Chapter 123

Chapter 123

Since He Yun came in person, Mr. Lu decided not to rush to take Lu Mingzhu out of the house.

He would first invite He Yun to have a meal at home, and in the afternoon, they would go to view the buildings. They would make payments on the spot and handle the property transfer procedures, saving time and effort.

Everything was arranged perfectly.

When He Yun arrived, Mr. Lu was having tea, while Lu Mingzhu was arranging newly obtained large gems on the table—rows of rubies, sapphires, emeralds, and cat’s eye gems, all arranged in size from small to large.

Although they were all big, their colors were almost uniform, but there were differences in size.

Some were expertly cut, while others were not.

Multicolored and radiant with a brilliant shine, they appeared flawless to the naked eye, all exceptionally rare treasures.

"Dad, what if I set a clavicle chain?" Lu Mingzhu picked up the smallest emerald and placed it at the hollow of her clavicle, making her skin look porcelain fair, like snow or jade.

Simple and understated, perfect for everyday wear without being flashy.

She had too many luxurious pieces, most of which could only be tucked away.

Lu Mingzhu didn’t feel she was at the age where she needed to attend social events and entertain for a living.

Mr. Lu didn’t care either way, "If you like a particular style, just have the craftsmen create it for you. If you ever get tired of it, you can have them change the design. It’s just a matter of labor, no big deal."

"What you say makes perfect sense." Lu Mingzhu put down the emerald with a smile and stood up, greeting obediently, "Godfather."

He Yun glanced at the table, "Thinking of opening a jewelry store?"

"No, just planning to make some new jewelry." Lu Mingzhu planned to hand this task over to her father.

He Yun smiled, "I have several boxes of gems that have been gathering dust. I’ll dig them out for you, and we can have more pieces made."

Before Lu Mingzhu could respond, He Yun sat down opposite Mr. Lu with graceful posture, "You’ll have to work hard again."

"It’s my duty." Mr. Lu replied while pouring him a cup of tea, insincerely saying, "I just wanted to give you a heads-up about the building purchase. It’s troublesome for you to come in person."

He Yun chuckled lightly, "I was free and decided to come out for a stroll."

He added, "I’ve brought ten bodyguards. Would you like to meet them? Some of them are Caucasian bodyguards, in their prime, skilled in close combat, excellent at shooting, and carry weapons. With them protecting her, Miss Lu’s safety will be even more secure."

As much as one might not want to admit it, the status of British Caucasians in Hong Kong was special, and ordinary people wouldn’t dare to provoke them easily.

Mr. Lu became interested, "Let’s meet them."

When it came to her own safety, Lu Mingzhu was particularly enthusiastic, "Let’s meet them, let’s meet them."

A few minutes after she swept the gems into the box, ten tall bodyguards entered in succession, all dressed in black suits with blue ties, almost filling the living room.

There were indeed six Caucasian bodyguards, with sharp eyes and a cold, stern demeanor.

He Yun spoke to them in English, "Miss Lu will be your protectee from now on. No matter when or where, I hope you will do your utmost to protect her and ensure not a single hair on her head is harmed."

The ten bodyguards nodded, "Rest assured, Mr. He. It’s our duty."

He Yun was generous, and they were willing to give their all.

Mr. Lu asked a few simple questions and said to He Yun, "Thank you."

"No need to be polite." He Yun waved his hand, and the ten bodyguards quietly withdrew. Turning around, he saw Lu Mingzhu frowning slightly, looking worried, and asked, "Mingzhu, is there something you're not satisfied with?"

Lu Mingzhu sighed, "My house is a bit small."

There were already four bodyguards and two maids, and now there were ten more. How should they be arranged?

She was inexperienced in this matter.

He Yun smiled, "Are there no vacant rooms in the annex? Two should be sufficient."

"That does exist." Lu Mingzhu felt relieved.

"With fourteen bodyguards, you can arrange them into two shifts, taking turns accompanying you. At night, assign three or four to patrol and stand watch, to prevent any petty thieves from approaching without being noticed." This was the arrangement for the bodyguards of both He Yun and Lu Father.

Lu Mingzhu nodded vigorously, "Thank you for the reminder, Godfather."

Since there were fewer bodyguards before and now there were more, a rearrangement was definitely necessary.

Lu Father finished his cup of tea and said, "I'll have someone inquire about any larger plots of land for sale on the Peak. If we find one, we'll build a four-story house with annexes on both sides. There will be enough space for your bodyguards and servants. The villa being built in Repulse Bay is nice, but the view isn't as good as the one from the peak."

Lu Mingzhu hadn't been paying much attention to this recently, "It might not be possible to buy a plot."

It was well known that land on the peak in Hong Kong was extremely scarce and wasn't often sold once acquired.

Lu Father advised his daughter, "You need to keep an eye out for opportunities in advance. Otherwise, you won't know when a plot becomes available. Fortunately, there aren't many people in Hong Kong who have the financial means to buy, and the competition is low. It shouldn't be too difficult if you want to buy."

"Got it!" Lu Mingzhu acknowledged the lesson.

As for the uncertain availability of land on the peak, she was more concerned about the remaining buildings nearby.

Once they acquired the buildings, they could renovate and rent them out.

After dinner, they all went to check out the buildings.

The manager of the property company under the He Group respectfully accompanied them, quickly preparing all necessary documents, ready for transfer at any moment.

There were four buildings priced at 1 million HK dollars, and He Yun gave a steep discount.

As Lu Father was paying, Lu Mingzhu blinked and said in a feigned manner, "Dad, is it really okay? Should I pay myself? I can afford HK$500,000."

"I'll let you." Lu Father pretended to take it back.

"No, no!" Lu Mingzhu quickly grabbed her father's arm and said coquettishly, "I was just kidding with you. How come you're so serious? Kind words are better than a cold look! Like when Pingan got a gift from his older brother but didn't even give him a proper look. It's really sad."

Poor guy.

Meanwhile, the unfortunate Lu Changsheng had sent his daughter, who had finished her meal, off to piano lessons. When he returned home, he found that Lu Grandmother was taking a nap. He sought out the personal maid by Lu Grandmother's side, inquiring about the fortune teller who had determined Lu Mingzhu's fate as a disaster star.

It was Lu Grandmother who had found the person, and the personal maid, being by her side, likely knew a lot.

Ah Hong was over fifty years old. She wasn't the personal maid when Lu Grandmother got married but was bought into the Lu family from a poor household many years after Lu Grandmother became a wife.

At thirteen, she was very delicate and didn't look like a poor child. Her parents planned to sell her into a brothel for 100 silver dollars, but she happened to encounter Lu Grandmother. Out of momentary compassion, Lu Grandmother bought her, sparing her from a fate of sleeping with thousands and tasting the lips of many. She was overwhelmingly grateful to Lu Grandmother, vowing never to marry and later fixed her hair in a style indicating lifelong service, staying by Lu Grandmother's side inseparably.

This is what Lu Changsheng said to Ah Hong, "After I came back, I often heard people saying that Mingzhu has a hard fate that harms her father. Even my grandmother says the same. But look at my father—he has a full house of children and grandchildren and is extraordinarily rich. He doesn't look like someone who is being harmed at all. Who suggested that Old Madam Lu find a fortune teller to do Mingzhu's fortune-telling? I need to find him and settle the score. Because of his words, my grandmother and Mingzhu never developed a proper grandmother-grandchild bond, leaving me, her brother and her grandson, in a difficult position, not knowing what to do."

Because she had never married, came from a poor background, was uneducated and lacked understanding, and had always been respected by the servants under Old Madam Lu, Ah Hong's personality was quite simple. After hearing Lu Changsheng's words, she asked, "Why is Young Master asking about the past?"

"I'm just curious," Lu Changsheng replied, not expecting his sister to ever forgive their grandmother.

Old Madam Lu was good to him, but she was truly wicked to his sister.

Unforgivable.

Ah Hong thought carefully for a moment, then frankly replied, "Master asked me before, and my answer is the same as before. When Old Madam Lu went out to attend banquets and played mahjong with other elderly ladies, it came up in conversation. It was Madam Ma from the Ma family who mentioned fate and nonsense, saying that she was being harmed by her daughter-in-law. This reminded Old Madam Lu that after the birth of Eighth Miss, a young lady and a young master of our family passed away one after another. So, she decided to consult a fortune teller. It was said that Eighth Miss harmed Master the most according to the fortune teller, and that's why Old Madam Lu started disliking Eighth Miss."

Perhaps because Ah Hong was too naive, Old Madam Lu didn't ask her to hurt Lu Mingzhu, and the one who kept the secrets best was Old Madam Lu herself. Whether it was opening a window or lifting a quilt, Old Madam Lu did everything herself.

She went to visit her granddaughter and take care of her, without anyone around, so no one suspected anything.

Upon hearing this, Lu Changsheng frowned and asked, "Which Ma family?"

Having left Shanghai for many years, he had long lost impressions of certain ladies.

Ah Hong smiled and said, "It's the Ma family who sold opium. Their business was particularly successful. They used gold bars and pearls as toys for their young master and young miss. They were even richer than our family! But Madam Ma's fate wasn't good. Not long after Eighth Miss's full month, she overdosed on opium and died. Many people said she was being harmed by her daughter-in-law. The daughter-in-law was kicked out of the family, but she ended up escaping the Ma family's massacre. Many said she was fortunate and later married well, living a good life."

"The Ma family was massacred?" Lu Changsheng asked her.

Ah Hong nodded and said, "I heard Master and Old Master Lu talking about it. The family's servants conspired with outside bandits, poisoned everyone in the family, killed them one by one, looted the Ma family, burned their mansion to the ground, and only charred corpses were found. The burned mansion was still there when we left Shanghai!"

No wonder Lu Father couldn't find any information. It turned out that Madam Ma had died, and the Ma family had been wiped out.

Coincidence? Or was it intentional?

After a moment of thought, Lu Changsheng asked Ah Hong again, "Since it was Madam Ma who brought up the fortune telling, who suggested that Old Madam Lu find the fortune teller? Or who recommended the fortune teller to Old Madam Lu? When you left Shanghai, was the fortune teller still alive? Was he still in Shanghai? A fortune teller who could be sought out by Old Madam Lu should have been quite famous."

"When Master asked me, we couldn't find that fortune teller anymore," Ah Hong recalled carefully, then answered, "He was very famous in Shanghai. His name was Li Defu."

"Li Defu," Lu Changsheng murmured, a vague impression stirring in his memory. "He was already famous before I ran away from home."

Ah Hong nodded. "That's him! White beard, long eyebrows, with an immortal aura."

"Is there a photo?" Lu Changsheng wanted to ask An Ruyi to help find his whereabouts. He was determined to bring him to Old Madam Lu so she could acknowledge her mistake.

Just because nearly twenty years had passed didn't mean they could muddle through and cover it up for a lifetime.

Even if they couldn't undo the harm Old Madam Lu had done to his sister, at least she should say sorry to his sister.

Whether to forgive or not would be up to his sister to decide.

Hearing Lu Changsheng's question, Ah Hong couldn't help but laugh. "Young Master, how would I have his photo? You can ask Master. He once showed me his photo to identify him."

Lu Changsheng immediately got into the car and headed to Happy Valley.

After completing the property transfer procedures, He Yun had not yet left. He was playing chess at Lu Father's residence, while Lu Mingzhu was examining the freshly issued deeds and property certificates non-stop.

There were four buildings in total, with twenty units. During renovations, as before, each floor would be divided into two units, making forty units in total. Just the transfer fees would amount to 280,000.

As for the rent, one building costs 60,000 dollars a year.

Dad's just handing her money on a silver platter!

Seeing Lu Changsheng enter, Lu Mingzhu's eyes lit up, and she asked before anyone else, "Big brother, are you here to give me the industrial building?"

"No! I haven't bought it yet," Lu Changsheng replied, patting her on the head. "Hold your horses. Don't worry, I'm not going back on my word."

"Then what are you doing back here?" Lu Mingzhu continued to ask, unable to hide her curiosity.

Lu Changsheng hesitated for a moment but chose not to mention the investigation he was conducting. After greeting He Yun, he went straight to asking Lu Father for the photo of Li Defu, "Ah Hong said you have it."

Lu Father was startled, "Yes, let Xu the Butler find it."

Xu the Butler was in charge of these things.

Upon hearing that Lu Changsheng needed them, Xu the Butler quickly went to retrieve several photos and an old newspaper.

Lu Mingzhu peeked and said, "A fortune teller?"

The photos weren't very clear, and the newspaper was blurry, but his attire was unmistakable at first glance. He looked pretty sharp, like someone who knew their way around.

Lu Changsheng told her, "The fortune teller who said your fate was hard back then, I'm going to find him and make him eat his words."

Lu Mingzhu immediately agreed, "Absolutely! If my fate was so bad that it hurt my father, how could we have a big family and live in prosperity? Once we find this liar who caused our father to neglect me, I'll slap him around a bit first."

"Let me see, I'll send my people to handle it," Mr. He offered.

Lu Mingzhu immediately handed the photos to him, "Godfather, you must make sure your men put in extra effort and find him so we can teach him a lesson."

Mr. He studied the photos closely, his eyes narrowing a little.

Lu Mingzhu was taken aback, "Godfather, have you seen him?"

There's no way he'd look like that otherwise.

Hearing Lu Mingzhu's words, both Lu Father and Lu Changsheng turned to Mr. He, "Mr. He has seen him?"

Mr. He pointed at the photo, "As soon as Changsheng mentioned needing Li Defu's photo, his name sounded really familiar. As soon as I saw the photo, I knew for sure. This man is still working as a fortune teller in Nanyang and is quite successful there."

What a coincidence.

Both Lu Father and Lu Changsheng, along with his sister, were delighted.

There was an excitement in Lu Father's brows, as if he was finally going to get to the bottom of the old matter. "No wonder I couldn't find him in Shanghai or the surrounding areas. He was in Nanyang."

"I'll send people to bring him here," Mr. He offered without needing to be asked.