All this while Lu shenqi had been basking in Lu xunhe doting attitude towards. Lu xunhe too did a good job in hiding his I'll feelings towards her, the father and daughter relationship went back to how it used to be at least that was what Lu shenqi felt.
She was so busy being doted on that she didn't notice her mother's strange awkwardness around her or the fact that she was practically avoiding her. it never occurred to her that very soon she was going to be used as a trade item by her father.
"father! father! look, General Han birthday is in three days time, his children are throwing a party for him, all the prominent people are invited along with every famous youth...aish I wish I could go too" she sighed regretfully, the longing to attend the party could clearly be seen on her face
"daddy I really want to go, can you help me?" she asked purposely, she remembered that the last time she asked for an invitation from him he ended up telling her off, even insulting her too, she asked to see what his answer would be this time around
a insidious look flashed through Lu xunhe eyes, he brought down his face and sighed regretfully " I've lost all my influence it's going to be hard to get an invitation and I'm not sure any of my past aquiantances would want to help"
she tugged the edge of his cloth and tried persuading him with a pitiful look on her face "Dad please I really want to go and...besides I believe that I might be able to help our family's situation if I go, don't you want that to happen?"
"I do but it's not going to be easy, all my previous acquaintances have cut contact with me... there's only one person that still keeps reaching out to me...but_no just forget it" he shook his head disapprovingly, his expression showed that he wasn't to keen on what ever had come to his mind
Lu shenqi refuted when she saw his reluctance, "father who is it? at a time of need anybody can be of help to you? so the person personality doesn't matter"
"I'm not talking of his personality, it's just...this is the last friend and business partner I have left and I don't want to anything to go wrong between us... I'm afraid things_" she cut him off
"father no need to be afraid, I promise I would do exact what you say and try my best to please him, I'm sure with my lovable character it won't be hard to get into his good books."
He looked reluctant on the surface but deep within he was gloating at her, he hesitated for a bit and then finally nodded "fine I would speak to him and ask him to take you as his companion, just hope he hasn't made plans already but please_"
she didn't wait to hear what he had to say next, she was so gleeful that she practically jumped on him
"dad don't worry, everything will be perfect,"
"what about the scar on your face?" he was clearly mocking her but she thought he was asking out of concern
she touched the mark on her cheeks and momentarily fell into a dilemma, she spent her last dimes and even borrowed more just to buy cosmetics and although the mark had really faded a little, it was just as obvious as before, the only option to permanently erase it was plastic surgery and neither her not her parents had the money for such, so the only thing she could do was keep covering it with make up, she had to carry her make up everywhere she went just in case the previous one washed away.
she shook away the unhappy thoughts "don't worry I'll just cover it up with make up and then I'll be just as beautiful as before"
"hmmm if you sure nothing would go wrong then I'll arrange everything for you" He spoke like he was left with no other option but in truth this was a more simpler way to implement everything he had been plotting, before now he had been cracking his brain thinking of ways he could entrap her into having to meet this so-called 'last friend and business partner' but now the sheep has offered itself to the slaughter. he could just work everything from the background and when the time comes he would act like he never knew anything about it.
"yeh! I'm so happy!" she exclaimed joyfully
"I better go and get prepared, everything needs to be perfect!" happily she left totally forgetting to appreciate him for agree, he was discontented but still had to show a warm smile till she left the room completely
"tsk tsk" he clicked his tongue gloatingly and went back to flipping through the pieces of newspaper in his hands
Tang ning watched the whole scene from a dark corridor, she felt bad leaving her daughter to be used as a pawn in her husband's hands but she would rather Lu shenqi be used than herself besides she knew that if she were in Lu shenqi shoes, her precious daughter would do the same of abandoning her maybe even worse
she walked towards Lu xunhe "this friend of yours, by any chance do I know him?"
Lu xunhe looked her up from the side of his "yes you do" he answered and went back to his reading.
Tang ning was hesitant but still curious, she wanted to know who it was, she knew if she found out the person then she would be able to discern just what Lu xunhe was planning. she broke her hesitation and asked
"who is it?"
He looked at her once again then this time with his eyes fixed to hers he said "Quan nianzu"
Quan nianzu?!!
...that name clamoured like a thousand lightening bolts in the ears of Tang ning, she had thought about all the bad people she could remember but her mind never went for the worst like Quan nianzu!
No matter how a lady yearned for success, she would never think of using Quan nianzu as a means to succeed unless she has a death wish. He was a beast in human skin,
Quan nianzu was an elderly man of 50 but, he had managed to keep himself from looking wearylike other men of his age, he was one of the most lecherous man ever known, his famous expertise and was how all his previous girlfriends ended up in the hospital with few of them no longer alive while the rest with serious injuries obtained from his beastly acts. it wasn't known to everybody but some knew that his wife had died under his hand due to his bestiality
although he is very rich and influential, women still avoided him because no one wanted a beast as a lover,
she stood there feeling even bad than what she was before, she didn't know what would become of Lu shenqi after she got together with Quan nianzu, she wasn't even sure if she would survive it. Tang ning tried imagining all that Lu shenqi would have to go through and the more she did the more she felt guilty but even still what did she do, she just turned and walked towards her room without saying anything.
now that she even knew the plan she was even more unwilling to get herself into it, what would she do if she was the one getting trapped with someone like Quan nianzu. she walked past Lu shenqi room and saw her happily searching through her clothes.
"I can't wait to attend the party and then I will be able to seduce a rich handsome boy for myself, when I finally get rich I would flaunt my money in the eyes of everyone that looked down on me, even father and mother would have to answer to me hahaha" Lu shenqi was lost in her fantasizing, she didn't know Tang ning was standing at the door if not she wouldn't have said that last line
Tang ning got slightly annoyed when she heard what Lu shenqi said, she didn't expect her to say such a thing, every bit of guilt she felt before disappeared without a trace
'hmph! to think I thought of saving this selfish child, since she's so cocky I'll leave her to her fate!' she complained to herself of how Lu shenqi was being selfish.
This father, mother and daughter trio were all just a bunch of shameless people, they always found it easy to tag people as being selfish or heartless, but they totally ignored the fact that they too were as selfish as one could be.