Volume One, Chapter 38: Not Merely an “Uncle” and “Niece” on the Surface

"You didn't notice?" Shang Linyuan rubbed the half-character "Man" with his thumb, the thin calluses on his fingertips grazing the jagged edge of the jade.

"This pendant is made of Hotan warm jade. She wore it against her skin for over a decade; the character on the inner side should have been polished smooth and bright by her body heat. How could she not have seen it when she put it on?"

Lu Xiaoman gripped her skirt tightly. "Perhaps she never wore it at all! I told you, she probably threw it away the moment it broke..."

Her voice caught in her throat, her nails digging into the fabric of her dress so hard it threatened to tear.

Shang Linyuan’s gaze was like a dense net, trapping her in the center with nowhere to flee. She could feel her lies crumbling bit by bit; the composure she had been desperately maintaining was ready to shatter at the slightest touch.

Just then, Shang Linyuan’s phone rang sharply. He glanced at the caller ID, his brows knitting together instantly. "Mother."

Lin Qinghan’s voice, suppressed with fury, came through the receiver, speaking with rapid, urgent intensity. "Linyuan, come home immediately! Something terrible has happened!"

Shang Linyuan’s expression darkened. "What happened?"

"What happened? Look at the trending topics yourself!" Lin Qinghan’s voice rose sharply. "That Lu Xiaoman—she’s actually posting nonsense online! Now the whole internet is saying you’re covering for Chu Yutang, and they’ve even dug up the fact that Chu Yutang hit her son! The Shang family’s reputation is being dragged through the mud!"

Shang Linyuan’s fingers tightened around his phone.

Seeing a chance to escape, Lu Xiaoman seized the moment of his distraction and shoved the car door open. The cold wind rushed in, and she stumbled out of the vehicle, bolting into a nearby alley without looking back.

Shang Linyuan watched her panicked retreat, his hand tightening and loosening on the phone, but in the end, he did not pursue her.

He spoke into the receiver, his voice low. "I'm coming back now."

When Shang Linyuan returned to the old Shang family mansion, the atmosphere in the living room was as heavy as an impending storm. Lin Qinghan sat on the sofa, her face livid as she scrolled through her phone.

Shang Yanqiu stood by the floor-to-ceiling window with his back to the room, radiating a cold, oppressive pressure. Hearing footsteps, Lin Qinghan looked up sharply and slammed her phone onto the coffee table. The screen displayed the very post Lu Xiaoman had written.

"Look at this! Look at what she’s written! After her parents met with that accident years ago, we were kind enough to take her in and let her stay at the Shang residence for so long, providing her with food and clothing. Is this how she repays us? By colluding with outsiders to smear your name and slander our family! She’s nothing but an ungrateful wolf!"

"Mother, it’s not what you think," Shang Linyuan said, handing his coat to a servant, his tone calm. "Lu Xiaoman is doing this because she mistakenly believes I intervened in Chu Yutang’s affairs."

"A mistake?" Lin Qinghan sneered. "What right does she have to misunderstand you? Bringing along some bastard child from who knows where, and she dares to make an issue out of this? I think she did it on purpose! Perhaps someone instigated her, hoping to use this incident to latch onto the Shang family!"

"Mother!" Shang Linyuan’s tone dropped, his eyes fixed on her with displeasure.

Lin Qinghan felt a jolt in her heart as a vague memory flickered before her eyes. It was six months after Lu Xiaoman had arrived at the house, when a group of hoodlums had taken a fancy to her beauty. After she rejected their advances, they spread rumors that she was a kept woman, claiming she had to be chauffeured around in luxury cars every day. That time, she had watched with her own eyes as her son snapped the ringleader’s arm, warning them that if they uttered another filthy word, he would break the other one. It was then that she realized her son, usually so stoic and unreadable, possessed such a violent side.

"Enough." Shang Yanqiu finally turned around, his gaze sharp as he looked at Shang Linyuan. "Now is not the time to investigate her motives. Have those news reports removed from the internet immediately. Don't let this messy business affect the company's stock price."

Shang Linyuan shook his head and sat down on the sofa. "Father, the news cannot be taken down just yet."

"What did you say?" Lin Qinghan frowned. "Do you want these rumors to keep spreading?"

"Yes." Shang Linyuan looked up, a cold light flashing in his eyes. "Chu Yutang’s situation is suspicious. It’s clear someone is targeting him behind the scenes and intentionally dragged me into it to force a permanent rift between me and Lu Xiaoman, pushing the Shang family into a whirlpool of public opinion. The more passive we are, the more satisfied the people behind this will be."

He paused, his voice firm. "It is better to play along. Now that I am in the spotlight, those hiding in the shadows will think their plan has succeeded. They will lower their guard, and they will inevitably leave a trail. Then, we can follow the vine to find the true mastermind."

Shang Yanqiu fell silent for a moment, observing his son’s confident demeanor, before nodding slowly. "Are you certain you can draw out the person behind this?"

"Of course." Shang Linyuan’s gaze deepened. "To dare touch me, and to involve Xiaoman and her son in the process—I must find this person."

Mentioning the child caused Lin Qinghan’s expression to flicker, though she did not retort. She suddenly recalled what Chu Yan had said on the phone and asked, "What is going on with Yan-yan? She called me earlier, crying, saying you were talking about breaking up with her?"

Shang Linyuan paused, his back to her. His voice was devoid of emotion. "That is correct."

"You!" Lin Qinghan’s chest heaved with anger. "How has Yan-yan ever wronged you? She has been devoted to you all these years; can you not feel it? After what you did for her back then... how can you just decide to break up like this? What are you going to tell everyone?"

"Mother," Shang Linyuan turned around, a hint of exhaustion in his eyes. "I have never had romantic feelings for her. I have helped her as much as I could over these years; I have fulfilled my obligations. Rather than dragging this out and wasting her time, it is better to make a clean break."

"No romantic feelings? It’s been six years, Linyuan. How many six years does a young woman have? For you to say this now, isn't that just bullying her?" Lin Qinghan persisted.

Shang Linyuan, not wanting to continue the argument, frowned. "I have my own judgment regarding this matter." With that, he headed straight upstairs, leaving Lin Qinghan trembling with rage in the living room.

Shang Yanqiu walked over and advised in a low voice, "Enough. Linyuan knows what he’s doing."

"He knows what he's doing? I think he’s been bewitched by that Lu Xiaoman!" Lin Qinghan vented her anger on her husband. "It must be her! Nothing good has come of it since she returned. She was restless when she lived here years ago, and now she’s back with a bastard child, trying to seduce people!"

"Say less," Shang Yanqiu frowned. "Xiaoman is not that kind of person."

"I saw it with my own eyes, how could I be wrong?" Lin Qinghan cried out, her eyes red.

Memories flooded back—it was a summer night six years ago. She had woken up in the middle of the night and passed by the study. Seeing the door slightly ajar, she peeked through the gap and saw Lu Xiaoman asleep at the desk, unfinished exercises spread out beside her.

Shang Linyuan was standing behind her, holding a thin coat, gently draping it over her shoulders. The dim light of the desk lamp fell upon them both; he looked down at her profile with a tenderness she had never seen before.

What terrified her most was when he leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to her forehead.

At that moment, she was so startled she nearly dropped the water glass in her hand. She retreated silently, but her heart felt as heavy as if a stone had been pressed upon it: these two children were not, as they appeared on the surface, simply "uncle" and "niece."