AAWOMAHI Chapter3

When Lu Xingmian woke up, he checked the time, it was five o’clock in the morning. He had actually slept for six hours!

 

When he woke, he felt an unprecedented lightness. The deep sleep had significantly alleviated the pain caused by months of insomnia.

 

For most people, sleeping is a normal thing, but for Lu Xingmian, it was an extreme luxury.

 

No one knew how much he suffered during these months of insomnia because he looked so normal. He never expected to sleep for such a long time for the first time after months of sleeplessness.

 

Lu Xingmian remembered vaguely checking the time around eleven o’clock. The person on the phone had an incredibly pleasant voice; under the soothing comfort of that voice, he actually fell asleep.

 

Thinking of this, Lu Xingmian felt that the past two days of waiting had been worth it.

 

This also confirmed what he suspected: this “brother” probably had too many orders, which was why he didn’t add him or respond promptly.

 

Lu Xingmian logged onto Taobao, clicked “confirm receipt,” and left a positive rating.

 

He wasn’t in the habit of writing detailed reviews. After confirming receipt, Lu Xingmian placed another order.

 

It was only five in the morning, still early for school. Lu Xingmian couldn’t fall back asleep, so he got up and decided to do some practice tests. After finishing one set, Lu Xingmian felt a bit tired and rested his head on the desk, closing his eyes for a short nap.

 

Although his eyes were closed, Lu Xingmian’s mind didn’t rest.

 

He really liked his new living environment. He also liked his new school, new class, and new classmates.

 

The class monitor had been quite curious, asking why he chose to transfer schools during his senior year.

 

Why?

 

Of course, it was because everyone had abandoned him; he was forsaken by all.

 

Lu Xingmian had returned to the Lu family, to his biological parents. However, the Lu family parents had doted on Lu Sihang since he was a child, cherishing and protecting him, pouring all their affection into him.

 

Their bond was deep, and they simply couldn’t bear to send Lu Sihang back, nor would they ever allow him to leave.

 

For the Lu couple, Lu Sihang was their very life.

 

Lu Sihang’s biological parents, seeing their son thriving in the wealthy Lu family, were naturally happy to let him remain there.

 

This way, their son could inherit the Lu family’s assets in the future, and they could enjoy a comfortable life alongside Lu Sihang.

 

Staying with the Lu family meant Lu Sihang received the best educational resources, the finest food, clothing, and amenities—everything a child from an ordinary family could only dream of.

 

The Song couple naturally couldn’t bear to have Lu Sihang return to live an ordinary life with them.

 

And of course, Lu Sihang himself would definitely not leave the Lu family either.

 

Upon learning he wasn’t a biological child of the Lu family, Lu Sihang had cried and made a fuss for a while, even resorting to a hunger strike to force the Lu couple not to bring Lu Xingmian back. The Lu couple repeatedly assured Lu Sihang that even if Lu Xingmian returned, he would always be their favorite, their most cherished son.

 

Lu Sihang only grudgingly agreed then because he knew that if he refused further, he would be seen as an unreasonable child. By agreeing to let Lu Xingmian return now, his parents would see him as sensible, feel guilty towards him, and love him even more.

 

Although Lu Xingmian was the true young master of the Lu family, the Lu couple felt no deep affection for him. They had never met him since his birth, and the seventeen-year-old Lu Xingmian before them was a stranger.

 

Yet, he was still their child after all. The Lu couple thought they would slowly try to mend the familial bond lost over the past decade with Lu Xingmian. After all, they had truly wronged Lu Xingmian.

 

However, worried that their beloved son, Lu Sihang, would be upset by the presence of another person in the house, the Lu family parents became even more affectionate and doting towards Lu Sihang.

 

They constantly catered to his feelings, ensuring he felt no sense of loss and suffered no slightest grievance.

 

But even so, Lu Sihang didn’t want Lu Xingmian to stay in the Lu family and was determined to drive him out.

 

From the moment he first saw Lu Xingmian, Lu Sihang felt an unprecedented sense of crisis.

 

He had a strong feeling that if Lu Xingmian continued to stay in the Lu family, he would no longer be his parents’ most beloved son.

 

“Song Xingmian, I am Mom and Dad’s child. Mom and Dad only love me. Why did you come back?!”

 

“Song Xingmian, why are you trying to ruin my relationship with Mom and Dad? Why are you trying to ruin my home?”

 

“Song Xingmian, I hate you. Mom and Dad won’t like you.”

 

“Song Xingmian, go back to your shabby little place!”

 

In front of their parents, Lu Sihang was a pitiful, well-behaved child who got along well with Lu Xingmian. But behind their parents’ backs, Lu Sihang showed a completely different face.

 

Lu Sihang tried every possible means to drive Lu Xingmian out of the Lu family. To achieve this, he even went so far as to harm himself to frame Lu Xingmian.

 

Sometimes, when the two of them went downstairs together, Lu Sihang would suddenly tumble down the stairs from the second floor, instantly scraping his forehead and arms.

 

Mother Lu tearfully embraced Lu Sihang, her heart aching. Lu Sihang would say, “Mom, don’t blame Lu Xingmian. I accidentally fell myself; Lu Xingmian didn’t push me.”

 

He was like a little pitiful creature, suffering immense grievances. Or, when the two of them walked together on the road, Lu Sihang would suddenly fall by the roadside, hitting a stone and scraping his forehead.

 

Lu Sihang would say, “Mom, Dad, don’t blame Lu Xingmian. He didn’t push me; I just fell accidentally. It has nothing to do with Lu Xingmian.”

 

Yet, only Lu Xingmian was with Lu Sihang at the time, and the road was perfectly flat, making an accidental fall highly unlikely.

 

The Lu couple privately confronted Lu Xingmian, telling him that he was a child of the Lu family, so he shouldn’t hurt Lu Sihang anymore.

 

What ultimately led the Lu parents to decide to send Lu Xingmian away was an incident that occurred shortly after.

 

That day, Lu Sihang arranged to meet Lu Xingmian by the pond. The moment Lu Xingmian approached him, Lu Sihang suddenly jumped into the pond himself, yelling for help.

 

He was rescued by the Lu family’s butler, who had rushed over, and Lu Sihang immediately fainted on the spot.

 

Lu Sihang was taken to the hospital. After waking up, he claimed that Lu Xingmian had pushed him into the water. The Lu family butler had already told the Lu couple about this. It was only when Mother and Father Lu heard Lu Sihang say it with their own ears that they felt an unprecedented disappointment in Lu Xingmian.

 

The way Mother and Father Lu looked at Lu Xingmian was unfamiliar.

 

How could their biological son be such a bad person?

 

Lu Sihang was such a good child, always caring for and looking after Lu Xingmian. How could Lu Xingmian be so heartless as to hurt Lu Sihang?

 

They couldn’t believe they had such a child.

 

Fearing that if Lu Xingmian continued to stay in the Lu family, their beloved son Lu Sihang would continue to be harmed, the Lu couple decided to send Lu Xingmian away from the Lu family, to the suburbs of Yancheng, to prevent him from ever coming into contact with Lu Sihang again.

 

Out of consideration for Lu Xingmian still being their biological son, they chose not to call the police or pursue the matter regarding Lu Xingmian’s deliberate harm to Lu Sihang.

 

Lu Xingmian couldn’t understand why his parents wouldn’t believe him.

 

He had explained countless times to his parents that he never pushed Lu Sihang down the stairs, nor made him hit the rocks, nor pushed him into the water; it was all Lu Sihang’s own doing. But Father Lu and Mother Lu completely disbelieved him.

 

They believed Lu Sihang, whom they had lovingly raised since childhood, not Lu Xingmian, whom they had only recently brought back.

 

Before Lu Xingmian’s return, Lu Sihang had always been safe and sound. After Lu Xingmian came back, Lu Sihang suffered all sorts of minor accidents and illnesses, which naturally broke their hearts.

 

Mother Lu looked at Lu Xingmian with disappointment. “Song… Lu Xingmian, no matter what, even without a blood connection, Lu Sihang will always be a child of the Lu family, always our child. So stop doing these things. Thankfully Sihang is alright, otherwise… never mind. You should keep your distance from us for now. Please leave the Lu family.”

 

Indeed, there’s no affection for a child not raised by one’s side.

 

Indeed, children raised by commoners are just so unpresentable. It’s a good thing they firmly refused to let Lu Sihang go back; otherwise, who knows what Lu Sihang would have become?

 

Lu Xingmian, who was always stubborn, swallowed his immense grievance and called his adoptive parents.

 

He believed they would surely trust him, believing that he had never done anything to harm Lu Sihang.

 

But to his surprise, Father Song and Mother Song had also heard about him bullying Lu Sihang at the Lu family. Both of them were blaming and scolding him, even resenting him, calling him an ungrateful wretch.

 

They had raised Lu Xingmian to adulthood, so how could he repay their kindness with malice?

 

Lu Sihang was their child; couldn’t he, for the sake of their upbringing, just refrain from bullying Lu Sihang?

 

Lu Xingmian’s eyes were red, and he held back tears. “Mom, Dad, I truly didn’t bully Lu Sihang.”

 

Father Song said, “Lu Xingmian, don’t call us Mom and Dad anymore. You are not our child. Lu Sihang is our son. From now on, don’t call us again.”

 

Then came the mechanical, cold dial tone. Father Song had mercilessly hung up.

 

In less than half a year, Lu Xingmian had become a child without a home.

 

The parents who raised him completely distrusted him, and his biological parents also distrusted him, even disliked him.

 

It was as if he was all alone in this world.

 

Lu Xingmian had been abandoned by everyone.

 

Because he had a rare good night’s sleep, Lu Xingmian was exceptionally energetic today. This showed in his complexion, which seemed less pale than before.

 

Lu Xingmian’s academic performance had always been excellent, and he quickly adapted to the teaching styles of his new teachers.

 

During lunch, Chen Che told him that the first mock exam for their senior year was next week. Chen Che, as the class monitor, was worried that Lu Xingmian might still be unaccustomed to the new environment and that his grades might be affected, so he had specifically come to reassure him.

 

Chen Che said, “The school makes the first mock exam quite difficult to help students focus and face some appropriate setbacks, so you don’t need to be too anxious.”

 

Lu Xingmian nodded. “I understood.”

 

Lu Xingmian had been there for two days now, and Chen Che asked him, “How is it? Can you keep up with the teachers’ lecture pace?”

 

Lu Xingmian indicated that everything was fine.

 

While Lu Xingmian and Chen Che were eating, two girls approached. “Can we sit here?”

 

One of the girls winked at Chen Che.

 

Chen Che recognized her as a student from the next class.

 

Chen Che replied, “You can.” After saying that, he asked Lu Xingmian, “Is that okay? It’s too crowded right now, and it’s hard to find seats.”

 

Lu Xingmian nodded. “Yes, no problem.”

 

The two girls then sat across from Lu Xingmian and Chen Che. They didn’t speak until Lu Xingmian and Chen Che had left.

 

“Didn’t you want to ask Lu Xingmian for his WeChat? Why didn’t you ask?”

 

“I was so nervous, I couldn’t even talk to Lu Xingmian. How was I supposed to ask for his contact information?”

 

“Seeing Lu Xingmian this close, he’s really good-looking! His skin is even better than mine, and I’m a girl.”

 

–

 

Outside the Yancheng Noble Kindergarten, Lu Shiran arrived to pick up Xiao Youzi. When Xiao Youzi saw Lu Shiran, she excitedly ran towards him. “Uncle, you’re here!”

 

In the car, Xiao Youzi told Lu Shiran about the interesting things that happened at kindergarten. After she finished, Lu Shiran held up his phone and asked her, “Xiao Youzi, do you know this person? Are they one of your friends from kindergarten?”

 

Xiao Youzi looked at the phone. “I know!”

 

Lu Shiran raised an eyebrow, thinking it really was a friend Xiao Youzi knew.

 

Xiao Youzi then said, “This is Crayon Shin-chan and Shiro.”

 

Lu Shiran was stunned for a moment before realizing that Xiao Youzi’s “knowing” referred to the characters in the profile picture, from an animated show she loved to watch.

 

Lu Shiran asked her again, “Xiao Youzi, then do you know this person?”

 

Xiao Youzi shook her little head. “No.”

 

“You really don’t know?”

 

“I really don’t know.”

 

Lu Shiran asked, “If you don’t know them, why did you add them as a friend?”

 

Xiao Youzi smiled sweetly. “Because it’s cute!”

 

Lu Shiran understood. It was because the person’s profile picture happened to be Shin-chan and Shiro from Xiao Youzi’s favorite animated show.

 

As the head of the Lu family, countless people wanted to get close to Lu Shiran, wanting to get into his bed, trying every means possible to get his contact information.

 

Since it wasn’t someone he knew, nor someone Xiao Youzi knew, Lu Shiran directly deleted the contact.

 

–

 

After Lu Xingmian got home and made a simple dinner, he received a package. It contained some study materials sent by his former homeroom teacher, who was worried his academic performance might suffer after two transfers.

 

In Suzhou No. 1 High School, Lu Xingmian consistently ranked first in his grade on every exam. When Lu Xingmian first wanted to transfer, his teacher wasn’t entirely on board, only later learning the reasons for his transfer.

 

However, she never imagined he would transfer schools twice within half a year, and it worried her greatly.

 

Concerned about her student being affected, the teacher compiled some study materials for him.

 

Upon receiving the package, Lu Xingmian messaged his teacher to let her know it had arrived.

 

His teacher told him to study hard, not to let external factors influence him, and to reach out if he had any academic difficulties, assuring him she would try her best to help.

 

The teacher didn’t know Lu Xingmian’s current situation; she only knew he was a child who had been swapped at birth and had returned to his biological family.

 

Chen Che mentioned at lunch that there would be a mock exam next week. Lu Xingmian wasn’t sure if his performance had declined, and he didn’t want to do poorly on his first exam. Lu Xingmian had always had a clear goal: to get into Yancheng University.

 

Lu Xingmian finished his homework around ten o’clock. He opened WeChat, intending to schedule a time with the sleep-coaxer, as he wanted to hear more stories.

 

However, after sending his message, Lu Xingmian saw a large red exclamation mark.

 

The person on the other end had deleted him.

 

Deleted.