A charming widow in her 70s married a factory manager and raised his children.

Lu Congyue smiled slightly after hearing Shang Hua's words: "There's no template for what kind of person you like. You only know when you meet them. Sister Shang, how could you know what kind of person you like before you got married?"

"Of course I know, otherwise why would I have married him?"

"Then why did you get a divorce?" Lu Congyue shook his head. "Your divorce really upset Uncle Shang."

"I'm talking about your own business, don't drag me into this." Shang Hua changed the subject, paused, and then said, "What you said makes sense, but people's feelings can be wrong sometimes."

"My intuition is never wrong," Lu Congyue said firmly.

Shang Hua scoffed.

She thought the same way when she got married, but they still got divorced in the end, didn't they?

People are sometimes slow to realize things.

Just like how she belatedly realized that Lu Congyue was the right one for her.

Shang Hua didn't rush to bring it up. She needed to be sure that Xiao Chenglin couldn't live without her in order to increase her leverage.

"Congyue, it will take a few more days to resolve the matters in the capital. You go about your business. I'll take care of Chenglin; I promise I won't let him out of my sight again this time!"

Lu Congyue hesitated for a moment, then agreed.

In the capital, he had no one else he could trust, and he didn't want to spend all his time with his son, because the next step would definitely be a fight with Lu Sheng and his group.

Although his son is still young and doesn't remember things, he doesn't want his child to witness these upsetting things every day.

Just as he expected, the next day, the Public Security Bureau notified Lu Congyue to come over and suggested that they settle the matter privately, or they could preside over the settlement, since they were all family and shouldn't speak with formalities.

After Lu Congyue arrived, he sternly refused.

They also stated that the man who took Xiao Chenglin away was a stranger, not a member of the Lu family. After the incident, there was a sketch of the suspect, which is a crime. Moreover, the entire city's police force and some soldiers were mobilized to search for him. If this is a family matter, then the Lu family should kneel down and apologize to those who helped them.

His attitude was so tough, and what he said made sense, that the police didn't dare to force him to settle. They could only pass the buck to Lu Sheng and let his family handle it.

On the third day, Lu Sheng somehow managed to get Guan Jing released, and the two arranged to meet Lu Congyue.

Lu Congyue didn't want them to disturb Xiao Chenglin at the guesthouse, so he went directly to the Lu family home.

As soon as she entered the door, Guan Jing knelt down in front of him.

Lu Congyue stopped in his tracks, then turned and walked away.

"Stop!" Lu Sheng shouted sternly.

Lu Congyue didn't even turn his head: "You said you wanted to talk to me, but it turns out you were planning to talk to me on your knees. Sorry, I don't have that habit."

"Guan Jing, get up!" Lu Sheng commanded loudly.

Seeing that kneeling wouldn't work on Lu Congyue, Guan Jing stood up, wiping away her tears, and said, "I'm sorry, I was just too emotional. When I thought of Guoqiang, I just... I just..."

"Alright, come in and talk! Guan Jing, go pour some tea!"

Lu Sheng paused, looked at his eldest son who had his back to him, and sighed deeply, "You... don't blame your Aunt Guan, she's always been soft-hearted and doesn't have much of a say, she panics when something happens."

When Lu Congyue turned back, his face was filled with an undisguised mocking smile.

"So you 'know' her that well."

He emphasized the word "understand".

Lu Sheng frowned: "Don't speak so sarcastically. I know you've harbored resentment towards me and this family all these years. Today, let's lay everything out on the table and clear things up so you can calm down."

Lu Congyue smirked, stepped into the living room, and sat down on the sofa with an air of superiority, as if waiting to hear their nonsense.

Guan Jing wiped away her tears and went to the kitchen to pour tea.

After the tea was served, she sat down next to Lu Sheng, looking docile with her head down.

Lu Sheng coughed and said, "Alright, let's start talking now. Cong Yue, Guoqiang is your brother, we're family, can you please leave Guoqiang alone?"

"No!" Lu Congyue answered decisively.

Guan Jing burst into tears immediately, crying, "Cong Yue, I know you're angry that Guo Qiang hit Lin Lin, but he only laid a hand on her that one time. He usually loves Lin Lin very much, really, I swear to you."

"Cong Yue, if you're really angry, then let him out, give him a good beating to vent your anger, and we'll still be family," Lu Sheng said in a deep voice. "What's the point of locking him up inside? Locking him up inside is a form of protection, isn't it?"

Guan Jing's heart clenched when she heard this.

Let Lu Congyue beat up Guo Qiang at will?

It wasn't that she was petty; Lu Congyue's hunting skills, honed since childhood, were far superior to her son's. Coupled with their feud, he might end up crippling her.

"Well, a gentleman uses words, not fists. Cong Yue is quite successful now, and he's a leading cadre. How could he possibly resort to violence? If word got out, it would sound terrible."

Guan Jing smiled broadly, "Cong Yue, you agree, right?"

Lu Congyue scoffed coldly, "I've never been a gentleman; I love resorting to violence!"

Guan Jing's face paled, and she quickly changed the subject: "Cong Yue, I have to be honest with you, this whole thing is a misunderstanding, you really wronged me and Guo Qiang."

Guan Jing spoke with a sorrowful expression about Lu Guoqiang's disobedience and troublesome nature, saying that he had suffered an indescribable blow that caused him to have difficulty conceiving, or even that he could no longer have children.

She talked about how heartbroken she was after finding out, crying all day long, and thinking about how she could find a way to give Guoqiang a child so that when she and her husband died, Guoqiang would at least have a child to take care of him.

"Congyue, this is truly a misunderstanding. I asked many people to help find a child who resembles one of our family members, so that no one would suspect anything if we brought them home to raise. But I never imagined such a huge blunder would occur; they found your child! No wonder he looks so much like you..."

Lu Congyue laughed, a silent mockery.

I never expected it could be interpreted from this perspective.

Guan Jing seems to have really put her mind to it.

Seeing that he was only listening and not speaking, Guan Jing was unsure what he was thinking and looked to Lu Sheng for help.

Lu Sheng then said with a stern face, "That's how it is, just as your Aunt Guan said. It's all a misunderstanding. Guoqiang didn't know it was your child. He had said before that he would settle down and work hard for the sake of the child. As for hitting the child... that was because he was a first-time father and had no experience. He only thought about not letting the child cry, so he hit him. He was wrong in this matter, and we will talk to him properly."

"Besides, I think your Aunt Guan is right. Your brother's health is like this right now. He can't be childless forever. Why don't you transfer Linlin to his name? You're still young, you can have two or three more children in time."

The mocking smile on Lu Congyue's lips vanished, replaced by a surge of anger in his eyes.

Even now, they still haven't given up on Xiao Chenglin!

"Trying to steal my son? Don't even dream about it!" Lu Congyue jumped up and walked away.

"Stop right there!" Lu Sheng roared. "You haven't finished speaking yet, what's the rush?"