"Lu Chi, pay me back, you fucking bastard! You've owed me that gambling debt for over six months. Every time, you say you're broke. When the hell are you going to pay up?"
As he spoke, a scar-faced man in his twenties carrying a wooden club came out of the alley, shouting as he barged into the entrance of the Lu Chi family's ramshackle shack.
Four swaggering blond punks followed behind him.
One even had an iron ring through his nose, like a bull.
The scar-faced man stepped inside, noticed how many people were there, and gave a dry cough.
He spotted two men in suits who looked like bodyguards, clearly no slouches in a fight.
He quickly steadied himself and reached into the pocket of his gaudy trousers. After fumbling around for a while, he pulled out half a photograph, cupped it in his palm, and stole a glance.
Then another (￢_￢) glance.
Then he narrowed his eyes and scanned the room, confirming that his target was Lu Chi, standing at the entrance to the chicken coop.
He rushed over, taking the steps two at a time, and shoved the older Lu couple aside.
Grabbing Lu Chi by the collar, he bellowed, "Lu Chi, didn't you say you were the Lu family's young master, and that once your parents took you back, you'd be able to get the money? Pay back my gambling debt right now, or I'll cripple you today!"
The Lu couple: "..."
What? Their son owed a gambling debt?
He knew how to gamble?
Gamble???
Lu Chi, who had inexplicably been grabbed by the collar: "..."
[Guagua, who's this damn Scarface? I don't even know him. When did I ever owe him a gambling debt? Do I even know how to gamble?]
Guagua: [Of course you don't know how to gamble, Host, much less owe this man a gambling debt. The fake young master, Lu Jiyang, specifically arranged for him to come and slander you.
His goal is to make the older Lu couple think you're a bad person, a rotten gambling addict, and leave them with a bad impression of you, laying a solid foundation for framing you in the future.]
[Fuck! That dumbass Lu Jiyang really is rotten to the core! I haven't even returned to the Lu family yet, and he's already sticking his foot out to trip me. If I actually went back, wouldn't he get me killed? I don't want to go back to the Lu family! Give me money and let me get far away!]
After hearing Lu Chi's voice several times while his mouth remained still, the Lu couple finally confirmed that they were hearing their son's thoughts.
Moreover, they could hear not only Lu Chi's thoughts but also another female voice-the system bound to their son, called "Guagua."
When they heard the system and Lu Chi discussing how he did not know how to gamble and was being framed, the Lu couple let out a long breath of relief.
Thank goodness Chi didn't know how to gamble. Once a family got involved in gambling, even mountains of gold and silver could be hollowed out.
But when they heard them say that their adopted son, Lu Jiyang, was not a good person, the couple exchanged a glance, their brows furrowing into Himalayan ravines.
Jiyang had been obedient and sensible since childhood, with grades among the best. At home, he listened to his parents and cared for his five older sisters. At school, he respected his teachers and got along with his classmates. How could he possibly be the "bad person" they described?
Impossible!
It seemed Chi's misunderstanding of Jiyang ran too deep. Once they got home, they would have to let the two spend some proper time together and clear up all these misunderstandings.
They could put their differences behind them and become good brothers who respected and loved each other.
The Lu family's future depended on the children!
But first, they had to deal with this fellow grabbing their son's collar. Who was he, daring to hit his son?
Lu Yuanqing stepped forward, grabbed the scar-faced man by the back of his collar, and yanked him away.
He roared sternly, "Who the hell are you? You dare bully my son? Have you lived long enough?"
The scar-faced man glanced at Lu Yuanqing.
This had to be the master of the Lu family, Lu Yuanqing, right?
As the head of a wealthy, powerful family, the air of nobility and authority he had cultivated over the years made it impossible not to shrink back.
But then he thought of the five hundred thousand yuan he would receive once the job was done. He couldn't earn that much in years of watching over establishments for others.
At that thought, the scar-faced man thrust out his chest and said loudly, "Y-you, who are you? This brat owes me three million and won't pay up. I just want my own money back. What's it got to do with you?!"
"He owes you money and won't pay?" Lu Yuanqing's voice carried authority without anger. "You say he owes you money. When did he borrow it? What proof do you have?"
The scar-faced man said angrily, "Six months ago, of course! He lost that money playing dice with me. If you gamble, you accept your losses. What proof do I need?"
Lu Chi stood coldly to one side with his arms folded, watching his bargain-bin dad deal with Scarface for him, secretly delighted.
[So this is my biological dad? Decisive as thunder and swift as the wind when he handles things. Mm, not bad. Hope he keeps it up.]
Hearing Lu Chi's thoughts, Lu Yuanqing was delighted. It seemed he cut quite an imposing figure in his son's eyes.
And so, Lu Yuanqing straightened his clothes and made a few light brushing motions at dust that did not exist.
In front of his son, he had to maintain his image.
He raised his voice several notches at the scar-faced man. "I already asked about my son at his school. He's a good child with excellent character and grades. He would never gamble. If you can't produce evidence today, I absolutely won't let you off."
The scar-faced man felt a little guilty, but the thought of his five-hundred-thousand-yuan payment kept him putting on a brave front.
"I-I'm not lying. Six months ago, Lu-Lu Chi played dice with me and ended up owing me three million. These brothers of mine were all there. You lot, tell him. Did you see him lose that money to me?"
The four blond punks behind the scar-faced man immediately stepped forward, thumping their chests and loudly vouching for him.
"That's right, we were there. This guy owes our boss three million. He promised to pay within a month, but he's still dragging it out!"
"Right, right! He even told us he was the son of the wealthy Lu family. Once he went back to them, he could get money for us."
"He said the Lu family was rolling in wealth. He could steal a few valuables and sell them for more than three million."
"It's been six months, and he still hasn't paid. Debts have to be repaid-that's only natural! Pay up! Pay up!"
They echoed one another, making their story sound convincing in every detail.
Lu Chi had intended to keep watching from the sidelines as his biological father slaughtered the opposition, but he could no longer stand it.
Fuck, this was the first time he had seen people frame someone else so shamelessly!
Lu Chi unfolded his arms, raised his right hand, and crooked a finger at the scar-faced man.
"Come here, little Scarface. Let me ask you something. You say I lost money playing dice with you six months ago. Where did we play?"
The scar-faced man sneered. He had done his homework before coming. Did this kid think he could stump him?
"Where did we play? In a casino, of course! Where else would we play?"
Lu Chi clapped his hands. "Oh, I remember! Was it the internet café right across from our school? There's a casino inside. Everyone usually goes there to gamble. But I've gambled with so many people, I can't remember whether I played with you."
The scar-faced man hurriedly nodded. "Yes, yes, that internet café! I don't know whether you gambled with anyone else, but you gambled with me."
Lu Chi turned his gaze toward the four blond punks behind the scar-faced man. They all agreed that Lu Chi had played with them at the internet café across from his school.
Lu Chi nodded. "...Mm, now that you mention it, that does ring a bell. Hey, tell me, what's our school called again?"
The scar-faced man said smugly, "Your school? Guoqing Middle School, obviously! Your memory really is terrible!"
Lu Chi suddenly burst out laughing. "You damn Scarface, isn't the National Indoor Stadium directly across from our school? Where did this internet café come from?"
"W-well, I remembered wrong. Can't I...?"
The scar-faced man froze. The National Indoor Stadium was across from Guoqing Middle School? Who would notice that? He didn't even like studying. Why would he pay attention to that?
Lu Chi took his phone out of his bag and shouted at the scar-faced man, "If you don't tell me why you came here to slander me today, I'm calling the police to arrest you right now!"
At the mention of calling the police, the scar-faced man began to panic.
He hesitated, unsure whether to make a run for it immediately.
Just then, a figure appeared at the entrance to Lu Chi's home.