Volume 1, Chapter 9: Finally, I Have Waited for You

After Fu Mingyuan finished speaking, Lou Nanzhi stood stunned in place for several seconds. She had thought she must have misheard, even convinced herself that such a windfall couldn’t possibly fall upon her.

“Young Master Fu! Is it alright to start cleaning here now?”

A steady yet gentle male voice echoed in the suddenly quiet banquet hall. Lou Nanzhi turned to look.

She saw a middle-aged man, about her age, walking over with cleaning tools in hand. He was tall, with well-defined features and a close-cropped head streaked with gray, giving him a spirited appearance. From a distance, Lou Nanzhi might have mistaken him for a company executive; there was no hint he was a janitor.

Seeing his father, Fu Kun, Fu Mingyuan didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. The proud chairman of the Fu Corporation had cast off his usual suit and tie for a janitor’s outfit, broom in hand, eagerly sweeping the floor.

Fu Mingyuan couldn’t help but marvel at the power of love. The usually listless old man seemed to shine with vitality the moment he saw his beloved.

This scene even made Fu Mingyuan a little envious of love.

“Ah! Old Fu!”

Fu Mingyuan approached, winking at Fu Kun as he spoke, “There’s nothing left to do here, go ahead and clean up! Oh, and this is our hotel’s newly promoted lobby manager—you two should look out for each other from now on.”

Afraid of breaking into laughter, Fu Mingyuan quickly finished and excused himself.

Late-in-life romance is no easy matter; you have to give the elders space.

After the young master left, only Lou Nanzhi and Fu Kun remained in the banquet hall.

Fu Kun had waited thirty long years for this day. Even with Lou Nanzhi standing right before him, he feared it was all a dream that might vanish in a blink.

“Old, Old Fu!?”

Feeling the weight of Fu Kun’s gaze, Lou Nanzhi felt a bit embarrassed.

“Ah!” Fu Kun snapped back to reality. “Manager! I—I’ll get to work right away!”

He picked up the broom and began sweeping absentmindedly, clearly out of practice. It was no wonder; this was unfamiliar territory for him.

Watching the man pacing in place, Lou Nanzhi shook her head with a smile.

“Old Fu, you must be new at this, right? The banquet hall’s so big, you can’t possibly do it all alone. Since I’m free now, I’ll help you clean up!”

With that, Lou Nanzhi went to find a broom.

Fu Kun stood watching her retreating figure, lips pressed into a smile.

She hadn’t changed at all—still beautiful and kind.

He remembered thirty years ago when he visited the Lou family and saw her tending to an injured swallow in the courtyard. Every smile and frown was vivid in his memory.

They had planned to release the swallow back into the wild a month later, but when he returned, the Lou family home was empty.

Lost in thought, Lou Nanzhi returned with cleaning tools.

“Old Fu! How about we split the hall into two sides—sweep first, then mop?”

“Sounds good! I’ll follow the leader’s orders!” Fu Kun chuckled and copied her actions enthusiastically.

No matter how he looked at Lou Nanzhi, his smile wouldn’t fade.

“Leader or not, if not for a twist of fate, I’d be cleaning right alongside you.”

As they worked, they chatted.

“You play the piano so well; being lobby manager is an understatement for you!”

Fu Kun’s compliment made Lou Nanzhi smile knowingly. Everyone in the Wei family knew of her piano skills, but no one had praised her in thirty years. Wei Guangxiong was always quarrelsome, and her mother-in-law said she didn’t do anything decent.

Yet who doesn’t long for recognition? No one is born destined to be just a housewife.

With this thought, Lou Nanzhi couldn’t help but smile wryly.

“I just play for fun; there are plenty better than me.”

“Lou sister! Don’t be modest!”

The supervisor and Sister Wu had quietly entered the hall.

“You should’ve seen Vivian rushing out of the guest room when you played the piano—her expression was as if she’d tasted something awful. She tried to compete but ended up embarrassed. I bet she won’t dare call herself a world-class pianist again.”

Hearing this, everyone burst into laughter.

Fu Kun was especially pleased by the easy camaraderie, the absence of hierarchical airs—it was refreshing.

It seemed hiding his identity had been the right choice.

“Sister Wu, you and the supervisor aren’t leaving, right?”

Sister Wu grasped Lou Nanzhi’s hand, tears welling in her eyes.

“No, we’re staying. No need to pay anything. It’s all thanks to you, Nanzhi!”

“Sister Wu, from now on, we should call Lou sister Manager.”

Lou Nanzhi felt a bit embarrassed; it seemed everyone knew her secret. She never imagined, at fifty, she’d reach this point.

Recalling the recent string of failed interviews, now she tasted the sweetness after hardship.

Amid laughter and chatter, they finished cleaning the banquet hall. After a meal in the staff canteen, Lou Nanzhi returned to the dormitory.

Though tired, the joy from her work lifted her spirits like never before.

“Old man! What time is it? Don’t you want to stay in the staff dorm tonight too?”

Fu Kun lingered, reluctant to leave after Lou Nanzhi returned.

“Quiet, you brat!”

Fu Mingyuan found his father’s nervous demeanor amusing.

“Don’t come around so often. Let’s pretend we don’t know each other, and tell the staff the same.”

Seeing his father’s seriousness, Fu Mingyuan pressed on.

“Dad, what game are you playing? Trying some kind of self-sacrifice to make Aunt Lou pity you?”

Fu Kun settled into the extended business car.

“Self-sacrifice? If I showed up now as myself, Aunt Lou would keep her distance. I’m taking it slow, letting feelings grow over time. When the moment’s right, I’ll reveal everything.”

Fu Mingyuan admired his father’s cunning—truly, age brings wisdom.

“By the way, have you found out everything about Aunt Lou’s family?”

“Yes. Her husband is Wei Guangxiong, the CEO of Xiongfeng Daily Chemicals. Aunt Lou has three daughters, but it seems the family’s in crisis. I heard she’s filing for divorce, which is why she sought work—and by chance, found our hotel.”

Fu Kun listened to his son’s detailed account, emotions stirring within.

He had assumed Lou Nanzhi was working due to poor family circumstances, but now he realized it was due to misfortune.

For thirty years, Fu Kun had imagined their reunion. If she had a happy family, he would silently bless her. If she suffered, he vowed to make those who wronged her suffer even more.