The blind boss's nanny

Then, he raised his eyes and looked at Lu Tingzhao with a puzzled expression:

"Brother, why did you suddenly dig out this old photo?"

Lu Tingzhao's finger touched the smiling face of Lu Xing in the photo, but his gaze was fixed on the place name on the banner.

Only the desk lamp was on in the study, its light casting half of his face in shadow.

Lu Tingzhao spoke slowly, his voice low and deliberate, each word distinct as he confirmed a very reluctant guess:

"Tingzhou, the 'Sui County' that Father went to back then... is that Qin Xiu's hometown?"

Lu Tingzhou lowered his head again, his gaze fixed on the two large characters "Sui County" on the photo, his pupils suddenly contracting.

In my memory, fragments of the background investigation on Qin Xiu pieced together... that northern mountain town, that isolated little place, that family filled with violence and despair...

"Yes."

Lu Tingzhou's voice was hoarse, his tone filled with shock. He looked up and met Lu Tingzhao's deep gaze.

"That's right, brother. It's there. Qin Xiu... he's from Sui County."

Qin Xiu's father, Lu Xing, had invested in the mining industry in his hometown for more than half a year.

Although Lu Tingzhou was a hundred times unwilling to admit it, his philandering tendencies might have been inherited from his father. But now, with his elder brother laying bare the facts at this juncture, an extremely explosive yet all-connecting guess suddenly shot into his mind!

He jumped up from his chair with a start, his eyes wide, his voice trembling with shock:

"Big brother! You mean... that kid Qin Xiu, he... he wouldn't be... Father's illegitimate son, would he?!"

This conjecture was so terrifying that before Lu Tingzhao could react, he was so frightened by his own thought that he became restless and began pacing anxiously in the study.

"Oh no! I think that's probably what happened!"

The more Lu Tingzhou thought about it, the more reasonable it seemed; he was practically sweating bullets.

"Only this makes sense! Why is he so concerned about the Lu family's affairs... and why does he have this inexplicable urge? Why did he target you!?"

He stopped abruptly, looked at Lu Tingzhao, and his face showed a look of sudden realization:

"They're both sons of Lu Xing, but one was raised in luxury from childhood, a chosen one groomed as the heir. And the other? He's stuck in a remote mountain village, with an alcoholic and abusive father, watching helplessly as his mother is driven to her death... If I were Qin Xiu, I'd be twisted too! I'd hate that Lu guy to death, hate everyone in the Lu family! Why?!"

As his younger brother's guesses grew increasingly bizarre and his emotions became more agitated, Lu Tingzhao remained silent. He raised his hand and pressed his throbbing temples firmly with his index finger and thumb.

For a moment, only Lu Tingzhou's heavy cursing could be heard in the study.

After what felt like an eternity, Lu Tingzhao slowly lowered his hand. He looked up at his restless younger brother and posed a more realistic and cruel question:

"If... that's really the case, what will happen to Tingxi?"

These words froze all of Lu Tingzhou's intense words and actions.

He stood frozen in place, his anger, astonishment, and suspicion gradually replaced by panic and a sense of absurdity.

The two brothers' eyes met heavily in the air. In Lu Tingzhao's deep eyes, Lu Tingzhou saw the same panic and helplessness as his own.

After a few seconds of silence.

The last trace of color drained from Lu Tingzhou's face. He was utterly devastated by this possibility, yet his anger was reignited.

He slammed his fist on the heavy mahogany bookshelf beside him, gritting his teeth, each word seeming to burst from between his teeth:

"Revenge...this must be revenge! It's Qin Xiu's most vicious and despicable revenge against our Lu family!"

The next second, right in front of Lu Tingzhou, Lu Tingzhao dialed a long-forgotten number... Old Zhou, his father Lu Xing's former chief assistant, someone who had witnessed almost all of Lu Xing's public and private schedules.

After the call connected and some pleasantries were exchanged, Lu Tingzhao got straight to the point, asking about his father's investment in Sui County back then, especially... his private life.

Old Zhou was silent for a few seconds on the other end of the phone, seemingly somewhat surprised, but he dared not hide anything from the current head of the family. He confirmed that Lu Xing had stayed in Sui County for more than half a year, during which time he had indeed maintained a long-term relationship with a "quite attractive" young woman from the area.

"That woman works as a waitress in the county's state-run canteen."

Old Zhou began to slowly recount his story.

"...Ahem, the old chairman took a liking to her back then, but she was initially reluctant. Later...you know the old chairman's temper and methods. However, the chairman didn't treat her badly. Before he left, he gave that woman a very generous sum of money, enough for her to live a very good life in the area."

Upon hearing this, Lu Tingzhou frantically chanted in his mind, almost aloud:

There are countless beautiful women in the world, and although Sui County is small, it's not necessarily a coincidence that it's Qin Xiu's mother!

However, it seems that fate is determined to teach the Lu family a lesson today.

At Lu Tingzhao's insistence, Lao Zhou agreed to ask the people who knew about it back then again.

Every minute of waiting felt like an eternity.

The phone rang again, and the news Lao Zhou brought shattered the last shred of hope in the brothers' hearts:

"I made some inquiries... Not long after the chairman left, that woman got married to a local worker surnamed Qin. She later had two sons. It's just... sigh, she had a hard life. The man she married had a violent temper, loved to drink, and would beat her when he was drunk. Everyone in the neighborhood knew that..."

Lu Tingzhou couldn't hear a single word of what followed about how the woman was abused and how she ultimately took her own life. His ears were ringing, and only one thought was playing on repeat in his mind:

That's it! It's confirmed!

What you fear most is what will happen; the more you try to avoid something, the more fate will throw it in your face.

Lu Tingzhou slumped back into his chair, his face filled with utter despair.

"What a tragedy..."

He sighed weakly.

"Brother, do you think... there's something wrong with the feng shui of our Lu family? Or did our ancestors lack virtue? How come we keep producing these kinds of ethical dramas that could be written into 'Amazing Stories'?"

He started counting on his fingers, his tone filled with grief and indignation:

"In the previous generation, there was the scandal of a widowed sister-in-law remarrying her brother-in-law. And this generation, good heavens, they've thrown a bombshell at me—a suspected 'sibling-to-lovers' relationship! While I may not have much of a moral compass, my emotional capacity has its limits!"

He sat bolt upright, accusing the air:

"If I am guilty, let the law punish me! Why do I always have to witness these bizarre things that challenge the limits of human ethics?! I'm just a playboy who wants to pick up girls and live a carefree life, what did I do wrong to deserve this?!"

Lu Tingzhao listened silently to his younger brother's "breakdown-style rant" without much expression on his face, but his eyes grew increasingly deep.