Chapter 015

Chapter 015

Wang Bohui placed great importance on He Yun's upcoming visit.

The next day, he didn't go to work.

Lu Mingzhu and Lu Pingan came downstairs to have breakfast and saw Wang Bohui tugging at his tie, asking Liao Wanru, "Do I look presentable enough for Mr. He? Will I come off as dignified?"

Liao Wanru answered patiently, "You look fine, very dignified."

This was the third time he had asked.

Still unsure, Wang Bohui turned to ask Lu Mingzhu and Lu Pingan.

Lu Pingan smiled without saying anything, while Lu Mingzhu gave a thumbs up, "You look great! Very much like a big boss! In my opinion, you're no less impressive than Mr. He."

Liao Wanru discreetly rolled her eyes and gestured for the maids to bring in the food.

"That's good then." Wang Bohui sat below Mrs. Wang, no longer fidgeting with his tie, "It's my first time meeting Mr. He, so I'm a bit nervous. Please don't laugh at me!"

Lu Mingzhu sat in her usual spot and asked curiously, "Big Brother, why are you nervous? Mr. He isn't a monster or anything. I found him to be quite elegant and gentle in speech. I don't see why we should be afraid of him."

"Elegant? Gentle?" Wang Bohui didn't believe it.

Liao Wanru didn't believe it either, "Mrs. He wasn't exactly a beauty."

"Really! Miss He doesn't look like her father at all. Maybe she takes after her mom," Lu Mingzhu nodded repeatedly to show she wasn't lying, "Mr. He looks about the same age as you, Big Brother, and is quite handsome and distinguished. In contrast, his daughter, Miss He, looks like she's in her fifties and isn't very attractive."

Wang Bohui laughed, "Are you kidding? Mr. He is older than our own father! He's much older than me!"

Lu Mingzhu exclaimed in surprise, "That old?"

"When Mr. He was making waves in Nanyang, neither you nor I were even born yet," Wang Bohui, having been in business for many years, knew more about He Yun's life, his voice lowering, "Unlike us, who inherited wealth and status, Mr. He started from nothing. He was a 'piglet' and truly built his empire from the ground up. His methods are ruthless, and no one can outsmart him."

Lu Pingan asked puzzled, "What is a 'piglet?'"

"It refers to laborers who were kidnapped or sold abroad," Lu Mingzhu had researched this when writing a script, "A more polite term would be contract laborers, representing the Western colonists' exploitation of our country's labor force. I never expected Mr. He to have such a background. It makes his achievements even more remarkable."

Wang Bohui nodded, "Pingan, what your aunt said is right. Do you understand now why I'm nervous?"

Lu Pingan didn't fully understand.

But Lu Mingzhu clearly grasped what Wang Bohui meant.

Starting from humble beginnings and rising to the top, He Yun had experienced the dark side of life, which meant he wasn't naive, and his hands weren't clean.

"I understand, Big Brother." Lu Mingzhu tactfully changed the subject, "Let's not talk about outsiders. Today, hearing you mention my biological older brother, I suddenly remembered that he was gone by the time I was born. Pingan and I have never met him. What kind of person was he? Tell us about him."

"A cold-hearted person," Wang Bohui summed it up in one word.

Lu Mingzhu chuckled, "What heartless thing did he do?"

Wang Bohui looked at her and Lu Pingan, "He just up and left, abandoning his mother and me, his brother, without a second thought or any sense of filial duty. Isn't that cold-hearted? It forced you and Pingan to end up in Hong Kong. If your brother had been here, even if you weren't living in luxury, you wouldn't have had to endure such hardships."

Lu Pingan suddenly said, "Grandma said he was a good person. Our great-grandfather was also proud of him."

Wang Bohui was slightly stunned, then said, "They told you that? Didn't they say anything else?"

Lu Pingan shook his head. "No, Grandma only left me a small locked box. She said it contained something my father left behind, meant to be passed down to me. I could only open it when I was older or facing difficult problems that were hard to solve."

Lu Mingzhu's first thought was, "Could it be gold and silver treasures?"

That was what came to her mind immediately.

After all, the valuables her birth mother gave Lu Pingan far surpassed those of her original body.

Such blatant favoritism towards boys!

Even an adopted son mattered more to her than her own daughter.

Lu Pingan couldn't help but laugh, his eyes curved and dimples appearing. "There’s no treasure in there. The box is so light that when I shook it by my ear, it sounded like there were just some papers inside."

Lu Mingzhu was greatly disappointed. "Your grandma is so rich, but all she left behind were a few useless pieces of paper. What good are they? They can't be eaten or drunk."

"If you want gold and silver treasures, it's not difficult. You saved Mr. He; he will definitely give you a thank-you gift," Wang Bohui speculated. "Mr. He may not have much else, but he has mountains of gold and silver."

Lu Mingzhu made a face at him. "I didn't save people for the sake of a reward!"

It’s not about getting something in return. That’s what being kind is all about.

After a breakfast filled with laughter and conversation, Lu Mingzhu went upstairs to change her clothes.

Madam Wang suggested, "Put on some jewelry. You look too plain without any adornments."

"I know!" Lu Mingzhu replied crisply.

She usually didn't wear jewelry outside to avoid attracting trouble by showing off her wealth. But now, being in the Wang family, she would dress however she liked. After all, she was one of the girls who loved jewelry and fine clothes.

Who doesn't like beautiful things?

Before she arrived here, she had collected many exquisite pieces of jewelry. She kept them behind, mainly to leave for her mother.

If the spirit of her original body were still around, everything would belong to her.

Thus, Lu Mingzhu selected a jade bracelet from Old Master's treasure collection to replace her diamond watch, layered it with a lustrous white pearl bracelet, and wore a short white pearl necklace around her neck.

She paired these with the square-neck red satin dress that Xie Junyao had seen, looking both gentle and vibrant.

As she descended the stairs in matching leather shoes, Lu Mingzhu noticed that both Madam Wang and Liao Wanru were also dressed formally, while Lu Pingan was still in his student uniform, appearing youthful.

"Why aren't you wearing a diamond ring?" Liao Wanru, like Madam Wang, was a fan of sparkling diamond jewelry.

She loved the dazzling sparkle of diamonds.

Lu Mingzhu smiled at her words. "Our traditional culture values gentle and restrained beauty. The brilliance of diamonds is too outward."

Actually, she had sold most of her jewelry, keeping only two colored diamond rings and one ring from a diamond set. The center stones were too large and weren't quite suitable for today's occasion.

At that moment, a servant reported, "They're here, they're here."

Everyone immediately stopped their conversation and went to welcome the guests.

The arrival was quite the spectacle.

It wasn't just He Yun and his daughter, Miss He, who arrived, but also numerous subordinates carrying countless gifts, forming a long line. The front of the line had already entered the main building, while the back was still outside the gate.

Lu Mingzhu appeared calm on the surface, but was actually screaming inside.

So many gifts! This is a windfall!

Wang Bohui courteously said, "Mr. He, it’s already a great honor that you’ve graced us with your presence. Why did you go to so much trouble?"

He Yun smiled faintly, "It’s a token of gratitude for Miss Lu."

Miss He also said, "Mr. Wang, my father’s life is priceless. Miss Lu heroically saved him at a critical moment. We’re extremely grateful; these humble gifts are just a small expression of our appreciation."

She genuinely appreciated what Lu Mingzhu had done.

The situation had been incredibly tense!

The meatball was one she had personally given her father, intending to please him. Unexpectedly, an accident occurred. If her father had choked to death on that meatball, her siblings would have blamed her, and she wouldn’t have had a place to turn.

Every time she thought about it, she felt a chill run down her spine.

Miss He once again took Lu Mingzhu’s hand, her large diamond ring gently swaying. Her tone was soft, her gaze gentle, though her smile still carried a hint of sharpness. "Miss Lu, some of the gifts were personally selected by me at the department store. I hope you like them."

"Thank you, Mr. He and Miss He. Please, have some tea." Just then, a maid brought tea.

Lu Mingzhu politely entertained He Yun, her smile sweet. "I brought Longjing tea from the mainland. It’s a pre-Qingming tea, very fresh. Mr. He, please give it a try."

Having tea helps set a comfortable tone.

Just sitting around in silence felt kind of awkward.

Wang Bohui immediately agreed, "If Mr. He finds it to his liking, let Mingzhu pack some for you to take back."

Once, when tasting the Biluochun tea Lu Mingzhu had brought, he had casually heard her say that she had brought a lot of good tea, all treasures from her father’s warehouse that she had taken for herself.

What did he say back then?

He had said she did well.

He Yun smiled slightly, "Since it’s tea brought by Miss Lu, I will certainly savor it."

Saying that, he raised his hand and picked up the teacup.

Liao Wanru stole a few glances at him. Indeed, as Lu Mingzhu had said, he looked very young, scholarly, and elegant, with an outstanding demeanor. He must have charmed countless young women in his youth.

Sitting next to Mrs. Wang, they looked more like siblings than father and daughter.

Though they were both in business, Wang Bohui and He Yun had never met until now. Not wanting to seem like he was trying to ingratiate himself, Wang Bohui finally made Lu Mingzhu the center of the conversation. "When my brother and I were young, we often heard of Mr. He’s great reputation. Our families have had business dealings with Mr. He, though it’s been many years, and perhaps Mr. He no longer remembers."

Unexpectedly, He Yun said, "I remember. You’re the eldest son of the wealthy merchant Mr. Wang Xingcai. Miss Lu’s parents must be the renowned Shanghai businessman Mr. Lu Yanzhi and his wife. In Shanghai, I’ve only done business with these two families, especially Mrs. Lu, who left a deep impression on me as a heroic woman."

Wang Bohui said delightedly, "That’s right! Mr. He, your memory is excellent!"

Lu Mingzhu heard of this for the first time and was surprised. "Did we have ties that far back?"

"Of course you didn’t know. The cooperation was over twenty years ago, before you were born. After Mr. He got out of that line of business, the three-way partnership came to an end." Wang Bohui finished and then turned to He Yun. "Mr. He, it was by a stroke of fate that Miss Lu saved you. She has a connection with you, so please don’t take it too much to heart. Just pay more attention to safety in the future."

Lu Mingzhu nodded in agreement. "My elder brother is right."

He Yun smiled again. "As I said, I can never repay such a life-saving favor. Miss Lu, if you ever encounter difficulties, please let me know. I, He Yun, will spare no effort to help you."