Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Luo Chen: "Nonsense!"

He Ruyan: "It's not like that..."

Despite their bickering and squabbling, Luo Chen and He Ruyan were in complete agreement on matters of principle - there was absolutely no lingering affection for Bai Yueguang, and they certainly didn't pine for their deceased first loves.

Luo Qianjian nodded. "Then let's go. Dad, quickly burn it, then we'll head to Aunt Liu's place."

Luo Chen, considering Liu Ruo, was initially hesitant, but then he heard He Ruyan hesitantly object. "Mu Qing's photo, this is the only one I have left... This isn't fair. Even if I take back everything given to Liu Ruo and drive her away, she'll still be there. I'm left with just this photo; if it's burned, I'll have nothing left..."

"I knew it, you're still thinking about Mu Qing!" Luo Chen jumped up from the sofa in a fit of rage.

In several large strides, he reached Luo Qianjian and snatched the portrait and lighter.

Tears welled up in He Ruyan's eyes as she stood up and took a few steps, then stood two meters away, looking at Mu Qing's portrait as if separated by an insurmountable chasm. "Don't..."

Luo Chen, hearing her plea, felt even more motivated. He violently removed the photo from its frame, smashed the frame into the fire basin, and lit the photo with the lighter.

The flames licked at the photograph paper, and Luo Chen released it into the fire basin.

The pain and reluctance on He Ruyan's face intensified.

Luo Chen watched the photo burn away, his mood lifting.

"Mom, Uncle Mu's photo, is this really the only one left? Don't you have others, perhaps digital copies?" Luo Qianjian asked with meticulous concern. "Mom, we've come this far, don't leave any potential problems that could harm your relationship with Dad."

Luo Chen also stared at He Ruyan.

He Ruyan, tears streaming down her face, said, "None left, truly none. When we were young, your father threw away some of Mu Qing's things once; I secretly kept this photo. There's no digital copy..."

"That's good." Luo Qianjian nodded, then respectfully suggested to He Ruyan, "Mom, don't be sad. You should burn paper money for Uncle Mu one last time, consider it a final farewell."

He Ruyan immediately moved to burn the joss paper, but Luo Chen was quicker, throwing several stacks of joss paper that Luo Qianjian had specifically brought over into the fire basin without even unfolding them.

The flames in the fire basin flickered out momentarily before quickly reigniting.

He Ruyan collapsed in tears. "Luo Chen! Why are you doing this! How can you do this to me! Mu Qing's photo is already burned by you, and I can't even burn paper money for him one last time? Do you feel no remorse for him?"

Luo Chen sneered. "Why should I feel remorse? If it weren't for your entanglement with him, and your repeated escapes from me for his sake, would I have acted against him? I merely wanted to teach him a lesson; it was his own fault for being hit by a car and dying! Decades have passed, and now you blame me? He Ruyan, you're taking advantage of my feelings for you!"

"Feelings? What feelings!" He Ruyan slapped Luo Chen across the face.

Luo Chen looked at her in disbelief.

The cold war dissolved, giving way to heated conflict.

Luo Qianjian slowly walked to the sofa, sat down, and listened to the drama unfold.

Although Luo Chen and He Ruyan's arguments were repetitive, there was no getting tired of listening to them.

Luo Qianjian enjoyed watching as an interested spectator until everything in the fire basin was burned clean. Then, he gestured from a distance to the servants who dared not approach, signaling for them to remove the fire basin.

Simultaneously, he stood up, interrupting the hysterical Luo Chen and He Ruyan, speaking calmly as if following a routine. "Dad, Mom, Uncle Mu's portrait has been burned. Next, let's go to Aunt Liu's place."

Luo Chen paused.

He Ruyan wiped her tears and said resentfully, "Go! Let's go now!"

Luo Chen's arrogance waned. "...There's no need to go. I'll directly notify A Ruo... Liu Ruo, and tell them to move out..."

"What's there to notify? Go straight to their house now, tally everything up, then drive them away. Do you want to give them time to move?" He Ruyan mocked. "Let me tell you, Luo Chen, I won't give you another chance to support your Bai Yueguang with our marital assets!"

Luo Qianjian interjected, "For so many years, Aunt Liu's family has spent our money. Shouldn't they write IOUs and pay us back in the future?"

Luo Chen couldn't help glaring at Luo Qianjian.

Luo Qianjian looked innocent.

"Yes! They should all pay back! Bring me the IOUs, and I'll collect the debts. Luo Chen, you won't have any excuse to contact Liu Ruo again! Why are you glaring at Qianjian! So what, Mu Qing's photo can be burned, but the Liu family can't be touched? Luo Chen, I've made sacrifices for our marriage. If you dare to regret now, I will make sure the Liu family pays for Mu Qing's photo!"

"Muuu Qing, Mu Qing, Mu Qing! You're still thinking about him!" Luo Chen was displeased.

He Ruyan: "He's dead, he can't cost me a single cent! Don't try to change the subject. I'm going to Liu Ruo's house right now to watch you settle accounts! Are you coming or not! Do you still want to support the Liu family! If you want a divorce, just say it!"

Luo Chen frowned, then sighed after a long pause. "Alright, enough fuss. Let's go! Since you don't trust me, I won't see Liu Ruo anymore. Isn't that a sacrifice for our marriage?"

Though they fought fiercely and even resorted to physical violence, Luo Chen and He Ruyan had no real intention of divorcing.

Luo Qianjian thought Luo Chen and He Ruyan were truly a match made in heaven, their compatibility unparalleled.

"Qianjian shouldn't come along, just causing trouble and pouring oil on the fire," Luo Chen added.

Luo Qianjian couldn't miss such a good show. "Dad, do you think I shouldn't have let you burn Uncle Mu's portrait? Mom, you agree with going to Aunt Liu's to clarify the boundaries, right? Where did I cause trouble? Isn't this helping solve the problem well?"

"You..." Luo Chen waved his hand, resigned to his fate. "Do as you please!"

Luo Qianjian smiled.

On the way to the Liu family's home, Luo Chen calmed down somewhat. After regaining his composure, he tried to persuade He Ruyan again. "Ruyan, I won't see Liu Ruo or anyone related to her anymore, nor will I spend a penny on her. But the money spent in the past, if we try to get it back now, the Liu family won't be able to repay it, and I'd lose face. Why don't we forget it? Recover what we can, and from now on, have no further entanglements with Liu Ruo. It'll be peaceful..."

He Ruyan, much calmer and no longer hysterically raging, was icy cold. "No problem. I don't care about losing face; I'll collect the debts. I don't mind meeting Liu Ruo because of debt collection, as long as you don't see her. Whether she can repay or not is her issue. What are you worrying about for her?"

Luo Qianjian listened with a smile.

Upon arriving at the Liu family's home, another storm of blood and rain ensued.

Liu Ruo and Liu Qingqing were at home. Seeing Luo Chen arrive, they were delighted, but then they saw He Ruyan and Luo Qianjian, and their smiles froze.

And then, Ruyan compelled Luo Chen to state his intentions outright, and Luo Chen declared that he would no longer support Liu Ruo's family and would need to reclaim the assets he had given them.

Liu Ruo was stunned, soon tears streaming down her face, apologizing profusely and promising to move out as soon as possible, vowing never to burden Luo Chen again.

Liu Qingqing also began to weep, repeatedly calling Uncle Luo.

In the midst of Liu Qingqing's sobs, Luo Chen continued, stating that Liu Ruo needed to repay the financial support she and her family had received over the past decade or so. He allowed for gradual repayment but insisted on a promissory note, with the debt to be settled with Ruyan in the future.

Liu Ruo and Liu Qingqing cried even harder; one took charge, sobbing yet resolutely contacting her eldest son, Liu Wei, to return home, while the other simply wailed, proclaiming her unwillingness to part with Uncle Luo.

Luo Qianjian remained silent, finding a spot with a good view to sit down, watching this heart-wrenching drama of "widows and orphans being bullied at their doorstep."

When Liu Wei received the call, he was equally taken aback.

Although he had been informed by Luo Qianjian just hours earlier, Liu Wei hadn't expected the "visit another day" to mean today.

Could such matters really be handled on the spur of the moment!

Gritting his teeth, Liu Wei hurried back home from school.

During this time, Luo Qianjian listened to the trio—Luo Chen, Ruyan, and Liu Ruo—rehashing old accounts from their youth.

It seemed that in his younger days, Luo Chen harbored feelings for Liu Ruo, his unattainable love, but she had already had her heart set on someone else, even chasing him abroad. Heartbroken, Luo Chen began seeking substitutes, leading a life of debauchery until he met Ruyan.

Luo Chen found Ruyan's eyes strikingly similar to those of his unattainable love, Liu Ruo, and sought to keep her as a kept woman. However, Ruyan already had her first love, Mu Qing, and was unwilling to be maintained by Luo Chen.

Thus, Luo Chen resorted to forceful means, orchestrating a massive debt owed by Ruyan's gambling-addicted father, leaving Ruyan torn between hatred for her father and her inability to abandon him. To repay her father's debts, she broke up with Mu Qing and became Luo Chen's mistress.

As they endured emotional and physical torment, Liu Ruo, the unattainable love, returned to the country with a broken heart. Luo Chen, wanting to maintain a good image before her and tired of the tumultuous relationship with Ruyan, ended things with her.

Luo Chen assumed the role of a caring older brother to Liu Ruo, who agreed to live under the Luo household and be cared for by him.

Ruyan returned to Mu Qing's side—upon learning that she had been coerced into breaking up and had been with Luo Chen against her will, Mu Qing felt immense sympathy for her and was willing to continue their relationship.

However, despite being with their respective "loved ones," Luo Chen and Ruyan couldn't help but think of each other. Yet, they failed to recognize it as "love," leading to another round of forceful separation and emotional turmoil.

Later, Ruyan fell pregnant and was pushed down the stairs by Liu Ruo, resulting in a miscarriage.

Ruyan and her first love, Mu Qing, planned to elope, but Luo Chen discovered their plan and brought her back, leading to Mu Qing's fatal car accident.

Heartbroken and resigned, Ruyan ceased her attempts to escape. Luo Chen, feeling remorse, began treating her tenderly, and the two reconciled after softening towards each other.

Ruyan fell pregnant again and demanded that Luo Chen expel Liu Ruo, whom he referred to merely as his sister, from the Luo household. Luo Chen refused, leading to renewed arguments and causing Ruyan to miscarry due to emotional distress.

Taking advantage of Ruyan's post-miscarriage recuperation, Liu Ruo drugged Luo Chen, only to be discovered and finally expelled from the Luo household...

Luo Qianjian listened intently as the three elders in their fifties recounted the storms of their youth, interjecting with relish, "Now that reminiscing is over, can we settle the accounts and write the promissory notes? It's still early, Aunt Liu, making your move more convenient."

The three elders paused simultaneously.

Then Ruyan recovered first, frowning as she said, "Yes, this is the main issue! Let's not talk about anything else. Are you trying to dodge your debts!"

Liu Ruo hesitated, looking at Luo Chen, "Brother Chen..."

Luo Chen sighed, "Sorry, Ruyan is my wife now."

Ruyan let out a cold laugh.

Uninterested in the specifics of the account, Luo Qianjian noticed a new WeChat message on his phone and checked it.

Coincidentally, it was from his future sister-in-law, Shen Dongyi.

Shen Dongyi: "Qianjian, for the application of innovative credits for the major project, the teacher mentioned there's a paper form that needs to be filled out. Are you still on campus?"

Luo Qianjian typed a response, "I'm already home. Could you make a trip here to deliver the documents? If you have time, why not join us for dinner at our place?"

After sending the reply, Luo Qianjian looked up, glancing at Luo Chen, Ruyan, and Liu Ruo nearby, letting out a light chuckle.

Burning Mu Qing's memorial photo, reclaiming the assets given to the Liu family, and adding the demand for Liu Ruo to repay everything she had used through promissory notes—this life seemed even more ruthless and merciless than the last, leaving no room for sentimentality.

But the essence was different.

In the previous life, Luo Chen and Ruyan had reached a decision after their own heated arguments, agreeing to handle matters this way. Ruyan burned Mu Qing's memorial photo herself, and Luo Chen directly instructed his assistant to recover the assets given to the Liu family without ever seeing them again.

After dealing with it, Luo Chen and Ruyan reconciled without any lingering resentment.

But in this life, the two hadn't finished arguing when they were forced to agree to this resolution, both still feeling awkward and hesitant. Mu Qing's photo was burned by Luo Chen, and the Liu family was expelled by Luo Chen in front of Ruyan, giving them both a sense of coercion, making it harder for them to truly let go.

But what could they do if they couldn't let go? The matter had already been dealt with, and there were no further means to resolve it. They could only suppress their feelings, occasionally bringing them up to argue and quarrel again.

Luo Qianjian was in high spirits, ensuring no one would find peace!

On WeChat, Shen Dongyi remained silent for a few minutes before responding, "Alright, I'll make the trip. See you later."

Luo Qianjian smiled gently.

With his parents' romantic entanglements nearing their end, it was now time to focus on "matchmaking" his elder brother and future sister-in-law.