Old Stories
"Thump!"
The sound of a hand slamming onto the table echoed in the quiet room. Ripples spread across the celadon cup, just enough to prevent the tea from soaking the sandalwood table.
Old Lu glared angrily, but his hand firmly held the tea table.
What are you thinking?
Lu Yushi didn't even glance at him, stroking his cufflinks as he said calmly, "I have another meeting later. If the chairman has nothing else to do, I'll head back now."
"You withdrew my people from headquarters just to make a fool of the Lu family for everyone? Don't you know who did this? He's your uncle, your own uncle! A few words from an outsider and you suspect your own uncle?"
"Then how about the chairman gives me a suitable candidate to suspect?"
After he finished speaking, the room fell silent again. Old Man Lu looked at him with disappointment in his eyes, pointing at him and stammering "you" for a long time without being able to utter a complete sentence.
Lu Yushi looked at it for a while, then withdrew his gaze and turned to leave.
"He's sensible enough to do nothing to harm the Lu family." The lowered voice sounded like a compromise.
"Does the chairman still think he understands him very well?"
He's your uncle!
The intimidation achieved by sheer volume was ultimately insufficient. Old Man Lu continued, "Blood is thicker than water. Compared to unrelated outsiders, you should trust your family more, rather than being instigated by that woman picked up by the Wan family to question her own uncle. Lu Yushi, don't make me feel like I misjudged you and shouldn't have entrusted the future of the Lu family to you."
Lu Yushi paused, his voice, though flat, still conveyed the anger he was trying so hard to suppress: "Do you have any other choice?"
The sober retort made Old Man Lu's condescending act of charity seem ridiculous.
"Bang!"
The teacup fell in a parabolic arc, passing Lu Yu's shoulder line before crashing into the ground. The moment it hit the marble floor, it shattered into pieces.
Lu Yushi turned his head, noticing a small patch of tea stain on his shoulder. He gently smoothed it out, ignoring the old man's fury behind him, and strode out the door.
When the old butler saw Lu Yushi come out, he hurriedly went inside and jogged towards the old man.
Since Lu Yushi took over the Lu Group, no third party was allowed to be present when the grandfather and grandson talked. However, every time the door opened, both of them looked extremely angry, their clenched fists suppressing their tempers.
"Why can't he understand? Even if Xiao Zhi is completely clueless, he wouldn't tamper with our goods. What good would it do Xiao Zhi if the Lu family got into trouble?"
The old butler tried to soothe him while saying, "Young Master is very sensible. You see, over the years, the sanatorium fees have always been paid on time by someone arranged by Young Master. Nothing has ever been short or lacking."
"He dares to be short!"
The old butler shook his head: "What happened back then might be a knot in the young master's heart, he..."
"Is he the only one with a knot in his heart? If he hadn't transferred the people away, how could Xiaozhi have gotten into trouble! You've investigated the identities of the thugs, and they're all connected to him. If it weren't for..." Old Man Lu was so angry that his teeth itched, "If he weren't the only decent-looking person in this generation of the Lu family, how could I have let him..." Perhaps realizing that his words were too harsh, Old Man Lu choked up and didn't finish his sentence. He turned his head and ordered, "Send more people over to protect Xiaozhi."
The old butler nodded, and seeing that Old Man Lu was still sulking, he sighed inwardly. Because of what happened back then, both grandfather and grandson were angry, but neither was willing to vent their anger in order to maintain appearances. As time went on, those resentments snowballed and grew bigger and bigger.
The Shen family is now openly showing goodwill towards Xingzilou, while Xingzilou is also expressing dissatisfaction with the Lu family. No one can predict the next move in Beicheng. If the grandfather and grandson continue their feud...
He gritted his teeth and advised, "The young master was also seriously injured back then, and his insomnia worsened during that time. If we hadn't found J, who knows what the Lu family would be like now."
"He attacked his own uncle, showing no respect for his elders and having no manners whatsoever. He brought this on himself." The voice finally lowered.
"If we consider merits and demerits, the young master's contributions to the Lu family far outweigh his demerits."
Old Lu pursed his lips, waved his hand to signal the old butler not to say anything more, and said in a deep voice, "Go tell Lu Yuanjing to keep his son in check and to make him feel sorry for his own brother!"
The old butler moved the corners of his mouth and gave the revised instructions.
Lu Yuanjing heard the message at noon the next day. Upon hearing it, he only paused for a moment while writing, nodded, and sent the person away. However, Mrs. Lu was quite displeased after hearing it and muttered discontentedly, "Here we go again."
Lu Yuanjing glanced over and asked, "Where's Yu Shi?"
"They said there's a meeting in the study." Mrs. Lu frowned. "You were so busy when you were little, and your father was always looking for trouble. Are you picking on your son too?"
Lu Yuanjing put down his brush, smiled, and looked completely aggrieved: "When did I ever ask Yu Shi about this?"
"Then why are you looking for him? Let me tell you, I can't control what happens to your father, but Xiaoshi is my child, and no one can bully him here. Back then, Lu Yuanzhi colluded with foreign thugs and almost killed Xiaoshi. I wish I could kill Lu Yuanzhi. If you scold Xiaoshi because of that, I'll never forgive you."
When Mrs. Lu spoke of the events from many years ago, her eyes still welled up with tears, and her glare at Lu Yuanjing held a warning.
Seeing that his wife was upset, Lu Yuanjing quickly got up, poured a cup of hot water and handed it to her, then held her waist and coaxed her with a smile: "You're allowed to feel sorry for the child, but I can't?"
"What are you so upset about? Your father is biased and you're helping him to commit evil!" Mrs. Lu spat at him, tugged at her shawl, turned and left, leaving behind a cold and aloof figure.
"Hey, Nian'an." The raised voice fell as the person disappeared from sight.
Lu Yuanjing looked down at his empty arms and chuckled.
The two have been married for 28 years. In those 28 years, he has never minded Shi Nian'an taking her anger out on him, but Shi Nian'an has never been unreasonable to the point of using him as an emotional dumping ground. When she gets angry, she will say a few words and then go out to calm herself down.
Shaking his head helplessly, he picked up his phone and texted Lu Yushi, asking him to come over when he was done with his work.
The old man loved his son dearly and felt that Lu Yushi would definitely hurt Lu Yuanzhi. However, he couldn't agree with this. No matter back then or now, whenever Lu Yuanzhi was involved, it was always Lu Yushi who would suffer. It was just that the child didn't want to see him torn between his father and son, so he kept quiet.
Footsteps came from outside the door. Lu Yuanjing snapped out of his reverie, looked up, and saw Lu Yushi standing tall and straight, one hand suspended in mid-air, about to knock on the door.
"Dad, you wanted to see me."
Lu Yuanjing nodded, his eyes crinkling at the corners, gesturing for him to come in. He then bent down and took out a sandalwood box from a drawer, handing it to him with a smile, saying, "Your Uncle Kang came back from his trip yesterday and got you a peace bracelet on the way."
The cinnabar bracelet had a deep, dark hue. Lu Yushi glanced at it, then casually placed it on the table. Before he could speak, Shi Nian'an's voice came from behind him.
“You never take this seriously. Your Uncle Kang had it blessed, it’s very effective,” she said, forcefully pulling Lu Yushi’s hand and putting it on him. “You’re not allowed to take it off, do you hear me?”
The father and son exchanged a glance and both smiled helplessly.
"knew."
The bracelet fit snugly against the edge of the watch. Shi Nian'an grabbed Lu Yushi's right hand and flipped it open, muttering to herself, "Look, how well it suits you. It really suits you. This is what an uncle should look like."
Their gazes met for a moment, then their smiles faded simultaneously.
"Have you got any leads on that shipment?"
“No one has been in contact with the cargo containers alone after boarding the ship. It’s difficult for them to investigate overseas; it will take time.” Lu Yushi moved his lips slightly, leaving the room silent.
Although the person who directly tampered with the evidence was not found, it was learned that one of the law enforcement officers was Shen Ming's classmate. If Shen Ming had someone tamper with the evidence, he would probably have destroyed it long ago, and the matter would have had to end without a resolution.
He didn't care about the loss of hundreds of mining machines, but he did care about distributing a batch of highly classified mining machines so that even ordinary unloading workers could tell a thing or two about them...
The face in his mind gradually became clear, and he clenched his palm slightly.
Lu Yuanjing was extremely confident in his son's efficiency. Seeing the change in his expression, he blurted out the crux of the problem: "Who do you suspect?"
Lu Yushi's eyes flickered, and he lowered his gaze and shook his head.
After a while, he swallowed hard and said, "It's not Lu Yuanzhi."
A single sentence froze the already tense atmosphere completely.
Shi Nian'an's eyes showed even more tenderness. Lu Yuanjing held her hand without saying a word, and looked at Lu Yushi seriously: "Your grandpa... don't take the chairman's words to heart. If you don't want to go in the future, just push it away."
"Exactly, why go and put up with his attitude? He's in the wrong, he only dares to use his seniority to bully others. What elder is like Lu Yuanzhi?"
Having managed to calm herself down outside, Shi Nian'an's emotions erupted again. She let out a low breath and turned her head away.
He mentally recounted every single event from the past.
Seven years have passed, but when I close my eyes, it always feels like it was just yesterday.
The apricot blossoms in the corner of the wall bloomed one after another. Shi Nian'an anxiously paced back and forth under the tree until she heard a sound coming from the moon gate. Her brows relaxed, and she ran over, grabbing Lu Yuanjing's sleeve and asking him questions.
"Where's Xiaoshi? Didn't he come back with you? How is he now? Is he alright? What exactly does your dad want?"
Lu Yuanjing simply shook his head.
Shi Nian'an's eyes reddened, and she cursed in a low voice: "I've never seen a person like your father. Lu Yuanzhi is his son, and Xiao Shi is his own grandson. Anyone with eyes can see that Xiao Shi was set up by Lu Yuanzhi. The old man has been in charge of the group for so many years. What hasn't he seen? Doesn't he understand? Twenty million is not even a fraction of what Lu Yuanzhi is going to get!"
“That 20 million was the start-up capital that Dad approved for Xiaoshi. Whether it makes a profit or a loss, it doesn’t matter, but…” Lu Yuanjing felt sorry for his son being ostracized to the branch company by Lu Yuanzhi, and went to great lengths to get 20 million in start-up capital from the old man Lu.
Back then, Xingzilou, which was just a piece of land, was coveted by many families. However, after the news spread that the young master of the Lu family was interested in the place, most people wisely withdrew.
However, things did not go smoothly. The 20 million yuan in start-up capital disappeared from the card, and Lu Yuanjing immediately reported the case to the police.
The source of the theft had lingered at the group's headquarters. Following the cursor, Lu Yushi stood in front of the chairman's office. After lingering for a while, he was caught red-handed by Old Master Lu, who had rushed back from the old house.
Everything was just right.
Information about the group's new product launch was leaked in advance, and the plan was on the chairman's desk.
Inside the old house, Old Master Lu glared coldly at Lu Yushi: "Lu Yushi, do you have anything else to say?"
"I didn't go in." Lu Yushi moved his wrists, which were numb from being tied up, knowing full well that he couldn't produce any evidence.
The security camera in front of the chairman's door broke down just in time, and the 20 million that should have been lost is now quietly lying in the account.
He realized too late that he had fallen into a trap.
His eyes flickered, and he met Lu Yuanzhi's gaze. A sharp pain shot through his knee as Lu Yuanzhi kicked him to the ground, looking down at him with a cold, mocking laugh, like a wild beast baring its fangs.
“Nephew, you really can’t read people’s minds. It’s not wrong to want to make money, but you can’t sell the company’s secrets. Look at what you’ve done. You didn’t get the money, and you almost lost 20 million.”
"Bang!"
The solid wood table trembled as it was smashed. Upon hearing this, Old Man Lu flew into a rage: "What did you say? What do you mean 20 million was embezzled?"
"Dad, you don't know this, do you? Lu Yushi thought the 20 million you gave him was too little, so he leaked information about the group's new products to someone else to make a deal. Unexpectedly, not only did the other party not pay him, but they almost ran off with the 20 million you gave him."
Lu Yuanzhi turned around again, his face showing disappointment but also a hint of smugness.
“If you have any grievances against the Lu family, or any resentment towards my father or me, you can speak up. How could you sell information to shady people? The key is that you were too careless. You didn’t get the kickback and your account was hacked. If I hadn’t discovered it in time and immediately arranged for someone to intercept it, who knows who would have gotten those 20 million?”
Old Man Lu growled, "Lu Yushi, what else do you have to say!"
"I haven't done it."
"Then why did you go to the chairman's door for no reason?"
"As I said, the last place where the 20 million was stolen was the chairman's office."
Before he could finish speaking, he said, "What a joke! You mean the chairman took your 20 million?"
Lu Yushi's eyes narrowed; he could no longer follow Lu Yuanzhi's train of thought.
"The chairman did not tell anyone that I was given 2,000 yuan. How did my uncle know that I had 20 million yuan in start-up capital? The account did not pass through anyone else's hands. How did my uncle inadvertently discover the abnormal fluctuations in my account funds within 10 minutes?"
"Your uncle helped you mitigate the losses, is that wrong?!"
"I'm just curious, how is my uncle..."
"I see you're still stubbornly unrepentant. Then stay here and reflect on your mistakes. Get out of here when you realize your errors!"
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