In front of a luxurious villa stood a tall, delicate-looking girl, who gazed at the tightly shut gates with a cold gaze.
Her left hand rested casually on the handle of her suitcase, her right hand hanging at her side. Her index finger twitched rhythmically, coming across as nonchalant.
"Miss, you're here?" Aunt Lin, the housekeeper, opened the villa gate and looked at the young lady outside with a disdainful tone.
She had been with the Lu Family for many years and had earned the couple's trust.
Lu Qingyi nodded lightly, sidestepping the housekeeper as she entered the villa.
"Can't you greet us anymore?"
In the living room, a couple was sitting on the sofa. The well-maintained woman was watching a TV show with a face mask on, while the man, with his legs crossed, was reading a newspaper.
Spotting Lu Qingyi making her way upstairs with a periphery glance, Lu Yao put down his newspaper, frowning in annoyance.
Lu Qingyi paused in her steps: "Dad, Mom."
Her voice was chilly and emotionless.
"Behave yourself. I've arranged for you to attend a school," Lu Yao said, his eyes locked on his daughter with a heavy frown, expressing displeasure.
In her first year of existence, Lu Qingyi was handed over to her grandmother for upbringing. Had it not been for her grandmother's dying plea for him to take care of Qingyi, he might have never brought her home.
Since Lu Qingyi was born, he barely paid attention to her. Initially, he and his wife had planned to send her to an orphanage, but when his mother-in-law expressed her desire to raise her, he left the matter alone.
"Don't cause any trouble, if it weren't for your grandmother, we wouldn't even bother." The woman removed her face mask, her words delivered in a matter-of-fact tone, as if Lu Qingyi was a stranger with no blood ties to her.
Her own mother, Yao Meishu, a beautiful woman. Lu Qingyi inherited almost all of her beauty, albeit enhanced.
Lu Qingyi took one look at the couple and climbed the stairs with her suitcase.
Despite never being visited by her parents, every Chinese New Year her grandmother would bring her to stay overnight at the Lu Family household, where she had her own room.
As a child, she never understood why her parents did not like her, only showing affection for her twin brother and sister who were one year younger than her.
She yearned for parental love in the past, but now, as an adult, she no longer needed it.
As she lay on the soft bed, Lu Qingyi felt somewhat amused.
One could say that her name, Qingyi, was given to her by her grandmother, who was a teacher when younger, and was quite cultured, hence the nice name.
"Sis, you can finally come home now."
The room door was opened, Lu Jiayue stood with her hands behind her back, speaking in a sweet tone. Her eyes shone with excitement as she looked at Lu Qingyi.
"Sis, let me treat you to chocolate. This brand is really delicious, many people in our school love it. You probably haven't tasted it before, right?"
Lu Jiayue walked in, placed the chocolate on the vanity, and flashed a light smile.
She seemed to be a gentle, kind-hearted, simple, and adorable.
Lu Qingyi glanced at the chocolate, the corners of her mouth revealing a faint smirk.
True, it was indeed a high-end brand, very costly. However, she was sick and tired of chocolates from this brand.
"Sis, mom said you stopped studying a long time ago, so what are you doing now? It seems like dad wants you to go to our school, just to get a high school diploma."
Lu Jiayue didn't care whether Lu Qingyi was paying attention or not, she kept on chattering. Her tone was full of concern, as if she was genuinely concerned for her sister.
Just getting a diploma?
Lu Qingyi's eyes sparkled with curiosity as she found her younger sister amusingly interesting.
This sister of hers seemed naïve, and yet her scheming was way too deep.
Lu Qingyi sat up, propped her chin on her hand, tilted her head and looked at Lu Jiayue with a smile that was not quite a smile: "We... don't appear to be close."
Her voice was chilly and emotionless.
Her sister, she was quite a schemer.
"But sis, how can we not be close? After all, we share the same parents."
Lu Jiayue blinked, putting on an innocent look.
"Lu Jiayue, I know you don't welcome me. Of course, if it weren't for grandma's last wish, I wouldn't care to come back."
Lu Qingyi stood up, squinting slightly, approaching Lu Jiayue, her voice quite cold.
Grandma's biggest wish was for her to mend her relationship with her parents and return to this family.
"Sister, what are you saying? How could I not welcome you?"
Lu Jiayue bit her lower lip with a look of distress, looking pitifully adorable.
"Quit your temper tantrums."
Lu Yao walked in with a white envelope in his hand, saw Lu Jiayue looking pitiful, and Lu Qingyi's mocking smile.
In his gloomy eyes, there was a rolling rage. After all, Lu Jiayue was his beloved treasure.
"Yueyue, don't be upset, your sister grew up in the countryside and doesn't know our ways. Don't stoop to her level."
Lu Yao contained his anger, affectionately ruffled Lu Jiayue's hair, his words full of tenderness.
Look, that's the difference.
Lu Qingyi chuckled coldly. They, Lu Yao and Yao Meishu, stood by and watched indifferently when it came to her, just like strangers. But when it came to Lu Jiayue and Lu Jiahao, they were like different people, epitomes of loving parents.
"I've handled your school admission, get your ass to school tomorrow."
Lu Yao slapped the white envelope onto the vanity, stern and disdainful.
Ultimately, she was his blood-tied daughter. Despite his dislike for Lu Qingyi, he hoped she would have a better future.
Only education can provide a brighter path.
"Dad, are you sending sister to First High School? Her grades..."
Lu Jiayue opened the envelope. The words "First High School Admission Notice" in bold black type were particularly striking.
She bit her lip, glanced at Lu Qingyi timidly, and hesitated to speak.
"First High School?" Lu Qingyi raised an eyebrow, casually chewing on those two words.
"It's the best high school in the city. I don't expect you to get into a university. As long as you manage to graduate from high school, that's enough. I'll arrange a job for you after your graduation."
Lu Yao frowned, completely annoyed by Lu Qingyi's nonchalance.
If it weren't for his mother-in-law's strong recommendation, and the undeniable fact that Lu Qingyi is his biological daughter, he wouldn't even bother with her.
Seeing her like this just fills him with irritation.
"Huh, high school? I thought you'd arrange a university for me."
Lu Qingyi chuckled. She picked up the admission notice, her eyes filled with mockery.
Senior High Three (Class Twenty), Lu Qingyi.
The most useless class in the whole school, huh.
"You've never been to high school and you're thinking about university?" Lu Yao laughed, looking Lu Qingyi up and down with contemptuous eyes.
Indeed, his daughter is beautiful, incredibly so. But she did grow up in the countryside and isn't highly educated.
His mother-in-law, Yao Huijuan, also said that Lu Qingyi never attended high school.
"Sister, it's okay. My grades are pretty good. I can tutor you from high school basics."
Lu Jiayue stepped forward and tugged Qingyi's sleeve, showing concern.
"Tutor me? Are you capable of that?"
Lu Qingyi gave her a seemingly amused look. To her, high school knowledge is just a piece of cake.
"Now that you have the admission notice, go to school tomorrow. I have arranged your accommodation."
Lu Yao frowned, pulled Lu Jiayue, and they walked out.
Seeing Lu Qingyi left him in a bad mood, so he decided simply to throw Lu Qingyi off to school.