Chapter 10: The Lu Family Ancestral Home
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She followed the steps carefully, first chopping the corn and ribs, then arranging them neatly on the plates. In her old life, she usually just ordered takeout for work, occasionally cooking simple noodles or porridge, but she had rarely made soup. She remembered one time she made soup that tasted decent, but it had been so long she had almost forgotten how to prepare it.
Outside the living room, the two little ones were completely absorbed in the cartoon on the tablet, occasionally dancing along to the rhythm of the animation.
The old Lu family mansion.
“Xiao Yun, you’re back,” said the elderly matriarch, standing at the front door with the help of a servant. Seeing her little grandson return, a joyful smile spread across her face.
Lu Yun’s usually cold and stern expression softened slightly as he looked at her.
“Hello, Grandma.”
“That’s good, that’s good,” the old lady said cheerfully. “It’s good that you came back.”
Lu Yun’s gaze turned icy the moment he noticed a middle-aged man in casual clothes standing inside the house.
“What's with that attitude?” Lu Yun’s father snapped.
The old lady quickly grabbed her son’s arm, annoyed. “Xiao Yun came back just this once. Don’t act so high and mighty as his father.”
She was afraid that the father and son would quarrel again like last time, which had caused Xiao Yun to storm out after only a few seconds at home.
Hastily, the old lady pulled Xiao Yun inside. “Aunt Liu has prepared a table full of your favorite dishes. Try them and see if Aunt Liu’s cooking has gotten worse.”
Aunt Liu smiled brightly from the side. “Young master, come quickly and try. You haven’t been home in a long time. The old lady has missed you.”
The tense atmosphere between father and son eased somewhat as they sat down at the dining table.
Lu Yun glanced lightly at the dishes—each was something he had loved as a child.
At the old lady’s signal, Aunt Liu began serving him with the communal chopsticks.
“Young master, this fresh fish was personally selected by the old lady from the market. Give it a try!”
“Thank you, Grandma,” Lu Yun said.
The old lady smiled warmly. “There’s no need to thank family.”
After they had eaten most of the meal, Lu Yun’s father, who had been silent, suddenly spoke.
“Lu Yun, you’ve known Meng Qi since childhood. I discussed with your uncle Jiang recently. We should pick a good day and settle the marriage between you and Jiang Meng Qi.”
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No sooner had he finished speaking than Lu Yun slammed his chopsticks down hard on the table.
Instantly, bowls and plates tipped over, shards scattering, the sharp sound of breaking porcelain echoing through the quiet dining room.
The old lady and the servants around were stunned by the sudden outburst, not daring to utter a word.
Lu Yun lifted his eyes to meet his father’s coldly. “Do you think I’m Lu Zhichen?”
His father’s expression instantly darkened.
“Lu Yun, you are a son of the Lu family. Since you belong to the Lu family, you must take on some responsibilities.”
Lu Yun sneered. “As if I chose to be part of the Lu family.”
“You pinned all your hopes on Lu Zhichen since you were little. You pushed him to his death. Now it’s my turn, is it?”
“How dare you! I’m your father!” Lu Yun’s father banged the table, furious.
Lu Yun stood up and turned to leave.
His father shouted after him, “Even if you don’t want this arranged marriage, you will go through with it!”
“Get lost!” came the sharp retort from behind.
Lu Yun’s father’s face turned blue with anger at the disrespect.
The old lady shot him a furious glare.
“You’ve driven Xiao Yun away again! Everything was fine until you brought up this marriage nonsense. You know well that Xiao Yun won’t listen to you.”
“Mom, everything I’m doing is for his own good.”
The old lady scoffed coldly. “Good? I think you’re only doing it for yourself. You drove your eldest son to death, and now you’re trying to force the youngest one?”
Lu Yun’s father, now quite old, was scolded by his own mother, and his face showed embarrassment.
“Mom, do you think I want it this way?”
The old lady snapped, “A perfectly good meal, and you have to come back only to stir up trouble. Xiao Yun never wanted to come home in the first place, and now you’ve driven him off again. It will be even harder to get him to come back for dinner in the future.”
Lu Yun’s father fell silent.
The Ye Family—
Ye’s father received a call from the Lu family matriarch in the living room. After hanging up, he turned to his son lounging on the sofa.
“Ye Yixing, go buy some gifts and visit your cousin’s company.”
Ye Yixing didn’t even look up. “Why bother going to his company?”
“Your cousin had another fight with his father. The old lady wants you to go comfort him.”
Ye Yixing hesitated, then said, “He’s like a fortress. He doesn’t need comforting.”
“Go when I tell you to! Don’t give me any excuses!” Ye’s father shouted.
The yell nearly made Ye Yixing fall off the sofa.
He put away his gaming phone, muttering, “Fine, I’ll go. No need to shout so loud.”
Before leaving, Ye’s father reminded him, “When you get there, behave yourself and talk to your cousin properly, understand?”
“Yeah, yeah,” Ye Yixing replied impatiently. “You never cared about sucking up to Lu Yun before. Ever since he took control of the Lu family, you and the uncles keep telling me to hang around him more.”
Ye’s father scratched his nose awkwardly.
Lu Yun was different now. A few years ago, it was still his older brother Lu Zhichen in charge. Lu Yun and Ye Yixing were both regarded as good-for-nothing, with no expectations placed on them.
No one foresaw that after the eldest brother’s death, Lu Yun would transform into a completely different person—carving a bloody path through the ranks of the Lu family’s young and old alike and firmly establishing himself as the family head.
Back then, no one knew Lu Yun had this capability.
Not only Ye’s side of the family but even Lu Yun’s own relatives had misjudged him.
Sometimes Ye’s father would hope that his son might be like Lu Yun—quietly biding his time, appearing carefree but actually brilliant and strategic.
But seeing his son sprawled on the sofa wasting his life away, that hope quickly vanished.
Not long ago, he even forced his son to intern at the company, hoping he might show some remarkable talent like Lu Yun. Instead, his son was utterly useless—a hopeless mess who nearly drove him half to death with frustration.
“You should learn more from your cousin. You’re the same generation, about the same age, and used to play together. How come you haven’t picked up even a fraction of his business sense?”
Ye Yixing looked up. “I don’t know who told me back then to keep away from Lu Yun. I didn’t expect that in just a few years, your and the uncles’ attitudes would change so fast.”