The Reborn Sidekick Rejected The Male Lead
Chapter 181 - 174: Shen Mu’s Plan

Chapter 181: Chapter 174: Shen Mu’s Plan

Their mutton hotpot was in the yard, and I have to admit, Xue Jianian’s cooking skills were really good.

However, during the meal, they heard laughter coming from next door.

Lu Jingqiu even thought she heard Shen Mu’s voice.

Xue Jianian rolled her eyes at the neighbors and said, "Their family is like this almost every week, either her man’s school folks or her own school mates."

"Has Xia Lin been up to anything lately?"

"Nothing, she stopped designing clothes too. Maybe because her man got mad last time, she’s not doing business anymore.

I think her husband is being a bit excessive. At a time like this, when one has the ability to do business, why stop her? It’s probably just because he thinks doing business is beneath him."

"You guys aren’t enemies, are you? Why, do you feel sorry for her?"

"Not at all, I’m just talking about the principle of the thing. I’d rather she did nothing at all."

"Wei Jincheng hasn’t been stopping you, has he?"

"No, both of us grew up poor, and now that we’ve found a way to make money, we naturally enjoy it. When he’s free, he also helps me collect stuff."

Lu Jingqiu silently nodded her head. Wei Jincheng had retired from the army and went into business during these past couple of years in her previous life.

As for Gao Shu and Xia Lin, she hadn’t paid much attention to them. To her, the two of them were already a thing of the past, even Yun Yuzhi and Li Yinger were of more importance than them.

This mutton hotpot was so spicy that she kept praising Xue Jianian.

After eating, the two of them helped clean up the kitchen before leaving.

As it turned out, they ran into Shen Mu who was coming out at the entrance of the alley.

Having not seen her for a long time, Shen Mu was also startled and said, "Sis... Sister-in-law, what are you doing here?"

"I was just over at your neighbors’, that’s my friend’s place. Are you heading back to school?"

"Yeah, sister-in-law, I’ve decided not to go back for the holidays. After all, you and my brother are getting married, so I thought I’d stay and help you two out."

Only then did Lu Jingqiu remember that Shen Mu didn’t know about their new home yet and said, "Right, your brother and I rented a place." Lu Jingqiu said, glancing at the time—it was just past seven—and added, "It’s nearby. Do you want to come and check it out with me?"

Shen Mu said, "Sure."

Lu Jingqiu took him towards the new apartment, inquiring about his recent studies along the way. Shen Mu frowned and said, "Sister-in-law, a classmate of mine, his dad works in a government office. Every Sunday he goes to help out at the office. Even if there’s no salary, it’s great even just volunteering there because you can learn a lot. He asked if I wanted to join him. I was thinking of asking my brother, but unfortunately, he hasn’t been around these past couple of weeks."

"That’s a good opportunity. You should take the chance to get involved. By the way, is your friend reliable?"

"Pretty reliable. He was already working in the office before he took the college entrance exam. His dad is very forward-thinking, had him take the exam, or else his position in the office wouldn’t be low."

Listening to Shen Mu, Lu Jingqiu suddenly thought of someone and quickly asked, "What’s your classmate’s name?"

"Shang Ze, he’s the class president. He originally invited Gao Shu."

"Ah, Shang Ze, I know him, he’s my classmate’s fiance."

"...That coincidental?"

"Yes, he should be alright. You can’t go wrong following him."

"That’s what I was thinking too. It’s just that he is involved in urban planning, whereas our class teacher recommended Gao Shu to go to the business bureau."

"You’re only freshmen now, so technically you’re learning at about the same pace as us. Why are they having you study already?"

"It’s not exactly studying; it’s just taking advantage of Sundays to gain some experience. Right now, all the students from our school are in high demand."

Lu Jingqiu laughed, "You’re right." Talent is exactly what’s in short supply right now.

As they chatted along the way, they arrived at the destination before they knew it. Lu Jingqiu fumbled for the spare key in the gap beside the door.

As soon as he entered the yard, Shen Mu’s eyes lit up, "Sister-in-law, is this the place you’re renting? The owners don’t want to sell?"

Lu Jingqiu knew he would ask this, "If they were willing to sell, we wouldn’t be renting. Don’t be fooled by its current state; this is all the result of our renovation. If you’ve got nowhere to stay during the holidays, you can live here. We’re keeping the room on the first floor for you."

Shen Mu turned on the lights and toured both floors, finding everything to his liking, "Even if they don’t sell, being able to rent such a nice house is also good. You’ve fixed it up so nicely they might regret it and take it back after seeing it."

"That won’t happen; we have a contract."

This time Shen Mu had really learned his way around. It was too late to stay longer, so the two left in their respective cars.

Lu Jingqiu didn’t get home until after eight. As soon as she opened the door, Hua Hua and the kitten started meowing.

Their food bowls were still full, so she squatted down and petted Hua Hua, then went straight upstairs, carrying Hua Guoguo.

Out of habit, Lu Jingqiu wasn’t sleepy at this hour. After spending some time with the cats, she headed straight to the study.

The People’s Liberation Army Daily had reached out that week to commission an illustration from her.

A month and a half should be enough time.

She glanced at the calendar; in two more weeks, it would be her mother’s death anniversary. She hoped her father could come back by then.

Now, every Sunday Lu Jingqiu would rush to two places. Today she went to the construction site where the plumbing was already installed, walls were built up to a person’s height, and dirt had been filled inside the house.

Lu Jingqiu asked the uncle if anyone had been causing trouble. The uncle said no.

Indeed, she had noticed that these two uncles were not simple men. Otherwise, how could they dare to take on private work at this time, and it seemed they had been at it for a while.

She walked around the house and saw there was plenty of cement; there was no need to worry about that. She had nothing else to concern herself with.

Seeing there was nothing else to attend to, Lu Jingqiu pushed her bicycle home.

Nobody in the large courtyard knew about her buying and building a house; everything was so peaceful, not even her father or Nanzhou were aware.

She couldn’t help but wonder what reaction they would have when they returned and heard she had built a new house, and chuckled to herself at the thought.

Ah, better not think about it anymore. Drawing was what she should be focusing on. With expenses exceeding income, she needed to earn money.

She wondered if her second cousin had started his journey back yet.

Lu Jingqiu sat in the study for several hours before she came out and went to the balcony of her bedroom. She was just about to stretch when she saw a group of people leaving from Aunt Cuihua’s house across the street.

Xu Li was dressed quite strikingly today, and among those who were seeing her off was a rather handsome young man.

Lu Jingqiu guessed that he was probably Xu Li’s blind date, although Xu Li’s expression did not seem to show much joy.

She never gossiped about such matters, especially when it came to Aunt Cuihua’s family across the street.

Not wanting to linger, she quickly turned and went downstairs.