It was summer.
The blanket covering Qiao Ziyan was a particularly thin and silky air-conditioning quilt.
Lu Ping lay on top of it, able to clearly feel every contour through the blanket.
Combined with Qiao Ziyan's unconscious struggling and writhing...
Instinctively, Lu Ping's memories from last night at the hotel started to overlap with the present.
"Mm-hmm~"
Qiao Qingxia did not cover her mouth tightly enough, and Qiao Ziyan's moans seeped through her hand, inducing a strange allure.
Lu Ping himself had also eaten those leek dumplings laced with drugs, and under such stimulating circumstances, how could he contain himself?
Luckily he was lying down, and Qiao Qingxia couldn't see.
Not only could she not see, she even urged him, "Lu Ping, make sure you hold my sister down tightly, she's almost wriggling out."
Lu Ping had to use more strength, and finally managed to pin Qiao Ziyan under the blanket so she couldn't move.
But he himself was also reaching his limit...
Now was different from last night, he knew Qiao Ziyan wasn't willing, and with Qiao Qingxia right beside them, naturally, he couldn't act without any scruples as he had last night…
After all, Lu Ping still had his principles.
Following that, Lu Ping and Qiao Qingxia stayed like that, one pressing down with their body, the other covering the mouth… helping Qiao Ziyan endure the drug's effects.
After struggling for nearly two hours, the drug effects finally diminished, and Qiao Ziyan lay exhausted on the bed, sweating from head to toe like she had just been pulled out of water.
"Okay, I'm leaving now."
Lu Ping hastily got up and headed outside.
If he didn't leave now, he feared he might not be able to restrain himself and would end up assaulting the two sisters.
"Thank you, Lu Ping." Qiao Qingxia waved her thanks. If it weren't for Lu Ping's help, she couldn't have managed her sister alone.
"Get out!"
Qiao Ziyan muttered weakly through gritted teeth.
At this moment, she was fully lucid. What had just occurred, though her consciousness was a bit fuzzy, many sensations were very clear.
It was just like last night!
She felt like the nightmare of last night had played out again.
It was as though she had been assaulted through the blanket!
The devil was the same jerk from last night, and her dearest younger sister had turned into an "accomplice"!
Of course, her rational mind knew that today's incident at noon had likely been her mother's doing, and Lu Ping hadn't done anything inappropriate.
On the contrary, Lu Ping indeed had helped her. Frankly speaking, she did owe him thanks.
But, she couldn't bring herself to utter that 'thank you'!
"Leaving so soon, Young Master Lu? How was your nap this afternoon?"
As Lu Ping reached the living room, Mr. and Mrs. Jiang from the Qiao family had been eagerly waiting, and asked solicitously.
"Didn't sleep," Lu Ping shook his head, his tone irritable.
He was still feeling very frustrated.
"Young Master Lu, then what were you and Ziyan doing in the bedroom this afternoon?" asked Mrs. Jiang, puzzled.
She had seen Lu Ping leaving Qiao Ziyan's bedroom.
"Oh, not just the two of us, Qingxia was also there. The three of us... played Fight the Landlord all afternoon."
Lu Ping hurriedly invented an explanation, fearing being misunderstood.
"Ah? The three of you? Played Fight the Landlord for the whole afternoon?"
"Qingxia, that foolish girl! She's really clueless!"
Mr. and Mrs. Jiang were furious.
Lu Ping had already walked out.
"Young Master Lu, come over for dinner tonight!"
"Young Master Lu, it's okay if you didn't sleep well, come to stay at our place tonight!"
Behind him, the Jiang couple from the Qiao family called out loudly.
"Okay."
Lu Ping responded without turning back.
He had come to Jiang City specifically to find Qiao Ziyan, and as the token wasn't in hand yet, he naturally couldn't leave.
But right now, all he wanted was to find somewhere to let off steam.
...
"Dad, Mom! You've really gone too far this time! Did you drug the food at lunch? I am your own daughter, and yet you do this to me?"
After Lu Ping left, Qiao Ziyan got dressed and walked out, angrily saying.
"Ziyan, don't blame your mother, we really had no choice," Mr. Jiang said awkwardly.
"Daughter, tell me honestly, did you really play Fight the Landlord for two hours this noon?" Mrs. Jiang asked instead of answering.
Before Qiao Ziyan could speak, Qiao Qingxia rushed out and preemptively answered, "That's right! I dragged them into playing Fight the Landlord. Lu Fan always wanted to be the landlord, annoying to death!"
"You foolish girl! Are you out of your mind?"
"Qingxia, do you realize you've ruined a major plan for the Qiao Family!"
"Because you insisted on playing Fight the Landlord with Young Master Lu, our Qiao Family Corporation is going to go bankrupt!"
Mr. and Mrs. Jiang hopped around in anger.
"Ah? The Qiao Family Corporation is going bankrupt?"
Qiao Qingxia was taken aback. She usually had no involvement in the company's affairs and didn't realize the situation was that dire.
"Mom, Dad, I will try my best to save the company. Please... don't drug me again..."
Qiao Ziyan said solemnly, then left the house and drove to the company.
The anger towards her parents instantly turned into helplessness.
The Qiao Family Corporation was the result of decades of the Qiao family's hard work; she couldn't let it go bankrupt!
If it really came down to it, she had no choice but to ask that man Lu Fan for help again…
...
"Wife, didn't you drug the food at noon? Why didn't it work? If the drug had worked, even with Qingxia causing trouble, those two should have been all over each other!"
"Could the dosage have been too little? Young Master Lu is coming for dinner tonight, I'll use double the dosage! And we'll distract Qingxia! I refuse to believe we can't match them up!"
After Qiao Ziyan had left, Mr. and Mrs. Jiang secretly conspired.