Chapter 34: The First Day of Living Together

Chapter 34: The First Day of Cohabitation

Eight members of the venture capital studio sat around the conference table, conducting their quarterly reviews. Gu Lanxi’s camera was off; only the occasional, faint "Mm" drifted through the speakers, signaling that she was listening.

Since the authority for small-scale autonomous investment had been loosened this year, it was now time for the periodic assessment of results. She was listening with exceptional focus.

After finishing a phone call, Lu Nanting wandered around the house out of boredom. Passing the study door, he conveniently brought her a cup of warm water.

Gu Lanxi took it casually, gesturing for him to make himself at home, before interrupting the person on the other end: "Has this data been carefully verified?"

Her voice was slightly lowered, stripped of its usual softness, sounding more authoritative.

The person on the line froze. They likely realized the issue and didn't dare argue, simply admitting to the oversight and promising to report back individually after re-calculating, before continuing the presentation without losing composure.

One had to admit, their psychological resilience was quite strong.

Lu Nanting did not disturb her. He left the study and quietly closed the door behind him.

As high-status individuals, some possessed majesty, some were cold, and others appeared as warm as a spring breeze but were actually uncompromising; in front of her, even the slightest error would not pass.

Whether it was academics or career, Gu Lanxi was extremely serious; she never turned a blind eye to problems once discovered.

After leaving the study, Lu Nanting took a stroll through every room in the house.

Having grown accustomed to a busy life, the sudden stillness was actually quite unsettling.

Gu Lanxi was busy, and since he had just moved in, he hadn't brought much for entertainment besides a few sets of clothes and his phone. He was truly quite bored.

Thinking it over, he decided to stay in the living room to scroll through Weibo and check WeChat.

Her mother had sent many messages. Scrolling to the top, he saw several consecutive voice notes. Lu Nanting clicked through them one by one; they were all her jubilant complaints

"Oh my goodness! These paparazzi really know how to pick the easy targets! As soon as your dad, your brother, and the others went out to work, they just followed from a distance to take photos. If it were me going out, they’d surround me asking a million questions—the microphones almost shoved themselves into my mouth!"

"I was originally going to come find Manman, but now there's no way. For your sake, I'd better just stay home and behave lately!"

"Ting-zai, where are you two now? Do you want to come home?"

"I've made a list here. Take a look later and see if it's suitable for Manman. I'm afraid it won't hit the mark. If there are no issues, I'll send it to her."

"I really can't rely on you. Forget it, I'll just send it to her directly!"

"Thank goodness for the internet age; we can chat properly without meeting. Hehehe..."

[Image*38]

Lu Nanting clicked through them one by one: cash, real estate, jewelry, antiques, luxury cars...

His mother's words were full of joy. Clearly, even though the paparazzi annoyed her and made it inconvenient to go out, she wasn't truly unhappy.

Just as Lu Nanting was about to reply, a trending topic notification popped up at the top of his phone.

Upon seeing what it was, he couldn't help but laugh

"Mom, did you send red envelopes to the paparazzi?"

"Mm, let them share in the good luck. Tell them to be kind with their words and accumulate some merit, haha~"

Zhang Ruolan was also scrolling through her phone at home and replied instantly.

Lu Nanting sighed helplessly. "Mom, do you know that your red envelope went trending! People outside are all saying that you are incredibly satisfied with your young daughter-in-law."

"I *am* incredibly satisfied! I'm incredibly satisfied with all three of my daughters-in-law! Besides, in the internet age, there is freedom of speech. It's impossible to shut everyone's mouths, so I might as well take the opportunity to increase our visibility. If the traffic grows, it might even boost the stock price."

Fearing her youngest son might be unhappy, she added an explanation

"Your father has already spoken to the relevant authorities, asking them not to occupy public resources because of private matters. As long as you two are careful and don't get photographed and posted online, Manman's marriage to you won't be exposed by the media."

The Lu family had always treated Gu Lanxi well, so Lu Nanting wasn't particularly worried about this.

"The two of us just had breakfast. She is in a meeting. I've pushed off my work for the next few days and won't be going out. Don't worry about me; just protect yourselves."

The Lu family members were accompanied by bodyguards year-round and rarely went to crowded places. Aside from worrying about paparazzi making up stories, they weren't particularly afraid.

Lu Nanting was most worried about his two nephews and nieces.

"How are Wei Chen and Jia Ning? Did they go to school today?"

Lu Nanting opened the family group chat. Seeing that his two sisters-in-law hadn't spoken, he worried they might be upset.

Zhang Ruolan understood her son's concern and stopped teasing him, speaking directly about the children

"Your eldest and second sisters-in-law left early this morning with the two kids for a study tour in Northern Europe. They won't be back for two weeks. Fearing you'd feel guilty, they asked me to tell you this was planned long ago, haha~ They haven't even landed yet! Contact them later."

The family reacted quickly indeed.

Lu Nanting breathed a sigh of relief. "That's for the best. By the time they're back, the hype will surely have died down."

He knew his family treated him well.

"Then just stay put! It's a good chance to take a break and spend quality time together."

He had originally worried that both children being busy would leave them little time to bond; it seemed the person who leaked the news was quite thoughtful.

After chatting with his mother, Lu Nanting felt increasingly calm.

As it passed ten o'clock, he grabbed a yogurt from the fridge, then went to the kitchen to wash an apple.

Wiping the water dry in his hand, he was about to take a loud bite when he remembered he was now a married man. He hurriedly found a fruit knife, carefully peeled the skin, and then asked Auntie Wang for a fruit cutting board and knife. He cut them into small pieces in a bowl, finally inserting a shiny pineapple fruit fork and attentively delivering it to the study.

When the meeting ended and Gu Lanxi closed her laptop, she saw him walking in with a small bowl.

"What is this?"

Seeing her rub her dry eyes and stand on her tiptoes to look, Lu Nanting speared a piece of apple and fed it to her—"Ah~"

Unfortunately, Gu Lanxi did not accept the gesture.

"Thanks, I'll eat it myself."

Taking the bowl, Gu Lanxi turned to sit on the sofa.

Seeing her holding the bowl and eating in tiny, polite bites, looking incredibly well-behaved, Lu Nanting couldn't resist taking two more photos of her before handing her the phone.

"Mom wanted to come over, but she was blocked by paparazzi. She made a list last night and sent a copy to both of us. See if there's anything here you don't like?"

Generally speaking, what the husband's family provides as betrothal gifts and what the bride's family provides as dowry are decided by the elders and must follow traditional customs.

In Gu Lanxi's situation, her biological father was no different from being dead. Times had changed, and so had customs. The Lu couple's only requirement for their son's marriage was that the daughter-in-law marry in happily and live in the family for a long time.

Zhang Ruolan was not the type to be stuck in old ways, which is why she asked her directly if she was satisfied.

"Cars, houses, cash, as well as jewelry and antiques that can be passed down through generations. Both your sisters-in-law received these when they married in. You can just accept them with peace of mind."

Although these assets were registered under the daughters-in-law's names, they were intended to guarantee the quality of life for the young couple—a sincere gesture from the elderly couple to protect their son.

Understanding his meaning, Gu Lanxi knew that a sudden refusal would not be appropriate.

But accepting them directly felt somewhat uneasy.

Being from prominent families, in some households, a daughter-in-law must undergo property notarization before marriage, and only after giving birth to a son would the parents-in-law reward her with a mansion, cash, or company shares. Most of the time, these would still fall under the grandson's name, with the daughter-in-law only having guardianship.

In the Lu family, the daughter-in-law received them as soon as she entered the door, and they were given to her personally.

As if knowing what she was thinking, Lu Nanting sat beside her, leaning comfortably against a pumpkin-shaped pillow

"Our family is different from others. My brothers and I all married through love; we married the people we love, so we value emotion over interest. Many other families involve political marriages, so they naturally place more weight on interests. Mom and Dad hope we stay together for a long time. If things truly don't work out in the future, it's because we three brothers lack ability; they won't blame the daughters-in-law."

"Just how much do your parents trust the judgment of you three brothers?"

"It's not entirely just about our judgment. If Mom and Dad didn't approve of you, they would have broken you up long ago."

Seeing Gu Lanxi's "that's ridiculous" expression, Lu Nanting became exceptionally proud

"Look, where are those families that spend all their time calculating? Only our Lu family, because we value emotion most, can be of one mind. When people are of one mind, they can move mountains, understand? Look at us—each generation is stronger than the last, and every generation is harmonious. No matter how many sons the heads of the family have, in all these generations, there has never been a case of brotherly strife."

"Well, that is indeed something to be proud of."

Lu Nanting spread his arms, pretending to hold a crown, and gently placed it on Gu Lanxi's head: "Very well, Third Young Mistress, I now declare..."

How did this man end up with so many cheesy lines throughout the day?!

Gu Lanxi stuffed the last piece of apple directly into his mouth: "Alright, brother, stop talking."

Fine.

He liked hearing that.

With a practiced motion of "zipping his lips," Lu Nanting immediately shut up.

One could not imagine what it would be like if the two of them did a live stream.

*I'll go see how celebrities live-stream first to learn some tricks, so that when the day comes that I want to write it, it will flow naturally.*

*I am truly working so hard!*

*Homework: Based on the context, please guess what the King of Cheesy Lines was about to say?*

*Please, let me copy the book reviews.*

*Sometimes I feel like Gu Lanxi and Xu Yiyang were classmates in an early childhood education major. They are quite good at coaxing children.*

(End of Chapter)