Chapter 77: Uncle Gu, Can You Marry My Dad?

“Jian,” Bai Lu called softly.

Lai Jian stood outside the door. “What is it?”

“You don’t need to stay with me. I trust you, and I trust Brother Fuqing. I’ll be good and wait at home. Go help Brother Fuqing handle things. It must be hard for him, doing it all alone.”

“All right.”

Lai Jian closed the bedroom door behind her. Returning to the living room, she exchanged a look with Yu Fuqing. Wordlessly, he rose, and the two of them left Suite 444 together.

“Thank you for your trust, Mr. Yu,” Lai Jian said as they stepped into the elevator side by side. “Given what just happened, I don’t think it’s appropriate for you to stay with Bai Lu right now.”

Yu Fuqing didn’t reply. He only stared fixedly at the glowing number ‘8’ in the elevator, his gaze brooding and shadowed.

Lai Jian knew that the film emperor Lu lived on the eighth floor, and she understood the storm of hatred in Yu Fuqing’s heart. The pain of losing one’s beloved—such a hatred would indeed burrow into the very marrow.

When the elevator doors opened, Yu Fuqing reverted to his refined and gentle gentlemanly demeanor. “Thank you for what you did back there.”

“You live up to your reputation, Mr. Yu,” Lai Jian replied with a smile. “Everyone has their impulsive moments; you don’t need to thank me. It’s what I should do.”

Yu Fuqing made a small gesture, and the two of them got into his sports car. Only then did he ask, “You have something to say to me? Speak freely.”

Lai Jian was direct. “Mr. Yu, I wonder if you’ve noticed that Bai Lu seems like a completely different person since she woke from her coma.”

“Bai Lu isn’t different. This is who she truly is.” Yu Fuqing’s tone was calm. “My Bai Lu is a clever and perceptive girl. Growing up in an orphanage taught her to read people’s moods in order to survive. She’s good at using her cuteness and innocence to gain advantages. But let me tell you, Bai Lu isn’t scheming—she just wants an easier life for herself.”

Lai Jian let out a soft ‘oh.’ “I understand.”

Yu Fuqing waved his hand. “She clung too tightly to the little warmth the Shen family gave her, so she chose to turn a blind eye. But when Shen Xinlu pushed her down a seven-meter ski slope, that shattered her last bit of hope. Now, she sees things clearly and has no more illusions. My Bai Lu was never a foolish girl.”

Lai Jian nodded. “Then let me be blunt, Mr. Yu.”

“Go ahead.”

“Bai Lu is testing you,” Lai Jian observed his expression as she spoke slowly. “Gao Fankin’s threats are one thing, but a few tens of millions isn’t really much. Bai Lu is smart—she knows her own worth. She wants to see what choices you’ll make, how you’ll act.”

Yu Fuqing pinched the bridge of his nose. “I know. Bai Lu loves me, but I cheated on her with Shen Xinlu. She doesn’t trust me, she’s suspicious. Broken trust takes a long time to mend. Gao Fankin has seized a perfect opportunity; if I make even the slightest mistake now, I’ll lose Bai Lu forever.”

Lai Jian said, “Since you’re so clear about it, there’s no need for me to say more. Bai Lu is an inexhaustible gold mine. For her, not to mention tens of millions—even billions would be worth it. Mr. Yu, you must do whatever it takes to keep Bai Lu by your side.”

Yu Fuqing slammed his fist against the steering wheel. “I know all that, but Lai Jian, you know my situation! There’s not a single cent left in the accounts!”

Lai Jian remained absolutely calm. “Then do whatever it takes—sell the house, pawn what you can, even borrow money if you must, but you have to raise the money for Bai Lu. Gao Fankin is ruthless—since he’s already made his move, he won’t give us a chance to breathe.”

Bai Lu was right—Gao Fankin wouldn’t give them time to investigate or gather evidence slowly.

Yu Fuqing’s gaze turned sharp and cold. “Lai Jian, let me be frank. Every property and stock we have has already been mortgaged. Until the capital returns, I can’t access a single cent.”

Lai Jian gasped, shocked. She had known that Yu Xing Entertainment was in financial trouble, but hadn’t expected that the Yu family was already at the end of its rope.

“Mr. Yu, is there really no way?”

Yu Fuqing’s eyes were icy as he steeled his resolve. “I’ll find a way to get the money! As for Gao Fankin—”

“I’ll negotiate with him,” Lai Jian interrupted. “I can’t promise much, but I guarantee at least two or three days.”

Yu Fuqing ordered, “Just keep him calm. I’ll go talk to him myself very soon.”

“All right!”

Standing by the window, Bai Lu watched as Yu Fuqing’s sports car drove out through the main gate. Only then did she pick up the new phone Lai Jian had bought her, a smile playing on her lips.

“Mr. Gao, you can continue.”

“Understood.”

No superfluous words—the call lasted only four seconds before ending.

Gao Fankin sat in his office chair, glancing at a promotional plan on his desk and chuckled coldly.

Women driven by love turned to hate—truly terrifying.

He valued nothing more than stability in his actions. Cautious progress had been his formula for success. In the name of caution, he had willingly given up countless opportunities.

But now, to cooperate with a girl barely out of her teens? To conspire together on something like this?

A once-in-a-lifetime gamble—he was staking everything he had on Bai Lu.

Gao Fankin thought, if he wasn’t insane, then it could only be that Bai Lu had truly bewitched him.

——

When Bai Lu returned to Suite 886, her father was still asleep.

Lu Yiting was not only grumpy upon waking—he was fierce.

Bai Lu didn’t dare call him. She tiptoed back to her room, removed her makeup, and had just changed into pajamas when she heard a knock at the door.

It wasn’t the doorbell, just a gentle knock.

“Uncle Gu!” Bai Lu skipped over to open the door.

Gu Pianran was holding fresh vegetables and fruit. As soon as he saw her, he reached out to ruffle her hair, only letting go after thoroughly messing it up.

Once in the kitchen, Gu Pianran finally spoke. “I knew your father wouldn’t be up yet. I didn’t even dare ring the bell.”

He was afraid of waking the Lu family’s tempest and seeing all of Yipinlan go up in flames from his morning wrath.

“That’s why I guessed right away that it was you, Uncle Gu.”

Bai Lu tried to ingratiate herself and help in the kitchen, but Gu Pianran simply handed her a plate of sliced fruit and chased her out.

“My precious niece will never set foot in the kitchen again. I couldn’t control the first eighteen years of your life, but now that you’re back, you’re going to be a proper young lady whose fingers never touch dishwater.”

Bai Lu leaned against the doorframe, munching fruit happily. “Uncle Gu, when you weren’t around, I cooked every day. You can’t expect my father to cook, can you? You know better than anyone how pampered he is.”

Gu Pianran didn’t even turn around. “Well, that changes now. As long as I’m here, you don’t have to lift a finger.”

Bai Lu was so moved that she blurted out, “Uncle Gu, why don’t you just marry my dad?”

Such a wonderful Uncle Gu shouldn’t be wasted on anyone else—he ought to be their family’s housekeeper for life!

Gu Pianran turned and smiled at her—a smile both deep and gentle, utterly enchanting.

But Bai Lu shivered in fright.

Oh, what a mouth I have!

Of all the people to provoke, she had to pick the wiliest old fox!

Rule number one for surviving in the Lu family: Copy it three hundred times as self-penance.