Chapter 348

Chapter 348

He Yuesheng and her mother had long severed ties with their past relatives and friends. Over the years, they had made new friends, but they saw no need to burden them with gifts. As a result, Lu Mingzhu was the only one who gave Zhou Wen wedding gifts.

Thus, the bodyguard who received the news reported it immediately.

Zhou Wen wasn't surprised at all.

"From the moment he came to ask me to donate a kidney, he stopped caring about me. And after we gave him such a thorough dressing-down, leaving him disgraced and infamous, it’s only natural he’d immediately move to his backup plan." To save his son, Zhou Wenyuan had gone practically mad, resorting to any means necessary. "He probably never intended to settle for just one of my kidneys—he wanted both."

Doctors capable of performing such surgeries were very rare, and success would require going abroad. Some foreigners, in pursuit of experimental results, were completely inhuman.

Creating the illusion that Zhou Wen had willingly sacrificed herself for science was very possible.

It wasn’t that Zhou Wen was thinking too badly of people—Zhou Wenyuan was simply that wicked. If he weren’t, he wouldn’t have come to her in the first place.

Both Zhou Wen and Luo Qi were medically trained and understood the situation well. The highest success rates for transplant surgeries were between identical twins, followed by relatives, which still outperformed transplants between strangers.

It all comes down to the degree of genetic compatibility, which determined the success of the procedure.

Even if the transplant succeeded, survival time varied from person to person.

Enraged, He Yuesheng’s mother hissed through clenched teeth, "Is there any way to have him killed?"

There were certainly ways to eliminate Zhou Wenyuan, but Lu Mingzhu never broke the law or sought help from her elders. After a brief pause, she replied, "Godmother, putting someone up to kidnapping is a crime, but it likely wouldn’t warrant the death penalty. Besides, the desperate men he hired were willing to bring the news to me, but they would hardly testify in court. People like them have too many skeletons in their closet—one investigation would land them in prison too."

He Yuesheng, meanwhile, soothed her mother. "Mom, it’s not worth making trouble for Lu Mingzhu over him."

Most importantly, they couldn’t make trouble for Lu Mingzhu.

Over the years, Lu Mingzhu had helped them immensely, and now she had given Zhou Wen such generous wedding gifts—one they couldn’t even refuse.

"Utterly vile, utterly vile," He Yuesheng’s mother hissed through clenched teeth. "That couple is nothing but scum, scheming to harm my Wenwen. They deserve the lowest level of hell."

"And hasn’t karma caught up?" Even with a kidney transplant, he'd die sooner or later anyway.

Though the boy himself was innocent, He Yuesheng couldn’t bring herself to like him—not when his parents had plotted to harm her daughter.

Lu Mingzhu turned to the bodyguard who had delivered the news. "Please ask my godfather to have someone watch him. I don’t want Zhou Wenyuan to start targeting someone else if his kidnapping plan doesn’t work out."

Desperation could drive people to do anything.

The bodyguard acknowledged and left to make the call.

He Yuesheng’s mother, He Yuesheng, and Zhou Wen each expressed their profound gratitude for Lu Mingzhu's kindness.

"No need to stand on ceremony with family. This is what I should do," Lu Mingzhu said, gently brushing off Zhou Wen’s hair. She then called for a red leather arced box, opening it to reveal a delicate diamond crown shaped like intertwining vines. "Get a good night’s sleep and don’t worry about anything. Tomorrow, wear this crown I’ve given you and be the happiest bride."

"It’s too extravagant," Zhou Wen protested.

Lu Mingzhu dismissed it with a wave of her hand. "Our family’s diamonds, our family’s craftsmanship—it didn’t cost a thing."

But the He family knew better. The central diamond alone was a dazzling 10-carat stone, blazing with fire.

Zhou Wen smiled softly. "Auntie, thank you."

She glanced at the table full of jewelry boxes—gold and jade pieces numbering ninety-nine in total. With the crown, it made a perfect hundred, symbolizing completeness, just like the auspicious wedding date they had chosen.

The Western-style wedding wasn’t grand but intimate, held in a banquet hall at the Evergreen Hotel, warm and heartfelt.

Mr. Lu and his family didn't attend in person, so Lu Mingzhu naturally took the place of honor among the bride's relatives.

The groom's family knew that Zhou Wen had a very wealthy god-aunt who had greatly helped their family, but they never expected it to be Hong Kong's most famous businesswoman, Lu Mingzhu.

She was equally influential in Macau.

She owned the premier jewelry chain, Mingzhu Diamond Jewelry Store, along with Mingzhu Investment Company, which had expanded its business to Macau, as well as popular fried chicken shops, jade stores, and embroidery workshops. She had a habit of naming her businesses after herself.

Luo Qi's parents, Mr. and Mrs. Luo, had taught countless students, including several accomplished individuals, and they all came to attend the wedding of their only son, Luo Qi.

Someone recognized Lu Mingzhu and immediately approached to greet her, "Mrs. Xie, it's been a long time since we last met at Mr. Lu Shen's wedding. I didn’t expect to see you at this wedding. Are you a relative of the bride?"

Lu Mingzhu recognized him as a business partner of Lu Pingan, though she couldn’t recall the specifics of his business. He was in his thirties and surnamed Liu.

With a smile, Lu Mingzhu replied, "Mr. Liu Hong is correct. The bride is my niece."

Hearing Lu Mingzhu call out his name, the man was delighted, his eyes crinkling with delight. "The Luos are such principled people. Back when I was mischievous and disliked school, it was Professor Luo who set me straight. Marrying into such a family, your niece has nothing to worry about! Your niece and Luo Qi make a perfect match, meant to be together, bound for a life filled with happiness and many children."

"Thank you for your kind words," Lu Mingzhu responded cheerfully.

Some of the groom's relatives quickly changed their tune toward the bride.

Luo Qi adored Zhou Wen, and his parents were also very satisfied with her. However, the Luos were an established family, and not everyone approved of Zhou Wen, who only had her grandmother and mother, thinking she brought bad luck and wouldn’t be any help to Luo Qi.

Now, they no longer held that view.

Lu Mingzhu alone was worth an entire dynasty.

Her public acknowledgment of Zhou Wen as her niece, whether by blood or not, might as well have been blood.

Someone took the Luos aside and asked quietly, "Did you know your daughter-in-law had such an aunt all along? Is that why you agreed to this marriage?"

The Luos could only laugh.

If they had pursued this match because of Lu Mingzhu, she would've seen their game and would never have allowed Zhou Wen and Luo Qi to date.

"We knew Zhou Wen had a god-aunt settled in Hong Kong, but we didn’t know who it was. Zhou Wen never made a big deal about it," Mrs. Luo explained, though few believed her. She just smiled politely instead. "Please take your seat. We must attend to other guests now."

With that, the couple walked away hand in hand.

Many others greeted Lu Mingzhu, including a struggling young man who approached her for investment, his smile overly eager and his demeanor cautious.

Lu Mingzhu smiled at him and handed him Secretary Qiu's business card, saying gently, "You may submit your proposal to my secretary. He manages my personal assets. If your project passes evaluation, we will proceed. If not, I hope you understand."

"Of course, of course. Thank you, Ms. Lu, for giving me this opportunity," the young man said, treating the card like gold.

Lu Mingzhu didn’t give it another thought, as she hadn’t committed to anything. Little did she know that decades later, this would bring in billions—but that’s another story.

Which puzzled Lu Mingzhu, a well-dressed middle-aged woman raised her glass to thank her. "Forgive me, but have we met?"

They had never seen each other before. If they had, Lu Mingzhu would have remembered.

The woman smiled. "I was one of Professor Luo’s earliest students. When I was rebellious and resentful, he guided me to make our own way and protected our frail mother from harm. I am eternally grateful to him and his wife, which is why I came to Luo Qi’s wedding. Ms. Lu, my name is Nie Zheng—Zheng as in 'resounding.' My mother was Nie Congyun’s first wife. You must have heard of her."

He Yun did not intervene, allowing the main branch of the family to secure their rightful inheritance.

How could Mrs. Nie and her family not feel grateful for this?

They knew the second branch had sought help everywhere—approaching Zhong Shaokang, pleading with He Yun, even hiring gangsters to threaten the main branch into relinquishing their inheritance. However, He Yun refused the second branch’s pleas, and Zhong Shaokang, despite being related by marriage, offered no assistance, insisting instead on a fair and lawful resolution.

The principle of fairness meant the main branch emerged as the biggest winner, while the other children received roughly equal shares. The self-important second branch failed to secure what they desired and resorted to numerous underhanded schemes.

This heated inheritance dispute only concluded in the middle of this year.

Mrs. Nie was well aware she lacked the skills to manage the company. Though her two daughters were capable, Nie Congyun had held them back, preventing them from studying business administration, making it difficult for them to take over the family business. To this day, Mrs. Nie remained distrustful of her sons-in-law, fearing they might follow Nie Congyun’s example. Thus, the mother and daughters sold most of their company shares to the new gambling king, retaining only a small portion for dividends before moving from Macau to Hong Kong.

Under these circumstances, staying on good terms with Lu Mingzhu was essential.

Nie Zheng briefly explained the situation to Lu Mingzhu, who then understood. "So that’s how it is. This is our first meeting—I hope we’ll get along well in the future."

"Certainly." The main branch had no conflicts with Lu Mingzhu whatsoever.

After the wedding, Lu Mingzhu didn’t return to Hong Kong immediately. Nie Zheng invited her for tea and shared a piece of news: "I wonder if you remember a man surnamed Zhou who appeared at the second branch’s wedding?"

"I do. He’s the biological father of my sworn brother." Lu Mingzhu hadn’t thought about him in a long time.

Nie Zheng continued, "Not long ago, I accidentally ran into him at a banquet. I paid him no mind, but then I heard him bragging to people that his granddaughter was the wife of your family’s Lu Shen, making him in-laws with the Lu family. When people doubted him, this Mr. Zhou produced photos as proof. Someone recognized them, saying the daughter-in-law in the pictures did resemble Lu Shen’s wife, and the uncles and aunts who had appeared at the wedding were also in the photos, albeit much younger."

Lu Mingzhu frowned. "What is he trying to do?"

"Rumor has it that the son born to his second wife died young, leaving only a sickly daughter who’s too delicate to endure any hardship. With no heir in sight, he’s now heading to Hong Kong to reclaim his family ties." Nie Zheng relayed what she had heard and added, "He even went to your pharmaceutical lab looking for Lu Shen’s wife but wasn’t allowed in."

Lu Mingzhu listened quietly. "I see. Thank you for the warning."

This was a messy situation, and she had no intention of getting involved.

Though Zhou’s father had prevented Zhou Yuntao from studying abroad, he had indeed raised all three of his children and even arranged Zhou Yuntao’s marriage. For that alone, Zhou Yuntao and his siblings were duty-bound to support him in his old age.

Bitterness wouldn’t change reality.

Even decades later, in the 21st century, the law would still require them to support their father.

With Zhou Yuntao’s whereabouts unknown, the responsibility fell on his younger siblings. They, however, were straightforward—since he was their biological father, there was no need for formal "reconciliation." They called him 'Father' without emotional attachment, to keep him from disturbing Zhou Xiuxiu and Zhou Yiheng’s lives or pursuing Zhou Yuntao’s whereabouts.

If Zhou’s father came, they acknowledged him—ethically, if not emotionally.

No outsider could accuse them of being unfilial.

Upon returning to Hong Kong, Lu Mingzhu learned that Zhou’s father had succeeded in reuniting with his son and daughter. Thrilled to discover his grandson’s success and his granddaughter’s marriage into the prestigious Lu family as the highly regarded eldest son’s wife, he celebrated with heavy drinking—only to be left paralyzed after a stroke.

This outcome was entirely unexpected.

Half of Zhou’s father’s body was paralyzed, his speech slurred, and his movements impaired. Zhou Yiheng and his uncle and aunt promptly dumped him on the current Mrs. Zhou, stipulating that if she took proper care of him, the Zhou family’s wealth would belong entirely to her and her daughter, with the main branch claiming nothing.

Mrs. Zhou was overjoyed and readily agreed—she needed plenty of money to care for her frail daughter.

"This godfather Zhou is truly getting his just deserts. In his old age, his wife stands by him," Lu Mingzhu found this resolution quite satisfying. She then asked He Yun, "Speaking of Zhous—Zhou Wenyuan is even more shameless and ruthless. What became of that son? Without Wenwen as a donor, did the parents donate their kidneys?"

He Yun quickly recalled who Zhou Wenyuan was.

With a faint smile, he replied, "The parents didn’t donate. They bought one instead."

"Buying a kidney?" Lu Mingzhu's brow furrowed.

"Money talks," He Yun said bluntly. "Giving up one kidney isn’t life-threatening, and in return, they receive a large sum of money to improve their lives. Plenty of people are willing." It was the truth. "No one took the job of kidnapping Zhou Wen, so in desperation, they specifically sought out a young person with a matching blood type. That young man took the money, signed an agreement to voluntarily donate a kidney, and is scheduled for the transplant surgery at Hong Kong’s best hospital, with a renowned doctor performing the operation."

Lu Mingzhu turned to Xie Junyao and said, "Your turn."

"My turn for what?" Xie Junyao asked, confused.

"Wish their surgery to fail," Lu Mingzhu replied, confident his jinx would surely work its magic.

Not like the matching system back then was foolproof anyway.