Chapter 76: Parental Love; Half-Siblings?
Lu Xunye felt as if he had been struck by a bolt from the blue. He had considered the possibility that this body was an orphan being used by Lu Feng, but he had never imagined this outcome.
It took a long time for him to find his voice. “No… thatâs impossible.”
Jiang Qingran was the ex-wife of the Protagonist Gongâs father. How could she be his mother?
The cannon fodder and the Protagonist Gong were half-siblings?! This was simply too preposterous.
Lu Xunye truly could not believe it.
He was more inclined to believe it was a lie made up on the spot by the woman in front of him to trick him into talking. She surely knew that he had connections with the Lu and Si families, and perhaps even knew he had investigated their pasts.
Just as he was about to brush it off and force himself not to dwell on why the Protagonist Gongâs father would save him…
Ding!
[Hidden Plot “Death of the White Moonlight” progress +20%. Current unlock: 80%]
The sudden notification sound felt like a sharp object piercing his throat.
It left Lu Xunye feeling breathless and stung. He paused for a moment, his eyes turning a bloodshot red as he glared at the woman.
“The fire… you set that too. You aren’t myâ”
He choked for a second, starting over with a heart full of bitterness. “You had a grudge against Jiang Qingran. So, your target is me?”
Was Shen Yunqian just a decoy she used to lure him in?
Aunt Fu pinched his chin, forcing his face toward her.
“This face,” a dangerous glint flashed in her eyes, “is just like your early-dead mother’s. It truly is loathsome.”
“You aren’t stupid,” she squeezed his face, forcing him to look down into the bottomless abyss of the cliff. “Unfortunately, those who are too smart don’t live long.”
A wave of dizziness hit Lu Xunye. Seeing his rapid breathing and his eyes squeezed shut in resistance, Aunt Fu raised an eyebrow. Afraid of heights?
She let go and gave the bodyguards behind her a look.
Immediately, Lu Xunye was given a violent shove. A sudden explosion of weightlessness surged from his head to his toes.
After a brief moment of mental blankness, he opened his eyes. The cold wind howled up from the abyss, slapping against his face.
Below the cliff, clouds and mist swirled, making it look bottomless. The boundary between heaven and earth was blurred, resembling a boundless black hole threatening to swallow him whole. Lu Xunye panted violently.
Just before he could fall, his arms were jerked back. He was held a single step away from the cliffâs edge. With the slightest movement, the gravel beneath his feet tumbled down.
The veins on Lu Xunyeâs forehead bulged. For the first time, he truly felt like he was touching the edge of death. He realized that the other party didn’t seem to intend to kill him just yet.
But he was being driven to the brink of insanity. His voice cracked as he shouted, “What exactly do you want?!”
“Don’t be afraid. Youâre still useful to me.”
Aunt Fu covered her mouth and chuckled, her gentle mask firmly back in place.
“You poor child. If you hadn’t seen anything, or had at least pretended not to see, I could have continued playing along with you. But now, Iâm afraid youâll have to suffer a bit.”
Pity and disdain mingled in her eyes. “Didn’t you send a message? Let’s see how he plans to take you away.”
As she spoke, the distant wail of police sirens began to echo around the mountaintop. The womanâs expression shifted as she looked at Lu Xunye.
The group began to panic. The man holding the gun suddenly felt like the weapon was a red-hot iron, wishing he could just throw it off the cliff.
He savagely dragged Lu Xunye back from the edge, pressing the gun barrel against the back of his neck. “You brat, how did you call the police?”
Lu Xunye looked at Aunt Fu and gave a light scoff. “Who did you think I would call?”
Aunt Fuâs eyes burned with a raging fire. She stared at the face that looked so much like the person she hated most, her teeth grinding audibly.
Ultimately, she forced herself to swallow her fury, though her face turned a deep, stifled red.
“I suggest you behave,” she commanded the bodyguards. “Take him away.”
Nursing Home
The door to Room 108 was slowly pushed open. As footsteps approached, the person on the hospital bed remained leaning against the headboard with their back to the door, eyes still closed.
“I have nothing to say. Leave.”
“I am very sorry to disturb your rest. I truly have an urgent matter and wish to ask for your help.”
The speakerâs voice was clean and clear. Perhaps due to a hint of nervousness, it sounded particularly gentle.
Si Zheng opened his eyes and turned around. An ethereal-looking young man was standing by the bed.
Perhaps it was because the otherâs attitude was respectful and matched such a face. Or perhaps it was because Si Zheng was getting old and his temper had mellowed, making it easier for him to feel tolerant toward the younger generation.
Thus, he did not coldly drive the guest away. He simply stated the facts plainly: “If you are here because you heard of my identity, then as it stands, itâs quite clear I cannot help you.”
“Please leave.”
Seeing him about to turn away again, Shen Yunqian hurriedly said, “I know you were the one who saved Lu Xunye that night.”
The events of that banquet night had been well-concealed; he had only just found out. He had been skeptical at first, but seeing the injured man on the bed now, he believed it.
Even if all signs pointed to Lu Xunye having escaped on his own, what if?
Shen Yunqian was taking a gamble. How could the former head of the Si family, who had faked his death for over twenty years, not have a single trump card left? Even if he didn’t, Shen had nothing to lose.
And when it came to investigating things, the Si family was indeed powerful. It was only a matter of time.
“Are you from the Lu family?” Si Zheng lifted his eyelids, scrutinizing him. “Are you here to take me away? Aren’t you afraid of Si Jinyanâs wrath?”
Shen Yunqian shook his head. “I am not from the Lu family. You probably haven’t heard of my family.”
He gave a bitter smile, reached for the kettle on the table, and poured a cup of water. “I know itâs presumptuous to make a request so suddenly, but since youâve saved Lu Xunye once, I thought…”
He paused, offering the cup with both hands. “What reward could I offer to make you save him a second time?”
Si Zhengâs reaction was unexpectedly intense. He surged upward without warning, knocking the cup out of Shen Yunqianâs hand.
The cup shattered on the floor. Warm water splashed across the blanket and Shen Yunqianâs hands.
Even if it wasn’t boiling, it was hot enough that it was impossible to feel nothing. Shen Yunqianâs fingers curled slightly as the water hit the back of his hand, but he was more focused on something else.
He quickly pulled the blanket aside. “I’m sorry, I didn’t hold it steady. Iâ”
Before he could finish, his wrist was seized.
The middle-aged man looked frantic. In his disarray, his tone turned harsh: “What happened to him? Is he hurt? Tell me!”
Shen Yunqian was startled by the shouting, but he still answered truthfully, “Heâs missing. We can’t find him anywhere. The surveillance at the scene was under maintenance that day, and the police are stuck.”
The manâs eyes grew red with anxiety. He didn’t even stop to consider if it was true or if this stranger had an ulterior motive. “A phone. Give me a phone to use.”
Shen Yunqian quickly handed his phone over, and the man snatched it away.
Shen Yunqian watched as he made a call. He had intended to step out to give him some privacy, but before he could even move his feet, the man ended the call.
It was incredibly decisive and efficientâworthy of the man who had single-handedly built the Si Corporation into its peak.
But why would such a man treat Lu Xunye so differently? A relationship where one would risk their life didn’t seem like they had just met. Shen Yunqian was curious.
Shen Yunqian had never deliberately investigated Lu Xunyeâs affairs, but he knew enough about the otherâs social circle and past.
Only after hanging up did the man calm down enough to think about whether the youthâs words were true. He rubbed the bridge of his nose, equally curious about the relationship between this young man and Lu Xunye.
Seeing that the youthâs worry and pleading didn’t seem fake, the manâs tone softened. He probed, “You and Lu Xunye are…?”
“…” This question was truly piercing. Shen Yunqian didn’t know how to answer without making a mistake.
He lowered his gaze, subconsciously touching the bracelet on his wrist as if trying to gain some courage. But the relationship he spoke of was: “…Friends.”
Following his movement, Si Zhengâs gaze landed on his wrist.
It was that very braceletâthe one he had made with his own hands years ago, the one that looked so ordinary among the pile of expensive jewelry he had bought for his wife.
Perhaps because the style was nice and suited her tastes, Jiang Qingran hadn’t looked down on it. She had simply worn it occasionally, never knowing that he had polished it himself.
One side had been obsessively self-deluded, considering it a token of their love.
The other side simply hadn’t wanted to have too much to do with him, yet being pestered incessantly, she had picked the one that seemed the cheapest.
The man had never revealed the truth. After all, if Jiang Qingran had known, she likely would have flushed it down the toilet in disgust.
She had been forced into marriage by Si Zheng using his power. The one she had admired in her youth was actually her foster brother, Lu Feng.
Outsiders only knew that the Lu family had trained Jiang Qingran in medicine from a young age, that she had returned for high school and then gone abroad again. In reality, it was because the Lu couple had discovered the ambiguous feelings between their son and their foster daughter.
To save face, they had no choice but to send Jiang Qingran abroad again. Si Zheng had attended the same high school as them and had fallen in love with Jiang Qingran at first sight, but she had never liked him.
The young and arrogant Si Zheng had defied his familyâs wishes and followed her abroad, enrolling in the same finance college. Later, he had made a series of decisions that he would come to regret.
The moment he recognized the bracelet, the manâs cloudy pupils suddenly dilated.
He tried his best to steady his voice. “I quite like that bracelet of yours. Could you… let me see it?”
The man had just agreed to help find Lu Xunye and hadn’t made any excessive demands. Without much thought, Shen Yunqian agreed, unfastened the bracelet, and presented it with both hands.
Si Zheng took it carefully. After confirming it was indeed that one, his gaze softened as he looked at the youth again. “Do you have a very good relationship with Lu Xunye? Did he give this to you?”
Shen Yunqian suppressed his confusion and gave an ambiguous answer to one of the questions: “He gave it to me.”
Si Zheng didn’t ask further. He handed the item back. “I heard he didn’t have many friends, only being close to the boy from the Feng family. What is your name?”
Shen Yunqianâs hand tightened slightly, his thumb pressing against his index finger. “Shen Yunqian.”
This feeling of being interrogated about his background made him feel like he was perhaps overthinking things.
Si Zheng said nothing after hearing the name. Instead, he asked with a smile, “If I hadn’t agreed to your request, what bargaining chip did you plan to use to make me say yes?”
Shen Yunqian: “Everything within my power.”
Suddenly, there was a commotion in the hallway outside. The sound of hurried footsteps was accompanied by a loud shout.
“Out of the way!”
“President Si, please slow down.”
Shen Yunqian looked around, but there was nowhere to hide.
Fortunately, this was the first floor. Finally, his attention landed on the half-open window.
He exchanged a look with the man on the bed and said apologetically, “I might have caused you trouble. Iâll take my leave first.”
Given Si Jinyanâs temperament, Si Zhengâs current situation was likely difficult. It was better to avoid adding more trouble. In any case, they were father and son; it wasn’t appropriate for an outsider like himself to appear.
He made up his mind quickly, but the veteran Si Zheng had already anticipated his thoughts and stopped him.
“Where are you going? You don’t need to leave.” The manâs voice turned heavy. “Iâm not dead yet. He can’t turn the world upside down.”
In the blink of an eye, the door was kicked open. Si Jinyan burst in, fuming, but froze when he saw Shen Yunqian. “It’s you?”
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