The abandoned daughter of the Lu family turns around and marries a celibate tycoon.

The mall parking lot was deserted, with only a few electric scooters parked here and there, as desolate as a corner forgotten by time.

Lu Xiran took a deep breath.

Upon entering the gate, most of the remaining shops had their shutters rolled up. In the few shops that were open, there were more shop assistants than customers, who were chatting idly together. When they saw her come in, they cast curious yet indifferent glances at her.

She walked straight to the mall management office located in the corner. The door wasn't closed properly, and a cacophony of noise was already emanating from inside.

Pushing open the door, the small office was crammed with a dozen or so people, filled with smoke and making a lot of noise. The noise stopped abruptly when she entered, and all eyes turned to her—a woman who was excessively young and beautiful, completely out of place in the atmosphere.

"You're the new manager?" A burly restaurant owner wearing a gold chain spoke first, his tone full of suspicion and hostility. He deliberately flicked his cigarette ash on the ground.

"I'm Lu Xiran, the new manager of the West City Shopping Mall." Her voice was clear as she looked around. "What brings you all here?"

"What is it?" A tall, thin man with glasses jumped up, waving an account book excitedly. "Manager Lu! Look at this! Is there any business in this mall? There are more ghosts than customers! We're losing money as soon as we open! We can't even pay the utility bills! We simply can't continue with this lease; we have to terminate it! Immediately!"

"Yes! Terminate the contract! We need an explanation today!" a flashy-looking women's clothing store owner shrieked in agreement, deliberately knocking over a floor vase in the corner, making a jarring shattering sound. "We're out of money to pay for it anyway, take my life or not!"

"Exactly! We're a small business, we can't afford to keep going like this!"

"We have no money to pay rent! And even less money to pay any penalty for breach of contract!"

"If this keeps up, my whole family will have to jump off a building!" A middle-aged man collapsed to the ground, pounding the floor and wailing, "We can't live like this anymore!"

The crowd erupted in a cacophony of voices, their emotions running high, turning the office into a chaotic marketplace. Some even began banging on the table. They sized up Lu Xiran, their eyes filled with distrust and contempt, convinced that this seemingly useless young woman, who had been parachuted in, was easy to manipulate, and they wanted to force her into submission through this extreme method.

Lu Xiran listened quietly, her face expressionless, but she understood perfectly.

No wonder Lu Hao agreed so readily just now!

After the noise subsided, before anyone could cause further trouble, she suddenly swung her bag and slammed it against the filing cabinet next to her, making a loud "bang"!

The sudden commotion stunned everyone, even the one who had been howling forgot to continue.

"Are you done?" Lu Xiran asked, her tone eerily calm, but her eyes were sharp as knives as she slowly swept over each face. "If crying poverty, acting tough, and smashing things could solve problems, you wouldn't be standing here right now."

Her calmness and presence instantly quieted the noisy crowd. Old Zhang, his neck stiff with anticipation, tried to retort, but when he met her cool gaze, his imposing manner inexplicably diminished.

"I understand what you all mean. If you want to terminate the contract, we can talk." She changed the subject, and amidst the hopeful looks in everyone's eyes, she continued unhurriedly, "However, if we're going to talk, we'll do it according to my rules, Lu Xiran's rules."

She walked behind her desk and picked up the internal phone: "Manager Wang, notify the security department to send two people up immediately. Also, prepare a small conference room and install audio and video recording equipment."

Upon hearing this, the expressions of the most vocal merchants changed slightly.

"Tomorrow morning at nine o'clock," Lu Xiran said, looking at them clearly and distinctly, "we will talk to each of you individually. Bring your revenue statements for the past six months, your lease agreements, and the financial statements you just mentioned about being 'on the verge of bankruptcy.' Whoever wants to talk first can register here now."

Her gaze fell on Sister Li, who had broken the vase: "As for those who intentionally damage mall property, they will have to pay for it at cost. It will be deducted from their deposit, and if that's not enough, the legal department will follow up."

Sister Li's face turned pale instantly.

Lu Xiran stopped looking at them and turned to her young assistant, who was standing beside her with a mixture of shock and admiration. "Make the arrangements. Also, I need to conduct an on-site inspection of the shopping mall."

Qi Yu hadn't recovered from the shock just now, "...Okay."

"Let's go, Qi Yu, you lead the way."

"Okay, Mr. Lu."

She saw the crumbling ceiling, broken lights, old escalators, and vast stretches of empty, dusty stalls. This wasn't a shopping mall; it was more like a giant abandoned factory. Lu Hao's quick decision to hand it over to her indicated his certainty that she had no chance of reviving it.

Lu Xiran stood in front of the West City Shopping Mall for a long time, until dusk fell, and she realized that it was almost seven o'clock.

A sense of aversion to "going home" began to creep into her heart like vines. She didn't know how to face Gu Yanshen, nor how to settle her heart, which had been shattered after crossing the line.

Perhaps, he should be regarded merely as a marriage partner, a business partner, or even... a benefactor.

It was a marriage that began as a contract; she lost her mind and had unrealistic expectations.

He saved her and helped her; his gentleness and assertiveness were perhaps just a way of "fulfilling" his responsibilities.

If I only regarded him as a benefactor, wouldn't I feel less pain and more embarrassment?

She took a deep breath, as if trying to suppress all her surging emotions back to the deepest corner of her heart, then turned the key and opened the door.

The living room was spacious and the lighting was cold.

—Gu Yanshen is not here.

Where did he go?

Did he go... to find Song Zhihe?

The thought popped up uncontrollably, and the fragile psychological defenses she had just painstakingly built crumbled instantly. A mix of resentment and defiance welled up inside her. She pursed her lips, turned and went into the kitchen, forcefully opened the refrigerator, took out the ingredients, and decided to cook noodles.

The water in the pot was bubbling away, steam rising gently. She was somewhat absent-minded, her gaze constantly drifting towards the entrance, her ears perked up, catching any subtle sound outside the door.

Meanwhile, in the president's office of the Gu Group.

Gu Yanshen stood in front of the huge floor-to-ceiling window, looking down at the city's dazzling lights, but his back view exuded a low-pressure atmosphere that kept strangers at bay.

Lin Chen looked at the stiff figure that almost blended into the night and sighed silently. He picked up Gu Yanshen's phone, which he had casually tossed on the desk, found the pinned number, dialed it directly, and then quickly walked to the window, pressing the phone firmly to Gu Yanshen's ear.