Do evil

Su Qiuchao's mood today was complex; he couldn't say he was sad, nor could he say he was happy. So, he drank quite a bit but still remained clear-headed.

The "he" Lu Han mentioned must be referring to Lu Zhenxin.

Su Qiuchao thought to himself that it made sense. Even his own father was only referred to as "Old Deng" by Lu Han. Asking him to call them Mom and Dad now seemed unreasonable.

"It's okay, I understand."

Despite feeling a bit uncomfortable, Su Qiuchao put on a magnanimous smile and waved his hand. "Lu Han, it's not me saying this, but your father... well, Old Lu has been quite good to you."

"That's 3 billion yuan in total. On average, he's compensating you with more than a billion yuan each year for the years you weren't with the Lu family."

"Of course, I don't mean it that way. I know these things can't be measured by money, but you have to understand that he's had a tough time too..."

Some people talk more after drinking, and Su Qiuchao was one of them.

As they walked, he kept talking, trying to speak well of Lu Zhenxin, while Lu Han responded occasionally but didn't really listen.

Had Lu Zhenxin had it tough?

What difficulties did he face?

In his youth, not only did he have a loving wife, but he also had a mistress outside.

The mistress even bore him a son.

Including his adopted daughter Lu Xue, even without Lu Han returning to the Lu family, he had both a son and a daughter.

Moreover, Lu Zhenxin couldn't just be described as successful in business. In Jiangcheng, he was someone whose every move sent ripples through the city.

Looking at himself, Lu Han really wanted to take off his shirt and show Lu Zhenxin the crisscrossing scars all over his body.

Did he know how hard it was for him to survive until now?

If not for his luck, he would have died many times already.

The most pitiful and tragic figure was his mother.

A woman betrayed by her beloved man, losing her only son and never seeing him again before she died—could she rest in peace?

Lu Han could let go of many things, but he couldn't find a reason to forgive Lu Zhenxin.

Even to make this so-called stepfather uncomfortable, he considered calling Su Qiuchao "Dad" later.

But in the end, he decided against it.

Lu Han could be quite stubborn sometimes.

Since the marriage was nothing more than a charade with Su Qingli, there was no need for him to take it seriously.

Fortunately, with Lu Zhenxin as a shield, he didn't need to call Su Qiuchao and Xie Qingwan "Mom" and "Dad," which made sense in terms of propriety.

He wondered if Su Qingli would get angry.

Thinking about the woman he had taken advantage of, Lu Han couldn't help but feel amused.

It was a bitter amusement, but he actually started looking forward to becoming the vice president of the Su Group.

After returning from the restroom, Lu Han stopped at the entrance of the private room.

"I'll have a smoke."

He took out a pack of Jinling Twelve Beauties from his pocket. Since Lu Xue found out he smoked, she bought dozens of cartons of high-quality cigarettes like Dachongjiu and Jiuwuzhizun, but Lu Han preferred the brand he was used to.

Su Qiuchao nodded, not saying anything like "young people should smoke less," and went inside.

However, after about half a minute, while Lu Han was smoking, Lu Zhenxin came out again.

Lu Zhenxin had also drunk quite a bit but showed no signs of being tipsy, appearing completely unaffected.

"Want one?"

Lu Han raised an eyebrow, and seeing the nod from his stepfather, handed him a cigarette and lit it for him.

"Come to the restroom with me?" Lu Zhenxin exhaled a cloud of smoke, asking in a tone that implied he wanted to talk.

There was something important to discuss.

Seeing Lu Zhenxin start walking, Lu Han followed expressionlessly.

The corridor was almost empty, with occasional sightings of beautiful waitresses moving between private rooms, creating a quiet atmosphere.

Lu Zhenxin hadn't walked far when he suddenly said, "You don't blame me, do you?"

It was a sudden statement, but he knew Lu Han understood what he meant.

"Blame you for what? Blame you for worrying that my brother and I might fight?" 

Lu Han emphasized the word "brother" and narrowed his eyes.

"I know you've seen through Lu Ming's intentions, and I'm sure you've guessed what I'm thinking."

Lu Zhenxin sighed heavily. "In any case, both of you are my flesh and blood. Even if you don't like it, I have to say it. To avoid you two fighting openly or secretly, I will try to treat you equally."

"The companies he manages now will still belong to him."

"But I won't neglect you either. Investing 3 billion yuan in the Su Group under your name is just the beginning."

"In the future, your shareholding will increase even more. There are also several other companies I've left for you."

"So, I beg you. Even if you can't be close like brothers with Lu Ming, can you at least coexist peacefully?"

As a father, Lu Zhenxin always tried to plan ahead. When Lu Han publicly announced his intention to fight for the family assets upon his return, Lu Zhenxin began preparing.

But he hadn't expected that Lu Han and Lu Ming would quickly develop signs of internal strife.

Lu Ming made the first move, though it was just a test, it was almost unsolvable.

Just as Lu Xue analyzed, whether Lu Han chose well or poorly among those companies, it wouldn't matter because either they were controlled by Lu Ming's people, or they would leave behind a mess for Lu Han to clean up.

But if he chose none, it would play right into Lu Ming's hands.

"If you didn't want it before, why come back to claim it now?"

When Lu Han tried to fight for it later, Lu Ming only needed to say this to gain the upper hand.

Lu Ming's strategy was well-calculated, but Lu Han wasn't the type to sit idly by. This was evident from his decisive break with Chu Ruoyan—who knew what else he might do.

So, Lu Zhenxin was very relieved that he had arranged the alliance with the Su family in advance, making it natural for Lu Han to join the Su Group.

After much thought, he felt some things needed to be clarified, leading to their earlier conversation.

"Old Deng, you should tell this to Lu Ming."

Lu Han sneered, "I didn't have anything before, so a little compensation makes me grateful. But Lu Ming might not see it that way. Without me, everything in the Lu family would be his. Now that I'm taking a significant portion, would he be willing?"

"He dares?!"

Lu Zhenxin's eyes turned sharp, and he spoke coldly, "If he dares to disrespect me, I'll make sure he doesn't get a penny from the Lu family!"

Lu Han mocked, "Do you believe that yourself?"

Lu Zhenxin was momentarily speechless.

Lu Han shrugged, "If you just wanted to tell me this, I already know. If there's nothing else, I'll go back."

Without another glance at Lu Zhenxin, he turned and left.

Lu Zhenxin watched Lu Han's back, his face full of complex emotions despite not being old.

After a moment, he muttered to himself with a bitter smile.

"Who can I blame? Both sons are innocent."

"It's all my doing."

...

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