In the original plot, Lu Baichen had been consciously avoiding Lu Jiaoyue during the initial period after her return.
Lu Jiaoyue and Lu Baichen were twins. Though they shared nearly identical faces, their personalities were polar opposites.
Unlike Lu Baichen's awkwardness in social interactions, Lu Jiaoyue was sweet-tongued, knew her boundaries, and possessed high emotional intelligence, effortlessly winning the affection of those around her.
Every time he saw that face—so like his own—making all sorts of vivid expressions he could never manage, Lu Baichen would feel a subtle sense of inferiority growing within him.
Compared to Lu Jiaoyue, his own abnormality seemed even more peculiar.
Sometimes he would secretly cast appraising glances at Lu Jiaoyue, his eyes faintly revealing envy, before quickly looking away before she noticed.
This version of his sister was probably what their father and mother had hoped he would become, wasn't it?
Lu Baichen often found himself thinking this while quietly observing Lu Jiaoyue.
Why was it that, despite being born around the same time, only he had grown into such a strange child?
The all-white room turned completely dark after he turned off the lights and drew the curtains. Sitting on the edge of his bed, Lu Baichen's thoughts drifted further and further away.
A liquid sensation touched his hand. Lu Baichen slowly snapped back to reality, only to realize he had unconsciously cut his arm open. Blood was steadily seeping from the wound.
He blinked slowly, feeling no pain at all, but still instinctively released the fountain pen he was holding.
The arm Lu Baichen had injured was the same one he had used to push Lu Jiaoyue earlier that day. He hadn't meant to shove his sister—he'd regretted it the moment he did it. This cut was his self-imposed punishment for making a mistake.
He had wanted to cut deeper, but stopped midway when he suddenly remembered his psychologist's emphatic warning: he must never harm himself under any circumstances.
Yet he had lost control. He had made another mistake.
As his hand went limp, the pen fell onto the carpet without making a sound.
Pressing his lips together, his face expressionless, Lu Baichen opened the bedside drawer and took out the medicine, gauze, and bandages he kept there, skillfully tending to his wound.
After finishing the bandaging, he looked at the other scars covering his arm. The scars varied in depth, some fresh and some old, numerous and exceptionally ugly.
Unfortunately, unlike a canvas, marks left on the human body couldn't be easily erased.
Scars were scars—some might fade with time, but most remained permanent. They stayed there, each glance reminding their owner of the emotions he had felt when they were made.
After staring at them for a while, Lu Baichen suddenly felt dejected.
Wordlessly, he pulled his sleeve down to cover his entire arm, deceiving himself into not looking at it.
Thinking about the potential reprimand during his next therapy session, he felt somewhat numb and decided to stop dwelling on it.
He lay back, resting the back of his hand over his closed eyes, and let his mind go blank.
So, could he really become "normal" one day?
Lu Baichen asked himself this question internally but couldn't find an answer.
The next day, Lu Xiaoxiao woke up quite early. Yawning as she came downstairs, she saw Lu Xunli already eating breakfast.
Elder brother had always maintained a healthy routine, so it wasn't strange at all for him to be the first downstairs.
Lu Xiaoxiao sat down at the dining table, nibbling on a piece of bread while sipping milk, eating with great relish.
Halfway through her bread, she saw Song Zhilan coming downstairs with a displeased expression. Song Zhilan sat down with a cold face, not saying a word to Lu Yuan who followed behind her.
Lu Yuan, with a grim expression, clearly had no intention of eating breakfast at home. He hurried past the dining table and went straight out the door.
Hearing the sound of the front door closing, Lu Xiaoxiao paused her eating and looked blankly at Song Zhilan, somewhat confused about the situation.
[Weren't they fine last night? How did things go back to square after just one night's sleep?]
[What's going on, Mom? Are you not getting along again? Dad is so Love-Obsessed, if it comes to it, just give in to him a little.]
Hearing her daughter's thoughts, Song Zhilan's expression softened slightly, but she was still quite upset.
Last night, after secretly reading Lu Yuan's book, she had gained some new perspective on her husband and had taken the initiative to show goodwill, hoping to improve their relationship.
After so many years together, Song Zhilan understood Lu Yuan's temperament well. While he handled business matters with ease, he truly wasn't someone who knew how to express emotions at home. Sometimes when he wanted to show concern for the children, he had to convey it through her.
Having confirmed his feelings, and worried that bringing it up might hurt Lu Yuan's pride, Song Zhilan decided not to mention what she had seen, pretending to know nothing about it.
She had given him the opportunity, and was even lying in his arms, when Lu Yuan suddenly came out with this statement:
"Zhilan, if this is about your nephew's company… you don't need to go this far. I was never going to ignore your family's situation, nor would I hold onto past grudges forever."
Hearing such an ill-timed remark, Song Zhilan was immediately stunned.
Back when the Lu Family and Song family arranged their marriage, the Lu Family was somewhat marrying up. But Song Zhilan was one of the less prominent daughters in the Song family, and since the Lu Family happened to possess some key technology useful to the Songs, they took the opportunity to have Song Zhilan marry into the Lu Family.
To the Song family, Song Zhilan's marriage into the Lu Family at that time had fulfilled her value – it was already a good return on investment.
Not long after Lu Yuan took over Lu Corporation, the company fell victim to sabotage by competitors, leading to a broken capital chain and a critical situation.
Song Zhilan then sought help from her maternal family behind Lu Yuan's back, but was firmly rejected.
The head of the Song family was Song Zhilan's uncle Song Zhulin, a shrewd man who prioritized profit. He was unwilling to take risks to fill Lu Corporation's financial hole, and even urged Song Zhilan to consider divorce soon, saying that while she was still young she could remarry. If she didn't listen to his advice, he would leave her to fend for herself.
Although Song Zhilan didn't have deep feelings for Lu Yuan at that time, she greatly admired his capabilities and character. She didn't want to make things worse when he was at his lowest point. Plus, she was pregnant with Lu Xunli, so she firmly rejected Song Zhulin's suggestion and decided to stand by Lu Yuan through thick and thin.
Later, when Lu Yuan asked if she could seek help from the Song family, Song Zhilan – who had already been rejected – found herself in a difficult position. Not wanting Lu Yuan to become disillusioned with the Song family, she could only tactfully steer the conversation elsewhere.
Lu Yuan never brought up the matter with her again. Somehow, within just one month, he managed to secure other investments and stabilized Lu Corporation's situation. After that, the company flourished even more, surpassing the Song family in scale within a few years.
Now, the Song family began trying to improve relations with them again.
However, having witnessed the Song family's cold indifference before, Lu Yuan remained unresponsive to their intensified overtures.
Song Zhilan had never told Lu Yuan about how she had swallowed her pride and begged her uncle for financial support. When Lu Yuan uttered those words tonight, she realized he still held a grudge against her.
Feeling wronged that her simple desire to grow closer was misinterpreted as having ulterior motives, Song Zhilan immediately broke free from Lu Yuan's embrace and turned her back to him to sleep.
The previously harmonious atmosphere abruptly turned stiff, leading to this morning's scene.