home, and there would also be a set of tableware for her. When Lu Beiyu earned money for the first time, he ordered mugs for the whole family. Lu Yaozu had one, and so did the "second sister".
Even on the "second sister"'s birthday every year, the family would prepare a cake.
Lu's Mother hoped that in the future, when her little daughter came back, Lu Wanning and Lu Beiyu wouldn't feel that the things they had were being snatched away because there was one more person in the family. At the same time, she also hoped that this child who was taken away could integrate well into their family.
Ordinary families might not be able to do this, but since the Lu family could, why not?
.
Walking into the room, it was obvious that the room was cleaned every day and was spotless.
The beautiful bed was in a very girly pink color, and the curtain hanging from the bed was also a fluffy pink. There were also all kinds of dolls beside the bed.
The Lu family members suddenly became nervous.
Lu's Mother glared at Lu's Father fiercely: I told you not to use pink back then! Look, Xi Xi's expression has changed! Pink is so tacky!
Lu Wanning and Lu Beiyu nodded like pounding garlic.
Lu Wanning: Black, white and gray are better! The minimalist style is the best!
Lu Beiyu: I think the iridescent blue is nice! All in shiny blue!
Lu's Father said aggrievedly: But pink is very girly. Wanning doesn't like pink. I thought Xi Xi would like it. It's so cute for little girls to be dressed up in pink...
They always thought that their little daughter was still a child.
But Yan Xi was already twenty years old and was even the CEO of an entertainment company.
Lu's Mother asked Yan Xi carefully, "Xi Xi, do you like this kind of decoration?"
"It's quite nice."
Yan Xi looked around the room. She hadn't had her own room since she left the Lin family five years ago. Even though she would occasionally stay in Zhou Qingyu's penthouse, it wasn't really her home after all.
Yan Xi often felt that the dormitory was her home. The four - square - meter space with an upper - bed and lower - desk setup was completely hers when she was studying.
And today, she had her own room again.
She really thought it was quite nice.
But Lu's Mother didn't understand and continued to wink at the others.
Lu's Mother: What does "quite nice" mean?
Lu Wanning: It means she doesn't like it! I still think black, white and gray are better!
Lu Beiyu: The iridescent blue must be mentioned!
Lu's Father said with teary eyes: My girly pink...
Lu's Mother & Lu Wanning & Lu Beiyu: Shut up!
Zhou Qingyu glanced at the Lu family members and thought their reactions were quite interesting. They were so nervous about just a room.
She cleared her throat. "I think this room is so tacky. This pink color is way too garish, and the bed is so dreamy. It's like the room I slept in when I was five. How childish!"
Little Meng opened her mouth wide. "Ah? But I think it's very nice!"
Lu's Mother quickly asked, "Then what kind of room does Xi like? Xiaoning, take a note. Let someone come to refit it this afternoon! Do it according to Xi's requirements!"
Yan Xi blinked her eyes. "Actually, I don't have..."
Zhou Qingyu nudged her and interrupted Yan Xi. "The bed should be the log - style one from brand G. As for the dressing table, the three - in - one one from brand H is good. The wardrobe is not enough. There should at least be a separate walk - in closet. And the bathtub should be from brand T..."
The Lu family listened attentively. After all, they had just found Yan Xi last night, and they didn't know her preferences at all. They were like headless chickens. Now that they had a direction, it was easier to handle.
Lu's Mother then took Yan Xi to look at the jewelry they had bought for her. Jewelry was a valuable asset, and many of them were bought for Yan Xi by the Lu family a long time ago.
Zhou Qingyu said again, "Jade is no good. It makes one look old! Pearls aren't shiny enough either! It has to be diamonds. They're so sparkly and beautiful. Xi has a set of red diamond bracelets that my brother gave her. I think it can also be paired with a diamond necklace and diamond earrings..."
Little Meng stared with wide eyes. "How much would that cost? Diamonds are so expensive..."
Lu's Mother waved her hand grandly. "Buy them! Beiyu, contact the auction house and tell them to keep an eye out for newly - listed diamonds! Make sure to buy them all!"
Lu's Mother then looked at Zhou Qingyu expectantly. "Miss Zhou, what else do you think Xi needs?"
Zhou Qingyu looked around the room. "I think Xi is an adult now. It's not appropriate for you to live together. Adults need some private space. Besides, the Lu family's place is far from the city center..."
"Sure, we've got that covered!" Lu's Mother said excitedly. "We've bought an apartment for Xi in the city. It's already decorated, and she can move in right away. If she doesn't like our decoration style, we'll buy a rough - finished one and redecorate it!"
Lu's Mother looked at Yan Xi timidly. "Xi, do you like it?"
Actually, Yan Xi didn't need these things.
She didn't have high material desires. High - end luxury items worth twenty or thirty thousand were nice, but clothes worth only two or three hundred were also comfortable.
But she understood what Zhou Qingyu and the Lu family meant. The Lu family wanted to make up for the twenty - year - long lack of family affection, and Zhou Qingyu had noticed this earlier than her. So she simply gave the Lu family a chance.
So Yan Xi looked at Lu's Mother. "I like it very much. Thank you."
After looking around the room, it was lunchtime.
Lu's Mother felt that she had something else to do. She asked Yan Xi with concern, "Xi, what kind of food do you like? There are experienced chefs at home. They can cook anything!"
Yan Xi had no appetite and no thoughts about food.
Zhou Qingyu blurted out, "Xi has a strong taste and likes spicy food, like Sichuan cuisine. As for drinks, she prefers fruit tea. Milk tea is not okay because it will make her lose sleep."
Lu's Father showed a hint of embarrassment. Lu's Mother was not in good health and couldn't eat spicy food.
Lu's Mother waved her hand. "It's okay! There are so many of us, so we can cook more dishes!"
The chef in the Lu family was quite good at cooking. He usually didn't cook spicy dishes, but this was the first time he did, and he managed to control the heat and flavor perfectly.
The whole family gathered around the table, and it was surprisingly harmonious.
The table was filled with spicy dishes, and only two or three were light - flavored ones, placed farthest from Yan Xi. Lu's Mother was worried that Yan Xi would be too reserved to pick up the dishes herself, so she kept using the serving chopsticks to put food on her plate.
The other three members of the Lu family were not to be outdone.
When Yan Xi came to her senses, the dishes in front of her had piled up like a small mountain.
Zhou Qingyu was stunned. "Can you finish all these?"
Yan Xi didn't have a big appetite, and these dishes were enough for her to have two meals.
But Yan Xi just silently shoveled the rice into her mouth and ate the dishes that the Lu family had put on her plate one by one.
Only then did Zhou Qingyu remember that Yan Xi had grown up in the Lin family, and the Lin family didn't care about her. This might be the first time that a family member had put food on her plate for her.
Yan Xi thought she shouldn't cry in such a situation, so she held back the tears that welled up in her eyes.
But Lu's Mother understood.
After getting the results of Yan Xi's DNA test, she asked Lu Wanning to find out about Yan Xi's past and knew how she had lived in the Lin family.
Suddenly, her heart ached with sorrow.
Originally, Yan Xi could have grown up happily in the Lu family, just like Wanning and Beiyu. However, due to the schemes of their business rivals, Yan Xi had been lost for twenty years.
Even though she had grown up in a wealthy family, with an indifferent father, a mean - spirited step - mother, and a bullying younger brother, how well could she have lived?
Lu's Mother couldn't hold back her tears, but she didn't want to cry at the dinner table. So she buried her head on Lu's Father's shoulder and sobbed softly.
...
After dinner, Yan Xi and Zhou Qingyu were about to leave.
Lu Beiyu said hurriedly, "Second sister, won't you stay overnight?"
Suddenly, Lu Wanning tugged at Lu Beiyu.
If Yan Xi were a child, she might be able to stay overnight. But now that she was an adult, with her own life and job.
For her, the Lu family members were still strangers. Forcing Yan Xi to stay would only make her feel uncomfortable.
"It's okay!" Lu's Mother held Yan Xi's hand tightly. "This is your home. You can come back whenever you want."
Lu's Mother stuffed a key into Yan Xi's arms. "This is a large flat we bought for you in the city. I'll ask Wanning to send you the address."
"Mother, this..."
Yan Xi was about to refuse, but Lu's Mother pressed her hand firmly. "Please accept it as a little gift from us when we meet. Don't reject me, okay?"
Over the years, Yan Xi had stayed in Zhou Qingyu's large flat during holidays and in the dormitory at school. For her, she had never had a place of her own to stay.
Lu's Mother hoped that she would have a place of her own. Even if Yan Xi didn't want to come back to the Lu family, she would still have a place to rest.
Yan Xi tightly grasped the key and said, "Thank you... Mother."
Lu's Mother gently ruffled Yan Xi's hair and said, "You don't need to say thank you to family."
The nanny car slowly drove out of the Lu family manor.
Yan Xi sat in the nanny car, quietly looking at the scenery outside the window.
She never thought that her first meeting with the Lu family would be like this.
She had witnessed the scheming Lin family, the cold and distant Zhou family, and the feuding Pei family... She never knew there was a wealthy family like the Lu family.
It was really nice, even better than all the imaginings she had made during countless waiting times in the past.
Zhou Qingyu propped her chin up and asked Yan Xi, "Are you... quite fond of the Lu family?"
Yan Xi paused for a moment and then nodded.
Zhou Qingyu agreed deeply and even began to compare her own family. "Yeah, I'd like it too if I were you. If our old man cared about his family as much as Mr. Lu does, things between me and Zhou Yanci wouldn't be like this. It's really irritating to compare people!"
Yan Xi smiled and said, "Isn't your father also quite nice?"
Zhou Qingyu complained, "You haven't seen how he was before. He was fully devoted to his work. It's only in recent years, after Zhou Yanci took over his work, that he's had time to spare and started to show his fatherly love. Before, he just left us with the nanny and only gave us money without caring about anything else."
"Anyway, he never really loved his wives. They were all business marriages, so it's normal for him to be like this."
Mr. Lu was different. It was obvious that he adored Mrs. Lu. Zhou Qingyu even thought that Mr. Lu cared more about Mrs. Lu than about his children.
Perhaps it was because the parents had so much love for each other that they created a family full of love.
"Stop talking about him,"
Without giving Yan Xi a chance to comfort her, Zhou Qingyu continued. Although she was complaining, she didn't think her current situation was bad. "The Lu family gave you an apartment, right? Let's go and have a look!"
The nanny car stopped in a high - end residential area in the urban area of Hai City.
The location of this community was quite good. It was between Xingyao and Hai University, closer to Xingyao. If Master Zhao drove Yan Xi to work every day, the commuting time would probably be less than twenty minutes.
The penthouse was on the twelfth floor, with one elevator serving one household. It covered an area of over five hundred square meters, about the same size as Zhou Qingyu's penthouse.
The interior decoration was more in line with Mrs. Lu's taste, simple and elegant. It didn't have Mr. Lu's girlish style, Lu Wanning's cold - minimalist style, or Lu Beiyu's flashy style. Overall, it was quite pleasing to the eye.
That night, Yan Xi and Zhou Qingyu stayed in that penthouse.
The two were soaking in the same bathtub, and bubbles filled the bathroom.
Zhou Qingyu joked, "Oh no, the Lu family is so great. You'll definitely go to the Lu family often in the future. Zhou Yanci has already taken up some of your time, and now the Lu family is taking more. The time you can spend with me will be less!"
Yan Xi used a bath sponge to scrub Zhou Qingyu's back.
"How could that be! I... probably won't go back to the Lu family."
"Why?" Zhou Qingyu was puzzled.
Yan Xi analyzed seriously, "If the Lu family needs my help, I'll definitely offer it, and there won't be any problems with taking care of them in their old age. However, the relationship between parents and children usually starts from childhood. As children grow older, they tend to become less close to their parents. For someone like me who joins the family halfway, it's very difficult to truly integrate into it."
The Lu family was a great family, but the twenty-year separation was not easily overcome. Yan Xi didn't think there was anything wrong with this. She was already very satisfied to have found her family.
However, the next day, Yan Xi realized that she had underestimated the people of the Lu family.
Master Zhao drove to the entrance of the residential complex to pick up Yan Xi. Before Yan Xi could get in the car, a huge, furry creature pounced on her. The great impact almost knocked Yan Xi to the ground!
The snow - white dog hugged Yan Xi's thigh and wagged its tail frantically!
"Yaozu?"
Lu Beiyu, holding the dog leash that Lu Yaozu had wriggled out of, came running at full speed.
"Lu Yaozu! You're running too fast! Slow down!"
When he reached the Mercedes - Benz, Lu Beiyu saw Yan Xi. "Second sister! You're here too! No wonder Yaozu ran so fast!"
Yan Xi took a deep breath. "Why are you here?"
Lu Beiyu straightened his back and said matter - of - factly, "I also live here!"
He pointed at the building where Yan Xi lived. "You live on the twelfth floor. Eldest sister lives on the thirteenth floor. Since I'm a minor, I live on the eleventh floor with my parents!"
"Eldest sister said this is called... surrounding the city from the countryside! She said we should gradually integrate into your life and appear in front of you every day. Then you won't feel strange about us!"
