Chapter 97: The Lu Family’s Madman

Chapter 97: Chapter 97: The Lu Family’s Madman

Fu Chao wiped the table absentmindedly.

His eyes kept uncontrollably darting to his side...

Lu Shixu.

That name was practically legendary in their circles.

What’s more, the Qing and Lu Families had been on excellent terms for many years.

Fu Chao’s maternal grandfather, Qing Shan, and the Lu Family’s patriarch, Lu Wenzong, were old friends with an uncommonly strong bond.

So, ever since he was young, Fu Chao had constantly heard the name Lu Shixu—

Lu Shixu was only a year younger than him, but their lots in life were worlds apart.

In Fu Chao’s childhood, his parents were deeply in love, and he grew up coddled. He’d never known a single worry until his younger sister, Qing Zhi, went missing.

Lu Shixu, however, was different.

His father, Lu Wenzhou, was the only son of the Lu Family’s head and a genius scientist with a boundless future.

The year Lu Wenzhou passed away, he was only in his thirties. Yet thanks to his numerous research achievements, he was widely considered the most promising candidate for a Nobel nomination among Hua Country’s younger generation of scientists—bar none.

Unfortunately, a great fire caused by a lab accident made Lu Wenzhou fall like a comet, bringing his brilliant career to a dim end.

One year later, Lu Wenzhou’s wife—Lu Shixu’s biological mother and the eldest daughter of the Pei Family, Pei Yun—could not accept her husband’s death. After treatment at a psychiatric hospital proved fruitless, she set herself on fire in a suburban villa. She could not be saved.

Lu Shixu was only six years old at the time.

It was only after his parents passed away one after another that Lu Shixu became known to the outside world.

Before this, even a family as close as the Qings had no idea that Lu Wenzhou and Pei Yun even had a son!

The Lu Family’s official explanation was that Lu Shixu was born prematurely and had been frail since childhood. A spiritual master had advised them to conceal his existence until he turned six, claiming the fewer people who knew of him, the better.

While the story was logically sound, it couldn’t stop the rampant gossip and wild speculation.

Some said that after the tragic loss of his beloved son, Lu Wenzong had secretly adopted Lu Shixu from an orphanage to consolidate his control over the business, meaning the boy had no Lu Family blood at all.

Others claimed he was Lu Wenzhou’s illegitimate son from an affair, not Pei Yun’s child. This, they said, was why the Pei Family’s relationship with Lu Shixu was so distant—they were practically strangers.

Still other rumors claimed he was a test-tube baby, or even Lu Wenzong’s own illegitimate son...

The rumors ran wild.

They were finally put to rest the year Lu Shixu turned twenty-four.

No one could have imagined the Lu Family’s fortune would be so great. First, there was Lu Wenzhou, and then came Lu Shixu.

In fact, Lu Shixu surpassed his own father—the student had truly become the master.

Lu Wenzhou, who entered university at sixteen, was already a one-in-a-million genius. But Lu Shixu was admitted to Stanford at fifteen and earned a double degree in just three years.

When he was eighteen, he returned to Hua Country to officially join the Lu Research Institute. There, he displayed an astonishing aptitude for research, single-handedly leading the institute to publish multiple internationally acclaimed findings and vaulting it into the ranks of the world’s top research institutions!

Meanwhile, the Lu Family’s pharmaceutical group, which had been in decline since Lu Wenzhou’s death, was single-handedly turned around by Lu Shixu. He steered it from loss to profit, transforming it into a pillar of the Lu Family’s business empire. Today, Lu Pharmaceuticals is a titan of the industry, not just in Hua Country, but on the global stage!

At twenty-four, Lu Shixu formally took control of the Lu Family, forcing the patriarch, Lu Wenzong, into retirement.

From that day forward, no one dared to speculate about Lu Shixu’s origins.

He was even given an innovative and exclusive form of address—

Mr. Lu.

It wasn’t "Chairman Lu," the title used for Lu Wenzong and the heads of the Lu Family before him.

Instead, it was "Mr. Lu"—a title that belonged to him and him alone.

That alone spoke volumes about his status.

Lu Shixu had always kept a low profile, and others spoke of him only in hushed, guarded tones.

As for how the nickname "the Lu Family madman" came about...

Perhaps it came from his youth, when he overheard people gossiping about his parents. Expressionless, he pushed one of them into a pool and held their head underwater, nearly killing them.

Or perhaps it was from his time in the business world, where his methods were so ruthless and decisive, leaving no quarter for his opponents, that no one dared to make an enemy of him, fearing him to their very bones.

Or maybe it stemmed from the fact that he showed no mercy even to his own grandfather, Lu Wenzong, his only living relative. The once-mighty patriarch of the Lu Family was now just a feeble old man living out his final years in seclusion at the old family estate.

...

But as for Fu Chao, he thought the reason the "madman" nickname fit Lu Shixu so perfectly was simple: it was his eyes.

Those weren’t human eyes. They were cold, cruel... When he looked at people, it was as if he were staring at a pile of rotting flesh and bone.

It was the same even when he looked at himself!

This was a world-weary, dangerous man. The best option was to stay far, far away!

So when Fu Chao considered the possibility that a man like Lu Shixu might be involved with Nan Zhi...

"N-No, impossible."

He shook his head, forcing the terrifying thought from his mind.

He’d forgotten about the microphone clipped to his shirt, and every word of his mumbling was caught on tape.

The audience was a little surprised:

[What’s Brother Fu talking about? Something feels off.]

[Looks like he glanced somewhere in the shop, and his expression changed instantly.]

[Did he see someone he knows?]

[Pan the camera over! Why aren’t they showing the corner booth?!]

[The camera just flashed by, but I swear I saw a guy so ridiculously handsome he made my screen sharper!]

[You seeing things? Suuuure you did.]

...

"Is that Fu Chao?"

Lu Shixu’s hands were clasped over his knees in a posture that was both tense and aggressive.

It also made his assistant, Tao An, who sat opposite him, increasingly uneasy.

This was Tao An’s first time sharing a table with Mr. Lu, and he was extremely ill at ease.

Without daring to raise his eyes, Tao An answered deferentially,

"Yes, Fu Chao and Miss Nan Zhi are partnered up on this show."

Lu Shixu’s eyes darkened, and he didn’t reply immediately.

After more than ten seconds, he finally let out two words he had been holding back for a long time:

"In the way."

Tao An held his breath.

’He had a feeling those words were directed at him.’

’He desperately wanted to shrink into the background, or better yet, find a hole to crawl into and disappear...’

"Are you two ready to order?"

Qi Pei’er walked over, sizing up these two strange, out-of-place customers.

The interruption eased the atmosphere. Tao An breathed a sigh of relief and quickly ordered three dishes.

Qi Pei’er tactfully reminded him:

"The portions might be a bit much."

Tao An considered for a moment, then canceled the braised pork belly.

Mr. Lu had an incredibly discerning palate. The team of top chefs dedicated to serving him could work for months without producing a single dish he found satisfactory.

So Tao An assumed Mr. Lu wouldn’t be eating. That meant he would be the only one, and two dishes—one meat, one vegetable—would be just right.

As it turned out...

"Huh? Sir, you’re going to eat too?"

Tao An was so shocked that he’d spoken his thoughts aloud!

Lu Shixu picked up his chopsticks with unhurried grace, his expression serene.

"Humans need to eat. Is that so strange?"

Tao An laughed dryly.

’But when he connected the dishes to Miss Nan Zhi, it all suddenly made perfect sense!’