Chapter 106: Chapter 106: Severed Ties
They finally reached Madam Xu’s lounge, where Lu Shi gestured for her brother to step inside.
Lu Jiang entered first, then lowered himself onto one of the sofas. He didn’t speak at once. He simply sat there, eyes fixed on his sister, who lingered in the corner, wringing her hands nervously.
Lu Shi swallowed hard. The silence between them was suffocating. She had never seen her brother like this. He was too silent, and she didn’t know what to expect.
"Brother..." she called tentatively.
All she got in response was his silence. His gaze which was fixated on her was stormy and disappointing.
Finally, Lu Jiang’s voice cut through the silence. His voice was steady and firm.
"Lu Shi, when we were children, did I ever treat you poorly? Was I ever cruel to you?"
Her lips parted, then closed again. She shook her head quickly. "No, Brother. Never."
"Then why?" His voice sharpened, filled with restrained fury. "Why did you take my daughter away from me? Why did you keep her hidden, let her grow up in a family where she was mistreated? Why did you separate a child from her father—for more than twenty years?"
His words struck like lashes causing her to turn pale. Lu Shi stumbled backward, hitting the edge of a low table. Her throat tightened, but before she could retreat further, Lu Jiang’s hand shot out and gripped her arm tightly.
"Tell me!" he demanded. His eyes burned red with suppressed rage. "Why did you do it? What did you gain from destroying her childhood? From breaking my family?"
"B–Brother, it hurts," she whimpered, trying to pry his fingers off.
"Did you think of her pain when she begged for mercy? Did you think of mine, when you stole my child?" His grip only tightened. "Why should I care about your pain now?"
Lu Shi trembled. This was not the elder brother who had once shielded her from bullies, who had carried her on his back when she was too tired to walk. This man before her was terrifying. He was ferocious and unrelenting.
"I–I..." her lips quivered, and finally, she screamed, "Because I hated Lu Ting.
Lu Jiang froze. His grip loosened, his arm falling to his side as if drained of strength.
Lu Shi, seeing the disbelief in his eyes, suddenly felt a twisted courage. Her chest heaved as she straightened her back, defiance filling her voice .
"Yes, you heard me right. I hated her. Ever since you married her, she took all your attention. I became invisible and forgotten. She ruined my happiness, so why shouldn’t I ruin hers?"
Her lips curved into a bitter smile. "What better way than to take her daughter? Without the little princess, didn’t she live in misery for decades? Didn’t she suffer, just as I suffered?"
"Lu Shi..." Lu Jiang staggered back a step, as if struck by lightning. His entire body trembled, his face contorted with disbelief. He couldn’t believe that this was the darling sister he always protected.
"When you plotted all this," he breathed, "did it never occur to you that I too would bleed? That I too would lose?"
Lu Shi’s eyes flickered, but she remained silent, choosing her pride over remorse. She was after all not the mastermind—she was only following orders.
Lu Jiang raised a trembling finger, pointing at her, but words failed him. He stood there for several seconds, breathing hard, before his expression finally hardened into ice.
"From this moment," he declared, voice ringing with finality, "I, Lu Jiang, sever all ties with you. You are no sister of mine. From today, I have no sibling by the name of Lu Shi."
The words cut deeper than any blade, stabbing her right in her chest.
Lu Shi’s eyes widened in horror. She had imagined many outcomes—anger, punishment, perhaps even forgiveness after tears. But not this. She didn’t expect this.
She dropped to her knees, clutching his hands desperately. Tears streamed down her face. "Brother, no—you can’t. I’m your only sister, the only family you have left. Please, don’t say that. Don’t abandon me."
He shook her off, his expression chilly. "I have no sister who would harm my child. No sister who would betray me for jealousy."
Her sobs echoed in the lounge, but Lu Jiang didn’t waver. With one last glance—filled with grief but devoid of mercy, he turned and strode out, leaving her crumpled on the floor.
Lu Shi’s shoulders shook violently as she watched him disappear. Her tears blurred her vision, her cries raw and broken. She had lost the only family who could take a bullet for her.
For the first time, doubt gnawed at her heart. Had she been right to aid that mysterious lady all those years ago? Was vengeance worth this emptiness?
The door creaked open. Xu Yuelan slipped in, her expression dark. She had seen her uncle leave with a thunderous look and now found her mother collapsed on the floor.
"Mom!" she rushed forward, helping Lu Shi up. "What happened? Did Uncle bully you? Should I tell Dad, so he warns him not to overstep?"
Lu Shi quickly shook her head, wiping at her face. "No, no. He didn’t bully me. We... had a misunderstanding, that’s all. Sibling quarrels. It will be solved in time."
Xu Yuelan frowned. She didn’t believe her, but she didn’t press further. She had other matters to attend to.
Instead, her lips tightened as she muttered bitterly, "Mom, that girl called Lu Ning embarrassed me today. She humiliated me."
Lu Shi’s brows drew together. "What do you mean?"
Xu Yuelan exhaled shakily and recounted the confrontation in the garden—how Yue Ning had mocked her, threatened her, and dismissed her as nothing but an ex-fiancée.
Her mother listened in silence, her already worn heart sinking further.
"Yuelan," she said at last, her voice hoarse from crying, "I think it would be best if you stay away from her. She is your uncle’s daughter. Don’t make things harder."
But Xu Yuelan’s eyes burned with an unyielding obsession. "I can’t just stay away. She married Huo Feng, Mom. You know how much I love him. I can’t accept it."
Lu Shi grasped her daughter’s hands tightly, desperation in her tone. "Stop this willfulness. Young Master Huo has no feelings for you—not even the smallest shred. You will only break yourself against him. Forget him. I will introduce you to good families. You can choose someone who truly loves you."
But Xu Yuelan shook her head in disapproval, her lips curving into a thin, determined smile. She lowered her gaze so her mother wouldn’t see the dangerous glint in her eyes.
"I don’t want anyone else," she whispered. "If Huo Feng doesn’t love me now, I’ll make him love me. One way or another."