So, under the envious and jealous gazes of countless girls, Lu Yan sat on the back seat of Lu Zhen’s motorcycle.

The flashy and impressive Hamlet motorcycle, a very stylish American brand.

Currently, only the rich second-generation Lu Zhen owned such an expensive motorcycle, something many girls dreamed of riding, wanting to take a spin around the campus.

Even Lu Zhen’s girlfriend, Shu Mengfei, had never ridden on his motorcycle. The reason wasn’t anything special, it was because Shu Mengfei had a proud and aloof personality, unwilling to be pointed at and criticized for being with a wealthy man.

So, by accident, Lu Yan became the first person to sit on the back seat of Lu Zhen’s motorcycle.

The girls were so jealous that their lips were tightly pressed together.

Lu Zhen took her away purely because she reminded him of the little sister he lost years ago. He planned to take her home after everything was done and let his father recognize her.

Lu Yan, facing the sunset and feeling the breeze, was in a great mood as she admired the streets along the way.

The scenes that had only appeared in period dramas were now unfolding before her eyes. It felt so surreal.

Naturally, Lu Yan wrapped her arms around Lu Zhen’s slim waist and leaned her cheek against him.

During Lu Yan’s childhood, her father had never ridden a motorcycle with her because the family owned luxury cars, and she was usually chauffeured around in style.

Moreover, her father had always been very busy with work and rarely had time to spend with her. The only time he would rush to her school was when she got into trouble, where he would angrily scold her, sometimes even hitting her.

Her mother passed away when she was very young, and it was her irritable father who raised her, taking care of everything from diapers to meals. When she was little, she often got punished.

However, as Lu Zhen reached middle age, his personality finally stabilized, and he began to show more signs of being a father.

Unfortunately, just when he learned how to be a father, his daughter had already grown up.

Lu Yan was actually quite happy to see her father as a young man.

“Lu Zhen, what kind of person is your girlfriend?”

“Why do you ask that?”

“No particular reason, just curious to know what my mom was like. After all, she passed away before I was born.”

Beside them, Liang Ting couldn’t hold it in and burst out laughing: “Hahaha, you weren’t even born when your mom died! Hahahaha!”

Lu Zhen didn’t laugh. His expression grew more complicated.

The little sister who had gone missing in his family was mentally disabled.

Perhaps this girl was really the mentally disabled sister who was abducted by human traffickers years ago.

He casually responded, “My girlfriend is the purest in the world.”

“Wow.”

His mother had always been a deep pain in his heart. After her death, he had fallen into a depression for many years. He never mentioned her to Lu Yan, keeping her as a precious memory locked deep inside.

Lu Yan was incredibly curious about what her mother had been like, the kind of woman who left such a lasting impact on Lu Zhen’s heart over the years.

Wait a minute, something doesn’t seem right. Her mother’s name was two characters long, but Lu Zhen’s “purest in the world” girlfriend, Shu Mengfei, wasn’t her mother!

Lu Zhen glanced at his watch, speeding up as he headed towards the pool hall.

Twenty minutes later, a group of unruly young men appeared in front of the pool hall on Entertainment Street, their aura full of aggression.

This entertainment street had an old-school vibe. In Lu Yan’s time, the street had long since lost its dance halls and pool halls, replaced by various unique bars. Lu Yan often went out with a few friends to the bar street.

She never expected that her young father had once been a boss in this very entertainment district.

What a different time, but the same fiery youth!

Back then, the pool halls were nothing like the proper ones now. The air inside was smoky, filled with shouting, smoking, flirting—anything could happen. Most of the people were young troublemakers or misbehaving students who came after school to learn how to act like “society people.”

Lu Zhen led Lu Yan through a narrow underground passage, and the eyes of local thugs constantly followed her, moving up and down.

She had a well-behaved appearance, and in an era where most girls didn’t know how to take care of their skin, her fair and delicate skin stood out, almost glowing, making it hard for her not to attract attention.

Lu Yan tightly followed Lu Zhen, nervously clutching the corner of his shirt.

Lu Zhen, not wanting this girl, who might be his mentally disabled sister, to get lost, pulled her close and draped his arm over her slender shoulder, guiding her through the mixed crowd and into the pool hall.

Inside the pool hall, there were more than ten pool tables, and it was quite crowded. White overhead lights illuminated the tables, casting a stark contrast with the dimmer surrounding light.

Shen Kuo, wearing a cardigan and a shirt, stood by one of the tables, calmly and slowly arranging the pool balls in a triangle.

His fingers were long and slender, his hand skin fair, with faint veins running down to his forearm.

Shen Kuo lowered his head while organizing the balls, showing no concern for the sudden silence around him.

The bangs on his forehead hung loosely, and his deep brown eyes were hidden in the shadows of his brows, making his gaze even more mysterious.

Under the bright overhead lights, his handsome features were especially sharp.

Even as a young man, Shen Kuo exuded a commanding presence just by standing there doing nothing, let alone now, after many years, when his mature charm had been honed into a powerful but subtle force.

He was a legend in the northern city’s business world, going from nothing to immense wealth in just ten years.

—

Lu Zhen saw Shen Kuo, and anger surged within him. He grabbed a chair next to him and stormed toward Shen Kuo, raising his hand to smash it down.

Shen Kuo caught the chair with one hand, and despite Lu Zhen pulling at it several times, he couldn’t get it back.

Shen Kuo had been doing physical labor for years, and his arm strength was incomparable to that of a rich young man like Lu Zhen.

“Shen Kuo, let go of it!” Lu Zhen shouted angrily.

Shen Kuo lifted his narrow eyes and coldly glanced at him. “If the chair breaks, you’ll have to pay for it.”

His voice was low and smooth, as calm as still water.

Lu Zhen pulled out his wallet, took out a few bills, and slapped them on the pool table, saying boldly, “Today, I’m going to practice with you properly. If anything gets broken, whether it’s tables, chairs, or benches, I’ll take full responsibility!”

Shen Kuo lowered his gaze and gave a casual glance at the money. A coldness flashed in his eyes.

The world was so unfair—some people were starving, while others wasted money without a care…

His hand clenched into a fist, his knuckles turning white.

Just then, a slender, fair hand reached out and swiftly swiped the money from the table.

Both Lu Zhen and Shen Kuo turned to look, and saw Lu Yan, the young girl, carefully folding the money and tucking it into her pants pocket.

Seeing that everyone was staring at her, she blinked her long eyelashes, then awkwardly took the money out and returned it.

“Liang Ting, get this girl away,” Lu Zhen called out to his friend beside him.

Liang Ting quickly walked over, pulling Lu Yan away, and warned her, “Stand back, don’t get hurt.”

Lu Yan tugged at Lu Zhen’s shirt and said, “Dad, don’t fight, you can’t beat him.”

Lu Zhen: …

Lu Yan knew full well that her dad couldn’t beat Shen Kuo. When it came to business, he was no match for Shen Kuo. When it came to scheming and tricks, he wasn’t Shen Kuo’s equal. Even in a fight, he couldn’t beat Shen Kuo, who had practiced combat.

Basically, her father’s life had been one of being utterly crushed by Shen Kuo in every possible way.

Lu Zhen glared at Shen Kuo. “Shen Kuo, let’s not talk about past grudges, but can you be a man? What kind of person tries to seduce my girlfriend?”

“I don’t know who your girlfriend is.”

“Shu Mengfei!”

Shen Kuo remained expressionless and said, “I don’t know her.”

“There’s been talk around the school, and you still won’t admit it!”

“Finished?” Shen Kuo’s eyes were calm, without a hint of emotion. “I need to go to work.”

Lu Zhen’s muscles in his face twitched, his fist tightening as if he was about to explode with rage.

“You’re something, huh? You’re going to work now? Are you telling me my words are nothing but nonsense?”

Lu Zhen finished speaking and snatched the triangle rack from Shen Kuo’s hands, tossing it aside.

Shen Kuo’s face darkened, veins bulging on his forehead, but he didn’t speak. He tightly pressed his lips together, glaring at Lu Zhen with resentment. “Pick it up.”

“Not going to.”

Lu Zhen walked over and patted his face. “Don’t be so stubborn. To compete with me, you still need ten more years of training.”

Ten years of training—this statement turned out to be eerily prophetic.

Shen Kuo spent ten years catching up to Lu Zhen, and then another ten years to step on him.

Could it be… that Shen Kuo’s furious revenge on the Lu family back then was because of the humiliation Lu Zhen had inflicted on him when they were young?

Although Lu Yan understood that a family should unite against enemies, she still couldn’t stand her father bullying others like this. She broke free from Liang Ting’s hold and was about to step forward to stop Lu Zhen. Just then, someone shouted, “The cops are here!”

“Run!”

The people in the pool hall scattered in all directions, creating chaos. From outside, the voice of a police officer could be heard: “Stop!”

“Don’t run!”

“Lu Zhen, you brat, it’s you again!”

—

Lu Yan got separated from Lu Zhen, swept along by the crowd, stumbling toward the exit.

She was afraid of being caught by the police. These boys might only be held for one night, but if she were caught, without ID, who knew where they’d send her.

The smell of sweat and body odor from the men around her made her dizzy, and she stepped wrong, falling to the ground.

Someone stepped on her left hand, and she screamed, “Ah! Don’t step on me!”

But no one could hear her cries as the crowd continued to rush forward. Just then, a tall figure suddenly blocked her view, pressing her head against his chest and shielding her from the trampling crowd.

Lu Yan nervously looked up and saw Shen Kuo’s neck, his veins clearly visible.

From below, his features looked sharp and well-defined, his jawline dotted with faint stubble.

Shen Kuo had both hands on either side of her body, his plaid shirt hanging loosely by her hands, which she clutched tightly.

She was pressed against his chest, and she could even hear his steady, strong heartbeat. His breath carried a faint smell of tobacco, mixed with a hint of bitter traditional medicine.

As the crowd passed, Shen Kuo stood up and grabbed her wrist, pulling her toward the back door.

Lu Yan’s delicate wrist was held firmly in his strong grip, and, almost unconsciously, she followed him, completely forgetting about her father.

Shen Kuo led her to the back yard, where he unlocked a tightly secured iron gate. Once outside, they entered a narrow, damp alley.

Shen Kuo guided her through the alley, turning left and right, running for more than ten minutes, until the noisy sounds of the crowd gradually faded into the distance.

As the sky darkened, the night spread like a tide.

Shen Kuo stopped and released her wrist.

The girl’s wrist was slender like bamboo, complementing her delicate and thin body. Her jet-black hair fell over her shoulder, the ends lightly brushing against her beautiful collarbone.

When she looked at him, her eyes carried a hint of fear.

Shen Kuo, with his deep and sharp mind, naturally noticed the girl’s wariness toward him.

Any girl who met him would instinctively be afraid.

A guy like him was born to be unlikable.

Lu Yan’s fear of Shen Kuo was completely justified. When he had targeted her father’s company, his methods had been so aggressive and overbearing that they nearly crushed Lu Zhen’s dignity underfoot.

How could she not be afraid of him?

Shen Kuo played with a lighter, holding it in one hand to block the wind, tilting his head to light a cigarette, his actions exuding a sense of arrogance and recklessness.

He didn’t look at her directly, casually asking, “Lu Zhen’s girlfriend?”

“No, no, I’m his… sister.”

“Sister,” Shen Kuo muttered, then casually turned and walked away.

“Uncle Shen, I mean, Classmate Shen, wait a minute!”

Lu Yan stepped forward, pulled out the bills Lu Zhen had just given her from her bag, counted them, and handed him three bills, keeping two for herself.

After hesitating for a few seconds, she decided to give him the remaining two, including even the unissued red bill.

“My brother wrecked your place. This money is to apologize on his behalf. He really shouldn’t have done that. I’m sorry for him.”

Shen Kuo was somewhat surprised, he hadn’t expected Lu Zhen to have such a reasonable younger sister.

Her eyes were clear, and her brows were straightforward and sincere, the kind of girl who lived authentically.

Shen Kuo, however, had long lost that genuine quality. He was used to ^[1]“speaking to people as people, and to ghosts as ghosts” means adapting how you communicate depending on the situation: being straightforward with people and using a different, possibly … Continue readingspeaking to people as people, and to ghosts as ghosts.

In this world, not everyone has the right to live authentically.

At least, he didn’t.

Shen Kuo felt a strange sense of comfort toward her.

“I never understood why you targeted him so much before, but now I do. He was wrong. He bullied people too much. You’re a bigger person… please don’t hold a grudge.”

Lu Yan stuffed the money into Shen Kuo’s pocket, seeking his forgiveness.

Shen Kuo glanced at the money in his hand, and a hint of sarcasm crossed his gaze.

With Lu Zhen causing trouble, it seemed likely that his job at the pool hall would be lost.

Lu Yan knew that Shen Kuo was arrogant, ruthless, and vengeful. It was unrealistic to think that this small amount of money could make him let go of his grudges.

She had even prepared herself for Shen Kuo to angrily throw the money back in her face, but instead…

Shen Kuo sneered, folding the money carefully and tucking it into his chest pocket.

The world was tough, and after years of struggling at the bottom, who the hell could afford to turn down money?

Watching his solitary figure gradually disappear into the night of the alley, Lu Yan waved at him, but unfortunately, he couldn’t see it.