Lu Qingyan’s words afterward didn’t catch Lu Shaoyan’s attention. Instead, he said with faint amusement, “Framing him? Just because Zhou Ting testified for him? So whatever he says must be true?”
“Zhou Ting has been with Father for over thirty years. He’s watched you grow up since you were a child. Why would he help Yunhai frame you?”
“Yeah… why indeed?”
After saying that with interest, Lu Shaoyan didn’t continue. He simply focused on eating his steak. The taste was excellent—both the ingredients and the cooking were top-notch.
Lu Qingyan glanced at him, then fell into thought, her brows slightly furrowed.
Zhou Ting did treat Lu Yunhai very well.
Before long, a pair of light footsteps approached, and Lu Keran burst into the room.
Her long, slender legs were bare, her shorts barely covering the upper thighs. Her slim waist was exposed beneath a cropped T-shirt.
Her figure was still budding, but her lithe frame carried a vibrant youthful energy.
A touch of makeup adorned her delicate face, adding a hint of allure that didn’t quite belong to her age.
She even wore gray contact lenses, making her already bright eyes appear even more striking.
But the faint sneer at the corner of her lips and the expression on her face made her seem difficult to approach.
That beautiful face carried an almost equal-opportunity disdain for everyone.
She was a rebellious girl in her prime, elevated by her family background and fully indulging in it.
Lu Qingyan glanced at her and said with displeasure, “You just started university. What kind of outfit is that?”
Lu Keran didn’t even look at her, curling her lips, “Don’t talk to me like you’re the eldest sister.”
Lu Qingyan choked on her words. She had never bothered much with Lu Keran—it had always been like this.
But this outfit still made her speak up.
The girl had always been rebellious, but at least she hadn’t dressed like this before.
In Lu Qingyan’s eyes, it was embarrassing to the Lu family.
She looked like one of those questionable girls.
After snapping at Lu Qingyan, Lu Keran turned her gaze downward toward Lu Shaoyan, who was sitting there eating steak.
Seeing him ignore her, she bent down and swept the plate off the table, sending it crashing to the floor. “Still eating?”
The clatter of utensils hitting the ground made Lu Qingyan frown.
Lu Keran stared at him as he raised his head. She froze for a split second, then her eyes darkened with hostility as she sneered, “Why are you still in my house?”
“You fake!”
“Because of you, I’ve become a laughingstock. Hmph, didn’t you like to control me? What right does a fake like you have to tell me what to do?!”
“Get out of my house!”
“Get out right now!”
Lu Shaoyan didn’t understand why Lu Keran hated him so much.
Before Lu Yunhai returned, they had actually been the closest.
Spoiled and willful, Lu Keran had never listened to anyone—not even Liu Yun.
She had been a pampered little princess.
And yet, he had been the only one who could restrain her a little.
Even if she threw tantrums, she still listened to him in the end.
The elder brother was like a father.
He had always liked managing this younger sister.
But after Lu Yunhai returned, the one who treated him the worst was also Lu Keran.
Cold words hurt the most—especially when they came from family.
But the current Lu Shaoyan didn’t care at all.
Family? They weren’t even related by blood.
Looking at her baring her teeth, he smiled faintly, “You’re exposed.”
Lu Keran froze, then realized that her bent posture had caused her neckline to hang open, revealing far more than intended.
Her face flushed with anger. What angered her even more was the expression on Lu Shaoyan’s face.
A mocking smile… even a trace of ridicule.
It only fueled her fury.
He wasn’t even her real brother, yet he had controlled her for so many years!
At first, her friends had secretly asked about it. Later, they openly mocked her, saying that the dignified young lady of the Lu family had been disciplined by a nobody for over a decade.
That infuriated her.
What right did Lu Shaoyan have?
She wanted to take it all back.
With that thought, along with the embarrassment from just now—and the memory that he had even snuck into Lu Xiyue’s bedroom—Lu Keran gritted her teeth, “You pervert!”
“Dressing like that? You’re showing 80% for free. You’re a young lady of the Lu family, not some livestream model selling your body, and you’re calling me a pervert?”
In Lu Shaoyan’s eyes, Lu Keran overlapped heavily with those rebellious street girls.
The only difference was that she was far more beautiful… and far richer.
Try to reason with someone like that, and they’d just call you an idiot and flip you off.
Hearing his words, Lu Keran’s face flushed red instantly. She raised her hand.
“You bastard!”
The raised slap even made Lu Qingyan freeze.
But before she could intervene, a sharp smack echoed through the room.
Lu Qingyan’s eyes widened in shock.
Lu Keran clutched her face in disbelief, staring at Lu Shaoyan, who had just struck her.
“You… you dared to hit me?!”
Lu Shaoyan shook off her hand, then picked up a napkin from the table and wiped the back of his hand.
“So what if I hit you? Do I need to pick a date for it?”
“Wearing so much powder.” He muttered, then tossed the napkin aside as if disgusted.
In truth, Lu Keran hadn’t worn any powder—only lipstick.
Her skin was flawless, almost delicate enough to break at a touch.
And yet, that single slap had left a clear handprint on her tender face.
The slap clearly pushed her over the edge. She lunged at him with both hands, trying to scratch him. “You fake actually dare hit me! I’ll kill you!”
But her response was met with another backhanded slap, along with his calm voice, “I spoiled you too much before.”
“Time you learned what respecting elders means.”
“There’s a reason people say strict discipline raises obedient children.”
Lu Keran held her cheek, her eyes filled with hatred and disbelief. But she didn’t dare strike again—the slap had hurt too much.
“You’re not my brother! You’re not part of the Lu family!”
Lu Shaoyan stood up and said lightly, “Whether I am or not isn’t for you to decide. As for whether you are… that’s not so certain either.”
She didn’t understand the final sentence he murmured.
After speaking, Lu Shaoyan looked toward the four people who had just entered and smiled faintly.
The main characters had arrived.
Zhou Ting pushed the old master of the Lu family, Lu Linyuan, into the hall.
Beside him stood a richly dressed woman adorned with jewelry—his former “mother,” Liu Yun.
And next to them stood a young man—Lu Yunhai.
The three had clearly gone out together and had just returned.
Lu Linyuan’s expression darkened slightly as he glanced at the mess in the hall.
His gaze passed over Lu Shaoyan and Lu Keran, his brows knitting briefly before he looked at his eldest daughter, “When did you get back?”
“Today.”
“You should’ve said something earlier.”
Their conversation wasn’t cold, but there was no warmth either.
Only then did Lu Linyuan turn his attention to Lu Shaoyan.
This son of his had grown thinner… but his eyes were still sharp.
And under his gaze, Lu Shaoyan didn’t avoid eye contact.
As he pondered, Lu Yunhai had already noticed the red mark on Lu Keran’s face. Walking over, he asked with concern, “Keran, are you okay?”
“Who hit you?”
As he spoke, his gaze naturally shifted toward Lu Shaoyan.
Lu Keran glared fiercely at Lu Shaoyan, then slapped away Lu Yunhai’s hand, “None of your business.”
“You’re always nagging. Who are you to act like my brother in front of me? Who do you think you are? Get lost.”
Lu Shaoyan curled his lips slightly.
Lu Keran offended everyone equally.
She didn’t like him, the fake young master.
Naturally, she didn’t like Lu Yunhai, the so-called real young master either.
It wasn’t like the real young master would return and instantly receive everyone’s love and care.
That would be ridiculous.
At the very least, Lu Keran wasn’t like that.
She was simply ill-mannered and uncultured—not targeting Lu Shaoyan specifically.
At her age, she didn’t care about blood ties.
She disliked Lu Shaoyan, and she disliked this suddenly appearing “brother,” Lu Yunhai, even more.
From the side, Liu Yun spoke sharply, “Lu Keran! Is that how you talk to your brother? He’s concerned about you.”
Lu Keran only glared, but didn’t say anything further. Her flushed face, however, was full of resentment.
Lu Yunhai spoke gently, “It’s fine, Mom. Keran is still young. She’ll understand when she grows up.”
That remark earned him another cold glare from Lu Keran.
Who was he calling immature?
Children hated being called young and ignorant.
What right did Lu Yunhai have to say that about her?
He was nothing.
Not even as good as Lu Shaoyan.