DREB CHAPTER 101

During the few years when Li Yan was absent, Lu Lianning faced many challenges while raising Lu Zerui alone.

Especially in the beginning, when he had just let Li Yan go, Lu Zerui was still a wailing newborn, all wrinkled up like a tiny old man.

There were times when Lu Lianning found it unbearable to face him. That period was chaotic—his days and nights were haunted by nightmares. He would dream repeatedly of losing Li Yan, and each time, he was powerless to stop it. In those dreams, Li Yan would look at him with eyes filled with suffocating despair, as if convinced of his hopelessness.

Even after waking and opening his eyes, that look wouldn’t fade.

The irony was that he had never truly had Li Yan, yet even in his dreams, he kept losing him.

Facing the child he had gone to such great lengths to have Li Yan bring into the world, Lu Lianning often felt suffocated. At times, he deceived himself, shifting his anger and resentment onto the boy, convincing himself that the child was the reason for the desperation between him and Li Yan—the true culprit. But this self-deception never eased his pain for long. Most of the time, he felt a mixture of despair and numbness as he changed their child’s diapers.

Yes, their child.

He was the culprit, yet also the last connection between them.

When Lu Zerui was too young to remember, Lu Lianning paradoxically showed him more care. But as the boy grew older, Lu Lianning’s demeanor became colder.

The child looked too much like himself.

Would Li Yan have left so resolutely if their child had resembled him more?

Sometimes, Lu Lianning would stare into the child’s eyes—eyes that resembled Li Yan’s—and become lost in thought.

He had no experience raising a child on his own. He mirrored what he had learned from Lu Anling, adopting the same cold expression and imposing strict requirements.

He rarely smiled and was never overly affectionate.

Lu Zerui’s name had been chosen by Lu Anling. At that time, Lu Lianning had taken full control of the Lu family, so busy he scarcely touched the ground. Even during the rare moments he could rest, he deliberately filled them with work.

Occasionally, Lu Anling would take Lu Zerui to the family’s old home.

Still, Lu Zerui was Li Yan’s child, and Lu Lianning did put in some effort to raise him.

When Lu Zerui attended kindergarten for the first time, Lu Lianning carried him there. When it was time to leave, Lu Zerui clung to him, crying and refusing to let go.

He pried him off, sternly telling him to stand properly in the classroom.

After leaving the school gates, he sat in the car and called the teacher.

During his first year of kindergarten, Lu Zerui was still very attached to him.

By the time he reached his second year, Lu Anling often took him away, and Lu Lianning didn’t object. After all, Lu Anling was somewhat satisfied with this grandson and showed him care.

At the end of his final year in kindergarten, Lu Zerui gained a mother.

The day before the official start of first grade was his birthday.

His mother, who had promised to take him to school on his birthday, didn’t show up. With a solemn face, he was taken to school by the butler, where he met new teachers and classmates.

First grade no longer had play area activities or snacks, and he struggled to adjust.

Fortunately, Li Yan came to pick him up that evening.

When they got home, Lu Zerui clung to Li Yan, asking him to make snacks and complaining that the school no longer provided cookies.

Li Yan baked cookies for him, packed them in a lunchbox, and gently reminded him that if he felt hungry during school, he would need to wait until break time to eat them.

The reminder turned out to be unnecessary. The cookies were gone before the next day even arrived.

So, the following morning, while Lu Zerui ate breakfast, Li Yan baked small slices of bread, packed them into a lunchbox, and slipped it into his backpack.

Lu Lianning, observing this at the dining table, didn’t look pleased. After Lu Zerui left, he said, “Li Yan, you’re spoiling him too much.”

Li Yan didn’t see anything wrong with it at all and replied innocently, “It’s just some snacks. He’s new to this environment and is having trouble adjusting. Plus, children are active and get hungry quickly. He could even share with his new classmates and make friends.”

“Then you don’t know him at all,” Lu Lianning laughed.

Li Yan had never taken care of a child before, and he had never expected to have one in his lifetime. But when tiny, warm, and soft Lu Zerui squirmed into his arms, tugging along a storybook, a strange and wonderful feeling would rise in Li Yan’s chest.

And the boy looked so much like Lu Lianning.

Less than a month into the new school term, Li Yan understood the meaning behind Lu Lianning’s laughter that morning.

He was called to the school because Lu Zerui had beaten a classmate.

That such a young child could be described with the word “beaten” shocked Li Yan, who had no idea what had happened.

He set down the watering can he was holding, changed into appropriate clothing, and rushed to the school.

When he arrived, Lu Zerui was still standing in the office with his head held high, looking defiant. The classmate next to him had scratches on his face and was crying so hard he looked like a little tear-streaked kitten.

The classmate’s parents were there too, their faces dark with anger at the sight of their child’s condition.

Li Yan greeted the teacher nervously and asked what had happened.

The teacher’s gaze settled on Lu Zerui. “You explain it yourself.”

Lu Zerui looked at Li Yan, reached out for his hand, and loudly declared, “He deserved it!”

Li Yan quickly covered his mouth, sweat forming on his forehead.

The other parent’s expression turned even grimmer. Feeling extremely flustered, Li Yan stood up, apologized profusely, and pulled at Lu Zerui, urging him to apologize to his classmate.

Lu Zerui raised his eyebrows. “He was the one who wanted to take the bread you baked for me! Why should I apologize?”

“It was just one piece of bread, and you beat him up like this?!” Li Yan was incredulous.

He continued apologizing profusely to the other family, taking out a wet tissue to wipe the tear-streaked, dirty face of the classmate. Just as he started, his hand was grabbed by Lu Zerui.

“I don’t want you to wipe his face! My hands are dirty too! Li Yan, you didn’t even check on me.” Lu Zerui pulled Li Yan’s hand away from the classmate’s face.

Li Yan frowned at him, as if seeing this unruly side of the child for the first time.

Placing both hands on Lu Zerui’s shoulders, Li Yan pushed him to stand in front of the classmate and sternly said, “Apologize to him!”

Lu Zerui had never heard Li Yan speak to him in such a harsh tone before. He stared at Li Yan with hurt and disbelief. “Why are you taking his side!”

“You were the one in the wrong!” Even the usually good-tempered Li Yan began to lose his patience.

As the adult and child were locked in a standoff in the office, the opposing parent didn’t look happy. The teacher, caught in the middle, was about to say something to smooth things over when the office door was knocked on again.

A man in a black suit, wearing rimless glasses, entered with a polite greeting and turned his gaze to Li Yan. “Mr. Li, the master has asked that you and the young master return to the Lu family’s old residence. I’ll take care of things here.”

Several more people followed behind him—tall Alphas who quickly filled the office.

Seeing the Lu family’s imposing display, everyone in the room couldn’t help but feel a chill run down their spine.

Li Yan looked at the group of unfamiliar faces. They were likely people from the Lu family’s old residence, connected to Lu Anling—a place he had never visited before.

Yet from the look of things, he had no room to refuse.

He weighed the odds of being forcibly escorted if he declined. With a serious expression, he hesitated briefly before pulling Lu Zerui along and giving a slight bow to apologize to the family and the teacher.

This action made the sharp-looking young man in the suit and rimless glasses frown, as if Li Yan had done something highly inappropriate.

Lu Zerui, still upset that Li Yan had made him apologize, refused to hold his hand. His small face was drawn into a sulk, with both hands shoved into his jacket pockets.

Nonetheless, as they left, he walked beside Li Yan, his dissatisfaction clearly visible on his face.

Li Yan and Lu Zerui arrived at the Lu family’s old residence.

Lu Zerui seemed quite familiar with the place; the living room even had a designated area piled high with his building block toys.

Li Yan remained silent, guided with an air of respectful yet unyielding authority to a seat on the living room sofa.

He sat there waiting for nearly half an hour before Lu Anling, having seemingly finished putting on airs, slowly descended the stairs.

Li Yan couldn’t deny his nervousness about facing someone like Lu Anling, especially when the latter was deliberately exerting pressure.

He unconsciously pressed his lips together tightly, his fingers clasped as a slight sweat formed in his palms.

Just as he was pondering how to address Lu Anling, the latter sat down across from him and spoke first. “Li Yan?” Lu Anling’s tone lifted slightly, carrying an unmistakable sense of superiority. “Quite the impressive tactics.”

“I never thought you’d get this far with Lu Lianning.” Lu Anling’s sharp gaze swept over him.

Hearing this, Li Yan replied submissively, “I didn’t expect it either.”

Lu Anling then turned his attention to Lu Zerui, who was violently dismantling a Rubik’s Cube on the sofa. “Tell me what wonderful thing you did at school today.”

Lu Zerui seemed quite afraid of Lu Anling; he immediately stopped fidgeting and replied, “Some kid tried to take my stuff, so I hit him.” When speaking about someone his own age, he still referred to the other boy as “some kid,” responding with the seriousness of a little adult.

Lu Anling asked, “Where did you hit him?”

“I punched him in the stomach and kicked his leg.”

“Then how did he end up with a scrape on his face?” It seemed that Lu Anling already had a good idea of what had happened.

“He couldn’t take a hit, fell to the ground crying, and scraped his face,” Lu Zerui answered, with a tone of clear disdain for the boy.

“Did he end up apologizing to you?” Lu Anling asked.

Li Yan was stunned as he listened to this casual exchange between the grandfather and grandson.

Who exactly was supposed to be apologizing to whom!

At this point, Lu Zerui seemed like he had been poked in a sore spot. “It’s all Li Yan’s fault! The kid was already really scared of me, but he went and called the teacher to bring in the parents. Li Yan actually helped them—he even helped that little coward wipe his face!” Lu Zerui waved a small fist. “Obviously, I’m stronger!”

“Just because you won a fight doesn’t make you right! Besides, I made you extra bread this morning so you could bring it to school and share it with others!” Li Yan’s temper flared at Lu Zerui’s words. He was amazed that someone so young could share the same logic as Lu Anling.

Li Yan blamed this entirely on Lu Anling; he felt that Lu Anling’s approach to education was seriously flawed.

He was even convinced that Lu Anling must have played a part in shaping Lu Lianning’s stubborn personality.

“Seems like Mr. Li has some issues with our family’s educational philosophy?” Lu Anling looked down at him with disdain. “Do you really think your approach is suitable for him?”

“I…!” Li Yan opened his mouth to respond but stopped, clearly aware that he was still a novice at parenting.

Yet, despite being a novice, he could tell that Lu Anling’s methods were even more misguided.

Lu Anling continued, turning back to Lu Zerui, “Did he return what he took from you?”

At this moment, Lu Zerui looked like a rooster that had lost a fight and said dejectedly, “No, he ate it too fast. I couldn’t get it back.”

“So you neither reclaimed what he took nor made him realize his mistake and apologize afterward.” Lu Anling’s eyes showed a hint of disappointment. “Come to the study after dinner to accept your punishment.”

It seemed Lu Anling had already decided that Lu Zerui would stay for dinner, but Li Yan couldn’t stand hearing such words. He stopped trying to persuade Lu Anling and simply stood up, insisting, “I’m taking him home.”

Lu Anling didn’t take his words seriously at all and was about to respond when a stir erupted at the door.

His expression changed slightly as he glanced at Li Yan with a disdainful snort. “Well, that was fast.”

When Lu Lianning walked in, he saw the adult and child—one sitting gloomily on the sofa and the other facing his father with a stern expression. The tension in the room was palpable.

With Lu Lianning present, if Li Yan wanted to leave, they would naturally have to let him go.

“Lu Zerui will stay with me for the next few days,” Lu Anling declared.

Li Yan disagreed, especially after hearing that Lu Zerui was expected to be punished later. There was no way he’d feel comfortable leaving him here.

He extended his hand to Lu Zerui. “Let’s go.”

But Lu Zerui didn’t take his hand. Instead, he crossed his arms, raised his head, and continued to throw a tantrum at Li Yan. “Why did you comfort someone else today? His face was all dirty, and you…” Still upset, he added, “Li Yan, you should say sorry to me, and then I’ll go home with you.”

Li Yan withdrew his hand. “If you don’t want to come home, then stay here.”

Seeing that he was genuinely angry and about to leave without him, Lu Zerui quickly jumped off the sofa and chased after him, muttering as he followed, “Fine. Grandpa said some adults are always too embarrassed to admit when they’re wrong.”

He began sulking on his own and, just as quickly, forgave on his own.

But Li Yan ignored him this time.

This time, Li Yan was truly angry.

When they left the Lu family’s old residence, Li Yan walked straight out. With Lu Lianning still inside, no one dared to stop him. He stepped out, leaving Lu Lianning inside, seemingly in conversation with Lu Anling.

It must not have been going well, as Li Yan could hear the sound of objects being thrown even from a distance.

That night, Lu Zerui didn’t get his after-dinner dessert, his bedtime story, or his lullaby.

Although he didn’t get these every night, Li Yan would spend time with him two or three times a week when he was free as a reward for finishing his homework well.

Perhaps because of the day’s incident, he was eager to prove to himself that Li Yan still cared about him. But Li Yan continued to ignore him.

When it was time to sleep, it seemed as though Lu Lianning had anticipated Li Yan’s insomnia.

“I told you, didn’t I? He’s not the type of kid you imagine him to be. Just because he looks sweet doesn’t mean he’s obedient,” Lu Lianning said, as though trying to offer comfort.

But Li Yan wasn’t troubled by that. He was rarely one to overthink, yet tonight, he was preoccupied with Lu Anling’s words. It wasn’t just a difference in opinion about how to handle today’s school incident.

Was his approach really suited to Lu Zerui? Their upbringings couldn’t have been more different.

Lu Lianning would only ever have one child—a child destined to inherit the Lu family.

Li Yan’s own upbringing was mostly shaped by his grandmother. His parents worked away from home in his early years and were often absent. His grandmother, who raised him, would pat his scraped knees whenever he fell and say, “There’s a blessing in every hardship.”

“There’s a blessing in every hardship… a blessing in every hardship.” Li Yan had stumbled his way through life, falling many times, enduring more than his fair share of setbacks. Did he really believe there was any blessing in it?

If Lu Zerui had a personality like his own, would he even be able to survive in the Lu family? In a prominent family full of constant struggles and hidden agendas, how would he manage as he grew older?

Despite disagreeing with Lu Anling’s educational methods, he couldn’t deny that Lu Lianning, shaped by that same upbringing, had adapted seamlessly to this kind of life upon his return.

Just as Li Yan lay awake, tossing and turning in the deep of night, there came a knock on the bedroom door.

Lu Lianning got up to open it and, seeing Lu Zerui, looked annoyed. He coldly scolded, “You’re the one who upset him, and now you’re here to play the victim?”

“It won’t work! He’s already asleep. Go back to your own room and reflect on what you’ve done!”

Lu Zerui didn’t know how to reflect on his actions. Clutching his crumpled storybook, he stood in the doorway with reddened eyes and said, “I want to talk to Li Yan.”

“No respect,” Lu Lianning said in a harsher tone. “Get back to your room!”

Because he knew that Li Yan hadn’t wanted to acknowledge him at first and didn’t like him, Lu Zerui rarely called him “Mom.” He always called him “Li Yan.”

Li Yan could no longer stay in bed. He got up and walked to the door.

He saw Lu Zerui’s already tear-stained eyes, wide and clear, so bright that he could see his own reflection in them.

“Alright, Mom. I’ll apologize to the little coward tomorrow and share the bread you made for me. Please don’t be angry anymore.” Lu Zerui stepped through the doorway and wrapped his arms around Li Yan’s waist.

Li Yan felt the warmth against his waist.

With a tearful voice, Lu Zerui added, “I’m sorry, Li Yan.”

At that moment, Li Yan thought, to hell with all the scheming and plotting! This was not just the Lu family’s child—he was his child too.

He was so young; how could he leave him in the hands of a “tyrant” like Lu Anling? He deserved the right to experience the love and guidance of a parent. He deserved to be a child before he had to be an adult. The grown-up struggles could be left for the grown-up Lu Zerui to deal with someday.

Right now, he was six-year-old Lu Zerui. He needed to learn to recognize his mistakes, learn how to apologize, and then receive his reward of freshly baked butter cookies from his mother the next morning.

And hopefully, tomorrow, he would also learn to share!