"You, is there... something wrong with you in that regard?" Old Master Lu asked nervously, his gaze involuntarily drifting towards his eldest grandson's lower abdomen.
Lu Yanbei allowed him to scrutinize, feeling no trace of embarrassment.
His composed demeanor made Old Master Lu's heart skip a beat.
Could it be that he was truly... incapable?
Old Master Lu was suddenly overcome with a sense of impending doom. Had Heaven bestowed him with exceptional abilities and outstanding looks, only to strip him of other capabilities?
Was the Lu family to be without an heir?
This realization struck him like a bolt of lightning, almost causing him to lose his footing.
After allowing the old master to indulge in his imaginative plight, Lu Yanbei finally spoke, his voice tinged with a melancholic tone. "I've seen many doctors. They say it's psychological. If I cooperate with the treatment, there might be a chance of improvement."
"What does this have to do with Susu?" The old master forced himself to calm down.
"Her destiny is very auspicious for a husband," Lu Yanbei fabricated a reason. "Look, since she married into our family, your health has improved. The Lu family has prospered, and our assets have doubled. And now, just as we filed for divorce, my body developed problems, and the company encountered trouble."
The older generation held a strong belief in Feng Shui.
This line of reasoning perfectly struck Old Master Lu's fancy.
Old Master Lu opened his mouth, lost in thought.
As Lu Yanbei said, ever since Su He married into the Lu family three years ago, the Lu family had enjoyed smooth sailing without any issues. A Taoist priest had once cast a divination for him, claiming Su He's destiny was propitious for the Lu family. He had been skeptical at first. But after the young girl became a bride of the Lu family, his illness indeed improved, and the company grew to become an object of admiration.
However, that brat Lu Jingyang didn't cherish her and insisted on a divorce. Now, his eldest grandson was hospitalized, and the company had lost hundreds of millions.
Indeed, one cannot afford to disregard the mysticism of fate.
Once Old Master Lu's mind made the connection, he no longer objected. However, Su He had just divorced Lu Jingyang and was to marry Lu Yanbei; people outside would undoubtedly gossip.
"Have you thought this through?" he asked.
Lu Yanbei gently smoothed his cufflinks, his demeanor calm. "Having finally found the medicine, I must try it."
"What about Su Su? Does she have any objections?" Old Master Lu felt something was amiss but couldn't quite pinpoint it.
"She hasn't agreed yet," Lu Yanbei replied, his gaze lowered, appearing somewhat troubled.
Old Master Lu suddenly chuckled. "I never imagined there would be anything in this world that could trouble you!"
Su Su, you're amazing!
"I plan to pursue her first," Lu Yanbei stated. "Since we are destined to be together, I'll do it in a way she can accept."
On this point, the old master was quite in agreement. "Su Su is a good girl. You'd better treat her well and not bully her."
Within half an hour, the old master had sided with Su He.
Lu Yanbei pursed his lips and remained silent.
*
Emerging from the study, Lu Yunting was already waiting in the living room.
"I have something to say to you," Lu Yunting said after a long gaze at his son.
Lu Yanbei glanced at his watch. "Ten minutes."
Lu Yunting choked slightly.
He understood his son's resolute nature.
Ten minutes it was, then, better than not getting a chance to speak at all.
"I plan to register my marriage with your Aunt Zhao," Lu Yunting managed to blurt out after much deliberation.
He furtively observed Lu Yanbei's expression, which remained utterly unperturbed.
"Whom you marry is your freedom," Lu Yanbei responded after a moment of silence.
Lu Yunting was slightly taken aback.
He hadn't expected Lu Yanbei to be so agreeable.
However, before he could feel pleased for even two seconds, Lu Yanbei's next words caused his expression to darken considerably. "However, after you get married, your entire family must move out. After all, this is my mother's home, and it's not appropriate to have outsiders living here."
The implication was clear: he could still consider Lu Yunting his father, allowing him to live here with his mistress and illegitimate son, treating them as mere additional servants.
But now, Lu Yunting intended to remarry, with other names to be added to the household registration. This would signify a severance of ties with the Lu family, and thus, they could no longer reside in the Lu family's villa.
Lu Yunting glared at Lu Yanbei, speechless for a long time.
"If there's nothing else, I have a board meeting to attend," Lu Yanbei said, not wanting to waste more time, and turned to leave.
"Lu Yanbei, how can you be so cold-blooded?" Lu Yunting spat out hatefully. "Your Aunt Zhao has looked after you for so many years; even a cat or dog would develop some affection. You..."
"She looked after me?" Lu Yanbei found himself amused. "My meals, clothing, housing, and transportation have all been managed by Li Ma. What has it got to do with Zhao Yafen?"
"Oh, I almost forgot. All these years, you've been using my mother's dowry to support other women and children. How do we settle that debt?"
Lu Yunting's aged face flushed crimson, his hand trembling with anger.
He never expected that such a cold and heartless person would be his own son!
"I've been more than polite to you all before," Lu Yanbei stated, his gaze chillingly sweeping over him. "Unfortunately, some people are insatiable. Not only do they freeload off the Lu family, but they also harbor ambitions of usurping the nest."
"Heh!" A cold sneer robbed Lu Yunting of all his dignity.
"I am your father, yet you speak to me like this?" Lu Yunting's face turned red and he choked with anger.
"You should be thankful that you are my father. Otherwise, I would have long ago thrown out all your disgusting ilk." Lu Yanbei then turned decisively, leaving Lu Yunting with a formidable and imposing back.
"You unfilial son!" Lu Yunting roared in frustration.
Zhao Yafen, hiding in the kitchen, clenched her fists in anger.
So, in his eyes, she was nothing. She had actually thought that by not objecting to them living here, Lu Yanbei had accepted the reality and acknowledged her as his stepmother. Little did she know what he truly thought.
For a moment, blood rushed to her head, and she felt an uncontrollable urge to scream.
In the living room, Lu Yunting, seemingly provoked, stomped back to his room to pack his luggage. Zhao Yafen, reacting a beat late, immediately followed to stop him.
"What are you doing?"
"I can't stand to stay here for another moment! I've endured humiliation in the Lu family for so many years, only to be treated with such disdain. What's the point of staying, waiting for them to laugh at us?" Lu Yunting stuffed clothes from his wardrobe into a suitcase, urging Zhao Yafen, "What are you waiting for? Hurry up and pack!"
"What he said was just him being angry. Why take it to heart?" Zhao Yafen's eyes darted about; with the marriage so close, she was unwilling to move out just like this.
"Didn't he not care before? We can register our marriage and just not make it public," Zhao Yafen's plan was quite cunning.
Lu Yunting was in a fit of rage and wouldn't listen to reason. "Even if he didn't kick us out, I wouldn't want to stay here anymore. Now, everyone only has eyes for Lu Yanbei. I, his father, am completely ignored. I've had enough of this humiliation!"
"You won't leave? Fine, I'll leave!" Once Lu Yunting's temper flared, no one could stop him.
"Where will we go after leaving the Lu family?" Zhao Yafen's eyelids twitched nervously, her heart filled with panic.
"Before we got married, the Lu family's betrothal gift included a house," Lu Yunting said.
Zhao Yafen furrowed her brows; he had never mentioned this to her. "But someone needs to tidy it up first. Can we live there as it is?"
"That house is being occupied by my sister's family. I'll call her and ask her to clear out a room for us."
Upon hearing this, Zhao Yafen felt a complete sense of dread.