Chapter 42: recollection of the past, guests arrive
(Part 1)
At night, Lu Anran laid on her bed, but she kept tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep. After reincarnating into this lifetime, many things have changed greatly. Lying flat on the bed, she raised up her arms and borrowed the moonlight shining in to examine the contour of both of hands. In this lifetime, both of her hands were intact and undamaged, so Lu Jianhao will definitely pass down the essence of Lu Family’s cuisine to Lu Anran. Then essentially, Lin Haosheng would not be able to do anything… Thinking of the previous lifetime where she stood in the chapel with the husband she swore to love for her whole life… Lu Anran felt like something was stuck in her throat, throbbing and painful.
In the previous lifetime, Lin Haosheng was a foster son of Lu Family by name only, sent into the care of Lu Junhao and Ji Rou, it was said to be the remaining child of Lu Junhao’s best friend. Both of his parents passed away, and was carried back by Lu Junhao to be adopted. Not long of Lu Anran was born, Lu Haosheng was sent overseas to study, from her recollection of her previous lifetime, they officially met each other when Lu Anran was in her second year of high school and when Lin Haosheng graduated from university and returned home, entering Lu Corporation to work.
After returning home, Lin Haosheng also tutored Lu Anran and Chu Yao and it was also in the course of tutoring that Lu Anran started to fall little by little in love with the intelligent and gentlemanly Lin Haosheng. At the beginning, Lu Anran only felt that Lin Haosheng was very reliable, so Lu Anran who did not have a father relied a little on Lin Haosheng. The reason why she fell in love with Lin Haosheng was also due to Chu Yao’s praises of Lin Haosheng on a daily basis, which led to her heart to slowly flood with affections for him…
Abruptly clenching her hands into a fist, Lu Anran’s eyes also became chilly. In this lifetime, due to her rebirth, many things have changed, perhaps everything would turn out differently from the previous lifetime. She can only let herself become stronger and more powerful step by step, so that she can destroy her enemies and protect the whole of Lu Corporation.
Remembering the unnatural expression on Ji Rou’s face tonight, Lu Anran knew for certain that she definitely knows who is the one who sent the killers after her. But it is because that this person is too powerful, so she cannot say anything! Lu Jianhao also knows, but he also maintained his silence at the dinner table and only told everyone, who was feeling anxious, that Lu Jianfeng agreed to his request and that someone would come over tomorrow.
The only thing Lu Anran can be at ease at doing now, is studying. Although Lin Da will no longer help her in her studies like last time, but she still has her home tutor Qin Shuhan and 100 more days to the entrance examination. She needs to put in all of her effort to be able to enter S City First Middle School. All of the mistakes she made in her previous lifetime, she would prevent them one by one. Even her regrets she also wants to fix it one by one!
Suddenly, a girl’s face floated up in Lu Anran’s mind, she looks about 4 years old with beautiful long curly hair up to her waist, wearing a red princess-style skirt. Her eyes were full of tears and were helplessly begging Lu Anran for help…. Lu Anran’s heart twisted with pain for a moment…. In her previous lifetime, it was because of her cowardice and weakness that led to a cute little girl’s death.
After that, at midnight she often dreamt of this little girl using broken Chinese to piteously begging her (Lu Anran) to save her…. If she could still meet that girl in this lifetime, she will definitely lend a helping hand, this way she would not feel any regrets nor leave behind any remorse….
“Dang dang dang” 3 light knocks sounded at the door interrrupting Lu Anran’s train of thoughts. From outside the door came Ji Rou’s gentle voice, “Anran, are you sleeping?” She was in a state of anxiety for the whole day and was unable to fall asleep right now. She wanted to see her daughter, and came after hesitating for a long while. She asked very softly, if her daughter has already fallen asleep and did not reply her, she will return back to her room. If her daughter was still awake, then she would come in to see her.
But it was already the wee hours in the morning, so the possibility of Anran still being awake was not very large. But she was kidnapped today and even almost died in the hands of the killers, so she was very worried whether Anran would feel afraid, whether she would have nightmares. After thinking back and forth, she became very restless like ants in a hot pan, as the worries in her heart swelled up relentlessly.
“Mum. Come in! I’m not asleep yet!” Lu Anran sat up and reached out a hand to switch on the bedside lamp.
Hearing her daughter was still awake, Ji Rou pushed open the door and entered. “It’s already so late and you’re still awake? Can’t sleep?”
“Er…” Lu Anran thought for a bit and did not answer, but rather wiggled to the side to let out a space for Ji Rou.
Ji Rou sat on Lu Anran’s bed and Lu Anran naturally covered Ji Rou’s legs with her blanket. Ji Rou lightly sigh, “I kept tossing and turning and couldn’t get to sleep, so I came to see you.”
“I can see that.” Lu Anran smiled, Ji Rou’s mood was very sensitive. After this kind of thing has happened, losing sleep is only natural! But, even if she cannot sleep, the fact that the both of them, mother and daughter could have the chance to chat was also not bad! In Lu Anran’s heart, she also had her own little calculations, that maybe she might be able to hear from her mum who the manipulator is….
“Second Grandpa’s people will be coming tomorrow. At that time, I will be able to feel more at ease.” Ji Rou said, “They probably won’t act brazenly and openly! You must be obedient, don’t act rashly or be naughty.”
“They?” The corner of Lu Anran’s tilted up slightly, “who?”
“……” Ji Rou immediately stopped talking. “That is…. All those bad people ah!”
“Mum, you can’t tell me who is it?” Lu Anran looked towards Ji Rou, with composed eyes.
“…….” Looking directly into Lu Anran’s eyes, Ji Rou did not reply and only nodded her head. “You’re still too young!”
“Mum….” Lu Anran made a bold guess, “does this person have anything to do with dad’s disappearance?!”
“……” Ji Rou’s expression very obviously turned grave, she hesitated for a while before nodding her head again. After that, Ji Rou reached out her hand to caress Lu Anran’s head, her eyes filled with grief, even her voice sounded a little hoarse. “Anran, quickly grow up!”
“En!” Seeing Ji Rou looking so distressed, Lu Anran also could not bear asking any further, after nodding her head she bent over to burrow into Ji Rou’s embrace. “Mum, I want you to hug me to sleep.”
“Ok.” Ji Rou laid down and pulled Lu Anran into her arms, and then reached out her hands to switch off the bedside lamp. Both mother and daughter snuggled up to each other in darkness. This world was too full of helplessness and frustration, all she wanted to do was to peacefully accompany Lu Anran until the end of her life, but fate took away her husband and now once more, they want to take away her daughter?
All these years, she had always believed that no news from Hao ge meant that he was safe, so she was not willing to give up hope and chose to wait for him, silently guarding Hao ge and her daughter. Now that person wanted to kill her daughter too? Why was it like this…. Hao ge and her gave their daughter the name Lu Anran was because they wished that their daughter would be able to live safely and peacefully in this life…. Why was it that God would not even grant such a simple wish of hers….
The daughter in her embrace was breathing steadily. It looked like she has already fell asleep. This kind of helpless feeling was like a pair of hands pressing down on Ji Rou’s heart little by little. She is only a little woman who loved her husband and daughter and wished to live peacefully, why does she need to experience so many hardships? Her daughter was only a 15 years old little girl ah! Fate was unfair and God was unjust ah…. Ji Rou cried silently, her tears rolled down her cheeks, soaking into the corner of the blanket, and also soaked into Lu Anran’s heart, who was pretending to be asleep.
Chapter 42: recollection of the past, guests arrive
(Part 2)
Clenching her hands tightly into a fist, Lu Anran did not dare to make a sound, or speak out her grudge and fury. All she could do was to grit her teeth and silently vow, there would be a day that she would dig out the manipulator behind the scenes! Without fail!
Time passed by bit by bit, Ji Rou has long fell asleep, exhausted after crying. It was only then Lu Anran opened her eyes, and used her thumb to rub away the tears on her cheeks. She knows that she was growing too slowly, if she had to wait until her wings grew fully, Lu Corporation would have probably already become the fish meat on other’s people’s chopping board!
Lu Anran twiddled her thumbs, as expected if she wants to protect the Lu Corporation, she needs to become strong and powerful! Lu Anran thought of the people coming tomorrow and felt a trace of sense of security in her heart, but Lu Anran also understood that in the end she cannot rely on others to protect her for her whole life! Lu Anran understood in her heart that there was not much time for her to prepare.
A 100 days later was the entrance examination and after that she would officially start learning from Lu Jianhao the Lu Family cuisine, looks like it was bound to be a very busy summer holiday…. Also, she was going to be even busier after she enrol into S City First Middle…. At that time, a big event was going happen in Z Country. Lu Anran who lived for 2 lifetimes knew the whole event like the back of her hands. That was also a good chance for her to change around her fortunes! As long she seized this opportunity, anybody who wished to harm Lu Corporation in the future would have to think twice before doing so!
It was until the skies gradually lightened that Lu Anran gradually fell asleep. When she woke up it was already almost noon, and Ji Rou had already left without her noticing. Lu Anran massaged her throbbing temples, got up, took a shower, changed into a young girl sweet-style one piece dress and left her room.
At the corridor she met the maid who usually cleaned her room, “Ling Ling, where is everyone?” Today was a weekend, so there was no need to go to work, everyone should be at home…. She fell asleep at dawn and only woke up at this time, Lu Anran felt a little embarrassed.
“Eldest Miss, Old Master and everyone else are eating downstairs in the dining room!” Ling Ling replied politely.
“Got it!” Lu Anran strode away quickly.
“Er….Eldest… Eldest Miss?!” Ling Ling caught the sight of Lu Anran quickly receding figure and awkwardly drew back the hand she extended. She still did not have the chance to tell Eldest Miss that there were guests visiting, and Eldest Miss had already ran off….
Her slightly damp hair hung down loosely on her shoulders and became a little messy after her short sprint. When she was going down the stairs, her house slippers accidently slipped off her feet and landed exactly at the doorway of the dining room. Just like that Lu Anran hopped bare-footed from the corner of the stairs to door, and this action was also clearly seen by everyone in the dining room….
It was only after Lu Anran wore back on the slippers that flew off, that she realised that this afternoon Lu Junan’s whole family was also here, and not only them, there were also 4 strangers.
One was a young man who looked about her age and was gazing at her with astonishment, another was a man with crew cut looking about 20 something years old looking rather amused, and the other 2 people’s age look to be about Lu Junan and Lu Junfeng and it was hard to read what they were thinking.
Lu Anran seeing herself become the centre of the attention, stood up straight, her hand curled slightly into a fist, covered her mouth and coughed lightly twice embarrassingly, and gave greetings to everyone in the dining room. “Morning….”