Before he died, my grandfather forced me to marry the richest man in the capital.

cemetery.

The sky was silent, save for the clear chirping of birds and the soaring traces of wild geese; time seemed to stand still at this moment.

It was a bit deserted. Only three people were standing in front of the tombstone, which could be counted at a glance. Only Lu's mother was crying, and she wasn't crying loudly, but sobbing softly.

Mr. Lu put his arm around his wife's shoulder, patted her gently, and coaxed her in a low voice, "Leaving may not be a bad thing for him. Try to think more positively."

Xu Zhong's life wasn't actually a complete failure. His family was originally very poor, but because his sister Lu's mother married into a wealthy family, he lived a life of luxury. Although it was far from the four great families, he had enjoyed the life of the rich over the years, even though he was originally poor. In addition, Lu Man had the protection of the old man, which made things even smoother for her.

Because Lu Man was injured and unable to attend her father's burial, it was a regret for Xu Zhong, who was both a father and a mother to her.

Lu Jinnan handled the matter. The tombstone was written with a shy tone: Father Xu Zhong, Daughter Xu Man. When the inscription was being carved, he asked Lu's mother how to write Lu Man's name. Lu's mother said without hesitation, "Let her get back on track. Write Xu Man. After your uncle passed away, all the wrongdoings are buried under the dust. Don't dwell on them anymore. Manman has been corrupted by desire and has become a different person. Let her change back and reflect on her actions."

Lu Jinnan, dressed in a black trench coat, squatted in front of the tombstone, burning paper money. His face was expressionless, showing no sadness, but there was not a trace of a smile on his face.

Xu Zhong was a blood relative to Lu's mother, and even if he wasn't, he was still her own brother. Now that he's gone, she must be heartbroken.

The three of them stood there for a while before leaving. Mrs. Lu was in a bad mood, and Mr. Lu, halfway down the steps, instructed his son, "Go check on your cousin. What's wrong with her leg? Who did she offend?"

Lu Jinnan was serious, but not in a very good mood. "Okay, I understand. I'll go over now. You don't need to go to the company today. Stay with Mom. I'm going to the company."

"Hmm." When faced with important matters, Lu Jinnan showed no trace of his usual glibness or nonchalance, a stark contrast to his usual carefree attitude.

Lu Jinnan drove his Porsche to the foot of the mountain and parted ways with his father and the others. He didn't go home to change his clothes; he wanted to wear the same clothes to meet his so-called cousin.

He lit a cigarette as soon as he got in the car, the smoke he exhaled like the restlessness in his heart. He took a few puffs, put the cigarette between his lips, and drove straight ahead with one hand on the steering wheel. With the other hand, he took out his phone, found the number at the top of his recent contacts, and dialed without hesitation. The call was answered instantly, "Hello, Brother Cheng."

Ji Hancheng paused upon hearing the voice. Whenever Lu Jinnan called him "brother," it usually meant he was in a bad mood or something important had happened. After all these years of hanging out, Ji Hancheng understood him quite well.

Just as Ji Hancheng was about to leave, Xu Mingkai arrived in his car to pick him up. Seeing that Ji Shao was on the phone, Xu Mingkai wisely opened the back door, strode in with his long legs, and said in a serious tone, "Speak, what is it?"

Lu Jinnan let out a breath, "Lu... Xu Man's legs..."

Before she could finish speaking, Ji Hancheng interrupted her, his voice turning colder, "I always do things openly. I didn't do anything to her leg. I never go back on my promises to you."

Lu Jinnan also felt that Ji Hancheng wouldn't do it, but he still wanted to ask because he didn't know how many things Xu Man was hiding that he didn't know about. He was afraid that Ji Hancheng would find out about his unknown crimes and force Ji Hancheng to take action.

Lu Jinnan felt frustrated. "Thank you, Brother Xie Cheng."

Ji Hancheng hung up the phone with a dark face, his expression not very good, and he was visibly angry.

As Xu Mingkai drove, he noticed the man's expression in the rearview mirror and mustered his courage to ask, "Does Young Master Lu suspect we were involved?"

The man didn't answer, twirling his phone in his hand as if deep in thought.

Xu Mingkai continued, "Young Master Ji, do you want to investigate who injured Miss Lu? It was quite ruthless, cutting off her dreams for the rest of her life."

Ji Hancheng said coldly, "Don't my people need to be paid? If they're so bored as to investigate this nonsense, you should pay them."

Xu Mingkai said tremblingly, "Isn't it because I was afraid you'd be misunderstood by Young Master Lu?"

After a long pause, he said, "He wouldn't." He wasn't sure who had done it, and it would be too naive of someone to try and sow discord between him and Lu Jinnan.

Lu Jinnan usually seems cheerful, but he is also very methodical when it comes to doing things. It's not that he's not smart, it's just that he doesn't want to live a tiring life and feels that living a carefree life is the real joy.

When they arrived at the floor where Xu Man was hospitalized, Lu Jinnan's complexion was still not good. He had smoked a lot of cigarettes that morning, and as soon as he got out of the elevator, he threw his cigarettes in the cigarette butt area.

He stepped closer and saw Xu Man sitting on the bed with her right leg in a cast, unable to move, her face pale and bloodless.

Upon seeing that the person who came was Lu Jinnan, she scoffed, "The burial is over." There was no sadness in her tone; instead, it was as casual as asking if you had eaten breakfast.

Lu Jinnan ignored her irritability; it was normal for someone with a broken leg to have a temper. He simply said, "I've changed your name back. Don't call yourself Lu Man anymore. I've also changed your household registration. The inscription on your tombstone will say Xu Man. Your aunt asked me to pass on a message to you, so you can return to a normal life."

Lu Man smiled eerily, muttering a few words, "Back to normal life, normal life. May I ask, cousin, what is normal life? Am I living a normal life now that my leg is broken and my tendons have been removed?" The last few words were shouted.

A flicker of surprise crossed Lu Jinnan's eyes. Wasn't it just a broken leg? How come there was also tendon removal? That method was so ruthless. It was a waste of time to ask Ji Hancheng this morning, "Do you know who did it?"

Lu Man remained smiling. "What do you think? Would you believe me if I said Ji Hancheng? From beginning to end, the only person I've ever loved is Ji Hancheng, the only person I've ever wanted is him, and the only person I've ever offended is Tang Junyao. Who do you think did it?"

Lu Jinnan retorted without hesitation, "He's still restless even while lying down. Don't pin the blame on him. It's also possible that he was the wife of your sugar daddy last time."

"You two really have a deep bond. Your own family member, your cousin, had her Achilles tendon removed and will be in a wheelchair for the rest of her life, and you can still be so calm. Lu Jinnan, is your heart made of stone? I am your sister, we are the real family. Ji Hancheng is just an outsider."

Lu Jinnan scoffed. It seemed Xu Man hadn't figured things out at all. He'd thought she'd calmed down and come to her senses in the past few years. "Don't take your anger out on me. I'm here today on behalf of my mother. If you continue like this, people will only stay away. Do you think I'm here for no reason? Don't think the whole world owes you anything. Your uncle doesn't owe you anything, and neither does the Lu family. I don't expect you to be grateful. Just be thankful if you don't repay kindness with enmity. Xu Man, you'd better watch yourself. All I can do for you is save your life. This is my last promise to your uncle and my mother. If you do anything else, I can't save you."

With tears streaming down her face, Lu Man pointed to her injured leg and said, "Is this how you protect me? I'm disabled now, what have you protected me from?"

For the first time, Lu Jinnan lost his temper and couldn't control his good temper. "Is life enough?"

"You might as well let me die. My favorite dance, I've been studying it all these years, all alone, just to make something of myself and give myself face. But now I have nothing left. What's the point of me living? Waaaaah..." Lu Man broke down in tears.

Lu Jinnan couldn't truly empathize with her feelings, but he understood. No one could accept suddenly becoming disabled, so he stopped provoking her. "Once you feel better, I'll transfer you to a better hospital in H country. I'll hire a caregiver to take care of you. As for going abroad, you can't escape it. You know that Brother Cheng always keeps his word and won't take it back. Leaving might not be the end for you. Change your environment and don't make yourself so miserable. At least be worthy of all the effort your uncle has put into raising you and the Lu family has put into nurturing you over the years."

Lu Man didn't lose her temper anymore, because some things were beyond change. Even if she were to die today, she had reason to suspect that Ji Hancheng would bury her in H country. How come she never realized before how cold-blooded and ruthless this person was? He broke her leg and then pulled out her tendons. Was he afraid that she would recover? She was already a cripple, yet he still sent her abroad. Ji Hancheng, you are really cruel. One day I will make you regret it.

As Lu Jinnan was leaving, he caught a glimpse of the murderous intent and hatred in Lu Man's eyes and shook his head helplessly.