"...I don't want to go to kindergarten!"
Although Lu Baiyuan was only five or six years old, it was already clear she was someone who responded better to gentle persuasion than force.
After being coaxed a few times by her older brother Lu Baiyi, she tearfully told him everything, becoming increasingly aggrieved as she spoke—when she told Xu Gui, although she was also angry and aggrieved, anger outweighed aggrieved feelings; now, telling her brother, the aggrieved emotions were clearly more prominent.
"...Baozi and the others all say I'm a worthless burden! They say I'm worthless, that Mom and Dad don't like me, I don't want to stay there!"
She sniffled, looking at Lu Baiyi pleadingly, "Big brother, I don't want to go to kindergarten, please don't make me go to kindergarten!"
Lu Baiyi's face had already darkened the moment she uttered the words "worthless burden," his expression extremely unpleasant, but when Lu Baiyuan looked at him, he tried to make his expression more pleasant.
"Baozi...do Baozi and the others often talk about you like that?"
"...Yes."
"Does your teacher, Ms. Lin, know about this?" Lu Baiyi suppressed his anger.
Lu Baiyuan pouted again, saying unhappily, "Yes, I know. I told Ms. Lin, but she said Baozi and the others were just joking with me, not doing it on purpose, and told me not to take it to heart...but I'm still so angry."
Lu Baiyi smiled: Very well, now I'm the one who's angry.
The Lu family is wealthy, so naturally they chose the top private kindergarten in City A for their child. Not only are the facilities top-notch, but the teachers are also the best. Of course, the price is correspondingly "exquisite."
But now, the Lu family paid a high tuition fee, but not only did they not receive services commensurate with the price, their child was also being bullied at the kindergarten.
Xu Gui glanced at the expression on Lu Baiyi's face: Very well, this guy is furious.
"Why didn't you tell your brother about these things?" Lu Baiyi asked softly. "Didn't your brother say that no matter what happens, Yuan Yuan can tell him?"
Lu Baiyuan replied, "Teacher Lin said that your brother is already very tired from work. Yuan Yuan is a good child and should be considerate. I can't bother your brother with such trivial matters!"
"..."
Hearing this, Xu Gui couldn't help but exclaim inwardly.
She glanced at Lu Baiyi, whose jaw was tense, and thought: In other words, this Teacher Lin is not only protecting those children who bullied Lu Baiyuan, but also verbally manipulating her.
For several seconds, Lu Baiyi remained silent, seemingly too angry to speak.
"Brother, I'm sorry, Yuan Yuan isn't a good child," Lu Baiyuan said, her head bowed and her hands twisting together, her voice low and dejected. "But Yuan Yuan really doesn't want to go to kindergarten anymore. The people there are all mean, and Yuan Yuan isn't happy at all."
Hearing this, Lu Baiyi felt a pang of heartache. He took a deep breath and gently rubbed Lu Baiyuan's head.
"If Yuan Yuan doesn't want to go to kindergarten, then we won't go!" he said gently. "Didn't brother say that no matter what, we'll put Yuan Yuan's feelings first? If Yuan Yuan doesn't want to do something, we won't do it!"
Yuan Yuan raised her head, her eyes sparkling as she looked at Lu Baiyi.
"Brother is the best! Yuan Yuan loves brother the most…" The child, who had been defiant in the shop, now spoke softly, her voice sweet as honey, melting hearts.
Lu Baiyi's icy expression softened slightly at the sound of his younger sister's sweet voice.
*
Next, Lu Baiyi carefully inquired about Lu Baiyuan's life at kindergarten, specifically asking the children who called her a "money-loser."
However, when he asked why those children called her that, Yuanyuan pursed her lips and remained silent no matter how her brother questioned her. The more Lu Baiyi pressed, the more she would cling to him softly, saying,
"Yuanyuan is so tired, Yuanyuan is sleepy, Yuanyuan wants to go home..."
Lu Baiyi: "..." How could she not be sleepy after sneaking out for her afternoon nap?
Seeing that he wouldn't get any results, he sighed, told Lu Baiyuan to stay in the car, and went outside to call the kindergarten—although he was currently furious with them, they were still frantically searching for their child and had even called the police.
Now that they had found her, he naturally had to inform them.
"...Yuan Yuan has been found? That's great! Is she alright?" The person from the kindergarten asked with concern.
Lu Baiyi looked up slightly at the blue sky and said calmly, "Luckily, she's alright. However, I heard some things from her that I didn't know before."
The person Lu Baiyi was talking to was the kindergarten principal. Hearing Lu Baiyi's words, her heart skipped a beat, and she suddenly had a bad feeling.
"Mr. Lu, what do you mean by that..." she hesitated.
Lu Baiyi suppressed his anger and said, "Regarding the matter of my sister being verbally abused by the teacher and bullied by the students at your kindergarten, our Lu family's lawyer will contact your orphanage!"
"What?" The kindergarten principal was stunned, standing there holding the phone, completely dumbfounded.
"Principal, what's wrong?" Teacher Lin leaned over, asking expectantly, "Did you find Yuan Yuan?"
Hearing her voice, the principal turned her head stiffly. Suddenly, as if remembering something, her gaze fell on Teacher Lin, and she asked in a stiff tone, "Teacher Lin, I remember you're Miss Lu's homeroom teacher, right?"
Teacher Lin: "...Yes."
The principal asked, "So, you know that Miss Lu was bullied by the students in your class and verbally abused by the teacher?"
"..."
Hearing the principal's question, Teacher Lin's mind went blank. For a moment, she didn't know how to answer.
If she answered that she knew, it meant that she knew about it but had done nothing, which would definitely not be a good answer; but if she answered that she didn't know, then as a homeroom teacher, not knowing that her child was being bullied... that would be even more irresponsible.
In just a few seconds, Teacher Lin had already made her choice.
"I...I don't know..." She looked earnestly at the principal, "I haven't heard of this."
Hearing this, the principal's expression turned disappointed. She gave Teacher Lin a deep look, then frowned, saying anxiously, "What are we going to do? If the Lu family really causes trouble..."
Would their kindergarten still be able to survive? Could it continue operating?
Teacher Lin, unaware of the principal's fear, whispered, "Principal, even if the Lu family wants to cause trouble, we don't need to be afraid. Our children are all from wealthy and influential families. As long as the parents are willing to help, what can the Lu family do, even if they want to?"
Hearing Teacher Lin's words, the principal was so angry she almost laughed.
"What do you know?" the principal retorted, looking at Teacher Lin, "That's the Lu family! In the entire City A, how many families can stand up to the Lu family? How many dare to oppose them?"
Upon hearing the principal's words, Teacher Lin's heart tightened slightly: "The Lu family, are they that powerful?" She felt as if she had guessed something wrong.
"The Lu family is that powerful? Teacher Lin, I didn't expect you, working at our kindergarten, to ask such a question." The principal was somewhat disappointed. "How many Lu families do you think there are in the entire City A?"
It's well known that the children at their kindergarten generally come from very wealthy and influential families. Teachers working here naturally need to know about these families. If the wealthy and influential people of City A were a pyramid, then the Lu family would stand at the very top.
The principal questioned, "Teacher Lin, haven't you even heard of the Lu's Building? I thought that as a resident of City A, you should know about the Lu family."
The principal had a reason for saying this. The Lu's Building is located in the very center of City A. Due to its unique architectural design, it's a landmark in the entire city. Not only people from City A, but also many people from other provinces have heard of the Lu's Building; it's a must-see for tourists visiting City A.
"So, tell me, if the Lu family wanted to do something to our kindergarten, do you think we'd still be okay?" the principal gritted her teeth.
Teacher Lin, however, was completely bewildered. She murmured, "That shouldn't be the case. Didn't Lu Baiyuan say her parents were unemployed, just wandering around the world, and her sister was still a student?"
As for her grandfather, he was a good-for-nothing old man who only knew how to date old ladies…
"She said her whole family relied on her brother to support them!" she said.
The principal said, "That's not wrong. After her brother graduated from university, her parents handed over the Lu family business to him, and her brother is now the head of the Lu family, the eldest son of the Lu family…"
Teacher Lin: "…"
It's over!
At this moment, only one thought remained in Teacher Lin's mind. She had always thought Lu Baiyuan's path was just an ordinary one, never connecting her to the Lu family.
"If she's the young lady of the Lu family, why is she so well-behaved?" Teacher Lin screamed inwardly.
If she had known earlier that Lu Baiyuan was the young lady of the Lu family, she would never have treated her that way.
What to do, what to do…
Teacher Lin panicked. She glanced at the anxious principal, secretly went to the side, took out her phone, and dialed someone in her contacts.
"Hello, Yin Hong…" Teacher Lin called out as soon as the call connected, her voice exceptionally soft, almost melodramatic, even though she was extremely fearful and nervous at that moment.
*
On the other side, after finishing his call with the orphanage, Lu Baiyi composed himself and returned to his car.
However, he was stunned as soon as he got in the car, because Yuan Yuan, who had been chattering away with him just moments before, was already asleep. The back seat was spacious, and her small body was curled up in the back seat, sleeping soundly.
Seeing her like this, the surging anger in Lu Baiyi's heart paused.
With the child asleep, the two adults talked outside the car.
"Thank you so much for my sister's matter today," Lu Baiyi thanked Xu Gui.
Xu Gui graciously accepted his thanks and said, "Aren't you curious why the kids in your sister's class call her a 'money-loser'?"
Lu Baiyi nodded and frowned, "I originally guessed it might be because Yuan Yuan is a girl, that's why she gets scolded like that... But since you specifically brought it up, it must be more than just that, right?"
Xu Gui nodded and said, "Yuan Yuan being a girl is indeed one reason, but there's another reason, it's because of her name..."
Lu Baiyi looked at her in surprise.
Xu Gui said, "Your sister's name is Lu Baiyuan, which sounds like 'six hundred yuan.' Plus, your name is six hundred billion. Oh, Yuanyuan said she has an older sister named six million?"
"You see, her older brother and sister are named six hundred billion and six million, but when it comes to her, it becomes six hundred yuan... Maybe some people are gossiping about her, and she can't help but overthink it." "
..."
Lu Baiyi never expected this reason. He put his hand to his forehead and smiled bitterly, "So that's the reason..."
Their family's generation uses the character "Bai," so the children are all named Lu Bai×, the eldest is Lu Baiyi, the second is Lu Baiwan, and the third is Lu Baiyuan... Actually, the naming of Lu Baiyi was really a coincidence.
At first, Lu Baiyi's parents didn't think anything was wrong. Later, someone said, "Lu Baiyi, your son's name sounds like it's about 60 billion!" Then, as if their meridians had been opened, the Lu parents named their second child Lu Baiwan, which sounds like "six million," making her and Lu Baiyi seem like siblings.
Then, they had a third child…
Lu Baiyi: "...This is really something."
Xu Gui said, "I suggested she and her brother change their names, so she'd be 60 billion. That name sounds expensive, but she said she didn't want her brother to be ridiculed."
Lu Baiyi was shocked.
Xu Gui smiled at him and said, "Your sister likes you a lot."
Lu Baiyi smiled and said, "Yuanyuan, she is indeed a good child." But it was precisely because the child was too good that she was bullied, making the older brother even angrier.
Having already handed someone else's sister over to her brother, Xu Gui felt he could retire gracefully and told Lu Baiyi he was going back.
Lu Baiyi paused for a moment, then subconsciously asked, "So soon?"
Xu Gui: "Hmm?"
Lu Baiyi coughed lightly and said, "What I mean is, would you like to come over to my house? Someone just gave us a basket of peaches a couple of days ago, and I made some peach-flavored mochi. They tasted pretty good. Don't you want to try some?"
Xu Gui's face immediately lit up with excitement, but in the end, she shook her head regretfully, refusing with great heartache.
"...No, I have work tomorrow, filming a program. I need to rest well!"—These were her manager Kuang Ming's exact words. Kuang Ming told her to rest well tonight, to recuperate, and to try to appear on the program in her best condition tomorrow.
Kuang Ming's words were just a habitual reminder, but he certainly didn't expect that his habitual remark would actually have an effect. Otherwise, Xu Gui would definitely have succumbed to the temptation of the food and been lured away.
Xu Gui said regretfully, "Then I'll head back first."
Lu Baiyi subconsciously took half a step towards her, saying, "I'll see you off..."
Xu Gui shook her head, saying, "You should take good care of your sister. She seems a bit down today. You should comfort her."
Lu Baiyi realized this as well, ignoring the regret that inexplicably rose in his heart. He nodded slightly to Xu Gui, "You're right. I still need to talk to my parents about this and see if we should change Yuan Yuan's name."
After all, the child had already been ridiculed by her peers because of her name, so naturally, they had to consider changing it.
Hearing his words, Xu Gui was speechless.
She looked away guiltily, thinking: When Lu Baiyi's sister said she wanted to be named "Xuanzhu," it must have been just a casual remark. If Lu Baiyuan really told the Lu family that she wanted to be named Lu Xuanzhu...
Xu Gui: I can't even imagine that scene.
When the car Xu Gui had called arrived, she quickly got in and looked up at Lu Baiyi standing beside the car, saying, "Then, I'll be going now..." She widened her eyes, trying hard not to show any guilt.
From Lu Baiyi's vantage point, she actually looked rather docile, and his heart stirred.
"...Be careful on the road," he instructed Xu Gui, his fingers twitching at his sides. He couldn't resist reaching out and gently touching Xu Gui's cheek, saying, "Send me a message when you get home."
The touch on her cheek was vivid; Xu Gui was slightly dazed and nodded a beat late, "...Okay."
After the car drove away, Lu Baiyi stood there for a few seconds, watching the taxi Xu Gui had taken disappear into the traffic, before turning back to his car. In the taxi, Xu Gui watched the receding figure disappear, and unconsciously touched the spot on her cheek where Lu Baiyi had touched her.
A look of confusion crossed her face.
The taxi driver glanced at her in the rearview mirror, smiled, and asked, "Boyfriend?"
Xu Gui: "...Huh?"
The taxi driver had a knowing look on his face and said, "I know, young couples in the throes of new love don't want to be apart for even a moment. When my wife and I were dating, it was like that; we really couldn't bear to be apart for even a second!"
"Even after being apart for half a day, we missed each other terribly..." he said smugly. "Fortunately, we got married, so I can see her every day. Sigh, but seeing her every day gets a little annoying."
He said he was annoyed, but his tone was smug and full of boasting.
After saying that, he glanced at Xu Gui again and comforted her, "So, don't be sad. When you and your boyfriend get married, you'll get tired of seeing him too!"
Xu Gui finally understood what the driver meant and explained, "He's not my boyfriend, we're just good friends."
"I know, my wife and I were good friends too!" the driver said with a knowing look.
Xu Gui: "..." I see you don't understand anything.
She did a fortune telling for the driver, predicting he would have both a son and a daughter, a happy life… and even enjoy the blessings of his descendants. After his children grew up, he and his wife would travel the world.
And…
"Your wife is pregnant now," she said.
The driver, focused on the road, only heard Xu Gui speak and instinctively asked, "Who? Who did you say?"
Xu Gui: "I said your wife is pregnant."
The driver turned the steering wheel, making a turn, before continuing to talk to Xu Gui. He said, "You're quite the joker, aren't you? You don't know, do you? I have health problems and it's not easy for me to have children."
Xu Gui smiled and said, "It's clearly your wife who has health issues and difficulty conceiving, yet you tell everyone that it's you who has health problems."
Hearing this, the driver couldn't help but glance at Xu Gui again in the rearview mirror, surprised, "How did you know?"
The driver and his wife were childhood sweethearts, dating since high school, then going to university and getting married. Their journey had been smooth, and even though they weren't wealthy now, and the driver had to drive a taxi after work to earn extra money, they were very content.
The couple's only problem was their lack of children. They had been married for seven years without any children. Of course, both sets of parents were pressuring them, so the couple had gone to the hospital for checkups years ago.
The tests revealed that the wife had a health issue, making it difficult for her to conceive, and the probability of pregnancy was very low. However, this was only known to the couple themselves, because afterwards, the driver told both sets of relatives that it was his health problem.
"I have oligospermia, I can't have children!" he said.
And over the years, the couple had indeed not conceived, and they had given up on the idea of having children, not deliberately trying. But now…
"Your wife is pregnant, and it's twins," Xu Gui said. "Two daughters. You really like daughters, don't you?"
The driver was bewildered: "What are you talking about? Young lady, don't joke around."
Xu Gui: "…Pull over." She was afraid that if they continued, they would have an accident.
The driver, bewildered, pulled over.
Xu Gui sat in the back seat, arms crossed, and said leisurely, "I'm not joking with you, your wife is indeed pregnant. If you don't believe me, you can take her to the hospital for a checkup now. Oh, and be careful, don't let your wife fall."
"Your wife's health isn't good, and pregnancy isn't easy. This fall will require a long period of bed rest, making this pregnancy very difficult. But if you take good care of her now and prevent her from bumping into anything, then this pregnancy will go smoothly, without any further complications."
Xu Gui spoke with an air of authority and seriousness, but the driver became increasingly confused. He smiled wryly and said, "...You said it yourself, my wife has difficulty conceiving, how could she possibly be pregnant?"
Xu Gui raised an eyebrow: "Difficulty conceiving doesn't mean she can't get pregnant, it just means the chances are lower. But, you only have these two children."
The driver's mind was a bit muddled.
"Are you telling the truth or not?" he couldn't help but ask again.
Xu Gui: "I have no reason to lie to you."
Driver: "But I didn't even know my wife was pregnant, how did you know?"
Xu Gui: "Because I'm a fortune teller."
Driver: ??
So, he'd encountered a madman? A madman with a twisted sense of reason.
*
The driver dropped Xu Gui off at the orphanage. His previously feverish mind had been cooled by Xu Gui's "fortune telling" claim; in other words, he didn't believe Xu Gui at all.
He thought: I'm really crazy; for a moment, I actually believed this customer.
After Xu Gui got out of the car and left, he drove home for dinner. At the dinner table, he jokingly told his wife about this funny incident.
"I almost believed her. You didn't see it; her expression and tone were so real, it seemed like it really was true..."
Therefore, for a moment, an unrealistic expectation actually surfaced in his heart.
Fortunately, the other party's words, "I can tell fortunes," finally calmed his feverish mind.