Chapter 7: On the day of the coming‑of‑age ceremony, could we get engaged?

Su Yun Jiao sat before Lu Jingqing, her eyes full of sincerity, she proactively handed him chopsticks: "How about you eat first, Jingqing brother? We can talk after you finish."

Lu Jingqing looked at Su Yun Jiao's fawning expression, hesitated a moment, then still chose to take the chopsticks.

The dishes on the table were all home-style.

Su Yun Jiao must have specially set out a dish; Lu Jingqing scooped a spoonful of porridge to his mouth.

The century‑egg and lean‑meat porridge was cooked to just the right saltiness, very tasty.

Lu Jingqing said lightly: "Speak, what exactly do you want from me?"

"Actually, it's not a big deal—isn't it because I'll be coming of age in a month? I want to hold a coming‑of‑age ceremony."

"Hmm."

"Lu Aunt might want to help me with the coming‑of‑age ceremony, but I don't want to trouble her……"

"So you want to trouble me?"

"Can I?"

Looking at Su Yun Jiao's eyes full of expectation, Lu Jingqing said lightly: "I'll think about it."

"So that means you agree?"

Su Yun Jiao exclaimed delightedly: "I knew you were a great person, Jingqing brother! You'll definitely agree!"

Seeing Lu Jingqing not refuse, Su Yun Jiao cleared her throat and said: "I, I actually have another matter I'd like to trouble you with, Jingqing brother."

"Speak."

Lu Jingqing drank the porridge indifferently.

Su Yun Jiao awkwardly said: "You know, I have an engagement with the Lu family, set by my parents while they were alive, but I don't like Lu Chi; on the day of my coming‑of‑age ceremony, could I become engaged to you instead?"

"Cough—cough!"

Lu Jingqing choked on a mouthful of porridge, his face changing color.

Seeing this, Su Yun Jiao hurried to grab a tissue: "Jingqing brother, are you alright?"

Seeing Su Yun Jiao about to touch him, Lu Jingqing immediately put distance between himself and Su Yun Jiao.

He blocked the hand she extended with the tissue, barely stabilizing his expression, but his face remained dark: "Do you even know what you're saying?"

"I, I certainly know what I'm saying, it's just a bit awkward……"

Su Yun Jiao was also doing this for the first time—being so thick‑skinned as to actively propose to a man she'd only met twice.

The scene became a little awkward for a moment.

Su Yun Jiao quickly found an excuse for herself and immediately said:

"This is just a stopgap measure; my father's will says that before I come of age I'm entrusted to Uncle Lu's care, and after that I'm to marry into the Lu family as a daughter‑in‑law. Once I come of age, the lawyer will transfer the estate to my name, but Uncle Lu has passed away…… I also don't like arranged marriages, Jingqing brother. After my coming‑of‑age ceremony I'll inherit the estate, then we can dissolve the engagement—what do you think?"

Seeing Lu Jingqing say nothing.

Su Yun Jiao continued: "Of course, I couldn't let you work for nothing, Jingqing brother—you can ask for any request or compensation you want!"

"Anything goes?"

"Hmm…… as long as it's not too much, that's fine."

Su Yun Jiao now only wants to cut ties with the Lu family quickly.

Hoping for anything from the tiger‑eyed Lu Mu is hopeless.

She can only pin her hopes on Lu Jingqing.

All that was seen was Lu Jingqing gently wiping his mouth with a tissue, saying: "You deliberately left your ID, broke your leg, went to all this trouble—just to stay in Jingyuan and avoid the Lu family?"

Su Yun Jiao's little thought is actually not hard to guess at all.

It's just that before, seeing Su Yun Jiao was young, he hadn't thought in that direction.

Yesterday, Su Yun Jiao broke her leg; at school he hadn't seen the wound clearly at first.

But when he went to the hospital to apply medicine, he already noticed that Su Yun Jiao's abrasions were from a fall done on purpose to protect herself.

Actually it's not serious.

Seeing Lu Jingqing had figured out her thoughts, Su Yun Jiao felt her heart grow cold by half.

She knows Lu Jingqing is smart.

But she didn't know Lu Jingqing was this smart.

Such tricks actually can't fool Lu Jingqing.

"Jingqing brother, I……"

"You're in senior year of high school; you should focus on your studies. You broke your leg—have you considered whether it will affect your physical exam and studies?"

Lu Jingqing said lightly: "I'm not hungry tonight, so I won't eat."

Having said that, Lu Jingqing put down the tissue in his hand, rose, and went upstairs.

Su Yun Jiao watched Lu Jingqing go upstairs, for a moment lost for words.

"Lu Jingqing…… is this a refusal?"

"Miss Su, you say your child is this foolish?"

Liu Ma stepped forward and said: "Our master is kind‑hearted and good‑natured; if you spoke directly, he wouldn't refuse to help you. But he hates deceit most of all—moreover, how could you break your own leg? It's a shame the master called yesterday afternoon to ask what medicine we had at home; he was worried your leg might be broken."

Hearing that, Su Yun Jiao couldn't help but fall silent.

As it turned out, yesterday afternoon when going to the hospital, Lu Jingqing got out of the car first to call Liu Ma.

Su Yun Jiao hesitated and asked: "Liu Ma, is Jingqing brother…… easy to appease?"

"Appease?"

This touched Liu Ma's knowledge blind spot.

"Appease…… probably, no one has done that before."

Su Yun Jiao went upstairs, saw Lu Jingqing's door tightly closed, she knocked and said: "Jingqing brother, I didn't mean to deceive you; I just didn't know how to tell you…… I was afraid you'd refuse me. In this world I have no other relatives—I can only rely on myself. Sorry, Jingqing brother, if you don't help it's fine; I'll move out tomorrow and won't trouble you."

Su Yun Jiao's words were sincere, her voice aggrieved.

Apart from Su Yun Jiao's attempt to press her ear to the door crack, she almost seemed to be apologizing.

Lu Jingqing in the room, watching the hallway surveillance on the computer, couldn't help but chuckle.

This girl, still playing tricks.

"Jingqing brother, are you still angry? I'm really leaving tomorrow, I won't cause you any trouble!"

Su Yun Jiao, unwilling to give up, moved her ear closer to the crack in the door.

Afraid of missing any sound from the room.

Damn!

This Lu Jingqing, really cold-hearted and cold-faced.

Such a delicate girl apologizing at the door, and he actually had no reaction at all!

As expected, whether in the past or now, she can only rely on herself.

Su Yun Jiao gritted her teeth, then simply went back to her room, first making do for the night at Jingyuan.

Indoors.

Lu Jingqing watched Su Yun Jiao gradually walk back to her room on the monitor, then he turned off the computer.

Tomorrow is Saturday, no school.

Su Yun Jiao now has nowhere else to go.

He doesn't believe that this scheming girl would leave Jingyuan.

But... the little girl is actually quite cute.

Early the next morning.

Lu Jingqing went downstairs and saw that what was laid out on the table was the breakfast Liu Ma used to make.

No cute octopus sausage, no silky egg toast.

He then looked up and asked: "What about that girl from yesterday?"

"Miss Su? She left early this morning."