Chapter 150: The Plain Truth

Without keeping everyone waiting for long, Shen Mo and Shen Qing, the siblings, accompanied a young man back into the grand hall. The young man wore a suit, possessed a fair complexion, and sat in a wheelchair. Looking at the crowd from a slightly upward angle, his gaze nevertheless carried a trace of aloofness. The man pushing his wheelchair behind him was tall with a cold and stern expression.

"Young Master Lu, your esteemed presence brings great brilliance to our Shen family." Although Shen Shanchang, the second eldest of the Shen family and father of the Shen siblings, did not go out to welcome them personally, the moment Lu Bin entered the hall, he cast aside his reserve and hurried over, a warm smile tinged with flattery.

"Uncle Shen," Lu Bin greeted with a slight smile, which made Shen Shanchang's smile broaden even further. Lu Bin then glanced seemingly casually toward the table where Shen Shanzé's family sat, his eyes carrying a hint of ostentatious display.

He himself was inferior to the third brother, and his children were inferior to the third brother's son. Furthermore, the third brother's wife was a direct descendant of a quasi-first-tier family. One could say that compared to the third brother's family, his own household was suffering a complete defeat!

So what if they were? As long as he successfully ingratiated himself with the young master of the Lu family and hitched a ride with the first-tier Lu family, his status within the Shen family would inevitably skyrocket. A complete, bottom-up turnaround was by no means impossible.

Quite a few guests had met Lu Bin before and knew his background, so they stood up one after another to greet him. Lu Bin was not excessively aloof, nodding in acknowledgment from time to time.

Lin Yu'gui's family had already returned to Luo's table. Watching Lu Bin being fawned over by everyone like a star making an entrance, Lin Yufei unconsciously twisted her dress into wrinkles with both hands, her heart pounding furiously as if it were about to jump out of her chest.

"Go right now, and preempt him by lodging a complaint against him first." Hong Chen, who was smoking a cigarette, suddenly spoke up. Lin Yufei's face turned pale. Hong Chen squinted at her and said calmly, "You surely don't still harbor the naive hope that he only came to offer birthday greetings, do you? This is like a lawsuit: if he strikes first, you become the defendant; if you press charges first, he becomes the defendant. Private matters might hold no weight elsewhere, but with so many guests present right now..."

"Yufei, go right now." Before Hong Chen could finish, Lin Yu'xin had already grasped the meaning. Decisively, she pulled Lin Yufei's hand and stood up, walking toward the elderly couple.

Lin Yu'gui and his wife looked bewildered. Lin Yu'gui asked, "Hong Chen, what is going on?"

"A minor grievance between young people." Giving a casual and understated reply, Hong Chen stubbed out his cigarette, left his seat, and followed them.

"Grandfather, there is an important matter. Please uphold justice for Yufei." As Lu Bin arrived before the elderly couple and his wheelchair had just stopped before he could speak, a cold voice suddenly rang out.

The crowd could not help turning toward the sound. They saw Lin Yu'xin stepping forward quickly with a frosty expression on her face, dragging a blushing and nervous Lin Yufei behind her.

"Yu'xin, don't you see that the guest is wishing your grandmother a happy birthday? Whatever the matter is, it can wait." Elder Shen wore a displeased expression. Although Lu Bin was merely a junior, he hailed from a first-tier family and was about to pay his respects to the matriarch. Lin Yu'xin's abrupt interruption was simply too discourteous.

However, Lin Yu'xin said resolutely, "Yufei's matter is far more important than birthday greetings!" She then gave Lin Yufei a look. Knowing she could no longer hide, Lin Yufei—without waiting for anyone's permission—opened her lips and poured out everything that had happened last night in one breath...

With Hong Chen's prior coaching, she was concise and reached the core issue within two or three sentences, pointing straight at Lu Bin: "He drugged Shen Qing's bedding, and when I discovered it, he slapped me across the face and beat and kicked me..."

Upon hearing this, everyone's expressions changed. Shen Qing had never expected Lin Yufei to make the first move in accusing them. In her panic and with a hideously ugly expression, she shrieked and interrupted, "Lin Yufei, you are spouting utter nonsense! What status does Young Master Lu hold? How could he ever do such a thing? Clearly, you drugged yourself in an attempt to seduce Young Master Lu, and when your scheme was exposed, you tried to frame him instead. You shameless, cheap bitch!"

As these words left her mouth, a low murmur of uproar swept through the crowd.

Boom!

Lin Yufei's delicate body trembled violently, her mind feeling as though it had exploded, filled with sheer disbelief. She had anticipated that Shen Qing might stubbornly refuse to admit the truth or even help Lu Bin cover it up, but she had never imagined that Shen Qing would resort to such a vicious counter-attack.

"Shen Qing, you cheap slut! You framed me, you'll come to a bad end!" After being stunned for a few seconds, Lin Yufei, thoroughly provoked, screamed at the top of her lungs.

"You're the fucking one who'll come to a bad end! Such cheap and sordid acts can only be pulled off by a shameless vixen like you! You wanted to seduce Young Master Lu to marry into high society, but when your plot was exposed, you tried to extort a sum of money from him. You even put a knife to your own wrist as a threat, claiming that if Young Master Lu didn't pay compensation, you would slash your wrists and commit self-harm. Young Master Lu, being kind-hearted and afraid you would turn your fake act into reality, tried to take the knife away from you, only to end up being stabbed in the leg by you! If it weren't for emergency medical treatment, Young Master Lu wouldn't be sitting in a wheelchair right now; he'd be lying in a funeral home!"

Shen Qing stood with her hands on her hips, full of aggressive momentum, rattling off her version of the story like firecrackers. Then, glaring furiously, she shouted, "There were many people present at the time, and any of them can testify! Lin Yufei, you are a disaster-bringing scheming bitch. Watch out for lightning strikes when you go out, and prepare to descend into the eighteenth layer of hell!"

"You're lying! You're lying!" Tears burst from Lin Yufei's eyes, and she was on the verge of a total breakdown.

Shen Qing ran a clothing storefront, which had honed her sharp tongue. Having frequented social circles for years and spent her days and nights in nightclubs—to put it bluntly, she was a small-time hoodlum with backing. When it came to eloquence, scheming, dark-heartedness, and mental resilience, Lin Yufei was a complete and utter loser!

Lin Yu'gui and his wife also rushed over. Shen Huifang, driven by a fierce maternal instinct to protect her child, pointed a finger at Shen Qing and cursed bitterly, "Shen Qing, stop spitting venom! My daughter is pure and innocent, and she never goes to those shady, disreputable places. How could she ever do such a thing? It's obvious the lot of you set a trap and pushed her into a fiery pit..."

"Be quiet, all of you!" Elder Shen's face turned livid, and he trembled with rage. In a setting like this, in front of all these guests, such sordid matters were being dragged into the open, with both sides squabbling endlessly. Did he still want his old face, or the dignity of the Shen family?

The matriarch's expression was equally unsightly. To have such a scene unfold during a proper birthday banquet left her in a thoroughly wretched mood.

At this moment, Lu Bin finally spoke: "Elder, I won't mince words. Today I came here firstly to offer birthday greetings to the matriarch, and secondly to demand an explanation."

Elder Shen frowned. After a brief silence, he looked toward Lin Yu'gui's family and said in a deep voice, "Your family shouldn't stay here. Go straight to my study right now." Then, turning to Lu Bin, he added, "Young Master Lu, once the birthday banquet is over, I will certainly investigate this thoroughly and give you an explanation."

Lu Bin smiled, nodded at Elder Shen, and said, "Mentioning such unpleasant matters during the matriarch's birthday banquet is indeed quite a spoiler of the mood."

Seeing that Lu Bin was still giving him a modicum of face, Elder Shen's expression softened slightly. Just as he was about to utter a polite remark, Lu Bin continued, "Actually, there's no need to go to all that trouble. Shen Qing has already made herself very clear, and the facts are right there. The only explanation I want is simple: just hand the person over to me."

Elder Shen's expression tightened. He then heard Shen Mo chime in, "Grandfather, although Yufei is my cousin, she committed a wrong, and I cannot shield her. She must bear the consequences for what she has done. Young Master Lu was stabbed, and now he is merely asking for the person to be handed over. I don't think that is asking too much at all."

Shen Shanchang hesitated for a moment before speaking up gloomily as well, "Dad, this matter was stirred up by Yufei, and she is no longer a child. We, as the elders, cannot protect our own blindly without principles, otherwise people will think our Shen family cannot tell right from wrong. Moreover, I believe that given Young Master Lu's status, he won't make things excessively difficult for her."

Elder Shen remained silent, his gaze flickering slightly, seemingly tempted.

"No way!" Lin Yufei and Shen Huifang cried out in unison. The former wore a look of lingering terror, while the latter's face was plastered with absolute determination.

Shen Huizhu seized the opportunity to fan the flames: "Huifang, this isn't up to you to decide. Your family has grown prosperous, and while I hoped to bask in your success, I only pray your family doesn't drag the Shen family down with you."

Shen Huifang retorted harshly, "Dong Huizhu, I haven't provoked or offended you in any way. What do you mean by kicking a man when he's down?"

Dong Huizhu sneered and said with a feigned innocent look, "How am I kicking a man when he's down? I'm just telling the truth..."

"Shut your mouth! Utter one more word of nonsense, and get the hell out of here." Elder Shen flew into a rage. He first glared at Dong Huizhu, then turned to Shen Huifang. After falling silent for another moment, he slowly said, "Huifang, Yufei was indeed in the wrong on this matter..."

Before Elder Shen could finish his sentence, his intention to sacrifice Lin Yufei was already apparent. Hong Chen suddenly interrupted, "Grandfather, are you certain you want to hand Yufei over?"

Elder Shen frowned and looked over. Hong Chen met his gaze with a calm expression, neither humble nor overbearing, and raised his voice to say, "Yufei is still an undergraduate student. Every year she comes to South City either to pay New Year's greetings to her grandparents or to attend celebrations, and altogether it adds up to no more than five times. Yet last night, she supposedly committed an utterly preposterous act: right on Young Master Lu's home turf, meeting Young Master Lu for the very first time, and without a single soul around to support or help her, she drugged herself in an attempt to seduce Young Master Lu and marry into high society. When the drugging failed, she threatened him with suicide in an attempt to extort him. And finally, when the suicide failed, she turned around and stabbed Young Master Lu instead.... Hahahahaha."

At the end, Hong Chen burst into loud laughter, a laugh full of absurdity. His gaze slowly swept across the crowd, filled with mockery, and he sneered, "Ladies and gentlemen, if there is anyone among you who genuinely, from the bottom of their heart, believes this is the truth, then I can only use one word to describe you: idiots!"

As these words dropped, the crowd fell into an eerie, collective silence.

The expressions of Shen Mo and Shen Qing turned ugly. Shen Qing possessed practically no brain cells; realizing that her twisting of right and wrong had gone too far—so absurdly far that, upon calming down, even she herself couldn't force herself to believe it.

"What Shen Qing said is the truth," Lu Bin suddenly spoke up, his tone leaving no room for doubt. Hong Chen turned his head slightly to meet Lu Bin's cold, sinister gaze. With his smile still intact, Hong Chen struck straight to the heart of the matter: "The truth is that you attempted to rape Yufei, and in self-defense, Yufei stabbed you."

Without pausing, he quickly added, "Of course, what the actual truth is doesn't matter at all. Because you believe that with your status, even if you call a deer a horse, not a single person in this grand hall will dare to utter a single word of dissent. The reason is simple: you are the young master of the Lu family, while Yufei is merely a commoner. Who would ever dare to offend the esteemed young master of the Lu family for the sake of an insignificant commoner girl?"

Hong Chen spoke out loud the brutal, unvarnished truth that many felt was unspeakable. The crowd exchanged glances in silence. Some remained unimpressed, some wore stiff expressions, and others looked deeply embarrassed, but all of them firmly kept their mouths shut.

The hall grew even quieter!

"Grandfather, please humor me for a few more words of nonsense, and then you can make your final judgment." Hong Chen took a deep breath, returned his gaze to Elder Shen, and pointed a finger at Lu Bin. "Based on my understanding of large prestigious families, the higher the status and the more children there are, the more complex the relationships become. I can boldly assert that judging by his actions, let alone being the future successor of the family, he isn't even considered a core descendant for key cultivation!"

Clang!

Though this statement seemed to come completely out of left field, it acted like a heavy stone cast into a lake, stirring up a massive wave of ripples in everyone's hearts. This was evident from their startled and shifting facial expressions alone.

Lu Bin's face instantly darkened. Hong Chen had jabbed right at his sore spot. His father was the fourth eldest of the Lu family, the one least regarded and valued by the family patriarch. Furthermore, unlike Elder Shen, the Lu patriarch did not wear his preference for sons over daughters on his sleeve; thus, his family's status was actually quite similar to that of Shen Huifang's household within the Shen family.

Just as Hong Chen had said, only a young master born into a wealthy family who found himself thwarted at every turn would resort to such despicable, low-handed tactics outside. If it were any of his older brothers, whichever woman they took a fancy to would throw themselves into their arms with just a hook of a finger; even if they didn't throw themselves willingly, a slight pursuit would secure her nine times out of ten.

Unlike him, who could at best throw his weight around in front of children from second-tier families and below.

Of course, last night's incident had actually involved a slight mishap. With his status, taking down Shen Qing would have been effortless, but his actual target had been a woman from another quasi-first-tier family, and he had mistakenly slipped the drug into Shen Qing's cup instead...

"As for our family, we are gradually growing prosperous, and even in prosperity, we haven't forgotten our roots. I wonder if the two elders are satisfied with the birthday gift we prepared for the grandmother this time? In a few months, it will be Grandfather's birthday..."

Hong Chen had no idea that a single sentence of his had needled Lu Bin until he bled—though even if he had known, he wouldn't have cared. He then shifted his pointing finger from Lu Bin to the small golden pagoda sitting on the table. "Grandfather, our family came here bearing familial affection and filial piety, sincerely wishing the grandmother a happy birthday. Yet, Yufei, your own granddaughter, is about to be handed over to outsiders to be taken away, or our family is about to be driven out of this hall. Not only will the Shen family lose all its dignity, but I imagine our family will never have the face to step through the Shen family's gates ever again."

Hong Chen's expression turned stern, and his voice rang out with finality: "That is all I have to say. I ask Grandfather to uphold justice for Yufei."