Lu Chengxuan usually didn’t care about messages like that. After replying with a simple “no,” he didn’t say another word.
Before they arrived, Lin Wangye had pictured the family dinner in his head. He imagined it would be the usual kind of deal: a bunch of relatives gathered in a private room at some fancy hotel, all sitting around a round table according to age and seniority. The head of the family—basically the one with the most power—would give a short speech to kick things off, and then they’d start eating.
In his past life, Lin Shen barely ever held family dinners.
From what Lin Wangye remembered growing up, it probably only happened three or four times in total.
The Lin family had risen to power under Lin Pengcheng and Lin Shen. The rest of the relatives weren’t much help—none of them had real skills or business sense. They were just enjoying the luxury that came from sharing the same bloodline.
The dinners usually followed the same script: a stiff, formal routine full of fake smiles and over-the-top flattery for Chairman Lin, ending as soon as the meal was done.
Lin Wangye always found them boring and hated going.
Maybe Lin Shen felt the same way, which was why these dinners were so rare—maybe once every few years. And even then, they were mostly used to size up the younger generation and pick out anyone promising enough to bring into the company for grooming.
By the time they arrived at the Lu residence, Lu Chengxuan’s parents had already left.
That actually made Lin Wangye feel way more at ease. He jogged up to his room to change into something a bit more formal and quickly fixed his messy hair. Only after tidying up did he hop into the car Lu Chengxuan had arranged and headed for the venue.
The whole ride there, Lin Wangye was curious about what kind of place the Lu family had chosen for the dinner.
It was New Year’s Day, after all. Most restaurants would be closed.
But once they pulled up, it all made sense.
Dongfang Wanxing Grand Hotel—one of the few five-star hotels in Ningchang.
Owned by the Lu family.
Open 365 days a year, no exceptions.
The hotel had been around for years, though it had gone through a full renovation at one point. Lin Wangye had only been there once, for a friend’s birthday in his last life. He wasn’t super familiar with the place, but it wasn’t totally new to him either.
The car rolled right up to the hotel entrance. Just as the driver hit the brakes, four uniformed attendants standing at the door stepped forward and lined up neatly on both sides of the car, ready to welcome whoever was inside.
Even though he’d spent eighteen years as a rich young master, Lin Wangye had always been pretty low-key. He never made a big deal about himself in public, so this sudden high-profile treatment made his social anxiety kick in a little. He cleared his throat and gave a couple of awkward coughs before stepping out of the car.
Thankfully, the attendants recognized the Lu family car and assumed Lin Wangye was one of their own. One of the hostesses greeted him with a polite smile and led him straight to the elevator—saving him from any extra awkwardness.
It wasn’t until Lin Wangye looked at the elevator buttons that he realized—this dinner was going to be very different.
There was only one button in the elevator—straight to the top floor.
With a soft ding, the elevator doors slowly slid open. Up until then, Lin Wangye had still been feeling relatively calm. But the moment a sharply dressed attendant opened the thick double doors, his breath caught in his throat.
His heart skipped a beat.
The massive banquet hall in front of him was done up in modern Chinese style. The ceiling had to be at least ten meters high. Pricey red carpeting covered the entire floor, and the square load-bearing pillars were painted a deep crimson, matching perfectly with the recessed pure white ceiling and sparkling crystal chandeliers. The whole place had a polished, luxurious vibe.
But that wasn’t what caught him off guard.
Lin Wangye had seen his fair share of fancy venues. He wasn’t going to lose his cool over some interior decor.
The real problem was—‘why were there so many people?!’
He had pictured a private dinner in a hotel suite. At most, maybe thirty people, kids included. That was already pushing it.
But here? Just eyeballing it, this banquet hall had to be at least 1000 square meters.
And it was packed.
Easily over a hundred guests. Maybe even more.
No joke, if they added just a few more people, this would legally require a police permit for gathering. With this many people, it wouldn’t be shocking if the authorities came to check for unauthorized crowding.
Lu Chengxuan had mentioned that this family dinner was only for the Lu family’s ‘closer’ relatives. Which meant that all the distant branches that rarely interacted… weren’t even invited.
Lin Wangye knew the Lu family was big. But this? This was straight-up outrageous.
Normally, with a crowd this size, you’d expect it to be some kind of upscale cocktail party with everyone in formal wear.
But since it was a family event, no one had really dressed up too much. Just normal outfits—casual, everyday looks.
Lin Wangye had thought he was just showing up for a casual dinner with some relatives.
He definitely wasn’t ready for this.
Every single person in the room was a stranger. And most of them, he guessed, probably shared the same last name: Lu.
After guiding him inside, the hostess quietly stepped away.
For the first time in his life, Lin Wangye felt genuinely grateful for people in hospitality jobs.
Once she left, he stood there awkwardly by the entrance, not knowing what to do with himself. A few people nearby were already glancing his way, and he had to force himself to stay calm so he wouldn’t look completely lost in front of the Lu family crowd.
He looked around, trying to spot Lu Chengxuan or Lu Wei, but neither of them were anywhere in sight.
Just as he was about to call Lu Chengxuan, his phone suddenly rang in his pocket. He pulled it out—and sure enough, it was Lu Chengxuan calling.
He quickly answered.
“Look up,” said the voice on the other end.
Lin Wangye instinctively looked up—and spotted Lu Chengxuan standing at the top of the staircase, waving down at him.
Maybe because it was just a family gathering, Lu Chengxuan was dressed super simply—light brown wool sweater and white casual pants. Even though the outfit looked relaxed, his sharp looks still made him impossible to ignore.
So there was a staircase in the banquet hall that led up to private rooms.
Thinking that, Lin Wangye didn’t waste a second—he practically flew up the steps in three quick strides. As soon as he reached Lu Chengxuan’s side, he couldn’t help but let out a breath of relief.
“Brother Lu, your family’s huge.”
“This isn’t even that many. Some are still abroad and couldn’t come.” Lu Chengxuan didn’t seem to think it was anything special. After saying that, he turned and walked into the room.
Lin Wangye followed him in and closed the door behind him. When he turned around, he saw Lu Wei fixing her hair, and a middle-aged man sitting on a single-seater sofa.
No doubt—that was Lu Chengxuan’s father.
No introductions were needed. Just from the man’s face and aura, it was obvious.
The middle-aged man lifted his eyes and gave Lin Wangye a quick once-over.
It was hard to explain how Lin Wangye felt in that moment.
It was like an invisible pressure suddenly dropped down over him, so heavy he didn’t even dare to breathe too loudly.
If he had to describe it, it felt like being caught red-handed in class, sneaking a look at his phone, only to glance up and see the teacher staring at him through the window. Or like a little mouse who just peeked out of its hole to steal some cheese and spotted a cat watching it from around the corner—then multiply that feeling by twenty.
Meeting Lu’s father for the first time, Lin Wangye didn’t even dare to exhale properly. He swallowed hard, then mustered all his courage to greet him like a proper junior: “Happy New Year, Uncle… Auntie.”
“Oh, oh!”
The moment Lin Wangye spoke, Lu Wei dropped her hands, letting her beautiful golden hair fall freely over her shoulders. She turned to him with a wave, smiling. “Xiao Lin, you’re here! Come over.”
That eased some of Lin Wangye’s tension instantly. He hurried over. “What’s wrong, Aunt Lu?”
“These two—father and son—are completely useless. And they’re not even clever. I asked them to help me with my hair, and it’s still not done.” Lu Wei frowned and shot a glare at her husband, sounding both annoyed and slightly smug.
As the lady of the house—and someone who loved looking her best—Lu Wei had naturally dressed up for the occasion.
She had picked out a stunning long cheongsam, decorated with plum blossoms hand-stitched by a true master. The embroidery was incredibly detailed.
To match the outfit, she’d also brought a wooden hairpin for a traditional hairstyle.
Clearly, what was going on now was that she needed to pin her hair up using the hairpin—but not a single one of the three in the room had the slightest clue how to do it.
Lu Chengxuan and his father had obviously both tried and failed.
Which was why Lu Wei had no problem roasting them on the spot.
Using a single hairpin to tie up your hair wasn’t exactly rocket science—it just needed practice. If you hadn’t learned how to do it, then yeah, it could be a struggle.
And just so happened, Lin Wangye knew how.
Back in his last life, Lin Qianqian loved wearing cheongsams too. She used to ask him to help with her hair all the time.
“Auntie, I can do it,” Lin Wangye said.
“Really?” Lu Wei looked at him excitedly, quickly handed over the hairpin, and turned to sit on the couch. “Please help me!”
Lin Wangye took the pin, gently gathered her hair together, and with a few quick flicks of his wrist, twisted the long golden strands into a neat bun at the back of her head.
Lu Wei hadn’t even realized it was done yet. She raised her hand to feel around, gave it a light shake to make sure it was secure, then looked up with wide eyes and grabbed Lin Wangye’s hand in surprise.
“Oh my god, my little angel—you’re amazing!”
Lin Wangye scratched his head, a little embarrassed. He stole a glance at the father and son nearby, then quickly tried to smooth things over. “It’s nothing, really. I actually learned how to do it before. Auntie, your hair’s really nice—super smooth—so it’s a little tricky to work with.”
And this was where being sweet-mouthed came in handy.
Lu Wei was over the moon. She grabbed her husband’s arm with a grin.
“Honey, see? I told you so many times—Xiao Lin is absolutely adorable.”
Right after she said that, Mr. Lu finally moved his gaze from his wife to look at Lin Wangye directly.
Lin Wangye instantly stood up straighter, waiting for the elder to speak first.
Mr. Lu wasn’t exactly cold, but he wasn’t overly warm either. His tone was distant, polite. “Vivian mentions you often.”
Lin Wangye nodded right away and gave a slight bow.
“Nice to meet you, Uncle Lu. I’m Lin Wangye. Thank you and Auntie so much for taking me in and giving me a chance to continue studying.”
“Since he’s attending the same school as Chengxuan, it’s convenient for them to look out for each other.”
Mr. Lu looked like he was satisfied with that answer. He nodded, then gave Lu Wei a look.
She understood right away and pulled a red envelope from her bag.
“This is your New Year’s money from your uncle. Go on, take it.”
For older kids, getting a red envelope from an elder could be… complicated. You always had to figure out whether you should take it, how to take it, and what to say once you did.
Lin Wangye had been nervous ever since he walked through the door.
Because by tradition—and just plain common sense—this was his first time meeting Lu Chengxuan’s father. Of course there would be a gift, a token, something like a red envelope.
So ever since he found out he’d be coming to this family gathering, he’d already been stressing about how to handle it. How to accept the gift, what to say afterward—he’d been thinking it through over and over again.
The fact that the red envelope came from Lu Wei instead of Mr. Lu made things a lot less awkward.
Lin Wangye didn’t put on any fake humility. He bowed politely and took it with both hands, saying, “Thank you, Uncle Lu, Auntie Lu. I wish you both good health and happiness in the new year.”
Lu Wei’s smile got even brighter.
“You’re so well-mannered. Happy New Year to you too!”
Once that little ritual was over, Mr. Lu glanced down at his watch, then looked up and said to Lu Chengxuan, “It’s almost time. Go greet everyone. Your mom and I will come out on the hour.”
“Okay,” Lu Chengxuan nodded, then shot a look at Lin Wangye.
Lin Wangye caught on instantly and said to the couple, “Uncle, Auntie, I won’t bother you then.”
Lu Wei waved her hand with a smile. “Go on, go on.”
Once the two left the room, the air inside instantly fell quiet. Just seconds ago, Lu Wei had been beaming. Now she let go of her husband’s arm and pulled out a small mirror to fix her makeup.
Mr. Lu stayed in his original position, eyes closed like he was resting. But after a short pause, he suddenly spoke.
“Why can’t I find any trace of Lin Wangye’s bank account? Did you cover it up?”
Lu Wei glanced at him sideways. “Why are you digging into him?”
“A kid registered at an orphanage, with no records of his parents or family—shouldn’t I look into him thoroughly? How am I supposed to be okay with someone like that getting so close to Lu Chengxuan every day?” His tone sank. “Vivian, there’s an old Chinese saying: ‘People not of our kind must think differently.’”
There was a long silence—almost ten seconds—before Lu Wei snapped her mirror shut with a sharp clack.
“Lu Chenghan,” she said coolly, “don’t lecture me.”
The Lu family’s roots could be traced back before the founding of the People’s Republic. They weren’t your average wealthy clan. And in this entire world, only three people dared to talk to Mr. Lu in that tone.
His late father.
His father-in-law who lived in Northern Europe.
And his wife, Vivian Lu, who had come all the way from across the ocean.
Lu Chenghan paused for a few seconds before replying, voice calm. “I’m just trying to clear the obstacles in Chengxuan’s way.”
As soon as those words left his mouth, the softness in Lu Wei’s eyes vanished without a trace. Her gaze sharpened like a blade as she stared straight at him.
“Don’t stick your hands in too far. I won’t let you make my son lose another friend because of you.”
Hello, everyone ヾ(＾∇＾). I hope you enjoyed the story! If you’re feeling generous, please buy me a coffee, share/comment on my translated works! Check out the link below for early chapters. (๑>ᴗ<๑)
