"Lu Chi, no one taught you any manners, did they? Then I'll teach you some myself today!"
Lu Chi said nothing and kept eating.
Even if the world descended into chaos, it wouldn't interfere with getting his grub on.
Lu Qingru stood beside the dining table, trembling all over with anger at being ignored by Lu Chi.
Lu Jiyang hurriedly patted Lu Qingru gently on the back, saying, "Second Sister, don't be angry. It's bad for your health."
At the same time, he accused Lu Chi, "Lu Chi, Second Sister is talking to you. Are you deaf?"
Lu Chi finally finished his meal.
He slowly rose from his seat and haphazardly pulled out a tissue to wipe his mouth.
Step by step, he advanced on Lu Jiyang and Lu Qingru, his tone carrying an icy chill:
"Lu Jiyang, who are you calling deaf?"
"And you, Lu Qingru. You said you'd teach me manners. How?"
Lu Chi's words were cold, his expression colder still.
The chill around him spread outward in wave after wave.
He hadn't wanted to be this fierce, but according to the book's original plot, aside from Lu Jiyang, this second sister had the worst relationship with the original owner.
No matter how the original owner yielded, tried to please her, or treated her well, she never liked him.
Although the other sisters despised the original owner, they weren't as blatant about it as Lu Qingru.
So Lu Chi had no need to pretend to be nice in front of her.
"Brother Lu Chi, you're so scary..."
Lu Chi's demeanor frightened Lu Jiyang.
He moved closer to Lu Qingru, frantically waving his hands. "Brother Lu Chi, I was wrong. I shouldn't have called you deaf. Please don't hit me."
"I saw you ignoring Second Sister and disrespecting her, so I got angry and accidentally insulted you. Please, Brother Lu Chi, don't hit me."
"Hah!" Lu Chi sneered. "Lu Jiyang, why are you putting on an act? I've only been with the Lu family for two weeks. When would I have had the chance to hit you? You're a grown man deliberately acting so frail, making it look like I beat you all the time."
"You can't even act, you sissy! If I wanted to hit you, I wouldn't need to pretend. I'd just do it!"
He began ranting about Lu Jiyang inwardly:
[This fucking idiot Lu Jiyang is really putting on a show, huh?]
[Acting all frail in front of Lu Qingru to frame me, huh?]
[This moron Lu Qingru is blind in both eyes and heart. No wonder she meets a miserable end, dying far from home!]
Lu Qingru: "..."
She heard Lu Chi's inner voice again.
Lu Qingru froze for a moment.
Die far from home?
Who?
Me?
You're the one who'll die far from home!
"Second Sister, I'm scared~"
Seeing Lu Qingru lost in thought, Lu Jiyang feared she wouldn't clash with Lu Chi and hurriedly tugged her hand.
"Second Sister, Brother Lu Chi looks so scary~"
Sure enough, Lu Jiyang's words worked.
Seeing Lu Chi's fierce expression, Lu Qingru quickly spread her arms and shielded Lu Jiyang with her body.
She glared at Lu Chi and snapped:
"Lu Chi, you ill-mannered country bumpkin! If you dare hit Jiyang today, believe me, I'll make sure you can't walk out that door!"
Lu Chi snorted and took two steps forward.
He told Lu Qingru bluntly, "Then I'll hit him for real. Let's see what you can do to me!"
The instant he finished speaking, Lu Chi slapped Lu Jiyang across the face with a smack.
Lu Jiyang: "..." You damned country bumpkin, you actually hit me!
"And you!"
Lu Chi pointed at Lu Qingru's forehead.
"Let me tell you, Lu Qingru. Don't think I won't lay a hand on you just because you're my second sister. If you had any brains at all, if you weren't a blind idiot, you wouldn't gang up on me with this two-faced piece of trash."
Lu Qingru: "..."
"Lu Chi!"
Coming to her senses, Lu Qingru swung a slap at Lu Chi.
Lu Chi raised his right hand slightly and instantly caught her wrist.
The system, Guagua, cried out in alarm: [Host! Let go! She's your second sister. You can't hit her! You can't!]
Lu Chi sneered. [She struck first. Am I not allowed to fight back? This idiot, this moron, helping a fake beat up her own brother! Pah!]
Guagua: [Host, stay calm, stay calm! Calm down!]
Lu Chi: [The original owner was weak and put up with everything, and he still ended up being killed. I'm done putting up with it. Let's just fight. The worst that can happen is getting kicked out of the Lu family!]
With her hand caught in Lu Chi's grip, Lu Qingru heard his inner voice again.
Her anger flared even higher.
She automatically filtered out the other information.
But she heard every single word of the insults Lu Chi hurled at her in his mind.
Her blood pressure soared with anger, and she screamed herself hoarse. "Lu Chi, you country bumpkin! No wonder Jiyang says you're no good. Look at you now! I'm your second sister, but do you show me even a shred of respect?"
"Where is your education? Where are your manners?"
"You didn't even know to wait for your sister before eating. You just sat there and ate alone, and now you've hit Jiyang right in front of me! Does growing up in poor surroundings give you the right to be this overbearing and ill-mannered?"
Lu Chi forcefully released Lu Qingru's hand.
The momentum nearly sent Lu Qingru stumbling backward to the floor.
She barely steadied herself.
Lu Chi looked at his pretty but useless second sister before him.
[So what if you sing well? So what if you shine onstage? In the end, you're still blind in both eyes and heart.]
Lu Qingru: "You..."
"Lu Qingru, you keep calling me a country bumpkin, but did I bring this on myself? Did I want to become a country bumpkin?"
"If the nanny hadn't done that evil thing and stolen me away back then, I'd have been a tall, rich, handsome young master raised in the richest family, not a country bumpkin who suffered every hardship and was bullied in the slums!"
"As my second sister, my own sister by blood, it's one thing not to help me, but you keep helping a fake target me, belittle me, and humiliate me.
"Whatever Lu Jiyang calls me, you call me too. Are you a pig? Don't you have any judgment of your own? You could figure out why he doesn't want me in the Lu family even with your toes."
"Of course it's because he wants the Lu family's fortune! He's afraid I'll come back and compete with him, so he wants me gone. But you? We're related by blood. You're my own second sister, born of the same mother. Why do you keep targeting me?"
"Just because I didn't grow up by your side, you find fault with everything about me and want to deny this blood relationship. Isn't that right?"
"Lu Qingru, you disgust me. You call yourself an international superstar? As if someone like you fucking deserves that title! Moron!"
Lu Chi vented all the resentment in his heart in one breath.
But he hadn't said these words for himself. He was speaking up against the injustice done to the original owner.
After saying them, Lu Chi distinctly felt a pang in his heart, but it vanished in an instant.
A sense of relief took its place.
It was probably the original owner's emotions tugging at him.
Lu Chi's barrage of words struck Lu Qingru speechless.
But an instant later, she was angry again.
Because she hadn't gotten Lu Chi's point.
All she knew was that Lu Chi kept cursing her, insulting her in every way.
She thought Lu Chi had gone too far.
Uncultured, ill-mannered, and immature!
"So what if you're my younger brother by blood? If your character is rotten, you're worse than an adopted brother!"
"Hah!" Lu Chi sneered. "Since you think the fake is so wonderful, I wish you two a permanent lock-in. Let's see whether he torments you to death someday!"
"Second Sister!" Hearing Lu Chi expose his desire to seize the Lu family's fortune, Lu Jiyang hastily denied it outright.
"Second Sister, I've never thought of taking the Lu family's fortune for myself. I just love you all too much and fear losing your love. All I've ever wanted, wholeheartedly, is to stay with you. I've never had any other intentions."
"Brother Lu Chi, please don't measure a gentleman's heart with a petty man's yardstick and drive a wedge between Second Sister and me. I know this family was originally yours and that I stole eighteen years of your life. I'll just give it back!"
As he spoke, Lu Jiyang turned and ran upstairs, sniffling tearfully and making a show of going to pack his things and leave.
Lu Chi laughed loudly. "Lu Jiyang, if you're going to get lost, hurry up! If you don't get out that door today, don't blame me for looking down on you!"
Lu Jiyang: "..."
"Lu Chi!" Lu Qingru roared. "If Jiyang leaves, don't think you'll get to stay in the Lu family either!"
"Pah! As if I care..."
"What's all this shouting in the middle of the day? Don't you have classes this afternoon?!"
Before Lu Chi could finish, his eldest sister Lu Sangning's voice suddenly rang out behind him.