After Lu Jian got out of the car, he hurriedly walked toward the main gate. It was drizzling outside, and his assistant tried to hold an umbrella for him, but he waved them off.

When Shi Xuexian saw Lu Jian returning, she immediately knew that Lu Zhen must have informed him, and her brother’s project had likely been delayed again.

Her expression turned sour as she shot an angry glare at Lu Yan.

Upon seeing Lu Yan, Lu Jian was clearly unable to believe his eyes. He staggered toward her, his trembling hand reaching up to gently touch her face, calling out, “Yanyan…”

Now, Grandpa was just a little over forty, still maintaining the trim figure from his youth, with no sign of the bulging belly and greasy feel typical of middle-aged men. His temples were slightly frosted with white, but his demeanor was still charismatic, his gaze sharp like an eagle, full of vitality.

Grandpa had been incredibly handsome when he was young.

The Lu family genes were so good, it was clear they had been passed down since Grandpa’s time.

She called out absentmindedly, “Grandpa.”

Lu Jian’s eyes moistened, but he smiled broadly, saying excitedly, “That’s right, this is my silly daughter Yanyan! It’s really her!”

Lu Zhen smiled and teased, “See? Old man, I knew it the moment I saw her!”

Lu Jian, immersed in the joy of finding his lost daughter, didn’t even hear Lu Zhen’s casual comment. Normally, he would have kicked him for calling him “old man.”

Lu Jian held Lu Yan’s hand and sat down with her on the sofa. “Yanyan, tell Dad, how did you come back? How have you been these years?”

Lu Yan didn’t know how to answer. She didn’t want to impersonate her aunt’s identity. She just wanted her dad and grandpa to know the truth.

But this unbelievable truth was something no one would believe.

“Well… Grandpa, I’m Lu Yan, your granddaughter, his daughter.” Lu Yan pointed at Lu Zhen.

Lu Zhen raised an eyebrow. He was used to Lu Yan calling him “Dad” so affectionately.

Lu Jian laughed heartily and tapped Lu Yan’s nose. “That’s right, this is Yanyan. There’s no other silly girl like her in the world.”

Lu Yan: …

Being unable to explain felt exactly like this.

Seeing that Lu Jian had already accepted the girl as his daughter, Shi Xuexian quickly changed her demeanor, becoming warm and affectionate. She sat down beside Lu Yan, taking her hand.

“Oh my, look at me, it’s been so long since I’ve seen Yanyan, I almost didn’t recognize her.”

Shi Xuexian gazed at Lu Yan with tender eyes and lovingly stroked her face. “Yanyan must have suffered a lot all these years. It really breaks my heart.”

Lu Yan didn’t pay much attention to her, and Lu Zhen rolled his eyes so hard it seemed like they were going to reach the ceiling.

The face-changing skill in Sichuan opera was nothing compared to this.

Shi Xuexian seemed intent on showing off her motherly love in front of Lu Jian, and she wouldn’t let go of Lu Yan’s hand. “Yanyan, do you still remember who I am?”

“Of course, Step-grandmother.”

Lu Zhen let out a laugh, and even Lu Jian couldn’t help but burst out laughing.

But Shi Xuexian’s expression immediately turned dark, becoming extremely ugly.

The term “Grandma” could be dismissed as a joke for a mentally challenged child, but the problem was with the word “step” – it constantly reminded her that even this foolish girl knew she was just a stepmother.

Shi Xuexian was still Shi Xuexian, and her displeasure quickly faded as she embraced Lu Yan, saying, “I’m your mom, call me mom.”

Lu Yan nearly gagged from the strong scent of her perfume and pushed her away in disgust, feeling nauseous.

Seeing that his youngest daughter was clearly resisting Shi Xuexian, Lu Jian’s face darkened. “Enough. She has her own mother, don’t teach her wrongly. Let her call whoever she wants, there’s no need to force it.”

Shi Xuexian, sensing Lu Jian’s displeasure, didn’t dare to argue.

Lu Jian asked Lu Yan, “Which room would you like to sleep in tonight? We have plenty of rooms here, pick one that you like.”

Lu Yan didn’t want to trouble the family too much, so she simply said, “I’ll stay in Aunt’s old room.”

At this, Shi Ya, who had been standing nearby, looked even more displeased. “That’s my room now.”

Shi Xuexian quickly gave her a look and smiled to ease the tension. “Since little sister is back, Xiao Ya, you should give up the room.”

Shi Ya sulkily said, “I’m living there just fine, why should I give it up just because she’s back? This is so unfair.”

Her voice was low, probably because she knew she didn’t have much ground to stand on. After all, she didn’t have the Lu family name.

Lu Yan glanced at Shi Ya’s sulking face and thought to herself that with so many rooms in the house, it had to be intentional for her to be assigned Aunt’s old room. It seemed like an attempt to replace her.

In that case, she absolutely couldn’t let this girl have her way.

After Grandpa passed away, Shi Ya, as an outsider, received a considerable dowry, even including a well-run company. But her father, Lu Zhen, didn’t receive a single cent.

This showed just how skilled the mother and daughter were in maneuvering things.

Shi Ya complained pitifully, saying she had gotten used to living in that room and didn’t want to move. She suggested that they prepare another guest room for her sister since she was back.

Seeing how close Shi Ya was to crying, looking weak and pitiful, it was hard not to feel sympathy for her. But Shi Xuexian didn’t say anything more. Instead, she kept glancing at Lu Jian, waiting for his opinion.

Before Lu Jian could speak, however, Lu Yan spoke up in a low voice. “Why should I sleep in the guest room?”

Shi Xuexian shot a sharp glance at Lu Yan.

“Grandpa, I don’t want to sleep in the guest room.” Lu Yan turned to Lu Jian and asked, “Can I sleep in my old room?”

Lu Jian immediately turned to Shi Ya and said, “Go pack your things and move to the guest room. Let Yanyan sleep in her old room.”

Shi Ya’s tears came instantly, her teeth clenched tightly as her face twisted in extreme grievance.

But Lu Jian didn’t even glance at her.

He wasn’t a philanthropist, nor was he a fool. If it hadn’t been for Shi Xuexian’s constant pleading, saying that her daughter had no one to take care of her, he wouldn’t have agreed to let an outsider live in the Lu family’s mansion.

Now that she was here, there had to be rules. The legitimate daughter of the Lu family was Lu Yan. If she wanted the stars in the sky, Lu Jian would pluck them down for her, not to mention something as trivial as a room.

Shi Xuexian seemed to have realized this as well. She walked over and lightly patted Shi Ya’s back. “Why are you crying? It’s embarrassing. Just have you pack your things like what your Uncle Lu said, so just go ahead and do it. The Lu family has so many guest rooms, just pick another one you like.”

“But I like the one I’m in now.”

“That’s not your room!”

“Why isn’t it?!”

Afraid that Shi Ya would say something childish that would only make Lu Jian dislike her, Shi Xuexian pushed and shoved her back to the room, helping her pack her things, and soothing her with soft words, assuring her that there was still time.

An hour later, Lu Yan entered the room that had belonged to her aunt. Once again, she couldn’t help but marvel at how her aunt had been the most favored daughter in the family. The room was almost three times the size of Lu Yan’s old one, with dreamy pink wallpaper, a walk-in closet, a shoe room, a dollhouse, and even a tent in one corner.

But Lu Yan also understood now—after Grandpa’s passing, for Lu Jian to let Shi Ya live in such a room showed just how powerful Shi Xuexian was in this family.

If she wanted to help her dad and grandpa avoid a future where father and son turned against each other, Shi Xuexian was definitely a formidable opponent she couldn’t underestimate.

Several times during meals, Shi Xuexian subtly suggested that Lu Jian should take Lu Yan for a paternity test, but each time, Lu Jian firmly rejected the idea.

There was no need for a paternity test—he had already accepted that Lu Yan was his long-lost daughter.

Even if, for argument’s sake, she wasn’t his biological daughter, Lu Jian didn’t want to admit it. Lu Yan was the daughter he had painstakingly regained, and he wouldn’t allow any unexpected turns of events.

During those days, Lu Jian helped Lu Yan get in touch with schools, while Lu Yan wandered around the streets in her free time.

The atmosphere and customs of the early 2000s were very different from her time. Most of the residents still lived in row houses, narrow alleys were everywhere, but the main streets were also being developed with high-rise buildings, and construction machinery like excavators and tractors could be seen everywhere, along with the noisy rumble and dust.

Lu Yan bought a bag of puffed rice tubes on the street, intending to bring them back for Grandpa.

She saw a vendor scooping millet into a greasy machine, and after a few seconds, the machine spit out a string of white puffed rice tubes. They smelled sweet and fragrant, and this was something new Lu Yan had never seen before.

She chewed the crispy rice tubes as she entered an arcade.

The arcade was different from the ones she had played in before. All the arcade machines here required players to stand. The big, outdated equipment looked very low-tech, and there were about ten such machines in the arcade. A group of young people and students gathered around the machines, inserting coins to play games.

Contra, Street Fighter, Street Fighter: Dragon Edition…

Lu Yan had been able to reach the diamond level in games on an iPad, but with these ancient, outdated machines, she found herself out of her depth.

These machines had a gambling-like nature: if you won, it would spit out money, if you lost, it would swallow your money. Lu Yan quickly lost all the money she had on her.

Just as Lu Yan was about to walk away, feeling dejected, the shop owner—a tattooed man with ill intentions—called out to her.

“Don’t go, little girl. Play two more rounds.”

“I don’t have any money left.” Lu Yan patted her empty pockets. “Your machines are too hard to play.”

At this moment, the tattooed man blocked her way. “Hey, you lost your money and now want to leave?”

He pointed to the arcade machine, and the screen displayed a negative balance.

“75 yuan. Pay up if you want to leave!”

Lu Yan had never encountered such a tricky situation and was in disbelief. “That much?!”

‘She only had a little over 10 yuan on her today, and she lost it all just now. How did she suddenly rack up a debt of 75?!’

What kind of game machine was this?

The tattooed man grinned slyly. “If you don’t pay, you’re not leaving.”

Just as Lu Yan was at a loss, she suddenly spotted Shen Kuo.

He was wearing a thin white T-shirt and knee-length shorts, passing by the arcade’s door.

A man wearing a white T-shirt could be a bit risky. Even men with normal builds often look like skinny, awkward guys in such shirts.

But Shen Kuo was far from that. His broad shoulders and muscular neck filled out the shirt, and his arms exuded strength—he had the kind of boyfriend material physique, maxed out.

He crouched down on one knee, picking pears from a vendor’s basket, his head slightly lowered, and his bangs brushed over his deep, dark eyes, looking exceptionally focused.

After buying the pears, Shen Kuo stood up and left.

Lu Yan hurriedly rushed out the door, cutting across his path. In her rush, she collided with his chest, half of her body crashing into him.

Shen Kuo didn’t react in time, and her head hit his solid chest with a thud.

A sweet fragrance filled the air, coming from the puffed rice tubes in her arms.

However, the rice tubes had already shattered into pieces, sticking to her chest and leaving white crumbs all over his shirt.

“Ah!”

Lu Yan gasped, quickly walking over to pat the crumbs off his chest. “Sorry!”

Shen Kuo instinctively took a step back to avoid her hand, straightening his shirt and shaking the crumbs off.

Though his clothes were old, they were clean.

Lu Yan crouched down to pick up the broken rice tube box, her clear eyes showing a hint of guilt. “Really sorry, I lost all my money just now, and my mind is still in a daze.”

She felt embarrassed.

Shen Kuo glanced at her, and in the sunlight, her skin appeared fair and translucent, with bright, clear eyes like her father’s—deep, dark, and full of life. Her black hair cascaded over her delicate shoulders.

Shen Kuo’s indifferent gaze swept over her, then quickly moved away.

This clumsy little girl was exactly like Lu Zhen.

He looked up at the smoke-filled arcade and softly asked, “You’re playing games here?”

“Yeah, I keep losing, and I got scammed. He won’t let me leave.”

Just as she was speaking, the tattooed man came chasing after them, pointing at Lu Yan and snarling, “Trying to run? Pay back the money you owe!”

Shen Kuo instinctively pulled the girl behind him, facing the man. “How much does she owe you?”

The tattooed man crossed his arms, dragging out his words, “Not much, just 75 yuan.”

Shen Kuo quickly realized that the girl was new to this place and had been scammed.

“Do you have any money left?” He turned to ask Lu Yan.

“No,” she replied.

Not only was she broke, but she also owed a bunch of money.

Shen Kuo patted his pocket, finding a few coins left. It was enough to play one more round. He stepped forward towards the arcade.

Lu Yan wasn’t about to get involved with this scammy arcade again.

“Shen… Shen Kuo, don’t go. They’re really crooked.”

At the door, with his hands in his pockets, Shen Kuo glanced back and muttered, “Don’t worry, I’ll help you turn this around.”