Chapter 16

After saying that, Lu Mingxuan closed his eyes and waited for the punishment.

His little uncle had always commanded great authority and disliked anyone defying him. As a junior, this was the first time Lu Mingxuan had spoken so harshly in front of him.

But he had no choice but to speak up.

Lin Juan was a great benefactor to their Lu Family, and his little uncle’s awakening was largely thanks to him. Both emotionally and rationally, Lu Mingxuan hoped that Lin Juan and his little uncle could get along harmoniously and love each other for life.

After a long moment with no rebuke forthcoming, he slyly peeked open one eye and glanced toward Lu Yanzhou.

The man sat at the desk, set aside what he was doing, and propped his chin on one hand, lost in thought.

This was promising!

Lu Mingxuan’s eyes widened, and he pressed on. “Little Uncle, look, although you and Little Uncle-in-law hadn’t met before the marriage, someone as outstanding as him—even without this marital bond, wouldn’t your eyes light up upon seeing him?”

“Now that you two are married, even if Grandpa arranged it, when you woke up to such a stunning beauty lingering by your side, didn’t your heart stir even a little?”

“That’s your little uncle-in-law. Show some respect.” Lu Yanzhou rebuked him mildly.

I’m not wrong, though.

Lu Mingxuan grumbled inwardly but didn’t dare show it on his face. At this point, he could tell that if his little uncle were truly displeased with Lin Juan, he wouldn’t be acting like this.

“Then Little Uncle-in-law’s matters are in your hands, Little Uncle.”

“Mm.” Lu Yanzhou tapped the desk. “Your allowance this month is doubled.”

“Yay!” Lu Mingxuan happily slipped away.

Lu Yanzhou set aside the company emails he needed to handle and contacted his assistant. Apart from a few people in the Lu Family, only his trusted aides at the company knew of his awakening. On the surface, Old Master Lu handled Lu Corporation affairs, but in reality, Lu Yanzhou managed them from Lu Garden.

He gave instructions about the business cards, and the corporation’s dedicated design department produced several samples with impressive speed.

After finishing company business, Lu Yanzhou checked the time: 5:36 p.m.

Lin Juan should be coming soon.

Sure enough, less than a minute later, footsteps approached from outside the study.

Moments later, there was a gentle knock at the study’s door.

“Come in.”

Lin Juan entered, smoothly wheeled the chair from beside the door to the front, and helped Lu Yanzhou to his feet. “Time for dinner.”

Lin Juan sometimes overslept breakfast, which they ate in Lu Yanzhou’s own courtyard. Lunch at Lu Garden had no strict rules—one could eat in their room or the dining hall. Dinner, barring special circumstances, was usually a family affair.

Dinner was at 6:00 p.m., and Lin Juan generally came a bit early to wheel Lu Yanzhou over.

Ever since Lu Yanzhou awoke, the caregivers hired by Old Master Lu became redundant. Lu Yanzhou disliked strangers getting close, and Old Master Lu knew his youngest son’s quirks, so he simply dismissed them and gave Lin Juan an extra five hundred thousand in spending money as compensation for caring for Lu Yanzhou.

With money on the line—and such a large sum—Lin Juan took good care of him.

Besides, Lu Yanzhou wasn’t hard to serve. He handled most things himself. All Lin Juan needed to do was wheel him around and give a hand when getting up—nothing more.

Sometimes Lin Juan even felt like he was earning that five hundred thousand too easily.

For this workload, if he were the employer, he’d think five thousand was too much.

The Lu Family had no rule against talking during meals. Everyone chatted while eating, in perfect harmony.

Lin Juan brought up the matter of treating everyone to a meal.

He had crammed some knowledge on the topic lately, focusing on finding restaurants with great food, and listed a few options.

“Does Mr. Lu have a preference?”

Lu Yanzhou wasn’t picky about food and always finished whatever Lin Juan served him, though Lin Juan had noticed he preferred Huaguo cuisine over Western fare.

Old Master Lu, being advanced in age, favored lighter flavors.

The restaurants Lin Juan selected all excelled at Huaguo dishes.

“These two are good.” Lu Yanzhou named two of them.

Lin Juan mentally calculated the prices—well within budget. “Then let’s go with the first one.”

“We can try the other next time, and Little Uncle can treat us,” Lu Mingxuan chimed in, much more relaxed now that he’d gauged Lu Yanzhou’s attitude toward Lin Juan. “Little Uncle hasn’t treated us to a meal in ages.”

Old Master Lu just smiled without comment.

Seeing the younger generation getting along filled him with joy.

Lin Juan had a great appetite, and Lu Family cooking suited him perfectly. He always polished off two big bowls of rice.

Whenever he encountered a standout dish, he’d serve a bit to Lu Yanzhou to try.

The first time had been pure instinct.

It was a dish of meatballs made from fresh, tender fish: deboned, pureed, and simmered to perfection in premium broth. The flavor was incredibly fresh.

Lin Juan took a bite, his eyes lighting up, and he eagerly wanted to share with someone.

“This is so good!” He picked up another meatball and placed it in Lu Yanzhou’s bowl. “Try it.”

Back then, Lu Yanzhou had only been awake a short while. The Lu Family wasn’t sure of his attitude toward Lin Juan but knew he had some germaphobia. When Lin Juan made the move, Lu Yanzhou’s body tensed, and Old Master Lu watched his youngest son closely, ready to smooth things over.

But Lu Yanzhou’s germaphobia seemed to vanish in that moment. He said nothing and, under the gaze of five pairs of eyes, slowly picked up the meatball and ate it without the slightest reluctance.

Afterward, he commented, “It’s indeed good.”

“Right? Right?” Lin Juan hadn’t noticed the undercurrents at the table; his focus was entirely on the food. Getting a positive response to his sharing made him even happier.

From then on, he made a habit of serving Lu Yanzhou bites of anything delicious.

After dinner, Lin Juan wheeled Lu Yanzhou outside for a stroll. He’d eaten his fill and needed to walk it off.

The business cards would take time to design, so Lin Juan wasn’t in a rush. What he hadn’t expected was that before the cards arrived, a commission did.

Lu Mingxuan had brought the client.

Lin Juan hadn’t arranged to meet at Lu Garden but chose a coffee shop near Lu Mingxuan’s school.

The client was a female classmate from Lu Mingxuan’s class. Dark circles shadowed her eyes, and she looked utterly drained, as if she hadn’t slept well in ages.

In places imperceptible to others, Lin Juan faintly sensed a non-human aura emanating from the girl.

Having dealt with Weird Phenomena several times, he knew this aura stemmed from such events.

But the aura on her was very faint.

It didn’t feel like the Weird Phenomenon itself—more like she’d brushed against one somewhere.

“Hello, Mr. Lin.” The girl was nervous. “I’m Su Min. I…”

“Don’t be nervous.” Lin Juan pushed the coffee he’d ordered ahead of time toward her. “I didn’t add sugar since I wasn’t sure if you like it. Have some to calm your nerves first.”

Su Min picked up the coffee.

As she raised her hand, her wide sleeve slipped down from her wrist, revealing the bluish veins snaking across her arm.

Like some parasitic vine clinging tightly to its host, draining nutrients.

The girl quickly realized and yanked her arm down, pulling her sleeve over her wrist.

Tears splashed down in big drops as Su Min broke down. “I don’t know what’s happening. One day, this thing just appeared on my arm. At first, it was just a faint line, but then it grew more and more, the color deepening. Now, from my neck down, my whole body is covered in these things.”

Lin Juan had noticed from the start that she wore a high collar, covering every inch she could.

“These things stay still during the day, but at night, I can feel them wriggling inside my body, burrowing around like living creatures.”

“I went to the hospital, but by the time I got examined, my body was spotless—nothing there. It happened every time I went, so they suggested seeing a psychiatrist.”

“Unless it’s accidental, if I consciously show them to someone, they hide.” To prove it, Su Min rolled up her sleeve a bit.

Sure enough, her arm was now clean.

“I’m not crazy, and I’m not making this up.” At her breaking point, she clutched at this last lifeline, pleading with Lin Juan. “Mr. Lin, please help me!”

Su Min was at her wits’ end.

Lately, she’d been mentally foggy, jumpy at every sound, stretched to the limit—it was severely disrupting her life.

Until two days ago, she’d overheard Lu Mingxuan on the phone, vaguely mentioning “Weird Phenomena,” “unscientific,” and “monsters.”

She didn’t know what came over her. When she snapped out of it, she’d rushed over and grabbed Lu Mingxuan’s shoulders.

Lu Mingxuan jumped.

“Su Min, what are you doing?”

“Did you just say something about monsters?” Su Min was on the verge of madness and blurted it out in desperation. “Do you know monsters exist in this world?”

Right—monsters.

The thing parasitizing her body was nothing less than a monster.

Lu Mingxuan tried to pry her off, but he couldn’t shake her loose despite being a grown man.

Am I really this weak?

Lu Mingxuan fell into deep self-doubt.

“Let go first. We can talk calmly. People are staring—they might think I did something to you.” Unable to break free, Lu Mingxuan tried reasoning to calm her.

He clearly sensed her strong reaction to the word “monsters” and probed, “I did say ‘monsters.’ Have you run into something strange?”

“You do know.” Intense light burst in Su Min’s eyes as she stared at him. “Do you know how to deal with them?”

“I don’t.” Lu Mingxuan told the truth.

The hope in Su Min’s eyes extinguished instantly.

Of course. If no one even knew what kind of monster it was, how could anyone solve it?

Would she silently turn into a monster someday?

“But I know someone who does.” Thinking of Lin Juan’s yet-to-open business, Lu Mingxuan’s mind raced. “If you’ve encountered something bizarre beyond reason, I can ask him if he can help.”

And so, today’s meeting came about.

“To figure out what’s in your body, we need to see it first.” Lin Juan said.

Without seeing it, it was all speculation.

“I can’t make it show if I’m consciously trying to.” Su Min was lost. “Mr. Lin, what should I do?”

Lin Juan asked, “Are you afraid?”

She’d be lying if she said no. Su Min smiled bitterly. “I am, but I want to get rid of it even more.”

Even if it killed her, she didn’t want to die so inexplicably.

A Weird Phenomenon with self-awareness.

Lin Juan pondered. He recalled that Weird Phenomena devoured each other. Since the one in Su Min was feeding on her as sustenance, what if a new, potent, defenseless Weird Phenomenon appeared?

Could the thing inside her resist the temptation?