Chapter 43: Women Alike

"Uncle, I saw Mommy."

The little cutie quickly rolled down the car window, waved, and shouted toward Zhang Qian on the roadside, "Mommy, I'm right here!"

The few people standing at the entrance of the clubhouse also noticed the little girl and immediately put on flattering smiles. "Qian, your daughter is so adorable."

The female manager, who was in her thirties, smiled and asked, "Qian, how should we address your husband later?"

She recognized the car, having seen it at an auto exhibition last week—a Lamborghini Urus with a market price of no less than three million.

Zhang Qian fell silent for a moment before replying softly, "He is not my husband. We're just friends."

"I'm so sorry, I spoke out of turn."

The female manager looked embarrassed, her expression suddenly shifting slightly.

Because she saw the little girl getting out of the car, and the man holding her hand looked more and more familiar the longer she looked.

Unable to help herself, she turned her head to look at the assistant manager beside her.

Lin Wenjing stood in a daze, disbelief written all over her face. "How could it possibly be Lu Liang?"

"Oh? Do you know him?" Zhang Qian asked, surprised.

"Well, this..."

The female manager stammered, not knowing where to begin.

"Huiru, Wenjing, long time no see."

Lu Liang's expression remained calm as he held the little one's hand and walked up to the three of them. He handed the car keys to Zhang Qian. "You guys go back to the car first. I'm old acquaintances with these two."

"Oh, right." Zhang Qian nodded quickly, realizing the atmosphere was a bit delicate and that neither she nor her daughter should be present.

"Uncle, you have to hurry, okay? You promised to take me to Happy Valley!" Tucked under Zhang Qian's arm, the little girl didn't forget to make a funny face and wave goodbye to Lu Liang.

"Got it." Lu Liang smiled and waved, then turned to Sun Huiru. "Aren't you going to invite me inside for a seat?"

"Uh... sure."

Sun Huiru felt a slight scalp-tingling sensation. Based on her woman's intuition, Lu Liang and Zhang Qian were definitely more than just friends.

If they were more than friends, then this deal, which was practically close to being finalized, was probably about to fall through.

Back when Lin Wenjing divorced Lu Liang, Sun Huiru was at least half responsible for it. On the night they got their divorce certificates, she had even gone out karaokeing with Lin Wenjing to celebrate returning to singlehood, ready to soar freely like a bird in the vast sky.

Who could have imagined that a few months later, Lu Liang would transform overnight into the owner of a three-million-luxury car?

And their company had been reduced to the point of changing hands—

With the new owner being none other than Lu Liang's "friend."

Sun Huiru desperately wanted to look up and wonder if the wheel of karma was truly real.

Inside the Huaxi Clubhouse, almost everyone was an acquaintance.

Because Lu Liang had attended their gatherings in the past, he walked around for a circle before suddenly asking, "Where is Meng Juntao?"

Meng Juntao was the major shareholder of Huaxi Clubhouse, and also the man who had cuckolded Lu Liang.

"He ran away with the funds," Sun Huiru said, biting the bullet.

Lin Wenjing, who had been silent the whole time, suddenly demanded, "Where did that car come from?"

"I bought it," Lu Liang said.

"Where did you get the money?" Lin Wenjing gritted her teeth, forcing the words out through the gaps in her teeth.

"I earned it."

Lu Liang's tone remained calm, but in the eyes of someone who loathed him, it felt like pure provocation.

"What kind of person are you, don't I know? You're probably up to some illegal shady business!" Lin Wenjing shrieked hysterically.

Lu Liang sighed. "You're still the same. You throw tantrums over the slightest little thing that doesn't go your way."

He looked at Sun Huiru. "How much have you and Zhang Qian discussed for the price?"

Sun Huiru said, "1.2 million, all-inclusive."

Lin Wenjing roared, "He definitely doesn't have any money, Huiru! Don't let him trick you!"

"Xueqing, take Wenjing to calm down for a moment."

Sun Huiru furrowed her brow; she would not allow anyone to ruin this deal.

Once Lin Wenjing was pulled away by someone, Lu Liang asked, "What on earth is wrong with her?"

In the past, although Lin Wenjing's emotions were unstable, she wasn't like this.

"Before that scumbag Meng Juntao ran away, he borrowed money from a lot of people. Wenjing got scammed the worst; even her credit cards are maxed out."

Listening to Sun Huiru's account, Lu Liang felt as calm as still water, smiling faintly, "I suppose you played a part in this too, didn't you?"

"Lu Liang, if you want to talk business, talk business properly. Leave personal feelings out of it," Sun Huiru's face darkened.

The money she had been scammed out of was quite substantial too, but at least she still had this clubhouse; after selling it, she wouldn't end up in debt.

"Then I'll just ask Zhang Qian later," Lu Liang chuckled.

A pitiful person must have something hateful about them.

He couldn't muster even a shred of sympathy.

Lin Wenjing was merely stupid, but Sun Huiru was purely malicious.

"Have a safe trip out, I won't see you off," Sun Huiru said coldly.

After Lu Liang left, she told Lin Wenjing, "Jingjing, you guessed right. That guy Lu Liang has no money at all and is just putting on a tiger's show. The car he drove belongs to Zhang Qian; he's just clinging to a rich woman."

"It's just that this deal is probably going to fall through. He's still harboring a grudge against me and will definitely be whispering poison into her ear."

Sun Huiru sighed heavily, casting herself as the righteous figure while portraying Lu Liang as a despicable villain drunk on sudden success.

Lin Wenjing felt deeply aggrieved and angry. "That bastard, I must have been blind to ever fall for him."

Meanwhile, back inside the car, Zhang Qian was holding her daughter, the two of them giggling and playing a finger-catching game.

"Uncle, Mommy is so clumsy, she still hasn't caught me!" The little one let out a milky laugh of pure joy.

"You're asking for a spanking, daring to call Mommy clumsy," Zhang Qian feigned anger, tickling the little one's ribs.

She didn't mention a single word about what had just happened.

"Let's go, off to Happy Valley!"

Lu Liang let out a long breath, a smile returning to his face.

The three of them arrived at Happy Valley at the foot of Sheshan.

As soon as they entered the park, the little one acted like a wild horse unhitched from the reins.

She wanted to play with everything in sight, leaving her cheerful laughter and family photos scattered across every corner of the park.

By the time night fell and they had only watched half of the fountain show, the little one was completely exhausted, falling fast asleep on Lu Liang's shoulder.

Zhang Qian finally found the right moment to tell Lu Liang, "An hour ago, Manager Sun sent me a message. 1 million, excluding employee contracts. As long as I agree, we can sign anytime."

Lu Liang pondered for a moment and sneered, "She probably wants to dump everyone else and save her own skin."

Zhang Qian paused, then added, "I thought about it carefully and decided against it. Joy City is too far from the Affiliated Primary School. If I work over there, I won't have time to take care of Xiao Guai in the future."

A flash of surprise crossed Lu Liang's eyes. He gave a soft hum and said, "There's plenty of time, think it over slowly and look around at your own pace."

It was past nine o'clock when they returned to Zhang Qian's home.

After a series of coaxing, sweet talks, and clever deceptions, Zhang Qian finally managed to get the little one bathed and tucked into bed.

She came out to the living room, sat down next to Lu Liang, and wrapped her arms around his waist with deep affection. "You're not leaving tonight, right?"

"I'm not leaving, but I need to take a trip back to my hometown tomorrow." Lu Liang hugged Zhang Qian back, breathing in her scent.

He hadn't lied to Old Mrs. Zhuang; if Zhang Qian was willing, he was also willing to take care of the mother and daughter for the rest of his life.

She was considerate, gentle, and never asked for extravagant things. Being with her carried not a single burden.

Zhang Qian asked softly, "Should we buy some gifts for your uncle and auntie to take back?"

"Let's go buy them tomorrow morning. After we buy them and have lunch, we'll set off."

Lu Liang took a supplementary gold card from his wallet and said, "I'll stay home and play with Xiao Guai tomorrow morning. You go help me buy them, just swipe the card directly. It should have a credit limit of 2 million."

This card was given to him by Lao Liu from the Industrial Bank; it could only be used for purchases and could not be cashed out. He had three other cards just like it.

It could be considered a special privilege of a platinum card.

Zhang Qian hesitated for a moment before putting the gold card away. "How is your uncle and auntie's health? Besides buying things for them, who else should we buy for?"

"My dad's health should be pretty good, but my mom's blood pressure is a bit high. I also have an older sister and two nephews—one boy and one girl."

Listening to Lu Liang's description, Zhang Qian quickly figured out gifts for each of them: "For your uncle, we can buy some cordyceps; it helps boost immunity and relieve fatigue. For your auntie, since her blood pressure is a bit high, we'll buy some gastrodia or codonopsis. For your sister, we'll buy a set of cosmetics. For the two nephews, we can give them smartwatches."

"Finally, we'll buy some premium tobacco, alcohol, and tea. Those can pretty much be given to any elders, relatives, or friends."

Zhang Qian covered every minute detail, considering every single aspect. Lu Liang listened in a daze, marveling, "You really thought of everything so thoroughly."

"Then how do you plan to thank me?" Zhang Qian narrowed her eyes, biting her lower lip with a natural charm and a thousand flirts.

"How about I offer myself to you?" Lu Liang asked with a smile.

"You'll have to offer yourself over and over again."

"What if I run out of steam?"

"Then I'll just buy you some goji berries to build your strength back up."