Chapter 29: Testing the Waters
Chapter 29: Testing the Waters
When Lu HaiKong saw Lu Wusi returning home with a drastically slimmed-down Duddu, rage surged within him! Lu Wusi, who had been plump, was now flirting outside and had even brought a girl as beautiful as Duddu home!
"You're a total jerk! How dare you bring her home after flirting around!" Lu HaiKong's anger intensified as he grabbed a broom and furiously struck Lu Wusi, shielding Duddu from the blows.
"Uncle, please stop hitting him!" Duddu pleaded, her voice trembling. But her attempt to intervene only fueled Lu HaiKong's fury further.
"Hiding behind a girl? Using her as a shield? I don't recall teaching you to be such a coward!" Lu HaiKong's words were laced with scorn. As he raised the broom to strike again, Duddu, like a mother hen, protected Lu Wusi, preventing Lu HaiKong from reaching him.
The tense standoff was interrupted by the arrival of Li Ruyu, drawn by the commotion.
"Old Lu, what's going on here? Who is this? Duddu? How did she become so thin within a short time?" Li Ruyu's voice carried a mixture of surprise and concern.
Hearing Li Ruyu address Duddu by name, everyone present was taken aback. Despite Duddu's dramatic weight loss of over 100 jin, Li Ruyu had instantly recognized her.
As for Lu HaiKong, he was utterly bewildered, a state of disbelief washing over him.
"Wife, what did you say? Is she Duddu?" Lu HaiKong asked, his voice laced with astonishment.
"Yes, of course!" Li Ruyu affirmed, already standing before Duddu and cradling her face. "Can't you recognize her?"
Lu HaiKong glanced at the current Duddu and then recalled her appearance from a few hours ago. His heart sank, and he felt like flipping the table in frustration. Recognizing her in this state was simply absurd!
Lu Wusi, too, shifted his suspicious gaze to Li Ruyu, wondering if she had provided the apple.
As Lu Wusi pondered, Lu HaiKong leaned in and nudged him. "Son, what's going on? How did she become so thin all of a sudden?"
Lu Wusi reciprocated the suspicious gaze, scanning Lu HaiKong.
His mind raced as he wondered if his father was a master of disguise, all while explaining Duddu's situation. "Her Summoned Beast has awakened a skill that allows it to strengthen itself by absorbing her energy. After the awakening, it activated automatically, and that's how she ended up like this!"
After a brief hesitation, Lu Wusi added, "Duddu will stay with us until her parents return. But remember, keep her weight loss and the awakening of her Summoned Beast's skill a secret. Got it?"
Duddu, usually opinionated, had no objections this time. She trusted Lu Wusi's words implicitly.
Lu Wusi had sold her, and she would help him count the money.
Hearing this, Lu Wusi's parents nodded in deep agreement.
"Yes, yes, this must be kept secret!" they echoed.
Li Ruyu's mind raced with thoughts, her eyes fixed on Duddu's face. She felt a mix of fondness and worry, silently vowing to prepare more delicious meals to help Duddu regain her healthy, plump appearance.
Unaware of his parents' thoughts, Lu Wusi, after giving his instructions, turned his attention back to his father. Seizing the opportunity while Li Ruyu was busy cleaning the guest room with Duddu, Lu Wusi grabbed his father's arm.
"Dad, do we have any apples at home?"
"Apples? There should be some in the fridge," his father replied.
"I don't want the ordinary ones. I want the kind you gave to Duddu!" Lu Wusi's eyes remained fixed on Lu HaiKong, who was momentarily bewildered by the request.
"For Duddu?" he asked, his voice laced with surprise.
I gave Duddu an apple, didn't I? How come I don't remember?"
From Lu HaiKong's reaction, Li Wu didn't see any signs of deceit, but he still whispered to his father, "Stop pretending, you've already given yourself away!"
After saying this, Li Wu returned to his room, leaving Lu HaiKong completely baffled.
It took a while for Lu HaiKong to realize what was going on, and he flew into a rage, "What do you mean I gave myself away? How dare you toy with me, you little brat! Get out here, or I'll make you cry so hard you'll take my surname!"
Lu HaiKong's ranting outside was quickly silenced by Li Ruyu.
Meanwhile, Li Wu, upon returning to his room, put aside the matter of testing Lu HaiKong.
He had just been testing him; in reality, Li Wu hadn't discovered anything.
The reason he tested Lu HaiKong was, on the one hand, because he felt Lu HaiKong had a slight suspicion, and on the other hand, it was a retaliation for the beating Lu HaiKong had just given him.
After a while, Li Wu looked at the error-free version of the book.
After the test, Li Wu put the matter aside.
Back in his room, Li Wu took out the summer job plan he had just made and began to modify it.
Logically speaking, Duddu should have suddenly awakened, TuanTuan should have directly advanced to Black Iron, and gained two new skills. With TuanTuan's current level, entering the advanced class would definitely not be a problem.
Once in the advanced class, with just one year of study, she would at least reach the level of Snowman Senior Sister. In a sense, Duddu had already obtained a ticket to Summoner University, so Li Wu could now focus on raising her and shift his attention to Summoned Beast breeding.
Yes, if Duddu were still the same as before, Li Wu might have had a slight chance of letting her go, but she's not like that now!
With her timeless beauty, how could Li Wu possibly feel at ease just letting her roam free?
She's so naive, and there are so many bad people out there. If she were a little plumper, letting her roam free wouldn't be an issue; no one would set their sights on her. But she's lost weight now!
What if she gets tricked and taken away if he lets her roam free?
Moreover, even with the advanced class's breeding, she could only reach the level of Snowman Senior Sister at most. As a childhood friend, how could Li Wu let Duddu attend that level of Summoner University?
Therefore, there was no way he could let her roam free.
Li Wu had to take care of her himself, and not only that, he also had to take her with him to pass the exam for an elite Summoner University!
Yes, Li Wu felt that this was what a childhood friend should do!
His purpose for doing this was entirely due to his deep-rooted childhood friendship, and it had nothing to do with Duddu's timeless beauty!
He, Li Wu, was face-blind, and he didn't know if Duddu was pretty or not!
With this mindset, Li Wu adjusted his upcoming summer job plan, significantly increasing the training of Summoned Beasts and cooperation with Duddu.
From this new summer job plan, it seemed that Li Wu had officially made Duddu his teammate.
Even Li Wu's original purpose for participating in the high school league had undergone a fundamental change!
Initially, Li Wu joined the league to fly with Duddu, but now he wanted Duddu to fly on her own.
Now he had great confidence in himself; with his cheating abilities, he was certain he could pass the Professional Summoned Beast Breeder exam, and he could choose any elite university he wanted. Therefore, Duddu's performance in the league became especially crucial.
If she didn't perform well, it would be difficult for Li Wu and her to attend the same university!
Yes, it was clear that Li Wu was feeling quite arrogant now!
(End of Chapter)
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