Chapter 2: The Pool Confrontation

“Madam, sir! Something terrible has happened—Young Master Lu Shi and the Fang family’s young master have fallen into the outdoor swimming pool!”

The servant from the yard rushed into the villa frantically, as if they had all been blind when Lu Shi was pushed in moments ago.

It was already October. The night temperature in the capital was low, and the water in the pool was bitingly cold.

Hearing the commotion, everyone inside the villa came out to watch. The Chen family hurried over and saw Lu Shi hauling the Fang family’s young master out of the water like a drowned dog and throwing him onto the ground.

The boy’s face was drained of blood, soaking wet from head to toe. The hairstyle he had specially done for tonight was ruined, his hair plastered over his eyes like a pot lid.

“Lu Shi! What do you think you’re doing?!”

A reprimand laced with suppressed anger came from behind.

Lu Shi turned around. It was his biological father, Chen Qiming, and beside him was his mother, Zhu Wanqing, her hand covering her mouth in shock.

Eighteen-year-old Lu Shi hadn’t started working out yet, so his figure was very lean. He was an Omega, and on top of that, he hadn’t had a proper meal in years. His wet clothes clung to him, clearly outlining his protruding shoulder blades.

“Taking someone down with me,” Lu Shi said, lifting his head in front of everyone. “He tried to drown me, so I’m taking him down with me.”

“What nonsense are you talking?! You fell in yourself—don’t slander me!” The boy on the ground struggled to stand up, and a servant hurried over with a dry towel, draping it over his shoulders.

“Want to check the surveillance footage? There’s one over there.”

Lu Shi tilted his chin toward a very hidden camera near the outdoor pool.

The boy clutched the towel, his lips trembling.

‘Hasn’t Lu Shi only been back for a month? How does he know the Chen residence so well? I’ve visited so many times and never knew there was a camera there. And why is this kid fighting back today?!’

At that moment, Chen Youxuan stepped forward. “My friend wouldn’t push someone on purpose. It must have been an accident.”

Chen Youxuan was wearing a custom-tailored white suit, standing beside Chen Qiming and Zhu Wanqing, appearing particularly well-behaved and noble.

His voice was soft. “Brother, don’t be mad at my friend. I apologize to you on his behalf.”

Lu Shi’s hands, hanging by his sides, gradually clenched. The smug voice from the phone before the car accident overlapped with the voice he was hearing now.

Lu Shi let out a cold laugh. “Fine. Then go ahead.”

Chen Youxuan was taken aback. “What?”

“Didn’t you say you wanted to apologize for him? Since you two are so close, just say ‘Dad, I was wrong’ three times, loud and clear,” Lu Shi said lazily.

Chen Youxuan’s smile froze. He had only been making a polite gesture to help his friend out of trouble. Since when had the always submissive Lu Shi become so demanding?

Chen Youxuan was left in an awkward spot, unable to back down gracefully.

Chen Qiming barked, “Lu Shi, this is your brother! Whatever it is, we’ll discuss it behind closed doors. Don’t make a scene in front of so many guests! Listen to yourself—are those words fit for a brother?”

“Brother?” Lu Shi wiped the water dripping from his hair onto his eyelids and met Chen Qiming’s gaze coldly. “I don’t recognize him. We don’t even share the same surname. What right do you have to call him my brother?”

Chen Qiming’s face suddenly turned pale. Only then did he realize that Lu Shi still carried the surname Lu.

They had been busy these past days—dealing with Lu Shi’s adoptive parents’ affairs, suppressing the media to protect the company’s stock, and preparing Chen Youxuan’s eighteenth birthday banquet and gifts. They had completely forgotten to change the surname of the son they had brought back.

Besides, Lu Shi himself hadn’t mentioned it, and they had all gotten used to calling him Lu Shi.

Whispers arose all around.

“How can this be? Did they forget, or was it intentional?”

“I thought the Chen family was quite honorable for not sending away the child who was swapped at birth, but it turns out they haven’t even changed their own son’s surname.”

“I bet they’re ashamed of their real son and don’t want him to reclaim his heritage.”

The guests were eager to see the drama, and the gossip grew louder, with exaggerations becoming increasingly serious.

Chen Qiming cleared his throat, the tension in his face easing slightly. “I’ve been too busy lately and overlooked you. That was my oversight.”

He strode forward, hesitated for a moment as he raised his hand, then placed it on Lu Shi’s shoulder and patted it. “Today is your and Youxuan’s birthday. We’ll cut the birthday cake together soon. After the banquet, whatever you want, we’ll make it up to you.”

Chen Qiming put on the image of a loving father, confident in his approach.

In his eyes, Lu Shi was just a child throwing a tantrum, someone from a small town who had never seen the world. He could easily placate him with a few small gifts.

But Lu Shi merely held Chen Qiming’s gaze for two seconds, then raised his hand and brushed Chen Qiming’s hand off his shoulder.

“I’ll skip the cake. I’m allergic to mangoes. I’m going to change clothes and go to sleep.”

Lu Shi paused, then reached out to a figure standing nearby.

“Steward Liu, where’s my towel?”

Steward Liu was startled. This was the first time since Young Master Lu Shi had returned that he had spoken to him in such a tone.

It wasn’t a very commanding order, but it felt very familiar and natural, making one instinctively want to obey.

Steward Liu quickly instructed a servant to bring a dry towel. As he draped it over Lu Shi, he discreetly observed him.

‘Household servants are experts at reading the room and adapting. Previously, Young Master Lu Shi always looked at people cautiously and warily, doing everything himself and never giving orders. The servants even secretly mocked him for lacking the demeanor of a young master. How has his temperament changed so suddenly?’

Lu Shi wrapped himself in the towel, and the sting of the cold wind gnawing at his bones eased a bit.

Chen Qiming hadn’t expected Lu Shi to show him, his biological father, no respect. But with so many guests present, he couldn’t say anything. He could only stand there, his face as dark as the bottom of a pot.

Lu Shi didn’t bother with the others anymore. Holding the towel, he walked toward the villa. The crowd of onlookers parted to make way for him.

He was exhausted—half physically, half mentally.

The shadow of the car accident still lingered, and the psychological effect made him feel like his whole body was aching.

The Chen residence was large. As he turned a corner down the corridor, the noise gradually faded.

Lu Shi’s head was groggy, and his steps were much heavier than usual.

In his previous life, after being pushed into the water, even though he had changed clothes promptly, he had developed a high fever the next day. This time, standing outside in the wind arguing with those people for so long, it would probably be even worse.

At the entrance, a servant who had been waiting outside the yard bowed respectfully to a tardy young man. “Young Master Shen, the banquet has already started. Please follow me.”

He then gestured with both hands, slightly bowing as he led the way.

The young man was about twenty years old. He wore a well-tailored suit that accentuated his broad shoulders and narrow waist. He was tall, with a cold aura, and followed the servant with long strides, his leather shoes making crisp sounds on the spotless reflective floor tiles.

Lu Shi happened to pass by the entrance on his way back to his room. He glanced vaguely at the man, and as they brushed past each other, he caught a faint, pleasant scent of cologne.

Chen Qiming’s social circle was very wide, and there were many guests this time. The young man looked somewhat unfamiliar.

Lu Shi couldn’t remember who he was, so he cleared his mind and headed upstairs.

But just as his foot hit the first step—

“Thud!”

His vision suddenly went black, and he collapsed straight down.

Lu Shi frowned in discomfort and let out a hot breath.

‘Damn…’

‘No strength left.’

Perhaps because of his rebirth, Lu Shi felt that his body was particularly weak today.

In a daze, he heard the sound of leather shoes stop.

Then the servant’s puzzled voice came, as if asking, “Young Master Shen, what’s wrong?”

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