He said nothing.
Not a word. Not a flicker of expression. It was like any other fleeting moment....
He simply turned away from the window and walked back into his quiet room, pulling the door shut behind him with a soft but decisive click.
He didn't want to hear her cry.
He didn't want to remember her face.
Not today. Not ever again. He just went back to sleep.
—
Lu Ting Cheng walked back into the dining room, his steps measured and calm, though a faint coldness still lingered in his narrowed eyes.
Old Madam Lu's gaze immediately shifted to him as he entered, her chopsticks paused over her bowl, "Where did you take her?" she asked quietly, her tone deceptively soft.
Old Master Lu set down his tea cup with a muted clink, his deep-set eyes fixed on his grandson with sharp curiosity, "And more importantly… what was she doing here in the first place? Who allowed her into the house?"
They had doubts that it could be the boys who had pulled up this mess and let her into their home!
Lu Ting Cheng exhaled lightly, pulling out his chair and sitting down beside Zi Zhen, who remained quiet, calmly eating his rice.
He picked up his chopsticks but didn't touch the food, staring down at the porcelain bowl as if gathering his thoughts on what to say.
"She was drunk," he said finally, his voice flat, "We… found her at the pier when we were on our way home. And we couldn't have left her there, we later called Gabriel, and we thought of letting them sleep for the night since it was late in the night for a drive out."
Old Madam Lu faintly frowned, Song Yaya was used to drinking, but it wasn't that serious, right? "Drunk? At the pier?"
"Yes," Ting Cheng replied curtly, his tone blocking no further questioning, "We couldn't leave her there to freeze, so we brought her here just like we are doing charity. That's all."
Old Master Lu's brow furrowed as he leaned back in his chair, folding his arms over his broad chest, "And now she's looking for Ting Zhou? What's the matter with those two? Did anything happen to Ting Zhou?" He just felt like they missed something, or they were probably overthinking.
Ting Cheng's jaw tightened, showing the jawline. He didn't raise his gaze as he answered, "She thinks… she still has a place in our lives. That's her problem and the reason she is that hysterical."
Old Madam Lu's lips pressed into a thin line, her gaze flicking briefly to Zi Zhen before returning to Ting Cheng trying to decipher if whatever they were saying was right. "Do you boys… want her back in your lives?"
Ting Cheng finally set down his chopsticks, wiping his fingers with the linen napkin before looking up, his dark eyes calm and expressionless, "She awakens nothing but old wounds, Grandmother," he said quietly, "Her presence only brings chaos. She should stay away from our family."
Old Master Lu nodded slowly, his gaze flicking between his grandsons with quiet approval. "That is wise. You are no longer a child clinging to a mother's shadow. You are all grown now, If you want to live with her, that is your choice… but she will never step foot into this house again. I won't allow it!"
Ting Cheng's lips twitched faintly in a humourless smile as he shook his head, "We have no intention of living with her whatsoever. She chose her path a long time ago and this is ours. We all should lie on the beds we made!"