Lu Shijian looked dazed for a moment, then said, “Hasn’t Big Brother already told you? I’ll call him over to explain it to you. He knows the details better.”
With that, Lu Shijian walked out of the room and shortly returned with Lu Shiyige.
After stepping inside, Lu Shiyige leaned against the edge of Lu Shiyin’s bed, gently stroked his head, and spoke in a low, solemn voice. “I keep forgetting to tell you this, but you were rushed to the hospital because you fainted from severe blood loss caused by the wounds on your wrists.”
“At the time, you were cornered and harassed by a group of people who used a sharp object to cut your wrists. You lost a massive amount of blood and were only saved because a passerby called an emergency ambulance.”
“Those people who harassed you were Jiang Shu’s fair-weather friends. Since Jiang Shu dislikes you, they acted recklessly and made things difficult for you just to win favor with him, completely convinced that you had no backing and wouldn’t dare fight back.”
Lu Shiyige paused for a moment before continuing, “You probably don’t remember Jiang Shu, which is for the best. He is absolute trash.”
“He’s ugly and loves to play with people’s feelings, always eating out of one bowl while eyeing the food in another. I heard you used to be head over heels for him, following him around everywhere. Now that you’ve forgotten him, it’s a blessing in disguise. Don’t ever go looking for him again.”
“There are so many men in the world, and you just had to fixate on trash. From now on, I’ll introduce you to some decent guys. There are plenty of good men for you to pick from, and if I ever catch you going near that scumbag again, I’ll have someone break his legs.”
Lu Shijian turned to look at Lu Shiyige, his lips moving slightly, but in the end, he said nothing.
“Me? I like men?”
At this moment, Lu Shiyin froze. The original owner liked men, specifically a scumbag, and had even ended up hospitalized because of him.
Then it all came back to him. The original book mentioned that when the original owner was young, his grades weren’t as good as his two older brothers, so a private tutor was hired. However, knowing that the original owner was usually home alone, the tutor began to gaslight and torture him, causing the original owner to become deeply insecure and introverted.
Later, after entering university, he was bullied due to his personality, and rumors spread that he was infatuated with Jiang Shu, leaving him unable to defend himself.
Those who admired Jiang Shu disliked the original owner and further fabricated rumors claiming he had numerous elderly and unsightly sugar daddies. Unable to withstand the crushing weight of the rumors, the original owner began to self-harm.
So his wrists hadn’t been slashed by those thugs after all; he had done it to himself.
Lu Shiyin looked down at his bandage-wrapped arms in bewilderment. Why had Lu Shiyige claimed those people had injured him? Was it to protect him, out of fear that he might hurt himself again?
Lu Shiyin swept his gaze around the room. The abnormalities he hadn’t noticed before now stood out starkly. There were no sharp objects in the room; the fruit was peeled by Assistant Mo in the living room and brought in on a plate, the windows were fitted with security grilles, there were no sharp corners anywhere, and even the bathroom door couldn’t be locked from the inside.
So that was it, Lu Shiyin thought to himself. However, it seemed Lu Shiyige still didn’t know that his younger brother no longer cared for Jiang Shu, otherwise he wouldn’t have spoken that way.
Knock, knock, knock. A sound echoed from the door. The three of them looked up to see Assistant Mo holding a blue folder, nodding to signal Lu Shiyige to step outside.
Lu Shiyige stood up and patted Lu Shijian’s shoulder. “Come outside with me for a moment.”
Lu Shijian rose and followed him out the door. Before stepping out, he turned back to Lu Shiyin and said, “Xiaoyin, get some rest. Second Brother will talk to Big Brother about something and be right back.”
“Okay.”
Outside the door.
“Boss, the rumors have been completely scrubbed clean, and everyone involved in spreading them has been issued a warning. We’ve also tracked down the person behind the smears.”
“The mastermind is Chen Qingning, someone from Jiang Shu’s circle. He paid people to spread those rumors on the campus confession wall, chat groups, and various social media platforms. The photos were shot by people he hired and then face-swapped. While the images are somewhat blurry, it’s precisely those ambiguous photos that made the public believe them.”
“Furthermore, Xiaoyin’s phone number and social media accounts were maliciously leaked under his instigation. Those ‘righteous netizens’ used that contact info to flood Xiaoyin with pictures, insults, and harassment. Ever since the incident with the private tutor, Xiaoyin has never fully recovered, and facing this on top of everything else, he simply couldn’t take it anymore.”
There was no need to finish the rest. Lu Shiyige’s eyes turned as cold as glacial ice, as if a violent storm were brewing. “Chen Qingning?”
“He is the son of Chen Nian from the G City Chen family. Our company has an upcoming project planned in partnership with them.”
“Cancel it. Release the news that our company will never cooperate with their family, and find a few troubles for them while you’re at it. If Chen Nian comes looking for answers, tell him to reflect on the wonderful deeds his precious son committed. As for his accomplices, deal with them accordingly. If they can’t manage a public apology on their own, they won’t need to finish their schooling.”
“Understood, Boss. There is one more thing. Young Master Xiaoyin never actually liked Jiang Shu. He has a suitor.”
“When that person’s advances were rejected, he grew furious and retaliated by spreading the rumor that Xiaoyin liked Jiang Shu. After it was repeated enough times, Jiang Shu and his friends took it seriously and began looking down on and humiliating Xiaoyin. Chen Qingning has an unrequited crush on Jiang Shu, so he orchestrated this whole mess just to make Jiang Shu detest Xiaoyin even more.”
“There’s another person involved in the rumors, right? Deal with them together.”
Having issued his instructions, Lu Shiyige turned to the silent Lu Shijian standing beside him. “Don’t let Xiaoyin know he attempted suicide just yet. I’m afraid he can’t handle the truth. Also, don’t leave him alone. Take him out for walks when you have time. I’m worried that cooping himself up in this room will only lead to trouble. I’ll spend time with him whenever I’m free.”
“Did he show any unusual behavior when he woke up?” Lu Shijian asked.
“I’m not sure if he was experiencing hallucinations before his suicide attempt, but when he woke up, he claimed not to recognize me and even thought he was an orphan. My guess is that he mistook those past hallucinations for reality and lost all his memories.”
Lu Shiyige fell silent for a moment after speaking. He didn’t want his younger brother treated like a psychiatric patient. Since those memories no longer weighed on him, it was better to let him live this way; it was still an improvement over his past state of mind.
“If he brings this up with you, just play along and agree with him so he realizes that staying by our side is the best choice. If he doesn’t mention it, just act like you only know he has amnesia.”
Lu Shijian nodded, his thoughts drifting back to the private tutor incident. “Does Xiaoyin know about that scumbag tutor?”
“No, I haven’t told him yet. I’ve also instructed the domestic staff that no one is allowed to mention it in his presence.”
“That is a ticking time bomb. After all, when it comes to what made Xiaoyin who he is today, that bastard is the primary culprit. Xiaoyin’s current physical condition cannot handle any further shocks. Until he is fully immune to the fallout of that event, we must keep this secret safe.”
In truth, Lu Shiyige had handled everything as best as he could, but he remained unaware that the current Lu Shiyin actually possessed all those memories yet remained entirely unaffected by them.
Listening quietly, Lu Shijian felt a wave of silence wash over him. If only he had been more sensitive back then and noticed Xiaoyin’s distress, he could have uncovered the reason for Xiaoyin’s silence and never let Liu Shenmiao psychologically torment him for so long.