Volume 1, Chapter 62: She Will Never Return to the Lu Family

"I won't say the same thing a second time!"

Lu Nanfeng was usually very gentle, but when he was angry, he was still somewhat terrifying.

Lu Nanfeng gritted his teeth and glared at Lu Liu: "Have you forgotten why we came here today?"

Only then did Lu Liu calm down; he had come to the banquet hoping to find an opportunity to reconcile with Lu Ning.

Yet how had things ended up like this?

Qin Xiang knew the situation was turning sour, so she cautiously said to Lu Liu, "Sixth Brother, let's go. My foot hurts a little."

Reluctantly, Lu Liu led Qin Xiang away, offering not even a word of apology.

Watching this farce, Lu Ning felt only how absurd it all was.

Aside from that, she felt nothing else.

Qin Xiang's identical tricks and the Sixth Brother's identical reaction only filled her with weariness and disgust.

Swallowing the pain in his heart, Lu Nanfeng looked anxiously at Lu Ning: "I apologize on behalf of your sixth brother. I... I never expected him to turn out like this."

When Number Six had so self-righteously demanded an apology from Lu Ning, Lu Nanfeng had felt an even deeper pang of guilt.

Lu Ning's voice was cold and detached: "I do not accept his apology."

"Ningning, I know you have every right to be angry, and I am angry too. But you truly cannot sign with Dousha. This industry is extremely complicated, and your second brother doesn't want to see you get hurt later on."

Lu Nanfeng looked at her with an expression of hopeful expectation: "Second Brother knows you've always been obedient and sensible. It was my fault for neglecting you in the past, but it won't happen again. As long as you sign with Qingguo Live Streaming, all resources will be made available to you."

"I have already agreed to sign with Dousha."

Lu Ning's reply was casual and understated.

Lu Nanfeng's expression froze; he had not expected Lu Ning to move so swiftly.

In disbelief, he said, "Such a major decision, and you made it all on your own without even thinking to consult your family?"

"My matters are for me to decide."

Lu Ning turned and walked away, unwilling to waste any more words with her second brother.

As Lu Nanfeng stared at her retreating figure, that familiar ache of helplessness surfaced in his heart once more.

The current Lu Ning had changed drastically; she no longer relied on him as her second brother, nor did she revolve around him anymore.

This little interlude at the banquet was soon forgotten by the guests.

As the gaming streamer who had achieved a twelve-kill streak, Lu Ning was immensely popular at the banquet.

Eventually, the manager of Dousha Live Streaming Company personally approached Lu Ning holding a contract: "Miss Lu, there's no time like the present. Let's sign the contract today."

Lu Ning nodded: "Alright."

Standing nearby, Lu Nanfeng watched the scene unfold in silence. He tilted his head back and finished the remaining red wine in his glass, a suffocating depression weighing heavily upon his chest.

Standing on the stage, Lu Ning looked confident and brilliant.

It was only then that Lu Nanfeng realized his younger sister had grown up before he even noticed, and she was no longer that little girl who depended entirely on the family.

***

After the banquet concluded, Lu Ning had made the acquaintance of quite a few people.

She left the venue in the company of Jiang Lu.

Jiang Lu was immensely excited: "That felt so satisfying today! Just thinking about Qin Xiang getting a taste of her own medicine makes me smile in my sleep."

Lu Ning smiled faintly: "After all this time, Qin Xiang's tactics haven't changed at all."

Yet she would never sit passively and allow herself to be framed.

"Miss Lu, let me drive you home."

Zhao Gao, the coach of the Ball Team, walked over with enthusiastic proactivity.

Just as Lu Ning was about to refuse, Lu Nanfeng stepped forward: "There's no need to trouble others. I will take my sister home."

Zhao Gao raised an eyebrow: "Are you certain your sister is willing to leave with you?"

"She is, and always will be, my sister. Coach Zhao would do well not to harbor any ulterior motives."

Lu Nanfeng had no desire to see Lu Ning entangled with the Ball Team.

Taking a step back, Lu Ning put some distance between herself and Lu Nanfeng: "I can leave on my own. I don't need either of you to drive me."

"Ningning, I have things I want to discuss with you."

With a calm expression, Lu Ning replied, "I don't think there's anything for us to discuss."

"Ningning, I know you're angry, and your sixth brother's behavior today was indeed outrageous. I will make it up to you. Can you really bring yourself to alienate our entire family just because of your sixth brother?"

Lu Ning found it all quite laughable.

Hadn't the entire family always preferred to stand by Qin Xiang's side?

She spoke with icy indifference: "To me, there is no difference."

As Lu Ning walked toward the curbside to hail a cab, she spotted a familiar car driving up and coming to a halt right in front of her.

Lu Ning knew who had arrived.

The car window rolled down, and Ji Chiqian fixed his gaze upon her: "Get in."

Lu Ning pulled open the front passenger door and got inside. The moment she shut the door, Lu Nanfeng hurried over: "Ningning, I know you're exhausted today. Can we find some time another day to sit down and talk?"

Lu Ning pressed her lips together: "We'll see."

Without another word, Ji Chiqian stepped on the accelerator and drove away.

Left standing in desolation, Lu Nanfeng turned his gaze toward the Ball Team's coach: "Coach Zhao, Ningning is never going to sign with your team, so you might as well give up that pipe dream."

"With the Lu family acting so high and mighty, why are you so afraid of me competing for her? I've never seen such blatant favoritism in my life—truly a sight to behold."

Instead of arguing, Zhao Gao looked in the direction where Lu Ning had just departed.

If his eyes hadn't deceived him, was that young man the one driving?

No wonder Lu Ning was capable of a twelve-kill streak!

But why would someone of his status appear in a place like this, and personally come to pick up a young woman? Every single sign indicated that this was no ordinary matter.

***

Inside the car, Lu Ning glanced sideways at the man beside her: "How did you end up coming here?"

"I was passing by."

With his slender hands resting on the steering wheel, Ji Chiqian looked somewhat unnatural: "Did you have a good time at the banquet today?"

"It was quite nice."

Thinking of the shattered composure of her sixth brother and the white lotus, Lu Ning's mood improved considerably.

Ji Chiqian turned his head to look at her briefly. Knowing what had transpired at the banquet was precisely why he had come to pick her up.

He had half-expected her to be emotionally affected, yet she proved to be far stronger than he had imagined.

Lu Ning's phone buzzed with a notification—she had received a message from her eldest brother.

She didn't bother to check the contents. It was bound to be nothing more than moral blackmail.

They were never tired of preaching, but she was utterly sick of listening.

Putting her phone aside, Lu Ning suggested, "Let's go eat barbecue."

"Alright. Where would you like to go?"

"There's a really good barbecue place near the back gate of my school. I used to sneak out to eat there in the past, always feeling like a thief and worrying the smell would linger on my clothes."

Playing along, Ji Chiqian asked, "Why did you have to sneak around to eat it?"

"Because my second brother didn't allow me to eat junk food like that. He said it was bad for my health..."

At this point, Lu Ning trailed off, leaving the sentence unfinished.

Noticing the shift in her emotions, Ji Chiqian asked, "Do you regret your decision to leave the Lu family?"

"No regrets."

Lu Ning lowered her eyelashes: "When it comes to minor everyday things, they were indeed quite good to me. But whenever a major issue arose—like choosing a university after the college entrance exams, or anything else—the moment it involved Qin Xiang, they would always demand that I compromise and yield."

Such scraps of petty kindness were not something she deigned to care about.

Nor did she wish to be bound by moral shackles on account of them.

The corners of Ji Chiqian's lips curved upward slightly; it seemed his worry had been entirely unnecessary.

The car came to a halt near the school's back gate.

Though Ji Chiqian frowned slightly upon surveying the surrounding hygiene and environment, he still took a seat with unhurried composure.

Lu Ning ordered a generous portion of her favorite dishes: "I haven't had this in so long. Let's get two cans of beer as well."

The vendor glanced at Ji Chiqian and asked Lu Ning, "What would your boyfriend like to eat?"

Lu Ning froze for a moment. Boyfriend?