Chapter 7 Self-Criticism

Chapter 7: Written Reprimand

Lu Jingtang was marched back by Qin Xianzhao.

As soon as they entered the villa’s courtyard, they saw a tall figure with broad shoulders and long legs standing at the door—a veritable walk-in freezer!

The man turned around at the sound, his handsome face stern, his thick eyebrows furrowed. He kept tapping a rod against his palm.

This man was the male lead’s father, Fu Xiaqing.

It was said that the male lead didn’t resemble his father much. Instead, he took after his maternal uncle, Ye Hening, the male lead from another novel—both of them fitting the "deceptively refined scoundrel" archetype.

Fu Xiaqing, on the other hand, had been an army brute in his youth and was clueless about business. The son of the richest man couldn’t even recite the multiplication table, which worried Grandpa Fu so much that he couldn’t sleep for days. At twenty-five, he even considered giving his son nootropics.

Finally, after the appearance of Lady Xixi, the male lead’s mother, Grandpa Fu realized that if his son was useless, he should find him a wife who knew business.

Thus, Xixi, who was then the chairman’s assistant, was singled out.

In the original story, the villainess feared Fu Xiaqing the most, yet he was also the one who treated her the best. When he heard that the villainess had almost committed murder, he took to his bed sick. Neither he nor his wife ever accepted Ji Yunyin.

Fu Xiaqing said, "You’re back."

Lu Jingtang swallowed nervously and instinctively hid behind Qin Xianzhao. "Uncle... I’m too old for physical discipline, don’t you think?"

Fu Xiaqing remained unmoved. "Come here. Hold out your hand."

To his surprise, Lu Jingtang turned and ran. Fu Xiaqing was stunned for a moment before snapping back to reality—the audacity!

Fu’s mother and the servants finally heard the commotion and rushed out to intervene. Lu Jingtang, slowed by her high heels, simply shucked them off and ran barefoot.

They chased her around the courtyard. There was no way she could outrun Fu Xiaqing, a former soldier, though the servants intermittently made token blocks.

She hid behind Old Liu, the driver, who pleaded, "Sir, why not let it go? The young lady knows she was wrong."

Fu Xiaqing fumed, "Old Liu, step aside. Look at what she’s done—she even learned to pay to have someone hurt!"

The villa became a madhouse with servants and family members scrambling about. Qin Xianzhao, however, remained perfectly calm, streaming the scene live to Fu Nanyu on his phone.

Fu Nanyu, who was drinking with Qi Heng and others, watched the video and replied to Qin Xianzhao with just a period.

For the next week, Lu Jingtang was forbidden to leave the house. She was ordered to write a ten-thousand-word self-criticism every day and submit it to Fu Xiaqing, starting each morning at 8 a.m. with a solemn repentance of her mistakes.

Lu Jingtang had been good at Chinese in school, but writing a ten-thousand-word self-criticism was still challenging. Though she could have searched for examples online, Fu Xiaqing, to prevent cheating, banished her to the study and had all electronic devices removed by the servants.

As she racked her brain to write, she absentmindedly petted Panda’s tail. Panda occasionally whimpered, but she paid no attention.

Suddenly, the study door opened from the outside, startling her. Her pen slipped, leaving a large ink blot on the paper.

Fu Nanyu stood at the door, holding a laptop. After starting work, he had moved out and only returned home on weekends.

He had just arrived when Lady Xixi pulled him aside for a chat before letting him rest in his room. Thinking it was almost mealtime, he decided to get some work done in the study and headed there.

Meeting her resentful gaze, Fu Nanyu felt a rare twinge of guilt. He glanced down at her self-criticism—her handwriting was truly awful.

Lu Jingtang didn’t want to bother him, assuming the male lead wouldn’t want to be alone with her. "Big brother, here to work?"

"Mhm," Fu Nanyu nodded.

Lu Jingtang collected her stuff and prepared to leave. But as she reached the door, she suddenly remembered something, paused, and turned back to face Fu Nanyu.

"Big brother, thank you for what you did at the banquet. I was immature before, but I promise to be a proper sister from now on and show respect to Uncle, Auntie, and you."

Lu Jingtang’s eyes were exceptionally beautiful—long lashes, bright and clear almond-shaped eyes, rare in their purity.

As he met her gaze, Fu Nanyu suddenly felt she had changed significantly. Perhaps he had never truly paid attention to her before.

Now, hearing her speak so sincerely, he wondered if he had been too narrow-minded in the past.

At dinner, Fu Xiaqing immediately asked, "Where’s today’s self-criticism?"

Lu Jingtang carefully placed a chicken wing on his plate and frowned. "Oh, Uncle, let’s not talk about that during dinner."

The other three at the table fell silent.

Fu Xiaqing brought up another matter: Lu Jingtang had graduated six months ago and it was time for her to work.

She was definitely going to join the Fu Corporation, but the question was which department.

Holding her ice-cold orange juice, she sneakily glanced at Fu Nanyu and said obediently, "Sure, whatever works. I’ll do as big brother says."

Fu Nanyu’s gaze lingered on her face for a moment before he replied, "I’ll have Secretary Qin make the arrangements."

"Keep a low profile at the company. Get along well with your colleagues and don’t reveal your identity, or they might hesitate to teach you their real skills out of fear," Fu Xiaqing advised.

Fu Nanyu snorted meaningfully. "She might not have the ability to keep it hidden." Though Lu Jingtang had never been to the company, she was always trending online, and the Fu Corporation’s employees were well aware of her.

Lu Jingtang understood his implication and put on a meek smile. "Thanks for the praise."

Fu Nanyu raised an eyebrow. "Was I complimenting you?"