Chapter 169 The Blade Rises

Chapter 169: Blade Rising

Downstairs, Uncle Fu was taking out the irises from the vase one by one, trimming the stems, and placing them back in.

Hearing footsteps, Uncle Fu looked up. Lu Lin was wearing a simple white shirt, sleeves rolled to his forearms, revealing a few scratch marks.

His hair was still not completely dry, with a few loose strands hanging over his forehead, making him look relaxed and easygoing.

"Mr. Lu, the driver brought down the bouquet you left in the car yesterday," Uncle Fu said with a smile. "I was worried the flowers would wilt, so I took the liberty of taking them apart."

Lu Lin nodded and walked over to the dining table to sit down.

Uncle Fu continued arranging the irises. His back seemed much better, his movements much more agile than a few days ago. He placed each stem carefully, adjusting the angles to ensure every bloom was in the best position.

Finally, he tied a beautiful ribbon around the vase.

Beautiful and elegant.

After finishing his meal, Lu Lin set down his utensils and wiped the corner of his mouth with a napkin. His gaze fell on the vase of irises, lingered for a few seconds, then shifted to Uncle Fu's face.

Uncle Fu was holding a spray bottle, lightly misting the petals. The water droplets landed on the purple petals, forming tiny beads that glinted in the morning light.

Lu Lin fixed his eyes on him and suddenly said, "Uncle Fu, is the Shen family conducting research?"

Uncle Fu's hand froze.

"After so-called eternal life?"

Uncle Fu didn't speak, but his smile dropped. He stood a little taller.

Lu Lin looked at him and continued, "Is the Feng family his research site?"

"Why did they target my brother?"

"And what does it have to do with me?"

"What role does my mother, Le Tong, play in all this?"

He asked four questions in a row, each one hitting the bullseye. His gaze was fixed on Uncle Fu's face, without blinking.

"Don't feed me that nonsense about the Jiang Clan's secret woman or the yin-yang and life-and-death nonsense," his voice grew colder. "My brother came back from the dead, I prefer to believe it was for me."

Uncle Fu was silent for a long moment.

He gently set the spray bottle on the table, then spoke, his voice barely a whisper:

"I'm just a servant. My only job is to take care of the young master."

He looked up to meet Lu Lin's gaze, his expression calm and open:

"If the master of the house doesn't know, how could a servant like me know more?"

Lu Lin stared at him for a long moment.

Then he stood up, the chair scraping quietly against the floor.

"Fine, if you won't talk, it's fine."

His voice was faint, so faint it was like he was talking about something trivial:

"Anyway, on my brother's birthday next year, they'll all pay for the accident ten years ago."

He paused and let his gaze fall on the blue sky outside the window:

"In memory of my brother."

He turned back to look at Uncle Fu, his eyes icy cold, devoid of any warmth:

"And in memory of the me who died with my brother ten years ago."

He gave a faint smile that sent a chill down one's spine.

Then he turned and strode toward the door.

Halfway there, he stopped, not looking back, his voice drifting over his shoulder:

"Brother might wake up late today. Prepare some food, something light and refreshing."

He paused:

"If Brother asks, say I had to go to the office."

"Yes."

Uncle Fu stood still, watching Lu Lin's retreating figure. He lowered his head, looked at the vase of irises with the ribbon on the table, and let out a quiet sigh.

-

Lu Lin arrived at the hospital. When he pushed open the ward door, Old Master Lu was about to be discharged.

Old Master Lu was dressed in a dark gray Chinese tunic suit, his silver hair combed neatly. He stood by the bed, leaning on a cane, his back straight. Except for his still-pale complexion, there was no sign he had just woken from a coma.

Eldest Master Lu walked beside him, wearing a suit, beaming with satisfaction, as if he had just closed a big deal.

On the other side, supporting Old Master Lu, was Lu Tianjue. He kept his head down, his posture submissive, but his eyes, when lifted occasionally, held no warmth.

Lu Tianjue's hand held Old Master Lu's arm steadily, his posture respectful-looking, but his eyes were cold.

He was the first to see the person at the door. His movements paused slightly, then he lowered his eyes and murmured, "Old Master, Lu Lin is here."

Old Master Lu barely flinched.

He looked up at the door.

Lu Lin was leaning against the doorframe, hands in his pockets, a slight, knowing smirk on his lips.

Seeing Old Master Lu looking at him, he straightened up and walked in, said breezily, "Grandfather being discharged, such a big deal, I had to be here."

Old Master Lu instinctively stepped back.

But Lu Tianjue's hand pressed lightly on his back, the pressure just right, without making it obvious, but enough to freeze him in place.

Eldest Master Lu stepped forward to block Lu Lin. He opened his mouth, about to speak, when a document was shoved in front of him.

"Uncle."

Lu Lin's voice wasn't loud, but it shut the whole ward up.

Eldest Master Lu stared at the document but didn't take it.

Lu Lin wasn't in a hurry either, just holding the document up, the smile at the corners of his mouth never fading.

"A while ago, several uncles and aunts gave me their unwanted shares. How much of the Lu family's shares do I have now?"

He tilted his head, as if seriously calculating:

"Let me count... Oh—fifty-two percent, not counting what Zhou Jin has."

He paused, his gaze falling on Eldest Master Lu's face, his smile deepening:

"Now only you and Grandpa still have shares. We're all family, let's be straightforward..."

He pushed the document forward:

"Eldest Uncle, are you satisfied with this?"

Eldest Master Lu opened the document. He stopped short after one look.

The development of the city's northern land parcel.

That was one of the largest projects of the Lu Corporation this year, with profits so rich they would tempt anyone. Countless people were scrambling for a piece, yet Lu Lin had just delivered the entire tender to him directly.

Not sharing a piece of the pie, but handing over the whole pot.

Eldest Master Lu closed the document, his expression shifting from wariness to surprise, and from surprise to satisfaction.

He didn't even glance at Old Master Lu, his voice filled with barely suppressed excitement:

"Lu Lin is a filial child."

He put the document into his briefcase, patted Lu Lin on the shoulder, and spoke with an affectionate tone as if he were praising his own son:

"Coming to see his grandfather is perfectly natural."

Old Master Lu looked at his eldest son, his chest heaving heavily. His hand gripped his cane tightly, knuckles turning white, his lips trembling, but unable to utter a single word.

Seeing this, Lu Lin quickly stepped forward, his face full of concern:

"Oh dear, Grandpa, please don't have an accident."

He reached out and naturally took over from Lu Tianjue to support the old man: "Here, here, let me take Grandpa home. Eldest Uncle, Little Uncle—"

He turned back, with an innocent smile:

"You two don't have to worry."