The same conversation took place with Shen Zeyu's mother. Both parents regretted their decision in exactly the same way, but his father regretted it most of all. Had he known Lu Cizhou would wake up, he never would have agreed to Shen Zeyu's request.
Meanwhile, watching Shen Zeyu surrounded by people, Shen Mo felt nothing but jealousy. Why? Why was Shen Zeyu better than him in every way? He should have been the one standing beside Lu Cizhou right now.
If he had known Lu Cizhou would wake up, he never should have let Shen Zeyu take his place in the marriage alliance.
By the time Lu Cizhou finished introducing some of the more important guests, Shen Zeyu felt as though his brain no longer belonged to him. Socializing among the wealthy really wasn't something an ordinary person could handle.
Noticing his state, Lu Cizhou said, "Go find somewhere to rest off to the side. I'll come find you in a bit." After all, he had introduced nearly everyone who mattered. There was no need to remember the rest.
Shen Zeyu's eyes lit up at those words, and he immediately headed toward a secluded corner, picking up a few little desserts and a drink along the way.
As for alcohol, Lu Cizhou had told him on their way over that he absolutely must not drink any. Besides, every time he drank, something embarrassing happened, so naturally he wasn't going to touch it.
Once he found a spot, Shen Zeyu sat down and watched Lu Cizhou talking with the other guests, marveling inwardly at how hard Lu Cizhou had it, too.
He hadn't been comfortable for long before someone annoying appeared beside him.
His father approached with a broad smile. "Zeyu, why didn't you say hello to your dad when you saw me here?"
"Mr. Shen, is there something wrong with your brain? I'm no longer part of the Shen Family," Shen Zeyu said sharply.
His father gave an awkward smile. "How can you say that, son? We're family. Surely you can't take things family members say in anger seriously?"
Disgusted, Shen Zeyu snapped, "Keep bothering me, and I won't mind making it public that I've severed ties with the Shen Family." They had signed an agreement, after all.
His image-conscious father immediately bristled, but since they were at a banquet, he kept his voice low. "Without me, how could you have married into the Lu Family and be living the life you have now? You should be thanking me for all of that."
Shen Zeyu had met unreasonable people before, but never anyone this unreasonable. "Don't dress up selling your son as something noble."
After that jab, he continued, "Looks to me like the Chen Family can't save the Shen Family, so you've set your sights on the Lu Family again." The idea that his father felt any fatherly affection for him was the biggest joke in the world.
His father choked on those words. That was indeed the case. The Chen Family kept saying they would help the Shen Family, but they had given very little money. With the Shen Family's current situation, it was only a drop in the bucket. Besides, that Chen boy seemed to be fighting with Shen Mo. Under those circumstances, how could his father trust the Chen Family to do everything they could to help?
Still, having Shen Zeyu spell it out like that was humiliating. He truly hadn't expected the Lu Family to treat Shen Zeyu so well, either.
His father tried to continue, but Shen Zeyu had had enough. "Don't play the family card. It won't work on me. If you want to work with the Lu Family, go through the proper channels. Come bothering me again, and you really can forget about working with them."
With that, he headed toward Lu Cizhou, but after his father's interruption, Lu Cizhou was no longer within sight.
What rotten luck, Shen Zeyu grumbled inwardly as he searched.
His father wanted to follow him, but he was afraid Shen Zeyu really would speak ill of the Shen Family to Lu Cizhou, so he stayed rooted to the spot.
Meanwhile, Shen Zeyu was still wandering aimlessly in search of Lu Cizhou. The venue was large and crowded, making him difficult to find.
When he reached a corner, he heard a sickeningly saccharine voice.
"Cizhou, wait! I have something to tell you."
Shen Mo had been seething with jealousy ever since he saw Shen Zeyu. He and Chen Haoxuan had been having problems these past few days, and seeing the recovered Lu Cizhou filled him with both regret and envy. He should have been the one in that marriage alliance.
After Shen Zeyu left, he had kept trailing Lu Cizhou, finally managing to catch him alone.
Hearing that voice, Shen Zeyu almost laughed. Were these members of the Shen Family determined to latch onto the two of them? He had only just dealt with one, and now here came another.
But he didn't make a sound. Instead, he moved a little farther in, wanting to hear what Lu Cizhou would say.
Lu Cizhou, who had been about to look for Shen Zeyu, asked, "Who are you?"
Shen Mo put on a pitiful expression. "My name is Shen Mo. I'm Zeyu's younger brother. It looks like he hasn't mentioned me to you. Well, my brother doesn't like me, so it's only natural that he wouldn't."
Is he trying to tell Lu Cizhou I treat him badly? Shen Zeyu wondered silently.
"Why would he need to tell me about you? Besides, you people haven't treated him well." He hadn't even gone after the Shen Family yet, and one of them had already come knocking.
Shen Mo panicked. "Cizhou, how could we possibly mistreat my brother? Obviously, he made that up to keep me from seeing you."
Lu Cizhou gave a playful smile. "Why would he want to keep us from meeting?"
Hearing that, Shen Mo felt there was hope for his plan. He was delighted inside, but kept a sorrowful expression on his face. "Because... because we were supposed to be the ones getting married. But my brother insisted on taking my place, so we let him."
He wore an expression that suggested he was only looking out for his brother.
Listening from behind them, Shen Zeyu nearly burst out laughing. What kind of person did Shen Mo take Lu Cizhou for? How could he possibly believe something like that?
Sure enough, after hearing that, Lu Cizhou looked at Shen Mo as though he were an idiot.
Feeling Lu Cizhou's gaze on him, Shen Mo grew increasingly delighted, thinking he had caught his interest.
"Then thank goodness it was your brother who married me. If it had been you, I would have preferred never to wake up."
Behind them, Shen Zeyu was struggling so hard to hold back his laughter. He had never expected Lu Cizhou to have such a sharp tongue.
Instead of the response he had eagerly anticipated, Shen Mo received an insult like that. His first instinct was to lash out, but remembering that the man before him was Lu Cizhou, he forced himself to swallow it.
His eyes filled with tears. "Cizhou, how could you say that? I'm telling the truth. Did my brother say something bad about me to you?"
Listening to Shen Mo's affected, high-pitched voice, Lu Cizhou rubbed his forehead. "Stop talking in that voice. It sounds awful. And stop addressing me like I'm your big brother. I certainly don't have a younger brother like you."
Shen Mo was practically mad with rage. What was wrong with Lu Cizhou? How could even this fail to work?
A snort escaped Shen Zeyu. In the end, he couldn't hold it in anymore. Lu Cizhou's put-downs were simply too funny.
"Who's there?" At the thought of someone overhearing what he had said to Lu Cizhou, Shen Mo almost wanted to die.
It wasn't hard to imagine the ridicule he would face if word got out.
Besides, that voice sounded strangely familiar.
Now that he had given himself away, Shen Zeyu slowly emerged from behind them. Under Shen Mo's incredulous gaze, he walked leisurely to Lu Cizhou's side. "Your dear older brother, of course."
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