Chapter 184: Acciden (1/2)

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Cheng Xi didn’t hold any hopes of obtaining any useful information from this conversation. After all, given how much younger Lu Chenming was compared to Lu Chenzhou, it was very likely that he wouldn’t know anything about how Lu Chenzhou’s mental condition had developed.

But, unexpectedly, he actually did.

And he told her everything. “The first person who ever called my brother a ‘cold-hearted monster’ was my grandmother, and it was for what he did when my mother died. My brother was by her side when it happened. He didn’t call the police or shout for help—all he did was watch her slowly burn to death.

Cheng Xi was shocked and speechless. “……”

Perhaps it was because she didn’t expect to hear something like this, but Cheng Xi had a hard time believing what Lu Chenming was saying. But then she noticed that Lu Chenming’s tone was unusually calm, as if he were talking about something utterly unrelated to him.

She couldn’t help herself from asking, “How old were you then?”

“T…… two?”

So he was so young that he didn’t have any recollections of his mother. No wonder he could talk about her passing away so calmly.

“Before your mother passed away, did your brother have a good relationship with him?”

“My grandmother said that my mother was always very busy with her work.”

If she were extremely busy, then she could have neglected her child, which would have led to the relationship between the two of them not being particularly good.

“What about your father?”

“Hmm?” This time, Lu Chenming’s expression went completely blank, as if Cheng Xi had asked a very strange question.

Lu Chenzhou’s father clearly didn’t interact with his two children very much either. But at that moment, a knock on the door interrupted Cheng Xi’s chain of questions, forcing her to walk over to the door. It was Cheng Yang, and he had come back after he changed his clothes. He glanced inside the apartment as he asked, “Is Lu Chenming still around?”

“Yup.”

Cheng Yang clicked his tongue in annoyance, swallowing the words he was about to say. Then, he entered after taking his shoes off. With Cheng Yang around, it wasn’t appropriate to ask Lu Chenming about his brother anymore. So, without anything else to do, Cheng Xi went to prepare some food instead.

As she busied about in the kitchen, she checked the veracity of Lu Chenming’s words. When she googled the keywords “Donglai fire,” she eventually found a link to a very old article titled, “Donglai Pharmaceuticals burned down in a conflagration, killing one researcher.”

There was a significant discrepancy between the headlines and what Lu Chenming had said. This inconsistency almost made Cheng Xi want to talk to Lu Chenzhou’s grandparents again.

But then, she suddenly heard Cheng Yang ask Lu Chenming, “Is your brother crazy?”

Lu Chenming didn’t know that his brother was on Cheng Xi’s side, so he quietly defended Lu Chenzhou. “My brother isn’t crazy. He’s really smart.”

“Smart my ass! If he were really that smart, then why would he be so petty? Did you know that he reported my sister to her hospital? Does he think he’s still in kindergarten, playing around and reporting people like that?”

Lu Chenming was very surprised by Cheng Yang’s accusation, but he continued stalwartly defending his brother. “My brother wouldn’t do something like that. He likes…… Professor Cheng.”

Cheng Yang chuckled mirthlessly. “Kid, would I lie to you? My sister’s already been suspended from work, alright?” He then patted Lu Chenming’s head again. “You too—why’re you fighting with him over someone? With so many fish in the ocean, if you can’t find anyone you like, then you can like me. I’m quite good, aren’t I?” He patted his chest confidently.

Black streaks marred Cheng Xi’s forehead as she overheard all this from the kitchen. She wasn’t able to stop herself from calling out, “Brother, can you come over for a moment?” as she sharpened her knife threateningly.

Cheng Yang ran over, innocently saying to Cheng Xi, “Look at me! I’m cooperating with you and doing my best to make Lu Chenming like me.” He stole a mouthful of food, and as he chewed, he made a coy expression at her, quietly asking, “Did Lu Chenming get befuddled again and try to snatch you away from his brother, thus angering him and provoking him into reporting you? Don’t worry. I’ll make sure that he’ll understand that the one he truly loves is me, not you. He’s only holding onto you because he’s just afraid that our families will oppose our being together.”

Cheng Xi had no response. “……”

She didn’t even know how these ludicrous thoughts had formed in her brother’s head. All she could do was grab her forehead and miserably ask, “Can you stop causing trouble?”

Cheng Yang glared at her. “What do you mean, ‘causing trouble?’ Even if you don’t end up marrying Lu Chenzhou, you can’t let him tarnish your reputation like that. I’m hoping that my sister will become a legendary doctor.”