Lu Chengwen, clutching his throbbing head, patted Xu Xuejiao's back with the back of his hand. "Hey, hey, get up. It's morning already."
Xu Xuejiao, her hair a tangled mess, groggily sat up, rubbing her sleepy eyes. "Huh? It's morning?"
Lu Chengwen stood, swaying as if his bones had turned to jelly, stumbling out of the room while muttering, "Hurry up and get dressed. I'll have Zhao Gang sneak you out the back door so my parents don't get a heart attack."
"Hey! That's how you treat me?"
"Didn't we agree? I get you drunk, and we're done. That's that."
Lu Chengwen staggered downstairs to the dining room, where his parents were already eating.
"Oh, you guys started without me?" He yawned, pulling out a chair and slumping into it. "Auntie Xia, get me a bowl of porridge, no rice. I'm feeling rough—need something light."
He glanced at Auntie Xia, who stood frozen, looking awkward and pointing subtly at Lu Guanghong.
Lu Chengwen turned to his father. "Dad, what's up now?"
Everyone stared at Lu Chengwen, who seemed oblivious to the fact that a woman's bra was still dangling around his neck.
Lu Guanghong eyed him coldly. "Who'd you bring home to drink last night?"
"Huh? Oh, uh… Chen Moqun."
"Really?"
"Yeah."
"Chen Moqun's got quite the cup size, huh?"
"What? He's a guy—why would cup size matter?" Lu Chengwen chuckled. "Let's eat, let's eat."
Just then, Xu Xuejiao walked in, head bowed like she'd committed some grave sin, her voice barely a whisper. "Good morning, Uncle. Good morning, Auntie."
Lu Chengwen spun around, exasperated. "Big sister, what are you doing? Didn't I tell you to slip out the back? You're making this so awkward for me!"
Lu Guanghong glared at him. "Is that how you talk to a person?"
Lu Chengwen forced a laugh. "Dad, we just got drunk. Nothing else happened—totally different from last time. Two separate things."
He wasn't guilty, so he didn't think much of it. He turned to Xu Xuejiao. "Hey, say something! If you don't, they'll misunderstand, and I'll get no breakfast and a beating to boot!"
Xu Xuejiao raised her head, her expression pitiful, her eyes brimming with tears. She looked at Lu Chengwen with a mix of fear, shyness, nervousness, and heart-wrenching vulnerability.
"It's… it's true what Brother Chengwen said. He didn't force me to drink, really. Please, Uncle, Auntie, don't be mad. It's all my fault, I… I'm the one who messed up…"
Lu Guanghong was livid. "Are you even human?"
Lu Chengwen was about to explode.
"Big sister! You were so bold last night—now you're putting on this act? What's the point? Playing the victim? With acting skills like that, you think you can pull a fast one on my family? Who are you trying to fool?"
He jabbed a finger at her forehead repeatedly. "My parents are sharp as hell—think they'll fall for your nonsense? I swear…"
Whack!
Lu Chengwen clutched his head. "Dad, why'd you hit me?"
Lu Guanghong, gripping a broom, rolled up his sleeves. "Hit you? I'm gonna beat you to death today!"
Lu Chengwen backed up. "Dad, you're hitting me without even knowing what happened?"
Lu Guanghong was fuming. "Do I need to know what happened to beat you? A daily thrashing wouldn't be unfair!"
Lu's mother chimed in, furious. "What's that around your neck?"
Lu Chengwen finally noticed, pulling the bra off and staring at it, dumbfounded.
"This isn't mine!"
Lu Guanghong roared, "No kidding! If it was, your mom and I would jump off a building!"
Lu Chengwen turned to Xu Xuejiao, narrowing his eyes. "You! You set me up!"
Xu Xuejiao looked like a terrified little girl. Petite already, she shrank further, head down, trembling as she glanced at Lu Chengwen. "Brother Chengwen, you… don't be like that. You were the one who insisted on… on checking my body… I… I was afraid you'd be upset, so I agreed…"
Lu Chengwen's eyes widened. "You little brat, you're playing me, aren't you?"
He lunged forward, grabbing her collar. "Last night, after drinking, you passed out on the bed. I slept on the couch! So what's with this bra? Explain yourself!"
Xu Xuejiao "panicked," hugging her head and sobbing. "I'm sorry, Brother Chengwen, it's my fault. Please don't be mad, I was wrong, I'm scared…"
Lu Guanghong completely lost it.
He swung the broom, smacking Lu Chengwen's head, then grabbed him and started whaling on him.
Lu Chengwen shielded his head, not daring to fight back, shouting, "Dad! Dad! Don't believe her—she's acting! She's tricking you! You're too smart for this… Dad, that hurts! Mom, say something!"
Through the gap in his arms, he saw his mother comforting Xu Xuejiao, who was crying with Oscar-worthy conviction.
Lu's mother pointed at him. "Old Lu, beat him to death! If he dies, we'll just pretend we never had a son!"
Lu Chengwen and his father went at it. Knowing his dad's health was frail from past surgeries, Lu Chengwen didn't dare fight back and just took the beating.
Suddenly, Xu Xuejiao rushed over, grabbing Lu Guanghong's hands to shield Lu Chengwen, tears streaming down her face. "Uncle! If you're going to hit someone, hit me!"
Lu Guanghong froze, looking at the pitiful girl, his heart aching. He turned to Lu Chengwen, looking like he wanted to skin him alive.
Lu Chengwen stared at Xu Xuejiao, giving her a sarcastic thumbs-up. "Big sister, you're something else!"
Lu Guanghong bellowed, "You beast! Kneel! Get on your knees!"
Lu Chengwen felt utterly wronged. "Fine, the whole family's playing along with her. But Dad, your health's not great—don't get too mad. Once you know the full story, you'll feel guilty for this."
"I told you to kneel, not talk!"
As Lu Guanghong raised the broom again, Xu Xuejiao dropped to her knees before him, sobbing, "Daddy! Please don't hit Brother Chengwen, I'm begging you!"
Lu Chengwen, kneeling too, echoed, "Daddy!?"
Lu Guanghong muttered, "Dad… Daddy?"
Lu's mother covered her mouth. "She's… already calling you that?"
Xu Xuejiao, tears streaming like a tragic heroine, said, "It's my fault… I'm the one who's no good. Brother Chengwen didn't do anything wrong. I'm the shameless one who seduced him. It's not his fault… I'm sorry for upsetting you. I… I'll leave!"
She made a show of leaving, but would Lu Guanghong and his wife let her go?
The couple blocked her, comforting her in a flurry.
"Child, don't say that. This is that beast's doing, not yours. Don't worry, Uncle and Auntie will stand up for you."
"Exactly. Our Chengwen's always been a mess in this department—we know that. Rest assured, Auntie will discipline him and make sure he takes responsibility."
"Then… please don't hit him, okay? I… I still like Brother Chengwen. I'd rather you hit me than see him suffer."
Lu Guanghong sighed, shaking his head at Lu Chengwen. "Look at this, Lu Chengwen! Just look! Keep causing trouble, and you'll drive your mother and me to an early grave!"
Lu Chengwen saw Xu Xuejiao sneakily flash an "OK" gesture from under her armpit, and he nearly had a heart attack.
This woman is the devil.
The family sat down to eat. Lu's parents kept piling food onto Xu Xuejiao's plate.
She played the part of a sweet, shy girl to perfection, blushing and charming.
"Xuejiao, when did you two get together?"
Xu Xuejiao lowered her head. "A… a long time ago. Back when Brother Chengwen was still chasing Sister Qingqiu…"
Lu Guanghong looked at Lu Chengwen, nodding. "Impressive. Chasing Qingqiu on one hand, and on the other…"
Lu Chengwen, still kneeling, shook his head.
[Heaven help me, Long Aotian hasn't even touched me, and I'm already dying at Xu Xuejiao's hands? She's the real villain, isn't she?]
[Keep acting! I don't believe you can keep this up without slipping!]
Lu's mother sighed. "Good girl, knowing he's like this, why… why would someone as wonderful as you follow him?"
Xu Xuejiao said, "Actually, Brother Chengwen is a really good person. He'd do anything for his friends and is so filial to Uncle and Auntie. You might not see it, but when we're together, he talks about you all the time."
"What? This kid?"
"Yes." Xu Xuejiao continued, "He always says how hard Uncle Lu worked to build everything from scratch, wearing himself out for the smallest deals, ruining his health. He's told me to develop supplements and medicines to help Uncle recover faster."
Lu Guanghong snorted. "If he didn't stress me out, that'd be medicine enough!"
Xu Xuejiao went on, "Brother Lu also says he wants to revive the Dasheng Group, make lots of money, and make Uncle and Auntie proud. But Uncle's so successful, he feels he can never catch up, so he often thinks he's useless."
Lu Guanghong shifted uncomfortably, glancing at Lu Chengwen, feigning displeasure. "What's the rush? Life's not just about business. If you can be an honest man, your mom and I are happy enough."
Xu Xuejiao added, "And he said he was only chasing Leng Qingqiu out of spite. He told me he'd marry me."
At this, she smiled, tears falling, her voice catching. "But I know he's lying. He thinks I'm just a fool. But what girl in love isn't a fool? So even knowing he's deceiving me, I'm okay with it. I just hope…"
She struggled to control her emotions. "…I just hope he'll keep fooling me a bit longer, not shatter my dreams of love too soon."
Lu's mother covered her mouth, fled to the kitchen, and burst into tears.
Lu Chengwen was done.
Completely done.
This woman's a demon, isn't she?
How does she do this!?
Lu Guanghong let out a long breath. "What a disgrace, what a disgrace! Chengwen, when will you grow up? Huh?"
"Dad… I've got nothing left to say."
"Of course you don't! Xuejiao, don't worry. The Leng family already called yesterday to cancel the engagement. I, Lu Guanghong, promise you: your marriage to this punk is my decision! Unless you or your parents object, I'll tie him up if I have to and make him marry you!"
Lu Chengwen shot to his feet. "Dad, don't we need to talk this over?"
"Talk? It's settled! Chengwen, you're not getting any younger. Can you give your parents a break? Xuejiao's such a good girl, devoted to you, loving you this much—what more do you want?"
Xu Xuejiao dropped to her knees, bowing. "Thank you, Daddy! You're so good to Xuejiao!"
Lu Guanghong, thrilled at being called "Daddy," beamed. "Oh, oh, good girl, good girl, get up, get up! We're family—no need for that!"
Lu Chengwen stared despairingly at the sky, tears streaming down his face.
[I won't even make it to Long Aotian coming for me.]
_
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