Xu Yi was visibly stunned and couldn’t help but say, “Miss… Miss Lu, your mother instructed—” Before he could finish, he met Lu Qingyan’s cold gaze.
He choked on his words. Only then did Lu Qingyan speak indifferently, “Director Xu, I’m taking Shaoyan home. As for the procedures afterward, I’ll have someone handle them.”
She emphasized the word “procedures.” Everyone present understood that Lu Shaoyan wasn’t actually insane.
Which meant the psychiatric evaluation report used to admit him had to be questionable.
Xu Yi faltered, unable to say anything. The Lu family wanted to send someone in—one of their own, no less. What could he possibly do?
As for the gifts he had accepted… those were only what he deserved.
Lu Shaoyan didn’t make any threats. As he left Xu Yi’s office, he merely smiled and said, “Thank you for taking care of me during this time, Director Xu. Oh, right, it seems there’s a small problem in the electroshock therapy room. You might want to take a look.”
Before Xu Yi could react, Lu Shaoyan had already left with Lu Qingyan.
Right now, Lu Shaoyan didn’t care about anyone else. He would start with Lu Yunhai.
Sitting across from Lu Qingyan in the back seat, he felt the spacious and comfortable seating and couldn’t help but sigh inwardly—having money really was nice.
Lu Qingyan, however, kept observing her “younger brother.” Three months apart, he seemed to have changed a lot.
She could understand the changes in his appearance, but the way he now sat with his legs crossed felt unfamiliar.
The old Lu Shaoyan would never have carried himself so casually.
At that moment, Lu Shaoyan’s gaze swept over her without any restraint. This elder sister of his truly carried a cold, distant aura.
Staring at someone like that isn’t very polite.
Lu Qingyan froze briefly, then frowned slightly, “You’ve changed a lot. Before… you wouldn’t have spoken to me like this.”
Lu Shaoyan replied calmly, “Should I be kneeling while talking to you? Trust me, stay in there for three months, and you’ll change too.”
While she was still stunned, he added, “Is there anything to eat?”
Seeing her puzzled look, he smiled faintly, “I’m a bit hungry. Haven’t eaten all day.”
Lu Qingyan’s features were cold and sharp, her eyes long and narrow. Yet whenever she was caught off guard, her eyes would widen slightly, giving her a somewhat blank but contrasting charm.
A trace of displeasure appeared on her face again. She hadn’t expected his situation inside to be like this. “They didn’t give you food?”
As she spoke, she took out a few candies from her bag, “Eat these first.”
Lu Shaoyan accepted them and popped one into his mouth. The sweetness spread through him before he said, “Thanks.”
No wonder sugar was considered a strategic resource.
After swallowing one, he felt a bit of strength return.
That little bit of strength was enough for what he planned to do.
Watching him eat with obvious enjoyment, Lu Qingyan’s expression softened slightly. It was clear he had suffered quite a bit in the hospital.
His cheeks had grown thinner, but his face had also gained sharper definition—something he hadn’t had before.
That stirred a complicated mix of irritation and something else in her.
Especially his pale complexion, which ignited a strange anger in her chest.
“You used to always sneak these into my pockets when we were little. That’s how I got into the habit.”
Lu Shaoyan paused for a moment, then remembered—Lu Qingyan had always had low blood sugar.
Back then, although she wasn’t close to him, he had still cared about his “sister.”
Always trying to please someone cold toward him… how pathetic.
He smiled faintly but said nothing.
Silence lingered between them for a while before Lu Qingyan finally spoke, “Did you do it on purpose?”
He understood what she meant—whether he had deliberately pushed Lu Yunhai down the stairs.
He almost wished he had.
But unfortunately, he hadn’t.
That fool had still dreamed of a harmonious family even after Lu Yunhai appeared. But while he had no intention of harming others, others certainly intended to harm him.
Struggles for inheritance were always like this. Even if he was a fake, he had still been raised by Lu Linyuan for over a decade.
“If I say I didn’t, would you believe me?”
Lu Qingyan hadn’t expected him to respond with a question. This time, he really had changed.
Before, he had always been sensible, gentle… even timid.
“I’m the one asking you.”
“And I have to answer just because you asked?”
His unhurried reply made her eyes widen slightly, a mix of annoyance and surprise flashing across her face.
He continued with a faint smile, “I stayed in there for three months, and you’re only asking me now. You already have your answer, don’t you? Or maybe the answer doesn’t matter to you.”
“Does it matter whether I pushed him? Everyone already thinks I did.”
“Prejudice in people’s hearts is like a mountain. You can’t move it.”
“So just assume I did.”
After saying that lightly, he reached into the car’s mini-fridge, took out a bottle of water, and drank.
His words made Lu Qingyan’s expression sink.
She had wanted to explain. It was only half a month ago that she learned from Lu Xiyue about what had happened at home.
At the time, she had wanted to return immediately, but her project had reached a critical stage. And… she had her own complicated thoughts.
Ever since she learned that Lu Shaoyan wasn’t her biological brother, her feelings had become tangled in ways she couldn’t explain to anyone.
Still, the moment she got off the plane today, she came straight to Qingshan.
Looking at his calm expression, she felt a faint trace of mockery—or perhaps self-deprecation—in his words.
It felt unfamiliar.
After watching him for a while, she said, “He is… my brother.”
No matter what, that man who had entered their home was her real brother.
Lu Shaoyan replied lightly, “I used to be your brother too.”
That sentence left her speechless.
By the time the car was about to enter the Lu residence, Lu Qingyan finally said, “This matter is over. You’ve already been punished. The whole thing caused quite a stir in Shen City, and people have laughed at us enough.”
“I don’t know what Father is thinking. Xiyue told me his health hasn’t been good these past two months.”
“Don’t make him angry. When we get home, admit your mistake. Just say… say it was an accident. I’ll help you…”
Lu Shaoyan asked calmly, “Will Liu Yun agree?”
Hearing him address Liu Yun by name made Lu Qingyan’s expression turn cold. It felt strange to her.
After all, he had once been the most filial toward Liu Yun.
“The Lu family isn’t entirely under her control.”
Hearing her indifferent reply, Lu Shaoyan suddenly grinned.
That pathetic original host had always treated everyone like family.
But the truth was obvious in the smallest details—there was only one father in the Lu family, but more than one “mother.”
The Lu family had three daughters and one son.
Lu Qingyan and Lu Xiyue weren’t Liu Yun’s children.
Only he and Lu Keran had shared the same mother.
That was… before.
When Lu Qingyan brought Lu Shaoyan back, it was like tossing a stone into a calm lake—ripples spread instantly.
The return of the “young master” who had been gone for three months surprised many.
Lu Qingyan instructed the butler, Zhou Ting, to inform the family, then had someone prepare food for Lu Shaoyan.
As he watched the old butler leave with a gentle smile, Lu Shaoyan’s eyes flickered.
They sat in the lavish hall while servants secretly observed them.
Three months hadn’t been enough for the scandal of the real and fake young masters to fade.
The Lu family strictly forbade gossip, but with Lu Yunhai around every day, the servants couldn’t help comparing the two young masters.
Although Lu Shaoyan had always been polite to the servants, he still couldn’t match Lu Yunhai’s attentive and “well-behaved” demeanor.
Many quietly agreed that Lu Yunhai carried himself more like a true young master.
When a wall falls, everyone pushes it. Human nature.
Moreover, after Lu Yunhai returned, the butler had said that the lady was very pleased—everyone’s salary had increased by half.
That was a tangible benefit.
Naturally, everyone began to regard Lu Yunhai as the real young master.
For ordinary people, money was the only thing that truly mattered. No amount of kindness could compare to actual cash.
Lu Qingyan dismissed the servants and frowned as she watched Lu Shaoyan eat leisurely.
He ignored all the gazes directed at him, even casually asking for a steak.
Now, he was eating it with evident enjoyment, knife and fork moving steadily.
“Steak isn’t good for you right now. You should eat something easier to digest.”
“I haven’t eaten meat in a long time. I was craving it.”
As he spoke, he idly twirled the knife in his hand.
Lu Qingyan found his movements somewhat careless, even frivolous, but she didn’t comment further. Instead, she said, “Xiyue told me you sneaked into her bedroom while she was showering. She’s very angry about it.”
Lu Shaoyan swallowed a piece of steak before replying calmly, “She’s angry? I’m angry too.”
His tone made Lu Qingyan’s expression shift slightly. There seemed to be a trace of mockery in his words, though she couldn’t quite grasp it.
He was angry?
In the past, his relationship with Lu Xiyue had been closer than hers with him.
They were closer in age and even attended the same school.
“Things are different now. You’re not related by blood. You should be more mindful—especially in how you speak. And Xiyue has always disliked people entering her room. You knew that, yet you still barged in…”
Lu Shaoyan understood that logic.
Unfortunately, the original host hadn’t.
He had still believed himself to be a member of the Lu family. Her younger brother.
Leaning back slightly, he said, “Lu Yunhai told me Xiyue was looking for me. That’s why I went.”
Lu Qingyan frowned, clearly displeased with his attitude, “I wasn’t home, but Xiyue said that when you claimed Lu Yunhai told you, he was with Butler Zhou the entire time. The butler can testify to that.”
“He didn’t have the chance to deceive you.”
“Do you… have some improper thoughts about Xiyue?”
This was one of the accusations Lu Yunhai had pinned on him.
That after learning he wasn’t a true member of the Lu family, he developed inappropriate feelings toward Lu Xiyue.
It was despicable… yet somehow plausible, given her beauty.
Because of this, Lu Xiyue had completely distanced herself from him.
Even Lu Linyuan had reprimanded him over it.
“Xiyue is very disappointed in you.”
Lu Shaoyan suddenly laughed, “We grew up together. Even if I hit puberty, I wouldn’t be attracted to you.”
“That would be incest. Even novels wouldn’t allow that.”
“I’m not that twisted.”
He didn’t notice the subtle change in Lu Qingyan’s expression as he spoke.
She snorted coldly, “Even if you didn’t have those thoughts, why accuse Lu Yunhai?”
“And what do you mean ‘incest’? You and her… you and us aren’t even related by blood.”