Chapter 32: Invitation from the Lu Family

On the way back to Jingyuan, Su Yun Jiao didn't say a word, merely deliberately looking out the window.

Secretary Li, driving ahead, couldn't help asking, "Miss Su, are you still going to the hospital tomorrow?"

……

Su Yun Jiao caught a glimpse of Lu Jingqing sitting next to her out of the corner of her eye.

He propped his elbow on the car window with one hand, his fingertip brushing his lips, revealing a faint smile.

Su Yun Jiao silently clenched her small fist.

"Let me reiterate, I'm not afraid of ghosts; I was forced!"

She had long passed the age of being afraid of ghosts.

She simply didn't want to spend a night under the same narrow roof with Lu Jingqing.

This is scarier than a haunted hospital.

When the car pulled into Jingyuan's garage, Su Yun Jiao almost immediately ran upstairs.

Seeing this, Secretary Li said with some surprise, "Boss Lu, Miss Su doesn't like you very much? How could she run faster than a rabbit?"

"She's shy."

???

Secretary Li looked doubtfully at Lu Jingqing beside him.

Shy?

Really?

Lu Jingqing shook his head: "This little girl of that age is truly hopeless."

……

Upstairs.

Su Yun Jiao had already returned to her own room.

Actually, after receiving an IV this afternoon, her body had already improved; now she just felt a bit weak.

She took out her phone and searched online for what girls with a cold-deficient constitution should eat to nourish themselves.

Thinking about how she had been eating meals prepared by the Lu family for years, feeling grateful and treating Lu Mu as her own mother, and feeling deeply moved toward this mother-son pair, Su Yun Jiao felt an urge to slap her past self to death.

Detestable.

How should I make up for it?

I've been harmed for several years already, and I don't know if I can recover.

Thud—thud—

At that moment, a knocking sound came from outside the door.

"Miss Su, the master asked me to bring dinner over."

"Oh, okay."

Su Yun Jiao got up and then opened the door.

I saw Liu Ma place the prepared dinner on a side table, saying, "The master said Miss Su didn't eat well tonight, so he specially asked me to make some nourishing food."

Because Lu Mu suddenly appeared out of nowhere and caused a scene, Su Yun Jiao indeed didn't eat well in the evening.

Liu Ma stewed lamb, also prepared a nourishing goji and silver ear soup, and specially made a light stir-fried celery.

Although simple, it looked complete in color, aroma, and flavor.

Su Yun Jiao stepped forward, lowered her head, and glanced at the entry she had searched online.

Those with a cold-deficient constitution are suited to eat lamb, goji berries, and celery.

Su Yun Jiao sat by the table, looking at the dishes before her, feeling doubtful: "Aunt Liu, did Brother Jingqing ask you to make these?"

"Yes, the master is never picky about food, but today he specially called to pick a recipe; fortunately we have all these ingredients at home, so it's not much trouble."

Upon hearing that, Su Yun Jiao fell somewhat silent.

Lu Jingqing…… seemed not to want to harm her.

Moreover, these are all suitable for someone with a cold-deficient constitution.

They can nourish the body.

Could it be that the previous kidnapping incident was a misunderstanding of Lu Jingqing on her part?

Actually…… he never had any designs on the Su family's property?

Could it be…… he poisoned her?

Su Yun Jiao's face turned pale.

One cannot be without caution; it's better to test first.

At the same time——

In the study, Lu Jingqing took off his gold-rimmed glasses, frowned, and asked, "Silver chopsticks?"

"Yes, Miss Su just said she wanted to eat with silver chopsticks, but we don't seem to have any, so I wanted to request some money to buy her a pair."

Upon hearing Aunt Liu's words, Lu Jingqing suddenly laughed.

"Master?"

Aunt Liu looked bewildered.

"What's there to laugh about?"

Lu Jingqing said to Secretary Li beside him, "I recall there should be a pair of silver chopsticks in the attic; bring them out."

"But Boss Lu, those silver chopsticks aren't ordinary…… you really want to take them out to use?"

Everything placed in the attic are precious collectibles.

That pair of silver chopsticks, Secretary Li still recalls, was a national gift presented by a certain embassy.

It was personally designed and crafted by a master; there is only this pair in the whole world.

It is of great value and extraordinary significance.

It was actually… just taken away to be used for eating?

"Go get it; it's not something important, and besides, chopsticks are useless if they can't be used to eat."

"Yes, Boss Lu."

Secretary Li took the attic key and quickly brought out that precious pair of silver chopsticks.

Engraved on them is a dragon-and-phoenix pattern—one chopstick is a dragon, the other a phoenix, carved lifelike, with a circle of gold thread inlaid around them.

This pair of chopsticks feels heavy; at a glance it's made of solid silver.

Secretary Li looked at the pair of chopsticks and couldn't help but say, "Boss Lu, you really dote on her."

Inside the room.

Su Yun Jiao stared at the food in front of her and didn't move her chopsticks.

She was afraid there might be even a trace of poison in it.

Soon, Liu Ma brought the chopsticks over.

Looking at the exquisite silver chopsticks like works of art, Su Yun Jiao simply took them normally: "Thank you, Liu Ma!"

Liu Ma had originally wanted to remind Su Yun Jiao that these chopsticks were very valuable.

But Su Yun Jiao just hefted them and exclaimed, "They're quite heavy."

Then she lowered her head and started eating.

"……"

It seems that, not knowing the value of these chopsticks, they are just chopsticks after all.

Liu Ma quickly went out.

In the end, the silver chopsticks did not turn black.

This proved there was no poison.

But after eating, Su Yun Jiao realized that the idea that silver chopsticks turn black when exposed to poison came from TV dramas.

TV dramas always use exaggerated depictions.

Surely silver chopsticks can't test for every kind of poison, can they?

So Su Yun Jiao politely asked Zhou Xian: "Class president, can silver chopsticks really be used to test for poison?"

Zhou Xian: "……Is someone trying to poison you?"

Su Yun Jiao: "Um…… After you asked that, I again feel it's impossible."

What era is this—do people really still engage in such clichéd poisoning?

Putting rat poison, however, is possible.

Early the next morning.

Su Yun Jiao waited overnight, but the poison did not take effect.

On the contrary, her complexion became much healthier.

Zhou Xian had asked for two days off for her yesterday; today she doesn't need to go to school, but she cannot miss any of the homework that needs to be done.

Outside the door, Liu Ma knocked and said, "Miss Su, the master asked me to bring you clothes."

"Clothes? Is there something going on?"

Liu Ma walked in, only to see she was holding a delicate white gift box.

The gift box contained a neatly folded set of formal attire.

Upon opening it, Su Yun Jiao saw a white formal dress—a strapless, floor-length gauze gown—and a beautiful princess crown.

The crown is adorned with pearls and tiny diamonds, very lovely.

"Isn't the coming-of-age ceremony still a month away? This is……"

"It's not the coming-of-age ceremony; it's an invitation sent today by the Lu family to hold a belated birthday banquet for Young Master Lu tonight."