Chapter 189

Chapter 189

Before she knew it, it was the end of September.

On the 30th, the capital was engulfed in a yellow dust storm. Lu Mingzhu used writing a novel as an excuse to stay indoors, carefully organizing the items she planned to smuggle to her original body, making sure that twelve clasps securely held thirteen pieces of jewelry.

The clasps were fastened very securely and would not easily fall off.

In her world, each piece of jewelry was worth hundreds of millions.

She planned to do the same next year!

If possible, Lu Mingzhu wished she could smuggle ten or even eight boxes of rare treasures to her original body to improve her quality of life.

That night, as the clock struck midnight, she finally met the Lu Mingzhu of 2023.

It had been two years since their souls had swapped, so she could no longer be called the Lu Mingzhu of 2023; she should be called Yuan Mingzhu.

She was the real Mingzhu!

Still radiant and flamboyant, exuding unparalleled elegance.

Lu Mingzhu felt it would take a lifetime of cultivation to match her noble temperament.

When Yuan Mingzhu saw the dazzling jewelry Lu Mingzhu had prepared for her, she was first startled, then burst out laughing, "Before bed, I was discussing with my mother what you might do, but I never expected you to do this."

Using platinum clasps to string together thirteen pieces of jewelry—what an idea!

But she adored it!

She loved such a romantic, clever, and generous Mingzhu.

Always so positive and ambitious.

Yuan Mingzhu wanted the imperial green jade bracelet for her mother because the jade on the market in that world wasn’t as good as her own collection, and it was even harder to find such top-grade jade through stone gambling.

Due to Myanmar's regulations, good materials never reached the country, and the few rough stones she gambled on turned out to be duds.

So annoying!

Lu Mingzhu thrust it into her hands, "If this works today, next year I’ll have more clasps made, and besides the necklaces and bracelets studded with diamonds and gemstones, I’ll give you a set of rings, all set with large gemstones and diamonds. My godfather gave me a 620-gram rough pink diamond, and once it's cut and set, I’ll give you a set."

A bit flashy, but valuable!

Yuan Mingzhu replied, "Your godfather is really good to you."

"I saved his life, after all!" He Yun’s life was worth more than all his wealth; only by living could he enjoy everything, as it would all vanish after death.

Thinking of a celebrity who choked to death on a chicken bone, Lu Mingzhu found He Yun’s behavior perfectly normal.

That celebrity also had billions of dollars when he died.

When he choked, he must have regretted not being able to continue enjoying his wealth and glory.

But Yuan Mingzhu said, "I'm afraid I won't live to see you give me that pink diamond set."

Lu Mingzhu panicked, "Why?"

"Because this is our last meeting!" Yuan Mingzhu looked at her with gentle eyes, her voice clear, "I traded our future meetings for a chance to send a dream to Zhang Shuo, so you won't have to worry about his existence anymore. He won't affect you, nor will he reveal to anyone that you're not me."

Lu Mingzhu was stunned, "You remember Zhang Shuo? So you’re not just confined to the memories of the first eighteen years?"

Yuan Mingzhu nodded gently, her face full of apology, "When I fainted from anger, I dreamed of the future, but I don’t want to go through it again, even though I have the full ability to change the future. I’m sorry, Mingzhu. At the moment our souls collided, I chose to swap lives, wanting to leave all responsibilities behind to see the true golden age, letting you and Mother part, coming to such a backward time."

She dared not tell Mother Lu these words.

No matter how well she treated Mother Lu, she believed she still wanted her own daughter.

The real soul.

Lu Mingzhu was utterly stunned, "Are you the chosen one by fate? Why can you choose, and I can’t?"

Seeing that Lu Mingzhu wasn’t very angry, Yuan Mingzhu felt relieved and smiled, "Maybe it’s the protection of our ancestors, or perhaps the merits I accumulated in my past life far exceed yours? You should know, my nephews and nieces established a charity foundation in my name after my death. The wealth they earned has no heirs, all placed in the foundation to help the world."

In terms of merit, I’m not less than Zhang Shuo.

Lu Mingzhu touched her chin, "Zhang Shuo accumulated a century’s worth of merit to turn the tide. Of course, you can too, just not quite understanding what our ancestors’ protection means."

Yuan Mingzhu said, "Our ancestors had a bit of a psychic lineage. It’s said that if any descendants awaken, usually it’s the direct sons and grandsons. The chance of awakening is very low; it depends on destiny. So, the birth dates of the direct eldest sons and grandsons of the Lu family must not be known to outsiders. But for some reason, after I became you, I suddenly awakened the psychic ability, also inheriting the ancient memories from our ancestors. Of course, only the psychic part of the inheritance, no other memories."

Lu Mingzhu’s jaw nearly hit the floor, "Psychic? What kind of psychic?"

Are we talking about metaphysics now?

Yuan Mingzhu laughed, "Predicting fortunes, determining life and death, seeing through the past and future in an instant."

"Master!" Lu Mingzhu held her hand, "Then you must be a metaphysics master?"

"Known in the martial arts world as Master Lu." Yuan Mingzhu was quite proud, waving the string of jewelry in her hand, "So, even if we can’t meet again in the future, don’t worry too much about Mother and me."

Lu Mingzhu nodded vigorously, her eyes shining, "Master Lu, first, take a look at my future."

Yuan Mingzhu smiled gently, "I am you, and you are me. I can’t see through your future, but I’m sure you will definitely have a life free from disasters and illnesses, smooth sailing, enjoying wealth until you’re a hundred."

Lu Mingzhu beamed with joy, "I like it!"

Wealthy and long-lived, without the torment of illness, isn’t that the perfect life everyone dreams of?

Yuan Mingzhu handed a stack of white silk filled with writing to Lu Mingzhu, and in Lu Mingzhu’s puzzled gaze, she said, "I’ve written all my memories after the age of eighteen on it, limited to what I still remember. You take it for reference. As long as Zhang Shuo doesn’t blabber everywhere, no one will uncover the secret that you’re not me. This is the world’s consciousness compensating us after our soul exchange."

Then, she added, "Even if Zhang Shuo tells others, you have my memories. You can completely deny it, making everyone believe in you without a doubt, and Zhang Shuo is just talking nonsense."

"Really? Can you guarantee it?" After crossing into this body, no matter how carefree Lu Mingzhu appeared, deep down there was still a fear of being recognized by relatives and friends.

"I guarantee." Yuan Mingzhu said.

Because no one has been with me day and night for over a decade like Zhang Shuo.

Whether it’s Father Lu or Lu Pingan.

Father Lu neglected her, not to mention, Lu Pingan, although having a good relationship with her, the time the aunt and nephew spent together was limited to home, most of the time used for their own studies.

Even during holidays without school, Yuan Mingzhu often ran around with Mr. Zhang, while Pingan learned business with his grandmother, not many opportunities to meet.

Seriously speaking, the time they spent together day and night was after Father Lu left Shanghai.

Hearing this, Lu Mingzhu showed a big smile, her eyebrows dancing with joy, "Hearing you say this, I feel relieved."

The worries she had forcibly pressed deep in her heart thus vanished like smoke.

"Do you not blame me?" Yuan Mingzhu asked her.

"What’s done is done; blaming you won’t change anything," Lu Mingzhu replied with her usual positive outlook. "You’ve seen true prosperity, and I’ve enjoyed your wealth. I used to envy the lives of top tycoons who saw money as just numbers, and now I’m a ridiculously wealthy woman. Mingzhu, we each have each other’s family; neither of us is indebted to the other. Though I miss my mother, you’re more capable than I am, and I believe that under your care, she’ll live a happier life."

If there were a chance to return to her own world, Lu Mingzhu would certainly take it, but there was no opportunity.

Since that was the case, why not say something kind to ease Yuan Mingzhu’s guilt and ensure she treated her mother well? Meanwhile, she would take care of Lu Pingan and He Yun here, with Xie Junyao by her side, without worrying too much.

Yuan Mingzhu was overjoyed to hear Lu Mingzhu’s words.

"Thank you, Mingzhu. With your forgiveness, it feels like a huge weight has been lifted from my heart," she said, no longer weighed down by overwhelming guilt.

Lu Mingzhu laughed. "You said it yourself—I am you, and you are me. We’re practically the same person."

As soon as the words were spoken, the pure white world shattered into fragments.

She returned to reality.

Lu Mingzhu lay in bed, holding a stack of white silk, but the thirteen pieces of jewelry were nowhere to be seen.

She turned on the light and unfolded the silk.

At the beginning was Lu’s mother’s handwriting, a brief passage advising her daughter to live well in another world and not to miss her, as if she had gone abroad and could not return. Mother and daughter still existed simultaneously.

Lu Mingzhu wiped her eyes and continued reading.

Yuan Mingzhu’s future was far more spectacular than the little bit of memory in the novel.

It turned out that her marriage to Zhang Shuo wasn’t arranged.

It turned out that before the catastrophe, she could still correspond with Lu Pingan, using her anger to make him pay out large sums several times. Each time he received her letter, he had to remit a large amount of U.S. dollars as a living allowance. Before her marriage, she also had Lu Changgen return to the country to bring her a large dowry. She even obtained gold and jewelry from several old estates, living a comfortable life.

Even during those three years, because she had foreign exchange, her life wasn’t affected at all.

She also lent a hand to many people.

Yuan Mingzhu wrote many things on the silk, including the reasons for her divorce from Zhang Shuo, why Lu Pingan and his siblings could only rely on her protection, the death of Lu Zhuri, and the actions of Lin Xiaohong and her son. Even the involvement of the eldest sister, Lu Yingying, with her other sisters and their outcomes were recorded.

Kang Yingying ran away, and the citizens’ anger had no outlet, which affected the reputation of the Lu daughters. More than a decade later, when old accounts were revisited, Lu Zhenzhen was cleaning toilets, Lu Qingqing and her husband were sent down, and Lu Peipei was sweeping the streets—all leading miserable lives.

Also unfortunate was Wang Xingcai.

Maybe because Yuan Mingzhu stayed, Wang Xingcai didn’t divorce and remarry but instead brought Lin Xianglian and her two children to his side. However, this caused him to break ties with his original wife and her four sons. Then, at the onset of the catastrophe, Lin Xianglian and her two children kicked him out, severed ties, absconded with money, smuggled into Hong Kong, and sought refuge with her brother Lin Baoguo, who had become a successful businessman there. They settled in Hong Kong.

Seeing that gambler Lin Baoguo had somehow become a well-known businessman in Hong Kong, Lu Mingzhu was instantly furious!

Where on earth did the money come from?

You can’t win by gambling; he must have exploited Yang Huan and her four daughters!

Unfortunately, Yuan Mingzhu wasn’t well-informed about Hong Kong and didn’t know more detailed circumstances.

Wang Xingcai’s fate was in stark contrast to that of Lin Xianglian and her two sons. Unable to bear the humiliation, he hanged himself at the age of nearly eighty. He left a suicide note filled with remorse for his first wife and four sons, but it was too late.

Yuan Mingzhu took care of his funeral arrangements.

Since Yuan Mingzhu had a fiery temper, no one dared to provoke her, afraid that if she got upset, she might set off a hidden bomb and cause casualties. So, things went smoothly.

While recounting this memory, Yuan Mingzhu left a note for Lu Mingzhu, urging her to make sure to get the old man out before the incident.

Although he had wronged his first wife and Wang Bohui's brothers, he had not wronged his adopted daughter. He even let her pressure him into transferring most of the family assets to Wang Bohui, his mother, and siblings, preventing Lin Xianglian and her children from gaining too much.

Lu Mingzhu couldn’t help but laugh.

It turned out that Yuan Mingzhu had also done what she herself had done.

Yuan Mingzhu also wrote about Mr. Zhang, deeply saddened by his fate. She hadn’t been able to protect him before he died in the turmoil. She entrusted Lu Mingzhu to take him out no matter what, along with his family.

Threats or bribes—anything could be tried on him.

Additionally, Yuan Mingzhu mentioned her adopted brother from the Cao family, saying that both he and his father were highly skilled in medicine and had not been affected, so they could be left alone.

Through her correspondence with her father, she learned that Ceng Mei and her husband had died in an explosion, and the whereabouts of the Zhou family godmother and her descendants were unknown. The fates of other godparents, whether alive or dead, as well as the circumstances of their descendants, were all recorded.

The late godfather was a tragic figure—his son had died, his daughter-in-law had remarried, leaving his only grandson, who was probably working in Hong Kong.

Yuan Mingzhu entrusted Lu Mingzhu to find him and settle him down.

This godfather had several children and grandchildren, some of whom had died from illness, some in the chaos of war, and some on the front lines of the Anti-Japanese War, including the godfather himself. Only his youngest son and daughter-in-law had left Shanghai early for Hong Kong and survived, but the youngest son had died of illness, leaving only the youngest grandson as the sole heir.

Yuan Mingzhu wanted his family line to survive.

In 1953, the boy, thirteen years old, worked in a tailor shop on Paterson Street, named Fu Yulin, with an older brother named Yuqi who had died young from illness.

Her father found him years later, as written in the last letter Yuan Mingzhu received from him.

Lu Mingzhu made a mental note of this.

Yuan Mingzhu also recorded many national events, disasters, and hardships on the silk, more detailed than what Lu Mingzhu knew.

The stack of white silk seemed small, but when unfolded, it covered the entire bed and more, densely filled with small characters, showing how much Yuan Mingzhu had recorded.

Lu Mingzhu read it with deep emotion, finishing only by morning.

She rubbed her eyes, folded the silk, and stored it in her hidden compartment, planning to read it several more times to memorize it all. If she couldn’t remember everything, she would extract the important points and note them in her notebook for future reference.

Yuan Mingzhu’s writings must remain hidden from everyone.

Exhausted, Lu Mingzhu washed her face with cold water, ate breakfast, and went back to bed, instructing her bodyguards not to disturb her.

The reason was that she had stayed up all night writing a novel, leading to insufficient sleep.

The bodyguards, of course, obeyed and even intercepted Cao Lu, the adopted brother from the Cao family who came to see Lu Mingzhu, saying, "Our young lady didn’t sleep all night and is resting now. If it’s not urgent, would you like to sit down and have a cup of tea while you wait?"

Cao Lu immediately sat down, "I’ll wait for her to wake up."

He had something to discuss with Lu Mingzhu and insisted on seeing her, though it wasn’t an urgent matter.