Chapter 10

“Guess.”

A smirk of carefree, aristocratic charm appeared on Shen Kuo’s lips as he looked at Lu Yan.

Lu Yan quickly avoided his gaze, her heart skipping a beat. Although she knew he was deliberately trying to provoke Lu Zhen by saying this, still…

No girl could resist Shen Kuo’s direct, unflinching gaze.

His undisguised, intense stare completely enraged Lu Zhen.

Lu Zhen rushed forward and threw a punch at Shen Kuo. “How dare you lay a hand on her! I’ll kill you!”

Shen Kuo swiftly stepped back and dodged the blow.

Lu Zhen’s eyes were bloodshot, looking like an enraged lion.

The idea that Shen Kuo had ill intentions toward Lu Yan made Lu Zhen furious, and Liang Ting and the others could barely hold him back.

Fortunately, the police arrived in time, pulling Lu Zhen away. Seeing him causing trouble in the chaos, they immediately arrested him and shoved him into the police car.

Lu Zhen shouted angrily, “He’s the one who set the fire! Why are you arresting me? Arrest him!”

Without evidence, the police couldn’t arrest anyone, but Lu Zhen’s attempt to provoke and fight was caught on camera, and since he resisted arrest, they immediately put handcuffs on him.

Lu Yan was frantic when she saw her father being taken away. She tried to get into the police car with him, but Liang Ting stopped her in time.

In the commotion, Lu Yan turned around and saw Shen Kuo watching her from afar. He casually straightened his collar, still wearing a faint smile at the corner of his lips.

Many times, Lu Yan could feel that the confrontation between the two boys was far from simple.

Lu Zhen was straightforward, and his dislike of Shen Kuo might be as simple as just not liking him.

But Shen Kuo, on the other hand, had a small heart—both love and hate were luxuries for him.

Lu Yan didn’t know what Lu Zhen had done that was unforgivable, something that had made him endure for over a decade, planning his revenge.

If it were only the trivial matters of their youth, it would seem too simple, not enough to brew such deep hatred.

That night, Lu Jian happened to be on a business trip in the U.S., and Lu Zhen was picked up from the police station by his stepmother, Shi Xuexian.

The mansion was brightly lit, with Shi Xuexian sitting on the sofa with a stern face, and Lu Zhen standing in the middle of the hall. Lu Yan stood behind him, awkwardly looking at Shi Xuexian.

With Lu Jian absent, the household was ultimately controlled by the matriarch, Shi Xuexian. Seeing her stern attitude, Lu Yan feared she wouldn’t let them off easily.

“Arson and murder, Lu Zhen, you’re really something!”

Shi Xuexian was no longer the gentle, polite figure she presented in front of Lu Jian. With a cold expression, she stared at Lu Zhen. “Paying money is one thing, but if someone was hurt or killed, you’ll end up in jail!”

Lu Yan poked her head out from behind her father, trying to explain, “The police said it was arson, but it had nothing to do with Lu Zhen. Don’t make stuff up.”

Shi Ya, sitting beside her mother and holding her arm, added fuel to the fire, “It happened in the place he rented. He has to take full responsibility! Mom, since Dad Lu has entrusted you with managing the household, you can’t ignore this. You must teach him a lesson!”

Lu Yan rolled her eyes. “Dad Lu?” Shi Ya really had a high opinion of herself, Lu Jian had never acknowledged her.

Shi Xuexian pressed her daughter’s hand, possibly as a sign of reassurance.

“Lu Zhen, usually when you mess around outside, I’ve never said a word. But today, you’ve caused such a big disaster, and as your stepmother, I can’t just ignore it.”

Shi Xuexian stood up, walked over to Lu Zhen, and cleared her throat. “According to the family rules your father set, I’m going to punish you.”

“Do as you please.”

After causing trouble all day, Lu Zhen was exhausted. He yawned and said, “If you’re going to punish me, do it quickly. I want to sleep.”

Shi Xuexian ordered a servant to bring over a stick. When Lu Yan saw the thick stick, she was shocked.

In her time, parents generally didn’t physically punish their children, and they definitely didn’t have such fierce-looking sticks. But in her father’s generation, it was common for children to be beaten.

Shi Ya glanced at Lu Yan, who was hiding behind Lu Zhen, and said gleefully, “Mom, Lu Yan was also involved. She was there at the nightclub too. If you’re going to punish someone, you should punish both of them!”

Shi Xuexian asked Lu Yan, “Were you there?”

“Yes, and what?” Lu Yan bravely said, “It has nothing to do with us. If Lu Zhen hadn’t rushed into the fire to help evacuate people, someone could have been hurt. You can’t just punish people without understanding the situation!”

Shi Xuexian smiled faintly. “Since you were involved too, you’ll be punished along with your brother.”

Lu Zhen stepped in front of Lu Yan, shooting a cold look at Shi Xuexian. He lowered his voice and said, “You dare.”

“An elder punishing a younger, even if your father were here, he couldn’t say I’m wrong!”

Of course, Shi Xuexian wouldn’t do the dirty work herself. She handed the stick to a male servant and ordered, “Hit them!”

The servant hesitated slightly, not daring to make a move. If Lu Jian had ordered it, he would have done it without hesitation, but Shi Xuexian… after all, she was just a stepmother.

Besides, it was one thing to hit Lu Zhen, but the second young miss was Lu Jian’s precious daughter. If something happened to her, that would be a huge problem.

Seeing the servant not act, Shi Xuexian became furious, raising her voice, “If you don’t do it, get out tonight!”

The servant, realizing he might lose his job, finally approached Lu Zhen with the stick in hand. He raised it and struck Lu Zhen on the arm.

There was a muffled sound, and a clear red mark appeared on Lu Zhen’s arm.

He bit his lip and flinched, feeling his whole arm go numb.

Lu Yan was furious when she saw Shi Xuexian actually going through with it. “Even Grandpa wouldn’t easily hit Lu Zhen! You’re going straight for the stick, this is too much!”

Shi Xuexian’s hatred was so intense that her eyes slightly trembled, and she said coldly, “This little girl too. Hit her!”

Lu Zhen quickly shielded Lu Yan, turning his body so she was protected in his arms. The stick landed squarely on his back.

He grunted, clearly in pain.

Lu Yan glared at Shi Xuexian, saying, “I won’t let you get away with this!”

Shi Ya, with a sharp tone, said, “Mom, hurry up and hit her! Hit her on the face!”

Lu Zhen held the small Lu Yan tightly in his arms, using his entire body as a shield, making sure she wasn’t harmed in the least.

At this moment, two Mercedes-Benz cars drove through the garden gate, honking twice.

Shi Xuexian looked up in surprise and asked, “Who’s here?”

The servant rushed into the room, panicked, and said, “It’s Madam! Madam has returned!”

“What Madam!” Shi Xuexian coldly replied, “I am the mistress of this house!”

Before she could finish her sentence, several bodyguards dressed in suits entered one by one. The leader walked up, took the stick from the servant’s hand, and threw it heavily onto the ground.

Lu Yan curiously looked toward the door, only to see a woman dressed in a small suit and a straight skirt walking in. The woman appeared slightly younger than Shi Xuexian and had a very neat and professional appearance.

In comparison to her, Shi Xuexian, a housewife who only played Mahjong, seemed much less impressive.

Lu Yan stared at the woman’s meticulously made-up face for a while, then suddenly remembered—this woman was her grandmother, Meng Zhining!

Although Lu Zhen and Lu Jian had a poor relationship, when she was younger, this kind and gentle grandmother would often visit to play with her. Each time, she would bring many snacks and new dresses, showing her great affection.

Grandmother was the only daughter of the Meng family, exceptionally talented and capable from a young age. She inherited the Meng real estate company at a young age and was now the chairwoman of the company.

Perhaps it was because her ability was too strong and her personality too tough that she and the equally capable Lu Jian had a strained relationship. Eventually, they couldn’t stay together and divorced early, each living their own life.

During those years, Lu Zhen’s career flourished with the help of his grandmother, which greatly contributed to his success.

Meng Zhining entered the house, and all the servants instantly fell silent. The butler walked over with tea and respectfully addressed her as “Madam.”

Shi Xuexian’s face changed drastically.

The word “Madam” struck her face hard.

No matter what, Meng Zhining was the mother of Lu Jian’s two children. Even though they were divorced, she was still the legitimate mistress of this house.

“Mom,” Lu Zhen, who had seemed so confident just a moment ago, now sounded deflated, like a punctured balloon.

He didn’t care about what Shi Xuexian thought of him, but he greatly cared about how Meng Zhining would view the fire incident.

“My Yanyan,” Meng Zhining saw the little girl in Lu Zhen’s arms and gently said, “Come here and give mommy a hug.”

Lu Yan quickly ran over to hug Meng Zhining.

“Grandma… no, I mean, Mom…”

“I’ve missed you so much, my dear. How have you been all these years? Have you suffered outside?”

Lu Yan didn’t have time for casual conversation with her grandmother. She just glared angrily at Shi Xuexian and immediately complained, “Mom, she wants to hit me and my brother!”

Meng Zhining had just returned from the U.S. and, hearing that her daughter had been found, hurried over to the Lu household, but she hadn’t expected to walk into such a scene.

Standing tall, she walked up to Shi Xuexian and coldly asked, “You’re hitting my children?”

Shi Xuexian was nervous when facing Meng Zhining. Her family wasn’t well off, her education wasn’t high, and she had limited experience. In front of this high-born lady, her own confidence seemed to shrink significantly.

“As the mistress of the Lu family, when the children misbehave, it’s my responsibility to discipline them. What’s wrong with that?” Shi Xuexian could only raise her voice to try to assert herself.

Meng Zhining glanced at Shi Ya, then said, “You can discipline your own children, but my children are not for you to teach!”

Shi Xuexian wasn’t someone to be easily intimidated. She immediately replied, “I am Lu Jian’s wife, the mistress of this house. I don’t need the approval of an outsider like you to discipline my husband’s children in my own home!”

“You’re the mistress of this house?”

Meng Zhining sneered, “There’s something I think you need to understand. This house was part of my dowry, and the property deed is in my name alone. When I divorced Lu Jian, I left this house for my children to live in. So, you’ll never be the mistress of this house. Do you understand?”

As soon as those words left her mouth, Shi Xuexian’s face immediately turned pale.

“You… what did you say!”

The house she was living in was actually in her husband’s ex-wife’s name.

All the servants in the room were watching. The humiliation was enough to make her never raise her head again.

Lu Yan felt so satisfied. Her grandmother, Meng Zhining, had seen all kinds of things in her life. Dealing with a woman like Shi Xuexian was as easy as crushing an ant.

Meng Zhining glanced at Shi Xuexian, then at Shi Ya, and said indifferently, “You two, mother and daughter, immediately get out of my house.”

“You… you can’t do this!” Shi Ya shouted, “If Dad finds out, he won’t agree to this!”

“Dad?” Meng Zhi Ning sneered, “Lu Jian places great importance on family bloodlines. What kind of daughter are you to him? Are you afraid of biting your tongue when you randomly call someone ‘Dad’?”

Shi Xuexian tugged at Shi Ya’s arm and whispered, “Yaya, go pack your things. We’ll stay somewhere else tonight.”

“Mom! How can we…”

“Do as I say!”

Reluctantly, Shi Ya turned and went to pack their things.

As they were leaving, Shi Xuexian glared at Meng Zhining fiercely, her eyes filled with endless malice. She would remember all the humiliation from today and repay it in the future.

Meng Zhining closed her eyes, too lazy to respond.

A woman like Shi Xuexian, who relied on a little bit of wit and thought she could show off in front of her, was nothing. Meng Zhining had seen all kinds of people in her life and never once paid attention to someone like her.