Everyone in the room was stunned by Lu Yanchen's words. It was well-known that Lu Yanchen had always been estranged from the Lu family, especially due to his mother's past. For many years, he had lived abroad, harboring resentment toward Old Master Lu, and had no desire to be involved with the family at all. As an illegitimate child, he was looked down upon, and no one in the Lu family thought highly of him, especially fearing he might return to claim the family fortune.
However, this time, unexpectedly, he was insisting on taking over the Lu family business.
Lu Father's face turned dark. He immediately reprimanded, "Take over? Who do you think you are? The Lu family is not for you to control."
Lu Yanchen's response was cold. "Whether I can take control or not isn't up to you. From today, I'll be staying in the Lu family."
He turned to Old Master Lu and asked, "Father, what do you say?"
In the past, I had always thought that Old Master Lu viewed him as a stain on the family and didn't like him. But when Lu Yanchen addressed him as "Father," I clearly saw tears welling up in Old Master Lu's eyes.
This wasn't the look of a father who hated his child.
"Housekeeper, prepare a room for the young master," Old Master Lu ordered with a wave of his hand. The housekeeper rushed off to do as instructed, fearing that Lu Yanchen might change his mind.
Lu Father, clearly displeased with the decision, immediately voiced his objections. "Father, this is too hasty..."
"Shut up," Old Master Lu snapped, glaring at him. "He is your younger brother. What's wrong with that? Look at what you've done. All you've brought is shame, and yet you have the nerve to speak?"
Old Master Lu's fury was evident as he mentioned Lu Shiyan. "I saw the online gossip. They're calling Wen girl a fraud, a fake, and insulting her. Are you just going to stand by while they speak ill of your wife?"
Lu Shiyan, feeling his father's anger, quickly tried to explain, "Grandfather, Su Wen has always been reckless. She disappeared without a word and went to Cloud City. I want to teach her a lesson."
Old Master Lu, enraged, raised his whip again. "You have the gall to say that? If you hadn't run away on the wedding day, would she have had to go to Cloud City? Have you forgotten what happened back then when the Lu family's financial crisis hit? If not for Su Wen begging Old Su to intervene, how could the Lu family have survived?"
With a heavy hand, he struck Lu Shiyan again. "You ungrateful bastard! I should have beaten you to death."
"Dad, if you injure him further, how can he go to Cloud City to bring her back?" Lu Father quickly intervened, pleading with Old Master Lu to stop.
"Besides, Su Wen cares about him the most. If she sees him injured, she'll be devastated," Lu Father added.
Old Master Lu, still fuming, reluctantly dropped the whip. "You useless fool. Go bring my granddaughter-in-law back now!"
With that, he turned and left, taking Lu Yanchen with him, not wanting to look at Lu Shiyan for another second.
Lu Yanchen didn't even bother to respond. He simply gave a cold "Mm."
Lu Father, filled with regret, looked at his son's injured back. "Old Master went too far. Housekeeper, call the family doctor immediately."
Lu Shiyan's mind was in turmoil. He couldn't help but think of how close his family had come to ruin, how much they had relied on Su Wen back then, and how everything had come crashing down since.
He was now left alone, thinking of how everything had spiraled out of control. Despite what had happened between him and Su Wen, he knew one thing was certain—he needed to bring her back. He dialed the assistant's number, his mind already made up.
"Get me a plane ticket for Cloud City first thing tomorrow morning."
"Understood, Mr. Lu," the assistant replied.
"And remove all the trending topics about Su Wen," Lu Shiyan added.
The assistant hesitated for a moment before responding, "Do you also want to take down the trending topics about Miss Su Ning'an?"
Lu Shiyan, agitated, snapped, "Do you think Su Ning'an's reputation is more important than my wife's?"
The assistant, startled by his outburst, quickly stammered, "No, I just..."
Lu Shiyan cut him off, his anger palpable. "If I hear this again, pack your things and leave."
He slammed the phone down, his mind wandering. He wasn't even sure what he was thinking anymore. Had he really treated Su Wen that badly?
After a moment of reflection, he dialed her number again, but it was still off.
He muttered under his breath, frustration seeping through, "Such a temper. She's really nothing compared to Su Ning'an, is she?"
If he had heard these words a few months ago, they might have stung, but now... after everything, he had grown numb. The only thing he hoped for now was that, somehow, in Cloud City, someone would discover the truth—that Su Wen was no longer alive.
As he pondered this, his phone rang again, and the assistant's voice came through carefully.
"Mr. Lu, the trip to Cloud City has been arranged. However, the trending topics have already been taken down."
"Taken down? Who did this?" Lu Shiyan's voice darkened.
"I asked around. It was someone from the Lu family. In such a short time, they wiped everything off the platforms. No trace left. Apparently, it cost five million in PR fees. Only Old Master Lu or someone close to him could have done that," the assistant explained.
Lu Shiyan's heart sank. There was only one person in the Lu family with that much influence.
Could it be him?
Was it Old Master Lu? Or someone else? His mind raced, full of questions, and the answer felt just out of reach.