Chapter 15: The Imitator

Because there were still some matters to attend to, even on Saturday, Lu Qi'an remained at the office.

“President Lu, there's a young lady at the front desk who says that Elder Lu sent her to visit you.”

Lu Qi'an shifted his gaze from the documents to Gu Feng. Yesterday, his grandfather had vaguely mentioned this during a video call. Though he hadn’t been specific, Lu Qi'an understood that it was probably another well-bred young lady whom his grandfather deemed suitable, hoping he might take a liking to her.

He hadn't agreed at the time. In the past, he’d play along, go through the motions, and give his grandfather an explanation. But now, he had a wife!

“Gu Feng, just tell her I’m busy and don’t have time to entertain guests.”

“Yes, President Lu.”

Yet, not long after, the door was knocked again—Gu Feng once more.

“President Lu, the young lady claims she's from the Liang family of South City. She wants to discuss a mutually beneficial project with you. Should I let her in?”

If she hadn’t mentioned the Liang family of South City, Gu Feng wouldn’t have returned to consult President Lu.

“A young lady from the Liang family of South City, hm. Let her up.”

As far as Lu Qi'an knew, there was only one Miss Liang in the family—Liang Sixuan.

Before entering the office, Liang Sixuan recalled her purpose for coming and the fact she’d already been refused once. The smile on her face faded; she could already foresee that this negotiation would not go smoothly.

She just hadn’t expected it to go this badly...

“Miss Liang, so your purposes for coming today are, firstly, to propose a marriage alliance with my family, and secondly, to discuss this so-called mutually beneficial project?”

“Yes, a marriage alliance would benefit both our families. And the project I mentioned is an option that would be advantageous for us both. If you agree, you absolutely won’t lose out!”

Lu Qi'an clicked his tongue lightly. “Miss Liang, it seems you’re overly confident in your own family and have only a shallow understanding of mine.”

Liang Sixuan’s expression stiffened. “What do you mean by that, President Lu?”

Lu Qi'an adjusted his glasses nonchalantly. “If the Lu and Liang families were to form a marriage alliance, it would greatly benefit your family—you’d gain access to the Lu family and, in the future, could leverage our resources and projects. But for the Lu family, it wouldn’t even be considered a minor improvement.”

“As for the project you just mentioned, the idea is decent, but it’s far from mutually beneficial for me. The profit you claim is considerable, but any random project I take on exceeds that amount.”

Liang Sixuan’s expression could only be described as awkward.

Her purpose in coming to Jing City had been precisely these two things, but she hadn’t expected the young President Lu to dismiss both out of hand!

Still, recalling her previous meeting with Elder Lu, who had clearly held her in high regard, she steadied herself.

“President Lu, I visited Elder Lu a few days ago. He’s very concerned about your marriage. Everyone says the young President Lu is devoted to his grandfather. I can help you deal with Elder Lu, and you can partner with me on this project. How about it?”

Lu Qi'an let out a mocking laugh. “Miss Liang, my grandfather is simply anxious about my marriage. None of the young ladies from prominent families in Jing City caught my eye, so he broadened his search. If what he said has caused any misunderstanding, I apologize on his behalf. As for someone to help me fend off my grandfather, I already have someone in mind.”

He changed the subject. “I hear you studied art, Miss Liang. Your work was featured in the Young Artists section at the Huixin Art Museum exhibition?”

At the mention, a hint of a smile returned to Liang Sixuan’s face.

“Yes, although it was mostly luck. I didn’t expect you’d know about it, President Lu.”

“It’s hard not to. Search online and there’s an endless stream of ‘genius artist,’ ‘emerging talent’ promotions. It’s difficult not to notice.”

Lu Qi'an spoke frankly, seemingly oblivious to the sudden shift in Liang Sixuan’s expression.

“All right, Miss Liang. I don’t find either of your proposals feasible. I have work to do. Gu Feng, please see Miss Liang out.”

Once the door was closed again, Lu Qi'an took off his glasses, his eyes still clouded.

He wouldn’t have known how many young ladies the Liang family had; after all, the Liang family was in South City, the Lu family in Jing City, and their businesses rarely interacted.

He’d only become acquainted with Liang Sixuan during Qin Miaoyu’s college entrance exam year.

Worried that Qin Miaoyu might be under too much pressure, he’d requested leave from school and traveled to South City.

South City No. 1 High School required an access card to enter, so he waited outside, intending to catch a glimpse of Qin Miaoyu at noon or after school, just to observe her state.

“Kiddo, you’re not wearing a uniform and don’t have a campus card. I’ll let you in this time, but don’t forget next time,”

The security guard at the gate mistook him for a student and let him inside.

It was his first time at South City No. 1 High. He knew which class Qin Miaoyu was in, but not which building housed that class.

He randomly asked someone, and upon hearing he was looking for Qin Miaoyu, the person’s gaze turned odd.

At first, he didn’t think much of it, but after wandering and getting lost, he overheard people discussing how to deal with the “copycat.”

He listened to the whole conversation and learned that Qin Miaoyu was being bullied at school because she supposedly imitated Liang Sixuan in every way.

One accusation was that Liang Sixuan had recently sported a chain bag from the Mi family, and Qin Miaoyu immediately carried the same one afterward.

But Lu Qi'an, who heard them say this, knew the truth—that chain bag had caught his eye as something perfect for Qin Miaoyu, so he bought it as a thank-you gift and sent it to the Qin family!

“If you want to stand up for me, fine, but don’t go too far and get yourselves into trouble. She’s just a clown—not worth it.”

A feigned sweet voice made Lu Qi'an seethe, and the following chorus of “Sixuan is so nice,” “Sixuan really looks out for us,” struck him as utterly absurd.

He inquired further and discovered that such incidents had been happening to Qin Miaoyu nonstop since middle school.

At the time, Qin Miaoyu believed that everyone targeted her because of the “copycat” rumors.

But Lu Qi'an keenly noticed that those most hostile to Qin Miaoyu were precisely the ones who followed Liang Sixuan’s orders. Their actions against Qin Miaoyu were carried out with Liang Sixuan’s tacit approval or even encouragement.

He paid students at South City No. 1 High to dig up dirt on Liang Sixuan, obtained photos and videos of her attempting to abuse cats, and used them to pressure Liang Sixuan into restraining her followers. Only then did the targeted harassment of Qin Miaoyu gradually subside.

Even now, recalling Qin Miaoyu’s past ordeals, Lu Qi'an couldn’t help but feel a surge of anger.

“President Lu, Secretary Chen couldn’t reach you just now and contacted me instead. She said she’s completed the task you assigned and asks you to check when Miss Qin will be available, so she can finalize the time.”