Chapter 70: Don't try to mess with my future husband

Ning Yao was stunned for a moment.

This cousin of hers had always been as gentle and meek as a little white rabbit, with a soft and pliable personality.

Even as a child, when she was secretly bullied and made to cry by her little tricks, she never fought back, nor would she tell on her to an adult.

Also, after being driven out of the Ning Family, a few years ago Ning Jinli came to her door, knelt and begged for money, saying the person who had taken her in was seriously ill and had no money for treatment.

At that time Ning Yao laughed at her scornfully, she didn't get a single cent, and left in tears.

Later on, whenever they happened to run into each other, Ning Yao would mock her to her face for amusement; even if Ning Jinli was so angry her face turned red, she never talked back.

But it was fun.

How come now… as soon as she opens her mouth she retorts people, she's a bit like a hedgehog?

Ning Yao snapped out of her brief reverie, lifted her chin, and said disdainfully, "Speaking so rudely, you really have no upbringing."

"Yes, yes, you're the most well‑bred." Ning Jinli replied offhandedly, her tone still indifferent.

"You…" Ning Yao instantly felt like she was punching cotton.

Her expression shifted, and she forcibly swallowed her anger.

After all, there were too many strangers around; she had to watch her image, otherwise she'd be unworthy of this splendid, high‑end outfit.

"Well, I won't argue with you," Ning Yao said, a hint of arrogance in her eyes, "you'd better go cool off somewhere else; don't hang around here."

"Tonight's opera performance features a world‑top‑tier troupe, and tickets are limited. Even my father had to pull strings to get me one."

"So, only wealthy, high‑status elites can get in to watch the show."

"As for you, you definitely don't have the qualifications or the means to buy a ticket… yet you've come here—could it be…"

Ning Yao got to this point, suddenly as if she'd uncovered a huge secret, her voice rose, and she exclaimed, "Ah! You couldn't be planning to go to the entrance to scout for rich men, hoping to hook up with one, could you?"

Those nearby heard this, glanced over, looked at Ning Jinli, and all showed somewhat intriguing expressions, some with a faint sneer.

Ning Jinli paid no attention to this; she only wanted to find the ticket checkpoint and had no mind to waste time with Ning Yao here.

She looked around, finally spotted the checkpoint entrance, and walked over.

Ning Yao kept following, speaking in a sarcastic tone: "Not saying anything? Did I expose your motive, making you nervous? Hey, I'd say you at least ought to dress decently, put on some makeup or something."

Seeing Ning Jinli approach the ticket checkpoint, Ning Yao quickened her steps and got ahead of her.

Ning Jinli frowned, "Didn't your mother teach you to line up?"

Ning Yao sneered, "I know you're flustered and trying to dodge me, so let me remind you: this is the entrance ticket checkpoint, don't just barge in. Step aside, don't delay my entry to watch the opera."

She tilted her head slightly and gave a glance to the driver standing nearby.

The driver immediately took out a ticket from his pocket and offered it with both hands.

Ning Yao took the ticket, waved it ostentatiously in front of Ning Jinli, then handed it to the attendant, and with a smug smile walked forward, saying to Ning Jinli, "I'm going in to enjoy the opera, bye~"

"Miss, please wait a moment," the ticket attendant suddenly said, reaching out to stop her.

Ning Yao frowned, "What's wrong?"

The attendant handed the ticket back to her and pointed to a nearby spot, saying, "This is the VIP lane; the regular ticket lane is over there."

"Huh?" Ning Yao whispered, "Sorry, I didn't notice."

"No problem," the attendant replied with a smile.

Ning Yao felt a bit embarrassed and turned to leave.

After walking a few steps, she almost instinctively looked back and saw that Ning Jinli had already entered the VIP passage.

"Huh? Not…" Ning Yao gasped, pointing at Ning Jinli's back and shouting, "Someone's sneaked in without a ticket! Hurry up and catch them!"

The commotion drew another round of sideways glances from the people nearby.

Ning Yao raised her voice even more, declaring emphatically, "She must have slipped in while I caused a little mix‑up that distracted you ticket‑checkers! Such a shameless person—don't let her get away with it!"

The attendant, somewhat speechless, said, "Miss, please don't make a scene, and don't slander others. The person who just went in—I checked her ticket; she has a VIP pass."

"What?!" Ning Yao froze on the spot.

Light laughter rippled through the surrounding crowd.

Ning Yao's mind went blank, her face started to heat up; without thinking further, she lowered her head and hurried away.

Really, it was so embarrassing…

Only after entering the theater through the regular ticket entrance did Ning Yao finally recover from her earlier embarrassment.

She glanced at the time; the performance was still more than half an hour away.

Not far from the lobby there was a lounge, and beside it the theater's upscale restaurant.

She glanced into the lounge, saw no trace of the Lu family young master, so she went to the restroom to touch up her makeup, then headed toward the restaurant.

The high‑end restaurant inside this grand theater offers food and drink of very high quality, with steep prices.

Even ordinary people who come to see a regular performance tend to shy away from it.

But it is favored by the elite; whenever high‑society folks come here to watch an opera, they will definitely go into this restaurant for a drink or a bite.

Ning Yao is aware of these circumstances.

Therefore she thought it possible she might run into the Lu family young master in the restaurant before the performance starts.

If she didn't happen to meet him, she would just have a drink to calm her nerves, so she wouldn't be in a bad state when she did see him.

Thinking of this, she couldn't help but feel resentment toward Ning Jinli.

If it weren't for Ning Jinli causing her embarrassment, she would already be in her best condition.

But strangely… how on earth did Ning Jinli manage to get a ticket, and a VIP one at that?

Ning Yao pondered this as she walked toward the restaurant.

If it were an ordinary opera performance, it would be fine—ordinary people could afford it.

But tonight's performance is different.

The world‑top‑tier troupe's tour—tickets are extremely hard to come by, and without some connections it's tough to get one.

Ning Jinli couldn't possibly have any connections.

Could it have been stolen by her?

It also seems impossible; with her temperament, she wouldn't be capable of such a thing.

I think I heard dad say she probably made some money by selling antiques and was hoping to revitalize that dilapidated factory… So there's only one possibility—

She spared no expense, threw in a lot of money, and with a bit of luck, managed to get scalped tickets!

Ning Yao was confident in this analysis of hers, and recalling that she had previously guessed correctly the purpose of Ning Jinli's coming here, the two could corroborate each other.

"Good evening, miss. How many?" the restaurant server's question interrupted Ning Yao's thoughts.

Ning Yao looked up and said, "Just one."

"Alright, right this way," the server politely guided.

Ning Yao followed, silently scanning the restaurant's situation.

There were many patrons in the restaurant, but all dined quietly to the gentle classical piano music; the atmosphere was excellent.

Suddenly, a silhouette entered Ning Yao's view.

Even among the many distinguished men and women in the restaurant, that figure stood out, as if radiating its own brilliance.

It's him!

The future heir of the Lu family—Lu Jue Ming!

Ning Yao's heart began to pound; she took a few deep breaths in secret, smoothed her hair, and walked toward Lu Jue Ming.

As she walked, she seized the moment beside the passing mirrored décor to check her appearance.

Hair, makeup, accessories, and outfit.

Hmm, from head to toe exuded noble elegance.

Especially under the upscale ambient lighting, she was simply stunning.

Ning Yao was pleased, lifted her head, straightened her back, and wore a confident smile.

But when she, halfway there, redirected her gaze toward Lu Jue Ming, her steps halted and the smile on her face suddenly froze.

She saw Ning Jinli.

No one knew where the person had just emerged from, but she sat directly opposite Lu Jue Ming, grinning and greeting him!

"Well, look at you, Ning Jinli," Ning Yao's eyes flashed with a cold smile, "It's one thing to try to hook up with a rich man, but to get on Lu's head—should I praise your foresight, or say your luck is bad…"

At that moment, Lu Jue Ming said something to Ning Jinli, then stood up and left.

Ning Yao intended to follow, but saw him heading toward the restroom, so she went straight to Ning Jinli's side and said, "What a coincidence, cousin, you also came here to dine?"

Ning Jinli glanced, expressionless, and said, "I don't want it to be that coincidental."

Ning Yao curled her mouth and plopped down opposite her.

"There's someone here," Ning Jinli warned, "You go over to the side."

Ning Yao displayed a mocking smile that seemed to have seen through everything, "Cousin, you really aren't easy."

Ning Jinli slightly frowned, "What do you want to say?"

Ning Yao rested her elbow on the table, gently pulling her chin with one hand, "These days it's hard for you to get in touch with the upper circles; you finally got a chance, and you didn't skimp on spending to secure tickets to this opera, right?"

Ning Jinli's mind filled with question marks—what was she talking about?

"Sigh... now that you mention it," Ning Yao forced a smile, continuing to mock, "You, after all, were the Ning Family's eldest daughter; even if you've fallen to an ordinary life, you still cling to the privileged circles of your childhood."

"Cousin, you've been simple‑hearted since childhood; I could see through you at a glance. Now that you're grown, you know how to use some tricks, but unfortunately, I still see right through you with ease."

"You actually try to force your way into the upper circles with this method—it's laughable, still so foolish and naive..."

Listening to these words, Ning Jinli roughly understood.

It turned out Ning Yao was just guessing wildly.

She, a bit speechless, propped her forehead, too lazy to explain, and said calmly, "Are you done? If you're done, leave quickly; don't delay my business."

However, that reaction only made Ning Yao more certain of her conjecture.

"Business?" Ning Yao almost laughed out loud, "Did you really think you could latch onto a rich man here? I admit you're beautiful, but beauty alone is far from enough."

"Rich men, especially top‑tier ones, value the other's background and wealth. A woman like you, who has nothing but looks, will at most be treated as entertainment."

"You're at least in your twenties, how can you still believe that naive Cinderella‑and‑prince story? Do you really expect to turn your life around that way?"

Ning Yao launched into a lofty sermon of scorn and ridicule.

Hearing it, Ning Jinli couldn't help but start laughing inside.

"You really don't need to worry about my affairs; I don't welcome you here either," Ning Jinli said, suppressing a smile, her face calm, "If you truly have nothing to do, you could help the server with cleaning up."

Ning Yao's mocking smile grew more evident, "So eager to push me out? Afraid I'll ruin your good plans later? I won't leave; what can you do to me?"

Ning Jinli looked around, found no other empty seats, and had to abandon the thought of switching seats with Lu Jue Ming later.

At that moment, Lu Jue Ming emerged from the restroom.

He saw someone occupying his seat, and Ning Jinli seemed to be chatting with someone, so he walked over slowly, intending to greet them.

Ning Yao's mind was entirely on making Ning Jinli embarrassed; she didn't notice the tall figure approaching from behind, and deliberately asked Ning Jinli, "Tell me, do you know who the man who just sat in my seat is?"

Hearing that, Lu Jue Ming stopped behind Ning Yao.

Ning Jinli lifted her gaze, gave him a glance, and asked back, "Do you know?"

Ning Yao smiled brightly, "Of course. I don't mind telling you; he's the future heir of one of Xinghan City's top aristocratic families, the Lu family—Lu Jue Ming."

"Ah, so it's him?" Ning Jinli pretended to be surprised.

Ning Yao grew even more smug, "Furthermore, let me tell you, the Lu family will become my family's investor; the two families will soon forge a close partnership, and I will marry Lu Jue Ming—I will be the future young lady of the Lu family."

Lu Jue Ming's expression clearly froze for a moment.

Although he currently doesn't involve himself in the family's business affairs, he knows they have indeed made considerable investments, yet he has never heard of a marriage alliance with an investee.

He silently spread his hands and shook his head at Ning Jinli.

"Then shouldn't I be congratulating you?" Ning Jinli forced herself not to laugh out loud, kept playing along, pretending to be the straight man.

"That's true," Ning Yao lifted her chin like a proud white swan, "so I advise you not to play any crooked tricks on my future husband, or you'll end up unable to swallow it and go away! If you can kill that intention early and you really want to flirt, hurry and pick a new target; there's still time."

Lu Jue Ming's cheek twitched a bit.

In the time it took to use the restroom, someone suddenly claimed to be his fiancée—truly absurd.

And moreover, that woman said Ning Jinli was playing a crooked trick on him?

What on earth is going on!

Seeing Lu Jue Ming about to lose his composure, Ning Jinli couldn't hold it any longer and burst into a laugh, leaning forward and backward with a "puchi" sound.

Ning Yao frowned, "What do you mean?"

"Hahaha, nothing… nothing at all," Ning Jinli said while laughing, "I just simply thought it was too funny."

Ning Yao, inexplicably irritated, rolled her eyes, crossed her arms and scornfully warned, "Get out, don't delay my date with him; otherwise when he returns, I won't give you any face at all."

The waiter now carried two drinks from behind Ning Yao, the ones Lu Jue Ming and Ning Jinli had ordered earlier.

Lu Jue Ming gave a glance as a signal, then took the two drinks himself.

Ning Jinli laughed and teased him, "Mr. Lu, so you're on a date with your fiancée. Am I intruding? Should I step aside?"