âI suppose,â said Old Master Lu, thumbing the teapot in his hands. The house had belonged to Lu Jin in the first place, so there wasnât anything wrong with him using it in any way he deemed fit, especially after Lu Qin and his mother had already moved away. He could renovate it, or even tear it down for all he liked.
That went without saying.
Ye Shuyun curled her lips.
âThat being said, I donât think thereâs anything wrong with me renovating my own house. Apparently, my sister-in-law did not share the sentiment, and felt the need to come down to my place and jab her fingers at me, saying that I meddled with their house without her permission.â
âDad, you have to be just here,â said Ye Shuyun, lifting her chin. âBack then, you split the houses into two parts, one for Lu Jin, and the other for Lu Qin. That was very just of you.â
âOut of goodwill, we have lent our house to Lu Qin and his mother, so there shouldnât be anything wrong with us reclaiming it. Does it make sense for them to move back in when they have already found a place for themselves? Why come back to hog my place? I need a place for my own purposes, as do my son.â
âThatâs why you beat her up?â questioned Old Master Lu, carefully placing the teapot onto the table so as to not break it.
âFor something this trivial, you beat her up this badly? Look at her, her swollen headâs uglier than a pig.â
Qin Xiaoyueâs pig face changed color. She felt like an idiot coming to Old Master Lu for justice. Now she had to tolerate his insults.
âOf course not,â said Ye Shuyun, curling her lips once again. âI believe Dad knows me well enough to know that I can tell between right and wrong.â
Old Master Lu nodded. Back then, he and his wife were both very pleased with this daughter-in-law. A daughter from the Ye Family wouldnât have a bad temperament or lack manners.
The same couldnât be said for Qin Xiaoyue. Old Madam Lu had never approved her as a daughter-in-law, for she was low-bred and fond of taking advantage of others, and couldnât even hold a candle to Lu Jinâs wife. Genes could be very important.
Though Lu Qin and Lu Yi were both outstanding people, it was plain to see that Lu Yi was a lot more outstanding.
Ye Shuyun turned around and walked to Qin Xiaoyue. As she drew closer, Qin Xiaoyue began retreating.
âWhy did I beat you? Explain it to us, will you?â
Qin Xiaoyue kept stepping back without saying anything.
Her eyes were darting around, perhaps to taunt, or perhaps out of fear.
The door suddenly opened. Lu Qin walked in. When Qin Xiaoyue saw him, tears began rolling down her eyes.
Lu Yin strode forward and stood before Qin Xiaoyue. In this world, the greatest humiliation to a man is none other than his mother being beaten up or his wife being lusted after.
Such a slight was not something Lu Qin could tolerate.
âWhatâs going on here, Aunt?ân/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
Ye Shuyun returned to Lu Jinâs side. In this world, there was a clear line between right and wrong. No matter what she said, right could not be wrong, and wrong could never be right.
And Qin Xiaoyue began whispering to her son about how much she hated Lu Jin and his family, and how they were bullying a widow and her only son. She was a step away from twisting the wrong into right.
Just before Qin Xiaoyue could continue smearing the names of Lu Jin and his family, they heard a soft clapping.
The backdoor opened once more, and Lu Yi walked in pushing a wheelchair with no other than Yan Huan on it, one of her arms sealed in a cast and hanging from her neck.
The clapping had come from Yan Huan patting the back of Lu Yiâs hand.
âKeep going! Why are you stopping?â asked Yan Huan, patting Lu Yiâs hand once more. Qin Xiaoyue was startled by the sound.
âYou are very talented at fabricating stories, Second Aunt. Want to work at Lin Lang?â she asked, propping her face up on an elbow. âDidnât you always say âAll prostitutes are heartless, just like how all performers are deceitful?â Why are you putting up a show yourself if you despise performers so much? Oh, I almost forgot, your son is an actor too. A solid C-list, no less.â
Lu Qinâs eyes narrowed. He was feeling a little doubtful now.
Old Master Lu did not like what Yan Huan was doing.
What gave her the right to scold people from the Lu Family?
Clearly, he had forgotten that Yan Huan was a member of the Lu Family too. But that wasnât true. Truth was, he had never forgotten about it, but he never regarded her as family.
Yan Huan tapped on the cast around her arm, but felt an immediate pain on her scalp. Lu Yi had a strand of her hair in his hand. That was a warning.
And so Yan Huan had to stop doing things that might hurt herself.
To be honest, she wasnât doing much either. She didnât smack it, only patted. She looked up to face Old Master Luâs mislike and disdain.
âLook, Old Master,â she pointed to her arm. âThis was Second Auntâs work. She came to my parents-in-lawâs house to shove my mother-in-law down the stairs, and I injured my elbow while saving her. Had I not saved her, my mother-in-lawâs head would have cracked in place of my bones.â
She said it in a joking way, but they all knew she wasnât joking.
She was still smiling and speaking nonchalantly, but everyone present had changed color.
Yan Huan looked to Lu Qin and his mother again. Lu Qin clenched his fist at the side of his body. Once again, he felt a maddening discomfort.
âSecond Aunt, I only let you off because my husband and parents-in-law are lenient. If I had chosen not to, you wouldnât even be here. Youâll be locked up. Under what charge, you may ask?â
âMy mother beating you up was merely a quarrel between women, but you have committed the crime of assault and attempted homicide.â
âDisgracing yourself might be a hobby to you, but donât expect the same of us.â
âAnd Second Young Master Lu,â she said as she leaned back comfortably. âI suggest you keep your mother in check. We wonât be so forgiving every time. I am a difficult person, and certainly not a good one. To those who respect me, I offer great respect, but I will make those who offend me pay the price by a hundredfold. By then, not even Su Muran can save you.â
Yan Huan wasnât lying either. No one knew Lu Qin better than her, and she had all the dirt on him. She was the one who helped Lu Qin do all those unspeakable things.
She was his catâs paw, his scapegoat. But that was in the past, and all of those things were now evidence against him.
She saved them for the right time had not yet arrived. When the time comes, she would love to see âBest Actorâ Lu Qin show his true colors, his ugly and menacing face.