Chapter 9: Dominant Protection of Her Husband – Power Revealed

As soon as the two stepped into the house, a sarcastic voice drifted toward them.

“Still living off my brother’s money to satisfy your own selfish desires. Truly hypocritical!”

Before Mother Lu could even speak to scold her, Lu Hanchuan’s bedroom door was pushed open.

A cold voice followed:

“Lu Qingyu, apologize.”

Lu Qingyu looked at Lu Hanchuan, who once again asked her to apologize to Su Zhiyi, and felt completely indignant.

“I didn’t say anything wrong! Brother, she’s just a gold digger! She’s not even close to being as good as Keke!”

“Xiaoyu, don’t talk nonsense!”

Grandpa Lu, seeing the darkened expression on Lu Hanchuan’s face, hurriedly scolded Lu Qingyu before he could speak.

But Lu Qingyu acted as if she hadn’t noticed Lu Hanchuan’s gloomy face at all.

She kept digging her own grave:

“Grandpa, have you also been fooled by this country bumpkin?! She’s nothing but a liar!”

“Fine, you say I’m a liar. Then tell me, what have I lied about?”

Su Zhiyi’s expression remained indifferent as she looked at her.

Next to her, Grandpa Lu, Grandma Lu, and Mother Lu were also looking at Lu Qingyu with both anger and helplessness, waiting for her response.

Faced with everyone’s angry glares, Lu Qingyu was instantly frightened into silence.

At that moment, Su Zhiyi’s gaze turned icy and sharp as she stared at Lu Qingyu.

“Speak.”

Although it was only two short syllables, it was enough to send a chill through the hearts of the Lu family.

In her presence, they all saw traces of Lu Hanchuan’s demeanor.

At the same time, Lu Hanchuan’s face looked even worse, his aura growing even colder.

Watching Su Zhiyi’s calm and composed expression, the Lu family once again instinctively sided with her without question.

Lu Qingyu suddenly felt a wave of grievance rising in her heart.

“I didn’t say anything wrong! Just look at my brother now—he definitely can’t go back to the army anymore!

He’s crippled in one leg! Only Keke truly cares about him! She—”

Slap! A crisp slap echoed in the room.

Lu Qingyu was stunned for a second by the impact.

When she snapped out of it, she looked furiously at Su Zhiyi, who was equally full of rage.

“Ah! What right do you have to hit me?! Even my parents never hit me, what right do you have?!

I wasn’t even wrong—my brother really is a cripple—”

Slap! Another sharp slap rang out.

Lu Qingyu completely lost control. She went into a frenzy and lunged madly toward Su Zhiyi.

Under the worried gazes of Grandpa Lu, Grandma Lu, and Mother Lu, Lu Hanchuan quickly threw his crutch at Lu Qingyu.

The crutch hit her right on the arm.

Su Zhiyi easily dodged Lu Qingyu’s slap.

Then she swiftly grabbed the front of Lu Qingyu’s shirt and yanked it hard, forcing Lu Qingyu to drop to one knee.

Su Zhiyi bent down slightly, her gaze as cold and piercing as shattered ice.

“In my eyes, you’re just a brainless girl being used as a tool, and you don’t even know it.

And only because you’re Lu Hanchuan’s sister, I’ve always chosen not to take your insults to heart.

But—but what you said about Lu Hanchuan just now…

That was like stabbing a knife into his heart—do you understand that?!

If there’s a next time, I don’t care who you are—it won’t end with just two slaps!”

With that, she forcefully shoved Lu Qingyu to the ground.

At that moment, Lu Qingyu was so frightened by the fierce aura emanating from Su Zhiyi that she didn’t dare to move an inch.

Then Su Zhiyi turned to look at Grandpa Lu, Grandma Lu, and Mother Lu. Her voice was full of apology:

“Grandpa Lu, Grandma Lu, Aunt Lu, I’m sorry. I was wrong to hit Lu Qingyu.

But if it happens again, I won’t be so lenient.”

Looking at the girl with red-rimmed eyes, trembling with suppressed fury, Lu Hanchuan felt both shocked and moved.

So… this was how important he was to her?

Important enough that she would act like she was ready to go to war for him?

He gently raised his hand and rubbed her head.

“I’m fine. Thank you.”

As her emotions threatened to overflow, Su Zhiyi spoke in a slightly panicked voice:

“I’m a little tired… I’ll head back to my room first.”

With that, she fled in a bit of a fluster.

Mother Lu looked at Lu Qingyu, who was still sitting frozen on the ground, completely terrified.

She sighed and spoke with helplessness in her tone:

“Xiaoyu, I don’t know what kind of poison that Jiang Keke has poured into your ears to make you listen to her so blindly!

But remember this—stay as far away from that Jiang Keke as possible!”

Grandpa Lu and Grandma Lu also gave her a disappointed look before turning and walking away.

Beside them, Lu Hanchuan warned her in a cold voice:

“Lu Qingyu, you’d better reflect on your actions.”

After he turned and left, Lu Qingyu’s face twisted with venom.

“So it’s true… You’ve never seen me as part of this family! Just wait and see—all of you!”

With that, she fled from the Lu family in complete disgrace.

At that moment, Su Zhiyi was crying silently in her room, full of heartbreak.

Lu Qingyu’s word—cripple—and Grandma Lu’s earlier vow that he would never marry, and grow old alone… echoed painfully in her mind.

It was like a sharp dagger plunging deep into Su Zhiyi’s heart.

It was all her fault. All because of her, Lu Hanchuan ended up all alone, destined to grow old without a partner, and in the end, even sacrificed his life for her.

She could no longer hold back and finally burst into sobs.

Outside the door, Lu Hanchuan stood still, listening to the muffled sound of crying from within.

His heart felt as if it were being slowly tortured, sliced open, bleeding with every cut.

The joy he had just felt from Su Zhiyi standing up for him quickly vanished.

She must have only defended him out of gratitude—for saving Su Junyi’s life. That was probably why she had spoken so fiercely on his behalf.

So staying here… caused her so much pain.

He turned around and walked away, his expression filled with desolation.

—

In an old residential building, Lu Qingyu’s voice rang from inside a room.

“Seize this opportunity, and not only will you get money, I’ll even gift you a wife!”

A man’s voice followed, full of surprise and delight:

“Alright! You said it! I’ll be waiting!”

Then came Jiang Keke’s voice:

“Don’t be careless, either of you. It’s best to stay cautious.”

Lu Qingyu responded confidently:

“Don’t worry, Keke. This time, not only will Su Zhiyi lose her virginity, but her name will be ruined. She’ll be utterly disgraced and live a life worse than death!”

What Jiang Keke was thinking, however, was far more than that—she didn’t just want to destroy Su Zhiyi. She wanted to take this opportunity to win over Lu Hanchuan.

But none of them had any idea…

That every single word they said had already been overheard by Su Zhiyi.

It was a skill she had discovered by chance—a special ability. She could actually understand what birds were saying.

It started the day she slapped Lu Qingyu. When she returned to her room, she stood by the window, thinking over everything related to Jiang Keke. She suspected Jiang Keke might also be someone reborn.

Just then, two birds flew to the windowsill, chirping back and forth.

To her amazement, Su Zhiyi realized she could understand their conversation.

One bird bowed its head to the other and said,

“Wife, I really know I was wrong! Next time, I’ll listen to you, I promise!”

The other bird replied furiously,

“I’ve told you so many times, and you still won’t listen! This is your last chance—if you mess up again, I’m leaving you!”

Hearing this, Su Zhiyi couldn’t help but speak up in earnest,

“You can’t be like that. If there’s a problem, you have to work it out. Don’t just say things like ‘I’ll leave you’—it really hurts… birds’ hearts.”

The remorseful bird immediately lifted its little head and looked at its wife with a face full of shock.

Its voice trembled as it asked,

“W-Wife… is… is she talking to… us?”

The little bird’s wife was also utterly terrified,

“S-She… she is, I think?”

Seeing their reaction, Su Zhiyi’s eyes curved into a smile as she chuckled softly.

“Don’t doubt it. I’m definitely talking to you two.”