A brief separation makes the heart grow fonder.
Su He woke up the next day only when the sun was high in the sky.
Lu Yanbei slept until the afternoon, and was exceptionally patient that night. He indulged in every possible intimate act, and his varied methods left Su He feeling utterly drained, almost as if she had lost half her life.
Men who had been hungry for days were terrifying.
By the time Su He realized this, she was too exhausted to even move her fingers, and could only let him have his way.
The next day, Su He slept until noon before getting up. However, the man beside her had already been busy in the study for a long time.
Su He sat in bed for a long time before finally dragging her sore and weak legs to the bathroom.
On the weekend, after lunch, the couple, as planned, returned to the old house to visit Grandpa Lu. Before they even entered the house, they heard a heated argument coming from the living room.
"Dad, I'm truly at my wit's end! Just help me this once!"
It was He Yunting.
Su He and Lu Yanbei exchanged a look, and Lu Yanbei's expression immediately turned grim.
"Haven't I cleaned up enough of your messes over the years? As long as it didn't involve the Lu family's interests, I turned a blind eye. What more do you want from me?"
"Xi Yan has been gone for so many years, and you've found another woman. As your father-in-law, I've already done my utmost!"
"Dad, I'm begging you! If I can't repay the money, I'll lose my life! Yanbei has already lost his mother; he can't lose his father too!"
"If you knew this would happen, why did you do it in the first place? If you hadn't gambled, would you have accumulated so much debt?"
Grandpa Lu was about to be angered to death.
This useless fellow!
Back then, he shouldn't have been soft-hearted and married his only daughter to such a good-for-nothing.
"Grandpa!" Seeing Grandpa clutching his chest, Su He quickly stepped forward to support him.
When He Yunting saw Lu Yanbei behind her, he instinctively flinched. But at this moment, he couldn't afford to be afraid. After all, compared to the loan sharks, being scolded by Lu Yanbei was at most just a few words, harmless.
"Yanbei, save me!" He Yunting put on a pitiable expression, almost kneeling before Lu Yanbei.
"What is it this time?" Lu Yanbei asked, his face cold.
"I, I just wanted to try my luck... You know, I don't have a knack for business, and now I have a whole family to support. That little bit of living expenses is just not enough..."
"So, you went gambling?" Lu Yanbei sneered.
"I, I was also forced into it..." Even now, He Yunting remained unrepentant and still tried to defend himself. "At first, I was really lucky and won a lot of money. Later, they set a trap for me..."
How could Lu Yanbei believe such nonsense?
He looked at the man who called himself his father with icy eyes, as if looking at a stranger, devoid of any warmth.
"You really think of yourself as a god of gambling!" Lu Yanbei reprimanded him coldly.
"I..." He Yunting was startled by his gaze and lowered his head guiltily. "I know I was wrong... I won't dare to do it again... Just help me this once, only this once!"
"You said the same thing last time, didn't you?" Lu Yanbei interrupted him.
"If you don't help me, I'll have nowhere to go but death! Yanbei, I'm your father, are you going to watch me get chopped to death by those people?" He Yunting sobbed, trying to soften Lu Yanbei's heart this way.
Unfortunately, Lu Yanbei was not Lu Jingyang; a few tears from him wouldn't make him pliable.
"This is a society governed by law; they wouldn't dare to kill someone casually. You incurred these debts yourself, so you should repay them. Don't think about getting something for nothing." Lu Yanbei's words effectively cut off his lifeline. "Also, don't ever come to the Lu residence again to disturb Grandpa's peace. Otherwise, I will make you return every single penny you've taken from the Lu family over the years!"
"If you don't believe me, you can try."
Faced with Lu Yanbei's threat, He Yunting was too scared to speak. But thinking of the menacing debt collectors, he somehow found the courage and fell to his knees before Lu Yanbei. "I wouldn't have come here unless I had no other choice. I truly have no way out... They said if I don't repay the money on time, they'll chop off one of my hands..."
"Yanbei, for the sake of our father-son relationship, please save me... Without my hand, how will I live in the future..."
He Yunting was determined to pester Lu Yanbei until he agreed to help.
But Lu Yanbei was not about to comply with his wishes so easily.
He pried He Yunting's fingers off him and pushed him away mercilessly. "You incurred these debts yourself, so you should repay them! Don't you have a house? You can mortgage it to them. It should be enough!"
"How can that be! That's my only fallback!" Upon mentioning the house, He Yunting immediately became agitated.
"When you went gambling, didn't you think about a fallback?" Lu Yanbei retorted with cold sarcasm. He had seen many people like this. They only knew how to evade, never finding the reason within themselves.
Having said this much, Lu Yanbei felt he had already given him enough face. "Butler, call security."
He didn't want to see this man anymore.
Seeing that Lu Yanbei was about to have him thrown out, He Yunting panicked. He crawled on his knees to Lu Yanbei and clung tightly to his leg. "Yanbei, I am your father, you can't just abandon me!"
"Just this once, I promise I'll be good from now on and won't cause you any more trouble..."
"Do you think I'll believe you again?" Lu Yanbei laughed in anger. "I'm tired of hearing these words, and you must be tired of saying them! He Yunting, you're almost sixty years old, why are you still so naive?"
Lu Yanbei was truly disappointed in him.
Other people's fathers were the pillars of their families, strong support systems providing shelter for their loved ones. Him? He had never experienced paternal love since he was a child; he had even been dragged down by him and constantly had to clean up his messes.
Lu Yanbei was truly exhausted.
The butler had long since had enough of this man and immediately called for security. "Get him out of here quickly!"
Su He brought water and helped the old man take his heart medication, finally stabilizing his condition.
This He Yunting is truly detestable!
Su He cursed him in her heart.
Although he was her nominal father-in-law, his actions were far from what a father should do.
Su He genuinely felt for Lu Yanbei.
Outside, He Yunting, being escorted away by security, was still shouting, which was incredibly annoying.
To prevent a recurrence, Lu Yanbei contacted property management. From now on, He Yunting was not to be allowed entry. Furthermore, he instructed Lu Jingyang not to help him repay his debts.
"Adults must take responsibility for their actions!" These were Lu Yanbei's exact words.
Lu Jingyang had initially planned to privately borrow money for He Yunting, but after Lu Yanbei's words, he immediately stopped any such thoughts.
Because he knew that his elder brother was truly angry.
If he dared to help He Yunting, knowing Lu Yanbei as he did, he might even be disowned by his brother.
"I understand," Lu Jingyang gritted out his reply.
He Yunting did go to Lu Jingyang afterwards, crying profusely, but Lu Jingyang's resolve finally hardened, and he refused his request.
This caused He Yunting to curse him as an unfilial son.
Later, it was heard that He Yunting had to sell his house to repay his gambling debts.
Because He Yunting did not want to die. However, from that day on, he completely hated Lu Yanbei. He blamed Lu Yanbei for his unhappy life.