Lu Yinghan had been prepared for He Shu’s loud accusation.
But experiencing it once again still brought a pang of pain to her heart.
The person questioning her like this was her own biological mother.
Everyone was startled by He Shu’s harsh reprimand.
Even Lu Xuanyao, held in He Shu’s arms, stopped crying. She sniffled softly, peering cautiously at Lu Yinghan.
She knew she had done something wrong, and now her sister was getting scolded by Mommy again.
Lu Yinghan didn't show her usual anxious, aggrieved expression. She simply clutched her workbook behind her back, quietly watching He Shu and Lu Yue.
He Shu’s chest heaved with heavy, agitated breaths.
Only when she had mostly calmed down and Lu Xuanyao had stopped crying did Lu Yinghan speak up coldly.
“Yaoyao wanted to take my workbook. It has to be turned in tomorrow, so I took it back.”
Her flat explanation echoed through the hallway, making the two men who had just arrived freeze, their expressions turning unsightly.
“Homework?? You went to school?”
He Shu’s anger instantly evaporated, replaced by such shock that her tone pitched upward.
Lu Yinghan’s calm demeanor confirmed it—she really had gone to school.
For a moment, He Shu was lost for words.
If that was truly the case, then Yaoyao was indeed in the wrong...
Looking down at Lu Xuanyao in her arms, whose eyes were still red, He Shu’s heart flooded with distress for her younger daughter.
Yet she couldn't bring herself to blame Lu Yinghan either.
Both were her daughters.
She had been completely unaware that Lu Yinghan had started school, yet she had just yelled at her like that...
“If your little sister wanted your workbook, couldn't you just let her look at it for a moment? Is this the only workbook you have? Why make her cry? Don't you know your sister is in frail health?”
Just because He Shu felt guilty didn't mean Lu Yue did.
He furrowed his brow, looking at Lu Yinghan in irritation.
Lu Yinghan finally shifted her gaze to her second older brother.
His fluffy black hair curled slightly, and his charismatic phoenix eyes narrowed, pressing down on Lu Yinghan with intense hostility.
Clicking his tongue in distaste, he turned to Lu Xuanyao in He Shu’s arms, his expression transforming instantly into doting tenderness as he asked, “Yaoyao, tell Yue-gege, do you still want the workbook?”
Lu Xuanyao glanced uncertainly at Lu Yinghan, hesitation flashing in her eyes.
The tense atmosphere told her that nodding right now wasn't a good idea.
She was young, but she wasn't stupid.
Sensitive to her surroundings, she looked back and forth between Lu Yue and Lu Yinghan.
Lu Yue uncrossed his arms and walked straight over to Lu Yinghan.
“Hand it over. Let your sister take a look at your homework.”
“I won't have enough time to finish my homework...”
Before Lu Yinghan could even finish speaking, Lu Yue impatiently reached behind her to snatch the workbook away.
Shocked, Lu Yinghan instinctively pulled the workbook back toward her chest with all her strength.
She really wouldn't finish in time!!
Riiip!
The opposing forces tore several pages of the workbook to shreds...
Lu Yinghan’s hands trembled as she struggled to suppress the anger surging inside her.
She looked up at Lu Jiansen and Lu Xiong, who had been watching from behind.
“Eldest Brother, you told me yesterday not to bring shame upon the Lu family. I’ve been working hard on my homework all evening. Yaoyao came in and tried to take my workbook away. If I can't complete my homework, should I understand this to mean that whenever my sister wants something related to my studies in the future, I must give it to her unconditionally? Regardless of what negative consequences it brings me at school? Does that mean I can bring shame upon the Lu family whenever I want?”
Lu Yue’s hot temper flared immediately.
“What does this have to do with Yaoyao? You can't even let her look at it? Lu Yinghan, you—”
“Lu Yue.”
Lu Jiansen’s deep voice came from behind, his sharp glare warning Lu Yue that he was out of line.
“Yinghan started attending the international elite elementary school yesterday. Father and I decided this on short notice, so we didn't inform you in time. From today on, if Yaoyao wants something, just buy an identical set for her. Yinghan does need to focus on her schoolwork right now.”
Lu Jiansen’s magnetic voice echoed down the hallway.
He had a pleasant voice, but right now, Lu Yinghan didn't find it pleasant at all—in fact, it grated on her ears.
After finishing her words, she stepped forward and knelt on the floor, picking up the torn pieces of her workbook one by one.
Not a single person stepped forward to help her.
She was completely alone amidst the mess.
Yet she kept her back straight, refusing to bend or yield to them.
An awkward silence fell over the hallway for a moment.
He Shu’s heart beat rapidly.
Watching Lu Yinghan kneeling on the floor gathering the papers, He Shu stepped forward and called out softly, her voice raspy, “Yingying...”
Lu Yinghan’s hands paused briefly before she slowly looked up at He Shu.
It was just a glance before she immediately lowered her head to keep picking up the papers.
He Shu felt a heavy strike to her heart the moment she met Lu Yinghan’s eyes.
Deep within those dark pupils, there was no trace of her reflection anymore.
There were no tears, no desperate pleas that it wasn't her fault like before.
Nor was there a weak, quiet voice promising she would be more careful next time.
Today’s Lu Yinghan was so unfamiliar that it terrified He Shu.
She shut her mouth and remained silent, her eyes fixed intently on Lu Yinghan.
Watching her finish gathering the scraps, bow slightly to them, and turn around to leave without looking back, He Shu finally let out a long breath. She walked straight up to Lu Xiong.
“When did you arrange a school for her? Why didn't you tell me right away?! If you had told me, I wouldn't have scolded her tonight!”
He Shu felt deeply troubled over having yelled at Lu Yinghan just now.
More than guilt, she felt a strong sense of remorse and shame.
Her tone grew harsher as she questioned Lu Xiong.
“Honey, don't be mad... I’ve just been so busy these past couple of days that I forgot to tell you!”
Lu Xiong rubbed his nose—a clear sign of a guilty conscience.
On the day Lu Jiansen took Lu Yinghan to school, he felt he had made amends to Lu Yinghan, so his lingering discomfort vanished instantly.
Afterward, he forgot all about it and went off to play with Lu Xuanyao.
Lu Xiong had forgotten, but what about Lu Jiansen, who had personally taken Lu Yinghan to school?
He Shu looked over at Lu Jiansen, only to see her proud eldest son standing there in silence, his head bowed low.
He had forgotten as well...
Because back then, he was only thinking about what toys to buy for Lu Xuanyao.
The atmosphere in the hallway plummeted to rock bottom.
Lu Yue glanced at the spot where he had just argued with Lu Yinghan, where tiny scraps of paper still remained.
He pursed his lips, a flash of something flickering in his eyes.
“I’m heading back to my room.”
Speaking up first, Lu Yue patted Lu Xuanyao’s head and went back to his room to rest.
Knowing she was in the wrong, He Shu’s mind was filled with images of how she had scolded Lu Yinghan without even asking for the truth, as well as the look in Lu Yinghan’s eyes when she turned to face her—that icy, bone-chilling glare...
Goosebumps rushed from the soles of her feet all the way to the top of her head. He Shu held Lu Xuanyao tighter, recalling the heart palpitations she had felt a few days ago.
Her eyes slowly widened...
Rate on N.U.
