It seems that the villain is targeting me.

She has to figure it out on her own.

The loss of consciousness lasted only a few seconds, and Lu Zhiqing quickly composed himself.

"Let's go," she said to the monk.

Chapter 7000: Lu Zhiqing: Targeting me, right? (+)

After walking in, the first thing that catches your eye is the huge Bodhi tree in the center of the yard.

The sound of wooden fish being struck could be faintly heard around, and not far away there were monks chanting scriptures, their ethereal and lingering tones seemed as if they would melt into the air at any moment.

Lu Zhiqing took a few more steps towards the tree, and the noisy voices of the tourists seemed to be isolated behind him, and the environment suddenly became quiet.

Different from what ordinary people imagine, although Buddhism is a place for retreat, life inside the temple is not simply bitter and cold. All basic living facilities are provided and the living conditions are not bad.

Especially such famous temples, they basically have spare money to repair the Buddhist hall, and even have rooms specifically for receiving pilgrims.

The Lu family was one of the wealthy families in the temple, so the abbot of the temple simply marked out the best place for Mrs. Lu to use.

The Mrs. Lu here refers to Lu Zhiqing's stepmother - a few days ago, this woman suddenly contacted her and said that she had something to discuss with her.

At that time, Lu Zhiqing had already moved out of his home and had no contact with anyone in the Lu residence for several months.

The incident started when Lu Weiren mentioned to her that she was old enough and it was time to look for a marriage partner.

In the upper class circles, this phenomenon of relying on marriage to consolidate relationships is very common, and in the process of the two families joining together, the opinions of the younger generation are basically not taken into consideration.

Lu Zhiqing knew that this would happen sooner or later, and she was also very clear that based on her father's personality, he would most likely arrange for her, his less favored daughter, to marry out.

She just didn't expect this day to come so soon.

From this point of view alone, a child without a mother is indeed miserable: one of the two adults in the family doesn't care much about her, and the other is full of calculations towards her. If it were an ordinary child, she would probably be like a fish on the chopping board, at the mercy of others.

Lu Zhiqing's eyebrows jumped: "... Let's talk about it later, Dad, I still have to go to school."

"You can get engaged first. It's not too late to get married after you graduate from college," her father waved his hand, saying almost as a matter of course, "You're almost an adult. There's nothing wrong with settling things early."

"You know that boy. Our two families had an engagement a long time ago, and we know each other very well."

As Lu Weiren spoke, he almost convinced himself and felt more and more that this was indeed a good marriage.

"I've been thinking about you, too," he said. "If you marry that kid from the Gu family, you won't have to start over with your relationship."

Lu Zhiqing was stunned for a few seconds, and it took him a long time to realize that the person Lao Deng was talking about was Gu Tianjiao.

She was so disgusted by these words that she was speechless. After a long while, she said quietly, "No, Father, I don't have any plans in this regard for the time being."

"Besides, there's no way I'd marry him," she added.

Gu Tianjiao has been fostered in the Lu family since she was a child. If she really gets engaged to him, who knows how bad the reputation will be if it gets out.

In addition, Lu Zhiqing had a very strong intuition in his heart: this person was definitely not a good person, and he should not be made a close friend. Even simply being involved with him could bring bad luck.

This was probably some kind of human instinct to avoid danger. She could sense the strong malice hidden beneath the mask of obedience in this person.

This

This made Lu Zhiqing almost instinctively want to stay away from the other person.

It was unwise to fall out with her father when she was still young and mature, so she chose passive resistance.

Since then, Lu Zhiqing never returned home. Even during holidays, he chose to stay at home. He was physically away from his family and no longer had any contact with Gu Tianjiao.

Her attitude made Lu Weiren extremely angry - the old man never expected that his eldest daughter, who had always been quiet and sensible, would dare to disobey him.

In retaliation, he stopped paying Lu Zhiqing's living expenses and spread the word that no one was allowed to provide her with any financial assistance.

Fortunately, Lu Zhiqing still had savings to spend - the amount was not small, and as long as she lived frugally, it would be enough to support her until she went to college.

——Of course, it has to be a public university. Studying abroad and expensive private schools are not included.

As the daughter of her deceased ex-wife, Lu Zhiqing was naturally disliked by her stepmother. Although she had never lacked food and clothing, her spiritual world was lacking.

Unlike her younger sister, she was not spoiled since birth and lived a carefree life. Even if she didn't consider the future at all, her parents would still provide for her.

Lu Zhiqing understood a long time ago that no one in his family would truly plan for his future.

Her father had never trained Zhiqing as an heir. He simply viewed her as a girl to be sent away when she came of age—perhaps in exchange for some benefits through her marriage—but other than that, she had no other value.

If Lu Zhiqing really listened to his father, it might be because he felt that his first half of life had been too smooth and he wanted to find something to do in the second half of his life.

As for the stepmother...it's a good thing that this woman doesn't try to set a trap for herself.

Lu Zhiqing didn't have the lingering feeling of ease, so he could only work hard for himself.

She knew very well that if she wanted to escape from her father's control, she had to stay away from the Lu family after she became an adult.

In preparation for that day to come, Lu Zhiqing has been secretly saving money from scholarships, competition incentive bonuses, and occasional royalties from contributing to magazines.

The money was not deposited into the family account, but into another passbook, and only Lu Zhiqing himself knew of its existence.

Although the preparations are not yet sufficient, the money has given her some courage to disobey her father.

Lu Weiren waited patiently for several months but his eldest daughter did not come to surrender. He was too embarrassed to ask for peace, so he found someone to pass the message to Lu Zhiqing on his behalf in a roundabout way.

First, the relatives and friends at home, then the teachers and classmates at school.

But Lu Zhiqing remained unmoved: she was almost an adult and could make her own decisions, and simple talk therapy could not shake her at all.

Zhiqing was also lucky to have met a responsible class teacher. After learning about her family's situation, he advised the parents: "If there are any conflicts, wait until after the college entrance examination to discuss them. Don't delay the children's studies."

But Lu Weiren didn't want to wait until the college entrance examination was over.

In fact, Lao Deng himself was not very satisfied with his son-in-law Gu Tianjiao, but what made him even more annoyed was his daughter's resistance to his own authority.

He is a typical feudal patriarch who values face above all else. He cannot tolerate his children's rebellious behavior and will not allow anyone in the family to escape his control.

Instructing his stepmother to pass on the message was an ultimatum - it indicated that Lu Weiren's patience was reaching its limit.

Lu Zhiqing knew that he had to go this time.

She walked into the room the monk had mentioned and saw her stepmother.

Because she has always lived a life of luxury, Mrs. Lu has maintained herself very well and looks much younger than her actual age.

Now, she was sitting at the table in the middle of the room, sipping tea leisurely.

Lu Zhiqing looked around but did not see his father.

Only her stepmother came alone.

The woman slightly put down the teacup in her hand and deliberately ignored the tense expression on Zhiqing's face.

Mrs. Lu slowly looked at Zhiqing with a slightly critical look - this look, combined with her facial features and expression, seemed particularly harsh.

This woman has always disliked Lu Zhiqing.

She actually noticed the alertness and caution in Lu Zhiqing's eyes, but she did not take him seriously.

Mrs. Lu’s idea was very simple—she didn’t think Lu Zhiqing’s resistance was a big deal at all, and there was no need to spend extra energy to deal with it.

"It's like a child throwing a tantrum and running away from home," she told her husband lightly. "She'll regret it when she hits a wall."

Mrs. Lu really didn't like her, but she did a good job of saving face. At least outsiders couldn't tell whether she was biased or not.

When Lao Deng decided to pay for Zhiqing's living expenses, she did not fan the flames, but just watched coldly from the side, neither supporting nor opposing, and just said "Everything is up to you, master."

...It was he who took the initiative to come and talk to Lu Zhiqing.

Lu Zhiqing didn't know the inside story, but her feelings for her family were originally very weak, so even if she knew, she probably wouldn't be too sad.

Although it may sound very sad to say it, she really no longer has any expectations for her biological father.

“You’re here

"Mrs. Lu said with a half-smile on her face, "Sit down and have some tea."

Lu Zhiqing sat down at the table as she was told. She looked up at the door and found that the monk had left, leaving only the two of them in the room.

They must have called in advance, right? After all, after so many years of burning incense, the Lu family and the temple abbot are quite familiar with each other.

While he was distracted, Mrs. Lu had already heated the tea set and pushed the newly filled cup in front of Zhiqing with a long-handled clamp.

Lu Zhiqing subconsciously lowered his head to look. The clean white porcelain cup was filled with lake-like green tea, which looked exceptionally beautiful.

"Now that I'm here, you probably understand what I mean," Mrs. Lu said in a calm tone, like a serial killer. "The master asked you to go home and live. There will be something that requires your presence in a few days..."

The 'thing' here refers to organizing the engagement ceremony.

Yes, even though he had not given his permission and even though he was not willing at all, the engagement was still being prepared quietly behind the scenes.

"The master hopes you can go back on your own," Mrs. Lu said slowly, acting as a mouthpiece, "otherwise, he might take some less than honorable coercive measures."

...It was just like a commodity whose price had been agreed upon in the morning, and he couldn't wait to hand her over to him and the money and goods would be exchanged.

Lu Zhiqing looked at his stepmother calmly.

She didn't dare to really fall out with her family: let alone being a minor, even if she was an adult, Lu Zhiqing would not be able to compete with her father in a short period of time.

If Lao Deng really disregarded his reputation and chose to take tough measures, it would be effortless for him to deal with her, a high school student who had not yet graduated.

It's useless to call the police for this kind of family matter. The police won't care at all.

Not to mention that Lu Weiren is her legal guardian and can discipline her with confidence.

She is very smart. She will not let herself get to the point where she has to fall out with others before she has accumulated enough confidence.

Even if it really came to that, the worst that could happen was that he would give up everything and rush to live with his grandparents on the train overnight - Lu Weiren could act like a tyrant in Jiangcheng, but that might not be the case in other provinces.

How could a grown man like me suffocate to death here?

Lu Zhiqing had figured out all the key interests long before coming here.

At the moment, although she was still feeling uneasy, she knew what she should do next.

"...I've been studying very hard lately, so living on campus would be much more convenient," she said. "The college entrance exam is only a few days away, so I'd better not move back for now."

I absolutely cannot move back to Lu's house, as that will only cause me to lose all initiative and I won't even have the chance to escape.

"As for other things, I have no plans yet..."

Lu Zhiqing paused before continuing, "...I'll just follow Dad's arrangements."

After the words fell, a strange expression appeared on Mrs. Lu's face.

The woman had originally prepared herself for a long period of persuasion and even an argument, but she did not expect Lu Zhiqing to give in so easily.

"Why did you suddenly change your mind?" She covered her mouth in surprise, but there was a hint of sarcasm in her eyes.

I thought this little girl was so tough, but after just a few days, she couldn't stand it anymore and gave in.

"You're joking," Lu Zhiqing lowered his eyes, pretending not to see anything.

She gave a self-deprecating smile, "I'm just a student. What else can I do if I don't change my mind? Am I really going to have a falling out with my family?"

The expression on the girl's face seemed to please Mrs. Lu, and her originally harsh face finally softened a little.

"That's good to know," Mrs. Lu deliberately warned her, "Don't feel any resentment in your heart. He is your biological father after all. How could he harm you?"

The woman looked at her meaningfully: "Even if something really happens in the future, your family will still be the only ones who can support you... You'd better be sensible."

The threat in these words was obvious: if things continued to get out of hand, the only one who would be in trouble would be her, Lu Zhiqing.

Lu Zhiqing really wanted to ask: If this happened to your own daughter, would you still persuade her to be sensible?

But she didn't say anything.

There's no need to argue at this time.

-------

-

"Um... I have a question," Xiao Niao tilted his head, "Doctor, do you have any religious beliefs?"

"No."

Chen Xiaoyue stood behind the bird and blinked in confusion.

"Why do you ask that, teacher?"

This person has a good-looking face with delicate and slender facial features. When he looks at you quietly, he gives people a gentle feeling.

It's just like some small animal, Xiao Niao thought to himself.

She hummed softly, "No... I was just wondering why you said you wanted to come here to play."

Perhaps because she was used to being busy, Xiao Niao had never had much demand for entertainment. Besides, the entertainment methods at that time were not as diverse as those in later generations. When she had nothing to do, she mainly spent her time reading.