Bai Yao muttered under her breath, “I was picking up the cudgel for you, mom! You’re his mother. You’re the one who raised him, yet he chose to side with other people!”
“Don’t get angry, grandma. Mom just thinks that you deserve better. As for Second Uncle, I’m sure that he doesn’t want to treat you and Zhizhi differently…” Lu Chuwan chimed in. However, this did nothing to smother Madam Lu’s rage. Instead, she loathed Fu Zhi even more.
Taking a deep breath, Madam Lu then said, “Forget it. You’re dismissed. I don’t want to see you right now.”
Lu Jingqing knew his mother valued her reputation above everything, so he chose not to argue with her and end this farce.
Filial piety was a traditional virtue, and more often than not, children would be branded as impetuous whenever they talked back to their parents.
Before Lu Jingqing could go away, a clear voice was heard. “The only explanation for this incident is that someone must have done something to my plants. After losing its host, the worm had nowhere to go and could only crawl onto your orchid.”
It was Fu Zhi!
Lu Chuwan’s face turned pale, and she involuntarily took a step back.
Bai Yao did not know what Fu Zhi was talking about, but this did not prevent her from lifting her brows arrogantly at her. She scoffed and said, “Stop making excuses. Do you have any idea how expensive a Tianyi Lotus Orchid is?”
“Do you have any idea how expensive my plant is?” Fu Zhi replied, emphasizing every syllable that escaped her lips. There was nothing but calmness in her eyes.
Lu Chuwan’s heart ballooned with fear when she heard Fu Zhi’s question. This was because several days ago, she had received a call from Dong Cun, who had confirmed the originality of the blue flower.
Initially, she had thought Fu Zhi did not know that the blue flower was actually the Valley Orchid, but it now seemed to her that Fu Zhi was fully aware of it. Otherwise, she would not have asked that question at all.
It was almost noon, and Dong Cun and Lu Ning would show up at the celebration at any moment. It had taken a lot of effort for her to gain Dong Cun’s trust, so if Fu Zhi exposed everything…
She forcibly stopped herself from thinking any further, for she dared not imagine what would befall her if that happened.
“Mom!” She called out to her mother as she pulled her back. She tried to calm down, offered Fu Zhi a smile, and said, “Since Second Uncle already bought another orchid for grandma, we will forgive you this time. Let’s turn the page, shall we?”
Fu Zhi looked back at her with a spurious smile tugging at the corner of her lips. Just as Lu Chuwan thought she was not going to say anything, she chuckled and said, “I don’t think that is possible. At least, not given our current situation.”
Lu Chuwan’s heartbeat spurred into a gallop, but she forced herself to calm down and said, “This is grandma’s birthday party, and you would only make the entire Lu Family the laughing stock of the city if you continued to act unreasonably. As the younger generation of the Lu Family, we should act more mature and protect our family’s reputation. Don’t you think so?”
Madam Lu thought that Lu Chuwan was right. She pulled her hand and said, “Wanwan, I know you’re a good girl and you want the best for our family, but no matter what you say, there’s no way it could get through that thick skull of hers, so you can save your breath. Anyway, if my memory serves me right, you’re going to lead a team into the national Physics competition, correct? Right now, all you have to do is focus on the competition and make all of us proud. That’s what matters the most.”
“The national Physics competition? Is it the one that only three teams from each province can participate in?”
Every guest was stunned, and they all looked at Lu Chuwan.
“Yeah, and she’s going to participate in the competition as a team leader. Judging from her current achievements, if she is directly admitted into Tsinghua University, then she is gonna be a force to be reckoned with in the future!”
“This is something that brings glory to the province. I didn’t expect the granddaughter of Madam Lu to be so awesome!”
“As the proverb says, there is no laggard among the children of a talented man. Her father is a successful businessman, so it goes without saying that his daughter would inherit his might!”
Plenty of teams participated in the competition. Each and every one of the participants was a genius of his or her own right, and only the best of them could emerge victorious from such an intense battle of wits.
A grin appeared on Lu Chuwan’s lips when she overheard the discussion of the crowd. The fear in her heart was slowly ebbing away, and her confidence returned. She straightened her back, looked straight back at Fu Zhi, and declared, “Don’t worry, grandma. I will not disappoint you.”
Madam Lu nodded in assent after getting Lu Chuwan’s promise. She pulled her aside and introduced one of her friends to her. “This is Madam Xu. She’s a member of the Physics Association, and she just returned from overseas not long ago. If you have any concerns or problems, you can share them with her.”