1378 Rejected

And then, at the grand ceremony during the film festival, he let everyone know that he and Lu Man were a couple using such a dramatic and romantic way.

Lu Qi could not decide which point to be envious of.

Envious that Lu Man's husband was actually Han Zhuoli or, Lu Man's husband being Han Zhuoli aside, that Han Zhuoli actually treated her so well!

Maybe she was envious of both.

Then she compared him to He Zhengbai, and Lu Qi's face darkened even further.

He Zhengbai realized that he might have been a little bit too cold.

He did not want Lu Qi to fall apart yet.

Their family still wanted more of the Lu Corporation's money.

Hence, He Zhengbai carried Lu Qi to sit on the sofa.

Lu Qi thought of what they both just did and felt shy and furious, but also sweet and regretful; all her emotions were tangled together.

"Don't be angry." He Zhengbai could only soothe her. "I couldn't help myself either. I promise you I won't be like this next time. I'll see you out when you leave. They won't even dare to look at you with me there. I'll tell them to watch their mouths later."

Lu Qi finally felt happier after feeling He Zhengbai's concern.

He Zhengbai then asked, "Oh, right, you came hurriedly to find me. What's the matter?"

Lu Qi finally recalled what she sought him out for and told him about how Lu Man was not going to New York for the exchange. "She emptied a spot, and others will have another opportunity. It's just that I was penalized by the school and lost the right to compete to go on an exchange program. Can you think of any way for the school to remove my penalty?"

Give the school money using the He family name, or as a direct sponsor to the school.

He Zhengbai's eyes flashed. Why would he be willing to fork out the He Family money just for Lu Qi to go for an exchange?

He might have considered it when he still liked Lu Qi.

But all that's left now was Lu Qi's usefulness to him; he wouldn't make such money-losing deals.

"I really want to help you, but recently, my family even stopped my investments. If I told them that I want to help you…" He Zhengbai said helplessly, "I also have no films to make because of Han Zhuoli. I've been surviving on my family's investments. But my dad and big brother stopped giving me money recently, saying that I have no talent in this area so we should stop wasting money and go back to the family business."

He Zhengbai wiped his face in frustration. "So I've been surviving on the little bit of money left from before. I've been busy these few days and have no time to accompany you because I was busy searching for investors. Making plans hoping that someone will invest in my company and my shows, so that I can continue operating. Or else…"

"You're going back to your family's company?" Lu Qi asked.

He Zhengbai shook his head. "What do I know at home? I've always been studying directing. My family has my brother. I have no say in the important matters. They'll only give me the easy jobs. Even if they really give me an important role, they won't be fine with a director who's basically a layman in business.

"Moreover, there's still my big brother. He'd take precautions against me. Even if I really have the skill, he won't let me take the reins." He Zhengbai looked at Lu Qi. "You know that my big brother's taking over the family in the future. When I learned this, I also knew that I can never compete with my brother. That's why I chose to study directing at the National Film Academy, to walk a totally different path from my brother. He'll then know that I have no intention of fighting him and he won't make life difficult for me and not short-change what I deserve."