"What’s concerning," Lu Yuze said with dangerous quiet, "is that you apparently tried to approach a child without coordinating with her guardian first. Did you barge into Lin Shuyin’s office? Demand answers? Try to touch or grab my daughter without her consent?"
Silence on the other end was answer enough.
"You did," Lu Yuze concluded, his voice dropping to sothing that could freeze fire. "You barged into a private office, frightened a child, and tried to assert family authority over soone you haven’t bothered to visit in months. Tell , Brother, when was the last ti you actually saw Yuyan? The real, actual last ti you were in her hospital room and saw her?"
"I..." Lu Cheng faltered. "It’s been... several months. Maybe six? Eight? I’ve been busy with the southern branch operations, and you always said she needed rest, minimal visitors...."
"Six to eight months," Lu Yuze repeated, each word precisely enunciated. "So let understand this correctly. You haven’t seen my daughter in half a year or more. You have no current knowledge of her condition or treatnt. You have no relationship with her beyond the most distant family connection. And yet you feel entitled to barge into offices, demand answers about her dical status, and try to take her sowhere against her apparent wishes?"
"I’m her uncle!"
"You’re a stranger," Lu Yuze corrected him brutally. "To her, you’re just another adult who ignored her existence when she was dying and suddenly wants involvent now that she’s recovered. Why would she trust you? Why would she acknowledge you? You’ve earned nothing from her except maybe resentnt for your absence."
The words landed like physical blows, and Lu Cheng’s breath caught audibly through the phone.
"That’s not fair," he said finally, his voice tight with hurt and anger. "The family maintained distance because you said that’s what Yuyan needed. You said too many visitors exhausted her. You said...."
"I said she needed protection from people who saw her as a tragedy rather than a person," Lu Yuze interrupted. "I said she didn’t need relatives showing up out of obligation, staying for ten uncomfortable minutes, and leaving with relief. I said she deserved better than pity visits from a family who couldn’t handle watching her die."
He paused, letting that sink in.
"And you proved right by disappearing entirely. So forgive if I don’t find your sudden concern particularly compelling now that she’s mysteriously healthy."
"Mysteriously healthy," Lu Cheng seized on the phrase. "You admit there’s sothing mysterious about her recovery. Sothing unexplained. Yuze, what happened? What treatnt did you find? How did you cure her when every doctor in the country said it was impossible?"
"That’s none of your business," Lu Yuze replied flatly. He didn’t care about the magic that had happened; he was truly grateful that he ca across Shuyin and was able to cure his daughter.
"It absolutely is my business when..."
"No," Lu Yuze cut him off, his voice taking on a tone that he usually reserved for hostile takeovers and crushing competitors. "It’s not. Yuyan is my daughter. Her health, her treatnt, her recovery, all of that is mine to manage. Not yours. Not the family’s. Mine. And I’m telling you directly, clearly, with no room for misunderstanding: stay away from her. Don’t approach her. Don’t contact her. Don’t send people to investigate her. Just leave her alone."
"You can’t seriously expect to just accept that," Lu Cheng protested, his voice rising with frustration. "Yuze, I saw her with Lin Shuyin! That woman just blackmailed our entire southern branch board! She has the leverage to destroy dozens of executives! And sohow your miraculously recovered daughter is calling her ’Mother’ and living in her care? How does that not concern you?"
"It doesn’t concern because I know the full situation and you don’t," Lu Yuze replied with infuriating calm. "And I’m not going to explain it to you because, again, it’s none of your business."
"I’m making it my business!" Lu Cheng’s control was cracking, desperation bleeding through. "That’s my niece....."
"That’s my daughter," Lu Yuze corrected, his voice dropping to sothing that could cut a diamond. "And Brother? Let be very, very clear about sothing. If you continue to harass her, if you continue to demand answers I’m not willing to provide, if you make any attempt to investigate her situation or interfere with her life..."
He paused, letting the threat build.
"I will destroy the southern branch. Completely. Systematically. I’ll target every vulnerable contract, every questionable deal, every regulatory grey area you’ve been operating in. I’ll use every resource at my disposal to dismantle what you’ve built until there’s nothing left but rubble and unemploynt."
The threat wasn’t an empty bluster. Lu Yuze had the resources, the connections, and the ruthless reputation to make good on every word.
Yuyan Conglorate was a monster compared to Lu Group’s southern operations. Where Lu Cheng controlled billions, Lu Yuze controlled hundreds of billions. Where Lu Cheng had regional influence, Lu Yuze had international reach. Where Lu Cheng answered to his eldest brother, Lu Yuze answered to no one.
The power differential was staggering.
And Lu Yuze had never hesitated to use that power when sothing threatened what he cared about.
"You’re threatening ?" Lu Cheng’s voice erged strangled, disbelieving. "Over this? Over-keeping secrets about your daughter?"
"I’m establishing boundaries, brother," Lu Yuze corrected coldly. "Yuyan is off-limits. Completely. Her life, her health, her relationships, all of it is private. You don’t get access. You don’t get explanations. You get to respect her choices and stay away unless she specifically invites contact."
"This is insane," Lu Cheng breathed. "Yuze, what happened to you? When did you beco this... this..."
"This protective?" Lu Yuze finished for him. "This is ruthless about guarding my daughter? I’ve always been this way, Brother. You just never paid enough attention to notice. I watched my daughter suffer for twelve years while the family maintained a comfortable distance. I sat through endless dical procedures, painful treatnts, and hope dying repeatedly. And I did it alone because none of you could handle being present for actual suffering."
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