The Billionaire's New Wife in Chief

Chapter 718 - 192 Lu Jingchen’s Father Dislikes Himself

Lu Jingchen looked down at the somewhat nervous Song Qiao in front of him and couldn’t help but let out a wry smile. He had to admit, she seemed much more animated than usual, with her worries plainly written on her face as if she was afraid of upsetting his parents.

He placed a hand on her waist and took her hand with the other, bringing it to his lips for a kiss, and softly said, "You don’t need to worry so much, we are just going back to see them, they won’t be difficult with you."

Hearing him say this, Song Qiao felt a bit more at ease, but she was still somewhat concerned. However, all she could do was utter a soft ’oh’, burying her head in Lu Jingchen’s chest with a hint of coquetry, saying, "Don’t move, just let me lean on you for a while."

Lu Jingchen stood still, allowing Song Qiao to lean on him. What Song Qiao didn’t see was the subtle changes in his eyes after he had spoken those words, inscrutable shifts in emotion that were difficult to grasp.

The Lu Family Mansion is located in the suburbs, closer to the Capital City compared to the city center, with An City’s neighboring city being precisely the Capital City.

The car took a full two hours before slowly entering a vast residential area with villas that looked even more enormous, each one occupying a piece of territory on the mountaintop.

Song Qiao was a little stunned as she looked out the car window at a villa they just passed; this place was not unfamiliar to her. Undoubtedly, this residential area was home to some of the top families of An City and the Capital City. These houses had once been described by newspapers as the Chinese version of French palaces and were hallmark architectural examples in both the Capital City and An City.

The car quickly arrived in front of a large gate. Lu Jingchen drove up to a sensor near the entrance and retrieved something that looked like an access card from inside the car, swiping it by the sensor, and the gate slowly opened.

With an unchanged expression, as if he hadn’t noticed the look of astonishment on Song Qiao’s face beside him, he put the access card back in the car’s drawer, started the car, and drove through the gate.

From beginning to end, Song Qiao felt like the proverbial country bumpkin entering the Grand View Garden, for she had never been to such a place before. She always knew that the Lu Family was immensely wealthy and influential, a top-tier family in An City and even nationally with countless properties, but now just witnessing their residence nearly made her bite her own tongue off in awe.

As soon as they entered the gate, Song Qiao looked around and saw many gardeners and other workers managing the lawns and gardens, surrounded by towering trees in a highly green environment.

Even, she thought she saw a stream, a little bridge, and a small house not far from the woods to the left.

This made her unconsciously think of the line, "Watching the flowers bloom and wither in the front courtyard, gazing at the clouds rolling in the sky."

After driving for another five minutes, they came upon a huge fountain pool and a building of substantial scale, reminiscent of a French palace.

The car circled around the fountain pool and stopped in front of the main door, where servants promptly approached to open the car door. Lu Jingchen stepped out first, and then gestured to the servant who was prepared to assist Song Qiao with the door to wait, opting to open the door for her himself.

Just as the butler who had been informed of Lu Jingchen’s arrival came out to welcome them and saw Lu Jingchen opening the car door, his expression changed subtly. After whispering a few words to a servant standing by, he gestured for her to go inside and make the announcement, and then he proceeded towards Lu Jingchen and Song Qiao with a respectful posture, performing a most formal courtly greeting, "Sir, Miss Song."

Lu Jingchen casually wrapped his arm around Song Qiao’s waist, looking somewhat domineering. He simply raised his eyebrows at the butler’s address to Song Qiao without correcting him, responding with a nonchalant hum before inquiring, "Where’s my father?"

"The master has been informed of your return and is waiting for you in the living room," the butler said, extending a hand to gesture them inside.

From the moment she stepped out of the car, Song Qiao had been nervous. Before leaving, Lu Jingchen picked out a modestly elegant dress for her, and she had carefully chosen a pair of high heels to match the dress. Her nerves almost got the better of her when stepping out of the car, but luckily, Lu Jingchen quickly reached out to steady her.

Lu Jingchen seemed to sense Song Qiao wasn’t quite relaxed and gently squeezed her palm, whispering reassuringly into her ear, "Don’t be nervous, I’m here."

Song Qiao turned her head to look at him, a strained smile that looked uglier than crying on her face, voicing her worries, "What if they don’t like me?"

"No matter, my liking you is enough," he said, his skin seemingly thicker than usual, bending down to plant a kiss on her cheek.

Song Qiao, "..." Your words only make me more nervous.

The extravagantly decorated living room made Song Qiao feel as if she had stepped into a palace. She couldn’t help but marvel at how the wealthy truly knew how to indulge themselves, especially upon noticing the paintings of famous people on the walls, realizing that the wealthy indeed spared no expense in their lavishness.

In the living room, on the sofa sat a middle-aged man whose hair was somewhat graying... He could actually be considered old, holding a cane in his hand while watching financial news on television, with several servants standing behind him, waiting for commands.

"Master, the young master has returned," the butler approached from behind the old master and respectfully announced.

The old master, who had been intently watching the financial news, shifted his gaze from the TV upon hearing the butler’s words. He looked directly at Lu Jingchen but when he saw Song Qiao, his face, which was originally fairly composed, suddenly turned sour and even carried a hint of coldness.

Song Qiao met the old master’s eyes and was taken aback by the chill within them. She subconsciously wanted to hide behind Lu Jingchen, but fortunately, Lu Jingchen had been holding her waist the entire time.

A bit frantically lowering her head to avoid the old master’s gaze, Song Qiao’s first thought was that the old patriarch did not like her.

Feeling his father’s disapproval of Song Qiao, Lu Jingchen’s eyes grew deeper, and he flashed a cool, mocking smile before saying, "Father, this is my wife, Song Qiao. I brought her home today to get acquainted with you so that you’ll recognize her if you see her outside in the future."

Upon hearing Lu Jingchen’s words, the old master’s face grew even darker. He tapped his cane on the ground and said sternly, "When did you get married? Who allowed you to marry a woman of unknown background?"

Song Qiao was taken aback and embarrassed upon hearing the old master’s words. She lifted her head to look at the old patriarch across from her, meeting his eyes that were seasoned with trace of anger directed at her, and immediately lowered her head in mortification once again.

She felt indignant inside, what did he mean by ’a woman of unknown background’?

Did he have to speak so offensively?

Yet, Lu Jingchen remained indifferent to his father’s anger and dissatisfaction. His expression unchanged from beginning to end, he spoke coolly, "Father, I brought her here today simply to inform you that I am married to her, and she is also your grandson. Whether you like it or not doesn’t matter; you just need to know that she is now your daughter-in-law."

Before bringing Song Qiao here, Lu Jingchen had already anticipated that his father would definitely not like her.

In his eyes, except for the young mistress of that family, almost no one else could catch his eye. No matter whether he brought Song Qiao home today or not, if she wasn’t the woman designated in his father’s mind—the one arranged for him—it would all lead to the same outcome.

The reason why he did not bring Song Qiao home right after getting married was eighty percent because of this.

"Lu Jingchen, you are still my son, Lu Tianming. Did you even ask us about your marriage? Do you have any respect for me, your father?" The old patriarch was caught off guard by his son’s words, feeling a rush of anger, which emanated from him, his eyes nearly blazing with fury as he looked at Lu Jingchen, barely stopping from hurling his cane at him.

"What’s going on here?" Just then, a middle-aged lady in luxurious attire walked out from the nearby kitchen. She was wearing a rather simple yet elegant house dress. Seeing Lu Jingchen and Song Qiao standing in the living room, she immediately showed a joyous smile and said, "I was wondering why there was such a commotion outside while I was in the kitchen. It turns out that Jingchen has come home; it’s good that you’re back..."

Upon seeing the middle-aged lady, Lu Jingchen’s expression softened significantly, and he called out, "Mom."

The woman who appeared was Lu Jingchen’s mother. She looked to be only about forty years old, appearing younger due to good maintenance, but in reality, she was a woman in her fifties. Compared to Lu Jingchen’s father, her personality was relatively gentle.

After she came out, the old patriarch scoffed at Lu Jingchen and Song Qiao but didn’t continue his outburst.

Xu Qian smiled, nodded her head, and then turned her gaze to Song Qiao by Lu Jingchen’s side, looking slightly surprised as she asked, "Jingchen, who is this..."

Lu Jingchen smiled without answering, not believing that his mother could have missed his introduction of Song Qiao while she was in the kitchen, and he gave Song Qiao’s waist a gentle squeeze.

Song Qiao, who had been bowing her head, immediately looked up and her eyes fell on Xu Qian who was sizing her up. She hastily introduced herself, "Auntie, hello, my name is Song Qiao."