Lu Jingyan stood at the grand entrance of Leng Manor, her posture straight but hands clenched behind her back. She had dressed carefully modestly, respectfully, that morning but with quiet elegance.Besides her was her brother and Leng Yumo who is staring at her mother
Leng Ruomo sat on the cushion in with legs crossed on the other as she. Lu Jingyan looked at Leng Ruomo In her late forties, with a commanding aura and icy eyes that missed nothing, she was the kind of woman who ruled boardrooms with a glance.
"You have finally arrived" Leng Ruomo said as she sipped her tea. Leng Ruomo got up from the chair and walked towards the trio without sparing her daughter a glance
"Good afternoon madam Leng" Lu Jingyan greeted
"You speak politely. That a start" Leng Ruomo said
"I speak with respect not submission" Lu Jingyan replied making Leng Yumo give her a thumb up in her heart as she wanted to smirk
"So. You're the one Xuanmo chose," Leng Ruomo said, stopping a few steps above. Her gaze swept over Jingyan, cool and assessing.
"Do you know the king of family you are marrying into?" Leng Ruomo asked
"Yes" Lu Jingyan replied"The kind that thinks silence is power. And, presence is dominance"
"I expected someone more refined" Leng Ruomo said
Jingyan raised her eyes calmly "refinement isn't earned. But, worn"
Leng Ruomo's lips curled in the faintest smirk, though her eyes stayed sharp. "And have you earned it by marrying up?"
"I didn't marry into this family for power or name. I married your son because he asked, and I accepted—for reasons that are no one's business but ours."
Leng Ruomo descended the final step. "You speak boldly. Your tongue is sharp on no name to stand on"
"I might not be from a rich family" Lu Jingyan said, voice clear. "But I don't need a name to define me"
"You don't dare cower" Leng Ruomo said
"I was taught not to cower before anyone, even those in ivory towers."
The tension crackled. Neither backed down
Leng Ruomo's tone had just cooled to a biting chill. "If you think marrying into this family gives you equal footing, you're gravely mistaken, Miss Lu."
Lu Jingyan's eyes darkened, but before she could respond, a quiet but firm voice cut through the tension.
"Mom," Leng Yumo said as she stepped forward. Her voice wasn't loud, but it held weight like she wasn't asking, she was warning. "That's enough."
Ruomo turned to her, surprised.
Yumo gently moved to stand between Lu Jingyan and her mother, facing Ruomo directly. "You always told me strength is silent, not showy. That respect is earned, not demanded." She looked back at Jingyan, then forward again. "She's here. She didn't run. Even after everything. That says a lot more than her surname ever could."
Ruomo's jaw clenched. "Yumo, don't misunderstand—"
"I'm not misunderstanding," Yumo interrupted, her voice soft but firm. "But maybe... you are."
Lu Xinyan shifted behind his sister, watching Yumo with wide eyes.
Yumo's expression softened as she glanced at Lu Jingyan, then back at her mother. "If Dad saw this, would he be proud of how we welcome the people his son chose?"
The room fell into silence. Even Ruomo didn't have a ready reply.
Jingyan didn't say anything, but for the first time, her hand relaxed at her side.
Yumo looked back at her and gave her a small, confident nod the kind that said, *I've got you*.
And in that moment, Jingyan realized that sometimes, family didn't need to be earned. It could be offered fiercely and fearlessly.
Leng Ruomo finally turned. "We'll see how long that fire lasts."