Lu Yuanqing's voice was loud, and his mood was very wrong.
Lu Jiyang jumped in fright. The phone he was holding to play games flew out of his hands in his agitation, spun several times in the air, and finally crashed heavily to the floor.
It landed with an explosive crack.
"You unfilial brat! Get over here and kneel!"
Lu Jiyang looked up at Lu Yuanqing in confusion.
He thought Lu Yuanqing was angry because he was playing games.
But in the past, neither Lu Yuanqing nor Pan Feng had ever gotten angry when he played games after finishing his homework. They had even said that relaxing in moderation made the mind sharper.
What was wrong with the old fart today?
Seeing that Lu Jiyang remained seated without moving, merely staring blankly at him,
Lu Yuanqing roared again, "Lu Jiyang, are you deaf? I told you to get over here and kneel!"
This time, Lu Jiyang understood. He hurried over to kneel in front of Lu Yuanqing.
His knees had barely settled.
Smack! Lu Yuanqing landed a heavy slap across his face.
Lu Jiyang felt wronged. "...Dad, why are you hitting me? Did I do something wrong?"
The three Lu sisters were also utterly bewildered by this sudden scene.
Lu Yanxin hurried forward to stop him. "Dad, what's wrong? You came home and started hitting Jiyang out of nowhere. Did he do something wrong?"
Lu Xiaoyue also stepped forward, reaching out to help Lu Jiyang up. Lu Yuanqing shot her a dagger-sharp look, startling her into hastily backing away.
Lu Yunke stood nervously to one side as well.
Lu Yuanqing cursed loudly, "Why am I hitting you? Lu Jiyang! Look at what you've fucking done! You don't have the guts to admit it, do you?"
Lu Jiyang's eyes brimmed with tears. "Dad, I've been home doing homework all day. Fifth Sister knows. If you don't believe me, you can ask her. Fifth Sister, hurry and tell Dad. Haven't I been behaving myself and doing homework at home?"
Lu Jiyang turned to Lu Yunke, his eyes full of an anxious plea for help.
"...Yes, yes! Dad, Jiyang didn't go anywhere today. He was home doing homework the whole time. I can guarantee that!"
Sitting on the sofa watching TV, Lu Chi silently turned the volume down to its lowest setting.
As a melon-eating spectator, it was best not to attract too much attention.
Although the scene in the living room had momentarily bewildered him too, he soon figured it out.
Lu Chi: [If I'm not mistaken, this bargain-bin dad of mine already knows Lu Jiyang put Scarface up to falsely accusing me of gambling. That's why he's teaching Lu Jiyang a lesson here.]
Guagua: [Yes, Host. Lu Yuanqing found out about this at noon, but he didn't punish Lu Jiyang then because he had something more important to handle.]
"Lu Jiyang, I never thought you'd be such a coward, too afraid to admit what you've done! Take a look. Do you recognize this man?"
Lu Yuanqing took several photographs out of his bag and flung them straight into Lu Jiyang's face.
Lu Jiyang picked up the photographs. His expression changed briefly before immediately returning to normal.
He had been reborn to slaughter his way through everything, after all. What great winds and waves hadn't he weathered in his previous life? All he had to do was deny it to the death.
Inside, he cursed: That damned Scarface, what a useless fucking moron. He couldn't even handle this little task, yet he had the nerve to ask for 500,000 as payment. Five hundred thousand, my fucking ass!
But aloud, he insisted, "Dad, who's this? I don't know him! I've never even seen him!"
Lu Yuanqing snorted coldly. "You don't know him? Lu Jiyang! You told him to falsely accuse Chi'er of gambling and owing debts when we went to bring him home, and promised him 500,000 afterward. And you don't know him? I'd say you know each other very well!"
Lu Jiyang shook his head. "Dad, I'm not lying to you. I really don't know him... Oh, oh, I remember now. When I went to find you today, I did see a Scarface standing in the courtyard with a bunch of yellow-haired punks. But I really swear on my character that I don't know a single one of them!"
Watching Lu Jiyang swear so solemnly made Lu Chi feel sick.
In his mind, he silently pinched his nose and imitated him in a cutesy voice: *[Dad, I'm not lying to you. I really don't know him... Tch, that dumbass Lu Jiyang thinks that by stubbornly insisting he doesn't know those people,*
he can cover up what he did. Little does he know that Scarface secretly recorded their deal long ago to stop him from going back on his word and refusing to pay afterward.
*My bargain-bin dad has that recording as evidence. Let's see how he denies it once the recording comes out.]*
Sure enough, the next instant, Lu Yuanqing asked again, "Lu Jiyang, I'm asking you one more time. Do you know this man or not? Why did you have him slander Chi'er and call him a gambling addict? Just what were your intentions?"
Lu Jiyang still shook his head firmly. "Dad, I really don't know this man. You know what kind of person I am. Lu Chi and I have no grudge against each other. Why would I frame him?
"Besides, I've already taken eighteen years of his life. I'm already grateful that he didn't drive me out when he came home. Dad, don't worry. There's absolutely no way I'd ever hurt Lu Chi.
"I even transferred Lu Chi five million today for spending money. If you don't believe me, ask him whether I sent him the money."
Lu Chi, oh, Lu Chi, who told you to swindle me out of five million?
Now you can't talk your way out of this, can you? I still have the transfer record!
Lu Yuanqing raised his head and looked toward Lu Chi.
Lu Chi knew this incident definitely wouldn't bring Lu Jiyang down. After all, as long as he threw a tantrum later and said he had only done it because he was afraid of falling out of favor once Lu Chi came home, Lu Yuanqing would soften.
After all, even if he wasn't his biological son, he had raised him for eighteen years. Their bond was extraordinarily deep, hardly different from that of a biological son.
Still, he had to give him a little taste of disgust.
He wanted to ruin Lu Chi's image in their parents' and sisters' eyes, so how could Lu Chi let him have an easy time?
Lu Chi sighed and put on the innocence of a little white mouse. "Mm-hmm, that's right, Dad. Jiyang did transfer me five million at noon. He said that although he was behind Scarface's false accusations against me, and he wanted to ruin my image in your eyes,
"to lay a solid foundation for framing me in the Lu family later, he'd already realized his mistake and given me five million in hush money. Let's not pursue this any further. I took the money and forgave him. I didn't lose anything anyway."
The moment Lu Chi said this, Lu Jiyang flew into a rage.
Had Lu Yuanqing and the three sisters not been there, Lu Jiyang would have started swearing and cursing Lu Chi's mother.
No, he had already cursed her thousands of times in his head.
He had clearly given him that five million out of kindness. How had it become hush money?
What a lowly country bumpkin!
His scheming ran deeper than deep!
"Lu Chi, what are you talking about? You clearly said you had no money and asked me to give you that five million. I felt sorry for you growing up in the slums with no money, so I offered it to you. Why are you slandering me?"
"Lu Jiyang, you said yourself today that it was hush money. Oh, sorry, I accidentally let it slip. Dad, please don't blame Lu Jiyang."
"Lu Jiyang, you're still refusing to admit your mistake! Then I'll let you hear it loud and clear!"
Lu Yuanqing took a voice recorder out of his bag and pressed play in front of everyone.
[You need to deliberately slander him in front of my parents. Say he owes you several million. Make the fucking act convincing! Once it's done, I'll pay you 500,000!]
[Yes, young master. Don't worry. Leave this to me, Scarface!]
Once the recording played, before Lu Jiyang could even plead for mercy, Lu Yuanqing subjected him to a round of family discipline.
The little rod, as thick as a thumb, beat howls out of him.