AAWOMAHI Chapter33

The car drove into the city.

 

It was the same road that had brought Lu Xingmian to Yanjiao half a year ago.

 

It was still the same driver, and he still had that impatient attitude towards him, but it wasn’t as obvious this time; at least he had reined it in a lot.

 

Perhaps it was because Lu Yan had told the driver to bring Lu Xingmian back to the Lu family properly, so this time the driver didn’t drive so aggressively.

 

Soon, they arrived at the Lu family residence.

 

When Lu Xingmian entered, Xia Yuefang greeted him for the first time, saying affectionately, “Lu Xingmian, you’re finally home! I’ve missed you terribly. And you too, why don’t you ever come back when you have the chance?”

 

Lu Xingmian unconsciously took a step back, politely and distantly saying, “Hello.”

 

Xia Yuefang smiled. “You child, why are you so polite with me? I’m your mother.”

 

Lu Xingmian still returned a polite smile. Xia Yuefang knew he was upset. Indeed, after bringing Lu Xingmian back, their attention had been on Lu Sihang. She admitted they favored Lu Sihang, but wasn’t that human nature? Besides, weren’t they making it up to Lu Xingmian now? Kids these days should be easy to appease.

 

Xia Yuefang took out the gift she wanted to give Lu Xingmian. “This is a gift from your father and me, specially brought back from abroad. See if it fits or if you like it. If you don’t like it or it doesn’t fit, we can exchange it.”

 

Lu Sihang glanced at it from the side. It was a pair of sneakers that the butler had bought from the mall yesterday.

 

Lu Xingmian didn’t take it. “Thank you.”

 

Xia Yuefang said, “Okay, then take it with you when you leave later. Your father and I picked it out ourselves.”

 

Lu Xingmian pursed his lips as he looked at the sneakers. “If you have something to say, just say it directly. I have something to do and need to leave soon.”

 

Xia Yuefang replied, “What could be more important than eating with your family? You’ve finally come back; you must have a good meal at home today so our family can have a proper get-together.”

 

Lu Xingmian said, “I’m sorry, I really have something to do. If you don’t need anything else, I’ll be going now.”

 

He knew that Lu Yan and Xia Yuefang wouldn’t call him back for no reason. Perhaps in their hearts, they didn’t even want to see him.

 

Xia Yuefang hadn’t expected Lu Xingmian to speak to her so directly. They had already been so kind and gentle in calling him back, and this was his attitude? As expected, children raised among commoners had no manners or upbringing at all.

 

Normally, Xia Yuefang would have long since sternly lectured Lu Xingmian, but today, she had called him back for an important matter that required his help.

 

“Are you settling in at school these days? Is studying tiring? Are you getting along well with your classmates? Are you taking good care of yourself?” Xia Yuefang said, “I heard your grades are very good. If you’re not used to your current school, your father and I will find a way to transfer you back. If it’s quick, you could be back the day after tomorrow.”

 

“You can continue studying at Mingcheng High School; the teachers there are the best. You’re so smart, getting into the university in Yancheng definitely won’t be a problem. After transferring back to Mingcheng, you can also come home every day, and your father and I can also take care of you. Living alone in that villa with no one to look after you worries us.”

 

“You must not have been taking good care of yourself. Look, you’ve lost weight. I’ve already had the kitchen prepare your favorite dishes. You must eat well and recuperate today.”

 

If these words had been spoken to Lu Xingmian half a year ago, he would have been deeply moved. But after experiencing so much, hearing such words again left Lu Xingmian completely unmoved.

 

Back then, when Lu Xingmian first started having insomnia, he would pace around his room in the middle of the night because he couldn’t sleep. One time, he ran into Xia Yuefang, who had coincidentally woken up in the middle of the night. Xia Yuefang was so scared by the dark figure in the room that she almost screamed. When she saw it was Lu Xingmian, she breathed a sigh of relief but then questioned why he wasn’t sleeping in the middle of the night and was scaring people.

 

At that moment, Lu Xingmian mentioned he was struggling with slight insomnia and decided to take a walk. Xia Yuefang then impatiently called Lu Xingmian “precious” and said that they gave him the best food, clothing, and necessities, yet he was having insomnia at such a young age. When Xia Yuefang was returning to her room, she told Lu Xingmian to pace around in his own room and not scare people outside, especially Lu Sihang, who was timid.

 

Xia Yuefang even thought Lu Xingmian was doing it on purpose, further believing that everything Lu Sihang said was true, that Lu Xingmian always intentionally targeted him.

 

Lu Xingmian said, “Thank you, but I’m very used to the new school. The teachers and my classmates are all great. I don’t want to come back, and I won’t be coming back either.”

 

The smile on Xia Yuefang’s face slowly faded. Lu Xingmian was truly unyielding. She had spoken to him so kindly, yet he treated her with such an attitude. Lu Sihang would never be like this. With this comparison, their favoritism towards Lu Sihang wasn’t without reason.

 

Outsiders only saw their favoritism towards Lu Sihang, but they had no idea of the underlying reasons; the root of the problem lay with Lu Xingmian himself.

 

Seeing his wife’s smile about to disappear, Lu Yan stepped in. “I heard you know President Lu?”

 

Lu Xingmian looked bewildered. “Which President Lu?”

 

He was just a high school student; besides teachers and classmates, how would he know any President Lu?

 

Lu Yan asked him, “The President Lu who presented you with the first-prize award, do you really not know him?”

 

So that was President Lu Yu? During the award ceremony, he had also said many encouraging words to him.

 

Lu Xingmian replied, “Yes, President Lu presented me with the award, but I truly don’t know him.” Moreover, President Lu didn’t just give him an award; besides him, the other eight award-winning students were also announced and awarded by President Lu. Did Lu Yan and Xia Yuefang really conclude that he knew Lu Yu just because Lu Yu presented him with an award?

 

After returning from the airport, Lu Yan and Xia Yuefang thought about it again and again. From Lu Yu’s initiative in mentioning Lu Xingmian and they remembered the scene at the Lu clan where Butler Hou was chatting and laughing with him, and even heard that Butler Hou personally saw Lu Xingmian off that day, they became even more certain that Lu Yu must actually know him.

 

But looking at Lu Xingmian’s reaction now, he truly seemed not to know Lu Yu.

 

However, that didn’t matter. Lu Yu seemed to have a good impression of Lu Xingmian, and this was an opportunity.

 

Lu Yan said softly, “Lu Xingmian, we’d like to ask you to represent our Lu family and invite President Lu to dinner at our home.”

 

Lu Xingmian thought he had misheard. “What did you say?”

 

Had Lu Yan gone mad, asking him to invite Lu Yu to dinner? He felt that Lu Yan and Xia Yuefang must have misunderstood something. How could President Lu possibly know him? Who was he, and why would President Lu agree just because he invited him?

 

Lu Yan reasoned with him, “Our family needs to establish a connection with the Lu clan, but you know we don’t have the connections. However, Lu Yu has a good impression of you, so if you represent our Lu family to invite President Lu, he should agree.”

 

Lu Xingmian finally understood why Lu Yan and Xia Yuefang had suddenly called him back for dinner. They weren’t genuinely thinking of him, nor did they truly want him to return.

 

It was because they thought President Lu Yu knew him.

 

Lu Xingmian couldn’t help but chuckle inwardly. What had he even been expecting before?

 

He recognized the shoes at a glance; they were clearly bought from a mall, and they weren’t even his size.

 

Lu Xingmian preferred them to be as cold to him as before, rather than pretending to care for him now, which made him feel even more pathetic. But now, it doesn’t matter anymore.

 

Lu Xingmian took a deep breath and firmly stated, “I’m sorry, I won’t be inviting President Lu.”

 

This time, it was Lu Yan and Xia Yuefang’s turn to think they had misheard. “Lu Xingmian, what did you say?”

 

Lu Xingmian had never been so resolute. “Mr. Lu, Ms. Xia, I just said I won’t be inviting President Lu, because I don’t know him at all. Whether you believe it or not, even if I did know President Lu, I wouldn’t invite him either.”

 

Xia Yuefang’s face turned cold. “Lu Xingmian, listen to what you’re saying.”

 

“I’m telling the truth,” Lu Xingmian continued. “Also, please don’t come looking for me again. In your hearts, I’ve never been your son, so please don’t come to me for anything in the future. I’m a person, not an object, nor am I something you can casually display.”

 

“I came today to make it clear to you, this is my last time coming here.”

 

Xia Yuefang scoffed, “Lu Xingmian, you’re truly ungrateful; after all, we even prepared a gift for you! How ill-mannered!”

 

Lu Xingmian retorted, “You say I have no manners, but do you? You bought something casually from a mall, yet you insist it was specially brought from abroad.”

 

Exposed, Xia Yuefang laughed in anger. “Lu Xingmian, no wonder your adoptive parents don’t like you. You deserve it! We called you back politely, just to ask for a small favor, and instead of helping, you refuse and even blame us! Lu Xingmian, where did all your schooling go?”

 

“Lu Xingmian, why don’t you think about why so many people dislike you? We don’t like you, your adoptive parents don’t like you, and your teachers and classmates also don’t like you. Is it all our fault? It’s all your own problem if you have no manners and no etiquette. No one will like you.”

 

Lu Xingmian said, “Yes, it’s all my problem, so please, Ms. Xia, stay away from problematic me.”

 

“Lu Xingmian, you, you!”

 

Xia Yuefang was seething at Lu Xingmian. Lu Yan, who always spoiled his wife and rarely dared to upset her, now watched as her face flushed with anger all because of Lu Xingmian, stepped forward, and pushed Lu Xingmian directly. “Get out! Don’t ever come back.”

 

Lu Yan’s push was strong. Lu Xingmian crashed into the coffee table behind him, his calf hitting the corner of the table hard, sending a sharp, piercing pain through him.

 

Lu Xingmian left without looking back.

 

Lu Sihang watched the entire exchange, and his heart bloomed with joy as he saw Lu Xingmian arguing with his parents.

 

Before, he had worried that his parents might grow close to Lu Xingmian, but now it seemed he had overthought things. His parents clearly didn’t like Lu Xingmian.

 

As Lu Xingmian was about to leave, Lu Sihang feigned concern and stepped forward to stop him. “Lu Xingmian, how can you speak to Mom and Dad like that? Apologize to Mom.”

 

Lu Xingmian glanced at him, and Lu Sihang was startled by his gaze, freezing in place.

 

Lu Xingmian smiled. “You guys are truly a family.”

 

Xia Yuefang, fearing that Lu Sihang was being bullied, came over and took his hand. “Son, ignore him.”

 

Lu Yan stated, “Lu Xingmian, listen carefully. From now on, you have no relationship with the Lu family. From this day forward, Lu Sihang is our Lu family’s only child and only heir.”

 

Lu Xingmian smiled. “I hope Ms. Xia and Mr. Lu can keep your word and don’t bother me again from now on.”