Chapter 296: The Fang Family
Xu Youyou earned this money with great difficulty.
A young girl in her prime lost her life just because a man with antisocial personality disorder suddenly went berserk.
“The police have caught Zhang Sheng,” Lu Jingyao brought her the only bit of good news.
Xu Youyou was very curious: “Why did he kill her? Miss Chen had no connection with him at all. How did she offend him?”
Lu Jingyao had obtained some information and explained: “Zhang Sheng’s parents died when he was young. His uncle sponsored his education, but not out of kindness — he wanted a return on his investment. After Zhang Sheng graduated and entered a big company, he was framed and ended up in prison because he was too young and inexperienced.”
“He resented his uncle for not helping him. According to him, if his uncle had been willing to sell just one house, he could have avoided jail. After getting out of prison, he pretended to be filial, but secretly sowed discord, manipulated his cousin into committing suicide for love, and drove his male cousin to flee far away.”
“Even though his uncle was the only relative he had left, he was still abusive. Eventually, Zhang Sheng, driven to the edge, killed him. As for Miss Chen, Zhang Sheng had gone to prison because of Liu Corporation, but he hated all rich people — the richer and prettier, the more he hated them.”
“Miss Chen happened to be at the Meilidu Building that day. There were no surveillance cameras along the route she took. Zhang Sheng ran into her by chance, recognized her as a daughter of the wealthy Chen family, and impulsively killed her. Because the Chen family was frantically searching for her, he couldn’t dispose of the body right away, so he kept it in a freezer all this time.”
Xu Youyou widened her eyes slightly. She hadn’t expected Miss Chen to die so randomly. If Zhang Sheng hadn’t recognized her as a rich girl, maybe she wouldn’t have died at all.
Xu Youyou became even more determined to always bring bodyguards with her. Even though she had a good reputation now, who knew if someone with antisocial tendencies was lurking in the shadows? There was no need to “travel incognito” at all.
Lu Jingyao reached out and gently tucked a strand of hair behind Xu Youyou’s ear, saying softly, “That day, when we knocked on the door at the Meilidu Building, Zhang Sheng was already looking at us through the peephole with hostility. If you hadn’t had so many bodyguards around, he might have attacked you right then and there.”
Xu Youyou shivered in fear.
Lu Jingyao said, “It’s a good thing you’ve always had the habit of bringing bodyguards. You must continue doing so.”
Xu Youyou nodded. The bodyguards who stayed by her side now were all highly skilled and knew her rules — they never interfered with her actions. Even though having a whole trail of people following her sometimes felt strange, she never felt restricted.
After the Chen family’s matter came to a close, Xu Youyou thought she could finally get some rest. But unexpectedly:
[Ding! Treasure Hunt Mission Activated. Please complete the mission within two days.]
At the moment, Xu Youyou was accompanying Lu Jingyao and his grandfather to a banquet hosted by Old Master Fang, a friend of the Lu family elder in Hong Kong City.
“My old friend, you’ve been spending most of your time on the mainland. It’s been a long while since you’ve been active here in Hong Kong…” Old Master Fang and the Lu family elder were exchanging pleasantries.
Xu Youyou noticed Old Master Fang’s accent was a bit odd. It didn’t sound like a native Hong Kong accent — it had a hint of a Minnan (Southern Fujian) tone.
She scanned the banquet hall but didn’t see any members of the Chen family. Clearly, they were still grieving and hadn’t returned to social life.
She turned back and saw that Old Master Fang was also lamenting to the Lu elder about the Chen family.
“Poor old Chen,” Old Master Fang sighed. “He used to tell me that his eldest granddaughter was most likely to take over the family business. He had high hopes for her. Who would’ve thought something like this would happen?”
After his sigh, Old Master Fang looked at Xu Youyou, scrutinized her for a moment, and said, “So this is the young lady who found Miss Chen? She looks blessed. Old Lu, I bet your family will be hosting a wedding soon. You must invite me for a drink at the celebration.”
Old Master Lu laughed and said, “Of course! If Youyou is really willing to marry into our family, we’ll hold banquets in Shanghai, Huangshan, Hong Kong, Jinling, and Gusu. It has to be a grand affair!”
Hearing this, Xu Youyou tilted her head and looked at Lu Jingyao: “Five places?”
Lu Jingyao lowered his voice and said, “It’s up to you. If you don’t want to, I’ll talk to Grandpa.”
Xu Youyou wasn’t very resistant to the idea but was very satisfied with Lu Jingyao’s attitude. She casually said, “We’ll talk about it when the time comes.”
Her gaze suddenly fell on a young woman standing behind Old Master Fang.
At that moment, Old Master Fang waved the young woman over. When she came closer, he smiled and said, “I originally thought of pairing your Jingyao with our Qianqian, but looks like that won’t happen. However, if your Lu family knows any other outstanding young men, do let us know.”
Old Master Lu laughed and said, “We do have some eligible bachelors, but I’m afraid Qianqian might not fancy them.”
Old Master Fang didn’t push it. Instead, he asked his granddaughter Qianqian to accompany Xu Youyou inside, saying that young girls would feel uncomfortable staying with a bunch of old men.
Qianqian had a sweet, adorable appearance, with big watery eyes. She wore a pink cocktail dress, making her look as luscious as a ripe peach.
She cozied up to Xu Youyou and said intimately, “Miss Xu, you’re amazing. A lot of girls in our circle like Brother Lu, but he always treated us coldly. We thought he’d stay single forever! Tell me, how did you win over this cold and distant flower?”
Although Qianqian looked cute, Xu Youyou couldn’t help feeling uncomfortable when she got too close. Faced with Qianqian’s seemingly sisterly curiosity, she instinctively became cautious.
“I don’t even know how I won him over,” Xu Youyou replied casually. “After all, he was the one who confessed first.”
Qianqian’s eyes flashed with disbelief. She said, “Sister Youyou, now that you and Brother Lu are about to get married, you should share your experience with us. I promise we won’t use it on Brother Lu.”
Xu Youyou grew displeased, lifting her chin slightly and said, “Miss Fang, I don’t know if you’re underestimating me or underestimating Lu Jingyao. If not for his persistence, we wouldn’t have made it this far. I honestly don’t know how to ‘charm’ a man, so I have no advice to give you.”
Fang Qianqian’s face darkened. She muttered under her breath: “Gold-digger from the mainland!”
