Chapter 2
Zhao Mingquan followed them. He wanted to see Fu Zhi off. Besides, he also wanted to know who had adopted Fu Zhi and make sure that he or she would treat her well.
10
By the time the three of them arrived at the entrance, the car of the Lu Family was waiting for them outside the hospital.
It was noon, but it seemed as if there was a shield around the car, as the sunlight could do little to dispel the gloom inside it. Lu Jingqing was holding his head low, so half of his face was shrouded in the darkness.
He did not lift his head until his secretary, who was in the driver’s seat, reminded him. Even in the dark, his eyes looked deep and intense. He looked past the director of the orphanage and zeroed in on Fu Zhi. He studied the girl for a few seconds before averting his gaze.
This was the family that was going to take Fu Zhi under its care. The man was Lu Jingqing, one of the magnates of Yu City.
Lu Jingqing and his wife, Xu Wei, were a loving couple. Unfortunately, a catastrophic event had occurred when Xu Wei had gotten pregnant with her second child after they’d tied the knot. She had experienced a miscarriage-like symptom which had not only caused her son to be born with an intellectual disability but had also rendered her unable to bear another child.
Xu Wei had always wanted to have a daughter. Thus, she had talked with Lu Jingqing and the two of them had decided to adopt a little girl from the orphanage. She had taken a fancy to Fu Zhi the first time she had met her, but sadly, she had been adopted at the time.
When the director of the orphanage had phoned Xu Wei today, she had not been holding on to much hope. However, little had she known that Xu Wei would agree to take Fu Zhi under her wings without any hesitation. Also, since Yu City was half a day away from this small town, she had urged her husband, who was on a business trip to the small town to pick Fu Zhi up, as she did not want anything to get in the way of adopting Fu Zhi again.
After some time that seemed like an eternity, the secretary sitting in the driver’s seat reminded the man once more, “Sir, don’t you want to go out and meet Ms. Fu?”
Upon hearing these words, Lu Jingqing raised his hand and opened the door. He was dressed in sapphire. His features were perfect and classic, and his deep and narrow eyes further accentuated his great charisma.
3
The director pointed at Fu Zhi and said, “Mr. Lu, meet Fu Zhi.”
A hint of amazement blossomed across Lu Jingqing’s face.
He had shot her only a hurried glance earlier, so this was the first time he came face to face with the little girl that his wife had always been talking about.
Lu Jingqing knew that the living conditions in a small town were not that favorable. Initially, he had pictured Fu Zhi as a girl with ordinary facial features in a rustic dress who’d had all her edges smoothened by life, just like the man standing behind her.
However, when he took a closer look at her, he realized that Fu Zhi was wearing a white t-shirt and a pair of long dungarees that wrapped around her legs, leaving only her delicate ankles bared to the air.
She was undoubtedly a pretty girl. Her long black hair cascaded down her back and over her shoulders. Her almond-shaped eyes were half-closed, and her eyelashes were long and delicately arranged. She exuded a kind of serenity that seemed to draw people closer to her.
First impressions were imperative in human interactions. It took Lu Jingqing only a glance to understand why his wife’s eyes would sparkle with joy whenever she mentioned this little girl.
Upon seeing Lu Jingqing nod, the director turned to Fu Zhi and said, “Zhizhi, this is Mr. Lu Jingqing that I told you about.”
Fu Zhi followed the director’s gaze and met Lu Jingqing’s gaze.
There was no expression on his hard-lined face.
Zhao Mingquan was standing dumbfoundedly behind Fu Zhi.
He was familiar with the car that Lu Jingqing had exited. It was a Land Rover that cost as much as a seven-figure sum.
“Mr. Lu, do you really want to adopt Zhizhi?” It was apparent that the Lu Family was affluent. The gap between them and the Lu Family was too huge. Zhao Mingquan had a hunch that the Lu Family had only adopted Fu Zhi on the spur of the moment, and he feared that they would not take good care of her.
8
Lu Jingqing turned his body sideways and looked at him. It took him quite a long while to study the man in front of him before he said in a level tone, “You are?”
Zhao Mingquan was stumped. Nevertheless, he soon collected himself and said with confidence, “I’m Fu Zhi’s foster father!”
1
Even though Zhao Mingquan felt a little embarrassed by Lu Jingqing’s attitude, since he was still Fu Zhi’s guardian, he bit the bullet and said, “If I could be so forward, Mr. Lu, I think it would not be good for either your family or Zhizhi if you adopted her without knowing anything about her.”
Generally, people would find out a kid’s background and personality before adopting it from an orphanage. However, Lu Jingqing gave Zhao Mingquan the impression that he had decided to adopt Fu Zhi on a whim.
3
Therefore, he felt that he had the obligation to let him know about the whole situation. “Zhizhi doesn’t look as obedient as she seems. She has a weird temperament, and she is a particularly poor student at school…”
8
“We will hire the best teacher to tutor her, but it’s fine even if she doesn’t like to study. The Lu Family has more than enough money to support her for her entire life.”
4
Zhao Mingquan thought Lu Jingqing would back away, but it seemed that he was wrong. He raised his head and looked at him.
The man before him stood as straight as a ramrod. The unperturbed expression etched on his face told Zhao Mingquan that he had not taken anything he had said to heart.
Judging by what he had just said, Zhao Mingquan knew he was the kind of person who thought money could solve every problem in the world. He did not care about the pride of the poor and he made it look like they had been treating Fu Zhi badly all along.
8
It was apparent to Zhao Mingquan that Lu Jingqing was a self-contained and conceited rich man.
12
Considering the fact that Fu Zhi had refused to take the 500 yuan that he had given her, he was certain that she would never be superficial enough to take a liking to a businessman like Li Jingqing who put money above everything.
2
Therefore, he mustered up all his courage and pressed on. “Although we’re poor, we’ve treated Fu Zhi as our own daughter. She had a good life here, and most importantly, she didn’t have to worry about being sent back to the orphanage because of a blot on the escutcheon!”
10
“Mr. Zhao!” The director sounded tense and angry. She instinctively turned to look at Lu Jingqing. Right now, he was leaning against the side of his car with his hands half-tucked into his pockets, and the bones of his fingers were slightly protruded.
His eyes were half-closed, but she knew that he was looking at Fu Zhi.
He had not taken anything Zhao Mingqing had said to heart.
The director heaved a sigh of relief. She then turned to Fu Zhi and said, “Zhizhi, Mr. Lu is here to take you to live with Mrs. Lu in Yu City. What do you think?”
Fu Zhi lifted her eyes to take a look at the director, whose face was shining with expectation, and then turned to look at Lu Jingqing.
She did not say anything, and Lu Jingqing just stood there and allowed her to study him.
The two of them did not talk at all, and the director wondered if they would make a good family or not.
Just as she was starting to worry, she heard Fu Zhi ask Lu Jingqing in a straightforward manner, “Would you abandon me?”
19
Her voice was light and devoid of emotion. It was as if getting abandoned was a normal thing for her.
Lu Jingqing felt his heart ache when he heard this question.
1
Mrs. Lu had always wanted a daughter. Lu Jingqing knew she liked Fu Zhi, and there was no pressure for him to have one more child in his house.
Therefore, he replied resolutely, “No. I would never abandon you.”
Then, the moment he finished talking, he saw light burst out of the little girl’s almond eyes as if there were stars in them. She reminded him of his wife when she was happy. Thus, he added, “When you join the Lu Family, you will be my daughter. No one will ever dare to think of you as a bane.”
7
The director knew Lu Jingqing was a man of his word. She felt assured leaving Fu Zhi in his care, so she said, “Zhizhi, after you pack up your stuff from the Zhao Family’s house, you can follow Mr. Lu to your new home.”
Fu Zhi nodded and answered, “Okay.”
Zhao Mingquan looked in disbelief at the three people in front of him with sadness and disappointment written all over his wrinkled face.
11
The Land Rover soon drove away. Before he could tell Fu Zhi to be more tolerant of the other children in her new home, the phone in his pocket rang.
When he answered it, Mrs. Zhao’s flustered voice blared out. “I just received a call from the school. They said Youyou lied about bullying other students, and they are going to expel her!”
7