Chapter 183: Need to Work

Chapter 183: Chapter 183: Need to Work

"What!" Zhang Yun was stunned. She scratched her ear and said instinctively, "Grandpa Lu, what do you mean by that? I don’t understand."

Mr. Lu coughed lightly twice, his face growing a shade paler. He knew his health was in a critical state. To have held on for so many years was already his limit.

He asked very directly, no longer beating around the bush.

"Your family helped Zheng Chuan, that’s a fact. Since you’ve met me, I certainly won’t leave you with nothing to show for it."

"Zheng Chuan’s grandfather passed away early. As his granduncle, I thank you on behalf of the entire Lu Family. If you want a job, I can arrange for you to work in a factory in the Capital. You can pick whichever factory you like."

To an outsider, Mr. Lu’s tone wasn’t so much arrogant as it was backed by substance.

Xu Rongrong had long known that Mr. Lu was well-connected, but only now did she truly feel the weight of it.

She shot Zhang Yun a look, signaling her not to miss such a golden opportunity.

But Zhang Yun didn’t notice at all. She waved her hands, embarrassed. "Grandpa Lu, my parents did all of that. I didn’t really help my cousin much. In fact, he’s helped me a lot. How could I accept a reward from you?"

"I’ve already prepared something for your parents. Just accept this, or Grandpa will get angry." Mr. Lu’s words stunned Xu Rongrong.

’Is Mr. Lu being serious?’

’She hadn’t heard anything about him preparing a thank-you gift for the Zhang family.’

’Even Lu Zhengchuan hadn’t met with him.’

’Although he had a sizable fortune, he had donated a lot over the years. Whatever was left was probably about the same as her Xu Family’s wealth.’

Xu Rongrong’s original thinking was that the more she could get from Mr. Lu, the more Su Wan would lose out.

It wasn’t that she was particularly moved by the Lu Family’s wealth.

She had too many questions she wanted to ask, but it was obvious Mr. Lu wouldn’t answer them for her. And if she asked, she would easily arouse suspicion.

"Grandpa Lu... I... Can I really accept it? My cousin won’t punish me if he finds out, will he?" The thought of Lu Zhengchuan made Zhang Yun restrain the flicker of temptation she felt.

She was just an ordinary person; of course she’d be happy to get money.

But it wasn’t really hers, and she felt guilty taking it.

"Zheng Chuan won’t say anything. You can tell me directly: do you want five thousand yuan, or a stable, long-term job?"

Five thousand!

Zhang Yun swallowed hard. She had never seen so much money in her entire life. Just the thought of it was enough to make her giddy with joy.

But...

Zhang Yun didn’t have the guts to take it. She felt that if she really took the money, her cousin would definitely beat her when he found out.

"I... I think I’ll take the job." ’At least with a job, I have to work every day to earn it. It can be considered money I earned through hard work. Even if my cousin gets angry, he won’t be completely disappointed in me. Worst case, once I’ve earned enough, I can pay Grandpa Lu back for the job.’

’Of course, it would be even better if I didn’t have to pay it back.’

Mr. Lu gave a faint smile. "Alright. I’ll have someone arrange it for you."

Xu Rongrong was about to die from anger. ’What’s the use of a job? She should have just taken the money! Then Zhao Yuan could have tricked her out of it, and there would be no way it could ever get back into Su Wan’s hands.’

"Xiao Yun is so sensible. Once you have a job in the Capital, you’ll have more standing with your in-laws." Xu Rongrong hid her dissatisfaction and continued her act as a good person.

Zhang Yun was very happy.

Just then, Zhou Yu arrived.

Mr. Lu had Xu Rongrong and Zhang Yun step out first.

He and Zhou Yu said something in the hospital room, but it was unclear what.

After Zhou Yu came out, he left his contact information with Zhang Yun and said, "Comrade Zhang, you can take some time to consider which factory you’d like to work at. Contact me when you’ve decided."

Holding the contact information, Zhang Yun felt like she was floating as she walked. The whole thing felt unreal.

"Um... so I really accepted it?"

"Old Sir Lu gave the order. I am merely carrying out his instructions," Zhou Yu replied with a canned response.

Zhang Yun bit her lip and asked tentatively, "So... is Grandpa Lu leaving any inheritance for my sister-in-law?"

"The Old Sir gave no such instructions." The implication was that there was nothing.

Zhang Yun couldn’t help but say, "Actually, my sister-in-law took good care of my cousin."

"I will mention this to Old Sir Lu."

"Besides, my cousin is missing now, and my sister-in-law is left with two children." Zhang Yun had a complicated mix of respect and fear for Su Wan, perhaps because she had suffered at her hands before but had also been cared for by her.

However, Zhang Yun genuinely doted on her nephew and niece, Tuantuan and Yuanyuan.

The thought that the two children carried her cousin’s bloodline made her happy, and she couldn’t help but try to secure some benefits for them.

Zhou Yu pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose and stressed again, "Comrade Zhang, Old Sir Lu has not given any instructions regarding the people you mentioned. So, I apologize, but I cannot privately use the Old Sir’s money."

"O-okay... I was just asking. I didn’t mean anything else." Zhang Yun felt awkward, as if she had taken advantage of a situation and was still asking for more.

Having accepted the gift, she felt a little uneasy and couldn’t help but ask, "Um... Mr. Zhou, may I stay and talk with Grandpa Lu for a bit? Of course, if Grandpa Lu is tired, I’ll leave right away."

Zhou Yu smiled faintly. "Of course, you may."

With something to do, Zhang Yun breathed a sigh of relief and went in to keep Mr. Lu company.

Xu Rongrong tried to go in, but Zhou Yu blocked her way.

"Comrade Xu, the Old Sir is not feeling well. For now, he just wants to say a few words to Comrade Zhang before resting. Please come visit another time."

Xu Rongrong wasn’t angry about being stopped. This just proved that Mr. Lu’s health really was failing.

Although she didn’t know why he was so cold toward Su Wan, it suited Xu Rongrong’s wishes perfectly.

"Alright, then I’ll be on my way. I won’t disturb Grandpa Lu’s rest." Spouting pleasantries, Xu Rongrong left the sanatorium, got into a car, and found Zhao Yuan.

She didn’t get out of the car. Instead, she had her driver tell Zhao Yuan about Zhang Yun’s upcoming job opportunity.

Looking out from inside the car, she saw the excited expression on Zhao Yuan’s face on the roadside and knew she hadn’t picked the wrong person.

Xu Rongrong’s lips curled into a smirk. She didn’t let the driver say any more and had him drive away right in front of Zhao Yuan.

Zhao Yuan stared at the back of the car, unable to hide the envy in his eyes.

He wanted a car too, but unfortunately, he had neither the money nor the connections to buy one.

But as for Zhang Yun...

-

Because of Lu Zhengchuan’s "disappearance," Su Wan had to put on a show of being heartbroken. After completing her previous research project, she didn’t take on any new ones. She only attended classes, waiting until she was well "rested" before doing more research.

As a result, she came home earlier in the evening than before, usually arriving around six-thirty.

"Wanwan, hurry and eat dinner. Tuantuan was actually crawling today! He’s so strong. You can tell this little guy is going to be sturdy."

Second Sister-in-law Su called out to Su Wan, her face full of a loving smile. She was always delighted when talking about the three children.

A warmth spread through Su Wan’s heart. She walked over, picked up Tuantuan who was crawling on the small bed, and played with him for a while before eating dinner.

"Why isn’t Zhang Yun home?"