Chapter 64 "You went to find him," Shen Yun said.
Lu Qingyao had everything planned out perfectly.
Whether by coincidence or not, she never ran into Shen Yun when she went to visit Pipa.
As they got to know each other better, Lu Qingyao noticed that the young man wasn't as distant as he had been at the beginning, and he no longer tried to persuade her to go back.
But we don't seem that close.
Lu Qingyao suspected that the young man already had someone he liked, otherwise how could he not be moved at all when such a beautiful and charming girl like her was always in front of him?
Considering that she was a young lady, she didn't want to speak directly, so she set her sights on the little girl named Cuizhu.
Unexpectedly, that girl was stubborn and held a grudge. She treated him like a plague god and wished she could turn around and leave as soon as possible.
Lu Qingyao couldn't understand where this young girl from the building got her confidence, so she went to ask Aunt Xun for information.
Aunt Xun laughed upon hearing this: "Sir, you don't know this, it's true that Cuizhu is from Pipa, but she's not from our Huayuelou."
"What do you mean?" Lu Qingyao asked, puzzled.
"That means—"
Aunt Xun waved her handkerchief and chuckled, "It was Pipa who bought Cuizhu back then; that little girl is just a figurehead here."
"..."
"Even the name Cuizhu was given by Pipa. She said that when she reached the age to leave the building, she would use the name given by her parents, so that she could come into this world clean and leave clean as well."
"We come into this world clean, and we must leave it clean."
Lu Qingyao repeated Aunt Xun's words, feeling a strange sense of unease.
She couldn't understand why the young man would go to such lengths for a complete stranger like her.
—Could it be that he's taken a liking to that girl?!
Lu Qingyao had a fleeting thought, but then shook her head in denial. She didn't think she was inferior to a mere immature girl.
Moreover, judging from the way the boy looked at the girl, it didn't seem like the case.
Before Lu Qingyao could ask any more questions, Aunt Xun pushed the silver ingot back to her.
"What does the proprietress mean by this?" Lu Qingyao was a little unhappy. Could it be that this woman thought the money was too little?
Aunt Xun simply waved her hand and slowly straightened up from the chair.
"I have already told you everything I know and can say. I love money, but I would never fabricate something out of thin air just to earn more silver."
These words were quite unexpected for Lu Qingyao.
She had assumed this woman was obsessed with money and would stop at nothing for gold and silver. She hadn't realized she actually possessed some semblance of professional ethics.
As if she could read Lu Qingyao's mind, Aunt Xun curled her red lips into a meaningful smile and said softly, "Things in this world are not always as simple as they seem, and the human heart is no exception."
Her pale, nail-painted fingers picked up a slender, lit pipe from the side, brought it to her lips, took a gentle puff, and exhaled a hazy cloud of smoke.
The heavily made-up face behind her blurred out, making her look somewhat unlike the gaudy woman Lu Qingyao knew.
Lu Qingyao's throat itched from the smell of smoke in the air. She quickly said goodbye and left the fragrant room.
The woman's low, husky, and alluring voice still echoed in my mind.
...Human nature?
Lu Qingyao thought dismissively that she didn't care about the saying "you can't judge a book by its cover," as long as she felt comfortable.
Lu Qingyao touched her chest again, her warm, lively heart now filled with the genuine joy of the boy named Pipa.
Lu Qingyao's joy was short-lived, as she received news that she was to attend the old lady's birthday banquet at the Shen family home.
She had planned to go see her sweetheart that day.
Unfortunately, since it concerned her older sister's wedding, she, as the younger sister, had to be present no matter what.
Lu Qingyao dared not offend her father in this matter. Most importantly, she was now also one of the many people eagerly hoping that the Lu and Chen families could successfully form a marriage alliance.
After finally getting through the tedious and boring process of visiting, exchanging greetings, and saying auspicious and beautiful words, I finally understood.
While a group of people were accompanying the old lady to watch the performance, Lu Qingyao finally seized the opportunity to sneak out for some fresh air.
I had just taken a breath or two of fresh air when I unexpectedly bumped into Shen Yun's deadpan face.
"I...I didn't expect to run into Lord Shen in such a big courtyard." Lu Qingyao gave a fake smile and performed an awkward greeting.
Just as I was about to walk away, someone called out from behind, "Wait."
Before Lu Qingyao could even remove her expression of disgust, she quickly put on a fake smile: "I wonder if there's anything else, Young Master Shen?"
Shen Yun stared at Lu Qingyao quietly, her dark eyes unblinking, making the latter feel a chill run down her spine.
Lu Qingyao had heard of the cruel methods Shen Yun used to torture people during interrogations. In addition, this guy was almost always dressed in black, gloomy and gloomy, which always reminded people of the legendary Black Impermanence who would take away souls.
“You went to see him,” Shen Yun said.
Although the sentence was vague, Lu Qingyao immediately understood who "he" referred to.
Lu Qingyao didn't know how the other party knew.
—But even if you lose the argument, you can't lose face. Besides, this is the Shen family home. As a guest and future relative, do you think they'd treat you like a criminal?
So I simply stopped pretending.
Lu Qingyao turned around and said with a hint of sarcasm, "Yes. Young Master Shen is capable of keeping someone outside, but he should be capable of not letting anyone find out."
He paused, then said seriously, "By the way, let's leave it at that. I'm a kind-hearted person, so I won't complain about Young Master Shen to my sister and father. You... you should also stop here. Don't do anything outrageous again and hurt my sister."
Unexpectedly, upon hearing this, Shen Yun chuckled softly: "Miss Lu, are you overestimating yourself, or underestimating your father and sister?"
Upon hearing this, Lu Qingyao's heart skipped a beat, and a bad premonition immediately welled up within her.
The image of her sister's sorrowful expression flashed through her mind not long ago, and Lu Qingyao seemed to understand something, yet also seemed to understand nothing at all.
"What...what do you mean?"
"It means—"
Shen Yun curved her lips into a smile, but there was no hint of amusement in her deep eyes: "The game of pretending to be a child is over. Miss, you should think about what to explain to your father."
As he spoke, his gaze turned to what was behind Lu Qingyao.
Lu Qingyao turned around and saw that her father and sister, who should have been watching the show in the front yard, were now standing not far behind her.
Besides them, there was also Lord Shen, who was glaring at his son with a gloomy expression.
Lord Shen walked up to Shen Yun in a few steps, suppressing his anger, and said in a cold voice, "You scoundrel, what nonsense are you spouting? Hurry up and apologize to your father-in-law and Miss Lu."
Upon hearing this, Shen Yun's dark eyes swept over everyone present, her smile widening as she asked in her usual leisurely tone, "Why should I?"
Lord Shen laughed angrily: "Because I'm your father!"
Shen Yun lowered her eyes and smiled, "Yes, Father, you know I am your son. I've been by your side since I was little, influenced by you, and that's how I've become who I am today. Father, you should feel gratified, shouldn't you?"
"you……"
"However, a father is still a father. When it comes to scheming and cunning, I know I can't compare, so I won't try. Since everyone is here today, let's get straight to the point."
As Shen Yun spoke, she turned to the stiff-faced Old Master Lu and the dazed Miss Lu.
His previous nonchalant expression vanished, and his tone softened: "Uncle Lu, Miss Lu, I do indeed have someone else in my heart. Forgive me for my misfortune; I am unworthy to be married to you, Miss Lu. I have failed to repay your deep affection and your kindness, Uncle—"
Before Shen Yun could finish speaking, Lord Shen stepped forward and slapped his son hard across the face.
With a crisp snap, Shen Yun was slapped so hard that her head turned slightly to the side, and a red mark immediately appeared on her fair cheek.
He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, smiled nonchalantly, and stared at Lord Shen, whose chest was heaving. His eyes grew increasingly dark, like the sky covered with dark clouds before a storm.
"Father, you should use more force. After all, as a man, your son is more resilient than your mother was back then. He won't take his own life so easily."
"..."
Upon hearing this, Old Master Lu, who was about to step forward to mediate the fight, immediately stopped in his tracks. He looked at his nephew, whom he had always favored, and then at his longtime friend, his expression becoming inscrutable.
It is an undeniable fact that Shen Yun's mother died of depression, but this is the first time he has heard of Lao Shen beating his wife.
As the saying goes, even an upright official finds it difficult to settle family disputes; it's best not to get involved in such matters.
"Ah, Old Shen, it's getting late. The children's affairs aren't urgent. Well then, we'll take our leave now. You two can have a good chat. What father and son can hold a grudge overnight?"
As she spoke, she glared at Lu Qingyao, who was still standing there in a daze and hadn't reacted yet, and said with a stern face, "Hurry up and come over here."
Lu Qingyao belatedly exclaimed "Oh," muttering "Excuse me, excuse me," and hurriedly returned to her father's side with her head down and small steps. At the same time, she heard her father say in a low voice, "I'll deal with you when we get back."
Lu Qingyao was about to retort that she had done something wrong, that it was clearly Shen Yun who had improper conduct, and that it had nothing to do with her.
When she looked up and met her sister's gaze, her heart sank upon seeing the expression on the other's face.
He swallowed back the words he was about to say.
"elder sister……"
Lu Qingyao called out somewhat guiltily, but her sister simply turned her head away without saying a word.
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