Chapter 86: Arrogance
Hearing his friends’ words, Lu Shaoyan, who had just put down his cue stick, turned his head and saw a familiar face—Xu Youyou. Because she was connected to Lu Jingyao, he didn’t dare to cause trouble behind the scenes. Instead, he said directly, “She was brought here by my fifth cousin.”
Everyone present knew exactly who Lu Shaoyan’s fifth cousin was, so they immediately gave up any thoughts about pursuing her.
“What a pity. But with such a beautiful girl, no wonder your cousin is interested,” the guy who initially wanted to chase after Xu Youyou sighed, reluctantly glancing at her a few more times.
Lu Shaoyan thought to himself that Xu Youyou wasn’t just beautiful—she was a rose with thorns, anyone who tried to touch her would get hurt.
However, another young man, who had no romantic intentions toward Xu Youyou, was simply curious about what she was doing. “Shaoyan, what’s hidden at the end of your hallway? Why is she heading that way?”
Lu Shaoyan shook his head. “That’s just a storage room. There’s nothing there but tools and a trash bin. What kind of treasure could possibly be there? Just ignore her and let’s keep playing.”
He assumed that Xu Youyou had gotten lost. In fact, he was hoping she would wander around for a while and maybe even stumble into a trash bin—an amusing form of payback for taking his stone earlier.
Meanwhile, Xu Youyou had smoothly reached the storage room at the deepest part of the Lu family’s mansion.
Standing inside, surrounded by cleaning tools, her gaze landed on the large trash bin in the center.
Inside the bin was a single large item—a dirty old rug.
“Miss, are you lost?”
Xu Youyou turned around upon hearing the question and saw a middle-aged woman dressed in the Lu family’s standard light blue housekeeper uniform.
Liu Cuiyun had been working for the Lu family for years. She had just run off to clean up a mess in the billiards room, and when she returned, she was surprised to see a well-dressed young woman leaning into the trash bin, almost burying her head in it.
She was responsible for cleaning the western leisure area, and she knew this rug had been scheduled for disposal that morning. However, due to a busy day, it had yet to be thrown out.
Xu Youyou showed no embarrassment about being caught looking through the bin. Instead, she confidently asked, “Is this rug being thrown away?”
Liu Cuiyun hesitated, then nodded.
Xu Youyou said, “I’ll take it. Ten thousand yuan—deal?”
Liu Cuiyun was stunned by this unexpected windfall. The rug had originally been placed under the mahjong table in the game room. The late Madame Lu had been an avid mahjong player and believed the rug brought her good luck. She had forbidden anyone from moving or even cleaning it, fearing it might ruin her gambling streak.
But last night, for some unknown reason, the old master of the Lu family had suddenly taken issue with the rug and insisted it be thrown away. Just thinking about it made him furious.
The Lu family’s rules were simple—once something was discarded by the master of the house, the servants were free to handle it however they wished, as long as it left the premises.
So, at this moment, the rug essentially belonged to Liu Cuiyun.
Xu Youyou instructed, “Take it outside and put it in the trunk of a car with the license plate ZA888. Tell the driver it’s for me.”
When Xu Youyou returned to the banquet hall, Lu Jingyao seemed to have finished his meeting with the important guest.
“You look happy,” Lu Jingyao observed.
Xu Youyou was surprised. “Is it that obvious?”
Lu Jingyao shook his head. She wasn’t openly expressive, but he had been paying close attention to her and had noticed the subtle changes.
Xu Youyou simply said, “I just thought of something that made me happy.”
Finding a hidden treasure in the Lu family’s trash was already rewarding, but knowing that Lu Shaoyan—one of her enemies from her past life—would make less money because of it made her especially pleased.
Meanwhile, Madam Gu had changed into a backup gown with the help of her daughter and returned to the banquet hall. However, the replacement dress felt extremely uncomfortable on her.
From afar, she spotted Xu Youyou standing with Lu Jingyao, looking quite close to him. Madam Gu felt even worse.
She almost thought she was seeing things. Clutching her adopted daughter’s arm, she demanded, “How did Xu Youyou manage to get close to Lu Jingyao? Look at her—standing so near to him, practically throwing herself at him! So shameless!”
Gu Xueying found the scene equally upsetting. She lowered her gaze and deliberately withheld information about having seen them together at the auction earlier. Instead, she said, “Sister is beautiful. It’s normal for Mr. Lu to be interested in her.”
Madam Gu scowled. “She turns soft at the sight of a man. So indecent!”
Gu Xueying then said with a worried expression, “We don’t even know how Sister got in here. Could she have been brought in by some other rich young man? If that person sees her getting close to Mr. Lu, will there be trouble? And if Sister comes to you for help, should we intervene?”
Madam Gu’s first instinct was to distance herself. “Didn’t Xu Youyou always claim to be an orphan? If a fight breaks out, I won’t care!”
Unbeknownst to them, Gu Jianming had overheard the conversation. Looking at Xu Youyou, he had a different perspective.
“It seems Lu Jingyao really likes her. We need to acknowledge this connection,” Gu Jianming stated firmly.
Madam Gu immediately protested, “She doesn’t even want to acknowledge us! Why should I humiliate myself by chasing after her?”
Gu Jianming, still smiling gently, but with an undeniable authority, said, “She is a Gu. Fengchuan needs her to save his life. Blood is thicker than water. You should persuade her—if she’s willing to return to the Gu family as an adopted daughter, I will treat her well.”
At first, Gu Jianming had thought little of his lost daughter, but seeing Lu Jingyao’s attitude toward her, he realized she had potential value.
By framing her as an adopted daughter, he could play it both ways—if she truly gained Lu Jingyao’s favor, even as a mistress, the investment would be worthwhile. If she were abandoned, the Gu family could quickly sever ties with her.
Madam Gu scoffed, “They’re just fooling around. If Lu Jingyao were serious, he’d be interested in someone like Xueying—a refined and educated heiress.”
Gu Jianming glanced at Gu Xueying and said, “Xueying has her own destiny, and Xu Youyou has hers. Having another daughter isn’t a bad thing.”
Gu Xueying bit her lip, jealousy flashing in her eyes as she watched Xu Youyou and Lu Jingyao talk and laugh together.
Lu Jingyao was young, handsome, and incredibly wealthy—one of the most eligible bachelors in high society. Gu Xueying had attended the Lu family’s camellia tea party before, trying to curry favor with Madam Lu, but she had never been given a real opportunity to meet Lu Jingyao.
Softly, she said, “Father, Sister said she would only agree to a bone marrow match if she got all of the Gu family’s assets.”
Gu Jianming’s face darkened instantly. “That ungrateful brat!”
Gu Xueying then suggested, “Maybe if you give her a portion of the assets, she’ll be willing to help the family?”
Gu Jianming didn’t even fully trust his eldest son Gu Fengchuan with the family’s wealth, so how could he possibly hand it over to a daughter he barely knew?
“She may be angry now, but she’s still our blood. If we handle this carefully, I refuse to believe she would truly turn against her own parents.”
In truth, Gu Jianming was dissatisfied with his wife—he felt she had botched the entire reconciliation effort.
Madam Gu sighed. “If she were easy to deal with, I wouldn’t be in this situation now.”
Gu Xueying remained silent. She still hadn’t figured out Xu Youyou’s bottom line or what she truly wanted.
But Gu Jianming, full of arrogance, ignored them both and confidently walked toward Xu Youyou and Lu Jingyao.
Gu Xueying suspected he would face rejection but dared not voice her thoughts.
Gu Jianming strode over and raised his glass. “Mr. Lu, I must thank you for taking care of my daughter.”
