Lu Qianzhou had a really charming smile. "Our enemies may strike at any time. Uncle can't just call it quits. We should make preparations in advance."
Cheng Hua frowned. "I've got nothing left now. Besides, didn't you say you were going to marry Yan Xia..."
If he had really been overthinking, and Lu Qianzhou had no ulterior motives, then since he was going to be with Yan Xia, it was only natural for him to safeguard his interests. Even if he wanted to retire from the cut - throat business world for good.
"Uncle Cheng, it's the choice of a smart man to hold power in his own hands. No one can protect you for a lifetime."
It was that kind of cryptic remark again.
Yan Xia was hiding in the lounge, listening to their conversation. She felt that she couldn't quite understand what Lu Qianzhou meant.
Was he preventing Cheng Hua from retiring because he cherished his talent and wanted him to work for him, or was there some other reason?
"If I have to choose, I'll take Yan Xia and leave here." The shares, properties in his hands, and the part of his assets he had transferred before were more than enough for him to live out the rest of his life in peace.
Lu Qianzhou said, "It's not that easy to leave. Unless you don't care about your daughter's safety."
Now that Cheng Hua was out of prison, there were countless pairs of eyes watching him.
"What do you mean by that?" Cheng Hua found it even harder to fathom Lu Qianzhou's thoughts.
This man was good at camouflage. He clearly had great ambitions but never showed it.
"Then what do you think I mean, Uncle?" Lu Qianzhou gave a half - smile. "Uncle, go back first. I'll tell Xiaxia that you've been here. As for the date of the engagement banquet, I think we should discuss it after Xiaxia resumes her identity."
Yan Xia stood there in a daze for a long time. It wasn't until Lu Qianzhou came in the direction of the lounge that she scurried back to bed. Although there was nothing she shouldn't have heard, she still felt a bit guilty.
Soon the door of the lounge opened, and Lu Qianzhou walked in.
Yan Xia was lying on her side in bed, eyes tightly shut, pretending to be still asleep. Lu Qianzhou sat on the edge of the bed and looked at her for a while. Then he suddenly let out a soft laugh, which made Yan Xia's hair stand on end.
His figure loomed over her. He lay down beside her. His cold and soft lips traced down along her earlobe, and one of his hands climbed up along the hem of her clothes.
Yan Xia tensed up all over. Just as his hand undid the clasp of her bra and was about to touch her softness, she let out a startled cry, quickly turned over, and nervously pressed her hands against his chest.
Lu Qianzhou's eyes were deep. "Not pretending anymore?"
Facing his good looks, Yan Xia swallowed hard. "I wasn't pretending!"
"You eavesdropped and then pretended nothing had happened. Did you enjoy watching the show? Hmm?" Lu Qianzhou lowered his head and bit her lip.
Yan Xia stared at him. Her hair was all disheveled just after waking up, looking a bit messy.
"Third Brother, what exactly do you mean now? Are you really dissatisfied with what my father did before?" She was the one who suffered the most being caught in the middle if they couldn't reconcile.
"Why do you think so?"
Yan Xia said, "Because you want my father to continue in business. He's really not in a suitable state to return to Shengshi. Moreover, he'll run into Fang Jiangyi. No matter how many grudges there were before, now that Fang Jiangyi wants to rely on Shengshi to make a comeback, he shouldn't easily damage Shengshi's interests."
"Do you think it's a good idea for you to go to Shengshi and have contact with Fang Jiangyi?" Lu Qianzhou was extremely vigilant, his eyes full of disapproval. "I won't let you see him again."
His vigilance and possessiveness were extremely strong. Yan Xia suddenly felt that she was almost losing her basic freedom. She wasn't a person who could sit idle. A short - term break was okay, but if she had to be a full - time housewife at home for a long time, she might as well be killed.
Moreover, as Lu Qianzhou said, she was still young and couldn't just give up her career.
She retorted, "Do you want me to be a full - time housewife?"
"If you're really interested in this, I can arrange for you to join Changling. It's not that I don't trust you, but I don't trust Fang Jiangyi. I don't know what methods he'll use for you. It's always better to be on the safe side."
Yan Xia was speechless.
When they parted last time, Fang Jiangyi had also said that he would always wait for her.
"I know my father did a lot of wrong things before. Do you have a lot of misunderstandings about him because of that?" Yan Xia reached out and hugged Lu Qianzhou. "Third Brother, I've already talked to him. He'll change in the future."
Lu Qianzhou's eyes fell on some distant point. She was hugging his waist tightly. He curved his lips. Would he change? A man who was born to go to any lengths for his goals, meanness seemed to be in his blood. He wouldn't change, and he couldn't.
His temporary restraint now was just to avoid the limelight. There were too many eyes watching him. Once things calmed down, he would relapse.
Lu Qianzhou was already certain of this.
Lu Qianzhou said, "Xiaxia, you should know that in this world, except for yourself, no one is completely reliable. The best way to protect yourself is to hold power firmly in your own hands. Only in this way can you stay safe."
He absent - mindedly stroked her head. "Being with me is not a good thing. The days to come may not be peaceful. Miss Cheng, you should be prepared to face the storms."
It was rare for him to use this title for her again. Yan Xia closed her eyes and leaned into his arms. She didn't know what the future held. Whether it was smooth or full of obstacles, for now, she just wanted to indulge in his warm embrace and never wake up.
Suddenly, Yan Xia remembered. "By the way, is Lan Yuzhou's daughter still with you?"
"You finally remembered there's such a person." Lu Qianzhou sat up straight. "I've already asked Uncle Fu to take her away. If you want to see her, just find Uncle Fu."
Yan Xia called Uncle Fu and asked him to bring the child back to the villa. Yan Xia couldn't imagine how scared a little girl of just a few years old would be, suddenly losing the people closest to her and living in a completely strange environment.
The mistakes of the adults really shouldn't be borne by the children.
When she rushed home, Uncle Fu was still in the living room playing with the child. The little girl was giggling, sitting on the carpet in the living room doing a jigsaw puzzle.
"Second Miss is back." Seeing her come back, Uncle Fu immediately got up to greet her.
Yan Xia glanced at the timid child. Her big eyes were blinking, very bright, but full of wariness. She only looked at Yan Xia for a while and then lowered her head and played on her own.
At this moment, only this child didn't know what had happened and could still play carefree.
"Uncle Fu, how long have you been with her?"
Uncle Fu said, "I've been with her since Mr. Lu told me to pick her up. Without your order, I didn't dare to bring the child back casually for fear that the master wouldn't like it."
That meant Uncle Fu had accompanied the child for at least half a month before she let down her guard against him.
Yan Xia asked, "Did Third Brother say what he wanted to do with her?"