Reborn in the 80s: My Whole Family Secretly Hears My Thoughts and Goes Wild with Success! - Chapter 170

“Shuangshuang.”

The two were talking and laughing as they turned out of the small path. Hearing someone call her name, Lu Shuangshuang’s body instantly stiffened.

She turned to look. It was indeed Sun Lanzhi, with Lu Xu right beside her.

“Shuangshuang, your father is sick. Go back and see him.”

Lu Shuangshuang didn’t want to acknowledge them, but upon hearing Lu Guangrong was ill, she asked He Bin to stop.

Sun Lanzhi pulled Lu Xu forward, both of them looking He Bin over without a word.

“Shuangshuang, who is this?”

Sun Lanzhi’s gaze towards He Bin was full of contempt, while Lu Xu’s was thick with hostility.

Lu Shuangshuang took a step to the side, shielding He Bin. She looked at Sun Lanzhi and sneered. “You seem to have forgotten, my father disowned me as his daughter thanks to your instigation.”

“Shuangshuang, you’re wronging me! How could I stir up trouble between you and your dad? He was just furious, you know how he cares about face, and that day was his birthday too.”

“I know you’re angry with me, but no matter what, you shouldn’t have done that. Where did you leave your father’s dignity? And Xu… you…”

Sun Lanzhi grew more agitated as she spoke, the hatred in her eyes barely contained.

What happened that day had not only made the Lu family a laughingstock in several compounds, but it also essentially ruined Lu Xu’s future.

Fortunately, Lu Xu was still young. By adding fuel to the fire, she got Lu Guangrong to beat Lu Shuangshuang, pinning the whole incident on her.

But it still tarnished Lu Xu’s reputation. From now on, whether entering the military or getting married, he’d face trouble.

“What difference does it make if I drugged Lu Xu or not? Even without that animal breeding drug, wouldn’t he have still behaved like a beast? And towards his own sister at that! We don’t share a mother, but I’m still his sister!”

Did Lu Shuangshuang not hate it too? What happened that day became a psychological shadow for her. These days, she was often jolted awake by nightmares.

In her dreams, Lu Xu succeeded. No one stood by her side. Everyone cursed and hit her, while Lu Xu got off scot-free.

Why?!

Every time she woke up, she was filled with hatred.

She knew Sun Lanzhi thought she had ruined Lu Xu. But hadn’t Lu Xu ruined her too?

“Shuangshuang!”

Sun Lanzhi snapped at Lu Shuangshuang. “There are outsiders here! Have you no shame at all?”

“If he wasn’t afraid to do such a thing, why should I be afraid to talk about it!”

Lu Shuangshuang stepped closer to Sun Lanzhi. “If he ever dares to try something like that again, I’ll castrate him. As long as I have a single breath left in me, I will kill him!”

With that, she suddenly turned her head and stared at Lu Xu, her gaze making him take a step back in fright.

Naturally, Sun Lanzhi was scared too. She stammered, “Shuangshuang, have you gone mad?”

“I am mad! I went mad after that day! Go back and tell my dad, since he cut ties with me, whether he lives or dies is none of my business!”

“From now on, you are no longer my family. If you dare bother me again, none of us will live!”

Lu Shuangshuang pointed at Sun Lanzhi. “Don’t think I don’t know what kind of man you tried to set me up with. Just this once. If there’s a next time you scheme against me, I’ll scheme against Lu Xu!”

“Whatever you try to do to me, I’ll do to Lu Xu!”

“Lu Shuangshuang, who the hell do you think you are? You—”

Lu Xu stepped forward. Lu Shuangshuang raised her hand and slapped him hard across the face. “That’s payback for last time!”

“Lu Shuangshuang!”

Sun Lanzhi held Lu Xu. Seeing the red handprint on his cheek, her mask of the good stepmother shattered completely. Her face twisted with malice as she raised her hand to slap Lu Shuangshuang back.

Lu Shuangshuang caught her wrist and flung it away. “What’s wrong? Finally can’t hold it in anymore?”

“Lu Shuangshuang, just you wait!”

Sun Lanzhi and Lu Xu glared at Lu Shuangshuang with identical hatred, though Lu Xu’s eyes held something else besides.

After the two left, Lu Shuangshuang seemed to lose all strength, staggering slightly. He Bin quickly steadied her. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.”

Lu Shuangshuang shook her head and smiled bitterly. “Hey kid, you got quite a show, huh?”

She shrugged. “My family’s about the same as yours. We’re both kids with a tough lot.”

Ye Zhiqiu had already told her the whole story of why Shen Xiang changed his name to He Bin. She never imagined such a thing could happen.

Perhaps it was this shared misery that made her feel more protective of He Bin.

He Bin opened his mouth, wanting to ask if her brother had really tried to do that to her. Though she’d only hinted at it, he was no longer a child and understood what she meant.

But seeing Lu Shuangshuang like this, he couldn’t bring himself to ask.

He had never seen her like this. She stood right in front of him, yet it was as if she had long ago shattered into pieces.

“Do you want to cry?” He Bin stepped forward and patted his own shoulder. “I won’t mind.”

“Get lost!” Lu Shuangshuang smacked He Bin’s shoulder.

She actually had felt like crying; her nose was stinging. But He Bin’s words suddenly made her want to laugh.

It was like she was standing under a dark, heavy cloud, about to be drenched by a downpour. And he was like a ray of sunlight, sweeping that cloud clean away from over her head.

“Xiao Xiang…” Lu Shuangshuang lowered her head and asked softly, “Do you think I’m dirty?”

She didn’t care what others thought. But she cared what He Bin thought. She didn’t want him to look down on her because of this.

“Where are you dirty? You’re much cleaner than me.”

He Bin naturally knew what Lu Shuangshuang meant. His avoidance wasn’t because he disdained her or was being evasive. He simply didn’t like her speaking of herself that way.

“Give me a straight answer,” Lu Shuangshuang lifted her head, staring into He Bin’s eyes. “I don’t like vagueness. I don’t like deception or being brushed off. Your answer is important to me.”

“Why is it important?” He Bin took a step closer. “You give me a straight answer too.”

“I…” Lu Shuangshuang’s eyes were full of confusion. She told the truth. “I don’t know. I just know I care about you. I envy Zhiqiu for having a good brother like you.”

He Bin roughly guessed Lu Shuangshuang’s feelings for him. He sighed inwardly, an impulse to speak his own mind rising, only to be suppressed again.

He was sure he didn’t see Lu Shuangshuang as a sister, but as a girl. If he told her the truth, would she be afraid? Would she think he was an animal like Lu Xu, since they were about the same age?

And how long could he like her? Would he always like her? Was it a fleeting impulse or something lasting?

He wasn’t clear on these questions himself. Maybe he should wait until he had it figured out before telling her. If it was just a temporary impulse, then there was no need to tell her at all. That version of him wouldn’t be worthy.

“You answered me, so I’ll answer you.”

He Bin handed the flowers in his arms to Lu Shuangshuang. “In my heart, you’re as pure and lovely as these flowers. No matter what you’ve been through, you’re still pure and lovely.”

“The wrongdoer is the one who picks the flower, not the flower itself.”

Lu Shuangshuang’s eyes reddened. “Do you really think that?”

“Yes.”

He Bin nodded. “After what happened to my sister, that’s how I’ve always felt.”