Chapter 23

As soon as Lu Yan brought the cake home, she ran into Lu Zhen, who was coming downstairs to search for food because he was hungry.

Instinctively, Lu Yan hid the cake behind her, but she still couldn’t escape Lu Zhen’s sharp eyes.

“What are you hiding for? I already saw it. Hand it over, what delicious food are you hiding?”

Lu Yan frowned and handed over the cake, saying, “A friend gave me this cake for their birthday.”

“What kind of friend is so straightforward?” Lu Zhen snatched the cake box from her hand, opened it, and the sweet fragrance of the cake wafted out.

“Just in time, I’m hungry. Thank your friend for me.”

“Hey, wait, that’s not…”

Before she could stop him, Lu Zhen, with his big mouth, took a huge bite of the cake.

Lu Yan was speechless as she watched him happily carry the cake plate back to his room.

To get back at him, Lu Yan waited until he finished eating before telling him that the cake was Shen Kuo’s birthday cake, which made Lu Zhen rush to the bathroom to throw up countless times.

Lu Yan looked at him coldly and said, “You’re exaggerating, aren’t you? Is it really that bad?”

Lu Zhen waved his hand, feeling weak, and said, “Eating his birthday cake? I’d rather swallow some pi cream.”

“It wasn’t meant for you anyway.” Lu Yan pouted. “He specially came over to give it to me.”

“Why would he run over here to give you a cake?”

“To apologize,” Lu Yan said with a smile at the corner of her mouth. “He must feel bad after saying those things about me.”

“Flattery is never without ulterior motives, he’s either up to no good or trying to steal something. Stay away from him.”

During that time, Lu Zhen and Shen Kuo had become rivals.

When Shen Kuo started his own business, Lu Zhen also planned to team up with Liang Ting and Qin Hao to raise money and do some business.

He didn’t want to be labeled as a useless rich second-generation anymore. If Shen Kuo could do it, so could he.

In Lu Yan’s opinion, her dad’s talk about starting a business seemed like just a hobby.

Lu Zhen truly started his business after he cut ties with Lu Jian and severed their father-son relationship during his college years.

At that time, Lu Zhen truly matured overnight, starting from scratch.

Actually… it wasn’t really starting from scratch because Grandma Meng Zhi Ning had always been helping him, both openly and secretly.

At this moment, when Lu Zhen was boasting about wanting to do business, it seemed like nothing more than a way to pass the time for someone who didn’t like studying and had nothing else to do.

Lu Yan really wanted to pull her dad back onto the path of studying. In the past, Lu Zhen had lectured her repeatedly about studying hard. Now, Lu Yan returned all that advice to him, leaving him speechless.

There was no way around it.

It really is a case of karmic retribution. In the past, Lu Zhen had worried so much about her studies that his hair turned gray. Now, it was her turn to experience what it was like to be the “parent.”

Lu Zhen thought that if he was going to do something, it should be big. He wanted to open a gaming center. Gaming centers were booming businesses nowadays, not only could they make money, but he could also play games himself.

Lu Yan strongly opposed her dad opening a gaming center. “It has no future. In the future, young people will all play games on computers. The outdated equipment in these gaming centers will be eliminated in less than two years.”

“You little brat don’t know anything. I think the future of gaming centers is bright. I’ll invest in new equipment that’ll last at least ten years!”

Lu Yan rolled her eyes. “I have an immature suggestion. In the next twenty or even thirty years, the world will belong to the internet industry. Let’s study hard and major in computer science in college. Whether it’s making games, social software, or payment software, that’s where the big money will be! Really, trust me, even if you don’t do it, Shen Kuo will!”

Lu Zhen didn’t believe a word of it. “Nonsense, what internet? Look at the computer we have at home. Besides Minesweeper and Solitaire, what else can it do? It’s boring as hell.”

“Hey…”

Lu Yan tried to reason with him, but it was no use.

You deserve to go bankrupt!

In the afternoon, Lu Yan sneaked out with her guitar and went to the bridge. Shen Kuo was still there, sitting in front of his CD stall, holding an old book and reading it with intense focus.

Lu Yan noticed that the book in his hand was actually a theoretical book on computer programming.

The book had a library tag from the provincial library, so it was likely one he had borrowed.

Lu Yan had casually mentioned to him before to pay attention to developments in the computer field, and she didn’t expect Shen Kuo to actually listen.

Thinking about how Lu Zhen, that fool, was so stubborn about opening a gaming center, Lu Yan really felt like… in more than 20 years, if Shen Kuo took down her dad, it would be an inevitable part of history.

“Ahem, ahem.”

Lu Yan stood next to the stall and pretended to cough for a while. Shen Kuo, with his slender and beautiful fingers holding the book, didn’t even look up and said in a calm voice, “If you’re sick, go to the hospital.”

Lu Yan squatted beside him and muttered, “Someone hates me so much, yet still buys me cake?”

Shen Kuo calmly replied, “I bought too many, couldn’t finish them.”

“But that was a small individual cake, you bought it specially for me, didn’t you?”

“No.”

“Yes, you did!”

“I already said no. Stay away from me, I still really dislike you.”

Lu Yan didn’t believe him. A girl’s sixth sense is usually pretty accurate.

Shen Kuo’s personality was indifferent. When he disliked someone, he usually treated them with coldness, never using harsh words, and never repeatedly emphasizing it.

“Shen Kuo, when a girl pretends to be angry and says she dislikes someone, most of the time it means she likes him. Are you the same?”

“Dream on.” He responded quickly and firmly.

His handsome face suddenly flushed with an unnatural hint of redness.

Lu Yan shrugged and chose not to continue the topic.

A future internet mogul like Shen Kuo, the man whom everyone in Beicheng would call “Master Shen,” would surely have women flocking to him one after another.

Lu Yan couldn’t afford to get involved with such a big shot, and Shen Kuo could never like her anyway.

Right now, she just wanted to help her dad resolve his grudges in peace.

Lu Yan took the guitar out of its case and said to him, “Shen Kuo, I wrote a song for you.”

Upon hearing this, the fingers that had been flipping through the book stopped suddenly, and Shen Kuo looked at her in surprise.

“I didn’t keep my promise that day, and I feel bad about it, so I wrote you a song. I’m going to sing it for you,” she said, tuning the guitar strings. “It sounds pretty good.”

The tune of the song was gentle, with a hint of folk music. It felt like the warm sunlight of winter softly falling on the ends of her hair, cozy and comforting.

Shen Kuo had never known that such a warm melody would belong to a song about him.

His hand remained holding the page of the book, but his gaze lifted, focusing on Lu Yan.

The sunlight formed a halo around her face, her earlobes flushed from the warmth, looking like water cherries, and her fair skin was particularly clear and mesmerizing.

Suddenly, he grabbed her wrist, stopping her from playing the guitar.

The music abruptly stopped.

His palm was calloused, with a slightly rough texture, and the way he gripped her hand was painful.

“Shen Kuo…”

She looked at him in confusion, trying to pull her wrist free. “You’re hurting me.”

Indeed, her delicate wrist was already marked with red lines.

Despite being so close, this girl… was someone he could only long for, someone he couldn’t desire, and certainly couldn’t touch.

He forcefully let go of her hand, his expression darkening. He coldly said, “Don’t do this again.”

Lu Yan didn’t understand why he suddenly turned cold. He had seemed so gentle when he listened to her sing just moments ago.

He lowered his voice and said faintly, “Lu Yan, don’t give me any hope.”

Lu Yan parted her lips, still not fully understanding his meaning.

Shen Kuo slowly raised his head. His boundless dark eyes fixed on her. His handsome features were as cold as ever, and with each word, he said, “Otherwise, in my life, I will never…”

In my life, I will never let you go.

He didn’t finish the last part of his sentence. His gaze dropped to the small money box in front of him, which contained a few coins. It looked… shabby.

What right did he have to say such things to her?

Lu Yan didn’t understand why Shen Kuo suddenly stopped paying attention to her. He had always been like this, moody and unpredictable.

“This song doesn’t have a name yet. If you don’t like it, just pretend you never heard it,” she said.

Lu Yan picked up her guitar and turned to leave.

Shen Kuo sat on the bench, his thin lips lightly pressing together.

He liked it…

He liked it a lot.

Lu Zhen had made up his mind to open an arcade, but the gaming equipment he needed to buy would require a substantial amount of money.

Liang Ting had listened to Lu Yan’s advice and thought the arcade business wasn’t reliable. However, Lu Zhen was stubborn and wouldn’t be swayed, no matter how hard anyone tried.

One Saturday afternoon, when Lu Yan was out shopping with friends, Lu Zhen secretly snuck into her room, rummaging around to see if she had hidden any private savings.

He didn’t find any hidden money but instead found a DVD of a Stephen Chow movie.

Lu Zhen raised an eyebrow and went into the living room. He curiously took the disc, put it into the family’s VCD player, and started the movie.

However, what appeared on the screen next were scenes unsuitable for children, leaving Lu Zhen completely stunned.

His eyes widened in shock, and his worldviews seemed to shatter.

The surround sound system amplified it so much that even his father, Lu Jian, who was napping, came running out!

“You little brat, w-what… what are you watching!”

It wasn’t until Lu Zhen heard his father’s voice that he snapped out of his daze. He rushed to block the TV screen in a panic.

“Dad…”

Unfortunately, blocking the screen didn’t stop the booming surround sound that kept blasting from the speakers.

“Dad, let me explain…”

Lu Jian rushed downstairs, kicked Lu Zhen in the waist, and was so angry that his nostrils flared. “Do you have no shame at all?! You’re playing this on the TV at home! What if your sister sees it?! You… I’m going to beat you to death today!”

Lu Jian grabbed his slipper and chased Lu Zhen around to hit him.

Lu Zhen covered his head, dodging while trying to explain. “Dad, I didn’t… This DVD isn’t mine.”

“Then whose is it?!”

“It’s…”

He paused, the words “your daughter” getting stuck in his throat. With a gloomy face, he reluctantly said, “It’s Liang Ting’s.”

“None of you are good! ^[1]“Birds of a feather” is part of the fuller idiom, “Birds of a feather flock together.” It means that people who are similar in interests, behavior, or characteristics tend to … Continue readingBirds of a feather!”

“Dad…”

That afternoon, Lu Zhen received a solid beating, his anger with no place to vent. The next day, before the morning class had finished, he stormed into Class 10, dragged Shen Kuo out of the classroom while the class was still in session—

“You damn pervert! How shameless!”

Shen Kuo was caught off guard and took a solid punch, half of his face went numb.

Lu Zhen, like a wild leopard, lunged at him and pinned him to the ground, his furious fists pounding down relentlessly.

“How dare you show my sister that kind of thing!”

“I’m going to kill you!!”

Shen Kuo had stayed up late the night before and was still groggy in the morning. After taking a beating from Lu Zhen, he finally came to his senses.

Regaining himself, he grabbed Lu Zhen’s fist, twisted it sharply, and with a swift move, pinned Lu Zhen to the ground.

The tables turned, with Shen Kuo now in control.

Shen Kuo stood up, grabbed Lu Zhen by the collar, and shoved him against the balcony railing on the fifth floor, nearly sending him flying outside.

In Class 2, Qi Yuzhi shook Lu Yan awake, who was drowsily dozing at her desk: “Wake up, stop sleeping, Shen Kuo is going to kill Lu Zhen!”

Lu Yan mumbled groggily, “Let him kill him, at least I’ll have peace and quiet.”

“No, I’m not joking! Really! Hurry up and go look! He’s about to throw your brother off the fifth floor!”

Lu Yan finally snapped awake and saw a line of students standing in the hallway, all craning their necks to look up at the fifth floor.

“Oh my god, that’s too dangerous!”

“If he lets go, isn’t someone going to die?!”

Lu Yan shivered, no longer caring about anything else. She hurried out of the classroom and ran up to the fifth floor.

The balcony was crowded with curious onlookers. Lu Yan squeezed her way through the crowd and saw Shen Kuo holding Lu Zhen by the collar, pinning him against the balcony railing.

Lu Zhen was breathing heavily, his hands clutching Shen Kuo’s clothes tightly, afraid he would really let go.

Shen Kuo’s mouth was bruised, his expression cold, his black eyes radiating a chilling hostility.

The wind was howling around them. Lu Zhen could hear the whistling of the wind in his ears, his body trembling, his face pale, his lips shaking.

He could feel the fury in Shen Kuo’s cold gaze.

Without thinking, Lu Yan rushed forward, grabbed Shen Kuo’s firm arm, and begged, “Don’t… don’t hurt him!”

“Yanyan, you… get out of the way.” Lu Zhen’s voice trembled, but he still stubbornly tried to act tough: “If he has the guts, let him push me down. If he doesn’t, he’s not a man.”

Shen Kuo’s hand suddenly loosened, and in his panic, Lu Zhen gripped his clothes even harder, his body moving a few inches closer to the edge.

“Don’t!”

Lu Yan was so frightened by the motion of Shen Kuo letting go that tears welled up in her eyes: “Please, please don’t hurt him. He’s my only family, please.”

Her tearful words softened Shen Kuo’s heart.

“He’s my only family.”

In the end, Shen Kuo’s heart softened, and he pulled Lu Zhen back.

He couldn’t withstand Lu Yan’s pleading voice, feeling as if his heart was being crushed.

Lu Zhen was thrown to the ground, stunned and pale as a sheet.

Lu Yan quickly rushed over and hugged Lu Zhen around the neck.

“I was so scared. I thought you were going to die!”

Lu Zhen gently patted her back. “What are you crying for? Stop being so useless.”

“I can’t lose you, I can’t… ever…”

“He… he was just scaring me. He didn’t have the guts to really push me down.”

Lu Zhen glanced at Shen Kuo. Shen Kuo’s dark eyes were covered in a cold frost.

Even thinking about it now, Lu Zhen still felt a chill run down his spine, shaken by the near miss.

That morning, after the commotion on the fifth floor, both Lu Zhen and Shen Kuo were called to the office of the academic affairs department.

Since it was Lu Zhen who had rushed into the classroom and started the fight, disrupting the morning class and causing a great deal of chaos, the consequences were severe. Even though he later had Shen Kuo teach him a lesson, both of them shared the blame, and neither could escape the punishment.

Both of them were given a penalty: in the sweltering heat, they had to scrub the walls under the national flag platform at midday.

Young Master Lu, of course, didn’t lift a finger, sitting on the steps of the platform, fanning himself with a large paulownia leaf, making a swishing sound.

Shen Kuo focused on wiping away the stains from the wall tiles, sweat dripping down from his sharp brows. His T-shirt became soaked, but he didn’t even notice.

No matter what task it was, whether paid or not, once Shen Kuo started something, his seriousness and dedication were always 100%.

Lu Zhen aimed at him and threw his rag at Shen Kuo.

Shen Kuo swiftly dodged without even looking at him.

“Shen Kuo, I told you, if you don’t push me down, you’re not a man.”

Lu Zhen half-layed on the steps like a lazy old man, his voice cold. “You’re so gutless.”

Shen Kuo nonchalantly said, “Lu Yan saved you.”

Mentioning Lu Yan made Lu Zhen furious. He stormed over and grabbed Shen Kuo by the collar. “From now on, don’t you dare mention her name, don’t you dare see her, and don’t you dare talk to her!”

Shen Kuo shook off his hand, a sneer of disdain curling at the corner of his mouth, and muttered one word—

“Leave.”

“Are you asking for another beating?”

Lu Zhen was about to strike but was countered by Shen Kuo, who firmly pinned him against the wall tiles. “For Lu Yan’s sake, I’ll let you go, but don’t take it as weakness.”

“You bastard! You show my girl that disgusting video, and from now on, whenever I get the chance, I’ll beat you up!” Lu Zhen fumed.

Shen Kuo was momentarily stunned, not fully reacting, when the bell rang, signaling the end of class. Lu Yan hurried over, holding a small umbrella.

“Dad, is it hot? I bought some mineral water, here, drink to quench your thirst!”

Shen Kuo released Lu Zhen, who straightened his collar and walked over, maneuvering around the little girl to pull her aside. “Why are you running around in this heat?”

“I brought you water.”

Lu Zhen twisted the cap off the mineral water bottle, deliberately taking a big gulp, and then glanced at Shen Kuo. “This really quenches my thirst!”

Shen Kuo didn’t respond, continuing to wipe the wall tiles.

Lu Yan hesitated for a moment, then pulled out another bottle of soda from her bag and offered it to Shen Kuo. “You drink too.”

Shen Kuo was slightly surprised, he didn’t expect her to offer him anything.

“No need.”

“Take it. I bought it just for you.” Lu Yan twisted open the cap and brought the soda to Shen Kuo’s lips. “Try it, it’s really refreshing.”

Shen Kuo had never, ever had soda before, and he didn’t know what it tasted like. He’d been curious before, but his self-control had always kept him from trying it.

Soda drinks were for rich young masters, not for him.

He gently told Lu Yan, “You drink it yourself, I don’t like it.”

Lu Yan pouted. “Take it, you’re making me lose face.”

Shen Kuo hesitated for a moment but ultimately accepted the soda and took a sip.

Lu Yan beamed brightly. “Is it good?”

“Mm.”

His Adam’s apple bobbed as he took small sips, feeling like there were countless little bubbles dancing in his throat with every mouthful. Each sip was filled with flavor.

Lu Zhen couldn’t stand it anymore and shouted at Lu Yan, “You buy me mineral water, but you buy him soda! Who do you think your real brother is!”

Lu Yan calmly replied, “You were the one who caused trouble with Shen Kuo first. I’m buying him water to apologize.”

“You don’t understand anything!” Lu Zhen shouted angrily. “I had a reason to beat him up!”

“Then tell me! If you can’t explain yourself, you need to apologize to Shen Kuo.”

“He… he…”

Lu Zhen pointed at Shen Kuo, stuttering “He… he… he…” for a long time, his face turning bright red. He couldn’t get a single word out.

He couldn’t bring himself to expose Shen Kuo’s “crimes” in front of Lu Yan, it was too filthy, and he didn’t want to dirty his sister’s ears by saying it out loud.

“Forget it! Consider it my bad luck!” Lu Zhen sighed and threw the rag aside, pointing at Shen Kuo and threatening, “I’ve got my eyes on you. If you dare to do anything to my girl…”

“Alright, alright, just go already.”

Lu Yan forced an awkward smile at Shen Kuo and quickly pushed Lu Zhen away, hoping to avoid any more of his empty threats, so all her earlier efforts to please him wouldn’t go to waste.