The two went to the lounge area as usual. It was working hours, so no one else came by. They had the spacious terrace entirely to themselves.
For the first time, Lu Shiming took a proper look at Yu Qingluo. He was a year younger than his sister-in-law, with features as beautiful and vivid as a rose. His pale eyes caught the sunlight, looking like clear, translucent amber.
Sometimes, he felt as though Yu Qingluo always looked at him with something left unsaid, which made him feel a little strange too.
"I didn't ask to talk to you for any other reason. I just think you're a good person, and I'm not saying that to politely reject you. That's genuinely how I feel." Lu Shiming's voice was as bright and sunny as he was. Sheltered by his brother and untouched by the harsher realities of life, he still approached people with a measure of goodwill. "But your mom hurt my sister-in-law, and my gut tells me she won't stop there. I don't want you to be like her and hurt other people. You should have a bigger life than that, not live as someone's puppet or carry out someone else's wishes."
Ever since he was little, his brother had taught him that family was the safest, strongest harbor. When the world left him battered, he could come home to rest, but family wasn't the entirety of his life.
He and his brother were both independent, free individuals.
Yu Qingluo stared at Lu Shiming in a daze, feeling as though something had suddenly become clear.
That was right. He had always been forced to excel and work hard, to compete with Yu Qingchuan, and to live according to his mother's wishes.
He got tired too. He had simply grown used to