C15 Chapter 15

“Sis, same old saying—blood’s thicker than water. We’re family!”

Lan Yu looked like he’d just gotten over a serious illness, all fragile and pitiful.

He held a suitcase in his arms—something Ling Xiao had специально prepared for him.

A dark red, vintage-style piece, so small and dainty, the color like a creepy smear of period blood...

That woman’s taste is seriously tragic!

“Oh?” Zhu Ling’er didn’t bother hiding the malice in her eyes. “You’ve stolen the Zhu family’s business again and again. And now you’ve got the nerve to come here and talk to me about family?”

“Sis! You’ve got it wrong, don’t you? I really didn’t—”

“Save it!” Zhu Ling’er sneered, all force and arrogance. “Either you stop right now, or you leave Qinghai and keep your head down.”

A flash of sarcasm flickered through Lan Yu’s clear, glassy eyes.

This bargain-bin sister of his really was something... sharp as a tack. Not the type to be fooled by his mask so easily.

So what now?

He wanted to see the Zhu family empire collapse with his own eyes—better yet, see every last one of them ground into the dirt, never able to crawl back up.

Lan Yu stared at Zhu Ling’er in silence, making it crystal clear he wasn’t backing down.

With no one else around, Zhu Ling’er suddenly lifted her chin and laughed smugly. “I heard you’ve got severe leukemia. Want the best treatment? Want to get healthy again as soon as possible?”

Lan Yu:...

I just want to chop you down right now!

Leukemia? What was that compared to the hatred that had been lying in wait in his chest for years? If anything, he’d rather go all the way and fight the Zhu family to the bitter end.

Getting no response, Zhu Ling’er started to lose her patience.

When it came to tactics, Lan Yu played harmless—pure, innocent, almost angelic.

But the Zhu family saw him clearly. Strip away that lily-white, elegant exterior, and Lan Yu was really just...

A vicious little wolf with a black heart.

“This is a special list. Supposedly, the rich wives on it have been involved in illegal dealings at your Black Horse Club.”

Zhu Ling’er had no choice but to pull out her biggest trump card.

This was the crucial evidence the Zhu family had exhausted every last resource to wrest from the shadowy powers behind the scenes.

“Big sis, you can’t do this to me...”

Lan Yu looked like he was about to cry, as if his own family were about to cast him out. Panic flickered across his handsome face.

When acting becomes a habit, maybe it turns into a different kind of prison...

“Do what to you? You brought this on yourself.” Zhu Ling’er finally had the upper hand, and she couldn’t hide her satisfaction.

“Don’t blame the Zhu family for being cold. You never should’ve... been allowed to exist in this world!”

Because he was an illegitimate child?

What had he actually done wrong?

You don’t get to choose where you come from—it’s not something you can undo!

He’d just had the bad luck to be born into the wrong situation, doomed to live under the Zhu family’s shadow!

Lan Yu lowered his thick, butterfly-like lashes, hiding the blade-sharp hostility in his phoenix eyes.

Zhu Ling’er thought she’d won completely, smug and triumphant as she turned to leave.

The hospital room door suddenly swung open—Ling Xiao pushed it wide, then walked straight past Zhu Ling’er without even glancing at her.

“Kiddo! Time to get discharged. Let’s go!”

Zhu Ling’er froze, her face blank.

These two... since when had they been sneaking around behind her back?

Lan Yu gave Ling Xiao a careful once-over, still playing innocent. “You were hiding outside the door just now? You heard everything?”

Ling Xiao nodded—then quickly shook his head.

This wasn’t the time to admit anything, and it wasn’t the time to deny it either. The best move was to play dumb.

Lan Yu rubbed at the corners of his reddened eyes, like a half-bloomed lily touched by a single mournful drop of morning dew.

Seeing Ling Xiao as calm as ever, Lan Yu deliberately lowered his voice. “Why can’t you help me?”

Why just stand by?

Like... he was deliberately letting Zhu Ling’er humiliate him?!

Ling Xiao clicked his tongue, speechless.

I’m not your personal therapist!

But—why does the villain heartthrob cry prettier than a girl?

Right then, Zhu Ling’er chimed in with a perfectly timed jab. “Wang Lingxiao, don’t tell me you’ve got a thing for Lan Yu?”

“Don’t say I didn’t warn you—he’s the most famous top escort in town...”

“Besides, your Wang family’s broke as hell. You can’t afford to mess around with a pretty boy like that.”