Chapter 27

Fortunately, the road home was a smooth downhill path, otherwise, Lu Yan wasn’t sure if she’d have the strength to carry Shen Kuo back.

Shen Kuo was dizzy and not fully conscious. She was worried he might fall, so she asked him to hold onto her waist.

Whenever he tried to let go, Lu Yan would squeeze his hand tightly, keeping it closed.

On the downhill road, Lu Yan didn’t need to pedal, she just focused on keeping her balance, and she was also worried he might fall asleep, so she kept talking to him to help him stay awake.

After turning a few corners, she finally got him safely back home.

Shen Kuo stood at the door, still seeming unsteady.

Lu Yan supported him. “Can you go in by yourself?”

“Mm, you can go now.”

Lu Yan took a few steps but stopped and turned back to ask him, “Are you really dropping out?”

In the dim light of the alley, she couldn’t see his expression clearly, but she heard him answer sullenly, “Mm.”

“Why?”

“Guess,” he said, a faint smile playing on his lips.

“Zhong Kai didn’t explain anything to me, but I could guess a little. Is it… to prove something to someone?”

He didn’t answer, his head slightly lowered, his face obscured by shadow.

Lu Yan’s shoe tip tapped the ground for a moment before she changed the subject. “That day, I saw you coming out of the academic affairs office, and Shu Mengfei was still in the hallway comforting you.”

Shen Kuo leaned his forehead against the wall and gave a faint smile.

How stupid.

“Do all guys like someone like Shu Mengfei?”

He didn’t respond.

Lu Yan seemed somewhat displeased. “I don’t have the right to say anything. Who you like is your business. It has nothing to do with me, right?”

Shen Kuo softly muttered “Mm,” almost like a dream.

Liking you is my business, and it has nothing to do with you.

She tried to gently guide him. “But this thing about dropping out, it can still be discussed, right?”

The young man didn’t answer again.

Lu Yan sighed softly. “I know it’s the wrong choice, but I still haven’t had the courage to tell you.”

He raised his eyes to look at her.

The girl bit her plump lower lip, her brows furrowed, her expression torn and full of guilt.

She gently tugged at his shirt. “Even if you might become my enemy in the future, I should still do what I think is right. So Shen Kuo, you absolutely cannot drop out. No matter what, you can’t drop out. Otherwise, you’ll regret it for the rest of your life.”

The world is so harsh. If he leaves campus now, his future path will be full of thorns, a thousand times harder to walk.

And he would miss so many beautiful views.

Shen Kuo’s heart, which had been full of folds, was smoothed out and made flat by the girl’s words.

“I’m drunk now,” Shen Kuo’s voice was hoarse. “Anything I promise you doesn’t count.”

Lu Yan walked over and said seriously, “You don’t need to promise me anything, just trust me.”

Shen Kuo closed his eyes, the corners of his mouth lifting faintly—

“Is that so?”

Lu Yan turned back and said with certainty, “As long as you don’t drop out, you’ll get everything you want. Just be a little more patient.”

Suddenly, Shen Kuo reached out and pinched her chin, gently stroking it.

Lu Yan felt ticklish and pulled back slightly.

His jet-black eyes, as dark as night, gazed deeply into hers. “You have no idea what I want.”

What I want… from the beginning to the end, it’s only you.

—

When Lu Yan returned home, an expensive blue-and-white porcelain vase shattered at her feet.

Without thinking, she knew Lu Zhen had been scolded again.

“Bad grades are bad enough, but you… you changed your score? Lu Zhen, you can be stupid, but you can’t have crooked intentions!”

“I didn’t change my score!”

Lu Jian threw the test paper at his face, angrily saying, “I called your homeroom teacher. You only scored 38 in math, and now it’s 88 here. Explain how this happened!”

Lu Zhen looked at the test paper, where the red “3” had been altered with a few strokes, turning it into an “8.”

He scratched his head, frustrated, “How would I know? Someone tampered with my paper, I didn’t change it!”

Lu Jian clearly didn’t believe him. “Who would be so kind as to change your test for you? You think your old man is easy to fool?”

Lu Zhen really had no way to explain himself. His face flushed with anger, and he simply stood there silently, no longer speaking.

If even his father didn’t believe his own child, then no one in this world would believe him.

A trace of disappointment flickered in Lu Zhen’s eyes.

Shi Xuexian pretended to dissuade Lu Jian, urging him not to get physical and to talk things through with the child. But her sharp words only seemed to fuel Lu Jian’s anger instead of calming him down.

“The child is still young, raised as a spoiled young master. It’s inevitable he’ll make mistakes. Besides, it’s just changing the score, what’s the big deal? It’s not like he’s killed anyone or done anything heinous.”

Lu Jian slammed the table angrily. “In business, integrity is everything. If he can’t even be honest, how can I trust him to take over the company? It’s one thing to be useless, but absolutely not to take the crooked path. In the end, it’s my fault for not teaching him properly, which is why he’s turned out like this!”

These words were exactly what Shi Xuexian had been hoping for.

“Aiyo, don’t be angry. A child is 30% shaped by education, but 70% depends on themselves. Come on, Yaya, come over and show your test paper to Uncle Lu. Didn’t you score ninety points? Let Uncle Lu see and be happy for you.”

Before Shi Ya could excitedly run downstairs, Lu Yan entered first, holding onto Lu Jian’s arm, and sat beside him. “Grandpa, I went to Grandma’s house today. She bought me a piano. Next time, I’ll play it for you.”

As soon as Lu Yan returned, Lu Jian’s mood softened considerably, and he completely forgot about Shi Ya.

He took Lu Yan’s slender wrist in his hand and said, “If you want a piano, tell your dad. He’ll buy it for you, no need to ask her.”

“Hehe, Grandpa is so good to me.”

“Silly girl.”

Shi Ya stood at the top of the stairs, holding her test paper with a score of ninety, clearly feeling awkward. She glanced at her mother and then at Lu Jian.

The father and daughter were enjoying their time together, and it seemed like she had no place there. If she went over now, it would look foolish.

Lu Yan’s constant mention of “Grandpa” made Lu Zhen, who was standing nearby, feel uneasy, worried that Lu Jian might suspect something.

Fortunately, Lu Jian really treated Lu Yan as his own daughter and didn’t think too much about it.

“How did you do in your final exams, Yanyan?”

Shi Xuexian shifted the conversation back to grades. The issue with Lu Zhen was far from over!

“I didn’t do too well,” Lu Yan said modestly with a smile.

Lu Jian said, “It’s okay, as long as Yanyan tries her best, the result doesn’t matter.”

“Mm, I only got 93 in math. I only scored 3 points higher than Shi Ya.”

Shi Xuexian’s face immediately fell.

Lu Yan was cleverly playing her cards right, putting Shi Ya’s score to shame and making it difficult for Shi Xuexian to boast about it.

Just then, Lu Zhen, with a serious expression, spoke up, “Before the exam, you confidently told me you’d get a perfect score, but you only got 93?”

“…”

The strict tone of the father made her feel like she was back in her previous life.

“And Chinese? How much did you score?”

“Uh, 81.”

“How did you only get 81?”

“The, uh, essay wasn’t done well.”

Lu Yan was on the verge of crying.

Lu Jian, looking puzzled, glanced at the brother and sister arguing back and forth and seemed confused as to why Lu Zhen, the older brother, seemed to be trying to take over his role as father.

“Why are you being so harsh? Mind your own business. How many points Yanyan got is not for you to lecture about!”

Finally, Lu Jian stopped him.

Lu Zhen, feeling frustrated, lowered his head and stood dejectedly to one side.

Shi Xuexian couldn’t help but remind Lu Jian once more, “Changing scores is a more serious issue than cheating. As parents, we have a responsibility too, so don’t just blame the child. Sigh, it’s all my fault for being too busy, neglecting the education of the child.”

Lu Zhen sneered, “You were busy playing mahjong, weren’t you?”

“You… Lu Zhen, don’t interrupt when elders are speaking!”

Lu Zhen looked at Shi Xuexian: “You’re not qualified to be my elder.”

“Shut up,” Lu Jian interrupted him, disappointed. “Fine, I can’t control you anymore. Let you live or die on your own.”

Lu Zhen, already in a bad mood from being wronged, heard Lu Jian’s words about letting him fend for himself, and immediately turned to walk out.

Lu Yan quickly grabbed him. “Dad, calm down!”

“Yanyan, don’t stop him, let him go,” Lu Jian said with a sneer. “If he can last three days, I’ll consider him a man.”

At these words, Lu Zhen’s temper flared even more, and he stormed towards the door.

Lu Yan blocked the door, refusing to let him leave.

Shi Xuexian quickly walked over, assuming a motherly demeanor, preparing to stop Lu Zhen. “Little Zhen, don’t throw a tantrum. Just listen to what your father says.”

Lu Zhen, disgusted, pulled his hand away, but didn’t expect Shi Xuexian to fall to the ground as she lost her balance, crying out in pain.

Lu Zhen and Lu Yan stopped pulling at each other and exchanged glances, looking at Shi Xuexian on the floor.

Lu Zhen could swear he hadn’t used any force, and definitely hadn’t pushed Shi Xuexian.

Shi Xuexian’s elbow was bruised, and her neat bun had come undone, making her look quite disheveled.

Her eyes reddened instantly, and tears filled them as she pitifully looked at Lu Jian.

Lu Jian walked over, pulled Shi Xuexian up, and glared at Lu Zhen, enraged. “How dare you lay a hand on your Auntie! You’ve gone too far!”

Lu Zhen defended himself: “I didn’t lay a hand on her!”

Lu Yan, who had been standing right next to Lu Zhen, had seen everything clearly. She knew Lu Zhen had only pulled his hand away and hadn’t pushed Shi Xuexian at all.

Shi Xuexian, acting like a fragile bird, nestled behind Lu Jian, her voice trembling as she said, “Don’t blame the child. I tripped and fell by myself.”

Lu Zhen stared at her in fury, knowing she was framing him, but was helpless to defend himself.

Lu Yan really felt like these people must have watched too many melodramatic soap operas, the way they all loved to “fake accidents.”

Such things must have happened frequently in the past, and with Lu Zhen being such a straightforward, stubborn man, how could he possibly be a match for Shi Xuexian?

At the right moment, Lu Yan spoke: “Grandma Shi is right. I saw it clearly. She tripped over a chair and fell by herself. Lu Zhen didn’t push her.”

Seeing the usually honest and simple Lu Yan speak in defense of Lu Zhen, Lu Jian actually believed her, and didn’t pursue the matter of Lu Zhen supposedly pushing Shi Xuexian any further.

Shi Xuexian’s eyes flickered with a cold light as she looked at Lu Yan.

Lu Yan picked up the math test paper that Lu Zhen had modified and asked, “Dad, did you give your math test paper to anyone?”

“I didn’t give it to anyone. With such a low score, no one would want to borrow my paper. When I brought it back home, the score hadn’t been touched.”

Lu Yan understood. It was just as they say—an intruder is always the hardest to guard against.

Lu Yan gave Shi Ya a meaningful glance.

Shi Ya, feeling guilty, instinctively took a step back.

Shi Xuexian glared at Lu Yan. “What do you mean by that? Are you implying that someone in the family changed his grades?”

“I didn’t say anything.”

“By the way, I came back today, threw my books on the desk, then went out to play pool. When I came back, dad was waiting for me in the living room with my test paper that had been changed.”

Shi Ya kept giving Shi Xuexian signals, but Shi Xuexian didn’t look at her.

Lu Yan suddenly raised her head and asked, “Shi Ya, what were you doing tonight?”

Shi Ya, suddenly being called out, nervously replied, “I—I was doing my homework.”

“Chinese or Math?”

“Chinese… oh no, Math.”

Shi Xuexian shouted, “What’s going on? Why are we interrogating a criminal now?”

Lu Yan smiled and said, “No, I’m in the same class as Shi Ya, and the math problems are really difficult. I just wanted to borrow Shi Ya’s homework to take a look.”

Hearing this, Shi Ya immediately became flustered.

Lu Jian said, “Shi Ya, go get your math homework and let your sister see.”

Shi Ya hesitated, but Shi Xuexian urged, “Go on, hurry up.”

Shi Ya signaled to her, indicating, “I didn’t do it.”

Lu Yan, holding Lu Zhen’s modified test paper, went straight upstairs and into Shi Ya’s room. Shi Ya quickly followed, saying, “What are you doing?”

“Don’t worry, I’m just looking for your math homework.”

“I… I don’t want to lend it to you! I…”

But Lu Yan wasn’t looking for math homework. She grabbed Shi Ya’s pencil case, pulled out a few red pens, and began drawing on the notebook, one after the other.

Found it.

Seeing Lu Yan holding the red pen, Shi Ya almost fainted from fear.

“Grandpa, this red pen’s thickness and color are exactly the same as the one used to change the grades on Lu Zhen’s test paper.”

Lu Yan handed the red pen and test paper to Lu Jian, who looked at them suspiciously. His face darkened as he turned to Shi Ya. “Explain.”

Shi Ya, like a small animal targeted by a gun, trembled with fear.

“I… I didn’t mean to, Lu Zhen is my brother. I saw he did so poorly and would definitely get scolded, so I kindly changed his grade…”

Lu Zhen rolled his eyes, not believing Shi Ya acted out of kindness.

“I’m not your brother,” he coldly said. “Never have been.”

Shi Xuexian’s skin began twitching as she didn’t expect Shi Ya to be the one who did this. She thought she had finally caught something on Lu Zhen, something that could create a rift between father and son.

After all, nothing was more intolerable to Lu Jian than his own son’s integrity being questioned.

Who would’ve guessed that this was a scheme by Shi Ya to frame Lu Zhen? Not only did she frame him, but she also got caught with the evidence.

So foolish! How did she raise such a foolish daughter!

“Yaya was just trying to help,” she could only force a smile at Lu Jian and say. “She meant well but made a mistake.”

“Meaning well but making a mistake? That almost got my dad kicked out of the house, and Grandma Shi was ^[1]“fanning the flames on the side” means someone is aggravating or escalating an already tense or problematic situation.fanning the flames on the side,” Lu Yan said, frustrated. “Lu Zhen really got an unfair deal.”

Shi Xuexian’s eyes flickered with a trace of malice before she started playing her usual tricks. She covered her face in an act of grievance, saying, “As a stepmother, everything I say or do is wrong.”

Lu Yan immediately interrupted her without hesitation, “It was wrong from the start.”

Shi Xuexian wiped away her tears, feigning being wronged. “The elder asked the younger to discipline me, is this fair? How can I still be a mother to my children in the future?”

Lu Jian finally interrupted her with a cold snort. “Enough, Shi Ya is not my daughter, but since she lives in the Lu family, she should follow the rules. What she has done is unforgivable.”

Shi Ya was so frightened that her legs gave out, and she fell to the ground, tears streaming down her face.

“Uncle Lu, I was wrong, I really was wrong.”

Lu Yan looked at her coldly. She was quick to admit her mistake, but so what? She had tried to frame Lu Zhen once, and she could do it again.

“Since Lu Zhen almost got kicked out of the house, I think… the culprit can’t stay here anymore.”

As soon as Lu Yan’s words fell, Shi Xuexian’s face changed drastically. “Yaya can’t leave, she has nowhere else to stay!”

“Grandma Shi, don’t you have a brother? Let Shi Ya stay at her uncle’s house, that should be fine, right?”

Shi Xuexian looked at Lu Yan, her eyes filled with malice.

Lu Yan was clearly declaring war on her. Shi Xuexian could sense that this girl was no longer the same as the foolish, lost daughter, Lu Yan, from back then.

Lu Jian said, “Shi Ya, go to your room and pack your things.”

“No, don’t kick her out! Her uncle is a bad person. She’s a girl, living under someone else’s roof will cause problems!”

Lu Yan knew that in Shi Xuexian’s family, sons were prioritized over daughters. She was a “supportive sister,” giving all the benefits to her brother, but her brother had never treated her well. He always considered Shi Xuexian, who had gotten pregnant before marriage, a disgrace to the family.

But at least she had bought her brother a house in Beicheng. Even if Shi Ya left the Lu family, she still had a place to stay.

Lu Jian, who had just been furious and kicked Lu Zhen a few times, now saw him standing by the wall, looking pitiful, and couldn’t help but feel a little guilty. It was a strange feeling.

“Shi Ya, go to your room and pack your things immediately.”

Lu Jian gave his final ultimatum. Shi Ya could only cry and gather her luggage to leave.

Seeing that Lu Jian was truly angry, Shi Xuexian had no choice but to send Shi Ya to her uncle’s house. She would try to talk to Lu Jian later, hoping to bring Shi Ya back.

She knew that life at her useless brother’s house would not be as comfortable as it was in the big villa of the Lu family.

After the mother and daughter left, Lu Jian glanced at Lu Zhen, who was standing by the wall with his hands behind his back. He awkwardly said, “Lu Zhen, this time… cough, I misunderstood you.”

Lu Zhen rubbed his nose but didn’t say anything.

He was still holding on to his anger.

Lu Yan said, “You’ve taught us that when we make a mistake, we should apologize. You wronged Lu Zhen, and you should apologize to him too.”

Lu Jian pursed his thin lips and didn’t speak.

In those days, the concept of equality didn’t exist. As the head of the family, as a strict father, he would never apologize to his own son.

Because the parents were always right.

“Although this is Shi Ya’s fault, you’re also at fault!” Lu Jian pointed to the test paper on the table. “Look at these poor grades! How can you show your face! Go back to your room and reflect!”

“Grandpa…”

Lu Zhen looked at Lu Jian with disappointment, then took Lu Yan’s hand as she was about to speak and went upstairs. “Forget it, little Yan. Don’t ever expect your Grandpa to apologize.”

Lu Jian: …

Now he really was a grandfather! Were they all out of their minds?

That night, Lu Zhen didn’t sleep. He sat alone on the balcony railing, sulking in silence.

Lu Yan walked over and patted his shoulder, speaking gently, “Dad, don’t be sad, it’s okay.”

“Who’s sad?” Lu Zhen said indignantly, “I don’t even care about that mother and daughter, I just find it annoying.”

“I know…”

She understood Lu Zhen’s feelings perfectly. A father should be the closest person to you, but he wasn’t understood by him.

That feeling… Lu Yan had experienced it too.

She loved singing and longed for her voice to be heard by more people, but Lu Zhen stubbornly suppressed her dream, even threatening to sign a contract with the agency that wanted to sign her.

Lu Yan had once “caused a scene” at home, saying that Lu Zhen didn’t understand her at all, that he was a fascist, and even said that she didn’t want him as a father!

The Lu Zhen back then was no different from the Lu Jian now.

Sometimes, being a parent… actually isn’t done very well. If there’s no mutual understanding, the conflict will only intensify.

Lu Yan patted Lu Zhen on the shoulder and said, “Alright, don’t harbor so much resentment. You treated me worse than Grandpa did!”

Lu Zhen looked at her for a long time, then firmly said, “That’s absolutely impossible!”

He could never be the kind of father Lu Jian was.

Lu Yan tapped his forehead. “Still not admitting it, huh!”

“How dare you!” Lu Zhen grabbed her two slender wrists and held them together, tickling her.

Lu Yan giggled uncontrollably. “Hey, don’t bully me!”

After playing around for a while, Lu Zhen’s mood improved. He asked uncertainly, “Am I… really a bad father?”

“That time in high school, when you threw a large check in the face of the boy I liked, that was really awful.”

Lu Zhen: …

“Mainly… your ‘large’ check was for 100 yuan. Do you know how long I was laughed at in school because of that?”

Lu Zhen retorted, “100 yuan is a lot, okay!”

“Try that 100 yuan 20 years from now!”

The two of them bickered about whether 100 yuan was a lot or not for a while, until Lu Jian’s voice came from the study: “It’s late, why are you two still arguing?”

Lu Yan and Lu Zhen exchanged a glance and quickly fell silent.

It wasn’t easy for father and daughter to become like siblings and even friends over the years.

“Alright, I won’t argue if you don’t admit it. Anyway, I’ve forgiven you.”

At the time of her death, she had forgiven her dad for all his authoritarian ways, because compared to the pain of separation, nothing else, not even dreams, mattered.

Family is always the most important.

“Being able to come back to my dad, I already feel very satisfied.”

Lu Yan reached out, tugged at Lu Zhen’s cheek, and made him smile. “So don’t look so miserable.”

Lu Zhen didn’t smile. He fell silent for a moment and then heavily placed his hand on Lu Yan’s shoulder.

“From now on, whatever you want to do, your dad will support you.”

Lu Yan looked at him in surprise. He said firmly, “I want to be the best dad in the world.”