Chapter 23: Look, I Scared Him Off with My Words

Meanwhile, at the Lu Family estate.

Madam Lu was also watching the growing storm of online chatter.

She could only watch as people started to talk nonsense about Lu Qingqiang, twisting the truth and painting her in the worst possible light.

She was absolutely furious.

Unable to hold back, Madam Lu pulled out her phone and registered a Weibo alt account. Then she dove into the fray, firing back at those who were insulting Lu Qingqiang.

But as a lady born into wealth and privilege, she had never really learned how to curse properly.

Even when she tried to insult someone, her words came out overly refined and polite, completely lacking in bite.

After just a few exchanges, she was overwhelmed and at a loss for words.

Madam Lu grew even more frustrated.

If Qingqing hadn’t specifically told her not to interfere, she would’ve already taken action. Qingqing had made it clear she had a plan and asked Madam Lu to stay out of it for now.

Still, Madam Lu was itching to log into the official Lu Corporation Weibo account and personally go to war.

While she was at it, she could have the legal department send cease-and-desist letters to every account spreading slander and filth.

After all, the Lu Corporation’s legal team was made up of top-tier lawyers, famously undefeated in Jiang City.

Any case they handled had never lost.

She really wanted to sue those rumor-mongers into oblivion.

But fine, fine. Since Qingqing had already made her wishes clear.

She would hold back for now.

She couldn’t just jump in recklessly. If she disrupted Qingqing’s plans and upset her, that would be even worse.

But that didn’t mean she had no other options.

Madam Lu quickly gathered all the household staff for a little meeting.

The theme and purpose of the meeting were simple: starting now, everyone was to put down their current tasks, take out their phones, and register social media accounts.

Their mission was to push back against all the online slander about Lu Qingqiang.

Whoever clapped back the hardest would win a cash prize.

After making the announcement, Madam Lu personally created a group chat for everyone and immediately sent five red packets of 200 yuan each.

A mere 1,000 yuan was nothing to Madam Lu, barely worth mentioning.

But to the Lu Family’s staff, it was a pleasant surprise.

Their enthusiasm was instantly ignited. One by one, they registered alt accounts and began unleashing their internet warrior skills.

“Madam, look! I scared this guy off with my reply!”

Madam Lu took the gardener’s phone and glanced at the screen, then nodded.

“Not bad. You get a 500 yuan bonus.”

As soon as she said that, the gardener’s Alipay received a 500 yuan transfer.

The others, hearing this, started typing even faster.

Meanwhile, Madam Lu picked up her phone and called her second son.

The eldest was still stationed in the military, so she decided not to disturb him for now.

“Hello? Mom? What’s up?” came the lazy, carefree voice of Lu Jianshen on the other end.

“What took you so long to answer?”

“Mom, what’s wrong? You’re in a bad mood? The phone only rang five times before I picked up, and you’re already complaining I was slow?”

Lu Jianshen’s deep voice carried a hint of concern.

“I’m fine. It’s your sister, Qingqing, something happened to her.”

“Honestly, what kind of big brother are you? How can you not care about Qingqing?”

“She’s your real sister, you know.”

“Mom? What could possibly happen to her?” Lu Jianshen’s voice rose slightly.

“She’s being attacked online. How could you not know or even try to help?”

“She’s just a young, innocent girl with no experience in the world. Suddenly being targeted like this, how could she possibly handle it?”

“She’s probably hiding in her room crying right now.”

“And you, her big brother, not only don’t help her, you don’t even check in on her?”

“Is this how your father and I raised you?” Madam Lu scolded angrily.

“Mom, if that’s all it is, then you don’t need to worry.”

“She didn’t do anything wrong. What right do people have to attack her?”

“Anyone who engages in cyberbullying can be held criminally liable.”

“Just have her collect evidence and sue them.”

“As for the orphanage situation, she has her own way of handling it. Just trust her.”

As he spoke, a faint smile tugged at the corner of Lu Jianshen’s lips.

That little sister of his might have come from the countryside, but she wasn’t stupid.

In fact, she was pretty sharp.

Otherwise, she wouldn’t have asked him to help her find a private investigator so early on.

“Lu Jianshen, you heartless brat!”

“Go look online yourself and see what people are saying about your sister!”

“You’re worse than the servants in our house.”

“Even the staff know to stand up for Qingqing.”

“Hmph! Don’t come home for the next month. Go live off the wind!”

“Goodbye.”

With that, Madam Lu hung up the phone.

“…” On the other end, Lu Jianshen was speechless.

Damn. Was he even their biological son?

Despite his grumbling, Lu Jianshen still picked up his phone and started browsing the online news.

The moment he saw what was happening, the casual look in his eyes instantly turned dark and stormy.

“Damn it!”

Cursing under his breath, he grabbed the jacket beside him and rushed out the door.

What should have been an hour-long drive, he managed to complete in under forty minutes.

“Hello, sir. Who are you here to see?”

He had originally planned to drive straight in, but as soon as he arrived at the gate, he was stopped.

“I’m here to see Lu Qingqiang.”

“If you’re here to see our director, you’ll need to sign in first,” said Zhang Qiang at the gate with a polite smile.

“I’m her brother.”

“Sorry, sir. That’s the rule.”

“Rules are dead. People are alive. You get what I’m saying?”

“If you don’t want to sign in, you can call our director directly. If she gives the okay, I’ll let you in.”

“…” Lu Jianshen was speechless.

He shot Zhang Qiang a look, then pulled out his phone and started calling Lu Qingqiang.

He called three times in a row, but she didn’t answer.

Images began flashing through his mind.

Maybe his little sister from the countryside really was hiding in her room crying because of the online attacks.

Crying until her face was red and swollen, crying so hard she couldn’t stop, crying so much she didn’t even hear her phone ring.

He’d heard that some people could cry so much they fainted.

Lu Qingqiang looked so thin and frail. What if she really had passed out from crying?

The more he thought about it, the darker his expression became.

He strode forward, face grim.

“Where do I sign in?”

“Right here, sir.”

With bold, sweeping strokes, he filled out the sign-in sheet, then tossed the pen aside and casually threw his car keys over.

“Park the car for me. I’ve got urgent business inside.”

“Uh, sir, you haven’t—”

Before Zhang Qiang could finish his sentence, he saw Lu Jianshen’s figure already disappearing into the distance.

Zhang Qiang was stunned.

What’s with this guy?

He looked rich and refined, carried himself with style, and clearly had money.

But why did he seem a little… slow?

He didn’t even ask where the director was and just ran straight in?

Wasn’t he worried about wandering around aimlessly and not finding her?

“Sister Yan, Sister Yan!” Zhang Qiang hesitated for a moment, then quickly grabbed his walkie-talkie and called out.

— Translator’s Notes —

– Alipay: Alipay is a popular digital payment platform in China, used for online transactions and money transfers.

– Weibo: Weibo is a Chinese social media platform similar to Twitter, widely used for microblogging and sharing news in China.

– red packets: Red packets, or ‘hongbao’, are traditional gifts of money given in red envelopes, often used in Chinese culture for special occasions and as bonuses.