Chapter 192: Significance

The worst-case scenario had happened after all!

Lu Yunze’s heart nearly stopped. He quickly stepped forward to try and stop Luo Yao. “What are you doing here?”

“Because I was worried Brother Lu would be lured away by some stealing cat.”

Luo Yao’s reply was ice-cold.

“Brother Lu is always so health-conscious. It’s unthinkable he’d need to use the restroom so frequently for health reasons. It must be an external cause.”

She walked right past him and stopped in front of the person reading the book.

“I knew it. Brother Lu never hesitates about things concerning me. Some other woman must have done something to you. And to dare show up on the day of my date with Brother Lu? You’ve got some nerve.”

Her tone grew increasingly menacing as she reached out.

“Today marks the end of your life, you stealing cat—”

She slapped the book right out of the other person’s hands.

The book fell to the floor, forcing the person to lower their hand and even remove their sunglasses, making eye contact with both Luo Yao and Lu Yunze.

Luo Yao: “Huh?”

Lu Yunze: “Huh?”

But the most surprised ones weren’t the person sitting there, but Luo Yao and Lu Yunze.

“What’s the big idea, making such a racket from the start?”

The person sitting there wasn’t Jiang Sui, but Lü Ziyi, dressed in a similar style.

Luo Yao remained wary. “Lü Ziyi? What are you doing here?”

“That’s my line,” Lü Ziyi said impatiently. “I’m just out having fun. What, do I need to report to you?”

As the saying goes, when enemies meet, their eyes blaze with fury. While Luo Yao and Lü Ziyi didn’t have any deep-seated hatred, whenever they met, even a mere exchange of glances could spark a fire.

“Was it you trying to seduce Brother Lu?” Luo Yao asked coldly.

“Hah? Why would I want to seduce someone from your family?” Lü Ziyi retorted, instantly annoyed. “I’m more worried about someone from your family trying to seduce someone from mine.”

It didn’t seem to be her.

Luo Yao inwardly sighed in relief. It seemed to be just a misunderstanding.

But after the misunderstanding, an even bigger trouble awaited her—the twin-tailed girl standing before her.

“You people from minor clans, inferior to the Luo Family in both strength and status, can only cling to the Execution Division. You’re not even worth seducing compared to one of my family’s maids.”

“Hah, so you came specifically to pick a fight with me today?”

“You showing up here made me misunderstand Brother Lu. I still have to settle that score with you.”

“Bring it on. Who’s afraid of you?”

Oh no, are they going to fight?

Lu Yunze swallowed hard and quickly spoke up. “Everyone’s friends here, no need to get so worked up. At least don’t resort to violence, you’re both girls, right?”

“Who said anything about violence?” Lü Ziyi smiled slightly. “Only fools compare brute strength. I have a simpler way to decide the winner.”

As she spoke, she pointed directly downstairs.

A corner on the first floor of the shopping center was packed with people. Some kind of entertainment competition seemed to be going on, with a scholarship prize.

“How about we compete in that?”

“What happens if you lose?” Luo Yao asked.

“If I lose, I’ll obediently apologize and leave this place.”

“…Fine.” Luo Yao hesitated for a moment but agreed. “It’s a deal.”

The two exchanged a glance, both snorting coldly at the same time before turning and heading to the first floor from different directions, leaving Lu Yunze alone, dumbfounded.

He scratched his head, thinking participating in that kind of competition would be even more troublesome, right? And a huge waste of time, practically just stalling…

Halfway through that thought, Lu Yunze suddenly realized something.

“Young Master, that was really close.”

As expected, Jiang Sui had appeared beside him at some point, leaning against the railing, watching Luo Yao and Lü Ziyi head off to join the competition.

The first event was currently underway—a test of strength. The organizers had brought out a high striker game machine. The harder you hit the target with the mallet, the higher the score.

Luo Yao and Lü Ziyi signed up together and were placed in the same group.

“Wow, two adorable young ladies. Everyone is looking forward to your performance!”

The moment Luo Yao lifted the mallet, Lu Yunze couldn’t bear to watch, only hoping the money in her pocket was enough to cover the cost of the machine.

Turning his gaze away, Lu Yunze looked at Jiang Sui, only to find the little maid had been staring at him with a sweet smile.

“Young Master, what are you talking about?”

“That Lü Ziyi… if I said it was a coincidence, would you believe me? This wasn’t part of your plan too, was it?”

“Since I’ve already said so, does the Young Master still not believe me?”

Lu Yunze had no choice but to nod. Maybe even heaven couldn’t stand to watch anymore and was creating some time for him to be alone with Jiang Sui.

“Let’s go, Young Master. While the young lady hasn’t returned yet, let’s hurry and have some proper fun.”

Jiang Sui reached out her hand to him.

Though worries still lingered in his heart, seeing the girl’s expectant expression, Lu Yunze pushed those concerns aside, took her hand, and threw himself wholeheartedly into the day’s joy.

It had to be said, when it came to going out for fun, Jiang Sui and Luo Yao had completely different approaches.

When Luo Yao took someone out, it was always to various high-end clothing stores, maybe buying a little snack while being mindful of her figure and not eating too much. It felt rather boring, like your hands and feet were bound.

But Jiang Sui was different. She didn’t carry that baggage of status. When going out to have fun, you should enjoy yourself to the fullest.

Delicious food, fun activities—she wouldn’t miss any of it, wanting to try everything she saw.

Most importantly—she didn’t even have to pay.

Even though they had run around nearly half the shopping center, Lu Yunze didn’t feel tired. On the contrary, he felt somewhat exhilarated, wanting to stay by her side, listen to her laughter, and watch her smile.

In this limited time, the last place they visited was the aquarium.

The moment they stepped into that space, the surroundings instantly quieted. The noise from outside seemed cut off, as if transported to another world. All customers entering the aquarium consciously immersed themselves in this blue world.

“Young Master, do you like fish?” Jiang Sui suddenly asked.

“Hmm, they’re alright.” Lu Yunze first thought about which type of fish tasted best. As a child, he often got fish bones stuck in his throat, so he never really liked eating fish much.

“It reminds me of an alligator snapping turtle my family used to have. It was big and fierce. Even just walking past it, it would stretch its neck to bite, then bang against the glass.”

“There’s such a turtle?” Lu Yunze was enlightened. “But I haven’t seen it at your house.”

“I said it was before,” Jiang Sui smiled.

This “before” was actually from her previous life.

The two stood before the fish tank, quietly watching the marine world inside, so quiet it was as if they’d forgotten everything around them.

Jiang Sui slowly raised her hand, placing her palm against the tank. Just then, her phone vibrated in her pocket.

She took it out, glanced at the message, and couldn’t help but sigh softly.

“What’s wrong?”

“Time’s almost up.” Jiang Sui’s tone carried a hint of regret. “Young Master, are you happy?”

“Yeah, I am.”

Though the time was short, Lu Yunze truly felt content.

“Since you’re happy, then forget about those unhappy things from before. If you keep getting tangled up in those things, the Young Master will stumble sooner or later.”

The blue light reflected on her face, making her look exceptionally lively.

Lu Yunze raised an eyebrow. “You went through all this risk just to ask me out for this?”

“Is that not allowed? Taking care of the master’s mood is also part of a maid’s job.” Jiang Sui puffed out her chest, looking somewhat proud.

Lu Yunze took a deep breath, then said softly:

“Thank you. All the exhaustion today was worth it.”

He had doubted the purpose of today’s outing before, but now he had found it—exchanging heartfelt words with Jiang Sui in the aquarium, not just accompanying someone shopping.

The only regret was probably that the time was too short.

Even though half the afternoon remained, he had to part with Jiang Sui and quickly return to the first floor of the shopping center to avoid arousing Luo Yao’s suspicion.

The entertainment competition was nearing its end, with the final event underway.

“Who would have thought two young ladies would make it to the finals together! What a surprise!” The host sounded a bit nervous. “Now the champion will be decided between them. Let’s wait and see!”

Both Luo Yao and Lü Ziyi were panting heavily. After a whole series of competitions, they were utterly exhausted.

The final event was still a test of strength, but this time using a punching machine.

“Alright, the winner is decided!”

The moment Luo Yao put on the boxing gloves and threw a powerful punch, Lu Yunze couldn’t bear to keep watching.

Don’t be fooled by her delicate appearance; her strength wasn’t small among her peers. She just usually acted like a proper lady, so few people knew this.

Because of this information gap, Lü Ziyi’s face turned as ugly as a pig’s liver after Luo Yao’s victory.

Luo Yao won. Not only did she get the scholarship, but she also made Lü Ziyi bow her head and apologize. She could be said to have had a great time.

“Brother Lu, I’m so tired. Let’s rest a bit before continuing, okay?”

“Oh, sure.”

The date continued, but Lu Yunze’s heart was no longer stirred.

All the happiness from today was left in that aquarium, given to that little maid.

But…

Was this really fair to her?

Lu Yunze couldn’t help but wonder.

Clearly, Jiang Sui came first. She was the one who cared about him the most, yet she could only exist in the cracks.

Was this really okay?

She herself might not mind, but Lu Yunze’s heart couldn’t settle for a long time, even feeling a faint ache.