Su Ningyue came from an obscure small county town, and her parents were ordinary factory workers. Through diligent study, she gained admission to a top university, then joined the Yu Corporation after graduating. Using every means at her disposal, she became Yu Chenyi's second wife.
But she discovered that marrying into a wealthy family was not the beginning of happiness.
The wives in wealthy social circles all looked down on her. Even when they greeted her with smiles for Yu Chenyi's sake, they mocked her humble origins behind her back, saying she had no place in high society. Sometimes, even Yu Chenyi unconsciously overlooked her.
So Su Ningyue had always known that if she wanted real power, she could not rely on a man-but she could rely on her son.
Su Ningyue did not favor a marriage alliance with another wealthy family for Yu Qingluo's future.
She had met those wealthy young women. Every one of them was arrogant, and once one married into the family, she would never respect her.
A girl from an ordinary family, someone easy to control, would be best.
Having Yu Qingluo seduce Lu Shiming did not mean she wanted her son to become gay too. She only wanted to use him.
After all, carrying on the family line was extremely important to a family like the Yus, who acted as though they had a throne to pass down.
But no matter whom she assigned to do the seducing, there was always a risk of the plan getting out.
Su Ningyue was cautious by nature. She had patiently spent over a decade destroying Yu Qingchuan's health little by little; naturally, she would not let everything fall apart now.
She understood her son's temperament. After all these years, competing with Yu Qingchuan had become ingrained in him. Now that Yu Qingchuan had such a wonderful boyfriend, Yu Qingluo was bound to feel unhappy about it.
"Mom..." Yu Qingluo frowned, looking reluctant. "Lu Shiming is really close to my brother. I can't do that."
Su Ningyue shook her head. "I'm not asking you to come between them. But do you really think Lu Shiming will always love your brother? They'd be better off breaking up now, before their feelings grow too deep. That would spare Qingchuan some pain too. Anyway, I'm not forcing you to do anything. We just need to seize our opportunities."
Yu Qingluo pressed his lips together and murmured his assent.
A worried look crossed Su Ningyue's face. She sighed and told Yu Qingluo to go back to his room and rest.
Back in his room, Yu Qingluo thought of Lu Shiming's face. His thoughts were tangled, and he could not make up his mind.
After drinking the medicine for several days, Yu Qingchuan still could not get used to its bitterness. But he did not resist it; after all, it was saving his life.
He was in no hurry either. He spent his days painting and keeping Lu Shiyi company, feeling perfectly happy.
So much so that even when he woke up in the morning, the corners of his lips were turned up.
Remembering the doctor's earlier instructions, Yu Qingchuan sent him an update on his condition.
The doctor replied a little later, likewise saying these were signs of improvement and telling Yu Qingchuan to keep taking the medicine. If he was worried, he could return after seven days to have his pulse checked again.
Yu Qingchuan thanked him repeatedly.
He was in such a good mood that before taking his medicine that morning, Yu Qingchuan even thought it might taste sweet!
But the instant it entered his mouth, the bitterness put him firmly in his place.
Remembering the favor Lu Shiming had done him, Yu Qingchuan called to ask whether he wanted him to bring him lunch.
Lu Shiming was overwhelmed by the offer. "Really? You'd do that?" he asked delightedly.
"Of course. I have something to do tonight, so I can't cook for you, and it's too far for you to come back at lunchtime. I'm not doing anything anyway, so I'll bring you lunch this once. Just come out to pick it up."
"Thanks, sister-in-law!" Lu Shiming was so happy that he even started pushing his luck. "Sister-in-law, could you offer to cook for me yourself from now on?"
That way, his brother would have nothing to criticize him for anymore. He really was a clever little fellow.
Yu Qingchuan was puzzled about why he would ask that.
Still, he readily agreed.
He finished cooking lunch and delivered it to Lu Shiming early. Rather than entering the Yu Corporation, he found a quiet corner and asked Lu Shiming to come collect it. Lu Shiming carried the food back, and the moment he opened it, its aroma filled the entire office. His coworkers suddenly found their takeout far less appetizing.
They all asked which delivery restaurant he had ordered from. The food looked both delicious and healthy.
Lu Shiming said proudly, "My family brought it over!"
That earned him a chorus of envious "wows."
During the day, Yu Qingchuan received a call from Yu Chenyi, who said their meeting had been moved to the Yu family villa. Yu Qingchuan really did not want to go, but he was in no hurry to expose Su Ningyue, and she probably would not openly turn against him either. It was only a meal, so there should not be much trouble.
Still, he was a little frightened. Holding Lu Shiyi's hand to draw strength from him, he said, "Brother Yi, I'm heading to the Yu family's house. Wait for me to come back."
As usual, he messaged Lu Shiming and arranged for him to pick him up. Only after drinking his herbal medicine did he take a taxi to the Yu family's house.
The villa estate was as lavish and elegant as ever. Even the lights shining at night exuded an air of superiority. Carrying gifts, Yu Qingchuan walked into the Yu family's house.
He had not arrived particularly early, but Yu Chenyi had come home early that day. The moment he saw him, he froze.
How had Yu Qingchuan changed so much?
Not only had he slimmed down considerably, but his whole bearing had changed too. After accepting the gift his son handed him, his voice grew particularly affectionate. "You really do look more energetic now that you've lost weight."
Yu Qingchuan put on an innocently sweet act. "Thanks for the compliment, Dad. The food Auntie used to prepare was so delicious that I couldn't stop eating. I gained weight without even noticing. I'll keep working on losing it."
Yu Chenyi vaguely sensed something off about his tone, but could not quite put his finger on it. He could only smile and say, "Good," then draw him into a conversation about his project.
Su Ningyue began to panic. How could Yu Qingchuan have lost weight so quickly?
She remembered how exquisitely pretty Yu Qingchuan had been as a child. Even then, she had known that, strictly speaking, Qingluo could not match Yu Qingchuan in looks.
So she had made the nanny "let it slip," allowing Yu Qingchuan to learn the truth about his birth so she could put her plan into motion.
Was the old Yu Qingchuan going to come back?
No, absolutely not!
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