Sorry for the late chapter.
ā€œIsn’t it very surprising?ā€ Lu Jun looked at the bright Lu Zhuo on the screen, the change in their attitudes. Her expression turned disappointed, ā€œThis was when my brother was in his second year ofĀ college.Ā Because of An Ze, he does not look like anything before.
Shen Qi did not make any noise. His eyes were staring directly at the screen.
ā€œThe friend I told you about was actually my brother. Anze is the ex-boyfriend who cheated on him.ā€Ā Lu Jun pressed the fast-forward button, as if she had done it a thousand times. The video segment replayed, the camera unprecedentedly moved away from Lu Zhuo, and finally paused on a beautiful teenager.
ā€œHe is Anze.ā€
Shen Qi looked at the person on the screen and slowly narrowed his eyes.
Lu Jun is naturally good-natured. She is always kind and smiling towards her elders and even the servants. Yet, this was the first time Shen Qi saw her cold expression. From the side, it looked a lot like Lu Zhuo. Indeed, they were biological siblings.
Her eyes contained hatred and disgust: ā€œHe and my brother were in the same class in high school. Because An Ze was too feminine, he was harassed by some bullies. It was my brother who saved him. I was also there. Heh, thinking about it now, it is unknown if he was actually being harassed.ā€œ
ā€œAt first, my brother and I felt sorry for him. It is said that his family’s conditions were bad. Both of his parents died, and there was only a seriously ill grandmother left with him. My brother saved him. One after another incident, the two gradually became friends. I was only thirteen or fourteen. My brother and I have our own social circle but also sometimes play together on weekends. In fact, I am not quite sure how they became friends.Ā ā€œ
ā€œIn fact, the first to figure out their relationship was me.ā€ Lu Jun’s face is cold. ā€œNo, I should say An Ze deliberately let me findĀ out.Ā He deliberately let me investigate and used me to spill this matter out to the family. And yes, he succeeded. I panicked at that time, and mentioned their relationship in front of Grandpa. Then he succeeded again. My brother was young and impulsive. For An Ze, he managed to anger Grandpa until he was hospitalized. ā€œ
ā€œWant to know why I do not like Anze? When Grandpa collapsed, everyone panicked. Only I saw that Anze was smiling.ā€œ
She witnessed An Ze and her brother being scolded and beaten by her grandfather as a result of accidentally spilling the beans.Because she was guilty, thinking that all of this was due to her, she was in the closet when Grandpa collapsed on the floor. Just as she was about to rush to help her grandpa, she inadvertently saw An Ze’s face.
He was standing there. His face was pale with fear, but his eyes were bright, as if he could not repress his feelings. He pretended to wipe his tears away, blocking half of his face. But on the other hand, he was smiling with pleasure. Lu Jun was trembling in fear, and her feet were nailed in place.
From that moment, she knew that An Ze was not as simple as he appeared to be to the outside world.
But before she could investigate, something happened.
ā€œAnze kidnapped my brother.ā€
What?!
Shen Qi’s eyes instantly widened, stunned, ā€œWhy?ā€
The system was not clear on what exactly happened back then and Anze’s so-called revenge. He tried to ask about the matter when he came to the Lu family, but no one answered. He also did not dare mention this to Uncle Shen. Yet he did not expect Lu Jun to take the initiative to tell him.
He thought it would be a car accident or a fight, but he didn’t expect it to be Anze himself who did it.
ā€œBecause he wants to take revenge.ā€ Lu Jun looked at An Ze on the screen, revealing a cold smile with mockery, ā€œBrother should be telling youĀ instead.Ā However, with his personality, he probably won’t share any of the details with you. I was afraid that you would think too much, so I’m going to tell youĀ instead.ā€œ
Shen Qi took a deep breath, the shock on his face fading. With his calm posture, he looked somewhat like Lu Zhuo: ā€œPlease continue.ā€
Lu Jun suddenly smiled a little before saying, ā€œIt’s a longĀ story.Ā It has to start with my parents’ generation.ā€ She pulled open the drawer under the coffee table and pulled out a photo album from it, then flipped it open.
ā€œThis is myĀ mother.Ā This is my father. This is the only photo they haveĀ together.ā€œ
Shen Qi looked down. It was a wedding photo of a handsome but melancholy man and a beautiful and gentle woman. They looked very compatible, but the two stood at a distance. Not to mention, hands, even shoulders were not touching. If one were to block the face, the two would look like strangers instead of a married couple.
ā€œProbably because Grandpa’s character was too strong, my father grew up to be more gentle. To put it bluntly, he was weak. My grandfather was worried that my father could not support the Lu family, so he had my father marry my mother. Although my mother may look gentle, in fact, she’s very strong-minded. ā€œ
ā€œFather loves painting and art, but hates managing theĀ company.Ā My grandfather took my mother to learn about the company. Over time, because their personalities were too different,Ā and it was an arranged marriage, it was bound to be a loveless marriage.ā€œ
ā€œOne year, my father’s painting won a prize. The family held a banquet and invited a lot of people, especially those in the art world. At the banquet, my father met a woman, to be exact, a married woman, and after that, I’m sure you can predict, they fell in love.ā€œ
Shen Qi’s hand flipped through the pages: ā€œThat woman is Anze’s mother?ā€
ā€œNot bad.ā€ Lu Jun nodded, ā€œIt was An Ze’sĀ mother.Ā I first saw her when I was about four years old, when my mother took me out shopping. We knew what she came for. She came to ask my mother for money. How ridiculous! My father was willing to risk his identity as the young master of the Lu family to be with her and divorce his wife, while she only wantedĀ money.ā€œ
ā€œBecause she was originally for the money, if my father lost his identity, she would not get anything.ā€
Lu Jun laughed and said, ā€œYou see, it is so simple that even you can understand it, yet my father just did not realizeĀ it.Ā He doesn’t have anything wrong with his brain, right? ā€œ
He didn’t have a problem; he was just unwilling to accept the truth.
Shen Qi looked at Father Lu’s photo. To be honest, Lu Zhuo looked a little more like him, but the two had completely different temperaments. Father Lu was too melancholy and weak. Such a person simply can not afford to suffer a blow.
Lu Jun continued, ā€œAn Ze’s mother is an extremely ruthless person, whether to herself or to others. She does not pretend either. After getting the money, she directly told my father that she was only in it for the money, and then left her husband, son, and daughter. Then she left the country. It’s no wonder An Ze is her son. ā€œ
ā€œAn Ze took revenge because of this?ā€ Shen Qi frowned. No matter how it was seen, it should be his mother’s problem.
Lu Jun sighed: ā€œIt would be great if that was the end of theĀ story.Ā The reason why An Ze’s mother married his father in the first place was because she saw his talent, but talent can’t be eaten. Just by glancing at An Ze, you can tell how beautiful his mother looks. Such a woman would not be willing to live this type of lifestyle. So she seduced my father. An Ze’s father fell apart after she left. Aside from drinking all day, he did not care about the two children. An Ze’s sister was sick one day, but Anze went to school without knowing, and his father was so drunk that he was also unaware. By the time she was sent to the hospital, it was already too late.ā€œ
ā€œHalf a month later, An Ze’s father also fell into the lake because he was drunk andĀ drowned.Ā An Ze was then sent to his grandmother’s house. An Ze’s mother is really ruthless. She doesn’t care about her children orĀ parents.ā€œ
ā€œSo Anze blamed it all on his uncle?ā€
Shen Qi could not understand An Ze’s logic. From the beginning to the end, the biggest culprit should be An Ze’s mother. Of course, FatherĀ LuĀ cheating was also not right. But for Anze, all his suffering is brought to him by his mother. What does it have to do with the Lu family?
ā€œBesides, if he wants revenge, why should he go to Lu Zhuo?ā€ He could have also gone to Father Lu if he had the ability! The Lu family did not go to An Ze’s mother for seducing their young master, and even gave her a sum of money! Who knew that she just took the money and left?
ā€œWho knows what he is thinking.ā€ Lu Jun spread out her hands, ā€œPerhaps it is because the son needs to inherit theĀ debts.Ā 1Ā Since she is technically still An Ze’s mother, even if he wanted to get revenge, he wouldn’t find her. So he placed all of that hatred on our family. Or maybe he thinks that his mother did nothing wrong, and we were the only onesĀ wrongā€œ
ā€œOnly my brother and father would know what An Ze thought since they were the only ones present during that incident.ā€
Shen Qi suddenly thought of something: ā€œYou said that An Ze kidnapped Lu Zhuo, then why is he still okay?ā€ Shouldn’t he be going to jail?
ā€œBecause he didn’t show up from the beginning to the end.ā€ Lu Jun’s face turned ugly, ā€œSomeone willingly took the fall for him.ā€
ā€œWho?ā€
ā€œHis name is Liang Yi. He is Anze’s grandmother’s neighbor, and they grew up as childhood sweethearts. The kidnapping, except for the text message sent to my brother’s phone in the name of An Ze, and the rescue were all not related to An Ze. In addition, An Ze was the first one to call the police, and his acting was on point. ā€œ
Lu Jun remembered that year, only feeling disgusted by the actions he took. It could be said that An Ze taught her a vivid lesson.
ā€œLiang Yi is willing to do anything for AnĀ Ze.Ā He kidnapped my brother and personally asked for a ransom. He originally wanted to die with my brother, but the police acted quickly, and he did not have the opportunity. My father was also rescued, but his body also collapsed, and he has been bedridden ever since. My brother was about to lose his two legs by a little bit. ā€œ
Shen Qi, reluctant: ā€œThere was no evidence left?ā€
Lu Jun shook his head: ā€œNo. Liang Yi simply confessed to the crime, saying he was out of jealousy and wanted to give my brother a lesson. He also insisted that hitting my father was a mistake,Ā and that he was drunk and delirious. Although there was no evidence, my grandfather still realized the culprit was An Ze. An Ze, like his mother, took the money and left.ā€œ
ā€œWhy give him money?ā€ Shen Qi frowned. Why did they let him leave? He could not believe that, with the strength of the Lu family, they couldn’t do anything to a teenager with no money or power.
Lu Jun paused: ā€œMy father gave him theĀ money.Ā He believes that he is responsible for An Ze’s becoming like this. So, behind my grandfather’s back, he gave An Ze money and sent him abroad.ā€œ
Shen Qi was speechless. It was true that Father Lu should just stay bedridden for a long, long time.
Lu Jun sighed. ā€œThere are some reasons why I’m telling you this. First, I’m worried that you will misunderstand Lu Zhuo and An Ze’s relationship. Secondly, I have a selfish reason. I hope you can be kinder to my brother in the future. I’m partially responsible for why my brother became like this. If I hadn’t said anything and slowly figured things out, the situation wouldn’t have become like this. During these past years, my brother has been alone. I know it is not because of his old relationship with An Ze. He’s afraid of investing his feelings in a relationship. He’s afraid of getting hurt. In the situation now, I’m afraid that he will be single for the rest of his life. Thankfully you showed up… ā€œ
With a sincere expression, she held Shen Qi’s hand and said, ā€œA’Qi, I know my brother’s character is not good. Sometimes you will need to tolerate him a little more. He has not been living well over the years. At first, he also saw a psychiatrist. During the first two years, he could not sleep all night. I was really worried that he could not get through itā€¦Ā ā€ While saying this, Lu Jun choked on her words. Some tears welled up in her eyes. However, she still showed a smile and said, ā€œEverything is getting better now. I can see that big brother likes you very much. Can we stay like this for the rest of the years? ā€œ
Shen Qi sighed in his heart and shook her hand back: ā€œOkay.ā€
Lu Jun’s smile was even bigger. She smiled and wiped her face with a tissue. Suddenly, her face was serious: ā€œActually, there’s another reason why I’m telling you this.ā€
Shen Qi looked at her expression, and his heart dropped.
ā€œAn Ze is back.ā€
Footnotes
There is a tradition in China where the children (mainly sons) need to inherit everything. This includes debts, loans, and money.