"Grandfather."
Lu Chenhao spoke faintly, greeting his Grandfather Lu Cheng without concealing the coldness between his brows in front of the old man.
"You're back."
The old man, with a stern face, responded and then raised his head to glance at Lu Chenhao, turning to the butler standing next to him and saying, "Chenhao rarely comes home, ask Mama Chen to prepare a few more dishes."
"Grandfather, I didn't come home to eat." Lu Chenhao's expression remained unchanged, his furrowed brows deepening.
The atmosphere in the living room became somewhat heavy.
The butler had served the Lu family for many years and was used to such scenes, so when he heard Lu Chenhao speak, he looked back subconsciously at the old man to get his instructions.'
Lu Cheng sighed and gave the butler a look to withdraw. The butler understood and left the living room.
Once the butler had left, and only the grandfather and grandson remained in the living room, Lu Chenhao continued speaking: "Grandfather, I hear I’m getting married, why wasn't I told?"
This morning, as soon as Lu Chenhao opened his eyes, his assistant called to say that there were rumors all over the internet about his impending wedding next month.
He was getting married? How was it that he, the person concerned, hadn't heard a thing about it?
Wasn't this some kind of joke?
"Cough cough..."
Lu Cheng feigned coughing before saying: "It's proper for a man to marry once he reaches a certain age, isn't it? Chenhao, you're already 28, it's time for you to get married. Even if you don't consider it for yourself, you should consider the Lu family. Surely, you don't want the Lu family line to end with you."
Hearing this, Lu Chenhao sneered and lowered his gaze. He took his hand out of his pocket and took out a cigarette box right in front of Lu Cheng, lit a cigarette, and took a fierce puff, then blew out a beautiful smoke ring.
Lu Cheng saw Lu Chenhao in this state, a sliver of anger rose in his heart.
"So, grandfather, you announced my marriage without my consent?"
Even more absurd, the rumored person he was to marry was someone he didn't even know at all.
"It would have happened sooner or later, you and Xiao Xue have always been betrothed."
Hearing Lu Cheng's words, Lu Chenhao farcically laughed a few times.
"Betrothed? Grandfather, what era do you think this is? Do you still want to arrange marriages?" Lu Chenhao steadily interrogated, his mood already drained to the extreme.
He was trying hard to control his temper, but the more he controlled it, the more frustrated he felt.
"The matter has been settled, you have no right to object, unless..." At this point, Lu Cheng paused, and then his eyes swept over Lu Chenhao, his tone harsh and unquestionable, "you're planning to give up the inheritance of the Lu family to Dinghao."
The mention of "Dinghao" made Lu Chenhao's face turn even colder, his deep pupils shrinking, full of deep-rooted loathing.
Dinghao, Lu Dinghao, his half-brother sharing the same father.
The person Lu Chenhao hated most in his entire life was the mistress Su Qing who meddled in his parents' marriage and her son Lu Dinghao, and of course, his own father, Lu Tianhong...
His mother, because of these three people, fell into depression and committed suicide by swallowing a bottle of sleeping pills when he turned eighteen.
Recalling these past events, Lu Chenhao subconsciously clenched his fist, extinguishing the cigarette in his hand, and tried to control the hatred that was emerging in his heart.
At this moment, Lu Cheng stood up from the chair, walked to Lu Chenhao, patted his shoulder, and then ruthlessly said, "Accept the arrangement, the Lu family will be yours, otherwise, I will give everything of the Lu family to Dinghao."
"Grandfather, don't force me."
Lu Chenhao had never imagined his always doting grandfather could be this heartless; gritting his teeth, he spat those words out.
"For all these years, Grandpa, you've always had your way. When you didn't want Su Qing to step inside, I obeyed you. When you refused to let Ding Hao stay at the Lu's, I again obeyed and even sent Ding Hao abroad. Now, for merely wanting you to marry a granddaughter-in-law of my liking - is that truly such a hard thing to ask of you?"
Lu Cheng's words waned the anger within Lu Chenhao's gaze somewhat.
Of course, he understood how deeply loved he was by his grandfather, which made it even harder to accept how his grandfather could simply release such news without discussing it with him first.
"If I have to marry, I want someone I truly love. A marriage without a foundation in feelings would not bring happiness!"
Even if there is a basis of affection, it can't escape the destruction of reality, let alone a marriage devoid of love.
Look at his parent's marriage－how passionately they loved each other at the start but the result? An affair ruined their relationship, leading to their love falling apart. If it weren't for Su Qing's interference, his mother would never have...
Recalling all these, Lu Chenhao's gaze took on a layer of raw pain.
Lu Cheng noted his expression, and he couldn't help but blink.
"Chenhao, your grandfather didn't deny you the chance, but you... When was the last time you ever saw a girl by your side? Even if a couple braved up and came close, you rejected them with a single phrase. If not, I wouldn't have made this decision."
He paused, then added, "Here's the deal, I'll give you two years. If by then you're still against this marriage, I will respect your decision."
"Are you certain?"
A glint flickered in Lu Chenhao's eyes, a bit of uncertainty surfacing in his heart.
In his mind, his grandfather was not someone easy to deal with; more stubborn than him even, so it was hard to believe that the old man would yield so easily.
"When have I ever been uncertain about what I say?" Lu Cheng retorted.
"Alright, I promise you." Lu Chenhao agreed without hesitation.
Anyway, after their marriage, his grandfather would no longer be able to meddle in everything.
---
After Lu Chenhao left, the butler saw an unusually good mood on Lu Cheng's face, and couldn't help but ask, "Master, has Mr. Chenhao agreed?"
Lu Cheng lifted his head, looking towards the sky. His aged voice was unusually firm at the moment, "He has agreed. Moreover, he will surely fall in love with Xiao Xue."
---
As he drove back to the city, Lu Chenhao gripped the steering wheel absent-mindedly. Just then, his assistant Xu Tao called.
"Boss, Miss Qin's complete information has been sent to your email."
After ending the call with his assistant, Lu Chenhao steered the car to the side of the road, halting swiftly. He was curious to see this woman that had caught his grandfather’s attention. He wondered what family background she held and why was she able to move his grandfather.
Once the car was parked, Lu Chenhao quickly opened the email on his phone and scanned through the material his assistant sent over.
What!
From an average family, average-looking, worked as a human resource assistant, a food-lover, had failed subjects during university, had fought and been penalized.
Most importantly, her name was super tacky.
"Qin Shuangxue!"
Lu Chenhao gritted his teeth as he pronounced the three words, as if he wished he could tear this woman apart with his words alone.
