He got out of the car with a warm smile, gracefully bowing slightly like a Western aristocrat. He extended a hand to the girl and kissed the back of it. "Qiqi, you look absolutely enchanting tonight."
Under her senior fellow apprentice's focused gaze, Qiqi blushed, feeling a bit shy. Moreover, it was fortunate that he had come to pick her up in person; otherwise, wearing such a formal outfit and walking through the alley where neighbors might see her would have been quite embarrassing.
"Senior fellow apprentice, happy birthday!"
She handed him the birthday gift.
Lu Wei looked pleasantly surprised, with a hint of reproach. "Didn't I tell you not to buy a gift? You've spent money again."
Qiqi smiled. "This gift wasn't expensive. Open it and see."
It was something she had specially gone out to pick that afternoon—a U-shaped memory foam pillow in cream white, printed with an adorable cartoon piglet.
As a chief physician, Lu Wei undoubtedly had to perform surgeries for patients frequently, and when busy, standing at the operating table for a day and a night wasn't out of the question. Therefore, many doctors had poor cervical spines, and this memory foam pillow would be very helpful for his neck. Senior fellow apprentice Lu would surely find it useful.
Lu Wei tore open the packaging, grabbed the pillow, and squeezed it in his hands, then smiled happily. "So soft! I really like it! Thank you!"
Qiqi laughed and pointed at the cartoon piglet on the pillow. "This little pig is named Peter—Peter, oh Peter, from now on, you must keep a good watch on senior fellow apprentice, make sure he rests and takes care of his neck!"
Lu Wei, in a surprisingly childlike manner, mimicked a pig's grunt and replied, "Yes, sir!"
The two got into the car. This time, Lu Wei was driving himself, without a chauffeur, and the car wasn't the one from daytime—Qiqi didn't even recognize the brand.
After driving for nearly an hour, they arrived at a villa. It was a beautiful white house, built halfway up a mountain, with a European-style exterior. At this moment, it was brightly lit and buzzing with voices.
Surrounding the villa were lush woods, colorful flowers, and a lake as smooth as a mirror. In the distance, rolling mountains stretched out, with faint lights from another household visible, but the two houses were separated by a vast distance.
"What a beautiful house! Senior fellow apprentice Lu, do you usually live here?"
"No, I usually stay in the hospital apartment in the city; the hospital assigned one to me," Lu Wei replied. "Zhibi and the others insisted on celebrating for me, but the apartment in the city was too small, so we moved the party here. This is our family's property, usually unoccupied, mainly used for vacations."
Qiqi marveled in awe—everyone knew the houses in this villa district were outrageously expensive, and the Lu family actually left it empty! But as the eldest son of the Lu Group, living in a hospital apartment was far too low-key!
The car drove into the garden, where uniformed servants eagerly came forward to help open the car door and park the car. A middle-aged man, who seemed to be the butler, stepped forward, bowed respectfully to Lu Wei and Qiqi, and said in a low voice, "Young master, you've returned! Miss Gu, welcome!"
Lu Wei nodded to him, handed over his coat, and passed a mask to Qiqi before leading her toward the hall.
The villa's grand doors slowly opened before them, and immediately, dazzling golden lights, accompanied by lively music and a peculiar fragrance, rushed toward them. The interior was decorated in a European style, inherently elegant, but tonight, with the party in full swing, it was a scene of dazzling lights, roaring music, and a swirl of perfumed dresses and shadowy figures...