Chapter 565: Xiao Xiao Returns (1)
Chapter 565: Xiao Xiao Returns (1)
Lu Er's wife was a straightforward and decisive woman who wasted no time in packing up when she decided to move. Lu Jiazong and Lu Yun, on the other hand, were reluctant to leave, but they dared not disobey Lu Er's wife and could only help with the packing.
Lu Shan was surprised to hear about their plans to move. "Mother, why are we moving when we're already settled here?"
Lu Er's wife explained, "Your father, I, and Xiao Qiu have all bought our own places. It wouldn't be right for us to continue living on Guangming Road. We'll give you the keys after we leave, and you can decide whether to rent it out or not. If you want, give Jiaxin a call."
Lu Shan frowned and said, "Auntie hasn't been taking my calls lately."
"Then ask the maid to pass on the message to Jiaxin. She'll get back to you. Your uncle's incident the other day already upset your aunt, and your grandfather just made things worse... Forget it. Go visit your grandfather more often to make sure that woman is taking good care of him." Lu Er's wife advised.
Lu Shan nodded and added, "Mother, Da Mai said that I only needed to call Auntie and tell her about Grandfather's injury. I shouldn't have said anything else."
Da Mai knew that the words Lu Shan had spoken had almost made her blow her top. Grandfather's injury was due to picking up Gudan, and a simple notification would have sufficed. But Lu Shan's father had to go and say that he would send him to Shichahai, which made it sound like he was shirking his responsibility to care for his father.
"Mother, Da Mai also said that I'm not allowed to call Auntie from now on. If there's anything, she'll call me. That way, I won't say the wrong things and upset Auntie again," Lu Shan said.
Lu Er's wife agreed with Da Mai's decision. "You're not good with words, so it's better to let your wife make the calls. That way, we can avoid any unnecessary misunderstandings."
Lu Shan hurriedly nodded in agreement.
Two days later, when Lu Jiaxin returned home from work, the butler informed her, "Boss, your niece's wife called and said that your second brother has moved out. She wanted to know if you plan to keep this house or sell it."
This house had been left to the original owner by Lu's mother as a final security measure, and Lu Jiaxin had no intention of selling it. "Keep it, and have them hire a maid to come by and clean twice a week."
The butler nodded.
That evening, when Nie Zhan returned home, he informed Lu Jiaxin that he had to go on a business trip to Australia. "I'll be leaving the day after tomorrow and will probably be back in three days. Jiaxin, if you want to come with me, we can stay a few more days before returning."
"No, thank you," Lu Jiaxin declined.
Nie Zhan hadn't taken Lu Jiaxin on a vacation in a long time, and he wanted to take her away for a few days to relax. "Why? Do you have other plans?"
Lu Jiaxin didn't have any other plans, but she felt that Nie Zhan often stood her up, and she wasn't sure if he would have time to vacation while on this business trip.
Nie Zhan laughed. "What's this? Don't you trust me anymore?"
"Yes, I don't trust you anymore. Once or twice is fine, but you always do this. I'm starting to think you're a workaholic," Lu Jiaxin said bluntly.
Nie Zhan thought about it for a moment before replying, "Before I met you, I had over three months of vacation time each year. But since meeting you, I've had less than a month of vacation time annually."
Lu Jiaxin playfully punched him in the arm. "So, you're saying that meeting me turned you into a workaholic?"
Nie Zhan burst out laughing and pulled her into his arms. "No, that's not what I meant. Before, I was alone and had a few hundred million to my name, which was enough. But now that I have you and our future children to consider, I need to work harder to provide for our growing family."
Lu Jiaxin loved hearing that. "Then keep working hard. Aim to break into the top five on the rich list so that our children can be born with golden keys."
Nie Zhan suddenly felt the weight of her expectations on his shoulders, but he welcomed the challenge. "I'll do my best. I aim to be in the top five within the next ten years."
"Then I'll be waiting," Lu Jiaxin said expectantly.
"You should say, 'I and the children will be waiting,'" Nie Zhan corrected her with a smile.
That night was harmonious, but the next morning, Lu Jiaxin woke up late. When she did, she found herself alone in bed and wondered how Nie Zhan still had more energy than her, despite her longer workout routines.
As she headed downstairs for breakfast, the butler informed her, "Boss, Miss Li called earlier.
Li Huini invited Lu Jiaxin to go shopping in the evening to avoid the scorching summer heat. Lu Jiaxin declined, citing a valid reason: "I can't stay up late. It's not good for my health."
Even if they shopped until midnight, they would still need to wash up and get ready for bed, only getting to sleep after 2 a.m. For someone who aspired to live to be eighty years old like Lu Jiaxin, this was out of the question.
Li Huini found her response amusing and exclaimed, "Jiaxin, you're only twenty years old!"
With her aversion to late nights and clubbing, preferring instead to focus on her health, Lu Jiaxin sometimes seemed like an elderly woman to Li Huini.
Lu Jiaxin joked, "Well, my ID may say I'm twenty, but my mental age is forty. If you're free, feel free to come over to my place."
It was Saturday, a day off. Unfortunately for Nie Zhan, he had to work overtime at the company today as he was due to fly to Australia for a business meeting tomorrow.
"Sure, sure," he replied.
An hour and a half later, Li Huini arrived with her beloved cat in tow. She gave her cat a tour of Lu Jiaxin's mansion, and after seeing the grandeur of the place, she couldn't help but exclaim, "Jiaxin, you're so lucky to live in such a huge place by yourself. Unlike my family, we all live together, and it's so noisy."
The two of them played badminton in the backyard for two hours, working up a good sweat.
After showering and changing, they sat in the living room, enjoying the cool air conditioning and snacking on fruit—a delightful way to spend the afternoon.
Popping a large cherry into her mouth, Li Huini asked, "Jiaxin, I heard you have a 100,000-square-foot mansion in Sijiucheng. Is that true?"
Lu Jiaxin found the question a little odd and asked, "Who did you hear that from?"
"I heard it from a friend whose family is related to the Hu family. Jiaxin, is it true?" Li Huini inquired.
There was no reason to keep it a secret, so Lu Jiaxin smiled and said, "Yes, I do have a large mansion in Sijiucheng. It was a gift from my aunt when I was younger. But it's not quite 100,000 square feet; it's more like 7,000 or 8,000. Shi Meng really likes it and wants to buy it, but these types of mansions are quite rare these days."
Li Huini's eyes lit up at the thought, as she had been planning to go on a trip but hadn't decided on a destination yet. This was her last summer vacation before graduating and starting work next year. "Jiaxin, I was thinking of going to Sijiucheng for a visit. Could I stay at your place when I go?"
Lu Jiaxin smiled and replied, "Of course! When are you planning to go? I can have someone clean up the place for you. By the way, Shi Meng is currently living there with her three children, so if you go now, you'll get to meet them too."
"I'll go on Monday," Li Huini decided.
After lunch, the two watched a movie in the home theater—a blockbuster from overseas. As they left, Li Huini was still enthralled by the film. Visiting Lu Jiaxin's place was always such a treat.
After their afternoon nap, Lu Jiaxin sleepily made her way downstairs. As she turned the corner, she spotted someone with a buzz cut and wearing camouflage sitting on the sofa, their head bent as they munched on a peach.
Lu Jiaxin's drowsiness instantly vanished, and she asked warily, "Who are you?"
The person looked up, and Lu Jiaxin saw a wide grin as the person said, "Sister Jiaxin, it's me, Xiao Xiao! I may be a bit tanned, but you should still recognize me!"
Her smile revealed a set of white teeth, contrasting sharply with her dark skin.
The voice was undoubtedly Xiao Xiao's, but the appearance... Xiao Xiao's face used to be fair, but now it was as dark as charcoal. Her long hair had been cut short, and her sharp gaze made her look like a man.
(End of Chapter)
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