Save the villainous rag, and desperately force love upon him.

The night was deep, and the Lu family villa was so quiet that only the ticking of the wall clock could be heard.

Madam Lu, Lu Liping, lay on the bed, while Mr. Lu beside her was already fast asleep, emitting even snores.

She was wide awake, staring at the ceiling until she was sure the person next to her was asleep. Then she quietly got up and walked barefoot to the balcony.

A cool evening breeze swept by, and she pulled her shawl tighter around herself, took out her phone, and the screen's light illuminated her slightly anxious face.

She dialed a number, lowering her voice, her tone urgent:

"Hey, Brother Xiao, how's the situation?"

A steady, husky voice came from the other end of the phone, carrying a reassuring tone:

"The people we sent out haven't sent back any news yet, but don't worry, they're all veterans. They won't cause any problems, and they won't affect our plans."

"Um."

Mrs. Lu responded, but her fingers still unconsciously tightened their grip on the phone.

A vague unease welled up inside me like a tide. "I absolutely cannot make any mistakes, otherwise..."

"I understand." Brother Xiao interrupted her, "Liping, stay calm. I'll let you know as soon as I have any news."

The two exchanged a few more greetings, their words intimate and filled with concern and longing.

I hung up the phone.

Chen Liping stood on the balcony, gazing at the city lights in the distance, and let out a long sigh, her brows furrowed with an indescribable complexity.

……

The following morning.

The atmosphere in the reception room of Qiu Yi Group was somewhat somber.

Lu Chen sat on the sofa, his fingertips unconsciously stroking the rim of the teacup, his face showing a hint of barely suppressed anxiety.

In an effort to reach a cooperation agreement with Qiu Yi Group, he sent out invitations several times, but they were all ignored.

Left with no other choice, they had to bring their own people to wait, hoping to catch a glimpse of the mysterious CEO.

The Lu family is not in a good position now, as several companies that had previously cooperated with them have suddenly terminated their cooperation.

With their cash flow starting to tighten, Qiu Yi Group became their last hope.

If we can get in touch with them, we can use their channels to open up overseas markets.

Perhaps I can become an equal to Shen Yi, and then Shen Yi will no longer be a necessary pawn.

Accompanying him were Su Qian, as well as Madam Lu (Chen Liping) and Master Lu (Lu Zhengxiong).

Lu Zhengxiong sat in the main seat, resting with his eyes closed, while Chen Liping glanced at the door from time to time, clearly feeling anxious as well.

With the Lu family elders personally making the appearance, the boss of Qiu Yi Group should, by all accounts, give them some face.

Su Qian sat down next to Lu Chen and gently comforted him, "Don't worry, the boss might be busy. Let's wait a little longer."

Lu Chen nodded, but he knew in his heart that this waiting was the key to whether the Lu family could turn things around.

He looked up at the closed door of the reception room, hoping for a good outcome today.

……

Su Qiu had just put the last bite of the kebab into her mouth when her phone vibrated. It was a message from Black Wolf:

"The Lu family is waiting in the reception room, saying they want to discuss cooperation."

She wiped her hands, tapped her fingertips on the screen, and was about to reply when another notification popped up.

Shen Yi's car had already arrived downstairs; they had arranged to discuss the details of their future cooperation today.

She had already agreed to the collaboration with Shen Yi, but the Lu family's arrival was somewhat ill-timed.

However, they are also shameless; even after being rejected so many times, they still shamelessly come over.

Black Wolf sent another message: "Shall I come pick you up?"

Su Qiu simply replied "No need," with a bamboo skewer still dangling from her mouth.

"I just ate at a roadside stall, I'll just walk there, don't come pick me up."

The Little Western Paradise system in my mind couldn't help but pop up:

"Host, why are you going back? Black Wolf is so powerful, why not just let him handle it?"

"You don't need to get involved in the Lu family's mess."

Su Qiu strolled leisurely towards Qiu Yi Group, sunlight filtering through the leaves and falling warmly on her.

"I haven't seen the little villain for almost a day. Let's go see if he's behaving himself."

Xiao Xitian clicked his tongue: "Host, you don't actually have a crush on that little villain, do you? I knew you treated him differently..."

"So what if I like it?" Su Qiu raised an eyebrow, her tone somewhat matter-of-fact. "It's such a good opportunity, why wouldn't you hold on tight and let someone else snatch it away?"

Xiao Xitian: "...Host, you really are a pervert."

Su Qiu ignored it and strolled to the entrance of the company building.

Just as I was about to enter the revolving door, a voice behind me, clearly surprised, suddenly called out: "Sister?"

She paused, turned around, and sure enough, it was Su Qian.

He stood not far away, looking surprised, with Lu Chen and the two elders of the Lu family beside him.

A flash of disgust crossed Su Qiu's eyes.

It's like a persistent ghost; I can even run into it on my own turf.

She glanced at Lu Chen, inwardly cursing: Is Lu Chen an idiot? Bringing his family along when discussing business?

Xiao Xitian: "What an idiot! Are you trying to use moral blackmail if you can't even reach an agreement?"

"What's up?"

Su Qiu's tone was indifferent and lacked warmth. When her eyes swept over Su Qian, it was as if she were looking at something insignificant.

Su Qian seemed oblivious to her coldness and instead took half a step forward.

A flash of resentment and disdain crossed his eyes, and his voice suddenly rose:

"Sister, you've come to the right place, haven't you? Is this where you belong?"

Su Qiu frowned, looking at him as if he were a complete idiot.

Su Qian ignored them and continued:

"Sister, why don't you look at yourself? Do you think you're worthy of stepping into a place like this?"

I was so wrong about you when you spread rumors about us online. So, in your heart, family members can be slandered so easily?

As she spoke, she raised her hand to wipe the corner of her eye, squeezing out a few tears, her voice choked with emotion:

"Sister, we just want to be good to you. Mom and Dad have always been thinking about you. How could you treat us like this?"

Inciting others to cyberbully us online... How can you be so heartless?

Su Qiu was speechless for a moment.

This female lead must be an idiot; one second she's glaring at you with venom, the next she's acting all wronged.

Their expressions change faster than turning the pages of a book.

Lu Chen stood to the side, and the moment he saw Su Qiu, he froze completely. His eyes flashed with deep confusion and shock, and only one thought occupied his mind:

She's still alive?! Both waves of assassins we sent failed?!

Especially Chen Liping.

When he saw Su Qiu standing there unharmed, his face turned pale instantly. He instinctively took a step back and grabbed Lu Zhengxiong's arm tightly.

Lu Zhengxiong steadied her and reassured her in a low voice, "There are many people here, she won't dare to do anything."

Chen Liping forced a smile that was more like a grimace; what she was afraid of was not this at all.

She looked up at Su Qiu guiltily, her gaze darting away, unable to meet her eyes.

Su Qiu ignored Su Qian, who was still crying, and focused her gaze on Chen Liping.

Suddenly, she smiled slightly, her tone light and airy:

"Mrs. Lu, your daughter-in-law's mouth doesn't seem very clean."