In this heart-wrenching scenario, Shang Lu, with his disabled legs, could do nothing but endure hunger while helplessly watching the pet dog enjoy his lunch, which was just within arm’s reach. It was painfully obvious that this was no accident; Lu Yurou was intentionally using the pet dog to humiliate Shang Lu.
With the patriarch and matriarch living in their old mansion, Shang’s father being occupied with work, and Shang Jingyao attending school, there was no one in the vast villa who could come to Shang Lu’s aid. Even if he shouted and cried for help, no one would come to assist him.
Lu Yurou’s apology lacked any sincerity and was delivered with a tone of mockery. Shang Lu’s pale face was now marked with veins and a murderous gaze, fixed upon her.
“Yuan Bao, stop eating,” Lu Yurou went over and kicked the dog lightly, pretending to scold it, saying, “You’ve eaten your brother’s lunch, and he has nothing to eat. Be careful, I might have to get rid of you.”
Shang Lu coldly uttered a single word, “Leave!”
Lu Yurou’s complexion changed slightly, and she sneered, insulting him with the words, “You little bastard.”
Shang Lu grabbed the bedside table lamp and threw it, narrowly missing Lu Yurou but hitting the dog instead. The dog yelped in pain, and its eyes turned fierce as it bared its teeth and growled, glaring at the helpless boy on the bed.
“Shang Lu!” Lu Yurou’s eyes filled with anger as she scolded, “Yuan Bao is just a dog. It doesn’t understand. Why are you bothering with it?”
The commotion on the third floor attracted the attention of the maids, and they gathered to watch. In this heartbreaking scene, the brooding teenager sitting on the bed appeared sinister and terrifying.
The maids engaged in discussions among themselves, using strange looks and words to taunt Shang Lu. The ones who initially orchestrated this, Lu Yurou, and the exaggerated description of Zhang’s mother, had now become the objects of comfort and sympathy for the maids, while Shang Lu had been unjustly cast as the strange person who abused animals.
Su Banxia’s heart was filled with overwhelming hatred and disgust for the cruelty and injustice she witnessed.
In the original story, Shang Lu was portrayed as the antagonist who opposed the male lead, with only a few brief words describing his birth and past. In the uncharted moments of his life, he endured such hardship.
Amidst the commotion, Shang Lu angrily yelled for everyone to leave, and it was only a sympathetic maid who closed the door behind her.
In the silent, dimly lit room, he hunched over, clutching the blanket tightly.
Su Banxia floated there, her heart breaking, wishing she could hold him. Her body, like air, passed through, unable to touch him.
It hurt so much. It shouldn’t have been like this.
A few days later, Lu Yurou’s pet dog was found dead, brutally killed and covered in blood. Rumors among the villa’s staff began to circulate, accusing Shang Lu of harboring resentment and killing the pet dog.
Shang’s father scolded and punished Shang Lu, even using a wooden ruler to strike his back several times.
The abuse Shang Lu endured continued until the patriarch and matriarch came to visit him at the villa. He presented them with video evidence of Zhang’s mother’s cruel mistreatment.
Upon watching the footage, the patriarch was furious and demanded legal action against the maid. Zhang’s mother fell to her knees, pleading based on her many years of service in the Zhang family, begging the patriarch for forgiveness.
Afraid of the truth coming to light, Lu Yurou signaled to Zhang’s mother not to reveal anything. Under her intercession, they decided to only expel the maid from the Zhang family and lightly punished Zhang’s mother with a few hits on her arm.
After Zhang’s mother left the villa and returned home, she had a heated argument with her brother Zhang Qiang, who had lost money in gambling. In a street devoid of surveillance cameras, a misaligned car rushed towards them.
Once evil thoughts took root, they became uncontrollable. Zhang Qiang pushed Zhang’s mother, hoping to stage an accident and extort money from the driver. However, the driver turned out to be a coward and fled after hitting her.
He panicked and called for an ambulance. Zhang’s mother was rushed to the hospital and ended up in a vegetative state.
Zhang Qiang cursed his fate, feeling burdened with a living nightmare. He even wished he could simply pull out the oxygen tube himself, although he didn’t dare to do so.
Of course, he didn’t actually dare to do it.
Su Banxia, in the hospital room, overheard Zhang Qiang discussing a plan with him. He advised her to portray her family’s situation as dire and start a crowdfunding campaign. People with generous hearts would contribute to cover her medical expenses, and they could even make a substantial profit.
…
Su Banxia withdrew from the room, her eyes red, staring at the middle-aged woman lying unconscious on the hospital bed.
Could this be considered as “reaping what you sow”?
If it weren’t for the fact that Zhang’s mother had become a vegetable now, she would definitely have gone up there and given her a good slap. It wouldn’t have been enough to vent her anger; the Zhang family mother and son must pay for their actions.
Su Banxia composed herself and left the hospital room.
She returned to the car downstairs, where Xiong Da and Xiong Er noticed her teary eyes and asked what had happened.
“I’m fine,” Su Banxia shook her head.
The car was parked on a street outside the hospital, and the next destination would be determined based on Su Banxia’s instructions.
“Miss, there’s something I need to report,” Xiong Er said. “I saw some suspicious individuals downstairs.”
“What suspicious individuals?” Su Banxia raised her gaze.
Xiong Er gestured for her to look towards the hospital entrance. There were two young men loitering on the roadside, appearing as if they were just idly strolling around, but in reality, they were observing the comings and goings around the hospital.
Su Banxia’s expression gradually turned serious.
It turned out that everything behind this wasn’t so simple; someone was manipulating things.
…
The company’s market value had plummeted too quickly, causing concern not only among the employees but also among the old directors who owned shares. The matter eventually reached the ears of Su Banxia’s grandfather.
Su Banxia’s grandfather and grandmother were traveling abroad, enjoying a vacation and planning to return home in a couple of days with local specialties. However, they hurried back to the country upon receiving the news.
Since Su Banxia had married into the Shang family, the whole extended family had not formally gathered for a meal.
In the afternoon, while she was trying to figure out how to obtain the surveillance videos from that year and find out the whereabouts of the fleeing driver, she received a message from Shang Lu.
【Shang Lu】: I’ll come to pick you up in the evening, let’s have dinner at the old mansion.
In just one day, Su Banxia’s mood had fluctuated several times. She had already forgiven Shang Lu for letting her get drunk and make a scene, and she knew that he had been mistreated in the past, which made her even more sympathetic.
Upon seeing this message, her nose tingled, and her heart instantly softened into a puddle of water.
Su Banxia thought to herself that she was in trouble. Right now, she really wanted to hug Shang Lu, not for the sake of appeasing her anger, but to hold him close and care for him.
As night fell, the city lit up like a sea of stars.
Su Banxia had been busy investigating the Zhang family’s situation and didn’t neglect her dance practice. In the afternoon, she had practiced dance for two hours in the dance studio specially created for her by Shang Lu, and she was drenched in sweat.
Perhaps it was her imagination, but she felt that the original owner’s body was becoming more and more like hers.
When she first crossed over, her initial thought was to return everything to the original owner and not take over someone else’s life, even if it meant facing death.
The system told her that the original owner had passed away, and in a sense, the original owner was another version of herself in a parallel spacetime. She was here to live in her place.
After stepping out of the shower, Su Banxia wiped away the mist on the glass mirror and stared at the girl reflected in it.
The mobile app displayed that she had reclaimed thirty percent of her luck. Her skin and hair had also undergone a qualitative improvement. Her black hair was smooth again, and her face had no flaws.
Su Banxia blinked at her reflection in the mirror, her bright and clear eyes filled with a hint of a smile.
She would continue to get better, and so would Shang Lu.
After drying her hair and changing into fresh clothes, she spent half an hour on makeup and styling. She realized that she had exceeded the time she had agreed upon with Shang Lu, so she quickly grabbed her bag, put on her shoes, and hurried out.
When Su Banxia stepped out of the apartment, she saw several black cars parked outside, which made her feel awkward.
She didn’t remember Shang Lu’s car’s license plate number, and the apartment complex in the Golden Circle was filled with expensive cars, making it difficult for her to identify which one belonged to Shang Lu.
At that moment, a Rolls-Royce Phantom pulled up, and a person stepped out.
“Miss Su, this way.”
Su Banxia walked over in her high heels, and Xiang Lei, who was standing by the side, opened the car door for her.
In the luxurious and spacious car, Shang Lu sat in his seat and cast a faint glance at her.
Su Banxia thought that not being able to find the car earlier must have made her look foolish in Shang Lu’s eyes. She placed her bag to the side and fastened her seatbelt.
They had been silently cold-shouldering each other for a few days.
Su Banxia discreetly glanced at Shang Lu. His profile was exquisite and attractive, and his expression was cold, resembling a sculpture carved from ice.
The journey from here to the old mansion would take about an hour, and she couldn’t just sit in silence the whole time.
Su Banxia slowly extended her fingers towards Shang Lu on the leather car seat, playfully tugging at the hem of his clothing. She thought that this small gesture went unnoticed by Shang Lu.
Shang Lu’s gaze shifted slightly, and he had indeed noticed the girl’s little movements but decided to wait and see how she would proceed.
Seeing that he didn’t react, Su Banxia took it a step further. She continued her playful exploration and moved her hand from his clothing to his abdomen, intending to tickle him and make him laugh.
Unaware of her intention, Shang Lu momentarily didn’t react, but when he felt the strange sensation on his abdomen, he emitted a low hum and abruptly grabbed her hand.
The man’s hand was cold, and he held her hand firmly, making it impossible for her to break free.
Su Banxia blurted out, “I was just joking!”
Shang Lu’s cold black eyes stared at her, and his deep gaze sent shivers down her spine.
Su Banxia sensed a dangerous atmosphere and quickly said, “I didn’t mean to. You can’t be so petty, getting angry over a little touch.”
Shang Lu slowly released her delicate wrist and spoke in a low voice, “Don’t touch randomly.”
Su Banxia couldn’t help but hum to herself, thinking, ‘He’s mine, what’s the big deal about a little touch? I still want to do it a few more times.’
“You changed your car?” She brought up a random topic.
Shang Lu replied with a faint “hmm.”
Suddenly, Su Banxia remembered that this car had a starry sky roof. She turned to the driver and said, “Open the starry sky roof so I can take a look.”
The black roof suddenly transformed into a starry night, and the luxurious car’s roof resembled a starlit sky. It sparkled with stars of varying brightness, creating a breathtaking sight.
The dreamy starlit roof felt like a beautiful starry sea, immersing them in its beauty.
“It’s so beautiful,” Su Banxia praised.
Shang Lu didn’t often use this car, but when he saw how much she liked it, a faint smile appeared in his eyes.
Su Banxia took out her phone, browsed short videos for a while, and then opened a mobile game. She looked at Shang Lu, who had closed his eyes to rest, and asked, “Do you play games?”
Shang Lu opened his eyes and looked at her. “What kind of game?”
Su Banxia handed her phone to him and said, “You haven’t played games before?”
Shang Lu fell silent. In his difficult and challenging life, apart from studying, he had no other interests. After becoming an adult and receiving the funds from his grandfather, he devoted himself to his career. While his peers were running around campus, playing sports, and falling in love, he had used all his energy to secure his position in the company.
In recent years, he had climbed the corporate ladder step by step, gradually taking control of the company from his father.
It could be said that he had no hobbies or interests, nor did he have time to play games for leisure.
“I don’t know how to play,” he admitted.
Su Banxia said, “I’ll teach you.”
Shang Lu was slightly surprised. Su Banxia handed her phone to him and said, “Learn quickly. Later, we can play together.”
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