Lu Bancheng slightly increased the force of his hand on the door handle and, after a few seconds, pushed open the door and entered the study. He did not come out of the study until lunch was ready. Upon entering the dining area, he caught sight of the empty seat next to Xu Wennuan. After some thought, he eventually decided to sit beside his father.
A splendid spread of food had been prepared for lunch, and as they ate Mother Lu incessantly talked to Xu Wennuan. Father Lu occasionally tried to interrupt with a word or two, but Lu Bancheng, who was usually talkative, did not converse beyond speaking to his father occasionally about business matters.
As he had only had surgery a few days prior, Lu Bancheng did not have much of an appetite and placed his chopsticks down after eating only a few bites. The nanny noticed that Lu Bancheng was not eating when she was serving the soup. She asked with a frown, "Young Master, why aren't you eating? Do you not like the food?"
