Shen Yi held Lu Xinyi's clothes firmly in his hand, the evidence glaringly obvious. After his earlier reminder, Lu Xinyi's mind cleared in an instant. She knew Shen Yi had no opportunity to take those items.
Lu Jiang's face turned deathly pale, but he still tried to defend himself, his voice trembling. "This… this must be something you stole from the bathroom yesterday!" As soon as the words left his mouth, he regretted them. He mentally cursed himself for coming up with such a flimsy excuse.
Slap!
Before he could react, a sharp, resounding slap landed on his face. Lu Xinyi was furious, her eyes blazing with anger. The force of the slap made Lu Jiang stagger, his vision blurring.
Lu Jiang clutched his stinging cheek, looking at Lu Xinyi in shock and disbelief. "Sister? You… you hit me?" Since returning to the Lu family, he had been treated like a precious gem, coddled and protected. Even when he made mistakes, Lu Xinyi had always been gentle with him. This slap felt like the world was collapsing around him.
"You're despicable!" Lu Xinyi shouted, her voice shaking with rage. "First, you accused Shen Yi of stealing from my room, and now you're saying he took it from the bathroom? Who do you think you're fooling? Stop pretending!"
Lu Jiang wasn't ready to give up. Tears welled up in his eyes as he pleaded, "Sister, you have to believe me! It wasn't me! There must be some misunderstanding. Why would I do something like this?"
"Enough!" Shen Yi stepped forward, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "I went back to my room after bringing the soup. When would I have had the chance to steal anything? Lu Xinyi, just check the surveillance footage. You'll see I never entered your bathroom. And while you're at it, check if Lu Jiang went into my room this morning. It's not that complicated. Honestly, I don't know how a company as big as Lu Corporation hasn't collapsed under your leadership…" He shook his head, his expression filled with disappointment.
Shen Yi's words cut through Lu Xinyi like a knife. She felt a suffocating weight in her chest. How had her once obedient and gentle brother turned into this? He used to be so careful, always speaking softly to avoid upsetting her…
Then it hit her. Why had he always been so cautious? Was it because the family had been too harsh on him?
A voice echoed in her mind: What's she standing around for? I criticize her a little, and she can't handle it? She's always been quick to mock me, but now that I'm the one speaking up, she's speechless?
Lu Xinyi froze. The voice sounded like Shen Yi's, but she was sure he hadn't spoken. Could it be… his thoughts? But he was right…
Reflecting on how she had always treated Shen Yi with disdain and coldness, while showering Lu Jiang with care and affection, Lu Xinyi felt a deep pang of guilt. She realized how wrong she had been, how blindly she had favored Lu Jiang and unfairly blamed Shen Yi.
Shen Yi, oblivious to Lu Xinyi's internal struggle, glanced at the clothes in his hand and made a face of disgust.
"Ugh!" He tossed the clothes to Lu Xinyi, his expression one of pure revulsion. "Take a look at what your 'dear' brother has done! This is clearly a setup! Lu Jiang, you're really something, going to such lengths to frame me. Oh, wait—I think I underestimated you. This isn't just about framing me, is it? It's also about satisfying your own twisted desires, isn't it?" Shen Yi pointed at Lu Jiang, his voice filled with contempt.
Lu Jiang's face turned ashen. His legs gave out, and he collapsed to the floor, his eyes empty, as if his entire world had crumbled.
Lu Xinyi looked at the clothes in her hands and let out a horrified scream. "You monster! You're a disgrace to the Lu family! How could you… how could you…" Her voice broke, tears welling up in her eyes as she threw the clothes at Lu Jiang.
Slap! Slap! Two more sharp slaps landed on Lu Jiang's face. Lu Xinyi was consumed by rage, her usual composure completely shattered.
At that moment, the door burst open, and Lu Zhenhua's booming voice filled the room. "What's going on here? This is outrageous!" He had been woken up by the commotion and was clearly furious.
Lu Zhenhua stormed in, his eyes narrowing as he saw the red marks on Lu Jiang's face. "Xiao Jiang! Who hit you? Was it this little brat?" He glared at Shen Yi, rolling up his sleeves as if ready to strike.
"Dad! It was me! Shen Yi didn't do anything. Lu Jiang was the one who stole and framed Shen Yi!" Lu Xinyi stepped between them, her voice trembling with urgency.
"What? What's going on?" Lu Zhenhua frowned, looking from Lu Jiang to Lu Xinyi in confusion.
Shen Yi clapped his hands sarcastically, a mocking smile on his face. "Well done, Mr. Lu. Jumping to conclusions as usual. Did I eat your food? Drink your water? I'm the victim here! But no, let's just blame Shen Yi. Typical Lu Zhenhua—always taking your anger out on me." Shen Yi thought to himself: What did I do to deserve this? Framed for no reason, and now I'm about to get beaten. Great.
Lu Xinyi heard Shen Yi's thoughts again, her heart aching. Had her father really been so harsh on Shen Yi all this time? She tried to recall, but her memories were clouded. She had always assumed Shen Yi was at fault, but now… she wasn't so sure.
"Shen Yi! How dare you speak to me like that! I'll teach you a lesson you'll never forget!" Lu Zhenhua's face turned red with rage, veins bulging in his neck. He pushed Lu Xinyi aside and lunged at Shen Yi.
Go ahead, hit me! It'll give me the perfect excuse to leave this godforsaken family! Shen Yi thought, his expression defiant.
Lu Xinyi's heart raced. A sense of panic washed over her. If she didn't do something now, she might lose a family member forever.
"Dad! If you want to hit someone, hit me! I'm the one who slapped Lu Jiang. As for Shen Yi, he's just upset because he was framed. Please, forgive him!" Lu Xinyi grabbed her father's arm, her eyes pleading as she glanced at Shen Yi, silently begging him to cooperate.
Lu Zhenhua's anger subsided slightly, but he remained stern, waiting for Shen Yi to apologize.
Shen Yi frowned. What is she doing? I was about to leave this mess behind! He thought, annoyed. Why is she giving me that look? Does she really think I'll back down now? Not a chance.