After hearing this, Du Haoqi couldn't hold back anymore. She covered her face with her hands, propped her elbows on the table, and burst into tears. Her sobs were heart-wrenching, completely abandoning her icy beauty persona.
Two large pigeons fluttered incessantly inside her clothes, a sight that was truly enviable. However, Lu Chen was no longer interested in any of this. He also felt a pang of sadness; he hadn't expected these two sisters to be so pitiful.
He tore a tissue and handed it to Du Haoqi, comforting her, "It's alright, it's all over now. I'll help you, I'll try my best to get along with Lingling, okay?"
Du Haoqi nodded, still sobbing. Suddenly, she took a deep breath, barely suppressing her sobs, still covering her face with her hands, but began to speak.
Her tone suddenly turned cold: "Lu Chen, tell me honestly, last night... you slept with my sister?"
Lu Chen hesitated, thinking to himself, "This woman really changes her mind quickly! Who says women are tigers? Women are chameleons!" He readily admitted, "Yes, we slept together."
"Bastard!" Du Haoqi abruptly released his grip, her tearful eyes glaring fiercely at Lu Chen. "You beast! She...she's only three months shy of seventeen! You...you...you took advantage of her!"
Lu Chen was shocked, pointing at himself. "Me, a beast? Taking advantage of her? Damn it, get your facts straight first! We slept together, but I know she's young. How could I do that? Besides, Lingling likes to be close to me and doesn't want me to leave. She needs comfort, so I went along with her. But nothing happened between us!"
Du Haoqi was skeptical. "Really? But...I saw how good her complexion was just now, it was clearly...it was..." She trailed off, her face flushing.
Lu Chen rolled his eyes at her, annoyed. "You're trying to say you've obviously been with a man, right? That's ridiculous! Go get checked out! You're a biomedical lab technician, you should be able to tell, right?"
Du Haoqi snorted. "My sister doesn't even talk to me, how...how can I get checked?"
Lu Chen was momentarily speechless. However, Du Haoqi had already believed Lu Chen's words, and she breathed a sigh of relief. Then, gritting her teeth, she whispered, "No matter what, Director Lu, thank you! Thank you for saving my sister. Otherwise… I'd like to ask you for something else!"
"Speak!" Lu Chen waved his hand generously. "I have many virtues, but my greatest virtue is helping others!"
Du Haoqi couldn't help but roll her eyes charmingly. She said, "Director Lu, you and my sister are indeed very connected, perhaps what Buddhism calls a karmic bond spanning three lifetimes. You will gradually help my sister out of the darkness; I believe you can. Also, I hope you can help me… help us sisters reconcile, okay?"
As she spoke, she looked at Lu Chen with very earnest eyes.
Lu Chen scratched his head. "Oh, I see. You sisters...sigh, seems like it'll be quite difficult."
Du Haoqi's voice trembled with a hint of a sob. "Please, I'll do anything you want...I'll do anything."
This made Lu Chen's heart flutter. He asked with a playful grin, "Including offering yourself in return?"
"You!" Du Haoqi suddenly flew into a rage, raising a hand to slap the lecherous Lu Chen. But her slender hand stopped halfway. She couldn't hit him, of course she couldn't!
Lu Chen grabbed her wrist, pulled out a tissue, and slowly and gently wiped her hands, saying, "Look, women are really made of water, even your palms are covered in tears."
Du Haoqi was stunned, her heart suddenly fluttering. For a moment, she didn't pull her hand away, enjoying the man's tenderness. When he wiped her palm, it tickled, making her scalp tingle—it felt wonderful.
Lu Chen was about to wipe her other hand when Du Haoqi felt embarrassed. She grabbed a tissue and said softly, "I'll do it!"
Lu Chen smiled, looked at her, and said slowly and deliberately, "Don't worry, helping you two sisters resolve your differences and get along well is also a good thing for Lingling. I can't guarantee it, but I'll try."
With that, he stood up, turned around gracefully, and scratched his head. "Okay, I'll go try now."
He walked towards Lingling's room, knocked on the door, and went inside.
Watching his retreating figure, Du Haoqi suddenly felt a warm sensation. Offering herself to him? The thought made her face burn. Suddenly, her expression darkened, and a bitter smile appeared on her lips.
Lu Chen, maybe I really will offer myself to you.
Then, a face she both loved and hated surfaced in her mind. Then, her heart was in turmoil. Ouyang Bihua had told her to harm Lu Chen, but now Lu Chen had saved her sister. What should she do?
A dozen minutes later, Lu Chen came out alone.
Du Haoqi suddenly stood up, anxiously asking, "How did it go?"
Lu Chen scratched his head and said, "I tried my best..."
"She still doesn't want to..." Du Haoqi sat back down dejectedly. She had waited for over ten minutes, clinging to hope, but it was still the same. However, it was normal. Despite trying to comfort herself, she felt bitter.
Lu Chen said seriously, "Her grades aren't ideal, but they're still there. Lingling asked me to make you promise to come back at least once every two days to be with her, otherwise, she'll be scared. She didn't tell you about being bullied because she felt you didn't care about her. Of course, there's a misunderstanding. Actually, you can go in and talk to her now."
Du Haoqi quickly nodded, "Thank you, Director Lu, I will."
With that, she hurried to her sister's room.
Lu Chen watched her retreating figure disappear inside, his gaze once again lingering on her large breasts. He shrugged, tidied himself up, and left the house occupied only by the two sisters.
Just now, Lu Chen had spoken with Lingling. He had other things to do and couldn't stay by her side all the time. However, he would visit her whenever he had time. Also, she could call him anytime if she wanted to see him.
Lingling was reluctant to leave. Although she didn't speak, her melancholy expression said it all, making Lu Chen feel a pang of heartache.
"Ocean Park, Wax Museum, Amusement Park, Arcade, Movies, Beach..."
She read out these places somewhat awkwardly.
Lu Chen naturally understood what she meant and nodded directly, saying, "Okay, I'll remember them all. I'll take you to them all when I have time, one by one! I'll take lots of pretty pictures of you, okay?"
Lingling's face lit up with joy, and she nodded.
Lu Chen chuckled and held up a little finger: "From now on, you're my good little sister. Listen to your brother, okay? Come on, pinky swear, for a hundred years, no take-backs!"
Lingling giggled and also held up her slender white finger, softly saying, "Brother."
This time, she laughed the most happily.
After leaving, Lu Chen called Tian Sijing, explained the situation, and asked her to send him the account number.
After receiving the account number, Lu Chen forwarded it to You Haoguo. Not long after, You Haoguo called to say that Xu Caihou had already deposited 200,000 yuan into that account.
Immediately after, Tian Sijing called, her voice excited, saying she had received the 200,000 yuan.
She added, "Brother Chen, don't worry. Leave Sister Lingling with me and Mom; we'll take good care of her. Also, if she recovers, and is almost fully recovered, we want her to go back to school!"
This touched Lu Chen's heart. By the way, Lingling probably hasn't been to school since what happened, right? Once she's fully recovered, she needs to go back to school.
But that's a story for later.
The Moon's Tooth Pastry Shop is still under renovation. The third floor, donated by the guys from the God of Wealth Hall, is being transformed into a fun cake and pastry DIY center, just as Lu Chen envisioned.
Lu Chen is quite satisfied with this progress. The thought of Liu Li's delight upon her return makes him happy.
He went to check on the temporary pastry-making area; everything is proceeding smoothly. The pastry chefs they've hired are certainly excellent, and the apprentices are gradually showing their skills.
These are the core members of the Moon's Tooth Pastry Shop; they'll be invaluable when they open branch stores later.
Lu Chen currently has nearly 20 million yuan. Once Liu Li returns from her hometown, the main store is renovated, and it's officially open, they can find a place to open a branch.
He checked the makeshift pastry area for a while, then reviewed the recent income and expenses. It was almost eleven o'clock. His phone rang; it was Shen Tian calling, asking softly if he was coming home for dinner.
Home, of course, was their little rooftop apartment in Country Garden.
Hearing Shen Tian say that, Lu Chen suddenly felt a sense of warmth. Indeed, that place was his home, and if it was Shen Tian's home, then so be it. A home for both of them? It sounded nice.
However, Lu Chen made an excuse that he was busy and didn't have time to go back.
Speaking of which, Shen Tian was a very beautiful and charming woman, very attractive, but she had that illness and was currently undergoing treatment. So, Lu Chen could only look, not touch.
This was torture!
Lu Chen was feeling incredibly frustrated. He couldn't help it; for some reason, he couldn't resist Du Haoqi's fiery charm. He had decided to go back to Qingqing's place to release his pent-up desire.
Having lived with Qingqing for a long time, he naturally knew her work situation. She was currently working the night shift and sleeping at home during the day!
When Shen Tian heard Lu Chen say he was busy, her voice sounded rather disappointed. She could only say, "Okay, then remember to come home when you're not busy!"
She emphasized the word "home" heavily, so much so that Lu Chen felt an unbearable weight, and a wave of guilt washed over him.
Damn! What's going on? Does it seem like I'm some kind of sinner who's out there picking wildflowers and not going home to raise my pets?
After hanging up the phone, Lu Chen kept savoring this sweet yet troubled feeling.
Sigh, it's truly hardest to bear the kindness of a beautiful woman. The feeling of keeping a mistress in a golden cage is indeed perplexing.
After finishing his work, around midnight, Lu Chen rushed back to his place.
Of course, it was the place where the beautiful Dong Qingqing lived. Thinking about what was about to happen, he kept swallowing hard.