Before Lu Linyuan could even open his mouth, Lu Shaoyan had already spoken, “It was just a fall. How could someone die so easily? You’re not made of paper.”
Those two cold, indifferent sentences instantly changed everyone’s expressions.
In the exchanged glance between Lu Yunhai and Lu Shaoyan, however, there was a hint of delight. This guy is acting foolish again. It seemed that the treatment at Qingshan Psychiatric Hospital had only made Lu Shaoyan even more stupid.
In this household, as long as Lu Yunhai existed, there should never have been a place for Lu Shaoyan. Yet now, he suddenly felt that since he existed in this world, then Lu Shaoyan simply shouldn’t.
Zhou Ting had always wanted Lu Shaoyan to die in the psychiatric hospital to eliminate any future trouble. He knew this because Lu Linyuan had once told him that he intended to give Lu Shaoyan something—consider it a way to complete over ten years of “father-son affection.”
But in Lu Yunhai’s eyes, not even the smallest fraction should go to Lu Shaoyan. Everything in the Lu family should belong to him.
Perhaps sending Lu Shaoyan back this time… he should never be allowed to come out again.
Liu Yun’s eyes widened as she began to curse, “What kind of beast are you, saying such things?!”
At that moment, Lu Qingyan also spoke in a low voice, “Shaoyan!”
Saying such provocative words now would only anger everyone, including Lu Linyuan. There was no benefit at all.
Lu Shaoyan, however, remained completely unconcerned. He looked at Lu Yunhai calmly and said, “A fall won’t kill you. This… will.”
As his words fell, the dining knife at his wrist slipped into his palm. Then, in a moment when no one could react, he drove it straight into Lu Yunhai’s throat.
The movement was clean and decisive. There was even a faint, indifferent smile on his face.
Lu Yunhai’s eyes bulged wide, filled with disbelief. His hands clutched at his throat as if he wanted to speak, but only a few bubbles of blood emerged. Then his body staggered backward and collapsed.
Just yesterday, he had been imagining his future. Yet today, he was about to die.
And he was dying at the hands of Lu Shaoyan—the very person he had always mocked in his heart.
He couldn’t accept it.
Liu Yun screamed and rushed forward to support Lu Yunhai, only to be dragged down with him as he fell. Her voice turned shrill with grief as she cried, “Yunhai… what have you done, you bastard! Yunhai…”
The others stood frozen, staring blankly at the scene. No one had expected Lu Shaoyan to suddenly stab Lu Yunhai in the neck.
Lu Keran was the first to react. She stared in shock at Lu Yunhai’s collapsing body, her feet instinctively stepping back in fear. After all, not everyone had the chance to witness the scene of a murder firsthand.
Yet after that initial shock, her gaze shifted to Lu Shaoyan. A strange light flickered in her eyes.
At this moment, Lu Shaoyan felt completely unfamiliar to her—frightening, even. And yet, he reminded her of those male protagonists she had seen in anime.
Aside from Liu Yun, the other person who rushed toward Lu Yunhai was Zhou Ting. His face was filled with shock and worry as he shouted, “Yunhai!!!”
Lu Linyuan remained seated in his wheelchair. Though his body didn’t move, his hand gripped the armrest tightly, his face filled with shock and fury. At that moment, the servants, having heard the commotion in the hall, rushed in with his silent approval.
When they saw the scene, they froze in place.
Gradually, they formed a loose circle around Lu Shaoyan.
After all, he was still holding the blood-stained dining knife, standing there quietly. His expression was eerily calm, and there was even a faint smile on his face as he looked down at Lu Yunhai’s corpse.
His gaze, lofty and detached, met Lu Yunhai’s unclosed eyes. It was almost as if he were admiring his own work.
If not for the knife still in his hand, still dripping with blood, no one would have believed that the person before them—the former young master of the Lu family—had done this.
Had he gone mad?
Only after the servants had gathered did Lu Linyuan roar, “Stop crying! How is Yunhai?”
Liu Yun simply clutched Lu Yunhai’s head, crying uncontrollably. Zhou Ting, his eyes nearly splitting with rage, said, “Sir, Yunhai… Young Master Yunhai is dead.”
Then he turned to the surrounding servants and shouted, “You bastard! Grab him! I’m going to kill him!”
With Zhou Ting’s command, the servants hesitated for a moment, wary of the knife in Lu Shaoyan’s hand, yet they still began to stir.
At that moment, Lu Qingyan suddenly snapped out of her daze. She had been stunned by the earlier scene, but seeing people about to rush forward to capture Lu Shaoyan, she clenched her teeth and ran over. Standing before Lu Linyuan, her voice trembled with sorrow as she said, “Dad, Shaoyan… Shaoyan is… insane. I shouldn’t have brought him back from Qingshan Psychiatric Hospital… It’s all my fault…”
The rest of her words caught in her throat.
She simply couldn’t understand how Lu Shaoyan could suddenly act like this—and with such calmness.
A thought flashed through her mind. No wonder he insisted on eating steak… he had already planned this.
He had wanted to kill Lu Yunhai all along?!
Lu Linyuan clearly hadn’t recovered from the sudden loss of his son—especially when it was his adopted son of over ten years who had killed his biological son.
He shot his daughter a furious glance, and Zhou Ting, whose eyes were bloodshot, also glared at Lu Qingyan.
“Shut up,” Lu Linyuan snapped. Then he fixed his gaze on Lu Shaoyan and said, “I treated you well enough. Why did you do this?”
Anger rarely appeared so clearly on his face.
Lu Shaoyan could understand that. What surprised him more was that at a moment like this, Lu Qingyan was still standing in front of him.
Hearing Lu Linyuan’s question, Lu Shaoyan even smiled faintly and muttered, “Humans are so fragile… they die just like that.”
Then he looked at Lu Linyuan seriously and said, “I told you. I’m repaying a favor.”
“After all, the Lu family raised me for over ten years. I’ve called you father for over ten years—no, more than twenty years. It’s only right that I give something in return.”
“This is how you repay me?” Lu Linyuan said through gritted teeth. At this moment, he felt like he didn’t recognize the son he had raised for over twenty years at all.
Had he truly gone mad?
Once, he had disliked Lu Shaoyan’s cowardice. Yet now, seeing that faint smile on his face, Lu Linyuan felt a strange sense of confusion.
Back then, he had even thought that although Lu Shaoyan wasn’t his biological son, he could still leave him with a lifetime of wealth and comfort.
In the end, it was his own softness that had allowed this disaster to remain.
I really have grown old.
Liu Yun was completely consumed by grief. She couldn’t hear a single word Lu Shaoyan was saying. All she knew was that Lu Shaoyan was still standing there alive, while her own son was already dead.
Her mind seemed to break as she screamed, “Zhou Ting, Yun’er is dead! Kill him! Kill this bastard! What are you waiting for? Avenge Yun’er!”
At that moment, Lu Shaoyan noticed that amid his fury, Lu Linyuan seemed to glance at Liu Yun.
Heh… this cheap father of his had also noticed something off in Liu Yun’s words.
After all, from the moment Lu Shaoyan made his move, even though Lu Linyuan was furious, he had waited until the servants entered before giving any orders.
If Lu Shaoyan were truly insane, the old and weak people in this room might not have been able to restrain him.
So despite his rage, Lu Linyuan still retained a trace of rationality.
And as long as he still had rationality… that was good.