Chapter 2 – Bratty kids need to be put in their place.
Wang Ling asked in shock, “What nonsense are you talking about?”
Not only her, but everyone in the dining room, including the butler, was stunned, wearing expressions as if they had just learned some shocking news.
Meanwhile, Lu Xi continued eating as if she hadn’t heard Wang Ling, only speaking to the butler, informing him about her dietary habits.
“From now on, if I don’t wake up before nine o’clock in the morning, there’s no need to wake me. I’ll just have lunch directly.
“No eggs for breakfast, and replace milk with yogurt.
“Don’t make too spicy food, as it makes me break out…”
Although the butler was professional, upon hearing these unconventional requests, he couldn’t help but slightly furrow his brow behind his polite smile.
—Miss Lu… seemed a bit too unreserved?
Seeing his hesitant expression, Lu Xi caught herself just in time.
“…” She had inadvertently forgotten again.
To her, she was still the Madam here, but to others, she was just a stranger brought back by Xie Yizhao.
Indeed, she hadn’t fully adapted to this change yet, which was giving her a headache.
But her expression remained unchanged. Since the words had been spoken, they couldn’t be taken back. Moreover, she was indeed the Madam here; others would have to adapt to her.
Unable to find any acknowledgment, Wang Ling angrily walked out of the villa.
She took out her phone, her shrewd eyes gleaming with resentment, as she dialed a number. “Hello, Xiao Heng, Grandma Wang wants to tell you that your dad has found a stepmother for you!”
The annoying person had finally left, leaving Lu Xi in peace. She enjoyed her food even more now, having skipped meals the previous day and needing to replenish her energy today.
However, the butler seemed hesitant to speak.
Although he wasn’t familiar with Lu Xi and found her a bit strange, after all, she was just a young girl. Being a little careless was nothing, especially since the Master had instructed to take good care of her.
So he tactfully reminded her, “Wang Ling… if you offend her, it might cause some trouble.”
Lu Xi shrugged. “I know, it’s fine.”
She found it amusing. Wang Ling used to be a maid for Xie Yizhao’s mother before, taking care of him when he was young. When Lu Xi had just married into the family, Wang Ling often came to lecture her, and she had been snapped at many times.
Lu Xi didn’t care at all. She finished her last bite slowly and asked the butler again, “Is Xie Heng not at home?”
“Young Master is living at the school dormitory.”
“So he only comes back on weekends?” Lu Xi asked, somewhat disappointed.
The butler hesitated for a moment, his expression showing concern as he shook his head. “That was the plan, but Young Master had an argument with Master last month and hasn’t come home for a month.”
Lu Xi frowned. Running away from home…
What an experience, to wake up and suddenly having a rebellious son.
Unable to help herself, Lu Xi sighed inwardly. She wasn’t patient with children; she hadn’t even raised a pet from childhood, only playing simulated games with baby animals.
A chubby, cute, and obedient baby animal was entirely different from a rebellious sixteen-year-old in real life.
“Do you have a photo of him?” Lu Xi asked.
No matter how uncomfortable she felt, she was curious about her biological son.
She wanted to see what this offspring who inherited her genes looked like.
In that dream, everyone’s faces were blurry, and she couldn’t see anything clearly, but…
Lu Xi touched her own soft and delicate cheek, and in her mind appeared the handsome face of Xie Yizhao. She thought somewhat self-indulgently that Xie Heng must have inherited their genes; barring any genetic mutation, he surely wouldn’t be bad-looking.
The butler said, “There is a photo album, but it’s in Master’s study, the room is locked and cannot be entered.”
Lu Xi looked disappointed.
There was no choice; she had to go see him in person.
She stood up calmly and said, “Prepare a car for me. I’m going to his school.”
The butler was stunned.
He couldn’t help but show a complicated expression. He truly admired this girl’s courage. Although he didn’t know how far her relationship with Master had progressed, without having married, her status was ambiguous. But, was she planning to help him take care of his son?
After all, Xie Heng was the child of Master and his ex-wife. Over the years, Xie Yizhao had remained single. A man like him, with such qualities, attracted attention from many women, but only Miss Lu successfully ‘ascended.’
From a man’s perspective, she was indeed beautiful, and even Master couldn’t resist. This was completely understandable. However, with Master’s successful career, he was not a fool to let a girlfriend interfere with his family.
The butler apologized and said he needed to consult with Master first.
“No problem,” Lu Xi understood his thoughts and nodded generously. Until she regained her status, she was indeed just an outsider. Now, in the eyes of the butler and others, she probably had been labeled as ‘an ambitious bad woman’ or ‘a scheming stepmother.’
In less than three minutes, the butler returned. His eyes were somewhat dazed, but his attitude towards Lu Xi was more respectful.
He didn’t expect that upon hearing it, Master would agree without hesitation.
It seemed that her position in Xie Yizhao’s heart was extraordinary. Perhaps soon she would really become the Madam here and be Xie Heng’s stepmother.
Instead, Lu Xi frowned unhappily and asked, “Xie Yizhao agreed so quickly?”
The butler hesitated, “Ah, yes… Is there a problem?”
Lu Xi commented bluntly, “Xie Yizhao is too trusting. How could he let someone of unknown origin get close to his son so easily?”
The butler was speechless.
Did she just call herself someone of unknown origin? And addressing Master by his name directly—she was indeed a formidable character. No wonder she had just driven away Wang Ling.
The butler hadn’t expected that the usually reserved Master would be fond of such delicate tactics.
In this household, Master’s authority was paramount, Xie Heng was a rebellious teenager, and now with a strong-willed young stepmother, would the house soon become as chaotic as a family-themed daily soap opera?
While the butler worried about the household and pondered over these things, Lu Xi called him over and carefully asked about Xie Heng’s school schedule.
She quickly learned that Xie Heng was currently in his first year of high school, with Sundays off and only one hour of break time at noon and in the evening, ending self-study at 9:20 pm.
One hour was too short; perhaps she wouldn’t meet him, as he might return to class before she arrived.
Although Lu Xi really wanted to see Xie Heng, after considering, she decided to wait until the evening to try her luck.
Before lunch, someone delivered the latest model of a smartphone to Lu Xi.
In truth, there wasn’t much difference. The phone was a bit thinner, but otherwise, she didn’t feel much change. Mobile payments were already popular back then, so overall, it was similar. The only thing she needed to adapt to was her mindset.
There was one odd thing, though. She found that the number was still her old one.
After so long, it couldn’t still be active. It must have been repurchased by Xie Yizhao.
She had to praise his thoughtfulness.
Not long after, several managers from luxury stores came to the villa, delivering dozens of sets of the latest clothes, shoes, and bags. They were all arranged by servants and hung in the wardrobe.
Lu Xi had always loved shopping. When she saw beautiful clothes, she couldn’t help but browse.
She spent hours trying on clothes in the wardrobe, thoroughly enjoying herself. To her surprise, she found that today’s clothes were not much different from those over a decade ago. Fashion truly was cyclical, as they say.
She picked out an outfit suitable for going out, had lunch, and lazily returned to her room for a nap.
It wasn’t until she woke up that Lu Xi learned from the butler that Xie Heng had skipped class again in the afternoon and was planning to go to a bar with friends at night.
Lu Xi, still half-asleep : ??? This naughty child is really out of control. No, he needs to be disciplined!
At the Sweet Orange Bar, Xie Heng sat in the center seat by the wall on the first floor, surrounded by seven or eight boys and several elegantly dressed mature girls.
A girl in a short skirt sat next to him, coquettishly offering him a drink, “Brother Heng, have a drink with me.”
The boy had a cold face and pushed away her hand, “Don’t bother me.”
He had been in a bad mood since this morning, feeling like the whole world was against him, not showing a pleasant face to anyone.
He hadn’t slept well last night, because a roommate was snoring loudly, which kept him awake. He had to catch up on sleep during class, only to be sarcastically called out by the teacher to stand outside.
He didn’t care, just swaggered out of the classroom. Unexpectedly, he received a call from Wang Ling, talking to him about this and that.
“Whether he wants to find any or not, what does it have to do with me?” Xie Heng hung up the phone, outwardly indifferent but increasingly annoyed inside.
Some friends from outside school happened to call him to play games. Ignoring the teacher’s dissuasion, he boldly left and sneaked out, spending the evening in an internet cafe. Some friends brought their girlfriends, and a few others he didn’t know said they wanted to go to a bar.
The girl lost face and hummed unhappily, turning her head to sit aside.
Song Ji smiled and clinked glasses with Xie Heng, “What’s wrong, Brother Heng? Bad mood? Tell your brothers, we’ll teach whoever dares to mess with you!”
Xie Heng glanced at him, his expression slightly softened, and drank half a glass, giving face. Song Ji didn’t mind, casually finishing his own beer.
“No one’s bothering me, just family stuff.” Xie Heng frowned.
Among this group of people, he was relatively close with Song Ji. Song Ji was a few years older and had a straightforward personality. When they first met, he didn’t know Xie Heng came from a wealthy family and always treated him to meals despite his average financial situation.
Xie Heng later felt embarrassed and confessed, but Song Ji wasn’t upset. Instead, he joked that Xie Heng was hiding his wealth.
Xie Yizhao knew about this friend of his and had reprimanded him, telling him to stay away from such bad influences. He got angry and argued with Xie Yizhao, then simply moved out of the house, not wanting to see XIe Yizhao’s face anymore.
Compared to that cold and indifferent home, he would rather stay with his friends. At least they have warmth and truly care about him.
Xie Heng got up to go to the restroom.
He was, after all, just a student, rarely visiting bars, with a simple circle of friends and straightforward thoughts. He hadn’t expected that shortly after he got up, Song Ji would sneakily take out a small packet from his pocket and pour it into his glass while shielding it with his hand.
However, this scene happened to fall into Lu Xi’s eyes.
It wasn’t that she was particularly sensitive; it was just that after entering the bar and finding Xie Heng, she had taken a second-floor seat to observe him.
It was truly miraculous; perhaps it was a blood relation thing. She just glanced at that table, and her heart seemed to be gripped tightly. She stared intensely at the young man in the middle, feeling strongly that he was Xie Heng.
The bar was dimly lit, but Lu Xi had good eyesight, combined with her high vantage point, she could see clearly.
Her heart pounded, unable to help but marvel at the wonders of blood ties. Xie Heng looked so much like her and Xie Yizhao!
With his sharply defined face, high nose bridge, and eyebrow bones like his father’s, and slightly drooping eyes and upturned corners of his lips like hers. If his face weren’t so cold, he would definitely be the kind of guy that girls would stop on the street to chat up.
She had come, seen clearly, satisfied her curiosity, and originally intended to leave immediately, letting the bodyguard who came with her take the brat back to school. However, for some reason, she had a foreboding feeling.
That table of people, that murky atmosphere, made her very uncomfortable. Her intuition suggested that something was about to happen.
Sure enough…
The men’s restroom was empty. Xie Heng quickly returned. Just as he sat down, Song Ji smiled and filled his glass, saying they should have one more drink.
Actually, Xie Heng didn’t really want to drink anymore, but Song Ji persuaded him, “One last drink, then we’ll leave.”
He thought there was no harm in that, picked up his glass ready to drink, when suddenly a fair hand appeared in the corner of his eye and pressed down on his shoulder: “Don’t drink.”
Xie Heng froze, but he heard a young woman’s voice. He frowned, not taking it seriously. Every time he came to a bar, he always encountered many girls trying to chat him up, and he didn’t even bother to look back.
It was Song Ji who became impatient and snapped, “What’s it got to do with you whether he drinks or not? Who are you?”
Lu Xi calmly replied, “I’m his parent.”
Muito emocionante!!