Chapter 8: Lu Shi’s Counterattack

The maid dragged her words, apologizing without a hint of sincerity.

But the moment she finished speaking—

“Ah—!”

The hot tea she had just poured was lifted by someone, and with a flick of the wrist, it splashed all over her.

Even through her clothes, she could feel the scalding temperature, and as her hand still held the teapot, the boiling liquid splashed onto her hand. The sting made her let go instinctively.

“Crack!”

The ceramic teapot shattered on the floor, pieces scattering everywhere.

Lu Shi set down his cup and looked up at the startled maid. “Sorry, the cup was too hot to hold. You were standing too close to the table.”

His tone was languid, his eyes icy. The actions of lifting the cup and spilling the tea were clean and decisive, without a hint of hesitation.

The maid cradled her scalded hand, her panicked eyes darting to Chen Youxuan, who was eating nearby, seeking his help.

But this time, Chen Youxuan, who would have stepped up for them before, kept his head down, as if he hadn’t noticed anything.

Chen Qiming glanced at Lu Shi’s hand and noticed that besides a red burn, there was a small bruise with a needle mark.

He wasn’t sure, though. Thinking back, he couldn’t remember when Lu Shi had been sick.

Chen Qiming frowned but didn’t scold him this time. He just said, “Alright, it wasn’t intentional on the maid’s part.”

Lu Shi leaned lazily into his chair, the sunlight falling on him. He curled his hand slightly as if he felt no pain.

“I know. I didn’t mean it either,” Lu Shi said. “But I remember that household staff aren’t allowed to have nail extensions, are they? Maybe because the long nails made it hard to hold the teapot properly, so it spilled.”

The moment he said that, everyone’s eyes fell on the maid’s hands.

The Chen family’s employment contract explicitly stated that female servants were not permitted to have nail extensions. Those who couldn’t accept that term were rejected.

The young woman, in her prime for beauty, had thought that since she was on familiar terms with Chen Youxuan, she could break a minor rule. She had gone out and gotten fashionable nails, even extensions.

“I… I…”

If it were just about spilling the hot tea, she might have talked her way out, but now the blame pointed directly at her nails. She was at a loss for words.

Lu Shi stopped there, savoring his breakfast slowly.

As expected, without him needing to say more, Zhu Wanqing, the lady of the house, could no longer tolerate it.

She put down the egg she was peeling, rubbed her temples, and said, “Sigh, go to Steward Liu, collect your pay for this month, and leave.”

Lately, she had been wholly absorbed in caring for the sick Chen Youxuan and hadn’t had time to manage the servants. She never thought someone would break such a basic, written rule.

“Madam, I’m sorry, I know I was wrong. Young Master, Little Young Master, I’ll get the nails removed right now,” the young woman said, panicking.

It had been hard for her to find such an easy and well-paying job. She didn’t want to lose it like this.

Steward Liu walked over. “Come with me.”

He glanced at Lu Shi, who was quietly eating.

From start to finish, Lu Shi’s expression never changed, as if he had already foreseen the outcome.

This girl had been the most vocal in gossiping about Lu Shi behind his back and had even caused trouble for him openly and secretly.

For some reason, Steward Liu felt that when the maid had walked over earlier, her thoughts were written all over her face. Lu Shi didn’t seem like someone who couldn’t avoid it. Moreover, Lu Shi hadn’t seemed to want to put his hands on the table earlier.

Could it be that Young Master Lu Shi had turned the tables on them, using this opportunity to tear a hole in the household and make an example of someone?

But such tactics and reactions didn’t seem like something someone who had lived in a poor county for eighteen years and didn’t understand anything would do.

It was as if he were a company executive disciplining a subordinate, taking down the troublemaker—and even using Zhu Wanqing’s hand to do it.

Steward Liu led the errant servant away, but before leaving, he deliberately turned back to observe the atmosphere at the table.

Chen Qiming sat at the head of the table with no comment. Zhu Wanqing, uncharacteristically, looked at Lu Shi’s hand with concern.

The little young master sat to the side, gloomy and preoccupied.

And Lu Shi sat far away from all of them, looking tired as he propped his head up.

Steward Liu mused to himself.

From now on, it would likely be up to this returned young master whether the Chen household would find peace or not.

Lu Shi finished his breakfast nonchalantly. Just as he was about to rise, Chen Qiming called him back.

“There’s something I want to discuss with you.” Chen Qiming took a deep breath. “After all, you are my son. I won’t give up on you. It’s fine if you don’t want to go back to school, but I’ve enrolled you in the best educational institution in the capital. You have to go.

“It’s one-on-one tutoring. Even if you don’t enter university later, you can’t go out into the world knowing nothing and being unable to do anything.”

Unexpectedly, Lu Shi agreed readily. “Alright, but I want to bring someone with me.”

Uncle Ding had once said that Ding Wei offended a teacher at school, and that teacher always targeted him, causing Ding Wei’s grades in that subject to suffer. Ultimately, it dragged him down, and he didn’t get into college. That had always been a sore point for Uncle Ding.

Since Chen Qiming was offering educational resources voluntarily, Lu Shi might as well take advantage of it. The institution was different from school—it was more targeted, and Ding Wei could still take the exams afterward.

Seeing that Lu Shi agreed, Chen Qiming nodded with satisfaction. “Alright, then let the teacher teach both of you.”

A gaze from the table followed Lu Shi’s receding figure as he went upstairs.

Why was it that the more Lu Shi acted out, willful, and arrogant, the more their parents valued him?

Could this be his way of attracting attention?

Chen Youxuan clenched his fists under the table.

No, he had to change his strategy.

“Knock, knock.”

“Enter.”

At the Shen residence, Shen Zhwen pushed open the study door and walked in.

“Dad, you wanted to see me?”

“Mm.” The man seated at the desk put down his pen. He was dignified yet kind, his tone gentle. “Your grandfather called today. He’s worrying about your love life again.”

The man sighed. “The old man has nothing to do all day except tend his flowers, play with his birds, and think about these things. Your elder sister’s decision not to marry hit him hard.”

“What does Shen Luo’s not marrying have to do with me?” Shen Zhwen’s hands hung at his sides. “I never said I wouldn’t marry.”

The study door was pushed open again.

“Which bastard called me by my full name?”

Shen Luo strode in, her fitted trench coat billowing behind her. She handed some documents to Mr. Shen. “Dad, here are the hospital’s financial data and related news announcements for last month.”

Then she crossed her arms and snorted at the person beside her. “You’ve never once called me ‘big sis’ since we were kids.”

Shen Zhwen: “…”

He had called her that when he was very young.

But after Shen Luo once pinned him down and beat him for a toy, he never called her that again.

He had seen many people’s true colors before he grew tall.

Shen Zhwen: “I’m only 21. The fact that I’m being pressured to marry now is all your fault.”

Mr. Shen closed the file and smiled. “Alright, alright, I just mentioned it. I’m not pushing you. It’s good that you’re not a marriage-phobe. After all, I’ve never seen you actively approach any Omega.”

“I have, why wouldn’t I? I saw someone just the other day.”

Shen Luo propped a hand on the desk.

“But he’s a low-grade. I’m afraid he can’t withstand my brother’s S-class pheromones.”

Shen Zhwen shot her a cold glare. “I have nothing to do with him.”

“Who knows?” Shen Luo said. “I quite like him, though. He’s good-looking, and he has a nice sleeping face.”

Shen Zhwen looked away.

But an image inexplicably surfaced in his mind: that night on the way to the hospital, the boy’s burning cheek pressed against his palm, his lashes fluttering with each breath.

He had tried to pull his hand away, but that head followed unconsciously, pale lips brushing over the lines of his palm with astonishing softness and heat.

Mr. Shen became interested and smiled. “Is that so? What’s his name?”

“Shen Luo.” Shen Zhwen’s tone turned heavy with warning.

If Mr. Shen found out, within half a day he would know everything down to how many moles Lu Shi had.

Shen Luo stuck out her tongue and kept silent.

Mr. Shen shook his head helplessly. “Alright, I respect patient privacy.”

He then turned to Shen Zhwen, his expression turning serious. “That was all out of personal curiosity. To get to the point, I called you here for a real task.”

The man pushed a thick stack of documents toward Shen Zhwen.

“Policies have been changing rapidly in recent years, and the education industry has been severely impacted. These are the major educational institutions that Jushang Bank has invested in. Take them back and re-evaluate. We need to reduce our investment in this area.”

Shen Zhwen replied, “Understood. I’ll lead a team for on-site inspections.”

Mr. Shen nodded in satisfaction, but couldn’t help asking out of curiosity, “But speaking of which, do you really have no relationship with that Omega?”

“…”

Shen Zhwen didn’t answer, leaving only a cold, impassive back as he walked away.

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