Chapter 370: Relapse of an Old Injury

The Chu Family had always been principled in how they raised their children. They could be doted on, but they were never allowed to take advantage of that affection to do things they shouldn’t.

If one of them made a mistake, the family would never cover for them. Apologies had to be given where they were due, and wrongs had to be made right.

They were determined not to spoil their children only to regret it later when things were beyond their control.

Just like now, if Chu Lingxiu had truly made a grave mistake, they would never blindly protect her just because she was their daughter.

On the contrary, if that were the case, they would make sure Chu Lingxiu understood that if she was wrong, she had to correct her mistake.

"I’m fine. It’s just that Lingxiu... she ran off on her own. I don’t know where she went!"

Hearing Shen Nian’s words, Gao Ruolan couldn’t help but frown. Chu Lingxiu was her daughter; under these circumstances, she wouldn’t just run off for no reason unless something had happened.

As this crossed her mind, Gao Ruolan looked at Shen Nian, and her sharp eyes spotted the same dust on Shen Nian’s clothes that Lu Cheng had seen earlier. She gasped in surprise.

"Xiao Nian, you’re..."

Her clothes were dusty, and there was even an imprint. It wasn’t something that could have happened by chance; it looked more like she had fallen on the ground.

Shen Nian wasn’t a clumsy person, and Chu Lingxiu’s sudden flight looked an awful lot like someone fleeing their own crime. It was almost certain that Chu Lingxiu had done something to make Shen Nian fall and then bolted, afraid to face the consequences.

It had to be said, Gao Ruolan truly knew her own daughter. She’d hit upon the truth.

Gao Ruolan’s gasp made the rest of the Chu Family notice Shen Nian’s disheveled state. They all came to the same conclusion Gao Ruolan had, and their expressions soured.

And just at that moment, the Chu Family’s housekeeper, Sister Zhang, came over.

"Mr. Chu, Sir, Ma’am, Miss just ran over in a hurry, said she had something to do, and left. She didn’t look very well. Is she going to be alright?"

Sister Zhang was supposed to report back as soon as she saw Chu Lingxiu. However, Gao Ruolan had given her another task right after, and in her busyness, she had completely forgotten. It wasn’t until she heard them mention Chu Lingxiu that she suddenly remembered and hurried over to report.

With Sister Zhang’s words, what was there left for the Chu Family to misunderstand? The truth of the matter was now obvious.

Chu Yunze’s lips were pressed into a thin line, deeply disappointed in his sister’s behavior today. Chu Deming and Gao Ruolan also looked displeased but said nothing.

Finally, it was Chu Zhengwei who spoke.

"Look at the daughter you’ve raised! Get her back here. She is not to leave this house! She can go out again when she’s figured out what she did wrong and admitted it!"

Chu Zhengwei’s words clearly meant he was grounding Chu Lingxiu, and indefinitely at that. For someone like Chu Lingxiu, who loved to go out and have fun, being grounded was already a harsh punishment.

"And when she understands what she did wrong, have her apologize to Nian!"

’Not only is she grounded, but she also has to apologize to me.’ Shen Nian could just imagine how much Chu Lingxiu would hate her for this.

"Grandpa, really, I’m fine!"

Shen Nian felt a bit ashamed for making Mr. Chu so angry. Her and Lu Cheng’s demeanor after returning had been calculated to ensure Chu Lingxiu faced some form of punishment.

But having Mr. Chu get this worked up over it wasn’t worth it. After all, Shen Nian hadn’t suffered any real harm, and the fault lay with Chu Lingxiu, not the rest of the Chu Family.

"If you do something wrong, you should be punished! The Chu Family name is not a license for its children to run wild and do as they please!"

Chu Zhengwei was truly furious. He stood up angrily as he spoke, but in his rage, his old injury suddenly flared up. His knee gave way, and Chu Zhengwei collapsed back onto the sofa, his face instantly turning pale.

"Dad!"

"Grandpa!"