Those words stung.
He was usually measured and rarely angered, but now his face darkened, a storm brewing. "The Shen family?" he said with undisguised contempt.
"Since when does the Lu family need to kowtow to the Shen family?"
"Don't you find it absurd?"
"If you truly care for her, you should discipline the servants. Since when does a servant get to interrupt when the young lady is speaking?"
With those two sentences, his gaze swept over the servant who had spoken earlier. The old servant's legs went weak, cold sweat pouring.
"If she doesn't find a powerful in-law family, can the Lu family support her for life?" Mrs. Lu persisted, pressing hard.
"Mother need not worry." His voice was cold and hard, carrying an unshakable authority. "If she really can't get married, and the Lu family won't support her, I will."
With that, he grabbed Cheng Buxi and left.
"Tingzhou!"
Mrs. Lu collapsed into her seat in fury.
---
Having lived together for years, Cheng Buxi had never seen her usually gentle elder brother so angry, nor her foster mother in such a rage.
The once warm and glorious hall seemed shrouded in gloomy clouds.
And she was the fuse.
"Brother..." she called out anxiously from behind, her delicate features twisted.
But the man before her, with broad shoulders and long legs, an imposing aura like a towering mountain, ignored her calls.
She raised her voice, "Brother!"
At the word "brother," Lu Tingzhou's reason returned by seventy percent.
It had been a long time since she last called him that.
New Year's Eve. Or even earlier.
He momentarily lost focus, noticing her reddened eyes and the slender arm he was gripping tightly.
Though he controlled his strength, her violent struggle overcame it.
She had been pampered and delicate since childhood, while he was tough and sinewy. There would definitely be marks.
"Did I hurt you?"
At this point, pain was the last thing on her mind. Cheng Buxi was still reeling from Mrs. Lu's furious face. She regretted being stubborn. "Why did you have to snap at Auntie? Fine, I'll marry, I'll marry!"
Her sharp, fragile chin was like a piece of broken jade, her chest heaving with accusation.
Wasn't it the agreement? The Lu family raised her; she obeyed.
Nothing could change that. It was her fate.
Dark clouds gathered outside; the corridor was dim.
Lu Tingzhou stared at her, his pupils deep and unfathomable, his brows sinking deeper. After a long while, he forced out two cold words: "Nonsense."
"What's so good about the Shen family? It's a den of dragons and tigers. Do you think life will be easy there?"
"Th-then there's no need for that!"
A servant sweeping by happened to witness the scene—big brother scolding sister—and didn't know whether to approach or retreat.
Lu Tingzhou's face was dark. He pointed at the door and said to her, "Go inside and cry."
Cheng Buxi had always obeyed him obediently. Almost reflexively, she walked into the room.
The door closed, startling the assistant inside who was organizing documents.
"President Lu."
Cheng Buxi hadn't expected anyone inside—a stunningly beautiful woman in a tight V-neck beige uniform, sheer black stockings, a low bun, with a curvy, tall figure.
Her pupils dilated instantly, countless thoughts flooding in.
Who was this woman? Why was she in the house? So secretly, so concealed.
Was she the woman her brother kept by his side? Was that why he hadn't married?
She felt her blood run cold, her face pale. She couldn't stop her thoughts from running wild.
She hadn't wanted to cry before, but now, with everything that had happened and this woman, her emotions reached the breaking point and overflowed.
Author's Note:
Both leads are pure!
Happy New Year's Eve!
@一只雀实