As they were talking, they saw Lin Rui storming over angrily.
Lin Rui was Boss Lu's former fiancée.
Her arrival had attracted quite a few high society people who came to watch the drama unfold.
After all, Lu Zheng and Shen Qingqing's passionate affair was the talk of the town, to the point where he had abandoned his fiancée.
Now that the former fiancée had arrived at Starry Sky Kindergarten, everyone started mapping out the relationships in their minds.
They realized the women were in a showdown, a situation even Qin Shu had heard about.
Lin Rui knew Qin Shu as well. She had initially planned to greet him on his first day, given her position as the manager, second only to the principal in importance.
But she was too angry to bother now.
She said to Shen Wei, "Don't you think Lu Zheng is sick in the head? He's the one who cheated, yet he claims he's found true love. If that's the case, why doesn't he just stick with his true love? Why does he keep coming back to torment me?"
Ever since Lu Zheng found out Lin Rui was working at the kindergarten,
He'd been calling her every other day, asking if she could quit.
Lin Rui had blocked his number, until yesterday when she discovered Lu Zheng waiting for her after work.
She was furious on the spot. What was wrong with this man? He was never this enthusiastic when they were together.
Now that they've broken up, he's putting on this act.
Or maybe he just enjoys being the third wheel. He doesn't want a proper relationship.
Now that their breakup was public knowledge, he comes back pretending to be devoted.
Lin Rui had left through the side door.
When she arrived at work today, she found his car still parked outside the kindergarten. Lin Rui immediately started cursing.
Qin Shu hadn't expected to hear such juicy gossip on his first day. He chuckled softly.
Lin Rui was like a firecracker, ready to explode at the slightest spark.
Hearing Qin Shu laugh, she snapped, "What are you laughing at? Do you have any solutions? Speak up if you do."
Qin Shu asked, "Are you sure you don't want to be with him anymore?"
He was just confirming the situation, but Lin Rui exploded immediately: "Even if I never have another man in my life, I wouldn't get back together with him. What a piece of work!"
Now, whenever she saw the disgusting things Lu Zheng did and thought back to their past relationship, she felt sick to her stomach, like she had swallowed a fly.
Qin Shu said, "If that's the case, I have an idea for you. Men can be perverse creatures. Why don't you put on an act? Just tell him you're already with another man."
For a golden boy like Lu Zheng, he surely couldn't handle such a blow. This would solve the problem once and for all.
Lin Rui said, "Alright!" Then she asked Shen Wei, "Lend me someone."
Shen Wei immediately agreed.
This time, Lu Zheng's pursuit was mainly because she had come to Starry Sky Kindergarten.
So Shen Wei was determined to fully support this act.
However, there weren't many men around.
Those who drove the internet wild were mostly in the pop-up shops. Here, there were only a few art teachers and some young men in the kitchen.
Shen Wei didn't know who could help out.
To her surprise, the person Lin Rui suggested was Qi Zhong.
Shen Wei immediately called Qi Zhong, asking him to come over, and explained the situation on the phone.
Qi Zhong was dumbfounded. "Huh?" Though he didn't quite understand, he still came.
But he kept frowning the whole time.
Lin Rui said, "If you agree, I'll buy you paints. I'll even sell my jewelry to get you art supplies if necessary."
Qi Zhong said, "That won't be necessary!"
The mineral paints Shen Wei had prepared for him were already more than enough. He still had 24 kilograms in storage.
He hadn't even had the heart to use them yet.
Lin Rui didn't expect him to refuse her offer: "I'll pay you!"
Qi Zhong said, "I don't need money."
Lin Rui was the type of person who wouldn't easily give up once she set her mind on something. She said, "How about I arrange an exhibition for Mu Zhixing in America?"
Qi Zhong's eyes lit up.
Lin Rui sensed an opportunity.
Sure enough, he quickly agreed.
This man had principles.
But not many.
Once it involved his precious student, all bets were off.
Mu Zhixing was indeed a genius. His previous "Star" painting had been borrowed for exhibition many times.
In the end, someone leaked his student's identity.
Although the painting had received widespread praise, no one had shown interest since then.
Qi Zhong understood that his past reputation was holding his student back.
If they could hold an exhibition abroad and then return, it would be like exporting and reimporting.
It would also raise his status in the art world.
Although Mu Zhixing hadn't been studying for long, his talent was even more astonishing than his teacher's. He was sure to make a splash in the art world.
Holding an exhibition would be a great experience for the child.
It wasn't cheap though.
Usually, you'd need to rent a museum, a celebrity's former residence, or some large venue.
He couldn't afford these expenses right now.
But Lin Rui was a socialite heiress, and money was no object to her.
Her promise became very compelling.
In the kindergarten, when people heard that Qi Zhong was going to pretend to be Lin Rui's boyfriend, gossip spread. Everyone except the teachers in class came out.
They craned their necks to see, but couldn't catch much.
So they hurried to the conference room.
The kindergarten was covered by surveillance cameras.
And Shen Wei's cameras, provided by the system, were state-of-the-art.
They used a wide-angle camera with 20x zoom. Crystal clear.
These people gathered in the conference room.
Lin Rui deliberately wore high heels, applied bright red lipstick, and styled her hair in big, bouncy curls. She walked arm-in-arm with Qi Zhong.
The colleagues in the conference room suddenly got excited.
This was more thrilling than watching a TV drama.
Of course, this camera feed wasn't broadcast publicly. Only they could see it.
Everyone watched the two of them.
Liu Chef couldn't help but say, "Hey, this guy is quite handsome!"
Qi Zhong had a very artistic air about him. Usually scruffy-looking, but standing next to Lin Rui, he didn't look out of place at all. In fact, his aura really added to his appeal.
Lin Rui had a triumphant look as she addressed Lu Zheng in the car: "Don't call me anymore. Let me introduce you - this is my boyfriend!"
Lu Zheng's face immediately darkened.
Although they had broken up amicably, men's hearts are strange things. He hadn't treasured her much before, but now seeing his ex with a new love interest, he felt inexplicably uncomfortable.
Lu Zheng said, "You don't need to lie to me."
Lin Rui hadn't found anyone new even after studying abroad for over a year, how could she possibly have a new boyfriend after just a month or so at this kindergarten?
Qi Zhong had long disliked Boss Lu, and now Lin Rui was his sugar mama.
At this moment, looking at Lu Zheng's inexplicably confident expression made him angry: "What, you're allowed to go out and find someone, but others aren't? We're young men and women attracted by hormones. In the future, stop bothering my girlfriend, or I'll beat you up every time I see you."
Lin Rui looked at Qi Zhong in surprise.
She hadn't expected him to perform so well, and gave him an approving glance. Qi Zhong almost lost his balance.
This scene, in Lu Zheng's eyes, looked exactly like they were flirting right in front of him. He felt increasingly uncertain.
Lu Zheng said coldly: "When did you two get together?"
Lin Rui improvised brilliantly, suddenly holding her waist: "Not bad, the baby's only a month old. You'll have to be called uncle soon!"
This completely darkened Boss Lu's face, and he left immediately.
He couldn't stand to stay there for another day.
The thought of his ex-girlfriend working for his arch-rival, and even getting pregnant with an employee, each step challenging his anger.
After he left, Qi Zhong was speechless: "You're really letting yourself go. What if we're exposed?"
Lin Rui said: "It's fine, we'll just say NiuNiu is mine when the time comes."
Instantly, everyone watching the surveillance turned to look at Liu Chef.
NiuNiu was his granddaughter, after all.
Liu Chef rubbed his hair, not expecting his granddaughter to be so popular.
When the two of them returned, everyone's gazes became meaningful.
They were both shrewd people and could easily see the teasing in everyone's eyes.
Qi Zhong was unusually embarrassed and angry.
Qin Shu, having watched the whole show, exclaimed it was brilliant. He said to Lin Rui: "See? I told you men are just despicable."
The others' gazes became even stranger, not knowing how Qin Shu, as a man himself, could say such a thing.
